A Tense Interrogation

As her cloud house hovers over a green field of colorful and aromatic flowers, Rainbow Dash lounges on the soft and smooth surface of her bed with her pet tortoise, Tank, reading him a Daring Do book aloud. With the delicate sea of silk lifting beneath them, the carefree duo basks in the breeze, the chirping of the birds, and the golden rays of sunshine flowing in through the windows. Their connection, testified by their exchange of warm smiles, remains unbreakable, especially after their three long months of poignant separation.

Throughout the months of winter, Rainbow would visit Tank’s hibernation burrow to greet him, send him messages of love, and read him stories, only for the unconditional silence of the solid ground. When Tank finally dug out of his burrow a few weeks ago, she embraced him with tears and a mental vow to never take him for granted again. She still regrets the stunts she pulled on the first day of winter to avoid Tank’s need to hibernate, even getting so desperate as to sabotage the weather factory to stop winter, but thankfully, that’s all behind them now.

Moments later, a knock from downstairs interrupts their mutual engrossment in the story.

“Hold on, Tank. I gotta go answer that.”

After carefully placing the book on the dresser and Tank on the floor, Rainbow dashes to the front door where she is met by her friend, Twilight Sparkle.

“Oh, hey, Twilight!” Rainbow waves.

“Hi, Rainbow Dash! How are you doing?”

“Oh, we are doing AWESOME! We were just reading the latest Daring Do book before you showed up!”

“Oh, with Tank?” Twilight applauds. “That’s wonderful!”

“Well, DUH!”

“And it must’ve been so much joy after missing him for three months.”

“Sure is! And you know what would make it even better? If you came by to join us! You know, you, me, and Tank, reading up on some Daring Do, together!”

“Oh, I’ll be happy to do so! Maybe I’ll even have Spike and Owlicious tag along!”

Rainbow’s eyes glimmer. “The five of us? Together? Reading Daring Do? Awe…SOME! So, what brings you here, Twilight?”

Twilight’s eyes roll upward then back to Rainbow. “I…am just checking in. So, was Tank’s hibernation hard for you?”

Rainbow shrugs. “It was alright, I guess. Sure, winter was fun with all of you, but not having Tank by my side at home felt kinda lonely.”

“Of course. Glad to see you got him back, though! I was hoping his absence wouldn’t be so hard, you know… after seeing how hard it was for you to accept it.”

Rainbow chuckles. “Yeah, but you know… if life tries to get you down, then you’re just gonna have to be tough!”

Twilight nods. “You’re absolutely right, Rainbow. Oh, and speaking of, you didn’t try to do anything to avoid him having to hibernate, did you?” She switches to a look of concern.

“What? No! Of course not!” Rainbow swings her forehoof in dismissal. “I had Tank do his winter nap thing just like how every tortoise should!”

“It’s just… I remember how upset you were when you found out Tank had to hibernate, angry even. You sounded like you really didn’t want him to go through with it.”

“Twilight! I never tried to stop Tank from doing what he had to do!” Rainbow’s smile fades. “Why do you think I did?”

“We’ll talk about it at my castle, Rainbow. You’re going to have to come with me, please,” Twilight says as she turns away, gesturing for Rainbow to follow her.

Rainbow’s eyes dart left and right. “Uh… okay, but why?”

Twilight hangs her head with a sigh, turning back to face Rainbow. “I’m really sorry to have to tell you this, but… your input’s needed for an investigation, so um…” Her forehooves tap against each other.

“Yes?”

Twilight looks down at her own forehoof, rubbing it. “I…need to place you under arrest.”

“What!? Why!? What did I do!?” Rainbow says as she flinches, her heart skipping a beat.

“I’m not saying you did anything, Rainbow. It’s just… we have matters that need to be discussed, and it’s best if done in the privacy of my castle. As I said, just follow me and I’ll explain everything.”

Rainbow freezes, except for her racing heart. A multitude of possibilities crosses Rainbow’s mind on what Twilight will do to her if she follows her, and none of them remotely thrill her. She takes a couple of paces backward, protecting herself within the walls of her cloudominium. “Um… I’m sorry, Twilight,” she murmurs, trying to hide behind her door. “But I can’t come to the castle with you.”

“I understand your concern, Rainbow, and I wish we didn’t need to proceed with this. But this is important. I really don’t want to resort to using force, so please, let’s just go together.”

With an apologetic expression, Twilight glows her horn, making Rainbow gasp. Rainbow furrows her brow and grimaces before flickering her eyes side-to-side. Should she make a run for it? But Twilight could cast a spell anytime. What’s going to happen to her if she resists? Uneager to find out, she forwards a hoof.

“Oh, okay, okay. I’ll follow you.”

Twilight smiles as the glowing halts. “Good! Thank you for cooperating, Rainbow!”

Groaning, Rainbow glides side-by-side with Twilight in the direction of the castle.

“Now, while we’re on the way, please allow me to explain to you your rights. You have the right to remain silent and the right to stop answering questions any time you please...”

But Rainbow’s thoughts drown out Twilight’s words. What could this be about? Wide eyes etch Rainbow’s frozen expression. This couldn’t be about her sabotage of the weather factory, could it? Her pupils shrink. What if Twilight found out? Would Twilight be mad? Would she lose her as a friend? Or even worse… Would Twilight throw her in a dungeon? How long would she be gone for? Months? Years? She shudders as her chest aches. No, no way. Twilight can’t find out. She can’t let her find out.

In a matter of minutes, they land in front of the castle doorway and tread inside.

“We’re here!” Twilight says. “Now, I know this is hard for both of us, but please hold still. I need to restrain your wings.”

Those words punch Rainbow in the chest. She shrinks in place. “Restrain… my… wings?” Gulps.

Sigh. “I’m afraid so, but don’t worry. It won’t be as bad as it sounds.” A glowing of Twilight’s horn conjures a pair of metal wing bindings.

Rainbow’s eyes bulge at them. As her heart rate accumulates, she swings around to skip out of the castle, only to instead get pulled back and pinned in place by Twilight’s telekinesis.

Twilight approaches her friend with regret in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Rainbow. I wish I didn’t have to do this, but until we figure everything out, I can’t let you go anywhere. Just please, hold still, and this will be easier for both of us.”

Rainbow’s grit teeth accompany her struggles against the pin. “Noo!” The bindings start wrapping around her wings, compelling her to resist. “No! Stop! Please don’t! Nooo!”

But in seconds, the bindings are secure, effectively preventing any spreading.

“There.” Twilight smiles, patting Rainbow on the back. “Now, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

Rainbow flaps her bound wings blisteringly, grimacing at the growing realization of her inability to get an inch off the ground with both of her wings kept folded. She then glares at Twilight. “So, you think tying my wings is cool, huh? Tell me, what did you do that for?”

“Sorry, Rainbow. It’s not that I wanted to. It’s that I’m under a legal obligation to detain you until everything is sorted out here. Don’t worry. I promise I’ll do my best to get this over with as soon as possible. I just need you to cooperate. Please follow me, so we can continue.”

“Continue?” Rainbow’s eyebrow scrunches. “What’re we going to do now?”

“I’ll let you know soon. For now, just follow me, please.”

A lack of amusement crosses Rainbow’s expression. She reluctantly obeys Twilight, who remains mute, the monotonic hoofsteps against the carpeted floor being the best clue to what lies ahead. Where could they be going? What could Twilight possibly have planned for her that warrants such seriousness? Having to wait to know is making her grumble internally.

Within a minute, Twilight stops, curling her hoof around the doorknob of an unknown door. CREEEAK! Rainbow’s head perks up. The room’s interior prompts a stare from her shrinking pupils. It’s sparsely furnished with only a plain wooden table, a stool in front of it, and a set of drawers behind it. The only addition to the room’s air-silence is the mild buzzing from the lamp above, which casts black shadows around the room. Rainbow starts to shiver all while taking in the room’s cool ventilation, her steady heartbeat intensifying at the only possible meaning of the room’s structure: that she will be interrogated here and possibly end up saying something incriminating. Her freedom’s at risk, and she knows it.

“Now, let’s begin,” Twilight says.

“B-b-but I did nothing wrong!”

“Rainbow, I just need to ask you a few questions, and I would like you to answer as truthfully as you can. If you didn’t do anything, then you have nothing to worry about. Just explain your side of the story, and then, we’ll be done. Take a seat, please.”

“O-o-okay.” Rainbow takes a seat on the stool, biting her lip and involuntarily bobbing her knee.

Twilight stands across from Rainbow at the table with her soles resting on the surface. “Now, what I’m going to do is have you talk about the events at the beginning of winter. After that, we’ll have a better understanding of what happened that day. Does that sound good?”

“Please, Twilight! I swear! I didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Calm down, Rainbow. This isn’t about implicating you in anything. It’s about getting your account to help me piece together what happened. I’m just going to ask you a series of questions and then, we’ll be done. Let’s get started. First off, can you tell me where you were just before the weather factory malfunctioned?”

The pounding of Rainbow’s heart against her chest is palpable, even slightly audible. She knows all too well that she was the cause of that malfunction but must come up with something believable to hide it. “Uh… I was… um…” Her eye contact falls.

“Yes?”

“Um… I was… home with Tank!” Rainbow faces Twilight with a twitchy grin.

“Hmm…” Twilight glances at the ceiling. “Okay. Tell me what you did there.”

Rainbow’s eyes roll back and forth. “Uh… I was just… spending some quality time with Tank. That’s all. We did lots of things together.” She tries to remain still and avoid giving signs of lying.

“Such as?”

“Uh… I fed him, bathed him, read him books, played some games, danced with him, and uh… other things!” Rainbow babbles.

“Hmm… interesting.” Twilight taps her chin.

Rainbow starts to show disappointment. “You don’t believe me, do you, Twilight?”

“Rainbow, it’s not about believing you. It’s about finding out what happened. Whether you get all the facts right or not, your account will help me piece together the entire story, okay?”

“O-okay.” Rainbow gulps.

“Now, do you remember the time you left Ponyville angry?”

Rainbow nods, her cheeks tinted pink. “Yeah, I do.”

“So, can you give me the entire story of where you’ve been from that time to the time you arrived back?”

Rainbow’s eyes flare open. Shoot. She recoils in her seat as her pupils frantically bounce around. Twilight wants details. What do I say, What do I say? “I… I…” she croaks. Heat starts to build in her mane. “I just… well, um… I just… went straight home, and… uh… stayed there with Tank the whole time. And then… um… I… saw the weather factory malfunction, so I uh… just rushed back to Ponyville to uh… seek shelter! And… that’s how I got back.”

“I see. So, you weren’t near the factory at all, right?”

Rainbow nods. “Right.”

“Did you meet anypony at all during that period who could testify?”

Rainbow’s eyes do a quick roll. “Well… nopony saw me, but Tank did!”

“Well, unfortunately, Tank can’t speak and therefore can’t serve as a reliable witness.”

“Oh…” Rainbow’s gaze falls to the floor.

Twilight looks at Rainbow sympathetically. “I know it’s frustrating, Rainbow, but I’m afraid that Tank’s account won’t help much in supporting your statements.”

Rainbow bangs on the table. “But I am telling the truth! I swear!”

“Yes, I get that, Rainbow, and I want to accept your statement. I really do. But in order to be sure you didn’t make a mistake, we need concrete evidence to support claims.”

“Come on, Twilight! I swear! I had nothing to do with the malfunction! You know I wouldn’t do something to cause the malfunction, don’t you?”

“I’m not claiming you did, Rainbow. It’s just that for me to get as accurate information as possible, I need to know when you did and didn’t make a mistake. How about this? Since you’ve already told me your entire story, I’ll ask you some follow-up questions. Does that sound good?”

“There’s more!?” The room’s cool breeze keeps her shivering.

“I’m afraid so. Rainbow, you said you didn’t see anypony, but some weather ponies told me you slowed down their work by having them loop the snow back into the clouds. Can you explain that, please?”

Gasp. Her chest gets heavier. Oh no. She knows. “Um… uh…” Rainbow fixates on a distant corner. “Oh, um, uh, um, uh, oh, um, uh.. oh right! Oh, heh, heh, heh,” she titters, facehoofing herself. “Silly me! I must’ve forgotten! I uh... was just showing them a cool trick! Yeah! That’s it!” She forces an awkward grin, her soles resting against each other. Her eyes roll to the side and back to Twilight.

“Was this before or after you left your-”

“After! It was after!”

Twilight furrows her brow. “You were having them do tricks during the disaster?”

Rainbow flinches. A whinny escapes despite her pursed lips. She realizes she had constructed incoherence in her haste. “I uh… just wanted to lighten the mood. That’s all!”

Twilight nods. “Okay, that makes sense. Let’s talk about something else.”

“Oh, come on!” Rainbow doesn’t know how much longer she can keep up this lie for. She needs to get out of here now.

“Relax. I promise I’m going as fast as I can. Please bear with me for just a little longer. Now, tell me. Do you remember the giant snowball that the factory hurled toward Ponyville?”

Rainbow takes a deep breath. “Yes, I remember.”

“Well, I believe you were caught in it as it was being flung, am I mistaken?”

Rainbow’s heart rate ramps up with the heat in her mane, eliciting silent puffs. She also knows very well that Twilight isn’t mistaken in that belief. But if she confirms it, Twilight might request an explanation. “N-no? I didn’t get caught in it!” she mutters.

“Let’s consider the sequence of events carefully, Rainbow. You weren’t with us before the snowball hit us. Yet, you were after. Do you think this could be a coincidence?”

“Uh… ye-yeah! It could be!”

“That would be quite the coincidence!” Twilight chuckles.

“Uh…” Rainbow’s eyes flicker from one side to the other.

Sympathy laces Twilight’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Rainbow, but your words don’t sound very consistent with what we saw.”

“Wait! I can explain!” Rainbow says as she extends her forehooves defensively. Realizing that she needs a believable explanation, she starts to tremble, a bead of sweat forming on her brow.

“Go ahead, then.”

Rashly, Rainbow’s forehoof rolls back and forth with her stutters, her eyes shift upward. “Well, um, you see, it’s, I, eee, um, it’s, I, um, eee… I…”

“You… what?”

“I, uh… um, uh… wanted to save you!” Rainbow displays a toothy smile.

Twilight scrunches an eyebrow. “Save us?”

“Uh… y-yeah! I was saving you from the giant snowball! I… saw the snowball heading towards you and I tried flying over there fast enough to stop it but… I couldn’t, and I ended up getting buried in the snow with you.” Rainbow hangs her head in guilt, almost believing her story herself. “Sorry, Twilight. I tried my best.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it, Rainbow.” Twilight smiles, placing a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “There wasn’t much that you could do about it anyway. Thanks for trying.”

“I… just wanted to make sure you’re okay. So, do you believe me now?” Rainbow’s beam replaces the pounding of her heart and everything else. It appears she has Twilight fooled.

“Maybe. I still have a couple more things to ask you, though.”

“But what more could you have to ask me?” Rainbow whines, her face wrinkling like she’s about to cry. “I told you everything! I’ve been proven innocent!”

“Rainbow, as I already said, this isn’t about proving your guilt or innocence. I need as much information as I can get, so I need your full account.”

“But what more could there be?”

“Well, first of all, are you sure you weren’t near the scene at all that day?”

Rainbow glowers at Twilight. “What!? Of course, I am!”

“Okay. I can tell you’re sure, but I would like you to think hard about this. Are you absolutely certain there wasn’t a time that day you were at the scene that you might have forgotten about?”

Rainbow’s chest tingles. “No! I mean, yes! I’m sure! I was never there!”

“Hmm… okay, Rainbow. What I’m going to do is show you a few items, and I would like you to explain what you see, okay?”

Rainbow quails at the uncertainty of what those said items would reveal. “O-okay.”

With a glow of Twilight’s horn, a drawer behind her opens and an evidence bag levitates from there to the table. “Recognize this?”

Rainbow stares at the item with a tinge of dizziness. Her mouth is agape. “Is that my feather? Where did you find it?”

“It was found at the crime scene.” Twilight levitates it against Rainbow’s chest. “As you can see, it’s the exact same color as your coat.”

“Uh…” Rainbow’s head grows humid. Her heart starts pumping like a train. “Th-there could be another pegasus with the same coat color,” she chatters. “Who’s to say I’m the only one?”

“There’s more.” Twilight levitates over another evidence bag from the drawer.

Gasp. Rainbow’s twitching forehooves press against her cheeks. “My mane…” she falters.

“Yes. Can you please explain how you think these ended up at the crime scene?”

Rainbow’s eyebrows wrinkle above her rolling eyes. “Uh… I… I… am being framed! Somepony planted them!”

“Want me to tell you where specifically at the scene these were found?”

Rainbow shakes her head vigorously. “N-no! That’s not necessar-“

“They were found in the pressure neutralizer of the cloud cannon.” Twilight raises an eyebrow. “Why would somepony plant the evidence there? It would’ve been risky to try to fly all the way in there without getting caught.”

Rainbow leans back, barely able to open her mouth. “Well… I… um…” She quivers. Her hind hooves rattle on the floor like a hummingbird. She scratches behind her neck. Streams of sweat pour down her face.

Noticing Rainbow’s movements, Twilight sighs, reaching out for Rainbow’s shoulder. “Rainbow, I just need your help in understanding. I know you weren’t at the scene, but I just don’t get how your feather and mane could’ve ended up in the machine if you weren’t. Can you tell me how you think they could’ve?”

“I don’t know! Please, Twilight! You gotta believe me! I wasn’t there! You know me, Twilight! I’m not a criminal!”

“I’m not saying you’re lying, Rainbow. I’m saying I don’t understand why the evidence doesn’t match up with your statements. It’s known that the weather factory malfunctioned because something or somepony got into the pressure neutralizer and jammed it. No other pony’s feathers or manes were found in the machine. Only yours. This suggests that you actually were at the scene of the crime when it happened, weren’t you, Rainbow?”

Rainbow’s paralyzed with her jaw slackened and her eyes wide, Twilight’s well-constructed story keeping her heart working voraciously.

“Rainbow, please. Just calmly tell me. Were you or weren’t you?”

Rainbow’s lips pull on each other like magnets. “Ehhhhhh…” At a whirling in her head, she grimaces. She curls up, trembles, sweats, and darts her eyes around like the room’s shrinking on her.

“Rainbow, I’m not here to incriminate you. If you were at the scene, then just let me know, and we can talk about what you witnessed.”

Rainbow looks up at Twilight with moist eyes and her teeth failing to cease her quivering lips. That’s it. There’s no way out of this. “Y-y-y-”

“Yes?”

“Y… y… YES! I was at the scene when it happened!”

Twilight covers her gasp. “Then why did you tell me you weren’t, then?”

“Because I didn’t want you to think that I was a criminal! I’m sorry, Twilight! I’m so sorry!”

“Didn’t I tell you from the start to just be honest with me, Rainbow?”

“You did! I’m sorry, Twilight! I should’ve told the truth. Please forgive me!”

Twilight lifts Rainbow’s chin, turning Rainbow’s attention to her smile. “I understand why you lied. So, of course, I forgive you. But remember that it would be easier if you just tell the truth, okay?”

Rainbow nods, her movements subsiding at Twilight’s understanding. “Mm-hm!”

“So, now that it has been confirmed that you were at the scene during the incident, can you tell me about your level of involvement in the incident, please?”

Rainbow glances at a back corner of the room. “I… wasn’t involved, Twilight.”

“Okay, then. What did you witness?”

Rainbow’s neck shrinks. Her eyes wander as she speaks. “I, uh… saw the weather factory malfunctioning, so I… went to check it out, and when I looked around, I… found it was coming from the winter lab. I… saw somepony there, but I couldn’t see who it was, because… there were clouds everywhere, and I just… I saw the pegasi were busy dealing with the chaos, so I uh… just decided to leave and let them do their thing, and... that’s all.” Rainbow grins at Twilight, her forehooves tipped together.

Twilight turns a curled eyebrow toward Rainbow. “Are… you sure that’s what happened?”

“Uh… ye-yeah! W-why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well, first of all, Rainbow,” Twilight says firmly. “You say you went to the factory to investigate the malfunction. Yet earlier you said that you went straight to Ponyville to seek shelter. You even said that you were with some weather ponies to do a ‘cool trick.’ How could you’ve been on the way to the factory at the same time?” Twilight stares at Rainbow with narrow eyes.

Rainbow drops her jaw. Her pupils shrink at the realized contradiction. “Well, I um…” She recoils. Her hooves quake and her stomach knots. Her heart resumes its thumping, trying to break out of her chest like a jackhammer trying to break through a rocky road.

“And secondly, if you spent some time investigating the lab during the chaos, then how did you see the giant snowball flying to Ponyville? If you were inside the factory for that long, then surely, you wouldn’t have seen it.” Twilight places a hoof on her chin, studying Rainbow closely.

The strain in Rainbow’s voice grows by the second. “Well, um, you see, I, um, I, eee, er, um, it’s…” The room becomes a sauna, despite the cool air. Intermittent jolts in her forehooves begin to accompany their twitching.

“And thirdly, that still doesn’t explain how your feather and mane ended up in the cloud cannon. Given the complex layout of the pipes and the weights of your feather and mane, the evidence couldn’t have just ended up there accidentally if you were a mere bystander.”

Her dizzy forehead starts to pour pools of sweat to the floor. The drumming of her heart drowns out the room’s ambiance. She starts to mumble into her jittering forehooves, finding herself barely strong enough to lift them. “U-uh… th-that’s b-b-b-because… um…. i-i-i-it’s… I-I-I… u-um… i-it’s, I-I….” She clenches her jaw, frantically scanning the room in search for a believable explanation, only to find Twilight’s watchful gaze, the growing prospect of losing her freedom, and her desire to escape from this interrogation. She starts limping away, her strumming noodles barely carrying her toward the door. “I… d-d-don’t th-think I’m c-c-comfortable an-answering any more qu-questions r-right now,” she croaks, maintaining contact with Twilight with a squiggly smile.

Twilight shoots a narrow-eyed glare. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“H-home. I-I want to spend time with Tank.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t let you do that.” Twilight points to the stool across from her with a straight hoof. “Sit back down. You’re not free to go until I say so.”

With the reality of being trapped sinking in, Rainbow groans and reluctantly climbs back into her seat.

“Now, provide me an explanation for the apparent inconsistencies in your story.”

“Um…” Rainbow grimaces, rubbing behind her drenched mane and darting her eyes left and right. “Uh… I… I… I have the right to remain silent. I don’t have to explain anything!” She crosses her forehooves, keeping her eyes and lips pursed shut.

Twilight sighs, casting her eyes downward then back to Rainbow with a smile. “Okay, Rainbow. You do have that right. But I hope you know that I want to help you, not to accuse you. I would like to help you clear your name, but I can’t do so if I can’t find a logical explanation. If you have one, then please, help me realize it. Just tell me the truth, Rainbow. It’ll be easier for you and me.”

Knowing she looks guilty whether she talks or remains silent, Rainbow growls, her forehooves covering her heated face before jolting out. “Fine! You want the truth, Twilight? I was the one who sabotaged the weather factory and caused the malfunction.” She lays her forehooves on the table, burying her welling eyes in them. “It was me. I know. I messed up, and I’m sorry, okay?”

Twilight nods with a proud smile, patting Rainbow’s mane. “Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

Rainbow glances back up. “Yes! It was!”

“But don’t you feel better now that you don’t have to hide it anymore?”

The realization neutralizes Rainbow’s tone. “Uh… I guess. Now that you already know, I feel much better.” She sighs in relief, but her eyes switch to those of despair. “I’m sorry, Twilight. I-I know you probably think that I should be thrown in jail, but please, I don’t want to go to jail!”

“But why would you do such a thing? I’m surprised at you.”

“I only did it so that Tank wouldn’t hibernate. I only meant to drain the water to stop them from making clouds and snow. I never meant to cause so much damage!”

“Well… I figured you did so because of Tank, but I didn’t think you’d go through such lengths to avoid him having to hibernate.”

“I know! What I did was wrong. I was desperate! He means everything to me, and I just couldn’t bear the thought of him going away for three months! Please don’t throw me in jail. I’ll do anything!”

Twilight’s forehoof rests on Rainbow’s. “Don’t worry, Rainbow Dash. I’ll do my best to address this in the kindest and fairest way possible. But I’m sorry to say that since you committed a crime, you’re going to have to stand trial. It really pains for me to say that since you’re my friend. But it’s the law, and as princess, I have a duty to uphold it.”

“But…!”

“No buts, Rainbow. I’m going to charge you for the crime of property damage. It’s a serious offense, and I’m afraid that I’m going to have to assign you a date to attend my courtroom where we’ll have a talk about this and discuss a plan moving forward.”

“Please don’t do this! I won’t do anything like that again! I promise!”

“I’m sorry, Rainbow, but you made a choice, so now, you must face the consequences. But I’ll tell you what I’ll do. Since seeing you in such distress is something I can’t bear, I’m going to release you for now. You’ll be granted temporary freedom, but will be expected to return to this castle for a sentencing hearing next week-”

“What!?”

“-and after I sentence you, you’ll have to serve whatever penalty I decide for you. And…” Sigh. “…saying this is really hard, but I would like you to take it as a warning, not a threat. If you fail to show up, then I’m afraid I’ll have to issue a warrant for your arrest. Do you understand the terms of your release?”

Rainbow sighs, the weight of her own choices and her new predicament pulling down on her head. “Yes, Twilight. I understand.”

“Good! Now, I’ll go ahead and get you a parchment to sign, unlock your wing bindings, and then, you’ll be free to go.”

With a glowing of Twilight’s horn, a scroll, a quill, an inkwell, and a key appear on the table. But in switching her attention from the table to her friend, Twilight notices her fixated on her own reflection on the crystal floor, her ears and eyelids drooping. With that, Twilight lets out a sigh and places both of her forehooves on Rainbow’s shoulders, prompting her to face her.

“Rainbow, listen. I’m truly sorry to put you through this. Really, I mean that. I just want to remind you that I’m not doing this out of any feelings for you. It’s just… to uphold the law, I have to intervene when somepony does something serious, even if it’s really painful.”

“I know…” Rainbow grumbles, turning her head away in surliness.

Twilight lets out another sigh. She magically dips the quill in ink and picks up the scroll, swiftly writing on it as she speaks. “Let’s just quickly get this contract signed so that we can get you out of those bindings as soon as possible.” As soon as she finishes writing, she slides the terms over to Rainbow. “Be sure to read through these carefully, and then, go ahead and sign. Do you have any questions?”

Rainbow looks down at the document forwarded to her. “Uh… yeah. I have one. How long have you known about this for?”

Twilight taps her chin. “Well… actually… I wasn’t sure.” She waves her hoof over the evidence bags. “I’ve actually gotten all this evidence a few month ago-”

“A few… months… ago!?”

Twilight nods regretfully. “But I interrogated numerous other ponies before you, because I was in denial that you’d do such a thing. But… as much as I didn’t want to believe this… the witness accounts implicated you further, so…” Her head hangs to the side. “I’m sorry. It’s just… I had an important case to solve, so I was forced to bring you here and hold you for questioning. I hope you can forgive me.”

Rainbow rolls her eyes. “I guess.”

Twilight holds Rainbow’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll get through this together. I’ll be here to guide you through the legal process. And no matter what punishment I decide for you next week, I’ll help you through it. How does that sound?”

Rainbow perks up, noticing Twilight’s reassuring smile. With hesitation, she reflects with a light smile of her own.