Home. A simple word. He'd left long ago to enter Officer Cadet School, but he'd never stopped thinking of his parents' house as home and this room in particular as his.

It looked nothing like the room of the colt who left it; his parents had kept it unchanged for him for several years, used on the occasional home visit or weekend pass, but gradually the books and posters disappeared, the walls changed colour, the awards and ribbons all went into the attic. Finally, even the furniture which bore the scars of his teenage years had been replaced, but none of those changes had been able to remove that mental marker in his head that said, 'mine'.

Maybe it was the lack of permanence in his life. He'd gone from barracks block to single Officers' quarters to the Captain's suite in the Palace, but in all that time none of them had ever been his. Maybe in time that would change, but until then he still held this room in a special affection.

He straightened the one photo that he'd insisted his mother keep hanging on the wall, one taken years ago on a beautiful August summer's day. In it, he stood sandwiched between his two favourite girls; Cadence on his right, balancing on two left hooves to lean up against him with her cheek pressed to his, a radiant smile on her face, while a freshly cutie marked purple filly was caught mid-ecstatic leap to his left, her face contorted in foalish glee. For all Dad teased him about the stunned mullet in the middle – and he had to admit that he sort of did have a piscine look of befuddlement – it was the one photo he prized above all others.

He let out a long sigh and sank down on the bed. For the moment, he'd have to do without the light of both of those two mares in his life. Cadence was out of town again on business in Vanhoover, and now Twilight was refusing to speak to him.

They had found the strange mare recommended by the Princess in the rabbit-warren of courtyards, offices, and gardens, otherwise known as Graze Inn. In contrast to her sister she was broad of hip and shoulder, almost plump, with a tan coat and russet mane and her dreamy blue eyes hidden behind rose-coloured spectacles. Her initial reticence vanished when she learned who her visitors were – and turned to almost repellent enthusiasm when Twily explained the main purpose of their visit.

“Absolutely I'll take it on. How could I not? I mean, she's the Element of Honesty – do you know how rare it is to find an honest mare in my line of work?”

Twilight looked askance at her. “Yes, but like I said; she's prepared to plead guilty to just about anything. In some ways you'll be fighting against her as well as for her.”

Pro Bono nodded energetically. “That's because her conscience is eating at her, and she thinks she knows that answers. Sounds to me like it's the questions she's got wrong. I've dealt with a few like this before; the problem's not getting a straight answer, it's asking the questions so you get the full context of her actions.”

She had also taken on the litigation against The Fox. He had stopped at a corner shop and bought two copies of the offending paper to show the lawyer – Twilight managed to incinerate the first one before he got to the counter – and she exuded absolute confidence in winning easily.

“It won't even get to court. I'm telling you, they'll stall until the day before and then cave in. You say Applejack will back you up on all this? Easy, then, it'll be a massacre. I'll file tomorrow, and you can start planning on where to spend your bits. Ol' Page's going to find this one expensive!”

Twilight shook her head. “It's not about the money. Give it to charity, or a school or something, but it's the principle of the thing.”

“Yeah, yeah, the only problem with these sorts of actions is that it’s not enough to rage against the lie. You’ve got to replace it with the truth. Those scumbags will print a retraction, all right – on page nineteen, between the Classifieds and the Pony Loses Goldfish article, you know what I'm saying? Celebrity is currency – you're one of the Elements of Harmony, so you've got the use that effectively to get your message out there.”

She had rambled on, half PR-speak, half legalese, but eventually Twilight had been convinced enough to agree to her hefty fees. He had been in favour of looking for a lawyer of more gravitas and a little less flamboyance, but in the end he'd concluded that if she was half as good in court as she was at soundbites and clichés, she'd be a world-beater. They had left with Pro Bono's promise to meet them on tomorrow night's Friendship Express to Ponyville before trekking through the back streets to find their parents' house.

Dinner had been a stilted affair. Despite Mum and Dad's delight at seeing both their children and being together as a family again, it was obvious that Twilight was exhausted physically and emotionally, and that things in general weren't right. Finally, Twilight had made her excuses and, with a kiss for Dad and a hug for Mum, shuffled off to her old room, complaining of a headache. He rose and followed her, noting the look from his father that said, we'll talk about this later.

He had found her slumped on the edge of her bed, staring into space.

“Hey. Are you OK?”

“Not really.” She was silent for a long moment, and he let it stretch out comfortably between them. “Do you think I'm doing the right thing?”

“In what way – searching for the creature? For Applejack? Suing those flankheads at the paper?”

“Any of them. All of them. I don't know, Shiny, I just feel a bit lost. Maybe it's because I'm tired.”

He hugged her reassuringly. “Yes, I think you are doing the right things – on all counts. If I can help, you know just to ask.”

“Thanks, Shiny. Something's bothering you, though.”

She was unfortunately good at reading his expression.

“Yes, I suppose it is. Suing The Fox is the right thing to do, but I just hope we don't live to regret it; they're either going to back down or it's going to get nasty. I guess we just have to be prepared for that.”

“That's why I agreed with the Princess this morning. The less we say about this in public, hopefully the less confrontational it will be.”

“I hope you're right, otherwise anything they can dig up will be all over their front page.”

“So we hit them with another lawsuit; they'll get the point eventually.”

“That's the thing, it doesn't have to be inaccurate. They can report facts and still twist it to make you look like the bad guy. I mean, say you did date Silver; they'll try to claim that justifies what they've come out with.”

She gave him a flat, hostile look. “You did not just go there!”

“Oh, come on, Twilight! You're a young, single mare, he was a young, single stallion. Who cares if you did? You're acting like it's something to be ashamed of!”

She dropped her head into her hooves and let out a growl of frustration. “Well I didn't, all right?”

“So what are you so defensive about?”

“Because I care!” she snarled, her head jerking up to glare at him. “I care because I liked him! I care because I had to lie to him and pretend to be his friend just so I could use my friendship to spy on him, and you know what? I'm ashamed of that! I'm ashamed that I didn't get a chance to apologise to him for standing back and letting him cop all sorts of trouble because it was vaguely convenient for me! What's worse is that it was all completely pointless and it got him killed! So don't give me any horseapples about being defensive, Shiny, because I'm not in the mood!”

He just looked at her, aghast at her sudden rage but unable to think of what to say.

She snorted harshly and turned away from him. “Get out.”

“Twily-”

“I said, get out! I don't want to talk to you, I don't want to see you. Just go, Shiny, please.”

And so he had gone, feeling sick at his sister's outburst. Not willing to face company and the inevitable questions, he had crossed the hall to his own room. Maybe he needed some time alone to think, too.

Things hadn't improved the following day. Twilight had pointedly ignored him over breakfast, much to their parents' confusion, and in the end it had almost been a relief to turn her over to the Princesses and get back to his office where he could plan his absence with his Adjutant. Almost – he still had to finish signing off on the annual regimental accounting returns, something he'd rather hoped his Adjutant had taken care of in his absence.

The tedious task took nearly all day before he could conclude with a reasonable degree of certainty that the Catering Corps hadn't cooked the books, the Airborne Divisions weren't being paid chicken feed, and his Cavalry units hadn't traded their sabres for feather dusters. By the time he'd finished briefing his second-in-command on what to do in his absence, he barely had time to ram some personal items into his saddlebags and hurry across town to catch the train.

Twilight greeted him on the platform with a smile, which was reassuring, but there was no sign of their lawyer. Minutes passed with both of them anxiously checking the station clock but just as the train was about to leave she made it a dead heat, galloping into the carriage just as the doors were closed, red-faced but with a beaming smile.

“Sorry, sorry, had another client in and lost track of time,” she panted, wriggling out of a pair of battered, threadbare saddlebags which were slowly leaking quills, papers and clothes, and dumping the contents all over her seat. She plucked a creased piece of paper from the mess and hoofed it over. “Ah, here we go! My assistant brought this in just as I was leaving; it'll be served first thing tomorrow morning.”

THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE
PRINCESSES' BENCH DIVISION
B E T W E E N:-

TO THE DEFENDANTS RED TOP and THE FOX GROUP NEWSPAPERS LTD

THIS WRIT OF SUMMONS has been issued against you by the above-named Plaintiff in respect of the claim set out overleaf.

Within 14 days after the service of this Writ on you, counting the day of service, you must either satisfy the claim or return to the Court Office mentioned below the accompanying ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF SERVICE stating therein whether you intend to contest these proceedings.

If you fail to satisfy the claim or to return the Acknowledgement within the time stated, or if you return the Acknowledgement without stating therein an intention to contest the proceedings, the Plaintiff may proceed with the action and judgement may be entered against you forthwith without further notice.

Issued from the Central Office of the High Court this 31st day of May 1002

NOTE: This Writ may not be served later than 4 calendar months, or if leave is required to effect service out of the jurisdiction, 6 months beginning with that date unless renewed by order of the Court.

Directions for Acknowledgement of Service are given with the accompanying form.

Plaintiff's claim is for:

(i) damages for libel, which shall not exceed ERB150,000, contained in a newspaper article published on 30 May 1002 in The Fox newspaper headed "Elements Love Triangle in Killing Mystery"; and

(ii) a full retraction printed in The Fox newspaper with similar prominence to the offending article; and

(iii) an injunction to restrain the Defendants whether by herself, through her servants, agents, or otherwise howsoever from further publishing or causing to be published the said or any similar words defamatory of the Plaintiff.

THIS WRIT was issued on behalf of Twilight Sparkle, Golden Oaks Library, Ponyville
By the Solicitor for the Plaintiff whose address is 17 Graze Inn, Chancery Lane, Canterlot.

“That'll have ol' Page choking on his tiramisu, I guarantee it!”

“Whoa!” Shining Armour exclaimed, turning over for the details. “Not even a warning letter first?”

“Nah, no point. This'll get their attention whereas they'd just ignore a letter. Threats are ten a bit for them.”

“Well, that's great, but I doubt even Front Page eats tiramisu for breakfast?” Twilight said, snaring two pairs of balled-up socks which were rolling towards the far end of the carriage and floating them back to their owner.

“Oh, he'll know tonight, trust me!” said Pro Bono gleefully, setting a book and a dog-eared folder on the little fold-out table in front of her and carelessly sweeping the rest of her belongings back into her saddlebags. “He's got too many contacts for it not to get back to him. As for your other problem-”

“-It's best not discussed here,” Twilight said firmly.

“As for your other problem,” Pro Bono repeated, “I need to keep working up a case-file, so you'll have to crack on and entertain yourselves without me for a while.”

And with that, she buried her nose in her work. Shining Armour had braced himself for an evening of long, rambling soliloquies from the lawyer but gradually had to re-assess that assumption as the trip wore on and she scowled in ferocious concentration, poring through her book and scribbling endless notes in the folder. Perhaps the dreamy, trite, cod-philosopher act was just that – an act to lull the unwary pony into thinking she was a harmless eccentric. Plus, she was unlikely to have Celestia's recommendation if there wasn't a razor-sharp mind in there somewhere. He pondered that as the Express roared through the darkening landscape, his sister silent at his side.

The question of what to do with Twilight bothered him all the way to Ponyville. He decided to try talking to her again, but only once they had dropped the lawyer off at her hotel and they were safely back in the library. There were only a few other passengers in the carriage, ponies that he didn't recognise, but this was no time to be airing family arguments in public – or in front of their lawyer.

Arrival at Ponyville station was enough to jolt Pro Bono out of her work, and with a few long, slow blinks the amiable, head-in-the-clouds look settled over her face again. “Ponyville, yeah? Never been before, but I'm hearing 'bucolic idyll', you know?”

He managed to avoid rolling his eyes as the three of them trotted through the streets to the hotel that Twilight had organised – he winced when he thought of how much all this must be costing her – while Pro Bono rambled on. “Wow, different times, different place, eh? It's pretty and that, a real reminder of life in simpler, slower times that we just don't get in the big city. No offence, but it'd kill me to live here.”

Spike was waiting for them at the library, playing Solitare while nibbling on a shard of aquamarine. “Oh. Hey, you're back! I don't know if you guys have eaten, but there's some stuff in the kitchen.” The little dragon swept his cards into a ragged heap and stood up, setting off for the back of the library.

Twilight intercepted him and gave him a hug. “Thanks, Spike!”

Together, the two set a pot of barley stew in the fireplace, where Spike re-heated it with a long breath of flame.

“Careful you don't send that to Celestia,” Shining Armour joked.

Spike gave him a very sheepish look. “I may have actually done that, once.”

“What?” Shining Armour started to laugh, making the little dragon blush.

“It wasn't my fault! Pinkie Pie tickled me with a feather in mid-flame and made me choke!”

“I don't remember this?” said Twilight, chuckling.

Spike rubbed a paw over his face. “The Princess sent it back with a note; 'Excellent stew, but I prefer more garlic'. So, how was Canterlot?” Spike asked hurriedly, cutting across their loud guffaws of laughter.

“The same as ever. I've got a lot to tell you later,” Twilight said, still trying to control her sniggers.

Spike squinted critically at her for a second, then shrugged. “If it'll keep until morning, I was about to go up to bed?”

“Sure thing; sleep well, Spike.”

The door closed behind him, and Twilight doled out a couple of bowls and passed one to Shining Armour. They ate in silence until Twilight asked, “So how is it, Shiny? More garlic, d'you think?”

He snorted, and barely avoiding redecorating the table with the spoonful hovering in front of him. “I think it's fine as it is. Maybe it doesn't travel well?”

They both concentrated on finishing their dinner, and when Shining Armour levitated their empty bowls over to the sink he asked, “How are you holding up, Twily? You've looked absolutely done in by this time for the last few evenings.”

“I'm OK,” she replied, putting the pot back in the fridge and closing the door. “The first few days were a real struggle, but I'm gradually getting better. It's been kinda stressful.”

He took a deep breath. “Yeah, about that. I'm sorry I upset you last night. I didn't mean anything negative about you or Silver, I was just trying to point out how the press will try to twist things.”

Twilight sighed and looked away, staring out into the darkness. “I'm sorry, too. I over-reacted.”

“You didn't say anything you didn't mean, though, I think.”

“No. I hated lying to them, Shiny. I hated the sneaking around, I hated hiding like a coward while they got abused for things I knew they didn't do. I hate that I didn't do the right thing, Shiny, and now that Silver's dead...

“Pinkie Pie threw them a welcoming party when they first arrived. I guess I'd been studying too much, because I fell asleep. Silver noticed, and he got Mrs. Cake to bring a blanket down for me. When they pulled it up over me, I grabbed his leg.”

He could just picture it, but knew better than to laugh. “You used to do that to Cadence when you were little, too,” he noted.

Twilight blinked, startled. “What, really? Anyway, my friends thought it was funny and teased me about it for a while. Other than that, Silver came out star-watching with me once. It was one of those weird things where he could tell why I'd invited him, but he wanted to see if I'd tell him why. Finally, he flat-out asked me, and I told him as little as I could get away with. And then I wrote to the mayor of their home town about them, and when that got back to him... well.”

“You said you liked him,” he asked gently. “Really liked him, liked him?”

“No. Maybe. I don't know.” Twilight sighed again, chewing her lip for a minute. “He was pretty easy to like, you know? He was easy-going, talented, and by no means stupid, but I was always aware that I was being less-than-honest with him – and he knew it, too. Nothing was ever going to happen between us like that, and after a while he gave up trying to get anything out of me and just avoided me instead. In an ideal world without this whole mess, would anything have happened? Probably not. Besides, I really don't think I could have competed with Cloud Kicker.”

“I think you sell yourself short, Twily. You're a good-looking mare with an awful lot going for you, you know?”

She turned back from the window and gave him a rueful smile. “Not like that. Silver and Cloud Kicker had something special – a chemistry. You just needed to see the two of them together. They would always have had that, and I'm pretty sure that Silver and I wouldn't have had the same sort of thing.”

“He would have been a friend, though.”

“Yeah.” Twilight looked thoughtful for a second, then shook herself and changed the subject. “So, what were you planning to do tomorrow?”

“I ought to go and check in with Nightjack and see what the situation is. Depending on whether the police have finished up at the Berry farm, I'll either send the Guard detachment there back to Canterlot, or maybe request a relief for them if this is going to drag on. After that, it will depend on what the Prosecutor wants to do. I'm pretty sure she'll have questions for you, but if she's anything like we were told just try not to blow your top, all right?”

“I'll be all right,” she promised. “I don't know what happens lawyer-wise but maybe I can get Pro Bono to sit in on any interviews with me?”

“That's probably a good idea. I expect she'll want to be straight down to see Applejack tomorrow morning anyway, so ask her on the way.” He took a deep breath before continuing, “There was one other thing that Princess Celestia warned me about. She sent a chariot team to visit Silver's parents. They were to break the news to them, and then fly them to Ponyville if they wanted. I'd expect they'll be here in the next day or two.”

Twilight's ears flattened and she took a step back, her eyes widening. “Oh my gosh! W-what do I do? What do I say to them?” She looked wildly around the little kitchen like Silver's parents were about to pop out of the cupboards and start demanding explanations.

He held up a soothing hoof. “They may not even come, so try not to worry about it for now. And if they do, you don't have to speak to them if you don't want to. I think the Princess just wanted to do something for them, and while she can't bring him back she can at least make sure that they have a chance to see to his affairs properly.”

Twilight started pacing, her hooves tapping a rapid beat on the floor. “If the Princess is so worried about secrecy and appearances then flying his parents in isn't exactly going to go unnoticed, is it? I mean, not that they shouldn't, or anything, but... you know.”

“I think she feels responsible for what happened. And it's not just about him – from what she said there might have been dozens of other ponies over the years. I wasn't going to question her, or disagree. I was just told to look after them and pick up the tab for the duration of their stay. That'll come out of Celestia's personal accounts, so if the newspapers want to make a big thing of it all they're going to do is make themselves look stupid.”

The room was far too small for Twilight's restlessness, and he held out a hoof to stop her in her tracks. “Hey. Like I said, there's no point worrying about it now. We'll deal with it when it happens, so for now, just... try to relax. I'll help you if I can.”

Twilgiht closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath, and her fidgeting slowly ceased. “Thanks for everything, big brother.” Reaching out, she pulled a foreleg around his neck and squeezed him tightly. “Still best friends forever.”

He had to smile at their old foalhood catch-phrase.

“Best friends forever.”

Shining Armour came back from his morning run to find the library had gained a couple of extra mares in his absence; Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were clustered in the kitchen with Twilight, talking intently. There was no sign of Rarity, for which he was eternally grateful, so he slipped in as unobtrusively as possibly, receiving only a smile from his sister, an enthusiastic wave from Pinkie, and a distracted look from Rainbow Dash as she filled Twilight in on all the gossip.

“-it turns out that she's been working down at Sweet Apple Acres, helping Big Mac.”

“It's hard to imagine Fluttershy pulling ploughs or anything,” said Twilight, shaking her head.

“She said something about bees and stuff, so I guess she's making sure all the apple flowers get pollinated. I feel kinda bad – here I am worried about Applejack, and meanwhile she's off actually doing something for Applejack's family. You know she'll be worried about the farm.”

“Yeah, and sometimes all you need is an extra set of hooves,” Pinkie chimed in, “Or wings. Or hooves and wings if it's really complicated, or even hooves and wings and a chin? Chins can be really useful when-”

Shaking his head at the increasingly-weird digression, he slipped out to clean himself up and try to make himself presentable. By the time he came back downstairs again, Twilight was pacing impatiently by the front door, having just let her friends out.

“Are you ready?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Some breakfast would be nice?”

Twilight clapped a hoof to her forehead in exasperation. “Sorry, sorry, I didn't think! Follow me.”

He bolted his muesli as fast as he decently could while Twilight tried to distract herself with another cup of tea, but by the time he'd finished she was practically trotting on the spot. The short trip through the grey drizzle to the lawyer's hotel only took a few minutes, but he felt curiously naked being out in public without the familiar weight of his armour. It had become such an ingrained part of his daily life that its absence nagged at him the whole way.

They found Pro Bono in her room trying to sew one side of her saddlebags back together with a length of twine where it had split along its seams, the fabric frayed and worn through. “Bear with me, bear with me, I can fix this,” she promised between stitches.

Twilight looked ready to self-combust from frustration and impatience. “I'm sure there's somewhere in town where you can buy a new one.”

“That's not the point. I've had these for years and I refuse to bow to the diktats of a consumer -exploitative throw-away lifestyle.” Tying a final knot, she began shovelling notes and papers back into the repaired bag, but when she swung them onto her back there was a loud ripping noise swiftly followed by the fluttering rustle of a cascade of paper. There was a brief silence while she adjusted her rose-coloured glasses. “Well, horseapples!”

Twilight let out an angry huff. “Wait here.”

She stormed out, and Shining watched her gallop back the way they had come through the window. Pro Bono abandoned her efforts to gather everything up again and joined him in watching her go. “Sounds like she's a little het up this morning?”

You don't say? “She's had a pretty stressful time recently,” he said diplomatically.

“Ah, she's got to learn to let the little things float on by. Otherwise the river of life gets a log-jam, you know what I'm saying?”

Yeah, I'll let you tell her that, he thought.

Twilight returned a few minutes later and slapped her own saddlebags on the table. “Can we go now?” she demanded pointedly.

Pro Bono started to protest, then thought better of it when she saw the look in Twilight's eye. “I don't... think that'll be a problem.”

Outside, the drizzle had eased, but the leaden skies still leaked the occasional droplet into the brisk southerly. Shining Armour and the lawyer bent their heads against the wind and trailed after Twilight, who set off at a rapid pace.

A pink blur flashed across the edges of their vision near the town hall, causing them both to stop and look around, but the only thing out of place was a brightly-coloured party hat that had appeared on Pro Bono's head. They exchanged a confused look, but Twilight hadn't noticed and was forging ahead. With a jerk of his head Shining Armour indicated that they should follow, but seconds later it happened again – this time Pro Bono was sporting a large wicker hamper on her back and a lei of flowers was spinning around her neck.

For once, the lawyer was lost for words. “Uh... what?”

Shining Armour shrugged in bewilderment. “I have no idea.”

“Are you two coming?” Twilight demanded, having finally noticed that they were no longer following her. “Where did you get all that?”

“It just... well, appeared,” Pro Bono said, absently nibbling on the flowery wreath.

“Oh. That's probably just Pinkie Pie,” said Twilight, turning and continuing on her way.

“What in Equestria is that supposed to mean?”

Shining Armour shrugged again. “Just go with it for now. We can ask someone later.”

At police station, they found Bluebell chatting to Twilight over the public counter. She gave him a bright smile. “Good morning, Colonel! And...?”

“Hallo Bluebell, this is Pro Bono. She'll be Applejack's lawyer.” said Shining Armour as the lawyer lifted her basket onto the counter and pulled off the party hat, much to Bluebell's confusion.

“Of course. Welcome to Ponyville, Ms. Bono. Uh, what's this?”

“It just appeared on my back on the way here. You've got some crazy ponies in this town, you know?” she said, gripping the napkin covering the basket's contents in her teeth.

Bluebell blinked. “Uh, that might not-”

There was a loud crack and suddenly the air was filled with a rain of sparkling confetti. Bluebell sighed as a crepe-paper banner fluttered down and draped itself over her ears. “Pinkie Pie?”

“Pinkie Pie,” Twilight agreed, hiding a grin as her magic neatly folded up the banner and passed it back to the stunned lawyer. “On the bright side, I bet you'll want to check the rest of the basket.”

Pro Bono cautiously poked her nose into the basket. “Hey, wow! Yeah, muffins, cupcakes... chocolate éclairs! Why did it have to be chocolate éclairs!? My waistline will never forgive me!”

“Oh well, at least it's not a total loss. The others are out the back, so if you'd like to follow me?”

They filed through after the Constable and squeezed into the little custody suite. The two other police ponies were flanking the custody desk, which was occupied by Cui Bono. The lawyer's face took on a stern, disapproving look at the sight of the new arrivals, but Nightjack did his best to pay host while Bluebell quietly sneaked back to her post.

“Ah, the very ponies we were just talking about. Welcome back Twilight, Colonel. And I'm assuming you're going to act for Applejack, ma'am? I'm Sergeant Nightjack of Ponyville Police, Detective Inspector Autumn Breeze from the Flying Squad, and Senior Counsel Cui Bono from the Chamber of Justice.”

“Pro Bono. Nice to meet you,” the lawyer said cooly, smirking at her sister.

Cui pushed back from the desk with a snort and took a step around it to glare down at the other mare through her blue-coloured spectacles. “You! Why did it have to be you? Of all the lawyer's in Canterlot, couldn't they have picked somepony else?”

Pro's smirk widened into a beaming grin. “Nope – only the best would do!” With that, the two mares squealed happily and threw their hooves around each other, chattering excitedly.

“Looking good, sis, looking good!”

“You too, that jacket really suits you! Neighman Marecus, again?”

“They had a sale last week, and I couldn't resist. Oh, I caught you in court last week, Crown v. Hatstand et. al.? Loved the Olfacere Rosaceae defence, you left old Sharp Practice in a heap with that one!”

“Likewise, I hear about you and the Non Facile Sit Viridis in the retrial of Hard Bargain's gang.”

Behind the lawyers, Autumn Breeze was staring at Cui Bono in stunned disbelief, presumably at the sudden emergence of a hitherto-unforeseen equine side to the Prosecutor, and Nightjack was watching both the lawyers and his colleague's reaction with a raised eyebrow and a faint smile hovering on his lips.

Beside him, he heard Twilight blow out a slow, controlled breath. “Well, while they're occupied, could I see Applejack?”

Nightjack shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

He led them the short distance across the room to where they could look in on the orange farm pony, lying on her bed. Her face was set in an intense frown as she stared into space, her front left hoof drumming a rapid beat on the mattress, but when she saw Twilight a wide, genuine smile broke across her face.

“Twilight! Boy howdy, ain't you a sight for sore eyes?!”

Twilight gave her a cautious smile in return. “Hey, Applejack. How're you doing?”

“Well, OK, I guess. I'm getting a little sick of being cooped up in here, but other than that I can't complain.”

“I noticed,” said Twilight. She was staring at Applejack's tapping hoof, and after a second the mare caught on and snatched it off the mattress like it was on fire. She looked around helplessly for somewhere to put it and ended up resting it back where it had come from, looking sheepish.

“Like I said, I ain't used to all this.”

Twilight leaned closer. “Don't worry, we're going to get you out of here. I found you a lawyer – that's her, over there. Pro Bono.”

Applejack frowned in confusion. “She's doing this for free?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “No, that's her name!”

“Er... oh! Well, thanks. Look, I don't know how much all this is costing ya, but I'll pay ya back, I swear.”

“Don't worry about that, Applejack, my friends are more important than money.”

“An Apple always pays her dues, sugar cube. It might take me a while, but-”

“I said don't worry about it! I'll spend my money on whatever I want, now for once in your life swallow your pride and accept some help when you need it!” Twilight barked.

Applejack chuckled nervously. “I ain't in no place for pride, right now, sugar cube.” She took a deep breath. “I'm in a bit of a jam here, Twi – and I don't mean the Zap Apple kind. What do we do now?”

Twilight looked reflexively at Nightjack, who took over. “First, we – the Prosecutor and police – will brief your lawyer, then I dare say she'll want to spend some time discussing the case with you. You two will be able to do that in private.”

“And I also want to go over your statement, Miss Sparkle. I have a few questions for you.”

Twilight jumped a little, and turned to see Cui Bono looking at her. “Uh... sure?”

“You are not obliged to say anything or to answer any questions,” Pro Bono chimed in, earning her an irritated look from her sister.

“No, it's OK,” Twilight said.

“And as for you, Colonel-” Nightjack began, but Shining Armour cut him off.

“I was going to head out to the farm and see how my Guardsponies were holding up. Depending on whether you still want a guard at the scene, I'll either dismiss them or get a relief party from Canterlot.”

“I was going to head out there myself, so perhaps we can discuss it on the way?”

“You don't need to stay?”

“No, Autumn Breeze and Bluebell have everything in hoof.”

Outside, Shining Armour fell into step with the old police pony, who advanced through the town with that same firm, unhurried stride that he had noticed before, seemingly enjoying the grey day. It was only when they crossed over the little bridge out of town that he spoke. “So, Colonel, how was your trip to Canterlot?”

He shrugged, concentrating on stepping over the water-filled rut which lay where the brick of the bridge gave way to the hard-packed dirt of the road. “Interesting.”

“I see. Anything you can tell me about this case?”

“Not really, I'm afraid. The Princesses decided that it was better not to interfere with your investigation.”

“Huh. Is that so? There's a difference between interfering and withholding material evidence! Who knows what conclusions we might come to if we don't have all the facts?”

“I understand, but they seem to think that you have enough information to get to things right.”

“Is that so? Well, let's take your sister, for example. Applejack tells us that Silver was alive when she left him. She tells Twilight, who goes to see shortly afterwards and claims he was dead when she got there, ripped to bits. Well, we don’t have any independent verification of either claim but of the two ponies, Applejack had a little blood on her hooves and nowhere else – the guardsponies that helped her into the house would have noticed – whereas Twilight was absolutely covered in it.”

“Now wait a minute-”

“Furthermore, it was common knowledge that he and Twilight had fallen out. Over what, we don’t know. Politics, philosophy? The best way to brew a pot of tea? Who knows. Maybe she was jealous of Cloud Kicker and took her opportunity to ensure that if she couldn’t have him, nopony could.”

Shining Armour stopped in the middle of the road and stared at Nightjack in shock. “Whoa! Where did that come from?! Look, she was there for what, all of a minute?”

“That’s a good question, because we really don’t know that, either,” Nightjack continued implacably. “It was a reasonably short period of time but, understandably, nopony was looking at a clock. So it’s certainly conceivable that she could have seized her chance to kill him and then tried to blame it on this creature from the Everfree Forest that she claims has been hanging around. A creature that nopony other than her knows about, with the exception of her friends – and she is the source of everything they know. That’s planning. That’s premeditation and some serious planning – and who do we know who’s a highly-organised, slightly-obsessive pony?”

He shook his head. “I don’t believe this. Go on, then, how did she kill him? Where’s the murder weapon?”

“She’s a powerful and highly-skilled Unicorn. She could no doubt wield multiple weapons with extreme force. And afterwards? She could have done anything – melted them down, transmuted them, teleported them to the bottom of a lake or half a mile underground.”

“Wow, you’ve got an answer for everything. I guess you’ve really got it all figured out,” he said acidly. “So why haven’t you arrested her yet? Or have you noticed that she’s been a complete wreck, crying her eyes out ever since?”

“That doesn’t always mean anything, either. Killing somepony would be a tremendous emotional upheaval for her. And believe me, I’ve seen that sort of reaction before from ponies who have done terrible, terrible things. You remember the Sunset Shores case? The big ponyhunt for the two masked Earth ponies who she claimed murdered her husband and foalnapped her little colts? Bawled her eyes out, tearful interviews with the press, the works – right up until a bright PC thought to check the newly turned-over vegetable patch at the bottom of the garden.”

“I remember. I think I was at school at the time. But this is completely different!”

“Is it? And yet everything I have said is either completely true or reasonable conjecture. Do you see where I’m coming from, Colonel? Are you starting to get my point? As a matter of fact, no, I don’t believe Twilight killed him – but equally, there’s just about enough that I can't discount it.”

Shining Armour ground his teeth. “I’ll speak to Princess Celestia, but I can't guarantee what sort of response I’ll get. Come on, Nightjack, you must have known things were going on for months.”

Nightjack sighed. “Bluebell and I investigated some of the thefts – the ones that were reported, at least – but there wasn’t much to find. Most of the victims were very vague about where and when they’d last seen their missing items. We found a few marks outside the houses, but nothing distinct enough to be a usable hoofprint. I also spoke to Silver and Summer, seeing as the grapevine seemed to have correlated their arrival with the start of this mess, but that didn’t go anywhere, either. This murder investigation is the first time I've been presented with solid, verifiable facts, and I'm finding that I'm being kept in the dark. As I've said before, I don't particularly care for that sort of thing.”

Shining Armour nodded to concede the point, and Nightjack snorted and changed the subject. “Your sister seems pretty tense. I saw The Fox the other day; they've got a bloody nerve printing that, haven't they?!”

He shook his head. “Unbelievable! Twilight's going after them for libel, but that's not much good when it's already been published.”

“I should think so, but no doubt whatever they pay out in damages will be covered by the increase in circulation that story will have got them. The cheeky sods!”

“Yeah, well, she's been beating herself up enough over Silver's death, and that sort of thing's not helping.”

Nightjack's face twisted in a humourless smile. “I think we've all got regrets on this one. I was out here on the morning of the murder to see him. I'd been out to see him a few days before, after all the carry-on in town, and I came out to ask him if he'd had trouble from anypony since or if there was anything I could do. Do you know what he said? 'I'm fine, don't worry about me. Just promise me that you'll keep an eye on Summer'.”

Shining Armour winced. “You couldn't have guessed that anything like this was going to happen, though.”

“Major cases tend to have a few things that stick out in your memory about them; I don't think I'll be forgetting that one.”

Up ahead, he could see a little doughnut-shaped break in the clouds. Right over the late Silver's workshop, no doubt, and if he squinted he could even see a pony standing on it. “How's the Prosecutor getting on? You must be running out of time to question Applejack without a charge?”

“That expired a few days ago; we got an extension from the Mayor – she doubles up as a Justice of the Peace around here.”

Which, he noted, didn't entirely answer the question. He kept silent, and after a moment Nightjack sighed and continued,

“As for the case, the Prosecutor's being going hard for murder – and I mean really going for it. She went after Applejack pretty strongly but she couldn't shake her, then she started interviewing other ponies – Cheerilee, Rarity, Moonlight Sonata, the Mayor, Rainbow Dash. She even tried re-interviewing Apple Bloom and her friends, but the answers keep stacking up the way Applejack tells it. I dare say your sister is in for a grilling shortly.”

Shining Armour made a face. “From what I hear about her, those poor foals must have had a rough time.”

“I've got to give her some credit, she was actually pretty good with them. Foals are really hard to interview; sometimes they pick up on what you're trying to find out and start trying to give you answers to please you. Those three didn't budge an inch, and she backed off without pushing them too hard.

“She's not always that gentle, though. I went with her out to Sweet Apple Acres when she wanted to talk to Big Macintosh. Ha, Mac doesn't say much at the best of times, but she got him so angry trying to shake his story that he barely said a word.

“It really started to unravel when she found out that Fluttershy was there. Autumn and I had spent ages trying to get her story out of her – she can be incredibly timid – and what she told us was almost unbelievable, but it pretty much corroborates what your sister told us. Anyway, the Prosecutor started in on her and really gave her hell. Finally she made her cry, and Big Mac blew his top completely! He must have said more to her in chewing her out than I've heard him say in total since I moved here!” Nightjack gave up trying to keep a straight face and let out a deep belly-laugh.

Shining Armour thought back to the timid mare on the train. “Fluttershy – pink mane, butterfly cutie mark?”

“That's her. She lives out on the edge of the Everfree Forest and works as a vet and animal caretaker. She's one of your sister's friends.”

“I think I met her. It was hard to tell,” Shining Armour said drily.

Nightjack chuckled. “I know what you mean. Normally she wouldn't say 'Boo' to a goose, but believe it or not she stared down a full-grown dragon a year or so ago. Anyway, Big Mac threw us both out, and warned the Prosecutor off entirely. He told her that if she ever set hoof on the farm again, he'd have her up for Trespass and anything else he could make stick.”

Shaking his head, Nightjack stopped at the bottom of the farm driveway. The weather-beaten but sturdy five-bar gate was pulled across and locked, and a crude, hoof-lettered sign read, 'Keep Out – No Trespassers'. “Ms. Bono's going to have to make a decision soon, and she's running out of rocks to turn over.”

“And...?”

“GBH, like we said. Maybe GBH with Intent, but I don't know. The Intent part could be hard to prove in this case.”

Shining Armour felt bad about quibbling over details when it might help Twilight's friend not to, but he couldn't help pointing out. “She sort of admitted it, though?”

“She says she panicked when she ran into an armed pony covered in blood, and with a plausible reason to believe he'd just killed somepony. Intent would be if she'd turned up with a weapon herself, or had told other ponies that she was going after him. That's why I think GBH with Intent would fail, assuming her lawyer is even halfway awake. I'm assuming that this Pro Bono isn't just any old chump off the streets?”

“She came highly recommended,” Shining Armour said diplomatically. It was probably best not to reveal the source of that recommendation.

“No doubt she did. No doubt she did,” Nightjack repeated, magically plucking a key from the pockets of his jacket to undo the hefty padlock. He slid the bolt back and shouldered it just wide enough for the two of them to squeeze through before locking it again behind them. “I guess this is all a very roundabout way to get to the point. There's not really anything worth guarding here any more, but I'd appreciate it if you could leave your Guards here until charges are laid. Like I said, it should only be a day or two.”

“That's fine. Have they had to turn anypony away?” he asked as they set off towards the house.

“No, but that's only because everypony knows that they're there. Once they're gone, I'm sure there'll be the usual. Reporters looking for a photo op. Maybe youngsters looking for a thrill, but they'll probably need a while to work up to it. That's why I want to see Ma Berry, actually. They want to knock the place down; it's pretty rickety anyway, and now with what happened there...”

“Silver's parents are supposed to be coming,” Shining Armour said quietly. “The Princesses sent a chariot team to collect them.”

“'Welcome to Ponyville – please collect your son's mortal remains on the way out'.” Nightjack stopped, a long sigh escaping like air from a punctured hoofball. “I'm too old for this, Colonel. It's a nice gesture, but why?”

“They feel bad for them, I guess. It's not much, but it's a little thing that they can do to help a couple of their subjects who've suffered a tragedy which has come to their attention.”

“There's more to it than that, though, isn't there?”

He hesitated before settling for, “It's a long story.”

“Maybe you'll have to tell me one day.” They were passing the little path down to the workshop, and the Sergeant stopped briefly to check the crime scene tape was undisturbed, as well as a few less-obvious markers that he'd hidden.

“I'd tell you now if I could, Nightjack. I don't like all this sneaking around any more than you do – but it's not my decision. There's things that need to remain confidential, and we both know that the Police leak like a tramp's raincoat.”

“Now, that's a little unfair-” Nightjack began, but Shining Armour continued.

“You I could trust, Nightjack. Autumn Breeze too, for that matter. Anypony else? Not so much. Come on, I'm sure we both saw the papers this morning – some of that detail could only have come from the autopsy report.”

Nightjack scowled. “And I have a pretty good idea who will have leaked that – and it's not one of us! All right, I get your point, but still.”

“Look, it's nothing personal. Maybe one day when this is all over I'll be able to give you the full story. That's assuming what I know is the full story.”

Nightjack grunted dismissively. “I won't hold my breath. Come on, let's see if the Berrys are home.”

Together, they trudged up the final rise to the long, low farmhouse nestled on its crest. The tiled roof stretched out above a low wooden deck which ran the length of the south face of the house, and on it a dark-red pony was sitting on a porch swing, rocking herself gently with a magazine in her front hooves. When she caught sight of them she levered herself out of her seat and strode down to meet them by the fence which separated the house from the vineyards.

“You boys took your time. I saw you coming all the way from Ponyville,” she said bluntly, squinting. Her mane and tail were dyed an unlikely shade of black, but otherwise the only thing about Ma Berry that betrayed her age was her voice.

“We had a few things to discuss on the way,” Nightjack said politely.

“Ain't that always the way? Good morning, Nightjack, Colonel.”

“Good morning, ma'am,” Shining Armour said.

“How are you today, Cerise?”

“Well enough, well enough, thank you. Back again, Colonel? Is it business, or was it just my cranberry and macadamia cookies?”

Shining Armour summoned a laugh. “Business, unfortunately, but I wouldn't object to combining the two. I wanted to check on my Guardsponies. They've not been any trouble, have they?”

The old mare snorted. “They're quiet, polite, feed themselves, and clean up around the place – I dare say some of my brood could learn a thing or two from them! They're still over in the barn, so just make yourself at home.”

“Thank you. Hopefully they'll only be here for another day or two, but I'm sure Nightjack will fill you in on that. And on behalf of the Guard, thank you again for your hospitality, it is much appreciated.”

The old mare's smile slipped. “Least we could do, after what happened to poor Silver. Breaks my heart to see a good pony come to such a terrible end.”

“Nopony deserves an end like that,” Nightjack said sombrely. “I came to speak to you about the workshop, actually, Cerise. I've discussed it with the Prosecutor and in principle there aren't any objections.”

Shining Armour excused himself and made his way over to the barn. He was met in front of the door by Oak Heart, who was looking a little flustered with her champron missing. “Morning, Corporal,” he said with a grin. “I hope I haven't caught you unprepared.”

He knew that the sentry would have spotted them a long way off, and would make sure to warn his comrades that an Officer was approaching.

“Vortex took his sweet time,” Oak Heart replied, with a sharp salute. “I was out the back. Tack maintenance.”

“No need to salute, Corporal, I'm off-duty at the moment,” he said easily, peering over the mare's shoulder past the paint-caked door into the cool gloom inside. He could just make out a few bedrolls, neatly arrayed, and a hump of blankets which marked a sleeping pony. “All quiet around here?”

“Yes, sir. Not a peep from anypony – even the Berrys keep well away.”

“Good. Is Sergeant Crusher about?”

“She's asleep, sir; she was on the last stag before dawn. I can wake her, if you like?”

“No, it's all right. I just wanted to let you know that the Police are looking to wrap things up in the next day or two, at which point the detachment will return to base. I'm staying in town for the time being, so I'll come up and see you when I have word and arrange rail warrants to save you from having to fly home. See my Adjutant when you get in; he'll have a 48-hour pass for each of you.”

That got him a smile. “Thank you, sir.”

“Don't thank me, you've all earned it for a job well-done. Oh, and your regimental C.O. wants to see you when you get back.” He threw that last little grenade in there casually, knowing that it'd probably give the mare a sleepless night. In fact she had her Sergeant's stripes waiting for her, but this was all part of the game – one which the Guard had been playing for years.

To his mild disappointment, Oak Heart seemed unfazed. “Yes, sir.”

At least, it always used to give me sleepless nights. Maybe she doesn't have my guilty conscience? Ah, well... He was tempted to have a quick look around, just to reassure himself that everything was in order, but that would imply a lack of faith in his N.C.O.s that he knew was unjustified. They would have everything in order as a matter of professional pride, and making an obvious reconnoitre would only dent those feelings. He decided instead to simply let it go.

“I'll get out of your mane and leave you to it, then. If you need me for anything – and I can't imagine that you will, but just in case – I'll either be at the Library or with the police.”

Oak Heart saluted again through force of habit, and he ambled back to the farmhouse. He hesitated by the door, wondering if he should knock or go in, when Nightjack solved the problem for him by emerging with a wrapped napkin held in his magic.

“That was quick,” the Sergeant noted, offering him the napkin.

“Likewise,” he said. “All done in there?”

Nightjack nodded and set off down the drive. Shining Armour fell in beside him again, unwrapping the napkin to find half a dozen cookies inside, still slightly warm. He smiled – Cranberry and macadamia again! He offered one to the police pony, and together they walked in silence back to the station, sharing a little slice of homeliness on the way.