Chapter 18: Verdict
Onto the Pony Planet
Chapter 18: Verdict
Admiral Biscuit
“No further questions of this witness, Your Honor.”
“Very well.” Luna glanced back over at the prosecution table. “Thy next witness?”
“We have no further witnesses.” Noble Voice bowed his head slightly. “The prosecution rests.”
Luna turned back to Fancy Pants. “Who dost thou call as thy first witness?”
“The defense calls upon Twilight Sparkle.”
Luna glared around at the packed courtroom as it exploded into muffled noise. Ponies were whispering into each other's ears, and quills were frantically scratching across papers. A unicorn sketch artist focused intently on the door in the hopes of capturing the perfect image of Princess Celestia's protege being escorted by a batpony, and when they opened, she got her wish. Luna's frown deepened—she was glad she'd put her hoof down and forbidden cameras. She'd had enough of them sullying a rousing hoofball match, crowded along the sidelines or fluttering up in somepony's view.
Twilight gave a brief bow to the bench, and Luna nodded politely in response. The bailiff showed her to her seat, and the unicorn spent what seemed like an unnecessarily long time getting comfortable. Fancy Pants gave no sign of impatience; he remained seated with a small smile on his muzzle, despite this being his most dangerous gambit. He'd decided to use her as a counter to both Professor Laureate and Sandy Tail, even though he had no idea how good a witness she'd actually make.
Canterlot gossip had indicated a schism between Twilight and the younger diarch; what it was had never been explained. The slightly frosty look from Luna confirmed his theory. He leaned over and whispered into Fleur's ear. “You question her. Keep your questions short and simple. We know she likes to lecture. She's brilliant, but naive. If there's a weak point in our favor, don't press it—let Noble fall into that trap.”
Fleur nodded, and stepped around the table. Twilight's ears fell as she moved toward the witness stand, and Fancy Pants had a moment of regret at his impromptu decision. Would she be hostile to Fleur? Some mares were—but he suspected that she'd soon open up to his Prench wife.
“Miss Twilight,” Fleur began, “I wonder if you could briefly state, for the record, your connection to this case?”
“Oh.” Twilight glanced down at the railing. “I was there when Princess Celestia came back. I had arranged the experiment which proved that Trixie could correctly identify living matter from a great distance, and theorized that she could put that to use through a telescope to find a distant planet which Princess Celestia might . . . visit.
“I wasn't invited on the first trip. I spent the night in the company of Princess Luna.” She glanced up at the bench, and Fancy Pants didn't miss the slight warming of the alicorn's expression. “When she got back, she invited Princess Luna, Lyra, and myself to her chambers for breakfast and a discussion of what she'd seen.”
“Which was Dale,” Fleur prompted.
“Yes. That was the important topic.” Twilight nodded. “She . . . wanted our opinion on how to deal with that.” She looked up at Luna. “You were there.”
“Objection!” Noble Voice leapt to his hooves. “We believe the court is bia—“ He immediately realized his mistake, and dropped back into his chair. “We withdraw our objection,” he said meekly.
“Art thou certain? Thou didst appear quite eager.”
Noble nodded.
“Pray continue.” Luna turned towards Twilight.
“I, um, told Lyra that she would be a better representative than me, even though I really wanted to meet Dale. We spent much of the next month on plans to communicate with him, and making guesses about what he'd be like.” Her ears lowered along with her voice. “We made a lot of wrong guesses.”
“So you—scratch that. Did Lyra, at any time, give any indication that she had a desire to bring Dale back to Equestria?”
“No, she never said anything about bringing him back.”
“She never asked for your help in modifying Starswirl's spell?”
“No. She was intimidated by how difficult it was. I—it was right on the edge of what I could cast, and Lyra couldn't at all. We had to have Princess Celestia help her, both in explaining some of the parts of the spell, and in boosting her magic.”
Fleur nodded. “Could you think of an easy way for a unicorn such as Lyra to modify Starswirl's spell, in order to bring Dale and Ka-th-rin to Equestria?”
When Twilight didn't answer, the audience in the courtroom leaned forward. When her head went down and her hoof began tracing over the desk, whispers were exchanged. Fleur glanced back at Fancy Pants, an unreadable expression on her face. As the silence dragged on, Twilight's hoof movements became more pronounced, and Noble Voice got a broad grin on his face, like his worst enemy had just fallen into her own trap.
Fleur kept her composure, even when Luna looked over her bench curiously at the unicorn making small gestures and moving her lips. Finally, after an agonizing minute, she looked brightly at Fleur. “I can't think of a single way that the spell could be modified by a unicorn of Lyra's skills.”
Fancy Pants resisted an urge to hoof-pump under the table, especially when he saw Noble Voice's head drop.
“The spell is adjustable, like most of Starswirl's spells,” Twilight informed Fleur. “But there are no elements which Lyra had the skill to work with. Now, if they were touching, that would be a different matter.”
Fleur glanced back at Fancy Pants, who tapped a hoof on his attache case and nodded.
“Could you explain that? Touching?”
“It's a standard feature in many teleport spells.” Twilight mumbled something under her breath, then looked back at Fleur eagerly. “The early versions only allowed for inanimate objects. According to his diary, Starswirl once teleported and wound up at his destination without clothes or shoes, and as a result modified the original spell. Subsequently, it was further modified to allow for a caster to take a companion who was touching her at the time the spell was cast.”
“Wouldn't that require extra energy?”
Twilight nodded. “It does. When it's not planned for, it can be disconcerting, or even uncomfortable for both parties. It can also make the spell fail, if the unicorn is not putting enough energy in it.
“But Starswirl worked around that in his spell!” Twilight grinned. “I saw what he'd done, based on what Princess Luna told me a few nights ago. In case of extra mass, his spell pays for it with a reduction in accuracy and inertial damping.”
Fleur looked at her blankly. “Can you explain that to a laypony?”
“Oh . . . well, if the caster finds herself with too much mass—if another pony interferes and is also teleported, or if her cargo is too heavy—the spell allows for it instead of fizzling. But, since the energy has to come from somewhere, it is taken from the local inertial equalizing portion of the spell. Thus, if a pony takes along too much mass, she hits her destination a lot harder than she meant to—unless she had the energy to compensate for that. I had that happen with Spike one time.”
“Couldn't that be dangerous?” Fleur looked uncertainly at Twilight. “I'm not a particularly strong caster myself; I doubt I could teleport much further than a hoofball field. If I remember my classes correctly, the inertial dampening over longer distances puts a natural limit on most spells. If you lost that. . . .”
“If it were entirely unmanaged,” Twilight said, “It could. Historically, there have been many cases of unicorns being killed from a mismanaged teleport. In this case, since Starswirl initially designed the spell to transport a unicorn a vast distance, he had the foresight to account for that. I'd need a chalkboard to write out the pertinent part of the spell, but in essence it shed a lot of excess energy by dumping it in the lake. That's why the raft was destroyed. If Lyra and Dale had landed on the ground, though. . . .”
“Then we wouldn't be having this trial, would we?”
Twilight shook her head.
“That seems like an excessively risky modification—wouldn't it be safer to just have the spell fail for lack of energy?”
“Most spells would, but this one is different. It was meant to transport a unicorn to a different planet, and bring her back if she was unable to cast a return spell on her own. Starswirl was always interested in other worlds, and since he explored some of them himself, he wanted to assure his safe return. He probably didn’t consider what might happen if a unicorn found herself unexpectedly returning with four times the mass she’d started with. Once he got more involved with portals, he probably stopped working on the spell. Much of his research has been lost, unfortunately. This spell was among Clopurnicus’ records, or else we wouldn’t know of it.”
“I see. Thank you. One last question: you've spent some time with Dale—do you think he's dangerous?”
“No.” Twilight shook her head for emphasis. “He's very friendly and curious. I never felt intimidated when I was with him.”
“No further questions.”
“The prosecution may examine the witness.”
“Thank you, Your Honor.” Noble Voice remained seated at his table. “Miss Twilight, you've known Lyra for a long time, haven't you?”
“We went to school together. Then, when I moved to Ponyville, she was already here.”
“Mm-hmm.” He glanced at his notes. “And you told the defense that it was your idea that she should meet with Dale.”
“Yes.” Twilight shifted around on the bench.
“You're a curious pony, Miss Sparkle. Everypony who knew you in Canterlot agreed that you frequently stayed up all night pursuing a subject which had caught your fancy. If I were to ask around Ponyville, I bet anypony who knew you would say the same thing.” He narrowed his eyes. “Is that a fair assessment?”
Twilight blushed. “I guess so.”
“And you spent a month with Lyra, you said, working and planning for the next meeting. One which you would not be attending. Were you nervous about what Dale was really like?”
“No; I just thought he'd be more comfortable seeing a familiar face. I really wanted to go. There is so much we can learn from a totally alien species. Scientific samples could be taken, magical fields analyzed . . . he's given us books which have provided the barest grasp of his culture, but to see it for ourselves. . . .” Her eyes took on a distant, dreamy look.
“Did you spend all of your time in Canterlot with Lyra?”
“Much of it, although we split up to do research.”
“And in that time, did you ever study Starswirl's spell?”
“Of course! I'd never seen it before. I knew it existed, but it's locked in the archives, so we didn't discuss it in detail in class.”
Noble Voice nodded. “And did you discuss it with Lyra?”
“Yes. I helped her practice it. It's a very complex spell.”
“Earlier, when Fancy Pants asked if the spell could be modified, you said no. Professor Laureate testified earlier, and he also could not think of a way it could be modified. And yet—you had no trouble coming to the conclusion that a physical connection was all that was required to make multiple parties travel with the spell. Did you ever mention that to Lyra?”
Twilight nodded. “I don't know if she was listening to me, though.”
“I'm sure she was.” Noble Voice looked up at the bench. “No further questions, Your Honor.”
“The defense calls their final witness: Ambassador Lyra Heartstrings.”
Luna frowned as the audience began murmuring at the announcement. Lyra got up from the bench and walked over to the witness stand, giving a polite nod to Twilight as the unicorn relinquished her spot. Fancy Pants groaned: it was about the worst thing she could have done, implying Twilight might not be an impartial witness.
Once she'd settled into position, Fancy Pants got to his hooves and moved over next to the witness stand, turning to where he could watch both Luna and Noble Voice.
“We have already heard testimony from two Guards and Miss Twilight about what happened in Equestria, but the court has yet to hear from a witness who was actually present. Before I begin, I would like to introduce as evidence a series of drawings which Dale made.”
“I object.” Noble Voice glared at the witness stand. “How are we to know that she did not put him up to that—tell him exactly what to draw?”
“The court wishes to consider these drawings,” Luna said.
Fancy Pants nodded, and Fleur floated a packet of papers over to Luna. The alicorn took her time studying the drawings, while Lyra fidgeted on the bench. Quiet conversations broke out in the courtroom, and a few runners took the opportunity to head for the telegraph office, the reporters’ copies held firmly in their auras. Luna finally reached the end of the drawings, and looked curiously down at Lyra.
“Thou mayst begin,” she instructed Fancy Pants.
As soon as Dr. Stable and Lecol had finished with their procedure, the nurses began clearing the equipment, while the two unicorns stumbled off to recuperate. Kate was fast asleep; Redheart had upped her morphine dosage prior to the operation. Zecora gently worked her way out of Kate's tight embrace—she'd volunteered to be the distraction this time.
They'd debated for hours on the best way to move her. Obviously, since she was ambulatory, the easiest way would have been for her to walk—but now that Dale and Lyra were gone, nopony could tell her what to do. Their choice had also been influenced by Kate becoming restless in the afternoon, and having to be patiently corralled back to her room after she'd wandered loose in the hospital.
Once the surgical instruments were packed away, Redheart brought in a stretcher. With a great deal of effort, the three nurses and Zecora managed to transfer their unconscious patient off the bed, taking care not to cause further injury to her damaged hand.
Breathing heavily, Redheart trotted off to get the Guard, while the other two nurses busied themselves with gathering her few belongings—the extra clothing which Rarity had made, and the small pile of equipment which Dr. Stable had returned to her room after Dale had left. That had been the subject of much debate. Dr. Stable had wanted to send it to Canterlot, where the university ponies could get a look at it; Redheart and Snowheart had insisted that it be returned to her, reminding him that unless Kate died, her belongings were hers, not the Crown's.
As the guards took up their position around the stretcher, Redheart kept fretting over the girl, making certain that she was in a comfortable position that wouldn't exacerbate her injuries.
It's best for us to move her, Redheart thought. Intellectually, she knew it was true, but emotionally, letting an uncured patient leave the hospital felt like a failure. “Be careful,” she told the Guards. “No quick movements. Steady steps down the stairs, and keep the stretcher as level as you can. We don't want to jostle her.”
The move down the stairs turned into a tense adventure. Redheart watched the Guards like a hawk, barking out orders for each step they took, and the normally unflappable stallions withered under her assault. Everypony relaxed once Kate was on the ground floor, and the soldiers quickly rushed her out of the hospital and into a waiting wagon.
They could hardly have picked a worse time to perform the transfer. While the hospital was nowhere near the busy center of the town, lots of ponies were milling about, either on their way home from market, or just happening to pass by because they'd heard a rumor that something must be happening at the hospital, since there was a flight of Guards out front.
Still, the crowd stayed respectfully back as the Guards maneuvered the stretcher into the wagon. A few pegasi zoomed low overhead, getting a good glimpse of who or what was on the stretcher, before alighting in front of clusters of ponies and reporting what they'd seen.
Once Redheart was satisfied that Kate was properly secured in the back of the wagon, she clambered over the tailboard, unwilling to leave her patient behind. As far as she was concerned, her duty wouldn't end until Kate was safely in place at the embassy, at which point she'd be Sweetheart and Lecol's responsibility.
The wagon jerked under her, and she stumbled once before regaining her balance. Behind them, ponies were beginning to move, following the wagon to see where it went. She could faintly hear small remarks of disappointment as it turned off the path leading to the cemetery, and a few ponies broke off from the crowd, no longer interested in what was happening.
Dale left in a carriage pulled by the Guard, and he didn't attract so much attention. Maybe because everypony was already at the town rotunda, waiting to see him. She resisted the urge to stand at the back of the cart like a noble and wave her hoof at the audience, instead concentrating on Kate. Her biggest fear was that the girl would wake up and panic, maybe even jump out of the wagon.
But as they trundled over the stone bridge and into town proper, she began to relax. The jostling had finally caused Kate's eyes to flutter open, but she was still quite woozy, and showed no signs of flight. As a precaution, Redheart lowered her muzzle to Kate's chest and began gently nuzzling her.
“Easy, Ka-th-rin,” the nurse whispered. “We're almost there.” She knew her words wouldn't be understood, but hoped that the tone would be calming. “We don't have much further to go, and then you'll be home with Dale and Lyra.”
Kate nodded weakly and slowly brought her arms up, resting them on Redheart's withers. As the wagon jerked through a low spot, she gripped the mare tighter, before beginning to stroke her short coat.
She's looking better than when they brought her in. Her heart sounded strong, and the blood in her lungs had completely cleared up, thanks to their careful work. It had been dicey—she now knew that they had almost killed her when they first began fixing her broken ribs, and the thought made her shudder.
Redheart lifted her head slightly, ignoring the sound of protest from Kate. She took one glance at the stores they were passing to get an idea of where they were, before her eyes fixed on the parade that was following the wagon. We should have done this at midnight, when nopony would have witnessed it. It was too late now; the market was closed and this was the most interesting thing happening in town. At least we're not going by the pub, and at least the crowd is staying back from the Guards.
She lowered her head back down and let out a long breath, letting the stress of the last week escape. There would be follow-up visits for a while yet—the doctor and Lecol both estimated a half-dozen treatments would still be needed before her body could heal the rest of the way on its own—but they were out of the woods.
“You were in full gallop across the beach, and then what happened?”
“I felt—like something stung me. I went limp, fell down, and lost the spell.” Lyra brushed her mane out of her eyes. “That’s it. I woke up in the hospital.”
“No further questions, Your Honor.”
“Before the prosecution cross-examines the witness, the court will take a one-hour break for dinner,” Luna ordered. “The witnesses in the case are not to speak to each other, in the event that any of them need to be further questioned. Miss Mayor Mare has provided separate rooms for each.
“Both the prosecution and defense may use their respective chambers in whatever manner they choose. Food and drink have been provided in each room.”
“Thank you, Your Honor.” Fancy Pants nodded at Lyra, who looked absolutely exhausted. Her voice was rough, even though she'd emptied the pitcher of water that had been provided at the table.
He and Fleur escorted her to the small antechamber off the courtroom, and Fancy Pants busied himself making a plate for her. Meanwhile, Lyra dashed off to the bathroom.
“I hope she can hold out,” Fleur whispered.
“It's almost over,” Fancy Pants said quietly. “I want her to have a chance to eat in peace, and then I'll give her some final prompts for how to deal with Noble Voice. She's done very well so far. I'm proud of her.” He set Lyra's plate on the table, then glanced over at the still-closed bathroom door. “Dear, do you want to check on her? She might be trying to climb out the window.”
“You'd better leave me a couple of eclairs,” Fleur told him, glancing at the table. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and slipped into the bathroom.
• • •
Lyra paced around nervously as Fancy Pants attempted to give her last-minute instructions. Fleur, meanwhile, shuffled through the notes she'd taken, trying to anticipate what questions Noble Voice might ask.
Fleur looked up at the clock, and then at Lyra's nervous walk. She sighed and set the papers down on the table, then moved to intercept the agitated unicorn. As soon as Lyra was next to her, she nickered quietly and pressed the flat of her muzzle against Lyra's withers, shifting and turning as Lyra stopped.
“Easy,” Fleur whispered, leaning her weight into Lyra's side. “Relax. Don't worry about him. We'll take care of you.”
“I'm tired of being cooped up in here all day long,” Lyra muttered. “Tired of listening to him.” She waved a hoof off in the direction of the courtroom. “I just want this to be over with.”
“It's tough.” Fleur guided her to a bench, half-pushing until Lyra sat. “I know it's tough, but it will only be for a little bit longer.” She stood alongside Lyra, leaning slightly into the unicorn. “We'll take care of you . . . but you have to take care of yourself, too. You have to relax.” She let out a breath and continued speaking quietly, while Fancy Pants picked up the notes she'd abandoned.
“Don't rush. Take your time. Repeat the question to yourself before you answer. Don't tell him any more than you need to in order to answer the question.” She picked up a brush and began gently grooming Lyra's mane. “If it’s a vague question, don’t guess at what he wants answered. Ask him to clarify. He might try to catch you off-guard by asking a series of questions on one topic, and then changing subjects.” Fleur gave a small smile, while keeping the brush moving. “You won't win by guessing what he's going to ask next. Did you ever practice using nothing but defensive spells?”
“I was the best,” Lyra said. “My maestro said so.”
“Do that. React only to what he says, only when he asks a question.” She set the brush aside and ran her muzzle down Lyra's neck. “This is just another competition to him, and he revels in his victories. Don't let him have this one. We've put up a stronger case than he has so far. Keep up the momentum, and don't let him get under your skin, no matter what he might say.”
Lyra nodded and closed her eyes. She imagined her maestro's rock garden, picturing the smooth stones arranged in their gentle arcs. It didn't shiver in the wind, like a tree; its changes were slower, and only came about when a pony spent hours of her time meticulously raking and adjusting it into a pleasing shape.
As always, her first arrangement came to mind, her symphony in stone. She thought back to the familiar flows, of their melody and relationship, and she pictured the boulder in the very center, the one that no filly could so much as budge. What does the stone want?
She didn't notice as the door opened and the bailiff stepped in. Fleur nuzzled her in the barrel and she mechanically got to her hooves, returning to the courtroom with Fancy Pants in the lead and Fleur following. She gave honors to Luna, then made her way to the witness stand.
Her eyes kept focusing on Noble Voice, and she could almost see the stone in his eyes.
“Miss Lyra Heartstrings,” he began, making it sound like a curse. “Would you be so kind as to give the court a brief summary of how you happened to find yourself on the beach alone with the—with Dale?”
“Princess Celestia asked me, and I consented.”
“Surely you could have refused.”
Lyra smiled pleasantly at him, waiting for a question. Noble Voice shifted awkwardly, before glancing at his notes. “Did she give you an order?”
“No. She asked if I would, and I said yes.”
“Has she asked you to perform any other duties before?”
“Yes.” Lyra smiled sweetly at him. “She asked, by proxy, if I was willing to give my life to defend Equestria and uphold her laws, and I agreed. I still agree.”
“She . . . your oath as an Auxiliary Guard. Yes . . . that's hardly specific, though, isn't it? There was no threat at the time, nor was she asking you specifically to render her a service, or to defend Equestria from some looming invasion. Really, every guard gives the very same oath, don't they?”
“They do. And I hope they all mean it as sincerely as I do.”
“And yet you were so readily willing to break that oath and bring two hostile aliens to our land.” Noble Voice tilted his head towards the vacant jury box. “A treasonous act, if ever there was one.”
“Objection!” Fancy Pants slammed a hoof on the table. “Lyra is not charged with treason. If the prosecution believes she has committed treason, they ought to have charged her with it from the beginning, rather than on examination.”
“Sustained.” Luna narrowed her eyes and glared at Noble Voice. “Thou mayst not attempt to muddy the waters with accusations of misconduct with which thou didst not see fit to actually charge the defendant.”
“It's—“ Noble clamped his mouth shut as Luna's icy stare transfixed him. He shook it off and looked back at Lyra. “Very well. It is, by now, common knowledge that besides your first journey, you spent a second and then a third full day in an alien land. At the end of that third day, you returned to Equestria in the company of two injured creatures, who had to be immediately hospitalized due to the severity of their injuries.
“The court will note that, as stipulated by the defense, both of the wounded creatures were unconscious upon their arrival, and that the doctor stated that their injuries appeared to be magical in nature.” He glanced back at Lyra. “In your vast repertoire of dueling spells, how many stunning spells are you familiar with?”
Lyra flinched as he asked the question, and her eyes moved over to her bench, where no defense was forthcoming. Fancy Pants had his head down, a pen moving across his notepad, while Fleur gave her an encouraging smile.
“Two.”
“Two.” Noble Voice rolled his eyes. “Only two.” He nodded at his assistant, who floated him a small folder.
“Twinkleshine. In your match at Celestia’s School for Gifted unicorns she cast her final spell at your shield, your horn flashed, and she dropped.
“Then there was Sandy Tail, who testified earlier. He had the upper hoof, until you deflected his elemental water spell with a quarter-shield, twitched your head, and clipped him with the edge, breaking his concentration.
“And let’s not forget the Filly Nationals. Moondancer hit your shield with one spell—one—and she was prone. And yet you claim you only know two stunning spells? I find that hard to believe.”
“I used the stunning spell on Twinkleshine, after I blocked her attack. Sandy Tail—the shield hitting his horn was the same spellbreaker as if I’d done it with a hoof. In the Filly Nationals, I tweaked the shield so my opponent’s spell would charge it. Moondancer always went big on her spells, and I used that. Just a minor variation.”
“Just a minor variation.” Noble Voice nodded his head. “Like modifying a teleportation spell.” He let his words sit for a moment, but not long enough for Lyra to speak. “Now, you were trained under a Neighponese maestro, is that correct?”
“Yes—but let me make it clear that I don't know any variations on teleportation spells. They were prohibited in dueling.”
“Of course you don't.” Noble Voice shook his head sadly. “You were undergoing training with your maestro at the same time as you were enrolled in the Royal Canterlot Conservatory, isn't that so?”
Lyra nodded.
“Please speak aloud, so that the court reporter may record your responses,” he sneered.
“Yes, I was.”
“That's a little odd. Unconventional. Your cutie mark indicates that your special talent lies in music—anypony can see that—and yet you found yourself pursuing two wildly different skills.”
Music and martial arts share the same principles. “As I already testified, I was a duelist before I enrolled in the Conservatory,” she snapped.
Noble Voice gave her an offended look and turned to Luna. “I am simply trying to get to the bottom of this case, Ms. Heartstrings. There is no need to resort to personal insults.”
“You're one to—“ A frantic head-shake from Fancy Pants caused Lyra to snap her mouth shut.
“And I'm given to understand that some ponies find Neighponese teachings, ah, eccentric. Perhaps not the thing we ought to be teaching an impressionable unicorn filly.” He let that thought hang in the air as he went back to his table and took a drink of water. “Yet, despite all of this, you were given the honor of becoming an Auxiliary Guard. Tell me, how many of your peers were granted the same privilege?”
Lyra shrugged. “I don't know. Sandy Tail is a guard.”
“Yes, he just testified. But he went through proper training,” he snapped.
Lyra ground her teeth and looked over at her lawyers, who were engaged in a furious debate with each other. Finally, Fleur shook her head at Fancy Pants, who gave a small nod.
“Are you going to answer the question?”
“You didn't ask one,” Lyra said. “You implied that I didn't receive any training.”
“Ah, of course. How silly of me.” Noble Voice grinned. “After you were awarded with your rank, did you attend basic training at Trotheim?”
“No,” Lyra admitted.
“Any other military academy?”
“No.”
“And yet, every one of the Guards who accompanied you and the Princess did.” Noble Voice moved close to the stand and put a hoof on the railing. “Tell me, Ms. Heartstrings. Earlier, Guard Sandy Tail testified that he overheard Princess Celestia saying that if the situation appeared dangerous, they would teleport back to Equestria without you. Did the Princess, in fact, say words to that effect to you?”
Lyra nodded. “Yes, she said that. It might not have been phrased exactly that way, but that was the gist of what she said.”
“Words which should have been an indicator of how serious such a situation was. Indeed, you have already testified that you were willing—that you took an oath—to give your life in the defense of Equestria.” He took a breath and shifted back a step. “Words that ought to have made an impression on you . . . on how dangerous the situation might be. You did not back down; you approached this cre—Dale, and the first thing you did was to present to him. Why would you do that?”
“I . . . that's not what I was doing!” Lyra's face turned red. “I thought . . . I didn't want to appear dangerous, and he seemed curious. . . .”
“Have you recently had any intimate encounters with a stallion?”
“What!”
“Objection!” Fancy Pants slammed his hoof down on the table hard enough to knock a stack of papers onto the floor. “We have listened to Noble Voice engage in flights of fancy down every path imaginable in the desperate hope that Ambassador Heartstrings might confess to some salacious crime for the sole benefit of his sponsors and the Canterlot newspapers, but this goes too far. The charges in this trial in no way relate to Ambassador Heartstrings' personal life.”
“We believe that the defense has a valid point,” Luna said. “We fail to see how Lyra Heartstrings' love life is any way relevant to the matter at hoof.”
“Oh, it's relevant, Your Honor.” Noble Voice pointed to Luna's table, where Lyra's drawing was sitting on top of copies of Featherbrain's photographs. “It's as plain as the muzzle on my face that she had an interest in Dale, right from the very beginning. Her own actions—both on the beach and in the hospital—do not alter that fact. And what more basic motive is there? A mare in heat will do anything.”
“Objection!” Fleur bolted from her seat and stormed across the courtroom, her eyes flashing. “Do you base this on your own personal experience—because from what I've seen, a mare would have to be desperate to put herself under you—or have you not even been that fortunate in your life?”
“I don't have to reply to your insults! I am not—“
“Do you even have the slightest understanding of a mare’s—”
“ORDER IN THE COURT!” Luna's voice tore through the courtroom, her voice echoing off the walls. The banging of her gavel was anticlimactic as everypony turned their heads to face the bench. “We shall not have this trial degrade into an adolescent name-calling farce! You shalt conduct yourselves with dignity, or else we shall have ye ejected from the courtroom.”
“As to the matter of the objection, the court agrees that unless the prosecution can provide compelling proof that Lyra's past relationships bear significance in the case, they are irrelevant.”
“May I approach the bench?” Noble Voice asked.
Luna sighed. “Very well.”
“Your Honor,” Noble Voice whispered, “I understand that this is an uncomfortable topic for many ponies, but if we cannot question the motives behind this heinous crime, what case can we bring? Or has the court already decided the case? Should I just end my questioning and go back to Baltimare?”
“Thou art on thin ice,” Luna hissed. “We hope that thou hast just had a slip of the tongue, because it sounded to us as if thou wert suggesting we were prejudiced in this case, and we can assure thee this is not so.”
“Forgive me, Princess Luna.” Noble Voice bowed his head. “I of course did not mean to imply that your final verdict would be any less than fair. I just find it . . . frustrating that the defense is given such great latitude on what topics may or may not be explored, such that it may appear to other ponies—or to other nations—that there is an unfair bias in this case.”
“Very well.” Luna glared at him. “We do not wish to appear to be unfairly biasing the direction of your questioning. However, we remind you that this is a civil process, and thou art skirting the edge of civility. We shall allow thee to continue thine questioning, but know that we are reaching the end of our patience, and we shall not allow thee to make a mockery of our courtroom.”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
Noble Voice turned back to the witness stand, crossing the floor as he spoke. “Ms. Heartstrings, do you feel that perhaps one of the reasons Princess Celestia chose you for this mission was your, ah, broad cultural experiences?”
“I don't know.”
“But it is plausible, is it not, that the Princess took that into consideration?”
“She might have. Twilight was the first to suggest that I ought to be the one to go back, and then—“
“Does Twilight Sparkle know of your xenosociological interests?”
“It hasn't really come up in conversation, I guess.”
“She's the librarian,” Noble Voice said. “So, it would be reasonable to assume that she would have some idea what types of books you'd checked out from the library—and in a town like this, it would no doubt make an impression on her, wouldn’t it?”
“Objection!” Fancy Pants gave Noble Voice a flat stare. “What kind of statement is 'a town like this?'”
“I am merely establishing that the library is not a destination for many of the ponies who live in Ponyville. I am given to understand that the public school is quite recent, and many of the older ponies in town don't read much, if at all—as evidenced by the fact that before Twilight Sparkle came to Ponyville, there was no librarian.”
“Sustained,” Luna said flatly. “You may continue.”
“I can't say what kind of impression my reading habits would have on her,” Lyra said. “I told you before, we never had any kind of discussion about that.”
“She wasn't curious about your experiences with Neighponese culture?”
“It never came up.”
“Or when your chamber group hosted a minotaur choir?” Noble Voice grabbed a paper off his desk. “Tell me, it says here that the students shared rooms with the minotaurs. Because there weren't enough colt's rooms available, didn't you offer to host a bull?“
“Objection!”
The courtroom erupted into noise again as Lyra hung her head. Luna slammed her gavel down on the desk. “Sustained! We have warned thee, Noble Voice.”
“All I was asking was if she made an offer, or if the rooms were randomly assigned,” Noble Voice said smoothly.
Luna tapped her hoof on the front of the bench. Noble Voice approached it slowly and looked up at her with innocent eyes. “We warned thee,” Luna repeated. “We see full well what thou art doing, and we shall not tolerate thy flouting of Equestrian law. Thou hast one more chance to turn thine questions to a relevant subject before we muzzle thee.”
“Yes, Your Honor.” Noble Voice stepped back from the podium. He brushed his mane back and turned to the witness stand, waiting patiently as the buzz of conversation in the courtroom died down.
“Miss Heartstrings, if I may change the subject. What happened that last day on the beach? I would like to hear it again in your own words.”
Lyra let out a deep sigh and began recounting how she'd spent her day. Noble Voice raised an eyebrow when she mentioned returning to Dale's camp and sharing lunch, but he didn't say a word. The whole court leaned forward attentively as she told the story, which had lost none of its fascination in the second telling. Dozens of quills were scratching across paper, accompanied by staccato bursts from the court reporter's typewriter. Even Luna was watching Lyra with rapt attention. Finally, she reached the end of her story, and Noble Voice nodded pleasantly.
“That must have been quite frightening,” he said, “to have been confronted with dozens of creatures like Dale all at once.”
“There were three others I saw,” Lyra said. “Three.”
“But there must have been more on the boats,” Noble Voice countered. “Surely you would have expected there to be.”
“It happened so quickly . . . I guess I didn't think about that,” Lyra admitted.
“So quickly.” He nodded. “Like when Dale knocked one of them over with your saddlebags. He didn't say a word before that, did he? Not to you, and not to the other creature?”
“He pushed one over first,” Lyra said. “Then he threw my saddlebags at the second.” Fancy Pants dropped his head onto his hoof.
“Of course. He attacked one of them with his talon, and then attacked a second. Forgive me for my misstatement. Then he told you to run, is that correct?”
“Yes . . . it was one of the words he'd taught me.”
“And you did—back towards the safety of the shield. You knew—from what Princess Celestia had told you—that once you crossed its border, you would be safe.”
Lyra nodded, and Noble Voice continued. “You also knew—and have said previously—that Princess Celestia had stated to you that this mission was so fraught with danger that if things turned violent, she would leave you behind for the safety of other ponies, is that correct? She would abandon you to your fate?”
“That wasn't an issue while I was meeting with Dale alone.” Lyra leaned forward in the chair. “Nopony else's life was in danger.”
“You believed that once you were safely inside the shield, you could dispel it, and you would be safely returned to Equestria. At that point, whatever happened to Dale would no longer be your concern. You could have simply returned, given a report on what you'd learned, and then let the Princess decide whether or not it was worth risking another mission.
“But tell me—I want to make sure I have this right.” He glanced over at Luna for an instant, before returning his gaze to the witness stand. “Did you look back over your shoulder and see Dale at any point during your gallop to safety?”
“Yes—he got off to a quicker start than I did, but as soon as I broke into a canter, I passed him.”
“Mm hmm. And the other two creatures—the ones he'd knocked over—where were they? Did you see them?”
“They were further back. Only Dale and Ka-th-rin were near me.”
“And—based on your judgement of how fast Dale was running, did you believe that you could be caught by Ka-th-rin before your reached the shield?”
“No.”
“So that gave you time, didn't it? Time enough to modify the spell—but you misjudged. You didn't want to leave Dale—you knew that Princess Celestia would get your report and not allow you back. So you—excuse me.” He turned and grabbed the notepad his assistant was scribbling on. “So you 'suddenly felt your muscles cramp, fell over, and the spell failed.' This, despite the mare—the Ka-th-rin being nowhere near you, and having shown no aptitude whatsoever for any kind of magic. Indeed, the doctor's own tests show that they haven't got the magical potential to sprout a single piece of dandelion fluff, but she could stun a grandmaster from that distance? And then you don't remember anything else until you woke up in the hospital, in the company of her and Dale? Isn't that convenient?”
“That's what happened,” Lyra insisted. “I don't know why.”
“But I do! Maybe you believe that you never modified the spell—maybe you honestly can’t remember—which I doubt—but what happens when a unicorn overexerts herself? And I remind you that you're under oath.”
“She collapses,” Lyra said woodenly.
“She collapses,” Noble Voice repeated. “And we all know that the recovery time—the refractory period, if you will—is directly tied to the magical expenditure. It is obvious that you, at the last second, modified the spell out of your twisted desire to keep Dale for yourself—and you got your wish; you're sharing a house with him now.” He shook his head sadly. “Tell me, is it worth it? Have you gotten him in your bed yet? Is he—“
“Objection!”
“THOU ART DONE!” Luna eyes flashed white as she slammed her gavel against the desk hard enough to break the handle. She launched herself out of her chair, her silver-shod hooves digging into the podium. “WE WARNED THEE TIME AND AGAIN! Bailiff, remove Noble Voice from our courtroom. We shall deal with him later.”
“With pleasure.” He bowed his head and lit his horn, wrapping Noble Voice's hooves in ethereal hobbles. Dozens of eyes watched as he was shoved down the center aisle, the Lunar Guard against his shoulder. A collective sigh echoed through the courtroom as the doors slammed shut.
Luna took her time getting back to her seat, and brushed the broken gavel aside with a look of distaste. “We have reached our verdict.”
Fancy Pants’ mouth dropped open in shock. Normally, he’d have had a chance to question Lyra one more time, to clear up any questions which the prosecution raised. He leaned over to Fleur, and the two touched horns affectionately.
Lyra took her stand in front of the bench, her posture rigid. She looked up at Princess Luna and waited.
“Ambassador Heartstrings. We, the court, find thee not guilty of the charge of deliberate sabotage. We find that the prosecution failed to prove either a motive, or a reasonable explanation of means.
“We, the court, believe that the charge of Dale and Ka-th-rin being dangerous creatures should not have been levied, and dismiss it.
“We, the court, find thee guilty of one charge of negligent injury. Thou hadst ample opportunity to warn Dale of the nature of thy spells and the risks thereof, and thou didst not. We therefore, in accordance with Martial Law, demote thee one rank in the Guard, effective from the time of injury. We do not find thee responsible for Ka-th-rin’s injuries, as by thine testimony and Dale’s drawings, there was no opportunity to warn her of the danger.
“We, the court, find thee negligently culpable for the charge of transporting Dale and Ka-th-rin to Equestria. Normally, in such cases, it is the injured nation who presents charges to the Crown. In this case, the court has no means of soliciting their opinion on the matter. Therefore, the court decrees that thou shalt lose thy diplomatic immunity in the matter of any charges which the injured nation chooses to press. Upon their request, thou shalt present thyself to their courts so justice may be done upon thee. Until that time, thou shalt serve as an ambassador to the best of thine abilities.”
Luna glanced over the courtroom. “The court is dismissed. Bailiff, bring Noble Voice to us.”
Lyra bowed to Luna, touching her muzzle to the courtroom floor. She turned and headed out of the courtroom, Fleur and Fancy Pants neatly bracketing her as she passed the defense table.
“Do you feel up to facing reporters now?” Fancy Pants whispered. He brushed against her side, and could feel her muscles quivering under her skin.
Lyra shook her head.
“Fleur—take her out the back, and somewhere calm and quiet. Our hotel room, maybe, or back to the embassy if she wants. I’ll deal with the wolves. Buy you some time.”
“I wanna go to Bonnie’s,” Lyra whispered.
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Nope... even with what he's been doing, I only still feel bad for Noble Voice. Luna seems completely aghast that he'd suggest the odds are stacked against him deliberately... but that's exactly what Celestia did to attempt to exonerate Lyra, wasn't it? Manipulate the law and the circumstances so she'd basically have no chance to go to jail?
It's his job to prosecute these things to the best of his ability. He wouldn't be doing it if he didn't try his hardest to.
Phew. Finally, Noble (anything but) Voice gets booted. I hate it when prosecutors use sadistic, underhanded (hoofed) doctrines to destroy a client's credibility, and meanwhile cause them to lose control.
5075684
It is not the job of a prosecutor to manipulate the law. It is the job of a prosecutor to follow the law. Such base tricks are beneath a professional and only serve to make a mockery of justice.
By all accounts he had no actual evidence of misconduct, merely speculation. In that circumstance, it is the role of a responsible prosecutor to decline the case. It's not clear from the story so far if he was prosecuting for political reasons or simply out of raging misogyny, but it is clear that professionalism played no part.
5075684
Except he didn't.
The job of a prosecutor is to bring a defendant's innocence into question using existing evidence and reasonable conclusions based on that evidence.
Noble Voice, on the other hand, based his entire case on baseless speculation that Lyra was trying to get into Dale's pants; he then spent half the trial doing everything from outright insulting her personally to accusing her of treason while she was on the stand. He showed absolutely no respect for the trial, the process, the defense, the court, nothing.
"In contempt" doesn't BEGIN to describe him. That headcase should never have been allowed anywhere near a courtroom.
Despots they may be, but Luna would have allowed the prosecution to win if it had picked a prosecutor (a term I use lightly in reference to Mr. Voice) competent enough to put together, and compellingly present, a solid, reasonable case, and Celestia would have accepted Luna's ruling either way.
5075684
He was warned time and again to drop that particular line of questioning unless he had more than pure supposition to go on. He didn't listen. He got exactly what he deserved.
5075684 What everyone else said,
if Noble was in an Australian court, he would have been laughed out for his behaviour and later crucified by the press. Honestly, the theatrics and showmanship of American court is ridiculous, it is meant to be a trial, not a school play.
Considering both of the rulers of the land are mares, I think implying a weakness of character in the defendant is due to being a mare is somewhat suicidal both politically and occupationally. Perhaps even literally, if Luna is pissed off enough.
5075845
Don't confuse TV for reality. In most US courts that behavior would get a prosecutor held in contempt, and possibly disbarred. A lot depends on the state/district and the judge, but most don't tolerate that sort of behavior.
5075684 That is true, but he is also going to the bottom rung in an attempt to get a verdict in his favor, by dragging Lyra's name through the mud in order to do so. Such is what it is like as he continues to accuse her of bringing Dale back in order to 'jump his bones'.
5075684
Even still, if Equestrian law is like any other court system, there are ethics and standards and he not only violated them, he bulldozed right through them without a single care. In an American court, he'd be held in contempt (and need an attorney of his own), and the case would be declared a mistrial.
It wasn't his intent, that was the problem, it was his actions - and the ends did certainly not justify the means.
Yaay, Lyra got let off with only relatively minor charges, most of which could be reconsidered if Kathrin and Dale are ever in a state, and asked in the right way, that they remember, and describe the Taser operation? giving Touching?
Zecora is so cute as a plushie. Wonder if they are going to work out a rota. An hour at a time or such?
Nobody has Dale's sketch concerning the operation of a Taser? I think I remember that coming up in the story. Or am I just remembering my proposal of the idea?
Another amazing chapter. Glad to see this returned to.:D
5075684 he spent his entire questioning of her basically calling her a slut, that's not the kind of behavior used in a courtroom
I'm willing to bet Celestia had a feeling that this is exactly what would happen. Let's face it she knows her sister takes her duties very seriously, to see someone make a mockery of the very system she established?
Yeah, Luna's going to ruin that lawyer's life as an example to the others.
5075845
unless the courts deliberately picked him to practically guarantee the verdict they want, it happens very often to ensure certain cases go a certain way.
5076007 No no, you're right, Dale did absolutely attempt to illustrate how a tazer is a human weapon. I also wondered why that didn't come up in evidence, or why Dale himself was not called as a witness.
Considering that the trial was rigged to begin with, I can't help but feel that Noble Voice was put up as prosecution so they could take him down a peg or two. Though for a lawyer, his professionalism does come into question due to his insistence on Lyra's private life so the level of pity I feel for him has dropped considerably.
5076216
5076007
He did draw the tazer, but he did not draw the wires. He'd already illustrated that the gun shot little balls that killed ponies; he adapted that drawing to show that the tazer shot little lightning bolts which didn't kill.
Dale wasn't called as a witness because the only pony who could translate was the accused. If they had waited until Dale could speak at least a reasonable amount of their language, he almost certainly would have been called upon.
5075927 fair nuff
5076149 may i please see your sources?
Goddamnit! I love this
5075997 Considering it was a taser that sparked the mess, I'd say Kate charged Lyra more than anybody else.
Noble Voice = Asshat
Sums up the chapter.
5075811 5075817 5075928 5075944 5076050
Hm. It is true that's how he tried to argue the case, and that it's despicable. And unprofessional. But I still don't feel any contempt for him at all. I just can't take him as a serious threat. It was so clearly stacked against him he was grasping at straws before it started.
5076261
So the "lightning gun" should be relevant evidence since it means the humans are claiming to be able to do something that would disrupt Lyra in exactly the way they would expect based on what happened.
I thought something like that was going to happen. Though that ruling to surrender Lyra Heartstrings to human authorities for trial if charges are brought promises more drama. And Redheart was well-played. Bravo Zulu, sir.
--------------------
I don't mean to dogpile, but no. You can impeach a witness's credibility by showing a history of malicious deceit (BTW, the deception involved in a magic duel doesn't count, any more than bluffing in a poker game would), or evidence of malicious deception in the case at hand. And, when you get a line of questioning shut down, then try again only to have it shut down and the judge admonish you, you'd best drop that entire line of questioning. That Hollywood Perry-Mason-Junior crap would be viciously slapped down, on the spot. In a US court, the judge a) would find him in Contempt and fine him, jail him, or both; b) would lodge a complaint with the State Licensing Board and the Bar Association and seek to have him suspended or disbarred; or c) given the gratuitous over-charging in the indictment, statements to the press and other uninvolved parties, and other actions, could conceivably seek charges against the prosecutor for Abuse of Office. I shudder to think of the sanctions that HRH could impose.
Noble Voice was seeking to use this trial to further his political ambitions (and, perhaps, pander to latent xenophobia?). In his mad rush to win fortune and glory, he went so far out of bounds that, if he went any further, he would begin coming back. No need to feel sorry for the no-good SOB - he did it to himself, and he's bought 'n' paid for.
----------------------
In other news, I'm kinda-sorta drafting the appeal of the conviction on the two specifications of negligence...
For a court scene, that sure was intense. Poor Lyra though. At least it's not too bad for her, could have gone worse. Or at least, that's how it looks to me.
5076439
The key sticking point isn't that Lyra's magic was disrupted--canon says a hoof to the horn will do that--it's that the humans wound up back in Equestria with her. If she said "Kate hit my horn, and the spell failed," it would be nothing but sympathy. But the evidence proves (correctly) that Dale and Kate can't use magic, so how did they tag along with Lyra?
There's one missing piece to the puzzle, and of course that piece is the wires between the barbs and the gun. Much like Moller and Richter are stumbling over evidence that doesn't make sense in light of their belief that Dale made Kate disappear by himself.
5076393
It's not that he's a serious threat that people don't like him.
It's that he's willing to go to such lengths to attempt to be a serious threat that makes people hate him. Honestly, if he was a serious threat who actually did his job, I'd respect him more than the way he is now: A sorry excuse for a pony whose primary skill is bullying others by insulting their names, occupations and motives in a blind and ruthless race for victory.
He's like Von Karma in the Phoenix Wright series, and how I so loved taking that fool down.
5076558
Good point. It seems like someone's dropping the ball though - if humans can't use magic, then how can they toss lightning? That still seems like pertinent information.
Noble Voice confirmed for worst pony. Seriously, how did this guy ever pass the Bar?
Nice to see that Kate's doing better.
5075684 Aside from what everyone else has said about his strategy being bad enough to make a law clerk cringe, he also utterly failed in his duty by it seemingly being the only card in his deck. Elsewise I've got to believe that he would've changed his tack by the second time he was warned about it.
Lionel Hutz may have said that hearsay and conjecture are kinds of evidence, but they're not good ones.
5076700
Lyra said herself in an earlier chapter:
It's established that we can "throw lightning", and the ponies even have a basic idea as to the "how". The specifics of that how are currently unknown to them.
Right now, it's probably enough, for them, that they know what these "wands" look like and what they do. I suspect they'll get, and press for, a more detailed explanation once the language barrier has been more completely surmounted.
5075845 The only problem with American courts is that all these evil horrible criminal scum aren't executed on the spot!
Especially jaywalkers and those guys who pull the tags off mattresses... ooooo-hoo-hoo... Definitely death!
5075807
That's the President's job!
The reason Noble Voice failed so hard is that Luna thinks interspecies relations are totally hot.
By Jove. And to think that all this could have been avoided if only Dale properly explained how a stun gun works.... Made me think about how I'd describe it, which would involve some basic maths and a Lot of gesturing... No sleep for me as I'll probably lay thinking about this in bed....
I still get the feeling that Noble Voice was pressured by a third party to discredit Lyra (and in extension, the court) so she gets stripped of her ambassadorial rank and someone "trustworthy" installed in her place. The griffons were probably involved in this as well since it was them who transmitted the "information" that the new arrivals are dangerous creatures (I'm not too sure on this because my memories are spotty whether were the griffons listening on the transmission or amended it to include the new information). Then again, it's probably just my conspiracy paranoia tingling.
We're going have to see how big the shitstorm is going to be when the papers come out the next day.
I was emotionally invested in the outcome of the trial. Was literally on the edge of my seat, leaning forward toward my computer screen during the last bits of it... (only became aware of this at the end of the chapter, as I found myself sitting back and taking the deep breath I had apparently been holding).
Even though I was pretty certain of the outcome, it still had my full attention. That's good writing.
5076897 well if the aim of the court system is to prevent re-offending, then capital punishment is really, definitively the best way to do that.
common sense!
I feel like I need to reread this.
5076393
Being a serious threat isn't a necessary condition for feeling contempt. It's really rather the opposite. To feel contempt for someone is to feel that they are worthless, beneath notice, deserving of scorn, or vile. Vileness is mostly orthogonal to being a serious threat. Fred Phelps was vile, but hardly a serious threat. On the other hand, in times of war (for example) there are plenty of people who are serious threats but are far from vile. "Deserving of scorn"...well, a little circular, since "contempt" keeps popping up in the definition of scorn. So let's ignore that one. It's difficult to argue that someone competent is worthless (and for an opposing lawyer to be a threat, they sort of need to be competent). And of course, a serious threat is certainly not "beneath notice".
I would say that I developed feelings of contempt for him precisely because he wasn't a serious threat. Resorting to unethical and unprofessional means to try to get a conviction when you've got a shitty case makes you a shitty person, on top of being a shitty lawyer. Bad cases happen. Say no, or if you can't say no do your best within the rules.
Having just finished watching Phoenix Wright turnabout storm, we couldn't help hearing his Objection! Shout those last passages. Quite fun!
Poor Noble, sucks he was really not that great. I have a feeling he got stuck in a rut and couldn't climb out. No excuse to lose your cool though.
Keep going! ;)
5076874
It just feels criminally negligent for Lyra, the one with all the pieces, to never mention while on the stand that the second human - the one focused intently on her in that moment - apparently had a means of hitting things with electricity. Because electricity can also cause all of the symptoms she experienced. That alone is probably worth looking into.
Luna best judge.
Noble Voice worst prosecutor.
Fancy Pants best defense attorney.
Fleur de Lis best eye candy.
I fuckin' love this story. One of the best HiE fics on this site.
If Lyra had only brought Dale to Equestria for sex, why did she also bring a female of his own species, who Dale would be more likely to be attracted to?
5077406
The case Noble Voice was saying was that she was intent on bringing Dale but that Katherine was there on accident which caused the "hard landing" apparent from mass overload reducing power to the inertial dampening.
5077308
She was specifically told by Fancy Pants not to say anything he didn't ask and this was no exception. Noble Voice could have used it against her, but if she waited, only Fancy Pants could have known in time to question her and used it to their advantage. It is never a good idea to reveal your cards in court.