Mirror: Book I - Mind

Where the minotaur had stood, the ambassador now reigned over the prosecutor’s chair with a tight and confident stance. Mikado stared across the room and into the shaky gaze of the boy as he maintained a stance of his own. The two stood at odd ends, a seemingly endless staring contest in the onslaught of silence that ensued, soon before the court and the jury and the lot of Town Hall recomposed themselves and began once more.

“Mr. Mikado?” Mayor Mare began calmly. “It is in my understanding that you mean to stand in the prosecutor’s position for this next trial?”

The old foreigner took a pause, and began abruptly. “I’ve only come to discuss.”

“Discuss?” She replied. “Discuss what, exactly?”

“My dear Mayor, I am an ambassador.” He chuckled softly. “It is within my duty to discuss affairs both foreign and pertaining to my own country. This trial just so happens to fall under that category, and I plan to clear out the confusion that has been swarming about the masses. In other words, I have come to unveil the truth.”

David stood back, leaning over to his friend. “Starlight, you got a reading on this guy?”

“Leads an entire country and could make you disappear if he wanted to.” The unicorn replied quietly. “And that’s only if he’s being nice.”

“We’ve met Mikado before, but I have a feeling things are going to be different in the courtroom.” The boy stared ahead. “Is there anything you can find that we can use against him?”

“What, you want me to find his weak spot or something? Good luck fitting an ursa through a pinhole.” His partner cautioned. “Like I said, this stal is the leader of an entire country, he’s an emperor for crying out loud. The only reason he’s here is because he wants something, so I suggest we stay quiet until we find out for certain what that is.”

Mikado closed his eyes and flared his horn to life, a swirling vortex like the flow of water appearing before the court, everypony’s eyes fixated on the phenomenon in wonder and splendor. From the spell emerged a single item, a mallet of sorts, with elegant geometry and intricately painted decorations. He raised the hammer in the air for all to see.

“Your Honor, it has come to my attention that your gavel has been obstructed.” The colorful hammer was raised to the Mayor’s desk. “You may borrow mine for the time being.”

“Why, certainly!” The Mayor appeared more than enthusiastic. “What a beautiful piece this is. Thank you, Mr. Mikado.”

“Gladly.” The stallion took a slow bow. “I shall condone to the proceedings of this trial as though it were any other. We may begin when you are ready.”

That sneaky gloat, getting the judge on his side with those fancy, Asian knick-knacks. The boy glowered to himself. By this rate we’re going to have to rely on the facts alone to get us through this trial. The Cakes and the weather team are putting their faith into us, we can’t let them down!

“Very well, then.” Mayor Mare nodded justly. “Court shall proceed momentarily.”

“I look forward to the outcome of this endeavor.” Mikado played a grin. “I can only hope that you do not fail to amuse me, young Equerry.”

“Right back at ya’.” David replied slowly. “You kung-fu movie antagonist…or whoever you’re supposed to be.”

Clack!

The judge’s gavel slammed against the wooden surface, and thus the courtroom proceeded.

“The Trial for the conflict of the Cakes and the Pegasus Weather Patrol team is now underway. Is the defense ready?”

“As we’ll ever be, your Honor.” Starlight replied.

The Mayor waited. “Mr. David, is something the matter?” She asked.

David stood there, quiet than he had ever been, and it took a nudge from the unicorn to shake him back into action. He cleared his throat and began carefully.

“Well, your Honor, it’s just…” The boy scratched his scalp, giving an odd stare. “What exactly is the main objective of this trial?”

The court quickly came to a halt. The attendees watched on with disbelief as the Mayor delivered a tight, menacing glare. “What do you mean ‘what is the objective of this trial’? You are here to defend the Cakes and the weather pegasi from certain legal action, are you not?”

“Well, yeah, but…” He started again. “It was revealed that Hayseed, or rather Mr. Greenhooves, isn’t a pony but instead he’s a donkey. That automatically made all of his allegations towards the weather pegasi and the Cakes as void, because apparently his property doesn’t mean a thing if he’s not a pony. You even said it yourself, remember?”

“Did I now…?” The Mayor sat back and tapped her chin for a long pause, then clicked back to the court. “I don’t seem to recall.”

“Don’t recall?” David blinked. “W-What do you mean? You’re the Mayor, you remember everything that goes on in this town.”

“I won’t have any more interruptions coming from you for the remainder of this court. Do I make myself clear, boy?” She boomed and tapped her gavel to the desk. “The trial shall proceed as intended.”

“What the heck is going on?” The boy stood back in wonder. “Star, are you getting any odd vibes from the atmosphere or what?”

“I’ll admit, it’s odd of the Mayor to openly admit forgetting something that she herself discussed.” Starlight prodded at her chin. “I’ll bet it has something to do with that hammer.”

“The hammer?” David looked back. “You mean the one Mikado gave her?”

“Remember how he summoned it using his magic?” She explained. “My instincts are telling me it’s got an enchantment on it or something, and he’s using it to manipulate the Mayor without her even knowing.”

He’s not even giving us a chance here, is he? The boy concluded. As far as we’re concerned, he might as well be toying with us.

“Now then.” The Mayor began again. “The prosecution may now give the case summary and the opening statement.”

“That would appear to be in order.” Mikado acknowledge, spawning a sheet of paper with his magic as he held it in his levitation and projected his voice. “At approximately eight o’clock in the morning on the day of the fire of Sugarcube Corner, Captain Sunshower of the weather pegasi and her team gathered a set of rain clouds to be delivered to the former farmer Mr. Hayseed’s crops. However, instead of taking the rain clouds to their designated area, a fire broke out at the bakery known as Sugarcube Corner, causing the captain to demand that her team mates divert their course and dowse the flames with the rain.” The summary coming to a close, Mikado addressed the court. “I believe it is more than obvious as to what happened here. Captain Sunshower is a brave and noble pegasus, for how could such a mare ignore the cries of others when the tools necessary for their rescue are but only in hoof’s reach? Alas, the captain’s judgment on the consequences seemed to go without consideration, and thus the weather pegasi face repercussions for their misguided duty, and the Cakes a hefty fine for their misuse of the kitchen equipment which inevitably caused the fire.”

“Thank you, Mr. Mikado.” Mayor Mare hummed.

The ambassador gave a simple bow.

“The defense shall now call their first witness to the stand.”

Sam ushered the pegasus in question from her seat and up the center isle, crossing the red bar and trotting past the defense’s desk as she delivered a stoic gaze to her attorney. Sunshower eyed the boy with a hint of discomfort, moreover for him rather than herself.

“Guess it’s been a while?” David decided to say.

“I’m not going to pretend you know what it is that you’re doing here, because frankly I know that neither are you.” Sunshower said. “All I can say is, if we at least manage to get out of this with the hides still on our flanks, I guess I’ll be indebted to you all over again.”

“Consider it another sporadic attempt at hospitality.” The boy replied.

“You seem to be full of those.” Sunshower grinned. “Shall we keep it simple, then?”

“Agreed.” He nodded.

Sunshower climbed to the testimony stand, taking a breath and attempting to get comfortable. All eyes in the courtroom laid upon her as the words arrived.

「SUNSHOWER’S TESTIMONY ‣」
“I arrived at the office at six o’clock that morning, waiting for my crew mates to arrive.”
“After gathering the rain clouds I split the crew into two groups to distribute the rain evenly.”
“We were one pegasus short, however. So, I took the liberty of hauling twice a pony’s work.”
“Before we dealt the rain, the smell of smoke overcame me, and I could see the fire from afar.”
“I went against my better judgment and ordered my crew mates to dowse the flames.”
“As for me, I dove inside to save those who were trapped, and sustained only minor injuries.”

The testimony came to a quiet close, the courtroom settled, and the Mayor nodded with understanding. “I see.” The old mare began. “So you put the priorities of others over your own?”

“If that’s how you want to put it, your Honor.” Replied the captain. “Sadly, I can’t say the same for my crew mates. Even though I wouldn’t have been able to save Mr. Cake and the babies without them, I would have found it better that they not be involved in this mess.”

As the room once again fell into silence, David stood and carefully analyzed the captain’s words. If I’m going to pull Sunshower out of this, I need to find some way to justify her reasoning for using the rain clouds to put out the fire. But…the rain clouds were used for something other than their intended purpose. No matter how the court will look at it, she’s still in violation of the state provided services. How the hell am I supposed to go about this…?

“Please tell me we’ve got some evidence to back us up, o trusty assistant.” David urged his partner.

“Sorry, bub, we’re led dry at the moment.” Starlight sighed. “We’ll just have to hope something will come up in our witness’ testimonies. Pick ‘em for every hair they’ve got.”

“Right.” David nodded, turning back to the captain. “Miss Sunshower-”

“Just Sunshower.” She retorted.

“I-I’m sorry?” The boy blinked.

“I hate it when an honorific or something other is placed before my name, it makes me feel old.” Sunshower justified. “So, just call me Sunshower. Please?”

“O-Oh. Well, okay.” The boy was left at a pause.

“Say, ‘captain’ is an honorific too, isn’t it?” Cskie wondered.

“I thought her name was just ‘cap’.” Oskie added.

“Sunshower.” The boy began again. “You mentioned in your testimony that you were ‘one pegasus short.’ Could you tell us who this pony was?”

“A one, Miss Derpy Hooves.” Sunshower nodded. “Like the rest of her employees she had been scheduled to show up to work that morning, but called off due to ‘personal reasons’ as she had put it.”

Should I prod further? The boy thought. I don’t want to waste time on conversation that’ll get us nowhere, we’re on a thin line with the Mayor as it is. Maybe if I try to make it quick…

“Did she happen to list what these reasons were?” He asked her.

“OBJECTION!!”

Mikado swept a long, silver brush dipped in black ink across the papers strewn over his desk. His eyes flared alive and his voice boomed over the sudden silence. “The ‘personal reasons’ of this former employee no longer bare any relation to the court. Your Honor, I object to the defense’s tedious, time-biding tactics.”

The Mayor delivered a slow nod. “Objection sustained.” She glared to the boy. “The defense shall refrain from investigating questions unrelated to our case.”

Is this guy casually doing calligraphy in the middle of court? David stared on, dumbfounded. Never mind that. What gives him the gull to swat us like flies? Dammit, at this rate we’ll never get a word out of our witnesses.

“David, I just thought of something.” Starlight suddenly perked up. “A member of the court raises an objection every time they want another pony to shut up, right?”

“I like the way you put it.” David noted.

“Well, who’s to say we can’t use our opponent's own objections against him?” Suggested the unicorn. “Witnesses don’t have to be the only ponies we rely on for valuable information. Every time rice patty over there tries to hit us with an objection, we should hit him back with twice the force!”

The ‘personal reasons’ of this former employee no longer bare any relation to the court. Mikado’s words suddenly echoed over in the boy’s mind, and with that he understood what his partner was getting at. With a tightened brow and the intensity in his arms rising, David slammed his hands back to the table and raised yet another-

“OBJECTION!!”

“Young Equerry, what is the meaning of this?” The Mayor growled.

“Your Honor, the prosecution is holding back potential clues that could aid this case.”

“D-Don’t you mean the witness?” The Mayor tried. “Miss Sunshower?”

The pegasus captain gave the Mayor an icy stare.

But the boy shook his head. “I mean the prosecutor Mr. Mikado, your Honor.” He elaborated. “After Sunshower had stated that her employee called off work due to personal reasons, we had been rudely interrupted by the prosecution, whom stated that the personal reasons of this former employee have no relation to the court.”

“Your point being…?” The old mare waited.

“I’d like to hear as to why our prosecutor thinks these ‘personal reasons’ hold no potential information for the court. But no, I’ve thought of a better question.” The boy prepared. “That being…how did he know Derpy was a former employee before Sunshower even had the chance to mention it!”

A wave of murmurs sprinkled across the crowd, and the Mayor gave her gavel a light tap. Seemingly a single, feathered swing was enough to bring the court back to a reasonable volume, and the boy feared what that hammer might be capable of at full force.

“I do believe what the defense is asking for is some manner of proof.” The Mayor craned her head down. “Miss Sunshower, is it true that Miss Derpy Hooves is no longer among your ranks?”

The pegasus masked a grimace with a short nod. “That would be correct, your Honor.” The captain replied. “Derpy had filed in her resignation at least three weeks ago, and hasn’t returned since.”

“Do you think these personal reasons give clue as to why she decided to quit?” David supposed.

Sunshower returned a shrug. “You got me. Quite frankly, I’m as clueless on these reasons as anypony else, all I can say is it might have had something to do with family relations. I remember how the mare just couldn’t stop talking about her daughters.”

The court having settled back down, the silence ensued for a second or two before the Mayor turned to address the ambassador. “Does the prosecution have anything to say in return?”

Mikado was dreadfully silent now, the hairs of his brush being pressed into the paper with a little too much force. Suddenly, the tension faded and his face brightened. “Of course not, your Honor.” He hummed along. “Perhaps I had phrased my objection incorrectly. Being from foreign lands, it almost pains me to exercise the Ponish tongue instead of my own, you see? A simple misconception was all, carry on.”

Don’t think you can back out of it again so easily. David glared across the room. Every time this guy tries to raise an objection, I’ll just find something in his phrasing to call him out on. We can get information from both the witness and the prosecution. And the boy felt a grin creep to his lips. Two birds, one stone.

“Sunshower.” The boy resumed. “I do have one more thing I’d like to know about. You’ve mentioned time and time again how you feel that your actions were in the wrong, that your team mates shouldn’t have been roped into this mess, almost as though you’re apologetic for your acts of bravery. Why is that?”

“Well, it’s simple.” Sunshower answered. “I am a mare of my duty. And, we are not a rescue team, we’re a weather team.”

“So, you only feel that you are in the wrong.”

“What exactly do you mean?” She wondered.

“Sunshower, you know you didn’t do anything wrong because in that moment in time, your actions were justified.”

“OBJECTION!!” Mikado shot again.

This guy’s relentless… David groaned within. Well, lucky for the both of us, I’ve actually got a little trick up my sleeve this time around.

“The defense has neglected an important part of the testimony from their own witness.” Mikado explained. “Have we already forgotten what our dear captain had told for all of the court to hear? She clearly stated that she had gone against her better judgment and ordered her crew mates to dowse the flames of the fire. Noble as her actions might have been, if they are not just in her mind, how can they be just in the face of the court? In the face of the law for that matter?”

The crowd was only given mere seconds to give their concerns before the Mayor delivered a firm whap to the gavel’s plate.

“The prosecution has made a fair point.” The Mayor announced, unsurprisingly. “Mr. David, you claim that in the event of dowsing the fire your client’s actions were justified, and yet she had clearly stated before that she was out of her realm of better judgment. My question to you is, do you have any proof that her actions were justified?”

David stood amongst the eyes of the court, silent and arms crossed. Starlight had to stifle a groan, she knew he was just doing it for dramatic effect.

“Young Equerry, even you must realize there is no way to prove one’s innocence on faith and justice alone.” Mikado chuckled from his desk. “Within every art piece there is always more than meets the eye. What you lack is the vision.”

“Actually-” The boy prepared. “I already know where to look.”

“Y-You do?” Starlight worried “Please tell me you actually do.”

He delivered the unicorn a wink, and swept his finger across the courtroom. “You ask for my proof, your Honor? Well, there they are sitting right over there!”

As the courtroom stupored into yet another breathless and dumbfounded silence, two sets of bugged-out eyes accompanied by curious, doll-eyed beads stared beneath the menacing finger-pointing that the defense was always sporting. Mr. and Mrs. Cake joined the silence of the room, almost wishing they weren’t the ones the boy was attempting to address. Then, the baby cakes broke out screaming and crying. Once again, row after row of condescending glares stuck to the boy’s form.

“This day is going to be longer than I thought…” His finger dropped.

It reminded the boy a fair amount of what almost all of those Sundays spent in church were like. Someone’s baby was always crying, thus forcing their guardian to the back pews or into the cry room wherein those gathered could resume to their sacrificial hour for the week. Mr. Cake was now huddled in the back attempting to coddle and shoosh his children to a more acceptable volume, juggling Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake in both hooves, something he had grown quite skillful at even in his healing state. It was evident enough that the children wanted their mama, but the mare was front and center now, lining herself up to the witness stand as though she were preparing herself for an excruciatingly long night of interrogation. Everypony could only hope that by then they would get out before the sun hit the horizon.

“Stick to the truth and this’ll be over before you know it.” Starlight obliged the older mare.

“As if I intend to jeopardize what chances we have left.” The bakery mare gave a nervous chortle. “I just hope your friend here knows what he’s doing.”

Mayor Mare took the liberty of fixing her glasses and leaning over the side of her desk to bestow a warm and inviting smile to the pony up on the witness’ stand. “Chiffon Swirl.” She nodded happily. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Gosh, Miss Ivory, you look even better than when we last met.” Another chortle escaped the baker’s lips. “Harsh to believe that such events would bring us to meet again, and here of all places, eh?”

“A certain pair had us agree that fate has its strange ways.” A mournful expression fell over the Mayor. “I must give you my condolences for what has happened to the bakery. From what it seems you were in the thick of it.”

“That’s right, your Honor.” Mrs. Cake took a serious glance. “I’ve got a whole story to tell ya’, both you and this feller here.”

Seems like the Mayor and Mrs. Cake are on good terms with each other. The boy observed. Hopefully that’ll make things a lot less complicated for us.

「MRS. CAKE’S TESTIMONY ‣」
“I’ve been making pastries for more than thirty years, I can hardly express the shock I’m in.”
“On the morning of the fire, Mr. Rich had arrived to order a special made cake.”
“After leaving the cake on a timer, I set out to tend to the other customers waiting in the lobby.”
“The next thing I know, half of the kitchen is up in flames! I never even smelled any smoke…”

The testimony approached to its close and the court returned to a quieted setting. In the midst of the silence the Mayor lifted her snout and imitated that of somepony taking a long, warm sniff to freshly baked pastries. “Ah yes, thirty years since you first started at the bakery. Even back then your muffins were to die for.” The Mayor reminisced. “Hard to believe it’s been that long.”

More than thirty years, she says? David thought to himself. If she’s been working the bakery for that long, or any bakery for that matter, there’s no way Mrs. Cake could’ve made a clumsy mistake like that. Something tells me this was more than just an accident, and I might even have something to back it up. The boy’s mind went back to his time spent with Silver Spanner and the Doctor, their findings upon the burnt oven pieces and the chemical reactions that were produced from the tests.

“Your Honor.” Mikado gladly chirped. “At this time I would like to provide an article of evidence to the court.”

“Very well, Mr. Mikado.” The Mayor simply nodded.

“Wait, what…?” The boy paused. “You can just throw out evidence in the middle of court like it’s an instant card, or something?”

“He’s Mikado, he might as well do as he wants.” Starlight drawled.

“May I present…” The stallion’s horn flared, and he prepared the item in question. “The burnt oven! The main source of the fire that took place at the bakery.”

“What the-?!” David jumped back. “Where did you get that?”

Mikado’s face fell to a blank, his eyes scanning over the boy. “We’ll just say some gentlecolt simply hoofed it over to me.” He snuck a chuckle.

Doctor Whooves? The boy shook his head. No, there’s no way he’d side with a menace like Mikado. He’s too smart to miss the fact that this guy’s up to something. And without a sign of warning, David’s palms collided with the table.

“Your Honor, the prosecution is withholding important information!” He dared.

“Is he now?” The Mayor raised a brow. “Would you care to explain, young Equerry?”

“Of course! He, uh…” The boy suddenly felt hesitant. “H-He stole that oven…! Y-yeah.”

The amateur defense attorney could almost swear that he had seen three little dots appear above the heads of every occupant in the building. Even Starlight found herself at the dumbfounded end, moreover entranced by the boy’s sporadic stupidity and what useless ends it might carry them to, along with its feats, of course.

“Is the manner of retrieval of the evidence so important to you?” Mikado bellowed back. “What matters is that the oven is here and ready to be examined. You are welcome to use it to your disposal as well, it’s court evidence. It’s free for everyone!”

“That’s got to be the most back-hoofed statement I’ve ever heard from any corporate boss.” Starlight deadpanned. “In fact, it’s the only back-hoofed statement I’ve heard from a corporate boss.”

David stood there motionless, shoulders drooped and face in a drop.

But does he realize that it’s already been tampered with? He pondered on. If that’s the case then he could have altered it to suit his needs in court. In other words, this slimy bastard’s been up to some autopsy report updating!

“Have we prepared a proper analysis on this article of evidence?” The Mayor called.

“Obligatory, your Honor.” Mikado produced another sheet of paper, scanning it over while casually drawing his brush across the parchment on his desk. “Analysis of the evidence indicates that the oven was indeed the cause of the fire, wherein the scoring marks left by the flames link back to the origin point, that being the burnt appliance we see before us now. There is a simple explanation as to what happened here.” The Neighsian struck confident as ever. “As she had stated in her testimony, Mrs. Cake went to tend to her customers after leaving Mr. Rich’s cake order to bake in the oven. In the midst of working she had forgotten about the cake, thus setting the kitchen up in flames.”

Moreso than murmurs of concern, mumbles of agreement were beginning to litter about the crowds as the volume of the room rose. Mayor Mare allowed a single tap of her gavel, and resumed to the argument below.

“So with this manner of explanation, the prosecution insists that the fire was indeed an accident?” The Mayor wondered.

“The hustling worries of her business had distracted her so, there is no other explanation.” Mikado insisted.

“OBJECTION!!” David boomed. “You’re forgetting something here, the timer which Mrs. Cake had set.”

“And what of it?” Mikado waited.

“If Mrs. Cake insists that she had set a timer for the cake, how come she never heard it go off?”

“Do you mean to answer your own question?” The stallion tsked. “Clearly the cake inside the oven had begun burning long before the timer was to trigger the alarm. Otherwise, the bakery would have never caught fire in the first place, now would it?”

“That still doesn’t explain how she never smelled the smoke.” David tried again. “If not the timer, then the smell of something burning would have given her enough time to do something before a fire broke out.”

“You appear to underestimate how narrowed a pony’s senses can be when distracted with multiple tasks.” Mikado countered.

“Are you saying that Mrs. Cake was impaired?”

“Impaired? I do not recall indoctrinating any possible medical disabilities into the argument, but if that’s the case then we need only to ask our faithful witness here.” Mikado raised his head and projected his voice. “Mrs. Cake, do you happen to recall what temperature you had set the oven to?”

“I-I, erm…” The mare recomposed. “Not off the top of my head. Mr. Rich’s cake was a special order, he even gave me a set of procedures on how to prepare it. Special ingredients, specific measurements, temperature, the whole shi-bang.”

She couldn’t have been bothered to tell me this when I, her attorney, was asking her? The boy drooped. Wait a second…special ingredients? Specific measurements? What’s all that supposed to mean?

“So you see, young Equerry?” Mikado chortled again. “I do believe I answer for both your curiosities and the questioning of the court when I insist that this was only a series of misconceptions and ill-timed events. Mrs. Cake is a very talented baker, of that I have no doubt. Unfortunately we all make mistakes, and the faults appear to have fallen on the Cakes this time around.”

Dammit, this guy’s got all the corners covered, for both the evidence and the witness testimony. David fretted within. I…I don’t know what to do now.

“Starlight?” David desperately looked to his companion. “You’ve been pretty quiet as of late.”

“This guy…” Her teeth tightened, eyebrow in a twitch. “He really pisses me off.”

“Need me to stand back?” The boy offered. “I wouldn’t mind if you blasted him away.”

“I like where your head’s at, but we’ve got enough problems on our plate as it is.” Starlight cautioned. “Back in my hay-day I would’ve been subduing government officials left and right without a second thought.”

“Wait, wha-?”

“Lucky for the both of us though, I’ve already been working on the next step.” A grin stretched across the unicorn’s face.

The Mayor fixed her glasses and glared below. “Does the defense have any means to prolong the court?” She trained her eyes on the boy.

“Starlight, if you’re gonna do something-” Sweat trickled down his brow. “Do it now.”

“It would appear that this case has come to a conclusion.” Mayor Mare raised her gavel high. “The court finds the defendants Mr. and Mrs. Cake, and the pegasi of the Ponyville Weather Patrol…”

“Starlight-!” The boy begged.

Alas, it was too late, the gavel had already met the plate. The resounding echo of the hammer to the desk reverberated like a cold, threatening sentence. The room lied dreadfully still, and all that was to arrive was the Mayor’s judgment.

Then, a cry filled the air.

“WAIT—!!” Came the voice of a pegasus.

The courtroom flashed back into shock, even Mikado found himself uncertain of what was to unfold before him.

“I-I mean, uh…” The pegasus scratched his mane. “Objection! Or…whatever it is you guys are supposed to say!”

The court exploded again, and the Mayor resumed to slamming her gavel. “Order, I call order!” She glared to the pony before her. “What is the meaning of this?! Who are you?”

“You’ve gotta listen to what I have to say!” He almost demanded. “We can’t let our captain down, not after we’ve come this far!”

“Young lad…” The Mayor fixed her glasses. “You are a member of the weather pegasi, are you not?”

“Th-That’s right, Miss Honor Sir! I-I mean, ma’am! Boss!” Sweat trickled down the young pegasus’ face. “The name’s Open Skies, but you can call me Oskie for short. Some of my friends call me Oscar.”

“Only when you deserve it.” Cskie called over.

The rest of the weather pegasi were more or less completely dumbfounded and caught off guard by the actions of their friend. Only a fool would raise their protests at such a time in court, and Oskie was the fool that everypony could rely on to do it. Almost immediately, Sunshower had raised herself from her chair, angrily approaching her crew mate.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Sunshower growled. “Now is not the time for this, Oskie, you’ll only make a fool of yourself.”

“If that’s what it takes to keep this trial going, then I’ll do it for you, captain!” Oskie triumphed.

“Mr. Skies.” The Mayor addressed sternly. “Rambunctious as your input to this court may be, I’m going to go against my own better judgment here and allow you a single chance. Do you have anything worth bringing notice to our case here?”

“That I do, your Honor…” The pegasus almost hesitated.

“Oskie, no!” His colleagues hissed. “Not yet!”

“And why not?” He pleaded. “We might not get another chance to show it!”

“OBJECTION!!”

Mikado swiped his brush across the paper. “The court has reached well past the matter of the weather pegasi, there is no need to prolong this trial.”

“OBJECTION!!”

David slammed his hands. “And how do you know he was going to give anything even remotely related to the pegasi?” He pointed. “Let the bird take the stand!”

Mikado went still. A single drop of ink spotted his page with undesired marks.

Got him. The boy deemed.

“Nice work, David.” Starlight provided. “You were quicker than I was.”

“If it wasn’t for your intervention we wouldn’t have made it this far.” The boy returned.

“Ehehe, yeah…r-right.” The unicorn gave a nervous chuckle.

“W-Wait, you mean-?” The boy blinked. “This goof ball wasn’t a part of your plan?”

“He should’ve been here by now.” Starlight looked about the room. “For the time being we’ll just have to bide our time on whatever this guy wants to tell the court. Hopefully he has something that can benefit us in the long run.”

“Mr. Skies.” The Mayor called once more. “Your testimony?”

“Test-a-what now?” Oskie gave a few blinks. “A-Actually, your Honor, I don’t think I have any useful information to give to the court.”

Had the Mayor had a shorter fuse that day…

“But what I do have is some evidence!”

“Evidence, you say?” The Mayor blinked.

“That’s right, baby! Cold, hard evidence.” Oskie attempted to sound confident. “Well, it’s not actually cold, but you get my point.”

“This court has been lacking some, as of late…” The old mare fixed her glasses and boomed again. “Well then, trusting weather pegasus, let’s have a look at it.”

“Right!” Oskie fumbled into his saddle bag and produced the item that had been given to him and his friends a mere week or two ago. The very jar that was meant to be the saving grace of both the captain and her team of weather pegasi.

And it was empty.

The equivalent of a tumbleweed passing through the desert encompassed the energy of the courtroom. Oskie was left staring through the transparent curvature of the mysteriously empty jar, and the better part of the court had begun to wonder if the poor lad had been born with any mental deficiencies.

The jar was empty. Why was it empty?

“Um…” David stared blankly. “Is he trying to tell us something, or…?”

“I’m guessing that’s the jar where he keeps his brain…” Starlight looked suicidal.

“Mr. Skies.” The Mayor began calmly. “It seems that you have brought a glass jar to the court.”

“…” Oskie stood silent.

“Are you aware that this is not a science fair?”

“…” The pegasus hesitated. “Would it help?”

“Open. Skies.” Cskie took a clamoring step forward. “You’ve been tampering with the evidence, haven’t you?!”

“I did nothing to it, I swear!” The pegasus fumbled with the lid. “M-Maybe it just leaked out or something-”

“Don’t make it any worse!”

“That’s enough, both of you!” The Mayor boomed, threatening to slam her gavel. “The court demands an explanation to all of these impulsive claims and behaviors at once! What was in the jar? What had ‘leaked’ out of it?”

Oskie and Cskie stared frozen and dumbfounded, both of their hooves clutched over the jar like a pair of siblings. Cloud Chaser had the obligation to run up and yank the piece from their grasp, raising it high for the court to see.

“Well, y-you see, your Honor.” Cloud Chaser recomposed. “The contents of this jar were collected from the Cloudsdale weather factory.”

“The weather factory, you say?” She blinked.

“That’s correct.” Cloud Chaser admitted. “We had managed to successfully store a sample of raw, unprocessed water vapor. However, it would appear that the sample has inexplicably…dissipated, so to speak.”

“Correct me if I had heard you wrong…” The Mayor dug her hoof into her ear. “Would you mind giving the court an explanation as to what exactly ‘raw, unprocessed water vapor’ is?”

“Ah, well…” Cloud Chaser rubbed the back of her mane. “It’s, uh, water vapor.”

The Mayor waited.

“That…hasn’t been processed yet?” The pegasus shrugged.

“Well, it was nice knowing you guys.” Oskie frowned.

“This was your idea!” Cskie argued.

Raw, unprocessed water vapor? David thought on the words, finding both how interesting and stupid they actually sounded. Hm, I remember hearing back home how there was a difference between processed and unprocessed milk, but that was only because the unprocessed milk wasn’t run through a dairy factory or something other. Maybe they’re actually onto something here…

“Um, your Honor?” David raised timidly.

The Mayor struggled a sigh. “Have you any empty promises to give to the court as well, young Equerry?” She glared.

“A-Actually, you Honor, I think what the weather pegasi are trying to tell us is that the evidence is in fact there.” He noted. “You just can’t see it.”

“OBJECTION!!” Mikado struck back. “The reason you cannot see the evidence is because it simply isn’t there.”

“And how do you know that?” David took a calmer approach. “Think about it. Just because we can’t see the air doesn’t mean that it isn’t there. Otherwise, how would we be breathing right now?” He pointed forward. “I say that the jar is in fact not empty, at least not as empty as we first deemed it to be.”

The Mayor gave a subtle nod as though attempting to understand. “And can the defense prove this?” She asked him.

“Starlight, I need your help.” David quickly turned to her. “If there truly is something swimming around inside that jar, what can we do to reveal its presence to the court?”

She led a hoof to her chin. “They said it was supposed to be water vapor, right? That means it must be a cloud of some sort. As a matter of fact, most of the air around us is also classified as ‘invisible water vapor’.”

“So…it really is just a jar full of air?” David nearly dropped.

“I’m not a hundred percent sure where they got it from, but if they haven’t opened it yet then that might not be the case.” She proposed. “Which would mean the only way to figure out if there really is a cloud inside of that jar…”

“…is if we open it.” David finished, running over the consequences of tampering with evidence in the middle of court. “Do we know what will happen if we do?”

“It’s like you said, buddy, only one way to find out.” With a hesitant strife, the unicorn turned to the judge at her desk. “Your Honor, we have a proposal for the evidence.”

“Oh, and what might that be?”

“We would like to open the jar.” Starlight announced.

Oskie produced a death grip on the jar. “I’ve only had it for two weeks!” He pleaded.

“Your initial interruption has been in contempt with the court, we have wasted enough time on this charade as it is.” Mayor Mare glared daggers. “Hoof it over, son.”

The colt pegasus gulped and shakily led the jar over. “Be gentle…” He quietly begged.

The boy and the unicorn stood idly at the defense’s desk, carefully analyzing the jar before looking to one another and giving their nods of content. “To think that opening a single jar would ever carry this much suspense.” David commented, and warily looked down at the lid of the container. “Well…here goes nothing!”

There was a twist and a snap, almost as though the boy were opening a can of soda, and an audible pop bounced off the walls of the hall. For a long moment then the entire room lied still and in silence, eyeing the defense as he raised the open jar up and down, took a peek inside, attempted to empty it, so and so forth. He rested the open jar to the desk. As such, not a creature nor a critter stirred.

“Nothing indeed.” Mikado nodded with satisfaction. “I believe this court is overdue for its conclusion. Mayor Mare, would you do the honors?”

“Gladly-” The mare paused. “As soon as somepony tells me who just shot a spitball at me.”

There was a pitter, and a patter.

“Say,” David swept his brow. “Does anyone else feel a little…sweaty?”

“I think that’s coming…from above.” Starlight noted.

Everypony paused, blinked, and looked up. It began to rain, heavily.

“I believe this court is overdue for a recess…” The Mayor growled.

It never would have crossed the mind of anypony that having to stand outside instead of inside to avoid the rain would become a thing. Almost anypony. An industrial sized wind dryer was placed inside the hall while the better part of the court spent their recess outside, the dryer itself being provided by none other than a certain earth stallion with more degrees of knowledge than what might have been good for him, or even anypony for that matter.

“This is officially the longest recess in the history of this town’s trials.” Starlight added.

“And the trial?” David wondered.

“It speaks for itself.”

“I can only wonder if any of this could have been prevented, had I shown up a little sooner?” Doctor Whooves chimed in. “So sorry, Miss Glimmer.”

“Just as long as you brought the real evidence, I won’t bat an eye.” The unicorn glanced to her partner. “In any case, Mikado’s already caught on to what we’re up to. We need to come up with a new strategy before we confront him again.”

“The way I’m looking at it,” David proposed. “If we can prove that the fire at Sugarcube Corner was more than just an accident, then we can win over the Cake’s case and focus on helping the weather team.”

“Hold ona’ second there, pal.” Starlight cautioned. “As much as I hate to burst your thinking bubble, you do realize that proving something is more than just an accident means that it was done on purpose, right? In other words, we would need a culprit.”

“You know any arsonists around town?”

“Please, you may have me on your side, but I know you’re not that cold-hearted.” Starlight scoffed, considering the boy for a moment. “No, you’re not cold-hearted, you’re ambitious. Sometimes a little too much for your own good.”

“The only way we’re going to win this case is if we convince the court otherwise.”

“If you go around flaunting that the fire was on purpose the court will demand a culprit right then and there, and I suggest we don’t do that until we have more than enough evidence on who this supposed arsonist could possibly be.”

“If I may suggest.” The Doctor included. “A step-by-step process is the easiest route to the conclusion of any procedure. I have brought here with me the evidence which had been lying in the oven tray.” He produced a small case, the chemical testing tubes lying within. “Focus on the details, young Equerry, and we just might be able to assemble the pieces to the bigger picture.”

David stood back and weighed his mind heavily on the words of the ponies before him. He warmly reminded himself of the faith he had been placing in those who were willing to go through this trial with them, how their confidence and endeavor had inspired him in return. That’s right. He remembered. Sometimes the best thing I can do is put my trust in my friends. After all, that’s what…Twilight told me. Right? A sting coursed through his mind. Once again, the urge to confront the Alicorn on such trivial matters plagued his thought. His strategies and his ideas, his thoughts and processes were beginning to leave him so, in turn for the strife he trialed within. That strange sting like an ember.

“David.” Starlight attempted. “You can’t go on like this, not for much longer.”

“W-What?” He slowly looked her way.

“For Celestia’s sake, just spit it out already!” The unicorn demanded, stomping a hoof. “I don’t care what it is, I just need to know now before it’s too late.”

“Why?” The boy drawled.

“Don’t forget what I said, you’ll burn out in the middle of court if you don’t get over these stupid thoughts, or whatever it is that’s been bothering you.” Starlight shook her head. “Look, you don’t have to tell me anymore, I just want to be reassured that you’ll be alright. Let me take over the defense’s position for the time being.”

“I…I can’t let you do that.” David tried, but the ember was all the bigger this time around, much harder to extinguish than last time. “It wouldn’t be fair, and I think our good chum the judge would raise a helluva lotta’ concerns.”

“And you can’t say the same for your current state?” Starlight shook her head again. “Alright, new strategy then, I’m taking over.”

“…” David rubbed his palms over his temples, wiping his fingers over his nose and down his chin. He gave a long and ragged exhale. “Okay.” He sufficed. “Just…don’t get in over your head.”

“I’d never make the same mistake twice.” She delivered a confident nod, addressing her newfound colleague. “Well, Doctor, ready to rock this boat?”

“I’ve always had somewhat of a fear of the ocean…” The poor colt admitted.

As the two trailed inside, David found himself a comfortable spot beneath the awnings of the plaza square. He sat back and reclined over the bench a size or two small for him, his eyes towards the shelter above shielding him from the rays of the sun. With another long and shaky sigh, he craned his sights upwards, and spotted an all too familiar figure standing on the other end of the road.

Clack!

“The court is now back in session for the case of the Cakes and the Pegasus Weather Patrol team.” The Mayor announced over the crowd. She came to a halt, scanning over the defense’s desk with slitted sights. “Has the defense turned up absent?”

Starlight fixed her mane. “No, ma’am. I-I mean, your Honor.” She attempted. “I will be taking over the defense for the time being.”

The Mayor once-overed the unicorn with an almost doubtful glare. “If you are up to the task…” She fixed her glasses. “More importantly, I must know if the Equerry will be making his return?”

“In due time.” Starlight nodded. “He, um…just needed a little break was all.”

“OBJECTION!!”

Sweet Luna, this rice nibbler is already at it again… Starlight grumbled within.

Mikado swept his brush from side to side, one stroke of ink after the other to produce a clear kanji of disapproval. “This mare cannot fill the role of the defense without a suitable subpoena. Therefore, she is automatically in contempt with the court.”

“B-But, Mr. Mikado.” The Mayor tried. “There are no other suitable attorneys at this time.”

He swept his brush again. “It does not matter.” Mikado boldly deemed. “Either the boy will show his face or this case shall come to a close.”

“OBJECTION~!!” Starlight projected.

Hehehe, wow. She chuckled lightly. That felt kinda good.

“Your opponent is me now, Mr. Mikado.” The unicorn puffed her chest. “Or are you trying to tell me you’re too scared to face me in court?”

Mikado gave a nicker of delight. “Ambitious as ever, are we Miss Glimmer?” The foreigner released a menacing laugh. “You’ve deemed this opportunity as your one and only chance to encompass the true authority of the Equerry’s title. Capacity, control, competence. This is what you truly crave, isn’t it?” His eyes flared to an ethereal yet icy blue.

Starlight weighed on her desk, hesitance swarming her mind. What is he talking about?

“Hmph.” The stallion recomposed. “Who am I to subdue the endeavor a sorceress yields herself to, in the pursuit of knowledge and power? Very well, Miss Glimmer, you have piqued my interest. I will face you in court.”

He’s dropped his defenses all of a sudden. Starlight pondered. That could mean something good just as it does bad. I guess I’ll just stick with what the kid said and try not to get too into it. For right now, I’ll focus on the evidence and see where that gets me.

“Without further ado, we shall resume this case.” The Mayor deemed. “Does the defense have any further contributions to bring to the court?”

“We have, your Honor.” Starlight replied dutifully. “As a matter of fact, my good friend the Doctor here would like to provide an explanation to his sampled evidence.”

“Sampled evidence, you say?” The Mayor clicked.

“I present to the court, Doctor Time Turner Whooves.” Starlight announced, giving the stallion the floor.

“Greetings, ladies and gentlecolts of the jury.” Whooves assumed a courteous bow, glancing over his audience with a content grin. “For many years I have studied the sciences, and in both my academic and researching endeavors, I have come across an almost infinite array of problems that not even I could solve. That is to say, almost surely-”

“OBJECTION!!”

Mikado was busy rubbing his ink stick to the stone. “Get to the point.” He growled.

Whooves stiffened, frozen and scared. He looked to Starlight for help, to which the unicorn simply shrugged.

“Objection sustained.” The Mayor nodded. “Whooves, get on with it.”

“R-Right…” The poor stallion looked hurt. He rummaged into his saddle bag and produced the vials in question. “These test tubes contain samples of ash from the oven tray. After running a series of tests, it was found that copious amounts of copper had been lying within.”

“And what does this prove?” The Mayor raised.

“This proves, your Honor, that the cake itself was not the main cause of the fire.” Whooves led on. “Rather, it was what lied within the cake that caused the flames to break out. Copper is a highly conductive element, and can more than likely cause a short between circuits when introducing extremely high temperatures.”

“There’s no way Mrs. Cake could have been careless enough to drop those pieces of copper into her pastry, especially when considering that she works in a bakery.” Starlight prepared, placing her hoof to the desk. “The question then stands, how did those samples of copper really end up inside of the cake?”

The courtroom was run through with another series of chattering concerns. In response, the Mayor raised her gavel and swung it to the plate.

“Miss Glimmer, if you claim that Mrs. Cake is not responsible for the tampering of her pastry, then who?” The Mayor demanded.

I suppose we’ve already gone off the deep end with this one. Starlight surmised. I don’t know if the kid would have done it any differently, but now that I see it, this was inevitable from the start. All I need to do now is press the witnesses for the culprit.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk…” Mikado clicked from behind his desk.

Is he…laughing? The unicorn took a step back. Wait, what’s he planning this time?

The court leveled back down into silence, all eyes focusing on the foreigner at his desk.

“Mr. Mikado?” The Mayor raised her brows. “Is there something you’d like to add?”

And the stallion gave a subtle nod. “Oh, Miss Glimmer, I expected more of a fight from you.” The ambassador twirled his ink brush. “You should have known better than to lend this case over on a silver platter. Why, if your Equerry were still with you, perhaps he could have steered the course of this trial in a more desirable direction.” He chortled on. “But let’s face it, this was inevitable from the very beginning.”

“What’re you on about?” Starlight questioned.

“Your schemes were blatant from the moment they had begun.” Mikado’s glare sunk deeper. “Every objection I had raised was a means to produce the results that I wanted from the defense’s side. Inevitably, the trial was led to this very point in time.Don’t you see? The trap was set the very moment you stepped up to the plate.”

“N-No.” The mare seethed. “No, that can’t be!”

“And now I, the prosecution, shall give you the true culprit to this crime!” Mikado projected, swiping across the papers with his brush as he spoke on. “Allow us to look back on the humble words of our faithful witness, Mrs. Cake. There was one customer whom had walked into the bakery that morning to have a special cake made for them. Everything was provided to the bakery by this customer. The instructions, the ingredients, everything. Is it not safe to say that the customer was responsible for the upbringing of the cake as well, the very pastry and the contents within that had caused the fire?” Mikado bellowed over the court. “I will tell you who that customer was, it was none other than Mr. Filthy Rich himself!”

More than once now the Mayor had slammed her gavel to the desk, and yet the cries of the crowd roared on. Worse yet, they were all in favor of the accusations aimed towards the culprit.

“I-I don’t understand!” Starlight protested. “You’re putting the blame on both the Cakes and the Rich family?”

“This is a trial, Miss Glimmer.” Mikado tsked again. “I have been through a many in my time, more than you can even begin to fathom. Each and everyone one of my opponents had met a fate far worse than what I have so generously inflicted upon you. You, and your missing Equerry, that is.” The old stallion released a hearty, gut-wrenching guffaw. “It’s time to face the truth of it, Starlight Glimmer. After everything, you truly are incompetent.”

No…no, that’s not true! Starlight clenched her eyes shut, hooves over her head as she pressed her temples to the desk. Did I…Did I mess up?

It was more than just sitting around and doing nothing at all. Sometimes the birds would buzz by, singing and chirping as they fluttered into the rays of the sun. Sometimes a warm breeze or rather a chill would carry down the isles of the plaza, rustling dead leaves like miniature tumbleweeds, and the short stalks of grass dancing gracefully in the wind. It was more than just a beautiful day, it was absolutely stunning. Gorgeous, even.

“And that,” Discord ended. “Is the simplicity of it all, my dear boy.”

David could only produce a long and tired sigh. As he sat on the bench beneath the awning, overlooking the red and yellowed trees in the far distance, his good pal the draconequus of the hour had decided to find his seat next to his.

“You’re not gonna give me another excruciating lecture, are you?” David wondered.

“Heavens no, my dear boy, I don’t even think my ears could take such a beating.” He drooped. “This chapter has gone on for long enough as it is.”

“Does that mean you’re going to end it here?” The boy chuckled involuntarily. “Is this dream finally going to end? Come to think of it, this is the first time since I’ve been here that I actually don’t want it to end just yet. Not because I feel any obligation to stay, but I really want to find out how all of this is going to turn out.”

“Ultimately, that decision is left up to you.” Discord told him. “This is your story after all. You decide how you want it to turn out.”

The boy craned his sights up to the beast, eyes tight and confused.

“Oh, don’t give me that look. Even when I’m not trying to break the fourth wall that line makes plenty of sense.” The draconequus swept his gaze across the land. “The true trial is whether or not you are willing to see it through to the end.”

For that sliver of a moment in time, even if the boy himself knew that he wasn’t entirely sure what was going on, he felt as though the world around him bounded together in a single understanding. The sights, the sounds, the smells, the touch and the taste, it all settled and blended together. It lived together and it thrived as one, in harmony. For it was only that moment in time, and just like the simple snap of fingers, he realized himself back into the world.

“I’m glad that all of this has happened. Truly, I haven’t had this much fun in many, many years.” Discord admitted, looking back to the boy. “I’ll tell you what, since you’ve held out for this long, I’m going to give you all the answers you and your dear Starlight are going to need to finish this trial, on one condition.”

“At this point, agreeing seems to be the only option.” David sufficed.

The draconequus took on a fatherly vibe, and lent his paw to the boy’s shoulder. “Come bowling with me in the winter. I’ll invite Spike, too.” And with that, he dropped his arm.

David sat and stared at the beast, motionless and inexplicably at a loss of words. He need not to attempt and agree with the old trickster any further, for Discord knew that the boy would already accept the offer anyhow. It was a degree of intuition.

“Here you are.” Discord produced a simple folder, a single set of pages within. “Go in there and give ‘em a bit of hell first. When you open that folder, the rest will be taken care of.”

“I’ve always meant to ask…” The boy started. “Why do you want to help me?”

And the beast shrugged. “We’ll just call it a spur of the moment.” Discord decided.

David sat still for a moment longer before giving a firm nod of satisfaction, seemingly moreover because the conversation was finally brought to an end. He rose from the bench and turned in the direction of Town Hall, steadily marching towards possibly his final endeavor in this grand scheme of, more or less, nothingness.

“Oh hey, Discord.” He turned and called back. “I almost forgot to tell you, I came up with an answer to your riddle.”

The draconequus was sipping on a slushie. He paused mid slurp, smacked his lips, and thought hard. “My riddle?” He questioned.

“The seven letter word. Y’know, the one you told me after our long talk at the bar?” David stood in silence for a moment, pondering over his answer, and with another shrug he simply grinned. “Oh well, I guess I’ll tell you some other time.” And with a final wave he turned and continued down the path into Ponyville.

Discord was alone now. The words from the young human had hit a peculiar mark, one where he had not felt something for a long, long time. “He…remembered?” And Discord realized that since the beginning of their little conversation, he had always remembered. “How long has it been since I last visited her?”

The prosecution stood at the advantage, and the defense was no more than a crumpling heap of papers and panic, trying anything and everything to obtain the upper hoof in the argument. Alas, the unicorn couldn’t find a shred of evidence, nor a testimony to tell of their client’s innocence. She had done it, then, Starlight had mistakenly gotten in over her head. Not to mention in so little time, too. Was it more of Mikado’s tricks? More of his foreign magic and strange enchantments at play here? No, Starlight knew that deep down she couldn’t pin the blame on anypony any longer, her own incompetence was entirely to blame. And for that, she damned herself.

“Does the defense have any further statements to make?” The Mayor awaited, as though preparing for the sentence.

“There’s a contradiction…” She tried. “There’s a testimony…” And tried again. “There’s…”

“The defense appears to have lost their composure.” Mikado raised. “Your Honor, I believe that you know what must be done now.”

“Very well.” Mayor Mare raised her gavel. “The court has found the defendants Mr. and Mrs. Cake, and the pegasi of the Ponyville Weather Patrol-”

Her gavel hovered over the plate…and the doors to the courtroom slowly swung apart.

David walked down the center isle, folder tucked beneath one arm, shoulders broad and gait strong. He adjusted his imaginary tie and fixed the ends of his jacket, a stunning glare and the intention to bring this trial back to its knees.

“It would appear that our noble Equerry has come to join his companion in their defeat.” Mikado splayed a cocky grin.

“I was told to give this court a little hell, first.” David announced, crossing the bar and walking to the center of the room. “And that starts right after you wipe that grin off your filthy face.”

“Playing at insults, are we?” The ambassador tsked again. “You should know better than to ruin your chances with petty remarks.”

“Then you know just as well as I do that we do still have a chance.” The boy triumphed. “And I’m here to set this trial on that path, once and for all.”

“David…?” Starlight looked on from her spot at the desk.

“Don’t worry, Star.” He returned a reassuring glance. “I know what to do now.”

“It would appear that our Equerry has returned to the defense’s chair?” The Mayor proposed.

“That’s right, your Honor.” David nodded. “And I bring with me-”

“OBJECTION!!”

“Your Honor, the defense only plans to prolong this trial.” Mikado pushed. “End it now!”

“OBJECTION!!” David returned. “To reject my pursuit would mean to claim a false verdict! What say you, your Honor?”

“You are already in contempt with court for leaving your post!” Mikado shot back. “Your Honor, I did not give you that gavel to simply look at. Use it now!” He pushed.

A spell of silence reigned over the courtroom, everypony present awaiting the Mayor’s decision. She laid still and quiet for an uncomfortable amount of time, almost too long for her own good. With a content nod, she addressed the prosecution.

“Mr. Mikado.” The Mayor called. “I do not believe I will be needing your gavel any longer.”

“W-What?” Mikado was in shock, and so was everypony else.

“The defense’s objection is sustained. In the name of justice, we cannot deny any evidence that could further a potential outcome.” She glared down at the ambassador. “Therefore, you are overruled.”

Once again, a single, undesired drop from the stallion’s ink brush landed onto his page.

This court sure has brought a lot of one-eighties out of a lot of people. David thought.

“Without further ado,” Mayor Mare looked on over the room. “I believe this court is overdue for this much anticipated shred of evidence. Mr. David, if you would explain to us please?”

“With pleasure, your Honor.” The boy prepared. “I have suspicions which claim that the fire at Sugarcube Corner was in fact not an accident.”

“You have suspicions, not evidence.” Mikado argued. “What good will that do you?”

“Then perhaps I should begin with the fact that this town is lacking something, something that would be imperative to the safety of its citizens.” David nodded. “A fire station.”

Concerned murmurs rose from the jury and the audience.

“Had Ponyville been equipped with a fire station, then the tragedy at Sugarcube Corner would’ve almost never happened. But it did, and the culprit whom started the fire took advantage of this fact. That is to say, I do not have suspicions alone that the fire was on purpose, but I have proof.” David dared. “And that’s because I have evidence that Captain Sunshower and her team of weather pegasi…had been set up!”

The roars of the crowd bellowed on, Mayor Mare almost wished she hadn’t given up her gavel.

“Explain this proof to the court.” She demanded.

“We’ve only to look back at the jar that was given to us.” The boy reminded. “The very jar from the weather pegasi which, by opening the lid and producing a rain cloud here in the middle of court, proved that there was indeed a cloud inside of it. If we were to compare this cloud with the rain clouds that the weather pegasi had used in dowsing the fire, there is a distinct difference to note here.”

“OBJECTION!!” Mikado raised. “You have no concrete evidence of these clouds whatsoever!”

“And are you so sure?” The boy turned smug. “Just ask our trusty Doctor. From the get-go he had provided us with all the evidence we would ever need, just in the wrong manner.”

“Does the defense mean to say that the Doctor’s evidence is false?” The Mayor questioned.

“Not exactly, your Honor.” David returned. “What I really mean to say is that the copper found in the tests the Doctor conducted didn’t come from the pastry that Mrs. Cake tried to bake. Rather…it came from the clouds the weather pegasi used to put out the fire!” He upraised. “As I said before, all we have to do is compare the cloud in the jar with the clouds the weather pegasi had used. And we have that evidence, right here, in the Doctor’s test tubes.”

“Ah, but you are forgetting something, ambitious Equerry.” Mikado twirled his brush. “It would appear that you do not have all the evidence you need after all.”

“Is that so?” The boy waited.

“Do not forget that when you had opened that jar, the cloud was released into the courtroom, thus rendering the glass container before you now as truly empty.” The stallion gave a chortle. “So sorry, young attorney, but it appears that your evidence has run up a little dry.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that, ambitious ambassador.” David felt stupidly smug in that moment, eyeing the foreigner’s piece. “Tell me…when was the last time you cleaned that brush of yours?”

Mikado froze, his eyes now wide. Yet another drop landed on the paper.

“Still looks a little wet to me, don’t ya’ think? From our little indoor showers, I presume?” David raised his hand. “Would you be so kind as to lend it to the court, so that we may run a proper test on comparing these cloud samples?”

“Y-You can’t.” Mikado hesitated. “This was a special gift.”

“And that special gift of yours has got evidence bound to the court dripping all over it.” David raised his finger. “To discard of it now would mean you agree that the two cloud samples do indeed have differences between them. Am I wrong?”

“This is outrageous!” Mikado raised angrily. “Your Honor, this filthy monkey has been in contempt with court from the very beginning. Be rid of him at once!”

The Mayor was in a state of deciphering the boy’s words, simply ignoring the ambassador’s protests. “It would appear that we have come to an understanding.” She announced. “The rain cloud samples that which the weather pegasi had used to dowse the flames are to be found within Doctor Whooves’ test tubes samples from the oven tray, and the raw, unprocessed water vapor that was released from the jar would be found in Mr. Mikado’s ink brush. If we were to compare these two samples, and find distinct differences between the two, that would then prove that the weather pegasi were given an invalid shipment of clouds from the weather factory all along.” She nodded with content. “I see then. Excellent work, young Equerry. I knew you could pull through with this one.”

*drip* *drop*

“M-Mr. David?” The Mayor alarmed. “Are you alright?”

“Just a little weathered down…your Honor.” He mumbled.

“Why is there a brush on your head?”

“It would appear that I have obtained the evidence.” The boy raised a finger. “If you would like to consult the provider, he’s standing right over there.”

All eyes in the room returned to Mikado. For having taken such a heavy defeat, the old ambassador appeared quite calm now. He simply flared his horn back to life and produced yet another ink brush, nonchalantly dipping the end into his stone as he swept and stroked across his parchment. “I thought I’d let the boy know,” Mikado huffed. “He missed a spot.”

And thus, the Doctor got to work at obtaining the samples and running the proper tests. The concerns over whether or not the weather factory had been producing invalid rain clouds would be questioned for another trial, perhaps even in council with the higher-ups of Cloudsdale and those of the capitol, in Canterlot. These were all questions to be saved for another time, and although the boy and the unicorn slowly felt reassured over the whole ordeal, something was missing. Perhaps Mikado was right when he had mentioned that ‘he missed a spot.’

David looked down, and there the folder still lay. The one given to him by Discord. He picked it up and slowly opened it, emerging the contents within.

“What is it?” Starlight wondered.

“These are…the blue prints.” He looked on, perplexed. “Mr. Mikado’s blue prints.”

“For the Nightmare Night festival?”

“One is in Ponish” He raised the two. “And the other in Japanese.”

“Koumanese.” Returned a familiar tone.

As the voice sounded throughout the hall, everypony turned to watch as the double doors to Town Hall swung apart for a final time. Light poured down the center isle, and down the carpet came a pair of ponies. Mikado grinned, unable to mask the menacing glare that took hold.

“Ronin Edelhoof.” The emperor nodded. “I have been waiting for this moment for a long time.”

“Don’t worry, your excellency.” Ronin returned. “I will not fail you this time.”

Amethyst stood by in the light, and the audience gawked as the showdown between the two Neighsians was in the midst of its beginning.

The defense had now outnumbered the prosecution four to one, even though it already appeared that the outcome of the trial was clear. Alas, Ronin and Amethyst had insisted on unfinished business, taking the reigns to the defense’s desk as they stood before their opponent at the other end of the room. The hall laid quiet, everypony present taking the much needed spell of silence as a call to reflect upon the outcome of today’s events. The evening glow shined through the windows from the defense’s side, streaming across the skies outside in splashes of orange, yellow and white. The silence broke as Mikado spoke.

“It would seem that my exposure is imminent.” He almost chuckled.

“Exposure?” The boy wondered.

“Those blueprints belong to my construction company, I did not expect them to appear here.” Mikado said. “But, wherever I go, they go as well. They are now at your disposal.”

“So you’re just giving yourself up then?” Starlight cautioned. “I don’t like this, it must be another trick.”

“No, it’s alright.” Ronin calmed. “He had been planning this from the very beginning, that I know for sure now.”

The room laid quiet again, everypony tight in tension, and thus the Mayor projected.

“Mr. Mikado?” She addressed. “Have you any means to defend yourself?”

“I do not, your Honor.” Mikado dropped his defenses. “As I had said before, I’ve been waiting for this moment for a very long time. I will allow my fellow Neighsian this triumph, just this once.”

“I-I see.” The Mayor attempted. “Well then, Mr. Edelhoof, is it?”

The young foreigner nodded.

“Before court is adjourned, have you anything to provide to this trial?”

“Not this trial in particular, your Honor.” He raised the blueprints in question. “But it does have to do with our noble ambassador and construction owner standing right over there. As a matter of fact, it has something to do with the entire town, and I can prove it using these blueprints.” The young unicorn sprawled the two prints over the desk, side by side, and continued. “One of the prints was written in Ponish, while the other was written in Koumanese. The prints written in Ponish were given to the construction crew building the attractions for this year’s Nightmare Night festivities, while the prints written in Kouma were of Mikado’s personal belongings, prints exclusive to his viewing and his viewing only.”

“Is it so strange that the owner of a construction company would have his own prints to look at?” The Mayor wondered. “And in his own, native tongue to boot?”

“That’s where the secrecy lies, your Honor.” Ronin provided. “Look closely now, do you see the differences in the prints?”

The Mayor fixed her glasses, comparing the two. “Ah, yes.” She blinked. “There appears to be a small modification in this spot, right here.”

“And do you recognize that spot?” Ronin pushed on.

“If there was any highlight I had taken from that little field trip, it was the fact that you and your faithful partner, Miss Amnesty, were all but responsible for the injury I had acquired.”

“And for that, I am sorry.” Ronin shook his head. “But there is a reason as to why the integrity of this construction did not hold up, when it should have. I am no stranger to my own culture’s way of building.”

“And what do you inquire, Mr. Edelhoof?” The Mayor finally asked.

Ronin gave a firm nod. “Mikado led you to this spot on the construction sight on purpose.” And he slammed both hooves to the desk. “Your Honor, I have no doubt in my mind that this scheme the ambassador of Neighsia had tried to lead you through…was an assassination attempt!”

The Mayor needn’t even ask, but the question

weighed on the tip of her tongue. Slowly, she lowered her glasses from her face and rested them to the desk. She eyed the ambassador with several amounts of dreadful regard, and breathed coldly into the space of the court.

“Mr. Mikado.” She mumbled to him. “Is this true…?”

The old stallion was uncomfortably quiet. His eyes fell to a close, and he laid still. Then, as he reopened them, in his sights lied blue, ethereal orbs, daggers of ice stinging deep beneath Ronin’s form. The young stallion held strong, embracing the ambassador’s cold gaze.

“No other member of your family had even dared to defy me for the many years I had reigned, not even your uncle had stood up to the challenge.” Mikado spoke on. “But you, Ronin…you truly are the one I have been waiting for all this time, aren’t you?”

Ronin did not answer, his gaze all the answer the stallion needed.

Mikado nodded. “Sōuka.” He concluded. “Shōrai matai ima shōu.”

“What’s he saying?” Starlight asked.

“It sounds like he’s planning on leaving…” The boy determined.

“You won’t get away that easily.” Starlight dared. “You may be an emperor, but even so, everyone faces justice.”

“And truer words have never been spoken, Miss Glimmer.” Mikado gave a final nod. “And you, young Equerry.”

David simply stared, unreplying.

“I expect you and I have business in the future as well, I look forward to our next meeting.”

“Wait-!” Amethyst called across the hall. “I’ve something to ask you, Mikado.”

“Ah, yes.” Mikado chuckled, slowly and lowly. “My dear Senkō.”

And the young mare blinked, almost unbelieving. “Is it true, then?” She asked him. “What you told me in my dream, and the visions of my mother…”

Not a single word escaped the old stallion’s lungs. He simply breathed and stretched a small, knowing smile across his face. Without a second more of hesitation, he lowered his head, flared his horn, and in a brilliant flash of cold white and blue, disappeared without a trace. Immediately, the courtroom went into alarm.

“Ralph, search the building for Mikado at once!” The Mayor ordered.

“Yes, ma’am.” The bat pony quickly saluted, and sped off.

“Sam, search the vicinity for any sign of the ambassador, we cannot lose him.”

“Right away.” The white stallion sprung to action, barreling out the open doors.

From miles away, Mikado stood atop a hill looking over the expanses of the humble, little village in the valley. It was his first and last departure from the town, and though he intended not to return, some sense of a fleeting, yearning desire tugged at the deepest pit of his mind. Or rather, it might have been the sudden presence that was much too quick to accompany him.

“Golly, that’s it? The filly scoffed. “A little pathetic, don’t you think? I thought you would have put up more of a fight.”

“I want nothing more to do with this petty, country town.” Mikado replied coldly. “I only wish to return home now.”

“Does that mean…?”

“It is yours for the taking.” The stallion began trotting away. “Only if you are up to the task.”

The filly looked down on the town from the hill, eyes glowing like an amber fire as she deviously twisted her hooves together. “Oh, I’ll show these country hicks.” She cackled. “I’ll give them a Nightmare Night they’ll never forget.”