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.