Spike The Dragon: Ace Attorney

March 21, 4:08 PM
District Court
Defendant Lobby No.6

Spike felt his hands shaking, his feet quaking in his boots. He could feel the sweat fall down his forehead and drip onto the cold white tiled floor. He leaned back onto the red couch and he felt his head hit the picture above it, making him quickly put his head back down in pain.

He could hear the two armoured guards snickering to themselves as they guarded the locked brown big door on different ends. The ceiling was white and so was the walls. There was also a chandelier hanging from the ceiling illuminating the room with light.

Suddenly a purple face loomed over Spike, it's green eyes holding confusion.

"What are you doing?" Asked his client, Cheerilee with a small amount of amusement in her voice.

"Oh...um, I was just um...." Spike stuttered in surprise. "Mulling over the facts of this case...Yeah..."

"You look nervous Spike, are you sure you're ready for this?" Asked Cheerilee as she observed Spike's appearance.

Spike slowly inhaled and exhaled. "I'm not sure, but I do know one thing. You're not guilty and if nobody else is willing to give you a chance then I will do it!"

Cheerilee smiled at him. "You may not have the bravado that a lawyer has but you've got the mind set of one."

(Ah yes, Miss. Cheerilee, Ponyville's most beloved teacher. Loved by students and parents alike. I know that she cant be guilty.)

Cheerilee was a purple coated earth pony with a long pink mane and tail. Her cutie mark represented her so accurately, it was a picture of three flowers smiling innocently truly showing how kind and harmless Cheerilee really was. There was no way she did the murder!

"Hey, Spike." Said Cheerilee, snapping Spike out of his thoughts.

"Huh? What is it Cheerilee?" Inquired Spike.

"The pony who is supposed to be prosecuting this case.,..I think they're on of my old students." Replied Cheerilee. "I believe his name is...Snails."

"Oh I remember him! Wait....How did he get pass law school?" Asked Spike while rubbing his chin.

"I don't mean to offend my ex-student....but he isn't the brightest of the bunch." Said Cheerilee with a sheepish smile. "Don't tell him that though....I made him believe that he's smarter than the rest. Just to help improve his grades."

Spike chuckled. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

"Everypony, please make your way into the court - the trial is about to begin." Declared the Bailiff as the door was unlocked and opened, revealing the courtroom inside.

"Best of luck, Spike." Said Cheerilee with full confidence that Spike would save her.

March 21, 4:15 PM
District Court
Courtroom No.6

Spike gulped and straightened his posture before walking into the courtroom. He noticed that the seats were almost full and that the Judge was an old orange coated unicorn stallion with a gavel for a cutie mark that had no hair other than his gigantic white beard and tail, however what he noticed the most was the yellow coated unicorn stallion with a green mane and tail wearing a black business suit, hiding his cutie mark of a snail.

(Snails.....)

The Judge slammed his gavel down after Spike was in his position along with Cheerilee.

"The Court is now in session for the Trial of Miss. Cheerilee." Announced the Judge. "Is the Prosecution ready?"

"The Prosecution is ready, Your Honour." Said Snails arrogantly.

"And the defence?" Inquired the Judge.

"Ready, Your Honour." Replied Spike, trying to remain clam.

(I hope I am....)

"Very good. The prosecution may now begin their opening statement." Said the Judge as he stroked his beard.

"Thank you, Your Honour. The victim, Mrs.Cake was found stabbed to death by a kitchen knife in her own bakery just yesterday. The time of death was 9:30 AM and the cause of death was a puncture in her left lung. The murder weapon was not found but one of the kitchen knives were missing. It's all in this autopsy report." Said Snails with a smirk.

"Wait!" Shouted Spike. "None of that points to my client being gui-"

"I was getting to that." Said Snails. "There was a message written on the wall, one that clearly said, 'Cheerilee'. It was written in blood - the victims blood. We believe this to be her dying message - to tell the world who the true killers was! We have a photo of the scene right...here!"

Snails showed the court a picture which contained the victim's body slouched against the wall with a gaping hole about 18 cm wide in her chest with blood covering her torso and right hoof with the defendant's name written in blood behind it.

(Looks like Snails has changed over the years....He's certainly more intelligent now.)

"I thank you Mr. Snails. The Court will accept this as evidence." Said the Judge.

Autopsy Report Added To The Court Record.
Crime Scene Photo Added To The Court Record.

(This isn't looking good for me!)

"There's even a witness to the crime, the husband - Mr.Cake!" Announced Snails with smug grin.

Spike gritted his teeth. This was going to be tough but he would get through this, no matter what!

"Very well, call your Witness to the stand." Said the Judge.

A yellow coated stallion with a messy orange mane and tail that also had three carrot cakes as a cutie mark and also was wearing a white and red hat and suit walked onto the witness stand. His blue eyes glaring at Cheerilee, who flinched and looked away in sadness.

"Witness, state your name and occupation." Demanded Snails arrogantly.

"Mr. Cake, former husband of the late Mrs.Cake and owner of the bakery Sugar Cube Corner." Said Mr.Cake sadly.

"Mr. Cake I know this must be hard for you but please tell us what you saw." Said the Judge.

"I'll do anything to put that monster behind bars!" Spat Mr. Cake aggressively.

Witness Testimony
--------The Killer-------

I was asleep in my bed until I heard a loud scream coming from down stairs.

After realising that my wife wasn't next to me I immediately ran down the stairs.

What I saw was...horrifying. Cheerilee was standing in front of the corpse with a grin on her face.

She then ran out after she noticed me and I instantly tried to contact the authorities.

------End------

"See Your Honour? There is hardly a need for a cross-examination. It seems like a pretty simple open and shut case." Said Snails.

"Hmmm....You do raise a good point..." Muttered the Judge.

"Hold it!" Shouted Spike. "Your Honour - you can't really be considering this can you?! We need to go over every minor or major detail - we are deciding somepony's fate here, You Honour!"

".......I've come to a decision. I shall allow you to cross-examine the witness." Decided the Judge. "However this witness is clearly and understandably distraught over the death of his wife. If you press him with irrelevant questions I will end the Cross-Examination and give my verdict."

"Understood, Your Honour." Said Spike. "Thank you."

"You may begin your Cross-Examination now Mr.Spike." Said the Judge. "Witness, please tell us your Testimony one last time."

"Very well..." Said Mr. Cake.

Witness Testimony
--------The Killer-------

I was asleep in my bed until I heard a loud scream coming from down stairs.

After realising that my wife wasn't next to me I immediately ran down the stairs.

What I saw was...horrifying. Cheerilee was standing in front of the corpse with a grin on her face.

"Hold It!" Shouted Spike. "Witness, you claim that you saw Miss. Cheerilee at the scene of the murder. Then if so...why didn't you mention that she was holding the knife?!"

"I was more focused on the corpse of my wife." Snarled Mr. Cake.

"I don't think so! You claimed that Cheerilee was standing in front of the corpse with a grin on her face. If you noticed the grin - then you certainly noticed the knife!"

"OBJECTION!" Yelled Snails. "The defendant could've hidden it before he came down the stairs."

(Could that really be possible? Could she have hidden it?.....No! Wait, of course!)

Spike smirked and shook his head. "That would be impossible the witness clearly claimed that he immediately ran down the stairs. If this is true then the culprit wouldn't have enough time to hide it!"

Snails flinched and stepped backwards. "Impossible!"

Ponies in the Court started a ruckus of noise with the shocking turn of events.

(Now the tables are turning!)

"Order! Order!" Shouted the Judge as he slammed his gavel until the room went silent. "The defence raises a good point, do you have any explanation for this mess up, Mr. Cake?"

"I apologise....I forgot to mention an important factor....the memory was so terrible that I tried to remove it..." Mr. Cake sighed heavily. "I now realise I must face my fears if I wish to overcome them."

"I understand.....this must be a painful event in your life after all." Said the Judge sadly. "Very well, I will allow you to update your testimony."

Ponies in the Court began to cry, including the Defendant and Judge.

(Crap! Now he's got the whole Courtroom on his side.)

"It went like this...." Muttered Mr. Cake.

-----Repressed Memories-----

I remember a kitchen knife with blood dripping of it's edge being in the defendants possession.

She had the knife's handle in her mouth and had a mad glint in her eyes.

She looked conflicted when she stared at me, as if wondering to kill me or not.

She then fled with the knife in her mouth and with the time of day...nopony was in the streets.

I then decided the contact the authorities.

-----End-----

"As you can see, the Witness is clearly traumatised by the whole thing....so I believe the same rules of pressing him should be put into place, Your Honour." Said Snails.

"I agree. Mr. Spike, if you ask the witness unrelated questions your client will be declared guilty." Said the Judge. "Are we clear?"

"Yes, Your Honour." Replied Spike as he began to sweat.

(Why cant anything go my way for once?!)

"Very well, Mr. Spike you can begin your Cross-Examination now." Said the Judge.

Witness Testimony
-----Repressed Memories-----

I remember a kitchen knife with blood dripping of it's edge being in the defendants possession.

"Hold it!" Shouted Spike. "How did it get into her possession?"

"OBJECTION!" Shouted Snails. "Are you seriously asking that?! It came from the kitchen in Sugar Cube Corner."

"Then how did she get into Sugar Cube Corner?" Asked Spike. "I thought that it only opened at 10:00 AM."

"You aren't wrong." Said Mr. Cake. "We keep records of those who buy from the bakery and it always begins at 10:00 AM or 10:30 AM. I have one here. It's for the past two months."

Sugar Cube Corner Customer List (Jan-Feb) Added To The Court Record.

(This might come in handy later...)

"Was there any sign of forced entry?" Asked the Judge.

"Yes, Your Honour." Said Snails. "There was a broken window, it's glass completely shattered - there was a piece glass covered in blood. We found it in the bin, the blood belonged to Mr. Cake."

Shattered Window Added To The Court Record.
Bloodied Glass Shard Added To The Court Record.

The Court ponies began muttering to each other as doubts arose.

"Mr. Cake? Why him?" Asked Spike.

"He must've accidentally stabbed himself in the foot during his rush to his wife." Said Snails with a smirk. "That's the only explanation."

"Sounds reasonable...after all he was in a rush." Said the Judge. "You may continue with your testimony."

"As I was saying..." Said Mr. Cake.

She had the knife's handle in her mouth and had a mad glint in her eyes.

She looked conflicted when she stared at me, as if wondering to kill me or not.

She then fled with the knife in her mouth and with the time of day...nopony was in the streets.

"Hold it!" Shouted Spike. "Are you entirely sure that there was nopony out there?"

"Yes, I am." Responded Mr. Cake.

"What about the police? When they arrested her, there was no weapon on her." Said Spike.

"Hold it!" Shouted Snails. "That was twenty-eight minutes after the call, she could've thrown it away or even burned it."

"Good riddance." Said Mr. Cake. "Anyway, afterwards I..."

I then decided the contact the authorities.

"Hold it!" Shouted Spike. "When did you call the authorities?"

"I believe it was 10:12 AM." Responded Mr. Cake.

"Could you add it to your testimony please?" Asked Spike.

"If you insist." Replied Mr. Cake.

The time of the call was 10:12.

"OBJECTION!" Shouted Spike. "You claimed that the time of the call was 10:12, correct?"

"Yes, I did." Replied Mr. Cake.

"However, according to this autopsy report the victim stopped breathing at 9:30 AM!" Shouted Spike with adrenaline coursing through his veins. "Even with your interaction with the defendant - you still should've been able to contact the authorities before 10:00 AM!"

"Argh!" Grunted Mr. Cake as he placed his right hoof over his left shoulder like he was just hit.

"He was just in shock! The poor man just saw his wife's dead body." Countered Snails desperately.

"Yes but shock doesn't last for half an hour!" Shouted Spike in protest.

"The defence makes a good point. How do you respond to that Mr. Cake?" Asked the Judge.

"I was confused! Somepony had just broken into my house and killed my wife! I didn't pay that much attention to a stupid clock!" Shouted Mr. Cake aggressively. "And besides....Cheerilee's name is still on the wall, right?"

"Yes, that's correct! Not only do you have a solid reason for your misinterpretation of the time, you also have reminded us about the main piece of evidence." Said Snails. "Besides that - you have no motive to lie in the first place."

"Oh! That's right - it was his wife after all..." Said the Judge in realisation. "I guess there wouldn't be any true reason to lie about her death...."

"Yes, I believe that this entire trial is now simple, isn't it? There really is no other way you can look at this...I think you should slam that gravel of yours and end this madness!" Said Snails with a sly smirk.

"Yes, you are quite right." Said the Judge. "Before I continue do I have any objections?

(Is there really nothing I can do? Is it all over now?)

Seeing that Spike wasn't responding, the Judge decided to continue.

"Well, then I shall hand down my verdict." Spoke the Judge as he lifted his gavel with his magic.

"You can do something Spike!" Yelled Cheerilee. "Think outside the box!"

(Think outside the box? What does she mean?)

"I declare Miss. Cheerilee as GUI-"

"OBJECTION!" Shouted Spike, his arm outstretched towards the Judge.

"Uh....do you have an objection Mr. Spike?" Asked the Judge.

(Think Spike, think!

Alright so the victim died at 9:30AM

A scream woke Mr. Cake up.

Then he ran downstairs, in which he saw the defendant.

And then the defendant ran off with the murder weapon.

Then he contacted the authorities later than he really should.

That's what we know....if we we're to spin it around and see out of a different perspective....

Then we would get this!!!

At 9:30 AM Mr. Cake killed Mrs. Cake with the murder weapon.

However, there had been a problem earlier - the window was shattered by a missed strike!

Then Mrs. Cake took the opportunity to fight back against Mr. Cake!

She picked up a shard of broken glass and attempted to stab him, staining the piece of glass.

He then gained an advantage and stabbed her in the chest, puncturing a lung.

Then knowing that every Monday Cheerilee picked up cupcakes with his Customer List.

He framed her by writing her name with his wife's blood!

Then before he contacted the authorities he hid the murder weapon and put the broken piece of glass in the bin!

I'VE GOT IT!

"W-well...Mr.Spike...your objection?" Asked the Judge.

Spike's eyes opened with a steely resolve. "The motive that Mr. Cake has for lying is pretty simple Your Honour - He is the true culprit!"

END OF PART 1