To say that she was wracked with nerves would not have done justice to the sheer amount of stress that Twilight was feeling at this moment. Standing there, in the middle of the main platform at the Canterlot train station, she kept on taking in more and more deep breaths, hoping in vain that she could calm herself in doing so. Sadly, this had little effect, and nor did she expect it to. After all, the task before her was a herculean one, and, more importantly, one she knew she would be unlikely to succeed at. The only small comfort she could think of for herself was who she was with, for there, standing to the right of her, were the four mares that she had managed to find friendship with after having forgotten them for so long; Minuette, Twinkleshine, Lemon Hearts, and, last but not least, Moondancer. And then, on her left, there was Spike, looking up to his adopted mother with concern as she continued to stress out. All of them were looking to her, each silently offering what encouragement they could, even though they knew in their hearts that it would do little good. In fact, the only thing that brought even a tiny smile to Twilight's face was what happened next, for suddenly, without warning, all six of them heard the unmistakeable sound of a train in the distance. Simultaneously, they turned, and saw it, approaching rapidly before making its loud screech as it halted.

It took a few moments, but eventually, the doors of the nearest carriage opened up, and pony after pony exited the train, with Twilight eagerly awaiting the ones she knew would be there. In time, her patience was rewarded, as Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy. Applejack and Trixie all stepped off the train, looking around before gaining smiles as they finally caught sight of Twilight. The young alicorn rushed to greet them, and together, they engaged in a massive group hug after having been away from each other for so long. When they parted, however, Twilight's Ponyville friends looked on to the collection of mares beside her with some confusion, leading to a somewhat nervous chuckle from the lavender mare. Naturally, Twilight immediately proceeded to explain who they were and why they were here, leading to a massive exchange of greetings amongst them, with Pinkie and Minuette especially being pleased to see one another, given that they technically already knew one another. When the "hellos" and introductions were done and dusted, Twilight grew into a more serious expression, after which she turned and began to make her way away from the platform, with her son and ten friends close behind her. As they left the station, and started walking down the main street of Canterlot, there was an uncomfortable silence amongst them, which came to a head when Rainbow finally spoke up.

"So...what’s going on? Why is there this trial anyway? I thought Princess Celestia already dealt with Discord the last time?"

But Twilight merely shook her head at that.

"She merely kept him under house arrest, under guard. She's done her best to try and calm everypony down, but once it became known what he did and what he almost did, there was an uproar. They called for his trial, almost everypony of influence, and even a few protests here and there. Letters and letters came pouring in from all over and Equestria, and...look, the bottom line is, that Celestia has decided to hold an official trial for Discord."

Needless to say, that caused more than a few nervous glances amongst the mares, which then led to Fluttershy speaking up in a hushed manner.

"Um...Twilight? What exactly is he being charged with?"

At that, Twilight stopped, and paused while her friends watched her apprehensively. In time, she spoke, though she hung her head low as she did so.

"He's being charged...with attempted genocide."

As one might expect, that led to a round of gasps from all around, with Fluttershy especially looking on the verge of fainting, as did Rarity for that matter. A crime that serious was almost unheard of in Equestria, even from the more serious enemies they'd faced over the years. To hear of that kind of accusation, was, quite frankly, a bit too much for some of them, which then led to Applejack speaking up.

"Genocide? Ain't that a bit...ya know...extreme?"

But Twilight simply shook her head.

"Discord attempted to kill the Tree of Harmony. And the tree is connected to all creatures of harmony. If he'd succeeded...everypony would have died. And not just ponies, but every creature the tree was connected to...which is a lot."

The memory of the effects of the tree's near death was still clear in the minds of Twilight's friends. Seeing their neighbours and even their families all going limp and near-lifeless in the streets, it was an unpleasant thought to say the least, They knew what Discord had wanted to accomplish was bad, but to know that his actions might have led to outright death? And on that kind of scale? It wasn't something they’d ever considered before. But, it wasn't long before Rainbow Dash spoke up again.

"But...can't the Princess just hold off on a trial and just deal with him privately or something?"

Again, Twilight shook her head.

"This is bigger than her, Rainbow. Everyone, and I mean everyone, was in some way hurt by Discord when he did what he did. As soon as it became public knowledge that it was he who caused that epidemic, Celestia started receiving letters and envoys from every nation we have relations with, and even those we don't. The griffons of the mountain kingdoms. The zebras of the southern plains. Heck, even the yaks of Yakyakistan, who've never even spoken to us before now. All of them have corresponded with Celestia. They've demanded that action be taken against Discord, and immediately."

After another round of glances between the mares, this time, it was Twinkleshine who spoke to her, though her voice had a very nervous tint to it.

"Um...what exactly do they want Celestia to do with him?"

Frowning at that, Twilight continued on her walk down the street, with the others close behind her, before finally giving an answer, with her tone a grim one.

"Let me put it this way...if we'd simply handed Discord over to them, as some of them have requested...then his head would already be on a spike right now."

This, as before, earned quite a few gasps from the group, and Fluttershy looked as if she was about to outright cry at hearing that, only to be comforted as best she could by Pinkie Pie, who held her close as they walked. In time, the yellow mare managed to squeak out a coherent sentence.

"But...but...we ponies wouldn't do that to him...would we?"

That question made Twilight wince somewhat, but she nevertheless gave her friend an answer.

"I’m not going to lie, Fluttershy...Equestria does technically still carry the clause that serious crimes may be punishably by...loss of life."

As one might expect, this caused Fluttershy to go as white as a sheet, prompting Twilight to continue.

"But...it hasn't been used in a long time. Thankfully, we live in an age where nopony has committed any crimes serious enough to even consider using that sort of punishment."

But the timid Pegasus was still not satisfied.

"And...and now?"

Slowly, Twilight looked away from her, unable to look her in the eye.

"I'm sorry...but what he did was...very bad, Fluttershy. I...I just don't know what's going to happen to him."

Hearing that, all of the mares looked utterly aghast at the possibilities before them, and even Pinkie found it difficult to keep a smile during all of this. Knowing just how bad things were, Twilight let out a sigh before continuing.

"It took pretty much all of Celestia's diplomatic skill to convince the other nations to let us, here in Equestria, be the ones to hold him on trial. But believe me when I say this, girls...the eyes of the world are watching our nation right now. And they'll be paying very close attention to how we treat him."

To say that they were all taken aback at the sheer scale of just what kind of trouble Discord was in would have been a great understatement, for all of the mares were rendered more-or-less speechless by what they'd heard. The journey afterwards was a silent one, and Twilight was thinking long and hard about all of this, especially considering her role in it. Eventually, they found themselves at their destination, the courthouse of Canterlot, a large and imposing building that had many serious-looking mares and stallions all entering and leaving the place at every moment. It was here that Twilight stopped, leaving all of her friends to look at her in silence, before, at last, she turned to them and spoke.

"There's something you need to know. I...I'm the one that's going to be defending Discord in the trial today."

Immediately, many of them found themselves with their mouths hanging open, while the rest looked at her as if she'd just told a joke. After a long silence between them, Applejack spoke up, raising an eyebrow as she did so.

"Beggin yer pardon, Twi...but...do y'all have any legal experience or anythin?"

Sadly, all the young alicorn could offer the farm mare in response to that was a shake of her head.

"Aside from what I've learned in books, no. But...we don't have much choice. I was the only person to volunteer to defend him."

That took all of them by surprise, prompting Rarity to speak.

"Just you?! But...doesn't a defendant usually get appointed a lawyer by the courts?"

Twilight nodded at that before replying.

"Usually...but everypony is already so set on Discord's guilt, that...nopony was willing to represent him, even in the face of outright court orders to do so. When I heard that...well...I knew I couldn’t just let him go in there alone."

The situation was a bad one, that much nopony could deny. But, in this moment, Rainbow Dash, ever loyal to Twilight, put on a smile before flying forward to stand beside her, trying her best to cheer her friend up.

"Well...look at it this way, Twilight. If you're going to defend him, then he’ll probably be fine. I mean, it's not like Princess Celestia is going to rule against her number one student, right?"

But those words had the opposite effect of what Rainbow had hoped for, as Twilight turned from her with a saddened expression.

"Rainbow...Celestia isn't going to be standing as the judge."

The cyan pegasus turned to her with a look of shock on her face.

"What?! But...but I though she...?"

She didn't finish her words, but she didn't need to, for Twilight already knew what she would have said, prompting her to explain things.

"I know. Usually, she does stand in on national-level trials like this. But, given how close the two of us are, once it became known that I was representing Discord, the prosecution called for a different judge. The argument was that Celestia might in some way be biased to support me. The princess couldn't really argue with that, so she agreed for an impartial judge to be chosen in her stead."

Silence fell after that, with many of the mares not quite believing what they'd heard, Rainbow opened her mouth to speak, but yet again, Twilight could already tell what she was going to say, and so spoke up pre-emptively.

"I know, Rainbow. She may be a princess, but she can't simply use her authority and outright demand any change to this. Every pony in Equestria is calling for Discord to be punished for what he did, and Celestia knows how bad his actions were. If she were to intervene, even for me, it would be an abuse of her power, as well as a violation of the trust her people have in her. Given what you all know of her...do you really think she'd do that?"

No words came from her friends, but they all nevertheless knew the answer; no, Celestia wouldn't have taken action like that, using her power to just do whatever she wanted, even for a close friend like Twilight. Only now did Twilight's friends truly grasp the problem their colleague had before her. Not only was she defending a creature that they all knew was guilty beforehand, but she'd be doing so in the face of everypony who wanted him punished, which, in all seriousness, was everypony in Equestria, not to mention everyone beyond their nation. It was an uncomfortable situation, and one that they could see was getting to her already. But, in her usual manner, Pinkie Pie stepped up to her friend and placed a hoof upon her shoulder, smiling as best she could. Twilight looked to her, and then, soon afterwards to each of her friends. They were all giving a smile for her, and while nopony said anything, their message was clear; we're here for you, whatever you need. Slowly, she wore a small smile of her own, though it faded soon afterwards when she turned to look upon the court house before her. A great task was ahead of her today, and so, she began to make her way up the steps to enter the place, with her friends all beside her. In time, she and the rest of them made their way inside, and began heading towards the court room.

The whole place had an old and refined feel to it, with many ponies of not only high society, but also of law-keeping walking about the place conducting their business. This was a serious place, that much was certain, and one that Twilight and her friends would never really want to be in if they had the choice. But, there was one small crumb of comfort in all of this, as there, just before the doors leading to the great judging chamber, was a collection of ponies that Twilight couldn't help but smile at. Firstly, there was her old mentor, Princess Celestia, and beside her, Princess Luna. But, it was the ponies beside those two that Twilight was happy to see. Her brother, Shining Armour, her sister-in-law Princess Cadence, and finally, her parents. All six of those ponies walked forward to greet her, and she embraced them all in turn. No words passed between them but it was still clear what they were thinking; she would have a difficult time in there, especially since they didn't really seem all than enthused in who it was she was defending. Even so, they were here for her, and supporting her decision, which Twilight couldn't express just how appreciative of that she was. After a round of smiles between them, they gained more serious looks, as Twilight took a deep breath before entering the court room beside them.

The whole place was packed, and all over there was chatter going about from the ponies in the audience and the jury, many of whom seemed to be wondering why there even needed to be a trail in the first place, which didn't help Twilight's situation in the slightest. But, as soon as the princesses entered in behind her, many gave instinctive bows to them, which was about the only respite from their angry chatter that they got during all of this. Eventually, Twilight made it near the front of the chamber, and it was here that she saw the one whom she would be representing. Discord, former spirit of chaos, the creature that had once been the bane of all ponies, and, more importantly, the one Twilight would need to protect from her own people today. He was, at this moment, bound in chains, on his ankles, his wrists and even around his neck, binding him to where he sat, as if he was actually still a danger to them without his power. Needless to say, as soon as he laid eyes on Twilight, he immediately turned away and let out an angry snort, leading to the young mare letting out a sigh. As for her friends and family, they were getting themselves into their already-prepared seats in the audience, right behind Twilight, giving her encouraging looks as best they could, despite a general lack of enthusiasm on their part. In time, the nearby crier, a somewhat diminutive stallion, called out to the rest of the chamber.

"All rise for the honourable Judge Hard Case."

As soon as the words were spoken, all rose from their sitting positions just in time to see the judge arrive. He was an elderly unicorn stallion, grey in his fur and white in his mane, clad in the traditional black garb of a judge, and having a look on his face that very much matched his name. Slowly, he made his way to his podium, and after sitting down, he gave a nod to the crowd, silently giving them permission to sit, which they did. With his horn lighting up, the old stallion raised a pair of spectacles to his eyes as he looked over a number of papers that had been placed in front of him, all while everypony else watched him in utter silence. In time, he cleared his throat a little before addressing the assembled ponies before him, his voice bearing a somewhat gruff tone to it.

"Good evening. The case of the ponies of Equestria vs Discord will now begin. I, Judge Hard Case, will be presiding. Will the counsel for the prosecution and the counsel for the defence please state their names for the record?"

Turning, Twilight looked upon her counterpart, an older mare with a brown coat and mane, who, like the judge, was clad in black. The mare gave a somewhat disdainful glance to Discord before stating her name.

"Your Honour, I am Strict Law, and I will be serving as counsel for the prosecution today."

Judge Case nodded at that before turning to Twilight, prompting her to speak up.

"Your Honour, my name is Twilight Sparkle, and I will be the counsel for the defence today."

Immediately, both the judge, the prosecutor and the crowd looked to her with both shock and awe, with the latter starting to hastily chatter amongst themselves. Twilight, to her chagrin, knew exactly what this was all about. Despite her constant desire for anonymity over the last few years, her name had nevertheless managed to slip out here and there as the mare that had saved Equestria on numerous occasions. Though she loathed to think of it, she was, to many, a national heroine. For her to be here, now, defending one of the very beings she'd saved Equestria from, it was an odd thing for people to consider. Even, so she maintained her composure, which was more than could be said of the audience, many of whom were still abuzz with talk over Twilight's presence here. Eventually, the judge frowned at all of this before lighting up his horn, which he used to lift his gavel and slam it hard on the podium.

"I will have order in this court!"

A hush fell over the crowd, and they all looked to the old stallion, who let out a sigh before his expression softened somewhat.

"Now then...if there are any opening statements, please make them."

Strict nodded her head before speaking.

"Your Honour, members of the jury, I come to you today to prove, without a shadow of doubt, that this creature..."

Raising a hoof, she pointed it straight at Discord.

"...was responsible for the most heinous crime in recent memory, perhaps even in the whole of Equestrian history. Ponies, families, whole nations have felt the sting of what he did, and today, I hope to show to you all not only that he did do it, but that his crime affected virtually everyone in the world."

But, it wasn't long before she too gained a softer expression, and she turned to Twilight.

"My only regret in this...is that it is you I now stand against, Miss Sparkle. You have my gratitude for the things you've done...but even so...I must do my duty in condemning the one you now defend. I hope you can understand that."

Although taken aback by the tone in which her opponent had spoken to her, Twilight nevertheless nodded in response.

"I understand, Miss Law. I don't agree, as you no doubt realise...but I understand."

A look of mutual respect passed between the two mares, and at least in this, Twilight could take some comfort in something having gone right. However, it was mere moments later that they both turned to the judge, who had once more looked through some of his papers before turning to Strict Law.

"Prosecutor...please begin your case."

Nodding, Strict turned to her aide, a younger mare still sitting in the prosecutor's stand, who promptly handed her some notes of her own. After going through them, Strict cleared her throat before addressing the chamber.

"Several months ago, Equestria, as well as surrounding nations, experienced an epidemic like no other. Ponies, young and old alike, were found without the energy to move. Some, were even worse off than that, having been reduced to a comatose state. Emergency services were stretched thin all over, those of them that were still conscious that is, and what they did learn of this mysterious condition was that, had it continued...it would have most likely resulted in death."

As expected, such words led to several murmurs from the crowds, not to mention many worried glances amongst Twilight's friends. Even so, Strict continued.

"Thankfully, the epidemic passed, and everypony involved made a full recovery from it. After this, questions began to arise, about what had caused it, and why so many were affected. Then the reports came in. Reports from the royal guard themselves, of the capture of a creature known as Discord, a noted criminal of Equestria's distant past."

Being referred to as a criminal caused the old spirit to stir in his seat, but a look from Twilight silently convinced him that it would be in his best interests not to speak out at this time. As such, they watched as their opponent carried on.

"The reports stated that an ancient magical force, known as the Tree of Harmony, to which all living things are connected, was brutally attacked by Discord, with the intent to seek revenge on all of ponykind for having opposed him in the past."

With her story finished, Strict turned once more to the judge.

"Your honour...I would like to start calling forth my witnesses."

The old stallion regarded her carefully for a few moments, after which he gave a solemn nod. Nodding back in appreciation, Strict turned and scoured the crowd, which was followed by her narrowing her eyes a little.

"I call to the witness stand...Miss Applejack!"

Immediately, there was a flurry of excited and concerned chatter in the crowds, and as for Twilight, she spun around, looking more than a little shocked at what she’d heard, with Applejack even more so. The farm mare looked to her lavender friend, hoping that she could help, but all Twilight could do was hang her head slightly. Because, while it wasn't technically illegal to not inform ponies that they would be needed as witnesses, it was generally considered poor taste not to do so. A move like this was undoubtedly meant to unnerve the opposition, and to Strict's credit, it was working, as all of Twilight's friends seemed a good deal more nervous than before, and that was saying something. Even so, Strict was within her rights and her authority to do what she'd done, so Twilight had very little means of opposing her in this. Eventually, she let out a sigh, and shortly afterwards, nodded to her orange friend. Although clearly uncomfortable with this, Applejack made her way from her chair and down towards the witness stand, placed right by the podium of the judge. There, a burly-looking stallion was waiting, holding a book of law in one hoof. When Applejack neared him, he raised it up, silently inviting the former to place her hoof upon it, which she did so. With that done, the guard spoke up.

"Do you, Applejack, swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you Faust?"

There was a moment of silence, and a degree of hesitation, but eventually, Applejack gave a sad nod.

"Ah...ah do."

The stallion nodded before letting her pass, after which she took her place on the witness stand. Although Twilight knew that honesty was a great virtue, and one that her friend fiercely defended in herself, there was no doubt in the young alicorn's mind that her opponent would be using it to provide, what she suspected, would be some fairly damning evidence. After pacing in front of Applejack's stand for a few moments, Strict turned to her with somewhat narrowed eyes before speaking in a clear and authoritative tone.

"Miss Applejack...would you please recount for us the events that took place some months ago? I believe you know the day in question?"

Although somewhat nervous about all this, Applejack gave a nod before starting to give her account of the events.

"Well...as y'all probably know, everypony had been acting weird an tired for ages at that point. Mah friends an ah decided to call Twilight back to town to try and help, and when she did, we got together an started talkin about what could be goin wrong."

Strict nodded at that before speaking up.

"And this was when the subject of the Tree of Harmony came up?"

Applejack nodded in response.

"Eyup. Twi had always known about all that fancy magic stuff, and she figured it had to be that. So we got the Elements of Harmony and went into the Everfree Forest, where the tree was supposed to be. It took a while but we eventually found the thing."

Frowning slightly, Strict took a step forward, never taking her eyes off Applejack.

"And tell us...what did you see when you got there?"

Here, Applejack fell silent. She turned, giving a silent glance to Twilight, who simply nodded to her, telling her that she had to be honest about this, no matter how difficult it might be. Seeing this look from her friend, Applejack let out a deep sigh before continuing.

"The tree was...in a bad way. Branches had been broken off, bark had been torn, leaves were fallin. Had that been any other tree...it'd have already died form that kinda damage."

Strict nodded before asking her next question.

"Miss Applejack...who was there, in the chamber of the tree, when all this damage was taking place to it?"

Yet again, the orange mare paused. She knew, in her heart that this would be the moment when Twilight's defence would become as difficult as it was going to get, and the fact that it was her delivering that testimony was not helping matters. However, having already sworn an oath, and under the continuous glare from Strict Law, the mare hung her head low as she spoke, her tone a disheartened one.

"Ah saw...Discord. He was there, lookin at the tree like...like he wanted ta kill it. The claw marks were his, the damage was his...he'd...he’d been doin all of it."

Strict nodded again before giving Applejack her final question.

"Then tell us, Miss Applejack, when you saw all this, do you believe it was his intent to not only kill the tree, but also cause all the side-effects that doing so would have brought about?"

Applejack turned, looking to Discord as he was now, bound and seething with anger. She said nothing, but Twilight nevertheless knew what was going on in her mind. She was calling forth memories of that day, when they had all seen that murderous look in the spirit's eyes as he'd attempted to deliver that final blow to the tree. They all knew in their hearts what the answer was to that question, and now, Applejack, hanging her head, was the one to deliver it.

"...Yeah. There ain't no doubt in mah mind that...that was what he wanted ta do."

Murmurs erupted amongst the crowd, as well as in the jury, and Strict herself gave Applejack a silent nod, giving her permission to leave. As the farm mare made her way back to the stands of the audience, she paused for a moment, giving Twilight a look of apology. She knew she'd just made her friend's task all the more difficult, and seemed genuinely remorseful about it. But, to her surprise, the lavender mare did not appear angry in the slightest, and simply gave her colleague an understanding smile. Nodding back at this, Applejack made her way to the rest of them, after which, the judge looked down to Twilight and spoke up in that gruff tone of his.

"Miss Sparkle...does the defence have anything to say in response to this?"

She considered that carefully. Realistically, it would be impossible to really counter anything that had been said just now, especially since she herself had also been present to witness Discord's actions. Instead, she decided that it would be better to wait for the time being, at least until the opposition had completed all that they planned to showcase here today. So, she simply shook her head, giving the judge her answer. Nodding back at this, Hard Case turned to Strict before addressing her.

"Prosecutor, do you have any other witnesses to call forth?"

The older mare nodded at that.

"Indeed, your Honour...many of them."

Turning, Strict looked over to the nearby crier.

"Call for Miss Gumdrops please."

The crier nodded before giving the call.

"Calling for Miss Gumdrops!"

In unison, all in the audience and the jury turned to see a young mare of blue coat and pink mane enter into the chamber, looking about as nervous as anything. Slowly, she made her way past Twilight, at which point she turned and gave Discord an utterly venomous look, before resuming her walk towards the witness stand. As with Applejack, the nearby guard used the book of law and asked the young mare to give the same oath of honesty that Applejack had been required to give. And like the former, Gumdrops gave it. Once that had all been settled, Strict approached her before finally addressing her.

"Miss Gumdrops. You are one of the many individuals who was affected by the failing of the Tree of Harmony, are you not?"

Though still nervous, the blue mare nodded.

"Yes, I am."

Strict nodded back before resuming her questioning.

"Could you please, in your own words, give an account on what happened to you during that time?"

Another nod from Gumdrops was followed shortly afterwards by her recalling her memories of that day, somewhat straining to do so. Though Twilight could not blame her for not wanting to remember. Having witnessed what their neighbours and even her own son had gone through, there was no doubt that it was a difficult thing to have to recall. Even so, Gumdrops began to speak.

"Well...it started out as me being a little bit tired. At first I thought I hadn't got enough sleep the night before, but then it just kept going worse for me. No matter what I did, I found that I just didn't have the energy to do...to do...anything! Eventually, I just couldn't even stand up, and I fell onto the floor of my kitchen."

At this, the mare began to well up, and even a sob or two began to escape her. In politeness, everypony gave her the space she needed, waiting as long as necessary for her to say what she needed to.

"My...my little girl came in, and saw me. She was in tears. She kept calling to me, begging me to get up, but...I just couldn't! The more it happened, the more it felt like...like...like I was going to die! I'd never been more scared in my entire life!"

With those final words, she finally broke down, the horror of her experiences finally having gotten to her. Needless to say, everypony present bore her looks of utter sympathy, probably because they'd all been through what she had. And that, for the most part, set the tone for what followed. As soon as Gumdrops had finished her testimony, Strict Law had continued to call out witness after witness. Some, Twilight recognised, whereas most were from all corners of Equestria. Each one came and gave testimony that was just as damning as the first, if not more so. Parents who had watched their children fall unconscious, unable to make them wake up. A wife whose husband fell during a family reunion. Even groups of friends who, while hiking in the mountains, had fallen victim to those draining effects, losing their grip and falling to lower rock edges as a result. Fortunately, no deaths had occurred because of those and other such stories, but it was made very clear that the incidents had left some ponies with severe injuries, many of which may never walk again as a result. Several hours came and went, and it really did seem as if Strict had a list of possibly hundreds of ponies to call on. As one might expect, this did little to help matters for either Twilight or Discord, the latter of which finally deciding to speak to her as he leant close and whispered to her.

"You know...feel free to actually start defending me at any time here."

But Twilight looked to him with a sad look in response.

"I'm going to wait until they've finished. Besides...I'm not entirely convinced that the defence I've got in mind is really going to help you."

Expectedly, that caused Discord to slump in his chair a little, all while Twilight observed the latest of Strict's witness testimonials. This time it was an elderly stallion, recounting the events of how his granddaughter had fallen unconscious during the birthday party he'd planned for her. However, to Twilight's delight, it was here that the judge finally intervened.

"Prosecutor...I feel that we have more than enough testimony for you to have made a sufficient case here."

Nodding at that, Strict gave a silent gesture to the elderly stallion, giving him permission to leave. As soon as he'd been escorted out of the chamber, the mare turned to her opponent, Twilight, and spoke in her usual authoritative tone.

"Your Honour...I feel like there is very little I can add to this. I open up the floor for the counsel for the defence."

Turning, Strict made her way over to her stand, all while most of the ponies in the audience looked to her as if she were a hero for having so effectively made just a huge case against Discord. Seeing this, Twilight let out a sigh before getting up herself, clearing her throat and then, at long last, making her case.

"Your Honour...members of the jury...what my opponent has done here is prove, without a shadow of doubt, that my client did indeed commit the act for which he stands accused."

Immediately, all heads snapped in her direction, including a rather furious glare from Discord. However, she ignored this, instead continuing her words.

"However, Discord, while having committed the actions of which he stands accused, was actually provoked into doing so."

That caught the attention of everypony there, especially the judge, who took off his spectacles and looked with great interest at the young mare.

"Discord, at the time he attacked the tree, had been stripped of his powers, and forced into a life of mortality, because of...because of what I did to him."

Those words caused more excited and confused murmurs amongst the crowds, though Twilight ignored them as she continued.

"Some time prior to the event in question, Discord had been freed from a thousand years of imprisonment, and was loose out in Equestria. My friends and I were charged with stopping him, and used our artefacts, the Elements of Harmony, to once more imprison him in stone. However, that was not all they did. I won't go into the details here, but suffice to say, through my actions, the Elements did far more than they should have done."

Slowly, the lavender mare turned to her client, her expression bearing a tint of sadness to it.

"Not only did it imprison him, but it also subjected him to great pain. Every moment he spent in stone afterwards was a relentless barrage of agony. He was, for all intents and purposes, tortured while imprisoned. And that was in addition to his once-great powers being taken away from him in the meantime."

Once more, she turned and looked upon the judge.

"Your Honour...I put it to you that, had any of us been on the receiving end of what Discord had endured whilst imprisoned, we too would lash out against those who did it. He may have acted with hostility against us...but I bear a great deal of the blame for why he did it."

Hard Case raised a hoof and tapped it against his chin, carefully thinking over what he'd just heard. However, just as it looked as if Twilight was about to make some headway in this, the voice of Strict Law could then be heard.

"Objection, your Honour!"

The older stallion and Twilight turned to her, with the former frowning slightly.

"Prosecutor, explain yourself."

Nodding at that, Strict once more got out of her stand before addressing the crowd.

"Your Honour, Twilight Sparkle’s case may be well-intentioned...but the simple matter is this; she and her companions had every right to unleash the power of the Elements upon Discord. Need I remind you all that, at the time in question, Discord was using his powers on everypony and everything he could lay his eyes on?"

There was a wave of agreement rippling through the crowds at that, much to Discord's annoyance, though he remained silent as Strict continued.

"In fact, we even have reports here that, upon being freed the first time, his first act was to turn a contingent of guards, the ones assigned to him, into stone!"

Turning, she narrowed her eyes at the old spirit.

"It's all well and good for Twilight to take the blame for this, but she and her friends were doing their duty to their princess and their people by sealing him away. His pain as a result of that was regrettable...but taking it out on the whole of Equestria and beyond, those who had no part in his imprisonment...was too far for any of us to forgive, even in light of what he suffered personally."

Twilight snapped her head in the direction of the judge, opening her mouth to speak. But, unfortunately, she was halted after he raised a hoof.

"I'm sorry, Miss Sparkle, but I'm inclined to agree with the prosecutor on this. You are admirable for wanting to defend your client in this manner...but you cannot take any of the blame for how far Discord went after your opposition towards him."

It was something she'd suspected since the start of this, that her argument would be countered in this manner, but even so, she couldn't help but hang her head somewhat. Seeing this in her, Hard Case let out a sigh before rubbing his temples a little, after which he spoke in a softer tone.

"Miss Sparkle...for the sake of argument, let's assume that you're right. Say we do find it in ourselves to reconsider just how guilty he is...what would you have us do, exactly? Just...let him go?"

Upon hearing that, Twilight shook her head.

"No, your Honour. Even I don’t think I have any hope of making you rule in that way. But...there is an alternative."

The judge raised an eyebrow at that, prompting Twilight to continue.

"Give Discord to me...and I'll reform him."

The moment those words had been spoken, there was an uproar. Ponies all across the chamber rose from their seats and started yelling their fury at what she was suggesting. Her friends all looked to them with frowns, hoping to dissuade their current aggression, but it did little to alleviate the matter. But, it wasn't long before Hard Case banged his gavel on the podium once more, his face one of utter rage.

"Any more outbursts like this and I will have you all removed from this courtroom!"

That did the trick, as all of them were more than a little taken aback by the enormous bellow of the old stallion. After taking a few moments to calm himself, he got back into his chair before turning to Twilight, with a look of incredulity upon his face.

"Miss Sparkle...you'll forgive me if I'm somewhat sceptical of that plan. Do you have any experience in trying to do this sort of thing?"

Smiling a little, Twilight nodded her head.

"I've spent the last couple of years learning as much as I can about making friends, and of friendships in general. I believe that, with proper guidance...Discord can learn to live amongst us...if we let him."

Judge Case tapped his chin somewhat, still bearing a look of uncertainty at this. Eventually, he turned to Twilight's counterpart.

"Prosecution? Do you have anything to say to this?"

In stark contrast to how Twilight might have expected her to react, Strict Law instead gave a grim nod.

"Yes, your Honour, I do. I put it to you and the jury...that Miss Sparkle would be utterly incapable of reforming anyone."

Immediately, Twilight snapped her head in the other mare's direction.

"Excuse me?!"

But, the prosecutor ignored her for the time being, instead keeping her eyes on the judge.

"Your Honour, with your indulgence, I'd like to discuss a related matter, regarding an event which took place in this very city not so long ago."

Hard Case considered that for a few moments, before finally giving a nod of permission, which prompted Strict to stand from her chair and speak up.

"As many of you know, this great city of ours was, quite recently attacked by a race known as Changelings."

Twilight's heart sank after hearing that, for she had a good suspicion as to where her opponent was going to go with this. But, she kept quiet for the time being, instead listening on as she continued.

"Thanks to the efforts of the royal guard, led by Captain Shining Armour, their attack was repelled, and the city saved."

Pausing for a moment, Strict Law turned to her aide, who once more handed her some notes, and after reading through them, resumed her story.

"With their forces defeated, the Changelings, and their Queen, were escorted to a magical prison, where they have remained in slumber ever since."

After having heard that, Hard Case raised his eyebrow.

"Prosecutor, if you have a point to make in this story, I suggest you make it."

The older mare nodded before turning to Twilight.

"Miss Sparkle, is it true that, on several occasions, you have brought Changeling drones out of their magical hibernation with the intent of trying to reform them?"

There was silence that followed that question, for Twilight was loathe to admit it, as she knew where this line of questioning would undoubtedly lead. However, after receiving a somewhat piercing glare from the other mare, she hung her head and let out a sigh before answering.

"Yes...I have."

Strict nodded before continuing.

"In fact, you brother, Captain Armour, given his position, has had to file reports on every attempt you've made. And those reports have told us that, in each instance, the drones you woke up completely refused to accept any offer of reformation, is that correct?"

The young alicorn gave another nod at that.

"Yes...they did."

"And is it also true that, rather than wanting to speak to you, more often than not, they outright attacked you at every awakening, prompting your brother to intervene in most cases?" Strict asked.

"...Yes," Twilight replied.

The older mare regarded her carefully, and then let out a sigh, looking just slightly upset about having to do this. In time, she asked the last thing she needed to.

"One last question. Exactly how many drones have you attempted to help since their race's capture?"

This was the point that would shoot her offer down in flames, and Twilight knew it. Even so, she could not lie about it.

"...Thirty-seven. I've reached out to thirty-seven of them...without success."

Hearing that, there were more murmurs amongst the crowd, as well as Strict nodding carefully at the response. After letting out another sigh, she turned to the judge.

"Your Honour, while I fully believe that Miss Sparkle has every intention of trying to reform Discord, and will do everything in her power to do so...I do not actually have any faith in her chances of succeeding. Remember, he is a being far more intelligent, cunning and historically deceitful than mere drones, and if she failed to reform them...what chance does she have with him?"

Twilight looked down at the ground, ashamed at what had been said. It was true, all of it, and now her failure had been laid bare before all of those closest to her. Slowly, she raised her head, and saw that the judge was thinking about this matter very carefully. Minute after minute passed, and still no word from him, though all were watching with baited breath as to how he would react to all of this. Discord especially seemed nervous. This was, after all, the pony that had his life in his hooves. Eventually, and after a long and uncomfortable wait, the old stallion stood up, and looked right sat Twilight.

"Miss Sparkle...do you have anything further to say in your client's defence?"

The young alicorn turned, looking at the near-pleading way in which Discord was looking at her. She wracked her brain to try and think of some clause, some escape for her to use here. But, in the end, she realised that there was none, and so looked away from the old spirit and towards the judge, shaking her head slowly.

"No, your Honour...there's nothing left."

All of Twilight's friends and family looked down with disheartened looks on their faces. And as for Hard Case, he nodded slowly, recognising the sheer unhappiness she was experiencing right now. It brought him no joy to do this, but he had a duty to perform, and so turned to the assembled jury on the side of the chambers.

"Will the members of the jury please leave to their personal chambers? We will await the verdict."

The nearest jury member nodded at that before, one by one, they were led by a guard into a door that led to an adjacent chamber. The audience, including Twilight and her friends, all watched them go, and then sat in silence as they waited for them to return. Twilight's friends all looked to her, trying to offer what little comfort they could, but she was not even looking back to them, too ashamed in her poor performance here to be willing to look them in the eye. Instead, she looked upwards, to the clock on the nearest wall, and counted the minutes as they rolled on by. They did not know what they were discussing back there, only that it was taking a long while. Five minutes. Then ten. Then thirty. Eventually, a full hour had gone by with everypony still there, awaiting their return. But, in the end, their patience was rewarded, as the jury members then re-entered the chamber, all bearing grim looks. The nerves were eating away at Twilight's mind at this point, so much so that she found that she couldn't even blink as she looked to them. Eventually, the jury was all seated, and the one on the very end, a middle-aged stallion, rose up and cleared his throat before giving his verdict.

"Your Honour, we the jury find that the defendant, Discord...is guilty of all charges."

It was as if the world had stopped completely. Twilight sat there, in her chair, unable to even breathe because of the shock of what she'd just heard. Discord too was shocked, and slumped in his chair, looking utterly defeated. With both of them in this state, the judge let out a sigh before looking to the ancient spirit.

"Discord...it is the ruling of this court that you are guilty of your attempted genocide. The maximum sentence for a crime that severe...well...I'm sure you know of it."

Twilight bit her lip, not wanting to hear what was coming. But, against all hope, there was one small comfort that all of them could take in this, and it came moments later when the judge continued to speak.

"But...you will not lose your life on this day. For unlike you, we ponies are better than that. We...we are not murderers."

Lighting up his horn, he began to levitate his gavel, ready to declare his final verdict.

"Discord, spirit of chaos, by the ruling of this court, you are to be taken to the deepest, darkest dungeon in all of Equestria, under twenty-four-hour guard, and there spend the rest of your now-mortal life. You will never escape, you will never be given parole, and you will never be allowed to walk amongst us again. You will spend the rest of your life alone and defeated...until the day you die."

With those final words, the gavel came down.

"The case of the ponies of Equestria vs Discord is ended. Court is adjourned."

What followed was a deep and unsettling silence, as both the judge and the prosecutor began to make their way out of the courtroom, followed shortly afterwards by the jury. As for Discord, he sat in his chair, showing no emotion whatsoever, still overwhelmed by what had just occurred to him. He did not even notice when a group of unicorn guards came up to him, using their magic to levitate his chains up and begin guiding him away. In the end, he relented, and began to follow them, enduring all of the hateful glares the ponies in the audience were giving him. But, as he reached the other side of his stand, he stopped, looking down at Twilight. The young alicorn was looking to him with sympathy in her eyes, and a blatant look of apology. She was sorry for what had been done to him, what she had done to him. She wanted to let him know that she didn't want this for him, and that she wanted to help him. But, in the end, all she got in return was a look of anger from him. It was not enough that she had hurt him and stripped him of his powers. No, she had done wrong by him even here. She had done her best, and it simply wasn't enough. And that was the final thought he left her with, as he finally resumed his long and lonely walk away from her and out of the chamber. As soon as he'd been taken out, it was then time for everypony else to leave. Mare and stallion alike began to exit the place, chatting amongst themselves over everything that had happened. But, there were those who remained; Twilight, her friends and her family. They stayed in utter silence, with most keeping their eyes on the young alicorn. Eventually, and very slowly, Fluttershy reached forward and placed a hoof upon her shoulder.

"Um...Twilight? Are...are you okay?"

It took a while, but at last, Twilight turned, at which point the ponies closest to her saw that she had tears flowing down her cheeks.

"No...no I'm not."

Author's Notes:

Okay guys, I feel the need to let you know that, after this longer-than-usual chapter, I'll be taking a break from writing this story for a bit. I've enjoyed doing it, but the simple fact is that I've been more-or-less writing chapters for it non-stop for about four months, and I'd like to take a breather from it for a bit, maybe work on other fics I've had in the back of my mind for a while.

I may not return to it for a while, possibly until even after the end of season five, but I will be returning to it.