The next morning, Twilight sat on the couch in the foyer and told her parents for the fifth time how they banished Sombra and saved the Crystal Empire, with Spike chirping in to add relevant details, and then for the tenth time, how they defeated Tirek.
“So let me get this straight,” Night Light asked disbelievingly, “after he betrayed you and helped Tirek, you forgave Discord?”
“Yes, dad,” Twilight exasperatedly responded. “I forgave Discord. Now can I continue the story?”
So she retold her visit to a strange town where she uncovered a unicorn named Starlight Glimmer stealing cutie marks, and how her friends dealt with said issue. All the while, her parents listened on, proud of their daughter’s impressive accomplishments.
Suddenly, Spike’s stomach felt queasy and he let out a belch of flames. A scroll dropped from his green flames onto the table. Only Celestia would communicate like this. Twilight was instantly concerned. Picking up the scroll, she examined the princess’ seal binding the scroll, and opened to read it. Spike did not like the frown he saw forming on her face, but patiently waited for her to finish.
“Mom, dad,” Twilight rose from the couch and beckoned Spike to follow, “Spike and I have been summoned to a council meeting.”
“What for?” Spike asked curiously as he walked to his mentor’s side. Twilight being summoned he could understand, but him? He was just a baby dragon. What could they possibly want him for?
“I’m not sure,” Twilight answered, “the letter just says Celestia’s royal council must speak with us about a certain issue. It doesn’t say what or why or how long.”
“Do you have to cut your visit short?” Twilight Velvet looked a bit sad.
Twilight gave a quick reassuring smile, “Don’t worry. I’m sure we can sort this out, and we’ll be back in no time.”
Together, Twilight and Spike walked out the door into the Canterlot streets. Making their way to the castle, the little drake looked up at his alicorn friend, wondering what was going through her mind. He quickly diverted his eyes back to the road as at long last the castle came into sight.
Two guards bowed at Twilight’s approach and feeling embarrassed, Twilight ducked her head and continued through the doors with Spike in tow. The little dragon noticed the guards slam the doors behind them and instinctively sensed something wrong.
Two more guards approached and led the two to a windowless room, filled with older, more official ponies sitting at a large round table with Princess Celestia at the head. The princess nodded her greeting to Twilight and Spike, and motioned them to sit down before the ponies. Her actions seemed empty of her usual happiness at seeing her student, and Twilight was instantly worried she might be in trouble. At her left, Twilight noticed her sister in law Cadence sitting in a humble chair, appearing apprehensive. In any other circumstance, she would have jumped over and given Cadence their special greeting.
As she moved to take a seat, she turned to the right and scowled to see Doctor Saffron staring impassively at her with her hooves pressed together in thought under her chin. When she noticed Spike sit beside Twilight, her eyes briefly glinted with emotion. What emotion, Spike could not tell. It looked like bitterness, sadness, satisfaction, and resolve all tied into one.
“Princess Celestia,” Twilight spoke at last to diffuse the tension, “why did you summon me?”
The princess regarded her with a wistful glance, and then sighed. “I had to summon you and Spike due to …” she bit her lip a moment, “certain concerns.”
Twilight frowned. Celestia looked very disappointed with herself, "I'm sorry. I tried to overrule them, but I was vetoed due to --."
A member of the council cleared his throat to grab her attention. Celestia lay back and motioned for the councilor to speak, taking no pleasure what so ever.
“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” the elderly stallion spoke with solemn authority, “Doctor Saffron informed us that you refused to let her to conduct research on your dragon.”
Twilight sighed. The doctor must have gone whining to the council when she couldn’t have her way. Well, she was still going to be disappointed.
“Yes, Spike said he didn’t want to go, and I am standing by his decision.”
The stallion frowned at Twilight’s response, but pressed on, “The doctor brought to our attention that no dragon has ever actually lived under Princess Celestia’s rule, and that Spike is not protected by her laws. I’m sorry to say this,” he really was somewhat sorry, “but she is correct. As a dragon, Spike is not technically protected by Equestrian law therefore he does not have the right to refuse Dr. Saffron’s request. He must submit to her will or leave to go be with other dragons.”
Spike’s heart filled with dread. He couldn’t be separated from Twilight, he couldn’t! Nothing scared him more. His eyes grew watery, until Twilight placed comforting hoof around his shoulder. He realized she was far from beaten, as she turned to face the council
“But Spike has lived with me for years,” Twilight protested, “Surely he’s entitled to some rights!”
An elderly mare on the council rose to speak, “The fact remains he is simply not a pony, donkey, griffon, or any such creature living under Equestrian law. Therefore, he does not have the same rights. And given the countless advantages we could gain by merely studying him, this is necessary.”
Twilight grew irritated but remained calm, realizing it would do her case no good if she became emotional. “He has friends and family who would miss him if he left,” Twilight explained, “and as a princess, I refuse to part with Spike, who Princess Celestia decreed I would keep when I hatched him as a filly.” She gave the council a defiant but restrained glare, “don’t tell me the council is going against Celestia’s laws?”
“Unfortunately,” Dr. Saffron spoke without moving from her place, “your dragon was never formally adopted as a family member, much less a pet. Princess Celestia never officially recognized ‘Spike’ as a member or property of your family in any sort of document or proclamation. So, you have no claim to him, princess or not. Don’t tell me you’re placing yourself above Celestia?”
Twilight gritted her teeth. This self-righteous unicorn was unbearably annoying as she was correct. Celestia had technically never released any sort of decree granting Spike protection under her laws; they had always just assumed Spike had such protection. Seeing her friend in distress, Cadence decided to interject.
“Excuse me,” she waved for the council’s attention, “isn’t there anyway we could prevent Dr. Saffron from taking Spike? There must be a reason you summoned me here too.”
The first speaker nodded at Cadence’s observation. “Initially, we were content to reside with Celestia's ruling, but another scientist brought forth evidence that compelled us to veto her actions. We are willing to hold a court trial tomorrow to determine how much the law applies to Spike and evaluate whether he indeed has the right to refuse.”
He turned to Twilight, “as his surrogate mother and the one who knows him best, we assumed you would take up responsibility of defense attorney.”
Twilight blinked in surprise. She had not expected they would offer an alicorn the chance to defend someone in court, much less appoint her of all ponies. Still, they were correct. Twilight knew Spike better than any other pony and was already familiar with pony court procedures, having studied nearly every field of academia. And honestly, no other lawyer, no matter how skilled, could represent Spike’s interests as she knew she could. She turned to Spike to ask his opinion but he instantly nodded with a beaming smile. He trusted her more than any other pony.
“Yes,” Twilight said, “I will accept this duty.”
The elder nodded and then turned to Cadence, “We must uphold equality in our justice system and prevent jury bias. If Princess Twilight will defend Spike, we must ensure that the jury will not merely rule in her favor due to her alicorn status. That’s where you come in, Princess Cadence.”
Cadence’s eyes widened as she realized what they were trying to tell her, “You want me to lead the prosecution.”
A hush fell over the room. Twilight and Spike looked at Cadence in shock, while Cadence stared into the eyes of each jury member. Finally, her gaze fell to Princess Celestia, who sadly met her incredulous gaze. They weren’t joking. They truly expected her to prosecute one of her friends, one of the most important friends in her life, to Twilight’s life. Angrily, Cadence scowled and placed both her hooves on the table. She stared at Dr. Saffron and the council intently.
“Forget it,” Cadence snarled, “I’d sooner die than prosecute my friend.”
The elderly stallion sighed and shook his head, marveling at the impulsiveness of youngsters. “If you refuse to testify against Spike, then we will simply not have a trial whatsoever and Dr. Saffron will take custody of Spike.”
Cadence fell back into her seat, shocked. She didn’t have a choice in the matter. If she said no, they would take Spike without a fight. If she said yes, she would be fighting for the side to take him away forever. She glanced at Twilight and Spike who stared at her with anticipation. She stared at the purple alicorn she used to play with, and the little dragon she knew Twilight adored. Twilight was the best possible pony to defend Spike, Cadence knew that. If Twilight’s role as the defense demanded Cadence to take the role of prosecution, she bitterly realized there was only one thing she could do.
“Fine,” she muttered at last, “I’ll do it.”
The elderly stallion once again addressed Cadence, “If we think for a second that you aren’t trying to win, we will have to suspend the trial then and there and transfer Spike to Dr. Saffron’s care. Do we make ourselves clear?”
Cadence nodded grimly. Twilight and Spike took a moment to admire their friend for taking on such an abominable task. Then the council called their attention once more.
“There are a few other conditions that we must enforce if Princess Twilight is adamant in playing the defense,” the elderly stallion’s voice made them nervous. “Firstly, Spike must be confined to house arrest within the castle until the trial commences.”
Twilight looked like she wanted to argue, but bit her tongue to listen. Being placed under house arrest was not a truly harmful action, so long as Dr. Saffron could not touch him.
“Secondly, Dr. Saffron’s assistant, Silver Stone, will be the only one allowed to check on Spike until the trial commences. This includes bringing him meals and ensuring he has not escaped at some point.”
Twilight rose to her hoofs, “May I have some written oath that this Silver Stone won’t attempt any experiments on Spike?”
“Silver Stone is a little filly,” Dr. Saffron interjected with a pointed stare at Twilight, “what experiment do you possibly think she could perform on your dragon?”
“Well, forgive me if I don’t trust you,” Twilight responded calmly, “but I would prefer to know you aren’t planning some pre-trial experiments that could alter Spike in some way that would benefit your case.”
“It will be done,” Princess Celestia rose at last to speak. “And I will ensure the guards watch over them to prevent either one from attempting to further their own trial case by interrogating the other.”
The council nodded, and dismissed every pony.
“Twilight,” Spike tried to get his mentor’s attention, “I do trust you. I know you can win this.”
Twilight smiled until Spike was led away by two of the royal guard. He turned to glance at his protector once more before she faded from sight.
Cadence walked over to Twilight’s side in complete sympathy. She felt unworthy to touch her friend, knowing what she would have to do. Dr. Saffron proceeded to exit the room until Twilight approached her. The doctor turned to glance at the alicorns, masking her emotions.
“I hope you’re happy,” Twilight spoke with barely suppressed rage, “trying to take my friend for your own research.”
The doctor adjusted her glasses coldly.
“I take no pleasure doing what I know is right,” the doctor responded, seriously tempting Twilight to throttle her, “and I’m not doing this for myself.”
She left the room, leaving the two alicorns to ponder her words.
“Cadence,” Twilight snapped Cadence out of her ponderings, “I need to contact my friends in Ponyville to tell them what’s happening, and I have to tell my parents about this whole mess.”
“You tell your friends,” Cadence offered, “I’ll tell your parents.”
The two realized they would soon be enemies in the courtroom. This could be the last time they would ever stand together in camaraderie. Eventually, Twilight nodded and both set about their tasks with bitter resolve.
6930502 Not necessarily. It's more that legally dragons have not lived under Celestia's laws, preferring to keep to their own. The problem is Spike is also a dragon, so by extension, the law might not a readily apply to him. Or does it? Read and you will find out.
6930546 Trust me. Twilight's friends aren't going to accept without a fight.
No mention of Spike's heroics in the Crystal Empire?
6930635
Interesting story-premise, I look forward to seeing how you adapt the ST:TNG episode into MLP format.
As a friendly reminder, what made [TNG 2x09 - "The Measure of a Man"] one of the most memorable episodes of the overall ST:TNG series were several very important supporting factors, in addition to the central ethical/moral dilemma of Lieutenant Commander Data's sentience...
- a.) Commander Riker agonizing over having to fulfill his Duty (to Starfleet) over his Friendship (with Data). Even worse for the guilt Riker feels during the episode, was that Riker did such a good job at prosecution, that Commander Bruce Maddox prematurely congratulates Riker for what Maddox saw as a 'Slam Dunk Win' in his (Maddox's) favor.
- b.) Yet, at the dénouement of the episode, Data unhesitatingly FORGIVES Riker for his actions, absolving Riker of his un-necessary guilt, and reaffirming their Friendship.
- c.) Besides Captain Picard's natural eloquence, the insights he gained from Guinan to help him.
- d.) In the end, Commander Bruce Maddox was not only turned away in his incorrect viewpoint, but even became friends with Data ( [Captain Philippa Louvois]: {amused tone} "You called him (Data) 'he', not 'it'..."). And the two would correspond several times across the ST:TNG series.
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
My favorite & memorable line from that episode...
"We've all been dancing around the basic issue here: Does Data have a soul? I don't know that he has... {small humorous snort} I don't know that >I< have. But I've got to give him the freedom to explore that question himself."
- Starfleet JAG Captain Philippa Louvois
My guess is that, due to the whole 'big enough to eat a house in one bite' thing, that the laws don't apply to dragons simply because nobody has been dumb enough to piss one off this much before
But would it be possible for Cadance to be prosecutor? After all, Spike did save the Crystal Empire, so it could be argued that she have a conflict of interest... And I don't think that her subjects would be understanding as Twilight and Spike...
6930990 I know. I first watched it when I was a little kid, too young to truly understand it. When I came back and watched it recently, I was truly intrigued by the complicated themes and profound way they handled it all. It's a real testament to what science fiction can do.
6931354 Why thank you! I will keep writing.
6931186 Yeah, I guess that's good point. I suppose I should of thought about that.
Improvised answer: Being a Canterlot resident, she immediately would approach Twilight's parents who were available in Canterlot.
True answer: I didn't think that completely through.
6931180 Yeah, I think that's a perfect way of phrasing it.
6931324 I suppose so. But I realized that the best way to prevent jury bias would be putting another alicorn against Twilight, and Cadence made the most sense. I mean the court would automatically rule in favor of a Princess like Celestia, and might not do so with Luna due to the whole Nightmare Moon fiasco, preferring to rule with Twilight. Plus, this is going to be particularly painful for Cadence as she is essentially prosecuting one of her friends. Hearts may be broken.
6931254 That's always a possibility. But I'm sure there's more to it than that.
6931367
Good writing, no matter what its theme or format, stands the Test of Time.
And Star Trek...
from The Original Series...
to The Next Generation...
to Deep Space Nine...
to Voyager...
to Enterprise...
...endures through literally generations of followers.
6931473 Like this comment people! (Calms self down). I couldn't agree more.
Picards speech at the end of the episode "comander Data is a machine,do we deny that? No....." is one of my favorite moments.
6931683 I suppose it was. I'm glad you liked it.
6931647 Yeah, it was a true masterpiece of an episode in every sense of the word. That ending speech was amazing. Gave me goosebumps the first time I watched it.
Seriously? The argument is "we have the right to take him because you forgot to get a receipt"?
I like what you're trying to do here, but the antagonists' claim on Spike is so weak, it strains believability. Part of what made the TNG episode work was that there was a logically justifiable claim that Data was "Starfleet property" and Starfleet could do whatever they wanted with him. In this case, all the opposition has done is present an argument that Spike doesn't legally belong to Twilight. That's a far cry from establishing any claim to him themselves.
You probably would have been better served to set Spike up as "Property of the Crown" and then invented some obscure (but reasonable, ethical, and benevolent at first glance) law that would justify these folks having some authority in regards to such "property" that trumped Celestia's authority as princess. As it is, all we get is the impression that there are no laws regarding dragons at all, which raises the question of why they would have any grounds to demand that he "submit or leave".
You know, stuff like this makes me wish Twilight would go "So either give my son to a crackpot scientist with untested methods for decades to the point most of those who know him might not even be able to clearly remember him and even some of those who know and care about him would be dead from old age by then, or send him to be with other dragons never to be seen again just because Celestia's laws do not apply to him? Well here is my counter argument. Go fuck yourselves or the next time something threatens Equestria or the world to the point Celestia's laws would not matter, me and my friends will do nothing to stop it like we have the last several times. And with how something of the sort happens every few months, it won't take too long to show us being serious on it. And Guess what? Last threat was handled by Spike and myself alone. A Mad Mare kept trying to alter history and basically destroyed the world several times over. And none of you would have known it with how alteration due to time travel works."
Just replace the first part with anything somepony or some group tries forcing an issue to get what they want when it involves Twilight or anyone close to her.
And all they'd have to do is ignore the threat long enough for the Council or anyone else to cave in.
Um, they do realize that, if they rule dragons as, basically, not people, lots of dragons would proceed to start invading Equestria either because that ruling pissed them off or because it was a good excuse for some pillaging.
They would then proceed to pillage and add spoils to their hoard, causing them to grow larger, making them better at pillaging, spurring an exponential reaction of masses of ever-growing dragons rampaging across Equestria ransacking and destroying cities.
So, ruling dragons as not people is a monumentally stupid idea.
6931813 I understand what you're trying to say. I should have spent more time developing this idea and thought better reasons for them to want to take Spike. I didn't make an obscure law to work in favor of this because I honestly did not think it all the way through, and U have some reluctance to make up my own MLP lore (though I suppose that's exactly what I do in fanfics) as I have not been keeping up with the show as I used to, and don't want to make something inconsistent with the cannon (though once again I admit that's what fanfics often do). In later chapters, I think I might take your ideas, if you would allow it, and find ways to incorporate them into this piece. I really do appreciate your feedback, thoughts, and critique. They help me find unique ways to present this piece.
6931970 I suppose Twilight certainly could take that course of action if necessary. I'm sure she would go to most any length to protect her friends, but I never even considered your point when I first outlined this story. It's a good point, it really is.
Huh.......I really feel like punching the "Doctor" and the council, they're argument is such bullshit honestly. And does Celestia even know what'll happen if other dragons find out about this? Dragons are prideful by nature, if they hear that the "puny ponies" treat one of their kin as a lab rat, well......Equestria will regret making most of they're buildings out of highly flammable materials, and that's putting it lightly. Don't get me started on the backlash from the Crystal Empire
ok you write well but what's the leg this doctor has to stand on? seems few people realize this but this isn't democratic in anyway this is a constitutional crown (or crown's in this case) twilight has the authority to declare spike under her protection and as long as he's within ponyville and the ever free it would be illegal for the council to touch him she also has the authority to aware spike citizenship status and once again it would be illegal for the council to intercede. hell all celestia has to do is say 'this is illegal the doctor is hereby discredited and stripped of her status in the science community' and guess what? it happens.
there is no political way that this scientist or this council can actualy win something like this.
6932142
Believe me, there are so many stories where I see stuff where some council, the nobles or whoever else try forcing what they want out of Twilight or her friends that I wish that just ONCE she would this.
6932157 Thank you for saying I write well. But in context of what I've written so far, I suppose that yes there are issues with the doctor's argument. I don't think Celestia would maliciously strip the doctor of her title, but yes, technically Ponyville is not a democracy, which would imply rule by the majority, as every decision ultimately comes down to Celestia, but she is not a tyrant. I believe Celestia would have to make it a practice to give every side in a case presented before her equal consideration as a fair leader. If she suddenly didn't do that in this one case and ruled in favor of Spike, what kind of message would that send her subjects? That she is biased and gives favors to her friends? For her, this is a losing situation. She doesn't want to force Spike to trial, but she has to uphold her own laws and remain impartial. "Heavy is the head that wears the crown."
I do understand what you're saying though. Thanks for the comment.
6932190 except there are four equal crowns not one. all that needs to take place is for luna and cadence to side with twilight and the point is moot.
6932214 I suppose so. But they also have to abide by certain laws and give equal consideration to their subjects.
I could make countless reasons why I believe this is the way it should happen. But in the end, I suppose the truth is if the conflict was resolved so simply, there wouldn't be a story.
6932251 then I pray twilight makes a good argument before this reaches the dragons ears (considering there are some that live in and around most pony settlements not likely) cause as others have noted, this incident could spark a war equestrian isn't likely to win.
I'm sorry, but these are simply not very good places for such exaggerations.
6932125 The show canon has remained largely silent on the topic of Equestrian politics and laws (for good reason, given the demographic). So, in that area, you're largely free to innovate without fear.
As to the question of incorporating some elements of "my ideas" later on, thank you for asking but I would hardly presume to claim ownership on anything I've suggested here. I was merely offering an example of how someone might go about adapting that particular aspect of the Star Trek plot to the MLPverse, but it's certainly not the only way of approaching the problem and I'm sure there are others that would work far better. If you feel my example would work for you later on in this story, then feel free to run with it, but bear in mind if you decide to leave the dialog here in its current form, you might also need to (briefly) address the question of why Twilight was willing to capitulate so readily in this chapter without first raising the same questions your readers have.
6932214
I may be forgetting something, but off the top of my head I can't think of anything in show canon that suggests Twilight or Cadance have an equal voice in Equestrian governance with Celestia. Just because they share the same title and Twilight can be called upon to assume full command in the absence of the others does not necessarily mean their authority is the same under normal circumstances. Luna, as co-ruler, presumably would have equal authority with Celestia, but given her history, even she might be reluctant to publicly oppose the ruler that ponies have loved and served exclusively for a thousand years.
That's not to suggest that such an equitable "one vote per princess" arrangement would be invalid in fanfics where the subject is relevant, but I hardly see that it's the only way to approach it.
This story reminds a lot of an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, where a scientist wants to take Data away for study and Captain Picard has to prove in court that Data is human.
6932891
You.... Did read the description, right?
I find the idea of this fic interesting, but not sure I like this fic, no offense. The original episode was one of TNG's first excellent episodes (with many more to come), and Voyager's Doctor would have some of the same problems, but adapting this to Spike's life is... tricky. Data's origin is clear, Spike's, not so much (where did his egg come from). So Spike isn't a pony so he doesn't have rights, yet despite not being a citizen he has to submit to examination? I guess at least he has the exile option. Not to mention how this council can override the princesses in regards to a non-pony. Oh well, that's politics.
Spike's status in Equestria is an interesting subject, especially given how badly the show treats him most of the time, but forcing Cadence into Riker's role feels really awkward. Though even calling Spike a pet is insulting to him, but apparently legally he's not even that, he's just been a walking talking momento of Twilight's entrance exam? Also, I thought the original episode was partially debating Data's sentience, here its basically Spike the non-pony obey or be kicked out?
Its an important issue, and TNG handled it mostly well, just hope the next chapter (whenever that is), is adapted better.
6932530 I was going off of the authors response there, frankly the argument shouldn't have come to celestia in the first place twilight said no and pursuing the issue behind her back is by definition treasonous actions. furthermore it looks bad for celestia to counter twilights choice as it makes the crown look divided as well as making celestia herself appear weak considering she herself set the law that spike was to stay with twilight. this is a constitutional crown, not the figureheads that most people are used too. when twilight said know it was by all measures a royal ruling in regards of spike, rather this council decides or not the doctor is still guilty of treasonous conspiracy against one of the crowns of equestria,
Greetings. Interesting story, so far.
A few tips? Some of your descriptions are more telling the readers what's happening (or, in the cases I spotted, what the character's are feeling) than showing the readers. Instead of telling us that Saffron was uncomfortable saying Spike's name, the narration could describe Twilight as noticing something she sounded uncomfortable saying his name. And in a few cases, you describe how a character is speaking ("Night Light asked disbelievingly"; "Twilight exasperatedly responded"), whereas you could have just had their dialogue portray the tone, rather than telling us how they said it.
6933041 Treason is defined as attempting to overthrow the government or to attempt physical harm against a ruler. Appealing one ruler's decision to another equally legitimate ruler (especially if the latter has primacy over the former) is not treason. It might be an extraordinarily bad idea, depending on the political climate and just how badly the offended ruler could muck up your life in retaliation... but it wouldn't be treason.
the thing is, there are multiple sapient species in Equestria....there should be laws against experimenting on sapient species already..
This looks very interesting, I will definitely follow this fic.
I especially looks forward to read how Twi will fare as attorney, and how hard it will be for both her and Cadance as the older princess begins as prosecutor. Not only will Cadance face Twilight in the court case, but she also has to speak against Spike... Their bonds will be put to the test!
6932148 It is possible (and may be likely from how we saw dragons treat one another in "Dragon Quest") that their society is a lot like Klingon society - which is fitting considering the theme of this story. That is, if a dragon is so weak as to allow itself to be enslaved by a bunch of puny ponies, it has no honor and isn't worth the trouble of staging a rescue or taking revenge.
As it stands, for myself I believe there is some kind of treaty between ponies and dragons so they don't annihilate one another so the whole notion of treating Spike as a "thing" like Data rather than a living being doesn't quite work for me. Not directly because of my headcannon, but because I can't see how a science council would have more pull than a pseudo-deitic entity like Celestia; even more so if it's true she helped raise him before decreeing him over to Twilight.
I think this story would work better if it had been set right after "Secret of my Excess" and many ponies from both Ponyville and Canterlot petitioned Celestia to do something about the imminent danger Spike poses with his greed growth. It makes more sense to want to study and learn to restrain Spike from becoming a monster again rather than trying to learn more about dragons in general through him.
I mean, if they want to learn everything about Spike in order to learn more about dragons I'm sure a science geek like Twilight has been taking detailed notes (probably to an... ahem... somewhat uncomfortable and embarrassing level) on Spike's growth and biology over the past 10+ years they have been together.
I almost hope douchepony wins, just because of what the fallout would be. The Crystal Empire would storm his labs en-mass to take Spike back, Celestia could walk in to simply take Spike back while politely pointing out all the laws that don't say that she can't do it, Twilight burns the labs down, all Spike's friends stage an assault to bring him back, Rarity discreetly sends him so many gems to greed-fuel-growth him into a small mountain, Luna "accidentally" drops a meteor, Celestia just happens to send him a vial of wall-melting chemicals through their magic communication...
However, even if Spike isn't considered more than an animal, he'd still belong to Twilight (or Celestia, or the Crown itself).
Go on.
Wait a minute!!!! That would mean Spike can do anything he wants to.
Twilight needs to play the Phoenix Wright games as soon as possible!
*grumbles* the whole solution would have been...
Twilight stood looking at the counsel, then said in a calm, soft voice. "No. I am ruling as a princess of Equestria, Spike is now a citizen with all the rights of anypony. That now said, if anyone so much as looks sideways at him. I will order their execution. Nopony will touch my Spike, ever" then she turned, and walked out, leaving the shocked look on every ponies face in the room. Leaving no doubt, she had come into her own as a princess and fixed her place as a co-ruler of Equestria.
6998203 This whole situation could have been resolved hundreds of years ago if Princess Celestia was smart enough to make a blanket law based on the idea that all sentient creatures should be treated right. There is no need to include each race in a piecemeal fashion. She should have solved this kind of nonsense ages ago.
Even if Cadence was warned by the council that any bias for Twilight would result in victory for the doctor it still feels really iffy. If they know that the potential prosecutor has a bias then she shouldn't even be considered for the part. I really think the Doctor should have had a prosecutor of her choosing that she knows will side with her. I can't help but feel this a bit of a contribed way to pit old friends against each other as it makes the council kinda seem like idiots. Let's say Twilight does win for real and Candace was giving it her all, the Doctor could make the accusation that Cadence lost on purpose completely nullyfing everything Twilight accomplished. See the problem, not only is it a dumb decision for the council but the Doctor can abuse the heck out of it to win unfairly, essentially Twilight is in a no win aituation. Well, I'll still read and find out what happens.
What would have happend if Twilight had just said: “Fuck you! Me and Spike are going to live outside of Equestria. Friendship and Harmony my ass!“ Btw is the Cristal Empire part of Equestria or is it an independend state?
I realy like the start of this story, but I would have just left those idiots.
can you repeat that please because im pretty sure you use the word "your" meaning me.