Twilight Sparkle: Ace Attorney

It has been a few weeks since the Spike trial incident as two ponies were seen at Sugarcube Corner talking, those were Starlight and Pinkie

“How’s it going Pinkie?” Starlight asked

“Very well, I’m so happy that I saw you again, eh, not as much as my friends of course” Pinkie said

“Hehe, I get it, I mean, we’ve bonded a lot the last few days but remember we are all still best friends, don’t forget that” Starlight said

“True, true! So… Why did you call me here?” Pinkie asked

“Oh right, about that, you see, I want you to hold onto some evidence” Starlight explained

“Evidence? Why? What’s going on?” Pinkie asked

“I can’t tell you, let’s just say we recently got news that some pony threatened me to give some evidence so please, meet me in the Castle of Friendship in a few hours so I can give you the evidence” Starlight said

“A-Alright then and bring Twilight too, I’m sure she can protect the castle for us” Pinkie said

“Good but don’t tell anypony about this or else it might be game over for me, for you, for everypony!” Starlight said

“Of course! My lips are sealed!” Pinkie said

Pinkie and Starlight then stood up ready to leave and when they did they didn’t know somepony was watching them

One hour later Starlight heard a knock on the door of the Castle of Friendship

“Huh? Who could this be?” Starlight asked

Starlight then opened the door only to see somepony standing in the shadows in front of her

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t my dear old friend Starlight Glimmer?” The pony asked

“What are you doing here?! I thought Applejack and Fluttershy arrested you already!” Starlight reminded

“Arrested me?!” The pony asked before giving a laugh “That’s funny, guess you didn’t hear about me, the almighty owner of every royal force in Equestria” The pony said

“Are you serious right now?! Who told you that?!” Starlight asked

“I just know that, now, wasn’t there some evidence you had against me?” The pony asked

“Yes but I’m about to show that tomorrow, why? Does that interest you? Or wait! Do you want to steal it?!” Starlight asked

“Wha—?! Steal it?! Of course not! I mean, after all, I just want to see it” The pony said

“No! I won’t let you! And besides somepony’s coming to get it in just one hour!” Starlight reminded

“Well, we can’t let this happen, can we?” The pony asked

“Of course we can let this ha—” Starlight started before the pony pulled out a gun “Wh- What are you thinking?! You’re literally about to kill a defense attorney and a Castle guard!” Starlight reminded

“Then give me the evidence or I will do it!” The pony ordered

“No! Never!” Starlight said

“Then I will do this the hard way” The pony said

Starlight then prepared to shield herself only for the pony to shoot her

“Gh—!” Starlight called out

Starlight then fell to the ground as she began to fall asleep

“If you want me to bring you to the hospital tell me where the evidence is or else I’ll leave you for death!” The guy ordered

“N-No… Way…” Starlight stuttered

Starlight then fell asleep as the last thing she heard was the pony laughing a bit

One hour later we saw Twilight walking towards her castle as Pinkie hopped on over to her

“Hi Twily! How’s it going?!” Pinkie asked

“It’s been going well Pinkie, what about you?” Twilight asked

“Same here” Pinkie said

“Say, where are you off to?” Twilight asked

“I was supposed to meet Starlight in your castle? What about you?” Pinkie asked

“Oh, well, I was asked to come protect you two, don’t know why that is though” Twilight explained

The two soon arrived at the castle as Pinkie got a little nervous

“Are you alright Pinkie?” Twilight asked

“Yeah I’m fine, there’s definitely not gonna be a dead body in there” Pinkie answered

“What makes you think that?” Twilight asked

“It’s just a not needed guess” Pinkie answered

“Yeah, but now let’s go meet with Starlight” Twilight suggested

Twilight then opened the door but as soon as she did she knew she wasn’t supposed to do it, inside the lobby was the body of Twilight’s former student; Starlight Glimmer

But when Pinkie saw the body she began screaming and once she was done she rushed towards the body and hugged it tightly

“Please don’t be dead! Please! Tell us what happened or else I’ll… I’ll…” Pinkie pleaded in sobs

Twilight who saw the body also had a few tears in her eyes as she slowly began approaching Pinkie

“It’s okay Pinkie, allow me to investigate and then I’ll answer a few questions, I’m sure you must know a few things” Twilight said

“O-Okay” Pinkie said

“Great!” Twilight said

Pinkie then went away from the body but no matter how hard she tries to look away she kept looking as more tears came out of her eyes until she decided to slowly walk out of the lobby to try and take some fresh air

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t protect you Starlight” Twilight apologized

Twilight then began checking the area for clues before she found a gun on the ground

“A gun? How did this get here? Did her killer bring it in?” Twilight thought

Twilight then continued to look around only to find a nearby plant pot is in pieces

“Is that a plant pot? Since when was it here? Did Starlight buy this without letting me know? These questions must and should be answered whenever the trial begins” Twilight thought

Twilight then looked around again only to find something on the ground

“Huh? Is that a piece of paper?” Twilight asked in her thoughts

Twilight then went towards the paper as she read what was on it but there was only one thing on it and it was a name, a name she was all too familiar with

“PINKIE!” Twilight called out in shock

Pinkie then rushed into the room

“Twilight! Somepony just ran away!” Pinkie called out

“This can’t get any worse, can it?” Twilight thought in worry

“What’s wrong Twilight? You look a little nervous” Pinkie asked

“I-It’s nothing, just a little shocked is all” Twilight answered nervously

“But somebody literally ran off when she saw us looking at the body! I only saw their glimpse!” Pinkie reminded

“I know but don’t worry, we still have time, besides, I still gotta ask you some questions” Twilight explained

“Really? Well, go ahead” Pinkie suggested

“When we got here you seemed nervous? Is that another part of your Pinkie Sense?” Twilight asked

“I forgot to tell you but yeah” Pinkie answered

“Wow! Very well then, that does seem possible, second question, why were you on your way to the castle?” Twilight asked

“Well, I was supposed to go get some evidence, I suppose Starlight did want to protect us as she asked you to guard us from any thieves” Pinkie explained

“That does seem plausible” Twilight thought “Last question, do you remember this?” Twilight asked

Twilight then showed Pinkie the note with her name on it

“What?! Of course I don’t! How dare that criminal target me for murdering one of my bestest friends?!” Pinkie asked

“I’m not sure why but I suggest you—” Twilight started

Stygian then teleported into the lobby along with a few other royal guards

“Put down your weapons and stand straight! I’m here because somepony told me somepony was murdered by one of you!” Stygian called out

“Crap! We’re too late!” Twilight thought in defeat

“By a technicality, we didn’t do it!” Pinkie said

“Be quiet!” Stygian ordered

Stygian then motioned the royal guards to rush towards the scene who checked every nook and cranny until…

“Stygian, we’ve found a note!” The police called out

“I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you Pinkie” Twilight thought sadly

Stygian then walked over to it

“Hmm, that does seem like plausible evidence” Stygian muttered before turning to the two of us “Alright Pinkie, you’re under arrest” Stygian said

“What?! Why?!” Pinkie asked in shock

“This note proves that you have murdered Starlight, you really have changed” Stygian said

“Hold on a second, Pinkie would never do anything like this!” Twilight reminded

“Are you sure? Remember how years ago even twins murdered each other?” Stygian asked

“But that was years ago and besides Starlight has solved the case already” Twilight reminded

“Still, that doesn’t mean friends could do it too!” Stygian reminded

“Gh—!” Twilight realized

“Besides you’re gonna have to go too, you’re still gonna have to be interrogated” Stygian reminded

“Fine!” Twilight said in defeat

Knowing there wasn’t a way out of this Twilight followed after Stygian as they went to a nearby police office in Ponyville where Twilight was getting interrogated

[The Next Day]

After a good night’s rest at Sugarcube Corner Twilight went to prepare herself for the day

“Still can’t believe Pinkie was called out as the suspect, I should probably go and see how she’s doing, she might be a little sad right now, I may as well ask her some questions there too” Twilight thought out loud

Twilight then went out of her room as she went down the stairs only to see Mrs. Cake in front of her

“Hey Twilight, we went to check on Pinkie last night but you were sleeping in your room, what happened?” Mrs. Cake asked

“It’s a long story, let’s just say she’s put on trial” Twilight answered

“What?! Why?!” Mrs. Cake asked in shock

“She’s targeted as the one that killed Starlight” Twilight answered sadly

“Are you serious?! She wouldn’t do that?! She was friends with her, right?” Starlight asked

“Yeah, that’s why I’m gonna help her, don’t worry, she’ll be back as soon as the case is solved” Twilight said

“I hope so too” Mrs. Cake said

“Please do whatever you can to keep her in your thoughts until she’s back” Twilight said

“As you wish” Mrs. Cake said

Mrs. Cake then left as Twilight who was worried for them went out of Sugarcube Corner

“Now that I’ve told them about the situation they’ll be doing whatever they can to support Pinkie but now I’ve got one more thing to do, chat with Pinkie and see how she’s doing” Twilight thought

Twilight then went towards the detention center and applied for a meeting with Pinkie and when she got accepted she went into the room where she saw Pinkie with flat mane sitting in a chair as Twilight followed her lead and sat on the opposite side in worry

“Hey Pinkie, are you doing okay?” Twilight asked

“N-No” Pinkie answered sadly

“I thought so” Twilight said before giving a warm smile “Don’t worry Pinkie, everything will be okay, I will be doing whatever I can to solve the case” Twilight explained

“R-Really?” Pinkie asked

“Yeah, I mean, you didn’t kill Starlight, did you?” Twilight asked

“N-No” Pinkie answered sadly

“That’s what I thought, tell me what you heard?” Twilight asked

“I thought you were gonna help me” Pinkie answered

“W-Well, yeah I am, what makes you think that?” Twilight asked

“I guess you didn’t know” Pinkie realized

“Didn’t know what?” Twilight asked

“Let me explain, a few days ago moments after the first trial I went to Starlight’s office to discuss somethings about my mom because she left the first month of the first ever trials for unknown reasons” Pinkie explained

“Unknown reasons?” Twilight asked

“Yeah, I only knew that it was one of the cases that Prince Rutherford had failed to succeed” Pinkie explained

“Huh? What case? What are you talking about?” Twilight asked

“Have you ever heard of the case regarding a certain defense ka DL-6?” Pinkie asked

“DL-6? No I haven’t, is that the case that Prince Rutherford failed?” Twilight asked

“Exactly, it’s also the case where my mom had to help Treehugger with channeling a spirit” Pinkie explained

“A spirit? You mean, channeling the DEAD?!” Twilight asked in shock

“Exactly, she tried to channel the victim which allowed the royal guards to figure out it was a lie and the defendant was found not guilty, it also ruined my mom’s reputation and she left, never to be seen again” Pinkie answered

“Wow! And what has that got to do with anything?” Twilight asked

“Well, Starlight wanted to help me and she said that if I found clues I should tell her friend and chief Ember, she would know what to do, she even told me that if I got into danger I should also tell her” Pinkie answered

“And now you’re in danger” Twilight realized

“Exactly, that’s why I was wondering if you’d be willing to go to the dragon lands and ask her for help” Pinkie pleaded

“Of course, anything for you” Twilight said

“Thanks Twilight, I knew I could count on you” Pinkie thanked

Twilight then gave her a warm smile before she went out of the detention center and towards the dragon lands

“If only Pinkie told me the way to go to Ember’s office” Twilight thought

Twilight then continued to fly until she entered a large cave where Torch formerly lived and when she entered she noticed Ember eating some gems

“Ember, how’s it going?” Twilight asked

Ember who heard Twilight’s voice then turned to her

“Hello there Twilight, didn’t see you there, I’m doing just fine, having a bit of refreshments just now, want some?” Ember asked

“No need, I don’t even eat gems after all” Twilight reminded

“Oh right” Ember realized before looking in confusion “So, what is the meaning of your visit?” Ember asked

“Well, you know Starlight, right?” Twilight asked

“Of course, everypony in Equestria knows Starlight” Ember answered

“Right, well, um, I’m sorry to say this but, um, she uh, she—” Twilight stuttered nervously

“What’s wrong with her, is she okay?!” Ember asked worriedly

“N-No, she kinda got killed” Twilight answered nervously

“WHAT?! How could this happen?!” Ember asked in shock

“That I’m not sure off and that’s why, because of her request I was wondering if—” Twilight started

“I-I can’t” Ember answered sadly

“You could— Huh?!” Twilight asked in shock

“I’m sorry but I can’t help you, it’s in my contract” Ember answered

“Contract? What contract?” Twilight asked

“Well, moments before you came, Crackle Cosette entered the room and gave me a contract that I do not help Pinkie, she even told me that I’d fail the trial easily thanks to conclusive evidence” Ember explained

“Are you serious?! Why did Crackle Cosette do this?!” Twilight asked in shock and disbelief

“I have no idea but knowing that I could easily fail this trial I accepted the contract, I’m sorry but I’m afraid you will not be able to save your friend” Ember apologized

“I can and I will, I’ll show you!” Twilight reminded in anger

Twilight then teleported away

“She seems desperate, did I say something wrong?” Ember thought before shrugging it off

Twilight soon arrived back at the detention center as she paced around in worry

“Oh what do I do! If Ember’s not gonna help then who do I ask?!” Twilight asked in worry

[Flashback Start]

“Oh! And Twilight, I know I might not be there for most of the time but you should know that wherever I am I count on you to bring peace in Equestria” Starlight said

[Flashback End]

“I’ve got it!” Twilight realized

Twilight then entered the detention center and applied for another meeting with Pinkie and when she did she waited again before she could enter the room which she did only to see Pinkie with slightly happier smile as she took a seat in front of her

“And… Did it work?” Pinkie asked

“No it didn’t” Twilight answered

“Oh” Pinkie realized sadly

“But I have an idea” Twilight said

“Really?” Pinkie asked

“Yeah, if you didn’t know, Starlight has been my chief during the first trial and she told me that if she was gone I may help other ponies in their trials and well, here we are” Twilight answered

“Wait! You wanna defend me?!” Pinkie asked in shock

“Of course, I may or may not have just started out but I’m sure I know what to do” Twilight said

“Very well, if you say so” Pinkie said worriedly

“Now if I may, shall I ask you some questions?” Twilight asked

“Sure, I don’t know much though” Pinkie said

“Don’t worry, just tell me everything you know and pretend you’re talking to a friend instead of an attorney” Twilight said

“O-Okay” Pinkie said

“Great! First question, last night you mentioned you were going to meet up with Starlight, do you know why? If so, tell me about it” Twilight suggested

“Okay” Pinkie said as she began thinking “Last night Starlight came to me and asked me to help her with some evidence of hers” Pinkie explained

“Evidence? What evidence?” Twilight asked

“She didn’t say, all I knew was that it was for the next case and she asked for me to guard it until then” Pinkie explained

“Hmm, that does sound like Starlight” Twilight said

“I know! I agreed to meet up with her about it but apparently she was dead by then” Pinkie explained

“I’ll go check the office for you okay, maybe it is there” Twilight said

“T-Thanks” Pinkie thanked

“Anything else you know?” Twilight asked

“Hmm, that’s everything” Pinkie answered

“Very well, last question, did you see the pony that rushed off?” Twilight asked

“Yeah, it was a lime pony with dark orange mane, that’s all I saw” Pinkie answered

“Hmm, okay, thanks for the help Pinkie” Twilight thanked

Twilight then walked out of the room as she began thinking

“Maybe I should go take another look back home, there might be some clue I missed” Twilight thought

Twilight then began walking towards her house and once she arrived outside her door she saw some royal guards investigating

“It looks pretty busy in here, maybe a quick investigation is in order” Twilight thought

Twilight then slowly went up the steps of her castle until she stopped in front of a royal guard

“Halt! Citizens are not allowed to enter this castle until further notice!” The royal guard ordered

“Actually sir I’m here to investigate the crime scene” Twilight explained

“Is that so? Show me some proof!” The royal guard ordered

“Seriously! You think I’m lying?” Twilight asked angrily

“N-No, we’re just asked to do it for the prosecutor” The royal guard answered nervously

“That doesn’t sound comforting” Twilight thought “Very well” Twilight explained

Twilight then began explaining the whole story of what she and Pinkie discussed about the defense and about how Ember declined and when she finished the royal guard began thinking

“Very well, you may enter” The royal guard said
“Thank you sir” Twilight thanked

The royal guard then went aside as Twilight went inside her home only to smell the air still a bit stuffy but a little less than before

“Wow, I should definitely have Spike clean up this place again” Twilight thought

Twilight then trotted over to where the body was only to see Stygian reading the autopsy report to see if it was accurate enough

“Hey there sir, I’d like to—” Twilight started

Stygian turned around angrily

“What do you want, can’t you see I’m investigating?!” Stygian asked angrily

“Yeah, sorry but I was wondering if I could get the autopsy report?” Twilight asked

Stygian who realized it was Twilight then smiled

“Very well, you may, still, how’d you enter?” Stygian asked while giving the autopsy report

“Well, it’s a long story but in short I told the royal guard I’ll be investigating this case and he let me enter” Twilight explained

“Hmm, very well miss, you may do as you wish here but you have to promise us one thing” Stygian said

“What is it?” Twilight asked

“You will only come here if it’s necessary nothing else, I mean, there’s still an investigation to get to” Stygian said

“I understand” Twilight said

“Great! Now then, I hope this autopsy report will help” Stygian said

Stygian then turned around as he continued to investigate with the royal guards as Twilight turned to the autopsy report

“I’d better check the autopsy report” Twilight thought

Twilight then opened up the autopsy report with her magic and began reading it

“So she was murdered by a gun wound? I thought it took a few minutes until somepony dies from a gun wound?” Twilight thought in confusion

Spike was then seen walking towards Twilight

“Hey Twilight, how’s it going? I didn’t find you since last night” Spike reminded

“Oh! I forgot about him” Twilight thought in realization and worry

“Is everything okay? Why is there a royal guard near the door?” Spike asked

Twilight then turned back to the door and back to Spike

“I’m sorry Spike, I can’t tell you” Twilight apologized

“What?! Why?! Is everything okay?!” Spike asked worriedly

“No, just… Stay with Fluttershy for a few days okay” Twilight suggested

“What are you saying?! I know I’m just a baby dragon but I can handle anything just tell me about it!” Spike ordered

“S-Starlight is m-m-m—” Twilight started before stuttering worriedly

“Is it the same thing that happened to Mrs. Harshwhinny?” Spike asked in worry

“Mhmm…” Twilight answered in defeat

“No! How could this happen?! I-I better tell—” Spike started

“No need, I’ll handle the arrangements once the trial is over” Twilight said

“Trial? What trial?” Spike asked in worry

“Pinkie is framed for murder” Twilight explained

“W-What?! There’s no way! Please! You better tell me! She isn’t the one that did it, right?!” Spike asked in worry and sadness

“No, of course not but the evidence proves otherwise… For now at least” Twilight explained

“How is this possible?! I thought Starlight knew what she was doing?! She always did! I mean, she’s the one who rescued us a few times already” Spike reminded

“I know and now I’m the one rescuing her and Pinkie” Twilight said

Spike then approached Twilight

“Look, I know it’s tough but you must not get this over your head! Solve this case so we can have a proper burial for her okay? And I’ll be your council this time, I may or may not have seen some courtroom rules and regulations the last time I stumbled into her office” Spike explained

“That explains why Starlight told me some books have been stolen” Starlight explained

“Heh, guilty as charged” Spike chuckled nervously “Now then, let’s go check out the other scenes of the crime, got any ideas on where to go?” Spike asked

“I think I do, let’s take a trip to Canterlot’s courtyard” Twilight suggested

“Huh? Why?” Spike asked in confusion

“A few months after the defeat of Chrysalis, Cozy Glow and Tirek ponies from all over Equestria came to the castle and told me what happened to Crackle Cosette since they haven’t seen her for a few months so I had a theory on what happened and that’s why I’m planning on investigating the statue” Twilight explained

“Wait! You’ve been there for many months?” Spike asked

“Yeah, Celestia asked me to check in on the statue once in a while after she got my letter thinking it might have something to do with Crackle Cosette” Twilight explained

“That does sound accurate, I mean, Chrysalis is a shapeshifter after all” Spike said

“Exactly so I believe it is Chrysalis who might have been her” Twilight explained

“Very well, let’s take a trip to Canterlot then” Spike suggested

Spike and Twilight then went to fly towards Canterlot and once they arrived at the courtyard they looked around only to see statue shards

“Shards? What happened here?” Twilight asked

Spike then approached a shard and sniffed it

“It smells a bit burned, perhaps some magic broke it” Spike explained

“Broke it? How could this have happened? We’d better keep this in mind” Twilight suggested

“Good idea” Spike said

“Is there anything else of note?” Twilight asked

Spike then looked around before back to Twilight

“Nope” Spike answered

“Hmm, okay” Twilight said

“What should we check now?” Spike asked

“Let me think” Twilight thought before she realized something “I think we should visit Sugarcube Corner, there might be something we’re missing in there” Twilight suggested

“What makes you think that?” Spike asked

“According to Pinkie, she had a discussion with Starlight there about some evidence that apparently she didn’t want stolen and asked her to meet Starlight in my castle, I have to assume the place of discussion was Pinkie’s old home, Sugarcube Corner” Twilight explained

“Sounds like a plausible theory, let’s go check it out” Spike suggested

The duo then teleported to Sugarcube Corner where they saw Mr. and Mrs. Cake trying to calm down the cake twins

“Hey guys” Twilight greeted

The duo then looked at Twilight

“Oh! Welcome back princess, how’d your investigation go so far?” Mr. Cake asked

“Good so far though, we were just wondering, did you have any visitors last night between 6 PM and 9 PM?” Twilight asked

“Yeah, why’d you ask? Do you need it for the investigation?” Mrs. Cake asked

“Yeah, we believe the killer must’ve come here” Twilight explained

“Hmm, Mr. Cake, could you please get the visitor list?” Mrs. Cake asked

“Of course darling, I’ll be right back” Mr. Cake answered

Mr. Cake then gave Pound Cake to her wife and ran into the kitchen to get the visitor list and when he got back he gave it to Twilight

“Hope this helps” Mr. Cake said

“It sure does” Twilight said

“Can I see it?” Spike asked

“Of course” Twilight answered

Twilight then gave Spike the note as he checked it

“Crackle Cosette, Starlight and somepony called Gladmane all have visited last night” Spike read

“What?! Crackle Cosette, Gladmane? What were they doing here and worse, why is Gladmane out of prison?” Twilight asked

“I’m not sure but all I knew is that he forced me to give him food or else he’d sue me and I didn’t want that” Mrs. Cake explained

“I don’t think Pinkie would’ve liked to hear that” Spike said

“I agree” Twilight agreed before turning to the Cakes “Don’t worry Mr. and Mrs. Cake, we’ll do whatever we can to put him back in prison, don’t worry” Twilight promised

“Thank you, I wish you both luck” Mrs.Cake thanked

The duo then left Sugarcube Corner

“Now what Twilight, did you find any clues that help?” Spike asked

“I don’t know, I mean, we’ve still got a trial to get to” Twilight explained

“Well, that is true” Spike realized

“But first, since this is gonna be your first trial I’m gonna be sending a letter to Celestia to apply you as council” Twilight explained

“Apply me? Why?” Spike asked

“Anypony who didn’t have any experience with trials must be trained first but in cases of councils it would be needed to tell Celestia, Luna or any of the other princesses in the Equestrian Trials Book” Twilight explained

“Oh okay, if you say so, I’ll be waiting for you to get ready” Spike said

“Thanks Spike” Twilight thanked

“No worries” Spike said

Twilight then teleported to Celestia’s castle where she got a nervous look on her face until she took a deep breath

“Okay, now I just have to hope Celestia accepts him” Twilight thought

Twilight then knocked on the gates

“Come in!” A familiar voice called out

Twilight then used her magic to open the gates and when she did she noticed Celestia talking to some royal guard who had given her some details

“Oh, I see you’re busy, I’ll come back later” Twilight apologized

“No need Twilight, we were just about done” Celestia said

“Are you sure your majesty?” The royal guard asked

“Of course, I’ll do whatever I can to bring the criminal to justice even if it’s an Element of Harmony” Celestia answered

“Very well, as you wish” The royal guard said

The royal guard then left while giving Twilight a smile and when he exited the room the doors closed with a loud bang

“Your majesty, I wanted to talk about—” Twilight started

“If it’s about your friend I can’t promise you she’ll come back safe and sound” Celestia said

“No, no, that’s not what I wanted to talk about” Twilight explained “Actually it was but I didn’t want to tell her” Twilight thought

“Very well then, what is it you wanted to talk about then?” Celestia asked

Twilight then got a bit worried before she cleared her throat

“Well, you know, Spike may or may not have read all about the rules in the juridical handbook and knew about the rules in the trial” Twilight explained

“Ah, what’s that got to do with anything, want me to remove his memory of it?” Celestia asked

“No, no, not at all, it’s just, Spike’s really confident he can help me during the trial of Pinkie” Twilight explained

“W-What? But I thought he was too—” Celestia started

“Young, yes I know but he was so confident I couldn’t say no and I knew that if he couldn’t be accepted he would feel even more worried not just for me but for Pinkie and anypony else for that matter” Twilight explained

“So, what you’re asking is you want him to be applied for the trial and maybe upcoming trials?” Celestia asked

“Exactly, could you please accept him?” Twilight asked

“Hmm, very well, just promise me one thing, he won’t cause any troubles during the trial” Celestia suggested

“Of course, I’ll do my best to keep him in line” Twilight said

“Very well, I will accept his application then” Celestia said

“Thank you very much Princess, I’ll let him know of the update” Twilight said

“No worries my faithful student” Celestia said

Twilight then gave a bow and left the room as she got back to the streets near Sugarcube Corner where Spike once was only to see he was gone

“Where’s Spike?!” Twilight asked in worry

Just then a loud belch was heard as Twilight turned to the source which was Sugarcube Corner

“Found him” Twilight thought

Twilight then entered the bakery only to see Spike sitting at a table with some crumbs of his former cupcakes

“You know this is not for free right?” Mr. Cake asked

“Of course I do, after all Twilight’s gonna pay for it” Spike answered

“SPIKE!” Twilight called out in anger

Spike then turned around in shock and noticed Twilight standing at the doorway with a frown

“Oh Twilight, you’re back” Spike called out in relief

“I’m not gonna question it” Twilight said before turning to Mr. Cake and giving him some money “I’m so sorry sir, I accidentally let Spike out of control when I wasn’t watching” Twilight apologized

“No worries, at least he was entertained” Mr. Cake explained

“Entertained? What are you talking about?” Twilight asked

“I may or may not have asked Mr. Cake about how Pinkie came to their household and you have to believe that it sounded amazing!” Spike explained

“There’s some things I don’t want to know and that’s one of them” Twilight said before turning to Spike “Very well Spike, if you’re done we shall go now” Twilight said

“Right, we still have to investigate” Spike said

“Investigate? Haven’t you guys found enough clues already?” Mr. Cake asked

“Not yet, we’re still looking around” Twilight answered

Twilight then walked off as Spike followed her and when they got outside Twilight closed the door with her magic and turned to Spike angrily

“What were you thinking?! I’m not rich, you know?!” Twilight reminded angrily

“Of course I do but I was hungry, sorry, I’ll watch out next time” Spike apologized

“No worries, I’ll let it slide for once” Twilight said

“So, am I allowed to be your counsel for the trial?” Spike asked

“Of course, though there’s one rule, you’ll have to let me do the speaking because this is my only chance to win this case” Twilight explained

“Yes ma’am, still, I do have one question, who’s the prosecutor going to be?” Spike asked

“Good question, I’ve only witnessed Cranky Doodle as a witness on your case but I don’t know any other witnesses that could be possible” Twilight explained

“Wait… So this is your second trial?” Spike asked

“Exactly and I’ll need to use my full concentration for it” Twilight explained

“Alright but if you have any questions just let me know” Spike suggested

“Always” Twilight said

Just then a crash was heard

“What was that?!” Spike asked in shock

Twilight then turned around to look for the source as she slowly approached it only to find a corridor where a barrel spun for a moment which she put back in place

“Somepony’s here” Twilight said

Twilight then began rushing after the source as Spike looked around in worry before he began rushing after her

“Wait for me!” Spike called out

The duo then continued to run before they got to a dead end where they saw somepony looking at them with a smirk

“Later puny ponies!” The pony said

The pony then rushed off as Twilight could only look at the wall for a moment

“Who was that?” Spike asked

“I don’t know but for some reason they look very familiar” Twilight answered

“Is it somepony you know?” Spike asked

“I don’t know but whoever it was, it was trying to lure us into a trap just like any villain or criminal would” Twilight answered

“Oh, well, in any case we can be sure it’ll not be the last time we’ll see them” Spike said

“Agreed” Twilight said

“Well then, have we investigated everything?” Spike asked

“I think we did” Twilight answered

Twilight and Spike then began walking back to where they started until Spike noticed something on the ground

“Huh?” Spike thought out loud

Twilight who heard Spike turned to him

“Did you find something?” Twilight asked

“Yeah, there’s some cup with a hole on the ground like it’s supposed to be for listening in” Spike explained

“Wait, somebody listened in?” Twilight asked

“Yeah, that’s what I’m assuming” Spike answered

“Weird, we should keep it in mind though” Twilight suggested

“Good idea” Spike said

Twilight then began thinking

“I believe that’s everything, Spike, go to the Ponyville town hall, get a letter and meet me back inside Sugarcube Corner, I think we’ve figured out all the clues” Twilight said

“Very well, I’ll go do it, in the meantime, get yourself prepared” Spike suggested

“Of course” Twilight said

And with that the duo splitted up as they prepared themselves for the trial the next day

The next day Twilight had woken up early as she kept reading the clues over and over again until Spike entered

“Twilight, it’s still nighttime” Spike reminded

“I know but I needed to be prepared for the trial, who knows, maybe there’s a contradiction in what they say and I need to point it out” Twilight explained

“Hmm, that does sound tough, still, do you know who the witnesses are?” Spike asked

“Of course not, it’s all a secret until the trial, that’s why I didn’t ask, you know what happens to ponies if they tell who the next witness is before the trial?” Twilight asked

“N-No” Spike answered

“They get their roles revoked and in worse case scenarios get put in prison!” Twilight explained

“Wow! That sounds harsh, especially for the Equestrian Trial rules” Spike explained

“Exactly, it’s like they wanted to make sure that it’s a surprise” Twilight explained

“Does Celestia have to follow said rule too?” Spike asked

“I think she has to, sure she must not follow some rules but I think she has to follow that rule, it probably also explains why she chose to be a judge a few months back” Twilight explained

“Then why didn’t you choose to be a judge too Twilight? I mean, you can study the cases easily that way” Spike explained

“Did you seriously think I’d like to bang my gavel a few times, I don’t, that’s why I chose to be an attorney” Twilight explained

“A princess and an attorney, sounds like you’ve got your work cut out” Spike said

“Exactly, that’s why I didn’t want to be a judge too, I mean, being a judge sounds tough” Twilight explained

“Isn’t being an attorney tougher?” Spike asked

Twilight who heard that then got a nervous look

“Maybe…” Twilight said nervously

“I knew it” Spike said before turning to Twilight “Still, you’ve got me and your friends to help you so don’t worry about failing us, we all believe in you” Spike said

“Thanks Spike” Twilight said

Spike then looked at the clock and saw that it was 7 AM

“When’s the trial?” Spike asked

“In at least 3 hours” Twilight answered

“Then how about we walk to the Ponyville courtroom, that way you can take your mind off of the troubles your having and it’ll make sure we’re on time” Spike said

“Alright, let’s get going then” Twilight said

The duo then began walking towards the courtroom as the duo got prepared for what is about to happen, a case that is about to choose Pinkie’s end as Twilight got a little nervous about it as she turned to Spike nervously

After a long walk they arrived at the courtroom as they went to the defense’s lobby where Spike took a seat on a chair

“So… This is where you go after the trial?” Spike asked

“Exactly, it’s where we talk with the defendant and talk about what the next step is and such just like you had once” Twilight explained

“Yeah you’re right, I’m still wondering how Garble’s doing, I mean, that trial was rough on him” Spike said

“Exactly, though I’m not sure what happened to him I can be sure he’s arrested for his crimes and he won’t be seeing the light of day for at least years or months” Twilight explained

“Oh okay but for some reason I’m feeling a little bad for him, I mean, sure what he did was not okay but what if he once had a bad past and didn’t have a good life and got his anger out on the person next to him?” Spike asked

“That is a possibility but we can’t be sure anymore but if you’re interested in hearing his side of the story we can go and visit him when he’s calmer because as far as I know, he seems a little irritated still” Twilight said

“True, the trial definitely didn’t help him at all” Spike said

“True, but let’s not think about that for now, we still have a case to solve” Twilight said

“Exactly” Spike said

And with that the duo entered the defense’s lobby ready to start their next trial hoping to save Pinkie’s life