Part III, Chapter 21 - Closing Arguments
Judge Gavel took a few moments to sort through some paperwork in front of him. Thorax looked around the court room as he did so.
The ponies who met his gaze either looked on him with contempt or uncertainty. Raspberry's testimony, combined with the evidence presented by Dr. Prion, had created doubt in some of the ponies' minds.
Would that be enough to sway the jury to think he was innocent? Was there a chance he could actually walk away from this without being sent to the dungeons?
Probably not. Even if he did win, Cadance would probably throw him out of the castle.
No, she wouldn't do that. She didn't trust him now, despite all his effort to prove his intentions true. He would remain in the Crystal Palace, being a janitor and being restrained, even if it's just the magic nullifyng ring on his horn. All his interactions with ponies would be strictly monitored.
Worse yet, they would probably cut his feeding back more than it already was, constantly keeping him at the precipice of starvation, but not enough to drive him to go into an uncontrolled feeding frenzy.
Before his thoughts could get any darker, the judge cleared his throat. "The prosecution and defense have made their arguments. Miss State Evidence, the court will now hear your closing remarks."
State stood up and shot both Thorax and Plea Bargain a smile. It was not a good smile, at least not for the stallion and changeling. She moved forward and stepped in front of the jury.
"Mares and Stallions of the jury," she begins, "We have presented to you all the relevant evidence required for you to reach a decision in this matter, both the prosecution and defense. Soon, you will enter into deliberation and return with a verdict as to whether or not the changeling you see before you is truly a victim of some horrible misfortune, or is a deceiving monster who only cares about getting his next meal."
"I can't tell you how to decide, or even what to decide, but I can tell you that this will set a precedent one way or another. If you decide on innocence, then that means that you have given this creature the benefit of the doubt and believe his claims that he was attacked and set up as a patsy. If you decide guilty, then he will go to the dungeons and there will be no more need for concern than to simply keep an open eye in case other changelings come here and try to take us over."
"The most important part of the process you will enter is simply what you believe to be the truth. So, what is the truth? Is this changeling truly innocent, or is he doing his best to pull the wool over your eyes?"
"I only ask you to consider all the evidence and all of the arguments, nothing more. Thank you."
State turned around and headed back to her seat, again giving Thorax and Plea that same evil looking smile. Thorax could hear Plea curse under his breath. The stallion notices his concern and whispers to him "She's still playing up the prejudice card, and unfortunately, I think it's working."
Thorax looked from Plea to the jury, who all wore looks of either contemplation or scorn. Unfortunately, he was looking at more faces of scorn than contemplation.
"Mister Plea Bargain," the judge says to the lawyer pony, "you may now make your closing remarks."
Plea stood up and adjusted his tie. Stepping out from behind the table, he approached the jury and took a deep breath.
"Mares and stallions of the jury," he begins, "Over the past couple of weeks, we have brought forth arguments to you regarding the circumstances of a crime that took place here in our empire. This crime was the attempt to abduct a filly named Raspberry Mint."
"In one argument, three stallions claimed that a trio of changelings attempted to abscond with the filly but were stopped by the three of them, with two escaping and the third incapacitated and quickly arrested by our crystal guard."
"In the other, the changeling that was arrested claimed the stallions were the ones who tried to take the filly, and he had made an effort to stop them."
"Now, I know all of you have doubts about the validity of the latter story, given to creature that's making the claim, but before you dismiss it entirely, please consider these facts first."
"One: The victim of this attempted abduction recalled a story that was very similar to the accused."
"Two: She gave this testimony after she was given a magic clearing spell by a mage in the Canterlot Royal Guard."
"Three: Evidence collected by an expert witness gives significant plausibility to the story the victim has told."
"But besides those facts, there is one more that has less to do with the crime committed and more to do with this trial we've held here today. The outcome of this case will likely hinge less on credible evidence and more on your own personal prejudices."
"Can you look beyond the fact that my client, a changeling, one of many that took part in the attempt to take over Canterlot during the royal wedding of our sovereigns, and see that this creature, named Thorax, is trying to do better? If you can, then ask yourself this: Why would he do something to set all that back so far for himself?"
"As Miss State Evidence said only a short time ago, neither she or I can tell you how to decide. We can only reinforce the fact that your decision must be what you believe to be the truth. We have made our arguments, presented our evidence, had witnesses give their testimony, and done all this as completely as possible."
"It now rests in your hooves, and I can only hope you decide fairly. Not just for my client, but for any that come after him, pony, changeling, or otherwise. Thank you."
Plea returns to his seat as he gives me a smile. "I've done all that I can. Now, it's up to them."
Thorax gives him a smile, but the stallion can tell it's halfhearted.
"Don't look so glum" he tells Thorax. "Even if the outcome isn't what we want, I doubt the princess will ignore the pleas of Brass, the princesses in Canterlot once they learn of this, and all the friends you made from Ponyville."
Thorax suddenly realized something. "Don't the princesses know about this?"
"I'm sure they do," Plea responds, "but with the Crystal Empire having a sovereign ruler, they can't do anything to just overturn whatever decision the jury comes to. It could be seen as an act of war, and creatures would take advantage of it."
Thorax nodded and hung his head. He understood politics well enough to know that if you made any kind of faux pas, your enemies would take advantage and try to bury you so deep, it would take decades to dig out.
All of Thorax's thoughts were stopped as the judge cleared his throat and turned to the jury.
"Mares and stallions of the jury," he addresses them, "you have been presented two arguments in a case against a changeling named Thorax, who stands accused of attempted foalnapping and assault on three stallions, as well as assault of, and endangerment of a filly. In these arguments, you have been presented testimony by witnesses for character of the defendant, experts witnesses in the field of forensic science, and direct eyewitnesses to the crime. There is also evidence you've been shown that was collected from the scene of the crime, as well as results from forensic tests run on said evidence."
"With all of this provided to you, you will now enter into deliberation. This deliberation will only conclude when one of three decisions has been reached: Guilty, Not Guilty, or Cannot Decide. Once you have that decision, you will return and present it to this court."
"At no time during this deliberation can you be allowed to exit the jury chambers. You may make requests for food and water, as well as clarifications on matters relating to this trial if you need them."
"You are also not allowed to discuss this trial with anypony besides your fellow jurors until a verdict has been given. What you discuss in deliberation is between you and your fellow jurors."
"Those are your instructions. Now, I dismiss you to enter into deliberation. This court will reconvene when you have come to a decision."
The judge picked up his gavel and banged it on the plate loudly. The jury rose to their hooves and filed out through a side door connected to the jury box. The judge left through the door he had come in through. All the other ponies left through the large doors in the back of the courtroom.
A guard motioned for Thorax to stand up. As he did, he looked up in the direction of Princess Cadance. When he saw her, his blood went cold.
The Princess of Love looked at him in the most contemptuous way possible. It only lasted for a second, but it feel like ages to the changeling. Very quickly, she rose to her hooves and exited the courtroom, not even waiting for her attendants to get the door for her.
A prodding got Thorax to return his focus on the guard, who led him back out of the courtroom and to a wagon that would take him to the prison again.
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Something tells me there's gonna be a Twelve Angry Men reenactment in the jury's deliberating room. Am looking forward to seeing what happens with the High Tide Case, but I also wanna stick by Thorax while the jury is deciding!
can we smack Cadence in the face?
So close and yet so far.
Makes it all the more satisfying once we finally see Thorax’s name being cleared.
*hooves crossed for Thorax*
I've never heard of the 'cannot decide' verdict. Is that actually a thing?
11388647
it's called a 'hung jury' where they can't unanimously decide on one verdict. Like say half of them aren't prejudice decided not guilty and won't change their minds no matter how much they argue. They can't simply go on and the trial will have to adjourned and be considered a mistrial.
11388670
Okay then. Now I'm starting to think that might end up being the verdict
11388689
It won't. It will be guilty or not guilty. To the chagrin of thirsty mares, the jury won't be hung.
11388703
can we punish Cadence and Shining for being dicks?
11388725
we'll see
I get the feeling that these jury deliberations are going to take a good while. Possibly even most of the day with some desperately trying to drag it out due to prejudice. But I am now more interested as to what will happen after the verdict is given. Who will call out Shining and Cadence for their failures due to them still holding contempt towards Thorax?
I wonder what Spike or the Mane Six are doing at the moment.
You know, at this point, I'd personally see that as a win? Might as well use that as a chance to start fresh, or better still, go bunk with Spike and his friends that you already know are a bit more willing to give you the benefit of a doubt than most everybody here in the Crystal Empire has, so you'd at least have a real fighting chance there from the start.
I mean, I know, the story kept him here in the Crystal Empire for storytelling reasons and I'm not faulting it for that. But every now and then I do stop and think that, from the in-universe perspective, there's really not a whole lot of reason why Thorax wouldn't be inclined to consider such a plan of action at this point.
As usual, I think she's overestimating her chances here a bit, but from the start she was banking on the anti-changeling bias to carry her to victory for her, so I suppose it depends whether or not that bias is really as overwhelming of all reason as she thinks it is. She would definitely need it to, otherwise there's enough there for reason to beat back the bias just enough to pull through for Thorax instead.
Uh, State? Not that I don't appreciate it here, but it sounds to me kinda like you're appealing in favor of reason here, not the bias, and, uh, if reason wins out...you'll loose, so...
I mean, if you really want the bias to carry you to victory, maybe not point out the unfair absolutes of that bias to the jury, maybe? Because I could see that tugging on someone's guilty conscious, not the other way around. It certainly does for me, at least.
Seriously, this is wonderfully professional of her to say, and it's kinda weirding me out because she's basically asking the jury to consider all the facts before deciding, and if she really wants to win this, having them look at all the facts would be the very last thing she'd want, because the facts would tell a different story from what she's trying to pitch here.
Of course, I've suspected she knows that full well for awhile now, so...nah, I don't want to read that far into it just yet.
Basically, she's just surprised me by making such a...reasonable and open-minded closing statement here. It was kind of the last thing I expected her to do.
She is? Because I definitely didn't get that impression. If she was truly playing up the prejudice card, she wouldn't be pleading the jury to consider ALL the facts, she would be pleading them to consider just the ones she WANTS them to consider, "facts" which, I might add, she made no effort to take the time to remind the jury of, even though she had a perfect opportunity to.
She's at least not playing up the prejudice card nowhere near as strongly as she could be, or probably should be, if she really wants that to carry the case for her like that.
I'm glad somebody finally just outright told the jury this. I've been pointing out that detail repeatedly since this whole trial began (not that I need to remind anybody here of that, I'm sure
).
Feh, gravely disappointed in Cadance for that. She was the more open-minded of the royal family, the one more likely to see past the bias, even if just a little, and given all the evidence put before her during this trial, that should be enough to appeal to that side of her at least a little, enough to give her pause. Instead, she's pulling a Shining and dismissing it all out of spite, because changeling. And I suppose because she probably feels bitter about Thorax supposedly betraying her trust assuming the accusations against him were true, but that's not exactly a valid excuse, because she's still dismissing reason in favor of the bias she'd rather blindly believe in, apparently.
Well, may that bias bite her soundly in the butt once this is all over, then. There's going to come a point where she's gonna realize she was dead wrong to respond to this the way she has, and she'll have no choice but to live with the consequences of that when it does...as well as the price it will probably force her to pay in the process, because time's running out on your window to make amends, Cady, and if you haven't by the time it does...I guarantee you will not like where it will leave you.
11388703
That's a heck of a way of putting it.