//-------------------------------------------------------// Apollo Justice Ace Attorney: A Canterlot Turnabout -by ironman58- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Welcome to Equestria //-------------------------------------------------------// Welcome to Equestria Disclaimer- This is a fan made sequel to Turnabout Storm by NeoArtimus on YouTube My Little Pony is owned by Hasbro Ace Attorney is owned by Capcom Constructive criticism and story ideas are welcome It was a peaceful night in the city of Canterlot and the city was peacefully resting after the coronation of Princess Twilight Sparkle. The day had been filled with many exciting moments for almost everypony in Equestria but at long last it seems the initial buzz of Twilights coronation was finally starting to die down. However much later that night a bloodcurdling scream filled the halls of the castle which indicated that something had gone horribly wrong, when the guards came across the source of the scream they found a horrible sight. A white unicorn stallion had been murdered in his own room and the entire room had been wrecked beyond repair, but the major thing that got the attention of the guards was the open window and a bunch of lavender coloured feathers. Ironman58 presents: Apollo Justice Ace Attorney/My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: A Canterlot Turnabout October 16th 6:25pm Wright Anything Agency It was a quiet evening at the office and I was just sitting around reading some old case files that had been laying around, it had been about a week since the Jurist System trial which found Kristoph Gavin guilty of not only the murder of Drew Misham, but the evidence forging scandal that cost Phoenix Wright his attorneys badge. Needless to say after the excitement of that case I needed to get my mind of things so I decided to look at some old cases that Mr Wright had taken, I was told it was okay to do so seeing as how Trucy had said that I was now 'part of the family' at least according to her at least. The files contained pretty much all the cases he had taken during his attorney days including DL-6, the Nickel Samurai case and even the one that happened at Hazakura Temple, (I wonder if my career will be this eventful?) I thought as I slid the file back on to the shelf, however as I did I found a box on the floor with a tattered label that read 'TS-5' on it. "What the heck is this thing" I said out loud as I opened up the box, inside I found some strange items which included a brown eagle feather, a bottle of extremely rancid perfume, a slightly burnt envelop, a pink heart and perhaps the most interesting a photo of Mr Wright with a bunch of multicoloured horses and a dragon-like creature. "So thats where I put that box" said a familiar voice which caused me to jump slightly and sure enough Mr Wright was standing in the doorway with that usual grin on his face. "Thanks for finding it Apollo, I thought I lost it" he said in his in usual laid back tone. "Urm...no problem boss" I said still confused about the horse picture, so I quickly decided to ask him about it "Mr Wright if you don't mind me asking what is with this box and this horse picture?" I ask still trying to comprehend the situation. "Oh thats just a bunch of old evidence I used in a case during my attorney days, by the way there ponies not horses Apollo" Mr Wright said not sounding embarassed at all ('ponies not horses' how much shame do you have left after saying that?) I think to myself as sarcastically as possible. "Laugh it up now but this case was a highlight from the old days and even though it was a crazy time, I think I found some new friends in those girls" he said starting to get all sentimental, but to me he sounded like he had been drinking to much 'grape juice' again. "A trial involving ponies?...sorry boss but I find that very hard to believe" I said while wondering whether or not I should call the mental ward to help him. "Whatever you say Apollo, but in all seriousness shouldn't you be getting back to wor-" Mr Wright began to say before started to feel his head, almost as if he had a headache. "Mr Wright are you feeling okay?" I ask with my concern growing, almost immediately after I had said this Mr Wright collapsed onto the floor. I quickly grab my phone to call the hospital, but as I did I could've sworn I saw Mr Wright fading away, so I grabbed onto him to try and wake him up, but as I did I began to feel dizzy myself "whats...going...on?" I say before I passed out myself. October 16th 6:30pm Unknown Location (Ugh my head) I groaned to myself as I began to remember what had happened to me, the good news was that I wasn't dead because I could still think and hear. "Rarity you where supposed to bring Nix here, not a hobo and this red guy" said a brash female voice which sounded quite irritated (whose voice is that? and who is Nix?) I thought still trying to process what was going on. "Well I'm sorry darling" said another female sounding voice but this one was more posh than the other one and it also sounded out of breath. "But you know that I'm not as skilled in magic as Twilight is" the voice said again causing more questions to enter my mind (magic? what are they talking about?) I think to myself starting to panic in the process. "Girls I think we have a bigger problem here" said a rather quiet voice, which I could just barely understand. "How are we going to explain to these two that we accidently summoned them here?" the voice said again which finally caused me to snap (Summoned?! I passed on the office floor trying to help Mr Wright, speaking of which what happened to him?) I kept thinking as the feeling began to return to my body. When I woke up I saw that I wasn't in the office anymore, but rather I was in a large bedroom that was colour pink and white, so basically I was in what looked like a little girls room. I found Mr Wright still unconscious on the bed so I was relieved that he was okay, but I kept wondering the same thing "what happened to us? and where are we?" I asked out loud to myself. All of a sudden I heard the door open and that quiet female voice from before speak up "Urm...excuse me sir but are you alright?" the voice said in a nervous tone. "Well I passed out on the floor trying to help my boss and I was kidnapped right out of the office, so I'm doing just fin-" I began to vent my frustration but I didn't finish. The reason being because standing in the door way was a unicorn and two pegasi. "Were terribly sorry about bringing you here darling" the unicorn said essentially admiting that she brought us here "its just that we were trying to get a hold of an old friend of ours." I couldn't take it anymore as I started to go into panic mode "AHHHHH Wha-WHAT THE HECK!? HOW CAN YOU HORSES TALK!?" I exclaimed out of shock. The pegasus with the multicoloured mane just faceplamed...I mean facehoofed after I said this "ponies, were ponies not horses, jeez what is with you humans and confusing us for horses?" she said in an irritated tone. "Oh sure because that makes everything sooooooo much better" I said as sarcastically as I could as I tried to wrap my mind around what was happening. "This must be some bad dream that I can't wake up from" I said before slapping myself in the face, as the pain came I came to realise that this was actually happening (oh my god this is real) I think as I was about go into panic mode. "Ugh, I hate waking up with headaches" came Mr Wrights voice which got the attention of everyone in the room. As he was coming to the pink maned pegasus floated up to him "urm... were sorry about pulling you out of your own world mr hobo" she said meekly noticing Mr Wrights outfit (I warned him about those clothes) I thought trying desperatley to forget about the talking ponies. "But don't worry we'll have you back home in no time" the pegasus continued but to the shock of all of us Mr Wright just smiled as this statement. "It's been a long time...Fluttershy" he said calmly which shocked not only me with how well he was taking it, but the pegasus 'Fluttershy' who flinched a little bit at this. I was about to confront him when the rainbow haired pegasus flew right up into his face. "Whoa there buddy, how do you know her name? are you a spy?" the pegasus asked eyeing Mr Wright suspiciously. Mr Wright didn't seem fazed at all by this and started laughing which earned a raised eybrow from the pegasus "hey whats so funny?" she said sounding more serious at this point. "Really Rainbow, is that how you treat someone who saved you from banishment?" the former lawyer spoke in a more joking tone. This caught me off guard as I remembered something (the picture...oh my godness that pony trial actually happened) I think as I watched the scene unfold in front of me. "Banishment? what are you...talking...about?" the rainbow maned pegasus said while she started the realise who she was talking to "w-wait a minute...you can't be..." she stuttered as Mr Wright revealed the picture from the box. This caused all the ponies in the room to go wide-eyed "N-NIX!?" the cyan pegasus finally exclaimed. "Mr Phoenix!?" the yellow pegasus said in a shocked tone. "MR WRIGHT!?" the unicorn shouted in a surprised tone "oh sweet Celestia, what happened to you!?" she continued sounding like something awful happened (jeez drama queen much?) I think to myself before deciding to interfere. "Yeah boss, I'd actually like some answers as to what just happened" I said finally getting Mr Wrights attention. "Oh Apollo, you're here to" Mr Wright said with his ususal grin on his face, which would have been fine and all if not for the fact we where just abducted by talking ponies, which I still couldn't believe. "I'll explain everything later, but I think we should get introductions out of the way first" he said gesturing to me "girls allow me to introduce you to a co-worker of mine over at the agency Apollo Justice" he said before gesturing to the ponies "Apollo this Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy" Mr Wright said as he finished his introduction. "Err...hi there" I said as I waved sheepishly at the ponies, I then turned back to Mr Wright "but if its all the same with you boss I'd like to know what happened" I asked still wondering what was the reason for being kidnapped. "All in good time Apollo" he said essentially brushing off my question (Hey! panicked lawyer wanting answers over here) I thought in irritation as Mr Wright walked over to the ponies, with his expression becoming more serious "I'm guessing that theres a reason you brought us here girls, so whats the problem?" he asked in a concerened tone. All three of the ponies where silent for a moment until Fluttershy spoke up "its Twilight" she said in a trembling tone. Mr Wrights expression changed from a look of concern to one of shock "whats happend to her?" he asked sounding panicked (woah I've never seen Mr Wright this worried) I thought at this reaction from the usually calm and collected ex-lawyer. "Shes being accused of murder Nix, thats why we we've been to get you here" Rainbow Dash said sounding quite depressed, but with her tone of voice I knew what she was going to say. "We need you to defend Twilight in court" she said now sounding quite desperate. "Thats sounds awful" Mr Wright said as he turned his face away from the ponies, but I could see a look of pain in face "and its even more awful now because...I can't take this case" he said in a regretful tone. "WHAT!?" all three of the ponies said in a scream of both sadness and dissapointment. "But why? I thought that you never turned your back on someone whose innocent so why won't you take the case!?" said Rainbow Dash in an angry tone as she flew right up into Mr Wrights face with a look of rage on her face. "Its not a matter that I don't want to, its a matter of I can't" Mr Wright said more and more helpless by the minute "I haven't been a lawyer for ages, I lost my badge seven years ago" he finally admited. "But Mr Wright, Rainbows trial was only two years ago and I'm sure you had your badge back then" Rarity said in a questioning tone, which caught me by surprise as well as Mr Wright (I could've sworn that he was still playing piano during that time) I thought in surprise at the revelation. Mr Wright looked confused at first but then started to calm down after realising that it was a time difference between worlds, but there was still the matter as to what to do about this trial. It was a good few minutes before he looked over at me with a sly grin on his face (uh-oh, I know that look) I thought to myself in panic before Mr Wright started to speak. "Hey wait a minute, I may not be able to defend Twilight, but I know someone who might" he said to the ponies, ignoring me in the background. (Please don't say what I think you are) I think as he continued to speak "Apollo over here is a pretty good defense attorney, he's only had four trials and had won them all so far, heck he even got me of the hook for murder, if your looking for a lawyer he's the best choice for the job" he said essentially saying I'd defend this 'Twilight' in court (and there it is) I think before deciding to speak up. "Hold on a second, don't I get any say in this?" I question while trying to be as comforting as possible "I'm sorry but I don't think I'd be any different in this situation, can't you just find someone else to do it?" I ask before Rarity spoke up. "I don't think that you know how serious the punishment for murder is in Equestria Mr Justice" the marshmallow unicorn said to me. "So whats the punishment for murder?" I asked getting more and more curious about the murder punishment. "Banishment" Mr Wright spoke up as if to answer my question. "Well that isn't so ba-" "To the moon or the sun, its quite serious Apollo" Mr Wright finished while I processed what I had just heard (being sent to the sun is 'going easy on someone?' whats wrong with this worlds government?) I thought in panic. "Its much worse this time Mr Phoenix" came Fluttershys voice sounded worried. "How prey tell can you get worse that getting sent to the sun?!" I exclaimed in confusion at this worlds insane punishments. Fluttershy was quiet for a moment before she continued "the death penalty" she said before she began crying (what ever happened to due process?! this world is sounding crazier by the minute) I thought before the sobbing pegasus came up to me. "Please Mr Apollo, were desperate" she said giving me something to think about. "Apollo if you don't want to take this case then thats fine" Mr Wright said sounding more sympathetic seeing as how he had been through all this before. "But at least hear Twilights side of the story before making up your mind" he said with an understanding smile on his face. After thinking over things for a good few minutes I finally made a decision "fine, I'll hear what your friend has to say about whats going on" I say earning a look of gratitude from the three ponies. "Thank you so much Mr Justice, you have no idea how much this means to us" Rarity spoke up to show her gratitude as all three ponies started to walk towards the door "we have to prepare a few things first, then we'll go to the dungeon where Twilight is" she finished as they all left the room. "You did the right thing Apollo" Mr Wright said before walking to the window "I'm going outside for some fresh air so just take it easy for now" he said before stepping outside. After all this I simply collapsed onto the bed out of exhaustion (why does this stuff always happen to me?) I think to myself. //-------------------------------------------------------// Interview with the accused //-------------------------------------------------------// Interview with the accused Disclaimer- This is a fan made sequel to Turnabout Storm by NeoArtimus on YouTube My Little Pony is owned by Hasbro Ace Attorney is owned by Capcom Constructive criticism and story ideas are welcome October 16th 6:45pm Canterlot Castle~Hallway "I've never felt so embarrassed in whole life" I said in an irritated tone as I continued down the long hallway along with Mr Wright and the ponies that brought us here. I was still in complete disbelief that all this had happened to me and the different kind of reactions that I was getting from the different ponies roaming the halls wasn't helping. "I wouldn't say it was that bad" Rainbow Dash said in a sheepish tone as she ran her hoof through her mane. I shot her an annoyed glance "where you even looking at the different looks that I was getting from those ponies, they probably this that I'm some horned monster" I said trying to convey my annoyance. "Also I swear that green unicorn I passed has some kind of obsession with my hands" I said while eyeing my own hand carefully. "Don't pay any attention to them Mr Justice, they just aren't used to seeing any of your kind around here" Rarity said in a reassuring tone. "Yeah Apollo, you should feel honoured" said Mr Wright in a joking tone and laughing a little, I just threw him an irritated look (your enjoying this, aren't you Mr Wright?) I think sarcastically. As we turned the corner I saw more recognisable faces from the photo, that dragon like thing and two other ponies, one of them was pink with a curly mane and the other was bright orange wearing a cowboy hat. "There you girls are" the dragon said while both he and the other ponies ran up to us "what took you so long, visiting hours are almost...over." The dragon stopped talking as soon as he noticed us "err...who are these guys, I thought you were getting Phoenix here." Mr Wright gave the dragon his trademark grin before speaking "well its nice to see you again too Spike" the ex-lawyer said in a sly way, this caused to dragon to go wide eyed for a second. "Feenie? wow thats a great costume, I could've sworn you were a hobo from the look of you" the pink pony said in a bubbly tone. "Well its not exactly a costume Pinkie, but it is good to see you girls again" Mr Wright said while scratching the back of his head. "Are these more of your pony friends Mr Wright?" I ask in a calm tone as Mr Wright nodded. "And jus' who in the hay are you supose' ta' be?" the orange pony said looking at me in a confused way. "I'm Apollo, Apollo Justice, I work for Mr Wright over at the agency" I introduced not wanting to be rude, even if I was talking to a bunch of talking ponies. (I'm going to need some serious therapy after all this) I think to myself about the reprocusions of this. "Well then nice to meetcha' sugarcube, mah names AppleJack" the cowpony introduced while shaking my hand vigorously, causing it to lose all feeling. "Hi there Polly, I'm Pinkie Pie, party thrower extrordiner" the crazy haired pony said blowing into a noise maker and throwing a bunch of confetti into the air. I backed away slowly from her while wondering what was going on through her mind. "and I'm Spike, pleasure" the dragon said in an unsure tone, he then turned back Mr Wright, giving the ex-attorney a concerned look "I think you know whats happening to Twilight by now Phoenix" he said in a sad tone. "Yes Spike I know, but I can't defend her in court" Mr Wright said regretably promting a look of shock from the ponies and dragon. "W-WHAT!? but why, Twilights life is on the line here and your not doing anything about it" Spike said with tears forming in his eyes and a look of rage showing on his face. "Now Spike its not like that at all, Mr Wright can't defend Twilight because he is out of practice" Rarity said in a calm tone trying to calm the dragon down. But after hearing that Mr Wright was out of practice Spike had a look of confusion on his face. "What do you mean by 'out of practice'" the young dragon said in confused tone. "I lost my attorneys badge ages ago and I haven't defended in court since" he said down to the dragon before looking directly at me and putting his had on my shoulder. "Fortunately Apollo over here volunteered to come with me and has agreed to here Twilight out about the crime" he said in a confident tone, which only made me face palm (if by volunteered you mean kidnapped then yes I agreed) I think sarcastically. "Are ya' sure 'bout this Mr Wright, Ah mean this fella don't look like he's that experienced" AppleJack said eyeing me suspiciously (gee thanks for your support) I think in an annoyed tone. "I have complete faith in Apollo, he's just as good a lawyer as I was and as I've heard you don't really have time to find another lawyer" he said to the ponies to which all of them replied with a slow nod. "Just trust me on this one girls, right now he's the only one qualified for the job" he said giving me a trustful smile, me on the other hand I was panicking at this statement (could you maybe have a little less faith in me boss) I think nervously. "Well...alright then Phoenix, we'll take your word for it" Spike said in more of a trusting voice, he then came over to me and took my hand in his claw. "The dungeon is this way Apollo, just follow me" he said leading me to the dungeon entrance which was being heavily guarded, I attempted to enter but the guards blocked the entrance with their spears. "Unless you have any business in the dungeon I suggest you leave, unless you want to end up in a cell yourself" the white guard said in a threatening tone which me to jump a little. "But I am here on business" I say to the guard in a brave voice, even though in reality I was scared out of my socks. "I'm here to see this 'Twilight' about the crime shes been accused of" I said to the guard ponies in a demanding tone. "Then show your identification" the guard pony on the right said in an equally strict tone. "Right here" I say to the guards showing my attorneys badge to the ponies with a smug grin on my face (I don't know what I'd do without this thing) I think in a triumphant way. But to my shock the guard still wouldn't let me in. "What is that?" the guard on the left asked me with his voice still showing signs of getting out of the way. "Its my attorneys badge" I said in a confused voice as I examined my badge. "An attorneys badge? it looks like you got that badge from a cereal box" the guard said (did I just get insulted?) I thought as the guard gave me a more serious look. "Unless you have offical Equestrian identification beat it spikey" the guard said as I rejoined the others. "Well theres no way I'm getting into the dungeon with my badge, so now what?" I ask as the ponies and dragon consider their options. "I think I might have the solution Apollo" Mr Wright said as he revealed the pink heart that had been in the evidence box. "Come on Mr Wright be serious for a moment, how am I suposed to get into the dungeon with a pink heart?" I ask in irritation. "Hey isn't that the girly defence badge that you used last time Feenie?" Pinkie Pie said in before going into a laughing fit. "Girly defence badge...Your kidding right?" I said looking at the heart in disbelief "this is an attorneys badge here?" I questioned before Mr Wright nodded trying his hardest not to laugh himself. "Yep, I'm sure this should help get you into the dungeon to speak with Twilight" he said with a smirk on his face. I pondered this for a moment before I sighed "alright fine, just gimme the badge" I said as I took the badge from Mr Wright (goodbye dignity, we had a good run) I think as I looked at the badge. Equestrian Attorney Badge added to court record After I took the badge I walked back over to the guards wearing the badge "Okay guys here it is" I say presenting them the heart shaped badge. (Klavier would be laughing it up if he saw me now) I thought as the guards finally moved out of the way "alright then girls lets go" I said motioning for the girls, Spike and Mr Wright to follow me into the dungeon. "Sorry Mr Apollo" said Fluttershy in a quiet voice, which I had grown to expect from her at this point "but only attorneys are allowed to speak with the suspects, sorry" she apologised. "So I have to go into that dark dungeon, BY MYSELF!?" I shouted in fear at this fact. Mr Wright just came up to me and gave me a reassuring smile "don't worry about it Apollo, just focus on your talk with Twilight" he said reminding me of what I was doing here. "Well could you at least tell me what she looks like, that way I can avoid asking violent criminals and possibly getting hurt" I ask trying to get a description from the ex-lawyer about the suspect, as well as avoid getting myself critically hurt. Mr Wright just remained quiet before finally speaking "you'll know when you see her Apollo" he said being his usual criptic self. "We'll be right here when you come out, good luck" he said as I walked down the steps to the dungeon (well I've lived a long and full-filling life, right?) I think as I go to meet the suspect. October 16th 6:55pm Canterlot Castle~Dungeon I walked through the dark, damp dungeon of the castle, trying to find the suspect for this case while avoiding the various ponies who where reaching through the cell bars trying to get me, as well as shouting various insults at me like "Mr Red Monkey" or "freak show" as I continued through the dungeon. (I think I owe Trucy an apology from when I said ponies will never be scary) I thought shivering in fear at the criminal ponies, after a good few minutes I finally heard something different among all the yelling, the sound of someone crying. Following the sound I found a cell containing a lavender unicorn inside it, but there was something different about this unicorn, this unicorn had a pair of wings (it seems I've found this Twilight everyone was going on about) I thought as I heard her crying to herself. I slowly walked up to the cell trying as hard as I could to be quiet, but I obviously failed because she got aware of my presence the closer I got to the cell "who-whose there?" the unicorn questioned out of a mixture of fear and sadness. I finally revealed myself to the unicorn, who went wide eyed at the sight of me "woah there, I'm not going to hurt you" I say with my hands held up, in an attempt to calm her down. "You, you're a human" the unicorn said wiping her tears away and looking at me in an interesting way, almost as if she was examining me. "What are you doing here?" she asked in a questioning tone but when she noticed the pink badge I was wearing I saw a glimmer of hope in her eyes "wait a moment, are you..." she began before I stopped her by holding up my hand. "I haven't agreed to anything yet, but I at least want to know more about the crime that you've been accused of before I make my judgement" I say trying not to rasie her hopes to high in case I declined, she looked like she was depressed enough as it. "I'm Apollo by the way, Apollo Justice attorney at law" I introduced while offering a smile to try and brighten the mood "I assume your this Twilight pony that those ponies upstairs have told me about" I finish with the winged unicorn sighing slightly. "Yes, I'm Twilight Sparkle, its nice to meet you Mr Justice" she said still sounding a little bit broken, not that I could blame her at this point. "So if you don't me asking" I begin while pulling up a nearby stool to sit on "how does a unicorn like you end up with a death penalty placed over her head?" I asked still pondering what got her locked up in the first place. (Compared to what regular punishment for murder is around here, I don't know whether or not the death penalty is more or less cruel then what she would've got?) I think to myself still bafled by the bizare way this world works. "First of all Mr Justice I'm not a unicorn anymore, I'm an alicorn" Twilight told me in a stern voice, but all this did was cause me to roll my eyes (I'm a lawyer, not a fariy tale expert, did you expect me to know what you were) I think to myself in an annoyed tone. "Secondly the reason I'm in here is that I've been acused of murding a member of the royal family of Equestria" the alicorn said now sounding a little bit frightened. "I'm going to need more details of the crime before I make my decision Twilight" I tell the pony in the cell while at the same time keeping my left hand on my bracelet. "So could you tell me a little bit more about the crime?" I ask in a firm tone. "Well I don't know a lot about the murder, but I'll tell you everything I know" she said starting to sound a little bit more perky but still rather hurt. "All I know is that the murder victim in this case was the nephew of Princess Celestia, Prince Blueblood" she said finally revealing the name of the victim in the case. "Do you know anything about the victim besides his relations?" I asked trying to find out as much about the victim as I could, seeing as how anything about the victim could help in case given my experience. "Only that he was one of the most eligible bachelors in Canterlot" Twilight said before her eyes narrowed a little bit "and an incident that happened between him and one of my friends at the Gala, but thats beside the point" she said before changing the subject. "The point is that he was murdered last night in his own room" she said starting to get more and more serious. "So do you know why you where made the prime suspect?" I ask trying to get a little bit more info about the case. "I'm sorry Apollo, but all I remember is the guards bursting into the room and arresting me on the spot" she said before I saw tears begin to form in her eyes. "I remember all those ponies looking at me like I was a monster and worst of all the princess, she looked so ashamed and dissapointed in me" she said before completly breaking down into tears "I-I feel so alone." "Hey cheer up, your not completly alone" I said trying to calm the crying alicorn "your friends obviously haven't abandoned you, otherwise I wouldn't be in this mess and Mr Wright seems to believe your innocent so you have that" I continue with a convincing smile on my face. Her face lit up in shock after I mentioned Mr Wright "Wright...as in Phoenix Wright, he's here to?" she asked in complete shock. "Yeah, except he's not in a position to be the defence, so he sent me down here to hear your side of the story and from what I've heard you sound pretty innocent to me" I said before looking at my bracelet. (Time for the million dolar question) I thought before going in for the question "but I have to make sure, so I want you to answer this next question honestly Twilight, did you have anything to do with the death of Prince Blueblood?" I ask while doing my objection point. "I'm telling you nothing but the truth Apollo, I didn't do anything" she said sternly as I once again turned to my bracelet, and there was no reaction (its official, she's innocent) I think before Twilights voice brought me out of my thoughts. "Are you okay there, you kinda blanked out on me for a second" the alicorn said sounding concerned. "It's nothing Twilight, but I've decided I will represent you in court as your attorney, I trust you" I said while noticing a gilmmer of hope in her eyes after I'd said this. "You will, thank you so much Mr Justice, I owe you one" she said with a look of excitement on his face. "Hey calm down, I still have to win the trial" I said with Twilight looking slightly embarrassed after I said this. "I suppose the first thing I should do is head to Bluebloods room and find some evidence that should be useful in court, you wouldn't happen to know where it is would you?" I asked still a little unsure about the castles layout. "His room is a floor up from the main hallway and two doors on the right" Twilight said now starting to look much better, still a little bit depressed but feeling much better than before. "Alright thanks Twilight, now just hang in there, I'll have you out of here in no time" I said as I began to leave the dungeon, while the unicorn said a quiet good luck as I left. (Why do I have the feeling that Mr Wright knew this would happen) I thought as went to rejoin the group in the hallway. //-------------------------------------------------------// The Investigation Begins //-------------------------------------------------------// The Investigation Begins Disclaimer- This is a fan made sequel to Turnabout Storm by NeoArtimus on YouTube My Little Pony is owned by Hasbro Ace Attorney is owned by Capcom Constructive criticism and story ideas are welcome October 16th, 7:30pm Canterlot Castle~Hallway (Well, that went better than I expected it to go) I thought to myself as I emerged from the dungeon, almost instantly I was greeted by Mr Wright along with the now familiar faces of the five ponies and baby dragon. "Apollo! How did it go?" Rainbow Dash asked in a curious tone. I decided not to keep any of the group in suspense any longer "well I've made up my mind, I've decided to defend Twilight" I announced finally giving the ponies the answer that they where looking for. Almost instantly after I had said this, I saw all the ponies eyes light up with gratitude, but it seemed like Spike had the most noticeable reaction. "Y-you will?" the baby dragon said with his eyes filling with joy at each passing second. I nodded as a reply to his question "I can't just sit back and watch someone whose truly innocent be punished for a crime that they didn't commit, no matter how strange the origin" I said in a determined voice. "Don't worry about a thing girls, I'll get Twilight out of this mess, I promise" I said noticing Mr Wright in the corner with a smug look on his face. Immediately after I had said this, I was tackled straight to the ground by Pinkie Pie "thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou, you have no idea how much this means to us Polly" the party pony said at one million miles per hour while giving me a bone crushing hug. (Owwwww, I think she might've broken my back) I thought out of pain as AppleJack dragged her off me. "Hold yer horses there sugar, give the fella some space" the farmer said to Pinkie before offering me a hoof to help me up. "Sorry bout that Apollo, she just gets excited easily" she continued with a sheepish smile as I dusted myself off. "Its okay, but can please save the celebrations until after the trial, all I've done is accept her defence request" I said while trying to calm the group down. "That reminds me, when exactly is the trial?" I asked not wanting to be unprepared for this case. "Erm... the trial is tomorrow morning Mr Apollo" Fluttershy replied in her usual innocent voice, which I had gotten accustomed to in the past few hours. "Well then, that gives us plenty of time to-" I began to say before I actually realised what the yellow pegasus had said. "Wait a second, DID YOU SAY TOMORROW MORNING!?" I blurted out in shock causing everyone in the group to jump in surprise, Fluttershy being the most shocked by all this. "Eep...yes tomorrow morning, did I say something wrong? I'm sorry if I did" the shy pony said in a shaken up voice and trembling as a result of my outburst. "No you didn't say anything wrong, but now this means that I only have a few hours to gather evidence and have a case ready" I said as the reality of the situation came crashing down on me. "Don't panic Apollo" Mr Wright said as he placed a hand on my shoulder "I was underprepared my first time in Equestria as well, we just have to make sure that we have a quick start on the investigation" he continued with a confident look on his face. I on the other hand was panicking on the inside (I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack at any second now) I thought to myself in fear. "Nix is right girls, if we want to help Twilight we have to start investigating right away" Dash said in a cocky, yet determined tone of voice. The pegasus then flew over to me "so Apollo, what do we do first?" asked the multi-coloured maned pegasus. "Well seeing as how we have no leads at the moment, I'd suggest we head over to the crime scene" I said starting to finally calm down about the whole 'last minute preparation' thing. "Who knows, the police probably missed something while they where looking around" I finished as the group nodded in agreement. "Alright then, lead the way Apollo" Spike said now sounding less depressed and more determined as I led the group to the crime scene. October 16th, 8:00pm Prince Blueblood's Room We finally arrived at the the crime scene and needless to say it wasn't hard finding out where it was, considering that it was the only door on the corridor with police tape on it. "So, this is the place huh?" I asked to no one in particular earning a nervous nod from each of the ponies (Well, lets see what fine mess I've gotten myself into this time) I thought to myself as I opened the door. The room was an absolute mess, with furnitue sprawled all over the place, the lights where flickering on and off, the window was wide open and the bed mattress completely drenched in the victims blood, with a tape line on top of it to show where the victim had died. I recoiled in shock at the scene that was before me and I wasn't the only one with most of the ponies and even Mr Wright having looks of shock on their faces. "Oh my word, I knew that Blueblood was an inconsiderate stallion but I never would've wished this to happen to him" Rarity said in complete disbelief. "Y-yeah, I think I'm with you there Rarity, this is just messed up" Rainbow Dash said with more of a disgusted look on her face. I quickly snapped out of the stunned state I had been in and remembered why we came here in the first place. "Alright everyone, lets ignore the state of the room for now and focus on finding evidence that could be useful" I said in an almost commanding tone. "You got it Polly, detective Pinkie Pie is on the case" Pinkie said with a quick salute before she pulled out a Sherlock Holmes styled hat and a magnifying glass from out of nowhere. (I really should be questioning this, but given everything I've seen so far I'm just going to let it slide) I Thought before offically starting to investigate. After a couple of minutes of searching, we came across our first clue "Hey everypony, ya might wanana see this" AppleJack said as she called over from one of the side of the bed, causing me to roll my eyes at the terminology. (You know you can say 'everybody' and I'd still understand what you mean) I thought to myself before examining what the farm pony had found, a small piece of torn fabric. "Hmm, what the heck is this thing? It doesn't look like it came from anything in the room" I said while examining the rooms white colour scheme. "It could've belonged to the victim, there might have been a struggle between him and the murder" Mr Wright suggested only for that theory to shot down moments later. "I doubt it Nix, from what I saw of the guy he only wore white" Rainbow said in an unsure look on her face. "Then maybe we should keep this thing, who knows it might come in handy in the trial tomorrow" I said while putting the fabric into a brown folder. Small piece of fabric has been added to the Court Record "Hey Polly, do you think that this will come in handy?" Pinkie Pie said before she handed me a book with the picture of a magic wand on the cover. "What is this?" I said as I took the book from the pink pony and began looking through the book, the book itself contained various giberish titles including Goldor, Ignaize and Dimere. "Anyone want to fill me in on what this is? because I don't speak randomness" I said still trying to make sense of the book. Spike walked over to us and took a quick look at the book "it looks like an intermediate level spell book, I know because Twilight used to have one of these before she moved to Ponyville" the dragon explained to us as I continued to look through the book, then I found out this book wasn't even the victims. "Look at this" I said pointing to the middle of the cover page, the page was handwritten and it said 'this book is property of T.L.' "Who in the hay is 'T.L'?" Rainbow Dash asked in confusion as I closed the book. "I don't know Rainbow, but I'm positive that this might come in handy at the trial tomorrow, I think we should take it" I said putting the book away in the folder. Unicorn spell book has been added to the Court Record "Is there anything else around here that we can use?" I asked before I stumbled across another clue, however unlike the other two pieces of evidence this one was a mysterious green substance right next to the bed. "What is this stuff?" I said as I examined it further and essentially called the others to check it out as well. "I don't know, but that shade of green does look...familiar" said Rarity who was looking quite puzzled. "But I for the life of me can't remember where I've seen it before" the unicorn finished with the other ponies also giving off uncertain looks. "Don't think to hard into it Rarity, this stuff is evidence in its own right" I said as I grabbed a container that was on the desk nearby and scooped the green substance into it. (This stuff looks like it came from an alien or something, but considering I've got talking ponies on my hands right now aliens really wouldn't surprise me) I thought as I closed the containers lid. Strange green substance has been added to the Court Record "Right, so have we missed anything?" I said wanting to be as prepared as possible for the trial. "What about this Apollo?" Mr Wright said holding up a lavender feather, simillar to the colour that was on Twilights wings. "A feather? no offense Mr Wright but how does this prove Twilight is innocent?" I asked wondering what the ex-attorney was up to. "Twilight's a unicorn right? Well this proves that a pegasus killed Blueblood, not Twilight" Mr Wright said in a relieved tone, but all he got from us was a bunch of confused looks (No one has told him yet, have they?) I thought as I gave Mr Wright the news. "I'm not so sure boss, Twilight definitely had wings the last time when I first saw her" I said as I watched Mr Wrights expression turn from relief to confusion. "Yeah Nix, Twilight is an alicorn like Princess Celestia now" Rainbow Dash continued prompting Mr Wright to give the ponies a glare. "Why didn't any of you tell me about this?" Mr Wright exclaimed in shock dropping the feather in the process. "Sorry about that Phoenix" Spike apologised "Its just that with Twilight being in danger of execution we haven't been able to think straight" the dragon finished calming down the piano player. "Its fine Spike, I'd be the same way if Maya was in this much trouble" Mr Wright said in an understanding tone of voice. I then picked up the feather that Mr Wright dropped and examined it slightly "I still think we should take this feather boss, at this rate we need all the evidence we can get" I said slipping the feather into the folder. Twilight's feather has been added to the Court Record After closing up the folder I took another look around the room to see whether or not I'd missed any evidence, unfortunately it seemed like this was all I could find. "Looks like this is all where going to find" I said in a regetfull tone. "Are ya' sure bout that sugarcube? it don't seem like we've been searching fer that long" AppleJack said in a confused tone of voice. I slowly but surely nodded "the police must have the rest of the evidence with them right now, we'll probably see it tomorrow in court" I said before frowning slightly "I only wish I had more time to prepare." "Where terribly sorry about the short notice Mr Justice, its just that I never thought that summoning spell would take so long to figure out" said Rarity looking down at the floor in shame. "Hey don't be too hard on yourself, besides what we found here is better than no evidence at all" I said in a calm tone. "But we probably should get some sleep if we want to be fully awake for the trial tomorrow" I continued with a yawn. "Awww, but I'm not tired yet Polly" Pinkie said starting to sounding like a kid who wanted to stay up late, but moments after she said this the party pony was fast asleep. (I don't the word strange is enough to describe this pony) I thought as she was levitated into the air by Rarity's magic. "Yeah, I think some shut-eye is what we need at the moment" Mr Wright said in the same worn out tone we all had at the moment. "You girls go on ahead, we'll catch up with you" the former lawyer said as the others left the room, he then turned his attention to me "you okay Apollo? you seem a little tense" he said to me giving me a worried glance. I sighed before answering him "I'm just not so sure about this Mr Wright, I mean I feel as though I'm completly out of my element here" I said to Mr Wright in an unsure voice. "Apollo, don't worry about a thing" Mr Wright said in a calm tone. "Let me tell you something my mentor told me, if you believe in your client then just go off that and pursue that truth, if you do then nothing can stop you" he finished giving me one of his trademark smirks. I started to feel a little better and relieved about the trial after Mr Wright said that "thanks boss, I'm still feeling a little nervous though" I said with a small smile. "Its fine, we all go through it" Mr Wright in a sympathetic tone before he suddenly getting a little more serious. "Just a word advice though, I'd recommend doing a little research on Equestria before heading off to bed, just to avoid a certain mistake that I made during Rainbows trial" he said with a nervous look on his face. I replied with a nod before a voice interupted us "hey are you guys coming?" said Spike who was standing in the doorway with his arms crossed. "Where coming Spike" I said as we followed him to our rooms for the remainder of our visit. (This is going to be on difficult trial esspecially giving the circumstances, but I gave my word to defend Twilight and I have no intention of going back on that promise now, I just hope that justice will smile in our favour tomorrow) I thought hopefully to myself as I shut the door to the crime scene. //-------------------------------------------------------// The Start of a new trial //-------------------------------------------------------// The Start of a new trial Disclaimer- This is a fan made sequel to Turnabout Storm by NeoArtimus on YouTube My Little Pony is owned by Hasbro Ace Attorney is owned by Capcom Constructive criticism and story ideas are welcome October 17th, 9:45am Canterlot Courthouse~Defendant Lobby no.4 "My name is Apollo Justice and I'm fine!" I shouted out loud to nobody in particular. "My name is Apollo Justice and I'M FINE!" I shouted again, only this time a little bit louder. "My name is Apollo Justice and I'M FINE!" I shouted one last time, this time even louder than the previous two times. All of sudden the door opened revealing Mr Wright standing there with a smug look on his face, causing me to stop my 'Chords of Steel' vocal warm up. "Well Apollo this is it, first Equestrian trial and judging by the extra emphasis you put on your vocal work out, I'd wager your a little nervous" he said causing me just stare dumbstruck at him. "Of course I'm nervous boss, I'm going to be one of the only human beings in that court room" I said to my boss with beads of sweat dripping down my forehead. "Now why does all this seem familiar?" said Mr Wright in a joking tone before looking at me in more of a serious way. "Don't panic Apollo, Equestrias justice system is quite similar to ours, so you should feel right at home" he finished but this did little to suede my fears (yes, right at home among talking ponies...Mr Wright have you been drinking again?) I thought to myself in a sarcastic way. "Hiya" said a cheerful voice from behind me, that caused me to jump when I first heard it, sure enough Pinkie Pie was standing their along with the other girls, Spike and even Twilight. "Wow Polly, your more jumpy than Fluttershy during that time with the dragon" the pink earth pony said with a giggle (Couldn't you just simply say hello instead of making me jump like that?) I thought in an annoyed tone. "Sorry 'bout the delay Apollo, Princess Celestia jus' gave us the job of bringin' Twilight ta the courthouse" AppleJack replied looking over at the forlorn alicorn. I decided to see how she was doing since our talk yesterday "So Twilight, how have you been holding up?" I asked her with some concern in my voice. The alicorn sighed heavily before she answered my question "I'm doing a lot better than I was before Apollo, thanks for asking" Twilight said with a small sad smile, which actually made me pity her even more. "Wow, you girls weren't kidding when you said that she was an alicorn" Mr Wright exclaimed in amazement grabbing Twilights attention in the process. "P-Phoenix!? Wow you look...different" the alicorn said in an unsure tone. "I could say the same thing about you Twilight, but still it is nice to see you again" the ex-lawyer said with a smile on his face. "Yeah, its nice to see you again as well" Twilight continued before her expression became more sorrowful. "I just wish that the circumstances where different" the alicorn finished with a depressed sigh. "Don't worry about a thing Twilight, I'll have you declared innocent in no time" I said in a determined tone of voice. I then turned to ask the girls a question that had been on my mind all night "by the way, do any of you know who the prosecutor is going to be for the trial, or at least who the judge is?" I asked knowing that those two factors where important to a case. "Well Princess Celestia did tell us that her sister Princess Luna would be judging this trial" Rainbow Dash repiled as in an answer to a question. "Wait, so the council won't allow Celestia to preside as the judge when I was defending and yet they're fine with her little sister acting as the judge" Mr Wright questioned with some scepticism in his voice. "Well you see Phoenix, Princess Luna has a reputation for not letting her emotions get the better of her in situations like this, so the high council trusts her more with cases like these, even if we're friends" the unicorn finished while looking down at the floor. I on the over hand was just a sceptical as Mr Wright (in other words, this high council just likes Luna better) I thought in an annoyed tone. "What about the prosecutor? not to sound rude or anything, but I'd like to who I'm up against" I said in a worried tone (speaking of which, I wonder what Klavier would do if it was him in my shoes?) I thought as I imagined what my prosecuting rival would be like in Equestria. "Actung baby!" Klavier shouted as he stood on a stage with a bunch of ponies in the crowd, all of which where acting like rabid fangirls. "Ja baby, this next one goes out to all the unicorns in the crowd tonight, espcially you Lyra" the rock star said as he pointed to the mint green unicorn, who proceded to swoon over him. (Wait, what the heck am I thinking?) I thought as I snapped out of my thoughts, noticing all of the others looking at me with strange looks on their faces. "Does it really matter what the prosecutor is like darling?" Rarity said in a curious voice before Mr Wright cut into the conversation. "Rainbow was almost declared guilty because I underestimated Trixie last time, I don't think we want to take that chance again" Mr Wright said sounding more and more serious. (Okay, this is definately not my level headed boss anymore, whats gotten into him?) I thought as the doors opened behind me. "I was hoping that we wouldn't meet again Twilight, not under these conditions" said an almost emotionless voice which caught everyones attention, even Mr Wright's. "T-that voice" Twilight said almost in disbelief. "It can't be" Mr Wright continued sounding just as shocked as the lavender alicorn, we turned around to see that the source of the voice was a dark coloured unicorn with brown hair, wearing glasses and had a picture of an eyeball on her flank. "S-Sonata?!" Mr Wright exclaimed in a surprised tone. The unicorn just gave us a sad smile "its nice to see you again Phoenix" she said in a half depressed voice. Rainbow Dash immdeitly got up in her face "what the hay are you even doing here?!" the pegasus exclaimed in anger at Sonata, causing her to flinch slightly. (I'm sensing a history between these two) I thought as Sonata explained herself. "If you must know, I've been assigned by Princess Celestia herself as the prosecutor for this case" stated the unicorn prompting everyone in the room, except for me to look at her in shock. Sonata then turned her attention to Twilight "but I just wanted to say that I'm only trying to find the truth behind this incident, personally I don't think Twilight would kill anypony" she said placing a hoof on Twilights shoulder. The alicorn just gave Sonata an understanding look "just do whatever you need to Sonata, I won't take it personally" Twilight said in a sad tone. (Wow, talk about a change of pace) I thought as Sonata turned her attention to me "I assume you must be this Apollo Justice that the princess informed me of" she said causing me to jump slightly. "Yes thats me, its nice to meet you Sonata" I said trying to be as polite as possible, however she gave me for my troubles was a critical look. "I hope for Twilights sake that your as good a lawyer as the princess made you out to be" the unicorn said now starting to sound like most prosecutors that I know. Mr Wright just chuckled slightly at this statement "Trust me Sonata, he may not be as expirenced as I am, but he can definatley handle a murder case like this" the ex-attorney said in a determined tone. "I guess I'll take your word for it Phoenix, but just know that I will not be going easy on anyone today, no matter how painful it might be" Sonata said as she turned to the door. "I wish luck today in the trial Mr Justice, your going to need it" she said somberly as she left the lobby. "Out of all the ponies in Equestria, it just had to be HER!?" Rainbow yelled prompting me to wonder what had happened between them. "Whats with this hatred towards Sonata? she seems fine to me" I questioned with Mr Wright stepping in to answer. "Well you see Apollo, Sonata was technically the one who framed Rainbow Dash for murder back when I was defending her" he answered before scratching the back of his head in an embarassed way. "That and she was also blackmailing her?" he said making me cock my head in confusion. "She wasn't really the murderer though and her altering the crime scene was mostly out panic than anything else, its just that Rainbow hasn't really forgiven her yet" Twilight said looking over at the cyan pegasus in sympathy. "She put me through Tartarus during that whole Ace Swift thing Twilight and now she's trying get you killed! just face it she's out to get us" Rainbow continued in a worried voice. "Look Rainbow, don't you think you should just let it go? I mean this was two years ago" I said with everyone else agreeing with me. "Maybe Polly's right Dashie, I mean she was very accepting of me and Feenie breaking into her room" Pinkie Pie said with a grin which caused me to have a confused look on my face. "I'll keep an open mind about it for now, but I still don't trust her" the pegasus spat out as a guard came into the room. "The trial will begin in a moment, would the defence and his co-council please enter the courtroom" the guard said in an almost demanding voice. "Well this is it Apollo, good luck in there" Twilight said with her and her friends giving me a confident look. (Its sink or swim time Apollo, I just hope that I can swim through this) I thought as I put on my best brave face. "I'll do my best girls" I said as I turned to the door "brace yourselves Equestria, HERE COMES JUSTICE" I shouted as I ran into the courtroom. "He certainly is an energetic one Phoenix" Twilight said with a slight smile. "Well maybe that enthusiasm is what we need to win this" Mr Wright said as he followed me into the court. October 17th 10:00am Canterlot Courthouse~Courtroom no.4 The courtroom was filled with Ponies who where chattering about who knows what before the familiar sound of a gavel made the room go silent, I looked up at the judges bench to see who it was who banged the gavel and sitting there was a dark blue coloured alicorn with a starlike mane, who I assumed was Princess Luna. "Settle down now my little ponies, court is now in session for the trial of Twilight Sparkle, are both of you ready?" the alicorn asked referring to both Sonata and myself. "The prosecution is prepared, your highness" Sonata stated now sounding more professional from behind the prosecutors bench. "The defence is ready your honour" I said in an unsure voice (at least I hope I'm ready) I thought as the princess continued. "Very good, now before we begin might I have a word with you human?" Luna said in a cautious tone. I casually nodded to her request "When my sister told me that I would be judging this trial, I didn't know that a human would be leading the defence, could you tell me you name please?" she asked now sounding more curious than before. "Sure your honour I'm Apollo, Apollo Justice" I say trying to sound a confident as possible, even though I was freaking out on the inside. "Apollo...Justice, I must admit you have a strange name defender" the princess said prompting me to face-palm. "Regardless of your name, I hope you are aware of the consequences if your client is found guilty" she continued now sounding more serious. "*Gulp* Yes your honour, the defence understands" I said in a nervous voice. (Stay calm, whatever you do, DON'T PANIC) I thought to myself as Luna turned to Sonata. "Now that we've gotten that out of the way, would the prosecution make their opening statement" she said now looking to start the trial. "As you wish your highness" Sonata complied now sounding more like a regular prosecutor. "At 10:45pm on the 15th of October, Prince Blueblood of the Equestrian royal family was found dead in his own room, however the victims time of death was 15 minutes earlier at 10:30pm as detailed in the victims autopsy report" the unicorn stated as she presented the familiar envelop which contained the autopsy notes. Autopsy report has been added to the Court Record. Sonata continued with opening statement "the cause of death was multiple stab wounds from this" she said presenting a dagger which had dried blood on the end of it. "This dagger is also coated with a special kind of poison called silent violet, which is strong enough to kill an alicorn, meaning that it was only a matter of seconds before he died" that dark coloured unicorn said as she levitated the knife in front of us. Poisoned dagger has been added to the Court Record "Are you sure that Twilight was the one who used this though?" I asked as I examined the knife more carefully. "I don't see any bite marks or hoofprints on it" I said with the unicorn being quick to answer. "The investigation team was able to find magical residue on the handle, basically telling us that this dagger was levitated" Sonata said in an informative way. "Unfortunately, the residue doesn't tell us who used the dagger, but luckily we where able to find some evidence linking Twilight to the crime" she said before the princess cut in. "What was this evidence Miss Sonata?" Luna asked in curiosity as both me and Mr Wright leaned in to get a better listen. Sonata readjusted her glasses before she answered "It was a bunch of feathers found next to an open window" the unicorn pointed out. I yelled while slamming my fists on the desk "that evidence isn't decive enough, anyone could've gathered those feathers and used them to frame Twilight, for all we know it might've been a pegasus that killed Blueblood" I said while pointing in Sonatas direction. Sonata countered as she brought her hoof down on the desk "Did you forget what I just said Mr Justice? the dagger had magical residue on the handle meaning that only a unicorn or alicorn could've done it" she said in an irritated tone making me feel a little bit stupid. (You know, that completely slipped my mind) I thought before Sonata continued "even if that was the case, there is still something else linking her to this crime" said the unicorn as she levitated the dagger into view "This dagger was found in Miss Sparkles room when she was arrested" she finish much to my shock. "W-WHAT!?" I shouted in shock causing the whole courtroom to start chattering again, mostly over what they had just heard. The chattering was stop quickly when Princess Luna pounded her gavel repeatedly "Order in the court!" the princess of the night shouted to try and calm the crowd of ponies. "That and we have a witness all ready to testify who can confirm that everything that has been said up until this point has been true" Sonata said causing me to panic some more. "Very well then, Miss Sonata would you please call your witness to the stand" ordered Princess Luna to the dark coloured unicorn. "Certainly your highness, the prosecution would like to call the night guard who was on duty on the night of murder to the stand" said Sonata as she pointing to the witness stand. (Well this case is just off to a great start) I thought sarcastically as the witness was brought into the courtroom.