Day 2: Trial: Questionable Honesty
Applejack's testimony wasted no time to bring courtroom into disarray. Not even Discord himself could muster such chaos. From what she had said, Applejack admitted to of brought the apple that was poisoned to Pinkie Pie, but by doing so, the possibility of Applejack herself poisoning the apple became open. First Pinkie Pie was accused of murder, then Applejack as a suspect. No pony in the court was silent.
"Order! Order I say!" The Doctor said as he slammed his gavel. "Well I say, this trial certainly made an unexpected turn. Do you realize what you just told the court?"
"I sure do, Judge." Applejack answered. "I even thought about the risk I'd face when saying it."
"It seems his trial met its next major twist." Hope said. "The prosecution wishes to name Miss Applejack as the suspect of the guard poisoning."
OBJECTION!
"You can't honestly believe Applejack would do such a thing, do you?" Twilight asked.
In response to Twilight's outburst, Hope slammed his hoof on the table and asked a question of his own. "Do you believe Pinkie Pie did it?"
Hope made a good point. With the current state of the trial, the only pony besides Pinkie that could've poisoned the apple was Applejack. The problem though was that Twilight didn't want to believe that either one of them could've done such a thing.
"Twilight, why is he helping us? Isn't he trying to get Pinkie in trouble?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"This whole poison mess hasn't been helping either of us." Twilight explained. "He obviously wants to clear things up so we can go back to the three murders."
"Why? Isn't it possible that the poisoning is connected to the murders? When you think about the timing, surely it's possible."
"It's just as Sweetie Belle said." Applejack said. "The guy that was poisoned was meant to be the fifth victim! I'm sure of it."
Didn't you try to shut Sweetie Belle up two minutes ago? Twilight thought to herself.
"Not possible. The killer has made the black dagger their calling card." Hope said. "The dagger used in the second murder was deliberately left behind when there was no reason to do so."
"Really? Why is that?" Applejack asked.
"I...I can't say. It's still confidential information."
Twilight could tell that not being able to talk about the second murder was really killing Hope. There was so much about it that could help his case, and yet he couldn't use any of that information. Even Twilight wished he could say more.
"Sorry fella, but I think you lose." Applejack said. "If it makes you feel better, I can explain in perfect detail why Pinkie Pie could be both the killer and the poisoner. Ahem."
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--Testimony: Why not both?--
-Ever notice how Pinkie Pie is able to carry everything everywhere?
-I swear that mane of hers is almost as alive as Pinkie herself. it's one of her crazier features.
-She certainly hid a bottle of poison in her mane, and I doubt the coppers would've thought to look there.
-With a hairdo-slash-backpack, she'd be able to stow away anything that she needed.
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"So Pinkie Pie hides things in her mane, huh?" The Doctor asked. "Perhaps I should let mine grow out."
"Hope, did the police give Pinkie a thorough inspection when they arrested her?" Twilight asked.
"Inspector Star Cestus promised me. His exact words were: My men were so thorough that they should've bought her dinner first." Hope explained.
Am I the only one who realizes that there's a child in this room? Twilight asked herself in disgust. "But wait. That means there's no way Pinkie could've brought poison in."
"That should've meant she couldn't of brought an apple in, but look how easy she got that." Applejack argued.
I can't really argue with that kind of logic. Fortunately, there's logic I CAN argue with. Twilight thought.
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--Cross-examination--
-Ever notice how Pinkie Pie is able to carry everything everywhere?
HOLD IT!
"I'd imagine that she likes to be ready to throw a party at any time." Twilight said.
"That's Pinkie Pie alright, Sugarcube. She doesn't like to miss parties, so she usually just plan them on the spot."
I remember Pinkie said something like that when we first met. I never knew how true that ended up being. Twilight thought. "So you were saying?"
-I swear that mane of hers is almost as alive as Pinkie herself. it's one of her crazier features.
HOLD IT!
"You think her MANE of all things is one of her crazier features?" Twilight asked.
"Sure is. I remember a time when she used it to hold a flashlight." Applejack said. "Even crazier is when her mane vibrates."
The Doctor grew curious about Pinkie's mane as well. "Why, what happens when it vibrates?"
"If I recall, her mane vibrating means somepony nearby will walk into a glass door." Hope said. "Incidentally, a vibrating tail means that a prosecuting lawyer is nearby, which is how she knew my job when we first met."
So Hope even knows about the pinkie sense too? Boy, he must've been preparing for this trial for a long time.
"Miss Pinkie Pie is getting more and more interesting by the second." The Doctor said as he took out what looked like some sort of robotic pen. "My I have a little study session of her real quick?"
"Uhh, your honor?" Twilight said. "I'd rather not have you probe my friend."
While The Doctor was disappointed, he knew that there was more important things to deal with, so he put his gizmo away and allowed the cross-examination to continue.
-She certainly hid a bottle of poison in her mane, and I doubt the coppers would've thought to look there.
HOLD IT!
"If she was able to sneak poison in, why not bring the dagger? The prosecution claims that the dagger iconic!" Twilight said.
"Why must the dagger be used every time?" Applejack asked.
OBJECTION!
"The dagger IS important." Hope answered. "Just....trust me on this."
"I'm sorry Hope Ray. But evidence is everything in court." The Doctor said. "Objection overruled."
I certainly trust Hope on that. I just wish Applejack could trust Pinkie. Twilight thought. But I guess that would mean he has nothing, and nothing can be evidence. I hope I have evidence to use myself.
-With a hairdo-slash-backpack, she'd be able to stow away anything that she needed into her jail cell.
So if she needed something, she would it have it I guess...wait a second!
OBJECTION!
Twilight had to think about it for a moment, but after realizing that there was in fact something that Pinkie wasn't able to sneak in, she found a way to counterattack."Your entire argument is on the possibility of the police not giving a good enough search on Pinkie Pie, isn't that right Applejack?"
"It's the only way for her to of brought the poison in, Twilight." Applejack answered.
"Yes. It's the only way for Pinkie to of done it." Twilight agreed. "The thing is though, she didn't bring any poison into jail with her. Or anything else for that matter."
"Wha'cha talking about Sugarcube?"
"Logic, Applejack." Twilight said. She then used her magic to show Applejack the A.M.P bottle. "This is Pinkie Pie's medicine, which she has to take twice a day. She needed me to bring this to her the other day. If she was able to smuggle things into her cell, she wouldn't of needed me to bring this to her. "
In shock of Twilight's argument, Applejack's hat momentarily jumped from off of her head. This also made Applejack very angry as she stood in frustration.
"Yes, we've had a short break today so the defendant could take her medicine." The Doctor said.
"It's also medicine that Pinkie takes everyday because she needs to, yet she wasn't able to bring it with her. She clearly takes good care of her health, so she would probably prioritize her own health over some other pony's death."
OBJECTION!
"She's probably just crazy." Applejack argued.
OBJECTION!
"I have here a list of items that was confiscated from the defendant after her arrest." Hope said. "Items include: Party streamers, three cupcakes, a cannon of all things, and a plastic green bottle with some kind of pill. They aren't sure what its for, but its a perfect description for the bottle Twilight presented."
"There you have it, your honor. If Pinkie DID bring poison into her jail cell..." Twilight said. She then slammed her hooves on the table. "...the police would've found it!"
Twilight and Hope brought a lot of excitement into Ponyville's courthouse. With the combining knowledge of the two lawyer ponies, it was proven that it would be impossible for Pinkie to have snuck poison inside. But it still raised the question of who brought in the poison in the first place. The ponies in the gallery chattered with each other, asking themselves who did it.
FREEZE!
Before The Doctor even needed to slam his gavel to silence the gallery, another pony did it for him. The pony who quickly gained everypony's attention was Star Cestus.
"Sorry about that pal, but I think we've found something that you guys might find useful." Cestus said.
"Useful? Like what?" Twilight asked.
"First of all, I want everypony to know that the guard who got poisoned is going to make a full recovery, so try not to feel worried about him."
"Well now, that certainly IS good news." The Doctor said with delight. "But is that all you wanted to say?"
"Not even close, pal. Since you guys decided to talk about the poison incident so much, I decided have a few tests done and a few questions asked during the trial, and we've identified the poison that was used."
So we're about to find out what the poison itself was. How will it affect the trial? Twilight thought.
"The analysts identified it as a brand of pesticide called Ursa Flatline, a controversial brand that's only legally used in certain places in Equestria. Ponyville happens to be one of those places." Cestus explained.
Pesticide was added to the evidence.
"I even asked some farmers from here." Cestus continued. "Most ponies avoid using it around here, but as it turns out, a pony was found buying a canister of it at the market the other day. It seems our witness here decided to get rid of some pests, so to speak."
While there already was a possibility that it was Applejack that poisoned the apple, evidence to back up that claim surfaced. While the ponies in the gallery talked with each other about it, Twilight was thinking to herself about the new evidence.
It can't be true. Applejack...why...?
"Now hold your horses, fellas! You got the wrong girl!" Applejack said. "What proof do ya got that I even did poison the guard?"
"The pesticide that Cestus brought in for one." Hope answered. "You even have a motive."
"A motive for killing a cop?"
"A motive to kill the defendant, Pinkie Pie."
OBJECTION!
A pony who was hardly noticed throughout the trial had her voice be heard. It came to a shock to Hope, to The Doctor, to Applejack, and most of all, Twilight herself. The pony who raised the objection was none other than little Sweetie Belle.
"How DARE you accuse Applejack?" Sweetie Belle shouted with a squeak in her voice. "She's one of the nicest mares in Ponyville. There's no way she would do something so evil!"
"Sweetie Belle, shush!" Twilight ordered. "I don't want to see you get in trouble."
"But it's ridiculous. Applejack is everything that defines good. A good sister, a good worker, a good roll model, and so on and so forth. Even you don't think she did it, do you Twilight?" Sweetie Belle gave Twilight time to answer the question, but Twilight couldn't give her an answer. "Twilight?"
"Applejack, please be honest with me. It's what you're known for. Did you try and poison Pinkie Pie?" Twilight asked. Much like with Sweetie Belle, Applejack took her time to think over the question. "Actually, never mind. I don't want to risk seeing you lie in court."
"Now hold on. I say we give her a chance." The Doctor said. "The witness will now give us a testimony on why she isn't the poisoner."
Applejack didn't take kindly to Twilight's behavior, but since she was in such hot water, she had no choice but to testify. Considering her position with Applejack and Pinkie Pie, Twilight started to believe that by the end of the testimony, she would be losing one of her two friends one way or another. Either lose one of their lives or one of their friendships.
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--Testimony: I didn't do it--
-Okay, I admit it. I do have a motive and I would like to see Pinkie out of my life.
-With all she's done to my family, I'm never gonna do a nice thing for her again.
-But it doesn't change the fact that she's already confessed to the crime..
-The only reason she would confess to the crime is if she actually did it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Yes, I almost forgot about that." The Doctor said. "Earlier, Pinkie confessed to poisoning the guard, but denied committing the murders."
"The prosecution believes that she confessed to avoid the murder charges." Hope said. "I would like to support the possibility that she's responsible for both crimes, but with the evidence regarding the second murder, I simply can't."
"Well, unless you show us that evidence Sugarcube, then you ain't got nothing." Applejack said.
"In any case, the defense is now free to cross-examine the witness." The Doctor said.
While Twilight was given the okay to cross-examine Applejack, she was not looking forward to it. She knew that if she did, she would run the risk of losing Applejack as one of her best friends, but she had no choice since Pinkie's life was on the line.
This is the first time I wish I didn't find a contradiction. I may as well make it short and painless for all of us.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--Cross-examination--
-Okay, I admit it. I do have a motive and I would like to see Pinkie out of my life.
-With all she's done to my family, I'm never gonna do a nice thing for her again.
OBJECTION!
"Applejack...you didn't just contradict the evidence. You contradicted yourself!" Twilight said.
"Twi, I know you're the smart one among us, but please make sense." Applejack asked.
"It's clear that you hate Pinkie Pie now, but that brings up a question I think we should've asked a long time ago. I'm not going to ask why you would bring poison to Pinkie. Instead, I want to ask why you brought the apple it was used with to Pinkie Pie!"
As soon as Twilight asked about the apple, Applejack's hat jumped into the air from the shock. It certainly made no sense for a pony to want to bring a gift to a pony she didn't like anymore, especially when it almost killed that pony.
"Welll...I...I wanted to show her that I still--"
OBJECTION!
"There! You were about to contradict yourself again! Now answer me. If you don't want to have anything to do with Pinkie Pie, why would you give her a gift?"
Applejack began to sweat like there was no tomorrow since a hole was blasted into her logic. She tried to think up of a reason for why she brought the apple to Pinkie, but no words could leave her lips.
"This witness has no motive for bringing a tasty treat to a pony who tried to murder her little sister." Hope said. "But she certainly has a motive for murdering such a pony."
"N-no. It was Pinkie. S-she..." Applejack tried to say.
"No. She didn't do a thing." Twilight said. "Pinkie Pie tried to confess to the crime, but I think I speak for everypony here that we don't believe it."
Applejack stood at the witness stand panting and sweating as she was pushed into a corner. As she got more scared by the second, she got even more angry by the fact that it was Twilight, one of her best friends, who was doing it to her.
"Applejack, you bought the pesticide used to poison the guard, you brought Pinkie pie, and you have the motive to do it. You have to confess." As Twilight raised her hoof back, she pointed directly at Applejack and said..."You're the culprit of the poisoning."
Many different emotions went through Applejack's head as Twilight accused her of such a crime. Anger, shock, sadness, all of which clouded her usually way of thinking. What amplified those feelings was that Twilight chose to defend Pinkie when all of the evidence pointed to her as the killer. At the peak of her emotional trauma, Applejack's eyes briefly turned red from hatred as she reached for her hat.
"TRAITOR!!!!"
Angry at her old friend, Applejack had tossed her trademark hat at Twilight, landing right on her face while she was still pointing at Applejack. The hat then slid off to reveal the shocked Twilight underneath. It reminded Twilight when she acted as Rarity's defense when she constantly got attacked.
Maybe I got a little carried away. Twilight thought. At least it wasn't a boot this time.
"SO YOU THINK I TRIED TO KILL PINKIE PIE, HUH? WHAT PROOF DO YOU GOT?" Applejack shouted with anger.
Hope answered the question since Twilight was still trying to recover from the hat attack. "Everything your friend said implies that--"
"Yeah, it IMPLIES that I did it!" Applejack interrupted as she was fuming with anger. "But if I could, In fact, let's end all of the doubt now by doing just that! Is that what you want? Nothing is actually stopping me from jumping over this stand and snapping her neck right now!"
As Applejack shared her idea, The Doctor slammed his gavel. "Calm down Miss Applejack or I'll have to treat you as hostile."
"It's worth the risk! Pinkie! Where did you go?!"
Everypony watching the trial began to fear for their lives as Applejack began to lose control of herself. It felt almost like there really was a killer in the room. Fortunately, The Doctor was quickly able to take control of the situation again after he banged his gavel three times.
"Order in the court! Bailiff, take this witness away for further questioning. I advise to keep her restrained until further noticed."
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A few minutes later, after the police took Applejack away and the gallery settled down, the trial was able to continue. The room was silent after what had happened. The ponies in the gallery didn't know what to think, The Doctor was considering the best course of action, but most of all, Twilight felt horrible about what she had done.
I can't believe I did that. I accused Applejack of such a horrible crime. What if she didn't actually do it? Twilight asked herself.
Whether Twilight was read to continue or not, the trial went on.
"Alrighty then, let's move on." The Doctor said. "Hope Ray, how is the witness?"
"The police have taken her away for questioning, but I fear that they won't accomplish much." Hope answered. "While it seems obvious that it was Applejack who poisoned the apple, the lack of evidence will surely win her freedom."
"Hmm...that will be problematic. Well, at least now we can get back to business. We got ourselves more than sidetracked..
"If I recall, you were going to hand down your verdict before we talked about the poisoning."
Oh shoot! I don't have time to be depressed. Twilight thought.
"I'm sorry, but I think I'll need a little reminder in why I thought that." The Doctor said.
"Absolutely." Hope said. "it was regarding young Apple Bloom. At the crime scene, one witness, Granny Smith, saw both the defendant and the filly enter the barn while another witness, Miss Applejack, saw the actual crime. The defense questioned why the defendant was never seen escaping and how she escaped, but with no evidence, the prosecution believes that the means of escape is irrelevant."
That's right. I was going to argue that a pegasus would've been able been able to escape like that, but I couldn't prove that there was another pony at the farm that day. Twilight remembered.
"Hmm...yes, that sounds about right." The Doctor said. "In hindsight though, I think I was being a little too hasty there."
"I disagree. With the evidence we have and the witnesses I brought in, it's still clear cut that the defendant is guilty."
OBJECTION!
"Half of your evidence and witnesses hasn't even been brought into court." Twilight said.
OBJECTION!
"While I haven't been able to share the evidence regarding the second and third murder, the first murder and the attempted murder have already been proven to be true."
OBJECTION!
"So far, we've just been talking about the attempted murder. We haven't even scratched the surface of the first actual murder!"
"I agree with the defense." The Doctor said. "I suppose if I'm going to send a pony away for several counts of murder, I should here a bit more about at least one of them."
Hope thought that the trial was as good as over, but since The Doctor agreed with Twilight, the trial would have to continue. He was calm, patient, and confident anyway, so he ultimately saw no reason to argue.
"Very well, your honor. We shall discuss the murder of Miss Copycat. Afterwards, you can decide our next course of action."
With everything regarding the poisoning behind them all for the time being, Twilight and Hope were able to continue with the main issues and continue the trial as originally planned. While everything they talked about looked as if they got sidetracked, they both knew that the unanswered questions regarding it would affect the entire case.
I'm sorry Applejack. Twilight thought. I want to talk about what you've been going through right now, but this trial is moving too fast to let me take a break. I just hope you know that everything I'm doing for Pinkie is what I would do for you too. I just need some time. Please wait for me.
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Whoa. Super quote.
4223995 Fixed. Don't usually miss things like that.
Not only attempting to kill Pinkie with poison, but then being prepared to strangle her to death IN COURT, looks like Applejack really is off kilter from the emotional roller coaster she has been on over the last few days.
Now if Pinkie is found not guilty, how many ponys will be able to forgive Applejack for what she just tried to do? Could Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Rarity ever forgive her? Could Applebloom?
4224090 That comment had more feels then the actual story.
Twilight it definitely was Applejack who tried to poison Pinkie. Don't doubt yourself.
I KNEW IT! AJ is crazy!
4224188
Applejack...was...lying...?
Twilight had nothing but faith for her friend, for Applejack was known for her honesty. When she realized what Applejack did, magic began to blast out of horn while--
Oh wait, I entered writer mode there. Too bad, that would've been a good breakdown.
4224221 Has Twilight met Phoenix in this universe?
4224382 No, this won't be anything like Turnabout Storm.
Wow this is both getting intense and confusing. But with pinkie involved I expected nothing less.
4224950
The real killer is...Apple Bloom!
4224151 That was where my mind went the second Applejack started losing her temper on the stand, and it only gets worse when you think about the fact that Pinkie never acted like she was trying to use the poisoning as a out for the other murders, she seemed to have honestly tried to admit that it was HER who had poisoned the guard, SHE WAS ADMITTING TO A CAPITAL CRIME SHE DIDN'T COMMIT TO COVER FOR APPLEJACK! Her friend who had so little faith in her that she was willing to believe Pinkie would murder three ponys, a friend WHO HAD TRIED TO KILL HER yet she tried to take the fall for the poisoning to keep Applejack's name in the clear, and that was the thanks she got.
If this dose not end with Applejack basically broken by her own guilt even before the others have a chance to tear into her, then I will be very surprised.
4225528 Sounds like you've really gotten yourself into the story.
4225779 Yes, I think I have, do you know how many writers give Pinkie this much depth? Not many, (and none of the shows staff) thats for sure.
Another chapter well done by Animegx
4228756 Another nice comment from Rainbowriver.
4229095
D'aaaaw thanks
4225029 that would be the best twist ever!
4037469
Speaking of furio..... BEST THEME SONG EVAR
So much planning and devious thinking coming from AJ. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say AJ lost her parents in this universe and the thought of losing her parents has now pushed her over the edge. Can't wait for the next chapter, will this close the trial for the day or will we delve more into the other trials we've yet to see?
4255738 Actually, there will be one more trial chap for now, but I plan on it being for only part of the chapter, and it'll be the last trial chap for a while. For the next few upcoming chapters, I'm gonna be doing something very different for the investigation chapters.
That's all the spoilers you'll get for now. May you die from anticipation.
PS: I'm pretty sure they've established that AJ's parents are gone.
4265011 Aww, but he was my favourite of the seven.
4265380 Sorry, but be honest, can you really blame me?
Also, I don't hate AJ, nor do I accuse her, but she brought what happened to her on herself, and for that... I am very, disappointed in her.
NO it was apple jack who poisoned him!
huh i wouldnt of guesses that after her reaction to twilight telling AJ to visit