“Let us begin with the prosecution’s opening statement.” Chief Justice stated.

“Yes, your honor.” Pharynx said as he stood from his seat and walked to the floor. He then proceeded to give his statement.

“I am called Pharynx and I am acting on behalf of my queen, Chrysalis of the changelings. Some time ago, on a pony holiday known as ‘Nightmare Night’, a number of ponies dressed up in the likeness of my fellow changelings. One such pony went so far as to dress as Queen Chrysalis herself. All involved ponies made slanderous and hurtful comments about my queen and the rest of my race. The ponies of this town seem to view us as nothing but love sucking monsters. A view that has left my queen, and many of us changelings, very distressed. I intend to prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that not only are these statements false, but those that made them did so maliciously and without a trace of kindness or love. As such they deserve to be punished for their words.”

“Thank you, counsellor. Does the defense wish to make an opening statement as well?” Chief Justice asked.

“Yes, your honor.” Shining Armor replied before he said his piece.

“Good ponies and changelings of the town of Ponyville. I am Shining Armor. Former Captain of the Guard for Princess Celestia herself, Prince Consort of the Crystal Empire, and the defendant of the mayor and people of Ponyville. I am also somepony with previous experience with changelings, particularly the prosecution. I can understand why the comments that Chrysalis allegedly said were made in malice were made. But for it to be considered defamation, the statements have to be false, not just unpleasant to the one the statements were said to or about. And I feel confident that I can prove that the statements in question were true. Even if not, there are multiple aspects that must be met for it to truly be considered defamation. I believe I can meet all these aspects to your satisfaction so that the town can be absolved of all guilt and liability. I trust you good ponies will find you are able to trust your Captain and neighboring prince.”

“Very good. Now then, does the prosecution wish to call forth a witness?” Chief Justice asked.

“Before we do that, we wish to raise an objection.” Pharynx stated.

“Very well. What is your objection?”

“The prosecution believes that Captain Armor is not fit to take part in this trial. He himself just stated that he had previous contact with my client and queen. As such, we believe him to be biased against us. If this is to be a fair trial, we cannot allow bias. Not to mention that since he is no longer Captain of the Guard, he has no legal right to act as a lawyer. Just being here should get him arrested for practicing law without a license.”

“In response to that statement, I wish for it to be known that part of my training for a guard captain involved being able to ignore bias whenever possible, and I believe I can successfully do so here. I also want everypony to know that I never formally resigned as Captain of the Guard. As far as legality goes, I still hold the title. And one of the abilities the Captain has is being able to act as defense consul in any trial they so choose unless told not to by the princesses themselves.” Shining Armor countered.

“What Captain Armor said is, in fact, true. Your objection is overruled. However, I wish to remind the Captain that he must refrain from letting his emotions or personal experiences get the better of him. If I have any reason to think you will do otherwise, I will not hesitate to remove him from this trial and insert someone else to act as the defense. And he has no authority to stop me from doing so if that is what I decide. Am I clear?” the judge stated.

“Yes, your honor.”

Chrysalis was visibly upset that she could not get Shining Armor removed from the trial. She had no desire to be near him after how he and his bride had humiliated her in Canterlot. Shining saw her anger and smirked at her, glad that he had managed to get under her skin.

“Now I ask again, does the prosecution wish to call forth a witness?” Chief Justice asked.

“Yes, your honor. The prosecution calls Mayor Mare of Ponyville to the stand.” Pharynx stated.

Surprised at being the first one called up, the mayor slowly walked up to the witness stand.

“Keep your answers short and sweet.” Shining Armor whispered to the mayor as she walked up.

Once she made it to the witness stand, the bailiff held out a large book and ordered Mayor Mare to put her right hoof on the book, which she did.

“Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you Celestia?” The judge asked.

“I swear.” Mayor Mare replied.

As Mayor Mare took her seat on the witness stand, Pharynx approached her.

“So, miss mayor. I take it you know why you’re here?” Pharynx asked.

“Yes. You believe that the town has made slanderous statement against your queen.” Mayor Mare answered.

“Correct. And do you deny making such comments?”

“Yes.”

“Even though you were quoted as using the words ‘scary’ and ‘nasty’ to describe my queen and race?”

“W-well, I-”

“Do you have any proof of us changelings doing anything scary or nasty?”

“Well, I’ve heard all about-”

“Heard. So you didn’t see anything?” Pharynx interrupted.

“Well, no. I wasn’t at the wedding, but-”

“Thank you! Next question.”

Mayor Mare wasn’t even able to get out one more stutter before Pharynx launched into his next set of questions.

“If you have no proof that we are allegedly ‘scary’ and ‘nasty’, what basis do you have to think that anything you, or the ponies in your town, is true?”

“Well, like I said, I heard-”

“Heard. Heard, heard, heard. You like saying that. Well, what about what you saw? Did you see any proof that we are what you said? Or was it all lies on your part? Falsities?” Pharynx growled as he got in Mayor Mare’s face.

“Objection! He’s intimidating the witness!” Shining Armor shouted.

“Sustained. Mr. Pharynx, ease up on your questioning. Or else.” Chief Justice ordered.

“Fine.” Pharynx growled. “Next question: How much do you know about changelings as a whole?”

“Not a lot. Only what I’ve been told by others.” Mayor Mare answered.

“Are you aware that we feed on love from other creatures as a food source? That without it, we’ll starve? Just like any other creature that goes without food?”

“Well, no. Not really.”

“So how are we ‘scary’ and ‘nasty’ just for trying to get a little bit of food?”

“Well, there is the fact that-”

“Are your ponies scary and nasty whenever they go out for a bite?” Pharynx interrupted. “Would that not be a reckless disregard for the truth to say that? Is it not just as much of a disregard to say that about changelings? Is it not just as hurtful and insulting? Able to cause someone emotional damage?”

Mayor Mare had no immediate answer to those questions.

“Your silence speaks volumes. No further questions.”

“Does the defense wish to cross examine the witness?” Chief Justice asked.

“Yes, your honor.” Shining Armor said as he and Pharynx switched places.

“Now then, Miss Mayor, you repeatedly told the prosecution about what you heard, but never really explained what that was. Would you tell the court exactly what you did hear?” Shining Armor asked.

“Objection! Hearsay!” Pharynx yelled.

“Overruled on the grounds of Reputation Concerning General History and Reputation Concerning Character. Mayor Mare, continue.” Chief Justice stated.

“Yes, your honor. I had been told by the Elements of Harmony, who all live in my town, that at a wedding in Canterlot, strange insect like ponies with shapeshifting powers called changelings tried to invade Equestria. And they very nearly succeeded. A lot of Canterlot was damaged and many ponies were hurt before the changelings were defeated.” Mayor Mare answered.

“I’d like to remind the court that these damages and injuries are well documented and easily proven. With that in mind, tell me Miss Mayor, does it sound defamatory or false to say those responsible for such destruction and injuries are ‘scary’ or ‘nasty’?”

“No. Now that you say it, I guess not.”

“Now then, your statements may have identified Chrysalis, I’ll give them that, but do you really think there’s any fault on your part for making statements like that? Is it your fault that they caused you to see them in such a negative light?”

“No.” Mayor Mare repeated.

“Lastly, do you feel that what you said caused any damage to Chrysalis at all? Anything that may have caused her extreme hurt feelings or emotional stress?”

“Personally, I don’t think so. Ponies call each other scary and nasty on Nightmare Night all the time. Usually, they’re meant as compliments on that day. Even on other days, we’ve insulted others with much worse words. I still remember the way most of us talked about Zecora, the zebra that lives in the Everfree Forest, before we got a chance to know her. But if what the Elements of Harmony say is true, then Chrysalis isn’t like that. She doesn’t seem to just be a misunderstood soul like Zecora was. The statements I’ve heard about her previously makes her seem much more malicious. The fact that she’s glaring daggers at me right now isn’t doing much to convince me otherwise.”

“Thank you, Mayor Mare. No further questions, your honor.” Shining Armor said as he sat back down.

“Mayor Mare, you may return to your seat now. Prosecution, call up your next witness.” Chief Justice ordered.

“The prosecution calls Miss Sweetness Corlett Belle to the stand.” Pharynx responded.

Sweetie Belle was surprised to hear her full name get called out. She wasn’t expecting to be called on to talk at this trial. But despite being afraid of having to talk to the angry looking changeling, the white unicorn filly slowly made her way to the witness stand. Once there, the bailiff had her put her right hoof on the same book that Mayor Mare had. Sweetie had to rear up on her hind legs in order to reach the book.

“Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you Celestia?” The judge asked.

“Yes.” Sweetie answered.

The filly then moved to take a seat in the witness stand. But once she sat down, Sweetie found that the chair was too low for her to properly see. Her eyeline barely cracked the bar of the stand.

“Bailiff, could you get Miss Belle something to sit on so she can be at eye level?” The judge requested.

“Yes, your honor.”

With that, the bailiff left the courtroom as fast as he could. He returned a moment later holding a large cookbook in his hoof. He then placed the book on the seat, allowing Sweetie Belle to be raised up. Once she was in her seat, Sweetie was approached by Pharynx.

“Miss Belle, tell us, where were you on the most recent October 31st?” Pharynx asked.

“Well, it was Nightmare Night, so I was out having all sorts of Nightmare Night fun with my friends.” Sweetie Belle answered.

“This ‘fun’, as you call it, does it involve dressing up?”

“It does.”

“And what, or who, did you dress up as?”

“Well, I…I went as Queen Chrysalis.”

“Really, now? The same Queen Chrysalis that is sitting in that seat right there?” Pharynx asked, pointing to his Queen sitting at the nearby table.

“Well, yes, but…”

“What made you decide to dress as my queen?”

“Well, I wanted to go as something scary.”

“Scary? You say you see the queen as scary?” Pharynx snarled at the filly.

“W-well…I…um…” Sweetie stammered in fear.

“Objection! He’s intimidating the witness again!” Shining Armor shouted.

“Sustained. Counsellor, I shouldn’t have to remind you a second time. Keep your emotions in check.” Chief Justice warned.

“Yes, your honor.” Pharynx growled as he backed away from Sweetie Belle. “Let us continue. What made you decide to use the name of my queen without permission? What made you decide that you could make her look bad by portraying her as ‘evil’? I believe that is the word you used.”

“I didn’t know that I had to get permission to dress up as her. Nopony told me that.”

“And as for my other questions?”

“I was just going by what I remember from the wedding. That’s what I was going off of when I pretended to be her.”

“Well, if you were paying attention earlier, you surely have heard that we changelings feed on love, and were just trying to get it to feed ourselves. So how is just doing that grounds to be seen as ‘evil’? Calling us ‘evil’ just because we were trying to feed is a gross violation of our integrity as changelings. Not to mention that acting as if all changelings are as allegedly ‘evil’ as you think our queen is demonstrates a clear case of discrimination based solely on our species. With all that in mind, how can your statements be seen as anything but defamatory?” Pharynx asked Sweetie even though he was facing the jury.

There was much consideration made amongst the jury and spectators.

“Defamatory statements aside, there’s also the fact that everything you said that night is clearly a lie, and you knew it.” Pharynx accused.

“Huh? What are you talking about?” Sweetie asked.

“I am talking about the ploy you and the rest of Ponyville took part in on Nightmare Night to disparage the name of the changeling race. Except for you, it’s worse since you decided to play the part of our queen. You purposefully perpetuated the lie that we are nothing but monsters, and that our queen is a monster.”

“That’s not what I wanted. I just wanted to have fun and get candy!” Sweetie argued.

“What you wanted is irrelevant. What you did, on the other hoof, is what we’re here to talk about. And we are talking about how you not only knowingly called yourself ‘Queen Chrysalis’, but while in this guise, you also called yourself ‘evil’. Let the record show that Miss Belle here openly identified herself as such and has been quoted as saying as such on the night in question.” Pharynx said with anger toward the witness. “She acted with reckless disregard for the truth in making such statements. She and the rest of this town are at fault for making a mockery of the changeling name and causing emotional distress to our queen and many of our kind.”

Pharynx then turned towards Sweetie Belle.

“I believe I have made my point now. No further questions, your honor.” Pharynx stated.

“Does the defense wish to cross examine the witness?” Chief Justice asked.

“Yes, your honor.” Shining Armor said.

The Captain turned Prince walked onto the floor and approached Sweetie Belle.

“Okay. Sweetness Corlett Belle, right? Is it alright if I call you that?”

From the stands, Twilight Sparkle could recognize the tone of voice her brother was using. It was the tone of a concerned older brother who wanted to calm down his sister when she was scared or worked up. He had used that tone many times when she was a filly. It always worked like a charm. And it seemed to be working on Sweetie Belle, too. Her face softened up and she suddenly seemed calmer and more agreeable.

“Well, my friends and family call me Sweetie Belle.”

“Alright. Sweetie Belle it is. Tell me, Sweetie Belle. I heard from some ponies around town that you were at the wedding when the changelings invaded. Is that true?” Shining asked.

“Yeah. My friends and I were Princess Cadance’s flower fillies.”

“So you were there when the changeling queen began her invasion?”

“Uh-huh.”

“I know it may be painful for you to remember, but do you remember anything she said or did after she revealed herself? Anything you think you can tell me? Whatever you say will be alright.” Shining said in his same brotherly tone.

“Objection! He’s coercing the witness with soft words and tone of voice!” Pharynx yelled.

“Sustained. Captain Armor, keep this professional. You’re a counsellor, not a foalsitter. And this is a courtroom, not a good cop/bad cop interrogation room.”

“Yes, your honor. In all seriousness, Sweetie Belle, I need you to tell me what you saw Queen Chrysalis say and do in Canterlot.” Shining stated.

“I remember her saying she wanted to take over Canterlot, then all of Equestira, with her changeling army. She also talked about using ponies to drain love to feed herself. Once that really big shield came down, I also remember her singing a song about wanting every stallion, mare and foal to be hers. By then, my friends and I were hiding behind some of the big beams holding up the throne room, waiting for everything to be over.”

“Thank you, Sweetie Belle. Now then, going back to last Nightmare Night, when you dressed as Chrysalis. You thought it would be fun to do that, right?”

“Yes. I wanted to go as the scariest thing I could think of. And all that stuff that happened at the wedding really scared me. So in my opinion, the queen was the best thing to go as since she was also the scariest thing I could think of.”

“In your opinion.” Shining repeated before he stepped away from Sweetie Belle and approached the jury. “Let the record show that for any defamation case to hold weight, the alleged defamatory statement has to be an expression of fact, not opinion. And Miss Belle just said this was just her opinion. Even then, it also has to be a fact that can be proven false. But Miss Belle just admitted to seeing Queen Chrysalis instigate the invasion. So whatever she said during Nightmare Night was just her playing the part of the invader she saw with her own two eyes. That includes the part about sucking love from everypony. Chrysalis did say that, so Miss Belle repeating it during Nightmare Night isn’t a defamatory statement. It’s just a young foal repeating what she heard somepony else said.”

As the jury muttered amongst themselves, Shining Armor approached Sweetie Belle again.

“Now then, Sweetie Belle, the changeling queen over there seems to think that you just playing around on Nightmare Night and repeating things you heard firsthoof means it’s your fault that the changelings look bad. Do you agree with that?” Shining asked.

“What? How is it my fault that they look like monsters because they hurt ponies and wanted to take over Equestria? That’s why I find them scary. My sister always told me not to judge others by how they look. But what they do.”

“That’s a good lesson your sister taught you. So if the changelings hadn’t started an invasion and tried hurting ponies, you wouldn’t have gone as Chrysalis for Nightmare Night and said things like they’re scary love suckers?”

“I don’t think so. Last Nightmare Night, when I went as a vampire, I remember thinking to myself ‘Maybe next year I’ll go as a manticore. Those are scary’. I might have done that instead if I didn’t see the changelings do what they did. Why am I being asked all these questions and feeling like I’m being punished just because I wanted to go dress up as something scary?”

“That’s a very good question.” Shining said as he turned his gaze to the jury. “Why is she being punished for acting the way and saying the things she saw the changelings act and heard them say? Why is all of Ponyville being punished for doing the same thing? Why is there any fault on her part for not having the most positive outlook on changelings because of their actions? Why is she on the witness stand for saying something she had no reason to doubt? Why is Chrysalis angry for something Sweetie Belle said when she herself said similar things?”

The jury, as well as everypony in the stands for that matter, continued to silently debate amongst themselves before Chief Justice banged his gavel.

“Order! We shall have order! Save the deliberations for after all testimonies have been heard.”

Shining Armor then turned back to Sweetie Belle.

“Alright, I just have one more question for you. Then we’re done. Queen Chrysalis also thinks that you doing what you did caused her emotional distress. That it brought shame to her and the rest of the changelings. Is that something you wanted to do when you decided to dress as her for Nightmare Night?”

“What? No. I didn’t want to hurt anypony’s feelings. I didn’t know she’d be in Ponyville when I dressed as her. Plus, why is she worrying about her own emotions and shame after everything that happened at the wedding?” Sweetie answered.

“Excellent point. Why is Chrysalis worrying about how one little filly, one little town, feels about her when she brought so many negative feelings about changelings as a whole to all of Equestria with her actions in Canterlot? Is it not maybe her fault for bringing about a bad reputation for herself and her race? Should she not look at herself if she wants to know who caused such damages to the changeling name, perhaps?”

This brought a new batch of consideration-like mutters from everypony.

“Thank you for talking about this with me, Sweetie Belle. You’re done now. No further questions, your honor.”

“Very well. Miss Belle, you may step down and return to your family now.” Chief Justice said.

Sweetie Belle quickly got out of the seat and returned to the stands. She took the empty seat between her sister and her parents, who quietly assured her that she did a good job up there and was very brave for answering all those questions the best she could.

After that, many other colts and fillies that had dressed as changelings during Nightmare Night were called to the stand. However, when questioned by both Pharynx and Shining Armor, they more or less gave the same answers that Sweetie Belle had. After the last colt had gotten away from the witness stand, the judge got everyone’s attention.

“We have heard many witnesses speak thus far. Prosecution, do you have any more to call?” Chief Justice asked.

“Yes, your honor.”

“Well, that will have to wait until a later time. It is getting late, and I don’t want this trial to drag on into evening. I am calling a recess. The trial will resume tomorrow at 8am sharp.” Chief Justice said with a gavel bang.

Author's Note

The trial has begun. Which way will it go? You'll have to read on to find out. The next chapter will see more witnesses brought to the stand and more back and forth arguments over the nature of defamation. I hope you enjoy it when I get it out.