Twilight took a deep breath when she entered the town hall. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Spike were with her and a sleeping, ruffled-looking Owlowiscious was perched on her back. After she had gotten up not long after Luna had left her dream, Twilight had continued to study the books Spike had assembled for her and she had continued her notes on the case. She was rather confident that with what she had, nopony could seriously believe that Frank had committed the crime. It was less than half an hour till noon and Twilight hoped that she would get the chance to have a word with Frank before the start of the hearing.
When she walked in through the door, she stopped dead in her tracks. She had expected there would be some interest in this hearing, but she had not expected a crowd comparable to that of the party two days ago. Even many of the young fillies were present since school had been canceled today and Miss Cheerilee and Big MacIntosh were among the few who were absent. Twilight spotted Mr. Rich and Diamond Tiara in the crowd. He was looking better than he had when she had last seen him, but his face remained icy, when he noticed her and gave her a curt nod. Rarity too was already there and waved them from her place close to the stage. On the stage itself Twilight saw Mayor Mare, Featherscribe and Lady Justice, a green colored, brown maned earth pony with a gavel for a cutie mark. They were talking with rather grave, in case of Featherscribe even angry, looks. Twilight let Spike take the drowsy Owlowiscious from her back, then she walked through an aisle between the crowd towards the stage while the others went over to Rarity.
As she went, Twilight caught many snippets of conversations related to the subject of the hearing. Some of them were wild speculations, but it seemed that some ponies were quite well informed. Twilight overheard some ponies talking about Mr. Rich's loss of memory and Miss Cheerilee's similar loss of memory was mentioned too. Twilight returned greetings offered to her on the way, but guarded against being drawn into any chat or gossiping.
"Good day, Mayor Mare, Lady Justice, Featherscribe!" Twilight greeted the assembled ponies when she reached the stage, giving each one of them a nod.
"Ah, hello Princess Twilight", Mayor Mare said, returning the nod with a somewhat deeper bow. "Good to see you." She was doing her best to put a good face on things but it was quite obvious that she wasn't at ease.
"Princess Twilight...", Lady Justice said with a friendly but businesslike tone, "...am I correct in understanding that you have been conducting investigations on the matters at hoof and intend to speak on behalf of Mr. Blanket?"
"That is correct", Twilight confirmed. "I've got to admit that I have never been to any trial before. Is there anything in particular that I have got to keep in mind?"
"Nothing really but the basics of civil conduct...", Lady Justice said with an encouraging smile, "...which I think we have come used to from everypony. There shouldn't be any problem there."
Featherscribe gave an audible snort.
"You disagree, Featherscribe?" Lady Justice asked with a tone of surprised interest.
"I don't", Featherscribe said. "But if it wasn't for the lack of some basic civil conduct on the part of somepony, there wouldn't be this trial in the first place!"
Twilight was surprised about the severity of Featherscribe's tone and she remembered that today he was to be the prosecutor.
"Technically this is not a trial", Lady Justice said calmly. "I am not to decide a verdict today on whether or not Mr. Blanket is guilty or not; unless of course in case of absolute and irrefutable evidence to the one or the other. But even then, I am not entitled to impose a sentence of any legal sanctions against Mr. Blanket today. The purpose of this hearing is rather to determine whether or not an actual trial will be necessary or if the evidence gathered so far is too slim for that. In this case Mr. Blanket will be permitted to leave after the hearing. But if the evidence is deemed sufficient to base a strong suspicion or even a conviction on, he will remain in custody to be brought to Canterlot where an actual trial is then to be held."
Twilight nodded and then asked: "Is everyone present entitled to testify if his or her testimony is relevant to the case?"
"Of course", Lady Justice confirmed. "I will be moderating the proceedings and may admit the floor to everypony who asks to speak."
Twilight nodded again.
"Shall I get the defendant?" Featherscribe asked.
Mayor Mare and Lady Justice both cast a look at a large hourglass that stood in one corner. The sand from the upper glass bulb had almost completely run into the lower one.
"Yes", Mayor Mare sighed. "I guess there is no point in delaying this."
"I would like to come along", Twilight said quickly as Featherscribe set in motion.
"As you wish", he said with a shrug and headed for the stairs.
Twilight followed right behind him. Featherscribe set a quick pace, only just short of a jog trot, that didn't allow for any talking during the ascend. Twilight was frowning slightly. She was even more surprised however when they reached the stairs below the storeroom in which Frank was.
"Bulk Biceps?" she called out in surprise.
The unusually muscular white stallion stood at the base of the stairs, looking a bit lost but giving Twilight a smile when he saw her.
"He agreed to guard Mr. Blanket this morning and during the hearing", Featherscribe said as he ascended the stairs to the hatch. Twilight followed him up to the storeroom.
Frank was writing something on his saddle-bag escritoire as they entered. Some books and folders were stacked up beside him. He looked up as Featherscribe and Twilight entered through the hatch and put down his quill. The colt was looking a bit bleary-eyed.
"Ah, good morning", he said. "Is it time already?"
"Come down, Mr. Blanket!" Featherscribe said. "Take your saddle-bags and follow us!"
Frank hastily folded up the escritoire and picked up the bags. He was looking self-consciously at the books and folders still lying around. "Uhm, I think I should clear this up..." he said.
"You can do so when you get back here", Featherscribe said.
"If he does get back here!" Twilight said sharply.
Frank looked at them a little confused.
Featherscribe descended through the hatch without another word.
"Are you alright?" Twilight asked as Frank came closer.
"A bit tired", he admitted. "I don't think I slept very well."
Twilight thought of what Princess Luna had told her. "Did you have a bad dream?"
Frank shook his head. "I don't remember. Maybe I'm just not used to sleeping in an actual bed anymore", he said with a sheepish smile, but it looked rather forced.
"Are you coming?" Featherscribe called from below.
Frank paused for a little moment when he beheld Bulk Biceps at the base of the stairs. Standing beside and walking in front of him on the stairs to the large hall, Frank looked almost a bit fragile. When he saw the large crowd in the hall, he paused again.
"So many!" he said more to himself than to Twilight, who was walking in front of him. Frank seemed uncharacteristically self-conscious even a bit scared about the hearing now.
"Come on, Frank", Twilight said, putting as much confidence in her voice as she could muster and proceeded on to the stage where Mayor Mare and Lady Justice were waiting. As she walked onto the stage and cast a look to the front row, Twilight noticed with some consternation that Fluttershy was still not there. Maybe she was just late, but usually Fluttershy was so embarrassed about being late that she tended to come earlier than necessary to any meetings agreed upon. With a painful sting Twilight remembered that they hadn't parted in peace and harmony the previous evening. Her own misery and concern about Frank's impending hearing had perhaps kept her from giving Fluttershy the attention she would have given her under other circumstances. The others had clearly noticed this too, were talking among each other and Rainbow Dash in particular was looking rather unhappy.
Mayor Mare opened the proceedings with a short summary of the theft, the survey among ponies who had been on the party two days ago, the town laws that had provided the basis for Frank's detainment and the purpose of the hearing. She stuck strictly to facts, forbearing any evaluation or judgment. She then introduced Lady Justice as the judge, Featherscribe as the prosecutor and Twilight as a counsel for the defense. At last she turned to Frank, asking him to confirm his identity, which he did, sounding almost mechanically while he let his look wander along the rows of the audience.
"Mr. Blanket...", Mayor Mare said finally, "...you have heard the suspicions raised against you. Are you guilty or not guilty of these charges?"
Frank gave her a short look and was visibly pulling himself together when he spoke up: "I have said it before and I say it again. I did not steal Mr. Rich's money. I hadn't stolen it by the time I was detained and I haven't stolen this money or anything else either since I was locked up!"
There was some restrained laughter from the audience. Nothing in Frank's expression or tone however suggested that his words had been a deliberate attempt at a joke.
Mayor Mare nodded slightly. "The defendant pleads not guilty", she repeated to a young unicorn clerk who stood beside the stage and took notes of the proceedings.
Lady Justice turned towards Twilight and, speaking up loud enough so she could be understood by everyone in the hall, she said: "Since we have heard the accusation, the defense now has the floor. Princess Twilight, what can you say on behalf of the defendant in response to the charges raised against him?"
Twilight took a deep breath as she stepped forward.
"First of all I want to call the fact to everypony's attention that Mr. Blanket is standing this hearing by his own decision. When he was remanded yesterday, it happened solely on the basis of the old town law and there was nothing more speaking against Mr. Blanket than the fact that he is not from Ponyville and that he left the party by himself and hadn't been seen by anypony after that. Given this feeble base for an accusation, Mayor Mare pointed out that my vote of confidence on his behalf would have allowed him to walk out freely. Before I could even make a decision, Mr. Blanket himself refused this possibility since he felt that a single pony should not be able to override the laws agreed upon by many."
A murmur was running through the rows of the assembled ponies.
"Before he was remanded...", Twilight continued, "...Mr. Blanket had spent the whole morning in the company of me and my friends on the green, interviewing us for his research on cutie marks to which he is most dedicated. If Mr. Rich's money was stolen yesterday evening after the party as we assume, it would have left Mr. Blanket an entire night and almost half a day to try to escape from any persecution. He did not make even the slightest attempt however to leave the town at any point. When Mayor Mare told us about the theft, he appeared every bit as surprised as anypony about this. Mr. Blanket's lack of a permanent residence and considerable financial means have also been brought up as circumstantial evidence for a possible motive. Nothing in Mr. Blanket's attitude supports such an estimation of his character—"
"Any thief who isn't a total fool would act surprised when confronted with the crime!" Featherscribe interjected. "Every thief with but a little intelligence would know that a getaway right after the crime would preclude any attempts at pretending innocence!"
"Mr. Featherscribe...", Lady Justice said with an admonishing tone, "...I didn't give you the floor yet. It is most uncomely to interrupt the speaker during a hearing."
"I apologize", Featherscribe said. "I just want to ask the defense to stick to facts rather than wild speculations about the character of the defendant. If I am not very mistaken, nopony here has known him before his arrival in Ponyville two days ago. Or is there any substance at all to rumors and gossips which I myself picked up during the party according to which your acquaintance with Mr. Blanket was... closer than that of an acquaintance made just hours before, that would allow for estimations of Mr. Blanket's character to be more than mere speculation?"
"What in Equestria are you talking about?" Twilight asked irritated. Even as she said it, she felt it had been a mistake to ask this. In one of the books about court-cases she had studied there had been mention of provoking the opposite party into questions as a common trick to gain the floor and undermining their points even while they were still being made.
"Now, I do not think it is necessary go into this in any detail, but the word colt-friend was circulating during the party and—"
There was a frustrated shout from the front ranks of the audience and Rainbow Dash swung herself up so she hovered at the same level as the stage. "That was just me bridle gossiping! I was just teasing Twilight a little over a mug of cider and having a little joke. There's nothing to it!"
There was a loud murmur all through the ranks and Lady Justice struck a gavel onto a wooden pedestal several times as a call for silence.
Frank took a step forward and with a slight bow to Lady Justice he asked:
"May I speak to clear this up?"
After the interjections by Featherscribe and Rainbow Dash, Lady Justice seemed to appreciate the courtesy of being asked for her permission to speak and gave her agreement with a nod.
Turning towards the audience, Frank said: "I have never even seen Princess Twilight until the morning two days ago. She has been a very kind and welcoming host, as kind and welcoming as the entire town of Ponyville has been to me that day." He took a little bow towards the audience.
"But that is all there is. Princess Twilight and I haven't known each other before and there is no relationship of any sort between us that would impede the objectivity of her judgment about me."
"What is he saying?" a little filly asked one of her parents so loudly that everyone was hearing it, causing some laughter in the hall.
Even Frank mustered a feeble smile and said to the filly: "I'm saying that Princess Twilight...", he hesitated and seemed a bit embarrassed or at a loss for words or both of that, "...that Princess Twilight and I are not so good friends that she would think I didn't steal the money just because of that instead of actual evidence that I did not steal that money."
Twilight couldn't tell for certain if there was an inkling of regret in Frank's voice or if perhaps that inkling of regret was her own.
"So we are to understand that any estimation of the princess of Mr. Blanket's character is based on a two days superficial acquaintance", Featherscribe stated, turned towards the clerk who was scribbling frantically. "An entirely uncritical evaluation of his character by the Princess is therefore of little evidentiary value in this hearing."
"She's not uncritical!" Applejack shouted angrily from the lower ranks. Featherscribe turned towards her, but before he could say anything, Lady Justice was beating the pedestal fiercely with the gavel several times and for the first time she raised her voice to the imposing tone that made clear to every pony that she was in charge of the proceedings: "Enough! I know that few ponies here in Ponyville have attended any legal hearing before, but I'll have you all know that a hearing is not a fair! Those who wish to speak will signal this intention and speak when granted the floor! I will not have any further interruptions!"
The silence in the hall was so thorough that one could have heard a pin drop. Lady Justice granted herself a satisfied smile and pointed at Twilight with the gavel: "Please, Princess, proceed with your statements!"
Twilight took a deep breath while she picked up the thread again. The interruption and the unexpected turn of the debate had somewhat distracted her. Above all she was surprised about the zeal exhibited by Featherscribe. She had been under the impression that Featherscribe himself had been convinced of Frank's innocence and she had therefore not expected for the hearing to be as confrontational as it had been so far.
Calming herself, she spoke up again: "First of all I want to remind everypony that it is common practice in Celestia's realm that the guilt rather than the innocence of a pony has to be proven in a court and so far nothing at all has been brought up here that would prove any guilt of Mr. Blanket. The old town law is in stark contrast to the principle on which laws are enacted all over Equestria. When this hearing is over, I strongly advocate an examination of the town laws to make sure that actual evidence is necessary to remand a pony in the first place. Mr. Featherscribe has asked to stick to facts before bringing up the rumors and gossip. Very well, I will give you some facts that will prove Mr. Blanket can't have committed the crime. Mr. Blanket, have you ever been to Ponyville before?"
Frank shook his head: "No, I haven't."
"Do you know where Mr. Rich is living?"
"No, I don't."
"I want to stress the fact that up to this point Mr. Blanket doesn't even know where to look for the site of the crime that he is supposed to have committed!"
"That's what he says", Featherscribe said, loud enough to be heard but too quietly for it to be considered an interruption.
"A crucial point is that the detainment of Frank... Mr. Blanket I mean, was based on was the assumption that nobody saw him after he left the party and that therefore he lacked an alibi for the probable time of the theft."
Mayor Mare looked up in surprise. "But isn't that so, Princess Twilight?" she asked. "Mr. Blanket himself confirmed to us that he didn't see anypony after he left the party."
"And he didn't", Twilight confirmed with a confident smile. "But he was seen. Not by anypony exactly, but I can present you a witness who has seen Mr. Blanket after the party and can confirm his whereabouts after he left there. Spike, would you please bring our witness up to the stage?"
Spike had just waited for his cue. With a few quick steps he entered the stage, holding the witness perched on his stretched out arm.
"Fillies and gentle-colts, may I present you the witness I was talking about? His name is Owlowiscious."