After Rarity is accused of attempted murder, Twilight does everything she can to clear her name.
While Rarity undoubtedly killed nopony, she stood accused of trying to kill Prince Blueblood of the royal family, which is even greater than performing a normal murder successfully.
Despite Twilight Sparkle being a royal princess, she had no power to simply waive her friend's crime, but that didn't stop her from helping her generous friend to the very limit of her abilities
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney inspired story. Cover drawn by Ektomaluja
Murder: A very rare and serious crime in Equestria. Due to the peaceful nature of the nation, the idea of killing is hard to imagine and even harder to actually carry out. Ponies die everyday, whether by natural means, unfortunate events and sometimes even accidentally by other ponies. Nonetheless, murder is unacceptable
As hard as it is to believe, murder isn't the biggest crime one can commit in Equestria. While attempted murder is also a crime of high calibre, there is only one way it can out weight murder itself, and that is to try and kill one from the royal family. Sadly, a mare named Rarity learned that the hard way.
Police entered a room and saw Prince Blueblood of Canterlot lying unconscious on the ground as his head bled. In front of the dying stallion was Rarity, who herself could not imagine what had happened. Due to her low constitution, she fainted from seeing Blueblood's red blood. When she woke up, this was the first thing she heard.
"Miss Rarity, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Prince Blueblood".
As soon as she heard those words though, Rarity fainted. She was in very big trouble and she needed somepony to help her out of her jam. She figured the best pony to help her was Princess Twilight Sparkle, one of the most powerful and reliable ponies she knew. Sadly, even a princess like Twilight Sparkle was no match for the law. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
October 8 Ponyville: Golden Oak Library
The day after Rarity got arrested, Twilight was at her home in Ponyville's library, doing her daily reorganization of every shelf to make sure everything was where they were suppose to be. Her assistant Spike, a baby dragon, insisted that it wasn't necessary, but Twilight did it anyway.
"And finally, How To Have Chords of Steel! The last book!" She said as she finished putting the books away. "I always get a sore throat after reading that one."
"Does this mean we can finally get something to eat now?" Spike asked.
Oh, Spike. Always thinking with your stomach Twilight thought to herself. "Almost. Now all we need to do is double-check to make sure every book is in place. Let's get started."
Spike sighed at what Twilight said. He always insisted that even Princess Celestia wasn't as picky when it came to organization, but Twilight didn't want to take the risk.
Right as Twilight was about to double-check her work, Spike breathed out his magical flame which flew toward her until it formed into a scroll. It was a letter from Princess Celestia. While Twilight would normally be thrilled to get a letter from her mentor, the one she sent to Twilight was probably the worst one she had ever gotten from Celestia. The look Twilight had on her face when she read the scroll was ghastly.
"Oh no! Spike, I've got some very bad news." She said to him.
Spike gasped at what he considered to be the worst case scenario. "Are all the world's rubies and sapphires missing? NOOOOO!!!!"
"Spike, your gems are fine."
"Oh, thank Celestia! Don't scare me like that!"
"It's Rarity. She's at a Canterlot prison! Celestia is being pretty vague with this letter and once us to come to her castle immediately. She wants to talk to me personally about this."
"Rarity is in jail? Canterlot's jail? What, did she kill somepony?"
No words could describe Spike's face when Twilight told him how close his guess was. The poor dragon had such a big crush on Rarity. He couldn't believe that Rarity would be a murderer. He did have the right idea though, as even Twilight couldn't believe she would do something so bad. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
October 10, 2:00 PM Canterlot Castle Throne room
Twilight wasted no time getting to Canterlot to settle the problem. Spike really wanted to come and see Rarity and couldn't be convinced to not come, so Twilight brought him along, although she didn't bring him to see Princess Celestia since she wanted to keep the meeting private. By the very next day, they were in the capital city of Equestria, Canterlot.
News about Rarity had spread all around the city. On her way to the castle, Twilight heard Rarity's name being mentioned by a lot of other ponies. Some ponies even saw Twilight, one of their princesses, and remembered that Rarity was a close friend of hers. She felt very nervous knowing that Rarity was the talk of Canterlot, and yet she knew nothing about what happened.
Eventually, she reached the castle, easily got past the guards, and met up with Princess Celestia in her throne room. She was waiting for her and looked almost as nervous as Twilight did.
"Princess, I'm here!" Twilight said as she walked in. "Now what happened to Rarity!"
Celestia felt relieved when her faithful student finally walked into her throne room, but naturally, she was still gravely worried about the issue. "Twilight Sparkle, I see you wish to cut down to the chase."
"You're darn right I want to cut down to the chase!" She answered with a raised voice. "My friend is in jail and you haven't done anything to help her out! What exactly is going on here?"
In hindsight, she found she probably shouldn't have been so angry at the princess. In fact, she realized right there that it was probably the stupidest thing she had ever done. Celestia herself was even surprised, but she easily forgave her old student as she understood why Twilight was angry at all. After Celestia calmed her down, she began give Twilight more details on what happened to Rarity.
"A few days ago, Rarity had checked in at the Gilded Horseshoe, Canterlot's most luxurious hotel."
"Yeah, she told me and the others before she left. I'm surprised she got in there. I heard that only the richest and most highly revered ponies in Equestria can get in there." Twilight said.
"Even I don't know what she was doing there, nor do the Canterlot Police Department, but it's clear that she was there. At the time, Prince Blueblood, a nephew of mine, was also at the hotel. At some point, he was attacked and fatally injured."
"That's awful. He's not dead, is he?"
"He's alive, but he's in a coma right now and there's no telling when he will wake up. And Twilight..." Celestia paused, as she didn't want to say what she said next. "Rarity was there at the crime scene."
Celestia said exactly what Twilight was afraid to hear. Blueblood was found half-dead and Rarity was with him when he was found. It would be easy for anypony to conclude that Rarity was responsible. Anypony but Twilight of course.
"A pony could have a solid gold dress encrusted with jewels, yet Rarity wouldn't literally kill for it. She might be feel tempted, but I know she wouldn't do it." Twilight stated. "Where is she? I want to see her right now!"
"She's at a detention center in Canterlot's prison."
"That's all I need to know." She said as I began walking out the door. "I need to get her out of their quicker than you can say--"
But before she could leave the throne room, Celestia slammed the doors shut with her magic. Twilight could've just teleported out if she wanted to, but it was obvious that Celestia wasn't done talking.
"Twilight Sparkle, I know you're upset with what's happening and I can tell you're angry at me, but please listen to everything I have to say."
"I'm...I'm sorry, but can you blame me, princess? One of my best friends are in jail and you won't let me do anything. In fact, why haven't you done anything? You can probably do anything you want, can't you?"
Celestia shook her head at Twilight's ignorance before she continued. "There are two reasons why I can't simply let Rarity off the hook. The first is the fact that Equestria is a constitution monarchy. While I am the undisputed ruler, along with my sister, certain political decisions for Equestria can't be done by me alone. The Equestrian High Council have a say in those circumstances.
"Yes, I've seen them before. What does that have to do with Rarity?" She asked.
"Since she's labeled as a killer, the high council, as well as anypony else, wouldn't feel comfortable if she was let free so easily."
"But she didn't kill anypony! I heard Prince Blueblood survived!"
The princess went silent. What Twilight said brought up the hardest thing Celestia had to say to her, and what Twilight heard was very heartbreaking.
"That brings up the second reason I can't help Rarity. She's not just being accused of attempted murder. This was attempted regicide, which is far more serious than normal murder. It is quite possible that she will face Equestria's greatest punishment for it."
"B-banishment to the moon?"
"No." Celestia answered. "To the Sun."
"WHAT!" twilight shouted. "You can't banish somepony to the Sun! That would burn them alive!"
It was then that she realized that Princess Celestia knew very well what she said and she meant it. While the punishment is technically banishment, the true nature was far greater than that. She knew that if things went the way they did, Rarity would've had to accept the death penalty.
Twilight Sparkle was already worried about her friend, but after hearing that Rarity was going to die for a crime she didn't do, she did everything she could just keep sane. She couldn't believe what was happening. After her talk with Celestia, Twilight went down to the Canterlot police station, bringing Spike with her so he could see Rarity.
October 9, 3:00 PM Canterlot Police Department Room 105: Criminal Affairs
"Banished to the Sun?" Spike asked. "But Rarity's skin is too sensitive for a tan like that!"
A tan like that is too much for anypony. Twilight Thought.. "Don't worry, Spike. I don't plan on letting Rarity get to close to the Sun, which is exactly why we're going to see her. I'm sure I'll be able to convince the police she's innocent. The princess also said they can give me more details about the crime here at Criminal Affairs.."
"That sounds cool and all, but who can tell us? In fact, will they tell us anything at all?"
"I have a feeling somepony will tell me something if I ask."
As soon as Twilight walked into the room, all eyes from everypony inside shifted to Twilight. The officers in the room were all surprised to see one of their princesses walking into their department without any warning. None of them even knew how to react.
I didn't expect it to get this disturbingly quiet. Twilight thought
After a small commotion, a calm pony walked up to Twilight to talk to her. He was a red earth pony with a brown mane which he had styled to have several spiky looking curls around his head, one of which covered up his right eye, and a boxing glove cutie mark on his flank. Even though he was a stallion, he was rather short when compared to the average stallion. In fact, Twilight found that she was slightly bigger than him.
"Your highness, it's a pleasure to meet you." The small stallion said. "I am Commissioner Star Cestus! What brings you here?"
"What brings me here? I'll tell you what brings me here. You have one of my best friends locked up and I've only now found out about it!" Twilight said with anger. "Now tell me why you arrested her!"
In an instant, every other pony in the room left, fearing what their princess would do to them. Commissioner Cestus knew he couldn't leave though, much to his misfortune.
"I-I'll tell you everything, just promise you won't hurt me or my officers!" Cestus said nervously, holding up his front hooves as if he would punch Twilight if she got any closer.
"Uhh...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to spook you. I'm just a little on edge ever since I found out my friend is in jail."
After Twilight talked more sincerely, Cestus dropped his hooves and lost his fear of the princess. "I guess you have every right to be mad. I've seen many ponies come into our custody and one of their friends would yell at me for arresting them. Normally, I could quick them with a good old uppercut, but...considering you're thee Twilight Sparkle, if I were to fight you, my plot would be caught."
After realizing that she was getting angry again, Twilight took a deep breath, exhaled, and began talking to Commissioner Cestus in a much calmer, more friendly tone.
Can't let my anger get the best of me again. Twilight thought to herself. "Alright Commissioner Cestus. I have a few questions. First, why was Rarity arrested? Why did you think she tried to kill the prince?"
"Well your highness, after we investigated of the crime scene, we found several clues that lead us to point our hooves at Miss Rarity. Actually, some of my officers are out investigating the crime scene as we speak. I'm afraid it doesn't look good for your friend."
"How is that possible?" Spike asked. "What proof do you have?"
Twilight growled with anger upon learning that the information she needed couldn't be given to her. Spike jumped off her back while Cestus took a few steps back as both of the boys were afraid of getting attacked by their angry princess. Twilight quickly realized that she was getting angry again though, so she took a deep breath and calmed down again. At that point, she realized she was getting nowhere fast.
"Okay, look. I know I'm not allowed to let Rarity off scot-free, but surely I'm allowed to learn details of the crime, right?" Twilight asked.
"Well actually, Princess Celestia herself said that the only pony we're allowed to show our evidence to is the one who'll be defending Rarity in court Tomorrow." Cestus explained.
"Her trial is Tomorrow? Spike, we don't have much time. Who's representing her?"
"Actually...that's the weirdest problem we're having." Cestus said with a sad look on his face. "Due to the victim being Prince Blueblood and what-not, nopony has been willing to represent Miss Rarity. Since she has the right to have somepony defend her, the trial might get be postponed."
"What's wrong with that?" Spike asked. "Wouldn't that mean she can't be banished to the Sun?"
"She won't get banished until she's declared guilty, but what will most likely happen is that the Princess will appoint a defense attorney to defend your friend's case, but if that happens, I wouldn't expect a very strong case for her."
This was very bad news to Twilight and Spike. As most of Canterlot had labeled Rarity as a criminal, whoever she would've gotten to defend her would most likely not try very hard and give Rarity a guilty verdict. If things went that way, Rarity would've been doomed. It was then that Twilight realized that there was somepony she had to see as soon as possible.
"Commissioner, where's Rarity right now? Can we see her? Can you at least give us that much?"
"Well...while I can't let you get involved in the case as a princess, I guess you can come as a visitor."
"Oh thank you, Commissioner!" Twilight said as she jumped to hug Cestus. "I owe you big for this!"
Commissioner Cestus wasn't sure if he should've allowed Twilight to see Rarity or not since he knew he couldn't let her get involved in the case, but he didn't see anything wrong with a simple visit. Although he suspected it to be a bad idea, he didn't want to risk seeing her princess angry again. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
October 9, 3:20 PM Detention Center Visitor's Room.
After a short walk to the detention center, Cestus brought Twilight and Spike to the visitor's room where they hoped to see Rarity. After bring them there, Cestus began to regret the idea of bringing them more and more.
"Now I don't want you to let you stay here for too long, so please try to make it quick." Star Cestus said. "Only family members and lawyers should even be allowed to see her."
"I'll say what I need to say. Come on, Spike!"
As Twilight and Spike walked into the visitor room, three other ponies walked out. A white stallion with a straw hat, a pink unicorn, and a young white filly. Twilight recognized the filly immediately as Sweetie Belle, Rarity's little sister, so she assumed the other two were Rarity's parents. All three looked so sad after leaving, most certainly because they saw their beloved Rarity locked away in prison.
Twilight began to wonder if anypony else from Ponyville knew where Rarity was, but she quickly put her focus on the current issue. She walked into the room and saw Rarity sitting down on the other side of a glass wall. While Sweetie Belle and her parents didn't notice Twilight, Rarity did.
"Twilight? Spike?"
"Wow! Perfect timing." Spike said.
Instead of leaving after seeing her family, Rarity took to opportunity to talk to Twilight and Spike, two of her closest friends. Despite seeing good friends, she still looked very worried.
"So...are things going smooth for you in here?" Twilight asked, who wanted to break the ice.
"No! The jail cells are so ugly with the shade of grey. I simply can't sleep in such a small, ugly room! The cell mates are rather nice to me, but I'm still worried that they'll violate me if I let my guard down."
"You're accused of attempted regicide, about to be banished to the Sun, and your top fear involves an ugly jail cell?" Twilight asked with disbelief.
"Oh heavens, yes. I've always wanted my last days to be something that suits my standards." Rarity explained, but then realized what she said out loud. "What am I saying? There's no way I'll be banished! I didn't even do it!"
"The police seems really convinced that you did do it though." Twilight said. "They found you right there with Prince Blueblood, which, as far as I know, is the main reason they think you did it. Hey, how did you get into that hotel anyway?
"Oh, it has been a dream of mine to go to the Gilded Horseshoe!" Rarity said with bliss. "Regular rooms in there is like suites in normal hotels with large and comfy beds, swimming pools with hot or cold water, the most delicious foods in all of Canterlot..."
Before she could even finish her description of the hotel, Rarity got lost in her memory of the hotel, thus forgetting where she even was.
Clop clop!
"Hey! Equestria to Rarity!" Twilight said, clopping her hooves to get Rarity's attention again.
"Huh? Oh sorry, darling. That wasn't the first time I've done that."
Although she went back to reality, Rarity slowly began to remember her time at the hotel again due to her happy memories, which again made her forget about her horrible experience afterwards, forcing Twilight to snap her back to reality for a second time.
"You know Twilight, we haven't been on a vacation for a while." Spike said with a hopeful smile.
"Not now, Spike." Twilight answered. "Anyway, I've heard that it's really expensive to get into that place. How the hay could you afford a vacation there?"
Rarity was hesitant to answer the question. Twilight noticed Rarity's behavior and wondered why she didn't give a straight answer right off the bat.
"Well, you know how well business has been lately and I've been saving up lately, plus being a close, personal friend of one of the Princess helps a little, so it actually wouldn't make sense if I didn't go."
Twilight found Rarity's answer to have been odd. It felt to her that Rarity lied to her, but she found that to be unlikely. On the other hoof, it was another friend of Twilight who was known for her honesty, not Rarity. Twilight eventually dismissed the possible lie to ask a more important question.
"Rarity, your trial is Tomorrow and you may get a court appointed lawyer. What do you say to that?"
"I'd say don't waste my time and send me to the Sun right now." Rarity answered. "Almost every single pony in Canterlot thinks I tried to kill that good-for-nothing Prince. Only one pony believes me and not even he can help me."
"Who this other pony?"
Rarity almost hesitated to answer, but after thinking it over quickly in her head, she answered with a straight face. "Why, you remember Fancy Pants, right? We've been good friends since we met, but even him and his high position can't help me."
"You sure know how to make powerful friends, Rarity." Spike said.
"Yes. Alas, even with all the princess and celebrities in the world, it seems that society is ready to come at me. I never thought I'd say this, but...it is not on!"
Twilight and Spike could tell that Rarity was upset about her upcoming banishment/execution and that she was ready to give up hope. After all, without anypony who believed in her to defend her in court, there wasn't much hope for her to give up anyway.
Twilight felt like a bad friend for not being able to help Rarity as she had no authority to free her friend. When Twilight thought about that little detail, an idea came. As one of the princesses, she couldn't decree for Rarity's freedom due to the circumstances, so she asked herself a question.
What if I were part of the legal system? Twilight thought to herself. "Rarity, I'm going to get you out of here after all!"
"What? Really?" Rarity asked with excitement.
"Yep. I've decided that I'll represent you in court tomorrow. I will be your defense attorney!"
Twilight had such a happy look on her face when she decided to be Rarity's defense as she felt confident that Rarity didn't attack Blueblood. Spike and Rarity, however, were a little more skeptical to the idea. Even Twilight herself wasn't entirely sure if it was a good idea, but she believed that she was Rarity's only hope.
October 9, 3:25 PM Detention Center Visitor's Room.
Twilight was so proud of herself for taking the chance to defend Rarity. She believed that between her seat of power as a princess, her high intelligence, and the magic of friendship would guarantee her friends' freedom. Sadly, she had one discouraging thought in her head.
Why is Spike and Rarity looking at me like that? Twilight thought nervously.
While Twilight was confident, Spike and Rarity questioned whether or not it was a good idea.
"Twilight, sweetie, I know you want to help, but maybe you should leave this to an actual lawyer. I'm sure the legal system works a little differently from magic."
"I know it won't be easy, but I've read lots of law books back at Ponyville. In fact, I just finished one about talking like a lawyer. With my knowledge of Equestrian law and my chords of steel, I know I'll be able to get you acquitted."
"Twilight, after you first read that book, you couldn't speak for a week." Spike said.
You're not helping me convince Rarity, Spike. Twilight thought to herself with annoyance. "Rarity, who would you trust more? Me, or some cheap lawyer who probably won't care if you're banished or not?"
"Well...the former, Twilight." Rarity answered.
"Then please. Let me help you. I promise I'll do everything in my power to get you out of here and bring you back home."
Rarity was ready to give up hope and accept her unfortunate fate, but after seeing Twilight's determination, she felt a new sense of hope. Rarity knew how smart Twilight was and wanted to at least give her a chance. After all, she had nothing left to lose and everything to gain. Like always, she trusted Twilight completely.
"Take this, darling." Rarity said as she slid an envelope to Twilight. "This is my letter of request. After I sign this, you just need to bring this to the police or the princess and you should have power of attorney."
"I won't let you down, Rarity. I can't let you down." Twilight answered.
To make it official, Twilight used her magic to summon a quill and a bottle of ink and called a couple of the guards to act as witnesses to make the signing official. As soon as Rarity finished writing her name on the document, Twilight officially became Rarity's attorney.
"Are you sure you're up to this, Twilight?" Rarity asked.
"Please, I've saved Equestria like four times now. This will be a snap."
"Well good luck, Twilight. I have faith in you."
Right as Twilight and Spike prepared to leave, a final thought came to Twilight's head. "Wait, I've got one more question, Rarity. An important one."
"Of course, darling. What is it?"
"Well, from what I've heard, the reason you're in jail at all is because the police found you with Prince Blueblood at the crime scene. As for my question; What were you doing there in the first place?"
Rarity became stunned when Twilight asked her question. The last time she was asked a question, it took her a moment to come with an answer, but after being asked about why she was in Blueblood's room, she couldn't come up with an answer at all. After thinking carefully, Rarity found a way around the question.
"Oh, would you look at that! Visitor hours are over. Can't keep the guards or my cell mate waiting. See at the trial Tomorrow, Twilight. Later Spike. Bye!"
"Rarity, wait!" Twilight said, only for Rarity to run off from the glass window to get sent back to her cell. Dang it, Rarity. This isn't going to help your case at all. I don't know what you're hiding, but I still trust you enough to know you didn't try to hurt anypony.
Despite Rarity's refusal to share information, Twilight still trusted Rarity and believed she didn't try to kill Blueblood. After the anti-climatic visit, Twilight and Spike went back to see Commissioner Cestus since he was the reason they could visit at all. He waited patiently for Twilight and Spike finish their meeting and was happy to see they were finished.
"Finally. Now we can we get back to the station now?" Cestus asked.
Let me think. I guess since I'm acting as the defense, I need to find some evidence. Twilight thought to herself. "Commissioner, I actually have another favor. I need you to take me to the scene of the crime."
"T-the crime scene? Your highness, I told you already that you can't be involved in this case." Cestus reminded. "Princess Celestia herself--"
"It's alright. As of right now, I am acting as Rarity's defense attorney!"
"You....WHAAAT!?"
The commission was beyond surprised by what he was told. He brought Twilight and Spike in just so they could see their friend, not to give Twilight a chance to practice law.
"I...b-but you...you can't do this! I was given orders directly from Princess Celestia and the high council to not let you get involved in this." Cestus explained.
"I can't do anything as a princess, but since I'm a lawyer now, that changes everything."
"N-no! That changes nothing!" Cestus claimed as he was almost speechless by Twilight's announcement. "I was told that royalty is not to be involved in this case to maintain neutrality!"
Ugh! I don't have time for this. I have less than a day to get a case ready for Rarity Tomorrow. Twilight thought to herself. "Fine then. I'll just have to talk to Princess Celestia and let her know that Rarity now has a defense".
"Now look here, pal! You've been told not to get involved with this for a reason! Just because you're a fat cat, it doesn't mean you can find loopholes in the queen of fat cats orders!"
Twilight was mortified by what Cestus said to her. Not long before, he was trying to stay on her good side, but then he did a 180 and not only insulted Twilight, but Princess Celestia herself.
"Did...did you just call me fat?" Twilight asked with great anger.
"Well, you certainly are rather large for a mare, now aren't you?" Cestus answered.
"Maybe it's just because you're the smallest stallion I've ever met!"
"I may be small, but I'm the strongest stallion you'll ever meet!"
"Fine then! The smallest cop versus the Element of Magic herself!"
"BRING IT, PAL!"
Giving very little time for anypony in the room to react to the situation, Twilight and Cestus began fighting each other. The guards didn't even know what they saw. Too them, it seemed like a dusty cloud appeared out of no where, covering up much of the room.
Fortunately, after hearing numerous curses and death threats between Twilight and Cestus, two guards managed to break the fight and kept the two away from each other. Spike stayed in front of Twilight to make sure she didn't try to get back into the fight.
"It's alright, boss." The guard said. "We hate her too."
After that, the guards brought Cestus out of the room as quickly as possible. They knew things would've gotten violent again if they were to stay any longer.
They hate me? How the heck can they hate me? I'm their princess? Twilight thought to herself.
"Twilight, we should probably go and see Princess Celestia." Spike said.
Agreeing that seeing Celestia would be the best decision, particularly because of how little the police were helping, Twilight waiting for Cestus to leave the room she could take the same exit and leave without getting into another fight. While she would've liked to give him another piece of her mind, Twilight needed to make it clear to Celestia that she was going to defend Rarity at court.
Twilight and Spike returned to the castle to speak to Celestia for a second time, but after Twilight's little fight with Cestus, she felt less enthusiastic then she was planning to be. She was thinking more about the fight more than the upcoming trial.
"Can you believe that jerk? Who does he think he is?" Twilight asked.
"I think he's the chief of police." Spike answered.
"That was a rhetorical question, Spike! I'll give him credit though, for such small pony, he could throw a punch."
Twilight then realized that she had a sore bump on her head, which she would've gotten from her little fight. As she gently rubbed her so spot, she saw an ice pack magically placed on the lump.
"Thanks, Princess Celestia." Twilight said.
As soon as she said Celestia's name, Twilight jumped and screamed at Celestia's sudden appearance. She didn't even realize Celestia wasn't in the room when she entered.
How can a pony three times my size be able to sneak up on me like that? Twilight asked herself.
"You went to see your friend and got into a fight with Star Cestus?" Celestia asked as she overheard Twilight and Spike talking. "I'm surprised you're not in a jail cell with your friend."
"As if they'd put Twilight in a jail cell." Spike said. "She's your most important student and one of Equestria's princesses."
"Actually, that's exactly why I figured he would throw her in jail."
Twilight and Spike didn't understood what Celestia meant, but Twilight felt it wasn't important and decided to talk about what she thought was.
"Princess Celestia, after thinking it over and discussing it with Rarity, we've decided that I will be acting as her defense tomorrow."
Twice in one day, Twilight went straight to the point and showed eagerness to help Rarity, which once again, left Celestia speechless. Unlike the first time though, Celestia didn't know how to react to Twilight's choice.
"Twilight Sparkle, I know you want to free Rarity, but this time you're being way too hasty." Celestia said. "I'm already made a list of potential defense attorneys and I'm going to summon one right now."
"There's no point, Princess. I've already signed the document needed to legally make me Rarity's defense. Whether you like it or not, I'm handling Rarity's case tomorrow."
Celestia became downright shocked by what Twilight said. As She thought about what her student said, she stared down and looked at her student, making Twilight, and even Spike, feel intimidated.
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all." Spike said to Twilight.
Yeah, this doesn't sound like a good idea in hindsight. Twilight started to think.
While Celestia looked intimidated and even somewhat angry, after thinking about it in her head, she began to smile at Twilight with a more confident look. In return, Twilight stopped fearing her teacher.
"I should've expected this. I guess I've forgotten how hard the magic of friendship will drive you." Celestia admitted. Then, using her magic, she conjured up a bronze badge which had the symbols of the elements of harmony surrounding it, with the element of magic being in the center, and gave it to Twilight Sparkle.
"What's this?" Twilight asked.
"That, my little pony, is a defense attorney badge. With it, I acknowledge you as a pony's defense, and with it, you'll be able to investigate and defend Rarity's case. While I still question your plans, it seems you are the only one with the tenacity to help your friend. Twilight, I now believe that you are Rarity's best chance for getting her freedom."
Hearing that Princess Celestia had confidence in her made Twilight feel less and less worried about her choice of defending Rarity. Feeling sure of herself, Twilight accepted the badge with pride.
"Oh, Thank you Princess! I promise I'll put this to good use!" Twilight said with joy.
"Remember, the trial starts tomorrow. You won't be able to just waltz in and hope for the best. You should try to find some evidence to work with." Celestia suggested.
"Where can we find evidence on such short notice?" Spike asked.
After what happened at Detention center, I'm sure Cestus won't want to be of help. Twilight thought with grief. Luckily, another idea came to mind. "I guess the best plan of action is to check out the crime scene, the Gilded Horseshoe."
"Good luck, Twilight. I know you can do it." Celestia said.
October 9, 5:00 PM The Gilded Horseshoe Hotel: Fifth Floor Prince Blueblood's room.
After arriving at the hotel, Twilight was able to use her newly acquired attorney's badge to not only get into the hotel, but to get pointed toward the crime scene.
"Wow, this really is a nice room?" Twilight admitted.
"It would probably be nicer without the police tape." Spike said.
"Yeah, probably."
As Spike said, the hotel room was quite messy due to the recent crime. Police tape was placed around the room's front door, but Twilight and Spike got around it and entered the room anyway. Right off the bat, the two saw tape on the floor, making a stallion-shaped figure.
"This must be where Blueblood was when he got attacked." Twilight said. "I wonder how it happened."
"Maybe the murder weapon is still around." Spike said.
"No, if there was a weapon, the police would probably have it. Defending Rarity will definitely be hard if we don't know if Blueblood got stabbed, smacked, or whatever."
"Maybe it was a storm cloud?"
A storm cloud? Really, Spike? If that's the case, shouldn't it be Rainbow Dash on trial. Twilight thought as she gave Spike an annoyed look. In return, Spike gave her an embarrassed shrug. "In any case, lets see if there's any other clues around."
Unfortunately for Twilight and Spike, there wasn't anything overly useful in the room, despite the fact that's it's a murder scene inside a luxurious hotel room. This would've been because the police had already taken what they believed to have been important evidence, leaving Twilight without anything.
After looking about though, Spike found something of interest. A key with a metal tag on it, which Spike found on the table.
"Found the hotel key!" Spike said.
"Spike, how is that important..." Twilight said as she paused. "Actually, that could be really important if it's the only way in and out of the crime scene. They police probably left it because it belonged to the hotel."
"Really? I was honestly just looking for anything that stuck out."
After taking the key from Spike, the two continued to search the room. They were both surprised to see that the room wasn't in shambles. Sadly, this meant that there was nothing that stuck out. Nothing except one little thing: A broken window at the end of the room.
"Good thing they couldn't take away an entire window." Spike said.
I'd actually like to see Commission Cestus try to pull it out. Twilight thought as she laughed to herself. "I wonder how this happened."
"Maybe the killer broke in through the window and attacked Blueblood." Spike suggested.
"Isn't this the fifth floor?"
After taking a close look outside, Twilight and Spike deemed that it would be impossible for anypony to break in through the window, so how the glass broke from the outside and shatter on the inside was a mystery. As Twilight found that bit of information important, she considered the broken glass as evidence.
"Well Spike, I'm afraid this might be all we can find in the room. Everything else was probably taken by the police." Twilight said, not being satisfied with the progress. "Let's take a quick look outside and get ready for tomorrow."
"That's not a bad idea. Let's just leave the hotel and--"
"Nonsense. It'll be faster if we just fly out." Twilight said as she opened the window up.
"Umm...Twilight? have you gotten used to your new wings yet?" Spike asked.
"It's just a five-story building. Watch as I jump out and gently glide towards the--"
When she wasn't paying attention, Twilight fell out the window, failed to open up her newly gained wings, and...
CRASH!
The young alicorn fell five stories and was lucky enough to land on a large bush, but the fall did leave her with a sore back. She was grateful that no one but Spike saw her. As she bared the pain and looked up, she took a closer look at the hotel.
One...two...three...four...five...six floors? Blueblood's room wasn't on the top floor? I heard his standards were extremely high. You'd think he would go for the penthouse. Twilight thought.
"Twilight!" Spike shouted from the hotel room. "Are you alright? Did you find anything weird down there?"
While Twilight didn't feel very good after her crash landing, she didn't want to break her back for nothing, so she looked around for evidence. She looked around the bushes to see if there was anything worth taking to court, hoping she would find something. Sure enough, she found something suspicious. A simple white cap. She didn't know why it was suspicious, but she was thinking more about her sore back than anything else.
"Found something, Spike!" Twilight answered.
"Great. What do we do now?" Spike asked from the fifth floor.
"This is probably all we're going to find. Let's head back to the castle and get ready for tomorrow. I'd like to catch up on some reading to get ready."
"Alrighty then. I'd like to get something to eat anyway."
Okay. Good. Twilight thought. I've found some stuff to work with and I'm sure the juicy stuff will be brought up in court tomorrow. From this point on, the real battle for Rarity's freedom begins. All that's left now is to wait for Spike to pull me off this bush.
As she lied and waited for her assistant, Twilight took a deep breath to calm herself down. The next was going to be very stressful and she wasn't looking forward to it.
"Spike? Are you here yet?" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
October 10, 9:50 AM Canterlot District Court Defendant Lobby
It was the big day. Twilight Sparkle spent most of the night before studying and preparing for it. She had only a few minutes left to do some last second studying to prepare for Rarity's trial. However, with so little evidence to work with, she couldn't actually prepare a good case for her friend. Nonetheless, she was determined to see it to the end.
"I'm Twilight Sparkle and I'm fine!" Twilight said as she looked at a book. Then, after closing her eyes and taking a deep breath... "I'M TWILIGHT SPARKLE AND I'M FINE!"
After opening her eyes, Twilight realized that she had actually shouted in Spike's face, who she didn't realize was even with her.
"Why do I have the feeling that you aren't fine?" Spike asked.
"Actually, I think your right." Twilight answered. "I've been nervous since night. I think it took me hours of trying before I could even fall asleep."
"You might be over thinking this, Twilight. If Rarity is innocent, we'll be fine."
"But we have so little to work with. As it currently stands, Rarity might be found guilty. I really don't know what to do."
Not only did Twilight more nervous, she got scared. The more she thought about it, the more she less confident she was in the case. In fact, the only thing she was confident in was that she was going to fail.
"Twilight, weren't you the one who said she could do this because you saved Equestria a million times before?" Spike asked. "You went against all odds all those times before, but now that Rarity is in trouble, you won't fight back? Come on, I bet you'd be able to get the real attacker free too!"
Thanks to Spike, Twilight was able to remember that everypony had confidence in her abilities, and she knew that if everypony else believed in her, she should too.
"I think I've studied enough. Come on, Spike. Let's save Rarity!" Twilight said with a smile. But I'll still admit it, it's easier said than done.
October 10, 10:00 AM Canterlot District Court Courtroom 1
Twilight and Spike entered the large room and settled in at the defense bench which was directly across from the prosecution bench. As they entered, they saw that the Canterlot locals were sitting at the gallery seats up on an upper floor to give them a view of the entire courtroom. Lastly, there was very tall desk ahead of the defense and prosecution benches where the judge sat, who was a chestnut colored stallion.
"Court is now in session. Is everyone ready?" The judge asked.
"The defense is ready your honor." Twilight answered. After taking a good look at the judge though, she thought he looked familiar. "I've seen you before. Aren't you from Ponyville?"
"Hey, he is!" Spike said. "You call yourself the Doctor or something, right?"
"Aahh, Twilight Sparkle. You're the defense? Fancy that." The Doctor said. "Yes, Princess Celestia needed someone she could trust, so she asked me act as the judge for this case. Look! She gave me a gavel and everything!"
Isn't this guy a friend of Ponyville's mail courier? How does he knows the princess so well? Maybe I need to get out more. Twilight thought to herself, but then she thought of something more important. "Hey, if you're the judge, then who's the prosecutor?"
"That would be me!" A mysterious voice said.
Out of nowhere, a fanfare began to play throughout the courtroom. From the entrance, a red carpet began to roll out as a drumroll played. There was an awful lot of build up for the prosecution's entrance, but it left everypony in the court more confused than impressed. After the carpet reached to the front of the judge's seat, the other end of the carpet began to pull itself into the room.
At some point, the red carpet had clearly transformed into a tongue which was sucked up into a strange creature's mouth. At that moment, everypony realized that a tall and slender being was standing in the court. Much to everypony's surprise, Discord, the lord of chaos, was in the courtroom.
"Ta-daa!" Discord said as he bowed.
"Discord, go home. Now's a bad day to deal with you." Twilight said.
OBJECTION!
When Discord shouted his objection, he was standing at the prosecution bench with no explanation on when he got there. "I can't go home. I'm the persecutor...I mean, prosecutor."
"W-WHAT!? You?" Twilight asked. Oh, right. I remember hearing that Celestia had a problem finding lawyers for both sides of the case. But why hire Discord?
The entire court went into an uproar after hearing Discord's claim as nopony could believe it.
"Order! Order in the court!" The Doctor said as he banged his gavel, which was followed by a snicker. "Oh my, I can't believe I just said that! In any case, if the prosecution is ready, please make your opening statement."
"Very well then." Discord said as he took a deep breath. "Hello ponies of the court. I am Discord, the master, king, and dare I say god of chaos! I am the most powerful being in this entire land, far greater than that of Celestia, so please feel free to bow down to me and--"
OBJECTION!
Twilight was not at all pleased with Discord. "What kind of opening statement is this? It has nothing to do with the case!" Discord wagged his finger at Twilight before responding. "My dear Twilight Sparkle, the purpose of the opening statement is to allow the prosecution to state facts without any arguments."
You're saying that you being arrogant can't be argued?Twilight thought.
"I have to agree with the defence." The Doctor said. "Discord, can you please focus on the case at hand?"
"Don't you mean at hoof?" Discord said, which made the Doctor snicker. "Don't need to. I've got somepony who has to come in and explain all of that to court. Isn't this great? I basically get paid for letting others do my dirty work!"
"Discord, all three of us are doing this as a favour to Princess Celestia." The Doctor explained. "In any case, bring this pony in. I'm still clueless about why Miss Rarity is here Today."
Finally, I'm going to get some real answers. Twilight thought.
While Discord was unhappy by the fact that he wasn't getting paid, he decided to continue anyway. "Fine. I'm calling in the one in charge of this case, Commission Star Cestus."
Shortly after, the small red stallion, Star Cestus, walked into the courtroom and slowly walked to the witness stand. He looked very nervous and stared at the audience more than the judge.
"Witness, please tell us your name and job." Discord ordered.
Cestus didn't answer since he still felt uncomfortable with where he was. Seeing the high classed ponies of Canterlot staring down at him was a lot of pressure for him.
"That can't be the same guy who you fought Yesterday, Twilight." Spike said.
"He certainly left his comfort zone." Twilight admitted.
"Witness, please state your name!" The Doctor requested.
"I'm Star Cestus. I'm the chief commissioner of Canterlot's police force. Since attempted regicide is such a serious offence, I'm leading the investigation." Cestus answered, but the tone in his voice made it clear he didn't feel confident.
"Now now, Red, I know you hate pretty much everypony in this room, but I'm not a fan of these money bags either." Discord said to Cestus to calm him down. "Remember what I said, if anypony tries to bother you, I'll turn them into an eggplant! Or if it's Twilight over there, a tempura."
Something tells me a hospital could never save me from that. Twilight thought with great discomfort.
"Haha! Yeah, I guess you're right!" Cestus said in a much perkier tone. "These fat cats ain't got nothing on me with you by my side!"
"Very good then. Please explain to us all the details of this crime." The Doctor said.
Twilight and Spike were careful to hear every word Cestus had to say, for this was the information they had waited to hear since the day before.
"The crime scene took place on the fifth floor of the Gilded Horseshoe, the hotel Princess Blueblood was staying at. The prince was unconscious on the ground after taking a hit to the head by a blunt object. The medical team concluded that he had been taken out by a single blow to left temple."
"A single hit to the head? And from a mare no less?" The Doctor asked.
"We believe the weapon used was this gold bar. It's 18 karats, so the shape is preserved quite well."
"The weapon? The court accept this as important evidence!"
Since the court accepted gold bar as evidence, Twilight decided to keep it into consideration as well. "Red! If I recall, you arrested Rarity as the prime suspect." Discord said. "Why did you do that?"
"We arrested her because she was the only other pony at the crime scene at the time. After gathering up more evidence afterwards, there was enough solid evidence to build a case."
"Commissioner, can you please testify about this evidence?" The Doctor asked.
This was it. After hearing the testimony, Twilight would finally get to ask some important questions. The only downside was that since everything she would hear would be brand new information, she would have to come up with questions on the fly.
"When I walked in the hotel room, the first thing I saw was Miss Rarity and the victim, the latter on the ground of course. After she saw me, she fainted and was down for about half-an hour. The gold bar was also there in front of her. We later concluded that the gold bar belonged to the Rarity. Since the prince almost died from a blunt object when Rarity had a blunt object, we put two and two together.
"Hmm. So you arrested her because she was a suspect, but now you're certain she was the attacker?" The Doctor asked.
"Well personally, I don't think she did it, but the evidence is right there."
"Very well then. Miss Sparkle, you may now Cross-examine the witness."
"Cross-examine?" Spike asked.
"It just means I can ask Cestus some questions now." Twilight answered. I sure hope I can ask the right ones. Now that I'm taking the stage, I may get as nervous as Cestus was.
"When I walked in the hotel room, the first thing I saw was Miss Rarity and the victim, the latter on the ground of course."
HOLD IT!
"You arrived when Rarity was still there? How did you get there so fast?" Twilight asked.
"Actually, I was given an anonymous tip a head of time." Cestus answered. "I received a letter when I was patrolling the streets. Since the hotel was closer to me than the station, I went straight there to investigate."
Somepony knew Blueblood would get attacked? That just raises further questions.
"After she saw me, she fainted and was down for about half-an hour."
HOLD IT!!
"I think I already know why, but why did she faint?" Twilight asked.
"If you tried to kill somepony and somepony else comes along to catch you in the act, wouldn't you have been surprised?" Cestus asked in return.
"I guess you have a point there. Okay, continue."
"The gold bar was also there in front of her. We later concluded that the gold bar belonged to the Rarity."
HOLD IT!!
"Rarity isn't all that rich. What makes you think that gold is hers? And why do you think it's the weapon anyway?"
"We searched the entire room. That gold bar is the only item that's heavy and solid enough to do the damage that was done. We also did some forensics at the station and found hoof marks on it, which belonged to Rarity. We also found two samples of magic residue on it. We aren't sure where the first sample came from, but we know the other belongs to Rarity."
"Magic residue?" Spike asked.
"When we unicorns use our magic, it often leaves behind a small bit left on what it was used on." Twilight explained. "It means Rarity used her magic to move the gold bar."
"This is clearly important Evidence." The Doctor said. "The court will accept the forensics report as evidence."
And so, the court accepted the new evidence, with Twilight getting a copy of the report. With so much DNA found on the weapon, Twilight's case began to go from bad to worse. She did get curious about who the other magic sample came from.
"Since the prince almost died from a blunt object when Rarity had a blunt object, we put two and two together."
HOLD IT!!
"What do you mean?"
"Well, its common sense. She was there, Blueblood was there, and the gold bar was there. Even a child could figure out what happened."
I have to admit, that does make sense. But I can't believe it because I know Rarity didn't attack the Prince. But why was she there at all?
As there was no other questions Twilight could ask, the Doctor decided to end the cross-examination, banging his gavel to make it official. Twilight could tell he had fun banging it.
"So the defendant was at the crime scene with the weapon, which belonged to her, while still at the crime scene? It does seem like an open and shut case." The Doctor said.
"It can't end like this. I need to think of something." Twilight said quietly.
"This all seems weird. How did this whole thing could happen at all?" Spike asked.
An epiphany struck Twilight when Spike asked his question. After finally getting an idea, Twilight slammed her front hooves on the table and grabbed everypony's attention.
"I'd like to hear another testimony!" Twilight stated.
"Another one? What more is there to say?" The Doctor asked.
"With all the evidence in place, I'd like to hear the theory about how this attack occurred. If the act is impossible to do, then we can't blame Rarity!"
"How can it be impossible?" Cestus asked. "All you would have to do is walk in, and then POW!"
"It seems the commissioner does have a theory then." The Doctor said. "Will you please explain how you think the defendant committed the crime?"
Yes! Another testimony. I flopped on the last one, but maybe I can find a hole to poke through this time Twilight though with confidence.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --Testimony: How she committed the crime.--
"Well, it seems pretty obvious, doesn't it? This seems like such a simple crime, so it would've been done in a simple way. Miss Rarity would just walk in and nail the prince in the head. I find this to be an open and shut case."
"Short, but easy enough to understand." The Doctor said. "The prosecution has been quiet for a while now. Discord, do you have anything to add?"
"I've got nothing." Discord said as he laid back in a chair, caring very little about the trial. "I barely have to do anything. This case is as good as over!"
Of course he wouldn't take this serious. At least I won't have to worry about him putting up a fight. Twilight thought.
"Very well then. The defense may start the cross-examination." The Doctor said.
"Are you saying if you walked in the room with a dead body in it, the other pony you see wouldn't be suspicious?" Cestus asked.
Much to Twilight's embarrassment, she couldn't give an answer without making an idiot of herself, so she stayed quiet.
"The defense will refrain from asking obvious questions." The Doctor said. "Please continue."
"This seems like such a simple crime, so it would've been done in a simple way. Miss Rarity would just walk in and nail the prince in the head."
HOLD IT!!
"So you think Rarity walked into the room and attacked?"
"That's how it would seem." Cestus answered. "That's why I think this is so simple. She would just open the door, grab the prince's attention, and whack him in the face."
Aha! I've actually got evidence to suggest otherwise. Twilight thought with confidence. "Your honor, can I have that last part added to the testimony?"
"Hmm...very well then. Commissioner, please revise your testimony."
"She would just open the door, walk in, and attack."
OBJECTION!
Nopony thought that Twilight would've found a contradiction in such a short testimony, but sure enough, she found one.
"So you honestly believe that Rarity walked through the door and attacked Prince Blueblood?" Twilight asked.
"No, I think she took a cannon and blasted the door down." Cestus said sarcastically. "Of course she opened the door."
"I'm sorry, but that's not possible! To open a door, you would surely need to use a key. When I investigate the crime scenem I found this key in the room, and I'm pretty sure this belonged to the prince!" Twilight explained as she showed the hotel's key to the court. "How can Rarity go in the room if she couldn't open the door?"
Cestus got startled at the idea Twilight brought up, for it would've been impossible for anypony to open a locked door. He began to stutter as he nervously tried to think of an explanation.
OBJECTION!
"Twilight, come now." Discord said after finally speaking up. "Whether or not the door was locked makes no difference. Somepony clearly got into the room and attacked the prince."
"But if the door was locked, then how did this crime happen at all?" Twilight asked.
"You brought it up, so why don't you give us a reason?"
Why am I doing everything? Are you even the prosecution? Twilight asked herself. "Fine. I'll not only explain how the attacker got in, I'll show you!"
TAKE THAT! Twilight then presented to the court several large pieces of glass. Most ponies in the court, even the Doctor, were confused by the evidence, but Discord was unfazed by it.
"Miss Sparkle, could you please explain this?" The Doctor asked.
"This glass was found by the broken window in the hotel room. This means that window was broken from the outside, and the only way that could be possible is if the attacker broke in the room from outside."
"So you're saying that Rarity got inside the hotel room by breaking through the window?" Discord asked.
"That's exactly what I'm saying!"
The entire courtroom became silent at that point. Nopony moved, nopony uttered a sound, and nopony knew what to make of what happened. For the longest while, Twilight had a proud look on her face from when she figured out how the attacker got in, but it became awkward after fully realizing that she made things look worse for Rarity.
Did I seriously just fall for that? Twilight asked herself.
"Oh...Twilight." Spike said in disbelief.
"Miss Sparkle, it seems you're not entirely confident in your own case." The Doctor said.
After finally being talked to after the silence, Twilight had to give a quick response to prevent looking like an idiot a second time. "Eh...no, I'm confident. I'm...just not as prepared as I thought I was."
"I was expecting to just waltz in and win, so I'm a little under-prepared myself." Discord confessed.
After thinking about the predicament the defense and prosecution were in, the Doctor came to a conclusion. "As I feel it's still too early to make a verdict, I'm going to call for a ten minute recess to allow you both to re-examine your cases before we continue."
After banging his gavel and giggling at the thought of doing it, the Doctor got up and left the courtroom for the break. Discord snapped his fingers and teleported out of the room, but Twilight didn't leave as quickly. She was still in disbelief that fell for Discord's trick.
The confidence she had at the start of the trial was slipping away from her.
October 10, 10:42 AM Canterlot District Court Defendant Lobby
Wow. I can't believe how messy I've made this. Twilight thought.
After a short, but wild start to Rarity's trial, Twilight was given a chance to calm down and reconsider her approach to her case, but all she could do was think about her slip of the tongue which caused everypony in the court to think that she though Rarity committed the crime.
"Come on, Twilight. You just made one small mistake." Spike said. "Just go back in there and take it back!"
"Easier said then done, Spike. I just made a very bad impression in there, and from what I've read in my law books, a charismatic and confident lawyer is strong, and I highly doubt I'm either one." Twilight explained.
"You can say that again, Twilight Sparkle."
Overhearing Twilight and Spike, Discord approached the two and barged his way into their conversation. His appearance alone filled Twilight with anger.
"Discord..." Twilight said as she was ready to lose it, not being happy with the stunt Discord pulled.
"There there, my little pony. I understand. It's not your fault that you're trying to get a killer off death row." Discord said with a smug smile.
"She's not a killer!" Twilight said in a raised tone.
"Oh, that's right. This was attempted murder, wasn't it?"
During the ten minute break, rather than preparing his case, Discord decided to harass Twilight, making it harder for her to get ready for the trial. Seeing Discord appear in court was already the last thing she wanted to see.
"You really are something, you know that?" Twilight asked.
"Why thank you. I do my very best to help ponykind at your expense." Discord said.
"Help ponykind? You've done no such thing! So far, you've been making everypony think Rarity tried to kill a prince, humiliated me in front of an equestrian court, and just a minute ago, I saw you through a window, throwing a port-o-john over the roof."
"Yeah, I couldn't open that weird blue, metal box, so I got angry at it. I think it belongs to the judge." Discord explained. "Anyway, it's not my fault that this is happening. I'm just--"
"Yes, it IS your fault that this is happening!" Twilight interrupted. "If I recall, the reason my and my friends freed you from your stone prison was so you could benefit ponykind, but you clearly still don't want that!"
"What do you mean, Twi?" Spike asked.
"Oh, come on, Spike! It's obvious that he wants to get rid of one of us so we can't use the Elements of Harmony on him again. It's the only thing he has to gain from all this!"
Discord was stunned by Twilight's outburst. He almost couldn't think of anything to say afterwards. After a long, awkward silence, Discord became crossed with Twilight, and since everypony knew how powerful Discord was, seeing so much as a frown on his face can be dangerous for all. Twilight quickly regretted snapping at Discord.
"As it so happens, my dear Twilight, Princess Celestia personally asked me to be the prosecutor." Discord said. "I even tried to turn it down since Rarity is a friend of Fluttershy, so she resorted to bribing me to do it! All I have to gain from this, whether I win or lose, is to get my own room in the palace."
A room? That's all he's doing this for? Oh boy, have I done it now. Twilight thought with embarrassment.
"On second thought, I'm going to enjoy winning this trial. Give your last goodbyes to your friend, Twilight Sparkle!"
With the snap of his finger while still being upset, Discord disappeared from Twilight and Spike's sight to prepare for the trial.
"You've really done it this time, Twilight." Spike said.
"Yeah...I guess I did." Twilight said with sadness. "But it's nit important now. What's important is that we get Rarity acquitted and not fall for another one of Discord's tricks."
October 10, 10:50 AM Canterlot District Court Courtroom 1
"Court is now back in session!" The Doctor said as he banged his gavel. "Miss Sparkle, are you ready to continue?"
With the break over, the defense, the prosecution, and the audience returned to their seats and the trial was back on its way.
"The defense is ready, and I assure you that I still plan to prove that my friend is innocent." Twilight said.
"Very good then. How about the prosecution?" The Doctor asked.
"Indeed, I am ready." Discord answered. "Now then, to pick off from where we were last, I suggest you hand down your verdict, your honor!"
"Oh, yes, that seems to be the best route to take, now isn't it?"
OBJECTION!
"That is not where we were before the break." Twilight stated. "We were talking about how the attacker broke through a window to reach Blueblood."
"Yes, and even you said Rarity was the one who did it." Discord said.
I guess it was too much to hope for everypony to forget that. Twilight thought. "It was just a slip of the tongue, but it does still raise an interesting question, Discord. If Rarity was the one who broke in, then how did she do it when the room was on the fifth floor?"
The audience went into a small uproar and began talking to one another since Twilight brought up a good point. After all, it's physically impossible for a normal unicorn to simply fly up unless they were masters of magic.
"Order! Order in the court!" The Doctor said after banging his gavel twice.
"Oh, Twilight. So loyal to your friends that I wonder why you're the element of magic." Discord, wagging his finger at her. "Sadly, it closes your mind off to the way for anypony to reach the fifth floor of a hotel room."
I've got a bad feeling about this.
"I present to the court this stepladder." Discord said as he snapped his fingers, making a ladder appear out of thin air. "This was found out side the Gilded Horseshoe. I'll give you three guesses which room it took you to." The Doctor nodded at the new evidence. "Very well. The court will except the stepladder as evidence."
OBJECTION!
"You can't accept that evidence just yet." Twilight said. "The court should know that that's not a stepladder, but just a ladder."
OBJECTION!
"Ladder, stepladder, whatever. They're the exact same thing." Discord responded.
"Wrong. A stepladder is a folding ladder that can be freestanding. A ladder isn't straight and needs to be leaning on something. To be more specific, this is an extending ladder." Twilight explained."
"You know Twilight, if you focus less on ladders and more on the trial, you might actually win. Let me guess, you've read five books about ladders, right?"
Maybe I shouldn't tell him that the fifth book won't be out until the 24th. Twilight thought.
The Doctor banged his gavel three times to get the attention of the defense and prosecution. "Order! This court does not care about the difference between ladders and stepladders. Whatever you call this thing, I'm accepting it as evidence."
After a short debate between ladders and stepladders, the ladder was accepted as evidence and the trial continued. Unfortunately for Twilight, the new evidence wasn't a good for her.
"At any rate, this ladder was found leaning on the window of Prince Blueblood's room." Discord explained. "This and the broken glass proves that somepony climbed up, smashed the window, and entered to attack the prince. Since there was only one other pony found, it's safe to say Miss Rarity was the one."
"Agreed." The Doctor said. "I feel I'm ready to hand down my verdict right now."
OBJECTION!
"I have to disagree. Rarity was in the very same hotel as Blueblood. That said, why couldn't she of just knocked on his door and get invited in?" Twilight asked. "If you ask me, that would be must simpler than breaking in."
Discord gave a confused look to Twilight, but after thinking what she said over in his head, he began to smile with confidence. "Twilight, I don't know what your friend told you, but Rarity was never in the hotel."
"W-what?" Twilight asked.
"I've checked the names of everypony who had a room in the hotel that day. Heck, I even managed to get the names of everypony who checked in that month. And guess what. Rarity's name was not on the list, which means only one thing." After whipping his tail at the wall behind him, he said with confidence..."Your friend has lied to you about her crime!"
Twilight was in shock when she heard the news. "Wha...WHAAAATT!!?"
An uproar occurred once again after the new information was brought up. It seemed as if Twilight's confidence in Rarity's case was completely drained once again, and this cause the entire audience to start talking loudly..
"Order! Order! Order!" The Doctor said as after banging his gavel three times. "I will have order or I will clear this courtroom!"
Twilight had to think very fast. With no record of Rarity being at the hotel, yet being at the crime scene anyway, it wouldn't take much more evidence to give her a guilty verdict. Her only hope was for Twilight to keep the trial going until she could figure something out.
"Discord!" Twilight said as she banged her hooves on the table. "I'd like to see these names. I want to know beyond a reasonable doubt that Rarity didn't have a room at the hotel."
"If I must." Discord said with a smug smile. "I'd like to submit this check-in list to the court."
The court accepted the list as evidence and a copy of it was given to Twilight to study. She gave the list a long read, hoping she missed Rarity's name, but as Discord said, her name didn't show up. Right as Twilight was about to lose hope, she noticed something odd about the list.
"C-Cryslight Sparkle? Was that suppose to be an insult?" Twilight asked.
"I think Twilight Snarkle would've been funnier." Spike said.
"You're all wrong." The Doctor said. "Her name should be Uptight Snootle. Err...I mean, order! Keep the insults to a minimum please.
Why is even the judge making fun of me. Twilight thought, but she disregarded it after remembering what she had to say. "Anyway, I have some questions about these room arrangements. More specifically, the top three floors."
Floor 6: Filthy Rich, Gold Digger, and Diamond Tiara. Fancy Pants and Flashy Skirt.
Floor 5: Prince Blueblood and Giant Hand
Floor 4: Sapphire Shores. Fluer Dis Lee. Soarin and Spitfire. Rapidfire and Fleetfoot. Photo Finish. Hoity Toity. Jet Set and Upper Crust. Gustave Le Grand.
"Anypony notice anything odd?" Twilight asked. "Because I've noticed three things on this list that may interest the court."
"Some Wonderbolts went on what seem like double dates and Blueblood's name literally is Prince. So what?" Discord asked.
"Since the sixth floor is the top floor, then that would make them the penthouse rooms. If that's the case, why didn't Blueblood, a pony with such high standards and tastes, would settle for anything less than the very best?"
Discord wagged his at Twilight for asking what he thought was a silly question. "Obviously, the rooms already booked by two very rich clients. Since the top floor only has two rooms, he had to settle for the next best thing. Nothing suspicious about that."
Discord made a good argument. Twilight recognized Filthy Rich and Fancy Pant's names and remembered they were very wealthy ponies. For that matter, she recognized every single name on the list. Regardless, she had other points to make.
"Fine, but can you explain to me why there are fewer ponies on the fifth floor than on the fourth and sixth? And if that isn't suspicious, then who's this pony that's sharing a room with the Prince?"
"Hmm...that's a good question." Discord said as he scratched his head. Then, after snapping his fingers... "How about we ask him?"
"Ask him?" Twilight asked.
"You're honor, I'd like to call my next witness to the stand to completely crush the last bit of hope in Twilight Sparkle and her friends."
"That sounded a bit mean-spirited, but I agree. Bring in the next witness." The Doctor said.
Twilight didn't think there would be another witness for Discord to bring in, and because of how unexpected it was, Twilight didn't come completely prepared for what happened next.
A minute later, the next witness entered the court. He was a very large and bulky grey pegasus with what looked like a stone hand for a cutie mark. He wore armor similar to what the Canterlot royal guard wore, only his was customized to be a dark brown with orange trimming . He wore a large helmet with a green crest on top. The helmet covered his head almost completely, hiding everything but his eyes.
"Witness, state your name and occupation, now!" Discord ordered.
"I am Giant Hand. The 106th captain of the royal guard." The witness said in a deep, serious voice.
That's sort of an odd name. Although, I guess Twilight Sparkle isn't a common name either. Twilight thought to herself.
"Mr. Hand, can you please tell the court what you were doing on the day Prince Blueblood got attacked?" Discord asked. "Twilight Sparkle would also like to know why you two were the only one's on the fifth floor of the hotel."
"Very well." Giant Hand said as he began to share his story. "I was the prince's bodyguard that day. I was ordered to watch out for him during the day as he doesn't feel comfortable without having a royal guard. As for why we were the only ones on that floor, it's because the prince convinced the hotel's manager to let him have the floor all to himself since he couldn't get one on the top floor."
The audience of the court all agreed with Giant Hand's claim as it answered the question perfectly.
"So the reason there were so many ponies on the fourth floor was because they got downgraded?" The Doctor asked.
"Yes. The manager was afraid of somepony of royalty to give him trouble, so he pulled some strings and got everypony on that floor to a lower floor for a discounted price. The only reason he couldn't do the same for the top floor was because they had more money and power than the Prince."
So it's possible for non-royalty to outclass royalty? That's amazing. Although it could just mean that Blueblood is a lousy prince. Twilight thought. "Hang on. If you were watching him that day, then how did the prince get attacked?"
"I believe he will need to testify about that." The Doctor said. "Witness, please explained your story about what happened at the time of the attack."
With a new testimony, Twilight was given a new chance to find contradictions to help Rarity's case, but she knew that if she couldn't find one, the trial would may as well end.
"Prince Blueblood prefered to be by himself or with others of his kind, so I was never actually in the room. Instead, I stood out in front of his door for the day. Throughout the day, I saw no other ponies on the floor. It wasn't until Star Cestus of the police arrived that I realized something happened."
--End of Testimony-- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The doctor and thought about the testimony, then smiled and nod at Giant Hand. "Yes, that seems to be a solid testimony. Nothing seems out of the ordinary aside from the attempted murder."
"Does this mean you can announce your verdict now?" Discord asked with hope in his eyes.
"Not until after Miss. Sparkle cross-examines the witness. You may start now."
Alright, Twilight. Don't screw this up again. She thought to herself.
"Prince Blueblood prefered to be by himself or with others of his kind, so I was never actually in the room."
HOLD IT!
"But isn't it possible for you to go in at all? Surely you had a key to the room as well."
"The prince asked for only one key to the room for himself. I was stuck with being outside for the trip."
That's cruel. I better remember not to treat any guard I myself may get so poorly. Although this does mean he couldn't get into the room. I guess I can't try and pin this mess on him.
"Instead, I stood out in front of his door for the day. Throughout the day, I saw no other ponies on the floor."
HOLD IT!
"You saw nopony else? Are you absolutely sure of this?"
"Yes. The prince made it very clear that he and I would be the only ones allowed on the fifth floor. From when I was tasked to watch the room and until Star Cestus arrived at the crime scene, I didn't see, hear, or even smell anything."
While cross-examining Giant Hand, Twilight noticed that Spike had a strange look on his face. She didn't realize until then that this whole time, Spike was trying to find some kind of hole in the case as well.
"Something wrong, Spike?" Twilight asked.
"So...he didn't see OR hear anything?" Spike said, being confused.
Twilight didn't get where Spike was going at first, but after repeating after Giant Hand out loud, she finally figured something out.
"If you're so confident about what you just said, can you add it to the testimony?"
Discord shook his head in shame. "Oh my dear Twilight. Forcing the witness to repeat himself. Desperate to make this last as long as possible I see."
Nonetheless, Giant Hand agreed and amended his testimony for twilight.
"I saw, heard, and smelt nothing wrong until the police arrived.
OBJECTION!
"So you honestly didn't hear anything happen?" Twilight asked. "Not even the actual crime?"
"No, I didn't hear any...Ahh!" Giant Hand said as he realized what he said.
"So despite being several feet away from the crime, you didn't hear Prince Blueblood's struggle, or even the sound of the window breaking when the attacker broke in the room!"
Giant Hand's eyes practically shot out of his helmet after Twilight's discovery. There was no reason for him to not hear anything when standing out at the door, which meant only one thing. He was lying.
"Explain yourself!" The Doctor said. "How can you not hear your own boss and the attacker?"
Although he was wearing a helmet, even the ponies on the upper floor could tell that Giant Hand was sweating up a storm. He had an answer, but he clearly didn't want to give it.
"Come on! Your captain of the royal guard and are under oath." Twilight said. "If you don't give us an answer, we'll be able to cast suspicion on--
OBJECTION!
"And I think you have nothing, my little lawyer." Discord said as he wagged his finger at Twilight. "Captain, I'm really disappointed in you. I thought you were going to come clean."
Come Clean? Twilight thought.
"Your honor, I would like Captain Giant Hand to make another testimony. One that explains this inconsistency. Once he does, you'll understand why he didn't hear the moment the window broke."
"Well, my job is to hear everything, but is your witness willing to say everything?" The Doctor asked.
Giant Hand was quiet and nervous after learning that he needed to make a new testimony, but because he was at risk of being a suspect himself, he knew he had no choice. "I'm...ready to speak."
Twilight thought she was close to winning Rarity's freedom, but it became clear as crystal that the trial would go on for a while longer. Because of this, Twilight also started to sweat bullets.
I don't know what Discord has up his sleeve, but know that Rarity didn't do anything and that this witness is mighty suspicious. Whatever it is he has to say, I'll be certain to tear it a new one. I've got to.
Due to the poor testimony done by the witness, the royal guard Giant Hand, he needed to revise it and tell what really happened. Discord was very confident with what the witness had to say, which made Twilight worried about what was about to happen.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --Testimony: Why I didn't hear the prince--
"Actually, I have a confession. I wasn't at my post the entire time. I got a little tired thirsty. I figured nopony would dare try to cross Prince Blueblood, so I left to get a coffee. When I got it, I came right back to my post, which was when I found out what happened."
--End of Testimony-- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The captain of the royal guard left their post?" The Doctor asked as he shook his head. "Shame on you."
"Yeah, how could you?" Twilight asked. "I thought it's suppose to be a great honor to risk their lives protecting royalty."
Giant Hand hesitated with his answer, cringing as he was thinking. "There is no honor with working for Prince Blueblood. We sometimes assign the job of watching over the prince as a form of punishment. When that can't be done, we simply take turns. If I had a choice, I'd pass my turn to somepony else."
Is working for the prince really that bad? Twilight thought with disbelief, but she quickly shrugged it off when it was time for her cross-examination.
"Actually, I have a confession. I wasn't at my post the entire time."
HOLD IT!
"Is working for Blueblood so bad that you risk leaving him alone?" Twilight asked.
"For him? You have no idea. We're treated more like butlers than actual guards. My last subordinate who worked for the prince had to give him a sponge bath or be dishonorably discharged."
Every single pony in the courtroom shuddered in disgust by what they had heard. The Doctor, Twilight, and even Discord felt sympathy for the captain's fellow guards.
I'm going to have Princess Celestia raise her guard's salary after hearing what I just heard. Twilight thought to herself. "Alright. Continue."
"I got a little tired and thirsty."
HOLD IT!
"How long were you standing outside the hotel room? If you were tired and thirsty, I assume you were there a long time." Twilight asked.
Giant Hand thought about the question carefully as he didn't want to answer incorrectly. "I woke up, got ready, and stood out to watch the door from 9:00 am until I left my post. I was able to stay out longer because I packed a small lunch with me."
So That means he was on guard duty the entire day. I guess it would've been impossible for anypony to break in with him so close to his boss. So the attacker definitely broke in when he left. Twilight thought.
"I figured nopony would dare try to cross Prince Blueblood, so I left to get a coffee."
HOLD IT!
"Here's an important question. What time did you leave to get your coffee?" Twilight asked.
"Hmm...I don't know." Giant Hand answered.
OBJECTION!
"I can answer that one." Discord said. "When Giant Hand met up with Red and found the prince and Rarity, with the former being half-dead, they recorded that the time was 2:15 PM."
Ah ha! For once, Discord has done something right. Twilight thought with a smile. Since we can't get the time of the crime due to no autopsy report, we can narrow it down instead.
"That's right! So..." Giant Hand said as he continued to think. "I remember being out for about fifteen minutes before coming back."
Twilight was satisfied with the information she was given, as it at least offered more specific details of the crime, namely an estimated time. However, she still had another question and hoped to get an answer just as easily.
"Captain, can you tell me where you got your coffee?"
OBJECTION!
"Twilight, please don't tell me you think his coffee is suspicious." Discord said. "Could the entire trial change because he got it at the hotel or at a Star Swirl Bucks?"
"Discord, please just let me question the witness." Twilight asked.
"Fine, but only talk about the important stuff."
As Discord was forcing Twilight to change the subject, she began to suspect something, but he never said anything before until Twilight asked about the coffee.
With how solid this testimony is, I don't think I can find any contradictions. If there isn't one, then why would Discord interrupt me now? Twilight asked herself.
"Twilight, aren't you going to finish talking to this guy?" Spike asked.
"I want to, but I think Discord is trying to stop me from doing it. In which case..." More curious than ever, Twilight banged her hooves on the table and asked her question. "I really am going to know more about where you got your coffee. I think this will change the case."
"You think this will change the case? Fine." Discord said as he magically makes a mug of coffee appear out of thin air. "You really want his coffee? Here it is!"
Completely out of the blue, the coffee Discord made was thrown across the room and landed on Twilight's head, scolding her with hot coffee. She was surprisingly quiet after getting splashed by the hot coffee and having the mug hung on her horn.
Should I shout in anger for having my horn be used for ring toss, or scream in pain from first-degree burns? Twilight thought.
Noticing the chaos going on, the Doctor banged his gavel to get order.
"Will the prosecution refrain from literally making attacks on the defense?" The Doctor asked. "Anyway, I'll allow for the defense's request. Will the witness revise their testimony about how they got their coffee?"
As requested, Giant Hand changed his testimony to answer Twilight's question.
"Actually, I got my coffee at the Star Swirl Bucks across the street from the hotel."
HOLD IT!
"So you went across the street? Couldn't you of gotten a coffee at the hotel?" Twilight asked.
"Fifteen bits for a hotel coffee? I may be captain of the royal guard, but I'm not made of money. On top of that, with Proposition G3 practically passed, I'll need to save all the money I can." Giant Hand explained.
Proposition G3? Ugh, whatever. Wait, fifteen bits for a coffee? What a rip. Twilight thought angrily, but she dismissed the thoughts after realizes that none of it were important details. "Alright, I won't question why you went across the street, but can you at least tell me what happened while you were gone?"
"I'm afraid not." Giant Hand answered. "Aside from saving thirteen bits on coffee, nothing special happened. I even kept the eye out at the hotel just in case."
"And even then, you saw nothing?" Twilight asked.
"After my coffee, I turned back and as I went into the hotel, Commissioner Star Cestus caught up to me after hearing some anonymous tip about the prince. You already know the rest from there. Until then, nothing happened that I can remember."
"You see, Twilight? You wasted a testimony." Discord said, mocking Twilight. "Only you would've found coffee suspicious."
Sure enough, Twilight couldn't find anything in the witness's testimony. There was nothing odd about his trip to the coffee shop and sounded like just a typical trip. However, after thinking it over carefully, she realized that being an ordinary trip across the street was exactly what was wrong.
OBJECTION!
As soon as Twilight objected, Discord began to laugh uncontrollably.
"Miss Sparkle, did you actually find something odd about the witness getting coffee?" The Doctor asked.
"No, the coffee has nothing to do with anything, but there's another problem with this testimony." Twilight answered. "Just now, Giant Hand claimed that he didn't see anything when he looked back at the hotel."
The Doctor thought about what Twilight said, and while he didn't notice anything at first, an epiphany struck him. Discord, being so confident in himself, didn't notice anything.
"It appears that the defense has found a flaw in the witness's testimony for a second time." The Doctor said.
"What? I don't see anything." Discord said.
"Fine. I guess we have been pretty vague." Twilight admitted. "Just a minute ago, Giant Hand said that he didn't see anything strange when he went to get coffee. If that's the case, why the hay did he not see climbing up the ladder and up to the hotel room?"
Once again, Giant Hand's eyes popped out of his helmet in surprise. He insisted that he saw nothing, but sure enough, he should've seen everything.
OBJECTION!
"Maybe he couldn't see anything." Discord said with a slightly worried look. "The coffee shop obviously didn't face Blueblood's room."
OBJECTION!
"I think it's safe to say it was. Otherwise, Giant Hand wouldn't need to look back." Twilight argued.
"Witness, was your room facing the coffee shop?" The Doctor asked angrily.
"Y-yes. It's how I knew it was there." Giant Hand admitted.
For the first time all day, Discord was thrown into a bad spot. He had started to sweat when such a huge oversight was found and couldn't use his silver tongue to mess with Twilight's case. When the audience noticed the prosecution's loss for words, they started to make an uproar, but they were quickly silenced by a single bang of the Doctor's gavel.
"Witness, what you just revealed contradicts with all the facts we have. Explain yourself!" The Doctor ordered. "I hope you aren't hiding any more secrets."
"B-but I'm not!" Giant Hand explained. "During my entire time out of the hotel, I didn't see the ladder, nor did I see the attacker. Heck, I never even...oh..."
A thought occurred to Giant Hand as he pondered about the missing ladder, which Twilight, Discord, and the Doctor noticed by the sudden silence.
"I just remembered. Back when I saw Rarity and the prince, I didn't see the ladder hanging by the window either." The ladder wasn't at the window either? What could that mean? Twilight thought to herself. After thinking of a possible answer though, a horrified expression appeared on her face.
"Figured it out too, my little pony?" Discord asked with his smug smiled back on his face. "Your honor, I think we've gotten all we can get from this witness. If I may, I'd like to call the first one back for a second."
"I suppose the cross-examination has gone on for long enough." The Doctor said. "Does the defense have any objections?"
Twilight came to the same conclusion about the mysterious as Discord and it was a bad one for her. She didn't want it to be brought up, but she knew that it was going to happen anyway. "No, your honor. No objections."
A few minutes later, after Giant Hand left the witness stand, Star Cestus was brought back up to the stand to clarify what would completely blow away the contradiction Twilight worked so hard to find.
"Red, we need to ask you something about the stepladd--oh, I mean the "ladder" that was found at the crime scene." Discord said.
"Sure, pal. What do you need to know?" Star Cestus asked.
"Just a minute ago, the prince's guard told us that he didn't see the ladder against the room's window when he went out, and he didn't see it when he was in the room either. Care to explain why?"
"Oh, of course!" Star Cestus said. "We didn't actually find the ladder standing against the hotel. It was actually lying down in the grass. I guess the attacker foolishly knocked the ladder down when she entered the room. The reason we knew it was used on the prince's hotel window was because of indents found in the grass and the height of the ladder. In short, we are 100% sure that the ladder was used there."
Twilight slammed her hooves on the table in anger when she heard the new information. Damn it! I thought I had it! There's no way the ladder would've fallen if it was positioned like it was, but without proof, it's the only explanation!
"Twilight, you don't look so good." Spike said, worried about her friend.
"OF COURSE I'M NOT GOOD!" Twilight snapped. "I finally found a problem with the testimony and Discord fixed it!"
"I don't know. It still seems fishy, doesn't it? I use our ladder at home all the time, but I've never let it fall over on me."
There wasn't much left for Twilight to fall back on, but she knew Spike had a good point. The idea of Rarity breaking in with the ladder and then letting fall was too suspicious to ignore.
"Does the defense have anything to say about what the commissioner just said?" The Doctor asked.
"It's just as Spike said." Twilight answered. "It seems too odd for Rarity to let the ladder fall over after climbing up. My theory is that somepony else climbed the ladder, committed the crime, and left after removing the ladder. That's the only way this crime could've happened without Giant Hand seeing the ladder."
OBJECTION!
"Perhaps Rarity accidently allowed the ladder to fall and trapped herself as Giant Hand left the scene. That would explain why Rarity was at the crime scene when the door to the room was locked. There's simply no other way."
"The prosecution does have a valid point." The Doctor said in agreement. "Can the defense come up with any proof that another pony was at the crime scene?"
[i[Think think think think...EUREKA! Twilight thought. "As a matter of fact, there is still a possibility of another pony being at the crime scene. And this is my proof!"
TAKE THAT!
Twilight presented to the court the gold bar Discord produced, the one used to knock out Blueblood in the crime.
"Twilight, that's evidence used to prove Rarity was the culprit. Why would you use it against yourself?" Discord asked.
"Actually, I don't think it's enough to say Rarity was the one who used it." Twilight argued. "Did you forget that the magic residue from another unicorn was found on the gold?"
"I have to admit that I did forget." The Doctor said.
"The reason Rarity was suspected of being the attacker is because you found her magic and hoof prints on the gold bar, but if that's the case, then whoever the other magic belongs to is equally suspicious."
The Doctor went into a deep thought to think about Twilight's proposal. Twilight was slowly turning the tables again, much to Discord's misery.
"In fact, I think the concrete proof still lies with that ladder. If we can leave prints on a piece of metal, then surely there will be marks of some kind on the ladder, and if it there's any that don't belong to Rarity, it will prove that she didn't do it."
Both Discord and Star Cestus had a funny look appear on their faces. They felt a sense of doubt and confusion with Twilight's idea, almost as if they hoped Twilight wouldn't suggest that.
"Very well. Commissioner Cestus, please have the ladder analyzed for any other prints." The Doctor asked.
"We already sent everything we found to the forensics and they examined every piece of evidence carefully. We didn't find any kind of prints on the ladder." Star Cestus explained.
"Well, that's a shame. I guess this means Miss Rarity really...wait, none? Not even the defendants' own hoof prints?"
"I'm afraid not. We found no prints to show it was handled, no magic to show it was levitated, and as far as we know, it was a ghost who used the ladder. It's quite a mystery."
While the court was working hard to solve the mystery of Prince Blueblood's attacker, a new mystery was born about the markless ladder. Theoretically, any pony could've climbed up and use it.
"Eh, it doesn't really change anything in the long run." Discord said. "The ladder was clearly used, the hotel room was locked from the inside, and yet Rarity was found inside."
"Hmm...there are still some unsolved mysterious, but everything you said is true." The Doctor said. "Since nothing has actually changed the current facts, I think it's about time I give my verdict since I can't see there being anything that can prove the defendants' innocence."
No. It can't end now. There's still too many questions that I need answered. Twilight thought, worried about the upcoming verdict. There must be somepony that can tell us more.
"Will the defendant, Miss Rarity St. Germane please come to the stand for her verdict?"
That was when it became clear. There was indeed still another pony who hasn't said anything about the case, and she called to the stand by the judge himself. Among the many mysteries was why Rarity was at the crime scene if she wasn't the one who committed the crime. Since the verdict was ready to be handed down, this was Twilight's last chance.
"Your honor!" Twilight said as she banged her table with her hooves. "Since we're already calling her back out here, I'd like to ask Rarity about the crime from her point of view."
The Doctor shook his head in disagreement. "Request denied. Without any proof or alibi, anything she would say would be unreliable."
"Please, I beg you! I know she's been hiding something from me as well, and maybe if I can figure out what that is, we may be able to find something that can turn this whole thing around."
Discord shook his head in shame and began wagging his finger at Twilight. "Oh dear Twilight. Still trying to save your friend when it's obvious that she's a criminal mastermind."
After thinking the idea over a second time and looking at the expression on Twilight's face, the Doctor felt a change of heart. "Very well then. I suppose she has the right to some last words. Bailiff, bring the defendant in so we may hear her story."
OBJECTION!
"Your honor, I don't know about you, but I don't want to waste more time here then I need to." Discord complained.
OBJECTION!
"The judge has already allowed me to do it." Twilight argued.
OBJECTION!
"I see it as nothing as a waste of time. There's no reason for me to let you play with any more dead-end details. At least...not without a dagger hanging over your head."
The court went silent. Not even the audience had anything to say, nor did they want to say anything. Twilight herself was worried about what Discord was suggestion. She was particularly worried about the idea of literally having a dagger over her head.
"Hmm...dagger over..." The Doctor said to himself before understanding the meaning. "Oh! You mean there should be a penalty of some sort."
"Fine. If I'm wrong, I'll let the judge hold me in contempt." Twilight said.
"Pff. What's the point of that?" Discord asked. "The trial is almost over anyway, so it would barely be called a punishment. No, I've got a much better idea."
Yeah, I have the feeling that I'm dead now. Twilight though with unease.
"With a snap of my fingers, I can make anything reality. I propose that if Rarity can't say anything that can avoid a guilty verdict, I can use my magic on you. Tell me Twilight, do you think you can live the rest of your life without your horn and wings?"
"My...MY HORN?!!!"
It was indeed a very scary proposal for Twilight. If she wanted to hear Rarity's testimony without Discord interfering, she would have to give up her horn and wings.
I can live without my wings. I'm still breaking them in, but my horn? Magic is my whole life! Twilight thought, having second thoughts about the idea.
"If you had to give up your horn and wings, would that mean you can't be a princess anymore?" Spike asked.
"It would definitely mean I can't live my life the same way again. Magic is my special talent. If I gave it up, my cutie mark wouldn't mean anything anymore. It's...definitely not something I expected to happen at the trial today."
OBJECTION!
To the shock of everypony in the court, Rarity herself ran to the stand and objected to the idea Twilight gambling with her magic.
"This will NOT do!" Rarity said angrily. "A unicorn values their horn like it's their own lives, and Twilight of all ponies would value it above her life! I'd sooner take a guilty verdict then to let you take that away from her!"
Discord chuckled and wagged his finger at Rarity after making her comment. "There you have it. She pleads guilty. I'd say it's time to end this trial."
"So it seems. Does the defense have anything to say about this?" The Doctor asked.
Suddenly, there was a smile on Twilight's face. Discord was at Twilight's throat, Rarity was asking for a guilty verdict, and the judge was ready to hand down a verdict, and yet Twilight was smiling. It was quite a shock to Discord.
"You're on." Twilight said.
"Excuse me?" The Doctor asked.
"I said I'm accepting Discord's challenge. If I can't find anything in Rarity's testimony, I'll let him take away my horn and wings."
"Oh...well...I didn't expect to hear that." The Doctor said. "Hmm...does the prosecution have anything to say?"
Discord began laughing like the maniac he was when Twilight accepted his offer. "A chance to send one of Twilight's friend to the Sun and mutilating Twilight herself after the way she talked to me? How could I possibly turn this down?"
"Twilight, are you sure this is a good idea?" Spike asked.
I know this isn't a good idea, but it's still worth doing. Here I am trying to help Rarity, then she comes and tries to save me by sacrificing her own life. I can't let a pony with a heart like that down. I'm more then willing to lay risk my magic to save my friends. It's why I have it in the first place.
More than prepared for the worst case scenario, Twilight was able to make the trial continue to give Rarity the chance to prove her innocence. Twilight didn't know if she would succeed or not, but with Rarity's life at stack, she didn't care.
Instead of handing down the verdict, the Doctor agreed to listen to a testimony from Rarity herself and share what she wanted to say, but there was also pressure for her. If she failed to bring any new information to the court, Discord would take away Twilight's horn and wings.
Rarity walked to the witness stand. Once there, she became nervous after the Canterlot citizens looking down at her from the audience benches.
"You certainly don't look like the type who would try to kill a pony, let alone a prince." The Doctor said.
OBJECTION!
"Keep in mind that the evidence still points to her as the culprit." Discord said. "Also, remember that nothing she says will be reliable without solid proof."
The Doctor nodded in agreement. "For now, let's just hear what she has to say."
"W-w-what am I suppose to say?" Rarity asked.
"Just try to say something that can prove you're innocent." The Doctor explains. "I would like to hear an explanation about why you were at the crime scene in the first place. Any objections?"
Rarity hasn't been telling me the truth about everything. Twilight thought. I wonder if her secrets are even that big. Knowing her, it's probably something like her hair is going grey. In any case, I'll have to get it out of her if I want to save her.
"Why I was there? Uh...of course. When I was at the hotel, I heard that the prince was there as well, so I thought I'd seem him. I felt a little bad about how things went at the Grand Galloping Gala, so I thought I'd try to make amends. And rest assure, Twilight. I DID have a hotel room that day."
"Not exactly case breaking testimony now is it?" The Doctor said.
"If that's the case, shall we give her the guilty verdict now?" Discord asked.
"No, I'd first like to give Miss Sparkle a chance to cross-examine her first."
The testimony was not a good one for Twilight's case. It was vague, lacked anything of real interest, and was mostly what she already knew. Nothing had changed.
"It looks like this could be the end of the trial, Spike." Twilight said with sadness. "I'm not sure what more we can do here."
"Really? I don't think so." Spike said. "Rarity is obviously lying to us. Why can't you just try to get her to tell us the truth? She could end up giving us something we don't know yet."
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm hoping she really is lying. If she's telling the truth, we'll lose the trial right now." Twilight said. And if it does end, then I'll lose my wings, my horn, and even my friend.
Why I was there? Uh...of course. When I was at the hotel, I heard that the prince was there as well, so I thought I'd seem him. "
"I felt a little bad about how things went at the Grand Galloping Gala, so I thought I'd try to make amends."
"And rest assure, Twilight. I DID have a hotel room that day
OBJECTION!
There's only one thing I want to talk about/ Twilight thought. "Rarity, you claim to of had a room at the Gilded Horseshoe, but I have here a list of names of the ponies who were at the hotel that day. I've looked through the names and haven't found your name anywhere."
"I...well...are you sure you have the right list?" Rarity asked desperately.
The Doctor looked down at Rarity with disapproval, not being satisfied with the testimony. At that time, Discord was getting ready to snap his fingers and make Twilight's wings and horn disappear as they agreed.
"Rarity, the judge is ready to hand down a verdict. Please, for both of us, you need to tell us what happened." Twilight begged.
At that point, Rarity remembered about the deal Twilight made with Discord and realized that she was being selfish. While trying to hide her secrets, she had slowly made her problem Twilight's problem as well. She knew she had to say something she didn't want to share.
"Fine. I guess I have no choice." Rarity said. "Not only was I at the hotel, but I even have an alibi."
Yes! I knew you'd come through. Twilight thought happily.
"If you really do have an alibi, please add it to your testimony." The Doctor said.
I was staying at a room at the top floor of the hotel."
HOLD IT!
"Alright, Rarity. This is where the lies have to end." Twilight said. "The same list makes it clear that you weren't on the top floor, the penthouse rooms. Can you really prove you were there."
Rarity took a deep breath, look up to the Canterlot citizens watching, looked back to Twilight, and continued her testimony. "Yes. In fact, you ask the front desk or the manager, and they will recognize me."
OBJECTION!
"I've met those ponies." Discord said. "They don't ever recall seeing a mare name Rarity checking in."
"Well...that's because I didn't use my name." Rarity confessed. "I...used the name...Flashy Skirt."
Flashy Skirt? Where do have I heard that name? Twilight pondered. Then, after remembering a piece of evidence...WAIT A MINUTE!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Names of ponies at the Gilded Horseshoe:
Floor 6: Filthy Rich, Gold Digger, and Diamond Tiara. Fancy Pants and Flashy Skirt.
Floor 5: Prince Blueblood and Giant Hand
Floor 4: Sapphire Shores. Fluer Dis Lee. Soarin and Spitfire. Rapidfire and Fleetfoot. Photo Finish. Hoity Toity. Jet Set and Upper Crust. Gustave Le Grand. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Flashy Skirt? Why..." Twilight said after looking through the list of names. "That was Fancy Pant's roommate!"
After hearing that Rarity was sharing a hotel room with Fancy Pants, the audience went into the biggest uproar of the day. They were all talking away, shocked that a mare like Rarity would be at a hotel room with somepony as famous as Fancy Pants.
The Doctor didn't like the audience's behavior and banged his gavel three times. "Order! Order! Please behave yourselves!"
OBJECTION!
"Th-this is obviously a lie. She's trying to wiggle out of this mess." Discord said, shocked by the turnabout.
OBJECTION!
"If what she says is true, then she'll have an airtight alibi!" Twilight argued. "Rarity, were you really sharing a room with Fancy Pants?"
"I...yes. Me and Fancy Pants were...together at the hotel." Rarity admitted.
Hearing the words from the pony's mouth for a second time made everypony in the audience go even crazier as none of them could stop talking about what they had learned. As they went on and on, Rarity began to hide behind the witness stand.
"Order! Order! ORDER!" The Doctor said after banging his gavel three times again, not being able to enjoy banging it anymore. "I will have order or I will clear this court!"
Completely ignoring the Doctor's wishes, the ponies of Canterlot kept going, forgetting that they were at a courthouse. Finally losing his patience, the Doctor banged his gavel a final time.
"That's it. I'm officially clearing this court. Bailiff, removing everyone here who isn't involved with this trial."
It was chaotic for a few minutes, and the not the kind of chaos Discord enjoyed, but everypony watching the trial had to be removed from the courtroom and the trial was no longer public. This allowed the exhausted Doctor, the annoyed Discord, and the sweating Twilight to continue the trial.
"Sorry about that, but my patience grew thin." The Doctor said after calming down. "Now then, if you had an alibi this whole time, why wait until now to share it?"
"I admit, it would've been better for my case if I came clean, but I just couldn't." Rarity said. "I knew that if word got out that Fancy Pants invited me to come with him on a trip to Canterlot's best hotel, I'd never be able to show my face to the public again!"
"Wouldn't being with a famous pony be good for your image?" The Doctor asked.
"Good heavens, no! It would be nothing but a great big scandal. Imagine the headlines! Canterlot's most elite bachelor dating mare from the boonies! I would get so much unwanted attention."
I sure hope nopony back in Ponyville finds out about what she just said. Twilight thought with a worried look. Although, I know Rarity takes pride in her image, so it's believable that this is the reason she waited so long to reveal what she was doing. But it does raise another question. Was there a reason why they went to the same hotel as Prince Blueblood?
The Doctor thought over the new information he was given with great care. "I'd like to hear a testimony from this Fancy fellow my self, but if it holds up, you will be free to go."
OBJECTION!
After finally regaining his composure, Discord once again wagged his finger at Twilight and the Doctor. "I'm afraid an alibi won't be enough to clear her name at this point."
"Explain yourself, Discord!" Twilight ordered.
"It's simple. She can have an alibi on every other hour, but the facts remain the same. Rarity was found at the crime scene when Red and the unreliable bodyguard found the prince. It's obvious that they arrived at the crime scene shortly after Rarity did the deed. On top of that, the weapon has her hoofprints and magic on it."
OBJECTION!
"But it changes the importance of the ladder and the broken window." Twilight said. "Since Rarity was inside hotel, why would she go through such complex measures going inside when she could just go downstairs and enter."
"Simple, my stupid pony. The door was locked!" Discord said in an insulting manner. "The prince didn't want to let her in, so she resorted to more drastic measures. It's the only explanation."
"If you can explain everything, then explain her motive!" Twilight said. "What reason would she have to go down to his room and try to kill him?"
"Oh, that's easy." Discord answered. "Prince Blueblood is responsible for Proposition G3, which although is mostly favorable to the ponies of Canterlot, if it were to pass through, Rarity would never be able to live in Canterlot."
Proposition G3? Didn't Giant Hand say something like that? Its been brought up in court twice now, so it must be important.
With one final bang of his gavel, the Doctor had made his decision on what to do next.
"From the new information the defense has shared, although not completely consistent with the rest of the evidence, now questions the defendant's whereabouts during the crime. In order to declare a fair verdict, the defense and prosecution will need to bring in more evidence. Therefore, I will end the trial for Today."
Yes! I've managed to give myself a little time. Now hopefully, I'll be able to investigate this whole thing with more detail. "Miss Sparkle, you are to look into your client's alibi with more detail and bring this Fancy Pants fellow in here. Discord, you will need to find more decisive evidence to prove the defendant's guilt."
With an angry groan, Discord replied..."Fine. It's not a smart move, but I promise I'll end this tomorrow."
"Very good then. We will resume this trial tomorrow at 10:00 AM. Court is adjourned." The Doctor said as he banged his gavel, ending the trial for the day. "Bailiff, please escort the defendent back to the detention center."
As requested, the bailiff and a guard went to Rarity and began to bring her to the court doors, but as soon as the door cracked open, they flew wide open as other ponies, mainly photographers, reporters and journalists, all talking at once and scaring Rarity.
"How long have you gone out with Fancy Pants?" "Do you plan on divorcing him for his money?" "Is it true you're carrying Fancy Pant's love child? "Does this suit make me look fat?"
Before any of the reporters could get inside the courtroom, the Bailiff slammed the door as quickly as possible, being almost as horrified as Rarity herself.
"Is it too late to plead for the death penalty?" Rarity asked.
"I guess I'll have to bring her back myself." Discord said. "Until then, I bid you adieu, Twilight Sparkle."
With a snap of his fingers, Discord and Rarity disappeared from the courtroom, avoiding the annoying reporters.
I think I finally understand exactly why Rarity kept quiet about this. Twilight thought. But now, I have a lot to look into. I need to find Fancy Pants and ask him about him and Rarity, find out why Rarity went to see Prince Blueblood in the first place, and I've also grown curious about Proposition G3. I have a feeling that it's important. I'm not too far from getting Rarity acquitted, so I hope she can be patient for a little while longer.
With her priorities set in place, Twilight also made her way out of the courtroom with Spike, planning her next move in saving Rarity. She still had so many questions to ask and very little time to get answers, but after going head-to-head with Discord, she didn't feel like letting anything stop her.
October 10, 1:15 PM Canterlot District Court Defendant Lobby
After a few hours, the trial had finally ended, but only for the day. At the same time the next day, Twilight would have to go back with new evidence to prove her friend innocent of the crime. Twilight was disappointed that she couldn't end the ordeal right there and then, but she was also happy that Rarity wasn't declared guilty.
Well that didn't quite go as expected, and the day isn't even over yet. Twilight thought.
"Twilight, are you alright?" Spike asked. "I know you're probably tired from shouting objection all day, but your sure got quiet quickly."
"Sorry, I'm just a little frustrated. I spent all night reading up on Equestrian law and nothing that I learned actually helped me." Twilight said.
"Weren't you on jury duty at one point? What was that like" Spike asked.
"Now that you mention it, that trial lasted all day, and it was nothing compared to attempted murder. This trial seemed much more fast paced. Why would a crime this serious be so rushed?"
As Twilight thought over her own question, finding it all illogical, she took notice of a pony walking about who would be able to give her an answer. Walking out of the courtroom, she saw the Doctor, who acted as the judge for the trial.
"Hey, Doctor!" Twilight called out.
The Doctor turned and saw Twilight and Spike running to him. "Oh! Hello, Uptight Snoo--err, I mean, Miss Twilight Sparkle. You're still here?"
Nice try, Doc. I heard what you were about to call me. Twilight though with annoyance. "Doctor, I'd like to talk to you about the way you handled the trial today."
"Very well then. What would you like to talk about?"
"Well for starters, why were you rushing it? It felt like you were going to announce a verdict at any moment. We're you trying to settle everything Today for some reason?"
"Oh, so you found this trial to be different as well." The Doctor said. "I'm not from Equestria, so I thought the way I was handling the trial seemed off too, but it was what Celestia wanted and I can understand why."
"Yeah, you may need to make sense, buddy." Spike sad.
"Well now, it's actually quite simple. Just as you and both figured, most trials are carried out through traditional means. Information carefully explained to all, a fixed number of days for the trial, why I was surprised to hear that Equestria can actually use a jury system from time to time."
"Yes, that's all exactly what I was expecting!" Twilight said. "Why wasn't it for this trial?"
'Crimes of the tallest order, such as attempted murder on royalty, requires Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to be part of it, but as you can imagine, they also have an entire kingdom to watch over." The Doctor explained. "Even though I'm the judge, they still have to watch it to make sure everything is being run smoothly.
"Yeah, I guess that would mean they can't spend who knows how long on something that would come unexpected and ruin their entire schedules." Twilight acknowledged.
"Exactly. The solution was the three-day trial system, which is what we're using. A fast moving trial system where the defence and prosecution quickly bring in evidence until the trial comes to a halt. If the judge, me, is satisfied with the evidence, I'll make my verdict, but since there's now a witness that needs to be brought in, I decided call it a day."
That explains it..WAIT! Does that mean I only have two more days to clear Rarity's name! Oh heck, it'll be a miracle if tomorrow's trial lasts two minutes." Twilight thought with great dread.
Although Twilight was happy to get an explanation about the seemingly rushed trial, the fact that the trial would likely last only one more day. She suddenly felt more stressed out than when she was at court.
"Alright, Spike. We better start investigating. Any ideas on where to start?" Twilight asked.
"If I could make a suggestion, how about you see your client at the detention center?" The Doctor suggested. "From the looks of things, she knows much more than she's been letting on."
"Great idea! Thanks Doctor. Let's head out, Spike."
"To getting Rarity out of jail!" Spike said. "Allons-y!"
After Spike jumped on Twilight's back, they left the courthouse as quickly as they could to begin their search for clues for the next day of the trial. After they had already left, the Doctor was left with a confused look due to what Spike said as he left with Twilight.
October 10, 1:30 PM Canterlot Police Department Room 105: Criminal Affairs
With the police station not being far from the courthouse, it didn't took Twilight and Spike get there. The detention center was in prison next door to the station, but Twilight she couldn't see Rarity right away.
"What are we doing back here, Twilight?" Spike asked. "I thought we wanted to go to the detention center?"
"We do, but I want to talk to Star Cestus first. Like the Doctor said, Discord is probably talking to her first, and as the prosecutor, he gets talk to her and investigate before us." Twilight explained.
"You mean we only get the scraps of whatever Discord gets? What a rip!"
Yeah, this is exactly why I wish I could abuse my princess title. Twilight thought. "That said, I think it would be smart if we move one step ahead of him and see if we can learn anything new from the police."
"I don't know, Twilight. You and the chief don't seem to get along very well."
"Oh, I'm sure it'll all be water under the bridge."
Twilight hoped to meet Star Cestus with no further trouble, but she didn't get that lucky. After walking in the room, Twilight and Spike saw a circle of officers surrounding Star Cestus, cheering for their boss. Star Cestus was standing on his hind legs and was standing in front of a large, white free-standing punching bag, which had the colors of Princess Celestia's man, as well as an image of her face on the main punching area.
With his front hooves, Cestus was giving the punching bag blow after blow. As he punched the bag, the cheers of his peers got louder and louder. None of them realized that for each punch, Twilight got more and more angry at them all.
"...16.5...17.2..." A voice coming from the punching bag said.
"Come on, boss! You can do it!" "Put some muscle into it!" "My grandma can hit harder than that!"
With the rest of the officers motivating him, Cestus gave the bag one final, powerful punch where Celestia's face was.
"..18.0. New record!" The Punching bag said.
The sound of the new record caused a lot of excitement for the officers as they cheered and raised their hooves in cheer. The fun quickly came to an end though, as all it took was one lone officer to turn their head to see the angry princess, screaming at her sight.
The scream caused everypony in the room to notice Twilight and none of them were happy. The death glare from Twilight caused most of the officers, and even Spike, to slowly back away. Only Commissioner Cestus walked forward to greet their princess.
"Uhh...hi there." Cestus greeted. "Sorry for all that happened to your friend, but congratulations for doing as well as you have."
So after punching away at Celestia's face, he becomes nice for me? Ooh, he's so going to get it. Twilight though with anger.
"Something wrong, pal?" Cestus asked.
"I'll tell you what's wrong! First you arrested my friend, then you testified against her, and now you're doing the next best thing to punch Princess Celestia in the face! What's wrong with you?"
"Hey, I was only doing my job, pal! I didn't like what I did today either, but I had to do what I had to do!" Cestus answered. "And considering how little we all get for doing so much, can you blame me for not liking my boss?"
"She's our great and powerful ruler! You have no rights to see her like that!"
"Please, the great and powerful Trixie is more appealing, and she's just a traveling circus act!"
Having reached the end of each other's patience, Twilight Sparkle and Star Cestus, for a second time, went at each other's heads, creating a large, dusty cloud of smoke as they fought each other. There was a good 5 feet difference between the dusty cloud and the nearest pony.
The police ponies were frightened when Twilight walked into the station, but their jaws all dropped when another certain pony walked inside. Causing the officers and Spike to all bow down before her, Princess Celestia herself entered the scene. She saw Twilight and Cestus mindlessly fighting and wasn't happy.
"ENOUGH!" Celestia shouted.
As soon as they heard Celestia's voice, Twilight and Cestus stopped and looked up to Celestia in fear and quickly stood up straight to greet the princess. They both knew Celestia wasn't pleased with either of them.
"I'm disappointed in both of you right now." Celestia said. "Twilight Sparkle, you're suppose to be working on Rarity's case. Star Cestus, you're suppose to be out their and investigating if Rarity was even the true culprit. Do you both understand me?"
"Yes, Princess Celestia." Twilight and Cestus said together.
"Good. I'm going to come back to talk to you too later. Hopefully by then, you'll be working together on this case."
Knowing that she came at a bad time, as well as not being happy with Twilight or Cestus, Celestia left the station, but she had the intention of coming back, leaving Twilight and Cestus feeling ashamed for what they did.
Princess Celestia: Rulers of Equestria, master of magic, and expert at bringing a girl down. Twilight thought. "I...I'm sorry for getting angry. I guess all you were doing was playing with a punching bag."
"Yeah, well...I'm sorry for disrespecting somepony you cared for." Cestus said. "Maybe we should just stop talking about princesses for a while."
"Finally, something we can agree on." Twilight said, finally smiling at Cestus. Alright. Now maybe I can get some actual cooperation with this guy.
Since Twilight was finally on good terms with the police commissioner, she decided to take the chance to ask him a few questions and started by asking him some personal questions.
"So tell me, what exactly is it about high society that you don't like?" Twilight asked.
"It's not just me. Pretty much everypony here have issues with them." Cestus answered. "All of us clock in here everyday in the morning and stay until the night, sometimes in the longest hours, and while the money looks good, spending it here in Canterlot is a challenge. Homes, food, and anything of luxury is normally out of our reach."
"I can't say I can understand. I know a lot of ponies here in Canterlot and none of them seem to think the way you do."
Cestus laughed at Twilight's comment, expecting she would say something like that. "Of course you wouldn't know. You were raised as a fat cat."
And here I thought he wouldn't be disrespectful again. Maybe I should hear him out. Twilight thought. "You've called me a fat cat a couple fo times now, which would suggest I'm some really rich snob. Why do you think that of me?"
"Easy. When it comes down to it, you've been a spoiled brat. You've practically been raised by Princess Celestia herself and probably got to spend everyday practicing magic, which your cutie mark there shows is your favourite thing to do!"
Actually, that's something that's been bothering me for a while. Twilight thought. "Now that you've mentioned it, I've been curious. If you're a cop, then why do you have a boxing cutie mark? I don't see anything they have in common."
At that moment, Cestus's started to look sad as he looked back at his flank, but he didn't let it get him depress.
"Ah, so you noticed. Yes, I'm a former pro boxer, but I bet that I'm still the best in Equestria." Cestus said with a huge smile, taking pride of his talent.
That explains why I was losing those fights. At least I got him in a good mood, but I have the feeling it won't last. Twilight thought. "So why aren't you still a boxer?"
Cestus sighed as Twilight asked. "Well, truth be told, boxing isn't exactly the most popular sport in a nation as peaceful as Equestria, so it doesn't exactly pay the bills."
"So you had to get a job at a place where you could actually support yourself?" Twilight asked. No wonder he didn't like me. I've worked hard too, but I've been living my dream by practicing magic. Actually, it looks like a lot of the ponies hear don't have the appropriate cutie marks. I never knew how rough it was to live in Canterlot.
With a new sense of sympathy for Cestus, Twilight felt she was ready to ask for him help on the case.
"I know I'm practically everything you hate in a pony, but believe me when I say that I can still be your friend. I've never treated a pony any different from another and you'll be no exception. Let me prove that a princess like me can still help ponies like you."
Cestus looked at Twilight funny, but then laughed before he answered. "Nah, your no princess, pal. You're just...well...a pal. Miss Rarity is lucky to have a friend like you. I'm sure you can prove she's innocent."
Friendship really is magic. Twilight thought with a smile.
With Cestus finally calm about his personal issues and having trust in Twilight, the two bumped hooves and agreed to work together. Since they actually came to an agreement, Twilight felt certain that she'd be able to find what she needed to succeed in the trial.
"I guess I better get back to the investigation." Cestus said. "Got anything you'd like to share before I head out to the crime scene?."
Since the police will be at the crime scene, I guess I can't go there yet. Twilight thought. "Don't suppose you can bring me back some evidence to help my case, could you? I'm sure if there's anything to clear Rarity's name, Discord will want it destroyed."
"I'll be sure to keep an eye out. Just try and stay out of trouble."
Ready to investigate the crime scene again, Cestus and a number of other officers left the room. Since Twilight already spent a lot of time in criminal affairs, she decided to move on with her investigation too.
"Alright, Spike. I think it's time we go see Rarity now." Twilight said.
"It's about time. I thought you forgot I was even here." Spike said.
To be honest, I did. Twilight thought. "Oh! One quick thing before we head down to the detention center."
Using her magic, Twilight targeted the punching bag that Cestus was using earlier, lifted it up, and magically made it disappear.
"What did you do to that punching bag?" Spike asked.
"I teleported it back to my room at the castle. I'm not quite done with the idea of the police commissioner of Canterlot punching Princess Celestia in the head. I'm sure Princess Celestia herself wouldn't approve of it."
"There was a big sticker on it saying 'Approved by Princess Luna'. I'm sure they do."
WHAT? No wonder Celestia banished her to the moon. She wanted to talk to me anyway, so I guess that's one more thing to talk about.
Having her affairs all wrapped up with the police and her next stop being in the same building, Twilight and Spike left criminal affairs to meet Rarity in the detention center, hoping Discord had either stopped interrogating her, or even better, not at all. The calmer Rarity was, the easier everything would go. Twilight felt lucky for that happened already, but was ready for anything that would crush her dreams for the fiftieth time that day.
As Twilight had hoped, Discord wasn't at the detention center when she arrived herself. Since nopony else was there, Twilight was free to speak to Rarity without any interruption. Twilight and Spike asked the guard to bring Rarity in to for a visit, hoping to squeeze more information out of her.
"No sight of Discord? Great. No problems." Twilight said with a smile. "Ready to see Rarity, Spike?"
"You know I always am, but will she talk to us?" Spike asked. "You had to press her really hard to just to delay the trial."
Hmm. Spike has a point. She didn't tell us about Fancy Pants until the very last second. Twilight thought. "I guess it's secret weapon time."
"Secret weapon? What secret weapon?"
"A magic spell that I've learned a while ago. One from one of Star Swirl The Bearded old journals. It'll let me--"
"Twilight?" A mare's voice said.
Before Twilight could finish explaining her spell to Spike, Rarity showed up on the other side of the visitor's room. The topic of the spell was no longer important since her friend/client had finally showed up.
"Hi, Rarity. You doing alright in there?" Twilight asked.
"Well, I'm doing alright considering some of the guards here have been very nice to me." Rarity said. "They've been a little googly on, but at least I feel safe from the other ponies in here."
Why have I been worried about her? Twilight thought. "So...uhh...did Discord ask you anything after bringing you here?"
"Yes, he wanted me to tell him why I was at a Canterlot hotel with Fancy Pants. I didn't tell him anything though. Why should I? He's been trying to prosecute me!"
"In that case, how about you tell me what you were doing? I'm defending you after all."
Twilight was hoping that Rarity would've been more helpful after revealing that she was with Fancy Pants on the day of the crime, thinking that it was her big secret. Unfortunately, there was something else that Rarity was trying to hide.
"I'm afraid I have nothing else to hide, Twilight."
Yeah, I don't need a lie detector to know that you're a bad liar, Rarity. Speaking of which... Twilight thought. "Rarity, I want you to tell me with a straight face why you were at the Golden Horseshoe with Fancy Pants."
As Twilight made her request, she secretly began channeling a magic spell. While her magic usually makes her horn glow purple, the spell she used made it glow a very faint green instead.
"Fine. I was there with Fancy Pants for a little vacation. Just as I told you Yesterday."
As Rarity lied, the area around her suddenly became pitch-black. In front of her, several chains appeared out of nowhere and wrapped around Rarity, with two large red boxes linking them together. Despite what it looked like, Rarity was unfazed by what happened, as if there were no chains at all.
"AAAHHH! WHERE DID THOSE COME FROM!?" Spike screamed.
"Where did what come from, Spike?" Rarity asked. "Th-those chains! And the boxes...and who turned off the lights?"
Rarity looked at Spike funny, has she had no idea about what he was talking about. Due to the glass window separating Rarity from them, Spike felt useless. incidentally, Twilight felt bad for not warning Spike about the spell she was casting when she had the chance.
"Don't worry, Spike." Twilight said to comfort her little friend. "You're seeing those locks and chains because you're right next to me as I'm channeling this spell. Rarity, on the other hoof, can't see them at all."
"Please, will somepony explain to me about these locks and chains?" Rarity asked.
"Right now, I'm using an ancient spell I found. I've been meaning to test it. I guess it works." Twilight explains. "The locks me and Spike are seeing are called Psyche-locks. Since we can see them, it means you're keeping a secret from me."
"Hey, how dare you try to read my mind! That's an invasion of my privacy!"
If I actually could read your mind, that would be REALLY helpful, but this is the next best thing. All I need to do now is to talk the truth out of Rarity and she should spill her beams.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --Secret: Why Rarity was really there--
"Whether you like it or not, you're going to tell me why you were at the hotel, Rarity." Twilight stated.
"Try all you'd like. I'm keeping my lips tight. How would you like if I barged int your personal life?"
I guess she's right. Why she was with Fancy Pants isn't any of my business. Not a problem. There's something she's done that isn't personal. Twilight thought. "Fine. I won't ask you about Fancy Pants. Instead, tell me why you went to see Prince Blueblood."
"Wh-why..I...I just heard he was at the hotel too, so I thought I'd give him a visit. Nothing suspicious about that, is there?"
"A normal visit? No, but any visit is suspicious if you bring something like THIS with you..."
TAKE THAT!
"It's clear to everypony that you brought this gold bar with you, which is believed to be the weapon used in the crime. Care to explain it?"
Rarity was at wit's end trying to come up with an answer regarding the gold bar. "I...Well, I...you could make the argument that...that I was trying to give royalty as a loyal peasant. I'm sure Princess Celestia is always showered with gift herself."
Hey, she's right. How come no pony has given me any--oh no, Twilight. Don't become what Star Cestus has been ranting about. Twilight thought to herself. "You couldn't have been trying to give royalty a gift, especially when that gift belongs to this pony..."
TAKE THAT!
"On the gold bar you brought, the magic residue of an unknown unicorn was found on it. This only other pony can only be Fancy Pants, the only pony you know here who's rich enough to have something like this."
As Rarity stood in shock from what Twilight figured out, one of the two red locks around the chains shattered as if they were made of glass. Spike, still confused about what was going on, was surprised by the shattered lock.
"WHOA! Twilight, what just happened?" Spiked asked.
"When ever one of the psyche-locks breaks like that, it means I'm getting closer to getting a secret out." Twilight explained. "If I can break the second one, then Rarity will be more helpful. Although, I've already proven that Rarity had Fancy Pant's money and brought it over to Prince Blueblood. Now's she's just being stubborn."
Rarity, at first, felt hurt from what Twilight said. While she didn't like the idea of Twilight calling her stubborn, after looking back, Rarity realized that ever since she got Twilight involved in the case, she had been nothing but stubborn. After finally realizing that herself...
"You're right, Twilight. Here I am, the Element of Generosity, giving you absolutely nothing, What a fool I've been."
As Twilight finally got through and reached the Rarity she knew so well, the second and last psyche-lock shattered as well. As a result, the chains quickly unwrapped Rarity as the darkness around her vanished.
"Alright, darling. Feel free to ask me anything that you want now." Rarity said.
Twilight had many questions to ask and so little time. She decided to get back on track and ask about the gold bar.
"I still don't understand why you took something of Fancy Pants and brought it to Prince Blueblood's room. What were you doing?"
"Actually, Fancy Pants himself wanted me to do that. He...well..." Rarity said. "No. I promised to tell you everything, and I'll be damned if I don't!"
"Rarity, language! Spike is here." Twilight said.
"Don't worry, Twilight. I've heard her say much worse while working at the boutique." Spike said.
I'm afraid to ask what she actually does there now. Twilight thought.
"Anyway, the reason I brought the gold to Blueblood was because we wanted to bribe him to over turn something. Something neither of us wants to see happen in Canterlot." Rarity explained. "I didn't say anything because if I said that to the court, I'd have a bribery charge on me as well."
Over turn something... Twilight thought. "You mean Proposition G3? I remember hearing the captain of the guard mentioning it a few times, but I haven't had the chance to look into it."
"Oh, it's an awful thing Blueblood has been trying to make happen, darling. Basically, if it happens, taxes in Canterlot will be dropped a little for high income ponies, but to balance it out, lower in-class ponies in Canterlot will have their taxes almost doubled. It's insane!"
Oh, so it's about changing the way taxes work. Wait, doubled taxes? Twilight thought. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard! Why would anypony want a tax like this?"
"Well, do keep in mind that Canterlot is mostly a rich pony city." Rarity said. "Anypony in Canterlot who makes an average earning is consider a minority, so they really don't have much to say. It doesn't really matter anyway, since the whole thing is being decided by the Canterlot Counsel."
"Hey, is that the ponies that wouldn't let Rarity just walk right out, even though your a princess?" Spike asked.
"Actually, it's what Canterlot has instead of an actual mayor." Twilight explained. "Since Princess Celestia and Luna both live in Canterlot, it was believed that a mayor would simply be overshadowed by the princesses. Instead, an anonymous group of ponies, chosen by Celestia and Luna themselves, act sort of like a team of mayors instead."
"Anonymous my hoof! Blueblood has made it clear that he's in the group to everypony in the city!!"
So Prince Blueblood openly admitted that he was one of Canterlot's leaders, abused the power and came up with a tax that would take money from less fortunate ponies for himself? Geez, I'm glad somepony smacked him. Twilight thought, thinking very lowly of Blueblood.
Rarity had given Twilight a lot of well needed information. It was clear why royalty wasn't well liked by common folk in Canterlot, and more importantly, what Rarity was doing at Blueblood's room
"So Fancy Pants wanted to convince Blueblood to keep Canterlot the same, even though he would've benefit from such a tax?" Twilight asked.
"Of course, darling. He's such a great stallion, never looking down at anypony. He strongly agrees that rich or poor, strong or weak, we should all be treated fairly. The real reason he wanted me to come was so I could help bribe the prince without Fancy Pants getting caught. And...that's when I found him out cold."
Maybe I shouldn't tell her that this gives both of them motives Twilight thought. "Wait, did you say you found him out cold while holding the gold?"
"Well, yes. I thought it was obvious."
While Twilight freaked out from her epiphany, she was also excited by it. "Rarity! That means the gold bar you brought couldn't be weapon used to attack the prince!"
Rarity had the happiest look on her face after what Twilight said. For the first time since getting sent to jail, she heard good news for her case
"OH THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!" Rarity said with excitement. "If it weren't for this glass wall, I'd be hugging you right now!"
"Would you care to hug your attorney's trusted assistant as well?" Spike asked.
"Oh, Spiky Wikey, I could kiss you both right now!" Rarity said, making the baby dragon very, VERY happy.
"No time, Spike. We still have a lot to do." Twilight said. "We may know Rarity is innocent, but we still need proof, and the only way to do that is to investigate. I'd very much like to talk to Fancy Pants for a bit since he's somewhat involved in this."
"Oh, well then let me right down his address for you." Rarity said. "I'm sure he's more than willing to help you out in your investigation."
"That would be great, Rarity. I promise you that when I come back, I''ll have everything I need to end this trial tomorrow." Twilight said. I think I'll also make a note about Proposition G3, since that's going to be important.
With a lead about another pony involved with the case, Star Cestus investigating the crime scene for her, and understanding a possible reason as to why Prince Blueblood was attacked at all, Twilight's investigation was up to a good start. She still had a lot to do, but she was certain that Rarity's innocence would happen. There was only one small problem that she didn't want to share with her friend.
If everything Rarity said was true... Twilight thought with sadness. ...then it's possible that it was Fancy Pants who's responsible for all this.
After a walk from the detention center to the address Rarity gave them, Twilight and Spike found themselves at a very impressive looking building. It was a huge, white building with several floors and clearly had many rooms inside. The garden itself was large, being two equally large gardens on each side of the path to the mansion itself. It looked liked a place Celestia herself would envy. Twilight and Spike could both see the entire garden from the front gate and they were impressed.
"Well, this appears to be the place. Let's go, Spike." Twilight said, who took her a second to realize that Spike didn't follow her right away. "Spike?"
"Go on without me, Twi." Spike said as he pouted. "I really don't want to meet Fancy Pants right now. He is my rival for Rarity's love after all."
Rival? Oh, poor Spike. Twilight thought. "Sorry Spike, but you might be outclassed in terms of class, wealth, age, and...well...species. Besides, we really need to speak to him."
Whether Spike wanted to or not, and he didn't, Twilight pushed the buzzer on the gate, and shortly after, a voice on an intercom spoke up.
"Hello, this is Fancy Pant's mansion. This is private property, so please leave if you don't have a meeting." A voice said from the intercom.
"Yes, I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle and I'd like to meet your boss please." Twilight answered.
"THE PRINCESS!? Oh, um...of course! One moment please!" The voice said after learning who he was talking to.
Wow, I actually got to abuse my power there. It...didn't feel as great as I hoped. Does that make me a good pony or a bad pony? Twilight thought. "Spike, I haven't met any rich or fancy ponies since becoming a princess. What should I do when Fancy Pants comes? Should I shake his hoof, let him kiss mine, or something else? I know nothing about this sort of stuff!"
"You should probably just be yourself." Spike suggested. "He's just an everyday pony."
"Really? Because from what I heard, he's a very famous and experienced...wait, what exactly does he even do?" Twilight asked.
"I am an entrepreneur, investor and business magnate."
"Really? Wow, he sounds really--AAHH!"
To the surprise of Twilight, the stallion she was waiting for reached the front gates faster than she expected. Before Twilight and Spike was one of Equestria's richest and successful ponies as well as one of the key ponies in the case, Fancy Pants.
While Spike didn't think much of him at first, it was clear to Twilight that Fancy Pants was genuinely a nice pony. The smile on his face alone made that clear. After using his magic to personally open the gate so he could walk to Twilight and bow to her.
"Your highness. It is an honor to see you here at my humble home." Fancy Pants said politely.
"Umm...at ease." Twilight said. "I'm not here on royal business. I'm actually here on, believe it or not, lawyer business."
"Lawyer business? Why I never new a princess could be a lawyer."
"Yeah, well I actually had to learn what I could over night to learn what I know now."
"We have good lawyers here in Canterlot. Instant Pain or Hope Ray are both famous prosecutors here in Canterlot, and I'm sure they could've helped tutor you since you are a princess." Fancy Pants explained.
Oh my Celestia. Why the heck did I not do that in the first place? Twilight asked herself, who felt like hitting herself. "Never mind that. I need to talk to you about Rarity's case."
Hearing Rarity's name made Fancy Pants lose his happy smile. "That's right. She got arrested, wasn't she. Poor girl. I wish I knew what happened, but I've been so busy as of late."
He seems oblivious to what happened. This could make things difficult. Twilight thought. "I'm sure you know something about this case. You were only one level above the crime scene."
"I know that Prince Blueblood injured and they believe Rarity did it, but that's all I know. I know there was a trial today, but I couldn't go to it."
"What was so important that you couldn't come to your girlfriend's trial?" Twilight asked.
"A FRIEND!" Spike added. "They're just friends.
Fancy Pants chuckled as Spike added his comment. "Actually, he's right. We are more friends than anything. Can't take anything too seriously too fast, you see."
"Aww, you sound like you two would make a good couple...oh, I can't get sidetracked. Please tell me anything you know about the day of the crime."
"I'm sorry, your highness, but I'm afraid I can't help you. In fact, I highly doubt I have anything to do with what happened to the prince."
Twilight knew Fancy Pants was lying. Because of what Rarity told her earlier, Twilight knew that Fancy Pants knew at least where the prince was at the time.
Seeing through the lie, Twilight began to channel the same spell she used on Rarity at the detention center. As soon as she did, everything around Fancy Pants became black as several chains began to wrap around him. After the chains appeared, three red locks appeared in front of him, with only Twilight and Spike being able to see them.
"Interesting, because I have reason to believe that you DO know something." Twilight said.
"I'm very sorry, your highness, but I'm still quite busy today." Fancy Pants said. "I'm sorry for not being a better host, but I will have to ask you to leave."
"Not going to happen. I already know that you're involved with this case, so I'm not going to let you leave that easily." Twilight explained.
"Please elaborate. How would you know such a thing."
"Because this pony made it clear that you know something." Twilight said. "Rarity herself was sent to see Prince Blueblood and she told me it was because you sent her."
Fancy Pants was shocked from what Twilight said. So much so that not only did one of the three psyche-locks shatter, but so did the monocle he was wearing. While Fancy Pants was able to fix his monocle with his magic, the psyche-lock was gone for good.
Hmm...I figured that would've gotten rid of all three. He must be more stubborn than I thought. Twilight thought. "So Rarity said such a thing. Sadly, nothing she says can be trusted, now can she. After all, she's the prime suspect of your little case, is she not?" Fancy Pants argued.
"She may be the prime suspect, but that's because the evidence strongly hints that she did it. However, there's also evidence to suggest that you committed the crime." Twilight explained.
"Impossible. I was nowhere near the crime scene. I know this because I had no idea where the prince was."
"Oh really? Because I believe that this is sufficient enough to say otherwise."
TAKE THAT!
"The weapon used in the crime is was a gold bar. This forensic report states that Rarity's hoof prints and magic residue was on the bar."
"Hmm...so it was Rarity. I'd never thought in a million years that she'd have it in her."
"It's a little early to say that. You see, the forensics also found another set of magic residue."
Fancy Pants began to sweat bullets after hearing about the report in the details he was told about.
"I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to trace this magic back to your own horn! Would you object for a little testing?"
A second psyche-lock shattered as Twilight became closer and closer to getting Fancy Pants to spill his beans. It also got harder for him to keep quiet and got more and more nervous.
"I...I'm s-sorry, your highness, but I really am busy and must get going." The desperate Fancy Pants said.
"Oh no you don't. You're not only connected to the crime, but I know your also connected to the prince, so I'm not letting you out of my sight just yet." Twilight said.
Fancy Pants seemingly began to lose his patience, but Twilight knew he was getting scared."Explain yourself. Why would I have any connections to the prince?"
TAKE THAT!
"Who ever it was that attacked Prince Blueblood, it's become clear that the motive involves Proposition G3, as it will drastically change the way taxes are done in Canterlot." Twilight said.
"Yes, and it's a change that I will benefit from, as well as most ponies here in Canterlot. So what?" Fancy pants asked.
"Easy. There's a number of ponies who can get hurt by this change. The police force, royal guards...Rarity..." Twilight explained, reaching the climax of the interrogation. "You knew how unfair Proposition G3 was, so you and Rarity tried to convince Prince Blueblood to change his mind!"
As Fancy Pant's monocle shattered for a second time from shock, the third and final psyche-lock shattered as well. It became clear to him that Twilight knew exactly what his plans were and that he couldn't hide it from her. After reaching that conclusion, the darkness and chains around him quickly unwrapped and vanished.
"You're a smart and stubborn one." Fancy Pants as he repaired his monocle. "I can see why Celestia chose you to be a princess. It's a shame her choice with Blueblood was so poor."
I've never wondered why Blueblood was a prince. I should ask her when I get the chance. Twilight thought. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"Very good. As you said, I wanted to stop the prince's goal with what may be the dumbest take hike I've ever seen. I've tried to talk some sense with the rest of the Canterlot Council, but it nearly impossible."
"The rest of the council?" Twilight asked before realizing something. "Wait! You're part of the council? The group of ponies who act as Canterlot's mayors?"
"Correct. I was hoof-picked by Princess Celestia herself after she took notice of my philanthropy. I see all ponies as equals, but the prince sees walking, talking footstools."
"That might not be the best comparison." Spike said. "I let Rarity use me as a footstool all the time."
Note to self: Escort Spike to Rarity's house personally for now on. Twilight thought.
"Anyway, I decided to stop Blueblood by any means. I learned that he planned to go to the Gilded Horseshoe for a vacation, so I used my connections to quickly book a penthouse room for myself, as I knew the prince would do the same."
"But he didn't get a penthouse room. He had to go to the second highest floor." Twilight noted.
"Yes, it seems that another rich pony booked the only other room, but it didn't hurt plans. I decided to bring Rarity since she really is a good friend and thought she'd enjoy the hotel more than any pony. She's probably my only friend who actually appreciates the finer things in life and not just spoiled by them. Unfortunately...that became my biggest blunder."
So Fancy Pants didn't mean for anything bad to happen to Rarity. Twilight thought. "But if she was your friend, then why did you try to deny that you were involved in this?"
Fancy Pants sighed after being asked the question as he felt ashamed of himself. "I was scared. I knew if I said anything, I'd be as suspicious as Rarity."
"She's too good for you!" Spike said angrily. "She did everything she could at the trial today to keep you out of this mess!"
"Spike, that was uncalled for." Twilight said, smacking Spike in the head to scold him.
After hearing Spike's rather rude comment, Fancy Pants became shocked. "I say, Miss Rarity was defending me?"
"Yeah, she almost got a guilty verdict because wanted to keep your plan with Blueblood a secret." Twilight said. Surprised by what Rarity had done, Fancy Pants chuckled a little, but Twilight could tell that deep down, he was sadden by what happened. In fact, a small tear even tried to escape his eye.
"Well, I certainly owe a certain mare an apology. To think I was trying to show Rarity a good time, and yet she was the generous one who tried to protect me." Fancy Pants said tearfully.
"So does that mean...you did it?" Twilight asked. "Did you try to kill Blueblood?"
"I certainly did NOT. However, if it means it will save Rarity, I am more than willing to take the fall."
WHOA! I'm pretty sure Rarity won't like that. Twilight thought. "I'll save that as a desperate, last resort, but for now, if I were to call you to the stand tomorrow, will you be there?"
"I guarantee you that I will be there."
"Good. We're going to go back out and find some more evidence to defend Rarity. If I don't come back to see you again, I'll see you tomorrow at the trial."
"Very good, then. Good luck, your highness. And...I'm terribly sorry for everything that's happened."
As she had gotten everything she could get out of Fancy Pants, the wealthy stallion returned to his mansion, who never felt more unfortunate. There was a lot guilt in him and Twilight could sense it.
"He...seems really down." Spike said. "I guess he really didn't do it."
"I wouldn't be so sure, Spike." Twilight said. "There's actually some evidence to suggest he did commit the crime."
"What? How"
"Remember what Star Cestus said at the trial earlier today?"
"You arrived when Rarity was still there? How did you get there so fast?" Twilight asked.
"Actually, I was given an anonymous tip a head of time." Cestus answered. "I received a letter when I was patrolling the streets. Since the hotel was closer to me than the station, I went straight there to investigate."
"The only way for him to get an anonymous tip is if somepony knew that Rarity and Bloodblood were all going to be in the same room. Out of all the ponies involved in this case, there's only one who would know this."
"So Fancy Pants DID set Rarity up! That jerk." Spike said. "Now I feel bad for feeling bad for him."
"Well, whether he did it or not, we still need to find proof that Rarity didn't do it, which could mean we have to find proof Fancy Pants did it. Let's go back to the police station and see if Cestus found anything yet. Maybe he found the proof we need."
With Twilight's investigation at a dead end, she and Spike began to go back to the station to find a different route to the truth. Twilight was happy that she was finding evidence to help Rarity's case, she started to become more worried if it was Fancy Pants who committed the crime when it looked like he was genuinely telling the truth.
Twilight was feeling a lot of doubt with the details on the case, but she had gone too far to let it get to her. All she could do was to move on and prepare for the worst.
October 10, Canterlot Police Department Room 105: Criminal Affairs
And now we're back to the station. Feels like I've ran in circles. Twilight thought.
After talking to Fancy Pants, Twilight and Spike returned to the police station to see if Star Cestus and the officers had made any luck, but the entire room was empty, so it was clear that the investigation was still going on. Neither of them had any other leads, so they had nowhere to go to.
"Well, this stinks." Spike said. "How are we suppose to save Rarity like this?"
"We can't. We'll have to come back." Twilight answered.
As Twilight and Spike prepared to leave the station, another pony walked in the room. Not just any pony, but the most important pony in all of Equestria. To Twilight's surprise, Princess Celestia had returned to the police station. Twilight and Celestia didn't exactly part on good terms the first time they met that day.
"Princess!"
"Ah, Twilight. How's your investigation going?" Celestia asked, feeling happier than she was earlier.
"P-Princess! I've got some leads, but I need more evidence. I'm actually waiting on Star Cestus to bring in something new."
Celestia smiled as she had good news. "I was actually just talking to one of his officers, Apparently, he's been in a really good mood, so I think he found you the evidence you've been waiting for."
YES! Not guilty verdict, here I come! Twilight thought to herself. "Wait, if you already know where the police are, then why are you here?"
"Actually, I was hoping to find you here. I wanted to give you an update on Prince Blueblood's condition when...well...when I caught you and the commissioner fight." Celestia said with a somewhat angry tone.
I guess I'm still in the doghouse on that one. Twilight thought. "Wait, Blueblood's condition? Is he okay?"
"The good news is that he's alive and well. He actually woke up sometime during the trial." Celestia said, but she felt sad because of the other news. "The bad news is that he suffered from some brain damage. Everything that's happened over the past year is lost from his memories."
"So wait...that means..."
"There will be no way for him to tell us what actually happened that night." Celestia said with regret. "I'm afraid it will be up to you and Discord to find the truth."
And just like that, my already weak safety net is gone. Twilight thought.
With the trial being the only way to prove Rarity's innocence, another layer of pressure was placed on top of Twilight. Fortunately, she was already committed to win the trial, but with Blueblood unable to recall the night of his attack, it would make things more complicated.
"Speaking of the prince..." Twilight said, remembering that she had a question for Celestia. "It's come to my attention that the prince is a member of the Canterlot Council and that he's been doing a pretty bad job."
"Yes, he is. What about it?" Celestia asked.
I'm really curious about this. I'm sure she'll be honest with me, but just to be safe...
To take extra precautions, Twilight once again began to channel her lie detection spell, causing her horn to glow a very light green. "Princess Celestia, why would you give such an important job to such an incompetent pony?"
"Now Twilight, just because you're both equal in power, it doesn't mean you can talk about my nephew like that. In fact, as his aunt, I knew he would be capable of handling the job."
Reacting to Twilight's spell, the area around Celestia went block as chains wrapped up around her, more so than with Rarity and Fancy Pants. After the chains appeared, four red psyche-locks appeared over the chains.
I remember hearing that they're distant relatives, so I believe she's telling the truth their, but no way am I believing that she had such confidence in such a snob.
Before Twilight could get the chance to interrogate Celestia to break her psyche-locks, the door to the room slammed opened as several police ponies, including Star Cestus, marched in. Surprised and no longer had the chance to talk to the princess privately, Twilight ended her spell.
"Hey twilight! id you hear the good news?" Cestus asked with a cheerful smile.
"Oh yeah, you found some evidence!" Spike said.
"Well, I meant about how the prince suffered brain damage, but I guess that's good news too."
Why is THIS guy investigating the crime again?
"What did you find?" Celestia asked.
"Proof that Rarity was with Fancy Pants on the day of crime." Cestus answered. "Check this baby out!"
To show off the fruits of his labour, he showed Twilight, Spike, and Celestia a white crystal. Neither of the princesses saw anything special about the crystal, but Spike saw it and was drooling over it, hoping he could eat it.
"It's pretty like a diamond, but what is it?" Twilight asked after getting tired of staring at it.
"This here is a scrying crystal, which is the Crystal Empire's equivalent to a security camera." Cestus explained. "The hotel had these installed to make security look like decoration. This one in particular was found in Fancy Pant's room!"
"Are you're saying this thing recorded their time together?" Twilight asked.
"Sure did, pal! Here, let me show you."
After pushing a shard further into the crystal, the crystal began glowing, following by a flash of light which went up into the air, projecting an image.
Above them all, a holographic image of Rarity and Fancy Pants in their hotel room appeared. Fancy Pants was wearing his usual suit while Rarity was wearing a beautiful red dress. It was definitely one of her better outfits. Before it shut off, Fancy Pants was shown giving Rarity a gold bar with his magic. Through out the whole projection, there was also a set of numbers that said 2:12.
"Not bad, huh?" Cestus asked. "All that happened at 2:12 PM."
"And what time did the attack happen?" Twilight asked.
"Hmm...well, me and Giant Hand showed up at 2:15 when we found..." Upon realizing the difference in the time, Cestus felt like an idiot. "Damn. I worked hard finding this piece of evidence and it's useless."
"It was a good effort." Twilight said. "Although...if there was one of these scrying crystals in Rarity's room...maybe there's another in Bloodblood's room!"
A confused look appeared on Cestus's face. "Now that I think about it, I don't remember seeing one in his room, and I was just there."
"Then let's go look for it. Lead the way."
Anxious to get the concrete evidence for Rarity's innocence, Twilight pushed Cestus and Spike out the door to go back to the hotel, all while forgetting to give Celestia a proper goodbye. However, understanding what was going on, Celestia didn't mind.
October 10, The Gilded Horseshoe Prince Blueblood's room
"So is the scrying crystal and a security camera difference like how ladders and stepladders are different?" Spike asked.
Oh no. I'm not having this conversation again. Twilight thought.
After walking from the station back to the hotel, Twilight, Spike, and Cestus returned to the scene of the crime, where they hoped the concrete evidence they were looking for would be found. The problem though was that it wasn't already found before.
"Well, here we are again." Twilight said. "So where is this crystal."
"You two!" Cestus said to the officers outside the room. "Find me the scrying crystal in this room, tout suite!"
"Yes, sir!" The officers said in union.
As they were ordered, Cestus's men ran in the room to find the scrying crystal. As they searched, Twilight became impressed with Cestus.
"All this time, you made it sound like your were some loser, but look at you commanding your own little army."
Well, you know. You got to make best with what you got." Cestus said as he rubbed the back of his head.
After a quick search, one of the officers ran to Cestus and said..."Sir, the crystal isn't in this room."
"Keep looking." Twilight said, catching the police off guard. "That crystal is the most important evidence of this whole case.
"I'm sorry, your highness. But we've checked this room the crystal isn't where it should be. Somepony must've already taken it."
Twilight growled in frustration. She felt that without the crystal, it would be impossible to prove Rarity's innocence.
"Well this is just great. We have evidence that can't help us, evidence that's gone, can it get any worse?" Twilight asked, who was beyond mad.
"Well actually, I've been told that Discord found another witness for tomorrow." Cestus said.
"Your not helping!"
"That's a shame." Spike said. "If the crystal we have is worthless, allow me to dispose of it.
Spike then tried to reach for the crystal Cestus had, hoping he could eat it, but Twilight grabbed it with her magic, bonked Spike on the head, and took it for herself.
"I'll bring you a treat or something later, pal." Cestus promised.
With all the evidence already found in the hotel room and there being n more leads, Twilight was once again in a pinch. On on top of that, Discord had found a witness who he would exploit in court. The evidence she was counting on became a dead-end
Okay. Let's review what we've found. Twilight thought. We have a crystal that showed Rarity was with Fancy Pants minutes before Blueblood was found, so that means it's still possible that a third party was involved. There's also the question about the whereabouts of the crystal in this room. I'll make a note of that one. Now if we only knew when the crime occurred, then we would have Rarity's alibi.
"So what are we going to do now?" Spike asked.
"We'll keep looking to see if anything else turns up." Cestus said. "You two should probably rest up and get ready for the trial tomorrow."
"I hate to admit it, but I guess we have to call it a day. Maybe Discord found something we could use against him, although I would've liked to...hey wait! Cestus, do you know if he found anything?"
"All I know is that I had to show him the scrying crystal I showed you, but he cared more about the witness I mentioned." Cestus explained. "You better brace yourself for what he has prepared."
Today's trial was already a nightmare, and from the sounds of it, tomorrow will be even worse. How the heck could Discord find such a decisive witness? Did somepony actually see the crime occurring? There's no way they've could, because I know for sure that Rarity didn't do it.
After her final thoughts, Twilight left with Spike to prepare her evidence and get some rest for the trial. With all that had been found, she knew that a guilty or not guilty would be decided the next day, Twilight had to prepare for the best and the worst.
October 11, 9:22 AM Canterlot District Court Defendant Lobby
The day finally came. The trial that would decide Rarity's fate. Twilight had found some evidence the day before, but found nothing that made it clear that Rarity was innocent. She arrived at the courthouse early. It was an important day and she didn't want any excuse to be late.
"Oooh, so much evidence, yet I don't know which is still needed anymore." Twilight said as she started to freak out.
"When in doubt, keep it all. You're very organized anyway." Spike said.
As Twilight and Spike prepared for the trial, they saw that another pony had arrived fairly early. Chief Commissioner Star Cestus was seen walking around the courthouse, who looked almost as worried as Twilight.
"Commissioner Cestus!" Twilight called out.
"Ah! Princess Twilight. Wait, am I late for the trial?" Cestus asked.
"No, we're just a bit early. I had a hard time sleeping last night and could barely rest. I just had too much to worry about."
Cestus sighed with sadness. "I can't really blame you. We never were able to find that scrying crystal."
Yup. This is going to be a long day. Twilight thought. Then, she turned her attention to a basket Cestus had with him, which contained some gems. "Wait, then what's that you got there?"
"Huh? Oh, I remembered I promised your little dragon friend I'd bring him something since he couldn't eat important evidence." Cestus answered, referring to the scrying crystal they found.
"Oh, great! I didn't get a chance to eat breakfast." Spike said as he walked to the basket, but he lost his smile after looking in the basket. "Aww, they're only cheap quartz. That's disappointing."
"Spike, he's giving you a gift. Don't be rude." Twilight said angrily. Especially when its a gift from somepony who can only effort cheap quartz crystals.
"Alright...I'm sorry, sir." Spike said. "I'll gladly accept your gift."
"Haha. You're a good kid. Enjoy."
As Spike grabbed the basket and went to a nearby bench to eat, Twilight continued to talk with Cestus privately in regards to the trial. Due to the lack of decisive evidence, both were at wits ends.
"So did you hear more about this witness Discord is going to be bringing in?" Twilight asked.
"All he would tell is that she's somepony from Ponyville. I could hardly talk to him because he's been spending the day yesterday getting her ready to take the stand. We may be in trouble, pal."
Sounds like Discord is really confident with his case. Maybe too confident. Twilight thought, hoping she could find an advantage. "Ponyville, huh? That's where all my friends are. I hope they aren't worry about me and Rarity being gone."
"We've all been worried." A pink pony said.
"Well, sorry about that, Pinkie Pi---IIIGH!"
Twilight flew up to the roof in shock of the pink pony's appearance, falling back to the ground after hitting the roof. After calming down, Twilight realized that it was her friend, Pinkie Pie, and was actually very happy to see one of her friends who wasn't behind bars.
"Pinkie!" Twilight said as she hugged Pinkie. "What are you doing here? How's the others doing? I'm sorry for not saying anything before I left."
"To see Rarity's trial, but I guess I came early. They're here in Canterlot too and will be watching the trial. It's okay, because we still love you." Pinkie Pie said, answering all of Twilight's questions in the same order.
I should feel bad for not telling my friends where I was going, but it's just too nice to finally see one of them. Twilight thought.
As Twilight was happy to see her friend, Cestus had a very surprised look on his face as he was looking at Pinkie Pie. "I'm sorry, but you're friends with Pinkamena Diane Pie?"
"Oooh! I remember you!" Pinkie said with excitement. "It's great to see you again! Sorry I couldn't get a party ready when I met you and your friends those times before."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Twilight said, interrupting Pinkie and Cestus. "You two know each other? How?"
"Sorry, Twilight. He made me promise not to say anything." Pinkie said.
Cestus was silent after Pinkie made it clear they couldn't say anything. Curious to see how deep their secret was, Twilight began to channel her lie detecting spell on Cestus, causing darkness and chains to surround him, causing a total of five psyche-locks to appear in front of him.
Yeah, I really don't have time to break these locks. Although, speaking of psyche-locks... Twilight thought as she canceled her spell. "Princess Celestia is supposed to watch these trials too, isn't she? Have either of you seen her?
"Actually, she has her own special room to watch the trial upstairs." Cestus said. "Not sure if she's here yet or not, but it's where she'll be."
"Good. Pinkie, do me a favour and watch Spike for me? I need to talk to Celestia before the trial starts. And, umm...tell the others I'm sorry for not telling them about what's happened."
"Oki Doki Loki!" Pinkie said. "And make sure you win! I've got a party cannon full of confetti that I want to launch after you do!"
Shacking her head, yet smiling at Pinkie's silliness, Twilight left the group to see if she could find Celestia before the trial got ready. She had very little time left and hoped to have a question answered before she had to defend Rarity.
"By the way, how did you know about what was happening here?" Cestus asked Pinkie.
"Oh, that's actually a good story." Pinkie said. "You see..."
October 11, 9:40 AM Canterlot District Court Celestia's Private Seat
After a short search, Twilight found the room where Celestia would watch the trial, which had a bird's-eye view of the court room. It was very high up, but she could still see where the judge, defense, and prosecutor would stand. The only thing she couldn't see was the princess. All she was able to do was wait and hope Celestia would show.
There's so little time left. I guess I'll give her another five minutes before I leave/ Twilight thought.
"Excuse me, but this is a private room." A male voice said.
After turning to the door, Twilight finally got a break and saw that Princess Celestia, as well as the royal guard, Giant Hand, had arrived. While Giant Hand was annoyed at first when he saw somepony in Celestia's private room, he quickly backed off after seeing Celestia herself being happy to see Twilight.
"Twilight Sparkle, what a pleasent surprise." Celestia said happily. "Captain, could you please leave us alone for a few minutes?"
"Yes, your highness." Giant Hand said, bowing to both princesses before he left.
He's clearly more loyal to Celestia than Prince Blueblood. Twilight thought.
"Now Twilight, tell me what brings you here. You should be getting ready for the trial."
"As a matter of fact, I want to ask you a question that you didn't answer yesterday." Twilight said as she began channeling her spell. "Why is it that you made Prince Blueblood a member of the Canterlot Council?"
Just as the day before, Twilight's question triggered the darkness and chains to appear around Celestia, causing four psyche-locks to appear on the chains.
Celestia laughed when Twilight asked the question. "This again? It's because he's my nephew. I know him well. Not only that, but I know that even other ponies respect him as an important stallion."
"I have to disagree. In fact, ponies have a good reason to not like him."
TAKE THAT!
As Twilight took out a list of names, Celestia gave her an unhappy glare. "Twilight Sparkle, it's not like you to raise your voice like that at me."
"Uhh...sorry, it's actually something I've been doing a lot lately." Twilight said as she felt embarrassed. "But I still argue that Blueblood isn't very popular. He abused his power to force ponies at the Gilded Horseshoe to lesser rooms for his own comfort. Even then, he couldn't get the best room, so his influence over others have some very obvious limits."
Twilight brought up a very valid point, making Celestia rethink her argument. Unfortunately for Twilight though, she didn't make any psyche-locks break.
"Actually, you're right. Blueblood isn't as respected as me, Luna, or even you." Celestia confessed. "Suffice to say, he's a prince and everypony in Canterlot looks up to him and are loyal."
Must...not...laugh. Must not...
While Twilight resisted, she couldn't help but laugh at what Celestia said. Celestia wasn't pleased, but Twilight couldn't stop. "I'm sorry, Princess Celestia, but I can name two ponies off the bat who would disagree with you."
Then, from outside of the room, Giant Hand's voice was heard. "Actually, while I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but now that you mention it..."
In responds, Celestia used her magic to quickly open and closed the door, causing a thud to be made as the door hit the guard. While a little mean-spirited, Celestia had a playful smile when she did it.
"That's right. The captain of the royal guard itself isn't loyal to the prince at all. Part of the reason the whole crime happened at all is because of it. In fact, I remember him saying that none of your guards are that loyal to Blueblood."
"Yes...I've actually made it so those who work for my nephew get paid better." Celestia reluctantly admitted."
After making her confession, one of the four psyche-locks shattered. The Princess was finally starting to break, but Twilight still had some work to do.
"Even the police, like Commissioner Star Cestus, hates the guy." Twilight said. "Especially because of this little thing they're he's trying to pull."
TAKE THAT!
"You can't be ignoring proposition G3. This was made with nothing but greed in mind. You can't argue with me anymore, you know that having him do this was a bad idea."
Being thrown in an even tighter bind, two more of the psyche-locks shatter, leaving Celestia with only one left before she had to spill the beans. After getting her back to the wall, she began to escape the conversation.
"I know what you're trying to do." Celestia said. "You're trying to a secret out of me with the magatama spell."
"uhh...wh-what?" Twilight said nervously.
"The green horn on your head is telling me your using Star Swirl's lie detecting spell." Celestia said. "The spell inspired by the traveling tanuki, Magnus Tenma, who had the talent of seeing through lies, hence the name, the magatama spell."
EEK! She knows! Twilight thought. "But...but that means you ARE hiding something! Tell me why such a troublesome pony is made to be so important!"
"I have my reasons and I'm standing by it. I'm proud of it and I know that it's not as bad as you're making it sound." Celestia said, who denied everything Twilight said. "Unless you can prove to me that it was a bad idea, of course."
"Oh, that's easy. This here proves that Blueblood not only has tarnished his reputation, but yours as well..."
TAKE THAT!
As proof that Celestia wasn't as beloved as she thought, Twilight showed Celestia Star Cestus's punching bag.
"A giant pillow of me?" Celestia asked.
"No. This here is a punching bag I...ahem...barrowed from a friend." Twilight said, although she didn't mention that she stole it. "You don't seem to be that popular either. This thing has Princess Luna's seal of approval on it, so that means even she knows some ponies don't like you, and that's really saying something because she's been out of touch with Equestria."
Celestia was silent. She felt hurt that Twilight had shown her such a thing. Twilight was sad with what she did, but she knew it had to be done.
"This whole time, I've been trying to convince you that my decision wasn't hurting anypony." Celestia said. "Why should I have tried when I couldn't even convince myself that."
As the Celestia finally acknowledged her mistake, the final psyche-lock shattered, which caused the chains and darkness to retract and disappear.
After a long battle of wits, Twilight had finally broken down Celestia. Neither of them didn't feel good from it, but it had to be done.
"So? Why is Prince Blueblood so special?" Twilight asked.
"As I said, he's a nephew of mine. He's part of a bloodline that's been going on for more than a thousand years. In fact, he's the only family member of his generation. That said, he's one of the very few who's directly related to me and my sister."
"So I guess that sort of makes him like a favourite child, right?" Twilight asked.
"More like the only child, Twilight. Since that branch of my family is so narrow, I have very little room on deciding who can and have more royal power in my land. On top of that, while I can simply choose who can and can not be a prince or princess, family is still family, and mine happens to be quite small."
"And since your family is so small, you don't want to take it for granted." Twilight said as she finally started to understand Celestia.
"Exactly. But..." Celestia said, who felt bad for feeling the way she did. "I knew I need somepony better to help me. He certainly made it easier for me to make ponies like you and Cadance princess. Neither of you have ever tried to abuse the power I entrusted you."
I guess she doesn't know that I used my power to talk to Fancy Pants.
"I guess I have given too much power to him and not enough responsibility. I just never thought it would get this out of control." Celestia said.
"Isn't there a rule book for something like that?" Twilight asked.
"Sort of."
With her magic, Celestia summoned a charter of some form and handed it over to Twilight. Twilight gave it a quick read over, finding that it involved royalty.
"What is this?"
"The Declaration of Equality." Celestia answered. "A treaty that me and Luna wrote a long time ago to make sure that while we are the rulers and leaders of Equestria, that only in a few specific instances are we to be treated above others and that we are no mightier than any other in Equestria."
Twilight had a question, but a part of her knew the answer to it already. "You mean like if somepony tried to kill you?"
"Yes, I'm afraid that it doesn't make attempted regicide equal to simply attempted murder. Rarity's sentence will still come to pass if she is guilty."
Well, I wasn't expecting Celestia to just hand me evidence anyway. I think I'll still keep this though. Maybe I can find a loophole or something.
After keeping the copy of the charter for herself, she turned and noticed that ponies had been entering the courtroom, getting ready to watch the trial. She even saw Discord was getting ready for his case.
"Uh oh. I better get down there." Twilight said. "I'm glad we had this talk, Princess."
"Me too, Twilight Sparkle. It's been hard for me, but it feels good admitting my own guilt. Still, I feel like I could've avoided this whole thing if I had didn't spoil my nephew."
"True, but at least you were trying to be a good aunt. Heck, if Cadance and Shining Armor ever have a baby, I'd probably spoil it and drown the poor foal with books."
Finally saying something a little more carefree, Twilight and Celestia were able to share a laugh. Even better, they were able to leave on good terms.
"Good luck, Twilight. Prove to them that you're a princess for a good reason."
"You can count on it. Watch closely as I get Rarity her acquittal!"
With the trial about to start and having the answers she wanted, Twilight jumped off from Celestia's private room and flew down to the actual courtroom where Spike had waited for her to arrive. She didn't get anything new to help her case from Celestia, but it did leave a question that bothered her answered.
October 11, 10:00 AM Canterlot District Court Courtroom 1
The time had come. Twilight and Spike were at the defense bench, Discord was at the prosecutor's, and the seats above were filled up with Canterlot citizens. Most of the ponies were talking loudly, but it came to a stop when they heard the judge pounding his gavel.
"Court is now back in session for the trial of Miss Rarity St. Germane." The Doctor said. "IS the defense and prosecution ready?"
"The defense is ready, your honor." Twilight said with confidence.
On the other side of the room, Discord stood with his arms crossed, smugly smiling. "I'm ready to win my trial."
With both sides ready, the Doctor nodded and proceeded. "Very good. If I recall, I asked that more evidence of Miss Rarity being with Fancy Pants be brought into court. I'd like to start this trial by seeing such proof."
"I have it right here." Twilight said. "This here is a magical crystal which was used as a security camera for the hotel room. It proves that Rarity was with Fancy Pants that day."
"A magical security...?" The Doctor said, doing everything he could from laughing at the evidence brought. "He he...uh, in any case, I'd like to see this for myself."
After activating the scrying crystal, a holographic image was projected into the room, just as how Star Cestus showed Twilight. Like before, it showed Fancy Pants and Rarity in the room at 2:12. The combination of Rarity's beauty and her gorgeous red dress caused all stallion eyes to dart the image. Ponies would've been angry if it wasn't brought in as evidence.
"Well, it seems her alibi holds after all." The Doctor said.
OBJECTION!
"No, it doesn't." Discord corrected, who still had a smile on his face. "The police brought that crystal for me to see. However, it's at that minute that Rarity was seen leaving. She was not with Fancy Pants at the time of the crime."
"Oh. Well, that's unfortunate." The Doctor said, who was no longer amused. "Hmm...if that's the case, then we're back to where we were yesterday. If that's the case, I can hand down a verdict right now if there's no more evidence."
"Not so fast!" Twilight said. "I think that IS sufficient evidence!
"Please explain, Miss Sparkle."
"As we've established yesterday, the only way Rarity could've entered Blueblood's room is if she ran out of her room, ran outside, whacked the prince in the head, and open the door to be caught by Star Cestus and Giant Hand, ALL within three minutes! That's impossible!"
OBJECTION!
"Improbable, yes, but it's the truth. Remember, the door to the room was locked, yet Rarity was inside." Discord explained, banging his tail up on the wall behind him to grab everypony's attention. "With the evidence I have, it's the only logical explanation!"
The ponies watching the trial began to chat about Discord's logic, as it was hard to believe, yet believable. After a single smack of the Doctor's gavel, the chattering stopped.
"This is quite a pickle. The evidence is good, but it doesn't make much sense." The Doctor said, who had a lot to think about. "I'm really not sure where to go from here."
This is it, Twilight. Discord is about to call in his witness. Get ready for anything. Twilight thought.
That was when Discord, just as Twilight predicted, made his move. "Perhaps a testimony from a witness will help. One who saw Rarity enter the prince's room."
OBJECTION!
Twilight objected, but she did actually had any intention of doing so, but what Discord said threw her off very hard. "How can that be! Rarity didn't even do it!"
Discord laughed as he saw Twilight squirm, further proving his confidence in his witness. "That's right. Fillies and gentlecolts of the court, I have found a witness who saw the defendant climb up the ladder and break into the victim's room, thus proving beyond a reasonable doubt that she committed the crime!"
Once again, everypony watching chatted up a storm. No pony would've thought that Discord would find such a witness. Before things got out of control, the Doctor banged his gavel three times, hoping to avoid a repeat of the previous day's incident.
"Order! Order in the court!" The Doctor said, which was followed by a chuckle. "I never get tired of saying that. In any case, please bring your witness in immediately."
Shortly later, Discord had gotten his witness ready, but when she took the stand, no pony could see her since she was so small. In fact, all Twilight could see was a silver prickly thing popping out of the witness stand.
"HEY! I can't see anything from down here!" A child's voice said. "Bring me a box or something!"
With a snap of his fingers, Discord caused the witness stand to sink into the ground, making it possible to see the witness. She was a pink filly with a silver tiara on her head and a giant swirly lollipop in her hoof. It was at that point that Twilight realized who the witness was.
"Witness, please state your name and occupation to the court." Discord said.
The filly took her time to answer as she wanted to finish licking her lollipop first. "I am Diamond Tiara, the heir to the Rich family fortune and the most adorable mare in Ponyville!"
I don't think being vain counts as an occupation. Twilight thought. "Hey, wait a second! What does Diamond Tiara have to do with--"
SILENCE!
After stunning Twilight with her interruption, Diamond Tiara spoke up. "I have everything to do with this case. In fact, you should be showing me a bit more respect since I know everything you need to know about this trial of yours."
The Doctor shook his head in disappointment. "And here I was hoping such an adorable girl would be sweet as a tart."
"Now now, judge. Everything she said is true." Discord explained. "This filly knows something that this court needs to hear, so for the sake of the trial, stroke her ego a bit."
"Yeah! How do you think I got this lollipop?" Diamond Tiara said.
"Well...I don't believe in first impression anyway." The Doctor said. "I'm sure this girl is sweeter than the richest chocolates in England!"
Discord is bribing his way to victory, the witness is being a brat, and the judge is talking about a place I've never heard of. Twilight thought with misery. This trial is going to suck.
After banging his gavel one last time, the Doctor became ready to hear out Diamond Tiara. "All right, little girl. Please tell us all about what you've seen. Remember, we put a strong emphasis on the truth on something as serious as this."
"Oh, I sure hope she doesn't know as much as she thinks." Twilight said to Spike.
"Don't let your guard down, Twilight." Spike said. "I've never heard a good thing about her from the cutie mark crusaders."
--Testimony: What I saw-- "I saw it all! EVERYTHING! From my parent's hotel room, I saw Sweetie Belle's sister with my own eyes. I looked down and saw her climbing up a ladder and into a room below. Is there any other white ponies who could do it?" --End of Testimony--
"See? Wasn't I an important witness for you all?" Diamond Tiara asked.
Twilight froze in shock after she heard the testimony. "Y-you...SAW RARITY!?"
The ponies watching were just as surprised when Diamond Tiara made her claim. They all knew if what she said was true, than the trial would be over in an instant. They didn't want to get the Doctor angry again, so they became silent before he could bang his gavel.
"Little girl, this is crucial." The Doctor said. "Are you absolutely sure that you saw the defendant like you said?"
"As sure as my cutie mark is incredible." Diamond Tiara answered as she smugly licked her lollipop.
B-but that's impossible! Rarity didn't do it, so how can Diamond Tiara see her? Twilight thought with fear. "I'd like to cross-examine the witness now."
"Very well, Miss Sparkle." The Doctor said. "But remember, this is just a child. I don't want to see her leaving in tears or anything."
OBJECTION!
"No worries, your honor." Discord said. "I'm certain that Twilight here will be the one leaving in tears."
"What do you think I saw? I saw the that prince killer going to cause trouble." Diamond Tiara said. "Sheesh, I thought you were suppose to be smart. All hail our great princess!"
"Oooh, I love this witness." Discord said, enjoying Diamond Tiara's smart aleck remark.
Is my job to press witnesses so they can insult me? Twilight asked herself. "Let's just move on. But seriously, what DID you see exactly?"
"From my parent's hotel room, I saw Sweetie Belle's sister with my own eyes.
HOLD IT!
"I don't I've heard Sweetie Belle's name be uttered at all during this trial." Twilight said.
"I'm sorry, but who is this Sweetie Belle?" The Doctor asked.
"She's just a blank flank." Diamond Tiara said. "A talentless unicorn back in Ponyville."
"Remind me to set you up on a play date with my daughter, Screwball." Discord said. "But in all due seriousness, Sweetie Belle is the defendant's little sister. That's why the witness here was able to identify her so well."
Discord has a daughter? We have no future. Twilight thought. "You were with your parents, right? Did they see rarity too?" "No, I was alone when it happened. I was actually looking out the window out of boredom."
"Then what were they doing at the time?"
OBJECTION!
"What her parents were doing at the time has nothing to do with anything." Discord said. "What's important is what their daughter saw."
"She does seem to be the only one of the three to have anything to do with the case at hand." The Doctor said. "Objection sustained. Please continue your testimony."
"I looked down and saw her climbing up a ladder and into a room below."
HOLD IT!
"Do you remember which room she went into?" Twilight asked.
"Actually, I do." Diamond tiara answered. "She was exactly one floor below from where I was. All I had to do was look out the window and look straight down to see her."
"Only one story?" The Doctor said. "Why...that would give her a perfect view of the defendant!"
The audience began talking loudly, as the last quote was a VERY decisive testimony. Twilight had to think very quickly while being very stressed to get out of the mess.
OBJECTION!
"Th-that's impossible! If you were that close while she was climbing up, you would've been spotted!"
Discord shook his head, who thought very lowly of Twilight. "Tell her, kid."
Diamond Tiara was nervous, which could be told when she bit down on her lollipop while sweating. "Well...to be honest...I got a little scared when I saw her climbing up, so I went back in to avoid getting caught."
"Hmm...that sounds quite interesting." The Doctor said. "Miss Sparkle, would you like the witness to amend her testimony?"
I would if I had something to work with. I better not waste any time. Twilight thought.
Good call, Twilight. I have to admit, I was hoping you would go for the potential penalty. Discord thought.
W-wait..wha... Twilight thought, thrown off by what she heard. "DISCORD! STAY OUT OF MY HEAD!"
Twilight's scream caused there to be a long, awkward silence in the courtroom. The Doctor, Diamond Tiara, Spike, and the audience all looked at Twilight with a weird expression. Discord was the only one in the whole room who had any idea what had happened.
This is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me. Twilight thought. "So...so I guess you only had a quick glance. Are you sure it was Rarity?"
"Is there any other white ponies who could do it?"
HOLD IT!
"I actually have an idea who else it could be!"
SILENCE!
"Why do I have to repeat myself?" Diamond Tiara asked. "Do you know any other white mares that could've done it?"
I know what your thinking, Twilight. Said Discord's voice, who once again got into Twilight's head.
DISCORD!
You think it was Fancy Pants, the stallion who Rarity was with. Sure, he's white too, but there's a very distinct difference between a stallion of his build and a mare as small as Rarity!
Twilight knew that Discord was right. From the description Diamond Tiara gave, it seemed obvious that she saw Rarity, but Twilight knew she couldn't of. Without proof though, Twilight was screwed. Her only chance was to press Diamond Tiara harder
"I don't think your being honest with us. How--"
OBJECTION!
"Remember, Twilight. As tough as she is, she's still a child." Discord said. "I have no intention of letting you badger our cute little witness. That's my job!"
The Doctor nodded his head. "Objection sustained. Please refrain from asking repetitive questions, Miss Sparkle."
Not you too. You're the only one here that's actually pleasant. Twilight thought with misery.
At first, the Doctor was going to give Diamond Tiara the chance to continue to testify, only to realize that she had already said everything and gave Twilight the chance to ask about it all. That said, he banged his gavel so he could speak for himself.
"Very good. I believe we've just covered the entire testimony." The Doctor said. "Does the defense have any further objections? As it stands, no contradictions have been found."
"Twilight, there must've been something!" Spike said.
"No. That testimony was airtight. Even worst, i couldn't dig anything new up between Discord and Diamond Tiara. It's like if an unstoppable force and a unmovable object actually united!"
"In that case, I think it's time we end this trial." Discord said. "I think this eye-witness calls for it."
"I agree." The Doctor said as he banged his gavel again. "I hereby end this cross-examination. Will the defendant, Miss Rarity St. Germ--"
HOLD IT!
An unfamiliar voice was heard throughout the entire courtroom, one that had not spoken throughout the trial. It took Twilight a moment to realize, but she knew who shouted the objection. From the audience seat above, Pinkie Pie of all ponies jumped down and onto the ground floor.
"P-Pinkie! Quiet!" Twilight said. "You don't want to get in trouble--"
"The girls were right! You ARE bad!" Pinkie Pie said to Diamond Tiara. "There's no way you could've seen Rarity. She's innocent!"
"Look, I'll tell you what I just told everypony! I saw from the balcony Sweetie Belle's sister. I said it a million times already, and I'll say it again! I. SAW. RAR-I-TY!"
Not caring for the interruption of the trial, the Doctor banged his gavel to get everypony's attention again, wanting to maintain order. "Enough. Please remove this pony from my courtroom."
Agreeing with the Doctor and worried for Twilight's friend, Star Cestus went in and grabbed Pinkie Pie to escort her out of the court.
"Twilight! You already know she's innocent! As long as you know that, you can't give up!"
"Pinkie..." Twilight said, shocked by everything her friend had done.
"Alright, you said what you needed to say." Star Cestus said "Let's get you out of here before you get into more trouble."
"I'm not getting arrested again, am I?" Pinkie asked.
After Pinkie Pie was escorted out of the court, the room became silent. The audience would've been talking, but they couldn't comprehend what had happened. Surprisingly, Twilight was the only one in the whole room that had kept calm. Even Discord was puzzled.
Pinkie Pie... Twilight thought. While she knew she should've done it when Pinkie Pie was still in the court, she nonetheless smiled. Thank you.
"Well...that was odd. And with my past experience, that's saying something," The Doctor said. "I think I should hand down my verdict before something weirder happens."
HOLD IT!
"I demand to cross-examine the witness again!" Twilight said, causing an uproar from the audience as a result.
OBJECTION!
"You've already done that! There's nothing left to ask her." Discord stated.
"Wrong. Did you hear what Diamond Tiara just said?" Twilight asked.
"Yes, I did. She, and I quote, I saw from the balcony Sweetie Belle's...ACK!!!!" Discord screeched, realized what was said.
Twilight slammed her hooves on the table as she got her second wind, "She never said anything about a balcony in her testimony. Since her testimony has changed, I have the right to cross-examine her again!"
The uproar in the audience continued as it was made clear that the trial was going to continue. It started to get bad, so the Doctor banged his gavel three times to get the courtroom silenced.
"Order! Order! I don't want to clear the courtroom two days in a row!" The doctor said. "Miss Sparkle, this is a very small change in the witness's testimony. Are you sure you want to press on from here?"
Twilight nodded. "I'm certain. I even have a few new questions to ask her."
While the Doctor wasn't very confident with Twilight's request, he agreed to it anyway. "Alright then. The witness will amend her testimony."
Diamond Tiara was angry that she had to continue with her testimony, but Discord looked even angrier. After looking at Discord, Twilight knew that there was something wrong with the testimony that was given, and she had every intention to find it.
"I can't believe it! Pinkie Pie did it!" Spike said.
Twilight looked back up to the audience and saw that Pinkie was finally brought back up there. Not only that, but she saw the rest of her friends too, sitting next to Pinkie. They were all cheering and clapping for Twilight, but they had to stop when they heard the Doctor banged his gavel. Regardless, they reached to Twilight.
Thanks, girls. And thank you, Pinkie Pie. I DO know Rarity is innocent, and thanks to you, I WILL win this trial. Thank you for reminding me that.
Twilight was in a bad spot. Out of all ponies she had to cross-examine, it was Diamond Tiara, a rather obnoxious filly who also came from Ponyville. She had a strong testimony that would've gotten Rarity a guilty verdict, but Twilight was able to find something she didn't initially say in her testimony.
After catching it and getting confident in herself thanks to Pinkie Pie, she made Diamond Tiara amend her testimony with the new information.
"Yeah. I saw was on the room's balcony when I saw Rarity. So what?"
HOLD IT!
"Just a minute ago, you were insisting that you saw her through the window." Twilight said. "Why did you lie?"
"Well, Discord told me that it wasn't important and that I should've just left it out." Diamond Tiara answered.
Eyes darted to Discord after the ponies all heard what Diamond Tiara said. Discord loved attention, but he was getting the kind he didn't want.
That little...never mind. Time to start asking questions. There must be some reason Discord didn't want the balcony to be mentioned. Twilight thought. "Diamond Tiara, what can you tell me about this balcony?"
"It's part of the privilege of being a wealthy pony like myself." Diamond Tiara answered. "Most of the rooms don't seem to have them, but the suite rooms have great big patios."
"And what are these patios like?" Twilight asked.
OBJECTION!
"The defense is asking pointless questions." Discord said.
"Objection overruled." The Doctor said. "I'm a little interested in this balcony myself."
OBJECTION!
"Planning a vacation, judge? The details of the balcony has nothing to do with the case. All that matters is that our witness saw Rarity from over the edge of it."
OBJECTION!
"I'm starting to think that that's not the case!" Twilight said. "Can we get a picture of this balcony, or at least a description?"
Diamond Tiara began to think the balcony the best she could remember it. "Ah! That's right. The patio is a great privilege. It alone is worth the extra money spent for the suite room. Why, anypony who walks by the hotel can see it sticking out of it like a sore hoof."
The more the filly talked, the more discomfort Discord felt. Twilight wasn't sure what Diamond Tiara was saying that created contradictions, but she knew that Discord could see them. That said, Twilight wasn't enjoying the show.
"You seem to be happy with this testimony, Miss Sparkle." The Doctor said. "Have you found anything wrong with it?"
AAGHH! I was enjoying Discord's pain so much that I didn't find any contradictions. Twilight thought. Although, this seems to be what Discord was hiding before, so something must be wrong.
"Wait a second!" Spike said. "I think I know the problem with this testimony!"
"Bah! You're no lawyer." Discord said to insult Spike.
"Technically, none of you are really lawyers." The Doctor said. "In fact, since I'm not a judge, I wonder if this is even a real trial! In any case, what have you found?"
"Hold on, let me draw you a picture." Spike said. After taking out a piece of paper and writing a quick, crude sketch, he submitted it to the court to see. "This here is a picture of the hotel that Diamond Tiara just described.
"Notice anything?" Spike asked.
"Besides the fact that I look like a monkey?" Diamond Tiara said as she hated the picture.
"I notice that your hand-writing skills far surpass your drawing skills." The Doctor said. "But it does seem to be a very basic sketch of the hotel. I suppose I can accept it as evidence."
Discord laughed at Spike as he showed the court his picture. "And here I thought I was in trouble. All you wanted to do is draw a picture?"
"Twilight! Take a look at this picture! Tell me, what about it makes it impossible for Diamond Tiara to see Rarity climbing to into the prince's room?"
After taking a good long look at the picture, Twilight was able to find what Spike figured out. After visualizing how the balcony was sticking out, she knew that Diamond Tiara had been lying the entire time.
"Diamond Tiara!" Twilight said as banged her hoof on the table. "You couldn't of seen Rarity below you. And this is why!"
TAKE THAT!
"Blueblood's room window would be directly below the balcony. If that's the case, that same balcony would be directly above Rarity, blocking off your point of view! Ergo, it's impossible for you to see the crime!"
As Diamond Tiara was caught lying, the shock caused her jam her lollipop into her mouth, causing her to choke on it until she could pull it back out. It was at that moment that she knew that she was in big trouble.
"Witness! Explain yourself!" The Doctor demanded, but as the he raised his voice, he saw that Diamond Tiara looked as if she was about to cry. "OH! Err, I mean...please explain yourself, young lady. What you said didn't make any sense."
"I guess if I have to." Diamond Tiara said as she dropped the charade.
She certainly recovered quickly. Twilight thought.
"Okay, look. I really did see Rarity, I promised. I just didn't have an up close view of her. Any pony in my position would know it was her right away. I lied because I knew you wouldn't believe me if I said otherwise."
I can understand why nopony would trust you. Better keep that to myself, though. A princess hating a little girl won't be good for the image.
"I think this calls for another testimony." The Doctor said. "But please tell the truth this time. I'd hate to discredit you as a witness."
"Not a problem." Diamond Tiara said. "I stand by my word that I'm the most important witness you have."
----------------------------
--Testimony: From up the balcony.--
"I actually only saw Rarity when she was still on the ground. It was so obviously her down there. She was walking to the building, carrying a ladder. Want more proof than that? She also had her red dress on! Can't get more detailed than that!
--End of testimony--
----------------------------
"Hmm...While not as strong as her last testimony, it still sounds decisive." The Doctor said.
"Why do you think I had her be quiet about the balcony?" Discord asked. "Nothing is different, but her first testimony would waste less time."
That's not why. You just didn't want me to find out about the balcony. Twilight thought, who was angry at Discord. "I'm ready to cross-examine her again." ----------------------------
--Cross-examination--
"I actually only saw Rarity when she was still on the ground. It was so obviously her down there. "
HOLD IT!
"How can you say you had it was her? You would've been six stories off the ground." Twilight said.
"Please, I can see a blank flank from a mile away. I really don't think my vision can be questioned." Diamond Tiara answered.
"The reason your testifying is because your vision was questioned in the first place!"
OBJECTION!
"Stop badgering her again!" Discord ordered. "She obviously some somepony and it's obvious that it was Rarity. If you're looking for contradictions, look elsewhere!"
"As far as this filly is concerned, she saw the defendant." The Doctor said. "For now, her word is all we have. Objection sustained." With the Doctor agreeing with Discord, the cross-examination continued.
"She was walking to the building, carrying a ladder."
HOLD IT!
"Are you sure it was a ladder and not, oh I don't know, a stepladder?" Twilight asked.
"Of course not!" Diamond Tiara answered. "Ladders are straight and you have to lean them on something. Stepladders are free-standing, and you can't climb a big building with it."
Finally, somepony who know the difference between ladders and stepladders! Twilight thought happily. But wait! That matches the description of the crime scene to a T. That means she did see somepony bring a ladder to the hotel. How am I suppose to argue with that?
"Want more proof than that? She also had her red dress on!"
HOLD IT!
"Do you remember what her dress looked like? We have footage of said dress."
"I only had a brief look and she was too far away for me to see the details of the dress." Diamond Tiara said. "I'll admit it, I didn't get a very good look at what she was wearing. Just her colors."
"And she said she saw a white mare wearing a red dress." Discord said. "Wait a minute! Wasn't a white mare in a red dress found at the crime scene? What a coincidence!"
I hate you, Discord. I really, really do. Twilight thought.
"Can't get more detailed than that?"
HOLD IT!
Hmm...she did ask me. She seemed to of seen everything from the ladder to the dress. I wonder... Twilight thought. Then, after thinking of a number of potential questions... "Do you remember when exactly you saw Rarity?"
"What kind of question is that?" Discord asked. "She obviously saw her at--"
OBJECTION!
"Let the witness answer my question herself!" Twilight ordered.
OBJECTION!
"What does it matter! Whether she says it or not, we all know when she would've seen the crime!"
SILENCE!
"Hey, I'm the one who's suppose to be talking here!" Diamond Tiara said as she got angry at everypony. I saw her arriving with that ladder at five after before I stopped watching!"
Five after...WAIT A SECOND! Twilight thought as an epiphany struck her like lightning. "Diamond Tiara, you are to add that little detail to your testimony! NOW!"
SILENCE!
"Who do you think you are, bossing me around like that?" Diamond Tiara asked.
"I believe she is a princess, young lady." The Doctor said. "I don't see a problem with the request anyway. Please amend your testimony for the court."
While she wasn't happy with being bossed around, even if she was bossed by a princess and a judge, Diamond Tiara reluctantly agreed to their request.
"I saw Rarity do all this at five after. So what?"
OBJECTION!
Twilight was not happy at the filly as she raised her hoof out to her. "Didn't Discord tell you not to lie to this court?"
"Actually, he told me to lie when I get the chance." Diamond Tiara said, much to Discord's embarrassment. "But all I've been telling you is the truth!"
"And that's the lie right there, Diamond Tiara! You said you saw Rarity at five after! That means it was 2:05, right?"
"Yeah, that would've been when she brought the ladder over." Diamond Tiara said.
Discord began to laugh at what was going on. "Now, Twilight, are you really calling my witness a liar again? Everything she said matches up with the evidence. She saw Rarity with a red dress and a ladder going to Blueblood's room at 2:05..." Then after realizing it himself, Discord gasped in horror.
"Diamond Tiara, you may not realize it, but Rarity couldn't of been committing the crime at 2:05. Take a look at this scrying crystal I have here." Twilight said.
"Crying what?" Diamond Tiara asked.
"It's security footage. Just watch."
Activating the crystal, Twilight showed the court the image of Rarity with Fancy Pants. The image that showed that the recording happened at 2:12.
"This recording showed that Rarity was in her room with Fancy Pants until she left to see Blueblood at 2:12. So if you saw somepony at 2:05, then there's no way you could've seen Rarity!"
After Twilight found the major contradiction in Diamond Tiara's testimony, the filly once again shoved her lollipop in her mouth in shock, causing her to choke on it for a second time. This discovery also caused the audience to break into an uproar.
OBJECTION!
"Sh-she must've been mistaken at the time. Kids suck at telling time!" Discord desperately said.
OBJECTION!
"If that's the case, then her entire credibility as a witness is worthless!" Twilight argued.
SILENCE!
"WH-WHO ARE YOU CALLING WORTHLESS!" Diamond Tiara asked.
The entire courtroom started to go out of control between the restless watchers, the lawyers, and even the witness. The Doctor banged his gavel three times, hoping to silent everypony. It failed the first time, so he had to do it three more times before he got any attention!
"Order! Order! I WILL have order!" The Doctor demanded.
It was really chaotic for a moment. It looked like the court would have to be cleared for a second time, but it would've been Twilight and Discord's fault that time. After a few seconds of silence among everypony in the room, the Doctor was able to speak up.
"Twice now, there's been rather big inconsistencies with this filly's testimony. I'm afraid nothing she has said can mix with the evidence we've seen. If she really did see a pony at 2:05, then Rarity has an airtight alibi. But if that's the case, who did this witness see?"
"As long as it wasn't Rarity, we can conclude that she couldn't have been the culprit." Twilight said.
Discord banged his tail on his table to grab the court's attention. "But she was still the only pony at the crime scene and her description matches Rarity perfectly. This court hereby has no choice but to discredit her as a witness.
But she was YOUR witness! Twilight thought.
"Hey, w-wait a minute!" Diamond Tiara said. "You can't do that to me! I-I saw her coming! I'm your most important witness! You can't discredit me like that!"
Twilight shook her head in disagreement. "I'm sorry, but a pony's life is at stack here. I can't let one of my best friends die because of a child's fib."
"M-MISS TWILIGHT!" The Doctor said. "That's uncalled for! Especially for a girl her age."
"That was a pretty mean, Twilight." Spike said, agreeing with the Doctor.
Twilight sighed, took a deep breath, and resumed talking. "Yeah, I guess your right. I guess I've finally had enough if this kid."
The Doctor shook his head after processing everything that happened during the trial. "It seems our witness wasn't quite as decisive as we hoped. I hereby call an end to this cross--"
HOLD IT!!
Everypony in the court was surprised by the sudden outburst as it came right out of nowhere. It didn't come from Twilight, it didn't come from Discord, and it certainly didn't come from the Doctor. The outburst was from none other than Diamond Tiara herself, who didn't look very good.
"Did..." She hesitated. "Did you say...somepony's life was on the line? I didn't know that!"
"Well...yeah." Twilight said. "If Rarity is found guilty of this crime, she'll be banished to the sun, which is, well, the dea--"
Before Twilight could finish, the Doctor banged his gavel three times. "MISS SPARKLE! Be nice to this child!"
"I was just trying to be honest with her. Sorry." Twilight said. She then started to get worried for Diamond Tiara after.
"Now hold on! I was told if I came and talk about what I saw, Sweetie Belle's sister would go far away!" Diamond Tiara said. "I-I never knew she would--"
"Well, to be fair, going to the sun IS far away." Discord said. "It just also burns really badly."
"W-wait! I-I-I...I never meant...to hurt...a-an-any..."
As she began to feel anxiety after learning what her testimony would've done had they taken everything she said, Diamond Tiara began biting down on her lollipop while her body started to shake, an experience all of the ponies in the court could feel from the poor filly. As her remorse and shivering reached its climax, the lollipop completely shattered from her teeth. It was at that point that Diamond Tiara had finally broken down and bursted into tears.
"WHAAAAAAAHH!!! I'M SOOOOOO SOOOOOOORRRRYYY!!"
The court went silent. They didn't realize that the child was left in the dark like she was. Even Twilight saw nothing but trouble coming out of the filly, but after finally learning the truth, a shred of goodness was finally revealed.
"Please...please, let me fix this." Diamond Tiara asked tearfully. "I'll tell the truth. I'll tell you exactly what I saw. No more lies, alright?" "Y-you mean you didn't actually see the defendant?" The Doctor asked.
"No...well, yes...I don't know..."
The audience grew restless as Diamond Tiara started to change her testimony as she purposely created doubt as to whether she saw Rarity or not. The Doctor banged his gavel once before things got out of control.
"Maybe a new testimony is in order." The Doctor suggested.
Twilight shook her head in disagreement. "I don't think I'll need to cross-examine her again. I'm confident she's trying to tell us the truth now. So tell us. If you didn't see Rarity, who did you see?"
"T-to be honest, I wasn't sure." Diamond Tiara said nervously. "I didn't even think it was her until Discord talked to me. I told him I saw a white and red mare outside, so he asked me to come in and say it was Rarity. But since I didn't get a good look, it might not of been her!"
Once again, the audience started to talk, though much quietly than before so they wouldn't get mad at by the Doctor.
Good work, Diamond Tiara. I should've had more faith in you. Twilight thought before slamming her hooves on her table. "Your honor, this witness obviously doesn't know if she saw Rarity or not. We can't assume she saw Rarity. That means there's no proof that she was able to go from her room to Blueblood's in just three minutes."
"The idea of her pulling off such a feat is rather unlikely, and there would've been no reason for her to rush." The Doctor said. "And as you said, this witness's testimony is questionable."
OBJECTION!
Discord began to laugh as the Doctor began to agree with Twilight. He wasn't buying what Twilight was selling. "Shame on you, your honor. A boot to the head to anypony who actually agrees with Twilight Sparkle. In fact..."
After conjuring a boot in his hand, Discord hurled it at Twilight, causing it to land perfectly around the alicorn's horn. The random act caused Twilight to go into shock from what happened.
Twice in two days, you've thrown something at me. Why? Twilight thought.
"Discord! Explain yourself!" The Doctor ordered.
"True. My witness didn't get a clear look, but it was obvious that she saw Rarity. Let me explain." Discord said. "First, she saw a pony who was white and red. Based off of this mystery pony's size, it was clearly female. Lastly, who was found in the prince's hotel room? A pony who met the ENTIRE description!"
OBJECTION!
"Without proof, it could've been anypony!" Twilight argued, who finally recovered from her boot attack.
OBJECTION!
"Look through your profiles. I'll even lend you mine! There are no other ponies who meet the description the witness gave. Since the description matches our only suspect, we have no choice but to acknowledge her as the culprit!"
The Doctor went silent. He had a lot to think about with the argument that Discord gave. While he didn't make a decision right away, Twilight could tell that he was going to agree with Discord since everything he said made sense, which she thought made Discord even scarier than when he's random.
"Oh, no." Twilight said to Spike. "The judge is going to agree with Discord because we don't have any other suspects!"
"We still have Fancy Pants, don't we?" Spike asked. "He's white and he said he would take the fall, right?'
"Even if I wanted to do that, he doesn't fit the description at all! He's male and wears a tuxedo. He can't help us at this point."
After a long and careful thinking session, the Doctor finally came up with a decision. "While the picture isn't crystal clear, and even I'm still questioning if this is at all possible, as it stands, it would only make sense if the culprit was, in fact, the defendant. If the defense has no further objections, then I'll have no choice but to hand down my verdict."
OBJECTION!
"Oh, so you do have an objection, Miss Sparkle?" The Doctor asked.
"I...err...no..." Twilight said. "I just thought something good would happen if I did object."
The Doctor shook his head in disappointment. "I'll have no more pointless outbursts in this court, or you'll receive a major penalty."
Things started to look grim for Twilight. She was so close to proven Rarity innocent, but the trial was about to end with a guilty verdict. She tried to think fast, but that didn't work for her."
Come on, Twilight! You have confidences in your friends and they gave you confidence back. You can't lose this now! Think harder. Twilight thought, but her think was starting to hurt her more than it was helping. Damn it. It's not working!
"Twilight, calm down!" Spike said. "You look like you're the one getting the guilty verdict!"
"But I can't think of anything! I can't argue with the evidence!"
"Then try and think of something else." Spike said. "We already know Rarity did something wrong, so something must be wrong with our evidence. Try thinking differently!"
Think differently? Hmm... Twilight thought. In that case, maybe I should try and look at this from a different angle. If there was no other white ponies wearing red...then I should be looking for a red pony wearing white!
After finally getting her brain working, an idea kicked in.
OBJECTION!
"The defense would like to name another suspect!" Twilight said.
"Twilight, Twilight, Twilight." Discord said. "We've been over this. There are no other white pony suspects."
"You're right. There are no other white ponies. But if Diamond Tiara really didn't see the attacker clearly, then there's a chance it could've been a red pony who was wearing white!"
Discord shook his head in disbelief. "Can you prove there was a pony wearing white?"
"I can! Using this piece of evidence that's been bothering me for quite some time!"
TAKE THAT!
"I found this white hat hear in some bushes out side of the hotel. I found it after...well...after I fell out of Blueblood's room."
After hearing about Twilight's mishap, every single pony in the courtroom began to laugh at the unfortunate princess. Even Diamond Tiara, who had completely broken down, laughed nearly into tears.
"Yeah, yeah. Get it out of your system." Twilight said with misery. "But this is still enough to suggest my theory is true. If a pony was wearing this, and maybe something else, its possible that Diamond Tiara saw somepony completely different."
OBJECTION!
"Take this from the lord of chaos. What you just said is completely absurd." Discord said. "If there really was another pony who could match the witness's description!"
"Out of everypony I've met on this case, there is only one red pony I've met." Twilight said.
"Twilight, I know who you're about to blame." Spike said. "Be careful. Even I think what you're thinking is baloney."
Spike is right. But this is all I have. If Rarity didn't attack Blueblood, then there's only one other pony it could've been.
"Miss Sparkle?" The Doctor asked.
"The defense would like to cast suspicion on Canterlot's commission of police! Star Cestus!"
The court went into a very big uproar as Twilight casted suspicion on such a pony. The Doctor banged his gavel three times to calm the audience down, but he was more unpleased with Twilight than the spectators.
"Order! Order!" The Doctor said. "Miss Sparkle! That is quite an accusation! How did you reach such a conclusion?"
"Easy. If you put on some white clothing, like this white hat, on Star Cestus, then he would also meet Diamond Tiara's description."
"But she was confident that she saw a female pony!" The Doctor argued.
"That's because of how small the pony was." Twilight explained. "Unlike most stallions, Cestus is actually quite small. Because of that, Diamond Tiara assumed she saw a mare. But if size was the only reason, then it's still possible for it to be a small stallion!"
The Doctor had to think over Twilight's proposal, but he was very skeptical about the idea. "Does the prosecution have an argument?"
"More like an insult than an argument." Discord said. "You really are getting desperate, aren't you?"
More than you know, Discord. Twilight thought. OH WAIT! I forgot he can read my mind!
"You know what? if that's going to be Twilight's last stand, I won't mind bringing Red up here."
The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Very well. I will allow Star Cestus to take the stand. But if I do, Miss Sparkle, and he's proven to be innocent, then I'll have no choice but to hold you in contempt of court for accusing an innocent pony."
"Twilight, no!" Spike said. "If that happens, you'll never be able to save Rarity."
I know. But this is the last chance we have anyway. Twilight thought. With no other options, she banged the table and accepted the deal. "I still want Star Cestus to take the stand!"
Discord laughed as Twilight stood by her claim. He was very confident that she was going to fail and was actually happy that Twilight still wanted to go through with it.
"Very well." The Doctor said. "I will now call for a ten minute recess. After which, Commissioner Star Cestus will take the stand."
With one final bang of the gavel, the court was adjourned for a brief recess. After the recess, the final line of questioning was going to commence, as it would decide whether or not Rarity was guilty or not.
If I stand by Rarity's claim of being innocent, then I know she's innocent. As much as I hate to admit it, Cestus is the only pony who could of attacked the prince. He meets the Diamond Tiara's description and even has a motive. I would hate it if he really was responsible, but if Rarity is innocent, then he must've done it! But...can I prove it?
October 11, 11:44 AM Canterlot District Court Defendant Lobby
WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO!? Twilight thought.
"Twilight? You look like you're having another panic attack." Spike said.
"NO I'M NOT!!!"
Twilight was in quite the dilemma. She accused Star Cestus of being the attacker without bringing in the concrete evidence to prove it. If she was unable to prove it, Rarity would be declared guilty of the crime. Naturally, she freaked out.
"What am I going to do? So far, I've been defending Rarity using evidence I know I had on me. I don't actually have anything I can use to pin the crime on him. Heck, I'm not even sure if he did it!"
"Then I guess we have no choice but to let him take the fall." Spike said. "Too bad. He was even nice enough to bring me breakfast."
Weren't you complaining about that before? Twilight thought. "Well, let's think it over again real quick. Diamond Tiara said she saw a small, red and white pony. Rarity was at her room, Star Cestus was found there..."
"Yeah. AFTER Rarity was caught." Spike said. "Do we have anything in our evidence that can prove he was there before?"
"Well, let's see..." Twilight said as she went through her evidence. "His punching bag? No, that's nothing really. Broken glass? No, that has nothing but my own blood sample. Basket of gems...wait, isn't this yours?"
"Oh, sorry. I mixed it with your stuff because I didn't want to carry it."
Spike, you lazy a...wait a second...WAIT A SECOND!!!
After remembering what the basket was and where it came from, Twilight's brain started to tick again.
---------------------------- "Wait, then what's that you got there?"
"Huh? Oh, I remembered I promised your little dragon friend I'd bring him something since he couldn't eat important evidence." Cestus answered, referring to the scrying crystal they found.
"Oh, great! I didn't get a chance to eat breakfast." Spike said as he walked to the basket, but he lost his smile after looking in the basket. "Aww, they're only cheap quartz. That's dissappointing."
Even earlier than that...
..."Sir, the crystal isn't in this room."
"Keep looking." Twilight said, catching the police off guard. "That crystal is the most important evidence of this whole case.
"I'm sorry, your highness. But we've checked this room the crystal isn't where it should be. Somepony must've already taken it."
----------------------------
After remembering everything that had happened over the past day, Twilight's jaw had dropped in horror. Not only did she realized that it really was Star Cestus who attacked Prince Blue Blood, she realized just how much trouble she was in.
"He...HE FED YOU THE SCRYING CRYSTAL!?"
"He did what?" Spike asked.
Horrified by her revelation, she snatched Spike's basket and began digging into it to find what she was hoping to find. The basket was full of clear and rather worthless looking quartz crystals and were hard to distinguish from one another.
"Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, OH NOOOOOO!!!" Twilight screamed.
"Twilight, what's wrong?" Spike asked.
"Spike, this is VERY important. Out of all of the gems you ate from here, were there any that seemed different from the rest? One that probably tasted better than the rest?"
"Hey, yeah. How did you--"
"WHERE IS IT!?"
In though Twilight had trouble finding the crystal she was after, Spike was able to dip his hand in the basket and retrieve it instantly. He showed Twilight a that bared a striking resemblance to the scrying crystal they already had. The one difference: there was a huge bite taken out of it.
"Spike! This is it! This is the missing scrying crystal!" Twilight said with cheer. "He must've given it to you so you would destroy the evidence for him! This means Star Cestus really is responsible! We can even prove it!"
"Oh, really?" Spike said, pointing to the big bite mark in the crystal. "I don't think that thing will work anymore."
To test Spike's theory, Twilight tried to activate the scrying crystal. A hologram did appear, but it didn't show an actual image, but rather just noise due to the missing information. Since there was no longer a recording on it, meaning they still had no proof that Cestus was the culprit.
"It's still something, which is more than we had before." Twilight said. "I'm sure we can figure out how Cestus could frame Rarity now that it's clear he did it."
"How?"
"The same way we've been doing it before. Finding contradictions and exposing the truth. Since we know Cestus will be lying, we should be able to find them."
"In that case, let's go back in there and find those lies!" Spike said with enthusiasm.
----------------------------
October 11, 11:52 AM Canterlot District Court Courtroom 1
As soon as the everypony got back from the recess, the Doctor slammed his gavel down to continue the trial. He knew there was a chance the trial would go on for a while, so he wanted to get it started right away.
"Court is now back in session." The Doctor said. "Is the next witness ready to take the stand?"
"Why of course." Discord answered. "I pity you, Twilight. I had to let Red blow off some steam when he heard you accused him of this great crime. It was hilarious."
I better cast a magic barrier to protect myself. Twilight thought.
"Well, ready or not, bring him to the stand." The Doctor requested.
----------------------------
A minute later, Star Cestus took to the stand as he was ordered. Just as Discord said, he was not at all happy, having his eyes pointed at Twilight while trying to face the Doctor. Twilight could tell that he was unbelievably angry, causing her to gulp.
"Red, state your name and occupation, would you?" Discord asked.
"Star Cestus. Chief Commissioner of Canterlot's police force." Cestus answered. "But before we start, I just want to say that this is the most ridiculous thing I've ever had to experienced."
The Doctor whook his head in disagreement. "You have no idea what "ridiculous" actually means." The Doctor said. "But I guess for you, this is quite interesting. Anyway, what do you think of these accusations?"
"I already said it. It's rediculous! I'm a pony of the law, pal. I took an oath uphold my duties and the law. Ever since I became commissioner, those fat cats haven't been able to bribe my men. We've actually managed to get some of them behind bars. Hahaha."
The Doctor looked down at Cestus with a smile. "You must be doing a fine job. Many races could learn a lesson from you ponies work."
Many races? Is something wrong with griffins and minotaur's view of the law? Twilight asked herself, though she quickly dismissed the thought after finding it to be pointless. "If you're so confident, than surely you won't mind giving us a testimony."
"Fine. What do you want me to say?" Cestus asked.
"I know what you can say." Twilight said. "Tell us about your day. From when you first found out about the crime, up to when you arrested Rarity."
The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Very well. Commissioner, please tell us about your day in more detail."
----------------------------
--Testimony: My Day--
"Well, I got an anonymous tip saying that the prince would die that day. So I ran to the hotel so I could get to the prince. On my way, I found Giant Hand and told him about what I heard. So we ran back to the room, which was when we found the defendant."
--End of Testimony--
----------------------------
"And that's pretty much my day in a nutshell, pal." Cestus said. "And if it makes the princess feel any better, me and my officers still don't think Rarity did it."
"Hmm...doesn't sound much different from what we already know." The Doctor said. "Wait! You don't think the defendant committed the crime? Please show us some evidence!"
"Actually, we couldn't find such evidence."
That's because you had Spike eat it. Twilight thought.
"Oh well, that's a shame." Discord said. "Since this is all a waste of time, how about we just end the trial now?"
The Doctor shook his head in disagreement. "I'm sorry, but I promised Miss Sparkle a chance to cross-examine the witness. You may begin."
It's a pretty tight testimony. I hope I can find something.
----------------------------
--Cross-Examination--
"Well, I got an anonymous tip saying that the prince would die that day. "
HOLD IT!
"You hate the prince. Why did you actually take tip so seriously?" Twilight asked.
"Like I said, I fight for the law." Cestus said. "Even though something bad would happen to my worst enemy, I chose to do what I could to protect him. He's royalty after all."
"But Giant Hand is captain of the freaking royal guards, and was more than willing to abandon him."
Cestus growled as Twilight made a good argument, pushing him in a corner.
OBJECTION!
"Yes, yes. Everypony hates the prince. It's no secret." Discord said. "At least give Red credit. He's the only pony in this city who actually does his job well."
I sure hope he wasn't directing that to me...because he's sort of right. Twilight thought. "Alright. What did you do next?"
"So I ran to the hotel so i could get to the prince."
He went to the hotel. Not much to work there. I guess his tip would've just told him to go there. I don't think pressing him will help me much right now. Twilight thought cautiously.
"On my way, I found Giant Hand and told him about what I heard."
HOLD IT!
"If I recall, he was across the street, right?" Twilight asked. "What exactly did you tell him?"
"I told him what was on the note I got. I even brought it with me today." Cestus said.
"The court will accept it as evidence." The Doctor said. "Please hand it over."
As requested, Cestus handed over the anonymous tip we was given. After Twilight got her hooves on it, she gave it a quick read, hoping to find something suspicious about it.
---------------------------- Prince Blueblood is in great danger. If something is not done soon, he will found, attacked, and killed at 2:05 PM.
--A concern citizen. ----------------------------
"2:05? That would've been the time when Diamond Tiara some somepony." Twilight said.
"Well, that's just what the note said. There's no telling when the crime actually happened." Cestus said. "Heck, even if he did die, an autopsy report can only be so accurate."
"Let's just be thankful no harm came to anyone...err, anypony." The Doctor said.
Darn it. His tip is to vague. Twilight thought. I can't cross-examine him when he gives a testimony like this.
Twilight carefully looked at the note she was given over and over again. She tried to find something that didn't match up with the evidence, but to no prevail. Then, after taking a deep breath to calm down, she thought of something else.
Alright. Maybe instead of looking for something that's here on the note...I got it! There's actually something missing on this note! Twilight thought after getting her idea. "Cestus, can you please repeat the last part of your testimony? The part before you met with Giant Hand?"
As Twilight asked, Cestus repeated the requested testimony, but started to grow more impatient since he had to repeat himself.
"So I ran to the hotel so I could get to the prince."
OBJECTION!
After shouting her objection, Twilight shook her head at Cestus in shame. "Star Cestus, I don't think you realize it, but you just contradicted yourself."
"What are you talking about, pal? There was nothing wrong with what I said before!"
"Before, no. Now, yes. According to you, you went to see the prince as soon as you got your memo, but according to it, that's all it said!"
Discord slammed his tail on his table after Twilight made her complain. "I told you all that this was pointless. All you're doing is telling us something about Red that we already know. Unless you explain the problem, I call for dismissal."
The Doctor shook his head in disagreement. "I agree with the defense. This is very suspicious."
"W-wait. What?" Discord asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" Twilight asked. "Cestus said he ran to the hotel so he could warn Prince Blueblood about the danger. The problem? This note doesn't say that the prince was at the Gilded Horseshoe hotel, let alone "a" hotel. So tell us. How did you know where the prince was in the first place?"
Cestus jumped back from shock, but he recovered after slamming his hoof on the witness stand, causing it to wobble from his strength. "Y-you...I...no..."
"Wait a minute, I thought the witness stand was nailed to the ground." The Doctor said.
"Yeah, it was." Twilight said. Yeah, if I don't break this guy, he's definitely going to break skull.
"Now hold on!" The Doctor said. "If the note didn't' tell him where the prince was, how was he able to react to it so fast?"
"That's easy. A very logical reason for him to already know where the prince was..." Twilight said as she slammed her hooves on the table, then, as pointed her hoof forward to Star Cestus..."...is because he was the attacker!"
Between the contradiction found and Cestus's power presented, the audience grew restless. Nopony thought Twilight would've been right about the idea of Cestus being responsible, but with the note he brought in, things began to turn out Twilight's way.
FREEZE!
The entire courtroom went silent. With all of the accusations, Star Cestus grew impatient and had finally raised his voice. The Doctor didn't even have to bang his gavel.
"I've been busting my flank to get the evidence to help you, Princess Fat-cat. Now you're accusing me to save her?" Cestus asked. His patience grew thin, so once again, he started to hate Twilight. "Fine. Then I have no choice but to prove to you all once and for all that it really was Rarity who tried to kill Prince Blueblood!"
"Ooooh, does this mean you're going to tell them why you were at the hotel?" Discord asked.
"I was really, REALLY hoping I wouldn't."
OBJECTION!
"DISCORD! You KNEW somepony else was at the crime scene?" Twilight asked. "You've been withholding important information!"
OBJECTION!
"What makes you think this has anything to do with the crime, Twilight? At least give our witness here a chance to explain himself." Discord said.
"I agree with the prosecution." The Doctor said. "Unless this information actually does have something to do with the case, it's not really important information. Objection overruled."
So close. I guess I have to deal with Discord's shenanigans for a bit longer. Twilight thought.
"Alright. To start things off, Red, what can you tell us about this white hat here?" Discord asked. "This was the hat found near the crime scene."
"Yeah. It's mine. Like The fat cat said." Cestus admitted.
"S-so you really WERE on the crime scene?" The Doctor asked. "Explain yourself, commissioner."
I've got a bad feeling about this. Twilight thought.
----------------------------
--Testimony: How I knew Blueblood was there--
"That hat goes with my coveralls. I work part time at the Gilded Horseshoe as a janitor, and I was cleaning windows that day. While cleaning the windows, I saw the prince in the room, so that's how I knew he was there. His window was my last one, and it was about 12:05 when I finished."
--End of Testimony--
----------------------------
"And there you have it, pal. Happy now?" Cestus asked.
"Oh, so you work two jobs?" The Doctor asked.
"Yeah, I do. The money you make at the police force may look nice, but everything in Canterlot is so overpriced, from food to homes, I had to get a second job to help pay the bills."
"Your financial problems isn't a concern to the court, Red." Discord said. "What IS important is what time he finished. 12:05 PM i believe."
"And what does that have to do with anything?" Twilight asked.
"I believe I've solved the problem with the testimony from out last witness. If I recall, Diamond Tiara claimed to of seen a red and white pony at 2:05. If that's true, than Rarity couldn't be the culprit."
"Where are you getting at, Discord?"
"I'm saying she was mistaken of the time. She could've seen Red here at 12:05, thinking it was 2:05. It's a logical explanation, no?" The court began to talk loudly again, as they all agreed that Discord's logic cleared up the inconsistency. Even the Doctor had to take it into consideration.
OBJECTION!
"Show us proof then!" Twilight demended. "Show us proof that Diamond Tiara was mistaken of the time!'
"Why should I? It's a sound theory. How about you prove to me that she wasn't mistaken of the time?" Discord asked.
"I..." Twilight sighed. She couldn't counter Discord's argument, but she did think of a way to help counter Cestus's. "Okay, I can't prove It. But Cestus, are you telling us the truth when you said that you only saw the prince when you were there at 12:05?"
"I already told you, pal! That and when me and Giant Hand showed up at the crime scene was the only time I saw the guy!"
Without anypony noticing, Twilight had started to channel her magatama spell, causing her horn to glow a faint green. After Cestus finished his statement, chains began to wrap around him, causing five red psyche-locks to appear around him. He was lying and Twilight could see it with her own eyes.
Got it! Now I just got to break--
OBJECTION!
Followed by Discord's objection, a second boot went flying and made a perfect landing on Twilight's horn, causing her to deactivate her spell. It was so random, she didn't know how to react to it, much like the first time.
"Nice try, Twilight!" Discord said. "Next time you try to cheat, I'll give one to your wimpy assistent, Spike."
Followed by Discord's threat, Spike screamed and ducked behind the defense stand, afraid to get a boot to the head as well.
"You can do it, Twilight!" Spike said. "I'm right behind and below you!"
"Geez. Thanks for the support, Spike." Twilight said sarcastically.
----------------------------
--Cross-examination--
"That hat goes with my coveralls."
HOLD IT!
"Coveralls while cleaning windows? What's the point?" Twilight asked.
"Because I don't want anypony to recognize me, pal! It's an embarrasment for the head hancho of Equestria's best police to be reduced to scrubbing windows! It's not something you woud understand. I bet that dragon of yours scrubs yours!"
"Hey, I may scrub her windows, but I get paid in gems for it!" Spike said.
As soon as Spike said. Cestus once again slammed his hoof down on the witness stand, causing it to wobble. When he did, Spike ducked down behind the table to not be seen.
"Spike, please don't wave a red flag in front of a bull." Twilight said.
"I work part time at the Gilded Horseshoe as a janitor, and I was cleaning windows that day."
HOLD IT!
"Can you prove you were doing that?" Twilight asked.
"I have a work scedule that proves it. Want me to give it to you?"
Ugh. My pockets already have glass, a punching bag, and a doodle. I don't need it. Twilight thought. "No, I'll just take your word. Continue."
"While cleaning the windows, I saw the prince in the room, so that's how I knew he was there."
HOLD IT!
"The prince was on the fifth floor. How could you see him?" Twilight asked.
"I climbed up the wall with mutent spider powers." Cestus said. "How else could I of done it?"
"Really? Cause it would make a lot more sense if you used a ladder or something.
FREEZE!
"Are fat cats really born with a silver spoon and no sense of humor?"
"What are you talking about, I don't have a silver...oh...wait. Your were making a joke?"
The courtroom went silent from Twilight's realization. She wasn't able to take the joke, and was humiliated because of it. Even Discord couldn't laugh at her.
And there goes the last trace of my dignity. Twilight thought. "hey, wait. You used a ladder to get to his room, and then Rarity supposedly used one. Could it be..."
"Yeah. After I left, I forgot to take my ladder with me. The ladder used in the crime would've been the same one I used. I must've forgotten it."
Discord chuckled as Cestus shared the new information. "I guess that explains how Rarity was able to get up to the room in such a short time."
"So you and the attacker used the same ladder?" The Doctor asked. "Please add that to your testimony."
As requested, cestus changed his testimony to reflect the new information. After thinking about it herself, Twilight got an interesting idea.
"Rarity would've taken my ladder and climb up to the room."
OBJECTION!!
"So Rarity used this ladder of yours, huh?" Twilight asked. "Can you prove it?"
"Sure I can...I...wait..." Cestus said.
"What's the matter, Red? It's easy." Discord said. "All we have to do is check the ladder for hoofprints."
Twilight shook her, disagreeing with Discord. "That can't be done. The ladder was already checked for hoofprints. Nothing was found. If Rarity did use this ladder, then entered the room, she wouldn't of had time to wipe her hoofprints."
"That's easy to explain." Discord said. "If she was wearing shoes, then no prints would be left. I'm sure if we look at the scrying crystal, we can find her wearing them."
Twilight shook her head. "That's not the problem. Since there's no prints, somepony DID wipe them. If not, then how the heck did Cestus's hoof prints go?"
With Twilight's discover, Cestus jumped back in shock, then slammed his hoof back down to regain balance. For a third time, he caused the stand shake. It wasn't just him. Discord was even horrified by the discovery.
"Commissioner Star Cestus!" The Doctor said. "This is huge. That ladder was the only was for the attacker to even commit this crime! How do you explain your missing prints?"
"I...well...maybe it was a different ladder." Cestus said.
OBJECTION!
"Even then, your prints would still have to be on there when you took it as evidence." Twilight said as she slammed her hooves down. "The only way for this whole case to make sense if you wiped the ladder for prints afterwards. Why? Do you would cover your own tracks!"
As Twilight explained her theory, the audience went into a small uproar, but even so, Twilight wouldn't let them silent her.
OBJECTION!
"How do you explain the anonymous tip?" Discord asked. "He said--"
"Yeah. HE said." Twilight interrupted. "We've been taking his word this whole time because of the evidence. But quite frankly, I'm starting to question the evidence our witness has been bringing in."
With Star Cestus and the evidence contradicting themselves, the audience continued to grow restless. They all agreed that Cestus wasn't telling them the truth and that his evidence were either tempered or fake. It was clear to all that Twilight was on to something and everypony was curious to see where she would go from there.
I can't believe it. I'm actually doing it. One more testimony and I'll of found the entire truth. It's beyond a reasonable doubt now. Star Cestus was the attacker.
FREEZE!
The out of control audience and the very happy Twilight were all put to a halt. Cestus was nervous seconds before, but in an instant, it all changed. He didn't want to be accused of the crime and didn't intend on letting Twilight do that.
Using the evidence that cleared up many of the contradictions in the case, Twilight was proving that it was Star Cestus that attacked Prince Blueblood and not Rarity, but when it seemed that she was about to win, Cestus made an objection. While it was clear that he did it, he wasn't ready to admit it.
"This is exactly why we should be using real lawyers and not fat cats who just want to play pretend." Cestus said. "They can't seem to see the big picture."
"What are you talking about?" Twilight asked. "The fact that you're hoofprints are missing on the ladder means that you wiped them off!
FREEZE!
"In the court of law, evidence proves whether your right or wrong. Not the absence of evidence."
"Then how do you explain your missing hoofprints?" The Doctor asked.
"I don't know. Maybe I slid down the ladder and accidently wiped them off." Cestus answered, albeit a bad one. "If you really think I did it, you'll need actual proof, pal."
Twilight slammed her hooves on the table. "I've been waiting for you to say that. You want proof? Fine. I'll even use the very same evidence you gave me!"
"W-what?"
"This piece of evidence you gave me will prove you were involved in this crime."
TAKE THAT!
"Before the trial, you gave Spike a basket of gems to eat."
"Your little dragon friend eats jewellery?" The Doctor asked. "That sounds painful, coming in AND out."
"Uhh, it's actually normal for dragons." Twilight explained. "Anyway, before the trial, Cestus gave me a basket of gems, which had this crystal in it."
As soon as he saw the crystal, Cestus jumped back in shock, then regained his balance by slamming his hoof on the witness stand, causing it to shake again. "That's..."
"This here is the scrying crystal that was missing from Prince Blueblood's room. It was found in the same basket that--"
OBJECTION!
"That can be any old crystal!" Discord argued.
"All we need to do is bring this to somepony who works at the Gilded Horseshoe, and we'll know for certain."
The audience were once again impressed with Twilight's findings. The trial stopped moving as they all began to talk loudly. As Twilight smiled with confidence, Discord began to freak. Twilight was winning the trial and everypony knew it. Everypony but one however.
FREEZE!
"Quite confident in that trinket, aren't you, pal?" Cestus asked as he smiled, not being the least bit intimidating. "So if what you're saying is true, then that crystal should be able to show me fighting the prince, right?"
Oh no. He didn't figure it out already, did he? Twilight thought.
"Oh my, he's right!" The Doctor said. "Please, if it's the same type of crystal you showed me before, please play this one as well."
"ACK!" Twilight said, who knew that her evidence was about to be worthless. "Well...the thing is...it's...kind of...broken."
To explain, Twilight took the crystal out and activated. Normally, it would show everything that was recorded, but since it was damaged when Spike ate part of it, all that appeared was static. Therefore, the footage itself couldn't prove anything.
"I thought so. That scrying crystal has nothing to do with this case." Cestus said.
OBJECTION!
"No! You gave me and Spike this crystal earlier today! We found it in the exact same basket you gave us! That makes this solid, concrete evidence!"
Twilight was on a roll and she refused to give in. Cestus was persistent, and wasn't willing to surrender. When it became clear that Discord wasn't prepared to step in, he decided that he had to defend himself.
"Your honor, I'd like to make a rebuttal for the princess. I want to explain to her why I couldn't possibly be the one you are all after."
The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Very well. You may have another testimony, and the defense will get another cross-examination."
"I won't deny that I gave Spike some gems to eat. But the basket had nothing but quartz crystals and you can't prove otherwise. I'm even under the impression that your scrying crystal is fake. If that's not enough, one more piece of evidence you have proves my innocence.
"I won't deny that I gave Spike some gems to eat."
"But the basket had nothing but quartz crystals and you can't prove otherwise."
Dang it. He's admitting he gave spike the basket and I really can't prove he put the scrying crystal in it. Twilight thought. Although, I do have some other questions to ask.
"I'm even under the impression that the crystal is fake."
HOLD IT!
"You think the crystal is a forgery? What proof do you have?" Twilight asked.
"You CLAIM it had footage of me attacking the prince, you CLAIM I hid it with your dragon's breakfast, and you CLAIM that it's the exact same one that was found in the prince's room." Cestus said. "You claim so much, but you yourself have no proof.
OBJECTION!
"None of that proves that this is fake!" Twilight argued.
"So it was simply a coincidence that the damning piece of evidence you have doesn't work? You can do whatever you want with it, but unless you can really prove that it was on the crime scene, this court can't accept it as evidence."
"The Commissioner is right." The Doctor said. "If that crystal can't be linked to the crime scene or this witness, then the court will have no choice but to dismiss it as evidence."
UGH! I really can't prove anything! That was my ace in the hole!
"If that's not enough, one more piece of evidence you have proves my innocence."
HOLD IT!
"Enough cryptics. Tell us what it is!" Twilight ordered.
Cestus smiled and chuckled as Twilight made her request. It gave her a very uneasy feeling. "Do you remember why we suspected Miss Rarity in the first place? The evidence that brought her into court in the first place?"
"Why she was brought in? Hmm..." Twilight thought about it for a moment. "Oh, right. The gold bar used as the weapon."
"Very good. Now please take a look at the forensics report. What did it say about the gold?"
Using her magic to get her copy of the report out, she gave what little was on the report a careful read. "It had Rarity's hoofprints and magic residue...AAAGGHHH!!!"
"What? What's the problem?" The Doctor asked.
"It's not obvious?" Cestus asked. "I had nothing to do with the weapon! Miss Fat cat even confirmed where the weapon was before the crime! I couldn't of touched it until after the crime, and it was my forensic officers who handled it after the crime. It's impossible for me to of done it, pal!"
"Well, to be fair, there could've been another weapon." Discord thought out loud.
FREEZE!
"Don't be stupid." Cestus said to Discord. "We checked that entire room, as well as every other symmetrical room on the hotel floor. There was NOTHING in the room with the weight and mass that could've cause such damage to the prince's precious little head. I suppose the mini-fridge that was in the room could've worked, but there was no signs of it being moved."
"So in other words..." The Doctor said. "The only object in the room that could've been used as the weapon...was the gold bar the defendant brought."
"No..." Twilight was in a state of disbelief. It took her a moment to take in everything that Cestus said, and when she did, she didn't take it well. "No...WAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY!!!"
The audience went crazy. Everypony in the court had started to believe that Cestus really was the culprit, but with his line of logic and evidence, it seemed that Twilight was wrong the whole time.
Got to think. Got to think. Twilight thought. Then, after getting an idea, she slammed her hooves on the table. "Maybe you brought in a completely different weapon when you committed the crime!"
FREEZE!
"So you're saying that I, an earth pony, carried some heavy blunt instrument up a ladder, broke the window, got in and out...?" Cestus said, but as he explained himself, he started to stutter with the nonsensical idea. "That's just impossible!"
"I agree." The Doctor said. "I remember I used to have trouble carrying small objects in my hooves. I suppose it would be easy for a window cleaner to carry up a squeegee, with one hoof, but something heavy like the gold bar would be far too awkward."
"You see? Only a unicorn or a pegasus could of brought a weapon in with the ladder!"
Having heard enough, the Doctor decided to slam his gavel down to put an end to the cross-examination. Cestus made a good argument and Twilight was unable to counter it.
"I think I've heard enough. I'd now like to share my opinion on this case." The Doctor said. "As our last witness recalled seeing a red and white pony at 2:05, and the defense has even proven it as a possibility. However, since there's no actual concrete evidence, and the fact that the weapon used was never touched by this witness, this court will have no choice but to dismiss that theory."
"No..." Twilight said. "This can't be happening..."
"I'm sorry, Miss Sparkle, but this witness ended up being innocent." The Doctor said. "But since he did end up being rightfully suspicious, I won't hold you in contempt like I originally planned."
"It doesn't matter. This trial is as good as over!" Cestus said. "Look at the bright side. Miss Rarity will be viewed as a martyr for what she did to that prince by my officers and their friends. She'll be known as a true pal."
Think, Twilight Sparkle, think! Twilight ordered herself. She was starting to lose the trial, right when she was making a turnabout. She thought hard. Very hard. When she was done thinking... "UGHH!!! I CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING!"
The Doctor lowered his head to think, but he didn't take long like Twilight did. "I suppose this means the defense has no more arguments. It's a shame. As the judge, I will have to favor the guilty verdict. Are you certain you have nothing more to say on behave of your client?"
I...I...I guess this it. There's nothing left I can do. Twilight said with defeat. I've pressed every witness. I showed all of my evidence. I even did things lawyers probably shouldn't of done. I've done everything I could.
As Twilight felt nothing but misery from her failure. Her sense of failure allowed her to hear exactly what was being said from her friend's hearts.
"Twilight, Darling. It's too early to quit.." Rarity's voice said.
I'm sorry, Rarity. I shouldn't of made myself your defense. I didn't stood a chance.
"Come on, Twilight! I got all of this confetti ready for when you win!" Pinkie Pie's voice said.
You cheered for the wrong, pony, Pinkie. I'm afraid we won't be having a victory party after all.
"Please, Twilight! We'll never see Rarity again if you don't do something now!" Spike's voice said.
I'm sorry, Spike. I'm sorry, Pinkie. And I'm sorry, Rarity. I failed you all.
That was that. She could hear the voices of those three and the rest of her friends, but Twilight still felt defeated. She had finally lost her will to fight on.
OBJECTION!
Nopony expected it. Out of any pony in the entire court, and of all times, Discord had raised an objection. He didn't look the least bit happy as he stared at Twilight.
"I'm surprised of you, Twilight Sparkle. Your friend's plot is about to get roasted by the sun, and you're not doing anything?"
"is...the prosecution giving the defense advice?" The Doctor asked.
FREEZE!
"Quiet, Discord! You're about to win this trial!" Cestus said.
"You be quiet, Red!" Discord answered. "Some friend your are, Twilight. Or was there a friendship lesson of yours that made it okay to give up on friends?"
Is Discord actually trying to help me? It must be some kind of trick. Twilight thought. Although, he does have a point. My friends have not just been relying on me. They've also been motivating me this whole time. They've been confident that I could do this, and they even made me confident in myself. So why the heck am I giving up now?
As Twilight's will to fight on began to return, she stood up with confidence, took a deep breath, and slammed her hooves on her table.
"Your honor! I'm not ready to give up yet!" Twilight said after feeling strong again. "I still hold my claim that my client is innocent!"
The audience began talking as Twilight's confidence returned. The Doctor was surprised, Cestus was angry, and Discord, surprisingly, had his arms crossed and was smiling.
"You can't possibly still think she's innocent!" Cestus said. "We've been over this, pal! She's the only one who could've done it!"
"As it is, Red is right." Discord said. "Tell us, Twilight. How can Rarity be innocent when Cestus still is?"
Way to flip-flop, Discord. Twilight thought. But he's right. The reason Rarity is seen as guilty is because it's impossible for any pony else to do it.
Twilight had to think, but even though it still seemed like a lost cause, she knew that Discord, as scary as it was to admit, was right. She had to stay strong to defend her friend until the bitter end.
That's it! Instead of proving that Rarity's couldn't of done it, I should prove that Star Cestus COULD do it. I'll have to turn my way of thinking around to do this.
Ready to brainstorm one last time, she closed her eyes, focused her mind, and completely separated herself from reality, entering a state of clear mindedness to think thoroughly how the crime could happen.
Being an extremely organized pony as Twilight, she turned her own mind in a mental map of the entire case. Every nook and cranny was displayed on her mind as she began to think through the case.
Let's summarize the facts. A pony used Cestus's ladder to climb up, broke into Prince Blueblood's room, and knock him out, nearly killing him. Regardless of who did it, Rarity was found inside and was arrested. Earlier than that, Diamond Tiara some the culprit at 2:05, or so she claims. The scrying crystal, however, makes it clear that Rarity was in her room until 2:12. Those are the facts.
Since Diamond's testimony contradicts with Rarity's alibi, it's been assumed that she was mistaken on the time. What time did she see Rarity?
After asking herself the question, she felt her brain was working as the answer popped into her head.
She saw the crime at 2:05
There's no reason for Diamond Tiara to be wrong about the time, so the crime did happen earlier than we all thought. This means, the pony who was climbing that ladder at the time was...
Once again, Twilight's brain felt a rush as the next answer to her question appeared.
Star Cestus climbed the ladder!
Just as I thought. Only Cestus would've been able to climb up the ladder. That window would've been his only way inside...wait. That still doesn't explain how Rarity got in. The door was locked, and there's no way an unconscious Blueblood would've answered the door.
Twilight had to think harder for that mystery.
Wait. Cestus would've been in the room. He could've unlocked it. But why?
There were several different possibilities, but only one made any sense to Twilight, thus, her way of thinking allowed her to move forward.
He was trying to escape!
That makes sense. He could've tried to leave through the door, but changed his mind at the last moment. He probably didn't want to be seen, so he went back out the window. I remember Giant Hand saying he didn't see the ladder at one point, so Cestus must've knocked it down on his way out. But now...
There was still one unsolved mystery that, despite Twilight's past logic, still made it impossible to prove Rarity's innocence. That damn gold bar. It's impossible for Cestus to of used it. Even I have to admit that. But if that isn't the weapon, then what was? He couldn't bring anything as heavy as a gold bar with him up a ladder.
This was the hardest part of the brainstorm. Only something with great mass and weight could've done the damage that the prince took, and Twilight had to figure out what it was.
Wait. Maybe he didn't bring a weapon after all. Maybe we've been mislead this whole time. Maybe the weapon...
As Twilight's final question became answered, a major rush of logic surged through her head. After a long and thorough thinking session, the answers all became clear.
THERE WAS NO WEAPON!
That's it! If it really was impossible for a weapon to be brought, then there was no weapon at all!
Having the entire mystery solved, Twilight returned to reality, ready to share her discovery to the world. It was time for another turnabout and nothing would knock her down again.
"The defense still accuses Star Cestus as the true culprit!" Twilight said.
"That's ridiculous. We've just gone over that I can't possibly be the one responsible for this." Cestus said.
"That's only because your hoofprints aren't found on the gold bar, nor could you of had your hoofs on it at any point." Twilight admitted. "But what if, hypothetically, the gold bar in question wasn't actually used?"
"Pardon?" Discord asked.
"We have a witness who claimed to of seen the attacker seven minutes before Rarity lost her alibi, and a ladder with no prints on it, which would both make Star Cestus the suspicious one, not Rarity. So what if it turned out that the gold bar, that said otherwise, wasn't used to beat the prince after all?"
"If that's the case, then the defendant would be found innocent." The Doctor said.
FREEZE!
"Are you forgetting that it WAS the weapon, pal?" Cestus asked.
OBJECTION!
"Another possibility was that it wasn't the weapon!" Twilight answered. "I even have a witness, who will be willing to testify, to come in and state the purpose of the gold was to bribe the prince to go against Proposition G3."
"W-wait...you mean Fancy Pants, who was with Rarity?" Cestus asked. "That fat cat was actually fighting G3? Agh...it doesn't change a thing. That gold was the only thing that could try to kill the prince."
Twilight shook her head in disagreement. "No. You are more than capable of doing it without the gold bar. In fact, I think you can even commit the crime without a weapon at all."
"If the defense can really prove that it's possible for the commissioner to commit the crime without a weapon, that would her previous findings solid." The Doctor said. "But can she really prove it?"
"Yes, your honor. My final piece of evidence proves he provide a strong enough blow unarmed."
THAT THAT!
With her magic, Twilight showed the court is last piece of evidence: Star Cestus's punching bag.
"H-hey! Is that my punching bag?" Cestus asked. "You were the one who stole it?"
"I prefer to use the word "Confiscate". Anyway, this bag will be what uncovers the truth." Twilight said.
"Please, explain." The Doctor requested.
"You see, Star Cestus is a highly competent boxer, even though he doesn't look it. The other day, Cestus was playing with this punching bag, which I guess has a punch-triggered voice box. I noticed the harder he punched, the higher the number. Oh, what was that high score of his again?"
"I remember!" Spike said. "It was 18 points."
"Thanks, Spike. I'm guess 18 points is very high, so all we need to do is measure how strong you need to be to score 18 points, and we'll know if Cestus is strong enough to punch out Blueblood."
"You...you..can't prove..." Cestus said, failing to keep his cool any more. "DISCORD! HELP!"
"Sorry, Red. You have to come clean." Discord said. "It won't be hard to determine how sensitive that bag is. I recall it being a branded item, so if you don't tell us what it is, I'm afraid we could just investigate it further one more day."
Twilight nodded in agreement. "Discord is right. All we need to know is learn what 18 points equals to, and we'll know if your strong enough to commit the crime."
"That's balderdash, pal! There's no solid evidence to prove I did it!" Cestus said.
"True, but I've proven that it's impossible for Rarity to commit the crime without the gold bar, which couldn't happen of happened between 2:05 and 2:12." Twilight explained. She then raised and swung her hoof forward to Cestus to state her conclusion. "Commissioner Star Cestus, you're the only one who's capable of to attack the Prince Blueblood!"
The court quickly went silent. Everything that made the trial so interesting spun around completely. It looked that only Rarity was able to commit the crime and impossible for Cestus, but thanks to Twilight's reasoning, it became the exact opposite. As it became obvious that Cestus was strong enough to attack the prince without the weapon, he became the new prime suspect of the entire case. His hooves were pressed on the witness stand with great tension as he planned his next words.
"100 PSI." Cestus said, but he said it with great pain. "1 point on my punching bag equals 100 PSI."
"PSI? Pounds Per Square-inch?" The Doctor asked. "That's...that's unrealistic! A punch like that to the head? Why Prince Blueblood should be lucky that he's alive."
"Lucky...? The prince...lucky?" Cestus said as he began to breath heavily and his muscles began to bulge, giving him a noticeably larger appearance. "Why should a lazy, useless, fat cat like him be lucky, where a pony like me can had to sacrifice their dreams just to get by?"
Cestus's body began to shake as anger began to take over. He breath he took caused his muscles to grow bigger and bigger. As his anger and body reached their climax..."
"Blueblood....BLUEBLOOD..." Then, after finally reaching the limits of his restraints... "BLUUUUUUUUE BLOOOOOOODDDD!!!"
After screaming to the top of his lungs, he rung his right hoof back, and slammed it directly into the witness stand, using all of his strength and rage to smash right through it, causing it to shatter into a million pieces. The shock from the punch could be felt by everypony in the room, including the omnipresent Discord.
The powerful punch scared a lot of ponies, causing them to turn their heads from horror, but as soon as their eyes went back to Cestus, they saw what remained of the stallion. A small, frail looking pony, standing on his back hoofs after smashing through the witness stand with his true strength. With nothing left to help him hold his balance and no more strength to support himself, the little red pony fell over what was left of the witness stand.
Star Cestus had practically confessed his crime. Twilight Sparkle had finally won the trial.
It all happened only a few days before the trial began.
At the Gilded Horseshoe, a certain red stallion was on his ladder, cleaning the windows of all of the rooms from the outside. He had been busy and was minding his business for the most part, that his until he found himself scrubbing the window of a certain room. Through the window, he noticed that Prince Blueblood had been staying at the hotel.
He finished his cleaning and left afterwards. Later, Cestus decided to pay the prince a visit, as he had wanted to discuss something with the royal pain. Cestus wanted to keep the visit secret, so he used his ladder to get to the room rather than just go through the front door.
He knocked on the window, but Blueblood closed the curtains on him. Angered, Cestus decided to simply break the window and entered, as he was determined to speak with the prince. Blueblood decided to humor the intruder before, ironically, calling the cops.
"You're an idiot for wanting to get Proposition G3 to go through, pal." Cestus said. "You'll make a few bits at first, sure, but with taxes like that, none of my boys will want to work in this city. I certainly won't."
"Oh please. You and I both know that you and the rest will not be leaving Canterlot. With so little money, you simply can't afford to move somewhere as decent as our city." Blueblood answered.
"Are you even listening to yourself? Ponies like me will starve if we can't make ends...I barely making ends meet myself, and I have two jobs!"
"Well, that's what you get for not being born into royalty. Now leave, please. I'm very busy."
"Please, I'm speaking on behalf of everypony in Canterlot. You're just taking money you don't need from those who do. You really have nothing to gain. Why do this?"
The prince started to get annoyed at Cestus. After rolling his eyes, he decided to put it more bluntly.
"Alright. Just as you said, I'm making you pay more for your taxes so I don't need to." Blueblood said. "But here's the thing. I don't actually care. You're just a dirty little peasant who's not treating the superiors with the proper respect."
"Give me one reason why I should give you any respect for what you're doing!"
"Easy. As a prince and member of the Canterlot Council, I'm an, in every single aspect, superior to you. There's no room for debate. Wealth should only go to those who deserve it, such as myself."
Cestus became confused about how a pony like Blueblood could even exist, especially one who was the nephew of Princess Celestia herself. As Cestus was getting frustrated over the prince, Blueblood used his magic to take off a ring, which he had wrapped around his horn, and presented it to Cestus.
"Now than. Feel free to kiss my royal ring." Blueblood said. "If you do, then I promise I won't have you fired, both as an officer of the law, and a lowly window cleaner."
"Oh, that's it. Kiss this!"
Fed up with the prince's attitude, Cestus finally decided to give the prince a real piece of his mind. He jumped up on the back of his legs, wounded up his front hoof, and threw a punch directly into the prince's face, knocking him down into the ground.
"There, you like that? Because I'm pretty sure others will want to do it too!" Cestus said after punching out the prince. He waited for the prince to get back up to talk back at him, but he noticed that the prince didn't move. "Uh...Blueblood?"
It turned out that Cestus didn't know his own strength very well. He didn't know just how hard he had actually hit the prince, Cestus after he punched the prince, he didn't get back up. The angry look on Cestus's face, which caused him to do what he done in the first place, slowly turned into a fearful one.
"Did I...I..." Cestus said as he had finally realized what happened. "I...I JUST KILLED A PRINCE!"
After Twilight had cornered him, Cestus confessed his crime to the court. He described everything that happened as clearly as he could to clear up everything. The lying had come to an end and the truth was finally coming out.
"So you really were the one who broke in." The Doctor said. "But how did the defendant get into the room?"
"Star Cestus would've tried to escape after punching out the prince." Twilight said. "I believe he opened the locked door to escape."
"She's right." Cestus said. "In a panic, I opened the door from the inside to run away, but I realized that I would've been caught if I escaped that way, so I turned around and jumped back out the window."
"I see." The Doctor said, believing everything that the others said. "If that's the case, then Miss Rarity was simply an unfortunate victim of circumstances."
"I quickly came up with a plan to come back with a fake anonymous tip to make it look like somepony else did it." Cestus said. "But I never actually intended on pinning it on anyone."
"Then why didn't you say anything?" Twilight asked.
"I didn't have any choice. As a member of the police force, I had to arrest her, but if I confessed, then I'd practically be committing suicide. Even attempted murder on royalty gives you the death penalty!"
Yet he didn't actually mean any real harm in the first place. It doesn't seem right to of been so scared because he punched someone a little too hard.
Satisfied with the confession, the Doctor banged his gavel. "It appears you will be the new one to be facing these charges, but for now, I'm just going to hand down my verdict."
"I understand." Cestus said as he was left defeated.
The trial was about to end and the Doctor was going to give Rarity the not guilty verdict, but Twilight didn't feel right about it, even though her friend was getting off of the hook. Helping her old friend wasn't enough anymore. She wanted to help her new friend as well. Discord was even staring at her, expecting her to do something for Cestus.
No. Cestus may not be innocent, but he doesn't deserve this. Twilight thought. She then slammed her hooves on the table. "Your honor, one moment."
"What is it, Miss Sparkle? You've already won this trial." The Doctor said.
"I know, but I'd like to make a final statement for the record. One regarding Star Cestus's confession."
"What do you want from me now, pal?" Cestus asked angrily.
"I agree that Cestus should be punished for attacking the prince and his other crimes, but not to the same degree as we think." "I'm sorry, but you lost me." The Doctor said.
"The reason we've had this trial at all is because Rarity was charged with attempted murder of Prince Blueblood. However, while it's proven that she didn't do it, what Cestus did wasn't attempted murder either."
The Doctor shook his head, still confused by Twilight. "I still don't quite follow.
"Cestus, you based off of your confession, is it safe to assume that your crime wasn't premeditated and that you never meant to hurt the prince as badly as you did?"
"Yeah, but so what? It was still attempted regicide." Cestus said.
"Wrong." Twilight said in disagreement. "It was assault. You punched the prince, knocked him out cold, and he's still alive and well. Anyone will agree that what you did was simply assault."
Cestus was surprised by how Twilight was helping him all of a sudden. He thought it was a trick of some kind, but after thinking about it, everything she said made sense.
"Your honor, this piece of evidence states that his crime is not a serious one!"
TAKE THAT!
Using her magic, Twilight handed a document over for the Doctor to read.
"The Declaration of Equality? Miss Sparkle, what is this?" The Doctor asked.
"A document made by than Princess Celestia herself." Twilight answered. "This was made to make clear just what kind of special privileges royalty have compared to common pony folk. For the most part, they're equal to anypony else for fairness sake."
"But what does this have to do with the crime?"
"It says right here in black and white that attempted assassination on royalty will call for the same punishment that would be used for a successful murder." Twilight said. "However, if you read this document carefully, there is no law that makes assaulting royalty any different from assaulting anypony else."
"WHAT!?" Cestus asked in shock.
"Well I'll be!" The Doctor said.
"Finding loop holes in the system?" Discord asked. "You really are a lawyer after all."
The Doctor took a much closer look at the official document to make sure Twilight's claim was true. He was careful not to over look anything, but in the end, he couldn't find anything that contradicted Twilight. "Why, if Cestus's attack on the prince really wasn't done with murderous intent, then at most, he'll be facing rather small charges."
The audience grew restless from Twilight's sudden claim, but they calmed down as soon as the Doctor banged his gavel.
"Very well. He may not of committed attempted murder, but this witness did commit perjury, forgery, and frame-up, which are much more serious crimes then assault. I'll allow the police to take him away for further questioning, but I'm certain that it will be nothing compared to what the alternative would've been.
Cestus was still surprised by everything that had happened. He was ready to accept his fate, but Twilight of all ponies went in and saved him, despite everything he had done to her friend.
"Hey...Twilight Sparkle...?" Cestus asked.
"Yes, Cestus?" Twilight said.
Then, with a genuinely happy smile on his face, Cestus looked at Twilight and said... "You ain't so bad for a fat cat after all. You're a true, true pal."
Star Cestus had a lot of crimes he had to take responsibility for, but thanks to Twilight, he avoided having to suffer for the one crime he was actually afraid of. He was genuinely sorry for all of the trouble he had caused and it was clear to everypony in the court.
"Where is Commissioner Cestus at this moment?" The Doctor asked.
"I believe he is just outside." Discord said. "I gave him to the local police, but none of them have arrested him yet."
I'd imagine they're having trouble wanting to arrest their beloved boss.] Twilight thought.
"Twilight, are you sure it was a good idea to let Cestus off the hook?" Spike asked. "He did almost got Rarity sent to the sun."
"He didn't get off the hook. He's still in trouble, but the least we could've done was make him only pay for crimes he purposely committed. He isn't that bad of a guy."
"Yeah, I'm sure Red learned his lesson." Discord said. "Never try to overpower those with more power than you."
"That's not true, Discord! The lesson here, if there is one, is that even in an unfair world, you should still treat everypony the same and try and be their friend, because if you do, things can move in your favor, even if it's not your way. All you need to do is treat everypony with respect."
As Twilight made her speech, Discord crossed his arms and stared at Twilight, showing that he had a hard tome to believe her words. After thinking about why Discord was acting like that, she realized something.
"Oh...I guess...I guess I wasn't doing that for you yesterday."
"Twilight, I'm a bit more selfish than you. I always try to watch out for number one. Take it from one who knows about himself. Sometimes, a pony can't get well earned respect, like red, and all they can do is live with it and defend their self-respect."
"I suppose it is a luxury I have and others don't, but unlike gold, fame, or power, it's a luxury that anypony can afford and one they should all have. And you're right. Even you deserve it."
Discord, finally happy with what Twilight said, shared a smile with her happy to of gained a little more respect from the princess. The Doctor, who was satisfied with the defense and prosecution's agreement, banged his gavel.
"Very touching. If no one else has any objections, I believe it's time to wrap up this case. Will the defendant please come to where the witness stand used to be."
As requested, Rarity took the destroyed stand to await for her verdict.
"While you are free from your charged of attempted murder of Prince Blueblood, if it's true that you were attempting bribery, that shouldn't be ignored."
"I understand. I suppose that I should take some kind of punishment." Rarity admitted.
"No worries, your honor. I got this." Discord said. "Rarity, for doing Fancy Pant's dirty work, the prosecution moves that you be punished by...a boot to the head!"
"A what?" Rarity asked, right as Discord tossed a boot at her with his magic. "OW!"
At least it wasn't me this time. Twilight thought.
"Oh. And one for Twilight and the wimp." Discord said.
"AHH!!!" Twilight screamed as boot landed on her horn for a third time as Spike ducked from his boot attack. "Not again."
"Ahem. I suppose I should say this quick before I get a boot to the head as well." The Doctor said. "I hereby find the defendant, Miss Rarity St. Germane....."
NOT GUILTY!
With the verdict finally handed down, the ponies in the audience cheered for Rarity's freedom as pieces of pink confetti began to fall down from the above, just as Pinkie Pie had promised before. Naturally, Rarity was over thrilled by her freedom.
"That is all. Court is adjourned." The Doctor said as he slammed his gavel down for a final time.
October 11, 1:20 PM Canterlot District Court Defendant Lobby
"I don't believe it! I'm a free mare!" Rarity said. "Twilight, darling, I don't think I can ever repay you for doing such a thing."
"Well if you can't repay her, maybe you can show some appreciation for your lawyer's assistant?" Spike asked.
"Yes, you've definitely had a hand in all of this." Rarity said as she bended down to give Spike a little kiss on the cheek, knocking the love-strucked dragon out cold.
Come on, Rarity. I just saved your butt from an attempted murder trial already. Twilight thought.
Twilight, Spike, and Rarity weren't the only ones happy with the trial's end. Seemingly falling out of the sky, despite being a roof above their heads, Pinkie Pie came in and landed right on top of Twilight and Rarity.
"RARITY! YOU'RE FREE! DID YOU SEE MY PARTY CANNON LAUNCHING AFTER THE JUST SAID "NOT GUILTY!" AND THE CONFETTI--
"Pinkie Pie!" Twilight and Rarity said together.
"Oh, sorry. I'm just really, REALLY happy that we can all still be the bestest of friends!" Pinkie said as she hugged her two friends. "At least until the next time one of us get put on trial." Pinkie then darted her eyes at Spike, deeming him suspicious.
"Wait, where's the others?" Twilight asked.
"Oh, you mean Rainbow Dash and the others? I had them hull my party cannon out of here. I want to get back to Ponyville as soon as we can so that we can have a HUGE party to celebrate your victory today!"
"I'm already making arrangements to go there myself."
To everypony's surprise and delight, Princess Celestia, who was walking with Fancy Pants to meet up with the group. She looked almost as happy as Pinkie Pie herself.
"Princess Celestia!" Twilight said.
"You went through an ordeal that even I thought you wouldn't be able to handle. A grand celebration is in order." Celestia said. "Not just for proving Rarity's innocence, but for a big change that will happen from this point on."
"A Big change?"
"I feel partly responsible for everything that's happened. I thought I could assign leaders for Canterlot and it's come to my attention that the Canterlot Council is a failure. After today, the council will be demolished, and this city will elect its leader instead."
"I guess an election will be in order." Twilight said.
"Very much so." Fancy Pants said, who found the chance to speak up. "And the princess here has asked me to enter the run. I just hope I can get the votes!"
"You're running for mayor now?" Rarity asked. "I'm sorry, Twilight, but I may have to bail out on my own party. This stallion MUST win this election, and I'm sure he could use one heck of a suit!"
"Aww, come on!" Pinkie Pie said. "I already got the cake made. It says "Not Guilty" on it any everything."
How the heck did she bake a cake like that so fast? Twilight asked. "Maybe you should just postpone the party, Pinkie. I plan on staying in Canterlot a little while longer too."
"Whatever for?" Rarity asked.
"Star Cestus is a good pony, even if he did do a few bad things. I think I'll put this defense attorney's badge to good use a little while longer."
Celestia giggled as Twilight announced her plans. "You're almost too kind to be a princess, Twilight. I've heard Cestus's rants many times, about how the mighty will only help themselves, and he's right to a degree. But with ponies like you, who are mature and selfless, perhaps a trend will start."
"I guess there's a lot to do." Fancy Pants. "Here's to a better Canterlot, and maybe someday, a better Equestria!"
"Hear, hear!" Everypony all said in unison.
While the group were all happy with their goals, Pinkie Pie was still upset about having to hold off the party. She then made up a plan of her own.
"I got it! Since we're all here, let's just party here!" Pinkie said. "I'll just have the others bring my party cannon to the castle. By the time I'm done, the castle will be half destroyed! Meet you guys all there!"
"Pinkie, wait!" Twilight said.
But Pinkie was undeterred. She intended on throwing a very huge party to celebrate everything that had happened. The group were all looking forward to the party, with the obvious exception of Twilight, who was worried about the castle's possible destruction.
Twilight tried to call and chase after Pinkie Pie, much to the amusement of Celestia, Rarity, and Fancy Pants, but she wasn't able to stop the crazy party pony. As she grew more and more desperate to stop the insane pony, Twilight shouted the first word that came to her mind.
