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Judge:
M-Ms. Silver Spoon?
Diamond:
S-Silvie, what are you—
Silver Spoon:
Your Honor, I... I object!
Judge:
Y-yes, witness? W-what exactly are you objecting to?
Silver Spoon:
I-I'm objecting... to what Athena said, about going to the statue and helping Sweetie Belle!
Judge:
Y-you are?
Silver Spoon:
O-okay, I admit it! I... I didn't exactly go down the gorge with DT when she needed me to! Instead, I DID chase after Scootaloo and Turning Page! But that's it! That's all I did. I never went near that statue, and I NEVER helped Sweetie Belle! Not one bit!
Twilight:
But then, how ELSE could Sweetie Belle have gotten the help she needed for her injury? She couldn't do it on her own, and Silver Spoon, you were the only one in the forest that night, sans Zecora, with the expertise needed to help her!
Silver Spoon:
I-I-I don't know, Princess Twilight! But I still never did what Athena saying I did! A-and it's not like she has any proof to back that up!
Athena:
...
Twilight:
Athena...? You're thinking of something, aren't you?
Athena:
I am. I have a pretty good idea of how to show definitively that Silver Spoon DID help Sweetie Belle that night. But... I don't think I want to do that just yet.
Twilight:
What? But, shouldn't we?
Athena:
We should, nut there's another angle in all of this that I feel needs to be established BEFORE I do that. We know that Silver Spoon's not telling the truth, and it'd be very easy to show that. But we also know Sweetie Belle's been lying to us. I think... I think there's a way to get the BOTH of them to confess the truth. Kill two birds with one stone. And I think, if we do that, we'll be one step closer to figuring out everything.
Twilight:
You really think so?
Athena:
Yeah. I'm more certain of it than I've ever been. Twilight.
Twilight:
... All right, Athena. I'll follow your lead.
Judge:
Defense? This witness has objected to your claim. Do you have any proof to support it?
Athena:
I do, Your Honor—but, I don't want to present it at this moment.
Judge:
You don't WANT to present it? Uh... Ms. Cykes, I'm afraid I don't understand.
Athena:
Your Honor, there's one more detail I would like to get an explanation for from Ms. Silver Spoon.
Judge:
O-One more detail...
Luna:
Ms. Cykes.
Athena:
Yes, Prosecutor Luna?
Luna:
We have a saying here in Equestria. "Be wary of those who lead you down the garden path, promising a way out through the twists and turns." So far, you have been objecting at various points during this trial, hinting, it would seem, at some larger explanation—but, you have yet to provide one. Where there were clear avenues for you to exploit, you chose instead to take multiple twisting paths, stringing the court along. So I must ask—where are you taking us? Is it another garden path? And when will these many winding roads cease, allowing us clear passage?
Athena:
... I understand if you feel as though I've been leading us nowhere, Prosecutor Luna. But, this will be the last time I take us down those winding roads. I promise.
Judge:
What is this one other detail that you had in mind, Ms. Cykes?
Athena:
It's something that's been bothering me from the very beginning of this entire case, Your Honor. Almost as much as Royal Order's death. The item that got Turning Page arrested.
Twilight:
You mean...
Athena:
That's right. The anonymous tip.
Luna:
This anonymous tip... You must mean the one Ms. Sugar Stamp wrote and delivered. The one implicating the deceased's son?
Athena:
I am, Prosecutor Luna. However, I think you'll find it's far too soon for us to definitively say that Ms. Sugar Stamp is responsible for writing and sending it.
Luna:
Why is that, defense?
Athena:
Because of this.
Luna:
Another magazine?
Athena:
That's right. But this isn't just an ordinary magazine. If you flip through it, you'll see that a few pages have been cut out. Before this trial began, I had a friend test those cut-outs against the ones found on the anonymous tip. And she found that they were a perfect match.
Judge:
A perfect match?!
Luna:
Where was this magazine discovered?
Athena:
... In the home of Diamond Tiara.
Diamond:
!!!
Silver Spoon:
...
Luna:
W-what—
Judge:
Did you say—diamond tiara?! Order! Order in the court! You mean to say that Diamond Tiara is the true sender of the tip? Witness! What do you have to say for yourself?
Diamond:
Wah! I—I don't know! I-I've never even seen that magazine in my life!
Luna:
Yet it was found in your house, according to the defense. Do you deny that?
Diamond:
Well... no... but... I don't know anything about it!
Athena:
I know this looks bad for Diamond Tiara, but, Your Honor, it's actually impossible for her to be the one who sent the tip in the first place.
Judge:
Impossible? But the magazine! If it was found in her house, and if it matches the tip, then she must have sent it!
Athena:
Not quite. Take a look at this photo. It's a picture of where this magazine was found—in the trashcan of Diamond Tiara's bedroom.
Luna:
Defense, do you mean to say that you were... digging around in some filly's trash?
Athena:
N-not me! My boss—but th-that's besides the point! Your Honor, when you look at this photo, what do you see underneath the magazine?
Judge:
Hmm... Oh! Why, it's a Hearts and Hooves Day envelope! How lovely!
Athena:
(How long did this guy stay here last time he was in Equestria?) Exactly, Your Honor. That's why it's impossible for Diamond Tiara to have sent this.
Judge:
... I-I'm afraid you've lost me, defense.
Athena:
The placement of the envelope tells us it was thrown away before this magazine. That envelope could only have been thrown away on Hearts and Hooves Day—February 14th. We know that the tip was delivered on the 13th, because that was the day that Turning Page was arrested. So, it doesn't make sense for the magazine to be on top of the envelope. That means it's impossible that Diamond Tiara COULD have sent the tip—she'd have sent it too late!
Diamond:
Exactly! Finally, you said something smart!
Athena:
Hey! Would it kill you to be a LITTLE grateful?
Judge:
I see... but, then, how do we explain the fact that the magazine was found in her bedroom?
Twilight:
Well, it couldn't have been stashed there by the pony who said she sent it: Sugar Stamp. She'd already been arrested by the time she arrived in Ponyville.
Luna:
Logically, that means the sender must be somepony who was IN Diamond Tiara's bedroom. Someone who'd be able to discard the magazine while there. Ms. Diamond Tiara?
Diamond:
Urk! W-what is it, Princess Luna?
Luna:
Between today and yesterday, was there anypony present in your house who could have disposed of this magazine?
Diamond:
Uh... uh...
Judge:
Witness, it is in your best interest to be honest with the court.
Diamond:
W-well... w-when S-Silvie came to my house yesterday, she... Was carrying a magazine...
Silver Spoon:
!! D-DT, wait!
Judge:
T-then that means that Ms. Silver Spoon could be the true sender...
Athena:
Except for one thing, Your Honor.
Private Eye:
It was placed outside the entrance to the Ponyville Police Station without anypony noticing. It was around 4:45 when a pair of officers brought it in—I doubt it could've been there for long. We were unsure if it could even be trusted until we started our inquiries.
Twilight:
Right, and Princess Luna said you had an appointment the day after. What time did you go?
Silver Spoon:
Uuum... It was around 4:30. It went on for about half an hour.
Athena:
The tip was delivered around 4:45 PM on the 13th, when Silver Spoon was busy getting her glasses replaced. So you see, she COULDN'T have sent it.
Judge:
But she still had the magazine in question! It was STILL used to write the tip!
Luna:
If she wasn't the one to deliver it, then she might have been given it by the true author... Is that what you're thinking, Ms. Cykes?
Silver Spoon:
!!
Athena:
Diamond Tiara.
Diamond:
W-what now?!
Athena:
I know you're scared for Silver Spoon. But figuring out what we can about this magazine is crucial to helping her, even if you can't see it. Do you remember any details about Silver Spoon when she brought the magazine to your house? Anything at all?
Diamond:
I... I... Gnngh...
Silver Spoon:
DT, please...
Athena:
Please. Diamond Tiara! I know I have no right to ask this of you, but there's a way to protect Silver Spoon—and it depends on what you're able to tell us.
Diamond:
O-okay! Fine!
Silver Spoon:
DT, hang on a—
Diamond:
Not now, Silvie! Just trust me, okay? I'm doing this for your sake!
Silver Spoon:
!! D-Diamond...
Diamond:
When Silvie came into my bedroom with the magazine, I saw that she had a small patch on her coat that was... stained red.
Athena:
!!!
Judge:
Stained red? With blood, I would presume?
Diamond:
Y-yeah...
Judge:
So she had been bleeding very recently... But what could have caused the injury?
Athena:
(There's no way... Could it really be...?) I think I know the answer, Your Honor.
Judge:
You do?
Athena:
Yes. And it has to do with something that happened yesterday, too. While we were out investigating in preparation for defending Sweetie Belle, we learned from Apple Bloom that there'd been a break-in at Carousel Boutique.
Luna:
Hmm. We'd heard of that break-in earlier, too.
Judge:
A break-in? Oh dear! Has the perpetrator been found?
Luna:
While the police have cordoned off the area and are conducting their own investigation, regrettably, they have not yet found the culprit.
Athena:
And neither did we, when we searched the Boutique after hearing of the incident. But we did find some clues as to their identity—namely, a few drops of blood. Rarity's cat, Opalescence, had attacked them! No doubt that the blood belonged to the culprit. And, coincidentally, we have on the stand somepony who, just yesterday, had ALSO been bleeding.
Judge:
Also been bleeding—Ms. Cykes, are you saying—
Athena:
I am, Your Honor! The defense believes that the pony who broke into Carousel Boutique was none other than... silver spoon!
Silver Spoon:
N... N... Noooooooo!
Luna:
Defense, that is absurd. Have you forgotten a key element to that whole affair?
Judge:
A key element, Prosecutor Luna?
Luna:
Carousel Boutique was completely locked up! All the windows, all the doors—there'd be no way for an earth pony like Ms. Silver Spoon to get inside! Not unless she had an accomplice, such as a unicorn, to teleport her! And who would do that for her?
Athena:
That's what we thought, too, but what if we've all been wrong about that?
Luna:
Wrong?
Athena:
We've all been assuming that the boutique was fully locked up. We know that it was AFTER the crime, but we don't know for sure if it was locked up BEFORE. It is quite possible that the true perpetrator had already entered, and only locked up the place when they were leaving!
Luna:
That is still speculation, Golden Pixie!
Athena:
Maybe not, Prosecutor Luna. Has anypony taken a look at the front door's lock?
Judge:
The front door's lock? What about it?
Athena:
It's not an ordinary kind of lock. It's specifically a thumbturn cylinder lock. The way it works is that it can be locked from the inside while the door is open, and then the door can close behind someone as they leave. Let's say that I'm right, then, that the culprit did lock the place only when they were leaving. They'd be able to, thanks to this thumbturn lock. In doing so, they'd create the illusion that Carousel Boutique had been broken into while it had actually been already locked up completely!
Luna:
Preposterous! I-in order for that to work, defense, somepony would have to leave one of the entrances TO the boutique unlocked for the perpetrator to enter at all! But Ms. Rarity already told the police that she'd locked up the place BEFORE she headed to yesterday's trial, so there was nopony else around to unlock it!
Athena:
Nopony else? I'm not sure about that, Prosecutor Luna! There was, in fact, ONE pony who could have done that deed. They'd be the one to have orchestrated this elaborate illusion for us all to see. And they'd have done it so that Ms. Silver Spoon could have entered the boutique unhindered!
Judge:
Then, who is this mysterious pony, Ms. Cykes?
Athena:
It was the only other pony who'd been with Rarity that very same day— Sweetie Belle!
Judge:
S-Sweetie—
Luna:
sweetie belle?!
Sweetie:
G-Gah!!!
Athena:
Here's how I think the whole incident happened. Before Sweetie Belle left with Rarity for yesterday's trial, she left one of the boutique's entrances unlocked. She then would have told Silver Spoon about the unlocked entrance, telling her to break in that way.
Luna:
But when could she have told her that?
Athena:
It would have been yesterday, just before the trial for Scootaloo and Turning Page began. They were both already at the courtroom, after all. Sweetie Belle had been brought by Rarity, and Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara had been summoned by you, Prosecutor Luna.
Luna:
!!!
Twilight:
!! I think I get what you mean, Athena. And I'm even pretty sure I know how the opportunity to talk to Silver Spoon could have arisen.
Judge:
You do?
Twilight:
Yes. You see, Your Honor, that morning, right before the trial began, there was a... pretty big argument between the three Cutie Mark Crusaders. Afterwards, Sweetie Belle ran off. She could have used that moment to search for Silver Spoon and share her plan...
Athena:
A plan which would involve breaking into Carousel Boutique.
Judge:
But... why would she need somepony to break in in the first place?
Athena:
The only reason I can think of is that Sweetie Belle needed something inside that she couldn't get while she was with Rarity. So, Silver Spoon entered via the open entrance. She must have locked it behind her to avoid being caught. After some time, she must have found whatever she was looking for, and began to leave. But that was when she was attacked by Rarity's cat Opalescence. She drew blood, forcing Silver Spoon to get away by going through the front door. And as she was leaving, she engaged the thumbturn lock and closed the door behind her. That locked up the boutique completely and created the illusion that it had ALWAYS been locked!
Silver Spoon:
N-NO! No, that's not true! I-I was never near Carousel Boutique! I'd never talked to Sweetie Belle!
Athena:
Yet you were bleeding when you went into Diamond Tiara's house. All we'd need to do is find the area on you where you'd been bleeding, and test the blood against the blood found in the boutique. But you and I both know that won't be necessary, Silver Spoon. There's no point in hiding it. Admit it— YOU were the one who broke into Carousel Boutique yesterday!
Silver Spoon:
I... I... Okay. Okay, yeah, I admit it... It was me. Before I went to Diamond Tiara's House, I... I broke into Carousel Boutique.
Diamond:
!!!
Judge:
!!!
Sweetie:
S-Silver Spoon!
Judge:
But... Why? What were you looking for in the boutique?
Luna:
... It was the magazine, wasn't it?
Silver Spoon:
!!
Luna:
Diamond Tiara said you'd brought it to her house yesterday. You must have gone to the boutique in order to retrieve it.
Silver Spoon:
...
Luna:
We might not know that for certain, but I think it'd be easy enough to check.
Twilight:
That's true. We could ask Rarity to see if the magazines belonged to her. We could even search the boutique again, to see if there's any evidence to show that a magazine had gone missing.
Judge:
Yes, it would be simple... But to break in to the boutique, all for a magazine?
Luna:
It's not so innocuous, Your Honor. Have you forgotten why we started down this path in the first place? That magazine has some of its pages cut. Some magazine cuttings were found in the anonymous tip that implicated Turning Page. Those cuttings match the ones found in the magazine. And that means... Ms. Cykes.
Athena:
Yes, Prosecutor Luna? (Whoa... She looks... tired.)
Luna:
This... This is the conclusion you'd come to before, isn't it?
Athena:
...
Twilight:
...
Athena:
It is.
Luna:
Then... Perhaps you had best tell the court.
Judge:
Tell the court what, exactly?
Athena:
(Thank you for trusting in me, Prosecutor Luna. I know it couldn't have been easy.) Your Honor, now that we have confirmed all of this, we now know the true identity of the pony who sent that anonymous tip. It was whoever owned that magazine and could cut it up. That... Can only be Sweetie Belle herself.
Sweetie:
W-What? M-Me?!
Athena:
But that's not all. Now that we know that, we can also figure out WHY she asked Silver Spoon to break into Carousel Boutique to retrieve that magazine. Sweetie Belle did NOT want it known that she wrote the anonymous tip. So, she needed to pin the blame on somepony else, by implicating them through underhanded means. As the court will recall, when I first brought out this magazine, and said it had been found in Diamond Tiara's home... It was believed SHE was the true sender of the tip.
Diamond:
!!
Athena:
But, that was all a ruse orchestrated by Sweetie Belle. She had Silver Spoon steal the magazine from Carousel boutique and plant it in Diamond Tiara's bedroom.
Sweetie:
Grrgh! B-but that still doesn't mean I wrote it! Or, heck, that I even sent it! How'd I be able to do that, huh? I can't just walk up to the police station and leave it there! All the officers would see me! If I did send that tip, HOW could I have delivered it?
Twilight:
That's a fair point. She wouldn't have had an opportunity to send it by traditional means.
Sweetie:
Exactly!
Twilight:
Could Sugar Stamp have helped in any way?
Athena:
No. After all, she'd have no way of making the tip—she wasn't the one who had the magazine. Sweetie Belle was. But if she couldn't have sent it traditionally, what if there was a way to send it... in a non-traditional manner?
Twilight:
Non-traditional... No. You don't mean...
Athena:
Hmm? Hold on a second. Where are Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Spike?
Apollo:
Spike headed out just after you guys left for the detention center.
Rarity:
I asked him to go check in on Sweetie Belle for me. I suppose he must still be with her.
Athena:
It's the only way that it makes sense, Twilight.
Judge:
Defense? Have you found an answer?
Twilight:
We have, Your Honor.
Sweetie:
Y-you have?
Twilight:
Your Honor, at the time that the tip was sent on the 13th... Rarity had sent my friend, Spike, to check up on Sweetie Belle, who'd said she hadn't been feeling that well. Spike is a baby dragon, and he has a special ability. He can send letters via his magic fire breath.
Judge:
Ah! So I see...
Athena:
(Yep. He's stayed here waaay too long for him to not even bat an eye at THAT.)
Luna:
Ms. Sparkle. You're saying that when Spike went up to check on Sweetie Belle, she could have asked him to send that tip to the police station?
Twilight:
That's right. And she could have asked him to do it, and to keep it a secret. Spike would have trusted that she'd have good reason for asking it to be kept quiet... But now..
Athena:
Whether or not he knew the thing he was sending was an anonymous tip implicating Turning Page, Spike still sent it anyway. That's how it was delivered without anypony seeing who sent it.
Sweetie:
B-But, w-wait a minute! Y-you also said that I called Silver Spoon to get that magazine back in order to frame Diamond Tiara! But why would Silver Spoon do that to her best friend?
Diamond:
Yeah, why...?
Silver Spoon:
...
Athena:
I suspect it has to do with what happened in the woods the night of Royal Order's murder. If Silver Spoon really helped Sweetie Belle when she was hurt... That also means she was the one who went to Zecora's hut to steal a healing potion. I think, using that information against her, Sweetie Belle could have persuaded Silver Spoon into helping enact her plan.
Sweetie:
Ggnk! B-but that only holds up if Silver Spoon really did help me that night! A-and there's no proof she did!
Athena:
You're right in saying there's no proof she did help you. But there's an easy way of determining that, once and for all.
Sweetie:
T-There is?
Athena:
In the previous trial, we learned that both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had blood on their hooves. We thought it belonged to Royal Order, but Silver Spoon confessed before we could verify that. Yet, today, Silver Spoon admitted that, instead of joining Diamond Tiara in the gorge, she chased after Scootaloo and Turning Page. Diamond Tiara still got her hooves bloody by touching the body, but somehow, so did Silver Spoon. So, how did her hooves get bloody if she hadn't touched the body? And whose blood did it belong to?
Sweetie:
No...
Athena:
That blood could only belong to Sweetie Belle. Silver Spoon's hooves got covered in it when she helped make the tourniquet. All we'd need to do is conduct one final blood test... And then we'd know, for certain, that Silver Spoon DID help her that night. And that would confirm everything else— The sending of the anonymous tip, the break-in at Carousel Boutique, and the framing of Diamond Tiara— It was all planned and orchestrated by Sweetie Belle!
Sweetie:
noooooooooooooooooo!!!
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