The Zalem Witchcraft Trials

Bang!

“The Court is now in session, has the bailiff gathered the ponies for testimony?” Stanford asked.

“They are at the front the court room sir, do you wish for me to bring them here?” The bailiff asked.

“Ne-no not now, first we must go over other matters” He cleared his throat. “Now, Let us go over what had occurred”

Firebird stood up from his seat. “Your honor, the defense had claimed that Apple Gail had been fired from her job due to her affair with John” He said proudly, sitting down after he said the last word.

“Indeed” Stanford said. “Does the Prosecution have any objections regarding what he said?”

“No, your honor” Hail said.

“Then bring out Apple Gail first to the stand!”

Judge Stanford is not a normal judge. This stallion allows for attorneys to represent the defense, he would always make someone repeat what occurred before any recesses to avoid confusion, and he would always make sure every piece of evidence was well established. If any piece could be questioned then he would always consider it junk, and will not dismiss it as evidence that is valid. For example: in one case he dismissed entire testimonies, due to one testimony contradicting the others. In many other cases he himself was proved wrong, so in order to have a perfect verdict, one in which nopony would ever even think to object to, he would have to go out of his way and handle court differently than any other judge would.

Though he had to handle his sentences the same way any other judge would…

“Here is Apple Gail” The bailiff said as she took the stand.

“State your name and occupation Ma’am” Hail said.

“Apple Gail. FORMER…servant of the Trocter house” She said leaning forward when she said former.

“Ok Apple Gail, testify for as to how you were terminated from service”

“For…how I was eh, terminated…” She paused for a moment nervously, then began to gather courage. “Ok then…”

Testimony of Apple Gail:

“For many years of serving the Trocter house, John had been kind enough to hire me. After a while Elisabeth here had grown largely jealous of me and John. So after a while of her leaving to town, and me staying at home with John, he and I grew a romantic relationship. One day Elisabeth discovered me at the bed side with John, rubbing his backside. Much to her disgust she grabbed me by the hair and pulled me out of the room. She then went out of her way to open the door for me as she told me to ‘never come back again’. I knew John would remain loving me so I left without saying a word. The door was then closed at my face as I left the building. I had never came back ever since.”

End Testimony:

“There, you happy, Elisabeth? I actually told the truth, unlike you and John keeping this a secret from the town’s ponies” She shrugged.

“Your honor I would like to cross examine the witness” Firebird asked Stanford.

“Please do Firebird Wright” He said with a bit of glee.

Cross examination:

“For many years of serving the Trocter house, John had been kind enough to hire me. After a while Elisabeth here had grown largely jealous of me and John. So after a while of her leaving to town, and me staying at home with John, he and I grew a romantic relationship”

“HOLD IT” Firebird yelled. “Jealous how? She had not yet known of your relationship with him had she?”

“She did, or at least she assumed I did. I HAD been spending ALL that time with him during her times out of the house. So I assume that she had thought that I was trying to have relationships with him over time” She said.

“I see…” He said.

“One day Elisabeth discovered me at the bed side with John, rubbing his backside. Much to her disgust she grabbed me by the hair and pulled me out of the room”

“HOLD IT” He yelled again. “Rubbing him how? Did she simply over react to you good gesture or were you really in the wrong?” He asked.

“Well if you really must know before hoof, John and I had slept with each other, but not the way you think. I rubbed him as one would a sore back or wound nothing too graphic. If you ask me, simply seeing that is not a good reason to PULL MY HAIR” She said looking at Elisabeth.

“Ok then…But how was John not able to hear all this?” Firebird asked.

“After observing John in his sleep for so long, I came to notice he was a deep sleeper. I noticed this when I was sneaking around his room and he could not hear me, even once when I yelled slightly when I stepped on something on the floor”

“Hmm…”

“She then went out of her way to open the door for me as she told me to ‘never come back again’. I knew John would remain loving me so I left without saying a word. The door was then closed at my face as I left the building. I had never came back ever since”

“OBJECTION” he yelled. “Are you sure you had never returned to him? I seem to remember you saying that he was the one who hired you, therefore giving you the right to still serve him. I have reason to believe THAT ‘one day’ when Elisabeth was out, as you yourself should know when that is, you yourself went in and seduced John into committing adultery.” He pointed his hoof at her “You yourself wanting for then to divorce so that you can have John to yourself!” TAKE THAT!! He grinned widely. Apple Gail fell back on her hooves.

End cross examination:

A light brown stallion, with charcoal black mane and tail jumped off from the crowd of spectators. He rushed to assist Apple Gail who was still in the floor with shock.

“Apple Gail! It’s alright I’m here. My father is not the one you love it is me, ME!!” He said dramatically as he was pulled away by guards that were called in once he left his spot.

“Guards! Send this adolescent home; I cannot have him interrupt again!” Stanforth ordered.

“Now then” He said as the faint cry of Gruff was lost. “Let us continue now. Where were we…Ah Mr. Firebird! You had just found something incredible from the testimony” Stanford recalled.

“Yes your honor. We had just found that Apple Gail was indeed having an Affair with John or rather him with her. This pony, wanted the, ehem, affair to interfere with their relationship; tis be her motive! So, the prosecution had bias motive to create a hoax and fool the court by claiming herself a witch and blaming others to be one as well” He said all this, confidently as he did the others.

“Yes indeed. This could quite wrap up the case overall”

“But your honor,” Hail spoke out. “You are forgetting John Trocter, he has been sitting idle in the waiting room for quite some ti-”

“I have not forgotten about John. Apple Gail will be in the custody of the court for later questioning” Apple Gail is taken by the bailiff. “Now, BRING FORTH JOHN TROCTER” he said.

As Apple Gail trotting out the exit to the waiting room, John was there; he had gotten up from his seat and trotted past her. John got up onto the stand and gazed around the court room for a moment, seeing all the ponies from town, all the known faces, all the ponies who knew him since he had come into town, made him nervous. He held his head high making himself clearly visible. Judge Stanford started to speak.

“John Trocter. You are a much respected man of this community, and because you are known here, you need not state you name and occupation” he paused. “John”

“Alright” he responded.

“There will be no mention of anything the testimony of Apple Gail revealed, unless a part of this testimony intertwines with the other directly. Now John, start you testimony on why Apple Gail was terminated.” he stated.

“Of course” he said.

Testimony of John Trocter:

“I had hired Apple Gail since I had moved into Zalem. Little by little I had noticed my wife here was growing tired of her over attachment to me. I had shrugged this off many times and had thought it to be simple liking to a master, or just for the sake of convenience. I had noticed that many times when my wife had ordered he to do a task she would refuse. After many times of threating her with termination she seemed to not care, as she would still disobey my wife. So after a while of the same disobedience, I worked up the courage to terminate her. I told her one day as she came from the front door form work that she was, and she left without a word”

End testimony:

“Now then begin the cross examination”

“Yes your honor” He turned to his right looking at Elisabeth. “Elisabeth John did not confess to the ehem.”

“I know, try to see if you could make him reveal it”

“I’ll try” He said with a bit of confidence.

Cross examination:

“I had hired Apple Gail since I had moved into Zalem. Little by little I had noticed my wife here was growing tired of her over attachment to me.”

“HOLD IT” he yelled. “How WAS she overly attached to you, as in how was she showing it to your wife?” He asked.

“Um…she would sometimes treat her differently than me…” he said pausing for a bit.

“Differently how? And how was Apple Gail expressing herself to you?”

“She wouldn’t respect her same. And she would always soften up her words, and made it sound more appealing to the ear.” John said.

“I see...”

“Little by little I had noticed my wife here was growing tired of her over attachment to me. I had shrugged this off many times and had thought it to be simple liking to a master, or just for the sake of convenience”

“HOLD IT” he yelled again. “So your wife was ‘growing tried’ of that? And how was it convenient”

“Umm…well…like I said before, I shrugged it off as nothing. And convenient for her as she believed that she would receive special treatment”

“Special how? Are you implying that she wished you in bed with her?” He just realized what he said. “DAH! Damn it Firebird Wright! Couldn't you be less blunt?!” He said in his head.

“WHAT? Umm…no I-I would NEVER do that to my wife. The act of adultery is simply too wrong to commit.” He said hesitating.

Firebird gathered his composure as he was exited he finally got to John. “So John do you admit to the act of adultery with Apple Gail?” He said hoping.

“Of course not! I would never commit that, and the mere thought of it just stabs the mind.” He denied.

End Cross examination:

“THAT IS ENOUGH! THIS MAN HAS NOT ADMITED TO THE ACT OF ADULTARY AND WILL NOT BE PENALIZED FOR IT. You Firebird Wright have lead us down a hole that we try to get out of. But now it is time to see the truth. GUARDS TAKE THIS STALLION OUTSIDE, AT ONCE!”

“No!” Firebird Wright cried as Elisabeth bowed her head with sadness behind him.

“I will now hand down my verdict. With all these inconsistences I must dismiss all evidence as faulty and wrong.” The last cry of John is heard as he left the court house.

“In the case of Elisabeth Trocter, about the charge of witchcraft; the defendant is…”

GUILTY

“No…no…no no!!” Firebird Wright slammed his head on the desk.

“Do not worry ponies of Zalem. My sentence to this mare, will confirm if or not she is a witch” The room went silent.