It was going to be a good day in court.
Aaron had walked with her all the way to the courthouse, and this time, instead of walking away at the door, he accepted the doorman's conditions for entering, and took a seat in the gallery. Ms Cook arrived a few minutes later, taking a place in the gallery next to her boyfriend, a copy of her subpoena in hand as well as a note of excuse from her employer.
There were still a few minutes before today's session of the Supreme Court would begin, and Lyra's smug confidence was slightly dampened by a similar look on her opponent's face. In contrast of her own rather shabby and tired appearance, Attorney General David Bennett looked refreshed and confident. He peered over his rather sharp-looking reading glasses, smirking over at the mare and giving her a polite wave.
Scowling at the man and wondering what trump he thought he had up his sleeve, Lyra barely gave him a tilt of her head in acknowledgement.
A few minutes later, the bailiff began the proceedings. "All rise for the honorable Chief Justice Abigail Haliburton and the Associate Justices."
Everyone in the gallery, human and pony, reporter and casual observer, support and opposition, stood at the bailiff's command. Just like they had in every recent convention of court, the nine Justices filed into their bench, the stoic Chief Justice leading their small column. Taking their respective seats, Chief Justice Haliburton nodded to the bailiff.
"Be seated." The crowd in the gallery did so, following the suit of both Lyra and Mr Bennett. "God save the Republic of Terra and this honorable court, may he bless us with swift, righteous judgement."
Shifting a few papers from the stack in front of her, Chief Justice Haliburton cleared her throat. "Thank you, bailiff. We shall continue to hear argument this morning in case number one of the Terran judiciary, Lyra Heartstrings v. Republic of Terra. Mrs Heartstring, you may begin."
Lyra stood from her desk, tapping the edge of a stack of papers to even them out. "Madam Chief Justice, Associate Justices," she peeked over to her opponent at his desk, "Mr Bennett. Good morning to you all, and I hope you slept better than I did last night."
A small chorus of chuckles arose from the gallery, and was quickly silenced by the cold stare of the Chief Justice. Clearing her throat loudly, Lyra tried to hold the attention of the panel of Justices. "These past few days, my argument has deviated away from the original petitioned cause to address what I believe to be the larger problem in this country: the lack of equal social rights for all thinking peoples. But with today's argument, I wish to stray back a little closer to the central point that I tried to make on the first day of court. The idea that though our individual races may seem so different on the outside, but at a fundamental level we share so many similarities that there should be no bars between our societies, that there should be no barriers based simply on the idea that we are different. That because I walk on four legs and that you walk on two, I cannot morally and ethically raise one of your children as my own."
Lyra stopped, grasping a waiting glass of water from the desk with her magic and taking a quick sip.
"If we remove the idea that it is a deep seated grudge that the humans of the Republic hold against many of the creatures that prevents a peaceful integration of our peoples into a single harmonious and loving society, then all I'm left with is the physical and moral differences that separate humans and ponies."
"That would be the point, Mrs Heartstrings," Justice Dailey said, interrupting her speech. "Republic Social Services denied you the right to adopt a human child based on their interpretation of the Guardian Clause of the Constitution. You, and in this case any creature in the Republic or our allied states, cannot be trusted with one of our children based simply on the idea that your physical characteristics have no correlation to those of a human being! Your diet cannot accommodate the nutritional needs of a human, your physical handicaps," he leaned over the desk, pointing directly at her hooves, "would prove to be hugely detrimental in the care of a human, and your very body itself poses a threat to a fragile human. One wrong step, and her foot is broken under your hoof. One bad bump while rough-housing with pony children her age, and that's a whole set of broken bones. And don't get me started on the lack of decency in your society," Justice Dailey said, his eye drifting toward's Lyra's naked flank with disgust.
Each little prod and jibe at her "handicaps" and her "lack of decency" made that familiar fire in her belly burn a few degrees hotter. A hoof was no handicap! And ponies were gentle creatures, there was almost never any physical brutality in their childhood games! And since when was a lack of pants considered indecent?!
"Keep it together, don't let him get under your skin," came a whisper from her earring. Holding back her growing anger, Lyra took a deep breath, thinking about the possible consequences of another angered outburst on the courtroom floor. She regained her composure, quenching the growing flames in her belly with a few deep breaths. But her silence had not gone unnoticed, and the whole court waited expectantly for her to say something. "Alright," Mr Darrow said. "Now, finish your thought, and pull out the subpoena."
The mare complied, reaching out with her magical touch to open her attache case and bring out her signed subpoena. Peering back over her shoulder, Lyra sought out Ms Cook in the crowd, quickly spying her next to Mr Patterson as he lounged in a bored manner, even though court had been in session less than five minutes. Giving her a nod, Lyra turned back to the row of Justices, using her telekinetic grip on her subpoena to place it on the Chief Justice's docket.
"Madam Chief Justice, at this time I would like to refute Associate Justice Dailey's commentary and call Ms Anita Cook to the stand for testimony." Her words carried no small amount of venom at the Associate Justice's repeated insults, innocent though they seemed.
The platinum-haired social worker stood from her seat in the gallery, carefully picked her way through the aisle, and finally arrived at the petitioner's desk with her briefcase in hand. The soldier-playing-bailiff approached with his ratty bible at the ready, and he presented it for Ms Cook. She lay her hand upon the cover, and raised her opposite hand.
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"
"I swear," Anita replied, and the bailiff tucked away his bible and retreated back to his post in the corner.
Quickly scanning over Lyra's latest subpoena, the Chief Justice nodded to herself, filing away the subpoena into her docket folder, and addressing Ms Cook. "Please state your name for the courtroom records."
Anita swallowed an anxious lump in her throat. "Anita Catherine Cook, specialist in early childhood welfare and care with the Republic of Terra's Department of Social Services."
The subpoena, signed with the social worker's own signature, passed by each Justice. And one by one, they examined the form to make sure it was properly filled out, and to ascertain the nature of her testimonial before she truly began. With Lyra's propensity for pulling rather curious information out of the air, they felt as though they should at least have an inkling of what she was throwing at them.
"Ms Cook," Justice Marcos said, breaking the silence, "You may begin your testimonial."
Anita cleared her throat one more time, swallowing down all the apprehension. "Thank you sir. Um, er, a few weeks ago, a bill was passed by the Terran Senate, bill number, um," she stopped for a moment, digging through her briefcase and seeking out the proper papers from her myriad files. "Here it is. Senate bill number 36, concerning the emigration of human beings out from the borders of Terra to allied states. This bill was enacted as a sort of early census, meaning that each and every migrant individual or family had to have their new homes thoroughly inspected by government officials to ascertain their fitness to harbor a human family. More specifically, their fitness to harbor human children. This was um, this was meant to curtail the... the uh, the effects of..."
Anita was choking. All around her were people that were judging her, glaring right at her with malice because she was taking the side of an inhuman creature that had threatened the stability of the very country they had all worked so hard to build. Lyra could see the obvious amount of stress rolling off of her, and she placed a hoof onto her friend's shoulder. "You're alright. Just take a deep breath."
The social worker closed her eyes, taking a deep, shuddering breath to calm her nerves.
"This... this bill was passed to assess the mental and physical health and safety of any humans separate from the main body of our population and insure the well-being of any human being living in a non-human culture. Sixteen families overall have migrated away from officially sanctioned human settlements or colonies; twelve of which now reside in Equestria, and the remaining four families have made homesteads in the territory of our neighbors, the bison. I um, I was assigned by Republic Social Services to assess the... the uh, living conditions and the suitability for human habitation in Equestrian district seven, also known as the township of Ponyville."
"Ponyville," Justice Sikes said with a snicker. "Quite an... imaginative name for a town full of horses." The sarcasm in her voice put every pony in the gallery on edge. Sure, only a tiny fraction of a percent of the ponies of Lazarus came from Ponyville or parts nearby. In fact, the first settlers came from the nearest pony townships of Appaloosa and Dodge Junction, while the bulk of the equine immigrants haled from metropolises like Manehattan and Fillydelphia. A few even came from the unincorporated and wild western coast, from towns like Tall Trees and Hollow Shades. There were even a few rumored to have the hardy stock of the far northern frontier settlements of Snowreach in their blood.
Even a hearty population of donkeys and their close relatives, the mules, called Lazarus their home. But it was not the denigration of Ponyville in particular that seemed to rile their spirits, it was the attitude with which Justice Sikes continually demeaned their cultures as non-humans.
Lyra narrowed her eyes in anger at the demeaning of the small hamlet in the country that had become her home. Sure, it didn't have the most inventive name, but that did not say anything about the town as a whole.
Anita nervously cleared her throat once more, tapping her stack of papers to even them out and hopefully break just a little bit of the giant block of ice that was forming in her stomach. "As I was saying, your honor, I was sent by the Terran Department of Social Services to do a formal inspection of the township of Ponyville. I, um, I made the trip by helicopter, and was safely deposited in the town proper, where I met with the family that my particular case concerned: the family of Frederick and Sara Coppell, and their young daughter, Sophia."
"Ah yes," Justice Lanning said aloud. "First family to leave Lazarus, if I'm correct."
"First family to follow some crackpot's advice and jump into the horse stables, you mean," Justice Dailey murmured to himself. Justice Lanning shot him an annoyed scowl for his feeble attempt to correct her and overshadow her fact with his opinion.
"How about you keep your patronizing crap to yourself, Chris," the liberal Justice whispered acidly, only the people at the front desks even catching the slightest hint of it. The few people who knew Nora Lanning personally knew about her almost fanatical respect for Dr Patterson and his exploits, and anyone who tried to tarnish the ambassador was subject to a tongue lashing and the Justice's ire.
The divide between the liberal and conservative Justices was growing, and it would be harder than ever to persuade the conservatives that Lyra had marked as near-moderates to make the leap across that growing gap and join with the bloc of Justices she had slated as the most likely supporters of her cause. Maybe it was the sudden severity of the case with the growing movement outside reaching critical mass, maybe it was the natural enmity between their separate political ideologies, but whatever it was, the Justices seemed more on edge than usual.
Chief Justice Halliburton cleared her throat loudly, glaring at the embittered and verbally sparring Associate Justices. "Ms Cook, please continue with your testimonial," she said, trying to get it all back on track.
"Yes ma'am," Anita said with a quick and nervous nod. "Since my transportation situation was difficult, I was stuck in Ponyville for an entire week. Since it only takes a day or two to do the minimally required investigation, I decided to do a full case file on the entire town and its suitability for human habitation."
"And what were your findings, Ms Cook?" asked Justice Watson, breaking her typical silence. Social work and family psychology had been an interest of hers when she was younger, before the calling of law had dominated her university studies. Among the Justices, she would be the most likely to understand most of Ms Cook's terminology and the importance of certain key aspects.
"Where would you like me to begin?" Ms Cook asked in a manner that was much calmer and cooler after a few deep breaths. Her long fingernails picked through the literal hundreds of forms and documents in the thick and heavy file that she had compiled in her week-long investigation of Sophia Coppell's new home.
"Well, the obvious place to start would be basic physical health and welfare," Justice Watson replied.
Anita nodded, flicking through her thick file and coming to a portion that concerned the physical well-being of young Ms Coppell. "After the first few hours in my investigation case, I began to note that Sophia Coppell, the child in question, did not seem to be in any state of un-health. Her body, while still fairly small for a normal child her age, is well developed, and of a suitable weight for her size and age. There were no discernible bruises, lacerations, or injuries withstanding, with the exception of a few insect bite scars on her lower legs. This was attributed less to her equine neighbors, and more to the fact that she was living in a fairly rural home, where such marks are common. A quick review of her available dietary situation revealed a ready supply of fruits and vegetables, as well as protein heavy foods that a human child needs to develop properly. Mr Frederick Coppell subsequently reported that all of their food was bought locally from the daily market in town. A quick investigation revealed his assertion to be feasible, if not completely true. While the diet of a pony does include far more carbohydrates and even plant cellulose, their love of fruits and vegetables does provide more than enough nutritional variance for a human being."
Anita flipped her page on nutrition to the back of her report, trying to decide where to take this train of thought next. "Um... a thorough examination of the medical care of Ponyville was conducted, complete with a tour of the local hospital and examinations of Equestria's medical technology. I am afraid to say that it is one of the greater disappointments of my investigation, as Equestrian medical technology does seem to be rather primitive when compared to our own. However, this is only in a relative sense; the hospital I visited was capable of performing surgeries and operations of almost any difficulty and severity, short of open heart surgery. The doctor I spoke with assured me that gross anatomical differences would not be a barrier to the proper treatment of a human being in his facilities, as our microscopic anatomy shared enough similarities."
"And how would he know that?" Justice Sikes asked, interrupting Ms Cook. "Did he read a book on human anatomy? Did he dissect some poor man to learn just how he ticked?" Each and every word was laced with both skepticism and sarcasm, and the smirk on her face told everyone watching her that she believed Anita to be misrepresenting the truth before the court.
Shaking her head slowly, Anita dug through her files once more, her eyes darting back and forth, looking for a certain paper. "Here it is. Madam Justice, this is a copy of the hospital entry forms of a human citizen from Ponyville. He was treated with all the care that was necessary, and discharged with a clean bill of health. The hospital had no apparent difficulty with his differences as a human, and he was treated without any problems."
Justice Sikes narrowed her eyes, having been successfully called on her bluff. "Bailiff, bring me that document." The soldier complied, and the heavily conservative Justice scanned the hospital discharge forms with a less than professional eye. "Whose are these?"
"Those would be my papers, ma'am," Dr Patterson said from his slouched seat in the gallery. The glare of the Chief Justice struck him like a bullet, and the mage was honestly confused, unaware that he had broken court law and spoken out without a formally submitted subpoena or even being asked to. "What? I stepped on a nail, didn't want to get tetanus." That broke some of the tension, and a round of chuckles came from the gallery.
"One more outburst from the gallery like that and you'll be on the sidewalk," Chief Justice Halliburton said coldly.
Dr Patterson zipped a finger over his lips, and the court shifted focus back towards the petitioner's desk and Ms Cook. However, Justice Lanning did seem a little awestruck that one of her idols was so lazily lounging in her courtroom. This would be a day that she would be hard pressed to ever forget.
"Ahem," Anita grumbled, clearing her throat once more and getting back on task. "After the preliminary investigation into healthcare and the local food industry, I took the liberty of doing a full-scale investigation into Equestria's -or at least Ponyville's- education system. It does appear to be similar to twenty-first century educational systems: it is government funded; the classes are divided by primary, secondary, and collegiate; and the lesson plan scales as they age. I sat in on a few young children's classes, and I was astonished. The mare who taught the students was extremely competent, and the lesson plan was incredibly... advanced." That seemed to be the only thing she could say.
"How so?" asked Justice Brockmann.
Anita pushed her glasses back up her nose, and she dove right back into her thick file. "Well, I just want to make this clear right now: these were pony foals at the equivalent of the first or second grade in the old American public school system. But they were being taught what looked like basic algebra and reading from books that we would normally associate at a middle-school reading level! Heck, if I was a kid there, I could have gotten a scholarship to some Ivy League university by the age of fourteen." The social worker cracked a weak smile, trying to laugh a little to ease her nervousness.
"Good, she's making jokes," a voice whispered to Lyra's ear. "She's getting comfortable."
"I know, now we're gonna start going places," she discreetly whispered back. "Maybe this will be all we need to win this."
"Don't get cocky, it's never a sure thing."
For the next ten or so minutes, Anita Cook regaled the court with her extensive report on the township of Ponyville and its human residents. She covered all the bases, everything from the public education system, advanced medicine, little Ms Sophie's level of mental and emotional development when compared to a "normal" human child (one raised exclusively in a human environment), which of course was normal for her age. All the while, the Justices listened as well as they could, with Justice Watson filling in the blanks for those who were too far out of their own professional zone to ask a question.
And with each little mote of information and each passing minute, Anita seemed to gain more confidence on the courtroom floor, repeating her full report of Ponyville with increasing gusto. She knew she had stepped off the deep end, that forever more she would be seen in public as one who had cast her lot in with the creatures that had menaced humanity centuries ago. But she had made a promise, a promise to repay the debt that she had found herself in with Lyra. But it was more than that, the mare was her friend, and Anita wanted to help her friend in her hour of greatest need.
"To conclude," she said loudly, signalling the end of what seemed like the most in depth investigation by a caseworker into her case. "Though I would have preferred a much more long-term stay in which to conduct a more complete investigation, the township of Ponyville, as well as a sizable portion of its inhabitants, pass Republic Social Services standards for early childhood welfare. In most categories, they actually pass the minimum requirement mark, and are actually rather... exemplary. Not only does pony society pass every category that Republic Social Services judges on, but in some places they do better than the typical human case that we see."
Ms Cook finished her testimonial, snapping shut her folder with a confident and victorious smile. She had done all she could, and now it was time to step down and let Lyra deal the coup de grace with her oratory that was quickly becoming rather infamous in the streets of Lazarus.
Lyra stood from her seat, rearing up on her hindlegs, folding her forelegs behind her back and pacing in front of the Justice's bench.
"So, over the past few minutes, we've been regaled with an official report, conducted and presented by a government official entrusted by the very highest powers of this nation's leadership with the judgement and protection of the welfare of this nation's children, that seems to back my claim wholeheartedly. There is now legal proof that Equestrian society, and its people, pose no physical threat to the wellbeing of a child, no threat to the direction of their moral compass, and that our system of education and welfare is actually beneficial to the development of a human child! So, about those barriers of difference..." she said smugly. "Madam Chief Justice, I rest for the day."
The Justices murmured to one another, Justice Watson seeming to be the one most affected by this testimonial, eagerly whispering to her compatriots, having firmly been convinced that there were no true barriers between the races other than emotional apprehension.
"Respondent, you may begin your argument at this time," Chief justice Haliburton said to Mr Bennett.
David Bennett stood from his chair smoothly, a confident and cool smile on his face, one that unnerved Lyra to her core. The way he glanced towards her, with his air of chilling and nerve-wracking smugness, even put the ghost in her ear on edge.
"Good morning, Justices of the Supreme Court. Good morning, people of Lazarus. And to you, Lyra, a most special good morning."
The Attorney General of the Republic of Terra paced up in front of the row of Justices. "I would like to congratulate Mrs Heartstrings on accomplishing something that not many have done before. You see, I am an arbiter of law, what is written is my dogma, and I shall defend that written law until my dying breath. But Mrs Heartstrings here has touched my heart, and opened my eyes. Lyra, I would like to thank you for changing my perceptions, for drawing aside the veil of uncertainty that was cast over my heart." The Attorney General turned to his opponent, giving and honest and sincere look of appreciation, holding his ringed hand over his heart. But behind that facade brewed something sinister.
"No," Mr Darrow whispered to the mare. "He's praising you. Shit! He's up to something!"
"And what is this "veil of uncertainty" that you claim she removed?" asked Justice Sikes.
Bennett turned back to the Justices. "Of course. Mrs Heartstrings has opened my eyes to the true definition of family. That even though physical differences may cast their shadows of doubt upon the bonds of family, family is what you make it. I have no doubt anymore that perhaps a pony can raise a human, or a human may raise a pony, for it is who we love that truly matters, isn't it, Lyra?" the man said, peering over his shoulder at his now trembling opponent. "Madam Chief Justice, I request permission to cross-examine the petitioner."
Chief Justice Haliburton raised her eyebrow, for this was an uncommon request, even back in the old days. The petitioner and the respondent never openly asked questions to one another. But, she could see no reason why she shouldn't grant the respondent's request.
"Granted, Mr Bennett."
Bennett smiled warmly, then turned his gaze in an almost predatory fashion towards the increasingly uncomfortable mare. "Lyra," he said with almost a chuckle to his voice. "Lyra, Lyra, Lyra. You've changed me. I'll admit, I didn't think one of your kind had the panache to handle raising one of ours, but you've got the fighting spirit of a proud young woman in you."
"What are you up to?" Lyra hissed under her breath.
Bennett just smiled, and continued with his little soliloquy. "Family. That's what you are offering to Ms Appleton. A stable home, happiness, a future, a loving mother and father. You're gonna give her all of it. Except, I have one question for you, Lyra: Where is the father figure in your theoretical family? Where is Mr Heartstrings?"
"M-m-m-mister?" she stuttered, her eyes going wide.
"Yes, Mr Heartstrings," Mr Bennett reiterated. "After all, you do claim to be a "Mrs" Heartstrings, and we have yet to see the stallion of your relationship here in court. Considering, back in the old days, the man of the relationship would be the most likely one to go before the court of law to fight for his family's rights. But where, o' where, is Mr Heartstrings?"
The whole court found itself pondering that very question. Many of these people had been coming to the convention of court since the day that it hit the newspapers, and not once had they seen a stallion claiming to be her husband. Every Justice leaned forward, anxious to hear the answer to this rather pervading question.
Bennett leaned on Lyra's desk, lording over her and intimidating her with his superior height and posture. "His absence has been so marked, and you have failed to even mention Mr Heartstrings, so I have come to question his legitimacy in your marriage! Tell me Lyra, where is he? Are you a widow? Is your husband on active military duty? Is he back at the ol' homestead, running the family business? Or have you been withholding information from us?"
A quick tap of the gavel brought everyone's attention to the front, and Chief Justice Haliburton seemed to have broken her normal stoicism in favor of a curious stare. "Mr Bennett, are you claiming that Lyra has presented fraudulent information before the court?"
If that was so, then there would be no more case. If Lyra had lied in the smallest way about her petition, or about who she was, then it would be a mistrial, and the laws of double jeopardy would prevent her from bringing her case back to the Supreme Court.
"Not at all, Madam Chief Justice," Bennett calmly replied. He turned back to Lyra. "So, where is your husband?"
"Don't answer that question!" Clarence shouted in her ear.
But in spite of herself, and under the accusing stares of the entire courtroom, she had to answer. "There... there is no Mr Heartstrings." A collective gasp escaped from the crowd, and a hundred whispers erupted.
"However," Mr Bennett declared loudly, whipping out a very official appearing form from his briefcase, "we do have two listings in the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services for "Mrs Heartstrings". Is this a common surname in Equestria, or would you happen to know the identity of this "Bonbon Heartstrings"?"
"I... I do." Her heart grew cold, and a wellspring of tears threatened to spring from her eyes at the mention of Bonbon. And worse, how her most beloved's name was being used against her.
Bennett leaned down very close to Lyra. "And who is she?" he asked, almost in a comforting and confiding voice.
"My... my wife," she whispered. The world was growing darker by the second, and she could feel the dumbfounded and accusing stares of every man and woman in the courtroom bearing down on her.
David leaned back up, turning to face the Justices. "Her wife. Lyra Hearstrings is indeed a "Mrs", but not to a stallion. Lyra Heartstrings... is a homosexual."
The courtroom remained silent, every man and woman, mare and stallion seemed to hold their breath.
"Is... is this true, Lyra? Are you a homosexual?" Justice Lanning said, breaking the silence.
Instead of demurely answering that she had never found an attraction to males of any species, a familiar flame lit in her belly, and she stood from her seat, front hooves planted on her desk and a fire in her eye.
"What does it matter! I love my wife more than I love life itself! She was everything to me, she was the mare who saved me from myself more times than I can count! What does it matter who I choose to love!?"
"Because," David replied from his desk, holding a piece of paper in his hand. "Gay marriage is illegal in the Republic." He slapped down a copy of a senatorial bill down on the table in front of her. After that, the Attorney General became frenzied. "Senate bill number 23, the Marriage Rights Act! Any couplings that are homosexual or deviate in nature are expressly prohibited in the interest of increasing the human population and securing our sanctity as a species! It may be legal in Equestria, but here in the Republic, you signed away your family rights once you wrote your name on that immigration form. Once you became a citizen, your marriage was legally annulled by Terran law, and your rights to pursue the adoption of a child were forfeited! Oh yes, you may maintain your legal union on Equestrian soil, and you can still tack "Mrs" onto your name, but your claim to the right to adoption was null from the beginning. Madam Chief Justice, I rest for the duration!" He slapped the copy of the Senate bill down on his desk, and breathed heavily in lieu of his presentation of such damning evidence.
For Lyra, all her life seemed to be reflected in her mind, each little memory and detail leading up to this defeat at the hands of Bennett. It all seemed to shatter before her eyes, and how it had all worked against her was evident. Her love for Bonbon had prevented her from becoming a family, her determination had brought foolish and false hope to thousands of creatures in this city, her fascination with humans had brought turmoil to their nation, and there was nothing left in her life that could save her.
Without even letting the bailiff give the closing, or waiting for Chief Justice Haliburton to call for the court meeting to be adjourned, Lyra barreled down the aisle, running through the open front door. And all the while, her head was hung low, and her passage was marked by a trail of tears.
And all through the gallery, supporters of Lyra's cause, and even a few of those who had been on the fence glared at David Bennett. He had broken Lyra in the cruelest way, and even he seemed to hold some pity and regret in his expression for what he had just done.
A few minutes later, after court had been adjourned and everyone dismissed for the day, Bennett walked alone down the streets of Lazarus, silently cursing himself for what he had done in court today.
"How do you sleep at night?" a man's voice said to him. Bennett stopped, and turned around to face the stranger. To his surprise, Lyra's close friend and one of Lazarus's most famous faces leaned against a wall in an alleyway, seeming to be in the perfect spot to ambush a passerby like himself.
"Like anyone else does these days," Bennett replied, setting himself firm and not letting the reputation of the first human spellcaster wilt him like it apparently did to so many others. In truth, he slept with the fear of nightmares always on the edge of his mind, the pain of guilt and loss from the harsh days near the end of the War weighing down on him.
Patterson snorted, leaning up from his spot and walking a few steps closer to the Attorney General. "Is breaking lives and dreams really what you do? Is that who you are inside, the cold and merciless creature that all the old stereotypes say that lawyers are?"
Bennett gripped his briefcase handle all the tighter. "Some people say that business is war. Most of those types have never been on the courtroom floor. Out there, it's a goddamned battlefield. And the only way to survive is to do everything you can to win."
Aaron narrowed his eyes, and Bennett felt the tingle of magic in the air. "And do you think that what you did today was a good strategy? What you did today reminded me of General Sherman, who burned down half the South on his march to the sea."
Bennett felt goosebumps rise on his skin, and he took an involuntary step back. "Look, I'm just doing my goddamned job! If you were in my shoes, you'd do the same damn thing!"
The magi did not argue that logic, and he sighed, turning back to the alleyway and disappearing.
Bennett ran a hand through his hair, wondering if dropping that bomb today had been more of a war crime than a commendable strategy.
*********************************************************
For the first time in several days, Lyra found herself in need of the stiffest, hardest drink that dollars or bits could buy in Lazarus. She meandered through the streets, containing her sniffles and her woes, ignoring the comforts and the pleas of the ghost in her earring. Wanting nothing but to be away from politics and law for a few minutes, she told him to go back to the house, and for him to start thinking of a good withdrawal speech. Unlike the times before, her restless hooves drifted her towards the shabbier part of town where all the ponies built their businesses and their homes. She had one thing on her mind, and that was getting a hard drink before going back home.
Of course, the Watering Hole had seen many more visitors lately than it had in past days, what with it being the center and the staging point of the great creature civil movement, and Lyra was not surprised when she walked into the door to see the place bustling with customers and activists.
At first, many of the creatures looked to the new arrival with a spark of recognition and joy in their eyes. Seeing Lyra, the mare who stood up against such unlawful oppression and challenged the government of one of the most intimidating nations on Earth always lifted their spirits. But when they saw the look on her face, a look of despair and defeat, they knew something to be horribly wrong.
Lyra took a seat at the bar, her head hung low. The bartender, High Spirits, the stallion who had so selflessly offered his establishment as the headquarters and jump point for all of the hundreds of little operations, protests, and in the past few days it had even come to serve as the union hall of the First United Steelworkers Union, did his normal duties of wiping down the shabby bar top with his ratty rag. Hell, high water, or cultural struggles between species, he still had to keep the place presentably clean.
Noticing the figurehead of the civil movement at his bar, High Spirits threw on his best grin, grabbing his cleanest glass, filling it up with a cool beer, and placing it down in front of the melancholy mare.
"Lyra, good to see you. We haven't seen you in the last couple days, we've been gettin' a bit worried about ye."
The minty unicorn didn't say a word, but she telekinetically pulled her glass closer and took a quiet sip.
High Spirits always knew when something was wrong with one of his patrons, it was just a part of his job as a good barkeep. Over the years he had learned to detect the subliminal signs and tells in a pony's facial expression, their body language, their voice, and anything that could display what kind of a depression they were in. After all, some ponies took their problems to a psychiatrist, others just went to the local pub and drowned their sorrows.
And seeing her downcast eyes, her slumped shoulders, and gauging her silence as being abnormal for the normally outspoken mare, he knew that something was horrifically wrong.
"There, uh... there is something wrong, isn't there?" Lyra refused to say another word, and her silence began to spread across the bar as more ponies and other creatures took note of her melancholy. Each one leaned closer to the mare, dreading to know what could rip her down like this.
"Lyra?" The form of a familiar pegasus mare filled the stool, and Honey Cup placed a comforting hoof on the unicorn's shoulder. "Darling, what is the matter?" the eloquent actress asked.
The unicorn closed her eyes and took a breath, swallowing down her trepidation. "I... I lost. I lost the case."
"Wh-what?" Honey Cup stuttered, losing her normal cool. "What do you mean 'you lost'?"
Lyra took another moment to gather herself. "Bennett gave evidence that nullified my whole case. The next time court is in session, they're going to call a mistrial."
"What does that mean?" High Spirits asked, his curiosity laced with no small amount of dread and fear.
"It means that after today, there will be technical precedent concerning the rights of ponies in Lazarus. Any time a pony or other creature tries to bring their case to court, all the defendant has to do is quote "Lyra Heartstrings v. Republic of Terra", and the case will be over," said a young man's voice. Their private conversation was interrupted by the only human in the bar, and Jimmy Howell laid his hand gently on Lyra's shoulder. "I'm sorry."
Lyra swallowed hard, looking at the young man's hand with sorrow and regret in her eyes. "No, I should be apologizing to you. I should be apologizing to every last one of your people for doing this to your nation. I failed ponykind, and I hurt humanity doing it! I hurt everyone I'll ever know, all because I love a mare!"
The unicorn stood from her stool, running back towards the door. But before she left, she turned back to all the assembled creatures, creatures that had looked up to her and admired her for giving them the courage they needed to lift themselves out from underneath the scornful eye and the weighty boot of humankind.
"It's over. Just go back to your homes and forget all about this! I screwed you all from the beginning, and now there's never going to be a chance for you all. All because of me. I'm sorry," she said once more, her tear choked voice tearing the heart and determination away from every creature in the room. And with that said, she turned and left.
The leaders of the movement; Honey Cup, who had led the crowds with her voice and her passion; High Spirits, who had hosted and coordinated dozens, if not hundreds of small protests, sit-ins, boycotts and even small rallies; Jimmy, the young man who had gone against his own people and created the first labor union of the new human world, all sat together at the bar, having lost all of their hope with Lyra's defeat in court.
"What do we do now?" Jimmy, the youngest of the group, asked his pony comrades.
"Nothin'," High Spirits replied, angrily slapping his rag down on the bar top and scrubbing at an invisible stain. "We do what Lyra said, and we just go back to our lives." His voice was calm, yet it carried no small amount of disappointment and shame at himself. And Jimmy could tell there was some anger in there too. Maybe it was anger at Lyra for giving up after suffering such a devastating blow, maybe it was against the human government that worked so hard to keep honest creatures like himself as second-class citizens. Maybe he was just angry at the world itself, promising so much to those who sowed their fields with hard work and determination, yet yielding such a poor crop of fairness.
"But we had a rally tomorrow. What are we gonna do about that?" Jimmy asked, refusing to just give up like High Spirits and Lyra had done. He had nothing to lose should the civil movement succeed or fail, being a human in a human nation, but he wanted this movement to come to fruition, if not for him then for the friends that he had made once he had opened his heart to the creatures that shared this nation with his own kind.
"Nothin'," the bartender growled again.
Honey Cup had stayed silent, yet a storm was brewing within her. She had been the first to hear Lyra's plans for changing the Republic, and she had been among the most moved by such a prospect of a brighter and more beautiful future for every living person in this nation. She looked up from her glass of amber despair, a fire burning her eyes, so much like the fire of passion that some ponies said burned within Lyra's eyes whenever she spoke about her beliefs.
"No. We don't give up. We won't give up! If a theater gives their best performance, yet they are jeered away from the stage, they do not give up! They go back on stage and try even harder! A bad performance is only as bad as the ponies who give it! James," she said, turning to the young human, "would you simply wilt and die like a parched rose if your steel did not sell as well as you would like it? Or would you simply strive to make stronger metal, and stronger partners? High, if your bar was ravaged by flame, utterly immolated and burned to the ground, would you lie down in the ashes and let your dreams waste away? No! You would sweep away the dust and the debris, and you would rebuild this place with your own hooves, and you would make it grander, sturdier, and greater than ever before! But we are not a business nor a product, we are people! And our theater, our steel, our business is an idea! An idea that we are not so different, that we can rebuild that which has been ravaged by hatred and ignorance, and that idea can be shored to withstand the ravages of the storms of oppression and distrust!"
Honey grabbed her glass of whiskey, gulping it down in a most un-ladylike fashion (yet at a level of drama that was normal for the mare) and slamming her glass back down on the bar. She turned in her seat, seeing that the whole of the establishment had hung on her every word, and the flame that had burned in their eyes when Lyra spoke of freedom and equality began to spark once again.
The pegasus smirked. "So whaddya say, boys? Are we gonna go home tonight and suck on our hooves til' we cry ourselves to sleep, or are we gonna go out there tomorrow and give this city one hell of a rally!"
"Hell, if we're gonna go down, might as well go down kickin' and screamin'!" High Spirits cheered, whipping out another glass and filling it with whiskey, holding it out for his comrades to toast.
Jimmy grinned, grabbing up his glass as well. "We may have lost one battle, but sure as shit ain't gonna lose the war!"