//------------------------------//
// The Case of Ponyville vs Anonymous the Human 
// Story: Adopting Fluttershy 
// by Flutterpriest 
//------------------------------//

Day 54 – Tuesday Morning
The journal was taken. It was under my pillow. Why didn't I wake up?





Day 54 – Tuesday Afternoon
I didn't let Shy to go to school. I told her that Daddy wanted her to be home for awhile. I didn't go to work. I just can't think of what to do next. I don't feel safe here anymore.





Day 54 – Tuesday Evening
We have to move. There's no other choice. Manehattan seems nice. Canterlot seems nicer, but way more expensive. I'm sure there are better job markets anyway. There's gotta be some job somewhere that needs an office drone or something. 

I told Shy we begin packing tomorrow, but I've already started tonight. It's not like I have a lot of things I care about. I don't even own the house. Plus, it saves on moving costs.

Nothing I'm doing is getting Shy to smile.

Goodnight, Jo- Uh. Thanks, Notebook.





Day 55 – Wednesday Morning
Manehattan it is. It's closer to Cloudsdale, which has a great pegasus school. Higher pegasus population would mean better flight training for Shy. I can get us on a train, and I called a job service there that has a job lined up for me to begin working this weekend.

We just need out of this town. I can't do this anymore.





Day 55 – Wednesday Afternoon
I have tickets for tomorrow morning's train, it was the first ones I could get. It's done. Tomorrow, We're gone.








The following is a condensed police report, made on [Day 55] at 9:17 PM.
Police forces were sent to the home of Anonymous the Human in light of presented evidence of Felony charges of Foal Abuse, Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, and Sexual Assault of a Minor, which was disclosed by source who chose to not disclose their name. The human answered the door in an aggravated state. When asked to accompany teams to the station, he refused to comply. Anonymous disclosed his intent to leave the town of Ponyville and the team forcefully detained and arrested him. Two officers were sent into the home to recover the filly, Fluttershy, who went missing just over a month ago. She was found on Anonymous's bed, 'tucked in for a nap.' A baseball bat was observed next to the bed and was not moved. The filly was taken from the home from a black eye and refused to speak above a whisper. Her eyes were glued to the ground until we informed that we were taking her away from Anonymous. At this, she became distraught. Currently, Anonymous has been placed into holding and Fluttershy is being temporarily held at the orphanage that she was originally admitted to. 





This is the conclusion of Exhibit B, evidence found in the case of Ponyville v Anonymous The Human









The following is a voice transcript taken from a Ponyville Police tape recorder on [Day 55] at 11:32 PM.


Anonymous: "You can't keep me here. I didn't do anything."

Silence goes on. Sound of hoofsteps in room.

Guard: "Oh, I'm sure. Just like everypony else."
Anonymous: "I would -never- do anything to my little girl."
Guard: "A Jury will be the judge of that. Until then, we're recording everything you say to try and get every drip of evidence we can get on you."
Anonymous: "Evidence? What EVIDENCE? There can't be EVIDENCE of something I didn't do!"

A throaty chuckle from the guard.

Guard: "Don't worry, you'll get a lawyer. At least you won't get completely butchered in court."
Guard(quietly muffled): "Not that you deserve it."
Anonymous: "What was that?"
Guard: "I didn't say anything."

Silence in the room. More hoofsteps.

Guard: "Just be patient. Your lawyer will be here soon."

Silence in the room goes on for several minutes. The silence is only broken by a deep cough, likely from the guard, a quiet sniffle and quiet curse words.






The following is a voice transcript taken from the tape recorder of Robin Wrong on [Day 56] at 06:45 PM.


Robin: "Is... Is this working? I hope so. "

The ruffling of fabric and quiet settling.

Robin: "Okay. You can do this."

Hoofsteps for roughly two minutes, then a door opening.

Guard: "Looked who decided to show up."
Robin: "I'm here for my client."
Guard: "Psh. Take him. I'm sure the town would do worse to him than what we're allowed to do in here."

A pair of hoofsteps for 10 seconds, followed by a rustle of keys. 

Guard: "Your savior is here, human."

Silence.

Robin: "Anon? I was appointed to be your attorney. If you'd follow me, I think we should take a trip to my office and we can discuss how to proceed with your case."
Anonymous(Quietly): "Alright."

A cluster of footsteps and hoofsteps.

Guard: "Sign this please."

The scratches of pen on paper.

Robin: "Alright, let's get you out of here."

Hoofsteps accompanied with footsteps for several minutes.

Robin: "It sure is nice weather today, huh?"

Hoofsteps and footsteps continue. A clearing of the throat is heard. After a minute, a door is heard opening.

Robin: "Step on in. We can get down to business."
Anonymous: "Please."

The door closes and a latch is heard clicking. Assumed to be the locking of the door.

Robin: "First door on the left."
Anonymous: "This is your house."
Robin: "Ponyville doesn't do many trials."

Silence. Footsteps, followed by hoofsteps. A door closes.

Robin: "Alright."

Rustling of fabric.

Anonymous: "More tape recorders?"
Robin: "Yeah. An idea I lifted from the police. They try to take all the evidence they can, so I try to counter them with the same logic."
Anonymous: "Has it ever worked yet?"

Silence.

Anonymous: "Great."
Robin: "Well, you never know. Anything could happen. Let me change the tape and we can begin."









The following is a voice transcript taken from the tape recorder of Robin Wrong on [Day 56] at 07:02 PM.


Robin: "There. Now, tell me what you know."
Anonymous: "What I know? I know that Cheerilee was breaking into my house the last two nights, trying to steal my journal. And she succeeded. The police wouldn't believe me, then next thing I know, they're arresting ME!"

A Short Pause.

Robin: "What else?"
Anonymous: "I know all these police keep calling me sick and twisted. Apparently I'm being tried for..."
Robin: "Rape and Sexual Assault on a Minor."

Anonymous groans.

Anonymous: "Would never touch her."
Robin: "I know. That's why I'm making you my client."
Anonymous: "Why? We've never even met before."

Silence.

Robin: "If I had a kid, especially one I adopted if I couldn't have kids... There's no way I could have done something like that. And, I don't think anypony else in this world would either."

Silence

Robin: "So, I suppose I'm banking that there's some hope still in this world."
Anonymous: "Have you ever taken a case like this before?"

Robin sighs.

Robin: "No. Honestly, the worst we get into around these parts is maybe a bad trade, an uncollected debt or a fight that got out of control. These sort of crimes... just don't happen here."
Anonymous: "So, it's cause I'm human?"
Robin: "Well, yes, but-"
Anonymous: "Isn't there some sort of law against race discrimination? I mean, There's at least three different kinds of ponies, and all sorts of animals that can talk."
Robin: "Well, yes. There are laws, but if a pony has a bad feeling or believes something false against somepony else, then that label sticks with them. We recently had a similar issue with a zebra not too long ago."
Anonymous: "So, the whole town thinks I'm some sort of molester, and there's nothing I can do about it? Is that what you're saying?"
Robin: "Now, Anon."
Anonymous: "Oh, cut the bullshit. How screwed am I? Do we have any chance of winning this thing?"
Robin: "Well, it's slim. We have to put some sort of reasonable doubt into the jury and ensure we can explain away the evidence."
Anonymous: "What evidence do they have?"
Robin: "Well, they have a baseball bat by your bed, and photos of Fluttershy with a black eye."
Anonymous: "She's being BULLIED!"
Robin: "Is there anypony that can vouch for that?"

Anonymous groans and clicks his tongue.

Anonymous: "Rarity. The white unicorn filly with a purple mane."
Robin: "Good. We can use her as a witness. If her parents allow it. Anypony else?"
Anonymous: "Well, she had another friend, Applejack, but she's off in Manehattan right now."
Robin: "Shoot. We probably don't have any time for her to come then... they want to have this trial done in a day."
Anonymous: "A DAY?!"

Silence

Robin: "I appealed to-"
Anonymous: "You've got to be kidding me-"
Robin: "Since nothing like this ever-"
Anonymous: "This type of shit would NEVER go down on-"
Robin: "I HAD TO FIGHT JUST TO GET YOU A TRIAL."

Silence.

Robin: "They were going to try and sentence you on the spot, but I fought to get you a fair trial."

Silence

Anonymous: "Thank you."
Robin: "Don't thank me yet. They have your Journal."

Silence.

Robin: "Now, if there is -anything- in that Journal that could compromise this case, you need to tell me. Right now."

Silence.

Anonymous: "I didn't learn until very, very recently that fillies mature so quickly. On Earth, children take a lot longer to mature... so I just thought, she was.."
Robin: "Was what?"
Anonymous: "I dunno. Younger than she was. I helped her in the bath once."

Silence

Robin: "Well, it's not... abnormal. Maybe a little old for her but-"
Anonymous: "I cleaned her wings. I'm pretty sure she used carrots to take care of her... urges. I can't tell you how wrong I felt after I read in a parenting book that they were too old for all of that."
Robin: "I'm sure... Ugh. Well, that's not great. Wings are certainly a sensitive part of a pegasus... but, did you touch or violate her."
Anonymous: "On my life, I swear. No. I would never, ever touch or hurt her."
Robin: "Good. Anything else I should know?"
Anonymous: "Uhm. She ran away once. A month ago, I think. Something like that. Yeah. I was on a date with Cheerilee when that happened."
Robin: "A date with Cheerilee?"
Anonymous: "Yeah, she's a long story."
Robin: "Well, I need to hear it, if she's going to be testifying against you."

Silence.

Anonymous: "Of course, of fucking course. That's how they got the Journal."
Robin: "Except, the police claim the Journal was right on your bed."
Anonymous: "What? There's no way."
Robin: "That's where they found it."

Silence

Anonymous: "Wait wait wait. But, I said as much in my notebook. After the Journal got stolen, I began writing in a notebook."
Robin: "There weren't any notebooks found at your home. At least, none deemed worthy of evidence for them."
Anonymous: "Then we have to go get it."
Robin: "I'm afraid we can't really afford to let you go anywhere right now, Anon. The whole town has it out for you."
Anonymous: "...so I get to sit here and do nothing."
Robin: "Well, at this point, yes. There isn't much we can do."
Anonymous: "And the trial is when?"
Robin: "Two days."
Anonymous: "So, we have two days to prepare a case."
Robin: "Well, there's one other option."
Anonymous: "What?"
Robin: "You won't like it, but it's available to you."

Silence.

Robin: "120 hours of community service, 3 months in jail and loss of custody to Fluttershy."
Anonymous: "Not an option. I'm not going to lose her."
Robin: "Well, it's settled. Let's get to work."









Day 58 – The Trial


This is Ariel Fontt and this is my first time doing court transcribing. Mayor Mare asked me to come into the court room and write down everything that happens and everypony's reactions to the case. So, I suppose that's sort of like writing s a story! I'm so excited. But, she wants me to write as if I don't exist. Wait-

Ponies packed themselves into the courtroom today for the highly anticipated and controversial case of Anonymous vs Ponyville. Right now, everypony is simply waiting for 8:00 AM, when Mayor Mare will take the stand and begin judgment of the case. Ponyville isn't big enough to have their own dedicated judge pony, so the role was automatically delegated to the town's leader as per Celestia's decree. 

A police pony guards the door where Mayor will enter. At precisely 8AM, The Bailiff stands up straight, as if he heard something.

"All rise for the Honorable Mayor Mare," he says.

The entire courtroom does as it's asked and Mayor mare enters. She moves to her chair and turns to the full room, and pauses.

"Please be seated," she calls to the room.

All of the ponies sit, as she looks over her town. It's as if every citizen of Ponyville attended today's trial.

"Now, before we begin, I understand that many of you in presence today may have never attended a court case before. So, I will make this very clear right now, especially with the sensitive nature of this case. There will be no interruptions by the audience. Anypony who does, for any reason, will be immediately escorted out of the building and moved to a holding cell. If anypony in attendance feels that cannot heed this warning, I invite you to leave now."

None of the ponies in the room move, and somepony in the back coughs.

"This will be your only warning. If anypony in attendance interrupts this case, for any reason, they will be held in contempt of court. One last chance."

Two ponies in the back rise from their seats and make their way out of the room, while two standing mares take their vacated seats.

"Very well. Please bring in the Defendant," the Mayor asks.

The two large doors in the back of the room open, and down the middle aisle walks the tall monkey-like human, Anonymous, and his lawyer Robin Wrong. Grumbles come from the ponies sitting in their seats as they make their way to the front of the room.  Anonymous, further referred to as Anon, keeps his head forward, and focused on what's in front of him. He wears a stern expression and there doesn't seem to be any sort of guilt or nervousness on his face.

Moving past the swinging gate into the actual court-area, Anon stands directly in front of Mayor Mare as she shuffles through some papers. A quiet moment passes as Mayor reads a sheet of paper in front of her.

"Forgive me, it's been such a long time that we've done of these that I'm rusty on the process," Mayor Mare says while looking at the human.

Anon squints his eyes, but says nothing. Mayor Mare clears her throat and sits up straight.

"Will the defendant state their name?"

"Anonymous, the Human, of Earth."

"Anonymous, you have broken the rules of the land and have been summoned here to be tried of the following crimes: Two counts rape of a minor, assault and battery of a young filly, two counts of foal neglect and abuse. How do you plead to these crimes?"

Without any hesitation, Anon replies.

"Not guilty."

"By declaring not guilty, you understand that you will be tried for your crimes by the Town Prosecutor and may be subject to the maximum penalty for those crimes."

"Yes, your honor."

Mayor Mare looks at Anonymous carefully, a look of suspicion in her face.

"You understand that we wish to hold this trial immediately."

"Yes, your honor," Anon replies.

"Then, it is what it is," she says setting her paper aside, a hint of disappointment in her tone. "Bring in the Prosecution."

From the back of the room, a tall, teal-green unicorn with a long black mane and dark horn-rimmed glasses trots into the court room, levitating a stack of papers along with her. Mayor Mare continues to read her papers as the mare sits down at a table on the opposite side of the room as the defendant's. The mayor looks up at the Prosecution.

"This is really long. I'm just going to sum it up, Ms. Turney, if you don't mind," Mayor asks.

"That's fine," she replies.

"Anna, do you feel prepared for today? Do we need to push this off any longer?"

"No, your Honor," Ms. Turney replies. "We feel we have everything we need to prove the Defendant of his crimes beyond a reasonable doubt."

"Has all of your evidence been submitted?"

"Yes, your Honor."

"Mr. Wrong, do you have all of your evidence submitted?"

"Yes, your honor," he replies.

"Anonymous, you may be seated. Please allow the jury to enter."

As the human takes a seat beside Mr. Wrong, twelve ponies walk side-by-side into the already crowded courtroom. Each take a seat in a seating area behind m- the transcriber. Mayor Mare turns to the jury and looks over them.

"The twelve of you have been chosen for this case because you have been considered the most neutral opinioned parties in town regarding the rather infamous nature of these events. I would like to take a moment to explain briefly what will happen. The two sides of the case are going to present what they believe happened as well as try to explain why the other side is incorrect. Given all of the information that will be presented in this case, it will be the task of you twelve to decide, beyond a reasonable doubt, if he is guilty or not guilty. This means, you can have absolutely zero doubt that the defendant did what he did in order to render a guilty verdict. Is that understood."

Quiet mutters and gentle nods come from the jury box. Mayor looks back down at he papers and shuffles a few aside.

"We'll be here all day if we go through every single step. Do any involved mind if we move to opening statements?"

"Not at all," Robin answers.

"No, your honor," Turney replies.

"Very well, Robin, would you please begin?" Mayor Mare asks.

"With pleasure."

The defense rises and moves in front of the jury.

"Ladies and Gentlecolts of the jury. The case that you will be observing today is of the utmost importance to parents everywhere. Almost everypony has the dream of having a little one someday. It's not because it's easy, but it's because it's fulfilling. Bringing life into the world and guiding it is one of the most rewarding experiences that exists. Nopony should be at fault for wanting to partake in this part of the equestrian experience. The only thing that separates this case from the countless others, is the fact that the accused is a human. A rarity in this world. Possibly the only one. Had this been a griffin and a pony, no pony would have batted an eye. Had this been a donkey and a unicorn, nopony would have cared. But, for some reason, we stand here, scrutinizing every action that Anonymous has made. We've made stories. We've made rumors. But how much of it is fact, and how much of it is hearsay? Can you honestly tell me that every rumor you've ever heard is true?"

Robin takes a moment to calm himself and turns away.

"But, here we are. Placing charges on a man that is simply trying to do his best to be a good father, while a whole town has teamed up on him to convince the world that he's terrible. At the end of this trial, you will be asked to decide, beyond a reasonable doubt, if this man committed unspeakable acts against his daughter. Adopted, yes, but no less loved. Which means, if one of you. Any one of you. Have any doubt what-so-ever of Anon's guilt, you cannot name this man guilty."

He turns and inspects them carefully, then returns to his seat. The prosecution makes a soft grunt, and Mayor Mare turns her attention to her.

"Next."

"Thank you, your honor."

Ms. Tourney rises confidently from her seat and moves to the jury. Anon sits up straight upon observing that Turney is carrying a book in the magic of her horn.

"Ladies and Gentlecolts, I welcome you today to a decision that must not be taken lightly. Things will be discussed in this courtroom that will make those with weak stomachs queasy, and you will be asked to decide if the defendant did or did not do it. However, we are faced with a problem. Even with testimony and all of the witnesses in the world, a few tears and a well-crafted story can strike doubt in even the most open-minded juries. So. How are we able to examine what the real source of the truth is? Thus, I have in my grasp, what we've called Exhibit A. This is the journal of the accused, which has been a written record of his actions since he adopted the victim, Fluttershy. Who he considers his daughter. There are acts described in this journal that has made me lie awake at night and may continue to haunt me, if this... human is allowed to go free. The defense will attempt to prove he is a kind man. A gentle man. However, let the written word be your proof. The decision is yours, but I hope you think carefully before letting a guilty man go free."

Robin rises at the word guilty, but Mayor Mare holds a hoof up.

"Ms. Turney, there is no proof presented yet that the accused is guilty."

"Oh, my mistake your honor. Shall I rectify that?" Turney says slyly.

Mayor looks over a few papers in front of her.

"Well, you are allowed to call witnesses first. You may call your first witness."

"Thank you, your honor. I would like to begin by calling the accused's neighbor to the stand, Miss Rosemary Flowers to the stand."

Anon looks to his lawyer, and then back to the door where Mayor Mare entered. Through the door enters a light blue pegasus mare with a light brown mane that extends down to her back. He trots carefully to the stand, while the Bailiff holds up a book for her to swear over. Rosemary holds a hoof over it nervously.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth, so help Celestia?" asks the Mayor.

"I swear," she responds.

The Bailiff moves away and Anna moves towards her witness with a smile.

"Could you please state your name for the court?" she asks.

"Rosemary Flowers."

"Thank you so much, Rosemary. Now, what is it that you do for a living?"

"Well, I help out down at the flower shop. Roseluck, their daughter, has been a handful for the owners lately, so I applied for their part-time position."

"Anything outside that?" 

"Other than that? No. I retired a few years ago from the same flower shop and sold it to the current owners."

"I see, thank you for that. Now then, today we've asked you here to discuss your neighbor, Anonymous. Tell us, how did you meet Anonymous for the first time?"

"Well, when he first arrived in Equestria, he was quite a spectacle for the whole town. At first, we thought he was some sort of beast from the Everfree, but he turned out to be more docile than that. We were all concerned when he talked about consuming meat, but we seemed to chock it up to being more akin to a griffin than a pony."

"Thank you for the history lesson, but I mean, more specifically, you personally."

"Oh, heh. Sorry. Well, the first time I met Anonymous was later on his first day in Equestria. Mayor Mare gave him a house to rent out of, which happened to be directly next to my home."

"And how was your first impression of him?"

"Well, he seemed a little shaken. I suppose if I was transported to another world, I would be too. But he didn't seem bad."

"You say, 'seem bad'?"

"Well, yes," Rosemary added, looking a little uncomfortable. 

"Did things get worse?"

"Well, not right at first. I noticed he seemed to say quite a large number of swears on a normal basis. He would also accidentally leave his windows open to his bedroom open quite often. I wasn't trying to snoop, but our windows just happen to line up."

"So, you are able to see into his room clearly?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Was there anything in there that you saw?"

Rosemary shifts in her seat and sighs.

"He'd pleasure himself. Quite often. Multiple times a day. At one point, I went to his home and asked him to be more mindful of his own privacy, and it seemed to resolve it for awhile."

"But, did you have the impression of him being a bad person?"

"No, but I did get the impression he was very... uhm. Unsatisfied? I suppose that's the most polite word."

"I see... unsatisfied. A polite word for horny?"

"I-I suppose so. Yes."

"I see. Now then, how does Fluttershy come into the picture?"

"Oh! Well, one day, he comes to me and begins asking me all sorts of questions about the Ponyville Orphanage. I answered all of the questions I could, and next thing I knew, he came home with a little yellow filly following behind him."

"I see. What was your impression of the filly?"

"She was a very quiet and shy little thing, but she was so happy to be around him. I'm sure with great reason, if she was just adopted."

"Surely. What orphan wouldn't want to be adopted?" Ms Turney asks.

"Objection. This line of question is irrelevant, your honor," Robin states.

"Withdrawn, your honor. My mistake," the prosecution states, walking away from the witness. "Tell me then, Rosemary, what happened the few weeks after Fluttershy entered Anon's home?"

"Well, it was quiet at first. The two stayed inside quite a lot, or I simply missed them going in or out. I didn't really take the time to try to spy. It would have felt wrong if I did. But, one day, he comes to me asking if I would watch her for the night while he went on a date. I agreed and babysat her for the night."

"Was there anything odd that you noticed that night?"

"Well, not really. Fluttershy was very, well, shy and quiet. But she loved to talk about animals. She could have spent the whole evening talking about animals if I allowed her to. She told me about Anon going on a date with Miss Cheerilee and I did my best not to pry too deep."

"I see. Did anything else happen that night?"

"I did find a carrot in Fluttershy's room as I began to put her to bed. I noticed it was covered in, well, fluids."

"What sort of fluids, Rosemary. Be specific," Turney drills.

Rosemary looked to her hooves and looked back to the prosecution.

"It made me gag, because it sort of smelled like, uhm, mare juices."

Turney smiled as murmuring filled the courtroom and Mayor Mare slammed her gavel for silence.

"What did you think when you saw this item, Miss Rosemary?"

"Uhm. I didn't know what to think. I suppose, I sort of... thought, maybe he was using the carrot on her to pleasure her."

"OBJECTION, your honor. There is no proof to support her claims," Robin adds.

"Your honor, the witness is merely stating her theory on what she thought was happening, she is not claiming it as fact," says Anna.

"Then it's hearsay, your honor!"

"I'm going to allow this, Mr. Wrong. Please continue," Mayor answers.

"Thank you, your honor. Now then, did you notice anything else about Fluttershy later on?" Turney asks.

"Well, at first, she was the same bright, eager young filly that I saw on day one. But the last few weeks? She's been quiet. Distant. I noticed she had a large bruise on her eye. She used to spend time with her friends a lot, but they stopped coming around. The poor little thing has just seemed sad. I wasn't sure what to do, so I called the police with what I thought."

"What did the police say?" asks Turney.

"That they were already watching Anonymous and Fluttershy based on a few other calls they
had, so they added my notes to their file," she adds.

"I see. Now then, I'll get blunt for my last question. Do you think Anon had been performing sexual acts with his daughter?"

Rosemary shifts in her seat and looks over to Anon. He gives her a stern look and his muscles are tense.

"Uhm. Uhm. I don't know. Yes. I think so. I mean I don't know for sure, but I think so."

"I see. Thank you for your time Miss Flowers."

Turney returns to her table and sits down, wearing an expression of pride and triumph. Robin looks from her to Mayor Mare.

"Would you care to cross-examine the witness, Mr Wrong?" her honor asks.

"Yes, your honor," he says, rising to his hooves.

He trots to the witness, wearing a wide smile.

"Miss Flowers, I have just a few small questions, so I'm going to do my very best to keep it as brief as possible for you. First, I wanted to go back to the topic of the carrot, if you don't mind."

"Sure."

"Now, did you ever see Anonymous use this carrot on Fluttershy?"

"Well, No."

"Did you ever see Anonymous ever do anything TO Fluttershy?"

"Even though he had serious problems with closing his blinds, and you had a direct view into his bedroom?"

"Yes."

"Not once did you see them perform any sort of sexual act together.

"No. I did not."

"I see. Thank you for clarifying that for me. Now then, I wanted to also touch back on the rest of that evening. What happened after you put Fluttershy to bed?"

"Well, I went back home. I figured I'd check on her in a few hours."

"Did you?"

"Well, no."

"What happened?"

"Well, I woke up a few hours later to a knock on my door. It was Anon, who began screaming at me that his child was missing."

"So, she ran away while under your care."

"Yes."

Rosemary looks to the floor and sighs.

"I made a terrible mistake. I never had any children of my own, and I... I'm still sorry about it. I'm very thankful that Anon forgave me."

"So, you lost Anonymous's daughter, and he still found it in his heart to forgive you?"

"Yes."

"And you believe that sort of person would rape his own daughter?"

"Uhm, well. I-I..."

Silence fills the court room.

"Answer the question."

"Objection! Badgering the witness!" calls Miss Turney.

"Withdrawn. No further questions, your honor," he says, walking back to his seat.

Rosemary looks from Anon to the prosecution, then to the judge.

"You're free to go for now, Rosemary. Thank you for your time," Mayor says.

"N-no problem," she says weakly.

Rosemary steps down from the platform and exits the same way she entered. A few quiet minutes pass through the room as ponies shift in their seats and Anon whispers a few things to Robin.

"Had to be harsh" was about the only few things that was heard from Robin in response.

Miss Turney rose to her hooves and brought her attention back to the judge.

"The prosecution would like to call their next witness."

"You may proceed, Miss Turney," Mayor Mare replies.

"The prosecution would like to call Miss Cheerilee to the stand."

Anonymous's fingers curl around his palms, forming tiny balls and his face grows redder. Robin places a hoof on Anon's fist. The purple earth mare enters the courtroom from the same door that Rosemary entered from. She takes the stand without even a glance at Anon. After performing the same oath that Rosemary took, Turney moves up to inspect the witness.

"Would you please state your name for the court."

"Miss Cheerilee," she replies.

"Is that your full name?"

"Yes," she replies tersely.

"Thank you, Cheerilee. Now then, what is your profession?"

"I'm the current Ponyville school teacher."

"I'm surprised. You're quite young to be a teacher."

"I did get my teaching license early, and I've only had it for about a year. I moved to Ponyville when I heard the position of school teacher was open."

"I see, so, a somewhat new teacher."

"I'm not sure if I'd say that. Part of earning a teaching license involves doing part-time teaching and substitution for at least a year as well. So I have plenty of experience with children. Plus I came from a family with many brothers and sisters."

"So, you have worked with children a lot then?" Turney asks bluntly.

"Almost all my life," she replies.

"I see, then, how did you come to know the filly, Fluttershy?"

"She was admitted to my class after she was adopted from the human, Anonymous."

"Does the orphanage's children not go to the schoolhouse for classes?"

"No, they get self taught by the mares that run it. I only found that out after I took the school teacher position."

"So, this was the first time you met the filly."

"Yes it was."

"What was your impression of the little one?"

"She was very, very shy, but very bright. She loved to read and knew all the answers, but wouldn't participate in class. I tried calling on her involuntarily a few times, but she would only stutter and hide her head."

"Did this change as she got to know the students?"

"It's funny you mention that. After a conversation with Anonymous, who asked if I could get her more integrated with the students and help her learn to make friends, she became quite friendly with Applejack, the Apple Family's filly."

"The two became friendly then?"

"Yes! Very much. The two were nearly inseparable. It boosted Fluttershy's confidence. Her grades went up. She wasn't being picked on by the other students. She was just... so much happier."

"That's really warming to hear," Turney said. "What happened as time went by?"

"Well, it was peculiar. One of the other fillies of the school joined them, Rarity, and the three began to all plan their first sleepover."

"Sounds normal for children."

"Yes, they would be having it at Fluttershy's home. Anonymous's home."

"What happened after that?"

"Well, after that... the three began to drift apart. Their friendship seemed to hit a bit of a rough tide. Especially after the school field trip. Applejack asked me several times what Manehattan was like, and Rarity wouldn't even interact with them. I had just assumed at first that something happened at the sleepover that hurt their friendship, but after Applejack began to ask about moving away, I began to think it was more than that."

"Wait, are you saying that something at the sleepover caused a change in the fillies?"

"Definitely. Without a doubt. At very least, Fluttershy became quiet. Even more quiet than usual. Her grades began slipping very quickly. Her friends left her completely alone and she didn't want to interact with anypony. I was very worried."

"Well, did you do anything about this?"

"Well... I called the police."

"The police? Isn't that quite a large step?"

"Well, I didn't think so. And I'll explain why. I did a lot of my substitute teaching in some of the rougher parts of Manehattan. And all of these signs were usually cases of foal abuse. And, well. Based on my previous interactions with Anonymous, I had my suspicions."

"Suspicions?"

"Yes. See, whenever I interacted with Anonymous, there seemed to be two... sort of sides to him. Aggressive and defensive, or quiet and aloof. I was here in town when he first arrived you see. I talked to him a little on his first day and then quite a few times after he sent Fluttershy to school."

"How did these give you suspicions?"

"It just reminded me of Manehattan, is all. Plus, I remembered hearing a rumor about some underground things happening at the massage parlor he worked at."

"Objection! Speculation your honor," Robin calls.

"Your honor, this is relevant to Anonymous's character. Showing capability to perform the acts. This can be considered an expert witness," Turney replies.

"Overruled. The prosecution may continue," the judge answers.

"Was there anything else that struck you as odd, Miss Cheerilee?" Turney continues.

"Yes, actually. Before calling the police, I tried to approach Anonymous directly about Fluttershy's recent changes."

"Why did you do this? Couldn't it have been dangerous if he really was abusive?"

"Yes, it could have been dangerous, but I was more worried about Fluttershy, honestly. I didn't want to see her get hurt. When I approached him, he was having his neighbor give Fluttershy a flying lesson."

"Could you point out this neighbor, if they are here today?" 

Cheerilee points to Miss Rosemary, who is now standing in the back of the courtroom, watching. Her eyes grow wide and the crowd mutters in response.

"Then what happened?" Turney asks.

"He pulled me aside and yelled at me."

"I see. Did he threaten you?"

"No. Nothing I couldn't handle."

"I see. Well thank you so much for your time. No further questions, your honor."

Mayor Mare turns her head to Robin and nods her head. Robin rises to his hooves and looks to Cheerilee, who's expression is serious and stern.

"That's quite a lot to take in, Miss Cheerilee. Quite a lot of deduction based on past professional experience there. It's rare we get quite such a helpful witness for either side of a case."

"I just care about the children," she replies. "I'd do it for anypony."

"I see. Then I'll make my questions quick. You mentioned meeting Anonymous on the first day he arrived in Ponyville."

"That's correct."

"Then, did you interact with him at all after that day and before he enrolled Fluttershy?"

Cheerilee sighs, but her expression remains serious.

"Yes."

"How so?"

"I attended the spa once a week, every week. Most weeks, I even had him as my masseuse. I'm sure the records there would have a more accurate number than I do."

"That's quite a lot. Did you develop feelings for him?"

"Yes. We even dated for a short period of time."

"Well, thank you. You saved me a few questions. When was this?"

"I think... Fluttershy's second week of school? Around that time."

"Well, isn't that sweet. So, what tore the two of you apart?"

"He decided he couldn't be a good father and a good boyfriend at the same time. So he called it off."

"I see... that must have hurt."

"It did," he answered, her voice wavering.

"Did you keep going to the massage parlor?" he asked.

"Yes. I did. It was a mistake. I made the mistake of trying to keep it all together. He quit his job because I wouldn't leave him alone. I got the picture. I felt guilty. Extremely guilty. So I decided I wouldn't interact with him anymore. I was going to keep my distance and just do my job as a teacher. I had to keep my personal life and professional life separate."

"I see. Now, I have one last question. Were you able to keep those lives separate?"

Silence in the courtroom.

"What do you mean?" she asks.

"Well, it's quite simple. You're mad at Anon. Feel the need for revenge, so you make things harder at school for Fluttershy. You did mention that their friendships began falling apart right around the time you held a class field trip to Manehattan."

Cheerilee stares at the stallion intently, her brow furrowing.

"Then," he continues. "With no friends to protect her, perhaps some bullies begin to pick on Fluttershy while you aren't looking. Or, maybe you are looking, but you look the other way."

"Are you accusing me of taking revenge at Anon, through Fluttershy?" Cheerilee asks.

"Your honor, Objections up the wall," Turney interjects.

"Wrong, you better have a darn good reason, or else I'm going to have to ask all of this be struck from the record. Do you have any proof to back this claim up?" The Mayor asks.

"Why, yes, your honor. If it would please the court to cross examine the evidence taken from Anonymous's house, the bat and examine the forensics taken to Fluttershy's eye. If you compare them, you'll notice the bat is much, much larger in diameter than the bruising on Fluttershy's face. It's much more akin to the size of, say a hoof?" Robin asks.

"Objection. The size of the bruising on Fluttershy's face also matches the size of Anonymous's closed hand. This line of question is going nowhere," Turney replies.

"Sustained. Do you have any other questions to the witness, Robin?"

The defense looks at the Judge in shock, then back to Anonymous, and then back to Cheerilee.

"I would never, ever take revenge at a child's parent, by hurting their child. That stands against every single principle I have as an educator," Cheerilee says.

Robin opens his mouth, then closes it and turns away.

"No further questions," he says with a sigh.

He sits down besides Anon, and looks to him with a weak expression.

"I'm sorry," he says quietly.

The sound of papers shift through the room as Mayor Mare looks to Anna Turney.

"Would you like a moment for recess, or would you like to call your final witness," Mayor Mare asks.

"I'm not getting any younger," she replies. "I'd like to get this done as soon as possible."

"Fair enough," Mayor Mare says. "I'd like to remind the court to remain silent during this testimony. I will have order in this room at all times."

Anon looks to Robin, shaking his head lightly.

"I'd like to call the filly, Fluttershy to the stand," the prosecution calls.

Escorted by a large guard, a small yellow filly enters the courtroom. Her head is down and she takes the stand. Anon's face becomes pale white and the crowd whispers to themselves. Anna's entire demeanor changes, and the doors in the back of the room open, showing Cheerilee into the courtroom. She walks up to the podium after Mayor Mare receives a weak nod from Fluttershy to the oath.

"Here, dear. I have a little microphone you can speak into instead of having to talk loud for everyone," Anna says, levitating a microphone in front of the filly."

"Uhm, thank you," she says, her voice being picked up in the speakers.

"Thank you so much for talking to me and the other grown ups today. It's very, very brave."

Fluttershy remains quiet and looks over to Anon. Upon seeing her dad, she sits up a little straighter and smiles.

"T-thank you," Fluttershy replies.

"First, the Prosecution would like to draw attention to the brusing on the filly's eye, which still has not fully healed. She still has trouble keeping the eye fully open."

The legalmare clears her throat.

"Now then. I have a few questions for you about your Daddy, okay?"

"Okay."

"Tell me, how did you meet him?"

"He adopted me from the orphanage. He said he liked me very, very much."

Whispers and murmurs erupt from the back as Mayor Mare slams her gavel.

"I see. Now, did your Daddy ever get mad at you?"

Fluttershy got very quiet and looked down.

"Daddy grounded me once, for playing with the animals. He was very, very mad. He raised his voice and... and... I was so scared."

She becomes silent as Anon places his head in his hands and sighs.

"I'm sorry Fluttershy, I didn't mean to make you remember something so bad. I'll ask about something else. Can you tell me about your class field trip to Manehattan?"

"O-oh. It was a lot of fun. We went to the zoo! There was lot of animals there! Like Rhinos, and Toucans, and Penguins, and Tigers."

Tourney looked away and smiled to the jury.

"Looks like we have a budding Veterinarian right here."

Those in the attendance began to smile.

"I-is that bad?" Fluttershy asked.

"Not at all, dear. I was just interested if anything bad happened on the trip."

"Oh, uhm. No. I don't think so," she says.

"I see. Well, thank you, Fluttershy. I only have two more questions. Now, they are going to be very, very hard. So I'm going to need you to be a big girl and be brave for me, okay?"

"Okay," she answers.

"I have a little pegasus pony doll here," Turney says, levitating a small doll off her desk. "Now then, I want you to point, move or tell me any part of this doll that your Daddy could have touched you that you didn't like, or made you feel funny."

The entire courtroom went silent and stared at the small doll in the air. Fluttershy took the doll and looked down at it. She looked to her Dad, who was watching her. She looked back to Turney.

"I don't want Daddy to get in trouble."

"This won't get Daddy in trouble my dear," she says. "We just need to know."

The filly looks back to Anonymous. The human sighs, and nods to her. Fluttershy turns the doll, and moves the wings. The entire courtroom breaks into shouts of anger. Stallions jump out of their seats and try to leap for Anonymous. Robin pulls Anon out of their grasp and somepony in the back faints. The guards in the room all convene on the rabid crowd and begin to escort ponies out of the room that began to pull punches.





After 10 minutes, the room becomes calm again. Fluttershy is still quietly shaking and keeps repeating "Sorry" over and over again.

"Thank you so much, dear," Turney said, re-approaching her witness. "You've done a very good job, but I need you to answer one last question."

Fluttershy remains quiet and keep looking to her Father.

"Objection your honor. The witness is in no shape for further questioning," Robin interjects.

"This is the most important testimony of the entire case, overruled," Mayor Mare says. "Turney, keep it to one question."

"Yes, your honor."

Anna paces the room, thinking carefully then stops directly in front of the bench.

"Alright dear, one last question," she says. "What were the carrots for?"

Fluttershy shivers, and then lets out a tiny squeak. Another still, uncomfortable silence fills the room.

"I promise dear, this is my last question, and then I'm all done. What were the carrots for?"

The filly takes a deep breath then moves closer to the microphone.

"F-for making me feel good."

Somepony from the back rises to their hooves. A rock across the room and it collides with Anonymous's head. Anger and yelling breaks out as the rock hits the floor, a trickle of blood on it. Guards enter again and calm the crowd, escorting out the stallion who through the stone.





10 more minutes later, the case resumes. The filly has stopped crying, but hasn't stopped trembling. Her ears are down and her hair completely covers her face. The judge looks to Robin with a glare.

"I have three questions, your honor. That's it," he says.

"I trust that you will use your questions wisely, Robin," Mayor says. "If a riot starts in this courtroom, I will not be afraid to take further action."

"I will."

Robin rises to his feet, and approaches Fluttershy.

"Hi there, Fluttershy. My name's Robin. I'm here for your Daddy, and I'm trying to make sure he doesn't get in trouble or hurt. Okay?"

She nods with a sniffle.

"Now, I have three questions, and then you can leave, okay?"

Fluttershy continues to tremble.

"Do you love your Daddy?" he asks.

She sits up straighter and the trembling weakens.

"Y-yes. Very much. Very, very much."

She smiles and her ears begin to become more relaxed.

"He's the best Daddy in the whole world," she says.

"Has your Daddy ever hurt you?" he asks.

"No! Never. I've never seen him hurt anything. Not even flies. Except, there was once he killed a spider. But, I got mad, so we don't kill spiders anymore."

Anon chuckles and smiles, wiping a tear from his face.

"Yep," he says under his breath.

"Do you want to keep living with your Daddy?" Robin asks.

"Mhm! Very much," she says with a smile. "It's been lonely back at the orphanage. I like sleepovers, but I want to go home now."

Robin smiles and steps away.

"There we go. I'm happy to see that you're feeling better now, Fluttershy. No more questions."

The stallion returns to his table and sits down with a smile on his face as Fluttershy descends the stairs and waives at Anonymous on the way out.

"Bye, Daddy."

"Bye, Sweetheart," Anonymous chokes back, waiving.

Once the filly leaves. The prosecution stands.

"I have no further witnesses to call your honor," she says.

"Alright then," Mayor Mare says. "If it pleases the Defense, I believe should break for lunch."

"Your honor, with all due respect, we would like to call our first witness."

Mayor Mare groans.

"Fine, Fine. One witness."

"Thank you," Robin says, rising to his hooves. "The defense would like to call Granny Smith of the Apple Family to the stand."

Silence fills the courtroom. A guard comes out of the door where all of the witnesses have walked out of so far and approaches Mayor Mare. He mutters to her a few sentences and she nods.

"She will not be able to testify due to a family obligation," says Mayor Mare.

"WHAT?!" Robin yells.

The audience erupts into mutterings and chatter as the Mayor calls for order.

"She is not able to be called at this time, and this needs resolution today. You may either postpone for another day or continue with your... short, witness list."

Robin sits down, rubbing his head. Anon rises from his seat, catching the judge's attention.

“Excuse me your honor, why is she unavailable?”

The Mayor smiles.

"She's picking up her grand daughter from the Manehattan train. Says Applejack was feeling homesick and wanted to come home."

“I see, thank you," Anon says, and retakes his seat.

"May the defense call for a recess with this recent development?" Robin asks.

"I'll grant the motion. I need to stretch my hooves anyway. We will call for a 30 minute recess."

With the bang of a gavel, the recess begins.





"Has the defense come to a decision?" Mayor Mare asks, after reconvening.

"Yes, your honor. We would like to proceed. The point of the testimony of Granny Smith was to display Anonymous's character."

"I see," she replies. "Then, you may call your next witness."

"We'd like to call our last witness, Anonymous the Human."

The crowd of ponies erupts into chatter and discussion. Mayor Mare brings down the gavel, but even her shouts are not enough to quiet the ponies in the room. Guards move into the crowd and begin to ask those in attendance to be quiet and be seated.

"I will evacuate this courtroom if I need to. I will not warn this room one more time."

Anonymous rises to his feet and takes the stand. Sweat forms on his forehead as one pony from the back yells "Monster!" and is escorted out. He ascends the stand and sits down. The Bailiff approaches him with the book, and he swears his oath. Robin approaches Anon with a serious look, and takes a deep breath.

"Please state your name for the record," he says.

“Anonymous."

He pauses.

"Uh. The Human. I guess."

"Thank you," Robin says. "Now then. I'm going to ask you about specific events and specific times, so, I'd like you to do your best to fill the gaps in-between, but try to keep it short."

“Alright," Anon says.

"Tell me about your first day in Equestria."

"Well, I sorta just appeared. I don't remember much before that point, but when I arrived there were just so many ponies. I was immediately brought to City Hall where I met the Mayor. I got a house and a job... then... that's pretty much it. I met a lot of ponies."

"Alright. Summarize the events up until you decided to adopt Fluttershy."

"Well, I think that's kinda the point of why I adopted her. There was a whole lot of nothing. I worked. Came home. Read books. Went to bed. Then repeated it. I was a bit of a hermit. So I decided to adopt a filly. I figured I could at least try to make someone's life here a little better while I'm here."

"So, you adopted a filly to try to make a child's life better."

"Yes."

"Not as a measure for personal fulfillment?"

“Well, I won't deny that wasn't a factor. I wanted to feel like I was doing something with my life, but I feel like everyone would want that."

"True, true. I don't blame you, I just want to make sure everyone here hears the whole truth," Robin says. "Now then, tell me about Cheerilee."

“Well, Cheerilee was Fluttershy's teacher. I sorta... developed a bit of a crush on her. But I was nervous. I realized she was one of my patrons at the parlor, and that made it a little awkward. I asked her out on a date, and it went mostly well."

"I feel like there is a 'but' coming on."

“Well, yes. That night, Fluttershy decided it would be a good idea to fake falling asleep to her babysitter, Miss Rosemary, then go play with the animals in the Everfree."

"Did you go to the Police?"

"Yes, they filed a missing filly report, but I ended up finding her myself."

"I see, that must have been a tough time."

"Yes. I had to give my first punishment to Fluttershy, and... I realized I went a bit too overboard. I was still emotional regarding the event, so I raised my voice too high. I apologized profusely the next day. Later on, I allowed her to play with the animals, but it had to be in the yard and during the day."

"I see. Now, I'm fuzzy on chronology, but tell me about Fluttershy's time at school."

"Well, that's a mixed bag. After Fluttershy's 'forest sleepover' I decided to cut things off with Cheerilee. I wanted to focus on being the best dad I could be, and that meant putting her first. She didn't take it very well, but I'll explain that later. I asked her to try and make sure Fluttershy made friends in school, and next thing I knew, she was talking about a filly from the Apple family. I was just happy she made a friend."

"Now, forgive me for being blunt, but we need to be blunt for a moment. Did you touch her wings before or after she made her friend, Applejack."

"Uhm, I believe after. But, that's sounds way worse than it was."

"Oh? Then inform me."

"Well, see, you can check my library records, I've been checking out books on how to be a good parent. How-to parent books, foal development and stuff. If my memory serves me right, we were... at the lake? Something where she got her fur all dirty and she needed to get cleaned up. I had her take a bath, and I helped her get clean."

Rumbles come from the crowd.

"This was something normal in my world," Anon continues, "Adults would help their young get clean, because they can't get every single spot themselves. So, that's what I did. Only after reading my book did I learn that what I did was wrong. Really, really wrong. And I couldn't tell you how guilty I felt. After I read that, I actually tried to give her the talk about the birds and the bees, only to find out they taught her that at the orphanage. I felt silly, but still pretty guilty. I deeply regret what I did, but I didn't think I was doing anything wrong at the time. Parents do things that they regret all the time. I didn't think I'd have to go turn myself in for that."

"I understand. You're right. All parents make mistakes sometimes. Now then, tell me about this sleepover."

"Well, there wasn't much to it. I made food for all of them. They played games. I read a book. I sent them to bed. I went to bed. Made breakfast the next morning for all of them. That's it."

"Nothing else."

"Absolutely nothing else," Anon says firmly.

"Tell me about a police report you sent a few weeks later.”

"Well, someone was breaking into my house, night after night, but wouldn't take anything. Then four days ago, my journal was stolen, and it stopped."

"Somepony was breaking into your house, to steal your Journal?"

“That's what I believe."

"Why?"

"Honestly, I have absolutely no idea. It's not like there was anything important in there. Just ramblings about my day to day business. I suppose, right now, that journal is my key alibi though."

"That's correct, a key alibi that the prosecution never made available to us to review prior to this case, your honor."

Mayor Mare looks to Robin.

"It's a journal, he wrote it himself. He should know it inside and out. I doubt the defense would have needed to review it too thoroughly in order to build a truthful case."

"But, your honor-"

"Please continue questioning, Robin, so prosecution can have their turn," Mayor states.

Robin looks to Anon, thinking carefully. He paces the room, and Anon looks to Ms. Turney, who levitates the book, while wearing a smile of victory.

"I. Uhm. N-... No further questions," he hesitantly says, and retakes his seat.

Mayor Mare turns her head to Turney, who smiles and rises from her seat.

"Anonymous. It's nice to actually speak to you. I've pored over this Journal for so long, that I almost didn't think it was the same person."

Anon looks at Anna and glares.

"I don't know how you want me to answer that."

"Well, I'm going to make it very, very easy for you to answer these next questions. All you have to tell me is 'Yes' or 'No'. Undestand?"

"Yes."

"Perfect! Off to a fantastic start then. Now, do you recognize this?" she asks, gesturing to the book.

“Yes."

"Does this look like your journal?"

“Yes."

"Do you believe this is your journal?

Anonymous remains quiet.

"I don't know."

"Well, then let's crack this open. I'll read a section, and you tell me if you wrote this. Sound good?"

"Yes."

"Alright."

She opens the book and begins to pour over the pages.

"Here we go. Day 1: 'I decided to begin keeping a journal now that I've decided to make something of my life here in Equestria. I figured the best thing to do would be to adopt some filly that's less fortunate than I.'"

"Yes."

"Good. How about... Day 5: 'When Shy came out, she looked like she had a great day.I asked her about the arts and crafts project, and she said it wasn't done yet. Other than that, we read the paper together. She's been learning all sorts of words that way. Maybe soon, I'll have her read the good night story.'"

"Yes," he said with a smile.

"Fantastic. How about Day 13: 'I'm a bundle of stress right now, Journal. It's probably pathetic. Sincerely, it's probably is. Thank god you can't judge me. Or, at least I don't think a book can judge me.'"

"Yes."

"So, do you believe this is your journal?"

"I believe so, yes."

"I see. Shall we keep reading then?"

"I don't think I have much choice, do I?"

"Day 8: So, I had Shy take down the sheets with me. The stains seemed pretty much gone."

"Yes, but that's out of context. She was having a bed wetting problem."

"Oh really? Day 22: 'I think I did a really good job massaging and cleaning all of the lake junk out of her wings though. You could say I had a lot of practice.'"

"Yes. I did. But once again I-"

"OH! But that same day you put 'The thought crossed my mind that the pegusai that I work on at the massage parlor usually really enjoy when I work on their wings.'"

"Yes."

"So, tell me, what WAS the under the table dealings you did at the parlor."

"OBJECTION! That is not relevant to the trial, your hon-" Robin starts.

"Withdrawn. Fine. Let's keep going forward in time. Day 24: 'Fluttershy made a friend today.'"

"Yes."

"You realize that contradicts with your previous statement, saying she was a friend with Applejack before you touched her wings the first time."

“Excuse me? The first time?"

"Oh, sorry, did I say that?"

"I made a mistake once."

"I think you're lying."

"What?"

"Let's keep reading, shall we? This is when it begins to get juicy. Day 24 - "Now that she has a friend, I have two little girls to play with."

"Uhh. No."

"Oh? You didn't write that? But you wrote everything else?"

“Yes."

"How about Day 25: 'Fluttershy ended up waking up and being ready for school half an hour early and waiting eagerly for her Apple friend.'"

"Yes, I believe I wrote that."

"So, just that ONE part of Day 24."

"Yes."

"Day 27: 'I gotta find some way to get her to put out.'"

"What?! NO!"

"Day 28: 'Once I got home, Fluttershy was all excited for the dinner with the Apples, and honestly I was too.'"

"Yes," he said, anger rising in their face.

"Same Day: 'Oh my God, Journal. They felt so good.'"

"No."

"Day 29: 'The book says fillies usually attain sexual maturity at 12 to 15 months of age, but some reach puberty as early as 9 to 10 months and others as late as 18. '"

Anonymous went silent, his breathing heavy and face red. He looked as if he could attack Turney at any moment, but she stood firm, staring directly at him.

"Yes."

"SO YOU KNEW."

I learned it late. It was a mistake."

"YES. OR. NO."

"NO, I DID NOT KNOW."

Turney flips through the pages viciously.

"Day 32: 'Fluttershy mentioned at dinner that she'd like to do a sleepover this coming weekend with the girls. I said that wouldn't be a problem at all.' "

"Yes."

"'Can you say Foursome, Journal?'"

“I WOULD NEVER, HAVE EVER, TOUCHED FLUTTERSHY OR ANY OTHER FILLY!"

"WHY CAN'T YOU JUST ADMIT IT?"

"OBJECTION, YOUR HONOR!" Robin screams as the room erupts into anger.

Mayor slams her gavel three times.

"I will have some order in this courtroom!"

Turney and Anonymous stare each other down as she flips towards the back of the book.

"Day 52: 'Fluttershy is depressed and reclusive. She doesn't even want to play with her animal friends. The filly isn't even talking to Angel. We're going to sleep in the same bed tonight.'"

"Yes, she was having a rough-"

"Day 53: 'Shy just left for school. I wish the swelling on her eye went down. Just gotta push through. This will get better.'"

"Yes."

"Day 51: 'I had to hit her to finally get what I wanted. That'll teach her to refuse me."

"I WOULD -NEVER- HIT MY DAUGHTER."

Silence fills the room.

"Well, either you're telling the truth, and this journal is fake. The journal found on the bed of your home. The journal that perfectly matches every witness testimony that was presented today. Or, you're lying to us under oath. Frankly. I don't care. But if You're hurting that young filly, I don't think it's worth letting you see the light of day."

"Your HONOR!" Robin yells.

"I withdraw my statement," Turney states.

“I would -never- hurt my daughter."

Only silence replies to Anonymous.

"I would never hurt Fluttershy."

Ponies in the audience look away from him.

"I'd Never..."

"I'd like to request a recess," calls Mr. Wrong.

Anonymous hangs his head in his hands as he stares at the ground. He continues to mutter his last words over and over. Mayor Mare sighs and looks over the court room of ponies who looks as if they may snap at any given moment.  

"I'm going to grant that request. We will recess for one half-hour."

Mayor Mare brings down her gavel and Anon immediately rises from his seat. Robin moves to get in Anon's way, but he tries to push past him. He gives to the human, what looks like may be a tape recorder, which he snatches from Robin's hoof as he pushes past him. Anon storms out of the court room, letting the doors swing behind him.





The time is 1:47 and the recess has ended, as all of the ponies re-enter the room. Anon and Robin sit politely at their desk, Anon with his hands in his lap, and Robin staring down at his tape recorder. The Bailiff asks all ponies to rise as Mayor returns to her chair and instructs everypony to sit down. Mayor Mare looks to the defendants with an expression of exhaustion.

"The defense has not registered any other witnesses or evidence to present. I believe, since this is the case, we may move to closing statements."

"Your honor, I do have one last piece of evidence," Robin replies, standing up.

"Objection," cries the prosecution. "We were not made aware of this evidence prior to trial, your honor, we have not prepared for-"

Mayor Mare raises a hoof to Ms. Turney and looks back to Robin.

"Mr. Wrong. The last time that you pulled this stunt, the evidence was completely irrelevant and you still lost your case," the Mayor said.

"I realize, your honor."

"Do you remember what I warned you?" she asked.

"If I wasted your time, anymore with irrelevant evidence or publicity stunts, that I would no longer be able to do law in Ponyville."

"Then you do. Good. Then, if I allow you to do this, then you realize the risk."

Wrong sighs and looks down to his tape recorder, then looks back to the judge. 

"Yes, your honor."

"Well, I have no idea how this case could be changed in anyway, since all of the evidence fits to the prosecution's case, but I'll let you have your last chance. Go on. Make it quick."

Robin moves to the center of the court room and looks to the jury.

"Ladies and Gentlecolts of the jury. If you've watched me during these proceedings, you'll notice that I've been fiddling with my tape recorder the whole case. I have a bit of a fascination for the recorded medium. It's extremely hard to fake. It's even harder to create in a short period of time. This tape I'm about to play for you, was on record for the first twenty minutes of recess. I asked my client to take it with him as he traveled outside to calm himself during recess. I'm going to play this tape for you, and I would like for the guards to ensure that nopony leaves the courtroom while this is being played."

Robin presses the play button. A full transcript of the recording will be added  and amended to audience reactions at a later date.






The following is a voice transcript taken from the tape recorder of Robin Wrong on [Day 58] at 01:17 PM.


The click for the beginning of a new recording is heard.

Robin: "I'd like to request a recess."

Mumbles are heard in the background for a few moments.

Mayor Mare: "I'm going to grant that request, we will recess for one half-hour."

A gavel pounds.

Robin: "Anon, Anon come here."
Anonymous: "Leave me alone."
Robin: "Listen to me, this isn't over."
Anonymous: "Listen. I just need a few moments to gather my bearings."

Silence, except for court muttering.

Robin: "Fine. Just take this with you."

Rustle.

Anonymous: "Whatever."

Rustle and sounds of fabric. Footsteps, a door creaking, and then more footsteps. The murmur of the courtroom quiets. Another creak of a door, and then the chirping of birds. Anonymous takes a deep breath, but continues walking.

Anonymous: "Fuck."

A few seconds pass.

Anonymous: "Goddamnit."

The rustle of grass. Anonymous's voice grows much quieter.

Anonymous: "God fucking damnit."

Labored, shallow breaths are heard, followed by deep breaths. Anonymous sniffs his nose.

Anonymous: "You fucked it up this time. You fucked it up something royally."

More deep breaths.

Anonymous: "Great fucking job me. Great job. I should have KNOWN I would have fucked this up."

Silence, the sound of grass rustling. Perhaps Anonymous is sitting? A bird chirps close by.

Anonymous: "I've ruined everything. I'll never have her back. I made a few stupid mistakes, and now she's gone. Hell, I'll be lucky if I ever see outside again."

Silence.

Anonymous: "Right when I thought I was beginning to get the hang of it, too. I thought I might actually be cut out to be a Dad, and now look at all this."

A sigh.

Anonymous: "What do I even do?"

Silence. A quiet rustle of grass.





The jury and all parties in the court room remain still and silent. A pin could be dropped in the room, and all could hear it with ease.





???: "Well, if you really want options. I can give you one."

Prolonged Silence.

Anonymous: "What do you want."
???: "To be fair, you're actually great with kids."
Anonymous: "What the fuck do you want, Cheerilee."
Cheerilee: "There's no need to be rude, Anonymous. Especially to the pony who can make all of this go away."





Murmurs fill the courtroom as eyes scan the room and line up on the school teacher, who sits in the front row.





Cheerilee: "Oh please. Don't tell me you haven't added it up yet?"
Anonymous: "You stole my diary, and replaced it with a different one."
Cheerilee: "It's true."
Anonymous: "How did you copy my handwriting?"
Cheerilee: "Helping little ponies practice their handwriting every day makes it easy to mimic other handwriting styles. All I needed was a story that the town would believe."
Anonymous: "Then where's the original?"
Cheerilee: "Somewhere safe. Somewhere I can get it easily. If I turn that in, it sure makes the police look silly now doesn't it? It almost looks as if they planted evidence. Which would render the case invalid."

Silence.

Anonymous: "What do you want?"
Cheerilee: "On, Anon... please don't tell me you're being serious."

Silence. Cheerilee sighs.

Cheerilee: "The same thing I wanted from the beginning. The only thing I ever wanted since you moved in. The first time I finally saw the ability to take it was when you adopted that filly. You."

Silence.

Cheerilee: "Can't you see how much I've tried to do for you, Anon? I helped your daughter make friends. I gave her good grades. I made her belong. I boosted her confidence. I did this all for you. Even when you pushed me away I tried to do this for you to show how faithful and loyal I can be. I proved my love for you, Anon."

Silence.

Cheerilee: "Of course, when you pushed me away again, I had to show you just how MUCH I've done for you. I taught the Apple filly about Manehattan and her family's past. She became obsessed with the idea, just like all fillies do at that age. Then, I filled Rarity with ideas of fashion, high society and jewels. I knew that Fluttershy wouldn't share the same enjoyment, but I still took her to a zoo. Just for you, Anon.

Silence.

Cheerilee: "But I already knew what would happen. The inseparable trio got into a fight. The Applejack left and Rarity couldn't bear not being popular. So then you're little filly was all alone again. After calling on her a few times in class when I knew she didn't have the answer, that confidence was gone too. Not enough to be irrepairable, but enough to question herself. Enough for the other students to question her. The last thing to do was to send a fake letter to the Apples saying that Applejack wanted to come back home."
Anonymous: "You used. My Daughter. To attack me."
Cheerilee: "Not attack, my love. Remind."
Anonymous: "Remind me of how much of a psycho you are?"
Cheerilee: "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that. For your sake."

Silence.

Cheerilee: "So, don't tell me you aren't curious."

Silence.

Cheerilee: "I can make all of this go away, you know. I can make this disappear. You can have your daughter back."

Silence.

Cheerilee: "You have to ask, Anon."

Silence.

Cheerilee: "Well in that case-"
Anonymous: "What?"
Cheerilee: "Ask politely, my love."

Anonymous growls under his breath.

Anonymous: "What do I have to do?"

Silence.

Anonymous: "Hon."
Cheerilee: "See, now was that so hard?"

Silence.

Cheerilee: "I'll make all of this go away, right here and now, if you ask me to marry you in the courtroom, in front of all of Ponyville. Then there will be no backing out. I'll give the evidence. You'll be free. We'll be married and we can live as one happy family. Then, you'll have your daughter back and a loving wife who will always take care of you. Who will always do what's best for you."

Silence.

Cheerilee: "It's just four words, Anon."

Silence.

Cheerilee: "We'll finally be together. Wasn't that what you wanted in the beginning?"

Cheerilee grunts.

Cheerilee: "Well, so be it. I will see you answer as soon as the recess is over. I just hope you choose wisely."

Grass rustles as hoofsteps trot off into the distance. A nearby bird chirps as a call is sounded for 10 remaining minutes to the recess. Anonymous chokes for air and sniffles. A dragging sound is heard on the tape, then a clunk.

Anonymous: "Hm?"

Silence.

Anonymous: "Oh god, the tape. Oh god.

Anonymous chuckles.

Anonymous: "Oh my god. Robin. You pushed record. You goddamn genius. I gotta get inside."

The tape cuts off.





The entire room remains silent, as the previous witness, Cheerilee, looks to be on the brink of tears. Anonymous sits in his chair, looking straight forward. The prosecution simply stares at Miss Cheerilee with her mouth agape. Miss Cheerilee looks around the room, then stands up.

" Bailiff, would you please place Miss Cheerilee in contempt of court," Mayor Mare says.

The school teacher steps out into the main aisle of the courtroom and looks back to the entrance doors. She takes a step back, but stops as the official gallops towards her. Cheerilee looks back at Anon, tears in her eyes, as the Bailiff grabs one of her hooves and pulls her towards the door where Mayor Mare was brought in. The prosecution looks down at her papers and flips through them, scattering them on her table and placing a hoof to her face. Once the door closes, marking the exit of Cheerilee and the Bailiff, Mayor Mare clears her throat.

"Wrong, Turney. Come up please."

The two rise and approach the bench. A few words are exchanged and a large smile grows on Wrong's face. With a nod from Mayor Mare, the two return their tables and Robin places a hoof on Anon's shoulder. Anna Tourney stands and looks to Mayor.

"Your Honor, the town of Ponyville would like to drop all charges on the Defendant. Clearly there has been a tampering of evidence and a large number of misconceptions regarding the character of the accused."

Mayor leans forward in her chair and smiles.

"I believe, what we've seen here today, is a large number of misconceptions added on top of poor circumstance. It's quite natural for anypony to jump to conclusions, especially when children are involved. Many ponies believe that they could raise a child better or differently than another. I believe, this is one of those cases. There's no point in hiding the elephant in the room. This town was distressed that a pony was being raised by a human. They felt is was unnatural. Wrong, even. So, the town... we've, looked for every opportunity to prove that Anonymous was not cut out to be a father. We've seen that the concerns we've witness and observed as a town have been a case of making stories, exaggerated rumors and jumping to conclusions."

Mayor Mare clears her throat as a few ponies in the back lower their heads.

"However, I do know there will be some that will argue that he still has made a mistake regarding touching his daughter's wings," she continues. "Well, I'm not going to say it's unforgivable, but we heard him attest to this with guilt. He was not aware of the cultural differences or the aging processes of ponies. He claimed to have a desire to change his ways. I'm inclined to say that if his true journal reflects his words of penance, I will overlook this."

The judge sighs and smiles.

"Believe it or not, I used to be a mother. My young ones have since moved away and are living well in Canterlot. I've done some things to my children that I'm not happy with. Things I've said, punishments I've assigned. But I did it all because I thought, at the time, that it was what was best for them. I didn't make the decisions lightly. I've seen the parents that do. I know how they act. I know how they treat their children and how some of these children will act. Perhaps... I'm being nieve, but I don't see that in the acc-... In Anon. I see a father just as I was as a mother. Caring. Concerned. Simply doing what they think is best for their child. As far as I'm concerned. I will accept the charges being dropped, and in addition, would like to give you the most heartfelt apology that Ponyville can offer."

Mayor Mare raises her gavel and slams it down.A smile curls on Anonymous's face.

"Case dismissed. Now can somepony PLEASE bring this man his daughter?" she says.

The prosecution begins packing their papers together as Mayor Mare rises, and Anon looks around the courtroom. His face grows red as he begins to chuckle. A guard steps out of the courtroom for a few minutes as a few ponies beginning to clap their hooves together.

Anon stands and turns to face all of those in attendance, and there isn't a frowning face in the room. The guard quickly steps back in, a tiny yellow pegasus with a long pink mane following him. Anon pushes past his lawyer, who's grinning from ear to ear, and steps into the main aisle. A smile curls on Fluttershy's face as she gallops to her dad. The filly leaps into Anon's arms and he holds her tight.


Verdict of the case of Ponyville vs Anonymous the Human – Not Guilty.





Day 58 – Evening

Hi, Journal.

Well, New Journal. Journal 2.0.

I don't... quite know how to put today into words. But, I'm laying in bed right now, with my little filly sleeping soundly, cuddling up close to me.

I'm not mad at her. I'm not mad at anypony.

Except Cheerilee. But, I hear she probably won't be out until Fluttershy is all grown up.

Maybe around that time, I'll move away and leave this place for Fluttershy to live in. But, that's a plan for another day. I'm sitting here, remembering all of the events of the last two months, and simply reminiscing on what I could have done better or worse. Nothing I could have done would have prepared me for what has happened in these last 58 days.

However, I think it all, sort of, worked out.

The town now sees me differently. Everypony seems to be a lot more open and kind to us now.
>Especially after we left the court room.  I realize that Fluttershy and I aren't really the most... conventional family, but we love each other.

She's my little girl, and I'm her dad. And speaking of all of that, I remember back to my very first entry in this Journal. 

The afternoon after I adopted Fluttershy, I wrote "I can do this." When I wrote it, I was doing my best to reassure myself that I could be a good father. I thought that it meant that I wouldn't make any mistakes. I thought that it meant I would be able to become a natural at all of this, and some magic day would come where being a parent would be easy.

Only now do I see how silly I was to think that.

The fact of the matter is, that I will make mistakes. Everyone does.

It's how we react to those mistakes and learn from them to become better people is what makes us good or bad. There isn't going to be a day where being a parent will be easier. Some decisions might be more simple than others, but being a Dad is always going to be hard work. I suppose the difference is that, now I fully realize that.

Back then, I thought that if I just pushed through it, it would all get easy. And, that idea of it getting easier was what pushed me forward. But, now I really understand. It's never going to be easy.

One day, everything could be simple, and you're taking trips to the lake to relax, and the next you could be counting bits and trying to survive on old bread. But, the one thing that will always remain the same is that I'm Fluttershy's father.

So, I know I'll make mistakes. I know that there will be hard times ahead.

But, I'll take them a day at a time, prepare where I can and deal with it when the day comes. And, because of that, I don't doubt myself about being good or bad anymore. Sure, the future is uncertain, but I'm not going to let it eat me alive. 

I'm Fluttershy's father. I love her more than anything else in the world. I would do anything for her.

And in my book, that's a good parent.

So, thank you, Journal. Thank you for being there for me when I was at my lowest. Thanks for helping me learn the lesson I needed to. Tomorrow is a brand new day. Quite literally, for you, a new chapter. And, I can't wait to see what's in store for us.

Take it easy, Journal.

Good night.