I had calmed down considerably after a hot bath back at the hotel. Dash was finishing up with my mane while Fluttershy gave my wings a quick once-over to ensure I looked presentable at Soarin’s bail hearing.
“There, you look good as new,” Dash said. She put the brush down and stepped back so I could see myself better in the mirror.
My mane had grown longer in the time I had been female and I enjoyed how it looked when freshly combed. The light blue highlights peeked through the yellow hair and I smiled, assured I looked well enough to appear in court.
“Thanks Dash, Fluttershy, it means a lot.” I gave a slight smile that barely lifted the corners of my lips. I was still trying to distance myself from what had happened and think about it in my mind one small piece at a time.
“There’s one other thing…” Dash made eye contact with me before speaking again. “When we get back to Ponyville you should talk to a Doctor about what you’re going through.”
I sighed and nodded. “I guess that’s a good idea, we’ll see how I feel when I get back.” I had avoided professional help so far and had no desire to have someone poking around inside my mind. There was a pretty bad track record to back up my dislike of people knowing my inner thoughts.
“We’re not asking,” Fluttershy said. I turned to look at her but she fell silent, just giving a gentle smile and a pat on my wing as she finished with it.
“If you want to have a deeper relationship with us you need to accept we’re partners in this. You can’t go around deciding what's best for yourself and ignoring everypony else anymore. We love you Dawn, and if you keep what you’re going through to yourself the next unlucky stallion that sets you off might not be so lucky… and if you love us you need to get better to ensure you’re not taken from us and sent off when someone else decides you need help for you,” Dash explained.
There wasn’t much for me to say and I choked back some tears. They were right and I was lucky to be off the hook this time, perhaps I needed help more than I realized. I definitely didn’t want to get thrown in the looney bin and maybe having someone paid to listen to me complain for a few hours a week would help.
“I’ll do it, I don’t want to lose either of you.” I wrapped a foreleg around each one of them and gave a big group hug. They were quick to return the hug and we waited there a few moments as my mind wandered back to the alley. The part of the whole ordeal that scared me the most wasn’t that I’d been threatened, it was that I lost control and took my anger out on the mugger… and I enjoyed it.
My friends and I met up at the courthouse before heading inside. The bail hearing was a simple affair, as Twilight had kept assuring me. Only a heartless judge would give a violent offender bail in front of the victim of said crimes.
“Okay, Dawn, this is your lawyer. He’s highly recommended by Celestia,” Twilight explained. “Swift Justice, this is Dawn.”
I eyed him from head to hoof, my teeth grinding a little. He was larger than me, as most stallions were now. His coat was brown and his mane black, with a white highlight. The unicorn had the scales of justice as a cutie mark, and if cutie marks were proof of skill, I’d take that over a gavel or book any day. Within a few breaths I had fought back my urge to be distrustful and on-guard.
“Nice to meet you.” I shook his hoof quickly and let go.
“Now the hearing will start in five minutes. Once we’re inside, it’s crucial you don’t speak to the judge unless he addresses you. And whatever you do, do not rise to any insults, accusations, or other shenanigans the defense may pull. If they can get a rise out of you to create a little disorder in the court it will distract the judge from the matter at hoof.”
I nodded and caught myself at the end of a long yawn, blushing a little as I looked down. “Sorry, it’s not you… I didn’t get much sleep.”
“Don’t worry about it. I found precedent to have your arrest record sealed and with any luck, the defense won’t be able to find out about it and use it against you.”
“I appreciate the gesture, but since when have I been lucky?” I asked.
“Well there was the time you beat me in a race, or the time you beat Fluttershy at a quiet contest,” Dash stated.
“Oh,” Pinkie added. “Don’t forget the night we played monopony and twister!”
I shook my head and looked down, but let out a giggle anyway. Of all the times to bring up something silly like that, of course Pinkie would do it now when I needed it most. “Thanks, Pinkie.”
“It’s time to go in, we’ll all be sitting in the row behind you but there is an extra seat in the front row for Dash or Fluttershy,” Twilight explained.
I looked at the two of them wondering which to choose. I wasn’t sure if Dash would be holding me back, or I’d be holding her back, from beating the crap out of Soarin. And I wasn’t sure Fluttershy would be strong enough to hold either of us back. Fortunately for Soarin, the lawyer did just tell me not to cause a ruckus in the middle of a courtroom. It didn’t take a genius to know how that would end up.
“It’s okay,” Fluttershy said. “Dash can sit with Dawn.”
“Thanks,” I replied. The lawyer was first into the courtroom and Dash and I followed him in. It was my first time in a courthouse of any kind and this room seemed to be made of polished darkwood. There were three rows of benches on each side of an aisle, as well as some chairs and tables for the defense and prosecution.
The only pony in the room presently was a burly Earth pony in a uniform, who I figured must be the bailiff. He looked like I’d expect a football linebacker to look if one was turned into a pony. My gaze quickly went to the chairs set out for us. I followed Dash and took the middle seat on the right side, with the lawyer sitting between me and the aisle.
The bailiff waited until everyone was seated and turned to the door behind him and walked through. He walked out with a couple ponies following him.
The temperature seemed to drop and my muscles tensed up as I saw Soarin led in by the bailiff. He was wearing an orange prison uniform that seemed to wrap around his torso and wings, appearing more a restraint than a fashion statement.
Before I could look away he glared right at me. I felt pain in my teeth and I bit down and tensed up further, refusing to look away. I didn’t want him to think I was scared of him and given the chance, I felt it was him who should be scared of me. My body however disagreed, wings trembling slightly, as I felt Dash’s hoof on my side.
The tense moment lasted until Soarin reached his seat and sat down, breaking eye contact. I let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding and relaxed my muscles, smirking slightly. He hadn’t broken me and now he knew it. More importantly, now I knew it. For one tense moment I had stared him in the eyes and not backed down.
“All rise for the honorable Judge Gavel,” the bailiff shouted.
I got to my hooves and looked to the door opening on the left, seeing one of the oldest ponies I had met since Granny Smith walk in. He had grey fur and white hair, with a gavel cutie mark. The judge was a unicorn, and I had to wonder exactly how old ponies lived to. Without a hint of color left in his mane or fur I was guessing like one hundred fifty or something.
“Take your seats,” The Judge said.
After everypony had sat down, I slid a little closer to Dash and held onto her foreleg. The room was too cold and imposing, making me feel small. Perhaps it was because less than a dozen ponies were in a room meant to seat four times that alongside a jury. Perhaps it was because it was my first time at a court of any kind.
“Let’s keep this brief, mares and gentleponies,” Judge Gavel stated. “The defense has requested that bail of five hundred thousand bits for Soarin be waived and Soarin allowed bail of his own recognizance. Is that correct?”
“Yes, your honor.” My gaze drifted to the defense lawyer who seemed scruffy. His mane, coat, tail, they all just looked slightly frizzled like he’d stuck a hoof in an electric socket, and yet not so ruffled as to look unkempt. He was more like McGruff the crime dog, which caused me to wonder if they had a McGruff the crime pony equivalent in Equestria.
“The prosecution can present its case against waiving bail.”
“Thank you, your honor,” Swift said. He stood up and took a step forward towards the judge. “Our argument is a simple one. The defendant is accused of assault, rape, ponynapping, and is alleged to have been in possession of several schedule one drugs. Releasing him on bail regardless of the amount would present a flight risk and a threat to the safety of my client.”
He waited until the judge finished thinking about the brief statement and nodded. “Take your seat. The defense may present its case.”
“Thank you, your honor.” The grizzly pony stepped forward with a wide and disarming smile, flashing a look my way. “While I agree wholeheartedly with the defense in theory, let us remember these crimes are only alleged. Soarin is an upstanding citizen, member of the Wonderbolts, and a reservist in the armed forces. He has no criminal history, no history of drug or alcohol abuse, and comes from a respected family.”
“We know enough about him to know he poses no threat to others or a flight risk.” The pony took a step back and gestured towards me. “In fact, we know less about her than him. No birth certificate and no records, civil or criminal. It would be unjust to leave him sitting in a jail cell for months awaiting trial when his accuser could be an insane drug addict from Saddle Arabia for all we know.”
I grimaced and tensed up enough that Dash grabbed me with a hoof, though I had not intended to give the defense lawyer the ass-kicking he was cruising towards.
“So your honor, at the very least my client deserves monitored house arrest if not full freedoms allowed a pony on bail.”
The judge seemed to be writing something and finally looked up. “Is that all? Or do you wish to insult the alleged victim some more?”
The defense lawyer was caught off-guard and I had to bite my lip to suppress a chuckle which would have made the awkward silence much worse than it already was. I had a feeling I’d like this judge.
“My apologies for any ill-perceived notions I may have given the court. I’m sure the alleged victim is a fine, upstanding mare whose records were merely lost in a fire. We can save that debate for the trial, but is Soarin’s clean record and lifetime of service not worth bail when the accuser has no such record at all?”
The judge nodded and the defense lawyer took his seat next to Soarin. For several minutes everypony sat there looking around and not making eye contact. The judge finally looked up to address the court. “Upon consideration the court has decided the defendant poses too great a risk for bail, at any amount. He will remain in custody until the trial—”
“Your honor, I object!” the defense lawyer shouted as he jumped to his hooves.
“Quiet! I’m not some lawyer to be argued with. I’ve made my decision based on the evidence at hoof, court is dismissed.” He lifted and banged the gavel before getting up to leave.
“All rise!” the bailiff said.
Everypony got up as the judge left the room. The bailiff escorted Soarin back through the door towards the holding cells. This left the rest of us to start to file out of the room, past the defense lawyer who was waiting in the aisle and staring right at me.
“Dawn, right?” he said. “I’m Saul Creed from Manehatten, you may call me Creed.” He reached out a hoof for me to shake, but I chose to just stand there giving him an unamused stare. “It’s not everyday I get to meet a pony who is claimed to have saved Equestria and holds such friends in high places. I just wanted to let you know before the trial starts that nothing I say should be taken personally, it’s my job as a defense lawyer to ensure my clients receive a fair verdict.”
I looked at his hoof again thinking about whether I should shake it. Part of me bet his fur would be greasy and that if I were to check his saddlebags I’d find snake-oil and miracle tonics. At least now I knew the kind of pony we’d be up against and I was sure a pony like Swift Justice, who knew how to take a shower, would easily win in court.
“Oh, don’t worry.” I smiled and looked him in the eye. “I’m sure ponies stopped taking anything you say personally or seriously years ago.” I walked past him with no further glance or acknowledgement towards Applejack who was holding the door open for me, Dash, and Swift. She was smirking slightly and I was so very tempted to look back and see the stupid look on Creed’s face.
Once out into the hallway and the door closed, Dash gave me a big hug, pinning me against the wall. “You did great, and that was so awesome! This trial is going to be over in ten seconds flat!”
“Thanks, Dash.” I wiggled my way out of the hug to give Fluttershy and then every other pony a hug in turn. When I got to Swift I just offered him a hoof shake. “Thanks for making this painless… I wasn’t sure what to expect but this wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought.”
“Don’t celebrate quite yet, the trial won’t be as polite. Enjoy the time from now until the court date and spend time with your friends and family, I’ll keep in touch with Twilight who has volunteered to facilitate communication between us.”
I nodded and turned to the other ponies, yawning widely. “I think we should head back to the hotel.”
“Wait!” Pinkie objected. “There’s a sundae shop just two blocks over! I’ve got it all planned out with the owner, we’re gonna have banana splits for everypony!”
“Ya know I don’t eat bananas,” Applejack said.
“Oh, you’ve got an apple split, don’t be silly! What do you say, Dawn?”
I smiled and licked my lips. “Anything chocolate sounds amazing right now.”