Kestral tested his chains as the guards walked away from his cell. Two chains crossed his torso in an 'X' pattern, strapping him firmly to his chair. Two more strapped his legs to the chair's, only allowing enough room for his feet to twist and turn a bit. The shackles were still on his arms, and shoved behind the back of the chair. Finally, a collar that was now around his neck had a chain extend down to the ground. He couldn't move his hands too far forward before the chains pulled on eachother and began choking him.

After some time, he stopped trying to resist them. He sat still, getting as comfortable as he could manage, and closed his eyes. He had been rudely awoken earlier that day, and was eager to catch up on his sleep. He took deep breaths and slowed his heartrate. His eyes grew heavy, but his mind wandered too much.

What would Jasmine do when she found out where he was? Well... probably nothing. She was smart enough to stay away from anything Kestral might be connected to. Surely she had thought out what to do if he got arrested. Mostly, probably she just needed to talk to Navi.

Navi...

He hoped she won't get so worked up over him. Poor kid had things going right for her for a while; Kestral getting arrested might have thrown a wrench into that one. 'Might' was the defining term, though. He suspected that he'd be able to escape within a day or two, but given the level of security he'd have to get through, nothing was guaranteed. If the enchanted grounds at a university nearly got him got a dozen times, then what was afforded to keep someone from leaving here? Does the place become a portal maze for all but the guards? Are the guards invisible at night?

He heard a squeaking coming from his side, and he snapped his eyes open, staring at it. Do they just release a hoard of rats to harass attempted escapees?

The fuzzy bastard scurried along the ground towards him and began gnawing on the tread of his boot. Kestral flicked his ankle, kicking back the the rat a few feet. The animal only seemed to get angry at that, and hopped onto his foot. It began crawling up his leg, biting and scratching at him.

“No you don't, you little bastard.”

Kestral picked up the rat with his magic, but then dropped him at the sound of a loud ringing.

“Quiet, prisoner. No speaking aloud.”

He stared coldly at the guard, who looked at him with apathy. The guard turned back around, then focused on the rat again.

The fuzzy thing tried to hop on him again, and it did, crawling up and biting away again. Kestral picked it up with his magic again, keeping an eye on the guards, now. He kept the rat in the air, idly turning and twisting the thing around, watching it writhe in an attempt to escape.

Not so different from me, huh? He thought. You were just going about, until something lashed against you,so you lashed back, and kept going.

And yet, the rat still managed to get there, stuck in something it barely knew about, just thrashing around aimlessly, hoping to do something.

Maybe they weren't quite alike as he thought. Kestral tossed the rat towards the other end of the cell and watched it run out between the bars.

He relaxed again. The cell became silent, with only his breathing to fill the void. He closed his eyes again, hoping to actually get some rest... perhaps, if he was lucky, he would be getting a quick visit from Luna.

…

…

Kestral heard the echoing clop-clop-clop of some figure coming through the hall. The guards presumably saluted as the figure approached. “Ma'am.” they both called out. He opened his eyes to see a shadow approaching his cell.

“No rest for the wicked, I guess.” He huffed.

He stared on, watching the figure come into full view. It was none other than Luna herself. He perked up a bit, smiling a small smile. She walked past the guards, entering the cell without a word, and approached him.

“Welcome to my humble abode, ma'am.” He said. “It's been a while, hasn't it?”

She seemed to ignore his comments, merely getting right to releasing him from his chains. She released lock after lock until everything was pulled off from him, barring the shackles on his arms. She turned to the guards.

“Should anypony come before I return, let them know that I have taken him for questioning.”

“Yes, your highness.”

Luna charged her horn and released a flash of light, consuming them both in white. An uneasiness washed over Kestral, but it went away when he felt gravity return. He shivered.

“Your teleporting makes me nauseous.”

She eyed him, then pulsed her magic again. A cloudy mist walled off every surface of the room, leaving them in an eery silence.

“We've just a few minutes before some guards will be our way.”

Right. He thought. Can't let them know we're being private. Celestia would get suspicious.

“How did you end up in here, Kestral?”

“I got caught.” He admitted. “I was spotted and didn't get away fast enough. Then backup came and I was cornered.”

She tapped her hoof a few times. “This isn't good, Kestral. When word spreads that you've been captured, the changelings will more forward with renewed confidence.”

“I know, Luna.” He signed. “Getting captured wasn't part of the plan. I'll just have to make due.” He paused. “Are there any weaknesses around here you know of that can help me with an escape?”

“No.” She said. “The prison is designed so that every level beneath the asylum is surrounded by the sewer system, to prevent digging. Runes all over the place prevent teleportation between areas barring a few exceptions, myself included.”

“I don't have any way to dig, anyways.” He said. “I don't suppose there's a way to sneak me out?”

“Not unless you want to incriminate me.” She said. “This entire place is blocked in at all times except for coming and leaving prisoners.”

Kestral sat there, thinking and thinking. “Not even a map of the place? Maybe just weaken my chains? If I know where the keys are I can sneak out of the place.”

“Except that any locks here have multiple keys for different scheduled times and I have no way of knowing ahead of time. Using the wrong one will knock you out.”

“By touch?”

“Area effect.”

“Then damage the runes.”

“They're checked on every night and will just be repaired.”

“Can I damage them?”

“Not without another one doing the same thing from out of reach.”

“Replace them?”

“I'll be suspect for it.”

“Post a guard there I can blackmail, then give me the blackmail?”

“For every floor? I couldn't if I wanted to with this timeframe.”

“Turn me into a guard-look-alike. You can blame it on changeling assistance.”

“Too many ways that can go wrong.”

“Push my court date up.”

Luna opened her mouth, then closed it. She pursed her lips, turning the gears in her head.

Kestral continued on. “If there isn't a way out from here, then I'll have to find an escape route somewhere else. Shoveling me into court ASAP will likely give me more opportunity to get away. You just need to keep me aware of any tracking spells and such.”

She stood there, perhaps crushing information together to find a good way out for him. She scrunched her nose and looked at the wall a moment, then back to him. “I know a way.”

“Hit me.” He said.

“When we break for recess from court, ask to go to the bathroom immediately. The guards will have to take you down to the secured restroom. It's just a long empty hallway with the restroom, but there's a window. I'll weaken the bars, and you can break them from the inside. You'll be right at the garden's edge, so you can hide away in there for a time.”

“Discord could help me at that point.” He commented.

“That's one way to get out.” She said. “But his statue is guarded. If you're not able to find a way out, go towards the far end and wait for me at the vine fountain.”

“Alright. I can do that.”

“Also, I'm going to need these.”

With a pulse of Luna's magic, Kestral's skin suddenly felt colder, and far more barren. He flexed his body as best he could to cover himself. His voice cracked a little. “W-why would you need those?!”

“Either it was me or whichever guard decided to do it herself. I'll get them back to you far easier this way.”

“Can I at least keep the underwear?!”

“They may just take it again anyways.”

“A chance I'm willing to take.” He said.

She rolled her eyes and put the one item back on him. “There. Happy?”

“Very.” He relaxed a little.

“Good. Try to put on a smug face, or something. I'm going to bring you back.”

He braced himself for that sea-sick feeling again. Her magic washed over the both of them, and left them in the original cell again. Once he regained his mental balance, he smirked at her, and made sure the guards could hear.

“You know, that wasn't very long of a session. I expected longer.”

She stared daggers at him, but he bathed in it happily. She turned to the guards and walked out. “He's not allowed out of the chains until the doctor has seen him.”

“Yes, your highness.” They saluted.

And with that, she walked off, not even offering him a wayward glance.

Kestral met the eye of one of the guards, who was staring. “You know, I like her... she's nice.”

The guard scoffed, then looked forward.

“She's got a nice ass, too.”

“Oh, doctor, doctor~

Don't you see~

Oh, doctor, doctor~

That you need me~

Oh, doctor, doctor~

I can see, too~

Oh, doctor doctor~

That I need you~

I need some good ol' fashion~

doctor lovi-”

Dr. Rest stopped mid-stride as a rat flew by and smacked his escort in the face. His escort -a lovely mare by the way- gently placed the probably crippled rat down and let it scurry off. Poor things never hurt anybody unless they smell like food, anyways.

“My bad.” A masculine voice said.

“Yes, it was.” She said.

This ought to be interesting. Rest thought.

They both nodded to the guards and entered the cell, with one of them in tow.

“So you're this Kestral.... Petrovski, was it?” Dr. Rest asked.

“Yes, Herr Doctor.”

“Interesting. You know Germane? I thought the language was completely dead centuries ago.”

“I don't, sorry. I was just making a funny.” He smiled at the doctor. “You're here to drug me up and test me?”

Rest giggled. He doesn't seem nearly as bad as ponies make him out to be. “The first depends on how well you behave during the second.”

“Yippee.” He rolled his tiny eyes. “ Can I take the chains off, though?”

“Of course.” Rest nodded to the guard, and she began unlocking lock after lock until every chain was released.

The human moved slowly, stretching and popping everything he could. From his toes to his hands to his neck, he went over every inch of his body, adjusting himself as he saw fit. He made sure to give the guard no reason to draw her sword, and gestured to Rest when he was finished.

Knows the importance of keeping mobile. He might have been a more athletic type at one point.

“I'm good to go when you are.”

“Excellent.” Rest marched on out of the cell. “Just follow me to the room, please.”

Rest moved on with his original escort staying between him and Kestral. The two guards at the cell tagged on behind them, each flanking the human with only a couple feet of distance between. Rest used his magic to pull up his pen and clipboard, and began writing.

“Now, I hope you don't mind, but we're a bit cramped for time and I was hoping to get a few questions answered before we got to the room. You're still got all the confidentiality rights and such, so if there's something you don't want to answer in front of the guards here, then just tell me, alright?”

“Sure thing.” He said, seemingly uncaring.

“Alright. Are you allergic to anything?”

“No.”

Rest checked off a box. “What is a well-rounded diet for humans?”

“Veggies, fruit, dairy, starches, meat, and sugar or oil or something.”

Sounds standard. “What do you consider to be the main parts of your diet?”

“Probably starch, meat, and sugars. God knows I don't get enough fruit.” He paused. “Also, humans can't digest hay, grass does nothing for us, and I don't think flowers do either.”

“This is fairly good.” Dr. Rest said, scratching it down. If you want heart disease at forty.

“Did Sh'Claw hear someone say 'meat'?” A voice called out. It was from one of the solitary cells that was covered in plating except for a small rectangle, where a long canine snout pointed outward. One of the guards kicked the door fairly hard as she passed, letting out a ring that echoed in the doctor's ears. “Ah! Sh'Claw will be quiet! He promises! Stop the ringing!”

The doctor shook his head and carried on. “So you'd say you don't get enough vegetables, fruit, or dairy?”

“Yeah, I'd say.” He said. “Back home, just about no one gets enough veggies.”

“So it's a social stigma to eat a vegetable-heavy diet?”

“What?” He scoffed. “No! Meat's just that fucking delicious. And these days, it's fairly cheap.”

“Uh... huh.” He scratched it down. Fairly similar to the diamond dogs and griffons. Never eat as many greens as they should. What about that 'cheap' comment, though? Is he alluding to his home, or his thieving? It certainly couldn't be referring to the prices around these parts.

“Age?”

“Twenty-three.”

Young adult, most likely. “Disabilities?”

“None.”

At least none that are obvious. More scratching. “Do you smoke?”

“Never have.”

Color me surprised. “Do you drink?”

“Frequently.”

There it is. “How many times a week, would you say?”

“Two to three.”

Nothing unusual. “And how many drinks for each of these sessions?”

“Two to five glasses worth.”

“Do you consider yourself an alcoholic?” Who does?

“No?” He paused. “Is this supposed to be for my physical health or my mental health?”

“Both.” Rest said. “I'm here to get everything about you that I can manage. You're the first human in however many centuries to be here, after all.”

“Right.” Kestral said.

“Now, how often and to which kind of doctors do or did you visit?”

“I use to check in with my dentist every year or so, but other than that I've only gotten a checkup a few times.”

“So you'd say that you're in good health?”

“Yep. Besides a recent bite in my leg, but I recovered from that.”

Dr Rest kept writing down. He also made sure to note that, unlike most residents of the prison, he was neither bored nor annoyed by his forced visit with the doctor. It's almost like he's actually interested.

Rest led the group up to a very white, very large door. The guards stayed behind the door, including the escort. Kestral and the doctor went on through, and the good doctor closed it. “I'll scream if I need you.” He whispered, to which his escort nodded. With that, he and the human were finally in his examination room.

Rest nudged the rather calm human over to a low bed covered in white sheets. Kestral sat down and looked him over, waiting for him to do something. Rest himself pulled up a stool from the wall and sat high, getting about eye level with the human.

“Now, tell me about your parents.”

He shrugged. “Dad taught me how to kill, curse, drink, drive, and survive. Not much more to it than that.”

“So you were very personal with him? Spent a lot of time together?”

“Yeah.”

Like father like son. “And how is your relationship with him currently?”

“It was very good, but he's dead.” Kestral let on a flat stare for a small moment before he caught himself.

Looks uninterested in sharing more about that... not bothered, just... uninterested.

“And your mother?”

“Died giving birth to me.”

Rest opened his mouth, but couldn't think of what to say, so he just wrote it down and moved on. “Any brothers or sisters?”

“None.”

“What about extended family?”

“Mother's side of the family didn't care to know me. The only person I know on my dad's side is his brother.”

“Married? Have any kids?”

“No and no.”

So the parents were offed, he had no family except maybe one to turn to,one thing leads to another -probably involving alcohol and a bout of depression- and about sixty changelings die. He paused. No no no! Far too much of a jump. Something else must have happened.

“Did you have lots of friends growing up?”

“No more or less than average, I'd say. Got in lots of fights, too, once I learned how to throw a punch.”

“So you were aggressive as a child?”

“Sure. But I wasn't always starting the fight.”

“And what were some of the reasons you fought?”

“Uh, because I could?” He paused. “People being dicks to my friends, people stealing stuff, people just needing a solid punch to the gut; the usual reasons I imagine.”

So he's prone to confronting his problems head on, and isn't against using violence to meet a goal. Rest wrote away. “Interesting.”

Kestral caught his attention when he put his hand forward. “By the way, I never got your name.”

“Oh, my apologies!” Rest stuck out a hoof and gave a firm shake. “Cardiac A. Rest, certified Medical Technician and General Medical Doctorate.”

“Nice. That's a lot farther than I got in college.”

“Oh, you're a dropout?” Makes sense...

“Not really. I chose to only take a few classes that I needed, then stayed to follow my dad into the family business.”

...and now it doesn't. “Ah, why fix what's not broke, right? Lots of ponies would be envious of your position.” He giggled.

Kestral smirked. “In prison?”

Rest froze. “...right. Uh... so... what was the family business?” Just play the bumbling fool. They always trust you after that. He thought.

“He owned a hotel. I was the manager of it for a few years.”

Great. This isn't going to be half as coherent as I'd like in the psychology report. And now I owe fifty bits to that 'Jade' nurse or whoever. How did she know... Rest scratched the relevant information down, but then tapped his clipboard a few times. Nevermind. I actually don't have a whole lot of time with him. Best to let the make their own investigation, if they even need one. “You know, now that I think about it, a lot of these questions will probably be repeated somewhere down your case.”

“Probably.”

“In which case, we're wasting time here.” He tossed the clipboard behind, landing it in the corner, next to the sink, without even looking. “I can get it from the transcripts! Let's move on to your physical well-being, shall we?”

“Sure.”

“Alright, just lay down for me and let me get my tools.”

Rest went to his little desk along the wall and grabbed a small bag and a different clipboard than before. He returned to the bed at the center, where Kestral seemed to be relaxing.

“So, you said you got bit in the leg?”

“Yep.”

Rest quickly scanned the legs and found four marks. They were just above the knee. He noted that they were healed.

“Did these heal naturally or did you treat them?”

“Treated them.”

“With?”

“Some magic scabbing goop. Beyond that, they healed naturally.”

That's a controlled material. Either he got lucky with it, or he's had help. “Good, good.” More and more scratching. “And, is that the only deformation on your body at the moment?”

“I guess. What constitutes a deformation?”

“If you have to ask, then you don't have any more.”

Kestral raised an eyebrow at him, but said nothing.

Rest took a stethoscope from his bag and put it on, he place in on Kestral's chest and inched it around until he found the perfect spot. “Alright, do you mind pacing your breaths for me?”

He took a deep breath, then held it for a few seconds, then exhaled and did the same. He repeated this a few times until the doctor was satisfied.

“Cough for me please.”

He did.

“Good. You don't seem congested at all! Much better than some of these folks that come through.” He put away the stethoscope and pulled out a small crystal light. He tapped the end to turn it on, and started staring up Kestral's nose. “Let's see, let's see.... oh dear.” He kept looking around. “Do you get into dusty areas often?”

“Not too often. I slept in one today, though.”

“Well, that would do it.” He pulled back a little. “Got some caught up your nozzer is all. Nothing dangerous, just ugly stuff to look at when you pick your nose.”

“Sounds great.” He said unfazed.

“Maybe.” He went on. “I've no idea how much is setting in the bottom of your lungs. Just wear a mask or something. You'll be fine if you do that.” He moved over to his ears and checked them out. “These seem fine. Do you use swabs regularly?”

“Yep.”

Rest thwacked his hoof against Kestral's shoulder. “Well don't. Those aren't meant for that! You'll bunch up the wax and slowly go deaf like all the others!”

“Sorry, do you mind repeating that?” He asked mockingly, putting a hand up to his ear. “I don't think I heard you right.”

He hit the human again. “Good health isn't a joke!”

“Ow, my shoulder!” Kestral said, only jacking up his mocking tone. “What happened to the Hippocratic oath?”

“Oh, you mean 'first do no harm'?” He paused. “There was an appendage that nopony seems to remember- 'unless they're moronic with their own health'.”

“Yeah yeah, okay doc. I'll make sure to lie to you next time we meet.”

“Lying gets you extra hits! I hate sifting through the extra paperwork.”

Kestral put his arms up in surrender, leaning away. “Okay, okay! I won't do it anym- Ah!” He fell to the ground, having misjudged the distance from the side.

Suddenly, the guards burst through the door, bearing their swords. They scanned the room. “What happened?” one said.

“Nothing malicious, guardsmare. He just fell.” Rest turned around, looking at the table, where the human was now leaning over. “Did you break anything?”

He suppressed a smile. “My pride.”

Rest turned to the guards again. “Nothing important was damaged. Go on. I'll be done when I'm done.”

They stared at him for a while, then put away their swords and closed the door.

Rest turned back to Kestral, looking him over. As the human set himself right again on the bed, Rest noticed that he was still smiling, and had been on and off since he pulled him out of the cell. Had the implications of being imprisoned not made it to his head, yet? Most would be either worried or infuriated at their position now, not joking and laughing. It seemed the most likely reason. Surely he didn't simply takes things this lightly....well, he does work with Discord.

Perhaps he-

“You okay, doc?”

Rest snapped back into the real world, looking up at Kestral, who was now sitting on the bed corner, swinging his legs.

“You were giving me a thousand-yard stare.”

Rest shook his head. “Yes. I'm quite alright.” He paused a moment. “Well, normally I test your nerves and reflexes, but I don't actually know your layout, being human and all. Shall we move on to doing some imaging?”

“Sure thing.”

He nodded. “Okay, before we begin, I do need to ask for one little, tiny.... blood sample.”

He just stared at the doctor.

“Just a small one, I swear!” Rest hopped around. “It's totally necessary. I just need a real small one for the runes. They work way better and faster if I can use your blood.”

He hesitated for a moment. “Sssssurrre.”

“Perfect.” He ran to the sink and opened the cabinet below. He grabbed a small jar and yanked it out, closing the cabinet. He opened the jar and pulled out the contents: a single syringe. He took the piece and went to Kestral's side, keeping an eye on the needle every step of the way. “Alright. Now, just hold out your arm for me, and hold as still as you can.”

He did, not moving an inch when the needle pricked his skin. The unicorn pulled back on the end, drawing blood ever so slowly. Once it had a few milliliters, Rest stopped drawing and pulled the metal tip out. “See? Painless.” He gestured for Kestral to follow. “Just come right over here please.”

Kestral got up and followed Dr. Rest to the back wall. On it were these metallic slabs. One was laying on the ground, about eight feet by eight feet, and one standing up perpendicular to the wall of roughly the same dimensions. The one standing up was sunk into the ground and wall just enough to cover up the runic trimming around the edge. The one on the ground was sunk into the wall as well.

“Stand right in the center for me, if you don't mind.”

Kestral did, and Rest could feel his eyes watch his every move. The doctor pulled a stamp and a small bowl from a hidden spot behind the metal slab. He pulled the syringe apart and poured the blood in the bowl, then put the stamp in the blood. He got it nice and wet, then stamped the blood in the corner of the stone on the ground, just inside the runic carving.

“Okay, now hold your arms out, palms frontward please.... good. Just hold that position until I say you can drop it.”

Rest pulled out some black sheets of smooth something that wasn't quite paper, from a stack of them tucked away in the corner, and fitted them in some slots on his side of the stone wall. He tapped a circular rune in the center, and the slab began to glow. He stepped back into Kestral's view and watched over him, making sure he followed instructions.

“How long is this going to take?”

“Try not to talk during the spell, please.” He replied. “It will only take a minute or so.”

They stood in silence for the rest of the time. Rest kept checking over the runes, making sure that nothing was wrong. He noticed that Kestral seemed a little more straight-faced than he had a moment ago. He didn't have that smirk that he'd been holding onto for a bit. Did he get bored? Maybe the runes were giving him worry.

It ended soon enough, and the glowing stopped.

“You can step off it you want, now.”

He did.

Rest pulled the sheets from the slab and walked over to the counter next to the sink. He turned on a light and laid the sheets out on the counter. He motioned for Kestral to follow, and he did.

“Now, your upper body has a very similar anatomy to minotaurs. The skeleton structure there is nearly identical to them, from your fingers to your ribcage, down to just before your pelvic bone.” He paused a moment, then pointed on one of the sheets. It was a close-up of his back. “Except, your shoulder plates don't seem as large.”

“Hmm.” He hummed, not sure how to respond.

Kestral looked over the various papers that were laid out and was surprised. The pictures weren't just of his skeleton, they were of all kinds of maps of his body. One was a creepy image of his nervous system, while another depicted all the organs within his torso. A map of his muscles stared back at him, and his cardiovascular system beat them all.

He stood there cranking away at something, then reached over for one of the sheets. He held it up, looking at it in the best light he could manage.

Rest looked over the sheet, then Kestral's face. He noticed the tinge of- worry? sorrow?- on his face.

“Is there something wrong, Kestral?”

“Hmm?” He didn't even look at Rest. “No. Nothing's wrong.”

Whatever Kestral was hiding, Rest wasn't having it. “I'm your doctor, Kestral... for now, at least. You shouldn't keep anything from me if there's a chance it can help me help you.”

He stayed silent for a moment, then looked to the doctor. “Can you keep a secret, doc?”

Rest opened his mouth, then closed it again. It.... would be best if I didn't let him know I actually can't. I'd practically get the noose for malpractice. “I can, if you think it's that important.”

Kestral glazed his eyes over the doctor, seemingly judging whether he's being honest.

There's no way he knows any Equestrian law on medical practice.... right?

The human lowered himself, and let Rest get a better view. It was of the nervous system, including his brain and eyes. This sheet was a closeup of his head, giving better detail of how his brain looks. He pointed near the stem.

“The... Cerebellum, I think.... it's not supposed to be like that.”

Rest looked at the picture again. Was it not? Was the human brain supposed to be more different than he realized? “How so?” He asked.

“That gap, at the top?” He paused. “It's supposed to be a lot smaller.”

O...kay...

“How do you know?”

He sighed. “It was the last doctor I went to that told me everything. I have this... rare bacteria. I don't remember the name, I just remember what it does.”

That's not good. “What does it do?”

“Well, at first it was only supposed stay in one spot. It forced the cerebellum to grow a bit differently, but that was it. At first.” He gently put the sheet on the counter, then stood tall. “He told me that it was too close to a blood vessel. It was growing that direction, and was bound to get in my bloodstream once it got there. Bacteria grows along vessel walls, begins suffocating blood flow...”

“... I think I can imagine the symptoms from there.” Rest said.

That...makes sense. The main family is gone, too few others seem to care, his disease is slowly eating away at him so he loses the fear of death, but he can't just waste away. He's a fighter, so he keeps fighting. If not for him, then for someone else. Alcohol and any drugs he failed to tell me about probably didn't have anything to do with this. This seems like a sober decision from a dying colt.

He had dealt with death far too many times to have true empathy for his patients anymore, but Rest did feel bad for him. Some would argue that seeing the end ahead of time was a blessing, and let one appreciate life much more, but he disagreed; it was nothing more than a constant reminder of one's increasingly mortal body crawling to its final destination.

“I think I can get away with not telling anyone this.” He said. He looked at the clock, counting the time away until the human was no longer his. “Let's do some other tests. Here, I think I have some Rorschach papers around here somewhere.....”

If there was something Kestral was sure about, it was that, for a stone dungeon that had a terrible rat infestation, there sure were a lot of white, brightly lit rooms to get himself tossed into.

This one was a lot more comfortable than his cell, though. He was told to sit in a cushioned chair at one side of a metal table, and so he did. There was nothing remarkable about the room. A wood door at one side, four white walls, some cream-colored carpet, and bright crystal lights in the ceiling. It was almost just like a room one might find in a modern precinct. The only thing missing was a one-way mirror.

At this point, he was happy he wasn't restrained to his chair, but at this point, it did make him wonder why they didn't do it out of principle alone. Surely there were guards that wanted to get back at him for all his shenanigans? After nearly an hour of them having ripped him away for the good doctor, one of them must have been bored by now.

The door creaked open, revealing an elderly mare. She walked in, wearing a suit and saddlebags, and took her place across the table. She put her briefcase on the table, clicking open the locks the instant it hit the metal.

She threw out her hoof.

“Mr. Petrovski, I'm General Law. I'm the designated lawyer for your case.”

“Good to meet you, General.” He reciprocated.

“Please, Mrs. Law or just 'Law' will do.” She rummaged through her briefcase, digging away for something. “Now, before we begin, is there anything you need to know? Have you had experience with the Equestrian justice system?”

He shook his head. “Never touched it in my life. I just need some basic understanding and anything important you know I'll need.”

She took a deep breath, then starting spouting out words at a rate faster then he could have expected.

“So the first thing I need to do is to get your information correct. Your case is a bit special, so you're not going to have a hearing or anything. If you just plead guilty to everything we can get straight to sentencing, hopefully with a bargain that's less than a few hundred years. If not, you'll have to sit through presentations of evidence and testimonies. You'll have to present your own testimony as well, when asked. A dozen times at least, in a case like this. After all evidence and testimonies are presented, there's a the communal arguments. Once everything is presented and argued about, the jury goes into a separate room and casts a vote. The judge will get a vote that counts for ten percent of the total that don't abstain.”

He took a small moment to think over some questions. “How does the voting work? Do I need all or nothing?”

“The jury can vote one of four ways: guilty, free, not guilty, and abstain. Guilty and not guilty require to be at seventy-five percent of the non-abstained voters to determine which of those two you are. Failing that, if the total of the guilty and free voters is over seventy-five percent, and the total of the not guilty and free voters over seventy-five percent, then you're voted free. Of the non-abstained voters, of course. If more than a third of voters abstain, though, the vote is dropped, and they convene with the judge to determine what more needs to be said to get more votes cast. Failing any of that, the voters just go convene to convince eachother of their voting position.”

Jesus. This place just makes less and less sense all the time. “What does it mean to be voted free?”

“It means that your crimes are recognized and affirmed, but you get off anyways. Usually this is for people who have proven themselves a community asset in spite of what they've done.”

“So I can try to convince them that what I did helped them, and I can get out of this?” If that's the case, I might be able to get out of this entirely. If I can weasel my way out of these charges.... hell, I might be able to save the city and get off scott free.

“Mostly, yes. But this path keeps you open for persecution later, if you get into trouble. Guilty or not guilty will seal it off from being brought to court again, but going for the 'free' route means it can be reexamined should you ever let yourself be an issue. You'll have to prove you're still an asset in the future if you want to keep out.”

Okay... that might be an issue. “And what's the... 'communal arguments' part you mentioned earlier?”

“After everything that's actually related to the crimes is presented, third parties or even the prosecution and defendant will make arguments for and against the defendant, however they may. This is really the only time you can use to convince the jury for any votes for 'free'.”

He nodded. “Do I get a list of what I'm actually being accused of?”

“Of course!”

She whipped out a scroll and let one end drop. It hit the table, then the floor...and kept going.

Aw crap.

He took it from her and began reading.

“Property damage- Breaking and entering- Breaking and entering- Theft- Battery- Theft- Battery- Theft- Grand theft- Theft- Battery- Theft- Attempted murder- Property damage- Theft- Possession of controlled substances- Unlawful enforced drug use-”

His eyes hopped around, reading the charges in no particular order. There were dates and descriptions for each, but he didn't pay them mind.

Wow, okay. They've pretty much blamed me for everything they could find. Who do they think I tried to murder, though?

“The attempted murder part is what worries me.”

“Just that?” She asked, eyebrow raised.

“It's the only part that I have no idea it's referring to.”

She took the scroll and glanced down to the charge. “It says you are suspect for attempted murder of Fluttershy on two different accounts.”

“I don't know who 'Fluttershy' even is.” He said.

“She's an Element of Harmony. She's helped save the world.”

“That's gr-.... wait.” He paused. “As in the guys that turned Discord to stone?”

She nodded. “The very same girls.”

“What does she look like?”

“She's... a yellow pegasus. Pink hair, blue eyes. Butterflies for a cutiemark.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. “Those idiots.” He leaned up, putting his hand down. “I didn't try to kill the girl, I saved her. One of the changelings was coming straight for her.”

Law clopped her hooves together, smiling excitedly. “That's great! If you can convince the jury, you'll have a lot of leverage to get out of the harsher charges.” She whipped out a sheet of paper and pen and started writing.

“Who's the one accusing me of it?”

“Of the attempted murder?”

“Yes.”

“The State of Equestria.” She said.

“Yes, but who put through as a charge.”

“Probably the head of Ponyville's Policing department, whenever it was given to her.”

“And who gave it to her?”

“Whoever led the investigation of the incident?” She paused. “Is there a reason you're asking?”

“It's really suspicious to me. By the time I killed the changeling near Fluttershy, she had already gotten away to the crowd. If I wanted her dead, she'd be dead.”

“How would the investigators know that?”

“I could have let the changeling rip her apart... or killed her myself.” He paused. “The fact that I killed the changeling trying to kill her, instead of her, ought to have been a clear indicator of my intentions.”

“The proximity may have looked suspicious.” She said, handing him some paper and a pen. “Do you mind filling this out while we continue?”

“Sure.” He took them, read it, and started filling out his information.

“They may have been running on the assumption of the other supposed attempt.” She said.

“And what did they suppose I did?”

“All they have is that an explosive went off in her kitchen, leaving metallic fragments around. They were somewhat reconstructed and believed it to be a foreign object. So they assumed it was you.”

“So they have two attempts at murder on me with evidence they don't have?”

“You're the most logical suspect.”

“It's still my word against theirs.”

“It's not the prosecution you have to convince, it's the jury. Remember that.”

“What were the metallic fragments made of?”

She looked down at the charge again, then adjusted her glasses. “Brass, copper and lead.”

So I lost a bullet somewhere and it ended up there. How do I explain that one? 'Oh yeah, that was a thing I usually keep on me and it helps me kill things from half a mile away. I didn't plant it there, though, I just lost it. Yeah, I was sleeping at the time. Swear on my life.' ...It'd probably be best to deny knowing what it was. Maybe blame Discord. Not like they can do anything to him.

“Here's the paperwork.” He handed the materials back to the mare.

“Thank you.” She took it, and started looking over it.

“Alright. So you have me for however long, and my court date is far too soon. What do we need to get done?”

She kept writing on some papers. “Well, you got a general idea of how this is going to happen, but I need to go a little more in depth. Particularly about etiquette. Nobles won't be happy to see you at all if you don't know procedure by tomorrow.”

“There's more....wait, tomorrow?”

“Court starts tomorrow, and you're the center of it starting 8:30 A.M.”

…

Aw shit.

“Let's get on with it, then.”

Author's Notes:

Kicked Writer's Block's ass and churned this out the past two weeks.