Chapter 18; What We Fight For
Chapter 18
So it was that, for the second time in as many days, Twilight Sparkle found herself pushing her way into the Crowne Tavern. To her credit, however, this time she came not with a myriad of swirling, jumbled thoughts requiring the numbing agency of a good dose of liquor to quell them, but with a singular determined focus, her mind clear and set wholeheartedly on one lone objective. She was looking for something she had but an inkling—little more than a hunch—that she would find in the tavern. Still, it was a good hunch, and Twilight’s hunches had proved a very valuable ally over the years. Sure enough, a quick scan of the ponies seated at the bar revealed the familiar ashen grey of a stallion’s well-groomed mane. She made hastily towards him, choosing to wait until she was only just behind him to make her presence known. “You could have told me something, at least let me know about this before it came out in the trial.”
Bright Star glanced at her with tired eyes, setting down his whiskey. “I honestly never even imagined it would come up, it was so long ago.”
Wordlessly, Twilight settled herself up at the bar beside him. The bartender came over, but she waved him away. A long, silent, moment, in which the detective downed the remainder of his glass, passed between them; only the muted sounds of the other patrons filling the void. Just when the lull began to seem palpable, Twilight sighed. “Who was she?”
“Daisy?” He cast a glance over at her.
“If you don’t mind my asking.”
The weary stallion blinked, sighed, and finally shook his head. “Not sure there’s much I really mind at all these days. Yeah, she… Daisy was my older sister.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Everyone is. It must sound callous of me, but after twenty years, you just get used to it.”
“You don’t ever find yourself thinking about her?”
He shrugged. “It comes and it goes. Not nearly as much as I used to, though. That’s just the way it goes. When I was younger I was always afraid to forget, afraid it’d mean I’d lose her. Eventually you realize that it just happens, and you’ve forgotten more and more over time, until the whole thing seems like some strange, twisted old dream.” Twilight found herself without a thing to say in response, so she sat still, staring into the mirror opposite the bar as if reflection Twilight would jump out and offer some helpful suggestion. This time it was Bright Star’s turn to break the silence. “What brings you around to this place, then?”
“I thought I’d find you here.”
“Really. Wouldn’t have pegged you to be out looking for me. Not one concerned with the affairs of older stallions, are you?”
Twilight sighed, letting her chin hit the surface of the bar. “I thought talking to you would help make sense of things. Guess I was wrong.”
“Shame. Sorry I couldn’t be of much service.”
She blinked. “No, I didn’t mean it like that, I…”
“Save your breath. I know what you meant. You feel as if you’re in over your head with this whole trial, and you need somepony to reach out and talk to.”
“That’s just it. I thought I had it down. Today it seemed like everything was falling right into place, and then I lost it all at the last minute. I just don’t understand.”
“That Ink Scroll is running a tight ship. He played us both for fools, I can tell you that much. I never even saw it coming until he started pressing those questions, and once I realized where he was headed, all I could try to do was damage control.”
“I guess it doesn’t matter now that I got his evidence thrown out.”
The elder stallion looked wistful for a second, and then shook his head. “You don’t quite get it, do you? He doesn’t need some old newspaper. What happened in there today, it was all part of a plan. A carefully thought-out, expertly laid plan. He had all the cards in his hoof the whole time and he knew it. In the eyes of everyone in that courtroom, especially the jury, my credibility is shot. Kaput. Gone just like that.”
“But I had the newspaper thrown out! He can’t use it as evidence anymore!” Twilight half-shouted, still conscious of the hubbub of activity around them.
“It doesn’t matter. That was throwaway evidence, just like he planned it. He was very careful alluding to it after that. ‘Due to events I assume to be public knowledge’, very careful indeed.”
“So that’s just it then. He can just throw out your whole testimony, just like that?”
“Like I said, he played us both for fools. He sewed all the seeds of doubt about my credibility even before producing his little piece of evidence. Now the jury thinks that my judgment is compromised by my past, and that’s all that matters. He doesn’t need evidence. What happened back then happened, whether we like it or not. My sister was raped, the bastard got off, and she killed herself. One two three, I’m not a credible investigator.”
“How is it, when I think I’ve got it all under control, that things can just fall apart so quickly?”
“I’ve been asking myself that same question for twenty years, and I wish I had a good answer.” The stallion turned to her and shrugged. “When he got away, it just broke her. It broke her and there wasn’t anything I or anyone else could do about it.”
“You get the feeling that no matter how much you try to help, the damage inside is too great, and nothing you ever do is going to make any difference.”
“The very same.” He nodded. “That’s why I went to the police academy. That’s ultimately why I became a detective. There’s so much injustice in this world, all you can do is try to help. I suppose you haven’t seen much of that, living in Ponyville. I envy you for it. I really do.”
Twilight sighed. “You’re right. Celestia’s right, too. Hay, everypony’s right. I am just in over my head.”
Bright Star sat up just a little bit straighter. “You know, I don’t think that’s true at all. This Ink Scroll character may be one cold, calculating stallion, but you’ve been holding your own. You’ve got a talent, and passion if nothing else. I don’t think this fight is over yet.”
“Won’t count for much without more evidence. I’m running out of witnesses and time.”
He pursed his lips and frowned. “I’ll admit I messed things up for you. I take the blame for today. I should have seen the attack on my credibility coming and I should’ve warned you at the very least. That’s on me. But I’ll tell you what. You’ve got something right now that Ink Scroll will never have.”
“Really, and just what is that?”
“You’ve got something worth fighting for. The defense attorney is bought and paid for, and nothing more. I know his type. At the end of the day, he doesn’t really care about his client, probably doesn’t even think Soarin’ is innocent. You can play that to your advantage.”
“I can try.”
“No.” He shook his head, a hoof hitting the counter with force that startled Twilight. “You’ll do more than just try. You’re going to win. And not just because you have to fight for your friend. You’re going to win because you’ve got everything that is right and good on your side. I’ve already lost my fight. Nothing I ever do will ever bring Daisy back, but I look at you and I know you’ve still got a fight to win, and I can see you’re going to do it.”
Twilight shook her head. “I wish I could live up to that, but your confidence in me is misplaced.”
“Listen to me. If Soarin’ walks, nothing good comes of it. I know what happens when a pony gets off the hook, I’ve seen it more times than I care to remember. I’ve lived it. When ponies see him let go, when they get to thinking he’s invincible, they don’t feel safe anymore. And it isn’t just a problem for mares. A lot of mares will jump up and say need to band together to protect themselves from stallions like him. They’ll say that the system has failed them. It creates this idea that they can’t trust any stallion anymore; us versus them. It’s all wrong. There’s more than one victim if he walks. Daisy was a victim. Rainbow Dash is a victim, every mare who no longer feels safe on the streets at night is a victim, and every honest stallion who suddenly finds he isn’t trusted anymore is a victim.”
He stopped suddenly, drew in a deep, raggedly breath and coughed. Twilight stared at him as he shook, stunned into silence. He finally seemed to bring his voice under control and spoke once more, much quieter than before. “You need to put him away. If not for your friend, do it for Equestria. There’s a lot of injustice in this world, but when I see ponies like you, with the drive and the determination to fight for who and what they love, I’m hopeful for the future. I have to be. It’s all I have left.”
The detective slumped to the bar and began to quietly weep. At some point previous, another full tumbler of whiskey had been left at his hooves, and he scooped this up now and downed it in a single gulp. Twilight sensed that it was time for her to leave. She put her snout close to his ear, thought about kissing it for a moment before deciding not to, and whispered, “Thank you.” Then she slipped from the bar and headed for the door.
“You’re not going to stay for a drink?” He called after her, his composure still remarkably steady.
She shook her head. “No. I only drink when I need to clear my head.”
“Call it what you like, but make no mistake. We all drink for the same reason; we drink to forget.”
================================================================
Another day, and another nerve-wracking walk from the carriage to the courthouse. Twilight Sparkle found herself increasingly grateful for the guards who escorted them, as they held back a horde of press that seemed to have grown in size and earnestness since only the day previous. She exhaled shortly after once again reaching the sanctity of indoors; releasing a deep breath she hadn’t known she was even holding. The hallways echoed with the sounds of their hoofsteps as the five friends moved through the cavernous space in stoic silence—an all-encompassing quiet that only served to remind Twilight of one particularly conspicuous absence. Just where, she wondered, could Pinkie Pie have gone, and why wasn’t she back yet?
The start of each new day of testimony had become a routine for the unicorn, and Twilight found herself essentially going through the motions of those early stages as the crowd filtered in and the day’s proceedings began. Try as she might, she couldn’t shake the little nagging doubts in the back of her mind that warned of something amiss. Her head hurt. She knew she wasn’t in a strong position; a notion only compounded as she reflected on the disastrous turn her careful planning had taken the day before. Uncertainty gripped her, feeding off her worries as she wondered just what had gone wrong, and what might still go wrong.
A slight cough from the judge alerted her to the silence that had enveloped the courtroom. She looked up from the papers she had been fiddling with to see a set of eyes fixated on her from above. She could feel countless more burning into her from behind. With a deep, slow breath she managed to keep herself from blushing and bring her heart under control. Now wasn’t the time to lose her cool. Still, she had to fight to keep herself from stammering as she hastily moved to introduce and prepare her first witness of the day, annoyed that she had let herself lose focus on her surroundings.
“Doctor Stable,” She addressed the stallion in the witness’s box once he was ready, “Could you please explain for the court your place in these troubling events?”
“Certainly, Miss Sparkle.” Doctor Stable cleared his throat before sweeping his gaze across the amassed ponies. “I am the head physician at Ponyville General Hospital, where Miss Dash was admitted and cared for in the days following the event in question.”
“And did you preside over her care during this time?”
“Yes. I, along with several other members of my staff, made sure Rainbow Dash was kept in favorable medical condition and performed a diagnosis immediately upon receiving her into our care. We were also tasked with making sure she felt safe, comfortable, and secure during her stay.”
“What did some of this care entail?”
“Aside from providing the patient with a stable environment, including intravenous nutrients for a short time early on, most of our work was diagnostic. We treated her minimal injuries and ran a toxicology report on her blood. We also managed to collect several semen samples.” The doctor paused briefly to look out over the crowd again, as a hushed assembly of murmurs swelled up from the audience. “Laboratory analysis confirmed that these samples matched the defendant, Mr. Soarin’ Skies.”
The low noise fell precipitously away as the rush of countless whispers petered into nothing. Twilight Sparkle let her witness’s words hang in the air for a brief instant. In truth, she hadn’t expected the doctor to drop his biggest piece of information so early, but she could already see her position had its advantages. The now hushed crowd of Canterlot elite had brought the atmosphere to a near standstill. The proverbial ball was in her court. “Doctor Stable, in your professional opinion, do you believe Rainbow Dash was raped?”
A curt nod. The doctor spoke slowly and carefully, as if each word were carefully measured before being brought forth for submission and inspection. “Yes. That is what my experience and analysis of the evidence presented me tells me.”
================================================================
Doctor Stable’s brow furled over a document, filled with some figures or patient records or other, and he stopped suddenly. Blinking a few times to the tick of the metronome, he slowly realized his eyes had scanned the last half page without really reading anything, and he would have to return to the top or risk not gleaning any information from the report. With a sigh, he leaned back, closing his weary eyes and trying to gather his faculties about him, to no avail. Whatever administrative task had been before him melted from his mind as he gazed toward the ceiling. His thoughts turned back towards where they had really been focused for a while now, if he was honest with himself—toward his latest patient. It had been mere hours since Rainbow Dash had found herself in his hospital, and already her worrisome condition had leapt to the forefront of his mind’s eye and firmly lodged itself there.
Just as he began pondering heading out to check in with his staff however, as if on cue, his door swung open. He looked up to see a very disheveled-looking Nurse Redheart step into his office with a deep yawn to accompany her. He wondered briefly if she could read his thoughts before flashing her a sympathetic half smile. “Sorry your night shift had to turn into a day shift, Redheart. I have some coffee here if you’d like some.”
“No.” She shook her head, still looking like she needed such a pick-me-up in double-time, “No, thank you. I think I’m good.”
“How is she doing?”
Nurse Redheart nodded. “I was just about to say. I had a feeling you would want to know right away. She’s doing better. She woke up, at least. Though I can’t say she’s fully with it, yet.”
“I imagine she seems despondent, with a delayed reaction time to stimuli. She must not be speaking yet, or at the very least, not coherently.” The nurse nodded. Doctor Stable gave a rueful shake of his head in response. “That is to be expected.”
“She also appears severely hung-over as well.”
The stallion stopped, looking pensive for a moment. “Well, that would complicate things. I hope her head isn’t spinning too badly. See if you can’t get her a little more comfortable, then please, go home and get some rest, Redheart. You look dead on your hooves.”
“I will right away, Doctor, but first, I wanted… uh…”
“Are you sure you don’t want any coffee?”
“No, Doctor. I actually wanted to ask you about what you thought of this. Do you think this really could have been rape? I know we’ve been taking Twilight Sparkle’s word for it, but do you think it could be really true?”
The elder’s grin faded. “Did you find anything when you administered the rape kit?”
“Yes, there were traces of an unknown stallion present.”
“Were there any telling injuries? I recall seeing a large bloodstain on her rear leg when she was brought in.”
“I cleaned that area up, and it wasn’t nearly as bad as it initially seemed. From what I could see, the bleeding was caused by tearing of the hymen wall, and nothing major to speak of.”
“Well, thank Celestia for that. It could easily have been a lot worse. But, we also have to take into account her psychological state.”
“We already know she doesn’t appear to be thinking coherently yet, and she’s also suffered bouts of shivering even beneath her blankets.”
“What does your intuition tell you, Redheart?”
“Something I want to believe is almost entirely unimaginable.”
Doctor Stable shook his head. “That’s the sort of world we live in. We’re lucky stuff like this is so uncommon in Ponyville, but I agree with you. It is almost unthinkable, but I believe this was indeed rape. It fits a pattern I’ve seen more times than I want to remember. In fact, we should count Rainbow Dash as fortunate that her injuries weren’t more pronounced. In Manehattan, I’ve seen cases like this where the mare was beaten almost beyond recognition. In a way, we’re luckier than we think. Thank Celestia for that.”
“If it’s true, that’s hardly any consolation.”
“I agree, but after what I’ve seen, I like to take any little victory I can get. In the meantime, we’ll do what we can, make her as comfortable as we can, and hope for the best.”
“I understand, Doctor. Thank you. I’ll attend to her immediately.” The mare turned briskly and headed for the hallway.
“Get some sleep first!” The stallion called after her as the door swung shut, once again leaving him alone in his office, knowing full well that his employee and friend wouldn’t see her bed that day.
================================================================
“I’m interested to know, Doctor, about the results of the toxicology blood test you mentioned briefly. What did you glean from this exercise?”
“I believe you’ll find all of my notes on the subject in the final hospital report, which was submitted as evidence, as I recall.” Doctor Stable spoke coolly as Ink Scroll strode past the witness stand.
“Yes, well. I’d prefer to hear about this from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.”
The doctor settled into his position, locking gazes with the lawyer. “We combed those results looking for any trace of a drug or chemical anomaly. Aside from the alcohol that remained in her system, there were none.”
“I see. And would you consider these results typical?”
“Typical in what way?”
“Oh, well in your interview with Miss Sparkle, you merely stated that you thought what you had witnessed fit some sort of a “pattern” for rape and other crimes of that nature that you’d seen before. I’m curious as to whether the lack of coercive or inhibitive drugs also fits that pattern.”
“I’m sure you’re aware, Mr. Scroll, of alcohol’s long and storied history as a coercive and inhibitive drug.”
“The fact that both my client and Miss Dash were beyond the intoxication threshold for consent has been well documented in testimony and evidence earlier in this trial, as well as the fact that Miss Dash partook in the consumption of alcohol of her own free will. I am interested to know about the presence of more nefarious chemical substances, and whether the lack thereof is typical of sexual assault cases you have seen.”
“They’re not as common as you’d like to think. And a lack of them certainly does not rule out coercion.”
“But their presence would almost confirm a case of rape, no? I am given to understand that such coercive substances are colloquially known as ‘date-rape drugs’ for a reason. Surely, their absence is important.”
“Statistically insignificant. Like I said, these substances were found in a minority of the sexual assault cases I’ve seen in my career.”
“I see. And what of your career, Doctor Stable? Where did you have the poor fortune to come across so many of these terrible sorts of cases?”
“I was a resident physician at Manehattan General Hospital for five years. If I cared to remember, I’d say we saw around one sexual assault or rape victim per week, on average.”
“So, you’d say you have significant experience dealing with such cases.”
“Yes. The experience needed to know one when I see it.”
“Or, the experience that leads you to expect such a case, leads you to look for signs that corroborate your expectations, and leads you to consider certain cases as ‘rape’ without adequate basis, perhaps?”
“You’re reaching pretty far, there. I’ll tell you now I won’t have any of it.”
“Indeed. So, how many of these cases do you believe you’ve seen before? 50? 100?”
“Far too many to count, and certainly more than that.”
“That sounds draining. It must have weakened your resolve considerably.”
“It’s one of the reasons I chose to leave the big city and accept a position in Ponyville for lower pay.”
“And, of course, when another case, with a few circumstantial similarities to those ones you grew accustomed to seeing comes through your door, you immediately jump to the worst conclusion.”
“On the contrary, I was surprised. I’d never come across a similar case during my tenure in Ponyville, so I was wary on being confronted with such indications. My reactions tend to be far from visceral, Mr. Scroll.”
“From your earlier testimony, you certainly seemed to make your conclusions very early on.”
“I’m trained to make initial decisions based on a worst-case scenario. In other, more pressing circumstances, that sort of thinking saves lives. However, great care and hours of thought go into my diagnoses. Always.”
“I see. Well, moving on, I’d like to return to the ‘pattern’ of sexual assault cases you used to characterize this one. Specifically, I would like to know whether Miss Dash’s injuries, or I could more accurately say lack thereof, fit this so-called ‘pattern’.”
Doctor Stable stared down at the lawyer, his brows furrowing as he did so. “I’m not sure why you make a point to say ‘lack thereof’, when there clearly was bodily harm involved.”
“Oh, yes. Your testimony and your notes, transcribing the statements of a certain Nurse Redheart, both describe the only so-called injury as…” The stallion strode languidly to his desk and leafed through a few documents, “… ‘a slight tearing of the hymen wall, leading to protracted bleeding’. My understanding is that this is not an uncommon occurrence, even in consensual sexual encounters, particularly virginal ones. Is that not correct?”
The doctor’s eyes lazily followed the lawyer’s every move. Twilight Sparkle, who could feel herself struggle to even stay still in her seat as the discourse bounced back and forth, marveled at how calm he remained—or at least, marveled at what a placid façade he was able to maintain through such questioning of his professional integrity. “Statistically speaking, no. It’s not unusual, but can certainly be indicative of a sexual encounter being more violent that we in the medical community like to see. Not to mention, need I remind you, this case can in no way be considered consensual.”
“Casual, then. This is not uncommon among casual sexual encounters. Ponies are not arrested after every casual romp they have, even if they might be a little bit rough. So there must be a more pressing issue here. You say you didn’t find any other injuries? No evidence Miss Dash was held down? That she was beaten? That she tried to resist at all?”
“No. No physical evidence of the sort.”
“And yet you say this still fits your ‘pattern’ of sexual assault cases. I seem to recall you saying Miss Dash was ‘fortunate’ not to have any further injuries. Wouldn’t that make her lack of injuries abnormal among your body of sexual assault cases? Wouldn’t that indicate that what you were looking at might not have been such an assault at all?”
“‘Abnormal’ is not the word I would use to describe it. ‘Fortunate’ is. End of story.”
“But certainly, signs of some—any—kind of struggle would be present in a majority of actual, criminal cases of rape or sexual assault. A complete lack of such signs surely must speak to whether or not this event was truly criminal?”
“They would be common, yes. But I’d hesitate to call their presence a majority feature. Rape comes in a variety of forms. Sometimes, the victim doesn’t know, or isn’t able, to resist. That doesn’t make them any less of a victim, and it doesn’t make the event any less of a rape.”
“But such a want for strong physical evidence would certainly make a proper diagnosis all the more difficult.”
“Difficult, but not impossible.”
“You see, Doctor Stable, that’s where I have a problem.”
The doctor’s face registered amusement, and he settling a bit further back in his chair. “Do tell.”
“My problem is, after all I’ve heard from you today, I have reason to believe you made a diagnosis based on insufficient evidence and a strong hunch on your part, and I don’t see that as enough to have my client prosecuted on.”
“Well, you’re certainly entitled to that opinion.”
“Tell me, Doctor, can you point to any physical evidence, anything at all, that would indicate a sign of coercion, and thus equate this event to anything other than a casual sexual encounter?”
"You mean, aside from the presence of semen from your client and the bleeding Miss Dash sustained?”
“The only thing either of those proves is that my client and Miss Dash had sexual intercourse. Neither could have given consent, but nothing you have referenced yet speaks to the casual nature of the encountered, and is certainly not enough to incriminate my client of anything criminal.”
“What of her psychological state, then? She was clearly despondent, briefly incoherent, and distressed after her ordeal. That clearly speaks to a traumatic event.”
“All of which can be easily explained as the after-effects of the alcohol and waking up from a magically-induced coma. That alone certainly sounds like a traumatic enough event to me. Being forced unconscious against your own will via a spell, cast by somepony you trust, no less? I’d consider that quite traumatic indeed.” Twilight Sparkle bristled, and could have sworn she saw her opposite glance in her general direction, if only briefly.
Doctor Stable, however, maintained a measured calm about himself. “On the contrary, if you’ll look in my notes, you’ll find Nurse Redheart explicitly stated Rainbow Dash clung to her friend for support for several minutes after wakening. If she trusted anypony during that time, it was Miss Sparkle.”
“Let us not forget that Miss Dash flew all the way to Ponyville from Cloudsdale while still well above legal intoxication levels. That sounds like quite the traumatic experience in and of itself.”
“Reaching again, Mr. Scroll?”
“Expressing reasonable doubt is never ‘reaching’, doctor.” Ink Scroll grinned. “Now, I only have one final question for you.”
“I eagerly await it.”
“Very well. Given the very limited evidence presented to you, can you prove, conclusively, that Rainbow Dash was indeed coerced into a sexual encounter with my client, and that it was anything other than casual?”
“Given her emotional state, and what I know of both her and the situation presented to me, I am very confident in my assertion that—“
“Doctor Stable,” the lawyer interjected, “I asked a very simply yes or no question, one that begs an equally simple answer. Can you prove your assertion, beyond any reasonable doubt?”
Something flashed in the doctor’s eyes, and for the first time since stepping into the witness stand, Twilight Sparkle felt she could sense some glimpse of emotion escape from the previously impenetrable stallion. It was anger, she decided, something she could commiserate in. Her ears felt ready to turn to steam at any second.
“Doctor, yes or no?”
And the flash was gone, replaced by cool, meditative calm. “I’m afraid I must say no. Not conclusively.”
“Thank you, Doctor. No further questions.”
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4161989
Yeah, but then again, they aren't above the law. This is the same as saying a soldier should be appeased for a crime committed, even though the defendant may actually be innocent.
What you're demanding is that a possibly innocent stallion be thrown in jail on nothing more than an accusation. That's not only abuse of the system, but also extreme abuse of ones' rank and power, and that is favoritism based on one's government position. This would cast doubt on every single member of law enforcement and upholders of the law, simply because they are privvy to treating those of proper rank as 'always right', no matter what they've done.
This, in the end, is stupid. Please, don't speak to this as if you know what you're talking about. Every single action has consequences, and the action you're suggesting is so far up the wall, that riots'd break out.
As for the chapter, good Lord, we're getting into the thick of it now. Twilight just seems to hit wall after wall, doesn't she? No breaks at all. I'll keep my doubt about this whole case, thanks to that one user I spoke with in this comments section, but God, I can't wait to see how this whole thing closes. How much further is the story going, Neumo? We going to see any kind of climax soon?
I wonder if scroll is going to go for the "She was a virgin and a lesbian, she had drunk sex with Sorin, but was ashamed of herself so to save face she says she was raped" argument...
4162224 I would vastly disagree on the point of them not being above the law, at least to a point. this is not something we can compare to real world standards. we have no one in our world with the aiblities of the mane six nor their achievements. something must come to them.
4161989
I don't see what you're getting at, because no one yet knows if this:
is actually true.
4162224
If my plans as they currently stand hold, there should be 25 chapters total (the total number not including the epilogue or prologue), with a good many more twists and turns thrown in for good measure!
reason why celestia would not completely relinquish her powers in equestrian politics number five; dirty court tactics.
I think that is one of the few problems I have with this story. I only partl agree with celestia not intervening somehow with this case. argely because you would think a thousand year old monarch would know better than to relinquish her ability to affect her own government. perhaps she would let the ponies try to work out themselves but she would know that corruption is aways present and would want to have the power to weed out the patches that are getting out of control. emergency type powers I think, for worse case scenarios or events of immediate concern.
personally I cannot see celestai letting such an underhanded trick take hold. she might not just fire him or something, but I think she would probably......... question his abiliries if he has to go through such an obvious and underhanded ploy as that newspaper as politely as possible........... in public.......... with lots of witnesses, maybe a few of the joury present....... in the royal canterlot voice.
she would not technically be getting herself involved in the legal matter but would 'indirectly' break his tactic completely. if Celestia is pointing it out as a cheap tactic and manipulation then no one would take it into account and find more credibility in brightstar. and she would not be breaking a single law........
she is the pony who tends to prank and once teased the cake couple for treating her like roalty. she would do this.
Needs beginning quote marks.
________________________________
Yay! A new chapter. I can't wait to see Pinkie Pie come and save the day. But none the less great chapter.
I'm glad that everyone (or at least mostly everyone) who has commented, is not instantly going for the whole "Ink Scroll is evil cuz he's trying to make Soarin' walk hur dur hur." It's quite easy to forget that his job isn't to decide who is guilty, but to make sure that the law is followed. The fact that he is checking into backstories like Bright's shows that he (most likely) cares for following the law, not letting his morals cloud his judgement. In fact, I have an Aunt who is quite similar in her cases as an attorney. So I've got to say, BronyNeumo,, you are doing a fantastic job of making a lawyer play his part.
4162328
Except, it's quite obvious that Bright Star's judgement is compromised by his past. Remember in a chapter previous, when he smashed up a hospital generator as a way of blowing off steam? I included that scene for a very specific reason.
It's really not sneaky or underhanded of the defense attorney to point out this aspect of the detective's past, as it very easily would allow emotions to cloud his judgement. The tactic of using "throwaway evidence" for shock-and-awe value while exposing a bigger idea is well entrenched in the annals of trial justice. Ink Scroll isn't corrupt. Like 4162373 said, he's simply being a good lawyer.
4162228
He's already gone for the 'she is accusing him in order to get back for a choice she regrets' argument. The 'lesbian' claim would throw his case under the bus, and the 'virgin' claim has already been proven through given evidence.
God, I love being overly serious when it comes to stories like this. That's real investment in a tale!
4162278
This is not a matter of achievements or power, this is a matter of equality. The law is there to prevent any and all notion of corruption, abuse of power, or otherwise illegal activity in all ponies to create a truly equal and peaceful society where all can feel safe under the blanket of law and regulation. If the Elements of Harmony are given a 'get out of jail free' card, even if it's under the heavy notion of abuse leading to execution, prosecutors and defense attorneys will both rally around the point that these privileges can and will be abused.
I couldn't really care less if this story doesn't relate to our world, since Equestria is based on equality and harmony. Now where does this go when such trust is put in six ponies, that equates to the power to lock away a stallion based on assumptions? There's still reasonable doubt, and that is going to create guilt, stress, and become complete cannon fodder for the public and press.
It would be a PR nightmare the likes of which has never been seen before.
4162316
Can't wait. I may still have a lot of doubt about this case, but I still think Soarin's under a lot of shade here. I wonder if this sort of thing happened in the past, actually?
And too bad he's not older. That might throw in an extra twist with him possibly being related to Daisy's case. Wouldn't that be a real spanner in the gears?
4162411
Yeah. It's still one hell of a punch in the gut, but it's a point to be made. I do like Ink Scroll just as much as I hate him.
I just hope things resolve well. After seeing Bright and his dark past, and just how much this case means to him - as well as the entire country -... it really brings a lot of weight down on Twilight's shoulders. C'mon, Sparkle, persevere! You can do this!
The truth needs to be revealed!
4162492
My point, however, is that it doesn't make sense for the law not to consider this a dire threat to national and possibly world security. You don't charge someone with nothing more than breaking and entering if the place they broke into was an active nuclear missile silo and they were carrying a bomb at the time, do you?
Though I'd quite forgotten about this story, honestly.
4162510
You still would. It's just suspicion of terrorism would be tacked on top.
And that suspicion would be quickly elevated to proof when they find they're carrying a bomb.
You don't have such clear evidence in a case like this. It's not that clear cut. In the end, you can only charge for what's been proven, or is able to be proven with minimal doubt, and all other charges are thrown to the wayside.
Breaking and entering into a top-secret facility, as well as trespassing on government property. Those are pretty heavy charges, and are readily proven.
This is possible - possible - sexual assault and rape against a defender of Equestria. They are still treated as civilians. Concerning a threat to national and world security, we don't know that. The law is what it is, and changing it just to suit a situation - no matter how dire or demanded - will just make other ponies want the same thing.
It's chaos waiting to happen. You've gotta deal with the cards you've been given, and the situation that Life gave you.
With each passing chapter, my hopes for a happy ending get more and more low.
4162543
Hm. I think that we may just need to agree to disagree on what the proper behavior of the Equestrian government would be in this situation. While I agree that it's very important to prove guilt here, I still think that the affair is being treated with far too little gravity. I stopped reading the story ages ago, anyway.
4162411 perhaps by real world terms I guess. though one would think that Celestia would demand those who represent law in her land show a great competence and skill. a low down tactic is a low down tactic. if he truly had the competence to bring question to brigthstar's credibility in this case, he would have managed to produce legitimate evidence.
still I cannot help but wonder how this case will go. if soaring is innocent then so be it, but I highly doubt that someone gets rape trauma from flying drunk or any of the nonsense he spoke about.
also I would think that celestia would have selected the jury herself, in a certain way. not one that will side with twilight, no. one that has either knowledge of the subjects discussed........ or knowledge of courtroom lawyer tactics.
Celestia would do everything she can to ensure this case was fair in every aspect. that only the evidence would sway the jury and not lawyer tactics would be the least she would do. intelligent but still neutral. she wants proof without a shadow of doubt of soarin's innoccents or guilt, and would not tolerate the court being swayed either direction by courtroom tactics alone over the information given.
4162677
The gravity was established all throughout the story. Everyone knows the weight of this case, trust me. None less than Twilight, and I'm sure even Soarin', despite his cool demeanor, knows the gravity of this as well. As well as just who his prosecution is.
Ink probably knows the score as well. Everyone in this story is staying professional, but I'm certain they all know exactly what's going on here, and what the verdicts 'guilty' and 'not guilty' mean. Gonna be real exciting to see this story come to a close...
4162680
I get the feeling that you only consider Ink Scroll to be "incompetent" because you don't like the tactic he used. I can;t help that. All I can say is that the tactic he used is legitimate, and that I caution against considering it "low down".
As for Celestia hand-picking the jury, that's a can of worms I know she wouldn't want to touch. We'll just have to trust that the jury can distinguish facts from pandering and fluff, i.e., the fact that Bright Star has a difficult past which might easily cloud his judgement.
4162768 incompetence can be many things. it is not incompetence t use a rather dirty tactic if needs be. it is incompetence when you do not bother to find another tactic to use t begin with.
as i said, celestia would choose thse who stand neutrally. she would not trust a normal jury, as they would be too unpredictable. she knows the gravity of this, and she has a personal stake. evyerhting must be in balance so justice can truly prevail.
which makes me questito he idea that she just lets the pnies do as they need without potential influence from her beyond advisory. she is wise enough to know when the corruption that is inevitable spruts necessary evil or goes out of cntrl, and would need a manner at which to remove it.
actually heard a farily interesting idea with another fiction called Slander. has the cutie mar crusaders getting arrested and threatened to be sent to jail. tried to make it kanagroo court too. celestia saw straight through it and called bullshit and literally threw the entire case out to start anw.
however it was not unlimited power. she give herself a weapon but limited its ammunitin as she could not hit reset with curt cast twice. shows her sitll possessing the pwers f a monarch yet, at the same time limiting her abilities with it so she could not utright abuse it.
4162768 sorry abut the typos, but damn keybr is not coooperating.
This is gonna be a little out of left field, but I just wanna say this:
Soarin is screwed whatever the outcome in this trial, particularly in terms of his career and reputation, due to how high-profile this case has become. The jury may well find him not guilty, but that doesn't mean the public will. I mean, who's gonna wanna be anywhere near this very possible rape-suspect after all this? It's unlikely he'll be able to stay in the Wonderbolts for long due the damage his and the organization's reputations have taken.
I mean, take a look at such celebrity trials in the real world like the OJ Simpson trial. He may have been found 'not guilty' (even though it was widely believed the jury made a mistake and at least he's in jail now) his reputation was ruined and he became a pariah.
The only real 'winner' who could come out of this case is Rainbow Dash if it ends in her favor.
will anyone mention how RD hallucinated Soarin'
Ink Scrolls is my favorite character in this. He just seems to know exactly what he's doing, and is leading the trial in exactly the way he wants it to be going. And he's not coming off as a scumbag as most "enemy lawyers" tend to in fiction.
I'm honestly curious as to how you're going to turn his entire case around on him and have Twilight prove that...wait...is that...a tragedy tag? One of the requirements for the tragedy tag be that it can't end happily...Oooh...This will be interesting.
4163303 Well, even if Soarin was founded guilty, I don't think Rainbow would consider it to be a happy ending, because it doesn't change that she was raped, explaining the tragedy tag, so I still think anything could happen.
Funny thing about laws, these exceptions to the written statutes that more often than not fall one way or the other based soley on pay grade of the lawyers.
A man and a woman get drunk in the bar, have sex, and the woman wakes up the next day and screams rape.
If *insert multitude of athletes or politicians who have been the alleged rapist here* is the man and *insert pretty much any woman with average income here*, it's kicked and the so-called "rapist" is quickly forgiven by the public (or not, as is rarely the case).
If average Joe and average Jane are the two parties involved, it's almost categorically a guilty verdict with hardly any trial at all based on not much more than what evidence you provide for either case in this story.
TL;DR, I fear for anyone who hooks up with a girl at a bar because you run this risk right here
4162422
But its not public knowledge shes a lesbian, Only Applejack knows, surely that can still be played up to her "image" being damage, especially if its not the norm. Her being drunk, she forgets her "life choices". Well...if he somehow finds out shes a lesbian then maybe that can work or something....I dunno
Sweet, I liked it.
4164138
If you're referring to the Applejoy series, this is a different 'canon'. I don't think Rainbow's ever admitted her sexuality in this story.
4163309
This is implying Rainbow Dash still wouldn't care for the country her friends live in. You suggest that, even if she is raped, she would betray her country just because it didn't save her. That she'd let it burn and sacrifice hundreds of thousands of innocent lives because hers wasn't protected.
I'd sooner suggest she'd just go and kill Soarin' herself than do that shit.
4165234
I'm becoming less and less convinced by this argument the more times people post about it.
Seriously. That's not a version of Equestria I can believe in. Hell, any government that decides upon a course of action like that is not even a government I can believe in. It will never be written into this story, or any other story I ever write. Promoting a just and equitable society trumps national security. Always.
4165333
I believe in an Equestria that has life. And life is full of sad, terrible, and awful things. Life doesn't always work out the way you want to, but that's ok. Because at the end of the day, life is all we truly have to believe in, so we carry on, pick up the pieces, find solace in our friends, and keep on living.
That's ultimately what all my stories are about: Life. Life can be beautiful, and life can be terribly, terribly sad, sometimes both at the same time.
Having a demigod monarch and her all-powerful government swoop in to give instant comeuppance to anyone who wrongs our favorite characters may make us feel better, but it goes against everything I believe in.
4166006
I think you're missing the bigger picture here. The question I'm asking here isn't about whether some no-name higher up in the Equestrian government would choose to do the wrong thing because it might serve the greater good. The question I'm asking is about my own life philosophy and how my writing reflects that. I don't write stories about how some character we're absolutely devoted to has something terrible happen to her, but then instead of facing it has it immediately rectified by a higher power that serves to make sure her life is as trauma-free as possible because it might be necessary for self-defense. I don't write stories about a paranoid, reactionary government that doles out immediate and unjustified comeuppance because it is more concerned with preventing some potential future affront to national security than it is with being as equitable and fair to every single citizen as possible.
I write stories about individual struggle, individual loss, individual pain and suffering, and ultimately, individual triumph. Because I'm a realist. I know life isn't perfect. In fact, life sucks. People die, people get grievously injured or traumatized, people lose loved ones, and people suffer on a daily basis. I know sometimes innocent people get punished and guilty people go free. I know life can heavily favor certain people for seemingly no reason other than the position they were born into. I know life can be terrible and sad, I said as much above. But life is also beautiful. Life is beautiful because despite all that, despite all the loss, the hardship, the struggle, the pain and the obstacles we all face, we still have a relentless drive to make it better. We still make friends, we still find love, we still have children and build families and we're still capable of seeking out or creating incredible experiences that just make every bad thing seem so small in comparison. We still fight to overcome those obstacles, and we work towards making life better even when it seems hopeless and impossible.
I said above that life is all we have to believe in and I meant it. It may be terrible and beautiful, but it's all we really know that we have. We can't know for sure if there's a God, or a heaven, or anything else waiting for us beyond death. We like to think we can know these things, because they provide a very real comfort to us, but we can't be sure. All we can truly know is that we are here--that we are here for seemingly no reason other than the fact that we are alive, and that we have the will and the sheer desire to make being alive feel worthwhile through friends, family, and all else we fight for.
There is real beauty in that willingness to fight, that willingness to live life despite every indication that it might not be worth living. There is beauty in the daily struggle of individuals against the forces that be. I write about that beauty, and I may use ponies as a medium to do it, but everything I write reflects everything I believe in on Earth.
So, I ask you, what if I were to write this story your way? What would be the purpose? What would be my motivation? How could I take a story about the individual struggle and hardship that Rainbow Dash--by seeking solace in her friends--ultimately learns to face and fight against, and turn it into something that embraces none of that? How could I even believe in such a story?
We all face obstacles to overcome them. That's how we fight, that's how we triumph, and that's how we live. We don't overcome obstacles by being coddled.
When you've become so emotionally attached to a story to the point of tears. Prime example.
I am so used to playing Phoenix Wright, that Bright Star saying Defence Lawers are cold and heartless makes me think, that's the total opposite to what was stated in the PW games, in there they made out that the Prosecution were the bad guys, so it feels odd to me that when I read what Bright Star said, I immediately think, clearly not, take Phoenix for example, kind, lawful, always looks after he client's interest and will do everything in his power to prove them innocent, so not all defence attorneys are bad, same with not all prosecutors are bad, like Twilight here, pretty much the PW of prosecutors, so I believe Bright Star assertion to be incorrect, not all defence attorneys are like that.
I just want to murder that lawyer, he gives sleeze a new shine. I can see so many ways for that tragedy tag to be fulfilled and I don't like any of them
4165016
May I direct your attention to Chapter 9 - Revelations:
There are more mentions - in Chapter 10 Rarity and Twilight talk about how Rainbow told them her sexuality and how it might affect the case, and practically all of the conflict in Chapter 13 stems from the way her parents treated her when she came out to them. Of course she's never mentioned it in public, so there's no real chance of anyone finding out unless one of the Mane 6 or Rainbow's parents let it slip somehow.
4173489
Ah, alrighty. My mistake.
4172134 I, however, would like to believe that the main part of the tragedy has already happened.
4181623 i want to too but that just it. Tragedy usually means the endings aren't happy
4181626 That would be a terrible turn of events, indeed, and would completely ruin the story.
4181676 t would indeed, I hope to the sisters we get a happier ending. Not necessarily a happy ending but a happier one
4182389 In fact, I still believe there's something wrong about that whole situation... Also, Spitfire seemed more than just nervous lately, yet we haven't heard anything from her since then. I believe there is yet a surprise to come.
4182397 I hope so hard that she steps forward, she could destroy that fame wielding chauvinistic pig of a squad mate if she did. Turn this whole case into an execution and it would bring me an insurmountable amount of pleasure to see the words "To be Gelded" grace a paragraph from the judge. To see that atrocity of a pony loose everything and Dash get at least a little peace again.
4182416 There is a room for another possibility, however. It's quite crazy though, but what if there's been another stallion interested in either raping RD or destroying Soarin', so he's got them both drugged with some special drug, yet unknown to medicine, then raped RD, who, in her drugged state, was sure it was Soarin. After all, I doubt Pinkie Pie, who left to find more evidence, would return with empty hooves.
4182490 I just had a horrendous thought, what if Spitfire was behind it all. Like Soarin rejected her and this is her revenge and that's why she is so torn up about it.
4182568 That wouldn't seem likely to me, but I do not deny the fact that she might have something to do with it.
4182641 this story, I shouldn't but I do love it so. So many possibilities, so much promise
4182729 Let's just hold back a little and thing about the writer. I wouldn't like him or her to feel any pressure. The story is very well written and I hope it's going to be that way until the very end.
4182748 me too. I am looking forward to the next chapter and beyond
4183233 And that's where I completely solidary with you.