[Canterlot] Mocking the Court

[Teh_Brawler]

It was a bright, Spring day at the Canterlot School of Law. Ponies of all types were enjoying the weather, and delving into the classes that taught them the fundamentals of law. The large campus itself was bedazzling in the warm sunlight, with it's multiple colors of flowers, clean windows, and bright brick. In short, this place was the finest law school in all of Equestria.

In one of the upper floors of the school, a class on court cases was about to begin. Ponies were filing in at a slow rate, and filling the seats that faced a large stage. However, the stage was outfitted slightly different today; instead of just a teacher's desk, the stage had two podium-like counters on the left and right sides. The teacher's desk itself was elevated, and a small hammer sat on it. In short, the stage looked like a courtroom.

Mitsaragi, a pink unicorn colt, sat near the front, pondering the meaning of the set up. He scratched his chin, his brow furrowed. There was only one explanation that he could come up with.

"Hey, Mits!"

At that moment, a few other ponies appeared in the aisle near Mitsaragi. At the front of the group was Savvy Klick, a smart-tongued pony who was aiming to be a copyright lawyer. Savvy had known Mitsaragi for years, and they had come to law school together. You could almost consider them best friends, if Mitsaragi wasn't so stoic of a pony.

"What do you think about the set-up? Seems like something's going down."

Mitsaragi didn't moved, but instead commented, "Savvy, if you're going to try to make me look like an idiot, please don't do it so blatantly."

Savvy smiled mischievously. "Alright, you got me. It's quite blatant that there's going to be a mock court case in here. But you know as well as I do that that could still mean a lot of things. It could be a reenactment of some old case, or a review of all we've learned in a 'quirky fun way to learn', or it may just be an exercise on what it feels like." Savvy skipped over and set his head between his hooves on Mitsaragi's hoof rest, still wearing that mischevious smile. "But any way you slice it, you're planning on participating."

"...That remains to be seen."

Savvy sighed melodramatically. "You're always so stone-cold, Mits. You should lighten up." He then took the seat next to Mitsaragi, and got comfortable. "Welp, let's see just what is going on."

Mitsaragi continued to think, brow furrowed.

[SunsetSombra]

This was the point that Robikku Pegasus had made his way into the class, eying the setup with a mild curiosity - he knew that talks of an assessment of sorts was on the way, and that their own teacher had been working on the idea for a while, but nobody had really any idea on what the plan was...however, it all seemed to make sense once they were in the eye of the storm.

" So...this is the plan? " He said dryly to himself, shrugging as he made his way over to an empty seat by a few fellow classmates who were all quite eager to figure out the underlying reasonings for todays rather unexpected turn of events.

Robikku was carefully taking time to think about how this was going to go - no doubt that they were about to get told that they were going to have to take some time to review some 'case materials' before coming back to make their cases...and there were definately quite a few candidates in there chomping at the bit to find out if they were the ones who were going to be presenting on behalf of either their 'client' or the court. For the most part, the only one likely to be the judge would have been their own teacher, having once been a lawyer himself several decades ago before moving onto teaching the ways of Equine law...

" Well, I suppose all there is now is the waiting and watching... " He said to himself quietly as he and the rest of the class waited for their teacher to arrive - no doubt this was going to be a class none of them would forget in a hurry.

[Teh_Brawler]

At that moment, the teacher of the class walked in: Mr. Silence Parse. Mr. Parse was a beige middle-aged earth pony who had years upon years of lawyer experience. However, he had retired a few years back, and taken up teaching as somewhat of a hobby. He was a kind teacher, but also put importance on learning. He was liked by most, except for those who hated class. Overall, he fit his role as a teacher well.

He walked up to the teacher's desk, sat his briefcase down, and cleared his throat. "Now, now, quiet down, students; class has begun. As you all may have seen, the stage in front of you has been set up differently than usual. There is a good reason for that. You all have been in this class for some time now, and I feel that the time has come to put into practice what you have learned." His glasses glinted from the window-fed sunlight, and he smirked with confidence. "Consider it a review for your final of sorts. I will call three ponies from the class. One will be the prosecutor, one will be the defense lawyer, and the final pony will be the defendant. The point of this exercise is simple; fulfill your role. For the defendant, this is easy: obey the court rules. For the other two ponies, on the other hand, it's not so simple. You have to dutifully play the part you are getting in competition with the other pony. And," he added, his smirk increasing, "to make it interesting, the pony who successfully completes his role will get an A for a quiz grade. The pony who doesn't will get a C."

A gulp went through the audience. Getting a C on a quiz could be deadly to a pony's GPA, so the stakes were high. Mr. Parse's smile softened, and he continued. "The rest of you will take notes on the mock court. At the end of the court, I will point out areas of flaw that you can edit in your notes. Now, I happen to have a bowl with all of your names in it." On cue, he pulled out a fish bowl of slips of paper. He began to leaf through them, making sure they were scrambled in the process. "Now, the role for defendant will be....." He slowly grabbed one, and pulled it out. ".....Pansy Smarts."

A small squeak was heard from the back. A small female pony, pastel yellow in pelt and white in mane, stood up slowly. Pansy was a shy pony who didn't deal well with audiences, which is why she was going into contract mediation. She began to shiver, so much in fact that her small brown glasses came dangerously close to falling off her face.

Mr. Parse beckoned to her with is hoof. "Now, now, Ms. Smarts, don't be shy. Come on down."

Nodding vehemently, Pansy began her slow descent, shivering the whole way. As she got to the stage, she was directed by Mr. Sparse to take a seat in one of the chairs behind the left counter, which was apparently the defense's podium. Mr. Sparse smiled, and stuck his hoof into the bowl again.

"And the lucky pony defending her will be......."

The room went silent, each pony hoping it wasn't him or her that got picked. The tension was so thick,it felt like the room was being filled with gemstones.

".......Robikku-Pegasus."

[SunsetSombra]

The words took Robikku by surprise - it wasn't like he'd anticipated himself to be chosen quite for anything like this, and he wasn't really sure he was even prepared enough to take this task on in such an unpredicted fashion, but he had no time to let himself be taken by surprise as he made his way down to his intended destination within the room.

Indeed, what was to be done now was a quick moment of trying to de-excite himself as quickly as possible and get his court game-face on. There was no time to be sitting around feeling like an excited colt...this was a moment that he had to feel the pressure of the shark pit that was open court, since all eyes were going to be on him and his presentation of the case before him and his opponent. Speaking of whom...the teacher seemed to be drawing their name now.

" And for his opposition on the prosecution... "

The room fell into hushed silence as the name of the 'lucky' competitor was read aloud.

" ...Mitsarugi Gavel, come on down! "

[Teh_Brawler]

Mitsaragi looked up with no emotion in his face. Savvy jabbed him in the ribs, saying, "Adda boy, Mits! Go get 'em, tiger!" Mitsaragi sighed and headed down, taking his place behind the right counter.

Mr. Sparse then continued. "Alright, colts, what I have here are two identical records of evidence and testimony, save for a couple of differences. The prosecutor has scientific facts on the evidence that the defense cannot have. On the other side, the defense has the defendant's testimony, and collaborative witnesses to back up her alibi. You may look at this information now. The trial will begin when I step behind my desk as the judge."

Mitsaragi followed orders, and opened up his packet. As Mr. Sparse had said, there were pictures and documents outlining testimonies, evidence, and the scene of the crime. Mitsaragi also had green scans, x-rays, and chemical tests showing analytical results.

EVIDENCE:
-Knife
-bottle of chemicals
-muddy hoof prints
-train ticket
-traces of magic found on the scene

It really did seem to point to the defendant. Her hoof marks (well, the defendant's. Pansy was just filing that role) on the knife, chemicals on the body that were found on her person. It seemed to add up.

Mitsaragi felt the rush of power flow through him. Quickly analyzing the information, he cleared his throat, ready to begin.

(OOC: Feel free to put what testimonies you want)

[SunsetSombra]

{{ I haven't been ignoring the thread, just hadn't gotten around to this yet. }}

Robikku swallowed for a moment, trying to piece together what he could for now...it was something of an interesting scenario he'd found himself in and this had taken him a little by surprise. Was he sure he was ready to pull this off...he was mostly about to find out.

There were some general pieces of testimony - mostly vague descriptions of what several witnesses claimed to have seen...a few words from Pansy's friends and relatives about her personality - for the most part, those were always biased in favour of the defendent themselves. Robikku was more interested in her alibi itself - The pony had insisted that she hadn't been near those parts, and that she wasn't even sure if she'd met the victim before...all the usual words of an accused regardless of verdict, he thought to himself with a soft sigh. He could feel himself on the huge mountain climb against evidence he'd been told of in class.

If anything, Robikku was thinking quietly to himself, it was going to be a fairly good idea to call the key witness to the stand and see what they might have to say for themselves...there was no other easy way to ascertain more facts, afterall.

He could see Mitsarugi sorting and checking his evidence for a moment - he wasn't quite sure what the opposition had that would counter any arguments he could make, and thus could feel himself growing just a tad more uncertain. Mitsarugi was pretty darn good at what he'd been taught - and even though Robikku was no slouch, he still felt slightly worried for his own side.

However, now was not the time for him to be getting ants on his flank, he had a task to perform.

" Alright, I think if you're both ready... " The teacher spoke up, along with a deep throated clearing of the throat.

" There's nothing else to do other than start the trial of Pansy Pony V Ponyville. Good luck to both of you. "

Robikku watched the teacher as he stood behind the desk, sat down and tapped his gavel on the desk....it was time to start.

[Teh_Brawler]

"Mr, Gavel, if you'd please give an opening statement on the court case of Smarts vs. Ponyville."

Mitsaragi nodded, and cleared his throat. "Certainly, your honor. What we have here in this courtroom is an accusation of murder, directed at the defendant seated on the opposite side of the room. There is strong evidence suggesting that she is indeed the culprit, but pure certainty is not something this court possesses. As such, the prosecution will work to use the evidence at hand to either prove Ms. Smarts guilty, or find the truth in the process." Mitsaragi looked down at the case summary quickly, and continued.

"On the fifteenth day of the third month, in the one-thousandth year of Princess Celestia's reign {{OOC: BAHAHAHA PUN}}, a pony by the name of Patchwork was found dead outside the town hall of Ponyville. Cause of death was loss of blood from several knife wounds that covered the body. There was no trail of blood, so it can be assumed that the victim died where he was stabbed originally. On the body was found a certain chemical called "Azoturithine, a muscle stimulant only available from certain pharmaceutical stores. Upon testing, it was found that the chemical had been ingested by the victim near the time of death, and the chemical in his body and the chemical on his pelt were most likely from the same bottle, but the chemical on his pelt showed no traces of hemoglobin, meaning he had probably been attacked while ingesting it. The empty bottle was found, however, in the possession of the defendant four hours later. She was on her way to Canterlot, but had been detained for questioning. Her hoofprint also matched that of the hoofprint on the knife that was used after we tested it. However, the knife was not found on her person, but in a trash bin nearby the crime scene." Mitsaragi closed his eyes and inhaled. "Needless to say," he concluded, "there is little room for doubt."

[SunsetSombra]

Robikku listened to the opening speech Mitsarugi was giving - sure, his air of confidence was most certainly undeniable, but there was something bothering Robikku about something that was said...a detail of this crime was starting to annoy him at the back of his mind. He couldn't place his finger on what it was about the detail precisely, but there was something glaringly obvious about this crime and what took place that was nagging the Pegasus like a needle.

Once the opening speech was out of the way from the opposition, it was clearly his turn to speak, and as such, Robikku cleared his throat as he got his thoughts together, looking around as he begins.

" My client, Pansy Pony, has denied all charges of Murder, and insists fully that she was in fact on her way home from the marketplace when the act took place. The evidence and the crime may SEEM compatible at this early juncture, but I intend on proving beyond a shadow of the doubt that Miss Pansy both never met and did not kill our victim. Furthermore, I will show that there is possibly an alternative reasoning that can be applied here that will reveal this for what it is...an attempt to besmirch the innocent name of Pansy by somepony else. We may already have this pony on record, we may not - but it is my strongest belief that my Client is NOT the guilty party, and I shall use the testimony and documents before me as as an unshakeable foundation for this task... " Robikku says, nodding softly. " I hope that at the end of both the presentations of Prosecution and Defense that the verdict will judged the right way for this defendant...and this would be the following 2 words. Not Guilty! "

Robikku exhales sharply as he looked over what was before him - as much of 'only a class assignment' as this was, there was no denying the sharp tension in the room...everyone was going to watch this with baited breath as the two sides fought tooth and nail to prove their cases and their worth to the teacher watching.

It was both exciting and nervewracking all at once...and Robikku wouldn't have had it any other way.

[Teh_Brawler]

"Very well, Mr. Pegasus. Now that the defendant has pleaded, Mr. Gavel, you may call your first witness."

Mitsaragi looked down at the witness profiles sheet. No names were picked, but there were three profiles: A, B, C. None of these profiles had testimonies, but each profile had a relation to the area of the crime scene, such as occupation, residence, and routine. After scanning them over, Mitsaragi decided that A would be the best at this point.

"Yes, sir. The prosecution calls witness A to the stand."

Without replying, Mr. Sparse stuck his hoof into the bowl, and pulled out a name.

"Savvy Klick, come on down."

Savvy stood up, smiling confidently, and trotted down to the stage, where Mr. Sparse handed him a paper, and instructed him to sit at the right side of his desk. Savvy read through the paper, and followed instructions. Mr. Sparse made sure everything was in order, and said, "Very well, Mr. Gavel, you may begin."

Mitsaragi nodded, and walked out onto the stage in front of Savvy. "So, Mr. Klick, you are a local businessman in Ponyville, correct? What is it that you do?"

"Oi, 'ats roit, ser. Oi'm un 'oarshoo makuh, fer aw deh pounies 'oo leive en dat wunnerfool taouwn."

Mitsaragi did a double take, and whispered, " What on Earth are you doing, Savvy?"

Savvy smiled is iconic smile at Mistaragi, and replied in a whisper, "Getting into character."

Mistaragi sighed, and muttered, "Well, don't. This is a serious matter, and I'm trying to concentrate."

Savvy rolled his eyes and retorted, "I can get into character if I want, and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

"SAVVY I SWEAR IF YOU DON-"

"Mr. Gavel!" Mr. Sparse slammed his gavel on the desk, getting MItsaragi's attention. "I will not let you verbally abuse the witness!"

"But, Mr. Spa-er, your honor, I-"

"Do I need to penalize you, Mr. Gavel?"

Mitsaragi sighed. "No, your honor." He regained his posture, and continued.

"So, Mr. Klick, would you please tell the court what you saw that night?"

"Oi wuz closin' up shoup tha' nuite, uhbaowt tu 'ead 'oeme fo' dinneh, when Oi 'eard sum shou'in' neah du taown 'awl. Oi 'eaded ovuh, jes tuh sei if dere was anyding I coul' du. I' seimed tu bei coumin' from an alleh, so Oi peiked in. As Oi luuked, a trash cein fell ovah, and a pony tuk awff. Oi cowwed out, bu' du poeny didn' retein, so Oi wouked in awl sloe luike, lookin' over du seen. Awlmos' instantly, Oi found a dea' pony, wid' stab woons awl ovuh 'eis body. Shock'd, Oi didn' kno wot tu doo. Oi tried tu folloh du odur poeny, bu' Oi coul'nt foind huide noar 'eir of 'em."

Mitsaragi tried to gain control of his nervous tick, and replied, "....THANK you, witness."

Mr. Sparse added, "Yes, thank you. Mr. Pegasus, you may begin your cross examination."

{{Yes, there is a contradiction in there. You just have to find it. ^_^

Also, apologies to Mudbug. I'm trying to be stereotypical}}

[SunsetSombra]

" ...Thankyou your Honor. "

Robikku snorted slightly and looked at the 'witness' a moment with an uncharacteristic frown of annoyance - the accent was a little much, and it had been a tad hard to figure out just what the pony had been saying...it SEEMED okay, but still. Something about this testimony was a tad off, and thus he had to throw out some lines in order to reel in an answer or two - it was his best bet on untangling this whole heap of weird, messy dialogue and it's relation to the crime scene.

The pony reviewed his messily scrawn notes...he didn't have the benefit of a writing dragon assistant, and he wasn't a unicorn, so the use of his mouth was about the best it got. Frowning in thought, Robikku latched upon the one small glint he felt he saw in the testimony and went with it.

" Witness... " the pegasus said, clearing his throat and making his way towards the appropriate standing area. " Just now you stated that you looked over the scene slowly. Now, given the circumstances...if you truly had the wherewithall to look over the scene in the manner you stated, perhaps your beady eyes would have fallen upon the knife, which had been IN the bin at the time when it was knocked over. "

He pauses, looking at the crowd a moment before glancing at Mitsarugi and then back at the witness...

" I mean, if you're truly looking for ANY sign of a culprit as you say, then...wouldn't the most likely place for a starting point have been, for most of us, to look in the closest POSSIBLE hiding spot. Don't you agree, Mitsarugi? "

Robikku looked at the prosecuting Unicorn with a raised eyebrow - this was going to be a battle of crossed wits...and Robikku planned to do everything in his power to make sure that the day was his.

[Teh_Brawler]

Savvy blinked at Robikku, still wearing his big smile. "Oi don' folloh, guvnuh. Whoy wuld Oi bei rootin' troo da gahbuge wuile lookin' fer du culpret?"

Mitsaragi nodded confidently. "Indeed. It matters not where the witness looked or did not look, all that matters is that he didn't find anything of consequence." He then added, smirking confidently, "It's bad form to grasp at straws so early, Pegasus. And before we go any farther, I'll have you know my name is MitsarAGI. Please do well to correct that in the future."

Pansy watched the scene unfold, intensely frightened for her life for some reason. However, she noticed something odd about the scenario after seeing the evidence list peeking out of Robikku's copy of the case file. Curious, she tapped on Robikku's shoulder. "M-mr. Pegasus? Why didn't he mention that right there?" she asked, pointing at the third piece of evidence in the file.

[SunsetSombra]

Robikku looked at the evidence, clearly realising that he'd let his own overzealousness lead him down the wrong path - admittedly, he was still anious about being put on the spot like this and was already caught out making a foalish rookie mistake...not taking time to absorb the obvious facts when it was all clearly in front of him.

This was not a time to be dwelling on what he'd missed, however, and he immediately came back on the attack...trying to let his slight grimace from before fade into a semi-confident grin.

" It has been brought to my attention that something was clearly 'there' despite reports to the contrary. " Robikku stated, glancing back at the prosecutor with a raised eyebrow. " The Footprints detailed in the report clearly contradict the apparent lack of any trace of the culprit. Now, if there's some explanation as to why these are ommited from your little outlining, witness, I'm sure we'd all like to hear it at this stage! "

He'd gotten the attention of the audience again - but this time he was mostly certain it wasn't in vain this time...clearly there had to be a good explanation of what had prompted this glaring mistake, and Robikku now wanted to know what it was!