Chapters The doors to Princess Twilight Sparkle's crystal castle opened to receive two ponies, plus one young dragon who was hovering alongside them.
"Soooo. . ." the unicorn said rather awkwardly, "I guess this is a time of new beginnings, isn't it?"
As she closed the doors behind the group with her magic, Twilight turned to the nervously smiling mare walking alongside her and said encouragingly, "Starlight, if I can handle becoming the new ruler of Equestria, then I know for a fact that you will wear the title of Headmare of the School of Friendship just perfectly."
Spike grinned and said, "Yeah, and it only took Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow almost taking over the world to get you to be this confident."
"Spiiiiiike," Twilight said she raised an eyebrow at the dragon.
"I'm just sayin', maybe Discord wasn't entirely wrong," Spike said with a shrug.
"Spike!" Twilight said a bit harsher.
Starlight couldn't keep herself from laughing, and she said, "Spike. Never change. Seriously. We both need those remarks of yours."
Twilight sighed, and a small smile slipped back onto her face as she admitted, "Yes. I suppose we do."
"Anyway," Starlight said as Spike just grinned smugly, "Now that all of Equestria's greatest enemies are dealt with, I'd say we should be in store for some busy, but peaceful lives."
Twilight opened the door to the Cutie Map Room and said with a wry chuckle, "Well, maybe for a few years or so, knowing my track record."
"Uh, speaking of that record, I think it just got broken! Look!" Spike suddenly said in alarm as he pointed into the room.
The ponies turned, and much to their surprise, they saw a pony reclining in Fluttershy's throne. The unexpected pony was instantly recognizable as Applejack, yet there was so much about her that was just simply off. She had her hindlegs resting on top of the Cutie Map, and a very unsettling, smugly satisfied smirk on her face. In addition, she was not wearing her stetson hat. Instead, on her head was a covering with a brown and gray camo pattern on it, with a section of hair-netting to contain her long mane. Her tail was also contained in hair-netting, and most of the rest of her body was covering up in a brownish uniform, with a section of more camo fabric covering her flanks.
'Applejack' locked eyes with the unicorn and said in uncomfortably cheerful voice, "Welcome home, Starlight!"
"Applejack? What's going on?" Starlight asked in confusion.
Twilight stared at the orange mare sitting before her, shock and disbelief on her face as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing. "But. . .this is impossible. . . It can't be. . ."
'Applejack' just nodded, still smiling as she said, "It sure as cider can be, your Majesty. And Ah gotta say, it sure is swell that you didn't totally forget about me." She sighed and said casually, "Ah mean, Ah never forgot about you, and Ah've been really busy running the apple factory, since ya'll abandoned me."
Twilight's eyes widened, and she quickly replied, "No, no, no! I didn't! I fixed everything! Really! I don't understand how you're even here right now! How did you even get here?"
More confused than ever, Starlight tore her gaze off of 'Applejack' and turned to Twilight. "What's going on, Twilight?! Who is she? Some kind of impostor or clone?"
'Applejack's' smile fell completely flat, and she moved her hindlegs off of the table and sat up straight on Fluttershy's throne. "Well, ain't this an ironic buck in the head," she said, "That you of all ponies wouldn't know who Ah am." She the shrugged and said, "But that's probably a good thing, if Ah'm honest. Bruised apples into applesauce an all that. 'Cause now, Ah can tell ya the ugly truth myself, before your Princess friends can dip it in honey." The mare's smile briefly returned as she said coldly, "Ya ain't gettin' any sugar, but your medicine's still gonna go right down your throat."
A strange chill ran down Starlight's spine at, and she found herself taking a step back. Twilight took a step to the side so that she stood in between Starlight and 'Applejack.' Spike landed next to Twilight and kept his eyes trained on 'Applejack' as well.
The orange mare shook her head in amusement, and she said, "Amazin' how they're actually protectin' you of all ponies. Well. . . listen carefully, Starlight Glimmer, and let me tell ya a story about another world. . ." 'Applejack' got up from the throne and started to slowly walking around the Cutie Map as she continued, "A world were ponies were locked in a never-ending war against an evil king that just. . . wouldn't. . . die. . .So, in his shadow, we adapted, and settled for less."
She hung her head in resignation and said, "We accepted the war. . . the rationing, the factories, the machines, the shortages. . .We gave up all of our luxuries, everything that made life worth living. We just accepted it all. . . so much so that we just. . .stopped being angry. . . or hopeful. . . or having even hopes and dreams at all. . ."
The mare slowly slowly lifted her head up, her teeth clenched and grinding with pure fury as she practically snarled out, "And the whole dang time, it was all the fault of a heartless, psychotic unicorn that had doomed us all to that miserable half-existence! "
'Applejack' cried out in anguish as she began repeatedly bucking the Cutie Map with all her might, grunting and snorting like a raging bull.
"Applejack! Stop!" Twilight shouted out with a forehoof outstretched to the orange mare. Whether it was concern for the Cutie Map or concern for this alternate version of her friend, she couldn't be sure which was more prominent. Twilight was struggling to feel any kinship to the mare in front her. quite frankly, Twilight was terrified of 'Applejack' at the moment. More so when 'Applejack' stopped bucking and glared at her with hate filled eyes. Twilight found herself pulling her forehoof back in and taking a step back, and Spike moved in closer to her, both for his own protection and to protect her. Starlight, meanwhile, was petrified as she gazed at 'Applejack' with a thousand yard stare, her mind slowly piecing together what was being implied.
'Applejack' fought to catch her breath, and then slammed a hoof down onto the crystalline floor, cracking it as she shouted, "Ah watched mah beautiful farm and mah family's hoof-made recipes get turned into a canned apple factory! Ah had to slave in a dirty, dingy factory under a smog filled sky for far too long, your Majesty!" She then narrowed her eyes at Twilight and said, "But then, you showed up. You gave me hope. You said things weren't supposed to be that way. You said you were gonna set things right. But did ya deliver on that promise? NO! That magical table map disappeared not long after you left, and Ah didn't know what to do."
'Applejack's' body seemed to sag with exhaustion as she continued, "It tore me up something fierce. Ah just had to do something with what you told me. So, Ah pretty much grasped at straws and sent a letter to Princess Celestia, telling her everything you told me, and about you and that table. Days went by, then weeks, then months . Ah didn't expect anypony to believe me or take me seriously. Why should they? Who the hay am Ah, anyway?! That little bit of hope you gave me was fading away, and it hurt worse than anything you could ever imagine."
The broken mare the slowly lifted her head up, a new light shining in her eyes as she said, "But then. . .one day, while Ah was stewing in mah own sorrow, Princess Celestia paid me a visit.”
Spike swallowed the lump in his throat and said, "So, she did believe you."
"She gave me some. . .pretty interesting news," 'Applejack' said as she took a few steps forward, a smile slowly returning to her face, "Secret behind the scenes stuff. Stuff not many ponies even knew about. She gave me hope. Real hope. And a plan too. And also an offer. . . for me to get anything Ah wanted. Anything at all."
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then let it out and said, "Well, as it turned out, after hearing everything Princess Celestia had to say, and learning the truth about why mah world had to suffer, there was only one thing Ah truly wanted at the time."
She then opened her eyes, and with a look of pure, excited glee on her face, she pointed her right forehoof directly at Starlight and shouted, "Starlight Glimmer! Yer under ahrrest for crimes against equinity!"
At that very instant, three portals suddenly burst open above Starlight, Twilight, and Spike; and three familiar ponies came out of them.
Starlight was struck in the face by a metallic wing, disorienting her before she could even think about using her magic. She then felt a tough set of hooves force something down around her horn, after which she felt her ability to use her magic instantly blink out. Strong hooves pinned her down on the floor, rendering her completely immobile and helpless. From her uncomfortable position, Starlight could see Twilight and Spike also being pinned down to the floor. She could spot a small black ring around Twilight's horn, and she assumed that she was wearing a similar one as well. However, what really caught her attention were the ponies that were holding her friends down.
"Maud. . . Pinkie?" Starlight gasped out as she stared at the two uniformed earth ponies.
The sisters didn't even acknowledge Starlight, but the pegasus that was holding her down suddenly slammed her face down hard into the floor.
"Quiet, prisoner!" came the harsh let unmistakably familiar voice.
"Rainbow. . ." Starlight whispered as she slowly lifted her head back up a bit.
"I said QUIET!" the pegasus roared in Starlight's ears, "I lost one of my wings because of you! So now you're going to PAY!"
'Applejack' walked over to group, nodding to the three soldiers. "Nice job, fellas," she said, sounding honestly impressed, then she looked down at Twilight and said, "Yer dragon friend can get that disabling ring off your horn after we leave. Keep it as a souvenir."
"Easy on the wings, please!" Spike shouted out as the stoic, grey Pie Sister pressed down on his newest appendages.
"Applejack, please! Take me with you!" Twilight pleaded as she struggled underneath Pinkamena's hooves, "Please! This is all a big misunderstanding! It doesn't have to be this way! Starlight and I can help you! We don't have to be enemies!"
'Applejack' shrugged and said, "From what Princess Celestia told me, you probably will end up following us over before long. But right now, all we want is Starlight." 'Applejack's' gleeful smile returned as she turned to the unicorn and said, "Speaking of her. . ."
Starlight's eyes went wide as the smiling mare slowly approached her. She gazed up into the earth pony's eyes, and in that moment, Starlight could see it all. Heartbreak, loss, frustration, anger, anguish, hopelessness, despair, range. . . . vengeance.
And then, towering over the captured unicorn, and after sharing a quick chuckle with the rainbow maned pegasus with the metal left wing, 'Applejack' spat in Starlight Glimmer's face.
Right on cue, a larger portal opened up above the group. Starlight felt the hooves that were pinning her down transition to holding her around her barrel as tightly as possible. Twilight and Spike were both punted across the room by their captors as the portal pulled in the other five ponies. The portal disappeared with a flash, leaving the Alicorn and dragon alone in the room.
Starlight Glimmer was amazed at how fast it had all gone down. Immediately after coming through the portal, she had been marched right into a dungeon cell, chained to the wall, and left there without a word. She simply hung there, her mind reeling as she slowly began to make sense of what was happening to her, and how she had gotten to this point.
"What you're doing goes way beyond cutie marks! Everything we do here in the past – even the smallest change – can snowball into an avalanche of trouble for the future!"
"Oh, next I suppose you'll tell me that 'the fate of all of Equestria hangs in the balance'!"
"It does!"
"Spare me your overblown ego! No group of friends, not even Princess Twilight's, is that important!"
The clanking of the lock on the cell door interrupted Starlight's quiet reflection, and silent tears, and she lifted her head up to see the door swing open.
She then watched herself walk in.
This world's 'Starlight Glimmer' had only two notable differences. For one thing, her mane was cut much shorter, styled as a pair of bangs on either side of her horn. Secondly, she wore a red sash, which had a round golden emblem depicted a horseshoe over a clock face.
'Starlight' paused to look the prisoner over from tail to horn. She noticed the tears streaking down the prisoner's face, and she tut-tuted to herself softly and said, "Typical, typical. Crying because she got caught."
The prisoner felt as thought she'd been struck when she heard this. Taking a second to gather herself together, she began, "I truly am-."
"QUIET!" 'Starlight' snarled nastily at the prisoner.
The prisoner was very much aware of the chains that bound her body and the ring that bound her magic, so she obeyed her alternate self's command.
'Starlight' composed herself after her outburst, then she began to speak in calm, meticulously measured tone of voice that the prisoner recognized from the days of running the Equality Village. The only difference was that 'Starlight' wasn't smiling.
"Now, I am supposed to interrogate you, but that seems pointless, as we already know all about you thanks to our Time Window Spell. So, I say forget the interrogation, and you can just hang there while I talk at you. Okay? Good. Now, you are probably wondering how we managed to come after you, let alone discover that everything was your fault. Well, it is quite the long story, so let us start with one of the key players in your downfall." She then pointed to herself and continued, "Me. Like you, I had my little Equality Cult out in the middle of nowhere. But when the threat of King Sombra reached a level that required the efforts of all of Equestria, the Royal Guard ended up searching all four corners of the land looking for ponies to aid in the war effort. Eventually, they found my village, and they were disgusted by what I was doing."
'Starlight' began to grow nervous and anxious, and rather than continuing to look the prisoner in the eye, she began pacing back and front in front of her, staring at the ground as she related her tale.
"They started asking questions, snooping, investigating. Apparently, with the dangerous threat of King Sombra outside of Equestria, Princess Celestia couldn't afford to have any dangerous threats within it. I was detained, exposed as a liar, and arrested for malicious misuse of magic and physiological torture."
'Starlight' stopped pacing, and she finally smiled as she said to the prisoner while staring at the wall, "Would you believe that getting arrested was the best thing that ever happened to me?"
"Did you-?"
'Starlight' whirled around and screamed at the prisoner, "I said QUIET! You don't get to speak unless I say you can! "
The prisoner stared back with wide eyes, frightened by the possibility that this 'Starlight' that she was currently at the mercy of wasn't entirely sane.
"You're scared. Good," 'Starlight' said bitterly, "You should be scared. It's the least you deserve after you destroyed so many lives."
'Starlight' just stared at the prisoner in silence for a moment, waiting for her words to sink in. Then, she huffed and said, "As I was saying, while I was in prison, I was given therapy. Lots of it. I didn't know it at the time, but Princess Celestia was impressed by my Cutie Mark Removal spell, and realized that I had incredible magical talent. She wanted to reform me so I could join the war effort. The war against King Sombra was going badly, so it makes sense that she'd want to use any available resource to finally defeat him. Anyway, it wasn't long before I finally gave in an spilled my whole life story to a particularly good therapist. Next thing I new, Sunburst was coming to visit me every week."
'Starlight' paused a moment, and she closed her eyes and said, "I had fallen so far. . . I manipulated other ponies and treated them like my personal possessions. . . all because I couldn't get over one pony. He could've seen me as a freak, or a psychotic monster. . .but he didn't. He still cared about me. He regretted having to leave me. He even started sharing his own insecurities over his lack of magical power. He told me, 'Starlight, you are not a monster. You're just hurt and broken, but that's okay, because you can be fixed. I'll make sure of it.' "
'Starlight' opened her eyes and hardened her gaze, "Okay, enough of that. Anyway, when Princess Celestia got Applejack's letter about that mysterious Alicorn and dragon, she secretly took a team of unicorns to Applejack's farm factory, and they spent a night searching and scanning for evidence, and they found it. Alicorn magic, time magic, magic from the long dead Tree of Harmony. It was all there. And so, a new task force was put together."
'Starlight' tapped the golden emblem on her sash with her left forehoof and said, "The Time Turners . A group of intelligent and powerful ponies with one goal: find the pony who used time travel and allowed Sombra to get the upper hand over Equestria, and undo that damage if possible. Ponies were gathered together from all over for this group. Myself, Sunburst, EEA Chancellor and portal magic pioneer Neighsay, a genius earth pony named Time Turner, the name thing was just a coincidence, this world's Twilight Sparkle, another student from Celestia's School of Gifted Unicorns named Moondancer, Celestia even sent us through a mirror portal into a world filled with creatures called humans to retrieve one of her ex-students named Sunset Shimmer. The seven of us worked tirelessly, pouring over Starswirl the Bearded's notes on time travel in order to find a way to achieve our goal. Time travel is obviously no easy feat, but where there is a will, there is a way, and with countless ponies suffering and dying because of this war every single day, there most certainly was a will."
'Starlight' nodded and said, "And so, we had our first breakthrough. Not a portal through time, but a one-way window in time. We couldn't travel through, or change anything, but we could observe, and learn. And learn we did."
'Starlight' suddenly used her magic to fly right in the face of her chained up counterpart. "YOU!" she shouted, spraying the prisoner's face with spittle, "YOU are the one responsible for this! And for what!? Because Princess Twilight put an end to your cult!? Did you really think she was the one to blame, when your own cultists couldn't stand you and were just waiting for an excuse to escape you! Don't deny it, because up to that point, we were the same, so I know what I'm saying is true!"
SMACK!
The prisoner's head was knocked to one side by 'Starlight's' right hoof, and the enrage unicorn continued, "Why time travel? Why? You didn't need to go that far to make her miserable. You didn't have to destroy the world just to get revenge on one pony, or even a group of six ponies! Are you seriously that incompetent and blind! How were you not aware of the Elements of Harmony? What did you think would happen to Equestria if you disabled its greatest defensive weapon! WHAT KIND OF AN IDIOT ARE YOU!?"
The prisoner's eyes were wide and filled with tears, yet she didn't look away form 'Starlight's' rage filled eyes. She simply couldn't, not now.
'Starlight' ended her levitation spell and landed back on the dungeon floor. "After I saw what you did. . .I tried to take my own life," she said bitterly, "Thankfully Sunburst was there to stop me, and he helped snap me out of it. He helped me realize two things: That you and I are not the same pony, and that the right thing to do would be to fix the damage you caused, as well as make you pay for it."
'Starlight' nodded slowly and said, "So. . .The Time Turners worked in double time, and we were able to crack the inner workings of branching parallel timelines, which led to a spell that would allow us to jump between timelines. A few tests later, and we were finally able to bring you to justice, as well as do Applejack a favor for her role in your capture."
'Starlight's' eyes looked up at the prisoner, loathing and disgust evident with them. "You have no idea how it feels. . . to know that you will always be connected to somepony that caused so much death and destruction in the world. You have blood on your hooves, and it will never wash out. And soon, very soon, the ponies of Equestria are going to put you down like the mad dog you are."
'Starlight' stood staring at her counterpart, breathing heavily as she studied the prisoner's facial features. There was pain, guilt, and shame; all as clear as day, and it was infuriating for reasons she couldn't pin point. "You may speak now," she said, legitimately curious about what the prisoner had to say.
"Just one question," Starlight Glimmer said, her voice very small and near breathless, "Don't you see. . .that I never wanted all of that to happen to the world?"
"Oh, I know," 'Starlight' said testily, her expression more annoyed than angry, "I know that you only wanted to destroy the lives six ponies, but it doesn't matter what your intentions were. All that matters is what you did. You put us at war with King Sombra, you forced everypony to live in constant fear and want, and you caused countless ponies to either suffer or die. That's all that matters."
'Starlight' then turned, unlocked and opened the cell door with her magic, and swiftly exited the room, closing and locking the door behind her.
Author's Note
Before we go any further, I need to clear up a few things I've seen in the comments.
Another annoying thing is that people are saying that this world can't be Starlight's fault. . .because it still exists? I think I understand the confusion. This is NOT Rick and Morty . I am NOT using the Multiverse Hypothesis (That there are infinite universes independent from each other). I am actually using a variation of the Many-worlds Interpretation, where there is ONE universe with ONE beginning that branches out every time time travel is used to change it. Starlight paralyzed filly Rainbow Dash, so she created the Crystal War Timeline. This timeline DEPENDS on Starlight Glimmer to exist. Without this inciting incident, it doesn't happen. This will come up again later on in the story, where it will be explained in more detail and an easier to understand way.
The Trial
Starlight Glimmer was escorted into the courtroom's antechamber by the Pie Sisters. Seeing Pinkamena's cheerless expression was unnerving for obvious reasons, but even Maud's stoic expression was somehow different than the one Starlight had become so familiar with. So, Starlight didn't even bother speaking to them, considering that the two battle hardened earth ponies had been forced to leave their home and fight in a war that she had created.
However, all of this was essentially blown out of Starlight's mind when she saw Princess Celestia standing before her in the small antechamber. The prisoner was only partly aware of Chancellor Neighsay standing next to the Alicorn princess, as Celestia had a cold, hard stare fixed right onto her.
"Starlight Glimmer of the Origin Timeline," Celestia said authoritatively, "I trust you understand why you are here?"
Unable to find her voice, the wide eyed Starlight merely stared up at the Princess of the Sun and nodded.
Celestia gave a curt nod back in return and said, "Very well. In a few moments, you will be put on trial for crimes against equinity. The sheer amount of pain, suffering, and death caused by your actions is. . .unspeakable." Celestia's eyes narrowed as she bore down over the unicorn, "There have been countless battles against Sombra's forces. I've seen my little ponies carelessly slain, or dragged off to be enslave by him . This once beautiful land is either converted by Sombra or stripped of its resources in order to fight him. The battles constantly end in stalemates or loses! Holding him back is the best we can do! I must constantly watch my precious ponies-!"
Chancellor Neighsay cleared his throat loudly.
Celestia shut her eyes tightly and stepped away from Starlight, who was still standing but breathing heavily. Celestia opened her eyes and cleared her throat before continuing, "All ponies. . .all creatures deserve a fair trial, and you will receive one. I will oversee the proceeding, while your fate will be decided by a jury selected to represent all of Equestria. Soldiers who have seen active duty, volunteers who have given their time and energy to the war effort, civilians whose lives have been changed by this war, refugees who have lost their homes, business owners who have had to make radical changes in order to survive in this new normal, and so forth. They do not know of the investigation, the activities of the Time Turners , or exactly how you were able to cause this war. All of that will be revealed during the trial, so no bias or preconceived notions will taint the justice here. Chancellor Neighsay will act as prosecutor in this case. As for the defense, I must say that we are showing you quite a bit of generosity. You may call upon any pony from your timeline to act as your defense attorney. We will make use of our Time Portal Spell to retrieve them. The same will apply to any witnesses you or your defense attorney wishes to take the stand. Understood?"
Starlight nodded again, her initial fear now turned to tepid resignation to the situation she was in.
"Do you know who you would like to call upon as your defense?" Celestia asked.
"Princess Twilight," Starlight said without hesitation.
Celestia's banged her gavel three times and announced to the courtroom, "The trial of Equestria v. Starlight Glimmer is now in session."
Starlight sat next to Twilight, and there was a clear difference between the two mares. Twilight had a look of determination and carried herself in a professional manner, while Starlight was the very definition of downtrodden. She cast a quick glance at Celestia, who was solemn, with a strangely tired look in her eyes. Then she looked at Chancellor Neighsay, who stood like a stallion on a mission. No that her attention wasn't solely focused on Celestia, Starlight noticed that this Neighsay looked more or less identical to the once she was familiar with. He still wore the same regalia, except now he wore two medallions, one of the EEA and another for the Time Turners.
When Neighsay turned to glare at her, Starlight cowered in her seat and whispered to Twilight, "I can't do this. I can't do this. Just let me plead guilty-."
"No," Twilight whispered back strongly, "Just be calm, and let me sort this out for you. I have a backup plan all set. If I can't exonerate you, I can still fix it so everypony will be happy. Trust me."
"How does the defendant plead?" Celestia asked.
"Not guilty," Twilight responded immediately.
"Really!?" Neighsay remarked in disgust.
There was some chattering from the jury, which was silenced by Celestia's gavel.
"Prosecutor, please remain professional," Celestia said sternly.
Neighsay bowed and said, "My apologies, your Majesty."
Celestia nodded, and she said, "Prosecutor, you may proceed."
"Thank you, your Majesty," Neighsay said, and he got up and stood before the jury. He hardened his gaze as he channeled all his emotions into a passionate manner of speech, "Mares and stallions. . . for too long we've had so many aspects of your lives ruined by this terrible war against King Sombra. We've all given up so much, and some ponies have even lost their very lives. The little things that brought us so much joy, things we had taken for granted, and now all gone! Sacrificed in the name of the war effort. And the fact of the matter is, that all of this suffering, all of this pain, the loss of homes, livelihoods, and lives, is the fault of the mare than stands on trial this very moment!"
Twilight stood up and said loudly, "I object! The prosecution is trying to create an emotional response without showing any evidence that my client even is responsible for the things he is saying!"
Celestia nodded and said, "Objection sustained. Prosecutor, please get to the facts."
Neighsay nodded, and he continued, "Several months ago, the Crown had learned that time travel magic had been used by an unknown party, and that said time travel was connected King Sombra's rise to power and the subsequent war. A special task force of gifted individuals was put together, and after countless hours of hard work, a spell was created that could look into the past, and even into branching time lines. By tracking the magical signature of the traces of the aforementioned time travel magic found, we were able to observe the inciting incident which changed our world for the worst."
Neighsay's horn glowed, and a large magical window appeared in the room. The window showed Starlight Glimmer coming out of a time portal in Cloudsdale, and then secretly casting a spell on the filly Rainbow Dash to hold her in place.
"Now, as you are all very intelligent ponies, you may wonder what this small change has to do with King Sombra," Neighsay said, "Well, after some more research into the time line from which Starlight Glimmer is from, we found the answer."
Neighsay's horn flashed again, and the window changed to show Twilight Sparkle standing in a lecture hall with images being projected onto a large screen behind her.
The Twilight in the image explained, "I can speak from my own experience that the power of Cutie Mark Magic is very real, and in the instance of my friends and I, it can be traced to a single event! Without Rainbow Dash's race to defend Fluttershy's honor, this rainboom wouldn't have happened. Fluttershy might never have discovered her love of animals. Applejack might never have realized that she belonged on her farm. And Pinkie Pie might never have decided to leave hers. It might be hard to imagine Rarity without her sense of fabulousness. But it's even harder to fathom what my life would be like. Without this rainboom, I might not have gotten into magic school. Celestia wouldn't have taken me on as her pupil or sent me to Ponyville to meet my friends. And the most powerful thing about Cutie Mark Magic that I found is the connection I share with them."
The image then panned over to reveal Starlight Glimmer sitting in the audience, smirking.
Neighsay cleared his throat and said, "Twilight Sparkle, along with the five ponies she spoke of, were bearers of six powerful artifacts known as the Elements of Harmony. These artifacts would've possessed sufficient power to defeat King Sombra. However, Starlight Glimmer's used time travel to deliberately prevent these six ponies from connecting. Therefore, the Elements of Harmony were never acquired by their bearers. Without this powerful defensive weapon, Equestria was defenseless against King Sombra. Therefore, the blame for King Sombra's advance and the destruction of so many lives falls upon the head of Starlight Glimmer."
The window vanished, and the ponies in the jury all appeared quite shocked by this revelation. Twilight, however, appeared quite confident. She leaned over to Starlight and said, "Okay, I know just what to do here. It'll be fine."
"Defense, you may call your first witness," Celestia said.
Twilight nodded, and she stood up and said, "I call Spike the dragon to the stand!"
Nearby stood a version of Sunset Shimmer, who opened a portal next to her and stepped through. It closed behind her, and another one opened a few moments later. Sunset returned with Spike next to her, and she guided him to the witness stand as she closed the portal behind her.
Once Spike was seated, Celestia said, "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"
"Yeah. I do," Spike said as he nodded his head.
"You may proceed," Celestia said to Twilight.
"Thank you," Twilight said politely, and she approached Spike and said, "Spike the dragon, were you present when King Sombra was defeated in our timeline? . . . Which appears to have been dubbed the Origin Timeline, huh, interesting. . ."
"Well, yeah, I sure was," Spike replied.
Twilight snapped out of her musing and nodded, "Ahem. Yes, good. Now then, what was used to defeat King Sombra when he had first returned along with the Crystal Empire?"
"The Crystal Heart."
Twilight raised an eyebrow, as if surprised to hear this, and continued, "Not the Elements of Harmony?"
Spike grinned and said, "Nope. It was the Crystal Heart."
The jury started to chatter in response to this fact, which put a smile on Twilight's face.
"Alright then. So, who used the Crystal Heart to defeat Sombra?"
Spike folded his arms and answered, "Princess Cadence."
"Not one of the Element Bearers?"
"Nope!" Spike said with a shrug.
"I OBJECT!" Neighsay roared in rage, and he pointed an accusing hoof at Spike and shouted, "This dragon is lying by omission!"
"Sustained," Celestia said calmly, "Prosecutor, you may cross-examine the witness."
Neighsay sneered at Spike and said to the room at large, "Technically, I needn't bother asking any questions. Using the Time Window Spell, we studied King Sombra's defeat in the Origin Timeline very carefully. I could simply use it again to show the jury what truly transpired. . .but, perhaps a cross-examination would do more to help defame the characters of those who would dare defend Starlight Glimmer!"
"Hey!" Spike said angrily.
"Spike the dragon, who found the Crystal Heart?" Neighsay asked.
"Well. . ." Spike said as he twiddled his thumbs, "Twilight did, but-."
"Why was Twilight Sparkle at the Crystal Empire?" Neighsay asked, although it sounded more like a demand.
"Celestia sent her there as a test, but-," Spike began nervously.
"Who delivered the Crystal Heart to Princess Cadence?"
"Oh, um, that was me!" Spike answered quickly.
"Is it true that you were hatched by a magical surge from Twilight Sparkle?" Neighsay asked in a slightly calmer tone of voice.
Spike blinked, looking a bit confused by the change of pace, and he said, "Huh? Oh, yeah, I was. But what does-?"
"Was that magical surge caused by Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainboom?"
Spike's eyes widened, and he gulped and answered, ". . . Yes."
"Therefore, did Starlight, or did Starlight not, remove two of the key players in King Sombra's defeat from the equation by preventing the Sonic Rainboom by preventing your own birth and removing any possible reason for Celestia to give Twilight Sparkle any test of any kind?"
"Twilight, we're losing!" Spike shouted out in a panic.
"Objection!" Twilight cried out, "Why did the prosecution begin the proceedings by claiming that the Elements of Harmony were what defeated Sombra when he is apparently well aware that they weren't used?! He's trying to trick us!"
"I claimed no such thing," Neighsay replied calmly, "I merely said that the Elements possessed enough power to defeat King Sombra, not that they were ever used to do so. What I was inferring was that in a situation where the Crystal Heart in unobtainable, as it is now, the Elements of Harmony could be used instead to either destroy Sombra out right, free his mind-controlled soldiers, or at the very least stop his advance without jeopardizing the homes, lives, and livelihoods of countless innocent ponies. However, due to Starlight Glimmer's actions, the Elements of Harmony are inoperable, and the Tree of Harmony from which they came has been confirmed to be dead."
Twilight was both greatly frustrated at the unicorn before her and deeply disappointed in herself. This Neighsay was clever, and just as hard to deal with as the one from her own timeline. The same terrible feelings from when her school got shut down were making a powerful comeback right in the pit of her stomach. So, Twilight realized there was only one thing she could do.
"The defense rests," Twilight said, and she turned to sit back down next to Starlight.
Spike suddenly found himself being grabbed by Sunset's magic, and he cried out, "Hey, wait! I want to stay here with Twilight and Starlight! Wait!"
Sunset ignored the dragon's protests and sent back through another portal, swiftly shutting it once he was through. Meanwhile, Twilight leaned in next to Starlight and said, "It's fine. It'll all be fine. I couldn't exonerate you, but I can still protect you, and help this world too. Just wait and see."
What followed was a long series of testimonies from other members of the Time Turners . The only exceptions were their versions of Twilight and Starlight, who did not physically come to the trial, but sent in statements nonetheless. Twilight couldn't bear to face what had been stolen from her, and Starlight feared she would be unable to contain her anger. At any rate, the intelligent ponies all explained the chain of cause and effect that Starlight Glimmer had disrupted, and how it turned Equestria from a land of beauty and plenty to one trapped in a constant war that seemingly had no end in sight. Considering Sombra's immortal phantom-like nature, there was truly nothing to keep the war for going on for all of eternity provided Equestria didn't either surrender or simply slip up one too many times.
And so, with Princess Twilight unable to refute any of the claims made, and with all the evidence pointing to the immobilization spell Starlight cast upon the filly Rainbow Dash as the sole reason for this world's misfortune, the jury was allowed go off and deliberate on the fate of Starlight Glimmer.
