Ace Attorney: Heart of Justice

Chapters

Introduction - The Beginning of the End
Chapter 1 - The Calm Before the Storm
Chapter 2 - Scars
Chapter 3 - Aura Sensory
Chapter 4 - Clashing Viewpoints

Introduction - The Beginning of the End

August 10th - 9:55 AM
Ponyville District Court
Courtroom No. 1

It's almost time.

That thought kept circulating through my mind as I stood silently behind the defense bench, trying my best to stand perfectly still and put on a straight face. Beside me stood my closest friend and aide, Aura Sensory, who has always had my back in these types of situations just as I have had hers. Judging by her trembling and sweat dripping down her face, it was obvious that we both needed each other more than ever right now.

Looking across the courtroom towards the prosecutor's bench, I saw my sister, Equity, and her aide, Semper Light, standing side by side. Though she may seem confident to others, I know when Equity is wearing a mask for the crowd. Her heavier breathing gave away what her face wouldn't say. Semper, the prosecutor that both Aura and I have already faced in court, was doing a much better job than all of us at hiding his emotions.

The courtroom was uncomfortably quiet. The only audible sound was the fluttering of pegasus wings. Since the gallery was beginning to overflow, the pegasi were being told to hover in order to give more ponies seats. In one corner, I spotted a camera crew setting up their equipment, most likely preparing to broadcast today's proceedings live to all of Equestria.

I continued to scan the crowd on the prosecution's side. It didn't take me long to find the six friends that I knew, without a doubt, would be here. Applejack and Rainbow Dash, along with Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Spike were all sitting as close to us as the bailiffs would allow (though Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were made to hover in the air like the other pegasi). None of them showed any hint of a smile, not even Pinkie Pie.

I shifted my attention to the defendant's chair, situated just beneath the judge's bench. The unicorn sitting there prodded at the magic nullifier on her horn with her shackled forehooves. Her expression matched that of her friends up in the gallery.

After a few minutes of the most unbearable silence I have ever experienced, the judge finally entered the courtroom and took his seat at the judge's bench. Using his magic, he banged his gavel to commence the trial.

This is it. No turning back now.

My breathing began to quicken, and I realized from my damp coat that I had started sweating at some point. I thought I was going to lose it right there, but luckily, my good friend placed her hoof on my shoulder. I turned towards her, and received an encouraging smile. After a few seconds of staring blankly, I gave her the best smile I could manage in return, and took a deep breath. Having finally calmed down (a bit), I looked back up towards the judge.

"Court is now in session for the trial of Starlight Glimmer," the judge announced in a deep and gruff voice. "Are both the prosecution and defense teams ready?" he asked, looking down at us.

"The defense is ready, Your Honor," I replied, supressing the doubt that tried to escape into my words.

"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor," my sister echoed. The judge raised an eyebrow in concern.

"As I am sure everyone here knows," he began. "This case is not one to be taken lightly. The assassination of Princess Twilight Sparkle is an incident that will no doubt have severe national and international consequences. It must be resolved as soon as possible in order to begin settling any issues that may arise in Equestria and elsewhere as a result of this tragedy. Therefore, we must have a prosecutor and a defense attorney that are both fully capable of tackling this case and confident in their abilities to do so." The judge turned his attention to the prosecution. "Prosecutor Equity, you and Prosecutor Light were assigned to this case because the five remaining ponies on the Council of Friendship demanded that you two be the prosecutors in charge." The judge then turned to me. "I trust that the defense took on this case under similar circumstances?"

"Yes, Your Honor," I replied. The judge nodded.

"If neither party has any issues, then we will continue with the official proceedings. However, if either team has any doubts about their ability to adequately perform their duties here in court, please voice them now. If needed, we can still assign somepony else to act as the prosecutor or defense attorney in this trial. Please take some time now to carefully think about your answer."

My sister and I averted our gaze from the judge and turned it towards each other, remaining completely silent. The masks we had been wearing earlier seemed to fall right off under this tension. I quickly glanced over to Starlight again, who was still sitting silently in the defendant chair. Rainbow Dash and Applejack had asked me personally to be her defense attorney, and when I went to meet with her, she had asked me the same thing. Though I agreed to do it at the time, I was starting to have second thoughts now.

This would be the first time Equity and I stand in court together. The only other time we had cooperated on a case was during an investigation about a week ago, and neither of us ended up acting as the prosecutor or defense attorney at the trial. It's only been about two months since we got our badges. Since then, I've only handled four cases, and my sister even less. There are plenty of other lawyers out there with a lot more experience than us. Yet, here we were, about to take on what will no doubt be recorded as the most monumental trial in Equestrian history. Are we even prepared for this?

As I stood there in stunned silence, my mind flashed back to the point when this all started: Equity's and my 18th birthday. It was on that day, almost two months ago, that the two of us decided to leave our home in Fillydelphia and follow our own paths in life. It was also the day when our lives took off from the comfortable ordinary and crashed straight into the unreasonable insanity.

That day, when our lives changed, is where our story begins.

Ace Attorney: Heart of Justice

Author's Note

So now that I've taken care of my real-life issues and am able to write again, here's what's going to happen. Originally, I had planned to write the entirety of Danganronpa: Equestria's Despair, Harmony's Hope before I even started this story. However, I've changed my mind. I'm now going to write this story first. Don't worry, I do intend to complete both stories. For the time being though, the Danganronpa crossover will be on hiatus until this story is complete.

~ Serenity Speedster

Chapter 1 - The Calm Before the Storm

"Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria..."

June 17th - 8:36 AM
Fillydelphia
Credo and Equity's House

I awoke to the sound of rain gently hitting the window of my bedroom. As I got out of bed, a shot of excitement coursed through my body. Today was my eighteenth birthday, which meant I was finally eligible to be a lawyer! All those hours I had studied, all those tests I had taken, it had all finally paid off!

As I was getting ready for the day, my sister, Equity, burst into my room. She was wearing the red suit she had picked out a few days ago for her ceremony. The crimson color blended almost seamlessly into her coat. The prosecutor's badge cutie mark on her flank was the only sign that the suit wasn't covering her entire body. Her black mane and tail were beautifully brushed so that not a single strand of hair strayed from the rest.

"Ready yet, Credo?" She asked, excitedly.

"No, I just got up." I said. "You know the ceremony isn't for another two hours, right?"

"Yeah, but I just couldn't wait. I was up all night because I couldn't get to sleep!" Dear Celestia, she's like a filly on Hearth's Warming. I mean, I'm excited too but not this excited. Then again, this is probably what I should be expecting by now seeing that I've spent eighteen years with her. "Father's making us breakfast, by the way. It should be done soon."

"Alright, I'll be down as soon as I'm ready." With that, Equity left and, presumably, headed downstairs. I looked myself over in the mirror of the vanity and mouthed a 'wow' at what I saw. My mane and tail were incredibly disheveled, the result of a good night sleep. I wasn't as big on appearance as my sister, but I also wasn't a slob.

I grabbed the nearby brush with my magic and started straightening out my black mane. As I did, I noticed the blue suit that my father had bought for me after I got my attorney's badge. It was hanging on one of the dresser handles, looking like it had just been ironed. After combing my tail, I lifted the suit into the air and gave it a good once-over. Remembering Equity sporting her outfit, I cracked a smile and decided to put mine on as well. Just like with my sister, my suit also blended right into my coat with the attorney's badge cutie marks on my flanks being the only things showing that the suit didn't fully cover my body. Satisfied with my appearance, I looked myself over in the mirror one last time before heading downstairs.

In the dining room, I saw my father cooking pancakes over the stove. His magical aura surrounded the spatula floating in mid-air as it scooped up a pancake and flipped it over. Equity was already sitting at the dining room table with a plateful of pancakes, eating them one by one while wearing a delightful little smile on her face.

"Good morning, Credo." My father greeted once he noticed me. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you, father." I replied back as I took a seat at the table. I grabbed a couple of pancakes from the center plate and began feasting. As I began eating, however, I noticed that my mother was absent from the room. "Where's mom?" I asked, though I had a feeling I already knew.

"She's still sleeping." My father answered, confirming my thought. "She was up all night again, studying that case."

'That case' my father had said. He didn't mention it by name, but that was all the information I needed to know what he was talking about: the CS-4 Incident. The CS-4 Incident was a criminal case that occurred twenty years ago. Apparently, the criminal behind the case was never caught, and my mother has been pursuing them ever since the initial suspect was exonerated. I've heard both of my parents talk about the case for as long as I can remember, but I've never gotten either of them to actually tell me any specific details. All I've managed to find out is that it was a murder case in which my mother was the defense attorney and my father was the prosecutor. Ever since the case went cold though, my mother kept and has reviewed the copies of the case files she was given for the trial countless times, enduring several long nights, for the last twenty years. Luckily for her, there's no statute of limitations for murder cases in Equestria, so all of her work wouldn't be going to waste if she actually does uncover the culprit after all this time. However, I get the feeling that, even if there was a limitation on trying the case, with her odd obsession, she'd still be trying to crack it regardless.

It's not uncommon for my mother to be up late when looking over the case, but she's begun to do it almost everyday lately. It's making me think that she's getting close to figuring out something big or even solving it altogether. Twenty years of consistently reviewing the same case is finally going to show some results. I guess I'm happy for her, but I kinda wish she would've used more of that time she spent studying the CS-4 Incident with my sister and me. My father has pretty much raised us both from foals to teens ready to live on their own by himself. Sure, we've seen our mother almost everyday of our lives, but rarely have we spent any actual time with her. Now that there's the possibility of her finally settling the case that she's had an obsession over all this time, Equity and I will be leaving home. Both of us are eager to experience the world outside of Fillydelphia. I mean we could stay, I guess, but my mother being relieved of her self-imposed work isn't going to quell our thirst for adventure, if that even is what will happen. After all, there was no guarantee that my mother was indeed close to solving the case; that was just my assumption.

After my father was finished cooking, he sat down with us. In the middle of our meal, my mother came downstairs.

"Morning, mom!" Equity exclaimed as our mother entered the dining room.

"Good morning." She weakly replied, still reeling from her long study night. Equity stared at her, probably expecting a 'Happy birthday.' Instead of saying that though, our mother simply walked over to the table and sat down.

"Vindicate," My father addressed as my mother began floating pancakes onto her plate. "Aren't you going to wish your kids a happy birthday?"

"Huh? Oh, right. Happy birthday, Credo and Equity." The lack of emotion in her voice told us that she wasn't thinking clearly. What she lacked in words, however, she definitely made up for in actions. It was clear that she forced herself to get out of bed, so while she may have forgotten to say it, she knew it was our birthday. "I'm sorry I'm late to breakfast, I was..."

"Up all night, right?" I finished for her, smiling cheekily. She returned the smile before asking my father a question.

"Arraign, what time is the ceremony?"

"I scheduled it for 10:30 am." He replied. As the Chief Prosecutor of Fillydelphia, my father will be the one to award Equity her badge. I received my own badge a week ago when I passed the bar exam. My father, however, wanted to make Equity's achievement more special. He used his position to push Equity's ceremony back to her birthday. He said he was sorry that he couldn't do the same for me. I told him it was fine though, since neither of us were able to stand in a court of law until today anyway.

My mother looked at the nearby clock which read 9:30 am.

"I guess we should leave soon then." She said to which my father nodded. After finishing our breakfast, we all headed off to the Fillydelphia Prosecutor's Office.

The ceremony itself lasted for about half an hour. It didn't consist of much, just my father presenting a prosecutor's badge to Equity. There was a short party afterwards which I guess was meant to serve as our birthday/send-off party. I'll admit, it was rather fun. Also, it was nice getting to see some of our friends before we had to go.

We got home at around noon. As soon as we arrived, both my sister and I immediately went to our rooms to pack for our trips. The train bound for Las Pegasus was leaving at 3:00 pm and we both had to be on it.

Once we were finished packing, we brought our suitcases downstairs where our parents were waiting. Together, we left for the train station.

June 17th - 2:45 PM
Fillydelphia
Train Station

By the time we arrived, the train had just pulled in and was unloading its passengers. After we purchased our tickets, we made our way to the train platform, stopping just before boarding the train to say our final farewells.

"So, are you two ready for this?" My father asked.

"Yep." Equity answered. "I don't think I've been any more ready than I am right now."

"Are you sure you don't mean enthusiastic?" I asked, noticing Equity's sudden bouncing. She stopped and gave me a scowl.

"Oh, and I suppose you aren't just as excited?"

"Of course I am. I've been waiting for this for the past two months. I'm just mature enough to not let it control me like it would to a little filly on her birthday." I gave my sister a smirk. "Maybe you ought to stay another year and grow up a bit." Equity rolled her eyes.

"I just like to express myself. Maybe you ought to try it sometime. It might win you a few friends." Equity flicked her expertly coiffed mane and raised her muzzle to the sky as she said that.

"Or it might drive ponies away." I countered without any mannerisms to accompany it.

"Alright, that's enough you two." My mother said. "You just had to get in one more sibling squabble didn't you?" Both my sister and I looked back at each other and chuckled. My mother shook her head and then turned to look at me. "Credo, have you found somewhere to stay in Ponyville?" I nodded.

"I was planning on checking in to the Hay and Stay Hotel until I can find a house to call my own." I further explained. My mother took a slip of paper from the saddlebag on her back and levitated it over to me. Grabbing the slip with my own magic, I glanced at what was written on it.

Ponyville Library.
Ask for Midnight Brilliance.
Tell her I sent you.

"If you go there, I'm sure she'll host you, and for absolutely no charge as well." My mother stated. I opened my mouth to ask her who Midnght Brilliance was, but I was quickly driven to silence by the voice suddenly penetrating my brain. "She's an old friend of mine. She's grown rather cold and distant, but if you tell her that I sent you, I'm sure she'll open up to you." Then, just as suddenly as it had arrived, my mother's voice vanished from my mind. Both my sister and my father stared at us blankly. It was clear that they were not recipients to my mother's telepathic message. Though I didn't understand why she felt the need to do that, I decided to lay the issue to rest and, instead, thank my mother for the suggestion. "And what about you, Equity?" My mother asked, trying her best to get everypony to move on from what just happened. Luckily, Equity had no qualms about doing just that.

"I've made reservations at an apartment complex already." She said. "It's right next to the Las Pegasus Prosecutor's Office and a casino! I can work all day and then party all night!" Once again, Equity was getting overwhelmingly excitable.

"I've already contacted the Chief Prosecutor of Las Pegasus to let him know you were coming." My father informed Equity who nodded in reply.

The train whistle blew, warning us that the train was going to leave soon.

"I guess this is goodbye, then." My mother said as she and my father stepped forward and drew us into a hug. "How about we take a photo to remember this moment." Upon saying that, my mother took out a camera and we all posed in front of the train.

*SNAP*

After taking the picture, we embraced each other one last time before my sister and I boarded the train.

"We'll come visit you both, soon!" My mother said as she and our father waved us goodbye. Equity and I both looked back and smiled before stepping off the platform and into the train car. It wasn't too long after we found a place to sit that the train left the station.

I looked out the window and watched as the scenery flew past.

'This is it.' I thought. 'The beginning of my adventure.' I looked over at Equity and could tell that she was thinking the exact same thing.

Author's Note

Hope you enjoyed, and, as always, please leave any constructive criticism you have in the comments.

It will take me a few days to iron out the details of Case 1 and a few more days to write the first part of it, but hopefully it won't take as long as the prologue did.

Chapter 2 - Scars

"Everypony has their little secrets."

The Tragic Turnabout

June 17th - 7:34 PM
Ponyville
Train Station

The sun was beginning to set by the time the train arrived in Ponyville, turning the sky a beautiful shade of orange, pink, and purple. Usually Equtiy would be gazing in awe at the skyline, but when I checked, I saw that she was still sleeping on her bench. She had fallen asleep not too long after the train took off from the station. I guess that's what happens when you stay up all night and waste all of your energy during the following day. Luckily, no one bothered her during the trip, or she might've gotten a little cranky, and trust me, nopony wants to see that.

The train pulled into the station, hitting the brakes at a speed fast enough to throw Equtiy onto the floor. The thud echoed throughout the train car, turning ponies' gaze to the source. I thought she'd wake up at that moment, but nope. She just kept on snoozing. It wasn't until the train whistle blew that her eyes finally shot open.

"Huh? What? Where am I?" She asked as soon as she was awake. There were a few snickers from behind that stopped as soon as Equity stood up to see who it was. I shook my head and got up from my seat. "Hey, where are you going, Credo?"

"Umm, into town?" I replied, grabbing my suitcase from under the seat. "Haven't you noticed where we are?" Equity checked outside the window on my side of the train.

"Oh wow, we're here already? I guess time really flies when you're taking a nap." I'm pretty sure naps don't last four hours, but whatever. "So...I guess this is goodbye then." I paused upon hearing that, really thinking about it. This was goodbye, like, for real. Well, not forever, but still, this was the moment. The first time my sister and I will be apart. Eighteen years of sibling love, hate, and everything in between is a lot interaction to just casually leave behind. I'm not much of a hugger, but after thinking things through, I just couldn't resist pulling Equity into one.

"Yes, it is." I finally answered. Equity returned the gesture and the two of us stood there for a good minute or so before breaking apart. "It's not like we're never going to see each other again though, right? I'm sure we'll both have chances to visit each other." Equity nodded. She then thought for a second before exploding again.

"Oh, I have an idea! How about we write letters to each other about our experiences? That way, we'll each be able to know everything that the other has done and learned." I thought about that and couldn't help but offer my consent. After offering each other a final farewell, the two of us parted ways, promising to see each other again soon. With luggage in tow, and a deep breath, I took my first step into Ponyville.

After passing through the train station, I paused in front of the building to take a look at the immediate surroundings. Ponies were talking as they passed by, businesses were closing up shop, and Princess Twilight's castle stood proudly in the distance. The castle in particular had caught my attention. I'd seen it in pictures before, but seeing it in real life was even more incredible. It put me in such a trance, that I didn't even notice the pony racing towards me.

*CRASH*

Before I even knew what was happening, both the other pony and myself were on the ground. My luggage had been flung everywhere due to the sudden impact. I was dazed for a few seconds, unable to comprehend what just happened.

When I finally figured out what had occurred and managed to regain control of myself, I did my best to ignore the pain I felt and get up off the ground. As I was doing so, I turned my head to see who it was that bumped into me. The other pony was a blue pegasus mare with a rainbow-colored mane and tail and a cutie mark that depicted a lightning bolt sporting the primary colors shooting out from a cloud.

"Oh, sorry about that." She said as she stood up on her hooves. It took me a second to register exactly who it was that I was looking at, and once I did, I was too shocked to say anything. The pegasus seemed to take notice of the various pieces of my luggage lying around us in disarray. "Here, uh, let me help you." There was a sudden blur of chaotic rainbow shooting across my field of vision. It moved quickly from one luggage piece to the next, picking each one up as it did. Before long (about ten seconds, I'd say), my luggage was all back in my suitcase. Disorganized, but all together regardless. "There." She presented her completed work by extending her hoof towards the luggage while sheepishly smiling. I would've thanked her, but I still couldn't comprehend who it was that I was looking at.

The pegasus mare, sensing the awkwardness of the sitatuion, retracted her hoof and turned her attention away from me. She began looking around the area very closely, as if she was searing for something.

"Argh! Where is it? Where is it? Where is it?" Her search quickly turned frantic, sweat beginning to run down her face. I took my eye off of her for a second to look at my suitcase again. I noticed a white envelope poking out of my suitcase that I didn't recognize. Was this what she was looking for?

"Uh...excuse me?" I said, trying to get her attention. She stopped and looked in my direction. Using my magic, I pulled the envelope out of the suitcase and presented it to her. "Is this, by any chance, what you're looking for?" She snatched the envelope from my magical field with her hoof and looked at it very closely.

"Oh yes. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" The mare took off and did a flipping loop before coming back down again. I'm gonna guess that's a 'yes.' When she finally calmed down, she gave me her attention one last time. "Uh...sorry again for bumping into you, but I don't have time to chat. Got a train to catch. Later!" With that hasty goodbye, the pegasus sped off into the train station.

I stood still for the next minute, trying to process what just happened.

'That...that was Rainbow Dash, right? One of the six ponies on the Council of Friendship? Like, I'm not crazy, am I? That was the Rainbow Dash I just ran into, right?'

Those thoughts continued circulating through my head as I stood in front of the train station. After standing dumbfoundedly for I don't even know how long, I decided to just forget about the whole thing and begin touring my new home.

June 17th - 9:57 PM
Ponyville
Ponyville Library

My personal tour around town took me to all kinds of great and potentially interesting places (I say 'potentially' because two of the places I went didnt allow me to experience them fully): Sugar Cube Corner, where I enjoyed a delectably delicious dessert made by Pinkie Pie herself, though I was unfortunately unable to give my compliments to the chef due to her lack of presence; Princess Twilight's castle, which I wasn't allowed to tour due to both the Princess's and Spike's absence; and lastly, the heart of Ponyville, Sweet Apple Acres, where I was greeted by a yellow earth pony with a red mane and tail named Applebloom who told me that Applejack and her brother (Big Macintosh I think was his name) were currently away at the moment so she was currently running the farm by herself, meaning that I had to go so that she could finish her work.

I would've toured more, but it was starting to get late, so that would have to wait for tomorrow. I had somewhere I needed to be before it was closed, after all. I took out the note my mother had given me and looked it over again.

Ponyville Library.
Ask for Midnight Brilliance.
Tell her I sent you.

After a bit of asking around town, I finally found the place my mother had suggested. Luckily, it hadn't closed yet. I opened the double doors with my magic and headed inside.

The library was quiet, as expected, and empty, also as expected at this hour. Inside was a circular reception desk in the center of the room surrounded by seven large, wooden bookcases, leaving a clear path from the entrance to the desk. I also noticed three other bookshelves; one in the back and one on both sides of the room that were large enough to reach the ceiling. There was also a staircase leading up in the back right corner of the library. Every single shelf was filled with books from one side to the other; it was nothing short of a bookworm's heaven.

"May I help you, sir?" Asked the dark purple unicorn at the reception desk. Her black mane and tail were both decorated with eye-catching white spots; her cutie mark showed a single, white star shining through blackness that faded into the mare's fur.

"Yes." I answered as I walked towards her. "I'm looking for somepony named Midnight Brilliance."

"That would be me," She replied. "What can I help you with?"

"Oh," I was a bit taken back, not expecting to immediately speak with Midnight herself, but I quickly recovered. "My name is Credo. I just moved to Ponyville today and I was told by my mother, Vindicate, that you would be willing to accommodate me until I can find a place to live." Midnight seemed shocked by the news, as one should be if they were asked to accommodate another.

"Vindicate's...son?" Okay, that wasn't the part you were supposed to be shocked about. She thought to herself for a moment before speaking again.

"I do still owe Vindicate a favor so I...suppose you could live with us for a short while." I grew a look of confusion on my face.

"Us?"

"My daughter lives here with me too." Midnight quickly informed. "I'm sure she won't mind you, though. She prefers to stay secluded in her room anyway." What? Her daughter? You mean she doesn't live alone?

"Oh, uh, my apologies." I started backing out of the room. "I was under the impression that you were living alone. I don't think I should be intruding on you and your family. I can find find a hotel to stay in for the time being." I was almost at the door when suddenly Midnight teleported in front of me.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous." She said as she floated a key from the now far off desk. She used it to lock the front door, the clock having struck 10:00 PM; I guess that would be the library's closing time. "We have more than enough extra space for you upstairs. Come on." She returned the key to the reception desk and walked on ahead. Seeing how insistent she was (and the fact that the door was now locked), I decided to follow her. Picking up my suitcase, I trailed behind Midnight, looking around the library more as I did. There wasn't really anything that caught my eye, except for a strange, metal door located at the end of the bookshelf on the left side of the room. The door gave off a chilling vibe. It didn't really seem like it belonged there, but seeing as how it's purpose wasn't really any of my business, I just ignored it and continued following Midnight up the stairs on the opposite side of the room.

The flight of stairs led to a large hallway that was easily five pony-lengths across. Two doors lined each side, and at the end of the (very long) hallway was another room that appeared to be a kitchen.

"Before you get settled in," Midnight began. "You should probably meet my daughter, Aura Sensory, first." After hearing me agree, Midnight led me to the room on the far left side of the hall. She knocked twice and called out her daughter's name.

"Aura? Can you come out for a second?" There was a bit of shuffling from within the room, but soon, the door slowly opened, revealing a small portion of the yellow unicorn inside. "Aura, I'd like you to meet Credo. He's going to be staying with us for a while." Aura remained silent, looking at me stoically.

"Hello," I greeted in conjunction with waving my hoof. "Nice to meet you." There was a bit of an awkward silence that lingered in the air as I waited for her reply.

"N-Nice to meet you, too..." She finally said, following it up by slowly closing the door. Afterwards, I stood there speechless, unsure of how to respond. Midnight seemed to have expected this though, because she quickly apologized for her daughter.

"I'm sorry about her; she's really shy."

"It's fine." I reassured her. "I'm sure she'll warm up to me eventually." Midnight nodded and began leading me back the way we came.

"You're free to stay in this room here." As she said that, Midnight gestured towards the first room on the right side of the hall.

"Thank you." I replied as I opened the door and took a step inside. The room was extremely tidy, as if it hadn't been used since the day it was built, but was still cleaned regularly. There was a toy chest on the left side of the room next to what appeared to be a closet, a desk under the window in the center of the far back wall with a clock right above it, and a bed on the right side of the room with the entrance to the bathroom located at its end. Everything was resting on top of a red rug that was spread across the entire room. As I walked around, I noticed a small, framed picture displayed on the desk. I picked it up with my magic and took a closer look.

The picture depicted five unicorns of varying ages standing together in what appeared to be a hospital. There was a sky blue stallion with a dark grey mane and tail that had a flask filled with green liquid for a cutie mark standing to the right of a hospital bed, a violet filly whose mane and tail were dark red and cutie mark was a magnifying glass standing to the left of the hospital bed with a white colt, who seemed only slightly older than the filly, who had a mane and tail of a slightly darker shade of blue than the stallion's fur and a cutie mark of gold justice scales, and a yellow foal with a black mane and tail being held by the mare who was in said hospital bed, a mare that I immediately recognized.

"Hey, Mrs. Brilliance?" I called out to which I instantly got a response.

"You want to know about that picture, don't you?" She asked, walking right up next to me. I nodded in response.

"It's a picture of your family, right?" I moved the picture closer to her, but she instantly turned away from it. The question and image seemed to make her upset. I wanted to apologize for asking, but, just as I was about to, she stopped me.

"No, you should probably know if you're planning on staying here." She said, after collecting herself enough to speak clearly. I wasn't entirely sure why she felt the need to tell me anything, but I couldn't stop her, so instead, I just listened.

"You're right." She began, grabbing the picture with her own magic. "This is a picture of my family. It was taken a little over twenty years ago, on the day that Aura was born. I'm obviously the one holding her in the hospital bed. The light blue stallion standing to my right is my husband, Sky Shadow, and the two ponies on my left are my son and first daughter, Semper Light and Visionary." Midnight was beginning to tear up as she stared at the picture. "This was probably one of the happiest days of our lives. The next year was filled with nothing but joyful times like this one, but then...well, I'm...sure you know what happened." My face contorted in confusion.

"Why would I know what happened?" Midnight looked away from the framed picture and towards me.

"Vindicate hasn't told you?"

"Told me what?"

"About the CS-4 Incident." My heart skipped a beat when I heard those words. It didn't take me long to piece together what Mrs. Brilliance was trying to say.

"Y-You mean..." The mare nodded.

"Yes." She said, confirming what I wanted to ask before I could even form the question. "The CS-4 Incident took place right here, in this very building. The victim was...my husband and the one who was arrested and tried for his murder was my son."

"WHAT!?" Even though I was expecting it, I still let out a burst of shock. "You...you're not serious, are you?"

"Does this seem like a matter one typically jokes about?" Her cross manner and tone told me more than the words she spoke.

"Well, no, but," I took a second to collect myself before apologizing. "I'm sorry. It's just that...I've heard both of my parents speak of the CS-4 Incident, but neither have told me anything about it." Midnight was a bit surprised by that revelation. "I... I never expected to ever come across anyone involved in the case. So to hear that you and your family were the subject of that tragedy..."

"Vindicate never told you about the CS-4 Incident?" Midnight interrupted. She seemed more focused on that fact than anything else I was saying.

"N-No, she didn't." I quickly answered, abandoning my attempted apology. "I think she and my father were just trying to keep my sister and I from getting involved." Midnight thought about that for a second.

"So your mother keeps any and all information about the CS-4 Incident from you, but when you decide to move to Ponyville, she throws you right into the heart of the entire case?" It took me a second to process what Midnight just said. "Doesn't that seem a bit...contradictory to you?" She had a point. My mother's actions did seem contradictory.

"Are you saying that my mom had a reason other than free hospitality to send me to you?"

"Credo, why did you choose to come to Ponyville of all places?" Midnight asked, completely ignoring my question. "Was it because of Vindicate's suggestion, or was that just an afterthought on her part after hearing where you wanted to go?"

"Well, originally I was going to rent a room at the Hay and Stay Hotel, but then my mom directed me to you after I informed her of where I was going to stay."

"So it was just an afterthought then?" Midnight asked once again.

"Well, sort of. I mean, the only reason I decided to move to Ponyville at all was because...my mother...suggested...it..." The words that left my mouth grew further and further apart as the realization that my mother had manipulated me into coming here dawned on me. Midnight sighed deeply upon hearing my answer.

"It seems," she said. "That the CS-4 Incident is about to show its ugly face again in the near future."

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Brilliance." I quickly tried to seal the wounds that I had clearly opened. "I didn't mean to dredge up any bad memories."

"It's not your fault, Credo." Midnight assured. "If anything, it's Vindicate's for sending you here in the first place."

"But...she just wants to find the truth behind the case. She's probably just hoping that I can find something conclusive during my time here." Midnight's demeanor showed that my attempts at sealing those wounds were failing, but not because my words weren't good enough, rather, it was because the wounds she bore were hardly just wounds; they were deep, deep scars. "Don't you want to know?" I continued trying to console her, even though I knew it would do no good. "Don't you want to find the pony who killed your husband?" Midnight didn't answer. Instead, she closed her eyes and sighed deeply once more.

"Let me tell you something that I've learned over the years, Credo." Midnight placed the picture back on the desk and turned towards the door leading back into the hallway. "Ponies are not always who they say they are. That goes for strangers as well as family." My apologetic look quickly turned into a perplexed one when she said that.

"What's that supposed to mean?" There was a moment of silence as I waited to hear an answer.

"Nevermind." She said, leaving my curiousity in a state of withdrawal. "It's late. Why don't you get some sleep? We can talk about this tomorrow."

"O-Ok." I watched in silence as Midnight left the room and shut the door behind her. I stood in front of the desk in silence, listening to the sound of hoofsteps on the wooden floor grow quieter and quieter as Midnight walked away.

I spent the next half hour getting ready for bed and thinking about my current situation.

'My mom has sent me here to find some information about the CS-4 Incident.' That thought kept circulating through my mind until a new thought finally sprouted from it. 'Wait a second... If mom wanted to find something more relating to the CS-4 Incident, then why didn't she just come here herself? Mrs. Brilliance seems nice enough. I'm sure she wouldn't object to letting my mother poke around, especially since her husband's killer is the one my mom is trying to find.' My mother said that Midnight had grown cold and distant, but she seemed pretty accepting of me. So why...?

My mind ground to a halt, exhausted from all the thinking it was doing on such low energy. It was nearly 11:00 at night according to the clock in the room I was staying in. Midnight was right, I needed some sleep. I finished washing up and climbed into bed. I don't remember when I fell asleep, but I don't really care either. I just wanted to recover from everything that happened today.

June 18th - 4:23 AM
Ponyville
Ponyville Library

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

A familiar voice rang throughout the building, startling me awake. I was so startled that I immediately dropped to the floor upon waking up, my body caught in the sheets. As I began to disentangle myself, I heard hoofsteps outside my door. They were quick hoofsteps, as if somepony, or someone, was running down the hallway. I checked the clock above the desk to get a sense of what was what was happening.

The time was 4:23 AM. Wait, what!? It's almost 4:30 in the morning!? What the hay is going on!? It took me a good minute or two to fully break free from the bedsheets, at which point I quickly left my room and made my way into the hallway.

The scream sounded like it came from the library, so that's where I went. As I was heading down the stairs, the sound of someone crying began to fill my ears. Once I was in the library, I found the source of that crying. Across the room, in the doorway of that strange, metal door, was Aura, bent over and shedding her tears on top of...something.

"Aura." I said as I slowly approached Midnight's daughter. "What's wro--" The question hadn't even fully left my mouth before it was answered. Blood was pooling from the thing Aura was crying over. That 'thing' was a pony; a silent, unmoving, and undeniably dead pony.

It was already tragic enough that we were looking at the dead body of a pony, but this body didn't belong to just anypony. The one who was laying dead before us...was Aura's mother, Midnight Brilliance.

To be continued...

Author's Note

The wife of the victim of a case 20 years old is dead. Who was responisble?
The Tragic Turnabout has begun.

Chapter 3 - Aura Sensory

Chapter 3 - Aura Sensory
“I'm all alone now. All alone…”

June 18th - 5:04 AM
Ponyville
Ponyville Library

Police ponies were swarming the library - taking pictures, collecting evidence, and taking both Aura’s and my statements. It was painfully clear that I wasn't going to get any more sleep tonight.

After I discovered Aura weeping over her mother’s dead body, I immediately contacted the police. They were at the library in less than ten minutes. Aura and I looked on with sullen expressions as Midnight’s bloody corpse was removed from the scene and taken away for autopsy. The entire time, Aura never once stopped crying, despite her many desperate attempts to.

It had been almost an hour since our discovery and the police were still tearing this place apart, looking in every nook and cranny for evidence. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the pony who we had been told was the head detective came over to speak to us.

“Good evening. I’m the lead investigator on this case. You may refer to me as Detective Shamus.” The green stallion with a brown mane and tail and an investigator’s badge for a cutie mark spoke without a hint of joviality. I gulped, expecting to hear some bad news. “You have my gratitude for being so cooperative at a time like this. Thanks to your own testimonies and the evidence found here at the scene, my fellow detectives and I have narrowed down the possible suspects to one pony.” His gaze shifted to the yellow unicorn standing by my side. “Aura Sensory,” he announced as another officer floated out a pair of hoofcuffs and attached them to Aura’s forehooves. “You are under arrest for the murder of Midnight Brilliance.”

My jaw dropped and Aura’s eyes shot wide open. Both of us stood speechless as a small, grey ring was placed around Aura’s horn. The officer directed her out of the building, very slowly thanks to the cuffs, while reading her rights aloud. Once they approached the door of the library, Aura stopped. The officer tried to push her, but her hooves dug into the floor. Eventually, the officer resorted to using his magic to lift Aura up off the ground.

“As for you,” Shamus said, directing my attention back toward him. “You’re going to follow these two officers here to the police station for further questioning.” Two uniformed police ponies walked up to me and began escorting me out of the building. I said nothing during our walk to the police station, still trying to take in everything that had happened in the past hour.

June 18th - 9:02 AM
Ponyville
Ponyville Detention Center

Questioning took longer than I expected, but after finally satisfying the interrogators, I was free to go. The first place I headed was the Ponyville Detention Center. I had to check up on Aura, I just had to.

I waited inside for visiting hours to begin. Once they did, I immediately requested to speak with Aura. Two guard ponies led me to a room that was divided in half by a plexiglass window and a desk. I was told to stand at said desk and wait for Aura to arrive. A few minutes later, she walked in, escorted by two other guards. Her eyes were red, puffy, and still filled with tears. I couldn’t imagine being locked up here had done anything to make her feel better. At the very least though, she was no longer hoofcuffed.

The first few seconds of our meeting was filled with silence; neither of us knew what to say to the other.

“Um. Good morning,” I said, hoping it would start some semblance of a conversation. Instead however, Aura remained quiet. Her eyes weren’t even looking in my direction; their attention was locked onto the tiny pool of tears slowly forming on top of the desk. I desperately tried to think of something else to say, but only one other thing came to mind: “Uh, have you found an attorney yet?” This time, Aura looked up at me and tilted her head to the side, raising an eyebrow. “You’re going to be tried in court for your moth-- the crime, right? Has anypony said that they’d represent you?” Aura shook her head. Suddenly, I got the craziest of ideas. “Would it be alright if I represented you?” I heard Aura gasp. “I know you didn’t do it,” I assured, hoping that she’d believe me. “There’s no way that I can believe a pony like you would murder their own mother.” Aura put her hoof to her chin, tapping it slowly. “So please, let me--”

“My statues,” Aura interrupted.

“Huh?”

“Bring me my statues,” she repeated. “Then I'll consider your request.”

“Uh...ok…” I wasn’t entirely sure what had suddenly come over Aura, but if it meant that she would let me take her case, then I was ready to do whatever she wanted. “Where are these...statues?”

“They’re on a mantel in my room. You’ll know them when you see them. Until you get my statues for me, don’t come back here.” After she said that, Aura turned toward the guards and asked to be taken back to her cell.

I lingered for a few minutes before the guards on my side of the room forced me to leave. Once I was outside, I resolved to make my way back to the library and retrieve what Aura had asked for.

June 18th - 9:24 AM
Ponyville
Ponyville Library

As I approached the library, I noticed that the police had completely sealed off the area with yellow tape. Two guards stood at the entrance. It was only at this time that I realized the impossibility of Aura’s request. Did she not know that the crime scene would be sealed off? Regardless, I made my way up to the guards, hoping that I could come up with something that would grant me entry.

“Halt!” one of the guards said, holding out his hoof as I approached. “State your business.” I took a deep breath before responding.

“My name is Credo, and I’ve been asked to be Aura Sensory’s defense attorney by the mare herself.” It pained me to have to resort to lying to a police officer, but I just kept telling myself that it was all for Aura’s sake. “I merely request that I be allowed to examine the crime scene so that I can prepare my case.”

“May I see your badge?” the officer responded. My badge, my badge, shoot! My badge was still in the room upstairs! Immediately, I panicked.

The guards continued to stare at me with their unwavering eyes. I let a sheepish grin cross my face and chuckled a bit, informing the guards of my predicament.

“You may not enter the premises without a badge. Now run along, little pony.” Little pony!? I'm eighteen and living on my own, mind you...is what I wanted to say, but I had a feeling saying that would only hurt my chances of actually getting inside.

“Please, sir,” I pleaded. “My badge is in one of the bedrooms upstairs, if you just let me enter--” Suddenly, the door to the library opened. A green stallion walked out, holding papers in his magical field. It was Detective Shamus.

“What’s with all the racket?” he asked. The two guards standing by saluted him.

“Sir, this pony here is requesting access to the crime scene.”

“On what grounds?”

“He claims to be the accused's defense attorney, sir.”

Shamus eyed me closely. “Where is your badge?” he asked.

“It’s still in my bedroom upstairs. I can show you if you just--”

“That won’t be necessary.” He floated two nearly identical badges out from behind the papers he was holding. “I believe one of these is yours?” he said, moving them closer to me. I grabbed the tiny, golden circles from his field and looked them over. Sure enough, on the back of one of them was my serial number, confirming that the badge was indeed mine.

“Yes, this one is,” I said, giving my badge to Shamus, followed by the other one.

“Unfortunately, we can’t give it back to you yet,” he said, taking the badges. “But the lead prosecutor on the case told us that you are to have complete access to the crime scene, so I must comply.”

“Thank you, sir.” A smile returned to my face as I entered the library behind the detective. Police were everywhere, still gathering evidence for the trial.

“You may look around as much as you like, but don’t touch anything without my permission,” warned Shamus. I nodded to show that I understood, and he left me to search by myself.

The first thing I did, of course, was head upstairs to Aura’s room. As was the case with everywhere else, the room was crawling with detectives. They didn’t seem to mind me as I entered. The room seemed almost exactly like the one I was staying in, at least, in terms of structure. The difference was the messy state of the place. Papers were scattered all over the floor, books lay open and tossed aside on the desk, the entire room was in shambles.

One area though, was kept as tidy as one could keep it: the mantel above the bed in the far right corner of the room. On it were six statues of six different ponies, all of whom I instantly recognized. From left to right stood Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Princess Twilight Sparkle. As I walked closer, I noticed each of the statues also had a black plaque on their golden base containing a unique phrase: Be Strong, Be Kind, Awareness! It was under ‘E,’ Be Awesome, Be Unwavering, and Be Smart.

These must be the statues Aura was talking about!

I was just about to pick them up when I remembered what Shamus had said about removing things from the crime scene. Luckily, he happened to walk in right at that moment to check on the other detectives’ progress. After they were done talking, I caught his attention before he left the room.

“Excuse me, Detective Shamus!” he turned towards me in response. “I was wondering if it would be alright if I took those statues over there.” I pointed towards the mantel, directing the detective's gaze.

“What are you going to do with them?” he asked, looking back at me.

“Ms. Sensory asked for me to bring them to her.” The green stallion thought for a second before turning to the other detectives.

“Hey!” he called to them. “What’s the status of those statues on the mantel?”

“We’ve already finished photographing and examining them, sir!” one of the detectives replied.

“And?”

“Only Aura Sensory’s fur was found on them, sir!” Shamus turned back to me.

“I suppose you may, since we’ve already gotten what we need from them.” Without hesitation, he telekinetically floated the statues over to me.

“Thank you, sir.” I grabbed them with my own magic and was just about to leave when Shamus stopped me.

“However, you must bring them back to me when you’re done. Understand?” The detective was already being overly-generous with his leniency, and I didn’t want to betray it.

“Yes, sir.” The stallion nodded and went back to his work, as did I.

June 18th - 10:12 AM
Ponyville
Ponyville Detention Center

I stood silently in the visitor’s room, waiting for the guards to escort Aura from her cell. The statues of the six mares floated beside me, glinting in the light that shined down from above. As I waited, I took a closer look at the statues themselves. Each one had been expertly polished and showed no signs of having ever been damaged, not even a scratch. With the amount of care they’d been given, I was impressed that forensics managed to find anything on the statues.

Aura entered the room not long after I had finished my examination. She slowly walked up to the window separating us and sat down. Her eyes looked much better than they did when I came to visit her earlier, though a few tears still made themselves present on her face.

“Did you bring them?” she asked, jumping straight into things.

“I did,” I replied, floating the statues onto the table for her to see. Her eyes immediately glued their attention to them. For the next minute, neither of us said a word to each other. Aura continued to stare at the statues, only cutting off her gaze when she needed to blink. Finally, I decided to speak up.

“So...what’s so important about these statues?” Aura finally lifted her gaze to answer my question.

“These were...a gift from my older sister.” I searched my memory to find the portrait showing Aura’s entire family. I managed to picture the violet, red-maned unicorn in my head and tag her with the name Midnight had given.

“Visionary, right?” Aura nodded in confirmation.

“She gave them to me as a birthday present a few years ago. She knows how much I admire the mares on the Council.” I looked down at the statues. I picked one of them up and looked it over again, taking in the pristine and flawless craft.

“Did she make them herself?” I asked, setting the statue down on the table. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen statues like these before.”

“I don’t know. She has quite the eye for detail, so it’s entirely possible.” A grin crossed my face as I began thinking about Equity and the presents we used to get for each other. She always loved getting new toys or, more recently, styling equipment. As for me, I was content with a new book. “I just wish she would come back home someday…” Aura’s words snapped me out of my trance.

“What do you mean?”

“Visionary’s been away from home for the past ten years,” Aura informed. “She’s never come back to visit myself or our mom, not even once.” A look of sadness snuck its way back onto Aura’s face.

“I thought you said she gave you these statues as a birthday present just a few years ago.”

“Well, she sent them in the mail. That’s the only way I’ve been able to keep in touch with her.”

“You’ve never gone to see her yourself?” Aura looked away when I asked that question. “Ms. Sensory?”

“Please call me Aura,” she said. “And no, I haven’t.”

“Well, why haven’t you?”

“Well, first of all, I don’t even know where she lives now.”

“You don’t? Then how do you send her mail? Don’t you need an address to do that?” Aura shook her head.

“You used to, back in the day, but after the Treaty of Canterlot, dragons began working for our country’s postal service, and they only need a name to deliver mail to a pony with their magical, fire breath.”

“Huh, I guess you learn something new everyday,” I commented, shrugging. Aura chuckled a bit before switching back into her somber persona.

“In all honesty though, even if I did know where my sister lived, I probably couldn’t bring myself to visit her anyway.”

“Why not?” Aura moved so that her left flank was visible through the window. It was then that I realized I had yet to see what Aura’s cutie mark even was. When I saw her flank, I expected to find out the answer to that question. The answer I got however, was not one I was expecting.

“You’re...You’re a blank flank?” I asked as I stared at her bare flank in utter shock.

“Yes,” she said as she turned to face me again. “Twenty-one years old, and I still haven’t gotten my cutie mark.”

“B-But how is that possible? Ponies typically get their cutie mark when they’re around seven or eight.”

“Well, not leaving the house for fifteen years might have something to do with it.” Okay, now we’ve transcended beyond shocking and into unbelievable.

“Fifteen years!?” I shouted, unable to comprehend what I was being told. “You’ve stayed in that library for fifteen years!? Why?” Aura didn’t reply. Instead, she directed her attention back to the six statues that were still sitting on the table in front of us. “Aura? Aura!”

“BECAUSE I’M AFRAID!” she suddenly snapped. Shocked by her sudden outburst, I fell backwards onto the floor. When I stood up again, I noticed her expression had completely changed. I could hear her breathing heavily through her clenched teeth and her eyes were filled with an ugly mix of anger and sadness as tears formed and fell from them once again.

“Okay, calm down, Aura,” I said, slowly approaching her as if she were a wild animal that could leap through the glass and maul me at any second. “There’s no reason to be upset. I’m just curious as to why you would want to hide away in your house for the majority of your life, that’s all.” My words seemed to pacify her. After a while, she had calmed down enough to speak to me again. “Now, can you tell me what it is you’re so afraid of?” She hesitated at first, but eventually, she responded.

“The world…”

“What?” I don’t know what answer I was expecting, but that certainly wasn’t it. “You’re afraid of...the world?” Aura let out a sigh before continuing.

“When I was a kid, my favorite thing to do was play with my sister, be it inside or outside the house.” A small smile snuck its way onto Aura’s face as she spoke. “Nothing made us happier than being together.”

“So, what happened?” I asked, knowing there was no way this story was going to end well. The smile on Aura’s face quickly faded away.

“Are you familiar with the Changeling War?” My face twisted into an expression of confusion at the odd question Aura presented.

“Of course I am. I mean, I lived through it.”

“Do you remember how it started?”

“Well, not exactly. I was only three at the time. From what I’ve read, I think it started with the attempted assassination of Princess Twilight Sparkle?”

“The key word there being ‘attempted.’ The changeling spies that were sent by Chrysalis were found out by Starlight Glimmer before they could get to the Princess. However, they didn’t retreat right away. The changelings were determined to accomplish their mission. Once their cover was blown, the spies seized control of every part of Ponyville, taking captive everypony that they could. They were probably planning to force the Princess to surrender in exchange for the lives of the ponies of Ponyville.

“That day, I was playing outside with my sister like we usually did, when suddenly, one of the changelings appeared before us. He chased both my sister and me through the chaos ridden streets of Ponyville. Eventually, I lost track of my sister and found myself cornered by the changeling.” Aura began to visibly shake as she recounted her tale. “I still remember looking into those blue, remorseless eyes as their owner lunged at me with inescapable speed. If it wasn’t for Visionary or Mom, I probably wouldn’t be alive right now.”

“What did they do?” I asked, completely enthralled by the story.

“Apparently, after Visionary lost sight of me, she went to find our mom, and together, the two managed to track me down. Before the changeling could attack me, my mom hit it with an anesthetic spell, causing it to lose consciousness and drop to the ground immediately. I think I also passed out from fear, because the next thing I remember is being at home in my mom’s arms.

“The changelings were soon driven out of Ponyville by the Princess, Starlight, and the other five ponies on the Council. It was a victory for the ponies of Equestria, but just the beginning of a long, taxing war.”

“So, the reason you’ve never left the house in fifteen years…” I remembered when the officer was trying to get Aura out of the library. The reason she stopped and resisted so much was because she was afraid of going outside.

“I’ve never forgotten what I felt the day when I was nearly killed. That feeling terrifies me and I never wanted to experience it again. So, I locked myself up in that library, having convinced myself that, as long as I stayed there, nothing could get to me ever again.”

“And because you’ve never left the house since you were…” I paused to calculate how old Aura would’ve been at the start of the Changeling War. “Six, you’ve never gotten a chance to find out what your talent is?” Aura nodded shamefully.

“Five years passed before my sister left us. Before she departed however, she asked me to promise her something: the next time we met, she wanted to see my new cutie mark. Those were the last words she said to me.”

“I see.” Finally, I felt that I was understanding where Aura was coming from. “You don’t want to disappoint your sister by showing yourself to her without a cutie mark.”

“Ever since she left,” Aura continued. “I’ve been trying my hardest to get it...without leaving the house, of course. I’ve read through almost every magic book we have (though my magic is nowhere near the level of my mom’s), helped work the library several times, experimented with potions in my dad’s old workshop—the room beyond that metal door—and I’ve even worked hard enough to pass the bar exam and get an attorney’s badge, though I’ve yet to actually use it.”

“Wait. You’re a certified defense attorney?” I thought back to when Shamus showed me the two identical badges that must’ve been found in the building. I wasn’t thinking about it at the time, but now I realize who the other badge must belong to: Aura.

“Like I said earlier,” she began to explain. “I idolize the ponies on the Council. They dedicate their lives to saving other ponies, be it literally or metaphorically.” Her expression flared with determination. “I want to save ponies too. I just wish I had the courage to actually bring myself to do so…” And as quickly as it had arrived, that determination disappeared.

“But Aura, the war ended five years ago,” I tried to console her. “There is no more threat from the changelings.” Aura shook her head.

“My fear doesn’t lie with the changelings, Credo, it lies with the outside world in general. It’s a dangerous place out there, not like it was twenty years ago. The crime rate in Equestria has risen dramatically since both the CS-4 Incident—the very first murder in Equestrian history—and the Changeling War.” I opened my mouth for a rebuttal, but the words I wanted to use wouldn’t form. Probably because there wasn’t any way to refute what she said. If what I’ve read in history books and heard from my parents and teachers is right, then Equestria used to be a much more peaceful place, where crimes occurred sparingly and were nothing less than simple break-ins and minor burglaries. Ever since the combined tragedies of the CS-4 Incident and the war however, crimes have not only become more common, but also more violent. “In a world where murders are taking place everyday, staying inside just seems like the safest choice.”

“Even considering what happened last night?” The question escaped my mouth before I could realize how insensitive it was. Luckily, Aura didn’t seem to care.

“Well, that’s why I was thinking, since prison is a rather well-secured place, perhaps even more so than Princess Twilight’s castle considering the recent break-in, it might not be so bad if--”

“Woah, hold on a second!” My sudden outburst caused Aura to shrink back a little. “Are you saying that you want to be found guilty of your mother’s murder?” At first, I wanted to ask about the break-in at the castle, but once Aura’s implications hit me, that thought disappeared from my mind.

“Y-Yes, I do,” Aura said after recovering. “Nothing will be able to hurt me here; I can live out my days in a prison cell, free from the dangers of the outside world. Now that I’m thinking about it more, it actually sounds rather relaxing.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I was so shocked that all my mouth could do was hang wide open. Aura either didn’t register my expression, or didn't care. “So, though I am grateful for your offer, I’m going to have to turn it down.”

“What!? But you said that if I brought you your statues, you’d let me defend you!”

“I said I’d consider your request,” she replied as she turned toward the guards. “And I’ve decided to turn it down. Thanks anyway, though.” Aura continued walking right on over to the guard that would take her back to her cell.

“So what’re you planning on doing when the town assigns a defense attorney to you?” She stopped, but didn’t turn back to see me.

“I’ll defend myself.” I grunted, expecting to hear that, despite my wishes not to. “I am an attorney, after all.”

“Aura, please don’t do this.” I was begging at this point. “What about your family? Do you honestly think your mother would want to see you locked up for the rest of your life? What about your sister and the promise you made to her? Are you just going to abandon everything?” Silence pervaded the room. I held my teeth together, waiting for an answer, but I got none. Instead, Aura walked up to the guard and the two of them left the room together.

I slammed my head hard against the desk in front of me, causing a few of the statues to fall over. Their cluttering to the ground reminded me that I needed to return them to Shamus. Grabbing them with my magic, I left the room, escorted by the guard.

To be continued...

Author's Note

Proofreaders: PeerImagination

Sorry for the long break, I've been rather busy with my school play for the past several weeks. However, it's starting to come to an end and uploads will hopefully become more frequent.

Chapter 4 - Clashing Viewpoints

Chapter 4 - Clashing Viewpoints
“In order to really solve this mystery, we’re going to have to find...clues.”

June 18th - 11:08 AM
Ponyville

For the longest time, I wandered aimlessly along the streets of Ponyville with the six statues of the Council Mares still in tow. I knew I had to return them to Shamus, but surely he wouldn't mind if I took a short walk first, right?

As I walked, the only thing running through my mind was Aura’s situation. Wanting to be found guilty of murder just so that she can be safe behind bars? Was she crazy?

Then again, I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like to be afraid of the outside world or keep myself locked up in the same place for fifteen years. In a way, I guess that library could be seen as Aura’s personal prison. The only differences a real prison would hold to Aura are the change in scenery and a smaller living space. So, actually, it wouldn't be that different after all. Still, purposefully finding yourself guilty, throwing your whole future away, that's something that only someone who's given up on life would do. Aura needs help. Someone’s help, pony or otherwise. I want to be the one to help her, but how can I? She probably won't let me visit her again.

My wandering eventually led me to the Princess’s castle. I looked up at the massive, crystal structure, taking in its beauty once again. I remembered being denied access to the castle yesterday by the guards posing at the front entrance. At the time, they said their reason for their denial was because the Princess and her assistant were absent. Now however, I had a new theory as to why I was turned away.

“Well, that's why I was thinking, since prison is a rather well-secured place, perhaps even more so than Princess Twilight’s castle, especially considering the recent break-in, it might not be so bad if—”

Could it be that the reason I wasn't allowed to tour the castle was because there had recently been a robbery of some sort? I was tempted to go up to the guards and ask them myself, but a voice from behind stopped me in my tracks.

“Curious about the castle break-in, are we?” I quickly turned around to see who was talking.

Behind me stood a zebra with his attention fixated on me. His grin came off as rather smug, like he knew something about the break-in that I didn't.

“Umm, yes?” I replied uncertainly.

“Well, unfortunately, that's something you'll have to deal with later,” he said as he walked up to me. “For now, don't you think you should just be focused on Aura’s case?”

“What? How did—” The zebra silenced me with his hoof.

“Worry not about that, Credo.” The zebra began to circle me, officially making me uncomfortable, even more so than him somehow knowing my name. “You need only worry about Aura at the moment. She denied your request, didn't she?”

“Uh...y-yes...she did…but how--” Right then, I noticed a severe burn mark that appeared to be extremely old on the zebra’s right flank. The fur hadn’t grown back, making the shape and presence very distinctive. The bottom of the mark depicted a spiral. The line forming the spiral began inwards and spun outwards eventually leaving and banking slightly right, left, and then right again as it moved upwards, ending above the point where it started. In between the gaps left by the oscillating line were two dots: one dot per gap.

“But even so, you still want to help her, right?” The zebra snapped me out of my gaze as he made direct eye-contact with me.

“Y-Yes?”

“Then why aren’t you at the crime scene right now? The lead prosecutor has given you full access. So why aren’t you taking advantage of that?”

“Ok, first of all, please back away unless you want me to call the police.” The zebra did as he was told and gave me my personal space. “Thank you. Now, second, how do you know all of this? Did you plant a bug on me?” I quickly searched my entire body for a listening device. I even checked the statues, but to no avail. I looked back towards the zebra who was laughing to himself. “Hey! Answer the question!” I yelled.

“Here.” The zebra held out his hoof, offering the card that was on it. Skeptically, I took the card from him and looked it over.

Fortune telling for only 25 bits at the House of Wonders!
Please send requests and payment to either Zeron or Clear Voyant.

I couldn't believe what I was reading. He wasn't being serious, was he?

“You're at liberty to believe what you want,” said the zebra—Zeron, I assume—reading the obvious disbelief written across my face. “However, that will, regardless, remain my answer. Now then, do you have any other questions for me?” Shaking my attention away from the (business?) card, I cleared my throat for my final question.

“Why do you care?” That seemed to take Zeron by surprise...finally. The look didn't last long though, as it was quickly replaced by another smirk.

“Let’s just say I have some...personal things riding on the outcome of this case.”

“Personal things?” I raised an eyebrow. “That's all you're going to say? You can't be any more specific?”

“I don't need to be.” His smirk grew wider as he spoke. “You'll find out soon enough anyway.” What in Equestria was this zebra talking about? “Now then, if that's all the questions you have for me, then I'll just be on my way.” The zebra turned and began walking.

“Hey! Hold up!” I exclaimed, catching Zeron’s attention. “I'm not done talking to you yet!”

“I know,” he said, continuing to retreat. “We can finish this when you come by my place later today.”

“And why would I do that?” The anger I was holding back began to slowly boil up inside me.

“Because I have something you need.” Without another word, the zebra ran off and disappeared amongst the ponies lining the streets.

For the longest time, I stood dumbfounded in front of the castle. There were so many things that I wanted to say, but all I could manage was, “What...just happened?” A question whose answer I wouldn’t be granted by just standing around. I took one more look at the card I’d been given. Curiosity getting the better of me, I decided to keep it. I wasn't planning on going right now, though. I had another delivery that I had to make.

June 18th - 11:23 AM
Ponyville
Ponyville Library

I managed to re-enter the crime scene without much trouble. When I did, I noticed that Shamus was currently talking to a white unicorn stallion who looked strangely familiar. I approached unnoticed, catching the end of their conversation.

“...the autopsy report,” finished Shamus.

“Good. Make sure that you give a copy to that defense attorney too,” said the white stallion with the golden justice scales cutie mark.

“Will do.” With that, the unicorn stallion began walking toward the exit while floating a yellow file in his blue magical field. As he approached, he made direct eye contact with me, still keeping his stern expression. Then he passed and left the building without saying a word.

“Ah, you’re back,” said Shamus, redirecting my focus toward him. “And I see you brought the statues.” His horn emitted a green glow that began enveloping the figures floating beside me. “I’ll just take them off your hooves if you’re done with them.” Seeing as how I was done with them, I let Shamus take the statues back to where they belonged, leaving me with nothing but the card that Zeron gave me.

I took another cursory glance around the library. The place was still crawling with cops, though not as many as before. A part of me was itching to investigate the scene, but the other part was reminding me that I wasn't going to be Aura’s attorney, so investigating would be fruitless. In the end, the pessimistic side of me won, and I decided to leave. Just as I was about to head out though, I heard Shamus call from behind.

“Mr. Credo!” he yelled. I turned to face him, noticing the yellow file floating beside him, identical to the one the other unicorn had. He quickly ran to me, the file following closely behind. Upon catching up to me, he said, “Here, I was told to give you this.” Shamus floated the file in my direction. I could already make a good guess as to what it was, but I knew I shouldn’t be taking it. I sighed deeply and began explaining to the detective.

“Listen, sir,” I began. “I’m...I’m not really Aura’s defense attorney. I only said that to get access to the crime scene. I deeply apologize for--”

“What are you talking about?” Shamus interrupted. “Prosecutor Light gave you free reign of the crime scene because you would, without a doubt, be the defense attorney in this case.”

“What!?” Whoa whoa whoa. Slow down. Those were too many facts to take in all at once. “Prosecutor Light? I’m going to be the defense attorney? What are you talking about?”

“One question at a time there, bud. I can answer, but you’ve gotta calm down first.” He was right. I took a second to collect myself before prompting Shamus with questions.

“Ok, first, who is Prosecutor Light?”

Shamus responded, “Semper Light is a prosecutor who just transferred to the Ponyville Prosecutor’s Office about a week ago. He's not that well known as far as prosecutors go, so it's not surprising that you don't know him.”

Semper Light… Just as I suspected. He was the white stallion who was here earlier. So he's a prosecutor, huh? I guess that shouldn't be surprising considering his cutie mark, but what is he doing here? Now that I think about it, I never asked Midnight or Aura about what happened to him after he was found ‘not guilty’ in the CS-4 Incident.

“Do you know anything else about him?” I asked, hoping to glean an answer.

“Plenty.” Shamus nodded. “But I'm not sure he would want me, or anyone, to talk about it.” Looks like, if I want answers, I'll have to ask Semper himself.

“So what did you mean when you said that I would be the defense attorney?”

“Hey, I didn't say that, bud,” Shamus said, holding up a hoof. “That was all Prosecutor Light.”

“What do you mean?”

Setting his hoof down, Shamus continued, “Well, apparently, as soon as the murder was reported, Prosecutor Light immediately requested to handle the case. Not only that, but after you were taken away for questioning, he came to me and asked that you, specifically, be allowed to examine the crime scene. When I asked him why, he told me it was because you were going to be the defense attorney.”

“He mentioned me...by name?” Now I understand why Shamus didn't seem to have much of a problem with letting me into the crime scene earlier; he had already been told to let me in. The detective’s actions, however, contained a contradiction of the facts as I knew them. Before I could posit the question however, the Shamus shoved the file he was still floating towards me.

“If you aren't planning on being the accused’s defense attorney,” he said, “you'll probably have to explain that to Prosecutor Light himself. In the meantime, this autopsy report is yours.” I stared at the file for a short while before grabbing it with my own magic. “Oh, and you might want these, too.” Shamus floated over my attorney’s badge and my saddlebags (something that I hadn't yet unpacked from my suitcase).

“I thought you couldn't give this back to me yet.” I reminded, taking both items in my own magic.

“We hadn't finished performing tests on them,” Shamus informed. “Now that we have, I can give them back to you.” Something about that didn't feel right, but even so, I didn't raise any further questions. With my saddlebags, I finally had a place to put the stuff I was carrying and give my magic a rest. After fastening the bags to my back, I placed my attorney’s badge and Zeron’s card inside. As for the file, I hesitated at first, but eventually I opened it up to see what it contained.

Inside, there was a photo of the victim’s face, right flank, and a full body shot. The photos reminded me of the ones that were taken for passports. Below the photos was some personal information and the actual autopsy.

Name: Midnight Brilliance
Gender: Female
Species: Pony
Race: Unicorn
Age: 56

The victim was stabbed in the throat with a two-pronged weapon and died from the resulting blood loss between 3 and 4:30 AM on June 18th. In addition, there was a slow-acting poison found in the victim’s bloodstream that shut down the central nervous system after entering the body. The victim, however, was dead long before the poison could take its lethal effect.

After reading through the report a few times, I opened my saddlebags and put the file inside.

“Well,” Shamus began. “What are you going do? Are you going to take a look around the crime scene?” I thought to myself for a minute. I wasn't the defense attorney on this case, but for some reason, Semper Light was convinced that I was going to be. Why was that? As much as I felt like I shouldn't, I needed to continue investigating this case. There were too many unanswered questions that were related to me.

“Yes,” I answered. “I'll give the crime scene a closer inspection.”

“Then shall we get moving?” Shamus gestured toward the back of the library and the two of us walked side by side as we made our way to the scene of the murder.

The doorway leading into the workshop that Aura had mentioned was the first stop on my investigation at the request of Shamus.

“Before we head inside,” he said, “you should see this.” He directed my attention to a card reader on the wall to the right of the door. “This is the card reader that unlocks the door to the lab where the murder took place. It can only be activated by swiping the sole keycard across the sensor.” I nodded in understanding. “Every time the card is swiped, it leaves a record that shows the date and time the card was used.”

“And do you have the record printed out?” I asked, to which Shamus merely nodded. He trotted over to the receptionist’s desk, picked up a file, and came back over to me. Opening the file with his magic, he pulled out a single sheet of paper.

“This is it,” he said as I took ahold of the record.

Keycard Usage For June 17th
7:32 PM

Keycard Usage For June 18th
Never Used

I looked back up at Shamus, puzzled. “Uh, so how did the killer get into the crime scene? You're not going to suggest that they were hiding out since the late afternoon, are you?”

“Of course not. After all, you saw the accused in her room the night of the crime, right?” A bit of anger sparked in me when Shamus referred to Aura as the killer, but I let it slide for now and continued asking questions.

“So, how do you propose the killer got in then?” Shamus gave a wry smile as I put the record and the autopsy report in my saddlebags.

“Look at this,” he said as his horn flared green. I heard a soft creaking noise from behind and turned to see what it was. The sound came from the metal door as it was slowly closed by Shamus’s magic. When the door was nearly shut, I noticed that both the handle and lock on the door had completely melted. In their place was a giant hole about the size of a pony’s head that went all the way through the door.

“Whoever broke into this lab didn't use the keycard,” Shamus explained. “They simply melted the lock using an acidic concoction and pushed the door open.”

“I see…”

“However, the culprit did leave something behind.” Shamus opened the door again and pointed to the floor. Right in the middle of the doorway was a huge bloodstain, reaching from one side of the frame to the other. I remembered seeing Midnight lying in this bloodstain when I discovered her and Aura earlier. What I didn’t see at that time however, was what lay just beyond it. A set of six bloodied hoofprints led away from the bloodstain and into the lab.

I jumped over the bloodstain to get into the room and take a closer look. As I did, I was assaulted by the strong aroma of something sweet (cotton candy, maybe?). The hoofprints were clearly defined on the tiled floor. They were heading toward the long counter that was against the wall opposite the door to the lab. A quarter of the way there though, they suddenly stopped. It wasn't like they gradually became less defined and then stopped though. I mean the hoofprints just suddenly and unnaturally stopped. It was as if whoever made them just vanished after walking a few feet.

“These hoofprints are made in the victim’s blood,” Shamus explained. “We are assuming that the culprit left these to deceive us into believing that they entered the lab after the victim was killed.”

“Wait, what?” I said, snapping my head around towards Shamus. He jumped over the bloodstain to join me in the lab.

“The bloody hoofprints on the ground there are a clever disguise by the culprit.”

“What makes you think that?” I said, looking at him with scrutiny.

“The fact that the hoofprints suddenly stop. This tells us one of two things: the culprit teleported, or the culprit retraced their steps after making these tracks.”

“So, why are you eliminating the possibility that someone teleported away?”

“According to the Spell Database for Ponyville, the only three residents capable of teleportation are Princess Twilight Sparkle, Starlight Glimmer, and Midnight Brilliance. The former are both out-of-town and the latter is dead. Therefore, teleportation is out of the question.”

“The Spell Databases only have records for the town residents though, right? What if there was a pony here in Ponyville that hasn't been registered as a resident?” Shamus smirked.

“You're clever to have thought of that. Unfortunately for you though, that is also impossible.”

“How so?”

“Let’s say that the culprit came from outside. Since the library was locked, the only ways they could've gotten into the building would be either through a window, or picking the lock on the door. All of the windows in the building have collected a modicum amount of dust, meaning that none of them have been opened or cleaned in at least a week. So, in that case, the culprit must've entered through the front door, and only a unicorn could've picked the lock without leaving any traces.”

“Hold on. Couldn't a unicorn have also teleported inside? That way, there would be no need to pick the lock.”

“Nope,” Shamus continued. “This library may not be armed to defend against lock-picking, but it is armed to defend against teleportation. There is a zebra amulet built into the desk out front that casts a shield around the library. The shield was designed to prevent ponies from teleporting in to or out of the building. The amulet shows no signs of having ever been removed, so the only other way one could make it stop generating a shield is if they were to break it. Since the amulet is still whole, it's obvious that that didn't happen. Therefore, the only way a culprit from outside could've entered the building was if they picked the front door’s lock.

“Now, suppose that happened. The culprit would've came inside, committed the crime, and left these tracks, right?” I nodded to show that I was still following along. “But how did they then escape without leaving more bloody hoofprints?” I had to think for a moment on that one.

“Well...they, um...uhh...teleported near the door and then walked out?”

OBJECTION!

“Sorry, but that's impossible, bud.” Shamus wasted no time in shooting down my remark. “If the culprit teleported to the front door and walked out, then there should be bloodstains there, right? But did you see anything when you walked in earlier?” I couldn't deny that I saw nothing of the sort.

“W-Well, maybe the culprit wiped them away afterwards.”

“Nope.” Shamus said rather confidently. “If that were the case, then our luminol testing would've revealed that to us. However, all of the luminol tests in this building have turned up negative. The only bloodstains that exist at this crime scene are those in the lab that you can see with your own eyes.”

“Ngh!” My face contorted, causing me to bare my teeth for a split second. I didn't want to admit it, but this detective had me cornered.

“And that leads us to the only logical conclusion,” Shamus began. “The killer didn't come in or leave through the door, they didn't climb in through a window, and they couldn't teleport in or out of the building. So then, where did the killer come from?”

“They must've...come from inside…” Uh-oh.

“Exactly, which means it was either you or Miss Aura. Seeing as how you were completely free of blood, that proves that it couldn't have been you.”

“Well, what if I had just washed the blood off in my room and came back downstairs?” I realized I was incriminating myself, but I needed to see just how confident this detective was in his findings.

“That's something that we considered,” Shamus replied. “But we know now that that's also impossible. We know you can't teleport thanks to your registration into the Ponyville Spell Database at the train station yesterday, so if you had washed the blood off, you would've left bloody hoofprints on your way to do so. Now Miss Aura, on the other hoof, was covered in blood over her entire front side and on all four legs and hooves.”

“That's only because she was crying over her mother’s body!” I pleaded, even though I had a feeling it wouldn't be enough to convince Shamus.

“Or is it? Perhaps the reason she even did that was to create a reason for her hooves to be blood-caked.”

What!? No! Aura… Aura wouldn't have…

“You see, Mr. Credo?” Shamus said. “It could only have been Miss Aura who committed this crime.” As the detective concluded his argument, my body froze in place. My mouth stood agape as the rest of my face went pale.

“I… I won't believe it…”

“Hm?”

“The pony I spoke to in the detention center… There's no way someone as fragile as her could commit a murder like this. I refuse to believe it!” Shamus gave a long sigh.

“I guess I shouldn't expect someone as naïve as you to understand,” he said, fueling the fire that was already building up inside of me. “But a pony’s ‘personality’ means nothing as evidence. Everyone is capable of murder, be it foe, friend, or family.” Shamus’s gaze drifted off to the side. “It doesn't matter how close you are to someone, they can always stab you in the back.”

“I am not NAÏVE!” I snapped, having been so focused on that part of what Shamus had said that I missed everything else he said. My sudden outburst snapped Shamus’s attention back to me. There was a long pause as the two of us merely stared at each other. Finally, I couldn’t take the silence any longer. “I think I’ll investigate the rest of the crime scene by myself.”

“Very well.” Shamus made like he was going to leave, when he suddenly turned around and floated another piece of paper from the file he had grabbed earlier over to me.

“What's this?” I asked, looking at the document.

“These are the crime scene floor plans; I thought you might find them useful.”

After looking over them, I reluctantly placed the floor plans in my saddlebags.

“Thank you,” I said instinctively, turning away from Shamus and toward the crime scene. “Now, please leave me be.”

“As you wish.” Shamus hopped over the bloodstain in the doorway, leaving me to investigate on my own.

Ok, first crime scene investigation. Remember, check every nook and cranny, and leave no stone unturned. Aura’s counting on you.

After psyching myself up, I first gave a cursory glance at the crime scene from just in front of the doorway.

In front of me was the counter where the bloody hoofprints were leading. Below the bare, green countertop were several brown cabinets that were all closed. To my right were two cupboards with glass lining the front of each case. Inside were various herbs, powders, liquids, and minerals, each labeled for ease of retrieval. The only other thing in the lab that caught my eye was an open safe in the far right corner of the room, though from the angle I was at, I couldn't tell what was inside.

From my perfunctory examination, the layout I saw was not much different than what the floor plans described, but it doesn't hurt to familiarize oneself with the scene before giving it a closer inspection. Taking a deep breath, I readied myself mentally to begin that inspection. Feeling confident, I marched on over to the counter in front of me.

As I approached, the sweet smell that I had noticed earlier became stronger. Once I had reached the counter itself, the smell was almost overbearing. There was a sink built into the far left end of the counter from which the smell was emanating. I looked inside to see if whatever was creating the smell was still there, but when I looked inside, I found nothing. Sick of smelling the sweet aroma and seeing nothing of particular interest, I turned away from the sink and continued my search of the counter.

The entire countertop had been nicely wiped, without a single speck of dust in sight. I guess that shouldn't be too surprising though. After all, Aura said that she had practiced making potions in here. Since the countertop seemed to offer nothing of interest, my attention shifted to the cabinets beneath. I opened each one with my magic and looked inside. There were several pieces of equipment like bucksen burners, mortars and pestles, beakers, test tubes, and many others that I couldn't even hope to attach a name to. Everything was neatly organized. Not a single piece was out of place...except for one thing. There was a cabinet on the right side of the counter that held a row of what looked like test tube holders. Each one looked exactly the same: a black base holding up a black pole that spilt into two about a quarter of the way up the stand so that a ring that was attached to both poles could hang in-between while the two poles continued upwards until each one finally came to a sharp point at about the length of a grown pony’s knee. There were nine holders lined up in front of the other equipment stored in this cabinet. If it weren't for the dust mark left where another one should've been, I might not have realized that one was missing. Smiling to myself, I closed the cabinet along with the others.

Yes! I just found my first clue! I could barely contain my excitement, but I managed to remain calm, cool, and collected on the outside even if, on the inside, I was jumping for joy. After getting over my discovery, I continued my examination of the crime scene.

The next things I checked were the two cupboards behind me. If my logic was sound (and the floor plans didn't lie), then these held the ingredients used for the potions made in this lab. I tried to open the doors with my magic, but they were locked. Luckily, the key was hanging on the wall to the left. After unlocking the doors, I opened them both and looked over the various items inside. It looked like every ingredient had been used at least once, evidenced by the varying levels of ingredients left. I carefully checked every bottle, jar, and bowl for any signs of their potential use in the crime, but unfortunately, I found nothing. The cupboards themselves didn't offer up anything new either. Saddened, I locked up the two cupboards and returned the key to its rightful place.

The last thing to check was the safe. I turned around and slowly made my way over to it, sweeping the floor with my eyes as I did. When I arrived at the safe, the first thing I did was decide to check its contents. Inside the safe was...nothing! What a shocker! Totally didn't see that one coming.

Well, I guess I can't say that the safe was completely empty. A fine layer of dust covered the entire interior, even more so than the cabinets beneath the counter. In a similar fashion though, there was one area that was free of dust: a small, rectangular area near the back wall. I leaned in closer to get a better look and ended up smacking my head on the top of the safe.

“Ow!” A sharp pain shot through my head causing me to flinch backwards. As soon as I did, another pain shot through me, though this one hurt less than the first. Once I had recovered a bit, I examined the safe again to see what happened. It felt like some of my mane had been ripped out when I flinched back. Sure enough, when I looked at the top of the safe, I found some of my black mane caught in the area where the roof of the safe met its front. As I pulled my lost pieces of mane free, I noticed I wasn't the only one who had hit their head on the safe. After removing my hair and placing it in my saddlebags, I began pulling free the hair of another individual. Once I got the pieces out, I looked over them to see if they held any clues. The only thing I was able to gather from them however, was that they were orange...the same color as Aura’s mane. Unfortunately, this won't prove anything, and certainly not anything in my favor. Still, I held onto the pieces of hair to give to Shamus when I was done. I couldn't go around hiding evidence, even if it could be detrimental to my case.

Still holding the pieces of hair with my magic, I continued my examination of the safe. I began by moving the safe door into view with telekinesis. Like almost everything else in this room, the safe door was covered with dust, including the 10 digit keypad and wheel that I guess were used to open the safe. Looking a bit closer at the wheel though, I noticed one section of it was free of dust (that also seems to be a running thing here). The wheel had about the circumference of an average wall clock with three spokes jutting out from the center and leading to the twelve o’clock, four o’clock, and eight o’clock positions. The section of the wheel that lay between the four and eight was the area that was free of dust. Curious, I used my magic to rotate the wheel which caused three bars to slowly emerge from the right side of the safe door, most likely used to keep the door shut when it was locked. The wheel stopped turning after only spinning it halfway around. The clean part of the wheel was now between the spokes that would point to the two and ten on a clock. Taking note of this, I returned the wheel and the safe door to their original position. The rest of my examination of the safe turned up nothing of value or interest.

Seeing nothing else in the lab that caught my attention, I called my investigation to a close. I looked at the pieces of hair that I held in my magical field, knowing that still I needed to deliver them to Shamus.

When I returned to the library portion of the building, Shamus was right there waiting for me.

“So. Do you feel like you have a good understanding of the crime scene?” Seeing him act so smug made my temper flare just a bit. I was still bitter over his earlier comment, but now wasn't the time to go down that road.

“Yes,” I replied. “And I think I even found something that you overlooked.” Acting a bit smug myself, I floated over the pieces of hair to the detective.

“Oh? And what are these?” He asked, taking them with his own magic.

“I'm pretty sure they're pieces of somepony’s mane. I found them caught in the roof of the safe.”

“I see…” The detective carefully inspected each piece, taking his time doing so.

“I’m sure a DNA analysis will reveal exactly who they belong to.”

“And you honestly believe they won't belong to Miss Aura? I mean look at the color.”

“Yeah, I know. It's the same color as Aura’s mane. But even if it’s revealed to be hers, I don't know what you can prove with it. Aura told me that she uses that room all the time, so it's not unusual to find her hair there.”

“Given the prosecution’s case,” Shamus continued as he floated over a coin envelope. “Her hair could certainly prove something.” He placed the hairs inside the envelope and sealed it shut, making sure to get all the air out.

“What would it prove?” I asked, curious as to what Semper was going to claim in court.

“I'm afraid I can't tell you that.” Shamus refused without even a thought. “Knowing the prosecutor’s approach to a case ahead of time gives you an unfair advantage. All you can know is that he will try to find Aura Sensory guilty of her mother’s murder.” He answer enraged me, bringing to the surface a question that I have had on my mind for a while.

“But why?” I asked, trying to control my temper. “Why is Prosecutor Light trying to find his own sister guilty? He should know that Aura doesn't have the demonic and selfish black heart of a criminal. So why--”

“You're saying Aura isn't selfish?” Shamus interrupted. “The mare locks herself away for fifteen years despite the pleas from her mother and older sister to come out. She doesn't care about anyone else, all she wants to do is secure her own safety.”

“That's not true!” I yelled. “She tried really hard to get her cutie mark for her sister!”

“And how did she try to do that?”

“W-Well… she tried making potions, learning magic, being a librarian, and becoming an attorney.”

“All of which do not require her to leave the house. Not even in obtaining her attorney’s badge did she have to leave this place as Miss Midnight managed to arrange her bar exam to be taken here in the library.” My eyes narrowed, flaming with fury, while my teeth clenched as I let out a growl.

“And what's she doing now, might I ask?” Shamus continued, not caring about the expression I was giving him. “Could the reason why you said you weren't going to be the defense attorney for her be because she denied your services? Even after she made you run an errand for her? Tell me, Mr. Credo, who's really the selfish one?” It took every bit of power within me to hold myself back from attacking Shamus.

“What is your problem?” I resorted to questioning to relieve my anger. “First you call me naïve, and now you taunt me?”

“You claim that criminals are ‘selfish, demonic, and black-hearted.’” Shamus said, looking away. “Yet you seem to believe wholeheartedly in Miss Aura’s innocence despite her selfishness. By your logic, you should at least be questioning whether or not to trust this pony. You've only just met her. She could be a changeling in disguise for all you know. Your immaturity has led you to trust this mare based on nothing but her own words. That kind of attitude is just asking for betrayal.” He turned back to face me. “I have no issue with you, personally. I am merely pointing out the flaws in your own logic.” Words could not describe how angry I was. He had insulted me beyond what I could allow. Payback was in order, and I knew just how to deliver it.

“You're right, ” I told him. “I shouldn't be so openly trusting...especially not to liars like you.”

“Wh-What!?” Shamus flinched back in shock.

“You want to find the flaws in my logic? Then how about I find the flaws in yours.” Shamus stared at me, his smirk wiped clean off. “You told me earlier that the reason you let me into the crime scene was because Prosecutor Light told you that I was going to be the defense attorney. What I bet he didn't tell you though, was what I looked like. When I came up to the door and asked to examine the crime scene earlier, you didn't even ask me my name, but you still let me inside. I doubt someone as untrusting as you would've let me in just because I said I was going to be the defense attorney. You only would've let me in if you knew for a fact I was Credo.” Shamus stood silently, not showing any outward signs that I was getting to him. “So tell me Shamus, how did you know who I was?” There was a period of more silence before Shamus spoke again.

“I think it's about time you left,” He said, pointing towards the exit.

“Oh, I don't think so,” I replied, standing my ground. “You're going to answer my question first.”

“You misunderstand, little pony.” I felt myself suddenly surrounded by magic and lifted off the ground. “As the head detective of this crime scene, I have the right to remove you whenever I please.” Shamus walked toward the exit with me still in his magical grasp.

After opening the doors, Shamus set me down outside. I tried to rush back in, but his magical grasp still surrounded me and was too strong for my muscles to overcome. “I don't want to see you again until tomorrow. If I do, I'll charge you with tampering with the crime scene.”

“What!?” Shamus answered my perplexed outburst by floating up the coin envelope containing the hair I found.

“You removed these hairs from the crime scene without my permission, did you not?” The detective’s signature smirk had returned to his face.

“W-Well…” Shoot! I forgot about his warning.

“That's a crime, Mr. Credo. I'm willing to overlook it for now because you brought me the evidence and told me where you found it, but should I see you around my crime scene again today, I won't be so forgiving.” Now it was my turn to be stunned into silence.

“I see that you understand.” Shamus said, releasing me from his grasp. “Now please go away, and don't come back.” With that, the smug detective shut the doors to the library, leaving me angry and alone.

To be continued...

Author's Note

Proofreaders: PeerImagination and 0_0

Now that Season 7 has started, I feel the need to make this known: ONLY EPISODES UP TO AND INCLUDING SEASON 6 ARE CANON TO THIS STORY. It's certainly possible that a future episode in Season 7 may render the plot of this story impossible, so I just need to make sure everyone knows that episodes that aired after "To Where and Back Again Part 2" are not going to be canon to Ace Attorney: Heart of Justice and should not be thought of as such.

There, now that that's out of the way, I hope you enjoyed and are looking forward to Chapter 5!