The Defense is Ready, Your Honor*
The Defense is Ready, Your Honor*
“Are you sure you can do this?” The princess of the night asks you as you button up your crimson red shirt. The “this” she is referring to is a court case that will begin in a few minutes, with you as the defense attorney. You thought that your trip to Manehatten would be relaxing, but here you are, getting ready to defend some mare you’ve never even met.
“I can do this.” You say to her, although maybe you were saying that to yourself. You’ve never defended anyone in court before. Sure, back in school, you were the best the debate team had, but this was the real deal. You’ve been fascinated with debates and law since your junior year of high school, and even considered prosecution as a career. At least you weren’t being baptised by fire.
“Do you remember everything I’ve told you about how the court works here?” Luna asks. The worry in her voice is apparent.
You do remember her going over what the court system was like. It was only an hour ago. Basically, it is near identical to how court systems on Earth worked. One judge, one prosecutor, and one defense attorney. You lucked out that the ponies decided to model their court system after human mythology. Even though it was not all the same, it was close enough for you to be comfortable.
“Can you go over the case details with me one last time?” Luna insists.
“Sure. This cello player-”
You were interrupted by a loud banging on the door. Shortly after the third strike, a deep voice shouted, “The Defender is to be summoned to the courtroom at once!” Luna gave you a concerned look, while you tried to show confidence.
“One last thing, human.” Luna said as you made your way to the door. “Most ponies spectating today’s trial have never even heard of you. How you act today will forever set the kind of reputation you have with the ponies of Equestria."
Something about the way she said that made you stop in your tracks. You didn't consider that. This was the first time you will be attending a public event that wasn't a social gathering at Canterlot Castle. Even then, those were highly exclusive gatherings; the only pony you spoke you was that purple unicorn that wouldn’t stop asking you questions. You remained frozen for a few seconds before you felt Luna’s hand on your shoulder.
“No pressure, though.” She says as she forces her most genuine smile. “Just remember that my sister and myself will always accept you back into the castle.” You don’t know how she does it, but no one could calm your nerves more easily than Luna. Even your close friends back on Earth couldn’t do it as well as she could.
“You better get going. Meet your client.”
“Yea.” You say to yourself.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X
This was not what you expected a courtroom to look like, especially in downtown Manehatten. From the outside, the building has the modern look any suburban city would, but inside, it felt like you stepped through a time machine. The floor and walls were grey stone, riddled with cracks. You were not sure if the cracks were aesthetic or just poor upkeep. There was no gallery or jurors box, at least not on the main floor. The public sat on the second story, where the seating resembled a theatre. Few places the public was seated were separated by a few steel fences, but most areas were open.
Across from you, the prosecutor. He stood behind a mahogany desk, nearly identical to yours. Behind him, there were two banners. The banners were painted dark blue and had a black trim. Taking a second to look behind you, you notice you have near identical banners. The only difference is that yours were white with yellow detail. Looking back at the prosecutor, you take a moment to read his appearance. He had a dark green coat with a white mane. He wore a three piece suit, and every piece was white. It must not be easy to find clothes that go with a green coat. The prosecutor stood at attention, full of confidence. You couldn't tell if he was mocking confidence so he could intimidate you, or if he truly felt that he would win this case before it begins.
It took a second for you to remember why you couldn’t spot a Juror’s Box. There was no Jury. The judge was the jury. Normally, this would upset you since one person could be easily swayed with enough emotional appeal. However, maybe it wouldn’t be all bad. After all, the judge was-
“The trial for Octavia Melody will now begin!” Celestia said as she brought her gavel down to her sounding block. Octavia, that was her name. You look over, next to the judge’s tower. There she was. She was in her own wooden “room”, only thing is that there were prison bars around and above her, like a cage. You recall Luna explaining that all accused were to stay in that cage. It stopped unicorns from using magic, pegasus from flying away, and earths from kicking in a pillar and bringing the room down. You can understand why they would take this precaution, but that doesn’t mean you were all for it.
“Defender, are you ready?” The judge asks.
“The defense is ready, your honor.” You say. You’ve said that line so many times before. Except this time, it was the real deal.
“Is the prosecution ready?”
“...”
“Prosecution?”
“What is the meaning of this?” The prosecutor says. His voice makes you do a double-take on his appearance. His voice was low and gritty. Looking again at his stance, his arms were folded and his eyes were closed. “Arrogant bastard.” You thought to yourself.
“Last I heard, the Defender failed to show up to the courthouse. I was not aware that his replacement would be the first thing that crept out of the Everfree Forest.”
“I am a human, not from this place. However, I assure you that I am fully capable of defending the accused.” You state.
“I do not care if you are capable of doing it. The accused has not requested that you defend her, and you do not have the permission to defend.”
“I have been granted right to defend by Princess Luna, and if the accused does not want me to defend her, she hasn’t spoken up about it.” As those words leave your lips, you look over to the accused. She is looking at her feet.
You notice the prosecutor grip his sleeve. You’re proud that you’re able to get to him
“The prosecution shall keep their personal comments to himself." Celestia stated nonchalantly. “I have been told beforehand about the appearance of this Defender, and as he has stated, the accused has not had any objections thus far.”
“Very well. Either way, this trial shall be over soon enough.” He opened his eyes and looked at you. His eyes were orange, and in contrast with his dark green coat, it almost looked like they were glowing.
“Prosecution, are you ready?” Celestia asked once again.
“The Prosecution is ready, Your Majesty.”
“Your opening statement, if you’d please.”
“Three weeks ago, The Canterlot Orchestra started auditions for their next season. Octavia Melody showed up in hopes of playing cello for the orchestra. She made it in, however, somepony who outperformed her got the first chair. For those of you who are unaware, First Chair means you are the better player. Since First Chair has a much higher pay than any other seat, Octavia Melody grew jealous, as any normal pony would.”
It was at this time you notice that he was not speaking to the judge, we was speaking to those sitting in the gallery.
“Last week was their first show. Just after it ended, everypony left; well, everypony except Octavia Melody and the first chair cello player. Octavia’s jealousy got the best of her, and she struck the fellow cello player in the back of the head with a blunt object, her cello case. This is said case.”
The prosecutor reached behind his desk and lifted a cello case. If you weren’t blind, you could clearly see that it has been dented at the body.
“A passing security guard found the dead body half an hour later. Eyewitnesses have stated that Octavia was the only one that stayed behind with him. Octavia Melody was arrested shortly after.”
“The Defense has a few questions, Your Honor.” You say as the prosecutor retreats behind his desk.
“Granted.” Celestia says.
“What is the name of this cello player?” The most obvious question.
“It’s in the autopsy report.” The prosecutor says, not directly looking at you.
“...and where is this autopsy report?” At least now he is looking at you, except it is a look that guarantees that you two will never be friends.
“Look under the desk.” He states, almost like a growl.
You look under your desk to find a folder. Pulling the contents out, the first thing you notice is the autopsy report.
Name- Long Bow
Age- 26
Cause of Death-Blunt force trauma to the back of the neck.
The other papers in the folder were the crime scene photos.
Looking at the first photo, you see the dead body on the floor, face down. Blood pooled around his head on the left side. Since the photo was taken above the body, looking down, you’re not able to see much other than the body. You can see the bulge from his wallet in the back pocket.
The second picture was the cello case as they found it. It was leaning against a wall.
“Where was the cello case found?” You speak up, staying focused on the photo.
“The cello case was found in Octavia’s closet in her bedroom.”
This is not looking good. You think to yourself as you look at the final picture.
In the last picture, it is a full view of the crime scene. For the most part, things look undisturbed, except for the body and police tape. Since there is not much to see, you quickly glance through the photo and set it back with the others.
“My next question, has the case been dusted for fingerprints?” You ask.
“What are you talking about?” The prosecutor asks.
“Fingerprints….” You say again, he probably didn’t hear you very clearly.
“Your Majesty, do you have any idea what it is talking about?”
“I do not. Can you please elaborate, Defender?”
“Fingerprints. When your fingers come into contact with an object, the grease leaves behind a unique print that is etched in your skin so tha-”
“We have fur over our fingers.” The prosecutor cuts you off.
Crap.
“Are you done?” The prosecutor asks.
“No further questions" You couldn’t think of anything else to ask him at the moment.
“Good. Guard, if you may please call the witnesses in.’
Witnesses?
As if to answer your own question, four ponies walked into the courtroom and stood behind a desk that was facing the Judge.
“Objection!” You state. “We can only hear the testimonies of each individual witness!”
“Objection., Your Majesty. We will be here all night if we were to do that.”
“Y-Yes, but to get a true verdict-..”
“This is the way it’s been done and it is the way it will continue to be done.”
“B-But-”
“Your Majesty, we do not have time for this. May we please continue with the trial?"
“Defender, I apologize, but he is right. This is how it works here in Equestria."
“V-Very well, Your Honor.”
Dammit, this is going to be hard.
“Witnesses, your names and occupations, please.”
Please State Your Name and Occupation
“My name is Hot Blend, I am the manager at the coffee shop.”
The pegasus mare had a yellow coat with an orange mane. She was still wearing her uniform. Black dress shoes, khaki pants, white collar shirt, and a green apron. You could swear that you remember seeing a similar uniform at a coffee shop from Earth, but you can’t think of the name. The mare was about average height, and had a very curvy figure. You’re not sure if it was on purpose, but her clothes seemed a little too tight for her.
“I am Gamma, I was dining at the shop at the time.”
This unicorn pony was a stallion. He was a head taller than everypony else behind the stand. Looking at his palm, you see the literal gamma character. Maybe he was a math professor? He was wearing a suit similar to the prosecutor. The all black went well with his white coat and light blue mane, which was cleanly combed back.
“I am Ruby, I was with Gamma at the time.”
An earth mare; she was the shortest of the four behind the stand. The first thing you notice is that she was wearing a ton of jewellery. She had diamonds in her hair, on her wrist, around her neck, and you’re sure the diamonds embedded in her red dress were real. Her red-purple hair was tied up in the back, and contrasted with her light blue coat. This mare was the definition of a Canterlot stereotype.
“Huh? Oh, yeah. My name’s Vinyl Scratch. I work with the tech stuff.”
This witness was going to be a problem, you could see that from a mile away. She wore purple sunglasses, which made reading her facial expressions nearly impossible. At least they were resting on the top of her horn. Also, her electric blue hair covered the left side of her face. She wore purple leggings with a white button down shirt. The sleeves have been ripped off the shirt, revealing a tattoo. Glancing down to her hand, you see her black quarter note cutie mark. Maybe by “tech stuff”, she meant the sound booth and speakers at the coffee shop. She also wore a short white skirt with….are those white combat boots?
“Witnesses, if you may please recite what you remember that night.” The prosecutor said.
Alright, this won’t be easy.
Hot Blend was the first to start speaking, ”I was taking an order for a customer, when I heard a loud thud from the employee’s lounge. I quickly ran back there to see if everypony was okay.”
Ruby was quick to follow after her, ”My husband and I also heard the loud thud, and ran back there with the coffee mare.”
“When I opened the door, I was in shock. I saw the body lying there.” Gamma recited, his tone as neutral as his introduction.
”You should have seen it, man… the body… just lying like that…” Vinyl had her head turned away when she said that. She was playing with her fingers.
“Thank you witnesses, you all did well.” The prosecutor flashed a confident smirk.
I can’t help the feeling that something is being left out…..
“The Defender may begin the cross examination.” Celestia said.
“Hot Blend, may I ask you about your testimony?” You ask the yellow mare.
“Is something the matter?” Hot Blend asked.
“You stated, ‘-to see if everypony was okay.’ What made you think someone was injured?”
“It was just what went through my mind.” The mare said, dismissively.
“Yes...but that doesn’t answer-”
“The mare answered your question.” The prosecution interrupted. “The mare was in shock from a loud noise, and simply wanted to see if everyone was okay. Would you not think the same?”
“I… I see.” You say.
“Please resume your cross examination.” Celestia says.
You direct your attention to the stallion.
“Mr. Gamma?” You ask.
“Yes, Defender?” He replies.
“I have a question about your statement.”
“I do not see how, I have stated everything I remember at the time.”
“N-Nevertheless, something is bothering me about your testimony…” You say, trying to get through his thick skull.
“Very well, what is your question?”
“You state you saw the body-”
“The same body the other three saw.” The stallion cut you off.
“-but.” You place your right hand on your side and flash a confident smile, if only for a second. “Did you see anypony else in the room?”
Gamma reflected for a few seconds, then replied with a simple no. You kept the look on your face for a few more seconds. Gamma picked up on what you were getting at, and visibly gasped. When he did that, you took your chance.
“So, you state you saw nopony else in the room. Which is odd since, in these floor plans, that room only has one exit! You should have seen Octavia!”
“Objection.” The prosecutor calmly says. Had he said it any softer, you would not have been able to hear it.
“The room has a hidden exit behind one of the bookshelves.” He continues.
“A-A…” You stammer out.
“-Hidden exit?” Celestia finishes.
“I can explain.” Hot Blend spoke up. “We often have local bands play in the coffee shop. Since they usually need to get out quickly, and there are a flood of ponies blocking the front door, we installed a back door so the members may slip out undetected.”
“And with Miss Melody being a musician herself, she has knowledge of this hidden door. She could have easily slipped out after doing the deed.” The prosecutor finished, he is sporting a very familiar confident smirk.
DAMMIT! I was so close!
“Don’t you see, stallion?” The prosecutor started. “We have a motive, a time window, and an escape. Nopony else was in that room., thus nopony else could have done it.”
“The cross-examination isn’t over yet.” You say.
You look over to the white mare with the blue hair. It looks like she is actively trying to avoid your gaze, or she is deep in thought about something.
“Miss Scratch, is everything okay?’
Vinyl didn’t answer. You slam your hand on the desk to get her attention.
“Miss Scratch!” You shout. At least you got her attention. She visibly jumped.
“Don’t shout at me, man. That’s not cool…” She trailed off, looking down to the side.
“May I ask you about what you have said?” You try to be more polite. It was understandable why Vinyl was acting that way. A young mare like her should never have to see a dead body.
“Y-Yea. Sure..”
“When you say you found the body ‘like that’, what exactly do you mean?”
“Objection, Your Majesty, we already know how they found the body.” The prosecutor interrupts.
“Objection. The body may have been moved since the guard showed up.” You rebuttal.
“Mrs. Scratch, if you may please recall how you found the body.” Celestia said.
“He… He was lying on his back.”
“OBJECTION!”
“Human, please refrain from screaming in court.” The prosecutor said.
“Sorry, nerves got to me.” You say.
“Miss Scratch, are you absolutely positive you found the body lying in his back?” You say, placing your hands on your desk and leaning on them.
“... Yeah...” You were concerned if Vinyl was about to pass out in court.
“Your Honor, if you may please look at the photo of the crime scene, you can clearly see that the victim is lying face down!”
“Objection. The witness is shocked from the event. You can clearly see her nervous actions.”
Looking back at Vinyl, you do notice that she is rubbing her arm. She’s also retreated behind her purple glasses.
“May I speak, Defender?” The light blue mare with the jewelry spoke up.
“Something on your mind, Miss Ruby?” You ask, curious as to what she has to say.
“Even though we were all shocked, I can say without a doubt that the body was moved.”
“WHAT?!” The prosecutor jumped back, putting his arms in front of him as if he was about to be punched.
“Miss Ruby, how do you know the body was moved?!” You press on, emphasising your words by slamming your hands on your desk.
“You see, I was the one that moved him.”
“WWWWHHHHAAAAATTTTTT?!” It was your turn to freak out. Her statement caused an uproar in the gallery. Celestia brought down her gavel on the sounding block. It hit to hard that you could swear you felt the room shake. She struck the block two more times.
“Order!” She shouted. It took a few seconds, but the public in the gallery eventually quieted down.
“Witnesses, you will testify on how the body was moved!” The prosecutor shouted.
Gamma was the first to speak up. “Looking back, I do seem to recall that the stallion was lying on his back.”
Ruby quickly picked up, “After seeing what state he was in, I flipped him onto his stomach.”
Vinyl didn’t say anything.
Hot blend broke the awkward silence. “I told Ruby to stay with the body while me and Gamma went to fetch the guard.”
“Was everybody accounted for?” You spoke up immediately after.
“I believe so.” Gamma said, deep in thought.
“Defender, you may begin the cross examination.” Celestia said.
The best place to start would be with Vinyl.
“Miss Scratch?” You ask.
“Y-Yes?” She says. At least she answered you this time.
“What do you remember? You ask her.
Vinyl turned her head away. You didn’t want to do it again, but there was no other choice. You slam your hand on your desk. “Miss Scratch!” You shout.
“Stop yelling at me!” She shouts back. Her reaction makes you flinch.
“Miss Scratch, please, your cooperation will really help us.” You say, trying to calm her down.
“F-Fine. Fine.” She took in a deep breath. “I set my soundboard on the couch and helped Ruby examine the body.”
“Ruby, can you confirm this?” You ask the light blue mare.”
“Yes, I do recall seeing the unicorn set something heavy down and helping me.”
“Thank you.”
“Waste of time.” The prosecutor says just loud enough for you to hear.
“Mrs. Ruby. I have a question for you.” You notice Vinyl’s head drift down again.
“Yes, what is it?”
“Why exactly did you flip the body on its stomach.” You ask.
“Well, you see, Long Bow has a condition…” Ruby trails off.
“W-what condition?” You have a bad feeling about the answer.
“He is prone to seizures.”
“Is that so?” You say, putting a hand to your mouth in thought.
…
…
…
“Hang on.” You say, your eyes darting at random spots on your desk as you connect the dots.
“What is it?” The prosecutor asks, not that he cared.
“If the victim was prone to seizures, and you flipped him on his stomach….” You look from your desk to Ruby, your eyes were wide.
“Spit it out.” The prosecutor says, getting impatient with you.
“The victim was alive when Ruby found him!” You state.
“W-Why yes. D-Didn’t I mention t-that?” She stammers, aggressively rubbing her diamond ring.
The public was in an uproar. While Celestia tried to regain order, you looked over to the prosecutor. He ran his hand through his mane, his eyes focused on his desk. He looked lost. To be honest, you were too. You weren’t sure how long you were staring at him, but he eventually looked up and met your gaze.
“I-I believe this calls for a recess.” The prosecutor stammered out.
“I agree.” Celestia said. “The court shall take a 10 minute recess. The Defender shall meet with the accused and the prosecutor shall prepare the witnesses for their next testimony.
“Yes, Your Honor.” Finally, a chance to speak with Miss Melody.
Celestia slammed her gavel.
-X-X-X-X-X-
“Miss Melody?” You ask. The grey earth mare in front of you didn’t look you in the eye. You didn’t have time for this. You’ve already wasted two minutes finding a spot where you two could speak in private. It was an office. The office has not been used in years. The only objects in the room was a standard metal desk, and a file cabinet. Both were covered in dust and spider webs. There was a guard stationed outside of the room.
“Please, Miss Melody. I need to find out some information from you.” You finally managed to get her to look at you. You could see genuine fear in her eyes.
“I-If…” She stammered out.
“Yes? What is it?” You don’t care what it is, you just want her to say something at this point.
“I-If I tell you what happened, you must return the favour to me….” She said. You notice her right hand running up and down her left arm.
“Very well. I accept.” You state.
“Were you in the room with Long Bow?” You had no time to waste.
“Yes.”
Good. It seems like she doesn’t intend on lying to me.
“What happened?” You press on.
“He stated that I played the wrong note during a performance. We had a slight….altercation….ultimately, I did hit him ... with my cello case. After that, I was in shock, so I ran out the back door before anypony else got there.”
Thankfully, she’s being charged for murder, not assault. If what she says is true, and if what the witnesses say are true, Octavia is innocent, as far as murder goes.
“Will you be willing to say this at the witness stand?” You ask.
“About that, I feel it is time for you to hear my favour.” Octavia’s entire body shifted. She wasn’t the nervous mare she was a second ago. She stood tall, her hands at her sides. Her head was slightly tilted downward, but her gaze still met yours.
“What is this favor?” Surely, it couldn’t be anything unreasonable.
“Drop the case.” She says.
“W-What?”
“Drop. The. Case.” She states once again.
“Why?! Octavia, you’re innocent. We can prove tha-”
“You’re in danger.” She interrupts you.
“Danger? I don’t understand..”
“Somepony wants me to go away for a long time. “She crosses her arms and looks away from you. “If you interfere with their plans...you will meet the same fate that Long Bow did.”
“Octavia, who is it?” You place your hands on her shoulder, an action you quickly take back.
“I cannot say.” You see a tear roll down her face.
“Octavia….”
“Time is up, Defender!” The guard shouts as he enters the room to take Octavia away. As he pulls her away by the arm, she looks back to you.
“Drop the case, Defender! I can’t handle anypony else getting hurt because of me!”
You were frozen in shock. You wanted to chase after her, beg for a few more minutes. You are sure Celestia would understand if ponies’ lives were in danger.
"Defender!" The guard shouted. It was enough to snap you from whatever you were thinking about.
"Y-Yes. On my way." You reply. The guard salutes and walks back to the courtroom.
Okay. I can do this. I just need to keep searching until the truth comes out.
