Prosecutor Hope Ray had presented a shocking piece of evidence. After Twilight established that a unicorn who looked similar to Pinkie Pie was at the crime, Hope showed that with what appeared to have been a strap-on horn, meaning the unicorn very well could've been Pinkie.
"Fancy that..." The Doctor said impressed by what he was seeing. "Mr. Hope Ray, where did you find that?"
"I found this during my investigation of the crime scene. Unlike the first investigation team, I found this to have been important evidence." Hope explained. "After all, it proves the defendant is the one in the photo."
FREEZE!
"Hey pal, why didn't you show me that horn before? That's important evidence!" Cestus asked.
"Yes, it is. That's precisely why I didn't tell you inspector. I knew you would've shown Miss Sparkle if I showed you."
We can't even deny that. Twilight thought, embarrassed that Hope was spot on.
"Very good then. But before the court accepts this as evidence, could the prosecution please explain what exactly this is?" The Doctor asked.
"As you wish, your honor. This horn was one of the many inventions created the victim, Shepard Pi. According to my investigation, this was made to be artificial, yet perfectly working, unicorn horn."
HOLD IT!
"I was at Shepard's home the other day! How come I didn't find such a thing or his research?" Twilight asked.
"That would be because I took his horn and notes as evidence." Hope answered. "Speaking of which, I believe the horn should be presented as evidence now."
Artificial Horn was added to the evidence.
As The Doctor was given the horn, he inspected it with immense fascination. he appeared as if he was trying to figure out how to put it on himself rather than figure out how it worked.
"Most intriguing. I should see if Tick Tock can make something like this." The Doctor said as he inspected the horn, forgetting that he was suppose to be a judge. He eventually turned his attention back to Hope to ask a question, but not for the right reason. "Tell me, how does this contraption work?"
"It's actually quite simple. All you need to do is place it on your head and wear it so that the horn is where a natural horn would be, and that's pretty much it. From there, if you know how to actually perform magic, you can do it."
This must've been the invention Shepard made for Pinkie. As scary as the thought of Pinkie performing magic is, I can see the benefits. Twilight thought. "Where would the actual magic come from?"
"Same place as us unicorns. From within our own bodies." Hope answered. "The artificial horn would draw magic from the user's body, then they can use that magic to cast spells. The magic reserves from a pegasus or an earth pony isn't like that of a unicorn, but all ponies would have them nonetheless."
"If that's the case..." The Doctor said as he processed the new information in. "If the defendant had this horn, she could perform magic as well!"
The idea of Pinkie Pie of all ponies performing magic was a startling thought to the gallery. Even Twilight didn't want to think of the possibilities.
If Pinkie gets out of this mess with that fake horn returned to her, I'm confiscating it. I wouldn't want to see her try to turn ponies into cupcakes.
"Now hold on a second!" Sweetie Belle said to the court. "What proof do you have that the thing even belongs to Pinkie? Or for that matter, how do we know it even works?"
"Smart girl." Hope complimented. "Truth be told, there are actually several witnesses who can confirm that this is a perfectly working artificial horn."
OBJECTION!
"I'd like to cross-examine this witness!" Twilight stated.
"By all means, Miss Sparkle. My main witness is already at the stand." Hope answered.
FREEZE!!
"What are you talking about, pal? I've never seen Pinkie with a horn or anything!" Cestus angrily said to Hope.
"But you have seen her perform magic, have you not?" Hope asked as he held up a report with his magic. "I have here a report, written by you no less, stating that while you and two other officers were chasing after the suspect, who escaped police custody, she seemingly destroyed a tree with her mind."
"That's impossible. I was right there with her and saw no horn on her head. " Cestus explained.
"Yet, the only logical reason for the defendant to perform such an act is if she had the ability to perform magic." Hope rebutted.
OBJECTION!
"Pinkie Pie is FAR from logical!" Twilight argued.
As serious as Twilight sounded, The Doctor wasn't able to take it all that serious himself. "Overruled. To this day, I have never seen an earth pony obliterate anything with absolutely nothing. The court hereby accepts the possibility that the defendant uses this horn. That is, if the prosecution has proof that this horn belongs to her."
"As I mentioned before, this horn was found in the victim's home, as well as notes regarding it. From them, we found that the victim, Shepard Pi, made the horn specifically to allow her niece to use magic. There is no argument. This horn belongs to her."
"Now hang on. Let me see if I got this straight." Sweetie Belle said. "Are you saying that Pinkie Pie was using magic by using a fake horn that you have?"
"I see you've caught on. Good for you." Hope said. "As I mentioned before, she had escaped police custody, but was later captured again. After a short investigation, we found several items that belonged to her. We know this because of the hoofprints on them."
"I see." The Doctor said. "And I assume that includes this artificial horn? That seems to make perfect sense."
OBJECTION!
"Actually your honor, it also clears up another mystery."
I'm starting to regret cross-examining Cestus now. Twilight thought as she began to sweat bullets.
"As the Defense pointed out yesterday, there was an oddity with the first victim's stab wound." Hope continued. "Miss Twilight brought up that Miss Copycat's wound that killed her was on the opposite side of where Miss Pinkie Pie was. I think it's clear to understand how to clear up this little contradiction."
The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Yes, of course. If Pinkie could perform magic, she could've plunged the murder weapon into a pony regardless of where she was."
OBJECTION!
"There is clearly no unicorn horn in the photo that was presented to the court yesterday!" Twilight shouted.
OBJECTION!
"There was also no murder weapon in that photo, and yet it appeared shortly after said photo was taken. As you can see, this is why I've been hoping to discuss the second murder, Miss Sparkle." Hope said as he slammed his hoof on the table. "My logic is flawless!"
It appeared that Hope was ready to claim victory as the evidence was pointing towards Pinkie. It was reaching the point where the ponies in the gallery, all of whom were friend's to Ponyville's party pony, started to doubt whether or not Twilight could save her. Things were looking bad, but Twilight wasn't willing to let Hope drive her in a corner.
Stay calm, Twilight. Just think this rationally and wisely. He's claiming that because that artificial horn was found where Pinkie escaped to, which was the Everfree Forest by the way, and had her hoofprints, she must be guilty. My only hope is to fight against that evidence. Fortunately, I have just the thing to do the job.
"Miss Sparkle, you've been very quiet." The Doctor commented. "Do you have any further arguments?"
"As a matter of fact, I do." Twilight said as she nodded. "I believe that I have evidence that the prosecution needs to explain to the court."
HOLD IT!
"M-Mr. Judge? Can you hold on a second?" Sweetie Belle asked, but she turned her head back to Twilight before she got an answer. "Twilight, I know the evidence you're about to show them, but something isn't right."
Sweetie Belle's concern baffled Twilight. Hope presented evidence, there was a contradiction, and she had evidence to point it out. It was implied that the items handled in the Everfree Forest was done with Pinkie's hoof, but Twilight knew that another pony could've done it. The opportunity was almost too good to be true. At that point, Twilight realized the problem: It was too good to be true.
Now that she mentioned it, something does feel a bit odd. In fact, this entire trial has felt odd. The fact that Hope had the horn prepared the way he did...could this be another trap?
"Miss Sparkle, is everything alright?" The Doctor asked.
Ugh. Trap or not, this is my best chance to go on the offensive. If I can force Hope to give me new information, I'm certain that I can counter what he has next. Prepared to face a potential trap, Twilight continued forward with her original plan. "I'm ready to present evidence that suggest another pony handled the artificial horn."
"Very well then, Miss Sparkle. Please show me and the court why you think another pony could've been where Pinkie escaped."
Trap or not, here I come.
TAKE THAT!
With her magic, Twilight showed the court the piece of evidence that Cestus brought her the night before, the unlabeled bottle. Twilight still didn't know what exactly it was, but she knew the perfect time to present it.
"Fancy that. A pony milk bottle." The Doctor said with a smile.
Does this really look like a milk bottle to him? Twilight thought with discomfort. Regardless, she pressed on "To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure what this is myself. What I do know is that this belongs to Pinkie Pie."
"Hmm. Makes sense. She looks like a young mare, so I'd imagine she needs her milk to keep growing."
"THIS ISN'T A MILK--never mind. The point is that this was found in the same place as the artificial horn was. The Canterlot police force can back me up on this claim."
"We sure can, pal." Cestus spoke, reminding the court that he was still at the witness stand. "Prosecutor Hope and even some of my subordinates told me themselves."
"Well, that's all fine and dandy and all, but if this bottle was really found in the forest, how does it change the case at hand...or hoof?
"This bottle has a set of hoofprints on them." Twilight explained. "Now if this belonged to Pinkie, then you would expect hoofprints to be found, but the problem is that these hoofprints do not at all belong to Pinkie Pie. This leads to only one possible explanation. Somepony else was in the forest with her!"
The gallery went into an uproar from Twilight's logic. The Doctor had to slam his gavel three times just to calm them down, but it's hard to blame then considering how intense the trial had gotten.
"Order! Order I say! Miss Sparkle, just where are you getting at?"
"It's simple. Cestus insists that he didn't see Pinkie wearing a unicorn horn when she apparently blew up the tree. If that's the case, than that must not have been Pinkie Pie." Twilight said. She than slammed her hooves down onto the table, ignoring the sticky spot she noticed before to finish her claim. "And these hoofprints proves that there could've been another pony!"
"Another pony...?" The Doctor asked. "But why would there be any other pony in the forest?"
"The same reason I'm defending Pinkie Pie. Because there's a pony out there trying to frame her!" Twilight claimed. "Your honor, I'd like to name a suspect."
OBJECTION!
Just as the gallery were eating up everything that Twilight was saying, an unexpected objection was made. Twilight felt confident enough to mention that Masquerade was a suspicious suspect, but Hope ceased that thought.
"Observation #10: The Princess Twilight, the defense, has officially reached her lowest point."
Trap sprung. Now to escape it. I just got to keep calm and get my evidence ready. Twilight thought as she prepared herself for anything.
"Mr. Ray, what exactly are you objecting to?" The Doctor asked.
"A good question. You see, Miss Sparkle was going to claim that because there were a set of hoof prints on the bottle she just presented that don't belong to the defendant, the possibility of another suspect would be strongly implied. However, the bottle proves no such thing."
"Since we're actually talking about this bottle...the defense said that this wasn't a milk bottle. If that's true, then what was actually inside?" The Doctor asked. "Miss Sparkle?"
"Huh? Well..." Twilight said, who was unsure as to what to say. "To be honest, I wasn't told what was originally inside."
OBJECTION!
"You know very well what was inside this bottle." Hope claimed.
OBJECTION!
"It was unlebelled when Cestus gave it to me. Not even he knew its contents!"
OBJECTION!
Hope shook his head in shame, upset that she wasn't willing to admit that she knew what the bottle was, even though Twilight genuinely didn't know what was inside. "I have several strong pieces of evidence showing that you know exactly what's inside."
FREEZE!
"That makes no sense! If there was such evidence, how come I don't know anything about it?" Cestus asked.
To break up the fight between the defense, the investigator, and the prosecution, The Doctor gave his gavel a slam to silent the courtroom. As heated up the courtroom battle was getting, it was important to keep order. "Before I see any further evidence, I must know what was in this bottle in the first place."
Hope nodded his head and began his explanation to the court. "This bottle was seen twice by the police. Once at the detention center, the other in the Everfree Forest. After the forensic team examined it, they discovered that it contained an extremely powerful acid. Enough to burn through a pony's flesh thirty times."
"Acid? You mean like from a lemon?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"That's citric acid, Sweetie." Twilight answered. "Why would Pinkie have something so dangerous? Shouldn't the police have known if she had something like that?"
"The bottle didn't appear dangerous to the guards. It was an unfortunate mess up on their side." Hope answered. "But the real reason they allowed it was because she got it from a mare they thought they could trust. That pony...was you, Princess."
"W-wait...WHAT!?" Twilight shouted, horrified by Hope's claim.
FREEZE!
"What are you talking about?" Cestus asked as he was the first to defend Twilight. "What possible reason would she have something like that? More importantly, why didn't you tell me about this?"
"Simple. I didn't trust you." Hope answered bluntly. "I predicted that you'd leak information to Princess Twilight, so I gave you information I wanted you to leak."
Cestus was shocked and hurt by Hope's choice of words, which caused him to jump back, but he recovered his balance by slamming his hoof on the witness stand. "Now look here, pal! What makes you think you could just use me like that?"
Probably because he knew that it would actually work. Twilight thought with a huge sense of embarrassment.
Before any further chaos can ensue, The Doctor slammed his gavel down to silent the court, as well as to get the court's attention. "I have a question now. Why exactly would the defense want to bring acid to the defendant?"
That was clearly the question Hope was waiting to be asked. He had a very confident look on his face as he prepared to give an answer. Incidentally, Twilight was given an extremely uncomfortable look on her own face. Yet again, it could've been because it was the first time she had ever actually seen Hope smile.
"Before we could've brought her back to jail, we had to bring the defendant to Ponyville General, who was then treated by Auto Ratchet, Apple Bloom's doctor. Her hoof's had suffered from horrible burns. It's clear what caused said burns."
OBJECTION!
"Are you saying Pinkie Pie would actually caused bodily harm to herself?" Twilight asked.
OBJECTION!
"Before you say anything else, she already confessed that she did it to the police." Hope answered, smashing any possible argument that twilight could make. "Anyway, it seems that the defense was afraid that the defendant's hoofprints would be an issue."
OBJECTION!
"Wait! I think--"
Before Twilight could be given a chance to object, The Doctor slammed his hoof down and interrupted her. "Overruled. Finish your theory, Mr. Ray."
"But of course. As I was saying, the defense appeared to have wanted her client to remove her hoofprints, thereby removing potential damning evidence from the equation. Fortunately, her plan was flawed by the start."
Hey! I make great plans. Twilight thought angrily.
"Furthermore, shortly after Twilight visited her client at the detention center, the defendant escaped. Coincidence? I think not." Hope explained. before finishing his claim, he slammed his hoof down on the table. "The defense not only had Miss Pinkie Pie remove her hoofprints, she helped her escape from jail!"
In an instant, the entire courtroom bursted in an explosion of an uproar. Not only was Pinkie accused of murder, but now Twilight was accused of evidence tempering and aiding and abetting a suspect.
OBJECTION!
"That's impossible! I was with Twilight the whole time! She didn't even go to the detention center yesterday! Cestus did!" Sweetie Belle argued.
"Well then, that's certainly a mystery then, now isn't it?" The Doctor said.
OBJECTION!
In response, Hope shook his head in disagreement. "You're honor, it's difficult to take the word of a child. Especially when said child his sitting next to the defense. Even a testimony from her would be suspicious and biased. We simply can't take her word for it."
As soon as Sweetie Belle made an objection to Hope, he was able to have it be overruled. No child liked to be silenced by an adult and Sweetie Belle was no exception. She tried her best to help Twilight out of her jam, but completely failed.
Good effort, Sweetie Belle. But he's right. Unless you have evidence, there's nothing you can do. But... Twilight had a good idea as to what was going to happen next.
The Doctor sat quietly in his seat as he thought deeply into the case. Hope was trying to make it clear that Twilight was responsible for letting Pinkie escape and making her burn off her hoofprints. After a moment of silence though, he realized that something was missing.
"I'm sure that the prosecution can bring in witnesses saying that they saw Miss Sparkle at the detention center to see Pinkie Pie. However, there's really nothing to stop her from saying that she didn't. Therefore..."
"You want evidence." Hope said, finishing The Doctor's sentence. "That evidence happens to be the bottle the princess graciously presented to the court. Allow me to give you a report on what was found on it."
Unlabelled Bottle has been updated.
After being given an up-to-date report on the acid bottle, The Doctor gave it a careful read to make sure he didn't misread anything. As a matter of fact, the first two times he read it, he thought he did misread it. After reading it for a fifth time, he knew what he read was true.
"it..." The Doctor said with hesitation. "It appears the hoofprints that Miss Sparkle mentioned was on it...was her own."
The entire courtroom went berserk. Cestus fell over in shock, Sweetie Belle gasped, and the gallery began talking without even trying to sound quiet. Twilight, after hearing the report, simply stood quiet. There was evidence saying that she had done something very illegal, but she didn't know how such a thing could even be possible.
"What!?
"No way! Not Princess Twilight!"
"Was that the right bottle?"
"Could the princess really present fake evidence?
OBJECTION!
"That can't be real evidence! I never touched that bottle!" Twilight shouted.
But, The Doctor shook his head in disappointment. "It's quite clear that you did, Miss Sparkle. I'm sorry, but objection overruled."
This can't be happening. This is insane! How is something so ludicrous even possible? Did Masquerade steal my hoof or something and handled the bottle with it?
The questions in Twilight's head was driving her mad. In a fit of rage, she pounded her table with her hooves, hurting her hooves, venting some rage, making a little scene in front of public, and once again feeling the sticky spot on the table.
UGH! And on top of that, I don't even have a clean stand. What the heck?
Finally fed up with her sticky defense stand, she decided to take a closer look at it since she deemed it to be the easiest problem to solve first. It was also something that had bothered her since the trial began. Upon a closer look, she finds a clear, see-through substance was on the table.
Using her magic, she gave her table a thorough examination. There, everything that confused Twilight made perfect sense. As her magic touched the table, she saw, clear as day, a hoofprint stamped into the wood, right where the sticky spot was. It appeared that somepony had place glue over the stop where Twilight would repeatedly bang her hoofs on, leading Twilight to her final conclusion.
"Somepony DID take my hooves!" Twilight said quietly to herself.
With a set of her own hoofprints being taken, it became obvious to Twilight as to what happened. Masquerade had managed to acquire Twilight's hoofprints, planted them on the acid bottle, and then, after disguising himself as her, he gave Pinkie the bottle to make it look like she did. It was a perfectly executed plan.
It wasn't even Masquerade alone who pushed Twilight in her position. Hope made use of the forged evidence perfectly. Rather than simply presenting all of the evidence at the get-go, Hope made it so that it would be Twilight to either present the evidence or apply the logic that would ultimately ruin her credibility as a defense.
Unbelievable. I just got hit by a double whammy. By trying to help Pinkie, I allowed two ponies to make me hurt myself. What's worse is that even with this glue spot here, I don't have the right evidence to prove that I didn't actually touch that bottle. As Twilight understood her position and thought about the lack of evidence, one more question entered her mind. Can...can I even win this now?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A few minutes later, after the court was forced to be silent since they made so much of a ruckus due to the surprising turn of events, the trial was continued. Unfortunately, it seemed that the trial wouldn't last very much longer. This was further hinted as Cestus was dismissed as a witness, so he couldn't even help Twilight anymore. The trial had reached it's gravest point.
"As fun as it's been to play judge again, I see no reason to prolong this trial. Nor do I seem room for misinterpretation of the facts." The Doctor said, feeling very confident in his upcoming decision.
"Wait! What!?" Twilight asked in shock. "Your honor, this trial is far from over!"
OBJECTION!
"This trial has gone on long enough." Hope said. "Remember this decisive piece of evidence?"
"Right now, this is still indisputable proof of the defendant's guilt, which you have yet to disprove. Furthermore, you and I have both proven beyond a reasonable doubt that you helped her escape jail to dispatch important evidence."
OBJECTION!
"I...I didn't do that! I...I can even prove it."
Due to Twilight's lack of confidence behind her words, The Doctor didn't think too highly of her. "You are already skating on some thin ice, Miss Sparkle. As of right now, I can only accept the most concrete evidence from you, and only if can debunk anything that's already been established. If not, I will have to hold you in contempt of court."
Once more, as he felt confident in his case, Hope gave a light smile. "Since Twilight had already tried to submit false evidence and aided and abetted a suspect, I see no reason not to prepare for another upcoming trial. But in any case, we should probably end this trial."
OBJECTION!
"I..."
OBJECTION!
with a bit of anger, Hope slammed his hoof onto the table and snapped at Twilight. "You are not to speak unless you have something productive to say! In other words; Act like a defense attorney!"
As both the judge and prosecution not allowing Twilight to say anything unless it proves something beyond a reasonable doubt, with Hope in particular questioning Twilight's professionalism, her spirit had started to break. The court was getting picky when it came to evidence, and at the rate things were going, it was possible that Twilight would soon be in a jail cell herself.
"Twilight, just show them that glue spot on the table!" Sweetie Belle suggested. "Sure that would help, right?"
"Normally, there would be a very slim chance, but Hope could just argue that I did that. I hate to admit it, but..." Before she could admit anything else, she let out a very heavy, defeated sigh. "I think we've lost."
After The Doctor waited for a few moments, it became clear that Twilight had no further objections. Even he looked a bit sadden by the idea of ending the trial the way it was going, but he had to do what he had to do. With his decision ready, he prepared his gavel.
Pinkie Pie...Applejack...everypony...I'm sorry. Twilight thought sadly. I've failed you all.
"With all of the evidence prepared for me, I feel that there is only one decision I can make. As it has been proven that the defendant was at the crime scene, as proven with this photo, I acknowledge her as the killer. Therefore, we can establish her as the serial killer responsible for these crimes. For that, I find her, Pinkamena Diane Pie...
Then, Twilight heard the horrible word. The one she had been afraid to hear be used to end the trial she had worked so hard to fight against. The one word that would end it all.
GUILTY!
The entire court went silent. The happiest, most bubbly mare in all of Ponyville, was found guilty of three counts of murder. Normally, the ponies in the gallery would burst into an uproar, but the disbelief caused the exact opposite reaction. But none were as shocked, or as destroyed, as Twilight Sparkle.
"N-no..." Sweetie Belle said. "P-please Twilight! Do something!"
Twilight wanted to do something. She really did. But since a verdict had already been made and she had no other evidence to defend Pinkie, she was left with no other weapon to continue the battle. That said, the war, unfortunately, was over."
As the trial officially ended, The Doctor gave one final statement. "Due to the events that transpired here because of Miss Sparkle's actions, Pinkie Pie may appeal for a retrial with a new defense. However, as is, the evidence still holds. Whatever that may happen next, I hope you ponies will be able to handle it properly and justly. Court is now dismissed."
And with a final slam of The Doctor's gavel, creating a bang that sounded like a metal gate slamming itself shut. The trial was over. Pinkie Pie was declared guilty. Twilight's will to protect her friends at all cost, after a devastating blitzkrieg, was destroyed. All hope was lost.
OBJECTION!
But with the sound of a familiar voice, a small sliver of hope was found once again. The voice did not come from any other pony who had been seen at the trial up to that moment, so it came to a surprise to all when the voice was heard.
The sound of her voice was the one thing that got Twilight's mind out of the gutter and make her look up again. Standing before her on the witness stand was none other than the Element of Honesty, Applejack.
"Hold it right there, Doc! This here trial isn't over!"
"M-M-Miss Applejack?" The Doctor Stammered. "What are you doing here? How did you get there?"
"A good question." Hope agreed. "There is nothing else to be said. I've already gotten Pinkie Pie her guilty verdict."
"THAT'S WHAT i'M OBJECTING TOO!" Applejack shouted, angered at The Doctor and Hope. "Something here isn't right!"
The Doctor, curious about what Applejack was saying, spoke up again, despite being slightly scared of the oranage mare. "Well do tell. What isn't right with my verdict?"
"It's that picture you got. The one with Pinkie and her uncle. Something about it seems off." Applejack explained, though vaguely. "I'm not entirely sure what's wrong with it, but I'm sure it's not quite right."
She...she thinks something is wrong? Twilight asked herself.
Feeling confused by Applejack, yet also not overly caring, Hope decided to try and dismiss Applejack. "My little pony, rest assure that nothing is wrong with the evidence. It has proven that Miss Pie is guilty. Ergo, your sister has already been aveneged. The trial is over."
OBJECTION!
Much to Hope's surprise, as well as the rest of the courtroom, Twilight let out a loud, booming shout, one that echoed in the room and filled with confidence. She was given a final chance to save Pinkie and she refused to let it pass.
"Your honor! We have a new witness! I request that we let her testify!"
OBJECTION!
"A verdict has already been handed down. The time for a testimony has already ended!" Hope argued.
OBJECTION!
"This may very well be a crucial witness! It would be wrong to hand down a verdict this early!" Twilight argued, slamming her hooves on the table afterwards. "I'm certain this witness will change the outcome of the entire case!"
After a rather long period of good behavior, the gallery went into an outburst. Most of the ponies were ready to get up and leave mere moments before, but with what Twilight was saying, it seemed that they should stay in their seats.
The Doctor was rather unsure of what to do. On one hoof, he made his verdict already. On the other hoof, if he ended the trial right there, he could made a mistake. It was then that he made his choice.
"Allow me to express my opinion on the matter." The Doctor said. "As a judge, I should make a decision and stand by it. However, over my life time, I've seen that even the most peaceful and most utopian of societies can have imperfect law systems. So as a visitor and civilian of your home, I believe that to end a trial when there is still one witness that can be talked to would simply be premature."
"Th-then...?" Twilight tried to ask.
"Yes, Miss Sparkle. For now, I will let you cross-examine this witness. Unless of course the prosecution has any objections."
Hope was silent. He thought carefully about what to say, but nothing that he knew would help his case. "Is there anyway for me to convince you to end the trial right now?"
"Honestly? Probably not." With the slam of his gavel,, The Doctor's decision was made. "The new witness will now take the stand!"
Applejack's appearance in court was very unexpected, and considering what Twilight has seen every single time she's walked into a courtroom, that's really saying something, but it couldn't of happened at a better time. Twilight knew how much her friend had been suffering over the past few days, but it appeared that the talk they had the day before had finally sunk in. With newfound hope, Twilight prepared to cross-examine Applejack, find new information, and with any luck, finally unlock the black psyche-locks.