A Prosecutor's Past

Chapters

Phoenix's Goodbye
Day 1: Sonata
Day 2
Mia
Revelation
Come to Terms

Phoenix's Goodbye

"I wish you could stay a bit longer, so we could get to know each other outside of investigating and trials." Twilight said to her new friend. "Don't forget that you have friends over here, too. I know that we won't forget you, even if we are worlds apart."

"Twilight, stop with the sappy stuff!" Spike said. "I think he gets it."

"I'm just trying to make a meaningful goodbye, Spike." she said.

"Then just say goodbye already!" he exclaimed.

She sighed. "I guess you're right." Twilight said. She turned to Phoenix, who was giving her one of his smiles she had grown accustomed to in the last few hours. "Well, I guess this is it. Maybe we could see each other again someday. I'd like that." she said smiling weakly at him. Her smile quickly faded as she began to cast the transportation spell. "Goodbye, Phoenix Wright."

As she cast the spell, a tear rolled down her cheek. Goodbye, Twilight Sparkle. she heard his voice say in her head. She opened her eyes, but he was already gone. She sighed. "Well, that's it. He's back in his own world."

"It'll be alright, Twilight. He belongs there. Besides, maybe the Princess will let you bring him back at some point." Spike said, trying to cheer his friend up.

"I don't think she will. He has his own life back where he's from. He's an attorney, and if he really deals with as many murder cases as he claims to have, then I shouldn't take him away from that. Someone else may need his services." she replied grimly. She thought about what he said earlier. "I'm going to go talk to Trixie. She seemed to be okay talking to him, so maybe I'll be able to work some sort of talking ground with her."

"Okay, Twilight." Spike said, yawning. "I'm going to take a nap. That party Pinkie threw was really tiring."

"Alright. Don't sleep all day, though, or else you won't be able to sleep tonight." she said as she headed for the door. She walked out and began searching for Trixie around Ponyville. As she searched, she thought back to the black locks she had seen earlier. I know I said I didn't want to break them earlier, but the more I think about them, the more curious I become of what lies behind them. Phoenix didn't see them, but maybe that was just because he didn't know her well enough for them to show. she thought.

She shook her head though. But then how was he able to see them around the Princess? She walked past the court house, which was still buzzing with the media trying to get every last juicy detail out from the judge. I need to remember to send him back to his world too. she reminded herself.

She continued walking and found herself eventually looking into the river where she found the burnt golf club. Was it only just two days ago that I found it? It seems like it's been longer. she thought, gloomily.

"Hey, Twilight Snarkle! Where's your spikey haired freak of a lawyer?" Twilight heard behind her.

She groaned. I know I was wanting to talk to her, but why does she insist to call me Snarkle? She turned to face Trixie and saw her wearing a silk magicians hat, instead of her usual purple hat and cape. "What's with the new look, Trixie?" Twilight asked.

"Oh this? Mr. Wrong mentioned that he wanted to be a magician in his younger years, and Trixie wanted show him how ridiculous he would look with one." she said. "So, where is he?"

"He's gone. I sent him back to his world, where he belongs." Twilight said sadly.

Trixie's face dropped it's usual smile of pride. "What? You mean, he's not here anymore?"

"Yeah. He said his goodbyes to everypony and left earlier today." she explained. Trixie stood there, her head hung low as she thought about him. "Um, Trixie?" Twilight asked, seeing the blue pony's new demeanor. "Why do you seem sad that he's gone? He did beat you in court today."

Trixie quickly recovered herself. "I...I'm not sad that he's gone! He thwarted Trixie's little revenge scheme, and she's glad he's gone!" she said, loudly.

"Why though? He never said anything degrading to you! All he did was prove that Rainbow Dash didn't kill Ace Swift and that the whole thing was a misunderstanding!" Twilight exclaimed.

"He humiliated me in front of everypony! Much like another pony I know." Trixie said with a grimace.

Twilight stood there calmly, looking at her. "Why do you hate me so much? I know you said it was the Ursa Minor, but it stems to something much deeper than that."

That's when it hit her. She couldn't see the locks anymore, but she could feel the sadness and the pain from the secret Trixie kept. It was just like it was when she saw the locks. Before hand, she would think about the locks and wouldn't feel this way. But now, even with the power of the Magatama gone, she could still sense the toll it was having on Trixie as she stood in front of her.

Trixie groaned. "How many times do I have to tell you before you leave me alone about it!?" she exclaimed, angrily. "Ever since that stupid little Ursa Minor, my shows have become disastrous! I'm laughed and mocked everywhere I go because of you, Twilight!"

"But Trixie, I only did that because it was going to destroy Ponyville. I didn't want to embarrass you, even though you were being awfully rude to my friends." Twilight explained. "Maybe if you started doing your shows like you did at Pinkie Pie's party, you'd get a better reception from those who watched your shows."

"It doesn't matter. I've gone to almost every city in Equestria and have been laughed out of each. Even if I were to return they would just mock me."

"Well, maybe if you prove to them that you aren't such a bad pony, they might welcome you back in." Twilight said.

"I'm not a bad pony! It's just... UGH!" she exclaimed in anger. "You know the answer to your stupid little dumb question, Twilight Snarkle! Just follow the evidence like you did during the trial. Maybe Mr. Wrong taught you something, too." she said, leaving Twilight alone on the bridge.

"Taught me something too?" Twilight questioned aloud. Who else is she talking about? she thought as she watched the blue pony walk away, throwing the silk hat of hers into the water. Twilight looked back over the side of the bridge into the water. "Follow the evidence, huh Trixie?" she said aloud. "Okay then. I'll follow up on what I know, pull together some proof, and show you that it's not the Ursa Minor that's causing this." She turned and headed for the library. There had to be something there that could give her a lead.

Day 1: Sonata

Twilight walked into her library, being careful not to wake Spike. First, I should do more research on that Magatama and what it's side effects are. I wasn't able to see the locks that Phoenix claimed surrounded Princess Celestia. But I was still able to feel the emotions from Trixie. Is it possible that I may not be able to see them, but still feel them? she thought as she looked through her library.

Phoenix didn't say anything about what happens after you lose the power, but I don't think he even knows that. she thought. She pulled the book she used the last time she did her research, Mythical Items From Far Away Lands and flipped to page 291. "The Magatama is an instrument who's magic allows the user to tell when an individual is hiding a dark and personal secret. It has been stated that an individual could potentially break the locks if they are presented with facts and evidence and attain the information they were searching for."

She skipped a few pages that talked about some cases it was used in. "After it's magic has worn off from the user, they are no longer able to see these locks. Not much is known about the after effects, however, it has been known to cause it's past users to sense strong emotions and personal qualms within another. These senses only are felt if the emotions are targeted or caused by the individual who senses them." she read aloud.

Her eyes grew wide as she reread that last passage. "So it is possible for me to feel some of those emotions. And the fact that the book says I'd only be able to feel them if I was the cause of the emotions or if they were directed towards me just makes my suspicion of it being the Ursa grow." she said. She placed the book back to it's place. "But she said I should follow the evidence. The only evidence I know of is that Ursa and this past trial."

A thought ran through her mind. "Or maybe it's because of what Sonata said during the trial. It has nothing to do with her last visit as she led many to believe; that was just the icing on the cake. The Trixie we see right now is nothing but a helpless phony taking on this egotistical persona to cover up her pitiful insecurities. she thought.

I should go talk to Sonata about that. Maybe she can give me more information on what's making Trixie act like this.

Ponyville Detention Center

June 11, 4:46 P.M.

Twilight walked up to the detention center, hoping Sonata hadn't been transferred yet. As she walked up, the guards at the front stopped her. "Halt! You aren't allowed in." one of them exclaimed.

"Please, I just need to speak with Sonata before you take her away." Twilight pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Miss Sparkle, but I can not allow you entry into the Detention Center." he said.

"Why can't she?" she heard a voice say behind her.

She turned around and saw the judge standing there with his gavel in hand. Does he always walk around with that in his hands? she thought.

"Orders are that nobody can see her." the guard replied.

"But she was the co-counseler to the lawyer that cleared her name for murder. I think she deserves at least one visit with her." he said.

"Well..." the guard hesitated as he tried to pull up a reason why she couldn't go in.

"As the judge at her trial, I say to let her in." the judge said.

"Yes. R-right away." the guard replied.

Twilight ran into the Detention Center eagerly. The judge followed her in and sat next to her at the designated glass barrier. "Miss Sparkle, how are you this afternoon?" the judge asked her.

"Pretty good! Rainbow Dash was found innocent and nopony got banished. I don't think things could have turned out better." Twilight said happily.

"Glad to hear it! You know, I never got to actually thank you for bringing me to this wonderful world!" he exclaimed. "It's absolutely marvelous!"

"I'm glad you liked it." she said. "Um, Your Honor, do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Please, just call me Judge. What is it you wanted to ask me?"

"When you first heard about the trial and the evidence given, how much did you believe in Trixie's stance?" she asked.

"Hmm. Well, while I thought that she was very snide and rude, I felt like she had a pretty solid case. I didn't expect you two to pull it off, even with Phoenix's record." he said.

"That bad, huh?" she said.

"Oh, but it doesn't matter! There was decisive evidence that allowed me to give a proper verdict."

"Only after you said she was guilty." Twilight pointed out.

"Ehhh, no matter! I think I better be off. I still have a lot of sightseeing I need to go do. Maybe I'll see what this certain green pony's obsession with hands is all about." he said, quickly getting up to leave.

"W-wait!" Twilight exclaimed, but he had already left the building. Man he's quicker than I would've thought.

"Well hello, Twilight. What are you doing here? I would've thought that you would be saying goodbye to Phoenix." she heard Sonata say behind her.

"Oh, hello Sonata. Phoenix and I already said our goodbyes. He's back in his own world now." Twilight said.

"Oh. I see. Well, he came by and said goodbye to me. I didn't think he would leave this early though." she said sadly.

"It's okay. He's needed elsewhere though." Twilight told her.

Sonata smiled. "Yes, I'm sure he is. May I ask why you're here? I'm supposed to be transferred to a cell in Manehattan shortly."

"Well, it's about what you said at the trial, about Trixie."

"What about her?" Sonata asked.

"Well...what did you mean by the Ursa only being the icing on the cake? Everything I know about Trixie points to her resentment starting at the Ursa Minor." Twilight explained.

"Ah. That. Well, I don't think I should be the one telling you about it. After all, it's none of my business. I only know everything about her because she was in the same grade as me. In fact, I know a lot about ponies who don't know anything about me. And I don't mean that because of me blackmailing ponies." Sonata said.

"When I was in Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, I stayed in the back, watching what others did and learning from them. Ponies show a lot about themselves when they think nopony is watching them." she said.

"Wait, you were in the same class as Trixie?" Twilight asked, surprised.

"Yes. And she scored at the top of her class, even above me. Didn't Phoenix tell you about this?" she asked confused.

"No. How did he know that?" Twilight asked.

"I told him when he broke into my hotel room. I thought he would've let you know." Sonata said.

"Well, it doesn't matter. What matters is that you knew her before she came to Ponyville. Was she like that back then?" she asked.

"Not at first. It was only after her idol humiliated her in front of the class that she started turning into, well, you saw that for yourself during that Ursa event." she explained.

"Her idol? Who was it?"

Sonata shook her head. "I'm sorry, but that's all I'm at liberty to say. I can't give another pony's secrets out. Not anymore. Not after what happened..." she said, grimly.

Oh, that's right. Ace Swift died because he became angry after Sonata couldn't do the blackmailing anymore. Twilight thought. "I understand. I'm sorry about what happened."

"It's okay. Don't worry about it. The important thing is that nopony is going to get hurt now because of what we were doing." she said smiling. "Oh! Have you been able to donate the money to help Cruise Control's sister's condition?"

"Not yet. The money is still being transferred. With the amount you're donating, it's going to take a while longer until I'm able to." Twilight said. "But I will as soon as I can."

Sonata smiled. "Thanks, Twilight."

"Visiting hours are now over. All visitors must leave the Detention Center." a voice said at the door.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye for awhile." Sonata said.

"You be careful, okay?" Twilight asked.

"I will." Sonata said. "And Twilight. Thanks for coming by and talking. It's going to get lonely over the next year."

"You're only in for a year? How'd you get that?"

"I had some help from the Princess. She was able to convince the council to give me a reduced sentence, based on the fact that I helped give crucial data to a murder investigation." she said. "I'm extremely grateful she did that for me after what I tried to do to your friend."

Twilight smiled. "It's her job to look after her subjects. Besides, she know's that you didn't want to do it anymore and that you were troubled by it."

"I guess so. Thank you again, Twilight Sparkle. I won't forget what you or Phoenix did for me." She smiled back and was led out of the room.

Twilight left the Detention Center and began to walk back to the library. She wanted to send a letter to Princess Celestia. One to say thanks for what she did for Sonata, and two to see if she could come up and visit. She wanted to ask her mentor about Trixie and if she remembered her from her classes all those years ago.

Ponyville Library

June 11, 5:04 P.M.

Twilight entered her home, not trying to be quiet as her mind was elsewhere. She heard Spike groan in the other room. Oops, I forgot he was sleeping. she thought. She walked up to her room and laid on her bed, taking a quill and paper with her.

"Dear Princess Celestia. I know I just sent you a letter a little bit ago, but I wanted to thank you for what you did for Sonata. She deserved a little break after what she did for Rainbow Dash, despite knowing the consequences for her actions. But, I also wanted to make a request. Would it be alright if I were to come by and visit tomorrow? I want to ask you a few things face to face regarding Trixie. I know it's short notice, but I really need to ask you for help on this one. She's going to be leaving soon and I don't want her to go before I have a chance to figure out what really happened to make her hate me so much. You're faithful student, Twilight Sparkle."

She finished writing her letter as Spike walked up the stairs. "You know, you could be a little more quiet when you're walking in." he said, yawning rather loud.

"I'm sorry, Spike. My mind wasn't fully focused on what I was doing when I walked in here." Twilight apologized. "Can you send a letter for me? I know you just woke up, but it's really important."

"Yeah, yeah, I guess I can." he said. He took the letter and sent it to the Princess in a ball of magic fire. "There. It's sent." he said.

"Good. Hopefully I get a reply soon." she said as she looked out her window towards Canterlot.

"Twilight, why is it so important you get a reply back so soon?" he asked.

"I'm doing some research on the Magatama and I need the Princess' help." she lied.

"Maga-whata?"

Twilight giggled. "Just an old mythical artifact. I'm just trying to increase my knowledge."

"Typical." Spike said as he slumped on the bed. He burped and a letter appeared in front of them in a ball of fire.

Twilight picked up the letter and began to read it. "Dear Twilight Sparkle. I understand your concern regarding her. If you so wish, you may come by tomorrow morning and we can discuss things in private. I have a pretty good feeling Spike is listening to you read this aloud, isn't he?" she said.

Twilight looked to Spike and giggled. "Get some rest Spike. I'll be in later to tuck you in."

"I don't need to be tucked in. I'm too old for that." he said, jumping down and walking down the stairs.

Twilight smiled. "And even if he isn't, I would prefer, just as you do, to speak face to face on the matter. See you tomorrow morning."

She sighed. So Trixie was really at the school for Gifted Unicorns. And if Sonata was right about her being at the top of her class, there should be some files of her at the library or in Celestia's private office. She yawned, placing the letter on her desk and walking down the stairs to Spike's room. She walked in and found him laying in bed, his sheets barely staying tuck.

She walked over to him and tucked his sheets over him nice and snug with her magic. "Good night Spike." she said to her sleeping friend. She walked out of the room, and closed the door behind her. I'll head off tomorrow morning early. I want to have as much time as possible to figure out all I can on her past.

Day 2

Canterlot Train Station

9:32 A.M.

I wonder where the Princess is. Maybe I'm too early. Twilight thought as she waited at the station. She had been waiting for half an hour. It wasn't like the Princess to be late. "She's probably busy with a surprise emergency." she said.

"Excuse me, are you Twilight Sparkle?" a pony in a brown coat asked as he ran up the stairs to her.

"Yes, I am. And who might you be?" she asked with a smile.

"I'm Detective Horseshoe. Sorry I'm late. The Princess sent me down to help you with your findings." he said.

"Really? Where's the Princess?" she asked.

"She's caught up in a meeting with an important individual. She'll meet us at the Canterlot Library when she's finished." he replied.

"Oh, okay then. Who is this important individual?"

"Hey, I'm just a simple detective. I don't know all about the Princess' meetings." he said with a groan. "Anyways, let's get going. I understand you're looking up something on a classmate of yours from your younger years?"

"Yes, she's- Wait a minute, my YOUNGER years? I'm not old! I'm only in my 20's!' Twilight exclaimed.

"It's not my job to look for those details!" he said, disgruntled.

Actually, it is. You're a detective after all. she thought. "Okay, well I'm looking for information on Trixie."

"Oh, that prosecutor that found that one rainbow pony guilty of murder!" he said, happily.

"Hey! She was found innocent and is my friend!" Twilight shouted.

"Oh, right. Sorry." he said, rubbing the back of his head. "Anywho, let's get going. I'm sure we can find something in the library."

Why did the Princess send him? He's completely incompetent! she thought. "Fine. Let's go."

Canterlot Library

9:50 A.M.

"Woah. This place is bigger than I thought." Detective Horsehoe said.

"Well it is the Canterlot library. It's one of the largest libraries in the nation." Twilight said. "With so many books, we're going to be here for awhile."

"You mean we have to search through all this?"

"Well, we could narrow it down to a few sub-sections. Anything under 'T' will work. Why don't you go look for it there?" she suggested.

"Yes ma'am!" he said and rushed over to that section.

Now that he's out of the way I can get to work on what I need to find out. she thought as she walked to the end of the aisle to her left. "Let's see...L...M...N...O... Ah! P!" Twilight said as she found the section she needed. "Okay, Princess...Princess...Princess...There you are! Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns." she exclaimed, pulling the giant book out from it's holding.

"Okay. Let's see if I can find her in here somewhere." She flipped through the book, looking for pictures. "Oh! I remember that day! That was the day when I won the talent show." she said as she passed a picture of her with a gold medal around her neck. There was a brown pony and a blue pony standing next to each other on the second place stand. "Wait. That's not Sonata and Trixie is it?"

She looked closer at but wasn't able to see their cutie marks. "If it is them, this would be another reason for Trixie to be mad at me. But I don't remember her or Sonata being there." She flipped a few more pages and found her class picture. "I don't see Trixie, but Sonata did say she was a year below me." She flipped to the next year and found Sonata standing there in the front row. She scanned for Trixie but didn't find her. "She's not in here. Maybe Sonata was mistaken?" she asked aloud. She looked to the side of the picture and found a line of text that read, 'Students not pictured: Blaze, Little Red, Sunset Bloom, Trixie.'

"Well, I guess she was in the school. But how come I never heard of her?" She thought back to all the days she spent at the school. Most of them were her sitting in a library reading or studying, or of her sitting in class furiously taking notes. "I could have missed her since I didn't socialize too much with the ponies around me." she said. She took the book to the librarian behind the counter.

"Ah, Twilight! It's been awhile since you came by. How have you been?" the librarian asked.

"I'm doing well, Ms. Clydesdale. And you?"

"Pretty good. It's been slow here lately so I don't get to see many faces. Did you find a book you liked?" she asked.

"Yes. I'm trying to do some research into Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns." Twilight said, passing the book to the mare.

"Oh, that's right. You scored number one on the exam and became the Princess' personal student. Is this something for the Princess?" she asked, writing the information down.

"No, just more of a personal thing." Twilight said.

"Well, I hope you find what you're looking for. Have a good day, Ms. Sparkle." the librarian said.

"You too, Ms. Clydesdale." she said and left the library. "I should probably tell Detective Horseshoe that I found what I was looking for." she said to herself. She looked back into the library and saw him carrying a huge stack of books to a table. "On second though, I'll let him look through some stuff."

Twilight walked out of the library as she looked back through the book. If Trixie really did go go to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, what did I do that made her hate me so? she thought. And why is she taking it out on me all these years later?

As Twilight pondered about it, she bumped into a pony in front of her. "Oh! I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was-" she stopped as she saw who it was she had so rudely bumped into. "Princess! I'm so sorry!" Twilight said, frantically.

Celestia giggled slightly at her pupil. "It's okay, Twilight. I'm sorry I'm late for our meeting. I was in an emergency meeting with someone of importance."

"I knew there was a perfectly reasonable explanation. Who was this important pony?" Twilight asked.

"She wasn't a pony, but she is someone who I feel may be able to help you, if she so chooses." her mentor replied. "Come. I'll take you to her so we can help with your predicament." She led Twilight through the corridors quietly.

"So...who is this mysterious someone? Are they a griffon? Or a Minotaur?" Twilight asked, hoping to allieviate the silence.

"She's not of this world. But she knows more than I thought she would of Miss Trixie." Celestia said.

"Wait, she knows Trixie? Is she a relative?" Twilight asked.

"Remember, she isn't of this world. But she holds a form of...magic." the Princess said, trying to find the right word.

"Oh...right." she said, feeling foolish. "Well, what kind of magic is it?"

"It's one that I have yet to see. She knew about me than is on public record. But you have no need to worry, Twilight. She's a friend, not an enemy."

"But if she knows more about you than anyone, then how do you know we can trust her?" Twilight asked.

"Because she helped us in a very recent event." the Princess said. They walked through a pair of large marble doors that led to the Throne Room. "If you'll wait here for a moment, Twilight."

Twilght waited in the Throne Room, wondering what this 'someone' could be and do that could help her. Is it possible that she really does know what happened to Trixie? I find it hard to believe that she was able to find out information about the Princess that wasn't on public record. she thought.

"So you're the Defense Attourney's assistant from that trial a few days ago? I was impressed by what you and the Defense were able to do with all the information against you. You have potential." a female's voice said behind her.

"Oh, it wasn't me. It was Pheonix who really-" she started to say as she turned around to the voice. "What? But...but you're-"

"A human? Yes, I am. I'm the one who told the Princess to hire Phoenix Wright as the Defense Attorney." the brown haired human said.

"But how are you here? And why did you want Phoenix?" Twilght asked.

"It doesn't matter how I'm here, and I wanted Phoenix to be the Defense because I knew he could do it. He is the only one that would be able to find a way to break the Prosecution's testimony. And also because he needed this experience." the mysterious girl said.

"I see." Twilight said. "Um, what's your name? The Princess said that you could help me with something, and you already know who I am, but I don't know who you are."

The mysterious human smiled. "I'm Mia."

Mia

"Well, nice to meet you Mia. How do you know Phoenix? Is he a friend?" Twilight asked.

"We were friends at one point. I was his mentor when he first started out as a lawyer. For an amateur, he was surprisingly good." she said.

"So he learned everything he did in court today from you?" Twilight asked.

"And more. He was a good friend, but certain events led to our time being cut short."

"Cut short? What happened?" Twilight asked, curiously.

"I was the victim in a murder. He was the defense attorney who defended my younger sister who the police thought was my killer. It turned out to be a blackmailing CEO of a company." Mia explained.

"Wait, so you died?" Twilight asked. "Then how are you standing here in front of me!?"

Mia chuckled. "Didn't Phoenix tell you about who I am?"

"I think he mentioned you once, but never went into detail..." Twilight admitted.

"Well I'm what we call a spirit medium. I can channel the spirit of someone who has died and they can speak through me. However, for some reason, your Princess cast a spell and summoned me. I don't quite understand how she did it, but she summoned my spirit to your world." Mia explained.

"But why didn't she tell me about that?" Twilight asked.

"I told her specifically to not tell anyone about me. I wasn't sure how your worlds magic would affect my own, so I figured the less who knew about my existence here, the better." Mia explained further.

"Oh, well I guess that makes sense. Considering what happened to me." Twilight said. She gasped. Oh, that's right! The Magatama! Maybe she knows something about that! "When Phoenix was here, he dropped an artifact. I picked it up using my magic and it's power was transferred to me." she said.

"What?" Mia asked, shocked. "What artifact?"

"He called it a Magatama. Any idea why it's power was transferred to me?" Twilight asked. She felt a weird sensation in the back of her head after asking that question.

"I...I'm not exactly certain what you mean." Mia said.

That sensation...I recognize that...that's the same feeling I felt when I asked Trixie about her hate for me. Only this isn't depressing or sad. It feels more...defensive. she thought. "Mia...I have a feeling you know more about it than you're letting on." she said.

A small grin appeared on Mia's face. "Really? If that's the case, prove it. Show me the evidence." she said.

Evidence... I don't really have any evidence other than what I can tell her. And how do I know she'll believe me... Twilight thought. "Um...well I don't really have any evidence. At least, not physical evidence. I only have what I can verbally tell you."

"That will suffice." she replied.

"Well...I know that it allows me to see when somepony is hiding deep secrets. Chains and locks have appeared and when presented with evidence they break." Twilight explained.

"Anything more?" she asked.

Twilight thought more about the Magatama. "Well, the locks are colored red...and sometimes black." she said.

Mia's smile disappeared when Twilight mentioned black locks. "How do you know that?"

"So you do know something about the Magatama!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Did you try to break the black locks?" Mia said with a sudden urgency.

"What? Uh, no, I actually didn't want to break them, unlike the others I saw. They were sad and depressing. Just seeing them was enough to make me emotional." she admitted.

"Good. Those are locks you don't want to break under any circumstances." Mia said sternly.

"Why?" Twilight asked.

"They can cause a lot of harm to the one they guard." she replied.

"What kind of harm? Like physical?"

"No. They can tear apart one's soul, their very being. They are deep and personal secrets that they will most likely take to their grave." Mia said.

"Oh...so I take it you've seen them broken before." Twilight said.

"Once. It wasn't pretty." she replied grimly.

"Let's change the subject. When I first picked up the Magatama, I had picked it up with levitation. It mixed with the Magatama's magic and allowed me to see the locks for a few days. But just now, I had a feeling that you were hiding something. Almost like how it felt when I saw the black locks, but without the depressing and sad nature of them." Twilight said. "Any idea how that's possible?"

Mia scrunched her eyes as she looked at Twilight. "I'm not sure what you mean when by a feeling. I haven't heard of anybody feeling it's power. It may have something to do with how it reacted to your worlds magic."

"Well, when I cast a spell, I do have to concentrate a little and get a small warming sensation around my horn. But I figured that's just from the energy that's used to cast the spell." Twilight said.

"It may have enhanced that and combined with it the Magatama's power." Mia said. "Be careful. I don't know anything about this world's magic so I can't help you with any problems you may encounter. If I remember correctly, when you cast a spell, it exhausts some of your energy. The Magatama may draw more energy than you can manage."

"Do you really think so?" Twilight asked, worried.

"I'm not sure. But I wouldn't worry about it. Try to keep it in check though. There may be a way for you to hold back it's power and only use it when you need to." Mia suggested.

"Okay. I'll try that."

"Good. Now, I'm afraid I'll have to go. The Princess was supposed to send me back a few days ago, but said that she thought you may want to meet me. It's required me to use my spirit channeling ability a little more than I'm used to on a continual basis." Mia said.

"Wait! Can you answer one more question for me?" Twilight asked.

"What is it?"

"Is there anyway for me to talk to Phoenix between worlds? I know it sounds crazy and that I probably shouldn't do that or I'll cause some rip in the space time continuum, but I just want to know, if there is a way for me to speak with him, if only for a few minutes every week, I would appreciate it." she said.

Mia smiled. "There is a way, but it's not a way that I know. It's the same spell your Princess used to call me here. Talk to her. Maybe she'll tell you how you can talk to him."

"Okay. Thank you." Twilight said as Mia faded away. She sighed. I was hoping for more answers, but I guess I got all I could get right now. I should probably go talk to the Princess about finding a way to talk to Phoenix. And now that I know that Trixie and Sonata were both at Celestia's Schoolf for Gifted Unicorns, I can ask her about it. she thought as she walked out of the throne room.

"Twilight." Princess Celestia said as she saw her pupil walk out. "I hope you found the information you needed."

"Well I did find out some more information on the Magatama, but nothing that helped much with Trixie's case." she admitted. "I may need to talk to Sonata again, Princess. If that's even possible now that she's being moved."

"Hmm...I may be able to help you there." Princess Celestia said. "I'll let the guards know that Sonata needs to stay at the detention center for another day."

"Can you really do that? I mean, her sentence has been carried out and her guilt has been determined."

The Princess chuckled. "I can ask for her to have an extra day so that way you can continue learning about friendship through her. It's not while the Council may have some authority in the legal process, as long as I don't plan on breaking her out, which I assure you I have no desire to do, I can prolong her transfer. I doubt that I'll be able to keep her back any longer after today though. So you must find out all you can while she is still here."

"I...I will , Princess. Thank you." Twilight said smiling. "Um, one more thing, Princess, before I go see Sonata."

"Yes?"

"When I was looking through the library for books about your School for Gifted Unicorns, I noticed that Trixie and Sonata were both a year below me. But I don't ever remember seeing them. I studied with a lot of ponies below me, but I don't remember either of them." Twilight explained.

"I don't know why you would. Sonata was very much like you in her days at the school. She didn't talk much to other ponies and stayed by herself in the back of rooms. She did well and was the runner up in her class." the Princess said.

"Who was the top of her class?" Twilight asked.

"Trixie. Even when she was very young, she showed great promise. I even considered her to be my student. However, she started looking into being an entertainer and putting on shows for others. Now, I didn't deny her the chance to be my student because of that. It was after she tried a few of her shows in the cafeteria. I attended both of the shows, and the first one went off without a hitch. But the second one..." she trailed off.

"Princess?"

She sighed. "The second one resulted in an injury. She was trying to do a teleportation spell to the back of the room. Well, while she was about to teleport, there was a crash in the kitchen from some pony dropping the trays. It distracted her and she ended up teleporting on top of the crowd and landing on a filly. She broke the child's left fore-leg and had to be taken to a hospital."

"I put a stop to her shows to avoid another injury like that happening. She donated a lot of her own money to the family to help pay for the medical bills, but despite her efforts, the family didn't forgive her for the accident and the child started bullying her and putting her down. She had most of the school calling her names and other unpleasant words."

"I tried to put a stop to it, but I had no authority on what they could do while at home. Towards the end of her first semester of her senior year, she was the top of her class, out shining every other pony at the school. She started boasting, bragging, and turning into the same bully that had been bullying her. That's when I pulled her chances from being my student."

"But that doesn't explain why she hates me so much." Twilight pointed out.

"Well it was at the start of her second semester when she was able to start learning and studying on the level that you were at. She saw you and what you accomplished with your magic, and she looked up to you. I saw the way she strived to be like you. When she learned that I had chosen you to be my student, she started resenting you, which made her strive to be more like you." the Princess explained.

"But why don't I remember seeing her?"

"Because while she was studying the same thing you were, she was in a different class. She saw you in the hallway and during talent shows and how well you were received by your peers for your feats of magic. It angered her that she would do the same thing but get rejected and ridiculed. So she signed up for the next talent show and competed against you." Princess Celestia explained.

"Along with Sonata?" Twilight asked.

"I'm sorry, Twilight, but I don't recall much of Sonata. She arrived late in the semester, and if she did participate in the talent show, it escapes my knowledge. But when I was judging with my fellow instructors, Trixie stood out amongst the others. Her magic was something I hadn't seen from anypony outside of you. It was impressive. There was another pony who tied with her, but I don't remember who they were." she said.

"I see... So she saw me and how I was being looked at by my fellow students and she was jealous." Twilight said. "But why take it out on my friends?"

"That's a question I don't know the answer to. I'm afraid I've told you all I know. Sonata may know more, but if you still can't find the answer to your question, you'll have to talk to Trixie herself." Princess Celestia said.

"I don't think she wants to talk to me. She still hates me." she said. "Oh! That's right! Princess, do you think you could use the same spell you used to call Mia here for Phoenix?"

"Why? Will it help with the situation with Trixie?"

"It might. It doesn't have to be now, but I think I know a pony who would appreciate it." Twilight said.

"..."

"Princess, please. I wouldn't ask you to do it if it weren't important." Twilight pleaded.

"Okay. When you need me to, I'll cast the spell. I'll only allow him a few minutes, however." she said.

"That's fine. That's all we'll need." Twilight said with a smile. "Thank you Princess."

"It's not a problem, Twilight." she replied smiling.

"I'm going to go talk to Sonata again. I think I'm starting to get a better understanding of what happened." Twilight said. The Princess led her out and said goodbye to her pupil.

I'm starting to put pieces together. Hopefully after talking with Sonata one more time with the new information I have I can find out the truth behind Trixie's resentment towards me.

Revelation

Canterlot Train

10:48 A.M.

Sonata and Trixie were both in Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns and were a year below me. Trixie was the top of her class with Sonata behind her. I need to find out who her idol was so that way I can see if it was somepony I knew. Maybe by taking it out on me she hoped to hurt that pony. But who could it be? I didn't have many ponies I considered friends during my time there outside of Shining Armor. Twilight thought.

She opened the book that she checked out from the library and turned to the page of Sonata and Trixie's graduating class. "I still don't understand how I didn't realize Trixie was top of her class. I knew every pony that made it to the top of the class. The Princess took me with her to all of the graduations with her. I may have been reading and studying on Starswirl's spells, but I always paid attention during the Valedictorian speech. I found it amazing to see so many other Unicorns who had amassed great spell casting abilities." she said to herself.

The train pulled up to the train station and everypony walked out. Twilight gathered up her book and as she stepped out she bumped into a pony. "Oh, I'm sorry." she said.

"Oh, don't worry about-" the pony said before realizing it was Twilight. "Grrr! Watch it Sparkler!" Trixie shouted.

"Trixie? What are you doing?" she asked.

"It's none of your business Twilight." Trixie said as she boarded the train with a suitcase.

"Are you travelling somewhere?" Twilight asked.

"Trixie is heading out to a more civillized town where she can perform without being bombarded with constant talks with those she wants to avoid." she said.

"Well where are you headed?" Twilight asked.

"Trixie will make her first stop at in Canterlot. Now that Mr. Wrong foolishly gave Trixie the money the Princess gave him for the trial, she will now rebuild her stage to its original magnificence and have it shine across the stars." she said.

"Well when will your first show be?" Twilight asked.

"Ha! You think that Trixie would allow you to come and see her perform? You're crazier than Trixie thought Twilgiht."

"I was just wondering how soon you would start to perform again! Besides, the performance you threw at Pinkie's party was better than it was when you first came to Ponyville. It was actually more entertaining than I had thought." she said.

Trixie's personality changed from her original boastful self to a more cheerful and happy look. What the? Twilight thought. As quick as it had changed, she reverted back to her original persona. "Do you think I need your approval? I know that my shows are one of a kind! I don't need the top of her class Twilight to tell me that!" Trixie exclaimed.

"Well think of it as a compliment. One Valedictorian to another." Twilight said.

"What are you talking about?" Trixie asked.

"I know you were the Valedictorian of your class in Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. Sonata was in the same class as you and you outscored her." Twilight explained.

Twilight felt the depressing, sad pain that she felt when she saw the black locks that surrounded Trixie. "So what? As Valedictorian I should know how good I am at magic." she said.

"But why did you never mention it during your shows? I think it's something you would've mentioned to show how talented you are at magic." Twilight pointed out.

"Why should Trixie? Trixie has always known she was better at magic than most ponies. Even if others didn't really agree with her." Trixie said.

"Who didn't agree with you?" she asked.

"What's it matter? Trixie doesn't live with him anymore so he is irrelevent."

Live with him? Is she talking about her dad? Twilight thought.

"Um, Trixie?" Twilight asked.

"What do you want? I'm going to miss my train." Trixie replied angrily.

"Well, it's just that something you said caught my attention. You said that you didn't live with him anymore." Twilight said. Trixie's eyes grew as she realized what she was talking about. "Who was he? Your dad? A friend? Any relative?"

"I-it's none of your business Twilight! I don't care what you think you think you know about me, because it's wrong!" she exclaimed, a subtle hint at tears in her eyes.

Is she...crying? Twilight thought. I never imagined she would cry...

"Trixie...I'm sor-" Twilight started to say.

"I don't need you to say sorry! Just go back to Ponyville and live your perfect life with your perfect friends from a perfect family Ms. Perfect." Trixie exclaimed. She got on the train and slammed the door shut as she made her way to the farthest compartment from Twilight.

As the train left, Twilight couldn't help but feel a little upset by seeing Trixie like this. What did I say that set off that? Was it when I brought up whoever she lived with? That's not a reaction I would've expected, even from Trixie. she thought. I should talk to Sonata. I thought that maybe I had everything I needed, and now I'm certain I know who she looked up to. But I don't think that's everything to it. There has to be something about whoever it was she was living with at the time.

She walked to the the Detention Center and was stopped by a guard. "Halt. No one is allowed to enter." he said

"The Princess said I was able to come in and talk to someone here before she gets transferred." Twilight said.

"Name."

"Twilight Sparkle." she said.

"You have ten minutes." he said, and let her into the Detention Center.

Sonata was sitting behind the glass, drawing a picture on a piece of paper she had. "Hey Sonata." Twilight said, taking a seat across from her.

She looked up and smiled. "Hello Twilight. I was told I would expect one more visiter before being transferred. I take it that was you?" she asked.

"Yes, I asked the Princess if she could keep you here a little longer. I have a few questions about your days at the school if you don't mind answering." Twilight said.

"What do you need to know?" she asked.

"Well, first off, when Trixie was in school, did you visit any of her shows?" she asked.

"Yes. She was very talented and had a lot of promise. After the accident, it was hard for her around the school. I honestly felt bad for her. I hated seeing bullies, despite turning into one myself. She ended up shutting a lot of ponies out especially those who tried to help her."

"So not all the ponies started bullying her?"

"Not at first. After she started shutting every pony out, most of her classmates held resentment towards her and didn't want to be a part of her 'drama.'" Sonata said. "The Princess quickly put a stop to it at the school though."

"What about when she was at home or away from the school?" Twilight asked.

"Sadly, I don't know much about that. I always stayed after school, studying and practicing whatever I could. I shouldn't say anymore though. It's not my business and she should be the one to tell you." she said.

"I tried to get her to tell me. All she said was, 'I don't live with him anymore.' She left Ponyville after that and didn't say anything more on that." Twilight said.

"I see. Well, I guess if it'll help. Like I said, I don't know how she was treated outside of the school. I knew that she was having bullying issues in school. However, I knew something else was also bugging her. I'm not sure what it was, but there were a few times where she came in with some bruises on her legs. She blamed them on falling down some stairs, but I didn't believe her. The bruises were too big and pinpointed for them to be accidents."

"Wait, WHAT!?" Twilight exclaimed. "You're telling me those were there on purpose!?"

"That's what I thought. I never had any proof since I had never been around her at her house. But it was the only explanation that I could think of."

"Did you confront her about it?" Twilight asked.

"When I did, she shouted at me, saying to mind my own business. It wasn't pretty. It's what started my resentment towards her. Because no matter who tried to help her, she blew them off and started bullying ponies herself. There was only one who she tried to get the attention of, and it wasn't her teachers." Sonata said.

"And who would that be?" Twilight asked, already knowing the answer.

"Her dad." she said.

Her dad? That wasn't the answer I expected. But if what Sonata is implying is correct, then it would make sense for her to want her father's approval. And with Trixie saying that she didn't live with 'him' anymore makes her father that much more of a probable answer. Twilight thought.

"Did these happen commonly?" she asked.

"About twice a month. Just when they started to disappear, they would just reappear with no explanation, other than the stairs. I may not like to admit it, but she was not the clumsiest pony. It didn't make sense for her to fall down stairs every few weeks." Sonata said.

"So you're saying her father abused her about twice a month? That would be around the time we had our exams."Twilight said.

"Correct. And each exam was different per student. She tested our weaknesses each time, making it impossible for anyone to get a perfect score." she explained.

"Yeah, every time they came around I was always just a few points short of perfect." Twilight said, before realizing how that could have sounded. "Oh! I didn't mean it in a bragging way! I just know what you mean!" she said, trying to rectify what she said.

Sonata gave a light laugh. "It's alright, Twilight. I understand what you mean. Most of us were trying to prove ourselves to the Princess. But I believe that Trixie was trying to prove herself to her father."

"But something I don't understand is why did they happen after she started looking into the entertainment business?" Twilight asked.

"Well he was a very wealthy lawyer himself. He had written a bunch of the attorney books that we had to read in our law classes during school. My assumption is that he wanted her to be like him. He never missed a day at work. Except for one. He had just won the toughest case of his career and took a day off to recuperate and look over everything to make sure he had the correct verdict given. He had never lost a case, but he always said that he wanted a truthful verdict, even if it meant he would lose a case." Sonata explained.

"Really? I didn't know her father was an attorney." Twilight said. "She told me it was something her parents wanted her to take."

"It was. While we all took a very basic and uninformative class on the law, she chose to take an advanced class on the topic."

"And when she started failing the exams, her parents started..." Twilight said, unable to finish the sentence.

"Yes. Sadly, it's all I know. Her father was her biggest role model. She had others, but her father's approval was the only thing I know for a fact she had been seeking." she said.

"How'd you find that out?"

"Because she always used to talk about him before she pushed ponies away." Sonata said. "He meant everything to her. I'm not sure what happened after the bruises, they disappeard half way through the year, but I know she looked up to him and just wanted to make him happy for the longest time."

"And I doubt she'll talk to me about it." Twilight said, feeling sad for Trixie. I had no idea. That would explain why she does what she does during her shows. She's trying to get approval, and during her school years, she had to start bullying to make up for what she didn't get at home. she thought

"But that still doesn't explain why it pertains to me. Why does she hold such a huge resentment towards me if it wasn't the Ursa incident?" Twilight asked.

Sonata looked at her confused. "You mean she didn't tell you? I thought that's why you came to me." Sonata asked.

"That wasn't it. I originally came here curious about her school life. But do you know how it pertains to me?" Twilight asked.

Sonata hesitated before giving an answer. "I do. But...I don't know if I should be the one who tells you."

"Please, Sonata. I need to know so I can figure out this whole thing." Twilight said.

Sonata sighed. "Okay. Well, during the last few years of her time in the school, she had really started to drift from her dad. This was after she took the law classes and her father still didn't seem to like her entertainment dream. I don't know what really happened, but I could infer that he didn't pay much attention to her anymore. The way she carried herself after the law classes and how she acted towards everyone seemed to be of someone who needed attention. She hadn't been receiving any from home anymore and it was a big change from always getting positive attention, to negative, and then to none."

"What about her mom?"

"I don't think her mom was in the picture. She never talked about her and I had never seen her." Sonata explained.

"So she figured negative attention was better than no attention." Twilight concluded.

"Yes. She saw you and how you were viewed by your peers and became jealous. She wanted what you had. She saw how great with magic you were and wanted to challenge you to get the attention of the students who used to bully her and regain some positive feedback." she explained.

"I didn't want any of the attention. I just took the tests and participated in a few talent shows to test myself under pressure." Twilight said, defending herself."

"I didn't mean it as a bad thing. Other ponies looked up to you, but Trixie admired you more than anyone else. The way you composed yourself when you cast spells and your determination to be the best inspired her."

"I wasn't trying to be the best!" Twilight exclaimed.

"I know you weren't. But Trixie saw that you were the best. She wanted you to acknowledge her and try and share your knowledge in magic. But you were always trying to improve yourself and others in the tutor classes that you didn't notice her. She didn't qualify for the tutor program because of her grades. She could've been a tutor, but she chose not to." Sonata said.

"So, because I was too busy studying, she thought I was ignoring her." Twilight said. "I didn't mean to. I didn't even know she was trying to get my attention."

"Don't blame yourself. You two were in separate classes and only saw each other in the halls and during the talent shows. She had always tried to impress you, but she always did it in the wrong way. She would put others down, making their grades fall which would send them to you for help in the tutor program." Sonata explained.

"So basically, Trixie wanted me to hang out with her because she was one of the best students. She felt like she was worth my time. But when I didn't notice her and ignored her, she took it personally and started resenting me, trying to find a way to gain my attention." Twilight said.

"I'm not sure if she was trying to gain your attention, but I know she wanted to show you that you weren't all that and that she herself was more talented than you." Sonata said. "She felt like you didn't deserve it. So, my guess as to why she wanted your friend to get banished to the sun so badly was to show that she could beat you at something and be higher up than you. It's why when you humiliated her in the talent show year after year she became more and more mean to everypony. She would boast that you weren't big at all and get beat by you. She hated thinking she was right and being proven wrong."

Twilight took it in and thought about it. It would make sense. I mean, Trixie has always had it out for me in one way or another. And the trial had nothing to do with my magical ability, yet she still tried to beat me. Was it really for revenge? For beating her and shooting her down more and more during the talent shows? Or maybe she was just trying to boost her own confidence that she could be better than me.

"I don't know her true intentions. But you were her idol. Like most ponies, they just want their idols to notice them and interact with them. Some take it with stride when they don't and move on, while others can't let it go, like Trixie has been unable to do." Sonata said.

"Do you think if I try and talk to her about her entertainment abilities that she would be more willing to open up to me?" Twilight asked. "I know her show business means a lot to her, and maybe if I show her an interest into her own interests, maybe she'd be willing to tell me why she did all of that."

"Perhaps. But I don't think you'll get all the answers. She's very secretive of her past and covers it up with her thrid person persona as a way to hide her emotions." Sonata said.

"Your ten minutes are up. It's time to leave." a guard said.

"I hope you are able to find what you need. I doubt I'll see you again before I'm transfered." Sonata said.

"Probably not. I wish I could do something more to help you though. Especially after what you did at the end of trial and for helping me now." Twilight said.

"It's perfectly alright, Twilight. The only thing I want to ask of you is to take care of the money I gave you for Cruise Control's sister's treatment. And...possibly writing back to me, if you wouldn't mind. I haven't made many friends over the years, and I consider you one, despite all that's happened."

"Of course Sonata." she said with a smile. "Send me a letter when you arrive and I'll write back right away."

"Thank you." Sonata said smiling.

She was led out of the room and Twilight headed back to the library.

Ponyville Library

11:05 A.M.

I think I have everything now. No. I know I have everything. It's time to confront Trixie. she thought. She looked at the book she had brought back from Canterlot. She really didn't seem to want to talk to me. And she seemed sad when I mentioned that Pheonix had already left. Would she feel more comfortable opening up to him? she thought.

"Spike!" Twilight shouted for her little assistant.

"Yeah Twilight?" he said as he walked into her room.

"I need you to send a letter to the Princess." she said, taking out a paper and quill.

"Is there anything else you could use me for other than as a mail service and a house maid?" he said, crossing his arms.

"Spike you know I've needed your help a lot in the past with more important things than mail and cleaning." she said. "You're part of my family. Besides, I do my share of cleaning too."

"No you don't! I've never once seen you clean up a mess you made in the library! Last week you just grabbed a book and read." Spike exclaimed.

"Well..." Twilight stammered, knowing he was right. "Well I was just in a rush and needed to find something important."

"It was the third book of the Daring Do series." Spike said.

"And I had to read it really quick!" Twilight retorted.

"For what? You could easily recite the entire series by heart! You've read each book about a gazillion times!"

"Only 10!"

"Still a lot of reading." Spike said crossing his arms.

"How about this Spike. If you send this letter, I'll help you more around the library and even throw in a few gems for you." she offered.

"Deal." he said, taking the letter and sending it to the Princess.

"Thanks Spike." she said with a smile.

"So, what did you need to tell her?"

"Just that I would need some help from her tomorrow." Twilight said.

"You mean with that Trixie stuff and how she was at the top of her class?" he asked.

"How'd you know about that?"

"You told me you were going to talk to her. Plus you talk in your sleep when you're stressed." he said. "You know how many times I've been woken up from you talking about this test or that test from the Princess? More times then I can count on my claws."

"Oh. Well, yes. It is about her. I don't know how she'll handle everything with me knowing this information, but I hope she'll talk to me. She looked up to me, so maybe I can use that to get her to open up to me." Twilight said.

"Are you sure she will be willing? I mean, you did win the trial and embarrass her."

"I didn't mean to embarrass her though! I just wanted to clear Rainbow's name." she exclaimed.

"But she had tried so hard! And yet you still won! It was as if no matter how hard she tried you were still better than her!" Spike bragged. "She'll never compare to you."

Twilight hesitated. "Spike...she almost did. If it weren't for Fluttershy she would have beaten me. She was better than me when it came to prosecuting. That trial would have been over in a day if it Phoenix didn't help."

"But you still won! So that makes you better!"

"Don't say I'm better than her Spike." Twilight said, suddenly angry. Before she didn't care if ponies thought that she was better, but now, after knowing what she did about Trixie, she felt bad. It didn't seem fair for Trixie. She was a talented Unicorn who knew a lot. It was just that her situation forced her to become very vicious in her attempts to be noticed.

Spike let out a belch and a letter appeared on Twilight's desk. She opened it up and read it to herself. "Okay. Good. Tomorrow I'll talk to Trixie and the Princess will help out with that spell of hers. I hope she'll be more open to talk to him." Twilight said.

Author's Note

Coming up on the end here. I'm going to try to make everything connect right, which is a lot harder than I thought it would be, so don't be surprised if there isn't another update for another few months. (I'm a perfectionist with this story for some reason and I don't know why....)

Come to Terms

Canterlot Magician's Shop

11:05 A.M

"It's pretty run down. I honestly think it would be cheaper to just buy a whole new stage." the shop keeper said.

"But I've had this one since I was young! It has a strong meaning to me. I really don't want to get rid of it. Please, can you just restore it?" Trixie asked.

The shopkeeper sighed. "Okay, Miss Lulamoon. I'll have it ready in a few days. It's going to take some time to restore this stage back to what it was like when you first came in to get it."

"Thank you. I appreciate it." she said gratefully. She left the store and let the shopkeeper work on the stage. Did he really have to go? I mean, even after all that I did, he was the only one who treated me...well, nice. she thought, thinking about Pheonix. She sighed. As she walked through Canterlot, she couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy, as if someone was watching her. She looked behind her and didn't see anybody.

You're back in the city. Of course it's going to feel like somebody's watching you. she said to herself. Despite liking the attention she got when she performed onstage, she hated being around a crowded area in public when she wasn't in her performance persona. She didn't even have her cape and hat with her today as she was trying to stay out of the light. It was strange. Without her cape and hat, most ponies ignored her presence. But as soon as she put them on, they noticed her.

As she walked through the capital, she couldn't help but think back to Ponyville. To them. The ones who she called names and who she tried to get banished to the sun because of a stupid incident that she messed up. I can't go back. Not after how I treated them and then how they treated me back, like...well the closest thing to a friend as I could have after all these years. And now that he's gone... she thought. She shook the thought out of her head.

As she walked up to her apartment she ignored the sounds of the ponies below her. There was a StarSwirl Festival at the Canterlot Fairgrounds where she would have normally taken a trip and visited the artifacts and memorbillia from StarSwirl's time. But she wanted to spend some time alone and think about what to do now. She walked into her apartment and pulled out a book about different types of magic tricks she could show to her next audience. She wasn't sure if she should start having ponies pay to see her shows, but she at least could find some new material.

There was a knock on her door but she ignored it. The only ponies who came by her apartment were entrepenuers and those wanting to sell her stuff. There was another knock and Trixie rolled her eyes as she closed the book and walked over to the door. "Can I help you?" she asked as she opened the door.

"Hello, Trixie." Pheonix said.

"Pheo...Pheonix?" she asked. "But Twilight said you left."

"I did. I'm not actually here. I'm more or less a projection." he said.

"But how?"

"Well," Pheonix started, taking a deep breath, "in my world, we have spirit mediums who can communicate with those who've passed on and some of helped me solve my cases. And one of them gave me an item, a Magatama, which allows me to see when someone is lying. Twilight touched it with her magic, and somehow its power transfered over to her for a short time. The Princess must have been experimenting with this world's magic and my own, and she found a way for us to communicate. It takes an unbelievable amount of energy and willpower to cast, but that's the reason I'm able to stand here." he explained.

"But how did you knock then if you're just a projection? And who would want to have you talk to me?" Trixie asked. "Was it Snarkle?"

"I can focus some energy to touch things if necessary, but it's really difficult, especially since this is the first time I'm doing it. This entire experience is giving me some nausea too."

"What about the purple menace?" she asked.

Pheonix chuckled. He knew that this was just typical Trixie. There was no reason for her to be so against Twilight, at least from what the others had told him. "Trixie, I'm here because I wanted to ask you something." he said. "When Twilight touched the Magatama she could see when a person, er, pony, was lying. When she saw you, she said she saw these black Psyche Locks."

"Psyche Locks?" Trixie asked confused.

"They're like a mental barrier that an individual has to protect their secrets. The more locks, the deeper the secret. Usually they're red, but I've seen it on a couple of occasions when someone has a deep secret, sometimes they don't even realize that they're hiding it. Almost like a repressed memory." he explained further.

"But I'm not hiding anything." she said.

"I'm sure you don't think so. And I'm not here to force you to spill your guts and tell me why you hate Twilight. But I wanted to get a better understanding of it. Like your past with her, your lives at Princess Celestia's school, and anything else that you could think of." he said.

Trixie stared at him. "Why do you care?" she asked. "Did she put you up to this? She just doesn't get it. It was the stupid Ursa!" she said defensively.

"And I'm sure that it holds some water in your reasoning behind why you don't like her. And I'm asking because you're my friend." he said.

Trixie stood there, taken aback. A...friend? she thought. She looked away from Pheonix. "After all that I did, all that I caused...how could you consider me your friend?"

"Call it an Attorny's respect. When I was defending Rainbow Dash, you helped me find the truth, and I think that it was your Attorney instinct kicking in. And when I defended Sonata, you showed that the truth was more important to you than a victory in the court room. I know many attournies who would have fought tooth and nail to get a win. Usually by withholding evidence or being vague in their questions and answers.

"But...I didn't have anything. There was nothing I could do to fight it back." she said.

"Maybe. But I also think that you knew that it was the right thing to do." he said.

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about." she said, defensively.

They stood there in an awkward silence. "Well...can I come in then?" Pheonix asked.

"Oh, yeah...sure." she said, stepping out of his way. He walked in and looked around.

"This is your apartment?" he asked.

"Yeah. Not many see it as I don't have visitors." she said.

"It's not a bad place." he said, looking at all the pictures she had. He had to admit that the place looked amazing. "Looks much better than my first apartment. Well, and my current one."

"Well, I've had time to straighten it out a little bit." she said. "Been living here since I was a filly."

"With your parents?"

"Ye-yeah." she said.

"How were they?" he asked.

"Fine. You know, they wanted me to study law and follow my father's hoofsteps and be a lawyer." she said.

"What changed that? I mean you seem to be more into entertaining than the lawyer business, though you're pretty good at both." he said.

"Well, while I was at school, I saw my idol do amazing magic. Beautiful magic that I could only have dreamed to have done at her age. She was the same age as me but was doing magic that was three years more advanced than what we were studying. So I trained and studied harder, so I could match her, try to be like her." she said.

"Who was she?" Pheonix asked.

"She was...just someone. She had walked around the place stuck in her books and always learning new magic. She joined the talent shows just so she could see how she would do in front of others, like a training course."

So Twilight might have been her idol from what she told me. he thought. "What was her name?" he asked.

"I don't remember. I gave up trying to impress her."

"What caused that?"

"Why do you care? Why are you asking about my past?" Trixie asked.

"Well...I just want to know more about you." he said.

"But Twilight said she sent you home. How are you here right now? And how did you find me?"

"Well, right now I'm more like a projection. I can't interact with other objects, but I can do everything else." he told her.

"But how? I looked into that kind of magic, and it takes an exuberant amount of magic and focus to do that. Twilight was able to do it with the help from the Princess, but even then she had to have been pretty tired." she said.

"Well..." Pheonix started to say.

Trixie's face fell to a frown. "She wants you to figure out the stupid reason for why I hate her so much, doesn't she?"

"Look-"

"Listen here, porcupine, you can run back and tell that dim witted Snarkle that The Great and Powerful Trixie hates her for the humiliation she caused me with the Ursa. What is it going to take to get that through that dumb Unicorns head?" she asked.

"Trixie..." Pheonix started. "I know a few things about you, if you don't mind me saying them." he told her.

"Like what?"

"Well, for starters, you were valedictorian of your class, same class as Sonata, and that you idolized someone."

"Yeah, and? Anyone could look up a yearbook somewhere." she said.

"And also that you signed up for a talent show so you could prove yourself to your idol. And I think I know who that idol is." Pheonix said.

Her face shifted, but just for a second. "Oh really? Who does the spikey headed freak think is the idol?"

He took a deep breath and looked her in the eyes. "Twilight."

Trixie shifted her gaze a little before she looked back to Pheonix. "That's funny." she said with a chuckle. "Why would that idiot be my idol? After all she put me through? It's not my fault that when I went on stage she was so intimidated by me she had to throw everything she had at me in order to win."

"You know Twilight wouldn't do something like that to win. She was doing it to test herself. She didn't care about the winning, or the attention from the crowd, she just liked knowing she had succeeded in her chance to complete the spells." he said.

"How do you know? You weren't there and didn't see her!" Trixie exclaimed.

"No, but I do know Twilight. And I think you do too. What else is there? You changed your entire persona when you found out Twilight sent me. You switched from talking in the first person to the third person like that." he said, snapping his fingers.

"Trixie doesn't know what you're talking about. You're just imagining things and making them up." she said.

"Trixie please. You know I'm right." he said.

She hesitated before answering him. "So what? What if I used to think Twilight was cool and that she had everything I wanted? I've got it all now, so it's not like I'm missing anything."

"Maybe. Or maybe you're missing a lot more than you thought." he said.

"What do you mean?"

He walked towards her, running his fingers through his hair. "I think you were looking for her attention. For her to accept you. She told me about your parents. And the bruises." Her face dropped when she mentioned that. "And I don't think the bruises came from him."

"I..." she stammered. "I don't know-"

"When you were going to school, you wanted to become an entertainer. You wanted to make people laugh and smile. But your father wanted you to become a lawyer, and his acceptance meant the world to you. But when he found out you didn't want to follow in his footsteps, he stopped accepting you. So you had to look elsewhere for his acceptance. But before you did that, you tried to earn his back by taking more advanced Law classes. It didn't work, and you started noticing how your idol was being treated by the other classmates, and you became jealous. They accepted her and ignored you." he explained.

"How do you know-"

"And after you hurt that one student during one of your shows, you were bullied. You had been ridiculed and rejected, the exact opposite of Twilight. After all the bullying, I think you might have went to your parents for support. While your mom may have been very supportive, your father wasn't. He ignored you for awhile and you started faking things. The injuries, according to one specific student, said that they looked too precise and large for them to be from your dad. And then after awhile they stopped, probably because the others stopped paying attention to it, since it became normal." he continued.

Trixie felt her heart tug a little. "You've got it wrong..." she said.

"I'm sorry?"

"It wasn't my dad...it was my mom..." she said. "She was the one who wanted me to follow my dads career. My dad wanted me to follow my dreams, not my dad. He was very busy, and I was always trying to get him to pay attention to me, to show me a little bit of care. And when I told them I wanted to be an entertainer, my mom got mad. She said I wouldn't make any money, I wouldn't do well, and that I wouldn't be able to do anything with my life with that career." she explained. "I took the Law class so I could appease her. It didn't help that much, so she started getting really angry and upset. It didn't really help that my dad was going over some case files. He was so freaked out that he had missed something after the Defense told him something that made him think that he was guilty."

"He never talked to me about work. But I knew that it was bugging him. He didn't sleep, barely ate, and it drove me and my mom crazy. He was such a workaholic." she said, chuckling. She had started to cry a little without even realizing it. "Anyway, he eventually just stopped talking to anyone and my mom was getting more upset with me each day I started drifting out of the Law class. And so I tried to keep the entertainment thing hidden from her." she said.

"But what about the bruises?" Pheonix asked.

She stared at him. "Why am I even telling you this?" she asked. "You don't know anything about me. You don't know who I am or what I've experienced."

"You're right. I don't. But I feel somehow I do know parts of you. You're smart, a hard fighter, and a bit of a grudge holder. But like I said earlier, the trial really showed some of your true colors whether you like it or not. You wanted to find the truth as much as I did. Granted we both chose different routes to do that, we both wanted the same thing. And I respect you for that." Pheonix said.

She looked at him, not sure how to feel. She hadn't had respect in a long time, and she wasn't sure if Pheonix was being honest about it. "Even after I tried to get Rainbow Dash banished to the sun? How could you respect me for that?"

"Because you were following your evidence. And I was following mine. When we brought them together and saw the whole picture, though it also helped that Sonata ticked you off, you're focus shifted to getting the truth. I don't know many Prosecutors who are like that. And I know you wanted justice." he said. "Something I don't think you got."

She looked away from him, flashes of her past jumping in her head. "What do you know..."

"Nothing. So I can't even begin to imagine what you had gone through. But I do believe you can't blame Twilight for it." he said.

She stayed quiet. "It wasn't my dad." she said.

"You said that already. It was your mom who wanted you to follow his career-"

"No. I heard the rumors at school. It wasn't my dad. They're wasn't enough evidence to prosecute, and they used my dad's profession and the profession I wanted to go into against him. I was too scared to talk anyways at the time, and I missed my chance to get it right..." she said, a few tears forming in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Trixie."

"And even if I wanted to reopen the case, it wouldn't matter." she said.

"Well, yeah, I mean the case was 'solved.' Closed."

"No. In Equestria we take those cases extremely seriously. If there's even a small doubt that it was wrong, they'd reopen it and find out for sure." she explained.

"Then why don't you?"

"Because both are dead." she said sadly.

"Oh...I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

"Nobody does. Even after all these years, I just pretended that he was the one who did it, not the other way around. It was easier to accept it than to fight it. So that's what I did...and I wish I could take it all back." she said.

"We all make mistakes." Pheonix said. "Sometimes we can fix them, other times we can't. But you honored your dad at the trial. He would be proud of you." he said smiling.

She smiled back. "Thanks."

"Well, I better get going. This spell is draining after awhile, and I don't want anypony passing out on me." he said. "Oh great, I'm saying anypony now."

Trixie chuckled. She led him to the door. "Pheonix?" she asked, causing him to turn. "Thank you. I know that it was hard for you here, and I didn't make it easier, but you still found the truth in a world you had no idea existed and had no experience in. And yet you stayed and fought for that truth. It's something I look up to."

He smiled at her. "Before I go, can I give you some advice?" She nodded. "Don't hold everything in. Let it out sometimes. Talk to other peo-...ponies. You'll find you have things in common. I'm not going to force you, and a true friend isn't going to force you to spill your guts unless they notice something really bugging you. And, maybe, just maybe, if you find someone you trust 100%, you could tell them about what happened. Holding it in won't help. And who knows. Maybe I'll return for another impossible case in the future." he said grinning.

"I look forward to seeing that display of yours again then." she said.

"Goodbye Trixie. Remember, it wasn't Twilight's fault." he said before turning and walking out the door.

Trixie stood there, thinking about everything they had talked about. She sighed, walked out the door, and walked down the streets to think.

***

Twilight paced around the room. I hope he can figure it all out. I know that she liked him, but I don't know if it would be enough for her to tell him anything. she thought.

"Well, that went better than expected." Pheonix said as he walked through the doors.

"Pheonix!" Twilight said running up to him. "So did you find anything out? Did you break the locks?" she asked.

"I found out some information, but it's not for me to share. And I didn't try to break the locks. I don't know what breaking them in this world would do to her. It could be harmless, worse than it would be in my world, or the same. Forcing those locks open is not something I like to do. Especially to someone like Trixie." he said.

"Oh..." Twilight said.

"However," he said as he heard the hoofsteps behind him. "I doubt you'll have to wait long to find out."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Just trust me." he said smiling.

"But..." she started before nodding. "Okay."

"Mind sending me back now? I had just gotten over trying to fry myself in my tub with a toaster after some people found those photos of Rainbow Dash."

"YOU SHOWED THOSE TO PEOPLE?!?!" Twilight exclaimed.

"No!! Not on purpose!! They fell out of my pocket and they opened it up in front of me!" he said defending himself.

"Damnit Pheonix..." she said.

He raised an eyebrow. "Really? Now it's okay to swear?"

"Shut up." she said. "Well, it was nice to see you again. If we need you again though, you can count on me bringing you back." she said.

"Just give me a warning so you don't pull me out of the shower or another trial." he said, thinking of what would have happened if that were the case. He wouldn't have any clothes, and that would be more than embarrassing.

"Sure thing." she said smiling. "Goodbye Pheonix." she said and cut the magic that had projected him here.

He faded away and Twilight saw Trixie standing behind where Pheonix was at. "Trixie??" Twilight said surprised.

"So...you really are more skilled than I thought." she said. "Pheonix said that spell would be draining."

"Oh...well it is, but I wasn't casting a majority of the magic. The Princess helped with me on that." she said.

Trixie nodded her head, jealous that the Princess would take time to help Twilight. "Well...Look I just wanted to say that...I'm sorry."

Twilight looked at her confused. "For how you treated Rainbow Dash?"

"Well, for that, but...also for my anger toward you. It's not because of the Ursa. And I'm sure you know more about it, so that's all I'm going to say. I just figured you should know that you weren't the sole reason for the anger." she said.

I knew it! she thought happily.

"And before you get that smug look on your face, just know that I'm NOT going to tell you anything more." Trixie said. "But...I do hope that maybe...over time....we could be friends?" she asked awkwardly.

Twilight was slightly taken aback by this, but after thinking about it, knew that it was only natural. If I truly was Trixie's idol when we were fillies, I shouldn't be surprised she wants to be friends. "Sure." she said hesitantly. "But, please, don't try to send one of my other friends to the sun."

"Oh, I won't. I'm done with this attorney business. I'm going back to my true calling of being an entertainer." she said.

"Well, next time you're coming through Ponyville, stop by. I'm sure we'll be glad to see you." she said.

"I doubt it. But...I will. Thanks." Trixie said with a small smile of gratitude. "I'll see you later, Snarkle." she said.

"Trixie! You know-" Twilight started but stopped as she saw Trixie start to laugh a little. She smiled back at it. "Okay then Ms. Great and Powerful Trixie. See you later."

Trixie turned around and walked out the doors. Maybe one day, I'll come to terms with it. Maybe Twilight can help me. But for now, I'm going to keep it to myself. She doesn't need to know. Not yet.

As Trixie left, Twilight walked to the balcony and looked out over Canterlot. Another step for Trixie. Maybe one day we can be good friends.

Author's Note

So it's finally done! Sorry about such the long delay. I've been busy with work, school, and lack of inspiration. I hope you enjoy the final chapter. And who knows. Maybe there'll be a sequel.