Cinematic Adventures: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Epiphany & A Little Priest

Later that day, the humanized Mane Six and Spike made their way through the streets of London in search of the Old Bailey Courthouse. This very courthouse was where Judge Turpin presided over, the place where he dispensed his version of justice. After their talk with Sweeney Todd, who agreed to help hide Johanna, they carried forth on Anthony's plan. As for the young boy in question, he returned to the Turpin estate to see Johanna to make sure she'd be ready to leave with him later.

In the meantime, the girls and Spike volunteered to spy on Turpin to make sure he stayed away from home in the meantime. Which led to their eventual finding of Old Bailey. They couldn't help but gape over how large and intimidating the courthouse looked judging by the exterior alone.

"This is just the kind of place you'd imagine a heartless blowhard like Turpin would be," Rainbow Dash remarked. "This place gives me the creeps!"

"Certainly not a Hall of Justice if you ask me," Rarity agreed. "Not to mention it's completely out of date. Could stand to use new paint, maybe some marble buffing, or even..."

"Not the time, Rarity!" Applejack interrupted. "We gotta make sure Turpin don't head on back tah the house till Anthony and Johanna leave."

"How are we going to do this?" Fluttershy asked meekly. "Turpin doesn't exactly like us at all; we can't just strike a conversation with him for a few hours."

"It doesn't matter what we do," Twilight Sparkle spoke up. "We need to keep him as far away from his house for a while."

"What are we supposed to do at the moment?" Spike asked.

"We keep a close eye on the judge and track his every move. We'll have to sneak into the courthouse and keep him in sight at all times."

"Well, let's stop wasting time and get in there!" Rainbow replied.

Twilight held out her hands and the group grabbed hands forming a circle. She used her magic to teleport them inside the building. Thankfully, the interior was hardly well lit, leaving their entry shrouded in darkness. Once inside, the group silently slinked through the halls until they came upon a large courtroom. And it was there where Judge Turpin himself lurked over the proceedings.

Turpin sat upon his podium, the personification of power, very high at the bench. He was dressed in a black robe and powdered white wig. He glared down toward the accused stand where a wasted wretch of a boy no older than ten years old stood. Beadle Bamford stood at the foot of the podium, closest to the boy, with many other members of the grand jury around and about. Before the stunned gaze of the group, this boy was currently on trial.

"Is that a kid?" Applejack whispered horrified. "Why is he on trial?"

"This is the second time, sir, that you have been brought before this bench," Turpin announced to the boy. "Though it is my earnest wish to ever temper justice with mercy, your persistent dedication to a life of crime is an abomination before God and man."

"Are you serious?!" Rainbow whispered harshly. "He's a kid! I bet the only bad thing he's probably done is steal a loaf of bread!"

"I therefore sentence you to hang by the neck until you are dead, and may the lord have mercy on your soul," Turpin declared, banging his gavel. "This court is adjourned!"

The wretched boy collapsed in sobs. The Beadle was pleased with the verdict as a couple guards quickly came forth to remove him from the bench. The remainder of the court began to file out, among them the Judge himself. The Mane Six and Spike looked on with shock and disbelief from the sentence Turpin delivered.

"Why that no good, slimy, rotten, mother-bucker!" Rainbow whispered harshly.

"Ah outta run in there and buck him so hard he explodes into a million pieces here and now!" Applejack growled lowly.