The Police Commissioner had been standing patiently before the band of students. As expected, none of them were feeling particularly sociable. Swift Order wasn’t bothered in the slightest, however. Just like with Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, they would all crack sooner or later. It didn’t matter how long they gave him the silent treatment; he was a patient man.
“We don’t have anything to say to you,” one of the students finally said. Swift Order studied the speaker for a moment. Judging by his burly physical build, he assumed that the teen was an athlete. If he recalled correctly, the other students referred to him as Dumbbell. He also took notice of a relatively large bump on the back of his head, as if he’d been struck multiple times.
“Here’s the thing, big guy. This isn’t my first interrogation. As a matter of fact, I’ve been at this job since probably before your parents even reached adulthood.” Swift Order folded his arms, never once breaking eye contact. “And one of the things that I’ve noticed, especially with young people like you, is that when someone says something like, “I ain’t tellin’ you spit,” then it almost always means that they know something. So here’s my question, tough guy.”
The Police Commissioner tapped a finger on one of the pictures of Sunset after she had been tied down and beaten. “Are you guilty, or are you innocent?”
Dumbbell’s mouth stayed shut.
“Fine, be that way.” Swift Order began pacing around the table in his usual manner. “The thing is ... I already know that each and every last one of you participated in the attack. I have witnesses who named all of you. They told me everything.”
“Oh yeah?” Gilda blurted out while giving Snips and Snails a death glare. “Well if someone told you that I sprouted wings and turned into a Griffon, would you believe that too?”
The Commissioner suddenly stopped his pacing. “As long as there’s enough evidence to support it, I’m willing to believe just about anything. Which reminds me.” He then walked towards Gilda and carefully began to examine her face. “Did you know that there’s a dark spot just below one of your eyes? I find that a little odd.”
Gilda shifted away from the Commissioner. “I slipped on some ice yesterday. Big whoop.”
“Slipped on some ice you say?” Swift Order started smiling at her. His smile combined with the lack of respect for her personal space made Gilda feel more than a little uncomfortable. “Did you know that one of the people who attacked Miss Shimmer supposedly got hit in the face with a cell phone? Even more curious … the area where your face made contact with the “ice” matches up pretty well with where that particular assailant got hit. The attacker got blasted near the eye yesterday. Yesterday you slipped on some ice and injured yourself just below the eye in the same location. Isn’t that a funny coincidence?”
“Get out of my face,” Gilda snapped.
The smile never left the Commissioner's face as he walked away and resumed his pacing. “Alright children, I’m gonna get straight to the point. Unlike those three little girls from before, I don’t need any of you to actually say anything. The pieces that you all left behind will tell me so much more than you ever could.”
No one at the table spoke a word, so Swift Order continued with his ramblings.
“I know what you’re all thinking. What pieces did we leave behind? Well, I’ll be happy to enlighten you. First of all, there’s the scar on that girl’s face from where she “fell”, the bandage on Lightning Dust’s nose, and the bump on the back of big man’s head over there. All of your injuries look recent, which fits up nicely since the attack happened last night. Secondly, there’s the victim. The beating that she suffered was a pretty violent one. That’s bad news for Miss Shimmer but wonderful news for Canterlot City’s Forensics Team.
“When you come into close contact with someone, a little piece of them can rub off on you, figuratively and literally speaking. For the students who attacked Miss Shimmer, pieces of her skin might have gotten lodged under their fingernails. A stray hair or two might have gotten embedded in their clothing. She was repeatedly stomped on as well, so we might get lucky and find some dried blood if we checked the cracks beneath your shoes. Another interesting fact, I heard that Sunset’s phone was destroyed using brute force. In addition to blood, one of the attackers might have a few computer chips stuck in their apparel.”
The other students were now beginning to show increased signs of unease, and Swift Ordered loved every minute of it. They were almost ready to break; he just needed to push a little further.
“Sadly, we can’t snatch you guys up and pad you down like that without getting a warrant. And by then all of that good evidence might not be around anymore. But that’s not a problem. While you're all in school, I could round up the Forensics Team, have those two young men over there show us the way to the factory where this picture was taken, and then dust the area for fingerprints. If that doesn’t work, we could always search the terrain for shoe-prints and tire tracks. And after we get our evidence, the next step will be to get an Arrest Warrant.”
Suddenly, a large mischievous smile spread across the Commissioner’s face. The smile was so impossibly wide that it could have given Pinkie a run for her money. “You know what? Wait right there for a moment!” he walked over to Rarity and outstretched his hand. “Excuse me Miss, but may I please borrow your copy of that picture for a moment?”
Rarity was happy to hand it over, honestly not caring if she ever got it back. Swift Order nodded in thanks and then turned towards the Principal.
“Hey, Celestia, quick question!” the Commissioner shouted from across the room. “If this picture was taken by students, then what would you say the odds are that it was taken on a phone?”
The Principal didn’t respond at first. After thinking carefully about what it was that she was being asked, her eyes lit up in realization. “I’d say that it probably was,” she replied while shooting a glare towards Gilda’s table.
Swift Order nodded and began making his way back towards the band of students. “If I were to seal off all of the exits in this room, and confiscate all of your phones right now, what are the odds that I’d find a photo, or a video, or something else that would be self-incriminating?”
No one said a word as the Commissioner drilled the other students beneath his steely gaze.
“That’s a damn shame.” The Commissioner paused for a moment before continuing. “Picking up from where I left off earlier, the next step will be to take you all before a judge. Would any of you all like to take a guess at how many years you could spend behind bars for Attempted Murder? If you get charged in the First-degree, then some of you will probably be looking at a Life Sentence with the possibility of parole.”
That was the straw that broke the camel's back. The students erupted into a symphony of outrage and despair. The conductor of the fearful musical, was Swift Order.
“That’s not fair! We weren’t trying to kill her! We were just trying to teach her a lesson!” shouted an enraged Gilda.
“Oh, is that right?” the Commissioner questioned. “I’m going to paint you a picture, and by the time I’m done I’ll let you guess whether or not a Judge will see it the same way you do.
“Fact, you lured Miss Shimmer into CHS with the intention of causing her physical harm. Fact, the beating that you gave her was so vicious that she lost consciousness. Fact, you threw her into the trunk of a car, and then proceeded to drive 15 to 20 miles outside of Canterlot City and into an abandoned factory - which, might I add, was a restricted area, which means that you can automatically get charged with trespassing. Fact, you then tied and bound Sunset to a pole and left her there, presumably with no intention of ever coming back. If those two young men hadn’t have had the good sense to set her free, I have no doubt that she would have died back there. Now, I don’t know about the rest of you, but that sounds an awful lot like attempted murder to me.”
The three girls who were guilty of framing Sunset, Rarity and her friends, they all shared the same looks of shock and disgust while Gilda and her table had been rendered speechless. Some of them had even broken down into tears.
The Commissioner, satisfied with his handiwork, signaled for one of the other officers to step forward. It was the same woman who had recorded the previous confession about Anon-a-Miss. “Everyone, I’d like you to meet my daughter, Officer Hunt. In her hands is a tape recorder. She’s going to pass it around to each of you, one by one. You will then speak your name, age, where you go to school, and what you are guilty of. If any of you fail to comply, or if you give false information, then I’ll turn this into an official case, round up all of the evidence that I’ll ever need, and then have each and every last one of you in cuffs by this time tomorrow morning.”
Officer Hunt handed the recorder to Gilda. At first the hot tempered teen didn’t say anything. She was finally spurred into action by the cold expression on the Officer’s face.
“My name is Gilda, I’m 19, I go to Canterlot High ... and I’m one of the students who beat up Sunset Shimmer.”
The recorder was shut off and passed over to Dumbbell. “You’re next,” the Officer stated.
***
Swift Order had returned to his seat next to Celestia and Luna and had been quietly observing while the confessions were being recorded. It had been almost 10 years since he last got the chance to interrogate anyone. He had gotten rusty in his old age, but in the end he was still able to get the job done.
“Well, this was a nice exercise,” the Police Commissioner said to the Principal and Vice Principal. “I’d say it’s about time to put the final nail in the coffin. What do you think?”
Celestia nodded in agreement. “Of course, but I’d like to say something to the rest of them first.”
“Go for it. I just spent the last half hour making a room full of teenagers mess all over themselves. I need a break.”
Shortly after the final student had been recorded, Principal Celestia stood before the center of the cafeteria. All eyes were on her as the students awaited further scolding. She sighed sadly before speaking.
“We’re just about done here. But before you’re punishment is given, I would just like to say that I’m very disappointed in all of you for different reasons.” Celestia turned towards the three girls who had ruined Sunset Shimmer’s already unstable reputation. “Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo. I’m still somewhat unclear about what your motives were and, quite frankly, I don’t care. You not only turned the entire school against an innocent girl, but you also hurt hundreds of your fellow students along the way. Was all of the damage that you caused worth it?” The three girls lowered their heads in shame.
Celestia then turned towards Gilda and her assembled team. “I’m absolutely appalled by what all of you did. Instead of coming to me, my sister, your parents, or anyone else, you resorted to violence. You allowed yourselves to get so worked up that you beat another person within inches of her life. The ironic thing is that in the end it just might cost you yours. And that hurts me deeply, because I know that you’re all good kids at heart. Good kids who made a really poor decision.” Some of the students had been reduced into a sniveling mess. Others maintained a look of indifference.
“And then there’s you four,” Celestia said while focusing her attention on Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie.
“Why are you mad at us? We didn’t do anything,” Rarity said in confusion.
“Actually, we did,” Fluttershy countered in her usual soft tone. “Sunset tried to tell us that she was innocent. She tried to tell us … but we didn’t listen.”
“Yeah. If we had just given her a chance, then maybe things wouldn’t have gotten so wacky. We didn’t do anything mean, like whip CHS into a frenzy or beat her up when no one was looking,” Pinkie Pie shivered at the image of Sunset in the photograph, “but we’re still guilty of abandoning her when she needed us the most. Twilight was counting on us … and we let her down.”
Applejack shook her head sadly as she recalled the way she and the others shoved her away back at Sugar Cube Corner. “We really messed up this time. If nothin’ else, we owe that girl an apology. I reckon the entire school does.”
Celestia’s sorrowful expression suddenly hardened and became stern. “I’m glad you feel that way Applejack. Because you’ll be getting the chance to talk to her very soon. She’s here on school grounds. And even now as we speak, she’s listening in on all of this.”
The students in the cafeteria had once again been struck with disbelief, Dumbbell in particular. “What? After the clobbering we gave her last night?”
“We were surprised too. We tried to tell her to go get medical help, but she insisted on being here today,” Snips admitted, having finally joined in on the discussion. “That’s our boss for you. As soon as her mind's made up, there’s almost no keeping her down.”
“She’s in one of the squad cars outside. She’s been eavesdropping thanks to this.” The Police Commissioner reached into his coat and pulled out a walkie-talkie.
“Oh, and there’s one little thing that we should probably mention,” the Vice Principal chimed in. “Sunset Shimmer requested that she herself be the one to decide your punishments. The Commissioner, my sister, and I all agreed to honor her request. Whatever happens next, your lives now rest in the hands of the very girl that you all tried to destroy.”
There were a series of surprised murmurs throughout the cafeteria. Rarity suddenly felt a weight pressed against her side. She looked down and saw Sweetie Belle clutching at her with fear embedded on her face. “Rarity … what’s gonna happen to us?”
“I … don’t know,” Rarity answered while placing a protective hand around her little sister’s side.
Swift Order raised his communicator towards his mouth and pushed a small button on the side. “Young lady, are you ready? Over.”
There was a brief pause, and then a clicking sound could be heard from the other side.
“Yeah. I’m on my way now. But before I go, bring Rainbow Dash back into the room. I don’t want her to miss out on a thing. Over.”
Sunset gave the walkie-talkie to one of the Officers who had been tasked with keeping watch over her. She opened the car door and stared out at CHS. For two weeks straight it had been her against the entire school. Her friends, the other students, and even some of her own teachers had all turned against her. It was a tough road, but it was almost over now. She uttered a single phrase as she made her way towards the imposing structure.
“It’s time.”
This won't be pretty...
Sunset, you now have the power. You now have the authority to make the people who made the last two weeks a living Tartarus suffer for their mistakes. And now, make the most of it. Here's something that will get you spiced up:
AW SNAP! GO SUNSET SHIMMER!!! She better tear into all of them next chapter!!!
They've sown the seeds to their own downfall..... and Sunset is the reaper.
Why do I feel that this is going to take an unexpected turn at the last minute...
Looks like Sunsets gonna reveal to everyone that Rainbow was the one that betrayed her..Soold her out.l
Oh this is going to be good.
Of all the relationships that the actions of the CMC harmed the most, I think the one with permanent damage is Scootaloo's relationship with Rainbow Dash. The fact that she was a lesbian was very private, and Scootaloo had to have known that it was a very private secret she never wanted to get out. To make things worse, Scootaloo is a very devoted fan of Rainbow Dash, moreso than the other CMC look up to their sisters. RD fanfilly is practically Scootaloo in a nutshell.
Rainbow Dash knows this, and the fact that Scootaloo decided/allowed information about her sexual orientation to be made public is the greatest betrayal, since she was supposed to know that she never ever wanted it to get out, and still decided that this info should be made public. A friend should never ever do that sort of thing.
I don't think RD is going to want Scootaloo around ever again, because she was treated like the sister RD never had, and she goes and stabs everyone at Canterlot high deep in the back for a currently unknown reason. Then she makes everyone hate Sunset, and makes the EQG mane six betray Sunset, and allow an attempt to be made on her life by revealing rainbow dash's sexual orientation. Once she learns that they did it because they were jealous of Sunset taking up their time, I don't think Rainbow dash will ever stand to see Scootaloo or the other CMC ever again.
The other two CMC members don't have as close a relationship with their sisters, so the betrayal is a little less immediate and personal.
If Sunset forgives them and still wants to come back to them I'm gonna lose my shit.
If Sunset Shimmer is going back, is she going to take a bunch of her electronic devices, conveniences and books from the human world back with her?
What about the stuff that cannot go through the mirror? I could see her giving it to Snips and Snails's families, since they were loyal, and saved her life. The rest of her cash might go to them as well.
If Sunset Shimmer chooses to be merciful I'm going to go ape shit. Seriously. Please don't do this with me. I beg you.
Honestly, as much as I want Sunset to throw them under the bus and she would totally be in the right to do so.....What exactly would that accomplish. Sure Sunset would feel good, but that would wear off after a couple of days and then what, besides that I just don't see Sunset as being cruel enough to basically condemn anyone, not when you consider the fact that Sunset was in the exact same position as they are now.
Remember Sunset could have easily been charged with kidnapping, forgery, assault, attempted murder, destruction of property, criminal vandalism, cyberbullying, uh don't know what mindcontrol would fall under but still a crime. Point is Sunset did probably worse stuff when she was evil and she was given another chance to be better. That's probably what Sunset will do, especially when you consider that the guilt and harm that's been done to their own reputations and lives would probably hurt worse than anything she could think up.
Am I saying she should forgive them, hell no, but should she punish them, probably not. Then again it's in the author's hands.
6681319
Uh pretty sure Rainbow isn't so much a lesbian in this story as she was "experimenting" they even mention that Rainbow was only experimenting when it's first brought up earlier in the story. Not saying she couldn't be in this story, just saying that nothing is concrete.
Any good theme music that will fit in with the wait until the others learn the truth regarding Rainbow? Something that shouts 'guilty?'
I would had suggested a funeral march, but I think we're past that point. Plus it wouldn't have much effect expressing the mood considering Rainbows pretty much shut down right now
Oh, I think this is the first time I've really felt on edge over a cliffhanger in a long, long time. kudos.
why do I feel like Sunset is going traumatize them with something so fear-inducing, none of them will sleep for weeks-months
6681295 Hopefully it's not that infuriating cliche and it stays on track where she gives them what they deserve and hopefully that broken trust between Sunset and the other five is one not to be mended because of their turning their backs on her without a second thought and especially Rainbow for selling her out like that.
I personally feel that Sunset will be merciful in regards to punishing her attackers. While the whole lot of them DO deserve the worst fate imaginable, our flame-haired girl's character has evolved into that of a kindhearted, sympathetic type who understands and appreciates the values of friendship.
But I want them to fucking die regardless
6681475
I think she's going to be more mad at a certain someone more then her attackers
6681458
I don't know... I think some mercy is in order, but I expect her to make them seriously work for it. I"m a sucker for redemption stories though.
6681421 I've got this covered!
Anyway, I really don't know if she's going to follow the cliche and lets everyone off with a slap on the wrist or not but after all this is over and done with, I hope she goes home. Her friends have proven to be untrustworthy and CHS has proven itself to be a dangerous place. After what she's been through, she's better off in Equestria.
6681207 Most likely not.
6681326 6681371 You guys have very obviously never heard the old saying "To err is human, to forgive, divine".
Which leads me to remembering the Scripture where Peter asked Jesus just how many times that he should forgive his brother ("Seven times?"), and Jesus said, "Nay, but seventy times seven."
In other words, forgive utterly, and infinitely.
Her actually forgiving them would be the greatest way to show that that she truly has changed from the rotten person she was, and that she's the bigger person in all of this.
That would be the way to truly humble the ones who hurt her.
But I guess we'll find our for sure in Chapter 13 and the Epilogue.
Which, I believe, if I read the Author's Note at the end of chapter 11 right, will both go live tomorrow sometime.
And i have to say, I'm lookin' forward to both.
Til tomorrow, and the "Day of Reckoning" then, my fellow readers!
6681380
In legal mind matters, mind control is considered a form of coercion. Seriously, not joking, but then again Japan has laws concerning the ethical treatment of intelligent robots so....
This was SO ridiculously well written it's stupid. LOL, just reading it, you can feel the tension in the room.
Oh, haha, and Sunset should go vanellope mode on everyone
But honestly, I think that would make an absolutely beautiful ending...For everyone to just be like:
"Welp...we're boned...jail for life with no possibility for parole"
....and then Sunset forgives them all
6681593
either way still a crime
6681575 Too many people are already getting away scott free in the show, I'm not saying that they should be beaten up or something because the emotional damage is big enough already. The problem is for things go back the same they were like nothing happened, she had been betrayed big time and if she's going to recover it won't be for a long time.
6681682 i know this.
And I'm not saying that they should get off scott-free, either.
But sometimes, the conscience can inflict a far greater punishment than the legal system can.
And to me, at least, the greatest kind of punishment would be not only for her to forgive them, but, as some here have suggested, to sever her friendship with them, go back to Equestria, never to return, then, in an even greater hit to them, have Twilight refuse to return, either, and to find some way to permanently seal the portal between the two worlds.
That might be a more poetic kind of justice than sending them (and especially Rainbow) to jail.
Lose the one who was their friend for good.
But that's just me.
Retributionnnnnn !
Well shit, here we go! Not gunna lie, been chomping the bit on this for some time. Honestly thought Gilda would put up more of a fight...then again, we could have her come back as a revenge villain, but that's just me. As is, the set-up is grand, the impact crater is huge...and now the bacon-flavored fire is about to ignite!! ...and I will be very disappointed if status quo is restored. My minimum requirement is: Sunset returns to Equestria either for good or an extended period of time. Or we could go the route of a "Pound of Flesh", in the case of Rainbow Dash, one majorly good deck to the face before transferring to Crystal Prep. I can see many outcomes...but I swear if this turns into a hug-fest with no real consequences for the Re-Main 5...I am gunna explode!!!
My rant aside, this has been very well done, and the final chapter is looking to be grand. Thanks so much for the hard work and great story!
6681495 Not this time man, they dun' goofed.
6681421
6681319 but didn't they tell that scoots didn't know that secret was posted?
I may not know about police interrogations, but the one here was very believable and well written. I like a lot. Also:
That metaphor was very amusing to read.
7453220 The only really bad unbelievable part about it is that you're not allowed to interrogate minors without their parents present (and they don't have to ask for their parents like an adult would have to for a lawyer), similar to not reading someone their Miranda rights or not giving them a lawyer when they ask for one, any evidence obtained from the interrogation would be inadmissible in court.
There is nothing more terrifying if you think about it...
I am so glad I'm not in their position right now... Christ.
Nicely done...
7735474
Yeah few things that can match the feeling of haveing your fate in the hands of someone you have in every shape and form ticked off
This is one of the most egregious chapters I have ever seen in a fanfiction.
And I've read Fallout: Equestria. >.>
All of you did....
6681593
Really?
Geez
(Meanwhile in Equestria)
Gilda:...😮
Gabby: What's wrong, Gilda.
Gilda: I'm not sure. For some reason, I feel...a disturbance.
that last line , all i can hear her saying in my mind is "Lets SPOILERSING do this "
I'm pretty sure that in rl if she asked to hand out punishments the police would be more like. "Umm no... this is a incident where the law was broken and by our laws the punishment will be given."
I just think there would of been more expelling of students and in some cases arrests made.
9982476
This is mlp world. Where children get away with murder/attempted murder. Except in this story where they, hopefully, don't get away with this.
Police doesn't get to decide or mete out punishments.
10830554
yes it can't.
but senset can decide whether to prosecute them and take their case to the authorities or pardon them, and ask to file the case.
6681575
Yes but sunset work for her second chance but they didn't really forgive her or they would have given her a chance to speak. They blew her trust in them because they couldn't really forgive.
By leaving her to rot then attacking when she tries to escape.
Thats basically attempted murder.
Cant fool us