"It's because magical viewings aren't permissible in court, Starcrasher.  Any Unicorn skilled enough can create complex illusions or false memory charms -- there's no way to prove what's being shown is actually real or just fabricated."  she explained, though part of her knew she was already losing Natra with her choice in vocabulary.  "The same thing goes with Truth spells -- there's magic that can force a Pony to only tell the truth, but there's also spells that can control them and make them do things against their will too.  Because of that, magic isn't considered suitable evidence or a means of gaining evidence in court."

"Ponies are innocent until proven guilty, and it falls on the accuser to supply evidence to support their claims." she continued.  "Think about it -- would it be fair if a bunch of Ponies who didn't like you lied and said you committed some crime, and that you got in trouble for it just because of their word alone?  I'm sorry, but without some hard evidence, there's nothing we can do."

Twilight didn't like the idea of somepony getting away with crimes either, but she knew the law well enough to know that her companions didn't exactly have much of a case.  Even if that red-and-green Unicorn really was guilty of such crimes, she was in the clear as long as there was no way to prove it happened.  She gave Natra as reassuring a smile as she could manage.  "It's not so bad though.  I mean, all the animals got away, right?  So it's not like she profited."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:16, Fri 05 Oct 2012.

- "Yeah, but i was there, i saw it and there were no magical illusions in the area. The fog there dispelled everything as soon as it was cast! She hired a group of Reptans to steal baby animals and you're saying there's nothing we can do to stop her, how's that fair?"

Starcrasher didn't understand law the way Twilight did, and from a filly's point of view, if you did bad things you got punished for it. This whole "it doesn't really count when other ponies just see you do it" made absolutely no sense, it was like eating a jar full of cookies while being the only one home and being able to get away with it for remembering to wipe the crumbs off of her snout. And unless they had physical evidence, there was nothing they could-- Waitaminute!

Remembering something, she blinked before a grin appeared on her face and she turned to Natra.

- "Hey Natra, the broken cages! They'd still be in the area, right? Come on, i need you to get me to those ruins again to pick up a couple of them to prove the poacher's a bad unicorn!"

The Camahueto tried to follow the conversation but it didnt hep that this was legal-ese to a pony that didn't know legalities at all. Twilight was clearly trying to be helpful and reassuring but Natra knew by the tone of her voice to get her hopes up...

Then the filly turned to her and grinned, reminding her of the cages. Natra almost got excited but... She turned to Twilight, giving her a look like, "Is that good enough?" She hoofed at the ground impatiently, "Cage?" She asked, clarifying. She hadn't thought of the cages this whole time. They would stil be around. Natra had simply left them to go back to Nature. Good thing she didn't destroy them.

Luna lent an ear to the discussion at hand. From what she could make out, the strange Camahueto's tale, and Twilight's response. Somepony had been up to no good inthe forest? The thought was distressing to the Lunar Princess. Quiet as a shadow, luna stepped from the foliage  and approached the gathering from behind Twilight. "Ahem... My little Ponies..." She began, raising a hoof, lightly in a gesture. "Is something untoward ahoof, Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight wasn't certain what the two hoped to accomplish, but at the same time she didn't want to try and dissuade them either.  If there was any chance of getting together evidence against the Unicorn, it would be in the castle ruins in the Everfree Forest.  She didn't know how much use it would be though...

"Ah?  Luna?"  she was taken by surprise as the Princess of the Night herself appeared from the treeline.  Part of her was inwardly annoyed though... just how many Ponies were going to intrude on her practice area?  She'd set it out in the deep woods to be away from hoof traffic.  She set aside the principle of the matter in lieu of being happy to see her friend again though.  "Starcrasher, Natra, this is Princess Luna." she made the introductions, though she was sure Starcrasher already knew of the Princess' stay in Ponyville.  Manners were manners though.

"Well, I'm not quite sure what to make of it, to be honest.  Apparently there's a criminal in town that Natra has been chasing, but there's no actual evidence to link her to any crimes." she explained in short.  "It seems she was poaching animals in the Everfree Forest earlier this week, but failed to actually catch any because of their interference."  she gestured to the other two demonstratively.

The princess smiled contently upon Twilight's recognition and introduction. The other ponies received a gentle smile. "Good afternoon, everypony. " She paused, as Twilight went into details. Was that even illegal?

Luna didn't know...  nor did she have a way to suddenly gain the knowledge. She gave Twilight an uncertain smile. "I see... Perhaps you could seek the aid of the investigator in Ponyville?" she suggested. "I'm sure he would know more about how to properly collect any evidence you can find." She chimed gently.

Twilight saw the brief flicker of uncertainty in Luna's expression and inwardly grimaced.  Was she the only Pony around who cared to remain informed on local bylaws and national standards of criminal procedure?!  Ah... okay, dumb question, but still!  Sometimes she couldn't help but wonder if Rainbow Dash was on to something with all those egghead remarks...

"The real problem is that the supposed crime scene is a week old, and it's in the heart of the Everfree Forest... at the ruins." she made mention of that particular spot with a measured tone.  That location held quite a bit of history for Luna, after all...

"Oh..." Luna replied, with a thoughtful expression, now. She hadn't been back there since... since... Luna frowned deeply, feeling a smoldering anger at the idea.   Those ruins weren't for ponies to just go poke around. She'd have thought that the forest would keep Ponies out of it. Luna raised a hoof to her lips, apparently conflicted. Part of her wanted to help, but part of her didn't want the ruins messed with at all - she didn't really want to go back there right now. She also had to head for Canterlot, but...

"Perhaps I could be of help?" She paused, hesitating..  what would her involvement say about the particular case? It was something she was still not used to...  the princess herself stepping into a matter like this would say a lot more than Luna could  rightly anticipate... wouldn't it?

As Luna announced her presence, Starcrasher looked around in the direction the voice had been coming from, and found herself looking up at the Princess. Though she was aware that the Princess had been in Ponyville for the party that had been going on back when she arrived, she hadn't thought Luna would have stuck around that long. Though she didn't say anything, her ears went flat against her head and she seemingly tried to make herself smaller in favor of edging back altogether at the unexpected meeting. At Twilight introducing her, she seemingly snapped out of her trance and found her voice again, though it still sounded somewhat shaky.

- "Yeah... I'm Starcrasher. Nice to meet you, Princess Luna."

She gave a quick nod of her head and a wide grin as part of the introduction. Though she knew she would have to bow, she was feeling quite a bit too tense to actually go through with it. When Twilight mentioned their efforts at thwarting the poacher, she nodded, that at least was a topic she could talk about.

- "Yeah, but Twilight's saying we need to prove she did, so me and Natra were going back to the ruins to pick up her broken animal cages. Twilight, you know where it is now, right? Can you teleport us there or does it only work short distances?"

Yep, teleporting away sure seemed like a good idea right about now...

Natra merely nodded in curt acknowledgment to Luna's arrival, not quite understanding what the relevancy of the tall Pony was.  Camahueto did not have concepts of royalty.  Besides, she was far too busy mulling on what to do about the poacher.  The remains of the cages would serve as the 'ev-eee-dense' they kept saying she needed, right?  Even though teleportation would have been much faster, Natra didn't wait for the boon and instead just turned and took off back into the woods once more, apparently intent on running all the way back to The Everfree Forest.

"Natra, wait!" Twilight called after her.  Too late though... that mare was fast!  Not to mention that she seemed to vanish as soon as she hit the tree line, blending in with her element immediately.  The Unicorn sighed, giving up on that front as she looked back to Starcrasher.  "I can do long-range teleportation, but it's not a good idea to do it into The Everfree Forest.  Especially not at the castle ruins -- the entire area is supersaturated in destabilized magical energy.  It makes using spells there really difficult since they go out of control.  I once used a minor focus spell there and it threw me halfway across the room.  But even if that wasn't the case, I can't just send you off into such a dangerous place."

Before further argument could be given, a pair of shadows shot overhead.  It seemed that Luna's guards had finally caught up with her... though she had given them quite a good run in the meantime.  She'd be as troublesome as Celestia sooner or later when it came to sneaking away from watchful eyes.  "Your highness!" they both called in unison.  The two Bat Ponies landed gracefully on either side of the Princess and instantly went to attention, though Captain Equinox looked like he was having a very hard time not immediately going into a scolding session.  Far be it from them to actually accuse Luna of purposefully losing them.

"Note to self; research a glamor spell to make this place harder to find." Twilight muttered under her breath.  She didn't really mind having visitors to her little hide away, but it was more of a crowd than she was used to just dropping in uninvited...

--> Natra Condu exits to The Everfree Forest
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:32, Mon 15 Oct 2012.

The princess frowned as Natra bolted off into the forest, then glanced back to Twilight with a smile. "I do hope that pony will be alright..." The regal mare turned with a smile to Starcrasher, though, the arrival of her guards interrupted anything she'd been about to say. "Oh... I'd just been wondering where you two had wandered off to." Luna smiled sweetly. "I trust everything is well?" she prompted them.

Starcrasher watched Natra bolt off and wanted to follow her, but the way she blended in with her surroundings made it a futile effort to try and keep track of her. Back in the forest she had somehow managed to follow her by not taking her eyes off of the camahueto for a second, but back then she had been walking, not running like she was now. Odds were Natra would be far out of sight even before she reached the treeline.

- "Okay, so teleporting's out, and i can't go in on my own..."

She was wondering what to do when Luna's guards came into the picture, and she suddenly got an idea. Not the best one mind you, but it sounded pretty good nonetheless.

- "Waitasecond... You two are pretty fast and you can fly over the Everfree Forest to the ruins, right? I mean, flying doesn't use magic so it should work, i mean it worked for Silva too. Plus, with you there i'd be protected from danger, right? So could you help me out and guide me to the ruins so i could pick up the broken cages?"

Despite her enthusiasm however, at that point she remembered something. It wasn't that she was reluctant to ask the help of somepony that was obviously better at something that she was, but rather the fact that they were guards, and she wasn't the one paying their salary. No, that particular alicorn happened to be standing close enough to hear her current train of thought, and she wondered how Luna would react to her conscripting her guards. She turned to Luna, biting a corner of her lip somewhat nervously as she kept her head down, her ears pressed against the side of her head as she tried to make herself smaller.

- "Uhh... I mean, if that's okay with you, Princess..."

Twilight wasn't all that eager to send anypony into The Everfree Forest without a darn good reason, but if there were any sorts who would be relatively safe in such a scenario, it would be royal guards.  She knew from Shining Armor and Merriweather what sort of hard training would-be soldiers went through during the early stages of their service... they would know The Everfree Forest better than most.  Plus if this was a criminal investigation, having royal guards on the task made it a lot more official.

"I suppose that would be a safer way of doing it..." she had to admit.  The guards, meanwhile, just looked confused.  Captain Equinox had gotten particularly flustered over Luna's playful attitude and seemed to have a lot of trouble keeping himself from giving a respectful retort, but all the talk of the forest and ruins had him confused.  Silver Crescent, thankfully, was more immediately savvy and stepped in for his senior officer.

"Everything is just fine, your Majesty.  But what's all this about cages and ruins?" he asked, looking amid the gathered ladies.

"It seems there are claims that a pony was  abducting and caging animals in the Everfree Forest. Well... I believe you mentioned Poaching, so they were also... well..." The princess cleared her throat gently. "You said it was at the old castle?" she asked, looking back to Starcrasher. "If the ruin has been put to such use, I for one want it uncovered and put to rest." Luna frowned, thoughtfully, and scuffed a hoof in the dirt. She'd really rather that ponies never go there, now.

Luna glanced briefly to Twilight. "I have a fair understanding of the situation, yes?" She asked - having just come upon this now, it felt odd to be the one explaining it without proof. It reminded her of another, horrible old memory.

"That's about the long and short of it."  Twilight nodded.

"Hm... well, there's no law regarding the attack or capture of wild animals or monsters within The Everfree Forest, particularly if there's justified cause for such actions." Captain Equinox mentioned.  Twilight gave a relieved expression that there was finally somepony around besides her that knew legal matters.  "However, there are many laws regarding the transport and distribution of animals out of their native regions, and even more regarding monsters in the same situation."

"If there's evidence to prove that this Pony had intent to remove the animals from the forest, then that's plenty to issue an arrest." Silver Crescent added.  "Who exactly is the suspect?"

"It's a Unicorn mare.  Bright red coat and green mane, with a whip and chair for a Cutie Mark.  About yea tall, Trottingham accent."  Twilight supplied the details thanks to the vision Natra had shown her.  The guards both exchanged a look with each other at that.

"We saw that Pony earlier -- she was at the Summer Song Cafe with... ah..." the Bat Pony mulled a moment thoughtfully.  His Captain reached into his breastplate and withdrew a small notepad, briefly flipping through it.

"Scootaloo."

"Right, Scootaloo."

"Scootaloo?!"  Twilight yelped, making the guards jump a bit in surprise.

"Scootaloo." one confirmed.

"Can we please stop saying Scootaloo?" the other rolled his eyes.

"Sorry... it's just that she's been missing all week.  I mean, she's played a disappearing act plenty of times in the past, but never for this long.  Why is she hanging out with that Unicorn?"

"They were having breakfast together." Silver Crescent noted.

"Very well, then. With all this considered, We shall assist in this matter." Luna glanced to her guards. "Captain, Twilight Sparkle. I shall rely upon your help in this. First - we must do this properly. There is a detective here in Ponyville, correct? Perhaps you could ask him to accompany us to look over the scene with an experienced eye. I would accompany him and Twilight Sparkle to the ruins. As a witness, Starcrasher, you can join us. In the meantime, perhaps the two of you..." She looked to her guards  "...could keep track of the suspect pony?"

Luna seemed to hesitate, raising a hoof, then turned to Twilight. "That is...  unless you've a more practical plan. I... hmm..." Luna's trailing off was clear that she'd reconsidered continuing her last thought.

It was with that summary of responsibilities that brought Twilight a moment's hesitation.  She grimaced a bit as her ears laid flat along the top of her head.  Luna knew perfectly well that the Unicorn was never one to shirk responsibility, but...

"Ah, Luna, could I have a word with you?" she asked and gestured to the side to speak with the Alicorn in private.  Once they had a little space, she looked to her friend with a bashful expression.  "Um... you know I'm always happy to help where I can.  But... the thing is, I was kinda gonna meet Widget here for a date, and it's almost time for him to show up.  We've been really busy all week and haven't been able to spend any time together.  You understand, right?" she explained, shuffling her hooves.  She felt selfish for putting her own pleasure ahead of the situation.  "I honestly think your guards alone would be enough for the job, and adding yourself and Starcrasher in too is plenty.  We can always inform Blue Shield about this and ask him to keep an eye on the Unicorn."

- "Not to worry Princess, i'll be glad to help. Oh, and i have some experience with the Mists too, i can push them away with my magic."

Starcrasher grinned, feeling a little giddy. Not only would she be able to put an end to the poachings in the Everfree Forest, she also had an opportunity to work with Royalty! Her parents would be so proud of her! Nevertheless, said cages still needed to be found, of course, and the sooner that would happen the better. However, to properly see what was useful or not they'd likely be needing the detective as well.

- "Okay, so umm, i don't really know this detective pony, but wouldn't it be more useful in taking him with us so he can search for evidence in the cages themselves? I mean, i could bring back a couple of them, but there's something i remember about... evidence needing to be left untouched or something? Not really sure though."

She looked around at the other ponies, hoping they would be able to tell whether that was correct or not. Both Twilight and one of the guards seemed to know a lot more about the law than she did, which was easier than it sounded.

"If the crime scene is in The Everfree Forest, then we'll be lucky to find any evidence there at all.  Getting an untouched scene is way too much to hope for." the younger of the two guards explained to Starcrasher.  Between the elements, animals, and the shifting nature of the forest itself, the place didn't stay the same from one day to the next.

"We have investigative training as well.  If a detective is unavailable, then we should suffice." The Captain felt it pertinent to mention such.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:07, Mon 15 Oct 2012.

Starcrasher shook her head in response to the objections of the younger of the two guards... Which was somewhat of an od way of putting it since the 'younger' guard looked nearly twice as old as she was. She was still too young to be considered an adult after all.

- "No, i think there's a good chance actually. I mean, the animals stayed well away of the ruins like they were afraid of it, and the fog stopped a short distance away from the ruins as well. Most of it should still be where it was left."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:34, Mon 15 Oct 2012.

In reply to Twilight Sparkle (msg # 156):

Drawn aside, Luna heard out Twilight's concerns, and smiled gently. "Of course, Twilight Sparkle." She smiled gently, and put a hoof to her shoulder. "Enjoy your meeting with him. I am sure this will be fine..." She said gently. "I suppose we should depart - wouldn't want to be in your way." Luna smiled, and lightly waved one hoof, before trotting back to the others. "Twilight will be staying here. Captain, I'll have you join us. Crescent, please return to Ponyville and keep an eye on the mare in question."

She paused a moment, then her horn lit as she gently plucked Starcrasher from the ground, levitating her along to the princess's back. She was slighter than Celestia, but she was still a bit bigger than most ponies, and she could easily handle a filly on her back. "Best we not travel through the Forest directly..."

Starcrasher was a bit surprised when she was picked up from the ground, and even more when she was deposited on the Princess' back. Trying to hold on tight without ending up making it hard to breathe for Luna -- something that caused her to shift her grip often -- she eventually just gave up, settled on a grip and leaned to the side a little so Luna would be able to look at her while answering a question she had.

- "Eh, Princess? Can you clear the fog as well or do you want me to? Just for future reference, y'know?"

She looked at Twilight, giving her a wide grin and a nod to tell her that she got this. Why, with Luna's help, she would be back with the evidence in no time at all, and Justice would be done! She had a mental image of herself in a dark blue skin suit and mask with a violet coat like some kind of superhero, causing her to giggle.

Twilight nodded gratefully in reply.  "Thanks Luna... I'll keep an eye out for the Unicorn around town, just in case."  she added, wanting to do something to help.  But between the crowd already getting involved, she felt she'd just be a fifth wheel anyway.

When Luna gave the order to her guards, both saluted simultaneously.  The difference was that as soon as Silver Crescent finished, he flared out his wings with a sharp snap and seemed to vanish into a dark blur.  The Bat Pony took off straight up into the air so swiftly he was hardly even visible, arcing high overhead and beyond the trees back for town.

"Ready to embark at your command, your Highness.  Please fly higher than I do so that I may intercept any coming threats from the forest."  Captain Equinox advised in his usual no-nonsense manner while he flexed his wings for take off.

"Good luck, everypony.  And watch out for Cockatrices~!"  Twilight added in as everyone set off on their mission.

The princess gave a firm nod, stretching her wings wide, and taking wing smoothly, able to easily handle the light weight on her back. She was conscious of Starcrasher's weight, ready to catch her with her magic if she slipped. Luna spiraled into the air above the forest, then turned her heading out toward the Everfree.

Exit to Everfree Forest

- "Okay, so if the guards are going to fly, how are they going tWHOA!"

It had been a common oversight really. She had seen Luna use her magic on her to pick her up, and habit had categorised her as a unicorn, completely forgetting that as an alicorn, the Princess would have the ability to fly as good as any pegasus as well. She wobbled and threw her arms around Luna's neck in an attempt to not fall off as they gained altitude, pressing her eyes shut as she felt the unfamiliar feeling of rising up in the air all the way to the pit of her stomach. It was a good thing she hadn't eaten lunch yet aside from the snacks Twilight had brought.

--> To: The Everfree Forest -->