Chapter 5 - Return
Not Guilty
Chapter 5 - Return
Canterlot Law & Order office
Rarity sat across the pudgy stallion in charge of all law and order. She felt nauseous; the smell of body odour, cigarettes and a distinct lack of fresh air didn't sit well with her lungs or stomach.
"Lemme get this straight..." the bloated buck said. "You want confidential evidence from the murder case a while ago, because it would make a great reminder of your once-friend, who has escaped us, and her deeds in life?"
"Only a hair, of course." Rarity replied, maintaining her dignified expression despite the need for a bucket. "I'm sure you won't miss one hair out of, oooh, seventy?"
"Eighty-nine." The stallion replied. "Yeeeaaaaahhhh, no, not gonna happen."
Rarity batted her eyelids in an attempt to charm him. "Surely you could do a lady a favour?"
The stallion simply rolled his eyes. "That's not gonna work. If you have any more business, I suggest you find someone who cares."
Rarity stood up, huffing as she left. "Most unpleasant..." she muttered to herself, trotting past the distracted eyes of the other stallions in the building.
"Well, if negotiations won't work..."
Ponyville Library
Applejack pushed the heavy wooden door open, it's creaks echoing slightly throughout the book-clad shelves. She trotted slowly inside, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy hovering silently above her.
"Hello!" a chipper, young mare called out, causing everypony to jump back in alarm. Rainbow's head connected painfully with the doorway.
"Are you here to borrow a book?" The little mare beamed, staring eagerly at them through her oversized glasses.
Applejack nodded, trotting in further. "D'ya have any books on forensics or somethin'?"
The mare bounced from her desk, trotting briskly around and muttering to herself. She eventually stopped at a shelf. "Aha! Forensics! How many do you need?"
"All of 'em." Dash bluntly stated, rubbing her head.
"All of them?" The librarian asked in disbelief. "Wow. Ok then."
Fluttershy floated to Rainbow, reaching out with a comforting hoof which was batted away.
One minute, five books and two saddlebags later, the three visitors left, the mare smiling as a purple and green dragon skulked about with a broom.
Zecora's Hut
Twilight was just starting to get to sleep when there was a knock on the door to the hut. Zecora has said she was going to get more herbs for the magic restoration potion. Her magic hadn't been completely restored, however, and she could barely manage to lift a stick at the moment, let alone open a door.
"Who is it?" she asked, then realising that if anyone recognised her voice... she cleared her throat and said in a deeper voice, "I mean, who is it?", hiding under the blanket.
"It's me, Twilight." a familiar magestic voice replied. "May I come in?"
"Oh." Twilight flushed, pulling the blanket off her head. "Zecora's out at the moment, but I guess you can come in."
"Thank you." The door was pushed open, and Celestia entered, seeming to take up most of the room. She eyed the hut, a smile rising. "So this is your zebra friend's home. I must admit it's... rather homely."
Twlight smiled weakly in reply. Celestia closed her eyes. "I'm sure you have many questions about... what happened."
"I... um... actually, I only have one." Twlight replied, sitting up. Even if she was mostly healed, at least physically, she hadn't moved for quite some time.
Celestia looked around for someone to sit. Only the floor seemed good enough; she sat down on that, looking at Twilight with the same motherly, compassionate look she always gave to her subjects.
Twilight coughed. "If you knew I wasn't guilty... why didn't you just pardon me?"
Celestia frowned and sighed. "It's... difficult. I couldn't just declare you innocent. If I did... then someponies, Luna included, would see me as abusing my power to get my student out of this all, guilty or not."
She looked away. "There would have been an outcry. Who knows what would happen after that? Rebellion? Luna demanding the throne? She isn't ready to rule a kingdom yet."
Twilight nodded, looking down. Surely they would all believe Celestia... right? She felt a hoof on her shoulder, and looked up to see her mentor smiling with those compassionate eyes.
"What matters, Twilight, is that you're free." She sighed. "It is a shame I cannot do anything more to help clear your name."
Twilight smirked, looking up to the magestic white alicorn. "Actually, I'm working on that right now." As she spoke, her mentor's eyes widened and a smile formed on her face. "I've got my friends going out to get some things I need. Then I'll see if I can prove the culprit."
"Even if you prove the evidence to be fabricated... you're going to have to prove it in the eyes of everypony else."
Twilight's head lowered. "I know. But it's better than sitting here doing nothing."
A ghost of a smile formed on the Princesses face. Turning to leave, she quietly said: "I wish you luck."
Canterlot Law & Order office
All was quiet in the empty offices. Only the soft trotting of the night guards could be heard, the cones of light from their horns illuminating the dark patches of the offices.
Unnoticed by them, however, was a pink and black mare. Weaving between the cubicles and desks, she evaded every flash, darting silently across the room to the large office. Smacking noiselessly onto the door and fiddling with the lock, the door eventually clicked open; the sound echoed, drawing the attention of the closest guard.
"Huh?" he muttered, narrowing his eyes as he trotted over, readying a baton with his magic. "Who's there?"
"No-pony!" An annoyingly high-pitch voice rapidly replied. After a minor coughing fit, it continued, in a deeper voice "I mean, nopony stealing stuff?"
The guard raised an eyebrow, and started to swing the door open. "Who are you?"
"New guard, just checking out the room making sure stuff isn't stolen!" The mare's voice continued. "Carry on!"
The guard sighed. "Arright, just don't nick anything, or else you're doomed."
"Okie dokie lokie!" The newbie said, then returned to work. The guard went off to continue his rounds, groaning.
Nopony noticed the black-pink, mare-shaped thing crawl out of the offices through the windows, stalking silently through the night,
at speeds normally not thought of as possible.
Zecora's Hut
The sun was setting, but the ponies inside the hut couldn't see it thanks to the thick blanket of foliage blocking it. Twilight sat behind a desk which looked like it didn't belong in the hut (which it didn't, it had been brought in for this occasion). Her friends, either anxious, excited or worried, stood around her, peering over her shoulder to see the table.
The princesses Celestia and Luna, both feeling minorly claustrophobic, stood over. A host of three other ponies stood by: a black and gold unicorn with a star cutie mark, a pegasus with a video camera, and another unicorn with a gavel depicted on his flank. The zebra who lived in the hut was not present.
"What is the meaning of waking me up so early, dear sister?" Luna growled, yawning . "And why are you not letting Us... I mean, me, take this criminal away?"
"I admit," the gavelflanked unicorn muttered. "I have to agree with her magesty Luna."
"Patience, my friends." Celestia calmly said. "You will soon see why." She gestured a hoof to Twilight.
"Thank you, Princess." Twilight said, bowing. "Now, it was said in my trial that anypony with the right magic could transform into another pony, right?"
"Yeah," the black unicorn, an arcane scientist, said. "but there's no known magic that could do it. Only changelings can transform, and the magic signatures of ponies and changelings don't mix."
"I've fought changelings, and I know a spell which can remove any of their disguises." She gestured to the purple and pink hairs on the table, laid out in a bundle. "Suppose somepony, I don't know who, found out how to use the changeling magic. Someone good with magic."
"Like you." The lawpony said.
"Why would Twilight transform into herself?" Rainbow mockingly asked, her voice dripping with uncontained sarcasm. The lawpony blinked, then facehoofed.
"Of course. Sorry, do continue."
Twilight beamed, then coughed and recomposed herself. "If the magic is the same, then my spell should de-disguise the hairs."
The scientist put a hoof to his chin thoughtfully. "I see. Let's see if it works, then."
Twilight nodded, then pointed her horn to the hairs, channeling magic into it. Her magic potential hadn't fully regrown yet, but she hoped she had enough. As the horn glowed brighter, it finally shot out a beam of magenta energy that washed over the hairs. The arcane scientist's eyes widened, along with the pegasus who was recording the scene. The others shielded theirs.
The light stopped abruptly; Twilight stood leaning over the desk, panting and starting to sweat. The once-purple hairs had become ice blue, a light greenish smoke rising off them.
"Amazing..." the scientist muttered in awe, then shook his head. "but... how do we know you didn't add the disguise yourself?" A chorus of mutters followed.
Twilight flushed a little, looking down. "I'm not that good at illusionary magic."
"Prove it." The lawpony said. Twilight sighed, focusing her limited magic around herself and tried to take on the appearance of Rarity. The image fizzled and crackled to life, but just as soon dispelled in a haze of white and purple. Twilight felt even more drained than before.
The scientist levitated a couple of the blue hairs up. "I'll take this to the forensics department. They'll find out who it is."
Celestia smiled at Luna. "I told you that Twilight didn't do it."
Luna frowned. "That does not mean that pony hadn't been murdered."
"Exactly."
Two days later, [LOCATION UNKNOWN]
Flicking through the local newspaper, she found herself even more bored than before. Nothing about her, nothing about that mare who ruined her. Not a word of her death, or even anything new on the story.
Finding nothing of interest, she disregarded the paper at the nearest wall. It fluttered as it fell, landing open to a page. A single image caught her eye, and she pulled the paper up to her face.
She had been pardoned?!
Reading below the smiling image of that young mare, she found that the evidence had been false. Impossible! I made sure that it could not be...
The mare had disproven it herself. And they believed her.
Howling in rage, she flung the newspaper into the fireplace. The last words to burn were "-oon has been proven gu-"
Sliding a green-slicked knife off the metal desk, she stormed out, looking for blood.
Zecora's Hut
Twilight was still not allowed to leave the hut, despite her protests, and Pinkie warning everyone of a itchy ear (a Pinkie-sense sign nopony had encountered before). Twilight admitted she was feeling much better, even though her magic still wasn't up to par. Zecora, once again, was collecting more ingredients for another one of those disgusting magic restoration potions. Funny, Twilight thought. Maybe she should just grab as much as possible and stockpile it... Of course, there was probably a good reason for it, but Twilight couldn't see it.
She closed her eyes, trying to get to sleep. It wasn't working, but she wasn't known for giving up like that. The door creaked open, slowly. Twilight kept her eyes closed, hoping Zecora wouldn't try to wake her.
Hooves trotted up to her. She could hear Zecora's ragged breathing. Her heartbeat speeding up, albeit it barely audiable. The sound of magic holding someth- wait, magic?
She opened her eyes and saw a not-Zecora, hidden beneath a bone-white cloak with some strange green splatches on it, wielding a slimy kitchen knife in her lavender magic aura, pointed right above her neck.
"Good night, Twilight." The mare murmured, and Twilight recognised the voice... but from where. However, there was more on her mind at the moment. Like dodging.
As the knife sped down she rolled out of the way, the blade embedding harmlessly in the bed. Twilight flailed a hoof at the assailant, knocking her hood off. She was just about to run when she caught the mare's eyes. "Trixie?!"
"Die, damn you!" Trixie bellowed, tearing the knife out and slashing at Twilight. Twilight raised a hoof instinctively and got a few deep slashes for her efforts. She jumped out of the little cove the bed was set in, and galloped for the door. A searing line of pain in her hindlegs forced her legs to give out under her, and she collapsed right next to the door.
"Zeco-MMPH!" She tried to call for her zebra friend, but a lavender glow enveloped her muzzle, shutting it tight. Trixie laughed, and trotted up behind her. The knife listed lazily next to Twilight's eyes.
"I bet you're wondering about what I did. How did I fool everypony... until you." She spat those last words out like they were venom. "While everypony was trying to work out how changelings worked... I... aquired one myself." The knife moved to just in front of Twilight's eyes, and she could clearly see the green slime on it. "I managed to perfect my illusion spells, all with the right... potions." Trixie laughed, moving the blade to Twilight's throat. "You must be feeling so defeated right now... that this little mare you humiliated in front of a whole town has surpassed you, the Element of Magic, in sheer talent." Trixie chuckled and pushed the knife into her victim's flesh. "Was there ever any doubt?"
The door opened, and Zecora stood in the doorway. "I have returned from my harves-" whatever rhyme she was going to say died on her lips. Her eyes widened, then narrowed. "You! Mallae!"
Trixie brought the knife up, aiming it at Zecora. "You think you can best me? Come on, show Trixie what you-"
Zecora dropped the basket of herbs, and lept at Trixie. The unicorn lifted the blade into the zebra's path, smirking, but Zecora simply batted it aside as the magic field imploded around it. The zebra was fast, but Trixie flashed her horn, puffed away in a cloud of smoke and appeared behind Zecora as she landed. Twilight stared in amazement. Since when could she teleport?!
Zecora kicked her hindlegs out, Trixie rearing back to dodge. She tried to slam her forehooves down on the zebra's legs, but it did nothing as Zecora spread them after her attack, then wrapped them around the unicorn's forelegs. Trixie felt herself lifted up in the air, then thrown to the nearby wall. Another puff of smoke and she finished her flight into Zecora.
The resulting hoof to hoof battle was too chaotic to make out anything, with hooves flying, mouths swinging, bodies flying and the occasional puff of smoke. Twilight tried to stand up, but her legs were almost incapable of lifting anything, let alone her own body. From what she could make out of the battle, Trixie's magic was giving her the upper hoof.
Twilight had magic of her own. Shakily, she lifted the discarded knife. It seemed almost alien to her; she had never used a weapon before. Grimacing, she waited until the right opportunity in the combat... which presented itself soon enough.
Trixie was standing over the zebra, pinning her with her magic. She smiled, and created an aura around the zebra's neck. "Any last words?"
Zecora barely muttered something in zebran, which translated as "go to hell."
The unicorn tightened her grip around her second victim's neck... then all her magic imploded as she felt cold, wet steel on her neck.
She slowly turned her head to face Twilight. The wounded mare was smiling. "I still have magic."
Trixie stammered. "You... but... what...?"
Twilight focused on keeping the knife hovering. "Zecora... go tell... somepony..."
Zecora slid from under Trixie and galloped off, ignorning her own wounds. Twilight kept Trixie pinned down; everytime the blue-coated mare tried something, the knife would press harder. Twilight barely moved; if she did, her concentration could break.
Eventually a couple of silver-plated unicorn stallions returned with Zecora. "That is the mare you seek," Zecora said, pointing a hoof at Trixie. "Who committed a crime unique."
"Trixie Lulamoon?" One of the guards asked, sternly. Trixie nodded as the blade dropped from her neck. "You're under arrest for murder, identity theft and attempted murder." Both officers encased Trixie's forelegs in a set of manacles, and dragged her away, the mare screaming for vengeance.
Twilight gazed into the distance, starting to tremble. She was this close to death. This close to loosing everything. She sniffed, fighting back tears.
Zecora walked over and grabbed her in a hug. "You are safe from that fiend now, Twilight. There is no need to worry about that fight."
Twilight sobbed quietly, eventually falling back into sleep.
Dear Princess Celestia,
It's been some time since those events, and I must say I've been getting a lot better. Nopony in town seems to be scared of me, or hates me. After everypony (and everyzebra) told them about Trixie's attack, they all became sympathetic of me. Well, at least the one who are capable of sympathy.
I still have nightmares about it. About what could have happened to me. About what I could have done to her. I've been finding myself staying up later and later. Even now as I'm writing this, I'm planning an all-night study session. If you have any suggestions on how to cure this insomnia, please let me know; I haven't been able to find anything useful in the library.
What's going to happen to Trixie? Please don't kill her. I don't think I could deal with it.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle.
Dear Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful student,
I am so happy you are getting better. Give my regards to your friends, and my thanks for helping you through this hard time. I know it must be difficult, and I wish I could help you much more than I can.
As for your insomnia, I do not have many ideas. I will search the library for anything that may help.
I have decided to abolish the execution punishment for murder. She will instead be given life imprisonment (about 60 years), with that time reduced to 40 if she behaves. If she tries to pull anything again when she's free she will be given another life sentence. I hope this is ok with you.
I hope you get better soon. Feel free to talk to me about anything that troubles you.
Your mentor,
Princess Celestia.
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- yodajax10 · 2.3k words · 118 8 · 6.5k views
- TheWalkingRock · 6.9k words · 52 4 · 3.3k views
Stats
Page generated in 0.089 seconds
Total duration
855 users online
608,804 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
And thus everypony lives THE END.
Also, unless you're planning on an epilogue or something, change this fiction to Complete.
1118886 I thought I did change it to complete... fixed now.
Well done. Keep up the grand work on furture projects you may have in mind.
1119269 Thank you :) I most certainly shall keep trying to provide great fiction for all my fellow bronies.
That was a great read, I'll be waiting for your next story!
That was awesome :D.
1121175 and 1122946 Thanks a lot, guys, glad you enjoyed it
1126573
I would love to see more like this :D.
Um one more thing about this story. You should change the way how Twilight takes the sentence. After hearing that all of the evidence clearly points at her. She shouldn't be so shocked about the sentence. She still would be sad and scared thought.
1218031 Hmmm, you raise an interesting point.
1220132 Just want to help.
"She escaped into the Canterlot underground, where she now lives as a soldier of fortune. Her friends followed. Now, if you have a problem, and you can find them, you might be able to get help from... THE HAY TEAM."
DA da daaaaaa....
I am so sorry, your intro made me do it.
Huh. And I was certain it was Evil Luna who did it.
A beautiful ending to a well crafted story! Words cannot describe how it went from dark to suspense to cheerful. A great ending the a short story!