The Missing Turnabout

DAY 1, PROSECUTORS OFFICE, 23:59.

"3....2.....1.....HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

The room of ponies cheered as loud as they could. This was not just a new year, it was also a new cycle of prosecutors in the office. The experienced prosecutors wandered around the crowd, meeting with their soon to be protégés, as well as handing them their Prosecutor's Badge. Two or three of them approached me, but after flashing my own badge, they would give me an odd stare and just walk away. I pulled my pocket watch out every few minutes. The only reason I showed up was because I was personally invited, but I have no idea who sent it. I figured they would approach me here, but I've been drinking water by myself since I have arrived. A pony or two offered some alcohol to me, but I can't drink. They would then just walk away and leave me. I emptied the glass of water and made my way to the exit.

"Greeting's everypony!" A loud voice boomed over the other conversations in the room. Everypony dropped to the ground, I did the same as soon as I saw who it was. The blue princess laughed.

"Please, don't be so formal. This is a celebration, is it not?" She spoke again. One by one, we all stood back up. A whisper or two went around the room, but it was still uncomfortably quiet for a few second.

"I'm afraid the celebration has been cancelled." A red stallion stood next to Luna. He had a combed back grey mane and a white ascot around his neck. I remember seeing him somewhere, but I couldn't remember where.

"Yes, sadly. We need a prosecutor on a case for tomorrow." Luna spoke up. Confused conversations were passed between the new prosecutor's there, I also noticed the veteran prosecutors making their way to each other. I took the confusion as an opportunity to leave. Unfortunately, I had to make my way past Luna.

"Where are you headed?" A voice came from behind as I passed the door. Thankfully, it was the voice of a stallion. When I turned around, I was met face to face with the red stallion.

"I am not a prosecutor. I figured I should leave now."

"Why were you here if you were not invited?"

I used my magic to lift an envelope from my coat pocket, and held it in front of the red stallion. "I was personally invited by somepony," I said.

"There is no return address, nor is there a name." He didn't look me in the eyes, he was focused on that paper.

"Yea, I noticed. but I figured they would approach me here."

"Probably a fake." He grabbed the envelope from the air and crumpled it up. "You were right, you should leave." He added.

"Gladly." I turned and walked out of the building.

DAY 1, DOWNTOWN CANTERLOT, 00:07

It's freezing outside. The snow on the sidewalk went up a quarter of my legs. I was lucky that my apartment was only a five minute walk from the Prosecutor's Office. However, trudging through the snow made that walk at least an hour longer than normal. I would occasionally step on the tail of my coat, causing me to stumble a few times. A few other ponies standing outside would giggle at the sight. I just kept going forward.

About halfway to my apartment, a booming voice broke through the wind.

"You there, halt!"

I debated with myself if I should run or stay put. I looked back, and saw a large pegasus approach me. It was definately too late to run.

"Are you the defense attorney, Raindrop?"

"Who wants to know?" I tried to put on a tough persona.

"Her Highness requests your presence at the castle." He stepped closer. I immediately recognized the gold armor.

Okay, stupid move.

"Why?" I asked.

"There is a court date and your attendance has been requested."

"I see." I thought to myself for a second. I knew I would end up going, no matter what I said. "Very well, lets go."

DAY 1, CANTERLOT CASTLE'S GARDEN, 01:10

"Wait here." The guard said as he made his way into the castle. I noticed there was a dark blue stallion comming out of the entrance of the castle. His black mane looked like nails on their side. He looked like some famous racing pony.

"Are you here to see Celestia?" He asked as he approached me.

"Uh, yea."

Without stopping, he continued on. "Good luck in court."

With that, the large front doors opened. Two guards motioned me to enter. I looked back, but that blue stallion was no longer there. As I made my way through the door, there were a line of guards on each side. It was one of the most tense atmosphere's I've been in. At the end of the hall, there was a closed set of doors, accompanied by another guard. He opened the door for me, and I walked in.

I quickly fell to a bowing position. Part of it was because Celestia herself was in front of me, but a lot of it came from shock when the door behind me slammed shut.

"I'm glad you could make it, though I wish it were under better circumstances." She spoke.

I lifted my head from the ground. "And what circumstances are we under?"

"You became an attorney recently, correct?""

"Yes, your highness."

"Are you aware how the justice system works?"

"Well, of course. An attorney and prosecutor make arguments to-"

"No, no-" she interrupted, "I meant, do you know who attorneys and prosecutors are assigned?"

"Well, yes. The defendant calls an attorney, or one is provided, and a prosecutor is assigned to the case."

"And who, do you think, overlooks the attorneys and prosecutors?"

"What do you mean?"

"I might as well tell you, since time is of the essence. Princess Luna overlooks the prosecutors, and I look over the attorney's. We are also the judges in each case."

Everything fell into place. "I...see..." It took a while for me to process this information, but the pieces came together. "So, who am I defending?"

Celestia pointed to a door next to us.

DAY 1, CANTERLOT CASTLE: DETENTION WING, 02:01

"Yo! You finally made it!" A voice shouted from the other side of the glass. I knew that voice, and as soon as that white earth stallion pushed himself against the glass, my suspensions were confirmed.

"Forest Fire! What happened?!" I took a seat on the other side of the diving glass.

"I don't know man. One second I am with my fiancee, then I am hit over the head, then I'm being sent here because I stole something, you gotta help me man!"

"Slow down. Let's start from the beginning."

"Okay, okay. Well, me and my fiancee went to a corner store last night. We went to the back of the store to look at the jewelry, then I heard the stallion in the front start shouting something. I ran there to see what was up, but on my way *WHACK* I was hit with something in the back of my head. I was knocked out for a while, and when I came to, I was alone in the store. I got worried about my girl, so I ran out to look for her. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by guards, then arrested for burglary. When they drug me here, they asked who I wanted to defend me, and you're like, the only attorney I know, so I told them you, and here we are!"

Okay, I should ask the obvious questions, then work my way from there.

"How long were you knocked out?"

"I dunno man, I think about 15 minutes."

"C'mon, there must have been something that could give you a sense of time."

"Oh yea, the bell!"

"Bell?"

"Yea, the sound of the clock tower woke me up, and I know we went into the store at like, 11:30."

A 30 minute gap...that doesn't help.

"Did you see what the stallion was yelling at?"

"No, man. When I went up there, he wasn't even there. I figured he ran out."

That's odd. Okay, one last question.

"Tell me about your fiancee."

"What, why?"

"I've never met her, and I am curious."

"Well, you see, she is the most beautiful mare in all of Equestria. She has the smoothest tan coat, and the most lovely light green mane."

Tan and green? Interesting colors...

"Her voice, oh, her voice is so sweet, and-"

"Times up! A guard shouted through the door. I looked over to see two more guards approach me.

"Time to go, attorney." They stood at my sides.

"I'll see you in court, tomorrow, Forest, I promise."

"I believe in you, man! You got this!"

The guards led me outside. Celestia was nowhere to be found, but I noticed that there was an abundance of bat-winged ponies wandering the castle grounds.

"Who are they?" I asked the guards.

"Those are Luna's personal guard." One of them answered.

Once outside, they led me to an awaiting carriage. I took a seat and closed the door. Before the carriage departed, one of the guards leaned through the window.

"When you need to get back here for Questioning, any carriage in Canterlot can bring you here. Just show them your badge."

"Thank you."

The guard hit his hoof against the carriage door, and the pegasuses pulling the cart took off. We flew by one of the tower's windows. I saw Celestia and Luna speaking with a familiar pair of stallions, the red one from the prosecutor's office and the blue one from outside of the castle. I wish that I knew what they were talking about, they were all related somehow. I tried to push it to the back of my mind. I had a case to focus on, and court was tomorrow afternoon.