Phoenix Wright - Turnabout Storm!

by Firesight

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Crossover, Twilight Sparkle, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Rainbow Dash, Other, Romance, Trixie, Comedy, Ace Attorney
Length: 428270

A famous racer is found dead in the Everfree, and Rainbow Dash stands accused of his murder. Can an Ace Attorney from another world uncover the truth and prove her innocent, or will Rainbow Dash be banished to the sun for a crime she didn't commit?

NOTICE: This is an unofficial and highly expanded story adaptation of the "PWaaMLPfim" Youtube Video Series: Phoenix Wright / My Little Pony FIM - Turnabout Storm! The videos came first, NOT this story!!!!

A quiet summer night in Ponyville takes a violent turn when two pegasus ponies enter the Everfree Forest and only one comes out alive, leaving the second accused of murder, on trial for her life. Ace Attorney Phoenix Wright finds himself dragged from his own world, magically summoned to Equestria by Twilight Sparkle to defend Rainbow Dash from charges of killing Ace Swift, a superstar pegasus athlete and champion racer.

Trapped in an unfamiliar world ruled by magical talking ponies, Phoenix must draw on all his wits and experience to solve the crime and uncover the conspiracy behind it... before Rainbow Dash is banished to the sun for a murder she didn't commit.

Parts 1-43 written by RavenRegios, and edited by Firesight. Parts 38, 42, and 44-epilogue written by Firesight with additional input and prereads from TheGoldCrow, AJ_Aficionado, and Leo Archon.

Ownership transferred to Firesight on 1/15/2018.

Published 2012-01-07 22:30:33 UTC
Last updated 2015-04-27 07:35:56 UTC

Part 1 - Search for an Attorney

Why did I become a lawyer in the first place? Because someone has to look out for the people who have no one on their side.

—Phoenix Wright, Turnabout Sisters

Phoenix Wright / My Little Pony FIM - Turnabout Storm [Part 1/4]

Wright & Co. Law Offices
Los Angeles, CA
June 9th, 9:43 PM

Mid-evening found Phoenix Wright, attorney-at-law, lounging in his office recliner doing some paperwork when his cellphone rang.

“Wright and Co. Law Offices, ‘defending you like it’s nuttin’, baby’!” Phoenix recited his slogan into the phone, hoping to be speaking to a prospective client. But as had been so often the case in recent weeks, he was disappointed. “No… sorry… I-I don’t need a vegetable dicer… I’m sure that… ugh!” He hung up when he realized he was speaking to an automated caller.

Disgusted, Phoenix turned his old-fashioned cellphone off and put it back in his pocket, mumbling to himself. “That stupid slogan Maya came up with must be making business this slow. I should really have it revised,” he grumbled to himself, rubbing the back of his head as he sat behind his desk. “Scratch that—I need to have it revised! What a ridiculous slogan! Who are we trying to attract, grade school students?” he wondered aloud, resolving to do so the next day and wondering how he would break the news to Maya, his teenage assistant, who was off having fun with her friends at a nearby music club.

“I guess it’s a good sign though. The less people in need of an attorney, the less problems there are in the world,” he mused, trying to look on the bright side. “Unfortunately, sunshine and smiles don’t pay the bills.” Then again, neither do my clients most of the time,he granted, doing much of his work pro bono while making the bulk of his money on the side in the poker rooms of various Los Angeles casinos, donning a sweatshirt and toboggan cap that was a far cry from his signature royal blue business suit to hide his identity when he played. He’d told nobody about that, not even Maya, though he suspected she knew he was doing something when she wasn’t around.

Phoenix stood up and stretched, feeling his shoulders crick. “Guess I can at least call it in early tonight,” he remarked to himself, deciding that with no cases or clients and all his chores taken care of, he’d spend the next day relaxing. But no sooner had he resolved to leave when he felt something very powerful grab hold of him, seizing him in an unseen grasp.

“ARGH!!!” he screamed, trying futilely to break free of the invisible force, an irresistible energy that seemed to be locked on to him alone. “W-what’s going on?!”

He tried to ward off the invisible attacker, only to find… “I can’t move my body!” he realized before he lost the ability to speak as well. Wait, is my hand fading away?!

His vision became darker and darker, the room fading before his eyes. Getting… dizzy… am I… dying?

His strength depleted, he fell unconscious, succumbing to the unknown force.

??????????????
June 9th, 9:45PM

“Ughhhhh…” Phoenix let out a groan.

“Huh? Who the hay are you?!” an unfamiliar female voice broke the silence, ignoring his moan of pain.

Whose voice is that? he wondered to himself, still unable to see.

“For that matter, what the hay are you?” the voice added.

What the ‘hey’ am I? What kind of question is that? Does she mean my profession? he thought, more confused than ever.

“I wanted the best attorney in Equestria, not some… porcupine thing!”

Despite his disorientation, Phoenix couldn’t help but grumble over the insult to his spiky, swept-back mane. Does my hair REALLY look like a porcupine? he silently groused, realizing he could move again. My paralysis is wearing off; I think I can open my eyes, he realized, and then slowly did so, only to be greeted by a much different place than his own office.

He was in a wide, multi-level room that looked like it had been hollowed out of the interior of a large tree. The space—a library?—was lined with well-stocked bookshelves seemingly carved directly out of the trunk; on the far end of the room was a loft with a bed topped with a star-studded bedspread that looked like it belonged to a child. “Huh? Where am I?” he asked, not recognizing his surroundings and wondering if he was dreaming or he’d taken a blow to the head.

He was given even more cause to wonder as a small purple horse with a darker-striped mane and a single spiral horn on its forehead entered his view with the sound of clopping hooves, standing on all fours before him. “Hey—you’re a human, aren’t you?” the equine asked in the same unfamiliar voice as before, studying him closely.

“Y-yeah, I’m a human,” he confirmed to the pastel-colored pony in front of him… at which point his common sense finally kicked in. “WAIT! WHAT?!”

“A human in Equestria? That’s amazing!” the small horse said, delighted and intrigued.

Phoenix gaped. “Y-YOU’RE A TALKING HORSE!!” he blurted out as he stumbled backwards in shock, completely unable to accept his surroundings, all of which seemed like something out of a fairy tale.

“Excuse me! I am not a horse! I happen to be a pony,” the equine corrected him with an offended air.

“Oh! Okay! A talking pony! That explains everything!” Phoenix retorted, still freaked out over the creature in front of him. “I must be in a dream. A really, really bad dream!” he told himself, clutching his head and closing his eyes to try to shut out the impossible sights before him.

The purple pony seemed almost amused at that. “I’m pretty sure you’re not, but just in case? Let’s conduct an experiment!” With that, her horn glowed and something poked Phoenix hard in the gut, making him flinch as if he’d been punched.

“OW! What was that for?!” Phoenix cried out as he doubled over from the surprisingly strong blow which he’d never seen coming, clutching his stomach and gaping at her. How did she DO that? Her hoof didn’t even move!

“You acknowledge pain! Therefore, that definitely means you aren’t dreaming,” she concluded with a satisfied grin. “And come on; I didn’t poke you that hard!”

Phoenix gave her a glare in spite of the pain in his gut and his confusion over what had just happened. This thing has a REALLY sick sense of humor!

Unaware of his thoughts, the purple pony observed him closely, cataloging his royal blue business suit and red tie. “Wait—are you a defense attorney?” she asked with a hopeful air.

“Of course I am!” he shouted, still clutching his midsection. Why am I talking to it?!

“Oh! Oops. My mistake,” the equine said with a sheepish grin, Phoenix finding her facial expressions surprisingly human.

“What do you mean ‘Oops’?” he asked, certain he wasn’t going to like the answer.

“Well, I was performing a spell to call upon ‘The Greatest Defense Attorney in Equestria’,” she began to explain, continuing to study him curiously.

“What’s ‘Equestria’?” Phoenix demanded to know, struggling to sit up, his gut still sore.

“The name of this country!” she replied brightly.

“But I’m not from this country!” he shouted at her, pounding his fists down on the wooden floor in frustration, which he noted appeared to be a cross-section of an enormous tree trunk, complete with tree rings and upon which some intricate lines of chalk had been drawn.

“I must have left out the ‘Equestria’ part when I cast the spell. I guess I called upon ‘The Greatest Defense Attorney’… period. Go figure, huh?” the equine offered with an embarrassed air.

Oh cosmos, you flatter me! he thought, deciding that there were certain honors he could do without. “Well can you please send me back? Like, right now?!”

“Sure thing!” she said agreeably, but stopped as if an idea had just occurred to her. “Actually, though—now that I think about it, this is perfect!”

Phoenix had a sinking feeling in his still-sore stomach. Oh, please don’t tell me this is going where I think it is!

“You see, I am in need of a really good defense attorney...”

Phoenix let out a long sigh. Aaaaaand it does go where I think it does.

“And well, you just happen to be here,” she continued, speaking as if it were sheer coincidence.

He gave her another glare. “Actually, you kidnapped me with your freaky magic, remember?” he reminded her pointedly. “I didn’t consent to be brought here, you know!”

The pony gave a nervous laugh, her ears drooping as the truth of his words hit home. “Well, technically, I meant to call upon the greatest lawyer in Equestria, so I had no intent of kidnapping you specifically. So at worst, it’s just incidental kidnapping?” she offered weakly, then grimaced when she realized how that sounded. “Okay, that came out all wrong. Look, just please hear me out?”

“Not like I really have a choice, is there?” Phoenix winced as he touched his midsection again, realizing it was going to be tender for some time. And she said she DIDN’T hit me hard? “What do you need from me?”

The strange horse-like creature gave him a sympathetic look through her large, purple eyes. “Listen—I think we’ve both gotten off on the wrong hoof. So let me just ask directly: would you be willing to represent my friend in court?”

The human lawyer stared at her in disbelief. “Honestly, I’m still shocked that I’m talking to a purple hors—err, I mean, pony,” he caught himself. “Can you please just send me home, and get someone else to do it?”

The violet mare went downcast, visibly trying to find the right words to say. “Look, I know I don’t have any right to ask this, but if you're a defense attorney, I really need your help. My friend’s life is at stake here, and I'm out of other options to help her.”

Phoenix rubbed his eyes at that. “Let me just get my head together; this is a little too much for me!” he replied, sitting up as the pain in his gut receded. “First off, who are you, and where am I?”

“I should have introduced myself earlier, sorry.” She straightened up a bit before clearing her throat, though her answer only confused him more: “My name is Twilight Sparkle. I’m a disciple of Princess Celestia, who rules this land along with her sister Luna. I am chronicling the Magic of Friendship for her, and... you’re in the town of Ponyville!”

“’Celestia?’ ‘Magic of Friendship’? ‘Ponyville’?” he quoted, more bewildered than ever. “Wait a minute! Are you saying there are more talking ponies?!” he asked, trying not to freak out again.

“Mmm-hmm! Almost all of Ponyville’s inhabitants are ponies,” his equine host assured him, which only made Phoenix even more uneasy. “Well, along with a few bovines, burros, and donkeys.”

“Oh, joy, this just keeps getting better and better,” he replied sarcastically.

Just then, Twilight had an idea. “Hey! I know! Be right back!” Trotting off, she went to one of the book shelves and started to browse through her books by...

Whoa! Is she moving those books with her HORN? Phoenix watched in astonishment as they were neatly plucked off the bookshelf by some glowing aura that seemed centered on the spiral appendage that jutted from her forehead. Once picked up, the books hovered and circled her in midair, surrounded by the same purple glow that bathed her horn.

A minute later, she returned with something, still holding it aloft in the same strange aura. “Found it! Here you go. You’re new here, so you can read this, uh… ‘detailed’ encyclopedia of the different ponies in Equestria,” she offered, floating a small book with a heart on the front to him.

Reluctantly, Phoenix took a look at the girly-looking thing. “Hmmm… wait, it says ‘For Early Ages’ on the cover! This is a children’s book!” he shouted, slamming it down in anger, reacting more strongly to it than he normally would have for all he’d already been through, though being treated like a child certainly didn’t help.

“It is,” she admitted with another sheepish grin and a hoof behind her head in another human-like gesture that Phoenix was surprised to see. “But, you see, I figured a foal’s book was the quickest and simplest way to show you who we ponies are,” she explained with a slightly goofy expression on her face.

“Fine.” Though still annoyed, Phoenix read the book—all three pages and twelve words of it:

“You called this detailed? I read this cover to cover in ten seconds flat!” he told her in an irritated tone, though he pocketed the small book in his jacket out of habit.

Twilight sighed and fell back on her haunches, seemingly saddened by something he said. Phoenix’s expression softened at that. “Hey… I’m sorry. I guess I shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth,” he offered, trying to cheer her up. Should I have said ‘pony’ there, I wonder?

“No it’s not that, it’s my friend. She’s going on trial for a crime she didn’t commit,” she explained, leaving Phoenix relieved that his comment hadn’t offended his only way home.

“What kind of crime is she accused of?” he asked, the attorney in him now curious.

“Murder,” Twilight said in a subdued tone.

Surprise, Surprise, Phoenix thought, wondering why he could never get someone who wanted his services for a shoplifting charge.

“Murder never happens in Ponyville, or in all Equestria for that matter. So the punishment is very severe,” she added ominously.

“What is the punishment?” Phoenix asked, holding his breath, knowing what it would be in his world.

“Banishment,” Twilight answered sadly.

The human lawyer relaxed a bit. “Well that isn’t so bad compared to—”

“To the moon. Or even to the sun,” she finished, causing Phoenix to gape anew. “I’ve convinced the Princess to go easy on her, but she will have no choice but to carry out the sentence herself if the verdict ends up being guilty.”

And forget what I just said. SHEESH! Being sent to the sun is ‘going easy on someone’? Remind me never to do anything bad in this place! he thought as he silently cringed. “So, uh… Twilight. Do you know any details of the crime?”

She shook her head. “Not much. All I know is that my friend was spotted near the scene where the murder took place. And that’s why she’s the prime suspect.”

“Where is she now?” he asked, already thinking that simply being near a crime scene was thin grounds for suspicion. Then again, it’s kind of par for the course back home!

“In the Ponyville Detention Center,” Twilight replied.

“I see. And have you spoken to her since?”

“I would, but the guards won’t let me in,” she told him in frustration, raising her large purple eyes to meet his.

“They won’t let you in? Why not?”

“Rules. I can only enter with a Defense Attorney. Which is why I was trying to summon one. I never dreamed that you would appear!” she explained apologetically and in perfect honesty.

Now fully understanding of her plight, Phoenix decided he could do that much for her, at least. “Okay, then. Since I’m a Defense Attorney, let’s go to this detention center,” he offered, finally getting to his feet.

Twilight instantly perked up at that, though she was also somewhat surprised at his height, which was at least two feet above hers, leaving her head just below the level of his chest. “Really? So you’ll take the case?!” she asked hopefully, but Phoenix raised his hands to keep her from getting too excited.

“Hey! Hey... I haven’t decided on that part yet, I just thought the least I could do is help you get in to speak with your friend,” he clarified, not about to commit to anything.

She gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you for your kindness, Phoenix Wright.”

That caught Phoenix short and made him instantly suspicious, his brow furrowing. “Uh… how did you know my name? I haven’t introduced myself yet!”

He caught a momentary flash of panic in the equine’s purple eyes. “Oh! I did a, uh, quick identification spell!”

“’Identification spell’?” Phoenix repeated, giving Twilight an askance look.

“Yeah! An identification spell! Anyway, let me prepare a few things, then we can head to the detention center,” she said, quickly trotting off to another room.

Phoenix watched her leave, his mind still turning. After I get her inside to talk with her friend, I’ll let her off easy and make her send me back home. There is no WAY I’m taking a case this weird! he decided, planning to make sure she sent him home in time for some dinner.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on January 18, 2018.

Part 2 - Interview with the Accused

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Part 3 - The Shy Witness

Ponyville
June 9th, 10:30PM

As Phoenix emerged from the detention center, he was greeted by the now-familiar face of Twilight Sparkle. “Phoenix! How did it go?” she asked expectantly.

Phoenix gave his new host the answer she’d been hoping for. “I have decided to represent Rainbow Dash.”

Twilight’s ears perked up and her purple eyes gleamed in gratitude. “Oh, thank you so much, Mister Wright!”

He gave her a nod of acknowledgement. “You're welcome. She satisfied me that she didn’t do it, and whether it’s on my world or yours, I can’t turn my back on the innocent being punished for a crime they didn’t commit,” he looked back at the Detention Center as he explained.

Twilight smiled at that. “You know, you share a very similar trait to Rainbow Dash, Mister Wright.”

He gave her a look. “I do? Am I really that obnoxious?” he asked, worried he might be just that.

“No—you are very loyal,” she reassured Phoenix with a grin and chuckle, causing his more cynical thoughts to vanish. “She may not have looked it, but Rainbow Dash is probably really scared about what will happen to her. So she needs all the support she can get right now.”

Phoenix thought about that. “Now that you mention it, she did seem awfully chipper for someone who’s the prime suspect of a murder,” he noted, scratching his chin thoughtfully.

“That’s Rainbow for you. I can’t imagine what it must be like,” Twilight said, sitting on her haunches and looking sadly at the ground.

He nodded slowly. “I can. Because I’ve been in that place before,” he told her, eyes suddenly distant.

“’That place’?” she echoed, looking back up. “What do you mean by that, Phoenix?”

“I mean, I’ve been on trial for crimes I didn’t commit. So I know exactly how she feels.”

Twilight looked at him in surprise. “You have?”

Phoenix nodded and looked down at the ground, recalling all the times he was blamed for things he didn’t do, from childhood to adulthood. “It felt dark and lonely having nobody to turn to. Feeling as if the world was against me and nobody could help,” he remembered, sitting down on a nearby bench as he recounted his story, a little low for him though it was. “Once when I was just a kid, my whole class accused me of stealing and we had this stupid ‘Class Trial’. The other time… was a little more serious,” he paused, a shadow passing over his face.

“What happened?” Twilight asked.

He hesitated, but then decided there was no point in not telling her, his mind going back five years. “I was framed for murder by someone I thought cared for me,” he said sadly, causing Twilight’s mouth to fall open. “I learned the hard way appearances can be deceiving. But I was lucky enough to have friends who pulled me out of that darkness.”

He perked up as he recalled the friends and even former adversaries who had helped him through his trials, many of whom he had been able to help in turn. “A classmate stood up for me in school, and a rookie lawyer defended me at my murder trial, saving me almost in spite of myself,” he remembered, shaking his head at his remembered naivety. “It really touched me, what they did. Their examples were the reason I decided to become a Defense Attorney.”

Twilight listened in rapt attention as Phoenix continued, sitting up straighter and his voice getting stronger as he went. “A Defense Attorney is someone who is there for you when times are grim. Showing that you have someone who trusts and believes in you; that you’re not alone. Smiling to the very end, no matter how bad things may get, working tirelessly on your behalf and not letting anything from lying witnesses to corrupt prosecutors stand in the way of seeking the truth.

“It’s the most frustrating job in the world sometimes—the hours are long, eyewitnesses often uncooperative… and you somehow never know where your next case or client will come from,” he told his unicorn host with a slightly sardonic smile. Twilight grinned apologetically at that. “But I wouldn’t trade it for anything. There’s no greater calling than being a defender of the innocent, and no greater feeling than uncovering the truth and proving your client innocent in court, seeing the joy and gratitude in their eyes as they’re set free.”

Twilight was smiling by the story’s conclusion, sensing the human lawyer’s true strength and fighting spirit for the first time. “You know, Mister Wright? I was going to study some law and justice books and be Rainbow Dash’s Defense Attorney myself if you declined,” she told him, very impressed. “But I see now that there is knowledge out there even books can’t teach. It was no mistake choosing you to be Rainbow Dash’s lawyer!”

Despite the compliment, Phoenix was caught short again. ‘Choose’? Didn’t you bring me here by accident? he asked her with his thoughts, increasingly certain that she knew of him long before he was dragged into this world.

“So, did you learn anything else from Rainbow Dash?” she asked before he could pursue the train of thought any further.

“Yes. She said the crime scene was in a clearing of the “Everfree Forest” near… ‘Busterfly’s’ house,” he recited, not completely sure about the name.

“Busterfly?” Twilight looked confused for a moment before it hit her like a brick. “Oh-oh! You mean Fluttershy!” she exclaimed with a smile.

“Fluttershy, sorry. Do you know the way to her home?” Phoenix asked, suppressing a grimace at how badly he mangled the name.

“Sure do!” she confirmed with an eager nod.

“Let’s go then,” he invited, letting her lead him down the darkened street.

Fluttershy’s Cottage
June 9th, 11:16PM

Phoenix followed Twilight out of town along a country road, eventually arriving at a very cozy-looking cottage fronting a vast and foreboding-looking forest a little further away. As they reached the side path that led to the front door, Twilight halted them both. “Phoenix, we should stop here.”

“Why is that?” He looked at the cottage and realized something. “Oh! This must be Flutterguy’s house. We can probably question her to see if she saw anything last night,” he noted as he quickly scanned the grounds around the house, noticing a lot of flower gardens and animal pens.

“Her name is Fluttershy,” Twilight corrected him again, distracting him from his sightseeing. “And those were my thoughts exactly. Please wait here for a minute, Mister Wright,” she requested.

While Twilight went up to the front door alone, Phoenix looked around outside for a bit. The cottage roof and sides seemed to be partially covered in green moss, and there were several bird houses hanging from the trees. Nearby the cottage was a large chicken coop, and next to that, a small house where several more animals apparently resided. Huh. This pony must be a zookeeper or something?

Looking back to the cottage, he saw Twilight talking to a new pony standing on the porch. A pretty-looking yellow pegasus mare with greenish-blue eyes and a long pink mane and tail, she gasped when she saw Phoenix, shying away from him.

“Hey Fluttershy, meet Mister Wright! He’s Rainbow Dash’s Lawyer.” Twilight introduced him to the canary-yellow pony, who was obviously a friend of hers.

“Hello, there. Nice to meet you, Miss Fluttershy.” Phoenix came up and greeted her, trying to be friendly as possible, but the only response he got was awkward silence. Not getting a reply, he tried to make small talk. “So… Ponyville is a really nice place, huh?”

But again, he was only greeted with silence. Talk about quiet. She certainly lives up to her name!

He had no sooner had the thought than the bashful pony went close to Twilight and whispered something in her ear, watching Phoenix warily out of the corner of an eye. “Oh. Uh... okay,” Twilight answered.

Phoenix became curious. “What’s she saying?”

Twilight looked uncomfortable, but answered anyway. “She’s saying that suits and ties intimidate her.”

He gave the pegasus mare a sympathetic look. Trust me, they scare me a lot too!

“And, uh… never mind.” Twilight held back the last thing Fluttershy said.

“Tell me! She can rest assured, she has nothing to fear from me,” Phoenix insisted. You never know—it might be a piece of useful information regarding the case!

Twilight looked embarrassed, but did as he asked. “She says she’s afraid that if she gets too close, that, uh… ‘pointy beast’ on your head might… poke her eye out,” she told him apologetically.

Or so he thought. Seriously, the hair jokes are getting REALLY old! he grumbled under his breath. “So she’s not gonna speak to me?” he asked Twilight.

“Sorry. She’s very shy, especially around those she doesn’t know,” she answered apologetically again.

“No kidding.” He looked back again at the beautiful yet bashful pony beside her, her eyes almost completely hidden by her long pink bangs. “Let’s just go to the crime scene, then. We’re not going to get any information here if she’s refusing to speak to me,” he said with a sigh.

“You’re right,” Twilight reluctantly agreed. “The crime scene is in the woods, Phoenix. I’ll take you there,” she told him, leading him back to the main path.

“Okay,” he said, a little leery about entering the darkened forest but turning to follow her.

At the mention of his name, Fluttershy looked up in surprise and started to approach him.

“Huh?” Phoenix looked back, seeing the cute canary-yellow pony was coming closer.

“Uh… ‘Phoenix’?” she repeated tentatively, suddenly looking at him with far less fear than curiosity.

“Uh, yeah, that’s my name,” he confirmed.

With that, Fluttershy immediately perked up and began to talk to him. “Oh, my! I’m so sorry. I didn’t know!” she apologized to him in a soft but beautiful voice. Phoenix almost melted over her cuteness, but he maintained his manhood strong and steady in the face of such overwhelming adorability.

“K-know what?” he said shakily, his internal cuteness meter still pegged at ten.

“That you were a Phoenix! I have only seen one phoenix in my life!” Her gorgeous greenish-blue eyes glittered, now greatly interested in him. “This is so great! You can speak!”

Though still very taken by her, Phoenix was increasingly confused. “Come again?”

“No wonder you look so homely and sick. Don’t worry though. Soon you will be able to rise from your ashes into a beautiful bird of fire!” she reassured him.

Phoenix’s confusion was starting to override her cuteness. Did I just get insulted? “But I’m not a—”

”Phoenix!” Twilight interrupted him in a sharp whisper before he could finish his sentence.

“What?” He looked back at Twilight.

“She’s speaking to you! Just go along with it!” she suggested strongly, making his eyes widen in realization.

“Oh! That’s right!” He looked back at Fluttershy, drawing himself up a little straighter and giving her what he hoped was a winning smile. “Yup! I’m a Phoenix, Firefly!”

She gave him an odd look that quickly turned into another shy grin. “My name is ‘Fluttershy’, Mister Phoenix. But you can call me whatever you want…” she cooed to him, her smile making him start to melt all over again.

“Ehh, right…” he said agreeably, trying admirably to maintain his professionalism. “So, Fluttershy—I take it you know about what happened to your friend, Rainbow Dash?”

“Yes, I do,” Fluttershy replied, her ears folding back and smile dropping almost instantly. “Oh, poor Rainbow Dash! She must be so scared right now.” She looked back towards the town in worry.

“That’s why I need your help,” he implored her.

“How can I help, Mister Phoenix?” she asked eagerly, turning her big teal eyes back on him.

Phoenix gathered his thoughts carefully, trying to keep himself focused on the matter at hand and off the endearing equine in front of him. “You live near the crime scene. Did you see anything odd last night?”

“Oh! Um… yes. Yes, I did,” she confirmed to his great surprise.

Sensing a lead, Phoenix got excited. “That’s great! Tell me everything you know!” he instructed, pulling out his pen and notepad again.

“Well, I saw—” she began, only to catch herself. “Oops! Oh, I’m so sorry, Mister Phoenix. The other ponies told me not to say a word to anypony about last night until I was on the ‘stand’,” she apologized, looking away from him. “Whatever that means.”

Phoenix’s eyes widened at the implication, and Twilight spotted it as well. “Wait a minute! You’re a witness?!” he realized.

“I don’t even know what that is, Mister Phoenix,” she said, making Phoenix wonder if she was completely oblivious to any and all legal terms. "They just told me to not say anything until court tomorrow."

You sure your name isn’t ‘FlutterNaïve’? he asked silently, her cuteness factor dropping quickly in his eyes. “It’s okay, Fluttershy. It’ll be our little secret. Just tell me what you saw!” Phoenix was persistent, anxious to know the facts straight from the horse’s mouth—or in this case, the pony’s mouth! He quickly corrected himself.

“Come on, Fluttershy. We need to know,” Twilight added in a kind but insistent voice, hoping Fluttershy would tell a close friend if not a stranger.

But Fluttershy shook her head, looking downcast again. “I’m sorry, Twilight, but those ponies were very insistent that I not speak to anypony. And I don’t want them to get mad at me.”

Phoenix sighed and put his hand to his face, rubbing his eyes and exasperated anew. Why can this never be easy? he asked the universe at large, deciding to try a different approach. “So what do you do here, Fluttershy?”

“I take care of my little animal friends, of course,” she said sweetly, batting her eyes at him.

His cuteness meter pegged again. “So you’re good with animals, huh?” he asked rhetorically. Just as I thought. I don’t find it surprising though, since she is… well… an animal herself. Or is she? he suddenly wondered, taken with her anew. Can I call a creature who can talk and reason an animal just because she walks on all fours? He put the question aside for later.

“Why, yes! I can introduce you to them now if you want?” she offered hopefully.

Though tempted, he forced himself to say no. “That’s alright, we’re kind of busy,” he apologized, but meant it—he was an animal person himself, but knew he had a job to do first.

He was surprised when Fluttershy reacted badly to that. “Oh my! I’m so sorry, Mister Phoenix. I didn’t mean to bother you.” She hid her head behind her bangs again.

Phoenix got a bit uncomfortable with her constant apologizing, unsure if he found it endearing or simply annoying. “It’s alright… no need to apologize,” he offered carefully with a glance at Twilight, who gave him a slightly rueful smile back.

“We have to get going, Fluttershy. We’ll talk to you later,” Twilight intervened, sensing that Phoenix was both entranced and uncertain in Fluttershy’s presence, and not sure how she felt about either. “Let’s go, Phoenix.” She began to gently pull him away, tugging him by the arm with her aura.

“Alright, bye, Twilight! Bye, Mister Phoenix!” After bidding them farewell, Fluttershy went to the coop to check on her chickens.

Phoenix waved back, forcing his eyes to leave her retreating form and turning them back to Twilight. I think I like her, even if I’m not quite sure why? “At least I got her trust. That will make it a lot easier to cross-examine her when we’re in court,” he noted, still somewhat taken with the demure pegasus. “Speaking of that—when is the trial, anyway?”

“Tomorrow morning,” Twilight replied instantly.

“Oh, tomorrow morning,” he echoed, only to realize...

“TOMORROW MORNING?!” Phoenix yelled, making Twilight and Fluttershy jump, the latter giving a startled squeak. “As in… ‘tomorrow’ tomorrow?!” he asked again, praying he had heard her wrong.

“Yup, ‘tomorrow’ tomorrow,” Twilight confirmed, much to his dismay that was accompanied by a sudden sinking feeling in his stomach.

“So I only have tonight to gather evidence and present a case?!” he said to her, panicking at the realization that the trial was only a few short hours away. Phoenix, what have you gotten yourself into?!

“Ohmygosh, I totally lost track of time! I’ve been trying to find a suitable lawyer all day long; I was going to give up after you!” Twilight belatedly realized, her own face taking on a look similar to Phoenix’s.

Phoenix tilted his head. “Give up after me? You mean I’m not the only lawyer you’ve spoken with today?”

She nodded, sitting back and looking downcast again. “Far from it, Phoenix. All the pony lawyers I contacted declined as soon as they learned the charge was murder. That’s why I was forced to resort to a summon spell,” she explained, visibly saddened by receiving so many refusals over the course of the day.

Phoenix quickly brought himself back under control, reminding himself that he couldn’t appear weak or worried in front of a client, witness, or potential assistant. “Don’t worry, Twilight. Murder cases aren’t anything new to me; I have a lot of experience with them. Rainbow Dash couldn’t be in any better hands,” he assured her.

“Thank you again for accepting this case, Mister Wright!” Twilight told him gratefully again. “But as you say, time is short. We’d better hurry to the crime scene.”

“Right!” he agreed, falling in behind her again as they left Fluttershy’s cottage and headed down the main trail straight for the nearby forest.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on January 18, 2018.

Part 4 - Seeking Evidence

Everfree Forest
June 9th, 11:30PM

Twilight and Phoenix entered the forest a short distance from Fluttershy’s cottage. As they walked along the path, the trees closed in, and it became so dark that Phoenix could barely see his hands in front of his face.

“Welcome to the Everfree Forest, Mister Wright,” Twilight announced, the unicorn mare just a barely-seen shadow on the path in front of him.

“Kind of spooky,” Phoenix said nervously, trying to keep the tremor out of his voice as he found himself jumping at every unfamiliar sound.

“There are many deadly creatures in the Everfree Forest. Most ponies tend to avoid entering here because of that,” Twilight noted matter-of-factly, sending fresh chills down her human visitor's spine.

“D-deadly… creatures?” he repeated, stammering at his own words. At that moment he felt something brush by him. “AHH!!! Something just touched my hand!!!” he panicked.

Twilight giggled at him. “That was just my tail. Don’t worry Phoenix, we’re not that deep. Most of the menacing things live much further in,” she assured him, trying to make him feel more comfortable. And if you don’t mind, you can also stop touching it now! she couldn’t quite bring herself to say out loud.

“Uh… oh. Okay,” he said, thinking that with his larger and more muscular figure, he should be the brave one ‘protecting’ the smaller female pony, not the other way around! Come on! Don’t be such a chicken, Phoenix! he ordered himself, trying to regain his courage and manhood, imagining all the fun Maya would make of him for it.

Just then, the trees parted to reveal a small break in the woods, the oversized moon giving just enough light to recognize it. “Look, there’s a clearing. This must be it,” Phoenix said, still nervous.

Twilight stopped and went silent for a moment, causing Phoenix to bump into her from behind, his hand brushing her hip and tail again before he backed off in surprise. “Hard to believe somepony died here,” she said, moving fractionally away and doing her best to ignore the contact, grateful Phoenix couldn’t see her blushing in the dark.

“But it’s deserted. Where’s your CSI?” he asked Twilight, attempting to keep his voice casual and stay as close behind her as he could without actually touching her, trying hard to convince himself it was for her protection and not his.

He could just see her head turn back to look at him. “CSI?”

“Crime Scene Investigators,” he clarified quickly, resisting the urge to make a joke and don dark glasses. But I don’t even have a pair. And Maya says my jokes are lame anyway!

“Oh, you mean police forensics? They were out here earlier, but they’ve probably all finished up,” she answered, getting a bit uncomfortable at his proximity.

Phoenix shrugged, trying to remain casual and master his fears. “Bonus for us, I guess. Let’s get to work, then,” he said, trying to sound easygoing, stepping up next to her. “But there’s one little problem. It’s so dark that I can hardly see anything, and I don’t have a flashlight,” he admitted.

“No problem, Mister Wright. I can take care of that,” Twilight offered, taking the excuse to move away from him. Not waiting for an acknowledgment, she trotted forward into the clearing and made her horn glow with a bright white light, illuminating the entire area and causing some spots in his vision.

Phoenix was very surprised, astonishment overriding his fear. It’s that horn of hers again—it’s lighting up like a lantern! That must be really handy! he thought, idly wondering if he could have a horn like that. “Wow, that’s really neat! Thank you, Twilight!” he praised, very grateful to be out of the dark.

He couldn’t see her blush anew in the light of her horn. “You’re welcome, Mister Wright,” she told him. If he thinks a simple illumination spell is ‘neat’, he’s going to be really impressed at what other magic I can do! “Alright! Now that we’ve got some light, let’s find some clues!” she said in some excitement.

She seems really eager to start this! Phoenix thought, a bit amazed at her activeness as he followed her into the clearing, her enthusiasm reminding him strongly of Maya at that moment. She does seem a lot more mature, though, he couldn’t help but note, wondering what his teenage assistant would think of her or this new world in general.

“Hey, look at this.” Twilight cut short his train of thought as she trotted over to where an outline of a pony was visible on the ground. “Why is there tape all over the grass?” she asked him, looking down at the oddly-shaped outline.

Phoenix knelt down beside it with a grim expression, knowing only too well why. “Well, if it’s anything like in my world… this is probably where they found Ace Swift’s body.”

Twilight’s eyes widened and she felt her stomach lurch, the glow from her horn wavering for a moment. “It marks his body? Ugh… I think I’m going to be sick!” She turned away, her hoof going to her muzzle for a moment as she struggled to hold back a sudden urge to vomit.

Aaaand all that eagerness seemed to go away in one fell swoop, Phoenix thought to himself with a quickly suppressed grin, just grateful to be the ‘manly’ one again.

“Wait—the victim was Ace Swift?” Twilight asked him, doing her best to choke back the bile that was still trying to rise in her throat.

He nodded, wishing he had some water to offer her. “That’s what Rainbow Dash told me. Do you know of him?”

“Most ponies do. He’s pretty famous,” Twilight mused, eyes narrowed as she tried to recall the details, slowly forcing her nausea back.

“It’s strange though. There’s no blood at all,” Phoenix noted, examining the ground around the outline. “Uh… ponies can bleed, right?” he had to ask.

“Of course we can!” she shot back in irritation, still feeling queasy.

Phoenix winced at her tone. Guess that was kind of a stupid question. “It’s just really strange that there was a murder here, but there’s not a single drop of blood in sight,” he explained, pointing out his first contradiction of the crime scene.

Twilight blinked, realizing he was right. Then her purple eyes noticed something strange about the ground. “The grass is odd, too. It’s all black,” she noted, poking at it with her hoof, feeling it crumble instantly to powder beneath her blunt appendage.

Phoenix quickly turned his attention to what Twilight was referring to, experimentally patting the ground with his fingers before bringing them to his nose, picking up the distinct smell of soot from burned leaves and grass. “You’re right! It’s all charred and burned like there was a small fire around the body.” Sensing its significance, Phoenix wiped his hand with a handkerchief before taking out his digital camera, snapping a picture of the charred area with the tape outline in it.

“’Steel Samurai’? That sure is an interesting-looking camera, Phoenix,” she noted curiously, reading the label on the side.

“It’s not mine; it belongs to a friend,” Phoenix smiled, thinking he was going to have an incredible story to tell Maya when he finally returned home. That made him curious about what Twilight would think of his world, wondering what he might share with her about it. Hey! Maybe I should tell Twilight about ‘The Steel Samurai’! Amazing how a kids show got so popular outside its targeted demographic… he had the idle thought.

“Hey, look there, Phoenix. There’s something on the ground next to where the body was.” Twilight pointed to a small charred object, almost invisible against the burnt grass.

Phoenix picked it up and turned it over in his hand—a small and severely damaged L-shaped piece of metal, seared and at least slightly warped. “It’s a… what the heck is this thing?” Phoenix asked, showing it to Twilight.

Twilight looked it over herself in the light of her horn, probing it with her aura a few times before finally shaking her head. “Aside from the fact it’s made of steel and wasn’t magically forged, I don’t have any idea.”

‘Magically’ forged? “Whatever it was, it’s totally burnt to a crisp,” Phoenix noted, rubbing the rough surface and finding small pieces of metal flaking off beneath his thumb.

“Just like the grass,” Twilight noted again.

Phoenix nodded in agreement. “This may be important evidence,” he pronounced, putting the odd object into a sealable bag Twilight offered him, labeling it and then adding it to a larger duffel bag she had also somehow produced.

Where the heck did these come from? She didn’t bring a pack or anything… “Let’s look at the landscape over there.” He pointed across the clearing to where something seemed off to his eyes.

“Sure thing!” Twilight agreed, following him to a small area at the left side of the crime scene to provide him the much-needed light of her horn.

“What’s this?” Phoenix asked, pointing down.

Twilight saw it too. “There’s an imprint of something in the dirt. Something long,” she recognized, her expression intent.

“True. But that isn’t what I find odd.” He shook his head.

“What do you mean?”

“Look next to it—someone obviously disturbed the dirt there.” He motioned to a scuffed-up area of ground.

Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “Now that you mention it, you’re right. This doesn’t look natural at all. It looks like somepony was kicking dirt around in this area,” she agreed.

“Exactly. It might be signs of a struggle.” Phoenix pulled out his camera again to take a picture of the disturbed area.

“See anything else suspicious?” he asked, looking around again.

Twilight directed his attention to the opposite end of the clearing, pointing with a hoof. “Look at that tree way over there, at the other end of the crime scene.”

Following her gaze, Phoenix saw it too—a freshly fallen tree. “The leaves are still unwilted. That means it’s been knocked down quite recently,” he observed.

“You’re right, but look at that scorched trunk! It has the same burning as the grass and that metal object,” Twilight noted.

“Huh. Can ponies breathe fire, or something?” Phoenix wondered aloud, half-jokingly.

“No, Phoenix. Dragons do that, not ponies,” his unicorn escort replied in perfect seriousness.

“Heh! Well, maybe a dragon really did do all this,” he said, chuckling.

Twilight looked a bit unsure, as if she was considering the idea but finally shook her head. “No, that isn’t possible, Phoenix. Spike is the only dragon in Ponyville, and he was with me all night,” she noted.

At that moment, it finally clicked in Phoenix’s head that she wasn’t joking. “Spike? That’s your assistant you told me about,” he remembered, his eyes widening in fear. “Wait! He’s a dragon?! There really are dragons here?!”

“Why, yes!” she assured him, seemingly unconcerned. “But the dragon lands are far away; they don’t inhabit the Everfree. Spike is an exception since I raised him from an egg, and he’s lived his entire life with me.”

Phoenix felt his legs going weak. “You said you wanted to introduce me to him…” he remembered, trembling a bit. “I-it’s quite alright, y-you don’t need to! He’s p-probably a really nice guy!” he stammered, trying to stop shaking.

The ends of Twilight’s mouth crooked upward as she recognized his fear, guessing he thought her assistant was an enormous and unfriendly adult dragon instead of a mere hatchling. “Don’t be so shy, Mister Wright. Spike loves company!” she teased, struggling not to laugh as she watched him quake anew.

Phoenix gulped down his air, nearly choking over it. I really hope that doesn’t have a double meaning! he thought to himself, still shaking over the thought of a monstrous fire-breathing dragon living in Twilight’s house!

Still giggling under her breath, Twilight turned her attention back to the clearing and the investigation at hoof. “Oh, Phoenix!” she called. “Look on that branch there—on that tree behind that fallen one.” He turned to see her pointing up with a hoof.

Squinting for a moment, he saw the strange dangling object too, a little indistinct in the light of her horn. “There’s something stuck on it. I’ll climb up and get it,” he offered, grateful for a new distraction and the chance to be useful.

Twilight stopped him. “No need, Mister Wright,” she announced evenly, using her magic to grab and lower the odd object, pushing it towards Phoenix.

Or you could just float it down! he thought to himself, amazed anew at her abilities as the object was effortlessly guided into his hands, the violet aura that surrounded it dissipating as he took hold of it. “It’s a brown… feather.” Phoenix was a bit disappointed as he held it by the stem. “Well that was pointless. It’s probably just from a bird that was perched there.”

Twilight walked up for a closer look herself. “No, it can’t be. No bird in Ponyville or this area of the Everfree is this big.”

Phoenix studied it further, realizing she was right about the size; the feather was quite large, almost as long as his forearm. “I know! Maybe it’s the victim’s. He was a pegasus right? Maybe it’s from his wings?” he suggested.

His hopes were dashed as Twilight shot down yet another one of his theories. “No, this feather doesn’t belong to a pegasus, either. It’s just too big.”

Phoenix grunted a bit, trying to hide his disappointment. “Then as it seems to be out of place, we should keep it,” he decided, putting the feather in a fresh evidence bag, one she somehow materialized right in front of him.

When it was sealed, he finally asked the question that had been bothering him all evening. “How do you do that, Twilight?”

The unicorn mare gave him an odd look. “Do what, Phoenix?”

“I’ve seen you levitating things with that horn of yours. Not to mention you’re lighting this whole area with it this very moment. And you also produced these evidence bags out of thin air,” he said, pointing to the long glowing protrusion on her forehead, his extended finger an inch from its tip. “How does your horn do all that?”

Startled, Twilight jerked back from his finger. “It’s magic!” she exclaimed, blushing anew and forcibly reminding herself the human lawyer likely had no idea of a unicorn horn’s use or sensitivity… or the significance of touching it. It glowed brighter for a moment at the near-contact, its light taking on a slightly pinkish hue. “As unicorns, we can channel magic through our horns, to various effects. Levitation and illumination are but two of the most basic spells a unicorn can learn, and I produced these bags by magically summoning them from where I kept them back at my treehouse.” She produced another bag in the same manner to show him, startling him slightly.

“W-why do you ask? Is there no magic in your world?” she asked in surprise, trying to keep the embarrassment out of her voice and force her horn glow back to normal. If Rainbow saw me do that, I’d never hear the end of it!

Phoenix wasn’t sure what the color or intensity change meant, but noticed her unease and quickly pulled his hand back, making a mental note to be careful around her horn in the future. “Well, we have magicians who can do things like pull rabbits from hats, but... that’s not real magic; just sleight-of-hand and misdirection for the entertainment of an audience. We can’t do what you’re doing,” he explained, then remembered something else. “Actually, I take that back—there is something we have that you might call magic.”

Twilight instantly perked up, her discomfort forgotten at the opportunity to be taught something new. “Please, do tell! You see, magic is sort of my bread and butter. I want to learn everything there is to know about it!” she implored him, sitting back and looking up at him like an eager student.

Though endeared by her enthusiasm, Phoenix hoped she wouldn’t consider him crazy for his next words. “Well, I have been able to speak to the dead via spirit channeling. That could be considered magic, I guess,” he offered tentatively.

“’Spirit Channeling’?” Twilight went visibly intrigued, cocking her head slightly as she repeated his words.

“It’s when the spirit of someone who’s departed possesses the body of the living,” Phoenix explained. “I’ve used it to keep in touch with someone very dear to me,” he added, wondering what his late boss and mentor Mia Fey would think of this world and the case he had taken. I should get Maya to channel her just to ask!

“Really? I had no idea that was possible! I’ve never heard of such a thing! How very interesting…” she said, her mind visibly turning as she considered the possibilities that brought. Imagine being able to channel and talk to somepony like Starswirl the Bearded! she thought almost giddily before a more immediate use for the ability popped into her head. “Hey! Phoenix, could you do it right now? We can get Ace Swift in your body and ask who killed him!” she suggested, eager to see a demonstration of the ability.

Though pleasantly surprised by her easy acceptance of the idea that one could talk to the dead, Phoenix was forced to disappoint her. “Heh, sorry. I forgot to mention that you have to be a high-level spirit medium in order to perform the channeling technique,” he clarified apologetically. “My assistant and her cousin are such mediums, but I’m not. They’re the only ones who can do it.”

“I see,” replied a clearly disheartened Twilight, disappointed at not getting to see an example of his ’magic’. “Thanks for the information though. I’ll definitely have to look into it more,” she said, at least happy to have something new to research.

His curiosity satisfied, Phoenix went back to the investigation. “Hmm… No decisive evidence yet. We still don’t know how this guy died, or have clues as to his real killer,” Phoenix noted, a question suddenly occurring to him. “Hey, Twilight—do you know anything about the victim?”

She searched her memories again and nodded. “Ace Swift? Yes, I know a bit about him.”

“Alright, every little bit helps. Tell me everything you can think of,” he instructed, taking out his notepad and pen again.

Organizing her thoughts, Twilight sat down and began to speak. “Well… Ace was an athlete who got extremely popular around Equestria by winning every single event he’s ever competed in,” she said to Phoenix, watching curiously as he began to write, mildly fascinated by the precise motions of his hand.

Phoenix goggled, nearly dropping his pen. “He won every single event he’s ever competed in?!” he repeated, eyes wide with amazement.

“Yeah. He was that good,” she confirmed, then looked down at the ground, remembering something else she’d heard about the late pegasus. “But with this streak of success also came a few skeptics, thinking that he was too good—that his victories were the result of bribes or cheating.”

Phoenix raised a brow as he began writing again. “I’d probably think the same thing if I saw someone winning at everything they do,” he noted, giving a quick cough as he suddenly remembered that the same could be said about a certain other someone as well. But I don’t cheat! Well, maybe I bluff once in a while...

Twilight gave him an odd look, but continued. “He was supposed to be competing in the Equestrian 500, and as the defending champion and best racer in Equestria, he was the heavy favorite to win.”

Phoenix nodded, scribbling another note as Twilight surreptitiously watched his hands move, increasingly amazed at their utility, realizing his fingers were easily the equal of a unicorn horn for grasping or manipulating objects. “Rainbow Dash told me about that, too. Unfortunately, it sets up a motive for her,” he noted, not noticing where Twilight’s attention was.

“What do you mean?” she asked, forcing her gaze away from his hands, her horn momentarily glowing a brighter pink again as she had a sudden flight of fancy of how they might be used. By Celestia, where is this COMING from? she blinked, mildly disgusted with herself and glad her human visitor didn’t know what the hue meant, resolving to lay off the romance novels Rarity had been lending her for the foreseeable future.

“Rainbow Dash said that she was planning on flying in that race as well and she seemed really, well… determined on winning it,” Phoenix remembered, wondering why her horn glow had changed color again.

Twilight grinned at that, glad for the distraction. “Yes, I remember her going around Ponyville boasting about how she was going to be the one to take the gold,” she recalled, almost wistfully.

The serious look he gave her caused her smile to disappear. “If she were to kill the guy most likely to win, she would have more of a chance of winning the whole thing herself and thus gaining fame and fortune in his place,” Phoenix declared, clicking his pen shut and putting his notepad away.

Twilight was appalled, her jaw dropping open at the idea. “But Rainbow wouldn’t do that!” she protested with a stomp of her hoof, eyes narrowed and jaw set in anger, her horn glow intensifying again and taking on an orange tinge.

Phoenix held up his hands placatingly, recognizing for the first time that the color of her horn’s glow changed with her mood, and the brightness with the intensity of her emotions. Orange means anger. So what did the pink glow mean, then? “Yes, yes, I know. But we’re going to have to prove otherwise to the presiding Judge in court tomorrow,” he clarified.

With that, Twilight deflated, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof as her horn’s glow returned to normal. “Sorry, I guess you’re right,” she apologized, regretting her outburst, not understanding why she was suddenly feeling so flustered around her human visitor.

He gave her a reassuring smile. “I can’t say that I’m satisfied with the evidence we gathered, but this looks like all we are going to find here.” Phoenix zipped his evidence bag closed, hoping it would be enough.

“The ponies investigating the crime scene must have taken all the important stuff,” she guessed, echoing Phoenix’s thoughts.

“Probably. But that's okay. I’m sure that we will see it presented in tomorrow’s trial in one form or another. In any case, we should get some rest,” he suggested, feeling tired from the summoning ordeal and walking around the entire town for the past two hours, to say nothing of the fact it was now past midnight.

“What?! No studying or anything?” Twilight frowned.

He waved off her concerns. “Don’t worry; I do it all the time. If I just keep my eyes set on seeking the truth, everything will be fine,” he promised her, stowing his camera and evidence bags.

Twilight still seemed dubious, sitting back down. “I hope you really are the best Defense Attorney, Mister Wright,” she said, sounding unconvinced.

In response, Phoenix offered her a friendly hand up. Surprised, she accepted it, letting him pull her back to her hooves, Twilight marveling anew at how dexterous his digits were while Phoenix was surprised at the soft fur and slightly yielding forehoof he felt beneath his fingers. “We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow,” he noted, resisting the urge to give her an affectionate scratch behind the ears, reminding himself sharply that she wasn’t an animal despite outward appearances, and he had no idea how she’d take such a gesture.

She nodded, her purple eyes lingering on his hands for a second. “You can sleep at my house. I have an extra bed for you,” she offered. Eagerly accepting, the exhausted human lawyer thanked her for her hospitality and let her lead him back out of the woods.

Trying not to crowd her again—easier since she kept her horn illuminated for the walk out, keeping both the darkness and his fears at bay—he walked behind her, lost in thought for most of the trip back. I still feel like I shouldn’t be taking this case. Like I’m an outsider meddling in something that doesn’t concern me at all… but at the same time I can’t turn my back on someone who’s being accused of a crime they didn’t commit. That just goes against everything I stand for as a defense attorney! Phoenix reminded himself.

His gaze fell on Twilight for a moment, his eyes drawn to her exotic equine form, lingering on the odd but strangely apt starburst symbols on her hips. This whole thing is still really weird; talking ponies and all. But I promised I would defend Rainbow Dash, and that’s what I’m going to do! he vowed as they exited the forest, passing back by Fluttershy’s cottage. To his mild disappointment, the bashful but beautiful pegasus pony was nowhere to be seen.

I need to bring my A-game tomorrow. Even with so little evidence, I will find the truth and get Rainbow Dash acquitted of this murder, he resolved, wondering what would happen next and what other surprises this world had yet to spring on him.

Guess I’ll find out… tomorrow in court!

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on January 18, 2018.

Part 5 - The Great and Powerful Prosecutor

No matter how far you run…
No matter how long you hide…
The Eyes of Justice will never lose sight of you!

Phoenix Wright / My Little Pony FIM - Turnabout Storm [Part 2/4]

After Phoenix’s encounter with the ‘Fearsome Dragon’ known as Spike—who, to his great surprise (and no little embarrassment) was actually a small but sassy baby dragon no bigger than Maya’s eight-year old cousin Pearl—he went to bed inside the guest room of Twilight’s library treehouse to rest, but his night was anything but restful…

Ponyville District Court
June 10th, 9:45AM

“Coffee… need Coffee...” Phoenix walked sluggishly from the library to the courthouse, very hungry and sleep-deprived.

“I told you Phoenix; we didn’t have any!” Twilight reminded him, increasingly annoyed with her human guest.

“And that bed was way too small. I hardly had any sleep last night,” he added, still forcing himself forward despite feeling on the verge of collapsing.

“It wasn’t designed for a biped as tall as you!” she shot back.

“And I’m starving,” he growled, as did his stomach.

“Spike and I offered you breakfast, but you wouldn’t eat it!” she reminded him as they reached the courthouse, exasperated with his constant bellyaching.

“Sorry, but I can’t eat hay,” he groused, trying not to think he was hungry enough to eat a horse.

“Stop WHINING!” she ordered him in frustration as they entered the defense lobby.

“I’m not whining, I’m COMPLAINING!!” he shouted back at her, causing the two white-armored pegasus ponies standing guard by the courtroom doors to look at him. Realizing he was making a scene, Phoenix took a deep breath to get back his self-control and sighed. “Ugh… I'm sorry Twilight, I’m just a bit nervous,” he admitted, rubbing his bleary eyes. I feel like such a rookie right now; I’m going to be the only human being in that courtroom, he knew, imagining a room filled with ponies and no other humans except for himself.

“I’m sorry, too. The feeling’s mutual, believe me,” Twilight agreed. She hadn’t gotten much sleep either, even before she had fulfilled an emergency late-night request from the Princess, though in her case it was more due to endless worry about Rainbow Dash’s fate mixed with an insatiable curiosity about Phoenix and his world, finding herself fascinated by his human form and the strange ‘magic’ he told her about.

Lost in their own thoughts, neither the unicorn mare or human lawyer noticed when Rainbow Dash snuck up to them. “HEY!!” she shouted, startling both of them.

“AHH!!” Twilight reared up in a panic, tripping over her own hind hooves and falling backwards into an equally frightened Phoenix, knocking him over and resulting in the pair falling together, ending up in a tangle of limbs on the floor.

The two looked at each other in surprise, then separated quickly with badly flushed cheeks and muttered apologies. Can’t she just say hello instead of blurting out HEY like that?! Phoenix thought, still shaking from the adrenaline surge and embarrassment at suddenly finding himself with a pony in his lap. At least I’m awake now!

Rainbow Dash looked back and forth between Twilight and Phoenix, giving them odd looks. “What’s wrong with you two? I should be the one who’s jumpy right now!”

“Oh… uh… *ahem*… that’s right,” Phoenix said sheepishly, clearing his throat and looking back at Twilight, who was still blushing furiously, not meeting his eyes.

“So did you find any super-awesome proof to clear my good name last night?” Rainbow asked, eager to hear their progress.

“Uh…” Twilight groped for an answer, still flustered.

“I wouldn’t exactly call it ‘super-awesome’, but we did get a tip about who will be testifying as a witness today. So we got that on our side, at least,” Phoenix offered.

“And who would that be?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Fluttershy,” Twilight finally found her voice again.

“WHAT?!” Rainbow Dash shouted, causing Phoenix and Twilight to jump anew. “Why is she testifying against me?! She better not say anything dumb!” Rainbow warned, an edge to her voice and her wings flaring in anger.

“Calm down, Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy wouldn’t do that,” Twilight assured her hot-tempered friend.

“We’ll find out what she’ll say soon enough. In the meantime, Twilight, do you happen to know who the prosecutor is and what they’re like?” Phoenix asked, smoothing out his tie and royal blue business suit in an effort to restore his dignity and master his freshly-frayed nerves.

Twilight blinked at that, still trying to refocus after finding herself in the human lawyer’s arms. “The prosecutor? I forgot to look into that,” she admitted, a tinge of blush still present in her cheeks.

Phoenix turned away to spare her further embarrassment, still working on his own. Speaking of prosecutors… I wonder what Edgeworth would do if he were in my shoes right now? he thought idly to himself, thinking of his former classmate, an accomplished attorney who was at once his greatest rival and closest friend.

As if in answer to his unspoken thought, he had a sudden mental image of Ace Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth… dressed in his courtroom attire while frolicking with a trio of colorful ponies in a meadow, riding the back of one and prancing around like a little girl.

“This is just like that one episode of the Steel Samurai where he meets the Pink Princess!! WHEEEEE!!!!” Phoenix imagined him saying in a sickeningly sissified voice.

When the vision had ended, Phoenix had gone deathly pale, cringing and shivering. Doctor, I’d like the part of my brain responsible for that image lobotomized please!

“Does it really matter what the prosecutor is like?” Twilight interrupted his bad daydream.

Phoenix shook his head, both in response to her question and to clear it. “It can. Save a few, most prosecutors in my world are stuck up, smug and arrogant,” he told her, summarizing his experience over his many cases. “They go out of their way to win, trampling all over the truth and opposing counsel if it’ll help them get a conviction.”

Twilight smiled at that. “Don’t worry. I admit I’m not too familiar with our stable of prosecutors here, but I don’t think there is a single pony in all Equestria like that.”

At that moment, the room echoed with a very loud and mocking laugh. “HAHAHAHAHAAH!!!”

A startled Twilight seemed to recognize the voice, as she slumped and let out a long sigh. “Oh… no.” She grimaced, putting a hoof to her head.

From behind Phoenix, a blue-furred unicorn mare with a striped lighter-blue mane appeared, wearing a gaudy star-covered violet cape and a pointed hat akin to what might be worn by a wizard. “We meet again, Twilight Sparkle!” she said in a sneering tone.

“Friend of yours?” Phoenix asked Twilight, more bemused than intimidated. What’s with the get-up?

Before Twilight could answer, the blue mare did. “The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie is no friend of Twilight Sparkle!” she introduced herself theatrically; Phoenix could all but hear the capital letters in her title as she spoke.

“What are you doing here, Trixie?” Twilight challenged the other mare.

In response, Trixie reared up on her hind hooves and spread her forelegs like a performer issuing an invitation to her audience. “Come one! Come all! The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie will be displaying her PRODIGIOUS and CUNNING prowess as a prosecutor in the courtroom today!” she announced like she was advertising a show to the annoyance of all present; even the guards at the courtroom door looking irritated at her over-the-top antics.

“You’re the prosecutor?!” Twilight asked in disbelief.

“Trixie is a mare of many talents. Does it really come as a surprise?” the newcomer answered before continuing on her boasting spree. “As soon as Trixie caught wind of one of your pathetic little friends performing such a heinous act, Trixie jumped all over the opportunity to humiliate them as you had humiliated me!”

“Who are you calling pathetic?!” Rainbow Dash demanded to know, her blue cheeks turning red with anger.

“Oh? Are you mad?” she teased the hot-tempered pegasus. “Don’t worry, The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie hears you’re going to be having a nice long vacation on the sun! That should get your mind off things!” she needled. “Bon voyage, Rainbow Trash!”

“Why, you...!” Blinded with fury, Rainbow Dash flared her wings and was about to attack the insulting showmare when Phoenix stopped her.

“Rainbow Dash, don’t let her rile you up; it could look bad for us,” he reminded her calmly, trying to set his volatile client at ease.

Hearing his voice, Trixie turned her attention towards Phoenix, looking him over from head to toe. “And just what in Celestia’s name are you supposed to be? Some kind of outlandish ape?” she asked with more than a hint of contempt in her voice.

Outlandish ape? “Me? I’m Rainbow Dash’s Defense Attorney, Phoenix Wright,” he politely introduced himself to her despite the insult, holding out a hand in greeting.

“What? YOU?!” she laughed at loud at the strange creature in front of her, making no move to return the gesture. “This should be easy if Trixie’s opponent is to be this sorry simian! From what Trixie has gathered, you are only here because ‘Twilight Screw-up’ botched up a spell! HA!” she spat out, making Phoenix’s blood boil. “Be assured, the GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie would never settle for a wretched-looking creature such as yourself as a Defense Attorney… nor would Trixie blunder such a simple summoning spell in the first place.” She put her nose in the air and a hoof to her chest as she spoke.

With that, both Rainbow and Phoenix snapped, Trixie’s verbal bombardment finally pushing the badly stressed pegasus and sleepless human lawyer over the edge. Seeing red, Phoenix set his jaw. “Actually, Rainbow Dash? Forget what I just said. Go for it! Take her out and make it hurt!”

“Gladly!” Dash was about to attack the offensive mare when Twilight intervened.

“PHOENIX! RAINBOW DASH! STOP IT!” she yelled, using her magic to halt them in their tracks before stepping in front of the incensed pair and addressing the other unicorn directly.

“Trixie, I didn’t mean to humiliate you. Please don’t take this out on my friends,” she pleaded.

“Hmmph! It’s too late for that…” the blue mare with a frosty mane said smugly, sticking her nose in the air again. “Now if you’ll excuse Trixie, she must prepare for her GRAND debut as an EXTRAVAGANT and AUDACIOUS Prosecutor!” Already enraged by her insults and how she always spoke in third person, Phoenix felt outright infuriated at Trixie, his fists clenched and eyes narrowed as he watched her depart.

Twilight looked back at him and sighed as she spoke. “Phoenix? You know what you said about prosecutors being stuck-up, smug and arrogant?”

“Yeah?” he replied through gritted teeth, still glaring after the showmare.

“I guess we have those here in Equestria as well,” she said succinctly, a hint of worry in her voice.

“So I see. But who was that?!” Phoenix asked, his blood still boiling.

“She’s a traveling performer named Trixie,” Twilight explained.

Phoenix rolled his eyes. “I kind of got her name down already; she only said it… oh, I don’t know… ABOUT A DOZEN TIMES?!” he yelled, letting some anger out of his system.

“Actually, she only said it twelve times, not a dozen,” Rainbow Dash obliviously corrected.

“Rainbow Dash, twelve is a dozen!” he lashed out, not even bothering to sugarcoat it.

Rainbow blushed, turning away to try and cover up the fact she suddenly felt like a total dimwit. “Oh, I didn’t know that. It would have been easier if you just said twelve,” she excused away her own comment, but Phoenix just shrugged it off, too incensed over Trixie to care.

“Ugh! Anyway… how did you know that prosecutor, Twilight?” Phoenix asked, hoping for information that might give him an edge over her.

“I didn’t know her as a prosecutor; I didn’t even know she was one!” She rubbed her head with a hoof. “I met her when she came to Ponyville a while ago as a traveling performer showing off her magical talents.”

Phoenix gave her an odd look. “Magical talents? Like magic tricks? She kinda looked like a magician judging by the attire,” he noted, looking around to make sure Trixie wasn’t in earshot.

Twilight nodded. “Yes. Like me, she’s a unicorn and she had a habit for running her mouth about her magical abilities, claiming that she was the most magically gifted unicorn in Equestria,” she explained, sounding strangely subdued to Phoenix as she thought back to that day.

“Running her mouth is kind of an understatement. She seemed to have some sort of grudge against you. What happened?” Phoenix asked, wanting to know why the mare magician would act like such a… jerk!

Twilight chose her words carefully. “How should I put this? I—“

“Twilight totally wiped the floor with that snob by fixing a mess she caused!” Rainbow Dash eagerly finished for her friend.

“W-well… yeah,” Twilight said sheepishly, not knowing if she was thankful for Rainbow’s comment or not.

“Trixie is just jealous because Twilight is better with magic,” the brash pegasus proclaimed, praising her friend.

Phoenix nodded slowly, imagining well how somebody—somepony, he corrected himself—like Trixie would take to being shown up. “’The mighty don’t flaunt their power. The sly eagle hides its claws.’” he quoted.

Twilight looked up at him in surprise. “Phoenix! I’m impressed! I didn’t know you were into proverbs!” she said, eyes glimmering a bit, looking at Phoenix in renewed interest.

“Heh! What can I say?” Phoenix grinned, allowing himself a minor boast. I should really tell her I just stole that one from a video game! he knew, but ultimately didn’t, deciding he liked the bookish unicorn thinking of him as an intellectual.

“So, Nix... do you think you can beat that stuck up braggart?” Rainbow Dash asked, increasingly confident about the outcome of the trial.

Phoenix stared at the cocky pegasus for a moment—talk about the pot calling the kettle black! “You didn’t do it, right? I’m sure things will turn out fine,” he assured her, wanting nothing more than to prove Rainbow innocent so he could wipe the smug grin off Trixie’s face.

“This isn’t Mister Wright’s first murder trial, Rainbow—he’s a professional. If anyone can get you out of this, he can. There’s no substitute for experience!” she added, looking up with pride at him.

“Right!” Rainbow agreed.

Phoenix sat down on a plush lobby couch—still too low for him—taking a load off in the last few minutes before the trial. Stepping out for a moment, Twilight shortly returned with a pair of apple turnovers—“compliments of a good friend,” she told him—which he wolfed down ravenously, finding their taste heavenly, double so for being on an empty stomach. With the edge taken off his hunger, his focus sharpened and he began to look around. “Thanks for the food. But there is something bothering me, Twilight,” he told her, brushing some crumbs away.

She gave him a curious look, happy to have him at eye-level for a change. “What is it, Phoenix? You’re not getting cold hooves, are you?” she asked as she saw him looking around the lobby.

He shook his head sharply at that. “No. It’s just that this courthouse looks almost exactly like the one in my world,” he said, scanning the room and checking every detail again. It was indeed just like the one he remembered from home; the only differences he saw were the two armored ponies replacing the armed human guards and the picture over the sofa on the back wall of some strange but striking dark-furred mare with a tiara-crowned head thrown back against a night sky; her starry, almost ethereal-looking mane partially obscuring the moon.

“Of course it does! It was inspired from human architecture,” Twilight told him, pulling his attention away from the odd image.

Phoenix blinked. “Why would it be inspired off of human architecture? Seems a little unnecessary, if you ask me.”

She grinned at him. “Well, having observed your world from afar, we feel that humans have a commendable sense of justice. That the way you humans uphold the law is worthy of imitation, and to that end, we took inspiration for the design of our courthouses from yours. Our criminal justice system also resembles yours as well, from what I’ve read, so you should feel right at home,” she promised.

He nodded, still a bit uncertain, wondering how Twilight and ponies in general knew of his world in the first place. And just how do they ‘observe it from afar’? He put the question aside for later. “I just hope justice swings in our favor today.”

“Do you think the evidence we found will be enough?” Twilight asked.

“It’s not much, but I’ve made do with less,” Phoenix replied, taking out his evidence bag and setting it down between them. As Twilight looked through the contents, something caught her eye.

“Hey, what’s this thing? I don’t remember us finding this yesterday,” she pointed with a hoof to an odd green comma-shaped gemstone with a hole in its center.

“Hey! That’s the toy you were playing with yesterday, Nix!” Rainbow said with a knowing grin, recognizing the object immediately.

“Huh? Oh. Yeah, that’s mine. I must have mixed it up in the evidence we found. AND IT’S NOT A TOY!” he shouted at Rainbow Dash, emotions still raw from Trixie.

Rainbow was unimpressed. “Ha! Whatever you say,” she pretended to agree while still giving him a teasing grin.

Phoenix struggled again to keep his temper in check, not helped by his lack of sleep. “Can you pass it over here, Twilight? It’s a keepsake of someone I know,” he told her, holding out his hand. I should really keep a better eye on it. Maya will kill me if I lose it!

“Sure, here you go,” Twilight offered, eager to see his fingers grasp it again. But as she enveloped it in her magic to float it over, the Magatama suddenly glowed brilliant green within her purple aura.

“Huh?” was all Phoenix got out before the Magatama flashed a brilliant white. “WHAT THE—?” he stumbled backwards and went blind for a moment; when his vision cleared he was lying on the ground again… and so was Twilight a few feet away.

“WHOA! Are you two okay?” a seemingly unaffected Rainbow Dash said, blinking away spots in her vision.

“Phoenix? What was that?!” Twilight asked, pulling herself back to her hooves but drawing back from the mysterious artifact, wearing a shocked expression.

“I-I don’t know! It’s never done that before!” Phoenix exclaimed, wide-eyed as he climbed back to his own feet.

Twilight stared warily at the strange object, now lying on the floor between them. “You still haven’t told me what that thing is, yet. The energy it just emitted; it felt… mystical…” was the only description she could come up with. I’ve never felt magic like THAT before!

“It allows me to—” he started to explain before he caught himself. Should I really tell her what it does? It would be awkward if I told her that it enables me to see deep secrets people are hiding in their hearts… he worried, his mind turning.

“It allows you to what?” she prompted.

Deciding that revealing its true purpose could cause trouble, he made up a false one. “It allows me to... have good luck. It’s a good luck charm.”

“You say ‘Good luck charm’—I say ‘toy’!” Rainbow snickered.

Phoenix grumbled, muttering inaudible obscenities under his breath. Don’t forget who’s defending you, Skittles! he thought to himself, wishing sorely he could say it out loud—but knowing full well she wouldn’t get it even if he did.

“I see. Well then, here’s your… ‘charm’, I guess we need all the good luck we can get today,” Twilight told him, picking the amulet up off the ground with her magic again. This time, there was no reaction.

“Right,” he said, holding out his hand for it.

Twilight floated the Magatama back to Phoenix, who pocketed it, still wondering what had happened. That was odd; it flashing like that when Twilight picked it up! It looks fine; I just hope it still works! he fretted, only to shake his head. With any luck, there’ll be no further need for it here, anyway.

“Phoenix? Are you alright? You look a little worried,” she asked, noticing his troubled expression.

He shook his head. “It’s nothing.” Eh, just forget about the Magatama. I have bigger problems right now! Even with my lack of sleep and what little time I had to prepare, I’ve got to try my best for Rainbow’s sake!

At that moment, the clock chimed ten and a guard at the door spoke out. “The Defense and their co-counsel are to make their way to the courtroom immediately!” he announced.

Twilight took a deep breath as Phoenix stood back up. “Okay, Phoenix. The trial is about to start. I’ll be right there as co-counsel to help. Now do your best!” she offered a few encouraging words to the human lawyer, using her magic to straighten his tie and smooth out his rumpled suit a bit before he went in. Surprised, he stood still for her, half-thinking she was taking a little more time and effort than needed to merely make him presentable.

Finally, she stepped back and nodded in satisfaction. “There we go. Ready?” she asked him, the barest hint of a blush on her cheeks… or was he imagining it?

“Ready,” he nodded back, putting on a confident air as he led Twilight into the courtroom to begin the trial.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on January 18, 2018.

Part 6 - The Trial Begins

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Part 7 - The Blooming Apple

At Phoenix’s request, Trixie revealed how the police were informed of the murder.

“Prior to the crime, the police received a vague tip that wished to remain anonymous,” she began. “You may be assured they were questioned far more thoroughly in the aftermath of the murder, but they were determined to have no involvement with the crime.”

“What was the tip?” Phoenix asked, filing the information about an anonymous source away for later. He knew something was going to happen but had nothing to do with the crime? I find that rather unlikely!

“That ‘something big’ was going down in the Everfree Forest!” Trixie answered.

“That’s it?” Phoenix was disappointed in the short and unreliable statement.

But the showmare prosecutor simply shrugged. “Trixie told you it was vague. And due to the… attitude of this anonymous tip, the police didn’t respond as quickly as they could have, since the tipster failed to specify a time when this ’something big’ would happen,” she further explained.

“Isn’t that negligence?! If they had bothered to check it out, they could have saved the victim’s life!” Phoenix protested.

“Mister Wright is correct, Ms. Trixie. The police should have responded to this tip more responsibly,” The Judge concurred, which in Phoenix’s experience was a remarkably rare event.

The mare magician gave a dismissive wave of her hoof. “If you were to meet this ‘Anonymous Tip’, you’d have taken it every bit as seriously as the police force did—which is to say, not at all. Any more pointless questions, Mister Wrong?” she asked, insultingly as ever.

“I told you, it’s Wright!” he corrected her for the second time. “I do have questions regarding that storm cloud though—how many times did the lightning from it strike? I noticed two charred areas that were quite a distance apart from each other on the crime scene,” he challenged Trixie, remembering both the burned grassy area around the body outline and the felled tree with the scorched trunk, realizing only then the latter had to have been hit by lightning.

“Three times. After the cloud was activated by… heh! You-know-who,” she said with mocking glance at a now-restrained Rainbow Dash, who just glared, still looking like she wanted to pound the insulting showmare into the ground. “After being initially triggered, the cloud then operates by itself, gradually discharging its remaining lightning bolts at random times, but never in the same place twice. It wasn’t a particularly large cloud; only holding three bolts of lightning,” Trixie noted.

“Three?” Phoenix pondered, his hand on his chin again. Clouds contain bolts like guns do bullets? How does that even WORK here? he vowed to learn before he left. “But we only saw two impact points!”

“For once, you are correct, Mister Wrong,” she called him again with a grin, able to see for herself how much she was getting under his skin. “As Trixie stated earlier, the first bolt struck directly under the cloud where the late Mister Swift lay, killing him. The tree was hit by the third bolt, but as to the second… unfortunately, we were unable to determine where it went.”

“Wait! Then maybe it was—” Phoenix began.

Trixie cut him off hard. “Trixie knows what you are going to say and it’s not going to work!”

“But—”

“Do you truly think that Trixie would be so sloppy, Mister Wrong? The investigation team combed the entire perimeter of the crime scene and didn’t find any indication the second bolt hit the ground or any trees in proximity to the cloud. There were no burn marks found and no sign of damage to any of the trees or forest floor other than the ones already noted. It’s truly a mystery where this second bolt of lightning went,” Trixie conceded, shooting down his theory before he could even voice it.

Thwarted, Phoenix tried to change tactics. “Okay! Then, what if it—”

Trixie cut him off again. “Nor did it strike him in midair. Ace was found wearing a lightning-proof racesuit that protects the body from lightning—standard issue for all participants of the Equestrian 500, which involves flying through several storm-based airborne obstacle courses. The only reason the first bolt killed him is because it was aimed with precision at one of the exposed areas… by Rainbow Trash!” Trixie asserted, causing Rainbow to audibly snort in anger, pulling hard at her restraints.

Frustrated at her anticipating him yet again, Phoenix tried a third line of attack. “I still think that—”

She was still one hoof ahead of him, cutting him off yet again. “Give it up, Mister Wrong! Even if the second bolt struck the victim directly, it should still have passed right through him and touched the ground, leaving a burned area like the one under the cloud. This holds true even if he were struck while flying. Ergo, the second bolt could not have killed him, and thus the first bolt is the murder weapon!” Trixie concluded, and Phoenix finally fell silent under the weight of her very well-reasoned assertions.

“The prosecution’s logic is very sound, so I must overrule the defense’s objection,” The Judge ruled as he hammered down his gavel, making the decision final.

“But… but... I didn’t even get to finish my sentences!” Phoenix complained somewhat sheepishly.

“Very well, then—what were you going to say, Mister Wright?” The Judge asked.

Phoenix could only give a goofy, freshly embarrassed smile. “Well, uh… exactly… what… she said,” he admitted, inwardly conceding that Trixie was proving a much more difficult adversary than he would ever have imagined.

“Then the defense’s claims have been double overruled!” The Judge hammered his gavel hard twice to emphasize the point.

“What about the third lightning bolt? Is it possible that killed him instead?” Phoenix asked, grasping for anything he could use.

“Not even remotely.” Trixie looked like she was thoroughly enjoying rubbing Phoenix failures of deduction in his face, shooting down his alternate theories one by one. “Since the storm cloud was important evidence, it was left on the scene undisturbed and was still present by the time the police forensics team arrived. In fact, they personally witnessed the final bolt take down a tree just east of the crime scene, as Trixie will show you on this diagram of the clearing.”

Trixie’s horn glowed again with her trademark light blue aura. She levitated out a large, detailed map of the Everfree forest clearing from behind her rail and placed it on a mounting stand, releasing it and then picking up a long pointer in its place.

“Right here is where the first lightning bolt hit—directly above the body. We know it was set off at 8:40 PM,” she said, the magically-controlled pointer tapping the spot in the clearing where Phoenix and Twilight found the tape outline.

“The second one, as stated, is a mystery. We don’t know where it hit but we are certain a bolt of lightning left that cloud at 8:50 PM. The third bolt touched down at 11:35 PM when the investigation team was on the scene so we can completely rule it out of the crime. It just took down a tree right here.” Trixie next pointed out a spot on the west end of the crime scene, exactly where Phoenix and Twilight saw a felled tree the previous night.

So that’s what happened to that tree! Phoenix realized as Trixie floated a smaller copy of the diagram over to him and Twilight.

“But how are you so sure of the time the first two lightning bolts touched down?” the question had been nagging at him, studying the diagram more closely. He would have already objected on that basis, but was afraid he’d just be showing off his ignorance again.

Trixie quickly confirmed he was right to hold back. “Police forensics were able to use Cloud Ballistics to confirm the second bolt left the cloud at exactly 8:50 PM.”

Phoenix blinked and his jaw fell fractionally open again. ‘Cloud Ballistics’? You have GOT to be joking! he thought in disbelief, resisting the urge to facepalm. I better not question it though—I don’t want to get another penalty! he reminded himself, knowing that The Judge’s patience was generally limited to only five or six before he threw you right out of court and slapped you with a contempt citation, and sometimes it was even less than that. “And the first?” he followed up his previous question.

“That’s where Trixie’s eyewitness comes in!” she proclaimed theatrically, rearing up on her hind legs in delight and excitement over what she apparently thought was decisive testimony.

Twilight cast a worried look at Phoenix. “It must be Fluttershy,” she noted, having reached the same conclusion that Phoenix did.

“Since the first bolt was manually set off by a Pegasus, Cloud Ballistics is unable to confirm when it was fired, but luckily, we have an eyewitness who saw it,” Trixie announced.

“The court wishes to hear the testimony from this witness. Please bring them out?” The Judge requested.

“Trixie would be more than happy to, Your Honor!” With that, Trixie nodded to a unicorn bailiff, who went out and came back in a half-minute later, escorting an unseen somepony to the witness stand, his body shielding them from sight.

“State your name and occupation please,” Trixie asked calmly, though Phoenix, Twilight and even The Judge couldn’t see anypony in the witness box.

“Huh?” Phoenix said, breaking the awkward silence in the courtroom.

“Um… Where’s the witness?” The Judge asked in confusion.

“Ah’m down here!” A young, country-accented girl’s voice called, its source still unseen.

“That voice...” a surprised Twilight said, apparently recognizing its owner.

“Who is that? I thought Fluttershy is going to be the witness?” Phoenix asked her, feeling as confused as The Judge, who was only hearing a disembodied voice from the stand.

Twilight gave him an uncertain look, sparing a quick glance up into the stands where she shared a surprised look with an orange pony wearing a stetson hat. “I think it’s my friend’s younger sister. But what does she have to do with this?” she wondered aloud.

Phoenix shook his head. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

“Perhaps we should get some boxes for the witness to stand on,” Trixie suggested, which were promptly floated in by the unicorn bailiffs and stacked at the base of the stand. “There, much better,” she pronounced as a smiling and very cute young earth pony girl with yellow fur and a red mane stepped up, her head and shoulders now visible above the witness stand.

“Howdy!” the filly said with an eager smile and a thick country accent, a large pink bow adorning the back of her mane.

The Judge, to little surprise of Phoenix, went all dewy-eyed over the sight of the cute little earth pony filly in front of him. “Awwww, aren’t you the most adorable little thing!” he gushed over her without an ounce of shame.

Always a sucker for a pretty face, aren’t you, Your Honor? Phoenix couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

“Now then, witness. State your name and occupation,” Trixie asked the standard opening question.

“My name’s Apple Bloom! And I’m a CUTIE MARK CRUSADER!!!” she shouted, loud and proud.

The Judge looked as confused as Phoenix felt. “A cutie mark… what? I did my research of Equestria, but I never came across anything regarding ‘Crusaders’.”

“Uh… what the heck is a “Cutie Mark Crusader,” Twilight?” Phoenix asked his equine co-counsel in turn.

“It’s… um… kind of hard to explain,” she admitted to a still-baffled Phoenix before Trixie pulled their attention back to the case at hoof.

“We were informed by a resident of the Everfree Forest that this little filly was walking home the night of the murder. And sure enough, she witnessed the first lightning bolt,” Trixie explained. “The witness’s occupation or lack thereof doesn’t matter. What’s important is that she—”

Before Trixie could finish, the young earth pony cut her off. “What are you talking about? It does matter! As a Cutie Mark Crusader, it’s mah duty to crusade my talents everywhere so Ah can earn mah Cutie Mark! Even if only one-third of the team is here!” Apple Bloom insisted.

Phoenix rubbed his eyes and turned to Twilight again, confronted with yet another unfamiliar concept. “Ugh… I’m so confused! What on earth is a ‘Cutie Mark’, Twilight? Is it a nickname of her boyfriend ‘Mark’ or something?” he asked, trying to make sense of it all.

Twilight smiled knowingly at that. “A Cutie Mark is a symbol ponies earn when we find out our special talent. For example…” she shifted slightly to show him her flank, drawing his eyes to the starburst symbol on her hip. “The stars on mine represent my expertise in magic and love for stargazing!”

“That’s just… strange,” Phoenix said, his eyes lingering on her flank for a moment. Then again… actually, I wonder what MY cutie mark would be? Maybe a hand pointing an index finger filled with righteous justice! THAT would be amazing! he decided, hands on his hips and chest puffed out as he imagined how proud he would feel.

For her part, Trixie was getting steadily more irritated the longer she was ignored. “Listen… sweetie. Your job is to testify just like Trixie told you earlier,” she reminded Apple Bloom, trying to get her back on topic.

To her frustration, Apple Bloom continued to pay her no mind, instead turning her attention on the defense bench. “Hey! What are you?” the young filly asked while looking at Phoenix, studying him curiously.

“Huh? Me?” Phoenix looked back at the young filly.

“STOP IGNORING THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!!” Trixie demanded, irritation boiling over.

Despite the raised voice, Apple Bloom continued to ignore the incensed mare magician, staring at the odd bipedal creature in front of her. “Yeah, you! What kinda pony are you? Ah’ve never seen anythin’ like you before!”

“I’m not a pony, Apple Bloom. I’m a human,” Phoenix replied, noting he was finally getting used to being gawked at.

“A human, huh? Is that your job?” Apple Bloom asked next.

He shook his head. “No, that’s my species. I’m a lawyer, if you’re wondering what my job is.”

“A ‘lawyer’? What’s that?” she next wanted to know.

Phoenix wasn’t sure how he’d been drawn into such a tangent, but answered anyway. You know, she is kind of endearing. I guess cute kids can be found no matter where you go! “A lawyer is someone who defends people accused of crimes, using logic and evidence to argue how the crime could have been committed by someone else,” Phoenix explained to the young filly, trying to keep the concept as simple as possible.

She gave him an odd look. “So your job is to… argue?” Apple Bloom latched onto the one word, seemingly making sure she heard him right.

Phoenix scratched his chin at that. “Well, yes. I guess you could say that,” he admitted with a glance at Twilight.

To his surprise, Apple Bloom got excited. “Ah knew it! Ah knew it! There is a cutie mark for arguin’! Wait till Ah tell Sweetie Belle ‘n Scootaloo! This means we’ve been goin’ about it all wrong! We can be—” she took a deep breath “—CUTIE MARK CRUSADER LAWYERS!!!” she announced, loud and proud once again.

Phoenix resisted the urge to facepalm. The future of criminal justice is looking pretty bleak right now…

“Witness! Let’s get back on topic! Testify as to what you saw last night!” Trixie commanded, getting very frustrated with the young filly.

“No! This is boring! Ah’m losing valuable crusading time ‘cause of you!”

Trixie’s jaw fell open. “W-WHAT?!”

“Ah don’t have to listen to you! You’re that snotty and stuck-up showoff Applejack told me about!” Apple Bloom said, taking Trixie aback and causing roars of laughter to erupt from the audience.

“SNOTTY and STUCK-UP?! Why…! You…!” the showmare sputtered, nearing the verge of madness, a sudden but brief breeze stirring her papers.

“You tell her, Apple Bloom!!!” another country-accented female voice called out from the stands, in between guffaws from the rest of the gallery.

I’m actually kind of enjoying this! Phoenix admitted to himself, unable to keep the smile off his face or his hand off his head. But is it just me, or did it just get a couple degrees colder in here…?

Trixie saw his pose and glared daggers at him. “The defense will wipe that stupid grin off his ugly mug and the witness will cooperate!” she demanded again, the face Phoenix was making and Apple Bloom’s insults only enraging her further.

Finally, The Judge interceded, drawing attention back to himself with a rap of his gavel. “Witness… I know you’d much rather be out playing with your friends, but could you please testify for us? Then you can do all the crusading you want! It won’t take long at all,” he reassured her in a polite, placating voice that made Phoenix think he was speaking less as a judge at that moment than a grandfather. “Besides, maybe you’re a—oh! I know!! A CUTIE MARK CRUSADER WITNESS TESTIFIER!!!” he shouted just as Apple Bloom had.

This time, Phoenix did facepalm, as did Trixie, most of the bailiffs and half the gallery. Your Honor—how much shame do you have left after saying something like that? he wanted to ask, certain that The Judge had completely lost his marbles.

But far from embarrassed, Apple Bloom’s eyes lit up. “Wow! Ya know, Ah think yer right, Mister! Reckon that cutie mark is as good as mine!” she agreed in renewed excitement.

Though Trixie’s expression looked to Phoenix like she was being made to suffer fools, she took a deep breath and cleared her throat, starting over. “Very well, witness. If you truly want to earn your cutie mark in courtroom testimony, then all you need to do is tell everypony what you told Trixie earlier,” she said with a plastered-on smile as placatingly as she could, trying hard not to roll her eyes.

“Ah can’t wait! Alrighty then, here Ah go! CUTIE MARK CRUSADER WITNESS TESTIFIER!!!” Apple Bloom shouted at the top of her lungs before beginning her testimony; both Phoenix and Twilight awaiting her statements with bated breath.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on January 30, 2018.

Part 8 - An Apple in the Everfree

Phoenix and Twilight listened intently as Apple Bloom began her testimony, wondering what eyewitness account of the lightning bolt she could possibly offer.

—————— WITNESS TESTIMONY ——————
— Walkin’ Home —

“Ah went to Zecora’s place in the Everfree Forest to help her brew some stuff. After we were all done, Ah walked home along the pathway. Reckon it was right around 8:40 when Ah heard and saw a lightning bolt… but it didn’t scare me! Then, Ah found my way out of the forest and went on home.”

The Judge nodded as Apple Bloom finished her statement, scratching his beard thoughtfully. “I see. So there was indeed a lightning bolt around the time of death! Mister Wright, this isn’t looking good for your client!” he pronounced gravely.

“Please, just let me cross-examine this witness, Your Honor!” Phoenix pleaded, wishing The Judge would refrain from casting aspersions on the defense’s case as he so often did.

“She’s just a foal, Phoenix. It might just be an overactive imagination?” Twilight suggested in an aside.

Phoenix scratched his chin, looking thoughtful. “I don’t think so. I think she’s being vague, if anything.”

Twilight gave him a curious look. “Vague? Meaning she’s not telling us everything?” she asked, uncertain where Phoenix was going.

“Exactly! I don’t think this will be so much about finding a contradiction as about pressing her testimony to bring out those extra nuggets of information,” Phoenix said with the certainty borne of experience, carefully reviewing in his head what he wanted to ask.

The Judge waited for them to finish their whispered conversation before he spoke again. “Enough discussion of strategy, Mister Wright. You may cross-examine the witness.”

“Yes, Your Honor,” Phoenix acknowledged, considering carefully what he wanted to ask first.

Trixie stopped him before he could begin. “Before we start the cross-examination—Trixie knows all about sneaky underhanded defense attorney tricks! If you dare press this innocent and fragile foal too hard, you will be punished!” she announced as if she were The Judge, leaning over the rail to make her point.

Twilight shot the showmare-turned-prosecutor a look of utter disbelief while Phoenix’s jaw went completely slack. “W-WHAT?!” the latter sputtered.

To his shock, instead of admonishing Trixie for usurping his authority, The Judge jumped on him as well. “She’s right! You better not hurt this sweet little one’s feelings, Mister Wright! I know your tactics only too well! You will be forced to face the consequences if you do!” he warned.

Children—the kryptonite of Phoenix Wright! he sulked to himself as he rubbed his eyes, wondering again why nothing ever came easy for him.

—————— CROSS-EXAMINATION ——————

“Ah went to Zecora’s place in the Everfree forest to help her brew some stuff…”

“Zecora? Who’s this?” Phoenix interrupted, hearing yet another unfamiliar name.

“She’s a zebra. A friend of mine who lives in th’ forest,” Apple Bloom replied.

Phoenix blinked. There are talking zebras here as well? Oh, brother! he thought to himself, certain he had heard it all now. “And you were helping her brew potions? What kind of potions?” he followed up, wondering if he’d even understand if he was told.

The orange-eyed filly looked puzzled. “Ah don’t really know. She just told me to gather some flowers and plants outside the house, so I did,” she said with a shrug.

“Before Mister Wrong follows this pointless tangent, the zebra mare in question confirmed Apple Bloom visited that night and told us she was making herbal ointments and medicines. Nothing out of the ordinary,” Trixie stated, eyes closed and nose in the air.

Phoenix resisted the urge to rub his still-bleary eyes a second time. Now I really HAVE heard it all! A zebra brewing potions is ‘Nothing out of the ordinary’? He thought to himself, wondering if she could also brew coffee, as badly as he still needed some caffeine in his system. “So what did you do afterwards, Apple Bloom?” he asked next, continuing the Cross-Examination.

“Well…” she began again.

“After we were all done, Ah walked home along the pathway…”

Phoenix stopped her again. “You walked home all alone in the dark? I heard that forest was dangerous. Definitely not the place for someone your age,” Phoenix knew, remembering how frightened he was in it.

“Thank Heavens she is alright! From what I read, there are terrible creatures in that forest!” The Judge noted, looking down with wide-eyed concern at the little filly in the witness stand.

Apple Bloom drooped her ears at that. “Yeah, well… the truth is, Ah wasn’t supposed to be in there that late. Ah got grounded by mah big sis and Granny when Ah got home,” she confessed, looking chagrined.

Phoenix was unsympathetic. “Serves you right for breaking your curfew,” he scolded without thinking.

Apple Bloom began to tear up.

Phoenix panicked when he saw the lethal glares he was getting from both the bench and the gallery, none more so than from the stetson-wearing earth pony mare he’d seen Twilight exchange a look with earlier. “AH!! I-I MEAN, YOU SURE ARE A BRAVE COOTIE MARK CRUSADER!” he all but screamed as he saw The Judge raise his gavel with fire in his eyes.

“Cutie Mark Crusader!” Apple Bloom corrected, now more annoyed than sad.

“Mister Wright! You are treading on very… thin… ice!” The Judge warned him, gavel still poised to deliver not just a penalty but a contempt citation.

Phoenix stepped back from the rail and took a deep breath, turning to a concerned-looking Twilight. “I better be real careful of what I say to her,” he belatedly realized, still trembling over his close call.

“I know we need to get more out of her, but try not to be too hard on her, Phoenix. She’s just a filly and she doesn’t have anything to do with what happened,” Twilight pleaded, not wanting to see Apple Bloom’s feelings hurt any more than The Judge. “Press her gently; maybe you can coax her into doing what you want like The Judge did earlier.”

As embarrassing as what he did earlier to get her testimony was, it did work, he granted, taking a deep breath before speaking again. “I know, but I’m kind of on a handicap here—not being able to squeeze information as I would normally do with any other witness. But I have dealt with children in the past and I can do it again,” Phoenix promised, as much to remind himself as reassure Twilight.

Twilight looked at him in fresh interest. “Oh, so you have children? You don’t really look like the father type,” she commented, seemingly appraising him in a whole new light.

His eyes went wide at the suggestion. “N-no, I don’t have any kids! I mean I’ve dealt with children testifying!” he hastily corrected her before she got the wrong idea. Me with children? THAT’LL be the day!

The rap of a gavel jolted him out of his thoughts. “If the defense is done with idle conversation, please continue your cross-examination,” The Judge ordered. “And remember… gently, Mister Wright. Or else, you will be hearing my gavel banging an unfortunate fate for you!” he warned, his tone very ominous and threatening.

Phoenix gulped hard, dripping sweat again, scared half out of his wits by the intimidating look The Judge was giving him. “Y-yes, sir!” The Judge is staring down at me like he has the intent to kill! he realized, half-wondering if he’d be sent to the sun as a punishment.

“Okay, Apple Bloom. Please continue.” He composed himself, trying to keep his tone neutral.

“Reckon it was right around 8:40 when I Ah heard and saw a lightning bolt… but it didn’t scare me!”

“How did you know the time?” Phoenix asked her to clarify, not expecting she would be able to and he would have a new line of attack. I mean, it’s not like she’s wearing a watch or anything...

To his surprise, the young filly gave a prompt and authoritative answer. “Zecora told me at 8:30 what time it was and said that Ah should really head home before it got too late. So, Ah helped her clean up for a few minutes, hugged her goodbye, and then headed out. Her clock said 8:35 when Ah left and reckon Ah’d been walking for about five minutes when the lightning hit,” Apple Bloom answered his question with surprising ease, making Trixie smile.

“That lines up perfectly with the time of death,” the showmare noted with a smug grin, pleased that all the time she had spent in witness preparation had paid off—instead of poking a hole in her case, Phoenix’s question had only reinforced it.

Though stung at the obviously well-rehearsed answer—Trixie had clearly prepped her witness well—Phoenix shook it off, quickly moving on. “Okay. Why did you say ‘it didn’t scare you’? No one asked you if it did.” He tried a new angle.

Apple Bloom suddenly looked evasive, a fact not lost on Phoenix or Twilight. “Ummm… well… okay, Ah reckon maybe it scared me a little,” she allowed, hoping he didn’t push further.

Phoenix raised an eyebrow. “A ‘little’?”

“Yeah, just a little, no big deal!” Apple Bloom insisted, trying to win him and the rest of the court over with another adorable smile.

Though not unaffected, Phoenix kept his focus, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think you’re being honest with me, Apple Bloom,” he accused as gently as he could.

Trixie stopped him, leaning over the rail again. “Mister Wrong is badgering the witness; who cares if the lightning scared her? Penalize him!” she demanded.

“She’s not giving us all the details as to what she saw, Your Honor!” Phoenix immediately countered.

The Judge closed his eyes and thought about it before finally giving a reluctant nod. “I’ll allow the defense to pursue this matter. But I’m warning you Mister Wright…” he cautioned again, his gavel poised and eyes narrowed, watching Phoenix like a hawk ready to swoop down on its prey.

“Y-yes Your Honor, I understand.” Phoenix swallowed, forcing himself to proceed. “Apple Bloom, please, you need to tell me the truth. Even if it may not seem like it, this is really important,” he pleaded with the downcast young filly. “Someone’s life depends on you being honest here!” he added when he didn’t get an immediate response.

Upon hearing that, Apple Bloom perked her ears up. “Someone’s… life?” she repeated in a curious tone. “Whose?”

“Rainbow Dash’s, Apple Bloom.” Twilight spoke up for the first time in the testimony. “If you don’t be honest like your big sister, Rainbow could be banished and we’ll never see her again.” She had to stifle a sniffle of emotion of her own at the thought of losing Rainbow forever.

Phoenix was impressed at her carefully worded statement, as well as the effect on Apple Bloom. “Banished? Nopony told me about that.” Her eyes sought and found the stetson-wearing mare in the audience, who nodded gravely.

“Then please tell us what really happened, Apple Bloom,” Phoenix requested again, far more gently. “Do that, and everything will be okay.” I hope...

“Fine. You win, Mister Lawyer.” Defeated, the young filly finally gave up. “The truth is, the lightning really scared me,” she admitted in a beaten and barely audible voice. “Reckon it was so close and so loud it just about made me jump right outta my horseshoes.”

Phoenix nodded in sympathy, knowing how hard the confession was for her, trying not to think about how he would have reacted to a sudden lightning bolt in the dark forest the previous night, even with Twilight present. “Then what did you do?”

“Ah got so scared Ah ran right off th’ path and ended up even deeper in the forest. Took me forever to find mah way out,” she told Phoenix in both embarrassment and fright.

“You ran off the path?” he asked her to clarify.

She nodded. “Yeah, and Ah kinda got lost. Ah couldn’t find the path and Ah was really scared.” The young filly shivered as she remembered her plight.

“The witness will amend this to her testimony,” The Judge ordered, though there was a note of sympathy in his voice as well.

“A-mend?” Apple Bloom repeated, uncomprehendingly.

“He means testify about it.” Twilight quickly clarified. “Tell us more about how you left the path, Apple Bloom.”

“Oh… okay,” Apple Bloom agreed.

“Ah got so scared Ah bolted ‘n ran right off th’ path, ending up even deeper in the forest. Took me forever to find mah way out.”

“How long you were lost?” Phoenix asked, hand on his chin again.

“Reckon Ah was in there for a really long time,” Apple Bloom replied after a pause.

“How long, exactly?” Phoenix asked again, leaning over the rail intently as he waited for the answer. Apple Bloom became silent, and Phoenix did the same. They both stared at each other and an uncomfortable silence fell over the courtroom until finally…

“A really long time!” The young filly gave another winning smile, as if believing she’d given the right answer.

Phoenix rubbed his eyes and sighed again. “Ugh. Okay, let’s look at this in a different way: what time did you get home?” Maybe we can determine how long she was lost by backtracking?

Apple Bloom thought about that. “Oh. Um… at 9:10. Ah know because both mah big sis ‘n Granny Smith were there waitin’ for me and told me how late it was when I got home.”

“Her family can confirm she got home at 9:10 PM,” Trixie spoke up, perfectly happy to corroborate the testimony since it didn’t contradict her version of events.

“I see. And how long does it take you to walk from the forest entrance to your house?” he asked next, impressing Twilight as she realized what he was doing.

“Hmm… well, when Ah’ve done it before, the walk’s taken right around ten minutes or so,” Apple Bloom offered thoughtfully.

“So by simple subtraction, a ten-minute walk home means you got out of the Everfree right at 9 PM, and given the lightning struck at 8:40, that means you were lost in the woods for twenty minutes,” he concluded, noting with some satisfaction that Twilight was giving him an approving look. “That’s quite a long time to be lost in there,” Phoenix further mused, taking on his pondering expression once more.

She nodded jerkily, looking downcast and her eyes going fearful again as she relived the experience. “You said it, Mister Lawyer. Ah thought Ah was gonna be lost in the woods forever! It was really dark in there, and Ah couldn’t see anything. Reckon Ah was jumpin’ at every noise and shadow,” she said, causing Phoenix to have a flashback to his own time in the forest, remembering how relieved he was when they reached the clearing and Twilight lit her horn. “Ah could find my way out of the forest while on the pathway because Ah could feel the dirt road under my hooves. But once Ah was off the path, Ah couldn’t tell left from right!”

“So you just wandered around blindly in the dark for 20 minutes?” Phoenix asked in astonishment.

“Y-yeah. Ah was stumbling over everything and thought Ah’d never get out!” Apple Bloom visibly shivered.

“Do not fear, little one! I’ll defend you from all those horrible monsters in that dreadful forest with my Gavel of Truth!” The Judge proclaimed grandly, raising his gavel high like a sword.

Phoenix couldn’t help but be amused at the image that brought to mind. The Judge versus the Everfree Forest? Sounds like a title for a pay-per-view event! he chuckled to himself, thinking he might just buy tickets to such a spectacle. “Did anything happen while you were lost?” he asked next. Don’t expect she’s going to say yes, given Trixie would probably have asked during her initial interview, but you never know...

To his great surprise, the young filly nodded jerkily. “Oh, yeah. Ah thought Ah was gonna die of fright when Ah bumped into that thing.”

All conversation in the courtroom ceased instantly as the entire gallery blinked at once. “What?” Phoenix asked in surprise as he leaned forward, an intent tone in his voice.

“You… you bumped into something?” The Judge repeated, as curious as Phoenix and Twilight were to know more.

Sensing the young filly’s testimony was heading into unknown territory, Trixie tried to stop her. “Witness! This is the first time I’m hearing about this! Why did you not say anything to me regarding this earlier?” she demanded to know, leaning over the rail and raising her voice again.

“Because Ah don’t like you!” Apple Bloom shot back. Trixie could only manage a strangled sound in response. “And Ah didn’t wanna admit Ah got lost…”

Phoenix couldn’t help but smile at that. “Looks like Trixie is getting a dose of her own medicine,” he noted in an aside to Twilight, a hint of amusement in his voice.

When Twilight didn’t immediately answer, Phoenix turned to look at her and found she was staring fixedly at Trixie, her expression intent. “Did Trixie just…?” she trailed off in mid-sentence.

“Just what?” a puzzled Phoenix prompted.

“She just… never mind; it’s nothing important.” She shook her head.

He gave her an odd look. “If you say so, Twilight.” Phoenix dropped the matter, returning to the cross-examination. “I’d like to know more about this thing she bumped into,” Phoenix told The Judge.

“As do I! Would you mind adding this to your testimony, dear?” The Judge asked, his tone grandfatherly again.

“Not a problem!” Apple Bloom said agreeably, happy to do what the nice bearded human asked, especially if it ended up getting her a cutie mark!

“Ah thought Ah was gonna die of fright when Ah bumped into that thing…”

“You bumped into something? What was it?” Phoenix asked, wearing his hand-on-chin pondering expression yet again.

But Apple Bloom could only shake her head. “Ah don’t have a clue. Ah’m sorry Mister Lawyer, but it was really dark. Ah couldn’t see anything.” she apologized sincerely, looking unhappy at her inability to answer.

“Apple Bloom, you have to know more about this!” Phoenix pressed as hard as he dared as he leaned over the rail, sensing he was onto something.

“But Ah really don’t know what it was, Mister Lawyer! Honest!” she pleaded with him, tears welling in her eyes again as he pushed her.

“Leave her alone, you jerk! She already said she doesn’t know what it was!” Trixie protested, less worried about Apple Bloom’s feelings then keeping the human lawyer from pursuing a potentially dangerous line of questioning to her case.

Phoenix responded instantly with a raised arm and pointed finger. “This is important information! Just moments ago, you said she never told you about this! If there was something or someone else in the woods that night, we need to know about it!” he reminded The Judge as much as her.

“I am curious as to what she bumped into as well. Objection overruled!” The Judge announced with a rap of his gavel.

Trixie initially reacted to the sound like a slap to her cheek, drawing back in surprise and giving a wounded squeal. “Hmph! If you enjoy pointless information… be my guest! It was probably just a tree or a rock. I think the defense is just hopelessly grasping at straws!” Trixie dismissed her small defeat, trying to salve her hurt ego by hurling additional insults Phoenix’s way.

But Phoenix was less concerned about that than Twilight, seeing her staring intently at the other unicorn mare again. Why does Twilight keep looking at Trixie like that? Maybe I should ask her later. But for now, I have to focus on the matter at hand, he reminded himself, turning his attention away from Trixie and back to the young filly on the witness stand. “Alright, Apple Bloom. Just like I asked you to think of a different way about how long you were lost, let’s think about what you bumped into in a different way as well,” he proposed.

“How do y’ mean?” Apple Bloom asked, confused.

“You might not have been able to see, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t use your other senses. So let’s start with this: what did the thing you bumped into feel like?” he asked, trying to jog her memory.

“How’d it feel? Hmmm…” Apple Bloom thought for a while and then… “Oh! That’s right!” she exclaimed, perking up and smiling.

“What is it, witness?” The Judge inquired.

“It felt alive. Ah mean, it wasn’t a rock or a tree!” she remembered, her eyes wide.

“Alive?” Phoenix repeated.

The Judge echoed him. “It was… ‘alive’? Please explain how you were able to deduce this?” he prompted.

“Well, Ah reckon Ah definitely felt fur when I bumped into it. And Ah could hear it breathing heavy like it’d been running for a good while and was really tired,” Apple Bloom remembered.

“It was breathing hard? Could it have been a wild animal?” Phoenix suggested.

“Ah’m not sure, Mister Lawyer. Ah know Ah heard it breathing heavy, though,” Apple Bloom maintained.

“How did it react when you bumped into it?” Phoenix asked next.

She thought about that. “When Ah bumped into it, it kinda jumped a bit.”

Phoenix nodded at that. “I would probably jump too if something bumped into me in the dark.”

“As would I,” The Judge agreed.

“Trixie wouldn’t. Trixie is BRAVE and COURAGEOUS!” the showmare boasted from the opposite rail, rearing up theatrically again.

Oh, SHUT UP! Phoenix shouted at her mentally, half-wishing he could gag the mare magician with her own pointed hat—of all the prosecutors he had faced, even the whip-wielding Franziska von Karma hadn’t gotten under his skin as much as Trixie already had.

“Almost right after that there was another bolt of lightning,” Apple Bloom added.

“That must have been the second bolt,” Trixie said with a fresh grin, only too happy to chime in when Apple Bloom’s testimony matched her evidence and timeline.

“But the thing is… it didn’t scare me. Really, honest this time!” Apple Bloom insisted, and by the way she met his gaze evenly, Phoenix sensed she was telling the truth.

“And why didn’t it scare you then?” Phoenix immediately followed up.

“Well, ‘cause there weren’t any thunder that time; just a flash. And Ah know this will sound strange, but… after it flashed, Ah was dizzy and mah eyes kinda hurt for a bit,” Apple Bloom said.

“That’s not strange,” Phoenix reassured her, hand going back to his chin. “Anyone’s eyes would hurt if there was a sudden burst of light in pitch black darkness.” Why no thunder, though?

She shook her head. “No, not that part, Mister Lawyer. Ah mean after that. Ah stumbled around for about a minute or two because Ah was real dizzy and couldn’t open mah eyes. The flash of lightning made mah eyes sting, but when the hurting in mah eyes went away… Ah was outside the forest just like that!” she finished with another winning smile, to murmurs of surprise from the gallery.

“W-what?! But how?” Phoenix asked, sharing in the astonishment.

Trixie was doubtful. “There is only one way in and out of the forest, and that is the entrance on the pathway as the forest border is completely overgrown with magical briars and brambles that block passage and resist all magical efforts to uproot them. They and the trees surrounding the outer perimeter act as a barricade; you can only leave or enter the Everfree Forest from the pathway. Unless, of course, you’re a pegasus—then you could just fly out as Rainbow Trash did,” she said with a ending grin, her deductions simple and irrefutable.

“That is certainly strange,” The Judge mused, scratching his beard thoughtfully again.

“But how could you go from being lost to being outside of the forest just like that, Apple Bloom?” Phoenix was determined to find out.

She gave him an uncertain look. “Ah know it sounds weird, Mister Lawyer, but it’s true! Ah was outside the dark forest after the lightning hit. Once mah dizziness passed, Ah went straight home and got there at 9:10 like Ah said before,” Apple Bloom swore.

Something clicked in Phoenix’s mind, and he immediately leaned forward over his bench, planting his hands on the rail. “Wait a minute—what did you just say?”

“Ah went straight home after Ah was outside the forest… because Ah was… y’know… scared?” Apple Bloom admitted, cringing a bit.

Phoenix pointed directly at Trixie. “The prosecution has some explaining to do!” he announced to the courtroom, certain he had found something decisive.

“Hmph! What are you babbling about, you blue-suited baboon?” Trixie asked derisively, causing Twilight’s eyes to narrow in anger.

“Apple Bloom claims she got out of the forest at exactly 9:00, when she saw the second bolt of lightning!” Phoenix restated.

“Yes? So what?” Trixie replied disdainfully, only to gasp and gape a second later when she realized what he was getting at.

It was finally Phoenix’s turn to wear a smug grin. “I see you caught on, Trixie! According to these ‘Cloud Ballistics’ reports, the second lightning bolt struck at ten ‘til nine,” he reminded her, picking up the report and tapping it with his fingers, giving his own theatrical pause before he brought the hammer down. “So perhaps the prosecution would care to explain how Apple Bloom only saw a lightning bolt TEN MINUTES AFTER THAT?!” he thundered, slamming his hands down on the rail again and sending Trixie into a state of panic.

“Uh… w-well uh… m-maybe…” the performer-turned prosecutor stammered, knowing that if the human lawyer succeeded in disproving even one piece of forensic or cloud ballistics evidence, it meant none of it could be trusted and her case fell apart.

“Cool!” Apple Bloom said, watching with great interest as the two attorneys argued, pointing and shouting back and forth at each other.

“Ms. Trixie, this is a big oversight! Why is there a ten minute gap as to when the child saw the lightning bolt?” The Judge asked.

“I’M THINKING! BE QUIET!!!” Trixie shouted back, making him open his eyes wide.

“Oh… o-okay,” the suddenly cowed Judge agreed, leaving Phoenix wishing he wasn’t such a prosecutorial pushover. Regardless, he planned to move that all Cloud Ballistics-based evidence be suppressed when Trixie couldn’t come up with a plausible explanation. If he succeeded in discrediting it and her case along with it, The Judge would have no choice but to toss all cloud-related evidence, leaving Trixie unable to tie Rainbow Dash to the crime and resulting in a not guilty verdict by default.

Kind of a cheap way to win, but I already know Rainbow Dash is innocent. And after how badly I screwed up the start of this trial, I’ll take it! he decided grimly, hoping he could convince the Judge to dismiss the murder charge quickly so he might be sent home in time for lunch. You know, a big mug of coffee and a couple kabobs from that Greek place would really hit the spot right about now...

But he was to be disappointed as, after a few more seconds, Trixie lifted her head. ”Alright, The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie is done thinking!” she announced, theatrically rearing up yet again.

“And?” The Judge prompted while Phoenix waited to pounce on whatever explanation she’d come up with.

“Trixie wants the defense to explain what this means!” she passed the question to Phoenix, to his surprise.

“Hey! You’re just saying that because you don’t know!” he accused, pointing a finger back at her.

True to form, Trixie didn’t back down. “You are the one who brought up the inconsistency, Mister Wrong. Therefore you should be the one to explain it!” Trixie reasoned, goading him with another sneering grin.

Phoenix knew perfectly well that was not his responsibility; that the burden of proof in this matter was on the prosecution, not the defense. But seeing the mocking look on Trixie’s face made his blood boil again, more determined than ever to put the infuriating showmare in her place by showing off his own deductive prowess. “Very well! There are two possibilities to this: either what Apple Bloom saw wasn’t lightning, or she’s mistaken on the time. That is, if your ‘Cloud Ballistics’ are accurate,” Phoenix proclaimed, putting his hands on his hips and giving her a mocking look of his own.

“They are accurate! To the second!” Trixie declared, giving him a glare. “And this filly’s family can confirm she arrived home at 9:10. So the prosecution believes that what little Apple Bloom saw was not lightning! That is Trixie’s GREAT and POWERFUL theory!” she announced grandly, rearing back on her hind legs again.

It was only at that moment Phoenix realized he’d been tricked, goaded right into a potentially devastating mistake. “W-WHAT!?”

“I can’t believe you fell for that.” A disbelieving Twilight facehoofed again, knowing from her own legal studies that Phoenix had been under no obligation to answer.

Phoenix was completely flustered. “But-but-I-she-stole-I-I uhh…” he stammered, unable to accept that he’d been so badly suckered by the mare magician.

“But if not lightning, what was it?” The Judge wondered aloud.

“Nothing sinister, Your Honor. It could have been a baby illumi-bear the child bumped into or something of that nature. Many animals in the Everfree forest have strange characteristics, including built-in lights that flash when startled as a means of confusing predators,” Trixie went on calmly and smugly, knowing she was back in control.

“She probably bumped into such a creature and just happened to be near the exit of the forest when it happened, stumbling out in her daze. As there is no other way she could have exited the woods except through the front entrance, this is the most likely explanation. The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie has therefore resolved this inconsistency in the witness’s testimony!” she finished with a flourish.

“Remarkable! You are very clever, deducing something like that from such scant evidence, Ms. Trixie!” The Judge praised her.

“Naturally!” she boasted with a hoof on her chest, eyes closed and nose in the air.

Argh!! That was MY deduction! Phoenix wanted to scream, but knew from long experience it was pointless trying to convince The Judge of that fact. And worse, I gave her an out by answering! He wondered if Twilight knew a spell to send him back in time by twenty seconds so he could slap himself. “But there’s still a problem, Your Honor!” he started over, moving on to the next contradiction in line.

“And what is that, Mister Wright? Ms. Trixie seems to have solved the mystery of the time inconsistency,” The Judge said.

“Perhaps she did. But another mystery comes from that!” Phoenix said, determined to turn the tables right back on Trixie.

“Another mystery? Do tell, Mister Wright?” The Judge invited.

“The real second bolt of lightning—why didn’t Apple Bloom mention seeing or hearing that?” Phoenix challenged. “If she heard and saw the first one, she should certainly have seen the second!”

The Judge blinked. “Ah, you bring up a valid point, Mister Wright. Witness?” The Judge turned to Apple Bloom.

“Yes?” she asked, more than happy to answer his questions—he looked a bit strange, but was so much nicer than many ponies she knew!

“Did you not see any lightning other than the one at 8:40 PM that night?” The Judge asked Apple Bloom.

The young filly shook her head. “Ah’m sorry, sir. Ah only saw the one at 8:40 and the flash after Ah bumped into that thing,” she claimed again.

“Hmm… this is very peculiar. Ms. Trixie, do you have an explanation for this?” The Judge turned his attention to his left once more.

Trixie was again at a loss for words. “Umm… uh… The defense will—”

This time Phoenix was ahead of her. “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice shame on me! I’m not going to fall for that again! Besides, remember? It’s your ‘GREAT and POWERFUL’ theory, after all!” he mocked in her own intonations.

If looks could kill, Phoenix would have dropped dead on the spot. “What do you take me for, a foal?!” Trixie demanded to know.

Phoenix couldn’t believe she’d given him such an easy opening, guessing what the word was supposed to mean from its context. “Why, in fact, I do!”

Trixie gave a strangled sound.

“Low blow, Phoenix,” Twilight commented, trying to keep the smile off her face as she finally sensed the trial starting to turn in their favor.

“HOW DARE YOU!!!!” the showmare screamed in wounded pride, her horn starting to glow in anger beneath her wizard hat. Sensing the surge of magical energy, the bailiffs stepped forward and Twilight immediately charged her own horn, just in case.

“Mister Wright! That was uncalled for,” The Judge scolded him, seemingly oblivious to the magic building around him.

Phoenix looked at him in disbelief, oblivious to the danger. “Hey! She’s been putting me down all day long!” he complained.

“Trixie will show you, you spiky-haired ingrate! Do you remember why this witness is testifying?” Trixie asked, her horn glowing brighter, finally getting Phoenix’s attention when it became visible right through her hat.

“Yes, to confirm the time of the lightning bolt striking,” Phoenix answered calmly in the face of the implied threat. He wasn’t sure what the ice-blue unicorn mare could do to him, but noted Twilight had moved closer as if to protect him, her head lowered and own horn aglow, giving the showmare a steady stare.

Trixie’s eyes flickered to Twilight for a moment, knowing it was neither the time nor place to challenge her power, no matter how badly she wanted to strangle the infuriating human lawyer with his own necktie. Forcing herself to calm down, she powered down her horn, the mare magician reminding herself that while she fully intended to meet and defeat Twilight in a magical duel one day, it would be far more satisfying to best the human lawyer at his own game in a battle of logic and wit, winning the case and showing herself once again to be ‘the best at everything’—making her revenge doubly delicious for also defeating Twilight’s hired help!

“Exactly! Which she did. Anything beyond that is trivial,” Trixie concluded, her arrogant smile reappearing as she imagined how much more glorious her eventual victory was going to be for Phoenix Wright’s presence.

To Phoenix’s great frustration, The Judge agreed. “Though it is curious why this witness didn’t testify to hearing or seeing the second lightning bolt, the fact still stands: the initial bolt was set off at 8:40 PM, thus establishing that lightning did strike at the estimated time of death,” he concluded.

Phoenix sensed his turnabout slipping away. “But the second bolt—”

Trixie again didn’t let him finish. “You seem obsessed with that, Mister Wrong! Perhaps the reason the witness didn’t detect it is that she was too far away. The clearing is 15 minutes away from the entrance on hoof. Perhaps the sound simply didn’t have enough volume to reach that far.”

“And what about the fact she didn’t see a flash? In my world, lightning can be visible from a hundred miles away at night!” Phoenix refused to let it go, strangely certain the second bolt was important.

That only made Trixie more annoyed. “Well, we’re not in your world, are we, Mister Wrong? Even Sparkle over there will tell you that the Everfree forest is notorious for sucking up light, remaining dark even in the day! It is also certain that as this witness ran away from the bolt that scared her at top speed, she got far enough away to be out of range.”

The Judge thought about it and nodded. “I agree with the prosecution. The witness did what she came here to do and regardless of why she didn’t see the second bolt, it would appear to have no relevance to the murder. OBJECTION OVERRULED!” he announced loudly as he brought down his gavel, making his decision final.

“Argh! NO!!!!” Phoenix vented his frustration over losing yet another round to Trixie.

“This witness is free to go!” The Judge dismissed Apple Bloom, who remained on the stand for a few seconds more.

“OBJECTION!! HOLD IT!!!” the young filly shouted just as she’d heard Phoenix and Trixie do, looking at her flank expectantly afterwards only to see… “Aw, nothing.”

Escorted out by a unicorn bailiff, Apple Bloom left a bit disappointed and downcast at not getting her cutie mark, but for Rainbow, Phoenix and Twilight, the worst was yet to come.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on January 30, 2018.

Part 9 - Discriminating Evidence

The Judge looked disappointed as Apple Bloom departed, sorry to see the adorable filly go. “The witness brought up some interesting information, but the prosecution has still not tied the defendant definitively to the crime. Do you have more to offer in this regard, Ms. Trixie?” he asked the showmare, who nodded.

“Indeed, Your Honor. For her next piece of evidence, Trixie wishes to present this weather schedule,” she announced, using her magic to pull out a sheet of paper from under her desk.

“Weather schedule? Like the forecast for each day? How is that evidence?” Phoenix asked, initially thinking it had to be bogus but biting his tongue to keep from giving an immediate objection, afraid of embarrassing himself again if it wasn’t.

“It’s what the pegasus weather teams are given to know what weather to make in which areas of Ponyville,” Twilight explained quickly.

Phoenix winced at the reminder of his own ignorance, and the humiliation it had caused. I’d almost forgotten about that! I still can’t believe these ponies control the weather! It sounds like some sort of twist at the end of a bad Twilight Zone episode! he shook his head, half-thinking he should say there was no pun intended to his unicorn co-counsel standing to his right.

“Lo and Behold!” Trixie reared up on her hind legs in her trademark performing pose again. “Rainbow Trash was scheduled to make a large thunderstorm at the eastern end of Ponyville. The Ponyville Weather Patrol, which she herself leads the day shift of, had already stockpiled storm clouds for this task; said stockpile is where she got the cloud she used as the murder weapon from!” Trixie’s horn glowed, floating out a large map of the area from behind her rail and placing it on the mounting stand. It showed Ponyville in the east and the border of the Everfree Forest on the west edge of the map.

“The court accepts this as evidence,” The Judge announced formally as smaller copies were floated to him and Phoenix. The Judge’s copy was deposited gently in front of him on his bench, while Phoenix’s flew up sharply at the last second and stuck itself on his face, to some snickers from the gallery. Growling under his breath, he peeled it off and showed it to Twilight so they could study it together.

It’s really starting to look like Rainbow Dash did it. But I can’t give up! Phoenix thought, reminding himself that he had pulled out trials under bleak conditions before. “What about motive?”

“Hmm?” Trixie looked at him, putting on a disinterested air.

“I was told murder almost never occurs in Equestria. What could drive my client to kill another pony?” Phoenix challenged.

“Oh! That one is easy!” she replied with a dismissive wave of her hoof.

“Please explain, Ms. Trixie,” The Judge instructed.

“Gladly, Your Honor. The first thing you must know is that both the victim and the defendant were to participate in a monumental race called the ’Equestrian 500’,” she began.

“Dammit! She knows!” Phoenix swore loudly, slamming his fist down on the rail.

“Phoenix! Language!” Twilight nudged him in admonishment and a sharp whisper, making Phoenix realize he’d just cursed out loud.

“Oh! Sorry.” He winced, seeing some pony mothers in the gallery giving him reproachful looks as they hastily covered the ears of their infant foals.

“The victim, Mister Ace Swift, is a champion athlete and has quite the record, completely undefeated in every race he has ever competed in.” Trixie said, adding a bit of trivia to her statement.

“In every race? That is… impressive!” The Judge said, as amazed as Phoenix was when Twilight told him the same thing.

“Indeed,” Trixie agreed, taking on a haughty air again. “Now, Rainbow Trash was probably intimidated by this and decided to get rid of him like a coward, making it easier for her to win! She is the top pegasus athlete in Ponyville after all; she had a reputation to uphold. And if she won? She would not only gain a large monetary prize, but she could reap a very special reward this year for the winners—flight lessons from her idols, The Wonderbolts,” Trixie recited.

“You have no proof that’s what she was thinking!” Phoenix disputed, though he knew it was in fact only too plausible—Rainbow Dash had admitted as much when he interviewed her.

“So? You have no proof that it wasn’t what she was thinking!” she answered dismissively. “Trixie doesn’t need to establish a motive. How should Trixie know why she killed him? The point is, there is irrefutable evidence that Rainbow Trash did it!” she concluded, and Phoenix cringed to hear murmurs of assent from the audience.

“Okay then, Trixie—let’s hear your explanation of how the murder went down!” Phoenix dared the mare magician, hoping to poke holes in her theory directly.

Trixie grinned as if she’d been hoping he’d do that. “Very well!” she agreed, proceeding to outline her version of events.

“Rainbow Dash went to the Everfree Forest…”

“How can you be so sure she was there?” Phoenix immediately challenged.

She gave him another contemptuous look. “Weren’t you listening to what Trixie said earlier? The storm cloud above the crime scene had her hoof markings! This proves beyond any doubt that the cloud was in her possession!”

“Of course it was—you said herself she’s in charge of the weather teams in Ponyville! Her hoof markings probably end up on all the clouds just in the course of her job!” He mentally kicked himself for not making that point earlier. I have REALLY been off my game this morning!

“Sorry, Mister Wrong, but that won’t work! No other hoof markings except hers were found on that cloud, and on top of that, some freshly molted cyan feathers were found around the clearing—three guesses as to who they belong to, Mister Wrong!” Trixie taunted as she brought out a fresh evidence slip, this one showing blue feather fragments on the ground near Ace’s body, and worse, forensic analysis proving they had been shed no more than four hours before discovery and belonged to Rainbow Dash, causing him to grind his teeth again even as he spared a glance at the defendant’s box. “So there can be no doubt she was present in the clearing that night, and during the time of the murder!” Trixie even anticipated his next objection, causing Phoenix to swallow it.

Rainbow Dash, what were you doing in there? he asked his sullen-looking client silently, remembering the psyche-locks he’d seen on her the previous night and wishing he’d had the time and evidence to break them. “Okay continue,” he invited Trixie, who was only too happy to oblige.

“She saw Ace hanging around the forest for whatever reason…”

“Why would he be ‘hanging around’ that forest anyway?” Phoenix asked.

“That is of no concern to Trixie!” Trixie countered, annoyed.

Phoenix rolled his eyes. “That’s ridiculous! He couldn't have just been out on an evening stroll in the Everfree! He had to have a reason to go into that dangerous forest!” he pointed out.

“If you think it’s so important, why don’t you give us an explanation?” she dared him back, and this time it was beholden on him to do so if he wanted to refute her theory.

But in response, Phoenix could only grind his teeth. “I… I don’t have one,” he finally admitted.

“Thought so. Now, may Trixie continue?” she asked in mock politeness, like she was speaking down to a recalcitrant colt.

“Do you think it’s important why he was in there?” Twilight asked Phoenix quietly.

He nodded sharply, still seething at Trixie. “I know for a fact there must have been a good reason why he was in a place like that in the middle of the night; I just don’t know what yet. I wish I had more time to prepare,” Phoenix rued, cursing himself again for not taking better advantage of the time he had.

“Don't blame yourself, Phoenix. It’s my fault for getting you on such short notice.” Twilight drooped her ears and head.

Seeing her sad face, Phoenix resisted the urge to give her a scratch behind the ears but did put a reassuring hand on her withers. “We’re not going to let that stop us, though!” he promised her, giving the base of her neck a gentle squeeze, surprised at the silkiness of her striped mane.

“Right!” Twilight agreed, feeling her cheeks flush again at his unexpected touch, a wave of warmth going through her body. Sensing and taking strength from his fighting spirit, she stood up straighter again, determined to help him however she could.

“Alright, Trixie. Continue your explanation,” Phoenix invited her, trying to show the mare magician some courtesy even if he never got any in return.

“The remainder of the explanation is so simple that even you could follow it, Mister Wrong!” Trixie threw it back in his face with another insulting grin, causing him to growl anew. “Rainbow Trash saw him at the clearing and an opportunity to permanently retire him from the race, gathered some storm clouds, and—” she conjured a small cloud above the center of the courtroom “—BOOM!!!! fried Ace Swift!” she declared, illustrating her point with a small, magically triggered bolt of lightning that seemed to hit the floor in front of the defense rail with a sharp crack, causing Phoenix to flinch back. Twilight didn’t bother, knowing it was just an illusion—one of Trixie’s many stage tricks.

Phoenix proclaimed authoritatively.

The showmare glared at him. “Don’t point that ugly sausage of a finger at Trixie!” she ordered, making the cloud vanish with another flare of energy from her horn.

Phoenix lowered his arm, deciding perhaps it was best not to provoke the mare magician if she could actually summon lightning, starting to see that pony magic wasn’t entirely benign. “You say Rainbow Dash scoped out the victim in the Everfree Forest that night and saw the opportunity to murder him?” Phoenix summarized, preparing to spring his trap.

“Are you deaf, you arrogant ape? Of course Trixie did! And Trixie is always right!” she boasted with her nose in the air again.

Pausing to savor the moment, Phoenix waited a beat before countering with a single word: “Blind…”

Trixie looked at him like he’d gone mad. “What? Blind is not being able to see; deaf is not being able to hear, you ignorant dolt!” she retorted, getting agitated again.

He shook his head, trying to keep the smile off it. “No, blind—that’s how I felt in that forest last night. I couldn’t see my hands in front of my face without a light source,” he recalled, causing Trixie to gasp and gape anew as she saw what he was getting at. “Even Apple Bloom testified as to how dark it was, and I seem to recall you yourself saying that the Everfree Forest was unnaturally dark even in the day! So, given all that, how could Rainbow Dash have seen Ace Swift in pitch blackness and plotted to murder him on impulse?” he demanded to know, still pointing a finger across the courtroom pit at her. “Explain that, Trixie! That is… if ‘Trixie is always right’!” he mocked, moving his hands to his hips.

Trixie recoiled in shock, her pointed hat shooting off her head like a rocket as her magic misfired.

“You got her, Phoenix!” Twilight cheered, certain the trial was finally turning.

In response, he flashed her a grin. “Thanks! I just have to keep the momentum on our side now,” he told her, newly confident. Rough start, but I think I’ve righted the ship now!

“The defense makes a valid point. Is the forest truly that dark at that hour of the night, Ms. Trixie?” The Judge asked.

“W-well… yes,” Trixie was forced to concede as she pulled her hat back on, eyes darting nervously as she flailed mentally for an explanation.

“Then the defense has pointed out a major flaw in your theory!” The Judge said sternly. “Can you offer any other alternative explanations? Because it is quite clear events could not have transpired as you have claimed!”

“We’re all ears, Ms. ‘Great-and-Powerful’!” Phoenix couldn’t resist piling on. “So what other theory can you conjure that I can shoot down next?” he goaded her.

“Why, you—are you mocking me?!” Trixie glared at Phoenix through narrowed eyes as Twilight couldn’t help but smile at seeing Trixie put in her place.

“No. I’m just debunking your flawed theory!” Phoenix replied evenly, barely able to keep the grin off his face, certain he had won again.

Her scornful smile came back. “Too bad Trixie does indeed have an explanation!”

“Care to share it with us?” an unimpressed Phoenix asked over crossed arms, believing he still had the upper hand.

“He didn’t have to be on the ground, Mister Wrong. In fact, being a pegasus means he was traveling by air. Rainbow Trash probably saw him out flying and, seeing an easy opportunity, followed him into the forest. The woods themselves may be dark, but not the sky above it! She could easily have spotted him flying above the treeline in the moonlight. Yes, that’s it!” Trixie nodded to herself.

“Hmm… that makes sense.” The Judge agreed, to no surprise of Phoenix—he knew from long experience how The Judge always seemed to latch on to the prosecution’s theories, unable to see the flaws in them without help. Case in point, Phoenix reflected, there was a particularly gaping hole in Trixie’s latest theory that even Twilight had seemed to spot, giving him a knowing grin.

He grinned back, waiting for Trixie to finish digging her own grave. “She then followed him to the clearing and performed the dastardly deed, killing Ace Swift with a bolt fired from a storm cloud she obtained from her day job! It is dark in the clearing, yes, but being open to the sky, not as much as the rest of the woods. If you followed somepony in there from the air, it would be easy enough to track them using your other senses,” the showmare concluded, visibly pleased with herself again.

“Sorry Trixie, but that’s impossible as well!” Phoenix informed her emphatically, pointing at her again and now feeling fully in control of the trial.

“Wha—? What do you mean?!” the showmare panicked anew, though Twilight thought her reactions were a little too over-the-top, even for her.

“You said Rainbow Dash was scheduled to cause a storm on the eastern end of Ponyville, where you say she got the storm cloud from?” he reminded her, slamming his hands down on the rail for emphasis. Next, Phoenix picked up his copy of the Ponyville Weather Schedule and showed it to her, pointing at the left edge of the map. “But the Everfree Forest is in the west, according to this weather schedule you yourself submitted to this court!”

“N-no!!” she gasped in an exaggerated manner that suggested to Phoenix she sensed her case slipping away.

Scenting blood, Phoenix went for the kill. “There’s no way my client could have flown to the other end of town and back to get a cloud while still tracking Ace in that dark forest! And even if she did get a cloud and returned with it, he would have been long gone from wherever she initially saw him!” he concluded to whispers of agreement from the audience, leaving Phoenix finally confident of victory.

“The bottom line here is this: Rainbow Dash couldn’t possibly have tracked and killed Ace in the dark with a storm cloud it would have taken her many minutes to retrieve! Case closed, Trixie!” he gave her a triumphant, satisfied grin, once now duplicated by Twilight at his side, who was looking up at him in open admiration and how cleanly and quickly he’d turned around the case.

“Mister Wright is correct. Even by air, it would take some time to travel back and forth between the eastern and western ends on the town, particularly if the defendant had to carry a storm cloud with her,” The Judge concurred, coming around along with the gallery to Phoenix’s side. “I’m sorry, Ms. Trixie, but I see no reason to continue this trial as you have not established a valid working theory of the crime!”

“B-but Your Honor!” Trixie looked like she was flailing. “What about the defendant’s hoofprints on the cloud? Or her feathers at the clearing?” she quickly reminded him.

“They are not enough, Ms. Trixie.” The Judge shook his head almost sadly. “Such evidence is circumstantial at best: the feathers only prove she was at the scene at some point; the hoofmarks likewise only prove she handled the cloud at a prior point—which, as Mister Wright already pointed out, she would have done anyway in her role as shift leader of the Ponyville Weather Patrol. They do not prove she fired the bolt that killed him and, as Mister Wright so clearly stated, it seems all but impossible that she could have!”

“Game, Set, and Match, Trixie! I’ll accept your surrender at any time!” Phoenix rubbed her face in it, taking revenge for all her insults. He knew his late mentor Mia probably wouldn’t approve, admonishing him that personal grudges had no business in a courtroom, but he didn’t care. Trixie took this case based on nothing BUT a personal grudge! And after as much as she’s been calling me names and questioning my ability, to say nothing of trying to convict Rainbow Dash just to hurt Twilight, she DESERVES to have her defeat thrown in her face!

But instead of conceding, Trixie suddenly relaxed and turned a chilling smile on him. “Hehhehheheh…” she gave a quiet, almost gleeful laugh, the temperature of the courtroom pit seeming to drop several degrees again as she did so. “So close, and yet so far! Thought you had Trixie there, didn’t you, Mister Wrong?”

Phoenix was caught off-guard by her sudden change in demeanor, as well as the air temperature. “What?”

“You are absolutely right, Your Honor, about Trixie’s evidence being circumstantial. However, Trixie’s earlier theory was just testing Mister Wrong. Seeing how far he would stumble down the dead-end path Trixie was leading him on. And it was so much fun watching him work so hard to discredit a theory of the crime that Trixie already knew to be false; her brilliant mind having deduced the truth long before this!” She put her nose in the air and hoof on her chest again.

“Ms. Trixie! Are you saying that you deliberately wasted this court’s time?” The Judge looked angry and ready to cite Trixie for contempt on the spot.

“Not at all, Your Honor! I was simply attempting to entertain our audience as any good performer would. After all, they all wanted to see a show, so I’m making sure they get one!” she said evenly, though all present were certain that she had in fact done so for her own benefit, not theirs. “Besides, a good performer always saves her best and most masterful trick for her final act, which has now come. To that end, Your Honor, Trixie would now like to present her true theory of the crime…” she trailed off and then pinned Phoenix with a stare as she offered up a single, devastating word:

“Premeditation.”

Phoenix and Twilight’s jaws fell open. “You can’t seriously be suggesting—” the former began.

She nodded almost giddily. “That the defendant knew he was going to be there and planned to kill him there? Indeed Trixie is, Mister Wrong! And better yet, Trixie has decisive and irrefutable proof!”

She now had Phoenix’s full attention. “Your Honor! The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie would like to submit this additional evidence that does prove Rainbow Trash is the culprit!” Trixie floated up a new piece of paper, sending copies to both The Judge and defense again. This time, instead of sticking it on Phoenix’s face, she impaled it on a surprised Twilight’s horn, to some muted chuckles from the gallery. A visibly annoyed Twilight popped it off with her own magic, floating it to where both she and Phoenix could read it.

“Hmmm… ‘Missing Cloud Report’?” The Judge read the header.

“Go on and read the rest, Your Honor!” Trixie invited The Judge to recite the report out loud.

After scanning through it silently, he obliged her despite his annoyance at her grandstanding. “Storm cloud CN-23 discovered missing at 6:00PM from eastern end of Ponyville during routine inventory inspection following shift change. Weather mare in charge of previous shift: Rainbow Dash!” The Judge quoted, his eyes going wide as he read the name.

“This can’t be!” Phoenix said in disbelief, feeling his victory yanked away as yet another, even more insurmountable wall appeared in front of them, realizing he had once again failed to give Trixie enough credit—she had not only led him by the nose down completely the wrong path, she had clearly reserved her most damning piece of evidence for last, saving it for when it would do the most damage; a knife stabbed right through the heart of his defense.

“It can’t?” The look Trixie gave him said all too clearly that it could be, and was. “Take one guess where cloud CN-23 was found, Mister Wrong!” the mare magician bade him, and Phoenix could only manage a frustrated growl in response, awaiting the inevitable. “It was discovered when the police arrived at the murder site, hovering right above the Everfree Forest clearing!” she proclaimed grandly, the gallery around them erupting in whispered comments as Trixie attached a second sheet of paper to the report, this one from Cloud Forensics confirming the storm cloud over the clearing was the one reported missing.

The Judge realized the significance of it as well as Phoenix. “My word! So the defendant placed it there herself? This indicates she knew the victim would be there in advance and prepositioned the cloud to kill him!” He reached the only likely conclusion quickly. “I’m sorry, Mister Wright, but this makes all the defense’s objections null and void!” The Judge pronounced with multiple raps of his gavel, each blow like a hammer adding a fresh nail to the defense coffin.

“You are correct, Your Honor!” Trixie nodded eagerly. “The real prosecution theory is that the defendant knew Ace was going to be in that forest, so she placed the cloud in that clearing well in advance of him being there,” she proclaimed, certain that with her final, decisive piece of evidence, she had sealed Rainbow Dash’s fate. “She then waited for him to appear, lured him under the cloud, and then flew up to trigger the lightning, killing him instantly. Boom!” She conjured another mock bolt. “Truly a heinous crime, and one that deserves the most severe of punishment!” She leaned over her bench and pinned both Rainbow and Twilight with a triumphant look in turn.

Phoenix slammed his hands on the table. “But… but... this still makes no sense! How could she know he would be there? And what reason would he have to go there?” he asked, trying desperately to discredit her logic but finding little to work with now, her new theory having neatly sewn up all the holes he’d poked in her earlier one.

Trixie gave a long, drawn out sigh, like she was being made to suffer fools. “Trixie will say this again, Mister Wrong: who cares? The fact is she did it, and as far as this trial is concerned, that is all that matters!” Trixie said, now fully confident of the verdict.

“I’m afraid she is correct. Lack of motive does not preclude a guilty verdict, Mister Wright,” The Judge reminded him. “You and I have both known murders in our own world where no valid one could be discerned. The question before me is, has the prosecution proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the crime? And my current answer is that motive or no, she is getting very close to doing so,” he warned him.

“But she hasn’t yet! She still hasn’t proved that my client was the triggerman—er, triggerpony,”—he stumbled over his own words—“Or that my client was in fact the one that prepositioned the cloud! What if some other pony moved it?” Phoenix asked, grasping at increasingly thinner straws, only to find that Trixie had an answer for that as well.

“You don’t give up, do you? Very well, Trixie will humor you. Yes, you could argue another pony moved the cloud. But the evidence shows that the only two ponies in the clearing that night were Ace Swift and Rainbow Trash. Unless, of course, you can prove there was another, Mister Wrong?” she challenged with a sneer.

“Can you, Mister Wright?” The Judge followed up, having seen him pull this particular rabbit out of a hat before.

But this time, his trick and evidence bag was empty; Phoenix all but bit his tongue as he was forced to concede yet another round to the insulting mare magician. “I… I can’t right now!” he admitted in dismay.

“Then as this sorry excuse for a defense attorney cannot muster a single valid objection, Trixie submits that it has been established well beyond a reasonable doubt that Rainbow Trash moved that cloud to the clearing knowing Ace would be there, and then killed him with it using the first lightning bolt!” the showmare claimed again.

“To review, Trixie has proven that the defendant had access to the storm cloud used as the murder weapon, had opportunity to steal and move it in her role as shift leader of the Ponyville Weather Team, and can be put at the scene of the crime during the time frame of the murder that night. Surely this court may draw its own conclusions as to what it all means! Game, set and match, Mister Wrong!” She drove the knife deeper by using his own words against him.

With that, The Judge brought his gavel down, ending the debate. “I’ve heard enough. The prosecution has indeed proved its case. With all this evidence supplied, it is beyond reasonable doubt to this court that anyone but the defendant could have killed the victim, and I can safely hand down my judgement,” he announced to Phoenix’s sinking heart, drawing himself up straighter. “The defendant will rise to receive—”

“No, Your Honor! There still might be something we’re overlooking!” Phoenix pleaded, stalling for time, his mind racing, trying to find any chink in Trixie's case, no matter how small.

“The prosecution agrees,” Trixie concurred before The Judge could reply, to everyone’s surprise.

“You do?” The Judge blinked. “But I am ready to pass judgement, Ms. Trixie!”

Huh? She’s agreeing with me? Why? Phoenix wondered, instantly suspicious though grateful for the momentary reprieve, using the time to try and find new avenues of attack against Trixie’s case.

“And Trixie is quite eager for you to do so, Your Honor! But she asks that you delay your verdict just one more minute, as Trixie still has some additional evidence to present: this!” Trixie’s horn glowed again, and a large and somewhat charred-looking manila envelope floated up.

“And what is that?” Phoenix asked, seeing a previously sullen Rainbow Dash suddenly perk up out of the corner of his eye.

Trixie’s smile had turned almost lazy. “We found this in the victim’s saddlebags on the crime scene. A little burnt considering what happened, but the contents are mostly unharmed,” she explained, a strange gleam in her eyes.

Rainbow Dash’s rose-colored eyes widened when she recognized the envelope. “Huh?! NO! Please put that away!!” she said in a scared tone, pulling at her restraints like she wanted to dash forward and grab the envelope from Trixie, somehow more scared of it than her imminent guilty verdict.

Trixie gave Rainbow a very knowing and evil grin. “Be warned, Fillies and Gentlecolts, the contents of this envelope are quite shocking—no pun intended!” she announced, gleeful eyes falling on Phoenix and Twilight next. “They contain a rather illuminating look into the life of Rainbow Trash!”

“Trixie, I’m begging you… please don’t open it!” Rainbow again implored, casting a pleading look at Twilight and Phoenix to stop her.

The latter was forced to give his client an apologetic shake of his head, knowing he could not challenge the evidence until it was revealed. Whatever is in that envelope really has Rainbow Dash spooked! What on Earth is in there? And why is Trixie delaying the verdict to present it?

“Fillies and Gentlecolts! Trixie will now reveal to the courtroom what secrets this mysterious envelope holds!” the showmare proclaimed dramatically, opening the envelope with a flourish of her magic, fireworks shooting out of her horn and going off over the center of the courtroom.

“Please don’t do it, Trixie!” Rainbow Dash begged, drooping her ears and sounding ready to cry, leaving Twilight and rest of the gallery shocked to see the normally brash and proud pony reduced to tearful pleading. “Don’t show it!”

For his part, Phoenix felt a fresh trickle of sweat down his neck as he observed Rainbow’s reaction. I have a bad feeling about this, he thought, worried the envelope contained decisive evidence of her guilt. If it did, Phoenix knew it would be the end of the trial, and there was nothing he could do to stop it—the guilty verdict would come down, and he would have failed in his promise to protect an innocent pony.

All he could do was await the inevitable, and hope he could yet conjure up another miracle.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on January 30, 2018.

Part 10 - The Shy Testifier

Phoenix held his breath as the envelope was opened.

Pausing dramatically, Trixie pulled out what looked like a series of large glossy photographs and began slowly floating them around the courtroom in a moving circle like a airborne slideshow, giving everyone in the gallery a good look at each picture in turn. As the images registered, pony and human jaws fell open all throughout the chamber…

And then the equine audience exploded with laughter.

“Wow, Rainbow Dash! Who would have thought!” a unicorn mare called out, leaning over the rail and nearly dropping out of the stands, consumed by the helpless laughter that seemed to afflict everypony in the courtroom.

“I didn’t know you were into that kind of stuff, Rainbow Dash!” a pegasus pony piled on, wiping tears from her eyes, reducing her own laughs to giggles only until the next photo came into view.

“M-My sides hurt!!” a guffawing earth pony stallion exclaimed from where he was rolling around on the aisle floor, having fallen completely out of his seat.

“My word! These are c-certainly—“ The Judge cleared his throat, trying admirably to maintain a sense of decorum even as that of his courtroom had been destroyed “—Interesting photographs…”

“Oh… dear,” were the only words that came out of the mouth of a shocked Phoenix, whose mind had nearly ceased functioning at the moment the images registered. He had felt his heart, brain and soul go straight down to the soles of his feet when Trixie had opened the envelope, certain it was the end of the case. But now?

Nothing in his entire career had prepared him for… the pictures!

“P-poor Rainbow Dash!” Twilight agreed, blushing furiously again but unable to keep from giggling herself despite the predicament they were still in as the images floated by.

For her part, a mortified Rainbow Dash sat very rigid, her eyes wide and cheeks flushed scarlet as she heard the laughter and ridicule rain down on her. “MY LIFE IS RUINED!!!” she wailed, forced to watch as her carefully cultivated image of ‘coolness’ was utterly obliterated in front of all her friends and fans.

“As you can see, Your Honor, the defendant has some very… bizarre tastes!” Trixie stated gleefully as she added fresh pictures to the magical slideshow, humiliating Rainbow further as the laughter and comments erupted anew.

“Uh… wait!” Phoenix snapped out of his reverie and snatched a picture out of the air; his hand tingled as it disrupted her blue aura. Hope her magic doesn’t turn my hand into a hoof or give me a third eye or something! he belatedly worried, having no idea what pony magic could do to him. “What was the point in showing these pictures, Trixie? How do they relate to the crime in question?” he demanded to know, waving the crumpled image at the showmare.

As the guffaws from the gallery faded to scattered titters, Trixie turned her attention back to Phoenix, snatching the picture back from him and floating him and Twilight a complete set in a separate envelope. “They were in the victim’s bag, weren’t they? That alone means they are important evidence! Do you truly think Trixie would be so low as to show these pictures for the sole purpose of humiliating the defendant?” the mare magician asked, putting on a hurt look.

That’s EXACTLY what I think you did! Phoenix was all but certain, trying to force his mind back to the matter at hand, certain he’d never get those images out of his head. ”I have to ask, what were these, uh… pictures… doing on the victim anyway?” he wanted to know, motioning towards the envelope he’d been given but not about to open. If I have my way, I will never EVER look at these again! he promised himself, fearing he’d be seeing them in his dreams and waking hours for the rest of his life.

“How should Trixie know?” the showmare shrugged, looking very pleased with herself. “Maybe he was just into this sort of thing. Or maybe he had an odd fetish that only Rainbow Trash could satisfy!” she suggested with a leer at Rainbow, who was now laying her head face down on the rail with her hooves over her ears.

You said these pictures were important evidence, but you’re not going to explain why? Now I KNOW you brought them out just to embarrass Rainbow Dash! Phoenix glared at her, but could do nothing about it.

“In any case, the court accepts these… uh… photographs as evidence,” The Judge said formally as he received his own copies of the pictures, then put them aside without looking at them.

With that, The Judge cleared his throat and the courtroom finally settled down. “After that little interlude, can I declare my verdict now, Ms. Trixie?” The Judge asked.

“Most certainly, Your Honor!” an immensely satisfied Trixie invited, sitting back and leaving Rainbow Dash to face her fate. “The prosecution is only too eager to hear it!”

“Phoenix! Do something, quick!” Twilight pleaded in a sharp whisper, sensing the looming outcome of their case.

But Phoenix felt completely lost, his shoulders starting to slump. “I’m sorry, Twilight, but I don’t know what to do! I’ve never encountered first degree murder with a storm cloud before!” he told her, his hands white-knuckled as he gripped the rail under severe stress, feeling his last threads of hope for a turnabout starting to slip away. Every trick he knew, every objection he’d made, and everything he had tried in the trial had been ineffective against Trixie, who he was increasingly forced to admit was the equal or better of most prosecutors he’d fought back home.

This time, it was Twilight who gave Phoenix fresh strength, putting a hoof over his hand as it rested on the rail. “You said you wing it all the time, right? Well, wing it!” she implored him, her efforts and tone of voice suddenly and very strongly reminding him of Maya.

Remembering his teenage assistant and knowing how disappointed she—to say nothing of her late older sister!—would be if he gave up now, Phoenix stood up straight again and squeezed Twilight’s hoof in gratitude, vowing one final, all-out effort to save Rainbow Dash. He took a deep breath, and…

“What is it, Mister Wright?” The Judge asked in some annoyance, ready to bring down his gavel for the final time. “Unless you can present evidence, I am not interested in another of your fishing expeditions!”

Phoenix forced himself to sound authoritative even though he knew he was on thin ice with The Judge. “There are still a couple questions that need clarifying, Your Honor! First, how can the prosecution be so sure my client was at the scene of the crime? If I recall correctly, she was picked up at her home! Not on location,” Phoenix groped, knowing this one slim thread was likely his last stand.

“Trixie already told you that, you imbecile! Her hoof marks were on the cloud and her feathers were all over the clearing! Don’t you think that’s incriminating enough?” The showmare stood her ground, her insults pushing Phoenix’s already-abused buttons further and forcing him to bite his tongue to prevent a particularly ugly retort from escaping his lips.

He had never wanted to defeat someone—somepony—so badly in his life, and he had to forcibly remind himself the object was not to beat Trixie, but prove Rainbow Dash innocent, and that would be much harder with the contempt citation his comment would have been certain to garner.

Bet Maya would have enjoyed it, though! He allowed himself a small grin, knowing she’d hate Trixie even worse than him, having far less patience than he did for obnoxious and insulting individuals. “Yes, but the cloud could have been moved by someone else and the feathers could have been gathered from anywhere she’d been! I assume they can fall from a pegasus’ wings just as hair falls from your head?” he looked to Twilight, praying he hadn’t just made yet another invalid assumption about ponies, but to his relief, she confirmed it with a quick nod.

“I may not have proof yet, but that she was framed by another pony is a possibility, and one this court must, in good conscience, explore!” Phoenix insisted, turning from Trixie to make his appeal directly to The Judge. He might be fickle, but he’s also not one to leave any stone unturned before he pronounces verdict!

The Judge gave a heavy sigh, closing his eyes as he considered the request. If it was anybody but him… he reminded himself of all the times Phoenix Wright’s wilder claims and theories had been proven correct, or at least not entirely off-base. “Though it seems highly unlikely to this court that the defendant was framed given all the circumstantial evidence the prosecution has presented... it is also true that the prosecution has not yet conclusively proven that she was the one who triggered the killing bolt,” he conceded reluctantly, having been looking forward to a quick verdict so he could get some sleep after a long night and then be allowed to explore Equestria in earnest.

Phoenix’s heart leapt. “Exactly! So the defense moves for a continuation until tomorrow so the prosecution and defense can investigate this possibility in more detail!” If he says yes, that’ll give me enough time to conduct a more proper investigation! To say nothing of getting to do what I should have last night and STUDY! he thought ruefully again, strangely certain Twilight was never going to let him live it down.

“Any objections, Ms. Trixie?” The Judge turned to his right.

Seeing that The Judge was wavering again, Trixie let out another theatrical sigh. “Looks like this is going to drag out a bit longer.” She rolled her violet eyes, then smiled. “So be it. That just means Trixie can toy with Mister Wrong for a little longer! But there is no need for a continuance, Your Honor. Trixie in fact has another witness that can put the defendant near the scene of the crime at the time of the murder!”

“This one has to be Fluttershy,” Phoenix stated with certainty to Twilight, wondering why she wasn’t brought out to testify earlier. Doesn't make sense—if Trixie had a witness that could place Rainbow Dash at the scene, then why didn’t she call her to the stand first?

Twilight nodded, her expression troubled. “I wonder what she saw? She wasn’t able to tell us last night.”

“Guess we’re about to find out,” Phoenix knew, eagerly awaiting her entrance. As things stood, the case was all but lost; his only remaining chance for a turnabout was to find new contradictions in fresh testimony and evidence.

“The prosecution will bring out their next witness,” The Judge instructed, and Trixie again nodded to the unicorn bailiff.

It took several minutes of coaxing before Fluttershy finally came into the courtroom, escorted by a large earth pony guard. She reluctantly entered the witness box, looking very afraid and uncomfortable to be the center of attention of so many other ponies, hiding her eyes behind her bangs as she had the previous night when Phoenix had first met her.

“Witness, state your name and occupation,” Trixie directed.

But Fluttershy didn’t respond. She was all but cowering behind the stand, teal eyes barely visible over the podium.

“Witness! Get out from under there and state your name and occupation!” Trixie ordered more sharply, getting annoyed again.

“Fluttershy. I’m an animal caretaker.” Fluttershy’s reply was but an inaudible whisper.

“Can you please repeat that, young lady? I couldn’t hear you,” The Judge requested, cupping a hand to his ear.

“My name is Fluttershy,” she spoke again, and in fairness her reply was a little louder… by one or two decibels.

“Nope… still couldn’t hear you.” The Judge shook his head.

Watching painfully as Fluttershy struggled to speak, Phoenix got an idea. “Maybe I can milk this situation to our advantage,” he told Twilight in an aside.

“Milk it? How?” she asked, uncertain what he was planning next.

Phoenix addressed The Judge directly. “Your Honor! This witness clearly doesn’t have the ability to testify! So the defense moves again to suspend the proceedings of this trial for another—”

Fluttershy instantly perked up on hearing his voice, suddenly standing up straight and speaking in a loud, clear tone. “Oh, Mister Phoenix, you’re here! You haven’t died yet? There must be something very wrong. You look so frail and seem to be suffering more than ever right now!” She looked at him in concern, as if she was expecting him to burst into flame at any moment.

Phoenix couldn’t believe it. “You got the last one right…” he all but whimpered, wondering what he’d done to anger the trial gods.

“Mister Wright? Tell her to state her name and occupation, please,” The Judge asked him, but to Phoenix, that was just salt in the wound.

“But that’s the prosecution’s job! It’s her witness!” he began to protest.

“This witness was being difficult when Trixie was preparing her as well. That’s why she was not called earlier,” Trixie noted, and for once Phoenix had no doubt the mare magician was telling the truth.

“Given the circumstance… just do it, Mister Wright,” The Judge ordered Phoenix.

Phoenix let out a heavy sigh, feeling incredibly put upon. “Fluttershy,” he accidentally addressed her by name. “Uh, I mean Witness—state your name and occupation please,” Phoenix directed, taking on the role of prosecutor. Never thought I’d be saying THAT line! He didn’t like the taste of it at all, having a sudden image of an evil, red-suited version of himself on the other side of the courtroom pit.

“Oh, I’d be happy to, Mister Phoenix! I’m Fluttershy. I’m an animal caretaker,” Fluttershy introduced herself, smiling warmly at Phoenix, who might have been taken with her anew if he was in a better mood and not about to lose a trial.

Doesn’t she realize Rainbow Dash’s life is at stake here?

“Is it true you saw Rainbow Dash leave the Everfree Forest two nights ago?” Trixie asked, but Fluttershy hid again at the sound of the showmare’s voice.

“Mister Wright?” The Judge prompted.

Phoenix couldn’t believe what he was being made to do, his shoulders slumping as he spoke. “Is it true you saw Rainbow Dash leave the Everfree Forest two nights ago?” he repeated the question in an almost groggy, punch-drunk voice. This kind of backfired on me… he noted. But then again, how is that different from anything else I’ve tried?

“Oh! Yes, I did. I saw her flying out of the forest, and she seemed to be in quite a hurry!” Fluttershy answered him, sounding more serious now even as Phoenix’s heart sank.

“Trixie thinks even you are smart enough to know what to ask her next, Mister Wrong!” The showmare smiled and sat back, thoroughly enjoying the scene.

Phoenix ground his teeth, but did so. “And at what time did you see her fly out?”

“Just after 8:40 PM,” Fluttershy announced, and with that, Phoenix all but felt the roof cave in on his case.

This time, it was The Judge who pounced before Trixie. “So the defendant was indeed in the forest around the time of the murder! Witness! You will—” he trailed off when he saw her duck back under the podium again.

“Hrm… Mister Wright, tell her she has to testify.” The Judge cleared his throat as he asked Phoenix to act on his behalf.

Now I have to do YOUR job too, your honor? Phoenix wanted to scream. “Fluttershy…”

“Yes, Mister Phoenix?” she perked back up instantly, smiling again and leaving Phoenix’s mind oscillating between the incredible awkwardness of the whole bizarre situation, and her undeniable adorability and beauty.

He gathered himself carefully before speaking. “Can you please testify as to what you saw two nights ago when you saw Rainbow Dash leaving the forest?” Phoenix asked, thinking he should at least have a gavel in his hand if he was going to pretend to be The Judge.

“Um… I don’t know what ‘testify’ means,” she admitted timidly, causing pained facehoofs from not just Twilight but half the gallery.

Phoenix was ready to turn around and bash his head against the wall behind him. “It just means, tell us what you saw last night,” he explained with far more patience than he was feeling, amazed he was able to keep his voice even despite the fact that internally he wanted to scream at the top of his lungs.

“Oh yes, I can do that! I’ll do anything for you, Mister Phoenix!” she promised, eager to be helpful.

But something tells me she won’t be! he was only too certain, having no idea how he was going to get out of this one.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on January 30, 2018.

Part 11 - Eyewitness Account

—————— WITNESS TESTIMONY ——————
— I’ll tell you all what I saw… if it’s okay with you… —

“It was 8:30 at night when I went outside to feed some of my animals—the chickens and the other ones. I had just finished feeding my chickens when I heard a lightning bolt in the distance, and it scared me. Right after that, I saw Rainbow Dash flying fast out of the forest like something was chasing her. I called out to her, but I don’t think she heard me. I looked up but saw nothing following her… and later the police ponies arrived. They spoke with me, and I went off to bed at 10:30PM.”

As Fluttershy finished her statement, Trixie gained a gleeful grin. “HAHAHAHAHA! If that isn’t an airtight testimony, Trixie doesn’t know what is! And by Rainbow Trash’s own friend, no less!”

“FLUTTERSHY!!!” a shocked Rainbow Dash shouted from the defendant’s box, a look of betrayal on her face.

Fluttershy finally noticed Rainbow Dash sitting off to the side. “Oh! Hi, Rainbow Dash!” She greeted her friend with an oblivious smile and friendly wave of a wing.

“Very well, Mister Wright. Your cross-examination, if you please?” The Judge waited.

“Did you see anything odd there, Phoenix?” Twilight asked.

He turned the testimony over in his mind a few times, only to finally shake his head. “Not really. Trixie’s right; it’s kind of airtight,” he reluctantly admitted.

“Then what do we do?” Twilight asked, wondering how he would handle their latest setback.

His answer came from long experience. “Press it. Poke holes in it until it isn’t airtight anymore,” he told her, adjusting his mental strategy accordingly.

Twilight grinned. “That’s the spirit! I just hope Fluttershy isn’t lying about anything,” Twilight said, a worried look passing over her equine features.

I actually hope she IS lying so I have something to work off of! Phoenix didn’t say, though he couldn’t honestly imagine that she was.

—————— CROSS-EXAMINATION ——————

It was 8:30 at night when I went outside to feed some of my animals—the chickens and the other ones…”

“So you say you went outside to feed your chickens and ‘the other ones’. What other ones?” Phoenix asked first.

“Oh. Um… I’m taking care of a lot of exotic animals right now,” Fluttershy explained with a fresh smile that was doing its best to break through his bad mood.

“I see. And how did you acquire them?” Phoenix followed up, trying to get her to elaborate more, remembering his strategy—the more details she gave, the more things he had to pick at until he found something.

“A zoo in Fillydelphia is, well, renovating, and they needed a place for all the animals to stay while they do it,” she explained. “They heard about my talent with animals somehow, so they came to me and asked me to take care of them. And of course I said yes, since they had lots of birdies and critters that I’ve never seen before, and I always like to meet new animals!” she added with a wistful look.

“How long have you had these animals?” Phoenix asked, feeling his cuteness meter start to spike again.

“Three days now,” Fluttershy replied with another smile, turning her teal eyes back on him, seemingly doing her best to melt his heart anew.

“Is it hard taking care of them all?” Phoenix wondered, asking more out of his own curiosity than for the sake of the case.

Trixie stopped Phoenix before he could say anything further, and for the first time she mimicked Phoenix by raising a foreleg and pointing her hoof at him. “And just what, pray tell, does this have to do with the murder?” she demanded to know.

Phoenix put his hand behind his head, wearing a goofy grin. “Well… I kind of like animals too, and—”

“Stop going off topic, you incompetent orangutan!” Trixie berated him.

Phoenix felt a growl building in his throat, his better mood instantly ruined. I really, REALLY hate you Trixie, you know that? he told her with his thoughts, suppressing a sudden image of the mare magician hogtied and gagged with her own cape and hat. I better keep note of these exotic animals though. There’s something about it… he decided before continuing with the cross-examination.

“I had just finished feeding my chickens when I heard a lightning bolt in the distance and it scared me.”

“You heard thunder while you were in the chicken coop?” Phoenix asked.

“Well, it was lightning,” Fluttershy clarified.

“No, Fluttershy. Thunder produces the sound, not lightning,” Phoenix corrected her with a shake of his head.

“Wrong again, Mister Wrong!” Trixie said, in her now-familiar mocking tone.

“For the last time, Trixie, my name is Wright! Would you please stop calling me Wrong?” a completely fed-up Phoenix asked.

Trixie smiled like she’d been given the perfect opening. “Certainly! Just as soon as you stop being wrong!” she countered, to scattered snickers from the audience.

“Actually, here in Equestria, lighting is what produces the noise when it strikes the ground,” Twilight informed him gently as he tried and failed to come up with a witty retort.

Phoenix felt his cheeks flush and fists clench at having his ignorance of Equestria exposed again, doubly so for it coming from Twilight, who he couldn’t be mad at. “Ngh! That wasn’t what I wanted to ask, anyway. What time was it when you heard it?” Phoenix asked, forcing himself to relax.

“8:40 PM, on the dot,” Fluttershy responded instantly.

Both Twilight and Phoenix were surprised to get such an authoritative answer. “That’s quite exact. How are you so sure?” the latter prompted, leaning forward and propping his hands on the rail.

“It’s the time I finish feeding my chickens every night!” she replied brightly. “I always feed them at 8:30, and it always takes ten minutes.”

“Feeding chickens… at night?” Phoenix repeated with a glance at Twilight, not sure what to make of the statement. “Why would you do that in the dark?”

“To get them a midnight snack! I couldn’t send them to bed without one; what if they starved to death while they were sleeping?” Fluttershy said, shaking in fear at the thought and her cheery smile quickly replaced with a look of sheer worry.

“Oh, my! I never realized the importance of midnight snacking!” The Judge commented, resolving to start eating them himself.

“That’s our naïve Fluttershy,” Twilight noted in an aside, her tone one of embarrassed amusement.

And that’s my clueless Judge! Phoenix replied with his thoughts, careful not to say it out loud. “Are you positive it was lightning you heard and not something else?” he asked.

Her response was a jerky nod. “I’m sure it was lightning, because the sound of lightning really frightens me! I remembered getting so scared when I heard it that I nearly dropped all of my chicken feed!” Fluttershy recalled.

“This lines up perfectly with the time of death, and when the initial lightning bolt was set off,” Trixie noted, and knowing she was right, Phoenix moved on.

“Right after that, I saw Rainbow Dash flying fast out of the forest like something was chasing her. I called out to her, but I don’t think she heard me.”

“So you’re saying you saw Rainbow Dash fleeing the forest right after the lightning?” Phoenix wanted to make sure.

“Yes! I thought there was a ferocious creature chasing her, judging by how fast she was flying,” Fluttershy insisted, leaving Phoenix to reflect that he hadn’t actually seen a pegasus fly yet and still had a hard time believing they could, even for all he’d already seen.

I’ve watched Saturday morning cartoons for eight-year old girls that were less fanciful than this place! he couldn’t help but think, then wondered what Maya’s eight-year old cousin Pearl would think of Equestria. “What did you do then?”

“I called out to her at the top of my lungs to see what the problem was,” Fluttershy remembered.

“And she just ignored you?” Phoenix asked, sparing a glance at Rainbow Dash in the defendant’s box, who looked to him like she just wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out.

“Yes, but I don’t know why. I yelled so loud, at the top of my lungs, like this:” Fluttershy inhaled sharply and let out her loudest shout:

“Rainbow Dash? What’s wrong?!” she called out in a barely audible voice.

The entire gallery facehoofed with a series of loud smacks. “Yeah… I haven’t the faintest idea how she didn’t hear that,” Phoenix deadpanned, thinking that no matter how cute or endearing Fluttershy was to him, it didn’t change the fact that she was hopelessly naïve and more than a little oblivious. To say nothing of the fact she’s currently taking a wrecking ball to my DEFENSE! “So, you didn’t see anything chasing Rainbow Dash?”

“No, I didn’t. I watched the forest until the police arrived, but I didn’t see or hear anything come out of it except for Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy confirmed.

Phoenix fell silent, his brow furrowing in concentration.

“What is it, Phoenix?” Twilight asked.

“I think I just found a contradiction,” he told her in a quiet voice.

“A contradiction? You mean, Fluttershy is lying?” Twilight asked in disbelief, scarcely able to believe she was capable of such a thing.

Sensing Twilight’s doubt, Phoenix chose his words carefully. “I don’t know if she’s lying, but something she just said is impossible.”

“Impossible?” Twilight echoed, but before she could ask what he meant, Phoenix addressed The Judge.

“Your Honor? Can you please instruct the witness to amend that statement to her testimony?” Phoenix requested.

“Hmmm… I don’t see why, but I trust you have a good reason. Witness? Please add your previous statement to your testimony,” The Judge instructed, making sure to keep his voice quiet and gentle, far below the usual volume he spoke with while in courtroom.

“Um… okay,” Fluttershy acceded, finally not ducking for cover at the sound of another voice.

“I didn’t see or hear anything else come out of the forest that night…”

“You didn’t hear or see anything else come out of the forest that night? Fluttershy, are you absolutely sure about this?” Phoenix asked, leaning far forward over the rail, looking to Twilight as if he was getting ready to pounce.

She gave him a puzzled look. “I’m sure, Mister Phoenix. Not a peep or pony came out of that forest until the police came and spoke with me. And afterwards, I went to bed and was asleep by 10:30 PM,” Fluttershy said, smiling again by the end of her statement.

“Eep!” Fluttershy hid from Phoenix, startled by his sudden outburst.

“Mister Wright, please don’t frighten the witness,” The Judge admonished.

Phoenix felt chagrined at seeing Fluttershy’s reaction, giving another goofy grin. “Right… sorry. But there’s a contradiction in this testimony, Your Honor!” he informed The Judge.

“What contradiction? Everything she has said meshes with the evidence to a T!” Trixie insisted.

“No, there’s one thing that isn’t right.” He shook his head. “Fluttershy—you said you watched the forest until the police force arrived, correct?” Phoenix restated.

This made Fluttershy a bit scared, causing her to hide under the table again. “Y-yes, did I do something wrong? I’m sorry if I did…”

“Uh… no need to be sorry,” he told her, deciding at that moment her endless apologies were less endearing than annoying. “But one last time: you didn’t hear or see anything come out of the forest that night other than Rainbow Dash?” Phoenix asked again.

“I didn’t see or hear anything else come out of the forest that night,” she swore in her trademark tinny voice.

With that, Phoenix turned back to The Judge. “Then there’s clearly a contradiction here! Actually, two!” he corrected himself.

“Please explain what these contradictions are, Mister Wright,” The Judge instructed.

“Fluttershy should have seen someone else leave the forest, Your Honor! Namely, the previous witness—Apple Bloom!” Phoenix announced with an upraised arm.

“Oh my! You’re right!!” The Judge realized while Trixie was caught so off-guard that her magic misfired again, sending her pointed hat shooting back into the rafters.

“But, but… I d-didn’t see Apple Bloom! I-I promise!” Fluttershy hid under the table again.

Phoenix didn’t really think she was lying, and he also didn’t want to scare or push her like this, but he knew he had no choice—something didn’t add up, and for Rainbow’s sake he had to find out what.

“Promise or no, you had to have seen Apple Bloom if you were really watching the forest all night! The prosecution even confirmed that there’s only one way in and out of the forest! And that entrance is right by your cottage!” Phoenix recited.

“Ngh!” Trixie couldn’t believe it, sensing her victory slipping back out of her grasp.

“I don’t understand—why would Fluttershy lie like this?” a bewildered Twilight asked, increasingly concerned for what would happen to her if she was.

Phoenix spared his unicorn co-counsel a glance. “I don’t know, but we’ve got to pursue this issue, otherwise we’re cooked!” he told her grimly before turning his attention back to Fluttershy, who was cowering behind the witness stand.

“I-I don’t know why, but I didn’t see her…” she insisted, looking more and more uncomfortable and afraid the harder Phoenix pressed her.

His heart went out to her; he hated doing it to her, but he did not—could not—relent. “It’s not just that; there’s another thing, Fluttershy—you also stated you heard nothing as well. Earlier, I was told lightning makes a noise when it hits the ground in Equestria,” Phoenix recalled.

“Yes, that is correct, Mister Wright!” The Judge agreed.

“Then why didn’t Fluttershy mention hearing the second bolt of lightning?” he asked, pointing a finger at Trixie. “Fluttershy says she watched the forest until the police arrived, and they witnessed the third bolt take down a tree firsthand. The second lightning bolt is now unaccounted for by no less than two witnesses!” Phoenix went all out.

“I only heard one bolt of lightning, though,” Fluttershy said timidly, her eyes darting all over, looking ready to run but having no place she could flee.

“Maybe she couldn’t hear it for the same reason Apple Bloom couldn’t—the sound was muffled at that distance by the forest!” Trixie suggested, glaring at him.

“She stated the first bolt of lightning scared her, from which we can conclude that every bolt of lightning could have been heard clearly from Fluttershy’s cottage! It’s very apparent that this witness is afraid of lightning!” he proclaimed. And everything else, for that matter…

“Yes, it’s true, lightning scares me! It is so loud and scary—like that voice you just used, Mister Phoenix!” she said, cowering behind the stand again.

Phoenix mentally promised to apologize for his rough treatment of her later. Maybe if I ask for a tour of her cottage so I can see all her animal friends, she’ll forgive me? he could only hope. “There you go, Trixie! She would have remembered the second bolt of lightning frightening her if she had heard it!” he concluded triumphantly, hands on his hips. “Also, let’s not forget, Apple Bloom didn’t mention hearing this lightning either, even though she should have been able to, being far closer to the scene than this witness!”

“The defense has a point,” The Judge said, nodding thoughtfully.

“Ha! And Trixie thinks the defense has nothing!” Trixie dismissed The Judge’s statement with a toss of her head.

The Judge looked taken aback. “Excuse me?”

She ignored him, addressing Phoenix directly. “So what? So she didn’t see Apple Bloom; what does that prove? Do tell, Mister Wrong! Trixie is all ears!” the showmare said, mockingly conjuring up a hearing funnel to some laughs from the audience.

Phoenix slammed his hands on the table in exasperation, freshly infuriated at her for not taking him seriously. “It questions the credibility of your witness, and thus casts doubt on whether her testimony can be trusted! You said it yourself; there’s only one way in and out of that forest!” he glared at her.

“Remember another thing! Anything beyond what Apple Bloom said after the time she heard the lightning bolt is irrelevant!” Trixie immediately countered, leaning over the rail to glare back.

Phoenix’s fists clenched. “You can’t say that this is irrelevant information when your second witness didn’t see your first witness leave the forest!” he insisted, pounding his fists down on the rail for emphasis and causing Fluttershy to cower even more behind the witness stand.

“Then tell The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie WHAT it means!” Trixie shouted as she brought a hoof down hard on her own rail, a sharp and sudden breeze scattering her papers, which she quickly plucked out of the air and reorganized. “Trixie knows one possibility, but that’s up to you to say, Mister Wrong! That is, if you have the horse apples to!” the mare magician goaded, restacking her papers.

Though not immediately understanding what the phrase meant, Phoenix got its meaning by the context and felt his guts clench, knowing only too well what the possibility she referred to was… and suddenly getting a very ugly idea of how he might use it. “I… I can’t.”

“Heh! Though so,” Trixie dismissed him. “Trixie took you for an idiot, but not a coward, Mister Wrong. If you really intend to do whatever is necessary to prevent an immediate guilty verdict, you’ll use it!” she goaded.

“What is she talking about, Phoenix? You know a reason Fluttershy didn’t see Apple Bloom?” Twilight asked, looking at him curiously and hoping she didn’t have to explain to him what ‘horse apples’ meant. In fairness, despite all the issues he’s had, he does seem to have a pair!

Phoenix hesitated, suddenly unable to look her in the eye. “I-I do, but… I can’t say it.”

“Why not?” Twilight asked, confused.

He shook his head sharply, refusing to even entertain the strategy that both Trixie and his own mind was still trying to suggest. It was obscene, it was wrong, it was the antithesis of everything he stood for as a Defense Attorney… and it just might yet be my only chance! a voice inside him warned. “I just can’t, Twilight. I’ll be safe and use the other contradiction as my stead for now,” he told her, terrified of what she’d think of him if he explained what he had in mind.

Shoving the scheme as far from his thoughts as he could, he turned back to Trixie. “Fine, forget that! We can’t overlook this second bolt of lightning, though! It could have been the real cause of death, making this all just an accident!” Phoenix reasoned.

Trixie gave a heavy sigh, as if she was being forced to suffer fools. “Didn’t you hear Trixie earlier?”

“Huh?”

“Lightning from pegasus-generated storm clouds doesn’t hit the same spot twice in Equestria as a safety feature. Combined with the fact that the victim’s body was found directly under where the first bolt struck, that means that only the first bolt could have killed him, because the others would have hit elsewhere!

“But even ignoring that, the odds of a stray bolt of lightning hitting the victim by chance are highly improbable, especially since he was wearing a lightning-proof suit that offered almost perfect protection against it,” the mare magician told him with a smug and satisfied grin.

Before replying, Phoenix turned to Twilight again. “I remember her bringing up this ‘lightning-proof suit’ before. What exactly is it?” he asked, hoping she could elaborate.

“Rather than just explain, it would be easier to show you.” She surprised him by somehow projecting a picture of Rainbow Dash wearing one with her horn, producing a lifelike image almost akin to a hologram. “It’s what the pegasi wear when working with weather. Or in this case, a modified version designed for large scale races where they may encounter dangerous weather conditions,” she detailed quickly.

Though very surprised and impressed by the display, and wanting to know how she was doing it—he also noticed Rainbow Dash perked up from the defendant’s seat at seeing herself modeling the sleek suit—he forced himself to remain on topic. “How, exactly, does the suit work?”

“It’s a two-piece outfit with several protective enchantments on it. The spells cast on the fabric make it an effective insulator that protects pegasi from being harmed by lightning and other dangers,” Twilight described, now not just projecting a still picture but a moving one of Rainbow Dash flying overhead.

How is she DOING that? he almost desperately had to know, but wondered if she’d just answer ‘magic’ when he asked. Seems to be the answer to everything around here! “Then how could lightning have killed him if he was wearing this suit?”

“Because its protection isn’t perfect. It’s a two-piece suit, with the smaller piece worn on the head and the larger one worn over the rest of the body. But there are some narrow gaps between the two pieces that the suit does not cover—namely, certain parts of the neck, which are exposed when a pegasus is standing or walking as opposed to flying,” Twilight answered, hesitating before switching to a picture of Rainbow Dash standing proudly in the suit with her chin in the air, showing a narrow gap just below her chin from the front, which Phoenix assumed went all the way around her neck.

“A precisely aimed bolt could still kill him through one of those gaps, which is what Trixie is basing her claims on,” she further noted, freezing the image while Phoenix studied it.

“If your co-counsel is through showing off her magic, are you satisfied, Mister Wrong?” Trixie asked in some annoyance, though Phoenix thought he heard a note of outright jealousy in her voice as well.

“Are you, Mister Wright?” The Judge prompted as well, having taken furious notes of his own during Twilight’s explanation.

Phoenix mulled it all over before answering. “But this means it’s still possible for a random bolt to hit him in one of the exposed spots!” he asserted, turning back to Trixie and pointing a finger at her.

The showmare gave a slow, scornful shake of her head. “I’m surprised you haven’t realized it yet, Mister Wrong.”

“Huh?”

“You have been babbling about Trixie’s witnesses not seeing the second bolt of lightning so much that you seem to have overlooked the simplest and most likely explanation: that this second bolt in fact doesn’t exist at all! Trixie will inquire with the pegasi who gave her these Cloud Ballistics reports to ask if there is any way they could falsely record a lightning strike; Trixie assures you,” the showmare stated, annoying Phoenix further by seemingly taking every opportunity she could to say her own name. “But even if we take your silly theory into consideration? The odds of Ace Swift being struck down by a random bolt of lightning are far too low to be believable without having some sort of concrete proof!” she concluded.

The Judge nodded in agreement. “The prosecution’s logic is very sound. The chances of a random lightning bolt killing the victim are too small to hold water in this court without any proof, considering the protection he was wearing. OBJECTION OVERRULED!” he announced with another sharp rap of his gavel, to Phoenix’s sinking heart.

“No!” Phoenix exclaimed. Every time I make an objection she has it refuted just like THAT!

“Ha! Too bad, Mister Wrong!” Trixie rubbed it in as The Judge favored her yet again. “You’re running out of chances. So what are you going to do now?” she goaded again, knowing as well as Phoenix did that he had but one remaining option left to him.

And even if it worked, he could only pray that Twilight and Fluttershy might one day forgive him.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on January 30, 2018.

Part 12 - Desperate Times...

Phoenix cringed as the Judge brought his gavel down again, much harder than before.

“Enough! I’m afraid the defense’s line has run short. I believe we have now covered all alternative theories and all unanswered questions the defense has raised. Do you have anything else you would like to add, Mister Wright, before I hand down my verdict?” The Judge gave him one last chance before he brought the trial to an end and sealed Rainbow Dash’s fate.

I’m going to lose if I don’t do something FAST! an increasingly desperate Phoenix realized.

“Phoenix, there has to be something we can do! It can’t end like this!” Twilight said, having never thought it would come to the point that it had. I can’t lose Rainbow Dash! I CAN’T! she pleaded with whatever gods were listening.

“I know, but I don’t have enough to go on! I need more time! I need more information!” he replied, hands gripping the edge of the rail tightly, his mind racing.

“Please, Your Honor, put Mister Wrong out of his misery quickly. Trixie is actually starting to feel sorry for this hopeless defense team!” a now-relaxed Trixie said in a contemptuous tone, awaiting her final victory.

Phoenix swallowed. There is one thing I can do. I didn’t want to do it earlier… but now I have no choice! he decided with a sinking heart. I need more time and evidence… and this is the only way to get them… he tried to convince himself as he prepared to resort to the very strategy he had refused to even consider only a minute earlier.

The very strategy he swore he would not use.

“Then as it would seem the defense has nothing more to offer, this trial is at an end,” The Judge pronounced solemnly. “The defendant will rise to receive—”

“What, Mister Wright?” The Judge asked sharply, the look on his face telling Phoenix to make it good. "I am in no mood for trivial objections or stalling tactics!"

Phoenix felt his guts clench as he said his next words. “Before you pass verdict, the defense would like to cast suspicion on another suspect, Your Honor!” he spoke quickly, fearful that if he thought about it too long, he’d lose his courage and couldn’t see it through.

The Judge blinked in surprise. “Another suspect?”

“Yes, that is correct, Your Honor,” Phoenix said, readying his final—and most desperate—card. And may the Courtroom Gods and Fluttershy please forgive me for it...

“But who?” Twilight asked in confusion.

“So is this the final bastion of a failed defense? Very well then, Mister Wrong. Trixie will humor you. Let’s hear it, then—just who is this mystery suspect?” Trixie goaded, knowing full well what the human lawyer was planning and at least mildly curious if he’d actually have the nerve to go through with it.

Phoenix glared at the mare magician, wanting badly to blame her for what he was about to do but knowing it ultimately fell on him for not being better prepared for the case—or for her. “I’m far from being done, Trixie! The suspect the Defense accuses is the witness—” he paused, steeling himself and then pointing to the center of the courtroom pit.

”FLUTTERSHY!!!”

“Huh?” Fluttershy blinked in confusion.

Twilight gave Phoenix the same shocked look that The Judge and most of the gallery was. “Phoenix? What are you doing!?”

Phoenix ignored her, afraid if he answered or looked Twilight in the eye, he’d lose his nerve and with it, his case. “Fluttershy is a pegasus; she therefore could have tampered with the cloud and the crime scene! Furthermore, her testimony was suspect; she herself stated she didn’t see Apple Bloom leave the forest when we all know she should have, and there was a very large time frame when she was alone! And finally, we only have her word that she heard the bolt from her cottage; her alibi remains uncorroborated!” Phoenix slammed his hands down on the desk, trying to sound assured and authoritative even as he didn’t believe a single word of what he was saying.

Fluttershy gaped at him. “B-but I was watching the forest the whole time! I’m not l-lying…” she protested weakly, her lip quivering.

“Heh,” Trixie chuckled, inwardly impressed that he’d actually gone for it, thinking perhaps she’d misjudged Phoenix Wright if he could really be that ruthless.

“Fluttershy even has connections with my client; she could therefore have been the one who stole the storm cloud as well as gathered loose feathers to spread around the crime scene!” Phoenix proclaimed.

“But… but... I-I didn’t do that! ” Fluttershy insisted, starting to tear up.

“Phoenix! Please stop this! She didn’t do it!” Twilight pleaded with him, trying to protect her friends—Dash is in trouble and now Fluttershy TOO? she realized, horrified at the thought he might make her lose them both!

“But only the defendant’s hoof marks were on the storm cloud, Mister Wright! How do you explain that?” The Judge himself challenged.

“Well, I’d be surprised if they weren’t there, Your Honor!” Phoenix responded immediately and for once in his own gut-turning scheme, truthfully.

The Judge scratched his beard in confusion. “Hmm… I don’t follow.”

“Simple! As noted earlier, Rainbow Dash was to put those storm clouds at the eastern end of Ponyville, according to this weather schedule!” Phoenix picked up the weather schedule Trixie had given him and tapped it with his fingers, making his point simple and clear.

The Judge’s eyes widened in comprehension. “Oh! That’s right, you made that point before!” he belatedly remembered.

Phoenix nodded. “So of course her hoof marks would be there—they were placed there in the course of doing her job! Fluttershy could have come and taken one of the clouds with the marks still on it, moved it, set it off and them wiped her own markings from the cloud!” he theorized, stopping short at a sudden worry. “That… is possible right?” he asked, looking around for support to everyone but Twilight, who was still staring at him in shock and the first hints of a quickly growing anger.

To his surprise, it was Trixie who gave it. “For once, the defense makes a valid point. Yes, it is possible for a pegasus to wipe a cloud of another’s hoof marks,” she buttressed Phoenix’s arguments, wearing an odd smile. “And if a pegasus did not want their own hoof marks to appear on a cloud, they could simply blow it along with the wind generated from their wings.”

Phoenix wasn’t sure why Trixie was suddenly helping him, but he couldn’t stop to think about it. “Then all the more reason to suspect her!” he raised his voice further and pointed at Fluttershy again.

“I was home all day, though...” Fluttershy insisted again, looking frightened and bewildered at the accusations raining down on her.

“Phoenix, you’re supposed to be defending my friends, not accusing them!” Twilight reminded him, increasingly aghast, her temper rising as he continued to ignore her.

“But what about the dark forest, Mister Wright? How would this witness have been able to track the victim in it or see well enough to strike him with lightning?” The Judge used Phoenix’s earlier argument against him, but Phoenix had an answer for that, too.

“She lives right beside it so it must be like a backyard to her. She can probably navigate it from memory, just as you can probably navigate your house with your eyes closed,” he reasoned, stating his claims without hesitation. “And we also don’t know that there wasn’t some kind of light source there! She could have brought a lantern! Or, she’s good with animals so maybe she convinced one of those ‘illumi-bears’ or other creatures to light up the scene for her?” he suggested a theory that he would have pounced on instantly if the prosecution had suggested it. He waited for Trixie to do the same, but no objection came.

Not hearing one, The Judge closed his eyes, considering Phoenix’s words. “Hmm… this is a very bold claim, Mister Wright. This meek little mare looks like she wouldn’t harm a fly. So why would she frame her friend for murder?”

Before Phoenix could answer, Fluttershy spoke up again. “It’s true! I have ten pet flies! Michael, Donna, Steven, Eric, Jackie, Winston—“

Phoenix cut her off before she could tug at his heartstrings any more—could she be any more adorable? “Easy! To cover her own guilt! Besides, as the prosecution has stated, why she did it is irrelevant; the fact still stands, she is just as suspicious as Rainbow Dash and certainly had the means and opportunity to commit the murder!” Phoenix asserted, now going all-out.

“I-I can’t believe you’re doing this! I trusted you!” a betrayed Twilight accused, nearing the peak of her temper, wisps of smoke starting to come off her mane. Phoenix didn’t notice because he refused to look at her, keeping his eyes fixed on The Judge.

“You’re going to need proof to accuse this witness, Mister Wright. Do you have any evidence that can place her on the crime scene?” The Judge asked.

He nodded. “In fact I do, Your Honor—this!” Phoenix reached into an evidence bag and pulled out the large brown feather he and Twilight had found in the forest the previous night.

The Judge raised a white eyebrow. “A feather? Does it belong to the witness?” he asked, instantly recognizing that it could not since the color was not hers. Hand tightening on his gavel, he prepared to come down on Phoenix hard and order his immediate arrest on contempt charges if he made such a ridiculous claim.

But his fellow human was smarter than that. “No, Your Honor. I found this feather at the crime scene. It’s way too big to belong to any bird or pegasus pony in Ponyville,” he explained.

“Then just what are you getting at, Mister Wright? How does this relate to the witness?” The Judge demanded to know, looking down at Phoenix through narrowed eyes.

“Fluttershy!!” Phoenix called, pointing over the rail at her.

“Y-yes, Mister Phoenix?” she said tentatively, peering out at him fearfully.

“Do you allow any of your exotic animals to go in the Everfree Forest?” he asked.

Her teal eyes widened in horror at the suggestion. “Oh, no! It’s much too dangerous in there! They’re kept locked up tightly when I’m not playing with or feeding them!”

Phoenix nodded, as if in satisfaction. “As I thought! Fluttershy stated earlier she’s caring for animals not native to Ponyville; this feather could belong to one of them! Perhaps it just got stuck to her fur or mane and was brought to the scene unintentionally as she framed my client!”

A new voice shouted.

Phoenix was silent.

The Judge was silent.

Trixie was silent.

They all looked to where the objection came from.

To the extremely angry unicorn standing at Phoenix’s right.

“This can’t go on!” Twilight said, unwilling to stand by and see more of her friends hurt, even if it meant standing in the line of legal fire herself.

“The defense is objecting to… itself?!” The Judge asked incredulously.

“Yes!” she spat out. “Mister Wright doesn’t know what he’s talking about! His words are nothing but slander and lies!” Twilight said, fuming with anger at Phoenix, and at herself for trusting him—liking him!

“Twilight!” Phoenix was also surprised, flinching from the look in her eyes—and had they glowed red for just a second? He’d half-hoped she’d be able to figure out what he was doing without him telling her, but realized too late he had underestimated the strength of her protective instincts, and her bonds with her friends.

It was Trixie’s turn. “Zip it, Sparkle! You’re only his co-counsel, and nothing more! Discrediting an attorney like that will get you held in contempt!”

Twilight glared at her. “You’re a hypocrite! You’ve been degrading him all day long!”

“And that is all.” Trixie’s grin turned mocking. “Trixie just called Mister Wrong names and questioned his competency—never once did Trixie accuse him of lies or slander, which is a far more serious accusation!” she countered.

The Judge agreed. “You are correct as always, Ms. Trixie. if there is another outburst by the defense’s co-counsel, they will be held in contempt of court!” The Judge threatened.

“B-but…” A deflated Twilight slumped where she stood, falling silent as the endgame played out.

Phoenix managed the barest of glances at her. Trust me, I don’t want to do this, Twilight. But it’s the only way I can buy more time! he mentally apologized, already regretting his choice and swearing he’d make it right. Somehow...

“Back to the matter at hand… I still have a hard time believing this little pony is capable of something like this, Mister Wright!” The Judge challenged.

Phoenix kept his voice strong even as the rest of him was shaking, horrified at what he was doing to one of the most beautiful, adorable and innocent creatures he’d ever met. “The testimony and evidence speaks for itself, Your Honor! Her whereabouts are unaccounted for during the time of the murder, and this feather potentially puts Fluttershy on the scene of the crime!” Phoenix slammed his hands on the rail to make his point. “The defense demands further investigation to see if this feather belongs to any of Fluttershy’s animals!” he finished, starting to feel faint.

The Judge closed his eyes again, pondering Phoenix’s request. “Hmmm… Ms. Trixie, what is your opinion on all of this? You have been surprisingly quiet regarding Mister Wright’s latest claims,” he said, turning to his right.

Trixie was all but lounging back in her seat, looking to Phoenix and all present like she’d been enjoying every second of the scene she’d just witnessed. “You know what?” she began, eyes closed and wearing an odd smile. “Trixie agrees. Fluttershy is suspicious,” she concurred to The Judge’s evident surprise.

Phoenix stayed silent as Trixie spoke. “The investigation team did indeed spot this feather on the crime scene, hanging in a tree. We brushed it off as a plain old bird feather, but as Trixie’s feeble excuse for an opponent pointed out, it does seem too big for the local fauna up close, and coupled together with this information regarding these zoo animals? It would seem to cast suspicion over this witness and warrant further investigation.” Trixie smiled unpleasantly at Fluttershy, causing her to cringe.

The Judge sighed at that. “You are aware we will have to suspend the trial until tomorrow for that further investigation?” he reminded her, wondering why his court always seemed to attract the most convoluted cases and flamboyant attorneys.

Unaware of his thoughts, Trixie gave The Judge a sharp look. “You don’t think Trixie knows that? Another one of Twilight Sparkle’s little friends in the slammer is reward enough for Trixie today! Two for the price of one, as they say!” she punctuated her statement with a cackle before turning her attention back to Phoenix. “And Trixie has you to thank for this, Mister Wrong! You’ve made this experience much, much more fulfilling! And for it, perhaps Trixie will give you a voucher for her next performance!” she suggested, and proceeded to do just that, filling out a quick note and floating it over to him, stuffing it into his jacket pocket.

Phoenix remained silent, holding himself rigid and expression fixed in the face of the lethal looks he was getting from Twilight, The Judge, the bailiffs… and almost everypony else in the courtroom.

“Very well,” The Judge stated reluctantly, knowing that with both the prosecution and defense in agreement, he had no choice but to accede to Phoenix’s request. “All proceedings for this case will be suspended until tomorrow. Bailiff, please take the suspect into custody for questioning.” The Judge reluctantly motioned to a large uniformed earth pony bailiff, who slapped a set of hoof cuffs on Fluttershy and led her away as gently as he could with a parting glare at Phoenix, one shared by most ponies of the gallery.

“Wait, w-where are you taking me? I wouldn’t do that to anypony! Twilight! Mister Phoenix! Help!” Fluttershy called out to her friends to rescue her, but all a heartbroken Phoenix and Twilight could do was watch.

“Phoenix… how could you?” Twilight whispered after Fluttershy had disappeared, tearing up as she talked.

But the shellshocked human lawyer had no answer, standing frozen in place, eyes staring straight ahead. What… what have I done?

“I expect both sides will investigate the scene further and gather more evidence for tomorrow.” The Judge snapped him out of his reverie.

“Trixie shouldn’t need to if they are planning on keeping that second-rate simian of a defense attorney after such a pathetic performance!” the mare magician mocked him one last time. But this time, Phoenix remained silent and still, accepting her abuse and certain he deserved far worse.

“Nevertheless, I expect the question of the feather to be resolved by the time we reconvene, Ms. Trixie. And Mister Wright...?” He turned his gaze onto Phoenix, his eyes narrowing dangerously and voice trailing off ominously.

Phoenix closed his eyes, then opened them again, guessing what was coming. “Yes, Your Honor?” He forced his gaze up towards the bench and it was all he could do not to flinch from the look he saw in The Judge’s eyes.

“I hope for your sake that something comes out of your claims. For if not, this court will take a very dim view of you falsely accusing an innocent pony… and impose a very severe sanction for it!” he warned.

Unable to reply, Phoenix could only nod his understanding. The Judge stared at him reproachfully for another moment before raising his head to address the entire court.

“As I think both the prosecution and defense now understand what is at stake and what is expected, our business is concluded for the day. Court is now adjourned!” The Judge brought his gavel down with a sharp rap, ending the first day of the trial.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on January 30, 2018.

Part 13 - A Pink Pick-Me-Up

Phoenix stood frozen in place as the courtroom emptied, the ponies in the gallery giving him glares and nasty comments as they left.

But the veteran defense attorney was aware of none of it. All he could think of was the frightened, bewildered look on Fluttershy’s face as she was led away, the reproachful look of the Judge as he was forced to order her held for questioning, Trixie’s glee as she thanked him for doing so, and the shock and betrayal in Twilight’s eyes as he turned on her friend, lying through his teeth to accuse Fluttershy of the murder.

He’d done the only thing he could think of to prolong the trial and prevent a guilty verdict, but he also knew it should never have gotten to that point—he’d come in unprepared and given unquestionably the worst courtroom performance of his entire career, even going back to his very first case. He’d never been more ashamed than he was at that moment, and was suddenly very glad Maya wasn’t there to see what he had done...

To say nothing of her older sister.

Mia… what would Mia think of me now? he wondered, closing his eyes and remembering.

Fey & Co. Law offices
3 years earlier

“My name is Phoenix Wright and I’m fine!” Phoenix shouted, then frowned and took a deep breath to try again.

“My name is Phoenix Wright AND I’M FINE!!!” he shouted louder, but shook his head, still unsatisfied.

“MY NAME IS PHOENIX WRIGHT AND I’M FINE!!!!!” he screamed at the top of his lungs.

Just then, the door of his office burst open and a tall, beautiful woman rushed in, dressed in a rather revealing black business suit accented with a tan scarf and a comma-shaped gemstone worn as a pendant around her neck. “Phoenix? Are you okay?” asked Mia Fey, a veteran attorney who was not only the head of Phoenix’s law firm but his own former lawyer, having defended Phoenix from a murder charge some six years earlier.

The rookie attorney looked up in surprise, quickly yanking off his earphones which were attached to his old tape player. “Oh! Uh… hey, Chief. I was just practicing my courtroom shouts for my first trial, which is tomorrow,” he added needlessly—she knew perfectly well he was making his court debut as lead defense attorney the following day, though he’d stood at her side as co-counsel in other cases a dozen times before. “The guys back in law school said this legal workout tape would really help me out,” he couldn’t help but add, if a bit sheepishly.

Mia sighed in relief. “Thank goodness! When I heard the shrieking coming from the office, I thought someone was murdering you!” she teased, crossing her arms and putting on an amused grin.

Ugh… that wasn’t shrieking; that was step FOUR! Phoenix thought to himself.

Mia chuckled as she read the tape’s cover. “I don’t think you’ll need these ‘Chords of Steel’ voice exercises, Phoenix. I’m sure you’ll do just fine,” she reassured him, leaning over to remove the tape from the player, for once not making fun of him for using such old tech. “What matters is not how loud you can be in court, but how good you are at spotting contradictions and how persuasive your arguments are to the Judge. The suspect—he’s your friend, right?” she asked him.

Phoenix nodded somewhat glumly. “Yeah, he’s my friend, but…” he trailed off, unable to meet her eyes.

“But, what?” she prompted him, arms crossed and a hand on her chin.

“He’s, well…” He couldn’t say it.

“Yes?” Mia waited patiently.

Phoenix sighed and finally gave up the answer, his eyes closing and shoulders slumping. “Well, he’s kind of an idiot.”

She gave him an odd look. “That’s not a very nice thing to say about your friend.”

Phoenix shook his head and sat down heavily on the office couch, putting his hands on top of his head as all his anxieties came rushing back. “No, Chief, I really mean it. Larry Butz is about as clueless as they come. He thinks passing the 8th grade is an accomplishment; he even got the report card framed and everything,” he explained, trying not to roll his eyes.

Mia tilted her head at him. “So? What are you getting at?” she asked him, an odd smile on her face.

He glanced up at her. “What I’m getting at is—what if he really did kill that woman? What do I do then?” he wanted to know. “Do I simply lie through my teeth to defend him, or should I side with justice and let him be punished… in which case how can I be a defense attorney at all?” Phoenix sought the advice from his longtime mentor, an accomplished attorney who had not only successfully defended him from a murder charge but had also given him his first job upon graduation from law school, taking him on as a junior partner when nobody else would give him the time of day.

Mia stared at him for a moment, then put a hand on his shoulder. “Phoenix…” she started to say as he remained downcast. “Don’t stress yourself out so much. The first thing I would tell you is that you’re asking entirely the wrong questions. What you should be asking yourself is: do you think he did it?”

He looked up in confusion. “Do I? What do you mean? I haven’t seen the evidence against him yet! And Larry wasn’t exactly helpful when I interviewed him.” He remembered his teary-eyed friend being able to offer no real explanation or alibi but still begging him to help.

“I’m asking you as his friend, not as his defense attorney: do you think he killed that woman?” Mia asked him point-blank.

Phoenix didn’t have to think about it for very long before shaking his head. “Larry’s a good guy; his only real fault is that he’s a little—okay, more than a little—oblivious. He might not be the sharpest tool in the shed and willing to hit on any skirt he sees… but no, I don’t think he has it in him to kill anyone. He’s never gotten mad over girls rejecting him before, so why would he suddenly start now?” he reasoned, not immediately realizing he had just answered his own question.

Mia smiled at that, giving his shoulder a squeeze. “There you go!”

Phoenix blinked, looking up at her in surprise. “Huh?”

“Go off that. Believe him and believe in him, Phoenix. Whether it’s as his friend or his defense attorney, it’s your job to. Cast all doubt aside and make everything you do from here forward in pursuit of that one truth. If you do that, nothing can stop you no matter what arguments or evidence the prosecution may present. You will prove him innocent!” Mia promised him, sounding like the wise mentor and experienced attorney she was.

“The truth, huh?” Phoenix said, mulling over her words, feeling some of his anxiety start to recede. “Thanks, Chief. I’m still a little nervous, though,” he admitted with a wan smile.

“Don’t worry. It’s normal and we all go through it,” she grinned, though Phoenix couldn’t imagine the serenely confident and self-assured Mia Fey ever being anxious about anything, having seen for himself and immensely admired what she could accomplish in court. “Remind me to tell you about how nervous I was at my own first trial sometime.”

“You were nervous?” he asked in some disbelief, remembering how assertive and authoritative she always sounded in court, to say nothing of how devastating her objections usually were.

“Oh, yes. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep, and my stomach was churning so hard I just about gave myself ulcers that morning,” she confirmed, but then her smile turned wan as she remembered what else had happened there. “The opening arguments were the worst, but once I got into the actual testimony, I was fine. I can’t tell you how good it felt making my first successful objection. I think that’s what got me over the hump.”

Phoenix kept to himself his worry that he’d perform so badly he wouldn’t even make it that far. “Hey, um… do you by any chance know who the prosecutor is, Chief?”

Mia looked surprised by the question. “The prosecutor?” She thought for a bit. “I didn’t check, but it’d almost have to be Winston Payne. You know—‘The Rookie Killer’?” she said in a slightly teasing tone. “They usually give him the newbies.”

“R-Rookie Killer?” Phoenix repeated in disbelief, the answer not helping his nerves. I don’t like the sound of that title at all!

“Don’t be intimidated, Phoenix. Take it from me; he’s actually not that good—I beat him badly the first time I faced him; the reason you haven’t seen him before is that they’ve been afraid to put him in the same courtroom as me since. Still, I’m glad you asked. Not many rookies take the prosecutor into consideration. So why did you want to know something like that?” Mia asked her junior partner curiously, pulling up a chair and sitting in front of him.

“No reason. Guess I was just curious,” Phoenix replied, going downcast a second time, running his hands through his hair anxiously again.

“You seem more morose than curious,” Mia noted, crossing her legs and clasping her hands in her lap, studying him carefully like she would a witness in court.

“Nah… forget about it. I’m sorry, Chief. I’m just a little out of it right now,” Phoenix insisted.

She stared at him for a bit longer before nodding. “Well, I understand if you want to be alone with your thoughts right now, but I’m here if you need me. And don’t forget I’ll be right there with you tomorrow, standing in the co-counsel position,” she assured her junior partner, making him feel instantly better at the knowledge that he didn’t have to face the trial alone. “You’re smart, you’re driven, and it’s your friend you’re fighting for. You’re going to do fine, Phoenix,” she promised him.

“Thanks, Chief,” he acknowledged again, feeling better about himself and his chances.

The memory faded and Phoenix opened his eyes to realize he was now standing alone in an empty Equestrian courtroom, his cheeks wet.

I’ll never forget what you taught me and everything you did for me, Mia. But somehow, I highly doubt you’re looking down at me smiling after what I did today.

Turnabout Storm: Part 3/4 - Phoenix

Ponyville District Court
June 10th, 11:55 AM

“Twilight!” Phoenix called after her as she walked towards the courthouse exit, her equine head bowed low in sorrow. “Twilight, please! Just let me explain!” he pleaded, catching up to her in the middle of the entrance lobby, putting a hand on her shoulders.

She threw it off hard, all but flinging it away with her magic. Surprised, he drew back as she turned her head fractionally towards him, just enough that he could see the tears streaming down her cheeks. “Phoenix… I was wrong about you,” Twilight choked out, her words hitting Phoenix like she’d kicked him in the gut with her hooves.

“Twilight wait! I—” Phoenix tried again, but the despondent unicorn trotted away without another backwards glance. Exiting the courthouse, she disappeared from sight, emphatically closing the lobby doors behind her with a flare of her horn, leaving him abandoned and alone.

His head slumped as the full weight of her rejection hit him, leaving him leaning on a column for support. She’s gone. Oh, who am I kidding, she’s right—I did absolutely TERRIBLE in there! he knew beyond any shadow of a doubt. She brought me here to save her friend, but now thanks to me, ANOTHER of her friends is a suspect and jailed! So, what do I do now? he asked himself, still feeling unspeakably awful about Fluttershy.

He found another bench in front of the column and sat down on it, off his feet for the first time in several hours. I don’t have any leads at all, nobody to turn to. I’m all alone in an unfamiliar world. Which means, I can’t even get back home… his thoughts fell silent for a moment, hunched over and brooding, his forehead resting against his palms.

Abruptly, he sat back up. “No! No. I can’t think that way! I’ve got to stay focused. I said I’d clear Rainbow Dash’s name, and no matter how I did it, I bought her another day. I can’t let it go to waste!” he reminded himself quietly, determined to make maximum use of the time he’d won, trying not to think again about the cost. “But, where do I start?” he wondered out loud, getting some odd looks as well as angry stares from passing ponies as he talked to himself in the lobby, leaving Phoenix certain that after what he had done, he no longer had a single friend in all of Equestria.

At that moment, a bright pink earth pony with a very fluffy mane and tail appeared in front of him. “Hey there, Mr. Frowny-Wowny. What’s the matter?” she asked, quite bubbly for someone who just met a total stranger.

Phoenix blinked and looked up at the unfamiliar equine, swearing he could hear an odd but upbeat and catchy tune that almost seemed to be carried in with her. Huh? Where did she come from? She smells like cotton candy… He sniffed the air, suddenly and not unpleasantly reminded of the fairs he’d attended as a kid.

“Cotton Candy?” The new pony looked puzzled for a moment. “Oh! You must have smelled the new shampoo I’m using! It comes from the Fairground Flavors line of mane and tail care! They’re my favorites; I just thought I needed a change of pace from Bubble Berry!” she said, running a hoof through her floofy hair.

“Oh. That explains it, then,” Phoenix shrugged, his common sense kicking in a little late. Wait! Did I just say that, or think that...? He eyed the vividly pink stranger suspiciously. “Uh, excuse me, but... who are you?”

The mare looked only too happy to tell him. “I’m Pinkie Pie of course! Ponyville’s Premier Party Thrower and Professional Prankster Extraordinaire!” she introduced herself with a bright smile and a four-legged pronk that took her nearly six feet into the air as though her legs were on springs, startling him. “But sorry, I can’t talk right now! I’m looking for something,” she announced, closing one eye and squinting the other as she began peering at him through a magnifying glass she had suddenly produced.

“What for?” Phoenix asked warily, not at all sure what to make of her antics as she began searching the floor around him, lifting his feet for her as she passed to peer under the bench.

She continued her efforts onto the bench itself, examining the cushions around him.“Some other ponies said there was a spiky-headed monster in here! I can’t seem to find him anywhere, though. You’d think they’d stick out like a sore hoof! Have you seen him?” she asked in eager innocence as she put her magnifying glass away.

Phoenix let out a long groan with a sigh at the end of it. Anger starting to boil over again, he stood up and walked a couple steps away from her, his fists clenched.

Her expression dropped a bit. “Does that mean… no?”

Unable to keep his frustrations contained any longer, he slammed his fists into the column and kicked the bench he was previously sitting on in frustration, knocking it on its back. “GAH! I’m getting so sick of this place!” he yelled to nobody in particular, startling Pinkie Pie and several pony passersby.

“Hey, no need to be angry! Hang out with me, and I’ll turn that frowny upside-downy!” Pinkie implored with a fresh smile and antics, trying to cheer him up by donning a silly hat and glasses.

Under most circumstances he would have been even more annoyed by that, but her words and manner were strangely disarming, not at all cruel but concerned and carefree, and his anger quickly gave way to shame for it. Red-faced and embarrassed by his outburst, he righted the bench and sat back down heavily on it, clutching his head in his hands. “How can I? I did such a lousy job in court today, and Twilight probably hates my guts after what I did to her friend,” Phoenix admitted, thinking that she had every right to—that he hated his own guts for what he’d done to Fluttershy, certain he would never live it down.

Far from upset, Pinkie Pie perked up even more at her mention. “Hey, you know Twilight? Me too!”

He looked up in surprise. “You know Twilight Sparkle?” he asked, thinking that he couldn’t imagine that a bookish unicorn like Twilight would be friends with someone so different from her own studious and logical personality. Then again, she’s friends with Rainbow Dash, who doesn’t exactly strike me as Twilight’s type either, he granted, wondering what other ponies she knew.

Pinkie Pie nodded eagerly. “Yep-yep! We’re the bestest of best friends!” Pinkie proclaimed with another pronk, but then looked behind her. “Oh! That reminds me! I’m supposed to go to court today, and cheer for Rainbow Dash! It was good to meet you but sorry, gotta run!” The pink earth pony announced as she went bounding down a corridor with a springing gait, all but bouncing on all four hooves as she moved.

“But you’re already—!” Phoenix called after her, only to trail off when she came bounding right back and finished his sentence.

“Oh, wait! I’m already here! YAY!” she squealed, rearing up in excitement and pinwheeling her front legs.

“Uh... I hate to break it to you, but you’ve missed the trial,” Phoenix told her, not sure what to make of her. Of all the pastel grass-chewers I’ve met, this one is definitely the weirdest, and that’s saying a lot! he thought to himself before remembering Pinkie’s uncanny ability to respond to thought. And I mean that in the nicest way possible!

“I did? Aw, bummer!” Pinkie said, dropping her distinctive smile long enough to look concerned. “Is Dashie okay?”

Phoenix blinked at that, never having heard that nickname for his client before. Does kinda suit her, though! “For now, yes. The trial has been recessed until tomorrow. I’m actually Rainbow Dash’s defense attorney, Phoenix Wright,” he introduced himself.

To his surprise, the pink earth pony seemed genuinely impressed, looking him over from head to toe. “OOoooooOoooo… then you’re a real lawyer? Neato! So what’cha doing now, Feenie?” Pinkie asked, coming up with her own nickname for Phoenix.

Phoenix was startled by that. “’Feenie’? But th-that’s…” He couldn’t finish his own sentence, remembering painfully the last person who had called him that… and what she had done to him. “Never mind,” he shook his head sharply, not wanting to dwell on that unhappy chapter of his life again; especially not when he had far more pressing matters to attend. “Well, Pinkie Pie… I don’t know what I should be doing right now, to be honest. My case is crumbling, my reputation is in ruins, my own client lied to me, and I have no leads at all,” Phoenix told her, slumped over in his seat while looking down on the floor, at least happy to have a friendly ear, even one that belonged to an odd pink earth pony.

“Your client? You mean Rainbow?” Pinkie studied Phoenix curiously, her tone turning something almost akin to serious for just a moment. “Well, Feenie—if she lied, maybe that’s the first thing you need to figure out! So instead of moping around here, why not go talk to Dashie about the trial?” she gave him some surprisingly sensible advice.

Phoenix looked up sharply at that. “Wait a minute—Rainbow had psyche-locks!” he abruptly remembered.

“Psyche-locks?” Pinkie tilted her head curiously, getting a very sweet smile on her face. “Ooooo… is that some kinda breakfast cereal? Sounds yummy! Is it made with real locks and not grossy-wossly artificial locks? You know all those fake ingredients are bad for you, right?” she reminded him eagerly.

Phoenix had no idea how to answer that, but was genuinely grateful to the pink earth pony for snapping him out of his funk, even if her methods were a little unconventional. “Thanks for the advice, uh, Pinkie Pie. You’re right; the first thing I need to do is go talk to Rainbow! I’m gonna head for the Detention Center right now!” he announced, getting up and walking away with new purpose, leaving a beaming Pinkie behind as he exited the court lobby and headed at a brisk walk across the cobblestone street of the plaza.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on February 13, 2018.

Part 14 - The Other Side of the Rainbow

Ponyville Detention Center
June 10th, 12:00 PM

It took Phoenix less than a minute to walk to the Detention Center, given the facility was just across the plaza that fronted the courthouse. The two white-furred male pegasus guards let him in with a minimum of hassle this time, though his ears flushed when he heard them snickering over his heart-shaped Equestrian Attorney Badge behind his back.

His embarrassment was only deepened as he was escorted down the hallway by two uniformed earth pony stallions to the partitioned meeting room where Rainbow Dash would be waiting for him. They looked very odd to him wearing just police uniform shirts and ties; it seemed to Phoenix that what they were wearing only drew attention to what they weren’t... and the human lawyer found himself wincing as their ambling movements drew attention to certain attributes their tails didn’t fully hide as they walked in front of him. Phoenix was relieved when they left him outside the meeting room and their hindquarters weren’t staring him in the face any longer.

Smoothing out his suit and re-cinching his tie, he took a deep breath before going in. I really hope she isn’t mad at me after what happened, Phoenix worried as he turned the doorknob, afraid Rainbow Dash would be just as upset over Fluttershy as Twilight was. But then…

He entered the meeting area only to find his client thrashing about, throwing a tantrum on the other side of the glass as he entered.

“No, no, no, no, no, no! no! NO! NO! NOOOOO!!!” she said over and over, kicking the walls behind the partition and wailing. She nearly startled Phoenix right out of his shoes when she abruptly spotted and stared at him, bug-eyed and giving him the longest face he’d ever seen.

“R-Rainbow Dash?!”

“Good luck talking to her, Mister Wright. She’s been like this ever since she got back,” one of his escorts said as he and his partner stepped back, leaving it to him with a smirk.

“I-I can’t bear to live anymore! Throw the book at me! L-let them send me to the sun! THERE’S NOTHING LEFT FOR ME IN EQUESTRIA!!!” Rainbow broke down and cried, completely beside herself.

“Rainbow Dash, GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!!!” Phoenix ordered. She must still be upset over those… uh… pictures, he guessed, grimacing at the memory of the images.

Rainbow blinked her watery, rose-colored eyes at him. “Easy for you to say, Nix! Now the Wonderbolts will never let me in! Even after I’m banished, Ponyville is gonna laugh at me forever!” She sat back and buried her head in her hooves, trying to hide her tears.

“They weren’t that… um… bad. R-really! I’m sure everyone will forget about them by tomorrow! I guarantee it!” Phoenix said, trying to calm her down even though he didn’t believe a word of it. Oh, who am I kidding? There’s no WAY anyone’s forgetting images like those! he thought, knowing for certain he’d never ever be able to forget.

“You… you think so?” Rainbow asked, still sniffling lightly.

He tried to give her a grin that was both wry and reassuring. “I know so! I’m always right; my name is Phoenix ‘Wright’ after all!”

Somewhere outside, a rimshot played.

Rainbow Dash gave him a glower and he could all but feel the guards rolling their eyes from behind him. “That… wasn’t… funny…” she replied in a low voice, completely unamused.

Phoenix shrank back at the look on her face. ACK! I thought it was!

“Still, thanks for at least trying to cheer me up. I appreciate it and you trying to defend me earlier, even if you did do a crummy job at both,” she told him sincerely, sitting on her haunches and favoring him with a weak smile.

“Gee, thanks,” Phoenix grumbled, but couldn’t muster up much more indignation than that.

“No problem. And by the way…” she added in a mild tone, giving him an askance look.

“Yes?”

Rainbow Dash abruptly flared her wings in anger, rearing up and slamming her hooves into the clear partition separating them, causing it to rattle hard and Phoenix to flinch back. “SO WHAT WAS WITH THAT TERRI-BAD PERFORMANCE IN COURT TODAY, NIX? WERE YOU TRYING TO GET ME SENT TO THE SUN? I DON’T KNOW SQUAT ABOUT LAW, BUT I’M PRETTY SURE I COULD’VE DONE A BETTER JOB DEFENDING MYSELF!” She blasted him in a full shout, causing the guards on her side of the glass to quickly check on what was happening.

“I-I… uh…” Phoenix could only stammer as Rainbow continued to berate him with scarcely less volume than before.

“HOW COULD YOU HAVE COME IN SO CLUELESS ABOUT EQUESTRIA, NIX? YOU EMBARRASSED YOURSELF AND ME! I DON’T EVEN LIKE STUDYING AND I AGREE YOU SHOULD HAVE! EVERY DEFENSE ATTORNEY MUST SUCK HORSE APPLES, IF YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE THE BEST ONE!” she went on angrily, causing Phoenix to cringe at the image that brought to mind, especially with the memory of two stallion hindquarters fresh in his head. “AFTER HOW INCREDIBLY AWFUL YOU WERE IN THERE, I SHOULD FIRE YOUR SORRY FLANK HERE AND NOW!”

Phoenix held his hands up in placation, resolving to wash his brain out with whatever alcohol Equestria offered the first chance he got. “Look, I know I screwed up, but don’t let me go, Rainbow! I promise I’ll make it up to you and Fluttershy tomorrow! I swear!”

To his surprise, Rainbow seemed to only get angrier at the mention of her friend, her face contorting into a snarl. “Fluttershy? HA! She got what she deserved! I’m 100% through with her after how she betrayed me like that!” she said dismissively.

Phoenix’s jaw fell open, but his shock quickly gave way to anger of his own. “Hey! It tore me up having to do that to her! It was the only way I could save you! Fluttershy didn’t betray you!” Phoenix insisted, now getting angry himself—how she could even think that of such a kind and adorable pony was beyond him.

But Rainbow wasn’t having it. “Oh, give me a break! She testified against me and just about buried me! So this is the thanks I get for all those times I stuck up for her sorry flank?”

“She was just telling the truth about what she saw, Rainbow. Which, as a witness, is exactly what she was supposed to do!” Phoenix said through clenched teeth, seething at his own client for thinking the worst of her friend.

She gave him a disbelieving look. “What do you mean, truth? You proved she was lying, Nix! She had to have been if she didn’t see Apple Bloom!” Rainbow argued, flaring her wings in anger again.

Phoenix bit his tongue before he said something he regretted, trying to force his thoughts back to the matter at hand. Or I guess I should just say ‘at hoof’ while I’m here? “I’m not sure why she didn’t see Apple Bloom, but there’s one thing I am sure about: she wasn’t lying when she said she saw you leave the forest, Rainbow Dash! You were there, weren’t you?” he challenged, making Rainbow fall silent for a bit, her eyes going evasive for just a moment before flashing with anger again.

“Whatever! After how bad you stunk up the courtroom, you’re fired, Nix! And as for Fluttershy, we are ex-friends as of now!” Rainbow Dash dismissed him with a wave of her hoof, leaving Phoenix wondering how Twilight could ever have called her loyal. “I mean, Fluttershy pretty much said: ‘Yup! Rainbow Dash did it!’” she mimicked Fluttershy’s voice for a moment, somehow making her mane style match as well. “She testified against me! And what kind of a friend does that?” she demanded to know, audibly grinding her teeth together.

With the possible exception of a former client named Matt Engarde, Phoenix had never wanted more to reach through a partition and throttle someone. “Rainbow Dash, for the last time, she was just telling the truth of what she saw! She swore an oath to do so, remember? She can’t lie in court!” he reminded her in strained patience, his anger sharpening his focus. “Which actually brings me to why I’m here.”

Rainbow gave him an odd look. “Huh? And why are you still here? I just fired you, remember?” she gave him a dismissive wave of her wing, throwing a glance over his shoulder to the guards behind him, who took their cue.

“I’m sorry, Mister Wright, but you heard her. If you’re no longer her counsel, you can’t stay.” A uniformed stallion stepped forward to escort him out, but he held up a hand to stop him.

“I understand, but give me just one minute to change her mind, please.” Phoenix covertly pulled out his Magatama, holding it hidden in his palm as he turned back to her. “You’re fully within your rights to dismiss me as your counsel, Rainbow. But before you do, I want the truth from you! I deserve plenty of blame for this morning, but so do you, Rainbow Dash! You lied through your teeth to me regarding your activities on the night of the murder! So before you fire me, I want to know what you were really doing near the scene of the crime!”

In Phoenix’s vision, the space around Rainbow Dash became dark as several rows of chains, guarded by three distinctive red psyche-locks, appeared in front of her.

Made visible to him alone by his Magatama, they were a manifestation of the secret she was hiding from him, and the number of locks indicated how hard it would be to make her give it up. “Ugh, I told you already, Nix—I was practicing for the race!” She stuck to her alibi, unaware of the phantom chains and locks surrounding her. “And since you’re no longer defending me, I don’t have to tell you squat!”

Phew! The Magatama still works after that weird incident this morning, Phoenix thought in relief despite her dismissal, flashing back to what had happened in the courtroom lobby before the trial.

As Twilight enveloped the Magatama with her magic to float it over, the gemstone artifact suddenly glowed a bright green within her violet aura.

“Huh?” was all Phoenix got out before the Magatama flashed a brilliant white. “WHAT THE—?” he stumbled backwards and went blind for a moment; when his vision cleared he was lying on the ground again, and so was Twilight a few feet away.

Phoenix was still unsettled by the memory; it had felt like a blow to the head when his Magatama had flashed. What was that all about, anyway? Ugh, forget about it, Phoenix! It still works, and right now that’s all that matters! he reminded himself, setting his sights on the three red psyche-locks before him.

Okay, there they are. Time to break ‘em! “Sorry, but I don’t believe you, my little pony. Not for a single, solitary second.” Phoenix crossed his arms. “You’re lying, and I’m going to prove it!”

Dash gave him a glare. “You’re a defense lawyer who doesn’t believe your own clients? That’s professional!” she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Just get out of here, Nix! I got nothing more to say to you!"

But Phoenix stood firm, ignoring her dig and dismissal. “Fine, but before I go, how about a little bet, Rainbow Dash?"

"A bet?" she repeated contemptuously.

"Yes, a bet. I’m going to guess what you were really doing near the crime scene that night, and you’re going to tell me if I’m right,” he declared. “And if I can guess right in the next five minutes, you retain me as your lawyer.”

She gave him an incredulous look, then smirked and waved the guards back. “Okay, I’ll humor you, Nix. You can have your five minutes, but I’m sticking to my story. And when your time’s up, you’re gone!” Rainbow Dash warned him.

At that moment, Phoenix decided he’d be able to wipe at least one smug look off one pony’s face that day, still smarting over how badly Trixie had beaten him. Worry about her tomorrow; worry about Rainbow Dash NOW! “I don’t think you were practicing at all. I think you were doing something far more important,” he claimed, watching her reaction carefully.

“Oh yeah? Like what?” she asked in annoyance, flaring her wings again.

“Like, oh I don’t know... like maybe meeting someone?” Phoenix guessed, making a show of scratching his chin thoughtfully.

Rainbow suddenly looked nervous. “Uh, well I-I… uh… I mean… who would I be meeting in the forest, especially at that hour of the evening? Nopony ever goes in there willingly, especially at night!” she correctly pointed out.

But Phoenix immediately turned her own argument back on her. “Oh, really? Then why were you practicing there if no one ever goes in there willingly?”

His then-former client’s eyes widened; she was starting to visibly sweat under his scrutiny. “U-uh… w-well…”

Sensing he was on the right track, Phoenix pressed harder. “I know for a fact there was someone else in the forest on the night of the murder.”

Shaking off her nerves, she challenged him directly. “Then put your money where your mouth is, Nix! Who do you think I was meeting?”

“Ace Swift!” Phoenix answered instantly, causing Rainbow to stiffen in shock. “The fact that your feathers were found all around the clearing proves you were there last night!” he pronounced with certainty, causing Rainbow’s jaw to fall open in disbelief, unable to do anything but gape at him.

“And who else was in the clearing last night? The victim, of course! You needed to be there to see him! You also told me ponies avoid going in there. So the fact that you did means he wanted to meet with you privately in a place where nobody could stumble across your meeting! And what better place to pick than the middle of a dangerous forest other ponies avoid?” he reasoned.

“Ahhh!! NOOO!!” Rainbow Dash screamed as one of the psyche-locks broke.

Though visibly flustered, Rainbow tried to recover. “I-I mean… ah, no, you’re wrong! H-he was just competition. Why would I want to meet him? I have better things I could be doing!” she groped for an excuse, trying to sound confident but failing badly, glancing up at the clock to see how many of his five minutes were left.

He raised an eyebrow. “Better things? Like what?”

Her gaze left his, clearly attempting to evade the suspicious look he was giving her; Phoenix could tell she was struggling mightily for an answer. “I don’t know. Napping? Something like that.”

Oh, please… Phoenix thought, rolling his eyes and thinking Rainbow Dash was one of the worst liars he’d ever met. “Well, maybe he had something you wanted,” he suggested, watching her carefully.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m saying that maybe he had something important to you, something you’d move heaven and earth for,” Phoenix elaborated.

She gave him a wary look. “I don’t know what ‘heaven’ is, but I’m a pretty self-satisfied pony, Nix. I’ve got everything I need… well, besides fortune and glory, and the only way I could get those is if I beat him. So what could he possibly have that I’d want?” she asked, starting to feel a bit more nervous about his insights.

“I’m glad you asked that, Rainbow Dash,” Phoenix grinned, showing her his teeth for a moment, belatedly realizing it might be considered a threatening gesture among the herbivorous ponies.

“Y-you are?” Rainbow said, tilting her head at him but otherwise unperturbed.

He nodded. “There is one thing that you absolutely needed that I know he had...” Phoenix said, reaching into his evidence bag.

“Yeah, well… I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Rainbow said carefully while looking at the ceiling, hoping he might give up if she played dumb long enough.

“The reason you went to go meet him is…” He mentally braced himself.

“THESE!” Phoenix pulled out the large manila envelope Trixie had given him, stuffed full of photographs.

Rainbow Dash’s mane and tail spiked upwards like she’d been shot through with lightning herself and her wing feathers splayed hard in fear. “AHHHH!! Put those away before anypony sees them! Please!” she begged him, recoiling from their presence.

But Phoenix didn’t immediately, even going so far to pull out one of the pictures and slam it on the front of the partition, image side facing her through the clear barrier. “Even now, your anxiety shows you absolutely didn’t want these pictures floating out and about!” he noted, keeping the photograph in front of her face.

Rainbow Dash shrank back from it, eyes wide, looking around in a panic to see if any of the guards were watching. “Yes, yes, yes, you’re right! I was meeting him about those! Can you please just put them away? Like, right now?!” she pleaded, all but cowering before the image Phoenix was holding up before her.

With her admission, the second lock shattered.

Phoenix put the photographs away, vowing to never look at them again if he could help it. “This brings us to the money question: why did Ace have these pictures?” he asked, his tone rhetorical.

“Who knows? He’s dead! What a bummer; guess we’ll never know!” Rainbow said with feigned nonchalance that would have fooled nopony, let alone an experienced attorney.

“I actually think I know why,” Phoenix said, having reached the conclusion on his walk over to the Detention Center, mentally kicking himself for not figuring it out the instant Trixie had presented the pictures. Then again, even if I did, it wouldn’t have helped—Trixie would’ve just said it was the smoking gun of Rainbow’s motive! “There’s only one possible reason he would have brought them to the clearing that night.”

“There is?” Dash said, scarcely able to believe he’d been able to figure out as much as he had.

“Yes, I can think of one reason why he’d want to meet you over these pictures.” Phoenix fell silent for a moment, leaving her in suspense. “He was blackmailing you, wasn’t he?”

Rainbow Dash seemed to deflate at the word, every one of her feathers drooping suddenly. “Blackmail…” she trailed off forlornly, her lip starting to quiver.

Phoenix nodded slowly to himself at her reaction, knowing he’d hit the bull’s-eye. “I’m willing to bet my attorney badge he wanted you to throw the Equestrian 500,” he told her, but Rainbow Dash remained silent as he continued his speculation, watching him out of the corner of her eye with a sad and defeated look on her face. “For a single racer to win every race is beyond belief, no matter how good he is! Twilight told me that some ponies suspected him of foul play for it, and this pretty much proves it.

“So this is how he was doing it, then—by blackmailing his competition! In your case, he was probably threatening to make these pictures public if you didn’t let him win the race?” Phoenix concluded, leaving her speechless, then checking his watch to find... four minutes and thirty seconds. Not bad!

Several more seconds passed before Rainbow spoke again. “Wow…” she said at length, now staring at Phoenix in utter awe, her rose-colored eyes fixed on him.

“Huh?”

For the first time since Phoenix had known her, Rainbow Dash let out a bright and friendly smile as if a great weight had been removed from her shoulders. “You win the bet, Nix. You’re still my lawyer and I take it all back. You’re really good!”

And with that, the final lock broke!

—— Unlock Successful ——

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on February 13, 2018.

Part 15 - A Fresh Start

With the psyche-locks broken, the ethereal chains that surrounded Rainbow Dash retracted and disappeared from Phoenix’s vision, leaving her heart’s secrets exposed and, more to the point, her willing to reveal them.

“You’re right, Nix. Ace was blackmailing me to drop out of the Equestrian 500,” she admitted wearily and with no small amount of shame, finally opening up to him.

Phoenix nodded in satisfaction and relief, reminding himself to thank Maya and Pearls again for the artifact that had assisted him in so many cases already. “And when did it start? Just recently, I’m guessing?” he wanted to know, returning the Magatama to his inner jacket pocket.

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, as if steeling herself before she began her story. “Yeah. Just two days ago, when I got home and found this letter on my doorstep,” she told him, producing a folded note that had been tucked under her wing and then passing it through a slot at the bottom of the partition.

“’I’ll tell everypony your secret if you don’t drop out of the Equestrian 500. Meet in the Everfree Forest clearing at 8:35 PM for negotiations’,” Phoenix read the note aloud, wondering if she’d been keeping it under her wing for the past two days.

Rainbow waited for Phoenix to finish before she continued. “At first I didn’t know what secret it was talking about. But attached to the message was one of those pictures…” She cringed anew at the memory.

Against his better judgment, Phoenix decided he had to ask. “About those pictures. Why are you—?”

Dash didn’t let him finish, rearing up and slamming her hooves into the partition again at Phoenix’s chest level. “IT’S A HOBBY, ALRIGHT!? I BET YOU HAVE SKELETONS IN YOUR CLOSET TOO, MISTER-20-SOMETHING-WHO-PLAYS-WITH-TOYS!” she yelled at him, eyes livid.

“Okay, okay! I won’t ask about them anymore!” Phoenix promised, holding up his hands in placation. Wonder if she’d feel better if I told her my secret—that I support myself by playing poker on the sly in disguise? He briefly considered the idea, only to discard it, deciding he didn’t need anyone in either world thinking he was shady. “Do you have any idea how he got them?” he then asked, reflecting that he did indeed have a skeleton or two of his own.

She shook her head violently, still riled up. “I have no clue! My best guess is that jerk was stalking me; trying to get dirt on me!” Rainbow snorted hard as she glared at a nondescript section of the wall to her right, flushing slightly in the cheeks. Phoenix realized that it was the first time he’d seen an actual equine mannerism similar to the horses he had known in his own world.

“Rainbow Dash…” he began, knowing it was time to broach a difficult subject.

“Yeah? What is it?” She looked up at him, sitting back and taking on a surprisingly human-like lounging pose with her hooves behind her head.

“I want you to know that I trust you, and I’m going to need you to trust me when I ask you these next series of questions.”

“Huh?” She tilted her head at him.

“You may be scared the answers will make you look guilty, but don’t worry—I know you’re innocent.”

Rainbow’s ears perked up. “I-I’m not scared!”

Phoenix gave her a level look, knowing his next question would severely test that statement. “Why did you move that cloud to the crime scene and set it off?”

She froze for a moment, her tail twitching and eyes darting. “B-but… I-I… I didn’t…” she tried to deny in a weak and shaky voice.

Phoenix almost went for the Magatama again, but realized there was no need—all she needed now was a gentle nudge; nothing more. “Please, Rainbow Dash. You can trust me. I swear I won’t think any differently of you in light of what you tell me. I know you didn’t kill him, but in order to defend you, I need to know exactly what you did do there and why,” Phoenix reassured her.

Rainbow let out one last heavy sigh before relenting. “Okay. You win again, Nix. I’ll tell you,” she decided at some length, sitting down on her haunches as Phoenix took out his notepad and clicked his pen open, listening attentively. “I admit it—I did move the cloud there and I did set it off. But I didn’t do it to kill him! I just wanted to give him a scare, that’s all!” she hastened to add.

“A scare?” Something clicked inside of Phoenix’s head. “Wait—so you really did preposition the cloud over the forest clearing?” he asked, scarcely able to believe Trixie had actually been right about that. If you’d told me that before, Rainbow, I could have defused that little bomb before she set it off and blew up my entire DEFENSE! He suppressed a brief moment of anger.

Unaware of his thoughts, Rainbow nodded, looking with some interest at the thing he was writing with—it wasn’t a quill, and she didn’t see him dip it in ink, so how did it work? “Yeah. As soon as I saw the requirements of the blackmail letter, I knew it was Ace, and that all those rumors about him were true—he’s a blackmailing cheater! So, I set up the cloud over the meeting site earlier that day with the intent of declining his little offer,” Rainbow Dash proclaimed through narrowed eyes and gritted teeth, pawing angrily at the floor with her hoof.

Phoenix was surprised, halting his writing for a moment. “So you weren’t going to drop out in spite of him threatening to release those pictures?”

Rainbow looked up sharply at that. “NO WAY!” she shouted, taking Phoenix aback and causing the room guards’ heads to turn, all present expecting another round of verbal abuse to be aimed at the human lawyer, wondering if they were about to hear another quoteworthy rant. “I’m not gonna let some loser have his way with me, even if it meant those pictures getting out! I have way too much pride for that!” she told him, flaring her wings and thumping her hoof to her chest. “I’ve been waiting to enter that race my whole life! It’s my ticket to stardom and the Wonderbolts, and no two-bit cheater with a camera is gonna keep me from flying it!”

Phoenix couldn’t help but smile at that, deciding the cocky and occasionally obnoxious pegasus mare had some redeeming features after all—the courage of her convictions not least among them. “I find that really admirable,” he told her with an approving nod. “Win or lose, you’re a true competitor and have the heart of a champion, Rainbow Dash.”

She blushed a bit, having a sudden urge to kiss him right through the partition. “Heh… thanks, Nix! This is my first year competing in the race; I just reached the minimum age to participate. I’ve been waiting for this forever and I’m way too anxious to just drop out! R-B-D spells VIC-TOR-Y!”

He couldn’t help but smile again at that. “You sure you can take 500 miles? I admit I don’t know what kind of stamina you pegasi have, but it sounds like a really long way to fly,” Phoenix mused, curious to know if she was built for that kind of distance or had trained for it.

She looked surprised by his question, but answered. “Oh, it is; no question. The race is a daylong affair. It consists of five separate hundred-mile legs involving various weather and airborne obstacles with just a twenty-minute break between each. There’s checkpoints along the track set up so the racers can get some rest and liquids between legs—we’re allowed approved energy replenishment potions only—but that’s a little problem I keep having. There’s no doubt I’m fast, but even with the potions I tire out along the way. I’m just not used to flying that far, even in stages,” she admitted.

“In races like these, you should pace yourself accordingly. Don’t go fast right from the start; save your energy for the home stretch of each leg,” Phoenix told her, drawing on his own experience from his high school track team and the occasional 10k race he still ran. “Kind of like how I don’t present all my proof right away. I start slow so I can save my best evidence and arguments for later,” he further noted, remembering bitterly that Trixie had used that very tactic against him by withholding her most damning evidence until the very end.

Rainbow turned thoughtful as she considered his advice. “I’ll try to keep that in mind.”

Phoenix was starting to think that when—not if, but when, he forcibly insisted to himself—he got Rainbow Dash acquitted, he might want to stick around to watch the race, having noted during his earlier walk to the Courthouse that pony construction crews were in the middle of building a giant grandstand structure not far from Town Hall. “But let’s get back on topic, shall we? I’m supposed to be your lawyer, not your coach,” he reminded himself as much as her.

“Right,” Rainbow Dash said, nodding. “Anyway… I wasn’t planning on killing him; I just wanted to give him a scare! You know… kick some dirt in his face for messing with me?” she explained somewhat wanly, waiting for Phoenix to nod his understanding before going on. “The cloud shoots a lightning bolt directly under it when activated. I mess around with ponies by scaring them with small clouds containing weak bolts all the time, but I got an extra-powerful one in his case, to make the sound as loud as possible,” she added. “I guess it was a little dangerous getting one that big…”

Phoenix kept to himself the thought that it not only was, but it made her look all the worse for it. Still, at least I can buy her explanation—she’s clearly not a pony to take something like this lying down! “Forgive me, but I have to ask: could it have accidentally hit him when you set it off?”

“NO! I made sure it wasn’t over him!” she swore quickly, and Phoenix believed her when he couldn’t hear any hint of hesitation or evasiveness in her voice. “Yeah, it was dark out like you said in the court today, but I knew where he was. I made sure he didn’t step directly under it by standing there myself! He was like fifteen feet away from me when I flew up to trigger the cloud, and I could see everything clearly when the flash of the bolt lit up the clearing—it didn’t even come close to hitting him; it just made him scream like a little filly and left a really sissy look on his mug!

“Aw, you should have seen it, Nix; he just about peed himself! It was priceless!” Rainbow remembered, now laughing. “Then I said something like ‘Smell ya later, sucker!’ and just hightailed it out of there as fast as I could.”

That’s probably when Fluttershy saw her, Phoenix noted to himself, the dots starting to connect in his head. “So why didn’t you tell anyone about this blackmail earlier?”

Her expression dropped again. “I didn’t want anypony to know about the blackmail because… you know… then they would wonder what he was blackmailing me with…?” she trailed off meaningfully.

“I see.” Phoenix nodded slowly to himself. And then those pictures would have gotten out anyway, he realized, starting to understand how trapped she must have felt.

“You believe me, Nix? I didn’t kill him; he was absolutely fine when I left, I swear!” Rainbow Dash said to Phoenix, tearing up again and all but begging him to say yes.

Phoenix didn’t hesitate. “Yes, I believe you,” he reassured her, locking gazes with his client’s rose-colored eyes to let her see it in his brown ones for herself. “Although, more questions arise from this,” he told her, scratching his chin and tapping his pen on his notepad.

“More questions?” Rainbow asked, tilting her head at him again.

He nodded. “Questions like—if the first bolt didn’t kill him, then how did he end up dead directly under the cloud?” Phoenix wondered aloud. “I was trying desperately to convince the court that it was the second bolt that killed him. That would make this all an accident, since you had no control over it. But then we have that ‘lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice!’ thing that Trixie was talking about,” Phoenix said in a deliberately bad imitation of the showmare’s voice.

Rainbow’s eyes narrowed, swearing she’d get back at the mare magician for all her insults if it was the last thing she did. Even if I have to do it from the SUN! “As much as I don’t wanna admit it... she’s right, Nix. It’s a failsafe pegasi at the Cloudsdale weather factory use when they create storm clouds. If you’re caught under one, you just avoid standing directly beneath it, wait for the first bolt to hit there, and then move to where it struck. Since lightning from these clouds can’t hit in the same place twice...” she trailed off to let him finish the thought.

“The safest place becomes directly under the cloud where the first bolt hit!” Phoenix realized in wonder. “That’s really something. The weather can’t be controlled where I live; our lightning can and does strike the same place twice,” he reflected, thinking of the unpredictable weather patterns back home—he’d gotten soaked by a surprise summer storm while walking to work without an umbrella the previous week; he still wasn’t happy about the dry-cleaning bill for the mud that got splashed on his suit by a passing car.

She looked wistful at that. “Wild weather, huh? The Everfree’s like that too. Sometimes I kind of wish it worked that way here in Ponyville; I’d have a lot more free time on my hooves so I could perfect my ’Sonic Rainboom’ or my ‘Fantastic Filly Flash!’” Rainbow Dash pumped her chest in pride as she announced her signature moves.

Are those dance moves or something? Phoenix wondered, his mind going in some decidedly odd directions over the second name she gave. His eyes widened at one such image, which he quickly purged—he’d clearly been hanging around these ponies too long if he was thinking things like that! “From what I hear, you’re also a shift leader of the Ponyville Weather Patrol. I need some information regarding how the lightning here in Equestria works,” Phoenix stated, flipping over a page of his notepad, vowing a rush order on his favorite wine when he got back home.

She looked at him curiously, putting her hooves behind her head again in a lounging pose. “What do you need to know?”

Phoenix couldn’t understand how she could hold that pose on just her two hind legs. “Well, is it true the bolt causes the noise?”

“Yeah, it is,” she confirmed, falling back to all fours and putting on a thinking face, her eyes tilted towards the ceiling as she tried to remember things she normally never thought about. “I don’t know how it works exactly, but I’m pretty sure when it touches the ground or anything attached to the ground, like, say, a tree… it sends out vibrations which makes the ‘boom’.”

Phoenix had a hard time accepting that. I’m no meteorologist, but I’m pretty sure lightning doesn’t work like that! Then again, I keep forgetting that I’m in a land full of magical talking ponies who can manually change the weather! “Is there anything that could prevent it from making a sound?” he asked next.

She tilted her head again as she thought about that. “Rarely, you get these dud bolts that don’t hit the ground; they just fizzle halfway there and there’s no real sound then. So if a small bolt hit something in midair that was close enough to the cloud? Yeah, it wouldn’t make a sound. And I know what you’re thinking, but Trixie’s right, Nix—that couldn’t have happened with Ace,” she anticipated his next question.

“Why not?”

“That itchy racing suit,” Rainbow said, grimacing and making scratching motions with her hooves.

“Oh, right—I remember that being brought up. That’s that lightning-proof suit you pegasuses wear for the race, right?” Phoenix prompted.

“The plural is ‘pegasi’,” Rainbow corrected before going back on topic. “Yeah, it is. It may look all sleek and good on me, but I totally hate wearing that thing! It’s itchy and stuffy and really hard to get in and out of, and don’t get me started on how it rides up!” She shifted her hindquarters uncomfortably, causing Phoenix to grimace. “But for all that, it works—it’s aerodynamic and while you’re wearing it, you’re pretty much invulnerable to lightning.”

“Weren’t there some exposed parts on it though?” he asked, remembering what Twilight had said during the trial, suddenly seeing her tear-streaked face again.

“Yeah, there are. But while you’re in the flying position, those parts are covered up. They’re only exposed while you’re on all fours and grounded,” Rainbow detailed. At Phoenix’s request, she drew a rough illustration of the suit in the flying and walking positions on a piece of notepad paper he passed her through the slot, showing how a small ring of the neck just above the shoulders was exposed when grounded.

Phoenix was surprised—and a little put off—that she held his pen in her mouth as she drew, while Dash marveled at the fact that unlike a quill, she didn’t have to dip it in ink; it just drew a continuous line as long as she kept it pressed down… and best of all, it didn’t leave pieces of feather in her teeth! This is REALLY cool! I wonder if he’d be willing to give me this?

The sketches complete, she passed the pen and paper back to him, only for her mood to become despondent once more. “This is sounding more and more hopeless for me the more I think about it,” Rainbow realized, a single tear running down her cheek.

Though mildly annoyed at the saliva and toothmarks on his gold-inlaid burgundy-colored ball-point pen—a very treasured token of respect given to him by his friend and prosecutorial rival, Miles Edgeworth—Phoenix’s heart went out to her at that moment; he realized that for all her confidence and cockiness, Rainbow Dash was genuinely scared of what would happen to her. “Don’t worry, Rainbow. I’ll find out the truth behind Ace’s death and get you out of here!” Phoenix promised, wiping the pen clean with his handkerchief and making Rainbow smile a bit.

“Thanks, Nix,” she said, feeling a little better and putting her hoof against the glass partition, deciding that despite his odd appearance and his poor trial performance, the human lawyer was okay.

Phoenix had seen other ponies greet and say goodbye to each other with a bump of their hooves on the walk over, and he guessed she wanted to do the same. “Okay, Rainbow Dash, I’m gonna go do some more investigating in light of this new information. I’ll try and visit you before visiting hours are over to tell you what I found,” he promised her, pressing his fist against the partition opposite her hoof.

Rainbow smiled at that, sensing that after his rough start, Phoenix was beginning to catch on to things. She was even starting to genuinely like him, and found herself hoping she’d have the chance to show off some of her aerial moves to him later. She couldn’t yet do her Sonic Rainboom on cue, but she could at least perform her Fantastic Filly Flash—bet he’d really like to see THAT!

“Alright, catch you later,” she said as Phoenix started to turn away, but then—

“Oh! One more thing,” he remembered, stopping in his tracks to turn back to her.

“Yes?” Rainbow asked, looking up at him again.

“I bumped into a pony named Pinkie Pie after the trial. She said she was a friend of yours? She meant to cheer you on in court today, but she arrived too late,” Phoenix noted. He wasn’t sure he should say more, but decided he had to ask: “I have to know; is she always that… uh… loopy?”

Rainbow gave a sad but knowing smile, wishing her earth pony friend was there to cheer her up with her endearing antics and delicious sweets—all except her pies, anyway!—wondering if she’d ever again have the chance to enjoy her parties or just plan a prank with her again. “Heh. Yeah, that’s just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie,” she confirmed with a chuckle. “I admit she takes some getting used to, but give her a chance, Nix. She grows on you.”

Phoenix doubted that, but kept the thought to himself. “Okay, just wanted to let you know. Well, goodbye, Rainbow Dash.” He was about to leave again, when—

“Oh! WAIT!” Rainbow Dash suddenly exclaimed, nearly making Phoenix jump out of his suit. “Sorry, Nix, I almost forgot.”

Geez, I just can’t leave this place! “Yes? What is it?” he asked, turning his attention back on her.

“Here, Nix. Take this,” Rainbow said, passing Phoenix an odd-looking and rather oversized key through the slot.

“A key? What is it for?” Phoenix asked, picking it up, thinking it looked like a house key from a century past. And where the heck were you hiding this? he wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

Rainbow didn’t reply right away, giving Phoenix a very mischievous grin. “Ace’s hotel room,” she told him with a very smug look, tossing her head and running a hoof through her multicolored mane.

Phoenix gaped. “W-WHAT?! When did you get this?”

“Right after I got the blackmail letter! I thought he was stalking me, so I snuck into his hotel room while he was out to find dirt on him! The room key was under the welcome mat! What a stupid place to leave it, huh?” She snickered.

Phoenix fell silent, his mouth still agape. “Yeah… stupid place,” he agreed weakly. Note to self: Put key to office in different hiding spot! he resolved, slipping the key into his inner jacket pocket.

“So there you go. I wasn’t able to find anything good in there, but maybe you can!” she fervently hoped.

He nodded, not about to question his good fortune. “I’ll do my best. So where’s the hotel?”

“Oh! Right. Guess you kinda need to know that,” she noted with a chuckle, a bit sheepishly. “He was bunking at the Hay and Stay Hotel along with the other out-of-town racers while he was in Ponyville. It’s a little past Sugar Cube Corner,” she told him, waiting for him to finish writing it down. “It’s not far. Just have Twilight show you where it is!”

Phoenix’s expression dropped at her mention, and his pen stopped scratching on his pad. “Twilight…” he said forlornly, remembering clearly the hurt and sorrow in her big violet eyes, not understanding why her rejection hurt so much. I let her down… no matter how I arrived here, I promised I’d help her but I let her down…

Recognizing his suddenly sad look, Rainbow Dash tilted her head. “Huh? Hey, what’s the matter, Nix?” she asked.

Realizing he was starting to brood again, Phoenix shook it off before turning back to her. “Oh! Nothing, sorry. Thanks, Rainbow; this will really help my investigation!” Phoenix remarked, pocketing the key and trying to refocus on the task at hand—at hoof, he quickly corrected himself again, vowing to find out what really happened in the forest clearing and prove Rainbow Dash innocent. Well, even if I don’t have Twilight to guide me, hopefully I can get some passing pony to point me towards the hotel?

“Goodbye, Nix! I just know you’ll find some super awesome evidence this time around!” Rainbow said expectantly, pressing her hoof against the partition again.

He returned the gesture. “I promise I’ll get you and Fluttershy out of this mess,” he vowed, swearing to himself again that he would make everything right and apologize to both Twilight and Fluttershy before all was said and done.

Her expression darkened. “Fluttershy? I told you; I don’t care about her!” she said with a grunt and scowl.

She’s still really angry about that testimony Fluttershy gave, Phoenix recognized, hoping she’d be able to forgive her friend in time. Hoping Fluttershy and Twilight would forgive him in time, or he’d never be able to forgive himself.

With a parting fist-to-hoof bump through the clear partition, Phoenix left the Detention Center with some fresh leads, ready to begin his investigation anew. Still don’t have that much to go on, but at least there’s some new places I can look now, he reminded himself, patting the pocket that held the key to Ace’s hotel room.

Don’t know what’s there, but I know there’s answers to how Ace died somewhere. And before this day is out, I swear I’m gonna FIND them!

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on February 13, 2018.

Part 16 - Pinkie Pied!

Ponyville
June 10th, 12:30 PM

Phoenix exited the Detention Center to find the midday sun shining bright against a pristine blue sky—a far cry from the smoggy gray haze that too often choked the summer air of his city back home on Earth. Looking up, he noticed a few fluffy clouds hanging overhead, some of which he swore were moving in different directions from each other.

Shrugging it off as another magical feature of Equestria—having witnessed one seeming-impossibility after another, he’d given up being surprised by such things—he glanced up at the central plaza clock tower and found it was now well-past noon; with daylight burning, he had to get moving on his investigation.

“Okay, but where should I go first? Back to the forest, or to the hotel room?” Phoenix pondered out loud, looking out over the court square. There were dozens of vendor stalls set up selling food and wares around the periphery, and some kind of performing troupe was putting on a show with music, magic and juggling by the fountains in the middle of the plaza. He was still getting gawked and glared at by the locals, but he no longer cared that much, having found renewed purpose and a fresh lead.

“Hello, again!” A familiar voice called out to him from behind, but Phoenix didn’t hear it, too lost in his own thoughts.

“It would be a lot easier to go to the forest, since I know the general direction, and I might find some new clues in daylight,” he mused, favoring the idea since it wouldn’t be dark out and he wouldn’t need Twilight’s magic to see by. Twilight… his newfound optimism dwindled and turned once more to brooding at the thought of her, wishing she was still there with him. Even aside from the help and protection afforded him by her wondrous magic, she’d proved an excellent assistant and sounding board—a more mature version of Maya in so many ways. If she could just channel Mia, she’d be the full package!

“Helllllo?” the voice hailed him once more, but Phoenix was still unaware of it.

He shook his head, trying to not start dwelling over her rejection again. The best way I can make things up to her is by finding out what really happened to Ace and clearing Rainbow and Fluttershy’s names, he reminded himself firmly, praying he could do so and it would yet be enough for her to forgive him. “Then again, we already found a lot of evidence in the forest already, and the police are probably back there by now picking it clean trying to find new clues regarding the feather. Even after they’re done, there probably won’t be much new there for me to find. So maybe the hotel is the better immediate option?”

“Knock, knock… Equestria to Feenie! Anypony home?” the voice tried again, still to no avail.

“Although… would going in his hotel room be considered breaking and entering if I don’t have permission? Even if the occupant is now dead, unauthorized entry could get me in trouble back home,” he mused, wishing Detective Gumshoe was around, since he was a pushover regarding getting him access to restricted sites and evidence. “I suppose I could just pull a Maya and go in anyway, and then if I get in trouble, claim ignorance afterwards. After this morning, everybody will believe that, at least!” He chuckled ruefully, remember his teenaged assistant’s propensity for simply ignoring the rules and sneaking into restricted areas to examine the scene and take whatever evidence they needed.

“So I guess that’s it, then. The hotel it is. I’ll have a bit of trouble finding it without someone guiding me, though,” he knew, wishing he had someone to show him around, even if it wasn’t Twilight. He began looking around for a likely pony to ask directions of when suddenly…

BLAAAAAAATTTTT!!!! The sharp brass sound of a bugle blasted directly in his ear.

“AHH!” he yelled, the loud noise startling him and causing him to stumble backwards, tripping over a loose cobblestone and falling to the ground.

When his eyes had refocused, he saw a familiar pink pony standing over him, a wide grin on her face and the bugle still in her mouth. “So, do I have your attention now, Feenie?” she asked around it, giggling.

“Oh, you’re… Pinkie Pie,” Phoenix remembered, as he picked himself up off the cobblestones and dusted himself off.

“Yup-a-roonie! That’s my name!” the bubbly earth pony said as she reared up happily and pinwheeled her forehooves again; the small performing troupe on the other side of the plaza striking up a new but catchy tune as she did so.

“Fine, but what are you doing here?” Phoenix asked, standing up and brushing the dust off his suit, hoping he wouldn’t have to get it dry-cleaned again—that was so expensive!

“I followed you! The guards wouldn’t let me in, though, so I talked to them while waiting for you! Right, boys?” Pinkie seemingly stowed the bugle in her mane and then grinned back over her shoulder to the pair of white pegasus sentries standing at the doorway… except they were no longer standing. One was propped back against the wall looking in a catatonic state, a thin line of drool connecting his snout to his belly, while his partner was huddled on the ground with his hooves clamped hard over his ears, eyes shut tight and gritting his teeth as if in pain.

“Oh, for the love of all things holy! Please take her awaaaaay!!!” he begged Phoenix, all but crying.

“Uh… why were you following me?” Phoenix asked Pinkie, giving her a wary look, not sure he wanted to know what she’d done to the guards.

“’Cause I need help finding something!” Pinkie replied.

Phoenix groaned and rubbed his eyes. “Look, the spiky-headed monster they were talking about is—”

“Oh, I gave up trying to find that a loooooooong time ago,” she interrupted him in mid-sentence with a wave of her hoof. “It’s probably just somepony’s overactive imagination anyway! Now I need to find something I lost last week!” she clarified, pulling out her magnifying glass again before looking to and fro.

“Last week? What did you lose?” Phoenix asked somewhat leerily, still not sure what to make of her. She’s got a long ways to go before she grows on me, Rainbow!

Pinkie gave him a conspiratorial look, motioning him to move closer and bend down. “It’s a secret!” she whispered in his ear, barely audibly.

Phoenix fell silent for a moment, more than a little confused. “So you want me to help find something… but you won’t tell me what it is?” he summarized, starting to understand why the guards had cracked. Pinkie’s logic is clearly in a class of its own!

“Correct-a-mundo!” Pinkie confirmed, beaming.

“That makes no sense!” Phoenix complained, but then got an idea. Hey, wait a minute! “Actually, uh… Pinkie Pie?”

“Yes?” she said eagerly.

“Do you happen to know where ‘Sugar Cube Corner’ is?” he asked, remembering that Rainbow had said the hotel was located close by it. Maybe if I can just find that, I can get to the hotel from there!

But instead of answering, Pinkie’s face lit up in a smile Phoenix could only describe as giddy. “OOooooOOOoooo… You want to bake cupcakes with me at Sugar Cube Corner! Mr. and Mrs. Cake always let me help out, but now I have an assistant! YAY!!!!!” she cheered in excitement, pronking in place once again.

Phoenix was so dumbstruck by that logical leap that he was tempted to make an objection, but Pinkie gave him no chance, continuing on her tangent without pause. “Do you know how to make cupcakes, Feenie? It’s okay if you can’t, I can teach you if you don’t know how! It’s really, really, really easy!” Pinkie said just before she sucked up a huge amount of air and then...

“First-you-preheat-the-oven-to-350-degrees-and-line-the-cupcake-pans-with-paper-liners-then-you-toss-flour-sugar-baking-powder-and-salt-in-a-mixing-bowl-add-shortening-milk-and-vanilla-for-flavor-and-taste-I-personally-put-in-a-little-bit-of-candy-as-well-to-make-them-sweeter-beat-for-one-minute-then-scrape-the-side-of-the-bowl-with-a-spatula-because-we-want-to-salvage-as-many-cupcakes-as-we-can-from-the-mix-though-sometimes-I-like-to-lick-the-spatulas-even-though-Mrs.-Cake-tells-me-it’s-unsanitary-and-they’ll-get-in-trouble-with-the-health-department-but-it’s-just-so-sweet-and-yummy-I-can’t-resist-and—!”

Phoenix felt the bottom of his jaw drop away, amazed and appalled that she could talk that fast without ever having to come up for air! Worse, every single word she said at that speed felt like needles jamming through his ears, causing his brain to start to shut down rather than try to process it all. It gave him a strong and nearly irresistible urge to clamp his hands over his ears just as the second guard had done… lest he end up in a catatonic state like his partner!

“That’s not what I meant!” Phoenix shouted to break her surging stream of consciousness before it could claim him too, deciding he now knew what ‘talk your ears off’ truly meant! ‘Stream’? More like a flash FLOOD! he quickly corrected his own thought. Cripes! I’ve heard prosecutors and politicians in love with their own voices who weren’t so long-winded!

“Pinkie, I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I don’t have time to help you bake; I need to investigate and I was just wondering if you knew where the ‘Hay and Stay’ is. It’s a hotel? Rainbow said it was by Sugar Cube Corner,” he quickly interjected before she could start up again.

Of course I know how to make cupcakes! What does she think I am, a hobo? Well, okay, sometimes I kinda dress like one… Phoenix conceded mentally, remembering his typical disguise for his poker sessions at area casinos. It sometimes amazed him that he was never recognized when he dressed down like that, but when people didn’t see his distinctive hair or trademark royal blue suit, he didn’t get a second look.

“The Hay and Stay? Oh! Oh! I know exactly where it is!” Pinkie confirmed with scarcely less enthusiasm, at least momentarily distracted from the subject of cupcakes to his great relief.

“Great! I don’t know my way around town, so I need someone to guide me. Would you be willing to do that for me, if I, uh, help you make cupcakes later or find your missing thing?” he asked politely.

“Oh! So you will help out! Okie dokie, Feenie! I’ll take you there—on one condition!” Pinkie quickly clarified.

“Name it!” Phoenix said, standing up straighter. This is going to be easier than I thought!

“Before I go with you, you have to tell me—” she paused dramatically before rearing up “—a funny joke!” she finished, making Phoenix’s eyes go wide.

Of all the things she could have asked, that was what he was least prepared to do! “W-what? Why do I have to do that?” he stammered.

“I've got a reputation to uphold as Ponyville’s funniest pony! I can’t be seen hanging around with some big party-pooper-frowny-stick-in-the-mud! So, if I’m gonna help you, you have to show me you have a sense of humor, Feenie-weenie!” Pinkie said, giving him an expectant smile.

“Do I really have to do this?” Phoenix asked nobody in particular, lowering his face and then looking up to the sky, now seeing several clouds look like they were being pushed together.

In response, Pinkie gave him a smirk that suggested to Phoenix that despite her bubbly and somewhat clueless personality, she wasn’t above having a little fun at his expense. “MMmmmmhhmmmm…!”

Phoenix sighed, long and hard. Well, she seems really easy to impress anyway. Maybe this won’t be so difficult! “Okay, a joke, huh? Well, I’ve got one! And I promise this is really, really funny, Pinkie Pie!” he announced, forcing a smile.

“Tell me! Tell me!” Pinkie said in excitement, pronking once with each demand.

“Here goes! Why do they call me ‘Phoenix Wright’?” Phoenix asked Pinkie, hearing a well-timed drumroll being played by the performing troupe across the plaza.

“Hmmm…” Pinkie looked towards the sky to think for a bit, then back at him for the answer. “I give up, Feenie! Why do they call you Phoenix Wright?” she asked, eagerly awaiting the punchline.

“Because, I’m always… ‘WRIGHT’!”

The troupe drummer played a rimshot.

A great silence fell upon not just the pair, but all the ponies around them, who stopped and stared at Phoenix. Even the birds around them went strangely silent; suddenly the only sound was that of crickets chirping while the wind blew with a cold breeze, sending a tumbleweed rolling between them.

“Um, Feenie? That wasn’t funny.” Pinkie gave the consensus opinion of all the nearby ponies, her trademark smile dropping as the troupe’s trombonist played a shamefully apt melody. “Do you have any better ones?”

After his first joke had fallen flat, Phoenix thought it was hopeless but went for it anyway, trying a different approach. “Well, uh… this one time I cross-examined a parakeet! What’s the deal with that?!” He grinned goofily as a second rimshot played, but again, there was only silence from Pinkie Pie.

I guess you had to be there… Phoenix cringed after failing to even get a chuckle. This is a lot harder than I thought—I’m a lawyer, not a comedian! he complained with his thoughts, but knowing he needed a guide, tried one final joke. “Um… did you know I had the entire left side of my body cut off once? Don’t worry, though—I’m all ‘Wright’ now! Heehee… hee… hee…”

Pinkie remained silent, and this time so did the troupe drummer, nearby ponies rolling their eyes and then continuing on their way. For her part, Pinkie Pie looked like she was about to say something disparaging again when her attention was caught by Phoenix’s suit collar. “Huh? Oh hey, Feenie, what’s that?” she pointed with a hoof at his left jacket lapel.

“Huh?” Phoenix looked down, grimacing as he realized what she was pointing to. “Oh… that’s my Equestrian Defense Attorney badge. Apparently, your princess had it made for me. That’s how I got into the detention center,” Phoenix explained, taking it off and showing the frilly heart-shaped badge to her.

To his shock, Pinkie began to giggle, her eyes going wide. “Oh, wow! That has to be the single most girliest thing I’ve ever seen! It looks like something a filly made in their kindergarten art class out of glue and glitter paper!” she told him in perfect honesty, causing Phoenix’s cheeks to flush.

Her giggling increased the longer she stared at it. “Oh, now I get it! So that’s the reason why you were pretending to be so bad at telling a good joke! To build up to flashing that ridiculous-looking thing!” Pinkie reasoned, now breaking out into full-scale guffaws. “Oh, you sure are a knee-slapper, Feenie! That’s the biggest laugh I’ve had all week!” she told him as she rolled on the ground in front of him, laughing hysterically.

Phoenix watched her in disbelief, his ears and cheeks burning with intense embarrassment and humiliation. I really feel like sobbing to myself in a dark corner right now! he admitted to himself, increasingly certain he was being made the butt of some great celestial joke.

Trying to salvage what little remained of his dignity, he sucked it up and repeated his original request: “Well, Pinkie, I made you laugh! So will you show me where this hotel is now?” he all but pleaded, but Pinkie still laughed and laughed, leaving Phoenix uncertain if he should be glad that he passed her test or just depressed over how.

“Uh, Pinkie?” Phoenix tried again as her laughs died down to a few scattered titters.

“Oh, right!” She took in a breath and wiped away a few tears from her laughing fit. “A deal’s a deal! Come on, Feenie! The hotel is this waaaay!” Pinkie stood up and bounded off like a gazelle in her uncanny manner, leaving Phoenix behind.

“Hey! Wait up!” Phoenix yelled, running after her as she took off across the plaza, the pink earth pony springing impossibly high with each four-legged leap she took.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on February 24, 2018.

Part 17 - Room Raiders

Despite his determination to resume the investigation and visit the hotel room immediately, Phoenix found his attention—and appetite—drawn by the enticing aroma of sweets and coffee coming from a cottage that looked like it had jumped right out of the pages of Hansel and Gretel, made to look like it was constructed completely from candy. An outside sign announcing it to be the aptly named Sugar Cube Corner, Phoenix found his mouth watering as they passed it—he hadn’t had a proper meal, just a pretrial snack since arriving—and Pinkie noticed, all but shoving him inside.

Once there, he met the proprietors—a pleasant blue-and-beige earth pony couple with cupcake and baking cutie marks unimaginatively but appropriately called The Cakes, who plied him with fruit and pastries as a thank-you for defending Rainbow Dash. Pinkie got into the act too, all but stuffing a pair of her pink-frosted cupcakes in his mouth, insisting he try them.

To his surprise, they were unquestionably delectable—the best baked goods he’d ever had—and he also had to admit the confectionary’s coffee was light-years better than the cheap stuff he normally got at the courthouse and police station back home.

Wow—this place could give the high-end coffee houses I know a run! he realized as he started into his second cup.

Sated and feeling far more himself than he had all morning—did his sleep deprivation have something to do with his poor trial performance as well?—he followed Pinkie another block to their original destination, polishing off the coffee and licking the frosting off his fingers as he went.

Hay and Stay Hotel
June 10th, 12:53 PM

“Daaaaa da la~ dada daaa da da daaat da daa… … Dat daa~ da daaa…” Pinkie hummed to herself as they reached the hotel, which by Phoenix’s lights wasn’t all that impressive compared to the Gatewater and other high-end hotel chains he knew back home.

Kind of funny, though. That song she’s singing sounds strangely familiar, Phoenix realized as they reached the hotel, tossing his empty cup in a wastebasket by the front door. He was sure he’d heard that tune before, but for the life of him couldn’t remember where.

Pinkie smuggled him into the hotel by throwing a blanket she somehow produced over his head and telling him not to peek. He couldn’t fathom how it could work, but somehow it did; she pulled the blanket off him to find himself under an interior stairwell—they walked down a second-floor corridor, dodging a couple cleaning crews until Pinkie spotted the room number they were looking for.

“Lookie, Feenie! Here’s the room!” she announced, jumping up and down in excitement.

Phoenix took out the key that Rainbow Dash had given him, but hesitated at using it. “Do you think we’ll get in trouble for going in without asking?” he worried, having second thoughts as he saw no police tape but a do-not-disturb sign hanging off the doorknob, worried again about going into a possible police investigation site without permission.

To little surprise, Pinkie Pie seemed to have no qualms about breaking the rules. “It’s to help Rainbow Dash, right? Then who cares?” she told him, causing Phoenix to suddenly wonder if she was somehow channeling Maya at that moment. “If anypony complains, we’ll just tell them we’re room service!”

“For a dead guy?” Phoenix couldn’t help but facepalm, feeling a surprisingly strong sense of unease at entering the room. “Actually, Pinkie? I’m really not comfortable with this. Maybe first we should—”

“Aw, don’t be such a chicken, Feenie! Here, gimme that key!” With that, she snatched it right out of his hand and turned with it towards the door.

“H-hey! We can’t just—” Phoenix tried to reason with her to stop, but it was too late; Pinkie already had it in the lock, leaving him open-mouthed as she worked it—how can she hold something like a key with her hoof?

Oblivious to the impossibility of what she was doing, Pinkie turned the key, her delight in breaking the rules and entering areas she wasn’t allowed in very much reminding Phoenix of Maya at that moment. “We just give it a twist, aaaaand…” The lock clicked open and she turned the doorknob, entering immediately as soon as the door swung free. “We’re in! Pinkie Pie, Master of unlocking!” she boasted, taking a deep bow and then tossing the key back to him.

I really hope I don’t get sent to the Sun for this! Phoenix gulped to himself as he put the key back in his jacket pocket, sweating a bit as he stepped through the open door.

As Phoenix examined the hotel room, the first thing he noticed was it had two pony-sized beds against the back wall, which struck him as odd as he thought the only occupant of the room was the victim. Maybe they were out of singles? Two large bookshelves mirrored each other on the facing walls of the small room, each filled with an array of different volumes.

As he scanned a few of the spines, he wondered why there would be so many books in a simple hotel room and guessed it was due to the fact Equestria didn't have television or internet, so the books simply substituted for that in the bizarre world he now occupied—which, the more he thought about, almost struck him as an early 20th century analog for his own in terms of architecture, technology and décor; the apparent ‘Stallion of Liberty’ picture on the back wall notwithstanding.

On the right side of the room, Phoenix noticed a wooden ladder propped up against a bookshelf and was instantly relieved Maya wasn’t present, else she’d want to start tweaking him over its proper name. Towards the front, an ornate but single table stood with a few papers—or was it papyrus given some of them were rolled up into scrolls?—lying on top of it, breaking the theme of twin furniture the room seemed to have.

“Well, now that we’re here… seeing as how Ace is dead, surely he won't mind if we look around?” Phoenix asked rhetorically.

“My name is Pinkie, not Shirley!” she corrected, causing Phoenix to blink before letting out a groan of annoyance. “So what are you trying to find here, Feenie? A magical stone? A secret chamber? A prisoner? A goblet? Maybe something you ordered? Oatmeal?” She rattled off a list of items Phoenix couldn’t help but find strangely familiar.

He shook his head to clear it, having a hard time following her quick changes of subject. “Oatmeal? Why would anybody want to find oatmeal?” he asked, wondering what that had to do with the other items she mentioned.

“Duh! When they’re hungry!” Pinkie said brightly.

Phoenix was starting to get exasperated, rubbing his forehead and letting off a huge sigh. She’s still not growing on me, Rainbow! “No, Pinkie Pie, we’re trying to find clues that relate to the murder,” he explained.

Her expression dropped. “So, no oatmeal?”

“No oatmeal,” Phoenix confirmed, trying not to roll his eyes.

“Awwwww…” a crestfallen Pinkie said in dismay, falling back on her haunches and putting on a pouting face.

Phoenix didn’t understand how her mind worked, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to. “Look, let’s just get this search done quickly, okay? I don’t want to be caught here, so let’s try and finish this as soon as humanly possible,” he added, looking around nervously.

“Alright! I’ll try to be as fast as pony-ly possible then!” Pinkie remarked, causing Phoenix to let out another huge sigh.

“Right.” Maybe it was a mistake taking her in here along with me, he was starting to think, even if he had gotten some excellent coffee and cupcakes out of the deal.

Just then, Pinkie noticed something out of the corner of her eye. “Look Feenie, a step-ladder! Is that a clue?” she asked in excitement, bouncing up and down again.

Phoenix grimaced and couldn’t help but wonder if Pinkie Pie was channeling Maya again. “One: that’s not a clue. Two: that’s not a step-ladder; it’s a ladder,” Phoenix enlightened her, hoping she’d take the correction with less resistance than his assistant normally did.

“There’s a difference?” Pinkie asked, tilting her head at him in confusion.

“There’s a big difference!” Phoenix proclaimed, a pet peeve of his having been triggered. “A step-ladder has an A-frame that folds while a ladder is flat and just leans against something like that one. It really bothers me when people don’t know the difference!”

She gave him another cockeyed glance, then looked back at the ladder, studying it. “I still don’t see what the difference is. I mean, you still step on it, right? Wouldn’t it be a STEP-ladder then?” Pinkie reasoned, striking a pondering pose that mimicked his.

“How can I put this in a way you’ll understand?” Phoenix wondered aloud, looking up and scratching his chin. “It’s like cupcakes and muffins.”

“Cupcakes and muffins?” Pinkie tilted her head at him again.

“Exactly! Both look kind of the same, but they’re totally different, like ladders and step-ladders,” he began, groping for an effective analogy. “Cupcakes have frosting on them, like how step-ladders have a folding frame on them, while the muffin is plain, like the ladder is flat,” Phoenix tried, hoping the odd comparison would make sense to the Pinkie Pie's decidedly odd mind.

To his surprise and relief, Pinkie seemed to understand. “OOHHH! I think I get it now! Like hacksaws and saws!” she said, making a surprising comparison of her own. “Why do they call them hacksaws anyway?”

Phoenix was caught off-guard. “Huh?” he asked, suddenly feeling an odd and unpleasant tingle, like a chill going down his back.

Oblivious to his discomfort, she continued on, every bit as bubbly as before. “I don’t get it—hacksaws don't hack; hacking is what you do with daggers and axes! AND KNIVES!!” she exclaimed with another pronk, never losing her smile but acting like she was discussing a subject she really liked.

Phoenix had a sudden and very strong urge to back away slowly, the hairs on his neck sticking straight out. “Uh… yeah,” he said agreeably even as he felt something unspeakably grim in the air around him; he swore the temperature of the room had dropped ten degrees as she spoke.

Okay, seriously, she’s freaking me out now! he thought, unable shake the feeling that Pinkie had a hobby he really didn’t want to know about.

“But you sure know a lot about ladders, Feenie! Are you sure you’re a lawyer and not actually a ladder connoisseur?” Pinkie asked, dropping the subject to his great relief.

“It’s just common sense!” Phoenix said with a sigh, not sure if he’d imagined a temporary temperature drop or not. “I find it annoying that a lot of people don’t know the difference between the two,” he added, but then something clicked. “Wait a minute. Wasn’t the victim a pegasus? Why would he need a ladder anyway? He could just fly up to get the things he would need a ladder for,” he reasoned.

“Maybe he was superstitious and didn’t want bad luck!” Pinkie suggested, still all smiles.

He gave her a look at that. “Keeping a ladder doesn’t prevent bad luck. You get bad luck from walking under a ladder!” he corrected her, but his earth pony companion had already been distracted by something new, reaching down to pick something up off the wooden floor.

“What about this? Is some ripped-up paper good luck?” Pinkie asked, showing him a piece of partially crumpled-up letter scroll held in her hoof.

“It’s a ripped-up piece of paper. Why would it be good luck?” I need an aspirin! he thought, feeling a headache coming on the longer he spoke to Pinkie.

“Guess you’re right, it just says a bunch of mumbo-jumbo on it anyway!” she said, squinting an eye at it.

That caught Phoenix’s attention. “Mumbo-jumbo? Let me see it!” He held out his hand, still marveling how she could hold something in her hoof as she passed it to him. Un-crumpling it as best he could—whatever it was made of, it was thicker than the paper he knew back home—he read it aloud:

“This is a letter announcing my resignation from your employ. After the Equestrian 500 is over, I can no longer work for you. We made quite a team but I—” the words ended at the edge of the tear. “Then it cuts off. The rest must be on the other half! Pinkie! You found a clue!” Phoenix announced, scarcely able to believe it.

“I did? Is that good luck?” She wanted to make sure.

“No! W-well… yes. Kinda! Good job, Pinkie!” he praised in no small amount of amazement.

“YAY!!!” Pinkie jumped for joy.

“It would only make sense that Ace wrote this, since it’s his room. But who was he writing it to?” Phoenix scratched his chin, pondering the question.

“Maybe he—” Pinkie began to suggest, only to gasp loudly when her tail started to tremble. “OH NO!!”

This made Phoenix jump in surprise, his shoulder accidentally banging one of the bookcases. “Ssshhhh!!!! We aren’t supposed to be in here, remember? What’s the problem!?” Phoenix asked, sticking a finger in front of his lips and quickly steadying the bookshelf with his other hand.

“My tail’s twitching!” Pinkie exclaimed.

Phoenix blinked at the nonsensical statement, not understanding why he was still surprised at anything she did or said. “So? My foot fell asleep, but you don’t see me freaking out!” Phoenix retorted, but before he could say anything more, Pinkie dove head first under the table and stayed there.

What’s with the duck and cover? “Pinkie Pie, please stop fooling around and—” he was cut off as something large suddenly tumbled off the very top of the bookshelf and hit him right on the crown of his skull.

“OW!!” He let out a cry of pain, cringing and clutching at his head while the object that hit him tumbled to the ground, sending Phoenix falling to his knees beside it.

“See? I warned you!” Pinkie admonished, crawling back out from under the table.

“W-what?! You didn’t warn me that something was going to fall on my head!” Phoenix all but hissed, spitting out each word through pain-gritted teeth.

“Sure I did! I said my tail was twitching. That means something’s gonna fall!” Pinkie claimed as if it was self-evident, making Phoenix even more annoyed.

“That’s ridiculous! You can’t tell me you can make predictions like that based on body spasms!” Phoenix shot back, while Pinkie Pie was studying the fallen object—a very thick book.

“So, what’s that book say?” she asked, completely unperturbed.

“You mean the thing that fell on my head?” Phoenix replied grumpily, picking it up and looking at the cover with one hand while his other still rested on his head, rubbing the growing lump there. “It looks like some sort of spellbook,” he told her, trying to force his crossed eyes to focus.

“Spellbook? Coolamundo! Hey Feenie, can you cast spells? I can’t since I’m an earth pony,” she asked in perfect earnestness.

He looked at her like she was nuts. “Of course not! I’m not a unicorn! I can’t read it anyway… I only know it’s a spellbook because I saw Twilight reading one just like it this morning, and I asked her what it was. She said it was a reference book for magic full of advanced spells and enchantments that unicorns could cast,” he explained, wondering what the difference between the two was.

“I asked her about because the text wasn’t in English. It’s written in these weird hieroglyphics that I guess mean something if you have a horn,” Phoenix further noted as he flipped through the pages, finding something interesting about halfway through. “Huh? Look at this,” he said, lowering it so she could see.

Pinkie leaned over to read a decidedly non-hieroglyphic line. “Continue from here, third line,” she recited the short handwritten message, written in cursive on the upper and outer corner of the left-hoof page.

“Seems someone scribbled a note here,” Phoenix mused, his head starting to throb.

“Oooo… that’s a no-no! You can get in big trouble for writing on somepony else’s stuff like that! Do you know what Twilight would do if you jotted notes in the books you borrowed from her library?” Pinkie all but shivered, a nervous note to her voice.

Phoenix shook his head, re-aggravating his pain, wondering again what he’d done to anger the trial gods after everything that had gone wrong that day. Okay, other than turn in my worst-ever courtroom performance and cover it up by accusing an innocent pony of complicity in a murder? “No, I don’t think this is the hotel’s book. Twilight said these advanced spell books are only available in Ca… Can… Con…” he tried but finally gave up. “I forget the name, but it starts with a hard ’C’, as I recall.”

“Cookie?” Pinkie blurted out.

“No.”

“Cupcake?” she tried again.

“No!”

“Candy?”

Phoenix’s headache was getting worse. “No! No. Just, please stop guessing, Pinkie. The point is; this must be someone’s personal book,” he said as he made a point to snap several pictures of it with his camera, taking pains to get one of handwritten—or should that be hoofwritten?—note:

“Probably isn’t important, but sometimes little things like that matter. Still, guess I better put it back on the shelf just in case it is the hotel’s book,” Phoenix decided, trying to find where it had fallen from. “Now, where was this thing?”

“It was all the way up there,” Pinkie pointed up to an empty spot at the top of the bookcase roughly the same width as the book.

“I think I can reach it.” Phoenix stretched his body up high, suddenly wondering why the ceilings were so tall when ponies were so short. “Almost… got… it!” he said, standing on tiptoes. But then, just as he was only about half an inch short…

RRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“GAAHH!!! NOOOOOOoooOOO!!!” Phoenix shrieked, pulling his arm and the book back down.

“Hey! Didn’t you tell me to be quiet a second ago? Practice what you preach!” Pinkie scolded.

“But I ripped my suit!” Phoenix whined, putting the book on the second shelf instead of the top one lest he worsen the tear further.

Pinkie’s eyes went wide. “OoOOoooOOOooooo… you’re right, Feenie! You have a big hole in your armpit! Guess you should have used the step-ladder instead of reaching so high,” she admonished him in amusement.

“It’s a LADDER!” Phoenix said, fuming in frustration and anger. His head hurt, he was a pariah in Ponyville, Twilight hated him, Fluttershy was probably cowering in a jail cell, he was stuck with an oddball equine, and now on top of everything, he’d torn his favorite suit! “You don’t realize how bad this is, Pinkie! I can’t walk around with a big rip in my suit!” Phoenix whined, pinning his arm to his side to try and hide the tear.

“No use crying on spilled milk! Or ripped armpits!” Pinkie pronounced with a fresh smile on her face. Phoenix could only groan in response, experimentally pinning his arm to his side to try and cover the tear. He wondered if he’d be able to hide it for the duration of his time in court the next day, certain he’d hear no end of insults and jokes about it from Trixie if nothing else. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie piped up again. “Oh, lookie there, Feenie! It’s Rainbow Dash!”

His head shot up in confusion, his torn suit momentarily forgotten. “Huh? Where?” he asked, looking around but not seeing her, unable to fathom why she would be walking free.

“Right here on the table!” Pinkie pointed to another piece of partially curled thick scroll paper as Phoenix walked over to have a look. Unrolling it the rest of the way, he realized it contained a roster of names, written in what appeared to be the same elegant cursive handwriting as the note in the spellbook:

“Well, it’s her name, alright,” Phoenix mused, tapping the name at the top of the sheet. “But what is this? And why are Rainbow and these other ponies listed here?” he asked Pinkie.

“Hmmm… Oh! I know! Maybe it’s a party invite!” she guessed, getting excited again.

Phoenix would have rolled his eyes if his head didn’t hurt so much, the lump on his head starting to throb. “Maybe. Do you know who these other ponies are, Pinkie?” he asked, showing her the list.

She ran down the list and shook her head. “Nope! Except for Rainbow Dash, none of these names are familiar. Dashie is the only one here I know!” Pinkie replied, her eyes widening as she realized—“Uh-oh! I have to find who these other ponies are!”

“Why?” Phoenix asked, confused—one thing he was starting to get about Pinkie Pie was that she always had a reason for saying or doing something, even if it didn’t initially make much sense to him.

“I throw a party for every new arrival in Ponyville!” Pinkie exclaimed, following that up with a very loud gasp of air. “That reminds me! I haven’t thrown a welcome party for you yet, Feenie! I’m really sorry; I just haven’t had the time today! But I’m sure I could put something together by tonight!” she assured him.

“Uh… that’s alright,” Phoenix offered carefully, giving her a sideways look and noticing she suddenly appeared quite saddened—the first time he’d really seen her lose her smile. She seems so upset about it… he recognized, feeling an odd pang of sympathy for her as he returned his attention to the list. “Tell you what, Pinkie—you can throw me a party when I get Rainbow acquitted,” he offered, deciding that if he was yet able to pull out a win after falling flat on his face that morning, he might actually deserve one.

Pinkie Pie instantly perked back up. “I can? Deal!” she instantly agreed. “In fact, once you prove her innocent, I think I’ll throw a Super-Duper Special Party for everypony!”

“Uh… sure.” Phoenix had no idea what that would entail, but decided he could suffer through a game or two of pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey as recompense for Pinkie’s help. Or would they call that something else here? “Hey, look next to Rainbow Dash’s name, Pinkie. It’s a time: ‘8:35’.” Phoenix observed, pointing at it.

Pinkie’s eyes got wide. “I was right! It’s a party invite! Rainbow Dash party at 8:35; got it! I’ll try not to be late this time! And even if you can’t come, I’ll save some cake just for you, Feenie!” she promised, her smile returning as quickly as it had left as she reared up and pinwheeled her hooves again, this time in giddy anticipation.

Phoenix was forced to disappoint her, tapping his fingers on the low tabletop as he considered what he found. “I don’t think so, Pinkie. I think this is something else entirely,” he answered, starting to get a very nasty suspicion about the purpose of the list. No proof yet, though. And what is it with Pinkie and parties, anyway? he additionally wondered, finally making the connection between her three-balloon cutie mark and what he was starting to gather was her favorite activity.

“You know? Tell me! Tell me!” Pinkie implored him, bouncing excitedly on her hooves again.

Phoenix gathered his thoughts carefully. “It’s more of a hunch than anything else, but I think it’s a—” he began, but before he could finish, the door opened behind them.

“And just who are you two?” an oddly familiar female voice demanded to know.

Both Phoenix and Pinkie froze at that moment. Oh no! we’re CAUGHT! the former realized, wondering if he was shortly going to find himself on the other side of the Detention Center windows.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on February 24, 2018.

Part 18 - Powers of Perception

“Why are you two snooping around my room?” An impossibly familiar voice demanded of the two intruders. A voice that belonged to someone Phoenix admired, respected… and had been murdered nearly three years earlier. “Unless you’re part of the hotel cleaning staff—and I seem to recall I put a do-not-disturb sign on the doorknob—you have no business here.”

His legs suddenly feeling like jelly, Phoenix turned around slowly… and his jaw dropped to see that standing in the entryway was his late law firm head and mentor, Mia Fey, very much alive and well, dressed like she was ready for court.

“Ch-Chief?” Phoenix croaked out, gaping and all but ready to faint.

Mia gave him an incredulous look, crossing her arms and raising a hand to her chin, uncharacteristically unsmiling. “Chief? I don’t know who you are, but it doesn’t matter. I should call the police and have you two thrown in jail for breaking and entering!” she threatened, not even flinching upon saying the words.

“I-I… uh…” Phoenix suddenly couldn’t speak, his shock total. This can’t be Mia! It just CAN’T be! he knew, but the evidence of his own senses said otherwise, telling him that his old defense attorney, law firm chief and mentor was somehow standing directly in front of him.

“We’re room service!” Pinkie claimed without an ounce of shame, putting on the closest thing she had to a straight face.

Despite his disbelief, Phoenix winced. Pinkie—do you honestly think she’s going to fall for that?

“Oh, please. Do you honestly think I’m going to fall for—?” As Mia began to echo his thoughts, her eyes locked on him, as if in recognition. “Wait a minute. I know you!”

“It’s me, Mia!” Phoenix said, tapping both hands to his chest and giving her a warm smile

She gave him an odd look back. “Mia? My name is Sonata,” she corrected him.

“Sonata?” Phoenix repeated, uncomprehending. His vision swam for a moment and when it had cleared again, the human woman in front of him had changed into an unsmiling bespectacled gray unicorn mare with a chestnut mane and tan eyes; an eyelike cutie mark adorning her hips.

“Did I stutter? Yes, that’s my name,” the unicorn mare announced, giving him an unamused glare. “Now, would you mind telling me exactly what you two think you’re doing, rummaging through my hotel room?”

“I-I, uh…” Despite her transformation, Phoenix continued to gape. It’s not her. But the resemblance—it’s UNCANNY! he realized, both the mare’s voice and the manner in which she carried herself very strongly reminding him of Mia Fey.

Her unfriendly attitude, however, was anything but reminiscent of her. “Name! Now!” she ordered, levitating up a piece of paper and quill, dipping the latter in ink.

Despite his shock, Phoenix automatically obeyed Mia’s voice. “Phoenix Wright.”

“Pinkamena Diane Pie, Professional Prankster and Party Thrower Extraordinaire!” Pinkie chimed in quite happily, leaving Phoenix surprised to hear her full name.

Sonata looked unimpressed as she jotted down their names. “As I thought. You’re that human lawyer from the murder trial,” she said, looking over him with a mixture of curiosity and contempt. “So again, I ask, why are you here?”

Phoenix continued to gawk, unable to shake the eerie feeling he kept getting from the unicorn mare. I can’t get over this. She looks exactly like Mia—if she were a PONY! he realized, noting even her mane style roughly matched Mia’s hair. “You… you were at the trial?” he all but recoiled, finding himself reacting to the idea as if it was Mia herself there, cringing at the thought of her seeing how badly he performed and the lengths he had gone to forestall a guilty verdict.

The grey unicorn’s tan eyes narrowed when she noticed Phoenix gaping at her. “Yes. And can you stop staring at me like that?” she requested. “I’ve had enough unwanted male attention of late without adding that of an incompetent human lawyer to the mix.”

“Incompetent?” he repeated dumbly, feeling like it was Mia herself dressing him down.

“What’s the matter Feenie, cat got your tongue?” Pinkie asked with a giggle at his speechlessness. “That would hurt because a cat has claws and your tongue is really sensitive!” she noted with her tongue hanging out, accidentally biting it as she finished talking. “Ouch!”

Sonata flicked Pinkie a glance, nothing more. “Yes, incompetent. Everypony in that courtroom could tell Rainbow Dash was guilty. But she still deserved a decent defense, which you failed utterly to provide. Between your inexcusable ignorance of Equestria and inability to spot even the most obvious of prosecutorial traps, it didn’t even look like you were trying in court today,” she said, turning her attention back to the human lawyer before her.

“I’m sorry, but… who exactly are you?” Phoenix finally managed to ask, the blood still drained from his cheeks.

The grey unicorn gave him an annoyed look, interrogating him like she was the prosecutor and he was the suspect. “I’m the one who should be asking questions here! Seeing as you two are the ones who broke into my room, I’m also betting you’re the one who stole the room key two days ago!” she snapped.

Phoenix was confused. “Your room? But isn’t this Ace Swift’s room?”

She looked surprised at that. “Oh, you’re here about him? I see.” Sonata dipped the quill in ink again and started writing a new line.

“We were just investigating his hotel room for clues. We didn’t think anyone else was staying here! This was Ace’s room, wasn’t it?” he asked again.

“Hmm?” Sonata gave him a distracted glance, looking up briefly from her writing. “Oh. Yes, that is correct.”

Phoenix had finally gotten over his shock enough to spot a contradiction in her words. “You just said this was your room though. What are you? His girlfriend or something?” he suggested. Or is that even the right word, here?

Her pen stopped jotting for just a second as her tan eyes narrowed and pinned his brown ones with a glare. “No. And if you’re trying to get on my good side, you’re off to a very poor start, Phoenix Wright,” she warned him, an undercurrent of anger in her voice along with something else he couldn’t quite discern.

GAH! I better not antagonize her! Phoenix realized, sensing his question had hit a nerve. “Uh, sorry. I just assumed Ace was staying here alone.”

She stared at him for a moment more, then nodded. “I suppose that’s a reasonable assumption, and I should at least clear up your confusion. I was Ace’s business manager and I accompanied him on all his appearances and events. Normally we would have separate rooms, but there were none to spare for an event as popular as the Equestrian 500,” Sonata explained.

“His manager?” Upon hearing that, Phoenix got a sudden an image of Sonata as Adrian Andrews, the vengeful but easily manipulated business manager of a former—and for Phoenix, a very hated—client named Matt Engarde. This is getting weird! “I’m very sorry for the misunderstanding. If we’d known you were here, we wouldn’t have come in.”

“And you couldn’t have at least checked with the front desk as to if the room was still occupied?” she asked, completely unimpressed. “It sounds more to me like you were using your ignorance as an excuse to go in, Mister Wright.”

“Oooo… she’s got ya there, Feenie!” Pinkie piled on.

Phoenix swallowed and his cheeks flushed. You know, Mia would have seen right through that, too! “So you lost your client, then? I offer my condolences, Mi—er, Miss Sonata,” he tried changing the subject, putting a note of sympathy in his voice.

But to his surprise, she barely reacted. “Your concern is appreciated, Mister Wright, but I got over it quickly. Besides, justice will be served. The perpetrator was caught and your client will be punished for her crime,” Sonata promised, closing her eyes for a moment.

“Hey, Rainbow Dash didn’t do it!” Phoenix protested, thinking the Mia-like mare was being a little too cool about it.

“Yeah!” Pinkie Pie added, standing up for her friend. “Dashie had been looking forward to this race for months! She didn’t want to kill him, just beat him!”

Sonata gave Pinkie a brief look before turning her attention back on Phoenix. “Anypony with half a brain can see that she did it, Mister Wright, given all the evidence stacked against her. No matter how you look at it, Rainbow Dash was the one who triggered that cloud and killed Ace with it,” she stated simply. “Your little feather theory may have bought some time—I’ll give you credit for that, at least—but once that thin thread is cut, you will have nothing left. Rainbow Dash will be found guilty. And justice will be served.”

Phoenix drew himself up straighter. “I believe in her, and I’m going to defend her to the very end. No matter what you say,” he countered, realizing that the similarities to Mia apparently ended with mannerisms and voice—for Mia Fey would have never counseled surrender in a trial!

For the first time, Sonata showed a modicum of emotion, looking exasperated and almost angry at his statement. “And that’s why you’re going to lose! You’re not even from Equestria, and from what I have gathered, you were summoned here unwillingly. So why defend a pony you don’t know from a world you don’t understand?” Sonata challenged.

Phoenix crossed his arms. “Did I stutter? I said, because I believe her. She didn’t do it! And because I won’t turn my back on the innocent, no matter what world they come from!” Phoenix returned fire, feeling his back stiffen at his own words.

Sonata grumbled as his riposte struck home, turning fractionally away from him. “So arrogant. Just like that prosecutor.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Prosecutor? You mean Trixie?”

“Yes. Her,” Sonata replied in short, clipped tones.

Phoenix knew resentment when he heard it, whether it came from a pony or human. “What do you have against Trixie?” he wanted to know.

She gave him a look. “Plenty, Mister Wright. Not the least of which is that I wanted to prosecute this case, but that pig-headed showmare beat me to it,” Sonata explained in some disgust.

Phoenix was surprised by that, but it made some sense to him—she does seem to have a much better temperament for it than Trixie, he had to admit. “Wait—so you’re a prosecutor as well as a business manager?”

Sonata nodded. “In order to properly manage the business and legal affairs of my clients, including Ace and those I represented before him, I had to learn the law, so I took a legal correspondence course some years ago and discovered I had a talent for it. I passed the bar exam and prosecuted a dozen cases just for the experience of it, earning a perfect conviction rate,” she told him, causing Phoenix to all but recoil at the idea of Mia being a prosecutor, suddenly wondering if Sonata was her evil pony twin from another dimension.

She discerned his discomfort, if not the reason. “It’s not as unusual as you seem to think, Mister Wright. I live in Canterlot, Equestria’s capital,” she told him, finally jogging Phoenix's memory on where the spellbook came from. “Most of the unicorns there are ‘jacks-of-all-trades,’ so to speak. We take on as many jobs as we can to flourish our intellect and magical abilities,” Sonata continued to write as she elaborated. “At least, those of us worthy of our horns do.”

Pinkie was impressed. “Wow! I didn’t know that! Maybe I should take another trade! Maybe bowling? Or creative writing? What about metalworking? Oh! Oh! I know! How about SCUBA DIVING??” she shouted in excitement, making Sonata lose her train of thought.

Pinkie, it doesn’t look like she shares your enthusiasm, he told her with his thoughts; Sonata looked like she didn’t know what to do with the hyperactive pink pony any more than Phoenix did. “So Trixie is from this… ‘Canterlot’ place then?” He took a note of it himself.

Sonata gave another disgusted nod. “Yes, at least originally. Her father was a well-regarded performer in the Royal Court of Canterlot before he moved with her to Neigh Orleans, where I got to know her,” she began, causing Phoenix to start at the city name. “Unfortunately, I was in Ponyville when the murder took place, so there wasn’t enough time for me to go to Canterlot and submit the paperwork to prosecute this case. Trixie must have already been there when she heard about it,” she guessed. “I wasn’t aware she had become a prosecutor, but apparently her magic shows were failing to make her money. How foalish, taking a case over a silly little grudge against your co-counsel. It’s funny, really. As much as I detest her, part of me actually wants you to best her.” She gave Phoenix an unpleasant smirk.

Who has the grudge now? He kept the thought to himself. “So do I. That’s why I’m investigating, to clear Rainbow’s name. You’ll understand that I thought some clues might be found in Ace’s hotel room as to why he was killed?” he offered, trying to explain his presence.

She considered that, tapping the tip of her quill against her paper, then nodded. “I suppose I can’t begrudge your intent, though your methods are another matter,” Sonata told him, then for the first time, she outright smiled; Phoenix wasn’t at all sure he liked that expression on her face. “If you’re seeking an advantage over Trixie tomorrow, I actually know quite a bit about her. Care to listen?”

“OOooooOOOooo… a story! I love stories! I’ll tell you the one where me and some guy in a blue suit broke into somepony’s room and rummaged through their personal belongings! It’s a classic!” Pinkie declared, leaving Sonata with a blank, silent stare.

Pinkie, for the love of God, SHUT UP! Phoenix screamed at her mentally, ready to clamp his hand over her mouth on the spot. “I-if you wouldn’t mind? I wasn’t told much about Trixie.” He accepted Sonata’s offer with a slightly nervous voice, hoping to both cover up Pinkie’s complete lack of tact and to gain an advantage on the mare magician when the trial resumed the next day.

Sonata nodded, putting her quill and paper down on the table as she started her story. “I was classmates with her when I was but a foal; I attended the same magic school in Neigh Orleans as her,” she began.

“Were you friends with her or something?” Phoenix asked, wondering if all place and city names in Equestria were puns on ones he knew back home.

Sonata raised an eyeridge at that, though she didn’t seem to take as much outright offense as she did the suggestion that she was Ace’s girlfriend. “No. I kept to myself as I do now. I only associate with those who are worthy of my time, and strictly on a professional basis,” she said with a slightly haughty air.

Phoenix cringed when Pinkie spoke up again. “Hey, you know what that means, Feenie? We’re both worth her time! And here I thought she wouldn’t like us for breaking into her room!” she said, which made Sonata fall silent again, her eyes and lips narrowing into a thin, angry line.

Every time you speak, she makes that glare icier and icier! Phoenix said to himself, feeling a fresh trickle of sweat down his neck, certain she was going to call the police and order their arrest at any moment.

“Continuing…” With a note of strained patience, Sonata picked up where she left off and pointedly ignored the other mare. “The Trixie you saw in court today is how she has been her entire life. An arrogant boaster, bully, and show-off; one who has no qualms whatsoever about tearing others down to raise herself up. I hate that type,” she proclaimed, letting Phoenix see the anger in her eyes. “What makes it even worse is that she has some basis for her boasts. As much as I hate to say it, she’s better at magic than me,” she noted in some disgust.

“Aha! So you’re just jealous, then!” Pinkie piped up.

“P-Pinkie!” This time, Phoenix couldn’t hold back, clamping his hand over her mouth. “Stop insulting her! Is your brain the size of chewed bubble gum?!” he demanded to know, unable to contain himself any longer.

After he released her, Pinkie gave him a puzzled look back. “I don’t think so! If it were bubble gum it would probably stick to the inside of my head, don’t you think?” she said with a smile.

“Argh!!” Phoenix tried one last time to contain her over-talkative tongue before it got them both thrown in jail. “Pinkie! Just! Stop! Talking! Please!” he begged his earth pony companion, trying to silence her by raising his hands up, open-palmed, making shoving motions towards her with each word he spoke.

“Okay, I’ll stop talking,” Pinkie agreed, seemingly understanding his gesture, but then… “Ah! Whoops, sorry, I spoke! Ah, I spoke again! AND AGAIN! AND AGAIN! AND AGAIN! AHH!”

Phoenix let out a groan that was equal parts pained, frustrated, and exasperated, his headache getting ever worse. But just as he was about to give up, he noticed Sonata was also wincing like she was in pain, almost cringing.

“Huh? Are you okay, Sonata?” he asked her, now in concern.

She nodded, quickly regaining her composure, even as she rubbed her own forehead at the base of her horn. “Yes. Excuse me. Anyway… I’m not jealous at all, Miss Pie. In fact, unlike Trixie, I constantly strive to become better with magic, not just going around town showing off the same bunch of cheap parlor tricks over and over. You should earn attention for what you do, not what you claim you can do,” Sonata said haughtily.

Phoenix was unimpressed, less due to her argument than the attitude with which it was delivered. “So, just because she was a show-off in school, you hate her? Sorry, but that’s a little bit shallow if you ask me.” He rejected her reasons out of hand, unconsciously taking on Mia’s crossed-arms/hand-raised-to-the-chin pose as his former chief did when she was considering something.

She raised an eyeridge again. “But is it? Answer me this, Mister Wright: Do you think she’s qualified to be prosecuting? You saw how she acted in court today. No professionalism at all.”

Phoenix shrugged, not wanting to admit how badly Trixie had gotten to him—that was another mistake he had made during the trial, he was slowly coming to realize; losing focus and making the trial a personal war between him and Trixie instead of about defending Rainbow Dash. I wasn’t professional either, he had to admit, but couldn’t to her. “Actually, she strikes me as quite competent. And as for her putdowns… believe me, I’ve faced worse than her in the courtroom. I’ve had to deal with everything from corrupt prosecutors and police chiefs to bird witnesses and whips.” He recalled the last with a grimace.

Sonata looked startled at that. “Whips?” she repeated, giving Phoenix an awkward look.

“Uh… don’t ask,” Phoenix answered with a slightly pained expression, remembering one of his most recent courtroom rivals.

A prosecuting prodigy who prided herself on perfection, the stunning but severe Franziska von Karma could have been a dominatrix if her legal career hadn’t panned out; her ever-present whip lashing into defense attorneys, detectives and witnesses in equal measure to keep them in line. Phoenix still had a few welts from the last time he faced her, and, just like her legendary father, she didn’t take losing well.

“I guess my point is that I’d be lying if I said I enjoyed Trixie’s insults, but if I let them throw me off my game? Well, that’s on me, not her. As long as she’s getting the job done, I can’t complain about her performance,” he told the unicorn mare, since to say differently was to make excuses for his own poor trial performance. “So why did you want to prosecute this case, anyway? Just out of revenge for killing your client?” Or was he more than that? Phoenix still couldn’t help but wonder.

Sonata gave him a level look. “Because I wanted to make sure the job was done properly, Mister Wright. Because if I was prosecuting, a guilty verdict would have been passed within ten minutes,” she told him, and he somehow believed it. “I wouldn’t have wasted the court’s time with cheap theatrics and grandstanding. All evidence would have been presented immediately; all defense attorney counterarguments would have been crushed quickly. Nor would I have allowed you to buy an extra day with such an outlandish theory around that feather just to prolong the defense’s agony. Unlike Trixie, I care not for revenge or showboating; just cold, hard, swift justice.”

Phoenix shook his head, ignoring the pain it caused him. “That’s not what being a lawyer is about, Sonata,” he said, deciding that if she believed that, she definitely wasn’t Mia.

The Mia-like unicorn mare rolled her eyes. “Then what is it about, Mister Wright? Sitting back and letting a murderer walk free?”

“No, it’s about finding the truth,” Phoenix said simply, hoping Mia’s own words might break through to her if Sonata really was somehow her.

“The… truth?” Sonata repeated slowly, raising her eyeridges a bit. “What do you mean?”

Her suddenly uncertain expression gave him some hope that he could reach her. “I mean that attorneys aren’t meant to uphold justice; we’re to work to the best of our abilities to guide it. And that involves seeking out the truth,” he told her, reflecting it had taken him a long time to truly understand that, and he still occasionally needed to be reminded of it. “We are advocates for a side, yes, but whether as prosecutors or defense attorneys, our loyalty to our cases or clients can’t be blind. In the course of a trial, it is our duty to determine and uncover the truth, regardless of where it leads.”

She seemed caught short by that, staring at him for several seconds before replying. “I grant that you have quite the ideals, Mister Wright, if you would truly seek justice for all. I don’t know what kinds of trials and tribulations you’ve been through, but you’re not changing my opinion on either the legal profession or this case. Rainbow Dash is guilty, and that’s all there is to it,” Sonata said with finality as she pointedly turned away from him.

Phoenix knew a lost cause when he saw it, so he tried a different approach. “We’ll agree to disagree then. If you don’t mind me asking, what does that eyeball stand for?” Phoenix asked, pointing to her hip.

Before she could answer, Pinkie spoke up again. “It’s her cutie mark! It must mean her special talent is poking ponies’ eyes out with that horn!”

We are so DEAD! Phoenix was now quite certain, bracing himself for Sonata’s long-delayed explosion, but instead, she started grimacing again. What the heck is wrong with her? “Uh… are you okay, Sonata? You look like you’re in pain.”

Sonata looked up to him, trying but not quite succeeding in hiding it, going cross-eyed for just a moment. “Yes, I’m fine,” she insisted, still grinding her teeth. Her horn flared for a moment, and she was finally able to recover her equilibrium. “But to answer your question—my cutie mark indicates that my talent is perception and having a very keen eye for detail,” she told them, then turned her gaze on him, looking him over from head to toe.

“If you would like a demonstration of my talent, Mister Wright—you have a severe headache, as demonstrated by your constant squinting and slightly unfocused eyes. It was caused by that spellbook that fell off the top shelf when you bumped the bookcase, as shown by the fact you replaced the volume one shelf lower because you couldn’t reach up that high,” she announced, causing Phoenix to gape, but Sonata wasn’t done yet.

“You’re also desperately trying to change the subject, hoping I forget that you broke into my room, indicated by your nervous breathing patterns and the sweat trickling down your forehead and neck,” she further noted, causing Phoenix to pray his deodorant hadn’t conked out as well.

“Finally, you’re trying to cover up that embarrassing rip in your jacket armpit sustained when you tried to return the book to the top shelf. I could tell by how firmly your left arm is pressed against your body compared to your right one,” she concluded, satisfied. “And I do suggest you get that fixed before tomorrow, or else Trixie will take up half the session making jokes about it.”

A deflated Phoenix stared at her in disbelief. I think the term Maya would use is… I got served!

“Wow! That’s amazing! Oh, do me! Do me!” Pinkie invited as she began jumping up and down.

Sonata acquiesced, if reluctantly. “And as for you, Miss Pie…” Sonata paused, seeing Pinkie with a silly but cheerful smile on her face. “Judging by that spot of flour on your shoulder, you work in the confectionery down the street. You clearly enjoy sweets and celebrations, given that rather exotic shampoo I smell and a cutie mark suggestive of parties. But the subject foremost on your mind right now… is ladders…” she finished somewhat uncertainly, clearly surprised at her own conclusion.

Pinkie’s eyes widened in amazement. “WOW! How did you know? You must be psychic! But I was actually thinking about step-ladders!”

Phoenix facepalmed. “It’s a ladder!” he corrected her yet again. “And even I could have gotten that one! Ever since we came in here you keep looking at it!” he told her before taking a deep breath, turning his attention back to the unicorn mare. “I grant your talent is real, Sonata. You’re correct on all counts,” he confirmed, no longer hiding his jacket tear. “Then if you’ll indulge me even more, what can your powers of perception tell me about Ace?”

She shrugged her shoulders in a surprisingly human gesture. “Other than what was publicly known? Not much, Mister Wright. He was the best there was, and he demanded the best in turn from all he hired or worked with.”

The best? Yeah, sure! If he was, he wouldn’t have had to blackmail Rainbow Dash! Phoenix thought, hoping her perceptive powers could give him some insights on her late client and perhaps some new leads. “So what about your own relationship with him? As his manager, I mean,” Phoenix quickly added before she could jump on him again for implying she was his girlfriend. Or is it marefriend? “Was it on good terms?”

Sonata instantly fell silent, her eyes looking away from his.

“Well?” Phoenix prompted.

“Out of respect for his memory, I decline to answer, Mister Wright,” she dismissed him at some length.

Strange. She wasn’t at all reluctant about answering questions before this. Perhaps I should press this further? “I’m not trying to denigrate his memory; I’m just trying to uncover the truth behind his death, Sonata. So tell me, what was it like being Ace Swift’s manager? Was he a difficult or demanding client?” he asked, but her only answer was the same secretive silence as before.

Playing a hunch, Phoenix crossed his arms and surreptitiously reached inside his jacket for his Magatama. When he touched it, he immediately saw the familiar chains began to coil around her, a total of four red psyche-locks materializing to guard them.

“I just told you it’s none of your business, Mister Wright. And in any event, it is not relevant to your investigation!” Sonata repeated, a bit more sharply than before.

Well, well… I KNEW there was more to you than meets the eye! Phoenix nodded to himself; the human lawyer’s vision going back to normal as soon as he took his fingers off the gemstone. “Are you sure about that?” he asked her, watching her reaction carefully.

Annoyed, she turned her eyes to his. “I think I’ve indulged you more than enough, Mister Wright. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some work to attend to. Tragic though it is, Ace’s death also means plenty of paperwork and a great deal of letter-writing for me. So I would appreciate it if you would both leave my room post-haste,” she ordered, turning away and going to the desk in the near corner.

That’s odd. Didn’t she say she was gonna have us arrested for breaking and entering? Phoenix was grateful she hadn’t, but still found it strange, knowing she wouldn’t have simply forgotten to despite all his efforts to distract her. Hell, she said as much!

Not about to look a gift horse in the mouth, he moved to obey, pulling open the door, though he had to reach down a bit for the knob and duck his head slightly to step through. “Very well. Thank you for your time, Miss Sonata. Let’s go, Pinkie Pie,” he told her, holding the door open for her.

“Yup-yup!” Pinkie said, bounding out happily.

“Though I still believe Rainbow Dash to be guilty, I wish you luck on your investigation, Mister Wright. Your client deserves a proper defense, if nothing else,” Sonata called after him as he made to exit, though given her deadpan delivery, Phoenix couldn’t tell if she meant it or not. “Oh, and before you leave?” She floated him a pill bottle out of the bathroom, depositing it in his hand. “Given your headache and companion, I think you need this more than me,” she told him, leaving Phoenix wondering if she meant the gesture more as a kindness to him or an insult to Pinkie.

“Uh, thanks,” he told her as she closed the hotel room door behind him with a final flare of her magic. Something’s up with her, he knew, but wasn’t sure what yet. Sonata didn’t strike him as capable of murder, but it was also quite clear she knew more than she was telling. Even aside from the psyche-locks and the ominous list Pinkie had found, the unicorn mare was simply too cool about Ace’s death and too insistent on Rainbow Dash’s guilt, and her uncanny resemblance to Mia only made things even more muddled in his mind.

I’ll just have to let that sit for a while. Whatever she’s hiding behind her psyche-locks, I don’t know enough to break them right now. He knew he would likely have to confront Sonata again later when he had the information and evidence to do so, but in the meantime, there were other locations to visit and ponies to talk to.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on February 24, 2018.

Part 19 - Next Steps

Hay and Stay Hotel
2:05 PM

Phoenix stumbled out of the hotel breathing heavily, feeling shaky from the blow to his head and Sonata’s browbeating.

“Phew! I was sweating bullets back there. She’s quite intimidating, for a pony,” he said, finding a bench and sitting down, soaking in the deliciously cool breeze washing over his perspiring face and body. Starting to realize that these equines aren’t just cute and cuddly!

“Really? I didn’t find her intimidating at all! But I do think she’s too serious, so I tried to make her smile! How do you think I did?” Pinkie asked expectantly, sitting on the ground beside him.

Phoenix gave her a wan look. “Uh… don’t quit your day job,” he recommended, studying the old-fashioned aspirin bottle Sonata had given him. Deciding she wasn’t likely to be poisoning him with a painkiller prescription written out to her, he popped a couple of the pills. To his pleasant surprise, they worked almost instantly, his headache disappearing in a matter of seconds, leaving him wondering what was in them… and what side effects they might have; he had a sudden urge to check behind him to see if he’d sprouted a tail.

“Okay! Wait—what is my day job, anyway? Throwing parties is more of a hobby,” Pinkie noted, raising a hoof to her chin as if pondering a deep question. “I guess working at Sugar Cube Corner is my day job—I mean, they pay me—but it’s way too much fun to be work!”

Phoenix had given up trying to understand her tangents. As the remnants of his headache faded, his irritation with her ebbed as well; he admitted that despite her antics and the close call with Sonata, she’d been a genuine help to him—she’d not only got him lunch and guided him to the hotel room, she’d found at least two potentially major pieces of evidence, even if he didn’t fully understand the significance of them yet.

“You know, Pinkie, you still haven’t told me—how did you manage to miss the trial this morning?” he asked her, rubbing his scalp beneath his hair, feeling the lump from where the book had hit him starting to recede as well. He gave the medicine bottle a final glance before placing it in his left pants pocket. Wonder if it’d be okay to take these back home with me?

“I was making donuts!” Pinkie replied brightly, without a hint of shame or regret.

Phoenix fell silent. “That’s it?”

“Yep-yep! Is something wrong with that?” Pinkie asked, hopping up on the bench beside him and giving him a curious look while tilting her head to the side.

“No, I guess I was just expecting a better reason than that,” he said truthfully, resting on the bench for a moment before deciding on his next move.

To his surprise, she gave him an explanation that made perfect sense. “I know Dashie needed me, but so did the Cakes! Mrs. Cake is pregnant, so she has to take it easy, but with so many racers, fans and construction crews in town for the Equestrian 500, there’s a lot of catering orders to be filled and huge breakfast crowds at Sugar Cube Corner!

“With all that additional business, the Cakes are hoping to make enough money to finish their new nursery, so of course I’m going to pitch in and help them in any way I can!” Pinkie proclaimed, with a huge smile to match her outgoing personality. “I mean, they not only give me room and board, but let me bake all the sweets I like for them! So how could I not help out when they need me the most?”

Phoenix studied her for a moment, starting to think that perhaps the hyperactive pink pony wasn’t so bad after all. “That says a lot about you, Pinkie Pie. I thought you were a bit annoying at first, but I can see now that you’re not only a good friend but, uh…” He paused, trying to find the right words. “A free spirit! Your heart’s definitely in the right place, though. You remind me a lot of a girl I know,” he told her with an almost wistful grin.

“A girl? Who?” Pinkie asked in perfect earnestness.

“My assistant,” he answered easily, thinking Pinkie and Maya would get along swimmingly. “Her name's Maya. She’s full of energy and is completely unpredictable, but she’s also unfailingly upbeat and always there with an encouraging word or pick-me-up when you need one most… just like you!” He favored her with a smile.

Her cheeks turned a deeper pink. “Awwwww… that is so sweet! Thanks, Feenie!” she said with a fresh smile, surprising him with an affectionate and unmistakably equine nuzzle of his cheek.

Said cheek warmed at that. Well, at least one pony in this world likes me! he thought, deciding to reach up and chance a scratch of her ears in return. Her eyes widened and then narrowed in pleasure as she felt his hand find the sensitive flesh at the base of her ears, marveling at what he could do with his fingers. Suddenly disinclined to move, she lay down on the bench beside him and rested her head on his leg, a contented grin on her face. Though a little discomfited by that, Phoenix decided to just go with it—if nothing else, I've finally found a way to keep her quiet for a bit!

They stayed like that for several minutes as Phoenix enjoyed the first real moments of relaxation he’d had in Equestria since arriving, idly running his fingers through her incredibly floofy and soft, cotton-like mane—it smelled like cotton candy, but certainly didn’t feel like it!—Pinkie all but melting under his ministrations, humming to herself happily, her blue eyes closed.

These ponies may not be animals, but they’ve definitely got the weak spots of one! Phoenix noted, gratified. For her part, Pinkie was in heaven as he expertly worked between her ears, thinking once again that she was going to have to throw him one of her extra-super-duper-special-parties for this!

“So… what do you think happened, Pinkie Pie?” Phoenix asked after another minute had passed, looking up at the sky again and noticing a large cloud positioned to the south of the town, seemingly growing by accretion as smaller ones were pushed into it.

“Hmm?” Pinkie sleepily tilted her head up at Phoenix.

“The murder, I mean—what do you think really happened?” he clarified, trying to see what was pushing the clouds together. Are those pegasi? He squinted at the small multicolored dots he could just see darting around the main cloud periphery.

“The murder? Let me think… Oh! Oh! OH! I KNOW!” she blurted out, pulling his attention back down.

“You do?” Phoenix was genuinely curious as to what she could come up with.

“Maybe… just maybe… Rainbow Dash…” Pinkie paused dramatically, rolling over onto her back but keeping her head propped on Phoenix’s leg.

“Yes?” Phoenix held his breath, wondering if he was about to regret asking.

“Maybe Rainbow Dash has an evil twin sister nopony knows about! Yeah! So there are two Rainbow Dashes! One good and one evil!” Pinkie proclaimed.

Even after all he had seen and heard from her, Phoenix was still struck speechless for a moment. “Double Rainbow Dash?” was all he could say, thinking that he wasn’t certain this world could accommodate two of the cocky pegasus. Or two Pinkie Pies, for that matter!

“All the way! That would be so intense!” Pinkie claimed further, splaying her fore and hind legs in excited gestures while still looking up at him from her back.

Phoenix sensed there was little point in trying to reason with her, but tried anyway, deliberately looking away as he spoke. “Don’t you think everyone would notice two Rainbow Dashes pretty quick? All those colors would stick out. An evil twin sister nopony knows about doesn’t seem plausible,” he logically analyzed her speculation, though he did find himself amused at a sudden image of an orange-furred version his client with a mobster-like scar on her face.

She shook her head, her fluffy mane brushing over his lap, giving him a squint-eyed look. “No, Feenie, I really think I’m onto something here! We have to find that bad Rainbow Dash before she strikes again! Let’s call her… ‘Wob Niar’!” she declared.

“’Wob Niar’? But that’s just—” Phoenix gave up at that moment, letting out a sigh. Why am I even arguing about this? he wondered, turning his attention instead to her chin. She fell silent again as her mouth lolled open, all but drooling as he scratched there—she had no idea that could feel so good!

As she leaned her head back further to stretch out her neck and chin for his pleasuring fingers, her upward-facing eyes suddenly spotted something approaching. “Hey, Feenie! Look there!” Pinkie pointed with a hoof behind her.

“Huh?” Phoenix looked to his left where she was pointing, and his jaw dropped open yet again upon seeing a grey pegasus with a blonde mane flying—yes, flying!—towards them.

“Hey! You two! Did you by any chance receive a letter not posted to you?” the newcomer asked, coming to a halt and lighting in front of them, her wings folding to her sides against her saddlebags, which said ‘Ponyville Post Office’.

Phoenix was doubly surprised—it was the first time he’d actually seen a pegasus fly, and by her… “Whoa! I-I-I-I—EYES!” he exclaimed, seeing her yellow-orange pupils were pointed in two completely different directions.

“Huh?” The pegasus mare started to hover in place with a forehoof touched to her chin, a confused look on her face.

“Uh… have you seen an optometrist about that?” he suggested weakly, simultaneously grimacing at her wildly off-center eyes yet unable to look away.

“Op-tommy-trist? What’s that?” she asked him earnestly.

“Feenie!” Pinkie elbowed him sharply in the stomach with the knee of her foreleg, a warning note in her voice.

“OOF! O-oh, I mean eye-I mean… uh… m-me no see letter?” Phoenix finally managed, then kicked himself for assuming her discombobulated gaze meant her mental faculties were slow.

Thankfully, she didn’t seem to notice or take offense. “That’s just great.” The pegasus pony sighed in disappointment, taking on a drooping pose as she hovered.

“Aw… what’s the matter?” Pinkie sat up and asked in some concern.

She rolled her eyes—sort of. “Oh, some airhead gave an important letter to the wrong pony, and now I’m trying to track it down,” the pegasus mare replied, motioning to her mailbags while Phoenix continued gawking at her, unable to look away.

“Oh. Well, sorry. I haven’t gotten any letters since I’ve been here,” he offered. I can’t stop looking into those entrancing eyes! Can she see all around her? Maybe she can even see through the very fabric of time and SPACE! he reasoned, unable to discount the possibility given all the other unlikely magic and abilities he’d already seen from this world.

“You haven’t? Aw… well, that’s okay.” She went downcast for a moment before turning her attention back to him, lighting on the ground and folding her wings again, seemingly studying him for a moment—it was very hard for Phoenix to tell with her eyes pointing in different directions! “Oh! Hey! I know you!” She pointed at Phoenix

Phoenix looked up at that. “You do?”

She cut him off before he could finish, rearing up and splaying her wings in excitement. “Sure do! You’re Phoenix Wright, that big loser lawyer from Rainbow Dashie’s trial!” she teased, causing Phoenix’s jaw to drop open again. “I sat in the stands behind you this morning!”

Pinkie jumped up and down in excitement on the bench beside him. “Wow! She recognized you! Hey! This means you’re famous, Feenie! I just wish I could have seen you in action! I’ll bet you were something else!” Pinkie said excitedly, pronking once directly on the bench.

I think the word you’re looking for is ‘infamous’. Phoenix slumped, relieved Pinkie hadn’t been there or he feared he really wouldn’t have a single friend in Equestria. And yes, I was something else, but for all the wrong reasons!

Ignoring his dropped expression, the newcomer didn’t let up. “Remember when Trixie tricked you into giving a new theory about the second lightning bolt? Or how about when you didn’t know pegasi can move clouds? Oh, how I laughed and laughed!” The skew-eyed pegasus mare giggled at the memory.

“Except I wasn’t laughing,” Phoenix muttered and cringed, his ears and cheeks burning with remembered embarrassment and humiliation at getting dressed down by The Judge, Twilight, and Trixie in turn. “Look, I admit I was under-prepared. It’s my fault for not studying, but in case you haven’t noticed, I’m not a pony and I’m not from around here. Who are you anyway?” he asked the ditzy-looking pegasus—there really isn’t another way to describe her! he knew, though he would well imagine Maya’s scolding for even thinking the word.

“The name’s Derpy Hooves!” she told him, offering him a hoofbump.

Phoenix was appalled. That’s kind of a cruel name! he thought even as he returned the gesture. “Well, Der—”

“Feenie! No! Stop!” Pinkie cut Phoenix off with a hoof over his mouth before he could say anything else. “Um, give us a second, will you?” she said to Derpy.

“Huh? Oh, sure!” Derpy shrugged, sitting back to preen her wings.

Phoenix was confused as Pinkie insistently dragged him twenty feet away by his tie, leaving him wondering again how in the name of Equestria she could grip something with her hoof? “What’s wrong, Pinkie?” Phoenix asked, bending down and whispering when she motioned him to.

“Listen, Feenie. Whatever you do, don’t say her name!” Pinkie warned him, also in a whisper.

Phoenix blinked again. “Huh? Why not?”

“Because she’s really, really, really, reaaaaallllly sensitive about it! If you do, you’ll never hear the end of it!” she warned him again.

“I think it’s kind of a harsh name, but she seems okay with it. I mean, listen to that upbeat, oblivious voice!” he motioned over to Derpy, who was humming a happy little tune to herself as she finished preening her wings and began sniffing some nearby flowers, though it took her a couple tries to position her nose properly.

Pinkie shook her head sharply. “No, no, no, no, no! Just trust me on this one, Feenie. You do not want to repeat her name when she’s around! Or call her by any name, for that matter!” she insisted.

Phoenix let out another sigh. He still didn’t understand, but if Pinkie of all ponies was telling him this, he decided there was probably a good reason. “Fine. I don’t see what the big deal is, though,” he whispered back before turning back to the grey pegasus mare.

“Okay! We’re done!” Pinkie announced.

“Right-O!” Derpy stood back up.

“Well, Der—er, I mean… blonde-maned pony! So if you were there, what did you think of the trial?” Phoenix asked, as she resumed her hovering, her powers of flight fascinating him anew.

Pinkie facehooved while Derpy gave him an odd look from her hover. “Blonde-maned pony? Didn’t I tell you my name?” she squinted through one eye at Phoenix, looking offended.

“Well, I… uh…” he glanced at Pinkie, who gave him another sharp, pleading shake of her head.

“Yes?” Derpy awaited his answer.

“I… uh,” he swallowed hard as she flew a little closer

“Yeeeesssss?” she challenged, now hovering nose-to-nose with him and staring at him over crossed forelegs, starting to look outright angry.

Come on, Phoenix! Say something, ANYTHING! “I, uh, really l-like your mane?” was all he could come up with.

Her misaligned eyes lit up at the compliment. “Oh really? Wow, thanks! I did it up all nice this morning so I could look my best for the trial!” Derpy tossed her head to flick her mane back and forth, showing off how silky smooth it was.

“Yeah, it really looks… good,” Phoenix agreed quickly, noting the relief on Pinkie’s face that it had actually worked.

Derpy beamed. “Thanks! I’d say something nice about your mane too, but it looks like you just stood in front of a fan for a really long time!” she teased, causing Pinkie to laugh and Phoenix’s feelings to sink like a rock, not even caring as Pinkie Pie affectionately ran her hoof through his hair as he sat on the bench.

“Gee, thanks.” Is this what I get for being nice? I wish I could find just ONE pony who likes my hair! Yeah, fat chance of THAT! he internally groused, suddenly wondering what Derpy’s multi-bubble cutie mark was supposed to mean.

“So you were there at the trial?” Pinkie spoke up before Phoenix could grouse out loud. “What did you think of it? What did I miss? How did Feenie do?” she eagerly wanted to know.

Derpy grinned as Phoenix cringed. “I was there alright! Now how best to put it? Oh! I know! I’ll tell you in it poem! I’ve been told I’m a really great poet when reciting the mail carrier code!” she claimed.

“A poem?” Phoenix was now certain the gods of this new world were having a great deal of fun at his expense.

“Oh! Tell us! Tell us!” Pinkie implored.

“You got it! Okay, then—presenting my ‘Ode to Objections’!” Derpy flung her mane to the side, cleared her throat and recited a rhyme:

“Dashie’s attorney really seemed like a schmuck.
If you want my opinion, he really did suck!
His Honor, Sir Judgie, was indecisive and fickle.
Poor Fluttershy, it seems, is in quite the pickle.
Young Apple Bloom heard the first bolt touch ground,
So why did the second bolt not make a sound?
The prosecution’s put-downs were fun and quite rich.
But she was honestly being just a big stuck-up…
Witch!”

“Bravo! Bravo! Wow! That was really good!” Pinkie praised, rearing up and clopping her hooves together appreciatively.

“Thank you! Thank you!” Derpy tossed her head to and fro like she was accepting acclaim from an adoring audience, then bowed low as a passing pony tossed a flower her way.

For his part, Phoenix was surprised to find himself genuinely impressed. “Actually, it really wasn’t that bad,” he admitted, finding it a little cutting but an otherwise excellent lyrical summary of the morning’s events. Though I might have chosen a SLIGHTLY different word to describe Trixie there at the end!

True, the poem insulted him as well, but he no longer really minded—he did suck during the trial, and there was no denying it, even to a pony like Derpy. Things will be different tomorrow! he promised himself again. And as good a job as she just did, if I win, maybe I’ll ask her to make up a second poem!

“Told you I was good! Well, I better be off now. I’ll be in deep doo-doo if I don’t find that letter!” the skew-eyed mail mare told them both, flaring her wings and preparing to leave. “Oh! And by the way, I should warn you two—there’s a nasty unicorn calling ponies terrible names out and about,” Derpy announced ominously, sitting back on her haunches with a distressed look like she’d already been on the receiving end of the name-calling. “How could anypony be so mean?”

“I’m sorry.” I have a feeling that’s our friendly prosecutor, he guessed, not sure what he would do if he encountered Trixie outside the courtroom—or worse, what she might do to him without Twilight’s protection. “I got called enough names this morning to know what it’s like.”

Derpy looked up at him, and then nodded in something approaching sympathy. “Yeah, I guess you would. Just thought I’d warn you. Oh, and uh… one other thing?”

“Yes?” Phoenix asked.

Derpy grinned and pointed at his right shoulder. “You should really get that rip in your suit fixed before tomorrow! See ya!” she said as she took flight, fluttering off to the next set of ponies in the distance while a freshly self-conscious Phoenix flushed and clamped his right arm down hard against his side.

“Bye!” A still-giggling Pinkie said to Derpy, waving a hoof as the odd pegasus mare passed out of sight, hopping back up on the bench. “So, did you get what you wanted from that hotel, Feenie?”

“Yeah, these should come in quite handy tomorrow,” Phoenix replied, finally giving up on hiding the tear as he reviewed the top half of the resignation letter and list of names that Pinkie had found, wondering how he could confirm his suspicions about the former and if the latter was somehow related. “I still wonder why Sonata didn’t have us arrested though. She could have, no question,” he pondered, scratching his chin again.

“Maybe she likes you!” Pinkie suggested.

Phoenix would have been more annoyed if he still wasn’t feeling so mellow. “Seriously?”

“Well, sure! You’re so funny and so much fun to hang around with, how could anypony not like you, Feenie?” she asked him in complete earnestness.

Me? FUN? He wished Maya could hear that. “I appreciate you saying so, but I kind of doubt that, Pinkie. She was just about shooting daggers at me with her eyes.” Phoenix remembered, suppressing another shiver despite his relaxed mood.

Pinkie’s eyes widened. “Oooo… I must have been looking the other way when that happened! That must have been so cool! I wish I could shoot daggers from my eyes!” she said with a wistful grin.

To his surprise, Phoenix found himself more amused than annoyed by Pinkie’s antics now. I’ll be damned. Rainbow was right—I think she’s starting to grow on me! “It’s a metaphor, Pinkie. But it sort of does look that way. Just look at my suit!” Phoenix checked the rip on his underarm, one even Derpy had noticed.

“You’re still upset about that?” Pinkie asked.

“Of course I am! This is the only suit I have with me! Appearances matter, Pinkie! I can’t walk into court with a ripped suit; I’ll look so unprofessional,” Phoenix explained mournfully.

“You could just go naked like me?” Pinkie suggested.

“GAAHH!!! ARE YOU CRAZY!? I’m not gonna show up in court NAKED!” he yelled at Pinkie through bright red cheeks, suddenly reliving a recurring nightmare where he’d done just that, as well as another variation where he made an objection only to realize he’d forgotten his pants as the entire gallery laughed, The Judge penalized him for wearing Steel Samurai boxers, and Franziska von Karma leaned over her rail to waggle her finger at him, mocking his faulty memory as well as his poor taste in television.

“Why not? Everypony else does it!” Pinkie noted. “I mean, why do you wear clothes everywhere, Feenie? Most ponies only do so for special occasions!” She gave him a look that suggested to him she was trying to figure out what he looked like undressed.

Phoenix flushed anew under her scrutiny. “Well, for starters, I’m not a pony, and it’s… uh…” Phoenix had no idea how to explain human nudity taboos, but fortunately, he didn’t have to as Pinkie had another idea.

“Oh! Hey! If you really want that tear fixed, Feenie, I have a friend who can do it for you in a jiffy!” she remembered.

“Well, it’s better than going to court in my birthday suit,” he muttered, still feeling a little freaked over the suggestion. “Okay, then—who can fix this for me?”

“Rarity can!” Pinkie replied immediately. “She’s the best seamstress in Ponyville!”

“’Rarity’?” he repeated, trying to picture the pony that would possess such a name and wondering why ponies even had need for a seamstress if they truly did go naked everywhere. But they wear clothes on ‘special occasions’? Like what? he wondered idly. “I guess we can make a detour to get this repaired. I just about feel naked with this hole in my armpit,” Phoenix admitted, raising his arms and inspecting the tear again.

“Let’s go, then! Carousel Boutique is just over yonder, Feenie! BEEP-BEEP!!!” Before Phoenix could stop her, Pinkie raced off down the street like the Road Runner would out of the old cartoons he had watched as a kid, leaving a cloud of dust in her wake.

“H-hey! Stop running ahead of me like that!” he called after the deceptively fast earth pony, just hoping that this ‘Rarity’ she knew really could get his suit patched up before the trial resumed the next day.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on March 11, 2018.

Part 20 - The Lawyer and the Tailor

Carousel Boutique
June 10th, 2:20 PM

Phoenix was no slouch at running, having made it part of his weekly exercise routine and regularly participating in 10k races in and around the city. But, despite his best efforts and constant calls for her to slow down, Phoenix fell well behind Pinkie Pie as she bounded along, finding it all he could do to keep her in view.

Spotting her as she entered a circular two-story building that he couldn’t tell from the outside was a home or business, Phoenix finally stumbled inside a minute later to find Pinkie already there, a bell going off as he opened the door.

“What took ya, Feenie?” a smiling Pinkie asked in perfect innocence while lounging on a plush purple chaise couch reading a fashion magazine, leaving Phoenix no idea whether she was playing a joke on him or not.

As he caught his breath, he scanned the interior, realizing it was a place of business—a dressmaking shop of all things. On the periphery of the room, he saw several carousel ponies stuck on iron poles like on a merry-go-round back home—clearly the inspiration for the name of the shop—and that the entire interior was very tastefully appointed in a pink-and-purple motif, filled with mirrors, frilly decorations and dressy décor.

Wow, this place is really… posh! Probably reflects the owner’s personality! Phoenix gawked, gazing upon the well-appointed and even opulent setting before him. To his surprise, he also noticed entire chests full of what appeared to be precious stones, containing everything from rubies and emeralds to diamonds and other valuable gems that were very rare back on Earth. Remarkably, whoever ran the business appeared to actually use them in her dressmaking, judging by the displays in the front window, leaving him wondering how anyone—anypony, he’d get it eventually, he promised himself—could afford to be so generous.

Just then, a white-coated unicorn mare with a styled violet mane and tail entered the parlor from an adjacent room, carrying some fabric rolls in front of her with her magic, blocking her view. “Oh? Visitors,” she recognized with what he could only describe as an upscale, cosmopolitan accent and a friendly smile. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique! My name is Rarity. Give me but a moment to stow these supplies, and I would be delighted to assist you with all your fashion needs!”

Phoenix’s eyes widened when he got a good look at her. WHOA! A marshmallow pony! was the only description he could come up with of the unicorn mare in front of him, admiring her immaculate white coat that had the exact same color and texture of one of his favorite childhood confections, her impeccably groomed and curled violet mane and tail, and the blue three-diamond cutie mark adorning her flank.

The unicorn mare’s smile disappeared as she put the fabric away and recognized Pinkie, almost looking disappointed. “Oh. It’s just you, Pinkie Pie. Hello, dear. What brings you to my—” her sapphire-blue eyes widened and she froze in her tracks when she spotted Phoenix. “Oh!”

“Hi, Rarity! Meet Feenie!” Pinkie introduced him with a nod.

“WAAAHHAHHAHHH!!!” the mare named Rarity shrieked at Phoenix, taking a step back from him as if recoiling in fear.

Phoenix stiffened at that. “Wh-what’s the matter?!” he asked, uncertain what set her off—he’d been gawked at plenty, but he hadn’t yet encountered a pony actually afraid of him!

“That… that hair!” she said, gaping at his head, stumbling about like she was all but reeling.

Phoenix sighed. His shoulders slumped as he decided there was no point in fighting it. “Go ahead. Just make fun of me and get it over with. I’ve actually gotten used to it,” he told her in resignation. “So what’s it going to be this time? ‘Why is there a hedgehog sleeping on your head?’ That one’s always a classic,” he suggested bitterly, remembering a particularly hated insult he heard constantly from his law school classmates in college.

To his surprise, she batted her long eyelashes at him and gave him a delighted look. “Make fun of it? Why, whatever do you mean? I think it’s FABULOUS!” she proclaimed with a starry-eyed smile, leaning forward and stretching her neck out as if to get a closer look. “You have an absolutely magnificent mane!”

Phoenix fell speechless for a moment, his jaw dropping open. “Huh? Y-you mean… you like it?” he asked her, certain he’d heard her wrong.

“Like it? Like it? I love it!” she announced, rearing up and raising her hoof to her head as if to shield her eyes from being blinded by its dazzling glow. “Forgive me if I gave you an impression that seemed to say otherwise, but I was just so taken by its majesty! It’s so dynamic! So intense! So daring! It just screams at me… um… what’s the phrase I’m looking for?” she pondered while examining Phoenix, visibly searching for the right superlatives.

“Uh… ‘Take That’?” Phoenix offered the phrase, feeling almost heady.

She blinked. “Take that? Yes! It screams ‘TAKE THAT, world! I can handle anything you send my way!’ she proclaimed with a puffed-out chest, and Phoenix all but swore he could hear a dramatic musical score playing in the background, standing up a little straighter himself for it. “Why, you simply must tell me who does your mane! I’d like to use the style on some of my customers!” the white mare implored him.

“I sort of just style it myself in the mirror,” Phoenix replied with a goofy grin and hand behind his head, feeling his cheeks warm at the praise being heaped upon him. And no, Maya, I don’t keep entire boxes of hairspray around; it’s just naturally spiky!

“Then you not only have natural beauty, but a natural talent for this!” she told Phoenix, all but fawning over him.

“Heh… Wow, thanks! You know, you’re making me blush!” he told her giddily, his cheeks now fully flushed from her constant compliments.

“I should hope so! Oh, and that absolutely exquisite royal blue suit of yours! I’m more partial to purple myself, but after setting my eyes on such a sophisticated, elegant ensemble such as this, I might just change my mind!” she told him, circling him to look at it from multiple angles. “It is so simple and yet so bold! It has so much character in it! As distinctive as it is dapper! It proudly proclaims to the world…” she trailed off again. “Uh, help me out here! What’s the way to say it?” she again asked Phoenix for advice.

“’Hold it’?” Phoenix suggested humbly, enjoying every compliment she gave him.

Her sapphire blue eyes widened. “Why, yes! THAT’S IT! ‘HOLD IT! I’m a figure of great importance and you WILL listen to what I have to say!’” Phoenix felt his chest puff out and heart swell in pride at her endless flattery, seeing himself just as she described—a righter of wrongs and a finder of truth; a defender of justice and protector of the innocent. Without thinking, he put his hands on his hips, baring his armpits just as Rarity was walking around his left side.

Her practiced eye immediately saw it. “Wait! WHAT’S THIS?!” she gasped.

“What’s wrong?” Phoenix asked, worried he’d somehow offended her.

“THERE’S A GIANT HOLE IN YOUR SUIT!!!” she realized in horror, pointing with a hoof at his armpit.

“Yup-Yup! That’s what we came here for, Rarity!” Pinkie replied. “I mean, I don’t think it’s a big deal, but he did, so…”

“Not a big deal? Not a big deal???” Rarity repeated twice, starting to pace back and forth, all but fuming. “This will not do! This will simply not do at all! We can’t have you walking around with this gaping gash in your suit! It’s an undignified affront to the very face of fashion!” she pronounced imperiously.

It was at that moment Phoenix decided that her name certainly suited her—between her looks and personality, she’s a rare one indeed! Nevertheless, her vehemence caught him off-guard. “Really? I don’t like it either, but it isn’t that big,” Phoenix suggested, but the dressmaking mare shook her head sharply, her jaw set in a determined line.

“No! No! It’s positively glaring! Give it here this instant; I simply must fix your suit! No, not just fix; I must save your suit!” she demanded, her horn flaring in her own distinctive sapphire-blue aura, startling Phoenix by beginning to undress him, popping the buttons on his suit front and all but yanking the jacket off his back. For a single, panicked moment, he thought she wasn’t going to stop there, but once the jacket was off she merely floated it away, positioning it over an elevated work area in the corner. “And since you’re such a sharp dresser and a fantastic stylist, I’ll do it free of charge!” she announced, yanking several drawers and containers open with her magic, pulling out various sewing implements and assembling them by his waiting jacket.

“Really? That’s quite generous of you!” Phoenix flattered her back, not about to argue with someone who could unclothe him with a mere thought! Good thing I hadn’t torn my pants as well! he thought a little nervously, having sudden visions of himself stripped naked in her zeal to repair his clothes.

“It is my pleasure! Now then, Mister Feenie, let’s talk! I have never met a human before, and would very much like to know more about you! I do so enjoy some friendly discourse while I’m working, after all,” Rarity offered as she got started on her sewing, Phoenix watching in fascination as she expertly threaded a needle with her magic, even though her eyes were on him and not on her work.

“But you’re sewing. Don’t you need to concentrate?” he asked, concerned she’d butcher his suit if she wasn’t giving it her undivided attention.

She gave him a reassuring grin. “Fear not, Mister Feenie. Stitching is second nature to me, and this is such a simple job. Multitasking is my middle name, after all!”

“Really? I always thought it was ‘Tabitha’,” Pinkie corrected in what for her was pure deadpan, though her giggle suggested she knew she was making a joke.

“Figure of speech, darling,” Rarity rejoined quite easily. “So, Mister Feenie, fret not as I will have your suit repaired in a matter of minutes. In the meantime, please tell me all about yourself so I may better know such a superbly-styled customer!”

“Sure, why not?” Phoenix found a low stool and sat down on it to watch the show, amazed at the display of choreographed needlework he saw before him, the unicorn mare seamstress simultaneously holding up and moving his jacket and several sewing elements independently at once, repairing his suit with a practiced, precise dance of needle, fabric and thread. He noted that her magic’s aura had the same sapphire-blue color as her eyes and cutie mark; it struck him as odd but apt how the apparent ‘color’ of unicorn magic tended to match their appearance in some way—in Rarity’s case, her eyes.

“Oh, but if I could ask one thing? Please don’t call me ‘Feenie’. One pony calling me that is more than enough,” Phoenix winced, wishing he never had to hear that nickname again. Well, maybe it’s okay coming from Pinkie?

Rarity gave him an inquisitive look. “My apologies. What shall I call you, then?” she asked.

“My name is Phoenix Wright, Attorney at Law,” he introduced himself formally, giving her a short bow but resisting the temptation to give her a business card.

Her eyes went wide in recognition. “Oh, I see! So you must be the human attorney Twilight hired to defend Rainbow Dash!” Rarity guessed. “I must say, it sounds just like my friend that she would go to such lengths to find the perfect pony—or should I say human—for the job!”

“Yeah, that’s me,” he confirmed, wondering again how ponies even knew of humans or his world.

“I thought so! I must say, you have been quite the talk of the town since this morning,” Rarity told him, looking him over with great interest.

“I have?” He held his breath, certain it wasn’t in a good way.

She nodded. “Very much so! News around Ponyville travels exceptionally fast, being so small. I’ve heard that Twilight actually summoned you here all the way from the human world!” Rarity recalled in excitement, leaving him hoping she hadn’t also heard what he’d done to Fluttershy, lest she take it out on his suit… or on him!

“Yeah, that’s also true,” Phoenix confirmed neutrally with a cautious nod, watching in rapt fascination as the needle continually darted in and out of his jacket armpit, already having worked halfway through the length of the tear. “Though after being summoned so suddenly, I’m afraid I wasn’t at my best in court this morning,” Now there’s the understatement of the century!

To his surprise and relief, she shrugged it off. “Fear not, Mister Wright. I fancy myself a very good judge of character, and for such fine tastes in fashion, I do not find yours lacking. I hear you successfully bought Rainbow another day, so I am certain you shall do better tomorrow. I will do my part by making sure you are looking your best,” she favored him with a warm smile. “Appearances matter, after all—how we look affects how we feel, and how we feel affects how we perform. Don’t you agree?”

His cheeks warmed once more at that, taking an instant liking to her. A lady after my own heart! “Absolutely, Miss…?” he railed off, uncertain how he should address her—was ‘Rarity’ her preferred name, or did she have a surname?

She read his mind. “Ah! How rude of me. I just realized I haven’t formally introduced myself yet! I am Rarity Belle, owner and founder of Carousel Boutique, Ponyville’s premier fashion emporium. Or simply ‘Miss Rarity’ if you prefer,” she said, sketching a bow to him in return and offering her hoof in greeting. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Mister Wright, and to be able to help you.”

Charmed by her manner and unending flattery, to say nothing of so easily forgiving him for his poor courtroom performance, Phoenix thought she deserved more than the typical pony greeting. So instead of simply bumping her hoof, he grasped it gently and bent over to lay a kiss on it, deciding that was the far more apropos greeting for the pony—no, the lady before him, he quickly corrected himself.

“The pleasure is all mine, Miss Rarity,” Phoenix told her following his kiss, giving her manicured hoof a squeeze before releasing it. He was momentarily worried he’d gone too far with the gesture, but to his relief, Rarity looked both surprised and charmed at his actions, a hint of a flush in her white cheeks. “I have to say, of all of Twilight’s friends I’ve been introduced to, you seem the most mature,” he admired her, noting her effortless elegance and poise, to say nothing of her passion for her work. She’s certainly easy on the eyes too, even for a pony!

Her blush deepened at that—how did ponies actually blush through their fur, the question finally occurred to him? “Y-you don’t say.” She found her voice again, still getting over the shock and delight of being given a royal greeting—by a human from a different world, no less! “Well! I must admit there’s no surprise about that. While many of my friends may act uncouth and immature—no offense, Pinkie Pie—” Rarity said in aside to her earth pony friend.

“None taken!” Pinkie replied from the sofa with her signature smile, giggling a bit at her friend’s reaction, knowing that by treating Rarity like a princess, Phoenix had just made a friend for life.

“—Rarity, on the other hoof, conducts herself like a proper lady!” the elegant unicorn mare finished, taking on a regal pose.

And it’s so her! Phoenix couldn’t help but think, having no trouble seeing Rarity as the talk of the town, a girl on the go. The type of pony everypony should know! the phrase somehow suggested itself, leaving him surprised that he could come up with such a smooth-sounding rhyme. Huh. Is Derpy rubbing off on me?

“But back on the subject of this ‘other world’ you’re from—could you do me a favor, Mister Wright?” Rarity asked her otherworldly guest.

“And what would that be?” Phoenix asked curiously, thinking that he certainly owed her one for her flattery and generosity in fixing his suit.

“I admit I do not know much about your world—aside from what little I have overheard from Twilight and another pony named Lyra Heartstrings, that is—but are there ponies where you come from?” Rarity asked.

He blinked at that, uncertain why she would be asking. “Yeah, there are.”

“Excellent! Before you go back—to your world I mean—I want you to give them some of my concepts!” Rarity stated.

“I’m sorry. Concepts?” Phoenix gave her a slightly sideways look, waiting for her to elaborate.

She nodded. “Yes. For you see, I am a designer and an entrepreneur of sorts. I would like you to give my work to some of the ponies you know and ask for their opinions on my latest dress lines. This could really help me expand my reach, if I could do business across two worlds!” she explained, touching a hoof to her chest. “Please do tell them to be honest though, I really need some constructive criticism,” Rarity requested, her manner suddenly equal parts nervous and excited.

Phoenix hesitated. “Uh, I’m sorry to tell you this, but your designs might not go over so well.”

“Oh? And why not? Are you saying they aren’t any good?” Her expression dropped as she went crestfallen.

“I’m sure they’re wonderful, Miss Rarity. What I mean is that there’s no point in me showing your designs to the ponies of my world, because, well—” he grimaced, but finally decided there was little point in hiding it. “—they can’t talk.”

Rarity looked shocked at the news, raising a dainty forehoof off the floor, looking frozen in mid-step. “They can’t talk? My word! What a strange world you come from, Mister Wright. Your ponies—none of them can talk?” she asked again.

“Or fly or use magic, sorry.” Phoenix hated to burst her bubble, but also didn’t want to make promises he couldn’t keep.

Rarity looked like she wasn’t certain what to think. “So you have ponies that are not touched by harmony and are mere horses? Astonishing! Though also a bit disconcerting. But then again, perhaps they just need a highly cultured pony from Equestria, such as myself, to teach them some proper manners and etiquette!” she suggested, taking on a regal pose again.

“Or a rockin’ party to liven ‘em up!” Pinkie suggested as well, a sudden explosion of confetti erupting from somewhere behind her.

“Yeah, sure.” Phoenix realized he wasn’t going to be able to make them understand how the horses of his world weren’t sapient without a lot of additional and occasionally uncomfortable details, so instead of trying to explain, he simply changed the subject. “So if you’re friends with Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie here, I'm guessing you must also be friends with Rainbow Dash?” he asked Rarity.

Her expression dropped a bit. “Why, yes. Yes I am, Mister Wright,” Rarity answered, sounding suddenly subdued.

“And you’re aware of what’s happening to her right now?”

“Indeed, I am,” she confirmed with a slightly sad look on her face. “I heard all the details of this morning’s proceedings from our friendly neighborhood mailmare, Mister Wright. And I must say, her report was not encouraging.” She came as close as she had yet to issuing him a rebuke.

“Don’t worry Rarity! I’m helping investigate! And right now, Feenie and I are hot on the trail of ‘Wob Niar’!” Pinkie announced, standing up and saluting like a soldier.

“’Wob Niar’?” Rarity tilted her head while Phoenix facepalmed.

“Yeah! It’s Rainbow Dash’s evil twin sister that nopony knows about!” Pinkie further claimed, making Phoenix suddenly wonder what Miles Edgeworth would think of Pinkie Pie. Would either his logic or his sanity survive the experience? He had a sudden image of his friend curled up in a fetal position and sucking his thumb afterwards.

Unaware of his thoughts, Rarity looked surprised. “Rainbow Dash has a twin? I didn’t know that!”

“Of course you didn’t! Didn’t you catch the ‘nopony knows about’ part? You’re a pony and you don’t know, see?” Pinkie said, trying to make more sense of it than she possibly could.

“Pinkie—there is no evil twin sister!” Phoenix insisted before turning back to her fashionista friend. “But Rarity, I don’t recall seeing you at the trial today. If she was your friend, why weren’t you there?” he asked, certain he’d have remembered seeing such a striking pony in the gallery.

The unicorn mare suddenly wore a chagrined look. “I fully intended to go to the trial, Mister Wright; really I did. But I regret that a… series of unfortunate events conspired to ensure I couldn’t make it,” she told Phoenix, going downcast.

“Why not? Pinkie Pie had to stay and help out the Cakes, but what kept you?” Phoenix wanted to know.

Rarity smiled a bit more wanly, but only briefly. “Well, you see—I was told several days ago to expect a delivery this morning; one I had to sign for. An item I’ve been very anxious to get my hooves on,” she began.

“What was it?” he asked, genuinely curious—given her obvious generosity and fastidious attention to detail, she didn’t seem to him the type to neglect her friends.

“A rather expensive package I ordered a week ago, before all this unpleasantness happened—a shipment of imported perfume. Delivery was scheduled for first thing this morning, leaving me plenty of time to go to the trial after, but it never arrived. So after waiting an hour, I went to the post office to ask where it was, expecting to be in and out in two shakes of a lamb’s tail and on to the trial from there,” Rarity explained.

Phoenix winced, guessing he was about to hear the Equestrian equivalent of a post-office horror story. “And it didn’t go that way, I’m guessing.”

“No,” Rarity fell silent for a moment, only to slowly begin to turn red in the face; Phoenix had a sudden and very uncomfortable feeling like he was staring down the throat of a volcano about to erupt. But even forewarned, nothing in his entire life or career as an attorney had prepared him for what happened next:

“THE LINE WAS SO LONG! THEY HAD SIX CLERK STATIONS BUT ONLY ONE WAS OPEN! THE LOBBY WAS SO HOT AND STIFLING, NO AIR CIRCULATION WHATSOEVER! AND WORSE, SOME FOAL WAS CRYING AND BLUBBERING THE ENTIRE TIME! THE ENTIRE TIME! ‘WAHHHH! WAHHHH!!’! I TRIED TO LOVE AND TOLERATE IT, BUT IT WOULDN’T STOP! IT WOULDN’T STOP!!!!!”

Phoenix was nearly knocked backwards off his stool from the sheer force of her verbal explosion, listening in aghast amazement as she continued—he had never heard any person or pony whine as loudly as that!

“SO AFTER AN HOUR I GOT TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE, BUT THEN THEY TOLD ME THAT I HAD TO FILL OUT A FORM FIRST! BUT THERE WAS ONLY ONE QUILL PEN, AND THE PONY IN FRONT OF ME WAS WRITING A NOVEL OR SOMETHING WITH IT! I WAS SITTING THERE FOR HALF AN HOUR WAITING FOR HER TO FINISH SO I COULD FILL OUT THE POINTLESS PAPERWORK THEY WANTED ME TO, ALL SO I COULD GO BACK IN LINE FOR YET ANOTHER HOUR! WHY AREN’T THERE MORE PENS!? TELL ME, MISTER WRIGHT, WHY… AREN’T… THERE… MORE… PENS!!?? IT WAS ABSOLUTELY DREADFUL! I NEVER WANT TO SEE THAT HORRID ILL-RUN EXCUSE FOR A POST OFFICE EVER AGAIN!!!!!”

I think I’m gonna need to change my pants now… Phoenix thought weakly as Rarity finished her rant. He was in a state of shock and terror at the intensity of her outburst, fearful not just for himself but for the fate of his suit, noticing the needle was darting about and through it more sharply and rapidly now.

But as quickly as Rarity had lost her temper, she regained it, clearing her throat and continuing on calmly. “*Ahem* Please excuse me, Mister Wright. I’m afraid I got a tad frustrated and lost my composure while waiting in that line. All I wanted to do was inquire where my package was and then be on my way.”

A TAD?! It sounded like you were having an ANEURYSM! Phoenix sat frozen in place, afraid to move, not certain the coast was clear. He glanced over at Pinkie, who looked remarkably unperturbed, even nodding in mild amusement like she’d seen this from Rarity before.

The fashionista began to pace again, her hoof-falls coming sharper in reflection of her anger. “But once you’re in that line, there’s no going back! It’s like they intentionally trap you! Forced to endure that tedious slow-moving line, watching ponies write their life stories with that one pen—WHY DON’T THEY STOCK MORE PENS?!” She began to rant again, stamping her hooves down and making Phoenix cringe as her aura picked up a pair of sewing scissors, certain his beloved blue suit was about to get cut up into ribbons.

“But the worst was yet to come! When I finally got to the front of line for the second time, three entire hours after I arrived, they said they didn’t receive my perfume! Meaning my entire trip was all in vain!” Rarity announced with a dramatic facehoof, rearing up into an bipedal standing position.

“Wh-what do you mean by that?” Phoenix asked warily, a trickle of sweat going down his cheek as he watched the scissors cut off the end of the thread right against the fabric of his suit.

Rarity took another deep breath before continuing. “The perfume was imported from across the Antlertic Ocean, Mister Wright, at very great expense. But the post office said the shipment never arrived in Ponyville, and thus, they could not deliver it,” she explained.

“That’s a shame,” Phoenix said, not sure whether he felt more sorry for her or whatever hapless mail clerk she’d berated for it—Maya and even Pearls sometimes whined to get their way, but Rarity was clearly in a class of her own!

She gave him an incredulous look. “A ’shame’? A shame? I wasted my entire morning at that horrible post office! That is why I missed the trial! Naturally, I gave the postal manager a piece of my mind; I was so utterly infuriated! I can’t believe them! The nerve! The unmitigated gall! Nopony should ever have to be put through the ordeal I have to suffer! I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy!”

“Are you at least getting some form of compensation for this?” Phoenix hoped, if for no other reason than to defuse her still-simmering temper.

To his relief, she deflated at that, though not for the reasons he first thought. “No, not at all. At the very least, they said they’d put in another shipment for me at no cost. It will take another week to get here, though,” Rarity frowned at her misfortune, but then her eyes lit up as she got an idea. “Oh! I know! Mister Wright, how about I give you a copy of my invoice?” she suggested, floating something off a random pile of papers on a table that almost looked like some kind of arts-and-crafts area for children, slightly out-of-place in the otherwise impeccably organized store.

Already on edge, Phoenix tensed further upon hearing the word ‘invoice’. “What? I thought you weren’t charging me?” he started to panic, certain she wouldn’t accept his world’s currency and not even knowing what passed for money in this one.

She looked startled. “Oh! No. No, no, no. I mean the invoice for my perfume.”

That just confused Phoenix even more. “Why would I need that?”

“You are a lawyer, correct? Perhaps once you have freed Rainbow Dash, you can use it to sue that horrible post office for the severe emotional distress I was put through today!” Rarity suggested as she floated the invoice to Phoenix, letting it settle in his lap. “And that, Mister Wright, is something I will quite happily pay you for!”

“Uh… sure.” Phoenix decided he had best take it, lest he get assaulted with another terrifying rant. Then again, I do have constant money issues and civil litigation seems to be where the real money in the legal business is found!

“You’ll show them, Mister Wright! That will teach them to put out more quill pens!” Rarity stated in satisfaction, making Phoenix give her a placating smile.

“Right,” he said agreeably, trying to mollify her. “So, tell me more about this perfume you ordered?” he asked her, suddenly thinking that if he did need money before leaving this world, perhaps he could negotiate a settlement with the shipping company for her and settle his debts that way?

The fashionista pony perked up at that. “Oh, by the sun and moon above, by all reports it is simply to die for, Mister Wright!” Her expression turned dreamy.

True to his profession, Phoenix immediately picked up on a contradiction by omission. “’By all reports’? You mean you don’t know?” Strike the witness statement as hearsay, Your Honor!

“Oh. Well, admittedly, I only know it by reputation. It’s a rare fragrance after all. ‘Like morning dew on a blooming rose’—that’s its slogan!” Rarity proudly announced.

Well, it’s certainly better than the slogan Maya thought up! Phoenix conceded.

Los Angeles, California
In-N-Out Burger
June 10th, 2:36 PM

Maya’s ears started burning while she ate her animal-style hamburger for a late lunch, strangely certain Phoenix was thinking ill of her advertising ideas. “So, you don’t like my ad campaigns, Nick? We’ll just see about that!” The teenage spirit medium immediately vowed to march down to his office and give him a piece of her mind for it, and then channel her big sister Mia so she could as well!

Carousel Boutique
June 10th, 2:37 PM

Back in Equestria, Phoenix shivered and wondered why he had a sudden ill feeling about back home. “And you’re getting a whole shipment of it?” he asked Rarity, thinking she would have to be quite rich to be able to afford so much of that rare perfume. Then again, she does have all these gems?

“Just one bottle, actually,” Rarity corrected.

Phoenix was surprised at that. “I’m looking at the invoice here, and that’s a lot of zeroes for one bottle,” he told her, tapping the piece of paper, wondering what the Earth/Equestrian exchange rate would be for a ‘bit’.

“Not surprising. It’s very exotic, hard-to-make and it’s very long-lasting, you see. The aroma lingers for days and is said to leave a lasting impression in the noses of all who encounter it! In fact, it’s said that one bottle can easily suffice for a year’s worth of use,” Rarity explained.

“You wanna wear perfume, Feenie? You know that’s for girls, right? Then again, I guess it would go with that badge you have,” Pinkie teased him, causing Phoenix to groan again.

Rarity’s blue eyes locked on to his left jacket lapel. “Badge? You mean… this thing?” she raised his collar enough from her workbench to present the heart-shaped badge pinned there.

He looked at it and sighed. “Yeah. That’s my Equestria Defense Attorney Badge. Please tell me at least you think it looks good?” Phoenix all but pleaded with her, hoping that if she loved his suit and hair, she might actually compliment the badge as well.

His heart sank when he saw her hesitate. “Compared to your suit and hair…” she trailed off, trying to find the right words only to realize there really were none. “Eh… the pink is too much, honestly,” she finished tactfully, shaking her head apologetically. “And the lace clashes with the crispness of your suit. I understand you must wear it, but that badge is not any sort of fashion statement I would be willing to make, Mister Wright. I would be more than happy to design you a new one, if you wish?”

“I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think they’d accept it in court.” Phoenix ran his fingers through his hair in exasperation. Even the citizens of this place can see this thing looks embarrassingly stupid! he growled to himself, vowing that before he left Equestria he’d have some choice words with whoever had made it for him. “And no, Pinkie, I didn’t want to wear the perfume! I was just wondering why it’s so darn expensive!”

“It set me back considerably, but as they say—quality has its price! And I’m hoping wearing such a rare and exquisite scent might get me some more favorable attention when I mingle in certain circles,” Rarity explained. “Every little bit helps, after all! And here you are, Mister Wright! Your suit is as good as new!” She snipped off the last sewing knot with a pair of small scissors and then floated him back his suit jacket, holding it up in the air like it was on a hanger.

Relieved, he reached up to grasp it, feeling a slight tingling sensation as his fingers passed through her visible aura—it wasn’t unpleasant, just a little odd, almost like a low-level electric current playing over his skin.

Her sapphire-blue aura dissipated as he accepted it, holding up the sleeve to study her work. “Oh, wow! You did a really good job patching it up, Miss Rarity! I can’t even see where you sewed it!” Phoenix praised her, knowing if he’d had the job done back home, his tailor would have told him to leave it overnight and royally overcharged him for it.

She blushed a bit at the compliment, picking the jacket back up with her magic and opening the front so he could simply turn around to put it on. “It was my pleasure, Mister Wright! Please do take better care of your suit in the future, but if you have any more problems with it, don’t hesitate to come to me! I would be more than happy to take on such a fine work of art again!” she offered, completing her service by simultaneously running several lint brushes over his suit and slacks.

He nodded quickly, wishing he could come to her for all his clothing needs at that point, idly wondering if Twilight could open a permanent portal between his office and Equestria so he could have all the good coffee, cupcakes, and suit-making services he needed. True, he’d probably have to endure an occasional rant from Rarity and plenty of sheer randomness from Pinkie, but as he thought about it, he realized they were good people—er, ponies—and their personality quirks really weren’t much different or worse than those of the folks he knew back home.

Wow—I think I’m actually starting to like this place! he realized in some wonder. Of course, if I want to visit more, I’ll have to make amends with Twilight first... “Thank you, Miss Rarity. You really helped me out of a jam! I was brought here so abruptly I literally arrived only with the clothes on my back. This is the only suit I have while I’m here in Equestria,” he told her as she slipped his arms into the jacket, pulling it on.

Her eyeridges shot up. “Your only suit?” Rarity repeated, then gasped. “IIIIIIDDDEEEEEAAAA!!” she exclaimed, making Phoenix start again. “How about I make you another one, Mister Wright? It would be my greatest pleasure! I have never designed stallion businesswear before, but perhaps it is time to expand my horizons into male human fashion as well! Oh! I know! I could start by encrusting the lapel with some rubies! Red and blue go well together, but a little topaz might bring out the deep brown of your eyes!”

Phoenix was about to say no, insisting she’d been generous enough and courtroom attire was generally too conservative to allow for him wearing a gem-encrusted suit (Redd White’s outfit at Maya’s murder trial notwithstanding), but Rarity didn’t give him a chance.

“But why stop with just a suit? Accessories are important as well! Maybe some sunglasses would match the, dare I say it, ‘pizzazz’ of that hair of yours! Royal blue really is your color, but maybe we can give you a suit of an equivalent purple or lavender with embedded amethyst! As I said, purple is my favorite color and you would look simply ravishing in it!” She kept going on and on, clearly lost in the world of her own imagination, leaving Phoenix wondering whether she was trying to dress him for a trial or a date.

After a minute of non-stop stream-of-consciousness from the unicorn fashionista, he finally realized that she wasn’t going to stop and he wasn’t going to be able to get a word in edgewise. “Uh… she seems to have gone off on a tangent?” He turned to Pinkie, who at that moment seemed to him the saner of the two ponies.

To his surprise, she gave him a rather wry and knowing look. “Yeah. She’ll probably be like this for the next hour or so,” his new earth pony friend spoke from what sounded like long experience as Rarity kept her monologue going in the background.

“Oh. Well, I guess we should leave her to it, then. I'm not sure where we should go next, though,” Phoenix wondered aloud as he refastened his jacket buttons. Maybe the forest clearing from last night?

“Fluttershy’s cottage!” Pinkie immediately answered, and in a surprisingly authoritative tone.

Both the answer and the certainty with which she delivered it caught Phoenix short. “Fluttershy’s cottage? Why do you want to go there?” he asked her curiously. It wasn’t part of the crime scene, and—his accusation of Fluttershy aside—he didn’t expect they would find any evidence there; just tons of police trying to find if the feather he’d presented at the end of proceedings came from one of her exotic birds.

“So you can meet somepony new!” she explained brightly.

Yet again, Phoenix was caught off guard by her seemingly nonsensical statement. “Somepony new? What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said! My right front hoof itches! That means that somebody I know is thinking bad things about somepony else I know!” she informed him. “And since it’s my hoof nearest you, Feenie, that means that you are the one somepony is thinking bad things about!”

“This again?” Phoenix rubbed his eyes, ultimately deciding to just go with it. “Fine, I’ll humor you, Pinkie. So what does that have to do with Fluttershy’s cottage?” he asked as Rarity continued on with her tangent in the background, now drawing furiously on some scrap scrolls.

“Nothing, silly! But the fact that one of my eyelashes is quivering means that something strange will happen there!”

I’m going to regret asking, but… “And how does that follow, Pinkie Pie?”

“Because it’s the third eyelash on the bottom eyelid of my right eye! Duh!” she told him, then produced a scroll from somewhere in her mane that detailed all her various body quirks and twitches plus their meaning.

Incredulously, he accepted the scroll and unrolled it, finding a handwritten—or is that hoofwritten? Muzzle-written?—note titled “PINKIE SENSE” in underlined large block letters and indexed by body part and type of motion. He scanned quickly down the surprisingly well-organized document until he found… “Third eyelash means unusual events… right eye indicates the location is a friend’s home you haven’t been to yet that day… and the fact that it’s the bottom eyelid means that a meeting will take place there…?” he recited in disbelief. “Okay. So how do you know it’s Fluttershy’s home? I don’t see anything in here for that, Pinkie!” he challenged, certain he had her, only to abruptly blush when he read a little further down and noticed what a knee wobble meant. She has body tics for… THAT?

This time, she gave him a chiding look. “Seriously? By simple process of elimination! Rainbow Dash’s house is in the air, so neither of us could reach it! You’ve already been to my home—Sugar Cube Corner—so it can’t be there either! It’ll be raining on Twilight’s treehouse and AJ’s home soon, so nopony will be walking there, meaning there’ll be nopony there to meet! So all that leaves is Fluttershy’s house!” she told him. “I mean, come on, Feenie! Aren’t you a lawyer? I thought you were supposed to be good at logical deductions!”

“Silly me,” a facepalming Phoenix replied, uncertain if she was teasing him or not. Starting to think she’s a lot smarter than she seems at first glance? “Fine, Fluttershy’s cottage it is. It’s on the way to the forest clearing anyway.”

“That too! See ya there, Feenie!” With that, Pinkie took off, bounding out the door.

“Pinkie Pie! Wait!” Phoenix called out, but she was already out the exit and halfway across the road. He had to sigh at that, wondering if he’d ever fully understand her. And why does she always run ahead of me like that? I better follow her though. If nothing else, she does seem to have a talent for stumbling onto stuff! he decided as he followed her out and immediately broke into a run, trying to keep her in view as she bounded her way out of town.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on March 11, 2018.

Part 21 - Apple Siblings

Fluttershy’s Cottage
June 10th, 2:50PM

Jogging at as fast a pace as his dress slacks would allow, Phoenix finally caught up with Pinkie Pie at the fence in front of Fluttershy’s home five minutes later. Along the way, he noted the cloud that he had been studying earlier was now raining over the southwest part of Ponyville; he could feel a cool, moisture-laden breeze coming from that direction. He could make out a few distant but colorful pegasus ponies flitting about the cloud, shaping and pushing it as they saw fit, too.

Wow—so they really DO control the weather! he marveled, taking a minute to catch his breath and watch the pegasi work.

Arriving at the country cottage, Phoenix was puzzled to find it unattended except for the penned animals in the backyard. I expected there to be police here looking into that feather, he thought as he turned to Pinkie Pie, who was idly but happily sniffing the well-tended flowerbeds that surrounded the house. “Why did you want to come here again?” he asked her slightly breathlessly, thinking he could forgo his usual jogs and gym workouts and just chase Pinkie for exercise.

“So you can have your meeting with my friend, and so something strange can happen!” she reminded him with a cheery smile.

Phoenix gave her a look, his irritation starting to grow again. “But there’s nobody but us here, Pinkie Pie!” He gestured with both hands to the open yard and cottage before returning his gaze towards his equine companion. “And the only strange thing I see is the fact you brought me here for no reason!” he told her, annoyed at being pulled on a wild goose chase.

“Wait for it…” she instructed him.

“Wait for wha—”

“Hey! YOU!”

Phoenix froze when he heard an extremely familiar voice and accent, quickly spinning around to see who was calling him. “Huh?”

“What in tarnation do you think yer’ doin’?” His jaw dropped yet again when he saw another impossibly familiar person from his own world, this one an excitable young woman with an orange afro, green jacket and a white bandana who went by the name of Lotta Hart.

“No-no-no-no-NO! NOT YOU!” Phoenix yelled, stumbling backwards and nearly falling over in shock. A loudmouth with a short temper, Lotta Hart was a tabloid photographer and wannabe photojournalist who had an incredibly annoying knack of being in the wrong place at the right time, and whose pictures had been at the center of several of his cases, causing him no end of grief. Alternating between shameless gold-digging and only occasionally being helpful, Phoenix generally avoided her like the plague.

“Sorry, have we met?” Lotta asked, her voice even more caustic than usual, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at him. “Pretty sure I’d’ve remembered seeing some sorry-flanked human defense attorney ‘fore today!”

“Huh?” His vision swam again, and just as Mia had turned into Sonata, Lotta turned into an unsmiling freckle-cheeked orange earth pony mare wearing a Stetson cowboy hat. “You got some serious horse apples showing yer face ‘round these parts, Phoenix Wright! Why, Ah oughta knock you upside the head for what you did in court today!” she declared while glaring at Phoenix, her accent sounding uncannily like Lotta’s.

“O-oh, you’re not—” he stammered in relief, picking himself back up off the ground. It’s weird, though—she doesn’t really look like Lotta, but she sure sounds like her! he thought, trying to come up with an apology for his overreaction.

She didn’t give him a chance. “Not forgiving you? Well, now, guess yer finally right ‘bout something! So tell me, Mister fancy-pants-who-doesn’t-study-and-lies-through-his-teeth lawyer—where do you get off accusing sweet-and-innocent-with-a-heart-o’-gold Fluttershy like that?” she berated him in her country-twanged accent, anger flashing through her brilliant green eyes. “Anypony who’s met her even once knows she don’t have a mean bone in her body!”

Phoenix was getting nervous. He’d gotten plenty of dirty looks, but no pony had actually confronted him over Fluttershy before now. “Accusing Fluttershy? Well, uh, I know how it looks, but you see, I had to or—”

“Ferget it.” She cut him off with a wave of her hoof. “Ah already know why you did it!”

Phoenix was flustered. “But you just said—”

“You were just tryin’ to buy Rainbow another day, weren’t ya?” she stated with surety, making him instantly raise his initial estimation of her by several notches. “Ah ain’t no lawyer, but it was obvious enough. Hay, Ah reckon that’s the only reason the entire town didn’t wanna dump you in the Everfree afterwards!"

Phoenix could only manage a weak nod, brushing himself off. “Well, yeah. Believe me, the last thing I wanted to do was go and accuse Fluttershy. But if I hadn’t… Rainbow Dash would be awaiting sentencing and looking forward to a really bad suntan right now,” he offered up a weak joke.

“Ah know that! But lyin’ is still lyin’!” she said, pinning Phoenix with a soul-piercing glare. “Always causes a lot more trouble than it solves!”

He swallowed hard at the look she was giving him; despite his larger size she had the build of a workhorse, one strong enough to do some serious damage to him if she wanted to. And that was to say nothing of the massive russet-colored earth pony stallion standing next to her and regarding him with a mixture of curiosity and disdain, eyeing him over the haystalk in his mouth. “It’s what’s called a white lie—the ones that are for good intentions?” Phoenix offered, giving the pair a nervous look.

The country mare was unimpressed. “Oh, really? Well, Ah’m pretty sure Fluttershy didn’t appreciate yer ‘white lie’, Phoenix Wright,” she snapped back, making him feel ashamed and guilty over accusing her yet again. “You really think throwin’ another pony in jail just to cover up yer own sorry-flanked per-formance is okay?”

Her anger and pointed words made Phoenix cringe anew; whoever she was, she clearly had no qualms about being brutally blunt. “Ah… look, I’m really sorry I did that to her, okay? Believe me, I didn’t want to. It wasn’t even really a lie; I just proposed the possibility of questioning Fluttershy’s alibi,” he rationalized, trying to make himself feel better more than the mare scolding him.

“Ali-bi?” The orange earth pony tried to repeat the unfamiliar word while tilting her head over, only to shake it as if to clear it. “Hey! Stop using yer fancy silver-tongue lawyer speak to confuse me!” she ordered Phoenix, looking even more annoyed with him.

He held his hands up in placation. “Look, I know I screwed up, but I swear I’m going to make everything right tomorrow. By the way, you’re Apple Bloom’s sister, right?” Phoenix observed.

Her eyeridges shot up in surprise. “Huh? How‘d you know that?” she asked, tilting her head at him once more.

“Take a wild guess, pard’ner,” Phoenix mimicked her Middle Tennessee accent—-he’d heard it often enough from Lotta to be able to. Or given the similarities in place names here to those back on Earth, should that be ‘Tenneighsee’…?

Understanding dawned on her. “Oh, right, the accent. Is it really that noticeable?” she asked with a wan grin, only to be caught short. “Hey! Are you makin’ fun of the way Ah speak?” she asked angrily, taking another step towards him. “You think that just because Ah like my countryisms, Ah ain’t smart? Well, you listen and you listen good, Phoenix Wright! Ah can talk all fancy if you like, but it ain’t me! As far as Ah’m concerned, mah speech ain’t broke, and it don’t need fixing!”

His eyes widened at that. “N-no, of course not! It just reminds me a lot of somebody I know back home,” Phoenix assured her, rubbing his hand behind his head while deciding it would be best to change the subject. “I swear I wasn’t trying to offend you; I was just making an observation. It’s what I do as a lawyer. But who is this with you?” he turned his attention to the large red earth pony stallion with a sandy blonde mane standing beside her. He was wearing a yoke and pulling a cart loaded with what looked like a disassembled market stand and several baskets of produce—apples, carrots, celery stalks, colorful flowers too… he cataloged.

“I’m Big Macintosh. Her brother,” the stallion said in a very deep, slow, but suave tone of a voice that Phoenix immediately thought would have the local ladies swooning over him if he were human.

Wonder if it’s the same for the mares here? Bet he has schoolteachers and storekeepers falling for him all the time! Phoenix was surprised to find himself feeling somewhat envious. “Oh, I see! So, you’re siblings,” he had already guessed, noting the similarity in their accents and cutie marks; the orange mare had three small red apples adorning her flank while the red stallion had a single large green apple that looked like it had been cut in half.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac replied in a very languid drawl.

“He ain’t any more happy about what you did to Fluttershy than me! So you’d better make everythin’ right tomorrow, Phoenix Wright! Or as Celestia’s mah witness, Ah will smack you upside the head, you hear?” the mare threatened, taking another step towards him.

Phoenix held up his hands defensively, afraid she wasn’t going to wait that long. “Loud and clear! Don’t worry; me and Pinkie Pie here found some evidence that’s definitely going to come in handy!”

“Yep-yep! That’s right, Applejack!” Pinkie confirmed, telling Phoenix the name of the orange earth pony as she stepped in front of him almost protectively. “I’m helping him investigate! It’s a lot of fun, too!”

“That reminds me—why weren’t you at the trial today, Pinkie Pie?” Applejack asked her. “Between you, me and Rarity, reckon Ah’m the only one who showed up!”

“I was making donuts!” Pinkie replied brightly, just as before.

The country mare fell silent waiting for Pinkie to say something more, but she didn’t. “That’s it?” Applejack finally said in disappointment, having—much like Phoenix when he was told—expected an explanation just slightly more profound.

“Yup!” Pinkie confirmed, never losing her grin.

“Dagnabit! You gotta have a better excuse than that!” Applejack sighed, shaking her head over Pinkie’s air-headedness as Phoenix nodded in agreement.

“Oh? Okay! I made an extra, extra big batch!” Pinkie said with an extra, extra bright smile. “Well, okay, I wasn’t just making donuts. I was making everything from cupcakes to coffee and was also helping the Cakes run Sugarcube Corner!”

“So what does that have to do with—” Applejack wasn’t placated.

“Everything, silly! The Cakes are trying to use the extra race business to make enough money to finish their new nursery, and that means they need all the help they can get! First I had to help take care of the early morning crowd, who were all construction workers and just about cleaned us out, so we had to make extra batches of everything! And then it all settled down until we had this huge rush of mid-morning customers who were reporters and other out-of-town ponies who kept asking ‘I’m not from here, just here to watch the race coming up, so what’s good to eat here?’ but how do you answer that? I mean everything we make at the Sugarcube Corner is good, so I was like, ‘Oh, that’s a silly question, but here’s a few samples!’ which was fine until I ran out of samples because I’m pretty sure some of the ponies were just trying to get a free donut or cookie out of me.

“So then I had to stop giving out samples and some of the ponies were all up in hooves about that, and then Mr. Cake needed me to remake a bunch of cinnamon rolls and other sweets that kind of smelled like charcoal because he forgot about them in the oven, and Mrs. Cake was dealing with a grumpy griffon customer complaining about the coffee being too weak, and Mrs. Cake wasn’t in a good mood because of her morning sickness, and at one point she got a little nauseous and I had to help her into the bathroom while Mr. Cake took over the front, and oh my gosh you should have seen how bad it was when she got sick all over the bathroom—”

Applejack grimaced and to Phoenix’s relief, cut Pinkie off from going into unnecessary and unwelcome details with a hoof to her lips. “So to make a long story really short—you had a buncha extra customers and catering orders ‘cause of the race and had to stay to help the Cakes serve ‘em all so they could make enough bits to build a nursery?” Pinkie nodded once behind Applejack’s hoof. “Well, alright. Reckon that’s a good enough reason,” she finally conceded, pulling her hoof back. “Ah’d be lyin’ if Ah said having the race in town hadn’t been good business fer us, too. So where the hay was Rarity, then?”

“We just came from her shop. As it turned out, she kind of, uh… got trapped at the post office,” Phoenix offered on her behalf.

“The Post Office? Seriously?” The country mare made a face, then drew herself up straight and tall. “Well, that just goes to show ya’ll that Applejack is the most dependable pony there is! Always there rain or shine! Ah even got a trophy to prove it! Right, Big Mac?” she asked, crossing her left front hoof over her right in what looked to Phoenix a very proud pose.

“Eeyup!” Big Mac confirmed, observing and listening but not otherwise contributing much to the conversation.

A trophy for being dependable? Phoenix got a little depressed at that. I wish I had a trophy. I never even got one when I was in Little League! he reminisced, thinking that the plaque he got for perfect attendance in grade school didn’t count. “So, I know you’re Apple Bloom’s older sister, but I don’t know anything about you besides that,” Phoenix noted, having only heard her name, not her background.

The orange earth pony mare grinned and drew herself up tall. “Name’s Applejack! Proud owner and manager of Sweet Apple Acres!” she announced as proudly and nobly as she could, raising a hoof to tilt her Stetson hat to him in greeting; Phoenix all but swore he could hear a fiddle in the background playing a catchy country tune.

“Sweet Apple Acres?” Phoenix repeated, wondering if all the place names in Ponyville were so self-descriptive.

“Oh, right. You ain’t from around these parts, are ya? It’s a farm full of apple orchards run by the Apple family ten minutes due south of here,” Applejack said, nodding in the direction of the farm to Phoenix’s left, where the rain was still falling. “Though as you can see from the cart, we grow other crops too. Ponies can’t survive on apples alone, after all!”

With a name like Applejack, I guess she was set up at birth to be put in that business! Phoenix thought, taking a liking to the orange earth pony despite her initial hostility. She was proud and plainspoken, seemed honest to the core, and he found her directness very refreshing—being a lawyer, it was all too often a rarity in the people he worked with or represented. “So, you’re friends with Rainbow Dash too, huh?”

“Sure am! Ah’m not here to talk about that though. Don’t suppose y’all seen that little sister of mine?” Applejack asked them both.

Phoenix shook his head. “Not since the trial, sorry. Last time I saw Apple Bloom was when she was on the stand today.”

“Sorry, AJ, but I haven’t seen her either since I’ve been working in the kitchen or with Feenie all day—oh! Except when I was asleep. Then I was with General Cake and Major Muffin!” Pinkie declared.

A glance towards Applejack told him that she didn’t know what Pinkie Pie was talking about any more than he did. “Major… Muffin?” he had to ask, though he wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

Pinkie nodded eagerly. “Exactamundo! I had this dream where I was commanding a battalion of sweets fighting off an army of salads, asparagus and broccoli! It was like Nutrition versus Sweets! I didn’t know which side to enlist on at first, but I ended up going to the tasty side! It was a grueling war; many gumdrops and chocolate chips lost their lives… but we triumphed in the end!” Pinkie detailed her dream, which just about turned Phoenix’s mind to mush.

You know, Freud would have a field day with Pinkie Pie! he decided, thinking the legendary father of psychoanalysis could have written entire books on the quirky earth pony mare... or would have quit his field in frustration and disgust to become a bicycle salesman instead. “So, why are you looking for Apple Bloom?” Phoenix asked Applejack, deciding to return to a saner conversation.

The farmer mare gave him an annoyed look, though this time he could tell it wasn’t directed at him. “Because she ran off even though she’s supposed to be servin’ her grounding! You know, after going in that dark and dangerous forest so late?” she clarified, waiting for Phoenix to nod in understanding. “But reckon that little troublemaker bolted soon as she was excused from the witness stand! She was supposed to wait fer me!” Applejack shook her head in anger, then she looked up at him almost thoughtfully. “Oh, and by the way? Before Ah forget, Ah really do have to thank ya there, Phoenix Wright,” she said, suddenly favoring him with a smile.

He gave her a wary look. “Thank me? Weren’t you just threatening to ‘Knock me upside the head’ just a minute ago?’ he wondered if he should be reminding her.

“Yeah. And Ah still wanna do that. But Ah gotta thank you for getting mah little sister to tell the truth on that there witness stand this morning,” Applejack explained.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac agreed with a firm nod and smile.

You sure have an extensive vocabulary there, Big Macintosh! Phoenix noted while glancing again at Applejack’s larger, yet far less talkative, brother, idly wondering if they’d let him have an apple or carrot off the cart he was pulling—the sweets and coffee he’d had for lunch had been filling, just not that nutritious.

“Ah don’t know if Twilight told ya, but Ah represent the ‘Element of Honesty’, and Ah would like to see mah kin follow suit, if ya know what Ah mean.”

“Uh… I’m sorry, but I really don’t. What do you mean by ’Element of Honesty’?” Phoenix tilted his head at her as she had earlier done to him.

“She’s an Element of Harmony, Feenie! So am I! My element is Laughter; it’s like the best one ever!” Pinkie chimed in. “What’s the matter? Do you want an Element too, Feenie? I’m sure we can think of one for you!”

“Huh?” She had completely lost him again. “What’s an Element of Harmony?”

“Uh, sugarcube? Ah really don’t think it works like that,” Applejack offered on his behalf, but Pinkie had already taken the idea and was running with it.

“Hmmmm… now what Element could you be…?” Pinkie studied him closely, a pink hoof on her chin. “Oh! OH! OH! I got it!” she pronked once with each interjection, and then offered him a military-style salute with her hoof. “Phoenix Wright, with his nifty do, represents the spirit of—” she paused for dramatic effect, and Phoenix could faintly hear the distant sound of the band back in the town plaza doing a drum roll—“HAIR GEL!!”

Phoenix’s face flushed again, and he gave the pink mare a slight scowl. No comment.

Sensing his irritation, Applejack cleared her throat and changed the subject back to her sister. “Well, uh… that aside, Ol’ Beardy came by the farm escorted by Mayor Mare and told me n’ Big Mac that he saw Apple Bloom with Twilight,” she remembered.

“’Ol’ Beardy’?” Phoenix grinned when it clicked who she was referring to, thinking he’d have to remember that one. “Oh, you must mean The Judge.” Wonder what he’s doing wandering around this place? Knowing how easily distracted or amused he can be, he’s probably having the time of his life here!

“Yeah. Him,” Applejack replied with a nod. “Reckon I weren’t that happy with him either after this morning, but now that I met him? I take it back. Nice feller, but Ah sure wouldn’t want his job. Can’t help but wonder what Apple Bloom is doin’ with Twilight, though,” Applejack mused, sitting back on her haunches for a moment.

Phoenix could only grimace at Twilight’s mention. “Yeah, that’s a good question. And I wish I could tell you, but Twilight doesn’t want anything to do with me now. Last I saw of her, she was slamming a door in my face,” he told her a little sadly, crossing his arms and leaning back against a fencepost. “She left me behind at the courthouse and didn’t look back.”

To his surprise, the country mare gave him a sympathetic look. “Don’t worry. Twi’s got a temper, but she’ll get over it… after she figures out what you were trying to do and has some time to cool off first, anyway,” Applejack assured him, then stood back up and stalked towards him, her eyes narrowing. “That is, if you honestly intend on setting things right… right?” she emphasized her last word by poking a hoof into his midsection, just above his belt.

Phoenix flinched hard, wincing as she found the spot that Twilight had poked him the night before, worsening the bruise there further. Thank God she didn’t aim a few inches LOWER! “Of course I’ll set things right!” he promised her, resisting the urge to rub his abused belly, putting on a goofy grin. “My name is Phoenix Wright, after all!”

Back in the court plaza, another rimshot played as the troupe began their next show.

His expression dropped as Applejack gave him a disgusted look. “That… wasn’t… funny…” she informed him with a scowl; Big Macintosh rolled his eyes behind her as well.

“Yeah, Feenie, you really need to have more variety!” Pinkie added apologetically.

Am I the ONLY one in this entire world who thinks that joke is funny? he asked himself in frustration, thinking that if he ever had to leave his law practice, stand-up comedy probably wasn’t the way to go. Could probably make a living as a poker player, though!

Applejack stepped back from Phoenix as if to study him, seemingly scrutinizing him from head to toe. “You know, Phoenix Wright? Ah might wanna smack you, but reckon Ah’ll be rooting for you tomorrow anyway. You’re Rainbow’s only hope right now, and Ah’d hate to see her get banished,” she told him, looking very sad for a moment. “Rainbow’s hot-headed and can be a real pain in the flank sometimes, but that don’t make her a murderer. Ain’t no way she’d ever do what Trixie says, and you gotta make them see that!”

He nodded, drawing himself up straighter at the knowledge that not just his client, but plenty of other ponies were counting on him now. “I promise I will, Applejack. I know for a fact that Rainbow didn’t kill anyone, and no matter what, I’ll prove it to The Judge and everyone in that entire courtroom!” Phoenix swore to her.

Applejack studied him, then gave him a smile and an approving nod. “You know what? Ah fancy mahself a good judge of character, and when you say it? Ah believe it. Well then, Phoenix Wright… maybe you ain’t as bad as Ah made ya out to be!”

“Thanks,” he told her, starting to hope that maybe he could win folks back over. “I swear I’m a much better person and lawyer than I showed this morning, and I’ll prove it in court tomorrow. But actually—while you’re here, I’d like to confirm something, Applejack. Mind if I ask you a question?” Phoenix asked, going to a new topic.

“Shoot, pard’ner,” she said expectantly.

“About Apple Bloom—did she really arrive home when she said she did?” he asked, hoping for any bit of contradiction to Apple Bloom’s testimony so he’d be able to challenge Trixie’s timeline again.

To his disappointment, she nodded. “Yep! Ten after nine, that’s when she got home. She got a scoldin’ from Granny, Big Mac and me fer goin’ into that forest so late,” Applejack said with a glance to her older brother, who nodded and even looked slightly upset for a second.

Phoenix raised a brow at that, glancing again at the quiet earth pony stallion. A scolding? From HIM? What did he do; ‘Eeyup’ her into submission?

“Why'd ya ask?” Applejack said, pulling his attention back to her.

He sighed and rubbed his head, starting to pace slowly in front of Fluttershy’s yard. “I was hoping to find a new way to attack Trixie’s version of events, but it doesn’t look like that’s it. Still, that’s not the only thing bugging me about all this. That second lightning bolt has been plaguing my mind. How is it both your sister and Fluttershy didn’t hear or see it?” he wondered aloud while shaking his head in frustration.

Applejack nodded slowly at that. “Ah was thinking when you brought it up this morning that maybe that Ace Pegasus fella got hit in midair, but that makes one of yer, uh, ‘contra-fiction’ doohickeys…” she trailed off uncertainly.

“Think you mean ‘contradiction’ there, sis,” Big Macintosh surprised Phoenix by correcting her before he could.

She nodded. “Yeah! One of those! From what Twi and Trixie said, it couldn’t have hit him because o’ that suit.”

Phoenix nodded in agreement, taking Mia’s trademark crossed-arms-with-hand-on-chin pose. “I was thinking the same thing, but Rainbow Dash said that was pretty much impossible when I spoke to her in the detention center after the trial. She says that suit makes you completely invulnerable to lightning while in the air.”

“Not to mention it would have made a sound and left a mark if it hit him on the ground when he was vulnerable… ugh!!!” Applejack shook her head to clear it. “All this thinking ‘bout contradictions and storm clouds makes mah head hurt! Ah’m an apple farmer, not a lawyer or weather mare!” she told him, taking her hat off and rubbing her forehead with a hoof for a moment, showing a mane of flowing blonde hair tied off at the end with a single red ribbon. Phoenix was surprised how much her appearance changed by removing the hat, instantly turning the country mare from a workhorse into something far more feminine.

His eyes widened when he realized where his thoughts had gone. Okay, I really HAVE been in this world too long! he decided, appalled that he was starting to notice mares in such a way, half-thinking that he should visit a strip club back home just to purge his thoughts of ponies. FOCUS, Phoenix! “I couldn’t hold a match to the prosecution today, but things will be different tomorrow once I’ve had a chance to conduct a real investigation, to say nothing of having a much better grasp of the rules of this world,” he reassured the cowpony—was that even a word?—of the upcoming return to the trial. “I didn’t study before, but you can bet I will now!”

Putting her Stetson back on, she stared at him for a few seconds before nodding, apparently satisfied with the determination she saw in his face. “I’m gonna hold you to that, Phoenix Wright. And while yer at it, how ‘bout you show that stuck-up attention horse a thing or two?”

“’Attention horse’?” Phoenix tilted his head.

“You know—that no-good, blue snake-in-the-grass!” Applejack elaborated, which only confused Phoenix further.

Seeing he was still not following her, she went on. “She wears that tacky hat an’ cape? All ‘bout the fancy light shows and talking herself up without a single bit o’ shame?”

Then it clicked. “Oh! You mean Trixie!” he realized, thinking that ‘attention horse’ was a little too close to a certain other term, which as far as he was concerned, fit the mare magician just fine!

“Yeah. Her,” Applejack confirmed his guess with a scowl on her freckled face. “Ah can’t stand her! Ah was biting mah tongue every time she opened that big blue muzzle o’ hers in the trial today!” she told him, stomping a forehoof hard enough that Phoenix could feel vibrations through the ground.

His lips tightened at that. “You and me both, believe me. Then again, that hardly seems unusual. I’ve noticed Trixie has that effect on a lot of ponies in these parts,” Phoenix noted dryly, remembering how many times during the trial he wanted to stuff something in her big blue muzzle to shut her up.

“With good reason! Trixie’s a grade-A example of what lying will lead to! Her fibbing and boasting caused that big ol’ Ursa to come a-stompin’ through Ponyville,” she told him. “If it hadn’t been for Twi, it could’ve wiped out the whole town!”

“Rainbow told me a bit about that,” he vaguely recalled from before the trial, scratching his chin and wondering what the full story entailed. “Something about Twilight cleaning up a mess she made?”

Applejack’s answer was an angry equine snort. “Reckon that’s one way to put it. You know, she’s just doing this whole thing because she’s all salty with me, Rarity, Twilight, and Rainbow.”

That caught Phoenix short. “Wait a minute—I knew she had a grudge against Twilight, but why you and the other two?” he asked curiously.

“That ain’t no mystery. Last time Trixie was in Ponyville, she was showing off and bragging like she was the bee’s knees. So the others n’ Ah called Trixie out on her hooey!” she told him. “Turns out we were right—she wasn’t ‘great or powerful’ after all; all she had to her name was a bunch of bombast and a few cheap parlor tricks. Twi ended up proving that!” Applejack remembered with a grin.

She went on to tell Phoenix the full story of how two impressionable young colts named Snips and Snails had lured a monster called an Ursa Minor out of its cave in the Everfree Forest, leading it all the way back to Ponyville just so they could see Trixie defeat it like she claimed she could in her shows. To the surprise of nopony except Snips and Snails, she could not, but fortunately Twilight could, saving the town and sending an exposed and humiliated Trixie on her way minus her reputation and wagon, which the Ursa destroyed during its rampage through Ponyville.

Ah still reckon Twi should’ve given Snips and Snails more punishment than a magical mustache, though! Applejack mused as she finished the tale.

Phoenix was wearing a broad grin by the time the story ended, wishing he’d been there to see the showmare be shown up. He was also starting to understand how powerful Twilight truly was if she could pull off such a feat. Special girl, that one. She’ll make some stallion real lucky someday! he mused with a hint of sadness, his smile vanishing as he silently hoped again for a chance to make amends with her. If anything, she seemed to be a genuinely wonderful mare, and he hated the idea of not having a chance to fix things with her. And should I be worried that there are apparently town-destroying monsters living in the woods…?

Applejack’s voice snapped him out of his reverie. “So to make a long story short, Trixie’s insulting and insufferable, and none of us like her! So when she got on the stand in the trial today, Ah told Apple Bloom to call Trixie out if she gave her a hard time.”

His grin instantly returned. “Oh, so you’re responsible for that!” he recognized in delight, lifting up a closed fist and bumping it with her hoof in respect and gratitude.

“Guilty as charged!” Applejack admitted proudly, standing up straighter and puffing her chest out a bit as she returned the gesture, hitting his knuckles with her hoof hard enough to sting him a bit.

Phoenix gave a little chuckle, suppressing the urge to wince—her hooves felt like solid rock, unlike Twilight and Rarity’s slightly yielding ones. “As much as she was abusing me in there, it was fun watching Trixie get verbally served by a child. Certainly brightened up my day!”

“Ah know, right?” Applejack agreed with a satisfied grin.

“Still, I have to ask, though—isn’t Trixie a performer? I mean, isn’t she supposed to show off and exaggerate her own abilities?” he mused. “I don’t think the ‘Middling and Mediocre Trixie’ would really attract a crowd. Not defending her or anything, as there were plenty of times I wanted to smack her upside the head this morning,” Phoenix hastened to add through narrowed eyes. He ground his teeth as he remembered her behavior before and during the trial, finding himself suddenly entertaining an image of himself riding Big Macintosh to run her down like a rodeo steer, hogtying the infuriating showmare with her own cape and silencing her insults with a gag made from her own pointed hat.

Applejack shook her head. “Naw, you don’t understand. Remember how she was calling you ‘Mister Not Right’ today? It was like that, only on a stage. And in front of the entire town, not just a courtroom,” Applejack tried an analogy.

Phoenix shrugged. “Actually she was calling me ‘Mister Wrong’. You know, because it’s the opposite of ‘right’ and—”

“Same difference!” Applejack cut him off with a wave of her hoof, not wanting any more headaches. “The point is, it was every bit as unbearable, except she was doing it to everypony, not just you!” she explained, and Phoenix nodded in understanding.

“And that’s why Ah want you to do your best, Phoenix Wright! You want Twilight and the rest of the townponies to forgive you? Then show Trixie what you’re made of! Prove Rainbow innocent and rub it right in that smug, snotty show-off face of hers!” Applejack ordered him, giving the cart a sharp kick with her back hoof. To his surprise, a pair of apples launched themselves right out of their basket and arced lazily into his hands.

He had no idea how she’d done it, but at that moment didn’t care. “Deal!” Phoenix immediately agreed, crunching loudly into one of the ripe, red fruits, his eyes widening as the crisp, sweet taste hit his tongue—just like the other food he’d tried since he’d been in Ponyville, it was easily the best apple he’d ever eaten.

Applejack smiled at his reaction, deciding the human lawyer couldn’t be that bad if he appreciated her family’s apples. “Let’s shake on it!” she offered.

“Okay!” Phoenix said, putting the other apple in his pocket and raising his right fist, only to pull it back when Applejack spit on her hoof and offered it to him.

“Well? Go on,” she offered her dripping hoof.

Phoenix crossed his arms. “I’m not touching that hoof.”

“Why not?” Applejack asked in an insulted tone.

“Because there’s spit all over it,” Phoenix said it straight, letting his distaste be heard.

Applejack scowled, lowering her hoof. “You’re just as prissy as Rarity! Don’t want to get your fancy-pants lawyer hooves dirty, eh?”

Phoenix sighed. “Sorry, but I prefer to avoid touching things that have been in other’s mouths. I think we can conclude this agreement with a nod.”

She rolled her green eyes but nodded regardless, sealing the deal. “Pfft… fine, then. Have it yer way, Phoenix Wright. Reckon Ah best be moseying on now, then! Still gotta find that lil’ sis of mine. Ah’m going to go check Twilight’s place now—may as well stay away from the farm until the rain’s done, anyway,” she decided aloud with a glance up at the sky. “Listen—if you two do see Apple Bloom, can y’all tell her to head on home? Never mind her grounding, Ah don’t want her out and about with murders happening and all. She’s with Twi’ though, so reckon Ah shouldn’t be worried,” Applejack mused.

“Yeah, we’ll be sure to if we see her,” Phoenix promised, and Pinkie nodded as well.

“Thanks, y’all!” Oh, and uh… remind me t’ give ya that knock upside the head when I’m not so busy, Phoenix Wright. Later!” she said with a tip of her Stetson hat, turning on her heel to leave.

What a pleasant way to say goodbye to someone, Phoenix said to himself as he watched them go, not sure he’d be looking forward to their next encounter. “Goodbye, Applejack. It was good to meet you. You too, Big Macintosh.”

“Eeyup.” Big Mac bade him farewell, then headed off along with Applejack, pulling the cart behind him and leaving Phoenix alone with Pinkie Pie once more.

“So, still think my Pinkie Sense is ridiculous, Feenie?” She wore a smug look. “We met someone here, just like I said we would!”

“Pure coincidence,” Phoenix insisted as he passed her the other apple. “And by the way, nothing weird happened!” Well, unless you count me ogling AJ for a second there!

In yet another seeming impossibility he was coming to associate with his new earth pony friend, she tossed it into the air with her hoof and ate it in a single bite. “Nothing yet, Feenie! But just as soon as—oh! Here it comes; here it comes!” Pinkie turned excited again, looking up at the sky.

“Huh?” Phoenix saw nothing out of place when he looked up as well. But then—

“Ehem!” Pinkie coughed.

“What’s coming?” he asked her to clarify, still looking up, not seeing anything except a couple pegasi still shuttling pieces of cloud around.

“I coughed!” Pinkie replied.

He didn’t know what to say to that. “Okay, and?”

“That means a previous prediction is about to come true!” Pinkie proclaimed.

Phoenix rolled his eyes. “Pinkie Pie, come off it already! I’m not going to accept you can predict things based off of—”

At that moment, HIS CELLPHONE RANG!

“What? What?!” Phoenix went pale, automatically going for his left pants pocket.

“Oooo… what’s that, Feenie? I’ve never seen one of those thingies before! That’s a catchy tune!” Pinkie said with a huge smile as he pulled his early 2000s-era cellphone free, grooving to the Steel Samurai theme song he used as a ringtone.

Phoenix pulled his phone out and held it in a shaking hand. “B-but that’s impossible! How can someone be calling me?” he asked, more than a little freaked.

“Calling you? So what do you do with that thing, anyway?” Pinkie asked curiously.

He stared at it like it might bite him. “I guess I just answer it,” Phoenix said, deciding it was the only thing he really could do. I really hope trans-dimensional calls don’t hurt my phone bill! he forced some humor in his thoughts as he warily hit the answer button. “H-hello?”

“Phoenix Wright?” an unfamiliar male voice asked over the speaker.

“Yes, that’s me,” a very leery Phoenix replied, immediately getting a response back. “Who is this?”

“A concerned friend,” came the answer.

“A concerned friend?” Phoenix repeated the voice’s claim so Pinkie would hear.

“A friend? Tell them I say hello!” Pinkie requested, but Phoenix ignored her.

“Tell me, how and why are you calling me?” he demanded to know.

The voice on the other end avoided his question after a brief pause. “Not important right now. What is important is that I can help you.”

“Help me? How?” Phoenix asked.

“I know what really happened to Ace Swift that night. And I have decisive evidence that can clear your client,” the voice announced.

“What? Are you serious?” Phoenix’s eyes widened, his hand gripping the cellphone tighter.

“Yes. I want you to meet me at the clearing where the crime took place,” the voice instructed. “Go immediately, and I will pass you the evidence when you arrive.”

He nodded eagerly. “Alright, I’ll be right there! Pinkie, we have to—”

“Alone!” the voice added sharply before he could complete his sentence.

“Huh?” Phoenix turned instantly suspicious.

“We must meet alone, Phoenix Wright. There’s no other way I can see you,” the voice warned.

“Why?” Phoenix asked, but the voice remained silent. “I might get lost or attacked by a forest creature if I go there alone,” he protested.

“I don’t want to be revealed to anyone but you. So do you want my help or not?” the voice remained firm.

Great. Now what? Phoenix wondered, feeling like he was between a rock and a hard place: either let Pinkie come with him and risk not getting the information he needed, or come alone and risk getting lost or killed by the various creatures living in the forest—or by his mysterious caller, who might or might not be on the level.

Turning it over in his head, he reached his decision. “Okay, okay! I’ll go alone,” Phoenix agreed reluctantly, reasoning that for the sake of Rainbow Dash, he had to take the chance, and that going to the clearing during the day was far safer than at night.

“Good. I’ll be waiting for you. You made the right choice, Phoenix Wright!” The voice promised.

He didn’t feel that reassured. “Tell me though—who is this?”

“All will be explained when I see you,” the voice promised before hanging up.

“Who were you talking to, Feenie?” Pinkie asked as Phoenix returned the phone to his pants pocket, lost in thought.

This seems more than a bit shady. Someone wants to meet me alone in the forest clearing where the murder took place? He said he wanted to help me, but how was he calling me, anyway? I don’t know what they use for communication, but I’m pretty sure Equestria doesn’t have cellphone towers! he thought to himself, looking for explanations but only coming up with more questions.

“Feenie?” Pinkie nudged him, a hint of worry in her voice.

He shook his head, unable to look at her. “Pinkie? I’m sorry, but there’s something I have to go do alone.”

“Huh?” She tilted her head.

“Whoever that was, he said he had evidence that would prove Rainbow Dash innocent, but he’ll only give it to me if I come alone to the forest clearing to meet him.”

She didn’t look any happier about that than he was. “Alone? In there? That sounds kinda suspicious, Feenie,” she noted in some wariness, echoing his own thoughts. He had nearly reached the conclusion that she was surprisingly sensible at times, until—“WAIT, I KNOW WHO THAT WAS!” Pinkie shouted.

“Really? Who?” Phoenix asked in surprise, thinking she’d overheard the phone conversation and belatedly recognized the voice.

“Yes! It was WOB NIAR! Don’t go, Feenie! Dash’s evil twin is planning to do something nasty!” Pinkie shivered in fear.

His hopes sank along with his shoulders. “Pinkie, there is no Wob Niar! Besides, this person was male, and they said they wanted to help me,” he told her, exasperated anew. “I’m not convinced, but for Rainbow’s sake, I have to take the chance.”

She looked up at him for a moment, before nodding. “Alright, Feenie! If you think it’s for the best, I’ll wait for you by the entrance,” she promised, escorting him down the path as far as where the woods began.

Poised at the forest’s edge, Phoenix found the entrance staring at him like a gaping maw, ready to swallow him whole should he go inside. “I’ll be right back out; the pathway more or less leads to that clearing, and the sun’s still out. I shouldn’t have trouble navigating myself through,” he reasoned, as much to fight his own fears as to reassure Pinkie, resting a hand on her withers, trying to take some strength from her presence.

She nuzzled his side. “Please be careful, Feenie. It’s dangerous in there, even during the day,” she warned him in genuine concern. “Yell, and I’ll come running!”

He swallowed, really not wanting to go in there by himself. “Okay, I’ll be right back. Promise,” Phoenix said, giving the back of her ears a parting scratch. Mustering up his courage, he took off at a brisk walk down the path into the woods, his mind full of worry and doubt.

Everfree Forest Clearing
June 10th, 3:10 PM

Despite nearly getting lost on the way—he swore the bushes and grasses had somehow filled in since his last visit, doing their best to hide the path—Phoenix finally reached the clearing where the crime took place, skirting a patch of strange blue ivy-like vines and flowers by the entrance that made him uneasy for some reason. Surveying the scene, he noted that other than a few fresh hoofprints from the police investigative team, nothing had been disturbed since his last visit—the tape outline of where the body was found was still there, as was the scuffed-up area of ground to the left.

“Hello? I’m here!” he called out from the entrance, but no one answered. Walking to the center of the clearing, he looked over the strange and nearly dark forest that surrounded him; the eerie and foreboding atmosphere of the place hardly lessened by it being daytime and the unfamiliar calls of alien birds and bugs not helping.

So where is this mysterious ‘friend’ of mine? He said he’d be waiting for me! Phoenix remembered, his mind starting to wander and wonder—who was his enigmatic informant? “It’s me, Phoenix Wright! You said you wanted to help me!” he called out once more, but only silence answered him.

Is this someone’s idea of a prank? Phoenix was starting to get frustrated; wondering if he was being played for a fool. Hey, I know! I’ll just hit the redial button on my phone! he had the sudden inspiration, pulling it back out of his left pants pocket to do so. But when he clicked it on, he heard no dial tone; only an annoying beep with an accompanying “No Connection Point” message on his phone display.

What? Th-then how was he able to call me earlier? he protested mentally, unable to come up with a reasonable explanation for such an anomaly. “Maybe all these trees are just interfering with the signal,” he suggested to himself without really believing it, falling silent as the wind suddenly picked up, bringing with it a chilling breeze that sent a shiver down his spine.

He bit his lip at that. Even in the daytime, the forest was undeniably spooky, playing on his fears and phobias anew, but he sucked it up as best he could, determined to do it for Rainbow Dash’s sake. Still, he couldn’t stay there forever, and after twenty minutes of waiting, he was getting antsy. I’ll wait five more minutes, then I’m leaving. This is getting creepy! he finally decided as the hair on his neck stood on end, finding himself jumping at every little sound he heard, missing Twilight’s protective presence, horn and magic more than ever.

Unbeknownst to him as he stood in the middle of the clearing, a dark shadow was carefully circling around him, slowly creeping up behind him. At first it was sneaking, moving cautiously hoof by hoof. Then, it began walking. Then trotting. And then it ran towards Phoenix in a full gallop as it broke into the clearing, its hoofed feet touching the ground with impossible lightness, leaving no track or noise until—

WHAM!!!!

“Ugh!” was all Phoenix managed as he was knocked out cold by a blow to the back of his head, only barely aware of himself falling, hitting the ground hard by the tape outline of Ace Swift’s body.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on April 4, 2018.

Part 22 - The Shy Savior

~??????~

“Uhhh…” Phoenix groaned as he slowly came to, finding himself lying on a large rock outcrop.

“My head…” he moaned, raising a hand up to feel a fresh lump on the back of his skull where he was hit, his vision blurry and his head throbbing painfully. “Did anyone get the license plate number of that truck?” he wondered out loud, sitting up shakily, struggling to regain his senses.

A surge of adrenaline sped up the process when he didn’t recognize his surroundings, finding himself in a much smaller and darker clearing bordered by bushes, vines and trees with no obvious way out, his back to a large rock.

“What the—where am I?! I’m still in the forest, but I’m not in the clearing anymore!” he realized in alarm. “Damn it! It was a trap, and I fell for it! Now I’m lost!” he swore, cursing his lack of sense in falling for an obvious ambush. Pinkie was right! This was fishy from the get-go, but I didn’t listen! Why didn’t I LISTEN???

Fear rose within him; his heart was pounding in his chest. This must be how Apple Bloom felt the other night! Even though the sun is still out I can hardly see! he abruptly understood, trying not to panic, struggling to his feet. Looking down, he saw his suit was a mess, covered with dirt and loose brambles; his slacks were also torn in at least two places as he’d clearly been dragged part of the way. Rarity is going to kill me for this! the odd thought crossed his mind, a fresh sense of unease gripping him.

Wait a minute! As his vision finally cleared, he noticed that his jacket was open and all his pockets had been emptied, turned inside out. “WHAT!? WHERE IS IT?! ALL MY EVIDENCE IS GONE!” he slammed the surface of the large rock face behind him with a fist in frustration, realizing at that moment he’d been lured in for that purpose, regretting ever more his choice to enter the forest alone.

The sudden sound of rustling underbrush and crackling twigs told him he had much more immediate concerns than stolen evidence. Phoenix froze, his eyes darting back and forth; he was unable to see what was making the noise through the thick underbrush, but he could tell it was getting closer.

“H-hello?” he called out tentatively, but instead of ponies, the silhouettes of four menacing figures emerged from the forest around him and stepped into the small clearing in front of him, eyes glowing green against the dark backdrop of the woods, growling hungrily.

His guts clenched in fear as he beheld the monstrous, wolf-like creatures; their bodies appeared to be made entirely of leaves, twigs and bark but that just made them all the more horrifying to him, especially when they seemed to materialize right out of the trees and ground itself!

“Ah!” Phoenix stumbled backwards, backing himself up against the large and partially crumbled rock face behind him, quickly realizing there was nowhere he could run and nothing he could use to defend himself except a few loose stones, which he clutched at only to find them crumbling at his touch. Watching in dismay as his one pitiful means of defense fell to literal pieces, he returned his gaze towards the plant-like beasts and swallowed hard as he began to break out in a cold sweat.

“N-nice puppies!” he tried to soothe the beasts down, but he didn’t know what he was going to do if he couldn’t persuade them not to make him their next meal. He briefly thought he might be able to climb the rock outcrop behind him, but there was no time. They were just a few short paces from reaching him, and if they were anything like the wolves of his world, they would no doubt pounce if he turned his back to them in an attempt to climb up. Realizing he might be experiencing his final moments, the cold terror of death gripped his body and mind as he watched the Everfree predators move in.

I’m frozen in place… I’m too scared to move… THEY’RE GOING TO KILL ME! he realized as the pack closed in, the lead wolf ready to pounce.

In that moment, Phoenix was certain he was dead. “NO!” he shouted, raising his arms in what he knew would be a futile effort to protect himself. Just as he was about to accept his fate, his vision was flooded by a blinding beam of white as a shaft of light speared into the clearing from the canopy above; he beheld his salvation in a blur of pink and yellow as a pegasus mare came darting down as if borne by the beam, planting herself between him and the monsters menacing him.

“H-huh?” As his vision came back he was stunned to see… “Fl-Fluttershy?!”

“You should be ashamed of yourselves! Picking on poor defenseless Mister Phoenix like that!” She fearlessly faced down the four beasts with flared wings and lowered head, speaking with a fierceness and fire Phoenix would never have dreamed she was capable of. He couldn’t see her face, but as she turned her gaze on each of his assailants in turn, the wolves recoiled, shrinking back from her, whining softly.

“You are all acting like a bunch of big, mean bullies! What would your mothers think if they saw you behaving this way?” she demanded to know, picking out and pinning the apparent alpha wolf with her… stare?

Phoenix watched open-mouthed as even their leader, the largest of them, cowered before her, beginning to back away in respect and fear. He briefly caught the corner of her eye as she turned her attention to a flanking wolf, and he flinched hard from the sheer power of her gaze, suddenly understanding why the beasts couldn’t attack—her stare was terrifying in its intensity, feeling like a force of nature bending the forest creatures to her will.

I don’t believe this! This CAN’T be the same timid little pony I saw in court this morning! Phoenix watched in disbelief as she cowed the entire pack, the four large wolves now submissively cringing like misbehaving dogs did before their human masters, prostrating themselves before her.

“Now, leave here this instant! And I want the four of you to go back to your den and think about what… you’ve… done!” Fluttershy scolded them, a stomp of her hoof with her final word sending them scurrying. The beasts whimpered and ran off into the darkness with their wooden tails between their legs, never to stalk Phoenix again.

When they were out of sight and sound, Fluttershy turned to him, her gaze back to normal while Phoenix was still gaping at her, unable to believe what he had just witnessed. “That was close, Mister Phoenix. Those lupines are called Timberwolves. Being made of wood, they can travel directly through tree roots and trunks, and they’re known to rip their prey apart within a few seconds,” Fluttershy informed him in the same tone Phoenix thought she’d use to narrate a nature documentary.

The badly shaking lawyer slowly regained his composure, leaning on the rock behind him for support. “Fluttershy, th-thank you! You… you saved my life!” he said in gratitude, amazed a pony so shy could be so fierce.

She gave him a knowing grin. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. Even if you had been killed, you would have come back to life from your ashes more magnificent than ever, right?” Fluttershy asked in perfect innocence, and it finally clicked somewhere in the back of Phoenix's mind that she actually thought his name meant he was the mythical bird of fire that died and was reborn from its own ashes—a creature which apparently existed in this world?

“Uh… yeah.” Phoenix just went along with it, afraid of losing her protection if he didn’t—hopelessly naïve she may have been, but helpless she clearly was not. Even more than that, she had saved his life when she had every reason to hate him, and he knew it now fell to him to make amends…

To ask forgiveness for something that in his own mind was utterly unforgivable.

Closing his eyes, he knelt on the ground in front of her, getting on her level and bowing his head before her. “Fluttershy, p-please listen…” he all but begged her, his voice quavering badly.

She nodded and stood silent, waiting.

“The reason I accused you in court earlier… I know you didn’t do any of that crap I was claiming, but I was about to lose and got desperate! Casting suspicion on you was the only way I could think of to stop a guilty verdict and keep the trial going for another day,” he told her, tears in his eyes as he remembered again the frightened, bewildered look on her face as she was led away for questioning, begging him for help he could not give.

“I did it to save Rainbow, but I did it at your expense and without your say in the matter. I’m very, very sorry for doing that to you, and I wouldn’t blame you if you h-hated me for it!” Phoenix said, burying his face in his hands, tears streaming down his cheeks as he finally gave voice to his long-suffering conscience, holding his breath as he awaited her reply.

Fluttershy stared at him for several seconds without speaking; Phoenix was afraid to open his eyes for fear of what he’d see on her face. Suddenly, he felt a gentle touch on his chin, her hoof raising his head up to meet hers. His wet eyes opened to find himself staring into her beautiful bluish-green ones, deep pools of teal that shone with nothing but concern and compassion. “It’s alright, Mister Phoenix. I forgive you,” she said softly, giving him a gentle smile.

He stared at her in stunned disbelief, barely daring to believe it. “Y-you forgive me? J-just like that?” he choked out.

She moved closer in response and swept a broad yellow wing over him, brushing his head and cheek with her soft feathers; Phoenix all but felt like he was being touched by an angel. “Yes. Because I believe you and believe in you, Mister Phoenix. That’s why I came here to look for you. To make sure you were safe,” Fluttershy said with her sweet little voice that was, to Phoenix, like a beam of light breaking through the clouds of his greatest hour of darkness.

“You’re far too kind,” he barely managed through his tears, reaching up to grasp her hoof in both his hands, feeling unworthy of her rescue and the forgiveness she was blessing him with—thinking that simply calling her ‘kind’ didn’t even begin to describe the incredible, wonderful mare before him.

Fluttershy held him close while he slowly regained his composure; it took another minute before he was able to speak again. “But Fluttershy—wh-what are you doing here? I thought you were arrested?” he asked her, failing to remember what she said earlier about coming in to find him; his traumatized mind still reeling from his close call.

“The police let me go,” Fluttershy answered simply, stepping back from him and letting him gather himself.

He had recovered just enough of his faculties to know that didn’t make sense. “They let you go? But I thought you were a suspect!” Phoenix said, his mind coming up with some slightly nonsensical theories why they would have. A bribe? Did she have connections? Was her shyness all an act and she was actually some secret government agent? Did Trixie arrange this attack? he suddenly wondered, not sure if he’d put anything past the grudge-driven showmare.

“I don’t know why, but they said I didn’t have to stay anymore and let me out,” Fluttershy explained patiently.

His conscience soothed and his mind settling back down, his attorney instincts started to kick in again. That can only mean one thing. The feather didn’t match any of her animals, he realized as Fluttershy continued with her story.

“When I got home, I saw Pinkie Pie standing by the entrance to the forest, so I asked her what she was doing. She said you went in here all alone, so I got worried and I flew in to find you!” she explained further.

Phoenix closed his eyes at that, realizing he owed his new earth pony friend yet again. Thank you, Pinkie Pie! “By chance, did you see anyone else in here while you were looking for me?” he asked, finally able to stand up again—with the help of the rock face behind him to lean on.

To his surprise, Fluttershy shrank back from him. “No… I didn’t? Um... sh-should I have seen someone? You know, like how I should have seen Apple Bloom that night? I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to do something wrong again!” Fluttershy said, cringing like she was in court once more.

Phoenix stared at her cowering form, the ghost of a smile touching his face. It’s funny how she just took on a pack of savage wolves and then goes right back into submissive wimp mode! “No, it’s okay, Fluttershy,” he reassured her, hands raised and palms out. “It’s just that… someone lured me in here to attack me. They knocked me out and left me for dead in the middle of the forest,” he explained, sitting on a lichen-covered rock. It was dirty, but considering the shape his suit was now in, it didn’t matter.

Her eyes widened at that. “Oh, my. That’s not very nice,” Fluttershy remarked in a prize understatement.

“On top of that, they stole all the evidence I was going to use to defend Rainbow Dash in the trial tomorrow,” Phoenix continued, slumping over and burying his head in his hands, thinking his life was saved but his case was now lost—all the progress he had made undone by a single stupid decision. What the HELL was I thinking, coming in here alone?

Fluttershy suddenly looked confused. “But, um… Twilight said she was going to defend Rainbow Dash tomorrow.”

Phoenix looked up sharply at that. “Huh? What?”

“She talked with me at the Detention Center earlier and told me to forget about you,” Fluttershy informed him apologetically.

Phoenix had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. “Oh, no! I hope she’s not doing what I think she is!” he began, but he knew there was only one possible explanation. “She’s going to get me dismissed as Rainbow’s attorney for what I did to you and take over the defense! Trixie will eat her alive if she tries to defend Rainbow Dash alone!” He clutched his head, having one more major issue to deal with on top of the ton of other problems he already had.

She gave him an odd look. “Trixie? Are you talking about that blue unicorn in the wizard outfit?” Fluttershy asked, remembering the not-so-nice pony that had interviewed her after the murder and been in court the next day, constantly shouting at her to state her name and occupation.

He nodded, his eyes narrowing. “Yeah. I barely held my own against her, and I have experience! Twilight won’t stand a chance! I have to get her to reconsider!”

“I’m sure if you tell her what you told me, she’ll change her mind,” Fluttershy suggested.

He shook his head. “I don’t know. She was pretty upset,” Phoenix told her, thinking he’d almost rather face the Timberwolves again than a betrayed and angry Twilight.

“She’s my friend. I’ll help you explain it to her,” Fluttershy offered, flaring her wings protectively and putting a hoof on his knee.

“Thanks, Fluttershy,” Phoenix said in heartfelt gratitude, reaching out to squeeze her hoof again. “Hey, wait a second—I just thought of something!”

“What is it, Mister Phoenix?” Fluttershy asked curiously, sitting down on her haunches in front of him.

“You said Pinkie Pie was standing by the entrance, right?”

“Um… yes?” she confirmed.

“Well, then whoever knocked me out would have had to leave through the entrance, since that’s the only way out!” he realized.

Her teal eyes widened in understanding. “Oh! I see now! Since Pinkie Pie is waiting by the entrance—”

“Pinkie Pie will probably have seen whoever attacked me leave the forest!” Phoenix finished, standing back up, finally feeling able to walk again.

Fluttershy got up as well. “I’ll show you the way out. You were right about that this morning, you know.”

“Huh?” he looked at her in confusion.

“Even if I may not like visiting it much, this forest really is like a backyard to me,” she told him with a wan grin. “I do know my way around it.”

Phoenix cringed again, remembering that observation had come in the middle of his attempt to accuse her, meant more as a rationalization than something he really believed. “And I’m very glad you do. Lead the way, Fluttershy!” he invited her, letting her guide him out of the foreboding forest.

As Fluttershy escorted him out of the dark and misty woods, Phoenix just wanted to see the light of day, and Pinkie Pie in that order, hoping against hope that the latter had seen his unknown assailant leave the Everfree and he would be able to recover his lost evidence.

As he walked, questions were running through his mind—who had attacked him? How had they called him on his cellphone? Why had they gone after his evidence and left him for dead? Was he getting close to a truth somepony didn’t want him to find out?

He didn’t yet have any answers, but for now, Phoenix was just grateful to be alive, vowing he’d never think ill of Fluttershy again.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on April 4, 2018.

Part 23 - Unexpected Turn of Events

Everfree Forest
June 10th, 3:45 PM

Fluttershy and Phoenix had just reached a narrow side trail when they both heard something—or somepony—coming quickly up the path, just out of sight around a trail bend. “Do I hear galloping?” the latter asked as the distinct four-beat gait noise got louder.

“It’s not me,” Fluttershy stated, stopping beside Phoenix, her ears swiveling to focus on the noise.

“It’s getting closer!” Phoenix swallowed, still on edge.

“I can see somepony coming this way,” Fluttershy announced, stepping in front of him protectively and soon Phoenix could see indistinct movement behind the brush that hid the bend as well.

What if it’s the one who attacked me? I REALLY hope I don’t have to fight a pony! Phoenix tensed and clenched his fists, readying to meet a charge. As the galloping pony came into sudden view, Fluttershy was surprised and Phoenix was stunned as her identity was revealed to be…

TWILIGHT!

The unicorn mare skidded to a stop in front of them, her eyes wide as saucers as she beheld him, the saddlebags she was carrying flying right off her back from the sudden stop. “Fluttershy? Ph-Phoenix?!” she recognized the pair in shock, breathing hard like she’d ran the whole way there.

Phoenix felt his legs go weak at the sight of her. “Uh... heya,” was all he managed to say, giving her a weak wave.

She didn’t answer except to pant and stare dumbly at the two of them, leaving it to Phoenix to finally break the awkward silence. “Twilight, please listen. I know you probably hate me after what I did today, but I can explain.” He bowed his head to her as Fluttershy stepped in front of him protectively again, flaring her wings and speaking directly to her friend.

“Mister Phoenix was only trying to help Rainbow, Twilight. He never meant to hurt me or anypony else,” she defended him.

Twilight’s eyes locked with those of Phoenix for a second, just long enough for him to see the jumble of emotions there; anger, confusion and relief all present at once. “Let’s go back to the library; I don’t think it’s a good idea to stay in this forest,” Twilight suggested between breaths, picking the saddlebags back up with her magic and placing them on her back.

“Yeah, I agree,” Phoenix said dryly, thinking he was going to forever be seeing the Timberwolves in his nightmares. The three of them immediately left the woods, Fluttershy behind Phoenix and Twilight in the lead, the two mares bracketing him like bodyguards as they escorted him out.

Fluttershy’s Cottage
June 10th, 4:05pm

Despite Twilight’s desire to return to the library immediately, they stopped by Fluttershy’s cottage at her own insistence so she could treat Phoenix’s wounds.

Once she had him inside, Fluttershy clucked over him like a mother hen, giving him an ice pack for his head and an herbal balm which she mixed into a cup of surprisingly good tea. While she ministered him, Twilight sat silently a respectful distance away, giving Phoenix an occasional concerned look or glower, quickly averting her eyes whenever he turned towards her.

It was only when Phoenix idly mentioned that he wished he had more of the medication he’d taken earlier that she got alarmed, searched her saddlebags and pulled out the pill bottle Sonata had given him.

Though confused as to why she had it, he confirmed he had taken two of the pills. Twilight was aghast at that, telling him it was not ‘aspirin’ but a heavy prescription painkiller that had a stiff dose of magic attached. It worked almost instantly but also had side effects ranging from excessive mellowness to impaired decision-making, and she wasn’t at all happy he had taken it without consulting a doctor—or her.

Phoenix gave her a goofy grin but was inwardly chagrined. It’s just been one bad choice after another today. Wait—did taking that stuff affect my decision to go into the forest? he belatedly wondered, remembering how mellow he’d felt immediately after popping the pills, having few qualms about having Pinkie’s head in his lap. And does that mean Sonata gave it to me for that reason?

His immediate injuries taken care of, he stepped outside at Twilight’s request, sitting on the porch sipping his tea while she spoke to Fluttershy alone. To his surprise, a dozen or more of Fluttershy’s animals approached him, everything from birds to bunnies peering at their human visitor curiously. A couple of the more adventurous ones even came up to him; a squirrel going so far as to sit on his knee. Enchanted, he gently rubbed and scratched its ears, wishing he had something to offer them, though he noticed a white-furred rabbit off to the side giving him a decidedly dirty look.

Ten minutes later, Twilight and Fluttershy emerged onto the front porch; Fluttershy giving him a reassuring smile while Twilight still seemed uncertain. The former gave him a small care basket full of her garden-grown vegetables and herbs, instructing him to take the latter with tea later on. He thanked her, apologizing again and telling her truthfully he thought she was the most kind, beautiful and wonderful creature he’d ever met. She blushed at his compliments, rearing up and opening her forelegs as if to embrace him, flaring her wings for balance. Delighted, he got on his knees to return the hug, his left hand caressing the area beneath her right wing while his right ran gently but reverently through the gloriously soft feathers of her left.

He didn’t see her eyes widen in surprise but heard her sudden, shuddering breath. “EEP!” she gasped and pulled away from him, her wings suddenly going stiff as boards. Fluttershy stared at him wide-eyed, her yellow cheeks flushed as pink as her hair, then ran back inside her cottage and slammed the door, leaving Phoenix taken aback and bewildered.

“What? What did I—?” he looked at Twilight for an explanation, but she was likewise blushing, looking at him in a mixture of anger, embarrassment and… jealousy?

“Let’s just go to the library before you get into any more trouble, okay?” she suggested with very strained patience, leading him on a very silent and awkward walk back into town.

Library
June 10th, 4:53PM

Arriving at her library home, Twilight sat Phoenix down on the lounge sofa and gave him a brief overview of pegasus anatomy, emphasizing how sensitive their wings and flight muscles were, and that they were not to be touched “without express permission!” Reading between the lines, Phoenix was horrified to realize that by running his hands over them, he had in effect felt Fluttershy up!

Profusely apologizing, he played a hunch and asked Twilight if the same held true for unicorn horns, remembering her reaction to him almost touching it in the clearing the previous night.

The sudden flush of her cheeks answered for her; she looked away in renewed anger and embarrassment as a pink glow briefly enveloped her horn. That sparked another set of memories; he recalled how her horn aura had gone pink at least twice after he had nearly touched it, and how she was acting somewhat flustered around him afterwards and several times that morning before and during the trial.

With that, his eyes widened in sudden realization. Wait—does that mean that Twilight…? he couldn’t bring himself to finish the thought; the two dropping the subject in mutual discomfort.

Composing herself, Twilight slid him her saddlebags, telling him she and Pinkie had caught his assailant as he had tried to flee the forest and they had recovered his possessions and evidence then. He was very relieved to have the Magatama back, returning it to its customary place in his inner jacket pocket, not noticing Twilight eying it suspiciously as he did so.

Finally, the moment he had been both praying for and dreading arrived. Taking in a slow breath and exhaling, he began, “Twilight—what I did to Fluttershy this morning was awful and unforgivable. I already apologized to her, so let me do so to you as well: I’m so very sorry!” Phoenix told her, proceeding to explain his reasons and rationale for accusing Fluttershy, detailing everything that was going through his head at the time.

He wrung his hands together while he spoke, slumping in his chair as Twilight listened silently, never interrupting. She remained sitting down on a rug in the center of the room but looking away from him, keeping her ears instead of her eyes trained on him as he continued.

Ten minutes later, he had reached the end of his story and apology. “So… that’s why I did it. I know it wasn’t fair to Fluttershy, and I hated myself for it—I still do. But if I had just sat there and done nothing? Rainbow Dash would have been found guilty right there on the spot,” he concluded, feeling numb. “Again, I’m sorry, Twilight. It should never have come to that. And it probably wouldn’t have if I’d actually taken your advice and studied.”

“I see,” Twilight finally spoke, still looking away, her voice very measured, betraying no emotion.

Phoenix took a deep breath, uncertain whether she had accepted his explanation or not. “So—do you still want to replace me as Rainbow’s attorney?” he asked her directly, deciding to force the issue.

Twilight’s head shot up. “H-how did you—?”

“Fluttershy told me,” Phoenix said simply, leaning forward on the couch. “Look—I can’t complain if you do. I certainly deserve it after this morning. But I have to warn you: Trixie is one tough prosecutor,” he told her. “I underestimated her badly and let her get to me. Despite all my experience, she managed to trump everything I threw at her. In fact, she could have shot down my feather theory right then and there if she wanted to,” he told her grimly.

“She could? But how?”

“Easily. She could have pointed out how completely improbable it was that a large feather remained stuck to Fluttershy while she was flying all over the place trying to frame Rainbow Dash, yet she somehow never noticed it, and it didn’t fall off in flight,” he knew, shaking his head slowly. “It was an obvious objection, yet Trixie didn’t make it. If she had, Rainbow would now be in solitary awaiting sentencing.”

“Wh—What?!” Twilight looked back at him in shock while standing up abruptly.

“That’s the kind of pony Trixie is, Twilight. From what she said, the only reason she let me do that was to hurt you—to see you suffer while another one of your friends was imprisoned,” he reasoned grimly. “She’s going to go all-out tomorrow; doubly so if she’s going directly against you. So if you’d like to take over the defense, I have to warn you about that,” Phoenix informed her with a very level look.

Twilight looked visibly confused, sitting back heavily on her haunches and looking down at the floor. “I… I don’t know what I should do,” she admitted, her eyes glistening.

He felt a pang of sympathy for her, resisting the urge to go over and comfort her—definitely not a good idea at that moment, he knew. “Twilight—if you really want to defend Rainbow Dash yourself, I’ll step aside. But at least allow me to do one more thing for you first,” Phoenix offered, opening his palms to her.

Twilight looked up at him in surprise, blinking back tears. “You still want to help me? Even after I brought you here against your will? Even after nearly dying? Even after I was going to petition the Equestrian Judicial Board to fire you?” she recited in disbelief.

He nodded, standing up straight as he answered, clasping his hands in front of him and suppressing a shiver at the memory of his close call with the Timberwolves. “I’ll do everything I can to help someone who is being accused of a crime they didn’t commit, whether that’s as the defense attorney, co-counsel, or just sitting in the gallery and offering moral support,” he told her fervently. “I know for a fact Rainbow Dash is innocent of murder. And I also met a pony who knows a lot more about Ace than she’s letting on.”

Twilight nodded slowly at that. “Actually, I do too,” she began, an odd undertone in her voice. “Phoenix, tell me—that green gemstone thing you mixed in the evidence before the trial this morning? That wasn’t a good-luck charm, was it?” she asked, giving him a slightly askance look.

“Why do you ask?” Phoenix responded curiously, his hand going to his chin.

She watched him carefully out of the corner of her eye as she said her next words. “Let’s just say I’ve been seeing a lot of locks today.”

Phoenix gaped, stumbling backwards and nearly losing his balance. “Ngh! locks and… chains?” he suggested weakly, feeling suddenly faint and leaning on a bookshelf for support.

Her head shot up. “See, I knew you knew!” Twilight rounded on him. “Out with it, Phoenix! What was that thing and what did it do to me?!” she demanded to know, approaching him in manner he could only describe as menacing, her head lowered and horn pointed at him.

Phoenix took an involuntary step backwards and held up his hands, suddenly feeling like he was looking down the barrel of a loaded gun. “Okay! Okay! I’ll be honest. Because if I’m not… I bet you’ll see them around me!” He gulped, going to his inner jacket pocket with a shaking hand.

“I’m listening!” Twilight sat down in front of him as Phoenix took out his relic, the tone of her voice telling him in no uncertain terms to make his explanation a good one.

Gathering himself, he held the comma-shaped gemstone in his palm and knelt down before the shorter unicorn mare to show her.

“You see, it’s called a ‘Magatama’,” he told her, choosing his words with care. “It’s a tool I use to see if people are hiding deep secrets from me. But don’t get me wrong! I only use it when I’m investigating crimes,” he quickly added. Besides, it doesn’t seem to work when I’m playing poker.

“‘Deep secrets’?” Twilight repeated, giving it—and him—a sideways look.

He nodded. “Think of it as kind of a mystical lie detector. If someone’s lying or otherwise hiding the answer to a question, psychic barriers called ‘psyche-locks’ will appear in front of them, visible only to the Magatama’s owner. They’re a spiritual representation of a lie the Magatama enables its wielder to see. The more locks and chains that surround someone, the deeper and closer held their secret,” he explained, waiting for Twilight to finish processing his statement before continuing.

“Understand, the presence of psyche-locks don’t tell you exactly what a person is hiding or lying about; only that they are lying about something, or otherwise not telling you everything. In order to get at their secret, you have to break the locks using proof and evidence. If you can do so, then chances are the person—or in this case, the pony—will spill the beans.”

“Interesting…” Twilight trailed off, nodding to herself as if something suddenly made sense to her, studying the artifact curiously.

’Interesting’? I thought she’d be mad! Phoenix mused, infinitely relieved she wasn’t.

“What about black locks?” she asked him abruptly.

That caught Phoenix’s attention. “Black locks? What do you mean?” he asked her back, hand on his chin again.

“There were—” Twilight stopped in mid-sentence as Phoenix raised an eyebrow. “Never mind. It’s not important right now. So, do you know how that thing’s power got transferred to me?”

He shook his head, relieved she had accepted his explanation so readily. Then again, what choice did she have when she didn’t see psyche-locks materialize around him? “Not a clue, sorry. The Magatama was a gift from a good friend, and I don’t really know how it works. At a guess, it probably reacted to your magic somehow when you first picked it up,” he theorized.

“Yeah…” Her horn flared as Twilight cautiously picked the Magatama up a second time, turning it over and probing it gently with her magic. It glowed a weak green within her violet aura, but didn’t flash like it had that morning. “Hmm… I’m sure I can figure out how it works later, but the question can wait for now. However I got its power, I need it to help Rainbow Dash,” Twilight decided, floating it back to him.

He nodded, standing back up and returning the relic to his inner jacket pocket. Huh. Sounds like she encountered a few lying witnesses of her own today! “Okay. But truth telling is two-way street.” Phoenix decided it was his turn to get some answers. “Now it’s your turn, Twilight. Since I told the truth and apologized, I expect the same from you.”

“What?” Twilight said, tilting her head up at him. “Why do I have to apologize?”

He crossed his arms, taking on a more stern expression. “Because you’re not a very good liar, Twilight Sparkle. Even without the Magatama, I could tell that you bringing me here from my own world last night was no accident. You summoned me here on purpose, didn’t you?” Phoenix confronted her.

Twilight’s eyes widened as she looked away in very telling guilt. She appeared to Phoenix as if she was fumbling for a denial for a moment, only to go downcast, sitting back in defeat on her haunches as she realized there was no point. “I’m that bad at lying, huh?” she asked, her voice wan.

“Yeah, you’re about as thin as tissue paper,” he told her bluntly but not meanly. “I mean, come on—an ‘identification spell’? I know you have magic here and all, but that sounds like something a third-grader came up with. Even as ignorant about magic as I still am, I didn’t need the Magatama to know that isn’t a real spell.”

Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment at that. “I was told not to say anything. But I suppose I owe you an explanation,” she decided, taking a deep breath as if to steel herself. “Just… please understand that it wasn’t my idea, Phoenix. The truth is that Princess Celestia herself told me to summon you and then play dumb,” she confessed, looking forlorn.

Phoenix studied her, knowing she was telling the truth when no psyche-locks appeared; her cheeks seemed to flush a little deeper under his scrutiny. “So you knowing my name, and having that badge prepared…?”

She gave a jerky nod. “Yeah. It all came from the Princess. The summon spell I used only requires a description unique to the individual, like ‘Phoenix Wright, attorney-at-law’ or ‘Phoenix Wright’s favorite Judge’. That’s how I summoned His Honor here. A description like ‘best defense attorney’ wouldn’t work anyway because that’s a completely subjective determination for a spell that requires exact information to cast.

“But all that said, I swear, Phoenix—I had no idea you were going to be a human from another world!” she insisted, turning her conflicted purple eyes back on him. “If I did, I would have had appropriate food and accommodations ready for you.”

My ‘favorite’ Judge? More like my ONLY! Phoenix thought a little derisively, wondering why he always seemed to get assigned the same one, then deflated a bit. That’s a huge bummer, though. So I’m NOT the greatest defense attorney in the universe? Darn! I was starting to like that title! he thought in dismay, but also reflecting that he would have had to give the title right back after his poor performance that morning. “But how does your Princess even know me?” he wondered, scratching his chin again.

“I’m a bit sketchy on that detail as well.” Twilight gave him a slightly exasperated look, which Phoenix took to be directed at the princess, not him. “I found it really odd how she knew so much about you, and how she was boasting about how good you were. Yet, when I summoned you, you acted like you’d never seen a pony in your life before me,” she recalled. “So somehow, she knows of you even though you’ve clearly never met her.”

“You’re right.” Phoenix leaned back against a bookshelf and crossed his arms again, having yet another mystery added to his list. So how DOES this Princess character know me? I think I’d like to have a chat with Her Highness about this! he thought, idly fingering the attorney badge that had apparently come from her. If nothing else, I’d love to tell her what I think of THIS thing!

“Well, I certainly don’t like the fact I was being deceived by you. But I thank you for telling me the truth, Twilight,” Phoenix said to her in relief, grateful there were finally no more secrets between them.

“I apologize, Phoenix. I was just doing what the Princess told me to.” Twilight closed her purple eyes and bowed her head in contrition. “I’m not just her subject, but her personal student, and either way, I can’t disobey her. But that doesn’t mean I don’t feel really bad for lying.”

He couldn’t help but grin at that, having to catch himself from putting a reassuring hand on her withers, not sure she’d appreciate the gesture at that moment. So she’s the personal student of this world’s ruler? Wow. She does seem genuinely sorry about it. Guess she felt caught between a rock and a hard place with regards to her instructions. If I want her forgiveness, I shouldn’t hold it against her. So maybe I should just change the subject? “It’s all right. You were just doing what you were told, and she clearly withheld information from you. Looks like we’ve all been guilty of that today,” he noted somewhat ruefully.

“Thank you,” she said gratefully, an awkward silence falling between the two again. Sensing her discomfort, he went back over to the sofa and started looking through her saddlebags, seeing what she had collected over the past day.

“Hmm… so by the amount of evidence you found, it looks like you had a pretty fruitful investigation…” His voice trailed off and eyes widened when he found a piece of torn paper. “AH!!!”

Twilight started. “What’s the matter?”

“THE OTHER HALF OF THE LETTER!!” Phoenix shouted, holding it in a shaking hand.

“The other half of the letter…?” she repeated, then her eyes widened and she took a stalking pose, staring at him from a crouch, her forelegs splayed wide on the floor and hindquarters raised like a cat getting ready to pounce. “WAIT, YOU HAVE IT!!??” she shouted back.

He nodded quickly. “Yeah, I found it with Pinkie Pie today!” Phoenix dug through the saddlebag containing his evidence until he found the matching piece he was looking for. He gave Twilight his half and let her take hold of it, connecting the two pieces together with her magic as she read it:

Full Resignation Letter:

This is my letter stating my permanent Leave of Absence. After the Equestrian 500 is over, I can no longer work with you. We made quite the team, but I can’t live with the guilt any longer. I can’t keep helping you ruin other lives. It saddens me beyond belief that we must part ways, but I must say farewell. Goodbye Ace; may our paths cross in the future.

Twilight looked up when she was finished, finding Phoenix silent and seemingly deep in thought.

“Someone was quitting their job?” Twilight asked him.

“Yeah. And I think I know who,” Phoenix informed her, nodding slowly to himself.

“Who?” she prompted. “There’s no signature on this.”

Phoenix began to answer, only to stop and shake his head. “I’ll tell you once I confirm my suspicion. There’s a certain pony I have to talk to first. You said you had someone to talk to as well, right? Well, in light of this letter, I do too. So maybe we should go our separate ways again.”

For a moment, he thought Twilight was going to object, but after some visible consideration and asking where he was going, she relented. “You’re right. I need to interrogate your assailant at Ponyville Detention Center, and visiting hours will be over soon. Come straight back here once you’re done though. You were attacked, after all,” she reminded him, her voice mild but betraying some concern for him.

“You have my word,” Phoenix promised, kneeling briefly and bowing his head before her, missing both her blush and the quick glow of her horn while his back was turned. Pausing only to splash water on his face and put his abused suit as much to rights as he could, he left Twilight’s library treehouse home to head for the place—and pony—he was certain his answers lay.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on April 4, 2018.

Part 24 - Double Blackmail

Hay and Stay Hotel
June 10th, 5:25PM

Five minutes after leaving the library, Phoenix arrived at the Hay and Stay Hotel and asked the surprised earth pony mare at the front desk if Sonata was still staying there.

Told she was, he immediately walked to Sonata’s room, instructing the startled bellmare to call the police if he didn’t return within fifteen minutes. Pausing at her door to smooth out his suit again—he was dreading taking it back to Rarity in the shape it was after the attack—he knocked on the door, waiting for Sonata to answer it.

It didn’t take long. “Yes?” she said as she opened the door with a flare of her horn. Her mouth fell open and eyes widened as she recognized Phoenix, looking speechless for a moment.

“Hello, Sonata.” Phoenix greeted the grey unicorn mare over crossed arms with a slight smirk on his face. “Surprised to see me?”

“What do you want, Mister Wright?” Sonata recovered quickly, her horn flaring again briefly to no visible effect except she closed her eyes and opened them again before looking him over from head to toe. “And why do you look like something the cat dragged in?”

“Another pony ambushed me in the forest to steal my evidence,” he told her point-blank, noting she looked genuinely perturbed at his state. “Know anything about that?” he asked mildly, palming his Magatama in expectation of it revealing a lie.

“No. Why would I?” she asked him blandly but in perfect honesty, and to Phoenix’s great surprise, no locks and chains appeared around her, indicating she wasn’t hiding anything. “What are you doing here, Mister Wright?”

She’s telling the truth? So she DIDN’T send that pony after me? Phoenix was very surprised, having been all but certain she had and considering her a new suspect in Ace’s murder for it. He found no other explanation as for why she hadn’t reported his illegal break-in earlier but that he’d found something she didn’t want the police to see among the evidence he’d collected, and that she’d enlisted a confederate to prevent its exposure.

“I just want to talk. That’s all,” Phoenix said, ducking his head under the door to step inside, immediately changing his tactics to not be too confrontational. Hell, I was even half-thinking she gave me those pills to affect my judgment, making me more likely to go into the forest alone! But that’s all out the window now. If she didn’t do it, I’ll need her help to find out who did!

Her surprise gave way to annoyance. “I already spoke to you, Mister Wright. Can you please leave? You should be grateful I didn’t tell the police about you and your pink friend’s intrusion today,” Sonata reminded the taller human, almost glowering at him.

He shrugged dismissively. “Funny you should say that, Sonata. Because in all honesty, I was wondering why you didn’t,” he mused, taking on his pondering pose. “After all, if you did have me arrested, I’d have to be replaced as defense attorney. Meaning, Rainbow Dash would be most likely found guilty,” he recited. “In other words—exactly what you want?”

Sonata didn’t bat an eye. “Perhaps I just took pity on you for your poor courtroom performance, Mister Wright. In any event, I gave you plenty of help and information already, including insights on Trixie. I have already said all I intend to say, so I fail to see what you think you’ll gain by coming back here. It would seem to me that if you’re looking for a new suspect in Ace’s murder, it would be the pony who attacked you.”

She’s right about that, he granted with his thoughts. If it wasn’t her, my assailant jumps to the top of the suspect list. I’ll follow that up later, but for now… “I admit you answered all my questions—save one. And I can’t help but feel the answer to it is significant, somehow.” As he spoke, he went for his Magatama again, knowing it was time to force the issue. “So tell me, Sonata: what was it like being Ace’s manager?” Phoenix asked as he held the green crystal gifted him by Maya in his hand once more.

When he asked the question while touching the gemstone artifact, the distinctive chains immediately reappeared and coiled all around the unicorn mare, guarded by four red psyche-locks.

Unaware of their existence, Sonata ground her teeth. “I admit I don’t know how things work in the human world, but here in Equestria, a question like that is none of your business, Mister Wright.”

“It is if the answer directly affects my case and client,” Phoenix replied evenly. Now let’s see what you’re hiding, Sonata! he thought as he readied to start his own unique brand of interrogation, vowing to show the bespectacled unicorn mare how observant and perceptive he could be. “By your reluctance to answer alone, I’m guessing it wasn’t good at all.”

Her tightened lip told him a nerve had been touched. “I fail to see why I should submit myself to your interrogation. Shouldn’t you be investigating the crime? You’re wasting time bothering me with your annoying questions,” Sonata replied in an irritated tone.

“Because I think you have something to do with all this,” Phoenix informed her. “In fact, I’m certain you do!”

“Really? Me?” Sonata replied, putting on a dumbfounded air. “Very well. I’ll humor you, Mister Wright. Why do you think I’m involved with this crime?” she challenged him.

He grinned at that. “I’ll show you why, Sonata…”

Phoenix revealed the resignation letter. “Does this look familiar to you?”

Sonata flinched in very telling surprise. “How—where did you get that?” she gaped, looking caught off-guard.

Her reaction was not lost on Phoenix. “It seems someone who was working with Ace was planning on quitting after the race,” he noted dryly while Sonata fell silent. “And I think that someone is you, Sonata!” He held the pieced-together letter with his left hand while tapping it with the fingers of his right. “After all, you were the only one working with Ace in Ponyville, and quite frankly, you don’t seem too torn up by his death. Or was his passing actually a relief?” he suggested.

She gave a frustrated growl as Phoenix watched the first of her psyche-locks break with a sound of shattering glass.

The grey unicorn mare gathered herself carefully, drawing herself up straight before turning fractionally away, closing her eyes and putting on a haughty air. “Hmph! You think I wrote this? I’ve never even seen this letter before. For all you know, it could have been mailed here by Ace’s butler, Proper Protocol,” she dismissed him.

Phoenix resisted the urge to roll his eyes. The butler did it? Really? he thought derisively, before remembering that in the Matt Engarde case… the butler really had! “No, I don’t think you wrote this. I know you wrote this!” he shot back at her claim, making a mental note to check on the progress of Edgeworth’s Shelley de Killer investigation when he got back home.

Maya was still having nightmares about the hired assassin; he’d abducted and starved her for days, using her as a hostage to force Phoenix to defend a clearly guilty Engarde. Phoenix had eventually lost that case to Miles Edgeworth, who had worked with him behind the scenes to prolong the trial long enough to save Maya and trap Engarde into a guilty plea, but it was a blemish on his record he was only too happy to have.

“Care to explain how?” Sonata raised a skeptical eyeridge, pulling him back to the here and now.

“My pleasure!” He nodded, putting his previous case out of mind, resolving to give Maya a big hug and treat her to her favorite hamburger restaurant as soon as he got back home. “It’s very simple, actually. We can just compare the writing on this letter to something I know for a fact you did write!”

Sonata gasped.

“And I have it right here…”

Phoenix reached up to the top shelf and pulled down the same thick tome that had fallen on his head earlier. “This unicorn spellbook I found in this very room,” he proclaimed.

She gave him an incredulous look. “Oh, please, Mister Wright. Are you seriously saying I wrote this book?”

“Of course not,” he answered evenly, recognizing a deflection when he heard it. “But this book has some interesting characteristics. I can’t read a single word of it,” he admitted, flipping through the pages of hieroglyphic-like symbols, looking for one entry in particular.

She rolled her eyes. “Then why are you showing it to me? It probably belongs to the hotel.”

He shook his head, having already argued the point with Pinkie Pie. “No, it doesn’t belong to the hotel. I know a unicorn who reads advanced spellbooks like this, and she says they’re only available in Canterlot—the place you say you’re from!” Phoenix dismissed her explanation out of hoof.

Sonata sighed. “Whatever. Fine, it’s my book. So what exactly are you trying to prove here?” she asked, taking an air like she was being forced to suffer fools.

“Like I said, I can’t read any of the characters written inside these pages...” Phoenix stated as he found the page he was looking for. “Except for these!” he turned the book around so she could see.

Sonata’s eyes widened. “Ah!”

“’Continue from here, third line’,” he quoted the handwritten annotation. “You couldn’t find a bookmark, could you Sonata? So you just jotted a note directly on the page,” he guessed, closing the tome and setting it on the table.

Sonata was starting to look frustrated and angry, but Phoenix wasn’t too worried—he’d taken precautions; even if she was involved in the earlier attack on him, she had to know that if she did something to him here, there would be no way she could escape suspicion—and that she’d be absolutely no match for Twilight’s power. “I’m sure if we compare the writing in here to that letter, we’ll get a perfect match,” Phoenix continued, unafraid.

The unicorn mare hissed air out through gritted teeth. “Ugh—fine! I wrote the letter!” she confessed angrily as another lock broke.

“But—you still fail to prove any relevance to this,” Sonata started again, sounding like the prosecutor she claimed she could be.

“Hmm?” Phoenix raised a brow.

“So I was going to quit. So what? Why do you think I have something to do with this?” Sonata protested.

In response, Phoenix picked the letter back up, quoting directly from it. “’I can’t help ruin others’ lives.’ I wonder what that could mean?” Phoenix pondered out loud, making a show of taking his trademark pondering expression, his hand on his chin and eyes looking away as if in deep thought, to Sonata’s immense annoyance.

Eventually, he grinned. “Well, I won’t play dumb, because I know exactly what this little statement means…”

It felt like all the air was suddenly sucked out of the room as Phoenix brought out the packet with the pictures of Rainbow Dash Trixie had presented at the end of session.

Sonata recoiled from the manila envelope. “Is this some kind of joke? Why are you showing me these pictures?” she demanded to know, her voice betraying an element of revulsion.

Taking a deep breath, he scattered the photographs on the room table, face up, watching her reaction carefully. She flinched hard when they came out. “I found out earlier today from my client that Ace was doing something very wrong to her.” Despite his words, Sonata kept silent, pointedly not looking at the pictures—he could hardly blame her for that; he was doing his best not to look at them either. “And I think you know exactly what it was! You were in on this blackmailing business, weren’t you? It fits perfectly with the context of your resignation letter!”

Sonata grimaced as if in pain. “Ugh!” The breaking-glass sound of another shattered lock was only heard by Phoenix.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to compose herself again, but was not entirely successful; Phoenix noted her lip was quivering and voice was starting to sound shaky. “You certainly have a wild imagination, Phoenix Wright. Even if your client was being blackmailed, what makes you think Ace and I were behind it?” Sonata questioned his accusation, forcing a disbelieving smile.

He crossed his arms. “I know it’s the truth, Sonata.”

“Is that so?” She snatched the letter from him with her magic and made a show of scanning it top to bottom. “Funny, I don’t see anything mentioning blackmail on this letter of mine,” Sonata pointed out, turning it back to him.

“And these pictures of my client?” He motioned to the table, raising a disbelieving eyebrow in return.

She shrugged. “Maybe Ace just needed a good laugh at his competition to get in the right mindset.”

Oh, come on, you can do better than THAT, Sonata! “I don’t think so. ‘Ruin other’s lives’ kind of fits the description of blackmail,” Phoenix immediately countered.

“It could mean anything! You have no proof Ace and I were blackmailing anypony.” Sonata resorted to a lawyerly denial, not budging in the least.

Stubborn as a mule, aren’t you? he asked her mentally, suddenly wondering if there were intelligent donkeys and mules in Equestria as well. “Actually, I do,” Phoenix announced, causing the unicorn mare to start.

“How?” she asked in disbelief. She was still trying to evade his efforts, but Phoenix was too close to the truth and too sure of the facts to be denied.

“We just have to use this…”

Phoenix showed Sonata the blackmail letter he got from Rainbow Dash.

“This is the letter my client was blackmailed with, stating demands right from the horse’s mouth, if you’ll forgive the expression,” he added as an afterthought. Her lip curled at that; Phoenix was starting to realize how insulting calling a pony a horse in this world really was.

“As I said, Mister Wright, there is no way you can prove Ace or I wrote this. It doesn’t even have a name on it!” Sonata reminded him.

But Phoenix was ready for that. “I don’t need a name, Sonata. I have another way to find out who wrote this!” he announced.

“Wh-what?” Sonata stuttered, caught off-guard again.

“Just like before, let’s compare the writing style on this blackmail letter to your letter of resignation,” Phoenix took the two sheets of scroll paper in opposite hands, looking back and forth between them, making a show of comparing what he saw.

Grinning in satisfaction at his findings, he placed them on the table side-by-side. “I admit I’m no expert, but the writing styles seem to match up perfectly, Sonata. I’ll bet my Equestrian attorney badge that were we to submit these two sheets for police analysis, they’d conclude the author was one and the same. Would you have any idea as to why?” he asked mildly, but his equine quarry remained silent, the final lock still stubbornly intact.

Just one more push! Phoenix thought. “And finally, there’s this…”

He showed her a picture he’d taken earlier on his digital camera.

“I found a list of names on your table with ‘8:35’ written next to Rainbow Dash—the same time requested to meet her on this blackmail letter!” Phoenix brought out his last piece of evidence. “Hard to call it a coincidence when that’s the same time Ace was meeting Rainbow Dash in the forest, don’t you think?” he asked her mildly.

Registering his final blow, Sonata closed her eyes in defeat. “Well done, Mister Wright. I guess there is no way for me to deny it any longer,” she conceded as the final psyche-lock shattered, and the chains retreated out of sight. “You are correct on all counts. Ace and I blackmailed Rainbow Dash.”

—— Unlock Successful ——

With that, the room became strangely silent. Phoenix and Sonata exchanged glances at each other, the atmosphere turning strangely awkward. “Uh…?” the former began, unnerved by her apparent lack of concern.

“Is there a problem, Mister Wright?” Sonata raised an eyeridge at him but otherwise sounded perfectly calm. “I gave you your admission, for all the good it does you.”

“For all the good it does me?” Phoenix mimed her tone, and then drew himself up straighter, pointing an accusing finger at her. “I found you out! You were blackmailing my client! That’s a crime, Ms. ‘Cold, Hard, Swift Justice’!” Phoenix flared up. “This not only implicates you in an extortion scheme, but it also gives you a potential motive for murder if you wanted out but Ace wouldn’t let you!” he accused despite the Magatama indicating her innocence of possible involvement in the attack on him earlier.

Once again, Sonata didn’t blink. “Me, and every other pony Ace and I ever blackmailed, including your client, Phoenix Wright,” she stated with certainty, catching him short. “There were no shortage of racers who hated him for it, though few to none of them knew that I was actually the mastermind behind it.”

“Then maybe you had him killed to keep that secret?” he suggested, watching her reaction carefully. But again, no psyche-locks appeared as Sonata rolled her eyes.

“Oh, please, Mister Wright. If I wanted to kill Ace, I would hardly have been so sloppy about it. I wouldn’t have left direct evidence like that blackmail letter behind that might indicate a motive or provide possible proof we were running an extortion racket. I wouldn’t have left a list with a time on it to indicate I knew where he was going to be.

“And I wouldn’t have done the deed myself; I would have simply let slip the meeting time and location to one of the more volatile or easily blackmailed racers, having them do the job for me… like your client.” She closed her eyes and smiled unpleasantly, causing Phoenix’s accusing look to falter as everything she said rang true. “But allow me to put your mind at ease, Mister Wright—this is all but idle speculation. I didn’t want Ace dead, and I didn’t set your client or any of the other racers on him.”

Phoenix weighed her words and the lack of more psyche locks appearing, quickly coming to the only conclusion possible. She’s right. She’s far too smart to not have covered her tracks well if she was the killer, he realized. The letter indicates she was trying to quit, not kill him. It doesn’t feel like she could have committed premeditated murder on that basis. And yet… He wasn’t sure why he was still getting such an odd feeling from her. “Even if Ace wouldn’t let you out of the blackmail scheme, or he threatened to expose you?”

“Even if,” she confirmed, and once again, the Magatama indicated no deceit, though Phoenix still found himself perturbed by her complete lack of emotional reaction to his questions or Ace’s passing. “And as for the blackmail scheme itself? Your knowledge of it neither aids your client nor poses any threat to me.”

“Huh?”

“Earlier, you asked me about my talent—my eye for detail? It’s what I’ve been using the whole time Ace and I have been doing this,” Sonata explained. “Finding out secrets and learning how to use them to control other ponies is my speciality, Mister Wright. For example, in the days I studied Ms. Rainbow Dash I could see that she had quite the ego and reputation. That’s why I took those photographs of her, knowing she would protect her image above all else and do anything to prevent the exposure of her little… hobby,” she began, wincing again at the memory.

“And for the longest time, it worked. We had quite the lucrative business, Ace and I. We had several gamblers placing large sums of money on him after we had our way with the potentially tough competition, and then split the money 50/50 on top of what he was awarded for winning,” she detailed the blackmail scheme without so much of a hint of regret or fear. “That’s why your client was targeted—Ace thought her a threat to him after her performance at the Cloudsdale Young Fliers’ Competition.”

“And just why are you telling me all this?” Phoenix asked in confusion, uncertain why she’d be giving him so much ammunition he could use against her in court.

In reply, Sonata took on a haughty pose again, closing her eyes and turning slightly away from him. “To prove that I’m not worried at all. You see, I can get anypony—or anybeing—to keep their muzzles shut once I find out what makes them tick. And you, Phoenix Wright, are no exception,” she declared, a sly grin growing on her face.

“Wh-what?” Phoenix’s eyes grew wide.

“I’m not worried in the slightest, because you’re not going to tell a soul about this,” Sonata informed him flatly.

Phoenix looked at her like she was nuts. “You’re wrong! I’m going to tell the police about this right away!”

“No, Mister Wright. You won’t,” Sonata stated with certainty, then turned away from him fractionally once more. “And the reason is very simple. From my conversations with you, I can tell you hold your loyalty to your client in high regard,” she noted with another smirk.

“So what? You can’t take that away from me!” Phoenix crossed his arms and smirked back.

“Or can I…?” Sonata countered in a mild voice, turning back to him and giving him a chilling smile, causing Phoenix to lose his own. “If you so much as utter the word ‘blackmail’ to anypony? I’ll report what you and your little accomplice did earlier,” she threatened. “And if I do that, you will spend the rest of your stay in an Equestrian jail instead of a courtroom.”

That caught Phoenix short. “But—”

“But nothing, Mister Wright. You had no business searching my hotel room, and you and that pink pony left prints all over the place. I can have you both charged with trespassing, breaking and entering, and theft of personal property,” Sonata recited. “Again, I don’t know how things work in the human world, but here, such transgressions carry a substantial penalty. You’ll no doubt find it quite difficult defending your client from a prison cell,” she noted idly, causing Phoenix to gnash his teeth.

“In short, I have more than enough evidence to take you and your friend down with me. But it doesn’t have to come to that. Even if, as I suspect, you care more about your clients than yourself, I doubt you would wish to drag down yet another of Miss Sparkle’s friends with you. It would be troublesome if information regarding my blackmail racket with Ace got out and you want to defend your client, correct?” she asked him. “Then I think we understand each other.”

Phoenix deflated as he found himself holding an inferior poker hand, and worse, facing an opponent he couldn’t bluff. “So if you weren’t afraid I’d tell, then why didn’t you report me earlier?” he wanted to know, his voice suddenly weak.

She gave him a lazy shrug. “Simple. Like any good prosecutor, I held my best evidence in reserve until I could use it to maximum advantage—which is right now. So do we have a deal, Phoenix Wright? Don’t reveal the blackmail scheme, and I won’t report you and your earth pony friend,” she spelled it out, then nodded in satisfaction when Phoenix didn’t answer. “I’ll take your silence as a yes. Don’t worry; I’ll be watching the trial from the gallery tomorrow to make sure you keep our little secret to yourself,” she assured him. “In any event, this conversation is concluded!”

With that, her horn flared and Phoenix’s eyes widened when he realized she was picking him up with her magic, moving him outside the door; though he did notice the effort seemed to be severely straining her, judging by her gritted teeth and suddenly ragged breathing. Surprised, he stumbled backwards when her aura let go, dropping him a foot to the ground.

Grimacing like she was in pain, Sonata followed up his ejection by magically tossing all his evidence out into the hallway, shoving the envelope full of pictures into his stomach, a light sheen of sweat suddenly visible on her forehead. “You can have these back. They’re just reminders of a life I’d like to leave, and little good they will do you now!” the former manager of Ace Swift stated, sounding slightly out of breath; Phoenix even thought she might have been trembling a bit. “Goodbye, Phoenix Wright. Please go away and don’t come back!” she ordered him, trying not to wince as she closed and locked her door with a final flare of her horn, leaving a stunned Phoenix outside.

Startled and a little scared by her actions—it was only at that moment he understood he had no defense against unicorn magic and there were likely any number of things she could have done to him—he gathered up the scattered pieces of evidence, leaving the same way he came in. Looks like I ended up on the same boat as all her other victims, Phoenix knew as he left the hotel after checking back in at the front desk, trembling a bit at his sudden feeling of helplessness and the knowledge that he’d been completely at her mercy.

At least I can cross Sonata off the list of potential suspects now. Aside from the blackmail scheme, the Magatama said she wasn’t lying and she’s right—the available evidence doesn’t fit her potential Modus Operandi for premeditated murder, he knew.

UGH! But if she didn’t do it, then who? The pony who attacked me? That isn’t in itself proof of guilt; he might have been after my evidence for other reasons. And how was he even able to call me to set up the meeting? Phoenix wondered, knowing he was now left with more questions than answers. And even though this whole blackmail business could certainly be motive for murder, how do I tie it to any one pony in a sea of possible suspects—which includes every racer Ace ever blackmailed? he pondered as he sat down on a bench outside the hotel, clutching his head in his hands as he tried to make sense of something that still made none.

Hell, even if I do find a definitive suspect, whether it’s my assailant or someone else, I’ll need the blackmail to establish motive if—as seems likely—Ace was killed over his extortion racket. But how do I bring it up in court without ending up thrown in jail by Sonata and off the case by The Judge? He didn’t immediately have an answer. And what’s with her pain, too? Why does Sonata need those pills? he further wondered, noting the strain using her magic had apparently caused her. He took some comfort from the fact that there were apparently limits to what she could do; in hindsight it looked like all she could actually manage was to pick him up and move him a few feet.

Maybe the heavier something is, the more difficult it is to manipulate? he reasoned, noting he’d mostly seen unicorns moving small objects, not big ones. Should probably ask Twilight exactly how magic works.

Regardless of the answers, Phoenix felt frustrated as he began the walk back to the library through the early-evening bustle of Ponyville, pointedly ignoring the gawks and angry looks he still got from the residents. Though successful in making Sonata confess to the blackmail scheme, he now had an even more intractable problem—he had gone through all the hard work of uncovering her secret only to end up unable to punish her for it or use it at trial.

With the new information regarding Ace Swift and the extortion racket he ran revealed, Phoenix knew he had to both hatch a plan to get around Sonata’s threat and somehow find the link from the blackmail scheme back to the murder before he could use it to defend Rainbow Dash. But in order to come up with that plan, he had to first go back to the Library and consult with the one pony who shared the drive and desire to uncover the still-elusive truth behind Ace’s murder as he did…

Twilight Sparkle.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on May 4, 2018.

Part 25 - End of the Day

Golden Oaks Library
June 10th, 6:10 PM

After a stop by the Carousel Boutique found Rarity not at home—her younger sister, an adorable curly-haired filly named Sweetie Belle, told him she was having dinner with a prospective client and wouldn’t be back until late—a brooding Phoenix returned to Twilight’s treehouse library home only to find it empty.

Seems Twilight isn’t back yet. Better not tell her about Sonata, unless it’s absolutely necessary. Not only for my sake, but for hers as well, he decided as he ducked his head to go through the front door, mental and physical fatigue starting to catch up to him. He’d been in Equestria less than a day, but after everything that had happened and all he had been through, it may as well have been a week.

As he was walking to the kitchen intending to turn Fluttershy’s gifted vegetables into some dinner, he was stopped short by the unexpected sight of a bird sitting on a perch in the middle of the room, eyeing him curiously. “Hey! An owl!” Phoenix exclaimed.

“Who,” the owl responded to his voice.

He gave it an odd look. “Who? You! You’re an owl!” Phoenix replied.

“Who?” it repeated, almost sounding like it was asking a question.

“You mean, ‘Who am I?’” he guessed, not entirely certain it was intelligent but deciding that given all the sapient races in Equestria, it was best to assume so. “I’m Phoenix Wright. Spelled with a ‘Ph’ and a ‘W’.”

“Who,” it replied with an approximation of a nod.

Phoenix frowned. “You know… you make Big Macintosh look like a blabbermouth.”

“Who,” it answered, at which point Phoenix gave up.

At that moment, a small bipedal green-and-purple reptile appeared at the upstairs rail, wearing an apron and holding a mop. “Oh, you’re back!” The strange creature greeted him with a wave from the edge of Twilight’s bedroom loft.

Phoenix looked up at him in recognition. “Oh. You’re Spike, right? I remember meeting you last night,” he said as the baby dragon came downstairs, feeling embarrassed anew over his initial fear of him. When I heard he was a dragon, I thought he’d be a monster, but he’s just a little guy! he mused as Spike approached him; even counting the ridge scales on his head he barely came up to the taller human’s waist.

Spike rolled his slitted eyes as he leaned on his mop. “Yeah, I remember you, too! You were being a big drama queen this morning!” he reminded Phoenix in an annoyed tone, who winced and nodded ruefully. “Seriously, I’ve heard sheep bleat less than you!”

Phoenix grimaced. “Sorry about that. Getting one hour of sleep and having no dinner or breakfast will do that to you,” he apologized, thinking that for a creature that was supposed to be a baby, Spike had the intelligence and attitude of a teenager—and a rather sassy one at that. “So what’s this owl doing here?” Phoenix asked, nodding at the bird before him, who was studying him curiously back.

“Oh, him? That’s Owlowiscious. He helps Twilight with her late night study sessions, since he’s nocturnal,” Spike explained. “Basically, I help Twilight during the day and Owlowiscious takes over at night while I’m sleeping.”

He nodded his understanding. “Owlowiscious, huh?” Phoenix scratched his chin while examining the domesticated avian closely.

“Who!” the bird acknowledged.

“You! You’re Owlowiscious!” Phoenix said to the owl.

“Who,” the owl said in an air that Phoenix couldn’t help but get the impression was amused.

Spike chuckled. “Sometimes I keep at it hoping he’ll say ‘What’, ‘Why’, ‘Where’ or ‘How’,” he told Phoenix, who chuckled as well. “But ‘who’ is pretty much the only thing he can say. He’s really smart, though—he knows where every book and scrap of knowledge in this library is, just like me.”

“I guess you’d have to, being Twilight’s scribe,” he remembered, resisting the urge to pat him on the head—he was just too cute in that apron.

He nodded eagerly. “Yup! #1 Assistant Spike at your service!” he said proudly, putting his hands—yes, actual hands—on his scaled hips.

“Who!” the owl said yet again; Phoenix swore he heard an annoyed note in his hoot.

Spike apparently did as well. “Oh? So are you. Or actually… would you mind being the ‘#1.5 Assistant’? I mean that’s still number one… sorta. It’s just that ‘#1 Assistant’ sounds better on me!”

“Who,” the owl apparently agreed.

“Me.”

“Who.”

“Me! Spike! You know my name!”

Spike, you’re not gonna win this argument! Phoenix knew, sitting back down on the sofa, taking a load off and studying the hollowed-out interior of the tree that was Twilight’s home. “Have to say, Twilight wasn’t lying when she said she likes reading if she lives in this library. It’s like a bookworm’s dream come true!” he noted, looking over her huge living room filled from floor to ceiling with stacks and shelves of books.

“Oh yeah! And you don’t know the half of it!” Spike snickered. “Let me tell you, Twilight’s a total nerd!”

“Excuse me?” an annoyed voice asked, startling them both; the two spun their heads to see Twilight had just walked in the open front door.

Spike cringed at the glare Twilight was giving him, putting on the silliest grin he could muster. “Oh! You’re back, Twilight! I… um… uh… I was just on my way to… um… organize those awesome books my intelligent and smart friend reads! Uh… later!” he raced back upstairs to the next room, mop in hand.

Phoenix stifled a laugh at Spike’s silliness, turning his focus back to Twilight. “So, did you find out what you needed to know?” he asked her, standing back up and respectfully clasping his hands in front of him.

She gave him a satisfied, if slightly distracted nod. “Yes. I have to say, your Magatama’s power is amazing. I’ll fill you in about what I learned before court tomorrow, but in short, I’m all but certain the pony who attacked you is the true culprit,” Twilight announced, looking deep in thought as she began to head upstairs.

Phoenix nodded, more than a little relieved, both to have a viable new suspect and that he wouldn’t have to confront Sonata again. “That’s very good news,” he granted, only to be caught short as he read between the lines. “Wait—so you’re not having me fired?” he followed up, holding his breath.

She stopped and sat down, looking away from him again. “I’ve thought about it a lot. And I realize now that you mean well,” she began. “What happened this morning is as much my fault for yanking you from your own world against your will, and then giving you no time to acclimate or prepare for a trial in this one,” she admitted. “What you did wasn’t fair to Fluttershy, but what I did wasn’t fair to you either… so it wouldn’t be right to hold it against you. And if what you say is true, you stand a better chance against Trixie than I do,” she conceded.

He relaxed at that, sighing with relief. “Thank you, Twilight. You made the right choice.”

“You’re welcome. But Phoenix…?” Twilight trailed off, looking fractionally back at him.

“Yes?”

Abruptly, she turned and lunged at him, rearing up and shoving the startled human lawyer against a bookshelf, her hooves against his shoulders and head coming up to his chest, her purple eyes glowing red and piercing his brown ones with a soul-freezing stare that could rival Fluttershy’s. As a frightened Phoenix watched, her horn began to glow orange—a color he recognized as one borne of anger—and realized with a moment of panic her aura was pinning him in place, putting him completely at her mercy.

She let his situation sink in before she spoke, apparently making sure she had his full attention. “These are my friends, Phoenix,” she informed him, a low, dangerous edge to her voice. “I love them more than life, and I’d do anything to protect them, so let me make this very clear: my friends are not to be used as pawns in a legal chess match between you and Trixie!” she warned him, giving him a brief but sharp shake with her hooves and aura, the glow in her eyes intensifying for a moment and causing his to widen.

“I now understand why you accused Fluttershy, and I accept that at that moment, you had no choice if you were to save Rainbow. But don’t you EVER!—pull a stunt like that again without running it past me first! Understood?” she prompted with another sharp shake of his shoulders.

Taken aback and more than a little afraid, a stunned and speechless Phoenix did the only thing he could think of. With great deliberateness, he reached up to gently grasp her hooves in his hands, swallowing as he did so. “Y-yeah… I won’t, I promise,” he said a little unsteadily, giving her blunt appendages a squeeze, finally understanding exactly what Twilight had been going through and how fiercely protective of her friends she really was. “Believe me, you couldn’t hate me any more than I hate myself for it, but I shouldn’t need to do anything like that again. From here on out, my only purpose is to get Rainbow acquitted and to find out what really happened in the forest that night,” Phoenix pledged to her, more determined than ever to put an end to the shroud of secrecy and deceit that hung over the case and lay bare the truth.

She studied his face carefully, as if trying to gauge the candor of his words. He met her intimidating red-eyed gaze as evenly as he could, determined to show her that he meant what he said. Apparently accepting his words as genuine, she finally nodded in satisfaction and released him from her aura, her eyes and horn glow returning to normal, to his immense relief. “I-I’m sorry. I… I didn’t mean to scare you…” she apologized. “It was just that… I’d been holding that in all day and I had to get it off my chest,” she told him, now leaning on him heavily and looking strangely spent.

He felt his fear ebb at that, his heartbeat starting to slow back down to a normal pace. “It’s all right. I’ll be the first to admit I deserved that,” he replied, giving her a wan smile and another squeeze of her hooves, marveling again that they were slightly yielding, completely unlike the hard hooves of his world’s horses. “This hasn’t been one of my better days—” now there’s a prize understatement! “—and I don’t think I have any right to ask this of you or Fluttershy after this morning, but… please forgive me?” he beseeched her, bowing his head before her.

She finally favored with him a warm smile, though he noticed her gaze flickered to his hands on her hooves for a moment. “Fluttershy already forgave you, so I guess I can too. The Princess also said I can trust you, and that everything would be fine if you were here,” she told him, leaving him wondering again how Twilight’s ‘Princess’ knew of him. Abruptly, she started to tear up again, her big, purple eyes drawing him into their depths. “Phoenix… please save my friend!” she begged him, her voice shaking noticeably as she swallowed hard. “Please…”

His heart all but melted at her plea. He reached around to gently hug her head to his chest, being careful not to touch her horn. “I’ll try—no. I won’t let you down this time!” Phoenix promised, vowing to be worthy of her trust. Though initially surprised, her eyes going wide as he moved to hug her, Twilight did not resist, slowly relaxing into the embrace. “I swear to heaven and on the memory of my late mentor that I’ll prove Rainbow Dash innocent, and neither Trixie nor Timberwolves will stop me,” Phoenix swore to her quietly, running a comforting hand through her soft fur and silky striped mane, feeling Twilight trembling slightly beneath his fingers.

“Th-thank you,” came Twilight’s quavering voice, and with that, the unlikely pair held the embrace, unable or unwilling to let go of the other until—

“Oh, get a room, you two!” Spike called down from the second floor landing he was mopping, causing them both to blush and pull away. “Take all the mushy stuff somewhere else!”

“Who!” Owlolicious added, looking at them curiously; Phoenix could have sworn the avian was smirking out of one corner of his beak.

Still blushing, Twilight pushed back from him and dropped back to all fours, sitting down and rubbing a hoof behind her head in a surprisingly familiar gesture, looking sheepish. “Um… th-thank you. That spare bed is in the same place,” she said, turning away from him. “Try to get lots of sleep this time, okay? I’m pretty tired after all that’s happened today. Investigating sure takes a lot out of you.” Twilight yawned, stretching out slowly before him much like a cat would, her tail rising momentarily as she did so.

“Tell me about it.” an equally-flustered Phoenix agreed with her, rubbing the back of his own head, trying not to glance at her briefly-exposed hindquarters. Did she do that deliberately?

“I, uh, think I’m going to bed early,” Twilight announced, her cheeks still flushed, seemingly unable to look him in the eye all of the sudden.

Phoenix’s cheeks were warm as well. “Alright. I’m probably going to crash soon, too,” he said in sympathy, and he wasn’t just saying it—it was nearly six hours before his usual bedtime, but after as little sleep as he had gotten the previous night, to say nothing of the exhausting events of that day, he didn’t care.

“Good night,” Twilight called to him, then trotted upstairs to her upper-floor bedroom loft. A stunned Phoenix watched her leave, his eyes drawn to the exaggerated movement of her hips—or was he imagining it? And why would he even notice it?—quickly tearing his gaze away when he saw Twilight look back at him.

“See you in the morning,” he replied in a surprisingly even tone, and by the time he chanced a look back up, she had already disappeared into her room, leaving Phoenix alone and brooding, no longer able to deny what he was thinking and feeling.

He sat back down on the sofa trying to make sense of it, a growing urge and attraction that, looking back, he realized he had first started to feel the previous night. He clutched his head in his hands, not even caring that Owlowiscious was watching him, all his thoughts suddenly consumed by a single, overriding question:

Did he like Twilight? If so, why? He’d only known her a day and she’d all but kidnapped him; dragging him unwillingly into her world and lying to him in the process. But for that, she’d also quickly become his guide and friend; he had come to appreciate her intelligence and talents, fascinated by her ability to wield magic and her exotic equine form. But that in turn begged the question: was his attraction to her just an odd adjunct of his affection for animals—and to think of her (or any other pony, he had quickly learned, that way was utterly insulting—or something more?

The more he thought about it, the more he was certain it wasn’t a simple matter of her being a pony—if it was, he’d be falling for every mare he met. If he was being fair, he’d certainly noticed other ponies, able to appreciate both Applejack’s rugged beauty and Rarity’s exquisite looks. He’d even ended up with Pinkie’s head in his lap at one point, and he half-thought he might have some kind of crush on Fluttershy, especially after her rescue of him. But if that’s all it is, why hasn’t Maya fallen for me three times over? He wondered, as that was the count of how many times he’d saved his assistant from murder charges or kidnapping.

But with Twilight, it was different. Far from just being the ‘total nerd’ Spike claimed, Phoenix could tell the bookish unicorn was smart and savvy; a very strong-willed and fiercely devoted friend who could accomplish miracles with her magic; simple in her appearance but not unattractive for it. Qualities that meant he’d be no less smitten if she were human and about six years younger, before the betrayal that all but ended his interest in the opposite sex.

Or had it? When Twilight had rejected him after the trial, he’d been hurt as much as when he got stood up at his junior prom in high school; he’d wanted nothing more than her forgiveness and the chance to win her trust back. But now that he’d apparently gotten it?

He sighed at that, his tired and slightly overwhelmed mind reminding him that, regardless of the fact she was a pony, getting romantically involved with a client was a very bad idea. But then again, Twilight wasn’t so much his client as his temporary assistant and co-counsel (which hardly made it better), though comparing her to Maya on that basis wasn’t fair to either. Other than the fact she couldn’t channel Mia, Twilight was far more mature and capable; with a little training and seasoning, he had no trouble seeing her as a full-fledged attorney who could do well even in the courtrooms of his world.

Much as he did in court when he was having trouble discerning the truth, Phoenix tried looking at the situation from another angle: did Twilight really like him? The evidence certainly suggested yes, between her odd behavior, pink aura, and the all-too-equine displays she’d made at the end of their conversation—though much as it was for him, he doubted she herself fully understood why.

He shook his head at that. He hadn’t had a girlfriend in a long time—no surprise, considering what his last one did to him—and he had never dreamed he might find a new one in a world of intelligent equines. Never mind the fact she was a pony, not a human; never mind what their respective societies would say about it…

Was such a thing even possible?

Sensing that his thoughts were trying to head down paths he wasn’t anywhere near ready to go, he shook his head again, deciding that regardless of the answers, it simply wasn’t the time or place to pursue them. “Business first, Phoenix,” he thought out loud, reminding himself that he had a client to defend and a case to win, resolving to put whatever was happening with Twilight out of his head until after the trial was over.

Heading for the kitchen, Phoenix fixed himself a salad made from Fluttershy’s basket vegetables, mixing a simple dressing of oil, vinegar and spices he found in the pantry—once again, he’d rarely tasted better carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, or radishes—and ate a couple slices of bread and butter that Spike said he’d picked up earlier that day just for him, enduring no little ribbing from the scribe for hugging Twilight.

After washing his meal down with a fresh cup of herbal tea prepared for him by the baby dragon (who heated the kettle by breathing fire on it!), he went up to the spare bedroom he hadn’t been able to get any sleep in the night before. The way his eyes were starting to flutter, he suspected that wasn’t going to be a problem this time around, though he was worried about having nightmares after his experience in the Everfree Forest.

If I have them, at least let Fluttershy rescue me in them again! he silently prayed to whatever Gods of Equestria were listening. That in turn reminded him that he owed his shy equine savior a second apology, this time for inappropriate touching.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes at that. It was a mistake borne of ignorance, but he knew that was no excuse—after seeing how Twilight had reacted to her horn nearly being touched, he should have guessed that wings and associated areas were off-limits for pegasi as well. I’ll find her tomorrow and apologize personally, I promise.

As he began to undress, undoing his tie and then pulling off his suit jacket and slacks, his thoughts turned back to the trial, settling on Sonata and the extortion scheme she had detailed to him. This whole situation with Sonata is still bugging me. Not only her blackmailing, but her appearance—is it only a coincidence she looks like Mia? Or is she somehow really her? he wondered, half-hopefully. For if she was, it might yet be possible to reach her better nature.

He shook his head at that. Twilight says the pony who attacked me is the true culprit. We’ve got our new suspect, so maybe I should just wait until morning instead of stressing my brain about this, he decided, resolving to put both the case and Twilight out of his head until the next day.

Carefully draping his suit over a chair—a slightly pointless exercise considering the shape it was now in—he pulled off his dress shirt as well, which he noticed had been stained with sweat. Hope I can get these laundered and my suit repaired before court tomorrow, he prayed, still dreading what would happen when Rarity saw it again.

He sighed at that, pulling off his socks, now stripped to his undershirt and boxers—with Twilight around he’d go no further than that. Wishing he could do something more than just wait and sleep, he pulled the mattress off the bedframe and laid it on the floor instead, extending its length with cushions stolen from the library lounge—that way, his feet wouldn’t be awkwardly hanging off the edge and he might be able to get at least half-comfortable. Abruptly, he stopped. “Wait a minute!” His brow furrowed with a sudden idea, getting up and going to the rail overlooking the living area. “Hey! Owlowiscious!” he called downstairs. Swiveling his head to Phoenix, the owl immediately flew up and lit on the rail beside him, waiting. “Do you think you could do me a couple favors?”

“Who,” the avian gave an apparently affirmative response, listening while Phoenix explained what he wanted, waiting as his human guest wrote out a letter with his pen on a spare piece of scroll paper he found on the room’s desk.

“Do you understand?” he asked the owl, handing over the message.

“Who!” Owlowiscious gave him a nod, taking the note in his talons and flying off into the evening through an open window into the deepening dusk, the sky turning orange as sunset approached.

After the owl was out of sight, Phoenix shut his room shade and settled down in his improvised bed, reflecting on the day’s events. It had been a rough day to say the least, beginning with his poor preparation and trial performance followed by a near-deadly decision to go into the forest alone. But he’d also learned a lot; with the new evidence and information he’d uncovered, the pieces of the puzzle surrounding Ace’s murder were still a little scattered but coming together bit by bit. They had a new suspect; he just had to find the proof of his involvement when the trial resumed, or things might take a turn for the worse once more.

He swore that would not happen; both for Rainbow’s sake and the fact that he would not—could not—let Twilight down. Until then, however, all he wanted to do was sleep.

Satisfied he’d done all he could, Phoenix lay down on the bed and pulled the blanket over himself. His head on the pillow and feet resting on the lounge cushions, he closed his eyes and was snoring softly less than a minute later.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on May 4, 2018.

Part 27 - A New Plan

The courtroom can be a cold battlefield alright… especially for a beginner.

—Diego Armando, Turnabout Beginnings

The only time a lawyer can cry is when it’s all over.

—Godot, Bridge to the Turnabout

Turnabout Storm: Part 3/4 - Twilight

Library
June 10th, 11:55 AM
(Immediately after the first day of trial)

Twilight Sparkle was completely beside herself.

How COULD he? was the only coherent thought she could form as she left the courtroom, tears welling in her eyes as she remembered the bewildered, terrified look on Fluttershy’s face as she was led away, wondering how it could have all gone so wrong…

How she could have been so wrong.

“Twilight!” she heard Phoenix calling after her, but she ignored him, continuing her slow walk towards the exit, her head bowed low in sorrow. She heard him running after him in his odd bipedal manner, finally catching up to her just short of the courthouse doors. “Twilight, please! Just let me explain!” he pleaded, putting a hand on her shoulders.

She threw it off as hard as she could with a flare of her magic, turning her head fractionally back towards him, just enough to let him see she was crying. “Phoenix… I was wrong about you,” was all she could choke out.

With those words, Twilight Sparkle abandoned him, her head bowed low and tears streaming down her cheeks as she exited the courthouse, a second flare of her horn emphatically slamming the doors shut behind her. How could the Princess have recommended him? How could I have trusted him? How could I have LIKED him? she asked herself over and over, unable to remember the last time she felt so betrayed, suddenly having no idea where to turn or what to do.

Her indecision was short lived. As she walked back home, her shock and sadness gradually gave way to anger, leaving her incensed by the time she arrived back at the Treehouse. “I can’t believe what he did, accusing Fluttershy like that!” she vented to Spike with an angry snort, pacing back and forth on the main floor of the library in agitation. “It’s true what they say about lawyers, Spike! They’re a bunch of heartless liars!” And I thought he was different!

“But didn’t the Princess—?” her scribe began to remind her.

She cut him off hard. “Yes, I know! She requested that I use him! She said he was ‘The best there is’!” Twilight quoted sarcastically, wondering what in the name of the sun and moon Princess Celestia had been thinking, now certain her mentor had indeed been playing a prank by ordering her to summon Phoenix Wright. Was this just a big joke to her? Well, I’m not laughing, and neither is Fluttershy, Princess! she thought angrily, vowing to make her displeasure known in her next friendship report letter—which she was now terrified would be about what it was like to lose a friend.

“But he’s a human,” Spike reminded her, though what little he knew of their race came from Lyra, a slightly—and on occasion annoyingly—human-obsessed unicorn who was hardly an unbiased source of information.

She stopped her pacing and looked up sharply at that. “I didn’t know he would be a human! Why didn’t the Princess tell me that? And given he’s from an entirely different world, how does she even know him, anyway?” Twilight ranted, grinding her teeth together in anger. “None of this makes sense, Spike!

“If you trust the Princess, shouldn’t you trust him?” her scribe suggested tentatively, trying to remain reasonable in the face of Twilight’s fury, cringing a bit at the wisps of smoke he noticed were starting to come off her mane.

But true to form, Twilight refused to be dissuaded from something she was set on, shaking her head vehemently. “No, Spike! He’s no good! Oh Celestia, you should have seen him! He was at poor Fluttershy’s throat, accusing her of the murder and framing Rainbow Dash for it!” She brought her hoof down hard. “I mean, what did he think she was, some kind of secret assassin from the movies? Give me a break! Anypony with a single solitary brain cell can see Fluttershy would never do anything like that!”

Though he wasn’t sure where the comparison had come from, Spike had to agree. “Yeah, no offense to her, but I don’t even think Fluttershy could win a tug-of-war with a butterfly,” he acknowledged, rubbing a hand behind his head.

Twilight stomped her hoof hard at that, putting a divot in the floor and causing Spike to jump a bit, the baby dragon watching her nervously. “I wanted a good lawyer to defend Rainbow Dash, not shift the blame to another one of my friends! And that’s why I’m going to follow through with my original plan!” Twilight announced, standing up straighter and suddenly wearing a determined look, the wisps of smoke vanishing as her anger gave way to resolve.

“And that is…?” Spike prompted, giving her a wary look. He’d seen that expression on Twilight’s face before, and knew little good usually came of it; the last time she had it, she had spent days obsessing over Pinkie Pie’s predictive powers, determined to disprove them but only ending up in traction for it when the contents of an aerial moving van fell on her head.

Never mind what happened when Pinkie’s final prediction came true! he remembered with a shiver, suddenly thankful that as a dragon he was fireproof. But the library isn’t…

Twilight stood up taller. “I will be taking over as the defense lawyer in this case!” she declared proudly.

Far from being impressed, Spike smacked his forehead hard, more certain than ever he was the only sensible one in the room. “You? A lawyer?” he asked in a sarcastic tone. “So just how do you plan on replacing him if only his client can fire him? And even if you can, do you even know anything about being a lawyer?” Spike asked her pointedly.

“Yes! W-well… a little!” Twilight began, but stopped short as Spike gave her an annoyed look that told her she wasn’t fooling anypony. “Okay! Okay! I don’t know much! But if Trixie can do it, so can I!” she insisted, refusing to grant the rival unicorn any advantage over her. “Besides, it didn’t seem that hard—I just have to point out inconsistencies in information. I’m good at stuff like that!” Twilight speculated.

Spike was unconvinced. “I think there’s a lot more to it than that, Twilight.”

To his relief, Twilight conceded the point. “You’re right, Spike. And that’s why we’ll be having a good look through this!” She pulled a book off a shelf from the library’s foreign section and showed it to her scribe.

“What’s that?” Spike asked in curiosity, looking at the unfamiliar text.

She blew the dust off the cover before speaking; it was clearly a very old book. “’How to be a Lawyer in 24 hours’,” Twilight read the title.

Spike blinked. “Well, that’s certainly a conveniently titled book,” he noted dubiously, suddenly wondering if Twilight was playing a joke on him—surely nothing could be that contrived! “So, uh, just how do you plan on doing this whole lawyer thing, anyway?”

Twilight lit up at that. “I’m glad you asked, Spike!” she said, eager to tell her strategy. “I brushed up on the criminal justice laws this morning with Phoenix, and it turns out that Equestrian laws are almost identical to his, despite him being from another world. I got most of them memorized!” she claimed, her thoughts turning back to Phoenix Wright at his mention. Strangely, what stuck out most in her memory was watching him pick up and turn a single page of the book using two fingers and a thumb, marveling he could control his digits independently like that!

She blinked and shook her head hard to dispel images of him while Spike just shook his head, unaware of where Twilight’s thoughts had gone. “But that’s just laws and stuff. Being a lawyer is a totally different thing!”

Twilight gave a slightly nervous chuckle, not understanding why Phoenix Wright wouldn’t leave her thoughts. “That’s why this book should provide me with all the details I need to become a good lawyer!” she proclaimed, struggling to keep her cheeks from flushing, a task made considerably more difficult when she suddenly remembered ending up in the human lawyer’s arms that morning after Rainbow had startled them both.

AARGH! She gritted her teeth, half-considering using a memory blocking spell on herself to get the persistent and unwelcome images of him out of her head.

Spike gave her a skeptical look. “I don’t know, Twilight. It looks kind of ancient.” He ran a finger through the stubborn layer of dust still clinging to the old and musty book Twilight was holding in her aura.

Twilight was caught short. “What are you talking about? What’s wrong with it being a little old?”

Spike gave her a sour look as he opened the book to a random page and read one of the passages on it aloud. “’Smite the prosecuting knave and make the whelp feel the wrath of thy glorious voice of justice’?” he recited in a disbelieving tone. “Who wrote this book, anyway?”

Twilight checked the cover. “It says it’s written by somepony named... Waxing Moon."

"Waxing Moon?” Spike blinked. “And just when was it originally written?"

She checked the preface. “Twelve centuries ago. Huh. Oddly enough, that’s before Luna was banished,” she couldn’t help but note, getting a sneaking suspicion the author’s name was an alias. “Okay, so maybe it’s a little outdated…”

Spike gave her a look. “A little outdated?” he echoed, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms.

“Okay! A lot outdated, but it will have to do!” Twilight pouted, though Spike preferred pouting to ranting and risking her potentially fiery temper.

“Okay, then. So what’s it say to do first?” the baby dragon humored Twilight, knowing that when she set her mind on something there was usually no dissuading her, regardless of whether it was a good idea or not.

“Let’s see…” Twilight flipped back to the beginning of the olden book, looking for the first step; she had to skim through the archaic, almost poetic text several times before she finally found an appropriate verse. “Oh!” she exclaimed. “’Thou shoudst consult with thy client in melancholy, lifting wisdom from thy plea of innocence’.”

Spike facepalmed again with a loud smack. “Oh, for—”

Twilight winced as well at the archaic wording, but refused to let go of her decision to use the book. “It must mean that I need to go speak with Rainbow Dash. But I can’t.”

“Why not?” Spike asked.

“They won’t let me speak to Rainbow without an attorney badge,” Twilight explained, then suddenly remembered: “Ah! That’s where you come in, Spike!”

The young scribe raised his scaled eyeridges at her. “Me? What do I do?” he asked, strangely certain he wasn’t going to like what came next.

“I need you to write an appeal to the Equestrian Legal Affairs Council to appoint me as Rainbow Dash’s lawyer while I’m gone,” Twilight instructed her scribe. “They can overrule Rainbow and appoint a new attorney if incompetency or conflicts of interest in the current one are indicated.” She anticipated his next question.

Spike gave her another annoyed look, crossing his arms in disgust. “Oh, nice, Twilight! Make me deal with those huffy-puffy suits! Hmph!” the baby dragon groused, noticing Twilight preparing to leave. “Fine, I’ll do it. So what are you going to do in the meantime?”

“Start my investigation by going to the detention center,” she replied, pulling on her saddlebags, filling them with scroll paper, quills and ink. Come to think of it, how did that weird quill of Phoenix’s work anyway?

“But didn’t you say you needed a badge to get in there?” Spike reminded her.

She shook her head. “Correction: I only need one to speak with Rainbow Dash as she’s already charged with a crime.”

“Then who—” Spike's eyes widened as understanding dawned. “Ohhhh! I get it! You’re going to go see Fluttershy, right?”

She nodded quickly. “That’s it exactly! Since she’s not charged and only detained for questioning, they’ll be much more lenient with visitors,” Twilight noted, floating the how-to tome back up and turning to the next page of text. “And after I’m done with that, according to the book I should then… ‘Scour the land high and low for evidence pertaining to the guilty culprit with the aid of thy loyal assistant at thy side’,” she quoted, taking on an archaic accent that would have sounded pretentious on anypony except perhaps Princess Luna.

“Footnote: Preferably an adolescent filly,” Twilight belatedly spotted the fine print at the bottom of the page, thinking that was odd and more than a little creepy.

Spike clamped his hands over his ears. “Twilight! Please stop talking like that! It hurts just to hear it!” the baby dragon pleaded with a pained look.

Twilight ignored him, pondering the wording. “It must mean investigate,” she guessed, closing the book and putting it in her saddlebags.

Her scribe instantly perked up at that. “Oh! Oh! Can I be your assistant? Detective ‘Hard-Boiled’ Spike, reporting for duty!” an excited Spike offered, saluting and twinkling through his big dragon eyes.

Though gratified at his enthusiasm, she shook her head. “Sorry, Spike, but I need you to write that appeal for me and run the library while I’m gone. Besides, I don’t think I need an assistant for this. This book is more or less just guidelines,” she told him, certain she could get along without one.

“Come on, Twilight! Pleeeeease?” Spike begged her, immensely preferring the idea of doing something cool like detective work to staying home and doing chores, or worse, dealing with Canterlot bureaucrats.

“Sorry, Spike, but you’re needed here,” Twilight apologized again, making him pout a bit. She felt sorry for her scribe, but knew something that might cheer him up. “Hey, maybe when I’m done, I’ll come home with a nice big sapphire with your name on it?” she offered with a grin.

The gemstone-eating baby dragon instantly changed his expression. “S-sapphire?!” He took on a begging pose and stuck out his tongue, all but drooling at the thought of eating one of his favorite crystal treats. “’Stay-at-home Spike’, reporting for duty!” Spike announced with a huge and eager grin on his face, giving her another salute.

I knew that would work! she thought in satisfaction, allowing herself a brief smirk which quickly disappeared as she thought of something else. “Oh, and Spike? If Phoenix comes by here, I want you to tell him to stay at the library until I get back. I don’t want him causing a ruckus in Ponyville.” He’s done enough damage for one day, she knew, deciding to stay away from him until she’d cooled off a little more, finding herself worried about what she’d say or do to him if she saw him too soon.

“Yes, sir! Err… Ma’am! Sir/Ma’am!” Spike fumbled with a proper title.

Protocol? He’s really getting into this! Twilight gave her scribe an approving nod and smile, vowing not to think about Phoenix Wright again. “Alright, Spike. I’m off to investigate now. Take care of that letter, and keep the library open. I’ll see you later!”

“Goodbye, Twilight!” Spike waved to her with a huge grin on his face, anticipating a wonderful evening meal.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on May 14, 2018.

Part 28 - The Caged Kindness

Ponyville Detention Center
June 10th, 12:34 PM

It took Twilight less than five minutes to walk from the library to the Detention Center, just missing Phoenix and Pinkie Pie as they left the plaza.

When she arrived, she noticed there was a minor commotion outside; one of the pegasus guards was huddled in a corner sobbing and inconsolable, babbling something about an evil enchantress who had put him in trances while his partner was lying on the ground in a fetal position sucking on his hoof like he was a foal again; the pair attended by a pair of pony paramedics who looked like they weren’t sure what to do.

Oooookay, then. Twilight decided not to ask questions, slipping by the scene quietly and presenting herself to the replacement guards at the entrance.

Announcing that she wished to visit Fluttershy, Twilight was given permission to enter, waited a few minutes for the guards to retrieve her, and was then escorted down the slightly dark and musty hallway to the meeting area by a trio of unicorn and earth pony stallions, two in front and one behind. They led her to the visiting room, with instructions to keep her visit brief and reminding her to use no magic while inside. It was not simply a request—as she entered the building, she had felt a magical suppression field wash over her that would prevent most spellcasting; even simple levitation spells were off-limits.

An annoying but sensible precaution, she conceded, though it would make the task of taking notes more difficult.

Twilight looked around the meeting room, though there wasn’t much to see except for a series of partitioned booths, separated from the other side by what she could sense was some enchanted glass designed to resist both physical and magical manipulation. So this is what it looks like in here. Not really what I was expecting. I was thinking it would look a bit more gritty and dark! she mused, deciding she’d probably been reading too many detective novels. But darned if the Fetlock Holmes books aren’t REALLY good reads!

Twilight walked past the row of booths until she spotted a huddled shape on the other side of one, and it gave a familiar gasp upon seeing her. “Fluttershy!” she exclaimed as she sighted her imprisoned friend, the lights in front of her booth quickly coming up as they sensed her approach.

“Um… h-hi, Twilight,” her shy friend said in a near-whisper as she moved out of the shadows, her head bowed and her ears drooping, teal eyes filled with fear and sadness.

Before replying, Twilight pulled the book out of her saddlebags with her mouth, put it on the floor and flipped it open to a bookmarked page with her hoof. Taking a moment, she placed a hoof tip on a particular line and cleared her throat. “’Fear not fair sir or maiden! Thy defender of truth hath come forth to comfort thee in thine time of need. We will raise thy spirits with an eloquent elegy that shall light the lantern of hope, even in the depths of this foul dungeon!’” she quoted, affecting an olden accent again.

Fluttershy’s facial expression went from scared and worried to completely confused, visibly trying and failing to parse the statement, leaving Twilight feeling more and more awkward.

After staring at her friend for a few moments more, she shut the book in frustration and spoke normally. “Never mind. Don’t worry, Fluttershy! I’m going to get you out of here!” Twilight promised, returning the olden lawyering guide to her saddlebag. This book must’ve had the most pretentious author EVER! “You’ll be happy to know that I am going to be taking over as the defense attorney for this case.”

Far from reassured, Fluttershy looked troubled at that. “What happened to Mister Phoenix?” she asked in her trademark timid voice, but Twilight scowled upon hearing his name, her lips tightening and ears flattening.

Twilight closed her eyes at that. “Just forget about him, Fluttershy,” she said, directing the statement as much to herself as her imprisoned friend. “We don’t need him. I’ll clear both you and Rainbow Dash myself!”

“Um… okay. If you say so. Thank you,” Fluttershy said tentatively, still looking uncertain.

I better change the subject, Twilight decided, both for Fluttershy’s benefit and her own. “So how’s it going?” she asked, shrugging off her saddlebags and taking out a piece of scroll paper and quill, getting a sharp reminder of the magical suppression field when she reflexively tried to use her aura to levitate them and felt a moment of painful feedback through her horn. She knew she could likely overcome it if she didn’t mind the pain, and at full power could probably even cancel the spell, but the unicorn guards would sense it and she’d end up in a great deal of trouble if she tried.

Fine. I don’t need magic! Fumbling a bit, she managed to get a saddlebag pocket open with her mouth and dump its contents out in front of her, positioning a piece of scroll paper and a capped inkwell on the floor in front of her. “Are they treating you well?”

“Th-they’ve been asking me about that feather,” Fluttershy said softly, visibly cringing at the memory of her interrogation.

Twilight nodded in sympathy, sitting down on her haunches as she pulled a quill free. This is what you did to her, Phoenix! Are you happy now? “Do you really think it came from one of your animals?” she asked next around a mouthful of feather, setting it down beside the inkwell.

“I don’t know. I don’t think so,” Fluttershy said softly, very much wishing she could leave with her friend. “I can’t remember any of my new birds having feathers that brown or big.”

“I don’t think so either, and I’m certain they’ll clear you once they establish that fact. But it’s still odd to see a feather like that in Ponyville,” Twilight mused, next getting the inkwell open by holding it with a hoof while she turned the top with her teeth, glad she’d had the foresight to loosen it slightly when she was outside.

“There is something strange about it, Twilight,” Fluttershy noted, trying not to gawk at her friend’s awkward efforts—she clearly wasn’t used to manipulating objects without her magic.

Twilight’s curiosity was piqued. “Strange? What do you mean?” she asked quickly, getting the inkwell open but now fumbling for the quill again, finding it very hard to pick it up off the ground with her hoof and suddenly wishing Phoenix was there as he could easily do so with his fingers.

She all but growled at that. It’ll be a cold day in Tartarus before I get help from HIM again! Twilight silently promised as she finally succeeded in getting it back into her mouth.

Fluttershy’s brow furrowed, finding the clumsy manual efforts of her normally sure-horned friend mildly fascinating. “I mean, there’s something strange about the feather. It feels like I’ve seen it before,” she said uncertainly, her teal eyes looking up at the ceiling like she was trying to pin down an elusive and possibly unpleasant memory.

Twilight looked up in surprise. “You’ve seen it before? Wait! So it really did come from one of your animals!?” she asked around the quill feather in her mouth, scarcely able to believe Phoenix could have been right about that.

“I don’t think so, but still…” Fluttershy hesitated before speaking again. “I can’t put my hoof on it, but I keep thinking I should know where it came from.”

“Fluttershy…” Twilight rubbed her head with a hoof, feeling a headache coming on. “If this ends up having come from one of your animals, you’ll be in even more trouble!” she reminded her faint-hearted friend, who cringed and gave a frightened sound. “I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that!” Twilight just as quickly backtracked. Great. Now I’M apologizing like her!

“Look—we can’t control that, so let’s talk about the trial, Fluttershy,” Twilight changed the subject once more, deciding moving to a new topic would be best. “There were some odd things you brought up in your testimony,” she said, resetting the quill in her mouth so she could jot down some notes. Ick! How do earth ponies and pegasi write like this? I’m getting feather bits in my teeth! she grimaced, lowering her head to dip the quill in the inkwell. It took her three tries to succeed as the quill tip kept glancing off the bottle’s rim.

Fluttershy lifted her head up to look at Twilight, noting again her awkward efforts. “Odd things? L-like what?”

Twilight nodded, struggling to write a line. “As much as I hate to say it, you should have seen Apple Bloom leave that forest,” she told her through the gritted teeth that held the quill, scowling anew at the memory of who had uncovered that contradiction. Just forget about him, Twilight! You don’t need him, and you’ll have recovered enough power to send him back home by this evening! Then you won’t have to think about him ever AGAIN! “Are you absolutely certain you were watching the woods all night?” she asked further.

Fluttershy nodded almost imperceptibly. “Yes. I watched it the entire time, but I didn’t see Apple Bloom leave it,” Fluttershy insisted on her alibi.

Twilight gave a heavy sigh, losing hold of the quill in her teeth when she did so, watching helplessly as it fluttered down to her hooves, frustrating her further. “Fluttershy, she got home that night after being lost in the woods. There’s only one road in and out of there, and that’s right in front of your cottage. If she can’t fly, she had to have taken it! And you had to have seen her if you really were watching the forest after the lightning like you say,” she said in annoyance, both at her friend’s answer and at her own clumsy attempts to pick the writing implement up with her hoof again, struggling to dip it in ink. It only took her two tries that time, but she got too much ink on it; grimacing as it dribbled black spots over the paper as she raised it back up to her mouth.

Fluttershy began to tear up again. “I’m sorry, Twilight, but I didn’t see her,” she insisted, cowering like she was in court again, half-afraid Twilight would accuse her as well. “Please believe me?”

“I do,” Twilight quickly assured her friend, but between her struggles with the quill and the lack of answers, the young mage was getting more than a little frustrated. Ugh! This makes no SENSE! I don’t think she’s lying, but if she isn’t, then how did Apple Bloom get out of the forest without being seen? Maybe I need to have a chat with a certain little filly today! she decided, jotting another very sloppy note along those lines.

“Well, they still don’t…” she shuddered, remembering her earlier interrogation. “The police keep questioning me about it.”

“It’s okay, Fluttershy. They’re just doing their jobs. I’m sure there’s a logical explanation to all this,” Twilight claimed, trying to calm down and re-dip her quill—it took two tries again, but at least she got the right amount of ink on that time. “So why were you watching the forest after the lightning, anyway?”

Her shy friend had an answer for that, at least. “I wanted to see what was chasing after Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy explained, looking up at the ceiling again. “She acted like she was trying to get away from something fast, and she never does that.”

Twilight raised her head up and nodded thoughtfully, not noticing that the motion spattered a few drops of ink over her chest and forelegs. “I guess it makes sense. Rainbow Dash is never one to run away—or rather, fly away—from anything. I’d probably be curious as well,” she agreed, jotting another note and wincing when she saw how poor her penponyship became without her magic, suddenly having new appreciation for Spike’s elegant claw-written script. Maybe I should have brought him along. If nothing else, I swear I’ll never get on Rainbow’s case for poor hoofwriting again!

“Yes; that’s why I watched all night. I wanted to know why she was flying away so fast,” Fluttershy claimed.

Twilight paused to dip the quill in ink again, pleased that she did it on the first try. See? Nothing to it! “Then there is that issue with the lightning,” Twilight brought up next. “You’ve got to tell me you heard two bolts!” she all but pleaded her friend to say, looking up at her sharply and sending fresh spatters of ink flying, several dribbling down her chest.

Fluttershy looked crestfallen again. “I only heard the one bolt of lightning at 8:40. I’m sure of it.” She timidly but emphatically stuck by her trial testimony.

“But that doesn’t make any sense!” Twilight’s frustration finally got the best of her as she stomped a hoof and raised her voice a bit in frustration, not noticing the impact sloshed a small amount of ink out of its well, the black fluid running under her hoof.

Her shy friend cringed again. “Um… I-I’m sorry, but I really didn’t hear it.” She started to tear up once more.

Twilight forced herself to calm down, her own emotions still raw and not helped by the frustration over trying to take notes without her magic. “You don’t need to say sorry, I believe you,” Twilight reassured her friend, trying to force a smile, realizing a piece of a feather was stuck between her teeth. UGH!

“Oh. Sorry for saying sorry.”

I really feel like putting my face in my hooves right now! Twilight thought to herself, but settled for rubbing her temple again. “The thing is, more questions than answers come from the testimony you gave. Why didn't you see the second bolt or Apple Bloom? It’s all so mysterious,” she noted in frustration.

“Just like that paper I found…” Fluttershy agreed, giving Twilight an odd look like she wasn’t sure whether to mention something or not.

“Yeah, just like that paper—” Twilight agreed before she belatedly realized the import behind the words. “Wait. Paper? What paper?”

“I found half a letter outside my house the morning after the murder. It might have blown in from the forest,” Fluttershy revealed, her gaze repeatedly flickering to the side of Twilight’s head.

Twilight sat bolt upright, her purple eyes wide and jaw falling open, the quill falling from her mouth again in turn. “Why didn’t you say anything about this? That paper could be evidence!”

Fluttershy cringed again. “Um… because I thought it was litter and didn’t want to bother anypony about it?” she offered meekly.

“Fluttershy…” Twilight sighed wearily, closing her eyes and rubbing her head again, still not noticing the spilled ink on her hoof. “Where is it right now? And what did you mean by ‘half’ a letter?”

Twilight didn’t understand why Fluttershy briefly blushed and hurriedly looked away. “It’s in the scrap paper basket I use for cage lining next to my front door, but it looked like somepony ripped it in half.”

“Do you remember what it said?” Twilight asked, jotting down another messy note. Soon as I’m out of here and can use my magic again, I’m rewriting these notes more legibly and burning this sheet! No WAY am I letting Spike or anypony else see this!

Fluttershy was helplessly staring at Twilight’s face, her cheeks flushing again as she did so. “It was really short. It said something about saying goodbye, and it sounded really sad.”

I have GOT to see this thing! Twilight knew. “Fluttershy, I’m going to your house to get this letter you’re talking about,” she announced, removing the quill from her mouth and capping the ink bottle, noticing some had spilled and gotten on the tip of her hoof. Great. Now I have to clean up, too! She stifled a groan, trying not to be too obvious about spitting out the pieces of feather in her teeth.

“Okay. Um… Twilight? While you’re there, could you feed my animals for me?” Fluttershy asked.

“Sure thing,” Twilight happily accepted, grateful she could do that much for her friend, at least.

“And, um… tell Angel Bunny why I’m not home?” Fluttershy added, though Twilight had the impression she was originally going to say something else.

“Yeah, I’ll do that too,” she agreed, though in truth Twilight didn’t much care for the little white rabbit, who could be unfriendly, possessive and greedy, and didn’t always treat Fluttershy the best. ‘Angel’, my furry flank!

“And um…” she trailed off, looking embarrassed.

“Yes?” Twilight prompted when her shy friend didn’t finish.

She opened her mouth twice, only to close it each time. “N-nothing. Thank you, Twilight,” she gave up, looking away, her cheeks flushing again.

Twilight didn’t understand why Fluttershy was blushing, but decided it wasn’t important. “Remember what I said, Fluttershy. I’m going to get you out of here! I Pinkie Promise!” Twilight proclaimed, going through the motions of making the party pony’s oath, ending with her sticking a hoof against her closed eye. For the first time all morning, Fluttershy smiled, looking like she was trying hard to suppress a giggle.

Well, at least I cheered her up a bit? Twilight decided as she left the meeting area, already planning her next move, not understanding why the guards seemed to be stifling snickers of their own as they led her back out.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on May 26, 2018.

Part 29 - Apple Cruising

Ponyville Detention Center
Front Desk
June 10th, 1:00PM

Twilight was lost in thought as she was escorted out of the meeting area, though she found it more and more difficult to concentrate on planning her next move when the guards kept giving her amused glances, looking like they were finding it increasingly hard to keep from laughing.

Okay, and just what’s so bucking funny? she wondered in exasperation as they reached the front lobby and she went to sign out. She finally realized something was wrong when the clerk behind the admissions desk took one look at her and started giggling as well, the unicorn mare taking pity on Twilight and floating her a vanity mirror. With a sinking feeling in her stomach, Twilight took a look in it…

And gaped as she realized her head, chest and forelegs were spattered in ink, including two particularly large smears from when she rubbed her face and temple offset by a comically blackened right eye from giving Fluttershy a Pinkie Promise!

The secret out, the guards could restrain themselves no longer, rolling on the floor laughing hysterically as she dashed to the little filly’s room to wash it off, her ears burning with embarrassment.

Ten minutes later, she emerged with a clean coat—it had taken no small amount of soap and magic to get all the ink off—but could do nothing to hide her bright red cheeks as she made the long walk out of the Detention Center through the lobby, eyes fixed straight ahead, enduring a steady stream of whispered jokes and stifled snickers from the guards and workers as she went. She would have teleported directly outside if she could, but the Detention Center’s magical suppression field included an enchantment that blocked it in order to prevent unicorn prisoners from escaping.

Struggling to compose herself, Twilight trotted down the stairs out into the plaza. Okay! Inkstains aside, I’m not doing so bad! I found a brand new piece of information all by myself! she boasted to herself, still feeling flustered. HA! See, this lawyering gig isn’t so hard after all! I just have to slip in Fluttershy’s cottage and snag that piece of paper she was talking about, she planned, not paying attention to her surroundings. There probably will be a lot of police and investigators around analyzing the animals, but they shouldn’t mind me.

Lost in thought and lingering embarrassment as she pondered her next move, she didn’t see the other pony coming her way until she accidentally bumped into her.

“Ah!” Twilight nearly fell over her, but just managed to maintain her balance. “Sorry.”

“Not at all. Excuse me,” said the unfamiliar unicorn mare, giving her violet counterpart a briefly annoyed look before closing her eyes and stepping around her.

“Right, sorry,” Twilight apologized as the other mare went on her way. Who was that? I’ve never seen her before, she wondered, not recognizing the bespectacled but immaculately groomed dark grey unicorn mare with tan eyes and a chestnut mane. Don’t know who she is, but I’m certain I’ve never met her before. I would have remembered somepony with an eyeball cutie mark, she mused, wondering what special talent it signified.

“Hey, Twi!” A young voice broke into her thoughts.

She glanced down to see a familiar yellow-furred filly with a red mane and tail and wearing a large pink bow standing next to her. “Huh? Oh! Hi, Apple Bloom,” she nodded distractedly, watching the other mare head up the street. She’s headed towards Sugar Cube Corner. Odd, she doesn’t exactly look like the type who’s into sweets! Twilight thought, not able to put her hoof on why the gray unicorn made her feel uneasy.

“Whatcha doin’? Reckon you seem really deep in thought,” Applejack’s younger sister asked curiously.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m just conducting an investigation, that’s all,” Twilight answered automatically… and then all but bit her tongue as Apple Bloom’s orange eyes widened with excitement.

“INVESTIGATION?!” the young filly yelled in delight.

Twilight cringed. “I-I mean N-NO! I’m not doing anything like that! Just another boring day in Ponyville for me!” she laughed nervously.

But the cat was already out of the bag, and Apple Bloom wasn’t so easily dissuaded. “Oh! Oh! Let me investigate with you! CUTIE MARK CRUSADER PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR!!”she proclaimed herself at the top of her lungs.

Oh NO! What have you DONE, Twilight?! She suddenly wished she could go back in time ten seconds to slap a hoof over her mouth, vowing to someday invent a spell that would allow her to do just that. “Um, Apple Bloom? Aren’t you supposed to be in school?” she suggested hopefully.

Apple Bloom shook her head. “Nope! Ah got a day off because of the trial! Miss Cheerilee said it was okay as long as Ah gave a report on testifying afterwards!”

Twilight was in disbelief. “You were given the whole day off from school because of that? I would have been put back in magic kindergarten if I missed a day of my classes!”

“Magic Kindergarten?” The young filly tilted her head.

Twilight sighed. “Yes, Apple Bloom. Magic Kindergarten is a real place and you will be sent there at the first sign of defiance,” she explained, rubbing her head again, doing a double-take when she suddenly worried there could still be ink on it.

“Ah might help you, having the day off and all!” Apple Bloom suggested, but Twilight wasn’t interested, knowing all too well how the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ help had turned out in the past.

“Look, Apple Bloom—this is grown-up work; nothing a little filly like you should be doing,” she tried desperately to reason with the young earth pony.

“Please Twi, Ah’ll be a big help! Ah promise!” she insisted, looking downcast.

Twilight put her hoof down. “The answer is no, Apple Bloom!”

“Pleeeeeeeease!” the young filly said, putting on her cutest, saddest face.

But Twilight was unmoved. “No means no!”

“Plleeeeeeaaaaassee!” she tried again, redoubling her efforts, looking as adorable as she could.

“I said—”

“PLLLLLLLLEEEEEAAAAASSSEEE!!!”Apple Bloom kept pestering her, her voice growing more piercing and grating.

UGH! It’s like talking to a WALL! A very loud and shrill WALL! Twilight thought, resisting the urge to clamp her hooves over her ears, thinking that the young filly’s nagging could give Rarity’s whining a run. Oh, wait! “Hey, Apple Bloom! If you want to help me, I know another way you can!” she announced, causing Apple Bloom’s ears to perk up eagerly. “I want to discuss what happened in court today with you.” I had planned to speak with her anyway, might as well get it over with now?

But instead of being excited, Apple Bloom’s expression dropped. “No!” The young filly shook her head sharply, taking on a pouting look.

Twilight’s muzzle fell open. “What? Why not? I thought you wanted to help me!”

Apple Bloom looked angry. “Ah said Ah wanted to investigate, not answer a buncha boring ol’ questions! Reckon I did enough of that in court today, and Ah didn’t get a cutie mark for it, either! So yer gonna let me investigate with ya, Twi. ‘Cause otherwise? Ah ain’t talking!” she announced with a scowl, sitting down on her haunches.

Twilight’s eye twitched. Grrhh! Why you little…! she thought to herself, trying to contain her frustration while attempting to persuade the young earth pony. “Please, Apple Bloom, I really need to talk to you about the testimony,” she asked politely, but Apple bloom had suddenly developed a strong interest in an earthworm crawling at her hooves, paying her no mind. “Okay, how about if you talk to me, I’ll get you a big rainbow lollipop from the candy store?” she offered a bribe that seemed to give Apple Bloom at least temporary pause, only for the young filly to shake her head hard. “Apple Bloom?”

“Investigate or no deal, Twi,” she said again, some of her big sister’s stubbornness in evidence.

“Two lollipops and a shake from Sugar Cube Corner?” she tried again, knowing she’d get an earful from Applejack later for indulging her like that and spoiling her dinner, but Apple Bloom just looked more annoyed. Well, you’d never be able to bribe Applejack either! Twilight grimaced, knowing that when it came to their family, Apples didn’t fall far from the tree.

Worse, Apple Bloom seemed to know she had the upper hoof as the two stared at each other, each waiting for the other to give in first. But after several minutes, Twilight realized she was wasting valuable time, finding herself left with a single inescapable option: “Fine! You can investigate with me!” Twilight surrendered with a frustrated facehoof.

Apple Bloom immediately sprouted a huge smile. “YAAY! CUTIE MARK CRUSADER PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR!!” she bellowed again, jumping for joy.

I can’t believe I caved in to her demands! Twilight grimaced, wondering if Phoenix ever had to strike deals to gain information in his own cases. “I gave you what you wanted. Now can you tell me about what you said in court this morning?”

“Sure thing Twi! Whaddaya wanna know?” Apple Bloom asked, all eagerness again.

The older mare let out a heavy sigh as she levitated her quill, ink and scroll paper back out of her saddlebags, trying to refocus her thoughts, half-thinking she could get the information and make an excuse to break her promise afterwards. That lasted until she suddenly saw Pinkie Pie’s head emerging from a nearby barrel behind Apple Bloom with an angry, warning look, shaking her head sternly at her before sinking back down and disappearing.

Twilight swallowed hard. How does Pinkie DO that? she wondered for the millionth time, though after her disastrous—and rather painful—experience with trying to disprove her friend’s Pinkie sense, she knew she’d probably never know.

Focusing instead on a mystery she hopefully could solve, Twilight began to interview Apple Bloom, holding the quill and scroll paper up with her aura, very happy to have her magic available and that she didn’t have to write manually again. “Well, first off, what you said in your testimony is kind of… um… well, impossible,” she told the young filly, not happy that she had to draw on one of Phoenix’s observations.

“But Ah was telling the truth, Twi! Honest!” Apple Bloom insisted.

Twilight gave her a skeptical look, casting a wary glance back at the barrel. “Fluttershy told me that she was watching the forest all night, and I don’t think she was lying.”

“So? What does that have to do with me?”

“She said she didn’t see you leave the forest, which seems impossible if she was watching the only path in or out. So where exactly were you when you got out?” Twilight wanted to know.

“Hmm…” Apple Bloom thought about that for a moment. “After the big flash of lightning—or whatever it was—Ah was blinded and stumbled around dizzy for a bit. Hay, reckon I just about felt ready to throw up after. When Ah could open mah eyes, Ah was a little ways away from the pathway on the outside of the Everfree,” Apple Bloom recounted, elaborating on her trial testimony.

“Where was that in relation to Fluttershy’s house?” Twilight wanted to know.

Apple Bloom had to think about that. “Um… sorry, Twi, but Ah ain’t sure, really. I didn’t see her cottage, but reckon Ah wasn’t exactly looking for it, either. Just knew Ah had to get home, and Ah was real happy to be out of the woods.”

“I’ll bet,” Twilight understood, recognizing at least one new piece of information in her statements as she jotted them down. “This flash of light that you thought was lightning, Apple Bloom—what was it like?” she followed up.

Her yellow brow furrowed as she tried to remember. “Reckon it was like a camera flashing in mah face. It was so bright Ah thought it was lightning, but it’s strange—it didn’t make any noise,” Apple Bloom recalled.

“That is strange,” Twilight agreed. If it was lightning, how could there have been no thunder? She wondered to herself, exasperated at having to acknowledge yet another of Phoenix’s points were valid. “So why did they bring you in to testify, Apple Bloom? Wouldn’t Zecora have been a better choice? She lives in the forest, after all,” Twilight mused.

Apple Bloom shrugged. “From what I heard, they were going to get her instead of me, but she went to sleep right after Ah left. Reckon she was really beat from brewing potions all day.”

“And none of the lightning woke her up?” Twilight asked in disbelief, her quill pausing in mid-word.

“’I heard not a sound, for I am a deep sleeper. If you need a good witness, ask the filly or zookeeper’.” Apple Bloom quoted Zecora, pulling off a surprisingly passable imitation of the zebra mare’s voice.

Wow, Zecora must sleep like a rock! Twilight thought as she finished writing her latest note, wondering if it might be worth it to interview her anyway. “Did you see anything else strange in the forest that night, Apple Bloom?” she asked.

“Nope!” Apple Bloom said quickly, only to blink as she remembered there was indeed something else. “Oh, wait! There was one other thing.”

Yet another piece of information somepony decided not to share! Twilight sighed to herself in annoyance, wondering idly how Phoenix got through his cases without ripping his pointed mane out. “What was it, Apple Bloom?” she asked, quill poised again.

The young filly rubbed the back of her head with her hoof. “Ah didn’t think this was important, but a little after the first lightning bolt scared—” Apple Bloom caught herself before continuing “—er, made me jump a little…”

You’re not fooling anypony! Twilight restrained an eyeroll. “Yes? What happened?”

“I heard something fall from the sky and hit the ground!” Apple Bloom recalled.

“Fall from the sky? What was it?” Twilight asked, trying not to sound too excited.

She thought for a moment, only to finally shake her head. “Ah don’t know. It happened just after Ah started runnin’ away—er, Ah mean walking away from the lightning bolt. I heard it land, but Ah didn’t bother lookin’ for it. All Ah wanted was to get out!”

“Do you remember where it fell?” Twilight hurriedly jotted down the information.

“Sorta…” Apple Bloom said a little tentatively. “Hey! Ah know! Ah’ll take ya there, Twi! See, Ah told you Ah’d be a big help!” she said with a big and eager grin.

There’s a murder by bolt of lightning, and within a minute of both something falls from the sky? That’s too close in time and proximity to reasonably be a coincidence. Whatever she witnessed must tie in with this somehow, Twilight sensed, thinking that against all odds, the filly might actually be leading her to something important. “Okay, Apple Bloom. I know I really shouldn’t be doing this, but I’m going to take you into the Everfree Forest with me.” She cringed internally, knowing what Applejack’s reaction to the news would be. “I want to find this thing you said fell from the sky.”

“YAY! CUTIE MARK CRUSADER PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR!!”Apple Bloom called out at the top of her lungs again, making Twilight wince, her hooves clamping over her ears an instant too late.

My poor eardrums! She consoled herself as she rubbed her abused aural appendages after the shout. “But first, we have to stop by Fluttershy’s cottage. There’s a torn paper at her door I have to retrieve.”

Apple Bloom nodded, but then thought of something else. “Oh! Um, Twi? Since Ah’m helping ya out, can ya go to the park with me and help me out with something, too?”

Twilight shook her head as she re-stowed her parchment, ink and quill. “No. I don’t have time for that,” Twilight told her, thinking she had much more important things to do. Like prove Rainbow Dash innocent!

“Fine. Then Ah’m not showing you where that thing dropped, then,” Apple Bloom said with a smug, mischievous grin.

Twilight ground her teeth again, knowing she had little choice but to accede to the conniving foal’s demands. “Okay! We’ll go to the park after we go into the forest!” she spat out the promise, suddenly wondering how effective a lawyer she could be if she couldn’t even deal with one little filly. And Phoenix said he’s dealt with child witnesses before? HOW?

“Thank ya so much, Twi! You’re the best!” Apple Bloom nuzzled her affectionately.

‘Thank you’? ‘You’re the best’? You didn’t give me a CHOICE! Twilight fumed in frustration, deciding the only thing she could do was make the most of it. “So besides that, have you noticed anything else strange these past few days?” she asked in casual conversation, though she didn’t really expect an affirmative reply.

To her surprise, she got one. “Oh! Uh, yeah, Ah did! It was Rainbow Dash!”

Upon hearing that, Twilight’s ears perked up. “Rainbow Dash? What about her?” she stopped and asked immediately.

“Two days ago, when Ah was on mah way to Zecora’s house, Ah saw Rainbow Dash…” Apple Bloom began to recount.

Entrance to Everfree Forest
~4 hours before the murder

“Hey, Rainbow Dash!” Apple Bloom called out as she noticed her grown friend pushing a large cloud above the entrance to the forest, waving a hoof at her in greeting.

To her surprise, instead of waving back, the cocky mare all but cringed at her voice, her tail spiking in fear. “Ah! That’s not me, I swear!” Rainbow Dash stammered, looking almost panic-stricken. “Oh, it’s just you, Apple Bloom,” she said in relief after she glanced back.

“Uh… what’re you doin’ with that big ol’ cloud, Rainbow? Ain’t the storm supposed to be on the other side of Ponyville?” Apple Bloom pointed out.

Rainbow Dash didn’t reply right away. She looked strangely nervous, her eyes darting back and forth. “Uh… look, kid. I need this cloud for something, so just pretend you never saw me, okay?” she said shortly, pushing the cloud deeper into the forest before Apple Bloom could reply.

“… and then Ah saw her go into the Everfree Forest with that cloud. She looked really worried, too. Ah was gonna tell everypony about that today, but Rainbow Dash told me to pretend like Ah never saw her. So that’s what Ah did!” Apple Bloom smiled at Twilight, seeking praise for keeping her promise.

Praise was the last thing on Twilight’s mind, her heart sinking as she realized the import of what the young filly had witnessed. Oh no! So Rainbow Dash really DID bring that cloud there, just as Trixie said! she realized in shock, finding herself with sudden and very unwelcome doubts about her friend’s innocence, nervously wondering what other purpose she could have had in moving the cloud into the forest. Rainbow Dash wasn’t REALLY planning to murder somepony with it, was she?

Apple Bloom’s smile dropped when she saw the worried expression on Twilight’s face. “Twilight? What’s the matter?” she asked in concern.

Her voice snapped Twilight out of her brooding. “N-nothing. Let’s stop wasting time here and go to Fluttershy’s cottage to get that letter,” she suggested, setting her jaw and telling herself as forcefully as she could that Rainbow might be cocky, obnoxious and even occasionally arrogant, but she was also the Element of Loyalty and categorically wasn’t a killer. There just HAS to be a logical and reasonable explanation for what she did!

“Alright! To Fluttershy’s cottage!” The filly said, skipping on ahead and not looking where she was going.

“Apple Bloom, slow down!” Twilight called after her, but it was too late—the young filly ran headlong into a pegasus pony, sending them both down in a tangle of wings and limbs.

Twilight rushed over to see if they were alright. “See, Apple Bloom? You need to watch where you’re going!” she chided the young filly, picking her up with her magic.

“I-I’m sorry for bumping into you!” the male pegasus said in a panicked tone before Apple Bloom could reply.

Twilight looked at the unfamiliar male, helping him up with a quick burst of magic from her horn. “It’s okay. It wasn’t your fault,” Twilight assured the other pony, getting a good look at him for the first time. He was a dark blue pegasus stallion with an athlete’s build and a light grey mane, wearing a set of flight goggles that sat high on his forehead over a pair of green eyes.

“Are you sorry? I don’t know!” the pegasus stallion asked, an odd expression on his face.

“Huh?” Twilight tilted her head at him.

“NOOOO!” He flared his wings and yelled into the sky. “You have to actually mean it when you’re sorry! You have to mean it and say it with lots of remorse!” he berated himself, dropping his wings to his side as a dumbfounded Twilight looked on. “I’M SORRRRY!!”the pegasus stallion all but screamed, raising his head and flaring his wings again.

For her part, Apple Bloom was amused. “He’s funny! He’s like a character in one of those storybooks!” she giggled.

That caught the odd pony’s attention. “Y-you really think I can have a book written about me?” he asked Apple Bloom, folding his wings back to his sides.

“Yeah! For sure!” Apple Bloom replied quickly.

What kind of book is THAT? ’Psychiatric Help 101?’ Twilight wondered, having to catch herself to make sure she didn’t say it out loud.

“You’re right! Maybe I can get a biography or something written about me; it’ll be a bestseller!” The stallion said, but then his expression suddenly dropped again. “Ngggh—NO! Then everypony will think you’re egotistical! You can’t have a book!” he told himself.

Twilight felt very creeped out. Is he… yelling at himself? On a scale of one to ten, he’s at least a twelve on the weird-o-meter! she thought, then slightly warily decided to ask his name. “Who are you?”

To her surprise, his manner instantly changed again. “The name’s Cruise Control! Nice to meet you, ma’am!” he said politely, holding out his hoof.

Though surprised at his sudden change in mood, she bumped it in greeting. “I’m Twilight Sparkle, and this is Apple Bloom. Pleasure to meet—”

But before Twilight could finish her sentence, Cruise started ranting again.“Uggggghhhh—No! You just called her ‘ma’am’! That’s like saying she’s old! Didn’t Mom tell you to never ask a lady her age? That’s just rude, you bloody idiot!” he harangued himself. “Though you didn’t exactly ask her age, you sort of just implied it… I’m still sorry!” he added as an afterthought.

I retract that—he’s a FORTY-SIX on the weird-o-meter! Twilight thought, suddenly wondering if she should make a call to Ponyville Hospital and tell them to bring a straitjacket.

“Ah’ve never seen you in Ponyville before, mister,” Apple Bloom said to Cruise, unperturbed by his strange antics.

His mood again changed instantly as he looked down at the young filly, breaking out in a warm smile. “That makes sense, since I’m not from here. I just flew in today!”

“So you’re just visiting or something?” Twilight asked with an askance look, getting whiplash from his repeated mood swings.

He shook his head. “No, I’m here to compete! The starting and finish line for the big race is in Ponyville this year.”

Understanding dawned on Twilight. “Ah! I see. So you’re racing in the Equestrian 500,” she realized, thinking that the flight goggles should have been a giveaway.

“Yup! That’s right! I just came in today from Manehattan! Nnngggghhh—you should have told them that earlier!” he shouted again as he finished his first sentence.

“Okay, okay! Just calm down! It’s alright!” Twilight cringed, noticing he was starting to attract attention from passing ponies.

“Ah was betting Rainbow Dash would win! She was representing Ponyville, after all!” Apple Bloom claimed, which only set Cruise Control off again.

“No! Why can’t you support me?I’m trying to win too!” he cried out, all but wailing.

Apple Bloom! He CLEARLY has self-esteem issues! Twilight shot the filly a warning look before turning her attention back to the odd pegasus. “So, Mister Cruise… you’re from Manehattan?” she inquired, hoping that was a safe subject to ask.

“Mmhmm—yup!” Cruise replied quickly, smiling again.

“Really? How good a racer are you?” Apple Bloom asked eagerly.

“Pretty good,” he answered with a sly grin, which quickly was subsumed beneath a fresh mortified look and another explosive outburst. “No! Don’t lie, you loser! You do awful, horrible, atrocious! Last place every time!” he proclaimed, getting more and more agitated.

“Every time?” Twilight tilted her head, thinking nopony could possibly be that bad. Well, unless it’s me playing poker…

“Every time! Dead last!” he confirmed, falling to the ground in frustration and covering his head with his hooves.

“Awww. I’m sorry!” Apple Bloom said in pity.

“Thank you,” Cruise said, looking up briefly, but then… “Nggghhh!”

Here it comes…! Twilight braced herself.

“Noooo! Now you’re pitying me! I feel so sorry for myself! Don’t worry; you’ll do better this year! Ah! Noooo! Now you’re pitying you! You look so pathetic in front of these two!” he cried, curling himself into a ball on the ground.

Far from being put off by his behavior, Apple Bloom tried to comfort him. “Ah don’t think you’re pathetic, mister. Ah know just how you feel,” she said in sympathy, but then gave a frown. “Ah can’t do anythin’ right either—Ah don’t even have a cutie mark yet! And what’s worse, mah big sister is mean to me all the time! She grounds me and makes me do a bunch of lame chores! It’s like she doesn’t even care about me at all!” Apple Bloom exclaimed, stomping her hoof in resentment and anger, leaving Twilight wondering where that particular outburst had come from.

Cruise’s expression changed instantly, the male pegasus becoming very serious and solemn. “Don’t ever say that,” he stood up and instructed the young filly, his voice quiet. “Older siblings always care for the well-being of their younger brothers and sisters,” he told her in a strangely fervent tone.

The pegasus stallion noticed Twilight giving him a peculiar look. “O-oh, I mean... yeah, the Equestrian 500 sure is a tough race to compete in!”

Cruise Control’s abrupt change in attitude was not missed by Twilight. What was that about? He just completely 180’d there! she recognized with a furrowed brow, suddenly wondering if he was putting on some kind of act.

She’d barely had time to form the thought before his mood changed again. “Don’t worry about me, though. Things will be different this year!” he promised, wearing a confident smile for the first time.

“You plan on winning?” Apple Bloom grinned back.

He nodded quickly, giving the young filly’s mane an affectionate ruffle with his forehoof. “Exactly! Let’s just say a big burden is off of my shoulders, and now I can go all-out,” Cruise explained, his self-assured tone making Twilight think he suddenly was a whole different pony.

“Are you talking about Ace Swift? I guess him not being there will take off some of the pressure on the racers,” Twilight guessed, having a hard time keeping up with all his mood swings.

“Ace Swift?” Cruise looked at Twilight, his smile dropping instantly, but not ranting again to her great relief.

“You know, the undefeated pegasus racer that was going to represent Canterlot?” she reminded him. “He was the favorite to win.”

“I know who he is,” the stallion answered in a very low and measured tone.

“Then you probably know what happened to him?”

He nodded once, his lips tight. “Yes, I do. And to be perfectly honest, he got exactly what was coming to him. I hope it was painful,” he said, his eyes narrowing.

Twilight was appalled, her mouth dropping open in shock. “What?! How could you say something like that! An innocent pony was killed!”

“INNOCENT?!??!!” Cruise exploded, his face suddenly contorted in fury and causing Apple Bloom to take a hurried step back from his very real anger.“He was—! Ngh!” Cruise caught himself and made an awkward face, while Twilight watched him in silence, awaiting the inevitable. “No! You’re right, Twilight Sparkle! I shouldn’t say things like that! It’s very unbecoming of me!” the male pegasus said in a panic-stricken voice, all but shaking as he ended his sentence.

Twilight gave him a sideways look, more convinced than ever he was putting on airs, sensing he was hiding something behind his latest outburst. “Cruise Control? Do you have something against Ace Swift?”

The pegasus stallion fell silent at the question, looking like he was groping for a response. Then all of the sudden… everything in Twilight’s vision except for Cruise himself went black! Huh?

*BANG!* *CLANG* *rattle* RATTLE* *clang* *Bang* *rattle * *BANG!!!!”

As a shocked Twilight watched, a series of large chains appeared out of nowhere and began to noisily coil around the male pegasus, followed by three large red padlocks materializing in front of them.

“What? NO! No! Of course not! I respect all my fellow racers!” Cruise claimed again, but Twilight wasn’t listening—she was staring in alarm at the mysterious locks and chains before her.

“WHAT… WHAT THE HECK ARE THOSE?!” Twilight shouted even louder than Cruise had, rearing up in fright and making kicking motions with her hooves like she was trying to ward off an attacker.

Both Apple Bloom and Cruise Control gave her an odd look. “What the heck are what?” the latter asked, sounding genuinely confused.

“THOSE CHAINS AND LOCKS!!!!”she yelled again, motioning around him with her hoof, her purple eyes wide and darting, near panic.

“Chains and locks? What are you talking about, Twilight?” Apple Bloom asked in the same confused voice as Cruise.

For once, Cruise Control looked to be at a loss for words, staring at Twilight for several seconds before giving a careful reply. “I’m afraid I don’t know what locks and chains you’re talking about. But don’t worry! I don’t think you’re crazy or anything!” Cruise said to Twilight, but just like clockwork, his ranting started up again. “Nggh—no, you do think she’s crazy! Don’t lie!”

This harlequin is calling ME crazy? “You’re telling me you two can’t see them?!” Twilight asked in disbelief—they were as clear as day to her; she experimentally tried to touch one only to find that her hoof passed right through! She recoiled in shock at that. They’re not tangible? What ARE these things? she thought, trying not to freak—for all her skill and study, she had never seen or heard of magic like… this!

“Twi? Are you feeling alright?” Apple Bloom asked in concern.

“I—” Why don’t they SEE them?! Twilight didn’t understand, tentatively using her magic to probe the odd energy she sensed coming from them and finding it strangely familiar. Wait, I KNOW this aura! It feels like— her thought trailed off as she remembered what happened in the last minutes before the trial.

“Hey! That’s the toy you were playing with yesterday, Nix!” Rainbow said with a knowing grin, recognizing the object immediately.

“Huh? Oh. Yeah, that’s mine. I must have mixed it up in the evidence we found. AND IT’S NOT A TOY!” he shouted at her.

Rainbow was unimpressed. “Ha! Whatever you say, Nix!”

“Can you pass it over here, Twilight? It’s a keepsake of someone I know,” he requested, holding out his hand.

“Sure, here you go,” Twilight offered. But as she enveloped it in her magic to float it over, the Magatama suddenly glowed a brilliant green within her purple aura.

“Huh?” was all Phoenix got out before the Magatama flashed a blinding white and dazzled Twilight, a wave of energy enveloping her. “WHAT THE—?” she heard Phoenix exclaim as she felt herself fall to the floor, finally opening her eyes to see Phoenix lying beside her.

Something tells me that wasn’t just a ‘good luck charm’. But what does this MEAN? Twilight pondered, finally starting to calm down, still staring at the ghostly chains.

“I’m sorry, Twilight Sparkle, but I was on my way to register for the big race! It’s in two days, you know! It was nice meeting you!” Cruise looked anxious to part company, not waiting for a response before starting up the road.

“Nice meeting you, too,” Twilight replied shakily, not paying much attention to his words, watching the locks fade out as he moved away.

“Bye-bye, mister!” Apple Bloom waved over at Cruise as he started walking off, but not before he started ranting again.

“NO! What if you’re late and they disqualify you for being tardy? This is why you should have woken up earlier today!” He kept at it until he was out of sight.

“There he goes. Reckon he’s still talking to himself,” Apple Bloom noted, looking down the road as other ponies gawked at Cruise, several taking an involuntary step back from him as he continued to loudly berate himself.

Twilight barely heard her, her eyes still wide. What was that lock business about? What ARE they? And why do I feel the need to break them? her mind raced, knowing she just experienced something extraordinary. Or maybe the better question is—HOW do I break them? Do I need a key or something? What made them appear like that? she asked herself, finding no immediate answers, but realizing there was someone who might have them.

“Twi?” Apple Bloom poked her in a foreleg, breaking her out of her trance.

“Oh! Sorry. I kind of zoned out there, didn’t I?” She blinked. “Okay, listen. Before we go to Fluttershy’s cottage, I want to check something, Apple Bloom,” she announced, a reluctant tone in her voice.

“The park?” the young filly suggested in excitement.

Twilight shook her head, her brow furrowed. “No, I just need to see… someone,” she said with a calm she wasn’t feeling. He HAS to know about it! she thought to herself, just hoping she could restrain herself in his presence long enough to get answers.

“Someone? You mean like somepony who isn’t a pony? Okay, lead the way Twilight!” Apple Bloom exclaimed as Twilight led them back towards the courthouse, her insides churning…

She was dreading having to speak with Phoenix Wright.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on May 26, 2018.

Part 30 - Judge Off Court

Ponyville District Court
June 10th, 1:15 PM

Twilight and Apple Bloom entered the courthouse lobby only to find it nearly deserted; just a few security ponies around plus a couple bored unicorn clerks behind the front desk. Frowning, she glanced inside the defendant waiting room for courtroom #2, but saw only the two pegasus Guardsponies that had been there originally.

Don’t those guys ever take a break? she wondered, certain they had the most boring post in Equestria.

“So why’d ya wanna come back here, Twilight?” Apple Bloom asked curiously.

Twilight didn’t reply right away. He’s not here. Where did he go? she wondered before turning around to answer the question, both aggravated and relieved Phoenix wasn’t there—she really didn’t want to see him just yet. “I just wanted to check on... someone. They’re not here, though. So let’s get going to Fluttershy’s house,” Twilight suggested, wishing she’d thought to tag Phoenix with a magical tracer when he arrived. Well, I didn’t think I’d have to keep tabs on him!

“Alrighty!”

“Oh! Ms. Sparkle!” A deep and somewhat gravelly voice called out just as they were turning to leave.

“Huh?” Twilight glanced back to see a tall and bearded human walking towards her. Oh! It’s the judge I summoned, she recognized as he stepped in front of her. “Hello, how are you, Your—” she suddenly stopped in mid-sentence “O-oh! I mean—” She took the archaic lawyering book back out of her saddlebag and read another bookmarked passage. “—’Greetings, noble bringer of unbiased justice and sage discerner of truth. How dost Thine Honor fare under these sultry summer skies’?” she affected an olden accent again.

“Uh… what?” The Judge raised his eyebrows in confusion.

Twilight’s cheeks flushed, starting to think that maybe Spike had been right after all. “Um… what I mean is, how are you enjoying Ponyville so far, um… Your Honor?” she asked, finally deciding she was only embarrassing herself with her attempts to quote the book.

He chuckled. “No need for such formalities, Ms. Sparkle. I’m off duty!” The Judge told her jovially.

If you’re off duty, why are you still holding your gavel and walking around in your robes? she didn’t ask out loud, then remembered that he’d come to Equestria with literally only his gavel and the robe on his back. “So what should I call you, then? You never did tell me your name.”

“Just call me ’Judge’,” he said while tapping his gavel lightly on the palm of his hand.

She raised an eyeridge at him. “Really? I wouldn’t like it if ponies just called me ‘Unicorn’.”

He gave her a grin, though it was a little hard to see under his beard. “I don’t mind! One short name. Like that pop singer! You know—‘Living Material World’!”

“’Living in a Mare-terial World’?” Twilight repeated while remembering a popular Countess Coloratura song from a year or two back, a sudden image of Rarity flashing through her head. “Hmm…” She pondered that for a moment.

“To answer your question, Ms. Sparkle—I’ve been having a marvelous time! To tell you the truth, I was itching from my seat waiting for the trial to be over just so I could explore more of what this wonderful world has to offer!”

Twilight was surprised. “So you really don’t mind being pulled into Equestria like this?” she asked further, remembering how in stride he’d taken being summoned—especially after as hard a time adjusting as Phoenix had!

“Well, that late-night cram session I was put through was a tiring task, and at this point I’m working on no sleep, but taking in the imagery and meeting the nice inhabitants of this world is well worth it!” The Judge proclaimed, and Twilight realized he meant it—he really did love Equestria! “Thank you very much for bringing me here!”

Both Twilight and Apple Bloom couldn’t help but grin at that. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself, Judge. But, um, why did you come back to the courthouse?” Twilight asked curiously.

“Well, in all honesty, I don’t have much else to do right now.” He sighed, sitting down on the nearest bench. “I’m waiting for some lunch and travel clothes before I go out again, since I’d rather not walk around in robes—they make me a bit too noticeable, and they drag on the ground and get dirty, after all. One of the bailiffs sent for both. I’m supposed to be visited by a local clothier shortly to take my measurements, and I’m promised some clothes ‘within two shakes of a lamb’s tail’ after that,” he quoted in some bemusement.

“I see,” Twilight kept the thought to herself that the tall bearded human would attract all sorts of attention anyway, guessing from the quoted phrase the ‘local clothier’ was Rarity. “If it’s who I think it is, I promise she’ll take good care of you, Your Honor.” And probably jump at the chance to design high fashion for a human judge!

“As I have been attended to quite grandly, I have no doubt about that, Ms. Sparkle! I do wonder if she’ll give Mister Wright the same treatment,” he mused, stroking his beard idly as Twilight’s mood and expression instantly dropped. “Then again, I doubt he’d bother. I never see him in anything but his royal blue suit anyway, and no doubt he’s out busy investigating. I saw him speaking with another pony that had hair as gravity-defying as his own out in the lobby after the trial adjourned.”

“I see,” Twilight replied again but more shortly this time, wondering who the other pony was. “Even if he is investigating, you won’t be seeing him in court tomorrow. I’m actually going to be taking over as the defense attorney when the trial resumes,” she told him.

“Yeah! And Ah’m helping her investigate!” Apple Bloom added, making The Judge turn his attention to her.

“Awwwww! It’s the adorable little witness from earlier!” he remembered, getting down on one knee. “Hello, young filly! Would you like to play with my gavel?” he offered, holding it out to her.

Apple Bloom’s orange eyes lit up with delight. “Would I?! CUTIE MARK CRUSADER CHIEF JUSTICE!” she shouted loud enough to make Twilight wince again. Grabbing the gavel in her mouth, she started running around with it banging it on everything she could from the wooden bench near the entrance to the floor beside Twilight’s hooves.

*Bang, bang—BA-ba-bang BANG!*

“Ah! Don’t bang that thing near me!” Twilight jerked back her hoof as Apple Bloom moved perilously close for a moment, relieved when she moved off into the middle of the lobby.

“So you’re taking over the defense, then?” The Judge scratched his beard, a note of surprise in his voice. “Hmm… Mister Wright was never one to give up, but I suppose it’s none of my business.” He shrugged, watching Apple Bloom play.

“Your Hon—er, I mean, Judge—may I ask you a question?” Twilight inquired, waiting for his nod before continuing. “I’d like to know why you were being so hard on us in court today?”

“What do you mean?” The Judge turned back to her, looking genuinely surprised by the question.

“Well, it just seemed like you were out to get us. You sided with Trixie most of the time. You also threatened to hold me in contempt of court,” Twilight reminded him, the barest note of accusation in her voice.

“I apologize if that was your impression, Ms. Sparkle, but you see… it’s my job,” The Judge explained, clasping his hands in front of him. “Please don’t think I was siding against you out of bias. In fact, I didn’t care much for that prosecutor’s attitude right from the start, but the logic and the evidence she supplied was much more compelling than yours,” he told her apologetically. “I wasn’t playing favorites, I assure you.

“And as for the contempt citation—I realize that emotions can get heated in the midst of a murder trial, given the high stakes involved. That’s why I gave you a warning and not an actual penalty; I understood you were upset and just trying to protect your friend,” he remembered. “But it’s also my job to keep a cool head and ensure that the rules of the court are followed, and that includes not allowing unsupported accusations against your fellow counsel that could potentially damage your client’s defense. Please don’t take it personally, Ms. Sparkle.”

Despite his reassuring tone, Twilight’s temper flared. “’Unsupported accusations’? You really think he wasn’t lying when he accused Fluttershy?” she challenged.

The Judge considered his next words carefully, stroking his beard as he thought. “Without interjecting myself where I should not, I will simply say that in my experience, Mister Wright has good reasons for everything he does… though I grant they often don’t make much sense at the time. So I would encourage you to hear him out before you take rash action, Ms. Sparkle,” he suggested gently. “That said, be assured that should I find his reasons were not good ones when court resumes tomorrow, then he will incur not just a contempt citation, but referral to the Equestrian Attorney Misconduct Board for a knowingly false and malicious accusation of a witness.”

“I see,” Twilight nodded, surprised and a little deflated. She’d thought of The Judge as being a little goofy and too easily influenced, but she was also learning he could be surprisingly persuasive and eloquent when he wanted to be. But I still don’t know what ‘good reasons’ Phoenix could have had for turning on Fluttershy like that! There AREN’T any! she insisted to herself, unswayed.

“May I ask you something as well, Ms. Sparkle?” The Judge stroked his beard again in a gesture that Twilight was coming to realize meant he was deep in thought, or otherwise had something on his mind.

“Yes?” Twilight looked up at him.

“I couldn’t help but notice all your criminal justice laws are very similar to ours. Is there any reason for that?” he asked curiously.

She smiled a bit wanly at that. “Phoenix Wright asked the same question this morning. And the answer is that we feel that humans have a commendable sense of justice and justice system—one we thought was worthy of emulation. Consider it a compliment, Your Honor,” she told him. “So, what are you going to do now? You’ve got nearly a whole day before court reconvenes,” Twilight noted as she stowed the olden book.

He shifted on the bench behind him; Twilight belatedly noticed there was an odd-shaped hoofmark on the back like somepony had kicked it over in anger. “I must admit, I don’t really know. I would like to explore and do enjoy a spot of sightseeing sometimes. Are there any good tourist attractions here, Ms. Sparkle?” The Judge asked her.

She considered that, only to shake her head. “In Ponyville? Not really. This is kind of a quiet town,” Twilight admitted, sitting back on her haunches and thinking. Well, at least aside from the occasional evil Alicorn takeover or Ursa Minor rampage! With that, she had a sudden idea. “Actually, here’s a thought: would you like to go to Canterlot, Your Honor?

“Canterlot?” The Judge instantly perked up and got very excited; he’d already seen the tall but distant mountainside spires of the Equestrian capital and had been very curious about them. “Yes, very much!”

Twilight smiled at that. “In that case, I’ll write the Princess to ask if you can be given a private tour once the trial is over. And for now? Why not head over to Town Hall? Mayor Mare is very nice, and I’m sure that if you ask her, she’ll assign somepony to show you around town and be your guide for the day. Just tell her I sent you, and she’ll give you the VIP treatment!” Twilight promised, writing out a quick note for him, noting not for the first time that being the personal student of the Princess did have its perks.

“Thank you, Ms. Sparkle! That is very gracious of you!” The Judge accepted the note and nodded his thanks. “I rather hope I can stay longer than the trial, actually. I just got back from the Equestrian 500 starting point and I’m now very curious about the race. I even got this program!” The Judge showed her a foldable scroll-written pamphlet that contained information about the upcoming race.

Twilight’s ears perked up. “A program? May I see that for a second?”

“Of course!” The Judge offered the pamphlet to Twilight, who took it in her aura to inspect its contents.

Upon opening it, the first thing Twilight saw was Rainbow Dash’s name with the words ‘Subject to change’ written beside it. Her lips tightened at the sight. It really rips me up seeing that! she thought, but was caught short when she noticed that Ace Swift was still listed as well. “Huh? Why is Ace still on the roster?” she wondered aloud.

“That’s because his death is being kept hush-hush,” The Judge replied. “There are gag orders on all the media, too. The reason is that we don’t want to spook the other racers. The organizers were worried about mass dropouts of the competitors and spectators if they thought racers were being targeted by the murderer.”

Twilight blinked at that, making a connection she hadn’t before. “So everypony knows about the murder, but they don’t know who the victim was! In fact, even I didn’t know who it was until the night before the trial...” she began, only to trail off when she remembered it was Phoenix who had informed her of the victim’s identity while they were investigating the crime scene.

She began brooding again for a moment, but thankfully nopony noticed; the few ponies in the entrance hall had their attention on Apple Bloom, who was now pretending she was The Judge on the bench by gavelling away on the top of the lobby desk, shouting “OBJECTION OVERRULED!!!” at the top of her lungs. Twilight was shaken abruptly from her thoughts by the filly’s outburst and cleared her throat before returning her attention to The Judge, “My apologies; you were saying?”

“You are correct, Ms. Sparkle,” he nodded. “To that end, every member of the gallery has been sworn to not speak of the events that transpired in the courtroom today. For that reason, I ask that you keep discreet about the identity of the victim as well,” he requested.

“A-Alright!” a still-flustered Twilight stuttered, realizing that vital information had come a little too late. Ngh! I accidentally told Cruise Control! she realized, cursing herself for breaking case confidentiality when she shouldn’t have. Wait—now that I think about it, Cruise Control ALREADY knew that Ace Swift was dead! But how? I didn’t see him in the courtroom today! she wondered, only half-listening as The Judge continued talking.

“—And as race registration remains open, this program is going to be updated daily until the race,” The Judge concluded, bringing her attention back to the present.

As he finished his sentence, Twilight spotted something peculiar in the program. “Judge, what’s with this empty slot here—number three?” she asked, turning the program back to face him.

The Judge bent over to have a close look, all but squinting; Twilight was getting the distinct impression he was nearsighted. “Oh! Yes, there is a strange story about that. I overheard the registration staff say that one of the racers signed up, then dropped out the next day.”

“Dropped out?” Twilight repeated, giving The Judge a surprised look.

“Yes, that’s correct,” he nodded. “He’s from another city—Manehattan, I believe it was. Why would he fly all the way out here to register, and then drop out?” The Judge wondered aloud.

“Manehattan?” Twilight suddenly remembered the city mentioned during an earlier conversation with a very odd pegasus. “Wait—Judge, was this racer’s name ‘Cruise Control’?” she suggested.

His eyes widened in recognition. “Why, yes. Yes, I believe it was!”

Twilight stared at the program, her brow furrowing again. “But I was talking to that very pony just a few minutes ago, and he told me that he just got in today and was going to register for the race,” she recalled, confused.

The Judge raised an eyebrow, shaking his head. “No, that can’t be the case. From what the staff said, he’s been in Ponyville for at least two days now if he was added to and then removed from the program,” he noted, stroking his beard again. “Strange that he would register, drop out, and then go register again. Maybe he’s just really indecisive on whether he wants to compete or not? It’s just like me; I can’t decide whether I want diet cola or normal cola sometimes!” The Judge mused. “Then again, they keep changing their mind whether the artificial sweeteners in diet drinks are bad for you.”

Twilight nodded, even though she had no idea what ‘cola’ or ‘diet drinks’ were. “Uh… yeah. If it’s okay, may I please keep this program, Judge?” she asked politely.

“Absolutely, Ms. Sparkle! It’s the least I can do for bringing me to this magnificent world!” he happily agreed, as Twilight thanked him and put the program into her saddlebags.

“This might help a lot! Thank you very much, Judge,” Twilight said in gratitude, giving him a short bow.

“My pleasure!” The Judge bowed back to her, very happy to help. “It was no—” He stopped in mid-sentence; Twilight looked up to see he was frozen in place, staring nervously at something. “Uh-oh!”

“What’s the matter?” She tilted her head at him.

“It’s that pony over there!” The Judge motioned with his head behind Twilight, his voice quiet but eyes wide.

When Twilight turned to see who he was indicating, she saw a chestnut-colored earth pony stallion with a dark brown mane, light blue eyes and an hourglass cutie mark. “Him? What about him? He’s a clockmaker. He has a shop in town,” Twilight remembered, though she had noticed he seemed to keep odd hours and hung around with a strange, skew-eyed mailmare a lot.

“I like him. He sounds a bit funny, but he’s a real nice pony!” Apple Bloom added, rejoining the pair.

“Are you sure? He’s been eyeballing me since the trial started. He’s been making me kind of nervous,” The Judge noted, a hint of trembling in his voice. “Even approached me and asked if I could bring him a ‘proper British Breakfast’ from Earth sometime.”

Twilight gave him an odd look, having no idea what a proper Bittish breakfast was and why he couldn’t get one in Equestria. “Why don’t you just ask him why he’s doing that?”

He looked almost fearful as he replied. “That’s the thing—I feel as though I’ll create some sort of paradox if I do!”

Twilight blinked at the slightly nonsensical statement. He’s supposed to be Phoenix Wright’s favorite Judge? She kept the thought to herself while doing her best to keep a straight face.

At that moment, a uniformed bailiff stallion called to The Judge, holding a lunch basket in his mouth. “Oh! My meal has arrived. I’d best eat and get myself some new clothes, and then I’ll be off to Town Hall!” With that, he turned to Apple Bloom and knelt down before her. “May I have my gavel back, dear?”

“Shore thing!” the young filly returned his symbol of authority, looking very happy to have wielded it.

“Goodbye, Judge.” Twilight gave the tall bearded human a smile. It’s still awkward calling him that in casual conversation, she thought to herself, but conceded that for all his quirkiness, he was actually a pretty nice pony—er, human, she corrected herself. At least there’s ONE nice and sincere human around! she growled internally, eyes narrowing in anger at the thought of Phoenix again.

“I’ll see you in court tomorrow, Ms. Sparkle. Good luck on your investigation!” The Judge waved at Twilight as he left the courthouse and headed off towards Town Hall.

Twilight returned the gesture distractedly. I’m starting to become suspicious about this ‘Cruise Control’ character. From what The Judge said, he outright lied to me at least once, and he knew something he shouldn’t have? I need to find him and speak with him more about this! she decided, reflecting in some frustration that thus far her investigation had turned up more questions than answers. Well, sometimes you can’t find the answers until you know the right questions to ask!

“So are we going to the forest now, Twilight?” Apple Bloom nudged her, breaking her train of thought.

Twilight grinned at that. “You’re really anxious to get there, aren’t you?”

She nodded eagerly. “The sooner the better! Ah should get my cutie mark as soon as Ah show ya the thing that fell from the sky!” the young filly smiled and jumped around excitedly.

Twilight thought that was unlikely, but wasn’t about to say anything. “Alright, let’s go then,” she said, leading Apple Bloom out of the courthouse.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on June 9, 2018.

Part 31 - A Locked Heart

Fluttershy’s Cottage
June 10th, 1:25PM

After a stop for lunch at one of the plaza food stalls—candied carrots and hay fries for Apple Bloom (“Ah don’t always have to eat apples, you know!” she told the surprised carrot vendor) and a sunflower sandwich and tomato soup for Twilight—the pair headed west for Fluttershy’s Cottage, skirting the edge of the cloud they could see the Ponyville weather team assembling over the southwest part of the town. The Weather Schedule called for a three-hour shower over Sweet Apple Acres and the adjoining farms that afternoon to give the thirsty crops and orchards a drink, but they didn’t care to be caught under it.

They arrived at Fluttershy’s Cottage minutes later only to find police officers all over the premises, scouring the ground trying to catch and corral Fluttershy’s numerous chickens and other birds for examination, paying particular attention to the darker-feathered ones.

“Look at all the police, Twi!” Apple Bloom gawked at the uniformed ponies, some of whom had noticed them.

“They must be trying to find a match for that feather,” Twilight guessed, hating the sight of so many strangers going through Fluttershy’s home and traipsing through her flowerbeds as they chased her loose animals, leaving her upset at Phoenix again for inflicting this on her. “They’re wasting their time.”

“Why do you say that?” Apple Bloom looked up at her.

“Because—” She shook her head, not wanting to dwell on it and not sure she could explain it in terms that eight-year old Apple Bloom could understand. “It has to do with one of the arguments made at the end of today’s trial, after you left.”

“The trial? Oh, that reminds me,” Apple Bloom remembered.

“Yes? What is it, Apple Bloom?” Twilight asked, starting to head up the side path towards the cottage.

“What happened to that nice human lawyer guy you were with during the trial?” the young filly wanted to know, trotting alongside her to keep up.

Twilight abruptly stopped walking, all but freezing in mid-stride. “Apple Bloom?”

“Yeah?” The filly looked up to Twilight.

“Don’t talk about him, please,” she requested, an edge to her voice, attempting to force back the unwanted emotions that were trying to rise to the surface again.

“Huh? But why?” Apple Bloom asked earnestly.

“I just don’t want to talk about him, so drop it, okay?” Twilight snapped at the young filly a little more sharply than she meant to.

Apple Bloom cringed slightly at her tone. “O-okay,” she agreed in a low voice.

“Let’s just get what we came here for.” Twilight resumed walking towards Fluttershy’s cottage. ‘Nice Lawyer Guy’? That’s a laugh! She snorted to herself, thinking that the laugh was on her for bringing Phoenix to her world in the first place. He’s made a royal mess of things, and you’re going to be getting a royal earful next time I see you, Princess! “We’re looking for a torn-up half of a letter. Fluttershy said it was just inside her cottage in the scrap paper basket by the front door.”

“Oh, is that all? Then let’s go get it!” Apple Bloom said excitedly as they reached the walkway from the street to Fluttershy’s cottage. But before either pony could take another step, a familiar and unwelcome figure materialized in front of them with a bright flash of light, blocking their path.

“STOP RIGHT THERE! No civilians on the—” a very haughty Trixie announced as she teleported directly in front of them, only to be caught short in surprise when she saw who she was talking to. “Oooooooo! Why look who it is!” the mare magician said with a mocking grin.

Twilight’s lip tightened upon seeing the showmare. And just when I thought this day couldn’t get any worse!

“It’s Twilight Snarkle!” Trixie taunted with a laugh.

Twilight gave the other unicorn a cockeyed look. Seriously? ‘Twilight SNARKLE’? That’s the best you could come up with, Trixie? I heard more imaginative insults in preschool! “I’m not here to argue with you, Trixie. I’m just here to take care of something for Fluttershy, and then I’ll be on my way.” Twilight tried to step by her, preferring to avoid an altercation.

Trixie, however, had other ideas, teleporting back in front of Twilight and getting in her face. “We’ll just see about that. Trixie notices you’ve taken up foalsitting,” she said with a disdainful nod at Apple Bloom. “Trixie doesn’t really blame you, today’s defeat in court being so humiliating and all!”

“Hey! I’m not a baby!” Apple Bloom protested.

“And you! Don’t think Trixie forgot what you said in court today!” Trixie turned her attention on her former witness, glaring down at her. “You tell Apple-smack-talker that if she has something to say to Trixie, then she should say it to Trixie’s face instead of forwarding insults through a rug rat!” she all but snarled at the young filly.

Apple Bloom glared daggers at the mare magician while Twilight felt her own anger begin to flare again, wisps of smoke starting to waft off her mane. Deep breaths, Twilight. Deep breaths… she told herself, trying to maintain her composure and keep her potentially fiery temper under control. “You didn’t defeat anything, Trixie. The trial was postponed until tomorrow,” she stated calmly, trying to defuse a potential confrontation before it began…

An effort made all the more difficult as Trixie laughed in her face. “The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie begs to differ! Once we find out where this feather came from, one of your friends will be getting a swift guilty verdict!” The showmare cackled while Twilight silently smoldered.

“Oh, and give Trixie’s regards to that doofus human lawyer of yours. So where is he, anyway?” She made a show of looking back and forth. “He couldn’t cut it in a courtroom, so maybe he belongs in the bedroom instead?” she all but leered.

Twilight’s mane and tail instantly ignited at the unspeakable insult; a throwback to olden pony times when stallions were thought of as little more than property, useful only in the fields as workhorses… or in the bedrooms as breeding stock. “SHUT UP!!!” she yelled, eyes red and hair ablaze as white-hot flames crept over the remainder of her purple fur—how dare Trixie speak of her stallion like that!

Both Trixie and Apple Bloom recoiled in surprise from her fierce and fiery outburst while Twilight was equally shocked at her own reaction. She quickly restrained her increasingly volatile magic and emotions, glad she was in the street where nothing could ignite, though she noted half-melted cobblestones under her hooves. ARGH! I can’t let her get under my fur like this! Twilight reminded herself, struggling to control her temper. Or HIM either! He’s NOT my stallion! He’s not even A stallion! she insisted to herself, sitting back and clutching her head in her hooves in an attempt to drive her warring emotions away.

Trixie gave a slightly more nervous laugh, making a mental note to brush up on various anti-fire enchantments before their inevitable duel. “Trixie struck a nerve, didn’t she?” She gave an unpleasant grin, lowering her head and charging her horn, readying a protection spell just in case Twilight well and truly snapped.

Twilight set her jaw, focusing all her frustration and anger on the rival unicorn. “Forget him, Trixie—I’m going to be your opponent tomorrow! Or right now if you like! Duel me! We’ll see who wins!” she formally challenged the rival unicorn, matching Trixie’s lowered-head pose and pawing at the ground angrily, daring the showmare to fight her right then and there.

Trixie hesitated, her expression dropping and lavender eyes betraying no little fear as they went wide; several police ponies overhearing the exchange and stopping to watch. “So, what are you waiting for? Isn't this what you wanted?" Twilight taunted. "We’ve got plenty of witnesses, so here are the terms of the duel: if you win, I’ll announce that you beat me and you get your reputation back; if I win, you drop the charges against Rainbow Dash, set Fluttershy free and don’t ever come after me or my friends again!

“So forget the trial; we’ll settle this right now! What do you say, Trixie?” Twilight goaded, her eyes glittering even though she knew the outcome of such a duel was uncertain at best—she was already partially drained of her power after two costly summoning spells the previous night, and much of the rest had just been used up in her explosion of temper. The fiery form she took was very powerful but exhausted her remaining magical reserves rapidly; if Trixie did accept her offer to duel at that moment, Twilight sensed the other unicorn was likely to win it. I don’t CARE! If there’s any chance I can save Rainbow Dash, I’ll TAKE it!

Caught off-guard by the all-or-nothing offer, Trixie regarded Twilight warily for a moment, gauging her chances and finding them wanting. She’d worked hard to improve her abilities after the Ursa Minor debacle, but after the display she’d just seen—emotion-driven elemental magic was something only very powerful unicorns could pull off—the mare magician knew that no matter how good she’d gotten, she simply couldn’t match Twilight’s raw power. Maybe I could get a little outside help? the showmare thought, deciding to research talismans and other magical artifacts to see if there was something out there that could give her the needed boost.

“Oh, please. Do you think I’m a foal? Why should I risk a certain victory for a merely likely one?” Trixie covered her fear and nervousness with a smug look and practiced bravado, feeling on far safer grounds with a courtroom confrontation than a potential magic duel that wasn’t at a time and place of her choosing. “Don’t worry, Twilight Snarkle—you’ll get your duel eventually, but for now? I’ll settle for beating you in court!” she cackled.

Twilight sneered at the cop-out, though she was inwardly relieved as Trixie started up again.

“So you say you’re taking over the defense? HA!” the showmare mocked. “Trixie understands why you ditched that worthless human,” she began, thinking better of another insult when she saw Twilight’s eyes narrow and mane begin to smoke again, “but it doesn’t matter. You’re still going to lose, whether that feather matches any of these animals or not! The magnificent prosecutor Trixie will see to it one of your snot-nosed friends will get an all-expense-paid ticket to the sun!” the mare magician announced confidently with an emphatic stomp of her hoof.

“W-what does she mean, Twi?” Apple Bloom asked curiously but from a safe distance, half-hiding behind a rock.

Twilight visibly deflated, sounding strangely subdued to the young filly after her earlier flash of temper. “If the feather matches one of Fluttershy’s animals, she could be found guilty of Ace’s murder in place of Rainbow Dash,” she explained, trying to keep herself from tearing up at the thought.

“But what if it doesn’t match any of these animals?” Apple Bloom asked again, staring at Twilight warily, in awe of what she’d just witnessed. Wait’ll I tell the other Crusaders about this! They’ll NEVER believe what Twi can do!

“Then we will be right back where we were before Fluttershy was accused—with The Judge about to hand down Rainbow Dash’s verdict,” Twilight answered, her eyes closed, trying not to think about what came next.

“In other words—Win-Win for Trixie!” the showmare finished for her, raising her head and de-charging her horn, deciding the danger of a duel had passed. “Trixie doesn’t mean to toot her horn but—” she paused to make a motion like she was pulling on a train horn “—‘Toot-Toot!’ Trixie really puts the ’pro’ in prosecutor!” she boasted, causing the police ponies in earshot to roll their eyes.

Twilight’s lip curled at that, her emotions slowly coming under control. You really have the audacity to call yourself a ‘pro’ trotting around in that tacky wizard outfit? she didn't say out loud.

“That isn’t fair!” Apple Bloom said, stomping her hoof and looking downcast as her ears drooped, tears welling in her eyes at the thought of losing Rainbow Dash forever. What’ll that do to Scootaloo? she suddenly wondered, worried about her fellow Cutie Mark Crusader, a young and an as-yet flightless pegasus filly who worshiped Rainbow Dash greatly and saw her as a big sister figure.

Trixie gave Apple Bloom a bitter look. “Life isn’t fair, little filly. Especially when ‘Purple Pests’ come along! But then again, Trixie’s horoscope did say purple would be her unlucky color!”

“You do know that you’re wearing purple, right?” Twilight pointed with a hoof to her cape and hat, which made Trixie’s smile drop.

“Uh—what Trixie meant was the horoscope said your particular shade of hideous purple would be unlucky!” she quickly backtracked, looking suddenly flustered.

Twilight stifled a grin at that—the horseshoe’s finally on the other hoof! “So how did you become a prosecutor, anyway?” she wanted to know, neither mare noticing Apple Bloom quietly slipping away.

Trixie gave Twilight an odd look. “That really isn’t any of your business, dorky bangs. Trixie merely saw an opportunity and seized it. As they say, ’Carpe See-um’!” she mangled the old griffon idiom as she reared up theatrically on her hooves.

Twilight rolled her eyes. It’s ’Carpe Diem’, genius! she mentally corrected her rival. And NOPONY disses the bangs!

“This investigation won’t be much longer, anyway. We’ll get confirmation on exactly what this feather came from soon!” Trixie further announced.

“How?” Twilight asked in surprise—she’d been hoping it would take days to get an answer, which would mean she had that much more time to investigate and gather evidence, as well as study law books in advance of her taking over the defense.

Trixie regarded the rival unicorn for a moment before her mocking grin returned. “I guess it doesn’t really matter if The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie shares this with you,” she decided with a shrug. “Since this town is out in the boonies and has no proper forensics division, we can’t get the feather thoroughly analyzed.”

THE BOONIES?! Why! You! AAARGGGH!!!!! Twilight struggled to not let her temper take hold of her again, finally understanding why Phoenix and Rainbow had so much trouble keeping their cool with Trixie—the mare magician was effortlessly infuriating and seemed to have an innate ability to find and push the buttons of the ponies she met, turning their anger and outbursts to her advantage by letting them trip over their own emotions.

And I nearly fell into the same trap by trying to get her to duel me, she belatedly realized, suddenly sensing how low her magical reserves had fallen at that moment and how poor her chances really were. Thank Celestia she didn’t!

Trixie grinned as she realized she’d gotten under her rival's fur. “Some of the most highly educated and prestigious zoologists are coming in from Canterlot to examine it for us. By the end of the day, we’ll know everything there is to know about this feather. Then you can say goodbye to one of your criminal friends! Oh, ‘parting is such sweet sorrow’!” Trixie quoted theatrically, raising a hoof to her head like she was performing in an opera.

Twilight closed her eyes at that. “I have a question, Trixie,” she began, feeling a strange serenity descend over her as she spoke. With that, she realized that her earlier display of temper had vented much of the excess emotion and anger-tainted magic she had been trying to bottle up, and she was now feeling much better for it; calm and in control despite the fresh bombardment of insults on her friends by Trixie.

Guess I just needed to burn it off. And what better way than by LITERALLY burning? she half-joked to herself.

“What is it? You want to know why Trixie is ten times more powerful, beautiful and an all-around better pony than you?” Trixie suggested, nose in the air and hoof on her chest as she spoke.

Twilight stared at the other unicorn for a moment, finally able to look at her objectively and see how she was using threats and insults to cover up her own insecurities. “Why do you have such a grudge against me? And don’t tell me it’s that whole Ursa Minor thing. I know it’s not that,” she said definitively.

Trixie stared at her in surprise for a moment before speaking. “What are you talking about? Of course it’s that!” the mare magician insisted, glaring at Twilight through narrowed violet eyes. “You ruined my career, Twilight Snarkle! Do you know how many hecklers I get now? Or how many tomatoes I get lobbed at me when I show my face on stage because of you?” she recited, sounding increasingly upset.

Twilight sat down on her haunches, studying the other unicorn closely. “See… I can tell that’s not it, because you’re speaking normally,” she presumed, unconsciously taking Phoenix’s hoof-on-chin pose like she’d noticed he did when he was thinking about something.

“What?” Trixie gave her an askance look.

“I noticed it several times in court today,” Twilight said, flaring her horn to replay a memory from the trial, including:

“Witness! This is the first time I’m hearing about this! Why did you not say anything to me regarding this earlier?!”

“And then there was—”

“Hmph! If you enjoy pointless information… be my guest! It was probably just a tree or a rock. I think the defense is just hopelessly grasping at straws!”

“Or just a minute ago—”

“Oh, please. Do you think I’m a foal? Why should I risk a certain victory for a merely possible one?”

Twilight nodded in satisfaction, grateful she could at least pull off low-energy spells like memory playback, even if she could only manage the voice and not the surrounding scene. “You see? When you get emotional, unsure or nervous, you say ‘I’, ’Me’ and ’My’ instead of ‘Trixie’. You could say it’s a nervous habit; akin to how some avoid eye contact or blink frequently when lying.”

Trixie blinked. “What are you talking about?! I’m not lying!” she snapped back, but—

“You said ’I’ instead of ‘Trixie’ again,” Twilight pointed out, a dry note in her voice.

Now it was Trixie getting steamed. “Argh! Shut your mouth!” she ordered with a stomp of her hoof and a sudden chill wind in the air around her; for a moment Twilight swore she could see her breath like it was winter.

Though surprised at the surge of unusual elemental magic she sensed in Trixie, Twilight didn’t back down, wanting to know why the mare magician was so bent on destroying her bonds with her friends. “Sorry, Trixie. Not until you tell me the real reason you’re doing this!”

“I… uh...” Trixie looked at a loss for words for a moment, groping for a response. “I already told you, Snarkle! It’s all about that stupid, overgrown, flea-ridden Ursa!”

And then it happened:

*BANG!!* *RATTLE* *RATTLE* *RATTLE* Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!*

The air around the mare magician seemed to darken as a series of large chains plus several locks materialized in front of her, much as had happened previously with Cruise Control. This again, Twilight noted to herself far more calmly than before, but then she noticed there was something different:

The locks were black.

Wait a minute—no, this ISN’T the same! she realized. it isn’t just a change of color either. These locks—they FEEL different from the ones Cruise Control had. Filled with anger and hate, despair and sadness… so much sadness! Twilight began tearing up the longer she stared at them.

Trixie’s expression dropped as she saw the glistening in Twilight’s eyes.

Ugh... W-why am I crying? I’m sad, but I don’t know why? Twilight didn’t understand, suddenly feeling an overwhelming sense of sorrow and pity for Trixie. And despite all her insults and all she had done, a desire to help the deeply wounded showmare. These black locks are depressing me. Their emotions are overwhelming, she thought, but was unable to turn away.

“Ha! Got something in your eye, ‘Cry-light’? Or did Twixie hurt your widdle feewings?” the showmare suggested in baby-talk, grinning evilly as she mocked Twilight once more.

Twilight barely heard her. I… I don’t want to break these locks. I wanted to break the ones around Cruise, but I’m afraid what will happen if I break these—I can’t help but feel it’ll hurt Trixie if I do! Do these locks guard something in a pony’s heart? If that were true, that means that Trixie… She couldn’t complete the thought, the conclusion she was trying to reach strangely elusive, somehow just out of her mental grasp.

As Twilight continued to stare at her, Trixie lost her smug smile, the other unicorn’s gaze starting to make her uncomfortable. I know she doesn’t like me after what happened the last time she was here, but these emotions I feel right now—there’s no WAY it’s just because of THAT! Twilight was only too certain. It’s something else… but that was the first time I met Trixie in my life! What else could I have DONE to her to bear these awful feelings? she pondered as her sight returned to normal.

Trixie was getting flustered by Twilight’s steady, teary-eyed stare. “You’re creeping me out! Say something, Snarkle!” she demanded in a loud voice, snapping Twilight out of her trance.

The spell finally broken, Twilight turned away, wiping her eyes. “Oh. Sorry, Trixie. Forget it. You’re obviously not going to tell me anything,” she somehow sensed to be true.

Trixie’s smug grin returned. “For once, you’re right. Trixie need not share her vast wisdom with the enemy! Anyway, it’s been fun chatting with you over the demise you’ll face at Trixie’s hoof tomorrow, but Trixie must offer her COLOSSAL and CUNNING intellect to the investigation team!” the mare magician mocked.

Her emotions now spent from her earlier flashes of temper and the effect of the phantom locks, Twilight didn’t rise to the bait. “Do what you have to, but I warn you, Trixie—I’m not going to let my friends down. I believe neither of them did it, and I’m going to get to the bottom of this and solve the whole thing myself!” Twilight proclaimed, determined to beat Trixie at her own game—not for the sake of besting her, but for the simple sake of her friends.

“Prepare to be disappointed then, Twilight Snarkle,” Trixie hissed out the slur, not letting her glare up.

“Whatever you say,” Twilight shrugged, starting to walk past the showmare up the path to Fluttershy’s cottage. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some things to do here.”

She didn’t get very far before Trixie teleported in front of her once more, blocking her path. “Don’t think so!” the mare magician intoned gleefully.

“What?” Twilight looked at Trixie, who was again wearing a smug smile.

“The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie!”—she all but sung her name—“is the head of the investigation team and won’t allow any civilians on the premises!”

“But I’m the Defense Attorney! I have the right to investigate!” Twilight claimed.

Trixie gave a derisive snort. “Oh, really? Let’s see a badge, then!” she challenged, her smug expression in full force.

“I-I don’t have one yet!” Twilight admitted, her tone flustered.

The showmare gave a look of mock sorrow. “Oh! Too bad. Guess you don’t get to investigate. Go play lawyer somewhere else!” Trixie said, not budging from the path to the cottage.

No! I need to get that LETTER! a panic-stricken Twilight realized, groping for any excuse she could to get in. “Please, Trixie—I need to feed the animals inside. Fluttershy asked me to,” she tried, but Trixie dismissed her reason out of hoof.

“We already took care of that. All of the animals have been properly fed!” Trixie shot back, making Twilight grunt in dismay. “You have no business here, and Trixie isn’t going to repeat herself: SCRAM, Snarkle!” she ordered her rival, pinning Twilight with an intense glare.

“Have it your way.” Twilight shrugged as she turned around and made to leave. I’ll just sneak in quickly while Trixie isn’t looking! She began hatching a plan through her thoughts, only to find that Trixie was ahead of her yet again.

“Oh, and by the way? Don’t even think about trying to sneak inside either! Not unless you want to join your friends behind bars!” the mare magician warned, seemingly reading Twilight’s mind.

“But—” Twilight briefly considered trying to teleport, only to realize she was too drained of power to attempt it. And even if she could, Trixie would sense it instantly if she did.

Realizing it herself, the mare magician gave an evil chuckle. “On second thought—yes, Twilight Snarkle. Try sneaking in! By all means, trespass on my investigation. You will make Trixie’s day if you do!” Trixie all but dared her rival, causing Twilight to fall silent in frustration.

“Ciao, Dorky Bangs! See you in court tomorrow. The GREAT and MERCIFUL Trixie will try and make your defeat as quick and painless as possible!” Trixie promised with a hoof on her chest as she teleported back to the investigation, loudly ordering the detectives and forensic specialists on site to arrest Twilight if she entered the premises.

“I couldn’t get it,” Twilight sighed in disappointment, sitting back down on her haunches in defeat.

“What’s the matter, Twi?” Apple Bloom came up next to her.

“Forget it, Apple Bloom.” Twilight went downcast.

“Huh?” The filly tilted her head.

“I’m clearly not cut out for this stuff. I’m in over my head. That letter could have given us an edge and I failed to get it,” she admitted, feeling numb. Now what do I do? she asked herself, horrified to think that she might need to find Phoenix; she wasn’t ready to face him—or whatever it was she was feeling for him—yet.

“Oh. You mean this?” Apple Bloom took something out of her little bag with her mouth, showing it to Twilight.

“Huh? What’s that?” Twilight saw her with a torn piece of paper in her mouth.

“It’s that torn-up letter you were talking about!” Apple Bloom said around the paper.

Twilight’s face instantly lit up in surprise and delight. “WHAT!? How did you get it?” she asked, completely flabbergasted.

Apple Bloom grinned broadly. “I snuck in Fluttershy’s house and got it while you were arguing with Trixie! It was right where you said; in the scrap paper basket beside the front door!” the young filly announced.

I… I don’t believe it! Twilight thought, tears welling in her eyes. “Apple Bloom, thank you so much!” she said in deep appreciation, sweeping the young filly close and giving her a heartfelt hug, “You may have just saved Rainbow Dash!”

Apple Bloom blushed and squirmed a bit at the show of affection. “See, I told you I could help!” she reminded Twilight, who nodded a bit ruefully.

“So you did. I’m really sorry for doubting you,” she apologized, giving the young filly another squeeze and ruffling her mane affectionately with a hoof, giving her a kiss on the forehead before letting her go.

“It’s no problem,” Apple Bloom insisted, hoping nopony was looking at them. “Oh! Anything there yet?” the young filly asked as she was released from the embrace, trying to look at her hip.

“What?”

“On my flank! Did I get a cutie mark for doing that?” Apple Bloom asked, struggling to contort herself enough to look at her rear hip.

‘Uh… no,” Twilight replied, and after what the young filly had accomplished, she felt genuinely sorry for it.

“Awww…” Apple Bloom looked down in disappointment.

You’re still obsessing over that, I see! Twilight mused but could hardly blame her for it, remembering well how delighted she had been the moment she’d received her cutie mark. “Can I see that letter, Apple Bloom?” she asked for the piece of torn scroll paper, reading it aloud after being passed it… though she quickly realized she seemed to only have the latter half of the letter as the first legible words picked up in mid-sentence:

“—can’t live with the guilt any longer. I can’t keep helping you ruin others’ hopes and dreams. It saddens me beyond belief we must part ways, but I must say farewell. Goodbye Ace; may our paths cross in the future.” Twilight read the note aloud, though it didn’t make much sense to her.

“What does all that mean?” Apple Bloom wanted to know.

Twilight read it over twice more, mouthing the words to herself but was still not able to discern their meaning. “I’m not sure, but this is written out to the victim. The question is, who wrote it? This sure doesn’t look like Rainbow Dash’s writing,” she instantly knew.

Apple Bloom gave her a curious look. “How do you know it’s not her writing?”

Twilight blushed as she remembered her struggles to write without her magic that morning, to say nothing of her ink-stained appearance afterwards. At least I gave the guards and Fluttershy a good laugh! “Rainbow Dash’s writing is, well… messy,” she grimaced, silently admitting that Rainbow's hoofwriting was at least better than her manual efforts. “This, however, is written very neatly and formally—like it was written with magic,” she reasoned, knowing that there were very few earth ponies or pegasi that wrote such elegant cursive script—they normally used block letters instead, which were easier to make legible when writing with a quill in their muzzles.

Besides, ‘neatly and formally’ are two adverbs that describe anything but Rainbow Dash! Twilight added to herself as she floated the letter into her saddlebag.

“I know I said we were going to the Everfree Forest, but I want to lay low for a while,” Twilight decided, watching the ongoing investigation, not sure whether she more hoped that they would or would not find a match for the feather—either way, at least one of her friends was likely to be found guilty; Trixie had been right about that much. “Let’s wait to go in until the police leave.”

“Okay! So, we’re going back to Ponyville, then?” Apple Bloom asked, falling in beside Twilight as she began to walk away.

Twilight nodded. “That’s right. Trixie doesn’t know about this letter, so let’s hurry and vacate the premises. We could get into trouble if she finds out we took this.”

“Alright, Twi! Let’s go to the park now! It’s a shortcut anyway!” Apple Bloom suggested hopefully.

“Apple Bloom, we don’t have time—” Twilight began, only to hesitate as Apple bloom stared at her expectantly. She did get the letter for me! she reminded herself, deciding it was only fair to return the favor. “Okay, let’s go to the park. You said you want me to do something for you there?”

“Sure do! Reckon you’re the only one who can help me, Twi!” Apple Bloom said with an eager smile on her face.

Twilight wasn’t sure why that was, but nodded. “Alright, then, but it has to be fast. If we’re going into the Everfree, I want it to be with as much daylight as possible.”

“Thank you, Twilight! It won’t take long; promise!” Apple Bloom nuzzled her, the pair heading back towards town.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on June 9, 2018.

Part 33 - Griffons of a Feather

Town Hall
June 10th, 2:15 PM

Twilight and Apple Bloom arrived at Town Hall shortly after leaving the park, stopping only briefly at her library home to check with Spike to see if Phoenix was there.

Told he was not, Twilight was relieved she didn’t have to speak with him yet, but found herself also starting to worry, wondering where he was and what trouble he might be getting into given his demonstrated ignorance of Equestria. Whatever he’s doing, I just hope somepony is keeping an eye on him! she thought, allowing herself a moment of concern for the human lawyer as she and Apple Bloom entered the seat of Ponyville government.

Looking around, Twilight couldn’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu, thinking back to the events that had happened the first time she had stepped inside those walls. Kind of funny, but I haven’t actually been in here since Nightmare Moon attacked. I wonder why we don’t hold more events in this place? she pondered as she cast her gaze about the spacious and well-lit grand hall, noting several seasonal banners hanging from the ceiling, and a stepladder that seemed almost randomly placed in the middle of the floor.

“Heeeeeellllloooooo!!! Lenora!!!! We have a letter for youuuu!” Apple Bloom bellowed, her voice echoing throughout the cavernous interior.

“Apple Bloom!” Twilight quickly shushed the young filly with a hoof over her mouth. “This is Town Hall; you’re supposed to be quiet!”

“Oh! Sorry.” Apple Bloom cringed, realizing her mistake when she saw other ponies glaring at her.

“We should probably ask the mayor where this ‘Lenora’ is,” Twilight decided.

As the two began to head for the mayor’s office, Apple Bloom noticed something. “Hey, look, Twi! A ladder!” she said, pointing to the one Twilight had seen earlier.

“That’s a stepladder,” Twilight immediately corrected her, noting the folding design and A-frame. Why don’t ponies ever know the difference between the two?

“So? What’s it matter? You need to stop judging things based on narrow-minded cultural assumptions, Twi! What if we missed a big clue because we were too absorbed in small semantic distinctions like that?” Apple Bloom asked out of nowhere, making Twilight drop her jaw in surprise.

Wha-? Where did she learn all those big words? “Uh, I’m less concerned with what it’s called and more concerned with why it’s just sitting in the middle of the room like that,” Twilight countered, seeing no possible purpose for it being there given it wasn’t near a wall and the ceiling was far out of reach from it.

“Wrestlers use ladders like that one all the time,” Apple Bloom noted, remembering a recent FTW [Federated Tour Wrestling] ‘Rumble Royale’ circuit event she, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had snuck into on the outskirts of Ponyville several weeks earlier. She couldn’t help but wonder again about the identity of the big masked russet-colored stallion with the green leotard who said very little but clobbered everypony who challenged him in the ring, taking home the championship belt and prize money. Simply calling himself “Big Red,” both he and his signature “Cider Press” and “Hayseed Haymaker” moves had quickly become fan favorites, and the CMC had promptly spent the next several days after school trying to copy them.

Twilight gave a sigh, rubbing her head in exasperation. “Don’t tell me you actually watch that garbage, Apple Bloom? It’s all staged and fake!”

The comment stopped Apple Bloom in her tracks. “Hey! Don’t call wrestling garbage, Twi! And so what if it’s fake? Most of the books you read are fake!” she retorted with a stomp of her hoof, sounding genuinely offended.

Twilight took offense herself to that statement, stopping and turning back to face the young earth pony. “There’s a big difference between reading a well-written and engrossing work of fiction and watching two ponies barbarically beat each other senseless with a stepladder!” she insisted while Apple Bloom just rolled her eyes and snorted, before suddenly getting a very knowing and evil grin.

“A ‘big difference’, huh? Is that why you been reading all those mushy ro-mance novels Sweetie Belle says Rarity gave you, then?” she challenged, giving the older unicorn mare a mocking look.

Twilight’s eyes went wide and her cheeks flushed hard at that, suddenly and somewhat frantically wondering how Sweetie Belle had found out and who else she might have told. “That’s… just for my friendship research!” she stammered out.

Apple Bloom’s grin got even more lopsided. “’Friendship research’, huh? Sure it ain’t ‘cause they’re ‘well-written’ and ‘in-grossing’?” she all but taunted, making kissy sounds and causing Twilight to flush even harder.

“Finally! I have been waiting here forever,” a female voice said from behind them, ending the conversation to Twilight’s great relief.

Startled, Twilight’s jaw dropped again, her embarrassment instantly forgotten as she beheld the exotic creature before her. The newcomer wasn’t much bigger than an average pony but could never be mistaken for one, given her massive brown-feathered wings and large eagle-like head and beak, the former covered with white feathers and capped with an oddly-adorned red headband. Her upper torso and the talons at the end of her forelegs were avian but her hindquarters looked like they belonged to a lion, brown fur covering powerful, muscular haunches and large feline paws, all complemented by a long tufted tail trailing behind her.

Ohmygosh! A GRIFFON!!! Twilight realized as she gawked at the creature in front of her.

“So, where’s the Princess at? Are you two her messengers or something?” the blue-eyed griffon female—they referred to themselves as eaglesses, Twilight remembered from her visits to the Kingdom—asked curiously, looking back and forth between them.

“Um… not really,” Twilight admitted, finding herself a bit flustered, having not expected to encounter one. Despite her predatory appearance—griffons were hunters and meat-eaters, which was an occasional point of contention and mistrust with the herbivorous pony races—Apple Bloom stepped closer for a better look, her orange eyes wide.

“First a human, and now a griffon? Reckon Ah’m seeing a lot of new creatures Ah ain’t never seen ‘fore today!” she said in amazement.

The eagless looked down at Apple Bloom and smiled warmly, the corners of her beak turning upwards. “Can’t say I’ve seen any humans around, but I’m glad to see I don’t frighten you like some other foals I’ve seen.” She rewarded the young filly’s curiosity with an affectionate scratch behind the ears. Apple Bloom’s smiled and closed her eyes in enjoyment, the young earth pony pushing her head up into the griffon’s finger-like talons. She turned her attention to Twilight, only to raise an eyeridge in mild concern. “You okay?” The eagle-headed creature asked Twilight, who was still staring at her open-mouthed.

“Oh! S-sorry, yes. I-I’m just a little surprised. Griffons come in and out of Ponyville shipping stuff sometimes, but it’s rare to meet one except in passing,” she explained. Okay, except for that one time, she conceded, though she’d done her best to forget the visit of Gilda, Rainbow Dash’s ex-flight school classmate and now-former griffon friend.

“Shipping? You mean the ‘Griffon Express’? Funny you should mention that, since I work for them!” The eagless drew herself up proudly, closing her eyes and scratching her chest with her talons.

“You work for the Griffon Express?” Twilight asked in surprise, remembering what Derpy/Ditzy/Bright Eyes had said about them losing a package around the time of the murder.

“Yup, but I’m sort of on vacation right now. My name is Lenora,” the griffon female introduced herself, offering her forefoot in greeting to the two ponies in front of her, holding her paw level but curling her talons inwards so as not to appear threatening.

Twilight politely bumped the eagless’ closed talons with her hoof, knowing from her visits to the Kingdom with Celestia that griffons normally greeted each other with a mutual clasp of the foreleg but modified the gesture for dealing with ponies, who had no talons with which to clasp or defend themselves with. “I’m Twilight Sparkle, and this is Apple Bloom,” she introduced back.

The griffon gave them both a nod of acknowledgment. “Very pleased to meet you, Twilight Sparkler and Apple Bloom,” Lenora said in response, sitting back on her haunches.

“It’s, um, Twilight ‘Sparkle’,” she corrected, making Lenora stare at her in silence for a bit. “Oh! Hey!” Twilight abruptly remembered something, taking out the pamphlet that The Judge gave her earlier and opening it. Her eyes scanned the race roster again, stopping at contestant #4. “I knew I’d seen your name before! You’re on this program for the Equestrian 500!”

Lenora grinned at that, flaring her large brown wings and sketching a small bow. “You didn’t think it would be all ponies flying in that race, did you?” she asked with a coy grin.

“Actually, I did. I don’t usually pay attention to the race,” Twilight admitted, having never had much time or patience for competitive affairs in the past, detracting from her schoolwork as they did.

Lenora chuckled at that. “You and your little pegasus pals may be faster and more nimble, but we griffons have much stronger wings and a lot more stamina,” she boasted. “It’s why we’re the only ones who can act as overnight couriers. We can cross entire oceans to deliver small packages without stopping.”

Twilight shrugged, idly wondering what they did in the middle of a long flight when nature called but quickly deciding she didn’t want to know. “I never said I was faster. I don’t really care either,” she responded, then motioned with a hoof to her head. “Did you not notice the horn protruding from my forehead? Or my lack of wings?” she pointed out somewhat dryly. What does she think I am, an alicorn?

Lenora gave her a reproachful look. “Well you should! It’s a gathering of the best aerial athletes from not just Equestria, but all over the world! You don’t have to be a pegasus to show a little patriotism, Twilight Sparkler!” Lenora scolded her, once again saying Twilight’s name wrong.

But Twilight let it go, not wanting to get into another argument over names so soon after dealing with Derpy/Ditzy/Bright Eyes. “I’m too busy to be concerned about the race anyway. I’m a lawyer!” Twilight announced, drawing herself up a little straighter.

“You’re a lawyer?” Lenora repeated, giving her a wary look.

“Yeah,” Twilight confirmed.

There was a period of silence as Lenora and Twilight exchanged stares, until the awkwardness was finally broken by Twilight. “What’s the matter?” she finally asked.

Lenora blinked and looked away. “Oh, sorry. I just had the strange feeling you were going to obnoxiously flash something in my face to prove it,” she explained in some relief.

Twilight’s cheeks warmed again. Actually, I WAS going to do that, but then I remembered I don’t have a badge yet! she admitted to herself somewhat sheepishly, belatedly remembering that the badge was that horrid heart-shaped trinket Phoenix hadn’t looked too pleased to wear.

“So if you’re a lawyer, I’m betting you’re defending that newbie racer who killed a pony the other day?” Lenora speculated.

Twilight’s mane would have started smoking again if she had more power. “She happens to be my friend, and she didn’t do it!” she snapped back, causing the griffon to glare at her for a moment.

“Geez, chill! I’m only going off what I heard,” Lenora said, letting some annoyance seep into her voice.

“Uh, sorry.” Twilight bit her tongue at her flare of temper, realizing that between her encounter with Trixie, her conflicted feelings for Phoenix, and her fear for the fate of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, her mind was still in some turmoil. “I apologize, Lenora. It’s just… it’s my friend on trial, and I’m trying to defend her,” she explained, relieved when Lenora gave an understanding nod.

With that, Twilight remembered why they were at Town Hall in the first place. “Anyway, the reason we wanted to speak to you was this…” Twilight went for her saddlebag, shrugging it off her back so she could look through the pocket manually—she didn’t trust her magic to lift anything bigger than her quill or a piece of scroll paper at that moment.

“Yeah! We’ve got a letter for you!” Apple Bloom announced, jumping up in excitement.

Lenora perked up and smiled. “Really? Thanks! Though you two don’t exactly look like mail carriers?”

“We’re not—the local mailmare accidentally gave us a letter posted to you,” Twilight explained, wondering how any mail got delivered properly with Derpy/Ditzy/Bright Eyes around.

Lenora closed her eyes, tsk-tsking as she gave them another smug look. “The ‘G-E’ would never make a mistake like that. We’re proud and reliable! We’ve even got a poem we recite at the beginning of each day. Please allow me:” Lenora stood up straighter and cleared her throat.

NO! Not another half-baked mail carrier poem! Twilight begged mentally, to no avail as Lenora began to speak:

“Carrying your mail upon reliable wings!
Jumping into action whenever duty sings.
The Griffon Express will greet you with a smile
When your doorbell rings!”

Lenora stood up tall and sketched a salute as she finished, standing at attention and placing a paw over her broad feathered chest like she was posing for an advertising poster, flaring her large wings for good measure.

“Wow, that was even better than the last one!” Apple Bloom clopped her hooves with glee upon hearing such a masterpiece. Ah think Ah need to make a poem for the Cutie Mark Crusaders! she decided with her thoughts, her yellow brow furrowing as she started to think of what their poem might sound like.

Twilight relaxed a bit as she finally pulled the sealed message free of her saddlebag. It was still pretty bad, but at least this one actually rhymed? “Here’s your letter, Lenora,” She passed the scroll to the other female with her still-weak magic.

***** Letter given to Lenora *****

“Thank you,” Lenora acknowledged as she sat back to free up her forelegs. Once both paws were available, she broke the wax seal and opened the envelope. “Let’s see here… ‘Sorry, but the Princess is in another castle.’ Huh?” she tilted her head in confusion.

“Wait—‘The Princess’? As in Princess Celestia?” Twilight asked suddenly.

Lenora didn’t answer immediately, looking deep in thought as she scanned the rest of the letter. “Hmmm? Hmmmm... Oh. Oh! So that’s it, then. Works for me!” she shrugged at length, returning the letter to its envelope.

“Huh?” Twilight waited expectantly. “Is something wrong?”

“Not anymore,” Lenora answered slightly cryptically, then saw the confusion on Twilight’s face. “Well, you see, there was a bit of a dispute over the race route this year. Due to some unresolved diplomatic issues, Queen Molyneux doesn’t want the course going through our territory,” the eagless explained. “I personally don’t mind because I’m flying in the race anyway, but there it is.”

“I see. But what’s this have to do with Princess Celestia?” Twilight asked further, sitting down on her haunches.

“As the most notable griffon entrant in the race, I was to meet her to negotiate a compromise. Her schedule was uncertain, so I’ve been waiting here in Ponyville to meet her for the past three days. Your Princess was kind enough to let me stay at Town Hall, though I think I make the Mayor and some of the other ponies nervous,” Lenora noted with a chuckle.

Twilight frowned a little at that, wishing more ponies would look past superficial appearances and diet—as far as she could tell, the griffon eagless was very friendly and personable. I wonder if everypony’s avoiding Lenora because they remember how obnoxious and bullying Gilda was, so they assume Lenora’s the same way? “So technically, that would make you some sort of ambassador?” Twilight mused.

Visibly surprised by the suggestion, Lenora considered it and nodded. “Never thought of it that way… but yes, I guess I am. The Griffon Kingdom may be Equestria’s friend, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have some points of friction,” she noted, causing Twilight to remember some reports of recent tensions between the kingdoms, centered mostly on various trade and weather disputes—for as much as she enjoyed research and studying, geopolitical intrigue had always been a topic she avoided, seeing how little Princess Celestia enjoyed dealing with it.

History was another matter, though—the two nations had fought a bloody war some seven hundred years back; she’d been stunned by what she learned about it when Celestia had asked her to research it as part of her studies.

“So, what does the letter say?” Apple Bloom asked curiously, breaking Twilight’s train of thought.

“Apparently, the Princess is in Germaneigh on some other official business, so she can’t come here right now. She offered me her regrets about that. However, she also went ahead and ordered the Equestrian Racing Federation to re-route the race. It goes around Griffon territory now, so I guess that means I’m a free bird,” Lenora said with a smile as she stowed the scroll in her side-mounted satchel, which was somewhat similar to pony saddlebags.

Sounds like Celestia! Twilight couldn’t help but smile. If she can take care of something quickly, she will! “That was nice of her. I take it you’re going to practice for the race, then?” Twilight asked as Lenora started to stretch out, flaring her large wings filled with oversized brown feathers.

The eagless nodded. “Probably. To be perfectly frank, I’ve been going stir-crazy being cooped up in here for so long, and I could use the exercise. I have been competing in the Equestrian 500 for four years now, you know,” she said, making some flapping motions, briefly hovering off the floor before alighting again, her large wings generating a notable breeze beneath her.

“Wow! Are you any good?” Apple Bloom wanted to know.

Lenora beamed at that. “Of course! I got second place last year,” she announced proudly, giving the young filly another quick scratch behind the ears.

“Not bad! I’m guessing Ace Swift came in first?” Twilight guessed, but at his mention, Lenora’s expression turned from a pleasant smile to a brooding and bitter frown.

“Yes. But can we not talk about him please?” the griffon female requested with a sudden edge to her voice, her blue eyes glinting with anger.

Her change in demeanor was not lost on Twilight. Is it just me or do not many racers—whether ponies or griffons—like Ace? she asked herself, regretting having said Ace’s name in front of her. “It’s okay, we don’t have to talk about him if you don’t want to,” she quickly backed off, but then thought of another pony she had met recently. Hmm… they’re both racers. So maybe she knows something about him?

“Lenora—what can you tell me about this other pony in the race named ‘Cruise Control’?” Twilight asked.

To her surprise. Lenora’s ears and mood perked up instantly at his mention. “Cruise Control? He’s here?” she said in some surprise, the timbre of her voice suddenly approaching excitement. “Oh, I’ll gladly talk about him!” She smiled like she was being invited to reminisce about an old friend.

Though Twilight thought Lenora’s reaction was a little odd, she let it go. “Great! What can you tell me about him?” she asked as she took back out her quill, ink and a fresh sheet of scroll paper, holding them at the ready to take notes. She found it nearly impossible to keep it all floating at once in her low-power state, so she laid the ink and paper on the tiled floor and concentrated her remaining magical energy on the quill.

Lenora gave the arrangement a confused look, but didn’t ask. “I know a lot about the other racers. I’ve competed against just about all of them before. But Cruise—” she paused, her blue eyes going visibly misty for a moment “—he has a pretty depressing story.”

“I don’t think ‘depressing’ is the right word. I think ‘off his rocker’ is what you’re looking for,” Twilight suggested, vividly remembering the young stallion’s constant ranting and raving.

“Oh. That.” Lenora sighed and rolled her blue eyes, sitting back down on her haunches, her head low. “That’s all just a façade. I suppose he thought if he was to become a loser, he might as well act like one.” She shook her head in disappointment.

Twilight was surprised. “Wait—you’re saying that whole self-berating thing is just an act?” she asked, wondering if Cruise was faking a dual personality as an escape or an excuse. And either way, from what?

Lenora nodded almost grimly. “Yes. Don’t let that routine of his fool you. He’s actually good—really good! I can personally vouch for that,” she said wistfully, her eyes going distant for a moment. “He’s a very gifted flyer who did exceptionally well on the Manehattan racing circuit. Even the Wonderbolts were interested in him once,” she remembered, causing Twilight and Apple Bloom to gape in surprise; Twilight especially having a hard time seeing him as Wonderbolts material given his frequent self-berating outbursts, feigned or no.

“You mean he tried out for the ‘Bolts but didn’t make it?” Apple Bloom asked, but Lenora shook her head.

“I mean, he didn’t try out for them at all,” she corrected, a sly smile on her beaked face. “They recruited him, but he turned them down flat because he just wanted to race and didn’t want to be away from—” she cut her own sentence off abruptly, as if catching herself from saying something she shouldn’t.

Twilight caught her hesitation. “Away from what?” she prompted as she finished writing a note.

“Nothing, sorry.” Lenora shook her head and looked away, an odd smile on her face at which point Twilight’s vision went dark again. A few chains then materialized in front of the griffon eagless, guarded by a single red lock.

Twilight looked at it in frustration. Okay, I have GOT to find out what these things are! She knew, realizing she increasingly had no choice but to find and talk to Phoenix again, regardless of whether she felt ready to or not.

Lacking answers about the locks, Twilight moved on. “So if he’s so good, why does he do so badly in the Equestrian 500?” she asked, her quill starting a new line. “He says he comes in dead last every time.”

Lenora turned downcast again, the lock disappearing with the change of subject. “It’s not because of lack of ability, believe me. He hasn’t been the same since the accident his sister had.”

“Accident? His sister?” Twilight repeated, her quill going motionless.

“Yeah. He has a little sister. A bit older than her, actually.” Lenora nodded towards Apple Bloom, who was sitting back on her haunches listening.

Twilight wasn’t certain she should ask her next question in Apple Bloom’s presence, but did so anyway. “What happened to her?”

Lenora hesitated for a moment as she glanced at Apple Bloom as well. “She was pushing her limits, flying at a dangerously high altitude near Cloudsdale. But she was too young and her wings weren’t strong enough so… well, she fell,” the eagless said sadly, choosing her words with care.

“Is she alright?” Twilight asked, a concerned look on her face.

Lenora tried to phrase her response so only Twilight would understand. “She’s been in a deep coma ever since. No one knows when she’ll wake up,” the eagless said carefully.

“That’s terrible,” Twilight said, instantly understanding why Lenora was reluctant to say more in Apple Bloom’s presence, suddenly feeling deep sympathy for Cruise Control as she came to understand his awful plight.

“After her fall, Cruise took her to a hospital in Canterlot. I’ve heard it’s the best one there is,” Lenora noted. “She’s been in the Extensive Care Unit ever since.”

Twilight was caught short again. “Wait a minute—I used to live in Canterlot, and you’re right. It is the best hospital in Equestria, with an ECU second to none. But it’s only open to nobles and Canterlot citizens, and he said he’s from Manehattan. So how did he get her in there?” Twilight wondered aloud.

Lenora’s expression turned angry again, a frown creasing her beak. “I have a pretty good idea how he pulled that off,” she said under her breath but didn’t elaborate, and something in her blue eyes warned Twilight not to ask. “Like you said, that hospital’s medical practice is the best in Equestria and if she’s transferred to a lower class facility…” she trailed off meaningfully, afraid to say more in Apple Bloom’s presence.

Twilight fell silent at that, understanding what had been left unsaid only too well. “So how do you know him, then?”

Lenora sighed heavily again. “I met him several years ago when he was still a courier himself, only just starting to compete on the Manehattan racing circuit. We met on our respective delivery routes and hit it off. We used to be… very good friends, but he’s grown quite distant from me since the accident,” she noted sadly; when she turned away for a moment, Apple Bloom caught a sudden glistening in the other female’s blue eyes.

Twilight hesitated, but decided she had to ask. “Lenora? I think Cruise Control may have some information that can help my investigation. My friend’s on trial for murder, and her fate may depend on what he knows. Do you know how I can get him to talk to me?”

Lenora sighed and shook her head. “Like I said, he’s become pretty distant from me. I wish I could help you, Twilight Sparkler.”

“Sparkle,” Twilight corrected reflexively, which only made Lenora sigh again. Her expression turning thoughtful for a moment, the griffon female went for the small satchel she wore on her left flank.

“Here. I can offer you this, at least,” Lenora began, rummaging through her satchel’s contents before plucking out a single photograph with her talons, staring at it mournfully for a moment. “I don’t know how much help it will be, but this is a picture of him and his sister that he gave me some years back,” she announced, passing Twilight and Apple Bloom a small photograph of two ponies, one of whom was a younger, happier-looking Cruise Control.

Twilight accepted it gladly, silently vowing to repay the eagless for her kindness another day. “You think this will get him to talk to me?” she had to ask.

“I really don’t know. But it’s worth a shot, right?” Lenora’s answer was carefully noncommittal.

“I guess so.” Twilight nodded, deciding it was better than nothing. Long shot or no, I’ve got to take every opportunity and chance I’m given!

“I wish you luck. I hope you find a way to help your friend,” Lenora said solemnly, offering Twilight a parting bump of her talons.

“Thank you,” Twilight nodded her head, returning the gesture with a grateful smile. “I’ll get this picture back to you if I can.”

“Thanks, Twilight Sparkler,” Lenora smiled back, then looked longingly out the large back window. “Since I don’t have to stay in Town Hall any longer, I think I’m going to mingle around the starting line and take a few aerial laps around Ponyville once the rain shower has cleared. If you need to find me, I’ll be bunking at the Hay and Stay with the rest of the race participants from here on out. Come by and tell me how your conversation with Cruise goes, if you can?” she requested, turning towards the door.

“Will do! Goodbye!” Twilight waved at her, lost in thought as she watched Lenora leave. She was a bit shady on the details, and I’m pretty sure there’s at least one thing she’s hiding from me. But I think I’m beginning to understand what’s going on here, she thought to herself with a nod.

Turning to Apple Bloom, she noticed the farm filly looking sad about something. “What’s wrong, Apple Bloom?” she asked, hoping the young earth pony hadn’t understood too much of the conversation about Cruise Control’s sister.

Apple Bloom looked at her, then back down. “Oh. it’s just… Ah couldn’t imagine if Applejack was in the hospital like Mister Cruise’s sister,” she said with a sniffle.

“I know.” Twilight pulled the young filly close and hugged her tightly. “It makes you appreciate the things you have now. You never realize how important somepony is to you until they’re gone…” she trailed off, tears welling in her eyes as she contemplated the possible loss of Rainbow Dash… and Phoenix, not understanding why she was getting an increasingly uneasy feeling about his safety.

She shook it off, telling herself it was just her imagination, though more and more she was realizing that she was going to have to talk to him sooner rather than later. “Hey, let’s try to cheer up. I’m not going to prove Rainbow Dash innocent, and you’re not going to get your private investigator cutie mark sitting around feeling sad!” Twilight noted, tilting the young filly’s chin up.

Apple Bloom perked up at that. “You’re right, Twi!” She agreed, her orange eyes looking up at Twilight’s purple ones in renewed determination. “Let’s go!”

“That’s my little pony!” Twilight grinned, ruffling Apple Bloom's red mane. “Alright! No more delays. We’re going into the Everfree, for real this time!” Twilight proclaimed as they started to walk out of Town Hall.

“Alright!” Apple Bloom agreed in delight, falling in beside Twilight as they left for the forest together.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on June 12, 2018.

Part 34 - The Vigilante

Everfree Forest
June 10th, 2:45 PM

It was only mid-afternoon, yet already the path through the Everfree Forest was growing steadily darker as the sun moved off its zenith, disappearing behind the high canopy of trees as Apple Bloom and Twilight delved deeper into the woods.

Now well off the relative safety of the path, Apple Bloom looked around a particular area she dimly remembered walking through during the previous night while Twilight kept watch, fearful of encountering everything from manticores to timberwolves, uncertain if she could defend herself and Apple Bloom if they should appear given her nearly depleted reserves of magic.

Applejack had once told her that the beasts of the Everfree didn’t usually come that close to the edge of the woods outside of zap apple season, but… there’s a first time for everything! Twilight worried as she watched Apple Bloom continue her as-yet fruitless search.

“Ah think it was over here?” she said with noticeable uncertainty while looking at a nearby bush, but then: “No, wait! It’s over here!” She tried a different hedge, making Twilight wonder if the search was just a waste of time.

She’s been dragging me around this forest for almost half an hour! she thought with a groan, getting more irritated and anxious the longer the wait dragged on.

After several more minutes of walking around and inspecting seemingly random bushes—and at least one close call with a hidden thicket of Poison Joke—Apple Bloom stopped near a large tree. “Okay, yeah! It was right here! Ah remember now!”

“This is where you saw that thing fall from the sky?” Twilight asked skeptically. “You’ve said that two or three times already!”

“Yeah! Ah remember looking up and seeing the moon right through that small break in the branches right there. So Ah’m sure it was somewhere around here,” Apple Bloom insisted while pointing to a small patch of sunlight peeking through the canopy, though she didn’t sound entirely certain.

“I hope this is worth it,” Twilight muttered under her breath as she began to search as well.

“Alright! Ah think it fell close by. Ah’m sure Ah heard it hit this here bush!” With that, Apple Bloom dove into the underbrush, rustling the leaves as she went.

“Apple Bloom! Don’t go off by yourself!” Twilight called out, but the young earth pony had already disappeared into the bushes… and soon the rustling stopped. “Apple Bloom?” She immediately began to worry. “Oh, great! APPLE BLOOM!” she called out frantically, but there was still no answer. Nor could she sense the filly’s presence with her magical awareness, which was blinded by the chaotic background energies of the forest. Twilight was about to plunge in after her but—

“AH FOUND IT!!!” Apple Bloom leaped out of the bushes with a triumphant yell, causing the older mare to rear up in fright.

“AHHH! Don’t scare me like that!” Twilight scolded.

“Sorry.” Apple Bloom cringed, dropping the object she’d been holding in her mouth at Twilight’s hooves. “But lookie here! This is the thing I heard fall from the sky, Twi!” she announced quite proudly, motioning to the floppy brown leather object with her hoof as it lay on the ground between them.”

I’m never having foals! Twilight decided, certain they’d be the death of her if she did.

“So, whaddaya think, Twi?” Apple Bloom prompted when she didn’t immediately reply. The young filly was as eager and energetic as ever and not in the least bit frightened of their surroundings, leaving Twilight wondering if it was only because she wasn’t alone this time, or just the simple fact that it was still light out, even if that only went so far on the floor of the Everfree.

Putting the question aside, Twilight looked at the retrieved object curiously. “It looks like some sort of bag or satchel,” she deduced, seeing it was a pouch sealed with a single thick strap, poking at a bulge and feeling something solid within. “Hey—didn’t Lenora have a bag like this?” she flashed back to the griffon eagless at Town Hall, remembering her taking the photograph of Cruise and his sister out of a very similar satchel strapped to her flank.

Apple Bloom’s eyes widened. “Oh! Yeah, reckon yer right! And Ah could tell there was something inside this when Ah was carrying it! In fact, Ah reckon this must be the package the Griffon Express lost! So let’s open it!” she suggested, and didn’t wait for Twilight’s answer to start doing so.

“Apple Bloom! That’s private correspondence! We can’t just go through somepony else’s mail like—” But before she could finish, Apple Bloom had already pulled the strap free of its buckle with her teeth and was nosing around inside. Within seconds, she had pulled out...

“Ooooo! Lookie, Twi, it’s a bottle!” She pulled it free with a hoof to show Twilight.

Well, I tried! Twilight sighed, deciding that with the cat out of the bag there was no point in not taking a closer look. “A bottle… but of what?” she asked curiously, seeing a small but rather ornate glass flask with some kind of purple substance inside, capped with a small blue crystalline cork.

Apple Bloom turned the item to look at it from various angles. “Ah don’t know. There ain’t any label,” she noted, checking every inch of the bottle but not seeing any writing or markings on it.

“Give it here, Apple Bloom,” Twilight asked, the filly passing it to her. Holding it in her own hoof as she didn’t fully trust her power in the woods even under good circumstances—the wild energies of the Everfree Forest tended to have odd effects on her magic, she had noted in the past, making her spells more powerful but also much harder to control—she examined it herself and confirmed there wasn’t any sort of identifying mark on the bottle. That’s strange. She’s right; there isn’t any label on this. Looks like there’s some sort of liquid inside? she noted as she shook the bottle, watching the purple-colored fluid it contained slosh back and forth.

“Do you know what it is, Twi?” Apple Bloom said.

She shook her head. “No, I don’t. Can you check to see if there’s maybe a shipping manifest in the satchel?”

Apple Bloom blinked. “Huh?”

Twilight couldn’t help but smile at that. Guess there are some big words she doesn’t know! “Check the bag for a piece of paper or something that might identify this,” she clarified.

Apple Bloom did as she was asked but found nothing, shaking her head. “That’s strange. Okay, then. Let’s try this...” Twilight trailed off as she popped the blue crystal cork loose. “It almost looks like a perfume bottle. So let’s give it a whiff, and maybe I can identify it by smell.” With that, she waved the cork near her nose to take a tentative sniff of the strange substance, but then…

“Nghh… uhh… AHHH!!” Twilight recoiled, dropping the bottle from her hoof; Apple Bloom barely caught it before its contents spilled out. “M-MY NOSTRILS!!!” she cried, stumbling backwards, tears of pain streaming down her cheeks.

Apple Bloom watched her with a frightened look on her face. “Twi? What’s wrong?” she asked in alarm.

“What’s wrong is it smells like... concentrated used kitty litter!” she got out around repeated gags, attempting to choke back the bile rising within her throat, suddenly and sorely reminded of one time she’d been looking after Rarity’s pet cat Opalescence while Rarity herself was out of town, who made her displeasure about being left in the care of others known by refusing to bury her business.

Apple Bloom was certainly used to such smells herself, given the pigs her family kept for fertilizer, but even she looked at the bottle quite warily. “It kinda looks like grape Juice. Yer saying it smells THAT bad?”

“It smells worse!” Twilight gagged again, rubbing her nose with her hooves and trying to get rid of the putrid stench by inhaling the aroma of some nearby wildflowers, even chancing putting her nose near a poison joke bloom because she knew its odor was so strong. What a waste of TIME! Here I thought this would be case-breaking evidence and instead I just ended up losing my sense of SMELL! she thought as she rubbed her nose into a patch of dew-laden moss as Apple Bloom looked on, the young filly carefully picking up the bottle and doing her best not to inhale the odor herself, holding her breath as she recorked it.

As much as she thought it was worthless, Twilight decided to take the bag and bottle along, not wanting to leave the woods empty-hooved after all the effort they’d gone through to find them. After all, maybe there's at least a slight chance they aren't just trash!

“Awww...” Apple Bloom suddenly sighed.

“What’s the matter?” Twilight asked, finally able to breathe again, blinking the remaining tears out of her eyes. She decided to wear the satchel as it was too big to fit in her saddlebags, tightening up the straps all the way to make them fit. Huh. Whoever this belonged to must’ve been a fair bit bigger than me!

“Ah didn’t get a cutie mark for being a private investigator,” Apple Bloom answered in disappointment, motioning back to her still-blank flank.

“Oh really? That’s too bad,” Twilight said simply, not wanting to hurt her feelings. “Come on Apple Bloom, it’s getting darker, so let’s get out of here,” she instructed, turning to head back to the main path and out of the foreboding forest.

“Right,” Apple Bloom replied, starting to look a bit more nervous herself as she realized the light level was getting lower. “That’s okay. Ah wonder what an ‘Investigator’ cutie mark looks like, anyway?” Apple Bloom asked idly as she fell in beside her.

Twilight shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe a magnifying glass?” she suggested, starting to head back towards the path.

Hearing that, Apple Bloom looked away from Twilight, her eyes going very distant. “That reminds me, Twi.” She hesitated before speaking again. “Do ya remember what happened the last time we went into the Everfree Forest together?”

Twilight froze at that; a surge of fear and anxiety gripping her. ”Apple Bloom, that was just your imagination!” she quickly snapped back—that was not a story she cared to remember while in the middle of the Everfree. “Or it was just the wild magic of the woods making you see things. Zecora warned us about that, remember?”

Apple Bloom vehemently shook her head. “But I was there, Twi! There was a village, and partying, and then those ponies tried to—”

“I refuse to believe in such things!” Twilight cut her off sharply, an edge to her voice. “The next day I went and checked the area you were in myself, but I found nothing but trees as far as the eye can see!” she reminded herself as much as Apple Bloom, trying to erase the very disturbing story the young filly had related to her some months earlier from her mind.

Apple Bloom fell silent at that, looking very troubled. But it DID happen! Ah wasn’t just seeing things; those ponies were REAL! Why won’t anypony believe me? she thought in frustration.

“Look—just remember to stick by me no matter what this time. No wandering off by yourself like you did then, okay?” Twilight went close to her, nuzzling her a bit. “Applejack would never forgive me if anything happened to you,” she added, worried that she was going to be in serious trouble with Apple Bloom’s older sister just for taking her into the woods in the first place.

“Oh. Okay,” Apple Bloom agreed weakly, hugging Twilight back.

Twilight pulled her close to give her a nuzzle and brush her mane a bit, trying to comfort her—and reassure herself; the first time she’d heard Apple Bloom relate that impossible but horrifying tale, she’d had nightmares for a week. “Hey, cheer up! Even if it was just your imagination or the forest making you see things, that’s a good thing. Maybe you can write a story about it?”

“A story? Really?” Apple Bloom echoed, perking her ears in interest.

Twilight nodded. “Sure! A lot of writers base stories off personal experiences. I’m sure you can write a good story about yours!” she said. “Who knows? Maybe your cutie mark will be in writing?” she added with a grin, seeing Apple Bloom’s orange eyes light up at the idea.

“Thanks, Twi! Reckon I’ll do that!” she said with a sudden sparkle in her eyes, picking herself up with a big smile on her face. Think Ah’ll call it… ‘The Story of the Blanks!’ she decided, certain it would be better-written and more ‘in-grossing’ then some mushy and disgusting ro-mance novel. Reckon if nothing else, it’d sure give Rainbow Dash’s scary campfire stories a run!

But Twilight wasn’t as happy as Apple Bloom was, letting out a big sigh as they continued to walk back to the path. “Well, this journey proved to be fairly fruitless,” she sighed out the words, pausing to scratch the back of her head.

Apple Bloom’s shoulders slumped at that, the filly sitting back on her haunches. “Ah’m sorry, Twi. After all that searching, Ah really thought it’d be something important,” she apologized, turning downcast.

Seeing her contrition was genuine, Twilight nuzzled her again. “It’s alright, Apple Bloom. You have been a big help, and we found a plethora of other things that may be useful tomorrow,” she noted, motioning with her head to her now-full saddlebags.

“Thanks, Twi! So what’cha wanna do now?” Apple Bloom asked, making a mental note to ask Applejack what ‘plethora’ meant when she got home. Ah learn so many new words being around Twi!

Twilight had already thought of that. “I want to go speak with Cruise Control again. I’m sure he knows something about Ace he’s not telling us.”

“Ya mean that funny pony who kept talking to himself? Didn’t he say he was gonna go register fer the race?” Apple Bloom remembered, sticking very close to Twilight as she had promised.

“You’re right,” Twilight recalled as well. “We should start looking for him by going back to town and heading for the starting line where the Equestrian 500 will begin,” she began to reason, only to freeze, thinking she’d heard something in the bushes; the memories of the tale Apple Bloom had told and the knowledge that her magic was likely too weak and unstable to defend them against any real threat causing her anxiety level to spike again. “Come on, Apple Bloom—we got what we came for; the sooner we get out of this forest, the better!” Twilight picked up the pace as she heard whatever was in the woods start to come closer.

She didn’t know what the noise was and didn’t wait to find out. The forest boosting her power, she decided to chance her magic, using her aura to levitate a startled Apple Bloom onto her back. Telling her to hold on, she ignored the young filly’s protests and ran back to the path, leaping hedges and logs as she went.

She sped up even further upon reaching the dirt trail, heading out of the forest at a full gallop, not slowing until the exit was in sight.

Everfree Forest Entrance
June 10th, 3:20 PM

As an out-of-breath Twilight put a slightly annoyed Apple Bloom down near the entrance, the latter spotted a figure standing on the path just outside the woods.

“Hey, who’s that?” Apple Bloom pointed out to Twilight.

“Somepony is by the exit,” Twilight belatedly noticed, still panting lightly as they got closer. Only two miles and I’m out of breath? Maybe I should get out of the library more often, she thought, resolving to start exercising as the figure at the entrance began blurting out words and gesticulating wildly.

“Feenie! You’re finally back! I thought you’d never come back and you’d be stuck in there forever or something and your ghost would haunt the forest like WOOoooooOOOoooOO!”

“Uh… Pinkie Pie?” Twilight raised an eyeridge as she recognized her party-loving friend. What’s she doing out here?

Pinkie saluted like a soldier. “Oh! Twilight? You’re not Feenie! Guess I gotta keep waiting, then!” she said with her chin held high and her gut sucked in like she was a Royal Guardspony standing at attention.

Twilight and Apple Bloom shared an odd look. “Forgive me for asking, but what are you doing by the Everfree Forest, Pinkie?” the former finally caught her breath enough to ask, not entirely certain she wanted to know the answer.

“Just waiting for my friend!” Pinkie said with a smile and a wink.

“Yer friend?” Apple Bloom asked before Twilight could.

“Yeah! He’s—HEY THAT’S IT!!!!” Pinkie suddenly blurted out, pointing to Twilight’s saddlebags.

“Huh?” was all a dumbfounded Twilight could say in response, looking back over her shoulder to see what Pinkie was referring to.

“You found it, Twilight! You found it!” Pinkie reared up and pinwheeled her forehooves in delight.

Twilight felt another headache starting to come on. “Pinkie, can you start making some sense, please?” On the other hoof, look who you’re asking, Twilight!

“You found my Golf Club!I’ve been looking for it for days!”Pinkie claimed, plucking out the burned metal stick from Twilight’s saddlebag and hugging it affectionately.

Twilight stared at it in disbelief, sharing another glance with Apple Bloom. “You’re saying this miserable looking stick… is a golf club?” She raised an eyeridge, not sure why Pinkie Pie would invent one—the nearest golf course was in Canterlot, quite a distance away.

Pinkie winked again as she held the stick up for inspection. “Yup-yup! Here, Twilight, let me introduce you to my greatest invention ever! This is the Pinkie Iron Mk. V!” she claimed as she raised it up proudly, holding it high for the two ponies to see. “I’ve nicknamed it ‘The Panther’!”

“Wow! Ah didn’t know ya were a blacksmith, Pinkie Pie!” Apple Bloom was genuinely impressed.

“Well, of course, silly! We had to make our own tools on my family’s rock farm, you know! I keep my forging gear in my top secret party-planning cave beneath Sugar Cube Corner!”

Twilight sighed. I’ll probably regret asking, but… “How do you ventilate a forge from the cave? And if this is your first invention, what happened to Mk. I through IV?”

“Oh, they got obsolete pretty quick!” Pinkie explained, slightly nonsensically. “I mean, I tried to keep them useful—even made the Mk. II into a flamethrower—but after a while, even the IV-H and J variants couldn’t keep up with newer designs!”

Twilight sighed, and instead of pursuing a pointless conversation turned her attention back to the ruined rod. “It’s all burnt and the end is broken off… if it really is a golf club,” she said dubiously, examining it in front of Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie’s eyes widened in realization as she saw the missing club head. “You’re right! Somepony broke it!” she noted, turning a suspicious gaze on Twilight. “Heeeeyyyy! Did you break my golf club, Twilight?” she demanded to know, giving her unicorn friend an angry look.

“Huh? N-No! Apple Bloom and I found it in the lake at the park. I don’t even play golf!” Twilight explained quickly, careful not to say something Pinkie might misinterpret.

Pinkie Pie looked confused at that. “At the park? Back in Ponyville? That’s weird, because I lost the Pinkie Iron in the forest a week ago. I wonder how it got into the lake back in town?” Pinkie pondered, taking a hoof-on-chin pose that reminded Twilight of Phoenix again.

“Say again?” was all Twilight could immediately offer in response. “You lost it in the woods?”

“It’s true! I was golfing in the forest a week ago when I lost grip of the handle while I was giving her a swing, and it went flying. Whoooosh!! Just like a bird!” Pinkie smiled and pantomimed her actions, including swinging the golf club, as she told her story.

Twilight gave her another look. “Why would you go golfing in the forest? With all those trees around, wouldn’t it be a little… counterproductive?” What would each hole be? A par-FIFTY?

“Nah. I wanted a challenge!” Pinkie answered with a smile and a shrug.

Feeling her headache getting worse again, Twilight gave up looking for a rational answer on how she was playing the game, focusing instead on another question lingering in her mind. “So you lost the golf club a week ago? That’s really strange. How did it get in the lake and why is it so busted up?”

Pinkie looked down at her golf club, her smile turning into a sad frown. “I have no idea. Why would anypony break my poor little golf club? It didn’t do anything to anypony!” she said sorrowfully, cradling and nuzzling it like it was an injured foal.

Twilight shared another look with Apple Bloom, who simply shook her head in confusion, unable to make sense of Pinkie’s logic as well. “This is awfully suspicious. Pinkie, since it’s broken… may I keep it?” she requested politely, strangely certain it was a significant find.

Pinkie thought about that for a few seconds, then shrugged. “Sure, why not? Guess it’s not much use if it’s already broken. But don’t worry, Twilight! I’m already making mental blueprints for ‘The Pinkie Iron Mk. VIII’!” she announced, standing up on her hind hooves and putting her front hooves to the sides of her head, smiling eagerly at whatever new idea she’d come up with. “And since ‘Tiger’ is already taken, think I’ll call it the ‘Maus’!”

“Riiiight…” Whatever goes on in that head of hers, keep me out of it! Twilight decided as she returned the burned and battered rod to her saddlebag, thinking better of asking Pinkie why she was skipping the Mk. VI and VII.

The broken club safely stowed again, Twilight turned her attention back to Pinkie Pie. “So, how long have you been waiting for your friend? It’s not very smart going in the Everfree Forest alone.” To say nothing of going in with a young filly without most of my power! she somewhat ruefully admitted with her thoughts. “Trust me, I ended up turning into a life size lawn ornament one time I went in there by myself.” Twilight shivered as she recalled her encounter with a cockatrice; chicken-headed snakes that had a Maredusa-like ability to turn passing ponies to stone by locking gazes with them.

Fortunate to be rescued by Fluttershy after one such creature had petrified her, the first thing she did after her close call was devise an enchantment to defeat its ability to do so, though she hadn’t needed it for her latest forest foray since the half-chicken, half-snake monsters were nocturnal. Good thing, too, because I don’t think I could have cast it!

“About forty minutes. He said he wanted to meet somepony at the clearing in there,” Pinkie said simply, standing watch over the woods entrance again. “It only takes fifteen minutes to get there, so I guess he’s having a long talk with whoever he was meeting.”

Forty minutes? In there alone? Twilight shivered. Whoever this stallion is, he’s either very brave or very stupid! “So who is this friend you’re waiting for anyway? Somepony I’ve met?” Twilight asked, barely hoping she might get an actual answer from her.

“Of course he is, silly! He’s—” but before Pinkie could give a name, another pony came galloping out of the woods, colliding with Twilight.

“GAAAHHH!!” Twilight fell into a tangled heap of limbs and wings along with the mystery pony, the contents of the newcomer’s saddlebags spilling out all over the grass and dirt path. “Hey! Watch where you’re going!” she scolded, picking herself up with Pinkie’s help and using her tail to brush some dust off her flanks, hoping the glass bottle inside her saddlebags hadn’t broken from the impact or she’d probably have to burn them to get rid of the smell.

“Oh, excuse me! I’m sorry!” A familiar male voice shouted back.

When Twilight’s vision cleared, she looked up to see... “Cruise Control?” she recognized in surprise. THIS is who Pinkie Pie was waiting for? How the hay does she know him?

“Hi again, Twilight Sparkle!” Cruise greeted her with a grin, only to abruptly change his tone again. “Why did you smash into her, you idiot? She’s right! Watch where you’re going!”Cruise berated himself.

Apple Bloom spotted the former contents of his saddlebags lying scattered on the ground around them and started to gather them up. “Oopsie! Looks like ya dropped all your things! Don’t worry, Mister Cruise, Ah’ll help you pick them up!” she promised, starting off by picking up a small book.

“Thank you!” Cruise said gratefully, but then… “Ugghhh... NO! You should be a responsible adult and take responsibility for your actions! Not force a little filly to pick up your things!”

“OooOOoooo… another new pony in town! Wow, with so many new visitors around for the race, I’m going to be busy throwing welcome-to-Ponyville parties for a month!” Pinkie pinwheeled her hooves in delight again. “I’m Pinkie Pie! Good to meet you, Mister Cruise Control!” She blew a party horn and shook his hoof very hard.

Cruise looked surprised at that. “Oh! Uh, well, good to meet you too, but I really don’t have time… uggghhhh… NO! You should always accept whatever hospitality is offered you, you ungrateful idiot!”

I REALLY don’t want to deal with this again! Twilight said to herself as she rubbed her temple, her headache coming back full force. But then again, I wanted to talk to him anyway. So I guess now is as good a time as any?

“Um, I’ll help too,” Twilight offered as she joined Apple Bloom in picking up the strewn items on the ground, which included several very odd objects she’d never seen before—a small silver medallion with scales, a colorful metallic-looking object with a series of numbered buttons the size of a small brick, a thick wallet of an unfamiliar design full of colorful cards—What’s a VISA? she wondered—and rectangular pieces of very intricately decorated paper with numbers on the corners. “Though while you’re here, Cruise, I have a few more questions for you,” Twilight said as she used her weakened magic to collect the oddly disparate items into a neat pile, planning to put them all inside the bag after she and Apple Bloom had gathered them all up.

Cruise looked noticeably uneasy at the suggestion. “Uh… I really can’t, sorry! I’m in a huge hurry!” he said anxiously.

Twilight raised an eyeridge at that, next picking up a pill bottle. Whoa—that’s a powerful painkiller! What’s Cruise taking this for? “A huge hurry? So what were you doing in the Everfree Forest, anyway?” she asked curiously, continuing to collect seemingly random pieces of paper and other items scattered about while Pinkie looked curiously over her shoulder, examining the stuff she was picking off the ground.

“Wow, Cruise! That stuff you’ve got looks a lot like the stuff I found with Feenie today! Like there’s a ripped up paper, the room key, the pictures of the unicorn book, the list with Rainbow Dash on it…” Pinkie recited, causing Cruise’s consternation to increase.

None of it made sense to Twilight, but one thing her friend said did ring a bell. “’Feenie’?” Her brow furrowed a bit upon hearing the unfamiliar name. “Who’s that?”

“I was just, uh... I felt like taking a stroll!” Cruise stammered, his eyes going evasive as he answered Twilight’s earlier question.

“A stroll… through the Everfree Forest?” Twilight asked him, giving him an askance look and starting to grow more suspicious. “And why not just fly?”

Cruise seemed to grow even more nervous the more she pressed, giving her some new appreciation for how witnesses must feel in court. “Uh, just trying to save my strength for the race, you know!” he added, forcing a smile and looking ever more eager to leave. “Listen, thanks for all your help, Twilight Sparkle, but I really need to get back to town! Could you give my stuff back now? Please?” he requested in a tone approaching panic, his wings and tail twitching noticeably.

Just as Twilight had finished gathering his things together along with Apple Bloom, she noticed one final item that had fallen out of his saddlebags, glittering in the grass—an odd comma-shaped gemstone with a hole in the center, glowing a weak green in the sunlight. Huh? That looks like— she picked it up with her magic, only to gasp and drop it immediately when she sensed a familiar form of mystical energy emanating from the object.

Apple Bloom stopped what she was doing and looked over at Twilight, who was now standing rigid, her eyes fixed straight ahead. “What’s the matter, Twi?” she asked in concern.

At that moment, an icy ball materialized in Twilight’s stomach. With great deliberateness that belied her suddenly churning insides, she turned to ask Pinkie Pie a single, very difficult question. “Pinkie,” she started, struggling to keep her voice even. “Is your friend’s name… Phoenix?” She held her breath.

Pinkie immediately and eagerly nodded, offering a happy smile as well. “Yup-yup! I just call him Feenie, though!” she confirmed, then jumped once in delight. “Sure, he looks a little strange, but he’s so funny and fun to be around! Wow, Twilight! How did you know? You must be psychic like that pony Feenie and I met earlier!” Pinkie said in the most delightful and happy tone she could muster.

But Twilight was neither happy nor delighted as she looked at the ‘charm’ then back at the male pegasus. “Cruise? If you have all of his stuff… then that means…” She slowly turned towards him.

Cruise Control began to back away in very telling guilt. “P-please! I had to!”

Her worst fears confirmed, Twilight rounded on him, her head lowered and horn hard aglow, aura tinged a fiery orange instead of its usual purple. “What… did… you… DO to him?!” she demanded to know, approaching the male pegasus menacingly in a low crouch, anger and fear over Phoenix’s fate giving her renewed strength. If he’s hurt him, I swear I’ll—!

His eyes went wide at that, fearfully eying her glowing red irises and the wisps of smoke that were starting to come off her mane. “Please, Twilight! I d-didn’t want to, but I had to! I-I’ll tell you where he is! Just give that stuff back to me and let me go!” Cruise begged.

Twilight didn’t bother to reply, but instead turned her head fractionally to the side. “APPLE BLOOM! Go to Fluttershy’s cottage and get the police there!” she ordered, not taking her eyes off Cruise. “NOW!” she shouted when the surprised young earth pony didn’t immediately move.

“Huh? Okay, right!” Apple Bloom immediately rushed back towards the cottage.

“N-nooo! Please! I can’t go to jail!” Cruise pleaded, flaring his wings like he was about to take flight. Twilight immediately restrained him; she didn’t have enough power to paralyze him but could at least pin his wings to his sides, preventing him from escaping by air.

“Don’t even think about running away! There are two of us and only one of you!” Twilight bluffed, just hoping the sight of her glowing horn, red eyes and smoking mane would be intimidation enough to keep him there until the police arrived, knowing that if Cruise tried to break past her and gallop off, she wouldn’t be able to stop him. Pinkie, on the other hoof, was still obliviously rummaging through the pile of Phoenix’s possessions that Twilight and Apple Bloom had gathered.

“Oooo… look, there’s Rarity’s paper thingy! And that neato song-maker of Feenie’s! You really DO have a lot of the same things he does!” she said cheerfully while continuing to dig through the pile, now examining the strange object with all the buttons, trying to figure out how to make it sing again.

“Pinkie! For Celestia’s sake! They are ‘Feenie’s’ things! He attacked Phoenix in the forest and stole them!” Twilight spelled it out to her as Cruise turned to run the other direction, back into the woods, which would break Twilight’s hold over him once he got out of sight.

Pinkie’s eyes widened and her smile dropped; her hair suddenly falling flat to the sides as she finally comprehended the situation. “He… hurt… Feenie?” she whispered, the ‘song-maker’ falling from her hoof with a loud clatter. With that, Pinkie dove into the bushes only to somehow appear ahead of Cruise, blindsiding him with a flying tackle, using her greater earth pony weight and strength to pin the lighter, hollow-boned pegasus stallion to the ground. “You hurt my friend! You’re not going anywhere!” Pinkie informed him, her voice as sharp as a knife.

Cruise froze at the lethal tone of her voice. “Please…” he begged one last time as he struggled , only to find that caught between Pinkie’s strength and Twilight’s magic, he was trapped and had nowhere to go.

* * * * *

The police arrived just a minute later, led there by Apple Bloom. They arrested Cruise Control on the spot after hearing Twilight’s testimony and finding human items in his possession, knowing there was only one individual he could have gotten them from.

Once Phoenix’s possessions were returned to her by the police—they trusted her to return them as they knew she was Phoenix’s co-counsel—Twilight watched as a broken and unresisting Cruise Control was led away in hoof and wing cuffs by an earth pony detective and two unicorn deputies. They promised to dispatch police pegasus ponies and the weather patrol to search for Phoenix, but they wouldn’t arrive for at least twenty minutes, leaving Twilight badly torn over her next course of action. She knew she’d be taking a terrible chance reentering the woods alone with her power so weak, but she was also fearful Phoenix didn’t have that long.

Every minute in there is another minute that some forest monster could find him! she knew, swallowing hard as she reached her decision. “Pinkie, I know you want to help look for ‘Feenie’, but I need you to take Apple Bloom back home. It’s getting late and it’s not safe for her out here.”

Pinkie nodded, her hair floofy again and trademark smile back on her face, to Twilight’s relief—she’d only seen her friend in that angry, flat-haired state one other time, and would be happy to never see her like that again. “Okie Dokey Lokey! Oh, that reminds me! Your sister is looking for you, kiddo,” she told Apple Bloom.

The young filly’s orange eyes went wide. “Oh no! AJ’s gonna give me grief fer running off!” the she knew, cringing at the thought of what would happen when she got home. I don’t wanna be lectured by Big Mac again!

“I’ll get her home safe, promise! But what are you going to do, Twilight?” Pinkie asked in concern.

Her guts clenched. “I’m not waiting for the police. I’m going back in there myself to find Phoenix,” she managed, her calm voice belying the trembling of her legs.

“Oh! When you see him, tell him that I had a blast with him today! We should do it more often!” Pinkie requested, back to her old self, shining her bright smile at Twilight.

“Promise.” That’s IF I see him… Twilight swallowed as she turned to go back into the Everfree Forest, carefully gathering her courage and what little remained of her magic, not sure if she was more afraid that she wouldn’t find Phoenix… or that she would; her mind dredging up nightmare images of the state she would find him in.

“Twi?” Apple Bloom interrupted her brooding thoughts, walking up to her. “When you see that nice human lawyer guy again, could you tell him Ah’m sorry Ah lied in court this morning?”

Twilight hugged her tightly. “I will,” she replied, tears welling in her eyes. “And you were right, Apple Bloom—you were a big help to me. Thank you,” she kissed the young filly on the forehead before letting her go.

“Bye-Bye, Twilight!” Pinkie waved as she and Apple Bloom parted company with her, heading south for Sweet Apple Acres.

As she took her first few tentative steps into the forest, Twilight’s thoughts began to dwell on what she had done to Phoenix, an avalanche of emotions starting to pour out of her. What was I THINKING, abandoning him like that? The Judge was right; I should have at least heard him out! When I didn’t, he must have tried to investigate without me! Oh, this is all my fault for leaving him alone! I HAVE TO FIND HIM! she knew as she stepped deeper into the woods, starting to pick up her pace.

Oh, Celestia, PLEASE let him be all right! she said a silent prayer to her regent and mentor, her walk quickly turning into a trot, then a canter, and finally a full gallop as she raced for the forest clearing in search of the missing Phoenix Wright.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on July 2, 2018.

Part 35 - Intriguing Turn of Events

Part 35 - Intriguing Turn of Events

Everfree Forest
June 10th, 3:45 PM

Twilight searched the Everfree Forest high and low for Phoenix, to no avail.

Reaching the crime scene clearing to find nothing except a fresh imprint in the dirt and an ominous series of drag marks, she followed them, plunging through the bushes on a southwest heading, discovering a very narrow and rough trail hidden behind the immediate brush line that continued on in that direction. Surprised—that path wasn’t on any forest map she knew—she galloped down it, searching as she went.

Her legs were on fire and her heart was pounding in her chest, but she didn’t relent her pace, desperate to reach the human lawyer before it was too late. No sign of him anywhere! she realized, almost crying, looking frantically for the smaller clearing Cruise had said he left Phoenix in. I pray to Celestia he isn’t— but before she could finish the panicked prayer, she rounded a curve on the narrow trail to discover that she was about to crash into…

Phoenix HIMSELF with Fluttershy beside him!

She skidded to a halt in front of the unlikely duo, her eyes wide and jaw agape. “Fluttershy? Ph-Phoenix?!” she recognized the pair in shock, her saddlebags flying right off her back from the sudden stop. B-but how did she get out? And wh-what’s she doing with HIM? Twilight asked herself in complete and utter confusion.

Phoenix and Fluttershy looked just as surprised as she was. “Uh... heya,” the former managed to get out in a shaky voice, giving her a very tentative wave. Twilight didn’t answer except to stare dumbly at the pair, panting hard and unable to speak. Phoenix Wright was a mess, his suit covered with dirt, leaves and brambles; there were at least two jagged tears in his left pants leg and several visible scratches on his face.

Despite his condition, he closed his eyes and bowed his head to her, putting his hands in his pants pockets in an apparent effort to master his nerves. “Twilight, please listen. I know you really must not like me after what I did today, but I can explain,” he began as Fluttershy stepped forward to interpose herself between them, flaring her wings in front of him like a protective shield.

“Mister Phoenix was only trying to help Rainbow, Twilight. He never meant to hurt me or anypony else,” she said in a quiet but surprisingly adamant voice.

Fluttershy’s… DEFENDING him? Twilight thought in disbelief, her breathing starting to slow. She locked gazes with Phoenix just long enough to see the lingering fear and nervousness in his eyes, leaving her uncertain if she wanted more to hug or throttle him at that moment. “Let’s go back to the library; I don’t think it’s a good idea to stay in this forest,” she suggested between still-ragged breaths with a wary glance at the woods around her, picking the saddlebags back up with her Everfree-enhanced magic and placing them on her back.

“Y-yeah, I agree,” Phoenix said in a dry and slightly fearful tone, his eyes darting about nervously. The three of them immediately left the woods on the same trail Twilight had entered, Fluttershy behind and Twilight in the lead; the two mares instinctively taking a protective formation around the human lawyer as they went out.

Fluttershy’s Cottage
June 10th, 4:05 PM

As anxious as Twilight was to get back to the library and get Phoenix somewhere safe, Fluttershy insisted that they stop at her cottage so she could tend his injuries.

Sitting him on her living room sofa, she gave Phoenix an icepack for the back of his head where Cruise had apparently struck him, offering him a cup of tea to sip while she fawned and fretted over him, sitting beside him and dabbing at the scratches on his face with an herbal balm, constantly asking him if he was all right.

For her part, Twilight kept her distance, drinking some water and finding her emotions oscillating between enormous relief that he was safe to renewed anger at what he had done that morning. She didn’t understand how Fluttershy could have forgiven him so readily, or why Phoenix was suddenly acting so grateful and deferential to her, his manner almost reverent as she attended him.

What the hay HAPPENED back there? Twilight wondered repeatedly, feeling oddly envious of the attention he was giving her friend.

She’d gotten at least a partial story from Pinkie Pie on how he’d ended up in the Everfree. He’d apparently received a ‘call’ from somepony—likely Cruise Control—that said they’d wanted to meet him to offer him evidence, with instructions to come to the forest clearing alone.

Twilight shook her head at that. He went in there by himself with no magic; no protection at all… walking into a likely trap just on the off chance it WASN’T? she thought in disbelief, trying to figure out if he was very brave or very stupid. It doesn’t MATTER! Stallions aren’t supposed to put themselves in danger like that! she protested, the reflexive mental reminder that he wasn’t a stallion holding less and less weight with her. I don’t care WHAT he is! He’s not familiar with this world and still shouldn’t be—

“How are you feeling, Mister Phoenix?” Fluttershy’s demure voice pulled her attention back to the present, now dabbing at a cut above his eye.

He gave her a grateful smile, tilting his head up so she could have easier access. “Better, thanks. This tea is great. Wish I still had those pills, though,” he noted idly, removing his icepack long enough to feel the lump on the back of his head.

Twilight’s brow furrowed at that. Pills? Wait a minute… another wave of worry consuming her, she searched through her saddlebags until she found the pill bottle she’d recovered from Cruise Control.

“You mean these pills?” she asked, showing him the container by holding it up in her aura.

He gave her an odd look. “Uh… yeah? I thought they were aspirin. I had a headache earlier, and they worked great! Can I have more?”

Twilight loudly smacked her hoof into her forehead, exasperated beyond all measure. “Phoenix… this isn’t ‘aspirin’, it’s a heavy prescription painkiller!” she informed him. “It’s only supposed to be taken after severe injury or surgery! The reason it works so well is because the medicine has a strong spell infused; the problem is the side effects—it dulls your wits as well as your pain!” she spelled it out to him.

“Oh, uh… I didn’t know that,” he said with an embarrassed and goofy grin, having the look of somepony—someone, she corrected herself—who was just happy to be alive.

“It’s written right on the side!” she told him, turning the bottle to show him the fine print. For Celestia’s sake! Have you no sense at ALL????

Fluttershy concluded her treatment of him a few minutes later, telling him to keep his wounds clean and use the icepack off and on as needed. With that, Twilight stood up. “Phoenix—would you please step outside for a few minutes? I’d like to talk to Fluttershy. Alone, if you don’t mind,” she asked, her tone of voice making clear it was less a request than an order.

Phoenix looked at her, quickly reading between the lines. “Yeah. No problem,” he agreed, getting up and walking across the living room, ducking his head to exit out the front door and taking his tea with him. When the door had closed behind him, Twilight turned to Fluttershy, who was studying her curiously.

“What’s wrong, Twilight?” she asked, reassembling her first-aid kit and returning it to its normal perch on the kitchen wall by her icebox.

Twilight stared at her normally-timid friend in disbelief. “How can you treat him so nicely after what he did to you?” I mean, there’s kind, and then there’s just stupid!

“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked in perfect innocence, turning her teal eyes on Twilight.

Twilight gave her an incredulous look. She’d learned by then that Fluttershy sometimes liked to play dumb as a means of avoiding uncomfortable questions or social situations, but it was far less endearing than annoying at that moment. “You know perfectly well what I mean!”

“Mister Phoenix was only trying to help Rainbow, Twilight,” Fluttershy told her again, getting out a small woven basket from one of her cabinets.

“Help Rainbow?” Twilight echoed, her jaw falling open. “Fluttershy, he lied! He tried to pin the murder on you! You spent half the afternoon in jail because of him, and Rainbow Dash is still a suspect, so whatever he was trying to do didn’t work! How can you forgive him after all that?”

“Because he told me why he did it and apologized,” Fluttershy answered softly but succinctly, as if that was the only justification needed. “And because I believe in him,” she added, turning away and taking flight to gather some garden vegetables from the upper shelves of her pantry, hovering and looking them over in the light of an open window to see which were the best.

“Fluttershy…” Twilight facehoofed again at her friend’s naivety. “He’s a lawyer; you can’t trust anything he says!” she all but shouted, thinking if she’d learned nothing else from the morning’s fiasco, she’d learned that.

Fluttershy shook her head, continuing to gather an armful of produce, holding it in the crook of her foreleg. “He was shaking and crying, Twilight. And I saw his eyes. I could tell he meant every word of it.”

Twilight was caught short. Crying? Phoenix? she thought, scarcely able to imagine such a thing. “Fluttershy? What happened out there?” she had to know, motioning out the window towards the forest, her voice suddenly subdued.

Fluttershy locked eyes with her friend, answering with a single word that made Twilight’s blood run cold. “T… Timberwolves?” the latter echoed, swallowing hard.

Fluttershy nodded grimly as she landed and began filling the basket with the selected vegetables. “Yes. There were four of them, Twilight. If I had arrived only a minute later, he would have already been reborn.”

Twilight was chilled to the bone by the blandly-delivered statement, not certain if she could have handled a full pack of the magical beasts if it had been her there instead of Fluttershy, even with the forest boosting her remaining power. Thank Celestia Fluttershy found him first! She’s only told me about her stare; I’ve never actually seen it in action! she mused, feeling an odd pang of jealousy at the realization that Fluttershy had gotten to rescue a proverbial stallion in distress, not her.

Her eyes went wide at that, then closed in renewed disgust. Dammit, ENOUGH, Twilight! Get those bucking romance novels of Rarity’s out of your head and STOP THINKING OF HIM LIKE THAT! she ordered herself again, trying to keep her ire at the human lawyer kindled. “Well, that explains it then! He was afraid of losing your protection, so he just told you whatever he thought you wanted to hear!” She put her hoof down.

Fluttershy studied Twilight for a moment, not understanding why her normally logical and good-natured friend was so insistent about clinging to her anger and thinking the worst of Mister Phoenix. “We talked afterwards, yes. He feels awful about what he did, and he wants your forgiveness, Twilight. Why won’t you give it to him?” she asked plainly, rising to a different shelf to collect tea leaves from an urn.

Twilight was caught short, not knowing how to explain everything that was going through her mind. “Because… after what he pulled this morning, I don’t trust him,” she finally got out, looking away. And because I don’t trust what I’m feeling for him…

Fluttershy looked down at her from her hover, then across the room towards the front door. Seeing something of interest, she took a short flight through her high-ceilinged living room to one of the big porch-facing windows and hovered in front of it. Grinning at what she saw, she motioned Twilight over.

Peering out the window, she saw Phoenix sitting down on the porch steps with his tea. Remarkably, a dozen or more of Fluttershy’s animals had gathered close around him, studying him curiously. As they watched, a squirrel climbed onto his knee and the human lawyer started gently scratching its ears, speaking softly to it.

Fluttershy smiled at that. “My animals like him. They wouldn’t if they didn’t trust him, Twilight. And they wouldn’t trust him unless he could be trusted,” she noted in satisfaction, returning to the kitchen.

Twilight nearly pointed out that Angel Bunny didn’t, the white rabbit standing off to the side of the porch with his forelegs crossed and a sour look, but that was hardly a fair comparison—Angel didn’t like anypony.

“Fluttershy—look. He’s not from Equestria, okay? I had to summon him from his own world last night because I couldn’t find a pony lawyer who would take Rainbow’s case,” she said, trying a different tact as she followed her friend back into the kitchen. Maybe she’s only being nice to him because she still thinks he’s an actual phoenix? Twilight wondered, deciding not to disabuse her of that notion, not knowing how she would take it. “So he’s not like the… phoenixes here and you shouldn’t treat him like a… like that,” she said, having to catch herself twice from saying stallion, some part of her realizing that she was saying it as much for herself as Fluttershy.

But to her frustration, Fluttershy just shrugged it off, now gathering herbs from her kitchen window planter. “So he’s not from this world. What difference does it make?” Fluttershy asked earnestly, catching Twilight short again. “He’s trying to help Rainbow Dash, just like you are.”

Twilight’s jaw set at that. “And how was he ‘helping’ Rainbow by accusing you, Fluttershy?” she challenged.

Fluttershy looked away for a moment, then back at her. “I think you should ask him yourself, Twilight.” She sat down and gave her unicorn friend a surprisingly level look. “I don’t think you’ll believe it coming from me.”

And you think I’d believe it coming from HIM???? Twilight wanted to scream. “Look—even if I accept that he was genuinely trying to help Rainbow and didn’t want to hurt you, he still did what he did without asking your permission! And that’s never right!” she pronounced, certain she was on very firm ground with her latest argument.

But instead of being convinced, Fluttershy looked confused at that, her yellow brow furrowing. “But… you said you summoned him from his world,” she pointed out.

“Yeah, so?”

“So, well…” Fluttershy looked like she didn’t want to say what she was thinking, but finally worked up the courage to do so. “Doesn’t that mean… that you didn’t have his permission to bring him here?” she suggested nervously, remembering what Twilight had once told her about summoning—how it was generally only done in emergencies when there was no other way to contact somepony or get needed help, and how hard it was on the one summoned when they weren’t expecting it.

Twilight shifted uncomfortably as she sensed what her friend was getting at. “B-but that’s n-not—” she stammered, unable to complete the sentence, surprised at how her own argument had just been turned back on her—by Fluttershy, of all ponies!

“It’s n-not?” Fluttershy asked in her own shaky voice, visibly swallowing as she forced herself to confront her unicorn friend. “But I mean, um, you said that he did it to me without permission, and that was wrong, but, um…” she paused, gathering herself carefully before continuing. “Isn’t that… kind of what you did to him?” she pointed out timidly, cringing a bit as she spoke.

Twilight had no reply.

Fluttershy’s Cottage
June 10th, 4:25 PM

Their talk concluded, Fluttershy went outside to give Phoenix the small gift basket full of her herbs, tea leaves and vegetables, holding it in her mouth as she fluttered over to him. Setting it down beside him, she told him to take the herbs in tea at dinner, promising they would help him sleep and heal.

Phoenix accepted it gladly, getting down on one knee to thank her again for saving and forgiving him, bowing his head and telling her that he thought she was the most kind, beautiful and wonderful creature he’d ever met.

Oh, gag me! Twilight couldn’t help but think, rolling her eyes derisively. Laying it on awful thick, aren’t you Phoenix? she wanted to sneer, doing her best to ignore a fresh wave of jealousy at the attention he was lavishing on her pretty pegasus friend.

Fluttershy’s yellow cheeks visibly flushed at his flattery; she reared back on her hind legs to embrace him, flaring her large yellow wings for balance. His eyes lit up in delight at the offer and he moved to hug her, bending over to accept her embrace. As he wrapped his arms around her, Twilight’s eyes went wide as she watched him caress beneath her right wing with one hand while running through the feathers of her left wing with the other, causing Fluttershy to take a sharp, shuddering breath.

“Eep!” Fluttershy finally found her voice, pulling back from him and giving a startled squeal. Aghast, she stared at him in shock for a moment, her face badly flushed before she turned around and ran inside, her suddenly—and very embarrassingly—stiff wings scraping the sides of the entryway before she got through and slammed the door shut behind her.

Still on his knees, a dumbfounded Phoenix stared after her, turning to Twilight to ask for an explanation.

But far from offering sympathy, Twilight glared at him, her own cheeks flushed scarlet; if she’d had the power she would have been hard-pressed not to yank him off her friend and fling him halfway across the yard. “Let’s just get you home before you get into any more trouble, okay?” she grated out, leading him back to town.

Library
June 10th, 4:53 PM

The instant they entered the library, Twilight pointed with a hoof to one of the lounge sofas, ordering Phoenix to sit down. He hastened to obey, sensing her anger and looking at her in some nervousness as she glared at him anew from the middle of the room.

“Twilight, I-I don’t understand! What happened back there? What did I do?” he asked her, all but pleading for an answer.

She stared at him in disbelief. “What did you do? You touched her wings!” she told him. Seeing his uncomprehending look, she realized he honestly didn’t have any idea what he’d done wrong. Back off, Twilight. He didn’t know about your horn, so why would he know about wings?

She took several deep breaths before continuing. “Look, Phoenix. Pegasus wings are very… sensitive,” she offered carefully. “Touching their wings or flight muscles has certain… implications, so you don’t ever touch them without… their owner’s express permission,” she finally got out, cheeks flushing anew at having to explain such a thing.

He fell silent at that, parsing her statement carefully; his brown eyes widened in horror as understanding dawned. “Wait. You mean when I... that was…?” He got a mortified look. “Twilight—I am SO sorry!” he slumped over on the sofa, his hands clutching his head in shame.

“Tell her, not me!” Twilight bit out, looking away from him.

“I will, I promise!” he quickly replied, sounding genuinely ashamed and chagrined. Abruptly, he looked up as if something else had just occurred to him. “Twilight? Does the same hold true… for unicorn horns?”

Caught off-guard by the question, her cheeks flushed hard again; she could feel her aura going pink and couldn’t stop it, cursing herself for the thoughts and feelings that were causing it. Looking away in anger and humiliation, she didn’t see Phoenix’s reaction, but when she heard him fall silent and shift uncomfortably on the couch, she knew the secret was out. Just bucking GREAT! she swore, resolving to return Rarity’s romance novels as soon as possible—they’d caused her enough embarrassment for one day!

“Here. These bags contain your possessions and evidence,” she announced in an effort to change the subject, sliding her saddlebags across the floor to him with her magic. “Pinkie and I caught your attacker as he came out of the woods and recovered them then,” she added, trying to recompose herself, wondering if she would ever feel anything other than angry or awkward around him again.

“Thank you,” he told her, seemingly as relieved as she was to leave the previous topic behind. Searching through the pouches, he gathered the wallet, medallion, and the small button-studded plastic brick to place back in his pockets. She then watched as he seemed to be searching for one final object slightly frantically, sighing with relief when he found it; her eyes narrowed as she saw him transfer the comma-shaped green gemstone to a hidden pocket on the inside of his jacket.

An uncomfortable silence fell over them both. “Twilight—will you allow me to explain why I did what I did this morning?” Phoenix finally asked.

She stared at him for a moment before nodding once, her mouth set in a thin line. Fine. I’ll give him the chance for you, Fluttershy, she decided. But if he lies again…

He did not, at least that she could tell. Phoenix spoke for ten straight minutes, giving a detailed account of what had happened during the waning moments of the trial and what he had been thinking, apologizing repeatedly for having to take such drastic action and emphasizing how ashamed he was of himself for it. Her emotions still in turmoil, she listened quietly but wouldn’t look at him, sitting well away from him on a rug in the middle of the room, keeping her ears instead of her eyes on him.

Finally, he reached the end of his story. “So, that’s why I did it. I know it wasn’t fair to Fluttershy, and I hated myself for it—I still do. But if I had just sat there and done nothing? Rainbow Dash would have been found guilty right there on the spot,” Phoenix concluded, his voice sounding numb. “Again, I’m sorry, Twilight. It should never have come to that. And it probably wouldn’t have if I’d actually taken your advice and studied.”

“I see,” was all Twilight could manage to say, her carefully neutral tone belying an intense internal debate. All that was just to BUY TIME? she thought in disbelief, not certain if she accepted his explanation. It sounded plausible, and if that had been his intention it had certainly worked with no lasting harm to Fluttershy, but… if he’s capable of a lie like that, how can I believe ANYTHING he says?

The silence between them stretched for nearly half a minute before Phoenix broke it. “So—do you still want to replace me as Rainbow’s attorney?” he asked her.

Twilight was startled, her head coming up in surprise. “H-how did you—”

“Fluttershy told me,” came the simple reply, the human lawyer leaning forward on the couch and resting his forearms on his legs, clasping his hands between them. “Look. I can’t complain if you do—I certainly deserve it after this morning. But I have to warn you: Trixie is one tough prosecutor,” he noted, a rueful tone to his voice. “I underestimated her badly and let her get to me. Despite all my experience, she managed to trump everything I threw at her. In fact, she could have shot down my feather theory right then and there if she wanted to,” he told her grimly, shaking his head slowly.

“She could? But how?”

“Easily. She could have pointed out how completely improbable it was that a large feather remained stuck to Fluttershy while she was flying all over the place trying to frame Rainbow Dash, yet somehow she never noticed and it didn’t fall off in flight,” he explained, shaking his head slowly. “It was an obvious objection, yet Trixie didn’t make it. If she had, Rainbow would now be in solitary awaiting sentencing.”

“Wh-what?!” Twilight looked back at him in shock while standing up abruptly.

“That’s the kind of pony Trixie is, Twilight. From what she said, the only reason she let me do that was to hurt you. To see you suffer while another one of your friends was imprisoned,” he nodded grimly. “She’s going to go all-out tomorrow; doubly so if she’s going directly against you. So if you’d like to take over the defense, I have to warn you about that,” Phoenix informed her, giving her a very level look.

Twilight was stunned by the news. Trixie would go to THAT length just to hurt me? she reeled, her resolve and confidence melting away as all the sorrow, hate and anger she sensed from the black locks came rushing back. “I… I don’t know what I should do…” she admitted, sitting back heavily on her haunches, her eyes glistening. She wanted comfort, needed comfort, needed someone to tell her everything was going to be fine. Because at that moment, she no longer believed it herself.

Phoenix looked like he was considering going over to her for a moment, but didn’t, remaining on the couch. “Twilight—if you really want to defend Rainbow Dash, I’ll step aside. But at least allow me to do one more thing for you,” he offered her, opening his palms towards her.

Twilight looked up at him in surprise, trying to blink her tears away. “Y-you still want to help? Even after I summoned you against your will? Even after nearly dying? Even after I was going to petition the Equestrian Judicial Board to fire you?” she asked in disbelief—nobody could be that noble!

He nodded, standing up straight as he answered as if to present himself, clasping his hands in front of him. “I’ll do everything I can to help someone who is being accused of a crime they didn’t commit, whether that’s as the defense attorney, co-counsel, or just sitting in the gallery and offering moral support.” he told her fervently. “I know for a fact Rainbow Dash is innocent of murder. And I know of a certain pony who knows a lot more than she’s letting on.”

Twilight gave a slow, knowing nod, genuinely touched by his declaration. He really MEANS it! she realized, but quickly shunted the thought aside, still not ready to forgive him. “Actually, I do too,” she began, deciding it was time for answers on another matter. “Phoenix, tell me. That green gemstone thing you mixed in the evidence before the trial this morning? That wasn’t a good-luck charm, was it?” she asked, giving him a sideways look.

“Why do you ask?” Phoenix responded curiously, his hand going to his chin.

She watched him carefully out of the corner of her eye as she said her next words. “Let’s just say I’ve been seeing a lot of locks today.”

Phoenix gaped, stumbling backwards and nearly losing his balance. “Ngh! Locks and… chains?” he suggested weakly, leaning on a bookshelf for support.

Her head shot up at that. “See, I knew you knew!” Twilight rounded on him. “Out with it, Phoenix! What was that thing and what did it do to me?!” she demanded to know, approaching him with head lowered and horn pointed at him, anger at his duplicity taking hold of her again.

His brown eyes widened and he took an involuntary step back from her, holding up his hands as it to ward off an attack. “Okay! Okay! I’ll be honest. Because if I’m not… I bet you’ll see them around me!” He visibly swallowed, reaching inside his jacket with a noticeably shaking hand.

FINALLY, some answers! “I’m listening!” She planted herself in front of Phoenix as he took out his relic.

Taking a moment to gather himself, Phoenix knelt down before her, holding the comma-shaped gemstone in his palm. “You see, it’s called a ‘Magatama’,” he told her, choosing his words carefully as he held it up in front of her. “It’s a tool I use to see if people are hiding deep secrets from me. But don’t get me wrong! I only use it when I’m investigating crimes,” he quickly added.

Twilight blinked at that. “’Deep secrets’?” she repeated, giving it—and him—an askance look.

He nodded. “Think of it as kind of a mystical lie detector. If someone’s lying or otherwise hiding the answer to a question, psychic barriers called ‘psyche-locks’ will appear in front of them, visible only to the Magatama’s owner. They’re a spiritual representation of a lie the Magatama enables its wielder to see; the more locks and chains that surround someone, the deeper and closer held their secret,” he explained, waiting for Twilight to finish processing his statement before continuing.

“Understand, the presence of psyche-locks don’t tell you exactly what a person is hiding or lying about; only that they are lying about something, or otherwise not telling you everything. In order to get at their secret, you have to break the locks using proof and evidence. If you can do so, then chances are the person—or in this case, the pony—will spill the beans.”

Understanding dawned on Twilight like a bright light, several things finally making sense to her at once. “Interesting,” she said. Outwardly, her face betrayed no emotion except idle curiosity, but internally…

This. IS! AMAZING!!!!!! Twilight jumped in glee within her mind, feeling a sudden and very heady excitement flowing through her. And here he said there was no magic in his world? This thing’s power could REALLY help me in my studies and collected surveys! It needs more research done on it though. Her thoughts came in rapid succession, the student and scientist in her emerging for a moment before she caught herself. Focus, Twilight! she admonished herself, remembering something else about the locks he hadn’t yet answered.

“What about black ones?” she asked him, turning her violet eyes back on him as he knelt before her, grateful to have him at eye-level for once.

His brow furrowed in confusion. “Black ones? What do you mean?” he asked her, hand on his chin again.

“There were—” Twilight stopped in mid-sentence as Phoenix raised an inquiring brow. No, I shouldn’t tell him about Trixie. I need to be the one to deal with that problem, she decided, keeping that piece of information to herself.

“Never mind.” She shook her head. “So, do you know how that thing’s power got transferred to me?” she asked instead. She half-wondered if he was still holding something back from her, but—no, if that were the case, I’d start seeing these ‘psycho-locks’ around HIM!

He shook his head, looking relieved. “Not a clue, sorry. The Magatama was a gift from a good friend, and I don’t really know how it works. At a guess, it probably reacted to your magic somehow when you first picked it up,” he theorized.

She nodded, having already guessed as much. What WAS that reaction, anyway? she wondered, flaring her horn to cautiously pick the Magatama up out of his hand. She turned it over and probed it gently with her magic, feeling the odd interaction between its mystical energy and her own aura. It glowed a weak green within her magical grasp but didn’t flash like it had that morning.

This really IS new magic! she realized in delight as she sensed its unusual energies respond to her, hoping she’d have the chance to study it properly later. “Hmm… I’m sure I can figure it out how it works, but the question can wait for now. However I got its power, I need it to help Rainbow Dash,” Twilight told him, letting him have the relic back.

He nodded as he stood back up and returned the Magatama to his inner jacket pocket. “Okay. But now it’s your turn, Twilight. Since I told the truth and apologized, I expect the same from you,” he replied, crossing his arms and turning more serious.

“What? Why do I have to apologize?” Twilight asked, tilting her head up at him.

“Because you’re not a very good liar, Twilight Sparkle. Even without the Magatama, I could tell that you bringing me here from my own world last night was no accident. You summoned me here on purpose, didn’t you?” Phoenix confronted her, his expression turning very stern like he was interrogating a witness in court.

Twilight’s purple eyes widened in shock, her jaw falling open. NO! He knows! I promised the Princess! she panicked, her legs going weak for a moment. She started trying to come up with a denial, but quickly realized there was no point—even if her own guilty reaction hadn’t given her away, he had the Magatama and would know she was hiding something from him when the psycho-locks appeared around her. “I’m that bad at lying, huh?” she asked, her voice wan and beaten.

“Yeah, you’re about as thin as tissue paper,” Phoenix told her apologetically. “I mean, come on—an ‘identification spell’? I know you have magic here and all, but that sounds like something a third-grader came up with. Even as ignorant about magic as I still am, I didn’t need the Magatama to know that isn’t a real spell.”

Okay, so I’m BAD at improvising! Twilight shouted the excuse in her thoughts, blushing in embarrassment over her clumsy attempts to deceive the perceptive human lawyer. “I was told not to say anything. But I suppose I owe you an explanation,” she decided, taking a deep breath to steel herself for a confession, mentally apologizing to her mentor for having to break her word. “Just… please understand that it wasn’t my idea, Phoenix. The truth is that Princess Celestia herself told me to summon you and then play dumb,” she confessed, looking forlorn, her head bowed low in contrition and failure.

She sensed his eyes on her, studying her; she couldn’t help but flush again at his attention. “So you knowing my name, and having that badge prepared…?” he asked her next, and she confirmed his train of thought with a single jerky nod.

“Yes. It all came from the Princess. The summon spell I used only requires a description unique to the individual, like ‘Phoenix Wright, attorney-at-law’ or ‘Phoenix Wright’s favorite Judge’. That’s how I summoned His Honor here. A description like ‘best defense attorney’ wouldn’t work anyway because that’s a completely subjective determination for a spell that requires exact information to cast.

“But all that said, I swear, Phoenix—I had no idea you were going to be a human from another world!” Twilight insisted, turning her conflicted purple eyes back on him. “If I did, I would have had appropriate food and accommodations ready for you.”

To her relief, he stopped pressing her, apparently accepting her explanation. “But how does your princess even know me?” he wondered idly, taking his trademark hand-on-chin pondering pose again.

“I’m a bit sketchy on that detail as well,” she replied, letting a note of exasperation at her memories of Celestia’s coyness creep into her voice. So was THIS the joke, princess? That you knew I would like him? she was starting to suspect. “I found it really odd how she knew so much about you, and how she was boasting about how good you were. Yet, when I summoned you, you acted like you’d never seen a pony in your life before me,” Twilight recalled. “So, somehow, she knows of you even though you’ve clearly never met her.”

“You’re right.” He nodded after considering her words. “Well, I certainly don’t like the fact I was being deceived by you. But I thank you for telling me the truth, Twilight,” Phoenix said, to her great relief.

Twilight closed her eyes, bowing her head in contrition before him. “I apologize, Phoenix. I was just doing what the Princess told me to,” she said. “I’m not just her subject, but her personal student, and either way I can’t disobey her. But that doesn’t mean I don’t feel really bad for lying.”

A smile touched Phoenix’s face. He looked for a moment like he wanted to put a reassuring hand on her but restrained himself; Twilight wasn’t sure if she was more relieved or disappointed that he didn’t. “It’s all right. You were just doing what you were told, and she clearly withheld information from you,” he noted. “Looks like we’ve all been guilty of that today.”

“Thank you,” she said gratefully, an awkward silence falling between the two again.

Sensing her discomfort, Phoenix turned his attention back to her saddlebags, beginning to look through their contents. “Hmm… so by the amount of evidence you found, it looks like you had a pretty fruitful investigation…” His eyes widened when he found a piece of torn paper. “AH!!!”

Twilight started. “What’s the matter?”

“THE OTHER HALF OF THE LETTER!!!!” Phoenix shouted, holding it in a shaking hand.

“The other half of the letter…?” she repeated, then her eyes widened and she took a stalking pose, staring at him from a crouch, her forelegs splayed wide on the floor and hindquarters raised like a cat getting ready to pounce. “WAIT, YOU HAVE IT!!??” she shouted back.

He nodded quickly. “Yeah, I found it with Pinkie Pie today!” Phoenix dug through his own evidence until he found the matching piece he was looking for. He gave Twilight his half and let her take hold of it. She pieced the two halves together with her aura, trying to keep her excitement under control as she began to read it:

Full Resignation Letter:

“This is my letter stating my permanent Leave of Absence. After the Equestrian 500 is over, I can no longer work with you. We made quite the team, but I can’t live with the guilt any longer. I can’t keep helping you ruin others’ lives. It saddens me beyond belief that we must part ways, but I must say farewell. Goodbye Ace; may our paths cross in the future.”

She looked up when she was finished, finding Phoenix silent and seemingly deep in thought.

“Someone was quitting their job?” Twilight asked him, still not certain of the note’s meaning.

“Yeah. And I think I know who,” Phoenix answered with a slow, knowing nod.

“Who?” she prompted. "There's no signature on this."

Phoenix opened his mouth only to close it again, shaking his head once. “I’ll tell you once I confirm my suspicion. You said you had someone to talk to as well, right? Well, in light of this letter, I do too. So maybe we should go our separate ways again.”

NO!!!! Twilight wanted to scream, afraid to let him out of her sight again. You nearly DIED because I left you alone and wasn’t there to guide you; I don’t DARE take that chance again! she stopped herself from saying, suppressing her protective instincts long enough to ask him where he would be going.

After he told her his destination was the Hay-and-Stay, she relaxed a bit. That’s close by and there will be plenty of other ponies about. He’s not going to the Everfree this time, so nothing should happen to him, right? she reassured herself, not entirely successfully but enough to assuage her immediate worries over his safety, finally giving him a reluctant nod. “You’re right. I need to interrogate your assailant at Ponyville Detention Center, and visiting hours will be over soon. Come straight back here once you’re done though. You were attacked, after all,” she reminded him in a mild tone, struggling to keep her fears out of her voice.

“You have my word,” Phoenix promised, kneeling down before her for a moment and bowing his head to her; his pose made Twilight feel like she was being treated like royalty.

I’m not a princess, Phoenix! She blushed again, wondering if all human males were so deferential to their mares.

Taking time only to wash his face and put his battered blue suit in some semblance of order, Phoenix left the Library and headed out… but not before Twilight tagged him with a magical tracer while his back was turned, one that would tell her his location and alert her if magic had been used on him. Any unicorn with an ounce of magical ability would sense the tracer and the identity of its owner, but that was fine with her—it advertised that Phoenix was under her protection.

If anything happens to him, I’ll know. And Celestia help anypony who hurts him! she thought, suddenly grateful she didn’t have her full power available when she discovered Cruise Control had attacked him, afraid of what she might have done. Better keep my temper under control when I go see him again, she decided as she watched Phoenix head out the door.

Once Phoenix had departed, Twilight stood there in silence for a minute, mentally reviewing her game plan. “Spike!” she called for her assistant once she was satisfied with her next course of action.

The baby dragon came running from the upstairs balcony, a broom in his clawed hand. “Yes, sir?! Err… Ma’am? Err… Sir-ma’am?!” Spike quickly stood before her, holding the broom like a pike with one hand and making a saluting gesture with the other.

She couldn’t help but grin at that. First Phoenix, and now Spike? A filly could get used to this kind of treatment! “Did you send that appeal for me to take over the defense yet?” she asked her scribe.

“Oh, right! It’s written, but I haven’t sent it yet. Do you want me to send it now?” Spike asked, hoping she wouldn’t be mad at him for delaying it—he’d held on to it in the half-hope she might yet come to her senses and change her mind about defending Rainbow Dash herself.

To his relief, she shook her head. “No… actually, I’m glad you didn’t. Put it on hold for now. I’ll tell you whether to send it when I get back,” Twilight instructed, resolving to make her decision by the time she did.

“Sure. But why?” Spike asked, grateful for her change of heart but still curious.

Twilight’s eyes went distant for a moment. “I'm... just not ready to decide,” she explained somewhat cryptically, then at Spike’s questioning look, went on. “I need to go back to the Detention Center to interview somepony first.”

Spike wasn’t sure what that had to do with it, but recognized from her conflicted expression that she probably wasn’t sure herself. “Alright, Twilight!” Spike said, blinking as he realized he made a slight rhyme, thinking Zecora would be proud of him for it. “By the waaay—” he said with a huge grin on his face.

“Yes?” Twilight turned to her scribe.

The baby dragon cleared his throat and coughed, muttering something under her breath she didn’t catch. Seeing her uncomprehending look, he repeated his action but spoke more clearly through the cough. “Sapphire!” she finally caught.

Huh? Sapphire? Twilight’s eyes widened, belatedly remembering her earlier promise to her baby dragon scribe and friend. OHMYGOSH! I forgot to stop by Rarity’s place and get one for him! she cringed, falling silent and eyes darting nervously as she scrambled to come up with an excuse. “Uh… you know what, Spike? I got something even better than a silly old sapphire!”

Spike’s ear and head ridges perked up, the baby dragon growing even more excited. “Better than a sapphire!? You mean… A R-RUBY?! OR AN EMERALD?!” he said, licking his lips with his serpentine tongue and drooling at the thought of what kind of gem he would be having for dinner that night.

“Nope! Get ready!” Twilight said, keeping her scribe in suspense as she pulled her saddlebags back over.

“My stomach’s ready!” Spike immediately replied, licking his lips again.

Twilight unveiled her ‘Better than a sapphire’ present to Spike with a magical flourish and flash of light. “TA-DAH!! IT’S THIS LAWYER BOOK!” Twilight announced grandly and with a cheeky grin.

Spike lost his own smile as he stared at Twilight with a blank expression.

Twilight flipped through the pages, pretending to be eager and enthusiastic about it. “It was a really good read! So I’m passing this wonderful reference guide on to you, Spike!” Twilight put the book on the ground as she slid it towards her scribe with her hoof. “After all, the only thing better than food for the body is food for the mind, right?!” she tried to sell it, still wearing her huge smile.

But Spike wasn’t buying it, his expression going from blank to angry and annoyed. “YOU FORGOT, DIDN’T YOU!?” he accused her, pointing a single finger talon at her like Phoenix did to witnesses.

Twilight cringed, knowing she wasn’t going to hear the end of it if she stayed there any longer. “Uh… gotta run, Spike! Enjoy the book!” she said as she bolted out of the front door, leaving Spike staring down forlornly at the tome, wondering if he should burn the shameful piece of literature or just stuff the dusty book back on the dark, cold shelf where it belonged.

Either way, he was stuck with it instead of the gemstone he had been promised for dinner that evening. His stomach growling over his forgotten meal, he silently trudged to the kitchen to heat up a package of hay fries.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on July 2, 2018.

Part 36 - Cruise's Twilight

Ponyville Detention Center
June 10th, 5:10pm

As Twilight returned to the Detention Center for the second time that day, thoughts of her upcoming interrogation of Cruise Control mingled with memories of the inkwell debacle from her earlier visit.

Oh, come on, Twilight. it WAS kind of funny! she grudgingly admitted with a weak grin, knowing she’d probably never live the ink-spattered image of herself down. At least it was Fluttershy who saw it and not Pinkie or Rainbow! she thought, knowing if those two had seen her in that state, she’d never hear the end of it.

To her relief, a new shift of guards was on duty so she was spared further embarrassment, though the unicorn mare at the front desk who had given her the mirror was still there, looking up and unable to suppress a smile when she saw Twilight again. Flushing a bit, Twilight asked for a pencil as she signed in—should have used that instead of an ink quill this morning! she now ruefully acknowledged—which was promptly floated to her by the unicorn mare with a look of sympathy and amusement.

As she was escorted back to the meeting area following a quick search of her saddlebags, the guards warned her that Cruise Control had remained silent during police interrogation and was apparently refusing to speak with anypony, not even his attorney, also warning her that there were only twenty minutes left before civilian visiting hours were over. Twilight gave them a terse acknowledgment as she was let in, knowing time was short with several questions in her head all demanding they be asked first.

Why did he drop out of the race? Why did he want to re-enter? Why did he attack Phoenix and leave him for dead? she pondered as she looked through the cells, finally spotting the faint figure of a pony in the dim light behind a sectioned partition at the far end of the room. I’m going to get all the answers right NOW! she vowed as she entered the partition to see it was indeed Cruise Control on the other side of the glass.

Despite her earlier promise to keep her temper in check, the sight of him set Twilight off and she vented her fury at his ambush of Phoenix with her first question. “Why did you attack Rainbow Dash’s lawyer?” she all but shouted, her mane starting to smoke and eyes beginning to glow red again until a sharp stab of pain through her horn reminded her of the Detention Center’s magical dampening field. Deep breaths, Twilight. Deep breaths… she told herself for the second time that day, vowing she’d start learning new meditative techniques the first chance she got.

But Cruise remained silent, seemingly unaffected by her outburst and refusing to look at or speak with her. He looked utterly broken and forlorn, his head bowed and wings drooped to his sides; as she studied him, Twilight realized he hadn’t even preened his feathers back into place after she and Pinkie had pinned them down. She was especially troubled by the last—pegasi were usually meticulous about keeping their wings in perfect working order; to neglect them implied severe illness or depression. “Uh… I’m sorry. Am I sounding too mean?” she asked, feeling her anger ebbing as she stared at the shell of a pony before her, seeing no longer Phoenix’s assailant but a defeated and dispirited prisoner.

Ignoring her change in tone, Cruise stayed silent, looking down at the floor instead of Twilight.

He looks so sad. I can’t let that distract me though, Twilight reminded herself. I’ll try to get him to talk by asking about the secret I know he’s hiding, she decided, altering her tactics to be less confrontational. “Cruise—I need your help. I think you know something that can help clear my friend, so please tell me:

“Did you have something against Ace Swift?”

*BANG!!!* *Krraaashshh* *krrasshh* *bang* *rattle* *krraasshhhh* *bam!* *Bam!* *BAM!!*

Cruise visibly stiffened at the question and, just as before, a series of phantom chains materialized out of the darkness and wrapped around him, followed by the appearance of three red padlocks at the chain junctions.

These are those ‘psycho-locks’! Twilight noted, finally having a name to put to the phenomenon that had so badly frightened her the first time she saw it. “Cruise, please tell me about Ace. For my friend’s sake, I have to know.”

Upon hearing Ace Swift’s name again, Cruise’s ears perked up and he raised his head to look Twilight in the eye. “Do I look like I’m in the mood to talk about him right now?” he bit out, his voice suddenly as sharp as his stare.

“No. But mentioning him broke your silence.” Twilight met his gaze evenly.

Cruise sighed at that, looking back down at the floor. “I have nothing to say to you or anypony else,” he insisted, going back to his downcast state.

Twilight was not discouraged by his declaration. “I’m sorry, Cruise, but I can’t accept that. You don’t like Ace, and I want to know why.”

But Cruise was hard-headed. “I told you already—I have nothing against him!” he still insisted, turning his suddenly-smoldering green eyes back to Twilight.

The anger behind his gaze was not lost on her. “Well, I think you do!” she pressed on. I can be just as stubborn as you are, Cruise!

Cruise gave a sharp sigh and visibly rolled his eyes. “You really want to waste time playing this game? Fine!” He set his jaw, looking like he was grinding his teeth. “So tell me, Twilight Sparkle—exactly why would I have something against him?” he challenged, glaring at her. “So what if he beats me every time? Everypony does that every year anyway! I’d hold resentment towards every single racer in the Equestrian 500 if that were the case!”

As he spoke, Twilight noted how his entire personality seemed to have changed; there was no longer a trace of the self-deprecating persona Lenora claimed he wore as a façade. So this must be his real self, she realized, deciding that even if he was being belligerent, she much preferred this version of him to the previous one she’d met. “You’re right. It has nothing to do with the race. It stems from something much deeper than that, doesn’t it?” Twilight speculated.

Cruise fell silent again but didn’t let up his glare.

Twilight went for her saddlebags, shrugging them off her back and opening them up. “The reason you don’t like Ace is because of…”

“This!” Twilight showed Cruise Control the picture of him and his sister that Lenora gave her earlier that day, holding it in her hoof.

Cruise’s face went from irritated to shocked, the pegasus stallion suddenly wide-eyed and stuttering badly when he spoke. “W-where… h-how did you get that?” he stammered, looking to her like he was going weak in the legs.

“An old friend of yours gave it to me. She told me all about your sister,” Twilight explained, a note of sympathy making it into her voice. “I also noticed how your personality completely changed when Apple Bloom brought up her elder sister earlier today,” she added, remembering his reaction to the young filly’s outburst:

“Mah big sister is mean to me all the time! She grounds me and makes me do a bunch of lame chores! It’s like she doesn’t even care about me at all!” Apple Bloom exclaimed, stomping her hoof in resentment and anger.

“Don’t say that,” Cruise instructed the young filly, his voice quiet. “Older siblings always care for the well-being of their younger brothers and sisters,” he told her in a strangely fervent tone.

When she finished quoting him, Twilight looked at Cruise directly. “You’re an older sibling, and I have it on good authority that you’ve done everything possible to take care of your stricken sister. So I have a strong feeling this all relates to her,” she deduced, seeing Cruise visibly cringe at her conclusion.

And with that, one of the locks… broke!

Twilight’s eyes widened in surprise and delight, scarcely able to believe her accomplishment. Phoenix was RIGHT! Proof and evidence, just like he SAID! she thought giddily, struggling to keep the smile off her face. This is so EXCITING! The possibilities with the Magatama’s power are ENDLESS! Maybe I could even use it to—! she caught herself before she could continue her flight of fancy, realizing she couldn’t get sidetracked from the matter at hoof.

Oops! Focus, Twilight! Gotta break the other two first! she reminded herself, looking back at Cruise to continue her questioning. “So what is it about your sister and Ace?”

“I don’t know. You tell me!” Cruise shrugged as he spoke with what Twilight sensed was a very feigned indifference.

I will, then! she promised with her thoughts, unfazed by his thick-headed attitude. “Well… I heard she isn’t in a great condition right now.” She paused long enough to see Cruise’s lips tighten. “She’s in a coma, isn’t she?”

“I don’t wanna talk about this anymore!” Cruise snapped at her, turning away to leave.

Afraid of losing him, Twilight quickly pressed on before he could step away. “But she is in Canterlot hospital according to your friend, Lenora?”

He froze at her mention, taking on a momentarily panicked look. “S-so what?” Cruise stammered and looked back fractionally at her, his reaction telling Twilight she was on the right track.

“Cruise? I used to live in Canterlot. The hospital there is among the best there is, but it’s specifically reserved for Canterlot citizens and nobles. Non-Canterlot citizens are stuck with normal clinics, but you and your sister are from Manehattan,” she noted. Upon her saying this, Cruise Control deflated again, his wings and head drooping down towards the floor as Twilight continued. “You somehow snuck your sister in there to get the best treatment, as it’s the only hospital out there able to keep her condition stable. And I think I know how you got her in there,” she announced as Cruise looked back at her in disbelief.

“You had to have help from this pony…”

“The late Ace Swift.”

With great deliberateness, Cruise turned back to face her, giving her a sour scowl. “What are you trying to pull here, Twilight Sparkle? First you say I hate him, and then you say I got help from him?” he asked derisively, glaring at her again, his disheveled wings flaring in anger for the first time. “So which is it?”

Twilight shook her head and continued on, certain his ire was less directed at her than at Ace. “He’s both a citizen and a celebrity. I don’t think it’s a stretch to guess he pulled strings for you to get your sister in that hospital.”

Cruise began to visibly sweat. “I… I…” he stuttered as another of the locks shattered with a sharp sound of breaking glass.

Twilight felt another surge of excitement at her feat. YES! Just one left! And from what Phoenix said, If I can break THIS one, I’ll finally get the TRUTH!

Cruise shook off his panic and stood his ground. “NO! You still didn’t answer my question! Why would I hate him, Twilight Sparkle? In fact, I should be in his eternal debt from what you’re telling me!” he insisted, punctuating his statement with a stomp of his hoof.

Twilight didn’t answer right away. She studied him carefully, finally making a connection she would later think she should have seen from the start. “I’m beginning to understand why you and Lenora resent him so much,” she speculated, putting a hoof to her chin in a half-conscious imitation of Phoenix. Guess he IS rubbing off on me!

“Really? Because you’re telling me the complete opposite!” Cruise scowled and glared at Twilight.

Looking past his glare, Twilight studied him carefully. “Am I, though? I’m starting to think it’s not that you don’t want to tell me. It’s that you can’t tell me. Am I right?” she asked him, thinking his hostility sounded a little too forced.

Forced or not, Cruise’s expression turned even more sour. “You’re making less and less sense with every word you speak!”

Twilight ignored the insult as everything finally fell into place in her head. “I think I have all the puzzle pieces put together now,” she announced, going for her saddlebags one last time.

“And the reason you can’t tell me has to do with this…”

Twilight brought out the race program pamphlet and showed it to him, holding it in her mouth. “Take a look at this race program here,” she spoke around the brochure, laying it on the floor between them.

Cruise took a look at it through the partition and shrugged, but Twilight noticed his eyes narrow in anger when he saw the picture of Ace. “That’s for this year’s Equestrian 500. So what?”

“Care to look at slot number three?” Twilight pointed to it with a hoof. “It’s empty, but why?” she asked in a rhetorical tone, going on when Cruise didn’t respond. “According to someone I spoke with, you arrived in Ponyville a couple of days ago, not this morning,” she explained, watching his reaction carefully.

She noticed Cruise froze momentarily before catching himself. “Okay, so I lied about when I got here. What’s the big deal?” he asked derisively, taking on a dismissive air.

“The big deal is that you signed up for the race when you arrived a couple days ago, but then dropped out shortly afterwards, just before these programs were printed,” Twilight revealed, which made Cruise fall silent once more. “That’s why there’s an empty line—it was originally supposed to be your name there, wasn’t it? And then right after Ace Swift’s death you were on your way to re-enter? That can only mean that Ace was the reason you withdrew!”

Cruise shifted nervously as Twilight said those last words to him.

“It was because of him, wasn’t it?” She leaned close to the partition and looked him in the eye. “He was threatening to take your sister out of that hospital if you didn’t drop out!” she deduced, shocked at her own conclusion, scarcely able to believe anypony could be so cruel.

“Nnggh!!” Cruise gave a pained sound and looked away.

Twilight stared expectantly at the final lock, but to her surprise, it remained intact. It DIDN’T break? Guess I just need to push a bit harder! she decided, quickly thinking of a way to do so. “I know now, Cruise. Why you lose all the time. Why Lenora got angry when I brought up Ace. Why he was carrying embarrassing pictures of my friend. And why you act like a loser when you’re not.”

“You do?” Cruise asked, staring at Twilight in disbelief and… hope? Twilight saw an odd glint in his eyes that almost made her think he was silently urging her on.

She obliged him. “It’s all a big conspiracy, isn’t it? The secret to Ace Swift’s success wasn’t that he was so good…” she paused to carefully review her thoughts, trying to make sure each link in her logic chain was sound before she presented her final conclusion. “His secret was that he was blackmailing all the tough competition… wasn’t he?”

Cruise went silent and exhaled sharply at that moment, looking as if all the tension he’d been holding had suddenly been drained out of him. “Twilight?” he finally spoke.

“Yes?” her ears perked up, watching the final lock intently.

To her surprise, he locked eyes with her and gave a grateful smile. “Thank you for figuring this out by yourself.”

Upon Cruise’s remark, the last lock broke and the chains receded back into the darkness.

—— Unlock Successful ——

The back hairs of Twilight’s mane stood on end at this, an odd and not unpleasant tingling sensation going through them. YES! I did it! I broke all the psycho-locks! she silently cheered her feat, feeling giddy at her accomplishment and successful first use of the Magatama’s magic.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t just tell you straight out,” Cruise apologized, no trace of hostility left in his voice.

Twilight nodded in understanding, half-thinking she should find a way to keep the Magatama’s power even after Phoenix went home. “It’s alright. But now that it is out, would you be willing to share a bit more information with me?” she asked politely as she pulled out the borrowed pencil and scroll paper from her saddlebags, expecting Cruise would now ‘spill the beans’, as Phoenix had put it. That’s an odd idiom, though. Where did it come from? she couldn’t help but wonder.

But Cruise Control just took on his forlorn expression again, going downcast with his wings drooping to his sides once more. “I don’t know what else to tell you, Twilight Sparkle. Everything you said was true,” he admitted, sitting down on his haunches before her.

“Then just answer me a few questions,” she suggested sympathetically, carefully reviewing what she wanted to ask as she picked up the racing program and placed a sheet of scroll paper on the floor in its place. “First, if he was doing this to you, why participate in the race every year?” she wanted to know, picking up the pencil in her mouth. No feathers, no ink, just plain wood with a graphite core, and it’s easy to hold in my mouth. Why didn’t I think of this before?

He shook his head sadly. “Because he forced me to do that as well. After all, if you want to look like the world’s best athlete, you need competition,” Cruise noted bitterly, waiting to go on until Twilight had finished writing her first line. “It’s not just me, either. He forced the best of us to race him just so we could lose to him. Lenora and the others who’ve fallen victim to his blackmail—pony or griffon, it didn’t matter—sort of just treat second place like first.”

“If he forced you to race him before, why did he make you drop out this time, then?” Twilight followed up as she finished writing the first note.

He deflated again, lowering his head. “Because of what happened last year.”

“Last year?” Twilight repeated, raising an eyeridge, her pencil poised to start a new line of notes.

Cruise let out a big sigh before explaining. “I was competing in last year’s Equestrian 500. It was late in the race, and I was well behind, losing just as he wanted me to… but then I accidentally flew right into a storm that blew up in the middle of the race route over the Everfree Forest. I ended up flying headlong into a tornado and blacked out,” he began, visibly wincing at the memory, Twilight doing the same in sympathy—the Ponyville weather patrol occasionally had to deal with wild weather that rolled in off the Everfree; she’d seen some of those forest-spawned storms at a distance and knew how dangerous they could be. And Phoenix’s world can’t control weather? What do humans do when a storm like that comes; just hunker down and PRAY?

“When I came to, I was in a bush and pretty badly beat up from crashing through the forest canopy. I had been thrown way off course and knew I needed medical assistance, so I flew as fast as I could to get back on the track—thankfully, my wings still worked,” he told her, shuddering at the memory.

“I was woozy, bleeding and in a lot of pain, and when I saw the checkered flag up ahead, I thought the tornado had sent me so far off course that the race was already long over. So I used every drop of adrenaline to take me to the finish line,” he continued, grimacing and cradling his left rib cage with a forehoof at what Twilight guessed was his remembered agony.

When Twilight’s writing had caught up again, he went on. “I finally made it back to the course, but right as I was about to cross I heard something behind me. So I looked back and saw the other racers with Ace ahead of the pack! It was only then I realized the tornado had in fact thrown me far ahead and I was about to win,” he remembered, a ghost of a smile touching his face. “I was actually happy for a moment and began to speed up! But then I remembered Ace’s deal…” he trailed off meaningfully, going downcast again.

Understanding dawned on Twilight as she continued to write. “So he thought you were deliberately trying to win?”

Cruise nodded ruefully. “Yeah. So just before crossing the finish line, I fell out of the sky like my injuries had overcome me and let him win. Nopony questioned it afterwards because they could see the state I was in,” he noted, taking a deep breath as he looked back at Twilight. “I spent a week in the hospital after that with broken ribs and internal injuries, which was bad enough. But then Ace himself came to visit me and made it a photo-op of him comforting an injured competitor!” He snorted angrily. “I guess he didn’t want to take the risk of losing to me so he made me drop out completely this year. I suspect he did it to your friend for the same reason.”

“Rainbow Dash?”

“Yeah. Her,” Cruise confirmed, looking thoughtful for a moment. “I’m guessing she was targeted by him for the performance she gave at the Cloudsdale Young Flyers’ competition. I’m sure he didn’t want somepony who could perform a stunt like… that competing against him,” he concluded, looking almost envious for a moment as he recalled the story of the Sonic Rainboom.

“But how do you know all this?” Twilight asked, looking up from her note scroll again.

Cruise hesitated a moment before replying. “Because when I arrived in Ponyville, I bribed the concierge to let me into his hotel room and found a slip of paper saying he was meeting Rainbow Dash in the forest at 8:35 PM that night. No doubt negotiating one of his ‘deals’ in private, like he did with the rest of us,” he stated bitterly.

So THAT’S why Ace was in the forest that night! Twilight instantly realized, her eyes widening. “So why did you finally decide to expose him?”

Pure fury flashed through his green eyes. “Because… I… was… SICK OF IT!!!!” Cruise Control exploded, lashing out with an angry, frustrated buck at the wall, chipping out a large chunk of concrete and causing Twilight to flinch back, her purple eyes wide. “I wanted to end his reign and expose him as the lowlife fraud he really was! It’s wrong what he’s been doing to me and everypony else, and I couldn’t take it anymore! Nothingwas too low for him! He held my sister hostage, threatening to take her out of that hospital if I didn’t cooperate! He used her life as leverage for keeping me in line! Nowdo you understand why I’m glad he’s dead?” he asked her with an angry flare of his wings, slamming a forehoof into the partition hard enough to make it rattle.

Twilight was taken aback by his vehemence, only understanding at that moment everything Cruise had been going through, also realizing from his show of strength that he hadn’t really resisted when she and Pinkie had captured him. Maybe because he felt guilty over what he’d done? “I can’t say he deserved to die, but what he was doing was definitely wrong,” Twilight would concede no more.

She watched as Cruise struggled to regain control of his surging emotions, forcing himself to sit back down. “Here. I’ve been saving this,” he told her more calmly, reaching for his side to pull out what looked like a small photograph, carefully concealed in a hidden pouch at the base of his wing. “I waited near the entrance to the forest and took this picture,” Cruise explained as he passed it through the slot in the bottom of the partition.

Twilight reflexively tried to use her magic to levitate it only to wince again when the dampening field reacted, sending a painful surge of feedback through her horn.

OW! She cringed, rubbing her forehead ruefully for a moment as she leaned over to take a look at the image. “You didn’t really get his face, and it’s too dark to see his coat colors, but that’s definitely a stallion wearing a lightning-proof race suit,” she noted, the pain in her forehead starting to recede. Not sure how much good it will be in court, though...

“Sorry, I’m not really a good photographer. And I didn’t want him to catch me.”

“It’s okay. It should still be helpful.” Twilight looked at Cruise again as she stowed the picture, picking it up somewhat awkwardly with her hoof and putting it in her saddlebags. “So why did you take a picture of him, anyway?”

Cruise rubbed his own head as he answered. “I took it because… like I said, I wanted to prove what he was doing. It would just be another ‘baseless rumor by a jealous competitor’ unless he was caught in the act,” he explained. “I brought it to the police as an anonymous tip, but they didn’t do anything! They wouldn’t listen to me!” he told her, tears of frustration welling in his eyes.

Twilight’s eyes widened again at that. So CRUISE was the anonymous tip Trixie spoke of! she made the connection, realizing something else as well. “Uh… I think I know why they didn’t take you seriously.” She gave him an askance look. “Were you in your other persona? You know—the one you were in when you met me today?”

Cruise gave her a pained look. “Uh… yeah. I was.”

Twilight nodded. “That’s the reason,” she noted dryly.

“Oh,” was the only word he said, lowering his wings and sitting back down.

Twilight broke the silence with another question. “But… how did he get away with this for such a long time? Surely somepony must have told the police or press about this blackmail business?” Twilight wondered aloud.

Once again, Cruise could only shake his head in frustration. “Nopony ever could. It was like he was always watching us. It was uncanny—if we so much as put a hoof out of line, he found out! He knew exactly how to keep us all quiet and put us in positions where we couldn’t refuse his demands!” Cruise explained in dismay.

“And in your case… because he helped your sister, you couldn’t do anything?” Twilight asked him to clarify, now writing furiously, having already filled half the sheet of scroll paper with her notes.

Cruise nodded, blinking back tears again; there was a noticeable catch in his voice when he spoke. “Yeah. And don’t get me wrong; I’m grateful for that, but…” he trailed off.

“But…?” Twilight looked up and repeated, prompting him to continue.

He took several ragged breaths. “You don’t know what it’s like, Twilight,” he began, his lip visibly quivering. “To have your own sister held hostage; being made a slave. To have to comply with his every word or watch her die!” he told her, anger and sorrow present in his voice in equal measure. “But it’s not just about my sister. It’s not even about my sister and me. It’s about all of us he’s wronged!” he proclaimed, raising his green eyes back to meet hers.

“For years, me and the other racers have yearned to have a true race in the Equestrian 500—none of this ‘second place is first’ horse crap! Racing is what I live for—it’s what we all live for, but we were all held back because of what Ace was doing!” he told her, growing more furious with each sentence he spoke.

Twilight had no reply, struck silent as she finally understood how deep Cruise’s hurt and anger really went. To say nothing of how many ponies Ace must have wronged over the years!

Cruise exhaled sharply again and all the anger seemed to drain out of him. “I don’t know how much Lenora told you…” he began warily, only going on when Twilight didn’t seem to react. “But I actually used to do really well in the races before Ace came along. He only entered the major national or international athletic events, not the more regional ones like the Manehattan circuit I was on. I had never even met him before joining the national circuit, and then he offered me a deal I couldn’t refuse—my sister’s care in Canterlot Hospital in exchange for helping him win races.

“And what choice did I have, Twilight Sparkle?” he asked, eyes suddenly glistening. “I swore on our parents’ grave I’d look out for her, and that was the only way I could. For the longest time, I blamed myself for what happened to her, but truth be told? I don’t blame anypony anymore. Her fall was an accident; I accept that now. What I can’t accept is what’s become of me! I’m not a champion racer, and I’m not a big brother; I’m just a pathetic l-loser who does what he’s told and c-can’t even take care of his own little s-sister…” he trailed off as his voice began to falter; as Twilight watched, tears began to roll down his cheeks. “I h-hate to imagine what she’d think of me if she could s-see me now. I know she wouldn’t l-look up to me like she used to,” he sniffled, turning away to hide his shame.

“You’re right. She wouldn’t,” Twilight agreed, her heart going out to him. “I think she’d look up to you even more!” She favored Cruise with a warm smile.

He looked up at her, startled. “Wh-what?”

Twilight put a comforting hoof against the glass at his shoulder level. “Cruise… think about it. Everything you’ve done, you’ve done for her, to make sure she gets the care she needs. You’ve shown great self-sacrifice, holding back in something you love, all for her well-being. I think you’re a very good big brother,” she told him. “You remind me a lot of my own, actually,” she added with a wistful smile, realizing it had been far too long since she’d seen Shining Armor. Haven’t heard from him much lately, either. Wonder what he’s been up to? She didn’t know, deciding to make it a point to visit him in Canterlot before too long.

Cruise Control managed a brief, weak smile of his own, placing his hoof on the inside of the partition opposite hers in gratitude before going forlorn again. “Thank you, Twilight Sparkle,” he managed, wiping away his tears and slowly composing himself. “But it doesn’t change anything. My sister’s still in a coma, and I’m still stuck here. Think of me what you will, but I hate Ace. And as far as I’m concerned, he got exactly what he deserved!”

Just as Twilight was beginning to form a reply, she sensed the tracer spell on Phoenix go off as somepony used magic on him. She froze, purple eyes going wide, straining with her senses to tell what kind of spell it was and make sure he was okay—ready to dash out if he wasn’t and teleport to his location as soon as she was clear of the dampening field, even if she didn’t have the power to do so safely.

To her relief, there was no need—it was just a levitation spell that was over and done with in three seconds; he hadn’t been hurt and near as she could tell, its only effect had been to move him a short distance. She didn’t recognize the aura that had acted on him—it didn’t belong to any unicorn in Ponyville she knew—but it seemed oddly weak and unfocused to her, like its owner was sick or their horn was injured.

Whoever did that either didn’t sense the tracer spell, or didn’t care! she realized, vowing to ask Phoenix about it later, turning her attention back to Cruise Control.

“Just forget it,” Cruise finally said after he watched Twilight fall silent for several seconds, thinking she was aghast at his assertion. “Can I go now? I told you everything you wanted to know,” he reminded her in a subdued voice, beginning to turn away from her again.

“Not everything,” Twilight corrected, her sudden worry about Phoenix reminding her of her original question.

“Huh?”

Her eyes narrowed and expression turned stern again. “Why did you attack Rainbow Dash’s lawyer and leave him for dead?”

He visibly stiffened, not immediately answering.

*bang* *BANG* *Kssshssh* *RATTLE* *clank* *KSSSHSSSHHHH* *bam* *bam* *Bam* *Bam!* *BAM!!!*

To Twilight’s shock, her vision went dark again and an even thicker tangle of chains appeared, this time guarded by no less than five fresh psycho-locks. “Because… I-I had to! Otherwise… h-he’d find out!” was all Cruise could manage, taking on a panic-stricken expression once again.

Twilight stared at the new locks in alarm, the pencil hitting the floor with a wooden clatter after falling from her suddenly-open mouth. Wait! Does this mean… does this mean that CRUISE did it?

Cruise Control saw the horrified look in Twilight’s eyes and realized what she was thinking. “I… I…” he started to stammer.

Twilight stood up on suddenly shaky legs and got as close to the partition as she could, trying to force the pegasus stallion to meet her gaze. “Cruise? Did you do it? Did you kill Ace Swift?” she asked, holding her breath and not hearing the door open behind her.

His eyes darted about wildly. “T-Twilight, I—” he began to answer, only to be cut off by the sudden appearance of a pegasus bailiff stallion who stepped in front of Twilight, ending the conversation.

“Civilian visiting hours are now over. All visitors must leave the Detention Center immediately!” he informed her, nodding to the clock on the wall behind her that now said 5:30.

Twilight’s jaw fell open. “NO! Please! I need to talk to him for just a little bit longer!” she begged as an earth pony guard entered on Cruise’s side to lead him away. She got one last glimpse of him glancing back at her, looking like he desperately wanted to say something but was unable to.

“Rules are rules, Miss Sparkle. Unless you’re his lawyer, you can’t stay. You can come back tomorrow afternoon when visiting hours resume. In the meantime, please exit the Detention Center now!” the bailiff ordered her unsympathetically, pointing to the door with a raised hoof.

NO! I was so close! Twilight thought in dismay, watching helplessly as Cruise—and perhaps the key to solving the case and proving Rainbow Dash innocent—disappeared out the back door.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on July 2, 2018.

Part 37 - Dusk Decisions

A frustrated Twilight left the Detention Center, more troubled than ever.

I don’t know what to make of this… She shook her head as she began to walk home, lost in thought.

My best guess is that after the police wouldn’t listen to him, Cruise went to the clearing and killed Ace out of desperation to protect his sister, she speculated, hoping that if that was the case, they’d go easy on him. Might even explain his attack on Phoenix, if Ace thought him uncovering the truth would endanger his sister as well? Maybe that’s what he meant by saying he had to go after him or else ‘he’d find out’?

She shook her head again at that. Part of her still wanted to hate Cruise Control for what he’d done to Phoenix, but… she just couldn’t. Everything Cruise does, he does for his sister, not himself, she now knew. He was in an impossible situation; he’s been through his own private Tartarus these past few years because of Ace and the accident. And you saw his strength in there—he could have fought back or gotten away at the edge of the Everfree, but he didn’t. And he didn’t have to tell me where Phoenix was, she further realized, sensing whatever he was hiding behind the new batch of psycho-locks, there was likely much more to the story than she knew.

A sudden thought stopped her mid-stride. Actually… if he’s just afraid for his sister, maybe I could talk to Princess Celestia about keeping her in that hospital? Give him a royal guarantee she won’t be removed, and I bet he’d open up! she had the sudden inspiration, resolving to take it up with the Princess after the trial, satisfied for now with what she’d uncovered and having a new suspect. Should be enough to prove Rainbow innocent, at least!

On a whim, she made a detour to stop by Rarity’s home, telling herself it was to get Spike’s sapphire and to let her dressmaking friend know her services were needed to fix Phoenix’s suit. Just hope she’s around, Twilight thought as she knocked on the door of the now-closed Carousel Boutique.

It was answered, not by Rarity but by Sweetie Belle, who told Twilight that Phoenix had stopped by not five minutes before she did, and for the same reason.

Twilight wasn’t sure how Phoenix knew Rarity, but her heart sank when Sweetie Belle further explained that her older sister was out having dinner with a potential Canterlot client and wouldn’t be back until quite late. Twilight had also been hoping Rarity would be there so she could have somepony she trusted to talk with about Phoenix; she badly needed a sounding board to sort out her conflicted feelings towards him.

And to make the decision she’d been putting off on whether to replace him as defense counsel or not.

Leaving a message with Sweetie Belle that she needed a sapphire for Spike and emergency repairs for Phoenix’s suit, Twilight started to head for the library again, but this time found herself stopping at Sugar Cube Corner, both for a light dinner and to tell Pinkie Pie that ‘Feenie’ was safe. Pinkie reacted to the news with a leap of joy and a heartfelt hug of Twilight, spinning her around and telling her friend she was already planning to throw one of her “extra-super-duper-SPECIAL!” parties for him after he got Rainbow acquitted.

Wha—? What did he do to deserve THAT? Twilight blinked, remembering the last such party Pinkie had thrown, for Rainbow Dash after she won the Cloudsdale Young Flyers’ Competition. It had been held the following Friday night in the library and surrounding plaza and most of Ponyville had turned out for it; they had all dressed up in their Grand Galloping Gala finest for the occasion and even Princess Celestia had made an appearance a couple hours in.

In truth, Twilight didn’t actually remember all of it—in fact, the last half of the night was a blacked-out blur to her—but judging by the pounding in her head and party debris the next day, which included glitter all over the library floor, Vinyl Scratch and several other ponies passed out in the yard and several blurry but still blushworthy photographs (which she had immediately ordered Spike to burn), it had been as big a doozie as the Swamp Hydra. Better watch my cider intake next time. And was that a hickey or a bruise? she still didn’t know, unable to shake the odd feeling there had been somepony in her bed during the night.

To her surprise, the Cakes were relieved to hear Phoenix was safe as well, informing her that he had been by for lunch courtesy of Pinkie Pie, and that “anypony who likes my pastries and coffee is a good pony in my book!” in the words of a visibly-pregnant Mrs. Cake. “Even if he’s not a pony,” she shrugged as she served Twilight an orange smoothie, large strawberry muffin and slice of honeydew melon, using her tail as a serving tray and sliding the platter holding the order right off on to the table. Twilight thanked her but ate slowly, some part of her sensing she was just trying to put off going home, knowing what awaited her there…

Still not ready to face either Phoenix or the decision to fire him.

Leaving Sugar Cube Corner, she started back for the library but soon found herself wandering again, this time to nearby Ponyville Park, where she ended up on the same small arch bridge she and Apple Bloom had found Pinkie’s golf club under. There were only a few ponies around, and Twilight soon found herself leaning over the bridge railing, staring over the river towards at the setting sun.

So… what am I supposed to do about Phoenix? she asked nopony in particular, her thoughts dwelling on the human stallion again. But he’s NOT a stall… oh, buck it, she gave up, sitting down heavily on her haunches and looking down at her reflection in the water. I like him. I don’t know why, but I do, she finally admitted in defeat. So was THIS the big joke, princess? she asked her regent with her thoughts again, not expecting a reply.

Twilight looked down at the water in frustration. She’d tried hard to ignore it or blame it on odd circumstances, including the romance novels of Rarity’s she’d been a little too engrossed in before the murder. But after everything she’d thought and experienced since he arrived, from her initial fascination over him to how Trixie’s insults of him had set her emotions (quite literally!) afire, she was increasingly forced to acknowledge that whatever she was feeling for Phoenix went beyond all that.

And she didn’t get it. He didn’t behave like most stallions, certainly not like the ones in the romance novels she’d read, where males were either portrayed as proverbial ‘stallions in distress’ requiring rescue or occasionally as evil or amoral ponies converted to the light by the love of a beautiful, powerful mare.

She shook her head. As a human, he lacked any kind of natural defense—no unicorn magic, pegasus power of flight or earth pony strength—so if any male met the definition of a stallion in distress, it would be him. And yet, he didn’t even remotely act like one, taking severe and repeated personal risks despite his apparent lack of power and unfamiliarity with Equestria, deliberately exposing himself to danger, all to help his client.

All to help her, even when she had shunned him.

Even when he knew she didn’t want anything to do with him.

Her cheeks warmed at that. Nopony’s ever treated me like that before, she realized. He knew I was lying to him, but was still willing to represent Rainbow. When I abandoned him, he tried to investigate on his own. He knew he was probably walking into a trap by going into the Everfree, but he didn’t care. He was nearly killed, but he didn’t quit. He knew I was trying to fire him, and he still wanted to help! she shook her head in disbelief, remembering how struck she was when he insisted he still wanted to aid her even after all he’d been through, whether it was as the lead attorney or not. Even more incredibly, he wanted her forgiveness, which was completely backwards to her way of thinking as well.

She tried to remember what she’d heard about humans, wishing she’d at least known he’d be one before summoning him so she could have studied them more. Omnivorous… descended from primates… weird nudity taboos… tend to form monogamous relationships with a single mate, she vaguely remembered reading, completely unlike the herd-based family structure that ponies preferentially used; a necessity in a society where mares outnumbered stallions more than five to one.

“They’ve got equal gender ratios, so the males have to woo females instead of the other way around! How cool is that?” Lyra had once told her over lunch at magic school, visibly wistful about the idea.

Twilight grinned a little wanly at that, knowing she’d already seen some evidence of it, given the deferential manner in which he’d treated her and Fluttershy. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like it, she admitted, only to have the thought subsumed beneath a fresh wave of resentment and anger welling up from deep within her. “But I didn’t summon him here to be a coltfriend, I summoned him to defend Rainbow Dash, and he did a horrible job of it!” she reminded herself out loud, her eyes narrowing. “He didn’t study, and it nearly got Rainbow sent to the sun—it still may! And regardless of his reasons, he still tried to shift blame to Fluttershy and she spent half the afternoon in jail! Even if Fluttershy forgave him, how can I?” she asked her reflection in the water.

Well, what else was he SUPPOSED to do, Twilight? her reflection seemed to answer back in her own thoughts. Could you think of another way to prolong the trial and prevent a guilty verdict? the other, seemingly more sensible part of her challenged.

She blinked at that. It wasn’t the first time she had spoken to herself in a mirror, a habit Spike had teased her about in the past, but projecting her thoughts onto her reflection helped her to see both sides of an argument, and nopony was close enough to hear her. “Well, no… but he lied!” she protested. “And even if he meant well, he did what he did to Fluttershy without permission or consent!”

But isn’t that exactly what you did to HIM? Her thoughts suddenly echoed Fluttershy’s words at the cottage. Fluttershy was right, Twilight—you summoned him here without warning or asking, lied to him repeatedly, guilted him into defending Rainbow Dash… and then you turn on him when things inevitably go sour?

Twilight shifted uncomfortably. “But he should have studied!” she tried again.

Even if he had, would it really have made that much difference? her more sensible side asked. He had no chance to acclimate to this world; no real chance to investigate except for ten minutes at the crime scene, she reminded herself through her reflection. Study or no, you sent him in there disoriented and sleep-deprived against a well-prepared and out-for-blood Trixie. Even if he WAS the greatest defense attorney there is, how could the trial have turned out anything BUT badly?

“The Judge didn’t have a problem,” she mumbled with faltering confidence, only to watch her reflection shake her head again.

The Judge didn’t have to gather evidence, investigate, and present a case, came the rebuttal. All he had to do was study for a few hours and then listen to what was presented at trial. His job was easier. A defense attorney needs a lot more time to prepare for a trial than a judge—time YOU didn’t give him, Twilight!

Twilight closed her eyes and looked away at that, increasingly feeling trapped. She looked up again to see the sun hadn’t moved—the yellow orb seemed to be frozen in the sky before her as if the Princess herself was awaiting her decision; she swore she could all but feel Celestia’s eyes on her, asking what she would do.

She averted her gaze, looking down at the water again. I’ve always trusted you, Princess, but here—

The sun itself suddenly seemed to brighten, drawing her eyes back to it. Is it him or YOURSELF you don’t trust, Twilight? This time, it was Celestia’s voice that sounded in her head, causing her to start.

Wha—? Princess? she called out with her thoughts.

My apologies, my loyal student, but you were broadcasting your thoughts and fears quite strongly and our long association meant I could hear them, her regent and mentor explained, though Twilight couldn’t help but wonder if that was the full truth. So why are you so adamant about firing him, Twilight? Is this really about his poor trial performance, or are you simply afraid of what you’re feeling? Celestia’s voice asked gently but directly.

Twilight thought about that, only to shake her head, surprised at the answer she came up with. “No. It’s not just about that,” she insisted in reply, turning her gaze back on the setting sun. “It’s because of… how he used her!” she finally understood, her eyes going wide with realization. “It isn’t about him not studying, and it’s not because I can’t deal with liking him—though I admit it doesn’t help,” she said through gritted teeth. “It’s about what he did this morning; treating Fluttershy like… like a sacrificial pawn in a chess match!” she exclaimed, tears welling in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Princess—I don’t care what he was trying to do, or whatever it is I’m feeling for him; I will not have my friends treated like that, and it’s very hard for me to forgive somepony—or somebody—who does!” she answered, her anger at him rekindled.

Celestia’s answer was instant. Your ire is understandable, my loyal student, and your love for your friends does you credit—you have clearly learned much about friendship in the time you have spent in Ponyville, her regent acknowledged. But in this matter, you must look past your personal feelings and view this in more practical terms.

You must know that what Phoenix Wright did this morning was an act of desperation, not callousness, the Princess reminded her prized pupil, the rays of the sun taking an almost pinkish hue as they neared sunset, bathing Twilight in her mentor’s power and presence. Do you truly believe his regret for that act is not genuine? Do you believe that Fluttershy would have forgiven him so easily if he wasn’t sincere? And do you truly believe that I would recommend him simply because I thought your interest in him amusing? she followed up, her voice taking on a slightly reproachful tone.

Twilight deflated again. “No,” she admitted. The Princess certainly had a trickster streak in her and loved to play pranks, but the young mage also knew from long experience as her student they were always meant to help and teach, not to torment.

It is good you realize that. But what you must also realize is that what Phoenix faced this morning is exactly what YOU will be faced with as well, should you take over the defense, Celestia warned. You know the grudge Trixie holds, and you saw firsthoof how good a prosecutor she is. Do you REALLY stand a chance against her in court?

“I don’t know, but I have to try!” Twilight bit her now-quivering lip.

The decision to do so is yours and Rainbow’s, but you must first answer this question, my loyal student: can you become an adequate lawyer in just one night? the Princess asked again. And even if you can, is merely ADEQUATE going to be enough against Trixie?

Twilight slumped and shook her head at that, hearing another gentle rebuke in her mentor’s voice. As much as she hated ceding anything to Trixie, there was no denying the mare magician had proven herself a superb prosecutor who didn’t make mistakes—Phoenix himself had said as much. Worse, even with what she’d learned from Cruise Control, she had no proof he committed the murder—the presence of ‘psycho-locks’ was hardly admissible as evidence; she’d be laughed out of court if she tried—and revealing Ace’s blackmail scheme didn’t mitigate the mountain of evidence still arrayed against Rainbow Dash.

If anything, the blackmail just gives Rainbow a stronger motive to have committed the murder herself, she belatedly realized, her shoulders slumping with the realization that nothing she’d uncovered could really help her friend.

Despite that, part of Twilight still wanted very badly to try; to show Phoenix, Trixie and everypony else that she could be a lawyer; that she could beat the rival unicorn on her own terms and at her own game again. But she quickly realized that would be falling into a trap of ‘anything you can do I can do better’ she’d previously promised not to enter.

Twilight pursed her lips. No. I’m better than that. This isn’t about me and Trixie, and it’s not about me and Phoenix. It’s about Rainbow Dash and who gives her the best chance of acquittal tomorrow, she reminded herself sternly, increasingly recognizing that regardless of her confusion and conflicted feelings, there was only one real choice.

With that, she closed her eyes and made her decision, mentally informing the Princess. In her mind’s eye, Twilight could see her mentor’s approving nod and smile, the glow of the sun intensifying for a moment before dimming back to its normal level and resuming its trip to the horizon. And what of me and Phoenix, Princess? She called after her mentor with her thoughts before the sun could track too much further. What am I supposed to do about what I’m feeling for him?

That choice is yours… and his! was all Celestia would say, a note of coyness and amusement back in her voice.

“That isn’t very helpful,” Twilight muttered, deciding she would have to be content with resolving one question for now. Silently praying that she was making the right call, she left the park and made her long-delayed return to the library.

Library
June 10th, 6:15PM

Arriving home, Twilight noticed the front door to the library was wide open—something that she’d scolded Spike for in the past and generally annoyed her to no end.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she walked inside, entering to see Phoenix lounging on a reading couch and Spike talking to him almost conspiratorially, discussing her as if she wasn’t there. “—and you don’t know the half of it!” she caught the tail end of Spike snickering. “Let me tell you, Twilight’s a total nerd!”

“Excuse me?” Twilight asked in an irritated tone, causing the pair’s heads to spin around in surprise.

Spike cringed under her withering glare, offering up his most ingratiating grin in response. “Oh! You’re back, Twilight! I… um… uh… I was just on my way to… um… organize those awesome books my intelligent and smart friend reads! Uh… later!” he raced upstairs before she could remind him he had chores to do, nearly tripping over his apron and Owlowiscious’ perch on the way up.

She allowed herself a brief grin of satisfaction which quickly disappeared as Phoenix caught her attention by standing up. “So… did you find out what you needed to know?” he asked her, clasping his hands in front of him in what she was now recognizing as a gesture of respect and humility.

Despite his continuing deferential treatment of her, she gave him a terse nod, hoping she could just get past him and go to bed; not have to deal with him again that night. “Yes. I have to say, your Magatama’s power is amazing. I’ll fill you in about what I learned tomorrow, but in short, I’m all but certain the pony who attacked you is the real culprit,” she announced shortly, trotting past Phoenix without looking at him and starting to head upstairs.

“That’s very good news,” he acknowledged with a nod, giving her some hope that would be the only interaction needed; his mere presence was causing her emotions to surge again and she didn’t know how much longer she could hold them off. “Wait—so you’re not replacing me?” he called after her, catching her short of the stairwell.

She stopped and sat down, closing her eyes as she looked down at the floor. Her heart was beginning to race; she felt something primal and powerful welling up within her, even if it didn’t yet reach her voice. “I’ve thought about it a lot. And I realize now that you mean well,” Twilight conceded. “What happened this morning is as much my fault for yanking you from your own world against your will and giving you no time to acclimate or prepare for a trial in this one,” she further admitted, reciting her reasoning. “What you did wasn’t fair to Fluttershy, but what I did wasn’t fair to you either. So it wouldn’t be right to hold it against you. And if what you say is true… you stand a better chance against Trixie than I do,” she concluded, looking down at the rug on the floor, amazed she could sound so calm even as she felt ready to explode.

She heard his exhalation of relief. “Thank you, Twilight. You made the right choice,” he promised.

“You’re welcome. But Phoenix…?” she trailed off.

“Yes?”

Twilight could hold herself back no longer. Without warning, she turned and lunged at him, rearing up and shoving him hard against a bookshelf, pinning him in place with her weight and magic. She held him there for a moment before speaking, hooves against his shoulders and looking up at him from the level of his chest, her aura an angry orange and glowing red eyes piercing his brown ones with a soul-freezing stare that could have rivaled Fluttershy’s.

When she was satisfied she had his full attention, she spoke, finally giving voice to her long-held fury. “These are my friends, Phoenix,” she informed him in a very quiet but sharp, even ominous tone. “I love them more than life, and I’d do anything to protect them, so let me make this very clear: my friends are not to be used as pawns in a legal chess match between you and TRIXIE!” she warned him, giving him a brief but sharp shake with her hooves and aura, the glow in her eyes intensifying for a moment and causing his to widen.

“I now understand why you accused Fluttershy, and I accept that at that moment, you had no choice if you were to save Rainbow. But don’t you EVER...! pull a stunt like that again without running it past me first! Understood?” she ordered him, emphasizing her final word with another shake of his shoulders.

A visibly shocked and fearful Phoenix didn’t answer right away, swallowing as he stared at her with his eyes wide. She watched as he gathered his courage, slowly raising his hands to grasp her hooves as they lay against his shoulders; she made no move to stop him. “Y-yeah… I won’t, I promise,” he said a little unsteadily, giving her blunt appendages a reassuring squeeze, his touch sending a sudden shiver down her spine. “Believe me, you couldn’t hate me any more than I hate myself for it, but I shouldn’t need to do anything like that again. From here on out, only purpose is to get Rainbow acquitted and to find out what really happened in the forest that night,” he pledged, his eyes never leaving hers.

Doing her best to ignore his hands on her forelegs, she studied his face carefully, trying to determine if he meant what he said. To his credit, he didn’t flinch from her glowing red eyes and she could find no trace of deception or deceit in his human features, nor did any more of the ‘psycho-locks’ appear. He… he really means it! she realized. And that means… Fluttershy and the Princess are right! I really CAN trust him! she finally accepted, the red glow in her eyes fading to reveal their normal purple color and her aura relaxing, releasing him from its grip.

“I-I’m sorry. I… I didn’t mean to scare you. It was just that… I’d been holding that in all day and I had to get it off my chest,” she told him in a shaky voice, feeling faint after the release of tension and leaning on him heavily, realizing she’d used up almost all her remaining magic with that display.

Recovering from his fright, he gave her hooves another squeeze, causing her eyes to flicker to them, some part of her amazed his fingers could be so soft and strong all at the same time. “It’s all right. I’ll be the first to admit I deserved that,” he replied with a slightly wan and rueful grin. “This hasn’t been one of my better days, and I don’t think I have any right to ask this of you or Fluttershy after this morning, but… please forgive me?” he asked, bowing his head before her.

Her feelings vented and her anger spent, Twilight found she was finally able to do so. “Fluttershy forgave you. So I guess I can too. The Princess also said I can trust you, and that everything would be fine if you were here,” Twilight remembered, giving him a genuine smile. Abruptly, she began to tear up again as the weight of the situation crashed down anew on her; realizing how precarious the fate of Rainbow Dash still was. And that Phoenix Wright was now her only hope. “Phoenix… please save my friend!” she begged him. “Please…”

His expression softened and he stood up straighter, releasing her hooves and moving his arms to embrace her fully; one hand going behind her head and the other to her shoulders. “I’ll try—no. I won’t let you down this time!” he promised her in a quiet but determined voice, gently pulling her head to his chest, taking noticeable care not to touch her horn. Though surprised, her eyes widening as she realized what he was doing, the young unicorn mage did not resist, finding herself craving his touch and comfort.

Hold me. Tell me everything is going to be fine, she silently pleaded. Tell me Rainbow will be found not guilty and by tomorrow night she’ll be soaring the sky again instead of being sent to the sun…

He obliged her. “I swear to heaven and on the memory of my late mentor that I’ll prove Rainbow Dash innocent, and neither Trixie nor Timberwolves will stop me,” Phoenix swore to her softly but fervently, gently stroking her mane with one hand while his other rested on her shoulders, holding her against him.

Her eyes squeezed shut at that, tears of gratitude welling within them. “Th-thank you,” came Twilight’s quavering voice, her entire body starting to tremble. With that, Twilight gave in fully to his embrace, soaking up his strength and presence until—

“Oh, get a room, you two!” Spike called down from the second floor, causing them both to flush and hurriedly pull away. “Take the mushy stuff somewhere else!”

“Who!” Owlowiscious called from his perch, an odd tone in his hoot, his head swiveled towards them and smiling out of the sides of his beak.

Still blushing, Twilight pushed back from him and dropped back to all fours, sitting down on her haunches, sheepishly rubbing a hoof behind her head. “Um… th-thank you. That spare bed is in the same place,” she said in a slightly flustered tone, turning away from him. She felt warm and lightheaded, strangely unsteady on her hooves; she swore she could still feel his hands on her, one resting against her shoulders and the other stroking her mane. “Try to get lots of sleep this time, okay? I’m pretty tired after all that’s happened today. Investigating sure takes a lot out of you.” She yawned, making a show of stretching out languidly before Phoenix, briefly flagging her tail at him before she caught herself.

“Tell me about it,” an equally-flustered Phoenix agreed with her; she could see him rubbing the back of his own head out of the corner of her eye but couldn’t tell if he was looking at her.

“I, uh… think I’m going to bed early,” Twilight announced, finding herself suddenly unable to look him in the eye. Did… did he see what I did? Does he even know what it meant? she wondered slightly frantically, uncertain if she more hoped he didn’t, or that he did.

His voice gave no indication either way. “Alright. I’m probably going to crash soon, too,” he said in sympathy, sounding nearly as tired as she was.

“Good night,” Twilight called to him, then trotted upstairs to her upper-floor bedroom loft, getting halfway up before she realized she was putting some extra sway in her hips. She briefly glanced over her shoulder and saw that his eyes were on her, quickly averted when he saw her looking back; she flushed again and hurried upstairs before her body and tired mind could conspire to betray her again. The choice is yours… and his, she remembered Celestia saying, but it was not a choice she was anywhere near ready to make, and she sincerely doubted he was, either.

Her eyes fluttering as she reached her bed, Twilight crawled under her covers, using the final fading wisps of her aura to shut her blinds against the waning rays of the sun. She was barely able to do it; realizing that for the first time in many years, she had completely exhausted her power. For a unicorn, magical exhaustion was physical as well; she knew that regardless of the thoughts and emotions still running through her head, she was not going to remain awake much longer.

I still don’t get it. But there’ll be time to figure out things with Phoenix later, once Rainbow is freed, she thought, deciding she didn’t need all the answers right away. IF Rainbow is freed, she reluctantly reminded herself. What will happen tomorrow? Will she be found not guilty? she worried, trying not to think of what would happen if she wasn’t.

As if an answer, Phoenix’s promise to prove Rainbow Dash innocent sounded in her head again, and this time… she found she believed it, relaxing into her mattress and manually pulling her star-patterned bedspread up over her body.

Her fatigue and exhaustion—both magical and emotional—finally catching up to her, Twilight fell asleep, her dreams filled with human hands, Celestia’s sun… and psycho-locks.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on July 2, 2018.

Part 38 - Pretrial Procedures

What follows is a bonus chapter containing all-new content! Enjoy! —Firesight

Golden Oaks Library
June 11th, 6:10am

Twilight awoke to the morning sun streaming through her window blinds, instinctively turning away from it. Just five more minutes, Princess! she mentally begged Celestia in a throwback to her school days, only to sense the sun almost teasingly brightening on her in response.

Blinking blearily, she sat up with some effort, rubbing her eyes with her hooves. Her mouth felt pasty and limbs sluggish; she didn’t understand why she felt so groggy and disoriented even though it was her normal waking time. Looking around, she saw Spike sleeping soundly in his basket at the foot of her bed, same as always; she somehow recalled she owed him a sapphire but couldn’t remember the reason.

Forcing herself to wake up, memories from the previous day came back to her slowly; of the trial, of Phoenix, of his close call, of their talk and reconciliation at the end of the day. THE TRIAL! I haven’t missed it, have I? she momentarily panicked, but a quick check of the sun showed it hadn’t even been up for an hour yet.

She next remembered her magical exhaustion and how utterly spent she had been the previous night. My… magic? she worried, experimentally flaring her horn to pick up her hairbrush off the dresser. To her relief, her aura responded readily with none of the sluggishness or strain that had marked her efforts to cast spells the previous day; she was still nowhere near full strength but estimated she had regained nearly half her power during the night.

By Luna, how long did I sleep? Twilight wondered, climbing out of bed and stretching, her eyes widening when she looked at the clock on her nightstand and did the math.

ELEVEN HOURS???? She was appalled, sure that the princess would scold her for laziness if she knew. Wow. Guess I really WAS wiped out… she decided as she went to her mirror and sat down in front of it to brush out her bedhead-frazzled mane.

She’d nearly finished when she heard a knock at the front door. Huh? Who’d be here this early? she wondered as she prepared to go downstairs to answer, but familiar bipedal footfalls beat her to it.

“AAAAIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!” an ear-splitting scream sounded from the first floor.

Twilight stood bolt upright, as did Spike in his bed. Ra… Rarity? she blinked, recognizing the scream’s owner, trying and failing to come up with an explanation for why her fashionista friend would be there.

“What HAPPENED? What did you DO?” she heard the other unicorn shriek; she had no idea what Rarity was talking about until she went over to the rail to look. She saw her standing at the front door pointing a horrified hoof at Phoenix as she beheld his ruined suit, not waiting for an answer before trying to get it off him, her horn flaring as she bodily picked him up off the floor and began to forcibly undress him with her aura.

“No excuses! Just give it to me! Give it to me NOW! I MUST FIX IT!!!!!” she demanded shrilly over the Phoenix's increasingly panicked protests, the two engaged in an apparent tug-of-war over his clothes; Phoenix trying desperately to keep his pants on in mid-air while Rarity was trying equally hard to pull them off without tearing the fabric further.

Recognizing a situation getting out of hoof, Twilight teleported, reappearing with a flash on the floor between the pair while Spike took the stairs, stumbling down them. An already-freaked Phoenix gave her a shocked look as she materialized in front of him; Twilight belatedly realized he’d never seen her teleport and probably had no idea she could do it.

“Rarity!” Twilight shouted, finally getting her friend’s attention, blocking her aura and setting Phoenix down gently with her own. The other unicorn looked unusually haggard like she’d been up all night; her normally immaculate mane and tail uncharacteristically unkempt.

“He got attacked yesterday in the Everfree. We need you to fix his suit in time for Rainbow’s trial at ten. Can you do it?” Twilight asked, having no idea what they would do if she couldn’t.

Her eye and lip still twitching, Rarity gave her friend a very terse nod.

Twilight exhaled in relief. “Phoenix? Give her your suit,” she instructed, far more calmly as Spike finally caught up to them, studying the scene in confusion.

Phoenix looked shocked anew at the suggestion, lying on the floor still clutching his clothes to him, eyes wide and jaw agape. “Right now?”

She gave him an odd look. “Of course!”

“Better do as she says, dude,” Spike added, stifling a laugh. “You don’t want to get between Rarity and a repair job.”

Phoenix looked anything but reassured by that. Visibly blushing and shaking as he stood up, he emptied his pockets onto the table and then took off his jacket and dress shirt, going beet red as he slipped out of his pants to reveal more clothes underneath them, thin white ones still covering his hooves, upper legs, flanks and torso.

Clothes under clothes? What’s the point of THAT? Twilight wondered, finding herself mildly disappointed she didn’t get to see what he looked like without them.

Once his suit was removed, Rarity instantly snatched it up in her aura and dashed out the front door. She left the large sapphire she’d been carrying sitting in the doorway as an afterthought; Twilight snagged and hid it with her aura before Spike could see it.

Ordering her scribe to get a visibly shaken Phoenix some water, she turned to him. “Sorry about that, Phoenix. I guess you already met her, but Rarity gets a little… intense when it comes to fashion and tends to take it as a personal affront when a dress or suit she likes is damaged,” Twilight explained with a slightly wry grin, sitting him down on the sofa.

“No kidding,” Phoenix mumbled, turning away from her and desperately resisting the urge to cup his hands over his lap.

She frowned at how ill-at-ease he suddenly seemed. “Are you okay?”

A mare just tried to magically strip me naked, and I’m now sitting here with you in my underwear… no, I’m NOT okay! Phoenix wanted to scream, clutching his head and shaking as the adrenaline surge slowly wore off, his skin still crawling from the feel of Rarity’s magical aura against it. “I’m fine, just… give me some space, please?” he added quickly, holding up his hands when she started to step closer to him.

Twilight blinked at that, recognizing it as a halting gesture and freezing in mid-stride. “Okay,” she agreed, stepping back and setting the glass of water Spike retrieved on the table in front of him. “Here… I’ll be in the kitchen. Come in when you’re ready,” she told Phoenix, leaving him alone and giving Spike a look that told him to do the same.

“If anybody needs me, I’ll be back in bed dreaming of the sapphire I didn’t get,” the baby dragon groused, trudging back upstairs.

Ten minutes later, Phoenix appeared at the kitchen entrance, rubbing a hand behind his head. “Sorry. She kind of, well… freaked me out a bit,” he apologized, sitting down on the other side of the table.

Twilight gave him a reassuring grin. “It’s all right. Rarity can be a little… overzealous, but she means well. Please don’t think she’d ever try to hurt you,” she said, floating him a mug of freshly brewed tea. He accepted it with a slightly trembling hand. “Is there anything I can do for you, Phoenix? Anything you need?” she asked in real concern, noting he seemed very uncomfortable in her presence; as he sat down she had the distinct impression he was trying to keep the table between them. Is this because of me or Rarity?

As she watched, Phoenix took a long draw on the drink, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and then frowning at the rasping sound he heard. “Well… at a minimum, I need a shower and a shave,” he admitted. “Haven’t bathed or seen a stick of deodorant in two days. I know I stink; I’m sorry.”

She gave him another odd look at that—he did have a noticeable odor about him, but to her, he just smelled earthy, and not unpleasantly so. “Okay, we can arrange that,” she promised, thinking her private bath was probably too small for him; unless he knelt down he’d be banging his head on the showerhead.

Of course, he’s also got those weird human nudity taboos, she reminded herself, wondering if they had something to do with his current discomfort—but how could they, if he was still dressed? “So what else? In fact, I’d like to know, Phoenix—what’s your pretrial routine?”

He blinked, looking up at her. “My what?”

“Well… before you came in, I was thinking that we should try to make this as normal a workday for you as possible. We’ve got a good three-plus hours before court, so… how do you typically spend the morning before a trial?” she wanted to know.

Surprised, he considered that, taking on his pondering expression in an apparent effort to master his nerves. “Well…” he scratched his chin, looking thoughtful. “There are some things I normally do, but I’m not sure I can here,” he said tentatively. And certainly not half-naked like I am NOW!

Phoenix didn’t understand why she suddenly beamed at that. “Spike!” she called for her scribe, who came running downstairs again. “Tell me,” Twilight implored, opening a nearby drawer to pull out a sheet of scroll paper and a quill.

“What’s this for?” the sullen and bleary-eyed baby dragon asked as he entered the kitchen and was promptly passed the writing implements.

“We’re making a list!” Twilight explained eagerly.

Spike gave her an annoyed look. “Yeah? And what’s in it for me?” he snarked, crossing his arms over his scaled chest, still upset over her broken promise the previous day.

“This.” Twilight grinned as she waved Rarity’s sapphire under his nose, making his eyes go wide and mouth start to water as a confused Phoenix looked on. The baby dragon grabbed at it but she jerked it away. “Not just yet. Help us out, and you’ll get it at breakfast…”

Ponyville Gym
June 11th, 6:40am

“Uh… are you sure about this?” Phoenix asked Twilight, standing in the entrance of the health club she had led him to. He’d half-thought he was going to die of embarrassment on the walk over, dressed in only his undershirt and boxers, but thankfully there had been few ponies about that early in the morning.

“You said you like to begin trial days with a gym workout, right?” she reminded him. “Well, here you are!” She opened the door with her aura, leading the reluctant human lawyer inside and taking him to the front desk. As he signed in, she plunked down a few bits to pay his entry fee, and then escorted him to the far edge of the workout area.

“Well, go on!” she implored him, giving him a little shove forward with her aura.

Phoenix swallowed, more than a little apprehensive as he entered the weight room, and not just because of his state of undress or lingering nerves over what had happened with Rarity. There were only around a dozen ponies present but they were all strong-looking stallions; several were nearly as large as Big Macintosh and one was even larger—an enormously over-muscled white pegasus with a dumbbell cutie mark and almost comically small wings—and all were looking at him with a mixture of curiosity and disdain.

“Uh… hey, guys,” he greeted them tentatively; he wasn’t reassured when none of them answered back.

Trying to master his nerves and muster up his courage in the face of such scrutiny, he found a free exercise mat and began his workout routine, starting with a basic set of push-ups and sit-ups before moving on to pull-ups and dips. The stallions seemed surprised at the exercises, and a couple even tried to imitate him with mixed results, having no problems with the first two movements but their equine forms and lack of fingers making the latter pair very difficult and awkward.

Twilight, he noticed, seemed to be taking notes from the gym entrance as a bored and still-sleepy Spike looked on. The former was studying him intently and writing quickly on a fresh sheet of scroll paper; he had no idea what she was recording but did his best to not be self-conscious about it.

Come on, Phoenix. You’re just working out in your underwear in front of a bunch of intelligent equines, one of whom could undress you with a thought and seems to have a possibly mutual crush on you… so what’s there to be self-conscious about?

He managed a weak chuckle at that. Morning workouts were a habit he had gotten into back in law school, using them to burn off tension before big tests, and later, big cases, though he’d initially started them as a sorely-needed distraction following his acquittal on murder charges, and the bitter betrayal his trial revealed.

At least you did ONE good thing for me, Dahlia! he inwardly growled at his imprisoned ex-girlfriend, who was currently on death row for killing her previous boyfriend and then framing Phoenix for the crime. Whatever hell you’re rotting in, it’s not deep enough…

His warm-up complete, he moved on to actual weightlifting. He found the machines unsuitable for bipedal creatures for the most part, but there were benches and free weights he could use, availing himself of them to do some dumbbell presses and arm curls, surprised that the units of weight were the same as back home. The more he did, the more interested the other stallions became; several started to talk to him and a few even challenged him to contests of strength. An earth pony even challenged him to a wrestling match, which he politely declined—not just because he knew he couldn’t win, but because he had no intention of wrestling a naked male—pony or no—in his underwear if he could help it!

Before long, a surprised Phoenix realized he was actually starting to relax and enjoy himself, and not just for the workout—after being around so many mares, he found himself happy to be in the company of fellow males again, even of the equine variety.

YES! Actual TESTOSTERONE! he thought as the stallions started to cheer him on in a ‘hoofwrestling’ contest against a pegasus, which he only narrowly lost. He quickly found he wasn’t anywhere near as strong as an earth pony, but could hold his own against most pegasi and could even generally out-lift the unicorn stallions—as long as they didn’t use their magic.

By the end of his workout, he had seemingly become one of the boys—er, colts, Phoenix mentally corrected himself—and his new friends were gathered around him as he attempted to beat his personal bench press record, the stallions racking 200 lbs on a barbell and spotting him as he braced himself on a bench, reaching up to grasp the bar. With the stallions loudly cheering him on and his muscles straining to their limit, he pumped out the set and finally succeeded in getting the elusive tenth rep.

“YEEEEAAHHH!!!!!” The overmuscled pegasus stallion called out while the other stallions clapped him on the sides and shoulders with their hooves as an amused and slightly amazed Twilight watched from the sidelines.

Early morning workout… check! She thought, marking off the first item on her list.

“Phoenix… I’m impressed!” Twilight said as he came over, hoofbumping the other stallions with his fists as he left the workout area. “I had no idea the human body was so… versatile,” was all she could think to say, blushing slightly as she floated him a towel.

He gave a nervous chuckle at that—now there’s a loaded statement! “Thanks, but… now I really need a shower,” he told her, indicating his sweaty body as he sat down next to her and wiped his brow. “I can’t go into court smelling like this, and uh… these need to be cleaned,” he added reluctantly, motioning down at his sweat-soaked shirt and shorts.

She gave him another odd look at that, thinking if that was his normal body odor, it smelled a lot better than the cheap colognes most colts wore! “Well, we can do those here as well,” she pointed out. “The gym has washing machines and the locker room showers are right over there. And here are some mane and fur cleaners you can borrow,” she told him, going to her saddlebags for the bottles.

Accepting them, Phoenix looked inside the locker room and was a little nervous to see that it had a communal shower, and even worse, they didn’t segregate by gender.

Well, if they’re always naked it’s not like there’d be any reason to, he realized, though he had no idea how to explain his discomfort at that fact to Twilight. Thankfully, she was ahead of him, explaining to the staff and other stallions that his culture required privacy to bathe. Though they all thought that strange, they agreed to clear out so he could use the showers alone.

Twilight thought it strange as well. Why are humans so reluctant to show themselves? I mean, come on, what’s the big deal? she wondered as she waited for him to begin showering before retrieving his remaining clothes, intending to have Spike wash them in the machines the gym used to wash their towels. She found his shirt and shorts on the hooks outside the shower room where Phoenix said he would leave them, but curiosity got the better of her and she decided to take a peek at him.

Casting an invisibility spell, she cautiously rounded the corner into the shower room… and froze as she got a good view of him from the side and rear, her cheeks flushing hard beneath her magical shroud—whatever she had expected, it wasn’t… that!

After staring at him raptly for several seconds, she backed out quietly with his clothes in tow, her eyes wide and aura pink. At least one stallion noticed the latter before she could suppress it, eliciting a leering snicker and whistle until she threw a stack of towels in his face, though it only made him laugh more at her embarrassment.

Shower… ch-check! she managed, putting a somewhat more ragged checkmark on her checklist after she passed his shirt and shorts to a slightly-disgusted Spike. And n-nice flanks… check?

Lotus & Aloe Day Spa
June 11th, 7:30am

If Phoenix had thought he was going to die of embarrassment walking the streets of Ponyville in his underwear, trying to do so wearing nothing more than a towel around his waist was an order of magnitude worse. More ponies were out and he was aware of every single pair of eyes on him—Twilight’s most of all; she seemed to be constantly blushing and having trouble looking at him again.

If you’re embarrassed, how do you think I feel? he didn’t ask.

Fortunately, they didn’t have far to go. Just a block away from the gym was a day spa run by a pair of earth pony sisters named Aloe and Lotus. The pretty pink-and-blue mares with matching flower cutie marks were surprised as Twilight presented him and paid for a half-hour session, looking on their human client with some interest as they took him back to a private massage room and instructed him to lay down on a padded table. He had a moment of panic when one of them started to remove his towel but was able to stop her in time, pleading with them to leave it on. Though confused, they acceded to his request, telling him that his well-being was their number one concern and they would do nothing to make him uncomfortable.

To his relief, they were as good as their word. Despite their unfamiliarity with human anatomy or customers, they proved quick studies, feeling out his musculature and flattering him on his physique; the blue one—Lotus?—remarked that he smelled nice and Aloe agreed, adding that his skin didn’t feel anything like she thought it would.

Well, I guess that’s a compliment? Phoenix decided, finally starting to get into it.

Within ten minutes, Phoenix was completely relaxed and enjoying the massage immensely, amazed at their skill with their hooves. Gods, I’m in heaven! he thought as they continued to double-team him, expertly working out his kinks and knots, reducing him to putty before too long. He was barely cognizant as Twilight stuck her head in to tell him she was going over to Rarity’s to check on his suit repairs, managing only a weak wave in response, utterly disinclined to move.

Despite her disappointment that he was still wearing his towel—she’d been hoping they’d removed it for his massage so she could see his bare flanks again—Twilight couldn’t help but grin at his obvious enjoyment.

Relaxation… check! she marked off the next item on her list as she stepped out the door.

Carousel Boutique
June 11th, 7:45am

It took Twilight five minutes to make the walk to Rarity’s home, her insides starting to churn the closer she got.

Ignoring the closed sign, she teleported inside following an unanswered ring of the doorbell, something Rarity had given her permission to do for urgent matters only. Though her friend's ears flickered as she heard the telltale sound of Twilight materializing in the middle of the room, she did not look up, intent on her task. Her vision clearing, Twilight noticed Phoenix’s dress shirt and jacket were hanging up, cleaned if not pressed, and Rarity was now working on the tears on his pants leg. “Rarity?” Twilight called out tentatively when she heard the distinctive clack-clack-clack of the sewing machine pause.

“A moment dear!” she called back, sounding much more calm and in control than she had earlier that morning. “This is rather delicate…” she explained, and Twilight knew better than to try to interrupt her again, waiting until she reached a stopping point.

“Twilight… could you be a dear and prepare some jasmine tea?” Rarity requested, and Twilight promptly did so, teleporting to the kitchen and returning a few minutes later with Rarity’s porcelain tea set filled with her favorite blend, giving a sleeping Opalescence a wide berth as she walked over.

“So, how’s it going?” Twilight asked as she laid the tray down on a clear section of table, stepping forward to look at her friend’s progress.

“Much better than I had feared,” Rarity replied to Twilight’s relief, pausing to remove her red-rimmed spectacles and wipe a hoof across her forehead; her eyeshadow smeared almost as badly as the ink stains Twilight had ended up with the previous day after interviewing Fluttershy at the Detention Center.

“The fabric is of high quality, and except for his slacks, it turned out there was more dirt than damage. But still, this will take another hour, at least,” she informed her friend as she cut out a fresh square of fabric and started fitting it over the torn area of his trousers. “I simply cannot fathom how he could take such an exquisite work of art into the Everfree! Has he no sense at all?” she demanded to know.

Twilight grinned a little wanly as she poured the drink. “He risked it to help Rainbow,” she explained, floating Rarity the cup. “He was hoping to obtain evidence that might free her.”

“Truly?” Rarity asked in surprise, accepting the tea and taking a brief sip before placing it on the table beside her and resuming her work. “A male who takes such extraordinary chances for a mare not of his own herd or species? This Phoenix Wright is unusual indeed.”

That’s ONE way of putting it! “Well, that’s kind of why I’m here…” Twilight began, her stomach churning reaching its climax as she braced herself for confession. “I know you’re busy, and I can’t stay long either, but… I really need somepony to talk to about him.”

Rarity’s ears perked up at that. “About him? Whatever for?” she asked, sounding genuinely curious as she looked back at her friend fractionally.

“Well, um…” Twilight took a deep breath, and took the plunge. “I… think I might, well, uh… like him,” she announced, cringing as she said it. Admitting it to herself was one thing; admitting it to her friends, particularly one who liked to gossip, was quite another. But Rarity’s the only one who even MIGHT have some good advice on how to deal with this!

Startled, Rarity looked back at her, her sapphire eyes widening in surprise before narrowing in glee. “Oh really?” She grinned. “Well, don’t be shy, Twilight… do tell!” she implored, turning her attention to her friend and letting her magic take over the job of sewing the patch on.

Reluctantly, Twilight gave her friend and fellow unicorn an abbreviated summary of everything that had happened, starting with his summoning the night before the trial. Rarity was at least initially aghast to hear what Phoenix had done to Fluttershy, but seemed to quickly forgive him for it when she heard his reasons and that Fluttershy already had done so herself. She looked just as angry as Twilight had been to hear of Trixie implying he was only good for being a comfort horse, but listened all but wistfully as Twilight recounted their talk and reconciliation in the library at the end of the day.

“So you made up in the library at sunset as he held you in his arms? Oh, how romantic!” Rarity gushed as she finished her first cup of tea.

“Yeah, well…” an embarrassed Twilight began, rubbing a hoof behind her head. It kind of was, at that… she decided, half-wishing Spike hadn’t interrupted them. “It’s just bothering me. I mean, I only met him two days ago. I’d never even heard of him until the Princess told me to summon him here to defend Rainbow. This is all just happening out of nowhere, and even though I now admit I like him, I just don’t get… why?” she asked both Rarity and the universe at large.

As she spoke, Rarity picked up the kettle with another tendril of her magic, leaving Twilight a little envious. Though she had nowhere near Twilight’s raw power or range of abilities, one thing Rarity indisputably had over her fellow unicorn was her ability to magically multitask, her aura able to perform many different feats at once—case in point, she was simultaneously sewing a patch, shining shoes and pouring Twilight a second cup of tea.

“My dear Twilight, what is there not to like about him?” she asked as she passed her friend the cup. “He’s an absolute charmer, a very sharp dresser, and he even offered to help me out with a little… issue I’m having with the post office,” she noted, her expression turning angry for a moment before she went on.

“Human or no, he’s a fine specimen of a stallion. I daresay Prince Blueblood could take some lessons in how to properly treat a lady from him,” she said with a rather unladylike snort. “I regret I have not yet seen him in action as an attorney, but I have no doubt at all he will succeed in getting Rainbow declared innocent. And afterwards, I would be more than happy to speak to him on your behalf?” she suggested hopefully, looking eager to play matchmaker for her friend. “Or perhaps even arrange a private rendezvous…?” she added lasciviously with a sideways grin.

Twilight blushed hard, nearly losing her magical grip on the cup. “Uh… I d-don’t think that’s such a good idea,” she stammered. “N-neither of us are ready for that, and to be honest… I think he’s a little afraid of you right now.”

Rarity’s eyeridges went up at that. “Afraid of me? What did I do?”

Twilight raised an eyeridge of her own. “Uh, you pretty much attacked him in the library earlier? He was kind of shaken up, Rarity,” she pointed out mildly, grateful to change the subject. “His species can’t defend themselves against magic, and you tried to undress him. Don’t you remember what Lyra said about their nudity taboos?”

Rarity’s eyes widened and her expression dropped in realization. “Oh,” she said, looking chagrined. “I regret I was not in the best of moods when I came over, and I... may have overreacted.”

Overreacted? YOU???? Twilight didn’t say. Not that I’m one to talk…

“I will most certainly apologize to him for that, but back to the matter at hoof—does he like you?” Rarity wanted to know, taking a fresh sip of tea while watching Twilight’s reaction carefully.

Twilight shifted uncomfortably. “I… think so?” she managed, remembering his hug and eyes on her as she ascended the stairs the previous night, though she was still half-afraid her final display of temper over Fluttershy might have scared him off as well.

“If it’s mutual, then what’s the problem?” Rarity prompted, spooning some more sugar into her cup.

Twilight gave her fellow mare a disbelieving look. “Aside from the fact he’s a human, aside from the fact his culture and dating rules are a lot different than ours, and aside from the fact he’s supposed to be going home after the trial? Because I’m not sure it’s real,” she explained, taking another nervous sip of her tea. “I’m half-thinking it’s only because he’s exotic or maybe because of those romance novels you gave me,” she admitted, her cheeks flushing.

Rarity’s blue eyes twinkled. “Ah, yes. I’ve been meaning to ask you about those. So you’ve enjoyed them, have you?” she suggested with an approving grin. Twilight’s only reply was an intensified flush of her cheeks, a reaction not lost on Rarity, who couldn’t quite suppress a giggle. “It’s quite alright, Twilight. But tell me this—do you have any favorites out of the books I gave you?”

Twilight didn’t think her blush could go any deeper, but it did. “Well… Silverwing was… fun,” she admitted, squirming a bit where she sat.

Rarity’s grin got even broader. “Ah. You liked that scene.” She chuckled knowingly, causing Twilight to look away in embarrassment as her aura momentarily went pink again. “Nothing to be ashamed of, my dear; it’s a favorite of mine as well. What else?” she prompted.

“Uh… the Talonhoof series,” Twilight offered next, remembering the three-novel saga of a forbidden romance between a pegasus stallion and a griffon eagless she’d already read through twice. “Then there was Mare in Manehattan. Oh, I also really liked Dragonfire and thought Cloverfields was….” she trailed off when she realized Rarity was staring at her, a very teasing, knowing grin on her face. “What?”

“Do you not see it, my dear Twilight?” Rarity asked, still smiling, but Twilight could only shake her head. “All the books you mentioned? Think of their themes and the characters involved,” Rarity instructed. “You’re smart, darling, so simply answer this question: what do all those stories—and in particular the heroine’s love interest—have in common?”

Twilight’s brow furrowed at that, reviewing the plots and characters. “In common? I don’t—” she began, only to gasp, her pupils narrowing to pinpoints as the answer hit her like Derpy had dropped another anvil on her head, the teacup falling from her suddenly slack magical grasp.

Rarity giggled at her reaction, catching the teacup and its contents with her own aura before it could hit the floor. “Well, darling. That wasn’t so hard… now was it?”

Twilight sat back heavily, feeling suddenly faint. Figure out why I like Phoenix… check?

Ponyville Barbershop
June 11th, 8:10am

Phoenix couldn’t remember the last time he felt so loose and relaxed.

Having redressed in his now-clean undershirt and boxers after they’d been delivered from the gym Laundromat by Spike, he followed the just-returned Twilight up the street, rolling his arms and cricking his neck and shoulders as he went.

Guess I should add massages for reasons to keep in touch with this place! He grinned, wondering again if there was any way Twilight could open a permanent portal between his office and Equestria.

His eyes fell on her again at the thought, noticing she now seemed very distracted, walking ahead of him and occasionally giving him furtive looks back. Twice, he’d seen her nearly bump into other ponies or their carts, and Spike was still teasing her about nearly walking into an open manhole—or was that a ponyhole? Maybe she’s still trying to figure things with me out? he guessed, knowing that once the trial was over, he was going to have to do the same. But now is not the time, he reminded himself as they arrived at their next destination—a barbershop—explaining to the shop owner that he needed a shave.

The barber, a mustachioed unicorn stallion with a scissors-and-comb cutie mark, was surprised by the request. Ponies didn’t shave down to the skin, Phoenix was told, but when asked, the unicorn barber confirmed he did have a straight razor he used for mane and tail-styling work.

Turning down the barber’s offer to try to shave him—Phoenix wasn’t about to allow an inexperienced hoof or aura anywhere near him with a blade—he asked for a hot steamed cloth and held it over his face for a minute, then took the freshly sharpened straight razor and slowly shaved himself over a sink in front of a mirror, cowboy-style, while Twilight and the barber looked on, the latter a little befuddled.

Bet Jake Marshall would approve! he thought with a grin as he finished, nodding with satisfaction at his work—not a single cut or stray bit of stubble marred his face.

Behind him, Twilight did the same despite the ongoing aftershocks of her earlier revelation, marking off another box on her list. Shave… check!

Haystack Café
June 11th, 8:20am

Small towns had their charms, Phoenix had learned long before, and he was quickly coming to conclude that Ponyville was no different, having a quick-order breakfast diner that Twilight told him was quite good. Just so long as they don’t serve me hay!

Craving protein after his workout, he knew better than to ask for meat but was surprised to learn he could have eggs in any style he wanted. Seizing on the odd loophole in their otherwise vegetarian diet, he ordered a large plate of scrambled eggs, a fruit bowl, grits and a buttered croissant, washing it down with a large cup of coffee Spike procured him from Sugar Cube Corner, to the evident insult of the café owner.

The food arrived quickly and he ate ravenously to Twilight’s evident amusement, who settled for a light breakfast of some hay hash and grape juice while Spike very happily munched on his long-promised sapphire. Phoenix was astonished at that, doubly so when the baby dragon had finished and accidentally burped green fire.

“Excuse me,” he said at Twilight’s admonishing look.

By the end, they all had full bellies and were in a very good mood; Twilight finally feeling at ease around Phoenix again after her talk with Rarity. Knowing why she liked him and what she was going to do about it were still two different things, but she found the second question bothered her far less than the first had. Whatever the answer was, she—they—would find it in due time.

First things first—let’s get Rainbow freed, and then we can go from there! she decided, realizing she no longer had any doubts or fears about the trial’s outcome as she paid their breakfast bill.

Hearty breakfast and coffee… check! Twilight marked off another list item in satisfaction as they exited the café.

Golden Oaks Library
June 11th, 8:55am

Their meal completed, the trio split up, Spike heading for Rarity’s to wait for word that Phoenix’s suit was ready—a task the young dragon seemed only too eager to perform, Phoenix couldn’t help but note—while Twilight and Phoenix returned to the library, spending the next half-hour in the reading lounge reviewing evidence and recounting the results of their separate investigations the previous day.

Against his better judgment, Phoenix decided to tell Twilight the story of his visit with and subsequent interrogation of Sonata, including the blackmail scheme he had uncovered and her magical ejection of him at the end, though he couldn’t quite bring himself to explain that he was under blackmail threat himself for breaking into Sonata’s hotel room.

So THAT’S what the tracer spell picked up! Twilight realized as Phoenix described his expulsion, wondering again why Sonata’s aura felt so off.

In return, Twilight told him about her own findings and encounters with Cruise Control, including his hospitalized sister and hatred for Ace, as well as the five additional psycho-locks her final question had revealed.

“Psyche-locks,” Phoenix corrected her, agreeing that it likely meant Cruise was the true culprit—“he certainly had motive and opportunity,” he noted while wearing his pondering expression—but Twilight found herself with doubts.

I don't know... it really doesn't make sense for Cruise to have killed Ace and then tried to frame Rainbow for it. I mean, what would he gain for his sister by doing that? Despite all the evidence otherwise, she couldn't help but have a nagging feeling they were still on the wrong track.

Regardless, Phoenix complimented Twilight for independently uncovering the blackmail scheme, causing her to blush again when he told her that with a little practice and seasoning, she’d make a very good defense attorney.

They spent the rest of the time awaiting Rarity’s summons doing drills; Phoenix giving Twilight old Law School exercises to spot illegal prosecutorial tactics and contradictions in witness statements, using examples from his classes and previous cases. He was impressed at how quickly Twilight picked things up; she was already very good at spotting inconsistencies in evidence and testimony, leaving him feeling at least a little more comfortable about the possibility she’d have to take over the defense if Sonata decided to carry out her threat to arrest him.

Hopefully it won’t come to that, but if it does… he thought as a breathless Spike rushed in at 9:25 to tell them that his suit was ready.

Case and evidence review… check! Twilight thought as they grabbed the evidence bag and went out the door, marking off the final box and leaving the now-completed checklist behind. With a parting instruction to Spike to close up the library and giving him leave to go to the courthouse and watch the trial from the gallery, she led Phoenix back across town.

Carousel Boutique
June 11th, 9:30 AM

Though feeling much better after the morning’s activities and barely caring that he was walking around in his underwear anymore—guess you really can get used to anything!—Phoenix was nervous as they arrived at Rarity’s home, vividly remembering her picking him up and trying to forcibly undress him with her aura earlier that day.

I wonder if I’ll ever feel comfortable around unicorns at this rate? he couldn’t help but wonder, having had it driven home multiple times over the past day that he had no defense against their magic.

His fear was short-lived. Upon arrival, a very frazzled-looking and profusely apologetic Rarity presented him with his fully repaired suit, begging his forgiveness for her earlier ‘inexcusable, unconscionable and unladylike’ behavior, explaining she had come to the library sleepless and upset after spending all night failing to close a business deal with a potential Canterlot client, and had snapped upon seeing his badly damaged suit.

“Twilight informed me that I frightened you, for which I am very sorry. As Twilight’s friend, I give you my word that I would never harm a male, let alone such a fine stallion as yourself,” she assured Phoenix, bowing her head and ears before him, her apologetic posture reminding him of a horse that had accidentally thrown him some years earlier—an observation he thought best kept to himself.

A fine stallion, am I? Phoenix repeated in his head, deciding he liked the sound of it. Genuinely touched by her declaration, seeing her badly disheveled state and recognizing how hard she must have pushed herself to get his suit fixed in such a short time, he accepted her apology with as much dignity and grace as he could muster. He noted that forgiving her was the least he could do given her herculean efforts on his behalf, especially after Fluttershy and Twilight had already forgiven him.

With that, he began to pull his suit back on, starting with his now-immaculate and exquisitely-ironed dress shirt. To his surprise, she’d not only fixed it, she’d cleaned and pressed it until the fabric almost gleamed—wait a minute, this IS gleaming! he realized as he saw an odd sparkling in his red silk tie.

“Ruby dust has been bonded to the fabric,” Rarity told him as he inspected it. “Just a sprinkling. Forgive me; I couldn’t resist,” she told him as he slipped it around his neck over his dress shirt and began to tie it, struggling to remember how to do a full-Windsor knot—it’d taken him twenty tries to get right the last time he’d attempted it, and he’d never taken the knot out after getting it right just once.

Seeing his struggles, Rarity stepped forward. “May I?” she asked politely, flaring her horn in offering. With a quick glance at Twilight, who nodded, Phoenix acceded, lowering his hands while she pulled his tie back off with her aura and tied a perfect knot in midair, leaving it to him to pull back on and cinch around his neck.

Amazing! he thought as he accepted it, marveling at how fine her magical control was.

Next came his slacks; Phoenix finding that she’d patched the tears in his pants legs with a closely matched fabric that he had to squint at to see the seams of. Despite their near-invisibility, Rarity was profusely apologetic, saying the rips were simply too ragged to repair directly in the time she had. He assured her it was fine and far better than he had hoped; half-thinking he might yet take her up on her offer to make him a new suit.

Just have to tell her to go easy on the gemstones, he thought as he donned his belt and loafers—she’d polished them as well; he couldn’t remember the last time his shoes shined so brightly.

Now wearing everything except his suit jacket, he asked for a comb and was promptly provided one by Rarity, who insisted on watching him ‘style his mane’, as she put it, though she was surprised to see it didn’t need much. His hair seemed to automatically fall into its naturally pointy state with just a little prodding, as long as it was reasonably clean.

As he pulled his suit jacket on, he realized she’d added some other touches as well. The first thing he noticed was that she’d replaced his jacket handkerchief with a light violet one that had a stylized blue cursive R embroidered into it—a personal signature for her work. To his surprise, she’d even replaced his buttons and cuff-links with what appeared to be actual jewels—topaz?—though they were carefully understated and closely matched to the shape and color of what they replaced. “Do you approve?” she asked hopefully as he buttoned his jacket and looked at himself in a mirror, admiring himself... and her work.

His smile answered for him. “All this finery—you’re making me feel like a prince, Miss Rarity,” he told her, finally feeling comfortable around her again. She might be a little over-the-top at times, but she’s definitely a keeper…

“Well, it’s only fair, given you made me feel like a princess, Mister Wright,” Rarity quickly rejoined with her own grin, causing Twilight to blink.

Princess? What does she mean by that?

Phoenix chuckled, guessing she was referring to his kiss of her hoof the previous day. “Then please allow me to do so again…” he suggested, bending over and reaching for the fashionista’s foreleg.

To his surprise, she drew back in seeming horror at the suggestion. “NO!” she shouted, jerking her hoof away from him. “You mustn’t, Mister Wright, I look awful! I haven’t bathed or slept! My mane is a mess, my makeup is running, and after what I did to you this morning, I do not deserve…” she trailed off as Phoenix knelt before her and insistently grasped her hoof, cupping it in both his hands.

“Miss Rarity,” he said firmly, giving her manicured appendage a two-handed squeeze. “You are far more than your makeup and your mane. I once had to learn a very hard lesson about the difference between surface beauty and what lies within, so believe me when I say you are beautiful. Not simply for your surface splendor, but for being an artist and a lady, to say nothing of the most passionate and… generous creature, person or pony, I’ve ever met,” he told her with a twinkle, his flattery causing her to go weak in the knees.

“I am in your debt, Miss Rarity. And as far as I’m concerned, this is the least I can do to repay you…” he announced, and with that, he raised her now-unresisting hoof and laid a reverent kiss on it again, an overwhelmed Rarity watching with wide eyes and a quivering lip, looking all but ready to swoon.

From the side, Twilight watched the display slack-jawed, her cheeks warm and fighting back a flare of jealousy. Fluttershy AND Rarity? she thought, suddenly wondering if there were any of her friends he hadn’t given the royal treatment to.

With a parting squeeze of her hoof, Phoenix turned on his heel and left, wearing a very satisfied smile. Rarity sat back heavily and stared after him as he departed, her cheeks flushed and a dazed expression on her face. “Twilight?” she asked, finally rediscovering her voice.

“Yes?”

She turned and looked her fellow unicorn in the eye. “If you won’t have him… I will!”

Ponyville District Court
June 11th, 9:48am

With twelve minutes remaining before Rainbow’s trial resumed, Twilight and Phoenix stood at the foot of the courthouse steps, the latter feeling very relaxed and confident.

It was, Phoenix reflected, a far cry from the state he’d been in the morning before. Not only fed and well-rested, he was clean and freshly shaven, his suit repaired and pressed; even his shoes and belt buckle had been shined. A full night’s sleep followed by a workout and spa treatment had done wonders for his body and psyche, and a surprisingly filling breakfast paired with a strong cup of coffee had left his belly full and mind alert. With his wits sharp, Twilight at his side and a bag full of evidence in his possession, he felt invincible.

No excuses and no slip ups today! Thanks to Twilight and her friends, I’ve done everything possible to be ready this time, noting he had made one final preparation as well—a surprise he was waiting for just the right moment to spring on Twilight, grinning as he imagined what her reaction would be.

“This is it. Are you ready?” he asked his equine co-counsel, turning to his right to face her.

“Ready!” Twilight nodded back, a determined and confident smile on her face that mirrored his own.

“Then let’s go prove Rainbow Dash innocent,” he invited, and as one, they ascended the courthouse steps.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on July 10, 2018.

Part 39 - Kindness and Loyalty

There are two things that I consider inexcusable: Poisoning, and betrayal. Only a coward would hurt people using either of these tactics…

—Phoenix Wright, Recipe for Turnabout

Turnabout Storm - Part 4/4

Ponyville District Court
June 11th, 10:20 AM

It was well past time for court to convene, and Phoenix and Twilight were getting anxious.

The trial should have resumed twenty minutes ago, Twilight noted, reading the clock over an adjacent wall from where she was lounging on one of the low sofas in the defendant waiting area. Why the wait? she wondered, glancing at Phoenix sitting on the other end of the couch.

Phoenix himself was wondering the same thing as he stared down at his feet over crossed arms, thinking it was not like The Judge to allow such a late start to a scheduled session. Knowing him, he was probably out late sightseeing or something, he decided, suppressing a grin at the image of The Judge loaded down with tacky souvenirs and wearing an ill-fitting top beneath his robe that read ‘I visited Equestria and all I got was this lousy t-shirt’.

There’s nothing tacky about this place, though! he admonished himself, having experienced firsthand much of what Ponyville had to offer earlier that morning. He even wished he could bring Maya to visit someday, but… if there’s no TV or hamburgers, she might not be happy here.

As the wait dragged on without explanation, their nerves began to grow again and the pair found themselves starting to brood, lost in their own thoughts and worries. Several times, Phoenix found his gaze drifting past the two pegasi security guards to the picture of the odd dark mare on the back wall, his brow furrowing as he studied it.

I swear I’ve seen her before… he couldn’t help but think, but the memory was elusive and he couldn’t pin it down. At other points, he found his eyes falling on Twilight’s sprawled-out form beside him. He found it a little disconcerting to see her laid out on the sofa in an animal-like manner, fighting off a strangely compelling need to know if her cutie mark felt the same as the rest of her fur.

He shook his head at that, imagining how she might take putting a hand on her hip to find out. She could break your fingers with a thought, Phoenix, he reminded himself, though deep down, he didn’t believe she would ever hurt him. Hell, if she didn’t even after what happened with Fluttershy yesterday! He shuddered at the memory of her glowing red eyes.

For her part, Twilight found her thoughts oscillating between worry over the trial to anxiety about what would come after, finding herself glancing at Phoenix repeatedly. She was still a bit jealous over his treatment of Rarity but decided she couldn’t begrudge it. She certainly earned it, Twilight reluctantly acknowledged, uncertain if Phoenix even understood the significance of a kiss to the hoof or knew just how many of Rarity’s buttons—or her own!—he’d pushed with his display.

Are all human males such… gentlemen? Or is that even the right word? she couldn’t help but wonder, glancing at him again only to find that this time, he was staring back.

They both blushed and looked away at that. “Back here again,” Twilight said to break the growing tension, distracting herself by looking back on the previous day’s fiasco and remembering how they had both made one huge mistake after another. Shivering as she recalled how it had nearly cost them the case, and how close it came to costing Phoenix his life.

Phoenix noticed her unease and tried to reassure her. “Yeah. But you know what? I’m confident we’ll win this time,” he reiterated with a soothing smile. “I made a promise to you, Twilight. And I will keep it.”

Twilight’s cheeks warmed at that, remembering him giving her that vow during their hug the night before. “I know. I’m still worried, though. Do you think we have enough evidence?” She nodded to the large sealed satchel sitting in front of Phoenix.

“Yes,” Phoenix stared with surety as he hefted the bulging evidence bag, forcing himself to focus on the trial and not Twilight herself. “We’ve got plenty. Things only went so badly yesterday because I was under-prepared and we didn’t have any alternate theories of the crime,” he replied, putting the bag back down. “But that’s all changed now. We have plenty of evidence to fight back with this time, and better yet, a new suspect.”

“You mean Cruise Control, right?” Twilight guessed, sitting up on the sofa.

“Yes. Him.” Phoenix leaned over and took on his pondering pose, his elbow resting on his knee as he scratched his chin. “He had motive and opportunity—being a pegasus, he could have set off the cloud himself, and you yourself said he could have killed Ace to protect his sister. And why else would he attack me and steal my evidence but to cover up his own guilt?” he asked in a rhetorical tone as he turned towards Twilight, all business again.

To his surprise, Twilight seemed uncertain. “When I spoke with him last night, Cruise didn’t confirm or deny he killed Ace, but we know for a fact he was being blackmailed by him, and that he was the anonymous tip Trixie mentioned on the night of the murder,” Twilight recalled, her eyes going distant as she remembered the pain in Cruise’s eyes as he talked about his stricken sibling.

“And there’s one other thing you have to remember about Cruise Control, Phoenix—everything he does, he does for his sister, not himself. I could see him killing Ace to keep her in Canterlot Hospital, but how would turning around and pinning the crime on Rainbow Dash help? That doesn’t make sense to me.”

Phoenix was caught short by that. “I haven’t figured that out yet,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his head and giving the goofy, self-deprecating grin Twilight noted he seemed to wear in times of uncertainty. “But don’t worry, I will.”

She nodded, but still seemed concerned. “I know. There’s one other thing that really worries me, though,” Twilight told him, moving over and sitting down beside him.

Phoenix turned to her. “And what would that be?” he asked from the unfamiliar position of looking up at her; she sat taller than him when they were both sitting on the same surface.

“That feather,” Twilight revealed, looking away and wearing a troubled expression. “You said they let Fluttershy go because it didn’t belong to any of her animals. That was the only thing preventing a guilty verdict from being handed down, and without it…”

“And without it, this trial could be over in the first minute,” Phoenix agreed grimly, reminding himself that no matter how confident or prepared he was, there was no margin for error and he had to come out swinging. “You’re right; it could be over before it even begins. I gotta start off strong before The Judge hands down the verdict,” he knew, war-gaming the trial in his head for what seemed like the hundredth time.

“So what’s your plan?” Twilight wanted to know.

“It should go like this,” Phoenix began as Twilight listened closely. “First, The Judge will ask about the feather. In response, Trixie will announce it didn’t match any of Fluttershy’s animals and demand an immediate guilty verdict. That’s when I’ll cut in, citing the fact that the feather remains unidentified implies another witness at the scene, and that a verdict cannot be handed down until that question is resolved,” he outlined as much to himself as to her.

Twilight gave him a dubious look. “Trixie will challenge that,” she was only too certain. “If it was me, I’d question the relevancy of a single unidentified feather in the face of all the other evidence.”

To her surprise, Phoenix grinned at her observation—you’re thinking like an attorney now, Twilight! “Exactly. And in doing so, she’ll give us the opening we need for a classic bait-and-switch move,” he told her. “When Trixie objects, I’ll counter with something she can’t dismiss as irrelevant—Cruise’s attack on me. I’ll name Cruise Control as a new suspect and provide an alternate theory of the crime, the initial proof being his theft of my evidence, implying he was trying to cover up his own guilt,” he explained.

“Regardless of what Trixie says, that’s too big a loose end for The Judge to ignore, so he’ll have no choice but to call Cruise to the stand. And once he’s there? I’ll pick apart his testimony and squeeze the answers out of him,” he concluded.

Twilight considered that, slowly nodding to herself; lost in thought, neither she nor Phoenix heard the side door open nor noticed a new figure creeping up beside them. “But what if he doesn’t talk?” she asked at length. “The police said he stayed silent during interrogation.”

“If he refuses to talk, that’s fine too; it just casts more suspicion on him and forces The Judge to order additional investigation of his possible role in the murder,”he replied easily, though he knew there were risks to such a scheme.

If The Judge or Trixie challenges me on Cruise’s motive, I’ll have no choice but to reveal the blackmail scheme and perhaps even name Sonata as the mastermind. It might get me arrested, but it should be enough to get Cruise on the stand, or buy another day of investigation at least. Ample time for Twilight to pry the truth out of him, he concluded, confident she could pull off such a feat after her successful solo investigation the previous day. But hopefully it won’t come to that. For now, I just have to focus on—

“HEY!!” A voice boomed behind the two, making them both almost leap up to the ceiling.

“Gaaahh!!” “NYAAHH!!” Twilight and Phoenix cried out together, instinctively grabbing the other for protection.

And who could make them jump like that, but the one and only Rainbow Dash herself! “So what’cha doin’?” she asked with a broad grin, looking very pleased at the results of her prank. “Oh, sorry, am I interrupting a make-out session or something?” she leered at the sight of the two clutching each other, leaning over the side of the sofa beside Phoenix and propping her head on her forehooves while teasingly puckering her lips; the pegasus guards at the courtroom door watching out of the corner of their eyes and looking like they were doing their best to suppress smiles as well.

Twilight and Phoenix flushed bright red. “Stop doing that!” they demanded in unison as they disentangled, wondering how they kept ending up in each other’s arms.

Once they were separated, a still-blushing Phoenix cleared his throat and re-cinched his tie, trying to settle himself after the startle by answering Rainbow’s initial question. “We’re just talking about how you’re on the edge of the knife right now!” he informed her in a flustered tone.

“Huh?” Rainbow Dash looked at him in confusion, her mischievous smile dropping.

Phoenix took a deep breath to steady himself, rubbing his eyes as he took a more direct approach. “That claim I made with the feather yesterday bought us time and kept the trial going. But once Trixie declares that it didn’t match any of Fluttershy’s animals, suspicion on her will be dispelled and the only thing that was keeping The Judge from giving you a guilty verdict will be gone,” he explained, his cheeks slowly cooling.

“D’oh!” Dash yelled with a pained look, her exclamation making Phoenix vividly remember a cartoon he’d watched with Maya a few times involving some yellow-skinned people and ridiculously random plots.

“Don’t worry though; Phoenix and I gathered a lot of evidence this time around,” Twilight assured her friend, nodding at the stuffed evidence bag, her own blush lingering as well.

“She’s right,” Phoenix confirmed. “Oh, and that ‘Super Awesome Evidence’ you were asking for? I think we found it,” he added, making Rainbow Dash smile brightly.

“You did? That’s great!” she shouted in glee, rearing up and pinwheeling her hooves in a manner reminiscent to Phoenix of Pinkie Pie.

“I just can’t let Trixie get the upper hand this time—” Phoenix caught himself too late. “Er, upper ‘hoof’,” he quickly revised.

Upon hearing Trixie’s name, Twilight remembered something, her eyes going distant and embarrassment suddenly forgotten. “Speaking of Trixie…” she began, sitting back down on the tiled floor. “Phoenix, I didn’t mention this to you yesterday. Since you know all about the Magatama, maybe you can tell me what it means?”

“Magma-what-a?” Rainbow Dash tilted her head in confusion.

“Something happened involving the Magatama?” Phoenix inquired, noticing Twilight’s freshly troubled expression. Looks like it’s really bothering her, whatever it is.

Twilight shook her head. “Yeah. I saw those psycho… er, psyche-locks a few times, mostly around Cruise Control,” she continued. “But they also appeared around Trixie and they were—”

“Oh, look who’sback for an encore!” A familiar mocking voice echoed throughout the room, cutting Twilight off in mid-sentence. “The law firm of Sparkle & Stupid, together with their client, Rainbow Trash!”

Speak of the devil! Phoenix’s lips tightened as the mare magician entered. Great. Prosecutor ‘Hammy’ von Ding-a-ling has to come give her complimentary pre-trial trash-talk, he thought to himself, vowing to keep his cool and not be riled by her again.

“Trixie, how many times do I have to tell you? I don’t want to fight with you!” Twilight begged, having no time or patience for the other unicorn.

But Trixie just smirked at her. “That’s funny—you were more than ready to yesterday, and that’s what we’re supposed to be doing when we go through those doors over there!” She noted, nodding towards the entrance to the Courtroom guarded by the two pegasus sentries, who didn’t look any happier to see Trixie than they were the previous day. “Once we go in, it’s just you against me!”

The corners of Twilight’s mouth crooked up. “I’m afraid not,” she replied evenly.

Trixie’s smile dropped. “What?” she asked as Phoenix remained silent, letting Twilight handle the showmare.

“Sorry to disappoint you, but Phoenix is going to be leading the defense—not me,” Twilight announced, moving to stand beside him. Phoenix couldn’t help but stand taller himself at that, vowing once more to be worthy of her faith and trust.

Trixie was caught off-guard, her mouth falling open. “What? But you said—“

“I changed my mind,” Twilight said succinctly, cutting Trixie off just as she cut Twilight off earlier. “I have faith that Phoenix will win this trial and prove once and for all Rainbow Dash didn’t kill anypony.”

Rainbow Dash raised her eyeridges in some surprise, looking back and forth between the two unicorns in confusion. “Uh… did I miss something here? Wasn’t he my lawyer all along?” she asked, falling silent when Phoenix shot her a warning look.

“This is supposed to be between you and me!” Trixie insisted, ignoring Rainbow and turning her full attention on Twilight.

“Wrong. This is about clearing my friend’s name,” an unruffled Twilight countered calmly, at peace with her decision and having made up her mind that she would not let Trixie get under her fur again. “And I believe Phoenix is the one to do it. So why are you getting so angry anyway?” she asked the other unicorn, raising an eyeridge in her direction.

“I’m NOT angry!” Trixie snapped back, but a stomp of her hoof and a sudden chill in the air around her belied her claim… to say nothing of Twilight’s vision going dark and the five black locks appearing around the mare magician once more, the intensity of the emotions they contained causing her to recoil. “It doesn’t matter anyway! I’m going to mop the floor with this stupid human like I did yesterday and Rainbow Trash is going to be banished! Mark my words, Twilight!” Trixie threatened.

Her attention on the locks, Twilight didn’t react, but Rainbow Dash did. “Bring it on, you WASH-UP!” she goaded, lowering her head and taking a step towards the unicorn mare, provoking an already-incensed Trixie further.

“Shut your mouth!” Trixie snapped, her horn beginning to glow beneath her hat. “You’re so stupid you don’t even realize I could have had you packing your bags for the sun yesterday!”

Rainbow was really seeing red now. “Oho, you wanna take this outside, you has-been?” she suggested with a lowered head, flaring her wings and pawing the ground with a hoof, looking ready and eager for a fight. “For trying to send me to the sun, I’ll buck you straight to the MOON!”

Phoenix had been content to let Twilight deal with Trixie to that point, but he finally spoke up as he saw Rainbow’s temper flare, stepping forward between the pair and folding his arms. “That’s enough,” he told them both sternly and was surprised to see the two mares shrink from his presence; Trixie instantly de-charging her horn and Dash stepping back from him as well. Twilight would later tell him that by interposing himself like that, he triggered an ingrained mare instinct to not endanger stallions, but at that moment, he was just surprised and relieved they had listened.

Putting yourself between a unicorn and pegasus ready to fight? Probably not the smartest of moves, Phoenix! “Is this just a game to you, Trixie? You’re treating an innocent life like a pawn to get back at Twilight. I don’t know all of what went on between you two, but this isn’t the way you deal with it.”

Shaking off her surprise, the blue mare turned her icy glare on him. “Don’t you dare lecture me, you weak and worthless ape! You’re going to see exactly why you should have just stayed in your stupid little world! I wanted to beat Twilight, but if I have to settle for thrashing a third-rate human defense attorney, fine! Prepare to lose, Phoenix Wrong!” And with a whip of her tail and a thwack of her hooves, the infuriated showmare stormed out into the hallway, leaving the three behind.

Phoenix wiped the sweat off of his brow and sighed, wondering why the air around them suddenly felt so cold in the wake of Trixie’s departure, though it did feel good against his wet forehead. “Phew! She was furious,” he commented to Twilight, sitting back down heavily on the sofa.

When she didn’t immediately answer, he glanced over at her and found her looking down with a sad and troubled frown. For her part, Twilight found she was shivering less from the lingering chill the mare magician had left in the air than the effect of the black locks on her.

So much sadness… so much hate and rage… and all directed at ME! She felt herself starting to tear up again. How am I supposed to help her in the face of all… THAT?

Phoenix’s expression softened as he noted her watery eyes. “Hey. Don’t let her get you down. She’s just mean-spirited and doesn’t understand friendship,” he said, putting a comforting hand on the back of her head. Twilight perked up at that, taking strength from his touch and giving him a grateful smile.

“Yeah, Twilight. She’s just an all-talk-no-talent loudmouth!” Rainbow Dash added with a snort, telling herself that if Nix hadn’t stopped her she’d’ve kicked Trixie’s flank, no matter if she was a unicorn or not.

“You’re right.But as I was saying...” Twilight cleared her throat and continued her earlier thought as Phoenix removed his hand and sat back on the sofa to listen. “When I spoke with Trixie yesterday—and again just now—these locks appeared and they were—”

“Hello everypony,” a very slight, soft voice interrupted Twilight’s explanation yet again, leaving her wondering if something was trying to keep her from revealing it.

Phoenix lit up when he saw the new arrival poke her head into the room and immediately stood up to greet her. “Fluttershy! You got my message and came down here, I see.” He welcomed her warmly and with great relief.

She nodded, giving him a shy grin; neither Phoenix nor Twilight noticing Rainbow’s eyes narrow in anger as she came in. “Owlowiscious delivered your letter to me last night. Of course I forgive you, Mister Phoenix.”

He bowed his head and clasped his hands before her. “I apologized in the letter, but let me do so in person—I’m sorry about… what happened outside your cottage. I didn’t realize what I’d done wrong until Twilight explained it to me. Forgive my ignorance. I’m very sorry,” he told her again.

She visibly blushed at that. “It’s all right, Mister Phoenix. You just… surprised me.” She got very quiet for a moment, bashfully retreating behind her long bangs as her wings seemed to momentarily stiffen. “But, um… would you like to try again?” she suggested shyly, rearing up on her hind legs and flaring her wings to offer him an embrace once more, her head at his chest level.

Now how can I say no to an offer like that? Phoenix couldn’t help but smile at her adorability. He leaned over to accept her hug but was afraid to touch her after what happened the day before, holding his hands well away from her as she wrapped her forelegs around him, looking at Twilight helplessly.

Giving them both an amused smile, Twilight flared her horn and positioned his hands over her, one halfway up her long neck and the other on the back of her head, well away from her wings and flight muscles. When they were over safe territory, Twilight gave him a reassuring nod and Phoenix finally embraced the pegasus mare properly, hugging her head to his chest and burying his head briefly in her gorgeous and subtly perfumed pink mane.

His cheeks warmed at that, reminded again how lovable, beautiful and truly wonderful she was. Careful, Phoenix, or you’re going to end up with a crush on Fluttershy too! he told himself, half-thinking it was already too late after all she’d done for him the previous day. “So are you going to watch the trial?” he asked after they separated, not catching Rainbow’s low and angry growl.

She nodded. “Spike, Rarity and Applejack are already up in the gallery, so I’ll be watching with them. I don’t know where Pinkie Pie is, though.”

“She probably has to help the Cakes again.” Phoenix sighed in resignation, surprised by how much he wanted her there. After spending the afternoon with her, he knew full well how spontaneous and delightfully unpredictable she could be, and though she took a little getting used to, she was certainly a good pony who wanted to do right by others. And for all the help she was, I really do wish she was here!

“That’s Pinkie Pie for you,” Twilight agreed with a smile. “At least Rarity made it this time.”

“Yeah.” Wow, she must have cleaned up quick to get over here so fast! he thought to himself, hoping he hadn’t gone too far in his efforts to express his appreciation back at the boutique.

Express appreciation? You just about FLIRTED with her! part of him accused, but he ignored it, not needing any more distractions right before court. “By the way, thanks again for saving me in the forest last night, Fluttershy,” he said, offering her his gratitude anew. “You’ll understand if I, uh, wasn’t ready to be reborn…” He gave Twilight a knowing and nervous look. I’ll wait until after the trial is over to tell her I’m not really a phoenix. Best not say so now, since there’s at least a slight chance I might need her on the stand again?

Twilight visibly cringed at that. “It’s mostly my fault, because I left you all alone,” she said in some guilt, accepting the bulk of the blame on herself. “I should never have abandoned you.”

Phoenix sighed a bit, slumping over in his seat briefly as he was reminded of one of his more major missteps the previous day—and that’s saying a lot. “You wouldn’t have done that if I had explained why I did what I did to Fluttershy yesterday. Again, I’m very sorry I had to do that,” he apologized to her once more.

In response, Fluttershy laid a hoof on his knee. “It’s all right, Mister Phoenix. It worked, and they let me go, right? So everything is fine now,” she reassured him. Phoenix squeezed her hoof in gratitude, only then noticing that Rainbow Dash was glaring at them.

“’They let me go; everything’s fine now,’ nyeh-nyeh-nyeh-nyeh, nyeh-nyeh-nyeh-nyeh!” Rainbow Dash mocked in a deliberately bad imitation of Fluttershy’s voice.

Phoenix, Twilight and Fluttershy all looked at her in surprise. “That’s good for you! But what about me?” Rainbow Dash yelled at her friend.

“I—” a confused and uncertain Fluttershy started to speak only to be cut short.

“Do you realize what you’ve done, Fluttershy?!” Rainbow Dash shouted at her.

“W-what do you mean?” Fluttershy asked with a suddenly shaky voice, starting to cringe at Rainbow Dash’s angry and ominous tone.

Rainbow gave her fellow pegasus a disbelieving look. “What do I mean? My neck is still on the line because of how you testified against me! Why would you say you saw me in the forest?” she demanded to know.

Fluttershy’s eyes widened and her lip began to noticeably tremble. “I-I’m s-sor—” she began, only to be cut off again.

“’I’m sorry.’ Is that what you’re going to say? Well ‘sorry’ isn’t going to cut it! I have a good chance of being banished and all because of YOU!!!” Rainbow erupted. “Friends don’t DO that to each other, Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy was stunned silent upon hearing that, tears welling in her teal eyes as Rainbow Dash continued to berate her, Twilight and Phoenix likewise struck speechless at the display.

“Here you come in all happy-go-lucky when I’m about to be put on trial for murder! You know, I was really hoping that feather matched one of your animals. You’re the one who deserves to be banished after what you did to me yesterday!” Rainbow Dash paused, and then said something that Twilight never thought she’d hear from her:

“I hate you…”

Fluttershy’s eyes shrank to pinpricks after hearing that, hoping against quickly fading hope she had heard her friend wrong. But Rainbow’s next words confirmed her worst fears. “You heard me! I hate you! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN!” she shouted at the top of her lungs… wings flaring in anger and taking a menacing step towards her former friend.

Phoenix could all but hear Fluttershy’s heart break into pieces when those words were said. She burst out sobbing and bolted out of the room before Twilight or Phoenix could stop her, hiding her face behind her pink mane as she ran. Twilight started to follow but Fluttershy was already gone, running down the hallway and taking flight as soon as she reached the lobby, exiting the building through an open window.

“Rainbow Dash!!” Twilight stomped her hoof down from the room entrance, incensed at what she just witnessed.

“You’re being WAY too hard on her!” Phoenix yelled as he looked at Rainbow in disgust and disbelief, his good mood ruined.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes were glistening as well; she looked on the verge of crying herself but was trying her hardest not to let it show.

“She… She…” Rainbow sniffed, doing her best to hold her emotions out of sight. “Just forget her! She’s gone and I’m glad!” Rainbow shouted, though Phoenix could tell she was directing the statement more at herself than him or Twilight.

Before either could reply, an earth pony guard entered through the courtroom doors. “The trial will begin in five minutes. The defense and its co-counsel should make their way inside the courtroom immediately,” he announced, exiting again and leaving an open door behind him.

Hearing that, a badly torn Twilight knew she had to make a choice: either go find and comfort her heartbroken friend, or stay and support Phoenix with his defense… sighing when she realized what her heart and her friendship required her to do. “Phoenix, I know this is probably a bad move, but I have to go find Fluttershy. Do you think you’ll be okay without me for a bit?”

Phoenix hesitated, taking a deep breath and trying to get his anger at Rainbow Dash back under control. “Twilight... I’m a lot better prepared than yesterday, but still... as Rainbow’s ‘out-of-town’ attorney, I really wouldn’t recommend you leaving me alone in there,” he began, only to remember… you don’t want to come between her and her protective instincts, he had learned only too well the previous day.

“But, as your friend… I understand. I’m sure I can hold down the fort until you get back,” he told her confidently, standing up straighter. “I did some studying last night and have a much firmer grasp on how Equestria works now.”

Twilight’s ears perked up as he looked at him in renewed interest. “Oh? You studied?”

Phoenix grinned—he’d been waiting all morning for this, though he did regret it was coming on the heels of such a sour note. “Last night, before I went to bed, I left some instructions with Owlowiscious to deliver my message to Fluttershy, and then wake me up at 2:30am and have some reference materials ready,” he informed her. “With his help, I spent the next four hours until Rarity arrived studying Equestrian law, history, society, mythology, and—just because I was curious—basic theory of magic,” he recited as Twilight broke out in a huge and happy grin. “For the record, I haven’t crammed like that since law school.”

“Great. Two eggheads,” Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath.

Phoenix gave her a glance, nothing more. “Also, I stumbled across something very interesting...” he trailed off, going for his jacket pocket and pulling out a rolled-up scroll which he opened to show:

“An old college professor once told me that to truly understand an unfamiliar culture, you should study their myths and legends. Along those lines, I was perusing a book called Predictions and Prophecies where I read about some artifacts called the ‘Elements of Harmony’, and their role in the defeat of Nightmare Moon,” he began. “This artwork was there as an addendum, said to be the living embodiments of the elements themselves. There are no names or labels on these ponies, but… these are you and your friends, aren’t they?” he asked her.

Twilight’s smile answered for her, deciding at that moment she was well and truly smitten. He’s smart, he’s selfless, and he studies! Rarity’s right; what is there NOT to like about him? she thought as he went on.

“Applejack said something yesterday about being the Element of Honesty. I didn’t realize what she meant until I read this and now it makes perfect sense to me! Applejack is honesty. Pinkie Pie… laughter. Fluttershy… kindness. Rarity… generosity. Rainbow Dash… loyalty!” he punctuated the last word with an angry glare at his pegasus client, who had just enough sense of shame to look away. “Together, you and your friends are the Elements of Harmony, and you yourself, Twilight Sparkle, are the Element of Magic?” he concluded. “It fits you well.”

By the time he finished, it was all she could do not to kiss him. “Phoenix? There is so much I want to say, but now is not the time,” she reminded herself as much as him. “Are you sure you’ll be okay in there?” she asked, gently putting a hoof against his side.

“I’ll be fine,” he promised her, holding her hoof up with one hand so he could pat it with the other. “Just go find Fluttershy.”

Her cheeks warmed anew at that. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Twilight vowed, and with that, she trotted out the door in search of her heartbroken friend.

Once she departed, Phoenix was left with a sour-looking Rainbow Dash, who, to his great disgust, didn’t seem to show the slightest remorse for her treatment of Fluttershy. Phoenix was not amused by that and gave out an exasperated sigh at her sullen look, crossing his arms and turning back towards her. “Rainbow Dash, we need to talk.”

“Oh yeah? About what?”she looked at him suspiciously. “You gonna lecture me about ‘loyalty’, Nix? If so, you can save your breath!”

His eyes narrowed. “Not now, no. I really don’t like what you did to Fluttershy, but we’ll discuss that later. There’s not enough time left before trial to dwell on it.”

“That’s if there’s a later!” Rainbow Dash reminded him bitterly.

He shook his head. “Trust me, I’ll win. I’m going to keep Ace’s blackmail scheme as my trump card though. I know how much you don’t want that whole mess with the pictures getting out more than it already has, so I’ll do my best not to use it unless absolutely necessary,” Phoenix promised.

Though expressing gratitude was not in Rainbow Dash’s nature and she was categorically not in the mood, she offered it anyway. “Thank you ” she grudgingly acknowledged in a still-sour tone.

He gave her a curt nod. It’s in MY best interest, too, otherwise Sonata will have me arrested, Phoenix reminded himself, then outlined his instructions to Rainbow Dash before they went in. “But—what I want in return from you is to keep your temper under control in there,” he admonished, waggling a finger at her. “I know it’s hard—she got under my skin too, yesterday—but just ignore what Trixie says. This is my best chance to get you exonerated, and we’re going to be off on a rocky start from the get-go.

“Displays of temper and bad attitude don’t endear you to The Judge, so please behave yourself. Just sit quietly in that chair, and I’ll work my defense attorney magic,” he promised, wishing at that moment he did have magic he could tap with a thought or a flare of a horn like Twilight. Then I’d show YOU who’s weak and worthless, Trixie!

Rainbow Dash thought for a bit before agreeing to his condition with a nod. “Okay, I won’t say a word,” she swore, saluting like a Royal Guardspony.

Satisfied, Phoenix nodded back at her. “Good. I’m going to hold you to that, and in return I’ll do my best to get you a not guilty verdict.” Okay. I have my pretty strong suspicion of who’s behind this all; I just have to follow my plan and prove he did it! Phoenix started to think to himself, reviewing his strategy one final time. Looking at the evidence, though… nothing directly links Cruise to the murder that night, he recognized, a point Twilight had made to him as well.

Why did he go after my evidence? Was there some piece in particular he was worried about? And how did he phone me? He made a mental list of the questions he had to answer. I have most of the puzzle pieces; I just need to fit them all in the right places, Phoenix told himself, expecting that he would be able to do so as the trial progressed and more information and testimony became available. Nothing I haven’t done before!

With that, Phoenix took a deep breath and led Rainbow Dash into the courtroom, vowing anew to both get her acquitted and find the truth behind Ace’s murder that yet lay hidden within the deepest shadows of the case.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on July 10, 2018.

Art by Shadowkixx, used with permission. Special thanks for whipping up a version with a wingless Twilight!

http://shadowkixx.deviantart.com/art/The-Elements-of-Harmony-Redux-375651052

(A nice piece of artwork if I do say so my self~) X3

Part 40 - A Mythological Witness

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom No.2
June 11th, 10:35 AM

Phoenix could hear a low undercurrent of conversation as he entered the courtroom and walked to the defense stall, ponies talking about the trial and other topics while Rainbow Dash took her place in the defendant’s seat. She made no effort to resist as the unicorn bailiffs slapped wing and hoof restraints on her again, looking impatient for the proceedings to begin.

Glancing around the full gallery, Phoenix saw Spike sitting with Applejack and a put-to-rights Rarity, her appearance restored to its usual elegant state though her retouched makeup couldn’t quite hide the tired bags under her eyes. He caught her gaze and gave her a nod of acknowledgment and friendly smile; she gave him a wink and blew him a kiss in response, to Spike’s apparent disapproval.

His cheeks warmed at that. Always good to have the favor of a lovely lady! he couldn’t help but think, idly wondering what the fashion-loving mare would think of the suit Miles Edgeworth always wore—if she likes mine, she’d probably LOVE his! Phoenix was also surprised to see many of his new gym friends in the audience as well, taking up one of the gallery rows behind the prosecutor’s bench, giving him a wave.

Phoenix smiled as he waved back—nice to have my own cheering section for a change! But his grin quickly disappeared as he spotted Sonata in the upper row. She did not speak or react visibly to his gaze as he locked eyes with her, but Phoenix heard her renewed warning to not bring up the blackmail scheme loud and clear.

After another minute passed, the earth pony head bailiff instructed everypony to rise as The Judge entered, taking his seat behind the bench and calling court to order with a bang of his gavel. He looked rather tired to Phoenix’s eyes, and even in some pain judging by his slightly unfocused eyes.

So what were YOU doing last night, Your Honor? Phoenix wasn’t sure he wanted to know, thinking The Judge almost looked hung over.

“Court will now reconvene from yesterday’s suspension. My apologies to all present for the delay, but it was… unavoidable.” The Judge cleared his throat as he spoke, rubbing his temple lightly as he checked his notes. “Getting back to the case at hand… the trial was suspended due to the presence of an unidentified feather at the scene that possibly pointed to involvement by one of the defendant’s friends. Was the prosecution able to determine where the feather came from?” he asked, turning to Trixie and then to Phoenix.

As he looked at the opposing sides, The Judge couldn’t help but reflect it was probably the last time he would see a Ponyville courtroom when the trial was at its end. He found himself already regretting that he would soon be leaving Equestria, wondering if they’d at least allow him to take a keg of that cider he’d enjoyed a little too much the previous night home with him.

But instead of answering The Judge’s question, Trixie addressed Phoenix. “So where’s Twilight, Mister Wrong? Did she run off when she realized letting you defend again is a grave mistake?” the mare magician needled again, but this time, Phoenix was unmoved by it.

“No. She has faith in me and trusts me to successfully defend Rainbow on my own,” an unfazed Phoenix replied, not rising to the bait. The biggest blunder I made yesterday was letting you get to me, Trixie, and making the trial more about beating you than proving my client innocent. I won’t make that mistake again!

Trixie tilted her chin up, taking on a haughty pose. “Oh? So why isn’t she here, then? Maybe she’d rather not see your disgraceful attempt at a defense?” she mocked.

Instead of answering, Phoenix calmly turned to The Judge. “I believe His Honor asked a question. Can you please answer it, Trixie?”

The Judge blinked several times before clearing his throat again, his slightly sluggish wits only belatedly catching up with Phoenix’s statement. “Oh! Yes, Ms. Trixie, any personal conversation with Mister Wright can wait until after session. Please tell the court the results of your investigation of the feather that was presented by the defense yesterday,” he directed.

Trixie was not amused by Phoenix’s interruption of her gloating and gave out a slight grunt, displeased at her apparent inability to get a rise out of him. “You’re asking for it,” the showmare warned as she readied to reveal her findings, though Phoenix was unimpressed, certain he already knew what they were. “As expected, the search was in vain. The stupid feather didn’t match any of the animals in the cottage, meaning Mister Wrong was… wrong, as usual,” Trixie announced with a grin to little surprise of Phoenix.

The Judge blinked at her reply, then his expression turned grave. “Well, that is unfortunate…”

Trixie’s eyes gleamed. “No, it’s not. Now we can end this trial in record time,” Trixie grinned even more broadly. “Now where were we before Mister Wrong so stupidly presented that feather…? Oh, yes! You were about to pass Rainbow Trash’s guilty verdict, followed by issuing a contempt citation for Mister Wrong for falsely accusing Fluttershy in a pathetic attempt to buy time!” Trixie reminded The Judge.

“Oh! That’s right; I believe that would be the route we should take,” The Judge agreed, readying his gavel and pinning Phoenix with a stare. “Mister Wright, I warned you yesterday that this court would take a very dim view of a fraudulent allegation against an innocent witness. And as that has now come to pass—”

He yelled, pointing a finger and stopping The Judge from sealing the fate of his client—and himself. “Being a little vague about that ‘stupid feather’, don’t you think, Trixie?” Phoenix leaned over the rail to ask, following through on his plan. “Just because the feather didn’t come from one of Fluttershy’s animals doesn’t mean we can write it off!”

She gave him a disdainful look, leaning over her own bench to glare back. “And just what else do you want the GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie to say, Mister Wrong? The feather didn’t match any of her animals and because of it, Fluttershy is exonerated. Your alternate theory of the crime is disproven and final line of defense is destroyed!” she said with a sneer.

“That particular theory was disproven, yes. But that doesn’t mean the feather isn’t important! I don’t think it’s unreasonable for the prosecution to answer just one very simple question before verdict is passed, Your Honor: where did the feather come from?” Phoenix asked, making his appeal directly to The Judge. “As long as its owner remains unidentified, there is still the distinct possibility it belongs to a second witness! Or perhaps even the real culprit!”

“Your rebuttal, Ms. Trixie?” The Judge prompted, surprised to not hear an immediate objection.

Trixie remained silent at first, then gave Phoenix a strangely chilling smile. “You really want to know, Mister Wrong?” she asked in an oddly mild tone; Phoenix experiencing a sudden sinking feeling in his stomach as he saw the sly look on her face. “It will crush what little hope you have in this trial if Trixie does disclose where this feather came from.”

“Tell me!” Phoenix demanded, though he was inwardly surprised. She WAS able to identify the origin of the feather? he suddenly worried, afraid he had underestimated the mare magician yet again. That’s okay, the feather’s just a distraction anyway. It shouldn’t matter much even if she did!

“Very well, Mister Wrong. Just remember, you were the one who asked for this!” Trixie warned. “Upon adjournment of yesterday’s session, a prestigious scientific research team was summoned from Canterlot to help the local police analyze the feather. Upon arrival, they were to examine it and determine the exact species it came from.”

“And what did they tell you?” The Judge asked in a curious tone.

“Nothing. We didn’t need them,” Trixie said simply, looking down and smiling to Phoenix’s increasing consternation, having seen that look on other prosecutors before and knowing little good ever came of it.

“And why not?” he asked with an askance look, uncertain what the mare magician was up to.

Trixie waited a beat, visibly savoring the moment before raising her head and smiling triumphantly. “As it turned out, the owner of the feather herself came and told us it was hers!” Trixie informed the court, causing the gallery to go into an uproar.

Phoenix’s jaw fell open. “But… but… that’s impossible!” he sputtered, seeing his carefully laid plan already falling to pieces. “The feather was too big to belong to a pony or any other creature in Ponyville!” he reminded the court, hoping against hope that Trixie was bluffing.

But Trixie’s only answer was a very self-satisfied smirk. “You’ll see soon enough how possible it is, Mister Wrong. Because, in fact, the bearer of this feather witnessed the crime in all its gory detail!” she raised her voice to be heard over the fresh eruption of surprise from the audience.

“There’s a witness?!” Phoenix croaked, slumping and sweating profusely, caught completely off-guard as The Judge demanded order by rapping his gavel repeatedly. I wasn’t expecting THIS!

“Indeed there is, Mister Wrong—though in this matter, you were for once correct in that the owner of the feather might be a witness! In fact, they came to Fluttershy’s cottage yesterday while we were trying to find a match with her animals to personally present themselves, and announced to Trixie that they saw Rainbow Trash kill the victim!” Trixie revealed even more gleefully.

Phoenix gaped, his sweating intensifying as he sensed his carefully laid plans already crumbling to pieces. “But that goes against everything we know!”

“All will be revealed to you, Mister Wrong! Shall Trixie bring out her witness, Your Honor?” Trixie asked permission of The Judge, grasping victory once more.

“Uh, yes. The suspense is killing me, to put it bluntly,” The Judge invited, though noting to himself that once again, one of Phoenix Wright’s wild theories had somehow borne fruit, and that in turn meant that, for the moment at least, he was spared a contempt citation for it.

Trixie then looked at Phoenix. “You’ve sealed your fate, Mister Wrong!” she said as the Bailiffs were dispatched to fetch the witness.

A minute later, the door to the witness room opened and Phoenix immediately caught a nauseating scent which clung to his nostrils like smoke off of a raging L.A. dumpster fire. Ugh! What’s that SMELL? he wondered, half the gallery likewise wrinkling their noses and squeezing their eyes shut in disgust at the stench that seemed to follow the newcomer in.

His nose still burning, Phoenix gazed upon the unfamiliar creature through watery eyes. The new witness was a quadruped like any other pony, but otherwise looked little like one, having an eagle-like head and forelegs paired with a lion’s hindquarters. The latter was complemented by a long, tufted leonine tail and a set of large brown wings sprouting from her midsection while her avian features included a white feathered chest, short gold beak and bright yellow talons for forepaws.

Though he had never seen such a creature before during his stay in Equestria, he remembered them from his reading and quickly identified her species. Hmm… that’s a griffon. They normally reside in the Griffon Kingdom. Most of their nation is located overseas in the continent of Aresia, but they’ve also got a province on this continent in the Canarian Maritimes. They’re long-range flyers and predators, but unlike ponies, they can’t manipulate weather and most can’t use magic, he recalled from his morning’s studies.

“Witness, state your name, please,” Trixie instructed once she was sworn in, standing on all fours behind the podium.

“The name’s Grizelda Behertz. But you can call me Gilda,” she said, replying to Trixie’s question in a very casual, even smug tone that caused a ripple of recognition through the equine audience.

And not a happy one, Phoenix quickly noted as he studied her decidedly non-equine features. He was about to comment on something else when he noticed Rainbow Dash acting in a very odd way. “Huh?”

His pegasus client was gesticulating wildly, looking like she was throwing a fit without actually making a sound.

Uh… what’s she doing? Phoenix wondered along with most of the other onlookers, but as he watched her further, Rainbow Dash locked gazes with him, pointing to her mouth and shaking her head.

Huh? Oh, right—I told her to be quiet. Wait, she took it WAY too literally! I just didn’t want her making a scene, not stay completely SILENT! Phoenix thought, rubbing his eyes over Rainbow Dash’s misinterpretation of his instructions. Still, why is she doing that? Does Rainbow KNOW this griffon? he wondered as his visibly-incensed client finally settled on an angry, outraged glare towards Gilda.

“Witness! Is it true that you saw Rainbow Trash commit the murder three nights ago?” Trixie asked before he could contemplate an answer.

But instead of replying, the griffon eagless broke out with a huge smile on her beak and looked at Trixie. “Hah! Rainbow Trash? Good one! I prefer Lame-bow Dash, though!” Gilda suggested to Trixie’s evident amusement, the mare magician smiling at the twist of phrase.

“My, my. You certainly have a way with words, witness. They almost rival that of Trixie’s!” the showmare praised before going back on topic. “But is it true you saw her kill another pony in the Everfree Forest?” she asked again.

This time, Gilda answered, scratching her feathered chest with the talons of her right forepaw and pinning Rainbow Dash with a triumphant look as she did so. “Yup! It’s true. Have to say, I never thought Dash had it in her, killing a pony in cold blood like that!” Gilda said, her words pushing Rainbow Dash even closer to the brink of a guilty verdict. Rainbow launched into a fresh but silent fit at that, making Phoenix wish he could sedate her.

“So you witnessed the moment the defendant killed the victim?” The Judge broke in, but instead of getting a straight answer from the witness she growled at him, causing The Judge to flinch back.

“YES!” she shouted in frustration. “How many times do I have to say it? I saw Rainbow Dash kill that pony!” she insisted, sending the whole courtroom into a renewed uproar.

“But that’s impossible!” Phoenix yelled, pointing at Gilda. But then…

Gilda’s wings flared up and she glared at Phoenix, her pale yellow eyes seeming to take on an orange glow, looking like she was about to swoop down on him as a hawk would a rabbit. “Are you calling me a liar, you pointy-haired human cretin?” she raged, the predatory look in her eyes making the hairs on the back of Phoenix’s neck stand on end, the human lawyer only then fully noticing her powerful leonine form and sharp, dangerous-looking talons.

“Um, uh, no, it’s just…” Phoenix was lost for words as he scratched the back of his head and took on a goofy grin, suddenly wishing Twilight were there, trying to tell himself it wasn’t just for his protection.

This would normally be the part where I shift blame to Gilda, but I remember from my reading that unlike pegasi, griffons can’t move or manipulate clouds. And Rainbow Dash already admitted to me she set it off anyway! he thought to himself, his mind racing, scrambling for a new strategy in the face of a fresh and potentially fatal setback.

“Can you please testify to the court as to what you witnessed that night, uh… Ms. Behertz?” The Judge asked, apparently uncertain of the proper form of address for a griffon eagless.

“Not a problem!” Trixie said amicably before Gilda could answer. “Witness, please testify as we discussed?”

“Oh. Yeah! Sure! Here goes! I’ll tell you all why that pathetic pony sitting over there is a murderer beyond any doubt!” Gilda said with a huge smirk on her beaked face, leaning slightly over the podium.

I have a bad feeling about this… Phoenix thought to himself, sensing his carefully laid plans slipping away.

————— WITNESS TESTIMONY —————
— What I saw, Dweebs! —

“Rainbow Dash killed that other pony with a storm cloud. I was there.”

Phoenix, The Judge, and the entire gallery waited for more details, but after several seconds of silence, it became clear nothing further was forthcoming.

The Judge broke the awkward silence first. “Uh…?” was the only thing he could think to say.

“And there you have it, Your Honor! Decisive eyewitness testimony!” Trixie proclaimed.

But everypony else in the room had their jaws dropped wide open, none more so than Phoenix himself. “That was no testimony! That was barely even a sentence!” he shook off his shock and stated the obvious.

The Judge nodded in agreement. “The defense is correct here, Ms. Trixie. That was far too short and undetailed to be considered a proper testimony.”

“Let Trixie explain, Your Honor,” she replied easily. “This was one of the conditions Trixie had to uphold.”

“What conditions?” Phoenix followed up with his own question, hand on his chin again.

“As this court can plainly see, Miss Behertz is not a citizen of Equestria, and as it turns out, there are… diplomatic considerations to her appearing here. By the terms of the treaty between our two nations, Equestrian courts are not allowed to subpoena a citizen of the Griffon Kingdom without first having it approved by the Kingdom Consulate.

“In this instance, they granted permission for her to testify, but only under a very strict set of conditions, noted here.” She floated a sealed scroll to the Judge and the defense bench.

The Judge broke the seal and then unrolled the scroll, reading the contents in some surprise. “Ms. Trixie, this is highly irregular.”

“To say nothing of improper!” Phoenix protested as he read them as well. “Brief statement only? Just three minutes of questioning? Your Honor, I can’t effectively cross-examine a witness like this!”

“Mister Wright has a point, Ms. Trixie. The defense has the right to challenge the testimony, but these are very restrictive terms.”

“Trixie agrees, Your Honor. But when Gilda came forward as a witness, she said she was constrained from testifying and had to first consult with the Gryphon Consulate in Canterlot, which is why she didn’t report it sooner. But she persisted and worked out the terms with her embassy, at which point she stepped forward and admitted to seeing the crime. She deserves a medal for doing the right thing!”

Upon hearing this, Gilda stood up straighter and gave out a huge smile, preening over the praise. “Yeah, I do deserve a medal, don’t I?” she suggested, while Rainbow Dash launched into a fresh fit of movement, eyes bulging and wings shaking, pulling hard against her restraints, looking like she wanted to launch herself at the larger griffon and beat her to a pulp right then and there.

Sympathizing with the sentiment, Phoenix curled his lip and gave the winged witness a glare. You’re sure modest! he said to himself, taking an instant disliking to her, certain there was more to the story than a single statement of testimony as Trixie continued to talk.

“These are the terms, Your Honor. So Trixie prepared a testimony that meets those requirements and will have her in and out of here in no time.”

“What can I say? I’m a really busy griffon!” Gilda agreed, gesturing casually with an upturned forepaw.

“Speaking of which, Mister Wrong…” Trixie turned her attention to Phoenix this time.

“What?” he asked, expecting to hear another insult.

“As you have already read, you’re only allowed three minutes of questioning during the cross-examination. So choose your tangents and topics to nitpick carefully!” Trixie teased.

“Your Honor! This is in direct contravention of court rules!” Phoenix appealed to The Judge. “If the defense cannot properly cross-examine the witness, then the defense moves that her testimony be disallowed!”

“Trixie understands the defense’s frustration, Your Honor, but my hooves are tied here,” she said in a strangely respectful tone. “This is not just my request, but that of the Griffon government, and part of the agreement under which Ms. Behertz would testify is that the cross-examination would be limited. I am aware this is irregular, but please understand I had no choice but to agree, as Mister Wrong’s endless badgering could cause a diplomatic incident by grilling her all day for no other reason than for him to selfishly stall.” She put a hoof to her chest and her nose in the air as she spoke.

Phoenix crossed his arms at that. “And just what is her job, anyway? I notice you didn’t ask for her occupation, Trixie,” he noted, following up the previous unasked question when the witness arrived. It almost HAS to be significant if Trixie deliberately omitted it! And what does she mean by a ‘diplomatic incident’?

Trixie just grunted. “Both she and the Kingdom wish it to be kept confidential, but Trixie offers her personal assurance to this court it has nothing to do with this case, Your Honor.”

Phoenix quickly put two and two together, coming up with an answer based on what Twilight had related to him of her investigation the previous day. I think I know EXACTLY what her occupation is! Phoenix speculated as The Judge examined the scroll and accompanying legal treaty text Trixie had passed him. And if I’m right, Gilda’s job might be only TOO relevant to this!

The Judge reviewed the documentation again before nodding reluctantly, stroking his long beard for the first time that morning. “This request appears to be in order and in line with an accepted treaty,” he conceded. “I don’t like it either, but I’m afraid my hands are tied, Mister Wright. Your objection is overruled. Barring witness misconduct, I may only allow you three minutes of questioning.”

Trixie grinned in satisfaction while Phoenix’s jaw dropped in disbelief. “Hah! Thank you for understanding, Your Honor,” the former said. “She’s all yours, Mister Wrong.”

Phoenix was anything but pleased. NO! I can’t believe she got away with that! Trixie’s just trying to make my cross-examination as shallow as possible so I can’t get any information out of Gilda! he complained mentally, but as he examined his copy of the treaty text, he knew he was trapped as well. Why do I always get these completely arbitrary restrictions placed on me? You’d think we were playing a GAME or something!

The Judge hammered down his gavel to make his decision final. “Very well, Mister Wright. The stage is yours,” The Judge said, pulling out an old-fashioned pocketwatch from beneath his robes Phoenix had no idea he owned. “I will be timing you. Remember, three minutes of cross-examination only.” He gave it a few twists for good measure before turning his attention back to Phoenix.

Phoenix gave out a huge sigh before turning his focus back to the task at hand. It’ll be alright. With such a brief testimony, three minutes is about all it should take anyway. I wasn’t expecting this, and my plan’s out the window at this point, but just gotta roll with the punches I guess, he told himself, deciding he would simply fall back on his usual style of winging it, pouncing on any contradictions he spotted to uncover the truth.

May be unorthodox, but it’s what I’m best at!

—————— CROSS-EXAMINATION ——————

“Rainbow Dash killed that other pony with a storm cloud. I was there.”

“Let’s start this off with a simple question: What were you doing there?” Phoenix asked.

Trixie countered. “This question has been asked and answered, Your Honor. We already know what Gilda was doing there. She was observing the crime.”

“Yeah!” Gilda agreed.

Phoenix and The Judge were very unimpressed, the former giving the unicorn prosecutor a baleful, narrow-eyed stare.

For once, The Judge intervened on Phoenix’s side with a rap of his gavel. “Ms. Trixie, you may not answer for the witness. Ms. Behertz, answer the question.”

But to Phoenix’s frustration, Gilda just shrugged. “I was flying in from Hoofington, passing over the forest on my way to Ponyville,” she said. “I saw an isolated cloud over the forest and heard the sounds of an argument coming from the clearing beneath it. Seemed strange, so I went to go check it out.”

“Oh really? And you just happened to be flying right over the clearing?” Phoenix challenged, pointing a finger at her.

“If she was flying in from the west where Hoofington lay, she would be coming in right over that section of forest, your Honor,” an unfazed Trixie pointed out. “The prosecution would be more than happy to produce maps of the greater area to prove it.”

“I do not believe that will be necessary,” The Judge replied, pausing the timekeeping to consult an atlas of Equestria he kept at his desk before nodding. “The prosecution is correct. In any event, coincidence is not causation, Mister Wright. Move along!” The Judge directed, restarting his watch.

Phoenix grimaced, realizing he’d once again underestimated Trixie—she had her witness very well-prepared. “Then one last follow-up: exactly why were you coming into Ponyville?” he asked her next.

“To compete in the Equestrian 500,” she answered instantly.

“You were going to race?” Phoenix asked dubiously.

“Yeah. Got a problem with that, blue boy? I was a pretty fast flyer at Junior Speedster’s camp, and I’m a good racer now. Even Lamebow Dash over there would admit that,” she claimed with a smirk, causing Rainbow to give a derisive snort she couldn’t quite stifle.

“Oh, really? Then why don’t you show up on the race roster?” he showed her the race program Twilight had obtained from The Judge the previous day. “A little odd that you’re not there, don’t you think?”

But Trixie only smirked while Gilda glared at him in annoyance. “Because I haven’t registered yet, parrot-head! I was planning to do it the next morning, but it wasn’t exactly my first priority after witnessing a murder!” she all but snarled at him.

The Judge’s gavel came down. “I agree with the witness. There is nothing nefarious there. Objection overruled! I will not penalize you as I consider it a valid question, but you have exhausted this avenue of inquiry, Mister Wright!”

“Good job! You wasted your first minute of questioning, Mister Wrong! You’re making Trixie’s glorious triumph come all that much sooner!” the mare magician said in mock praise, lifting her chin up in arrogant glee.

Phoenix glared at Trixie, certain that she’d somehow worked out the terms to keep him from pursuing potentially dangerous lines of questioning, equally annoyed that she’d successfully co-opted The Judge in doing so.

“Rainbow Dash killed that other pony with a storm cloud. I was there.”

“Let’s ask this next: what did you witness while you were in there?” Phoenix followed up.

“She already said she witnessed the murder, Your Honor!” Trixie tried again, but The Judge’s gavel rang out.

“Second warning, Ms. Trixie. Allow the witness to answer, or be penalized!” The Judge warned, but Trixie never lost her smile, leaving Phoenix wondering if her only intent was to eat up precious seconds of his inquiry.

Regardless of the answer, Gilda was no more forthcoming for it. “I already said I witnessed the murder, you defense attorney dweeb!” she answered dismissively. “How much clearer can I make it?”

Phoenix clenched his teeth, sensing that getting anything out of her was going to be like dragging Maya and Pearl to the dentist. “Fine. Then what did you see before the murder?”

“Before?” she looked surprised by the question, but answered despite Trixie’s warning look. “I was flying over the forest clearing when I heard a familiar voice. I looked down and saw Dash arguing with another pony underneath a storm cloud. I wasn’t sure what was going on, so I went in for a closer look. I didn’t get a good look at the other pony while circling above, but I could tell he was male because of his size and deeper voice.”

The Judge was curious about this statement. “The defendant was arguing with the victim? What does this mean?” he asked, stroking his beard again.

The blackmail negotiations, no doubt, Phoenix guessed, but he could not reveal that unless he had to. “And just how were you able to see them? You may not know, but we have had numerous testimonies stating the forest is pitch-black at night,” Phoenix said while flapping several pieces of scroll paper filled with testimony transcripts from the previous day.

But to his frustration, Gilda had an authoritative answer for that as well. “I’m a griffon. We can see in the dark… idiot!” she informed him, her eyes glowing orange again as if in demonstration.

“Yeah… you idiot! Everypony knows griffons can see in the dark!” Trixie piled on, causing Phoenix to flush at his ignorance of Equestria coming into play again.

“You’re so stupid!” Gilda piled on.

Oh, great. It’s like Trixie in STEREO! he grumbled, wishing he could just click a remote and mute them both. Dammit, this is why I need Twilight here! Even with all that studying I couldn’t learn everything I needed to in one NIGHT!

“So you saw them arguing with each other?” he asked, getting back on topic even as he hoped Twilight would return shortly.

“Yeah, I hid and listened to what they were arguing about,” Gilda answered, giving him a wary look.

“That begs the next question: why did you hide?” Phoenix followed up again.

She gave a shrug of her feathered shoulders. “Because the whole thing seemed shady and ominous! I mean, a nighttime meeting in the middle of the Everfree Forest? Who the hay does that? I figured they were up to no good!” Gilda replied.

Phoenix crossed his arms at that, giving her an askance look. “You do know that spying on others is considered shady and ominous as well, right?” he asked rhetorically to sounds of agreement from the audience. “Sounds like you were up to no good, too!”

“Withdrawn,” Phoenix said easily, knowing the damage was already done to Gilda’s credibility in the eyes of both The Judge and gallery. “But since you were there, did you hear what they were saying?”

“Uh… yeah.” Gilda paused for several seconds as she attempted to remember. “I didn’t hear the first part of it, but the stallion said something about revealing a secret and then Dash answered that she ‘didn’t care’. Then she said something about ‘having a better idea’ just before she flew up and bucked the storm cloud to set it off. He screamed like a pansy when the lightning bolt fried him,” Gilda said with an amused smile.

This made Phoenix think again, scratching his chin as he considered her words. But that CAN’T be true! Rainbow Dash said the bolt didn’t come close to hitting him and I know she wasn’t lying—so Gilda HAS to be! But how do I prove it? I only have one minute of questioning LEFT!

His thoughts were dispelled by a tsk-tsking sound from Trixie that very much reminded him of Franziska von Karma. “Two minutes down, less than one to go! You see, Mister Wrong? Your endless pressing works against you here!” the mare magician needled, having been timing him with an enchanted hourglass, sensing victory near.

“Rainbow Dash killed that other pony with a storm cloud. I was there.”

Gotta make this one count! Phoenix knew, betting it all on his last line of questioning. “For my final minute of cross-examination: where were you?”

The eagless gave him an incredulous look as Trixie remained silent. “What kind of question is that? I was in the forest!” Gilda said in a slightly exasperated tone, but Phoenix shook his head.

“No. I mean, where were you while listening to those two talking? You said you were hiding? Where?” Phoenix pressed on, believing he already knew the answer but needing her confirmation first. If she gives it, I’ve GOT her!

Gilda gave a frustrated leonine hiss. “If it’ll get me out of here quicker, just give me a map or something, and I’ll show you!” she suggested in some exasperation.

“Bailiff! Please give the witness the diagram of the crime scene,” The Judge ordered, pausing the clock again. The map used the previous day was then floated in by a unicorn guard a minute later.

Gilda sighed as she tapped the map with her location at that time. “I was perched in this tree, if you really want to know,” she said, tapping the tree at the northwest corner of the clearing with her talon, further highlighting her location by picking up a red marker quill with her talons and putting a large red dot at the location at Phoenix's request.

Phoenix rubbed his chin in speculation, keeping his expression carefully neutral even as he was internally jumping for joy. “That’s the same tree we found the feather in. Then you’re admitting it belongs to you?” Phoenix held his breath, pointing to the brown feather he had originally used to accuse Fluttershy.

It was all he could do to keep the smile off his face as she nodded in confirmation. “Yeah, that’s definitely mine. It must’ve fallen out while I was watching,” Gilda said with a shrug. “We griffons do tend to molt a bit in the summer.”

“We medically confirmed it was her feather, Your Honor,” Trixie said, floating The Judge and Phoenix a fresh scroll prepared by a police doctor that stated it was Gilda’s. “So the mystery of its origin is solved, and there is no further reason to either keep the witness or hold off on a guilty verdict! Your three minutes of questioning are up, Mister Wrong! The cross-examination is over! You may go about your business now, witness,” Trixie said, before Phoenix or The Judge had a say.

To Phoenix’s frustration, instead of coming down on Trixie for usurping his authority again, The Judge nodded in agreement. “It would seem that way. There are no problems with the witness’s rather short testimony,” The Judge said, hammering his gavel once to make the decision final as he gave Gilda his own permission to leave. “You are excused, Ms. Behertz!”

“Your friendly neighborhood Gilda just doing her duty in the cause of justice. Later!” And with that, the eagless left the witness stand and started heading for the door, taking what seemed like Phoenix’s final hope with her.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on July 24, 2018.

For those that are curious, Gilda’s full name is taken from one of my favorite fics, Feathered Heart, a work that heavily influenced my Firefly stories. Consider it both reference and homage.

Part 41 - Eagle-Eyed Evasions

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom No. 2
June 11th, 10:46 AM

“Your friendly neighborhood Gilda just doing her duty in the cause of justice. Later!” As the very satisfied griffon witness left the stand and prepared to exit the courtroom following her too-brief testimony, Phoenix took a deep breath, letting her get just two steps away before…

Phoenix’s cry froze Gilda in her tracks. “Sorry, but there is a problem—a very big problem considering how brief that testimony we just heard was!” he proclaimed to the surprise of all present.

“Huh?” Gilda looked at Phoenix, then at Trixie.

“The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie does not see such problems in that testimony!” Trixie insisted in a disdainful tone.

“Nor do I, Mister Wright. And as I am in no mood for further stalling tactics, you get one chance to explain yourself. What is this ‘very big problem’ you speak of?” The Judge asked, his tone of voice telling Phoenix to make his explanation a good one.

“It’s simple, Your Honor!” Phoenix left the defense bench to walk up to the map, picking up a wooden pointer as he did so.

“You see, Gilda says she was perched in this tree and saw the crime take place,” he began, using the pointer to tap the red dot Gilda had marked earlier.

Gilda looked at Phoenix sharply. “And what’s the matter with that?”

“Take a look a little left of where you claim you were hiding,” he suggested with a grin, pointing to the yellow dot with a number “3” on it.

Gilda looked baffled. “Uh… hey! What’s that numbered circle there for?”

Phoenix crossed his arms and gave a satisfied smile at Gilda’s first contradiction, still standing beside the diagram. “Oh, nothing. That’s just where the third bolt of lightning struck a little past 11 o’clock.”

Trixie looked momentarily confused herself, taking a moment to process Phoenix’s words. Abruptly, she gave a gasp of surprise, looking away with an uncharacteristically nervous mutter as she spotted the problem with Gilda’s testimony herself.

“So what’s your point? I wasn’t even there when that happened!” Gilda replied, not understanding her predicament.

“Why did you not tell me about where you were hiding?”an angry Trixie shouted at her own witness; Phoenix noting that had it been Franziska von Karma, Gilda would have felt the sharp lash of her whip.

Except Franziska would never have been so sloppy as to not ask such a basic question! And Miles Edgeworth would fire you as one of his prosecutors if you made an oversight like that! he didn’t say, wondering if he’d be able to tell Edgeworth about Equestria once he got back to Earth.

“What does it matter if the tree was up or not? I saw the whole murder with my own two eyes!” Gilda insisted, not realizing her alibi and story were crumbling to dust with every word she spoke.

“See, right there! That’s the lie!” Phoenix pounced, causing Gilda to stare at him in confusion while Trixie just smacked her head with a forehoof.

Gilda’s pale yellow eyes went wide at Trixie’s reaction. “W-What?! L-Lie?!” She started to sweat again.

“The witness is lying?” The Judge looked confused.

“Indeed she is, Your Honor!” Phoenix announced with a triumphant smile. “You may recall that according to the police reports, when that third lightning bolt hit, it took down a tree in this spot on the diagram!” Phoenix reminded the court, using the pointer to tap the number 3 dot next to the hiding place of Gilda again, then filling in the area around it with his ballpoint pen to show the tree that was there previously.

“Yeah? So what?” Gilda still didn’t get it.

“So, if you were really perched in that tree, then the tree that the #3 bolt struck would have still been up! It would therefore have obstructed your line of sight to the number 1 dot, which is where the first bolt hit!” Phoenix pointed out, to an eruption of gallery murmurs—and some appreciative hoofclops from his gym friends.

“B-but… I…” Gilda’s eyes went nervous and darting as she saw the problem for herself.

“But nothing! You may be able to see in the dark, but what I want to know is this, Miss Behertz: how were you able to see through a solid mass?” Phoenix demanded to know, pointing a finger right at her.

Gilda gave a high-pitched scream of dismay, several of her feathers spontaneously molting as Phoenix struck his first truly deadly blow of the whole trial, catching the eagless witness in her own lies.

At LAST! I’m finally gaining the upper hand! he sensed, wishing Twilight was there to witness his latest turnabout.

Trixie tried to redeem her witness’s crumbling credibility. “She must have been mistaken about the tree she was in!”

Phoenix countered immediately. “We found her feather in the tree she pointed out! So she must have been in that tree!” he insisted, making Gilda sweat even more.

“I-I… uh…” were the only words that came out of Gilda’s mouth just then.

“This is a rather curious discrepancy. So what do you make of it, Mister Wright?” The Judge asked Phoenix, stroking his beard thoughtfully.

Phoenix considered the question for several seconds before replying, scratching his own chin as he pondered his answer. Gilda’s only making part of this up. She was definitely there if she overheard the blackmail negotiations; she just couldn’t have seen the actual lightning strike. And that means…

“In my opinion, I think she was indeed present for the lightning strike, Your Honor,” he granted. “But she didn’t actually see it—she just heard it!”

Trixie shouted once more. “That doesn’t change anything at all! We still have a body and we still have a suspect! Whether she heard it or saw it doesn’t make any difference; she was still there for the moment of the murder!”

Phoenix returned fire immediately with a grin on his face. “If I got a dime for every time I heard that one!” Er… should have said ‘bit’ there! he belatedly realized, but plunged ahead anyway. “This changes a lot, Trixie! First off, how did she know he was ‘fried’ by the bolt if she didn’t see it hit him?”

“I-I want to go now!” a panicked Gilda pleaded, looking around for support that wasn’t there, cringing to see the glares of the gallery now falling on her as her lie was laid bare. “The terms of my testimony have already been met! You can’t keep me here anymore!”

“You’re not going anywhere!” Phoenix informed her with a pointed finger, not letting slip the chance to press Gilda hard.“You’ve lied under oath, Miss Behertz, and that nullifies the terms of your agreement! You’re now required to stay in order to clear any suspicions regarding yourself! And you know what? You’re looking mighty suspicious right about now!” he told her triumphantly, lowering his head and putting his hands on his hips.

“Says who?” Gilda flared her wings at Phoenix in an intimidating fashion, adding some orange eye glow for effect.

But Phoenix wasn’t fazed—if you think a couple of glowing eyes are going to intimidate me now, you’ve got nothing on Twilight! he thought to himself, remembering with a shiver her soul-piercing red-eyed stare from the previous night as she finally vented her anger over his treatment of Fluttershy to him. “Says the rules of court, Miss Behertz! But if you really want to leave, I’m sure our friendly bailiffs will happily escort you to detention for questioning?” he suggested mildly through a gleeful grin, making Gilda gnash her teeth and give a pony-like snort. Huh. Would never have guessed griffons have teeth!

“Witness, just ignore his empty threats!” Trixie directed. “That said, if you’d told Trixie about where you were hiding, Trixie could have been prepared for this and had you out of here faster!” she added, causing Phoenix’s lip to curl as she cast blame on her own witness. “Unfortunately, since you didn’t, we will all now be forced to endure one of Mister Wrong’s interminable pressing sessions!” She sat back with a disgusted look.

And if you’d done YOUR job, Trixie, you would have seen she was lying through her teeth and never called her to the stand at ALL! Phoenix held his tongue as The Judge spoke up.

“I’m afraid Mister Wright is correct, Miss Behertz. There is a significant discrepancy in your testimony that casts suspicion upon you. If you wish to dispel it, you will testify here and now as to what you did after the murder!” he told her, looking down from his bench sternly at Gilda while Phoenix nodded in agreement, leaning over the rail and listening intently.

“Fine!” Gilda spat out, turning her attention back on Phoenix, flaring her wings in anger and giving him her most menacing glare. “You have no idea how much I want to beat the living snot out of that little blue worm right now!”

Gulp! Phoenix felt a trickle of sweat down his back as she turned the full force of her predatory gaze on him, looking like she wanted to rip him apart on the spot.

Glowing eyes aren’t scary to me… but the rest of her IS! he admitted, praying Twilight would hasten her return.

—————— WITNESS TESTIMONY ——————
— After the crime —

“After the lightning came down, Dash flew off at top speed towards Ponyville. I chased her out of the woods, but she had a head start and I lost sight of her when she reached the town. I wasn’t sure what to do next, so I went to Canterlot instead to consult with the Kingdom Consulate on whether to come forward as a witness.”

“There! Can I go, now?” Gilda asked, looking around with a scowl.

“Uh… I’m afraid Mister Wright has the right to cross-examine you,” The Judge informed her, almost apologetically.

Gilda turned to Phoenix in annoyance and impatience. “Make it snappy, parrot-head! I’m on a tight schedule here!”

Despite her bravado, Phoenix couldn’t keep the grin off his face. This one is just too easy. I can see even Trixie spotted it! he thought, noticing the showmare’s renewed glare at her own witness.

“Let the cross-examination begin!” The Judge proclaimed.

—————— CROSS-EXAMINATION ——————

“After the lightning came down, Dash flew off at top speed towards Ponyville. I chased her out of the woods, but she had a head start and I lost sight of her when she reached the town.”

Phoenix could barely contain himself as he raised his arm to point at the griffon witness yet again. “Thought you would have learned not to lie the first time, Gilda,” he told her with a grin, eliciting an angry hiss and fresh wing flare.

“Aw, go—I mean, screw you, you scrawny little…!” she spat out, sounding like she had barely caught herself from saying something extremely vulgar.

“You can insult me all you like, but it doesn’t change anything! From the looks of it, even the prosecution isn’t happy with you right now!” he noted, nodding over to Trixie’s side of the court, where the mare magician was again leaning irately over her rail, glaring at Gilda.

“Mister Wrong is right! You’re making me look bad!” Trixie confirmed.

“And I didn’t even need to question you on anything—the contradiction is there in plain sight!” Phoenix piled on.

“Wh-what are you talking about?” Gilda demanded to know, shifting nervously behind the witness stand. Rainbow Dash, Phoenix noticed, seemed to be watching the spectacle quite happily, a gleeful smile on her face as she watched Phoenix pick Gilda’s testimony apart.

“What are you talking about, Mister Wright?” The Judge wanted to know as well.

“Simple, Your Honor—if Gilda had truly been following Rainbow Dash out of the forest towards Ponyville, a certain individual would have seen her!” he informed the court, picking up a fresh sheet of transcript paper and tapping it with the back of his fingers for emphasis. “You may recall that in her testimony, Fluttershy stated she saw Rainbow Dash fleeing the forest! You may also recall she had the perfect vantage point to do so, as her cottage is located right on the edge of it?”

“Oh! That’s right!” The Judge caught on. “Ms. Fluttershy was watching!”

“Exactly, Your Honor!” That kind and wonderful pony who I accused of murder just to buy another day; that kind and wonderful pony who then saved me from certain death when she had every reason to hate me, he reminded himself, knowing that even with her forgiveness and friendship, he would never fully live it down. I’ll atone by freeing Rainbow and doing what I can to fix your friendship with her, he silently promised, putting it out of his head for now.

“Problem is… she didn’t mention anything about you, Gilda! Kind of odd when you claim you were in hot pursuit of Rainbow Dash, don’t you think?” he noted dryly to a fresh undercurrent of conversation from the audience; looking up, he saw many ponies, including his gym friends, perched on the edge of their seats and leaning forward to watch the riveting spectacle. Glancing at a different spot in the gallery, he noticed Applejack and Rarity leaning in close to each other and exchanging opinions in low whispers; even Spike seemed intrigued, watching the scene intently.

He grinned at that. The show’s just getting started, folks! “So the conclusion we can draw from your latest lie is simple, Miss Behertz: you never left the forest!” he accused with an upraised arm and pointed finger.

Gilda gave another shriek of frustration, losing so many fresh feathers Phoenix wondered if she’d have any left after he was through with her. Finally! I’m WINNING! Trixie’s third-person has nothing on my first-person! he thought in some glee until…

Or maybe not? Phoenix knew the smug look on Trixie’s face never boded him or his case well.

“Getting a little ahead of ourselves, aren’t we, Mister Wrong?” she asked him in a rhetorical tone.

“Whatever do you mean, Trixie?” he answered calmly, recomposing himself quickly.

In response, her horn flared and she levitated the identical sheet of transcript off her own bench, studying it through narrowed eyes. “You’re basing this contradiction off a witness who was accused yesterday,” she reminded him.

“But she was cleared of involvement!” Phoenix immediately stated, trying to head Trixie off before suspicion could be cast on Fluttershy again.

“Oh! That’s not what Trixie is claiming, Mister Wrong,” she clarified, closing her eyes and putting a hoof to her chest in mock innocence. “But that same witness did not see Apple Bloom leave the forest that night either, when we all know that filly did get home safely,” she reminded him somewhat painfully. “Apple Bloom could only have exited along the path that passes near the cottage, yet Fluttershy didn’t see her. So if she missed seeing one witness leave the forest, she could very easily have missed seeing another!”

This time, it was Phoenix who was caught off-guard. She’s right, he realized, the revelation made even more painful by the fact it was himself who had originally pointed that out in an attempt to discredit Fluttershy’s testimony. Didn’t realize how badly that would come back to bite me in the butt!

The Judge nodded in agreement. “The prosecution has a point here. While that witness may have been innocent, her testimony had a gaping hole in it.”

Trixie looked very pleased at that, her hoof on her chest again. “Naturally. And thus, we can’t accuse the witness here based on that testimony alone!” she followed up, daring Phoenix to say otherwise.

“Yeah, that other pony is the liar here, not me!” Gilda insisted, causing an angry eruption of snorts and hoofstomps in the gallery from those who knew Fluttershy—none more so than Rarity, to Phoenix’s surprise; she was being restrained by Applejack and Spike, looking ready to leap down from the gallery and strangle Gilda for her slander on the spot.

Phoenix’s mind raced. I have to prove Gilda didn’t leave that forest! But how? “We… we can’t just dismiss this!” he insisted, stalling for time while he tried to come up with an idea. “The witness had to have stayed in there!”

Trixie gave him a contemptuous look. “Evidence speaks louder than words, Mister Wrong. If you really think she didn’t leave, then prove it instead of stumbling and stammering like you normally do!” she needled.

“Mister Wright, do you have any evidence supporting your claim that Miss Gilda did not leave that forest?” The Judge asked directly.

Put up or shut up time, Phoenix! Think, think! THINK! he ordered himself, turning her testimony over in his head again and trying to match it to anything in his evidence bag. Wait a minute—of COURSE! he stood up straighter as the answer hit him, mentally kicking himself for not seeing it sooner. I think now is a better time than any to reveal Gilda’s occupation!

“I have proof this witness did not leave that forest, Your Honor!” he proclaimed triumphantly, going for his evidence bag as he made his announcement.

Trixie gave him a look that was equal parts disbelieving and disdainful. “Oh, please, Mister Wrong. How could you possibly prove something like that?”

“With this!” Phoenix announced, holding high a single sheet of paper that Twilight had told him she had procured from a local mail carrier the previous day.

“A paper? Really?” Gilda asked scornfully. “That’s all you got?”

“What is this, Mister Wright?” The Judge wanted to know.

“It’s Ponyville’s mail delivery schedule from the night of the murder,” he explained.

“And what exactly does that prove, Mister Wrong?” Trixie asked, Phoenix noting a slightly more wary tone to her voice that told him she knew at least in part what he was getting at. Meanwhile, somewhere up in the gallery, a certain skew-eyed grey pegasus mare whispered excitedly to neighboring ponies, though they had no idea what she meant by a ‘turnabout schedule’.

“Right here, in black and white, it clearly states that the Griffon Express was to deliver a package to the Ponyville Post Office the night of the incident at 10pm—less than half an hour after the murder!” Phoenix informed the court. “However, that package never arrived!”

“Oh! So this witness is a mail courier?” The Judge asked, looking pleased at his insight.

“Exactly! Unless the witness cares to deny it?” He smirked at Gilda, his hands on his hips again, daring her to do so. Very tellingly, both she and Trixie remained silent. “I have reason to believe this witness lost her delivery in the forest, as that was where this bag was found!” he elaborated, next bringing out a brown leather satchel with a long strap. “I’m told that this bag is of griffon make and is frequently used by griffon couriers to deliver packages. Therefore, I believe that this satchel contained the undelivered package, lost by Miss Behertz in the forest on the night of the murder!” he announced, causing Gilda to visibly cringe.

“Hey, hold on there! You got no proof that’s my bag or that it was even me delivering a package!” Gilda groped for a denial, flaring her wings and trying to pin Phoenix with a predatory stare again.

“That’s right! If that schedule said ‘Pony Express’, would that mean Trixie was delivering the mail?” the showmare suggested.

Phoenix had to suppress a sudden image of Trixie as part of the old west courier service of his own world. I’m sure the local Indians would have taken special note of a small blue horse with a horn! he thought, wondering if they would have worshiped her as a goddess (ugh!) or made her perform tricks for them.

“There are many pages to a chapter, Trixie—let me finish,” he replied. “We could just ask the Griffon Express who was delivering the package that night. Or failing that, we could do forensic analysis on the bag for traces of the witness’s fur or feathers to prove ownership. But in fact, none of that is necessary!”

Trixie gave him another askance look. “Not necessary?” she repeated.

Phoenix nodded. “Because that’s where my second piece of evidence comes in—this invoice!” he said as he pulled out the perfume invoice Rarity had given him after she had fixed his suit for the first time the previous day.

While the unicorn bailiffs magically produced copies of the documents for The Judge and prosecution, he glanced up in the stands to see Rarity herself giving him a look of surprise and confusion. She’s not going to like what comes next, he knew, hoping she wouldn’t hold it against him.

The Judge recoiled when he finally saw the copied document. “WOW!!!! That’s mighty expensive for a single bottle of perfume!” he noted, having learned the rough value of a ‘bit’ the previous night through half a keg of apple cider.

Phoenix nodded at that. “It’s imported from across the Antlertic Ocean, Your Honor,” he explained, wondering what to make of how similar place names seemed to be between Equestria and Earth. “It’s very exclusive; that and the long-distance delivery are why it demands such a high price.”

“Tell me, Mister Wrong,” Trixie broke in with a sigh of strained patience. “What does perfume have to do with any of this? You hardly strike me as a connoisseur of scents. Or are you simply hoping to impress a prospective marefriend?” she asked with a smirk, to some laughter from the audience—and appreciative whinnies from his gym friends.

Phoenix’s cheeks warmed at that, an image of Twilight flashing through his mind. Forcing thoughts of her out of his head for the moment, he next brought out the perfume bottle Twilight had told him she and Apple Bloom had found in the forest.

Have to remember to find Apple Bloom when this is over… thank her for helping Twilight and tell her I forgive her for lying yesterday, he reminded himself, having been told by Twilight that the young filly had wanted him to know she was sorry for doing so. Later, though… “Twilight Sparkle found this perfume yesterday. Can you guess where...?” he trailed off meaningfully.

Gilda looked like she was gnashing her teeth again, giving a low, frustrated growl but otherwise did not reply.

Phoenix answered for her. “She found it in that very same satchel in the forest, not far from the crime scene! This perfume never arrived yesterday, so we can conclude that the contents of that satchel—this perfume—was the undelivered package the Ponyville Post Office reported as being lost!”

“Ha!” Trixie snorted. “You still didn’t prove a thing, Mister Wrong! The bag with the perfume was found in the forest, yes. But the schedule only states it was the Griffon Express delivering the perfume, not Gilda!” she took pains to make the distinction. “Like she said, she isn’t the only griffon that ships items! In fact, I believe there is a second such griffon sitting in the gallery right now!” she noted with a nod behind Phoenix’s bench.

Surprised, Phoenix looked up to see a second, blue-eyed griffon female sitting in the front row, wearing a headband as well as a very disgusted look at what she was hearing. “Your Honor, may I introduce Lenora Arielle. She was asked to attend the trial as a representative of the Griffon Government to confirm the terms of Gilda’s testimony were met, but she is also a mail courier herself, taking time off from her duties to compete in the Equestrian 500,” Trixie explained.

So that’s Lenora! Phoenix realized in some surprise, giving her a brief nod of acknowledgement, resolving to thank her as well for the help she’d given Twilight the previous day. “I intend on proving it was Gilda doing the delivery right now!” he announced, turning his attention back to Trixie. “This perfume has a rather… unique property: the fragrance is long-lasting, and I think someone here decided to help themselves to a free sample!” He pinned Gilda with a knowing look. She shrank back at that, watching him warily out of the corner of her eye. “Tell me—does anyone else smell that foul odor lingering in the courtroom right now?”

The Judge’s nose wrinkled at that. “Yes, I have for quite some time. I didn’t want to be rude, but I thought you forgot to bathe this morning, Mister Wright,” he said, sounding embarrassed for him.

Phoenix’s cheeks flushed and shoulders slumped. “It’s not me! It’s coming off another individual in this courtroom!” he spelled it out. Just how much did you have to drink last night, Your Honor? he suddenly wondered, thinking The Judge was even slower on the uptake than usual.

Trixie reacted in surprise and alarm to the news, her wizard hat shooting off her head from her first magical misfire of the day.

Phoenix was only too pleased to confirm what she was thinking. “I see you’ve figured it out, Trixie—that rancid stench is coming off our own weaselly witness!” he announced to the courtroom.

“Mister Wright! Are you saying this witness has bad hygiene?” The Judge scolded him.

And what did you just accuse ME of, Your Honor? he didn’t ask. “No, Your Honor! I’m simply saying that she’s a thief!he clarified, pointing an accusing finger at Gilda. “Don’t believe me? Take a whiff of the perfume in question!” he directed, passing the bottle to a unicorn bailiff to give to The Judge, very glad he didn’t have to smell it again himself—just sniffing the cap at a distance during his evidence review with Twilight had been nearly enough to make him retch.

The Judge waited until it was floated to him before giving the bottle and purple liquid inside a leery look. “Hmmm…” he began, uncorking it to take a tentative sniff, only to recoil, his eyes full of tears and struggling to keep his breakfast down after waking up with a hangover that morning. “Ulg! It smells like a rotting skunk basted in expired milk!” he announced to the courtroom, holding the bottle well away from his head as he recorked it, still gagging heavily.

There was a high-pitched shriek heard in the gallery as Rarity fainted dead away, being held up by Applejack while she was fanned frantically with Applejack’s Stetson by Spike. Seeing that, Phoenix decided that once the trial was over—and if he was allowed to stay in Equestria for a bit—he would offer Rarity his services to sue the perfume manufacturer for false advertising.

‘Like morning dew on a blooming rose’, my FOOT! I’ve smelled pig sties that were less malodorous than THAT! “Now take a sniff of the aroma coming off our witness here!” he directed.

When Gilda was less than willing to allow one of the bailiffs to approach her for a single headfeather, a silently fuming Trixie magically plucked one herself and floated it The Judge. She looked very annoyed at the turn of events, her gaze somehow going even icier than usual.

“H-hey!” Gilda grabbed at the back of her head at the brief sting for the lost feather while The Judge sniffed it from his bench. He then drew back in shock, his eyes wide.

“Oh my word! The odors are the same!” he announced to all present, causing the gallery to erupt in whispered conversation again; Phoenix couldn’t hear much more than snippets, but the tone of it was now very much against Gilda. “This witness committed perjury!” The Judge proclaimed, pinning Gilda with his most intimidating glare. “She was the one who delivered that package!”

Phoenix nodded in satisfaction. He’s always a bit slow on the uptake, but give him credit for always getting it in the end! “Clearly, she used some of the perfume on herself. Little did she know it was long-lasting, and it would tie her to that bag!” Crowd’s on my side; let’s see if I can ride that momentum to victory now!

“Witness… tell them!” Trixie ordered in a tone approaching weary.

“T-tell them what?” Gilda asked in poorly feigned innocence.

“Tell them why you never left the forest!” Trixie spelled it out, leaning over the rail angrily.

“But it’s confidential!” Gilda protested, causing many in the gallery to look at each other in confusion.

Trixie was unsympathetic. “You’re in boiling water right now, witness!” the showmare informed her. “When you lied, the agreement on your testimony was invalidated! But if you tell the court and Mister Totally, Completely, Definitively, 100% Dead Wrong exactly why you stayed in that forest, he’ll have nothing against you!”

Phoenix very much doubted that, but was curious as to what the back-and-forth between Trixie and Gilda meant. It almost sounds like Trixie knew Gilda stayed in the forest and was keeping it secret. She wouldn’t be THAT stupid, would she…? he wondered, fervently hoping that she was.

To his surprise, The Judge caught it as well. “Ms. Trixie! You knew the witness never left the woods?” he demanded to know, a suddenly severe look on his face.

And to Phoenix’s even greater surprise, Trixie confirmed it. “Yes… I did.”

Phoenix drew himself up straight and pinned the mare magician with his fiercest glare. I don’t care if you insult me, Trixie, but when you deliberately withhold evidence to try to bolster your case, you’ve officially crossed the line!

“Your Honor! The prosecution knowingly withheld vital information from this court!” he announced in a loud, clear voice, pointing right at Trixie. “The defense demands she be held in contempt!” He slammed the rail hard.

“You’re actually resorting to that? You must be desperate, Mister Wrong!” Trixie wasn’t about to take that lying down, her mouth set in a thin, straight line. “It’s not even my fault! Those mangy griffons are the ones to blame!”

“MANGY?!!!??!?!?” Gilda turned her ire on Trixie this time, flaring her wings and making her eyes glow in the direction of the unicorn prosecutor.

Trixie ignored her. “They told me off the record to keep her occupation and her screw-up purely confidential if she was to testify!” she explained, speaking quickly. “Trade negotiations are being conducted between the Kingdom and Equestria right now, and they were worried that if it got out that a supposedly reputable griffon courier service both opened and lost a private package, they’d lose leverage in the talks! I was only trying to abide by their wishes; I would have shared this information right away if it wasn’t for them!”

Far from impressed, Phoenix slammed his hands down on the rail, hard. “That’s no excuse, Trixie! You should never have made such a bargain if it involved concealing information, and worse, suborning perjury!” he reminded her and The Judge, lowering his opinion of the mare magician several notches as he did so, both as a pony and a prosecutor. “The violation of court rules here are clear, Your Honor! She must be held in contempt!” he told The Judge again, eagerly awaiting his gavel to come down hard on Trixie. A night or two in jail should do wonders for her disposition! He couldn’t help but grin at the thought.

To his surprise, The Judge looked like he was hesitating, eyes closed as he considered the situation, rubbing his temples like he had a headache again. “I let your co-counsel off with a warning yesterday when I could have very easily cited her for contempt, Mister Wright. So in fairness, I feel I must do the same here,” he announced to Phoenix’s surprise. “That said, Ms. Trixie—you are hereby penalized twice: once for withholding information, and again for attempting to circumvent my authority and the rules of this court!” He brought his gavel down to make it official, grabbing for a citation scroll. “They will go on your record, and you will pay a 50-bit fine for each penalty at trial’s end!”

“Thank you, Your Honor.” Phoenix was pleased to see The Judge assert himself for once.

He gave Phoenix a look. “I didn’t do it for you, Mister Wright. And as of this moment, both the prosecution and defense are on notice: given repeated shenanigans by both sides, we are past penalties at this point. I am not in the mood for theatrics this morning, so any further infraction of the rules of this court by either of you will result in an immediate contempt citation, at the maximum penalty allowed—five nights in jail, and a five hundred-bit fine! Is that clear?” he asked, looking back and forth between Trixie and Phoenix, pinning each with his glare in turn.

Phoenix sighed, sorry to see Trixie get off the hook but unable to refute The Judge’s reasoning. Still a nice change that The Judge is threatening someone other than just me! “Yes, Your Honor.”

“Understood,” Trixie grated out through briefly gritted teeth. With that, the mare magician turned her attention back to Gilda. “As you can see, witness… Trixie isn’t too happy with you or the Griffon Consulate right now,” she said in a surprisingly calm and mild tone that Phoenix could tell belied extreme anger; squinting, Phoenix thought for a moment that he could see the mare magician’s breath like she was surrounded by icy air.

That’s the second or third time that’s happened. Can’t be a coincidence, he somewhat idly noted, remembering from his reading that more powerful unicorns could manifest elemental magic when they were very upset or enraged. I’m pretty sure Twilight’s element is fire. Maybe Trixie’s is ice…?

“To make up for that… Trixie very much wants to watch Mister Wrong’s pathetic arguments flounder.” She gave Phoenix a brief and unpleasant grin. “So as the secret’s now out, tell them why you stayed in the forest that night, witness!” she ordered, finishing her sentence with some snap in her voice. “Do that, and you not only go free, but Mister Wrong and his pathetic excuse for a client go down!” she promised, causing Rainbow to audibly growl.

“Huh…” Gilda took on her own haughty pose, making an apathetic gesture with an upturned forepaw. “Since you put it like that, it would be my pleasure to tell you why I was there!” she said, settling back into the witness stand. “I’ll get in trouble back at work, but it’s worth it to make that blue hedgehog-head over there shut up!”

Phoenix stifled a grin at that. Hey, I LIKE playing the blue hedgehog! he thought, thinking of a popular video game crossover series Maya had gotten him hooked on, suddenly wondering what souvenirs he could bring Maya and Pearls from his stay in Equestria.

“Tell us, then, witness—what were you doing in that forest, and why didn’t you leave?” The Judge asked.

Gilda growled, but answered. “Blue Boy over there is right. I’m a courier for the Griffon Express,” she finally confirmed to an upsurge of whispers from the gallery, including an angry hiss in back of Phoenix that he thought might have come from Lenora. “That night, I had been coming in from the west into Ponyville after delivering some packages to Hoofington. And yes, that can be proven,” she added before Phoenix could ask. “Both towns were on my delivery schedule, which I can show you if you really want to see.”

“The prosecution can vouch for this as well,” Trixie spoke up. “We have said delivery schedule in our possession and can share it if the court wishes,” she said, being unusually placating after her close call with the contempt citation.

“The defense does not require such proof. Continue,” Phoenix invited. Not going off on a tangent unless it’s my own!

“Right. So I was on my way in from Hoofington. That’s when I—” she cleared her throat “—heard… the murder,” she took pains to clarify. “I dropped the perfume while I was chasing after Dash and couldn’t find it in the underbrush afterwards. We couldn’t afford to tell anyone I lost it—no one could know about this since the Griffon Express is supposed to be reliable and wants to expand its operations in Equestria,” she explained. “The new trade agreement they’re negotiating with Equestria is key to that, so the embassy wanted it kept quiet.”

“Sounds pretty unreliable, at least where you’re concerned!” Phoenix needled, deciding the volatile eagless was more likely to make mistakes when riled than when she was calm.

It worked a little too well, as Gilda suddenly reared up and let off a savage leonine roar that caused half the equine gallery to flinch back… and Phoenix to dive under his bench, having been given a severe flashback to the attack of the Timberwolves the previous day.

The Judge looked at the spot he had previously stood in disbelief while several equine snickers were heard from the gallery. “Mister Wright! Show some backbone!” The Judge ordered, taking up the questioning himself in Phoenix’s absence. “Why did you use the perfume on yourself, witness?”

“Because I was curious to know what one of those rich-pony perfumes smelled like! I just put on one spray! I didn’t think anybody would mind!” a freshly flustered Gilda answered, looking up at Lenora for support but not getting any, the blue-eyed griffon female giving her counterpart on the witness stand a slow, reproachful shake of her head.

“Howdy!” Phoenix reappeared in a shaky voice, having nearly gotten the trembling of his legs back under control.

“Back, Mister Wrong?” Trixie asked, sounding genuinely amused for the first time since early in the session.

“Eh… sorry, my shoes were untied,” he offered weakly, taking on his goofy expression again.

“Your shoes are slip-ons,” Trixie pointed out, causing Phoenix’s cheeks to flush again.

“Uh…” he stammered, his cheeks going red again to snickers from the audience. “This witness was caught red-hoofed stealing!” he pointed out with an upraised arm and pointed finger, trying to regain some of his lost authority.

“This is a trial for murder, not thievery!” Trixie quickly replied. “Trixie thinks the explanation she gave clears up why she lied. Trixie again offers her apologies to this court for any doubts the previously hidden information may have caused,” she announced grandly, hoof over her chest again.

“I do too! Now can I go?” Gilda asked The Judge. “Can’t I just retract everything I’ve said so far? I thought this would be quick!”

Phoenix experienced a moment of panic at that. “We can’t let her go! She has something to do with all this!” he insisted, his mind tying itself in knots trying to find the answer as to how.

“Now I see what you mean, Trixie. This dweeb just doesn’t know when to give up!” Gilda said in an aside, a smug note back in her voice.

Phoenix looked up sharply at that. “And I see you don’t know when to stop lying!”

Gilda pinned him with another menacing stare. “Oh, you want to start something, you pointy-haired pansy? These talons ain’t just for show, you know!” She flared her wings and flexed her claws in his direction, entering a half-crouch like she was ready to pounce.

“Uh… no… I… uh…” Phoenix stammered with a hand behind his head again, not really comforted by the several pony bailiffs stepping forward in case they were needed to protect him from her. Twilight, where ARE you? he mentally called for her, unable to keep himself from ducking under the desk once more.

Trixie started talking again as Phoenix clutched his head and took several deep breaths under his bench, trying valiantly to fight off the forest flashbacks that were doing their best to overcome him. “While you’re cowering like a frightened foal, consider this, Mister Wrong: The only thing you have on this witness is that she didn’t directly see the murder. Which doesn’t even matter in the long run,” the mare magician began.

“Trixie grants she didn’t see the lightning bolt hit the victim. But anyone who sees the flash of the bolt and then hears the boom followed by a scream—as she did—can certainly draw a safe conclusion as to what happened! She may be an earwitness as opposed to an eyewitness, but her testimony is no less authoritative for it!”

“Yeah, exactly!” Gilda piped up again while Phoenix was still indisposed. “Rainbow Dash killed that other pegasus with that storm cloud! I know she did!” she insisted, causing Rainbow herself to give a strangled sound, pulling at her restraints with renewed ferocity; Phoenix later thought he wouldn’t want to place odds on the outcome of a fight between the pair.

Trixie looked at her witness in fresh fury while Phoenix instantly perked up, having instinctively locked on to the contradiction the statement contained.

“Oops! You did it again, Gilda!” he announced, forcing himself to stand up straight again, ignoring the cold sweat that was covering him and the ongoing shaking of his knees. Wonder how much in therapy this place is going to cost me? he thought only half-jokingly, fearing he’d never truly be over what happened in the Everfree.

“Huh?”

“I’m doing my best to bail you out but you keep making things worse!” Trixie informed her, bringing a hoof down hard on her rail.

“WHAT DID I DO?” Gilda demanded to know.

“Let me fill you in, Gilda,” Phoenix offered with a smug grin, taking a quick swig of water from the glass in front of him and wiping his brow with Rarity’s handkerchief. Or should that be ‘hoofkerchief?’ “How did you know the victim was a pegasus?”

The griffon’s head shot around angrily to face Phoenix, pinning him with a glare once more. “Because, I…” she trailed off, her eyes going wide and feathered head starting to sweat again as she realized her mistake.

“His name hasn’t even been uttered to you yet, nor has the type of pony he was. He could have been a unicorn or earth pony for all you knew, and you’ve already admitted you didn’t get a good look at him—even before you said you were behind that tree we’ve now established you couldn’t see through!” Phoenix spelled it out, more for The Judge and the gallery than for her. He heard a fresh round of whispers coming from the ponies in the audience at that, catching part of at least one conversation where two mares were speculating openly whether Gilda had in fact committed the murder, their main proof being that they were meat-eaters and therefore couldn’t be trusted.

Despite his lingering unease, Phoenix was put off by that—I eat meat, does that mean I’M untrustworthy and capable of murder? “Then immediately afterwards, you said you chased Rainbow Dash. So, Gilda, I just want to know one thing: how did you know he was a pegasus?”

Gilda’s headfeathers were now completely matted down from sweat. “I-I… uh…” she stammered.

“Tell us now!” Trixie ordered sharply, to Phoenix’s momentary surprise. “I can’t believe you lied again after I got those penalties!” she added, causing Phoenix to roll his eyes.

This isn’t about YOU, Trixie! he wanted to tell her, wishing Edgeworth was there to witness her performance. He’d give her an earful after the trial, that’s for sure!

Gilda gave Trixie a disgusted look. “Oh, so now you’re turning on me? What a typical lame pony!” she said to unfriendly sounds from the gallery.

Trixie’s eyes narrowed. “’Lame Pony’? I’m not the one letting Ace Idiot over there get the best of me!” the mare magician retorted, casting Phoenix a contemptuous look.

Thwarted, Gilda rounded on Phoenix again, giving him her most ferocious and predatory glare. “That brings me to you, blueberry!” she said, lowering her head and flaring her wings at him, making her eyes glow their most ominous shade of orange. “You better watch your back from here on out! Because you’re officially pissing me off now!” she informed him, hoping to take some satisfaction from seeing the human lawyer cower under his bench again.

To her surprise, Phoenix closed his eyes only briefly before opening them again, lowering his own head and leaning over his rail to lock gazes with her, not a trace of fear in his eyes.

“I’m not afraid of you, Gilda. In fact, I think it’s quite the opposite, actually—I think you are afraid of me!” Phoenix grinned, showing his teeth, marveling at how easy it was to throw off his fright—he’d simply remembered Fluttershy standing up to the Timberwolves and imagined the shy pegasus was right there beside him, steeling him, envisioning her turning her stare on Gilda as he raised his own eyes to meet the griffon female’s.

Wow—who would have thought when I first met her that Fluttershy would be my rock and inspiration! he couldn’t help but note, realizing he now had one more thing to be grateful to her for.

Gilda gave a frustrated snort, not understanding why Phoenix was suddenly unintimidated by her.

“I actually share sentiments with the prosecution,” Phoenix announced, causing Trixie’s jaw to drop open, her eyes widening in surprise. “I don’t like your type—the ones who fib and lie to save their own hide. You bully and hurt others just to feel better about yourself and make life hard on prosecutors and defense attorneys alike.” It’s a peace offering, Trixie. Will you take it?

To little surprise, she didn’t. “Don’t you dare compare yourself to the GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie, Mister Wrong!” she said in an insulted tone. “That’s like comparing an ant to a hoof!”

“Oh my! A three-way tussle between the defense, prosecution and witness? How exciting!” The Judge remarked before catching himself, clearing his throat. “Er—I mean, ORDER!!!!” he demanded, banging his gavel down hard. “We are straying way off-topic!” he added, turning his gaze back to Gilda when he was satisfied he had the courtroom’s attention again.

“Witness, you have committed perjury on several occasions in your testimony now. While both you and the prosecution may have tried to justify it, lying is still lying!” he pronounced, to a series of loud and appreciative hoofclops from the gallery—coming from one pony in particular, Phoenix quickly recognized.

“You tell ‘er, yer honor!” Applejack called out from the audience, waving her Stetson hat appreciatively before getting shushed by a recovered Rarity.

“So what?” Gilda fell back on some attitude, ignoring Applejack’s outburst.

The Judge was unamused. “I’ll grant you one last chance to testify,” he offered, his eyes only briefly flickering towards Applejack in the stands. “But if you are caught lying again, you will be discredited as a witness! Your statements will be struck from the court record, and you will be taken away by the authorities for further questioning and held pending trial on perjury charges!” he warned, the tone of his voice informing Gilda and everypony else in the courtroom he was not making idle threats.

“N-no!” Gilda pleaded, a glimmer of fear in her eyes.

“It’s not so hard, Gilda. Just tell the truth,” Phoenix said in a slightly patronizing tone like he was speaking to a child that had lied about taking a piece of a candy. And that reminds me. I still need to talk to Pearls about who’s been raiding my office jelly bean jar!

“Oh, you are dead meat!!!!” Gilda threatened, flexing her talons and stepping out of the witness stand, starting to stalk towards him.

“Leave him alone!” Trixie ordered her formerly star witness before the bailiffs could intervene, flaring her horn beneath her hat to yank Gilda back into the witness box with her magic. “You’re the one who’s ‘dead meat’ if you attack him or lie again!”

Oh, how cute, she’s sticking up for me! Phoenix thought, starting to think that perhaps Trixie had some redeeming qualities after all. Remember, even Edgeworth started off as a bad guy!

“Besides, Mister Wrong is Trixie’s! He shall feel The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie’s wrath before this trial is over!” she promised, giving Phoenix an unpleasant grin.

Or not… Phoenix’s shoulders slumped, wondering if there was anything he could say or do that could get through to her. Even Franziska isn’t THAT pig-headed!

“Witness, you will testify how you knew the victim was a pegasus!” The Judge ordered, ending the exchange. “And for your own sake, tell the truth this time!” he further instructed, lowering his head and putting an ominous note in his voice.

Gilda rubbed her eyes with the back of her talons. “Ugh… I don’t believe this!” she said out loud, looking to Phoenix like she’d rather be anywhere else in Equestria at that moment.

Welcome to my world, Gilda! Phoenix allowed himself a brief grin. I just have to break one last testimony, and then I can not only discredit you, but prove Rainbow innocent in the process!

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on July 24, 2018.

Part 42 - Fluttershy: Lost and Found

Ponyville District Court
Lobby
June 11th, 10:32 AM

“Rainbow Dash, we need to talk…” was the last thing Twilight heard Phoenix say as she stepped out into the hallway and the door to the defendant waiting area closed behind her.

Yes, we do! Twilight agreed with her thoughts, hoping the human lawyer would give Rainbow Dash the third degree over what she had just done to Fluttershy. Save the fourth, fifth and sixth degrees for me, though! After we get Rainbow acquitted, I’m going to hug her and then I’m going to sit her down… and LECTURE her! She set her jaw, still hoping she wasn’t making a mistake by leaving Phoenix alone in the courtroom, vowing to return as soon as possible.

Once she turned the corner into the lobby, Twilight found herself having to fight through a crowd of ponies still waiting in line to get into the courtroom gallery. She would have teleported directly past them to get outside, but much like the Detention Center, the courthouse had an enchantment that prevented teleportation and certain other types of spellcasting as a security measure. Trying to push through the throng and not paying attention, she ran right into a large, deep red pegasus stallion with a darker red mane.

“Excuse me,” she said in clipped tones, her frustration growing as she tried to get past him.

“Oh! Hey, Twilight!” the stallion greeted her in some surprise. “Haven’t seen you in forever!”

Startled, she looked up. It took her a moment to place his voice and face, but once she did, her eyes lit up in delight. “Sergeant Delta!” she exclaimed, accepting a foreleg hug from him as she recognized him. A longtime and well-decorated veteran of the Royal Guard who bore the rarely-reached rank of Sergeant Major, Twilight had known him as a filly and had taken to him quite readily; he had been one of Princess Celestia's personal guard and had often been present when she had private lessons with her mentor, occasionally watching over Twilight himself when Celestia got called away to deal with various matters.

Unlike some of the other Guardsponies who tried to be as impersonal as possible, he’d been willing to talk with and even occasionally play with her, though he’d eventually been posted to Fort Spur as a trainer of new recruits and they’d lost touch as she grew older. “Forgive me for asking, but what are you doing here? And without your fur dye or armor?” she asked, not having recognized him without his soldier regalia or magically applied white fur color that was customary for military pegasi.

“A big race and a big case mean extra security, not all of which is supposed to be obvious,” Delta shrugged. “Actually, your brother sent me down here when the murder happened and told me to keep an eye on things,” he explained, unable to add he’d received additional instructions that morning to keep watch over both Twilight and the human lawyer representing Rainbow Dash as well—and not let either of them know. “So officially, I’m off-duty, here on leave to watch the race, but unofficially…”

“Right,” Twilight said somewhat shortly, renewing her vow to go see Shining Armor as soon as possible. “Listen, Delta… I’m really sorry to cut this short, but I’m currently looking for a friend of mine. Yellow pegasus with long pink hair; she flew out of here just a couple minutes ago. Did you see her?”

“Oh, you mean Fluttershy?” he suggested, causing her jaw to drop. “Don’t be so surprised, Twily. Of course I know of her; all the higher-ranked officers and NCOs know about the Elements of Harmony—and yourself,” he explained with a wry grin, deciding to leave out that her time as a fashion model had also made Fluttershy a very popular pony with the rank-and-file, pin-ups of her adorning many an enlisted locker. “But to answer your question, I think I did see her dart out of here. Flew out that window there,” he motioned with his head and pointed with a long red wing to an open window at the upper part of the atrium. “Only got a glimpse of her, but she seemed really unhappy. Is something wrong?” he asked with a look of concern on his face.

Twilight hesitated. “Well, nothing I hope can’t be rectified,” she said, her eyes distant and troubled. “But you’re right—she’s upset and I need to find her.”

This time, it was Delta’s turn to hesitate, torn between his duties to keep watch over Twilight and Phoenix, who were now split up. Well, between the bailiffs and other undercover agents, he should be safe enough in the courtroom, he finally decided. “Do you want me to come with you? I could help,” he suggested, flaring his large wings in offering.

She thought about it, wavering for a moment—his wings and sharp pegasus vision would certainly help her search, but… “No. Do me a favor and stay here to keep watch over Phoenix,” she requested, trying to keep the worry out of her voice. “He got ambushed in the Everfree yesterday and barely survived. And he’s got this bad habit of taking risks he shouldn’t.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he grinned, sketching her a salute though he was inwardly troubled by the news—it was the first he’d heard about an attack on the human lawyer, guessing it was the reason for the addendum to his orders. They might have mentioned that! “Good luck, Twi—both finding your friend and in the trial. After it’s over, let’s catch up before I leave, okay?”

“Promise,” she replied, reaching up to hug him with a foreleg again, dwarfed by his large form. As she left, trotting out the courthouse doors, Delta caught the eye of a small and slightly nondescript unicorn stallion across the hall, motioning with his eyes towards Twilight. He nodded and followed her out half a minute later.

Ponyville District Court
Courthouse Plaza
June 11th, 10:36 AM

Unaware of the other unicorn’s presence, Twilight stood on the stone stairwell outside the courthouse, scanning the sky and surrounding area below. But Fluttershy was nowhere to be seen, either on the ground or in the air. The plaza wasn’t its usual mill of activity, given that it wasn’t lunch hour yet with most ponies either at work or inside watching the trial, but there were at least a few about, tending vendor stalls or the clouds above.

Reaching the middle of the courtyard square, she took a deep breath. “FLUTTERSHY!” Twilight called out with a magically boosted shout, her voice echoing across the square and causing many ponies to turn towards her briefly in surprise.

But if Fluttershy heard her, she didn’t respond or appear. Maybe somepony saw her leave? Twilight fervently hoped as she approached the nearest market stall on the periphery of the plaza, one belonging to a flower vendor as it was decked out with various blooms, blossoms and bouquets.

She had expected one or more of Daisy, Roseluck or Lily Valley, the town florists, to be inside the booth, but was surprised to see a markedly different and somewhat larger pony there—a bright blue unicorn with a darker muzzle and a striped darker blue mane and tail that seemed to almost be in the style of Rarity’s, though she had a few more flourishes. Twilight started when she got closer and realized that the unfamiliar mare had a set of bright blue wings as well, folded against her sides.

She’s an… ALICORN? Twilight couldn’t help but gawk for a moment, Fluttershy briefly forgotten and not noticing the dark blue unicorn that passed behind her to visit an adjoining booth. “Excuse me, but are you… a princess?” she had to ask, wondering how in the name of Celestia there could be one she hadn’t heard of.

The florist chuckled at that, as if she was used to the question. “Not at all, sorry to disappoint you,” she corrected, flaring her wings in proud display. “I’m not an immortal princess, just a fortunate flowershop owner who happened to be born with both horn and wings,” she grinned.

“Oh,” Twilight blinked. She’d heard of natural born alicorns—sometimes called pegacorns—but they were a very rare hybrid that were not immortal and didn’t have anywhere near the power of the pony princesses. Resulting from a fusion of unicorn and pegasi blood where neither side proved dominant in expression of physical traits—an exceedingly unusual occurrence—they possessed the powers of both races but their abilities tended to be weaker than either; they were more magically limited than full-blooded unicorns and weaker flyers than most pegasi, possessing only limited control over clouds and weather. “Sorry to stare, then. I was just hoping you could help me,” she explained, trying to stop gawking.

“Of course…” the florist said amicably. “Anything for Celestia’s favorite student… and sister of Shining Armor.”

Twilight was caught off-guard by the statement. “I’m sorry. Have we met before?” She gave the other mare an askance look, certain she would have remembered meeting such an unusual pony. Even aside from her appearance, something seemed… off about her, but Twilight wasn’t sure what.

“Not directly. My name is Drifting Rose,” the blue pegacorn said with an odd, even coy smile. “I am but a humble florist who specializes in romantic bouquets and growing courtship flowers of every color, in service of the lovestruck and lovelorn,” she recited, referring to an old pony custom of mares offering stallions they courted and their prospective herdmates a flower in a color that matched their coat in order to indicate their interest.

“My business is based in Canterlot and I know of you from there, Twilight Sparkle, having seen you in the company of the Princess and the Captain of the Guard many times before,” she explained easily. “As I do most years, I decided to temporarily move my store to take advantage of the race crowd. Which this year, just happens to be in Ponyville,” she added, her odd smile coming back.

“Oh, I see…” Twilight said. “My apologies, then.”

“Quite all right. So tell me, Twilight Sparkle… how may I be of service? Is there some floral arrangement I could interest you in? I can alter this purple iris to perfectly match your eyes, mane and coat color if you have a stallion suitor you would like to court?” she suggested in a strangely eager voice. As she flared her horn to levitate the iris before her, Twilight couldn’t help but notice her mostly-blue aura had a mild greenish tinge to it, slightly incongruous with the rest of her appearance. “Hmmm…?” Drifting Rose prompted with a raised eyeridge and expectant look, theatrically raising the bloom to her nose when her prospective customer didn’t immediately respond.

Twilight blushed at that, a sudden and strangely compelling image of Phoenix wearing such a flower nearly causing her to lose her balance. “N-not right now, thanks,” she begged off, fighting off a surprisingly strong urge to buy the bloom on the spot. “Actually, I’m, uh, looking for a friend of mine,” she struggled to regain her focus, not understanding why her mind suddenly seemed so clouded, filled with thoughts—and fantasies—of Phoenix. “Did you see a yellow pegasus with pink mane and tail flee the courthouse?” she forced herself to ask, desperately ignoring the decidedly blushworthy images now flowing freely through her head.

Surprised and appearing a little disappointed by the question, the mare furrowed her brow. “I believe I did, actually. She flew out over the plaza, but I’m afraid I didn’t take much more note of her other than that. She was heading north, if that helps,” she said. “I can tell you were interested in this flower, though. Even if you can’t accept it now, would you like me to preserve it for you to pick up later?” Drifting Rose offered hopefully, theatrically bringing it up to her nose to sniff.

“Y-yes!” Twilight stammered before she could even think about it, flaring her horn to slap a couple bits down on the counter before tearing herself away and quickly trotting off, trying very hard not to let her aura turn pink. By the time she had made it thirty feet away, her mind started to settle down again, the thoughts and fantasies fading, leaving her rubbing her temples in confusion.

What the hay HAPPENED back there? she wondered with a glance back at the florist booth as the hot haze cleared from her head, but Drifting Rose was already attending another customer. I was just about ready to…! she couldn’t finish the thought, suddenly relieved Phoenix hadn’t been there with her, not certain she could have restrained herself if he was. After staring back at the stall for a moment, she reluctantly turned away and trotted off, deciding it was a mystery for another time.

Ponyville Park
South Entrance
June 11th, 10:47 AM

Odd little diversion, but now back to the matter at hoof—where is Fluttershy? Twilight asked herself again as she exited the plaza area.

Taking a page from Phoenix, she decided to try looking at the problem from a different angle, putting herself in Fluttershy’s hooves. I’m Fluttershy and I’m very upset. I fly off north from the courthouse. Where would I be going? What lies in that direction? What do I want to do? she asked herself, sitting down not far outside the grandstands construction site and pondering the question, ignoring her growing anxiety over being away from the trial and Phoenix.

She looked up as something occurred to her. Now that I think about it… Fluttershy wouldn’t have flown over here by the starting line, with so many ponies about. No, she’d avoid crowds and seek out solitude… and maybe her animal friends? she reasoned, picking up her pace into a canter as she realized the nearest place to do that was Ponyville Park, not far to the northwest.

Noting but otherwise ignoring what she thought might have been another teleport somewhere ahead of her, Twilight arrived at the park’s south entrance a minute later to find it already darkening under a cloud being assembled by the Ponyville weather team.

Looking up into the gathering gloom, she spotted a familiar face—a young, dark purple pegasus colt with black mane that looked like he’d be right at home as one of Princess Luna’s personal guard, though Twilight had heard the as-yet reclusive Princess of the Night preferred the bat-winged and cat-eyed thestral ponies for such postings. “Hey! Quick Shift!” she called out, magically enhancing her voice to make sure it carried far enough.

Looking down, the young weather colt smiled and immediately swooped down to greet her. “Hey, Twilight!” he greeted her, hovering in front her for a moment before his smile disappeared in some confusion. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at Rainbow Dash’s trial?”

That’s what I keep asking MYSELF! Twilight grimaced. “No, the trial is late starting, and there was an… incident. Anyway, to make a long story short, I’m looking for Fluttershy. She flew out of the courthouse about ten minutes ago in roughly this direction, and she was very upset. She might have been heading for the park. Have you or anypony else in the weather patrol seen her?”

He shook his head apologetically. “I haven’t, sorry. But I can’t say I was looking for her, either. Let me grab the rest of the morning shift and see if they have,” he offered, flying back up towards the dozen-pony team that was assembling clouds for a shower over the park and north side of town. Her heart sank when he came down a minute later and shook his head again. “Sorry, Twilight. You’ll understand if our attention has kind of been up here. We have to tend to this shower, but we’ll be sure to watch out for her,” he promised. “When you see Rainbow, tell her we’re all rooting for her, okay?”

“Will do,” she acknowledged, bumping his hoof. “Listen, Quick Shift—is there any way you could delay the shower, say about fifteen minutes? I need to finish searching the park.”

He considered that. “I’ll have to ask Thunderlane, since he’s in charge, but it shouldn’t be a problem,” the young weather colt promised. “Good luck, Twilight!” he wished her before returning to his work.

She thanked him and moved on, knowing that even if she was granted the delay, it wasn’t really enough. It could take her nearly an hour to thoroughly search the park, leaving her wondering if she was wasting her time and where else her upset friend might have sought refuge. Her cottage? That’d be a haul for her. She doesn’t like flying long distances. And short of teleporting, it’d take me half an hour to get there, look around and get back. Celestia only knows what could happen in the trial during that time… she thought, feeling more and more torn, desperate to find Fluttershy but equally anxious to return to the courthouse and be at Phoenix’s side.

Sitting down in frustration, Twilight considered her options. She could teleport the distance to Fluttershy’s house and back, but to do so over such a long distance would use up a significant portion of her power. And she had a strange feeling she was going to need that power before all was said and done. No, I need to stay close to the courthouse. And I still think the park is my best bet, she decided, moving deeper into it, granting herself ten more minutes to search with.

She had nearly reached the bridge when she once again detected a teleport somewhere ahead of her; a strangely muted flash of magical energy that disappeared almost as quickly as it began, leaving her little sense of the unicorn behind it. That’s three times, now! she realized, starting to think she was being followed, stretching her magical awareness out in that direction but finding nothing.

Ponyville Park
Central Gardens
June 11th, 10:52 AM

Twilight gradually moved deeper into the park, occasionally calling Fluttershy’s name and hoping Quick Shift was as good as his word; that the weather team would hold off on the rain just a bit longer. Being a work and schoolday—to say nothing of the trial and looming shower—there weren’t many ponies about, but two in particular lounging in the grass under a tree caught her eye.

The first was a pegasus mare; an innkeeper she knew of by the name of Chrome. She had a two-tone tail of light and dark blue, her coat and wing color a middle hue between them with lilac eyes and she had an unusual hobby—alchemy. A rare pegasus practitioner of the arcane art, one developed by earth ponies to make up for their lack of magic, she offered alchemic services from her inn; Twilight had even availed herself of them once or twice, when she required items or reagents she couldn’t easily obtain for her own experiments.

With Chrome was another figure, an indigo-furred unicorn stallion with a fiery mane and tail. An architect and inventor with a secondary talent in writing, he was sitting by Chrome and marking up a piece of scroll paper with a quill dipped in red ink. That’s Firesight! she recognized in surprise, amazed he was out and about so soon after…

“Firesight! Chrome!” she called to them, causing both to look up in some surprise of their own as she cantered up.

“Twilight!” Chrome called back, while Firesight remained silent, offering only a closed-mouth nod of acknowledgement and a weak grin—understandable, given what had so recently happened to him. “Twilight, what are you doing here? The trial isn’t over already, is it?” she asked in some alarm.

Twilight couldn’t help but wince at that, reminded yet again that there was somewhere else she very much needed to be. “Hey, guys. Trial was delayed. Sorry to bother you, but have either of you seen Fluttershy?” she asked.

The pair looked at each other only to shake their heads; when she got a look at Firesight from the side, she could see that his jaw was now jutting forward a bit and there was noticeable swelling in his cheeks. Ow…Twilight winced, amazed at what he had put himself through—having his jaw surgically and magically advanced to open up his airway and relieve his long-time sleep apnea. Well, when you can’t sleep, I suppose desperation is a HAY of a motivator!

“Sorry. Should we have?” Chrome asked for both of them after a glance at Firesight.

Twilight sighed and rubbed the back of her head. “No,” she admitted, feeling like she was getting nowhere and was running out of time for both Fluttershy and Phoenix. “Just do me a favor—if you see her, please tell her to come back to the courthouse? And if it’s not too much trouble, escort her there. She’s very upset, and I’m worried about her.”

“We’ll spread the word, Twilight,” Chrome promised with a nod. “Oh, and you should come by my inn before too long. I’ve got a couple new alchemy items you might be interested in,” she offered. “My business is starting to take off. Firesight here has been nice enough to help me with the advertising materials,” she said with a nod to the unicorn sitting next to her.

“I will, promise,” Twilight said. With that, she turned to Firesight, deciding it would be impolite not to ask. “How are things with you, Firesight?” she wanted to know. “Your surgery—did it work?”

His grin answered for him; for a moment she thought she saw tears in his espresso-colored eyes. And then to her surprise, he opened his mouth fractionally and spoke, though his normally deep voice was muffled and distorted, sounding like he was talking through his teeth and a mouthful of cotton.

“It worked,” he confirmed, giving her some appreciation of how much effort it was for him to speak—he had to pull back his lips to do so, showing his jaw sealed shut with a series of glowing wires and elastic bands—they’d clearly been reinforced with magic to make sure he couldn’t open his muzzle for the duration. “Sorry I can’t really help with a search, but I get tired easily and don’t have much magic to work with right now. Already sick of the liquid diet, too,” he added, rubbing his cheek ruefully and nodding to the glass filled with something beside him; it was an orange-yellow pulp that left her little idea of what it once was.

Twilight nodded in sympathy, knowing how hard it was for a unicorn to go through something like he had—having his jaw magically and surgically advanced to relieve his long-time sleep apnea. Unicorn magic tended to automatically resist a body alteration like he had attempted; they had to have their magic suppressed by potion or spell for weeks afterwards to keep their aura from trying to undo it until their body healed in the new configuration and finally accepted the change.

“Well, come by the library some time, and we’ll see if we can’t find some smoothie recipes for you,” she invited, though she knew that even with all the potions he was taking and the assistance of his doctors, he had a long way to go. Fourteen weeks with little magic and mostly liquid diet? I can’t even imagine!

“Thanks,” he said in a heartfelt tone, accepting a hug from her.

“Good luck finding Fluttershy,” Chrome added, the pair packing up and heading back towards Chrome’s Bannered Mare Inn as the skies got more threatening. Twilight estimated that even with her requested delay, there were only about five minutes left before they opened up, and she picked up her pace in worry.

If I can’t find Fluttershy before then— She suddenly frowned, her thought cut short—there it was again, a strangely muted burst of magical energy she recognized as a short-range teleport, and once more it had come from somewhere ahead of her, as if somepony was tracking her but trying to stay out front and out of sight.

Okay. Somepony’s definitely following me. But why? she wanted to know, looking ahead but seeing nothing, straining her magical senses but still unable to detect the unicorn behind it. They can mask their aura? That unicorn’s good, whoever they are, she granted, trying to tune her magical awareness to the teleports. But what if I force them to try to keep up? She turned away and trotted off in a different direction, calling to Fluttershy again for effect.

Half a minute later, the muted magic burst happened again but this time she was ready and pinned down the exact location.

GOTCHA! she thought with a triumphant grin, charging a restriction spell and teleporting to the spot herself. When she materialized, she found herself face to face with a startled dark blue unicorn stallion, his surprise redoubled when she cast her prepared spell and dissipated his half-formed invisibility shroud, preventing him from teleporting away. Her aura now holding him in place three feet off the ground and restraining his magic, she approached him, a stern and angry look on her face.

“Okay. Who are you and why are you following me?” Twilight demanded to know, angry at being pulled from her search for Fluttershy again.

Her dark blue male counterpart gaped at her, realizing she had him dead to rights and marveling at her abilities. Damn… she really IS the Element of Magic! “My name is Night Storm,” he told her, deciding there was no point in holding back the truth. “Apologies, but I have orders to keep an eye on you. I mean you no harm,” he assured her, not even certain he could harm her after what he’d witnessed her do. “Would you let me down, please?”

“Keep an eye on me? On whose orders?” Twilight demanded to know, ignoring his request.

He hesitated only briefly. “Captain Shining Armor’s,” he finally admitted, causing her eyes to go wide. “I’m part of an undercover team sent down here from Canterlot to provide security for the race and trial. And being part of the trial, that includes you, Miss Sparkle,” he informed her. “I was instructed to watch over you and keep out of sight. My special talent is stealth and I didn’t think you could detect me teleporting or see through my invisibility spell. Not many ponies can,” he admitted in some embarrassment, deciding not to tell her that he’d in fact followed her all morning before the trial while she was taking her human lawyer to and fro.

She glared at him for a moment before releasing him from her aura, letting him drop several feet to the ground. “Well, as I hope you can plainly see, I can take care of myself!” she told him, aggravated anew at being treated like a helpless foal and resolving she’d have some choice words for her brother next time she saw him, annoyed that he would assign her bodyguards without telling her. Wonder what ELSE he hasn’t told me about? “So I’d appreciate if you stop tailing me.”

He gave her a wary look as he landed back on his hooves, stumbling slightly before drawing himself up straight again. “I’m afraid I can’t, Miss Sparkle. As of this morning, our orders are to watch over both you and Mister Wright,” he insisted. “Will you permit me to accompany you back to the courthouse, at least?”

She shot him another look. “I’m out here searching for a friend. If you want to help with that, wonderful, but if not? Just go away!” she pinned him with a stare, her eyes glowing red in warning for a moment. His eyes going wide at her fiery glare, he reluctantly obeyed, teleporting out. Her senses attuned, she felt him rematerialize about a hundred yards away, but decided that as long as he wasn’t hindering her, that was good enough.

Ponyville Park
North Grounds
June 11th, 10:59 AM

Now, if there are no more distractions? Twilight resumed her search of the park, ignoring the lowering cloud base and cool, moisture-laden breeze that was getting steadily stronger. But two minutes later, she realized her self-imposed time limit was up.

“Fluttershy!” she called out one last time, but there was still no response. Sighing, Twilight decided she’d done all she could and turned back towards the courthouse, her head low. Maybe she just doesn’t want to be found right now. Can hardly blame her after what happened; I doubt there’s anypony in Equestria who could cheer her up right now or—

“Hey, Twilight!” A familiar, bubbly voice called to her.

Twilight turned in surprise as Pinkie Pie came bounding up to her. “Whatcha doin’ out here? Shouldn’t you be at the trial?” she asked in her usual cheerful manner, a trio of pastry boxes precariously yet perfectly balanced on her back.

“Like you?” Twilight answered slightly irritably, sitting back down in frustration. “Why aren’t you at the trial yourself, Pinkie? Did you sleep in or something?”

Pinkie didn’t even blink. “Sleep in? Of course not, silly! I just had to help the Cakes through the breakfast rush! And then I needed time to get a fresh batch of food ready for everypony!” she said, looking over her shoulder to the boxes on her back. “Can’t watch a courtroom drama without party snacks, you know!” she insisted, taking a cupcake out of its box and stuffing it in Twilight’s mouth before she could protest.

Forced to chew and swallow it, Twilight found the confection as delectable as ever, feeling her mood lightening as the flavor and sugar started to soak into her. “You could have made them last night,” she suggested around her full cheeks.

Pinkie Pie looked shocked at the suggestion. “Serve day-old cupcakes?” she repeated in an aghast tone. “NEVER!”

Twilight chuckled a bit, deciding that Pinkie’s priorities, like her thought processes, were in a world all their own. “Thanks, but I’m out here looking for Fluttershy. Rainbow yelled at her and Fluttershy left the courthouse crying,” she told Pinkie, her expression going downcast again.

“Oh!” Pinkie said in surprise. “So the trial hasn’t started yet?”

“There was a delay; it was only about to start just as I was leaving,” Twilight admitted with some worry. “But that was over twenty minutes ago.”

Pinkie wore a rare troubled look at that. “Twilight… you need to get back to the courthouse,” she said, sounding uncharacteristically serious. “Feenie’s going to need you, and soon.”

“But Fluttershy…” Twilight protested with tears in her eyes, more torn than ever. “She’s out here upset and alone, and if somepony doesn’t find her…”

“I will!” Pinkie instantly replied. “I’ll find her and make sure she’s okay. I Pinkie Promise!” she gave her namesake oath. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” she recited, ending with smooshing one of her own cupcakes into her right eye before licking it clean with her impossibly long tongue.

Twilight couldn’t help but giggle at the sight. Trust Pinkie to always get a laugh—and keep her promises! “Thanks, Pinkie. But when you find her, bring her to the courthouse, okay? I want her there so we can sit her down with Rainbow afterwards and hopefully get them talking again.”

“Okie dokie lokie! See you later, Twilight!” She waved goodbye as Twilight teleported back for the courthouse in a flash of light, helped along by the sugar rush already taking hold of her.

Pinkie watched her go, a smile on her face before turning her thoughts to the problem at hoof, setting her boxes down on a picnic table and contemplating the situation. “Have to find Fluttershy. But where to start...?” she wondered before getting a sudden idea, a lamppost capped with a jar full of fireflies suddenly lighting over her head in response to the gathering darkness of the overhead storm cloud. With that, she ducked behind a tree…

And instantly reappeared at Fluttershy’s cottage, popping up from the cushions of her living room sofa, causing the various animals there—squirrels, chipmunks and bunnies—to scatter in fright from where they had been gathered in the middle of the room, diving for various hidey-holes and other concealment.

“Hey Fluttershy!” Pinkie called as she emerged, only to receive no response except the nervous chittering of her various animals. “Hey Angel! Is Fluttershy here?” she asked Fluttershy’s pet rabbit eagerly, who she noted was wearing a visor like a card dealer, the remains of a poker game scattered in front of him, strewn cards and knocked over snacks and chip stacks all over the short table.

The white bunny rabbit looked slightly freaked at Pinkie’s sudden appearance—and guilty at having been caught playing cards—but shook his head sharply, adding some kind of chirping explanation. “Oh! She left for court this morning and hasn’t been back since? I see!” Pinkie took on a pondering expression like she’d seen Feenie use. “Guess she’s elsewhere, then. Thanks!” she said, before sinking back into the cushions. “Oh, and Angel?” she reappeared briefly, causing the small bunny to start again. “Next time you have a poker party, be sure and invite Gummy too!” she told him, disappearing again before he could respond.

Next, she searched Sweet Apple Acres, calling Fluttershy’s name as she flitted from the orchards to the cellar to the underside of Granny Smith’s rocking chair, the napping elder Apple never waking or noticing Pinkie’s head sticking out from under the base. “Can’t find Fluttershy anywhere. Maybe I should ask somepony!” With that, she ducked back under the rocking chair only to reappear in a cart full of watermelons being pulled by Big Macintosh.

“Hey, Big Mac!” She hopped on his back. “Have you seen Fluttershy around?”

The big red stallion didn’t even blink or break stride despite Pinkie Pie suddenly standing on him. “Nope,” he said around his ever-present hayseed.

“Oh! Well, thanks anyway!” She grinned, helping herself to a melon out of his cart, breaking it in half and consuming the deliciously sweet fruit inside before tossing the rinds into the nearby pig pen and diving into the bushes.

She next appeared in Rarity’s house, emerging from under her inspiration room carpet… and directly under where Opalescence was sleeping, causing Rarity’s pet cat to leap up in surprise and fright, the well-groomed white feline suddenly hanging by her claws from the ceiling, back fur and tail puffed out, looking freaked. “Oh! Sorry about that, Opie! Just looking for Fluttershy! Did she come in here?” Pinkie asked.

Opalescence’s only answer was a hiss and swipe of her claws… which made her lose her grip and fall back down somewhat awkwardly to the floor, after which she bolted from the room and ran for Rarity’s bedroom to hide under the bed.

Okay. So Fluttershy’s not at her home, she’s not at Rarity’s or Applejack’s, and she wouldn’t be at the library because she’d know it’s locked right now with Twilight and Spike at the courthouse. She doesn’t seem to want company right now, so where would she go…? Pinkie wondered aloud, producing a bubble-blowing pipe and donning a brown plaid deerstalker cap as she pondered the question, looking out the second-floor window of Rarity’s inspiration room. Abruptly, she made a snapping sound with her hoof. “I’ve got it!” she exclaimed, disappearing behind a window curtain…

And reappearing back in the park where she began, coming out from under the picnic table she’d left her cupcake boxes on. “I’m such a silly filly! She’d come right here to the park! She’d want to avoid ponies but be somewhere with animals! And I know just the place she’d go!”

Ponyville Park
West Grotto
June 11th, 11:03 AM

Balancing the cupcake boxes on her back again, Pinkie Pie disappeared behind a bench only to reappear behind an identical one much further up the path; glancing up at the cloud deck, she realized the rain would be starting soon and she needed to find Fluttershy quickly.

Following a wooded trail from there, she soon heard a faint sobbing coming from a secluded grotto on the western end of the park. Little more than an isolated alcove sitting above the junction of two streams, the grotto was protected and shielded from both air and ground view by an overhead tree canopy and a series of vine-and-flower-wound trellises.

A more secluded section of an extended bird and butterfly sanctuary on the western end of the park, it was a place Pinkie knew that Fluttershy had taken refuge in before when company or pressure had gotten to be too much. THERE she is! Pinkie thought in satisfaction as she rounded the corner of the trail, though her smile quickly dropped when she recognized how upset and anguished her friend truly was.

“Fluttershy?” Pinkie called as she entered the grotto, half-trotting and half-bounding up to her friend. She was a mess—her normally beautiful mane and tail in disarray, long flowing pink hair filled with leaves and brambles; her face and feathers covered in dirt and grass from where they had been pressed into the bare ground. There were a few animals there as well, mostly birds and butterflies but also a ferret and rabbit or two, sitting at her side, trying to comfort her.

“P-Pink-ie?” she said in some surprise, her teal eyes watery and bloodshot.

“Hey, Fluttershy! What’s wrong? Pinkie asked in genuine concern.

“R-Rainbow s-said she hates me!” Fluttershy finally managed, bursting out into tears again. “She said it’s m-my fault sh-she’s going to be banished! Sh-she said she never wants to see me again!” Fluttershy wailed anew, burying her face in the ground.

“Hey! Hey…” Pinkie soothed her, putting down the boxes and pulling her distraught friend up into an embrace, reaching with a hoof into a random tree trunk that had a hole in it to pull out a large hoofkerchief. Despite her sorrow, Fluttershy looked surprised by that. “Oh, this? I have these stashed all over Equestria!” Pinkie said as if that was all the explanation needed, dabbing her friend’s eyes and trying to clean off some of the leaves and grass that had stuck to the wet fur on her cheeks.

There was a sudden flash followed by a low rumble of thunder overhead, causing Fluttershy to flinch and Pinkie to look up in concern—a single stroke of lightning was the usual announcement from the weather team that their work was complete and the rain was about to begin. “Oh, d-dear,” Fluttershy fretted as the animals scattered, taking cover in their nests and dens.

“Not to worry! I’ve got that covered, too!” Pinkie Pie proclaimed with a grin, reaching into the tree again, this time to pull out a large beach umbrella and opening it up over them both just as the first fat raindrops reached the earth, reaching back with a hind hoof to pull the cupcake boxes beneath the umbrella as well. “But no point in hanging around here, is there?” Without waiting for a reply, Pinkie closed the umbrella over them both and when she opened it again, Fluttershy was shocked to realize they were now in Pinkie’s upstairs room in Sugar Cube Corner.

“But… h-how?” Fluttershy looked around in disbelief, her sorrow momentarily forgotten.

Pinkie acted like she hadn’t heard the question. “Now let’s get you cleaned up. Oh, and—Mister Cake?” she called downstairs.

“What is it Pinkie?” the orange-furred stallion co-owner of the shop responded, appearing at the bottom of the stairwell. “I thought you were off to the trial!”

“I was, but a friend needed me. Could you get a bear claw special and a sarsaparilla float ready? It’s for Fluttershy and it’s on me!” she told him.

“Oh. Okay, sure,” he replied, walking off to the kitchen while Pinkie put the cupcake boxes aside and dragged Fluttershy over to her bathroom, putting her mildly protesting friend in the tub. Turning on the showerhead to rinse off the worst of the dirt, she soon added some bubble bath and started cleaning up her friend’s face with a wet washcloth and strawberry-scented pink soap, following up by turning the shower off and working some shampoo into her disheveled mane. As Pinkie Pie tended her, Fluttershy found herself starting to cry again, the unconditional love of one friend clashing hard in her wounded psyche with the abject rejection of another.

Pinkie’s expression softened as she heard her friend start to hiccup again. “Hey—it’s okay, Fluttershy,” she told the other mare more gently, hugging her again despite her wet fur and sudsy covering. Fluttershy embraced her back, sobbing softly into her friend’s sweet-smelling mane. “I promise Dashie doesn’t hate you, even if she thinks she does. You’ve been friends for way too long. She can’t hate you!”

Fluttershy’s lip quivered, tears rolling down her cheeks. “B-but she said she d-did! And that if she was banished, it would be m-my fault!” she sniffled again.

Pinkie shook her head, forcing Fluttershy to meet her big blue-eyed gaze. “She won’t be banished. Feenie will see to that! And besides, Dashie’s good at saying things when she’s mad that she doesn’t mean,” Pinkie added, sounding surprisingly certain. “Repeat after me, Fluttershy: ‘Dashie doesn’t hate me’,” she directed as she brushed the brambles out of her friend’s mane.

“Dashie d-doesn’t… h-hate me…” Fluttershy hiccupped slightly as she said the words, wanting desperately to believe them.

“That’s right! And in fact, she needs you!” Pinkie further told her, turning the showerhead back on to rinse her off.

“Needs me? B-but… I only m-made things worse!” she sniffled again, closing her eyes as the warm stream washed over her. “I testified that I saw her leave the forest. And n-now she hates me for that!” Fluttershy admitted, tears starting to flow again.

Pinkie stopped and looked Fluttershy directly in the eye. “Did you see her leave the forest?” she asked with a slightly sideways look.

Fluttershy looked guilty. “Well, y-yes, but…”

“But nothing, kiddo,” Pinkie told Fluttershy as she finished rinsing her. “You told the truth, like you were supposed to, right?”

“W-well… yes…”

“And what would Element-of-Honesty Applejack have said if you didn’t?”

Fluttershy blinked at that, surprised by how serious her normally irreverent friend had turned. “I… I…” she knew the answer but didn’t know how to reply.

“Exactly!” Pinkie said cheerfully as she turned off the water and began to dry her friend using a fluffy pink towel. “So you can bet AJ’s gonna let Dashie have it when she hears about this! And you know Rares will have words with her too…” her voice trailed off, and when it resumed, her smile had vanished and there was an ominous note in her voice. “Never mind what Twilight will do…”

Fluttershy visibly gulped at that. “You don’t mean…” her eyes widened as Pinkie gave a very grim nod. “Sh-She’ll… lecture Rainbow?” she shuddered, speaking in a tone of pure horror—even after as mean as Rainbow had been, surely she didn’t deserve… that!

“You got it! And you and I don’t want to be anywhere nearby when that happens!” Pinkie said with a rare shudder of her own, still blotting her friend dry with the towel.

Fluttershy considered that. “But… what will you do, Pinkie?” she wanted to know, her emotions starting to settle down.

Pinkie just shrugged. “Me? I’ll do what I always do—make sure there’s plenty of food and friends there! It’s not my job to scold; it’s my job to make sure we all smile and laugh and make up afterwards, and what better way than to throw a party and serve up some rainbow-frosted treats?”

“Um… okay,” Fluttershy said uncertainly. “Oh, but… please invite Mister Phoenix, too?” she requested.

“Yup-yup!” Pinkie confirmed eagerly as she discarded the towel and began to comb Fluttershy’s mane and tail back out into their usual flowing state, leaving the latter marveling at how fast her friend could work. “He’ll be there! In fact, I’m already planning to throw Feenie one of my Extra Super-Duper Special parties before he has to leave!”

“Oh my,” Fluttershy blushed at the memory of the last such party Pinkie had thrown. She still had no idea how much cider she’d had or how Pinkie had gotten her up on stage to sing Karaoke, let alone how she’d ended up sleeping in a bathtub with a shower curtain as a blanket, waking up the next morning with a severe hangover and flowers in her mane…

To say nothing of an equally hung-over Aloe and Lotus snuggled up against her, neither of whom remembered what happened the previous night any more than she did. Better not have so much of Pinkie’s super-special party punch next time, she decided, standing still and letting her friend finish restoring her to rights.

Sugar Cube Corner
Dining Area
June 11th, 11:12 AM

A minute later, Fluttershy was fully cleaned up and allowed Pinkie to lead her downstairs. Her snack was ready and waiting for her at a small two-pony table; her favorite bear claw pastry and drink sitting on a platter, Mrs. Cake drizzling a little hot glaze over the former.

Grinning, Pinkie gave her friend another hug. “Eat up, okay? When you’re done, we’ll head over to the courthouse together!” she promised, bounding back upstairs to clean her bathroom.

“Okay,” Fluttershy said in a very quiet voice before taking a seat at the table, the sweet smell of her favorite pastry calling to her. She ate slowly at first, letting the warm, gooey liquid, the flaky, nutty crust and the sweet filling soak into her tongue, the combination of the familiar food and Pinkie’s heartfelt attention helping to soothe her aching heart. Glancing around, she noticed a couple new faces in the store, giving her a curious look. She looked away in response, uncomfortable with their scrutiny, partially hiding her face behind her pink bangs.

She was further discomfited when one of them—a young and small earth pony mare with a lilac coat, light-blue-and-violet mane, lavender eyes and a crescent moon cutie mark—somewhat tentatively approached her. “Excuse me,” she spoke up. “I’m so sorry to disturb you, but… are you Fluttershy?” she wanted to know, asking the question in a voice almost as quiet and reserved as Fluttershy’s own.

Fluttershy nodded shyly but did not speak or look up.

“I’m Moonlight Flower,” she introduced herself somewhat shyly. “I’ve come to Ponyville on… family business. And to watch the race, but I ended up going with my friends to watch the trial yesterday. I saw you in court then,” she said, taking the seat across the table from her, looking down at her hooves a little awkwardly. “I just wanted to say—I thought you were very brave.”

Fluttershy looked startled at that. “B-brave?” she repeated, raising her head to meet the newcomer’s eyes for the first time.

“Yes,” the almost-equally timid earth pony mare replied. “I could see how hard it was for you to be there,” she shuddered. “I know how hard it would be for me. It took courage for you to go down there and testify like that. I immensely admire you for it,” she added.

“Oh. Um… well… thank you,” Fluttershy offered, not sure what else to say. Brave? ME? she thought as she raised her glass to her muzzle again, reflecting on how terrified she’d been during her testimony.

“You’re welcome. I couldn’t imagine having to endure all that attention and questioning. And that’s to say nothing of what that awful alien lawyer did to you.” Moonlight’s eyes narrowed in anger.

Fluttershy reacted with a vehemence that surprised even her, slamming her glass back down and causing some of her drink to slosh out. “Don’t ever speak that way about Mister Phoenix! He’s not awful! He’s—” she caught herself when she saw the smaller pony draw back in surprise, her eyes wide. “He only did it to buy time to help Rainbow Dash. He already apologized to me and I forgave him for it,” she explained, hoping that would be enough.

Moonlight Flower was very surprised, staring at Fluttershy in disbelief. “You forgave him?” she asked again, as if certain she’d misheard.

“Yes!” Fluttershy responded, her voice getting stronger. “He was just doing what he had to in order to help Rainbow. My friend,” she said, trying not to think again about what her longtime friend had said to her. Rainbow doesn’t hate me. Rainbow doesn’t hate me… she repeated to herself like a mantra, deciding to change the subject. “But, um… the trial is still going on. Why aren’t you there today?” Fluttershy wanted to know, sipping on her drink again.

The young earth pony dropped her head at that. “I couldn’t go back. Not after seeing you accused like that,” she replied in a very quiet voice. “It was too hard to watch. I can’t bear to see ponies treated that way,” she explained, her eyes moist. “And if you could forgive that ‘Phoenix Wright’ after what he did? I admire you even more.”

Fluttershy’s heart went out to Moonlight Flower, seeing some of herself in the young earth pony. With that, she pushed the plate with the uneaten half of her bear claw across the table. “Here,” she offered. “Try it. It’s quite good.”

Surprised, the smaller pony did so, her eyes widening and then narrowing at the flavor. “It is!” she agreed, starting to push the plate back. “Thanks for the taste.”

“Please. Take the rest,” Fluttershy told her, blocking the earth pony’s hoof and keeping the plate in front of her. “I need to get going and shouldn’t eat any more.”

Moonlight grinned gratefully at that. “You’re very kind,” she told her new friend, not understanding why Fluttershy gave a bashful smile back. “I can’t stay either, but I wish your friend luck in her trial. And I hope we can talk again before I leave,” she said, picking up the plate in her mouth and taking it back to her original table.

“Feeling better, dear?” a visibly pregnant Mrs. Cake asked after Moonlight left, topping off her drink with more soda.

Fluttershy nodded, managing a shy but grateful grin. “Yes, thank you.”

“That’s good! It’s like I always say—tasty food makes everypony feel better,” she pronounced, giving Fluttershy an affectionate peck on the cheek. “Well. Almost everypony,” she conceded, a rare frown creasing her face. “There was that unicorn mare that came in late morning yesterday. Dark coat, dark mane, eyeball cutie mark and didn’t want anything except black coffee straight up. Wouldn’t even look at our pastries. Paid and never once changed her expression. Barely spoke, either,” she remembered.

“I remember her too, honeybuns,” Mr. Cake added from the back where he was cleaning a counter. “She was definitely not a local pony. Probably in town for the race.”

Fluttershy’s eyes suddenly furrowed at that, something tugging at the edges of her memory as she sipped at her drink, letting the mixture of cool creamy soda and vanilla ice cream wash down her throat; a welcome contrast to the warm gooey bear claw she couldn’t get enough of and came to Sugar Cube Corner occasionally just to have. “Oh. Maybe she just doesn’t like sweets?”

Mrs. Cake shrugged as she returned the drink pitcher to its stand. “Maybe. She sure was acting odd, though. Out of it and emotionless like she was drugged or something,” she noted. “Only other time I’ve seen somepony act that way was an earth pony on painkiller potions after surgery. Though if she’s a unicorn, she shouldn’t need them,” she mused. “Kind of funny, actually. She never used her horn. She used her mouth to get her money from her saddlebag, and she looked like she wasn’t used to holding a cup with her hoof since she spilled a third of it.”

“Used her… mouth?” Fluttershy repeated, the tug at the edge of her memory growing stronger and more insistent.

Before she could consider the question further, another unfamiliar face entered, this one a unicorn construction worker still in his safety jacket and hard hat, his saddlebags bulging with blueprints. Ignoring the other patrons, he went up to the counter and asked Mr. Cake if his shop could fill a large but last-minute 2 PM lunch order.

“Of course, uh… Mister Shady?” he said amicably, reading the newcomer’s name tag.

The unicorn smiled. “The name is Shadow Hooves; ‘Shady’ is just a nickname my crew gave me for my sunglasses,” he corrected, accepting a catering order sheet. Taking the pencil in his aura, the construction forepony filled it out and passed it back to his fellow stallion. Mister Cake’s jaw dropped at what he saw, hurriedly motioning his wife forward.

Taking a look of her own, Mrs. Cake likewise went wide-eyed and nearly dropped the platter she was carrying. “Oh… dear…” was all she could manage at first, exchanging a horrified yet excited look with her husband.

As Fluttershy watched, they both turned to shout up the stairwell at once. “Pinkie!” they called, bringing her bounding downstairs quickly.

“What is it, Mister and Mrs. Cake?” she asked eagerly.

“Uh, Pinkie? We need your help,” Mr. Cake said in a shaky voice, holding up the order sheet for her to read.

Pinkie’s eyes went wide at what she saw. “OOOooooooOOooOoO… that’s a lot of cupcakes! And doughnuts… and pastries… and bagels… and juice… and coffee… and…” her expression went from excited and delighted to worried. “But I need to be at the trial! For Dashie and for Fluttershy!”

Mrs. Cake looked away at that. “I know, Pinkie, but filling this order could really help us! If we pull it off, it would give us enough money to finish renovating our new nursery!” she said, wincing and sitting back to rub her belly as she felt her unborn foal give her a hard kick, thinking for as many as she had received, the baby had to have eight legs.

Mr. Cake noticed her reaction and immediately went to her side, helping her into a chair. “Honeybunch… you shouldn’t be pushing yourself right now. Just tend the store, and me and Pinkie will handle it,” he said with a pleading look at Pinkie Pie, whose expression was beginning to waver, looking from Mrs. Cake to Fluttershy and back.

Seeing that, Shady spoke up. “I know it’s short notice, but our regular caterer is overwhelmed with all the extra ponies and work crews in town. Can you do it? Or should I go elsewhere? I could also split the order between yours and other stores?” he suggested.

“We’ll do all of it!” Pinkie piped up before either of the Cakes could. “It’ll be ready by two, Pinkie Promise!” she said with a smile, to a look of befuddlement from the construction worker and ones of gratitude and relief from the Cakes.

“Thank you, Pinkie,” Mrs. Cake kissed her after she’d finished recording the order and accepted payment, her register now bulging with bits. “You don’t know what this will mean to us!”

“No problem, Mrs. Cake!” she said cheerfully. “Just let me take Fluttershy over to the trial, and I’ll get right on it!”

“I do need to get going,” Fluttershy spoke up timidly, having watched the whole exchange, her heart sinking at the realization that Pinkie wouldn’t be able to stay—she’d feel a lot better sitting in the gallery if her friend was there with her.

“You’re right! You do!” Pinkie said in a surprisingly insistent tone. “Come on, kiddo! We gotta get you over to the courthouse! They’re going to need you, and soon!” she insisted, returning the three boxes of cupcakes to her back before tugging Fluttershy out the door.

Fluttershy was confused at that as they began to walk down the street. “Need me? What for?” she asked, dreading the idea of having to be back down in the middle of the courtroom pit testifying in front of all those other ponies again, and certain she’d just make things worse if she tried.

“Sorry, no time to explain! You need to be there right now, or it’ll be too late!” Pinkie insisted, dragging Fluttershy into an alley.

“Um, but… the courthouse is this way,” she weakly protested. “And I can just fly there?”

“My way is faster!” Pinkie insisted, pulling her slightly befuddled friend into a doorway. She opened it and pushed Fluttershy inside—a storage shed—and then closed the door behind them, leaving them in a cramped space and pitch blackness, able to see nothing except each other’s eyes.

The teal pair spoke first. “Um, Pinkie? I don’t mean to be rude, but, um… how is being here in the dark helping us get there?”

Pinkie’s response was to giggle and open the door again… to reveal the courthouse lobby, several milling ponies and security guards giving them odd looks to see them emerge from a janitor closet.

Ponville District Court
Lobby
June 11th, 11:26 AM

“Okay! We’re here!” Pinkie Pie told an astonished and speechless Fluttershy. “Come on, let’s hurry inside! They should be getting close to the part where Feenie asks Gilda about the stick!”

“Feenie? Gilda? Stick?” Fluttershy stammered, completely bewildered but allowing Pinkie to pull her along. A brief security check later—

“Do you have any weapons?” a unicorn guard asked as he magically scanned them.

“Just my PARTY CANNON!!!” Pinkie Pie proclaimed to an eyeroll.

—they were allowed inside the courtroom. With no seats available except in the nosebleed section of the back corner well away from Spike, Rarity and Applejack, Fluttershy headed for them while Pinkie quickly passed out her cupcakes to nearby ponies, plus one strawberry muffin for a certain delighted pegasus mail mare.

When she was done, Pinkie gave Fluttershy a parting hug—“You’ll knock ‘em dead, kiddo!” she promised in a quiet voice, leaving Fluttershy no idea what she was talking about—and departed again, bounding quickly but quietly out the door.

As she settled in and nearby ponies caught her up on what had happened in the trial to that point, Fluttershy was surprised—and a little afraid—to see Gilda the Griffon on the stand, remembering how mean and unpleasant she had been the one time she’d visited Ponyville previously. And it was soon clear from her testimony that she hadn’t changed at all, directly accusing Rainbow, her former friend, of the murder.

Please, Mister Phoenix! Don’t let Rainbow be banished! Fluttershy silently pleaded, wishing there was some way she could help…

Her eyes went wide in sudden recognition as he produced a long rusted stick.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on August 1, 2018.

This chapter was originally written as both a suggestion of The Voice™ of Phoenix Wright himself, aka TheGoldCrow, and as a gift to the original author of the story, Raven Regios aka Chrome, who requested that the OCs of her good friends (including me) be written in. This was the result.

It was also written right around the time I had very major surgery to end my longtime severe obstructive sleep apnea, which was costing me a great deal of sleep and quite frankly, slowly killing me. It consisted of breaking my upper and lower jaw and advancing them about 2/3rds of an inch to pull my tongue forward and open up my airway. It was weeks before I could even return to work and nearly three months of my meals coming out of blenders while my jawbone healed in the new configuration, held in place by plates and screws. But it worked--knocked out about 70% of the apnea and enabled me to get real rest again. Not perfect, but so much better.

Part 43 - Unlocking a Sealed Heart

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom #2
June 11th, 11:08 AM

As Twilight was rushing back to the courtroom, Gilda began her final testimony:

—————— WITNESS TESTIMONY ——————
— He was a pegasus. You got a problem with that? —

“I dropped my bag while chasing after Dash. The bag was more important, so I searched for it for about five or ten minutes or so… I forget. The point is, I couldn’t find it, so I gave up. Since I had nothing to deliver anymore, I flew back the way I came from and observed the clearing again. I saw that pegasus lying there, dead under the cloud, and… well, that’s how I knew he was a pegasus, a-and that’s how I knew he was hit by the lightning!”

When she finished, The Judge stroked his beard thoughtfully. “If this is true, it clears up all the inconsistencies in her previous statements,” he noted.

“Yeah. The reason I didn’t say any of this from the start is because I couldn’t tell anyone I lost the package,” Gilda further explained. “It’d cost me my job and ruin the trade negotiations along with the Griffon Express’s image.”

“It did anyway,” Phoenix heard a female voice—Lenora’s?—mutter in a disgusted tone above him. A disgust Phoenix now shared, for a very different reason.

No, Gilda—you lied from the start because you want to frame Rainbow Dash! he was only too certain. But how do I prove it?

“Phoenix!” a familiar and slightly breathless voice said from beside him. Startled, he turned to see Twilight at his side, standing in the co-counsel position, her chest heaving and panting like she’d been recently galloping.

“Oh! You’re back, Twilight! Did you find Fluttershy?” he wanted to know, relieved at her return and delighted at her timing. Just in time to witness my turnabout!

Her ears and tail slumped at his question; her purple eyes going downcast. “No. I couldn’t find her anywhere,” she admitted, praying Pinkie Pie would succeed where she had failed.

His heart went out to her at that. “Don’t worry. We’ll look for her together after the trial’s over, okay?” he promised, putting a reassuring hand on her withers while sparing his own moment of concern for Fluttershy.

Twilight managed a weak but grateful smile. “How are you holding up, anyway?” she wanted to know, slowly catching her breath.

He broke out into a broad grin. “Not too shabby! Especially when I have witnesses like this one!” Phoenix said with a nod towards Gilda. “She’s been lying through her teeth! Or beak, I should say.”

“Huh?” Twilight asked, turning her head in the direction of the witness stand where she beheld an impatient and sullen-looking Gilda.

As Phoenix watched, Twilight’s eyes widened and she reared up in shock, recoiling from the female griffon’s presence. In truth, Twilight was shocked, not just for recognizing Gilda…

But for seeing the veritable wall of red psyche-locks and thick tangle of chains that surrounded her.

Twilight swallowed hard at the implication, tearing her eyes away from the ominous sight. “Phoenix—there’s something you really need to know about that witness!” she told him quietly but urgently.

He nodded knowingly. “She bears a grudge against Rainbow Dash, doesn’t she?”

Twilight was surprised by that. “Long story short? Yes,” she confirmed, dropping her voice to a whisper. “And she’s got a slew of those psycho-locks around her!”

“I don’t doubt it,” Phoenix replied in an equally low voice. “I’ve caught her in one lie after another since she’s been here.”

“’Don’t doubt it’?” Twilight echoed, her brow furrowing. “Wait—you don’t see them?”

Phoenix reached inside his jacket to touch his Magatama, but saw nothing and shook his head. “I can’t explain why, but my Magatama doesn’t seem to work when I’m in court. Only when I’m investigating,” he told her, thinking that at times the gem seemed to have a mind of its own on when it would allow him to see psyche-locks and when it wouldn’t; there had even been occasions when it hadn’t been on his person, just hidden nearby but psyche-locks had still appeared around someone he was interrogating. “Which is actually fine with me. I don’t want to become dependent on it; I prefer to rely on my attorney instincts during a trial.”

Twilight only appeared more confused. “Then how did you know about Gilda’s grudge?”

Phoenix smiled grimly. “It’s obvious enough, from how Rainbow reacted when Gilda was brought in and the way Gilda keeps putting Rainbow down. I’m guessing they’re ex-friends who had a falling out?”

“You could say that.” Twilight grimaced, wishing she had time to tell him the whole story.

He nodded his understanding. “Well, it doesn’t matter. This is her last testimony anyway. Gilda’s caught in her own tangled web of lies right now—and she won’t get away with it!” he told Twilight, raising his voice so the entire courtroom could hear him.

Trixie’s only response was an impatient glare, while The Judge was less restrained. “Mister Wright! We are here to conduct a trial, not to socialize with your co-counsel or engage in pointless theatrics!” he reminded him. “And now, your cross-examination, if you please?”

Phoenix inwardly cringed at The Judge’s admonishing tone. “Yes, Your Honor,” he said quickly, turning his attention back to the witness stand.

—————— CROSS-EXAMINATION ——————

“I dropped my bag while chasing after Dash.”

“How did you lose your bag?” Phoenix asked immediately.

“Dash was going too fast and my strap came loose,” she explained. “I felt it slipping and grabbed for it, but I just missed it and it fell through the tree canopy into the woods.”

Phoenix considered that for a moment, scratching his chin again. “So in other words, you were too slow?”

Gilda gave an angry hiss at the insinuation. “Watch your mouth, Blue Boy! I’m not slow!”

Her remark made Phoenix smile inwardly. Thanks for telling me how to get under your fur, Gilda!

“The bag was more important, so I searched for it for about five or ten minutes or so… I forget.”

“The bag was more important than a murder?” Phoenix crossed his arms, unimpressed with her statement. “If you’d just witnessed a killing, I’d think searching for the bag could wait, don’t you?”

Gilda’s eyes went nervous again, but this time she came up with an explanation quickly. “Losing the package means losing my job. I figured as long as I reported Rainbow later, she’d still be caught.”

Good save, but you’re still lying! Phoenix knew but couldn’t prove. I’ll bet the reason you stopped to look is because you knew full well Rainbow hadn’t killed Ace at ALL!

“The point is… I couldn’t find it, so I gave up.”

“After searching for only five or ten minutes?” His brow furrowed as he rubbed his chin. “I’m confused. If finding that package was that important to the Griffon Express, and your job was on the line, why didn’t you search longer?” he wondered aloud.

“I got bored,” she replied perfunctorily with an impatient undertone.

“You got… bored?” Phoenix echoed, exchanging a disbelieving look with Twilight.

“Yes, bored! I didn’t want to waste my time looking around a musty old forest!” Gilda said, sounding like she was trying very hard to keep her voice even.

“We found that bag in a bush not far from the crime scene!” Twilight spoke up for the first time, trying not to be distracted by the emotions emanating from the red locks. They weren’t as intense as those she got from Trixie’s black ones but were still noticeable and disconcerting all the same; as she studied them, it struck her that each lock seemed to have its own particular emotion or motive.

That one’s jealousy. That one’s betrayal. And that one’s revenge! she cataloged with a shudder, shifting her gaze from one lock to the next. And that one is… grief? Pain of loss? she blinked in surprise before forcing her attention back to the matter at hoof. “I grant it wasn’t in plain sight, but with your griffon night vision, you could have found it if you just looked a little harder!” Twilight insisted with an annoyed expression on her face, less angry at Gilda than at the circumstances that had forced her and Apple Bloom into the Everfree the previous day… and nearly gotten Phoenix killed.

“W-well… I didn’t know that! Okay?” Gilda gave a non-answer.

Phoenix stood up straight and put his hands on his hips again, giving her a mocking grin. “You must be pretty—” he paused a beat “—slow, then.”

Gilda’s front talons reflexively coiled, digging hard enough into the wood of the witness stand to splinter it. “Shut up, shut up! SHUT UP!” she demanded with another wing flare and now-ineffective predatory stare of Phoenix, while from the defendant’s box, Rainbow Dash was doing her best not to break out in laughter, looking to Twilight like she wanted to toss out a few insults of her own.

“Stop provoking her and start cross-examining her!” a thoroughly irritated Trixie ordered, glaring at Phoenix again over her rail.

Twilight gave him an odd look of her own. “Phoenix, what are you doing? It seems like you’re taking a page out of Trixie’s playbook, putting Gilda down like that?”

“It’s actually a little trick I picked up at law school,” he explained, turning his head to face her. “Have you ever heard the saying, ‘Anger makes you stupid’?”

Twilight considered that for a moment. “Oh! I read something about that! You mean how when we’re angry or frustrated, the brain reverts to more primitive and impulsive responses?”

“Exactly!” Phoenix confirmed. Isn’t that what I said? “By keeping her riled up, our friend Gilda here is more likely to say the ‘wrong’ thing—if you catch my drift,” he added conspiratorially, giving Twilight a quick wink only she could see.

She gave him an equally conspiratorial smile back. “Read you loud and clear!” she said, turning her attention back to Gilda, noticing that Trixie was giving them another impatient glare as she and Phoenix had lapsed into another private conversation.

“Mister Wright?” The Judge prompted again. “These delays are getting tedious.”

Phoenix cleared his throat. “My apologies, Your Honor. I was just discussing with my co-counsel the… slowness of this witness,” he explained.

“I said shut UP!” Gilda snapped. “I’m NOT SLOW!!!!”

“Well, you clearly were if you couldn’t keep up with Dash,” Twilight noted sweetly to some muted snickers from the gallery.

“I said, stop calling me SLOW!” Gilda demanded, getting more and more agitated.

“Enough! Stop taunting the slowpoke and get back on topic!” Trixie ordered.

Gilda’s wings flared in rage. “I’M NOT A SLOWPOKE!” she shouted at Trixie.

The Judge’s gavel came down with a hard rap. “I agree with the prosecution. The fact that the witness is as slow as ketchup coming out of a bottle isn’t of concern to this court!” he said with a perfectly straight face, causing the audience to erupt in laughter.

“YYYEEEEAAARGGGHHH!!!” Gilda gave a roar of frustration and rage as the mockery hit her from all sides; Phoenix glanced at Rainbow Dash to see her wearing a gleeful grin as she watched her former friend get a richly deserved comeuppance. The eagless let out an aggressive snarl before exhaling slowly and, with a death glare directed towards Phoenix, continued.

“Since I had nothing to deliver anymore, I flew back the way I came from and observed the clearing again.”

“Why did you go back the way you came?” Phoenix wanted to know.

Gilda hesitated before speaking, still seething over the earlier exchange. “I didn’t want any ponies in Ponyville seeing me,” she said with a sour look.

Phoenix scratched his chin at that. “Because you lost the package?” Or because you didn’t want anyone to know you were at the site of the murder?

She slammed a taloned fist down in frustration. “Yes! Because I lost the stupid package! So sue me!” she answered, causing Phoenix to roll his eyes.

Oh, how I’d LOVE to do that! he thought as she went on.

“Look, I had to consult with the Kingdom Consulate before coming forward, so I headed for Canterlot immediately. I arrived not long after midnight,” she continued. “Unlike ponies, we griffons have the energy to fly for long periods of time, and we don’t have to risk taking breaks in the forest where you can get mauled to death by various monsters,” she explained like she was narrating a TV nature show back on Earth.

Phoenix felt a shiver go down his spine and a fresh trickle of sweat under his collar. Bringing up more bad memories from yesterday… he admitted to himself, taking out Rarity’s handkerchief to wipe his brow again, noticing Twilight giving him a concerned look as she sensed his sudden discomfort. She moved fractionally closer to him as a reminder of her presence and protection; he gave her a quick but grateful smile, taking a single deep breath before going on. “And that’s when you saw the victim?”

“Yes! Like I said in my testimony!” Gilda spat out, no small amount of annoyance in her voice.

“I saw that pegasus lying there, dead under the cloud… and well, that’s how I knew he was a pegasus, a-and that’s how I knew he was hit by the lightning!”

“You were able to identify the victim’s race?” Phoenix asked, knowing full well it was a weak line of questioning, but it was all he could immediately think of.

Gilda nodded. “When I went down to check on the pony, I saw he had wings and was wearing a race suit. I didn’t know who he was, but he wasn’t moving so I thought maybe he was dead.”

“And… uh…” Phoenix took on his goofy expression. “Was he?”

Gilda rolled her eyes but answered. “Yeah. There was even some smoke coming off him. And he smelled kinda burnt; like an overcooked flying boar spit-roast,” she noted, causing the herbivorous ponies in the gallery to recoil from the image. She smirked at the reaction. “Then again, I guess he was spit-roasted by that lightning bolt Dash hit him with!” she added, taking on her haughty pose for the first time since early in the session.

Phoenix leaned over the rail and gave the griffon female a steely glare to cover his own anxiety. Not good—everything in this testimony seems to be in order! he realized with a sinking heart, his thoughts racing. I know she’s lying and that Gilda is guilty of something besides mail theft and losing her delivery. But what? WHAT? he asked himself repeatedly, wracking his brain for the answer.

“Hey Phoenix? I just thought of something.” Twilight turned to him, speaking in a low voice. “If we can’t find a contradiction, maybe we can make one. We were both at the crime scene. So why don’t we try asking Gilda something about it and see if it matches up?”

Phoenix blinked. “Twilight, that’s brilliant!” he told her gratefully, already getting fresh ideas, reflecting that she had just come to his rescue much like Maya or Mia had done for him so often in the past. “Gilda!” he addressed her, slamming his palms down on the rail hard.

She gave him a disdainful look. “You know, smacking that desk with your hands isn’t intimidating in the slightest,” she informed him in an unimpressed tone, her remark eliciting some grudging chuckles from the gallery, even lessening Trixie’s frown a bit. “Didn’t they teach you that in lawyer school?” the corners of her beak crooked up. “Oh, that’s right, you probably didn’t go!”

Phoenix took on his goofy expression again. “Bear with me, it’s sort of my thing,” he offered, some of his thunder stolen. Clearing his throat, he started over. “Gilda—did you notice anything else about the crime scene while you were investigating the body?” he asked.

Her answer was quick. “No.”

The pair looked at each other for several seconds, each waiting for the other to continue, Gilda eventually raising a foreleg to scratch her chest with a bored expression. Finally, Phoenix vented his own frustration with her obstinacy. “Oh, COME ON!” he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation. “You had to have noticed SOMETHING!! You can see in the FREAKIN’ DARK!”

Gilda gave her own frustrated sound. “What’s your deal, anyway? Look, I didn’t see anything besides a stupid piece of trash!” she answered. “Kinda reminds me of someone when I think back to it!” she added with a sneer.

Phoenix was taken aback. “Are you calling the victim a piece of trash?” From everything I’ve learned, he pretty much was, but that’s beside the point!

She shot him a look. “Not him, you dweeb!” she corrected, rolling her pale yellow eyes. “Just some garbage lying on the ground!”

Phoenix rubbed his eyes. Where’s Franziska and her whip when you need them? “Your Honor—can you please have the witness amend this information about the garbage to her testimony?”

“Only you would pursue garbage, Mister Wrong,” Trixie noted, wearing a smile for the first time in a while.

“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, Trixie,” Phoenix replied easily. “Your Honor?” he prompted again.

The Judge considered his request. “I don’t really see the point. But I’ve seen you turn garbage into gold before, Mister Wright. So I’d like to see where this goes,” he decided. “Miss Gilda—please add this information about ‘the garbage’ to your testimony.”

Gilda gave out a heavy sigh. “Fine,” she agreed, though she didn’t sound too happy about it.

“There was an ugly piece of trash lying on the crime scene…”

“I’m very interested as to what this trash you saw was,” Phoenix said, speaking slowly.

Gilda gave him a disbelieving look. “It was trash. What more is there to say?” she asked, starting to look angry again.

“Can you give me a better description?” Phoenix pressed.

Gilda sighed and suddenly looked incredibly weary; her shoulders slumping. “Why do I have to do this again?” she asked nopony in particular. “It was just garbage! I barely paid any attention to it!” she insisted before rounding on Phoenix again, her wings flared and teeth bared. “I’m sure there’s a trash can somewhere in this courtroom if you really want to see what garbage looks like!”

Phoenix didn’t back down. “Just tell me what it looked like!”

She sat back heavily on her haunches, glaring at him from behind the witness stand. “Fine! If it makes you happy, it was some sort of stick!”

“A stick?” Phoenix’s brow furrowed, feeling a strong tug on his memory.

“Yes! A stick! Like I said, I didn’t pay much attention to it—I was more focused on the dead pegasus in front of me!”

“What did the stick look like? Was it a stick like a tree branch? Or something else?” Phoenix asked, getting a very strong tingling sensation on the back of his neck he had learned from past cases meant he was getting very close to something important.

Gilda, however, did not share his insight. “For the millionth time! I didn’t care about it! I barely glanced at it and hardly remember what it looks like! You’re lucky I even remembered it looks like a stick!” she said, now speaking quickly out of both frustration and anger. “If you were to show it to me, I might be able to identify it for you, but other than that—I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT FROM ME!” she yelled with a fresh wing flare, looking on the verge of ripping out her own headfeathers in frustration.

Phoenix backed off for a moment, thinking. “Is this stick she saw… important?” Twilight asked him, a dubious note in her voice.

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly, still not sure why he was getting such a strong feeling about it. And then abruptly… it clicked. “Ah!”

He shouted authoritatively, going for his evidence bag.

“Oh, boy. A Mister Wrong objection time,” Trixie muttered under her breath.

Phoenix ignored her. “Gilda,” he began, pulling something free of the bag beneath the level of his rail. Twilight’s eyes widened when she saw what he was taking out, amazed he had made the connection and suddenly very happy she had decided not to toss the item he held back in the river where she had originally found it.

“What do you want now?” Gilda asked in a very weary tone, her pale yellow eyes heavily lidded like she was ready to fall asleep.

“You say you’d be able to identify this stick if I were to show it to you,” he reminded her, passing the item he held to Twilight.

Gilda gave him a funny look. “Yeah. And…?”

Phoenix nodded to Twilight, who raised the remains of Pinkie’s golf club into view with her magic. “Is this the stick you’re talking about?” he asked Gilda, pointing to the badly damaged metal shaft as Twilight floated it over to the witness stand.

Gilda stared at it in surprise as it hovered before her, her eyes going wide. “Uh… hey! Yeah! That’s it! That’s the one! I remember that ‘P’ at the top of it!” she confirmed to Phoenix’s immense satisfaction, a look of amazement on her face. But Gilda wasn’t done yet, leaning over and squinting at it. “Now that I see it again… this stick really annoys me for some reason.”

Phoenix didn’t know why it would annoy her, and at that moment didn’t care one bit. “This is it, huh?” he asked again, leaning forward over the rail. “Well, in that case, you’ve once again lied to us all, Gilda!” he announced to the entire court, pointing an accusing finger at the griffon eagless.

Gilda immediately started to sweat again. “Wh-what? B-but wh-what lie? I d-didn’t—” she started to stammer, but Phoenix cut her off before she could say any more.

“This stick wasn’t found on the scene of the crime, and according to what you’ve told us, you were the last one in that clearing!” he reminded her. “So that means you must have removed it and thrown it in the river at Ponyville Park where it was found!” he concluded, pointing at her again.

Trixie interjected. “Your claim alone is not enough, Mister Wrong. We need some proof that stick you possess was really on the scene!” she reminded him, speaking up for the first time in a while and leaving Phoenix wondering why she’d been so quiet.

Maybe she’s lying low after her close call with the contempt citation? he guessed, unable to shake the disquieting feeling that she was treating his interrogation of Gilda as a sideshow.

“Agreed,” The Judge concurred, a stern look on his face.

Phoenix was prepared for that. “I do have evidence this stick was in the clearing at some point, Your Honor,” he announced, going for his pocket and bringing out his digital camera. “Let’s take a fresh look at the scene of the crime.” He clicked through images until he found the panorama he was looking for.

He belatedly realized he didn’t have anything he could upload it to—his office desktop and printer were an entire dimension away, and Maya was the one who usually handled such technical matters anyway—but Twilight stepped in, using her magic to copy the image onto blank sheets of scroll paper to give to The Judge and Trixie, and then project the image into the air of the middle of the court like a hologram.

Phoenix couldn’t help but shake his head at her feat—even after all he’d seen from her, Twilight Sparkle still managed to constantly amaze him. She really is special, he was reminded again as he walked up to the projected image with the wooden pointer, stepping in front of it like he was giving a presentation at law school.

“In this area, with the dirt, there was a long linear imprint suggesting something had been lying there.” He motioned to a straight and narrow rut in the ground just below the scuffed-up area of dirt at the bottom left edge of the picture, well away from the tape outline of Ace Swift’s body. “I even took a picture of it the other night,” he said, clicking forward on his camera and showing Twilight the photo, who promptly switched to the close-up image of the imprint.

“If we were to measure the length and width of that imprint, I’m willing to bet my attorney badge it would match up exactly with the length of the stick!”

Trixie gave him a smug look; barely glancing at the pictures floated her. “Your attorney badge, Mister Wrong? I’ll take that bet!” she stated like she was eager and only too able to disprove his claim. “At Trixie’s direction, the investigation team was very thorough and measured that imprint in the ground!”

Phoenix held his breath. “And how long was it?”

“Thirty inches,” Trixie replied authoritatively with her eyes closed and hoof over her chest, taking visible pride in the fact that she could recite the number from memory.

Phoenix nodded, relaxing a bit—certainly in the ballpark! “Now let’s measure the stick,” he directed, picking it off his stand.

“Bailiff! Can you please measure the length of this stick?” The Judge requested.

There was a delay of several minutes as a tape measure was obtained from outside the courtroom. Phoenix held his breath again as a unicorn bailiff picked the stick up in his aura and rolled out the tape measure beside it, floating them both in midair for a side-by-side comparison.

“The length of the stick is—” he squinted momentarily, leaning in closer to confirm the measurement “—thirty inches.”

There was an immediate upsurge in whispered conversation from the gallery while, across the courtroom, Trixie’s jaw dropped open in shock. “No! This can’t be!” she said in disbelief, wearing a look of genuine worry for the first time.

Phoenix ignored her. “Why did you tamper with the crime scene by moving the stick, Gilda?” he asked with an upraised arm and pointed finger.

Despite the evidence before her, Gilda remained defiant. “I didn’t touch it!”

Trixie broke in before Phoenix could. “Witness, I can’t stand you any longer! You were warned and you lied again!”

Gilda’s head shot around to face the showmare. “But I didn’t touch that damned stick!” she said to the horror of the pony parents in the gallery, some of whom went to cover their foals’ ears.

Phoenix turned to see that Twilight was giving him an angry glare. “Hey! Don’t look at me! She’s the one who said it!” he pointed out while The Judge’s gavel came down hard.

“There will be no profanity in my courtroom, Ms. Behertz,” he admonished her. “And any more will result in a contempt citation,” he added when he saw Gilda grinding her teeth, looking for all the world like she wanted nothing more than to fire off a long string of invective in response.

“But I didn’t. Touch. That. Stick!” she insisted again through gritted teeth, hissing each word out in turn.

“It’s quite obvious you did touch it! You were the last one in there!” Trixie pointed out, no longer bothering to defend her.

Phoenix couldn’t help but grin briefly at that, remembering that the redemption of Miles Edgeworth as a prosecutor and a man began when he stopped reflexively siding with his witnesses and even began helping in cross-examinations when Phoenix proved they were lying—though in Trixie’s case, he was certain it was more to protect her own hide than to help him. Baby steps, Phoenix!

“I’m not lying! Why would I want to move a stupid piece of trash?” Gilda asked the entire courtroom derisively. “I swear, it was lying right next to the dead pegasus! I didn’t touch it! I didn’t have any reason to!” she continued to insist.

Twilight, Phoenix and even The Judge locked on instantly to the contradiction in her statement. So did most of the gallery, which suddenly fell dead silent in realization, the picture of the crime scene fresh in their heads. Phoenix stood up straighter and put his hands on his hips, a victorious grin on his face—I’ve got you NOW, Gilda!—while Trixie could only sputter across her rail.

“Y-you idiot!”

“Oh, get bent, you worthless pony!” Gilda told her off with a glare. “I should have never agreed to come here!”

“Oh yeah? Well, I should have never brought in some mixed-up freak-of-nature griffon to come testify!” she retaliated. “You’ve caused me nothing but grief!”

No, you shouldn’t have, and yes she has, but it’s your OWN fault, Trixie! Phoenix didn’t say. You were so eager to bury Rainbow Dash that you didn’t check Gilda’s story carefully, and now she’s undoing your entire CASE! he thought gleefully, but was eternally grateful that Trixie had brought Gilda in so he could tear her testimony apart—and very shortly, the mare magician’s entire theory of the crime.

“You know what, Gilda? For once, I actually believe you,” Phoenix added in a tone of mock placation.

“Ah, finally! Guess you aren’t as dumb as I thought!” Gilda sighed in relief, though was unable to resist another dig. “Still pretty dumb, though.”

“It was really lying right next to the victim,” he repeated slowly, noting that everyone else in the courtroom, pony or otherwise, seemed to know what he was getting at except Gilda.

“Yeah! Just like blue boy says; it was lying right there next to the pegasus!” she confirmed giddily, just happy to finally have some piece of her testimony accepted. “See? I didn’t touch it! Take that, Trixie!”

Trixie stared at her formerly star witness for a moment with a smoldering expression, the fire in her eyes offset by the cold air that was forming around her again; as Phoenix watched, the glass of water on her desk suddenly iced over with an audible crack. “That’s it! You’re on your own!” she announced, turning pointedly away from the scene.

“Yeah, well… who needs you, you lame and stupid pony?” Gilda fired back.

“But ‘blue boy’ here does have one little question, Gilda,” Phoenix announced in a very mild tone.

“Huh? Yeah?” she asked in a surprisingly calm voice. “Well, spit it out!”

Phoenix waited another beat before doing so, exchanging a knowing glance with an equally gleeful Twilight. “You just said it was lying next to the victim…” he began meaningfully, wondering if Gilda would finally see what everyone else in the courtroom already had.

Her blank stare told him she did not. “Let’s look back to this diagram of the forest,” he suggested, retrieving the pointer and going back to the mounted map of the crime scene. “We have evidence the stick was on the scene of the crime—right here, on this dirt landscape,” Phoenix said, marking the mound near the left edge of the map with a large X by dipping a quill in the red ink jar beside the diagram.

“Yeah? So what?” Gilda shrugged.

“But Gilda, the body was found here—under the cloud!” he informed her, dipping the quill in ink again and putting another X over the number 1 circle, well away from the dirt patch he’d put the first X over.

“You even said the victim was ‘lying there dead under the cloud’ in that testimony you gave earlier. I don’t have the exact distance, but those two spots are probably around thirty feet apart. So why would you say the stick was right beside the body?” he asked in a rhetorical tone.

Gilda began sweating profusely again, eyes going wide as she finally recognized her slip, muttering something unintelligible.

“That’s right, Gilda,” Phoenix confirmed, taking on a triumphant tone. “The stick and body should be quite a distance apart from each other!”

“I-I…” the griffon female stammered, her eyes darting about wildly.

At that moment, Phoenix knew exactly what she’d done and that he had her dead to rights. “So what’s your explanation for this? Let’s hear it, Gilda!” he invited, pointing at her again. “As the facts stand, it’s impossible for you to have seen the stick right next to the body!”

“I-I… uh…” was all she manage. “Trixie! HELP!”

“Oh? What’s that? You need help from this ‘lame and stupid’ pony?” Trixie openly sneered, speaking in a mild voice. “Too bad!” she abruptly snapped. “You’ve dug your own grave!”

Odd—she’s about to lose the case; you’d think she’d be more upset than that! Phoenix noted, but put it out of his head for the time being.

“Answer the question, witness!” The Judge ordered, gripping his gavel tightly and wearing a very angry expression.

Thwarted, Gilda tried. “It was… m-my mistake. It wasn’t next to the body. It was f-far away…” she offered in a shaky voice, knowing even as she said it that she wasn’t fooling anyone.

Phoenix was having none of it. “Don’t even try to backpedal! I know exactly what you did!” he warned her. And if I’m right, I’ve not only completely discredited Gilda’s testimony, I’ve just proved Rainbow Dash innocent!

The Judge’s eyebrows shot up. “You know what she did?”

“Yes, Your Honor!” Phoenix confirmed, carefully putting together the pieces in his head for the evidence chain he had to present. “There was something I couldn’t figure out when I visited the crime scene two nights ago,” he recalled, turning to Twilight to ask her to project the panorama of the clearing again. When she had done so, he picked up the wooden pointer and walked in front of the floating image, pointing to a spot at the left of the crime scene. “Look at the disturbance in the dirt next to the imprint of the stick,” he began.

“Oh!” understanding dawned on Twilight, zooming in on that section of the image to show the scuffed-up area of ground more clearly.

Phoenix gave her a quick nod of gratitude. “As you can see, there are some unnatural marks in the dirt that look like somebody had been kicking that area around. At first, I thought they could be signs of a struggle, but now I see I was mistaken—I now know exactly who did it, and why!”

The undercurrent of gallery conversation got louder as ponies in the audience began to reach the same conclusion he had; looking up, he saw Applejack and Rarity had already gotten it, nodding at him and wearing the same satisfied grin, now fully confident in the trial’s outcome. Beside Rarity, Spike looked like he hadn’t yet, but sat riveted, leaning far forward in his seat; a quick glance around the courtroom told Phoenix most of the ponies watching were as well.

TV court dramas ain’t got NOTHIN’ on me! He couldn’t help but grin.

Gilda didn’t respond, wearing an expression that was half-angry; half-fearful. “It was you, Gilda!” he proclaimed, pointing at her yet again.

As usual, The Judge was one of the last on the uptake. “But why would she kick around dirt?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Trixie rolled her eyes, looking impatient for the whole thing to be over.

In answer, Phoenix continued to press the griffon witness. “I believe you when you say you didn’t touch the stick, Gilda! But you touched something else, didn’t you?” he suggested in a rhetorical tone. “Or should I say—someone?”

“N-no!” she offered a weak denial, sweating through her feathers again, pale yellow eyes wide and darting.

“I don’t understand, Mister Wright. What else on the crime scene did she touch?” The Judge stroked his beard as he asked, still not seeing it.

Phoenix suppressed a sigh. “The answer’s right here, Your Honor!” He went back to the crime scene diagram and tapping the number one dot with his pointer before turning his attention back to Gilda. “She moved the body from the dirt patch to under the cloud!” he announced, causing The Judge’s eyes to go wide. “Didn’t you, Gilda?”

Gilda remained silent and hunkered down, now all but hiding behind the witness stand. She suddenly looked like a prey animal hiding from a predator, leaving Phoenix feeling immensely pleased at how hard he’d turned the tables on her. “Since dragging him there would leave an obvious trail, I imagine you just picked him up into the air and then dropped him into the burned area under the cloud. But then you noticed something: being able to see in the dark, you saw how the body left an imprint in the dirt, just like the stick did!” Phoenix suggested, taking great pleasure in the role reversal. “And that compromised your nasty little plot to set up Rainbow Dash!”

Gilda’s lip was quivering in emotion. “N-no! I…” she started to answer, only to trail off when she realized she had none.

Beside Phoenix, Twilight studied the red psyche-locks around Gilda, looking on them in some confusion. Phoenix is exposing her lies one by one, yet they’re NOT breaking? she didn’t understand, wondering if the presence of so many locks—five, by actual count—made it that much harder to break them, individually as well as collectively.

“So you scuffed up that area of ground with a broken branch or something to remove all traces of both your pawprints and the body lying there!” Phoenix deduced, unaware of Twilight’s worry, his voice and posture confident as he prepared to bring the case to a successful conclusion.

“No-no! H-he’s wrong! Right, everypony?! H-he’s wrong! I didn’t do that!” she pleaded in panic, looking around the courtroom gallery for support, but finding none in the disgusted and angry glares of the mostly-equine audience.

None more so than from Rainbow Dash herself, who could stay silent no longer. “Why? Why would you do this to me, Gilda?” she demanded to know in a voice that sounded hurt and betrayed, leaning as close to her former friend as her restraints would allow.

ACK! Rainbow, icsnay-on-the-outburst-ay! Phoenix silently pleaded, quickly speaking up to keep her from doing so again. “This witness may not be the murderer, but she still attempted to frame my client!” he told the court, addressing The Judge directly and trying to preempt any further outbursts.

Rainbow, however, was not so easily dissuaded, ignoring Phoenix and continuing to address Gilda. “This is low even for you! You put my life on the line just because I ditched you?” she asked her former friend in a mixture of shock and disgust. “What the bucking hay is the matter with you?” she demanded to know with a hard stomp of her hoof, ignoring the sharp rap of The Judge’s gavel.

“Trixie sees it was a big mistake bringing you here,” the mare magician added from her stall, her voice strangely calm.

She’s about to lose the case and she’s NOT losing her temper? Phoenix wondered. I know she does ice magic, but does she have ice WATER in her veins?

“The defendant will remain silent! Witness! Do you have anything to say in your defense to all these accusations?” The Judge asked, ready to bring down the hammer, both figurative and literal, on her.

Gilda ignored him, addressing Rainbow directly. “What ‘the bucking hay’ is the matter with me? What about you, Dash?” she fired back, pointing a talon at Rainbow. “We were best friends since flight school, and then you ditch me because of one bad visit?” she countered, leaning far over the stand to glare at her former friend.

“Order!” The Judge called, banging his gavel hard.

Rainbow’s rose-colored eyes narrowed. “Oh, so one ‘bad visit’ is what you’re calling it, now?” she asked, speaking right over The Judge and pointedly ignoring Phoenix’s frantic efforts to silence her with a sharp headshake and slashing motion with his fingers across his throat. “What about your stealing? Or all the insults to Pinkie Pie and the rest of my friends? Or nearly giving Granny Smith a heart attack? Or how badly you bullied Fluttershy…?” she trailed off, her eyes going wide as if she suddenly realized something.

“I said order!!!” The Judge repeated more loudly, hammering his gavel several more times.

“Pinkie Pie?” Gilda all but hissed out the name. “Yeah, I got pissed at her! I hadn’t seen you in a year, and she kept trying to butt in! I wanted to spend the day with you, not her!” she retorted, continuing to ignore the sharp and repeated rap of The Judge’s gavel. “And stealing? I swiped an apple—one apple! So bucking what? If you wanted me to pay the single bit it cost, I would have!” She threw her forelegs up in frustration.

“I will have ORDER!!!!!” The Judge demanded again with increasingly loud hits of his gavel, sounding more and more agitated. “Bailiffs! Restrain the witness! And Mister Wright! Control your client!” he ordered Phoenix.

Phoenix was about to interject himself when Twilight stopped him with a hoof to his hand as it rested on the rail. “Please, Your Honor!” she called out to be heard over the heated exchange, focusing her voice on The Judge. “They need this and there might be a confession at the end! So I respectfully request you allow their argument to proceed!” she implored him, her words causing the bailiffs to hesitate, looking to The Judge for guidance.

Nodding, Phoenix stepped back from the rail and watched, arms crossed over his chest as the back-and-forth continued. Although the decorum of his courtroom was compromised, The Judge ultimately decided that he’d seen—to say nothing of allowed—far worse over the years and acceded to Twilight’s request as well, waving back the bailiffs and reluctantly lowering his gavel. Somewhat to Twilight’s surprise, Trixie likewise made no objection; the showmare appeared mildly amused by the display and at least mildly interested in how the scene would play out.

“… and scaring and bullying? It’s nothing you haven’t done before! It’s nothing we hadn’t done together before!” Gilda continued, now oblivious to everything except Rainbow Dash. “Or does doing things like playing Nightmare Night pranks, hazing the freshwings at Junior Speedsters’ or swiping cakes and cooking rum out of the Cloudsdale bakery not count as scaring, stealing or bullying, Dash?” she asked pointedly and with a low leonine growl.

Rainbow’s cheeks flushed. “That was all in good fun and never mean-spirited!”

“Unlike playing a bunch of lame pranks on me at my own party?” Gilda asked derisively.

“’Lame’?” Rainbow sounded insulted. “Those weren’t all meant for you! And like you said, we played pranks like that on other ponies all the time! Were they ‘lame’ then? What’s the matter, Gilda? I thought you said you were ‘down with a good prank!’ Or is it just that you can dish it out but can’t take it?” she mocked her former friend.

Gilda glared at her. “Oh, so I’m just supposed to sit there and take it when you deliberately humiliate me in front of all your new buddies?” she snarled.

“Oh, so I’m just supposed to stand by and do nothing while you act like a jerk and treat my new friends like trash?” Rainbow Dash replied with a sneer, answering attitude for attitude. “If you don’t treat me, my town and my friends with respect, then you’re no friend of mine!” she stated emphatically with a stomp of her hoof, to appreciative hoofclops from the gallery.

“So it’s all about respect now, huh?” Gilda asked with a bitter laugh, leaning far over the podium to glare at her former friend. “Then tell me, Dash… was it respectful to make me a laughing stock in front of your new friends? To let me think Pinkie had committed the pranks? And then to just up and dump me without a second thought when I got mad?” she asked scornfully.

“Twelve years of friendship, all the good times we had together… and this is how you treat me?” Gilda asked, her voice growing shriller. “Friends don’t DO THAT to each other, Dash!” she shouted across the pit at Rainbow, causing her former friend to flinch sharply as her own words were used against her, Twilight and Phoenix nodding silently to themselves as they remembered Rainbow’s treatment of Fluttershy.

Never thought I’d be agreeing with GILDA! Twilight couldn’t help but think.

“And OLD friends don’t treat NEW friends like that, Gilda!” Rainbow quickly recovered, shouting back with equal volume.

Gilda’s eyes flashed as she remembered being told off with those very words many months earlier. “No, but old friends do give second chances!” she countered, cutting Rainbow off before she could answer. “You told me once you were all about loyalty, Dash! Well, I was your best and oldest friend! So why wasn’t I worth one? Why weren’t you loyal to me?” Gilda demanded to know with a slam of her fist on the witness stand, an audible tremor in her voice; looking past the phantom locks, Twilight was stunned to see a glimmering in the griffon’s pale gold eyes.

Wow. I never knew what happened upset her that much, Twilight thought, suddenly feeling a twinge of guilt over it.

Rainbow reacted as if she’d been slapped hard, challenged on the very element that defined her. “Because you treated my new friends like crap!” she replied, reminding herself as much as Gilda. “They weren’t ‘cool’ enough for you, remember?” she sneered, her voice dripping with contempt.

Gilda stared at Rainbow with a quivering lip. “Fine, Rainbow. I admit I was a jerk. But maybe if you’d taken me aside and told me I was out of line, I’d’ve made the effort to change… for you!” she suggested in a strangely quiet voice. “After twelve years of friendship and for the sake of your precious ‘loyalty’… you owed me that much, at least!”

This time, it was Rainbow who looked flustered as it seemed to dawn on her that Gilda had a point. “Well, maybe if you’d come to me afterwards and said you were sorry, I wouldhave!” she finally fired back.

“But that’s just IT!” the griffon all but screamed, rearing up to slam her fists down on the witness stand in frustration. “The only reason I asked to make this stupid delivery to Ponyville was so I could—!” Gilda stopped in mid-sentence and fell silent, staring blankly at her former friend as if she’d remembered something.

“Was so I could…” she tried again only to trail off, her eyes lowering.

“Was so I could...” every feather on her head suddenly seemed to wilt.

“W-was so I… so I could…” her head and shoulders began to slump; tears were welling in her eyes.

She repeated the four words like a broken record; her anger slowly receding into a solemn and saddened tone each time she repeated the phrase. Not just her voice, but her previously rough-and-tough demeanor was being replaced with a very heavy-hearted, even sorrowful one.

One everybody in the courtroom, pony or otherwise, would never have dreamed the griffon eagless was even capable of.

“Was so I could… apologize,” she finally admitted in a dull mutter, burying her head in her paws.

Rainbow Dash halted her verbal assault and looked at her former friend in surprise and confusion. The Gilda she knew never backed down in an argument—much like herself. The Gilda she knew always had to have the last word and be right, even when she knew she was wrong—much like herself. Griffons were a natural-born warrior race brimming with pride and fire, never ones to concede in a clash, be it verbal or physical—much like the pegasus race that was at once their greatest friends and fiercest rivals. And Gilda was no exception, Rainbow knew only too well; for the proud eagless to even suggest she might want to make amends was completely out of character for her.

It was so out of character, in fact, that Rainbow had a hard time accepting it. “’Apologize’?” Rainbow repeated, her eyes narrowing as her temper flared back to life. “Well, you’ve sure got a funny way of showing it!” She raised her voice again, wings flared in anger as far as they would go against the restraints that bound them. “So is this what you call an apology, Gilda? Getting me banished to the bucking SUN?” she asked in disbelief. “Is THAT what you bucking wanted?”

Gilda’s head shot back up. “NO!” she shouted back. “I just wanted you to know what it felt like to be betrayed!To have your best friend TURN ON YOU!” she shrieked in sorrow and pain; as her face came back into view, Phoenix and Twilight were shocked to see tears now streaming freely down her feathered cheeks.

Rainbow recoiled as Gilda’s words struck home. She looked away in pain of her own; it was several seconds before she could speak again. “Well… you did it, Gilda,” she told the eagless quietly before turning her gaze back on her, her eyes dry but voice far more subdued than before. “It really… bucking… hurts, and if that’s what I did to you? I’m sorry,” she finished with a bow of her head, murmurs coming up from the previously silent gallery as those who knew Rainbow understood how rare an apology from her was.

“You’re right—it was wrong of me to just up and dump you like that. For the sake of our friendship and for loyalty itself... you deserved better. I should have given you another chance,” she further admitted before raising her eyes back to meet her former friend’s. “There. You got what you wanted, Gilda. Are you happy now?” Rainbow asked in a very quiet voice.

A glance at Gilda told everyone in the courtroom she wasn’t. “I… I…” As the entire chamber watched, the eagless began to shake. Sitting back on her haunches, she clutched her head in both forepaws, squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth, hissing sharply as she painfully dug into her temples with her talons.

Twilight’s eyes went wide as she saw glowing gold cracks appear in the red psyche-locks, spreading throughout them and the increasingly taut chains they guarded. Abruptly, the griffon female reared up and gave an eagle-like shriek of agony; Twilight flinched hard as instead of breaking singly, the locks and chains that surrounded Gilda shattered all at once, their disintegration releasing a wave of pent-up anguish and mystical power that registered on every unicorn in the courtroom; Twilight most of all.

Staggered by the energy and emotional surge, it was all she could do to remain standing as Gilda collapsed atop the witness stand, breathing raggedly.

“I give up,” the eagless announced in a beaten voice. “I did it...”

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on August 1, 2018.

Credit where credit is due: Special thanks go to TheGoldCrow and LeoArchon for reviewing the chapter and suggesting revisions! TheGoldCrow himself wrote part of the Rainbow/Gilda scene.

Part 44 - Turnabout Lost

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom #2
June 11th, 11:26 AM

Twilight reeled as the psyche-locks that surrounded Gilda shattered all at once; the griffon eagless seemingly breaking them herself by sheer force of will.

It was clearly a painful process to Gilda and wasn’t much easier on Twilight; she was left shaky from the overload of mystical energy and emotion the breaking locks had released, leaning on the rail for support while on the other side of the courtroom, Trixie was nursing a headache, rubbing her forehead with her hoof and wearing a confused expression, trying to figure out what had just hit her.

“I give up,” Gilda said at length in a defeated voice, still slumped over the front of the witness stand and visibly trembling. “I did it.”

“Don’t even try to deny it!” an unaffected Phoenix warned her, only to blink when her words registered. “Wait, what?”

“I m-moved the body,” Gilda admitted in a very weak and broken tone.

“I knew it,” Phoenix nodded in grim satisfaction while The Judge’s jaw fell open.

“Ms. Behertz! You mean… you’re confessing?”

“Yeah,” Gilda confirmed, trying to pick herself back up and dry her tears as she started to tell her story—the real one this time, a still-shaky Twilight presumed, pouring herself a glass of water and taking a hasty gulp.

“When Ponyville came up on the delivery schedule a couple weeks back, I decided it was finally time to go see Dash again. S-so I volunteered to make the shipment,” she began, slowly regaining her composure. “That the delivery coincided with the Equestrian 500 cinched it. I really did want to enter the race—with Dash! I thought m-maybe we could be friends again if we raced together, so I asked to make the delivery and then take a week’s leave.

“But as the day arrived and I got closer to Ponyville… I got more and more reluctant. You have to understand—it’s really hard for someone like me to apologize.”

Rainbow’s jaw fell open, staring at Gilda in surprise.

“When I flew in that night from Hoofington, I heard voices coming from a clearing, and one was familiar—Dash’s. So I went in to take a look but backed off when I saw she was arguing with some stallion. I couldn’t make out most of it, but the guy pony sounded like he was threatening her.

"I wasn’t sure what was going on, so I hid in that tree, trying to remain out of sight and pick up on what they were saying,” she continued. “I thought maybe I could swoop in and save the day if he tried to attack her, but I never got the chance before she triggered the lightning and zoomed off. I heard the boom and then the stallion screamed, but… in fear, not pain! I never thought Dash actually hit him with that lightning bolt, honest!” she hastened to add.

“After the lightning struck, I flew off after Dash to ask her what that whole thing was about, but before I got very far… the strap on my satchel came loose and I dropped my delivery bag,” she admitted, her shoulders slumping again. “When I couldn’t find it, I went back to the clearing. Figured I could at least tell that pony that if he was messing with Dash, he was messing with me, but when I got there? I found him lying there... dead in the dirt,” she remembered with a shudder. “I was just going to ignore the whole thing a-and leave it be, but…”

Her eyes flashed in anger for a moment before reverting back to sadness. “B-but then… memories of Dash dumping me started surfacing. They made me so angry I couldn’t see straight, and all I could think was—I’d make her pay for rejecting me! For dumping me like I meant nothing to her after all those good times we shared!” she explained, anger and sorrow lacing her words in equal measure.

“Oh, come on! So you tried to frame her for murder? That’s clearly overreacting!” An unsympathetic Phoenix replied.

Instead of lashing out, Gilda only deflated again. “You’re right. It is,” she agreed to Phoenix’s great surprise, her reaction finally convincing him she was being sincere. “I overreacted. All I could think of at that moment was that I wanted to hurt her like I’d been hurt,” she recalled. “I remembered how she chose her new friends over me! How all those stupid ponies she’d just met were more important to her than someone she’d known for twelve years!” she hissed, her talons coiling tightly for a moment against the edge of the podium while her tail flicked in clear agitation.

“So while I was standing there staring at the body, I convinced myself that she needed to be punished! Even convinced myself she deserved to be banished for banishing me from her life!" she went on. “I’d show her how it felt! I’d show her what it was like to be betrayed and have your best friend turn on you!” she repeated in a shrill but quavering voice, her eyes turning angry for just a moment before she returned to her despondent and downcast state again. “I knew it was a horrible thing I was doing. I knew how wrong it was. But all this anger and hate took hold of me and wouldn’t let go. And I just felt trapped. Locked in,” she described, causing Twilight to blink, finally feeling steady on her hooves again.

“And so… I moved the body, and the rest is history. I even set things up with the consulate so that my testimony would be limited. I thought revenge would make me feel better, and all this time, I kept waiting for it to happen. Kept waiting for that sweet feeling of payback to kick in, but…” she trailed off, all her headfeathers wilting again. “But it never did. And all I feel now… is empty. Lost and alone," she finished, her eyes glistening.

“Revenge is never the answer,” Twilight spoke up from Phoenix’s right, her eyes sad as she beheld the broken shell of Gilda before her, having felt for herself all the anger and anguish that was wound up in her psyche-locks. “Ultimately, it doesn’t take your pain away. It just makes it even worse,” she noted with a pointed look at Trixie, who didn’t respond except for a slight grunt.

Gilda gave Twilight a nod of acknowledgment before continuing, “I know that now. I just wish I’d known it before. You may all think I’m only confessing because I was caught,” she added, seeing the unconvinced faces in the gallery around her. “But in truth, I think I wanted to be. It’s actually kind of a relief. I just can’t do this anymore.”

“Gilda…” Rainbow called out forlornly to her old friend.

Gilda perked up at the sound of Rainbow’s voice. “But you know what? Maybe the real reason I got so angry—” Gilda paused long enough to raise her eyes to meet Rainbow’s. “—was because I missed my best and most irreplaceable friend. And now look at me. I’m doing a really crappy job of winning her back!” She managed a weak chuckle.

Rainbow could only stare back, sad and speechless.

“I’m sorry I lied. I’m sorry I moved the body. If I could take it all back, I would. I don’t know how that stallion died, but… Dash didn’t kill him!” she insisted, raising her voice to make sure the entire gallery heard her clearly. “Blue boy’s right that I didn’t see the first bolt hit, but the fact I found his body so far away from the cloud proves it couldn’t have struck him!” she said, turning fractionally towards the defense rail to address Phoenix, who nodded.

“And you can confirm that you were the last one on the scene of the crime?” Phoenix asked, far more gently than before. “You’re sure there wasn’t anyone else there?”

“I am,” she nodded. “Remember that I can see in the dark, and I also have a good sense of smell. There was no one else in or near that clearing when I left, pony or otherwise.”

Despite her assertion and the certainty that the case was now all but won, Phoenix was still puzzled. That’s strange. How did the stick get in the water under that bridge if Gilda didn’t move it? I don’t think she’s lying about that, he wondered idly. Guess it doesn’t matter, though.

For once, The Judge reached the right conclusion without Phoenix having to spell it out for him. “It seems this was all just a misunderstanding, then. The defendant couldn’t have killed the victim with the first lightning bolt if his body wasn’t originally lying under the storm cloud!”

Phoenix nodded his agreement. “We can probably come to the conclusion that if the first bolt didn’t kill him, it had to have been the second, somehow, despite the lightning-proof suit,” he noted. “A fluke bolt must have hit him in one of the exposed spots. Highly improbable, I agree. But in this case, the only possible explanation,” he concluded with a glance at Twilight, who nodded her agreement.

Gilda spoke up again. “That’s probably what happened. Even though I didn’t see or hear a second bolt,” she noted in turn. “But if he was electrocuted, that’s the only explanation—another bolt must have done him in.”

The Judge’s expression turned severe again. “Be that as it may, Ms. Behertz, you have committed perjury and mail fraud, and you tampered with the crime scene in an attempt to frame the defendant, all of which are serious crimes in and of themselves.”

“I know,” Gilda said with a sad expression, all pretense of defiance gone. “Believe me, Your Honor, you can’t hate me any more than I hate myself right now. So I’ll accept any punishment you give me.”

“She told the truth, though. She only did it because of what I did to her,” Rainbow spoke up for the first time on Gilda’s behalf, causing the latter to smile in gratitude. “So you’ll go easy on her… won’t you, Your Honor?” she asked, a pleading note in her voice.

The Judge hesitated before replying. “That will not be my decision to make, Ms. Dash. I can only order her remanded and have charges pressed; her punishment will be at the discretion of the Equestrian Judge who presides at her trial.”

Gilda stood up straight again and smiled, some of her old cockiness back. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about me, Dash! No wimpy little jail cell can get me down!” she told her old friend, managing a weak boast. Rainbow smiled sadly at that.

With that, Twilight turned to Phoenix, concern in her eyes. “How long do you think she’ll get?”

Phoenix considered that. “If it was my world? First time offense; guilty plea to three felonies... it could be anywhere from a few weeks to several months,” he answered back. “I’m sorry, but there are a lot of variables involved, from the attitude of the judge and the quality of the defense attorney to how well she presents herself at trial. So I can’t really give you a straight answer.” Seeing Twilight deflate, Phoenix half-thought of offering his services to Gilda to see if he could get her a reduced sentence. She clearly wasn’t in her right mind. And it’d be an excuse to stick around Equestria a little longer, too!

As a quartet of bailiffs approached to take her into custody, Gilda stood up straighter and addressed Rainbow again. “Good luck, Dash. I just know you’ll kick some serious flank in the Equestrian 500!” She grinned. “Sorry I won’t get to race with you.”

Rainbow gave her old friend another sad smile. “I’ll visit you and tell you how it went.”

Gilda smiled back. “I’d like that,” she said before looking up to The Judge. “Your Honor? Before you have me arrested, there is one more thing I really gotta say. If I’m allowed?” she qualified, some actual respect in her voice for the first time.

“Yes, witness. You may!” The Judge replied; for a moment Phoenix swore he heard sniffling.

Well, His Honor is nothing if not sentimental! he thought with a grin.

“Thank you,” Gilda acknowledged, and abruptly, her entire demeanor changed. She rounded on Phoenix, wings flaring in anger and eyes flashing, pinning the startled human lawyer with her most ferocious glare. “YOU BETTER NOT BE IN MY LINE OF SIGHT WHEN I GET OUT, BLUE BOY!!!!” she yelled, making an obscene gesture with a middle talon that an aback Phoenix never dreamed existed in Equestria.

“BECAUSE IF YOU ARE, YOUR FLANK IS BUCKING TOAST! I’LL TEAR YOU INTO SMITHEREENS AND THEN TEAR YOUR SMITHEREENS INTO SMITHEREENS FOR DOING THIS TO ME!” she promised him as the bailiffs quickly collared her, slapped griffon-quality restraints on her wings and legs and then began to drag her away. “DON’T EVER LET ME SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN, BLUE BOY!!!! YOU GOT THAT????” she warned him with another upraised middle talon as a burly earth pony bailiff hauled her out the door.

Well, that certainly killed the sad mood, was all a stunned Phoenix could think, deciding that perhaps volunteering to represent Gilda wouldn’t be the smartest move for his career or continued good health.

Once the eagless had been removed and the gallery had settled back down, The Judge called for order with a bang of his gavel and cleared his throat. “There are a few unanswered questions in this case, not the least of which is how the stick got from the clearing to the park. But on the question of the innocence of the defendant, I believe I can safely hand down my verdict.”

“The first bolt of lightning could not have killed Ace Swift,” Phoenix reminded him. “Gilda’s confession and a slew of supporting evidence, from the original location of the metal stick, to the scuffed up area of ground well away from where the first bolt hit, confirms this.”

Though the verdict wasn’t actually in yet, Twilight could barely contain herself. “You did it, Phoenix! We won!” she said, beaming at him in happiness and pride.

Phoenix felt himself starting to relax, reflecting back on the previous two days of trial and all the mistakes and missteps he’d made along the way. “All’s well that ends well, I guess.” He grinned back briefly. I kept my promise, Twilight! he told her with his thoughts, standing up straight and facing The Judge to receive his hard-won verdict.

“On the charge of murdering Ace Swift, this court finds the defendant, Rainbow Dash, Not—”

The cry rang out, Phoenix and Twilight looking up in surprise to see a long-silent Trixie now standing up straight and tall, wearing her smugly confident expression once more. “Forgot about Trixie, I see,” the showmare said, closing her eyes and touching her hoof to her chest.

The Judge looked at her in confusion, as did most of the court. “Ms. Trixie, what’s the matter?” he asked.

“It’s just that you were about to make a fatal mistake there, Your Honor,” Trixie told him easily. “Rainbow Trash is guilty. She did kill Ace!” she further announced, to disbelieving noises from the gallery.

Came the greatest disbelieving noise of all. “You don’t know when to quit, do you? We just had a confession that says otherwise, Trixie!” Phoenix reminded her, this time to murmurs of assent from the audience.

“Yeah!” Twilight spoke up, anger in her voice. Black locks or no, enough is enough! “He was found dead in the dirt far away from and nowhere near the cloud! How could the first bolt have killed him if his body was lying thirty feet from where it hit?”

The Judge nodded in agreement. “I must concur with the defense here, Ms. Trixie. You based your entire theory of the crime on the first lightning bolt striking the victim. The evidence and actual location of the body disproves that.”

“And in that case, it had to have been the second bolt, which Rainbow Dash had no control over!” Phoenix piled on, wondering when Trixie would finally give up the ghost. Even Franziska knew when she was beat!

To his surprise and disgust, Trixie just laughed. “It’s so rich sitting here watching you both labor under the pitiful delusion you won,” she told him, her smug look in full force. “You’ve had your little moment of triumph, Mister Wrong, but now it is Trixie’s turn! So watch in awe and amazement as The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie takes your precious little turnabout… crushes it into dust… and casts it to the wind!” the mare magician announced grandly like she was advertising the next act in her show.

Phoenix couldn’t help but feel a shiver go down his spine, suddenly getting a very bad feeling about what was coming next.

“To start with, let’s chat about this ‘second bolt’,” Trixie began, levitating a sheet of scroll paper before her with her light blue aura. “As Trixie promised yesterday, she had a talk with the weather managers in Cloudsdale about the Cloud Ballistics report,” she told the court before turning her gaze back to Phoenix, her mouth crooking upwards into a knowing and unpleasant grin. “Remember the second bolt not making a sound?”

“Yeah?” Phoenix said warily, uncertain what she was up to. Doesn’t matter—she can’t bridge the thirty-foot gap between the body and where the first bolt hit!

“When Trixie asked the weather managers what phenomenon could cause a bolt to be recorded by ballistics but be neither heard nor seen, she was told it was most likely an anomaly known as a ‘dud bolt’,” she announced, causing some of the weather-savvy pegasi in the gallery to look at her in surprise.

“For the benefit of the non-winged ponies and primates present, a dud bolt is the result of a lightning bolt never leaving its parent cloud, in effect striking inside the cloud. As everyone but Mister Wrong knows, lightning makes sounds based off vibrations from striking something solid,” she reminded the court. “But if the bolt strikes something intangible, like the cloud itself? There won’t be any noise at all!

“Since it doesn’t hit anything solid attached to the ground, there is no boom. And since it never completes a circuit, there is no ‘return stroke’ and thus, only a very muted flash as well,” she related what she had learned. “And that, Your Honor, is the only explanation as to why Trixie’s witnesses neither heard nor saw the second bolt!”

“And this is relevant... how?” Phoenix challenged.

“Need you even ask, Mister Wrong?” Trixie triumphantly stated. “The point is that the second bolt could not have killed him, no matter how badly you may wish it! And if the second bolt didn’t kill him, all that leaves is the first—fired by Rainbow Trash!”

Phoenix stared at her in disbelief. “That makes no sense, Trixie! We’ve already established the first bolt didn’t kill him, and now you’re saying the second bolt couldn’t have either?” he asked derisively. “If the first bolt didn’t kill him, it had to have been the second bolt!”

“Yeah, Trixie!” Twilight stomped her hoof, starting to get incensed again. “It’s either one or the other, and everything points to it being the second bolt!”

Her anger only rose further as Trixie gave her another mocking laugh. “Oh, spare the GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie your twaddle, Twilight Sparkle. It’s in fact quite simple what happened!” she announced, stepping out from behind the prosecutor’s stall, her horn flaring to life as she walked to the middle of the courtroom pit. “Allow the GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie to enlighten and dazzle you all!” she said grandly as a scene materialized around her, showing the forest clearing, a cloud, and two pony figures in what Phoenix could only describe as a three-dimensional wire-frame diagram, the outline of each element lit up like glowing neon in different colors—green for the vegetation, blue for Rainbow Dash, orange for Ace and white for the cloud.

“To begin with, let’s review the established facts in this case,” she said as the scene slowly rotated around her, giving The Judge and everypony in the courtroom a look at it from all angles. “First, Rainbow Trash was in the forest clearing at the time of the murder. Second, we now have witness testimony that she was seen in the company of the victim, and third: that she did set the first bolt off—please note not even Mister Wrong has bothered to dispute that!”

“Yes, she did,” Phoenix admitted—it's the truth, so there's no point in denying it! “But you heard Gilda—the victim wasn’t struck! The purpose of the lightning was to scare him, not to kill him!”

“Trixie begs to differ!” she announced with a hoof over her chest as she froze the scene at its current angle, with the east side of the virtual clearing facing The Judge. “As you yourself pointed out, Mister Wrong, if she couldn’t see the scene, how would she know whether or not he was struck?”

“Because she later found the body a long distance from where the first bolt hit!” he quickly countered with a pointed finger.

“Which proves nothing, Mister Wrong!” Trixie grinned, showing her teeth. “As any pegasus who works with weather can attest, lightning has quite a kick! When Rainbow Trash nailed the victim with the first bolt, the force of the impact and sheer amount of electricity sent him flying!” she theorized, animating the magical image to show a blue-outlined Rainbow Dash flying up to buck the white-framed cloud, which responded with a jagged yellow-hued bolt that struck Ace in the back of the neck and sent him hurtling through the air to land in the dirt patch. “He was thrown nearly thirty feet and landed in the dirt pile he was found in, dead even before he hit the ground! And that, Mister Wrong, is that!”

It was a very compelling demonstration, forcing Twilight to reluctantly admit that the mare magician did put on a very good show. Illusions were Trixie’s forte, Twilight knew, and producing a large, three-dimensional simulation that animated multiple elements took no small amount of skill or practice. Have to give her credit, she’s really improved her abilities a lot since the last time I saw her!

Phoenix’s jaw fell open as he watched the vivid spectacle. “B-but… you don’t have any…” he began to stammer, a trickle of sweat under his collar marking his realization that what she was saying was only too plausible and fit the facts at hand, as her well-designed display illustrated quite clearly.

“Proof? Trixie doesn’t need any proof!” she immediately countered, turning to face The Judge, the scene freeze-framed around her. “Trixie simply asks this court and all listening: what makes more sense? That the victim was somehow slain by a random second lightning bolt that no less than three witnesses neither heard nor saw? That slew him despite his natural pegasus resistance to weather and a lightning-proof racesuit?” she asked plainly.

“Or that he was instead killed by a deliberately aimed first bolt and thrown a short distance from the impact?” she added, repeating the murder simulation as she did so, and Phoenix cringed when he heard sounds of grudging agreement coming from the gallery. “There should be no doubt in anypony’s mind as to the answer!”

The Judge nodded thoughtfully at that, clearly swayed by her logic and the magical display. “I believe… it would be the latter,” he conceded.

“I would also remind the court there were no burn scars indicating lightning touched down around that dirt nap of his!” she went on, making orange flames appear around where the first bolt had hit, the mare magician twisting the knife deeper with every word she spoke. “Even that mangy griffon wouldn’t have been able to hide something like that just by scraping some dirt around! Thus, the evidence is clear: there was no lightning strike at the original location of the body, Your Honor!” she concluded.

“N-no!” Phoenix stammered again, sensing the case impossibly slipping away from him. I can’t lose this! I CAN’T! he reminded himself, groping for a way out, now understanding why Trixie had been so quiet during his interrogation of Gilda—It WAS just a sideshow to her! he ruefully realized. All that time she’d been waiting for it to be over with so she could take control of the case back and win it on her own terms!

“There’s another problem!” he found his voice again, trying to get his head back in the game. “How would Rainbow Dash have been able to aim the bolt at one of the exposed spots on the suit? It was dark, remember?”

“Ha!” the showmare laughed. “Trixie knew you might try going for that one!”

“And it’s your job as prosecutor to explain it!” he reminded her. I am not losing to her! I am NOT!

“As you wish, Mister Wrong!” Trixie said, levitating another piece of scroll paper off her table that contained the latest transcripts. “With the new information Gilda gave us, it becomes quite easy! We now know that Rainbow Trash in fact spoke with the victim for a period of time.”

“That doesn’t answer my question!” Phoenix countered, starting to get annoyed again.

She gave him another of her infuriatingly smug looks. “Did you forget already, Mister Wrong? Rainbow Trash was participating in the Equestrian 500, same as the victim.”

Phoenix blinked at the seemingly nonsensical statement. “So what?”

“So, she has a racing suit of her own! We found it—among a few other things—when we searched her home after the murder!” she noted with a leering grin at Rainbow that caused her to flush in anger and embarrassment. “The point is, there are no cosmetic differences between the male and female designs, other than size! Therefore, Rainbow Trash would know exactly where the exposed areas are judging by where he was standing when she spoke with him!” she reasoned, replaying her simulation again with the added feature of showing the two glowing ponies circling each other and the blue one slowly and subtly backing the orange one into position.

“All she had to do was maneuver him to a pre-marked spot on the ground that was directly under the cloud, then make a minor adjustment to the cloud position as she triggered it based on where she sensed the exposed spot was—an easy enough feat for Ponyville’s longtime weather team captain!”

“She wouldn’t have been able to see any ‘pre-marked spot’, Trixie!” Phoenix immediately pointed out.

“Trixie didn’t say it was a visual mark, Mister Wrong—it could have been a simple pile of leaves or twigs that would crunch underhoof when he stepped on them, letting her know he was in position by sound!” she asserted.

“But there was no evidence of any such thing at the site of the first bolt!” Phoenix tried again, remembering finding nothing but soot there.

“Nor would there be—the leaves and twigs would have been burned up or blown away from the impact site by the sheer force of the strike!” the mare magician immediately retorted. “Any other nitpicks for Trixie to shoot down, Mister Wrong?” She nodded in satisfaction as Phoenix fell silent.

“Once he was in position, it became a simple matter of flying up to trigger the bolt and… BOOM!” she finished with a flourish and close-up illusion of a lightning bolt hitting Ace with a loud CRACK!, sending him flying towards the dirt mound again as Phoenix could only stare slack-jawed, feeling the case slipping away.

With that, her horn glow ceased and the illusion faded. “You see? All your objections, all your investigation, all your effort to extract a confession out of Gilda… and it still made no difference! Game, set, and match, Mister Wrong!” Trixie announced, returning to her stall and sitting back on her haunches with a very triumphant and satisfied smile.

“I… b-but… what-if…” Phoenix struggled for a way out, not immediately seeing one. Her logic was impeccable; her demonstration undeniably compelling. Worse, she seemed to have covered all the bases, letting him have his moment in the sun with Gilda; even letting him think he’d won before she ripped the rug out from under him.

“You’re right!” The Judge exclaimed, his eyes wide. “Ms. Behertz’ confession hasn’t really changed anything! Ms. Trixie’s theory of the lightning bolt’s impact sending him flying that far makes the most sense!”

“Of course it does! Because that’s what happened!” Trixie replied in a proud pose as if it was self-evident. With that, Phoenix realized that she wasn’t just saying it—Trixie really did believe Rainbow had committed the murder, and was all the more driven as a prosecutor for it. “Now, then—no more delays! Trixie requests the correct verdict now, Your Honor!” she demanded with a glare at Phoenix, daring him to try something.

Phoenix’s racing mind finally came up with a counter. Ah! I GOT IT! he thought in relief. This isn’t over yet, Trixie! We’re just back at square one, and back to my original plan! “Wait! I know another suspect!” he announced, remembering the strategy he had shared with Twilight before the trial.

“No! Not this time, Wrong!” Trixie told him angrily. “Trixie is not going to let you blindly accuse again! Trixie has had her fun, but she now wants her victory! So if you please, Your Honor?”

To Phoenix’s horror, The Judge nodded in agreement. “Your accusation of Miss Fluttershy yesterday proved to be fruitless and well off-base, Mister Wright, resulting in an innocent and rather fragile pony spending half an afternoon in jail. The only reason I spared you a contempt citation for it is that you were at least correct that the feather turned out to be significant. Nonetheless, I will not allow you to accuse anyone else without solid evidence, and that means you’re going to have to produce far more than a feather this time!” he warned, his hand tightening on his gavel, ready to bring it down on Phoenix quickly and harshly if he did not.

“But I do have solid evidence!” Phoenix insisted. “Perhaps this court hasn’t heard, but a pegasus named Cruise Control attacked me in the forest yesterday and tried to steal my evidence! Why would he do that if not to cover up his own guilt?” he asked, hearing a sharp intake of breath and rather unfriendly hiss in the gallery behind him.

Was that Lenora? he suddenly wondered, but kept his attention in front of him.

“Cruise Control?” Trixie gave Phoenix a disbelieving look, her mouth falling open for a moment before twisting into a lopsided grin. “He’s your new suspect?”

“Yeah. Is there a problem with that, Trixie?” he challenged her.

“Sorry to disappoint you, Mister Wrong, but there are in fact several!” she informed him, though she didn’t sound sorry to him at all.

“And they are…?”

Trixie’s smile only got broader. “One: so what if he attacked you for your evidence? There were any number of reasons he might have done so, and assuming it was to cover up his involvement in the murder is merely that—an assumption!” she told him easily. “And regardless, he’s been arrested for it and you got all your worthless evidence back. For all the good it did you!”

Phoenix looked at her in disbelief. “Oh, come on! What other reason would he have to—”

“Two: He’s refusing to talk. He hasn’t said a word to anypony, not even his lawyer, since his arrest!” Trixie went on, speaking right over him.

“He spoke to me!” Twilight insisted.

“Says you, Twilight!” Trixie snarled dismissively. “But his trial is tomorrow, and if it makes you feel better, Trixie will personally prosecute him… to make sure your coltfriend’s assailant is punished!” she leered mockingly, causing both Phoenix and Twilight to flush. “In any event, he’s being completely uncooperative and for that reason, he can’t be called to the stand.”

“That isn’t your decision to make!” Phoenix told her, addressing her but appealing to The Judge.

Before he could speak up, Trixie went on. “And three: I can prove beyond any shadow of a doubt that Cruise Control did not commit the murder!”

Phoenix gave her a disbelieving look. “And you can do that—how?” he asked her, increasingly flustered.

She gave him a gleeful grin. “Because, Mister Wrong—he was the anonymous tip Trixie spoke of yesterday!” she announced in a loud voice, causing an undercurrent of surprised noises to float down from the gallery.

“So what? He still could have done it!” Phoenix immediately countered, already aware of that fact from his case review with Twilight before the trial. “He clearly had advanced knowledge of the meeting between my client and the victim, and he had to have gone after my evidence for a reason—covering up his involvement in the murder is the most likely one! He’s a pegasus; he could have flown to the clearing after the police didn’t take his tip seriously and found a way to kill the victim with the second bolt!

“I can also prove he had a severe grudge against Ace Swift! He therefore had both motive and opportunity, and could very easily have been the murderer!” he insisted, relieved to see a thoughtful expression from The Judge and a few nods of agreement from the gallery—offset by the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly standing on end as he heard a low leonine growl and sensed a very angry set of griffon eyes boring into him, glowering from the stands behind him. I don’t know what Lenora’s so mad at me about, but I can’t worry about that now!

Trixie stared at him like he’d gone mad. “Not only is that incredibly illogical and stupid—why would he report a murder he was about to commit?—but it’s impossible as well!” the mare magician informed him. “Sorry to disappoint you, Mister Wrong, but Cruise Control has an airtight alibi!”

“And what’s that?” Phoenix demanded to know.

She waited a beat before answering, closing her eyes and smiling while visibly savoring the moment. “Because, Mister Wrong, between 8:30 and 9:00 PM that night… Cruise Control was at the police station, reporting the crime. He therefore could not have been present to fire the second bolt! Or the first, for that matter.”

“Wh… WHAT?” both Phoenix and Twilight exclaimed in horror.

The former could only watch helplessly as Trixie tore up his trump card. “You heard me, Mister Wrong! Even if Cruise Control left for the forest immediately after departing the station, the victim would have been long dead by the time he arrived!”

“That can’t be!” Phoenix continued to insist, feeling his case crumbling to pieces around him. “You said he reported it before the crime!”

“He did,” Trixie confirmed with a smirk. “But then he stuck around the station until nine o’clock ranting and raving. If you don’t believe me, many of the police on duty that night can testify to this, and if it pleases this court? Trixie would be more than happy to call them as witnesses!”

“But… but Cruise Control had to have done it!” Twilight tried, remembering the five psyche-locks around him. What were they hiding if not his involvement in the murder? she asked herself desperately, cursing fate and Detention Center visiting hours for ending her interrogation of him prematurely and not allowing the five extra minutes she needed.

Trixie gave her rival a smirk. “Care to show some proof? Because Trixie knows for a fact you don’t have a shred of evidence that can place him at the scene of the crime, let alone prove that he could be in two places at once!” she taunted, causing Twilight to fall silent.

“What about the stick?” Phoenix tried again, sensing himself grasping at straws.

She gave him a disdainful look. “What about it, Mister Wrong?”

“How did it get from the crime scene to the stream in the park? Don’t you find that the least bit suspicious?” he asked, picking up a fresh sheet of transcript. “Gilda was the last one on the crime scene, and it was impossible for her to come into Ponyville without being seen by Fluttershy! Are you suggesting it grew legs and walked there?”

“Not this again!” Trixie rolled her eyes. “Fluttershy had a major contradiction in her testimony that you pointed out, Mister Wrong!” she reminded him, somewhat painfully. “For all any of us know, Gilda could have dumped the stick in the stream after moving the body—perhaps she accidentally touched it and was worried it could incriminate her—and Fluttershy missed seeing her just as she missed seeing Apple Bloom.”

“But why would Gilda do that? She already confessed to moving the body! Why would she not confess to moving the stick as well?” Phoenix challenged.

“Who cares? To quote the sole truth spoken by my former witness: it’s just a stupid piece of garbage!” she replied dismissively, mimicking Gilda’s intonations. “The last time Trixie checked, that stick isn’t the murder weapon! You’re still trying to turn garbage into gold, Mister Wrong. But I’m sorry to say, your precious ‘treasure’ is just simple trash!” she pronounced, turning his words back on him.

“But the fact that it was moved means there’s a possibility that someone else was on the crime scene!” he told The Judge as much as her.

Trixie made a tsk-tsking sound that very uncomfortably reminded Phoenix of Franziska von Karma. “You just confirmed with Gilda she was the last one there. She said she didn’t see anypony else, and insisted that her griffon senses would allow her to detect if anypony was there!” she reminded him.

“So first you say she could be lying, and now you insist she’s telling the truth?” Phoenix challenged with a pointed finger.

“So first you insist she’s telling the truth, and now you say she could be lying?” Trixie immediately retaliated with an identical tone and gesture. “First she lied to hurt Rainbow Trash, then after that pathetic display of repentance, she might well have lied to protect her!” the showmare suggested, causing Rainbow’s head to snap up, turning her ire and glare back on Trixie as she snorted and pulled angrily at her restraints again.

“I’m afraid I must agree, Mister Wright.” The Judge nodded reluctantly. “As touching as Ms. Behertz’s confession was, her earlier lies mean nothing she says can be trusted without direct evidence—evidence you clearly do not have,” he pronounced, cutting off Phoenix’s final faint thread of hope. “I am therefore forced to disregard her testimony and order her statements stricken from the court record.” He rapped his gavel to make the ruling official.

Trixie could barely contain her glee. “You heard him, Mister Wrong! It’s over! You have nothing left! Trixie WINS!” she exulted with a magic display of fireworks high above the courtroom pit.

Phoenix felt faint as the mare magician celebrated before a deathly silent gallery. “She’s… she’s right… I… I haven’t got anything,” he admitted out loud, starting to go weak in the knees. “She just keeps refuting all my objections… all my evidence… all my firepower...” he told himself in a dazed tone.

“No, Phoenix! You have to try! You said yourself Rainbow Dash was innocent!” Twilight reminded him, trying desperately to come up with a strategy of her own. Is there NOTHING we can do?

“I know, Twilight. But Trixie’s right—we haven’t got any evidence that links Cruise Control or anyone else to the murder that night,” Phoenix told her, mentally cursing himself for not checking on Cruise’s whereabouts during that time.

“What about the blackmailing? We still have that!” she suggested, flaring her horn to bring out the list of names and letter of resignation he’d found in Ace’s hotel room.

Her heart sank when Phoenix mournfully shook his head, not even looking at the as-yet unused pieces of evidence. “Even if I bring up the blackmailing, it won’t help a thing,” he told her regretfully. “It was only useful as a motive for Cruise. Since he didn’t do it, bringing it up now will only prove Ace was blackmailing Rainbow and give her an even stronger motive for the murder.” And if I even mention blackmail, Sonata will have me arrested on the spot, he knew. Though that wouldn’t have stopped him if he thought there was a chance it would help.

“I… I’m sorry, Twilight,” he apologized with a breaking voice; the knowledge that he had failed his client—that he had failed Twilight—far worse than any insult Trixie could fling his way. “Trixie’s right. It’s over. I couldn’t keep my promise. I couldn’t help your friend. Forgive me…” he begged her, his head and shoulders sagging, unable to look her in the eye. I… I lost… was all he could think of as he fell to his knees and slumped over the rail, head buried in his hands while in the courtroom audience, Applejack, Rarity and Spike all wore stunned and sorrowful expressions, unable to understand how the trial could have turned so sharply and so quickly.

“Order in the court!” The Judge called to silence the conversation from the defense bench and gallery. “I’ve heard enough. It is my judgment that the prosecution has supplied sufficient evidence and arguments to prove her case.”

“Your Honor! Trixie is starting to grow quite weary of Mister Wrong’s futile attempts to prolong the inevitable!” she told The Judge. “So deliver the verdict and convict the defendant! Now!” she demanded imperiously.

Though he flicked her a glance of annoyance, The Judge nodded in agreement. “Yes. I believe the time has come.”

“So how much does it sting, Twilight?” Trixie taunted. “To know you’re about to lose one of your precious friends forever and are completely powerless to stop it?”

For her part, Twilight felt nothing but numbness. But how? HOW? she asked herself over and over. I was so sure of the outcome! We did everything right today; everything possible to prepare… she remembered. All the investigation, all the evidence we found, all of Gilda’s lies and the effort to extract a confession from her… it wasn’t supposed to end like this! It CAN’T end like this! she told herself, tears welling in her eyes. How can this be HAPPENING?

“Oh! I know!” Trixie twisted her horn deeper. “How about you use your ‘fwiendship’ to save Rainbow Trash? That’ll work!” she mocked in baby talk, to angry noises from the gallery. “’Magic of Friendship’? Give me a bucking break!” she snorted. “There’s no magic in it—it’s just a word, nothing more, and it’s completely unnecessary. But you’ll know this all too well when you lose one of your friends in a few seconds!”

Twilight desperately blocked her out, tears now falling freely down her cheeks. “Please, Phoenix! Get up! He’s about to give Rainbow Dash a guilty verdict!” she begged him, reaching up to shake his shoulders, but Phoenix didn’t move from where he was slumped, head still buried forlornly in his hands.

“Well, then. Guess I was right all along—he wasn’t much use in the courtroom!” Trixie mocked, letting the rest of the implied and very ugly insult go unspoken. “But who knows? Maybe you’ll find other uses for him. Oh, and remember what you said about revenge not being the answer, Cry-light? I beg to differ!” Her eyes glittered gleefully. “Payback’s rich, and it’s a—”

“That will do, Ms. Trixie!” The Judge’s voice broke in angrily with a sharp rap of his gavel. “For the record, I do not approve of your personal attacks, or your personal motives in taking this case! In addition to the penalties you suffered, I am fining you two hundred bits for conduct unbecoming an officer of the court! Nevertheless… you have fulfilled your duties as prosecutor, and I will render judgment now,” he announced, drawing himself up straighter in his chair and grasping his gavel firmly. “With the evidence supplied by the prosecution…”

“But… but… I didn’t do it…” Rainbow insisted weakly, looking genuinely fearful for the first time.

“This court finds the defendant…”

“Phoenix, please!” a tearful Twilight tried one last time to rouse him from his stupor, to no avail.

“Rainbow Dash…”

In the gallery, Rarity sobbed openly as Spike tried to comfort her. Applejack removed her Stetson, pulling her two friends into an embrace and holding them tightly, unable to contain her own tears as The Judge said the final, fateful word:

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on August 6, 2018.

Part 45 - A Shy Intervention

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom #2
June 11th, 11:44 AM

“We… lost,” was all Twilight could say as The Judge’s verdict came down, her voice numb. She stared at the opposite side of the pit where Trixie was still exulting in her victory despite her fine.

“Oh, come now. Was there ever any doubt?” the mare magician answered in gloating tones. “Trixie is the best at everything!” she repeated her old tagline with a fresh display of magical fireworks, to the anger of all present.

Beside Twilight, Phoenix remained slumped over the rail with his hands clutching his head, unable to accept the reality of his defeat. He had lost a case once before, but in that instance his client was unquestionably guilty and had blackmailed Phoenix into defending him by holding Maya hostage; he had no regrets about the guilty verdict then. But this time, there was no such excuse—he knew he was entirely to blame for what had befallen Twilight’s friend and his client.

I failed… was all he could think, over and over, knowing an innocent pony he had sworn to set free now stood condemned.

His verdict given, The Judge looked around the Equestrian courtroom one last time. He felt no sense of satisfaction in his ruling, only sadness, and couldn’t help but feel sorry for the pony he had just passed judgment on, seeing her frightened look, her crying friends, a downtrodden Twilight Sparkle and a clearly shell-shocked Phoenix Wright.

But the law is the law, he reminded himself, knowing he had rendered a proper verdict given the evidence and arguments presented, and nothing could change the outcome now. “Proceedings are concluded. Court is now adjourned!” he announced, deciding to retire to his temporary chambers and have a stiff glass of cider, resolving to reach out to Phoenix Wright once they were both back on Earth.

And with one final, authoritative slam of his gavel… the trial was over.

But just as The Judge was about to leave the bench…

Came the unexpected cry from the back corner of the gallery. Though Phoenix didn’t immediately move, Twilight and Rainbow stared stunned, Trixie’s face contorted in anger and The Judge looked up in surprise as a yellow-and-pink blur darted out of the spectator stands to land in the courtroom pit, resolving into the very familiar and unlikely figure of…

“Fl…Fluttershy!?” Twilight gaped at the incredible sight, both surprised and amazed to see her bashful friend knowing the courage it must have taken for her to come forth on her own, swooping out of the gallery to plant herself on the witness stand and make herself the center of attention.

“I OBJECT!!!!” she shouted again in a forceful voice nopony who knew her ever thought her capable of, wearing a fierce and determined look. But even as it registered on all present, she swiftly lost it. “Um… i-if…you know… it’s alright…” she added in her more usual tinny voice, quickly reverting to form, cowering behind the stand.

Phoenix’s head rose up from his defeated slump to stare blankly at the unlikely sight, a look matched by Spike, Rarity and Applejack from where they were huddled together in the gallery. Elsewhere in the audience, startled ponies who had been getting up to leave started to gossip with one another, gawking and pointing at Fluttershy, causing a huge stir in the courtroom once again.

The Judge slammed his gavel three times to control the sudden uproar in the stands. “Young lady, what is the meaning of this?!” he demanded to know.

Fluttershy visibly swallowed, gathering every ounce of her courage as she started to explain. “M-Mister Your Honor, I just remembered s-something important about that night, when I was w-watching the forest,” she managed to get out. “May I do one of those, um… ‘testify’ things again?”

“No! You can’t!” Trixie shouted. “This witness has already testified and the verdict has already been given! There’s no reason for us to even be here anymore!”

“She wants to testify again?” Twilight looked at Phoenix, who was still staring at Fluttershy in a state of shock, scarcely able to believe his eyes or luck.

Rousing himself, he grabbed her offered lifeline with the desperation of a drowning man and held on for dear life. “Your Honor! Please let her testify!” Phoenix stood up and said, praying The Judge would allow her to do so.

His heart sunk when The Judge shook his head at him. “I’m sorry, Mister Wright, but the prosecution is correct. My verdict has already been handed down.”

“But this court owes this witness an apology for wrongly accusing her yesterday!” he tried.

Trixie shouted once more. “Correction: you owe her an apology, Wrong! You were the one who accused her!”

“And you agreed with me, Trixie! Even though you knew she was innocent!” Phoenix retaliated with a shout and pointed finger, which made the showmare slam her hoof on the table, having not expected any resistance from the previously forlorn and defeated Phoenix.

But The Judge remained stubborn and shook his head. “It still doesn’t change the fact that my judgment has already been delivered, Mister Wright. Apologies for a false accusation don’t justify withdrawing my verdict!”

“I beg you to hear her out, Your Honor!” he implored. “Our duty as officers of the court is to hear every piece of testimony and exhaust every piece of evidence before giving a proper verdict! Handing down one now while there’s still a witness willing to testify would be premature!”

Fluttershy gathered her courage once again and spoke to The Judge. “It’s important, Mister Your Honor!” she insisted before cowering again. “At least… at least I think it is…”

The Judge closed his eyes and sighed heavily as he thought. The tension in both the gallery and the courtroom pit was palpable as Phoenix, Twilight and all present in the courtroom held their breath, afraid to move.

All except one. “I can’t believe you’re actually considering this!” Trixie persisted, finding her guilty verdict in uncertain danger. “THE TRIAL… IS… OVER!!!!!”

“Please, Your Honor! This isn’t just for me or my client, but for justice itself!” Phoenix bypassed Trixie and addressed The Judge directly, shaking off his shock and starting to speak with more fervor. “You said yourself this witness was fragile and you saw how hard it was for her to testify yesterday! Reward her courage and let her speak! For her to do this in spite of her fears implies something very important! This testimony she wishes to give could very well change everything we know!” he concluded as he sensed The Judge wavering.

With that, The Judge closed his eyes again and pondered the question anew, rubbing his sore temples as he did so. “Hmm…” was all he immediately said, weighing Phoenix’s words against the simple fact that the trial was over and verdict already rendered.

Come on! Phoenix silently pleaded, knowing he was already at the end of a very frayed rope; his heart going a mile a minute and hands clenched on the edge of the rail. His fingers went white-knuckled while he awaited The Judge’s ruling, only too aware that this one weak thread was their last hope.

After what seemed like a small eternity to Twilight, The Judge finally opened his eyes. “Very well, Mister Wright. You are correct that for this pony of all witnesses to make a scene implies something important. So I’ll let her testify—”

“WHAT!?” Trixie widened her eyes in disbelief, her muzzle falling open even as Phoenix exhaled hard. “But Your Honor—!”

The Judge cut her off with a sharp gavel rap. “Let me finish, Ms. Trixie. I’ll allow this witness to testify, but it does not change my verdict!” he warned Phoenix. “The defendant is still considered guilty. I will allow Miss Fluttershy to testify in order to satisfy this court’s curiosity, but if there is any straying off-topic or the slightest indication it proves to be pointless, I will end the trial on the spot, and no ‘Objections!’, ‘Hold Its!’ or ‘Take Thats!’ will stop me. Are we clear?, Mister Wright?” The Judge asked Phoenix.

Phoenix bowed his head. “I understand, Your Honor. Your terms are more than acceptable. And thank you,” he told The Judge humbly.

“This is OUTRAGEOUS!”Trixie continued to protest. “She’s guilty, guilty, GUILTY!” She petulantly pounded her hoof on her rail, getting more and more irritated and angered, cold air surrounding her and flakes of ice coming off the surface of her desk with each fresh strike of her foreleg like snow.

BANG! The Judge’s gavel came down hard. “My decision is made, Ms. Trixie. I will thank you not to question it,” he told her, giving the showmare a warning look that for once seemed to cow her. “Very well, Miss Fluttershy. You may give this ‘important testimony’ you wanted to share.”

“Okay, Mister Your Honor,” Fluttershy said, gulping once more. Phoenix watched as she gathered her courage in the face of the scrutiny she was receiving, and then began her statement.

—————— WITNESS TESTIMONY ——————
— Something Important —

As everypony knows, I was watching the forest after the lightning strike. I had just finished feeding my chickens when out of the corner of my eye, I saw a pony walking towards Ponyville along the road past my cottage, coming over the hill a little ways from my house.

But the reason I think this is important now… is that I saw her carrying that stick Mister Phoenix has! I don’t remember what the pony looked like because it was too dark, and I only saw her as she was cresting the hill.

After she had finished her testimony, Fluttershy looked around nervously. She’d been the center of attention before as a model and hadn’t enjoyed it at all, but testifying like this was far harder for her—as a model, she could just pose and walk, but here, she actually had to talk!

“Y-You saw someone carrying that stick on the night of the murder?!” The Judge all but shouted, leaning over his bench towards the witness stand as he processed her revelation; the tension in the courtroom ratcheting even higher as all present sensed the potential significance of her statement.

With effort, Fluttershy kept herself from cowering behind the podium again, though she couldn’t quite keep herself from shaking like a leaf. “Y-yes, Mister Your Honor. I could t-tell it was the same stick by the letter ‘P’ on the end,” she confirmed despite her trembling.

“And why didn’t you say anything about this before?” Trixie was infuriated by this late-given information, the cold fog of breath leaving her muzzle showing everypony how agitated she was. “You told this court repeatedly you didn’t see anypony else LEAVE THE FOREST!”

“B-but I-I didn’t see this pony leave the forest; I only saw them walking on the road that goes by my cottage!” Fluttershy explained, cringing as she spoke. “I had no idea that they or the stick had anything to do with all of this! It was just a stick after all, and I th-thought the pony carrying it was just out for a walk!” she elaborated.

Phoenix nodded at that. “So she didn’t think the stick or the pony carrying it had any significance until she saw that same stick in the courtroom,” he summarized. “A perfectly reasonable explanation!”

For once, Trixie looked at a loss for words. “But… what does this mean?” she asked, curious in spite of herself.

“I intend to find out!” Phoenix said, and then turned to The Judge. “Your Honor—may I?” he asked, motioning with a hand towards Fluttershy.

“Oh!” The Judge snapped out of his reverie over Fluttershy’s revelation, clearing his throat. “Yes, Mister Wright. Remember my warning though—stay on topic. No fishing expeditions!”

Phoenix nodded. “Yes, Your Honor.”

Twilight turned to Phoenix with a curious look. “She saw a pony with that stick?” she asked, her eyes turning excited. “That means that pony who was carrying it could potentially be another suspect!”

“Exactly!” Phoenix agreed. “But this isn’t going to be easy. Fluttershy says she forgot what they looked like.”

“Not to mention that warning you have,” Twilight added with a wince, wondering how in the name of her mentor the human lawyer could yet pull this off.

Phoenix nodded grimly, knowing he had to be careful or otherwise it truly would be the end of the trial. Please, Fluttershy! You’ve saved me twice already, but now I need you to come through for me one last time! he uttered a silent prayer, hoping for the best as he began his questioning.

—————— CROSS-EXAMINATION ——————

As everypony knows, I was watching the forest after the lightning strike. I had just finished feeding my chickens when out of the corner of my eye, I saw a pony walking towards Ponyville along the road past my cottage, coming over the hill a little ways from my house.

But the reason I think this is important now… is that I saw her carrying that stick Mister Phoenix has! I don’t remember what the pony looked like because it was too dark, and I only saw her as she was cresting the hill.

Phoenix shouted, wasting no time on small talk or tangents. “I’m gonna cut right to the chase, Fluttershy—are you sure you can’t give us an accurate description of this pony?”

She shook her head, going downcast. “I only saw her for a second or two at the top of the hill. The only thing I can remember was she was probably a mare because of her size.”

A mare? That’s not enough! “What about her coat colors or cutie mark? Were you able to see those?” Phoenix asked next.

Fluttershy looked up at the ceiling as she answered. “Um… she had a dark-furred coat. I couldn’t make out the exact colors since it was nighttime.”

“And her cutie mark?”

She shook her head, going downcast again. “I’m sorry, Mister Phoenix, but I couldn’t see it. It was too dark,” Fluttershy answered apologetically, fearing she was about to get into trouble again for not seeing something she should have.

“Your Honor, this is a waste of time! A gender and dark colors are not sufficient description to pull somepony in here! It could be anypony!” Trixie spoke up, still trying to get The Judge to call off the testimony.

Glancing up at the bench, Phoenix noted that The Judge looked like his patience had already worn thin. NO! The Judge looks like he’s going to end the trial; I’ve got to think of something QUICK! “Fluttershy, please! You have to try hard and remember what she looked like!” he beseeched her.

Fluttershy was visibly racking her brain to no avail, on the verge of tears as she struggled to recall a fleeting moment of memory. “I’m trying, Mister Phoenix! I’m TRYING!”

Phoenix backed off, knowing that if he kept pushing her so hard, she might well crack under the strain he was putting her under. Okay. Time for a different approach. Maybe there’s another way to jog her memory? he pondered the question briefly, quickly coming up with a new strategy. “Let’s try this: How was she holding the stick?”

“Holding… the stick?” Fluttershy repeated, her brow furrowing. “Um… she was holding it in her mouth. Which was kind of strange,” she added, looking back up towards the ceiling.

“How is that strange? A lot of ponies carry things in their mouths!” Trixie asked before Phoenix could.

Fluttershy shook her head before answering. “Because she was a unicorn, and they use their horns to carry things.”

Both Phoenix and Twilight were surprised by that, the former leaning forward over the rail. “The pony you saw was a unicorn?” he prompted her to clarify.

"Um... yes?"

“And just how, pray tell, were you able to see that in the dark?” Trixie challenged.

Fluttershy cringed, but answered. “Because the moon was setting right behind her, and I saw her against it.”

“So you mean she was silhouetted against the moon?” Phoenix asked.

“Silo… wh-what?”

“He means, you saw her like a shadow against the moon?” Twilight clarified gently.

“Oh. Well, yes. The moon always sets right over the hill where the path is and—oh!” she cut herself off in mid-sentence, catching the attention of both Phoenix and Trixie. But before either could speak up, Fluttershy turned to The Judge. “Mister Your Honor? I just remembered something else! Can I add it to my testimony? I-If th-that’s okay…” she hastily added, cowering slightly again.

This caught The Judge by surprise—a witness who wanted to amend their testimony? “Uh… sure…”

I just remembered…I could also see moonlight glinting off her glasses just before she passed out of sight.

Phoenix shouted once more. “She had glasses?” he asked, a familiar figure of a pony starting to materialize in his head.

Fluttershy nodded jerkily. “Y-yes. She did.”

Phoenix fell silent as everything suddenly fell into place. “Female, dark colors, unicorn and glasses,” he repeated to himself just loudly enough that Twilight could hear him, then his head shot up to search the gallery, looking for a certain mare but not immediately seeing her in the seat she’d been before. “That could only mean one pony,” he knew, the identity of a new suspect crystallizing in his head. He scanned the spectator stands and spotted her in an aisle making her way quietly towards the exit. As if sensing his gaze, she turned towards him, and his eyes locked briefly with hers from all the way across the courtroom.

And in that moment their gazes met… he knew.

I was wrong. It wasn’t Cruise Control. It was…

It was time for the final act to begin. “Thank you, Fluttershy, from the bottom of my heart,” he told her, bowing his head in deep respect and gratitude. “With His Honor’s permission, you can go now. Twilight and I can take it from here!” he said with a warm smile.

A relieved Fluttershy smiled back, very happy to be told that she had helped. Did I really… ‘knock them dead’? she suddenly remembered Pinkie’s earlier words, feeling a swell of pride as attention turned back to Phoenix.

“Your Honor—I know who this mysterious pony Fluttershy saw is now,” Phoenix proclaimed confidently, speaking quickly.

“What?” Trixie looked at him in disbelief. “From that?”

“How, Mister Wright?” The Judge was equally surprised at his sudden change of attitude.

Twilight turned to him as well, raising an eyeridge. “You do?” she said dubiously. “I know everypony in Ponyville, and I can’t think of any unicorn mares who have a dark coat and wear glasses.”

“And that’s how I know exactly who this is!” Phoenix said loud enough for the whole courtroom to hear.

“Who, Mister Wright?” The Judge asked loudly as well.

Phoenix wasted little time on explanation, knowing he had only seconds before his new suspect departed the courtroom. “The description Fluttershy has given matches this pony in every aspect—SONATA!” He pointed to a spot in the gallery where the mare in question was still attempting to leave, trying not to attract attention as she made her way to the nearest exit, quickening her pace into a trot as everypony’s eyes turned on her.

She didn’t get much further before Applejack stopped her, the powerful earth pony leaping several rows of seats to head her off at the proverbial pass and block her path to the door, lasso at the ready while Spike and Rarity quickly closed from behind, the former threateningly venting green flame and smoke out the sides of his mouth while the latter had her head lowered and horn hard aglow, trapping the dark-furred unicorn mare between them. Though initially surprised, Phoenix’s new gym friends quickly joined the effort as well, surrounding Sonata and not letting her leave.

The Judge was a bit startled at the commotion in the gallery; his eyesight not good enough to pick out who Phoenix was pointing at. “Sonata? Who’s that?” he asked.

“She’s the victim’s manager.” Trixie answered The Judge, giving Phoenix a wary look as she heard the disturbance coming from the stands but was unable to see what was happening from her vantage point.

Phoenix nodded. “She’s a unicorn mare who has dark colors and wears glasses. And as the prosecution just pointed out, she has a strong connection to the victim! Twilight Sparkle just said there’s no pony in Ponyville who meets that description—which makes sense as Sonata isn’t from Ponyville! She’s only staying here for the Equestrian 500, being the victim’s manager,” he explained quickly.

“I see,” The Judge stroked his beard for a moment, considering the new information carefully. At length, he spoke. “Ms. Trixie—are you able to get this ‘Sonata’ in here?”

“Wh-what!? But I thought you gave the verdict already!” Trixie stammered.

The Judge gave her an annoyed look. “My guilty verdict still stands, Ms. Trixie. However, the question of how and why the stick was taken from the crime scene remains a loose end in this case, and I would like to hear Ms. Sonata’s explanation for it.”

Knowing she had no choice, Trixie answered The Judge by gritting her teeth and speaking through them. “Sh-she’s apparently in the gallery right now, and if you truly desire it, I can gather her,” the mare magician began in placating tones, sensing she was on thin ice with The Judge. “But remember, Your Honor—” she paused long enough to give Fluttershy a dirty look. “—As you yourself pointed out, this same witness on the stand right now had a ‘gaping hole’ in her original testimony. So perhaps you should reconsider before another innocent pony gets accused?” Trixie tried.

“Please just get Ms. Sonata for me,” The Judge said simply in a soft but strained tone Phoenix knew from long experience meant he was nearly out of patience.

Having failed to persuade him, Trixie stood up and glared daggers at Phoenix. “Fine!” she snarled in frustration. “Looks like you did it again, Mister Wrong! That’s what you are: wrong! Wrong! WRONG!” she ranted between puffs of icy air. “You’re planning on accusing her, aren’t you? That’s the only way you can get out of this!” she yelled as Phoenix stood in silence, his jaw set. “I would just love to see you try! She’s a unicorn, not a pegasus, and I know her from my school days—she’s a magical weakling. There’s no way she could be the killer!”

“You’d be surprised, Trixie, how crafty murderers can get given situations and opportunities,” Phoenix quoted evenly, though his thoughts were far less restrained. ‘No way she could have killed him’? I swear I’ll make you EAT those words before all is said and done, Trixie!

The rap of The Judge’s gavel cut off any further debate. “My instructions are given. I expect them to be obeyed. We’ll take a short fifteen minute recess while Ms. Trixie gathers this manager. Oh, and… Miss Fluttershy?” he added, his stern voice turning gentle.

“Y-Yes?” she squeaked, cowering slightly as The Judge addressed her.

He gave her a wary look as if he was afraid she might break. “If you are willing, I’d like to speak with you privately in my chambers.”

Her teal eyes went wide at the request. “Oh! Um… o-okay,” she managed to muster enough courage to answer.

He nodded. “Very well. Bailiffs, at her discretion, please escort Miss Fluttershy back,” he instructed as an aside.

“I don’t believe this! I was so close!” a still-fuming Trixie vented as The Judge’s gavel hammered down, making the recess official.

Ponyville District Court
Defendant Waiting Area
June 11th, 11:55 AM

As Rainbow Dash, Twilight and Phoenix exited the courtroom, the latter all but felt like he was on the verge of a heart attack.

“Nngghhaaaa!!!” he let out a huge exhalation of breath and trembled violently, finally able to release the tension he’d been holding in during the entire nerve-wracking ordeal, leaning heavily against a wall to steady himself. “That was too close! In fact, it still is too close! You’re considered guilty right now, Rainbow!” he exclaimed, clutching his head in his hands.

Upon hearing him say this, Rainbow Dash cringed, the rare fearful look on her face making Phoenix quickly catch himself. “U-uh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean—I mean, I know you’re not guilty, but you had the verdict handed down on you and now I have to convince everyone you’re not and I don’t know how I’m going to—”

“Phoenix…” Twilight cut him off with a hoof to his side, her aura floating him a glass of freshly-poured water in an effort to settle him down. In truth, Twilight was amazed that she could feel so calm at that moment, knowing how precarious their situation still was. Fluttershy’s intervention saved us, but for how long? And why did The Judge want to talk to her privately? Twilight couldn’t help but wonder, hoping her friend wasn’t in any trouble for what she had done. “Relax.”

He accepted the glass in a trembling hand. “S-sorry. I know I’ve said this a million times, but I’m going to make sure you get out of this, Rainbow. It’s just going to be a little harder now,” he told her, gulping down the water. Oh, who am I kidding?! It’s gonna be a LOT harder now! he knew as he sat down heavily on one of the waiting area sofas, directly under the picture of the odd, dark-colored mare. “Are you going to be okay, Rainbow? I know you’re upset about what happened to Gilda, but it had to be done.”

Rainbow shrugged. “It’s okay, Nix. We both needed to get that stuff off our wings, and from what you said, it’s not like she’s going to be in jail for more than a few months, right? I know her. She’ll be fine,” she insisted before giving her human attorney a look. “What? Did you think I’d be crying about it or something?”

Phoenix couldn’t help but shake his head at that, staring at her in wonder. “I thought you’d be crying a long time ago, to be honest. I’m actually surprised you’re taking all this as well as you are.” He paused and ran his hand through his hair as Rainbow Dash looked up at him calmly. “You must be made of some really tough stuff to keep your spirits up in the face of all this.”

“I never worked with tears, Nix. Blubbering like a foal never helped anypony,” she replied to his comment with a shrug. “And besides, I got an image to uphold, you know? Wouldn’t do for me to go off crying in front of my fans.”

So therefore, she only cried in private when her image ITSELF was hurt! Phoenix remembered the state he had found her in after the first day of trial, when the pictures of her had been revealed. “You’re right. There’s no need for crying now anyway, because this next witness, she had to have done it. Somehow…” his voice trailed off in doubt. Though certain of Sonata’s guilt, he still had no idea how she could have pulled it off based on the available evidence, finding nothing but contradictions in the known facts.

Fluttershy said she saw Sonata just after finishing feeding her chickens, which would be twenty minutes or so after the murder. Enough time for Sonata to commit the murder and walk out of the woods from the clearing, except... Gilda said she saw the stick still on site when she returned to the scene, meaning it was still there within five minutes of Sonata being spotted! How could the stick be in two places at once? And how could Sonata have taken the stick and left the forest unnoticed in just a five-minute window? Why was she carrying it in her mouth and not magically? And how could she have killed Ace with lightning if she isn’t a pegasus? The as-yet unanswerable questions whirled through his head. Argh! This makes no SENSE!

Twilight spoke up, stopping his mind from going in circles. “I’d like to know more about this Sonata, Phoenix. You said before trial that you interrogated her yesterday?"

He nodded in response, gathering his still-scattered thoughts carefully. “I had my suspicions about her before Cruise Control came along—I met her while checking out Ace’s hotel room. She was helpful enough to me and Pinkie until I asked a question she didn’t like, then she kicked us out. She gave me those pills yesterday without telling me what they were, and I half-thought she might have orchestrated the attack on me because of it,” Phoenix remembered. “I interrogated her that evening, but ended up discounting her as a suspect when she denied involvement and I didn’t see psyche-locks around her. My mistake.” Yet another reminder that my Magatama isn’t infallible! he realized ruefully, wondering how she was able to trick it.

Twilight nodded slowly at that. “I believe I bumped into her myself yesterday,” she vaguely recalled, replaying the memory in her head of the other mare excusing herself and then heading for Sugar Cube Corner. "She seemed rather out of it then."

He nodded again. “Well, regardless of why, the upshot is that Sonata—not Ace—was the mastermind behind the blackmail scheme. She was the reason Ace was able to win all those races because she was so good at finding out the other racers’ secrets and using them for extortion purposes. In fact, she was the one who took the pictures of you, Rainbow,” he added, causing Rainbow’s expression to go dark and angry. He hesitated before making his next statement, but then decided there was no point in keeping it secret any longer. “And uh… she’s kind of… well… blackmailing me right now,” he cringed to admit.

“Oh, I see,” Twilight began before her head shot up. “Wait! She’s blackmailing you?”

“Dude. You too?” Rainbow asked in something akin to sympathy.

“Yeah,” Phoenix confirmed grimly, sitting down on the sofa, hunched over with his elbows on his knees and head propped against his hands. “It’s another reason why I didn’t want to bring up the blackmail scheme in court—because she told me to keep my mouth shut about it,” Phoenix continued to tell his tale, hoping he could leave it there.

Twilight gave him an askance look, sensing he was holding something back. “And… what exactly is she blackmailing you with?” she asked further, which made Phoenix sweat a bit, realizing if he didn’t tell her, she’d start seeing psyche-locks around him.

“Well, uh… heh-heh… funny story! Pinkie Pie and I sort of… uh… broke into Ace’s hotel room, which turned out to be hers as well,” he told her with a hand behind his head and goofy look, which Twilight returned in the form of a cringe and very pained expression. “She caught us rummaging through the room, and if I say anything about the blackmail scheme, she’ll press charges for breaking and entering on the spot. The Judge will then find me in contempt and have me arrested. Like she said, I can’t defend Rainbow from a prison cell.”

For the first time that day, Twilight’s temper flared, staring at him in disbelief. “Gah! Why would you do something clearly illegal like that? You’re a lawyer for Celestia’s sake!” she said with an angry stomp of her hoof.

“Hey, don’t look at me! She’s the one who stole the room key and gave it to me!” he pointed at Rainbow Dash, who earned Twilight’s glare in turn.

“Uh, heh-heh. S-sorry?” Rainbow gave out a nervous and very guilty-sounding chuckle, offering up an ingratiating grin.

With that, Phoenix decided the subject was best changed. “I need to know, Twilight, since you’re so good with magic and all…”

“What?” Twilight asked with some snap in her voice, still glaring at him.

Sensing her all-too-justified anger, he got down on one knee to be on her level. “I’m certain Sonata’s guilty, but I can’t make the claim without having a new working theory of the crime. So tell me…” he paused just long enough to put his hands on her shoulders and look her in the eyes. “Is there any spell a unicorn could cast that could be used to electrocute somepony?”

Caught off-guard by both his question and his actions, Twilight thought for a moment before answering, a faint blush on her cheeks at the contact despite her anger at him. “No, not in a very long time. Weaponized lightning spells existed once, but they were outlawed by Celestia following the war between her and Nightmare Moon. There are no publicly available schools or spellbooks that teach it, and given the massive amount of magical energy it requires, it would take a far stronger unicorn than Sonata to be able to power one anyway.

“Now, there are some modern spells to conjure and channel small amounts of electricity for various purposes, but… even I couldn’t make them lethal, especially to a pegasus athlete in his prime.” Twilight answered his next question before he could even voice it. “I mean, I could certainly shock you, but there’s no way I could use them to produce an electrical charge—let alone a lightning bolt—strong enough to kill you,” she concluded with a downcast expression, leaving Phoenix disappointed as well.

“Well, there goes that theory,” he groaned, removing his hands and standing back up, starting to pace again. “Oh, wait! What about elemental magic? I read that stronger unicorns like yourself or Trixie can manifest elemental powers like fire or ice when they’re angry? Is lightning on that list?”

Surprised, Twilight considered the idea only to shake her head again. “It is, but you’d have to be a weather elemental, and they’re extremely rare. The only one I know of is Princess Luna,” she said with a nod to the picture over the sofa. “And Trixie’s right—I can tell from her aura that Sonata’s not powerful enough to be an elemental of any type.” Especially with that injured horn she has!

“I see,” Phoenix deflated, leaning heavily back against the wall. “Well, regardless, Sonata is probably going to rat me out about the hotel right off the bat for putting her on the stand like this. I’ll probably end up arrested, and if so, I’ll need you to take over the defense, Twilight.”

“But Phoenix—I can’t!” Twilight answered with an alarmed look, her eyes going wide.

Phoenix was surprised by her reaction, reaching out to put a reassuring hand on the back of her neck. “Sure you can! You know the law and you’ve already proven you’re good at spotting lies! So you just work through her testimony statement by statement, pick out the contradictions and let them—”

She shook her head sharply, pulling back from him. “No, Phoenix, you don’t understand—I mean that legally, I can’t. I had Spike cancel the appeal to appoint me as Rainbow Dash’s lawyer when I decided to retain you. So even if you needed me to, I wouldn’t be allowed to,” she informed him apologetically. “The most I could do is request a continuance to pass the bar exam and attempt to get credentialed, but given there’s already a verdict in, I’m guessing The Judge would just appoint a random defense attorney from the lobby to finish the trial rather than wait another day,” she concluded sadly.

Phoenix groaned at the news, knowing she was right and seeing nothing but insurmountable obstacles no matter where he looked. He leaned back heavily against the wall and ran his hands through his hair again. “Can’t anything look good for us right now?” he asked nobody in particular, feeling a very real moment of hopelessness as he spoke.

Only realizing at that moment how badly his confidence was shaken after the guilty verdict, Twilight studied him for a moment before rearing up and putting her hooves on his shoulders as he leaned back against the wall. Phoenix stiffened at that, remembering what had happened the last time she had done it, even if it turned into something much different afterwards.

This time, however, there was no anger or recrimination in her purple eyes, only determination. “A Defense Attorney is someone who is there for you when times are grim,” she quoted him. “Showing that you have someone who trusts and believes in you—that you’re not alone. Smiling to the very end, no matter how bad things may get, working tirelessly on your behalf and not letting anything from lying witnesses to corrupt prosecutors stand in the way of seeking the truth,” she repeated his words back to him, her eyes never leaving his. “That is what a great defense attorney once told me. So you know what I think that great defense attorney should do?” Twilight said in a tone that suggested she was about to deliver the punchline to a joke.

“What? I’m running out of options here,” he told her, not sure what the mischievous gleam in her eye meant.

“’Wing it’!” she told him with a sly grin, tapping his chest with her hoof. “Forget plans and strategy, Phoenix; just take what you’re given and go with it. Improvisation seems to be what you’re best at.”

Upon hearing her saying this, Phoenix’s eyes grew wide—Twilight Sparkle, the mistress of magic, lady of lists and sultan of studying, was telling him to wing it? “You said you do this all the time, right? Well, I say stick to what you know!” she added with a reassuring if slightly sardonic smile.

Phoenix closed his eyes and nodded, starting to look more relaxed as he took her words to heart. “You’re right,” he told her, reaching up to grasp her hooves. “Psyche-locks or no, every instinct I have is screaming that Sonata is the murderer. And if she is, she’ll tell lies and half-truths in her testimony.”

“Exactly! She’ll lie on the stand, and that’s when you can get her!” Twilight told him with a knowing grin. “Just like you did with Gilda. And as for The Judge? He’s more than proven he’s fair and wants to do right. Just tell him you’re sorry and say you’ll accept whatever punishment he imposes, but that you need to see your client’s case through. I think he’ll let you, especially if I back you.”

With that, Phoenix felt some of his shaken confidence start to return. “Thank you, Twilight,” he told her, heartfelt, patting her hooves. “I needed to hear that.”

When he released her, she was blushing again and Rainbow was giving them both an odd look as she had watched the exchange, glancing back and forth between them. But a brooding Phoenix had something more on his mind, sitting back down on the low couch. “There’s also another thing about Sonata. Something a little more… well, personal,” he began uncertainly.

“What’s that?” Twilight asked curiously, sitting on her haunches in front of him, her cheeks still warm and pointedly avoiding Rainbow’s gaze.

Phoenix hesitated for a moment before speaking, hoping she wouldn’t think him crazy for his next words. “Well, uh… she’s a dead ringer for someone I know.”

Twilight tilted her head at that. “But I thought you said this is your first time in Equestria?”

“What? Oh! No, no, no. What I mean is, Sonata looks and sounds like a ‘pony’ version of a human colleague I once knew,” he clarified. “Namely, my former law firm chief back home. I didn’t know what to think of it. I thought someone may have been channeling her, or she was reincarnated, or… I don’t know.”

Twilight didn’t know what to make of that any more than he did. “Well, does she act like this human woman you knew?” she finally asked.

Phoenix didn’t have to consider the question for long before answering. “No, she doesn’t,” he said quickly. “Mia Fey would never blackmail or murder. Sonata may have her looks and voice, but when it comes down to it, they’re complete opposites.”

Twilight favored him with another grin, putting her hoof on his knee as she had seen Fluttershy do earlier. “Then don’t worry about it. It’s not her, so don’t be afraid to go all-out.” Upon hearing that, Phoenix again had a flashback to his former lawyer and mentor, recalling the unforgettable words she had said prior to his first trial, not long before she passed:

“Go off that. You have to believe in him; it’s your job to. Cast all that doubt aside and pursue that truth. If you do that, nothing can stop you.”

His reminiscence of Mia Fey made him remember one of her earliest and most basic lessons to him: to fight for his client to the bitter end. Cast all doubt aside and pursue the truth. If I do that, then nothing can stop me! he repeated her words to himself, starting to sit up straighter.

“You’re right. Thank you, Twilight,” Phoenix squeezed her hoof in gratitude. “But this isn’t going to be easy. I still don’t know how she did it or managed to evade the Magatama.” He looked down and ran his hand through his hair, lost in brooding thought again.

“Well, if it was easy, I’d have never needed to summon you,” Twilight told him with a slightly wry grin. “But at this point, I’m glad I did. You can do this, Phoenix. Fluttershy believes in you,” she reminded him, pausing long enough to reach in and nuzzle him beneath the chin, gently urging his head up to make his brown eyes meet her purple ones. “And so do I,” she told him quietly, surprising him by resting her cheek against his. Though caught off-guard and uncertain what her actions meant—was she being forward or was this simply a normal display of affection between pony friends?—he made no move to pull back, taking strength from her presence and faith in him.

As they sat together, Rainbow studied the pair in confusion, the pegasus guards across the room giving them odd looks as well. “Wait. Are you two—?” Rainbow began, but before she could finish her question, a buzz was heard followed by an earth pony bailiff opening the door to the courtroom and sticking his head inside. “The trial will reconvene in two minutes. The defense is to make their way to the courtroom immediately,” he announced, trying not to gawk at the scene he saw on the couch.

Pulling back, Phoenix sighed and looked at Twilight once more, giving her hoof another squeeze, making her smile in return. “Well, here goes!” With that, he stood up and went over to his agape client, laying a hand on the back of her head. “Consider yourself free, Rainbow Dash, because I intend to make the real culprit pay for her crimes!”

Though still confused over what she’d just witnessed and uncertain what to make of his latest gesture—nopony would ever accuse her of being the touchy-feely type—Phoenix’s words made Rainbow Dash smile. “Thanks. Needless to say, I’m really pulling for you, Nix.” He grinned and gave her a parting pet at that, gently scratching his client between her ears for a moment before moving away.

Standing before the door, he stood still to let Twilight magically smooth out his suit and straighten his tie, allowing her to tend him while he carefully gathered his thoughts.

Thanks to Fluttershy, I’ve been given one last chance to find the truth! It’s either sink or swim; now or never! Phoenix reminded himself as Twilight finished her efforts, giving him a nod of satisfaction before opening the door to the courtroom.

Even if Sonata tries to have me arrested, it doesn’t matter anymore—I got her on the stand! It’s time she pays for all her crimes—including the murder!

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on August 6, 2018.

The picture of Sonata in silhouette was pieced together in Photoshop from existing images. Credit for the picture of Sonata holding the golf club goes to:

https://www.deviantart.com/hankofficer/art/Sonata-413152264

Part 46 - Eye of the Storm

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom #2
Gallery
June 11th, 12:04 PM

Even before she learned she was the Element of Honesty, Applejack prided herself on being able to spot a liar.

It was a talent that had served her well in everything from business dealings to poker games or simply knowing when Apple Bloom and her friends were fibbing. Everypony had a tell, she had learned from long experience; whether it was a particular combination of mannerisms and facial expressions or simply the lack of them, folks always gave themselves away when they were lying or otherwise hiding something.

It was part of the reason she had forgiven Phoenix Wright so readily after his poor performance the previous day, recognizing from her talk with him that he was genuinely sorry and really did want to do right by others, taking him at his word that he would do better the next day. And to his credit, up until the very end, he had, in spectacular fashion, tearing Gilda’s testimony to shreds and eventually extracting a confession from her. It was even more impressive given how ineffective and embarrassingly ignorant he’d been before; there’d been several points during the first day of the trial she wanted to smack him with her Stetson, wondering what in the name of the sun and moon Twilight had been thinking by summoning him from Celestia-knew-where.

Reckon it’s just as well Ah didn’t see him ‘til later in the day, she thought. Needed to cool off a bit first after what he did to Fluttershy. Probably a good thing Apple Bloom ran off and Ah had to go looking fer her, else Ah might’ve gone looking fer HIM… She shook her head.

He was a whole different attorney today, though. And Ah really gotta say… watchin’ him give Gilda the what-for was somethin’ else! Applejack admitted, shaking her head in amazement. She was good at spotting liars, but to spot the lie itself as the human lawyer proved he could so readily do?

Tarnation… that Phoenix Wright’s in a league o’ his own!

But in the end, none of it had mattered. Trixie… Applejack’s jaw clenched in anger as she recalled the last minutes of the trial; how the boastful showmare had let them think they’d won before she brought the proverbial curtain down with an illusion and explanation that simply couldn’t be overcome. Even worse, Applejack could tell Trixie wasn’t just saying it when she said Rainbow had committed the murder—she genuinely believed it, which coupled with her grudge only made her all the more dangerous as a prosecutor.

Well, guess when ya ain’t got no friends to show you different, ya tend to think the worst o’ folks, she reasoned. Not that she still didn’t want to buck the unicorn mare’s teeth out after hearing her ugly gloating, mocking Twilight for losing her friend and implying Phoenix was good for little more than being a comfort horse…

Her emerald eyes narrowed at that. If Ah ever hear that load’a hog manure come outta yer big blue muzzle again, Ah ain’t gonna be responsible fer what Ah do, Trixie! she silently swore. You don’t talk to mah friends that way, and you sure as BUCK don’t talk ‘bout mah friend’s STALLION that way!

Rarity had giddily let slip before the trial that Twilight was interested in Phoenix, a fact confirmed by Spike, who said he’d seen them embracing in an upright fashion the previous night. “Yeah, she’s totally got the hots for him,” the scribe had all but snickered, going on to describe the scene in lurid detail.

Applejack wasn’t sure how she felt about that, but she was sure how she felt about Sonata. Her ability to spot liars was also the reason she’d gone after the grey unicorn so hard after Phoenix had pointed her out, recognizing by her slightly stiff gait and tense demeanor that she was a mare with something to hide. She’d been ready and willing to hogtie her if necessary, but it hadn’t been—even if Rarity and Spike hadn’t been right there to help corral her, the country mare had been surprised when a row of what appeared to be stallion gym rats got out of their seats to assist as well, surrounding Sonata and escorting her to the lower gate. They didn’t let their quarry go until they got assurances from the bailiffs that they had orders to escort Sonata to the witness waiting area, and she would not be set free.

That their instructions came from Trixie was hardly a reassurance. But as Rarity pointed out, grudge or no, the mare magician was still bound by the law and The Judge’s instructions; she’d be facing far worse than a simple contempt citation if she went against them.

That had been nearly ten minutes earlier. Now back in her seat, Applejack sat huddled close with her two friends, the cold reality of a guilty verdict starting to sink in. Can’t imagine a world without Rainbow... She couldn’t help but shiver, trying not to think of what would happen if the verdict was upheld, remembering the one thing—the one pony—now holding it back.

Fluttershy… Applejack shook her head again in disbelief and gratitude. Though she wasn’t as close to Fluttershy as Rarity was, she could certainly appreciate what it took for their timid friend to do what she did; Applejack had been as amazed as anypony to see her come shooting out of the back corner of the bleachers to plant herself on the witness stand and make herself the center of attention. Ain’t NEVER seen her move so fast! And reckon she can really yell when she wants to!

Still, Applejack knew full well that barring a near-miraculous turnabout—she still didn’t understand a lot of the legal jargon she’d heard, but she’d learned that word, at least—it was but a temporary reprieve. Ain’t nothing to do now but wait and pray, she knew. Gotta be strong fer yer friends, AJ. Gotta be dependable. And above all, gotta be there fer Rainbow no matter what happens, she reminded herself.

She’d be loyal to us, gotta be loyal to her…

* * * * *

Beside Applejack, Spike was unable to sit still as he waited for the trial to resume, trying hard not to bite his already half-chewed-off claws and wishing there was something more he could do to help.

When he’d initially gone to the courthouse and sat in the gallery, he didn’t have high expectations and hadn’t given much thought to the chance that Rainbow could be found guilty, especially with Twilight deciding—to his great relief—to retain Phoenix. In the end, he went not out of any real interest in the trial or just to get out of his chores, but to be there for Twilight and for Rainbow...

And for Rarity. He didn’t get a chance to be with her all that often, but relished it when he did.

As it turned out, however, the trial had been anything but boring. In fact, to his great surprise, it had been nothing short of riveting watching Phoenix dissect Gilda’s testimony, hearing the constant cries of “Objection!” and “Hold it!” to say nothing of the heated back-and-forth between prosecutor, witness and defense attorney, occasionally punctuated by the sharp and repeated bang of The Judge’s gavel.

Spike shook his head in amazement. He’d read a court drama or two at Twilight’s behest (she claimed the action movies and wrestling matches he liked to watch were ‘rotting his baby dragon brain’), but they’d been nothing like this! Usually the case is just an excuse for some sappy romantic subplot! He rolled his eyes, though he couldn’t help but smile at the thought there might be one here as well.

That Twilight was interested in Phoenix was obvious enough to Spike; she had the same look and manner around him that she had when she found something new that interested her, with some added awkwardness thrown into the mix. He didn’t really get what she saw in him—in the baby dragon’s mind, the human lawyer was just a weird biped with odd habits. Like walking around in clothes all the time? What’s up with THAT?

He was also a bit of a scaredy-cat, Spike thought, an impression only reinforced after he’d dove under his desk when Gilda had roared. But in the end, Spike decided Phoenix Wright was an okay guy, and he was fine with Twilight having an eye for him. Though he did see Twilight as a mother figure and was only too aware she’d been recently reading romance rags despite her efforts to hide it from him, he didn’t really mind if she got a love interest—as far as he was concerned, it was just an endless excuse to tease her and crack jokes. Long as he stays away from Rarity, it’s okay!

But such thoughts had been forgotten as the trial turned for the worse and the Judge’s gavel came down in a guilty verdict, tears in the young dragon’s eyes as he had tried to comfort an inconsolable Rarity and Applejack pulled them both into an embrace. All had seemed lost until…

Wow. Just WOW, Fluttershy! Spike managed a momentary smile at the memory. In truth, he’d always had a soft spot for their bashful friend, perhaps because she’d always treated him nicely and taken an immediate interest in him when he and Twilight had first arrived in Ponyville.

With the trial given new life, he watched in nail-gnawing nervousness as Phoenix eventually drew enough information out of Fluttershy to name a new suspect, and he’d been only too happy to help Applejack and Rarity corral the grey unicorn mare as she tried to leave the gallery—glad he could assist, even in some small way.

He just hoped it would be enough. Though he found Rainbow Dash obnoxious and occasionally a bit off-putting—to say nothing of her penchant of crashing into the library and making a big mess for him to clean up—he didn’t want to lose her any more than Twilight or the others did. The freewheeling mare was somepony akin to a superhero in his eyes, capable of incredible feats of flight, cocky yet cool beyond belief and always there when you needed her…

By the Ancient Dragon Lords, who could EVER replace Rainbow Dash? Spike wondered. Certainly not me!

* * * * *

Rarity hadn’t slept in over thirty hours and doubted she was going to be able to anytime soon.

She’d been operating on adrenaline all morning, something she knew she would pay for later, but she wasn’t about to nod off now. Not with Rainbow Dash’s fate now hanging in the balance; a guilty verdict hanging over her head like the proverbial Sword of Donkeycles… held back only by an act of love, friendship and courage that Rarity swore she would never, ever forget.

Oh, Fluttershy, you dear, sweet, wonderful pony! You are SO much braver than you know! she told her friend with her thoughts, vowing to give her a huge hug and reward her with an all-day spa treatment and dinner next chance she got, saving a seat for when she returned from The Judge’s chambers. Wonder why she didn’t sit with us in the first place?

The trial itself had been nothing but one long roller-coaster of emotions for Rarity that her lack of sleep didn’t help. Over the course of the session, she’d gone from merely curious and expectant to shocked and outraged over Gilda’s accusations as well as fearful for Rainbow’s fate, and the revelation that the perfume she had sacrificed a small fortune to procure smelled like something that came out of Opalescence’ litter box didn’t help. Shortly thereafter she’d been elated and touched over Gilda’s confession only to be crushed by Trixie’s counterattack—and now she sat nervously awaiting the continuation of the proceedings, knowing only too well how thin their hopes, even with Fluttershy’s unlikely intervention, truly were.

We all did what we could, Rarity knew. Fluttershy had stalled the final adjournment, Phoenix found a way to pry enough information out of her to name a potential new suspect, and then herself, Applejack and even Spikey-Wikey had cornered the mare in question before she could escape the confines of the courtroom—though the fashionista allowed they’d been helped slightly by some musclebound oafs that frequented the gym.

Even without Phoenix’s accusation, Rarity had earlier noticed and taken an instant disliking to the gray unicorn mare sitting by herself in the upper row, her aloof manner reminding the fashionista of some of the more conceited ponies she’d met in Canterlot, one of whom she’d had to deal with the previous evening in a failed all-night business negotiation.

Rarity was very generous but did have her limits, and being told to use inferior materials and imitation gems so her works of wearable art could be sold cheaply out of Stall-Mart was simply not something she could abide! But in truth, she wasn’t nearly as offended by that as by the dreadful style sense this “Sonata” showed.

She could do SO much more with her mane and tail! And such HORRID glasses! They make her look like an old nag! she cataloged as they’d gotten a look at her up close.

She rubbed her bleary eyes at that, trying not to smear her eyeshadow anew—this is NOT the time to be thinking about fashion! she reminded herself, focusing back on the matter at hoof.

Despite the predicament they were now in, she had not been disappointed in Phoenix Wright’s performance. Quite the contrary; she had been greatly impressed by the human lawyer, who had shown himself to be a virtuoso of lie-detecting and dot-connecting. As befit an Ace Attorney, he had proved himself extremely adept at spotting inconsistencies in testimony and evidence, using the contradictions he uncovered to turn the tables on Gilda, eventually extracting a confession from her and having The Judge on the verge of an acquittal.

Which was not to say she hadn’t been a little disillusioned when he had cowered before Gilda, and was mildly appalled when she’d seen him take her hoofkerchief out to wipe his visibly sweaty brow. But courage is not the absence of fear; it’s persevering in spite of it! she reminded herself, noting how quickly and emphatically he had overcome his initial fright. And as Twilight said, he has no natural defenses of his own; all he can fight with are his wits and the law itself!

And yet, it still hadn’t been enough. Like everypony else, she’d thought the trial was won with Gilda’s tearful admission that she’d moved the body, only to watch in horror as Trixie turned the tables with a deft display of magic and logic, punctuating her arguments with an illusion that Rarity had to reluctantly admit was very good and could give the great performers of Las Pegasus a run for their bits. But hearing her revolting victory speech had quickly quashed any such charitable thoughts, particularly the part about Phoenix, which was still making her see red.

How DARE she speak of him in such a manner! I’m amazed Twilight didn’t challenge her to a duel on the spot after such insults! she thought, not sure if she could have restrained herself in her fellow mare’s place.

She did wonder why Twilight hadn’t been there for the first thirty minutes of the session, but supposed she was out trying to gather some final piece of information or evidence. They work together well, she noted with satisfaction, seeing how Twilight let Phoenix take the lead and only stepped in or spoke up when she had something to offer.

Human or no, Twilight could do far worse than he! Rarity thought, wondering again if there was any way she could play matchmaker for the pair. She’d had her share of coltfriends over the years, even belonged to a herd once, but no stallion had ever treated her as royally and deferentially as Phoenix Wright had! If Twilight wasn’t already interested in him, then—

“So what y’all reckon they’re talking ’bout in there?” Applejack asked, breaking into her thoughts. “Twi and Phoenix, Ah mean?”

“Beats me,” Spike said. “Strategy, maybe.”

“I’m more worried about Fluttershy,” Rarity replied, putting her thoughts of Phoenix Wright aside. “Alone in The Judge’s chambers, none of her friends there with her? Oh, she must be so frightened right now…”

Ponyville Courthouse
The Judge’s Chambers
June 11th, 12:04 PM

“Really, Mister Your Honor, it’s okay,” Fluttershy told The Judge for the third or fourth time. “I don’t want Mister Phoenix punished for accusing me; not if he was just trying to help Rainbow.”

“Helping one’s client does not justify falsely accusing an innocent person—er, pony, Miss Fluttershy,” The Judge said, a little flustered, sitting behind the desk in his temporary chambers on a seat that was too low for him. He’d had fragile witnesses before, but this yellow pegasus pony took the cake.

He was having a very hard time figuring her out—true to her name, she was incredibly shy and timid most of the time; it had taken considerable coaxing just to get her to come into his office, yet she seemed to become an entirely different pony when it came to defending her friends. Which remarkably, now seemed to include Phoenix Wright. The moment he started talking ill about him, she had instantly perked up and become more assertive, defending him at every turn and refusing to allow anything disparaging to be said about him.

Though more than a little bewildered by that, the one thing The Judge had been able to determine from his interview was that she was very honest and earnest, to say nothing of innocent beyond belief. Enough to convince him that she wouldn’t lie, not even to protect her friends—he was now satisfied she had indeed seen a mysterious mare carrying the stick—and didn’t have a mean bone in her equine body.

And THIS is the creature Mister Wright tried to accuse? he thought, his mood darkening for a moment as he realized how ridiculous the idea she could kill truly was, vowing if nothing else he would have words with Mister Wright after the trial concluded. “Nevertheless, this court owes you an apology, Miss Fluttershy,” he told her. “And compensation for unjustly imprisoning you.” He brought a small but substantial bag of bits out where she could see it, plopping it on his desk in front of her.

“Oh! Well, um…” she looked surprised and uncertain at that. “I really don’t want to take money I haven’t earned, Mister Your Honor,” she told him in some embarrassment.

The Judge wanted a fresh mug of the local cider more than ever, wishing he could mix it with a stiff shot of whiskey from back home, regretting having not had the small flask he normally kept under his judicial robes with him when he’d been pulled to Equestria. “But you have earned it, Miss Fluttershy. Both by overcoming your fears to testify yesterday, and then by coming forward with potentially important information today,” he tried again, speaking more fervently.

“I know how hard it was for you to be out there, and I can only imagine how hard it was for you to be accused and jailed yesterday on false grounds.” His eyes went dark again at that, deciding then and there that Phoenix Wright did deserve some form of punishment for it.

But Fluttershy only shook her head again. “It was, but I don’t regret any of it, Mister Your Honor. If it helped Mister Phoenix save Rainbow, that’s all the payment I need,” she continued to insist.

The Judge finally decided that actions spoke louder than words, particularly when it came to this incredibly shy but utterly endearing pegasus pony. “Be that as it may, these are for you, Miss Fluttershy,” he announced, pushing the bag of bits towards her. “These are this court’s apology for being wrongly put in jail yesterday. Please accept them and put them to good use, perhaps by buying food for your animals.”

Her teal eyes went wide at that. “Oh! Well… if you insist, then,” she said agreeably, but made no move to accept the bag. “But, um… are you sure you don’t need them for yourself?”

The Judge was shocked at the suggestion, his eyes going wide. “Miss Fluttershy! I would never embezzle the court’s money!” He raised his voice without thinking, causing Fluttershy to duck behind her chair just as she had on the witness stand.

“Embez… emb… um, w-what?” she asked, her eyes peering over the chair at him. “S-sorry t-to upset you, M-Mister Your Honor,” she quickly added, starting to visibly tremble.

The Judge rubbed his eyes, feeling the headache from his hangover starting to return. “It is all right, Miss Fluttershy,” he answered in what he hoped was a soothing tone, holding up his hands in placation. “There are five hundred bits in this bag. Will that be enough to make up for your time in jail?”

She looked from the bag to him and back. “Um… y-yes?”

The Judge exhaled with relief. “Then it is yours,” he told her, pushing the bag towards her again. “I ask that you please accept it with this court’s compliments and sincerest apologies.”

The bashful mare hesitated but finally did so, coming out from behind the chair to pick up the bag in her muzzle and place it in her pink saddlebags, glancing at The Judge repeatedly as if to make sure it was still okay. Looking up at the clock over the opposite wall, he realized with a start the recess was almost over. “I must get back to court. I will instruct the bailiffs to escort you back to the gallery if you wish,” The Judge told her, standing up. “But before we part, is there anything else I may do for you, Miss Fluttershy?” he asked, clasping his hands in front of him.

“Um, no…” she trailed off, though he could tell something was on her mind as she shifted back and forth nervously on her hooves, her wings and tail twitching a bit. “Actually, could I, um… ask you a question, Mister Your Honor?” she finally managed. “If that’s okay,” she said more quietly, hiding half her face behind her pink bangs.

He gave her a wary look. “You may ?”

She looked him over from head to toe. “Um… are you a phoenix, too?”

The Judge raised his eyebrows in surprise and confusion. “A… what?”

“A phoenix like Mister Phoenix?” she clarified, at least to herself. “You do kind of look like him.”

The Judge wasn’t sure how to answer that, uncertain if he should be flattered or insulted by such a statement. “I… am like Mister Phoenix, yes,” he finally answered tentatively, deciding it would be best not to disabuse her of whatever odd ideas she held. “Just… a little older,” he added, stroking his long white beard for a moment.

“Oh. Well, I guess that makes sense.” Fluttershy studied him curiously. “But you shouldn’t worry about your age. Once you are reborn from your own ashes, you will be a glorious bird of fire once again!”

The Judge was now completely lost. “Oh. Uh… yes. Of course,” he said agreeably, hitting a desk buzzer to summon a bailiff, who promptly appeared. Unlike the outside guards who wore armor attire and fur dye, the court bailiffs were dressed in brown police uniform shirts and ties, which set them apart from the blue ones that the regular Ponyville police wore. Giving parting instructions to escort Fluttershy back to the gallery, The Judge politely held the door open for her so she could depart and then closed it behind her, leaving her alone with a single stallion bailiff.

“I’ll take you back to the gallery, Miss Fluttershy,” he promised her in a friendly voice. “But before we go, could I… ask you for something?” he said, suddenly sounding nervous.

“Y-yes?” she squeaked, cowering slightly before the larger uniformed pegasus, who was orange with light blue eyes and had a shield-and-lightning cutie mark.

Sensing her discomfort, the bailiff hesitated momentarily before offering her a photograph and a quill pen. “I know this isn’t the best time, but could you, uh… a-autograph this for me?” he requested, his ears and tail twitching nervously.

Confused, she looked at the photo and saw it was a picture of herself as a model from several months earlier, dressed up for a Photo Finish fashion show. “Oh! Um… okay,” she told him, accepting the quill—it’d been a while since she’d been a model, but she still occasionally saw pictures of herself in magazines and advertisements. It made it difficult to go around without attracting attention sometimes, particularly whenever she left Ponyville, and once in a while she still got asked for an autograph, though not usually in her hometown. “And, um… who should I sign it to?” she asked him earnestly around the quill in her mouth, knowing ponies liked personalized messages.

He blushed for just a moment. “To… Flash Sentry, if you please.”

Ponyville Detention Center
Prisoner Visiting Area
June 11th, 12:05 PM

Lenora’s heart was pounding in her chest as she was led down the long corridor towards the prisoner visiting area, less from exertion than from a mixture of anger and anxiety.

Knowing time was short before the trial resumed, she’d rushed out of the courthouse, flown the short distance to the Detention Center and then half-bullied, half-bluffed her way past the pegasus guards and front desk, telling them she was a Griffon Race Ambassador as Twilight Sparkler had earlier suggested, showing them the letter from Princess Celestia as proof and demanding to see Cruise Control as a fellow race participant.

Somewhat to her surprise, it had worked; the ponies working there had given her no more resistance than a few skeptical looks. It might have helped that she was in a very foul mood after she’d heard Cruise accused by the human lawyer, her blue eyes hooded, tail lashing and wings twitching; the guards, she noticed, were giving her a wide berth and wary looks as they escorted her down the long hallway, keeping out of the striking range of her talons.

As they let her into the visiting area following a search of her satchel, they gave her a parting admonition to not use magic, which caused the eagless to roll her eyes—few griffons could wield magic, and those that could needed special staffs or staves. And just where do you think I’d hide one? she thought better of asking, waiting until the door closed behind her to approach the assigned partition, her anxiety growing with each step she took.

As she entered the dimly lit cubicle, she started as she spotted the familiar form of Cruise Control behind the glass. Lenora caught a brief look of surprise on his face as she came into the booth, and she couldn’t help but flinch as well at his visibly despondent and disheveled state. It had been a year since she’d last seen him, but it looked like he’d aged a decade in that time; she was shocked to see his face so drawn. “Hello, Cruise,” she said as she sat down on her haunches in front of him, an enchanted glass partition separating them. “Good to see you again.”

He didn’t reply, staring down at the ground, his wings unkempt and hanging limply at his sides. Only too aware the clock was ticking, she wasted no time in trying to cheer him up. “They say you’re not talking to anybody. Well, you’re going to talk to me,” she informed him in a tone that brooked no argument.

“And what do you want me to say, Lenora?” he muttered without looking up. “What is there to say?”

She couldn’t help but stare at the broken shell of the pegasus she once knew, her wings and tail twitching in anger to see the state he was reduced to. He was once so full of life. So full of love, she remembered. He lived for flying and for racing. For his sister and for ME! she remembered, her eyes narrowing. This is what you did to him, Sonata. And by my ancestors, I’ll see that you face justice for it! “I just want the truth, Cruise,” she replied at some length, getting as close as she could to the glass, trying to look him in the eyes. “Ace Swift—did you kill him?” she asked, despite her own certainty and the obnoxious unicorn prosecutor’s evidence to the contrary.

“Of course not!” he said through a short, humorless laugh. “Why would I kill him when he was the only thing keeping my sister in that hospital?”

She stared at him a moment before going on. “But you did attack that human lawyer?” Lenora asked him point-blank.

Cruise’s only response was a tightened lip.

“You did!” she realized in shock, stepping back from him, her blue eyes going wide. “But… why?”

“Guess,” he spat out in a bitter voice.

She looked away at that. “You didn’t have to,” she said softly, looking down at the floor. “She went too far this time. You could have gone to the police. You should have gone to the police!”

“No, I shouldn’t have,” he immediately replied. “They didn’t believe me the night before, and they wouldn’t have believed me then. And she would have found out.”

Lenora looked up in confusion. “’The night before’?”

He closed his eyes tightly, as if in pain. “I thought that if I could get Ace caught in the act of blackmail without him knowing it was me, it could end this. So I snapped a picture of him entering the woods and took it to the local cops as an anonymous tip. But they didn’t listen,” he explained forlornly, deciding to leave out exactly why they didn’t.

Lenora could guess the reason why only too well. “You could have come to me. If you saw the race roster, you had to know I was in town. I would have backed you,” she suggested in frustration.

“And then what?” Cruise grated out. “Then she gets arrested and tells me to take the fall, or else she’s convicted and there’s nothing keeping my sister in that hospital,” he reasoned, raising his eyes to meet hers for the first time. “That’s no choice at all, Lenora.”

“You don’t know they would remove her,” she said, repeating a point she’d already made to him many times before. “I’ve been exchanging letters with Princess Celestia over the race route. I can explain the situation and make a personal appeal—”

“No!” his eyes went wide with fear. “There’s no guarantee she’d help, and if you tell her and they find out my sister’s not supposed to be there…” Cruise shook his head violently. “Don’t you understand? I can’t take that chance! My sister is all I have left!”

“You have me!” Lenora reminded him, tapping her feathered chest with her talons.

Cruise stared at her for a moment before turning away, longing and regret in his eyes. “Had,” he corrected her. “Even if I wasn’t facing five years for attempted murder, we can’t see each other any longer, and you know why.”

Lenora indeed knew why, yet it still felt like a wingslap to the face. Pony/griffon relationships were generally looked down upon by both societies; they’d gone to great lengths to conceal theirs. Despite that, Ace—or Sonata—had somehow found out, snapping pictures of her and Cruise… together; it was how they’d been blackmailed into losing races even before Cruise’s sister had her accident. “It doesn’t have to be,” she pressed him. “You can end this, Cruise! Sonata’s being pulled on the stand in that newbie racer’s murder trial, and I think she may have been the one to kill Ace! We can expose her! We can go back and testify together!”

“No,” he bit out, suddenly unable to meet her gaze.

She looked at him in disbelief. “All you have to do is come clean and tell them what you know! Tell them Sonata blackmailed you into doing her dirty work, and—“

“NO!” he said more forcefully.

“By the Gods, why not?” she shouted the question in frustration

“You know why not!” Cruise shouted back, flaring his wings and slamming a hoof into the partition. “You think I want it this way? You think I’m happy about any of this? You think I like rolling over for Ace and now Sonata?” he yelled, his green eyes bulging as he finally gave voice to his long-held fury. “I hate him! I hate her, and above all, I bucking HATE MYSELF FOR WHAT I’VE BECOME!!!!” Cruise exploded, causing Lenora to recoil. He stepped back from the glass, taking several deep breaths before going on.

“You want the truth, Lenora? The truth is the only reason I didn’t kill Ace myself is because I couldn’t. Because he was the only thing keeping my sister in that hospital and now… she is,” he explained bitterly. “But if the situation were reversed—if I thought killing Ace would save my sister, even at the cost of banishment or my own life…” he raised his eyes to meet hers, and she flinched back from the look she saw in his blue eyes. “After everything he did to me? You bucking well better believe I would have!”

He looked away as he saw her expression go aghast. “So what did you expect me to say, Lenora? He took you away, destroyed my career and held my sister hostage. A stallion can only take so much,” he told her, his voice turning subdued; as she watched, a tear rolled down his face. “I’m sorry. No matter how much I want to, I can’t help. Please understand that for my sister’s sake, I just can’t.”

Lenora stared at him for several seconds before replying, tears welling in her blue eyes. “So that’s it, then,” she told him quietly. “You’re going to let yourself be imprisoned, let an innocent pony be banished and the true culprit walk free. You’re going to let her continue to lie, cheat and blackmail her way through life, no matter how many other lives she may ruin,” she recited, intending it to sting. “So be it. I just hope you can live with yourself afterwards.”

He gave her a short and bitter laugh. “Either way, I can’t live with myself. But at least this way, I keep one promise. I keep my sister safe.”

The door behind Cruise opened and an earth pony and unicorn guard came in. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for my arraignment,” he told her as he turned to depart. “I’ll see you in five years.”

“I’ll be waiting,” Lenora promised as he was led away. The guards ushered her back outside quickly, looking relieved when she had departed. As she walked back to the courthouse, she ended up sitting in the lobby, brooding, nearby ponies giving her a wide berth. Finally, she reached a decision, getting a piece of scroll paper and quill pen from the front desk and laying it on a bench.

You may hate me forever for this, Cruise, but it has to be done. One way or another, this ends today! she thought as she took the quill in her talons, dipped it in ink and began to write, praying to her ancestors she was doing the right thing.

Dear Princess Celestia…

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom #2
Witness Waiting Area
June 11th, 12:02 PM

“Well, well. Who have we here?” Trixie sneered as she entered the well-appointed witness holding room and beheld a familiar grey unicorn mare, her blue aura closing the door behind her, leaving the two alone in the magically soundproofed chamber. “Been a long time, Sonata.”

Sonata gave her one-time schoolmate a look of pure contempt and loathing. “Good to see you too, Trixie,” she replied shortly, though she looked rattled by what had happened in the gallery, her eyes darting, glasses askew and mane messy. “But you’ll forgive me if I’d rather not experience the pleasure of your company. On this or any other day.”

Trixie smiled thinly at that, knowing there was no love lost between them. They had casually detested each other while at magic school, and the passage of time had done little to lessen that. “If it were up to Trixie, Rainbow Trash would be sitting in solitary awaiting sentencing right now, and you would be on your way home with the rest of the peanut gallery. But thanks to Mister Wrong making that idiot human judge fall for that pink-haired nitwit, I have no choice but to call you to the stand.” She ground her teeth. “You have to testify about that stupid stick, so I suggest you compose yourself and not look like something the manticore dragged in,” she added to her ex-schoolmate, floating her a glass of water and a small vanity kit that included a hairbrush.

Trixie frowned when Sonata flared her own horn to grasp the glass in her aura, waiting until the other mare had it to her lips before speaking again. “So how did you injure your horn?” the former abruptly asked, causing Sonata to start, nearly choking on the water she had just drunk. “Oh, don’t be so surprised. Your aura is off. And if I can pick up on that, you can be sure Twilight Snarkle will too.”

Sonata set the glass down carefully. “An emotional overload from being told of Ace’s death resulted in a magical surge my horn couldn’t contain,” she replied, deadpan.

Trixie arched an eyeridge. “That’s good enough for Trixie,” she said, though it was clear to Sonata from the showmare’s smirking expression that she didn’t believe a word of it. “But can you prove it if Mister Wrong or Twilight Snarkle challenges you on it? Snarkle might claim it could be the result of casting a powerful spell under duress, and Trixie would be hard-pressed to deny the possibility.”

Sonata shrugged and took another sip of water. “My horn has a healing hairline crack. I was in severe pain most of that night, unable to cast spells and had to see a doctor the following morning,” she elaborated, her expression carefully neutral. “I have X-rays to prove the condition and a prescription for the pills he gave me. The police will verify I broke down upon hearing of Ace’s death and suffered an involuntary but unfocused magical surge. I received the injury then,” she recited as if she was on the stand. “It should have healed by now, but I re-aggravated it last night trying to… lift something I shouldn’t have.” She looked away in some pain at the memory.

“I see,” Trixie replied blandly, wondering what the story was there. “Trixie supposes that could make sense. Particularly if you and Ace were… involved?” she suggested with a sideways look and sly smile.

The other mare flinched, some of the water sloshing out of the glass as her magical grasp on it went briefly shaky. “I was his business manager and personal assistant; nothing more.” She recomposed herself quickly.

“Really. And just how personal was that?” Trixie asked with a smirk after noting her nervous reaction, all but leering at the other mare.

Sonata’s eyes narrowed and lips tightened. “That is none of your business, Trixie, and in any event is not relevant to the case,” she grated out, glaring at Trixie over her glasses.

“Just making the point that you two being lovers would strengthen your alibi,” Trixie replied evenly. “So were you?”

Sonata’s only response was to look away and change the subject, exchanging the glass for the brush and beginning to put her mane back to rights. “Phoenix Wright doesn’t have anything of consequence on me. And neither do you, Trixie,” she said scornfully.

The other unicorn’s refusal to answer was not lost on the mare magician. “No?” she answered in a mild tone, waiting half a beat before leaning forward, a mocking smile on her lips. “Trixie knows about your blackmailing, Sonata.”

The showmare had the pleasure of seeing her ex-schoolmate’s eyes widen and jaw drop fractionally, the brush falling from her magical grasp, hitting the floor with a clatter. “How…?”

“Oh, please,” Trixie dismissed her onetime rival with a wave of a hoof. “There have been rumors of wrongdoing floating around Ace Swift for years. And then he’s found dead with those pictures of Rainbow Trash in his possession? Any attorney with half a working brain cell—which excludes Mister Wrong if he hasn’t already brought it up—could figure out he was blackmailing his competition!

“That said, Ace Swift hardly strikes Trixie as smart enough to do such a thing on his own. He would need somepony behind the scenes gathering the blackmail material and pulling the strings of his puppets. And funniest thing—when Trixie checked, she found that the allegations didn’t start until shortly after you became his manager and he began racing in the national circuit,” she further noted. “Coincidence? Trixie thinks not—particularly given your penchant for uncovering secrets when we were at school,” she all but snarled, leaning over the table to glare in a remembered grudge at her onetime rival.

For once, it was Sonata who was caught short, staring at her former schoolmate in disbelief. “So you knew about the blackmail this whole time but didn’t use it to establish motive?” she summarized, putting on an air of disapproval. “That’s very sloppy and unprofessional, Trixie.”

“And muddy the waters by giving Mister Wrong something new to pick at and more excuses to prolong the trial further? No thank you!” Trixie replied evenly, her smug look returning in full force. “Trixie didn’t need it to prove her case, and has no intention of introducing it now if she can help it. Or perhaps Trixie should say that she has no intention of introducing it… if you help Trixie.”

“Really. And how will I do that?” Sonata asked almost rhetorically, giving the other unicorn a wary look.

Trixie looked her former schoolmate up and down before speaking again. “Trixie is required to ask this, so she will do so one time and one time only,” she began. “Did you kill Ace Swift?”

“Of course not!” Sonata shot back. “You said it yourself—there’s no way I could have!”

Trixie stared at Sonata a moment before replying, thinking the other mare had spoken just a little too quickly. But she discounted it, deciding it was just her imagination, reminding herself again that Sonata wasn’t a pegasus and didn’t have the ability to electrocute somepony. “Perhaps not. But you were in the forest, weren’t you?” she challenged. “Trixie finds it hard to believe Ace wouldn’t have had somepony backing him up with her eyes and magic… particularly facing a fellow pegasus as volatile and violence-prone as Rainbow Trash.”

Sonata arched an eyeridge, looking Trixie in the eye. “Very well, Trixie. Let’s say that hypothetically… I was there for the reasons you described,” she began cautiously, saying each sentence with care. “Then hypothetically… I might have witnessed the murder and could testify that I saw Rainbow Dash kill Ace with the first lightning bolt. But hypothetically… in such a situation, I wouldn’t want to come forward or have that information brought to light, lest my role in Ace’s dirty dealings be exposed.”

Trixie nodded in satisfaction at her careful wording, answering in kind. “Hypothetically… in such a situation, Trixie would be duty-bound to inform the court of such new and potentially case-breaking information,” she reasoned. “Hypothetically… this would be an undesirable outcome for us both. Mister Wrong would seize on such information to name you as a new suspect, and The Judge would have no choice but to withdraw his guilty verdict pending further investigation into you and your role in this affair. He would also no doubt issue a bench warrant for your arrest on blackmail charges,” Trixie cataloged. “He might also find Trixie in contempt for failing to reveal that information earlier.”

“Yes. You spending a few nights in jail would truly be a tragedy,” Sonata deadpanned, rolling her eyes.

Trixie gave her an unpleasant smile back. “A price I might willingly pay to see you spending a few years behind bars,” the mare magician retorted before leaning forward fractionally to give her former schoolmate a warning look. “Particularly if you somehow end up costing me this case!”

Sonata gave her former schoolmate a look of pure disdain. “You have nothing to worry about, Trixie. I did not come here unprepared. I’m a prosecutor myself, so be assured I can deal with the likes of Phoenix Wright.”

“You’d better,” Trixie hissed, leaning far over the edge of the table to glare at Sonata. “Or I’d be only too happy to personally prosecute you for the blackmail.”

To her surprise, Sonata seemed unconcerned. “I’m not the only one with secrets, Trixie,” she said coolly. “Take it from me, Ms. ‘Great and Powerful’—everypony has something they don’t want the world to know,” she added, an undertone in her voice Trixie could only interpret as a veiled threat. But before she could reply, the door to the waiting room opened and a pegasus bailiff stuck his head in to inform them that court was reconvening in two minutes.

Trixie nodded tersely. “This is it, then. So let’s make sure we understand each other, Sonata…” she trailed off, leaning in close and getting in the other unicorn mare’s personal space. “I want my guilty verdict. I want Rainbow Trash banished, and above all else, I want to see Twilight Sparkle suffer,” she hissed out. “I’ll give you what cover I can in there. You help preserve my guilty verdict, and in return, I don’t bring up the blackmail or refer you for further investigation or prosecution.”

Sonata gave the mare magician a level look, the corners of her mouth crooking up and an odd gleam in her eyes. “Oh, don’t worry, Trixie,” she said in a placating tone as she stood back up on all fours and gave her mane a final brush, pulling off her glasses just long enough to wipe them clean.

“I’ll make certain you get everything that’s coming to you…”

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on August 17, 2018.

PART 5 AT LAST!!!!! And was it EVER worth the wait... :pinkiegasp::rainbowlaugh::yay:

Folks, I have a confession to make: I got to see part 5 two weeks early thank to TheGoldCrow, who offered me the chance to help edit it--an honor for which I am EXTREMELY humbled and grateful. Have to say, though... it was torture not being able to tell anyone, but that was the promise I made.

Thanks to LeoArchon and Raven for the pre-read! And thanks again to Raven for letting me write another bonus chapter. Hope you like!

—Firesight

Part 47 - Trixie's Sonata, Symphony of the Witness

The Courtroom can be a cold battlefield, especially for a beginner.

—Diego Armando, Turnabout Beginnings

The only time a lawyer can cry is when it’s all over.

—Godot, Bridge to the Turnabout

Turnabout Storm - Part 5/4

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom No. 2
June 11th, 12:10 PM

“Court is now back in session for this post-verdict inquiry,” The Judge announced as he took his seat, calling for order with a sharp rap of his gavel before turning to his right. “Ms. Trixie—were you able to gather the victim’s manager?”

“Yes. She is here and prepared to testify,” she confirmed, but couldn’t resist one last effort to dissuade the Judge. “That is, if you truly still want to do this. I would remind Your Honor that you are simply providing Mister Wrong an opening to prolong the trial further and perhaps falsely accuse yet another innocent pony!” she warned with a glare at Phoenix.

The Judge gave her another irritated look. “We have been over this ground already, Ms. Trixie. My guilty verdict stands. But I do not like leaving cases with loose ends, and I wish to know how she came into possession of this peculiar stick.”

“As would we all,” Phoenix added. Sonata had to have been in the forest. And by simple process of elimination, that means she HAD to have done it—there’s nopony else left who COULD! he thought to himself. But based on what Twilight said, Trixie’s right—Sonata isn’t a pegasus and doesn’t have elemental powers. So there’s no way she could have manipulated that cloud to fire lightning, he knew, still having no immediate theory as to how she could have electrocuted Ace Swift.

Expect the worse, but hope for the best. Just like I told Twilight, gotta smile and fight to the end, no matter how bad things may get! he vowed, grateful she'd been present to remind him of that simple truth and restore his shaken confidence.

With that, Phoenix and the entire courtroom turned their attention to the grey unicorn mare now standing behind the witness stand. Finally seeing her close-up where his eyes could focus, The Judge studied her for a moment, almost squinting. “Oh!” he said as he beheld her, clearing his throat as if in surprise. “Have we met before, Miss? You seem familiar.”

Sonata gave him an irritated look in return. “Given I have never been to your world or so much as set eyes on a human before yesterday, you can be reasonably certain we have never met, Your Honor,” she said dryly, though Phoenix noticed The Judge flinch slightly when he heard her speak in an eerily familiar voice.

At least I’m not the only one who notices her resemblance to Mia! he thought in some relief.

“State your name and occupation, witness,” Trixie prompted in even tones, suppressing an eyeroll at The Judge’s question.

Sonata didn’t answer right away, peering over her thin glasses at Phoenix. “So, you’re really going to attempt to pin this on me, Phoenix Wright?” she asked, ignoring Trixie and addressing him directly. “You’re already zero for two in naming new suspects. Tell me, after I prove myself innocent, what then?

“Will you instead accuse that charlatan and con artist currently standing in the prosecutor’s stall on the grounds that she bears a grudge against your co-counsel and is a weather elemental—albeit a rather feeble one?” she suggested almost lazily, causing Trixie’s jaw to drop open. “You may as well do it now, then. You’d at least have more of the gallery on your side for that.”

Whoa. Trixie did it? Wouldn’t THAT be a twist! Phoenix couldn’t help but smirk, briefly considering but quickly discarding the possibility. He’d faced prosecutors—and even police chiefs—who had committed murder, including the legendary Manfred von Karma, father of Franziska and the acclaimed “King of Prosecutors” who went undefeated in court for forty years before encountering Phoenix.

Phoenix had crossed legal swords with him when he’d framed his own prosecuting protégé, Miles Edgeworth, for a murder two Christmases earlier, going to desperate lengths to keep the truth behind a fifteen-year conspiracy hidden. Phoenix had cleared Edgeworth’s name and revealed von Karma to be nothing more than an obsessed and grudge-driven madman; one who killed Edgeworth’s defense attorney father over a single blemish on his otherwise perfect record. But in this instance?

No. Trixie’s certainly grudge-driven, but she’s no murderer; just an opportunist who saw a chance to get back at the pony who ruined her name. She’s little different than Franziska in that sense, Phoenix decoded.

For her part, Trixie acted like she’d been slapped, struck speechless for the moment as Sonata went on. “For the record, I’ve watched the entire trial and I’m not impressed with either counsel’s performance.”

“Shut up and answer the question!” Trixie finally shook off her surprise. “State your name and occupation for the record!”

Sonata didn’t even look at her, speaking in a tone of pure disdain. “Do be quiet, Ms. Lulamoon. The grown-ups are speaking,” she said like she was talking down to a foal. “You have no business prosecuting this case, anyway.”

“Wh-what?” Trixie gaped, a shocked look on her face.

“Uh… ‘Lulamoon’?” Phoenix repeated under his breath to Twilight.

“That’s her real name,” Twilight whispered back, uncertain what was happening. “’Trixie’ is just her stage name.”

“Even to me, it’s a mystery how you managed to get yourself a law license and put yourself behind that stall,” Sonata went on scornfully while a surprised Phoenix just listened, inwardly impressed and struggling to keep a smile off his face as Sonata voiced the sentiments he had wanted to the entire trial. “One can’t help but wonder what stallion—or mare—you must have lifted your tail for to be here.”

Trixie recoiled at the suggestion while Phoenix’s eyes went wide; even Twilight blushed hard at that. “How… how DARE you!”the mare magician finally managed. “I strongly suggest you shut your mouth and remember what we discussed, lest Trixie turns her attention on you!” she threatened, giving her former schoolmate her most intimidating glare.

“The truth hurts, doesn’t it, Lula?” Sonata went on as if Trixie hadn’t spoken, looking completely unconcerned. “You know, it must really wound that vanity of yours, looking in the mirror every morning and seeing nothing but a failed street performer with her reputation in tatters, seeking revenge against the one that ruined it as her only source of solace,” she suggested, to approving whinnies and hoofclops from the gallery; even a previously glowering Rainbow had to suppress a smile at that. “That would be pathetic enough, but targeting Miss Sparkle through her friends over saving her town just makes it even more so.”

“WHY! Y-YOU!” Trixie was so angry she could barely speak, cold air forming about her again; for a moment Phoenix thought he saw her eyes glow blue. “Y-you’ll PAY for this, Sonata!” she promised, her violet eyes bulging.

“Um… does this pony have something against Trixie, Phoenix?” Twilight asked him quietly in an aside, turning her head fractionally towards him as she watched the scene in some confusion.

“Short answer? Yes,” Phoenix replied in a dry tone of voice, wondering what Sonata hoped to accomplish by antagonizing Trixie—regardless of their past, you’d think she wouldn’t want to provoke a prosecutor like this, or else she might go after her NEXT! he knew, thinking he might even be willing to help by giving Trixie evidence of the blackmail schemes Sonata had orchestrated over the years.

His answer came quickly. “Pay for this? I think not,” Sonata told the showmare evenly. “You see, I know everything there is to know about you, Trixie,” she announced, closing her eyes and looking down with a sly smile for a moment.

Trixie forced a smile of her own at that. “So what?” she asked, visibly trying to make herself calm down. “That’s actually kind of flattering. Trixie’s name should be known far and wide!” she answered grandly to a series of eyerolls from the audience.

“Oh, really now?” Sonata’s smile turned into a lazy, anticipatory grin, giving Phoenix the impression she was about to drop the hammer on Trixie—hard. “Then surely you won’t mind if we talk about poor widdle Twixie?” she said the last there words slowly, seemingly miming the baby talk Trixie had used against Twilight just before the guilty verdict.

Phoenix didn’t understand why Trixie’s eyes went wide at that. “Let’s start by discussing how ‘Great and Powerful’ you really are—or aren’t,” Sonata continued, her eyes closed and smiling as if savoring a moment she’d been waiting a very long time for. “Better yet, let’s talk about what you really desire. Because unlike everypony else, I know…” she trailed off warningly as she locked gazes with Trixie. “And if you don’t behave yourself and sit there like a good little filly from here on out, I might just decide to reveal it.”

Phoenix listened in some confusion, certain there was something going on at that moment he wasn’t privy to. Looking up at the showmare, he saw her jaw dropped open and eyes wide, even fearful. “But... how could you…?” she asked in an unusually quiet and unsteady voice.

Sonata rolled on, not giving Trixie a chance to reply. “That’s right, Ms. Not-So-Great-Or-Powerful. I know what drives the real Trixie to do what she does,” she began, turning her eyes on Twilight. “And I promise it has nothing to do with her last visit to Ponyville, as she has led many of you to believe. That was just the icing on the cake—the proverbial straw that broke the horse’s back,” she said, now addressing a surprised Twilight directly.

“Know, Miss Sparkle, that the Trixie you see right now is nothing but a helpless phony taking on an egotistical persona to cover up her pitiful insecurities and total failure to attain any of her dreams,” Sonata announced to the courtroom, her voice dripping with contempt. Trixie seemed to shrink back further and further within herself with each new insult issued, leaving both Twilight and Phoenix bewildered as to what was happening as Sonata went on.

“Her real talent should be pretending—smoke and mirrors is all she is. And I’m not talking about her sad little excuse for a magic show,” she concluded with an odd emphasis on the closing phrase, giving a triumphant, even gleeful look to Trixie as she took what Phoenix could only guess was a long-awaited revenge. “As I said before, she’s well and truly a pathetic pony. Just take a look at her now if you don’t believe me,” she invited all present, sounding immensely satisfied.

Twilight and the entire courtroom looked back at Trixie and were stunned at what they saw. There was no trace of haughtiness or attitude left in her defeated posture, no anger or arrogance, no fire in her eyes or elemental ice surrounding her—just a devastated countenance, a deep and abiding sadness that confirmed the truth of Sonata’s words. Her head was bowed dejectedly, her lip quivering and downcast eyes watering; for a moment Twilight thought she might break down completely, so total was Sonata’s dismantling of her.

Playing a hunch, Twilight tapped the mystical energies the Magatama had given her—she’d finally figured out how to block them after the end of Gilda’s testimony, in effect giving herself the power to turn the ability to see psyche-locks on and off—and waited for the mysterious black locks to materialize. When they finally did, she was surprised to see they were only barely holding on, visibly cracking and wobbling back and forth as they strained at their bonds, though they remained intact for the time being.

So they CAN be broken! That means there’s hope for Trixie yet! she thought even as Sonata went on.

“Oh? Nothing to say, poor widdle Twixie? Have you finally run out of insults and arrogant lies?” Sonata verbally slapped the already-beaten mare magician when she was down. “Strip them away, and what are you, Lula? The answer should be clear even to you, now: nothing,” she pronounced with finality, closing her eyes and appearing very pleased with herself while Phoenix and the rest of the gallery looked on in disbelief, stunned at how completely and cleanly she had crushed Trixie’s spirit.

“ENOUGH!!!!” The Judge’s voice finally broke in with a hard bang of his gavel, startling Phoenix and Twilight—the former having rarely heard The Judge yell so loudly or get so visibly upset. “I have had quite enough of sideshows, personal grudges, and recalcitrant witnesses! This trial has already gone on for far too long, and my patience is at an end! Now state your name and occupation!” he ordered in his most imperious voice. “Answer now, or I will find you in contempt!”

Sonata shrugged and drew herself up straight at that. “Sonata Tarot. Former manager of the late Ace Swift,” she pronounced.

Phoenix blinked at that, having not heard her last name before. Tarot? As in a tarot deck? That’s kind of close in meaning to “Fey”! he realized, but the grey unicorn mare cut off that line of thought before he could carry it further.

“Now where was I?” she asked almost rhetorically, turning fractionally to the side and briefly exposing her eyelike cutie mark on her hip. “Oh yes. Wright. You were accusing me of being in the Everfree based off a vague and unreliable testimony given by a vague and unreliable witness,” she said with a nod towards the gallery, where Phoenix looked up to see that Fluttershy was now sitting with Applejack, Rarity and Spike, the first two bracketing her protectively.

Despite the presence of her friends, Fluttershy visibly cringed at being referenced like that. Just hope The Judge wasn’t too hard on her… Twilight thought, making a mental note to ask her friend about it later.

For his part, Phoenix looked over at Trixie, reflexively expecting her to speak up in support of her witness. But she hadn’t moved from her forlorn posture, sitting on her haunches and staring down in deep despair at the bench in front of her.

Despite how happy he was to see the insulting mare magician get her comeuppance, Phoenix couldn’t help but feel troubled at the sight, wondering what secret was so painful that Sonata could reduce her to such a state with just a few choice phrases. It often takes both the prosecutor and defense attorney working together to get at the truth in these cases, he knew from long experience; in his last case it had taken the combined efforts of himself, Miles Edgeworth and even a wounded Franziska von Karma to bring the case to a successful conclusion.

“That witness says she saw me by the forest?” Sonata went on, interrupting his thoughts a second time. “I say I was in my hotel room all night. Which now brings me to you, Phoenix Wright,” she said warningly.

Phoenix felt his guts clench as he sensed what was coming next. Oh, great. Here we go! he thought, starting to sweat again.

“I believe you broke into my private quarters yesterday with that curly-haired confectioner of a pony,” Sonata informed the court, causing The Judge’s eyes to go wide and both Phoenix and Twilight to cringe. “Your Honor, I wish this court to know that Phoenix Wright illegally entered my hotel room yesterday afternoon, gaining access using a stolen room key to rummage through my things! I submit that by doing so, he has both broken Equestrian law and violated defense attorney ethics with his actions. As such, I demand he be removed from this case, and that I be given leave to press charges against both him and his earth pony companion immediately!”

“I see,” The Judge said gravely, giving Phoenix an appraising look, who held himself rigid under his scrutiny. “Have you proof of your accusations?”

“Indeed I do,” Sonata confirmed, floating The Judge a sealed envelope. “Here are some detailed photographs of both of their hoof and handprints all around my room, on bookshelves, tables, and the door handle. I’m sure if you compare them to Wright and a local earth pony named Pinkie Pie, you’ll get matching results. So as you can see, the evidence of their crimes is overwhelming!”

“Mister Wright! Is this true?” The Judge demanded to know after he had quickly scanned the envelope contents, his hand clenching his gavel, preparing to bring it down on Phoenix hard.

Phoenix took a deep breath and raised his eyes to meet The Judge’s. “It is, Your Honor. I apologize for my actions, and am willing to face punishment for them later.”

“No! He should be removed and punished right now!” Sonata interjected, her equine tail flicking back and forth in agitation. “He broke the law and violated my privacy when I was in mourning for Ace! And for it, I want justice, Your Honor!”

“I am inclined to agree, Mister Wright,” The Judge warned, glaring at him. “Can you give me any good reason why I should not order your removal from this courtroom and issue an immediate warrant for your arrest?”

Phoenix gulped at the suggestion—I wouldn’t mind staying in Equestria a little longer, but not like THAT! he thought, choosing his next words with care. “Just as Trixie stated earlier in reference to Mister Cruise Control’s assault on me, it’s an unrelated crime that has no bearing on the current case at hoof,” he offered, some part of him noting how easily he was now lapsing into pony word usage and idioms.

“I am fully willing to accept the consequences for my actions. But for now, I respectfully request of this court that I be allowed to finish the case,” he told The Judge, bowing his head humbly but looking back at Trixie in expectation of an objection, certain she was going to point out that the case was technically already over and his argument didn’t hold water. But the mare magician remained silent, still locked in her downcast and defeated pose.

Even without her objection, The Judge was unimpressed. “Mister Wright! I am shocked you would do something like this!” he said sternly.

But I didn’t WANT to do it! Pinkie was the one who broke in! he protested mentally, but knew better than to try to offer that as an argument to The Judge. “Your Honor—if you remove me now, there will be nopony to represent the defendant,” he offered a new argument instead.

“Oh? And what about your co-counsel?” Sonata challenged from the witness box. “Why can’t Miss Sparkle take over?”

“My co-counsel is not currently certified to be a defense attorney,” he said, turning towards Twilight, who nodded in agreement. “Legally, she cannot represent clients. It would take at least a day to get her such certification, and if you try to pull in another attorney, they won’t be well-versed on the facts on the case. I therefore submit, Your Honor, that I am the only one who can represent Rainbow Dash properly right now,” he concluded, speaking with more fervor as he sensed The Judge wavering.

The Judge considered that for a moment. “Is this true, Miss Sparkle? Can you not take over the defense?”

“I’m afraid it is, and I cannot, Your Honor,” Twilight stepped forward and confirmed. “For me to take over as lead attorney, I would have to file an appeal with the Equestrian Legal Affairs Council in Canterlot and pass a bar exam first. And Canterlot bureaucracy being what it is… that could take all night,” she grimaced, The Judge noting further confirmation in the form of some rueful nods of agreement coming from the gallery and even the bailiffs as well.

The Judge closed his eyes for a moment, thinking. “Be that as it may, I can’t simply let such brazen misconduct like this go unpunished!” he told Phoenix. “Ms. Trixie? What is the prosecution’s opinion on this matter?” he turned to his left to ask.

But Trixie remained silent, looking lost and forsaken, seemingly paying no attention to what was happening around her. She doesn’t look too hot, Phoenix noted, surprised to feel a moment of pity for her—whatever secret Sonata had threatened to expose, it was clearly a very deep and painful one.

The Judge was flustered by that. “Um… well…” he began, groping for a way forward. “In the absence of objections from the prosecution, I suppose there is no harm in allowing Mister Wright to remain lead counsel,” he decided. “But make no mistake, Mister Wright—both you and this ‘Pinkie Pie’ will face punishment in due time!” His voice turned stern again.

“I understand, Your Honor. And thank you,” he bowed his head in respect and relief. Score one for the good guys! he thought in triumph, hoping that whatever punishment he was eventually given wouldn’t be too bad.

Sonata’s jaw fell open and her ears laid back at that, giving a surprised grunt. “Fine. Whatever. See if I care!” She turned away from Phoenix disdainfully. “This outlandish accusation of yours is just going to fall flat on its face, anyway.”

Phoenix was unimpressed. You’ve already played your trump card, Sonata. You have no further power over me, and now it’s MY turn! “Sonata!” He pointed an accusing finger at her. “Fluttershy gave a perfect description of you carrying this stick near the forest on the night of the murder!” he reminded her, holding up the ruined metal rod.

“Perfect, you say?” Sonata rolled her eyes. “She gave a vague description based on a momentary glimpse of somepony in the dark. I sincerely doubt she could pick the pony she claims she saw out of a lineup. Regardless, I said it before and I’ll say it again, Wright: I wasn’t anywhere near the forest that night,” she replied evenly, giving a quick glance over at the prosecutor’s stall as if to warn Trixie to stay silent. But there was no need; the mare magician was still lost in her own despondency.

“Is that so? Then tell me, Sonata—if you are telling the truth and have nothing to hide, why did you try to sneak out of the courtroom earlier when Fluttershy was testifying?” he asked her over crossed arms.

Sonata gave him a level look and arched an eyeridge. “Really, Mister Wright. Was my reaction really so unusual or incriminating? I could see exactly where that testimony was going and what you were going to do with it. I can hardly be blamed for not wanting to be present when you inevitably accused me.” She rolled her eyes. “You’ve already shown a penchant for falsely casting suspicion on others to deflect attention from your own client’s guilt—I believe you’ve made two failed accusations so far?” she all but sneered out the words. “I had no wish to be the third, or be accosted as I was by those ruffians in the audience. So I tried to leave quietly and not cause a scene. I failed.”

“I agree with the witness, Mister Wright,” The Judge broke in. “Her reaction was normal given the circumstances and cannot be considered evidence of guilt.”

“Yes, Your Honor.” Phoenix grimaced, his mind racing. I’ve got to tie her into this somehow! he knew, but before he could, he needed something to work from. “Your Honor—as a degree of suspicion is cast on this witness, the defense requests to hear what she was doing that night in further detail!”

“Hmmm….” The Judge considered that, closing his eyes for a moment and then opening them to study the mare behind the witness stand anew. “Now that I have seen Ms. Sonata’s appearance up close… the previous witness’s description does seem to match up,” he noted. “Very well, Mister Wright. Ms. Sonata—please testify as to what you were doing on the night of the murder.”

Sonata gave a short sigh of exasperation at that. “If I must.”

—————— WITNESS TESTIMONY ——————
— The Night Of The Murder —

I was settling in my hotel room after picking up some athletic equipment for Ace. He wasn’t at the hotel so I figured he was practicing for the race. I went to bed early but was woken up at midnight by a knock at my hotel room door. When I answered it, the police informed me of Ace’s fate. That witness must be mistaken. I wasn’t anywhere near the forest that night. And I certainly wasn’t carrying that golf club you keep waving around.

Once she had finished, The Judge spoke up first as Phoenix considered her statement, turning it over repeatedly in his head. “So you were in your hotel room while the murder occurred?”

“That is correct, Your Honor,” she nodded, turning to the side. “That witness must have been seeing things, because I didn’t go anywhere near the Everfree Forest that night.”

“She’s lying,” Phoenix told Twilight with certainty, who nodded her agreement but looked troubled. “Do you see any psyche-locks, Twilight?”

She tapped the Magatama’s power again, focused on the other unicorn and flinched hard. “Yes,” she confirmed, recoiling from the emotions the phantom locks carried—to her surprise the dominant ones weren’t hate or revenge, but… fear? Guilt? Shame? “At least a dozen of them,” she swallowed, blocking the mystical power again so she wouldn’t be overwhelmed by them, fearful of what might happen if they all broke at once as had happened with Gilda.

A dozen? Phoenix suppressed a wince. This is NOT going to be easy. But if she was lying before when she denied involvement, why the hell didn’t psyche-locks appear THEN? he couldn’t help but wonder.

“Phoenix? I hate to change the subject, but… look at Trixie.” Twilight motioned with her head over to the other side of the courtroom pit where the mare magician still hadn’t moved.

“Seems Sonata really got to her,” Phoenix noted; he had never seen anyone have their spirit so thoroughly crushed. Despite all she had done, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for her—he’d only known her for little more than a day, yet it was hard for him to see her in the state she was now. For her to be anything besides the cocky but clever, insulting but intelligent prosecutor she had shown herself to be just seemed… wrong.

As wrong as Franziska von Karma crying, was the only analogy he could come up with, immediately rolling his eyes at the thought. Oh come on, Phoenix. Like Franziska would EVER cry!

“I feel kind of bad for her,” Twilight told him, a note of sadness in her voice.

“Me too,” Phoenix agreed. “But whatever Sonata did to her, we can’t worry about that now. We have to focus on breaking this testimony,” he reminded her.

“Right,” she agreed, turning her attention back to the witness stand.

—————— CROSS-EXAMINATION ——————

I was settling in my hotel room after picking up some equipment for Ace.

“What kind of equipment?” he immediately asked.

“Training equipment. Knee pads, leg and wing hobbles, weighted horseshoes and harnesses. Stuff like that,” she shrugged. “He prided himself on his strength and being able to win at pretty much every sport in existence.”

Phoenix blinked at that, thinking that the items she listed could either be used for resistance training… or something else entirely. Flinching at the image of Ace and Sonata that suddenly popped into his head, he forcibly purged it and moved on. “Speaking of equipment,” he began, scratching his chin to cover up where his thoughts had gone, “any clue as to why he was wearing his lightning-proof racesuit that night?”

“He wore it all the time with the race coming up,” she replied easily. “The outfit is quite itchy and uncomfortable from what I’m told, and he practiced wearing it before the race to get used to the discomfort.”

That washes with what Rainbow told me about the suit, Phoenix mentally conceded, moving on. “Do you have anypony to confirm you were shopping that day?” he tried next.

Sonata closed her eyes. “No. I don’t.”

Phoenix leaned further forward over his rail. “Then this alibi of yours isn’t looking too solid at all!”

“And just how would you have me prove it, Mister Wright?” She rolled her eyes. “The stores are quite busy with the race coming up. I doubt either the check-out clerk or any of the other patrons would remember one out-of-town customer from a few days ago.”

“What about a receipt?” Phoenix immediately suggested. “You said you bought some items there? Without one you could have been—”

“I have it right here,” she announced with a suddenly smug grin, flaring her horn to float a scrap of paper out of her saddlebags and up to The Judge. “As a business manager, I keep records of all my spending, Mister Wright.”

“Ah!” Phoenix flinched in surprise, realizing he’d underestimated her. If she IS anything like Mia, she’s not going to be that sloppy or trapped so easily! You need your A-game against her, Phoenix!

“It says her items were rung in at 7:30 PM,” The Judge noted after scanning it quickly, then passed it over to a unicorn bailiff to magically produce copies for the prosecution and defense.

Phoenix recovered quickly. That proves she was shopping a little before the murder, but it doesn’t prove she couldn’t have been there! he quickly recognized. There’s still more than enough time—an hour plus—to put her in the forest at the time Ace was killed! “And where was Ace during this time?”

He wasn’t at the hotel, so I figured he was practicing for the race.

“Weren’t you concerned where he was?” Phoenix asked. “Your sole client out and about mere days before a big race? I’d think you’d keep better tabs on him than that.”

Sonata rolled her eyes. “I was his manager, not his mother.”

“That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make an effort finding him, especially with the biggest race of the year only days away!” he countered.

Sonata gave Phoenix an annoyed look, peering at him over her glasses. “In case you haven’t noticed, Mister Wright… I can’t fly,” she reminded him pointedly. “I’m a unicorn, not a pegasus, and it would be a waste of time searching for him when he has wings and I don’t.”

Guess it would be a little hard to find someone who can fly while you’re grounded, Phoenix conceded, giving up that line of questioning as fruitless. “And what did you do after getting back to your hotel room?”

I went to bed early but was woken up at midnight by a knock at my hotel room door.

“What time did you go to bed?” Phoenix tried next.

“8:30 PM”, she answered instantly, turning away from him again. “And before you ask, I prefer to both go to bed and get up early. If you don’t believe me, you can check with the hotel room service. I left instructions with them upon arrival in Ponyville three days ago to bring me breakfast at 5 AM every day.”

8:30 PM? That’s around the time Ace was killed! Phoenix’s internal senses twitched, ignoring the rest of her statement as obfuscation. A poker player in his spare time, he had developed the ability to catch on to the physical cues skilled players referred to as ‘tells’, and he was starting to think that the turned-away pose she took was significant.

Is that her tell? Does she turn away and close her eyes like that when she’s lying? he suddenly wondered, scratching his chin as he pondered the question. It could be! If she was really in the forest that night—and I’m sure she was—then she has to be lying here! he deduced, resolving to watch for that same body language in the future.

When I answered it, the police informed me of Ace’s fate.

“And how did you react when they informed you of his death?” Phoenix asked. This should be good…

To his surprise, she didn’t turn away but instead gave him an even look. “I cried,” she replied with a perfectly straight face.

Phoenix’s thought processes came to a screeching halt. “You… cried?” he repeated in utter disbelief.

“Why, yes!” Twilight spoke up at that, an eager look on her face. “It’s a complex emotion-triggered secretomotor phenomenon characterized by the shedding of tears from the lacrimal apparatus, without any irritation of the ocular structures—”

“I know what crying is!” he cut her off before she could continue what sounded like a university lecture any further, turning his disbelieving gaze on her. “I just can’t see her doing it!”

“Like I said to you yesterday, I got over it quickly,” Sonata shrugged, turning away from Phoenix again—her change of posture instantly noted by him. “Bad things happen, but the perpetrator was caught quickly and is currently sitting over there with a guilty verdict hanging over her head. So I can mourn him and move on,” she told him. “If you don’t believe me, those police who came to my door can confirm my reaction as well.”

I should call them to the stand and ask them if her tears were made out of ICICLES! was all Phoenix could think. "Then how do you explain Fluttershy seeing someone matching your description just outside her cottage?"

That witness must be mistaken. I wasn’t anywhere near the forest that night.

“The witness is not mistaken!” Phoenix insisted, looking back up at Fluttershy, who gave him a brave and grateful smile. “She saw you on the path that went past her place!”

“Oh, please, Mister Wright. As has been noted many times already, this same witness you’re relying on had a glaring problem with her testimony yesterday,” Sonata reminded the court yet again. “She saw one witness leave the forest but not the other, and as our now-missing-in-action prosecutor pointed out, she might also have missed seeing that griffon who testified earlier. So even ignoring the vagueness of her description, what makes you think she is not wrong this time or that anything she says can be trusted?”

“Because she described you perfectly under Luna’s light!” he replied, pointing an accusing finger at her. I still can’t believe the sun and moon of this world are controlled by demigod pony ‘princesses’ called alicorns! he briefly reflected on his readings from the previous night, wondering if he’d get to meet them. “With her secluded lifestyle, I doubt she’s ever seen you before that point!”

Sonata looked struck speechless and Twilight visibly winced at his statement as well, leaving Phoenix wondering what he’d said wrong this time. “’Secluded lifestyle’, Mister Wright? Are you not aware that Miss Fluttershy was once a famous fashion model?” the former finally asked Phoenix, whose jaw dropped open, looking to Twilight for confirmation. She gave it with a very pained nod, one that warned him not to pursue the line of questioning further.

Sonata, however, was not so constrained. “She certainly got around and was even once in a photo shoot with Ace himself. I was there and she could have seen me then,” she went on, causing Phoenix to gape anew and look up into the stands, where the ponies surrounding Fluttershy were asking her about it while Spike, Rarity and Applejack tried to hold them back and protect their mortified and fearful friend. He couldn’t hear Fluttershy’s whispered response but by the look on her face, it wasn’t a pleasant memory.

“But even if she hadn’t? Ace was famous and as his manager, I was well-known, too. She could have easily seen me in a magazine or newspaper like Equestria Daily. I’ve been interviewed and had my picture published there many times,” she concluded with a grin. “Who knows? Maybe she’s just describing me to shift blame off her friend.”

Phoenix was still so taken aback he couldn’t even muster the objection her claim ordinarily deserved. Fluttershy… a FASHION MODEL? he could scarcely conceive. She certainly had the looks but he couldn’t fathom that she would actually enjoy such a thing, making a mental note to ask Twilight about it later. That seems about as likely as her being some secret government assassin! “Oh, really? You think Fluttershy of all ponies is one to lie!?” he replied, forcing himself to move on.

Sonata grinned again. “Why not? Why should you of all ponies—or humans, rather—even ask that, Mister Wright? After all, weren’t you the one who accused her of perjury just yesterday?” she pointedly reminded him, her smile getting broader.

Phoenix gave a strangled sound, wondering if he’d ever live that down.

With that, Sonata gave a glance over at the prosecutor’s stall, where Trixie still looked every bit as beaten and emotionally bludgeoned as she had but minutes earlier. “Since that sorry excuse for a prosecutor doesn’t seem to be up to speed, can you please put a stop to Mister Wright’s baseless claims against me, Your Honor? I have testified and answered all questions put before me. You have no basis of evidence to hold me on, and I would like to leave now.”

The Judge perked up at that. “Oh! Um… yes. I’m afraid I must stop this line of questioning about the previous witness’s credibility, Mister Wright. Though I do not believe Miss Fluttershy would willingly lie, we have already established there are major holes in her testimony. And I therefore cannot allow you to impugn the current witness’s credibility based on that alone,” he informed Phoenix. “However, Ms. Sonata—I cannot dismiss you yet as the cross-examination is not quite over. Proceed, Mister Wright.”

“Thank you, Your Honor. And I understand,” he acknowledged. It’s all right. I just wanted a little more information, and she was kind enough to provide it! He suppressed a grin. Time for the coup de grâce!

And I certainly wasn’t carrying that golf club you keep waving around.

Phoenix shouted, catching Sonata, Twilight and the rest of the court by surprise. “Sonata, I am very curious…” he began in a mild voice.

“About what?” she asked, giving him a wary look at his sudden change of tone.

“This stick,” Phoenix answered, hefting the burned and rusted metal rod again. “You claim you weren’t carrying it.”

“And I’ll say it again, Mister Wright—I wasn’t,” she said, this time laying her ears back to glare at him, daring him to say different.

Phoenix was only too happy to oblige. “But what I find odd here is what you called it in your testimony,” he noted, picking up the latest sheet of transcript that had just been floated to his desk by the court’s unicorn stenographer. “’I certainly wasn’t carrying that golf club you keep waving around’,” he quoted, swapping the sheet of scroll paper for the metal rod again.

“Sonata—this stick looks nothing like a golf club, nor has anypony referred to it as such during the trial,” he told her, causing her eyes to widen for just a brief moment as she recognized her slip. “It was a golf club at one time; you’re correct about that, but I doubt anyone in this chamber could recognize it as one now.”

The Judge looked at it in disbelief and motioned that he wanted to see it for himself; Twilight immediately passed it to him with her magic. Phoenix watched as he examined it closely from one end to another, some seared metal flaking off onto his bench. “This thing… is a golf club?” he asked in an incredulous tone. “My apologies, but I really don’t see it. I have no clubs that look like this in my golf bag!”

The Judge plays golf? I would have never guessed… Phoenix mused. “That’s because the end was broken off, Your Honor,” he replied. “I believe this strange metal object I found on the scene of the crime is the missing club head,” he went on, reaching into his evidence bag to next bring out the small, ruined L-shaped piece of metal he’d found in the burned area on the crime scene.

“If you put them together in the right way, you’ll find they fit perfectly,” Phoenix promised as Twilight floated the missing piece to The Judge, having fitted them together experimentally himself earlier that morning.

“Hmm….” The Judge said as he examined the new piece in his hand. “It does resemble a golf club if that piece were to be put on the end of the stick,” he conceded.

“Try to piece them together, Your Honor,” Phoenix invited.

The Judge did so, and once he discovered the right orientation, he found they did so readily and held the now-intact club high for all in the courtroom to see, holding the two pieces together. “You are correct, Mister Wright. It is indeed a golf club.”

Phoenix nodded his head at that. “It was once, Your Honor. But right now, it’s nothing but a ruined and rusted stick!” he noted, turning his attention back to the grey unicorn mare. “So tell us, Sonata! How did you know this was a golf club?” he ordered her to explain, pointing an accusing finger at her.

To his surprise, Sonata appeared completely unperturbed, merely closing her eyes and smiling again. “Tell me, Mister Wright. Do you think you’re some sort of knight in shining armor, come to save the day? Because you’re not!” she all but hissed, her eyes suddenly going angry, ears laying back as she turned away from him again. “You’re just another bottom-feeding defense attorney trying to confuse the issue with trivial details!”

The Judge spoke up before Phoenix could. “Mister Wright has pointed out a crucial flaw in your testimony, Ms. Sonata,” he reminded her. “He has asked a valid question, and this court demands your answer: if you were never in the woods, then how did you know this mangled stick was a golf club?” he asked directly, adding his own weight to the query.

Sonata didn’t answer right away, turning away again. “Defense attorneys fabricate the most interesting little fairy tales to protect criminals,” she noted.

You know, something’s seriously wrong when a talking unicorn in a land of magical, multicolored ponies accuses you of telling fairy tales! Phoenix couldn’t help but think, but her sideways pose was not lost on him—he now recognized she took it whenever she was either lying or trying to obfuscate.

“Ms. Sonata,” The Judge spoke up again, more angrily this time. “You are one more refusal to respond away from a contempt citation, in which case you will not be walking out of here a free pony. Now answer the question!” he ordered again.

“Very well,” Sonata said evenly, though Phoenix noticed her lips tightening and her mind visibly turning. “I was mistaken. As I see it again, I recognize that I have seen this stick before as a golf club,” she said, turning away yet again. “Remember how I said I was shopping for sports equipment that day? I saw a golf club at the store with that same unique handle shape—namely, that pink ‘P’ on the end of it, like the one you’re holding,” she told him. “In truth, it was rather hard to miss.”

“You saw it at the store?” The Judge prompted as Phoenix exchanged a knowing look with Twilight.

“Yes. But like I said earlier, Mister Wright is just admirably trying to defend a murderer. It’s his job, and I grant he does it quite well. But he cannot fabricate the truth to suit his own ends,” she said, turning away from him once more. “Oh. Did I say admirably? I meant shamefully.”

‘Can’t fabricate the truth to suit my own ends’? I could say the same thing about YOU, Sonata! he didn’t say out loud. “You know, I just got the strangest sense of déjà vu,” Phoenix told Twilight, noting Sonata had just given her tell again. But this time, he didn’t even need it to know she was lying.

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked curiously. She had instantly spotted the problem with Sonata’s revised statement herself and knew Phoenix had picked up on it as well, wondering how he would make use of it.

“Her phony excuse reminds me of a previous case,” he noted with another scratch of his chin, reflecting that this was now going to be his second trial that came down to a store, a receipt, and an everyday item that was much more than it appeared. “And using the same tactics I did then, I’m about to blow this case wide open!”

Twilight gave him a conspiratorial smile, eager to see how he was going to accomplish that. “Do what you do best, Phoenix!”

“’Wing it’?” he suggested with a sly grin.

“And win with it,” she replied with a twinkle, standing back to watch the spectacle to come. “You’ve got your opening, Phoenix! Now go get her!”

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on August 17, 2018.

While Raven is busy with school, yours truly takes over for now. As always, I am honored to do so, and thank Leo Archon and TheGoldCrow for the preread!

—Firesight

Part 48 - Back to the Brink

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom #2
June 11th, 12:28 PM

“You’ve got your opening, Phoenix. Now go get her!” Twilight encouraged him.

“My pleasure,” Phoenix grinned, turning his attention back to The Judge. “Your Honor! The witness could not have seen this golf club at the store!” he declared authoritatively, slapping the top of his rail with his hands.

“Really?” The Judge asked in a rhetorical tone.

Phoenix gave a sharp nod. “Yes! And I have proof!” he announced, putting his hands on his hips and giving an unimpressed Sonata a triumphant stare.

“Do go on, Mister Wright.” The Judge invited, sounding both surprised and skeptical.

Phoenix picked up on his dubious tone. “It’s quite simple, Your Honor. You see, the witness could not have seen this golf club at the store, because it’s not for sale there or anywhere else!” he explained. “It’s in fact a one-of-a-kind creation!”

“A… what?” The Judge blinked.

“Your Honor… allow me to introduce the court to the Pinkie Iron Mk. V!” he held the mangled golf club high for all to see. “The very first invention patented by one Pinkamena Diane Pie!”

“Oh, I see,” The Judge stroked his beard, thinking, but then his eyes abruptly narrowed in confusion. “Wait a minute! If it’s her first invention, then what happened to the Mk. I through IV?”

“That’s what I wanted to know!” Twilight muttered under her breath.

“Uh… n-never mind that!” Phoenix said, taking on his goofy grin for a moment, having a brief but potent nightmare about calling Pinkie Pie to the stand. “The point is, it’s impossible for the witness to have seen the club in a store because it was custom-crafted by Miss Pie and not for sale anywhere! She lost it in the forest a week ago when she tried playing golf there!”

The Judge only looked more confused. “Uh… why would she be playing golf in the forest? With all those trees around, wouldn’t it be a little… counterproductive?” he asked, stroking his beard again.

Beside Phoenix, Twilight could only shake her head in amazement and exasperation as her own thoughts were echoed. “She, um, said she wanted a challenge, Your Honor.”

“A challenge?” The Judge repeated in disbelief. “What would each hole be, a par-fifty?” he asked, causing Twilight to facehoof and the gallery members from Ponyville to exchange nods and knowing looks.

Phoenix was getting flustered. Of all the times for The Judge to start showing some deductive powers, why did it have to be NOW? “The point, Your Honor, is that not only does this prove Sonata couldn’t have seen the club at the store, but also that she saw it when it was whole!” he emphasized the final few words. “She had to have seen it intact to have recognized it as a golf club. But the only place that was possible was in the forest where it was lost!”

Sonata flinched hard at that, her glasses going briefly askew as the audience chatter picked up again.

Scenting blood and that the entire gallery of ponies was increasingly behind him, Phoenix pressed his advantage. “I should also inform you, Sonata, that Pinkie Pie lost that golf club in the forest a week ago!” he paused dramatically, letting his words sink in. “But according to both hotel records and your own admission, you only arrived in Ponyville two days after that!

“Therefore, the only place you could have seen it whole was in the Everfree Forest—no more than three days before the murder!” he announced to a fresh upsurge of conversation from the gallery; glancing up he saw that Applejack and Rarity were excitedly whispering an explanation to a visibly confused Fluttershy. Whatever was said by her two friends, Fluttershy seemed to finally get it as understanding dawned on her face.

Sonata’s tail twitched; she was starting to look rattled, gritting her teeth and taking a sharp intake of breath.

The Judge rapped his gavel on his bench twice to restore order. “Ms. Sonata! You will explain this!” he ordered, pinning the grey unicorn mare with his most intimidating glare.

Phoenix finally had the great pleasure of seeing Sonata speechless and stammering, her eyes darting nervously and glasses going crooked on her face once more. “I… I…” was all she could immediately manage.

YES! I finally broke her! Let’s see her try to talk her way out of THIS! he waited, leaning forward over his rail in anticipation. Not as cool a customer as you want everypony to believe, are you, Sonata?

But to his surprise, Sonata’s tail stilled and she stood up straight again, a smirk back on her face. “Actually, I don’t need to say anything,” she announced, straightening her glasses with a hoof.

The Judge gave her a stern look. “I’m afraid you do, Ms. Sonata. The defense has proven to this court’s satisfaction that you’ve seen this golf club while it was still in one piece. And that the only place you could have done so was in the forest you claimed you were never in!”

“But do you remember why I was dragged in here, Your Honor? It was all because of that other witness,” she recalled, turning away from Phoenix again, leaving him wondering what form of misdirection she was resorting to this time. “Let’s not beat around the bush, shall we, Phoenix Wright? It’s clear you’re trying to get me to admit I was in the forest that night,” she noted as she turned back towards him.

“Of course I am! Because you were!” he accused, still not certain what she was up to.

“Is that so? Then please enlighten me, Mister Wright—if I really was in there that night, why didn’t Fluttershy see me leave?” she abruptly challenged, looking up into the gallery and causing Fluttershy to cringe at having that pointed out again. “She said she saw me walking towards Ponyville, but she also testified that she didn’t see me leave the forest.”

This time, it was Phoenix who was caught off-guard. “There has to be a reason!” he stated, glancing over to Twilight to silently ask if she had any ideas; Twilight didn’t immediately reply, but he saw her eyes narrow as if deep in thought.

Sonata was unsympathetic. “Sorry, Mister Wright, but ‘there has to be’ doesn’t fly in court. If you’re trying to plant me in that forest based on her testimony, you need an explanation as to why she didn’t see me leave.”

“The broken golf club should be enough proof! Gilda confirmed it was on site even after the murder! Therefore, you had to have been there to take it at some point after that!” Phoenix countered, pointing at her again.

He saw the problem with his assertion even as he said it, cringing as The Judge confirmed his fears. “Mister Wright… I ordered Ms. Behertz’ testimony struck. Her statements are not admissible as evidence,” he reminded Phoenix with strained patience. “All we know for certain is that the broken golf club was on the crime scene at some point, not that it was present for the murder.”

“It’s alright. I’ll humor him, Your Honor,” Sonata said easily. “So, Mister Wright. Let’s assume for the sake of argument both that the stick was on site and I was near the forest that night—not in it, just near it,” she took pains to clarify. “Since we are apparently to disregard both Fluttershy’s and Gilda’s testimonies, who is to say Rainbow Dash or Gilda didn’t carry the golf club out and I didn’t just find it there on an evening walk?” she asked, now sounding to Phoenix like the prosecutor she claimed she could be. “I don’t believe picking up a stick is a crime,” she concluded, smiling and sounding very pleased with herself.

The Judge nodded thoughtfully at that, stroking his beard again. “She does bring up some valid points, Mister Wright. I can’t allow you to continue accusing her if you cannot provide stronger evidence that she was indeed inside the forest at the time of the murder.”

“But at a minimum, this does mean she lied, Your Honor!” Phoenix pointed out. “She said she was ‘nowhere near’ the forest, but now she’s all but admitted that she was!”

“An assumption is not an admission, Mister Wright,” Sonata broke in.

“She is correct, I’m afraid,” The Judge agreed. “Regardless, it isn’t enough for her to have been near the forest. You have to be able to place her inside it at the time of the crime, or this trial is over!”

Phoenix’s jaw dropped open. “But, Your Honor—!”

The Judge was having none of it. “Your client’s verdict has already been handed down, Mister Wright. So unless you are able to provide this court a very substantial amount of evidence of this manager’s potential guilt to convince me otherwise…” he trailed off and lowered his head in warning, giving Phoenix a stare. “I won’t hesitate to end this post-verdict inquiry here and now!”

“Ngh! What do I do?” Phoenix turned to Twilight, his mind racing.

“Actually, Phoenix… I’ve been thinking and I may know how she did it,” she offered cautiously. “B-but I could be wrong!”

“How?” he quickly asked her, knowing he had hit another dead end. “Tell me now! We’re at the brink again!”

Twilight took a deep breath and raised her voice so the entire court could hear. “Sonata is a unicorn. So it’s possible she could have… teleported?” she offered tentatively, looking around the courtroom for support, only to get some very doubtful looks from the unicorn bailiffs and gallery members in return.

Phoenix blinked. “Teleported?” he repeated uncomprehendingly before making a connection. “Wait—was that what you did this morning when Rarity came in? You teleported?” he guessed, trying to shake off a sudden flashback to the fear and helplessness he had felt as the frazzled fashionista had bodily picked him up and began to forcibly undress him with her aura.

“Yes!” She nodded quickly. “But admittedly, it’s unlikely. It’s a very advanced unicorn spell, requiring a great deal of focus and practice to master. Technically, all unicorns are capable of it. But not many can actually do it.”

“Why not?” Phoenix wanted to know, a tingle on the back of his neck telling him she was on to something.

“It’s a complex, high-energy spell. Stronger unicorns like Trixie and myself can perform it repeatedly without many repercussions since our special talents have to do with magic,” she explained with a nod back at her cutie mark. “But for those that don’t…”

Phoenix nodded slowly as he turned his attention back to Sonata, several new puzzle pieces clicking into place at once. “I actually think she can do it,” he announced as much to himself as to the chamber. “And if so, that would explain how she was able to leave the forest without being seen!”

“An intriguing suggestion,” The Judge agreed, stroking his beard thoughtfully again. “Ms. Sonata—do you know how to teleport?”

She turned away again. “No. And even if I did, short of me actually performing the spell, you couldn’t prove it,” she said dismissively.

She’s lying! Phoenix knew instantly as her tell gave her away once more. “I’m afraid I can, Sonata!” he announced, going for his camera again and clicking forward through his picture roll until he found one in particular. He showed it to Twilight, who instantly projected it into the middle of the courtroom pit. “These pictures are of a certain book I found in your hotel room.”

“Oh! I know that book!” Twilight announced excitedly, focusing on the cover title, which was written in the same odd hieroglyphics as the inner text. “It’s written by a former headmistress of the Celestial Magic Academy, and it’s got all sorts of neat spells you can learn, including the story and theory behind them! It’s a great read, and I can heartily recommend it for any unicorn who wants to—”

“Uh, Twilight?” Phoenix broke in. “Not the time.”

“Oh! Sorry.” She blushed, falling silent while in the defendant’s box, Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and muttered ‘egghead’ under her breath.

Sonata’s eyes widened in surprise before narrowing in anger, laying her ears back again. “Hey! You can’t prove that book belongs to me!”

Phoenix crossed his arms, giving her a smug look. “Do you really want me to waste this court’s time by repeating that entire arduous process I used yesterday to prove that it does?” he asked her mildly. “Knowing what it would reveal, I have a funny feeling that you don’t!” he said with a self-assured smile, reflecting on how good it felt to have a secret he could now hold over her.

Sonata’s lip tightened at that. “Very well, then. Does that book belong to you, witness?” The Judge asked her directly.

“Yes. It does,” she confirmed, forcing herself to stand up straight again while Twilight felt a familiar burst of mystical energy. Reengaging her ability to see psyche-locks, she was surprised but pleased to see that one of the locks had broken.

Great. Only eleven more to go, she reminded herself as she turned back to her left. “Phoenix, what are you doing? Why don’t you just tell everypony about her blackmailing right now?” she wanted to know, speaking in a low voice.

“Because she obviously doesn’t want it revealed,” he replied in an equally quiet tone, turning towards her. “I can use it to make her sing like a canary about everything else in return for keeping it secret.” For now, he mentally added to himself, having no intention of letting her off the hook for any of her crimes, whether blackmail or murder. “Guess she should have thought of that before trying to have me arrested, because that was the only thing holding me back from revealing it before!”

Twilight smiled, looking up at him in admiration as she comprehended his tactics. “So by using the blackmail as leverage, you’ll force her to tell the truth about the smaller details of what happened, and eventually they’ll start piling up on her!” she paraphrased, her tail swishing gently a couple times behind her. “That’s brilliant, Phoenix!”

The sharp rap of The Judge’s gavel broke into his thoughts. “Mister Wright! And Miss Sparkle! Can you please stop your socializing and tell us about this book?” he ordered, a warning note in his voice.

“Sorry, Your Honor,” Phoenix apologized, turning back to face The Judge and clearing his throat. “As my co-counsel rather enthusiastically pointed out, this is an advanced unicorn spell book.” He motioned to the picture Twilight was still projecting in the middle of the courtroom pit.

“If we can find a teleportation spell inside, it proves Sonata had access to the spell and could have used it to escape the forest without using the entrance,” he further explained, clicking forward on his camera to show Twilight some of the pictures he’d taken of the internal pages, who then copied them to pieces of scroll paper for The Judge and Trixie before adding their images to the hologram-like collage she was projecting into the air. “It goes without saying that in that case, Fluttershy would not have seen her leave the forest, and it further becomes possible that she brought the golf club out with her!”

Sonata remained silent, her lips set in a thin line; the only sign of emotion she gave was a quickly swishing tail. Sorry, Sonata, but I’m one fly you can’t brush off your back! Phoenix couldn’t help but grin.

“But these pages, Mister Wright… I can’t make any sense of them!” he said, squinting at the pieces of scroll paper Twilight was floating him. “I’m not familiar with this language and have no idea what any of these symbols mean!”

Phoenix grinned broadly at that. “Nor do I, Your Honor. But as it happens, we have a magically adept unicorn with an astute mind for the subject right here in this courtroom!” He motioned to Twilight, who beamed.

“Very well, then. Miss Sparkle—can you please confirm if there is a teleportation spell in this book as Mister Wright claims?” The Judge requested.

“Yes, Your Honor. I can!” she promised, bowing low and looking very pleased to be called upon. “In fact, I already know! There should be one somewhere in chapter—”

Phoenix was surprised to hear Sonata’s voice ring out. “No! You can’t!” she shouted, a shrill note in her voice. “As co-counsel and a friend of the defendant, her determination would be biased!”

Grasping at straws now, aren’t you Sonata? Phoenix rolled his eyes while Twilight went indignant.

“Hey! I won’t lie!”

Once more, Sonata turned away and closed her eyes at that. “Sorry, but this court can’t take that chance. Your personal relationship with the defendant—to say nothing of the defense attorney—ruins your credibility, Miss Sparkle.”

Twilight’s cheeks flushed and her eyes went wide. “My… what?”

“Oh, please,” Sonata chuckled, turning to face her fellow unicorn directly. “You don’t think I noticed that cute little enchantment you put on him yesterday?” she challenged, causing Twilight to cringe.

Enchantment? Phoenix blinked. “Twilight, what is she talking about?”

Twilight looked embarrassed and chagrined. “Before you left the library for the Hay and Stay, I… cast a special tracking spell on you to let me know where you were and if somepony else used magic on you,” she admitted. “I’m sorry, Phoenix. You were nearly killed because I wasn’t there, and I was afraid that…” her voice trailed off in defeat. You’re a stallion, and I’m supposed to protect you…

He stared at her a moment, disturbed by the revelation, reminded yet again he had no way to defend himself against magic and was in effect completely at the mercy of every unicorn in Equestria, even those he knew as friends. She used magic on me and didn’t TELL me? The idea made his skin crawl. “Is it still on me now?” he wanted to know, resisting the urge to pat down his own body trying to find it.

“No, it wore off after a few hours,” she offered weakly, unable to look him in the eye. “It’s because of me you’re here, and it’s my duty to keep you safe. After you were attacked yesterday because I wasn’t there, I felt responsible and wanted to make sure it couldn’t happen again. The enchantment was for… when I couldn’t keep watch over you personally,” she told him, choosing her words with care.

Sonata snickered. “Now, now, Miss Sparkle. You’re in a court of law and should be truthful. You should tell him that mares normally only use that spell to keep tabs on their foals… or stallions,” she grinned, eager to turn the tables back not only on Phoenix, but Twilight as well. “So tell us, Twilight Sparkle—was Trixie accidentally right? Is he your new coltfriend?” Sonata asked mockingly with a lopsided grin, to a mixture of laughter and leering looks from the gallery.

“I-I… uh…” Twilight stammered, eyes darting and shifting back and forth on her hooves nervously. “That is, I…” caught off-guard, she couldn’t even come up with a decent denial; the laughter quickly changing into not-entirely favorable comments and conversations as the audience ponies realized from her reaction it wasn’t just a joke.

An equally embarrassed Phoenix looked up to see Rarity and Spike upbraiding the ponies engaged in one such discussion while Applejack glared another pair silent. Between them, Fluttershy was blushing heavily, her expression uncertain; even his gym friends were whispering back and forth with each other like they weren’t sure what to think.

For what it’s worth, neither am I! he couldn’t say out loud.

“Uh… are you, Mister Wright?” The Judge couldn’t help but ask as well upon noting Twilight’s guilty reaction.

Phoenix felt his cheeks going hot. “Your Honor! The witness is attempting to distract from the question at hoof!” he pointed out, raising his voice to be heard over the sounds coming from the stands. “This is about whether she knows a teleportation spell, not about the actions my co-counsel took to ensure my safety yesterday!”

“Oh!” The Judge blinked, clearing his throat and banging his gavel twice more to get the attention of the now-heavily gossiping gallery back. “Yes, I must agree. However, Ms. Sonata is correct in that given the conflict of interests involved, I cannot allow you or your co-counsel to make the determination. We will have to get confirmation from a neutral party.”

“Sorry, Phoenix,” Twilight apologized in a voice only he could hear, her ears and head low. “I should have asked your permission. Please don’t be mad.”

Phoenix hadn’t yet decided if he was or not, but he gave her a look that said they were going to have a long talk after the trial. Wonder if she’s done anything ELSE I don’t know about? “We’ll discuss it later. In the meantime, any suggestions?”

“Well… we could get a professor from the Celestial Magic Academy to confirm it if I can’t,” she offered, still blushing but grateful for the change of subject. “I know that book well—I first read it when I was ten! Your Honor, I know for a fact there is a teleportation spell in that book. If I can just be shown her copy of it, I’ll have Spike send a copy of the inscription from the book to the academy and then—”

“No!” Sonata exclaimed, her ears laid back, though Phoenix thought he heard a note of fear in her voice as well as anger. “Your talent with magic is well known, Twilight Sparkle! You could doctor it! Or your scribe could!”

“But I wouldn’t!” she insisted again, stomping a hoof and laying her own ears back. “And neither would Spike!” she added with a glance up at the latter, who was sitting in his seat with his arms crossed, looking just as offended as Twilight at the suggestion.

“Enough!” The Judge shouted, bringing his gavel down hard again and reaching for a stack of scroll paper and quill pen. “I will settle this. I am issuing a search warrant for Ms. Sonata’s hotel room, to be executed immediately, with the goal of retrieving this book,” he announced. “Once obtained, it will be examined by the defense, and then—”

“NO!” Sonata shouted, going wide-eyed and sounding close to panic for a moment. “N-no need, I mean. I’ll… I’ll save you the trouble, Your Honor. Miss Sparkle is correct. There is a teleportation spell in the book,” she admitted, visibly struggling to regain her composure. “I’m sorry. I’m just… very particular about ponies going through my things,” she offered.

Huh? That’s odd. Why’d she reverse herself like that? Phoenix asked himself, thinking that as they’d gone deeper into the interrogation, Sonata somehow seemed different than she had the day before—more animated and expressive; having a harder time hiding her emotions. Yesterday, she was cold and detached; she barely reacted even when I broke her psyche-locks or accused her of blackmail. But today, it’s almost like she’s a different pony entirely. But WHY? he wondered while beside him, Twilight felt another sharp but familiar tug on her enhanced senses.

Tapping the Magatama’s power again, she saw that a second psyche-lock had broken around the other unicorn. Okay. Ten left. Starting to dig deeper now!

“I see,” The Judge nodded his understanding, eyes closed and looking deep in thought. “So if there is a teleportation spell in that book… that means there is the possibility the witness may have teleported from the forest.”

“So what?” Sonata asked from the witness stand, appearing composed again. “With respect, possibility is not certainty, Your Honor. Yes, I grant the book contains a teleportation spell, but you still can’t prove that I actually know the spell, let alone used it,” she said.

“So despite owning the book, you’re claiming you don’t know how to teleport?” The Judge prompted.

Sonata looked amused at the question, closing her eyes and smiling. “Tell me, Your Honor: if I owned a cookbook, would that mean I knew every recipe inside?” she made the analogy. “Or if I owned a book on quantum metaphysics, would that automatically make me an expert in quantum metaphysics?”

“Point taken,” The Judge conceded, and Phoenix grudgingly agreed, realizing there really wasn’t a way he could prove she knew any single spell out of the book.

“Oh! Hey!” Twilight spoke up, the excited note in her voice making Phoenix think she had suddenly realized something important. “I actually own an excellent book on quantum metaphysics by the great griffon professor Stavian Hawkwing, and I don’t mean to brag, but…”

She gave a giddy schoolgirl giggle. “I know a lot about quantum metaphysics, and I study it regularly! You never know when you might need quantum metaphysics to get you out of a jam!” she said, not slowing down or noticing Phoenix gaping at her. “Professor Hawkwing has a rare disease and can’t fly but he’s completely brilliant! It’s an absolutely fascinating subject and I take great pride and passion in…”

Her voice trailed off as she realized everyone in the courtroom had fallen silent and were giving her glazed stares. Phoenix appeared mortified while in the gallery Spike had facepalmed, Rarity looked embarrassed, Applejack and Fluttershy had uncomprehending expressions while in the defendant’s box beside her, Rainbow Dash was giving her a glare.

“Save the omega nerd topics for later, egghead!” she ordered.

“Uh… heh-heh… s-sorry.” Twilight gave a sheepish grin. “I’ll just… be hiding under the desk now,” she announced, stepping back and wondering if the courtroom’s magical suppression field would let her cast an invisibility spell.

“Yes, well…” Even Sonata sounded embarrassed for her. “Back to the point I was making—many unicorns like me have a hard time executing that rare and difficult spell,” she continued. “A good percentage of us just don’t have it in us to cast it, either due to lack of power or an inability to learn it. It’s even more difficult for one such as myself, as my talent isn’t magic like the defense’s co-counsel and our now-useless prosecutor,” she elaborated with a glance over at the still-silent and downcast mare magician.

Unseen by anypony, Trixie’s lip tightened and ear twitched.

“Then why do you even have that book?” Phoenix tried. “And why did you fight so hard to keep us from examining it to determine if there was a teleportation spell in it?”

“Perhaps because I feel my privacy has already been violated enough, Phoenix Wright,” Sonata replied angrily. “For the record, there are over a hundred different incantations described in that book. I bought it because I wanted to learn some of them—there was a memory playback spell I was interested in, for example. But I didn’t read it cover to cover. I never studied the teleportation spell,” she insisted, giving Phoenix a level look again.

Huh? She’s not giving her tell there. So she’s NOT lying? he thought in confusion. Then why was she so adamant about keeping the book out of our hands? His brow furrowed in thought, sensing the answer was important.

But Sonata gave him little chance to dwell on it. “But besides that, even if I was able to teleport…” she trailed off and leaned her head forward over the witness stand to glare at Phoenix, challenging him directly. “Answer me this, Phoenix Wright: if you’re claiming I was in the forest and teleported out? Then why would I not simply teleport back to my hotel room?”

“Huh?” Phoenix said, not sure what she was getting at, his previous train of thought lost.

“If you’re accusing me of secretly being in the forest and having murdered Ace, why would I compromise myself by teleporting near Miss Fluttershy’s abode, leaving myself exposed and vulnerable, unable to use magic?”

“Uh…” Phoenix was completely lost. “Y-you’d be what now? Unable to use magic?” he asked, his hand behind his head and wearing his goofy grin again.

Sonata gave a heavy sigh like she was being forced to suffer fools. “Since you seem as utterly ignorant of this topic as you do to all things Equestrian… perhaps your co-counsel marefriend would like to explain this spell in a little more detail?” she suggested with a smirk, causing Twilight and Phoenix to flush again and a fresh round of snickers to erupt from the gallery. “She is said to be an expert on magic, after all. And she does seem to enjoy her little lectures.”

Twilight perked up at that, her embarrassment instantly forgotten. She WANTS me to lecture? she thought giddily while half the audience recoiled at the suggestion and Rainbow Dash made frantic head-shaking motions at Phoenix. “I’d be delighted to!”

I hope I’m not about to regret this… Phoenix prayed, the reactions of his client and the rest of the courtroom not lost on him. “Well… both myself and The Judge could probably use a primer course on it,” he said cautiously with a glance up to the bench. “I read about the basic theory of magic when I was studying last night, but it didn’t cover teleportation.”

“Uh… yes,” The Judge agreed somewhat warily, having noted the unhappy reactions from the gallery and defendant as well. “But please, Miss Sparkle—stay on topic. Make your explanation brief, with no tangents. Just give us the essential information for the issue at hand.”

Twilight looked crestfallen. “But Your Honor! There’s so much else to tell! The history of the spell, the biography of its inventor, the trans-dimensional leyline string theory that underlies it... I could talk about it for hours!” she proclaimed with a dreamy expression that caused the entire courtroom to cringe; Phoenix even thought he heard some audible whimpers.

“That’s what we’re all afraid of, egghead,” Rainbow muttered just loud enough for Phoenix to hear.

Twilight deflated at that. “Very well. Just a two-minute lesson, then,” she promised in a disappointed tone, to the apparent relief of the entire gallery. “Your Honor? I respectfully request, for purposes of demonstration, that the magical suppression field be lowered in the courtroom pit so I can teleport and cast spells freely within it,” she asked politely. “This lesson will be much easier for the laypony to understand if illustrated.”

“Uh… can we do that?” The Judge asked a unicorn bailiff at his side.

“We can, Your Honor,” the mare answered cautiously. “But I can’t do it alone. As a security measure, it takes several of us working in tandem to raise or lower the field.”

“Very well, then,” The Judge agreed. “Proceed.”

A minute later, four unicorn bailiffs stood at the corners of the courtroom pit. Their horns glowed in their own respective auras, and an odd somethingness momentarily washed over Phoenix. When they were finished, their horns ceased glowing and the nearest bailiff nodded to The Judge. “The magical suppression field is lowered over the courtroom pit, Your Honor,” she announced.

“Thank you,” The Judge acknowledged. “Miss Sparkle? The floor is yours.”

Twilight took a deep breath. “Okay. Teleportation works like this:” Her horn glowed and she disappeared in a flash of light and sharp popping sound only to reappear instantly in the center of the pit.

Phoenix couldn’t help but flinch at the feat. I don’t think I’ll EVER get used to that!

“Actually, it would be easier for me to demonstrate this with a volunteer,” she began, magically enhancing her voice so it would carry easily throughout the courtroom, giving Phoenix an odd, even mischievous grin. “But a virtual one will suffice,” she announced as she flared her horn again and projected a two-dimensional image into the air… of herself and Phoenix, the pair looking like slightly stylized cartoon versions of each other rather than a real picture.

Huh? What is she…? Phoenix didn’t get to finish his thought before the cartoon Twilight in the picture suddenly moved, proceeding to cast a spell on the cartoon Phoenix, turning him into a blue-furred unicorn with a spiky black mane and tail. The transformed Phoenix had a surprised, then annoyed look, while the other Twilight giggled and suddenly plopped him into a chair in front of what looked like a school desk.

Phoenix wasn’t sure if he should feel more flattered or frightened by what she was projecting. Is this a personal fantasy of hers? Could she REALLY turn me into a unicorn? he suddenly wondered, though he did note she had given him an appropriate cutie mark—his human attorney badge. She got THAT detail right, at least!

“When performing a teleportation spell, aside from knowing the spell itself, you need three things,” Twilight began in a loud, clear voice, a series of check marks appearing in the animation above the unicorn Phoenix’s head while he feverishly took notes at his desk, writing on a sheet of scroll paper with a pen in his hoof.

“First, a mental image of your destination,” she said, a thought balloon appearing over her cartoon doppelganger’s head that showed the interior of her treehouse library.

“Second, stalwart concentration,” she continued, showing unicorn Phoenix in a meditative pose similar to what Maya did.

Yeah. Not happening, Phoenix thought.

“And third, a degree of natural magic talent,” she concluded, graduation robes and caps suddenly appearing on them both as the virtual Twilight presented unicorn Phoenix with a diploma.

Abruptly, the classroom disappeared and the scene in the animation shifted to something that looked like a cartoon version of the Everfree Forest, with his virtual self and Twilight at its forefront. “Now, it’s in fact a misnomer that you have to be magically strong to teleport. The average unicorn can learn the teleportation spell, and be able to perform it well enough to make one big jump. Or perhaps even a few smaller ones,” Twilight said, showing unicorn Phoenix studying a spellbook and then watching as cartoon Twilight teleported out in demonstration.

After his doppelganger observed hers, he then attempted to copy her spell and teleport a short distance himself, a look of pride and accomplishment on his equine face when he finally did it after a few failed attempts. Apparently getting the hang of it for subsequent tries, he closed his eyes, and a thought balloon appeared over him showing him envisioning the courtroom. It was quickly followed by him successfully teleporting there, a delighted expression on his face when he looked around and realized he had actually pulled it off.

Okay, it really WOULD be cool, being able to do that! It would let me avoid rush hour traffic and certainly speed up my investigations! Phoenix conceded, but his smile vanished when his cartoon self suddenly collapsed as if he was exhausted, looking very sleepy as Twilight continued her explanation.

“Given the average unicorn’s power, that one big jump could be from deep inside the Everfree Forest to almost anywhere in Ponyville. But their magic would be completely drained afterwards; they would have to rest and recharge before they could even cast a simple levitation spell again. That’s what Sonata meant by saying she would have been left powerless by such a long-range jump.” Twilight concluded, her expression turning wistful as she showed her virtual self retrieving Phoenix and then teleporting them both back to the library so she could tuck him into bed. That accomplished, she leaned over his sleeping form, puckering her lips and closing her eyes as if to kiss his cheek…

He heard an audible Eep! come from her as she caught herself a second too late, cutting off the projection before the kiss could be delivered. Her intent was clear to everypony, however, judging by the fresh wave of laughter in the gallery. Looking up, she saw that Fluttershy was blushing, her eyes wide and a hoof over her mouth as Rarity giggled delightedly; Applejack wore an amused smirk while Spike just made retching motions, closing his eyes and sticking out his tongue while pointing down his throat with a talon. “So, um… a-any questions?” Twilight asked, her cheeks flushed again, unable to look at a shoulder-slumping Phoenix or a facehoofing Rainbow Dash.

“Uh… one,” Phoenix spoke up, his own cheeks still hot. Could you be any LESS discreet, Twilight? “I read last night that the energy required to affect something magically is a function of the square of a target’s mass, meaning that if you double the weight, it takes four times the magical energy,” he recited, trying to move on quickly. “Does the same hold true for distance?”

She looked back at him, impressed. “It does! The amount of power it takes to teleport is a function of both the caster’s mass, and the square of the distance traversed. For that reason, short jumps like this—” she teleported several times to different locations throughout the courtroom pit “—don’t cost much power at all, at least if you’re experienced in the spell and otherwise magically adept.

“But over a longer distance—” she teleported out, disappearing for fifteen seconds. When she rematerialized, she was carrying a steaming cup of coffee with a label that marked it as coming from Sugar Cube Corner; Phoenix’s nose twitched at the scent of his favorite brew.

“—It takes exponentially more magical energy,” she finished, floating the cup to a surprised Phoenix, who accepted it gratefully and took a sip before putting it down on the bench in front of him. “As you can see, I just went to Sugar Cube Corner and back—a round trip distance of about half a mile. Now, I can make that trip repeatedly, and Trixie probably could as well. But for an average unicorn with non-magical talents?” She shook her head. “The average unicorn could only manage a one-way trip over that distance. Or maybe two if they were starting with a full magical charge. But even then—”

She was abruptly cut off as Pinkie Pie suddenly popped out from under the desk beside Phoenix, causing everyone in the courtroom to start and Phoenix himself to leap back in fright. “Twilight! You silly filly! You forgot your change!” she announced, putting some coins on the defense bench.

“Uh… Pinkie Pie?” A slack-jawed Phoenix asked while on the witness stand, Sonata stared at the newly arrived earth pony in wide-eyed shock of her own. “How did you…?”

“Oh! Hey, Feenie! Sorry, can’t stay! Got a big order to fill!” Pinkie announced before bounding up into the gallery and out the back, disappearing as quickly as she had arrived.

And of course, if you’re Pinkie Pie, you can just ignore all natural laws and the fact you’re not a unicorn at leisure! a slightly freaked Twilight didn’t add, her cheeks flushed again.

“Uh… what just…?” The Judge began.

“L-later, Your Honor,” Twilight requested with a pained expression. “It would take too long to explain.” If I even COULD explain it…

The Judge cleared his throat again. “Well, then… I thank you for a most… enlightening demonstration, Miss Sparkle,” The Judge said, giving Phoenix another strange look. “So what you’re saying is: if you were a unicorn, guilty of being in that forest that night and didn’t want to be caught—”

“What she’s saying is simply to prove my point, Your Honor,” Sonata broke in, still staring at the spot Pinkie had appeared. “Once again, I ask: even assuming I was in the forest and in fact knew a teleportation spell… why would I teleport right in front of Fluttershy’s cottage out in the open where she could potentially see me, and not directly to my hotel room? Especially when, according to Miss Sparkle’s explanation, I should have been able to do so?” she challenged, turning to face Phoenix. “Do I look that stupid, Phoenix Wright?”

Phoenix sensed his assault on Sonata starting to falter, taking a quick gulp of the coffee to steady himself and sharpen his wits. “I hate to say it, but she’s right,” he admitted to Twilight, who had retaken her place beside him. “If she really did teleport, why would she make her destination out in the open like that?”

“Assuming you have sufficient power and focus to make the jump, the main limit on teleportation is you can only jump to places you’ve seen with your own eyes. Meaning, you have to have directly seen the place you’re teleporting to before you can jump there,” Twilight answered, a blush still in her cheeks. “I hate to say it too, but if she really was in the woods and guilty of the murder, it just doesn’t make any sense she’d teleport somewhere public like that.”

Phoenix scratched his chin as he pondered the question himself. “Well, she certainly would have seen the hotel room before, given she was staying in it,” he grimaced, realizing the facts still weren’t adding up. Dammit, Sonata’s right. Assuming she committed the murder, why WOULDN’T she just teleport back to her hotel room? His mind raced, struggling to find the answer.

Sonata wasn’t about to give him the chance. “Seeing as how Mister Wright has no theory as to why Fluttershy didn’t see me leave the forest, nor any evidence that I was even inside of it in the first place, may I please go now, Your Honor?” she requested, sounding more relaxed. “I’ve had quite enough of Mister Wright’s interrogation and baseless claims against me.”

“As have I, Mister Wright,” The Judge announced. “You have no direct evidence to place Ms. Sonata in the forest, nor any explanation as to how she could have gone from inside the forest to the road by Miss Fluttershy’s cottage. As such, I see no reason to hold her or prolong these proceedings any longer.”

“But she lied about seeing the golf club, Your Honor!” he reminded The Judge. “And we still don’t have any explanation as to how the golf club got from the forest to the park!”

“That isn’t enough, Mister Wright,” The Judge shook his head. “All you have proven to this point is that she saw the golf club before it was broken, which only suggests she may have been in the forest sometime during the three days preceding the murder,” he told Phoenix. “Though I am far from convinced of her veracity, so far I see nothing to suggest that she could have committed the murder instead of your client; nor have you established that it was in fact her that Miss Fluttershy saw!

“So unless you can place Ms. Sonata in that forest at the time of the crime, or at least give me a reasonable explanation as to how she could have subsequently appeared outside of it… this inquiry is over!”

Phoenix felt a trickle of sweat go down his back, gripping the ends of the rail more tightly. He’s right! Unless I can come up with another piece of evidence or theory right here and now, we’re DONE FOR! he realized, his eyes widening with a sudden inspiration. “Wait! Twilight—what would happen if a unicorn tried to teleport further than their magic level would allow? Would they only go halfway?” he asked hopefully, speaking loudly enough for The Judge to hear.

His heart sank as Twilight shook her head. “No, Phoenix. Trying to cast a spell that requires more power than you possess results in a failed casting called a ‘squib’,” she explained. “What that means is, you would expend your magical energy but the spell wouldn’t work at all! In other words, you wouldn’t teleport anywhere, but you would still lose all your strength! So that doesn’t explain it either!” she told him in frustration.

“But… then what does?” he asked her in equal frustration.

“I… I don’t know!” she admitted, her tail twitching in agitation.

“Last chance, Mister Wright,” The Judge warned, raising his gavel, preparing to end the trial once and for all. “Speak now or forever hold your peace!”

“But… I…” Phoenix wracked his mind but was coming up empty. We’ve come so far… overcome so much… I KNOW Sonata’s guilty… it CAN’T end now! he protested, sensing there was still an important fact or connection he was missing but knowing he was out of evidence and arguments again. And even more crucially, out of time.

I saved us… Fluttershy saved us… Twilight saved us… but who’s left? Who will save us NOW? Phoenix asked the trial gods desperately, certain they had no saviors left.

On the other side of the courtroom pit, the corners of Trixie’s mouth turned upwards.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on September 5, 2018.

Part 49 - The Great and Powerful Revival

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom No. 2
June 11th, 12:49 PM

“Last chance, Mister Wright,” The Judge warned as he raised his gavel, preparing to end the trial once and for all. “Once again, I ask: Do you have any evidence that places the witness in the woods at the time of the murder, or a theory as to how she ended up outside Miss Fluttershy’s cottage without being seen leaving the forest?”

“No,” he admitted in a voice barely above a whisper, unable to look at an equally despondent Twilight. So is this it? Is THIS how it ends, over such a simple question I can’t produce an answer for?

The Judge looked disappointed. “Very well, then. I hereby declare this post-verdict inquiry complete, and the trial of Ms. Rainbow Dash concluded.” He pronounced final sentence. “Court is now adjour—“

An unexpected voice rang out just before the gavel came down. The entire courtroom turned to the source of the cry, where they beheld… a revived Trixie with her head held high, a smile on her face and fire in her eyes.

Revival of the Prosecutor

“Ms. Trixie?” The Judge looked at her in surprise. “What’s the matter? Why are you objecting to this trial’s conclusion?”

“Because once again, you were about to make a fatal mistake, Your Honor,” the mare magician stated easily, her violet eyes glittering. “In fact, there is a perfectly reasonable and simple answer as to how the witness could have left the woods unnoticed, yet still ended up where she did.”

“I thought I shut you up earlier,” Sonata said, a wary note in her voice.

The Judge blinked. “And what is that?”

Instead of answering the pair, Trixie turned towards Phoenix. “My, my, my. Foundering already, Mister Wrong? For a moment, Trixie actually thought you had her,” she said in a tsk-tsking voice that once more made Phoenix think she was channeling Franziska von Karma. “But yet again, it falls to Trixie to provide the explanations you cannot see for yourself!”

Sonata gave Trixie a shocked look. “Why are you helping the defense?” she demanded to know, trying to glare the mare magician silent again.

However she had overcome what Sonata had done to her, Trixie was having none of it. “Because you need to be taught some manners, you backstabbing, magically-impotent hussy!” She snorted, leaning over the rail to pin Sonata with her fiercest stare, the air around her chilling as her eyes glowed blue for a moment. “Nopony—and I mean nopony!— double-crosses the GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie!”

Sonata put on an unimpressed air, but the tightening of her lips and a twitch of her tail told Twilight that Trixie’s insult had struck home. “This is exactly why she shouldn’t be prosecuting,” Sonata stated, though Phoenix could tell by her tense demeanor she was genuinely worried by what Trixie’s revival meant.

“It looks like the Trixie we all know and love is back,” he told Twilight in a dry tone, uncertain what the showmare’s intervention portended.

“I guess. But why is she helping us?” Twilight whispered back as she looked over the rail at the other unicorn, her head turned fractionally towards Phoenix.

“I don’t think she’s doing it to help us so much as to salve her wounded pride,” he replied cautiously in an equally quiet tone. “Either way, I’m not complaining—she just bought us more time. So let’s see where this goes,” he said as he picked up his coffee cup and stood back to watch. Whatever Sonata did to Trixie cut her pretty deep. And knowing Trixie, she’s about to hit back twice as HARD! he thought as he took another sip.

“Very well, Ms. Trixie,” The Judge spoke up again. “What is your theory as to how the witness could have appeared outside the forest without having been seen leaving it?”

“It’s quite simple, Your Honor. Mister Wrong’s marefriend was in fact correct.” She leered at Twilight, causing her to blush and Phoenix to wince—great. Now SHE’S going to pile on! “The witness teleported. Or rather… she tried to.”

“I… don’t follow.” The Judge looked lost.

“Trixie will be more than happy to explain, Your Honor,” she promised. “But first: the GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie—!” the mare magician reared up and announced theatrically as she teleported out, rematerializing just five seconds later. “—wants some peanut butter crackers,” she finished as she re-appeared, ripping open a paper package from Sugar Cube Corner and munching on the contents quite happily.

“What?” she asked as the Judge stared at her in disbelief. “Mister Wrong got his coffee. So it is only fair that Trixie gets her snack.”

Before The Judge could comment, Pinkie Pie popped up again, this time from behind Trixie’s bench, causing Phoenix to do a spit-take. “Heeeeyyyyy… are you gonna pay for that?” she asked the startled showmare with a peeved look.

Trixie stared at her in disbelief, as did The Judge and the rest of the courtroom. “L-later! Just put it on Trixie’s credit for now!”

“That’s what you said yesterday!” Pinkie reminded her, giving Trixie the stink-eye.

“Fine!”Trixie threw some bits at the other mare with her magic. “Keep the change, and do not trouble Trixie again!” she ordered, vowing she would one day find a way to silence the incredibly annoying and impossibly persistent earth pony.

“Thanks for your business!” Pinkie said as she gathered up the coins and, all smiles again, bounded up the stairs and out for the second time.

“Uh… who is that?” The Judge wanted to know, wide-eyed.

“Her name is Pinkie Pie, Your Honor,” Twilight announced, rubbing her hoof behind her head. “And she’s… known for such things. Nopony knows how,” she added before The Judge or Phoenix could ask.

“Yes, well… annoying pink pieheads aside…” Trixie said as she finished her first cracker and wiped her muzzle with a napkin held in her magic. “Allow the GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie to enlighten and entertain you all!” She teleported herself into the center of the pit and magically dimmed the lights as if in preparation for a performance, though she kept the overhead light at full power to make a spotlight on herself, leaving her unable to see all the eyerolls in the gallery.

“During the GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie’s EXTRAVAGANT magic show, the grand finale involves a series of rapid-fire teleports,” she announced, doing just that around the courtroom pit in an apparent effort to upstage Twilight’s earlier show.

“At the very end, Trixie would use her UNEQUALED magical powers to teleport behind the audience, letting off a grand display of fireworks and other visuals to put her already-dazzled crowd in a state of sheer awe!” she said grandly, demonstrating by teleporting to the back of the gallery, her virtual fireworks causing Phoenix’s ears to ring.

“Well. Aren’t you special.” Sonata sneered in disgust once the racket had died down, though Phoenix thought he heard a note of jealousy in her voice as well.

Trixie went on as if she hadn’t spoken, teleporting back into the pit. “However, since the advent of a certain… ‘Lavender Loser’…” she paused and glared at Twilight. “Trixie has received some… tough crowds,” she finally growled out.

“YEAH, TRIXIE IS TALKING ABOUT YOU, TWILIGHT SNARKLE!!!!” she shouted at Twilight. “YOU AND YOUR STUPID BANGS!!!!”

“’Twilight… Snarkle’?” Phoenix repeated as he turned towards Twilight, who looked more annoyed than insulted.

“Yes, I know… it’s the worst insult I’ve ever heard,” Twilight rolled her eyes and stated in a sarcastic tone. “But what’s worse is she keeps attacking my bangs!” She sounded genuinely offended, running a hoof through her mane. “And just what the hay is wrong with my bangs? They match my tail!” she demanded an answer of Phoenix, propping herself up on the bench with her forelegs to present her hindquarters, flicking her tail at him in emphasis.

Phoenix flushed again, not knowing how to tell her that she was taking what would be for a human woman a very provocative posture. “Uh… I don’t know. I actually think your fringe looks kind of… cute.” He swallowed, trying to avoid looking at her. Real smooth there, Phoenix!

She looked up at him in surprise. “You do?” she blushed and gave a shy smile.

“Uh… yeah.” Phoenix rubbed the back of his head with his hand. “I… really like your mane?”

“If you two are done flirting,” the mare magician broke in with a mocking grin, causing the pair to flush anew. “Ever since a certain… incident… Trixie has had tomatoes and an assortment of other fruits and vegetables tossed at her during her show,” she snarled, glaring at Twilight again.

Despite the other unicorn’s glare, understanding suddenly dawned on Twilight’s face “Oh! Of course!” she suddenly exclaimed, her eyes wide.

“What?” Phoenix asked.

“I know where Trixie is going with this,” Twilight told him quickly.

“And… care to enlighten me?” Phoenix prompted when she didn’t immediately.

“Remember how I said it takes both power and focus to teleport?” she whispered. “A lack of power wouldn’t explain what happened, but a lack of focus might! Just listen,” she instructed, turning back towards Trixie.

“During one of her shows, Trixie was preparing for her teleportation-and-fireworks-finale—” she began, her expression going angry as she projected a new three-dimensional wireframe illusion of herself giving a show. “—when a wretched tomato hit Trixie in the head and interrupted the casting of her spell!” She then showed a red dot hitting her blue-outlined form just as she flashed white.

“Then what happened?” The Judge, at least, seemed enthralled by her magical displays.

“To her surprise, Trixie ended up in the middle of the crowd instead of behind them!” she replied, showing her doppelganger suddenly in the midst of the grey-outlined ponies watching her. She then teleported herself into the middle of the courtroom gallery for emphasis, reappearing in the row directly behind Applejack, Fluttershy, Spike and Rarity.

A badly startled Spike hiccuped fire while Fluttershy leaped for the ceiling in fright at the mare magician’s sudden appearance; Trixie then magically yanked Applejack’s hat down over her head and caused Rarity’s coat to comically floof; the latter giving a shriek as she started frantically trying to fix her fur.

“Wh-WHAT? How did that happen?” Phoenix suddenly leaned forward over his rail as an immensely satisfied Trixie teleported back down into the pit, leaving the foursome of Twilight’s friends glaring at her and trying to put themselves back to rights.

“Well, as dorky bangs mentioned,” she replied, causing Twilight to look angry again. “When a unicorn is distracted or somehow loses focus of a spell while in the middle of casting it, the result is a magical misfire sometimes known as a ‘rebound’.

“In such an event, your magic goes off but you do not get the results you intended. In the case of a teleport, your destination becomes random—you’ll end up anywhere on a line between your starting point and intended destination,” she proclaimed as Twilight nodded in agreement, the mare magician showing her doppelganger in the middle of a line between her stage and the back of the audience, with blinking “A” and “B” labels on the line ends marking her intended start and end points.

“Now all that said, let the GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie be clear…” she paused as she dispelled her illusion and brought the lights back up. “Trixie isn’t saying that weak and sorry excuse for a unicorn on the witness stand bumbled it up,” she took pains to clarify, making Sonata glare daggers at her and leaving Phoenix wondering if their back-and-forth was just a continuation of some old schoolyard rivalry. “Just that it’s a possible explanation for why she ended up where she did.”

Sonata was visibly shaking in what Phoenix took to be a mixture of anger and fear. “I don’t believe this! You’re doing everything wrong!”

Trixie gave the other mare a gleeful look. “Am I? But speaking of ‘Wrong’…” she turned to Phoenix as she re-took her place behind the prosecutor’s bench. “The ball is in your court now, Mister Wrong! Whether a disrupted teleport is what happened or not, Trixie leaves up to you and Miss Dorky Bangs to prove!”

Despite her annoyance at the repeated insults to her mane, Twilight couldn’t help but shake her head in amazement. “I’m still a little shocked Trixie just did that,” she admitted to Phoenix.

“Me too,” Phoenix agreed, taking another sip of his coffee. “But it’s useless unless we can prove that’s what happened.”

Twilight nodded ruefully. “The problem is, Sonata’s right. Even if we could somehow prove she knows the spell, how can we prove she used it?” she asked in frustration.

Phoenix scratched his chin as he considered the question. “We just need a working theory for now. And actually, I think I’ve got one!” he announced, turning back to The Judge and slapping his hands down on the rail hard. “Your Honor! I know what could have startled the witness!”

“And what is that, Mister Wright?”

“The answer is obvious—it was the lightning bolt!” he announced triumphantly. “And if so, that puts her in the forest at the time of the murder!”

“Oh! That makes sense!” The Judge’s eyes went wide in understanding. “That sound would have startled anypony, especially if they were in that dark, spooky forest at the time.”

“Exactly!” Phoenix agreed, only to feel his guts clench as Trixie gave her trademark chuckle.

“Are you certain you want to suggest that, Mister Wrong?” the showmare asked with a note of amusement in her voice. “Previous testimony established that the first bolt struck at 8:40 PM. But our four-eyed witness wasn’t spotted outside the forest until after that yellow-bellied featherbrain reported seeing her as she left her chicken coop, some fifteen or twenty minutes later,” she pointed out.

“Even a disrupted teleport is instantaneous, so little-miss-eye-butt here would have been seen by our winged witness right when the lightning hit if that was the case—not twenty minutes later!” She raised an eyeridge, giving Phoenix a smirk. “That is, if you’re truly trying to pin this on her.”

“Hmm….” The Judge considered her argument. “She is correct, Mister Wright. It would seem, therefore, that even if Ms. Sonata was in the forest, we still cannot place her at the scene.”

“But she had to have been there! Just look at her!” Phoenix pointed at Sonata, who was standing unnaturally stiff, a light sheen of moisture visible on her fur underneath the courtroom lights. “She’s sweating bullets right now!”

“You’re attempting to pin a murder on me. Why wouldn’t I be?” Sonata bit out.

“Trixie agrees with Miss Eye-Butt, Mister Wrong.” The showmare couldn’t resist another slap at Sonata. “If you had a blue baboon with a goofy haircut and an evil purple-furred nerd lobbing false accusations at you, would you be sitting there with a happy smile on your face?”

“She and the witness have a point, Mister Wright,” The Judge concurred.

“Yes, Your Honor,” Phoenix acknowledged, scrambling to come up with a new theory. Okay. It wasn’t the lightning; it had to have been something that occurred at the top of the hour. But what…? he asked himself as he reviewed the first day of trial in his head, sensing several pieces of testimony and evidence trying to click into place.

Abruptly, his eyes went wide. “I’VE GOT IT!” he shouted as he slammed his hands down hard on the bench, startling Twilight and causing Fluttershy to reflexively cower in the stands. “Your Honor! I know exactly what disrupted Sonata’s teleport! And if I’m right, I can not only place her in the forest not long after the murder, but I can clear up some other mysteries as well!”

“Indeed?” The Judge said in surprise, noting his change of demeanor. “Do go on, Mister Wright.”

“Let’s think back to yesterday,” Phoenix began, flipping through a stack of transcript scrolls until he found the sheet he was looking for, “when we had a certain young witness testify.”

“Oh! You mean that adorable little filly?” The Judge asked, his eyes lighting up as he remembered her.

“Yes, Your Honor. I mean Apple Bloom!” he confirmed with a nod. “You may recall that after the first bolt hit, Apple Bloom testified she was frightened and ran off the path, ending up lost in the woods for twenty minutes.”

“Yes… and she was the one who confirmed the time of the first lightning bolt striking,” Trixie noted. “So what’s your point, Mister Wrong?”

“But do you remember what else she said?” Phoenix asked Trixie, waving the transcript sheet at her. “That she bumped into something in the dark!”

“So she did. We’ve already concluded that was irrelevant information, though,” Trixie countered, wearing yet another smug grin.

Phoenix shook his head, taking a triumphant pose as he thought he was finally about to wipe the smile off Trixie’s face. “Not exactly,” he began mildly. “Because I think the ‘thing’ that Apple Bloom bumped into… is right there on the witness stand!” he announced loudly, pointing directly at Sonata.

Sonata made a strangled sound as a general murmur of surprise wafted down from the stands.

“On what do you base this theory, Mister Wright?” The Judge asked.

“On yesterday’s testimony, Your Honor,” he said, picking up the next sheet of transcript scroll. “Apple Bloom was lost in the forest and bumped into something she couldn’t see, making it jump at her contact. She also described it as being ‘alive’, as I recall,” he further noted, turning to his right. “Twilight, instead of me reciting this line-by-line, is there any way you could…?” he trailed off and motioned to the relevant sheet of transcript.

“My pleasure,” Twilight grinned, pleased to have her powers called upon as she closed her eyes and flared her horn, projecting her memories of the previous day’s trial into the middle of the pit like a video replay.

PHOENIX WRIGHT: Alright, Apple Bloom. Just like I asked you to think of a different way about how long you were lost, let’s think about what you bumped into in a different way as well.

APPLE BLOOM: How do y’ mean?

PHOENIX WRIGHT: You might not have been able to see, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t use your other senses. So let’s start with this: what did the thing you bumped into feel like?

APPLE BLOOM: How’d it feel? Hmmm… Oh! That’s right!

JUDGE: What is it, witness?

APPLE BLOOM: It felt alive. Ah mean, it wasn’t a rock or a tree!

PHOENIX WRIGHT: Alive?

JUDGE: It was ‘alive’? Please explain how you were able to deduce this?

APPLE BLOOM: Well, Ah reckon Ah definitely felt fur when I bumped into it. And Ah could hear it breathing heavy like it’d been running for a good while and was really tired.

PHOENIX WRIGHT: It was breathing hard? Could it have been a wild animal?

APPLE BLOOM: Ah’m not sure, Mister Lawyer. Ah know Ah heard it breathing heavy though.

PHOENIX WRIGHT: How did it react when you bumped into it?

APPLE BLOOM: When Ah bumped into it, it kinda jumped a bit.

PHOENIX WRIGHT: I would probably jump too if something bumped into me in the dark.

JUDGE: As would I!

TRIXIE: Trixie wouldn’t. Trixie is brave and courageous!

APPLE BLOOM: Almost right after that there was another bolt of lightning.

TRIXIE: That must have been the second bolt.

APPLE BLOOM: But the thing is, it didn’t scare me. Really, honest this time!

PHOENIX WRIGHT: And why didn’t it scare you then?

APPLE BLOOM: Well, 'cause there weren’t any thunder that time, just a flash. And Ah know this will sound strange, but after it flashed, Ah was dizzy and mah eyes kinda hurt for a bit.

PHOENIX WRIGHT: That’s not strange. Anyone’s eyes would hurt if there was a sudden burst of light in pitch black darkness.

APPLE BLOOM: No, not that part, Mister Lawyer. Ah mean after that. Ah stumbled around for about a minute or two because Ah was real dizzy and couldn’t open mah eyes. The flash of lightning made mah eyes sting, but when the hurting in mah eyes went away… Ah was outside the forest just like that!

It was a slightly surreal experience for Phoenix seeing Apple Bloom—and himself—through Twilight’s eyes. The latter seemed to be glancing at him quite frequently, he noticed, and her view suddenly shifted to the ceiling when Trixie boasted in what he guessed was an eyeroll.

When the replay had finished, Phoenix stared at her, very impressed. “Memory playback spell,” she told him with a grin. “Hard to master, but can be quite useful!”

“Very well, Mister Wright,” The Judge acknowledged. “I thank you and your co-counsel for refreshing my memory. But just what are you trying to say here?”

“Don’t you see, Your Honor?” Phoenix began, knowing in his gut that this time, he had it right. “Apple Bloom bumped into the witness! Bumped into herjust as she was teleporting!” he proclaimed confidently, causing Twilight’s eyes to go wide in startled realization. “It fits her testimony perfectly! That has to be how both Sonata and Apple Bloom got out of the woods unnoticed by Fluttershy!”

The Judge considered his theory carefully, stroking his beard as he thought. “That is a very interesting assertion, Mister Wright,” he admitted at some length. “But can you prove it?”

Can I…? Phoenix asked himself, only to shake his head as he realized the answer. “There is no way to directly prove that, Your Honor. However, I believe we can provide enough circumstantial evidence to cinch it.” Or at least get me close enough there that I can then force Sonata to admit it by threatening to reveal her blackmail scheme!

“Hmmm… the bar for circumstantial proof is quite high, Mister Wright,” he reminded Phoenix. “But if you think you can meet it? Proceed.”

“Thank you, Your Honor,” Phoenix acknowledged yet again. “With this court's indulgence, I now have an unusual request: can we please turn off the lights in the courtroom?”

The Judge blinked. “What for, Mister Wright?”

“To provide the circumstantial proof you seek, Your Honor.”

“Uh… okay,” The Judge agreed, though confused. When it was done, he turned to Phoenix in the darkness, seeing a few unicorn horns light up in the gallery. “Now what, Mister Wright?”

“Is this so you and dorky bangs over there can make out unseen, Mister Wrong?” Trixie’s voice called out, to an eruption of whistles and whinnies.

Phoenix ignored her, grateful the darkness hid his burning cheeks. “Please wait a minute, Your Honor. And I also ask all unicorns in the gallery to dim their horns for this demonstration. I’d like for everypony to have their eyes adjusted to the darkness,” he added.

When he was satisfied they’d waited long enough, he spoke up again, turning to his right. “Okay, we’re ready! Twilight? Please teleport into the center of the room,” he instructed in a voice loud enough for the entire chamber to hear.

“If you say so…” Twilight replied uncertainly, but did so.

There was a bright, almost painful burst of light that accompanied her jump in the darkness, causing eyes to water and Phoenix to see spots in his vision. “There! You see?” Phoenix pointed out as the lights were slowly brought back up. “A teleportation produces a camera-like flash that would be blinding in pitch-black darkness! That has to be what Apple Bloom saw!

“And further, when she bumped into Sonata, she not only disrupted her teleport, but she was taken along for the ride!” he asserted, only to belatedly worry… “That is possible, right?” he turned to Twilight, who was staring at him in amazement.

“Yes! Yes! YES!!!! That’s IT!” she jumped into the air off all four hooves, her giddy manner reminding Phoenix of some of Maya’s more excited moments. “You figured it out, Phoenix!”

“Uh-oh! Looks like he found you out, four-eyes!” a grinning Trixie told a visibly rattled Sonata, who was holding herself rigid, a bead of sweat now rolling down the side of her cheek.

“This is what happened, then,” Phoenix started to summarize. “Sonata was indeed trying to teleport to her hotel room. But her spell was disrupted by Apple Bloom bashing into her out of nowhere, and she lost her focus. Apple Bloom was accidentally pulled along for the ride, ending up outside the forest and blinded by the flash of the teleport, as the disrupted spell sent them both not to Sonata’s hotel room as intended… but to just outside Fluttershy’s cottage!”

He drove the point home by going up to the map of Ponyville and drawing a line between the forest clearing and the town center, putting an X where the line crossed the road not far from the cottage.

“Drained after using such a difficult spell and finding herself next to a blind and disoriented filly, Sonata had no choice but to leave the scene immediately before Apple Bloom’s vision cleared enough to see her. She fled eastward along the road with the golf club in her mouth, as with her magic exhausted by the teleport, she had no other way to carry it!” Still don’t know WHY she was carrying it, though, he mentally amended his statement, certain the answer was significant somehow.

“Remarkable,” was all The Judge could say, still blinking to clear his eyes from the aftereffects of the flash.

“Indeed, Your Honor,” Phoenix acknowledged, scarcely believing it himself. “And the final part of the story is that once her vision cleared, Apple Bloom went home to Sweet Apple Acres, arriving there at 9:10 after a ten-minute walk from just outside the forest.”

“This is ridiculous! You have no proof—none—that any of this happened!” Sonata insisted, an audible tremor in her voice.

On the other side of the courtroom pit, Trixie just laughed. “No point in denying it, four-eyes. We all know you were in that forest now!” she noted, looking strangely pleased at the turn of events.

“It does seem more and more likely,” The Judge agreed, sounding genuinely impressed with Phoenix’s reasoning. “But I must ask—assuming this turn of events, would young Apple Bloom have really been pulled into the teleport along with her?”

“If they were in physical contact? Indeed she would, Your Honor,” Trixie spoke up before Twilight could. “For example: when Trixie was hit with a tomato when she teleported, she took it along for the ride. And it was still plastered all over her face when she rematerialized!” She glared at Twilight again before her expression turned all but wicked. “And further… there is in fact one more piece of corroborating evidence for Mister Wrong’s theory. One additional side effect a teleport has,” she added, a growing gleam in her eyes Phoenix could only describe as impish.

“And what is that?” The Judge asked before Phoenix could.

“Allow Trixie to borrow Mister Wrong to demonstrate!” She had no sooner said that than she teleported beside Phoenix and put a hoof on him before either he or Twilight could react. There was a bright flash and Phoenix suddenly felt like he’d been punched in the gut. His innards felt like they’d been turned inside-out as he suddenly found himself in the center of the courtroom pit, very dizzy and on the verge of throwing up, falling to the ground as the room spun around him.

She… she teleported WITH me??? he had just enough cognizance to realize.

Trixie caught him in her aura before he hit the ground—just barely, leaving him doubled over and shaking, his knees and palms against the tiled floor as he tried desperately not to vomit. “You see, Your Honor, when you take somepony along for the ride on a teleport, that somepony tends to be very disoriented by it. Particularly when they’re not a unicorn themselves and unused to magical energies,” she stepped away as a shocked Twilight teleported to Phoenix’s side.

“That would also explain why our young witness reported being so dizzy afterwards. Of course, it’s even harder on Mister Wrong here, since his race doesn’t have so much as an iota of magical ability or walk around on four legs like any civilized species.”

“Trixie…” Twilight all but growled as she stood over Phoenix protectively, her head lowered and ears flattened, pawing at the floor with a forehoof angrily.

“Oh, don’t worry, dorky bangs. Trixie didn’t hurt your coltfriend,” she leered, her grin faltering when she saw Twilight’s eyes glow red and mane start to smoke for a moment in warning.

“Uh… it might be best to restore the magic suppression field now, Your Honor,” the unicorn bailiff mare suggested in a dry aside. If those two cut loose in here… she didn’t want to think, but knew an active suppression field would restrict their spells and dampen their powers somewhat.

“Agreed,” The Judge immediately acceded, watching as the four unicorn bailiffs quickly took positions at the courtroom corners and reactivated the enchantment, blocking any further teleport attempts by both Twilight and Trixie. “Are you okay, Mister Wright?” The Judge asked as Twilight helped him to his feet and led him back behind the rail, supporting him with her body and aura.

“I will be…” Phoenix grasped his cup of coffee with a shaking hand and took a large swig, letting it soak into his system, using its bitter bite to steady himself. He took a couple breaths before continuing, giving Twilight a grateful nod. “So, Your Honor—with the additional corroboration provided by the prosecution, the defense submits that there is now sufficient circumstantial evidence to prove the witness was in the forest not long after the murder, and did, in fact, teleport out, with a young stowaway accidentally in tow.”

“The prosecution agrees,” Trixie spoke up, looking very pleased with herself while Sonata stared at her, completely agape. “Miss Eye-Butt was there. She teleported out of the forest with Apple Bloom at 9 PM.”

“But… I…” Sonata looked completely stunned. “Why are you underminingyour own case?” she finally demanded to know.

“Oh, you’ll see,” Trixie promised, never losing her smile. “So why don’t you just be a good little pony and come clean about why you were in there, Sonata? With so much circumstantial evidence, there’s no longer any point in denying it!” she told her old school rival with a smirk and a mild, mocking tone.

Sonata’s glasses went askew again. “I… I…” she stammered as Twilight felt several quick bursts of mystical energy.

Turning her mystical vision back on, she couldn’t keep the smile off her face when she saw that three more psyche-locks had broken and a fourth was just barely hanging on, visibly cracked and trembling against the chains that held it. Almost halfway there! she thought excitedly, some part of her noting that the dominant emotion of the fresh-broken locks had been fear.

“I must say, this theory does explain everything!” The Judge said in some wonder. “How the filly escaped the forest undetected… the mysterious flash she saw… her dizziness afterwards… and even why Miss Fluttershy saw neither her nor the witness leave the woods!”

“Exactly!” Trixie said In an immensely satisfied tone as she picked up another cracker and popped it in her muzzle. “This is the best explanation we have!”

“You’re caught, Sonata! Time to face the music!” a nearly-recovered Phoenix piled on, feeling all the momentum turning in his favor. “Now answer this question: what were you doing in the forest that night?”

Sonata’s lip trembled, but she drew herself up straight. “I refuse to answer!” she announced in a loud, clear voice, her ears laid back. “By the fifth freedom listed in the Equestrian Unity Charter, I have the right to remain silent in any case where my testimony could lead to self-incrimination. You cannot compel me to do otherwise!” she asserted, her tail swishing repeatedly in an agitated manner behind her.

So now you’re ‘Taking The Fifth?’ You really ARE desperate, Sonata! Phoenix rolled his eyes.

“Oh, spare us.” Trixie sounded completely unimpressed as well, waving a hoof at her old schoolmate. “If you’re worried about incriminating yourself, Trixie will simply do the supreme kindness of revealing it for you!” she promised, causing Sonata’s eyes to go wide.

Huh? She can’t mean— Phoenix started to think, but Trixie didn’t give him a chance to finish.

“You see, fillies and gentlecolts, our sophisticated-looking businesspony here has a very dark secret,” she began, giving Sonata a grin full of gleeful malice. “Trixie’s brilliant legal mind was able to confirm this yesterday in the course of analyzing that filthy griffon feather.”

“This has to do with why she was in the forest?” The Judge asked while Sonata looked increasingly panicked.

“Indeed it does, Your Honor!” Trixie confirmed, looking up only briefly before turning her gaze on Sonata and pausing as if to savor the moment. “Allow Trixie to inform everypony… that little Miss Eye-Butt here is a dirty blackmailer!” she announced grandly.

“NO!” Sonata shouted, visibly shaking as jaws dropped open all around the courtroom.

“W-what? You knew about that?” Phoenix stammered, his trump card stolen.

The mare magician gave him a contemptuous look. “Of course Trixie knew! Why do you even ask, Mister Wrong?” she replied with a smug expression.

Phoenix took on his goofy grin. “Well, I, uh… was kind of saving that information for my ace in the hole!”

“Too bad! Trixie beat you to it!” she boasted, looking very pleased with herself. “Trixie’s vast and cunning intellect knew from the beginning that those pictures of Rainbow Trash found in the victim’s possession had something to do with this crime. So Trixie simply asked the local film developers for a record of their clients—an easy enough task since there’s only two in this entire town!”

Now why didn’t WE think of that? Both Phoenix and Twilight mentally kicked themselves.

“And they told Trixie it was you, four-eyes!” Trixie accused, causing Sonata to shrink back. “You had those pictures developed at the CameraColt Film Store the day after you arrived in Ponyville! You were wearing a business suit, but they identified you by your eye-butt cutie mark and glasses!” she revealed. “Trixie simply connected the dots as to why the manager of an ‘undefeated’ athlete would develop pictures like those, and the answer was obvious: she and the victim were in cahoots with each other, blackmailing Rainbow Trash—and likely many other competitors—throughout the late Mister Swift’s career!”

The Judge looked as much annoyed as surprised by the revelation. “Might I ask… if both the prosecution and defense knew about this, why wasn’t it brought up sooner?”

“Relevance, Your Honor,” Trixie shrugged. “At the time, Trixie didn’t believe there was a way this witness could have been in the forest, but we seem to have proven otherwise.”

“And I couldn’t because… well… she… was… blackmailing me,” a shoulder-slumping Phoenix admitted in some embarrassment. “She threatened to have me arrested for breaking into her hotel room if I brought it up in court.”

Trixie stared at him for a moment, her smile widening. “You let her blackmail you? Hahahahaha!” She laughed out loud. “Wow. You really are a loser, Mister Wrong!”

Despite her timely rescue, Phoenix wanted to hit back but couldn’t. Normally, I’d demand she be held in contempt for withholding information like this, but the problem is… I think I need her! He rubbed his head again. She has as much reason to take down Sonata as I do right now, even if she still doesn’t think she’s the murderer…

The Judge, however, was not so constrained, pinning the mare magician with his fiercest glare. “Ms. Trixie! That the victim and his manager were engaged in blackmail activities was significant and potentially exculpatory information! The relevance of it was not for you to decide!”

Sensing an opportunity, Sonata immediately went on the offensive. “You are correct, Your Honor! And not only that, she tried to conspire with me during the last recess to keep that information secret! She promised that if I played ball with her and helped her keep the guilty verdict, she wouldn’t reveal it in court!”

“Did you, Ms. Trixie…?” The Judge’s tone turned very dark.

“I did,” the showmare said, still looking proud. “Because I believed and still do that this witness could not have committed the crime and introducing the blackmail only clouds the greater issue. The only reason I’m introducing it now is because she reneged on her word and I have every intention of prosecuting her personally!”

“I have heard ENOUGH!” The Judge shouted, causing Fluttershy to duck and cower in the stands. “Ms. Trixie! For repeated violations of court rules and decorum, including colluding with the witness in an effort to withhold pertinent information, you are hereby found in contempt of court!!!” He brought his gavel down hard. “Bailiffs! Remove her immediately!”

Trixie didn’t blink or lose her grin despite the uniformed guards approaching her, even going so far as to pick up and eat another cracker. “Then with respect, Your Honor, you allowed Mister Wrong to remain on the case despite his own egregious and unethical acts,” she pointed out, closing her eyes and putting a hoof to her chest. “So out of simple fairness, Trixie believes she is entitled to see this case to the end as well!”

“No!They should both be removed! That would be fair!” Sonata suggested hopefully.

“Remove either of us, and the proceedings cannot continue, Your Honor,” Phoenix countered the new threat calmly, amazed and impressed at Trixie’s sheer brazenness. She’s got some serious horse apples, I’ll have to give her that! he reluctantly conceded, noting his use of the only-recently learned equine idiom. “As I submit sufficient doubt has now been cast on the witness’s credibility, further investigation is now warranted into just what role she played in the woods that night!

“A new counsel would be needed on both sides of the courtroom pit, and it would be days before either a new prosecutor or defense attorney would be up to speed. However, with the current prosecutor’s help, I believe we can uncover the truth here and now!”he insisted, barely able to believe what he was saying. I… need… TRIXIE?

The Judge rubbed his eyes, sensing control of his courtroom getting away from him again. “Very well,” he acceded with a heavy sigh, massaging his temple with his gavel hand while waving back the bailiffs with the other. “But make no mistake—you will both be facing punishment at the conclusion of this trial! And Mister Wright—I am not yet prepared to withdraw my guilty verdict and order additional investigation. You have now put the witness in the woods near the time of the crime to my satisfaction, but you have not yet succeeded in tying her to the murder!”

“Understood, Your Honor,” Phoenix nodded, his mind turning as he contemplated his next move. He’s right. In order to tie her to the murder, I need a working theory of the crime that includes a motive and means. I think I already have a pretty good idea of motive, but as for the means…

“No problem,” Trixie’s eyes glittered as she turned to Sonata, unaware of Phoenix’s thoughts. “It’s just like I said, Four-Eyes—I’ll gladly trade a few nights in jail to put you away for a few years! Maybe you should have thought of that before you double-crossed me!” she all but hissed out the words.

“So then, Ms. Sonata. Were you in fact blackmailing the defense’s client?” The Judge asked gravely.

Sonata started to turn away again but caught herself, as if she’d finally realized she was giving herself away by doing so. “No, I wasn’t! The prosecution is lying based on an old magic school grudge!” she insisted in near-panicked tones. “I would never do anything like that!”

“These papers say otherwise,” Phoenix noted mildly, picking up the final pieces of evidence from his bag. “I found all these in Sonata’s hotel room, and this particular letter—blackmailing my client—matches Sonata’s hornwriting!” Or is that even a word?

“Those items are INADMISSIBLE!” Sonata shouted. “You can’t use evidence illegally obtained by breaking into my hotel room!”

“Inevitable discovery, Your Honor,” Trixie immediately countered before The Judge could agree. “We would have searched her room in the course of the coming blackmail investigation, and found them anyway. But even if not? Trixie can always just call in the owner of CameraColt to identify Miss Eye-Butt as the pony who had the pictures of Rainbow Trash developed, thus proving her involvement in the blackmail scheme!” the showmare suggested with her trademark smugness. “And there you have it! Trixie has used her brilliant legal intellect to triumph over a snide and sorry liar!”

“Ms. Trixie is right! The evidence may stay!” The Judge announced in an authoritative tone, bringing his gavel down for emphasis. “And Ms. Sonata! You should be ashamed of yourself!”

Sonata’s only response was to pick up a pencil in her aura and snap it in two, gritting her teeth in apparent pain as she did so.

“Taking advantage of others like that? You’re despicable, Sonata!” Phoenix piled on, pointing an accusing finger at her even as he picked his earlier train of thought back up. So what means could she have used to kill Ace? Twilight said there were spells that involved electricity, so those would seem the place to start. But she also said they couldn’t be made lethal, he recalled. Given all her power and knowledge of magic, is it even possible she could be wrong?

“Spare me.” Sonata looked down and closed her eyes before opening them again. “Congratulations, Mister Wright. You’ve finally proven I was in the forest and I was helping Ace blackmail your client,” she confirmed. “But that hardly makes me a murderer!” She turned away and closed her eyes again.

“Trixie agrees, Mister Wrong,” the mare magician spoke up, looking very pleased. “All you’ve done to this point is make it possible for Trixie to have her cake and eat it too. You’ve proved Trixie’s old school rival guilty of other crimes, but not the murder—because she could not have done it!” she recited happily. “Thus, Trixie now gets to put them both away!”

She’s right. So now I’m back to this one critical question: how could Sonata have electrocuted Ace? Phoenix asked himself again. The lightning seems pretty well out at this point. But it if wasn’t by lightning, it had to have been by spell! he reasoned silently. “We’ll just see about that! Let’s hear what you were doing in the forest that night, Sonata!”

And speaking of spells, Sonata fought hard to keep us from looking at that spellbook of hers, even going so far as to admit it had a teleportation spell, Phoenix remembered, finally addressing a question that had been nagging at him for some time. But why would she do that? Unless…

“There’s no escaping either. You’ve already cast far too much suspicion over yourself to just waltz out of here, Miss Eye-Butt!” Trixie added, making Phoenix wonder if that was the same insult she used when they were in school together. “Oh, and Mister Wrong?” she turned her attention back on Phoenix.

“What?” he looked up, his chain of thought momentarily broken.

“Let Trixie make one thing crystal clear.” Trixie’s ice-violet eyes went angry again as she leaned back over her bench to glare at Phoenix. “Trixie still knows for a fact that Rainbow Trash is the true culprit of this crime.”

Phoenix could only stare at her for a moment. Okay, I’ll bite. “Then why did you—?”

“Because Trixie needs the correct facts before she can properly prosecute both Miss Eye-Butt and that Rainbow Trashy loser!” she said with her nose up and a hoof over her chest, causing Rainbow Dash to snort angrily and pull at her restraints again. “In fact, this whole blackmail business reveals the motive you so desperately wanted before!

“It should be clear to everypony now that Rainbow Trash killed Ace Swift because both he and his bimbo manager marefriend were blackmailing her,” she insisted, causing Sonata to glare at her.

Gee, and here I thought she was just being nice! Phoenix thought sarcastically, but quickly returned to the logic chain he was trying to follow. There’s no reason for Sonata to have tried to keep us from the book over the teleportation spell. Unless…

His eyes went wide as the answer abruptly crystallized in his head. Unless it WASN’T the teleportation spell she was worried about us finding! Unless she thought there was something ELSE in the book that could incriminate her, so she surrendered on the teleport spell to protect it!

“I wasn’t his…” Sonata started to angrily insist before catching herself and taking a deep breath, realizing she was letting Trixie get her goat. “Whatever. I wasn’t planning on leaving anyway,” she said dismissively, regaining her composure. “Fine, then. I’ll tell you exactly why I was in there that night, and show you why it still doesn’t matter at all. This is far from over, Phoenix Wright!” she claimed, sporting a smile again like she was relishing the prospect of yet another dual of wits with him. “Oh, and Trixie?” she turned to her left.

“Hmm?” the showmare acknowledged.

Sonata waited a beat before speaking. “I despise you,” she announced with a glower. “Just thought I’d make that clear if it wasn’t already.”

“Oh! Thank you!” Trixie beamed, raising her head in pride. “Such rave reviews coming from a blackmailing bimbo like yourself means a great deal to Trixie!”

That wasn’t a compliment, Trixie. Phoenix rubbed his eyes, sparing just a moment for the thought. Still… that Sonata would be afraid of us finding out about another spell in the book doesn’t make sense either. Even if there WAS a spell in the book she used in the murder, her earlier argument holds: the presence of a spell in the book only demonstrates she COULD have known it, not that she DID! he knew. In fact, there’s no way to prove Sonata studied ANY given spell in that book of hers, except maybe for… His own thoughts trailed off as he froze in sudden realization.

Phoenix deflated and shook his head in disbelief, wondering how he could have missed something so obvious. I. Am such. An IDIOT! He suddenly wanted to smack himself.

“Your Honor! The defense requests the witness testify about what she was doing in the woods!” he announced as he grabbed the pen from his jacket and scribbled out a quick note on a piece of scroll paper.

“Hmm… sufficient suspicion does seem cast over this witness to require it. Any objections, Ms. Trixie?” The Judge prompted after a short pause, giving Phoenix enough time to finish writing and pass the note to Twilight, who looked up at him in surprise after reading it. He gave her a glance back, and she nodded her understanding, magically imprinting a remembered picture out of his camera on a fresh sheet of scroll paper.

“None whatsoever, Your Honor,” Trixie said magnanimously, hoof on her chest and nose in the air again. “It will all come out the same in the end—Rainbow Trash guilty and the eye-butt bimbo charged with blackmail,” she promised as Twilight closely studied the picture.

Whatever she saw seemed to startle her, as her eyes went wide and she suddenly appeared to be lost in thought, picking up a quill pen to add a brief message of her own to his note and showing it back to Phoenix. He read it and smiled, giving her an approving nod. “We’ll see! Time for your testimony, Sonata!” he pointed at her, watching Twilight out of the corner of his eye. I still don’t know what you’re hiding, Sonata. But now I know WHERE you’re hiding it!

“Fine. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, Mister Wright,” Sonata said, sounding full of fight again.

Though his attention was on her, he saw Twilight’s horn flare briefly out of the corner of his eye, causing the note to disappear, then a second time for the picture she’d just produced. Phoenix looked up at the sound of a sudden sharp coughing sound coming from the gallery, which quickly resolved into a single belch of green dragon flame followed quickly by a second. Both came from Spike; he was surprised to see the same note and picture she’d just sent literally materialize out of his flames.

Whoa! Certainly more efficient than e-mail!

In the stands, the scribe quickly scanned the note and photograph, showing it to the rest of Twilight’s friends. There was some quick but quiet conversation among them before Applejack and Spike departed, the baby dragon nodding his understanding to Twilight and then hopping on the country mare’s back, holding on for dear life as Applejack reared up and took off, leaping several rows of startled ponies to reach the exit, heading out of the courtroom at a full gallop.

Hurry, guys! he silently urged them as Sonata prepared to give her new testimony, knowing he might have to stall for time. What you find may hold the key to proving Rainbow Dash innocent and solving this entire CASE!

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on September 5, 2018.

As the holidays approach, as for as long as Raven wishes me to, here's another new chapter by your friendly if poorly-sleeping editor. Thanks very much to Leo Archon and TheGoldCrow for pointing out some problems with my initial draft, and to Raven for allowing me this much leeway in writing and editing. Happy Hearth's Warming! :twilightsmile:

—Firesight

Part 51 - The Missing Link

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom No. 2
June 11th, 1:09 PM

Sonata began her next testimony as Applejack and Spike raced for the library; Phoenix and Twilight mentally urging them to hurry.

Just need to keep this going long enough for them to get that book! the former knew, turning his attention back to the witness stand.

—————— WITNESS TESTIMONY ——————
— The Art of the Deal —

There’s no point in hiding it. Ace and I were blackmailing Rainbow Dash. We ordered her to meet in the Everfree Forest to discuss the terms of keeping the pictures I snapped of her secret. I got there ten minutes before Ace and hid in some foliage at the edge of the clearing so I could watch the proceedings unseen. Both Rainbow Dash and Ace showed up at the appointed time and the negotiations began.

To my surprise, Rainbow Dash refused our generous offer and flew up high, triggering a storm cloud she had apparently put there in foresight earlier in the day. I watched in horror as the lightning bolt hit Ace directly on the exposed back of his neck. The amount of electricity and force of the impact sent him flying a short distance, as the prosecution surmised.

Not wanting to be Ms. Dash’s next victim, I fled the forest as fast as I could.

Sonata concluded her statement by turning away from Phoenix and closing her eyes again; Phoenix couldn’t resist a smile as she gave her tell once more. Don’t ever play poker with me, Sonata—I’d clean you out every time! “That testimony is incomplete, Your Honor!” he pointed out quickly. “She still doesn’t explain why she took the golf club!”

“Because I still deny touching that, Mister Wright. I only saw it on the crime scene,” she continued to insist, still looking away.

Trixie pounced before Phoenix could. “You aren’t too smart, are you, Miss Eye-Butt? You were the last pony in there, and it was found outside the forest later!” she reminded her old rival, looking annoyed as she floated up a page of transcript.

“Not to mention the fact you were seen leaving with it!” Phoenix piled on, picking up another transcript sheet of his own. “There’s no way Fluttershy could have seen the handle before that moment, other than when she saw you walking with it!” He pointed an accusing finger at her.

“Then maybe she’s the one who took it out,” Sonata suggested in a mild tone, to some derisive noises from the gallery—it was with great satisfaction that Phoenix noted the ponies in the audience had turned on her and turned on her hard. “You said your pink accomplice lost the accursed thing in the forest a week ago. Fluttershy could have therefore witnessed her lose it—they appear to be friends and the forest is near her cottage, after all. Though she saw me going towards town, there is a large timeframe where she was alone, as you yourself pointed out yesterday,” she noted with a smirk before her expression went defiant, flattening her ears as she spoke.

“But—” Phoenix started to stammer.

“But nothing, Mister Wright. You have no proof either way and no way to tie me to that golf club other than what Miss Fluttershy claims she saw.” She paused long enough to let her point sink in, briefly turning away again. “I was simply in the forest to oversee our deal with Rainbow Dash, who I then witnessed kill Ace.”

Phoenix resisted the urge to roll his eyes, though Twilight was far less restrained, giving him a look and doing exactly that. Who does she think she’s fooling? they shared the thought, Phoenix leaning over the rail as he prepared to challenge Sonata’s latest testimony, mentally rehearsing his cross-examination. But before he could begin, Twilight spoke up. “Uh, Phoenix? I don’t mean to interrupt you, but…” she trailed off uncertainly, her brow furrowed and tail twitching once.

“But what?” he prompted, turning towards her.

She hesitated briefly before speaking again. “It’s just that, well... something feels off about that testimony she just gave,” she offered tentatively, blushing slightly.

He immediately gave her his full attention. “Something off? What is it?”

“Well…” She sounded unsure as she shuffled her hooves and flushed deeper under his scrutiny. “I’m not sure I can put my hoof on it, but it feels like something she said doesn’t match up with what we learned at the trial yesterday,” she finished, her tone uncertain.

What we learned at the trial yesterday? He blinked, quickly reviewing in his head the evidence they’d been shown then.

—————— CROSS-EXAMINATION ——————

There’s no point in hiding it. Ace and I were blackmailing Rainbow Dash. We ordered her to meet in the Everfree Forest to discuss the terms of keeping the pictures I snapped of her secret.

“Why would you want to meet in the forest? Surely you know how dangerous it is in there?” he asked her, suppressing a shiver of fear at his still-vivid memories of the Timberwolf attack.

“Ace and I preferred making these deals in such secluded locations. We couldn’t risk flies on the wall listening in,” she responded easily. “And as for the danger, Ace and I could take care of ourselves. If nothing else, Ace could escape by flight and myself by teleporting if we encountered an Ursa or something else we couldn’t deal with directly.”

Phoenix considered her response and nodded, deciding it made sense. “So this is how you had your victims cooperate, then. You were able to find out their secrets using that talent of yours, and then you used that information to blackmail them, calling these private meetings to dictate terms,” he deduced, his words more statement than question.

“At a guess, it’s also probably why Ace was really wearing that lightning-proof suit—not to prepare for the race, but to conceal his identity from onlookers. That way, anypony who saw him wouldn’t be able to recognize him afterwards, or if they did, he could just claim that someone else was dressed as him,” he concluded, somewhat grimly. “You, on the other hoof, could just naturally blend into the nighttime forest background with your dark mane and coat colors.”

“That’s correct,” she confirmed with a nod. “And it had always worked up to that point. Well. Excepting two certain individuals who went against my terms! One being the defendant, and the other…” she trailed off as she glared at Phoenix. “Well. I’m sure you know who that is, don’t you, Phoenix Wright?” she concluded in a tone of disgust and anger before the corners of her mouth crooked upwards. “But no matter. Both of them are going to get their just desserts soon enough.”

Phoenix set his jaw, knowing she was referring to his impending arrest on breaking and entering charges once the trial concluded. So be it! Like Trixie says, I’ll gladly trade a few nights in jail to see you put away for GOOD, Sonata!

Trixie broke into his thoughts. “As much as Trixie would love to see Mister Wrong join her behind bars, we honestly don’t care how you cheat and manipulate, Miss Eye-Butt. Let’s just get back to what you saw in the forest!” She took on her haughty look. “After all, Trixie needs to establish your exact actions in order to properly prosecute you!” she noted with a very anticipatory and evil grin, her eyes glowing blue for a moment.

Far from being intimidated, Sonata looked amused at that. “Cheat… and manipulate?” she echoed. “Oh, please, Lula. Do you really think you of all ponies have the right to judge me?” she asked; Trixie’s eyes narrowed at hearing her given name dropped. “Here’s an idea, Ms. Lulamoon: what do you say we all talk about you and your pitifully weak vendetta against Mister Wright’s marefriend?” She grinned back.

Twilight instantly perked up while Trixie acted like she’d been slapped, flinching backwards and her eyes looking to Phoenix like they belonged to a bullied foal. “That’s right, Twilight. Her grudge against you stems far past the humiliation she suffered at your hooves. Isn’t that right… Miss Minor and Mediocre?” Sonata smirked at the showmare again.

Trixie’s eyes went wide, her expression uncertain; for a moment both Phoenix and Twilight thought she would revert back to her cowed state. But this time, the mare magician was not so easily overcome; pride and anger overriding whatever past trauma Sonata was trying to make her remember.

“Ha! Don’t even bother trying to pull that one again, lady! Trixie was a foal to let some blackmailing, limp-horned hussy like you get to her the first time!” She shook it off quickly and pinned the other unicorn with a stare, her eyes glowing blue again, betraying fire and ice all at the same time.

“Make no mistake, Miss Eye-Butt—even if Trixie has to get you off the hook for Mister Wrong’s murder accusation, I’m still going to put you away for all your other crimes!” she promised, her eye glow diminishing and her smug grin returning as she said it. “Trixie hopes you enjoy stale hay and water, Sonata—because that’s all you’re going to be eating for a very long time!” she finished with a gleeful, malicious grin.

“Put me away, will you?” Sonata turned to Trixie directly. “Then I’ll take great pleasure in revealing all your secrets, Trixie—your powers… your past… and your failures,” she suggested with a lowered head and knowing grin.

Far from being cowed, Trixie’s expression went ice cold, as did the air around her. “Then do it, Sonata!” the mare magician challenged, the blue glow in her eyes returning and intensifying as she leaned back over the rail to glare. “I’ll survive it—I’ve survived far worse than you, you magically-impotent minx!” she all but hissed as the air around her froze up again; a cold breeze suddenly blowing through the courtroom and making Phoenix shiver, the ponies in the stands behind the showmare’s bench almost recoiling from the sudden chill. The bailiffs looked at Trixie nervously and Twilight watched warily as well, impressed by the other unicorn’s steadily increasing power and worried she would eventually have to intervene to keep Trixie’s surging elemental magic under control.

“Enough!” The Judge brought his gavel down hard, breaking the spell, his breath visible in the air. “As far as I’m concerned, you will all be sent to jail once this trial is concluded; the only question is for how long and for what!” he all but shouted, causing the two mares to flinch. “You will both refrain from further personal attacks! And Ms. Trixie! You will keep your magic under control or be removed!” he further ordered, waiting until her eye glow had abated and cold air had dissipated. “Now, continue your testimony, Ms. Sonata!”

“What are they talking about?” Phoenix asked Twilight, rubbing his suddenly goose-bumped arms through his suit sleeves. “And should we be worried about Trixie?” he couldn’t help but add, noting the fearful and nervous reaction of the gallery to her icy displays.

Twilight’s eyes went sad and downcast for a moment. “I’ll tell you later,” she offered, a little evasively. “For now, don’t worry about Trixie—I’ll deal with her if needs be. You’ve just got to focus on Sonata here,” she told him, her horn flaring to bathe him in warm air.

“Right,” Phoenix said, letting the protective warmth of her aura soak into him, driving Trixie’s chill away.

I got there ten minutes before Ace and hid in some foliage at the edge of the clearing so I could watch the proceedings unseen. Both Rainbow Dash and Ace showed up at the appointed time and the negotiations began.

“And what exactly were these ‘negotiations’?” Phoenix wanted to know, watching her over another sip of coffee.

Sonata gave him an annoyed look. “For her to drop out of the race, of course. What else?” she answered derisively.

“Why ‘of course’?” Phoenix asked, genuinely curious as he set the cup back down. “Why didn’t you just tell her to lose like you did for other ponies? Why have her drop out completely?”

“There were several reasons,” Sonata replied, pushing her glasses more firmly onto the bridge of her nose. “Because of her… performance at another event, it was clear she was far faster than Ace and could beat him in a race,” the gray mare pronounced blandly, causing Rainbow Dash to puff up her chest in pride. “But it wasn’t so much due to that as her arrogance and ego. If she were to participate in the Equestrian 500, there was a chance—a very good chance, I judged—that her competitive nature would kick in. That she would throw away all bets and try to win, even at the price of those pictures being exposed.”

“You got that right, sister!” Rainbow Dash spoke up, standing tall and proud, her statement eliciting a series of appreciative hoofclops from the gallery and a warning look from Twilight.

I’ve only known her for a day and a half, yet that really sounds like something Rainbow Dash would do! Phoenix was only too certain. “And then what happened?”

To my surprise, Rainbow Dash refused our generous offer and flew up high, triggering a storm cloud she had apparently put there in foresight earlier in the day.

“I’d like to ask you exactly what you witnessed here, Sonata,” he began, leaning on the rail. “Unlike Gilda, you actually saw this directly, correct?”

She turned away again. “Every solitary detail is seared into my memory, Mister Wright. So, yes.”

Lying again! Phoenix spotted. “I have one question, then: How?” he challenged, coming back to a point he had originally made in Rainbow’s defense. “How were you able to see all this in the pitch black of the forest? You’re not a griffon like Gilda, so you don’t have the ability to see in the dark! And I’m sure Rainbow Dash would have seen you if you were illuminating the area with your horn!”

“That’s because I wasn’t, Mister Wright,” she stated authoritatively with a roll of her eyes, seemingly certain that she was on firm ground. “Do you really think I’d be so stupid as to give away my presence like that? The lightning itself lit up the area after she set it off. In that split-second I was able to see everything freeze-framed—the cloud, Ms. Dash bucking it, and…” she closed her eyes. “Ace being struck by lightning,” she finished, her voice going unsteady for a moment as she turned her head away.

“But even without the flash, there was no need to. There is a night vision spell unicorns can perform. That was one of the spells I learned from the spellbook, if you’re interested. It enabled me to see the proceedings quite clearly.”

Phoenix winced as she parried his latest attack effectively, looking to Twilight for confirmation.

“She’s right. That book is where I first learned it from, too. It’s a more advanced spell and takes a while to master, but it doesn’t require much power when you do,” Twilight concurred. “I was actually using it when I was leading you to the clearing that first night. That’s how I didn’t get lost or run into things in the dark. It honestly didn’t occur to me you couldn’t see until… well, you said so,” She looked embarrassed, remembering how he’d kept bumping into her and blushing slightly at the thought. “That’s when I resorted to a much more basic illumination spell instead.”

“Ha! Trixie didn’t need a book! She learned it on her own!” the showmare boasted, her hoof on her chest and chin in the air.

“Would you care to share those details, Sonata?” Phoenix asked, ignoring Trixie and suppressing a mild flare of annoyance at Twilight. Might have saved me a lot of fear and embarrassment if you’d lit the way from the START!

“As if I have a choice, Mister Wright?” Sonata rolled her eyes both at him and at Trixie. “After the negotiations went sour, Rainbow Dash flew up and bucked the storm cloud, triggering it,” she began.

“As has been well-established, there are some exposed parts on that racing suit when the pegasus wearing it is grounded. I saw Ace look up, bewildered at what she was doing, and the bolt hit him directly on his neck,” she pronounced, turning away again. “As the prosecution theorized, the lightning’s impact hurtled his body a short distance.”

“His neck, huh…” Phoenix pondered aloud while scratching his chin, his internal senses twitching. What was that Twilight said about part of Sonata’s testimony not matching up…?

I watched in horror as the lightning bolt hit Ace directly on the exposed back of his neck. The amount of electricity and force of the impact sent him flying a short distance, as the prosecution surmised.

Phoenix wasted no time as he finally spotted what Twilight had already sensed. “Looks like you saw things wrong here, Sonata,” he said mildly before lowering his head and putting his hands on his hips, showing his teeth in a triumphant grin. “Or far more likely, you’re lying through your teeth!”

“What are you talking about, Mister Wright?” she asked, turning away disdainfully from him. “You’ve already proven me guilty of blackmail. I have no further reason to lie.”

“Trixie agrees!” the showmare broke in. “Whatever Miss Eye-Butt’s other crimes, they are now exposed and she has no further reason to lie about what she saw!” she insisted, turning her icy glare on him.

The showmare’s eyes glowed blue for just a moment again, the anger in them causing Phoenix to shiver. Not sure which I’d want to face less, Trixie’s ice or Twilight’s fire! “She does if she was in fact the one who committed the murder!” Phoenix quickly countered even as Twilight stood a little closer, as if to guard him, watching Trixie carefully. “What I’m talking about is not one, but two contradictions in her testimony!” He pointed at her.

“Two contradictions?” The Judge asked, visibly confused.

“Yes, Your Honor,” Phoenix nodded, sorting through his evidence stack. “Let’s start with the more minor one. You may recall that according to the autopsy report, there was a burn mark on the back of the victim’s neck?” he reminded The Judge as he pulled the report free.

Trixie broke in before the grey unicorn mare could answer. “And just how is that a contradiction, Mister Wrong? Eye-butt’s testimony itself makes it clear: that must have been where the lightning struck his neck, leaving a burn behind!” she asserted, levitating her own copy of the autopsy report and peering it at it through squinting eyes that made Phoenix wonder if she was farsighted.

“Not according to another little detail Sonata shared,” Phoenix countered, starting to scent victory. “The witness stated: ‘I saw Ace look up, bewildered at what she was doing and the bolt hit him directly on his neck,’ he recited from the latest sheet of transcript that had been floated to him by the unicorn stenographer.

“You’re right!” Twilight spoke up, her eyes wide and tone excited. “It would have left a burn mark on the front of his neck if he was really facing the storm cloud and looking up!”

“Exactly!” Phoenix replied triumphantly. “So it couldn’t have happened as she claims! Sonata! If you really watched these events transpire, then how did he come to acquire this scar?”

Trixie gave a very heavy and annoyed sigh, rubbing her eyes with a hoof. “Care to explain this, Four-Eyes?” she invited. “Trixie is getting very tired of Mister Wrong’s constant nitpicking.”

Sonata’s eyes went evasive for just a moment. “I don’t know. Because like I said earlier…”

Not wanting to be Ms. Dash’s next victim, I fled the forest as fast as I could.

“I don’t think so!” Phoenix proclaimed with his hands back on his hips, noting her guilty reaction. “And now comes the second contradiction: you clearly didn’t leave the forest right away!”

“And how would you know that?” Trixie asked in annoyance; Phoenix could feel cold air pouring off her and pooling on the floor around his feet.

“Come on, Trixie! Don’t you remember what time Apple Bloom got out?” he asked the showmare, causing her to gasp and look away nervously. “9 PM! Courtesy of our friendly witness. So she remained in the woods for nearly twenty minutes after the lightning strike!” he reasoned. “Seeing how the lightning hit at 8:40 and Sonata teleported out at 9 PM, that leaves a very long time frame while she was still inside the forest!”

Sonata didn’t reply, a fresh bead of sweat rolling down the side of her head despite the cold air that Trixie had left in the courtroom pit. “So I’ll ask again, Sonata!” Phoenix leaned forward, his pursuit picking up pace. “He couldn’t have gotten that burn from the lightning as you claimed! So where did it come from?”

Sonata’s eyes momentarily darted around the courtroom before she caught herself. “That mark… isn’t from the lightning bolt,” she began in a strangely sad tone, but quickly regained her composure. “Now that I think about it, that mark must have been from the day before the incident. Ace was flying in a dangerous race inside Ifrit’s Volcano and must have picked up the burn from some embers,” she said, turning away from Phoenix yet once more.

“You’re lying!” Phoenix couldn’t restrain himself as she gave her tell again.

“Is she?” Trixie studied her old schoolmate for a moment; Phoenix had seen the showmare’s eyes narrow when Sonata had turned away this latest time, wondering if she’d finally picked up on the tell herself. “Well, that could explain it…” she said in a slightly wary tone as she picked up a cold-stiffened sheet of scroll paper, a note in her voice that suggested to him she was trying to convince herself as much as The Judge.

“His schedule confirms he was indeed racing in that volcano the day before he came to Ponyville. If he picked up a burn there, it would still have been fresh. This is just stupid, though,” Trixie then voiced the thoughts The Judge, the gallery and Phoenix himself held. “Why would anypony with a sane mind feel the need to race in a volcano?” She crumbled up the scroll sheet in her aura and tossed it over her shoulder into a nearby trash can.

“High risk, high reward.” Sonata shrugged. “And Ace was a bit of an adrenaline junkie. He loved a good rush.”

The ends of Trixie’s mouth turned upwards. “Oh really? Well I guess you of all ponies would know, being his marefriend and all,” she suggested.

“I wasn’t his marefriend!” Sonata shot back, a sudden edge to her voice.

“Oh, please,” Trixie said in a taunting tone, recognizing she’d hit a nerve and deciding to press it. “The tabloids have been full of rumors about you two for years, and you shared the same hotel room. So were you two an item, or was Ace just that cheap?” she mocked.

Sonata glared daggers at the other unicorn. “Unlike you, I maintain a professional detachment to my job and clients, Trixie. And besides, Ace had enough groupies; he didn’t need me.”

Trixie’s smirk only got more pronounced. “Oh really? And what about that shopping list of yours? Wing and hoof hobbles sounds like something out of Fifty Grades of Hay!” she leered, causing Rarity—and many other mares—to blush hard in the gallery, the fashionista’s aura going momentarily pink to her great mortification. “So why did you choose the Everfree Forest for the meeting, Sonata? Was it for privacy? Or maybe you liked a little danger when you did it?” she suggested with a leering grin. “Guess you aren’t the cold fish we all thought you were at magic school!” she grinned, looking very pleased with herself.

Sonata glared at her old school rival a moment more before she closed her eyes and smiled. “Well, Lula… I would think that given your ice magic incontinence, if anypony knew what it was to be frigid… it would be you!” she stated to Trixie’s jaw dropping open and stifled snickers from the gallery; even Phoenix couldn’t help but smile at the perfect retort. “And while we’re on the subject, just how did you land this prosecutor’s job, Trixie?” Sonata wondered aloud.

“I know you’re not above bribery when it comes down to it. Or are the earnings from your magic show so meager you had to offer another form of payment?” she suggested in a mild tone, eyes closed and smiling as the audience erupted in laughter.

On the other side of the courtroom pit, Trixie’s cheeks flushed hot even as the immediate area around her went very cold, a few snowflakes materializing out of the very air itself. Satisfied she’d gotten the better of the exchange, Sonata took up her previous line of thought.

“Ace raced in the volcano for the sheer thrill of it and because the prize was a treasure known as the Flame Dragon Ruby. Very valuable. And very powerful—an enchanted gem that legend holds once belonged to the hoard of an elder dragon. One of three said to enhance the natural abilities of those who wield it once a certain magical ritual is performed.”

“And I bet you two won that through cheating, huh?” Phoenix suggested over crossed arms, his voice dripping with contempt.

Sonata was completely unrepentant. “Yes, we did. Problem?” she grinned, eyes closed again. “Once he had all three gems and had undergone the ritual, Ace wouldn’t have needed to cheat any more.”

“Shut up, Wrong!” a still-angry Trixie snarled across the courtroom pit, though it looked like the wheels in her head were turning, her icy gaze falling on Twilight for a moment as she considered the information about the Flame Dragon Ruby. “She gave you a good explanation for the burn.”

“Good, but uncorroborated. Do you have a doctor’s note or other medical report to confirm this injury?” Phoenix asked. Unless I miss my guess…

“No. Because he didn’t like doctors,” Sonata replied, Phoenix concluding she was being truthful when she didn’t turn away again. “So it doesn’t really come as a surprise that he wouldn’t want to get it checked out.”

“So you’re saying he had this burn mark on his neck before he arrived in Ponyville?” The Judge broke in.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Sonata confirmed. “And that, Your Honor, is the whole truth of the matter. Mister Wright is simply doing what defense attorneys do best—trying to make hay out of irrelevant details!” she turned away as she said it.

A new cry went up.

Phoenix was silent.

Trixie was silent.

Sonata looked startled as the source of the cry stepped forward.

“Miss… Sparkle?” The Judge looked at her in surprise.

“Twilight?” Phoenix was just as startled. “You really shouldn’t be—”

“There’s something wrong here!” Twilight stated in a loud, clear voice, speaking right over Phoenix. “What the witness just said is impossible. He couldn’t have had that burn mark before the incident!”

“Uh, Twilight?” Phoenix broke in nervously, worried she was about to embarrass herself again. “I’m supposed to be the lawyer here…”

“Listen to your coltfriend and stick to the books, Snarkle!” Trixie mocked. “He got that scar from his race in the volcano and there’s no way to prove otherwise!” She took on her haughty pose.

“You’re wrong, Trixie!” Twilight slammed a purple hoof down on the bench in front of her, her eyes fierce and determined, shooting Phoenix a glance that told him not to stop her. “No, he didn’t get it from the race, and in fact, there is proof!” she claimed, her horn flaring to life as a picture floated out of her saddlebags. “A pony named Cruise Control gave this to me yesterday.”

“Him,” Sonata said under her breath, looking away in surprise and worry.

“It’s a photo of the victim entering the forest; the timestamp shows it was taken twenty minutes before the crime took place!” Twilight announced as she projected the picture into the courtroom pit for everypony to see.

“And what about it?” Trixie said as Twilight floated her a copy of the picture, noting the timestamp on it. “So he entered the forest in enough time to reach the clearing for the meeting. So what?”

“I’m not trying to prove he went in there!” Twilight countered in an annoyed tone as Phoenix listened warily, not yet sure what she was getting at. “Look close and you’ll see exactly what I’m trying to prove!” she declared, her horn glow intensifying as she manipulated the projected image to zoom in on the back of Ace’s neck.

Phoenix’s eyes went wide and Trixie’s mouth dropped open as she saw what the rival unicorn was getting at, the showmare looking away and rubbing her teeth with a forehoof nervously. “You see it now, don’t you, Trixie?” Twilight said triumphantly. “In this picture, there’s no burn mark on the back of his neck! In fact, there’s not so much as a mane hair singed or out of place! He wasn’t burned by the volcano!”

“Oh my! She’s right!” The Judge agreed, squinting at the picture that had just been floated him, picking up a magnifying glass to have a closer look, sounding just as impressed as Phoenix was.

“I submit, Your Honor, that this therefore proves the victim acquired that scar only after this picture was taken, while he was still in the forest!” she concluded, holding her head high and letting her words sink in. When they had, she turned to Phoenix, going giddy.

“Ohmygosh! Phoenix, did you see that? Did everypony see that? I objected and it was so exhilarating! This is so exciting! I found a flaw in her testimony! Do you think I sounded professional enough? Oh, wait until I tell the princess about this! I just know she’ll—”

“Twilight! Relax!” Phoenix held up his hands in placation.

Her purple eyes went wide. “Ah! Uh… heh-heh. S-sorry.” She looked embarrassed again, but didn’t lose her smile. “Guess I got a little carried away.”

“Maybe a little,” Phoenix agreed, his hand on the back of his head. “But it’s alright. You did great! Thank you for catching that, Twilight!” He bowed his head in gratitude to her, just catching himself before he reached over to scratch between her ears. “I’ll take the reins from here. Sonata!” He slammed his hands down on the table. “As my co-counsel has pointed out—” he took great pains to say, crediting a beaming Twilight with a wave of his hand. “—he couldn’t have acquired that scar prior to entering the forest!”

Still giddy, Twilight sensed another psyche-lock break as Phoenix waited for an answer from the visibly flustered Sonata; its dominant emotion, she was surprised to sense, was sadness. Deep and abiding sadness, she amended her own thought, her smile faltering a bit as she turned her mystical vision back off to shield herself from the feedback. Despite the front she’s putting up, whatever happened in the woods that night, she’s not at all proud of it.

“It must have been… from the golf club,” Sonata offered, more tentatively, a suddenly sorrowful look in her eyes.

“The golf club?” Trixie repeated in disbelief, looking ever more annoyed. “How could the golf club have given him the burn mark?”

“I’d like to know the answer to that as well,” The Judge agreed. “Please testify as to that effect.”

——————— WITNESS TESTIMONY ——————
— Feel The Burn —

When Rainbow Dash set the cloud off, the lightning bolt forked, hitting the ground as well as Ace, attracted to the golf club lying there. When it hit, the bolt not only started a fire I had to put out, but heated the metal of the golf club up red-hot.

Ace fell to the ground after he was struck down by the lightning, landing on the golf club neck-first and breaking it, burning his neck in the process. That’s how the burn scar got there. I moved the body aside and stick into the dirt pile to let it cool without burning anything else, and then put out the fire myself.

Realizing there was nothing I could do for Ace except make sure his murderer was caught, I ran away from the crime scene but returned later when I realized I forgot to take the golf club.

“So Fluttershy was right! You really did take the golf club!” Phoenix immediately pointed out, as much for Fluttershy’s sake as his case.

“Yes. I did,” Sonata admitted with a reluctant air, a fresh burst of mystical energy telling Twilight yet another lock had broken—only five left! she realized, sensing it contained the emotion of not just fear, but stark terror.“Problem?” the grey mare asked again, wearing a sly smile.

Trixie spoke up before Phoenix could. “Yes, there’s a problem! You were just denying earlier you even touched it, Four-Eyes!” she accused angrily.

“That’s because admitting I took the club meant admitting I tampered with the crime scene,” she pointed out. “That would have me—and is going to have me—put away for quite some time.”

“You got that right, Miss Eye-Butt!” Trixie looked very gleeful. “You’re racking up quite the rap sheet here. Trixie is going to enjoy your trial immensely!”

“You’ll be enjoying it from the gallery,” Sonata retorted. “If you’re even there to enjoy it at all. You’re not the only legally adept pony in this room, Lula. Even assuming you’re out in time for my trial after serving your contempt citation, I’ll make quite sure you don’t prosecute. Not only at my trial, but ever again!”

“Ha!” Trixie laughed. “And just how are you going to do that, Miss Eye-Butt?”

Sonata smiled. “Need you even ask, Lula? I know plenty of things other ponies don’t want revealed, and I’ll trade my silence for a few favors—including the right to testify at your disbarment hearing,” she said, causing Trixie’s expression to drop. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll even plead myself down, pay the fine—I’m sure that that ruby will suffice for restitution—and get a reduced sentence in return for not divulging certain embarrassing information. In fact, if I play my cards right, I could be out in less time than you and Mister Wright are!” She grinned, her eyes closed as if to savor the thought.

Phoenix sensed some bravado in her statement, but also some truth as well. No way she’d get off that lightly. But she could well manipulate the system and pull the strings of unrevealed puppets to be out in just a few months—with nothing more than a veritable slap on the wrist. That means I have to pin the murder charge on her to make sure it won’t happen! “Then why admit it now?” he asked over crossed arms. “We still didn’t have direct proof you took it!”

“Because I’m already going to jail for my ‘victory methods’, Mister Wright,” she sniffed, turning her attention back on Phoenix. “So what’s a little longer to clear this outlandish murder accusation you’re trying to pin on me?”

The Judge looked confused as well. “But I still don’t understand. Why would you carry this golf club out, Ms. Sonata?”

“Because it could have incriminated me, Your Honor,” she said. “Metal is magically conductive and tends to retain traces of spells used on it quite readily. I used a levitation spell to move it aside, and that meant any unicorn forensic specialist would have picked up traces of my aura on it. That would have in turn put me on the scene of the crime. I couldn’t take that chance, so I brought the golf club out with me.”

Okay. Focus, Phoenix! he ordered himself, sensing that despite Sonata’s continued efforts to insult and obfuscate, they were entering the home stretch. She’s constantly revising her story. She has to run out of excuses and explanations sooner or later. You just have to keep pressing her and she’ll break under the weight of her own lies!

—————— CROSS-EXAMINATION ——————

When Rainbow Dash set the cloud off, the lightning bolt forked, hitting the ground as well as Ace, attracted to the golf club lying there.

“I apologize if the answer to this question is obvious to everyone except me, but… is that possible? Can lightning bolts from pegasus-created clouds fork to hit multiple points at once?” He had to know, looking around for answers. He was not heartened when Rainbow went downcast and gave him a slow nod of her head.

“Yes and no,” Twilight answered him patiently, speaking loud enough for all to hear. “Yes, because they can fork into multiple ‘leaders’ same as a natural lightning strike, but no, because only one of those leaders gets to complete the circuit with the ground and receive the return stroke.” She projected a diagram of a lightning bolt into the air.

“Sorry, Mister Wrong, but her testimony works. He was clearly hit by the initial leader but once inside him, the charge couldn’t penetrate his lighting-proof suit,” Trixie piled on, pleased that her careful study of how lightning worked the night before in order to discredit Phoenix’s theory had borne fruit. “So Eye-Butt’s testimony in fact makes clear what happened: as it was unable to complete the circuit through Ace, a second leader forked out from the main branch to target the ground instead, attracted to the metal golf club lying there. In such a circumstance, he would still have received a lethal shock while the golf club took the brunt of the bolt, and thus…”

When it hit, the bolt not only started a fire I had to put out, but heated the metal of the golf club up red-hot.

“How big was this fire?” Phoenix wondered, not immediately sure what else he could ask.

“Big enough. You visited the crime scene, did you not?” Sonata asked him, turning away again. “I’m sure you saw the extent of the burned area. That’s how big it got before I put it out.”

“The answer is in the police report right in front of you, if you’d bother to read it, Mister Wrong,” Trixie pointed out, sounding increasingly aggravated, a dusting of snow on the bench around her. “Turn to page five and you’ll see all significant dimensions marked on the map of the crime scene. The burned area was roughly circular and nearly six feet across.”

“Then how did you manage to put it out?” Phoenix ignored Trixie except for the flushing of his cheeks against the chill in the air—if there was one thing he hated more than anything, it was having his ignorance or sloppiness pointed out. “You’re not a pegasus, so you couldn’t have manipulated the cloud to release rain. Is there some kind of fire extinguishing spell?” he suddenly wondered with a glance at Twilight, who bit her lip to keep from answering, not wanting to embarrass herself by launching into a tangent again.

Sonata gave him a look. “I’m sure Miss Sparkle there knows some, but I don’t. In point of fact, I simply used Ace’s bag to beat it down.” She looked almost embarrassed by the admission. “That’s how it was burned.”

Even though her answer rang true to him, Phoenix’s brow furrowed. “Wait a minute—if you took the golf club because you touched it with your aura, why did you leave the bag behind? Wouldn’t that incriminate you, too?”

“Because the bag didn’t matter,” Sonata stated with a grin. “I’ve touched that bag a million times before, both physically and with my magic. As has Ace’s butler, his mane stylist, his accountant, his personal trainer, his masseuse, his last several marefriends… and even his mother when she packed his lunches,” she recited, eyes closed and smiling in amusement.

“His mother packed his lunches?” Phoenix blinked in disbelief. “Just how old was he?”

“Twenty-five,” Sonata answered after a brief pause, causing jaws to drop open throughout the courtroom.

I’m… just going to pretend she didn’t answer that, Phoenix decided, doing his best not to facepalm.

“The point, Mister Wright, is that there were many other ponies who touched his bag other than me,” Sonata continued. Abruptly, her expression turned angry again, ears laying flat and eyes narrowing. “And in any event, I wanted Rainbow Dash to pay for killing Ace, so I purposely left the pictures behind in the bag to make sure she would be incriminated… even if I couldn’t be the one to accuse her,” she finished with a smile, her ears rising again. “On that basis, it worked perfectly.”

Phoenix watched her expression change, thinking he still couldn’t get a handle on her thought processes and how she seemed to run hot and cold. Angry one moment, smug and joking the next. You’d think she was on drugs or something… “So why did you feel the need to put it out?” Phoenix asked next, crossing his arms again. “You don’t exactly strike me as the environmentally conscious type!”

“Drawing attention to the scene was my main concern,” Sonata replied. “If someone were to see the fire, it would attract other ponies. If there was a police or weather patrol pegasus flying overhead at just the wrong moment, for example, their eyes would be drawn to the fire and they could spot me quickly. But it seems it didn’t matter in the long run, as I was found out anyway.”

Ace fell to the ground after he was struck down by the lightning, landing on the golf club neck-first and breaking it, burning his neck in the process. That’s how the burn scar got there.

“You’re saying he fell on the golf club?” Phoenix prompted, letting a disbelieving note enter his voice.

“I heard a metallic ringing sound and saw an eruption of sparks as he hit the ground. So I guess so.” She turned away and closed her eyes again.

Trixie’s eyes narrowed in turn as she did so, making Phoenix think she had indeed picked up on Sonata’s tell herself. “And that’s how the burn got there?” she asked, almost warily.

“Yes. As soon as Ms. Dash vacated the area, I hurried to the flaming area and tried to save Ace, yanking him out of the fire but… he was al-already dead.” She looked down and her lip quivered for a moment, her voice going shaky. “He was lying on top of the club, which I then removed and placed in the dirt area so I could put out the fire.”

That would mean the body WASN’T hurtled by the lightning and Sonata was the one who moved both the stick and Ace to where Gilda found them! Phoenix realized with a look at Twilight, who, he noticed, kept glancing up at the gallery doors waiting for Spike and Applejack to return. They should have been back by now. But at the rate we’re rolling back Sonata’s lies, it’s possible we won’t need whatever’s in that book. And speaking of lies… He managed to keep the grin off his face.

I moved the body aside and stick into the dirt pile to let it cool without burning anything else, and then put out the fire myself.

Phoenix’s sudden shout caused Sonata to flinch. “Sorry, Sonata, but your explanation doesn’t add up!” He pointed at her as he spoke.

Sonata actually looked perturbed. “W-why not?” she stammered, her eyes going wide and fearful for a moment.

“You said the golf club was red hot when Ace hit it?” he reminded her, pulling the ruined metal rod back out.

“Which given its current state, you should be able to plainly see,” she replied, regaining her composure.

“I agree. It certainly looks like it was, as it’s now seared and warped beyond all recognition,” he noted as he rubbed the shaft with his thumb, watching small pieces of charred and warped metal flake off. “But that’s just it! If Ace was really lying in the fire and against a red-hot golf club, there’d be a lot more of his body—to say nothing of his racesuit—burnt than one small spot on the back of his neck!” he observed, causing gasps from the gallery.

“Oh my! You are correct, Mister Wright!” The Judge’s eyes went wide.

“Again with the pointless nitpicks," An impatient Trixie broke in. "Stop trying to turn molehills into mountains, Mister Wrong!” she ordered him, blue eyes glowing and a chill breeze blowing again as her agitation increased.

“This is no molehill, Trixie! A lot of things don’t line up with these events if we take this into consideration!” Phoenix immediately fired back, watching as ponies began to retreat from Trixie’s presence in the first two gallery rows above her, visibly shivering. “If the victim was really lying in that fire as the witness asserts, then his burns should be far worse given how fast exposed flesh burns when in contact with red-hot metal! But instead, all we have is one small burn mark on the back of his neck!”

Trixie was quick with her comeback. “Exposed flesh does burn quickly in the presence of red-hot metal, Mister Wrong—the key word being exposed. A lightning-proof racesuit has multiple protective enchantments on it and is also quite fire-resistant—it would have to be in order to be worn in a volcano race!” she pointed out. “If it can withstand lava spatters, it would take considerably longer than a few seconds lying against a heated metal rod to hurt it, let alone its wearer… except where the back of his neck was exposed!”

Phoenix was stunned. I thought I had her! he mentally protested, but Trixie had shot him down yet again. “Was he wearing this suit in the volcano race?” he tried.

“Yes, he was,” Sonata piped up, shooting a grateful look at Trixie.

Phoenix frowned. “I thought that suit was standard issue for the Equestrian 500! So why was he using it for another race?”

“For other racers, it is. But Ace had his own racesuit—a full wardrobe of them, in fact,” Sonata replied, starting to look more relaxed as she sensed Phoenix’s cross-examination faltering. “You’re allowed to wear your own suit as long as it meets race standards. He wore that particular one for the Ifrit Volcano Race.”

“Can you prove it?” Phoenix challenged weakly, groping frantically for a new line of attack. Dammit—I was all ready to use the neck burn to prove Ace was still alive after the lightning hit!

“There were many pictures of Ace taken both before and after the race, Mister Wrong,” Trixie spoke up, her eye glow abating. “So yes. In fact, Trixie herself noticed the Equestria Daily’s sports section ran a full-color picture of him crossing the finish line the next day, his suit none the worse for wear despite the high heat and burning embers he encountered. So, Miss Eye-Butt’s explanation in fact does work, as long as she moved him away from the golf club quickly enough… and she said she did!”

“This court agrees with the prosecution. Objection overruled!” The Judge proclaimed with a sharp rap of his gavel. “Move on, Mister Wright.”

Phoenix felt the case starting to slip away from him once more, realizing that without the still-absent book, he was out of evidence and down to the last piece of testimony again. If I don’t find something here…

Realizing there was nothing I could do for Ace except make sure his murderer was caught, I ran away from the crime scene but returned later when I realized I forgot to take the golf club.

“Why run away? Why not just teleport out?” Phoenix pressed her. “Why did you wait twenty minutes to leave the scene?”

She looked nervous and frightened for a moment. “I… wasn’t exactly thinking clearly after what had just… after what I’d just witnessed,” she corrected herself mid-sentence, leaving Phoenix wondering what she was about to say. “All I could think of at that moment was to hide.”

“So you put out the fire and moved Ace’s body, then hid, then came back for the stick, then teleported out, and all that took twenty minutes?” he recited. “That’s ridiculous!”

“Come now, Mister Wrong. She’d just seen her client and coltfriend killed. Would you be thinking rationally after that?” Trixie asked, the smile back on her face as she sensed herself gaining the upper hoof again, the cold air around her starting to recede as she sensed victory and her emotions began to still.

“He wasn’t my…” Sonata mumbled, far more subdued.

“She apparently was thinking rationally, given she had enough cognizance to put out the fire and tried repeatedly to cover her tracks!” Phoenix pointed out.

“Out of self-preservation, Mister Wright—because after witnessing your client kill Ace, I was afraid she might come after me if she found out I was involved with the blackmail scheme as well.” Sonata perked up again, addressing Phoenix and suppressing her turned-away tell before turning her attention to The Judge.

“Your Honor—you called me in here because you wanted to know how the stick got out of the woods. Now you know. As this cross-examination is ended, I submit I have answered all questions to your satisfaction, and all the loose ends in the case, as you put them, are now tied up.”

“Hmmm…” The Judge thought, closing his eyes. “She is correct, Mister Wright. She is neither a pegasus nor an elemental unicorn, and as such, I see no way she could have killed the victim. Further, I see no motive for her to do so.”

“But she had opportunity, Your Honor!” Phoenix proclaimed. “That plus her repeated lies alone should warrant additional investigation! And I can give a motive as well!”

“So can Trixie—perhaps she wanted that fire ruby for herself so she wouldn’t be such a weak and sorry excuse for a unicorn. See how easy and meaningless that is, Mister Wrong?” Trixie piped up, taking a simultaneous slap at Sonata and Phoenix. “But motive and opportunity is useless without means, Your Honor—and the witness has none. Mister Wrong has no alternate theory of the crime because he knows full well there is no way Miss Eye-Butt could have killed him—she couldn’t have used the cloud and there’s no spell she could cast that would electrocute him. Therefore, she cannot be the murderer, and Rainbow Trash is guilty!”

“The prosecution is correct, Mister Wright,” The Judge concurred. “The case for murder rests on a stool of three legs—motive, meeting, and means. I will not withdraw my verdict against your client and order additional investigation of the witness without all three, and thus far… even assuming you can give a valid motive, you currently have only two,” he noted. “So now I ask directly: do you have a plausible theory of how the witness could have killed the victim via electrocution?”

Phoenix felt a trickle of sweat running down the side of his neck as he sensed his case teetering on the brink once more. “We’re working on one…” he offered weakly with a glance at Twilight, who was biting her lip and casting repeated glances up into the gallery, as if trying to will her friend and scribe to appear.

Applejack, Spike, where ARE you? We need that book NOW! she pleaded with her thoughts.

“Mister Wrong can work on one all night if we let him. But there’s no point, Your Honor!” Trixie tried to cut off his last faint thread of hope again. “Trixie has said this before, and she will say it one final time: there is no way the witness could have electrocuted the victim!”

“And that being the case, may we please end this interminable trial, Your Honor?” Sonata requested, starting to relax as well. “I will gladly submit myself to arrest and prosecution on blackmail charges, if it means dispelling this murder accusation… and seeing those two put away!” she said, her eyes going equal parts angry and hopeful as they shifted from Trixie to Phoenix.

“I am inclined to agree with the witness and prosecution, Mister Wright,” The Judge announced. “You have established Ms. Sonata’s presence at the scene, and her complicity in a blackmail scheme involving the victim. But you have not provided any evidence of her involvement in the murder, or a theory as to how she could have killed him.”

“But there are still major inconsistencies in her testimony!” Phoenix pointed out. “Her actions after the murder make no sense, and her explanation about him burning himself by falling on the stick doesn’t wash!”

“Just more minor nitpicks,” Trixie waved him off, a fine mist of ice crystals surrounding her, glittering under the courtroom lights. “She was in a state of shock after seeing her lover killed and her actions may seem odd for it. She’s understandably shaky on the details, but the gist of her testimony is well-supported by the evidence, Your Honor!” the showmare insisted, Sonata visibly wincing at the renewed assertion about her and Ace.

“This court concurs, Mister Wright,” The Judge nodded in agreement, causing Phoenix’s guts to clench. “You have uncovered much—far more than I would ever have imagined possible over the simple question of the stick. But in the end, though she is guilty of blackmail and evidence tampering, there is nothing here to suggest the witness murdered her own client,” he pronounced, as if passing sentence a second time.

“And thus, we finally come to the end. This is such a glorious day for Trixie!” the showmare announced, closing her eyes and putting a hoof to her chest, exhaling a puff of frosty air happily. “Trixie has finally exacted her revenge on Twilight Snarkle… had a dangerous criminal banished… and put the eye-butt bimbo in her proper place! Can you say hat trick?” she asked, her wizard hat coming off her head in a poof of magic, reappearing upside-down in front of her with a rabbit poking its head out.

“Your Honor, please! I beg the court’s indulgence, as several unanswered questions remain!” Phoenix stalled. Dammit, where the buck’s that BOOK? He found himself automatically using the equine invective in his thoughts.

The Judge shook his head. “Unanswered questions are no longer enough, Mister Wright. We already answered the major one, and caught a blackmailer in the process. Unless you can produce an evidence-supported theory as to how the witness killed the victim here and now, this trial is over!” he promised, raising his gavel to end the proceedings for the final time… and seal Rainbow Dash’s fate.

Before he could bring it down, Twilight’s horn flared to life and there was a sudden puff of green smoke and dragonfire in front of her, much as Phoenix had seen Spike vent before. Abruptly, a large blue book materialized out of the flames, falling with a loud THUMP! to the table in front of a startled Twilight, his earlier note to her slipped inside and seemingly bookmarking a page.

Sonata’s eyes widened fractionally as she recognized the book.

“Mister Wright? What is—?” The Judge began to ask, but Phoenix cut him off.

“A moment, Your Honor!” he pleaded, mentally begging Twilight to hurry as she quickly scanned and then returned him the note, which contained a new annotation by a pony he didn’t know saying the marked page matched the one in his photograph.

Thank you, whoever you are! he silently acknowledged their unknown benefactor, holding his breath while Twilight hurriedly studied the spell.

Abruptly, she gasped and turned to him, her smile broad and eyes aglow. We’ve GOT her, Phoenix! he heard her thoughts clearly.

Phoenix grinned back, taking her look for the invitation it was. “Your Honor! New evidence has been brought to the defense’s attention…!”

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on September 9, 2018.

Part 52 - Checkmate

Ponyville Courthouse
Courtroom No. 2
June 11th, 1:24 PM

“Your Honor! New evidence has just been brought to the defense’s attention!” Phoenix announced with a clear and authoritative voice.

“New evidence?” The Judge asked in a very dubious tone, visibly annoyed at having the final adjournment postponed yet again. “This had better be good, Mister Wright! These proceedings have gone on long enough and I am in no mood for further stalling tactics!”

“I promise it is, Your Honor!” he quickly responded, though he didn’t actually know that for sure except for the elated look Twilight had given him. “Twilight?” Phoenix prompted, knowing there wasn’t enough time for her to explain things to him so he could make the argument himself—it was now entirely up to her. “The floor is yours.”

“Right,” she acknowledged, carefully gathering herself before she stepped forward. “Your Honor: the book that was just delivered to me is a library copy of the very same spellbook Phoe—I-I mean, Mister Wright found in the witness’s hotel room,” she began, lifting it in her aura for everyone to see. “Advanced Incantations, Enchantments and Alchemy for the Above-Average Apprentice. I had my scribe retrieve this book from the Golden Oaks Library because we believe it holds the answer as to how the witness could have—”

Twilight abruptly trailed off as they heard the sound of the gallery doors opening, staring in sudden shock up into the stands where several ponies had just entered. Phoenix followed her eyes and saw a hatless and rather huffy-looking Applejack preceded by a large and striking white unicorn stallion with a striped blue mane and shield cutie mark, dressed in a brown bailiff’s uniform and carrying a visibly weak and gasping Spike on his back.

Twilight stared at the pair fixedly, her expression a mixture of surprise, concern and confusion; Phoenix wasn’t sure but thought he noticed the unfamiliar stallion give her a slight nod as he let Spike down, where he was quickly swept up in a surprised Rarity’s aura to be tended by her and Fluttershy.

“My apologies for the interruption, Your Honor. There was a minor security issue out front, now dealt with,” the stallion said with another glance at Twilight, speaking in a commanding tone that seemed to belie the low rank insignia on the shoulders of his brown bailiff’s uniform. “I just wanted Miss Sparkle to know her scribe and friend were safe,” he said as he floated Applejack’s Stetson from out in the hallway back to her. The country mare snatched it out of his aura and put it back on her head with an annoyed look before returning to her seat.

“I see…” The Judge replied, though it was clear he really didn’t. “Thank you, then,” he acknowledged as with a parting look at Twilight, the white unicorn stallion turned on his heels and departed. “You were saying, Miss Sparkle…?”

Twilight didn’t immediately reply, still staring after the stallion as he left. She seemed more interested in him then the apparently-injured Spike, leaving Phoenix wondering who he was and why Twilight was so intent on him. Does she know him? “Twilight?” he prompted, giving her shoulders a brief shake when she didn’t immediately respond. “The Judge is waiting?”

“Oh!” She snapped out of her reverie, shaking her head sharply and trying to force herself to focus. “M-my apologies, Your Honor; I was… concerned for my scribe.”

“Of course,” The Judge acknowledged, much more deferential to her than he normally was to Phoenix. “If you are ready, then… please continue,” he invited.

“Thank you, Your Honor,” she said quickly, but still looked troubled. “As I was saying… we retrieved the library copy of the witness’s spellbook because we believe there is a spell within she could have used to kill the victim.”

“Oh, please.” Trixie didn’t hide her disdain. “Trixie has read that book as well and there’s nothing in there capable of killing. So you’re going to use a spell that can’t kill and that you can’t even prove she knows as the basis of your theory, Twilight Snarkle?” she all but sneered, leaning over the rail to glare at Twilight.

“We can prove she knows at least one spell!” Phoenix spoke up. “You may recall, Your Honor, that one of the pages in Sonata’s spellbook was marked with a hornwritten note,” he pointed out, turning to Twilight, who read his unspoken instruction to project the picture of that page into the middle of the courtroom pit.

“’Continue from here, third line’,” The Judge read, squinting at the hologram-like image. “Very well. But what does this mean?”

“This note is in the witness’s hornwriting,” Phoenix replied immediately, bringing out the blackmail letter and list of names; Twilight swiftly projected images of them as well into the middle of the courtroom for comparison. “It proves the witness studied this particular page and spell! If the prosecution insists, we can have the writing analyzed to see if it matches… but there’s no real need for that, is there Sonata?” he asked with a knowing grin, crossing his arms and staring at the grey mare who was again standing rigid, visibly sweating under the courtroom lights; Phoenix had the distinct impression she was acting not unlike a mouse holding very still in hopes a circling eagle would not see her.

Trixie rolled her eyes. “And this is relevant because…?”

Twilight wasted no more time. “Because the spell in question… is an electrical stun spell!” she announced to an immediate upsurge in conversation from the gallery. “One designed to quickly incapacitate an assailant via electric shock, even one much bigger or stronger than you!”

Sonata stood stock-still while Trixie gave a mocking laugh. “So what, Snarkle? You said it yourself—it’s a stun spell, not a lethal one! You know as well as Trixie does that spell cannot kill!”

“Yes, under normal circumstances. But…” Twilight’s gears were visibly turning. “There is evidence the witness cast an overpowered incantation recently and hurt herself trying,” she suggested, her brow furrowing.

“There is?” Phoenix blinked, mentally reviewing their evidence. Wait… Sonata had trouble levitating me last night! Is that what Twilight’s talking about?

“Yes.” Twilight gave him a brief but distracted nod. “The witness has an injured horn. I can tell by the weakness of her aura.”

Trixie’s lip tightened, as did Sonata’s. “She’s a weakling to begin with, Snarkle,” Trixie grated out, though Phoenix could tell she sensed where Twilight was going and was genuinely worried about it. “That she has such a feeble magical field is hardly a surprise.”

“You know the feel of an injured aura as well as me, Trixie,” Twilight replied, visibly groping for an answer as she went; Phoenix couldn’t help but feel a moment of pride as she watched her attempt to ‘wing it’ much like him. “And you also know that kind of injury can be caused by a magical surge!”

“I’m sorry. A ‘magical surge’?” The Judge prompted before Phoenix could.

“Yes, Your Honor,” Twilight said, turning back to him. “It’s the magical equivalent of adrenaline. It can happen when a unicorn is under severe emotional or physical duress, and can greatly, if only briefly, boost their power,” she explained.

Phoenix considered that. “So it’s like a mother summoning the strength to lift a ton in order to save her trapped child…” he drew the analogy as he scratched his chin.

Twilight nodded again. “Exactly! But it often comes at a high cost,” she continued. “When you massively overcharge a spell like that and channel more magic than your horn can manage, the horn often cracks and magically cripples the caster for the next several days.”

“And this is what happened here?” Phoenix asked Twilight to clarify, excited at the new information.

Twilight hesitated before answering. “It could be,” she spoke slowly and qualified her words carefully. “Putting too much power into an electrical stun spell could cause injury to the horn. And perhaps make it do more than just stun.” She sounded uncertain.

Something clicked inside of Phoenix’s head. “And would having your horn cracked like that hurt?” he asked, taking his pondering pose.

Twilight visibly winced at the question, as did Rarity and many of the other unicorns in the gallery. “In a word—yes. The horn is very sensitive and the pain of a fracture intense. All your magic goes into healing the horn at that point, and you can’t cast anything more than weak spells for a few days. In fact, they usually prescribe powerful painkillers for such an injury—” She gasped in sudden realization. “Phoenix!” she whispered urgently. “Those pills she gave you?”

“Do you have evidence to support this theory?” The Judge asked on cue.

Phoenix nodded, having thought of them at the same time Twilight did. “We do, Your Honor!” He went for his inner jacket pocket and pulled out… a small, old-fashioned pill bottle. “This is a heavy prescription painkiller given to me by the witness yesterday when she saw I had a headache. The writing on the front indicates it was in fact prescribed to her the morning after the murder, two days earlier!”

The Judge gaped at him. “Mister Wright! Are you saying you took a prescription medication without knowing what it was?”

It was all Phoenix could do not to facepalm. Way to completely miss the point, Your Honor! “I did, Your Honor. And regretted it,” he acknowledged, wondering again if Sonata had deliberately given him those pills to affect his judgment, hoping it would make him more likely to go into the Everfree alone.

Wouldn’t put it past her. And if so, that means she blackmailed Cruise into doing her dirty work! “Regardless of that fact, this is the kind of medication you’d be given if you have an injured horn. We can summon the prescribing doctor to testify as to her condition. But is that really necessary, Sonata?” he asked in a triumphant tone, hands on his hips again.

“Very well, Mister Wright. It’s mine,” she grudgingly admitted. Twilight sensed another psyche-lock break as she spoke; its underlying emotion was… denial? she recognized in surprise. Only four more to go!

“In point of fact, I did suffer an unfocused magic surge. But only afterwards, when I was informed by the police of Ace’s death,” Sonata explained without turning away, giving Phoenix pause when he realized from the lack of her tell she wasn’t lying.

“The police can corroborate this,” Trixie spoke up. “The officers that visited her witnessed the surge and had to take her to the hospital afterwards.”

Phoenix was confused. “But you already knew he’d been killed. Why would being told about it later cause a magical surge?”

“Extreme emotional upset can cause a surge as well,” Twilight noted, reflecting she’d nearly had one of her own when she discovered that Cruise had attacked Phoenix—and probably would have had she been at full power. Lucky for him I was as drained as I was!

“Dorky bangs is correct, Mister Wrong. Miss Eye-Butt probably deluded herself into thinking it had all been a dream, but then learned it wasn’t when the police arrived,” she guessed with a smirk. Her words caused Sonata to look away in some pain, suggesting to Phoenix the showmare had hit uncomfortably close to the mark.

“Perhaps,” Twilight conceded, so intent on her thoughts she let the slight pass. “But unfocused emotional surges don’t generally do that kind of damage to a healthy horn. They do, however, often exacerbate an existing injury, compounding it several times,” she remembered, starting to speak with more confidence. “That makes it possible—in fact, I would even say likely—that she was already injured by then!” she concluded, causing Trixie’s smirk to drop.

“I see.” Phoenix nodded his gratitude at her, impressed at how readily she’d been able to come up with a workable theory on the fly. “Your Honor—I submit that with this new information about the stun spell, an injured horn, and a possible magical surge, we now have a working theory as to how the witness might have killed the victim. As such, I further submit that the basis of a murder case is now met, and respectfully request the withdrawal of your guilty verdict pending further investigation of the scene and witness!”

“NO!” Trixie all but shouted, her eyes glowing bright blue and a snow cloud materializing out of the air around her, flakes swirling through the courtroom with a sudden, biting wind. “That spell cannot KILL!”she yelled as she slammed her hoof down hard. As she did so there was a flash and sharp CRACK! as a small lightning bolt left the cloud and hit the floor beside her, causing everypony to take a step back.

Phoenix flinched as well. That was no illusion—Sonata was right! She really IS a weather elemental!

Okay, she’s REALLY starting to lose it! Twilight sensed the mare magician’s power surging along with every other unicorn in the courtroom, mentally reviewing defensive counter-spells and anti-ice enchantments if they were needed.

“Ms. Trixie!” The Judge shouted. “This is your last warning! Either contain your magic, or be removed from this courtroom and immediately escorted to jail on contempt charges!” he threatened, though the bailiffs that would be asked to carry out such an order looked none too happy about the prospect.

“Settle down, Trixie,” Twilight added her own order calmly. Or face ME! Was the unspoken threat as she added some fiery eye glow for effect, reminding her rival of the elemental power she wielded.

It worked; there was a flash of fear in the showmare’s eyes, and with great and visible effort, she forced her emotion-driven energies back to bay. “My… apologies, Your Honor,” she grated out, though it looked increasingly to Phoenix like she wanted to cut loose, and very badly. “I am simply making the point that the spell in question, like every other one in that book, is non-lethal. It is a defensive spell used to stun an attacker. Most police unicorns are in fact taught it, as are the unicorn bailiffs here in the courtroom now,” she said with a nod at the nearest one, who was staring back at her in wariness and a measure of fear.

“Is the prosecution correct? Do you know this spell?” The Judge turned to the unicorn bailiff standing guard to his right.

“We do,” the uniformed mare confirmed, looking uncomfortable and nervous, suddenly wondering if even the courtroom’s magic suppression field was going to do any good if the mare magician completely lost control. “We know a more powerful variant of it, yes; one that’s useful for crowd control and taking down stronger species like minotaurs. But even for ours, the prosecution is correct—the parameters of the spell are such that it cannot kill,” she added, causing Trixie to smile and Sonata to relax slightly.

“What parameters are those?” Phoenix wanted to know.

“Typically, a spell operates on intent, acting in accordance with its purpose and the will of the user,” Twilight answered automatically, now fully in her element. “But spells like these have built-in limits that cannot be exceeded—they’re designed to key off their target, using only as much power as necessary to do their job. Meaning, that even if you cast it with intent to kill, it wouldn’t. In fact, since that would violate the spell’s purpose, it wouldn’t work at all in that case.”

“Exactly!” Trixie said in satisfaction.

“But what if ‘doing their job’ meant killing?” Phoenix suggested. “This is a pegasus we’re talking about. Naturally resistant to lightning, and therefore to electricity—what if the only amount of electricity that could have stopped him was also enough to kill him?” he wondered aloud with a hand on his chin, causing Twilight’s brow to furrow thoughtfully again.

“That’s fine with Trixie,” the showmare spoke up with a smile, looking more under control though there was still a glitter of ice crystals in the air around her. “If that were the case, you’d have to generate as much power as a lightning bolt in order to overcome his natural pegasus resistance. A power level neither Miss Eye-Butt nor that spell could produce!” she said with certainty.

“Even under a magic surge?” Twilight countered. “I’ve never heard of it happening, but… it is possible that if you were under the influence of one and cast the spell without actual intent to kill, it might be able to do so accidentally…” she trailed off, uncertain if she believed it herself.

The Judge was dubious as well. “Hmmm… can you demonstrate this spell?” he asked the bailiff mare.

“Yes, Your Honor,” she hesitated only briefly before answering. Obeying The Judge’s request, the uniformed unicorn stepped into the middle of the courtroom pit and charged her horn, lowering her head and pointing towards the tiled floor, away from everypony. There was a very sharp electrical TZAAAAAP! sound and a visible blue electric arc came off her horn, hitting the floor in front of her; it left a sharp smell of ozone in the air and a visible burn mark on the tile.

Sonata noticeably flinched at that and so did Phoenix—he’d been hit with a Taser once, and the sound, smell and visual effect of this spell was uncomfortably similar. But even Tasers have been known to kill, if on accident, he noted. It’s not supposed to be able to, but it’s happened if someone had a weak heart or fresh injury. Is Twilight right and could the same thing have happened here? he further wondered, his mind turning. But first…

“Your Honor, look at the burn mark the spell left on the floor!” He pointed to the blackened tile. “That spell could very easily account for the burn mark on the back of the victim’s neck!”

“Oh my! You’re right!” The Judge’s eyes went wide, standing up behind his bench to get a closer look.

“You’re saying she hit him with the spell from behind?” Trixie asked incredulously. “That she ambushed him like a coward, Mister Wrong?”

“I did no such thing!” Sonata said vehemently, sounding genuinely offended and turning to glare at Phoenix.

“She didn’t, Mister Wrong,” Trixie immediately supported her. “Trixie can personally vouch for the fact that Miss Eye-Butt is many things—blackmailer and bimbo foremost among them—but she is categorically not a coward.”

“You can’t just dismiss this! There are simply too many coincidences and unanswered questions, Trixie!” Phoenix insisted, pointing a finger directly at the showmare. “We have a witness who tried to cover her tracks and has lied repeatedly! An electrocuted victim and a bookmarked electrical stun spell! An injured horn that could be the result of overcharging it! A neck burn to the victim that could have been caused by it! A large time window where the witness was alone in the forest! Actions by the witness after the victim’s death that make no sense unless she was trying to cover up for a murder!” he ticked off the list. “Your Honor, I once again submit that there is now sufficient cause to withdraw your verdict and investigate the witness!”

“NO!” Trixie shouted again, unable to restrain a sudden burst of snow.

“Both of you, BE SILENT!” The Judge ordered with uncharacteristic force; surprised, they did so while he closed his eyes and considered the situation.

The entire courtroom held its collective breath as they awaited his decision; in the gallery, Rarity was clutching a still-weak Spike hard, her lip trembling while Applejack was embracing a nervous and frightened Fluttershy who seemingly couldn’t look, holding her close and whispering reassurance.

It was nearly a minute before The Judge spoke again. “Very well, Mister Wright. You and your co-counsel have presented a potentially plausible alternate theory of the crime; one that bears closer examination,” he conceded in an exasperated tone, clearly unhappy at having to continue the trial yet again, but he knew his duty.

“However, I cannot accept these assertions on your word alone. I’ll grant a lunch recess for the police to obtain the witness’s copy of the book from her hotel room, and then take Miss Sparkle’s earlier suggestion to send the page in question off to Canterlot to have the spell’s identity confirmed,” he announced, causing Sonata to cringe. “I will further instruct that the police conduct analysis on the handwritten—er, hornwritten note to determine if it in fact belongs to the witness, and to verify with the hospital both her condition and that the prescription was in fact issued to her,” he itemized, reaching for the warrant sheet he’d started writing earlier.

“All links in your logic chain must be verified before I decide to withdraw my verdict, Mister Wright. Court will recess for ninety minutes!” The Judge announced with a sharp rap of his gavel, wanting food, an aspirin and a very stiff drink.

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom No. 2
Defense Waiting Area
June 11th, 2:28 PM

Twilight and Phoenix sat in silence, alone in the waiting area except for each other, the two pegasus sentries, and their own thoughts. Rainbow was not there; they’d taken her—and Sonata—back into holding for the duration of the recess. Even Trixie had disappeared, they were told, going back to the police station for reasons yet unknown.

Upon adjournment, Twilight immediately left, explaining she had “to check on Spike and find… somepony,” she told Phoenix a little cryptically, only to reappear fifteen minutes later, having apparently failed to do so.

Lunch was offered the pair by a sympathetic bailiff, but neither could eat, their insides churning as they awaited the results of the police investigation. This is what they don’t tell you about in law school—the point where things have passed out of your hands and there’s nothing left but waiting. Endless, interminable waiting… Phoenix reflected about forty minutes into the recess, giving Twilight a glance. He had noticed she was unable to sit or lay still, shifting positions constantly, her nervous tail twitching betraying the anxiety she was feeling.

“Hey. It’ll be okay,” he told her, taking a chance and resting his hand on the back of her neck. “We’ve come this far. We’re not going to fail now, I promise.”

She gave him a brave and grateful smile; whether due to his touch or her anxiety over the case, he could feel her trembling under his hand. So powerful and yet so vulnerable. Afraid not for herself, but for her friend, he reflected, hesitating for just a moment before gently pulling her closer. He heard her breath catch briefly before she gave in, collapsing against his side and laying her head on his shoulder. The two pegasus guards stared at them a moment before he gave them a challenging look back, daring them to say something; they glanced at each other before resuming their impassive façade.

And there they stayed, Phoenix sitting on the couch and Twilight curled up beside him. “Ph-Phoenix?” she called out at some length, her voice unsteady.

“Yes?”

She gathered herself carefully, giving Phoenix the impression she was trying to work up the nerve to say something. “Whatever happens… th-thank you. For everything.” She nuzzled him in the side. “The princess was right about you. I was a foal to think I could have done this alone.”

Don’t thank me yet, Phoenix didn’t say, not about to show her any doubt or weakness. She’s counting on me. Have to be strong for her. “Hey, I couldn’t have done this without you, either,” he reminded her back, giving her shoulder a squeeze. “Or without Fluttershy. Or Pinkie Pie. Or Rarity. Or Applejack. Or Spike,” he recited. “Each one of your friends played a role here—even Rainbow Dash herself gave me crucial information and pointed me in the right direction yesterday. Coming together to help each other and accomplishing more than any one of you—or me—could have done individually: isn’t that what your ‘magic of friendship’ is all about?”

She smiled at that, her eyes glistening, already thinking of the lessons she could draw from this whole ordeal and what she would eventually tell the princess in her next friendship report. But what lessons can I draw from HIM? she wondered, keenly aware of his presence and the hand resting against her shoulder and neck, no longer fighting what she was feeling for him. He’s so selfless for a stallion. The only other one I’ve ever known like that is… my brother, she reflected, wondering again why Shining Armor was there and apparently undercover as a bailiff.

When she’d checked on Spike, she’d started to ask about her stallion sibling but had stopped when her scribe made a halting gesture, immediately passing her a note from Shining Armor himself. In it, he didn’t say why he was there but promised to speak with her later, asking her not to give him away to her friends or Phoenix in the meantime. “It is,” she agreed, turning her head to look up at him.

“Still… after I lied to you and abandoned you and, well, threw you to the timberwolves… you didn’t have to, and nopony would have blamed you if you didn’t. Thank you,” she said again, laying out beside him and resting her head on his leg much like Pinkie had the day before.

Phoenix nodded, though he still had the distinct impression she was trying to say something else. “You’re welcome. And I thank you, Twilight,” he told her back, gently scratching between her ears; her eyes widened in surprise at how good it felt. He grinned at that. “You brought me to a wonderful new world and gave me the chance to help right a great wrong. I wish you gave me a little more warning, but in all honesty, I think I like it here now,” he couldn’t help but chuckle, remembering how he couldn’t wait to get home at first.

“And I… like you being here.” She blushed, unable to say more but having to say as much. His response was to smile and stroke her silken mane.

They stayed put and said nothing more for the remaining half-hour of wait.

Ponyville Courthouse
Courtroom No. 2
June 11th, 3:35 PM

Court reconvened on time.

Scarcely anypony had left the gallery since the trial recessed, Phoenix noticed as he re-entered; the ponies present apparently afraid to leave their seats for fear they wouldn’t get them back. The foursome of Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy and Spike hadn’t moved either, the baby dragon looking like he’d recovered from his ordeal. And very happily being doted on by Rarity as a reward for his efforts, Twilight couldn’t help but note with a grin.

Trixie seemed calmer and happier as well, Phoenix noticed, sitting almost serenely behind her bench, not a trace of cold air around her as she cleaned up the waterlogged site with her magic. Phoenix caught her eye and she gave him a brief, but chilling smile.

She knows something, he instinctively sensed, certain she was once again waiting to spring some new piece of evidence or information on him. No. Not this time, Trixie! Phoenix silently swore. Whatever you have, I promise I’ll beat it!

The entire gallery held its breath as court was called to order at exactly the ninety-minute mark, watching as an orange-furred pegasus bailiff with a royal blue mane and a shield-and-lightning cutie mark entered the pit, giving Twilight a brief, almost appraising glance as he did so.

“Your Honor: the Ponyville Police served the search warrant and succeeded in obtaining the spellbook from the witness’s hotel room. Upon analysis, it was found to contain the marked page with the hornwritten note seen in the defense photograph,” he announced, causing Sonata to cringe.

“The hornwriting of the note was further matched to the witness based on samples of her writing found when she signed the hotel ledger, and the spell on the marked page of the book was indeed an electrical stun spell, as confirmed by the headmistress of the Celestial Magic Academy in Canterlot.

“We also confirmed with the prescribing doctor that Ms. Sonata was prescribed the painkiller for a hairline crack of her horn, possibly but not definitively suffered when she was informed of the victim’s death,” he finished, passing copies of the reports and sworn statements to The Judge and two attorneys; Phoenix noticed the orange pegasus gave Twilight a second glance as he passed by, causing her to blush slightly and Phoenix to feel an odd pang of jealousy.

Twilight had barely started to flush under his scrutiny when she suddenly sensed two more of Sonata’s psyche-locks break; the stallion’s attention swiftly forgotten as she reeled from the emotional anguish they contained. Guilt! Just HORRIBLE levels of guilt! she cringed, wondering what in the name of her mentor had happened in the woods that Sonata was so ashamed of.

“Hmmm…” The Judge scanned the reports quickly, and then closed his eyes, deep in thought; Phoenix and Twilight held their breath yet again as they awaited his ruling. “Then the underlying basis of the defense theory is verified. Meaning there is the distinct possibility that Ms. Sonata not only knew that spell, but used it recently,” he conceded somewhat reluctantly, sensing what he was going to have to do. “It would seem, therefore… that I have no choice.”

“Indeed, Your Honor,” Phoenix nodded, feeling himself relax slightly. “I respectfully submit that the stool of three legs you spoke of earlier now exists—we have established opportunity and a possible means of murder. And if this court wishes, I am prepared to present evidence of a motive as well.”

Before The Judge could reply, Phoenix heard a slow clapping sound like mocking applause; he looked across the courtroom pit to see Trixie giving him a triumphant look as she clopped her hooves together.

“Very impressive, Mister Wrong. But also completely futile!” she announced with a gleeful grin. “As it happens, Trixie had her own additional analysis done over the recess, regarding the burn mark on the back of the victim’s neck,” she announced with her hoof on her chest and nose in the air, her haughty pose telling everypony in the courtroom she was once again certain of victory.

“I see. And what did you find?” The Judge asked.

“That the burn pattern perfectly matched the head of the golf club!” she proclaimed in a tone that said she was putting the long-awaited final nail in the coffin of the case, passing out fresh reports with an attached picture in her aura to The Judge and Phoenix.

She then projected the image for all to see, a picture of the cleaned-up and reassembled golf club colored red along its inside edge to demonstrate what part had hit the victim—the inside of the wide V the shaft and head formed, Phoenix immediately noted—and then adding a second image to show the same-shaped burn area marked in red on an autopsy photo of the back of Ace’s neck for comparison.

“The upshot is that the burn was therefore not caused by a stun spell as Mister Wrong suggests, and the witness’s last testimony is corroborated—it was the golf club that burned him, when he fell onto it! In other words, you lose, Mister Wrong! This trial is over!TRIXIE WINS!!!!!” she proclaimed again with a fresh display of magical fireworks.

Phoenix ignored her and studied the forensic report that had just been passed to him, his brow furrowed in concentration. As he scanned it, he slowly broke out in a huge grin. And then, to the astonishment of all present, he began to laugh as an entire day of tension finally started to ebb from him, garnering worried looks from Twilight and Rainbow along with incredulous ones from Trixie and Sonata.

“Mister… Wright?” The Judge stared at him, certain his fellow human had finally cracked under the pressure of the case.

With effort, Phoenix composed himself, shaking his head in amazement. “You know what, Your Honor? The prosecution is right. It’s over,” he said as he stopped laughing but still retained his smile, putting his hands on his hips and raising his eyes to meet Trixie’s. “I thank you for this timely analysis, Trixie…” He paused to savor the moment. “You just proved my client innocent of murder!”

For the first time all trial, he had the pleasure of catching the mare magician completely off guard. “Wh-what?” her jaw dropped open while beside him, Twilight and Rainbow looked at him in equal surprise, barely daring to hope.

“Mister Wright?” The Judge was equally confused. “Were you not listening? She just proved the golf club—and not the stun spell as you theorized—was indeed what burned the victim!”

“Indeed she did, Your Honor,” Phoenix agreed with a nod. “But she also proved that it could not have happened as the witness said. In fact…” he said with a glance at Twilight that told her THIS IS IT!

Phoenix slammed his hands down hard. “What the prosecution’s evidence shows… is that the victim was in fact ALIVE after the first bolt came down!”

“What are you talking about, Wrong?” Trixie gaped at him. “We’ve already established that the first bolt is the only thing that could have killed him! Not the second bolt! And certainly not some overpowered stun spell!”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Trixie! I believe I now know exactly what happened based on a certain piece of evidence!” he pointed across the courtroom pit.

“E-Evidence?” Sonata stammered, her eyes uncharacteristically flustered and frightened.

Phoenix nodded. “What this new analysis makes clear is that there was in fact a struggle of some kind…”

Trixie gave out a heavy and very angry sigh that emerged as a puff of cold air. “Again, this is the most foalish foalery of your foalish foal brain in that foalish spiky foal head of yours! This was a clearly premeditated murder by Rainbow Trash! It is already established that she prepositioned a cloud and fired it at him! And your assertion makes no sense anyway—just how could Eye-Butt have had a struggle with the lightning, Mister Wrong?” the mare magician asked derisively.

Phoenix blinked. Is Franziska in the house? he suddenly wondered, half-expecting he was about to feel the familiar and painful lash of her whip. “I think the lightning and the idea of premeditation have been one big red herring all along,” he replied with a shake of his head. “I blame myself for this, actually. We got so focused on them that we never stopped to consider what else—or who else—may have been to blame. We never stopped to consider that what happened that night might not have been a premeditated murder, but a desperate act of self-defense.” He shook his head ruefully, suddenly seeing in part how Sonata had evaded his questioning of her the previous day.

I assumed premeditation and questioned her on that basis, and she was able to truthfully poke holes in that theory, pointing out all the ways she would have done it differently if she’d actually MEANT to kill him, he only then realized, kicking himself anew for allowing himself to fall into that mental trap. But that still doesn’t explain how she evaded the Magatama!

“Self-defense? What do you mean, Mister Wright?” The Judge broke into his thoughts.

“What I mean is, the prosecution’s evidence shows there was a struggle between the victim and witness,” he emphasized with a glance at Sonata, who couldn’t quite suppress her flinch. “What I mean is, she didn’t plan or mean to kill him. She did so while fighting for her life!”

“What?” Trixie went agape while Sonata looked away.

“On what basis do you suggest the victim did this, Mister Wright?” The Judge asked.

“Let’s review what we now know, Your Honor,” he said, picking up several pieces of evidence and testimony transcript sheets, including Trixie’s latest report, “starting with the burn mark on the back of the victim’s neck. By the prosecution’s analysis, the golf club head is the only thing that could have done it.”

“But the club was clearly heated to near-melting after it got hit by lightning while lying on the ground, Your Honor!” Trixie countered. “How else could the victim have been burned but by falling on it as it lay there?”

“I have no doubt the club was what burned the victim, Your Honor,” Phoenix acknowledged before The Judge could comment. “But this new analysis contradicts a critical part of the witness’s earlier testimony!”

“Explain!” Trixie ordered, cold air starting to seep onto the floor around him again.

Wish I’d brought my wool socks! Phoenix suddenly rued as he felt his legs start to chill. “I now believe the witness when she says the golf club was snapped in two when it made contact with the back of the victim’s neck. But I believe she has it backwards: he didn’t hit the golf club, but rather, the golf club was used to hit him—that somepony struck him with it and it broke in two over the back of his neck!” he asserted, causing Sonata to flinch yet again. “And I think we all know who that somepony is!”

Trixie stared at him like he’d gone mad, not noticing Sonata’s reaction. “Are you actually suggesting she hit him with it?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying!” Phoenix replied, slamming his hands down on his bench.

As ice crystals appeared again in the air around her, Trixie closed her eyes, trying once more to control her surging magic. “You just keep getting dumber and dumber, you know that, Wrong?” she said through gritted teeth, willing the cold air to disperse. “You have no evidence of that! None! Zero! Zilch! Nada!”

Phoenix crossed his arms, giving her a knowing grin. “If you truly believe that, then answer one simple question, Trixie…” He paused for effect. “How would the golf club have been lying on the ground?”

The showmare gave him an incredulous look. “What kind of question is that, Wrong? It would have been lying on its side, of cour—” She abruptly gasped and gaped.

“EXACTLY!” Phoenix said triumphantly, his hands on his hips. “Then the burn pattern should have matched the side of the club head and shaft, not the top and front!” he explained, tapping the different points on the club head in turn, causing a echoing gasp of understanding from both Twilight and many other ponies in the gallery.

“In fact, the only way the victim could receive that burn pattern was if he was hit over the neck with it!” he proclaimed, pointing at Trixie. “And in turn, the only way that could have happened was if the victim was still standing! Alive and unharmed after the lightning strike!”

Twilight stared at him in wide-eyed amazement while Trixie was visibly shocked at how deftly the human lawyer had turned her own evidence back on her. “But… but… that can’t be right!” the mare magician insisted, her mind grasping frantically for an alternate theory.

“Then maybe you can explain how he got the burn mark, when it’s now clear it couldn’t have happened the way she said?” he challenged, hands on his hips. “Remember, he had to have received it while in the Everfree based on the picture of him entering it with his neck unburned!” he reminded her.

The snow and ice around Trixie suddenly wavered hard as she looked away nervously, genuine fear and doubt in her eyes now. “I-I… um…” she stammered before turning angry again. “Ugh!”

“Uh… couldn’t the defendant have used the stick to hit him herself?” The Judge suggested. “I just can’t see why his manager would assault him like this.”

“Ha!” Trixie grabbed the offered lifeline. “He’s right! Rainbow Trash could have easily hit him with it! They had those pictures of her, after all!” she said with her hoof on her chest.

You know, it’s really pathetic when you have to get bailed out by THE JUDGE! Phoenix nearly facepalmed. “Sorry, Trixie. But Rainbow Dash could not have done that!” he quickly countered. “Need I remind you we have witness testimony that she left immediately after the lightning came down?”

“Yeah. According to Gilda,” Trixie sneered. “But her testimony was struck, remember?” The showmare regained a measure of composure, certain she was back on firm ground.

“She is correct, Mister Wright,” The Judge concurred. “We have no authoritative testimony as to where Ms. Dash went after the lightning hit.”

Phoenix considered that carefully. “That’s true. There is a gap of time where Rainbow could have gone back while Gilda was looking for her package and Sonata claims she fled the scene,” he conceded as he scratched his chin. “But I’m not talking about that. I can in fact prove that the only one who could have hit the victim with the golf club… was the WITNESS!”

Sonata was no longer speaking up to defend herself, looking forlorn and downcast like she was awaiting the inevitable.

“What are you talking about?” The showmare demanded to know, sparing her former schoolmate a nervous look.

“You of all ponies should know why, Trixie!” Phoenix couldn’t resist a little dig, though he saw her eyes narrow and felt the air around him drop several degrees in temperature again.

“But how could the witness be the only one?” The Judge asked, increasingly bewildered by the rapid turn of events.

“By simple process of elimination, Your Honor!” Phoenix replied, going for the inside of his suit jacket. “I can prove that of all those on the scene that night, the only one that could even possibly have used the golf club to hit the victim… was HER!”

Trixie stared at him in disbelief; even Twilight was giving him a dubious look. “Prove it? How?” the former demanded to know.

“With this!” he brought out a small pink book and held it high.

The entire court and gallery went silent as they recognized the book. “’The Filly’s Guide to Ponies’?” The Judge squinted and read the title in disbelief. “Is this a children’s book?”

“Yes, it is.” Phoenix was struggling to remain nonplussed under the stares everypony in the gallery was giving him, Twilight included.

“I… uh… gave that to you to read,” she began, certain he had not only severely embarrassed himself again, but fatally wounded their case. “Not to, uh… present as evidence.” She gave him a placating smile and as gentle a rebuke as she could.

“Trixie read that one while she was still learning to speak!” the showmare looked angry and annoyed, her eyes glowing blue again. “How dare you present such a childish item as evidence and make a mockery of this court!” She slammed her hoof on the bench front for emphasis.

Phoenix wanted to facepalm again. This coming from Miss Wizard Hat and Wizard Cloak? “Uh, hold on a second! I’m just using this as a visual aid to make my point!” he quickly explained, sensing all the disbelieving reactions.

“This better be good!” The Judge looked ready to serve him a contempt citation on the spot.

“Uh… well…” he took on his goofy grin for a second. “This book, as Your Honor can plainly see, is quite short. It details the different types of ponies in Equestria,” he spoke quickly as he flipped through the pages, asking an embarrassed Twilight to project the page pictures of an earth pony, pegasus and unicorn foal in turn.

Very reluctantly, she did so:

Each picture showed a different type of pony playing while doing something unique to their particular race; the pegasus was flying, the earth pony planting seeds, and the unicorn foal was manipulating toy blocks with her magic, a delighted expression on her face. “It says right here on page three: ‘Unicorns use magic’,” he recited. “And here we see an illustration of a cute little unicorn playing with toys, using her horn to move them.”

The Judge did not lose his scowl. “That unicorns use magic is hardly earthshattering information, Mister Wright! What is the RELEVANCE of this?” he thundered, causing Fluttershy to cower in the stands and Phoenix to gulp, recognizing The Judge’s patience was at an end.

“That only a unicorn could have wielded the club as a weapon, Your Honor!” he spoke quickly. “If that metal golf club was in fact red-hot, then any physical contact with it would have severely burned whoever touched it as well! So that completely rules out Rainbow Dash and Gilda, who would have had to hold it in their mouths, hooves, or talons but would also have been badly burned if they tried!” he explained, relieved to see understanding dawn on The Judge’s face. “And even if they did pick up the stick after it cooled down, it wouldn’t matter! The club wouldn’t be hot any more, and therefore couldn’t burn the victim!”

“N-no!” Trixie exclaimed as his logic struck home and she saw Sonata’s downcast face and increasingly guilty expression, sensing her victory slipping away.

“Or that would be the case if you were anyone, or—” he cleared his throat “—anypony… but a magic-wielding unicorn!” He put his hands on his hips as he knew that finally, he’d found the answer and the key to proving Rainbow Dash innocent. “So I submit, Your Honor, that Sonata was the only one who could have struck the victim with the golf club, simply because of all those at the scene that night, nopony except her could wield it without burning herself!” he asserted, causing equine eyes to go wide in startled realization all around the courtroom, a low murmur of conversation making itself known.

He glanced up in the gallery to see Applejack staring at him in awe and having removed her Stetson in deep respect. She shook her head in wonder while explaining his logic in simpler terms to Fluttershy, whose eyes went wide when she finally got it. Beside them, Rarity and Spike clutched each other hard, sensing the climax of the trial fast approaching while several rows behind them, his gym friends watched raptly, occasionally whispering back and forth, one forming a golf club-like object in his aura and making a swinging motion with it to demonstrate to his friend what Phoenix was saying.

Phoenix took heart from the favor now being shown him, knowing the entire gallery was fully on his side. You’re almost there! Now bring it home, Phoenix! “So that leaves just two questions, Sonata: Why would you strike your long-time client and business partner with the golf club… and how did a spell that shouldn’t have been able to kill him do so?” he wondered aloud. “To tell the truth, I don’t have an authoritative answer for the latter, but I believe I know why you hit him.”

“B-but this is wrong!” Trixie stammered. “She couldn’t have done it; why would she? She was his manager and marefriend!” she insisted, causing Sonata to wince again.

Phoenix couldn’t resist a smirk. “If memory serves, weren’t you the one who said that motive doesn’t matter, Trixie?” he asked her in a mild tone over crossed arms.

Her purple eyes went wide and jaw dropped open. “Y-you…” she sputtered along with snow from the air around her, but couldn’t come up with a good retort.

“But unlike you, I think motive does matter! So I’ll gladly explain what I think her motive for striking him with the golf club was!” He pointed across the pit at Trixie before turning his attention back to the witness stand. “Tell me, Sonata—the reason you hit him… was this, wasn’t it?” He brought out the two pieces of the resignation letter.

“What is this, Mister Wright?” The Judge wanted to know.

“It’s a letter of resignation, addressed to the victim,” Phoenix replied, going on to read it aloud.

Full Resignation Letter

“This is my letter stating my permanent Leave of Absence. After the Equestrian 500 is over, I can no longer work with you. We made quite the team, but I can’t live with the guilt any longer. I can’t keep helping you ruin lives. It saddens me beyond belief that we must part ways, but I must say farewell. Goodbye Ace; may our paths cross in the future.”

“This letter is unsigned. But you wrote this, didn’t you, Sonata?” he asked as the bailiffs made copies for The Judge and Trixie, already knowing the answer and that he could prove it if she denied it. “You were planning on backing out of the blackmail scheme, weren’t you? It says you ‘couldn’t live with the guilt any longer’ and that you were going to end your partnership with Ace after the Equestrian 500,” he summarized. “I’m going to guess you showed this to Ace right after your deal with Rainbow Dash went bad.”

Sonata stood stoically, summoning every last ounce of her resolve to not move or react. No. It’s an act. She’s about ready to crumble! he sensed from long experience. Just one more push… “I don’t imagine Ace was too happy with your decision, was he?” Phoenix suggested, a hush falling over the gallery as they sensed the moment of truth approaching.

“As everypony can see, this letter was torn in half. Half was found by my co-counsel near Fluttershy’s cottage, perhaps blown there by the wind,” he guessed with a nod at Twilight, “while the other half you must have recovered and brought out with you, as I found it in your hotel room. It makes sense, actually—you couldn’t just throw it away; somepony might have found it. So you kept it safe in your hotel room while the police were investigating the crime scene.”

“That’s probably also why you had Cruise Control attack me to recover my evidence,” he suddenly and belatedly realized, briefly putting his hand on his chin. “You were afraid we might have discovered the meaning behind the letter, and it’s also the reason you didn’t have us arrested on the spot. After all, if you had? The police might have confiscated my evidence, including the torn letter, and connected it to you via the missing half. If they found it on or near the crime scene, that would have linked you to the blackmail and the murder.”

“But what’s the motive, Mister Wright?” The Judge broke in. “The letter states she was trying to leave him, not kill him! Why would she kill her partner over this?”

“I don’t believe she intended to kill him, Your Honor,” Phoenix addressed The Judge. “This goes back to what I said about all of us being too fixated on the idea of premeditation, when what happened could be explained by a simple act of self-defense. In point of fact, Ace probably wasn’t happy with Sonata for giving up the ghost on their lucrative blackmail scheme. Based on what I’ve learned about him, I imagine he got angry. Very angry.” He finally voiced the theory he’d been developing during the last recess.

“In fact, I’d imagine for as mad as that would have made him, tearing the letter in two would have been the least he would do…” he further suggested, watching Sonata carefully. The grey mare refused to meet his eyes, now staring fixedly at the floor in front of her, her legs and lip trembling. “He didn’t want to give up the life of a champion racer, and in turn, he didn’t want you revealing him as a fraud and a cheat. And in his mind, when it came down to it? There was only one way to guarantee your silence.”

Sonata’s shoulders were beginning to slump. “Now, as strong as Ace was, I doubt striking him with the Pinkie Iron, even if it was red-hot, would have slowed him down much. And no doubt he’d be even angrier afterwards.” Phoenix followed his logic chain, feeling the final links falling into place like dominoes. “That would explain why you didn’t leave the scene right away. After all, there’s no way you could concentrate enough to teleport when engaged in a fight for your life, is there?” he asked rhetorically.

“Since you were far weaker than Ace physically and were unable to flee, your only possible defense was the stun spell you’d recently studied. I’ve no doubt you used it on him, but that’s as far as my deductions can take me. The exact progression of events after you struck him with the golf club cannot be determined, so the only one who can answer the question of what happened afterwards… is you, Sonata,” he said, a little more gently as he saw her begin to shake. He realized she was now on the verge of a breakdown, wondering what form it would take.

“There’s nobody left to blame for his death but yourself. Rainbow Dash being long gone after the first bolt came down. Gilda searching for her missing package. And Apple Bloom lost and alone in the forest, whom you later brought out with your teleport,” he recited. “If neither they nor the first or second lightning bolts killed him, all that leaves is you... and an overcharged stun spell. Based on what Twilight said about spell parameters and intent, I don’t believe that you meant to kill him. So how did it happen?”

“Intent or no, the spell… can’t… kill!” Trixie continued to insist, appealing frantically to The Judge. “How could she have electrocuted him with it?”

“Actually, I think I know,” a suddenly sad-looking Twilight spoke up, having finally solidified her own theory.

“How?” the showmare demanded to know. “Even a magical surge couldn’t break the spell’s parameters!”

“Not by itself, no,” Twilight agreed. “But they were in a place where the rules can be broken—the Everfree Forest.”

“What do you mean?” Phoenix asked.

“The Everfree Forest is infused with what we call ‘wild magic’,” Twilight answered, speaking loudly enough for the entire court to hear. “It’s very unpredictable and being in the woods, immersed in it, tends to make a unicorn’s spells much stronger, but also much more difficult to control. I’ve seen my own spells go out of control in there when I wasn’t careful, even when I wasn’t under duress.

“But given the situation she was in, if her life was truly being threatened by him? Combine a magical surge with the unpredictable effects of the Everfree, and…” she trailed off, shaking her head in disbelief at not seeing it before. “It becomes possible for a stun spell to kill.”

“I don’t know… this still seems rather far-fetched,” The Judge was unconvinced.

“Far-fetched? Try impossible!” Trixie pleaded, clinging desperately to the tatters of her case.

“Your Honor: As we both know, our own world’s equivalent of this spell—a Taser gun—isn’t supposed to be able to kill either,” Phoenix tried a new analogy. “But we’ve both heard about cases where it did—either due to injury or an otherwise weakened heart. In this case, the victim had head trauma—he’d just been brained with a blazing hot object. Perhaps the combination of that, this ‘wild magic’ my co-counsel speaks of and a massively overpowered stun spell was enough to stop his heart?” he suggested with a glance at Twilight, who nodded.

The Judge looked intrigued at that, stroking his beard as he thought. “Hmmm… you make a good point, Mister Wright,” he conceded. “But how could she have seen well enough in the dark to strike him with it?”

“With her night vision spell still in effect, that wouldn’t have been a problem—she would have the ability to aim it precisely at one of the exposed areas on the racesuit,” Twilight noted before Phoenix could. “It all fits, Your Honor.”

“But… but… you can’t just say she did this! If Ace was really threatening her, why not just run away? Or teleport?” It was now Trixie grasping desperately at straws. “Resorting to violence as a first option is totally illogical!”

So is suggesting she could get away! Phoenix thought. “And how could she have escaped him, Trixie? Teleporting takes time and focus to prepare—neither of which she had if she was under imminent threat. As for running, he was a pegasus and could fly much faster than she could gallop.

“Even if they were both on hoof, it would have made no difference—he was an athlete. He could have caught her easily without even trying, and I doubt they would have just kissed and made up after she hit him judging by the fact we have a dead body,” he pointed out with a hand on his chin, knowing he’d hit the bull’s-eye as Sonata turned away again, this time to hide her apparent shame. “So there’s no way around it, Your Honor. Sonata must have electrocuted him with the stun spell sometime between when the first bolt came down and when Gilda returned to move the body.”

The Judge looked just as dazed as Trixie did. “Ms. Sonata? You’ve been very quiet these past few minutes. What do you have to say to all this?” he finally asked. “Mister Wright’s logic is compelling. Can you offer anything in your own defense?”

The grey mare did not answer right away. She looked up at The Judge, then over to Phoenix, then back down, her eyes going sad and beaten. “It’s amazing… what one little mistake ended up costing me,” she said in a defeated voice.

With that, Twilight sensed the final two psyche-locks shatter, releasing a wave of despair as Sonata’s internal barriers finally came crashing down. The intensity of the emotions staggered Twilight and gave Trixie pause as well; when the phantom chains retracted, Twilight’s mystical vision could clearly sense the gray mare’s tortured, guilt-ridden heart.

Checkmate, Twilight thought, but found herself feeling no elation for it, troubled by the immense sadness and shame she was picking up from the other mare. And now, we’ll finally get the truth…

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on September 9, 2018.

Welcome to the climax, folks! This isn't a bonus chapter, but much of the content is brand-new as we took a different route than the videos to reach it. Hope you've enjoyed the ride!

Thanks as always to Raven for allowing me to write the story while she's unavailable, and to Leo Archon and TheGoldCrow for the pre-read! We're also using the new transparent objection/hold it/take that sprites in this chapter originally pointed out by rcmero.. I like their smaller size and clear background, so I think we'll stick with them.

—Firesight

Part 53 - Fight or Flight

Confession time, folks! Be advised this chapter will push the teen rating a bit in terms of language and threatened violence. It’s not gratuitous, but it’s there. —Firesight

Moonlight Sonata (by Beethoven)

Ponyville Courthouse
Courtroom No. 2
June 11th, 3:57 PM

“It’s amazing what one little mistake ended up costing me,” Sonata said in a defeated voice, her ears drooping as her gaze dropped to the floor.

The Judge rapped his gavel sharply three times to control the sudden upsurge of conversation from the stands. “Ms. Sonata! Are you… confessing?” No matter how many times he saw Phoenix Wright pull off his turnabouts, they were somehow always as unexpected as they were improbable. And this, he reflected, was in many ways the unlikeliest one of all!

“I am, Your Honor,” she confirmed, her defiance gone. “I no longer trust my memories of that night, but I do know that Mister Wright is correct. That the one who killed Ace… was me.” She closed her eyes and bowed her head in shame.

The courtroom erupted in a mixture of surprise and disbelief; none more so than from a speechless Trixie, who was staring at Sonata slack-jawed. In the gallery, Applejack exhaled sharply in relief while Rarity fainted again, Spike and Fluttershy struggling to hold her up and fan her.

Phoenix chanced a glance up towards the gallery and caught Fluttershy’s gaze, feeling his heart warm at the smile she gave him. None of this would have been possible without you, Fluttershy, he told her with his thoughts, resolving to give her another huge hug the first chance he got. My victory and even my life—I owe them both to you! Returning his gaze to Sonata, he let his smile fall as he asked, “So my theory of the crime was correct?”

“It was,” Sonata admitted in great pain, squeezing her eyes tightly shut. “I’ve been hiding from the truth behind a wall of memory suppression spells and painkiller pills, but you forced me to confront it. And now accept it.”

“I’m sorry. ‘Memory suppression spells’?” The Judge prompted before Phoenix could.

“Yes, Your Honor,” Sonata said as she slumped. “It’s an incantation of my own creation, and one I’ve used to escape incrimination in the past. Though in this case, I used it to hide from my own actions. By casting it, I can temporarily purge my memory of certain events and even my knowledge of the spell itself. My memories are stowed in a specially-treated memory crystal I keep nearby, and then recovered automatically some hours later after the spell wears off.”

“Really? And you came up with that on your own?” Twilight sounded impressed.

“Yes, Miss Sparkle. Though at this point, it’s only a source of shame to me.” Sonata looked anything but proud to Phoenix. “At the point the spell is cast, I remember nothing about the target memories or even casting the spell. That way, I not only appear innocent, but in my heart, I am innocent and thus give no tells or clues. In fact, I cast one yesterday when you entered my hotel room following the attack on you, Mister Wright. As I had ordered that attack, I was afraid of my own reactions giving me away if I remembered doing it.”

Phoenix’s jaw fell open in shock, his eyes widening in realization. So THAT’S how she spoofed the Magatama yesterday! It shows secrets in someone’s heart, but at that point... the secret wasn’t IN her heart! he finally understood. He made a mental note to never trust in his Magatama’s supposed infallibility again, reflecting his over-reliance on it had led him astray for the second time in as many cases. “So you were behind that attack!” he accused as Twilight’s eyes narrowed.

“Yes,” she admitted with no small amount of shame in her voice. “As I was fearful of the extortion racket being revealed by the items you found in my hotel room, I blackmailed Cruise Control into attacking you using means I’d rather not explain. For that, I apologize, Mister Wright, though I know it doesn’t make up for what I did to you. And I apologize to you as well, Miss Sparkle,” she said as she turned to Twilight, seeing the anger in her gaze. “I was under the influence of my own memory spells and painkillers, but it’s no excuse. It’s just one more act I can never live down.”

“You were that worried I’d find you out?” Phoenix asked, feeling oddly flattered.

“Yes,” she confirmed again. “Even under the influence as I was, my powers of observation were not lessened. When I found you in my hotel room yesterday, Mister Wright, the first thing I noticed was your eyes—still filled with fire despite your poor trial performance; there was a resourcefulness and determination in them I have rarely seen in anyone, pony or otherwise, before,” she told him, raising her eyes to meet his.

“I could sense that you were as dedicated a male as I’ve ever met; an attorney who would work tirelessly not just on behalf of his client, but in pursuit of the truth. I have found that the eyes show what somepony is like more than any other part of the body,” she mused, smiling sadly. “They really are the window to the soul.”

“No! No! It wasn’t you! You didn’t do it, you COULDN’T have! It was Rainbow Trash!” Trixie finally shook off her shock and pleaded with her old schoolmate, her violet eyes going equal parts defeated and desperate.

Sonata paid her no mind. “It’s why I wear these glasses, you know. They aren’t correctional. They’re purely cosmetic.” She bowed her head sadly, looking for a moment like she wanted to remove them, raising a forehoof to them only to drop it again. “I feel like they shield me—hide my eyes and my soul. I’ve always been terrified that without them, somepony would see me for the pony I really was. See all my insecurity and weakness.”

“Just like what you were doing to your blackmailing victims,” Phoenix said, his tone turned gentle. She’s broken and ready to confess. At this point, she needs help, not hectoring, to do it.

“Exactly,” Sonata confirmed. “But it didn’t start out that way.”

“Sonata! STOP! You didn’t do it!” Trixie was beginning to shake. “It’s just that drug in your system! Or you’re still in shock from your injury and seeing your coltfriend killed! Don’t confess to something you didn’t DO!”

Sonata flicked her a glance, nothing more. “I suppose my worst weakness is pity. It’s what made me both take Ace on as a client, and later what led me to write up the letter you now hold in your hands, Phoenix Wright.”

“The guilt of what you were doing to those innocent athletes finally caught up to you, didn’t it?” he suggested.

“Yes,” she confirmed, looking away in pain. “As well as for killing Ace. And now, there’s nothing left for it but the truth.”

“Ugh!” Trixie gave a pained sound.

Sonata gathered herself carefully, taking a deep breath before raising her eyes to The Judge’s. “Your Honor: I respectfully request the assistance of the defense co-counsel in casting a memory playback and projection spell,” she told him, all pretense of defiance gone. “Even if my horn wasn’t cracked, I don’t have the ability to cast it myself.”

Phoenix immediately looked at Twilight, who seemed surprised—and a little discomfited—by the request. “Why not just testify?” he asked in return.

“Because if I just tell you what really happened, nopony will believe me. Not after all the lies and cover-up. And not after trying to attack you or frame your client, Mister Wright,” she explained as she shook her head sadly. “Showing you the events of that night through my own eyes is the only way to prove her innocent, and my confession to be true.”

“Very well, then. Miss Sparkle?” The Judge turned to Twilight. “Can you fulfill Ms. Sonata’s request?”

Twilight visibly hesitated, glancing up at Phoenix. “Yes, Your Honor, I can. But…”

“But what?” Phoenix prompted when she didn’t immediately finish her sentence, noting she seemed genuinely unnerved by the prospect. Wait a minute—if they’re capable of such spells, why didn’t they just use one on Rainbow to begin with? he suddenly wondered.

Twilight swallowed. “But… she has to let me in. Allow me to access her mind and memories in order to perform the spell.” She turned her eyes to Phoenix. “Poking around in another pony’s head isn’t safe for either of us. In fact, it’s very invasive and dangerous, and its results are notoriously unreliable—that and the prohibition against self-incrimination are why it’s not done routinely in criminal cases,” she explained, anticipating Phoenix’s question. “In fact, it’s hardly ever used in a legal proceeding.”

Phoenix felt a moment of trepidation. “What makes it so dangerous?”

Twilight bit her lip nervously at the question. “There are many reasons, but in simple terms… even a non-magical mind tends to strongly and reflexively resist such intrusions, fighting back against them. Even for a disciplined and willing mind, there’s great risk—by going into her head to replay her memories, I’ll be experiencing exactly what she did. That’s dangerous enough, but if she fights me or panics while I’m in there, she’ll end up hurting or even hospitalizing us both.”

“I won’t fight you,” Sonata promised. “I have no fight left.”

“If you won’t fight, then I will!” Trixie announced, finally rousting herself from her dumbstruck stupor. “Your Honor, the prosecution does not consent to a confession extracted in such a manner! Memory playbacks can be magically manipulated and are thus inadmissible as a matter of law!”

“Perhaps. But they can be requested by a witness and used as supporting evidence to back that witness’s accounting of events, if the presiding judge consents,” Sonata countered, her legal mind re-engaging. “I am making such a request now, Your Honor, and I will formally waive my right against self-incrimination to do so. I make this request in support of—not in place of—a regular confession, which I will be happy to give as well.”

“Hmmm…” The Judge considered her words carefully, stroking his beard as he thought. “What do you think, Mister Wright?”

Phoenix scratched his chin, intrigued yet greatly troubled by the prospect. “It almost sounds like this world’s equivalent of a lie detector test, Your Honor,” he drew the only analogy he could think of. “And you know the rules governing that.”

“Indeed,” The Judge nodded gravely. “Lie detectors are generally not admissible as evidence in our world because their results are considered unreliable. It has been shown repeatedly they can be fooled both by skilled criminals and by traumatized minds.”

“Exactly! And the same holds true here as well!” Trixie spoke up. “A skilled unicorn can spoof the spell to project false memories, and there have even been documented cases of traumatized unicorns involuntarily rewriting their memories! And thus, memory playback spells are almost never admissible as evidence!”

“She’s right, Your Honor,” Twilight confirmed. “By Equestrian law, memory magic is not considered authoritative as testimony or evidence, as both the extraction spell and the memories themselves are far from infallible. Doubly so if she’s already been casting memory alteration spells on herself repeatedly, which can have lingering and unpredictable effects.”

“And there you have it, Your Honor!” Trixie pounced. “In point of fact, even if Eye-Butt here hasn’t already accidentally or intentionally modified her true memories, Twilight Snarkle could very easily rewrite them while in her head to present a false version of events!”

Twilight looked up sharply, appearing to Phoenix both aghast and greatly offended by the suggestion. “You know perfectly well I can’t alter her memories on the fly, Trixie! Externally-performed memory manipulation spells are only known by psychiatrists and only done in severe cases of post-traumatic stress disorder! Their use is as a very rare last resort, requiring weeks to prepare and hours to perform!

“But even if I had that time and preparation, I certainly couldn’t do it without her consent! It doesn’t matter how powerful I am; if I tried to do it against her will, I’d end up putting us both in a coma!” she snapped back, an edge to her voice. “And if things go wrong, I may anyway…” she added just loud enough for Phoenix to hear.

“Oh, so I’m supposed to take you at your word that you wouldn’t doctor the projected images to save your friend? I don’t think so!” Trixie hissed, leaning over the rail to glare at Twilight. “I don’t trust either of you! If it must be done, Trixie will perform the spell!”

“No, you will not. Because I don’t trust you, Lula.” Some of Sonata’s old attitude resurfaced. “As flattered as I am to be called a ‘skilled unicorn’, there’s too much bad blood between us and I’m not about to let you in my head. I will allow Miss Sparkle to perform this spell and nopony else.” She closed her eyes and turned away again, but this time she was facing away from Trixie and towards Phoenix and Twilight. “You may monitor the spell if you wish, Lula, but you may not take part in it.”

Phoenix was disturbed by the mere fact they were even discussing such topics. That’s how powerful their magic is? They could even invade minds and modify memories? He couldn’t help but shiver.

“Hmmm…” The Judge seemed troubled as well. “I do not pretend to understand such subjects, but the prosecution does make a valid point, Miss Sparkle. We would have no way to confirm but your own word the veracity of what we see.”

“And mine as well, Your Honor,” Sonata spoke up. “I would remind this court that I am confessing and simply seek this playback for supporting evidence. At a minimum, Ms. Lulamoon and the unicorn bailiffs can magically monitor the spell and tell if Miss Sparkle and myself are casting anything other than the telepathy and memory projection incantations this requires,” she offered, and then, to everypony’s surprise, broke out in a small grin. “Unless, of course, The Great and Powerful Trixie fears that both myself and Miss Sparkle could fool her?”

To the surprise of nopony, the appeal to the showmare’s pride worked. “Can Twilight Snarkle and an eye-butt bimbo put a fast one over Trixie? HA!” She worked up some haughtiness. “Trixie will monitor and know instantly if they are!”

“I see.” The Judge stroked his beard again. “If all parties are in agreement, then…”

“A moment, Your Honor. Twilight?” Phoenix spoke up, now genuinely worried for her, putting a hand on her shoulders. “If it’s too dangerous, you don’t have to do this!”

Twilight held still for a moment, taking what strength she could from his touch. “No, Phoenix. For Rainbow’s sake, I have to,” she answered, turning her eyes to his.

“Twilight, NO!” Rainbow called out from the defendant’s box. “Listen to Nix and don’t do this for me! You’ve already done enough and she’s confessing! That’s all I want or need!”

“Twilight, nopony will think less of you if you decline this. We can get a regular confession,” Phoenix tried again, squeezing the back of her neck as he sensed her beginning to waver.

“Please, Egghead,” Rainbow added, looking genuinely fearful. “Enough ponies have been hurt already by this! I don’t want you hurt, too!”

“I cannot force you to do this, Miss Sparkle. I cannot guarantee my memories are accurate. And I cannot guarantee that you—or I—will not end up hurt by it,” Sonata admitted, looking away for a moment before raising her eyes back to meet Twilight’s. “I am only asking this for the sake of your friend… and myself. I want—and I need—the events of that night to be known.”

Twilight hesitated, badly torn, looking from Sonata to Phoenix to Rainbow… and then up to her friends in the gallery. A barely-recovered Rarity was biting her lip nervously while Spike caught Twilight’s eyes and shook his head at her sharply, a fearful expression on his face. Fluttershy was equally afraid, cowering in Applejack’s protective embrace; Twilight could all but hear her plea not to do it while the country mare whispered reassurance in her ear.

Lastly, her eyes locked with Applejack’s, who, alone among her friends, gave her a brief nod in sharp contrast to her worried look. She… she’s telling me to DO it! Twilight’s eyes narrowed to pinpoints at the realization. For the Element of Honesty… and for the sake of the truth…

Phoenix watched as she closed her eyes, set her jaw firm and made her decision. “I’ll do it,” she announced, causing his heart to sink. “It’s like Sonata says—if I don’t show everypony what happened directly, there’ll always be those who don’t accept the real version of events and will still believe Rainbow did it,” she pronounced with finality, stepping out from behind the bench into the middle of the courtroom pit.

“For Rainbow Dash and for the simple cause of justice done, I’m ending this here and now—with the truth!” She raised her voice so everypony in the courtroom could hear, causing her friends in the gallery to look down in dismay. They embraced each other in fear and worry; Twilight saw Applejack close her eyes tightly, as if in prayer that she hadn’t made a terrible mistake.

Phoenix nodded reluctantly; recognizing once more the strength of her bonds to her friends, and that there was no point in trying to stop her. You want to know what Loyalty is, Rainbow? It’s what Twilight is doing for you RIGHT NOW! he told her with his thoughts, sparing a silent prayer for Twilight to Mia and whatever Gods were listening.

The court held its collective breath as Twilight stopped in front of Sonata, facing her from five feet away in the middle of the courtroom pit. “Listen to me carefully, Sonata. For this to work, you have to relax and not fight me,” she instructed the other mare, speaking slowly. “I assume you know the spellbook’s standard telepathy spell. Cast it first with me as its target, and then when I enter your mind, cast your playback spell. If you need extra magic, you can draw on mine. Then, when the memories start flowing, I’ll cast my own spell to project them into the courtroom pit.”

“I understand,” Sonata nodded, lowering her head and charging her horn, which glowed with a weak silver-white aura. “I’m ready.”

Twilight nodded and ignited her own horn. “Then here we go…” she announced, closing her eyes to concentrate. The two auras met and merged, causing both mares to give a brief, shuddering gasp as contact was made.

They both fell silent for several seconds to deepen the link; Phoenix could see a shared tendril of magic between them, the color midway between Sonata’s silver aura and Twilight’s violet one. The tendril was in turn encapsulated by Trixie’s light blue aura; the showmare’s eyes closed in concentration along with the unicorn bailiffs as they magically monitored the pair. A few seconds later, a second wave of pure purple aura came off of Twilight’s horn, manifesting the projection magic she’d already used repeatedly. Phoenix watched as this time, a scene materialized over the center of the courtroom pit, showing the nighttime forest clearing between tree branches and leaves, and a single shadowed figure visible in the near distance.

“That night, Ace and I arranged for Rainbow Dash to meet us in the forest to discuss the terms of her withdrawing from the race.” Sonata and Twilight spoke disconcertingly as one, in their own voices but using the exact same tone and cadence. “What you are seeing is the events of that night as recalled through my own senses…” they announced and then fell silent, letting the sights and sounds of the scene speak for them.

If it had been surreal to Phoenix seeing the previous day’s trial through Twilight’s eyes, watching the night of the murder through Sonata’s magically enhanced senses was even more so.

The night vision spell Sonata was using in her memories somewhat reminded him of looking through a low-light camera back home where everything was tinted green. It wasn’t as good as seeing in daylight, but he—she—could see shapes and shadows just fine; the silhouette of a single pony—a pegasus stallion he guessed was Ace—was clearly visible standing in the center of the clearing. Phoenix could also hear the nighttime animal noises of crickets and owls as Sonata levitated a pocket watch from a small pouch strapped to her flank and checked the time.

It read 8:35 PM.

Everfree Forest
East Clearing
June 8th, 8:35 PM

You’re late, Ms. Dash, was my first thought as I checked the time on my old pocketwatch, a keepsake from my father. Then again, you’re the Element of Loyalty, not punctuality! I couldn’t help but note, trying to force a moment of humor as the wait dragged on several minutes, causing my insides to churn more than usual. The letter was in my pouch, but I still hadn’t been able to get up the nerve to give it to Ace, dreading the moment I did.

He’s not going to be happy, I knew, and not for the first time I considered just leaving town and mailing it to him. No. He deserves better than that!

A minute before 8:40, I heard the familiar whisper of wings that marked the descent of a pegasus. There she is! I spotted the distinctive cerulean mare as she descended from Luna’s crisp night sky into the clearing, my night vision spell good enough to pick up her multicolored mane and the scowl on her face. I just hope Ace sticks to the script and doesn’t try to taunt her or push her buttons. Ms. Dash has shown herself to be quite volatile and those pictures I took of her yesterday were likely enough to light her already short fuse!

I watched as the young mare landed not far from Ace and stalked up to her stallion counterpart, facing him down from six feet away. You’ve got guts, Ms. Dash, I conceded. But unless I miss my guess—and I never do—you’ll still surrender!

“Time for negotiations!” Ace announced in the jovial tone he seemed to reserve for when he was dictating the terms of surrender to our victims. He looked exactly as he was—a large yellow pegasus stallion dressed in a sleek blue racesuit that accented his powerful form quite well, though his fur and features were almost completely hidden by the skintight outfit and flight goggles over his eyes he used to hide his identity. He certainly cut a dashing—to say nothing of intimidating—figure, and he knew how to use it to great effect.

Rainbow Dash, however, was unimpressed. “Forget it! I’m not doing it!” she proclaimed while she pawed at the ground angrily; her wings flared and head lowered, completely unintimidated by Ace. That in itself was hardly surprising; my analysis of her had clearly shown she had a cocksure attitude and didn’t back down to anypony, mare or stallion. The only thing she cares about more than her friends is her image. And thus, the only way to make her do what you want is by threatening it!

“Do it… or else!” Ace ordered in a more annoyed tone, bringing out a familiar picture envelope and waving it at her. “You don’t want your little hobby revealed… do you, Rainbow Dash?” he asked; I winced at the mocking leer in his voice.

Ace? Please don’t tease her… I silently begged him. It won’t end well.

The young mare hesitated at the sight of the envelope, but only for a moment; I watched as her face screwed up into a sneer. “I don’t care about that,” she said to Ace, glancing up repeatedly. “Besides, I’ve got a better idea!” Her eyes went strangely mischievous.

I frowned, not sure where she was looking—I could tell she was up to something but didn’t yet know what.

She showed her teeth when she grinned and suddenly kicked off the ground, taking flight into the air above the clearing, hovering almost directly over Ace. As my eyes followed her, I realized there was something behind her. Putting a little more power into my night vision spell, the faint outline of the cloud above the clearing became visible. Wait—that’s a storm cloud!

“Wh-what?” Ace exclaimed, equal parts worried and confused as he craned his neck to see the other pegasus, his wings flaring like he was ready to take flight himself.

“Enjoy the parting GIFT!” Rainbow called out before he could do so and suddenly kicked out backwards from her hover, contacting the cloud. There was a blinding flash and massive crash of thunder that made Ace—and me—flinch backwards in surprise and fear. My heart suddenly thudding in my chest, I reflexively took cover behind a tree, the slightly jagged path the bolt had taken seared into my vision along with a silhouette of Ace beside it, leaping backwards in surprise and fright.

Everyone in the courtroom clearly saw that Ace was not struck by the bolt that hit eight feet in front of him.

In Sonata’s projected vision, there was a comically girlish squeal of surprise and fear from Ace as he cowered for a moment like a frightened foal. Phoenix and everypony else in the courtroom automatically blinked to try to clear the spots from their vision, only to quickly realize they only existed in Sonata’s projected memories, not in their own eyes.

Phoenix glanced over at Rainbow to see she was wearing a very pleased expression as she saw the events of that night replayed from a different angle. Well, for the record, she was right—Ace’s reaction WAS priceless! Phoenix conceded, allowing himself a small grin as he turned his attention back to the magical display.

“Smell you later, sucker!” A very triumphant-sounding Rainbow mocked Ace before zooming off in a barely-visible rainbow trail, leaving Ace behind, his still-cringing form now clearly lit up by both my night vision spell and the quickly-spreading fire the lightning bolt had started in the dry grass of the forest clearing; a very-hot and brightly-glowing metal rod in its center that appeared to have attracted the strike.

“Ace!” I called out after Rainbow had gone, stepping out from my hiding spot into the clearing, still trying to blink the spots away. “Are you okay?”

He gave me an angry look to cover up his shaking. “I thought you said she would do it, Sonata!” Ace accused, picking himself back up off the ground and looking back between me and the fire.

“I-I just don’t know what went wrong!” I protested in a flustered tone—I was wrong about her? But I’m NEVER wrong about somepony!

“N-never mind! Just put out that fire with your magic before somepony sees it!” he ordered, making no effort to fight the flames himself.

I shot him an incredulous look. “I-I can’t! I don’t know any spell for that! Can’t you make that cloud rain?” I suggested, nodding towards it.

Ace looked at me like I was insane. “I’m not a weather pony! And even if I was, it’d leave my hoofmarks on it! They’d know I was here!”

“Then use your bag to smother it!” I told him more urgently, using my magic to clear a small circle around the fire of loose twigs and leaves, trying to deprive it of fuel, moving the red-hot rod to a bare batch of dirt away from the flames.

Between our combined efforts, the fire was mostly out a minute later, leaving us standing around the still-smoldering circle, only a few weak embers and the slowly-cooling metal rod—what the hay was a golf club doing out here?—still glowing. “I think that’ll do it,” I said, adding an illumination spell to my night vision one, keeping it dim so as not to give us away to any passing pegasi.

Ace’s head was just visible in the low light of my horn, revealing his frowning, worried face; he’d raised his goggles and was now peering out at me from under then. “Oh, this is just perfect! That little upstart is going to ruin everything!” Ace stomped his hoof into the hard ground.

I shook my head. “Don’t worry. She won’t tell—there’s no way she can risk anypony finding out about those pictures!” I told him with certainty, though in truth I no longer felt any. I had miscalculated once; could I do so again?

Ace glared at me, turning his frustration on me. “Then why didn’t she cooperate?” he demanded to know in a petulant voice like a foal that had been told no for the first time in his life.

And that’s the problem, Ace. The only one who’s ever told you no is me, I couldn’t help but think as Ace went on.

“Do you realize we’re sunk if she opens her mouth?”

I had no immediate reply to that, staring into the glowing embers of the fire.

“Well… it could still work out.” Ace turned away, looking in the direction Rainbow had departed; I watched him puff up his chest pridefully, flexing his powerful muscles. “I’ll just have to beat her the old-fashioned way! I’m sure that whole Sonic Rainboom thing was probably exaggerated by the papers… right?” He looked to me for support.

“Yeah,” I answered without any conviction or enthusiasm, knowing in my heart the answer and that the gig was up. Ace can’t beat her. And once he loses, it all comes crashing down around us both…

Ace saw my hesitation and gave me a funny look. “Okay. So what’s with you?” he asked. “You’ve been like that since we arrived in this hick town!”

“Like what?” I managed in an even voice, forcing myself to meet Ace’s probing gaze.

“Like that!” he pointed a hoof at me. “You’ve been avoiding me for days now! And you’re all dodgy and mopey whenever we talk!”

Phoenix watched as Sonata looked at the ground, then back at Ace. He felt his heart start to speed up as he sensed the moment of the murder approaching, recognizing the rough outline it would take.

I swallowed and gathered myself carefully. “There was actually s-something I wanted to tell you after the race was over…” I struggled to clear the cringe from my voice.

Ace gave me an askance look. “Okay. What is it?”

I hesitated only briefly. Deep breaths, Sonata. You can do this, I told myself, further promising it would turn out okay. Just give him the letter and be done with it… I thought as I flared my horn, causing it to glow a bit brighter as I pulled the letter free of my pouch. “I was going to give you this after the race, but…” I paused, staring at the folded letter in front of me. “But perhaps it’s just better if I tell you here and now.”

Ace was now very suspicious, staring at me sideways. “T-tell me what?”

“I’m sorry, but—” I took one final deep breath. “—I can’t help you do this any longer.”

Ace’s jaw dropped open. “What? WHY?”

I had an entire rehearsed speech and yet, the moment finally at hoof, I found myself struggling to remember it. “It’s about these extortion schemes we’ve been running. I think we’ve gone too far!” I managed.

“Too far?” he made a scoffing sound, snorting and tossing his head derisively. “It’s not like anypony is getting hurt!”

I sighed and shook my head sadly. “There are other ways to hurt somepony than physically, Ace,” I told him, looking pointedly away. “We’ve exploited vulnerabilities and weaknesses of innocent athletes, ruining careers and destroying reputations in the process. Even held a racer’s sister hostage and kept lovers apart, all for our own fame and fortune!” I recited, raising my voice for the first time as I began to remember my reasons and rediscover my resolve, standing up straighter before him. “Do you really think nopony is hurt by that?”

To little surprise, Ace was unrepentant. “Oh really? So you think it’s okay for stallions to screw? Or a pony to rut a chicken?” he asked derisively, causing my lips to tighten at hearing the ugly slang term for a griffon. “We’re keeping the race field clean, Sonata! And as for Cruise, he should be thanking me—I saved his sister’s life by getting her into that hospital! It’s not my fault—or yours—he can’t accept that she won’t ever wake up!”

“You don’t know that!” I snapped, a sudden edge to my voice—Cruise’s situation more than anything else had been what finally made me decide we’d gone too far. “And who a pony sleeps with isn’t any of our business, Ace!”

Ace stared at me for a moment. “Whatever. So what exactly are you trying to say here, Sonata?”

I forced myself to meet his gaze again. “What I’m saying is that it’s over, Ace. Either you come clean and tell the truth about how you’ve been winning all this time, or… I quit!” I threatened, trying to keep the quaver from my voice. “I’m sorry. I just can’t do this anymore.”

Despite all the hints I’d been dropping, Ace’s jaw still went slack. “Are you JOKING? You CAN’T quit! I can’t do this without you!” he said in a jilted tone, staring at me in shock and betrayal.

“You did once,” I replied, my tone turning fervent—I’d faced down his anger before and had no doubt I could do so this time as well. “You used to win races fairly, Ace, and you can do it again. Come clean and serve your time, and when you get out, I’ll be there to help you again—but legitimately. No more tricks or blackmail. You’ll have to train and practice like never before, but in time you’ll be a real racing champion, one worthy of admiration!” I suggested to him. “Isn’t that better than winning by cheating?”

“No! I can’t give up this life! I have to be known as the best!” he insisted, turning away and shaking his head violently, visibly aghast at what I was saying. “Th-then you’ll go down with me! If I’m caught you’ll be caught too; you’re just as guilty!” he reminded me, his tone half-threatening, half-pleading.

I can’t say I didn’t expect his response, but I was still disappointed for it. “I’m sorry, Ace. Even if that may be the case and I go to prison for it…” I took a deep breath and floated him the letter.

“Then so be it. I won’t be party to this anymore,” I announced with finality. “Goodbye, Ace. May our paths cross again in the future,” I echoed the last line of my letter sadly, turning to leave.

Ace didn’t immediately move or react, but I felt his eyes on me as I walked away. Even then, though, I still had hope for him. This isn’t the end, Ace. When you lose to Rainbow, you’ll be exposed as a cheat and have no choice but to finally come clean. It’ll be hard and humbling, but maybe it’s only when you lose everything and have to start over that you can be helped and become a better pony. When you’re at your lowest is when I’ll come back to you, and offer my help again—

“NO!” he suddenly shouted in a wounded cry of rage; I heard the sound of the letter being ripped in two behind me. I wasn’t going to turn back, but suddenly Ace landed in front of me, his wings flared and face contorted in fury.

“Ace? Calm down.” I was genuinely alarmed at the level of anger I saw on his features.

“WE CAN’T GO BACK NOW! I WON’T GO TO JAIL AND I WON’T GO BACK TO BEING A NOBODY! I WON’T GIVE UP THIS LIFE FOR YOU OR ANYPONY ELSE, SONATA!” he all but screamed, his ears flat and head lowered.

For the first time, I felt a real moment of fear—I’d seen Ace’s temper before, but never like this! “A-Ace?” I called to him, a trickle of sweat going down the side of my head. He wouldn’t hurt me… would he? I felt a chill go through me at the fact I was even asking that question, and found myself looking around for an escape route, gauging my chances to run.

Ace didn’t give me the chance, beginning to approach me with a lowered head. “YOU’RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE, YOU BLACK-HEARTED BITCH!”

My eyes went wide at the words and at the sheer venom with which they were delivered. “A-Ace? Wh-what are you doing?” I asked as I took a reflexive step backwards, my heart beginning to race, skipping a beat when he bared his teeth at me.

“Don’t you see? You met an unfortunate fate in the forest!” he informed me, slowly advancing on me, forcing me back into the center of the clearing.

My field of vision abruptly narrowed and darkened as my pupils shrunk to pinpoints; suddenly all I could see was Ace’s livid face. “I... wh-what?” my voice was beginning to tremble. This isn’t… he can’t…! He wouldn’t…! We’re FRIENDS!

“It’s true!” he told me, starting to circle me like a predator toying with his prey. “You were scouting the last leg of the race route with me when a ferocious Everfree beast attacked us... and ended your life!”

I stared in him in horror, an icy fear beginning to grip my heart. Oh, Celestia… he… HE MEANS IT! “No! Stop! Don’t come any closer!”

A white-knuckled Phoenix watched as she stumbled repeatedly in her efforts to scramble backwards from him; he swore he could see her vision throbbing with her now-pounding pulse, audible in the background of her hearing. He mentally urged her to run even though he knew it was a recorded memory and he couldn’t change the events to come, further remembering that, just as he’d told Trixie, even if she did run, the athletic pegasus stallion would easily catch her.

He watched helplessly as Ace continued toying with her, alternately circling her and taking quick darts over her to approach her from different angles, forcing her to shift rapidly to keep him in front of her, and her horn pointed at him.

Don’t lose sight of him! Don’t let him get behind you! I warned myself repeatedly, knowing if he got the drop on me, it was over—my only defense was my magic, and he could disable me with one hard strike to my horn! But what can I use against him? He’s too strong for me to magically restrain! my thoughts raced. I knew literally hundreds of spells, including several defensive ones, but in the fear and panic of the moment, I couldn’t think of any of them. Why is he doing this? He’s had a temper but I’ve NEVER seen him so wild and violent!

My fevered chain of thought was lost with his next words; my heart going into my stomach as he recited my fate in a sorrowful tone, like a funeral requiem: “Grief-stricken by the loss of my long-time manager and marefriend, I then fell into a depressed state and couldn’t race anymore! Nopony will notice my performance drop, because your untimely and tragic death forced me to retire!”

I could barely hear my own voice over the trip-hammer beating of my heart. “Ace… pl-please!” Can’t get away… no time to teleport… need a weapon… ANY weapon! I cast my gaze about, locking onto the glowing red golf club still visible near the remains of the fire. “D-don’t do this!”

Ace didn’t see where my gaze went. “And why the buck shouldn’t I, Sonata?” he all but growled, coming a little closer now. “You were going to take my life away. So why shouldn’t I take yours?” His grin was toothy and anything but pleasant.

My heart feels like it’s going to burst out of my chest. Can’t run… can’t cast… I’m going to DIE! my gaze darted back and forth between him and the golf club lying in the ashes. My urge was not to fight, but to flee, but here? That was not possible. Defend yourself, Sonata! the voice kept echoing in my head as I looked at it—reminding me that in the case of fight or flight, if there was no flight, than all that was left was to fight! Just keep him talking! “I w-won’t tell!” I pleaded, and meant it, knowing my next action could be the difference between life and death. “I swear! Just let me go!”

He looked almost amused by my begging. “My dear Sonata, I’m so very sorry. But I’m afraid I must ask you for one final favor before I accept your resignation as my manager…” he trailed off in a sweetly polite tone even as he lowered his head and bared his teeth in a snarl. “Your LIFE!”

“NO!” I shrieked. Reason fleeing me and panic seizing me, I picked up the red-hot golf club in my aura and swung it with all the magical force I could muster. It connected hard against the back of his neck with a brief sizzling sound, the head of the club breaking off with a sharp metallic ring from the force of the impact, resulting in an ugly shower of sparks over him.

But to my horror, Ace was only momentarily staggered, shaking his head sharply once and then focusing back on me, the intent in his eyes enough to freeze my heart. “You are so… bucking… DEAD!” he announced, flaring his wings and going into a crouch, like a predator getting ready to pounce and slay his cornered prey.

“I… I…” It was in that moment, when I thought I was about to die, I suddenly saw the pages of the spellbook containing the stun spell, like a whispered suggestion in my mind. I’d studied and practiced it earlier that same day, and now, to save my life, I would call upon it and all the magic I had in me…

Hold NOTHING back! the voice told me, and I did not.

Sonata’s night vision brightened and took new clarity as what Phoenix guessed was the magic surge took hold of her, blue sparks of electricity starting to arc along her horn.

How can I describe a magic surge? I don’t know if I can, really, except to say it heightened both my senses and my power well beyond anything I’d ever experienced before, or even thought possible. To me, time itself seemed to slow down; I could see both Ace leaping at me and the gap in his suit located at the front of his neck with perfect detail. It was like he was only moving in slow motion as I charged the spell, giving me enough time to prepare it… to aim it… and to cast it!

In the projected memory, Sonata fired the overcharged stun spell just as Ace launched himself at her; a massive electric arc like miniature lightning, several times the size and intensity of the one Phoenix had seen earlier from the unicorn bailiff, hit the pegasus stallion mid-flight, connecting dead center on the front of his exposed neck.

There was a sharp electrical sizzling sound as Ace’s head snapped back, illuminated by the flash of the stun spell; the force of the electric impact knocking him head over heels as his body convulsed once in midair and then went limp as he fell backwards into the dirt. Sonata was also knocked backwards as if experiencing recoil from a fired gun, falling hard to the ground behind her.

Her vision went blurry and shaky; the only sound that could be heard in the courtroom was of her ragged breathing and half-strangled sobs. Aghast but unable to look away, Phoenix watched as with great effort, Sonata climbed to her hooves, staring down at the fallen stallion.

And then she began to slowly back away, seemingly afraid to turn her back on him. When she had put enough distance between them, she spun and fled into the forest, plunging into the darkness of the woods, her weakened and fading night vision spell allowing her just enough light to see.

It was over.

The surge left me as quickly as it had arrived, leaving my horn hurting and magic momentarily spent. As I picked myself back up and found myself looking down at Ace’s broken body, all I could think of at that moment was one thing:

RUN!!!!!!

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom No. 2
June 11th, 4:13 PM

In the courtroom, Sonata’s aura faded, and Twilight’s projection of her memories along with it. Its sudden absence left only dead silence in the chamber; everypony in the gallery horrified at what they’d just witnessed. In the stands, several mares began sobbing openly, Fluttershy among them; the shy and sensitive mare turning to Applejack for comfort while Rarity could only stare at what she’d just witnessed in shock, holding an equally agape Spike protectively to her. Across the courtroom pit, even Trixie looked stunned and speechless as she withdrew her own aura, her eyes wide and mouth hanging open.

Forced to relive her memories of that night, Sonata looked as unsteady as she had in her memories, a cold sweat covering her; it looked to Phoenix like it was all she could do to stand.

“Ms. Sonata,” The Judge spoke first, a gentler note in his voice. “Can you confirm that what we witnessed was an accurate retelling of events?”

“I… I don’t know,” she replied, her voice audibly trembling. “And that’s the truth, Your Honor. I simply don’t know after all the memory magic I’ve used on myself these past few days. I’ve been in such denial and cast so many suppression spells that my memories can no longer be trusted. Regardless, I th-thank you, Miss Sparkle. I know how hard that was on you.”

“I see. Miss Sparkle?” The Judge addressed Twilight next. “As you had no prior connection to these events, can you vouch for this… recording’s authenticity?” he asked, not certain what else to call it, having no precedents from his many cases he could draw on for accepting such evidence.

“I c-can vouch that what you saw is what she remembers, Your Honor,” an equally shaky Twilight responded. She sat back hard on her haunches, her reeling mind still filled with Sonata’s memories and emotions. She could project the sounds and images, but she couldn’t convey the sheer terror the other mare recalled experiencing during the ordeal—a terror that Twilight had now experienced directly for herself.

“I cannot promise these events happened as you saw, but I can promise I projected her current memories of them accurately. Like I said… I c-couldn’t have modified them even if I w-wanted to,” she further explained, taking several deep, gulping breaths, feeling herself breaking out in a cold sweat of her own. And even if I could, I certainly would have never come up with… THAT!

“I see. And Ms. Trixie?” The Judge called to the other side of the courtroom pit next. “Are you satisfied that the playback spell was performed correctly?”

Trixie’s only answer was to grit her teeth, squeeze her eyes shut and slam her head down on the table, her wizard hat falling off and rolling to the side. Actually, that’s a lot better than I thought she’d take it, Phoenix couldn’t help but think, turning his attention and concern back on Twilight.

“It would seem the answer is yes,” The Judge noted, a little dryly. “Now, for the court record, I must ask you for a more traditional confession, Ms. Sonata. That is, if you feel up to it?” he quickly added, seeing how shaky she still was.

“I d-do,” she promised, slowly steadying herself as Twilight did the same, returning to sit at Phoenix’s side; he rested his hand back on her neck and let her lean against him. “That night in the forest, I slew Ace in self-defense using an electrical stun spell when he refused to accept my resignation and attacked me, promising to… to kill me,” she said numbly.

“Why did you not try to escape?” The Judge asked.

“Because as Mister Wright said, running away was out of the question—even without his wings, he was far faster and lacking sufficient time to focus, I couldn’t possibly teleport under those conditions,” she reminded him. “Thus, I had no choice but to defend myself. My life under threat, I reached out with my magic and took hold of the nearest possible weapon—that red-hot remnant of a golf club—and swung it as hard as I could,” she recounted. “Weakened by the heat, it snapped in two when it hit the back of his neck, leaving a nasty burn, but… h-he shook it off like it was nothing!

“Th-then when he looked at me that last time… well, you kn-know what he was going to do. I dropped the broken pieces of the golf club to the ground and focused the full force of my magic on one final defense—an electrical stun spell still fresh in my mind. I studied it that very day in case we encountered beasts in the Everfree. I just never thought that beast… would be Ace…” she trailed off, her lip quivering.

“And at that point, you had no other options but this spell?” The Judge prompted, though Phoenix sensed he was doing it more to buttress her self-defense claim than to try to poke holes in her account. “It was your last resort?”

“It was.” She nodded. “In a situation like that, you don’t have time to think or focus, Your Honor… let alone measure how much power you’re putting into a spell. When I saw him ready to pounce, I panicked and threw everything I had into the stun spell. The result… is what you saw.” Her head slumped and tears welled in her eyes. “I swear I wasn’t trying to kill him, just stop him... but between my panic-triggered power surge and the forest magic, the incantation went out of control. Or maybe Mister Wright was correct in that the only way the spell could stop him was to kill him. But either way…”

She paused and took several deep, shuddering breaths before continuing. “A-after that, what frightened me most wasn’t Ace and his uncontrollable anger, or even the fear of death… but that the forest around me had gone entirely silent. He was lying on the ground in the dirt, unmoving. Afraid he’d wake up, I ran from the clearing as fast as I could,” she recounted. “Miss Sparkle was correct in that my horn received its initial injury from the stun spell, though it was still usable—it was more due to my state of shock and inability to focus that I couldn’t cast any magic just then. All I could think to do was to flee, so I ran away into the darkness of the woods.”

“But you came back, didn’t you?” Phoenix noted. “You had to for the golf club.”

She nodded jerkily. “About ten minutes later, but not specifically for that. When the panic had left me and I realized Ace wasn’t following me, I crept back towards the clearing to see what had happened. Though it was dark and my night vision spell was no longer working, I saw the silhouette of his body lying there in the dirt… lifeless,” her voice dropped to a whisper. “It was only then I realized he was dead… and I had killed him!” She began to cry.

“So why did you try to frame Rainbow Dash?” Phoenix had to ask.

She hesitated before speaking again, looking away in guilt. “I… I wasn’t exactly thinking clearly at that point. I couldn’t accept or face what I had done, so I cast my first memory suppression spell then, blocking all knowledge of Ace’s attack and my own act, including the lead-up to it. So at that point, I only remembered everything up to the lightning strike, and as a consequence… I truly did think Rainbow Dash had done it! I thus tried to arrange the scene so she would be incriminated, even if I couldn’t accuse her,” she explained, leaving Phoenix thinking that between the mental trauma, memory spells and painkiller pills, she likely hadn’t been herself or thinking clearly for several days.

“So to that end, I removed all evidence that I’d been there, including the golf club I had struck him with, and the half of the resignation letter I still had—I couldn’t find the other half. I left the pictures there, however, to establish a potential murder motive for Ms. Dash. With any luck, she would get the blame for the murder, and Ace the blame for the blackmail,” she explained, giving Rainbow an apologetic look.

“Having done all I could and my memory suppression spell still in effect, I went back into the forest trying to calm down and focus enough to teleport back to my hotel room. But as you all know… that young filly bumped into me right as I was casting it. And just as Trixie suggested, it disrupted my casting and corrupted my destination,” she said with a sigh. “Thus, instead of being back in my hotel room, both Apple Bloom and I ended up outside the Everfree, not far from Fluttershy’s cottage. My horn hurting and having spent all my remaining power on the teleport, my magic was exhausted so I just grabbed the now-cool stick in my mouth and ran before Apple Bloom could see me.

“But when a unicorn exhausts their magic, it tires them out physically as well,” she noted, causing Twilight to nod ruefully. “My heart was beating a mile a minute and I couldn’t sustain the pace, I ended up barely managing a trot as I passed Miss Fluttershy’s cottage. I was in such a dazed state I never even noticed her. All I could think of at that point was to get back to my hotel room… and sanctuary.”

“So you disposed of the golf club along the way?” Phoenix guessed, rubbing his chin again, marveling what she’d been through. She may not be certain of her own memories at this point, but they sure ring true to me!

She gave him a pained look. “Not deliberately. When I took a shortcut through the park, I tripped on the bridge and inadvertently dropped it in the stream. I couldn’t see or retrieve it without my magic, so I just left it down there and continued on,” she explained. “If I had been thinking lucidly at that point, I admit I probably would have thought of ways to dispose of the evidence. Burn the letter, bury the club. It was only by coincidence, in this case, that I accidentally did.” She managed a weak chuckle; Phoenix deciding she was telling the truth when she gave no tell.

“And then, once I got to my hotel, I…” she stopped to gather herself, squeezing her eyes tightly shut. “Lula was right that I tried to convince myself it hadn’t happened. That somehow, it had all just been a dream. I collapsed on my bed and fell quickly asleep, though I found no rest—with the suppression spell wearing off, all I did was have endless nightmares about Ace, either killing him, or… what would have happened if I hadn’t!” she shuddered, an audible tremor in her voice.

“I was finally rousted at midnight by the police knocking at my door. It was only when they formally informed me that Ace was dead that I was forced to face the truth—that I really had killed him!” Her lip quivered and eyes teared up for a moment.

“I didn’t lie about crying, Mister Wright. Upon hearing the news, I suffered an emotional breakdown and unfocused magical surge that ruptured my already-injured horn entirely. When I woke up again, I was lying in a hospital bed, my horn swathed in balms and being treated with healing magic and painkillers.”

“But why were you so upset?” Phoenix had to ask. “And why use all these memory erasure spells? You killed him in self-defense and were going to leave him anyway. From what we saw in your own memories, he was anything but a good pony. So why grieve for him like this?”

There was a stunned silence at his question as Sonata raised her haunted eyes to meet his. “Because I killed a stallion, Mister Wright. One I was responsible for. Can you, as a human, truly understand what that means to a mare?” she asked him, an edge to her voice that gave Phoenix pause.

“Because we have so few of them, mares are supposed to keep and protect males. Nurture and defend them at all costs. I was Ace’s manager, not his marefriend… no matter how many times he asked me to be over the years,” she said with a pointed and pained glance at the still-slumped Trixie, who had now clamped her forehooves hard to the sides of her head, trying to cover her ears and shut out the reality of her crumbled case. “But I still cared for him and wanted to help him. In the end, I failed him… as badly as a mare possibly could fail if he ended up dead by my own horn!” She had to stifle a sob.

Phoenix glanced at Twilight, who gave him a very sad and knowing nod. “I felt her guilt when her psyche-locks broke… and again when I was inside her head. She’s not lying,” she told him. “She truly did care for him.”

“I see,” Phoenix acknowledged, his voice subdued. So gender roles are reversed here. That certainly explains why Twilight’s so protective of me!

The Judge nodded slowly. “Very well, then. Though I cannot, given the uncertainties surrounding Ms. Sonata’s account, declare Ms. Dash innocent until the witness confession is validated by additional evidence, I will withdraw my verdict pending that validation. Though I’m afraid that given both the prosecutor and defense attorney are now facing contempt citations, the renewed investigation must be performed by new counsels,” he informed both Trixie and Phoenix.

“But Your Honor—!” Phoenix started to protest, only to be cut off by a sharp shake of The Judge’s head.

“I’m sorry, Mister Wright, but I have already bent the rules enough for both of you and my decision is final. You may at least leave this case knowing you have laid the groundwork for your client’s exoneration, but I regret that given your earlier transgressions against the rules of this court, I cannot allow you to stay to reach it yourself. Are these terms understood?” he asked Phoenix.

They are, Your Honor,” Phoenix acknowledged, feeling very troubled, not just for being yanked off the case but for being unable to shake the nagging feeling that he had missed something important.

“It’s okay, Phoenix. That’ll give me enough time to pass the bar exam and take over the defense myself,” Twilight promised him with a smile. “You got us this far. I promise I’ll complete the investigation and get Rainbow that not guilty verdict!”

“Thanks,” he said, but was still worried that they didn’t have the full truth. But regardless of the uncertainty of her own memories, Sonata’s not lying now. So how could there still be something wrong?

The Judge nodded in return. “I will grant a two-day stay of proceedings for new counsel to be assigned and familiarize themselves with the existing case and evidence. That done, I am now ready to retract my previous verdict and order further investigation of the scene and witness… unless the prosecution objects?” He glanced over to his right, where Trixie was still seated with her head down on her desk and visibly shaking, her forehooves clamped hard on either side of her head, looking to Twilight like she was all but ready to explode.

Uh-oh… Phoenix had the same sense of sudden dread he’d felt just before Rarity had erupted in anger the previous day.

“Ms. Trixie?” The Judge called to her a second time. “Are my terms understood?”

As if in answer, there was a sudden, ominous shaking of the courtroom, like an earthquake. All ponies present sensed a massive magical surge as a chill wind began whipping through the chamber, dark and angry clouds materializing out of the air around the showmare, snow-laden and crackling with ice and electricity. She slowly raised her head to reveal a snarling visage, star-stitched cape whipping in the wind around her, glowing ice-blue eyes filled with pure fury…

And focused directly on Phoenix Wright.

Phoenix felt an icy fear grip him as he saw the look in her eyes and sensed the rage-driven power she was about to unleash. Oh Sugar-Honey-Ice-TEA…!

He had no time to think or duck before the courtroom erupted into an icy maelstrom.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on September 10, 2018.

Thanks to Leo Archon and TheGoldCrow for the pre-read and pointing out a few potential logical flaws, and TheGoldCrow especially for a pair of VERY good suggestions regarding my initial draft--some of what you’ll read in here came from him. And of course, thanks as always to Raven for her indulgence and encouragement... and for giving me the idea of a certain reference you’ll see at the very end. :twilightsmile:

Part 54 - Duel of the Fates

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom No. 2
June 11th, 4:08 PM

Trixie barely felt her head hit the desk when the Judge asked if the memory replay was valid.

She clamped her forehooves hard over her ears, trying to block out Sonata’s formal confession, unable to listen or accept the reality of her defeat.

This is not happening! This is NOT HAPPENING! she told herself over and over again. And through it all, she sensed something primal and powerful welling up from deep within her, a power she’d kept buried for fifteen years out of denial and remembered pain.

She’d sensed it reawakening as the trial had dragged on and the stress and strain added up, her emotions surging and magic along with it. She held it off as long as she could, but it built and battered at her internal barriers until finally… My victory… my precious victory… He STOLE it! He STOLE it from me! was all Trixie could think as she raised her glowing blue eyes to stare at Phoenix in rage and thwarted revenge. And then, inevitably and ultimately…

She snapped.

Her long-suppressed weather power exploded out of her, manifesting itself into a blizzard that filled the chamber, an expression of a lifetime of frustration and pain. Her elemental energies strained against the magical suppression field, which struggled to keep her power contained to just the courtroom, the entire chamber shaking under her onslaught.

Weak and worthless ape… I’ll show him! I’ll show them ALL! she told herself, focusing on Phoenix Wright. “I’ll show you what happens when you cheat the GREAT and POWERFUL TRIXIE!!!!” she screamed at the spellbound and visibly frightened Phoenix Wright.

From the middle of her maelstrom suddenly erupted a pillar of flame, dispersing the snow and driving her icy tempest away. At its center, standing in the middle of the courtroom pit… was Twilight Sparkle, planting herself between Trixie and Phoenix, eyes and horn ominously aglow with her elemental fire.

“Stand down, Trixie,” she ordered calmly, but with a warning note in her voice that Trixie understood only too clearly—you want Phoenix? You go through ME! “You lost. Rainbow’s innocent. Accept it and don’t make this any worse,” she said, lowering her head and intensifying the glow of her eyes as a warning. “Unless you want to have our duel here and now!”

The Judge took advantage of the lull in the sudden storm to bring down his gavel hard. “Ms. Trixie!You have disrupted the proceedings of this court for the last time! Bailiffs! Arrest her at once!” The Judge ordered, a fire in his gaze that could rival Twilight’s. To his surprise, none of the uniformed ponies immediately moved, looking back and forth at each other as if to ask who wanted to go first. Ultimately nopony moved to obey—none of them were about to place themselves between two of the most powerful elemental unicorns in Equestria, now locked in a staredown.

A cold wind started to blow again, and the gallery began to empty as spectators decided it would be best to leave the scene before the pair cut loose, except for four ponies—and one baby dragon—who were trying to push through the throng to reach Phoenix, Fluttershy braving the icy breeze to fly down while Applejack and Rarity leaped down, Spike clinging to Rarity’s neck.

“Guys! Get Nix out of here!” Rainbow Dash called from where she was still bound in the defendant box.

“Will do, but what ’bout you?” Applejack asked over the sound of the wind.

“I’m a pegasus! I can take a little cold! And you can’t get me out of these anyway!” she noted, pulling briefly at her magically-secured restraints. “Go! Now!”

“You heard her! Now come on, Part’ner!” Applejack urged Phoenix, trying to drag him away from the spectacle by his shirt sleeve. “This ain’t yer fight; it’s Twilight’s! She can handle that blowhard!”

“But I can’t leave her!” he insisted, trying to shake off her grasp, part of him realizing there was nothing he could do but another part equally insistent he play the part of a man and be there for her.

“Please, Mister Phoenix, come with us!” Fluttershy urged, using her body and wings to shield him from the wind and ice, trying to gently herd him away.

“You can’t stay, Mister Wright!” Rarity added, affording him what protection her magic could. “I know something of humans, and I know you feel you must, but there is nothing you—or we—can do!”

“Come on, dude!” Spike implored him as well, tugging on his sleeve. “You did great, but this is no place for you!”

“But—” Phoenix protested, wanting to stay at Twilight’s side.

To Twilight’s relief, Trixie seemed to have forgotten Phoenix, the showmare’s attention now fixed solely on her. That’s right, Trixie, focus on me! Twilight mentally urged, hearing the conversation behind her, trying to buy time for other ponies to exit and her friends to hustle Phoenix out. This was never about Rainbow or Phoenix; it was always about me! You wanted to hurt me as you’ve been hurt, and now that you’ve lost, you’re lashing out in rage and pain! she sensed. Fine. I’ll let you batter your head against me until you wear yourself out!

“This isn’t a game, Trixie. You’re not hurting my friends or anypony else,” Twilight warned her, voice almost supernaturally calm despite the surging elemental energies around her, her mane and tail igniting in a visible show of her power as she cast a shield spell around Phoenix and her gathered friends… and Sonata and The Judge for good measure, in case the incensed showmare turned her anger on them before they could escape.

“Friends?” Trixie hissed out the word through a bitter cold breath. “Friends?” she said again in all but a snarl, the blue glow in her eyes intensifying and the wind picking up as her power began building once more.

“I’ll show you how useless FRIENDS are!” the showmare shrieked and turned the full force of her blizzard on Twilight. The rest of the courtroom was consumed by her icy tempest, the sheer force of her wind and aura slamming the doors shut, sealing everyone inside.

Canterlot Young Magician’s Competition
Canterlot Castle
15 years earlier

“Ladies and Gentlecolts! Welcome to the semifinals of Canterlot’s 51st annual Young Magician’s Competition! We’ll be taking a short intermission while we prepare for the semifinal round,” the master of ceremonies announced, causing ten-year old Trixie Lulamoon to gulp. “To the winner goes the coveted Starswirl Best Young Wizard award, and admittance to the Celestia School for Gifted Unicorns!”

“This is it, honey. You’ve made it this far; it’s time to bring it home. Are you ready?” her father asked, laying a hoof on her daughter’s shoulder to straighten her painstakingly hoof-stitched and star-studded purple cape.

She gave her father, a long-time entertainer and performer in Canterlot Court, a brave but worried smile. “Yeah. But I’m a little nervous though.”

He grinned and ruffled her mane. “Don’t be, Lula. You made it all the way to the semifinals, didn’t you?” he reminded her. “You wowed the judges in the earlier rounds, so what’s there to be nervous about now? You’re going to win, and by this time next week, you’ll be off to the Celestia School for Gifted Unicorns!” her father promised, reminding her of the competition’s grand prize—acceptance into the most elite of unicorn and alchemic academies, full tuition paid.

“You… you think so?” Trixie’s violet eyes glimmered hopefully, raising her gaze to meet her daddy’s.

“I know so, honey!” he grinned. “So why the sudden nerves?”

Trixie swallowed, knowing the exact reason why but afraid to tell her father about it—she’d kept her power hidden this long, but was finding it progressively harder to do so. “I don’t know… the butterflies just started coming all of a sudden!” she rubbed her tummy, trying to keep the elemental energy inside her and not let the air around her start turning cold in response to her fear and anxiety.

“Just show ‘em confidence and perseverance, okay? The judges love stuff like that!” her father noted, laying a reassuring hoof on her shoulders. “You can do this, Lula. I promise!”

She gave him a grateful smile. “Okay. I’ll try, Daddy.”

He hugged her close with a foreleg. That's my filly! “Just remember, I’ll be cheering for you no matter what happens. And I’m sure your friends will, too.”

Trixie went downcast. “Oh. Um… I don’t really have many friends,” she admitted. “Maybe one or two.”

Her father looked surprised. “Really? A talented young showmare like you? Why not?” he asked earnestly. “Didn’t I hear that one of your classmates is having a birthday party tomorrow?”

She nodded, a little sadly. “Yes, but… I’m not invited. The other students like my performances and all, but nopony really talks to me after that. They never invite me to parties,” she explained. “That’s why I love performing; everypony laughs and applauds me!” she perked back up.

He smiled. “That’s because you’re really good at it—you’re a chip off the old block there, Lula, and getting your grandfather’s cutie mark proves it! But you know, you tend to get a little too into it sometimes,” he said in as gentle an admonishment as he could.

Trixie looked up at him in surprise. “What do you mean?”

“Well, honey, I think that sometimes you show off a little too much. Yes, you’re good, but the other colts and fillies are probably just worried you think you’re better than them.”

Her eyes went wide. “O-oh… I never thought of it like that!”

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” her father reassured her, putting a hoof on her shoulder. “There’s no shame in relishing what you do, especially if you’re good at it. Take pride in your talent, just try not to overdo it—show a little humility and humbleness as well.”

Trixie considered that carefully. “I-I didn’t know! Okay, I’ll try to not show off as much.”

“That’s my little pony!” her father ruffled her mane. “I’m sure you’ll make lots of friends if you do that.”

With that, the master of ceremonies stuck her head in the waiting area. “Five minutes until our first semifinals participant: ‘The Great and Powerful Trixie’!”

“This is it, Lula. You’re about to go on! Are you ready?

“Yup! I’m ready now, the butterflies have left my tummy!” she confirmed, feeling much better and grateful to her father for it. I’m ready! Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, here I come!

“Good, good! Wait—where’s your hat?” her father suddenly asked, pointing at her bare head.

“My hat?” Trixie blinked, her hoof going to her head to feel for it, only to find it wasn’t there. “Oh no! My hat! I think I left it backstage in the dressing room!” She started to panic again.

“Easy, sweetheart. It’s okay; you should have enough time to go grab it,” he noted with a quick glance at the clock. “Go, honey!”

“Okay! I’ll be right back!” she promised, galloping down the hall for the dressing room.

Arriving, she looked around frantically for her hat, ignoring the other contestants, many of whom were now getting out of their costumes after being knocked out in the earlier rounds of the competition. The supervising ponies weren’t present, as they were all escorting or helping other colts and fillies in the dressing rooms. She finally spotted it on a bench by her mirror and went for it, but before she could grab it with her magic, it suddenly floated up and away from her, snagged in another unicorn’s aura.

“Lose something, Lula?” a familiar and very unwelcome voice asked, causing her guts to clench. “You should really be more careful about your things!”

Trixie turned to the voice’s owner, a twelve-year old orange unicorn with turquoise-blue eyes offset by a fiery red and yellow mane. Sunset Shimmer! she recognized, reflecting again that she wanted to win the competition as much to escape the bullying older filly as to gain entry to the prestigious School for Gifted Unicorns. “Sunset, what are you doing? I’m on next! Give it back!” Trixie demanded, grabbing at it with her aura.

To her frustration, Sunset blocked her magic, keeping the hat just out of reach. “Make me… Miss Minor and Mediocre!” she mocked while her friends watched, enjoying the scene. “After all, if you’re really as GREAT and POWERFUL as you say, this should be easy for you!”

Trixie tried repeatedly, employing both levitation and retrieval spells, even trying to teleport behind her, but Sunset always anticipated her and effortlessly turned her efforts aside. “But… I…” Trixie tried, flustered and taking increasingly frantic glances at the clock on the wall.

“Aw… poor widdle Twixie…” Sunset mocked her in baby talk, magically dangling her hat a foot above her head. “It’s no wonder you don’t have many friends. After all, who would want to be friends with a fraud and helpless phony like you?” Her voice dripped contempt as Trixie made another stab at her hat and failed. “You’re so pitiful, Lula. You know, your real talent should be pretending. Smoke and mirrors, that’s all you are! And everypony here knows it!” she said with gleeful malice.

Trixie felt a hot anger—and equally cold power—welling up within her, struggling to keep both contained, looking around frantically for one of the absent showhooves to return and help her. “Sunset…” she warned, tears welling in her eyes. “Give me my hat back!”

Sunset gave a mocking laugh as she drew the hat back towards her. “Sorry, ‘Trixie’. You got this far on your parlor tricks and your granddaddy’s name, but this is where it ends. So just sit in the corner like a good little girl and let the grown-ups compete,” she dismissed her, to the giggles of her friends. “I’m going to win this contest, and I’m going to the school for gifted unicorns—not some pitifully weak excuse for a unicorn like you!”

Trixie’s eyes flashed, their color changing from violet to glowing blue as a sudden icy gale blew through the room.“Shut up and GIVE IT BACK NOW!” she ordered with a stomp of her hoof, her horn involuntarily flaring. As if in response to her emotions and need, a cloud and burst of snow suddenly materialized out of the air around her… along with a single lightning bolt hitting the ground between them with a sharp CRACK! causing a startled Sunset to lose her grip on the hat and everypony else to flinch backwards in surprise.

Carried on her cold wind, her hat flew into her aura’s grasp and she put it on her head before she realized that the room had fallen silent; colts and fillies were staring at her in shock… and fear.

And then they began to back away from her, whispering among themselves.

“Freak,” one colt muttered under her breath.

“Ice queen!” a filly pointed.

“Weather witch!” another filly accused, throwing a stage prop at her, which every other pony in the room seemed to take their cue to do the same.

With that, Trixie realized she’d just given her most dangerous and closely kept secret away. Oh NO! “But… I…?” she looked around desperately for support but received none, even from her few friends. Moondancer? Minuette? Amethyst? she looked at them pleadingly for support, but they just looked away, leaving her at the mercy of Sunset and the other ponies in the room as ridicule was heaped upon her.

Why… why aren’t they helping me? They’re supposed to be my FRIENDS! she curled herself up into a ball and clamped her hooves over her head as the abuse and debris rained down, trying unsuccessfully to restrain both her power and her tears, a ring of ice forming on the floor around her.

“Well, well… what have we here?” Sunset overcame her initial shock and stepped forward, stopping the hail of small objects. “She’s a weather witch all right, and an ice elemental to boot!” she recognized. “Bet you think you’re better than us just because you’re an elemental? Well so am I, miss not-so-great-or-powerful! Pity you can’t control it like I can!” She grinned, rubbing it in by turning her fiery mane into actual flames, melting the ice around Trixie and then standing over her like she was passing judgment on her.

“Leave, Lula. Nopony is going to want to be friends with a weather witch, to say nothing of a sniveling snowmare like you!” she sneered, and by the looks on the faces of the other ponies, Trixie could tell she was right.

Crying, she ran out of the dressing room as fast as her legs could take her, leaving icy hoofprints in her wake, never noticing a bespectacled grey unicorn filly her age watching from the edge of the crowd.

Keeping her hat over her face to hide her tears, she bolted past her father and out of the building, and didn’t stop running until she reached the woods.

To her surprise, Twilight was finding herself hard-pressed, struggling to maintain her own defenses against Trixie’s anger-driven elemental onslaught while simultaneously protecting Phoenix, Sonata and The Judge with bubble shields. The strain showed on her face; for a moment, Twilight’s mane flame seemed to falter, like a candle flickering in the wind.

Not good… she sensed, surprised by Trixie’s resilience and reserves; her sheer determination. My power’s split, and I’m only at half-strength to begin with! I don’t know what her reserves are, but if she keeps this up, she’ll overpower me!

As if in answer, a potent new magical presence made itself known as she sensed a far stronger version of her shield spell flaring into existence around them—the signature spell of a certain pony she knew only too well; the very stallion she had originally learned it from.

Recognizing the familiar aura, Twilight glanced up into the stands to see Shining Armor braving the indoor blizzard, standing at the edge of the gallery and projecting his protective magic down into the pit. His aura formed a single large and nearly unbreakable bubble around her and Trixie, separating them from the rest of the court and shielding Phoenix and the others from Trixie’s magic for her.

She saw him smile when she caught his eye and heard his thoughts ring out loudly through her mind. You’re all clear, Twily! he told her, sparing a little energy for telepathy, which was easily cast when involving a close friend or family member. I've got your back, sis! Now show this weather witch who’s boss mare!

Thanks, BBBFF!!! Twilight answered with her thoughts and a grateful smile, withdrawing her own shield spells in favor of her older brother’s, drawing the power she was spending on them back into herself. Okay, Trixie… I’m free to cut loose now! she knew. So you like things cold? Time to turn up the HEAT! She grinned again, and her entire body ignited as she took her full fire form, to the cheers of her friends and astonishment and fright of Phoenix Wright.

There was a flash of fear in Trixie’s eyes as she saw the spectacle, her storm wavering for a moment, but the showmare dug deep and upped the ante herself, now bringing lightning and a hurricane of snow and hail to bear. She didn’t recognize the source of the incredibly powerful shield spell, but did recognize its meaning—as long as they were inside it, they didn’t have to hold back for the fear of hurting bystanders.

That suits me just FINE! she thought as she began to hurl lightning bolts at Twilight, having the pleasure of seeing her surprised and momentarily staggered by the new attack, giving Trixie hope that perhaps she could take Twilight, even in her full-fire state.

To her left, The Judge refused to leave his bench despite being begged to by several bailiffs, while to the right, Sonata was cowering behind the witness stand, visible fear in her eyes as she watched from just outside the bubble; Trixie spared her old schoolmate an angry glance.

That’s right, Sonata! COWER! This is YOUR fault, too! she remembered even as she began openly reveling in her unleashed energy and emotion, embracing her weather power fully for the first time in her life.

Expose me? Humiliate me? Cost me my VICTORY? I’ll make you pay! I’ll make you ALL pay! she promised as she launched a fresh round of weather attacks and other spells at Twilight, determined to extract at least one victory from the wreckage of her lost case.

Let the storm rage ON! she commanded, her ice starting to visibly force Twilight’s fire back.

Neigh Orleans Magic & Alchemy Academy
Filly Free Press Editor’s Office
Eight years earlier

Okay. So what’s this about? Trixie wondered as she read the letter scroll for a third time. Why does Four-Eyes want to see me?

The hornwritten note directed her to come to the offices of the school paper, called the Filly Free Press, to ‘discuss the terms of your surrender’ and was signed by one Sonata Tarot, a somewhat reclusive unicorn mare her age; a fellow Canterlot filly who possessed weak magic and was a frequent target of Trixie’s putdowns.

After her humiliation of the Young Magician’s Competition seven years earlier, Trixie had given up on formal competitions, giving only informal shows. Forced to reveal the fact that she was a ‘weather witch’ to her father, her daddy had, to her relief, been understanding but uncertain, not knowing how he was supposed to help her manage or control such power.

Exceedingly rare to begin with, weather elementals were shunned and feared for the very simple reason that Nightmare Moon had been one and weather control was considered the providence of pegasi, not unicorns. There were no books or classes that would teach a pony about it; there was no place he could take her to for help with it. He was afraid to send her into counseling or ask the Princess for aid for fear of exposing her secret; in the end all he could do was help her hide it, moving them to another city entirely to escape scrutiny.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you for it, but its best to keep it yourself, Trixie. There are ways to entertain without magic, so let’s teach you some of those.” Trixie reflected on the advice of her father, an earth pony entertainer who had shown her some of his own show tricks that didn’t require any magic, involving sleight of hoof and clever use of props. Overuse of her magic risked activating her elemental powers, so she tended to limit herself to illusions and a few teleport tricks, plus some magical fireworks she’d mastered and didn’t cost much power to do.

Not that she wasn’t capable of more, but over time she’d gotten used to throttling herself back. For the most part it had worked; as long as she kept her emotions under control her weather and ice magic didn’t manifest or threaten to.

Now in a new school and city where nopony knew her, she had taken on Sunset’s former role as lead mare and school bully, using her wit and magic to put ponies down and keep them in line. It’d made her more than a few enemies, but she ran the halls much as Sunset had done, and had acquired an entourage of hangers-on for it. She didn’t consider them friends as much as sycophants—she had given up on having friends after they had abandoned her in the dressing room of the competition—but in exchange for stroking her ego, she let them stick around.

In that sense, she reflected, Sunset had given her a good life lesson—that friends were worthless; that respect had to be demanded and taken, and above all else that ponies were attracted to powerful and forceful personalities. She did just enough to get by in her classes—she tended to absorb new spells and knowledge quite easily when she put her mind to it, which was rarely—and kept her elemental magic buried deep down, hiding it behind a wall of indifference and insults, keeping her power in check by making anger her base emotion and thus less likely to trigger any accidental manifestations.

She knew her father didn’t approve of her attitude, but he also didn’t stop her, perhaps feeling sorry for his only foal and knowing the tough road she had to walk. Daddy… Her eyes went sad and regretful for a moment.

Quickly casting the thoughts for her father aside—sentiment was a sign of weakness to her—she arrived at the designated location ten minutes late. Nopony tells TRIXIE when she needs to be somewhere! With no warning knock, she yanked open the door with her aura and sauntered inside, sitting down on the visitor’s side of the desk and glowering at the pony sitting across from her.

“Okay, Miss Eye-Butt. What’s this about?” Trixie demanded to know, slamming the letter scroll down on the table with her magic. “I got your message. Exactly what am I supposed to be surrendering, and why would I want to surrender anything to a weakling unicorn like you?”

The teenaged Sonata didn’t acknowledge her immediately, acting like the showmare wannabe was beneath her notice. “Oh, hello Lula,” she said as if she’d just seen her, causing Trixie’s eyes to narrow at having her given name dropped—trying to escape her past pain, she insisted on being called by her stage name of Trixie now, and tended to punish anypony who didn’t. “I just thought you might like a sneak preview of the article I’m going to run in the Filly Free Press tomorrow,” she suggested, magically pushing a copy of the school newspaper towards her.

Though confused and more than a little annoyed, Trixie snatched it up in her aura and scanned it quickly. As she read, her eyes went wide, even fearful—the article detailed in exact terms how she was using her grandfather’s stage tricks instead of real magic in her performances, and that her main magical specialty was simple illusions, not harder spells. It also showed how she was cheating on some of her magical exams; the article backed up the text with photographs and diagrams showing how some of her tricks were done and giving a step-by-step demonstration of how she’d spoofed her apples-to-oranges transformation test.

It was all damning. And all true. “You wouldn’t…” Trixie said, her mouth suddenly dry.

“After all your bullying and being the butt of your jokes? Try me,” Sonata replied evenly, an edge to her voice.

Trixie gathered herself carefully. “Okay. Let’s try this again. You won’t,” she informed the other unicorn, leaning hard over the desk to give Sonata her most steely glare. “Because I promise I’ll make your life a living Tartarus if you run this!”

“You’re not going to do anything, Lula. To me or anypony else,” Sonata seemed completely unconcerned, making a show of lounging back in her seat behind her desk. “Because you see, this article doesn’t actually reveal everything I know about you.”

The tone in her voice caught Trixie short. “What do you mean?” she asked, keeping her haughty tone, but part of her had the sinking feeling she knew exactly what the other unicorn meant.

Sonata closed her eyes and smiled like she was savoring the moment. “Let’s just say that revenge is a dish best served cold,” she emphasized the last word in a tone that chilled Trixie to the bone. “And in this case, it’s been a long time coming… Miss Weather Witch!” she said with noticeable relish, pushing a fresh series of photographs towards her. They showed the aftermath of when Trixie had lost her temper a month earlier, accidentally freezing water coming out of the locker room showers and then burying the room in an inch of snow; she’d barely been able to keep other ponies and the instructors out before she could get rid of it all.

Trixie’s jaw fell open, her heart sinking as she studied the damning photos. “But how did you get—?”

“How is not as important as the what,” Sonata shrugged. “For example, just what do you suppose would happen if our student body found out there was a weather witch in our midst? Or what do you suppose the parents would do to find out a ‘Scion of the Nightmare’ was among their foals?” she mused, using a description for weather elementals seen in some popular fiction. “And even if you somehow survived all that, what do you suppose the teachers would do if they found out you were cheating?” she finished in a mild but mocking tone. “I don’t imagine it would be too pretty.”

Trixie simultaneously felt a ball of cold welling up inside her and a trickle of sweat down her forehead. “So what are you saying, Sonata?” she barely croaked, trying but failing badly to keep the fear out of her voice.

For the first time, Sonata raised her eyes to meet Trixie’s. “I’m saying that your bullying days are done, Lula. You leave ponies alone; you leave me alone, and preferably leave school entirely,” she ordered. “Because if you don’t… I’ll run this article instead,” she informed the other mare, bringing out a second newspaper, one that proclaimed in banner headlines that Trixie was a weather witch, showing her standing in the icy interior of the locker room showers with snow swirling around her and her eyes glowing blue as proof.

Trixie stared at the other mare, completely stunned. Her jaw was open and her legs shook. “I w-won’t forget this, Sonata,” she warned, unable to keep the tremor from her voice.

“I wouldn’t want you to, Lula,” Sonata answered, almost sweetly. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some homework to do. So get out of my office. And kindly get out of my life,” she dismissed her, turning away.

Trixie ran away from home that very night.

The battle between the two unicorns continued unabated.

Even outside of Shining Armor’s shield spell, the courtroom shook from the sheer intensity of the duel; to Phoenix it was like looking inside an upside-down fishbowl or snowglobe where half was filled by a firestorm and the other half a blizzard. He occasionally caught glimpses of Twilight through the shimmering heat and flame and found he couldn’t take his eyes off her—her mane and tail had become pure fire; her fur glowing white-hot and her eyes the same red she’d used on him the previous night.

Though frightened, he also found himself mesmerized by the display, finding it—and herself as a creature of fire—strangely beautiful, wishing there was something he could do to help her. Now protected by the shield spell being cast by the strange stallion they’d seen before, Twilight’s friends stood at his side both to guard him and cheer Twilight, though he had no idea if she could actually hear them in there.

As the battle wore on, Trixie grew more frustrated. Now that Twilight had her measure, the showmare’s attacks were increasingly ineffective. She tried lightning, but the other unicorn effortlessly deflected the bolts aside. She cast various enchantments and spells, but Twilight recognized them and always seemed to know a counter. Even more infuriating, she wasn’t fighting back, just standing her ground and allowing Trixie to exhaust her power in a futile attempt to breach her fire and magical defenses.

And it was working, the showmare knew with a sinking heart. Her ice and weather attacks could not reach her rival, and they were slowly starting to be driven back as Twilight’s fire began gaining the upper hoof. No longer resorting to spells, the battle between the pair was now nothing more than a contest of will and power, each trying to overwhelm the other with the sheer force of her aura and elemental fury.

From the outside, the two unicorns still seemed evenly matched; Phoenix had the thought that it was only a question of whose power would give out first. Don’t give in, Twilight! Don’t lose to her! he mentally pleaded, gripping the edge of his bench white-knuckled, his heart going a mile a minute as he watched the magical battle unfold with Twilight’s friends, wincing at every flash of lightning and heavy impact of ice against the shield.

Everfree Forest
Aftermath of Ursa Minor Attack
Nine months earlier

Every time Trixie thought she had gone as low as she could go, it seemed fate found a way to plumb her depths further.

Sunset Shimmer… Sonata Tarot… and now… Twilight Sparkle! she thought in disgust as she looked at the lights of Ponyville from a distance—the place where her life had been ruined for the third time.

Yet somehow, the latest was the worst. Even though Sunset had humiliated her and Sonata had exposed her, neither mare evoked the emotion and anger within Trixie that being shown up by Twilight Sparkle did.

That she was the personal protégé of Princess Celestia and graduate of her School for Gifted Unicorns somehow only made things worse, not better, to the now out-of-business showmare. It could have been me! SHOULD have been me! she realized, but for Sunset Shimmer and her forgotten hat.

And yet, she didn’t hate Sunset like she did Twilight Sparkle; thinking about her didn’t make her emotions flare as Twilight did. She tried to convince herself it was just for destroying her admittedly meager reputation and possessions—everything she had was in that wagon the Ursa Minor squashed—and yet, her thoughts dwelled on Twilight constantly as they never did for Sunset or Sonata.

Too destitute to afford an inn or replace her wagon but too proud to go back to her father, she roughed it for several weeks, living in an Everfree Forest cave and dealing with the woodland creatures, foraging for food. The only thing she had kept from her previous life was her cape and hat, which she had gotten Snips and Snails to retrieve for her from the wreckage of her cart. She used the torn cape as a blanket and her ruined hat like a teddy bear, promising herself she would have cause to wear it proudly again…

Promising herself revenge on Twilight Sparkle.

On many levels, her infatuation with Twilight made no sense. Even watching her from a distance she could tell the other unicorn was quiet and unassuming, didn’t flaunt her power, often going to very great lengths to not upstage other ponies. She also had elemental fire powers, but her friends didn’t shun—or worship—her for them, and Trixie couldn’t understand why.

THIS is the unicorn who showed me up? THIS is the unicorn more powerful than me? she thought in disbelief.

Regardless of the reasons, her hate of Twilight gave her purpose. Finally having reason to improve her magic, she supported herself with menial jobs like rock farming during the day, sleeping in a barn while she trained and studied at night, throwing herself into the same books she’d always shunned before, trying to develop her skills and master as many spells as she could. Soaking up long-neglected knowledge like a sponge, she found her power and abilities did indeed grow quite markedly, beginning to realize her neglected magical potential.

Considerable though it was, she feared she still couldn’t match Twilight, and even worse, she could sense her weather power trying to manifest itself again; the more powerful her regular magic became, the more her elemental energies were trying to burst free.

Acting on the advice of a rhyming zebra mare living in the woods, she tried to forget Twilight and start her life and career over in a place far away. She repaired her cape and hat and came up with a new act, using her increased power to add many new elements and spectacle to her routine, only to find that word of her humiliation had traveled far and wide—it seemed everypony knew about her, Twilight and the Ursa Minor; she was seen as just as much a fraud in Las Pegasus as she was in Ponyville.

Finally, tired of road life and worn down by the constant mockery, she swallowed her pride and returned to Canterlot, seeing her father for the first time in years. To her relief, he welcomed her warmly despite her long absence, getting her an apartment and work as a legal aide; with her sharp wit, ability to rapidly learn new skills and a magician’s ability to see through deception, she found she had a talent for the legal profession. As fate would have it, she took and passed the bar exam but a day before the report of a murder in the Everfree Forest.

This is my chance! she realized upon learning who the prime suspect was, seeing the opportunity to finally exact revenge on Twilight Sparkle by going after what she seemed to hold most dear—her infuriatingly loyal friends. Trixie wasn’t proud of everything she had to do to be named prosecutor, but once she got the job she didn’t look back…

Even now, with her case in ruins and engaged in the fight of her life with her hated rival.

Despite all her practice, despite her new abilities and despite her unleashed elemental magic, Trixie felt her aura being driven back.

Her icy assault waning as Twilight began to gain the upper hoof, the sheer strength of her rival’s aura and intensity of her fire drove the showmare’s ice and weather magic into retreat. Trixie sensed her power starting to falter, her eye glow beginning to flicker… and when the corners of Twilight’s mouth crooked up, she realized that her rival had sensed it as well. I’m… I’m going to lose! she realized with a sinking heart.

Lose to Twilight Sparkle.

A fire she could not extinguish.

A power that no matter how hard she tried, she simply could not match.

IT’S NOT FAIR!!!! The showmare screamed mentally, using her rage and frustration to intensify her elemental assault once more, ignoring her rapidly dwindling reserves. Why do YOU have this power and NOT ME? What did YOU do to deserve this, Twilight Sparkle? she wanted to yell at the other unicorn, a tear leaving her eyes and instantly freezing.

You didn’t have to struggle… fight for respect… learn magic on your own… no patrons… no help… you didn’t have to hide your power… you got everything given to you on a bucking PLATTER! She started to cry, but squelched her tears hard behind a fresh wave of ice-cold anger. Why? What do YOU have that I don’t? she wanted to know.

As if in response, she saw Twilight’s friends surrounding her, encouraging her, shielding Phoenix Wright for her. She has… friendship? The answer was clear as a starry winter sky to the showmare, but she still refused to accept it.

NO! It’s a LIE! Trixie insisted to herself, pouring all her waning power into her fading storm. I don’t need friends! I don’t need ANYPONY! I AM THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIX— she was unable to finish the thought as, with a wet sizzling sound, her magic suddenly gave out, leaving nothing more than a thin wisp of icy vapor coming off her horn. Her surge having spent itself and her magic completely exhausted, she fell head first to the ruins of her snow-covered bench in defeat.

Twilight had been expecting it to happen and was ready for it, quickly pulling back her aura and dropping out of her full-fire state before it completely exhausted her as well. She stumbled slightly but pulled herself back up, the victor, to the cheers of her friends and appreciative hoofclops of the ponies in the gallery who had stayed to watch the spectacle.

Accepting the accolades with some embarrassment, she exchanged a nod and smile with Shining Armor. That’s my Twily! he told her in telepathic pride. We’ll speak soon, okay? he promised her as he quietly withdrew his shield spell and then himself from the courtroom, letting her have the attention and glory.

The praise being showered on her rival was not lost on Trixie, who struggled to raise her head again, unfrozen tears falling freely down her cheeks. Wrong beat me… and now SHE beat me! the broken showmare realized as the bailiffs closed in on her, recognizing her power was spent and she was no longer any threat. The last thing she saw before she passed out was Twilight Sparkle, flanked by her friends and backed by Phoenix Wright, giving her a sad, even pitying look.

Her final thought before fainting was she had lost everything yet again—her revenge, her law license… and even her freedom.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on September 10, 2018.

Somehow, this story just didn't seem complete without a climactic (or should that be climatic?) confrontation between Twilight and Trixie, and this was the place to put it, interwoven with Trixie's long-planned bonus breakdown/backstory chapter. It's based on part on the script of an unused scene given to me by NeoArtimus herself, who also suggested including Sunset Shimmer. I've had this scene in mind in some time, and now you know what that whole elemental power angle was building to.

There are many versions of Trixie out there. This one's mine, building on the clever and cunning persona the videos showed--not a weak reflection of Twilight, but a mare of great power (no pun intended) and talent in her own right, possessing a potential strength about half that of Twilight's--a power she only began to truly develop and realize when she got shown up by Twilight over the Ursa Minor.

What drives her? What shaped her? Why does she hate Twilight? Why did she appear so weak before? This tries to answer... and indirectly explain the black locks. Also, if you read this and then the first part of the Trixie's Sonata: Symphony of the Witness chapter, it should now be clear exactly how Sonata cowed Trixie.

As always, thanks to Leo Archon and TheGoldCrow for the pre-read, and to Raven for her patience with me! I needed to take a break after the last chapter. Thanks as well to NeoArtimus herself for sharing the original scene script with me, and the suggestion for including Sunset Shimmer.

Oh, and... for those who are curious, NeoArtimus promises that the long-awaited 'bad end' is on the way. Winners have been selected, but they won't be announced until she's finished the animation.

Hope you enjoyed!

--Firesight

Part 55 - Myriad Truths

Ace Attorney: Announce the Truth

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom No. 2
June 11th, 4:23 PM

The fight was over. But the cleanup had just begun.

The courtroom was still in disarray after the magical duel; papers and possessions scattered everywhere by Trixie’s summoned tempest and the initial rush to leave. The tiled floor between the rival unicorns bore witness to the intensity of their battle as well; Trixie’s battered bench ensconced in slowly melting ice and the surrounding floor covered in a foot of snow. The stone floor tile around Twilight was likewise warped and melted, in testament to the fierceness of her flames.

For his part, Phoenix was still in shock over what he had just witnessed, in awe—and more than a little afraid—of the incredible powers the two unicorns had brought to bear. Twilight, he noticed, still hadn’t moved from where she was planted in the middle of the courtroom pit, staring sadly at Trixie.

I didn’t… I didn’t know… was all she could think, over and over again even as her friends congratulated her and the audience applauded her, ponies clopping their hooves together in appreciation as they recognized her as the victor.

“Twilight? What’s wrong?” Phoenix asked her as she finally retook her place behind their bench and her friends went back up into the bleachers, this time taking vacated seats in the first row of the stands directly behind them. “Are you hurt?” he asked in concern, seeing that she was walking with a slight limp.

She shook her head, doing her best to hide the trembling of her legs and a wound under her left shoulder where one of Trixie’s first lightning bolts had found its mark, the initial numbness of the electric shock wearing off and leaving pain in its wake. “Not really. It’s just…” she trailed off as she looked at Trixie again. “I’ll tell you later,” she promised as The Judge called court back to order, turning her remaining magic inward to help herself heal.

“Well, I’ve seen many things during my tenure as a judge, but never did I think my courtroom would play host to such a battle as we just witnessed!” The Judge admitted as he dusted the melting snow off his bench, taking great pains to wipe his gavel clean. To his credit, he had not left his bench despite having a front row and uncomfortably close seat to the duel. He had quickly taken control of his courtroom back when it had ended, directing the bailiffs to arrest Trixie, clean up the courtroom pit and see to any audience injuries.

There were none, thankfully, except some rattled nerves and ruffled manes. Whoever the strange and now-departed stallion was, Phoenix reflected, his shield spell had effectively contained the duel. “Are you able to continue, Ms. Sparkle?” The Judge asked Twilight, seeing her noticeable hobble.

“I’m fine, Your Honor,” she promised, focusing her magic on dulling her pain and mending her injured leg. Or give me about an hour, and I should be...

“I am glad, and I thank you for your intervention. Now, with that sideshow concluded, I believe it is time to end these proceedings,” The Judge said, turning his eyes back to the witness stand where Sonata looked badly shaken by what she’d just witnessed, still casting uneasy glances at an unmoving Trixie.

“Ms. Sonata—your plea of self-defense will be examined by the Equestrian High Council and Supreme Court,” he addressed the visibly unnerved mare. “By Equestrian law, it will fall to them whether to accept it. Your memory playback was undeniably compelling, but, as by your own admission it cannot be trusted, it exonerates neither you nor Ms. Dash.

“Regardless of its veracity, it also does little to mitigate the other allegations of blackmail and evidence tampering, to say nothing of your efforts to frame the defendant,” he further reminded her. “Having witnessed for myself the supposed events of that night, I cannot but have sympathy for you. But it will not fall to me to pass judgment upon you, and I must warn you that taking into account these additional crimes will not help the Supreme Court or High Council decide in your favor.”

“I understand, Your Honor. And I am ready to accept any punishment given me,” she answered in a subdued voice. Her tone and slumped posture left Phoenix no doubt she was telling the truth, seeing the broken shell of a mare before him.

The Judge nodded, a momentary look of pity crossing his features. “So be it. But as to the case at hand, I believe I can now retract my earlier verdict on the murder charge against Rainbow Dash.” He drew himself up straighter as the bailiffs slapped a magical restraint collar on Trixie, who was still face down in the snow on her bench. Twilight couldn’t help but feel sad at the sight of the proud showmare now beaten and broken, slumped over her desk with the tattered remains of her cape still draped around her.

I’m sorry, Trixie, she apologized mentally again. I just didn’t know…

Her sadness was not shared by her friends, sitting in the first row of the stands behind them. “You did it! You won, partner!” An elated Applejack called out to Phoenix from behind him, a sentiment promptly echoed by the others.

“Well done, Mister Wright!” Rarity offered.

“And how!” Spike added, while Fluttershy just gave a very quiet but adorable yay!

“Yeah,” Phoenix replied absently, feeling strangely troubled. Something about Sonata’s confession had been nagging at the back of his mind even before the duel, and the forced intermission that followed had enabled him to finally lock onto it—there was a final, and perhaps fatal contradiction in Sonata’s testimony…

One that could nullify her confession and yet doom his client.

Despite her concern for Trixie, Twilight noticed his brooding mood. “Phoenix? What’s the matter?” she asked him softly. “I’m okay, really.” Or mostly…

“It’s not that,” he answered, giving her a distracted glance. “I mean, I’m glad you are, but…” But I don’t dare reveal what I’m thinking, or Rainbow Dash could still be found guilty! he knew, closing his eyes to concentrate on his own thoughts. But we still don’t have the full truth, and I’m not sure Twilight or a new prosecutor could find it. So what do I do now?

In his mind’s eye, he saw the barest flash of a familiar figure, like an elusive dream or a distant desert mirage. You know as well as I do that it’s not over… he heard her soft but firm voice, like a whisper in his ear.

His head came up in surprise. Ch… Chief? he mentally called to her, not knowing how she could be there—Maya was in another dimension, and without her present to channel her older sister, how could Mia Fey be there with him? I must be hallucinating after that fight!

As if in response, he caught the barest glimpse of her again behind his closed eyelids. You’re worried, aren’t you? Don’t be, she implored him, her voice both calm and certain. Seek out the truth and everything will be fine. You’ll see! she promised like she was standing right there beside him again; her strength and experience his to draw upon once more.

Whether real or not, her voice and apparent presence gave Phoenix new resolve. No. I can’t let it end like this! I WON’T let it end like this! he swore as the Judge spoke once more.

“I hereby retract my earlier guilty verdict against Ms. Rainbow Dash,” The Judge announced, unaware of Phoenix’s thoughts. “And the case is continued until—”

The Judge couldn’t believe it, his head slumping and eyes closing shut in disgust. “Can’t I just hand down my rulings in peace?” he demanded of no one in particular, before it clicked from whom the objection had come. “Wait—Mister Wright?” he recognized in disbelief.

“No, Your Honor, we can’t end this yet!” Phoenix threw off his remaining doubts and plunged ahead, trusting his instincts and his somehow-present Chief that he was doing the right thing. “There was a major contradiction in the confession the witness gave!”

“What?” a startled Sonata asked.

“What?” Twilight and even Trixie echoed, looking at him in shock.

“What?” chorused Applejack, Rarity, Spike and Fluttershy from behind him.

No turning back now! Phoenix knew. “Your Honor! The defense now believes that Sonata Tarot did not kill Ace Swift!”

Sonata stared at him in disbelief. “But I just admitted it!”

With great effort, Trixie drew herself back up despite her drained state and the restraints she now wore. “What are you doing, Wrong? You were going to win!” she called out to him, struggling to remain at her ruined bench even as the bailiffs were starting to drag her away.

“Your Honor! Before we end this day’s proceedings, may I please request that the witness convert the confession she just gave to formal testimony?” Phoenix stood up straight and tall, ignoring the eyes on him from all over the courtroom, all asking him what in the name of the Sun and Moon he was doing.

“Uh…” the Judge was as shocked as anyone; even the bailiffs removing Trixie had stopped to watch the unlikely scene. “It is highly unorthodox for a defense attorney to halt a ruling in their favor, Mister Wright!” he voiced the thoughts that everyone else in the court was thinking, none more so than Twilight, who was looking at Phoenix like he’d lost his mind again, suddenly wondering if he’d been hit with a stray piece of ice, or was otherwise suffering after-effects from the pills or blow to the head he’d taken the day before.

“Please, Your Honor! If you allow me to do this, there will be no need for further investigation! I can settle what actually happened that night here and now!”

“I thought we already had settled it, Mister Wright! But I suppose if Ms. Sonata is willing, I can allow it.” He looked to the witness stand. “This court has already accepted your confession, Ms. Sonata, and requires nothing more from you. I therefore leave the choice whether to testify yours.”

Sonata looked as confused as everyone else. “I really don’t understand what he’s trying to pull here, Your Honor. But if it makes him happy? Fine, I’ll do it.”

The Judge gave a slow nod. “Very well, then. But Mister Wright, I must warn you…” he paused ominously. “If you succeed in uncovering a contradiction in this witness’s testimony and manage to prove it false, then I will have no choice but to throw out her entire confession. That means I will be forced to discard not just the memory playback, but all her testimony as invalid! And if that happens…”

He gave Phoenix his gravest, sternest look. “If that happens, then all will be as it was before Ms. Sonata took the stand! Your client’s guilty verdict will not be withdrawn and it will be that much harder to overturn later!”

“Phoenix?” Twilight finally found her voice. “Please don’t do this to me again!” she all but begged him.

“Please, Twilight. You can trust me,” he turned to meet her probing gaze, letting her see the determination and certainty in his eyes. “This isn’t like before. I swear I know what I’m doing.”

“But, I don’t understand!” she implored him, putting a hoof on his side. “Her psyche-locks are gone, Phoenix. She’s not hiding anything now. She told the truth in her confession!”

“As she saw it,” he amended her statement. “You’re about to see why it’s dangerous to over-rely on the Magatama. It can only detect a lie if the witness knows she’s lying.”

“So you’re saying she’s lying without knowing it?” Twilight asked dubiously. “That doesn’t make sense!”

“It will,” he assured her. “I promise everything is going to be okay. If you tell me not to do this, I won’t. I’ll step aside and let you take over the defense without any further protest. But I ask that you please let me proceed.” He squeezed her hoof and bowed his head to her. “If you do, I swear I can finish this and get Rainbow acquitted today!”

Twilight studied his face closely, finding not a hint of doubt or deceit in his eyes. She next looked over towards Trixie, who was still trying to remain at her bench, and then up at her friends in the stands behind them. Phoenix didn’t see the looks that passed between them, but whatever was said in their unspoken conversation, Twilight reached her decision quickly.

“Alright. I trust you, Phoenix.” She managed a tired smile, leaving Phoenix wondering if the duel had taken more out of her than she was letting on.

“Well, Mister Wright?” The Judge asked again. “You heard my terms. Do you still want to go through with this?”

“I do, Your Honor.” He nodded, turning back to the bench.

“B-but… I-I don’t… w-why are you…?” Trixie was visibly struggling to focus again, trying to pull herself back up. “Your Honor! I—Trixie requests she be allowed to stay for the duration of this testimony!” she called as the bailiffs began to pull her away again. “There has to be a prosecutor present while a case is still in session!” she reminded him desperately as she was about to be taken out the door.

“Wait!” Phoenix called out before she could disappear. “She has a point, Your Honor. By court rules, both a prosecutor and defense attorney must be present when a witness testifies.”

The Judge gave him a look of disbelief. “You want her to stay after what she did? She tried to attack you, Mister Wright!”

“She didn’t hurt me, Your Honor. And without the prosecution’s aid, we could never have blown this case open and proven Sonata was at the scene,” Phoenix reminded him. “She provided several crucial pieces of information and corroboration, including how Sonata could have left the woods undetected. It was also her final piece of evidence, unasked for by either Your Honor or myself, that proved decisive in this trial.”

And she needs as much as Sonata to see the truth of this case! “In summary, I owe her, and in turn, this court owes her. Personal attacks and magical duels aside, she has done her job and done it well, Your Honor. And just as you allowed me to stay and see this case through despite pending contempt charges, I believe she has earned the right to remain present as well,” he finished, turning to Twilight for support.

Somewhat to his surprise, she gave it instantly, turning to address The Judge. “I ask that you let her remain as well, Your Honor. She should see the end of this day.” For everything she’s been through, she deserves THAT much, at least!

“You do?” The Judge blinked. “But what guarantee have we that she will not turn her powers loose again?”

“Trixie is powerless now, Your Honor. She exhausted herself in the duel and will not be able to use her elemental magic again for several days,” Twilight replied instantly, causing Trixie’s lip to quiver at having her weakness and defeat pointed out.

You’re not weak, Trixie, Twilight told the other mare with her thoughts. You’re one of the strongest mares I’ve ever met, and I’m not just talking about your magic!

“Please, Your Honor,” came a rare moment of begging from the showmare. “Let me stay.”

The Judge gave her a level look. “Ms. Trixie! You are facing several counts of assault and destruction of public property, several hundred counts of reckless endangerment, and multiple ethics investigations for your conduct in this trial, even aside from your earlier contempt citation and the magical duel that followed!”

“Blame me for the magical duel, Your Honor,” Twilight spoke up again on Trixie’s behalf. “In truth, I challenged her and tried to goad her into one yesterday,” she admitted with a downcast expression, causing Phoenix and Trixie to look at her in surprise. “And thus, we share responsibility for the duel and damage to the courtroom equally.”

“Be that as it may…” The Judge looked shocked at both Phoenix and Twilight defending Trixie. “Out of simple respect for courtroom decorum, I can hardly allow her to continue after assaulting your co-counsel and tearing apart the courtroom like that!”

“I cannot refute your reasoning, Your Honor. I would simply point out that she didn’t actually hurt anypony. And that she would not be the first prosecutor to suffer a massive breakdown in your court,” Phoenix reminded him, suddenly eternally grateful Manfred von Karma hadn’t had magical powers he could have drawn upon in his rather epic explosion at the end of Miles Edgeworth’s murder trial.

“Point taken,” The Judge visibly winced at the memory, rubbing his eyes ruefully. “Very well, then, Mister Wright and Miss Sparkle. If for no other reason than simple convenience, Ms. Trixie may stay at her post as prosecutor until the end of the session.” He rapped his gavel to make his decision official. “But both the prosecution and defense should know that this will be the final testimony I grant today. With Ms. Sonata’s as-yet unverified confession remaining to be investigated, I see no further reason to prolong these proceedings!”

“The defense understands, Your Honor.” Phoenix acknowledged with a nod. “And thanks you.”

“Alright, Ms. Sonata. You heard Mister Wright,” The Judge turned his attention back to the witness stand. “Please convert your confession to testimony.”

“Fine, Mister Wright. I still don’t see what you’re doing, but have it your way, then.”

—————— WITNESS TESTIMONY ——————
— The Final Contradiction —

Ace and I had been blackmailing many top athletes for some time. I had finally had enough of it and was planning to quit as his manager after he had won the Equestrian 500. When Rainbow Dash refused the terms of our blackmail attempt, I realized the gig was up and Ace was going to be exposed, so I gave him my resignation letter after we had quelled the fire the first lightning bolt started.

When I told him I was quitting, Ace became furious and violent, threatening to kill me. My life in immediate danger, I attempted to defend myself with the burned golf club lying on the ground, still red-hot from the lightning and fire, striking him with it over the back of his neck. I hit him so hard with it the head of the club snapped off, but as angry and as strong as he was, it wasn’t enough to stop him.

Seeing he was about to strike, I dropped the broken pieces and resorted to an electrical stun spell I’d studied earlier that day in case we encountered beasts in the Everfree. In a panic, a magic surge took hold of me; between that and the wild magic of the Everfree, the overcharged spell was powerful enough to kill him… though I didn’t realize that at the time.

After it knocked him to the ground, I retreated into the Everfree running as fast as I could. After a good ten minutes, I realized he wasn’t chasing me, so I returned to the clearing to take a look.

Arriving, I saw the silhouette of his body lying there, lifeless. In shock over what I had done, I gathered up the pieces of the broken golf club and letter so I wouldn’t be caught, going so far as to try to arrange the scene so Rainbow Dash would be incriminated. I retreated back into the forest and, once I had mustered enough magic and focus, I prepared a teleportation spell back to my hotel room…

And you know the rest.

Sonata exhaled sharply when she was done. “And that’s my confession, which you showed great skill in extracting, Mister Wright,” she told him, a note of resignation in her voice. “Satisfied now?”

“Well… are you, Mister Wright?” The Judge asked as well.

“I would still like to cross-examine the witness—if it’s okay, Your Honor?”

The Judge gave him an odd look. “I would not be willing to let her testify if I wasn’t going to let you cross-examine her. So by all means, Mister Wright. But let me be clear about the terms of this testimony once more,” he felt compelled to remind Phoenix.

“If I find this testimony to be pointless and yourself to be wrong about her confession containing a contradiction. I will end the testimony and trial on the spot. Ms. Sonata’s confession will stand, and as such, I will withdraw your client’s guilty verdict and order Ms. Sonata held on ponyslaughter charges in addition to the evidence tampering and blackmail. I will also tack on additional fines and jail time to your contempt citation for wasting this court’s time on a fruitless attempt to force a verdict—though knowing you, Mister Wright, I’m sure that doesn’t worry you at all.” He paused and lowered his head.

“What you should be worried about is if you’re right about there being a contradiction in this confession. In that case, I will have no choice but to throw out Ms. Sonata’s confession in its entirety and Rainbow Dash’s guilty verdict stands!” The Judge warned again.

“Are you just doing this to rub salt in my wounds, Wright?” Trixie asked in a trembling voice, flanked by two bailiffs, the mare magician now without her hat, wearing hoof cuffs and an odd form of collar that Phoenix guessed was some kind of magical restraining device, her use of his real name not lost on him. “Are you just trying to drag this out as much as possible to grind my face in it further?”

“I understand, Your Honor,” Phoenix acknowledged The Judge but ignored Trixie, intending to let his actions speak for him.

Okay. Time to show Sonata—and Trixie—the Power of The Truth! He gathered himself carefully. I’ll show you both and everyone else what it truly means to be an attorney! What SHE taught me—and what you later showed me firsthand, Miles!

He couldn’t help but wish Miles Edgeworth was there to witness what he was about to do, wondering if he’d ever be able to tell his prosecutor friend about this case afterwards.

————————————— CROSS-EXAMINATION —————————————

Ace and I had been blackmailing many top athletes for some time. I had finally had enough of it and was planning to quit as his manager after he had won the Equestrian 500.

“For my opening question, I have to know—are you saying Ace never won a competition fairly?” Phoenix asked, his hand on his chin again.

“No, he did.” Sonata shook her head sadly. “Ace really was quite good. He won his way into the national circuit fairly and was better than ninety percent of the racers on it. It was only the best flyers he couldn’t beat without my help. But the Equestrian 500 is nothing but the best.”

“That begs the next question: why did you start helping him to begin with?” Phoenix followed up.

She looked away in regret and sorrow. “At the time I met him, Ace was an up-and-coming athlete with a world of talent and a chip on his shoulder. I said before that my weakness was pity? This is a prime example,” she told him. “I first took him as a client because he came from a difficult background and I felt sorry for him; thought I could help him. I didn’t come in intending to use my talent to help him blackmail his way to the top. It just kind of happened gradually over time.” She looked away in shame. “In fact, I never meant to use my talent that way at all.”

“How did it happen, then?” Phoenix was curious to know.

She cast a guilty look at Trixie, who was glaring back at her, her angry and accusing gaze no less intimidating for not having the force of her ice and weather magic behind it. “The first time I blackmailed somepony, it was our prosecutor back in magic school,” she admitted, causing a fresh stir in the still-refilling stands. “I did it to stop her from bullying me, threatening to reveal her weather power if she didn’t leave school.”

“And don’t think I’ll ever forget it, Sonata!” Trixie spat out before The Judge’s gavel came down hard again, warning Trixie to limit her commentary to the testimony proper.

For his part, Phoenix wasn’t sure why ponies would be afraid of Trixie’s weather power given the pegasi ability to control the weather and all the other magical talents he’d seen, but he let it go, resolving to ask Twilight about it later. “I’m guessing it went to your head, then?”

“Yes,” she admitted with some pain. “When I succeeded that first time, it made me think it was okay to use my talent in such a manner, and thus, I did so when I became Ace’s manager. At first, I only targeted other cheaters—there were more than a few griffons and pegasi using illegal performance-enhancing potions, for example. I told myself—and him—we were helping to keep the races clean, and at the beginning? Perhaps we were.

“But gradually, my standards relaxed. At first, I only went after bullies and cheaters. Then it was ponies who had embellished their background or were lying about their accomplishments. Then it was those hiding things society would find distasteful—I uncovered colt-cuddlers and racers in an interspecies relationship, for example,” she outlined, causing a brief stir in the gallery, spectators openly wondering which racers she was talking about.

“And then finally, any secret at all was enough. I justified it by telling myself that all secrets were bad and their owners were bad for hiding them.” She shook her head sadly. “It’s amazing how a pony can rationalize wrongdoing or hurting others.”

Phoenix nodded slowly. “So what changed?”

Sonata gave a heavy sigh. “As Ace won more and more, he started attracting additional interest, including some decidedly unsavory characters, who showered him with bits and… other benefits,” she added, somewhat cryptically. “The victories and lifestyle went to his head, and he became more arrogant; fame and fortune consuming him… slowly turning him from a cocky colt and mama’s boy into the monster you saw.” She shook her head regretfully.

“I blame myself for it. And in the end, I found myself trapped between my desire not to hurt him and the race-fixers we were working with, who might have decided to take exception if we stopped the money train.”

“As pathetically touching as this story is, what does it have to do with the murder?” Trixie glared at Phoenix, sounding on edge. “Are you just trying to make her appear sympathetic, Mister Wrong? Because I’ll happily call every pony she’s ever blackmailed to say differently! And that includes Trixie herself!”

“I must agree, Mister Wright,” The Judge concurred with a nod. “This is starting to look like a fishing expedition. What are you getting at?”

“I ask the court’s indulgence one final time, Your Honor,” Phoenix replied. “I am simply trying to fill in a few final blanks before I present a new theory of the victim’s death. And Trixie?” He turned to the hoofcuffed showmare.

“What?” she snapped, her emotions still raw and having trouble standing, leaning on the remains of her bench heavily.

“You were right about something important all along. You’ll see what and why in a minute,” he told her, causing the now-powerless mare magician to fall silent, staring at him in confusion. That should keep her quiet until then…

When Rainbow Dash refused the terms of our blackmail attempt, I realized the gig was up and Ace was going to be exposed, so I gave him my resignation letter after we had quelled the fire the first lightning bolt started.

“So why didn’t you want to do it anymore?”

Sonata stared down at the floor for a moment. “As it says in my resignation letter, I, too, was enjoying the fame and fortune. I can’t lie about that. But over time, my conscience began to reassert itself. I finally realized we'd gone too far when we all but held one racer’s sister hostage to force him to comply with our wishes,” she recounted, choosing her words carefully. “You’ll forgive me if, for that racer’s sake, I’d rather not say more.”

Phoenix nodded grimly. “If you were trying to abandon your blackmailing, then why did you turn around and blackmail Cruise Control into attacking me?” he asked, putting just enough emphasis on the name to tell her he knew who she meant.

She hesitated, visibly surprised. “That’s complicated, Mister Wright. But the short answer is—as I said, I thought you were on to me after you and Ms. Pie scrutinized my hotel room,” she told him. “Even outside of the suppression spells, I wasn’t myself yesterday. Or the day before. And as perceptive as you are, I think you can guess why.”

Phoenix nodded, having already guessed earlier in the trial. “You mean these painkiller pills?” he asked as he brought out the old-fashioned pill bottle again.

At her nod, he went on. “Out of curiosity, Sonata, this bottle was almost empty by the time you gave it to me. But the writing on the label says there was a substantial number of pills in here to begin with. So how many of these did you take?”

She hesitated before answering. “Triple the prescribed amount,” she admitted at length, causing jaws to drop open from Twilight and the medically knowledgeable ponies in the courtroom; even Trixie visibly winced. “I only stopped taking them after I gave you the remainder.”

Phoenix was aghast as well, remembering how just a small dose had affected him. So she’s only coming out from under its influence now. That certainly explains the difference in her demeanor between today and yesterday! “But why?”

“Because they didn’t just dull the physical pain of my ruptured horn; they took away my emotional anguish as well. I could only cast the memory suppression spells so often, but the pills were much longer-lasting. The more of them I took, the less I felt,” she explained. “You must understand, Mister Wright—after killing Ace, I didn’t want to feel. I didn’t want to think about or remember what I had done. And I quickly learned that if I took enough of the pills… I didn’t.

“The problem was, at a high enough dose, the medication took away everything, even my basic empathy. By the time you saw me yesterday, I had no feelings for anything left at all,” she explained. “All that remained was an instinct for self-preservation, but no moral compass or conscience by which to guide it.

“So I’m ashamed to say… when I thought you were on to me, I blackmailed Cruise Control into ambushing you, instructing him to steal your evidence and leave you for dead where nopony would find you,” she said with an apologetic look at an appalled Twilight. “One more thing I can never forgive myself for.”

So I was right. She WASN’T herself at all! Phoenix realized. He almost asked how she’d blackmailed Cruise, but quickly thought better of it, already knowing the answer.

Sonata seemed to take his hesitation for something else. “Oh. Is that what this is all about? Very well, then. Your Honor?” She turned to address The Judge.

“Uh… yes?”

“I respectfully refuse to press any charges against Phoenix Wright and Pinkie Pie for breaking into my hotel room.”

“Oh… okay,” The Judge said in some surprise, though his expression quickly turned stern again. “That does not, however, absolve you of attorney ethics violations, Mister Wright. On my orders, you will still be facing contempt charges and an attorney misconduct board once this trial concludes!”

“Yes, Your Honor,” Phoenix acknowledged. If I pull this off—and I know I will—I won’t care! “One last question before we move on, Sonata—how did you get Cruise to call me on my cellphone?” he asked the question that had been troubling him for some time.

“Cellphone?” she repeated the word like it was unfamiliar. “I don’t know what that is, Mister Wright. I tried to lure you into Cruise’s ambush by sending you a telepathic message—it’s in that spellbook, page 162. I was hoping that, due to your ignorance of Equestria, you wouldn’t question it.” Her brow furrowed as if in confusion. “I did feel that something intercepted the spell, but somehow I was still able to talk to you.”

Phoenix was no less confused. “That was you?” he repeated dubiously, pulling out his phone, causing Twilight to study it curiously. “This is my cellphone—a human remote communication device. I received a call on it, which shouldn’t even be possible in this world.”

“Really?” Twilight looked surprised. “Hey, Phoenix—can I try that spell on you right now?”

Phoenix gave her an odd look. “Uh… sure, but it won’t do any good. My phone’s not—”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence before Twilight’s horn flared and his cellphone suddenly rang in his hand, playing the Steel Samurai ringtone he used for unknown callers. Shocked, he clicked the speaker button. “Uh… hello?”

“Phoenix?” Twilight’s voice was heard clearly through the speaker even though her eyes were closed and she didn’t actually speak. “Wow! This is amazing! My magic actually interfaced with your communications device!” she said in a giddy tone. “We’ll have to investigate this phenomenon further after the trial!”

“Yeah…” Phoenix found himself more perturbed than excited by the revelation as Twilight cut her spell and his phone lost connection again. “But that aside, the voice I heard—it wasn’t yours, Sonata. It was male.”

“It’s not hard to alter your voice when speaking through magic, Mister Wright. As your co-counsel just demonstrated, you don’t use your vocal chords for telepathy. I just copied the way Cruise Control sounded with my thoughts and contacted you using that voice to articulate myself,” she explained. “Think of it as being able to project a piano melody you once heard vividly in your mind. You don’t have to know how to play the piano to replay it with your thoughts.”

“I see.” A troubled Phoenix nodded his understanding, returning the phone to his pocket.

“So, Wright—now that I’ve given you my life’s story, it’s my turn for a question.” Sonata turned to look at him directly.

“Huh?”

“What in the name of the Sun and Moon are you doing?” she asked him point-blank. “You’re jeopardizing your client’s fate, when just a little while ago, you were at my throat accusing me—correctly—of killing Ace instead of Ms. Dash. And despite all my efforts, you caught me! But now you’re saying I’m innocent?” She laid her ears back. “I’m guilty, Mister Wright. Whatever might be wrong with my memory now, I killed Ace and everypony in this courtroom now knows it. I know it. So just what do you hope to accomplish with these theatrics?”

To her frustration, Phoenix stayed silent. “I don’t understand you, Phoenix Wright. Do you still think I’m lying? Do you think I somehow doctored that memory playback when I can still barely cast after the injury my horn took?” she asked in a near-derisive tone. “Even if I could, why would I lie when I’m confessing my guilt, knowing what it means for me?

“I suppose I might if I was trying to protect somepony. But trust me, that’s not the case.” She gave a sad smile. “Because the truth is… I don’t have anypony to protect or take care of anymore. I’ve killed the only pony I ever truly cared about,” she announced, her voice going shaky for a moment, taking a deep breath before going on.

“I’m all alone, now—a colt-killer who can never escape her guilt or the shame of her actions.” She bowed her head. “All I can do now is own up to them and try to undo my framing of your client.”

“Then let me protect you, Sonata,” Phoenix offered, causing her to jerk her head up in surprise. “I can take care of you if you’ll let me.”

The grey mare stared at him for a moment, tears in her eyes; the entire courtroom heard her half-strangled sob. “I… I don’t understand you, Phoenix Wright,” she finally spoke again, needing several seconds to recompose herself. “After all I’ve done, why would you want to help me?”

“Yeah, why?” Rainbow Dash piped up from the defendant’s box. “She tried to frame me, Nix! She nearly got me sent to the sun!”

Because deep down, she’s not a bad pony, and I now see the truth, Sonata, he answered with his thoughts. And very shortly you’re going to see it as well!

When I told him I was quitting, Ace became furious and violent, threatening to kill me. My life in immediate danger, I attempted to defend myself with the burned golf club lying on the ground, still red-hot from the lightning and fire, striking him with it over the back of his neck. I hit him so hard it snapped, but as angry and as strong as he was, it wasn’t enough to stop him.

“How hard did you strike him with the golf club, Sonata?” Phoenix asked.

It was an odd question, and she gave him an odd look. “Hard enough to leave that burn on the back of his neck.”

Phoenix raised his hand to his chin again. “And what about that electrical stun spell you used on him? How strong was that?”

“I really can’t say, because I don’t know myself,” she answered, looking away in some pain. “The magic surge and forest energies boosted my power far beyond anything I’d ever experienced before. You saw the playback, Mister Wright—that was no ordinary stun spell I cast. It not only stopped him in midair, it was actually strong enough to knock him—and me—several feet backwards.”

Precisely, Phoenix thought, knowing he was going to have to lead her to where he was heading carefully. “And did you see exactly where he landed?”

Her eyes went wild and frightened for a moment as she recalled the events. “I… I don’t remember,” she finally told him. “I just remember seeing him on the ground. My night vision spell was fading at that point; all I could make out were a few shadows and silhouettes. So I can’t really say where he was.”

Which means you also don’t actually know if he was dead! Phoenix silently noted. “What about the location where you struck him with the golf club? Do you know where that was?”

Sonata thought for a moment, closing her eyes; her horn glowed weakly for a moment in what Twilight sensed was a memory playback spell the other mare was performing only for herself. “I’m not sure, Mister Wright. The argument began as we were putting out the fire the lightning bolt started, so we were initially under the cloud,” she said at length. “But then he chased me all over the clearing. I can’t really tell where we ended up, but from what I now gather, the stun spell must have knocked him into the dirt, and Gilda moved him back underneath the cloud while I was gone.”

“Why is this even a question?” Trixie asked in an agitated tone. “Clearly, he was struck down by the dirt area where Gilda found his body!”

“So it would seem,” The Judge agreed.

“I disagree.” Phoenix shook his head. “And you’ll see why in a minute…”

Seeing he was about to strike, I dropped the broken pieces and resorted to an electrical stun spell I’d studied earlier that day, in case we encountered beasts in the Everfree. In a panic, a magic surge took hold of me; between that and the wild energy of the Everfree, the overcharged spell was powerful enough to kill him… though I didn’t realize that at the time. After it knocked him to the ground, I retreated into the Everfree, running as fast as I could. After a good ten minutes I realized he wasn’t chasing me, so I returned to the clearing to take a look.

Phoenix didn’t explain himself right away, gathering his thoughts carefully. So after all this, and after all my missteps yesterday, it turns out I was right at the very beginning about the most important thing! he realized, suppressing an urge to chuckle at the irony. Finally, it all makes sense!

Now certain he had it right, he slammed his hands down on the rail hard. “Sonata! What you just said is impossible!” he pointed at her, but this time there was no accusing or reproachful tone in his voice, just a simple statement of fact.

“Impossible?” Trixie repeated. “How? How is it impossible? Why do you even care if it’s impossible?” she demanded to know. “What does any of this matter, Wrong?”

“What matters is the truth, Trixie!” he told her. If you learn nothing else from all this, I’m going to make sure you learn THAT!

“Mister Wright, I have told you nothing but the truth,” Sonata insisted again in strained patience.

“Phoenix, she’s not lying,” Twilight spoke up. “She doesn’t have any psyche-locks!”

Phoenix answered her by addressing Sonata. “I agree with my co-counsel. You’re not lying, Sonata, and despite your doubts, I believe your memory of these events remains accurate. But your talent—those wondrous powers of perception and incredibly observant eyes of yours—seem to have failed you this time!”

Sonata looked like she wasn’t sure if she should feel relieved or insulted by his statement. “I’m… mistaken?” she asked no pony in particular, her eyes darting, trying to see what Phoenix had already spotted.

“Mister Wright! Where are you going with this?” The Judge broke in.

“I-I agree! Explain!” Trixie ordered, a shrill note in her voice.

“It’s quite simple, Your Honor,” Phoenix began. “Sonata says she used an electrical stun spell to stop Ace’s attack on her and accidentally electrocuted him with it,” he outlined, holding up and tapping another sheet of transcript.

“Yes, that’s true,” The Judge recalled.

“But then you said something that struck me as strange, Sonata.” He put the sheet down and leaned forward over the bench again. “You said the head of the golf club snapped off when you hit him with it?”

“And that’s the piece you found on the crime scene, which was later instrumental in proving Sonata assaulted him!” Trixie remembered bitterly. “What’s so strange about that?”

Phoenix turned to Trixie. “What’s strange is that the two pieces were found in two different locations!” He walked over to the map of the clearing, which was now lying on the floor after being blown over during the duel. Picking it up, he dusted off the half-melted snow, wiping his hand with Rarity’s hoofkerchief before pointing at the map.

“The club head, you may recall, was found directly under the cloud, which makes sense—” He paused long enough to mark its location by sticking the tip of the red quill right through the paper since it was too wet to draw on “—but the handle was found in the dirt by Ace’s body!” He stuck a second quill at the site where Ace’s body was originally located. “As has already been noted, these positions are nearly thirty feet apart!”

“This is a waste of time!” Trixie announced, bringing a cuffed hoof down on her table, causing her to stumble when one of the weakened boards collapsed. “It’s easy to see what happened here! Ace cornered her by the dirt patch and had his back to the fire, enabling her to pick up the golf club from it unnoticed and strike him with it from behind. When she did, the head must have ricocheted off his neck back towards the center of the clearing after it snapped!”

The Judge nodded his agreement. “That seems the most logical conclusion.”

Phoenix shook his head. “No, Your Honor. That’s not what happened,” he stated with certainty, staying in front of the map, ignoring the shocked looks of The Judge and Trixie. “Let’s recall how Sonata stated the events took place…”

Seeing he was about to strike, I dropped the broken pieces and resorted to an electrical stun spell I’d studied earlier that day in case we encountered beasts in the Everfree…

“The witness stated she dropped the pieces after she struck him, and if I recall correctly, the memory replay showed that as well!” Phoenix pointed to the witness stand. “Am I correct, Sonata?”

Sonata looked like she was starting to grasp what Phoenix was getting at, her eyes wide and uncertain at what it meant. “Y-yes… I did,” she confirmed. “I was still holding on to the pieces after they snapped and I-I dropped them in place…” her voice trailed off as she finally spotted the problem with her testimony herself.

“Meaning, they should have been found in the same location! But then you said something else…” Phoenix noted as he picked up the next sheet of transcript.

Arriving, I saw the silhouette of his body laying there, lifeless. In shock over what I had done, I gathered up the pieces of the broken golf club and letter so I wouldn’t be caught.

“Sonata—you knew leaving a piece of the golf club behind could incriminate you, and you saw that it had broken in two. You took out the shaft. So why didn’t you take the broken head with you as well?”

“I… I couldn’t find it,” was all she could offer. “I could only cast a weak illumination spell after what had happened. I searched around Ace’s body in the low light it provided, but after a few minutes I only found the shaft.”

“Exactly!” Phoenix nodded sharply. “You just searched around the area you found the shaft in, because you knew you had dropped both pieces in the exact same spot!”

“Y-yes…” Sonata granted, then looked up and gasped in startled realization.

She sees it! “And thus, we’re left with one critical contradiction!” Phoenix slammed his hands down sharply on the rail beside the map. “How did the two pieces end up so far away from each other? This question must be resolved before this case can be closed!” he asserted, to a new upsurge of gallery conversation—the stands were only about half-full after audience ponies had fled the duel, but they were now starting to filter back in, sensing the drama wasn’t over yet.

“I remind the court the club handle was found right in this location, judging by the imprint it left. But the club head remained next to Ace’s body, directly under the cloud!” He pointed to both locations on the map in turn.

Trixie had apparently recovered enough that her head was fully back in the game. “Did our duel scramble your senses, Mister Wrong? You got it backwards! The club shaft was initially beside Ace's body, while the head was found thirty feet away from it, under the cloud!” she corrected him.

“Was it?” Phoenix asked, glad Trixie had taken the bait. “I think we can all agree the golf club was dropped exactly where Sonata hit Ace with it. Therefore, the question before us becomes: which piece moved, and why?” he mused, sparing another glance at Sonata. “And the answer is obvious—it had to have been the shaft that moved!”

“But how could you know something like that?” Trixie brought a cuffed hoof down again, causing her waterlogged, ice-crusted bench to splinter further. “Why couldn’t it have been the end piece that moved, perhaps knocked away when he hit the ground following the stun spell?”

“Very simple!” Phoenix grinned, both at the conclusion he was about to reveal, and the fact that Trixie was now acting like a proper prosecutor—helping him seek the truth and providing a sounding board and foil for his ideas. Maybe all she needed was to lose her case and have her tail whipped by Twilight! “The golf club was lost while it was still whole, and was still whole up until Sonata used it as a weapon,” he began by noting.

“So?” Trixie asked.

“So when the imprint in the dirt was made, the club was no longer intact—note the imprint is only of the shaft, not the head!”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “Yes, because it broke off when she hit him over the head with it! Why are we going over the same ground again?”

“I’m asking that myself, Mister Wright,” The Judge warned. “Get to the point!”

“The point, Your Honor, is that if she dropped it in place there, the end piece should have been right next to the handle—not thirty feet away under the cloud!” he summarized. “There is nothing that could account for that discrepancy except that somepony at the scene must have moved either the shaft or the head!”

“But… but… this doesn’t make any sense!” Trixie insisted. “No other pony was at the crime scene between when she hit him and—” her eyes went wide, and then narrowed. “Unless that mangy griffon moved the club as well as the body!” she realized, causing Rainbow Dash to snort angrily.

“Gilda didn’t move it.” Phoenix shook his head. “She dismissed the golf club as a ‘piece of garbage’ before any of us even knew Sonata had used it to hit Ace. She admitted to moving the body; there’s no reason at all for her to lie about moving the club as well!”

“Then maybe Rainbow Trash herself went back and moved it!” Trixie said in a tone that suggested she was trying to find a way to pin the crime on Rainbow Dash again.

“She couldn’t have either!” Phoenix wasn’t about to give her the chance. “My client left the scene immediately and didn’t come back. Even if you disregard both Gilda’s and Sonata’s testimony to that effect, that still leaves Fluttershy, who saw Rainbow Dash leave the woods immediately after the lightning bolt but didn’t see her with the golf club!” He glanced back at Fluttershy, who gave him a smile and wave.

“We’ve already established that Fluttershy is not a reliable witness!”

“All questions and contradictions raised by her testimony were resolved, Trixie—thanks to the teleportation theory you shared!” He put his hands on his hips and grinned.

Trixie’s only response was to pound her head on the bench repeatedly.

“So if not Ms. Behertz, and if not the witness or your client… then who moved it, Mister Wright?” The Judge asked.

“This is absurd! Your reasoning rules out everyone, pony or griffon, Mister Wrong!” a slightly cross-eyed Trixie called out, raising both hooves to rub the fresh bruise on her forehead.

“All but one, Trixie.” Phoenix was having a hard time keeping the grin off his face. “The pony who moved the stick is…” the entire courtroom held its collective breath as he waited a beat.

“The victim HIMSELF!” Phoenix proclaimed in a loud and commanding voice, causing Rarity to pass out again. “ACE SWIFT moved the golf club!”

The courtroom fell dead silent until Trixie finally managed a single word: “Wh-what?”

“The…” The Judge continued the thought everypony in the courtroom now held.

“Hay!?” Twilight finished for them. “Phoenix, what are you thinking? How could Ace have moved it? He was already dead!”

“Mister Wright! Have you lost your mind?” The Judge grasped his gavel more tightly, looking ready to pile on additional penalties to his contempt citation. “This is what you’ve wasted this court’s time for?”

“It’s the truth, Your Honor!” Phoenix insisted. “I believe Sonata did perform the stun spell as she stated and struck him with it as we saw.” He turned to Sonata, who was looking at him warily, as if she now sensed what he was getting at but was afraid to even think it. “But I now believe the prosecution was right all along—the stun spell couldn’t have killed him! In fact, it worked exactly as it was supposed to! It wasn’t fatal; it just rendered him unconscious for a few minutes!”

“But… but…” Sonata spoke up, looking torn between doubt and a desperate hope. “But he was dead when I got back! He wasn’t breathing! I’m sure of it!”

“And what about right after you first used the spell on him?” Phoenix immediately countered. “You didn’t check then, did you? Understandably, since you were more intent on escape than seeing if he was just stunned,” he pointed out, causing her to bite her lip as the faint flame of her hope began to grow in strength. “You’re correct in that he was dead when you got back, so he must have died in between when you ran away and returned to the crime scene.”

“This… is… ridiculous!” Trixie’s voice broke in again. “The Autopsy report confirmed he was electrocuted! If it wasn’t from the first lightning bolt or being hit with that spell, then what? What?”

“What, indeed?” Phoenix mused aloud. “I seem to recall an old saying from a certain fictional detective that once you eliminate the impossible, then whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth!”

“Oh!” Twilight spoke up in a delighted tone. “You read the Fetlock Holmes books too?”

He shot her a quick look and grin, marveling again at the parallels between the two worlds. “In this case, having eliminated both Rainbow and Gilda from moving the club shaft, all that leaves is Ace. And having eliminated the first bolt and stun spell as causes of death, all that could have killed him… is the second lightning bolt!That is the only thing that could have electrocuted him!”

Trixie looked like she wanted to facehoof but couldn’t do so properly while wearing her restraints, so she settled for pounding her head on the desk again. “No, no! NO!” she raised her voice and hit her head a little harder each time. “We’ve been over this again and again! The second lightning bolt was a dud bolt! It never left the cloud! No less than three witnesses neither heard nor saw it!”

“Make that four, because I didn’t see or hear it either,” Sonata added, starting to go downcast as her faint hopes began to ebb again.

Phoenix shook his head. “I don’t believe it was a dud bolt,” he said. “From my understanding, lightning here in Equestria makes sounds based on vibrations of the impact of what it hits.”

“Yes, which is why the absence of such sounds is a prime indication of a dud bolt!” Trixie rubbed her head with both hooves in exasperation. “A bolt that hits within the cloud hits nothing tangible, and therefore doesn’t make a sound! And any flash the bolt made would be very weak as well, since it doesn’t complete the circuit with the ground!”

At least THAT much is the same as my world! Phoenix noted. “True. But there is a circumstance when a lightning bolt hits something tangible but doesn’t make a sound either,” Phoenix quickly countered with a look over at Rainbow Dash, who confirmed it with a sharp nod, realizing that the knowledge she’d shared with him the day before regarding lightning was about to come into play.

“There… is?” The Judge looked confused.

“Trixie knows of no such phenomenon!”

Says the mare who can summon storms and launch lightning bolts at will! Phoenix suppressed a nervous shiver. “From my understanding, it can also happen if the bolt strikes something in midair that isn’t connected to the ground!” he asserted, causing nods and noises of agreement from Rainbow Dash and other weather-knowledgeable pegasi in the courtroom.

“After he woke up, Ace must have been infuriated by Sonata’s assault and escape after quitting as his manager.” As he spoke, he looked at Sonata directly. “He probably took to the air to find Sonata and pay her back in spades. So what if… the second bolt struck him in midair?” he asked the courtroom in a tone that said he wasn’t just suggesting it.

Trixie broke in again. “Did you forget about his lightning-proof racesuit already, Mister Wrong? From my understanding, a pegasus is completely invulnerable to lightning while wearing that suit in midair!” she reminded the court. “The exposed parts are completely covered by flying!

“And before you suggest he somehow wasn’t wearing it, if that was the case, the bolt would have pierced his body and hit the ground, resulting in a flash and boom!” she concluded. “And even if you overlook all of that, you can’t escape this simple fact: the odds of being struck randomly by a single bolt of lightning in midair are so infinitesimal as to be effectively impossible!”

“She’s right, Mister Wrong—er, Mister Wright,” The Judge nodded in agreement. “Even if by some remote chance the second bolt did hit him in mid-air, it should not have been able to kill him while wearing the suit.”

“But what about the wings?” Twilight spoke up. “They’re clearly exposed. What if the bolt hit one of those?”

“Sorry, Snarkle, but that doesn’t work either!” Trixie sneered, some of her old attitude back, causing Twilight to suppress a smile, sensing the showmare’s spirit was still intact. “A lightning bolt hitting his wing would have blasted a hole clean through it. Yet when the victim’s body was found, both his wings were still intact with no injury whatsoever!”

Phoenix scratched his chin, gratified that Twilight was trying to help him. “Cruise Control took a picture of Ace wearing the suit as he entered the forest. So we know he was wearing it from that point until his demise.”

“But I don’t understand! Then there’s no way a stray bolt could have killed him!” Sonata looked completely and uncharacteristically bewildered.

“She’s right, Wrong!” Trixie said in disgust. “So we’re back to where we were yesterday! You can’t claim he was slain by a random bolt that hit him in mid-air without concrete proof!”

“She’s right, Mister Wright,” The Judge told him. “And because of it, I am very close to ending this testimony as pointless!”

“But this time I have concrete proof! Of both Sonata’s and Rainbow Dash’s innocence!” he stated authoritatively. “Now that I know one other factor of the events, that is!”

Trixie’s jaw dropped open, The Judge and other ponies staring at him in disbelief, awaiting one final miracle from him.

Let’s not disappoint them, Phoenix! “This is my proof!” he held the golf club shaft up high. “The golf club! Or handle, I should say—we now know that Ace was the only one who could have reasonably moved it, right?”

“I’m not convinced of that, Mister Wright,” The Judge broke in again, his voice wary. “Though the fact that the head and handle were found apart is very odd, and process of elimination would seem to suggest that only the victim could have moved them, you have not presented any direct evidence that he was still alive to do so. You have also not explained how the golf club proves any of this!”

“Then allow me to present a new theory of the victim’s death, Your Honor—one that will resolve all remaining contradictions and discrepancies!” He drew himself up straighter, having finally arrived at the point he had been aiming for the whole time.

“The fight between Ace and Sonata ended by the fire, not the dirt. The pieces of the golf club were dropped there, where we found the club head. Ace was only knocked out—not killed—by the stun spell, and didn’t wake up for another eight or nine minutes. When he did and remembered what happened, he swore bloody vengeance on the witness!” he theorized with a glance at Sonata, who was now listening to him raptly, her expression all but begging him to convince her he was right.

“Angered by Sonata’s resignation and having been burned with the golf club, he picked up the now-cool shaft lying beside him and took to the air to get a better view of the dark forest, intending to find Sonata and repay her for her assault and escape!” He paused to let his words sink in. “Now tell me, Your Honor—where would a pegasus hold the shaft while he’s in the air?”

“Probably in his mouth,” The Judge guessed the answer everypony else in the room knew instinctively. “Lacking hands, that’s the only place he could hold it while flying, I would think.”

“Exactly, Your Honor!” Phoenix nodded. “In his mouth, which would not be protected by the racesuit if it was open! And as a golfer, you should know well the danger of holding up a long metal rod in the vicinity of a storm cloud...?”

“Mister Wright…” Sonata’s lip was beginning to tremble as a new picture of events began to crystallize in her head. “I—” She stopped short as her vision went abruptly dark, the entire courtroom somehow receding from her awareness except for Phoenix Wright, the bench he was leaning on, and… a second figure; a beautiful brown-haired human woman wearing a dark grey business suit now standing beside him on his left.

“Who… who is that?” Sonata stared at her in confusion. She had never seen the human woman before, and yet… It feels like… I know her?

“At 8:50PM, just as the victim took flight, the second lightning bolt struck!” the human pair spoke and pointed as one; Sonata swore the strange female’s voice was identical to her own! “The metal handle in his mouth acted as a lightning rod, attracting the bolt to him and pumping all that electricity directly into his body through his unprotected mouth, stopping his heart!” they announced, and Sonata—as well as everyone else—could sense the truth of their words.

“It didn’t need any accuracy to hit him since the metal shaft drew the bolt in, and the bolt made no sound and only a little flash since it struck him in mid-air! The lightning-proof racesuit contained the bolt within his body, preventing it from passing through and reaching the ground! Hit in mid-flight, he died instantly and dropped the club as he fell out of the sky, which hit the dirt beside him, thirty feet from where they started!”

Everfree Forest
East Clearing
June 8th, 8:48 PM

Ace Swift awoke with a splitting headache and a very sore neck.

“Ow! What… what happened?” he asked himself, sitting up and rubbing his forehead before his memories all came rushing back along with a fresh wave of anger, fury at Sonata’s disloyalty taking hold of him once more.

“That… that bucking BITCH!” he snarled and slammed his hoof down as he found himself beside the remains of the fire, his sharp pegasus eyes picking out a few still-glowing embers and the pieces of now-cool club sitting beside him.

You’ll PAY for this, Sonata! he silently swore as he picked himself back up, willing his legs to steady themselves, still shaky after having had so much electricity pumped into him. Good thing I’m a pegasus, or that might have KILLED me! he all but growled, still unable to believe she’d both abandoned him and attacked him like that. And don’t think you’re going to get away with it, you betraying, blackhearted—

His gaze fell on the golf club shaft she’d hit him with, now cool, the broken-off club head sitting just a foot away from it, both pieces glinting softly in the light of the moon as it rose over the treeline. This isn’t over! I’ll just have to kill her and make sure they’ll never find her! If I can get rid of her and then Rainbow, there’ll be no witnesses! I play the part of a mourning lover, I can retire an undefeated champion and live the high life—reap the rewards and sympathy! he reasoned as he stretched his wings, preparing for flight.

She CAN’T have gotten far! I know enough about unicorns to know that she won’t be able to cast for a while after a spell like that! So she’s helpless now and if I can find her in this forest, there’ll be NOTHING she can do to stop me! He grinned eagerly.

First I’ll hit her horn hard enough to leave her helpless! Then I’ll beat her bloody with that bucking golf club but won’t kill her! No, I’ll leave her broken body for some lucky forest monster to find! he silently swore, a cold rage consuming him as he took the club shaft in his mouth, ignoring the burnt and bitter taste.

“Ready or not, Sonata, HERE I COME!” he all but snarled through his bared teeth, and with that, he pumped his wings once and took flight, shooting almost straight up, trying to rise above the forest canopy to get a better look around…

Completely forgetting about the storm cloud that lay directly overhead, flying right into it.

When he contacted the cloud, it reacted; there was a weak crackling sound and jagged streak of light that filled his vision, centered right on the end of the golf club. Guided by the metal shaft, the bolt bypassed his racesuit and entered his body directly through his unprotected mouth.

He had just enough time to realize what had happened before he convulsed once and his brain shut off, the massive shock stopping his heart and short-circuiting his nervous system. His wings no longer working, the pegasus racer passed clean through the cloud and then arced back to earth, hitting ground at the south end of the clearing, throwing up a cloud of dirt on impact.

Almost as an afterthought, the shaft of the golf club dropped from his suddenly slack muzzle as he fell, bouncing once on harder ground before settling into the soft dirt beside his lifeless body.

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom No. 2
June 11th, 4:43 PM

There was dead silence and more than a few open jaws in the courtroom as Sonata’s vision cleared, the mysterious woman beside Phoenix vanishing like an apparition in the night. And yet… she was real. She was here! she still IS! Sonata was strangely certain. She… she SAVED me!

Trixie, for once, was speechless, but she wasn’t the only one; everypony in the courtroom processing Phoenix’s theory… and finding it valid, knowing in their hearts it was The Truth. It was nearly half a minute before The Judge finally broke the silence.

“This… would seem to explain a few things,” he admitted in classic understatement, looking stunned yet again. “Do you have any objections to this new theory, Ms. Trixie?” he asked, turning to his right.

The dazed-looking Trixie considered the question, and then her shoulders slumped. “No. I don’t,” she conceded in a defeated tone, the mare magician somehow looking even more beaten at that moment than she had when she lost the duel. “Based on her latest understanding of the events and evidence, Trixie now believes that Mister Wright’s theory of the victim’s death… is correct. And if so, both Sonata Tarot and Rainbow Dash are innocent of murder,” she stated in a very subdued voice, then said the words that nopony ever dreamed they would hear from her:

“It’s over, Your Honor. The prosecution rests.”

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on September 30, 2018.

It wouldn't be Phoenix Wright without one final twist, and this was one of the best features of the videos, in my opinion, beginning Sonata's and even Trixie's redemption. For my own take, I wanted to show a little bit of Sonata's backstory and history with Ace, as well as give her some mitigating factors as to why she was acting so badly before. That's why I planted the pills way back in part 18. The main quandary of this chapter was finding a believable way to allow Trixie to stay, and a purpose in doing so. With the help and advice of Leo Archon and TheGoldCrow, to say nothing of Raven's usual patience and indulgence, hopefully I've succeeded.

This was a long chapter, but it didn't seem right to break up. This ends the trial, but not the story, as anyone who's seen the videos knows. There's a lot to wrap up, and needless to say... there's some major subplots that yet need addressing. :twilightsmile:

—Firesight

Part 56 - Verdict

Ace Attorney: Verdict

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom No. 2
June 11th, 5:59 PM

The case, despite Trixie’s assertion, was not quite over.

Before Phoenix’s theory of Ace’s death could be accepted and both Sonata and Rainbow Dash could be cleared of killing him, it had to be verified by police forensic and cloud ballistics specialists. They hastily re-examined the cloud and Ace’s body in light of Phoenix’s new version of events, causing the case to recess for a third time.

The Judge allowed Trixie to direct the investigation in the interests of expediency, if under close supervision, the mare magician in both physical and magical restraints with two bailiffs flanking her at all times. To her credit, she performed her final duty as prosecutor professionally though she made no eye contact with Phoenix or Twilight as court came back into session. She looked very subdued, even numb to Phoenix as she presented the results to the packed chamber, where it was now standing-room-only in the gallery.

Phoenix’s theory was confirmed. The coroner reported that Ace’s mouth had fine metal flakes behind his teeth that were matched to the club, and cloud ballistics found that the golf club itself bore the ‘aural residue’ of both the first and second lightning bolts, meaning it had been struck directly by both. When Phoenix inquired as to why such a test wasn’t performed on Ace to begin with, he was told only metal and crystal retained such residue.

Further examination of Ace’s body also revealed a ‘fractal scar’ beneath his fur that seemed to originate at his mouth and radiate down his neck—the telltale signature of a lightning strike; one Phoenix knew also existed in his own world.

There was, however, one final surprise in the data. The cloud ballistics specialists reported that more careful tests showed the second bolt was not random but had in fact been triggered, and the underside of the cloud had a disturbed area consistent with being struck head-first by a pegasus…

Meaning that Ace had accidentally called the bolt that killed him down on himself when he collided with the cloud.

Poetic justice! Phoenix couldn’t help but think, but Twilight was far less philosophical, visibly annoyed that so much potentially exculpatory evidence had been overlooked at the start and claiming she would have been far more thorough and careful. Phoenix didn’t doubt her, but he was more forgiving of Trixie and the police, knowing that police forensics and prosecutors often missed subtle things they didn’t know to look for. And neither did we until the very end…

When Trixie’s report was finished, the conclusions were unmistakable, and Sonata, who had been standing rigid, suddenly went weak in the knees. “I… I didn’t kill him!” she said, then collapsed over the front of the witness stand, laughing and crying all at once.

“I didn’t kill him! I didn’t kill him! I didn’t kill him! I didn’t kill him!” she proclaimed over and over between giggles and sobs, announcing that a great weight had been lifted from her soul.

It was more than a minute before she could speak again; Phoenix couldn’t help but smile as an avalanche of pent-up emotion and anguish finally poured out of the normally stoic grey mare. “Mister Wright, I… I don’t know what to say,” she eventually managed between sniffles, dabbing her eyes with a tissue a sympathetic Rarity had floated her.

“Never in my life has anypony—or anyone—done something like this for me…” she told him, her watery eyes only partially hidden behind her spectacles. “I can’t believe I was so wrong.” She took a deep but ragged breath. “So very wrong.”

“You weren’t wrong, Sonata,” Twilight spoke before Phoenix could. “That note was proof you were trying to do the right thing in the end. And I lived your memories when we were doing the playback spell. So I know exactly what you went through and what it must have done to you,” she told the other unicorn, worried she would be having nightmares of her own. “The terror you experienced was very real, and the emotional trauma you suffered because of it…” She shuddered. “Between that and all the pills and memory magic, you weren’t yourself. So I forgive you for going after Phoenix, as I’m sure he does too,” she said with a glance up at him.

“I do,” Phoenix nodded in agreement. “I forgive you, Sonata.”

The gray mare smiled sadly. “For which I thank you both. But I wasn’t actually talking about that. I meant that Mister Wright was correct—my powers of observation failed me. I overlooked such an important detail and thought I had killed Ace. It’s ironic I tried so hard to convince myself I hadn’t when I really didn’t.” She shook her head in happy disbelief. “If only I’d been thinking clearly. If only I’d been willing to face what happened instead of hiding from it. If only I could have looked at the scene dispassionately when I returned. Then I wouldn’t have had to put you, your friend, or Mister Wright through this ordeal to learn the ultimate truth of this event.”

“I don’t blame you for reacting the way you did,” Phoenix told her. “You were in shock. It would be impossible for anypony to be dispassionate or thinking clearly under those circumstances.”

“Be that as it may,” The Judge broke in. “Ms. Sonata. Though you may not have killed Ace Swift, you still face serious allegations including tampering with the crime scene and the blackmailing of numerous athletes, as well as orchestrating an assault on Mister Wright,” he reminded her. “As such, I am issuing a bench warrant for your arrest on these charges, and with such overwhelming evidence, you may expect to be found guilty and punished accordingly.”

“It’s all right, Your Honor.” Sonata bowed her head. “I have done some terrible things, and though I regret them, I humbly accept my sentence, whatever it may be,” she promised before turning to her left. “I also owe you an apology, Trixie. Both for earlier… and for what I did to you back in magic school,” she told the other mare. “In truth, I’ve always been jealous of your power and abilities. And I think the only pathetic fake here is me.”

Trixie’s only response was to look away, a dull pain in her eyes. She seemed more drained than anything else to Phoenix; her powers and emotions completely spent.

Sonata noticed, too. “Your Honor? Please go easy on Lula. I’m ashamed to say I used a past trauma from her life against her, and thus I helped drive her to do what she did,” she told him. “All I can say to her and to everypony is… I’m sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen. I just wanted to quit and leave all this ugly extortion business behind. I just wanted to be left in solitude and not have to think about any of this ever again.

“By the end… the guilt I felt over the blackmail and Ace was excruciating. But you’ve given me this second chance, Mister Wright.” She looked over at Phoenix. “You stayed determined and true to what you believed in, true to your client and your search for the truth when everypony—myself included—thought otherwise,” she noted. “I swear to Celestia and all present that from here on out, I will let your example be my guiding light. And for that…”

She closed her eyes and her horn flared, a little stronger than before with her distinctive silver-white aura. As everyone watched, she suddenly removed her spectacles, lowering them out of sight and then audibly crushing them beneath her hoof.

When she opened her eyes again, they were bright and clear, shining with joy and gratitude, startling everyone in the courtroom at how much her appearance and demeanor changed without her glasses. “I feel reborn. And for that… I thank you, Phoenix Wright.” She gave him a warm and happy smile; one that Phoenix would never have thought she was capable of.

And thank YOU, whoever you are! she mentally called to the mysterious human woman; she swore she felt a hoof—or was it a hand?—on her shoulder for just a moment as if in answer.

Phoenix smiled and bowed his head to her. “You’re very welcome, Sonata,” he answered as Twilight beamed with pride and the entire gallery rose to give him the pony equivalent of a standing ovation, whinnying, clopping and pinwheeling their forehooves in appreciation of his efforts.

“What a very peculiar turn of events,” The Judge noted in another prize understatement once the ruckus had died down. “It turned out the victim brought about his own death. There was no murder at all!” he summarized in renewed wonder. “One can only speculate that all that negative karma finally nipped him in the flank, very hard. But regardless, it would seem that in this case, I can now not only withdraw my previous verdict, but at long last render a proper one.”

No objection this time! Phoenix grinned, standing up straight to receive the ruling, Twilight moving closer to share the moment with him.

“In the case of Ms. Rainbow Dash, this court finds the defendant—”

The shout went up again, causing sounds of dismay from all corners of the courtroom… until The Judge gave a hearty laugh and all present realized the cry had come from him! “Well, I must say—that really is fun to do! Now I understand why you attorneys enjoy cutting off my verdict!” He stroked his beard as he mused, not noticing the increasingly lethal looks every pony in the chamber from the spectators to the bailiffs to Phoenix himself were giving him. “The tension! The suspense! The Drama! The—!”

“JUST GIVE THE BUCKING VERDICT!” The entire courtroom yelled at him as one, Phoenix slamming his hands down on the rail and Trixie throwing the soggy remains of her cape at him for emphasis.

The Judge looked surprised at the outburst. “Okay! Okay! There’s no need to be vulgar. You didn’t have to shout at me!” he insisted, looking almost hurt and clearing his throat. “On the charge of murder, this court hereby finds the defendant, Rainbow Dash…”

As he said the words, there was an explosion of confetti from Pinkie’s pre-placed Party Cannons that rained down all over the courtroom pit, startling Phoenix. But he shrugged it off, deciding that after all he’d seen and experienced, magical confetti was a fairly minor feat.

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom #2
June 11th, 6:17 PM

“Now that the murder charge is dispensed… there are some additional matters to adjudicate before we adjourn at the end of this very long day,” The Judge announced once the cheers had died down. “I’m afraid, Ms. Dash, that even though I find you innocent of murder, I cannot fully absolve you of blame in this matter.”

“Huh?” Rainbow Dash looked up at him.

“It is clear from this trial that you did not intend to kill or even hurt the victim. But I cannot condone your actions in stealing that cloud and using it to ‘scare’ him. It was extremely reckless and dangerous of you, and I feel it warrants punishment.”

“But Your Honor! I was careful! I made sure he wasn’t standing under the cloud!” Rainbow protested before Phoenix could, but The Judge just shook his head.

“And what if he had been standing on top of or right beside the golf club, which you apparently did not know was there, Ms. Dash? Would the bolt not have been drawn to it—and him—regardless of where you aimed?”

“But—” Rainbow’s expression dropped as she considered the point—one Phoenix hadn’t even thought of himself. “If it was close enough… yeah, it probably would have. I didn’t even think of that. I’m sorry, Your Honor.”

“At least you admit it,” The Judge acknowledged in an approving tone. “Next time, Ms. Dash, go to the police and do not try to deal with such criminal matters as blackmail on your own!”

“With respect, Your Honor, I think Rainbow’s actions ended up saving a life—Ms. Tarot’s!” Phoenix pointed out. “Had the events not happened as they did, the confrontation between Ace and Sonata would likely have still occurred but could have had a far worse outcome.”

“Perhaps. But as there is no way for us to know such things, I leave that judgment to a higher court, Mister Wright,” he answered.

“Yes, Your Honor.” Phoenix took his meaning immediately, but wasn’t sure the ponies present would. Is there a pony deity or afterlife? he couldn’t help but wonder.

“You’re right, Your Honor,” Rainbow conceded. “I shouldn’t have done it. I screwed up, and I’m sorry.”

His expression softened a bit at her hangdog look. “You are a fine young mare, Ms. Dash, if a bit on the impulsive side. May this be a reminder to you to think through your actions and consider their consequences. Regardless, I checked during the last recess, and by Equestrian law, I am allowed to render judgment on lesser charges in place of a higher one, even without a plea agreement.

“Thus, it is my intention to find you guilty on one count of reckless endangerment in the second degree. For punishment, you will be fined two hundred bits, and given a suspended six-week sentence… unless there are objections from either counsel?” he asked after not immediately hearing one.

“No, Your Honor.” Trixie didn’t even look up.

“None, Your Honor,” Phoenix answered after a glance at Rainbow, who shook her head at him. He’s right. On this point, Rainbow’s guilty, and even she knows it. “The defense does not contest.”

“So ordered.” The Judge rapped his gavel once to make the ruling official. “Then next in line is the question of your actions in this trial, Mister Wright!” he said, his expression going stern again.

Phoenix grimaced, turning to face The Judge once more. Knew this was coming. Time to face the music…

“I grant that—yet again—you have managed to uncover the truth and prevent a great injustice, both to your client and to Ms. Sonata. But that does not absolve you of responsibility for your unethical and likely illegal actions in breaking into Ms. Sonata’s hotel room, or your falsely accusing Miss Fluttershy at the end of yesterday’s session!” The Judge told him in an increasingly severe tone.

“Regardless of the outcome of this trial—or Miss Fluttershy’s insistence that you not be punished—I can neither condone nor accept such actions as being right or necessary. The fact of the matter remains that you were inexcusably unprepared for the first day of trial, and an innocent pony suffered because of it!” he told his fellow human, and Phoenix felt the sting of his words. “Before I pass judgment, do you have anything to say in your defense, Mister Wright?”

Phoenix bowed his head and made a halting motion at Twilight as he saw her ready to speak up on his behalf. “No, Your Honor. I am guilty of everything you said. I can only offer my apologies to this court, as I have already done to Miss Fluttershy.”

The Judge shook his head. “Apologies alone are not enough this time, Mister Wright, as I believe this is the second time you have falsely accused an innocent witness in as many cases!” he reminded his fellow human, causing Phoenix to wince and Twilight to give him a startled look. “No more. For your actions in this trial, I hereby find you in contempt of court!” He brought his gavel down, making the ruling official. “Now as to your punishment… I believe that earlier, I promised to impose the maximum possible penalty of five days in jail and a 500-bit fine for any further breaking of court rules,” he recalled as he stroked his beard.

“You did, Your Honor,” Phoenix acknowledged, and for the first time, he felt genuine worry over his sentence. How am I going to pay a fine in Equestrian currency? And will they only allow me hay and water for the duration of my prison stay?

“However… in light of the remarkable outcome of this trial, I will forgo the jail time,” The Judge decided, to Phoenix’s great relief. “In its place, you are hereby fined 500 bits and sentenced to fifty hours of community service, and further ordered to stand before an Equestrian Attorney Misconduct Board in Canterlot,” he told him. “Do you have any cases pending back home, Mister Wright?”

Phoenix deflated a little at that. “No, Your Honor,” he conceded, not wanting to admit he hadn’t had a client in months; Maya’s new slogan notwithstanding.

The Judge nodded. “Then there is no reason for you not to remain here and face punishment for your actions.”

Twilight felt her heart leap at the news Phoenix would be staying for a while, struggling to keep the smile off her face, but the feelings of Phoenix himself were far more mixed. He liked Equestria, and he certainly didn’t mind the idea of staying a spell—to say nothing of spending more time with Twilight—But what if a client needs me back home? And how am I going to get word to Maya? he fretted. Knowing her, she’s probably already panicked and called out the search dogs over me being gone for two days…

The Judge broke his train of thought. “And as for you, Ms. Trixie…” His voice took on a much more ominous tone. “Aside from your contempt citation, you are also now facing numerous charges given your attempted assault on Mister Wright, and the magical duel that followed. Regardless of the outcome of your trial, you, too, will face a Misconduct Board. Unfortunately, given your repeated attempts at collusion with witnesses to keep evidence and information suppressed… I’m afraid I have no choice but to recommend disbarment.”

“Yes, Your Honor,” Trixie acknowledged with surprising meekness, sounding very numb. In truth, she was still in shock, unable to believe it. After everything that had transpired, after being inches away from her victory, even after a guilty verdict, it ultimately hadn't mattered—Phoenix Wright had still found a way to win, pulling off an absolutely miraculous turnabout, turning her own arguments and evidence against her! And even worse, she’d helped him do it just to get back at Sonata, blind to the truth he’d finally revealed.

Was it that I was blind or just so lost and consumed by hate that I refused to see the truth? That I was willing to banish an innocent pony just to get back at Snarkle? she asked herself belatedly as she realized that Phoenix Wright had managed to give a happy ending to everypony—everypony except her, she reflected bitterly.

Of course not. There’s NEVER a happy ending for me. It doesn't matter what I do; I can never win...

With that thought, a sad smile cracked her face. “I can never win,” she muttered to herself with a weak chuckle. Then, as if the floodgates had opened, the mare magician burst out into full-blown laughter. “Even when I’m right, it turns out I’m wrong! Even when I win, I lose!” she announced. “Isn’t that funny, Your Honor? It doesn’t matter what I do or how hard I try, I never win!” she continued her uncontrollable laughing, which gradually gave way to crying, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. “I never win…” she said one last time before collapsing headfirst to the remains of her bench again, the one she had so proudly prosecuted behind, her sobs barely muffled by her cuffed hooves.

The freshly broken showmare couldn’t see Twilight’s gaze upon her, sorrow and pity in the other unicorn’s eyes. It was only then Twilight noticed something there at her hoof, tucked back in the corner under the defense bench where it had been blown…

Trixie’s hat.

The Judge stared at Trixie for a moment. He looked like he was going to call for order again, but in the end, he just shook his head sadly, deciding the showmare was no longer his problem. “You may pay the fine to the court clerk when you are able, Mister Wright, and I will leave the exact question of how your community service will be served to the attorney misconduct board. In the meantime, our business here is concluded. Court is now adjourned!”

He brought his gavel down for the final time before getting up to retire to his chambers, the unicorn bailiff mare holding the door open for him and then falling in behind him, escorting him down the hall.

Ponyville District Court
Defense Waiting Area
June 11th, 6:31 PM

Rainbow Dash had barely been released from her hoof and wing shackles before she shot across the room and Phoenix found himself knocked backwards, taken in a rib-crushing hug. “You did it, Nix! You WON!” she shouted in joyful relief, squeezing him so hard Phoenix thought he was going to pass out.

“Rainbow? Let me go!” he barely croaked, unable to take a breath, amazed and alarmed she could be so light and yet so strong at the same time.

“Rainbow!” Twilight called out in alarm at seeing his distress, yanking her friend off him with her magic.

“It was a victory hug!” Rainbow insisted as she saw Phoenix coughing. “Geez, you need some more meat on your bones, Nix!”

“A little more gently, next time!” Phoenix coughed, loosening his collar. “And you’re welcome.”

“That was incredible, Phoenix,” Twilight spoke up. “You not only saved Rainbow Dash, but Sonata as well!” Now if only there was a way to save Trixie, she wished, stowing the showmare’s wizard hat in her saddlebags and wondering how best to return it. Or should I even be the one to do it…?

Her thought was broken by a sudden and very familiar buzzing sound, followed by a helmeted young filly zooming into the room on a scooter, propelled efficiently by her tiny wings. “Rainbow Dash! I came as fast as I could!” she said as she hopped off her scooter and removed her helmet, revealing a slightly unruly mulberry-colored mane paired with orange fur and light purple eyes.

Phoenix didn’t recognize her, but Rainbow Dash did. “Scootaloo? What are you doing here?” She asked in genuine surprise.

“Well, I tried getting in that Detention Center, but those armored thugs out front wouldn’t let me through!” She looked angry for a moment, giving Phoenix an appraising glance. “And you have no idea how much I wanted to come to the trial yesterday but I was stuck in school! Can you believe Miss Cheerilee said I wasn’t allowed to leave? This was an emergency! So I came over at lunch, but the guards said I wasn’t allowed in without an adult!” She rolled her eyes. “I had to wait outside the whole time!”

“Um… correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t today a school day, too?” Twilight pointed out.

“Well, yeah, but… Apple Bloom got the day off for coming down here!” Scootaloo offered.

“That’s because she was testifying as a witness,” Twilight pointed out, then her expression went horrified. “Don’t tell me you just took off from school without permission!?”

“Oh, uh…” The young filly’s eyes went evasive for a moment. “Okay! I won’t tell you that!” she said brightly, flaring her small wings.

“You deliberately cut your classes?” Twilight was aghast. “What is wrong with this generation?”

“Well, the reason I came down here was to help!” the orange filly announced proudly. “Detective Scootaloo has come to crack the case as a Cutie Mark Crusader Private Investigator!” She shouted so loud Phoenix winced.

Phoenix wasn’t sure what to say to that, but Twilight was. “Not another one!” she groaned as she facehoofed.

“So you’re that human lawyer dude Apple Bloom was talking about, right?” Scootaloo asked, giving Phoenix another appraising look.

“Yep, that’s me.” Phoenix nodded, not sure what to make of the young filly. She seemed like a younger version of Rainbow Dash in some ways, between her unruly shock of hair and generally cocky temperament. But why the scooter? Why didn’t she just fly in?

“Well, Mister Lawyer, look at all this great evidence I found! Here!” She shoved a few items at Phoenix with her hoof.

Phoenix accepted them in some bemusement. “A bottle cap… a peanut… and a pine cone?” he cataloged in turn, exchanging a quick glance with Twilight, who just shook her head and gave him a wan but helpless smile that told him to roll with it.

“I’m glad you came down to help, kid, but everything’s fine now!” Rainbow said, giving the young filly’s mane an affectionate ruffle. “Nix here got me off!” she motioned to Phoenix with her wing.

“Aw… you’re saying I missed it all?” The young filly went crestfallen.

“Don’t encourage her! She skipped school!” Twilight looked so angry Phoenix thought she might burst into flames again. “Tell her, Rainbow!”

Rainbow blinked. “Oh, yeah!” she said in a placating tone. “That’s bad… and stuff… and you, uh… shouldn’t do that, Scootaloo…” she offered without any conviction or enthusiasm, looking up to the ceiling in what seemed to Phoenix halfway between an eye roll and deep thinking.

“Anything to help you, Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo flared her wings happily again, leaving Phoenix thinking they looked small even on her small form.

Twilight sighed and shook her head, realizing this was one argument she wasn’t going to win. “Well, back on the subject of Sonata,” she addressed Phoenix, “do you have any idea what’s going to happen to her?”

“Well…” Phoenix sat back down, happy to take a load off after having been on his feet for the better part of eight hours. “She’ll be facing a few years in prison for tampering with the crime scene and blackmailing all those racers, but that’s just a slap on the wrist compared to the punishment of murder, or even manslaugh—er, ponyslaughter,” he said, scratching his chin. Come to think of it, she’ll need a lawyer. Wonder if they’d let ME represent her? He had the sudden idea. Could THAT be my community service?

“Is the same thing going to happen to Gilda?” Rainbow Dash wanted to know.

“Yeah, but not to that degree,” he reassured her. “She’s facing charges for perjury and crime scene tampering, but she’s a first-time offender. If she pleads guilty and gets a decent defense attorney, she should be out in no more than a couple months,” Phoenix promised. “For Sonata, though…”

“It’s all right. I don’t mind,” a familiar but surprisingly jovial voice said from the waiting area entrance. “It could have been worse. So much worse.”

“Sonata!” Phoenix recognized, getting back up to greet her. “Weren’t you being taken into custody?” he asked, seeing no restraints on her and only a single pegasus bailiff attending her; he still found the sight of her without her glasses jarring—she looked so different now!

“I asked if I could speak with you one last time, and the guards accommodated my request,” she explained with a nod back at her escort. Twilight smiled as well, though Rainbow’s greeting was considerably cooler, offering only a terse nod.

“What did you want to talk to me about?” he asked, clasping his hands in front of him.

“I just wanted to let you know that you were right. I have done some truly despicable things.” Her eyes flickered to Rainbow before going downcast again, while Twilight glared her friend silent.

Phoenix’s cheeks flushed. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that. it was just in the heat of the moment and—”

“It’s all right,” she waved him off, looking back up to meet his eyes. “You don’t need to feel bad about me. But I do owe you an apology, Phoenix Wright. And most certainly you as well, Rainbow Dash. I not only orchestrated the blackmail scheme against you and so many other athletes, but tried framing you for murder.” She bowed her head and lowered her ears submissively before the other mare. “I’ll understand if you don’t want to forgive me…”

To little surprise, Rainbow didn’t, her wings flaring in anger. “After taking those pictures and nearly getting me sent to the sun? Fat chance, you no-good, conniving little—!”

“Rainbow!” both Twilight and Phoenix scolded her, but Sonata waved them off.

“It’s okay if she doesn’t want to forgive me, Phoenix,” she chuckled, and it wasn’t forced or fake. But then her smile abruptly dropped as her eyes went past Phoenix to the open hallway door.

“Honestly, I’m having a hard time doing that as well!” a new female voice called out; one Phoenix didn’t recognize. He turned, and his heart dropped into his stomach as he beheld…

Ah! Another GRIFFON! he cringed, belatedly identifying her from her headband as Lenora. Now that he was seeing her up close, he could see she had a darker coat than Gilda and a sleeker build, as befit a racer. Though that didn’t change the fact she was nearly as big as the lion her hindquarters looked like. I just hope she doesn’t want to rip me to shreds like Gilda!

“Lenora!” Twilight greeted her warmly, offering her hoof, not noticing Phoenix tense.

“Hello, Twilight Sparkler!” The griffon eagless bumped her paw to Twilight’s hoof, talons curled inward.

Twilight growled low under her breath at the mispronunciation as Sonata turned impassive, waiting as Lenora turned to a disconcerted Phoenix next, looking him over from head to toe. “Sorry, it’s just that I’ve never seen a human before today. Great job winning the trial!” she congratulated him, offering her paw to Phoenix in turn, giving him some pause as she opened her sharp-looking talons as if to grasp. “Though I admit I was a little unhappy with you for accusing Cruise there.”

“Yeah… uh, sorry.” Phoenix returned the gesture with some trepidation, starting when she grasped his forearm instead of his hand, causing him to quickly do the same back before she took offense at him not greeting her properly. “Uh… y-you don’t want to tear me to smithereens too, do you?” he couldn’t help but ask in a nervous tone.

“Um… what?” Lenora gave him a funny look as she let go. “Cruise attacked you. I know that now. Why wouldn’t you suspect him?”

“Never mind him. Why are you here?” Twilight asked. “I noticed you were at the trial earlier, but then you disappeared?”

Lenora nodded. “I left to find Cruise at the Detention Center. I wanted to ask him if Mister Wright’s accusations were true, and try to get him to testify against Sonata when I realized that she was being called to the stand,” she explained, pinning the grey mare with a stare, her wings flaring in anger. “I’m just sorry I wasn’t there to see Mister Wright and Twilight Sparkler here take you down! I heard it was quite the scene.” She grinned at the pair, missing Twilight’s peeved look when her name got mispronounced once more. “I even brought him with me,” she said as she reached outside and pulled a second figure inside; a downtrodden blue pegasus stallion with a cloud-colored mane and tail wearing a pair of brown pleather flight goggles on his forehead.

“Cruise Control!” Twilight flinched and immediately moved to stand between the newcomer and Phoenix, whose eyes widened in surprise at the name—he’d never actually seen his assailant. “Isn’t he supposed to be in detention?”

THIS is Cruise Control? Phoenix looked at the forlorn and unkempt pegasus male, whose wings hung limp and green eyes were locked on the ground in front of him. He hardly seems capable of attacking someone!

“His lawyer got the proceedings stayed pending the outcome of this trial, after I told him Sonata blackmailed Cruise into ambushing you, Mister Wright. He even got Cruise released on his own recognizance,” Lenora replied, draping a wing affectionately over the still-silent stallion. “And given Sonata’s confession, he says he should be able to get all charges against Cruise dismissed now. Thank you, Mister Golden Rule!” she called out over her shoulder.

“My pleasure,” a voice answered from the hallway as a new pony came into view, causing Phoenix to do a double-take at the startlingly familiar voice coming from a rather portly orange-brown earth pony stallion with a greying black mane and thick curled mustache, wearing only a dress shirt and matching suit jacket with a gold-colored tie.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Mister Wright,” he acknowledged a gawking Phoenix, giving him a low bow and clearing his throat loudly as he entered. “We arrived here in time for the last ten minutes of the trial, and I must say—that was the greatest courtroom feat I’ve ever seen an attorney perform. You sir, have inspired me to become a better lawyer!” he offered Phoenix his hoof.

“Uh… you’re welcome.” Phoenix bumped his fist back weakly; he couldn’t help but stare as the stallion lawyer disappeared from sight again. Was he…?He looks and sounds just like…!

“So we decided we were going to pony up and testify about Ace and Sonata’s blackmail scheme, even despite what she still had on us,” she said as she glared at Sonata anew. “But it turns out it wasn’t necessary.”

Twilight was visibly surprised. “Really? But how? How did you convince Cruise to testify, I mean, given…?” She knew better than to say more.

Lenora looked suddenly chagrined. “I… went against Cruise’s wishes and wrote Princess Celestia, detailing the situation with Catalina—Cruise’s sister,” she explained with an apologetic look at the still-downcast Cruise, “I was terrified I was doing the wrong thing, but the princess immediately wrote back and gave Cruise a royal guarantee that Catalina would not be removed from Canterlot hospital. That was all it took,” she said, a little sadly as Twilight mentally kicked herself for not writing the princess earlier herself as she’d had the idea to. “I don’t know if he’ll ever forgive me for taking that chance, but… it had to be done.” She nuzzled him and was gratified when he seemed to reciprocate, pushing back with his cheek against her.

“That was very brave of you. And I know sorry isn’t enough for what I helped do to you both,” Sonata acknowledged, forcing herself to meet Lenora’s angry gaze. “But I truly am. What I did to you—to everypony—was wrong. So very wrong…” She went downcast again.

“To be fair, she was intending to stop it before Ace’s death,” Phoenix felt compelled to speak up on Sonata’s behalf. “Here’s her resignation letter to Ace. You weren’t at the trial to see what happened, but suffice it to say, her telling Ace she was quitting put her in serious danger.” He held out the letter to her. “Ace tried to kill her over it.”

Lenora scanned the taped-together letter but was still unconvinced. “News flash, Phoenix Wright! She did it again when she got Cruise to attack you! And that was after Ace bit the dust!” she pointed out, her tail twitching angrily.

“Let me make it up to you then,” Sonata spoke up before Phoenix could tell the pair about how the painkiller pills had been affecting her. “Cruise—your sister is still in a coma, right?” she asked him directly.

He perked up, giving her a wary look. “Y-yes?”

“After Ace died, half of his estate went to his mother; the other half to me.” She drew herself up straighter as she spoke. “To begin my atonement, I’m going to donate every last bit of my share to medical research regarding your sister’s case,” she promised, bowing her head to him.

He stared at her in disbelief and a near-desperate hope. “Y-you’d do that?”

“I would. And just so you know, it was you and your sister’s case that finally made me decide to quit,” she told him, then turned to Twilight, who was standing at Phoenix’s side. “Twilight Sparkle? Since I’m going to be in prison for quite a while, can you manage my money for me and make sure it goes towards that cause?” Sonata asked. “Since you’re a former citizen of Canterlot, it shouldn’t be too hard legally for you to arrange.”

“Yes, it would be my pleasure.” Twilight smiled and bowed at the request, but then her brow furrowed in confusion. “Wait—how did you know I used to live in Canterlot? I don’t think we’ve ever met before.”

“I just noticed the slightly smug and self-important manner in which you carry yourself.” Sonata smiled again, and Phoenix couldn’t but do so as well. “A lot of Canterlot citizens adopt a rather distinct saunter and a high-class accent which they then take with them when they move. I can tell you’ve been living in Ponyville for a while now, but you haven’t quite been able to lose them,” she pronounced, closing her eyes in satisfaction.

Twilight goggled. “Wow! Your talent really is incredible! It’s amazing how you can…!” she trailed off as she suddenly realized something. “Wait—smug and self-important?”

“If you really can do that? Then thank you.” Cruise smiled back.

“Whatever,” Lenora said with a dismissive wave of her paw. “I still don’t trust her after what she’s done. And I don’t think I can ever like her.”

“I wronged you as well, Lenora,” Sonata apologized again. “I wronged you both even before Catalina’s accident. All I can really offer is that I’m well and truly sorry. I’ve learned my lesson, and I will be punished severely.”

Lenora studied her carefully and finally nodded. “Well, if Cruise and Mister Wright can forgive you? Maybe I can, too. Kinda-sorta.” She shrugged. “But I’m going to want to see that you keep your word first!”

“’Kinda-sorta’?” Phoenix echoed.

“Uh, yeah. Kinda-sorta. You know, like kinda and sorta?”

How about ‘makes no’, and ‘sense’! Phoenix didn’t say.

Lenora then turned to Rainbow Dash. “So you’re that newbie racer I’ve been hearing so much about! Congratulations on the acquittal!” She curled her talons into a loose fist and offered them to Rainbow. “I’ve heard a lot of good things about you, Rainbow Dash, and your Sonic Rainboom is legendary even in the Griffon Kingdom. I look forward to going head-to-head with you in the Equestrian 500!”

“Thank you.” Rainbow bumped her hoof back and preened, opening her wings to proudly display them. “You’ll see I’m no slouch, promise!”

“Yeah! Rainbow Dash is totally going to win the whole thing! No contest!” Scootaloo declared, sitting beside her idol.

“I’m glad to hear it.” Lenora grinned, an amused note in her voice, giving the young pegasus filly an affectionate mane ruffle. “Well, you be sure and take good care of your big sister here,” she told her, completely misreading their relationship.

“Big…” Rainbow trailed off in surprise, while Scootaloo just blushed and beamed.

“Well, we best be going now. We’ve got a lot of practice and conditioning to catch up on before the race. We wish you all well! Yeah, even you,” Lenora conceded, giving Sonata another momentary if half-hearted glower.

“Hey—maybe I’ll actually watch the race this year!” Twilight thought out loud. “I don’t have wings, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it and root for Rainbow anyway!”

“That’s the spirit! Finally, somepony showing some patriotism and taking the Equestrian 500 seriously!” Lenora praised. “More power to you, Twilight Sparkler!”

Far from looking complimented, Twilight’s expression turned angry again and her elemental powers began to reassert themselves despite her drained state; Phoenix took an immediate step back as her eyes began to glow red once more.

“It’s ‘Sparkle’…” she ground out through gritted teeth. “Sparkle!” she repeated, more forcefully as her mane began to smoke. “SPARKLE!!!!!” her mane and tail ignited. “NOT SPARKLER! SPARKLE! SPARKLE! SPARRRRRKKKKLLLLLE!!!!!!!” She jumped in place a little higher and shouted a little louder each time, her mane and tail ablaze as all present took several steps back.

All, that was, except Lenora, who was staring at her, seemingly completely unimpressed by the display of magical fire… which suddenly erupted in a blast of steam as the overhead fire sprinklers were triggered and magically targeted Twilight, putting out her flames and leaving her sullen and wet.

“There’s no need to go off like a blowtorch! You could have just told me in a calmer tone and I would have gotten it!” Lenora informed the dripping unicorn mare over flared wings, looking away in disgust.

Twilight found her anger extinguished along with her flames. “B-but—”

“It’s okay. Twi has these little temper tantrums from time to time. But we love her anyway,” Rainbow Dash told Lenora, giving a soaked Twilight an affectionate noogie with her hoof. “But can you do us a favor and take Scootaloo here back home?”

“Aww! But I wanted to stay here and celebrate with all of you!” The young filly looked crushed.

“Sorry, squirt. If it was up to me, you could stay, but you’re probably in trouble with your Aunts anyway after running off like that, and you need to get home now,” Rainbow told her. “Can you guys take her?”

“Sure, Rainbow Dash. I want to stay far away from Crabby Miss-Mane-Flame here until she decides to chill out!” Lenora rolled her eyes. “Pity there isn’t some ice elemental around who could cool her off…” she trailed off as she exited, waiting for Cruise and Scootaloo.

Twilight went crestfallen as well. “B-but I’m not—”

Cruise only chuckled, looking genuinely happy for the first time. “We’ll see you all later,” he promised. “You can fly, right?” he asked Scootaloo, whose expression dropped at the question.

“No. I can’t,” she admitted to Phoenix’s surprise. “Not yet. But just you watch, pal! One day I’m gonna be just as awesome a flyer as Rainbow Dash!” she promised, flaring her undersized wings again, leaving Phoenix wondering if she was just a late bloomer or if there was something genuinely wrong with her.

Cruise’s grin got wider. “You look up to her a lot, don’t you?”

“Well, duh!” Scootaloo said. “She’s the fastest, bestest, most coolest pony ever! We’re like birds of a feather!” she said, moving to stand beside her idol again, who gave her mane another affectionate ruffle in response.

There was a sudden sadness in Cruise’s eyes. “You know, you remind me a lot of…” he trailed off and his eyes went hooded for a moment, but this time he seemed to quickly shake it off. “Never mind. We better get you home, then. Hop on my back; I’ll give you a lift free of charge!” he offered, crouching down and waiting for Scootaloo to climb aboard.

She did so quickly. “Goodbye, everypony!” she called out from his back as Cruise trotted out.

“’Sparkle, Sparkle, Sparkle!’” they heard Lenora pantomiming Twilight from outside as Cruise and Scootaloo joined her. “She didn’t have to yell at me! It’s not my fault pony names are so hard to remember…” they heard her voice fade out as they walked away.

“How in the hoof is ‘Twilight Sparkle’ hard to remember?” a still-dripping Twilight asked Phoenix and Rainbow while behind her, the two pegasus guards were looking like they were doing their best not to burst out in laughter.

“Actually, that went over a little better than I expected.” Sonata smiled as Twilight materialized a towel from somewhere and began to dry herself off. “Phoenix? After all you’ve done, I don’t have the right to ask for any more favors. But could you please do one more thing for me?” She looked up at him.

“What’s that?” Phoenix inquired as Twilight looked back angrily at the still-chortling guards.

“It’s about your friend, Pinkie Pie,” she told him.

Phoenix blinked. “Pinkie Pie? What about her?” he asked, wondering again how she’d made her fleeting appearances at the trial and why she hadn’t been there otherwise.

Sonata smiled again. “Tell her that I said thank you. You see, back in my hotel room, when she made her jokes and you saw I was in pain? It was actually because I was trying my hardest not to laugh,” she admitted, to Phoenix’s surprise. “In the haze I was in, between my cracked horn, the painkiller pills, the memory spells and all the emotional trauma, she was the only thing that broke through. I didn’t think I’d ever laugh again at that point, but she showed me I still could. So thank her for me, if you would.”

Phoenix smiled as well. Score one for the Element of Laughter! “Will do. Anything else?” He considered asking if she wanted him to represent her right then and there, but decided against it for the time being—he simply didn’t know if he’d be allowed to and didn’t want to make a promise he couldn’t keep.

To her surprise, she actually blushed and looked away for a moment. “Actually… there is one more thing,” she admitted. “And I hope your co-counsel will forgive me,” she added with a glance over at Twilight, who was now looking at her curiously.

“Uh… okay?” Phoenix waited.

“Well… I don’t know if this is appropriate for humans, but…” She trailed off and blushed again just before she reared up and hugged him hard, wrapping her forelegs around him. “Thank you for saving me, Phoenix Wright,” she said as a surprised Phoenix quickly checked with Twilight, who looked equally startled but gave him a nod and smile.

With that, Phoenix returned the gesture, hugging the grey mare’s head to his chest. Does feel kind of odd, though. Almost like I’m hugging Mia! he thought as Sonata suddenly propped her forehooves on his shoulders, pushed back from him slightly and stretched out her neck to whisper in his ear.

“And thank your human lady friend for me—the one who speaks with my voice,” she told him very quietly, causing him to start and stare. “I don’t know who she is, but let her know I’m very grateful,” she added as she broke the embrace and went back to all fours, wondering again why she felt an odd kinship to the mysterious woman.

“Bleah. Mushy stuff,” Rainbow rolled her eyes after Sonata was led away, Phoenix still staring after her. “But Nix, seriously—I can’t thank you enough after all you did for me. I owe you one!”

“Really?” Phoenix glanced at Twilight, who took his look for the instruction it was, heading out into the hallway to retrieve her waiting friends—she’d told Phoenix what she was planning just after the trial adjourned, messaging Spike as well. “Because I don’t think I’m the one you should be thanking.”

“Huh?” Rainbow blinked. “What do you mean?”

“There’s somepony who deserves your gratitude even more than me,” he replied, giving a quick glance past Rainbow to the entrance, seeing the pony that was now poised there, ready to be presented.

Rainbow looked confused for a moment, her eyes going towards the ceiling. “Oh! Right! Thanks for hiring such a cool lawyer, Twilight!” she called out, not having noticed her friend was gone.

Phoenix stared at her for a moment. What do you have to do to get her to see something? Does she only notice things when she’s flying? “Well, it’s nice that you’re thanking Twilight, and she certainly deserves her share of the credit. But that’s not who I had in mind.” He crossed his arms. “You got acquitted because of this particular individual.”

Rainbow only looked more confused. “You mean The Judge?”

Phoenix wanted to facepalm. “No.”

“You can’t mean Trixie,” she said the name in distaste.

“No. Though admittedly, she did play a critical part. Try again,” Phoenix instructed.

“Scootaloo?” Rainbow tried next, and this time, Phoenix couldn’t hold it back.

“Ugh! NO!” He put his hand on his head in exasperation. “Somepony without whom you would have been found guilty!”

“Uh… Heh-heh.” Rainbow gave a placating smile that said she had no idea who he was talking about. “I’m not good at oral exams, Nix. Can you refresh my memory? I forget things easily.”

Do I REALLY have to spell this out for you!? Phoenix wanted to scream, in disbelief that anyone could be so dense. Fine! “The trial would have been lost without…”

“Fluttershy,” he finished, which Twilight took as her cue to escort her friend in, who approached Rainbow with some trepidation.

“Fluttershy?” Rainbow repeated in disbelief, her wings flaring in anger again, not noticing her friends entering. “But she betrayed me! She helped Trixie by testifying against me!”

“She did do that,” Phoenix agreed as her friends took position behind the still-oblivious Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity and Spike in back with Twilight and a cowering Fluttershy in front. “But not to betray you. She did it because it was the truth, and she was required to tell it,” he reminded her with a glance at Applejack, who nodded her approval, the country mare looking like she wanted to smack Rainbow Dash with her Stetson right then and there.

“But that’s not—!” Rainbow Dash started to protest, only to be stopped short by a stern shake of Phoenix’s head.

“You had been given a guilty verdict, Rainbow. Your fate was sealed. I had nothing left to fight with…” he trailed off, suppressing a shudder at how close they had come, wondering what bad end would have been reached had it not been for Fluttershy’s unlikely intervention. “Then she objected, flew down and took the stand in the face of all that attention and doubt, and forced the trial to continue despite the verdict,” he reminded her.

“Don’t think that was an easy feat, especially in the face of all that pressure and scrutiny she was under. I haven’t known her as long as you have, but I could tell she was scared out of her mind yet still trying her absolute hardest for you up there,” he concluded. “She did it for you, Rainbow! Out of her friendship, love… and loyalty to you,” he took great pains to emphasize. “Things would have ended a lot differently had she not done what she did.”

Twilight spoke up from behind Rainbow. “He’s right, Rainbow. And I think that’s a lot more than you deserved after the way you treated her this morning,” she scolded as gently as she could.

“O-oh…” Rainbow suddenly went downcast, rubbing the back of her head with her hoof. “Well, uh… yeah, maybe I was a little rough on her.”

“Well, maybe you should tell her that yourself!” Phoenix nodded behind Rainbow, who turned and started to see all her friends but Pinkie Pie present.

“Hello, everypony!” Fluttershy offered cautiously, mustering her courage to smile at Rainbow and Phoenix.

While Rainbow hesitated, Phoenix took the lead. “Fluttershy, I can’t thank you enough! You did great in there!” he told her, getting down on one knee before her and causing both Twilight and Rarity to blush even as a badly deflated Rainbow Dash looked away. “You saved us both. I owe you everything. My victory… and even my life,” he told her, bowing his head before her.

Fluttershy looked surprised—and very flattered—by his words and deferential manner, her cheeks blushing along with those of her friends. “It was no problem, Mister Phoenix.” She closed her eyes and flashed a winning smile, reaching in to rub her cheek against his, causing Phoenix to feel that he’d once again been touched by an angel.

“Well, in fairness, your timing could have been a little better,” Phoenix admitted in a slightly playful tone as he stood back up, his words causing her to draw back.

“O-oh! I’m s-sorry my timing wasn’t good!” she apologized immediately, looking nervous again and causing the others to give Phoenix a warning look.

“Easy there, Fluttershy—I’m just teasing. It’s alright. We won, didn’t we?” he told her, giving her a grateful scratch behind the ears.

“Yes, we did!” she immediately agreed as she accepted his gesture with some surprise but couldn’t help but lean into it a bit, amazed at how good his talons (?) felt, wondering again what kind of phoenix he was to have such odd appendages. “Congratulations, Rainbow Dash!” She looked over at Rainbow, who was sitting off to the side with a hangdog expression, hunched over and giving her only furtive looks.

“Rainbow Dash?” Twilight prompted. “Don’t you have something to say?”

“Yes. Like how incredibly sorry you are?” Rarity asked in anger, stepping towards her friend. “We just now learned of how you treated her before the trial. How dare you speak to Fluttershy in such a manner, Rainbow Dash!” she said, pointedly closing her eyes and turning her head away.

“And how!” Spike added as he glared at her over crossed arms. “What, did you want her to lie for you? Go to jail for you? Be sent to the sun for you? Would that have made you happy, Rainbow?”

“No, b-but—” Rainbow began to protest, her expression and wings drooping a little more with each sentence Spike spoke.

“No buts!” Applejack called out next, walking up to get in the other mare’s face. “After what you did to her, ‘n after all she did fer you, you bucking well better say yer sorry, Rainbow Dash!” She poked the other mare hard in the chest. “You’d’ve been banished if it weren’t fer her!”

“I… uh…” Rainbow visibly cringed as the words struck home, forcing herself to face her friends. “I… I’m sorry, Fluttershy,” she finally managed in a shaky tone. “Th-thank you.”

“Oh. It’s okay,” Fluttershy replied easily, taking a tentative step towards Rainbow.

“NO, IT’S NOT OKAY!” Rainbow Dash suddenly exclaimed vehemently, stomping her hoof and flaring her wings once more. “They’re right, Fluttershy! So don’t pretend this morning didn’t happen! You can’t say everything’s okay when I treated you like dirt!” she told her friend. “I said so many awful things to you, and I was wrong! Wrong about all of them.” Every feather and hair on her mane suddenly seemed to droop.

“I said I hated you! And even then… y-you still came back and helped me?” She turned away completely, unable to meet Fluttershy’s eyes or those of her other friends. “Why, Fluttershy? Why would you do that after how rotten I was to you? Why would you even want to help me?”

Fluttershy’s answer was characteristically simple and heartfelt. “Because you’re my friend, Rainbow Dash.” She went up to her friend and gently turned her around to face her. “I was so scared to go back on that stand, with all those eyes staring down at me,” she visibly shivered at the memory, “and after what happened last time, I really didn’t want to make things worse for you like I did yesterday.”

“Then why did you do it if you were so scared?” Phoenix prompted, genuinely curious.

She turned her beautiful teal eyes on him. “Because, Mister Phoenix… after I saw that stick again, I knew that other mare had something to do with this, and that I needed to let everypony know. So I thought to myself—what would she do?” she asked in her soft but lovely voice, her eyes going frightened, then determined as she remembered the agony of her decision. “What would the strongest and bravest pony that I know do?

“I knew she would dart in, force everypony to pay attention to her and make them listen. I knew that she would stand her ground and be strong, saying what she needed to say. So I promised her I would try my hardest to be there for her and be brave for her...” she trailed off and turned back to Rainbow, looking directly into her friend’s rose-colored eyes. “Because that’s what that strong and brave pony has always done for me.”

Cloudsdale
11 Years Earlier

Rainbow Dash was eight years old, one of the fastest flyers of her age at the Cloudsdale Flight School… and was in total disbelief.

“Why aren’t you mad? Those three jerks knocked you right out of the sky and hurt you, for crying out loud!” she asked the injured yellow pegasus filly she was tending to, who remained silent except for her continued sniffling, tears still matting down her yellow cheeks. She’d been injured by three reckless colts joyriding through the air as she was flying home from another unhappy day at flight school, the force of their passing knocking her down and causing her to hit the pillar they were now in front of, twisting her ankle.

“You’re lucky I was there to see so I could fix you up! Don’t worry, I picked up first-aid from my dad. He always patches me up when I get banged up!” Rainbow’s eyes widened. “Oh! Speaking of which! Check this out! I got it from crashing in to this same pillar! Awesome, huh?” she asked, spotlighting a large scar on her right forehoof.

But the pink-maned pegasus still did not look up or reply, her head remaining downcast as Rainbow wrapped the bandage around her injured leg.

“You don’t talk much, do you?” Rainbow noted a little dryly, feeling bemused. She was so used to her fellow pegasi being competitive and strong-willed. They were descended from great warriors, after all, yet this one seemed the complete opposite of all that; Rainbow had no idea why or how to approach her. “Look, those three morons give me trouble every day calling me that—Rgh! Dumb name! But take it from me, if you want them to stop bullying you, you just have to stick up for yourself and show them who’s boss!”

“I… I can’t…” the yellow filly finally managed to force out in an extremely quiet voice, looking and sounding heartbroken, tears welling in her teal eyes once more.

“Why not?” Rainbow replied in shock at hearing her incredibly meek, soft-spoken voice as she secured the bandage around her leg.

“I try, but I just can’t. I can’t stand up to them. I-I don’t know how. And they always make fun of me for not being able to fly right,” she whimpered, letting the pain show in her voice. Rainbow knew instinctively it wasn’t the hurt of her injury causing it—she’d actually been surprisingly quiet during the most painful part of it when Rainbow was disinfecting it earlier—it was because this filly had actually convinced herself that she was as weak as her bullies claimed, and not worth standing up for.

The cloud the two sat on grew silent as Rainbow finished the job; the only sound to be heard was the high-altitude wind that blew by. “Hey! I got an idea!” Rainbow blurted out of nowhere, causing the young filly to flinch in surprise. “If you can’t stick up for yourself, let me do it for you! I’ve got enough confidence to go around. Next time those three bug you, just call me and I’ll kick their flanks for you!”

The other filly looked surprised but didn’t immediately reply; there was another long pause before she answered. “Why would you do that?” she finally, if somewhat weakly, asked, breaking the silence again. “You were racing those three and you let them win. You even came back to help me,” she added at Rainbow’s confused look, feeling guilty. “Why?”

Rainbow sighed. “I was racing them because they said they’d stop calling me that stupid name if I beat all three of them at once!” Rainbow Dash flared her wings in anger at the thought of hearing their dumb voices calling her that name she despised so much when she saw them the next day at flight school, mocking her for abandoning the race—one she’d challenged them to.

“Then why?” the soft-spoken filly followed up, raising her still-wet eyes to meet Rainbow’s for the first time.

“Oh, it’s just something my dad taught me: ‘Rainbow Dash, you don’t need a reason to help anypony in trouble’,” she quoted, doing her best impression of her father, even affecting a deeper voice. “I never really questioned it; it just felt right to me. I mean, you shouldn’t need a reason to help somepony who needs it!”

“But now those three are going to make fun of you just like how they make fun of me,” the pink-maned foal sadly muttered as she went downcast once more. “S-sorry for that.”

“Eh, who cares about them anyway? They were probably still going to call me Rainbow Crash even if I made them eat my dust—which, for the record, I would have!” she proclaimed, all confidence again. “I’ll just keep doing my best to prove them wrong! And I will prove them wrong! I’m going to be in the Wonderbolts someday, you know!” Rainbow showboated, fishing for a compliment.

“Hey, I know! Maybe I can even give you a few pointers on flying if they are really bugging you that much! I know a few tricks on how to get airborne those fossils they call teachers at flight school don’t teach you! You’ll be the best—er, second best flier in no time!” Rainbow promised, flaring her young but powerful wings.

The yellow filly was bewildered. She had never had anypony offer to help her or talk to her this way. She was so used to being ignored, which she normally didn’t mind. But now? She found herself touched by the rainbow-maned filly’s desire to defend her. What any other pony might see as insufferable, brash, and cocky, she saw as loyal, dedicated, and motivating; for the first time, she allowed herself a small smile while in the company of another pony outside of her own family.

“So what do you say? Let’s show those three doorknobs… no! Cloudsdale… no! Let’s show all of Equestria what we can do!” Rainbow beamed as she did an aerial somersault.

The meek pegasus nodded slightly and couldn’t help but giggle a bit, finding Rainbow’s enthusiasm infectious, almost forgetting about her twisted hoof. Rainbow put her front hooves to her mouth and started yelling. “Did you hear that, Celestia? Rainbow Dash and—!” Rainbow paused. “Uh… sorry, but what’s your name?

“Fluttershy,” The yellow pegasus responded so fast it shocked her; it normally took a good five minutes for anypony to get her name out of her when they inquired.

“Fluttershy, huh? Alright!” Rainbow took a deep breath and turned back to the heavens as she prepared her shout once more. “Did you hear that, Celestia? Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are going to be the best in the world!” she proclaimed to the princess before turning back to the other filly.

“Now you try it, Fluttershy! I know it sounds a little stupid, but it makes you feel a lot better!” Rainbow flew down, patting the other filly on the back.

“Um… okay,” Fluttershy said hesitantly. She inhaled deeply before letting out the loudest shout she could muster:

“Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are going to be the best in the world!”

Rainbow stared blankly at Fluttershy after her weak and half-hearted shout. “Uh… Yeah. Good job!” Rainbow chuckled nervously, rubbing a hoof behind her head. “Anyway, I’ll meet you at flight school and I’ll help you get up in the air once your leg gets better. Do you want me to walk you home?”

Fluttershy’s heart warmed as she gave the other filly a grateful smile. “That would be wonderful. Thank you, Rainbow Dash,” she said happily to her first friend ever.

It was a speech and story guaranteed to not leave a dry eye anywhere, and not even Rainbow Dash was immune, Phoenix watching in satisfaction as her usually indifferent and cocky persona crumbled before her friend’s heartfelt declaration of friendship, loyalty and love. “I… I…” Rainbow couldn’t speak for a moment, tears welling and then streaming freely down her face.

“I’m so sorry, Fluttershy!” She burst into tears and threw her forelegs around her friend, sobbing into her pink mane. “I w-was a big jerk!”

Fluttershy held her friend gently and patted her neck reassuringly. “There, there; it’s okay, Rainbow Dash. There’s no need to cry,” she told her friend, wrapping her wings around the other pegasus as well.

“I-I’m not crying! It’s just m-my… my al-ler-g-g-gies!” she somehow insisted even as she broke out bawling again, hugging Fluttershy even tighter.

Phoenix watched happily as the two friends reconciled, finding it hard not to have a tear in his own eye as he saw the scene unfold; he looked down to realize that his hand was resting on Twilight’s shoulders as she watched as well. She looked up at him and smiled, then made a motion indicating that they should leave the pair alone.

Mystery solved… case won… two mares cleared of murder… two friends reunited. Not a bad day’s work, Phoenix! He grinned to himself as he followed Twilight and her friends out to the lobby. They exited into a sea of pony reporters, shouted questions and camera flashes, leaving Phoenix feeling that regardless of why Twilight had summoned him, at that moment he was the greatest defense attorney in existence.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on September 30, 2018.

After 56 chapters and nearly 300,000 words (who would have thought?), we've finally reached the verdict. But as anyone who's familiar with Phoenix Wright or watched the videos knows, the story doesn't end with the verdict. Plenty of wrap-up yet to come, including several bonus chapters on the way. And speaking of bonus material... here's some directly from NeoArtimus herself! :rainbowlaugh:

Credit as always where credit is due--to Leo Archon for the pre-read, to Raven for her kindness and indulgence, and it was in fact TheGoldCrow who wrote the Rainbow/Fluttershy flashback sequence and Trixie's end scene.

And speaking of Trixie... before anyone decries her apparent lack of a happy ending, the story isn't over yet. Once you hit rock-bottom, there's nowhere to climb but up. So be patient. She will get her bone.

--Firesight

PS: No complaints about the not guilty icon, please. I decided to use a simple screencap from the videos, and that's that.

Part 57 - Revealed Racers

Ponyville Courthouse
Lobby
June 11th, 7:10 PM

Phoenix, it seemed, was now the man of the hour.

As he entered the lobby along with Twilight, Applejack, Rarity and Spike, he was met with a crush of ponies; a mixture of fans, photographers and reporters, all of whom were clamoring to get a statement or picture of him. Much to his surprise, a few ponies were even shoving scraps of scroll paper and quill pens at him, asking for his autograph!

He obliged his new fans as magically hoisted cameras hovered all around him snapping photographs, and a lot of them, he noted, were trying to get both him and Twilight into the shot. Finally, he acceded to the wishes of the crowd and approached the front desk, where a microphone was floated towards him by the unicorn receptionist; his gym friends interposing themselves along with the few Royal Guardsponies in the lobby, trying to keep the crowd at bay as he addressed his equine audience.

“I’d just like to say… that justice was served today,” he said as cameras continued to flash. “The truth has been revealed in this case, and though I may get all the credit for it, there were in fact many ponies who made this possible. And I’d now like to thank them all individually—starting with my co-counsel, Twilight Sparkle!” he took pains to say, causing her to blush as he invited her to step forward, cameras flashing with renewed fervor as she stood beside him.

“She was my guide to this unfamiliar world, and I couldn’t have solved the case without her. You already know her magical prowess, but it was in fact her intellect that proved decisive—she uncovered several crucial facts in this case, and she also came up with the theory of the crime that ultimately cornered Sonata,” he noted, looking down at her with a proud grin.

“It was her love for her friends and her unshakable belief in Rainbow’s innocence that drove her to reach out to me. She was a superb co-counsel, and I have no doubt that with just a little time and seasoning, she’d make a very good defense attorney!” he added, his flattery causing Twilight to beam.

“I would also like to thank a pair of ponies who are not here—first, a free spirit by the name of Pinkie Pie, for befriending me yesterday when I was sure nopony would give me the time of day,” he recalled ruefully. “She snapped me out of my post-trial funk and assisted me on my investigation; made sure I was fed and escorted where I needed to go. She couldn’t come today except briefly...” He rubbed the back of his head at the memory of her sudden appearances, still having no explanation for them, “But her presence was certainly felt.”

“Next, I want to recognize a lamb with the heart of a lion—Fluttershy!” he said loudly. “For those who don’t know, she not only saved this case by coming forward with crucial information when all seemed lost, but she saved my life in the Everfree yesterday,” he explained, closing his eyes and bowing his head.

“I’ll never fully live down what I did to her or forget what she did for me—what she did for us all! So even though she’s not currently here, I just want everypony to know that I think she’s the most kind and forgiving individual, pony or human, I’ve ever met, and that what she did in court today took very great courage,” he said to a nod of satisfaction and approval from the rest of Twilight’s friends, Rarity most notably among them. “This case would have ended much differently without her.”

Seeing her reaction, Phoenix turned to the fashionista next. “I must also thank Miss Rarity, who repaired my suit twice out of the goodness of her heart, and gave me a crucial piece of evidence,” he followed up, causing Rarity to preen and Phoenix to decide in a moment of mischievousness that perhaps he could publicly stroke her ego a bit. “I appreciate her being here today, and I know Rainbow did as well. She is truly the spirit of generosity, and her beauty is matched only by her heart,” he added with a teasing look, causing Rarity to swoon again, Spike catching her but shooting him an angry look.

It was only then he realized that Spike had something for Rarity. Probably not a good idea to piss off a dragon—even a baby one! he decided, making it a point to single him out next.

“And let’s not forget Applejack and Spike, for retrieving Twilight’s copy of the spellbook in record time, delivering it just when we needed it most,” he said, making Applejack tip her hat to the crowd and Spike’s anger turn to surprise.

“We would have lost this case unless they got here when they did, and I’d especially like to thank Spike, for the extreme lengths he went to in order to get that book through,” he took pains to say, having been told by Twilight exactly what Spike had done during an earlier intermission, causing the scribe to blush and put a hand behind his head as everypony’s attention turned on him, cameras flashing again. He let out an embarrassed chuckle and gave the crowd a timid wave.

“And last but not least, I’d like to thank my new gym friends here in front of me, just for making me feel at home this morning, for coming to cheer me on, and later for helping to make sure Sonata didn’t escape. Thanks, gang!” He raised the microphone to them as if he was toasting them.

They all clopped their hooves and whinnied their appreciation. “YEEEEAAAAAHHHH!!!!!” Bulk Biceps shouted, rearing up and flexing.

“I’ll take a few questions now.” He saw a hoof shoot up immediately, waving for his attention. “Yes?” He pointed to the hoof’s owner, a unicorn mare standing in front.

“Mister Wright! Will you be representing Sonata Tarot?”

Phoenix answered honestly. “I’d like to, but I don’t know if I’ll be allowed to… or if Ms. Tarot would permit me to. Yes?” He pointed at a hovering pegasus mare next.

“Will you be opening a law office in Equestria, Mister Wright?” she asked around the quill pen in her muzzle.

“Oh! Well, I’ll certainly give it some thought…” he managed, wondering if there was even any way he could as he saw Twilight’s face light up and her gears start visibly turning, considering the same question. Sure would be nice if she could open a permanent portal!

“Is it true you’re going to be retained as private legal counsel to the Princesses?” an earth pony reporter asked next.

Both Twilight and Phoenix blinked, giving each other a glance. “Not that I’ve heard?” the latter replied.

“Are you Twilight Sparkle’s coltfriend?” a stallion shouted from the back.

They’d known the question would come, but Phoenix and Twilight still blushed. “I think that’s between—”

“Are you now going steady?” a unicorn mare didn’t let him finish.

“Uh—”

“And will you be starting a herd with her?”

“A what?” He blinked as Twilight’s eyes went wide.

“And will the Princess preside over your wedding?” a unicorn stallion asked next.

“Okay, I think we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves…” He rubbed his hand behind his head.

“Is it true she’s going to bear your foals?” the earth pony mare shouted again.

“Wait, what?” he asked as Twilight went beet red.

“Will you be taking any other pony wives?” Phoenix was asked before Rarity could so much as utter a protest.

“N-no, I—”

“And is it also true Miss Rarity is being invited to join your herd?”

“B-but—” was all Phoenix could manage as Rarity went stunned.

“And why are you now leaving them for Fluttershy?” another called out, causing both ponies to blush hard. “Don’t you care about them anymore?”

“Bwuh…?” was all Phoenix could manage while Twilight just looked like she wanted to hide; beside her Rarity had turned equally red while Spike was trying his hardest not to laugh.

“Okay, that’s ’nuff ’o that!” Applejack stepped in front of them with a stern voice. “Private lives should be private, so y’all can kindly buck off and leave ’em alone!” she ordered, to no effect as a new round of shouted questions erupted, each more intrusive and embarrassing than the last.

“Excuse me, Mister Wright,” a new voice cut in; Phoenix turned and was surprised to see Lenora beside him, having just returned from dropping off Scootaloo. “I think I know how to stop this and save your sanity. May I?” she held out her paw and opened her talons to ask for the microphone.

“Sure…” He passed it to her.

“Thank you, Mister Wright. Everyone, may I have your attention, please?” Lenora requested as she grasped the microphone and took flight into the middle of the lobby with a single powerful beat of her wings, where she was swiftly joined by five pegasi and a griffon male led by Cruise Control. They entered the lobby through the high window on a burst of wind; the excited reaction of the crowd told Phoenix they were all famous figures.

“We are all elite Equestrian 500 racers. And we all were blackmailed by Ace Swift and Sonata Tarot!” Lenora announced from her hover. “After talking it over, we have decided to reveal what we were being blackmailed for, to prevent that information from being used against us in the future! Painful though some of this information is, we will now reveal our deepest secrets so we can finally have a real race!” she announced, causing the media to turn their full attention on them as they landed in the center of the large room.

A sand-colored pegasus mare with a darker brown mane and single-arrow cutie mark stepped forward first. “Most of you know me as Attack Angle," she announced. “But my real name is Hurricane Wind. And I am not actually a pegasus…” Phoenix blinked as a magical aura suddenly surrounded her, causing her wings to disappear and a unicorn horn to appear in their place, an orange glider-like contraption strapped to her back.

“I’m a unicorn… and an air elemental!” she announced, punctuating her statement by causing a sudden and very powerful wind to whip through the chamber, the unicorn hovering on it with her glider, her mane and tail whipping in the air.

The media stood stunned for a moment before starting to snap pictures of her. They began shouting questions after she landed and ceased her wind, at which point the griffon tiercel stepped forward. His coat consisted of black feathers paired with white hindquarters, making him look to Phoenix like a cross between an owl and a panda. “I’m known as Steel Wing,” he told the crowd. “And... here’s why.” He took a deep breath as he reached up with his right forepaw to seemingly peel off a layer of skin from his left wing to reveal... an intricate mechanical wing consisting of very thin, flexible metal feathers, causing the crowd to gasp.

If the assembled media had been merely shaken before, they were now completely shocked, turning their attention, cameras and questions on the male griffon. But they were given no chance to recover before two very toned and trim pegasus stallions stepped forward, causing several fangirl squeals from excited mares.

“I am Highway,” the first, green-colored stallion introduced himself.

“And I am Danger Zone,” the second, red one added, just before the pair stepped towards each other and hooked their hooves together.

“And we… are colt-cuddlers,” they announced as they reached in to exchange nuzzles, causing jaws to drop all around the lobby and several of the mares to burst out crying as their dreams were crushed.

The crowd had barely recovered from that unlikely revelation when the next racer stepped forward. Phoenix noticed Rarity was openly drooling over this one; a rather handsome if pale-looking pegasus stallion with high cheekbones and a distinctive aristocratic look. “I am Alucard,” he announced in a very cultured voice, going into a hover a short distance above the other racers.

“And I…” he took a deep breath and removed his medallion, dispersing the illusion spell it contained to reveal… a dark purple coat and near-black mane, tufted ears, and cat-slitted eyes with blood-red irises that caused the entire crowd to take a step back and collectively gasp as he suddenly flew up to the ceiling to hang upside down from the rafters. “Am a thestrel!” he announced, flaring his bat-wings for all to see.

Several loud shrieks were heard from the gallery and Rarity fainted dead away, Spike stepping protectively in front of her.

All that left was Lenora and Cruise. “You already know me as Lenora Arielle,” the eagless spoke for them both. “And Cruise Control—” she hugged him with a wing, drawing him closer “—is my lover,” she announced as they openly kissed, causing all remaining muzzles that weren’t already agape to fall open and the assembled media to all but explode.

Well. That was a quick fifteen minutes of fame! Phoenix shook his head as the press surrounded the revealed racers, snapping pictures and shouting questions at them, seemingly having completely forgotten about him and Twilight.

“Um… sorry about all that, Phoenix,” Twilight apologized with her hoof behind her head, still blushing heavily over the questions.

“It’s okay. Looks like the press here is just as fickle and gossip-driven as back home.” He shook his head as he watched the throng.

“Well, they ain’t the only ones. Reckon Rarity’s out fer the count this time,” Applejack announced, motioning to the still-fainted fashionista, who Spike was trying gallantly to hold up.

Twilight smiled at that. “She was up all night and did emergency repairs on Phoenix’s suit. She should probably be put to bed. Would you guys mind?” she asked Spike and Applejack.

“No problem,” Applejack promised, draping her fainted friend over her back. “Meet ya’ll at the library later, then. Dunno where Pinkie was again, but you can bet she’s gonna wanna throw a party once she hears the news!” the country mare noted, taking a limp Rarity out the side door with Spike following.

With that, Phoenix thanked his gym friends for their help and support, exchanging hoof bumps with them and promising to make his gym visits regular for the duration of his stay. They departed, and he suddenly found himself alone with Twilight.

“Okay… so now what?” he wondered aloud, his guts clenching as he sensed exactly what. “So, um, Twilight? Do you, uh… want to find some place private and talk?” he finally posed the question he’d been dreading all session.

Twilight blushed hard again. “Actually… please don’t think I’m avoiding you, but there’s something I need to go do first,” she told him, shuffling her hooves nervously as she looked down the hallway where she saw Sergeant Major Delta waiting for her, and she instinctively knew why—he was there to take her to see Shining Armor. “And Phoenix, I realize this may be a bit selfish, but… while I’m gone, could you do me a favor?”

“A favor? What?”

“Could you please return this to Trixie?” she floated him Trixie’s torn-up wizard hat out of her saddlebags. “And talk to her, if you would?”

Phoenix was caught short. “Uh… why do you want me to talk to her?”

“Well…” she shuffled her hooves uncertainly. “It’s that issue I wanted to bring up with you earlier before the trial, regarding the Magatama. Trixie bears awful feelings towards me for some reason she refuses to admit. I have some insights on it now, but—”

“You do?”

Twilight hesitated before speaking, her eyes going evasive. “When we were dueling, I… did something a little naughty. She was broadcasting her thoughts and emotions very strongly, so… I used a scrying spell on her,” she announced, looking away in guilt.

“’Scrying spell’?” Phoenix repeated, giving her an askance look.

“Remote memory or dream viewing,” she clarified. “It’s only possible when a pony is extremely emotional and their mental defenses are weak or distracted, like she was in the duel. It’s… also very frowned upon as an invasion of privacy,” she further admitted.

No kidding! Phoenix was perturbed, noting Twilight’s expression looked just like Pearls after being caught with her hand in his jelly bean jar. Could she do that to ME?

“She was so intent on her storm and fighting me she never even noticed. It’s also why I wasn’t fighting back during the duel, so I could concentrate on the spell. And to make a long story short…”

She took a deep breath before continuing. “I saw what happened in her past, Phoenix. It wasn’t pretty. She was a pariah because of her powers, bullied badly and later blackmailed, hurt severely and repeatedly—and learned all the wrong lessons from it. I think in the end she was trying to hurt me as she’d been hurt. Make me feel her loneliness and pain,” Twilight looked away in deep regret, mentally berating herself for not learning more about Trixie before and making more of an effort to reach her.

And just who is this Sunset Shimmer? For as strong as she appeared to be, how come I never heard of her? she suddenly wondered, making a mental note to ask the Princess about her later. “I’m still not clear why she’s made me the proxy for everypony that ever wronged her, but in an odd way, her dueling me like that was a breakthrough. In her mind, she was finally fighting back against her tormentors; standing up for herself even though she knew she couldn’t win.”

“You sound like you’ve got new respect for her,” Phoenix noted.

Twilight nodded in amazement. “I do. It was quite remarkable, really. When she saw my fire form, she broke through to a new level of power to fight it and gave me a really good run in there, Phoenix. She even got through my defenses a couple times,” she admitted, wincing as she showed him the wound under her shoulder, immediately waving off his concern.

“I’m fine, really. The point is, she’s gotten a lot stronger since I last saw her, and I daresay she’s one of the most powerful unicorns in Equestria now. But in any event, she’s hurting bad and really needs a friend right now. And I don’t think she’ll accept me.”

“And you think she’ll accept me?” Phoenix gaped at her. “Um… not to put too fine a point on it, Twilight, but I just foiled her revenge scheme! Do you really think she wants to see me right now, let alone befriend me? And you do realize she already attacked me once and could freeze me in an instant if she wanted to?” he reminded her. “You may outmatch her, but what chance do I have?”

“She can’t use her magic, Phoenix. That collar she’s wearing prevents all spellcasting, even if she had any power left,” Twilight replied, looking troubled. “Her magic is completely drained. She threw everything she had into fighting me and was left with nothing afterwards. In fact, she’s even worse off in terms of magical exhaustion than I was yesterday. It’ll probably be days before she can wield any elemental powers again, and I doubt she’ll even be able to levitate a pencil before tomorrow.”

“But—”

She forestalled any further protests with a hoof on his arm. “Please, Phoenix. There was once another magically powerful pony in Equestria who was consumed by feelings similar to hers, and the result wasn’t pretty.” She glanced back at a portrait of the strange dark-furred mare with the ethereal-looking mane on the wall. “Please try. For me?” she asked, turning her dewy purple eyes on him.

Phoenix rubbed his forehead with his fingers. Am I REALLY going to do this? he asked himself, only to realize—For Twilight? I guess I am. “Okay, I’ll try. But I’m out of there the moment she starts throwing spells or rocks at me, understood?”

“Thank you, Phoenix.” She nuzzled his side lightly, then turned away to leave, heading for an unfamiliar red pegasus stallion Phoenix saw at the end of the hall. “I’ll meet you in the lobby afterwards.”

“Before you go… what does this have to do with the Magatama?” he belatedly recalled her mentioning.

She stopped for a moment, looking fractionally back at him. “Just use the Magatama and ask her ‘what do you have against Twilight Sparkle and her friends?’ and you’ll see for yourself,” she promised. “She’ll probably insist it’s just the Ursa Minor, but I know that’s not the case.”

He nodded his understanding, though he really didn’t. See WHAT for myself? Sounds like regular old psyche-locks to me! “Alright then. Wish me luck,” he told her. Think I’m gonna need a lot of it!

“Good luck, Phoenix.” With that, she headed down the hallway where the large red pegasus stallion with the military mane cut seemed to be waiting for her.

After watching her turn the corner out of view with him, he realized he didn’t actually know where the courthouse’s detainee holding was. Hoping to find somepony who did, he walked back towards the courtrooms, arriving at a hallway junction to find a pair of ponies chatting there; a mint-green unicorn mare with what looked to be a harp cutie mark and a light yellow earth pony with a curled pink-and-blue mane and candy cutie mark.

Recognizing the pair from the gallery—they’d been present for both days of the trial—he went up to ask directions. “Excuse me,” he addressed the unicorn mare first.

She didn’t reply right away, her mouth hanging open as her eyes went wide and cheeks flushing a bright pink as she beheld him, looking upon him in what seemed to be a mixture of awe and giddy excitement. In contrast, the yellow earth pony mare visibly rolled her eyes. “Forgive my friend. It’s an honor to meet you, Mister Wright!” the latter said politely, stepping forward. “May we help you?”

Phoenix wasn’t sure what to make of her unicorn friend’s reaction. “Um… yes. Could you please point me towards detainee holding?”

“Of course. It’s that way. Go to the end of the hall and turn left,” the earth pony mare said as she pointed down one of the side corridors with her hoof.

“Thanks,” he acknowledged, turning to leave.

“M-Mister Wright?” the mint-colored one called after him in a shaky voice.

“Uh… yes?” he turned back to her.

She came up to him, but wasn’t looking at his face so much as his… “H-has anypony ever told you that you have the most w-wonderful… beautiful… h-hands?” she finally managed, staring intently at them, suddenly picking them up and grasping them in her magic so she could look at them more closely. As she did so, her aura abruptly turned pink and she dashed into a nearby broom closet, slamming the door behind her. Her friend facehoofed, giving him a very embarrassed and apologetic look.

“Thanks, um… I’ll… just be going now!” said a slightly shaken Phoenix, his hands feeling strangely sullied as he hurried away down the hall.

Ponyville Courthouse
Detainee Holding
June 11th, 7:26 PM

Phoenix arrived at holding a couple minutes and one wrong turn later.

The bailiffs at the front desk were surprised when he asked to see Trixie, but they let him through with a minimum of hassle, completely unlike his experience at the detention center two days before. The guards escorted him to her cell, where she was being kept pending her arraignment the following morning. As he walked down the hallway, he couldn’t help but note the prisoner cells were pretty much the same as back home—small and utilitarian, little bigger than an office cubicle and consisting of only a bed, sink, toilet and small stool.

As he beheld her, he couldn’t help but feel sad at the sight of the proud showmare stripped of her freedom and dignity, noting that even her cape had been taken away. She really looks a lot different without it, Phoenix couldn’t help but note, seeing for the first time the entirety of her light blue coat and cutie mark. She’s beautiful in her own way, and her powers really do suit her—with her eyes, mane and coat color, she even kind of looks like a winter wizard!

“YOU!” Trixie shouted as she recognized him, scattering his thoughts. “You ruined everything, Wrong!” she all but hissed as one of the unicorn guards magically opened the cell door for him.

AH! She looks angrier than a swarm of hornets! Just hope Twilight’s right and she can’t sting like them now… “Well I… uh… w-wanted to r-return your hat. You l-lost it during the d-duel…” he offered it to her through the now-open door with a shaky hand and voice.

Her violet eyes flashed. “Give that back, you rotten thief! That’s mine!” she insisted, trying to reflexively retrieve it with her magic but only managing a few weak sparks off her horn, instead grabbing at it with her hoof and stumbling slightly when she tried.

This isn’t going so well… Phoenix thought as she snatched it back and struggled with it clumsily for a moment, trying unsuccessfully to pull it on with just her hooves.

Finally, she gave up and fell back on her haunches, defeated, looking weak and shaky. “So what do you want, Wrong? Why did you come down here?” she demanded to know, an edge to her voice. “Have you come to chastise me? Mock me? Gloat at me? ‘Put me in my place’?” she suggested bitterly, turning away from him.

Phoenix blinked. “No, of course not! I just wanted to talk to you, that’s all,” he tried again. She’s asking because that’s exactly what SHE would do, he realized, wondering what he would have done if she’d won and then come by to gloat.

“Well I don’t want to talk to you, Wrong! So just—” she shouted only to stop short; her nose suddenly twitching, sniffing the air. “Wait—what’s that you’ve got in your pocket?” she pointed at his jacket.

“My pocket?” he blinked at the sudden question, patting the area before he remembered what was there. “Oh, uh… it’s just a pine cone. Some filly friend of Rainbow’s gave it to me as ‘evidence’,” he explained as he pulled it free and showed it to her. “Cute, huh?”

“Yeah… cute.” Trixie seemed to Phoenix to be looking at it almost hungrily for a moment; she even licked her lips once. “Can I…?”

“Yes?” he asked, confused by her sudden shift of mood.

She shook her head sharply, as if in disgust with herself. “N-never mind! Like I was saying, I’m not in the mood to talk, so take your cheap suit and your pointy hair and just go away!” she ordered him imperiously with a wave of her hoof.

Gathering his courage, Phoenix ignored the dismissal and pulled up the cell’s small stool, sitting down on it a short distance away from the incensed showmare. He started and looked over his shoulder when he thought he felt something brush by him as he sat down, but there was nothing there except the side wall and sink. A little jumpy, are we, Phoenix? he asked himself, imagining all the fun Maya would make of him for it.

“Trixie, take this however you want, but you did a really good job as prosecutor in there,” he told her, causing the showmare—and a couple of the guards—to look at him in surprise. “No joke—I thought you had beaten me several times over the past two days.”

She gave him another scathing look. “Oh, don’t patronize me, Wrong! I lost! And you won…” she trailed off, her shoulders slumping. And SHE won…

“But it’s not about winning or losing when you’re an attorney, Trixie. It’s about finding the truth,” he told her fervently. “And I think in the end, you realized that. I remember how you sided with me when Gilda was giving her false testimonies. And that move you made against Sonata by sharing your teleportation theory had no benefits for you as a prosecutor.”

“’No benefits’?” she repeated in a derisive tone. “Are you dense, you idiotic ape? I wasn’t trying to help you, I was trying to prove she was at the scene so I could prosecute her!” she corrected him. “I don’t care about you or your stupid truth! And do you remember how that mangy griffon felt bad about revenge? Well, I certainly didn’t!” She grinned gleefully for just a moment. “As soon as I heard that guilty verdict, I felt like I was on top of the world because I finally had my payback. Sweet, sweet payback…” she told him, but Phoenix didn’t react, sensing she was just trying to get a rise out of him.

“For all the bucking good it did. I suppose that makes me a bad pony, but whatever. It’s not like it even matters anymore,” she said as she climbed onto the bed, though Phoenix noted it seemed to take much more effort than it should.

She really looks weak right now. Guess Twilight was right and that duel did a number on her, he realized, relaxing a bit.

“I don’t believe a word you’ve just said, Trixie,” Phoenix told her, crossing his arms. “You honestly thought Rainbow was guilty, and your actions as a prosecutor—and even your reaction to the guilty verdict—was predicated on that. Did you really want your victory if that meant banishing an innocent pony, even one of Twilight’s friends?” he challenged. “I’m a pretty good judge of character, and I don’t think you’re that far gone—in fact, I know you’re not. If for no other reason than you gave up when you realized the truth and even verified my theory.”

He went on when she stayed silent, perhaps unable to refute his reasoning. “You helped me solve the case, Trixie, and because of that, I don’t have a problem with your trial performance for the most part. After all, it’s up to the defense attorney and prosecutor to push each other to their limits as a means to find the truth, and you certainly delivered!” He rubbed the back of his head in a rueful manner. “It could have been done without the insults, but you kept me in check constantly and forced me to be at my absolute best in there.”

She gave an audible snort as she laid back on the bed in a surprisingly human manner, deliberately looking up at the ceiling and not at him. “Oh, please. It wasn’t that hard given you’re such a blithering moron.”

I really can’t get through to her, Phoenix worried, but for Twilight, he tried again. “By the way, did you ever think about the possible consequences of banishing Rainbow Dash?”

Trixie blinked and turned towards him. “Consequences?”

“Well, she’s a very popular mare in town, from what I can tell. I doubt anypony local ever actually believed that she murdered Ace Swift. Not only that, but she’s something of a national heroine, if I’ve been hearing things correctly.”

Trixie snorted. “Oh, please! Don’t tell me you’ve bought into that local tripe, Wrong!”

“Tripe? It sounds authentic from what I’ve heard,” Phoenix replied with a frown.

“There’s a big difference between sounding authentic and actually being authentic!” the showmare said with another snort. “I mean, let’s be reasonable. A dressmaker, a veterinarian, a party planner, a farmer, a weather manager, and a librarian all went into the most dangerous forest known to ponykind, found ancient relics that nopony had seen for a thousand years, and purified a great evil?” she asked derisively. “It sounds like some sort of colossal joke!”

Before Phoenix could reply, he felt a shiver pass through him, like someone was silently listening—and seething; taking great offense to Trixie’s statement. “So this whole thing was about Twilight, wasn’t it?” he asked her, sparing another uneasy look around—the cell was empty except for the two of them, yet his senses were insisting they weren’t alone; he was strangely certain that someone—or somepony?—else was there right beside him watching. Or maybe I’m just more tired than I thought! “You were trying to get back at her for the Ursa Minor incident?”

Trixie’s eyes flashed again. “What do you think, Wrong? That lavender loser ruined my life—again!” she shouted, causing the guards outside to take a look back and make sure she wasn’t threatening Phoenix. “My wagon is smashed, my shows all bomb, I’ve made it a regular practice to dodge tomatoes and now this? It’s not… bucking… FAIR!” she announced bitterly, slamming her hooves down on the bed hard enough to make the springs squeak, a renewed glistening in her eyes.

“Why? Why does she get all the attention and acclaim? Why do ponies like her and not me? Why is it when she uses her elemental power ponies cheer and stomp their hooves, but when I use mine… they run and hide?” she asked nopony in particular, staring up at the ceiling of her cell.

Phoenix frowned and cast an uneasy glance over his shoulder, not understanding why he kept getting an odd feeling from that direction, having the uncomfortable sense that he could see someone nodding there if he just turned his head fast enough. “Well, uh…” Is there any way I can say this gently? “There’s the fact that you insult ponies constantly and you looked like you were trying to freeze up the courtroom and everypony in it…”

And particularly ME, Phoenix noted to himself weakly, praying Twilight was right and Trixie’s power was spent; ready to bolt if he saw her eyes start to glow blue again.

To his relief and surprise, they remained dark and she actually looked chagrined. “I’m sorry,” she said, suddenly unable to meet his gaze. “I swear I wouldn’t have hurt you despite appearances. And speaking of which—did he hurt you bad?”

“Huh?”

“That buffoon who attacked you in the forest yesterday on Eye-Butt’s orders. Did he hurt you?” she clarified, turning towards him.

Phoenix blinked at the sudden concern she showed him. “You mean Cruise Control? Not really, no. A few bumps and bruises, nothing more.” The Timberwolves, on the other hand… He suppressed another shiver.

She nodded. “Good. Trixie was dispatching the police and planning to search for you personally after we got the report, but Snarkle ended up finding you first.”

He stared at her in surprise. “I didn’t think you cared.”

She gave him another look. “I don’t. But I didn’t want you dead, either. Despite what that purple-colored nerd and her fan club may have told you—and despite what you may have seen from me in there—I’m not a monster.” Her gaze became downcast and she wrung her hat in her hooves. “I’m sorry about the duel, and I’m sorry if I scared you when my power burst loose. I just… couldn’t keep it in any longer,” she explained.

“It’s okay. But why do you feel you have to keep it in?” Phoenix challenged. “Suppressing part of ourselves is never healthy, Trixie. If it’s who you are, you shouldn’t have to hide it.”

“Tell that to all the ponies out there who fear me now for being a ‘weather witch’!” she replied with a sharp but bitter laugh. “I didn’t want them to know. And for good reason.”

“And why is them knowing such a bad thing?” he asked her, genuinely curious. “Being a weather elemental is a great gift, Trixie, and one you could do a lot of good with—everything from watering crops to putting out fires. Heck, I could think of tons of uses for your powers!”

“A ‘gift’?” she hissed out the word. “Try curse. I didn’t ask for these powers! It’s like a cruel joke, you know!” she continued, and Phoenix let her speak, recognizing she was finally unloading. “Life gives you one talent you have to keep hidden. so you find another you think you’re gifted at. You fight and claw your way to some modest success, but then some little goodie-four-shoes-know-it-all comes along and ruins it all in a heartbeat!” she spat out, wringing her hat in her hooves again.

“I hate her so… bucking… much! Why does she have to be better than me in every little aspect? Why is it her friends are loyal but mine weren’t? Why is it when I try to entertain with magic I get an angry mob, but when she does the simplest, stupidest magic trick at her own leisure, she gets a crowd of hoof-stomping fans?” she asked the universe at large.

“But how is any of that her fault, Trixie?” Phoenix asked her earnestly. “From what I heard, she wasn’t trying to ruin you; all she did was save her town from an Ursa while you were there. So why do you hate her like this?”

“Why do you think, Wrong? She showed me up! And it’s all because of that stupid…” she began to say Ursa only to realize that when it came down to it, it truly wasn’t.

“Stupid what?” Phoenix prompted.

“It’s because of that…” she tried again but still couldn’t say the words, as she finally began to see the truth she’d first glimpsed at the end of the duel, when she realized she was going to lose. It’s because... I’m jealous of her… she now admitted to herself, but also sensed that reason alone didn’t go deep enough.

“I’m listening?” Phoenix wasn’t sure what was happening except that Trixie seemed to be reaching some form of epiphany, silently urging her on even if he wasn’t sure towards what.

“It’s because…” she trailed off again as her brow furrowed. It’s because Sparkle has everything I want. Everything I don’t have! she suddenly saw. Friends… respect… love… the ability to use her powers freely…

“Because…?” Phoenix prompted again.

“It’s because…” At long last, the answer crystallized in her head; Phoenix watched as tears began to roll freely down her face. It’s because… she’s everything I’m not... the showmare finally realized. I hate her because she’s what I COULD have been… and what I always wanted to be…

Phoenix felt an odd sensation and a wave of great sorrow, regret and anguish wash over him. He swore that he heard the sound of psyche-locks breaking while the unicorn guards outside looked staggered for a moment, one rubbing her head and the other dropping his spear. There was a visible wavering in the air behind him as well from a disrupted cloak, but his attention on Trixie, he only perceived a weak shimmer out of the corner of his eye.

What the heck was THAT? Phoenix wondered, going belatedly for his Magatama but by the time he grasped it, there was nothing to see, either in front of him or behind him. He thought of asking Twilight’s question then, but decided against it when he saw Trixie crying.

It was another minute before she recovered enough to speak again. “Argh… and just why am I telling you allthis?” the defeated showmare sniffled and rubbed her eyes, suddenly feeling extraordinarily tired, and not just from the duel. She deliberately turned away from him to hide her tears, rolling to her side on the bed so she faced the wall.

“You’re a high-priced defense attorney who probably has more money and friends than he knows what to do with. How could you ever understand what it is to always be second fiddle? To never be noticed or appreciated no matter what you do? Or what it is to have ponies you thought were your friends betray you?”

Phoenix’s eyes went hooded and distant, a single name filling his suddenly brooding thoughts. Dahlia…

Shoving the painful memories—and equally murderous fantasies—of his ex-girlfriend aside, Phoenix focused back on what he now recognized was a deeply wounded showmare. Twilight was right. She’s hurting really bad.

“People do betray us, Trixie. That’s a fact of life,” he said very quietly, a bare note of pain in his voice. It’s a good thing that… witch… was given the sentence she was, or I might have carried it out MYSELF! “But they’re not all like that. The fact of the matter is, we need other people—or ponies—to push us. Friends to support us and rivals to help us realize our potential; push us to reach new levels of ability.

“For me, that’s a prosecutor—or actually, a pair of them. One is a man named Miles Edgeworth. He’s the greatest courtroom foe I’ve ever faced, and he pushes me to my limits in every case I have against him. In fact, he beat me this last time out,” he told her, deciding to leave out the fact that he didn’t want to win that case.

“That doesn’t sound too difficult,” Trixie said in a perfunctory tone, but there was little venom or conviction behind it. She’d seen firsthoof his courtroom prowess during the course of the day and still had a hard time believing what he’d accomplished.

Don’t let her get to you—she’s just insulting you because she doesn’t know what else to do, Phoenix realized, resolving not to take her put-downs personally. In a weird way, this seems to be how she relates to people! “We’re rivals, but we’re friends now, too, after I defended him from murder charges. And later I met another equally adept prosecutor—a woman by the name of Franziska von Karma.

“She’s very grudge-driven and has to be the best at everything, just like you. And just like you, she made a case personal—she came after me, seeking to avenge an affront to her family name when I beat her father. She’s brilliant and clever, tough-as-nails, doesn’t back down to anyone, and, well…” He shifted uncomfortably. “You’ll be happy to know she pulls out a whip and beats me with it whenever I step out of line in court.”

A smile bloomed on the showmare’s face. “Trixie might like to meet her.”

Trixie and Franziska together? Phoenix suppressed a shudder. BAD idea! “Look… I guess what I’m trying to say is, I wouldn’t be who I am without them. Without them there to push me and push back against me; without them there to fight me with everything they have and everything they are in court? I wouldn’t be the Ace Attorney I am. They’ve made me a much better lawyer, and I’d like to think I’ve done the same for them,” he told her, and was gratified to see that Trixie actually seemed to be listening. “Honestly, I think it’s the same with you and Twilight.”

Trixie’s eyes narrowed again, this time in fatigue and pain; she looked to Phoenix like she was struggling to stay awake. “But there’s one major difference between me and you, Mister Wrong—you occasionally win. But I never do!” she said in a voice that was now more resigned than bitter. “How am I supposed to get better if I’m always beaten down?”

“What makes you better isn’t getting beaten down, Trixie. It’s getting back up,” Phoenix immediately countered, unable to restrain a glance into the back corner of the cell, swearing he’d sensed a pony nodding again out of the corner of his eye… but there was still nothing there. This is getting spooky!

“You know, Twilight actually said you’d gotten a lot stronger since the last time she’d seen you, and that you reached a new level of power during the duel. Heck, even I could tell that you gave her some real trouble out there,” he noted. “Would that have happened if she hadn’t shown you up? If she hadn’t given you the motivation to improve and forced you to your limits by taking her fire form?”

Trixie opened her mouth, then closed it again, rolling to her side away from him once more.

She knows I’m right, Phoenix sensed, a hint of a smile on his face. “No joke—what I saw in that duel was absolutely incredible, Trixie. Between your weather power and your ice magic… despite what I’ve heard from some ponies, you’re no fraud at all.”

The mare magician gave another sharp but bitter laugh. “There’s an Ursa Minor and an entire nation of ponies out there who think otherwise. And Snarkle still beat me,” she said, suddenly sounding on the verge of crying again. “Trust me, Wrong—that’s all they’ll remember from this.”

Phoenix looked at her in disbelief. “You went horn to horn with the Element of Magic, fought her evenly most of the way, and yet you think losing to her is something to be ashamed of?”

“You don’t get it, do you?” Trixie sighed, now sounding very subdued. “In another time, in another world, I could have been the princess’s prize student. Change just one event, and I might have been the Element of Magic,” she said with a fresh sniffle, remembering her lost opportunity at the Young Magician’s Competition and Sunset Shimmer’s smirking face once more. “Instead, I’m stuck here in a holding cell awaiting disbarment and a prison term. No friends, no fans, no stage, no legal career… and now no hope. Yay, me.”

Phoenix shook his head sadly. “So there’s no one out there who loves you? No one who cares about you? I doubt that,” he said, trying a different tact. “There has to be somepony. A friend? A relative…? A parent,” he closed in just by watching her reaction. “Your father?” He finally guessed.

Daddy… was all Trixie Lulamoon could think in answer to his question, fresh tears welling in her eyes. I threw away the second chance you gave me. How can I ever go back to you again? “It doesn’t matter now,” she said in a very quiet voice.

“Yes, it does,” Phoenix insisted. “Take it from me, Trixie—there are times you have to set your pride aside. And holding grudges like you have against Twilight doesn’t lead anywhere except to more pain,” he told her. “Best advice I can give you is what was once told me when I was badly hurt—just let it go.”

“Let it go. Let it go?” she pantomimed, raising her head and giving him a look despite her growing fatigue and fluttering eyelids. “Oh, come off it, Wrong! Do you really think it’s that easy? That I just have to adopt some stupid slogan, sing a sappy song and then everything is okay?” she asked derisively, her head falling back to the pillow, leaving her staring up at the ceiling.

You know, when she puts it like that… “Well, no, but—”

“Do you see Trixie’s cutie mark, Mister Wrong?” She cut him off, nodding to her hip. “It’s a wand and a crescent moon, not a snowflake! All Trixie has ever wanted to be is what her father and grandfather were—a stage magician! Not some freaky ice mare or weather witch!” she told him and then looked away. “Our marks are supposed to represent our destiny? Well, all mine has ever done is cause me pain! And just what in the name of Luna is the moon on my mark supposed to mean anyway?” She threw up her forelegs in disgust.

Phoenix had a strange sense of movement out of the corner of his eye again; there was an odd tingling on the back of his neck he’d last had when he’d nearly stumbled on a snake. Maybe I’ll ask Twilight about this—I swear I’m sensing things that aren’t there! “I don’t know, Trixie. But I do know it doesn’t have to be that way. That there’s no reason you can’t be both showmare and weather wizard,” Phoenix suggested, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end as his instincts continued to insist they weren’t alone in the cell. “Why not incorporate your ice and weather magic into your show? You could make it a real spectacle that way.”

She looked startled at the suggestion, like she’d never considered the idea before. Sensing he’d gotten her attention, he pressed on. “You know, when I was a kid, I was really into magic myself. Or what passed for it among humans,” he changed the subject, deciding to give her time to absorb what he’d said. “I really got into card tricks, and for a time, I really wanted to be a magician myself. I even wanted one of those fancy silk hats magicians wear, but my parents couldn’t get me one. It was too expensive.”

“Trixie is very tired. What does this have to do with anything?” the showmare asked without looking back at him, still curled up away from him.

“I don’t know… I just wanted to find some common ground with you, I guess. I thought it was traditional for a magician to wear a silk hat?”

She looked back at him fractionally. “Do you honestly think Trixie cares about your pathetic life? Sorry, but I’m a little busy dealing with mine!” she snapped hard at him, her bitterness back. “Trixie is tired and just wants to rest—wants to forget this entire wretched day now. So get to the point and then please leave!”

He sighed.“I’m curious. I’ve seen Trixie the prosecutor, but I haven’t seen Trixie the stage magician. Looks like I’ll be staying in Equestria for a while, so if you’re out in time… could you come and give me a show?”

That caught her short, and she turned back to face him in surprise. “Wh-what? Y-you really—?” she began to ask with a strangely earnest hope on her face that quickly disappeared. “In case your feeble mind hasn’t noticed, I’m stuck in here, Wrong.”

Phoenix hesitated. I’m probably going to regret this, but… “I can’t guarantee I’ll be allowed to, but if you like, I’ll represent you, Trixie. And testify on your behalf at your review hearing,” he offered. “I can’t get you off, but I can probably plead you down and get you a reduced sentence. I might even be able to save your law license.”

She gave him another startled look. “You would?” Her face ran a gamut of emotions, finally settling on a feigned indifference. “Do what you want, Wrong. It’s not like I’m going anywhere or anything can be done for me,” she told him.

Phoenix belatedly realized he hadn’t asked the question Twilight had said to, but decided it was simply not the time. She’s had enough. It looks like she made at least one breakthrough, so let’s just leave it at that.

“I’ll let you know if I can represent you,” he said as he stood up to leave and the guards opened the door for him. “In the meantime, are you sure you’re okay? Is there anything else I can do for you? Anything you want?” he asked as he placed the pine cone on the stool beside her.

“All I want right now is your immediate departure, Wrong. So kindly leave and let me rest.”

The cloaked figure in the corner watched Phoenix leave before turning back to the fast-asleep Trixie, considering all she had heard, though she did at least briefly wonder if there was something wrong with her concealment spell that the blue-suited human barrister could sense her presence.

She had been drawn to Ponyville by the massive discharge of weather magic, seeking its source, wondering if she would finally find a pony in this new age that shared her unusual—and apparently feared—ability. And now she found herself staring down at the powerless and imprisoned showmare, her sleeping form sparking a multitude of emotions within the visitor’s magically-concealed mind. She heard the cell door shut but paid it no mind, knowing it would take far more than a simple cage to contain her.

Who was Trixie Lulamoon? What events and traumas had shaped her? Why had she fought a battle she knew she could not win? And why, the visitor asked herself, did she feel drawn to the young unicorn mare even as her numerous and perhaps intractable faults became apparent? Though there were no immediate answers, the cloaked figure was strangely certain there was more to this prideful but deeply wounded showmare than met the eye; more than the arrogant and insolent persona she presented.

But whether it was simple chance or outright fate that brought them together, the visitor wanted to know more, and knew where she could gain the knowledge she sought. Beneath her invisibility spell, her horn glowed, her eyes closing in concentration as she entered a realm where she was master…

A realm through which all ponies passed.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on October 4, 2018.

The essence of a Phoenix Wright story is a mixture of suspense and humor, a roller coaster ride of emotions and plot twists. That's what I've aimed for as we've gone forward, and hopefully this new chapter is keeping in that spirit. And before anyone points out certain missing scenes or characters, they're being saved for later. So please don't spoil them for those who haven't seen the videos.

Thanks as usual to Phoenix Wright himself, aka Gold Crow, for his usual good feedback and suggestions, and part of the Phoenix/Twilight talk was written by Leo Archon, who will also be writing a significant chunk of the next chapter. Thanks as always to Raven as well, for letting me play in her sandbox and continue to write the story, which is now nearing the home stretch. I can't say enough how thankful I am for the privilege!

--Firesight

Part 58 - Of Mares and Men

Ponyville Courthouse
Lobby
June 11th, 7:22 PM

“Before you go, what does this have to do with the Magatama?” Phoenix called after Twilight, getting final instructions for his visit with Trixie.

Twilight stopped and looked back at him fractionally. “Just use the Magatama and ask her ‘what do you have against Twilight Sparkle and her friends?’, and you’ll see for yourself,” she promised him, trying to keep simmering anger out of her voice. “She’ll probably insist it’s just the Ursa Minor, but I know that’s not the case.” The same way I know that Shining Armor will insist it wasn’t his fault he couldn’t tell me he was here!

He nodded his understanding, though Twilight could see the doubt in his eyes. “Alright then. Wish me luck.”

“Good luck, Phoenix,” she answered distractedly. With that, Twilight turned around and stalked over to Sergeant Major Delta; the older pegasus stallion flinched slightly at the look in her eyes. “Take me to my brother. Now.”

“Right.” Delta didn’t even protest. Shining Armor had warned him that Twilight would probably be none too happy to discover that he had come to Ponyville without telling her, undercover operation or no. Without another word, he led her out of the courthouse through a side door.

Twilight followed him, finding her mood suddenly darkening, her emotions still raw and roiled in the aftermath of the legal and emotional roller-coaster she’d been on all day. Shining better have a good explanation for everything. He comes here without telling me, shows up in the middle of the trial, and on top of all that he assigns me a BODYGUARD? I’m not some helpless foal that needs protection 24 hours a day! I swear, that brother of mine!

The pair approached an alley between two buildings. Then, to Twilight’s surprise, Delta slid aside a cobblestone on the floor of the alley, revealing a magically-masked secret passage that she hadn’t detected before. The Sergeant Major slipped inside; Twilight following after a moment’s hesitation.

The passage was a fairly short one, leading underground judging by the sudden incline. It opened into a large chamber, where Twilight’s jaw fell open. All around the chamber were members of the Royal Guard—unicorns, pegasi, earth ponies, and even a half-dozen thestrals were present; most of the last group wore the dark blue armor of the newly-reinstated Lunar Guard. There were about thirty ponies in total, all military and intelligence types.

‘Extra security’ was a bit of an understatement! Twilight thought in astonishment. How did this many Guardsponies get into Ponyville without raising a fuss? she wondered, but the thought was quickly lost as she spotted Shining Armor in the center of the room, conferring with Night Storm and an orange pegasus with a blue mane—the same one who had delivered the investigation results they’d finally cornered Sonata with. Well, I guess I can find out now!

With that, she trotted over, Delta following slightly behind. “Oh, big brotherrrrrrr!!!!” she sing-songed to him as she got closer just as she’d done to him quite frequently when she was a much younger filly, seeking his attention.

Shining Armor stiffened. There were precious few voices that could inspire fear in him, but this was one. Slowly, he turned around, and beheld the grinning visage of her younger sister; he knew her well enough to sense the smoldering anger behind her gaze. “Oh! Uh, h-hey, Twily. Congrats on the verdict and great job taking down that weather witch! I’m, uh, sure you’ve got some questions for me…” He rubbed his hoof behind his head.

“Oh, I do, big brother. Just a few, though. Like, oh, just off the top of my head…” she began in a very mild voice as she dropped her grin and fixed Shining Armor with a heated glare, her mane starting to smoke again despite her drained state. “Why you didn’t tell me you were in Ponyville, why you and all these soldiers are undercover as bailiffs, why you brought all this ‘extra security’ with you, and, oh yes! Why you ordered Night Storm to follow me around and guard me like I’m a helpless foal!” The last part was all but hissed in his face, making him shrink back despite the size difference between them.

A few of the other guards in the chamber started to move towards the conflict, but Delta waved them off. “Little family quarrel; just leave them be,” the Sergeant Major explained, having seen it from the pair in the past.

Meanwhile, Shining Armor was doing his best to regain his composure in the face of his sister’s ire, which he knew he only too-richly deserved after all the missed get-togethers and excuses he’d given her over the past year or two. “Okay, Twily, look. I’ll answer your questions, but only because you’re my sister. Hay, if you weren’t, you wouldn’t be here right now.”

“I’m waiting,” Twilight growled, tapping a forehoof against the floor of the chamber.

Shining took a breath—he knew Twilight had a temper and what could happen when she lost it; he was just glad he hadn’t been on the receiving end of it earlier. “The reason I didn’t tell you I was coming, along with the extra security, is because our mission is strictly off-the-books. Officially, we’re on leave. Unofficially, we’re here to provide security for a high-profile trial.”

“And even more unofficially,” the orange pegasus with a blue mane broke in, “We’re here to investigate some kind of disturbance the Princesses have been picking up around Ponyville.”

“Lieutenant…” Shining Armor said warningly.

“With respect, Captain, I don’t think she’s going to let you leave it at ‘security for the trial’,” the officer replied, and then turned to Twilight. “Good evening, Miss Sparkle. I’m Lieutenant Flash Sentry, here under Captain Armor’s command on a special op for the Princesses,” he told her, unable to quite restrain himself from looking her over. “It’s an honor and pleasure to meet the Element of Magic.” He sketched a chivalrous bow before her.

Twilight blinked a few times, her anger having evaporated at the Lieutenant’s revelation and his respectful manner. “The Princesses have detected a magical disturbance around Ponyville? But I haven’t sensed anything out of the ordinary!”

“You’ve been a little distracted, Twily. It’s not so much magical as ethereal, and it’s less of a ‘disturbance’, and more of a ‘foreboding’ that they said they’re feeling,” he noted with a shrug. “If it was just one of them, they probably would have dismissed it out of hoof, but since they both felt it, they deemed a small task force necessary.”

Twilight arched an eyeridge. “This is what you call ‘small’?” she asked, gesturing around her at the platoon-sized Guardspony contingent. Many had gone back to their previous tasks, but most were not-so-subtly listening to the conversation in the middle of the chamber, ears swiveled to point towards the center of the room.

Lieutenant Sentry smirked. “Well, it was originally just going to be the Captain and a select few others. But, when word got around that a special op was to take place outside Canterlot, well… there were quite a number of volunteers, and all of them good for something.”

Night Storm chuckled. “Yes, an opportunity to leave Canterlot for an indefinite period of time is not something the average Guardspony would pass up.”

Twilight blinked, baffled. “But, why? Isn’t guarding the Princesses the most important job there is in Equestria?”

Shining sighed. “To be completely honest, Twily, the Guard is more for the protection of Equestria than the Princesses themselves. If there’s something that’s genuinely a threat to the Princesses, it could go through us easily. Being a Guardspony in Canterlot is often dull work, mostly consisting of ceremonial duties, listening to the Princesses give speeches or settle disputes between bickering diplomats.”

“Or, more recently, listening to nobles gossip about how to ‘take the place of one of the Element Bearers’,” Flash Sentry added darkly.

“What?” Twilight exclaimed.

“He’s right. And that’s the main reason I asked Night Storm to follow you, Twily. There are factions in Canterlot who got wind about the murder—or should I say, accident—even faster than the Princesses. And more than a few started speculating that, if Rainbow Dash were found guilty, then she could be ‘replaced’ as the Bearer of Loyalty.”

Twilight’s eye twitched. “But… but… it doesn’t work like that! You can’t just replace a Bearer like… like some sort of goldfish! There has to be a bond between the Bearers for the Elements of Harmony to function!” she told him, thinking she’d never try to replace Rainbow.

“You know that, and I know that, Twily,” Shining soothed. “Or, rather, I know that now. But the nobles in Canterlot don’t. And it was one of them who signed off on Trixie Lulamoon being named prosecutor for this case.”

“Who?”

“The worst of the lot, actually,” Night Storm muttered. “None other than his royal prissiness, Prince Blueblood.”

Twilight was very glad she didn’t have anything in her magic grip, as it was very likely she’d have shattered it. “And why in Celestia’s name would Prince Blueblood sign off on Trixie being the prosecutor for the case?”

“Because he wanted to be the replacement Element Bearer after Rainbow Dash was banished,” Flash Sentry told her.

Twilight stared at him in disbelief. “Blueblood thought he could be the Element of Loyalty?” she asked deadpan, scarcely able to imagine what Rarity’s reaction to such a suggestion would be.

The four stallions looked at each other, and then back at her. “No, Twily. He wants to be the Element of Magic. You,” Shining Armor explained, causing his sister’s eyes to widen.

“Near as we can tell, he thinks if he could catch you in a compromising position or maybe breaking the law to help your friend, he could discredit you in the eyes of the Princess and take your place, maybe using the Element of Loyalty as a stepping stone. That’s why he approved Trixie Lulamoon for prosecutor; because he thought she’d be the one most likely to get under your fur and make you do something stupid,” he explained as Twilight’s expression went from stunned to aghast. “He seems to think that ‘bearer’ is little more than a title or power granted by the Princess, and if he replaces you or Rainbow, all your power and influence, both magical and otherwise, flows to him.”

Twilight’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean, ‘influence’?”

Shining chuckled at that, his subordinates smiling as well. “You and your friends don’t seem to realize all the clout you have, Twily. You purified Princess Luna, allowing her to return to the throne. You yourself have the ear of Princess Celestia, something that not very many ponies can claim. If you asked her to give you and your friends titles of nobility for your services to Equestria, she’d probably do so without a second thought,” he explained, Twilight’s muzzle dropping further with each sentence her brother spoke. “In fact, a lot of nobles are surprised you haven’t already done so, and even more think you already have done so, only in secret.”

Twilight reeled. “We could have that much power…?”

Delta chuckled. “For all your booksmarts, Twilight, you sure don’t seem to know a lot about how Equestria works. Maybe being the Princess’s personal student insulated you from it, but trust me—there are a lot of highly-placed ponies out there who are jealous of your power, and who covet it for themselves.”

“He’s right, Twily,” Shining Armor sighed. “Anyway, that’s the gist of things. We’re all here on a top-secret op from the Princesses, and I assigned guards to you because Blueblood’s up to something and I didn’t want to leave anything to chance. Nobles have a lot of reach, even in a place like Ponyville,” he said, relieved to see the anger in his sister’s eyes ebb.

Twilight sighed as well, feeling her annoyance start to recede. “I guess that’s true. I don’t quite get all of it, but I understand now.” Despite that, she offered one last halfhearted glare to her older brother. “But as I’m sure Night Storm told you, I can more than take care of myself, and I really don’t appreciate being secretly assigned a bodyguard I don’t need.”

Night Storm nodded ruefully. “You might have warned me she could detect teleport trails, Captain. I would have made more of an effort to mask my magic, then.”

Shining Armor shrugged. “I would if I’d known. Like I said earlier, that was news to me as well.” He smiled at her. “My little sis, all grown up and throttling elite Guardsponies and weather witches alike with her über magic. So are there any other secrets you’re hiding from me?”

Twilight chuckled. “Not really, no.”

Shining’s eyeridge arched and a corner of his mouth quirked upward. “Oh? Not even what’s going on between you and that human lawyer?”

His sister’s face erupted in a blush. “How did you—?”

“Twily, I don’t think there’s a pony in that courtroom who doesn’t know something’s going on between you two.” He smirked. “I just hope I don’t have to explain to Mom why she’s getting a grandfoal from you and not me first…”

“SHINING ARMOR!” Twilight shrieked loud enough to turn heads throughout the room. “For Celestia’s sake, we haven’t done anything remotely like that! We’re just starting out, the most we’ve done is cuddle—on the lobby couch, during the last recess before The Judge was going to decide whether to withdraw his guilty verdict,” she hastened to add upon seeing his expression.

“Phoenix was just offering me some comfort, in case things went south. I don’t know where it’s going. I don’t even know if it can go anywhere,” she admitted somewhat more wanly, her shoulders slumping a bit.

Shining held up a hoof placatingly. “Okay, Okay. I get it. Sheesh, I was just having a little fun, since I can’t spend time with—” he quickly cut himself off, but the damage was done.

His slip not lost on her, Twilight smirked up at him. “Oho, so what’s this? Does my big brother have a marefriend he hasn’t told me about?”

The Captain of the Guard instantly attempted to backpedal. “I, uh, I was gonna say spend time with home, at home, spend time at home…”

“Uh-huh.” Twilight smirked as she turned to leave. “You just better be sure to introduce her sometime. I’d hate to wake up one morning and find out my big brother’s getting married to some Canterlot bigwig out of the blue.”

All Shining Armor could do was squirm.

Ponyville Courthouse
Lobby
June 11th, 8:03 pm

Twilight left the improvised headquarters the same way she’d come in, with Sergeant Major Delta escorting her out. “Listen, Twilight—I realize you’re probably still upset with your brother for coming here without telling you. But you do understand he’s just following orders, right?”

“That’s his excuse for everything,” she grumbled. “He misses my birthday, it’s because duty calls. He doesn’t come home for Hearth’s Warming, it’s because he can’t get leave. He cancels visits we’ve planned for weeks, it’s always because of new orders. I mean, really, he couldn’t even drop a note to tell me he was in town?” she asked derisively. “I can keep a secret, Delta. I just don’t like it when ones are needlessly kept from me.” On the other hoof, guess now I know how Phoenix felt?

“He’s Captain of the Guard now,” Delta reminded her. “He has responsibilities to princess and province and it’s tough for him to get away. Take it from me; it seems like he has to deal with a new crisis just about every other week. It doesn’t mean he loves you any less.”

She sighed, knowing her old caretaker was correct. “I know, I know. It just feels like we’re losing touch, and I don’t like it.”

Delta opened his mouth only to close it again, considering his next words carefully. “Well, look... once we wrap up here, we might be able to arrange some time off—some real leave. I can’t speak for your brother, but I would love to catch up with you while I’m here. Want to do so over dinner later?”

“Do me a favor and ask again later,” she said after a short pause. “No offense, but I’m not in the right frame of mind to answer yes right now.”

“Deal,” he said as they arrived back at the side entrance of the courthouse. “Take care of yourself and your human friend, Twilight.”

“Promise,” she answered distractedly, turning over in her head what she’d been told. Blueblood thinks he could replace me? As what, the Element of Pomposity? Twilight smirked at that, thinking she’d love to tell Rarity the idea just to see her reaction. And what’s this about a ‘disturbance on the ethereal plane’? she further pondered, curious what it could portend and wondering why she didn’t detect it herself.

Well, I have been distracted. Shiny was right about that much, she conceded as she returned to the courthouse and headed back for the lobby, resolving to keep her senses attuned to anything out of the ordinary.

Upon arrival, she didn’t see Phoenix, but Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were present, having apparently finished their reconciliation and now facing the press themselves, though the bulk of the media was still concentrated on the revealed racers.

The two pegasi were a study in contrasts as the brash Rainbow postured and preened for the cameras, striking poses and always answering questions with a quip or boast. In contrast, Fluttershy was all but cringing at the attention and praise being heaped upon her, no more so than when Rainbow put a wing around her and led her forward, taking great pains to thank her friend publicly, saying what a wonderful and special pony she was.

Well, Rainbow sometimes screws up, but she always does her best to put it right! Twilight felt her mood start to lighten as she re-entered the lobby.

She had barely been spotted before Rainbow tackled her, taking her in an affectionate and grateful hug that gave her new appreciation for why Phoenix had reacted badly to her embrace—she could barely breathe, her friend’s grip was so strong!—and presented her, saying she had the best friends in the entire world. Twilight blushed and smiled at that, but just blushed as the questions regarding her and Phoenix started to rain down again.

She had no time to even consider her response before Phoenix himself reappeared, looking troubled even as the reporters assaulted him anew, cameras shoved in his face and the shouted questions once more having very little to do with the trial, queries ranging from whether he was planning to start a herd with Twilight to whether she would be inviting Rarity and Fluttershy to join it, causing Twilight to facehoof, Phoenix to gape and Fluttershy to eep! and hide behind him.

Far from being helpful, Rainbow couldn’t contain herself, staring at Twilight, her face breaking out into a huge grin. “You… and Rarity… and Fluttershy… in a herd with…” She couldn’t finish before she was rolling on the ground laughing hysterically. “Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha-HA!”

Fortunately, they were saved once more by the other racers when they all took flight to pose for a group picture, attracting the reporters and cameraponies back to them. Rainbow was invited to join as well since her own secret stood revealed; an offer she was only too eager to accept as she took her place among them.

“Hey girls, I’m here!” A familiar bubbly voice preceded the appearance of a certain bouncy pink earth pony mare by a bare millisecond.

Or should that be a ‘filli-second’? Phoenix had the odd thought as Pinkie Pie somehow popped up from behind the front desk.

“I was just in the courtroom, but it was empty! Where’s the trial? Where’s the trial?” she asked as she looked to and fro, a hoof over her brow like she was peering off into the distance.

“Pinkie, you missed the trial again!” Phoenix scolded as Rainbow returned to the group; this time the media didn’t follow her, to her evident disappointment. “It’s over; case won, Rainbow’s innocent, end of story.”

“Aw…” Pinkie went crestfallen, if only for a moment. “But that’s okay! Thanks to that big catering job I helped out with, the Cakes made enough money to pay for their new nursery! So now we have two reasons to celebrate! No, three! Because I never threw a welcome-to-Ponyville party for you, Feenie!” She jumped up and down in excitement.

Twilight grinned wanly. “Thanks, Pinkie. But I think I’m going to have to pass. It’s been a very long day, and I’m too tired after the duel to enjoy it. Raincheck?”

“Huh? Duel?” Pinkie blinked.

“Aw, yeah, Pinkie, you should have seen it!” Rainbow did a loop in the air and began pantomiming blows with her hooves. “Twilight and Trixie went at it in the courtroom after Nix proved I didn’t do it, and it was epic! It was a magic duel for the ages! Fire versus Ice! Trixie versus Twilight! And Twi kicked that faker’s flank!”

“Rainbow…” Twilight felt her mood start to turn brooding again at the mention of the showmare. She’s no faker!

“Really? A duel? Aw…” Pinkie went crestfallen again. “That means I missed all the good stuff!”

“Think I’ll pass on the party too, Pinkie. I am kind of hungry though,” Phoenix spoke up, his stomach reminding him that he hadn’t had anything except coffee since breakfast.

“We didn’t eat lunch, and I could definitely use a bite myself after all the energy I burned off in there,” Twilight acknowledged. “We could go to—”

She didn’t finish before there was a bright flash of light and a large new pony appeared in their midst. She was almost big enough to be a horse by Phoenix’s reckoning and cut a very majestic and imposing figure, between her alabaster coat, stylized sun cutie mark, and flowing ethereal mane that waved about as if in an unseen breeze, colored in gentle pastel hues. She possessed both wings and horn and wore a large golden tiara paired with a jeweled shoulder harness and golden slippers on her hooves.

“Hello, my little ponies. And a warm welcome to you, Phoenix Wright,” she said in a surprisingly soft but strong voice.

WHOA! This is the first thing in Equestria that meets me on eye level! Phoenix blinked, wondering who the newcomer was. He dimly recognized her as an alicorn from his reading, but he still didn’t know her identity until everypony around him abruptly went to one knee and bowed.

“Princess!” Twilight quickly got up from her bow and went to nuzzle the larger equine; her affection was immediately returned by a hug of the newcomer’s large head.

“Princess?” Phoenix echoed. So THIS is Princess Celestia? He stared at her for a moment. I was kind of thinking she was going to be borne down by a gilded chariot surrounded by horn-blowing pony cherubs…

“Phoenix! Bow!” Twilight ordered him frantically, seeing he was still standing even as everypony was on bent knees around him.

“Yeah! And if you’re gonna kiss anypony’s hoof, it should be hers!” Rainbow added.

“It’s alright, Twilight. There’s no need for him to bow, or kiss my hoof,” she waved her prized pupil off, turning her attention on Phoenix, seemingly sizing him up. “So we meet at last, Phoenix Wright,” she noted as the press and other ponies flocked to her, cameras snapping photos yet again, though Phoenix noted there was a curious lack of shouted questions this time.

So SHE’S the one who ordered Twilight to summon me? I want an explanation, NOW! “H-hey! You!” he stepped forward, struggling to keep the catch out of his voice, trying not to dwell on the fact that if she really could move an entire sun with her magic, she could also probably reduce him to a cinder in the blink of an eye.

“Yes?” she answered with an expectant look, a glint of amusement in her lavender eyes.

“Twilight said you told her to bring me here because you knew me! And then you told her to deceive me!”

Celestia appeared to give Twilight a look of admonishment, though her eyes never lost their twinkle. “Oh, did she now…?”

Twilight’s ears went flat. “I’m sorry, Princess, but I had to tell him. He figured it out on his own, and well… I’m a horrible liar,” she admitted, going downcast.

“That’s quite alright, Twilight. In truth, I fully expected he would, given his reputation,” she laid a comforting wing across her prize pupil’s back. “I greatly appreciate what you have done for my subjects, Phoenix Wright. It’s truly an honor to meet you,” she said, astonishing all present when she sketched a bow to him!

“But Princess, you said you knew him?” Twilight reminded her mentor.

“And how could you?” Phoenix couldn’t hold back, pointing a finger at the alicorn princess like he was pointing out a contradiction in court, causing the other ponies to gape and Twilight herself to cringe. “I’ve never seen you in my life, and you couldn’t possibly have watched any of my trials! You’re not exactly inconspicuous in this world; you’d certainly stand out in mine!”

She regarded him for a moment, her coy grin showing she was completely unperturbed. “The reason I’m here is to both meet you and deliver your payment, Phoenix Wright. I’d rather deliver it personally, as something seems to be wrong with the mail in Ponyville,” she said, her change of subject not lost on either Twilight or Phoenix. “I sent out a letter a few days ago and only yesterday did the recipient get it. I wonder what happened?”

Twilight shifted uncomfortably. “Uh… heh-heh. Yeah, I wonder,” she said in a nervous tone, putting a hoof behind her head.

“Wait—you’re actually paying me?” Phoenix was stunned, surreptitiously pinching himself and hoping she didn’t suddenly change her mind as a result of his accusation.

Celestia gave him an odd, even mischievous grin. “Of course! You didn’t expect to be compensated for your work and the inconvenience of being magically summoned?”

Phoenix rubbed his hand behind his head. “Actually, I didn’t! Even back home, I’m not used to being paid real money for my services. Most of my work ends up being pro bono and even when it’s not, it seems like my clients only ever pay me with an ‘IOU’,” he explained—the only client he’d ever gotten full payment from was Miles Edgeworth, and he’d been living off that and his poker winnings for a while; he was still trying to finagle the legal fees for his last case from Matt Engarde’s frozen bank accounts. And I certainly never saw a dime from Larry!

“Well, then, here is a symbol of mine and everypony’s gratitude.” She materialized a large jangling bag. “It is well-earned. And I thank you again, Phoenix Wright, as I don’t think a defense attorney in Equestria would have been able to do what you did,” she said, depositing the bag in front of him, the cameraponies snapping pictures again.

“Why not?” Phoenix asked. “I find it hard to believe there aren’t skilled defense lawyers here as well.”

“Skilled? Perhaps. But experienced in murder cases? No,” Celestia qualified. “You see, Equestria has been in quite the peaceful state for centuries outside of a few minor crimes. And as it turns out, it still is as you proved Ace Swift’s death was by happenstance.”

I’m not sure I’d just call it happenstance! he noted but didn’t say.It was then Phoenix noticed the two Royal Guardsponies standing stoically behind her, flanking her protectively, leaving him wondering when they’d entered. “So what’s with the royal escort, then? I mean, if it’s so peaceful and you’re so powerful…”

“I may be powerful, but I am not omniscient—nor would I wish to be. Even though our nation is peaceful, I cannot be everywhere and there are still entities who try to disrupt the peace. That’s what the Royal Guard is for. But most of the time, their function is purely ceremonial.” Celestia chuckled softly. “In fact, these past few days are probably going to be the most excitement they will have for a long time, beyond watching me navigate Equestrian bureaucracy. And speaking of which…”

The Sun Princess raised her head and looked around. “Is there a pony named ‘Cruise Control’ present?” her voice suddenly boomed out.

All eyes turned on the circle of racers as the blue pegasus visibly swallowed and stepped forward, Lenora at his side. The crowd of media and onlookers instantly parted to allow his approach and he bowed low as he got near, visibly shaking as he greeted his regent, guessing instantly the reason he’d been summoned.

“I understand your sister is in Canterlot Hospital,” Celestia stated, a sad and gentle note in her voice. “In a coma and cannot be moved?”

“Yes…” he answered, his voice as shaky as his body.

“And that she is in fact there fraudulently as a result of Ace Swift’s influence and blackmail?”

“Y-yes…” Cruise confirmed in a ragged whisper, knowing better than to lie.

“I also understand that you were willing to take the blame for his death, even go to prison if it meant keeping your sister safe?”

“Y-yes…” he croaked, bowing so low his head scraped the ground, Lenora at his side, her wing protectively over him. “P-please don’t remove her!”

The Princess regarded him for a moment before giving what was to Phoenix another sly smile. “As you know, only nobles and Canterlot citizens are allowed to use the facilities your sister is presently staying in. By law, she cannot be there, and I am loathe to interfere in local legal statutes, even ones I may disagree with,” she began, half-gravely.

“But P-Princess!” “But you said that—” Cruise and Lenora stammered out simultaneously but both stopped at Celestia’s chuckle.

Phoenix started to speak up as well but Twilight stilled him with a hoof on his arm, knowing what the twinkle in Celestia’s eyes meant as her mentor held up a gilded hoof. “But as you may not know, you can become a citizen of Canterlot simply by meeting the residency requirement and signing some paperwork. Once you have lived in the city for two years and are gainfully employed, the residency requirement is met,” she noted, her sly smile getting a little more pronounced.

“But since your sister is underage, the employment requirement does not apply, and she cannot sign for herself,” Celestia noted with a surety of one who was used to navigating bureaucracies and knew all the legal loopholes of her land. “Therefore, her legal guardian must do it for her. And since she lacks parents, that just leaves her big brother,” she said as she materialized a scroll and quill pen from somewhere. The scroll unrolled in her magical grasp to show it was already filled out; all he had to do was sign on the bottom line where the quill was hovering over it.

Cruise looked at the princess in awe, tears of gratitude in his eyes. He took the quill in his mouth and swiftly signed his name. Once he had done so, the scroll rolled itself back up and disappeared in a puff of magic. “All done,” Celestia pronounced with satisfaction. “As a proper citizen, your sister may now remain in Canterlot Hospital for as long as necessary.”

The ponies around them whooped and cheered their appreciation as Cruise fell to his knees and repeatedly kissed Celestia’s hoof; Phoenix remembering Rainbow’s earlier statement and finally making the connection that hoof-kissing among ponies was something normally reserved for royalty.

Oh, so THAT’s why Twilight and Rarity reacted the way they did! He grinned. Good to know!

Once the relieved pegasus stallion had departed, Celestia turned back to the group. “Oh yes, there is one more matter that brings me here. Mister Wright…?” she turned back to Phoenix.

“Yes?” Phoenix acknowledged, far more respectfully now—her legal parsing of Equestrian bylaws would have done any attorney proud.

“I’m afraid I have something less pleasant for you as well—a summons from the Equestrian Attorney Misconduct Board,” she added apologetically, materializing a second scroll and depositing it in his hands. “Your hearing is scheduled for late tomorrow morning, so I would advise you to rest well tonight and take the early train to Canterlot. I’m afraid I cannot interfere with their proceedings, but I trust them to resolve this matter fairly.”

“I see,” Phoenix acknowledged, looking over the scroll. “Thank you, then.” That’s fine, actually. Get it out of the way quick so I can hopefully represent Sonata...

She nodded. “I’m afraid I must take my leave now—royal duties never cease, unfortunately. But when you return home…” she paused, turning her full attention on Phoenix, watching his reaction carefully. “Please give Maya, Pearls, Gumshoe, Franziska and Edgeworth my warmest regards. It’s truly a shame I couldn’t meet them as well,” the Sun Princess said in a deadpan voice with the barest hint of a smile, causing Phoenix to gape.

“Wh-what? B-But… How?”

Her purple eyes twinkled again. “Farewell, Phoenix Wright. Or perhaps you prefer ‘Nick’?” she suggested, an amused glint in her eyes that told Twilight that the princess was thoroughly enjoying herself.

“But… but… how do you know all this about me!?” Phoenix was completely flustered.

His only answer was the sudden materialization of five psyche-locks, their appearance all the more surprising for the fact he wasn’t actually holding the Magatama. “Ah!”

“Goodbye, my little ponies. Please enjoy your stay in Equestria with my blessing, Phoenix Wright,” she said. “And I trust you’ll take good care of him, Twilight,” she added with a wink as she teleported out, the assembled media starting to disperse with her departure, rushing for the nearest dispatch stations to get their news and pictures sent.

“Twilight! Did you see that!?” a slack-jawed Phoenix asked.

“Huh? See what?” she answered, still blushing over the princess’ slyly suggestive tone.

“There were psyche-locks all around your Princess!”

“There were?” Twilight blinked, her embarrassment forgotten. She closed her eyes and her horn glowed for a moment as she tried to tap the mystical energies the Magatama had imparted to her, only to find none remained. “Oh. It must have worn off then,” she said in a disappointed tone.

“Worn off?”

“Worn off,” Twilight confirmed. “When I picked up your Magatama with my levitation spell yesterday, its otherworldly magic mixed with my own and imbued me with its power. It’s an interesting phenomenon sometimes seen in alchemic magic. I looked up in my Supernaturals bookhow to cure it, and it said it would eventually wear off once the foreign magic was used up, most likely within a day or two,” she explained, her expression turning wistful. “It’s a shame, though. I really wanted to use it on some other subjects.”

Phoenix gave her an askance look. “Use it on other subjects?” he repeated. And just WHO was she planning to make a guinea pig of?

Twilight caught herself too late. “O-Oh! Um, I-I mean, it’s good that it wore off! It was starting to freak me out seeing those locks and chains all over the place!” She laughed nervously, shuffling her hooves and putting a hoof behind her head.

“Uh-huh.” Okay, we are DEFINITELY going to be having a talk about her magic use! “But why did it react to your princess? I still want to know how she knew all that stuff about me!”

“I don’t know,” Twilight admitted, “but I wouldn’t worry too much about it. She can be quite cryptic, but take it from me—the princess always has good reasons for everything she does.”

Phoenix was unconvinced, but realized he’d probably never get his answer. “Well, if you say so…”

“Whoa! Nix, you’re rich!” Rainbow spoke up.

“Huh?”

“The princess gave you a big haul! There has to be at least fifty thousand- No! Seventy thousand in here!” She rooted through the money bag gleefully, coins jangling, trying and failing to find the bottom.

Phoenix went weak-kneed, the question of how the princess knew him instantly forgotten. “S-Seventy th-thousand!?”

Twilight grinned at his reaction. “Congratulations, Phoenix! You really earned it.”

“You flatter me—I don’t think I deserve all this money, but I’ll gladly accept it!” Sports car, here I come, baby! he thought to himself as he hurried over to the bag and dug his hands in, suddenly imagining himself sitting behind the driver’s seat of the high-end Mustang he’d always wanted—of course, I’ll finally have to get my driver’s license!—until…

“Um… what are these?” he found the bag contained a series of large coins in shades of gold and silver, but they definitely weren’t gold or silver given how light they were.

“Huh? They’re bits, Nix,” Rainbow answered.

“Bits?”

“It’s our currency,” Fluttershy helpfully explained.

Phoenix felt his delight fading as fast as it had come. “Uh… would there be any way I could get these converted to USD?”

His fears were confirmed as everyone’s face scrunched up in confusion. “USD? Bits are the universal currency used all across Equestria,” Twilight told him.

His shoulders slumped. NO! IT MIGHT AS WELL BE MONOPOLY MONEY!he realized with a sinking heart.

“Oh look! He’s so happy he’s crying!” Pinkie smiled obliviously.

“What’s the matter?” Rarity asked in sudden concern.

He led the coins slide off his hand back into the bag. “I can’t use this money in my world,” he told her, crestfallen. Well, at least I can pay my fine…

“Oh. Well, that’s too bad. But you know…” The fashionista sidled up to him a bit. “You could give it to one of us. I’m sure we could put it to good use?”

“Oh! Oh! You should totally give it to your faithful client who never doubted you for a second!” Rainbow flew a quick ring around him and then plopped herself in front of him, giving him her best dewy-eyed look.

Far from being impressed, Phoenix pinned her with a stare. “’Every lawyer must suck horse apples if you’re supposed to be the best one’…” he quoted slowly, causing Rainbow to shrink back and put on a placating grin.

“O-oh! Um… did I say that? It was j-just a joke! Yeah! Like that hilarious knee-slapper you told me yesterday! You know how, like, you’re always right because your name is Wright, but you mean ‘Right’ as in being correct and, uh…”

“Consider this my final piece of legal advice as your defense attorney: quit while you’re ahead, Rainbow Dash,” Phoenix ordered, no amusement in his voice.

“Well, Phoenix, you can certainly spend it while you’re here. On all of us?” Twilight suggested hopefully.

“Yeah, that’s right! Oatburgers are on Nix!” Rainbow promised in a tone that reminded him very strongly of Maya.

You know, post-trial celebrations are always on me back home, too…

Ponyville
Golden Oaks Library
June 11th, 8:31 PM

There was a surprise awaiting the group when they arrived at the library—or more than one for Twilight when she saw the condition the stately oak was in, with the front door blasted off its hinges and volumes lying everywhere; she promptly set her unhappy scribe to work cleaning the mess up. Of more immediate interest, however, was the dark-furred, fire-maned unicorn stallion sleeping on a reading couch, snoring softly, a note addressed to Twilight stuck to the back of his neck.

It was from a second pony named Chrome, an alchemy shop owner who Applejack explained had been the one to find both the spellbook and the matching spell inside. In it, she explained what the stallion, named Firesight, had done to get her there quickly when Spike had messaged her for help, and that she thought it best to let him stay there and sleep.

Twilight had a troubled look at that, gently picking up the stallion in her aura as she left again to take him home and thank Chrome personally, promising she’d formally introduce them both to Phoenix later. “When Firesight wakes up, first I’m gonna hug him, and then I’m gonna smack him for taking a chance like that!” she swore under her breath as she floated him out the door.

After she left, the rest of the group split up again. Taking some of Phoenix’s bits, Rainbow left to get food and Fluttershy to purchase tickets for the early train to Canterlot the next morning, while Applejack and Phoenix set themselves to fixing the front door. Pinkie… did what Phoenix could only describe as Pinkie things, disappearing suddenly and not immediately returning.

They left at the same time and somehow all finished at the same time as well. Applejack and Phoenix had barely finished the door repairs—“Have to admit, those hands of yers are sure, well, handy,” Applejack told him—before Rainbow shot in the open window with her hooves and mouth filled with bags from some local eatery. Simultaneously, Fluttershy and Twilight returned just as Pinkie reappeared with a box of fresh-baked treats from Sugar Cube Corner, courtesy of the Cakes as a thank-you to Phoenix for freeing Rainbow Dash and to Pinkie Pie for helping them out on their big catering order.

Well, at least she had a good excuse again! Phoenix conceded, thinking all the better of Pinkie Pie after Fluttershy explained how Pinkie had found her and cleaned her up, bringing her back to the trial.

Dinner was surprisingly edible to him, though he knew Maya would turn her nose up at any burger not made of meat. He had his own doubts about the ‘oatburgers’ as well until he tried one, but he found it surprisingly good and filling, accented by some very good buns to say nothing of extremely crisp and flavorful vegetables that were light-years tastier than the prepackaged stuff they usually used in restaurants back home.

Or maybe I’m just so hungry anything tastes good right now! He chuckled to himself as he finished off the sandwich. The “horseshoe fries”, so named because of their shape, weren’t hay like the hash he’d been offered the first morning of the trial, to his great relief, but were made of potatoes and not too unlike the curly fries he occasionally indulged in with Maya and Pearls back home.

The food was welcome and the conversation good; talk inevitably turned to the trial… and then to Trixie. Twilight put a quick kibosh on any ill words about the mare magician and Phoenix backed her, noting that they’d never have found the truth of the case without her. That still wasn’t enough to placate Rainbow or Applejack, until Twilight broke down and told them what she’d learned of the showmare’s unhappy past during the duel, leaving the entire group speechless at what she’d been through.

“She needs our help, girls, and we didn’t give it before. Let’s fix that going forward, okay?” she requested, receiving reluctant nods in reply.

When their fast food meal was finished, Pinkie opened her box to show a series of personalized dessert treats: a bear claw for Fluttershy, an orange smoothie for Twilight, a cherry jubilee for Applejack to the surprise of all—“and if y’all tell anypony, Ah swear Ah’ll buck you clear into the next country!”—a gem-studded cupcake for Spike, and one of Pinkie’s trademark pink-frosted cupcakes for Phoenix, leaving him wondering again how she made them so delectable and if he’d ever be able to enjoy one from his own world again.

For her part, Pinkie was still a bit disappointed she didn’t get to immediately throw a party, but reasoned that it would be impossible to have individual parties with so many new ponies in town that she’d simply have to throw one of her “extra-super-duper-special parties for everypony!” before Phoenix left, causing her friends to shift uncomfortably and leaving Phoenix wondering why.

Their bellies full, the group prepared to part for their respective homes, promising to meet back up at six the next morning for the early train to Canterlot... though a gleam in Applejack’s eyes when Twilight said ‘it was time to put Spike to bed’ gave both her and Phoenix pause.

“Well now—sure y’all don’t want some privacy?” the country mare winked at Phoenix and Twilight. “Reckon we could take Spike off yer hooves if y’all like to be alone tonight?” she said suggestively, giving them a sideways grin from under the brim of her stetson.

“Ew. Seriously?” Dash made a face and Spike a retching motion. “You really want to lay my lawyer, egghead?” she asked point-blank.

“Wha-Rainbow!” Twilight went scarlet and Phoenix wasn’t far behind.

“Ooo! Oooo!” Pinkie jumped up and down excitedly. “This means I’ll have to plan a date party for you and Feenie!”

“Pinkie, really, that’s not—” Phoenix tried, feeling more flustered than he ever had in the trial—and that’s saying a LOT!

“Oh my,” Fluttershy had blushed almost as deep as Twilight. “Um… Spike can stay the night with me, if you want?”

“Deal,” Spike agreed immediately, no more eager than Rainbow Dash to be around potential mushiness. “I’d rather have a sleepover with the CMC than have to listen to you two go kissy-face all night!”

“Spike!”Twilight stammered, wanting to hide as her aura flashed pink at the suggestion, causing Fluttershy to eep! and Rainbow Dash to snicker.

“Sold!” Applejack said, thoroughly enjoying the scene. “Spike stays the night with Fluttershy. Now you treat Twi right, Phoenix Wright!” the country mare ordered him in mock sternness, giving him another wink as she tipped her Stetson to him. Twi right? Or TwiWright? she grinned at the turn of phrase. With that, the group cleared out quickly, and Phoenix and Twilight suddenly found themselves alone…

With each other…

In an empty library…

And an entire night to themselves.

“So…” Phoenix began awkwardly, hand behind his head and looking away. Now what?

“So…” Twilight repeated in an identical pose and tone, having no idea where to begin—none of Rarity’s romance books had ever dealt with a situation like… this!

“Um… actually, Twilight… before we do anything else, I’d like to ask a favor from you, now,” Phoenix managed, wondering if he was just trying to buy time.

“Oh?” she asked, her cheeks going warm again as her mind began to automatically imagine potential favors she’d do him.

“Well…” Phoenix looked embarrassed and uncertain. “I need to get a message back to my assistant, Maya,” he told her. “I’ve been gone without a trace for two days now, and she’s probably worried sick about me. Is there any way you can help me contact her?”

“Oh,” she said in a tone of disappointment, quickly forgotten as she turned her attention onto the problem at hoof. “There may be a way,” she offered cautiously from beneath a furrowed brow.

“Yes?”

“Well…” Her mind was visibly turning again. “I was able to interface with your communication device using a simple telepathy spell, so I may also be able to help it make a connection to your world. If I piggyback the telepathy spell on top of something that I know can reach your world, like the summoning spell, it might be able to—”

“When can we do it?” Phoenix asked, cutting her off before she could start lecturing in earnest.

“Right now,” Twilight promised, leading him to the spot he’d originally appeared on when he’d been summoned; the ‘summoning circle’, as Twilight called it, was still present on the floor.

Phoenix pulled out his old cellphone and extended the antenna as she touched up the lines. Probably time I upgrade, he reluctantly admitted, getting tired of Maya’s endless teasing about his ‘iBrick’ phone. “How long can we talk?”

“Not long,” she warned him as she began to power up her horn, a tendril of her aura wrapping itself around the phone in his hand, making his fingers tingle. “I’m drained to begin with, and I really don’t know how much magic this is going to take. So the shorter, the better.”

“Right.” Phoenix nodded. Best be a text message, then. I can try a call when Twilight’s recovered from the duel, he decided, telling her what he was doing as he began to type out his message, belatedly realizing that he was going to have to carefully ration his phone’s power while he was in Equestria. I didn’t bring my charger, and I doubt they have standard 120-volt outlets here anyway!

Maya—it’s Nick. Sorry for the sudden disappearance, but I got pulled out of town unexpectedly for a case. I’m fine but I’m out of the country and won’t be back for a few days. I know you have questions, but phone coverage is poor here and my connection uncertain. I’ll try to call later.

He gave her a nod when he finished, his thumb poised over the button. “Ready!”

“3… 2… 1… Now, Phoenix!” Twilight ordered, her horn flaring brighter for a moment before firing a bolt into the summoning circle just as he clicked Send, causing the lines to glow white for a moment before they faded back to simple chalk.

“Did she get it?” Phoenix asked once her aura had faded.

“In theory,” was all Twilight was willing to say, suddenly going very unsteady on her hooves. “I’m sorry, Phoenix, I just don’t know. I’ve never used a telepathy spell like this before.”

Wright and Co. Law Offices
Los Angeles, California
June 11th, 8:52 PM

A universe away in Phoenix’s office, Maya’s smartphone beeped with the tone that indicated an incoming text. She seized it when she saw it was from Nick, but the message was frustratingly brief and told her little. Nick’s in trouble! she was increasingly convinced after he’d been absent with no word for the past two days, despite Pearl’s certainty that Phoenix was seeing someone behind her back.

Nick ditching us for some girl? Not likely! she snorted, thinking that was almost as ridiculous as the suggestion that he’d be interested in her!

She fired back a quick reply, but soon saw a message saying it could not be delivered, just like every other attempt to call or text him she’d made over the past two days. That’s it! He’s DEFINITELY in trouble! Time to call out the cavalry! she resolved, not sure where the sudden image of Nick riding a smallish purple pony came from, searching down her contacts list for a very specific name.

Hang on, Nick, we’re coming!

Ponyville
Golden Oaks Library
June 11th, 8:53 PM

“Well, guess that’ll have to do.” Phoenix clicked his phone off and returned it to his jacket pocket, startled when he saw Twilight falling awkwardly to the ground. “Twilight?”

“Sorry, Phoenix.” Her eyes were starting to flutter; she was suddenly having trouble standing, barely able to even sit up on her haunches. “I thought I was okay, but that spell tapped me out. Guess the duel took more out of me than I thought.” She managed a weak smile and chuckle, her forelegs visibly wobbling. “I need rest.”

He smiled at that, remembering Trixie was in a similar state. “Let’s get you to bed, Twilight,” he told her. “Can you make it upstairs?”

“I…” she took a few tentative steps, only to fall back to her knees as magical exhaustion began to claim her again, even worse than the previous night. “Not really,” she admitted in some embarrassment. “Can you help me to the couch, or…?”

“Climb on, then.” He crouched in front of her and offered his back for a piggy-back ride, stifling a grin at the irony that instead of a human riding a pony, a pony was about to ride him.

Though surprised, she did so, draping her forelegs over his shoulders and wrapping her hindquarters around his midsection, which he then cradled in his arms, standing up, heading towards the stairs with her. He smells nice, Twilight thought idly, her nose buried in his impossibly spiky yet still-soft hair, marveling again at the strength and abilities of his human body—she could carry Spike or a filly like Apple Bloom, but she’d certainly have trouble hoisting a full-sized pony without her magic on all four legs, let alone just two!

After making sure he was balanced, Phoenix followed the curving flight of stairs up to her private quarters. She wasn’t too heavy—just a few pounds more than Maya, who he’d piggybacked once or twice—but he was a little unnerved by the lack of a handrail and mildly relieved when he got to her bedroom loft. He wasn’t sure what to expect; anything from a wizard lair to a scientist’s lab, but what he saw looked like a fairly normal bedroom aside from the fact that most of the furniture was carved right out of the tree, consisting only of a bed, bookshelf, nightstand, dresser, and washroom.

In fact, the only real indication of the room’s owner was a few books scattered about and her bedspread, which was blue and adorned with stars and crescent moons not unlike Trixie’s coat, cape and cutie mark.

Twilight and Trixie are more alike than they know! Phoenix had the idle thought, still somewhat troubled over his post-trial meeting with the showmare.

He crouched down to allow Twilight to get off his back, right beside her bed. “Thanks,” she said shortly, her cheeks warm. She looked at the bed and then back at him. “Um…” she blushed hard, unable to say what she was thinking.

“I think it’s best I sleep in the guest room,” he let her down gently. “Whatever’s going on between us, this is not the time to tempt fate, okay?” And the bed’s too small for both of us anyway.

He caught a flash of disappointment in her eyes, but she nodded. “Yeah. I know we still need to talk.”

“Later,” he promised. “It’s been a long day. You need sleep, and so do I. Let’s start fresh tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay. But Phoenix?”

“Yes?”

Mustering all her fading strength, she reared up to hug him, holding him tightly for a moment. “Thank you for saving Rainbow.”

Phoenix smiled and embraced her back. “You’re very welcome, Twilight,” he told her, and then held her until she fell asleep in his arms.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on October 4, 2018.

Okay folks, get ready for a series of bonus chapters to close out the story, of which this is only the first. From here on out, expect scattered light shipping and suggestive dialogue... though I emphasize the story's teen rating will not be exceeded. You can thank Leo Archon for a very well-done Twilight/Shining Armor scene, Raven for a couple excellent suggestions and TheGoldGrow as always for a preread.

Raven: An of course, if Y'all Tumblr Fans out there who's Included in the last Bonus Chapter are welcome to suggest anything else, surely, this is for the readers and fans out there... suggestions should go by me first for confirmation... Thanks guys, Love yah!!

Part 59 - Shadows of the Past

Canterlot
Equestria Department of Law
June 12th, 10:45 AM

Phoenix felt far more nervous than he thought he’d be.

As the clocked ticked down the final fifteen minutes until the start of his misconduct hearing, he found himself fidgeting anxiously in his chair, unable to keep still. Even though he knew the ruling wouldn’t affect his law license back on Earth, the thought that he could get censured or even stripped of his attorney badge anywhere was extremely unsettling.

Can’t imagine not being a defense attorney! He shuddered internally, scarcely able to imagine his life without his legal work or what he would do in its place. Dunno. Guess I’d have to become a full-time poker pro or maybe a piano player on the side? He chuckled at the thought, remembering how unspeakably bad of the latter he’d been when his parents had tried to give him lessons back in grade school.

The train ride up to Canterlot had been both interesting and awkward. Still feeling the effects of her magical exhaustion, Twilight had barely been able to stumble her way to the train depot after rising before dawn; she had ended up sleeping most of the two-hour ride there. In truth, Phoenix’s sleep had been somewhat restless as well, punctuated by dreams of Twilight and various moments of his life. In fact, the latter had been strangely lucid, almost like someone had been looking through his memories, replaying scenes of people and places, cases and trials from his past.

Chalking it up to another magical side effect of Equestria—maybe I’ll start developing magical powers if I stay here long enough? he thought half-hopefully—he allowed Twilight to lay her head on his leg as she slept and more than once found his hand resting against her side or shoulder, to Rarity’s evident delight and some teasing remarks from Rainbow. With the possible exception of Spike, the others seemed surprised, even disappointed to learn they hadn’t done anything. All except Rarity, that was, who had been aghast to hear of Applejack’s clumsy attempt to throw them together, to Phoenix’s great and initially happy surprise.

“I mean really, Applejack! What were you thinking?” she asked as if Phoenix wasn’t there. “They’ve barely met and you’re already foisting intimacy upon them? I can certainly appreciate wanting to help Twilight land such a fine stallion, but your romantic sense truly needs some work, darling.”

Applejack was unrepentant. “Mah ‘ro-mantic sense’ is just fine, Rarity!” she replied from the other side of Phoenix. “And so what if they just met? They like each other, don’t they? Well, take it from me—ain’t no better or quicker way to find out if yer right fer somepony than a good roll in the hay!”

Phoenix went bright red, grateful Twilight couldn’t hear the exchange. “Uh, guys—I am here?”

Rarity turned up her nose. “Well, I suppose a ‘roll in the hay’ might do you, darling. But we elegant, sophisticated Canterlot ponies are far more refined and require proper courting. And certainly a gentlecolt like Mister Wright would not want to do anything so crude or rash.”

“My thoughts exact—”

She spoke right over him, going starry-eyed. “After all, if they’re going to do it, they must do it properly! With a romantic evening and rendezvous! There must be music and flowers! Chocolates and moonlit walks! Oh, and they would need new outfits! I will have to set aside part of my schedule to design their ensembles…” she rambled on just as she had after repairing his suit the first time, at which point Phoenix gave up.

Almost equally awkward was the fact that The Judge had joined them for the trip, dressed in improvised civilian attire with one of Mayor Mare’s aides in tow as an escort. He and Phoenix spoke briefly while they waited on the platform, the former explaining he was going to tour Canterlot, compliments of the Princess “for his just and fair rulings,” and, more ominously, to provide testimony at the misconduct board hearings of Phoenix and Trixie. He gave Phoenix an odd look as he saw Twilight snuggled against him, causing Phoenix to become self-conscious again and leaving him fervently hoping The Judge hadn’t heard the ongoing argument between Applejack and Rarity.

Better talk to him before we go back to our world. The last thing I need is him spreading this around! he thought, scarcely able to imagine what Maya or Pearls would say.

Trixie had joined them for the trip as well. She was escorted by two uniformed bailiffs, including a dark-furred unicorn stallion that he thought Twilight had glowered at for a moment when they got on the train, and a second pegasus guard that Phoenix recognized as the bailiff that had delivered the results of the police analysis they’d finally cornered Sonata with. The showmare was just as tired and bleary-eyed as Twilight, pointedly ignoring the group as she was led on in shackles and the magic suppression collar she’d worn when they’d talked after the trial. She ended up sleeping most of the way as well, though Phoenix thought he saw her ears twitch when Rainbow started muttering insults under her breath.

The train ride had been scenic enough at least, taking them through lush forests, across verdant plains and over rolling hills, going through a tunnel and then climbing a mountain to arrive at Canterlot proper. Phoenix couldn’t help but gape as much as the ponies that saw him as he stepped off the train and beheld the city for the first time.

The Equestrian capital city was awe-inspiring. It looked like it had been carved directly out of the mountainside, studded with towering spires and gorgeously ornate architecture, at the center of which stood Canterlot Castle, the home of the Princess—Princesses, he corrected himself, remembering from his reading there were at least two. I’ve already met the Solar Princess. Wonder if I’ll ever get to meet the Lunar one?

Spreading around some more of Phoenix’s bits, they hired a chariot pulled by two earth ponies to take them to the sprawling Canterlot Castle grounds, which looked even more impressive up close. The press was waiting for them again as they got out in front of the overwrought Law Department, but they ignored the shouted questions—few of which had anything to do with his hearing—as a dozen Guardsponies formed a phalanx around them, escorting them up the steps.

Canterlot
Equestria Department of Law
Attorney Misconduct Board Hearing Room
June 12th, 11:00 AM

There was a sharp rapping on the elevated central desk of the room, overlooking the chamber not unlike a judge’s bench in a courtroom.

“Order, order!” barked the pegasus mare sitting there. “The room will come to order,” she called out loud enough to be heard over the background conversation in the gallery. She was a dark-hued beauty; her coat was a deep amaranth color while her mane was long and grey except for a crimson stripe running through it. She wore a cloak of deep blue, held together on her neck with a clasp that bore the emblem of the sun and moon side-by-side. Her sapphire-blue eyes looked at everyone in the room, lingering on two particular individuals: Phoenix Wright and Trixie Lulamoon.

As it turned out, the hearings for the two had been scheduled concurrently, before the same board. Though Phoenix was nervous about the situation, Trixie felt more than a little forlorn, knowing she was likely to lose her law license.

Rapping her hoof again, the pegasus at the central desk silenced what little chatter remained among the hundred or so media and other spectators in the relatively small audience gallery. “This session of the Equestrian Attorney Misconduct Board is convened to review the actions of Phoenix Wright and ‘Trixie’ Lulamoon during the trial of Rainbow Dash,” she began, reciting from a scroll laid out in front of her.

“The charges against Phoenix Wright are as follows: false accusation of a witness, breaking and entering into a private motel room and illegal appropriation of evidence. The charges against Trixie Lulamoon are as follows: deliberate withholding of exculpatory evidence, striking illegal deals with witnesses, engaging in conduct unbecoming an officer of the court, assault, and reckless endangerment of civilians,” she summarized. “We are now in session; Royal Court officer Delta Requiem presiding.”

Royal Court? thought Phoenix. That must mean she works directly for Celestia. Wonder what she’s doing here?

He was given no chance to ponder the question as Delta motioned to him. “We shall start with the less severe charges. Phoenix Wright, step forward.”

Phoenix took a breath as he stepped to the podium in the center of the room. It reminded him rather badly of the last time he’d taken the witness stand in a courtroom, some years earlier. The situations, while different enough, still had enough similarities to make him uncomfortable.

Well, at least this time, I won’t try to eat the evidence! He grimaced at the memory.

Delta looked at him appraisingly. “Mister Wright, you have heard the charges against you. Do you deny these allegations?”

“I do not,” Phoenix answered promptly and respectfully. “I’m well aware of what I did, and I’m also aware that my actions, while well-meant, were nonetheless wrong. I forced an innocent mare to spend time in prison, and I violated the privacy of another mare in my zeal to conduct an investigation and clear my client.”

Delta’s gaze didn’t falter, but Phoenix saw the corners of her mouth turn up slightly. “At least you admit your mistakes, Mister Wright. Do you have any justification for your actions during the trial of Rainbow Dash beyond simple ‘zeal’?”

Phoenix sighed. “My accusation of Fluttershy was done out of desperation, when I realized a guilty verdict was about to come down and I couldn’t think of any other way to extend the trial. It was my own fault—I was incredibly ill-prepared that day, and it will haunt me for years to come how I nearly both failed my client and ruined the life of one of the kindest ponies I’ve come to know.

“As for my breaking and entering into the hotel room of Sonata Tarot, I confess that at the time of my doing so, I was unaware of her existence. I had assumed the room belonged solely to the deceased Ace Swift, and that nobody would have any reason to object to my presence there. I understand that I should have confirmed with somebody at the motel whether or not Ace Swift did, in fact, book a room for himself alone.”

Twilight had brought that up while they were waiting for the session to begin, pointing out that had Phoenix confirmed with a member of the motel’s staff whether or not Ace Swift was rooming alone, it would have saved a lot of trouble. Phoenix had spent the rest of the wait kicking himself for overlooking something so obvious; then again, he had been in the company of Pinkie Pie, with whom common sense seemed to take a back seat.

Delta considered him for a moment before speaking again. “So you were trying to cover for your own ill-preparedness by falsely accusing Miss Fluttershy, and acting in ignorance for the charge of breaking and entering?” she summarized in an unimpressed tone, causing Phoenix to wince, and judging by the looks that passed between her and the other ponies of the Board, he realized her low opinion of his actions was shared. “Is there anypony else present to testify on your behalf?”

“There were some who offered,” Phoenix admitted with a glance at Twilight, “but I declined. I know full well that what I did was wrong, and that I deserve to be punished for it.”

“Wait, members of the board!” Twilight Sparkle, groggy though she was, rose to his defense despite his warning look. “Sorry, Phoenix, but if you won’t stand up for yourself, I will. The board needs to understand the circumstances behind your arrival and the first day of trial,” she said, giving him a look back that told him not to stop her. If you’re my stallion, I’m going to defend you, Phoenix!

“Very well, Miss Sparkle,” the pegasus mare replied evenly. “The board recognizes you. What information can you offer us as Mister Wright’s co-counsel?”

“That I magically summoned Mister Wright to Equestria on the direct orders of Princess Celestia herself,” Twilight announced, to looks of surprise from the board. “At the time I did so, it was already the evening before the trial, and as a result, he had no chance to acclimate to our world or conduct a real investigation.

“I grant he should have studied, but in truth… it would have made no real difference,” she admitted with a downcast look. “Due to his late arrival, he came to court the next day disoriented and sleep-deprived, in no shape to defend anypony,” she insisted, moving to Phoenix’s side.

Delta Requiem appeared unmoved. “The Judge you summoned came even later than he did, Miss Sparkle, yet was still able to prepare himself in time. Are you saying Mister Wright could not have spent his time preparing as well?”

“With all due respect to His Honor, The Judge did not have to present a case; only preside over it,” Twilight quickly countered before Phoenix could cut her off. “A defense attorney needs time to investigate and interview—time Mister Wright simply did not have. I summoned him so late he got barely five minutes with Rainbow Dash, and only a half-hour to investigate the crime scene before the start of the trial,” she said in deep regret. “So what happened that morning was as much my fault as his. I respectfully ask the board take that into consideration when making their ruling.”

Phoenix was impressed by her arguments and quick comeback, doubly so for them coming from her as tired as she still appeared. Sounds like she’s been rehearsing this for a while!

For her part, Delta Requiem nodded slowly, even thoughtfully. “Very well, Miss Sparkle. Thank you for your statement. Are there any other witnesses who wish to speak up on Mister Wright’s behalf?"

“Um… may I?” A quiet and shaky voice offered from behind them; Phoenix was surprised to see Fluttershy timidly raising a hoof. “If that’s okay, Missus Your Honor?”

Delta and the other board members looked amused. “This is not a court of law, so please just refer to me as ‘Lady Requiem’, Miss Fluttershy. And yes, you may.”

“Oh! Okay.” Fluttershy gathered herself carefully before gliding down to the floor in front of the board bench, cringing slightly as the seven-member board looked down at her, waiting, some with curiosity and others with a noticeable measure of disdain.

“Um, it’s just that, well… I don’t want Mister Phoenix punished for what he did to me, Missus—I-I mean, Lady Requiem. He was trying to help Rainbow, and that’s all that matters to me. He didn’t mean to hurt me or anypony else, and he already said he was sorry. So, please don’t punish him for it?” she asked tentatively, catching herself from retreating behind her bangs a few times, forcing herself to stand tall and address the board.

Delta stared at her silently for a few seconds; Phoenix could tell she was considering her next words very carefully. “Miss Fluttershy, your willingness to forgive Mister Wright does you great credit, and that there was no lasting harm to you is noted. But the fact remains that by his own admission, he knowingly and falsely accused you,“ she said slowly with a glance around at the other board members, who gave nods of agreement back.

“But—” Fluttershy tried again, only for Delta to shake her head.

“I’m sorry, Miss Fluttershy,” she said more gently. “But I do wish you to know that I read the trial transcripts, and I think what you did there was a very brave and noble thing. I thank you for coming forward, both then and now, as I can tell how hard it was for you. Be assured that our ruling in this matter will be just and fair, and that your words and actions will be given due weight.”

“Oh. Um... okay,” Fluttershy conceded, stepping back as she realized she couldn’t get any more traction than she already had, Phoenix giving her a grateful smile and nod.

“Next, I would like to hear from the presiding judge of the trial. I understand you wish to address the board, Your Honor?” Lady Requiem turned to The Judge in the first row of the gallery.

“I do,” he confirmed, stepping up to the podium dressed in his judicial robes again instead of the Bermuda shorts and suspenders he had worn for the trip up. “I would like this board to know that Mister Wright has been a fixture of my courtroom for some time back on our own world. His tactics are very... unorthodox, and when I first hear his theories, I often consider them insane.”

Phoenix winced. Could you sugarcoat it any LESS, Your Honor?

“If they are, then why have you not sanctioned him before?” one of the other board members, a bespectacled unicorn stallion, asked.

“Because too often, even his wildest theories bear fruit, as they did here. Though I would never have thought this possible at the point the accusation was made, Mister Wright was correct in that the feather was significant, even if not in the way he initially suggested.

“It is for that reason I tend to give him a bit more leeway than other lawyers in my court, simply because I have seen him uncover the truth in such unlikely fashions repeatedly... though I often find it aggravating the circuitous route he takes getting there,” he added, his expression turning both exasperated and annoyed for a moment.

“His trial record is amazing, but not without blemish; my experience is that he tends to bluff and bluster his way through cases far more than I am comfortable with, to the occasional detriment of his client and witnesses alike,” The Judge concluded.

“I see. So this is not the first time he has falsely accused an innocent witness?” Lady Requiem read between the lines.

“It is not,” he confirmed with a reproachful look at Phoenix. “As this was the second occurrence in as many cases, I saw fit to sanction him this time. Miss Fluttershy also requested of me not to punish Mister Wright, and though I was not unmoved by her plea, I simply do not feel I can allow him to make wild accusations with impunity, regardless of the eventual outcome of the case.

“Though I have borne first-hand witness to his many courtroom turnabouts, and I can also speak readily to the many crimes he has solved and falsely accused defendants he has freed, I have also seen the damage his tactics can do when he trains his fire on the wrong target, as he did at least twice in this latest trial.”

“Well said, Your Honor,” Lady Requiem was nodding slowly, as were the other board members. “Then this board asks directly: as Mister Wright’s longtime judge, what would you have us do in this matter?”

The Judge turned to look directly at Phoenix as he spoke. “Make clear to Mister Wright by severe censure and other measures that these tactics are not acceptable, regardless of the outcome of the trial. That rules of law and standards of conduct must be followed for confidence in our judicial systems to be maintained, and to drive home that regardless of the circumstances, he must prepare fully and properly for each case rather than try to blindly blunder his way to victory,” he finished, his pointed words causing Phoenix to grimace.

You know, usually I think he’s completely dense, but then he turns around and comes up with something like this! He raised his opinion of The Judge by several notches at that moment.

“Do you wish to make a rebuttal, Mister Wright?” Delta asked, but Phoenix shook his head.

“No, Lady Requiem. I do not. He said it like it is, and I thank His Honor for giving it to me straight,” he replied, suddenly feeling like he was back in grade school, being admonished by his teacher for cheating on a math test before his parents again.

“Very well, Mister Wright and Your Honor. The board thanks you both for your input, and yours as well, Miss Fluttershy and Miss Sparkle. We will deliberate on this matter further, after we hear from Ms. Lulamoon. You may return to your seat, Mister Wright.”

Phoenix nodded, heading back to his chair along with The Judge. As he did, he looked at Trixie. In terms of appearances, she didn’t seem all that different from normal besides the shackles on her legs and the magic suppression collar around her neck. But her posture was that of a mare about to face her execution, and it seemed to him as though the very light in her eyes had gone out.

Delta cleared her throat. “Trixie Lulamoon, step forward.”

Trixie sighed, and trotted forward slowly, her movement slightly hampered by the shackles. She looked up at the board, and Phoenix could see that she still had some rings under her eyes, despite her nap on the train.

He wasn’t the only one to notice. “Ms. Lulamoon—did you get enough sleep last night?” Delta asked in some concern.

Trixie grimaced. “I prefer ‘Trixie’, if you don’t mind. And yes, I got enough sleep aside from some odd dreams. I’m suffering from magical exhaustion, for reasons I’m sure you can guess!” she explained with no small amount of bitterness, taking some slight solace from the fact Twilight appeared little better.

“If you’re certain,” Delta replied evenly. “In that case, we’ll proceed. You have heard the charges against you, Ms. Lulamoon. Do you deny these allegations?”

Like Phoenix, Trixie’s answer was prompt. “I do not. To deny my actions with so many witnesses present would be foalish.”

Delta nodded. “Have you anything to say in your defense?”

Trixie paused, and then shook her head. “No. The actions I took during the trial of Rainbow Dash are all a result of my own selfishness and jealousy. I deserve no mercy, nor do I ask for it,” she announced to the surprise of all present.

Delta arched an eyeridge. “You are aware that with the charges arrayed against you, a lack of defense on your part would more than likely result in permanent disbarment? Are you certain there is nothing you wish to say for yourself?”

Trixie opened her mouth to reply in the affirmative, but she was cut off by a cough. “Members of the Board, may I offer testimony on behalf of Trixie Lulamoon as well?” Twilight spoke up again.

Trixie’s eyes flashed. “Trixie does not need your pity, Twilight Sparkle!” she snarled, some of the fire coming back into her eyes. “Trixie is—”

“I’m not doing this solely out of pity,” Twilight interrupted. “After all, the Board hasn’t heard everything they need in order to make a fair and proper ruling.”

At her desk, Delta’s eyeridge quirked up again; given how often it had already done so, Phoenix was given cause to wonder if her brow wouldn’t freeze in that position. “Well, as you were present as not just the defense co-counsel, but the personal student of Princess Celestia, your word carries great weight, Twilight Sparkle. What is it you wish to tell us?”

Twilight took a deep breath, ignoring Trixie’s glare. “That Ms. Lulamoon’s actions during the second day of the trial of Rainbow Dash, specifically the charges of conduct unbecoming, assault, and reckless endangerment, were in part due to a… disagreement between myself and her the day before. During it, I challenged her to a winner-take-all magical duel, with her restored reputation and Rainbow Dash’s freedom being the stakes,” she admitted in some embarrassment. “As such, our duel represented her acceptance of that challenge, and thus, I bear part of the blame for it.”

This admission drew a round of gasps throughout the room. Delta’s eyes widened. “Dare I ask what inspired such an impulsive and reckless act, Miss Sparkle?”

Twilight grimaced. “As I’m certain many in this room already know, Trixie’s personality is rather… abrasive. What’s more, she’s good at getting under ponies’ fur, and I’m no exception. When she insulted Mister Wright, I lost my temper and lashed out as I consider him a… a good friend,” she finished somewhat lamely, blushing a little as a few stifled snickers were heard throughout the room and the corners of Delta Requiem’s lips twitched upward. “But the bottom line is we were both under severe stress as a result of the trial, and I fear this duel was the inevitable result.” If it didn’t happen then, it was just going to happen later! she was only too certain.

“I see. Well, regardless of how ill-advised your challenge was, I’m happy that you came forward with this information,” Delta acknowledged, picking up a quill in her muzzle and writing down a quick note. “It does cast Ms. Lulamoon’s actions during the second day of court in a somewhat new light.”

“Thank you,” Twilight said as she stepped back, watching as the board conferred quietly among themselves.

Once their discussion was through, Delta Requiem turned to The Judge again. “The board has received and read your recommendation on Ms. Lulamoon as well, Your Honor. Do you have anything further to add?”

“Only that regardless of Ms. Sparkle’s revelation, I must stand by my recommendation of disbarment.” He rose as he spoke, causing Trixie to slump. “I am all for second chances, but as willfully and wantonly as she violated the rules and decorum of my court, turning it into not just a legal but a literal battlefield in the process, her actions are egregious enough that I do not believe she should be allowed to keep her law license.”

This from the judge who allows himself and me to get whipped by Franziska von Karma? Phoenix didn’t say. He’d often wondered why she got away with it, only to imagine what would happen if someone actually tried to take her whip away. Hell hath no fury! He shivered, then stood.

“Members of the Board, I respectfully disagree with His Honor’s appraisal. May I offer my own opinion on the matter?” he asked politely, his hands clasped in front of him.

“Oh?” Delta’s eyeridges shot up yet again. “I admit I am surprised to hear you say that, Mister Wright, given the severe personal abuse and threatened magical attacks you endured during the course of the trial. Why do you disagree?”

“For the very simple reason that, whatever her intentions throughout Rainbow Dash’s trial, Trixie’s actions led to the discovery of the truth behind Ace Swift’s demise,” Phoenix explained with a glance at Twilight, who nodded. “Yes, she was determined to convict Rainbow Dash, but she also truly believed she was guilty and prosecuted based on that belief—which is exactly what a prosecutor should do!

“Her teleportation theory was instrumental in putting Sonata at the scene of the crime, it was her final piece of evidence that was decisive, and she later proved my final theory of the victim’s death correct, exonerating both my client and Sonata Tarot of murder charges,” he recited, lowering his head and closing his eyes for a moment.

“I truly believe that if it weren’t for her, then an innocent mare would be in prison right now, or worse. I’m not exaggerating when I say she was one of the toughest courtroom opponents I’ve ever faced, and in my view, to disbar her as His Honor suggests would be a waste of a very promising, if admittedly immature, legal talent,” he finished to Trixie’s visible surprise. “As I told His Honor, personal abuse and magic duels aside, she did her job and did it well. I thus believe she does deserve a second chance, and I would be more than willing to defend her myself at her coming trial.”

“I see,” Delta nodded thoughtfully. “Your points are well-taken, Mister Wright. If there are no other questions, then I believe we’ve heard enough?” She glanced at the other members of the Board, each of whom nodded. “Very well. The Board will take a recess to deliberate on the charges and testimony.” She rapped her hoof and departed the room with the other Board members.

When the door had closed behind them, Trixie rounded on Twilight. “What’s your game, Twilight Sparkle? Was defeating me in court, in magic, and in reputation—again—not enough for you? Did you put Wrong up to speaking for me? Do you just want me to be indebted to you; to forever be at your beck and call? Well, I tell you now that whatever your plan is, I won’t fall for it! So you can take your so-called ‘help’ and just—!”

“Trixie,” Twilight broke in patiently, even as her friends in the gallery behind her wore curled lips. “As I said, I wanted the Board to know all the circumstances behind what happened. No more and no less.”

“Liar!” Trixie snarled. “Nopony is that selfless! You may have gotten lucky with your friendships, but that doesn’t give you the right to trample on my life however you see fit!”

Twilight shook her head and looked her wounded rival in the eye. “Trixie… don’t mistake me for Sunset Shimmer.”

Trixie’s expression morphed from anger to shock in the span of half a second. “H-how—?” she stuttered.

“I’m not doing this to take advantage of you,” Twilight continued. “I may have power and standing, but I don’t abuse it. I’m helping you simply because it’s the right thing to do. And regardless of what happens here, I promise that once everything is said and done, you won’t ever have to cross paths with me again if you don’t want to.”

Stunned silent, Trixie did little but gape at Twilight for the remainder of the recess.

It was an hour later when the door to the private chambers of the Board opened again, and the Board members returned to their desks. Delta Requiem rapped her hoof on her desk, more for propriety’s sake than for order, as the room had gone silent when they had returned.

The robed pegasus mare began by clearing her throat. “After much deliberation, the Equestrian Board of Attorney Misconduct has reached its rulings. Phoenix Wright and Trixie Lulamoon, please rise.”

The two did so, if somewhat nervously.

Delta looked first at Phoenix. “Mister Wright—have you heard the saying ‘the road to Tartarus is paved with good intentions’?”

Phoenix blinked. While he wasn’t familiar with that particular phrase, it was similar enough to another idiom for him to get the gist of it. “I am familiar with it, yes.”

“Then you should understand how it applies to you,” Lady Requiem said gravely. “We grant the circumstances under which you took this case were exceptional, and we further accept that at the point you accused Miss Fluttershy, there was no realistic way for you to extend the trial short of that.

“What we cannot accept is that matters need ever have gotten to that point,” she went on, her tone and expression turning stern. “You were woefully unprepared for the first day of trial, and this was the result. We realize that you were disoriented and sleep-deprived, but you had legal options open to you. You could have filed for a stay of proceedings given your late arrival or poor health that morning.”

Phoenix knew that stays were rarely granted in his world, and he didn’t expect that they would be any easier in this one. “If I may ask, then—would you have granted me a stay, Your Honor?” he turned to his left, addressing The Judge, who still sat in the first row of the gallery.

The Judge cleared his throat. “Barring extraordinary circumstances… no, Mister Wright, I would not,” he conceded. “I arrived in Equestria even later than you did, yet was fit to preside. You had an entire night to investigate and study should you have chosen to take it. On that basis, I would have denied your motion for continuance,” he concluded, at which point Phoenix nodded and turned back to the board.

“Then a stay was not an option.”

“Be that as it may…” Delta looked annoyed to have part of her reasoning shot down. “While this board accepts that you had the best of intentions with your actions, said actions are still nonetheless illegal, and with proper preparation, unnecessary.

“Regardless of the outcome of this case, rules of evidence and ethics must be followed to the letter, Mister Wright, or else ponies will lose faith in their justice system. If we forgave your actions by virtue of a favorable outcome, we would be endorsing an ends-justify-the-means philosophy that would, in time, lead to a dark age of the law where cases are decided by false facts or ill-gotten evidence,” she pronounced, making Phoenix blink.

A ‘dark age of the law’? Aren’t you being just a little overdramatic? he didn’t ask out loud.

“Therefore, Mister Wright, you are formally censured by this board, fined 5,000 bits, and sentenced to perform one week of pro bono defense, here in Equestria,” she announced his sentence with a sharp rap of her hoof. “After the week is up, you may return to your home.”

A week of pro bono… Phoenix felt a little let down. Well, it’s not like working for free is anything new to me, although one full week’s worth of work will be different! “Thank you, Lady Requiem. I understand and accept my sentence.”

Delta nodded. “Good. Now, as for you, Ms. Lulamoon...” she continued, turning her gaze on the other mare, sapphire eyes hardening. “Unlike Mister Wright, you had anything but good intentions with your actions. You were determined to convict Rainbow Dash by any means necessary, refusing until the very end to even consider the possibility she may have been innocent, overlooking and even outright concealing potentially exculpatory evidence in your zeal to convict her.

“Moreover, you placed many lives in danger when you realized you’d blown your case and lost control of your powers along with your temper,” she noted. “Such actions would normally warrant permanent disbarment in addition to the criminal charges you face.”

Trixie grimaced. It was certainly what she expected—

“However...” continued Delta, pausing to take a sip of water from a mug, “However. The testimonies of Miss Sparkle and Mister Wright have also been taken into account. You were challenged by Miss Sparkle to a duel the day before, with your reputation and Rainbow Dash’s freedom as the stakes. This could very well have influenced you unduly and helped cause a lapse in judgment.

“Mister Wright’s point is also taken that you helped uncover the truth behind the death of Ace Swift, preventing a grave injustice to both Ms. Dash and Ms. Tarot. The Board can’t ignore either of these facts, and concurs that it would be a waste of a clearly gifted attorney to disbar you over a case a rookie prosecutor should never have been assigned in the first place.”

Trixie held her breath, as did Twilight and Phoenix. So what does that mean? The latter was not yet sure.

Delta cleared her throat before giving him the answer. “Accordingly, it is the judgment of this board that your license to practice law is hereby suspended, effective immediately, for a period of no less than one year.” She rapped her hoof again. “During the year, your actions will be monitored. At this time next year, you may apply to have the suspension lifted. If your actions in the interim have been deemed acceptable, your badge will be returned. But if not…?” She fixed the showmare with a warning glare. “Then the suspension will become indefinite.”

Trixie very nearly collapsed at the unexpected reprieve. Suspension? NOT outright disbarment? It was far more than she dared hoped for. “I... I thank the board for its consideration,” she managed, surprised to feel her legs shaking not in fatigue, but relief.

“You’re welcome, Ms. Lulamoon. I will note, however, that you must still stand trial for the charges of assault and reckless endangerment,” Delta reminded her. “Our sentence for you only covered prosecutorial misconduct. We aren’t in court, after all.”

Phoenix glanced at Trixie, then coughed. “Members of the Board, I’d like to request as part of my pro bono sentence that—”

“You represent Ms. Lulamoon?” Delta Requiem finished for him, causing Trixie to gape and Phoenix to stare. She smiled back, the most emotion anyone had seen from her yet. “We anticipated that you’d ask that, and we have already discussed the question. If Ms. Lulamoon formally requests your services, then the Board sees no reason that you may not represent her, as well as Ms. Tarot should she not find another lawyer willing to do so.”

Phoenix stared a moment longer in surprise, then remembered himself and nodded. “Thank you, members of the Board.”

“You’re welcome, Mister Wright,” Delta acknowledged with a nod and smile back. “With that, I believe all matters that needed to be heard have been adjudicated. This session of the Equestrian Board of Attorney Misconduct is adjourned!” She rapped her hoof sharply, and the Board members filed out.

Canterlot
Outside the Equestria Department of Law
June 12th, 12:30 PM

“Whew! Glad that’s over with,” Phoenix sighed in relief as he stepped outside, the cool mountain breeze feeling good against the light sheen of sweat on his forehead.

“You said it!” Applejack agreed, pointedly ignoring the reporters shouting questions at them. “So what now?”

Before anyone else could reply, there was a light cough from behind the group. They turned to see Delta Requiem trotting up, still clad in her robe. “Sorry to interrupt, but I was hoping to catch you before you headed out to wherever, Mister Wright.”

Phoenix arched an eyebrow. “Why were you hoping to speak to me, Lady Requiem?” he asked, having gained immediate respect for her during the hearing. She’s as sharp as any attorney, and she tried to be fair by hearing all sides as well.

Delta smiled. “In truth, I’ve wanted to meet you since I first got wind of your appearance down in Ponyville, but I never had the opportunity until now. I just want to say, from all reports, you’re quite the defense attorney. You could have settled for having Sonata take the blame for the ‘murder’, but you went the extra mile to prove her innocent as well. I have to admit, no lawyer currently here in Equestria would have been so thorough.”

“Why not?” a curious Phoenix asked. “Most ponies I’ve met seem genuinely friendly and want to do right by others.”

The pegasus mare sighed. “To be honest, Mister Wright, it’s not a matter of friendliness. It’s a matter of friendlessness, in Sonata’s case. She’s made quite a few enemies for herself over the past few years, and I wish you the best of luck in defending her.”

Phoenix nodded slowly. “Thanks,” he acknowledged, and then he asked a question that had been on his mind since the hearing started. “By the way, not to pry, but what is an officer of the royal court doing presiding over an attorney misconduct hearing?”

Delta grinned. “Well, my particular station in the Court allows me a number of privileges. Among those is the authority to take on a judicial role should I feel the need to. I actually would have gotten involved in Rainbow Dash’s trial, but all the roles were filled before I could do so. Perhaps it’s for the best that it turned out that way,” she mused.

“So, where are you going now, Lady Requiem?” Twilight asked.

Must be her official title within the Court, Phoenix thought idly. Though it’s rather vague?

Delta lost her grin. “Well, my next stop is the Prosecutor’s Office, to have words with their clerical department. Trixie should never have been assigned to Rainbow Dash’s trial, and I intend to find out how she was.”

Phoenix blinked while Twilight’s eyes turned dark. “What do you mean, she shouldn’t have been assigned?” the former asked.

Delta blew out a breath. “She had serious conflicts of interest. One look at her history should have red-flagged her for the case. Her prior visit to Ponyville ended with her home of several years destroyed and her reputation in ruins. It doesn’t take an arcane theorist to know that assigning her to prosecute the friend of the pony she holds a great grudge against might be a recipe for trouble.”

“Tell me about it,” Rainbow Dash muttered, folding her forelegs from her hover.

“What’s more, Trixie was fresh out of law school,” Delta went on. “She’d passed the bar exam scant hours before the case came in. A rookie prosecutor on a case this important was a horrible idea, at least on paper. In practice, it seems to have paid off,” she finished, as Trixie was led past the group.

“How important could it have been?” the showmare scoffed, some of her old attitude resurfacing in the wake of her judgment. “So a hot-shot racer died. It’s not like the world hung in the balance to find his killer!”

Even as the others turned to glare at Trixie, Delta fixed her with a piercing stare. “It wasn’t Ace Swift’s death that made it an important case, Trixie! The important part was who the defendant was! I’m honestly surprised you never stopped to consider the possible consequences had you actually succeeded in convicting Rainbow Dash.”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell me you’ve bought into that Ponyville tripe as well, milady. Really, it’s so ludicrous!”

“Is it so ludicrous if Princess Celestia herself says it’s true?” Delta interrupted, causing Trixie to falter. “You forget, Ms. Lulamoon, that I am an officer of the Royal Court, which means I frequently speak to both princesses on a regular basis. I’ve heard the whole story from both of them, and it matches up with that ‘Ponyville tripe’, as you so ignorantly put it. So I suggest you pay more attention to local newspapers the next time you get your traveling show under way.”

Trixie said no more as she was led away. “Calling our heroic exploits ‘tripe’? What nerve!” Rarity sniffed once she’d departed.

Delta sighed. “Well, I’d best be on my way. I’ve got a clerical department to rake over the coals.” She paused, then glanced at Phoenix and Twilight, taking a moment to look them over, a hint of a smile on her lips. “By the way, you two do make a cute couple.”

Blushes erupted on both of their faces, and they both looked away as their friends laughed. “Really, Lady Requiem, there’s no need to tease us,” Twilight protested.

“Yeah, I mean we— ” Phoenix cut off as he looked back up, only to see that Delta had completely disappeared.

“Whoa,” Rainbow Dash managed to say through her laughter. “I barely looked away for a second, and now she’s nowhere in sight!”

“I bet she’d be fun to play Hide ‘n Seek with!” Pinkie exclaimed.

Lady Requiem hasn’t changed one bit! Twilight thought with a grin, having had some schooling from her growing up. She still enjoys her departures as much as her appearances!

Applejack coughed. “Well, like Ah said before, what now?”

“Well, the train back doesn’t depart until six, so we’ve got some time to kill,” Twilight noted, turning to Phoenix and sounding more herself than she had all morning. “Anything you’d like to see or do while we’re here, Phoenix? I could take you to the Canterlot Archives, if you’d like?” she offered hopefully.

“Well, actually—”

“A library? Come on, egghead! Let’s go watch the Wonderbolts derby!” Rainbow suggested, trying to tug Phoenix away in a different direction by his sleeve.

“Uh, maybe late—”

“And just what’s so special about watching pegasi fly in circles for an hour?” Applejack asked. “If you want some real action, let’s hit the rodeo, partner!” the country mare invited, bringing out her lasso and twirling it over her head, using it to yank down three hovering cameras at once and toss them in the nearest trash can.

“Uh, guys—”

“Dude, let’s go see some wrestling!” Spike offered next, pointing to a nearby poster. “Today’s marquee match is Horsepower versus the Silver Stallion!”

“That’s not really—”

“Oh. Um… how about we tour the Canterlot Gardens? Maybe Mister Phoenix would like to see all the wonderful animals?” she asked hopefully.

Phoenix was starting to get exasperated at his inability to get a word in edgewise. “I’d say yes, but—”

Pinkie Pie cut him off next. “Oh! Oh! We should totally go to Donut Joe’s! He has the bestest, excellent-est, most-yummiest donuts ever!” She jumped up and down, leaving Phoenix wondering how she maintained such a svelte figure given her high sugar intake.

“Guys!” Phoenix said a bit more forcefully, finally getting their attention. “I appreciate the offers, but in all honesty… I’m not in much of a mood for sightseeing right now and I think I’d rather go someplace a little more private.” He rubbed his head ruefully, looking out over the crowd of press and passerbys. “Sorry. It’s just that I’m just getting a little tired of all this gawking and attention, and I’d like to go somewhere I can relax and unwind,” he explained, to the evident disappointment of all.

All except Rarity, that was. “Well then, darling—I know a charming little café a bit off the beaten path, with private booths, soft music and some excellent cuisine!”

“You mean the Dressage?” Applejack turned her nose up. “That place is so pricey you have to pay a buncha bits just fer a single cracker and a little smear o’ cheese!”

“Well, that’s hardly an issue now, is it?” Rarity grinned, motioning to Twilight’s saddlebags, still bulging with Phoenix’s bits.

“Pass,” Applejack said. “Ah'd rather do the rodeo.”

“Derby for me!” Rainbow added.

“Wrestling!” Spike insisted.

“Donuts! Donuts!” Pinkie Pie jumped up and down again.

“Um… I’d rather go to the gardens,” Fluttershy offered. “If that’s okay with everypony…”

“Okay, then.” Twilight took charge. “Rarity, Phoenix and I will go to the café while the rest of you do whatever you like. We’ll meet back up at the train station at six for the ride home,” she said, floating some bits to everypony. “That fair?”

Judging by the way they all grabbed the bits and took off, it was.

Canterlot
Dressage Café
June 12th 2:45 PM

The Dressage Café, as it turned out, was only a short carriage ride away, tucked off a side street in the city’s opulent fashion district.

Upon entering, the mostly-unicorn tuxedo-wearing café staff was very surprised to see Phoenix but immediately cleared a private booth for the group even before they asked. The threesome ordered an array of vegetarian hors d’oeuvres, about half of which Phoenix found edible, sticking mostly to fruit and the admittedly very good crackers and cheese. He initially asked for tea, but changed the order quickly, as whatever song the band was playing was making him crave coffee for some reason.

Wonder if there’s any attorney out there with a bigger coffee addiction than me? he chuckled to himself as he sipped the café’s signature brew.

Rarity was as gratified as Twilight to see Phoenix finally relaxed and enjoying himself, doubly so for their destination being her idea, eager to finally get to know him in a more social setting outside of the courtroom. In truth, she had spotted the reason for Twilight’s interest in him almost immediately as her friend had rattled off a list of her favorite romance novels the previous morning, and it still made Rarity, a hopeless romantic, giddy with delight.

He could not be any more perfect! she thought gleefully. Dragonfire—a small-town filly falls for a visiting blue-furred pegasus with a spiky black mane, she grinned, thinking she’d love to show Phoenix the cover illustration, which was all but a pegasus version of himself. Talonhoof—a three-novel saga of unlikely interspecies love. Silverwing—a story of redemption and triumph over great odds, she cataloged, reflecting that she’d certainly seen both from Phoenix Wright during the previous day’s trial, culminating in a spectacular turnabout that put every courtroom drama she’d read to shame.

ALMOST every drama, she corrected herself. One possible exception was a legal romance Twilight mentioned titled Mare in Manehattan—a young unicorn attorney joins a law firm and finds herself falling for the young and dashing head defense lawyer as she assists him in a series of epic court battles, she chortled, though in truth, her favorite character out of that growing series—there were already two books in it with a third on the way—had been the defense attorney’s greatest rival; an elegant red pegasus prosecutor with a silver-white mane and very cultured accent, possessing both the intelligence and legal acumen to match his regal looks.

Now if only there was a human such as THAT! Rarity could not help but wish for wistfully, certain that he and Phoenix would make a matched set. One for Twilight and one for me!

There was only one book in Twilight’s list of favorites Rarity wasn’t entirely certain of. Cloverfields—the healing of a deeply wounded stallion by the devotion of a young and powerful mare, she recalled. She wasn’t sure how or even if that applied to Phoenix, but she didn’t dwell on it too much. Aside from that? YOU, Phoenix Wright, are the embodiment of all Twilight’s favorite romance novel love interests! she wanted badly to say out loud.

“Enjoying yourself, Mister Wright?” Rarity asked Phoenix when Twilight excused herself to the little filly’s room.

“Yes, thanks,” Phoenix confirmed, taking a sip of his coffee. “Good call on the café, Miss Rarity. Perfect way to unwind.”

“My pleasure.” She felt her cheeks warm a bit at the compliment. If Twilight wasn’t already interested in him… “But while we have a moment alone, I really must apologize on behalf of my friends for trying to throw you together with Twilight last night.” She bowed her head and ears to him. “They mean well, but rest assured that had I been there, I would never have allowed them to pressure you like that.”

“Yes, well…” he shifted uncomfortably. “I’m actually surprised that all of you are so keen on me. You still barely know me.”

“Surprised? Why?” she asked earnestly. “We saw your mettle in the trial, darling. Rainbow is eternally grateful to you for saving her, Applejack greatly respects you and Fluttershy clearly trusts you—which is no small thing for either, mind you—and as I myself told Twilight yesterday, human or no, you are a true gentlecolt and a fine specimen of a stallion. One any mare would love to have!” She batted her eyes at him, taking some delight in seeing his cheeks redden.

“Trust me, if we did not think you were good for her, we would hardly be encouraging her interest. For all her power, Twilight has a certain… naivety… about her that is adorably endearing, but also dangerous in matters of the heart. That is why I am grateful to you for not letting yourself be swayed by Applejack’s attempts to bring you both together last night. Twilight is not ready, and I daresay, neither are you.”

Well to be fair, she was hardly in any sort of shape for it after she sent that text to Maya! “I thank you for the vote of confidence, Miss Rarity. But I’m still a human,” he pointed out. “I guess I’m surprised by how easily you all seem to overlook that.”

“I suspect that matters less to us than it does to you, darling.” She grinned, extending a tendril of her aura to top off his drink. “Equestrian society comprises many different species, after all, and the three pony races—unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies—form relationships quite readily,” she noted. “I grant true inter-species relationships are rare but not unheard of. Such pairings have been the subject of many a romance novelist, and more than a few films.”

Like Lenora and Cruise Control, Phoenix noted, remembering the reaction to their kiss at the end of the grand racer reveal the previous day. “Actually, Miss Rarity—since you’re a unicorn, maybe you can answer some questions about magic for me?” He changed the subject, still not comfortable talking about himself and Twilight so readily.

“Myself? Well, I am hardly the expert on the subject that Twilight is, but I shall do my best,” she promised, sitting up straighter and giving him her undivided attention.

“I guess I’m still trying to understand how magic works,” Phoenix began, idly stirring some sugar and cream into his drink while looking troubled. “I get that Twilight is unusual in the breadth and strength of her powers, but is what she can do really that rare?”

“It is, darling,” Rarity replied as she dabbed her mouth with a napkin. “In point of fact, most unicorns possess magic that serve their special talent but little more. My magic is superb for fashion and gem-finding, for example, but I would struggle mightily if I, say, tried to apply it to weather control. I simply can’t do it.”

“That’s an elemental power,” Phoenix noted. “And such things can’t be learned, like an illumination or levitation spell?”

“They cannot,” Rarity confirmed. “We can develop and refine our magical abilities, certainly, and as Twilight said, spells like teleportation can be learned. But elementals of any type are quite rare, and such powers cannot be taught. You either have them or you don’t,” she explained. “Though in fairness, it is theorized that all ponies have at least one elemental alignment that influences us in subtle ways, but only the most powerful of us can truly tap them. Possible alignments include the standard elements—fire, air, water and earth—and the exceptionally rare plant, weather and ice abilities.”

She grinned at his impressed look. “Trust me, darling, you can’t spend time with Twilight and not pick up a few things. But to answer your original question—what sets Twilight apart from other unicorns is that her special talent is magic, though in my humble opinion, even that only explains part of it. No, what truly sets her apart from other ponies is her unquenchable thirst for knowledge and understanding, coupled with her desire to serve both her friends and greater ponydom. It gives her the drive to study and master things few unicorns can.”

It certainly explains why she’s a walking spellbook! Phoenix thought. “Well, perhaps you can answer a related question for me, then.” Phoenix took another sip of his coffee and helped himself to more crackers and cheese. “Why are ponies so afraid of Trixie for being a weather elemental?”

Rarity’s smile dropped a bit. “Well. To understand that, you have to know a little about our ancient past…” she began, going on to tell him about the War of the Celestial Sisters, including the banishment and subsequent resurrection of Nightmare Moon.

When she finished the tale, Phoenix was both amazed and aghast, having known only part of the story from his reading. Twilight and her friends fought… THAT? “I think I get it. So basically, if you’re a fire elemental, you’re seen as a disciple of Celestia, but if you’re a weather one… you’re assumed to be a follower of Nightmare Moon?” he repeated, a disbelieving note in his voice.

“I’m afraid so,” the fashionista confirmed with a troubled look. “Weather magic was a signature power of Nightmare Moon, so rightly or wrongly, weather magic is associated with her darkness and evil… just as fire is associated with Celestia’s goodness and the sun.” She bowed her head. “It is unfair, I readily admit, but in some ways weather power like hers is also considered an unnatural ability, as weather control is supposed to be exclusively the province of pegasi like Rainbow. For a unicorn to do it is considered… inharmonious. And the fact that she’s an ice elemental as well doesn’t help matters either.”

Sounds like little more than flimsy old fears to me! Phoenix thought. “Why not?”

“Windigos,” Twilight replied from behind them, taking her seat back at the table. At his uncomprehending look, she picked up where Rarity left off, going on to tell Phoenix the story of Hearth’s Warming and the founding of Equestria. The tale left Phoenix marveling again at the parallels between the two worlds... and alarmed that such creatures as she described could even exist.

“So in a nutshell, Windigos used the discord and hatred of the individual pony tribes to fuel their powers and lock the land in an eternal winter,” Twilight summarized. “We overcame it by resolving our differences and taking the hate away, but ice powers are forever associated with Windigos for it. Much like weather magic, it’s seen as an evil power with an evil source. And you have to admit that Trixie’s temperament doesn’t exactly help ponies to see past that.” She sighed, levitating her teacup to her mouth.

Wow. So Trixie’s got two strikes against her right off the bat? Phoenix shook his head sadly. “Hardly seems fair, Twilight. She can’t help the powers she has,” he said, reflecting that he now fully understood why the mare magician had called it a curse.

“It isn’t, Phoenix. I’m not arguing with you there,” she said sadly, sipping her drink. “Now that her abilities are out in the open, ponies see her as a ‘weather witch’ and shun her for it. I can only hope the return and redemption of Princess Luna will remedy that.”

If she’d ever stop being a recluse and start showing herself to ponies, that is! Twilight added with her thoughts, remembering that the Lunar Princess hadn’t actually been seen in public since her purification.

After hiring another carriage to take them back to the train station, the group reconvened and reboarded for the trip home, though they once again had to wade through a sea of reporters and photographers, cameras and microphones magically hovering around Phoenix like gnats he badly wanted to swat.

Taking the 6:00 PM train, they retraced their steps to Ponyville, though with Twilight awake this time and pointing out various landmarks and scenery to Phoenix as they munched on donuts procured by Pinkie Pie, it was far more of a pleasure tour than the ride up. Sure beats the city mass transit trains back home!

Pulling into Ponyville station just before 8, Applejack invited the entire group back to her farm for dinner, but Phoenix demurred. “We had our fill of hors d’oeuvres and donuts. I promise to take you up on the offer later, Applejack, but for right now? I think Twilight and I would like to be alone again,” he explained before catching himself and seeing Twilight’s eyes go wide, realizing how that sounded.

“Oh! Um… do you want me to take Spike again?” Fluttershy asked as the scribe made another face.

Rarity looked alarmed while Applejack’s expression turned smug. “No, Mister Wright, you mustn’t! It’s too soon!”

“And we’re not,” he said evenly, to the evident surprise of all. “But we do need to talk, and I’d like some privacy for it. Spike, if you could just wait outside for a bit?”

“Oh,” Rarity blinked, visibly relieved but shooting Applejack a triumphant look. “Very well, then. You heard him, everypony! Let us leave them to it.” She shooed the others away.

When the door to the library had closed and the treehouse had passed out of sight, Rainbow Dash went up to Applejack. “We’re gonna listen in, right?”

“You better believe it!” Applejack answered, the pair doubling back at the first opportunity.

Ponyville
Golden Oaks Library
June 12th, 8:45 PM

“So…” Phoenix began after the door had closed behind them.

“So…” Twilight replied in an identical tone, feeling an odd sense of déjà vu as they began the same way they had the previous evening—but this time, she knew there was no escaping it as the pair turned to face each other again, keeping a respectful distance. “Where do we begin?”

“I guess with just one question—why?” Phoenix asked her, sitting down heavily on the sofa. “I asked Rarity, but I’ll ask you too—I come from a different world entirely. I’m not a pony, I don’t have magic, and I can’t stay here. So why in the name of both our worlds would you be interested in me?”

“Well…” Twilight blushed as she sat down on the rug, facing him. “Maybe the best answer I can give you is just to show you something,” she decided, her horn flaring as she materialized an object in front of her—a paperback book, turning it to face him.

When he saw the cover, he started—the depicted pony could almost have been a pegasus version of himself, with his coat the color of his dress jacket and mane jet black and swept back into points, lounging on a meadow with a unicorn mare at his side, the pair in a rather provocative pose.

The resemblance—it’s UNCANNY! “You like me… just because of this?” he asked in some wariness.

“No. This is just the tip of the iceberg,” she clarified, materializing several more books that Phoenix remembered had been scattered on the floor of her bedroom when he’d took her up to it the previous night. “Before you came here, and long before any of this happened, I’d been reading romance novels given me by Rarity. Among my favorites were this one… an interspecies romance series… a story about a mare falling for a defense attorney… a tale of rekindled hope... and a couple others that have one common thread.” She raised different books in turn, then took a deep breath and forced her purple eyes to meet his brown ones.

“You,” she admitted, a tremor in her voice as comprehension dawned on Phoenix’s face. “I honestly didn’t realize this until Rarity pointed it out, but you’re all my favorite romance novel themes and characters rolled up into one tidy package. So if these books are any indication…” She blushed hard again. “You’re my ideal mate.”

Phoenix stared at the book cover again, then back at her, uncertain if he felt more reassured or disturbed by the revelation. “You’ll forgive me if I’m not sure what to say to that.”

“If it’s any consolation, I don’t either,” Twilight told him, her tail twitching nervously. “All I know is that regardless of their source, I do have feelings for you, Phoenix. They’re real to me. And I think to you as well.”

“Are they?” he asked in a rhetorical tone, running his hand through his hair. “I’m not sure that my accidental resemblance to romance novel characters is the best basis for a relationship, Twilight.” In fact, I’m pretty sure just the opposite is true!

She nodded ruefully. “I know, but… there it is, Phoenix. And I think the bigger question now is: what are we going to do about it?”

“That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?” Phoenix said, more to himself than to her, running his hand through his hair again. Twilight waited, her body tensing, afraid of his answer. “Well, let me first say something about your magic. It’s…” he trailed off uncertainly.

She relaxed a bit, thinking his hesitation was simply trying to find the right superlative. “Impressive? Amazing? Incredible?” she suggested with a grin.

“Terrifying,” he finally whispered, causing her expression to drop and eyes to go wide. “What unicorns like you and Trixie can do with your magic, Twilight... it scares me half to death.”

Her ears went flat, seeing her abilities from his point of view for the first time, realizing how teleportation, memory replay and elemental fire must look to a creature with no innate magical abilities, awareness or defense. Magatama aside, he has no magic of his own and must find what we can do overwhelming! “I’m really sorry if I’ve scared you, Phoenix. I know I’ve got a bit of a temper at times.”

He shook his head again. “I can deal with tempers, Twilight. But the thing is, I don’t have any defense against what you do. You could wipe my memory, incinerate me in the blink of an eye, or—like Rarity did yesterday—pick me up and undress me and I couldn’t do a thing about it. You could even do that and then…” he didn’t finish his sentence but looked away, as if he was ashamed for even thinking it.

She followed his train of thought, and was appalled for it. “But Phoenix—I’d never do that!” she insisted, tapping her chest with a hoof. “Magical ethics are something instilled into unicorns at a very early age, and I’d never do something like…” her voice trailed off, sensing his rebuttal even before it was said.

“Like put a tracking spell on me without telling me? Or that ‘scrying’ spell you used on Trixie? And what was that about experimenting on other ponies with the Magatama’s power?” Phoenix reminded her in a subdued tone, causing her to look away in guilt.

“And that’s just what I know about. And therein lies the problem, Twilight,” he continued, turning away and crossing his arms. “Short of seeing an aura around me, I can’t tell if magic’s being used on me, and even then, I can’t resist it. You have to understand—that’s very frightening to me.” He took a deep breath before continuing, as if he was steeling himself to voice an unpleasant thought. “I don’t know how or if you’re influencing me somehow—whether you’re somehow making me feel these things for you.”

Twilight’s eyes went wide at the suggestion. She began to vehemently deny it only to stop short. Am I...? she suddenly wondered. Magic couldn’t make somepony fall in love, of course, but it could cause feelings of intense infatuation or desire, and she knew there was at least one major spell out there that could have that exact effect. Could that be happening here? Is it possible I’m doing something to him subconsciously…?

“Your hesitation says you’re not sure yourself, Twilight,” he pointed out with the sad surety of a defense lawyer who’d just spotted the contradiction that pointed to his own client’s guilt. “And that alone means what we’re feeling—what I’m feeling—may not be real.”

Twilight searched her mind for an answer, for some piece of evidence that would refute his hypothesis just as Phoenix had done to refute testimony in court, only to realize… “I can’t deny the possibility, Phoenix,” she admitted in defeat, going downcast. “All I can do is give you my solemn oath that from here on out, I will not use any magic on you without your express permission. And if you want? I can have my friends take you to be magically scanned. Doctors can determine if you’re under the influence of a potion or spell. And I’ll stay behind to make sure there’s no chance I can influence the results.”

“You’re the Element of Magic, Twilight,” he quickly pointed out, leaning back against a bookcase, suddenly feeling more like a prosecutor than a defense attorney. “If anypony could defeat such an effort, it’s you.”

“Phoenix…” She looked away in pain, sensing things slipping away from them. “By your logic, I can’t prove my innocence in any court. How is that fair?” she asked him, letting the hurt into her voice. “I can’t help what I feel for you. But do you at least believe me when I say I would never hurt you?”

He looked at her, seeing the pain and pleading in her eyes. “Yes,” he acknowledged. You certainly had plenty of chances and reasons to hurt me after the first day of trial! “And by the same token, I can’t deny the possibility that this is real, and I’m just trying to find excuses to not admit it.”

Twilight looked up, her hope rekindled. “But why wouldn’t you, Phoenix? I mean, why would that—why would we—be so bad?” Twilight asked earnestly, taking a cautious step towards him. “If we really do like each other genuinely, why should we fight it? We come from two different worlds, yes, but… I’m willing to try if you are.”

He was suddenly unable to meet her eyes. “You don’t understand, Twilight. It’s just not that easy for me...” he trailed off, wringing his hands together in distress.

“Why not?” she asked him before a potential answer occurred to her. “Is it because I’m a pony?” she suggested, the very possibility hurting her.

Phoenix searched his heart and was surprised by the answer he found. “No. It’s not that, it’s…” his voice trailed off again and his eyes went distant.

“What, then?” Twilight had to know.

He looked back at her like he was weighing something; Twilight read the indecision on his face before he sighed in defeat and went for his right pants pocket. After fumbling for a moment, he pulled out the wallet Twilight had seen earlier, opening and flipping through it until he found what he was looking for. “It’s her,” he said, squeezing his eyes shut in pain as he passed Twilight a small photo.

Accepting it in her aura, Twilight started as she saw the picture of a younger Phoenix with a petite red-haired human woman on his arm. She had a warmth and gentleness about her that shone clearly even through the camera’s eye, her demeanor very strongly reminding Twilight of Fluttershy. “She’s very pretty,” Twilight admitted, though her heart inwardly sank. He already has a mare—er, womanfriend? She didn’t know what else to call her. “Is she…?” She held her breath.

“She’s the devil,” Phoenix shook his head violently and hissed out his answer with such vehemence that Twilight flinched, having never expected to hear such raw, visceral hate from him. “Her name is Dahlia Hawthorne. Remember how I said I was framed for murder by someone I thought cared for me? Well, she’s the one who did it,” he told her, standing up and stepping away, taking several deep breaths to still his suddenly surging emotions.

“She was my girlfriend five years ago, Twilight—the only one I’ve ever had. When I ran into her back in law school, I thought I was the luckiest guy in the world. No girl even gave me a second look before her,” he recalled.

“It was love at first sight and I fell head over heels for her. I worshiped her and I’d do anything for her. But it was all… a bucking… lie,” his voice went shaky and his hands shook as well; he had the sudden urge to rip the picture in half as he had a hundred times before. But for the hundredth time, something stopped him.

“I thought she loved me back, but all that time she was just using me! It turned out she’d already killed someone and was using me to hide the evidence—never mind how.” He got up and walked to the window, leaning heavily on the sill as Twilight stared at him, aghast. “I still don’t know how I could have been so blind, even then. I mean, it was like she was two different people—one when we were together, and another at my trial when she told me I was weak and worthless…”

A horrified Twilight remained silent, not knowing what she could say or do as Phoenix sat back down and clutched his head in both hands. “She ripped my heart out and broke it into a million pieces, Twilight. I’ve tried very hard to move on from it and not let it define me, but hurts like that? They don’t easily heal.”

“Phoenix…” it was all Twilight could do not to go to him, not understanding how a mare, even a human one, could ever do that to a stallion. What kind of world does Phoenix live in that there exist such awful people? “I’m so sorry,” she told him, but couldn’t help but have a flashback to reading Cloverfields, where the mare protagonist had faced a very similar situation, uncertain if she dared try what that mare had done to heal a wounded stallion as she took a single, cautious step towards him. “But I’m not like that. You can’t think I’d ever do that to you.”

“I know you wouldn’t. But that’s still not something you shake off easily.” Phoenix turned brooding, his head bowed as he leaned over against a windowsill. “Because of her, it’s hard for me to have any interest in the opposite sex. Whenever I see a pretty woman, I see her. I remember how she deceived me, how she betrayed me, how I had my heart broken and…” He shook his head sharply. “It’s like I don’t trust any women at all now.”

On the other hand, maybe part of the reason you’ve turned my head is because you’re NOT a woman? the odd thought crossed his mind. “It hurts me just to look at this picture, Twilight. The only reason I keep it is to remind myself never to trust appearances.”

Twilight’s brow furrowed as she spotted a contradiction in his statement—an ability I’m picking up from YOU, Phoenix! “But your law firm chief—she was a woman, and you trusted her, didn’t you?”

He seemed surprised at the suggestion. “I never looked at Mia Fey that way,” he said, rubbing his hand behind his head. Which is maybe kind of odd given how revealing her outfits were—never mind how she fills out Maya and Pearls’ clothes when they’re channeling her! “Maybe she earned a pass for defending me in the murder trial. Or more likely, I see her more as a mother figure than anything else.”

Or maybe we just weren’t together long enough, he admitted to himself, though he’d heard rumors that Mia had been in a relationship of her own with another defense attorney from her original law firm.

“Okay. Then what about your assistant? Maya is her name?” Twilight tried next. “She clearly cares about you, and you for her,” she pointed out, trying to get him to acknowledge that there were women he trusted. “Any interest there?”

He gave her a startled look. “Did you just ask me if I’m interested in a teenage girl I’m the acting guardian for?” he rephrased her quesetion, causing Twilight to cringe, having not known her age or status. “She’s Mia’s younger sister and I took her in after Mia was killed. I grant I don’t know all the rules of this place, but I’m pretty sure sleeping with your ex-chief’s quasi-orphaned teenage sibling would be frowned on here as well,” he noted in a very mild tone. Never mind the fact Mia would probably kill me the next time she got channeled!

“It definitely would,” Twilight admitted in chagrin, her cheeks going red. “I’m sorry, Phoenix. I didn’t mean to—”

He put a hand on her shoulder for a moment, walking past her to sit back down on the couch. “It’s okay. In truth, you’re not the only one who thinks me and Maya should be together,” he recalled, managing a weak chuckle. “Maya’s cousin Pearls is a budding romantic who thinks I’m Maya’s ‘special someone’. We humor her, only because we don’t want to break an eight-year old’s heart.”

Twilight couldn’t help but smile. Might like to meet those two someday! “Well, I think she’s right about one thing,” Twilight began, moving closer to him, trying to build her nerve. “You are a special somepon—er, someone, Phoenix.” She put a hoof on his knee. “Romance novels aside, I’ve never met any stallion as intelligent, generous and selfless as you.”

His cheeks went warm and he put his other hand over her hoof. “Thanks,” he acknowledged, giving her a squeeze. “But I’m not a stallion, Twilight.”

To his surprise, she gave a hearty laugh. “Actually, Phoenix, I spent a lot of time after the first day of the trial trying to tell myself just that. And you know what I decided? That it doesn’t matter. That to me, you’re a better stallion than most stallions here, even if you’re not an actual pony.” She moved a little closer.

“Well… thanks.” Phoenix’s cheeks warmed and he took on his goofy expression for a moment, finding her flattery getting to him. “But that’s not the only reason I’m reluctant. There’s also the fact that people around me tend to get in trouble or hurt. My friends. Even my rivals.” He sighed sadly, his better mood vanishing almost as quickly as it came as he slumped over in his seat.

“Case in point—I’ve had to defend Maya from murder charges twice, and in my last case back on Earth, she was held hostage to force me to defend a guilty client.” He visibly shivered. “Her kidnapper is still at large. In fact, a lot of people I knew ended up hurt by that case. Detective Gumshoe crashed his car trying to rush the last pieces of evidence to me. And even Franziska took a bullet.”

Twilight didn’t know what a ‘car’ or ‘bullet’ was, but she shook her head anyway. He IS just like Shining Armor—always putting others before himself! “Phoenix—I’ve taken on everything from an evil alicorn to an ice elemental. I’ve got a Princess at my back and five Elements of Harmony at my side. Five of the best friends a pony could ask for,” she quickly pointed out. “Between them and my magic, I should hope by now I’ve proven to you I can take care of myself.” And Shining Armor, too!

He chuckled almost ruefully, scarcely able to imagine what would happen if Shelly de Killer had tried to kidnap Twilight instead of Maya. “You’ve got me there,” he conceded. “Though that’s also part of the problem, Twilight. In my world, males are supposed to protect females. Here, it seems like it’s the other way around, and I’m so weak in comparison to you.” He stood back up and took a step away. “It feels like I’m the one that needs protection, and that’s a hard thing for me to accept.”

She gave him a disbelieving look. “Phoenix—you have protected females. You saved two mares yesterday and stood up for a third today,” she reminded him. “You protect those you care about in ways that have nothing to do with physical strength or magic but are no less important or powerful. Don’t ever think of yourself as weak, because you’re not to me or anypony else,” she told him fervently. And maybe it’s that inner strength of yours that’s so attractive to me. One you so rarely see in stallions?

He heard the conviction in her voice and found himself responding to it, standing up a little straighter as she spoke. “Thanks, Twilight. I needed to hear that.”

“You’re welcome. But now that all this is out in the open… where does it leave us?” she desperately wanted to know. “You’ve been through a lot, Phoenix. I don’t know if I’m right for you, I don’t know if I can help you, and I don’t even know if I’m not somehow influencing you,” she admitted, then took a deep breath to muster her courage, remembering the climactic scene from Cloverfields as she reared up to put her hooves on his shoulders.

“But I’m willing to find out. I’m willing to try if you are, Phoenix,” she told him again, her purple eyes sparkling hopefully. “And maybe my friends are right and the best way to find out if this is real is…” The rest went unsaid as she pressed close.

Surprised by her forwardness, he did not resist as she flattened herself against him. He smelled her subtle floral scent, felt her soft, thick fur under his hands as they began to travel freely over her back and sides, the silky strands of her mane running through his fingers. He felt the warmth of her aura, the weight of her body against him, sensed the invitation implicit in her stance and gaze, saw the compassion and concern for him in her oversized purple eyes…

Eyes he was slowly falling into as long-dormant desires suddenly flared to life. He could have her right now, he realized. He could go as far as he wanted and she would welcome, even encourage it—and the choice was all his. Sensing his response and receptiveness, her aura turned pink, his passions surging in its light as their faces drifted closer to a final, fateful kiss…

A kiss that, once made, meant they’d cross the point of no return…

A kiss that, once made, meant there was no turning back for either of them.

Mustering all his willpower to override what every fiber of his being was telling him to do, Phoenix closed his eyes and raised a shaky hand between them. “I’m sorry. We can’t, Twilight. Not yet. Not like this,” he told her despite her visible hurt, gently turning her away. “Not until I know this is real and isn’t somehow a magical by-product of this place. Please understand that if we do this, I don’t want to wake up with doubts or regrets. I want to know it’s real and it’s the right thing to do. And right now? I just don’t.”

Every strand of Twilight’s mane and tail drooped along with her ears, as her aura reverted back to its normal hue. “I understand,” she told him quietly, dropping back to all fours. “And I can’t disagree with your reasoning. You’re right—there are too many unanswered questions for both of us and it’s just too soon to do this,” she admitted. “Forgive me, Phoenix. I had to try.”

She offered herself to me, and yet… she didn’t push or force me, Phoenix noted. She took no for an answer and didn’t try to magically influence me. So maybe the question here isn’t so much whether I can trust her as whether I trust myself? “It’s okay. But your friends need to understand all this too,” he reminded her, stepping back, still feeling a little shaky—it had been a very long time since he felt something so intense. “I’m flattered they like me, but it’s a little uncomfortable when they keep trying to push us together or argue over the best way to play matchmaker for us on the train,” he told her, rubbing his head again.

“I’ll talk to them.” She grimaced; suddenly very glad she hadn’t been awake to hear it. “Please don’t hold it against them, though. They’re only acting like this because they think you’re good for me. Though, speaking of them…” Her expression turned stern as her horn flared and she yanked the front door to the library open, causing Spike, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash to fall inside the room in a heap. “And just what do you girls think you’re doing?”

Rainbow Dash spoke up first. “Just, uh... making sure no reporters were snooping around?” she offered to quick sounds of agreement and nervous smiles by the others.

“Uh-huh,” Twilight replied, unimpressed as an equally annoyed Phoenix crossed his arms and glared. “If you don’t mind, we’ve got another busy day tomorrow, and I’ll also thank everypony to stop playing matchmaker for us. If you were listening in, you know why.”

“We… do indeed,” Rarity admitted in a shaky voice, sounding like she was on the verge of tears.

Fluttershy was already there. “Oh, Mister Phoenix!” She sobbed softly.

“Ah’m sorry, part’ner. Ah... Ah just didn’t know.” Applejack removed her hat and bowed her head apologetically.

“Feeeeeenie! I’m soooo soooooorrrrryyyyy!”Pinkie hugged him tightly and wailed; she wouldn’t let go until Phoenix assured her repeatedly he was fine.

Chagrined, the group left with muttered apologies and a few parting hugs and sniffles—all except for Spike, who stood looking down at the ground, shuffling his feet uncertainly like he didn’t know what to say or do. “We’d better go to bed, Twilight,” Phoenix told her, feeling suddenly spent. “We have to hit the ground running on Sonata’s defense tomorrow.”

“Right,” she acknowledged. “The Detention Center opens to visitors at nine, so I’ll have Owlolicious wake us up at seven. And Spike?” she turned to her scribe.

“Y-Yes?” he said in an unusually respectful tone.

“You said you wanted to help us on a case? Tomorrow will be your chance.”

“Thanks,” he offered a wan grin, hugging Twilight before falling in behind her, giving Phoenix an apologetic, near-pitying glance as they departed.

“Goodnight, Phoenix,” Twilight said as she cast one last look his way before heading upstairs to her bedroom, a very subdued Spike in tow.

“Goodnight, Twilight,” Phoenix echoed, watching her until she passed out of sight, waiting until he heard her bedroom door close before heading for the guest room.

Sleep did not come quickly for either.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on October 15, 2018.

Hope everyone enjoyed the quick visit to Canterlot and the long-awaited talk between Twilight and Phoenix! Sorry for the delay, but it was for the very best reason—I was playing Dual Destinies, which I can now heartily recommend. Thanks as always to Raven for letting me drive, to TheGoldCrow for preread and feedback... and to Leo Archon for a true collaborative effort on the chapter, which often saw us working on the same draft simultaneously in google docs. I wrote the intro and Phoenix/Twilight scene while Leo did the hearing and immediate aftermath, presided over by his OC, Delta Requiem.

For those of you who are wondering why we're engaging in this kind of worldbuilding so late in the story, it's because we're starting to lay the groundwork for our coming sequel, set in the future of this novelization. Ace Attorney: A Sonata for Two Worlds is now under development and, much like this chapter, will be a collaborative effort between myself and Leo Archon. Consider the final few chapters a preview of sorts.

As a final note... I went back and edited Part 57, both to clean it up a bit and because I realized I missed a golden opportunity for a (non-Frozen) reference. Look for it in the racer reveals.

—Firesight

Part 60 - Drop the Bass!

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on October 15, 2018.

Welcome to the Final Four, folks! No, not the college basketball tournament, but the final four chapters of Turnabout Storm. It's been a long road but the end is finally in sight. As always, thanks to Leo Archon for the suggestions and help—he'll be writing part of the next chapter again—and to Raven for letting me have the keys to the story. The author's notes are up front this time to deliver a content warning for at least one suggestive scene. The Twilight/Phoenix romance remains a subplot, but not one I'm going to neglect—in fact, I'm going to tease it pretty mercilessly in these final chapters. :scootangel:

Oh yes... and a special shout-out to Raistlin, whose joke in the comments section a few chapters back was just too good not to use. Sadly, I didn't realize the reference until I was told it.

Part 60 - Drop the Bass!

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom No. 3
June 14th, 9:55 AM

Seems like we were just here... Phoenix thought as he stood behind the defense bench waiting for court to begin, Twilight at his side and most of her friends in back to cheer them on amidst another full house of spectators, regular ponies and press alike coming in expectation of more legal fireworks and unlikely turnabouts.

It’s deja vu all over again! he chuckled in an effort to master his nerves, knowing he’d be hard-pressed to equal his accomplishments of the previous trial. Especially since a not guilty verdict isn’t possible here!

He glanced to his right, where a subdued but stoic Sonata Tarot occupied the defendant’s seat where Rainbow Dash sat before. The two mares had swapped places, with Rainbow now a mere spectator to the first of two trials her original one had spawned, sitting in the stands in back of the defense bench along with the rest of Twilight’s friends—save one.

Applejack was not there, explaining she’d been away from her farm chores for too long, though she’d told Phoenix privately that the real reason she wasn’t going was because she couldn’t wish Sonata or his defense well. “Not ‘n mean it after what she did to Rainbow,” the country mare added out of earshot of the others, to which Phoenix nodded his understanding.

Element of Honesty or no, she’s not going to cheer for somepony she doesn’t want to win. Can hardly begrudge her that!

The previous day had been a whirlwind for Twilight and Phoenix alike. With courtroom #2 heavily damaged and out of action after the magic duel between Trixie and Twilight, the entire court schedule had to be reshuffled, bumping several trials including Trixie’s, which was now penciled in for early afternoon the following day. Got lucky there, he knew—if her trial had been held within two days as was normally the case, it would have been impossible for him to defend both her and Sonata.

The day had gotten off to a rocky start, beginning with a very restless night’s sleep for both Twilight and Phoenix in the wake of their talk. The latter’s dreams alternated between Twilight and memories of past cases that seemed to mix in with his current set, including a particularly odd one where he’d been defending Pinkie Pie for the murder of Russell Berry facing a finger-tapping Miles Edgeworth, while beside him, Maya channeled Twilight.

He’d had one bona fide nightmare when he later dreamed he was in court defending Rainbow Dash and Maya simultaneously, facing not one but two prosecutors, having done no investigation or study and finding himself so unprepared he looked down to realize he had even forgotten his pants.

He was forced to rise as court was called into session, revealing his lack of clothes to a laughing pony audience and an enormous, disapproving judge looming over him like a legal deity. At that moment there was a bright flash as a pair of prosecutors teleported in, revealing… Franziska von Karma riding Trixie, the pair arriving in a flourish of magic.

“Prepare for trouble!” a particularly evil-looking Franziska announced gleefully from Trixie’s back, her whip cracking dangerously near his barely-covered body.

“And make it double!” An equally sadistic Trixie grinned toothily, her teeth sharp and eyes glowing blue as she summoned up a blizzard and fired a lightning bolt at his feet.

He’d woken up in a cold sweat, sitting bolt upright, his heart racing. Nope, nope, nope nope NOPE! was all he could think as he stumbled downstairs to the library’s public washroom, splashing water on his face and then putting his mouth to the spigot to gulp some down, ignoring Owlowiscious’ questioning hoots as he passed by.

Mental note: never EVER put those two together! he warned himself, so badly shaken he never noticed his lack of clothes until he woke up the next morning and found his t-shirt and boxers lying on the floor beside the bed. Huh? he blinked, trying and failing to remember removing them during the night. Must have been during one of the dreams with Twilight, he reasoned, recalling an uncomfortably vivid one where he’d been holding and caressing her only to have her abruptly disappear from his arms. Guess that explains why Owlowiscious was hooting at me!

After breakfast and a good stiff cup of coffee from Sugar Cube Corner—one that an equally bleary-eyed Twilight decided to partake in as well, to his surprise—their first trip had been to the Detention Center to offer Phoenix’s services to Sonata, who had been planning to represent herself. She was very surprised by the offer, initially saying she couldn’t accept after all he’d already done for her. But Phoenix insisted, reminding her that “a mare who represents herself has a foal for a client,” leaving a surprised Twilight wondering where he’d heard that particular saying.

She finally relented after Phoenix reminded her that he’d offered ‘to take care of her’ during the trial, and that he didn’t like leaving loose ends in his cases. “Let me defend you, Sonata. I can’t get you off, but I can get your sentence reduced,” he promised her, the two going on to discuss trial strategy for the better part of the morning; Sonata relating all the information she had on the blackmail schemes she’d orchestrated in an effort to preempt any surprises the next day.

While they discussed tactics, Twilight returned to the library. She was feeling uncomfortable around Phoenix again despite—or perhaps because of—their talk, especially after she’d had several bad dreams of her own the night before. Worried by his suggestion that she might be magically influencing him, she’d not only dreamed she’d gotten angry and accidentally immolated him, but she’d later woken up with a start to find herself in Phoenix’s bed, snuggled up against him, having no memory of how she’d gotten there!

She didn’t sense a teleport trail, so all she could conclude was that she’d somehow sleepwalked there and then climbed into bed with him, perhaps during a dream where they recreated the cover image of Cloverfields, lying in a meadow together. N-Now what? H-He’ll NEVER believe I didn’t do this deliberately! she thought, rising panic warring with an overwhelming urge to stay.

An urge that was only redoubled when, as if sensing her presence and thoughts, Phoenix shifted in his sleep to wrap his arms around her. Her breath catching as his hands began to move freely over her, it had been all that a turned on but terrified Twilight could do to remove herself without waking him, trying hard to focus enough to teleport out without taking him along for the ride. To her relief, she’d succeeded, except she’d been so careful about excluding him from her spell that she’d forgotten it was more than just him—she’d taken his clothes and blanket with her, finding them stuck to her side after she’d re-materialized!

Cringing at her error and praying he hadn’t awoken from the teleport flash, she crept back downstairs in the low light of her horn, entered his room and blushed hard at what she saw, the hue of her aura turning bright pink again as his blanket and garments fell with a soft whisper to the floor.

She’d seen him without clothes from the back, but never from the front!

Certain that the Sun Goddess herself was toying with her and realizing her resolve would only weaken the longer she stood there staring at him, Twilight shakily draped the blanket back over his naked form and moved his garments to the side of the bed, hoping he’d wake up thinking he’d removed them himself during the night as she went back to her own room, the remembered touch of his embrace and fingers causing her to stumble twice along the way.

She’d slept little more after that, fearful (hopeful?) of a repeat performance and worried that she was going to have to watch herself around him, wondering if she’d even be able to look him in the eye the next day and deciding it would be best to stay away from him for a bit.

At this rate, might even be best to put him up somewhere else entirely! she fretted, wondering if she could convince Applejack or Rarity to take him in.

Fortunately, there was plenty of work for her to do, and she made sure to lose herself in it. While Phoenix remained with Sonata, Spike and Twilight did research at the library, looking up the side effects of the painkiller medication and legal precedents for medical and magical incapacitation defenses. Spike seemed disappointed that his ‘help’ was limited to doing what he normally did—helping Twilight study—until Phoenix returned at lunch and offered to take him along as he went to the hospital and hotel to interview the doctor who had treated Sonata’s injury, and some of the racers in town for the Equestrian 500.

Though the doctor had been helpful, agreeing that taking as high a dose as Sonata said could well cause sociopathic behavior and offering to testify to that fact, the racer interviews had been a mixed bag at best. Many simply did not want to talk to Phoenix, saying they would never help him defend Sonata despite the fact he’d helped end the blackmail scheme, while others were evasive and denied they’d been blackmailed at all.

He saw psyche-locks more than once but made no effort to break them, having been told each racer’s secrets in at times too much detail by Sonata that morning. In this instance, better to leave the locks intact and expose their lies in court!

Spike, he was pleased to see, was a genuine help, his eagerness reminding him of Maya on more than one occasion. He took notes and got a couple autographs, kept him in constant contact with Twilight via dragonfire messages, and helped Phoenix find one possible piece of evidence when he identified what appeared to be a small ruby in the alley behind the Hay and Stay just by tasting it, touching his tongue to it.

“It’s a gem button off a suit. Not one of Rarity’s, though,” he pronounced, making a face. “Too flawed and tainted a ruby for Rarity to ever use. All her gems are flawless—and delicious!” the baby dragon took on a dreamy expression as he made a slightly disturbing slurping motion with his forked reptilian tongue. “This overpriced garbage had to have come from Canterlot. From one of Rarity’s main rivals, the Empress Emporium, if I’m not mistaken!” he announced with the exaggerated air of a book detective.

He’s really getting into this! Phoenix couldn’t help but grin, thinking the scribe looked more cute than tough despite the gumshoe airs he was taking. Hell, Dick Gumshoe himself would probably find Spike adorable. If nothing else, he’d certainly make a better police mascot than the Blue Badger!

While Phoenix and Spike worked, Twilight rested, deciding that for the time being it was safer to sleep when Phoenix wasn’t around. The needed nap did her wonders and she awoke to tackle her remaining research with gusto, completing it in time to join Spike and Phoenix for a quick dinner at the diner before heading back to the detention center to review their findings and proposed defense with Sonata.

Having completed his interviews and heard what Twilight had found, Phoenix recommended a potentially risky strategy that, while not getting her off scot-free, stood a decent chance to reduce the number of charges and get her a much shorter sentence on the remainder if successful.

“It’s a little out of my comfort zone, but I think I can pull it off, depending on the quality of judge and prosecutor tomorrow,” he told her, wondering who he’d be facing this time. Well, they could hardly be more flamboyant than Trixie! he thought as a visibly troubled and worried Sonata gave her assent, asking only that she ‘could take part in it’ when the time came. Phoenix wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but he didn’t worry about it too much—she hardly struck him as somepony apt to sabotage her own defense.

Satisfied they’d done all they could, Phoenix had Twilight fire another text to Maya before the pair bedded down for a fresh night’s sleep. The latter found sending the message nearly as taxing as before, though she at least could walk upstairs under her own power afterwards. Afraid to say anything out loud, she left Owlolicious a note asking him to watch over Phoenix and make sure she didn’t sleepwalk again, drinking some of Fluttershy’s herbal tea before bed to try to quiet her restless mind and prevent any more dreamtime escapades.

To her relief, it seemed to work. As near as she could tell she slept through the night and Phoenix had as well, leaving her feeling more at ease around him as Owlolicious reported neither she nor Phoenix had left their respective rooms during the night. In fact, to Twilight’s relief, he looked just as rested and happy as she felt the morning of the trial, noting at breakfast that he finally seemed to have settled into Equestria.

Phoenix agreed he had as they completed the same morning routine they’d used on the second day of Rainbow’s trial. He did wonder why he’d woken up again with his boxers and t-shirt seemingly tossed aside, but he also found himself in too good of a mood to care. Good gym, good friends, good massages, good food and coffee plus Twilight? You know, maybe I SHOULD open a law office here! he thought half-seriously, wishing again he could show Equestria to Pearls and Maya as the clock struck ten and the back door to the courtroom opened.

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom No. 3
June 14th, 10:00 AM

“All rise,” the head unicorn bailiff directed—the same bailiff mare that had been at Rainbow’s trial two days before, Phoenix couldn’t help but note as a robed pony entered through the back door, taking his seat behind the bench. “Ponyville District Court is now in session for the trial of Sonata Tarot. The honorable Due Process presiding.”

“Please be seated,” the blond-bearded tan unicorn stallion called out, rapping his hoof on his bench in place of a gavel to call court to order. “Are both sides ready?”

“The defense is ready, Your Honor,” Phoenix acknowledged with a nod, Twilight at his side. Gonna be weird arguing a case in front of any judge but my usual one!

The stallion judge gave him a nod back. “It is truly an honor to have you in my court, Mister Wright. And the prosecution?” he called to the opposite bench, which sat strangely empty.

“Uh… is the prosecution ready?” Due Process called again.

As if in answer, the courtroom lights went out and a slow but steadily building beat and pink glow coming from the direction of the prosecutor bench began to make itself known. Suddenly, there were a series of strobe light and laser-like effects from the courtroom ceiling lights that Phoenix had last seen when Maya tried to drag him to a rave.

He blinked hard when a spotlight washed over him, and when his vision had cleared again, the lights had come back up and the prosecutor’s bench had been magically transformed into a DJ table complete with speakers and sound equipment against a backdrop of flashing lights, which Phoenix finally figured out was coming from the horn of a white-colored unicorn mare with an unruly electric blue mane, a two-note cutie mark and a pair of magenta-tinted sunglasses that hid her eyes completely.

“DJ-PON-3 is in da HOUSE!”she announced with a blast of sound from her speakers that made Phoenix and Twilight wince.

“Vinyl Scratch?” The latter’s jaw fell open. “You’re the prosecutor?”

“Hey, Sparks! So what can I say? I’m a mare of many talents, but I’m also a girl with an eye for advertising! And going against The Phoenix there is the perfect chance for some free publicity and to demo my latest mixes to an adoring crowd!” she said, playing a few seconds of a record that consisted of what Phoenix could only describe as a brief but intense dubstep sequence.

“Besides, why should Octy have all the legal fun?” she further asked, looking up at a gray-furred earth pony mare with a white collar and pink bow tie in the first row, receiving a disapproving scowl in return. “She’s the one who suggested having a backup career in case I ever hit a creative dry spell!”

Phoenix didn’t know who ‘Octy’ was, but rolled his eyes all the same. A disc jockey prosecutor? How unrealistic can you get?

“I’m getting a headache already,” Twilight announced as the heavy beat continued, rubbing her forehead with a hoof. In the stands, half the spectators were likewise covering their ears while the other, mostly younger half were bobbing their heads in time to the beat, enjoying what Phoenix could only loosely describe as music, though he did acknowledge that Maya would probably love it. In the stands behind them, Rainbow Dash and Spike started playing air guitar as Pinkie began miming drumming, putting on shades of her own while Fluttershy cringed and Rarity materialized a pair of earmuffs for her, though she surprisingly seemed to be nodding to the rhythm herself.

Due Process clamped his hooves over his ears as Vinyl’s amps continued to pump out the beat. “Ms. Scratch!” he shouted in a magically-enhanced voice, trying to make it heard over the sound of the heavy bass. “This is a court of law, not one of your wild parties! I will thank you to advertise your wares elsewhere, and at another time!”

“Fuddy-duddy,” a disappointed Vinyl Scratch replied, stopping the playback with a flare of her horn though she never lost her smirk. “Then let’s get this party started!” There was a loud sound like a warbling guitar strum as she launched into her opening statement, punctuated by occasional heavy drumbeats and turntable scratch sounds, reciting Sonata’s long litany of crimes and blackmail, ending by proclaiming the case “more closed than an exclusive DJ-PON-3 rave!” as she put on her new album. The fresh blast of magically-enhanced bass hit Twilight full in the face and made her hair stick out straight backwards as if in imitation of Phoenix, causing Rainbow to burst out laughing in the stands above.

A shoulder-slumping Phoenix had encountered odd attorneys before, but he decided Vinyl Scratch completely took the cake. Fine. I’ll lose my law license before I let some wannabe rock star prosecutor get the better of me! he promised as he stood back up straighter and stole some of her thunder by announcing a partial guilty plea, throwing off Vinyl’s headbobbing rhythm and causing a particularly loud turntable scratch as she flipped up her magenta shades to stare at him, revealing a pair of deep red eyes.

Due Process was likewise stunned. “Did I hear you correctly, Mister Wright? Your client is pleading guilty?”

Phoenix flinched slightly at the sight of Vinyl’s eyes—do they glow in the DARK? he wondered—but plunged ahead as Twilight passed a sheet of scroll paper to the Judge and Prosecutor. “Yes, Your Honor. The defense pleads guilty to five blackmail counts involving the seven racers noted in this document,” he said with a glance at Sonata, who nodded. They had agreed the previous day that they would not contest the charges she was unquestionably guilty of, but instead, concentrate on establishing extenuating circumstances in an effort to limit her prison time.

“I see...” The unicorn judge looked as surprised as anypony in the courtroom, a low murmur of conversation making itself known. “Ms. Scratch, is this acceptable?” He turned to his right.

“Dude…” the DJ prosecutor looked at a complete loss for words as she scanned the document. “I was hoping you’d contest all the charges! I mean, if I ran the table on you, my next album would go gold for sure!” She looked strangely let down.

Phoenix rolled his eyes. “Sorry to disappoint, but I’m not going to claim my client’s innocent of these charges when she’s clearly guilty.”

“Ms. Tarot? Do you agree to this strategy?” Due Process turned to Sonata next. “You realize that if given the maximum penalty on these charges alone—never mind the other two dozen counts of blackmail, fraud, assault and crime scene tampering—you face a massive fine and upwards of twenty years in prison?”

“I do, Your Honor,” she replied, but couldn’t quite keep the tremor from her voice. “Mister Wright has my full support.”

Phoenix gave her a reassuring look. I know what I’m doing, he promised her with it, though in truth he wasn’t entirely sure of himself. Representing a guilty client was a new experience for him, defending Matt Engarde under duress aside, and it required a slightly different set of skills than trying to prove a client innocent. It’ll be okay. The objective here isn’t to get her acquitted; it’s to get her punishment reduced. Just need to show the judge that she’s not a bad pony, and that she wasn’t herself after Ace was killed…

After a ten-minute recess for Vinyl to quickly reorganize her case and witness list, she gave a new opening statement, promising she would “prove the defendant guilty on all charges!” and asking for the maximum possible penalty to “deter other ponies from cheating and restore the reputation of the Equestrian racing league.”

Phoenix shared a look with Sonata, who rolled her eyes in response. They’d had a long talk the previous day about how corrupt the National Equestrian Racing Federation truly was, and how endemic cheating had been before she and Ace came along. And still is, he reminded himself, knowing that was going to be an integral part of his defense as Vinyl began calling witnesses, giving each a DJ’s welcome with a series of visual effects and theme music, taking the opportunity to play different tracks from her album.

She also had an annoying and slightly painful habit of “Dropping the bass!” when she objected, doing so with a blast from her speakers that hit Phoenix square in the face with sheer force of sound, ruffling Twilight’s mane and leaving his ears ringing. You know, I’d almost prefer being hit by Franziska’s whip! Phoenix couldn’t help but think.

Regardless of Vinyl’s attempts to intimidate him, he persevered, sticking to his strategy and guns. Some witnesses—like Lenora or Hurricane Wind, the air elemental unicorn who used a magical disguise and went by the alias of Attack Angle (call me “Aang”, she requested) in order to race—he declined to cross-examine, knowing they were sympathetic figures, and there really was no excuse for blackmailing.

Others, however, he took great pleasure in exposing, including several racers who Sonata informed him had been taking various performance-enhancing potions and two others who had artificially and illegally enhanced their wings. In accordance with her desire to take part, Sonata occasionally passed Phoenix notes during their testimony to aid him, once or twice even asking questions herself.

You know, if she really IS this world’s version of Mia, she’d make a really good defense attorney! Phoenix couldn’t help but note. With her help, he tore apart the testimony of three other racers, two ponies and a griffon, who Sonata had not blackmailed simply because they weren’t good enough to beat Ace, but were trying to claim they were anyway to get publicity and be paid damages. Once Phoenix proved they were lying, they were slapped in manacles on perjury charges and the blackmail counts regarding them were dropped.

After that, Vinyl sheepishly announced that all her remaining blackmail witnesses had fled the courthouse, apparently not wanting to face Phoenix and have their lies or wrongdoing exposed. Her face flushed hard when she heard some derisive laughter from the audience; she turned and cringed when she saw the lethal look the bowtie-wearing earth pony mare in the first row of the stands was giving her. This in turn left Due Process little choice but to grant the defense motion to dismiss the blackmail counts involving those racers as well, leaving only a third of the original charges intact.

Phoenix then requested that the head of the racing federation himself testify about the state of affairs in the racing league. Vinyl’s “Bass Cannon” blasted out her latest objection, the DJ prosecutor claiming such testimony wasn’t relevant to the case at hoof. Resisting the urge to clamp his hands over his ears, Phoenix countered that it was relevant since Sonata was in effect doing the job he wouldn’t, exposing wrongdoing and keeping cheaters at bay.

“My client did more to keep the race league clean then he ever did!” Phoenix asserted with a finger pointed across the courtroom pit. A novel defense. Let’s see how well it works!

The head of the racing federation was a pegasus stallion named Jet Stream, who came in wearing ruby-tinted shades and a gem-studded racing suit that glittered so brightly it put anything Redd White wore to shame. He first insisted the league was “completely clean”, but even Vinyl rolled her eyes at that assertion. Phoenix quickly pointed out that ‘clean’ was hardly the right word, given Ace’s fraudulent wins and all the additional cheating Sonata and Ace had been capitalizing on.

“The charges my client pled guilty to were for blackmailing honest racers. It’s sad to say, but it looks like only those seven could truly be called clean.” He went on to recount the litany of misconduct and lawbreaking he’d already exposed from previous witnesses; for just a moment, Phoenix felt like he’d become a prosecutor like Miles Edgeworth and found himself reflexively taking his rival/friend’s pondering/impatient pose, crossing his arms and tapping a single finger against his upper arm. “So you’re insisting, in the face of all this evidence and my client’s own admission, that the league—and you, as its head—does not, in fact, tolerate rampant rule breaking?”

Jet Stream instantly assumed the air of the grievously offended. “To think, such a low-class lawyer would impugn my unimpeachable integrity. I am a stallion of high station, and I act as such!”

Phoenix was still considering his response when another note written by Sonata suddenly floated into his hand. He scanned it quickly and gave her a startled look; she nodded once in response, suddenly wearing a sly smile. “Unimpeachable, are you?” He smirked and put his hands on his hips. Time to bluff! “Then would you mind telling this court exactly what you were doing in the alley behind the Hay and Stay at 11:30 PM two nights ago?” he asked pointedly, then leaned over his bench to fix the stallion with his fiercest gaze. “I mean, surely a pony of your unimpeachable quality would have nothing to hide?” he mocked, crossing his arms and wearing a knowing grin.

He knew the question had hit the bulls-eye when the stallion suddenly broke out in a nervous sweat, but was given no chance to reply before Vinyl objected with another blast of bass that made his ears ring. “The Phoenix should put up or shut up if he’s got any evidence of such a meeting!” she said while scratching one of the records on her turntable.

In response, Phoenix brought out the ruby button he and Spike had discovered during the previous day’s investigation, explaining it had been found in the same alley. “You wouldn’t happen to be missing one, would you, Jet Stream?”

Vinyl “dropped the bass!” on Phoenix again, making Phoenix think he was going to lose his hearing before all was said and done. “With as many gems as he’s got sewn on there, it’s only natural he’d be missing a few. ‘Sides, there’s no way you can tell if any one gem belongs to him!” she tipped her glasses up again to try to intimidate him with her deep red eyes.

After Twilight and Trixie, it’ll take more than your red irises to scare ME, Vinyl Scratch! “I beg to differ!” Phoenix grinned and invited a gem expert—namely, a surprised but delighted Spike—to come down from the gallery and sample a few gems right off the stallion’s suit.

The baby dragon tried one of Jet Stream’s ruby pocket buttons and immediately spit it out. “More… cheap…Empress… JUNK!” He gagged, hurriedly running to the defense bench to grab Twilight’s glass and rinse his mouth out with water.

He then took the stand to explain that the gems clearly came from the same gem cache since they all had the same impurity, which he could taste. “Same cache, same store, same suit,” he summed up succinctly, causing another loud and painful scratching sound from Vinyl’s turntable. “And by the way, those baby blue sapphires on your collar are just glass. You got royally ripped off, dude,” he couldn’t help but add, leaving Jet Stream and Vinyl Scratch stunned as he retook his seat beside a gleeful Rarity, who took great delight in seeing one of her competitors discredited so publicly.

Quickly backing down, Vinyl tried to say that they’d only established Jet Stream’s presence in the alley, not what he was doing there, but Phoenix simply laid out in exact detail who he was seeing and why, accusing him of taking a bribe from another racer Phoenix had already exposed. Shocked at his uncannily accurate reading, Jet Stream broke down and confessed everything, even though all Phoenix had actually done was read off the note that Sonata had passed him.

Didn’t even have any direct evidence of it! he thought with a chuckle as the federation head was slapped in manacles and led away. And if you were a better attorney, you would’ve demanded proof before he confessed, Vinyl! Neither Franziska von Karma nor Miles Edgeworth would ever have made such a rookie mistake!

The blackmail counts dispensed with in dramatic fashion, they moved on to the assault and evidence tampering charges following a lunch break. Vinyl apparently thought twice about summoning Phoenix to the stand, but she did call Cruise Control, who was looking far better kempt and happier than he had before, clean and well-groomed, rarely losing his smile.

At a guess, he’s been making up for lost time with Lenora! Twilight couldn’t help but grin, belatedly realizing their relationship had been the secret behind the single psyche-lock she’d seen on the eagless when they first met.

After Cruise had detailed his meeting with Sonata and her instructions to ambush Phoenix as a cost for keeping his sister in Canterlot Hospital, Twilight took over the cross-examination at Phoenix’s request, citing his own conflict of interest as the assault victim. Under her questioning, he admitted that Sonata didn’t seem herself when she ordered him to attack Phoenix. Vinyl objected again, saying that the witness had no frame of reference for what constituted normal for Sonata; Twilight retorted that he in fact knew her quite well, having been blackmailed by her for the better part of five years.

Cruise immediately backed Twilight’s statement. “I knew it was her and not Ace from the get-go because I actually saw her take the blackmail pictures of me and Lenora! She teleported out before we could catch her!” he explained, giving Sonata an angry glare that caused her to look away. He also revealed that it had been Sonata who had given him instructions on the manner in which he was to lose each individual race, since Ace refused to “sully himself” by associating or communicating with a “hen-humper” like him, and several of those meetings had been face-to-face.

Sandbagged again, Vinyl let him go but insisted her “guilt on this count was as clear as the sound from my stage!” she said with another blast from her stereo that, rather aptly, was actually quite scratchy, sounding like she’d just blown a speaker.

Phoenix then requested to call two witnesses of his own in rebuttal, seeking to establish a mental incapacitation defense. He opened with the doctor he’d interviewed before, having him testify on the effects of the painkiller drug he’d prescribed for her fractured horn, and what a triple dose would do. “A pony definitely wouldn’t be themselves after taking so much. They’d lose all empathy and sense of right and wrong,” he said, causing another loud scratch from Vinyl’s turntable.

Next, he called Twilight herself to the stand, asking her to testify about what she saw and felt while inside Sonata’s head. Vinyl immediately “Dropped the BASS!” on Phoenix once more, the force of her stereo blast blowing his papers and tie backwards, trying to make up with volume for what she lacked in strength of arguments as she objected that secondhoof memory playbacks amounted to hearsay and were not admissible.

Putting his suit back to rights and reorganizing his papers, Phoenix immediately countered that he wasn’t introducing the playback; he was having Twilight testify about what she saw inside Sonata’s mind. “It’s not hearsay if she directly witnessed my client’s memories and mental state, Your Honor!” he pointed out. Uncertain, Due Process called a recess to look up legal precedents but Twilight saved him the trouble by citing a relevant Equestrian Supreme Court decision, floating him a legal case record with a bookmarked page, her legal research from the previous day coming up quite handy as the slightly stunned unicorn judge scanned the ruling and then overruled Vinyl’s objection again.

Twilight proved as cagey a witness as she was an investigator. Under Vinyl’s direct questioning, she emphasized the terror and genuine fear for her life the other mare had felt during her ordeal, and that the emotional trauma she’d suffered from Ace’s attack and from believing she’d accidentally killed him was very real… as was her guilt and shame over her crimes.

When an increasingly flustered Vinyl suggested that she had motive at the time to present Sonata in a more favorable light in order to help Rainbow, a visibly annoyed Twilight silenced Phoenix with a glance and pointed out if that were the case, she would have modified the memory projection to make Sonata look more guilty, not less.

“And that’s assuming I could modify her memories and present believable images coming in cold, which I can’t. Or is the prosecution seriously suggesting I could have come up with this on the fly?” Twilight asked pointedly, projecting a sequence of Sonata’s replayed memory where she’d fired the electric stun spell at Ace. Due Process agreed, bringing his hoof down hard to overrule the objection and causing another of Vinyl’s speakers to blow.

The damage done, Phoenix wrapped up the defense case by summarizing Sonata’s state of mind and the effects of the painkiller pills, painting a picture of her—an accurate one, he truly believed—as a mare in pain and denial, hiding from her actions and anguish by resorting to magical means to ease her own suffering; the side effects from a triple dose of the painkiller combining with his first visit to her hotel room leading directly to the orchestrated attack on him.

Sensing the bulk of her case slipping away, a now-sweating and considerably less confident Vinyl objected again with a bass blast from her half-broken bass cannon that sounded less like a subwoofer and more like a whimper, pointing out that Sonata had gone against doctor instructions to take such a large dose.

Phoenix replied by dryly offering to have Sonata plead guilty to drug misuse—a misdemeanor—in place of the assault charge, causing the crowd to erupt in laughter again and one lens of Vinyl’s glasses to crack as her eye visibly twitched.

In the immortal words of Maya—you got served, Vinyl Scratch! he told her with his thoughts and a grin, which quickly dropped as he felt his eyes drawn upwards, towards the stands behind the DJ prosecutor, where the earth pony mare Vinyl had referred to as “Octy” was giving him a steady, even steely look. He felt the challenge implicit in her gaze and realized only that she was a prosecutor as well.

And something tells me she isn’t even remotely a pushover!he thought with a shiver as court recessed and the Judge went to consider his verdict.

An hour later, Due Process returned and announced his decision: not guilty on the assault charge by reason of mental incapacitation, guilty but only time served plus restitution for evidence tampering and framing Rainbow Dash, who broke out in a huge grin as the unicorn judge announced a substantial sum of damages to be awarded to her, and guilty on eight separate counts of blackmail.

“The question of sentence is a difficult one,” he went on to say, explaining that he did not believe a full four-year sentence for each count was just in light of her apparent remorse and the massive cheating and corruption scandal she’d helped expose, “but at the same time, I cannot ignore the pain and suffering you caused many innocent racers, and your punishment must reflect your crimes.”

Phoenix and Sonata held their breath as he went on to split the difference, announcing a two-year sentence and stiff restitution for each of the eight blackmail charges, consecutive terms for the five counts she’d pled guilty to but only concurrent ones for the remainder in recognition that the remaining three blackmail targets were engaged in serious wrongdoing of their own.

Ten years… Phoenix winced. That’s a lot less than it could have been, but not a slap on the wrist by any stretch.

Due Process finished by noting she could get time off for good behavior, thanking Phoenix and his defense team for uncovering the rampant wrongdoing in the Equestrian Racing League, hoping that this would be the end of the “Dark Age of Competition” Jet Stream’s clearly corrupt leadership had caused.

With a final rap of his hoof, court stood adjourned, and the spectators rose to applaud Phoenix with clopping and stomping of hooves once more.

Ponyville Courthouse
Defense Lobby No. 3
June 14th, 3:08 PM

It was a new experience for Phoenix being handed a guilty verdict, and he found himself feeling subdued as he met with Sonata one last time before she was taken to prison.

“It’s alright,” Sonata told him after he offered to appeal her sentence to the Equestrian Supreme Court, giving him a brave and grateful smile. “I’m satisfied. It’s punishment I deserve, and leaves me plenty of life left to live afterwards. I promise I won’t squander my second chance,” she told him, and Phoenix had no doubt she meant it. Sensing his disappointment over her sentence, she reared up to give him a heartfelt hug again. “You took care of me like you said you would,” she reminded him. “It’s rare that a stallion takes care of a mare, but you’re all the more special for it, Phoenix Wright.”

His cheeks warm, Phoenix watched her be taken away. I’ll visit her again before I leave here, he promised himself, letting Twilight lead him out to meet the media and his growing ranks of fans.

They found Twilight’s friends waiting just outside the door along with two additional ponies, one a two-tone blue pegasus mare and the other the dark-furred, fire-maned unicorn stallion he’d first seen sleeping on a library couch after they’d gotten home from Rainbow’s trial.

Is something wrong with him? His cheeks looks swollen, Phoenix couldn’t help but note, also remembering the pair had been in the gallery, and apparently taking some notes.

Twilight warmly greeted them. “Phoenix? Got some friends for you to meet. This is Chrome Regios,” she said, indicating the blue pegasus. “She runs an alchemy shop I occasionally use, and Spike and Applejack say that she was the one who found my copy of Sonata’s spellbook and matched your picture to the page in Rainbow’s trial.”

“Oh!” Phoenix blinked, offering his fist to her. “It’s an honor to meet you, then. That book arrived just in the nick of time. So thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she acknowledged with a bow of her head, bumping her hoof back. “The honor is mine, Mister Wright. But you should also thank Firesight here.” She motioned the stallion forward. “When we got the emergency message from Spike, I was going to fly over but he got me there instantly with a teleport instead—which he actually wasn’t supposed to be doing!” She and Twilight gave him an admonishing look; the stallion replying with a rueful nod. “But as it turned out, guess it was a good thing he did!”

“Well then, thank you very much.” He turned to the fire-maned stallion and offered his fist in turn. “Noticed you two were writing in the gallery?”

“You’re welcome,” he said in a slightly muffled voice that sounded like he was speaking through his teeth. “And yes—we’re both amateur writers, and after we heard about your exploits, we thought it might be fun to collaborate on a novelization of them,” he explained, giving a close-lipped grin. “We’re titling it Turnabout Storm. Hope you don’t mind.”

Phoenix inwardly cringed at that, knowing the hash some tabloid reporters had made of his previous cases. And what’s this weird obsession with titling my cases ‘Turnabout’ anyway? “Oh, uh... that’s fine, but all I ask is this: no embellishment.”

The two looked at each other and then grinned. “Okay, promise. No embellishment,” Firesight agreed, giving a smile Phoenix could only describe as sly while behind him, Pinkie giggled.

Somehow, Phoenix wasn’t reassured.

“Dude! You wiped the floor with me!” a familiar voice broke in as the other two departed. Phoenix turned to see Vinyl Scratch, her shades off and shock of electric blue mane hair looking even more frazzled than normal as she walked in the door, a bevy of reporters and the bow tie-wearing earth pony he’d seen before following her. “But never let it be said I’m a sore loser. Congratulations!” she said, offering him her hoof, cameras flashing to capture the moment.

“You did fine,” Phoenix replied, taking note of ‘Octy’ again behind the DJ as he bumped his fist to her hoof. “I do this for a living, after all. But you just do it as a sidelight.”

“Yeah, well…” She rubbed the back of her head. “No way my new album’s gonna sell now. Who’s gonna buy dance mixes from a loser DJ, anyway?” she tossed a badly scratched-up record in the nearest trash can.

“No?” Phoenix grinned, giving Twilight a wink. “Just tell them you’re one of only two prosecutors who ever went up against me and got a guilty verdict. You got a ten-year sentence, after all,” he reminded her, deciding to leave out the fact that it all came from counts Sonata had already pled guilty to. Though to be fair, that was a longer sentence than I was hoping for...

Her deep red eyes lit up and her horn flared to materialize her trademark magenta shades, her confidence instantly restored. “Dude, you’re right! How many prosecutors can say they’ve beaten The Phoenix?” she said with a triumphant glance back at the earth pony mare, who said nothing but whose eyes kept flickering to Phoenix. He found his attention repeatedly drawn to her in turn, taking in her elegant figure, white collar and bow tie, lavender G-Clef cutie mark and matching eyes which were somehow both soft and piercing, betraying an intensity of focus and strength of character he’d seen from precious few humans or ponies before.

“Well done, Phoenix Wright,” she told him in a quiet but strangely commanding voice after Vinyl had departed, giving him a short nod and a bow. “A virtuoso performance, even if your competition was somewhat lacking. Perhaps one day, your mettle will truly be tested,” she suggested in an odd tone as she turned and strode gracefully out the door, the picture of culture and dignity in marked contrast to Vinyl’s brash nature. “Until that day, be well.”

“Twilight? Who was that?” Phoenix wanted to know as the unfamiliar earth pony mare departed, leaving him wondering why the sight of her was sending a chill down his spine.

Twilight looked surprised by his question. “Oh, her? Octavia Melody. She’s a cellist and classical musician of some renown. She performs in Canterlot quite frequently. She lives in Ponyville when she’s not on tour, and she’s roommates with Vinyl.”

“Roommates?” Phoenix repeated in disbelief. I’ve heard of opposites attracting, but THOSE two? He shook his head, unable to imagine how they got along well enough to live together. Still… I can’t seem to shake this odd feeling about her, he thought as he stared at her retreating form.

“Phoenix?” Twilight nudged him, making him realize he’d just zoned out. “Something wrong?”

“Oh! No, nothing,” he assured her, tearing his eyes away even as his thoughts refused to leave the strange mare.

Octavia Melody. Why do I have a feeling we’re going to meet again…?

Part 61 - Reunions

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Part 62 - Requiem for a Witch

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom No. 1
Defense Lobby
June 16th, 9:50 AM

“Trixie really, really, hates waiting,” the self-named mare muttered as she kept one eye on the clock.

“Nervous?” Phoenix asked.

“Wouldn’t you be, in Trixie’s position?” she snapped. “Think about it, Wrong. You say you can get her sentence reduced, but Trixie is still going to be found guilty.”

“Well, at the very least, we had an extra day to prepare,” Twilight said, trying to sound hopeful.

Her words were true; they’d gone to the courthouse the previous day only to be met by Delta Requiem. The Royal Court officer explained that ‘complications’ had arisen regarding the intended prosecutor for Trixie’s trial, and so the trial had been delayed. While unexpected, it had been anything but unwelcome news; it had given Phoenix and Twilight an additional day to get everything ready for their defense.

Although grateful for the reprieve, Twilight couldn’t help but feel a slight bit of unease. Lady Requiem almost never leaves Canterlot wearing her official regalia, yet she’s wearing it here. That can only mean that she’s here in some official capacity or another?

“You mean you had an extra day to prepare, Snarkle,” Trixie scoffed. “Trixie had an extra day to wonder just how badly this could go for her.”

“Well, you aren’t too nervous, apparently,” Twilight noted. “You’re still speaking in 3rd-person.”

Trixie rolled her eyes at that. “Perhaps Trixie is still feeling the relief of not being permanently disbarred from the practice.”

“And perhaps Trixie should just keep quiet and stop annoying the rest of us!” Maya snarked from across the room.

“Maya…” Phoenix warned as Trixie stuck her tongue out at the young mystic. “You’ve been in this spot yourself twice before. So remember how scared you were, particularly when you thought you might have actually done it,” he reminded her pointedly.

Maya in turn stuck her tongue out at Phoenix, but fell silent. She reflexively went for her smartphone again only to remember it was offline, leaving her forlorn and fidgeting, still sleep-deprived and in what he could only guess was internet withdrawal. For as unfamiliar as she’d been with modern technology when he’d first met her a couple years back, a product of a lifetime of living in an isolated and very traditional community, she’d quickly taken to it and within just a few months had mastered it. She could readily use a laptop, tablet, and smartphone, using all three to play games, watch videos, use social media and even compose some dance music he wasn’t that keen on, having turned a side room of his office into her own small study for the purpose.

Seeing how badly she’s taking it, I’m suddenly glad I’m not that tech-savvy! Phoenix shook his head as he watched her try to deal with the sudden removal of all the things she liked the most.

“Don’t worry, Mystic Trixie!” Pearls piped up from between Fluttershy and Applejack. “Mister Nick always wins! And he’s got Mystic Twilight with him!” she noted eagerly, causing Maya to cross her arms and look away sullenly.

Trixie opened her mouth and closed it again, biting off her initial response—apparently, even she couldn’t be her usual insulting self in the presence of the young human girl, especially after Pearl had asked to see her show with a degree of enthusiasm the showmare couldn’t recall seeing in anypony—or anyone—to date. “Sweetie, Trixie has as much chance of being acquitted in this trial as she does of capturing a troll.”

“Wait—there are trolls here too?” Maya's eyes widened. “Real ones and not the internet kind?”

“Uh… yeah? Of course there are,” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, having already had her fill of Maya’s moodiness. “’Capture a troll’ is just a figure of speech for doing something impossible. But what’s an ‘internet’, anyway?”

“Trolls do exist!” Pinkie Pie piped up before Maya could reply. “They take your socks! But only the left ones. What’s with that?” she asked, taking on a pondering pose similar to Phoenix.

“Um, sugarcube? Since when do you even wear socks?” Applejack asked.

“You don’t wear anything…” Maya muttered. Though uncomfortable in general around the ponies, Phoenix had noted she’d been particularly ill at ease around stallions during their tour of Ponyville the previous day, wincing and averting her eyes whenever she saw a pair of male hindquarters pointed her way, most notably when Applejack’s brother Big Macintosh had come by on his way home from the market.

Despite Maya’s additional discomfort at his size—he stood nearly as tall as her and considerably outweighed her—he had proven himself a gentle giant, even indulging Pearls’ request to ride on his back with a rare grin and easy ‘eeyup’. The young human girl had hit it off with Applejack and the rest of the Apple family so well she ended up staying the previous night at their farmhouse, sleeping over with Apple Bloom. That relieved some of the cramped quarters in the library, letting Maya have her own room and bed while Phoenix and Edgeworth slept on reading lounges in the main library hall—the latter politely if slightly awkwardly declining Rarity’s offer to host him—granting her more sleep and a somewhat better mood.

But the teenage mystic still seemed to be having trouble adjusting to Equestria, rarely leaving the library and interacting with others as little as possible. The others kept their distance in turn, respecting her stated desire to be left alone—all except Pinkie Pie, who refused to give up trying to draw her out. The party pony continually tried to befriend Maya with sweets and general goofiness, and once in a while her antics even succeeded in eliciting a brief smile.

Keep it up, Pinkie! Phoenix urged. You two have a lot in common, and I know you’ll make friends with her yet!

Along with Maya and Pearl, Phoenix was sharing the lobby with Edgeworth. In sharp contrast to Maya, he seemed to have settled in quite nicely, finding Equestria intriguing and the tea and company to his liking, instantly earning Twilight’s respect by besting her in a game of chess. Twilight herself had done a double-take when she first saw him, later explaining to Phoenix he was a dead ringer for another romance novel character she knew.

Oh really? Phoenix couldn’t help but grin. Certainly explains Rarity’s reaction to him!

Edgeworth was currently reviewing the transcripts of Rainbow Dash’s trial, Rarity at his side offering him her observations from the second day. He had already made some less-than-flattering observations of his own about Phoenix’s defense—“May I suggest, Wright, that next time you’re summoned to an unfamiliar world to defend a magical creature, you study?”—but also offered some grudging praise for how Phoenix had finally been able to unravel the truth and clear both Rainbow and Sonata of murder, admitting he would probably have missed the final and most crucial contradiction in Sonata’s testimony.

To his credit, he hadn’t asked about Twilight except for a glance at her followed by an arched eyebrow at his fellow human. Phoenix retaliated by doing the identical gesture back at him and Rarity, causing his prosecutor friend to flush further by mouthing Edgey-poo at him. You’re so CUTE when you get all flustered, Miles!

Edgeworth had some pointed critiques of Trixie’s prosecution as well. Though he acknowledged her excellent arguments and sharp legal mind over the course of the case, he said the case itself should never have been brought to trial. “The fact that the blackmail material and cloud were left in plain sight at the crime scene was a huge red flag,” he noted. “If Ms. Dash had truly committed premeditated murder, she would hardly have left such obvious evidence of her involvement there. You should have immediately suspected a set-up and investigated accordingly,” he told Trixie, who glowered at him but said nothing.

Phoenix in turn mentally kicked himself for not seeing that; in hindsight, it was pretty obvious and would have made an excellent line of defense.

The human prosecutor also had some scathing words for the mare magician regarding her motivations: “The criminal justice system exists to find the truth; not to settle petty, unfounded grievances against others, Ms. Lulamoon. Had you been in my employ and used your position to indulge in a grudge-driven vendetta, you would have been dismissed from your post and referred for disbarment immediately.”

If that’s true, why didn’t you come down hard on Franziska? Phoenix didn’t ask. Speaking of her, wonder where she disappeared to after the Engarde trial?

The two spirit mediums were seated on a couple of chairs opposite the couch Phoenix and Twilight were resting on. Pearl was having trouble sitting still—as any eight-year-old would, Phoenix noted—though she never lost her smile, delighting in the company of her new pony friends and magical world she found herself in. Maya, on the other hand, seemed uncharacteristically moody and terse. What was surprising to Phoenix was that her unhappiness seemed directed at Equestria in general and Twilight in particular.

“Are you sure you don’t want to tell me what happened between you and Maya yesterday?” Phoenix whispered to Twilight.

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it,” she replied somewhat shortly as an earth pony bailiff entered to inform them that court was convening in two minutes, asking them to make their way to the chamber.

Phoenix very much doubted that, but didn’t press the issue, recognizing it was simply not the time as they got up to enter the courtroom, much to Twilight’s relief. She didn’t want to admit to him that she’d gotten into an argument with his assistant—an argument that was centered around him.

The previous morning:

“Ow… Note to self, Sparkle: next time you think you’ve mastered a newly-invented spell after only casting it twice… have somepony else smack you,” Twilight groaned as she came to, appalled at the late morning hour she saw on her bedroom clock.

Her body was mostly on autopilot as she half walked, half staggered down the stairs towards the kitchen, barely cognizant of her surroundings and only avoiding obstacles due to memory. Rubbing her still-singed and tender horn with a hoof, she tried to recall what had happened. “All I remember is the summoning spell grabbing hold of something, but what?” she wondered out loud.

“That would be me,” came a frosty young female voice.

Twilight’s eyes snapped open to look at the speaker. She guessed the owner was a human girl in her late teens, with long black hair and brown eyes, similar to Phoenix. She wore a set of robes that were various shades of purple, and had, to Twilight’s slight surprise, a Magatama around her neck of an orange hue in contrast to Phoenix’s green one. What concerned Twilight the most, however, was the smoldering anger in the young woman’s eyes.

Despite a growing sense of unease and a throbbing head, Twilight offered her a smile. “Oh, you must be… Maya, right? Phoenix told me a little about you.”

“Yeah, Maya Fey, that’s me,” the young woman replied shortly, deep bags under her eyes like she hadn’t slept well, much like Phoenix hadn’t after his first night in Equestria. “And you’re the unicorn who screwed up and pulled me, Pearly, and Mister Edgeworth here.”

The flat, accusatory tone made Twilight wince. “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t realize the spell combination I used would cause that much of a strain on me.” THREE humans summoned at once? No wonder I’m so wiped out! She rubbed her hoof behind her head and tried smiling again. “But at least I kept the spell going long enough for you and the others to make it here, rather than getting lost in the void between worlds!”

Maya’s eyebrows could have served as a level. “That’s not exactly reassuring,” she said in the same flat tone. “So when will you be able to send us home? And by ‘us’, I’m including Nick.”

“Uh…” Twilight did some quick calculations in her head, hindered by her headache. “Well, I’m still pretty drained right now—summoning three humans at once took everything I had. I should recover enough power to be able to send at least a couple of you back to your world by the day after tomorrow. Phoenix still has some pro bono work ahead of him, though, so he’ll have to wait until that’s done. And with five humans in total to deal with, that could take awhile.”

Maya’s lips were pursed. “Well, I guess that’s okay,” she tapped her fingers on the table. “You can send Pearly and Mister Edgeworth home first. I’m not leaving until Nick does.”

Sensing the human teen’s attitude wasn’t entirely friendly, Twilight tried a different approach. “Um, may I ask something?”

“I guess.” Maya shrugged and looked away after a short pause.

“Well, um… Phoenix told me you could channel the spirits of the departed. I’m a student of magic, but that’s not something I’ve heard of before, and I’d love to see it done! Could you show me?” she asked eagerly.

Far from being delighted at being asked to demonstrate her magic, the young mystic's eyes narrowed in annoyance. “Why, so you can learn how to do it and upstage me?” Maya asked, crossing her arms in a gesture Twilight had come to recognize as a defensive one.

Twilight flinched back, not so much from the words but the anger with which they were delivered. “What? N-no! That’s not what I meant at all! I don’t like upstaging other ponies!” She backed off quickly.

Maya bit back her first retort—namely, that she wasn’t a pony—and sighed. “Well, sorry to disappoint, but it’s not a parlor trick. Spirit channeling takes great focus and can be really draining. So I only do it when it’s needed, not for show.”

Twilight nodded slowly. “I see. I guess that makes sense. The magic involved must be intense, to call forth a spirit and let it speak through you,” she offered, trying to engage the young mystic by getting her to talk shop.

“Not just speaking,” Maya corrected, though her tone remained short. “Channeling a spirit alters our very body. We take the very form of the spirit we’re channeling.”

“Oh! So a physical transformation takes place?” Twilight grimaced at the thought. “Small wonder it’s so draining. You must have very strong magic, then—full-body physical transformations would exhaust me, even if I was at full power!”

“You seem exhausted enough right now,” Maya noted unsympathetically, not acknowledging the compliment. “Still suffering from your ‘mistake’, I take it?” she spoke, with a raised eyebrow.

Twilight flinched again, recognizing the tone as one that said she deserved it. And maybe I do. “Yes, well… even the best mages make mistakes, Maya,” she said, rubbing a hoof behind her head again.

“And was bringing Nick here a mistake too?” Maya asked, some of her annoyance returning, the nickname she used for Phoenix causing Twilight to blink. “I mean, did you just pop him over here and say ‘hi, I’d like you to defend my friend from murder charges’? Did you take advantage of his habit of putting others before himself, even when those others include an obnoxious blue pony?” she asked, her voice growing more accusatory with each sentence.

This time it was Twilight’s eyes that narrowed. I’m starting to think she’s looking for an excuse to dislike me? “That ‘obnoxious blue pony’ is my friend, Maya. And no, I didn’t ‘take advantage’ of Phoenix—I summoned him on the orders of my mentor and I didn’t know anything about him before he came,” she said defensively, quickly quashing the mental reminder that she had deceived Phoenix about how he’d been brought there and in getting him to talk to Rainbow.

That’s best not mentioned now, though, she knew. “I even offered to send him back if he didn’t want to take the case. He declined because, in his own words, he couldn’t turn his back on the innocent. That’s to his great credit. You should be proud of him for it.”

Maya sighed. “Yeah, that’s Nick, alright. Never could leave others hanging. But that doesn’t explain this!” she snapped, her tone turning strident as she shoved a magazine cover in Twilight’s face—a tabloid showing a picture of her and Phoenix embracing in the library three nights earlier, the headline openly speculating about their ‘forbidden love life’, causing Twilight to cringe. “So what is this about? Did you do something to him, Sparkle? I mean, is this some kind of Stockholm Syndrome thing? Or did you bewitch him with your freaky magic somehow?” she demanded to know, her voice growing more strident.

Twilight laid her ears back, her temper only restrained by her headache and knowledge that Maya was Phoenix’s assistant and an orphan who had lost not only her mother, but her sister. Deep breaths, Twilight. She’s just cranky and sleep-deprived like Phoenix was that first morning. And on top of that, she’s trying to protect him like any good mare would.

“I didn’t ‘bewitch’ him, Maya. I’m not some siren or evil enchantress.” But if I find the pony who took that picture, I’ll give a pretty good impression of one! “Besides, I would have thought someone your age would know to take tabloid articles with a huge grain of salt.”

Maya opened her mouth, then closed it again. “Okay, point. It wouldn’t be the first time the tabloids went off on Nick with some ridiculous rumor. Maybe I’m reading too much into this,” she admitted, tapping the magazine cover like Twilight had seen Phoenix do to documents in court. “Still, Nick’s never shown any interest in girls before. So why were you hugging him like that? That looks a lot more than just friendly to me!” she gave Twilight an askance look. “I mean does Nick actually like you, or is this all just tabloid fantasy?”

Twilight was about to reply, but stopped short. Maybe she doesn’t know about Dahlia? “That’s not my place to say, Maya. If you want to know, ask Phoenix. Because I don’t think you’ll believe it coming from me.”

“Yeah, well… after all the time you’ve had with him, I’m not sure I can believe it coming from him!” she said in frustration, blinking her bleary eyes. “So just be careful, Sparkle—this ain’t normal for Nick and I won’t let him be hurt. If you break his heart, you answer to me,” she promised, crossing her arms again and glaring.

Twilight was getting exasperated, and her magical hangover didn’t help. “I’d never hurt him, Maya. And excuse me for being blunt, but what exactly is your problem?” Is this more about Phoenix, or me? she suddenly wondered, increasingly certain there was some underlying fear or anxiety Maya wasn’t voicing. “Phoenix wasn’t this suspicious when I first pulled him here. Why are you?”

Maya stared at Twilight in disbelief. “What’s my problem? What’s my problem?” she repeated, suddenly standing up and turning away.

“My problem is we shouldn’t be here! My problem is you pulled Nick and the rest of us here against our will and now say we can’t go back for days! My problem is that the longer we stay here, the more chance you have to work whatever spell you’re weaving on Nick and he might not want to leave! My problem is that we’re now stuck here without so much as a web link or a change of clothes, and I can’t even get a decent burger in this place!” she all but exploded, taking Twilight aback. “I mean, seriously. If I wanted to stay vegan I would’ve never left Kurain Village…” she muttered under her breath.

With that, Twilight felt some of her exasperation recede. Now I see. So this isn’t just about Phoenix, it’s about being ripped from her home and everything she knows. Guess she’s suffering from a bad case of culture shock and taking it out on the pony who brought her here, Twilight reasoned, suddenly feeling a pang of sympathy for the teenaged human. Can hardly blame her for that. Wonder how I’d manage if I got thrown through a portal into a brand new world I knew nothing about; where all my knowledge and abilities were suddenly useless?

“Look—I’m truly sorry about the summoning. I swear I didn’t realize that would happen; I was just trying to help Phoenix get in touch with you—at his request, I might add. And listen—Phoenix had a lot of trouble adjusting to this world too, but he did in time. There’s no reason you can’t as well.” One part of Maya’s rant bubbled up in her mind, and she smiled. “Also, if you’re worried about clothes, my friend Rarity can easily solve that issue. She’s already repaired Phoenix’s suit a couple times.”

“Wha—? Why are you assuming I even want to adjust?! I don’t!!” Maya threw her hands up in the air, ignoring Twilight’s suggestion. “I don’t want to be here; I don’t want anything to do with this place!” she told the universe at large, looking ready to tear her hair out in frustration in a fit of teenage angst.

Twilight’s pang of sympathy disappeared as quickly as it arrived. Didn’t expect she’d be so immature. Just how in the hoof does Phoenix put up with her? “Well, I’m sorry, Maya, but you’re stuck here for a bit. It’s out of my control until my horn heals and I’ve regained sufficient power to send you home safely. It’s your choice whether you want to accept this place, and you can stay cooped up in here if you want, but I’m not going to just stand here and listen to you complain all day,” she said, pointedly trotting past her into the kitchen. “So if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to grab a quick bite, and then I need to catch up with Phoenix before the trial.”

Maya stuck her tongue out, making Twilight wonder if she was eighteen or eight. “Will that be all, Miss Fey?” the latter asked in strained patience.

“Yeah,” the human teen said sullenly, realizing that she was on the verge of pushing Twilight too far, and perhaps getting in trouble with Phoenix or even Pearly for it, who had awoken as excited and eager to explore Equestria as much as Maya just wanted to shut it all out. “Actually, there is one more thing,” she reluctantly admitted.

“What?” Twilight asked, her tone clipped.

Maya suddenly grimaced and clutched at herself, all but doubling over. “Where’s the bathroom!?” she asked in extreme urgency.

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom No. 1
June 16th, 9:58 AM

Phoenix was having a hard time standing still while waiting for court to begin, under far more scrutiny than he was used to.

It wasn’t just the fact that defending Trixie would be in some ways his most difficult case yet, both for her unquestionable guilt and caustic personality, but for who else was there. Miles Edgeworth watching from the spectator stands added an additional layer of pressure, as did the presence of Maya and Pearls, who were sitting with Twilight’s friends.

He didn’t worry about Pearls, at least. She had—to Twilight’s apparent chagrin—been befriended by not just Apple Bloom but the whole of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, a group which included Apple Bloom and Scootaloo as well as Rarity’s younger sister Sweetie Belle. Maya, however, was staring in some anger and jealousy at Twilight, who was taking the young mystic’s usual place at Phoenix’s side in the co-counsel position. Phoenix had explained to her that, not knowing Equestria, she couldn’t give him proper assistance—“Trust me, Maya, I had to learn the hard way that you can’t come in here cold.” He grimaced at the memory—but his teenage assistant didn’t seem inclined to accept it, turning her ire on Twilight for it.

I’m really going to have to sit those two down, Phoenix decided, not entirely certain where Maya’s moodiness was coming from. She’s usually pretty hard to ruffle and takes things in stride. Sure would like to know what happened yesterday, but I can’t worry about it now.

At that moment, the clock struck ten. “All rise,” the head bailiff called—the same white stallion who had projected the shield spell during the duel, he was surprised to see. They must have assigned him to this trial in case Trixie goes off again, he reasoned, missing Twilight’s double-take when she first spotted him—the ponies and humans in the room standing respectfully as the back door to the courtroom opened. “Ponyville District Court is now in session for the trial of Trixie Lulamoon. The honorable Fair Verdict presiding.”

“Be seated,” the robed earth pony mare called out somewhat gruffly, telling Phoenix she was the kind of judge who was very no-nonsense and not easily impressed, her mane balled up in a tight bun and wearing a pair of narrow reading glasses that accented her severe look.

Don’t judge a book by its cover. She might be a good change of pace. Phoenix tried to give her the benefit of the doubt.

“Are both sides ready?” she asked the ritual question.

“The defense is ready, Your Honor,” Phoenix replied automatically, wondering why Trixie had slumped at the sight of her.

“Great. Fair Verdict. I’m dead,” she muttered under her breath just loudly enough for Phoenix to hear.

The named mare gave Phoenix a look that was equal parts dismissive and disdainful. “Your reputation precedes you, Phoenix Wright, but carries no weight in my court. You are hereby warned I do not tolerate shenanigans like the kind that apparently went on during the trial of Rainbow Dash, and I will have no qualms about piling on additional penalties and contempt citations to the ones you already earned. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Your Honor,” he acknowledged quickly, hearing the snap in her voice. Or she might just be a horse’s—

“It had better be. And the prosecution?” She shifted her thin gaze right, where the bench once again sat empty.

Wonder if Vinyl’s about to reappear? Phoenix grimaced at the thought, waiting for the lights to go out and heavy bass beats to begin again, suddenly wishing he’d brought a pair of earplugs.

“The prosecution is ready, Your Honor,” a different, but equally familiar mare’s voice spoke up just as Phoenix glanced at Twilight.

When he looked back in shock, he was stunned to see—“Delta Requiem?”

While Phoenix’s reaction was one of open astonishment, Fair Verdict’s was one of carefully concealed surprise. “You honor us with your presence, milady. I am happy to see the Prosecutor’s Office finally taking these cases seriously and assigning proper ponies, Lady Requiem,” she recovered quickly. “I admit I had no particular interest in sitting through another of Vinyl Scratch’s jam sessions or dealing with that pompous prince.”

Prince? Phoenix blinked. There are male alicorns too?

Delta nodded, a slight smile on her face. “I am here in my capacity as a royal court officer and head of judicial affairs, Your Honor, to ensure that this case is adjudicated properly,” she said, placing an odd emphasis on the last word that make Phoenix think it was a warning. “I wish all present to know that the eyes of the royal court are on this chamber, and a fair trial is expected.”

Fair Verdict raised her eye ridges, as did Phoenix, the latter wondering why the princesses would take an interest in Trixie’s trial. “I am surprised you think I would be anything but impartial, milady,” the mare judge struck a note of offense, though Phoenix heard a slight tone of apprehension in her voice.

Or did I just imagine that? He wasn’t at all sure.

Delta gave another sly smile. “Not at all, Your Honor. I simply feel that certain measures must be taken. The integrity and independence of the Prosecutor’s Office has been called into question, due to some rather… unusual caseassignments in recent days,” she explained, a coy note in her voice; up in the stands, Edgeworth blinked at the aspersions cast against his profession’s integrity. “Given the theatrics of recent trials, I thought it best to ensure this case is prosecuted properly by attending to it personally. Nothing more.”

Nothing more? I doubt that! Phoenix sensed an evasion in her answer, leaving him certain she wasn’t giving the full reason she was there. He’d gotten a taste of her sharp mind and no-nonsense disposition back at his hearing, and he couldn’t imagine she would be anything but professional. And yet, he also couldn’t imagine she would take a direct role in a routine trial without a very good reason. Well, I can’t worry about that now, he decided as Delta took a breath, presumably for her opening statement.

He was surprised when she addressed him, instead. “Before I begin, Mister Wright, do you have any earth-shattering revelations to spring on the court today? I would rather not take after Vinyl Scratch and be caught flat-hooved.”

Phoenix blinked. “You’ll forgive me if I make it a point not to tip my hand to the prosecution, Lady Requiem.”

Delta smirked. “Fair enough.” She then began her opening statement, noting that by losing her temper over a lost case, Trixie’s weather and ice abilities became a danger to those around her, and had caused massive damage to the courtroom. “And therefore, both to punish Ms. Lulamoon for her actions and encourage her to learn proper control of her emotions and powers, the prosecution seeks a six-month prison term, and a fine equal to the damages caused to the courtroom,” she concluded.

“That would impose undue hardship on my client, Your Honor!” Phoenix quickly spoke up. “Her livelihood was destroyed during her previous visit to Ponyville, and with a suspended law license, she has no other means of income at the moment.”

“That is hardly an issue to this court,” Fair Verdict replied acidly. “And I find the prosecution’s recommended sentence woefully inadequate for the crimes committed. If found guilty, I intend to give your client the maximum possible sentence on all counts, not just one.”

Phoenix’s jaw fell open, exchanging a horrified glance with Twilight. Maximum sentence on all five hundred counts of Reckless Endangerment? That would put her away for LIFE! “Sentencing has to wait for the trial and a guilty verdict, Your Honor! You cannot pass judgment on my client without hearing all the facts in the case!”

“I do not need to be lectured by you on my judicial duties, human,” she said in annoyance, looking down at him over her glasses, her tone and expression one of pure disdain. “Lady Requiem, call your first witness.”

She frowned as well, but obeyed. “Yes, Your Honor. My first witness is one of the playback crystal recorders present on the afternoon of June 11th in Courtroom #2,” she said, a unicorn bailiff mare bringing forth a large, diamond-like octahedron that Phoenix belatedly recognized as the same kind of crystal that was mounted at the apex of the high courtroom ceiling and on the corners of the courtroom walls.

Oh. I thought they were just for decoration! he thought in some surprise.

The crystal floating and rotating before her, the unicorn bailiff closed her eyes and flared her horn. Her magic caused a shaft of light not unlike a projector beam to come out of one of the faceted surfaces, except that the beam projected its image into thin air, similar to what Twilight had done for her memory playback spells. It showed the end of Sonata’s confession followed by Trixie’s elemental explosion from the corner to The Judge’s right, on Trixie’s side of the courtroom.

The display was suddenly consumed by a blizzard, and just as suddenly dispersed as Twilight tapped her own powers. The two unicorns then went into a staredown, Twilight planting herself in front of him, head lowered and eyes aglow, her mane and tail erupting in flames as she warned Trixie that she wouldn’t let her friends be hurt… which, Phoenix noted more dispassionately than he’d been able to at the time, seemed to be the thing that finally sent Trixie over the edge, unleashing the full force of her tempest on Twilight. Interesting. That might be something worth exploring during the trial!

He saw Twilight initially hard-pressed and not fighting back, just struggling to defend him and the others with translucent purple shields. She might even have been overcome until her efforts got replaced by a single large shield when the white bailiff stallion arrived and projected his own, more powerful version of the spell down, isolating the combatants from the rest of the court while the duel proceeded.

Still don’t know who that stallion is, but I swear Twilight knows him! he noted again with a glance at the impassive unicorn bailiff, resolving to ask her about him later. Regardless of his identity, the stallion’s intervention allowed both unicorns to bring all their considerable power to bear without fear of hurting bystanders, Trixie using lightning and Twilight taking her frightening full-fire form, ice and flame clashing spectacularly between them.

While Trixie looked away, lip quivering and seemingly unwilling to witness her defeat a second time, Phoenix glanced up into the stands to see that Maya had gone pale as she watched the spectacle, giving fearful glances at Twilight and Trixie; even Edgeworth appeared disconcerted by the incredible display of power. In sharp contrast, Pearls was in visible awe, excitedly whispering to everyone around her.

The duel proceeded for barely a minute until Trixie collapsed from exhaustion, leaving Twilight the victor, and the courtroom in shambles. Didn’t realize it took so little time. It felt like an eternity when it was happening. Good thing I’ll probably never have to see a courtroom in that condition on Earth! Phoenix chuckled nervously, only then realizing how tightly he was gripping the edge of his bench.

“A cut-and-dry case if I ever saw one,” Fair Verdict pronounced as the playback concluded, showing a ruined chamber and hastily abandoned spectator stands, possessions left behind in the rush to leave. “Windigos and weather witches are shunned for good reason. I thank the prosecution for reminding us why.”

Phoenix shared another startled look with Twilight. “Personal biases have no place in the courtroom, Your Honor! And I will thank Your Honor not to refer to my client by such derogatory terms!”

Fair Verdict harrumphed. “I speak nothing but the truth. Did you yourself not say during the trial of Rainbow Dash that seeking the truth is a defense attorney’s highest calling?”

Phoenix slammed his hands down. “The full truth, which we don’t have yet! You can’t just pass judgment based on a single video! You haven’t given me a chance to present a defense!”

“Oh, really?” she smirked. “By all means, then. But just how do you intend to cross-examine a recording, human?” she dripped scorn on the last word.

Twilight’s eyes narrowed at the disrespect shown towards Phoenix, who was trying mightily to hold on to his own temper. “You know her actions, which I cannot dispute. But you don’t know everything that led to them! And without that knowledge, you cannot render judgment or impose a proper sentence!”

The robed mare rolled her eyes. “Ah, so that’s it. Let me guess—you’re planning to share with this court some sob story about a broken foalhood, misunderstood magic, and a failed career,” she all but sneered.

“Well, let me save you the trouble, Wright—such arguments carry no weight with me! All that matters to this court is what was seen on the crystal recorder—your client behaving like the Scion of the Nightmare she is and endangering the lives of countless innocent ponies just because she couldn’t stomach the fact that she’d lost to a mere human. And had it not been for your marefriend,” she added with a look of utter disgust, “you likely wouldn’t even be here!”

“Wha—I wasn’t going to kill him!” Trixie shouted, earning another sharp rap from the judge.

Phoenix shared a look of disbelief with Twilight, who looked just as shocked and angry as he was. “That is a very false and ugly reading of the situation, Your Honor, as my own witnesses and evidence will show! It is my right to present them, and you cannot pass judgment without considering them!”

“It may be your right, but it will make no difference. There is nothing to consider or discuss,” she hissed out. “You’re not qualified to question things you know nothing about!”

Phoenix was passing merely irate and entering outright fury, pounding his palms down on the rail with enough force to cause pain. In the stands, both Maya and Edgeworth were looking angry as well, the former clenching her fists while the latter gave his best impression of his late mentor’s deadly glare. “Oh, really? I’m not qualified to discuss blind bigotry?” Phoenix challenged, his jaw set.

Her eyes narrowed. “Tread carefully, human. I run a tight court, and I have no qualms about tossing you in jail on the spot.”

Phoenix drew himself up straight and pointed right at the mare judge. “Your Honor, the defense demands your immediate recusal from this case! You are clearly biased against both my client and myself!”

“Save your breath, Wrong,” Trixie spoke up in resignation and contempt. “Her alias in legal circles is ‘Summary Judgment’ for a reason—‘Fair Verdict’ is nothing but self-mockery. Compassion is as foreign a concept to her as fairness.”

“The defendant will be silent,”the judge hissed again before turning her glare back on Phoenix. “Are you questioning my impartiality, Phoenix Wright? That alone should earn you another contempt citation!” She grinned unpleasantly, raising her hoof to bring it down like a gavel.

Phoenix smirked and crossed his arms. “I’ll accept it gladly, Your Honor! And at my review board hearing, I’ll be sure to call your behavior into question, including multiple infractions of court rules and a demonstrated bias against my client just for being an ice and weather elemental!”

“The prosecution agrees, Your Honor,” came Delta’s voice from the other bench. She was, surprisingly, giving the judge her own steely glare. “By your words, you have all but proven that my presence here is indeed a necessity. And I would remind Your Honor that as head of the Equestrian Judicial Review Board, I have ample authority to order your removal from the bench.”

Fair Verdict was severe, but she was far from stupid. “I’m also aware, Lady Requiem, that unless I am caught in a particularly egregious act of wrongdoing, you are legally unable to order my removal. Words are merely that, after all; just words! Also, I’m surprised that somepony of your station would empathize with an elemental, especially one with two unnatural abilities that have notable stigmas surrounding them!”

Delta was looking the least composed since Phoenix had first seen her at his board hearing; her jaw was set in a grimace, and her sapphire blue eyes seemed to burn like the hottest stars. “My ‘station’ has little to do with basic empathy,” she retorted, bringing a hoof down on her bench. “And if you’d done your research on me, you’d know full well why I carry a degree of empathy for the defendant and her ‘unnatural abilities’, as you so ignorantly call them.”

Now what does that mean? Phoenix wondered. Does Delta possess some rare ability herself?
“I… am aware of your talent, Lady Requiem,” Fair Verdict answered carefully, perhaps aware she was treading on thin ice. “But a simple spellsinger cannot compare with the threat posed by a weather witch!”

“What’s a ‘spellsinger’?” Phoenix asked, turning towards Twilight.

“It’s pretty much what it sounds like; somepony who casts magic via the use of song,” she answered quietly, trying to keep her own temper from flaring at Fair Verdict’s blatant bigotry. “It’s a very rare magical talent, but one that isn’t restricted to unicorns. Because of her ability and intelligence, Delta was named the Bard of the Royal Court. From what I’ve read of the subject, she’s actually quite powerful, at least in comparison to those who’ve come before her.”

“Bard?” Phoenix repeated, blinking. “So that’s an actual position within the Court?”

“Yes,” Twilight confirmed in a low whisper. “Bard is a very prestigious post, and not one given lightly. It means you’re not only an entertainer and adviser, but an agent of the court that serves the princesses in whatever capacity needed,” she finished, turning her attention back to the ongoing conversation. “It’s not just a matter of musical talent—you have to be both smart and powerful to gain it, and have proven yourself repeatedly.”

“It ‘cannot compare’, you say? I’d beg to differ,” Delta was saying, a deep frown on her face as she continued to glare at Fair Verdict. “And calling it ‘simple’ shows just how truly ignorant you are!”

Twilight called out and stepped out from behind the bench, all eyes on her as she trotted out to the center of the courtroom.

“Twilight?” Phoenix called. “What are you doing?”

“Sorry, Phoenix,” she answered, shooting a quick glance at him, and then the white stallion bailiff. “But if she’s determined to find Trixie guilty, we’ve got nothing to lose. This may get me thrown in jail, but I have to do it.”

“Miss Sparkle,” Fair Verdict addressed Twilight, her tone only slightly more respectful than it was towards Phoenix. “You are out of line. Return to your bench.”

“No!” Twilight defied her, planting herself in the middle of the courtroom pit and making herself the center of attention. “I will not stand by while you condemn a pony without a fair trial and for no other reason that she has powers you find distasteful,” she began, magically enhancing her voice.

“No other reason?” Fair Verdict repeated in disbelief. “She destroyed a courtroom and endangered every pony inside! And why are you defending her? She attacked your human, Twilight Sparkle!”

“I’m defending her because while it’s easy to do nothing, it’s hard to forgive,” Twilight said, causing Maya to blink and give her an askance look. “I’m defending her because in the darkest times, hope is something you give yourself, Your Honor. That is the meaning and source of inner strength,” she went on as Maya’s brow furrowed in surprise and confusion, Trixie likewise giving her rival a bewildered look. “And having fought her, I now know that inner strength is something Trixie has in spades.

“I’m defending her because she needs forgiveness and because while it is always best to believe in oneself, a little help from others can be a great blessing—a lesson I once had to learn for myself!” She stood up straighter while Maya gaped at her in disbelief. “I know now she had a magical temper tantrum that was the culmination of years of repression and mental abuse. But she hurt nopony for it, and I don’t believe she truly meant to either. You can no more punish her for her powers than you can a pegasus for flying or an earth pony for farming!”

“Those are normal. She is not! And if you think that—”

“And just what is normal, Your Honor?” Twilight cut the older mare off hard. “As I look around, I see that in this very courtroom is an air elemental, an earth pony who can teleport, a zebra who practices alchemy, a pegasus who can cast spells by simple song, and even a pair of humans who can channel departed spirits!” she said, causing surprised looks to be shot at Maya and Pearls, Twilight’s friends immediately asking if that was true.

“Are they freaks? Is what they do unnatural?” Twilight brought her hoof down hard, cutting off their responses. “All ponies have an elemental alignment even if very few can express it directly as me or Trixie can. Her weather and ice powers are as much a part of her as fire is me, and she should not be condemned just for having them!”

“Her abilities are dangerous, Miss Sparkle!And she should not be allowed to walk among regular ponies!” Fair Verdict insisted, and Phoenix cringed to hear some grudging agreement from the gallery.

Twilight looked down for a moment as she heard the sounds herself. Only one thing left to do, then. She shot a sharp look at Shining Armor, who was watching her warily, locking eyes with him as Trixie picked up a brief telepathic current passing between them. Whatever was said in their unspoken conversation, the white stallion gave Twilight an almost imperceptible nod.

With that, Twilight steeled herself. I’m going to regret this, but… “More dangerous… than THIS?” she asked as she levitated herself two feet off the ground and transformed into the creature of fire Phoenix had seen before, sheets of flame swirling around her, the intense radiant heat causing Phoenix to flinch back hard—protected by the shield spell during the duel, he hadn’t been able to feel it before, but now?

He stared at her, both in awe and aghast, suddenly feeling like a moth drawn to a flame. So beautiful… so powerful… how can I hold a candle to… THAT?

“Miss Sparkle!” a visibly alarmed Fair Verdict called out, her eyes wide as the flames licked dangerously close to her bench, shooting a pleading look at the white stallion, who watched closely but made no immediate move to cast a shield spell or otherwise intervene. “Cease this display at once! You might burn somepony or set the courtroom on fire!”

“EXACTLY, Your Honor!” Twilight shouted to be heard over the roar of her own flames, which she cut off as quickly as she'd ignited them as she began descending back to the floor, her white fur turning purple again but eyes still aglow with fiery red light.

That… hurt! Twilight struggled to hide her pain, realizing she’d just reaggravated the injury to her horn, still sore from the triple summon of two days earlier and now compounded by resistance from the courtroom’s magical suppression field. And so much for sending Phoenix’s friends home any time soon!

“I’m making the point that I could do as much or more damage than Trixie if I wanted to! My powers are no less dangerous than hers, the only difference is, who they take after. And that alone does not make them good or bad—if it came down to it, I’m sure we could find some fire elementals who were evil or used their powers for ill!” she said, causing Trixie to nod ruefully.

“She speaks for all of us!” another voice shouted from the stands, followed by a great blast of wind that scattered his papers and made Phoenix think that Trixie was casting her weather magic again, but this wind was warm and dry, not icy. As he watched, Hurricane Wind deployed her glider and descended into the pit, planting herself beside Twilight, who nodded and smiled at her fellow unicorn.

“I am Hurricane Wind, an air elemental,” she announced, ending her wind with a flare of her horn and retracting her glider into the apparatus that mounted it on her back. “I’m not as powerful as Miss Sparkle or Lulamoon, but I had to hide my abilities growing up for fear of being called a freak. With no one to learn from, I had to teach myself to wield wind and how to fly on it. I had take a magical disguise and assume the alias of a pegasus just to pursue my racing dreams and do what I loved.

“So I know better than most what Trixie had to go through—I learned the hard way that it’s only when we hit our lowest point we are open to the greatest change,” she added, causing Maya to flinch back, her eyes wide. “And so it can be for Miss Trixie—if she is given the support she needs. And to that end, I will not stand by while you condemn her just for having a talent you deem ‘unnatural’!”

“Nor will I!”a new voice shouted, its owner leaping down out of the stands. Phoenix had seen her at a distance but never met this one, a lilac unicorn mare with a two-tone purple mane and eyes he could only describe as raspberry, possessing a cutie mark of two circling dolphins that roughly formed a yin/yang symbol.

“I am Sea Swirl,” she announced, flanking Twilight to the other side, exchanging a brief nod of greeting with her friend. “And as for what I can do?” her horn flared and all the water suddenly flowed upwards out the pitchers on both attorney benches, the liquid swirling in geometric patterns around her before taking the form of two circling dolphins in direct imitation of her cutie mark.

“I’m a water elemental, and although I can’t directly influence weather, I can create ice!” She froze the dolphins as an example, but still keeping them circling in the air. “So does that make me a Windigo? Am I evil, Your Honor?” She reverted the ice back to water with a simple flare of her horn, making a show of returning the liquid to their sources.

I’m not sure I want to drink that now! Phoenix watched his pitcher refill warily.

“Unlike Trixie or Hurricane Wind, I didn’t have to hide my talent growing up. But I can only imagine what it would have done to me if I did!” she went on, speaking quickly, giving the judge no chance to cut her off. “And in any event, I think I speak for all of us when I say it’s not our elemental abilities that define us—it’s how we use them! And to that end, I live my life according to one very simple rule: that I will never, ever turn my back on ponies who need me—and that includes Trixie Lulamoon!”

In the stands, Maya went slack-jawed while Trixie stared at the scene in bewilderment, not understanding why her rival and two ponies she had never even met were defending her so passionately.

Fair Verdict appeared about ready to have all three unicorns clapped in irons, her ire raised even further as she heard a chuckle and series of applauding hoofclops come from Delta Requiem. “Well, well. Who would have guessed Ponyville was such a hotspot for rare and unusual magical abilities? This is the most entertainment I’ve gotten in a while, and usually I’m the one who does the entertaining!”

If looks could kill, Fair Verdict’s glare would have slain Delta on the spot. “I’d advise caution, Lady Requiem. Your station doesn’t put you above a contempt citation, you know. And though you are the head of the Judicial Review board, right now, you are the prosecutor for this case, and I am the judge! While you are at the top of the legal food chain, you’re not the biggest timberwolf in the pack.”

As she spoke, Delta’s grin was slowly getting bigger. When Fair Verdict finished, the amaranth mare lifted off into a hover, and—to Phoenix’s shock—belted out a lyric while pointing at the judge:

Don’t you disrespect me, little mare!
Don’t you derogate, or deride!
You’re in my world now, not your world
And I have friends on the royal side!

As Delta sang, the lights inexplicably dimmed in the courtroom, casting the whole room in shadow. When she reached the third line of the lyric, she spread her forelegs in an arching pattern. As she did so, a ‘rainbow’ of fire followed her hooves, leaving her with an arching, multicolored inferno above her as she ended the short verse, a series of dancing shadows appearing on the walls and ceiling around them; silhouettes of ponies and other creatures.

“What… just… happened?” Phoenix barely croaked, his skin crawling and hairs on the back of his neck sticking straight out from the feel of the shadows washing over him; in the stands, Pinkie and Maya were clutching each other while Applejack and Fluttershy shielded Pearl.

Fair Verdict took it little better than they did. “What… what was that?” she whispered, her eyes darting around nervously.

“That, Your Honor, was the barest taste of my talent. According to Princess Celestia, I’m perhaps the most powerful spellsinger in recorded history,” Delta explained, giving the judge an incredibly intimidating stare. “In fact, one could make an argument that I’m actually more dangerous than Miss Lulamoon or Sparkle.”

Fair Verdict laughed slightly, her nervousness plain for all to see. “And how would such an argument be made? You sing, Lady Requiem, and quite well, too, but how does that compare to a weather witch’s danger?”

“Simple, Your Honor: versatility,” Delta countered. “While my abilities alone lack the raw power of true elemental might, I can do things with my Spellsinging that no elemental could with their powers alone. With the right song and enough force of will? I could cause enough chaos to make the legendary Discord proud!”

“Be that as it may…” Fair Verdict said, struggling to regain her composure as well as control of her courtroom, “I have to ask that all of you return to your seats! The one on trial is Trixie Lulamoon, and I have the sole authority to hand down her sentence as I see fit!”

Surprisingly, Delta nodded in agreement. “You’re correct about that, Your Honor. It is, of course, your authority that will determine Trixie’s fate. But on the subject of Timberwolves, you should know that it takes more than size to run a pack,” she said, referring to Fair Verdict’s earlier analogy. “One has to be smart as well, and attentive to weak links.”

The severe mare narrowed her eyes. “And just what are you implying, Lady Requiem?”

“Me? I’m implying nothing at all,” Delta replied, though Phoenix saw her lips twitch slightly upwards. “I’m certainly not implying that a judge with well-known, groundless biases against those who possess rare but powerful abilities should never have been assigned to oversee a trial of a pony who possesses two such abilities. And I can’t help but wonder if the court schedule was fixed by an outside party to ensure just that.”

Fair Verdict sputtered at the brazen insult. “H-how dare you! Just because you serve the Princess directly, it doesn’t give you the right—!” She slammed her forehoof down on the bench, causing a slip of paper to fly out of the sleeve of her robe.

Eyes widening, the earth pony mare made to snatch it back, but it had drifted too far away. Fluttering through the still air of the courtroom, it landed on the floor next to the three elementals. Hurricane Wind picked it up in her aura, thinking to return it until she saw precisely what was on the small, rectangular slip, as well as another small piece of scroll paper that was folded around it. Her eyes widened, as did Twilight and Sea Swirl’s. “Your Honor—what is this?” Twilight asked in a shocked tone, gesturing for Hurricane Wind to pass the note to Phoenix.

Blinking, Phoenix took a look at the proffered papers himself, and had to bite back a curse of surprise. “That… looks like grounds for immediate recusal,” he said in prize understatement. I’ve dealt with corrupt police and prosecutors, but NEVER a corrupt judge! he thought. Then again, I’ve only ever had the one!

Delta arched an eye ridge. “Might I ask what has the defense and our elemental entourage so worked up?”

In response, Hurricane Wind floated the slips over to her. Delta took them in her hoof, looking them over. To her credit, her only physical reaction was a narrowing of her eyes. She set both papers down on her bench, and then looked up at Fair Verdict, who was now visibly sweating.

“Your Honor—care to explain this?” Delta asked in a deceptively mild tone. “This is a check, in the amount of twenty thousand bits. It’s a generic bank check, so the paying party is unclear. However, the attached letter says it's a 'down payment' for 'putting Trixie Lulamoon away for life’.”

There was a silence in the courtroom, followed by an explosion of angered chatter from the gallery. Fair Verdict rapped her hoof, despite her nervousness, to no avail. It seemed to Phoenix that a riot was going to break out right there in the courtroom, when—

The thunderous shout brought a swift end to the clamor as a new pony made his way out of the gallery to the courtroom pit, the bailiffs making no move to stop him, even stepping back to allow him to come forward.

Phoenix didn’t realize why until he abruptly recognized the tan unicorn with the blonde beard and gavel cutie mark as Due Process, the judge for Sonata’s trial. The stallion had a hard look in his eyes as he approached the judge’s bench, stopping a few paces in front of the three mares. Next to them and a visibly distressed Fair Verdict, he looked rather imposing.

“To think that I would live to see one of Ponyville’s judges sink to such base corruption,” he said slowly, every syllable trembling with cold fury. “How dare you betray your bench and stoop so low as to be selling your verdicts!”

He brought his hoof down hard with an unnatural booming sound as he spoke, and the courtroom immediately shook violently from the force of the impact, causing Edgeworth to reflexively cringe and cower in the stands. “And on the subject of ‘unnatural’ abilities, I happen to be an earth elemental! Though it isn’t reflected in my name or special talent, it is a part of who I am, just as it is a part of these fine mares who have revealed themselves to this court!” he went on, sweeping his hoof to indicate the three unicorns and Delta.

“Due Process, I c-cannot approve of your—” the female judge stammered, trailing off when his eyes narrowed further.

“I am not looking for your approval! I know who I am!” he shot back, causing Maya to facepalm with a loud smack. “I am a judge and a father, a unicorn and an earth elemental, and above all else, a simple pony who wishes to do right by others! And in this instance, doing right means stopping you from doing wrong!”

Fire, air, water and earth, Phoenix cataloged, glancing at Twilight, Hurricane Wind, Sea Swirl and Due Process in turn, wondering what to make of Maya’s reactions. But what would you call somebody who could wield all four?

Fair Verdict, despite her situation, wouldn't back down without a fight. “N-now see here, Due Process, I-I am still in charge here, and—”

Bellowed the stallion in a booming, magically enhanced voice, unleashing another sharp tremor with the stomp of his hoof, quickly silencing the mare along with the rest of the gallery as some dust fell from the ceiling, Rarity offering a cowering Edgeworth comfort. “If you want to salvage even a shred of your dignity, you will step down, now! I will take over this trial!” He paused and glanced at Delta. “That is, if you have no objections, Lady Requiem?”

“None at all.” Delta’s voice carried the same air of authority in it that Phoenix remembered from his hearing. “Fair Verdict, you will appear before the Equestrian Board of Judicial Review in two days’ time to account for your actions and words this day, to say nothing of this!” She tapped the cheque that was still on her bench. “As head of the Board, I am invoking my authority—step down now! Unless you wish to be placed under immediate arrest for obstruction of justice in addition to accepting a bribe.”

The earth pony mare tried to speak, but under the withering gazes of Delta, Due Process, and the three elemental mares in the pit, she couldn’t get her words out. She opened and closed her mouth several times, swallowing nervously as the rest of the gallery got over their shock and joined in glaring at her.

Seeing her distress, Delta went on. “I would remind you, Fair Verdict, that nopony is above the law. From the poorest of paupers to the Princesses in their palace, all must be judged equally should they do wrong! You, too, shall be judged. It’s your choice as to whether it’s now, or in two days’ time.”

Fair Verdict’s facade held only a moment longer before it crumbled. Slowly, she trotted down the stairs of the judge’s bench, and was escorted out of the courtroom by the white stallion bailiff, who gave Twilight a passing glance and nod. The earth pony mare’s severe look had withered away, and her head was hung low as she left.

Due Process watched her leave, then coughed slightly before turning back to the gallery, who were staring at him and the three mares behind him in awe.

“Ahem. It would seem I need to fill out some forms and attire myself properly now. Bailiffs, please see to any audience members who may need assistance. We will have a fifteen minute recess while I prepare.” He reached up to rap his hoof once on the bench before heading to his chambers.

Once outside the courtroom and escorted to an adjacent but empty chamber, the stallion closed the door and glared at the disgraced earth pony judge before him, his entire countenance changing instantly from a mere guard to somepony far more powerful and authoritative. He stood up straight and tall before her, looking upon her with sheer contempt. "Betraying your bench and accepting a bribe? You disgust me, Fair Verdict!” he told her. “And unlike the Judicial Review Board, I have the authority to do something about it right now!”

Fair Verdict's eyes narrowed as she gave a mocking laugh in return. "And just what in Tartarus are you babbling about, bailiff? You have no authority over me except that granted you by your uniform and Lady Requiem!”

The stallion merely sniffed and flicked his mane briefly. "As a simple bailiff that might be true, Fair Verdict. But be assured that a simple bailiff, I am not!” With that, his horn flared and he brought out a very distinctive crystalline medallion, a red ruby emblazoned with the sun and moon overlaid with a smaller shield. “I am a high-ranking agent of the crown, able to act in the Princesses stead. And thus, I can arrest you on my own authority!”

This revelation caused Fair Verdict to gasp and step back a few steps from the stallion. “But… you... how…?”

"Judge Fair Verdict, I am Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard!” he confirmed with a tone of voice he reserved for inspections and dressing down subordinates who had failed to perform to expectations, returning the medallion to an inner pocket of his bailiff uniform. “And by the power vested in me by Celestia herself, I am taking you into custody pending the outcome of a royal investigation into your actions as a judge in Ponyville's court system!” he informed the ashen mare with no small amount of satisfaction, his horn flaring again to materialize magical restraints and place them on her. “And be assured, you will be facing far more than a judicial misconduct board hearing upon its conclusion!”

“But—” she sputtered.

“But nothing!” he all but growled, tapping another crystal inside his uniform. “The Princesses do not take kindly to such corruption in the courts, and you can be assured that when they speak with you, that you will feel their full displeasure! You will be taken to Canterlot immediately and held pending full investigation into your finances and actions, including who gave you this!” He waved the check and note at her. “I suggest you get a good lawyer—if, that is, you can find any that will represent you!” He allowed himself an evil grin, certain that not even Phoenix Wright could save her.

“How dare you!” she managed one final note of defiance as the Earth Pony-quality restraints were locked into place.

“I dare, Your so-called Honor. Sergeant!" he called out as another seemingly innocuous bailiff entered the empty courtroom and saluted him despite his lower rank insignia, obeying instructions to take her into custody before escorting her out the back. When they exited, she found several more disguised and completely unsympathetic Guardsponies waiting, who slapped her in more substantial irons before removing her from the courthouse entirely.

She was placed onto the next train to Canterlot without incident and soon she was leaving the town behind, reflecting ruefully about how things had gone from incredibly well to utterly wrong in a matter of mere moments, bewildered as to how the letter and payment she’d so carefully hidden and secured in her sleeve had gotten free at the worst possible time.

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom No. 1
June 16th, 10:39 AM

“All Rise,” the returned white stallion bailiff announced again, a satisfied smile on his face. “Ponyville District Court is once again in session for the trial of Trixie Lulamoon. The honorable and esteemed Due Process… presiding.” He gave the other unicorn a deep and respectful bow.

“Thank you, bailiff. Please be seated,” Due Process acknowledged as he took his place behind the bench, now clothed in his judicial robes, taking a moment to look out over the courtroom before speaking.

“Corruption of the courts, whether by judges, prosecutors, or defense attorneys, must never be tolerated. The legitimacy of our legal system rests on the integrity of its agents... and adherence to due process,” he concluded with the barest hint of irony in his voice.

“As such, I remind all present that those who enter this courtroom are innocent until proven guilty, and have a right to a fair trial and competent defense,” he added, to the appreciative hoofclops of the gallery. “Fortunately, we have with us today the greatest defense attorney I have ever seen, and a prosecutor held in high esteem by the highest authority in the land.” He nodded to each in turn.

Delta bowed her head in acknowledgment. “I thank Your Honor for his kind words and wisdom. I think all present would agree that we also have a fine judge. So let’s do this, Mister Wright,” she invited with a smile. “I confess, this is the first opportunity I’ve had to take a direct role in a case, but don’t pull any punches just because I’m new to this,” she warned him, though there was a note of banter in her voice. “I promise I’m no pushover.”

Wow—a PLEASANT prosecutor? Phoenix thought in amazement. A case that’s just a friendly battle of legal wits over a six-month sentence instead of a winner-take-all murder trial with a guilty verdict and death penalty hanging on my every action? He smiled as well, deciding he liked the idea. Well then. This might even be fun! “I wouldn’t dream of it. The defense is ready, Lady Requiem,” he said aloud, giving her a grin that said he relished the prospect of the attorney duel to come.

She nodded back, favoring him with a sly smile. “Then the prosecution is ready, Phoenix Wright.”

Due Process leaned back in his seat and smiled at their interplay, in clear anticipation of the battle to come. “So be it. Then let the trial… begin!” he said, bringing his hoof down with a sharp rap.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on November 4, 2018.

It's Leo Archon. So, yeah, about that 2 chapters left thing, turns out that exposing a judge's corruption can eat up a lot of words. When we took a look at this thing, it was sitting at 18 pages, towards of which were dedicated to exposing Fair Verdict (my name choice, btw) as a corrupt, bigoted donkey of a mare with no redeeming features. Given that, we decided to split the chapter into two parts, with the first part being the pre-trial and the battle of beliefs against Fair Verdict. The second part will have the trial proper, as well as the post-trial celebrations.

You?ll notice that, even with the split, we?ve ended up with a 28-page, 10000+ word chapter. Firesight and I have done a huge amount of work on this chapter in a very short amount of time. We refined, polished, and otherwise edited this beast of a chapter until we, along with GoldCrow, were satisfied.

You may also notice a new speech bubble or two in this chapter. I've recently started playing Gyakuten Kenji 2's fan-translation, Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth: Prosecutor's Path (and is it just me, or does that title suffer from colon abuse). As one of the characters you cross wits with is a judge, she uses the interjection "Overruled". I thought it appropriate, and so I've tossed it in here. The "Silence" interjection comes from Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies, used primarily by prosecutor Simon Blackquill when he gets serious during a trial. I highly recommend any Ace Attorney fans download this game, as it's well worth the price and space on your memory card (unfortunately, it was never released as a physical copy here in the US, because reasons).

* * * * *

Hey folks! the (semi) honorable and esteemed Firesight here. As Leo says, we had to split this up, turning our final four chapters into five, much as what happened with the videos. :twilightsmile: You may also notice, as Maya did, a certain... theme running through this chapter involving one of my all-time favorite animated series (just don't talk to me about a certain live-action movie abomination.)

I'm aware not everyone appreciates the elemental power subplot in this story. It was originally brought in because I wanted to give Trixie a way to rival Twilight and to set up the duel/backstory chapter, and I actually don?t think it?s a stretch given we've seen Twilight go Rapidaish and Trixie manipulating weather in canon twice each. Like most of my other subplots, it acquired a life of its own and I decided to just roll with it. This is the culmination of it, and the worldbuilding we've introduced here *will* be carried forward into the sequel.

This chapter was an even split between me and Leo. Collaborations can be tricky things sometimes, but we seem to work together well. So my thanks to him, to GoldCrow for his candor?we had to do a major overhaul of the Maya/Twilight scene following his initial review to Ajaficionado for a second preread, and to Raven herself for leaving the story in our care. I?m very happy to say she will be writing again for the ending.

Also, I did a cleanup on the 'Checkmate' chapter, part 52, adding the Cadenza remix of the "Pursuit/Cornered" theme as chapter music. At this point, two chapters plus the epilogue remain. Not much else to say, except hope you've enjoyed the ride!

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Yow! It's me... the Blue mare! Anyway, watch out for my new novel I'm working on, choices to be made by you in order for the story to progress... Find out soon in december!! Oooor a bit delayed... Enjoy the final epidodes of... Phoenix Wright
- TURNABOUT STORM!!!

Part 63 - Trick or Treat

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom No. 1
June 16th, 10:41 AM

“So be it. Then let the trial… begin!” Due Process directed with a smile on his face, bringing his hoof down with a sharp rap. “Lady Requiem, your opening statement, if you please?”

“Of course, Your Honor,” she acknowledged evenly, clearing her throat before beginning. “As this court is well aware... on the afternoon of June 11th, in Courtroom #2, Trixie Lulamoon was prosecuting the murder trial of Rainbow Dash. When she lost her case, she lost her temper as well, causing a massive blizzard to erupt inside the chamber, endangering the well-being of everyone inside. The primary object of her ire was Phoenix Wright himself, and one must ask what would have happened had Miss Sparkle not been there to intervene,” she said, causing Phoenix to suppress a shiver, and not just at the remembered cold.

“Accordingly, to punish her for such reckless behavior and encourage her to master her elemental magic and emotions more fully, the prosecution seeks concurrent six-month sentences on the assault charge and all reckless endangerment counts, plus a fine equal to the damages caused to courtroom #2.”

“That would impose undue hardship on my client, Your Honor!” Phoenix repeated his original point. “As was noted before, her livelihood was destroyed during her previous visit to Ponyville, and with a suspended law license, she has no other means of income at the moment.”

Having heard his argument once already, Delta was quick with her comeback. “Is the defense seriously suggesting that the defendant is incapable of anything but magic shows and legal jobs?” she asked with a smirk. “As ‘great and powerful’ as she claims to be, Miss Lulamoon could do anything from assisting construction crews to weather work.”

Phoenix blinked despite his cry. Whoa—she IS sharp! “And would the prosecution care to explain just who would be willing to hire a known ‘weather witch’ or ‘windigo’?” he countered, hands on the rail, leaning over it to make his point. “And since when do pegasi need help with the weather?”

“We don’t need her help!” Rainbow’s voice shouted out, to sounds of agreement from the gallery and a sharp look from Twilight.

Due Process’s hoof came down hard. “All spectators will refrain from interrupting the proceedings or be removed. But as to the issue at hoof, I agree with the prosecution. I find it very hard to believe that Ms. Lulamoon could not find other uses for her clearly considerable talents. Objection sustained!” He rapped his hoof hard again.

Oof! Phoenix grimaced, rubbing the back of his head. First blood to you, Lady Requiem!

“Regardless, the question of punishment must await a guilty verdict—as I believe the previous pony to occupy this seat reminded us all.” Due Process smiled thinly. “Accordingly, please call your first witness, Lady Requiem.”

“My pleasure, Your Honor,” she acknowledged, bringing out the playback crystal recorder again, forcing all present to watch the duel in its entirety for a second time, making Trixie groan.

When it was finished, Due Process nodded slowly. “As loathe as I am to agree with Fair Verdict, that is pretty cut-and-dry. Do you contest the contents of this video, Mister Wright?”

Phoenix shook his head. “I do not, Your Honor. In fact, at this time the defense wishes to announce a guilty plea—to a single count of reckless endangerment!” he finished, raising his voice to be heard over the sudden upsurge of conversation as Twilight brought out a pair of document scrolls and floated them to the judge and prosecutor’s bench, trying to hide the pain it caused her.

Ow… She resisted the temptation to rub the base of her horn once they were delivered, turning all her aura inward to heal. I’ve GOT to stop pulling stunts like that! she mentally berated herself, realizing that for as many times as she’d overtaxed herself of late, she was going to have to lay off her magic use as much as possible for a bit. Sorry, Maya, but looks like you’ll be here a while longer...

“So received,” Due Process grasped the scroll in his own aura, scanning it quickly. “I see this is for the reckless endangerment count regarding you, Mister Wright. But are you not also pleading guilty to the assault charge?”

Phoenix gave a very deliberate and measured shrug. “No. Because there was no assault, Your Honor.”

Delta Requiem’s voice rang out again, making itself heard over the disbelieving sounds in the gallery. “No assault, Mister Wright? Seriously?” She gave him an askance look. “And just what was she doing, then, if not attacking you?”

Phoenix didn’t bat an eye. “Could we please see the playback again, Your Honor? At least up to the point the duel began?”

“Uh… certainly,” he agreed with a nod at the white stallion bailiff, who Phoenix noticed was also giving him a disbelieving look. Despite his doubts, he obeyed, projecting the first fifteen seconds of the scene.

Phoenix nodded. “Thank you. Now would the prosecution please point out when I was physically attacked?”

“As everyone in this courtroom can plainly see, you were magically attacked, Mister Wright!”

“Her storm was not focused on me, Lady Requiem! Please note that it was present throughout the chamber until my co-counsel’s intervention!” he claimed, asking for it to be played again as Trixie buried her head in her hooves, muttering to herself as they watched the playback twice more.

“Hmmm… that does seem to be the case,” Due Process agreed, eliciting the barest hint of a grin from Phoenix.

As requested, I’m not going easy on you, Lady Requiem! he told the other mare with his thoughts.

But Delta Requiem’s only response was to close her eyes and smile. “Fair point. But there is other evidence of her intent. I would note she was looking directly at you, Mister Wright!” She asked the bailiff to pause the playback right at the moment Trixie raised her head for the first time, to pin Phoenix with her enraged glowing blue-eyed stare. “Why would she do that if her anger was not focused on you, and she had no intent to attack you?”

“If merely looking at someone in anger was a crime, we’d all be sent to the sun, Lady Requiem!” He put his hands on his hips and grinned.

To his surprise, Delta’s smile actually got broader. “Oh? Then let’s look a little further ahead, shall we?” She directed the white stallion bailiff to advance the playback to the point Twilight projected her bubble shields; said bailiff was looking to Phoenix to be decidedly unhappy at being used as an equine remote control.

“There!” Delta had him pause the playback. “And would the defense explain exactly why Miss Sparkle put herself between you and Miss Lulamoon, defending you with a shield spell if you were not under imminent threat from her?” she asked mildly but never lost her grin, looking to Phoenix like she was thoroughly enjoying herself.

“And would the prosecution explain exactly why my co-counsel also put shields around The Judge and Sonata Tarot, if I was the only one supposedly under threat?” he answered her attitude for attitude, a bantering note in his voice as he opened his palms and shook his head in direct imitation of Miles Edgeworth, who blinked. “It was simply a question of proximity, Your Honor, as my client was merely venting her frustrations at her lost case. It was not her intent to directly attack or injure me,” he continued to insist. “Miss Sparkle was simply protecting those who were closest to the scene, and closest to…” his voice trailed off, catching himself too late.

“Closest... to her?” Delta finished for him with a lopsided grin, causing Phoenix and Twilight to flush and an eruption of snickers from the gallery.

Well, I walked into it. May as well use it! “Yes. She was defending a stallion from potential danger. I’m sure every mare in this courtroom can appreciate that fact?” Phoenix asked, his cheeks still red.

Due Process actually laughed along with the rest of the gallery, briefly rubbing his forehead with a hoof. “An interesting argument, Mister Wright, but not one I’m certain holds water. It seems logical that she held you responsible for the loss of her case and her thwarted revenge, and I further note that she in fact screamed ‘I’ll show you what happens when you cheat me!’ when she was looking at you. That being the case, how can you claim she wasn’t targeting you?”

Phoenix was ready for that, having already gamed out possible questions and responses with Twilight the night before. “To answer that, Your Honor, let’s note the difference between before my co-counsel’s intervention, and afterwards,” he asked the white stallion to play the video again, noting he was looking decidedly put upon and Twilight was wearing an amused smirk as she watched him go through the magical contortions all over again.

This time, Phoenix had him stop it at the point Trixie’s tempest initially erupted. “At first, she was merely venting her frustrations. Note once again that her storm is present throughout the courtroom, and not focused on any one individual,” he explained, nodding at the stallion bailiff to indicate he could continue the playback, only to have him stop it again twenty seconds later when Trixie turned her powers on Twilight.

“And note here—this is what it looks like when my client really does attack someone with her powers!” He winced as he watched Trixie focus her arctic assault right on Twilight, tendrils of ice and snow converging on her and nearly hiding her from sight as they threatened to extinguish her mane and tail flames. The backwash of icy wind slammed doors shut around the courtroom; as he watched he realized he could still feel it cutting right through his suit and chilling him to the bone.

“In short, Your Honor… if my client had truly attacked me, I would likely not be standing here,” he concluded with an internal shiver, his voice more subdued as he asked the bailiff to replay it twice more for emphasis.

“Are you doing this just to torture me, Wrong?” Trixie muttered under her breath, forced to witness her defeat to Twilight over and over again.

Whoa—we’re replaying this thing about as many times as that bloody evidence room video from the Lana Skye trial! He grimaced, thinking he would forever be seeing the dancing Blue Badger present in the video foreground in his sleep. “Therefore, there was no assault on me.”

He was surprised to hear hoofclops coming from Delta’s bench, accompanied by some surprising if grudging sounds of agreement from the gallery. “You’re right,” she agreed, her eyes closed again, her smile having briefly vanished. “That being the case, the prosecution drops the assault charge against Miss Lulamoon regarding Mister Wright,” she announced, her tone solemn.

“That’s very gracious of you, Lady Requiem,” Phoenix couldn’t resist saying, struggling to keep the smug grin off his face.

She gave him a lowered gaze and chilling new smile that told him it wasn’t over yet. “And in its place, the prosecution wishes to present a new charge—this one for the assault on Twilight Sparkle!” She smirked back at him, her eyes glittering. “And as the video clearly shows extremely malicious intent, with Miss Lulamoon attacking Miss Sparkle for the simple act of defending her friends, the prosecution seeks an additional six-month sentence for it!”

Phoenix smile dropped as a fresh series of cheers and hoofclops erupted in the stands. To either side of him, Twilight’s jaw dropped open and Trixie facehoofed—“How could you not see that coming, Wrong?” the latter asked him under her breath—while he looked up to see Edgeworth nodding slowly and wearing an approving smile while Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked decidedly smug; even Maya had a gleeful grin as she saw Phoenix’s argument turned back on him.

That’s what you get for not having me there, Nick! he could hear her thoughts clearly.

“So ordered,” Due Process announced with a fresh rap of his hoof, using a quill in his muzzle to write out an additional entry on the charges sheet. The stallion judge looked to Phoenix like he was thoroughly enjoying the scene, while Trixie had her eyes squeezed shut and hooves clamped over her ears like she was trying to shut out the proceedings again. “We have certainly seen ample evidence of it. Do you have any objections, Mister Wright?”

Phoenix chuckled softly to himself, rubbing his eyes. Very nice, Lady Requiem. Trixie’s right; I really SHOULD have seen that coming. But that doesn’t mean I can’t counter it! “I do, Your Honor! According to my understanding of Equestrian Law, magical duels involving unicorn challenges cannot be considered assaults, as long as they are mutually accepted and go to submission and no further—as this one did!”

“There is no evidence that such a challenge was ever made, Mister Wright!”

Phoenix gave her a look of disbelief. “Not four days ago, you yourself heard Miss Sparkle explain that she challenged my client to a duel the day before, with Rainbow Dash’s freedom being the stakes, Lady Requiem! And you accepted that testimony as mitigating evidence during her review board hearing!” he finished triumphantly with his hands on his hips.

Delta shook her head and took on a tut-tutting tone which reminded Phoenix of Franziska von Karma. “Sorry, Phoenix Wright, but criminal trials have far stricter standards of evidence than my review board hearings, which are unstructured and have much looser rules. To use this line of defense here, you will have to prove such a challenge was made.” This time, she was wearing a smug look, causing Phoenix’s to falter.

“Agreed,” Due Process announced with another rap of his hoof, sustaining Delta’s objection again. “Do you have any such evidence, Mister Wright?”

Phoenix blinked, caught off guard again. Damn, she IS good! “There is no direct evidence, but I can offer the testimonies of both Miss Sparkle and Miss Lulamoon to that fact,” he said with a glance at Twilight. Didn’t plan on her testifying until later, but I guess there’s no reason it can’t be now!

Delta wouldn’t let that pass either. “The testimony of your client and co-counsel is not authoritative in this matter, Mister Wright!” she said, leaning partway over her rail and fixing him with a fiery gaze, her smile telling him she was immensely enjoying the battle of wits they were waging.

“How is the word of the duel combatants themselves not authoritative, Lady Requiem? They can certainly testify as to whether or not Miss Sparkle challenged my client, and whether the duel was voluntary!”

“Because you left out a rule, Mister Wright. Namely, that the issuing of the challenge must be witnessed—” she paused to let the word sink in “—in order to be valid. That is to prevent unicorns from fighting and later escaping punishment by claiming challenge, or from losing a challenge and then claiming they were attacked without one,” she explained, making Phoenix blink.

“And regardless, given your co-counsel’s participation in the duel and in particular her... sensibilities regarding you—” Delta paused again to let the laughter rain down “—Miss Sparkle has a significant conflict of interest in this case. And I believe one of the reasons we are here today is because your client had a serious conflict of interest in her last one?” she added in a very mild tone, to approving whinnies and hoofstomps from the crowd.

“But I wouldn’t lie about that!” Twilight spoke up, looking both embarrassed and offended, her ears laid back but cheeks reddened. “I did challenge Trixie, and I’m willing to testify to that fact!” She directed her appeal to the bench.

Delta Requiem replied before Due Process could. “Apologies, Miss Sparkle. But given the questionable case assignments and conflicts of interest we have already seen in the course of these trials, I believe that for the sake of this trial, the law must be followed to the letter lest we give the impression of even further impropriety.” She likewise directed her comments at the judge.

Phoenix cringed when he saw Due Process nodding slowly. “I’m sorry, but I must agree with the prosecution here, Miss Sparkle. The rules have been stretched already and confidence in the legal system has been shaken given recent events. As such, your word is not enough—by law, I cannot accept the defense of a challenge without a witness to attest to it.”

Phoenix’s expression faltered as Twilight’s brow furrowed. “But Your Honor—!”

“My decision is made, Mister Wright. The prosecution’s objection is upheld!” He rapped his hoof again to emphasize the point. “So once more I ask: do you have any witness or evidence to support the claim of a challenge? If not, the assault charge stands!”

Twilight’s eyes lit up. “We do, Your Honor!” she stated authoritatively to Phoenix’s surprise. “As it happens, I wasn’t alone at the time of my initial challenge to Trixie!”

“You weren’t?” Phoenix asked in some surprise.

“Not at all!” she confirmed eagerly. I really hate to let her burst any more eardrums with her slogan, but… “The defense wishes to call Apple Bloom of the Apple family to the stand as witness to my challenging Trixie to a magical duel!” she shot back across the pit at Delta.

Understanding dawned on both Trixie’s and Phoenix’s face. I completely forgot about her—good thing Twilight didn’t! the latter thought.

“I see…” Due Process stroked his short beard with a hoof in a manner reminiscent of The Judge as he considered the matter. “Any objections, Lady Requiem?”

For the first time all trial, Delta was caught off-guard, carefully considering her response. “I was unaware she was there, Your Honor, but I would say that her youth is a matter of some concern. Being only eight years old, would she truly understand what she witnessed?”

“She testified at Rainbow Dash’s trial!” Phoenix quickly pointed out. “And her testimony was truthful!”

“It wasn’t initially,” Delta retorted with a smirk. “I read the trial transcripts, Mister Wright, and note you had to drag the truth out of her. So what’s to say she wouldn’t lie here?”

“Now hold on just an apple-pickin’ minute!” Applejack shouted, unable to restrain herself from speaking up or jumping down into the pit, causing Trixie to facehoof and Twilight to cringe. “That’s mah sister yer talking about, Lady! And the only thing she fudged about was being scared—like any filly would! She’s an Apple, and Apples don’t lie!” She brought her hoof down hard enough to crack the tiled floor.

To his credit, Due Process showed great restraint, motioning the bailiffs back. “And you are…?”

“Name’s Applejack! And Ah don’t take kindly to strangers who’ve never even met mah sister saying she’s too dumb to know what she saw! Apple Bloom’s plenty smart and she’ll tell you exactly what happened if ya’ll let her!” She glared at Delta and then faced the judge down. “As it happens, she’s at the market with mah brother right now, and our stall is just across the way! Ah’ll be more than happy to fetch her!”

Due Process stared at her for a moment as Phoenix and Twilight held their breath. “I appreciate your zeal in defending your family, Miss Applejack, but this is a court of law, not a town hall. I will thank you to remain in the stands and not interrupt these proceedings again,” he said calmly, though there was a warning note in his voice.

Applejack was unbowed. “Don’t let royal court bigwigs cast as-persions on mah kin, and Ah’ll gladly sit quiet, Yer Honor. ‘Til then, you can ferget it!” She stood her ground.

At the prosecutor’s bench, Delta’s sole response to the whole scene before her was a raised eyeridge. “You certainly have some interesting acquaintances, Miss Sparkle,” she noted blandly, the barest hint of a smile on her face. “Would that we all have such honest friends.”

“According to her older sister, the witness is nearby and available to testify, Your Honor,” Phoenix spoke up, struggling to keep the smile off his face, wishing he had Applejack available to deal with some of the more problematic people he knew back home. She’s not only honest, but she stands up for her friends and family no matter what! “In addition, I’d like to point out that the only thing Apple Bloom wasn’t fully truthful about was being scared, as Miss Applejack said. As such, the defense formally requests she be called to settle the question of a challenge.”

“Very well. Any objections, Lady Requiem?”

“And be lectured by her big sister again? No thank you!” she said but never lost her grin. “By all means.”

It took less than ten minutes for Apple Bloom to be retrieved and just ten minutes more for her to be prepped by Delta Requiem, a conversation that neither Phoenix nor Twilight were privy to.

Delta presented her without fanfare, winced along with the rest of the stands when the young filly shouted that her occupation was a “CUTIE MARK CRUSADER!!!” and asked her a few basic questions.

Was she with Twilight five days ago? “Shore was! Ah was trying to earn mah cutie mark in private investigating by helping Twi help Rainbow!” she proclaimed proudly, causing Delta and Due Process to smile.

Did they meet with Trixie? “Oh, yeah! Saw her at Fluttershy’s house! Said we couldn’t investigate without some badge! Got real mouthy with Twi ‘n mah big sister, too! Didn’t stop me from sneaking off ‘n finding that letter in Fluttershy’s house, though!” she added with a triumphant look at Trixie, whose eyes went wide as she realized she’d been played.

“Badges?We don’t need no stinkin’ badges!” Apple Bloom added, causing Maya to stifle a chortle in the stands.

Delta’s smile turned sly, asking Apple Bloom that if she wasn’t there for part of the time, had she heard Twilight challenge Trixie? “Challenge?” Apple Bloom repeated the word with a confused expression, making Phoenix hold his breath. “Oh yeah! Reckon Ah remember her saying that word! Didn’t get what it meant when she said it there, though,” she admitted, suddenly wishing she had a dictionary. Where’s Sweetie Belle when you need her?

“Did Twilight ask Trixie to duel her?” Phoenix quickly clarified, keeping a hand on a visibly antsy Twilight’s shoulders to keep her from speaking up and trying to guide the conversation, knowing it would earn an instant objection from Delta and reprimand from Due Process if she did.

Apple Bloom nodded eagerly. “Oh yeah! After Trixie went and put you down, Mister Lawyer, Twi went all fire-like ‘n said they’d settle it right then and there! It was real cool!” she added eagerly, causing Twilight to smile and Trixie to go downcast as she got reminded again that Twilight’s elemental powers were seen as awe-inspiring, while hers were to be shunned and feared.

“And what were the terms of this duel?” Due Process himself asked directly, not quite able to keep the smile off his face at Apple Bloom’s earnestness and eagerness.

“Terms?” The farm filly’s brow furrowed in confusion again, listening as Delta rephrased the judge’s question, asking that if they won, what would they win?

“Oh. Well, uh… Twi said that if Trixie won, Trixie’d get her guilty verdict and her, uh, rep-u-ta-tion back, but if Twi won, Trixie would, uh, ‘drop the charges’ against Rainbow and leave her friends alone.”

“Sounds like a challenge to me, Your Honor,” Phoenix noted mildly with a grin, crossing his arms triumphantly.

“And to me,” Due Process concurred with a nod. “Are you satisfied, Lady Requiem?”

“Not quite,” she replied, still wearing her sly smile. “Miss Apple Bloom—did ‘Trixie’ agree to the duel?”

Phoenix cringed when Apple Bloom grinned and gleefully shook her head. “Nah! She was all afraid to! Scaredy-pony, scaredy-pony!” she taunted, not understanding why Twi and Mister Lawyer looked unhappy even as the gallery broke out in mocking laughter.

She got her answer as a pleased Delta Requiem gave a very deliberate and measured shrug. “Well, Your Honor. No acceptance? No challenge.”

“She didn’t accept it then! That doesn’t mean she didn’t later! The Equestrian Supreme Court has ruled repeatedly that challenges do not have to be fought immediately and may remain in effect for some time!”

“She still has to formally accept it, Mister Wright. I heard nothing in this witness’s testimony or the courtroom video playback where she did!”

“Then you weren’t listening very closely!” Phoenix grinned and put his hands on his hips, having the stallion bailiff play the part where Twilight initially confronted Trixie, focusing on one particular line she said:

“You lost. Rainbow’s innocent. Accept it and don’t make things any worse… unless you want to have our duel here and now!”

Phoenix had the stallion pause the playback at that moment and then nodded in satisfaction. “The challenge was reissued then, and my client’s subsequent attack can then be interpreted as de facto acceptance of the challenge, even without her explicitly saying yes! This, too, has been ruled on by the Equestrian Supreme Court!” he noted, picking up a heavy casebook from the library with two bookmarked pages, tapping it with his fingers. “We can cite the relevant rulings… if the prosecution insists!”

“No need. The prosecution is satisfied, Your Honor,” Delta conceded, closing her eyes and grinning. “Though I would note the terms of the duel were unenforceable—Miss Lulamoon could only recuse herself, not drop the charges—the challenge was accepted and fought. Round to you, Phoenix Wright.” She bowed her head in acknowledgment.

“So be it. The charge of assaulting Miss Sparkle is… dismissed!” Due Process brought his hoof down sharply, causing another low murmur of conversation to waft down from the stands and Trixie to blink in surprise. “Miss Apple Bloom, you may leave, with this court’s thanks.”

After checking unsuccessfully for her Cutie Mark, Apple Bloom left, escorted out by a bailiff to meet her brother at the courthouse doors. After a brief conversation, Big Macintosh nodded and departed alone as Apple Bloom went to join her sister in the stands, sitting beside Pearl, who greeted her with a hug and a rather complicated-looking hoofbump.

“After that little sideshow, we will now consider the reckless endangerment charges,” Due Process announced, reorganizing the pieces of scroll paper on his bench. “As the defense has already pleaded guilty to a single count involving Mister Wright, we will adjudicate the remainder. Before we begin, I would remind both sides that a challenge does not relieve the duel participants of their responsibility to protect bystanders,” he reminded both attorneys. “By law, the participants must be careful to avoid harming anypony who is not involved. Failure to do so results in criminal charges and an automatic forfeiture of the duel on the part of the one responsible.”

“You are correct, Your Honor. Particularly when in the middle of a closed space with a large crowd,” Delta noted dispassionately. “I would in turn note that Miss Sparkle kept her end of that bargain in attempting to protect those closest to Miss Lulamoon with shield spells—even the pony who had framed her friend. She further did not take her fire form until our humble head bailiff here arrived,” she added with a nod and slightly sly smile at the white stallion that made Phoenix think there was a joke he wasn’t getting. “In contrast, Miss Lulamoon made no effort to restrain her powers, endangering everypony inside the chamber.”

“My client did restrain her power!” Phoenix claimed, asking for yet another playback to the visible exasperation of the white stallion bailiff, wondering again why Twilight was stifling giggles. “The court will note that Miss Lulamoon did not resort to her most powerful magic, including lightning, until they were safely behind that bailiff’s shield spell!”

She pointed a hoof back in direct imitation of Phoenix. “Miss Sparkle’s spells were clearly defensive. Miss Lulamoon’s were categorically not, even before the shield went up!”

“As you can see in the playback,” Phoenix retaliated, causing the white stallion to groan in frustration as he played the first few seconds of the duel sequence yet again, “the only thing my client did prior to the shield going up was to send the courtroom into a brief blizzard! Now, unless you intend to tell me that ponies are far more vulnerable to such conditions than I believe, I highly doubt exposing a gallery of ponies to a few seconds of cold temperatures and snow would be grounds for five hundred counts of reckless endangerment!”

“She was given one count for all ponies—and humans—present in the courtroom, as per the orders of the presiding judge! And he was right to do so—any one of them could have been struck by ice or trampled in the initial rush to leave!”

“And would the prosecution care to inform this court exactly how many ponies and humans were hurt in the course of the duel?” Phoenix quickly countered, hands on his hips and wearing a triumphant grin once more.

Delta opened her mouth, only to close it again. “None,” she finally admitted. “But the charge of reckless endangerment does not require actual injuries to occur, Mister Wright—only for the potential to exist and be due to wantonly negligent behavior,” she reminded both him and Due Process. “As Miss Lulamoon’s actions are beyond dispute, she should be held accountable for initiating the duel in a very public place, without regard to the safety or well-being of other ponies! As such, the prosecution seeks conviction and full but concurrent sentences on all counts, plus the aforementioned fine!”

This time, Twilight spoke up before Phoenix could. “So by that logic, why aren’t you also prosecuting me, Lady Requiem? I provoked her and caused some of that courtroom damage myself!”

“There increasingly appears to be far more to this case than the black-and-white shown by the playback,” Due Process interjected. “As such, the question to this court now becomes—was what happened merely a spontaneous explosion of temper? Was Miss Lulamoon simply, if somewhat violently, venting her frustrations over her lost case? Or did she honestly intend to duel Miss Sparkle right then and there, consequences and potential casualties be damned?” he wondered aloud.

Phoenix’s eyebrows shot up at the casual use of a curse word—something his own judge would never indulge in. Due Process is certainly cut from a different cloth. But maybe that’s a good thing here! “I have a witness, Your Honor, who I believe can shed some light on that very question. An acquaintance of my client who spent considerable time with her in the aftermath of her previous encounter with my co-counsel,” he offered. “With this court’s permission, I would like to call her to the stand.”

“Any objections, Lady Requiem?” Due Process again asked, turning to his right.

She shrugged and grinned. “I am curious to hear from such a witness as well, Your Honor. The prosecution has no objection.”

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom No. 1
June 16th, 11:01 AM

Two minutes later, many ponies were gawking at the new arrival standing behind the witness stand—a decidedly unusual and unfamiliar sight for those not familiar with her, Twilight had already warned him, and few outside of Ponyville were.

In truth, Phoenix was having a hard time not staring at her himself. Though she had the build of an earth pony, she was very definitely a zebra mare, having the alternating black-and-white stripes of one. But she also looked very African in her décor, with a stylized sun cutie mark that looked more like a tribal tattoo than anything, and a series of gold rings on her neck and right foreleg paired with hoop earrings hanging from the base of both ears.

Is she white with black stripes or black with white stripes? Phoenix wondered idly as Delta asked her to state her name and occupation.

“My name is Zecora. I make potions and tea. Of late, I live in the Everfree,” she said in a deep and slightly-accented voice.

“The Everfree?” Delta raised her eyeridges. “Why, of all places, would you choose to live there?”

The zebra mare grinned, like she was used to the question. “Its powers are vast; its boons most mighty. Of course care must be taken, and it’s not for the flighty.”

Phoenix slumped. A rhyming witness? What’s next, a rapping one? He rubbed his eyes, wondering why he never seemed to encounter normal people in the course of his cases.

“And what is your relationship to the defendant?” Delta asked next, not batting an eye in the face of the zebra mare’s florid phrasing.

“Miss Lula came once, asking for aid. Seeking help for a blue flower in whose bed she had laid.”

“Blue flower?”Twilight’s eyes went wide, remembering her own encounter with one. “Wait! You don’t mean she stumbled into…”

“Yes, young Twilight. Poison Joke. Instead of giving a rash, it makes fun of all folk.”

“Poison… Joke?” Phoenix repeated in disbelief. Is EVERYTHING in this place a pun?

“Yes indeed, my human friend. What I say now is a warning, so your ear you should lend.” She turned to Phoenix next. “Of Poison Joke, all should beware. To not touch its blue blooms, you must take great care.”

“Blue blooms?”Phoenix echoed; he could vaguely recall seeing some blue flowers on his second trip into the Everfree. “What does it do?”

“It takes your best attribute, what you hold most dear... and then either takes it away, or turns it on its ear.”

Phoenix wasn’t sure what to make of her meaning. “And… what effect did it have on my client?” he asked as Trixie groaned in remembered dismay.

The corners of Zecora’s mouth turned upward. “At first I knew not, given what had occurred. For by the time I found Lula, she could neither be seen nor heard.”

Twilight had more experience listening to Zecora, getting her meaning immediately and breaking out into a huge grin. “You mean… it turned Trixie invisible?”

“And made her mute?” Phoenix grinned as well as his mind caught up with her meaning.

“Sounds like an improvement to me!” Applejack called out from the stands.

“Bwah-hah-hah-ha-ha-HA!!!”Rainbow and Pinkie erupted in laughter and the rest of the gallery wasn’t far behind, Trixie going beet red and looking like she wanted to hide as the judge repeatedly called for order, unable to keep the amused grin off his face.

Phoenix only managed to stifle his own laughter by biting his lip. Well, consider this your comeuppance for humiliating Rainbow, Trixie! he didn’t say out loud.

It was another half-minute before the laughter died down. “I see…” Delta snickered, wiping tears from her eyes as the guffaws faded to scattered titters in the gallery. “Out of curiosity, how did you treat her if you couldn’t see her?”

“Threw a blanket over her, so she was no longer hid. Then gave her an herbal bath, I assuredly did. The effects it removed, but her traumas did linger. She kept on about Twilight, wanting me only to bring her.”

“I’m sorry. ‘Bring her’?” Delta asked, getting back on topic.

“She wanted a duel to regain her lost pride. To Miss Lula, appearance was worth more than what was inside. Train herself in magic, she did by night. So Twilight, she would one day be ready to fight.”

“So she wanted revenge and was actively working towards it,” Delta paraphrased as Phoenix winced and Twilight’s eyes widened in surprise, staring at Zecora in disbelief.

Why didn’t you ever TELL me she was out there? Phoenix could read her thoughts quite clearly.

“And why didn’t you grant her request? Far better to have the duel done in the woods, than in the middle of a crowded courtroom!” Delta pointed out, to sounds of agreement from the gallery and a nod from the judge.

For the first time, Zecora hesitated before speaking, sensing the crowd’s mood. “She was not ready, my spellsinging friend. Had she fought Twilight then, I feared a bad end. Her defeat would be total and her spirit could fail. Next to the consequences of which, this trial would pale.”

Phoenix bit his lip again, this time to keep from making his own disbelieving sounds. But Delta Requiem was not so restrained. “Consequences?” she repeated, somewhat derisively. “Worse than endangering hundreds of ponies with a ‘magical temper tantrum’ as Miss Sparkle put it? Worse than maliciously prosecuting one of Miss Sparkle’s friends and nearly getting her banished to the sun?”

“Yes,” the zebra mare stood her ground. “There are things in this world that are not what they seem. Things that are assuredly not from a dream. Spirits that offer themselves to those who are needy. They often seem friendly, but are in fact quite greedy. Evils that seek out the vengeful and weak. They appear to a pony when their despair, it has peaked. They come to you only when all hope is lost. They grant your wish, but at a terrible cost.”

Phoenix glanced at Twilight, who appeared to have no more idea what the cryptic stanzas meant than he did. Delta, on the other hoof, seemed to be considering her words carefully, her brow furrowed as if something had suddenly clicked. She closed her eyes and murmured softly; for a moment Phoenix felt an odd feeling wash over him again in a much milder version of the effect her earlier use of her spellsinging powers had on him.

“Lady Requiem?” Due Process frowned, seeing her go silent, his horn picking up a subtle magic in the air around them.

Delta shook her head once, as if to clear it. “My apologies. I think we’ve heard all we need to from this witness, Your Honor.” She returned her attention to the trial, clearing her throat before going on. “Regardless of Ms. Zecora’s judgment, it is clear that Ms. Lulamoon had for a long time been meaning to take revenge on Twilight Sparkle, and was actively preparing for it. It is also apparent that she neither cared for the safety of others, nor that Miss Sparkle was not responsible for the loss of her livelihood.”

“Ms. Lulamoon wanted Miss Sparkle hurt and humiliated, and she did not care who else she hurt along the way. This duel was the direct result of her callousness in pursuing a personal vendetta, and she should be punished accordingly!”

Phoenix finally spoke up. Don’t know what that was about, but I can’t think about it now! “If she did not care for the safety of others, why did she restrain her lightning until the shield spell was in place?” he fired back, pointing a finger at Delta. “If she meant to challenge Twilight in a public place, why did she want to duel her in the woods?”

Twilight guessed the answer instantly—because she thought the power boost she’d get from the forest magic might be the equalizer—but held her tongue as Delta retaliated.

Her head back in the game, Delta Requiem shrugged and shook her head in a manner that very much reminded Phoenix of Miles Edgeworth. “She wanted the duel on her terms, Mister Wright, to maximize whatever advantages she could find. Perhaps she thought that by forcing Twilight to duel in the courtroom, she would be at a disadvantage, having to expend energy trying to defend her friends?” she suggested with a lowered head and close-eyed grin, making Edgeworth himself grin and nod in approval from where he was watching in the stands.

Phoenix was caught short while Twilight grimaced, considering Delta’s words and coming to an uncomfortable conclusion. She’s right—I WAS at a disadvantage, having to defend everypony. I would’ve lost if Shining Armor hadn’t come to the rescue and freed up my power, she thought with a glance at her brother, realizing she’d never actually thanked him for his intervention.

Phoenix quickly came up with a counter. “Is the prosecution seriously suggesting that my client went into the courtroom with the intention of not only dueling my co-counsel if she lost, but of deliberately using bystanding ponies as shields?” he asked derisively, remembering his talk with Trixie after the trial and how apologetic she had been over losing control. “You can’t be serious!”

Due Process broke off the debate with a hard rap of his hoof. “Enough, counselors. Unless I miss my guess, neither of you have evidence or knowledge of Miss Lulamoon’s mindset before or during the duel, and as such, any debate on this matter is pure and pointless speculation. Am I wrong?” He looked back and forth between the prosecutor and defense bench.

The two attorneys looked at each other and then back at the judge, chagrined. “No, Your Honor,” they admitted as one though Twilight’s brow furrowed, suddenly deep in thought.

Actually, maybe we do, she admitted to herself. But do I dare go… THERE?

“Very well. Then as the prosecution has finished with this witness… your cross-examination, Mister Wright?” Due Process prompted.

“Thank you, Your Honor.” He took a deep breath and drew himself up straight. Delta did some major damage… now how best to undo it? “Ms. Zecora—for how long did you know Miss Lulamoon?” he opened.

“For three months, I believe. Unless my memory does deceive.”

Phoenix wondered again how she came up with rhymes so effortlessly. “And in that time, can you tell, did you come to know her well?” he asked before blinking. Great. Now she’s got ME doing it!

She grinned. “Certainly, as well as anypony would. In the course of our meetings, I did for her what I could.”

“Meetings, plural? So you saw her regularly after the, uh, Poison Joke incident?” he managed to say, shoulders slumping for a moment. Wonder what it would have done to ME?

Zecora nodded. “She came to me often, looking for a square meal. She would not admit it, but her hunger was real. We talked about her life, which she said ‘was a disaster’. I encouraged her to practice her power, so her magic she would master. Told her to forget Miss Sparkle, and find her own path. That to cling to her grudge would eventually consume her in wrath.”

Which it did, Phoenix nodded grimly. “And did she take your advice?”

“Yes, in good time. I daresay, to me, she had taken a shine. She left for Las Pegasus, saying she would start over there. I wished her well and told her to take care. Of what came after, I do not know. But whatever happened, it appears to have ended in snow.” She nodded at the crystal playback recorder, which was still freeze-framed on Trixie’s pre-duel blizzard.

Phoenix nodded in satisfaction. “We already know what happened, Your Honor! She left to try to rebuild her stage magic career, and later became a legal aide—hardly the actions of somepony with a single-minded focus on vengeance!” Phoenix told Delta directly, his finger pointed at her. He half-expected an objection, but the pegasus proseuctor remained silent. “At the time she left, did my client still want to challenge Twilight?”

Zecora shook her head. “Of Twilight Sparkle, she wanted only to be rid. And try to be better, I swear Lula did,” she directly addressed Due Process as she said her last sentence.

“How did she try to be better?” Phoenix quickly followed up.

“Took a job at a rock farm, as to not be a debtor. Poured herself into books so her magic would be better. In time she paid me back for my company and care. And more than once did she need it, considering her last dare.”

“‘Last dare’?” Phoenix and Delta echoed.

“Her powers grew steadily, week by week. But to be Twilight’s better, she had to first equal her feat. So she went deep in the woods looking for an Ursa, you see. And find one she did, from her wounds was plain to me.”

That caused another upsurge in conversation, this time a far more impressed one. “She actually went out and fought an Ursa?” Twilight asked in disbelief and genuine respect. It was all I could do to handle a baby one!

“Yes, and lost badly, which she took quite sadly,” Zecora announced with a slow and mournful shake of her head.

“She finally gave up her vendetta then, knowing that fighting Miss Sparkle was simply no-win. When her wounds had healed, she did finally depart, resolving to leave her old life behind and make a new start.”

Phoenix exchanged a quick glance with Twilight, who nodded and immediately went for the satchel that functioned as their evidence bag. Now’s the time! “Your Honor! The defense wishes to show exactly what happened during my client’s ‘new start’,” he announced, bringing out a package that had been express delivered only that morning from Las Pegasus, courtesy and compliments of the Griffon Express.

“I see,” Due Process said, studying the parcel curiously. “And how will you do that, Mister Wright?”

He nodded at Twilight, who passed the judge and Delta a scroll from the package. She tried hard not to wince again at the sharp stab of pain through her horn as beside her, Trixie sensed her discomfort and weakened aura. “This is an affidavit signed by one Rising Star, manager of the Mystique Casino Resort in Las Pegasus,” Phoenix announced, wondering how the pony version of Sin City compared to the human one, and how well his poker game might play within it. Or do they even play that here? “In it, she states that my client asked for and received permission to perform on resort grounds, doing so for the better part of a month.”

“Which proves… what, exactly?” Delta asked. “What relevance is this to our trial?”

“I’m asking that myself, Mister Wright,” Due Process warned. “Come to the point quickly.”

In response, Twilight brought out a single small blue crystal from the package, one that looked to be a much smaller version of the one they’d been using to replay the trial. Good thing the trial was delayed, or we’d never have gotten this in time! she thought.

“I think the prosecution will find this playback from a resort security camera—er, crystal—rather enlightening.” Phoenix nodded at Twilight, who hesitated and then passed the crystal to the white stallion bailiff, causing Phoenix’s brow to furrow. Odd. Why isn’t she playing it herself?

Accepting it without comment, the stallion’s horn flared and a video sequence appeared, showing Trixie against a backdrop that could have been any high-end hotel front in Las Vegas except for the fact that all the patrons were on four legs and the lights were magical, not electrical. Trixie was in the middle of a plaza giving a show, or trying to.

She was interrupted repeatedly by hecklers and mocked by several ponies, taunting her about Twilight Sparkle and the Ursa Minor. Trixie tried to ignore them at first and get on with the show, but it was increasingly clear she was flustered as her tricks began misfiring, resulting in even more laughter and heckling.

After a few minutes, Phoenix had the bailiff pause the playback. “I ask Your Honor to simply consider this question: how is a pony supposed to ‘move on’ when nopony lets them forget? How do you reclaim your reputation and livelihood when it’s forever linked to a pony and event that destroyed them?” He raised his voice, addressing not just the judge but the entire gallery.

“As Your Honor can plainly see, my client attempted to ‘be better’ as Ms. Zecora said, only to keep getting dragged back into the mud by those she was only trying to entertain. In the end, how else could she get her life back but to challenge and defeat my co-counsel, either in the legal realm or the magical one?”

Delta was unimpressed. “That’s just one playback, Mister Wright. I’m sure she gave more shows than that. Or is the defense suggesting that Miss Lulamoon is so fragile she was hurt by a few mean comments and gave up?” She smirked as she spoke, to some hoofclops from the gallery.

“Yeah, how ‘bout it Trixie? Can you dish it out but not take it?” Rainbow Dash mocked from the stands, earning sounds of agreement from the other spectators and an angry glare from both Twilight and Trixie alike.

Due Process was having none of it, his hoof coming down hard again, making Phoenix wish he’d been present for dealing with certain prosecutors and witnesses during his trials on Earth. “Ms. Dash, you are not on trial this time, but that does not preclude a contempt citation. Disrupt these proceedings again, and I will order your immediate arrest,” he said calmly, pinning Rainbow with a stare until he was satisfied the message was driven home. “But as to the issue at hoof... I must concur with the prosecution. A failed show and a few hecklers does not justify what she did, Mister Wright.”

“Thank you, Your Honor,” Delta bowed her head in acknowledgment. “I’m an entertainer myself, so take it from me, Mister Wright—there may be no business like show business, but if Miss Lulamoon cannot deal with a little bad press or negative feedback, then she should not be in the business!” she concluded with a grin.

Harsh, Lady Requiem! Phoenix grimaced, noting from the reaction in the stands that the bulk of the audience was solidly on her side. “I see. Well, then—perhaps the prosecution would like to see the other twenty recordings we were sent?” he asked, hands on his hips as Twilight tipped the box up to show that many more identical crystals were stacked inside.

He had the pleasure of seeing Delta Requiem’s expression drop fractionally even as the white stallion groaned in dismay. Rather than play them all, Phoenix had the unicorn bailiff choose five more at random.

They all went much as the first video went, except one involved a drunken pony couple asking if Trixie could make herself disappear to the applause of the unfriendly crowd, and another of the showmare being taunted by several airborne griffons over Twilight and the Ursa, throwing tomatoes as they mocked her, disrupting her teleport trick before flying off laughing—so THAT’S where her teleport story came from! Phoenix noted—but didn’t get very far before a sudden blast of icy wind caught them and threw them headlong into a nearby fountain, which then mysteriously froze solid just as they sat back up, leaving them partially encased in the ice.

Phoenix couldn’t help but smile at that, and so did Trixie at the memory of their shocked and shivering expressions. “We could see more, but I trust the point is made, Lady Requiem?” he asked, hands on his hips. “My client did try to forget Twilight and make a new start. And that was the result!” he announced to the entire court, pointing at the now-frozen playback. “So before we pass judgment on her, perhaps all ponies present should consider what that kind of unending emotional and mental abuse would do to a mare?”

“I would note that in many of those playbacks, she retaliated magically against her hecklers, humiliating several. If the point of these playbacks is to show her complete lack of character and inability to take a few barbs, you’ve succeeded quite dramatically, Mister Wright!” Delta told him.

“And I would note that she didn’t actually hurt anypony with her actions despite being severely provoked—just as in the duel!”

Due Process’s hoof came down again. “As much as I’m enjoying the back-and-forth, counselors… Mister Wright’s point is indeed made. The defendant did try to make a go of it, only to be mocked and belittled day after day. It does not take a degree in psychology to know what that might have done to her. So therefore, I now ask the following question of the witness myself:

“Ms. Zecora—you are the closest thing to a friend the defendant seems to have. Based on the time you spent with her, do you believe that Ms. Lulamoon would deliberately injure or endanger other ponies in her attempts to avenge herself on Twilight Sparkle?”

Phoenix held his breath. He’d planned to ask the question himself, but the judge doing so was better—it preempted any objections from Delta. Still, it meant the zebra mare could now make or break his case, and he honestly didn’t know how she would answer. Don’t let us down, Zecora!

The zebra mare sensed the import of the question as well and considered her response carefully. “She is a pony whom Harmony and friendship did miss. So with regards to Miss Lula, I would simply say this…”

She took a deep breath before going on. “She wanted to hurt Miss Sparkle, that much is plain. Her purpose, it seems, was to make Twilight feel her pain. But to hurt bystanding ponies? No, she would never. Embarrass perhaps, but harm? Not ever!

“Do not be fooled by her manner, for a front it is only. Inside, be assured, she is sad and quite lonely. Miss Lula is not evil, merely hurt and laid low. Without any friends, there is no way she can grow. She is not a bad pony. Please set her free. And I ask that you all accept her... just as you came to accept me!” she concluded by addressing the entire gallery, lowering her head.

There was silence in the gallery, then a single pony’s hoofclops became known. Looking up, Twilight recognized the applause was coming from Apple Bloom, swiftly joined by her new friend Pearl clapping her hands together. Applejack joined them somewhat reluctantly, then Maya did as well until finally there was at least a light smattering of applause from the entire gallery. Edgeworth did not join in but nodded slowly, looking somewhat conflicted, the prosecutor in him demanding punishment but the softer side of him increasingly sensing that jail time would do little to help the mare magician.

Due Process considered her words carefully, then nodded. “Very well, then. Thank you, Ms. Zecora. Do you have any more questions of this witness, Mister Wright?”

“None, Your Honor,” he replied, shooting a grateful look along with Twilight at the zebra mare, who gave him a nod of acknowledgment in return. For her part, Trixie looked to be in shock, having never expected such a forceful and heartfelt defense of her.

“Lady Requiem?” Due Process then turned to his right. “May we dismiss this witness?”

“We may, Your Honor,” Delta replied, sounding somewhat subdued, though Twilight noted she also seemed to be slightly distracted, looking around the chamber while her ears twitched, as if she were trying to hear something.

Being a spellsinger, she’s more attuned to the ethereal realm than I, and she oftentimes enhances her hearing to ‘listen’ to such disturbances. So what is she sensing? She wondered in the renewed silence as Zecora withdrew to the gallery. She sat with Twilight’s friends, earning an immediate hug from Apple Bloom, who promptly introduced her to Pearls and Maya.

“An enchanting witness, Mister Wright,” Due Process finally acknowledged, though Phoenix didn’t understand why Pinkie Pie suddenly giggled in the stands. “Now that we have heard her testimony, what would you have me do with it?” There was an odd, almost uncertain note in his voice.

“I believe that the defense has demonstrated, both via video playback and Ms. Zecora’s testimony, that there was no intent to injure bystanders in my client’s actions, Your Honor,” Phoenix offered. “As such, I respectfully request that all remaining reckless endangerment counts be dropped.”

“Whether she had intent or not, she still endangered other ponies, Mister Wright,” Delta fired back, returning her attention to the trial. “The charges should stand!”

“The prosecution’s case rested in part on a claim of malicious intent, Your Honor!” He pointed a finger across the pit. “We have laid that claim to rest!”

“That doesn’t change the fact her conduct was reckless and put others in danger—including you, Mister Wright!” Delta didn’t back down.

“For which my client pled guilty to a single count!” Phoenix reminded her.

“That will do, counselors,” Due Process broke in again. “Your points are made, and both are valid. Mister Wright, this court accepts your assertion that Miss Lulamoon did not intend to harm others and in fact made efforts to restrain her powers—that much is clear from the playbacks, both from here and Las Pegasus.

“But she did endanger others, and for that reason I cannot simply dismiss all the remaining counts. That said, the evidence does not support five hundred counts, Lady Requiem—if simply being blasted with a brief blizzard endangered ponies, we’d have to charge pegasi with reckless endangerment every time they made a snowstorm. We’re hardier than that,” he noted to some chuckles from the gallery, causing Phoenix to grin, wishing he’d thought to make the point himself.

“In this court’s opinion... the only ponies in real danger were those closest to the scene. Accordingly, I am dropping all but twelve of the reckless endangerment counts—one for each individual aside from the duel combatants in the courtroom pit—the presiding judge, the witness, the four bailiffs, Mister Wright… and Miss Sparkle’s friends,” he brought his hoof down.

“Thank you, Your Honor,” Phoenix acknowledged. Down to just twelve counts, and the judge seems to be coming around to a lighter sentence. We’re almost there…

Due Process gave him a look. “Don’t thank me yet, Mister Wright,” he told him, a reluctant note entering his voice. “Despite the prosecution’s recommendation, I feel I must consider up to six-month sentences for each of the remaining charges,” he announced, causing Phoenix’s smile to vanish and Trixie’s jaw to fall open. “No matter how you may rationalize it, the fact remains that this duel was done in a public place and endangered many bystanders. I cannot simply let that go.”

Phoenix exchanged a horrified look with Twilight. Six months each on twelve counts? But that would be six… YEARS! “But Your Honor—!”

“Your Honor, that seems… excessive.” Even Delta looked troubled, as did Edgeworth and the rest of their friends in the stands. “My sentence recommendation of six months total was well-considered.”

“I cannot agree, Lady Requiem,” Due Process replied, shaking his head. “No matter how we dissect this video or the defendant’s motivations, the fact remains that this duel was initiated by Miss Lulamoon in a very public place and potentially endangered many ponies. Explosion of temper or no, I find it very hard to believe she could not restrain herself long enough to take it outside,” he noted as if he was a prosecutor.

“If all she wanted was a public venue, she could have had her duel in the plaza, with plenty of witnesses, all of whom could watch from a safe distance. Instead, she chose to make it in a packed courtroom, where bystanding ponies could very easily be injured whether or not she meant for them to be. These are aggravating factors to say the least,” he finished, shaking his head again. “Am I wrong on any of this, Mister Wright?”

For the first time all trial, Phoenix was at a complete loss for words. I don’t get it! Why did he just turn on us like that? “Uh… a moment, Your Honor!” he begged, his mind racing as Trixie slumped in her seat, her head down on the rail.

“You have put up a stalwart defense, Mister Wright. In recognition of your efforts, I will still accept guilty pleas on the remaining counts, and a degree of leniency will be granted for it,” Due Process suggested. “However, if you still wish to contest the charges? I cannot make that promise.”

“I request a recess, Your Honor!” Delta spoke up. “The prosecution and defense need to discuss this.”

“So ordered. Court will recess for fifteen minutes!” Due Process announced with a rap of his hoof.

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom No. 1
Defense Lobby
June 16th, 11:23 AM

Phoenix managed to make it back to the waiting room before he slumped down hard on a couch. “Not good…” was all he could immediately manage. “Now what do we do?” he asked nopony in particular, his head buried in his hands. Even Trixie was subdued, walking back in forlornly, her head bowed low. He half-expected she would berate him and Twilight, but the showmare remained silent.

“Plead guilty,” a new arrival told him. Startled, he looked up to see Delta Requiem standing in front of him, having never heard her come in. To his surprise, there was sympathy in her eyes as well as a very troubled look. “Your defense was superb, Mister Wright, but you’ve taken it as far as you can. The judge gave you a fair hearing but has made up his mind. I’m not sure why he’s doing this—it’s very out of character for him—but there’s nothing more to be done by either of us.”

How did she—? Never mind. “And for argument’s sake… what sentence do you think he would give if we did plead guilty?” he felt compelled to ask.

Her brow furrowed. “I’d be shocked if he actually gave you a full six-year sentence. Barring special circumstances, he tends to go for half-sentences for guilty verdicts, quarter-ones for pleas. So I’d say he’d probably give you eighteen months total for a guilty plea if I sign off on it… three years otherwise,” she told him. “Don’t forget, she could also get some time off for good behavior. That means she could conceivably be out in a year.”

Good behavior from Trixie… how likely is THAT? Phoenix didn’t say out loud.

“Just plead me, Wrong,” Trixie told him, her head slumped in surrender. “It’s over.”

Before Phoenix could reply, the door opened and the orange pegasus bailiff stallion walked in, passing him a note. He opened it to recognize Edgeworth’s elegant handwriting, followed by progressively messier scrawl below:

The judge’s reasoning is sound only if his underlying assumptions are correct. He strikes me as stern but sensible, so if you wish to change his mind, you must challenge his assumptions. Turn this case upside-down as you have always done, and you can yet win the day.

—Edgeworth

Don’t you DARE give up now, Nick! Trixie’s a horse’s backside but doesn’t deserve all THAT! —Maya

Don’t let Mystic Trixie down, Mister Nick! You can still do it! —Pearly

Phoenix passed the note to Twilight, considering his prosecutor friend’s words carefully. Turn the case upside-down? But how? he asked himself. This isn’t a murder trial. Trixie IS guilty and I’ve already run through most of my defense. What underlying assumptions can I challenge? he wondered. Abruptly, his brow furrowed. Wait a minute!

Beside him, Twilight was considering the same question and reaching the same conclusion as her eyes suddenly lit up. “Phoenix—call me to the stand!” She put her hoof on his arm. “I know what I have to do.”

“Really, Miss Sparkle?” Delta raised an eyeridge while Trixie looked at her in disbelief. “Even as Trixie’s duel opponent, what can you possibly say that would change the judge’s mind?”

“Like this note says, Due Process made an invalid assumption about Trixie’s actions when he laid out his reasoning,” Twilight answered. “So if we can disprove it, we can overturn his entire argument and get Trixie off with minimal prison time!” I hope…

Delta looked uncertain, something that struck Phoenix as an unfamiliar sensation for her. “And you believe your testimony can accomplish that?”

“I don’t just believe it will; I know it will,” Twilight affirmed with a glance at Phoenix.

“How?” Trixie demanded to know. “What proof can you possibly offer, and why would you turn down the chance to have me out of your mane for the next year and a half? Unless...” Her eyes narrowed as an ugly idea occurred to her and she gave her rival an accusing look. “Or are you just trying to trick me into not pleading so it will be three years?”

For a moment, Twilight hesitated to meet her rival’s eyes, but finally forced herself to. “We’ve defended you faithfully to this point, Trixie. I know you don’t trust me, but I don’t wish ill on you, and there is something I can do out there that will help. I’m going to take part of the blame for this, if you’ll let me.” And reveal something else as well… She tried not to think about it lest she lose her nerve.

“I am not your attorney, Lula, but as a friend of your father, I cannot recommend this course,” Delta spoke up before Trixie could reply. “I can’t see that the judge will accept Twilight’s claims, and as prosecutor, I’ll have to argue against them. You’re risking at least a three-year sentence if you continue to contest this case.”

And there’s something else at work here, Lady Requiem was strangely certain, her ears swiveling back and forth, searching again for a half-sensed ethereal disturbance that was faint and fleeting, like the rustle of a leaf or the barest of breezes breaking still air. Not sure what it is, but it almost feels like... something’s watching us? She had an odd sense of foreboding at the thought.

Trixie glared at her, unaware of where her thoughts had gone. “Oh. So now you have my best interests at heart? Unlike before when you were trying to put me away for six months and said I wasn’t cut out for show business?” she all but spat back.

“She’s just prosecuting the case like she’s supposed to, Trixie!” Twilight spoke up in Delta’s defense, unable to sense anything herself with her injured horn.

As the three mares argued, Phoenix was getting his thoughts in order. I think I know what Twilight’s planning. And based on what she said, revealing it could be VERY ugly! But if she’s willing to go through with it just to save Trixie…

He considered the possible outcomes with his thoughts, then nodded, finding it generally led to more favorable ones for the showmare, though at cost to Twilight. But if she’s still willing to do it, even knowing that? Then so be it. I was planning on calling Twilight to the stand at some point anyway. This is the final showdown! I’ve come this far for Trixie, I’m not going to back down now!

“So you know the risks. Do you want to plead or will you let us do this, Trixie?” he broke into the conversation.

Trixie stared at him for a moment before she turned her attention back to Twilight. “The only reason Trixie agreed to let Wrong defend her was to see you get cross-examined by him, Snarkle,” she smirked, some of her old attitude back. “And she supposes risking a couple additional years in prison would be worth it just to see it happen.”

Phoenix glanced from her to Twilight and Delta Requiem. “Then it’s settled?” he asked cautiously, noting the latter looked decidedly unhappy.

In reply, the showmare turned her violet eyes back on him. “Trixie grants permission... on one condition,” she announced, an expectant smile touching her lips. “Don’t you dare hold back on your marefriend, Mister Wrong!”

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on November 15, 2018.

Hey, everyone, it’s Leo Archon here. So, um… yeah, another split. This trial isn’t going to drag on forever, like some AA trials can, but man is it getting big. We’d intended to wrap it up in this chapter, but Firesight had so many things to add, it just grew and grew. Finally, we decided it was getting too big, again, and we decided to make one last chapter break. This chapter contains the bulk of the trial (featuring Apple Bloom and Zecora), while the next will have Twilight’s cross-examination, the verdict, and post-trial antics.

In other news, a few people have wondered what the point of bringing Phoenix’s friends from Earth is. Rest assured, they’ll have roles to play. Edgeworth in particular has something very important to do… but I’ll say no more here, for fear of spoilers.

Speaking as someone who’s played every AA game there is (including Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney), I can honestly say that helping with this has been a pleasure and an honor. We still have more to come in this universe, however, so don’t think that this is the end. It’s not… not by a long shot. Until next chapter, fare thee well!

* * * * *

So Trixie’s trial is now turned into a three-act play like most AA cases. Apologies, but the total chapter length would have been over 20,000 words otherwise and that’s a bit much. Ending on a cliffhanger note seemed appropriate here as Trixie’s fate hangs in the balance in more ways than one. What will happen in the final trial chapter will reveal much, and have a typical Ace Attorney twist. And yes, we're hinting at major things happening behind the scenes that won't be fully revealed until the sequel.

Thanks as always to Raven for her encouragement and support, for Leo for the help and his own touches, to TheGoldCrow for his feedback and to AJ_Aficionado as our newest prereader and sounding board. Promise we’re getting there folks, but I didn’t want to shortchange any part of this, and Trixie’s trial is important to her development as a character as well to laying the groundwork for what's to come. You’ll see why in due time.

Content aside, this was a challenging chapter on many levels, between trying to lay out an entire new trial with realistic evidence, arguments, reactions and defense strategy to trying to come up with Zecora’s rhyming testimony—I have a new appreciation for her writers at this point. You be the judge whether we’ve succeeded. Our final four chapters is now six, but hey… if you think about it, the four-part video series turned into six as well. :twilightsmile:

And last but not least: we're currently updating earlier chapters to fix broken image links and formatting that got screwed up by one of the earlier the site updates. About half the chapters are done.

From the Turnabout Storm crew to all of you... Happy Hearth's Warming!!!!

--Firesight

*** *** *** ***

We're almost there!!!

Part 64 - Frozen Heart

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom #1
June 16th, 11:38 AM

“Court is once again in session for the trial of Trixie Lulamoon,” Due Process announced himself this time with a rap of his hoof. “Well, Mister Wright? Do you wish to change your plea?” he asked in a tone that strongly suggested to Phoenix that a yes answer was expected.

Phoenix waited a beat before answering. “We do not, Your Honor,” he announced to shocked noises from the crowd. “We pled guilty to a single charge of reckless endangerment. And to that we hold fast.”

“I see.” Due Process looked surprised, then resigned, wondering if Phoenix Wright was stubborn to the point of stupidity. “Then I assume you have another argument to present? If not, I will pass verdict immediately.”

“We do, Your Honor.” Phoenix nodded. “We believe that Your Honor made an incorrect assumption in laying out the rationale for an extended sentence—that my client chose to initiate the duel there. The defense wishes to demonstrate its falsity by calling a final witness—an expert on magic and elemental abilities. One who will establish that my client could not restrain herself at the moment she lost her temper, and her actions were not, in fact, by choice.”

Due Process looked intrigued. “Oh? Quite a bold claim, Mister Wright. What kind of witness have you managed to conjure up in the last fifteen minutes?”

“There was no magic involved, Your Honor, because the witness has been here at this trial the whole time.” Phoenix took a breath, knowing his next words could turn the unicorn Judge against him.

“The defense calls Twilight Sparkle to the stand.”

Delta slammed a forehoof on her bench, making herself heard above the din that had started up at the human lawyer’s words. “Calling your own co-counsel to the witness stand is a pretty desperate ploy, Mister Wright! Given her obvious conflicts of interest, how do we know she won’t give false testimony regarding your client?” she asked forcefully, her angry tone startling both Phoenix and Twilight.

“Of everyone—or everypony—in this courtroom, I don’t think there’s a single individual who has a greater insight into my client’s powers and personality than Twilight Sparkle,” Phoenix countered with a pointed finger, surprised at Delta’s vehemence.

I knew she didn’t want us to do this, but is she now trying to actively prevent it? Or is she just playing the role of prosecutor so the judge doesn’t think she was in on it? “Yes, she wants to help my client. It’s why she wants to help that’s most relevant here!”

“I think of more relevance is why she wants to help you, Mister Wright!” she stated authoritatively, but looked decidedly unhappy as she spoke. “This court must ask: is she just doing this to try to curry favor with the stallion she’s courting?”

Both Twilight and Phoenix flinched back, the former looking decidedly angry; even Due Process looked taken aback.

Low blow, Lady Requiem! Phoenix mentally accused, though he did note she appeared to take no pleasure in it. “My co-counsel has every reason not to help my client—as do I! She engaged in a malicious prosecution of one of Miss Sparkle’s friends and did nothing but insult me the entire trial! So the question this court should ask is: why, in the face of all that, would Twilight Sparkle want to help Trixie Lulamoon, especially after she endangered said stallion during the duel?”

Due Process cut in with his usual interjection. “Calling your own co-counsel is irregular and unorthodox in the extreme, Mister Wright. Under normal circumstances, I would not permit it due to the potential conflict of interest it represents—”

“You allowed it in the trial of Sonata Tarot, Your Honor!” Phoenix quickly reminded him.

Due Process rapped his hoof once, looking annoyed at being interrupted. “If you’ll let me finish, I was getting to that, Mister Wright. I allowed it then because Miss Sparkle bore unique witness on Ms. Sonata by virtue of the memory playback spell she performed during the trial of Rainbow Dash. Though I do not see that case holds here, your point that she had every reason to abandon your client to her fate is well-taken.

“I am curious to know why, in the face of such severe provocations, your co-counsel would be willing to help her. So on that basis, I will allow her to testify!” He rapped his hoof but then his eyes narrowed.

“That said—if I sense any grandstanding or attempt to take blame on Miss Sparkle’s part, I will end this testimony and trial on the spot, and hold you both in contempt for wasting this court’s time. Is that clear?” He pinned them both with his stare.

Phoenix gulped and Twilight’s eyes went wide as Trixie’s head hit her rail again—but that’s exactly what I WANTED to do! the latter mentally protested, and their guilty reactions were not lost on the veteran judge.

“You’ve heard my terms, Mister Wright. Since it seems they struck a nerve, I offer you one final chance for a guilty plea. Will you take it?” Due Process asked.

Phoenix looked at Twilight, who hesitated and then shook her head sharply. He next turned to Trixie, who didn’t look up but gave him a resigned wave of her hoof. “We do not, Your Honor,” he turned the unicorn judge down for the final time.

Due Process seemed to visibly deflate, sighing and rubbing his eyes. “Then on your head be it. Take the stand, Miss Sparkle,” he instructed.

Twilight was aware of all the eyes in the chamber on her as she walked towards the witness stand. The distance was short from the co-counsel position, and yet somehow, it had never seemed so far and loomed so large to her, like a distant, insurmountable mountain.

It’s okay, Twilight. You can do this, she told herself, trying not to get cold hooves—with Due Process preempting her desire to take blame, that left her with only one way she could yet save Trixie. Only one way… she reminded herself again, hoping Trixie might one day forgive her.

To say nothing of her friends and the Princess.

“Please state your name and occupation,” Delta instructed automatically.

“Twilight Sparkle. Town librarian,” Twilight answered quickly.

Lady Requiem stared at her for a moment. “Don’t be so modest, Miss Sparkle. Is it not true you are the personal student of Princess Celestia herself?”

Twilight shifted uncomfortably. “Well, yes,” she admitted, noting the looks of surprise from out-of-town ponies who didn’t know her and hadn’t been paying attention to the tabloids. “But I try not to flaunt that fact.” And after I reveal what I do, there’s a chance I won’t be any longer…

For a moment, Delta looked like she was going to challenge that statement, but decided against it. “When did you first meet Ms. Lulamoon?”

Twilight grimaced, remembering the circumstances. “Somewhat less than a year ago.”

“Was the meeting a happy one?”

“Anything but,” she sighed, going on at Delta’s request to give an abbreviated summary of the showmare’s appearance in Ponyville and the Ursa Minor attack that followed.

“Do you hold the defendant responsible for the Ursa attack?” Lady Requiem followed up.

“No,” Twilight stated firmly. “And neither should anypony else. She lied about beating one, but she certainly didn’t ask anypony to bring one into town for her to fight!” she stated with a pointed look behind her, causing Snips and Snails, who were in the back row of the stands with their parents, to cringe under the withering glares of the gallery. “She lost her wagon stage and her reputation thanks to that incident. She deserved none of it, and in truth, I hold myself partially responsible for what came after,” she felt she had to say.

Due Process’s hoof came down. “Miss Sparkle, you are warned again that I will not accept any attempt on your part to take blame for the defendant’s actions. Your last statement is struck, and any further answers along those lines will result in a contempt citation. Understood?”

Phoenix winced and even Delta frowned as Twilight nodded jerkily. “Yes, Your Honor.”

Delta looked like she was going to say something to the judge for a moment, but turned her attention back to Twilight instead. “Miss Sparkle—would you care to explain why you do not hold Ms. Lulamoon responsible for her actions?” she asked, Phoenix noting her careful phrasing. Almost sounds like she’s trying to give Twilight an indirect means to answer...

“Because in her place, given her circumstances… I don’t think I would have reacted any differently.” She went downcast. “From what I know of her, she’s had a very rough life. More than any pony should ever have to bear.”

Delta stared at her for a moment, like she was considering challenging that statement as well. “We’ll come back to that later. As an elemental pony yourself, please tell us: have you ever lost control of your powers as you claim Trixie did?” she asked, making Phoenix shiver at the thought.

Twilight hesitated. “I have,” she admitted with a nervous glance at Phoenix. “Just recently, too, as Apple Bloom said earlier. It’s happened spontaneously when I’ve lost my temper. I can’t really help it when it does.”

“But have you ever done so in a public place, putting ponies in danger?” Delta interjected. “Have you ever hurt anypony with your displays?”

“No,” Twilight reluctantly admitted.

“So you were able to ‘take it outside’, in His Honor’s own words?” Delta clarified.

“Well, yes...” Twilight looked conflicted.

“Then you can ‘help it’,” Lady Requiem pointed out quickly. “Now let’s ask another question—imagine yourself in Ms. Lulamoon’s place, Miss Sparkle. Imagine you lost the case instead of her, and exploded into a fiery rage in a crowded courtroom at the impending loss of your friend,” she suggested, causing a bead of sweat to travel down Phoenix’s back at the thought. “Would you seriously suggest you should not be punished even if, by some miracle as was the case here, you did not actually hurt anypony?”

“Calls for speculation, Your Honor!” And a change of underwear!

“I find the analogy to be quite appropriate, and would like to hear the witness’s reply. Answer the question, Miss Sparkle,” Due Process instructed, his cry making Phoenix think he was suddenly channeling Fair Verdict.

Twilight’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “Yes. Yes, I would have to be punished, and very severely.”

“Then ‘rough life’ or no, why would you excuse Miss Lulamoon for her supposed lack of control when you would demand punishment of yourself in the same scenario, Miss Sparkle?” she asked pointedly, causing Due Process and most of the stands to nod in agreement.

Twilight already had an answer prepared but, the moment at hoof, she felt the words catch in her throat. Because it’s not the same scenario, and the reason I know that is… She swallowed hard, unable to finish her thought.

“Answer the question, Miss Sparkle,” Due Process directed.

“There is no need, Your Honor. I think the witness’s speechlessness speaks for itself,” Delta stated grimly and with no sense of satisfaction. “The prosecution has no further questions of this witness.”

“Very well. Your cross-examination, Mister Wright?” Due Process invited, giving Delta an odd look.

“Yes, Your Honor,” Phoenix acknowledged but didn’t begin right away, his mind turning. Lady Requiem missed an easy opening there to ask how Twilight knew about Trixie’s ‘rough life’. I know she spotted it and I’m sure Due Process did too. So why didn’t she take it? Unless… His brow furrowed at the only possible answer. Unless she’s deliberately leaving it for me so I can spin things properly? But that would mean Delta’s trying to help me! he realized as he glanced at Delta’s face, which was now unreadable.

“Today, Mister Wright,” Due Process prompted after a few seconds.

“Apologies, Your Honor. I am considering the order of my questions,” he said to buy a little time, gathering himself carefully. If Phoenix had to draw parallels between the Equestrian prosecutors he’d faced to ones from Earth, Trixie and Franziska were an easy comparison, both in attitude and aptitude. Both were grudge-driven, and both were very good at their jobs despite their eccentricities and often-caustic personalities. Vinyl was more like Winston Payne in that both started a trial overly-confident, but soon devolved into desperation as errors and mistakes accumulated on them.

Delta, on the other hand, was very similar to Edgeworth—confident, assured, and possessing a razor-keen intellect that kept him on his toes. And given that, the only reason she would help me would be that she either genuinely doesn’t want Trixie punished like that, or that she’s under royal orders to prevent it?

With that, Phoenix decided what to ask first. “Twil—er, Miss Sparkle,” he caught himself. “Do you believe that the prosecution’s analogy is a fair comparison?”

“No,” Twilight answered instantly.

“And why not?”

“Because in such a situation, I could help it. But Trixie couldn’t,” Twilight explained. “In that example, I would just be having a very selfish and childish temper tantrum. But that’s not what Trixie did.”

“You yourself called her actions a ‘magical temper tantrum’, Miss Sparkle. Are you now rescinding that statement?” Delta asked shortly.

Twilight took a deep breath. “Let me rephrase. A selfish temper tantrum is not the only thing Trixie did. Yes, her temper was in part responsible for what happened, but losing it and her powers bursting out like they did was inevitable.”

“Pardon me, Miss Sparkle, but I’m not certain I understand.” Due Process spoke up himself at that, a frown on his face. “Are you saying that, even had Ms. Lulamoon managed to win her case against Miss Dash, that she would have let her powers run wild anyway?”

“No, Your Honor,” Twilight quickly corrected, turning to face him. “I’m saying that losing her case made it inevitable, given her circumstances. To say that she ‘let her powers run wild’ implies she had full control over them and then deliberately relinquished said control. Which I know not to be the case.”

“How do you mean?” Due Process asked.

Twilight gave him a look of distaste. “Though I’m loathe to even bring her up, Fair Verdict’s opinion of Trixie should be a clue, Your Honor. Trixie bears not one, but two abilities that have notorious stigmas surrounding them. And she knew full well that having these abilities would cause ponies to despise her, so she concealed them for most of her life.”

“And how would concealing and suppressing those abilities affect her, doing so for years on end?” Phoenix broke in.

“It would be like shaking a bottle of soda pop,” Twilight answered, turning back to him. “The pressure would build and build until it finally burst free.”

“And when would it be most likely to burst free?” Phoenix followed up.

“During times of severe stress or emotion.”

“Like prosecuting a high-profile murder case involving a friend of a pony you have a great grudge against?” Phoenix asked as he scratched his chin.

“He’s leading the witness, Your Honor!” Delta Requiem fired in.

“Sustained,” Due Process immediately agreed, rapping his hoof once more.

Phoenix flicked her a glance. Seriously? “I’ll rephrase—did my client do anything that would cause severe stress and emotion?”

Twilight looked at him, then over at Delta. “Yes. She prosecuted a high-profile murder case involving the friend of a pony she bore a great grudge against,” she deadpanned, causing Delta to flush and the audience to erupt in laughter.

Phoenix had to stifle his own grin at the response. Nice one, Twilight!

“Miss Sparkle, why do you say that Miss Lulamoon’s eruption was inevitable? And why isn’t the same true for other elementals?” Delta preempted Phoenix’s next question, quickly recovering her composure.

“Because I’m able to occasionally vent fire and not worry about being ostracized for it. Fire Elementals are seen as servants of Celestia, after all, and most other elemental types are a curiosity at best. But if I was forced to suppress and hide it like Trixie, stifle it time and time again for fear of how other ponies would react?” She shook her head. “I don’t even want to think about the explosion that would eventually result.” She shivered, and so did Phoenix.

“As a fellow elemental, I’m sure Your Honor can appreciate that we need to express our powers. It is a very integral part of our being and to deny it is to deny ourselves. As I told Fair Verdict, it’s no different than denying an earth pony farming or a pegasus the ability to fly.”

“Your point is taken, Miss Sparkle. But the question before this court is: why did she have to express it then?” Due Process himself challenged. “If she needed to express it or to duel you, why couldn’t she have restrained herself long enough to take it outside?”

“She snapped, Your Honor. To say that she could have ‘restrained herself’ or ‘taken it outside’ presumes that she had control of her power at that point. She did not,” Twilight stated with certainty. “Playback of the second day of Rainbow Dash’s trial will clearly show Trixie’s elemental abilities were already leaking out around the edges in the lead up to the duel, and losing her case was simply the straw that broke the horse’s back.”

At Phoenix’s request, several snippets of courtroom video from the crystal recorder from earlier in Rainbow Dash’s trial were played, each showing Trixie progressively losing control of her powers and earning rebukes from The Judge.

At first, it was just cold breath or the water in her glass icing over. Then her eyes began to glow blue and the air around her chilled as cold breezes began to blow inside the chamber, each renewed instance corresponding with a particularly heated confrontation with Sonata or Phoenix. Finally, as Phoenix closed in she began spontaneously generating actual clouds and snow despite her visible efforts to restrain it, culminating in a sudden lightning bolt when she asserted angrily that the stun spell they’d found in Sonata’s spellbook could not kill.

“As Your Honor can plainly see, what my client did was not simply a childish temper tantrum!” Phoenix noted when the playback was complete. “Her long-suppressed powers were finally breaking free, and all they needed was a single spark—a spark that was given when she realized she’d lost her case,” he continued, and was relieved to see the unicorn judge nodding slowly. “So, Your Honor… it is the defense’s contention that my client could not restrain herself at the moment her storm erupted, and the duel was simply an extension of that.”

While Due Process mulled that over, Delta looked to be lost in thought. “You know, my position in the Royal Court allows me a few perks, one of which is access to historical texts not available for the general public to browse. Among those texts are detailed accounts of some of the most noteworthy elementals in recorded history.

“Fire, air, water and earth; each of these have had a fairly equal balance of those who abused their power, and those who used it for the greater good. From my reading, I have also gathered that the same was true for weather elementals before the banishment of Princess Luna.”

I doubt she’d research those casually. Sounds like she’s been studying up on elementals in the leadup to the trial? Phoenix wondered. “But that changed because of Nightmare Moon?” he guessed, remembering what he’d been told by Rarity.

Delta nodded. “Correct, Mister Wright. After that, weather elementals followed a surprisingly similar theme to Miss Lulamoon—they would grow up, either hating or being hated for their power. They’d conceal it, either for their own protection or out of self-loathing. They tended to be loners and avoid other ponies. Then, during moments of great emotional distress, they’d snap, revealing themselves generally to entire groups at a time and being immediately ostracized for it… or in extreme cases, attacked.” She looked somber. “It’s such a pity that the actions of one mare so long ago have cast such a stigma on an otherwise amazing ability.”

Phoenix scratched his chin a little. “Out of curiosity, what records have you read about ice elementals, Lady Requiem?”

Delta grimaced. “That’s one of the rarest talents of all. Given that the events of Hearth Warming took place at the dawn of recorded history, it’s difficult to say how ice elementals were treated before the Windigoes. As for known instances…”

She sighed in resignation before continuing, “They only appear around once in a generation and follow an eerily similar pattern as weather elementals. And for both to manifest in one unicorn…” she shook her head. “As far as I know, there is only one other recorded instance of such a thing happening, not long after Nightmare Moon’s defeat.”

“And what happened to that pony?” Phoenix wondered aloud, his hand on his chin.

Delta’s sapphire eyes went distant. “You don’t want to know. All I will say is that once they were discovered…” She shivered. “It was barbaric. I’d rather not say more.”

Phoenix nodded gravely. “So my client had no choice but to hide and suppress her power her whole life out of self-preservation. She lived a solitary life on the road, going from town to town, supporting herself with magic shows and the kindness of strangers,” he said with a nod up at Zecora. “But what would happen when her only source of pride and means of support was taken away?” he asked rhetorically.

Delta sighed in agreement. “Exactly what did, Mister Wright. As I said, it’s unfortunate that such abilities have such stigmas. Though I know I shouldn’t be, I can’t help but be grateful that my own ability is far enough removed from any negative source as to not warrant such reactions,” she mused, then paused.

“Still, there is one question this court has yet to hear the answer to.” Lady Requiem looked expectantly across the pit at Phoenix, an eyeridge raised. “And without that answer, most of what Miss Sparkle just said about the defendant’s mental state amounts to little more than speculation.”

“Agreed,” Due Process said gravely. “And unless she can supply an answer that satisfies this court, I will have no choice but to strike the bulk of Miss Sparkle’s testimony as unsupported by evidence. Mister Wright?” he prompted.

Getting the hint, Phoenix steeled himself for what he suspected would come. “Twilight?” he asked gently. “Trixie never shared her backstory with us or anypony else. So how do you know so much about her life and state of mind?”

“Because…” Twilight stood rigid for a moment, biting her lip and unable to answer.

“Miss Sparkle?” Due Process prompted, noting instantly her nervous manner. “Answer the question.”

It was another several seconds before she could. “Because…” Twilight’s shoulders slumped and she looked down in shame. “Because… I used a scrying spell on her during the duel to see if I could figure out why she hated me,” she admitted, finally forcing the words out, causing Trixie to gape and Delta and Due Process to give her a stunned look.

She swallowed hard before continuing, plunging ahead, trying to still the shaking of her legs. “For th-those who do not know, a scrying spell is a remote memory or dream viewing that can be used against emotional or distracted minds. In this case, she was both—she was broadcasting her thoughts and emotions very strongly, so… I cast it to see her memories and motivations firsthoof, Your Honor. And that’s how I know what happened in that courtroom was as inevitable as it was unavoidable.”

She turned to look at Trixie, who was staring at her in shock. “I mean, how could she not hate me? I didn’t have to struggle… fight for respect… learn magic on my own… I had patrons and help… didn’t have to hide my power… no, I got everything given to me on a bucking platter,” she recited as if she was reading from a book, each phrase causing Trixie’s jaw to drop further. “In truth, she has every right to hate me. And I fear I’ve just given her one more.”

A glance at Trixie showed the truth of the statement, as the showmare shook in fury. “How… how dare you,” she hissed out, clutching her head between her hooves again.

“Trixie, I—”

“HOW DARE YOU!” the showmare screamed in rage and pain, her eyes glowing blue and area around her starting to ice over as her elemental powers began to reassert themselves despite her magical restraint collar. Phoenix held his breath as it looked for a moment she’d be able to break free of it, the white stallion stepping forward in case he was needed, but the pain of the collar’s feedback was too great and she couldn’t overcome it, finally collapsing to her rail in defeat and beginning to cry. “My mind… my memories… you had no right!” she said between sobs.

“I must agree, Miss Sparkle,” Due Process said in a dark and disapproving tone, his opinion shared by the ponies in the gallery who stared at her and whispered to each other, an undercurrent of indignation in their voices. “There is good reason such spells are frowned upon. What you did was not per se illegal, but was nonetheless very unethical as a severe invasion of privacy. And I am further shocked you would resort to one in the middle of a magical duel!”

“I kn-know this, Your Honor,” Twilight said, tears in her eyes as her voice began to break. “And I’m s-sorry. I had to find out w-why she hated me, and it was the only way I c-could think to.”

“She did it because she wanted to help Trixie, Your Honor,” Phoenix spoke up for her, wanting to go shield her from the angry glares and disapproving looks she was getting. Even the white stallion bailiff was shaking his head at her reproachfully, leaving Twilight unable to meet his eyes. “To do so, she had to know what made her tick. Her heart was in the right place.”

“Remember the road to Tartarus, Mister Wright,” Lady Requiem reminded him, her eyes dark. “Good intentions or no, I, too, cannot approve. And where did you even learn such spells, Miss Sparkle?” she demanded to know. “You can’t find those in a regular public library book, and I find it very hard to believe that Princess Celestia would have taught you such things.”

“In the Starswirl the Bearded wing of the Canterlot Archives,” Twilight admitted, her shoulders slumping further. “I snuck in there more than once as a filly.”

“That wing is restricted, Miss Sparkle!” Delta’s voice had the tone of a teacher reprimanding a student. “And I sincerely doubt the Princess gave you permission to be there. Due to their potential for misuse, scrying spells are only taught to accredited therapists and select members of the Lunar Guard—not to an average laypony! And how did you get past the anti-intrusion enchantments put there by Argus the caretaker?” she further asked, causing Maya to blink hard.

“I u-used a magical cloak,” Twilight explained, feeling her world crashing down around her along with the glares of the gallery and stunned looks of her friends. “I’d r-rather not say who gave it to me.”

Phoenix started to say that Twilight was anything but the average laypony, but thought better of it. “If you have any suggestions for how else she could have both helped my client and protected her friends, I’m willing to hear it, Lady Requiem! She did what she had to do then, and is doing what she has to do now to help Trixie!”

“Is this what you call help, Twilight Sparkle?” Trixie lay slumped over the rail to hide her tears. “You’ve taken everything from me! My stage… my reputation… my revenge… and now, even the sanctity of my mind!”

Tears were streaming freely down Twilight’s face as well. “I’m s-sorry, Trixie. I n-never wanted to hurt you. And a-all I can do for you now… is this,” she managed, trying to gather herself enough to go on.

“You wanted to know why I’m helping her, Your Honor? It’s because in the course of our duel, I saw her past. I saw the things that had shaped her and led her to that moment. I saw how she was bullied… tormented… blackmailed… how she had to hide who and what she was throughout her life! How it stunted her emotional and magical growth and prevented her from realizing her potential! How it cost her her friends, her education, any real career… her chance to go to the Celestia School for Gifted Unicorns… and maybe even the chance to be the Princess’s student herself!” she stated with surety, causing Trixie to give another choked sob.

“And each time she was wronged, she had to flee to save herself. Each time she ran because she had no friends to help her; nopony she could turn to. All she could do was move on. But there, in that courtroom, she finally made her stand.

“In her mind, she was finally fighting back against her tormentors and all those who had wronged her. Finally standing up for herself and punishing those who had hurt her. At the moment her elemental powers erupted, it was not possible or even desirable for her to hold back, Your Honor. Not with a lifetime of repression and pain behind them. I know this because I saw it in her mind and memories for myself!” She sat down heavily behind the witness stand, her legs trembling, suddenly unable to support her weight.

“And in the end, all I could think as we were dueling was—there, but for the grace of Celestia, go I! What would have happened to me without a mentor and friends? Where would I have ended up?” she managed between broken breaths. “When it comes down to it, Trixie was right. I did get everything given to me on a bucking platter. I got the help and support she never had. And if you want to know why I’m helping her now? That’s why,” she sniffled.

“Sh-She doesn’t want my pity, but she has it. She needs it. And I-I’ll do whatever I can to help her from here on out. Even revealing… this.” She forced herself to raise her head and stare at the judge, letting him see her tear-streaked face.

“I don’t want your pity, Twilight Sparkle!I don’t want ANYTHING from you!” Trixie all but wailed, pounding her hooves on the rail repeatedly. “You’ve beaten and destroyed me… made me a mockery… bared my past and soul to everypony… by Luna’s moon, what more can you DO TO ME?” she screamed out, then broke down sobbing again as Twilight could only look away.

“Lula…” a new voice called out, causing Trixie’s head to snap up and attention to turn towards a figure in the gallery, now coming down the stairs. The voice’s owner was a silver earth pony stallion with a short white beard, mustache, and what Phoenix could only describe as a magician’s suit, with a dark blue vest and black two-tail cape, a cutie mark of a wand tapping a top hat backlit by a flourish of magical sparks adorning his flank.

“D-Daddy…?” she barely whispered, her voice suddenly that of a frightened foal.

“I’m here, honey,” he walked down into the pit, the bailiffs making no move to stop him. “I’ve been watching this entire time. It was at the request of Lady Requiem that I didn’t show myself until now. But I can stand by no longer.” he walked into the middle of the courtroom pit, where he stood and faced the judge. “Your Honor, I am Lula’s father—Mystral Noctus,” he announced. “A former stage magician and entertainer in the Court of Canterlot.”

Due Process stared at him, sensing control of his court slipping. “I appreciate your desire to comfort your daughter, Mister Noctus, but this is a trial and court is in session,” he said as gently as he could. “I must ask you to return to your seat.”

Mystral Noctus didn’t move. “And I appreciate your desire to conduct a fair and orderly trial, Your Honor, but that’s my daughter there. She’s in pain, and she needs me.” Without waiting for acknowledgment, he went over to the defendant seat and offered a hoof to her. She reached up a trembling hoof back.

“It’s okay, Lula. I’m here,” he promised, taking her into an embrace. Trixie only briefly resisted before finally collapsing against him, burying her face in his mane and unable to restrain her sobs. The older earth pony held her and rocked her back and forth for the better part of a minute before turning his attention back to the judge.

“Your Honor, I beg of you—if you want to punish anypony for what happened, punish me!” He held his crying daughter close. “When I learned of her elemental abilities when she was ten, I panicked. I didn’t know what to do or how to help her. I was afraid to take her to the princess because of the association of her weather powers with Nightmare Moon… afraid she might be banished as Luna was just for having them! That was a terrible mistake for which she has paid her entire life,” he told the hushed courtroom.

“In the end, I chose to help her hide it, rather than getting her the guidance and training she needed. So instead of learning to embrace and exercise her magic, she learned to suppress and fear it. Instead of forming friendships, she avoided them, believing they were nothing more than a source of pain and misery,” he said as Trixie continued to clutch him and cry. “Miss Sparkle is right. This was inevitable... thanks to my own failures as a father,” he said in a choked voice.

“But it doesn’t have to be this way, honey. It’s all out in the open now. And that means you don’t have to hide it any longer. You can have a life. You can express your power. You can have friends and love. You can even have a stage to perform on and an audience to applaud you. You can have everything you want, Lula! But first, you have to let go of the past. Let go of the hate and hurt. And that I can’t help you do,” he told her just loudly enough for everypony in the deathly silent chamber to hear. “Only you can make that choice.”

“But… she hurt me, Daddy,” Trixie sounded to Phoenix like a bullied foal again. “I just wanted to make it stop…”

“I know, Sweetheart. But it wouldn’t have even if you won. Not in the end. Not like this,” he told her, tears streaming down own cheeks. “So now you understand, Your Honor. What happened in that courtroom wasn’t a temper tantrum. It was Lula lashing out at the only source of her hurt that she could reach. And that source… was Twilight Sparkle!” he pronounced with certainty. “So if you will not accept it from Miss Sparkle or Mister Wright, then please take it from her father, and her own words:

“She just wanted to make her pain stop.”

For the first time in two trials, Due Process appeared to be at a complete loss. He stared at father and daughter, his face a jumble of confused emotions, looking for a moment like he was going to call for order, raising his hoof only to put it back down.

“Enough,” he finally said, his shoulders visibly slumping as he looked down at his bench in defeat. “I have heard enough. Unless either counsel has something more to add, court will recess while I deliberate on this case.”

“The prosecution rests, Your Honor,” Delta said in a very quiet voice, her head bowed.

“The defense rests as well,” Phoenix added, feeling sad and subdued himself.

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom No. 1
June 16th, 2:52 PM

“All rise,” the white stallion bailiff announced again as Due Process finally reconvened court nearly two hours later, looking grave and spent to Phoenix, like he’d been agonizing over a very difficult decision. “Court is again in session for the trial of Trixie Lulamoon.”

“Please be seated,” the unicorn judge ordered as his features went expressionless, his poker face unreadable.

Don’t think I’d want to play cards with him! Phoenix decided as Trixie awaited her judgment, her legs visibly trembling and her father still at her side.

Due Process looked out over the chamber before speaking. “This trial has been a particularly difficult one for me, even aside from the circumstances under which I took it. As a judge, I am required to set aside my personal feelings and enforce the law dispassionately. In practice, this is rarely the case,” he began. “In truth, it is impossible for anypony to ignore their emotions, particularly during such charged topics as these.

“When Ms. Zecora testified—and I wish to say that calling her to the stand was a masterstroke, Mister Wright—I felt what some say is the kiss of death for any judge: a tug on my heartstrings. Her appeal was heartfelt, and I would be lying if I said it did not affect me. For a moment, I was ready to grant her request to set Miss Lulamoon free right then and there.

“And that caught me very short. I worried that if I did—would I then be no better than Fair Verdict? Allowing my emotions and personal biases to influence me? In truth, part of me panicked, and as a result, I overcompensated, looking for ways to not be lenient. In my determination to be impartial and better than Fair Verdict, I now realize I was not. I played the part of not a judge, but an overzealous prosecutor looking for reasons and rationales to convict.

“For this, I offer my apologies to all present—but especially to both counsels, who, I am well aware, worked together to remind me of my role and see justice done.” He looked back and forth between Phoenix and Delta, his head bowed apologetically.

“My mentor, rest her soul, once told me that the best judges wear their emotions on their sleeves. But perhaps it is not until now that I truly understand what she meant,” he looked down for a moment, giving Edgeworth enough time to consider his words and then nod slowly in agreement.

“I am a judge, but in the end, I too am a father and an elemental pony. And were Miss Lulamoon my own daughter, I would not want her condemned for the very powers that define her, regardless of who had used them in the past. She should not be shunned or punished for simply expressing them, particularly after she had to hide them her whole life,” he said with a shake of his head.

“My own were difficult enough to deal with growing up; I cannot imagine what it would have done to me if I had to conceal them as she had. As Miss Sparkle says: there but for the grace of Celestia, the acceptance of my friends and family, and the training of a beloved mentor go I.” His eyes went misty for a moment, gathering himself carefully before continuing.

“If audience ponies had been hurt, things would be different. But as matters stand, Miss Sparkle’s testimony makes clear that Miss Lulamoon was indeed not in control of her powers at the time, and thus, an extended prison term is not warranted,” he conceded, causing Twilight and Phoenix to exhale sharply.

“That said, this court does not absolve Miss Lulamoon of all responsibility for the duel and damages suffered the courtroom. We, as ponies, are ultimately the product of the choices we make, and she chose to pursue her vendetta, ultimately putting many ponies at risk. Nothing changes that simple fact,” he reasoned, speaking more sternly. “This court likewise does not accept the defense’s contention that a large fine would impose undue hardship on Miss Lulamoon. Given her now-revealed abilities, there is much she could do to make a living, and I have no doubt there are ponies out there who would accept and help her.

“We met one today, and I again thank Ms. Zecora for her testimony, which this court did find persuasive—if occasionally difficult to parse,” he noted with a wan smile. “Accordingly, I am ready to render judgment. Trixie Lulamoon, rise to receive verdict!”

She did so, her legs trembling as the rest of the courtroom waited, not a whisper of conversation to be heard.

“Trixie Lulamoon, you are hereby found guilty on twelve counts of reckless endangerment, and are fined an amount equal to two-thirds the total damage to Courtroom #2, with Twilight Sparkle fined the other third for her own reckless conduct and unethical actions during the duel,” he began as Trixie held her breath, waiting as Due Process floated Twilight a citation scroll, who accepted it without protest. “As for prison time, you are given consecutive one-month sentences on each count, for a year total!” he announced with a rap of his hoof, causing Trixie, Phoenix and Twilight to slump.

“However,” He held up a hoof at the upsurge of audience chatter to silence it. “However. In recognition of your extraordinarily difficult circumstances... Miss Sparkle’s revelation... your father’s plea... your efforts at restraint… your repeated attempts to make a new start and the role you played in uncovering the truth behind the death of Ace Swift… I hereby suspend the sentence!

“Barring further infractions during the next year, your prison stay is limited—to time served!” He brought his hoof down with a sharp rap on his bench, to an immediate eruption of shocked conversation, Trixie going visibly weak in the knees.

“I… I th-thank his honor for his consideration,” Trixie finally managed, her voice breaking. “It is m-much more than I deserve.”

Due Process regarded her coolly for a moment. “Don’t thank me, Miss Lulamoon. Thank your lawyer and his co-counsel, who had every reason not to help you but chose to do so. They defended you passionately… and ultimately, successfully. Thank the other ponies who likewise put aside their differences to stand up for you when Fair Verdict was ready to condemn you.

“Thank Ms. Zecora for restraining your worst impulses and looking out for you; for being the friend you didn’t even know you needed. Thank your father for reminding me of what it is to be one, and thank our prosecutor, who was more interested in seeing justice done and the sanctity of the justice system preserved than winning at all costs—unlike you during Rainbow Dash’s trial!” he told Trixie pointedly, causing her to look away.

“This verdict is the sum total of their efforts, and you should be forever grateful for it. You have been granted the greatest of all gifts, Trixie Lulamoon—a second chance. For your own sake, I strongly suggest you not squander it. Court stands adjourned!”

Ponyville District Court
Defendant’s Lobby No. 1
June 16th, 3:00 PM

As the defense team congregated in the lobby, Trixie looked rather uncomfortable, opening and closing her mouth several times as her restraint collar was removed. The bailiffs gave her wary looks as they did so, as if expecting she’d freeze them solid right then and there.

Finally, the showmare sighed in relief as the restraint was unlocked, feeling her magic flow freely again for the first time in many days, a sudden gust of cool wind blowing outward from her as she exhaled.

“Wr… Wright, I think I owe you an apology,” she managed, though she refused to look at Twilight, who was standing huddled in the corner with a hangdog look—much like the one Rainbow wore when she was presented with Fluttershy, Phoenix had already noted.

“You’ve done more for me today than I think I’ll ever be able to repay. Time served… I n-never would have imagined this, in my wildest dreams,” she admitted, bowing her head before him.

“Indeed, Wright,” Edgeworth spoke up as he entered the lobby along with Maya, Pearl, Zecora and the rest of Twilight’s friends, causing Twilight herself to shrink back. “I must say, I’m impressed. You actually prepared for a trial and didn’t fly by the seat of your pants for once,” he noted with the barest hint of amusement.

“OoooOOOooOOooo… your pants can fly?” Pinkie poked her hoof at Phoenix’s leg, causing him to flinch slightly.

That’s Edgeworth… even his compliments tend to be a bit backhanded! “Figure of speech, Pinkie. And thanks, I think.” He rubbed his hand behind his head, sparing Twilight a glance. She hadn’t spoken a word since leaving the witness stand, refusing all his offers to talk or even be comforted. Like she’s already punishing herself even before anypony else does…

“Yeah, seriously, Nick,” Maya spoke up next, giving him a cockeyed grin and looking in a far better mood than she had earlier, gently shooing Pinkie away. “Preparation and research ain’t your usual M.O. I’ll have to tell sis about this!” she teased.

“I’m so happy for you, Mystic Trixie!” Pearl threw her arms around the very startled showmare. “I told you Mister Nick always wins!”

Trixie stiffened, her eyes wide, trying to gently push the young human girl back. “Um, sweetie…”

“You have my thanks as well, Mister Wright,” Mystral Noctus took pains to say, stepping forward to offer his hoof to Phoenix. “You are an honor to your profession, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for freeing my daughter.”

Edgeworth arched an eyeridge as Phoenix returned the gesture with his own thanks. “Don’t get too full of yourself, Wright. You still got a guilty verdict, and Lady Requiem pulled her punches on you in the last stage of the trial. She was trying to help you, not hinder you. Don’t think differently.”

Just as her name was spoken, a slight cough preceded the entry of Delta Requiem herself into the room. Speak of the spellsinger… Phoenix thought, noting that despite the good cheer, she looked rather grave. “Congratulations, Mister Wright—and to you as well, Lula. Not to put a damper on the mood, but I’m afraid I won’t be joining the festivities.”

“Awww, why not? You and Feenie both did a super-duper job today, getting that meanie judge removed and Trixie such a small sentence!” Pinkie protested.

Delta sighed at that. “Thank you, Miss Pie, but I fear this was just the first straw in the hay bale. I need to get back to Canterlot to begin my investigation in earnest. If there’s one thing that the past few days have shown, it’s that there is something rotten in the criminal justice system of Equestria. I need to find out how deep its roots go, so I can yank it out in its entirety.”

Phoenix nodded. “I assume you’re talking about Fair Verdict being bribed?”

“In part,” Delta answered, wearing a troubled look. “Though it has more to do with my inquiries in the Prosecutor’s Office clerical department. I learned that several employees were bribed there as well, both for their silence and to make sure that the paperwork assigning Trixie to Rainbow Dash’s trial was put through without having it run by one of the higher-ups in the offices,” she said, looking grim.

“Whoever arranged this is well-connected and covered their tracks well. And for it, I fear I’m going to be awfully busy for a while. This is a lot of corruption to root out, even for somepony like me.”

Edgeworth, who’d perked up at the mention of the Prosecutor’s Office, stepped forward. “Then perhaps, Lady Requiem, you require some assistance to help expedite matters?”

Delta turned to the well-mannered human, looking him over from head to toe. “And you are…?”

“Miles Edgeworth, chief prosecutor of the city Wright and I come from,” he answered, giving one of his signature bows, bending over with his right forearm and hand horizontal in front of him. “And being a prosecutor, I am naturally interested in the sanctity of the judicial system, be it my world’s or yours.”

Phoenix grinned. “I can vouch for him, Lady Requiem. Edgeworth is a superb prosecutor and an honorable man. Give him the chance, and he will uncover the truth.”

Delta’s face changed from surprised to pleased. “Well, then! I could certainly use some assistance, yes. Hopefully, between the two of us, we can resolve these issues swiftly. I’ve no desire to be in a prolonged dark age of the law.”

There’s that phrase again, ‘dark age of the law,’ thought Phoenix. Drama’s all well and good, but that’s a bit much, I think.

A chiming sound brought the room’s attention back to Delta, who was looking down at the clasp of her cloak. Said object was glowing and emitting a rather royal-sounding ringtone; one that made Twilight visibly cringe. “Well. It seems somepony else has something to say,” she mused, as she tapped the clasp, and drew her hoof in a circle around it as she sang softly.

The glow intensified and started projecting an image into the air, much as had been seen at the trial with the crystal recorder. This time, however, the image was of a certain alicorn, the full-sized sight of whom caused all the ponies present to bow in deference.

“Princess Celestia! This is a surprise and honor,” Phoenix offered, giving her a short bow, as a startled but uncertain Edgeworth, Maya, and Pearl took a moment to follow his lead.

The translucent alicorn chuckled slightly, her ethereal mane waving as if in an unseen breeze. “Did you think that I wouldn’t have ways to keep in contact with one of my best agents in the field? And please rise, everypony. And everyone,” she added on seeing the additional humans; Phoenix noted her gaze fell briefly but in some surprise on Maya when she noticed her Magatama, her eyes fixed on it for a moment.

Odd. Why would she recognize that? he couldn’t help but wonder, but didn’t get a chance to pursue the thought as Celestia addressed her new guests.

“Greetings and welcome to Equestria, Miss Maya, young Pearl, and Miles Edgeworth,” she addressed each in turn, to their surprise. “I am Princess Celestia, Twilight’s teacher and the monarch of this land. She told me your names and how you were brought here, and for it, I offer my sincerest apologies for the involuntary manner in which you were summoned. Be assured I will do my utmost to make your stay a pleasant one and return you to your world in due time. And please, there is no need to bow. You are not my subjects, so you need not kneel before me.”

Rising from her own bow, Pinkie began jumping up and down excitedly, speaking before anypony else could. “So, Princess, did you hear about the trial today? Or did you wanna hear it from us? Ooo, or maybe you want to—”

Celestia’s laughter cut her off. “I’m well aware of what transpired during the trial, Pinkie Pie, as one of the recorders in the courtroom was modified to allow me to view the proceedings as though I were actually there.” She smiled at Phoenix. “I would like to offer my congratulations to Mister Wright for yet another superb job. In both exposing Fair Verdict and in your excellent defense of Trixie Lulamoon, you have once again proven that you are worthy of the title ‘greatest defense attorney’, Phoenix Wright.”

Edgeworth’s eyebrows flew up, but much to his credit, he did not snort in amusement at the statement, deciding it would be unseemly to do so in front of what had to be this nation’s ruler. Maya, on the other hand, wasn’t quite so restrained, having to clap her hands over her mouth to stifle her giggles, earning a glare from Phoenix.

Can’t you guys even allow me ONE moment of pride? he thought in some exasperation.

Celestia either didn’t notice or chose to disregard it; her expression becoming more solemn. “However, simple congratulations are not the only reason I have contacted you all through Delta. It would seem I have a reprimand to deliver as well.” Her virtual gaze fell on Twilight, who gulped and stepped forward, her head bowed so low it was almost scraping the ground.

Celestia waited until she had arrived before her virtual image, staring down at her for several seconds before she spoke again. “Twilight Sparkle. I find myself in the rare position of not having the proper words to express how I feel. ‘Disappointed’ would be a grave understatement in this case.”

Twilight flinched as though she’d been struck. “P-Princess, I—” Her voice failed, having never heard such a reproachful tone directed at her from her mentor before.

“It is not the fact that you learned a scrying spell without my permission that causes me to say this,” Celestia continued, “nor is it the fact that you apparently snuck into a restricted area repeatedly and without permission to study it. It is the fact that you used this spell on somepony whose emotional state was severely compromised at the time, and who you were in the process of dueling.

“This is a flagrant violation of privacy, and while not strictly illegal, it goes against my personal conscience and all magical ethics I have attempted to teach you,” she informed Twilight, whose ears and fur drooped further with each word spoken.

“But Princess! She—” Phoenix began, only for Celestia to hold up a halting hoof at him, and though there was no anger or reproach directed at him behind it, he found himself falling silent as she went on.

“Had you stopped at that, perhaps I wouldn’t be as troubled. But you did more, my student. You deliberately revealed a mare’s darkest thoughts and secrets to an entire gallery of ponies during a very public trial. I grant that, given the judge’s disposition at the time, you had no other means of mitigating Trixie’s sentence, but it is nonetheless a severe violation of her sanctity of self. All said, I cannot in good conscience allow your actions to go unpunished,” she said solemnly.

Twilight looked like she was on an executioner’s chopping block as Trixie watched and waited expectantly. “Wh-what is your decision, Princess?”

Celestia sighed, closing her eyes and bowing her head slightly. “It is my decree that, for a period of one month, your tenure as my student is hereby suspended. Your royal stipend will be cut off during this time, as will your access to the Canterlot Archives. And I will be personally overseeing security upgrades to the Archives, particularly the restricted wings, to ensure that there will be no more sneaking in, from you or anypony else,” she pronounced sentence less as a judge or ruler than a disappointed parent.

“Your desire to know more about magic and the ponies around you is commendable, Twilight. But what purpose do rules serve when even those in authority choose not to pay them heed?”

Maya blinked at the startlingly familiar phrase coming from the Sun Princess. Well, at least it’s not the usual references I’ve been getting here… need to break that game out again sometime! She decided, resolving to do so as soon as she got back home.

Twilight hung her head and waved off her friends. Phoenix, however, felt compelled to speak up. “With respect, Princess, she could have simply never told anyone what she did, you know. But she revealed it to help Trixie, even though she knew she’d be punished for it. And it worked.”

Trixie all but bit her lip to keep from saying the first words that popped into her head as Celestia turned her gaze on him, the barest element of reproach in it. “So the ends justify the means, Phoenix Wright? Did they also when you falsely accused Fluttershy?” she challenged, causing him to fall silent and grimace. “Magical ethics, like attorney ethics, exist for good reasons, and I cannot ignore such an egregious violation of them simply by virtue of a favorable outcome.”

“I was just asking you to take it into consideration that she wasn’t being selfish,” he offered somewhat more wanly, feeling compelled to stand up for Twilight but also forced to acknowledge the truth of Celestia’s words. Kind of hard to counter an argument when it’s one I got censured with already!

“Phoenix… thank you, but she’s right. Regardless of how things turned out, I was wrong to do it,” Twilight told him, then turned back to Celestia. “I understand, Princess. And I accept your punishment.” She bowed low again.

Phoenix noted a brief flash of pain cross Celestia’s face, even through the projection. “You may still send me letters and other reports during this period, Twilight. Do not think this the end of our relationship; I only need to impress upon you the seriousness of what you have done,” she emphasized, then looked around. “Farewell, dear friends, until we meet again!” Her image faded away as Delta’s clasp ceased to glow.

“Well, that was a bit depressing,” Maya noted, surprised by the fact that she actually felt a bit sorry for Sparkle.

“Speak for yourself, Miss ‘Medium’,” Trixie smiled for the first time since the trial. “At least Trixie gets some retribution, then!”

The others glared at her, then stepped forward. “Twi—we know why you did it. For us and for her,” Applejack began, putting a foreleg over her friend’s shoulders. “It weren’t honest, but yer confession sure as hay was. So ain’t nothing changes ’cause of this.”

“You mean… w-we’re still friends…?” Twilight asked hesitantly and very meekly, still looking forlorn.

“Of course we are!” Rainbow Dash said, adding her wing to Applejack’s hug. “We forgive you, egghead!”

“Your actions were questionable but your motives were true… even if lost on our friend in blue,” Zecora added with a nod at Trixie.

“You risked much to do it, darling, and we all respect that,” Rarity noted as well, tilting Twilight’s chin up with a flare of her magic and dabbing at her eyes with a materialized handkerchief. “Now dry those tears, and know that we will stand by you no matter what!”

Far from drying them, Twilight’s eyes got even more watery as Fluttershy approached next, brushing her friend’s wet cheek with a wingtip. “We all love you, Twilight. Don’t ever think differently.”

“Group HUG!” Pinkie announced as she somehow popped up behind her friends. Her forelegs looked abnormally long as she drew them all together into an embrace, causing Phoenix to smile ear-to-ear and Edgeworth to rub his temples like he had a headache, while Trixie just wore a disgusted look.

“Speak for yourselves…” she muttered under her breath, only holding back from more pointed remarks for the presence of her father and Pearl.

Delta watched with a grin, waiting until the hug was broken before clearing her throat. “Now that that matter is settled, back to the subject at hoof—do you still wish to help me investigate, Mister Edgeworth?” Delta turned her attention back on the red-suited human.

Edgeworth nodded and clasped his hands in front of him. “As it happens, I’ve no pressing cases back home at the moment. I was about to go on a sabbatical and travel to observe foreign legal systems when Miss Fey contacted me. Though Equestria was hardly on my original itinerary, I’ll consider this a part of that.”

There was a moment of silence as everyone looked at him. “Do you always want to work when you go on vacation, Edge?” Rainbow Dash asked from her hover beside him, having adopted the nickname for the human prosecutor the previous day.

“There is nothing wrong with doing a little work while on leave, Miss Dash,” Edgeworth crossed his arms and replied huffily. “I am not one to stand on the sidelines when there is corruption to uproot, whether in your world or mine.”

“Well, I think Mister Edgeworth is very noble and generous to make such an offer!” Rarity spoke up, putting her hoof on her chest. “And I would be more than happy to accompany him on such a worthy mission!”

Edgeworth flushed. “Lady Rarity, that’s really not...” he looked to Phoenix, appealing to his friend for help.

Phoenix wasn’t about to give it, the corners of his mouth turning upwards again. Think I’ll miss the chance to make YOU squirm, Miles? “You should definitely take her, Edgeworth. Rarity has quite the eye for detail.” He indicated his suit to his fellow attorney, who only now seemed to realize that his rival’s normal blue outfit was a lot shinier than usual. “In any event, take it from me—you need a guide to this world,” he said with a rueful look at Twilight, who grimaced and nodded.

“It would be my honor to accompany and aid you… in whatever way I can, Darling,” she looked up at Edgeworth hopefully, her blue eyes sparkling before turning almost hooded, causing some muted snickers from Twilight’s friends and Edgeworth’s flush to intensify.

Delta spotted what was happening and played along, her mouth crooking upward in a knowing smile. “Splendid! It’s settled then. We will make ready to leave immediately,” she announced with a wink, giving Edgeworth no time to object as she departed the room, leaving instructions to meet at the train station in an hour.

Phoenix watched her leave with a chuckle. Miss Rarity’s got her work cut out for her. Edgeworth’s normally about as receptive to romance as a moldy sponge! “I guess that’s that, then. I’m sure glad she was prosecuting. Though it all did seem to fall into place a little too easily at times,” Phoenix noted to Twilight.

“I mean, Fair Verdict losing that letter right out of her sleeve… Due Process just happened to be in the gallery watching instead of working… all your fellow elementals gathered here as well…” He shook his head. “What were the odds?”

“A lot higher than you might think,” a relieved Twilight stated, finally managing a grin. “Thanks to Lady Requiem, that is.”

Applejack blinked in confusion, as did every other human and pony in the room. “Yer saying it was her? How’d she arrange all that?”

“Oh, it wasn’t so much arranging as enabling,” Twilight launched into a lecture, just relieved she was still on talking terms with her friends. “Unlike most unicorn spells, Spellsinger magic has less direct effects than indirect ones. It’s a very unique ability, actually—her songs can alter probability itself to help produce an outcome she wants. That’s what she meant when she said she could use her power to cause chaos,” Twilight explained.

“She makes the improbable probable and the most remote chances possible. When she sang, she bewitched Fair Verdict so that her accidentally revealing her corruption became far more likely. I’d also imagine she’d done a little prep work before she came in as well to ensure the stage was set. So yes, it was all by chance, but by a magically heightened chance.”

“Wow,” was all Phoenix could say. Every time I think I’ve got this world figured out…

“Cool! Hey Nick, we should take her to Las Vegas! We’d make a killing!” Maya suddenly suggested, causing the ponies to look at her funny.

“Las ‘Vegas’?” Rainbow Dash blinked. “What, is that anything like Las Pegasus? Are all your place names just puns of ours?”

“Yes, yes, everything’s hunky-dorey and you spared me prison. But you still left me with a fine I can’t pay!” Trixie groused, finally sounding more like her old self. “And just how do you propose Trixie starts making money with a suspended law license and no stage?”

Phoenix glanced at Twilight while every other human and pony in the room looked at Trixie in disbelief. “Actually, I’ve been thinking about that,” he began, scratching his chin. “Hey, Trixie?”

“What do you want?” she asked sharply, still stewing over Twilight’s revelation as Phoenix pulled a bank slip out of his jacket—a check he’d prepared the previous day with Twilight’s help.

“This is the bulk of my payment for defending Rainbow, direct from Princess Celestia. I want you to have it.” He passed her the slip in the amount of fifty thousand bits.

Trixie’s jaw fell open as she saw the amount, as did that of every pony and human in the room.

“I… you mean… you’re giving… that money to…me?” She stared at him like he’d suddenly turned into the pegasus on Twilight’s romance novel cover.

“I am,” he bowed his head. “I can’t use Equestrian money in my world, so I may as well give it to a worthy pony here. And that’s you, Trixie.”

“What!?” The entire room finally rediscovered their voices.

“Don’t tell me you’re serious! Why are you giving it to her!?” Rainbow brought her hoof down hard.

“I’m with Rainbow on this one. She ain’t done one good thing to deserve that money!” Applejack piled on.

“How generous!” Pearly lit up. “You’ll win Mystic Maya’s heart for sure that way, Mister Nick!”

“Nick? Are you feeling alright?” Maya asked him, going up and putting a palm on his forehead. “She didn’t deserve that prison term, but that doesn’t mean Miss Blue-Butt deserves this!”

Phoenix gave her a reproachful look. “Maybe so, but she’s the only one leaving this courthouse empty handed—er, hooved.”

“That doesn’t mean you should give it to her, Mister Wright! I mean, look at all she’s done!” Rarity turned her nose up in disgust. “I mean, there’s generous, and then there’s just plain undeserving, darling!”

“Yeah!” Rainbow flared her wings in anger as Trixie’s expression cycled from bewildered to speechless to suspicious and back in the space of several seconds, staring at the check like she wasn’t sure it was real or just a cruel joke. “She nearly got me banished, Nix! How can you look past that?”

“Because she honestly thought you were guilty, Rainbow. Once she realized you weren’t, she helped prove both you and Sonata innocent. And even before that, I remember a moment when Sonata had me backed into a corner regarding teleporting until Trixie interjected.

“Her theory saved the case, and it was her final piece of evidence that was decisive. She prosecuted you, yes, but at the same time, you wouldn’t have been proven innocent without her,” he spoke to Rainbow but reminded them all.

“I’m a strong believer that everything isn’t black and white, especially after that case… and now this one. Sometimes good people make mistakes and do things they may come to deeply regret later. And sometimes, those people are prosecutors,” he finished with a pointed glance at Edgeworth, who looked away in regret for a moment.

“On the other hoof, people we perceive as bad—like Sonata or even Trixie—may not be as bad as we thought they were once we get their side of the story. Whether Trixie did that to help me or not—it really did help us see victory in the end. And even aside from Twilight’s revelations, I really do think there is good in her after she did something like that. I can’t punish her for doing her job and doing it well, especially when it led to the truth,” he finished as Rainbow looked like she was trying to find a retort but couldn’t.

“Take the check, Trixie. You earned it—for a lifetime of pain, for what the trial and duel did to you, and above all else for helping prove Rainbow innocent. Use this to pay your fine, and then buy a new wagon and stage. This should more than cover it, shouldn’t it?”

Trixie could only stare at the check speechlessly.

Twilight, who had been making herself small in the background again, finally spoke up. “I forgive you, Trixie. As I hope and pray you’ll one day forgive me. I know now life has been really tough on you, but maybe this will start to make up for it. Take the money as a symbol of our forgiveness and friendship. Even if you’ve made some mistakes in the past, we’ll be there for you if you’re ever in trouble.”

Trixie’s lip started quivering. “I… I…”

Rainbow crossed her forelegs in midair. “Well I sure as hay won’t!”

“Rainbow!” the rest shouted at her.

“Lula? Don’t you have something to say?” Her father prompted gently.

Trixie looked like she was ready to cry again. “Phoenix… Twilight… I…”

Everypony waited expectantly.

“I… think you’re both the biggest losers, idiots, morons, dummies and numbskulls in all Equestria!” she suddenly exploded.

“Lula!” Her father exclaimed, but she charged ahead, pointedly not looking at him.

“Honestly! Did you think the Great and Powerful Trixie would be touched by your namby-pamby sentiments!? Do you think you can buy my forgiveness for all you’ve done to me with a few filthy bits?” She shook as she spoke, her voice breaking at intervals but trying hard to mask her many emotions with anger. “’Thank you all so much! It feels so good to have fwends!’ All said while Trixie sheds a single tear! Was that what you were expecting? Huh? Huh!?”She brought her hoof down hard.

“Mystic Trixie!” Pearly went crestfallen.

“Y-yeah, that’s kind of what I was hoping for,” Twilight admitted with a rueful hoof behind her head.

Trixie’s violet eyes flashed blue and the air around her turned cold for a moment. “Tough luck, Snarkle! You’re in need of a return ticket flight to reality from that sugar-coated world you live in!”

“Ooh! Oooh! Ooooh! I like sugar! I couldn’t imagine if the world was coated in it! Wouldn’t it taste delicious? Actually I dunno if that’s a good idea. I have to try really hard to keep myself from eating Sugarcube Corner, because it looks like it’s made out of candy and treats and stuff but it’s really not. Trust me, I tried! Turns out it’s just gross metal and concrete and wood and—”

“Pinkie?” Twilight had facehoofed. “This is really not the time!”

For once, Pinkie actually looked chagrined. “Oh! Uh, sorry,” she said with a nervous grin.

“Fine, Snarkle! And you too, Wrong! Trixie will take this money you so foalishly donated to her!” she forced some bravado even as her legs were shaking.

Rainbow voiced the disgust that everypony else was feeling. “See! What did we tell you? She never learns!”

“Simmer down, Rainbow Trash. Trixie is counting her bits!” Trixie studied the check, though her gleeful smile looked forced.

“Call me ‘Rainbow Trash’ just one more time! I dare you!” Rainbow pawed at the floor angrily. “We’re not in court anymore, so nothing is stopping me from turning you red, black, and blue!”

“Actually you’d only turn her black and red, Rainbow Dash. She’s already blue!” Pinkie looked proud of her statement.

“Oh, you don’t like the name Trixie has so graciously bestowed upon you? How about Lamebow Dash? That really was a good one! Hey! I know, let’s merge the two! We’ll call you ‘Lamebow Trash’! It’s perfect, just like Trixie!” she cackled and suddenly disappeared into a poof of pink smoke. When it cleared, she was gone, though they caught a brief flash of her tail from around a corner followed by the sounds of galloping down the hall.

Rainbow Dash immediately crouched and flared her wings again, this time for takeoff. “Okay, that’s it!”

Twilight immediately and reflexively restrained her with magic before wincing again at a stab of pain through her horn. “Just calm down, Rainbow. I suppose it’s just her way of saying thank you,” she rubbed her forehead again. This really won’t go down as one of my better days...

“An obnoxious and stuck-up way of saying it if you ask me!” Rainbow bit out, folding her wings back against her side. “Fine, whatever. I still can’t believe you gave all that money to her. What a bucking waste.” She sat down angrily.

“I’m sure deep down in her heart she really is thankful,” Phoenix said through gritted teeth. Even if she doesn’t show it…

“Always so naive, Wright,” was all Edgeworth would say over crossed arms, while Maya was even less gracious.

“That ungrateful blue—” she bit off the last word for the presence of Pearly as Phoenix rubbed his own head ruefully. I was really hoping she’d show some sliver of gratitude after that. Guess you can’t win ’em all.

“Forgive my daughter, please,” Trixie’s father pleaded with them all. “She’s not used to kindness and it’s a lot for her to absorb.”

“I agree,” Phoenix nodded, sitting back down, resting a hand on Twilight’s shoulders, causing Maya’s eyes to narrow. “Friendship and forgiveness are alien concepts to her, so when presented with them, she panicked. She doesn’t know how to deal with it, so she fell back on what she knew—insults and invective.”

Twilight sighed, leaning into his hand slightly. “I guess you’re right. She’s got a lifetime of loneliness and anger to overcome. It wouldn’t be realistic for her to come around just like that. The ‘Great and Apologetic Trixie’ she’s not.”

“That would be a little out of character for her,” Phoenix grimaced, scarcely able to imagine the mare magician saying such a thing. “Just give her time. It’ll take a while to assimilate everything that’s happened to her.”

“We’ll just have to leave her alone for a bit. There are reasons each of us are born. We each have to find those reasons,” Twilight stated, causing Maya to start again before slumping in resignation. “And maybe finally, she can.”

“Thank you, Uncle Iroh,” the teenage mystic muttered under her breath. “So who’s up for some food?” she suddenly asked, startling everyone present with an actual note of enthusiasm—the first one they’d heard from her since she arrived. “Back home, we usually celebrate case wins with dinner on Nick!”

“So long as it’s quick,” Edgeworth said with a smirk, noticing that Phoenix had slumped at the reminder of how his case wins usually ended. “I do need to meet up with Lady Requiem at the train station in… a little less than an hour,” he noted as he checked his pocket watch.

“I can deal with that!” Rainbow quickly agreed, rubbing her tummy. “Another round of oatburgers, then?”

“Yeah, I think we all could,” Twilight agreed, happy to finally see Maya in a somewhat better mood than before. “How about it, Zecora? Do you want to come eat with us?”

Zecora shook her head. “With deep regret, I must decline, as I fear I simply do not have time. I should head home before the light of the moon. For something tells me she will visit soon,” she said with a nod in the direction Trixie had left.

“Okay. Well, thanks for being her friend, Zecora,” Twilight bowed her head in deep respect to the other mare. “And… thanks for not telling me about her. You were right, it would have ended badly for us both if I tried to talk to her then.”

Zecora bowed her head in acknowledgment. “It was not easy to keep her presence hid. But I felt it was best for you both that I did. Please come visit before too long. I have made more of your favorite tea—Oolong.”

“Promise,” Twilight said, giving the zebra mare a parting hug with her foreleg.

“May I come with you, Ms. Zecora?” Mystral Noctus spoke up. “If Lula is coming to your home, I want to be there when she arrives.”

Zecora looked at the caped earth pony stallion for a moment before smiling and nodding. “My magician friend, of course you may. But we should leave now, under the full light of day.”

“Can I come too?” Pearl spoke up. “I want to help Mystic Trixie!”

Phoenix glanced at Twilight, who looked as appalled at the idea as he was. “Her house is in the Everfree. No way.” He shook his head sharply.

Pearl’s expression darkened and she rolled up her right sleeve. “I don’t care, Mister Nick! I want to help Mystic Trixie!”

“No harm will come to her, I can safely say. I have ways to keep the forest at bay,” Zecora promised.

“Well, if she’s going, I’m going too!” Maya took her determined pose, fists clenched and held up at an angle to either side of her cheeks. “Think I’m gonna pass up the chance to give that ice queen cretin a piece of my mind?”

“But—”

“We’re going, Nick!” Maya insisted in a tone that brooked no argument, crossing her arms over her chest.

Phoenix rubbed his eyes, knowing that when Maya and Pearls had made up their minds, there was little he could do to stop them. “Fine, but… Fluttershy?” He turned to her next. “Can you go with them? I’d feel a lot better if you did.”

“What? Her?” Maya’s jaw dropped open, unable to fathom how the timid mare would be any help. “Surely, you can’t be serious!”

“I am serious,” Phoenix replied.

“And don’t call him Shirley!” Pinkie added, causing Maya to be caught short again.

Even Phoenix gave Pinkie a surprised look at that. “Trust me, Maya—I know she doesn’t seem like it, but Fluttershy can handle anything in those woods, including the more threatening forest creatures.” And she’s got a stare that could freeze your blood worse than Trixie could!

Fluttershy smiled. “Of course, Mister Phoenix. I promise nothing will happen to them while I’m there.” She flared her wings protectively around the two human girls.

“Then… okay,” Phoenix rubbed his hand behind his head. “But can they stay the night if necessary?” he asked Zecora.

“Stay they may,” the zebra mare confirmed. “I have beds for all should the need arise, and staying overnight would certainly be wise.”

“Then it’s settled!” Maya announced as they began to file out the door, though she had a sudden second thought—do I really want to leave Nick alone with Sparkle, especially after what she admitted to in there?

“By the way, Nix,” Rainbow spoke up as they were exiting the defense waiting area and made ready to face the media again, cameras already flashing from the lobby as they emerged into the hall. “While we were watching the duel playback, Pearly got real excited. She kept saying the same name over and over.”

“Same name?” Phoenix blinked. “Whose?”

“Yeah. So who’s ‘Elsa’?” Rainbow asked.

Beside her, Maya groaned.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on November 15, 2018.

And with that, we’re finally done with Trixie’s trial. What awaits us in the remaining chapters? Shenanigans… shipping… and some final foreshadowing of future events. :rainbowwild: Hard to believe, but only three chapters remain. No, really, I mean it this time. Just the grand finale and the epilogue are left. Still some fireworks ahead and plot threads to close, folks, and fear not—the original ending and some as-yet missed scenes will factor in. And upon completion of this story, the tale of Twilight and Phoenix begins, which will have its first chapters up on my page for the final chapter release. For those who do not care for it, the sequel itself will follow within a few months and there’ll be plenty of notice for both from me and Leo. Watch us if you want updates.

Thanks as always to Leo for the collaboration—he wrote the Celestia scene and several other smaller sections—to Raven for her help and indulgence, to AJ_Aficionado, KeybladePony and TheGoldCrow for the preread, and… to all of you for sticking with the story all the way to the end. It’s a source of great pride to me how much of a hit this has been, and I’m so very honored and grateful I’ve been able to leave my mark on this story as I have. I’ll have more to say for the final chapter, but until then… enjoy!

—Firesight

Part 65 - Channel Change

Everfree Forest
June 16th, 5:11 PM

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea… worried Maya Fey as the darkness of the Everfree closed in around her, their surroundings growing increasingly gloomy even though the sun was still out.

The teenage mystic was bringing up the rear of the group that included her and Pearl, as well as Zecora, Mystral Noctus and Fluttershy. Though Pearl was treating their trip like yet another grand adventure in Equestria and chatting happily with her new pony friends, Maya was starting to have second thoughts about going with her, following the rhyming zebra mare into the woods.

She’d heard about Phoenix’s near-death experience but was skeptical at best—Come on, Nick’s such a scaredy-cat he could be frightened by a freakin’ mouse. And here he was menaced by wolves made of twigs? That’s not scary, that’s just SILLY!—but as they got deeper into the woods, she swore she could sense eyes and unfriendly presences all around them. Her mystic awareness was also picking up some very odd things; wild spirits and swirling energies that could be neither controlled nor tamed.

Okay, I’ll admit this place is genuinely spooky. And yeah, I definitely wouldn’t want to be out here after dark, she granted, rubbing her goosebumped arms through her sleeves, though she still refused to acknowledge that there could be anything there that was actually dangerous.

Come on, he sent FLUTTERS of all ponies with us! Probably just so Pearly would have a friend to keep her company, she told herself even as she heard a distant howl and felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

Suppressing a shudder, Maya picked up her pace a little so she was closer to the rest of the group. She cast a quick glance to Pearl, who was still chatting amicably with the others, unaware of the apparent dangers all around them. Perhaps it was for the best, she reasoned; having Pearl become scared or upset by the eerie forest would do anything but help them at the moment.

Trying not to think about their surroundings, she turned her thoughts toward the trial they’d just witnessed instead. A non-murder trial for a guilty client in front of a corrupt judge is definitely a change of pace for Nick. He handled it like a champ, though, she conceded, though she refused to give Twilight Sparkle any credit for the outcome despite her speech and testimony, resenting the mare for usurping her co-counsel position, to say nothing of how she seemed to monopolize Nick.

Sparkle… her eyes narrowed again, feeling another surge of jealousy as she remembered Nick putting his hand on her shoulder. She grit her teeth and clenched her fists at her side as she let out a sharp exhale. I don’t care HOW powerful you are, I won’t let you replace me, either in court or in Nick’s LIFE!

The thought caught her short. Despite what Pearly believed, she wasn’t romantically interested in Nick at all—come on, Pearly, I’m eighteen and he’s twenty-five! That’s like an old man to me! she never said—yet to her surprise, it really bothered her that someone else was, whether or not she was a pony from another world.

But that just makes it even WORSE! she thought again, unable to explain or entirely accept it, wondering what their friends and family back home would say if they knew.

If she could describe her relationship to Nick, it would be one of siblings, though at times it was hard for her to say whether she saw Nick more as a big brother or little one. In truth, given his unfamiliarity with basic technology and lack of certain life skills—what adult didn’t know how to use a computer or smartphone? Even with her initial isolation at Kurain village, she’d mastered them in a matter of months—it was a little of both, as she ended up taking care of him as much as the other way around.

Feeling conflicted and needing someone to talk to who wasn’t already smitten with the place or its sickly-sweet inhabitants, she’d asked Pearl to channel Mia when Nick and Sparkle were out so she could have a friendly ear, but her young cousin was bewildered and more than a little upset to find she could not. Surprised, Maya had tried herself and found her attempt to summon her sister somehow blocked.

But that can’t happen unless a more powerful medium is already channeling her! she mentally protested, telling a teary Pearl the same so she wouldn’t feel like she’d failed her beloved Mystic Maya. No way any pony knows spirit channeling. It’s more likely we’re in such a faraway place that Mia’s spirit simply can’t be reached? was all she could think, feeling more cut off from all she knew and loved than ever.

She’d also gotten no sympathy from Pearl regarding her worries about Twilight and Phoenix. “Come on, Mystic Maya. Ponies can’t be sugar mamas. That’s just silly!” she had all but laughed as Maya had broached the subject of Twilight’s interest in Nick. Her eight-year old cousin was still very happy and excited to be in Equestria and, to Maya’s mild disgust, had become a favorite of the others. Pearl delighted in her new pony friends and their displays of strength, flight and magic—case in point, Mystral Noctus was performing a few simple magic tricks of his own for Pearl as they walked, which was doubly impressive given he was an earth pony.

As she watched, Maya grudgingly admitted the pastel-hued equines were pretty impressive at times and unicorn magic dwarfed anything she could do—the duel playback alone was enough to give her nightmares and was another reason she didn’t quite trust Twilight or Trixie. Who could be trusted with THAT kind of power? She shivered. Well, soon as Sparkle sends us home, I won’t have to think about her any more. She’ll be out of our lives and we’ll never have to see her or come here again!

Her thoughts were cut short as they found themselves outside of Zecora’s home. It was carved out of a tree much like Twilight’s library, but a far more spooky and gnarled one as befit the forest, with voodoo-like masks sitting outside and liquid-filled colored vials hanging from the branches, either as decoration or for aging.

Creepy. Is this zebra an evil enchantress or something? she wondered as they were led inside, Fluttershy taking her leave to tend the animals back at her home, promising to return for them and escort them back out the next morning.

* * * * *

To Maya’s surprise, they arrived at the treehouse to find Trixie already there. She started to speak as Zecora entered first, but then her eyes widened as her father came into view, all but cringing at his sight. “Daddy, I—”

Mystral Noctus wasted no time in scolding his daughter. “Lula, your behavior back there was beyond contempt! I know you were overwhelmed, but is a simple ‘thank you’ beyond you?” he asked sharply. “You’ve had a rough time, but that’s no excuse! Mister Wright and Miss Sparkle not only got you off with no prison time, they just paid your fine and gave you the opportunity for a fresh start! And this is how you repay them?”

“Yeah!” Maya piled on. “Nick got you off when he had every reason not to help you, you ice queen ingrate! Never mind that money he gave you! And you threw it back in his face?” She raised her fists in front of her, her cheeks puffing out in anger. “You don’t deserve any of it, especially after breaking Pearly’s heart!”

“Please, Mystic Trixie!” Pearl came up to her when her name was called. “Mister Nick wanted to help you! So did Mystic Twilight! Why won’t you let them?” she asked, tears in her eyes.

Trixie flinched at the sight of the young human girl heartbroken. “Zecora, take it!” she told the zebra mare, magically passing her the check, sounding close to panic. “I’ve ch-changed my mind about keeping it. It-it’s payment for all the help and meals you gave me. I’ll sign it over to you. Just please take it!” she begged, looking like she wanted to leave badly, unable to meet her father’s disapproving face or Pearl’s pleading eyes.

“Lula…” Mystral Noctus shook his head as Maya gave her a look of disgust.

Zecora looked at the check, then at her. “It was given to you, my friend in blue. And though this money, you did not seek, it, I feel, you should keep.”

“Why are you fighting this, Lula?” her father tried again, putting a reassuring hoof on a crying Pearl’s shoulder. “You’re hurting her, and me! What are you so afraid of?”

“I’m not afraid of anything!” Trixie insisted haughtily, though a sudden, fitful gust of cold wind gave lie to that statement.

“Except friendship, apparently,” her father noted sadly, making Zecora nod in agreement.

“And generosity,” Maya added scornfully over crossed arms.

“I don’t want to owe him!” Trixie tried again, clutching her head between her hooves. “I d-don’t want to owe anypony anything—least of all Wrong or his marefriend!”

Maya rolled her eyes. “Nick didn’t ask for repayment. He never does,” she told her, leaning over and getting in the unicorn mare’s face, her arms goosebumping again from the icy air around her. “He thinks kindness is its own reward. But me? I’m with Sparkle’s friends—after the way you’ve acted, you don’t deserve squat, blue-butt!”

“And Trixie agrees!” She tried giving the check to Maya next, ignoring her insult. “Take it yourself then! Spend it as you will! Trixie wants nothing to do with gifts or charity!” But to her frustration, Maya just crossed her arms and stepped back.

“Lula! Accepting gifts is not weakness!” Mystral Noctus raised his voice, showing genuine anger with his daughter for the first time. “You already accepted Mister Wright’s help in defending you, so why aren’t you accepting his money as well? You know, if you’re truly trying to make good on your second chance, you’re not off to a good start! And what would your grandfather say if he could see you now?” he scolded again.

Trixie’s shot her father an angry look as she laid her ears flat. “Don’t bring him into this!” she snapped back, feeling assailed on all sides.

Her father did not back down. “You have his cutie mark, but not his heart, Lula! I watched those playbacks from your performances in Las Pegasus, and I’m sorry to say—you clearly don’t have his love of the art or audiences! And without them, Lady Requiem was right—you’ll never succeed in show business, there or anywhere else!”

The showmare recoiled as if she’d been slapped. “Well he’s not here, is he? And he never had to deal with powers he didn’t want or an audience who would hate her just for having them!” she retorted, but her lip began to tremble. “He was the only one who knew what I was. And then he died when I needed him most.” She got teary-eyed and looked away, causing Maya’s eyes to narrow, a sudden idea taking hold of her.

So… there’s a pony out there blue-butt actually might listen to? “Mister Noctus—do you have a picture of her grandfather?” she asked, turning to him.

The earth pony stallion blinked at the question, giving her an odd look. “I do. Why?”

“Because I can channel him,” Maya proclaimed. “That’s my power, Trixie. I can call his spirit to me so you can talk to him yourself. I’ll let him tell you how badly you’re acting!”

“You… can?” Mystral Noctus was extremely dubious as he brought out a small black-and-white photograph from his pouch; even Zecora seemed uncertain.

Trixie was even less charitable, pinning the human teenager with a glare. “Oh, please! He died when I was six, long before I even got my cutie mark! And you expect me to believe that you can ‘channel’ him?” She audibly snorted. “Your pathetic parlor tricks have no place here, Miss So-Called ‘Mystic’! Trixie knows full well there is no such magic in this or any other world! By suggesting otherwise, you insult both Trixie’s intelligence and her grandfather’s memory, you charlatan!” she all but hissed out the last word.

Maya’s next words were colder than any blizzard Trixie could have conjured. “Don’t you dare call me and my clan charlatans, Trixie,” she growled in a quiet but ominous tone that caused all present to step back. It was all Maya could do to keep from attacking the unicorn mare; after all, a claim that the Feys were frauds had been responsible for the disappearance of her mother, Misty Fey. “Do so again, and I might just break off that horn of yours!”

“Ha!” Trixie burst out laughing, but there was an undercurrent of anger in her voice and she lowered her head to present her horn, as if in a guard position. “And just how do you plan on doing that, Maya Fake? You’re just a weakling human, and I’ve crossed horns with Twilight Sparkle herself! What power do you have here, let alone over me?” She bared her teeth.

“Mystic Trixie, please!” Pearl stepped between them, causing both females to take a step back; it was fortunate, too, because Maya had been a hairsbreadth from tackling the mare and attempting to make good on her promise. “Mystic Maya does have power! The Kurain Spirit Channeling Technique is real, and we can show you! I can do it, Mystic Maya!” Pearl eagerly offered. “I’ll channel Mystic Trixie’s grandfather! I’d love to become a pony!” she said, but Maya shook her head sharply, still fuming.

“No Pearly. I don’t know if this is going to work, or what it might do to you. We’ve never tried channeling a different species before, and the transformation might be too much for you. So the only one trying it is me.”

“Aww...” Pearl went crestfallen, but obeyed, stepping back and giving Maya space as the teenaged mystic knelt on the floor before taking the offered photograph of Trixie’s grandfather and placing it in front of her. It was a picture of a very young but happy-looking Trixie bracketed by two smiling stallions, each with a hoof on her. One was a much younger version of Trixie’s father, and the other…

“This’ll just take a minute. And Trixie?” Maya called out.

“What?” the showmare spat the word out, her emotions still raw.

“I expect an apology when all this is over. You bucking well better appreciate this, Miss Blue-Butt!” she told her, having at least picked up one new curse word since she’d arrived in Equestria. “Now if you please, I need everyone to be quiet while I do this.” She exhaled softly and focused her attention on the picture.

“Fine. This should be amusing!” Trixie all but sneered, but stayed silent afterwards.

Her smug expression evaporated as Maya’s Magatama glowed and her form shifted. The young mystic’s torso expanded and her head lengthened, slate-blue fur spreading all over her body as a crest of dark purple hair erupted from her head and neck. Her hands turned to hooves, and her sleeves split open from the large forelegs inside as a long tail suddenly burst from the base of her back.

It took about twenty seconds for the process to finish, and when it had, those present could only stare as the new arrival suddenly rose to all fours, torn human clothes sloughing off his clearly pony form to reveal a cutie mark…

One that perfectly matched Trixie’s.

The ponies in the room all wore expressions of shock while Pearl jumped up and down in excitement. For where before had sat a teenaged human girl, now stood an earth pony stallion…

A very familiar one to Trixie’s eyes. “Grand… pa?” Trixie Lulamoon could only gape.

“F… Father!” Mystral Noctus was no less stunned, taking a hesitant step forward before halting in place, uncertain whether to believe what he saw to be true.

Upon hearing their voices, the channeled pony opened his violet eyes—their shade identical to Trixie’s—and turned them on the pair. “Lula!” he called out in a voice that was anything but Maya’s. “You really have grown! And Mystral!” He next turned to and recognized his son. “But… how have I returned?” He looked around in wonder, but then his eyes fell on Pearl. “And why is a human child here?”

With that, Pearl approached him. “You’re being channeled, sir.” She clasped her hands and bowed low before the pony, who, instead of appearing elderly, looked very much in his prime. “My cousin, Mystic Maya, has called your spirit to her, and taken your form. You may speak or act through her as you wish, for as long as she keeps your spirit within her.”

“Ah… a most unique talent, and one I’ve never heard of!” mused the clearly impressed stallion. “That’s one trick I never learned! To think that a human would cause Shadowmoon the Illustrious to return, even if only briefly...” He looked over his borrowed body once more.

“Th-this… this is a trick!” Trixie staggered backwards and looked to Pearl to be on the verge of fainting, her legs visibly wobbling. “You aren’t here! This can’t be real!” she continued to insist, disbelief warring with a desperate desire to be wrong.

“I’m real, Lula,” he assured her, putting a hoof to his slate-blue chest.

“Prove it!” Trixie challenged, trying not to shake.

He stared at her a moment, then smiled. “When you were four, I was foalsitting you while your father was out performing for the Princess. You got frustrated when you couldn’t immediately master a card trick and accidentally caused a blizzard in your bedroom. Remember how scared you were when it happened?”

Trixie’s mouth fell open again—nopony had known about that except her and her grandfather. “I told you then you had a great gift, and when the time came, you would be able to show it proudly to everypony. That time is coming,” he promised her, his mouth suddenly turning upward in a sly and knowing grin. “Perhaps sooner than you think.”

His identity confirmed beyond any doubt, Trixie could restrain herself no longer. Tears streaming down her face, she launched herself at the human-turned-pony and hugged him tightly. “Grandpa… Grandpa… Grandpa… Grandpa!” she called over and over, sounding like a four-year old foal again through tears and broken breaths.

“Ssshhh…” he said, holding her. “It’s okay, Lula,” he told her, extending a beckoning foreleg towards Mystral, inviting his son to join them. He did so immediately, and Pearl and Zecora smiled as they witnessed the tearful reunion, daughter, father and grandfather all hugging each other at once.

At length, Mystral spoke up, doing his best to calm his nerves and choke back his own tears. “F-Father? I’m s-so sorry you had to see us again like this. Things have been— ”

“I’m aware, Mystral,” Shadowmoon interrupted, releasing his son and granddaughter, though he kept hold of their hooves. “I know full well what has happened during the last few years, let alone the past week.”

Trixie froze up slightly. “Y-you do? B-but… how?”

“The departed have eyes and ears, Lula. We can gaze upon the living when we wish. And I’m sorry to say… I’ve been very disappointed in how you’ve conducted your life,” he told her, his smile falling as he met his granddaughter’s gaze once more.

Every hair in Trixie’s mane seemed to droop. “B-but I—”

“That you’ve had a rough life is no excuse for going after Twilight Sparkle through one of her friends, or refusing her help afterwards. She never meant to hurt you, Lula, and it is not fair for you to take out your frustrations on her—frustrations which are in large part of your own making, my dear.”

Trixie lowered her ears. “B-but…” she tried again but the reflexive denial caught in her throat.

“Tell me—what was the first lesson I ever taught you about show business, Lula?” Shadowmoon asked her, now speaking sternly.

She cringed, but answered. “’When you perform, respect your audience and remember that you’re there for them, not just yourself’,” she recited.

“And have you followed that lesson?” the slate blue stallion quickly followed up.

Trixie’s mouth closed and opened several times before she finally gave the only answer she could. “N-no,” she admitted in defeat.

Her grandfather didn’t mince words. “Then why would you blame Twilight Sparkle for what happened, when it was your own false boasts and audience putdowns that invited it in the first place?” he asked pointedly. “Miss Sparkle wasn’t trying to upstage you; she simply did what she had to do to save her town. Be grateful for her intervention, or you might have lost your life instead of your reputation.”

For the first time since she had known her, Pearl witnessed Trixie bow her head down in submission and shame, told she was wrong by the one pony she could not argue with. “I-I’m sorry, grandpa.” She sniffled. “I just wanted to end all the hurt, and g-getting back at her was the only way I could think to…” she tried again.

Shadowmoon’s expression softened as he hugged her again. “But it wouldn’t have, Lula. Twilight and your father were right—revenge ultimately leads nowhere except more pain.” His expression turned both wry and rueful for a moment. “Trust me as I speak from bitter experience. If you had won the case; even if you had won the duel—you would have found yourself more shunned and alone than ever, with nowhere to go and nopony to turn to.

“You would have been beyond reach or redemption, and easy prey for… things I hope you never meet,” he finished in a slightly cryptic tone. “It was for the best you lost the case and duel, and for the best that you find yourself here now. For it is here your life can begin anew.”

“H-how?” she asked him unsteadily, now hanging on his every word.

He smiled. “By starting over. And you can begin by accepting the help and friendship of others,” he pointed at the check, which was now lying where she had dropped it. “Friendships enrich us, not restrict us, Lula, and no pony can grow without them. But as Mister Wright told you, we need rivals, too. Respect them as peers and do not resent their success—use them instead to push and better yourself, as you used Twilight Sparkle for motivation to improve your magic. And above all else, embrace your power and learn from your past—the right lessons this time,” he told her, pausing to let his words sink in.

“If you can do these things, your life and career will flourish. You can truly be Great and Powerful,” he promised her, causing Trixie’s eyes to water even more. “But until you make the decision to let go of your hate and hurt, that will never come to pass.”

“I don’t know if I can, but… I-I will try, Grandfather,” she promised, bowing her head low again.

He smiled and ruffled her mane. “That’s my little filly. You can and you will,” he promised her, now holding both her hooves. “You will be tested Lula, but if you remember these lessons, you will pass, and then—” He grinned again, then his brow furrowed. “But that is not my place to say, and I think my time is running short,” he said, suddenly stumbling backwards a bit and sitting down heavily, his voice abruptly strained. “I can feel this body losing its grip on me. I’m going to leave soon.”

“What?” Mystral Noctus stepped forward again. “Father, please don’t go!”

“NO!” Trixie shouted, her tone pleading, clutching her grandfather again. “I get you back for five minutes, only to lose you again?” she cried openly, her mind racing, desperately searching her memory for a spell that might allow him to stay longer but coming up empty—for as she herself had noted, such magic was unknown in Equestria. “Why? Why is it my fate to always be hurt? To lose and lose again?” she asked both her grandfather and the universe at large.

“It isn’t your fate. And it never was,” Shadowmoon said, holding his granddaughter tight as he sensed his time run out. “Fate is a funny thing, Lula. It finds you when you least expect it. Sometimes right when you’ve given up on it. So it will be with you.”

With that, his spirit departed and where Shadowmoon the Illustrious once sat was once again Maya Fey, who collapsed against Trixie as the transformation quickly reversed itself, leaving her body and spirit spent.

“Mystic Maya!” Pearl immediately rushed to her older cousin’s side as a shocked Trixie released her naked form. But Maya barely heard her, passing out even before she hit the floor.

* * * * *

Maya Fey woke up in an unfamiliar bed with a massive headache, feeling sore all over.

“Ow…” she called out to nobody in particular, weakly raising her arm to rest her wrist on her forehead. “Mental note: channeling ponies is really hard.”

“Mystic Maya! You’re awake!” she heard Pearl’s relieved shout, its volume painful to her and causing her to wince.

“Pearly…” she called out. “Need… water,” she pleaded, and it was quickly brought to her, her head raised as the cup was held to her lips. A few sips, and she was able to sit up with some help, only to realize she was naked, quickly pulling the covers back up. “Uh… where are my clothes?” she asked, feeling cold and vulnerable.

“They were torn to pieces when you transformed, Mystic Maya,” Pearl told her apologetically. “But you did it! You became a pony! You channeled Mystic Trixie’s grandfather and got through to her!”

“I did?” She managed a weak grin at her success, then lay back down. “I wasn’t sure.”

“You don’t remember?” Mystral Noctus asked, still staring at her in awe.

“I don’t have memories of what happens when I’m channeling,” she explained, reflecting that fact had gotten her in trouble previously, leaving her initially unable to disprove a murder charge. “The spirit takes over, and I’m just the host at that point. The spirit stays until they leave of their own accord, or until I can no longer keep the connection.” There are also ways to sever it, but I haven’t learned those yet...

“Remarkable!” was all he could say. “I never dreamt such magic could exist!”

“Nor did I!” a deeper, accented voice called out, Zecora entering with a platter of food and some rather aromatic tea on her back. “Believed what I saw, I never would. To bring the dead back? I thought nopony could!” She laid the platter on the nightstand beside the bed, offering the human mystic her choice of fruit, along with a rich vegetable broth and some bread.

At least she remembered we don’t eat hay. But what I wouldn’t give for a big juicy burger right now! Maya decided as she picked a couple grapes, had a few bites of bread and sampled the soup. As she ate, she stopped making an effort to cover herself, deciding she was too tired to care and her modesty was misplaced among ponies anyway.

“It’s all good, thank you.” She managed a few sips of what she could only describe as a big tasty stew before tiring again, laying back on the bed. “I’m sorry, but that’s about all I can manage right now. The channeling really took a lot out of me.”

Zecora nodded. “A good night’s rest, you clearly need. I will leave this here for when you can feed.” She left the platter at the bedside.

“Thanks. But where’s Trixie?” Maya asked after a moment. In answer, Pearl pointed outside. Maya turned her head and saw the showmare was sitting by herself just outside the window, facing away with her head bowed. How long have I been out? she suddenly wondered, noting it was nighttime. If it’s after dark, it must have been—

“Lula’s been out there for three hours. She hasn’t said a word since her grandfather left,” Mystral Noctus told her.

“But she did carry you in here with her magic after you collapsed. Wrapped you in a blanket and everything!” Pearl grinned.

“Let her be,” Maya decided, managing a wan grin of her own even as she felt herself start to fall asleep again. “I’ll get her apology another time.”

“You can have it right now,” Trixie spoke up in a flat, emotionless voice, and, with a flare of her horn, teleported back inside the house, reappearing at Maya’s bedside.

She stared at the human girl for several seconds before speaking. “I want you to understand something, Maya Fey. I don’t offer my respect or apologies to many. But I’m offering them to you now,” she announced, bowing her head contritely. “Trixie knows now you are no charlatan, and offers her sincerest apologies for stating otherwise. What you did… was not something Trixie ever dreamed possible, in this world or any other. And for letting me see my grandfather again…”

To the shock of all, the showmare bowed low in deep respect before the human mystic. “Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, Maya Fey.”

With that, she turned on her heel and departed, pausing only to stow the check in her travel pouch. Neither Zecora nor her father made any effort to stop her, knowing she needed time to absorb all she had seen and heard.

Pearl, however, was not so restrained. “Wait,Mystic Trixie!” she called after her, running to the entrance. “Please don’t go…”

The young human girl’s voice stopped Trixie in her tracks. “Do you still want to see my show, sweetie?” she asked without looking back.

“What? Yes! Very much!” Pearl nodded eagerly.

“Then you will,” Trixie promised, and with that, her horn flared and the showmare teleported away, leaving nothing but a few snowflakes and fading magical flourishes in her wake.

Ponyville District Court
Clerk of Court Office
June 17th, 10:02 AM

Our home away from home, Phoenix thought as he and Twilight returned to Ponyville’s District Courthouse yet again, this time to pay their respective fines.

Even though Celestia’s payment wasn’t valid in his world and he’d already given the bulk of his bits to Trixie, he still felt the familiar sting of forking over hard-earned money as he signed the documents and check, paying the 5,000 bit fine he’d been levied by Delta Requiem’s review board, as well as the 500-bit one he’d incurred for the contempt citation handed down by The Judge at the end of Rainbow’s trial. He’d also forgotten about the one penalty he’d earned on the first day of the trial for objecting without knowing that pegasi controlled weather, which was another 50-bit fine.

Just the one penalty this time, though? That’s not too bad, actually. In some of my earlier trials, I ended up with four or five… he reflected ruefully, glad at least that The Judge had been a lot more lenient with him back then, allowing him to stay on cases long past the point he would have thrown other attorneys right out of court.

Twilight, too, had a significant fine to pay, this one for a third of the damages suffered courtroom #2 in her magical duel with Trixie, as per Due Process’s ruling. Though her share of the damages came to several thousand bits and she was entitled to a court date if she wished it, Twilight had elected not to contest the citation, refusing Phoenix’s offer to defend her or pay the fine for her.

“It’s punishment I deserve, and paying it is my responsibility and nopony else’s!” she told him adamantly, and Phoenix had learned by then there was no point in trying to change her mind when it was set.

You know, she’s every bit as stubborn as Maya when it comes down to it, he noted, wondering when Maya and Pearl were going to get back from Zecora’s. Hope they’re okay…

As Twilight magically signed the document, she turned around and was surprised to see… “Sergeant Delta?” she blinked, recognizing the tall red stallion, now sporting a fresh military manecut.

“Hey Twilight. Good to finally meet you as well, Mister Wright,” he sketched the taller human a respectful bow. “Sergeant Major Delta Strike, at your service,” he introduced himself, standing back up and offering Phoenix his hoof.

Another Delta? Phoenix was confused, wondering if he was any relation to Lady Requiem. “Phoenix Wright. And likewise.” He bumped his fist to the stallion’s hoof, looking him over and finding himself mildly intimidated—the newcomer was not only nearly as big as Big Macintosh but also had a military bearing about him, the wrinkles around his eyes marking him as a long-time veteran, one who’d seen his share of action.

But what kind of action would there be in Equestria? And how does Twilight know him? he couldn’t help but wonder.

“I still owe you that dinner, Delta,” Twilight broke into his thoughts, her eyes widening when she saw the look on Phoenix’s face and realized how he was interpreting that statement. “Oh! Nothing like that, Phoenix. Delta used to be one of Princess Celestia’s personal guard. He foalsat me a lot growing up when the Princess wasn’t available.”

“Oh!” Phoenix blinked in relief. “A pleasure, then.” Wait—was I actually jealous for a second there? Am I now thinking of Twilight like a—

Delta’s chuckle cut his thought short. “If it makes you feel any better, Mister Wright, I have a full stable of mares and more than a few foals already. I have my hooves full with them, and I don’t need any more of either, believe me,” he noted, a little ruefully. “I’m here because somepony would like to see you both.”

“Oh?” Phoenix blinked as Twilight’s eyes went wide, even darting.

“Yes. If you two will follow me?” He led them out the door and down a side passage. Phoenix followed Twilight’s lead, wondering about her suddenly nervous manner.

A minute later, they entered a small windowless basement office to find an Equestrian flag and map adorning the walls, a desk with a stack of papers on it interspersed with a few personal effects... and their owner sitting behind the desk, a surprisingly familiar figure peering over it at the pair.

It’s that bailiff! Phoenix was surprised to recognize the white unicorn stallion who had intervened during the courtroom duel and been head bailiff at Trixie’s trial. I swore Twilight was acting like she knew him. But how? he wondered again. Guess I’m about to find out?

Upon seeing the pair, the stallion rose to greet them, giving Phoenix a brief glance before his gaze fell back on Twilight. “Hey, Twily,” he called out, making Phoenix blink at the familiar term.

“Hey, Shiny,” Twilight rejoined, going up to hug him affectionately. She felt far more subdued than their earlier meeting, knowing that this time, she would be the one facing a well-deserved dressing-down. “Phoenix, I’d like you to meet Shining Armor.” She turned back to present him, noting the former was watching the scene in some confusion. “He’s Captain of the Royal Guard, here running an undercover security op and, well—” she took a deep breath “—he’s my big brother.”

Phoenix’s jaw fell open. “Your… brother?” he repeated dumbly as several things fell into place at once—Twilight’s behavior around him, her shock at his initial appearance, her deliberately being coy about his identity and the unspoken conversations she seemed to be having with him at several points during Trixie’s trial. So THAT’S why she was acting so oddly around him! He realized he was gaping and quickly closed his mouth. “An honor, then.” He hurriedly offered the stallion his hand.

Shining Armor stared at him for a moment in appraisal before he offered his hoof back. “Likewise,” he answered, if somewhat coolly. “With apologies, Mister Wright, I’d like to talk to my sister for a few minutes. Alone, if you don’t mind.”

“Sure,” Phoenix agreed after a glance at Twilight, who gave him a brief nod. He departed with a wary glance at the white stallion, who was giving him an equally uncertain look.

“So…” Twilight began after the door closed. Let’s just get this over with.

“So…” Shining Armor looked like he wasn’t sure where to begin. “Hay of a trial, yesterday.”

“Yeah,” Twilight agreed cautiously, sensing her brother dancing around what he really wanted to say. “Phoenix is quite the lawyer, isn’t he?”

“He really is,” Shining Armor agreed, if somewhat reluctantly. “I heard how good he was, but I never would have believed it until I saw for myself. That Phoenix Wright was really something else in there. Especially given Lady Requiem is no pushover! She may not have taken the prosecutor’s role before, but those who know more about the law are few and far between,” he granted, leaving Twilight awaiting the inevitable but.

She didn’t have long to wait as she sensed Shining Armor steeling himself. “But getting Trixie off lightly doesn’t excuse what you did to her, Twiliy!” he scolded her, forcing himself to put a little bite in his voice.

“Shining…” Twilight felt all her pain flood back.

“Twily—you took advantage of her emotional state to read her mind right in the middle of the duel! Even aside from the fact you could have hurt her or lost the fight if you lost concentration, you invaded her mind and stole her memories! And I don’t care what your reasons were, you can’t ever use your magic that way, sis!”

“Shining!”Twilight shouted a little more sharply than she meant to, the wound still raw. “I already got the third degree for it from Due Process, Delta Requiem, and even from Princess Celestia herself! I’ve been suspended as her student for a month, and that hurts most of all! I know it was wrong, you don’t have to tell me again!” She raised her gaze to him, letting him see the hurt in her eyes.

“Okay, okay!” He held up a placating hoof—it was easy for him to dress down a subordinate, but not his little sister. “You just have to understand—it was hard acting the part of head bailiff in that trial and not be able to say anything to you or anypony else, you know. I’m used to giving orders, not taking them.” He sat down heavily and shook his head. “It wasn’t just that, either. You don’t know how badly I wanted to identify myself right there in front of everypony and publicly haul off Fair Verdict under my own authority, but I couldn’t blow my cover.”

Twilight’s expression softened. “I know. And I didn’t say this before, but… thanks for intervening in the duel, Shiny,” she told him, bowing her head. “I was only at half-power and couldn’t take Trixie alone. If you hadn’t been there, I would have lost and Celestia only knows what would have happened then.”

His cheeks warmed. “You’re welcome. No matter how big and strong you get, you’re still my little sis, Twily. I’ve got your back. Always.” He gave her an affectionate hoof noogie, something Twilight wouldn’t tolerate from anypony except him and Rainbow. “So now, about the little matter of you and that human lawyer…”

“Shining…” she all but growled before the perfect retort occurred to her. “Am I being lectured on special someponies by a big brother who gets himself a marefriend but then won’t tell me who she is?” she asked with a smirk, taking some pleasure in watching him squirm. “Fine, you can have your secret. But don’t begrudge me for finding someone too!”

“Aw, come on, Twily! I’m your big brother and he’s your prospective coltfriend. Human or no, I’m supposed to hate him on general principles.” He rubbed his hoof behind his head. “But he is human, and that just makes it even weirder. I mean, what’s the attraction, anyway?”

She gave him an annoyed look, well and truly sick of the question after having been asked variations of it two dozen times already. “Oh, nothing, really. Just that he’s got romance-novel looks, he’s driven and dedicated, he devotes himself to protecting others and has an absolutely brilliant mind…” she recited in a mild tone before smirking again. “Not unlike a certain other stallion I could name. Well, except for the brilliant mind part, of course.” Her smile got wider.

“Ouch, Twily!” Shining Armor’s hoof went to his heart like he’d just been mortally wounded, before breaking out into a lopsided grin. “So you’re saying you like him… because he reminds you of me?”

Twilight’s eyes went wide and her cheeks flushed hard. “Touché,” she granted, suddenly wondering how much of it was true. “Look. I know it’s strange—believe me, it’s been a weird ride for us, too—but please try to accept him. It would mean a lot to me if you did.”

Shining gave her an askance look. “So the tabloids are true and you two are officially…?” The rest went unspoken.

Her eyes went wide. “No! We haven’t done anything yet!” she told him slightly frantically, not sure why she had a sudden uncertainty about her own words. “I don’t know what we are, Shiny. All I do know is that he has to go home in a week, so I want to spend as much time with him as I can.” She rubbed her own hoof behind her head, mirroring her brother’s own embarrassment moments earlier. “I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again after, so…”

Shining Armor’s expression softened. “Right. Well, just so you know, I’ve ordered him and his friends shadowed while they’re here. There’s at least a couple plainclothes Guardsponies keeping watch over them at all times. Nothing will happen to them, I promise.”

She felt a flare of resentment at him assigning bodyguards again, but relented quickly, knowing he was just trying to help her protect Phoenix and it was hard for her to be everywhere to do so herself. “Thanks,” she acknowledged. “It means a lot to me.”

He grinned. “You’re welcome. Are we good, then, Twily?” he asked her.

She nodded and grinned back. “We’re good, Shiny,” Twilight answered, and the two embraced affectionately, brother and sister once more.

* * * * *

The pair exited the room to find Phoenix chatting with Delta and a couple other Guardsponies, who quickly stood to attention as their Captain emerged. “As you were,” he called out. “Mister Wright, may I speak to you privately please?”

Phoenix stiffened, but relaxed a bit when Twilight gave him a reassuring grin, following the white stallion into his office, taking one of the low seats in front of his desk. “Sorry about the accommodations. This isn’t as nice as my Captain’s office in Canterlot, believe me,” Shining Armor chuckled, offering Phoenix some coffee out of his office machine.

“It’s fine,” he accepted the drink gratefully. It wasn’t anywhere near as good as his now-daily cup from Sugar Cube Corner, but he’d learned that even mediocre coffee in Equestria was the equal of anything he got back home. Aside from Twilight, when I leave, I might miss that most of all!

“I just wanted to meet you and let you know that by order of Princess Celestia, you and your friends are being treated as human ambassadors and are thus under royal protection while you’re here,” the stallion told him, passing him a scroll that contained the decree. “I’ve got agents of our PSD—that’s the Plainclothes Security Division of the Royal Guard—watching over you at all times, so don’t worry about anything. Nothing will happen to you or your friends for the remainder of your stay. We’ll do our best to keep the press off you as much as possible as well.”

“Thank you,” Phoenix acknowledged, waiting for the other horseshoe to drop. “I really do appreciate it, and I know Twilight does too.”

Shining stared at him a moment before nodding slowly. “Good. Twilight thinks the world of you, and I think the world of her. She’s asked me to give you a chance, and I promised her I would. I saw for myself your strength of character and I admire what you’ve accomplished in the courtroom. But that said…”

He leaned in close and his eyes narrowed. “That’s my little sis there, Phoenix Wright! Break her heart or hurt her, and I’ll kick your flank clear across both worlds. Got it?” He stuck a hoof hard into Phoenix’s chest.

“G-got it!” Phoenix swallowed hard, wondering again what in the name of both worlds he was getting himself into.

Ponyville Plaza
June 18th, 11:42 AM

The next morning found Phoenix touring Ponyville on his own as Twilight stayed back at the treehouse, asking for privacy so she could catch up on her neglected studies and ‘work on a friendship report’, which Phoenix found an odd concept but didn’t ask her to explain.

He spent most of his time sampling various wares from the plaza stalls, but also checked in at the courthouse, surprised to see The Judge presiding over another trial—a perjury case prosecuted by Vinyl, he noted, who was looking and sounding a lot more down to business and lawyerlike than she had when she’d prosecuted Sonata.

Wonder why? OH! he answered his own question when he saw Octavia Melody sitting in the stands above her, looming over her roommate and glaring down at her, scrutinizing every move the DJ made. Their eyes met for a moment, and he again shivered at the intensity of her gaze. I’m starting to think that’s one lady I don’t ever want to cross legal swords with!

Heading out at lunch, he passed by Town Hall. The nearby race stands, he noticed, were nearly completed; the construction crews were just working on the final touches of what he guessed was the royal viewing booth. After signing a few autographs for the workers, he stretched and checked his watch. Well, guess I better head back for the library. I did promise Pearls I’d take her out to Fluttershy’s place after lunch.

He had made it nearly halfway there when Pinkie Pie suddenly ran up to him. “Feenie! Run!” she warned him, rearing up to put her hooves on his chest so she could be near eye level with him. “She’s here! She’s here!” she said with a rare look of panic on her face.

“Here? Who’s here?” Phoenix was confused, but instead of answering, Pinkie darted into the nearest bush, donning a fake nose and glasses before peering out from behind the branches.

“Watch it, pal!” A pegasus mare walked right into him, shoving him roughly aside. “I’m walkin’ here, I’m walkin’ here!”

“I-I’m sorry!” He brushed himself off, then stared at the new arrival. She looked uncannily similar to Rainbow except that she had a bright orange coat paired with her prismatic mane and her cutie mark looked less like a lightning bolt and more like a rainbow arcing between two clouds, an idyllic icon completely belying her gruff manner.

The strange mare simply growled. “Youse best be sorry! Youse lucky I’m in a good mood today! Otherwise I woulda beat youse so hard it’d make you feel like youse smoochin the express!”

Phoenix gulped hard, wondering where Shining Armor’s promised Guardsponies were. “I-It won’t happen again!”

“It better not! Now outta my way, Spiky! I’m here to see my sister!” she proclaimed, shouldering him aside with a contemptuous flick of her orange wing and heading for the library.

Sister? Phoenix gaped and stumbled backwards. Wait! It can’t be… sh-she CAN’T be…!

“So what are youse lookin’ at?” the angry orange mare asked upon seeing him stare, rounding on him and menacingly approaching him, backing him against a tree. “Name’s Wob Niar! Don’t wear it out, blue boy!”

Phoenix staggered backwards until he was leaning against the tree, all but ready to faint until he realized: Blue boy? G-Gilda called me that… Phoenix’s cheeks went bright red as he finally realized what was happening.

“R-RAINBOW!” he shouted at the orange mare, who couldn’t contain herself any longer.

“Aw, dude, you should have seen the look on your face! It was priceless!” The orange-dyed Rainbow burst out laughing, pounding her hooves on the ground repeatedly as Pinkie Pie reappeared and did the same, rolling on the ground in front of him and holding her sides as she guffawed. “You were right, Pinkie! He fell for it with all four hooves!”the normally-cyan-hued pegasus proclaimed as Phoenix’s cheeks burned hot, in disbelief he’d been fooled by such a simple trick.

“Yeah, hilarious!” He brushed the dirt and grass off his suit before storming off in anger and embarrassment.

“Aw, Nix, don’t be mad.” Rainbow flew after him, hovering a foot from his left shoulder. “We only prank ponies we like! Look, here’s a flower to make up for it. Give it to Twilight; I know she’d appreciate it,” she suggested with an odd tone and smile, passing him a basket that contained a single large blue bloom as Pinkie did her best to stifle renewed giggles.

“Fine!” He snatched the bloom right out of the basket and put its stem in his lapel. “I’d really hate to see what you do to ponies you don’t like! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m supposed to take Pearls out to visit Fluttershy!” he told the pair, not sure why they were following him and wearing looks of what seemed to be eager anticipation, whispering and giggling back and forth.

He arrived back at the library a few minutes later, wondering why everyone was staring at him as he walked in. “Huh? Dude?” Spike gaped at him from the table where he was helping Pearls practice her writing.

“Wha—Nick?” Maya’s mouth had likewise fallen open from where she sat on the couch.

“Mister Nick!” Pearl added, her hands going to her mouth as she beheld him. “Your hair!”

“My hair?” He picked up a vanity mirror lying on the table and looked in it, only to realize to his shock and horror…

HIS HAIR HAD GONE FLAT!!!!

“What happened?” He ran his hands through his suddenly limp mane frantically, feeling like his very manhood had been taken as Twilight came down from her study to see what the commotion was. “What did you do to me?” He rounded on Rainbow Dash.

“Phoenix!” An alarmed Twilight magically plucked the flower out of his lapel and burned it with a flare of her horn. “That flower is poison joke!” she informed him as Rainbow and Pinkie were staring at his head and breaking out in huge grins.

Poison… JOKE? his eyes went wide as he remembered what Zecora had said about it from Trixie’s trial. And at that moment, all he could think to do was raise his arm to point at Rainbow and make an…

His mouth dropped open at how meek and mincing the word came out. “Hey, what? My voice!This isn’t… I’m not…” he protested frantically to no avail, his hands finally clamping hard over his mouth at the familiar and increasingly feeble voice he spoke with, only growing even more quiet and timid the harder he tried to shout, causing Maya to chortle violently and even Pearl to giggle as Rainbow Dash could contain herself no longer.

“BWAH-HAH-HA-HA-HA-HAH!”She rolled on the floor of the library clutching her sides at the sight of his hair and the sound of Fluttershy’s voice coming from him. She was soon joined by Pinkie Pie and Spike; even Twilight was biting her lip, doing her best not to burst out laughing.

His ears burning in shame and humiliation, Phoenix ran upstairs as fast as he could, trying to cover both his mouth and hair as Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie laughed and laughed.

Ponyville
Aloe and Lotus Day Spa
June 18th, 12:02 PM

An hour later found a still-steamed Phoenix at the spa, grumbling endlessly as he soaked in a jacuzzi that contained a specially drawn herbal bath. He was unclothed and being openly ogled by Aloe and Lotus for it as they tended him, but he was too angry to care, fuming over what had happened to him.

Dash is going to GET it for this! I save her from a massive case of sunburn, and she repays me by turning me into freakin’ PHOENIXSHY? He surfaced and ran a hand through his hair, which he was relieved to find had returned to its familiar spiky style. Glancing at Twilight, he coughed a little. “Out of curiosity,” he began, noting with relief that his usual voice had returned, “this isn’t something I normally do, but… any suggestions about how I would go about getting back at Rainbow and Pinkie for this?”

Twilight looked thoughtful as she magically cleansed his clothes of further flower residue, trying to resist the temptation to steal looks at him as Aloe and Lotus were doing but not entirely succeeding. “Well, it’s hard to say. Rainbow and Pinkie are the masters of pranking in this town, so it’ll be hard to top their act.”

Maya had gotten over her snickers by this point, though her grin hadn’t faded, tossing him a towel before he stood up and then turning away. “Yeah, that was a good one! Too bad my phone’s dead, Nick—I would’ve loved to take a picture of you like that and shown it to sis!” She grinned evilly.

Phoenix buried his face in his hands. “Oh, God, please don’t channel Mia just to let her laugh at me!”

Twilight gave Maya an askance look at that. “Didn’t you tell me before that you only channeled spirits when you needed to?”

Maya smirked at her. “Yeah, and I need to deflate Nick’s head every so often, or else he’d never fit through the office door!”

As the two females began to bicker, Phoenix had a nagging feeling in his head. About something she just said… He glanced at Maya; his gaze focusing on the Magatama around her neck. That’s IT! He began to chuckle and shortly all but cackle, drawing the attention of his assistant and her current nemesis.

“Uh, Nick, what’s with the evil laughter?” Maya asked, a little wary.

“Phoenix? You’re starting to scare me, here,” Twilight added only half-jokingly, knowing from past experience that regardless of who it came from, evil laughter rarely meant anything good.

“Sorry. It’s just that I’ve got the perfect idea in mind for how to get back at Rainbow Dash,” Phoenix said with a grin as he began to dry off. “And I’ll need both of you to help me with this!”

Twilight and Maya exchanged looks that, for once, weren’t filled with disdain for the other. Instead, the message that passed between them was: What are we getting into?

* * * * *

The three returned to the library to do research as soon as Phoenix was dressed, Twilight flipping through a few history books while Phoenix explained Maya’s part of the plan.

For her part, the young mystic was equal parts enthused and wary. “I dunno, Nick. Much as I’d like to take Bolt-butt down a notch, using my powers for a prank sounds kinda irresponsible.”

Phoenix arched an eyebrow. “This from the girl, who, when helping me with my cases, enjoys breaking into restricted areas and will help herself to any piece of evidence that tickles her fancy, regardless of legalities?”

Maya had the decency to blush, even as Twilight gave her a startled look. “Well, fair point. And besides, I kinda want to get back at Dash myself. You got really lucky, Nick. Who knows what that ‘Poison Joke’ stuff could’ve done? It could have turned you into a llama!”

Phoenix gave her a look. “A llama? Really? That’s the first thing you thought of?” he deadpanned.

Maya looked at the floor. “Well, I kinda used the office TV to watch some old Disney flicks while you were gone… including The Emperor’s New Groove…”

Phoenix sighed and looked at Twilight. “Any luck?”

Though confused at the exchange—she’d known one or two Llamas but found them a bit too temperamental for her tastes, to say nothing of their propensity of spitting to indicate their displeasure with something—she continued flipping through her military history book. “Almost. I’m trying to find the earliest mention of the Wonderbolts, but it’s difficult to pin down. Wait! There it is! I’ve got it!” Twilight announced, flipping her current book around so Phoenix and Maya could see.

The latter took the book and read the entry on the open pages. “Ahem. ‘The Bolt Knights were an off-branch of the Royal Guard, formed as an elite first-response team to gryphon attacks some seven hundred years ago, shortly after the outbreak of the Great Pony/Gryphon war. During the war, their speed and efficiency allowed the Knights to hold several lines against the invading Gryphon Empire, who came to respect and fear their martial prowess.

“’After the war, in the time of peace that has lasted to this day, the Bolt Knights decided to add performance flying into their duties. As time went on, the Knights performed more and more until it was their primary focus. Around two hundred years ago, Princess Celestia officially renamed the Knights, giving them the name they are known as to this day: The Wonderbolts.’”

Phoenix whistled. “Wow. So the Wonderbolts have effectively been in operation for nearly seven centuries. That’s one long-lasting organization.”

“Yeah…” Maya looked at the pictures that accompanied the text. One was a remarkably lifelike painting, depicting a pegasus mare with a vibrant pink coat paired with a darker blue mane and tail. Unlike the standard Royal Guard armor, she wore a form-fitting outfit that consisted of a breastplate made from what Maya hesitated to call ‘leather’ (she’d read that cows were sapient here, after all) and a few fitted metal-like armor pieces on her back, flanks, and hooves. The latter resembled those of the Royal Guard. The picture caption read ‘Firefly: First captain of the Bolt Knights’:

“Pretty mare. Tough-looking, too,” Maya commented as she showed Twilight and Phoenix the picture.

“Yes, she was. Captain Firefly is a legend, even among non-pegasi. A born soldier and leader who was said to be as good a friend as she was implacable a foe, it’s claimed she survived a thousand different engagements to become one of the greatest warriors in all of pony history. She was so good she didn’t fall in the line of duty, but died of old age in her home.

“She not only survived the entire war with the Gryphon Empire, but a second conflict with a dragon clan a decade or more later, and was even instrumental in reconciling Equestria with the Gryphons afterwards,” Twilight explained, turning the page to show a second picture that depicted the pegasus mare armed with a pair of specially fitted blades that ran along the leading edge of her wings, which Phoenix guessed were meant to cut down opponents in flight. “She was nearly a century and a half old when she died.”

Both Phoenix and Maya whistled. “Most humans don’t live to be one hundred, let alone one-fifty,” the former mused. “Do ponies have naturally longer lives, or was Firefly a bit of a fluke?”

“It’s hard to say, actually,” Twilight mused. “Particularly powerful pegasus flight magic has been known to have odd and unpredictable effects on their owners. It brought long life to some; heightened power but shortened lifespans to others. In fact, some scholars think—”

Anything else the bookish unicorn would’ve said was cut off as Maya spoke up. “If we need a pony for this plan of yours, Nick, I think she’d work perfectly!” the young mystic said, a gleam in her eye. “Imagine a hard-bitten soldier like her chewing out a daredevil weather manager for trying to become part of her organization!”

Phoenix smirked, eagerly imagining and awaiting such a scene. “Works for me. You can use that picture to channel her, right?”

“Given how realistic it looks? No sweat,” Maya said, setting the book down to the open page. She took a meditative pose, then paused as if catching herself. “Um, Nick, could you, like, turn around, at the very least, and not look until I’m done?”

Phoenix blinked at the strange request. “Uh, why?”

She blushed slightly. “Well, um, I kinda experimented with channeling ponies the other day… and I learned the hard way that my clothes don’t take too well to the change,” Maya explained, flushing a bit more. “So I need to take them off first.”

Phoenix turned red as well, and spun around. “Right, then, just tell me when she’s finished changing, Twilight!”

“Actually, Phoenix, it might be best if you went and fetched Rainbow and brought her here,” Twilight suggested with a smirk. “I don’t think having a long-dead legend walking around town would be a good idea.”

Phoenix considered that, and nodded. “You’re right. I’ll bring her straight back here,” he promised as he left. Before reaching the door, he heard some rustling of cloth, and quickly opened, passed through, and shut the door before he could be tempted to look back.

As he walked around trying to locate Rainbow, he spotted a golden-colored mare and a pale blue stallion, both pegasi, flitting around. The mare spotted him, and after exchanging some words with her companion, flew down toward Phoenix, while the stallion went off on his own. Phoenix eyed the approaching pegasus warily, wondering what sort of crazy he would be exposed to this time.

“You’re Phoenix Wright, aren’t you?” the mare said, coming to a halt and hovering in front of him. Phoenix caught sight of her cutie mark; a stylized three-pronged flame.

“Uh, yes? Yes I am, Miss…?” Phoenix prompted.

She snapped him a salute. “The name’s Spitfire! I’m Captain and Commanding Officer of the Wonderbolts. I just wanted to thank you for getting my mare Rainbow Dash off the hook.”

The Wonderbolts? Oh, right, Rainbow mentioned something about the prize for the Equestrian 500 being lessons from them. I guess it makes sense that they’d be here! Phoenix smiled. “Well, I can’t let anyone who’s innocent take the blame for a crime they didn’t commit.”

“Heh. Spoken like a true defense attorney,” Spitfire commented approvingly as she offered him her hoof, then grinned. “So, is it true you’re dating the Princess’s personal protégé?”

Phoenix flushed as he returned the gesture, bumping her hoof with his fist. “I wouldn’t call it ‘dating’ at this point. I don’t really know what to call it.” He decided to head that train of thought off. “Captain, you wouldn’t happen to have seen Rainbow around, would you? She’s needed back at the library.”

Spitfire gave him a smirk as she sensed his evasion, but decided not to tease him. “Actually, my second-in-command and I were looking for her ourselves. We wanted to make sure she was training for the race instead of napping all day. For having such a noticeable mane and tail, that mare can sure hide when she wants to, and she even—“

It was then that a blue blur crashed into Spitfire, a distinct rainbow contrail leaving little doubt as to its owner’s identity. “Whoops,” came the raspy voice. “Darn it, now who’d use a cloud to cover up a weather vane? I completely lost control of my turn back there!”

Phoenix could only roll his eyes at that. “You ought to apologize to your crash victim, Rainbow.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Rainbow said as she stood up, and offered a hoof. “Sorry about thaaaaaaa…” She trailed off into slack-jawed silence as she realized just who she had plowed into.

Spitfire just chuckled. “No worries, Rainbow,” she said, getting to her hooves and brushing off the worst of the dust. “If I couldn’t take ponies crashing into me, I never would have made Captain.” She noticed Rainbow’s stunned expression and closed the prismatic mare’s mouth with a hoof.

This served to restart Rainbow’s mental processes as she began bowing and apologizing profusely. “Omigosh-omigosh-I’m-so-sorry-Spitfire-I-didn’t-mean-to-I-was-just-trying-to-get-a-little-practice-in-before-the-race-and-then-there-was-that-cloud-and-weather-vane-and—”

A golden hoof to her muzzle stopped the flood of words that would have done Pinkie Pie proud. “I said it’s okay, Rainbow. Your lawyer here was looking for you, anyway.”

“Huh? Why’d you need to see me, Nix?” Rainbow asked, turning to Phoenix and getting her composure back.

“I just wanted to show you something Twilight and I came up with at the library,” Phoenix replied, struggling to keep a straight face.

“Ugh, Egghead Central? You gotta be kidding me,” muttered Rainbow, sticking out her tongue briefly.

Spitfire turned stern. “You know, Rainbow, we Wonderbolts don’t just train our bodies. We also keep our minds in peak condition. We’re required to have at least a basic understanding of Equestrian history to qualify in the first place.”

Rainbow looked slightly gobsmacked at this. “You do? Weeeellll… I guess if it’s required, I could bone up on some history. Any particular eras?” she asked.

“How about the Wonderbolts founding?” Phoenix casually suggested as he began walking back to the library, the two mares flying just behind him and off to either side. “I’d think knowing the history of the group you’re joining would be required for any organization.”

“Well, obviously, you need to know about the Wonderbolts’ founding, and our personal history,” Spitfire concurred from where she was hovering beside Phoenix, who was slightly amazed he had gotten so used to the idea of two winged equines flying alongside him as he walked. “A history of the war with the Gryphon Empire wouldn’t go amiss either.”

“You were founded during a war?” Phoenix asked, trying to sound surprised.

Before Spitfire could reply, Rainbow beat her to it. “Yeah, they were! The Wonderbolts, or Bolt Knights as they were known back then, were an elite force formed just after the start of the war to blunt the Empire’s offensives! Only the fastest and toughest pegasi could qualify, and there was nopony faster or tougher than their founder, Firefly!” she stated eagerly.

“Oh?” Phoenix was doing his best to keep a straight face and tone.

“Yeah! She was utterly awesome! Every pegasus knows her name, and even what she looks like! Pink coat, blue mane, and with a pair of blue lightning bolts as a Cutie Mark! She was invincible and could win entire battles all by herself! Hay, even Fluttershy knows who Firefly is, and she’s one of the weakest fliers out there!” Rainbow finished, leaving a smirking Phoenix reflecting that she was gushing about Firefly much like she had about the Wonderbolts when Phoenix first met her.

Spitfire eyed the prismatic mare appreciatively as they got near the front door of the library. “Well, I have to say I’m impressed, Rainbow Dash. If you already know all that, I guess you might not need to study as much as I thought,” she said with approval. “Even if our founder is legend, not everypony knows exactly why or when we were founded.”

Rainbow blushed, rubbing the back of her neck self-consciously. “Heh, well, you guys are my inspiration,” she said, as Phoenix opened the door to the library, catching a glimpse at who was already waiting inside. “I’ve been wanting to join you since the day I could fly!”

“Such low standards,” came an oddly-accented and disapproving female voice from inside the library beyond Phoenix, dripping with scorn. “Do all mares of talent seek to squander it in this day and age?”

Rainbow bristled, as did Spitfire. “Alright, who’s the wise guy?” the former growled as she lifted off and burst into the library, intent on giving the speaker a piece of her mind. Such thoughts fled the moment she got a good look at the pony in question.

A pink coat, blue mane, and a cutie mark of dual lightning bolts registered, as did the distinctly unimpressed expression on the mare’s face. “The ‘wise guy’ would be me,” she said flatly.

Rainbow’s eyes bulged and her jaw fell open in shock as she beheld the impossible sight of one of her greatest idols, alive and standing before her. Her wings locked up, the blood drained from her face, and it was then that Twilight Sparkle, Phoenix Wright, Captain Spitfire, and the spirit of Captain Firefly were witness to one of the rarest events in Equestria as the proud and cocky pegasus fell awkwardly to the floor, keeling over into a dead faint.

* * * * *

Rainbow came to a few minutes later, sitting up on the library’s reading couch. “Ugh, what happened? I’ve got a bit of a headache…”

“You kinda fainted and fell,” Spitfire noted from nearby. “Though, personally, I can’t blame you.”

“I fainted in front of you?!” Rainbow all but squeaked. “There goes my reputation!”

“You mean what’s left of it after those photos were aired to the gallery on the first day of trial?” Phoenix said with a smirk over crossed arms.

She glared at him in response. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, Nix. Why’d I faint, anyway?”

“Methinks you fainted because you laid eyes on me,” said Firefly from beside Twilight, looking amused. “I was told that I have a reputation as a legend in this day and age, but to think ‘twould cause a pony to lose consciousness by merely looking at me…”

Rainbow stared. Then stared some more. Finally, she blurted out, “You? Here?! Breathing?! What? How?!” She began to hyperventilate.

Everypony else chuckled. “Sentences, Rainbow. You should use them instead of single words,” Twilight said teasingly, materializing a paper bag but barely able to keep the gleeful expression off her face.

Firefly smiled and closed her eyes, looking like she was enjoying the scene as well. “I’ve been told that I’m not truly here, but that my spirit has been summoned from the Summerlands by a young human woman named Maya Fey. ‘Twould seem she has taken my form by channeling my spirit, and thus I appear to you now. Though I admit to some annoyance at being used for a simple prank.” She gave a mild glare up at Phoenix, though there was a twinkle in her eyes as well.

“That grumpy girl? She did this?!” Rainbow exclaimed between breaths into the bag, which she filled neared to bursting with each exhale.

“I did mention during Trixie’s trial that Maya and Pearly both were capable of channeling the spirits of the departed,” Twilight reminded her.

Spitfire shook her head. “I’ve seen a lot of things in my time, but this takes the cake. Calling a spirit to talk to us is one thing, but a legend of Firefly’s caliber?”

Phoenix smirked at Rainbow, but offered a half-bow back to Firefly as well. “My apologies for requesting you be summoned under such circumstances, Captain, but there are some things I just can’t let pass. Just consider this your comeuppance for your little double-prank earlier, Rainbow!” he said, crossing his arms triumphantly.

Rainbow glared at him again and then, her breathing back under control, sighed and chuckled a little, rubbing a hoof behind her head. “Okay, you got me good, Nix. But why not try to get Pinkie, too?”

“Because she’s Pinkie—because anything I tried on her would likely either not work, or she’d just laugh it off almost instantly,” Phoenix reminded her. “You, on the other hand…”

Rainbow couldn’t argue with that. “Well, my completely uncool fainting aside, this is a real treat, Nix,” she said, turning to Firefly and bowing low, flaring her wings respectfully before her. “I always wondered what it’d be like to talk to somepony as legendary as you!”

Firefly stared back at her for a moment before replying. “Well, your fainting aside, I have to say, I’m not overly impressed with you, Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow’s smile dropped at that. “O-okay, so what aren’t you impressed by?”

The pink pegasus stood up, and looked her in the eye. “Your dreams. They’re so shallow, and short-sighted.”

“My wha…?” Rainbow cocked her head, confused.

“You said it as you were walking in the door,” Firefly clarified. “You wish to join the Wonderbolts, and have dreamed of such since you were small. That a pegasus of your ability would set your sights so low? That is why I’m not impressed by you.”

Rainbow stared agog at the legendary captain. “B-but the Wonderbolts are your organization! You founded them as the Bolt Knights and—”

“Yes, the Bolt Knights were my organization,” Firefly cut Rainbow off. “We were a military force. ‘First to fly, first to fight, faster than a lightning strike!’ ‘twas our slogan. We fought, we killed, and far too many of us fell in service to Equestria and Princess Celestia. ‘Twas astonishing that I even lived to see the end of the war. But now, these ‘Wonderbolts’ who claim lineage are mere performance flyers, completely cut off from their roots. There’s little connecting them to the Bolt Knights anymore.”

Rainbow was silent, opening and closing her mouth a few times. She wanted to refute Firefly’s statements, but she couldn’t.

“But what causes me true disappointment, more so than your shallow dreams,” continued the legendary mare, “is that my bloodline has apparently fallen this far.”

Rainbow’s irises shrank. “Y-your…”

Firefly nodded. “You are of my line, young pegasus. That mark on your flank is proof enough, in addition to what I’ve seen of your abilities from the Summerlands. You can perform wondrous deeds, Rainbow Dash—indeed; ‘tis certain you already have. You helped purify Princess Luna, purging her of The Nightmare. You are capable of performing the Sonic Rainboom, something that even I could never do. You even saved three of my so-called successors following a failed rescue attempt of a falling pony,” she added, giving a pointed look at Spitfire, who had to suppress a grimace at the memory.

“You have unparalleled potential, as both a pony and a pegasus, and yet you would choose to squander it as a mere performer? You could be so much more. And that is why I’m disappointed in you.”

“But…” Rainbow looked down, her ears and fur drooping, never having expected such a dressing down from the returned legend. Were her dreams truly so shallow? Was she really choosing to waste her abilities by wanting to be a Wonderbolt?

“Captain Firefly, with the utmost of respect… shut your bucking mouth.”

Everypony turned to stare at Spitfire. Her expression of wonder at Firefly’s appearance had vanished, replaced by a stern and angry countenance that showed her training as a military commander. “You were brought here as reparations for a prank, from what I understand. But instead of leaving it there, you choose to flay a promising young mare with your tongue. You not only denigrate her, but in the process you denigrate me, cast aspersions on me and my team, saying in effect that we’re not good enough for Rainbow or for you. Well, that stops now.”

With that, Spitfire stalked forward to get into Firefly’s face, her wings flared in anger as she went nose to nose with the other mare. “In olden times, such an affront to pegasus honor would call for a duel. To that end, I’d be more than happy to don a pair of wingblades to prove neither the Wonderbolts nor their Captain have completely lost touch with their roots.”

There was a tense silence as the two pegasus legends, one living and one past, stared each other down. For a moment, Phoenix was worried that Firefly would take Spitfire up on her offer, and was suddenly wondering if having Maya channel her had been a bad idea.

After a few moments, however, the corners of Firefly’s mouth quirked upward. “Well, now. That’s the kind of attitude I remember from my days as a Bolt Knight—fearless and undaunted, even in the face of overwhelming odds.” She stepped back from Spitfire. “Perchance I misjudged you, Captain Spitfire. You have determination and spirit coupled with a commanding manner. Methinks you would have done well as both a soldier and leader back in my days.”

Spitfire shook her head. “Thank you, but with all due respect, Captain, the days of disharmony and defended borders are long past. This is a time of peace for Equestria. As such, there’s no need for the Bolt Knights’ original purpose.”

“I concede that much. Times have changed greatly since the war ended,” she agreed, then frowned. “Still, even a peace under an immortal ruler can’t possibly last forever. ‘Tis folly to think such. Methinks there will always be war, and a need for warriors,” she mused, and then looked seriously at Spitfire.

“As the commanding officer of the Wonderbolts, heir to the Bolt Knights, I ask this of you: even if you can’t return them to their origins, at least improve the military training that you go through. Methinks you never know when such training will be required.”

There was a moment of silence, before Spitfire nodded and saluted. “At your direct request, I will. I give you my word, ma’am.”

* * * * *

Ow… this really doesn’t get any easier, does it? Maya asked as she awoke to find herself in bed again, her body feeling like she’d just run a marathon in the summer heat of L.A. She opened her eyes to see Twilight was waiting at her bedside with water and a change of clothes, as promised—Fluttershy had made her a simple but functional outfit after she’d lost her original one. “Did it work?” was the first thing she asked.

Twilight nodded eagerly. “It worked! And it was really impressive, Maya! I never knew such magic existed until Phoenix told me about it, but then to actually see it…” She went starry-eyed. “So what is it like to channel?” she asked eagerly.

Maya weakly raised a hand to her head, trying to block the light coming through the window. “Can’t say. I don’t really know what happens when I do. The spirit takes over and I have no memory of what happens afterwards,” she managed. “Water, please?”

“Oh!” Twilight quickly poured her a glass and magically held the cup to her lips.

“Thanks,” Maya acknowledged, trying to sit up so she could drink, Twilight giving her a little magical support, respecting her modesty by keeping a blanket around her. She got half the glass down before laying back down with a heavy sigh. “Just… please don’t ask me to do that again. Humans are easy to channel. Ponies are not.”

“With that kind of cross-species transformation involved, no wonder!” Twilight told her, still amazed.

“Did it work, though?” Maya asked again, weakly. “The prank, I mean. How did Dashie react?”

Twilight grinned. “I’ll show you.” She closed her eyes and flared her horn to play back her memories of the channeling, giving Maya a close up of Rainbow’s face and shocked expression as she beheld the long-dead pegasus legend, letting her see the cocky mare fall to the floor in a dead faint.

Maya managed a weak giggle as the playback concluded. “Totally worth it!” she pronounced and fell asleep with a smile on her face.

Ponyville
Golden Oaks Library
June 18th, 8:08 PM

Maya spent the rest of the afternoon resting in the guest room, occasionally checked on by Twilight and Phoenix as she slept. She did come out for dinner to find that she was now being treated with much more respect by Twilight’s friends, especially by Rainbow, who seemed uncharacteristically quiet after her dressing down by Firefly and being stood up for by Spitfire.

Initially peppered with questions, Maya put a quick kibosh on any further requests to demonstrate her power by saying that after as weakened as her latest effort left her, she would not channel ponies any longer except in an extreme emergency. Twilight followed up by Pinkie-swearing all present to silence about the channeling as she’d already done with Rainbow, worried that the press and other ponies would descend en masse if they heard.

Dinner ended and most of Twilight’s friends departed. Despite the eventful day, Maya found herself strangely depressed, still cut off from her sister and everything she knew. “What I wouldn’t give just to have my phone back,” she muttered, taking it out of its pocket and staring at the blank screen. She’d tried to hide behind it for the first day or two in Equestria, losing herself in her music and gaming apps at least until its power ran out. “I just feel so out of place and useless here!” she said to nobody in particular.

“Aw… can’t I help?” came Pinkie Pie’s unexpected answer, the earth pony suddenly appearing from behind the reading lounge, this time with another tray of her trademark pink-frosted cupcakes she’d figured out Maya liked. “You can always come hang out with me at Sugar Cube Corner! I’m sure the Cakes would even let you work there if you like!” she suggested hopefully.

Maya looked at Pinkie, who had appeared without warning again—she’d given up trying to figure out how the pink mare accomplished her seeming ability to teleport, but did allow she only seemed to appear when she was needed. “No thanks,” Maya sighed, causing Pinkie’s expression to drop. “Don’t take it personally, Pinkie. It’s not your fault. I just miss my friends and my Facebook. My desktop and my Xbox. And I sure wish I could work on my music again,” she said wistfully, remembering the half-finished dance and techno rave mixes she’d left behind.

“I’d just like something to do, you know? I can’t help Nick, and I can’t just go around channeling ponies. I was working on some party music before I came here, but I can’t even do that now,” she sighed, looking up at the ceiling of the library.

“Oh! Oh!” Pinkie jumped up and down. “I love music! And you have party music?” With that, Maya realized she’d said the magic word. “Can I hear some of your music? Huh? Huh?” she asked eagerly, pronking repeatedly.

Maya managed a wan grin at Pinkie’s antics and enthusiasm—Nick’s right; she really DOES grow on you! “I can’t, Pinkie,” she explained apologetically. “My phone’s out of power. Without electricity, I can’t turn it on.”

Pinkie’s eyes lit up again. “Oh, is that all you need? A little ‘juice’?” Pinkie said like she was quoting somepony. “I know exactly who can help you hear your music again! And I bet she’d love to hear it, too!”

Maya’s eyes snapped open. Wait—there’s a pony out there who can get my cellphone back on? “Yeah? Who?” Maya wanted to know, looking over at Pinkie, only to find she was gone. “Huh? Pinkie?” She looked around in bewilderment. “Where’d you go? What pony can help?” she asked frantically. Dammit, how does she DO that?

“This pony!” Pinkie’s voice replied, causing Maya’s head to spin as it came from the hallway door behind her. As if on cue, the door opened and a new pony entered from the broom closet with Pinkie Pie right behind her. She was an off-white unicorn mare with an electric blue mane, wearing a pair of stylized magenta shades that went well with her two-note cutie mark. She had the look and manner of a DJ, and Maya took an instant liking to her even before she spoke.

“Hey there, sister! Name’s Vinyl Scratch! And I hear you got some music in your soul, Maya Fey…”

Canterlot
Supreme Court of Equestria
June 22nd, 10:42 AM

The next few days passed slowly, even leisurely, for Phoenix and his friends.

With no more court cases to prepare for, Phoenix relaxed and began treating his stay in Equestria as more of an exotic vacation, indulging in daily forays to the gym and spa. He also made it a point to spend some time with each of Twilight’s friends, to say nothing of Twilight herself.

To his relief, Maya started getting a bit more social; she seemed to be warming up to Pinkie and was spending more time with her and Vinyl Scratch of all ponies, though he suspected the latter was more due to the fact that the unicorn DJ had figured out how to magically power up her phone so she could have her music and games again.

Her original clothes ruined by the channeling, and Rarity unavailable, she’d been made new ones in the fashionista’s place by Fluttershy. She showed a surprising talent for it, sewing her a simple outfit from materials available in Rarity’s boutique, granted access to it by Sweetie Belle. Wow—she’s far more than just that painfully shy pony I initially thought she was! Phoenix noted yet again as Maya emerged with her new dress to find the fit good and the colors to her liking; a slightly simplified variant of her original attire.

Pearl, by contrast, spent most of her time with the Apple family, and in particular Apple Bloom and her friends; more than once Phoenix saw her being pulled around in a wagon with them by Scootaloo. She ended up getting in trouble with the filly trio on multiple occasions, and both Phoenix and Twilight had to make clear more than once to the Cutie Mark Crusaders that as long as ‘Pearly’ was with them, they were responsible for keeping her safe and sound. They kept their word; she came back frequently filthy but always unhurt, and was always excited to tell them about their latest adventures.

It was the start of a new workweek when they received a letter from Canterlot, written in Rarity’s elegant hornwriting. It said that Edgeworth’s corruption investigation in Canterlot was complete, resulting in several indictments, and he was personally prosecuting the ringleader. It concluded by inviting them to attend, promising front row seats and a grand tour of Canterlot courtesy of Princess Celestia herself if they wished it.

Like she still was about most things Equestrian, Maya wasn’t that enthusiastic about going to Canterlot, not wanting to be taken away from her music and new friends; in the end, she only relented for the chance to see ‘Edgey-Poo’ in action in an Equestrian court. In truth, Phoenix had one other reason to bring her; one he wasn’t going to reveal until the day’s end. Just hope the trial is done before visiting hours at the prison are over…

Taking the early train and arriving in Canterlot, they were whisked past the press to the courthouse and shown to their seats by none other than Delta Requiem herself, who looked quite pleased and invited them to simply enjoy the show. Phoenix and Maya sat in the stands along with Twilight and Rarity, the former watching with interest and the latter with open glee as she explained between testimonies what had happened during their time in Canterlot and the investigations she had helped him with.

Sounds like Rarity and Edgeworth had quite the time together! was all Phoenix could think, following the action below with interest, though every once in a while he had to bite his tongue to keep from objecting to one of Edgeworth’s statements out of sheer reflex.

Phoenix found himself increasingly impressed as the trial wore on. The unicorn defense attorney was clearly experienced and competent, and high-priced if his glittering ensemble was any indication. But against Miles Edgeworth, merely competent wasn’t enough. Every defense objection was refuted, every argument countered and every alternate theory of the crime or evidence dismantled. All of the prosecution witnesses, including Delta Requiem herself, were perfectly prepped and every piece of proof presented at the most opportune moments.

It was vintage Edgeworth, a tour de force of prosecuting prowess, and Phoenix could only shake his head as he watched the legal rout unfold. This is one case I’m glad I’m not defending! he thought as the trial took less than two hours before the inevitable guilty verdict, putting away what Edgeworth described as a ‘major middlepony’ involved in the corruption of the Equestrian legal system.

They were invited out to dinner afterwards, but there was somepony Phoenix wanted to see first.

Canterlot
Canterlot Correctional Center
June 22nd, 4:42 PM

“Hello, Sonata,” Phoenix greeted, pulling up a chair and sitting down across from her on the other side of the visiting room partition.

“Hello, Mister Wright.” Sonata Tarot managed a smile, sitting on her haunches and facing him. “Come to see me one last time?”

“Could hardly leave without saying goodbye,” he told her, if somewhat sadly. It almost feels like I’m saying goodbye to Mia all over again… “I’m not going home for a few days yet, but this is probably my last swing through Canterlot, so I figured if I was going to see you, it’d better be now.”

She gave him a grateful look, though there was sadness in her eyes. “I do appreciate it! It does get quite lonely in here.”

His heart went out to her. Ten years… I can’t imagine serving such a sentence! He shook his head, wishing again he’d been able to win her a shorter one. “So how are you holding up?”

“Settling in,” she told him with a slightly wan smile. “The accommodations aren’t exactly the Canterlot Gatewater and the food could be better,” she told him, the hotel name causing Phoenix to start before he gave a resigned shrug.

Why am I even surprised anymore? “I know it’s hard. Is there anything I can do for you?” Phoenix asked, clasping his hands in front of him.

Her smile turned more grateful, but she shook her head. “You’ve already done more than enough for me, Mister Wright. You saved me—twice—and I will never forget that for as long as I live,” she told him, her eyes tearing up. “I’m well aware I can’t change the past. But I can change the future. I really want to make up for what I’ve done by helping others in need. And I have you to thank for making me understand that. You’re my inspiration, Phoenix Wright, and from here on out, your example will be my guiding light.”

His cheeks warmed at the flattery, her words all the more powerful for making him feel that in some small way, he was repaying Mia for all she had done for him. “You’re very welcome, Sonata,” he told her again. “And if you mean what you say—that you’ll help others—that’s all the thanks I’ll ever need.” He placed his hand, palm open, against the magical glass.

She smiled and duplicated the gesture with her hoof. “You truly are special, Phoenix Wright,” she told him again. “Twilight Sparkle is one lucky mare. And I hope she’ll forgive me, but there is something I’d like to give you.”

“Oh?” Phoenix’s eyebrows raised.

To his surprise, she brought out a small golden heart-shaped locket that hung off a thin gold chain. “They don’t allow me much in here, but I was able to bring this in with me. It’s a keepsake from my mother, Adagio, who disappeared long ago,” she explained, trying and failing to open the locket with her hooves, unable to use her magic while in the visitor’s area. “I’d like you to have this, as a token of gratitude and a way to remember me by.” She put the locket into the shift drawer and pushed it so it was open to Phoenix’s side; the partition’s enchantments allowed it to pass since it contained no magical or otherwise contraband properties.

He picked it up and stared at it for a moment, finding the locket opened into a hidden compartment, suitable for holding a small picture. “Sonata—I can’t accept this!”

“I insist,” she told him. “I can’t pay you and I don’t know if I’ll ever see you again. Mother once told me to save this for a special somepony. This isn’t quite the way she meant it, but I’ve never met a pony more special than you.”

Phoenix stared at it, then at her, touched beyond all measure. “I don’t know what to say, Sonata.”

She looked amused at that, her tone and mannerisms suddenly seeming very much like Mia. “You don’t know what to say? That’s not like you at all, Phoenix Wright.” She closed her eyes and grinned for a moment, but then her expression turned uncertain. “You know, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“Oh?”

She visibly hesitated. “I didn’t want to say anything before, At the time, I thought I was just going crazy from painkiller pill withdrawal, but… during the final chapter of the trial, that last moment when you Announced the Truth? I could have sworn I saw a human woman standing next to you,” she finally got out, causing Phoenix to freeze. “But the strange thing is, she looked and sounded exactly like—”

She didn’t finish before she was suddenly yanked backwards by a taloned paw. “Ah!”

“Outta my way, sister! It’s my turn!” A familiar voice said, causing Phoenix to flinch as the familiar form of a griffon appeared in the grey mare’s place, resolving into Gilda’s snarling face, causing Phoenix to flinch hard. “YOU HAVE SOME NERVE SHOWING UP HERE, BLUE BOY! YOU’RE JUST LUCKY THIS WINDOW IS SEPARATING US! OTHERWISE I’D WRING YOUR SCRAWNY SMARMY NECK!” she roared and slammed a clenched paw against the partition, causing it to rattle hard and Phoenix to take an alarmed step back, suddenly regretting not bringing Twilight and praying that whatever magical enchantment was on the thin glass partition, it could withstand griffon claws and strength.

“YOU BETTER WATCH YOUR BACK FROM HERE ON OUT!!!! BECAUSE SOON AS I GET OUT OF HERE, YOUR FLANK IS BUCKING MINE!”she called out as an earth pony and unicorn bailiff on the other side quickly restrained her. They dragged her off, but not before she made another obscene gesture with her middle talon, leaving Phoenix feeling weak-kneed, his heart going a mile a minute at her unexpected appearance.

Deep breaths, Phoenix! he told himself as Sonata reappeared at the window, looking very apologetic.

“Sorry about that, Mister Wright. She’s actually my cellmate, if you could believe that. If you think she’s bad here, try being her bunkmate.” She gave him a pained look.

“I’d rather not, but you have my sincerest sympathies.” Phoenix grimaced, suddenly hoping Gilda’s sentence wasn’t too long, for Sonata’s sake. “But back to what you were just talking about? I know who you saw. And for it, there’s someone I’d like you to meet!” He grinned, going to the door of the visiting room and opening it.

Maya immediately entered. “So what was all that shouting before, Nick? And why did you want me to wait…” Her voice trailed off as she spotted Sonata. Their eyes locked and their jaws dropped, Maya approaching the grey mare slowly, as if in a trance.

“M-Mia?” was all Maya could immediately manage, her jaw open as she recognized not only her familiar hairstyle and voice, but the familiar feel of the pony’s very spirit.

“A… Aria?” Sonata replied, her tone equally shocked, her very heart telling her who the teenage human girl was.

Phoenix hadn’t expected that, looking back and forth between them. “Aria? Who’s Aria?”

“My… my sister.” Sonata didn’t look away from Maya as she spoke. “You’re my sister!” she told the human teen again in disbelief. “But… you’re dead.” Her eyes began to water and lips quiver as Maya went weak in the knees. “You died years ago… h-how can you be here as a human?”

“No, you died years ago!” Maya replied, tears welling in her own eyes. “And you’re here as a p-pony, M-Mia?”

Phoenix mentally kicked himself at the realization that if Mia had a counterpart that existed in this world, there’d almost certainly be one for Maya as well. But the parallels between the two worlds aren’t perfect. Here, Mia lived but MAYA died? Phoenix felt himself go very sad.

“My name isn’t Mia, it’s Sonata,” she finally corrected, still gaping through the glass.

“And mine isn’t Aria, it’s Maya,” the teenage mystic said back, unable to tear her eyes away from the unlikely visage of her sister. At length, she put her hand against the glass and Sonata answered with her hoof, the pair crying softly.

With that, Phoenix quietly took his leave, letting the unexpected but very emotional reunion continue without him. Guess in an odd way, they’ve got a lot to catch up on! He smiled, hoping he hadn’t caused them both additional trauma for it.

* * * * *

To his relief, it turned out to be the opposite. He ended up waiting outside the visiting room for nearly an hour while the two talked; Maya finally calling him back in so Sonata could speak to him one last time before visiting hours ended. The emotional, teary-eyed mare told Phoenix she now had one more reason to thank him, saying she would never, ever be able to repay all he had done for her.

For Maya’s part, the normally talkative teen said not a word at dinner with Rarity and Edgeworth (who announced he was staying in Canterlot for a few more days to help Lady Requiem reorganize the prosecutors’ office) or on the train ride home, staring out the window, her eyes distant. It wasn’t until they got back to the Golden Oaks Library late in the evening that she finally spoke.

“Nick?” she called out before heading upstairs to the guest room.

“Yes, Maya?” Phoenix asked.

Maya didn’t answer right away. Instead, to his surprise, she hugged him hard and didn’t immediately let go. “I’ve had my issues with this place. I admit I didn’t want to be here at first. But now? Any world that’s still got sis in it, even if she is a pony…”

She shook her head in amazement. “It’s an okay world in my book. Getting to see her like that—getting to know that she’s alive and you were able to help her—that alone made coming here worth it.” She sniffled again.

With that, she turned to Twilight and stood up straight, brought her palms together and bowed deeply, saying the words neither Phoenix nor Twilight ever dreamed they would hear:

“Thank you for bringing us to Equestria, Twilight Sparkle.”

Stunned silent, all Twilight could think to do was bow back.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on November 26, 2018.

Leo Archon here. I know we said there was just going to be one more chapter, plus the epilogue… but when we were finished with this, the final pre-epilogue chapter, it was sitting at nearly 30,000 words and 80 pages. That’s nearly quadruple our usual chapter length on this story. Our editors (GoldCrow, KeybladePony, AJ_Aficionado, and of course, Firesight and myself) have all agreed that splitting the chapter was the best thing to do. But fear not! This chapter was nearly complete at the time of splitting, so you will not have to wait a few weeks for the next one. We’re nearly finished, everyone, and thank you for your patience!

* * * * *

Firesight here! What Leo said. Also, didn’t seem right to bring Maya all this way and not showcase her talents/give her a hand in things. Both she and Pearly thus get to leave their own mark on Equestria... and in particular on Trixie. Don't worry, our favorite showmare will be back.

The picture of Firefly was created by Equestria-Prevails on DeviantArt, used as per his stated rule that his works are creative-commons/share-alike. He’s got some really good stuff up there. Check it out!

Part 66 - Revelry, Race and Return

Ponyville
Carousel Boutique
June 21st, 10:48 AM

The visit to Canterlot seemed to mark the final turning point for Maya, as her attitude took a major change for the better. Instead of the brooding and moodiness that had marked her initial arrival, she got much more social, happy and active for the remainder of their stay in Equestria.

She spent most of her time with Pinkie and Vinyl, helping out at the confectionery with the former and working on dance and party mixes with the latter, though she made it a point, like Phoenix, to hang out with all of Twilight’s friends at least once, even staying overnight with Pearl at Sweet Apple Acres.

She also finally asked for some new clothes and, now returned from Canterlot, Rarity was more than happy to oblige her, giving her a summer variant of her usual attire, cut shorter with an open midriff, sleeves and legs. While she explored in earnest what Ponyville had to offer, Phoenix did his final piece of pro bono work—getting a settlement for Rarity regarding the perfume that had figured so prominently in his interrogation of Gilda.

It was a rare foray into civil law for him, and he found it an interesting change of pace. Though Twilight and even Edgeworth offered to help, he decided that it was a legal lesson he needed for himself. Spike helped him by acting as his scribe, sending and receiving messages as negotiations with the perfume company progressed over the next several days, though Phoenix suspected he was doing it more to be around Rarity than to help him. Finally, after several rounds of back-and-forth, he secured her a substantial settlement in exchange for not suing the company.

Despite the promise of satisfaction, Rarity remained unhappy. “I still don’t believe it! It smells utterly putrid!I wasted all my money onEAU DE OUT-HOUSE!!!” she ranted as she reared up and raised a hoof to her forehead in the overly-exaggerated manner Phoenix had come to expect from her.

“Why, after such flagrantly false advertising, I’m going to do my best to put that horrid perfume company out of business!” she promised as she scanned the newly-arrived legal documents delivered to Ponyville courtesy and compliments of the Griffon Express, who, Phoenix noticed, was being very careful with any package shipment involving him for what he could only assume was the fear of additional bad publicity.

That didn’t stop the documents from arriving a day late, however; the delay due to a certain blond-maned mailmare. “You’re getting your money back, Miss Rarity,” Phoenix reminded her, reading it over her shoulder and finding it to his liking. “And an additional settlement in exchange for not filing a lawsuit, remember?”

Rarity deflated a bit at that, sighing as she somewhat reluctantly signed the settlement document before putting it into a return envelope and passing it to Derpy. “I suppose you’re right. I guess that teaches me not to be such an impulsive buyer!” She rubbed her head, hefting the bottle and then magically tossing it in the trash.

To her surprise, Derpy spoke up. “Hey Rarity! Can I keep the perfume? Only if you don’t want it and all. I think it smells nice!”

Rarity gazed at the postal worker pony as if she had suddenly grown a second head and two matching horns. “Nice? How could you possibly think this bile smells like anything but—!” She caught herself before she said something very unladylike, and sighed. “Very well, darling. If it makes you happy? Keep it! I never want to see or smell it again!”

“Yay!” the googly-eyed mare seemed quite happy as she collected the bottle as well as the freshly signed documents, and departed.

Rarity watched her leave, and then turned back to Phoenix, who was thinking it might be best to avoid the slightly touched blonde-maned pony for a bit. And why is it I never hear anyone say her name?

“Now that that’s settled, I would like to do something for you, Mister Wright.” The fashionista looked at him like she was sizing him up somehow. “Please step up on this platform so I may take your measurements. As a reward for all your efforts, I’m going to make you a new suit!” she announced with a giddy schoolfilly squeal.

“What? No, Lady Rarity, you really don’t have to...” he began, only to trail off, realizing he really didn’t know how to tell her he couldn’t see himself wearing anything but his usual attire.

“Oh, but I insist, Mister Wright!” she told him in a tone that brooked no argument, motioning him to step up onto the elevated floor. “Your look is sharp and unquestionably classic, but it can still be improved. I am going to make you a new courtroom ensemble, and that’s final!” She put her hoof down as her horn flared, causing a notepad and a series of sewing and writing implements to fly out of various drawers and begin orbiting her glowing horn.

Phoenix gave a pleading look to Twilight, who shrugged helplessly as Maya giggled—the two having come by to collect him for lunch. “A new look for Nick? Now this I gotta see!” She sat down to watch the show.

“You should give her a chance, Phoenix,” Twilight told him, seeing his uncertain expression. “She really does good work—you should have seen the dresses she made for all of us to wear at the Grand Galloping Gala!” she added, suddenly wondering if she could model it for him. “And I have to admit, I’m curious to see what she could do with stallion businesswear.”

“But—“

“No buts, Mister Wright!” Rarity interrupted. “As I cannot pay you for your work in bits, I will do so with my sewing skills and fashion sense instead! So up you go!” she instructed him eagerly, nodding again to the elevated fitting floor.

I don’t WANT a new suit! But I guess there’s nothing that says I have to actually WEAR it… fine, I’ll make nice. Phoenix mentally relented. “So, what are you planning?” he asked a little warily as he stepped up on the platform and a series of tape measures quickly and somewhat disconcertingly wrapped themselves all around him repeatedly, shifting positions frequently as Rarity hurriedly jotted down his measurements.

“You’ll see, Mister Wright!” Her blue eyes all but twinkled, playing over him repeatedly as she next held up samples of fabric against him in various shades of color, trying and discarding several combinations in turn. “It will not be ready today or even tomorrow, but just a little something I believe I will call… the Art of the Vest!” she chuckled.

Beside her, Spike groaned.

Ponyville
Golden Oaks Plaza
Friday, June 22nd, 5:08 AM

Friday arrived, two days before the Equestrian 500 was scheduled to be held.

Race preparations complete, the town settled into an anticipatory, even celebratory mood, one fully taken advantage of by Pinkie Pie, who announced an “Extra-Super Duper Special!” party scheduled for the day of the Summer Sun Celebration, which was being held in Ponyville for the second straight year “since last year’s hit a bit of a… snag,” Twilight said with a slightly pained expression as they waited outside at the crack of dawn to watch the display at Town Hall.

Though Maya was less than happy to be rousted so early, grumbling and grousing as she was dragged out of bed, even she was awestruck by Celestia’s majestic appearance and her feat of raising the sun, bowing low along with Pearl to the Sun Princess when they were finally introduced. Edgeworth was genuinely impressed as well, giving the Solar Regent a formal bow of his own, leaving Phoenix reflecting that he finally understood why the Princess was so revered.

She’s seen—quite rightly—as a goddess and giver of life, and she’s actually a very wise and just ruler to boot. I think I understand better now why fire elementals are seen as her servants, since they’re seen as wielding the power of the sun!

The day passed in a whirlwind of activity orchestrated by Pinkie Pie, who seemed to be everywhere at once, putting up decorations, arranging food and music and ensuring all was in readiness for the festivities to come. Too large for any one venue, the party was to be open-air, held in the plaza surrounding the Golden Oaks library, which seemed more than Town Hall to be the center of town culture to Phoenix. Booths were set up, a stage was quickly assembled by the visiting work crews, and every farm and eatery in town seemed to be represented at the food tables.

Walking around, they were surprised to find The Judge and Due Process together at a picnic table. Phoenix had to stifle a laugh as he saw the former outside of his robes again, dressed in mismatched Bermuda shorts, collared shirt and suspenders that looked like they’d come from someone with no idea of proper fashion—a someone he strongly suspected was The Judge himself!

“Mister Wright! And Miss Sparkle!” he exclaimed upon seeing them. “I heard of your additional exploits in court from Judge Process here. I must say, I’m sorry I missed them now! But I was still touring Canterlot at the time.”

“For three days? Then I take it you enjoyed your time there, Your Honor?” Twilight asked with a grin.

He nodded. “Immensely, Miss Sparkle! I had my fill of the Royal Gardens and Canterlot Golf Course, where I had the opportunity to play a round with Princess Celestia herself!” He then showed them a picture of himself with her, though the Sun Princess looked slightly odd to Phoenix wearing a golf visor, leaving him wondering if it was just for show and if not, why she of all ponies needed to be shielded from the sun. “I understand you’re leaving after the Equestrian 500, but I’ve decided I’m going to stay here a bit longer. I was just starting a vacation anyway when Miss Sparkle summoned me! So nobody should miss me.”

“He’s also been regaling me with stories of you, Mister Wright,” Due Process said with an amused grin. “And I must say, you certainly have a rather interesting history!” His grin grew wider.

“Oh?” Twilight asked as Phoenix stiffened.

“Indeed! Unlikely turnabouts and unusual witnesses seem to be his stock in trade. For example, did you know that he once cross-examined a parake—”

“Actually—”Phoenix broke in. Why don’t you just say I cross-examined a WHALE? That’d be about as believable! “I was curious as to why I saw you adjudicating another case, Your Honor?” he asked The Judge.

“Oh! Yes. Since Fair Verdict’s… untimely departure and Mister Edgeworth’s subsequent investigation of corruption in Canterlot, there was a shortage of judges, so I volunteered myself! And I must say, it is quite refreshing not to have to preside over violent crime cases as I normally do back home. Just a few charges of fraud and perjury left over from the trial of Ms. Sonata!”

That’s L.A. for you… Phoenix didn’t say. “I see you’ve met the presiding judge in that case, and of Trixie’s trial. Good to see you both outside of court, Your Honors.” He shook The Judge’s hand and then offered his fist to Due Process, who bumped it back.

“And you as well, Mister Wright. Aside from the circumstances I’m told under which you arrived, I take it you have enjoyed your stay here as much as Miss Sparkle?” the unicorn judge said with a smile and teasing wink at Twilight, who blushed.

“Immensely,” he repeated The Judge’s answer, giving a glance at Twilight that caused her flush to deepen, Due Process to grin wider and The Judge to raise an eyebrow. “Both for the cases, and the company,” he couldn’t help but add, giving Twilight an affectionate ear scratch, who sensed she was being teased but found she enjoyed the attention—to say nothing of the delicious feel of Phoenix’s fingers working the area between her ears!

Due Process chuckled at that. “Word of advice from somepony who knows, Mister Wright and Miss Sparkle—courtroom romances are the subject of many a lurid novel, but they can be tricky, doubly so when they’re long distance,” he told them in a manner Phoenix could only describe as fatherly. “They take work, but they can work—if you’re willing to invest the time and make the commitment needed. Are you?” he asked them both with a raised eyeridge and grin.

He and Twilight looked at each other. “We haven’t decided yet, Your Honor,” the latter answered for them both. I mean, there’s long-distance, and then there’s trans-dimensional! “Despite what the tabloids have said about us, we’re giving things some time.”

Due Process nodded in approval. “Good. And don’t worry; I know better than to believe what I read in the Equestrian Inquirer. But just so you know, you certainly have my blessing should you decide to attempt it! Celestia knows you seem well-matched—I don’t think I’ve ever seen a defense attorney and co-counsel work together better than you two did!” He magically raised his cider glass and tipped it to them, causing both Twilight and Phoenix to blush and The Judge to shift uncomfortably.

Seeing his reaction, Phoenix turned to him next and cleared his throat. “Um, Your Honor? Regardless of your feelings on this matter, can I trust you to be discreet if we—”

“I doubt anyone back home would believe any stories we tell of this world, Mister Wright!” The Judge cut Phoenix off a little more sharply than he meant to. “And though it is rather difficult to offer my blessing for such an unusual union, I would neither stand in the way nor betray your trust on this rather… delicate affair,” he offered carefully. “And in return, may I please ask you to keep all that has transpired here a secret? You know, just between you, me, your two girls and Mister Edgeworth. I won’t tell anypony—er, anybody if you don’t!”

Guess that’s about all I could reasonably hope from him. “Of course. And thank you, Your Honor,” Phoenix promised, offering and receiving a parting shake of The Judge’s hand.

With that, they bade the pair farewell and made their way over to the main party grounds, where dozens of ponies and a few griffons were already milling about. Some had already started into the food and drink even though the decorations and dance stage were still being assembled by the same construction crews who had put up the grandstands. Off to the right, he could see Maya assisting Vinyl Scratch with setting up her audio equipment—just hope she’s a better musician than a prosecutor! Phoenix thought a little unfavorably—while to the left, Pearly was playing tag with the Cutie Mark Crusaders and other foals.

“So, what can I expect?” he asked Twilight, turning back to her. “From the party, I mean? Maya loves them, but they’ve never really been my thing.”

To his surprise, Twilight laughed. “Oh, they weren’t mine either until I came here. But trust me, Phoenix—you’ll have fun. Pinkie’s parties are always something to behold, and her ‘extra super-duper special’ ones take things to new levels of insanity.” She rubbed her head again at the still-fuzzy memories of what had happened at the last one. “One thing, though—go easy on Pinkie’s Super-Special Party Punch. Too much of that and you may start behaving a little oddly.

“Oddly? Like what?” Phoenix asked.

At that moment, a series of human and equine figures appeared from around the corner of the library, one of them resolving into the familiar face of Miles Edgeworth. To Phoenix’s shock, the normally buttoned-up prosecutor was riding the back of an earth pony mare that matched his jacket color, bracketed by the two ponies he’d seen in the hallway following Rainbow’s trial. The latter were playing with him like foals, rearing up and laughing.

Edgeworth’s cheeks were flushed, and he wore an expression Phoenix had never seen on his face before—sheer childlike elation. “This is just like that one episode of the Steel Samurai where he meets the Pink Princess!! WHEEEEE!!!!” he shouted at the top of his lungs, holding his drink high as he and the trio of playing ponies rode by, disappearing back around the bend.

“Like… that,” was all Twilight could say, her jaw open.

I’mmmmmmm….. just going to pretend I never saw that! Phoenix decided, his face pale, resolving not to touch the punch.

At that moment, Maya ran up, still dressed in her improvised summer attire and sandals. “Whoa! Did you see that, Nick? And me without my smartphone!” She giggled. “Boy, if we got video of that, we could blackmail Edgey-Poo for life!”

“Why don’t you have your smartphone?” Phoenix asked, though he couldn’t help but smile at the idea himself. “Didn’t you say Vinyl was able to charge it?”

She nodded, her tone strangely eager. “Yeah, she was! But even better than that, she finally figured out how to magically interface with it and is currently pulling all my party mixes onto her crystal recorders! She’s gonna play them along with her stuff tonight, and I get to DJ with her!”

With that, she pulled out a pair of black-rimmed magenta shades that looked identical to Vinyl’s except they were fitted for her face. “So what do you think, Nick?” She donned them with a grin. “Vinyl made these for me! Are they me or what?” she asked as she struck a pose like a rap artist, wrapping her arms around herself in an exaggerated embrace, leaving Phoenix thinking that all she needed was a little bling.

He and Twilight exchanged a look. THIS is the girl who initially hated Equestria and couldn’t wait to leave? they both had the thought at once. “It’s definitely you, Maya!” was all he could say, suddenly wishing he could get a picture of her with them on. “Knock ‘em dead!”

“Will do, Nick!” With that, she ran off again, intending to show her new shades to Pinkie.

As if on cue, Pinkie Pie herself appeared from behind and directly between them, in an explosion of confetti that startled them both. “Come on, Feenie! You too, Twilight! It’s a PARTY!!!!!”she proclaimed as she stuffed a cupcake in their mouths and placed two filled drink cups in their hands and hooves. “And no fuddy-duddy stick-in-the-muds are allowed!” She yanked them both to their feet and shoved them towards the gathering group, still assembling in the surrounding plaza.

Phoenix sighed. Despite Twilight’s reassurance, parties and raves simply weren’t his thing and he couldn’t imagine he’d enjoy himself that much. Still, he gave the drink a tentative sniff, finding it tolerably sweet and fruity with only a mild alcoholic undertone. It’s not THAT strong. I guess Edgeworth just can’t hold his liquor! Well, one cup won’t hurt, right? he decided as he took his first sip.

* * * * *

As the evening wore on and day turned to dusk, one drink turned into two, and then into several, each leaving him feeling more mellow and wanting just a little bit more, a weak but noticeable pinkish haze starting to grow around the edges of his vision. Over time, Phoenix found his tie and collar loosening until the former hung slack around his neck, though he never left Twilight’s side.

Given her lighter weight, the drink seemed to be affecting her a little quicker than him, as she was already swaying a bit and starting to get a bit more direct and careless with her speech. The pair walked and talked frequently, playing a few party games and occasionally conversing with other ponies but mostly with each other, discussing everything from their upbringing and schooling to important moments from their past. Talk then turned to their respective cultures, and Twilight had no end of questions for him.

“And seriously, Phoenix. Why are humans so afraid of nudity?” she asked him in perfect earnestness as they settled under a tree with a fresh plate of food and drink to share between them; the latter consisting of fruits, cheeses, crackers, and even a few flowers Phoenix found he could nibble on, regardless of his increasingly inebriated state. “I think you’ve got very nice flanks. From their reactions, so did Lotus and Aloe when you were at the spa bathing off the Poison Joke the other day. So why not show them off more?” she suggested hopefully, now ogling him somewhat openly.

Phoenix had learned much earlier in his stay what ‘flanks’ were a euphemism for, his already warm cheeks getting a little more pronounced. “Because we’re an upright species and we have no fur. That means if we didn’t wear clothes, we’d not only be exposed to the elements, but everything would be displayed front and center, and we tend to be embarrassed about that. If you actually saw me naked from the front, you’d understand.”

“Actually… I have,” a now-swaying Twilight informed him in a slightly suggestive tone.

Phoenix stared at her, her words registering a little more slowly than they normally did. “You… have?”

“The night before Sonata’s trial, while you were asleep…” Twilight began in a serious tone, before her eyes turned lidded and her expression all but lascivious. “Ooooo… I snuck into yo’ room!” she told him gleefully, causing his mouth to drop open and heart to all but stop.

* * * * *

As dusk descended into a starry night and the foals got put to bed along with Pearl (who did NOT want to leave any more than most of the foals did!), the party kicked into high gear, getting ever louder and more wild as more drink was had and Vinyl and Maya stoked the mostly-pony crowd with their songs relentlessly.

I take it all back—you ARE something else, Vinyl Scratch! Phoenix allowed as he found himself taken by her beat and light show a couple times himself. He had to admit Maya’s party mixes were pretty good as well, particularly her introductory one:

Feel the wave of sound
As it crashes down
You can’t turn away
We’ll make you want to stay!

And to his surprise, Phoenix found he couldn’t and he did. He wasn’t the only one either—to his shock, a rose-cheeked Fluttershy got up on the stage and sang a duet with Pinkie, leaving hearts aflutter, Phoenix’s included, at her beautiful voice. A clearly buzzed Rainbow Dash and equally tipsy Spitfire dazzled the crowd by putting on an impromptu aerial display and mock duel in the spotlighted skies above, while Applejack and Spitfire’s second-in-command, Lieutenant Soarin, engaged in a cider drinking contest cheered on by Phoenix’s gym friends.

He never saw Rarity or Edgeworth again, but he gave them no thought, enjoying the party’s energy and Twilight’s company. Another drink later and somehow Phoenix ended up on the dance floor with Twilight and didn’t even care, moving his arms and legs with wild abandon as the crowd cheered and Maya laughed and laughed.

Finally, exhausted but elated, the pair walked off stumbling and giggling, Twilight dragging Phoenix back to the Treehouse magically by his tie.

Ponyville
Golden Oaks Library
June 23rd, 11:15 AM

Phoenix awoke with a splitting headache.

As his senses slowly returned, he became aware of a large and heavy weight on top of him, but all he could see when he opened his eyes was a dark blue and purple blur. Forcing his eyes to focus, he looked up into a high ceiling and realized he was inside the Golden Oaks library, laid out on a reading lounge.

It was only then he realized that his shirt was open and Twilight was laying against him with her head on his bare chest, his jacket draped over their lower halves. For a moment he panicked at the thought he was naked beneath it, but he could see from his feet out the bottom that his slacks were still on.

Looking around, he saw plenty of other ponies sleeping or simply passed out all around them. To his left, Fluttershy hung upside-down from a rafter like a bat, while Rainbow Dash had curled up on a cloud with another pegasus pony he couldn’t see much of except for the tip of an orange-and-yellow tail hanging off the cloud’s edge.

Pinkie and Maya were nowhere to be seen, but a sleeping Spike was sitting against one wall with a cup in his hand and a lampshade over his head, several ponies Phoenix didn’t know passed out around him, the remnants of a card game between them with Spike holding most of the chips. He saw Applejack’s hat but realized it was on another pony entirely; blinking a few times, he was finally able to pick out that she had snuggled against Soarin, who was wearing her hat even as she was somehow dressed in his flight suit.

At that moment, the door to a side room opened to reveal… “E-Edgeworth?” Phoenix gaped. His prosecutor friend was very disheveled and wore a dazed expression, his hair messy, vest and cravat off with his face and neck covered with purple lipstick marks. “What happened?”

Edgeworth stared at him uncomprehendingly for a moment, looking very confused. “I… I don’t know,” he admitted, his eyes going distant and voice shaky. “I don’t remember.” He rubbed his hand behind his head then pointed a shaky finger at him and Twilight, still entwined on the couch. “Did you and Twilight…?”

The reflexive denial caught in his throat with the realization that he didn’t know either. What… what happened? What did we DO? he wondered more than a little frantically, but his memories of the previous night got progressively more hazy the deeper into them he went, until they finally disappeared into an unrecognizable blacked-out blur.

At that moment, Twilight stirred to life at the sound of their voices. “Ow… my head!” she moaned, barely able to raise it off his chest. Then she became aware of his presence and her eyes snapped open. “Wha-Phoenix?” She realized their positions were compromising and hurriedly backed off him, stumbling hard, her legs getting tangled in his jacket and pulling it off him as she all but fell off the couch, tumbling down to the rough wooden floor that was somehow missing the plush rug that was normally there.

“Ow…” Twilight groaned again, the midday light as painful to her as it was to Phoenix as it streamed in through the open window. “What were we—?”

“I don’t know,” Phoenix admitted with an equally pained expression, noting with relief that his pants were still on but with equal trepidation that his belt and fly were undone. “Do you remember anything?” He held his breath, struggling to sit up and hurriedly buckling his belt before helping Twilight to her hooves, trying not to think of the implications.

Her brow furrowed and she squinted, like the act of memory itself was painful. “No,” she finally said, rubbing her temple with a hoof. “I… I don’t remember anything after the dance…”

“Mister… Phoenix?” Fluttershy’s voice was heard next, sounding confused as she stared at him from her inverted posture. “Why are you upside down?” she asked him earnestly.

Before he could answer, their attention was drawn upwards by a fresh moaning sound coming from the cloud Rainbow Dash was sleeping on. The other tail twitched, and then a sudden gasp was heard, followed by a yellow-and-orange streak out the window that marked a panicked departure, the pegasus traveling so fast Phoenix couldn’t make out their features.

Orange and yellow? Wait! Was that—? The thought was cut short as they heard Rainbow’s voice above them. “Huh? What?” she raised her head to look down at the human and ponies staring up at her. Her eyes were crossed and her mane even more messy than usual. “Um… was there somepony just up here?” she asked them all, feeling unsteady and finding it very hard to focus through the horrific hangover they all shared.

Phoenix and Twilight glanced at each other, and then shook their heads.

* * * * *

Lunch was light and mostly eaten in silence, aside from the occasional awkward look or comment.

Maya reappeared along with Pinkie and Vinyl, the former passing out water and painkiller potions while still being her usual bouncy self—does NOTHING faze her? Phoenix could only shake his head as he accepted the former but declined the latter—while Maya and Vinyl were visibly hung over and behaving slightly oddly as well, having trouble making eye contact with each other.

“So what happ—” Phoenix started to ask, hoping she—or him—wouldn’t be in trouble for underage drinking.

“Nothing!”Maya shouted a bit too loudly, causing everyone to grimace, their headaches freshly aggravated. “Just… don’t ask,” she requested as she rubbed her temples hard, taking her seat at the table.

“Okay, does anypony remember what happened last night?” Rainbow Dash finally asked as she munched on some plain hay to settle her upset system, still unable to shake the nagging feeling she’d been sleeping with somepony. And why do I keep thinking it had something to do with… ‘private lessons’? For some reason the phrase seemed to stick in her memory even though nothing else did.

“Not a clue,” Twilight admitted through her slowly fading headache, starting on her third glass of water. I have GOT to find out what Pinkie’s putting in that punch!

“I do!” Rarity announced in a pleased voice, causing Edgworth to stiffen. She and Applejack looked the least haggard of all of them, Phoenix noted, and there’d been a spring in the former’s step as she came downstairs.

“Yeah? So what did you do last night, Rarity?” Applejack asked with a smirk.

“A lady never tells, darling,” she answered evenly, though Edgeworth flushed at the knowing look and wink she gave him. “And how was your time with Lieutenant Soarin?”

“A lady never tells, Rarity!” Applejack shot back.

“Well, you’re no lady, Miss Roll-in-the-Hay!” Rarity retorted, a teasing note in her voice.

Far from taking offense, Applejack’s grin got wider. “Well, Ah still ain’t telling ya, Rares!” the country mare announced, while Soarin himself looked like he just wanted to hide, nursing a massive hangover of his own.

* * * * *

The afternoon was spent cleaning up party debris, which too often included a still passed-out pony as well as one or two griffons. Spitfire eventually came by to collect Soarin, who expected to be given a dressing down by his superior for conduct unbecoming. But the fiery pegasus mare was visibly subdued and simply took him back to their quarters to rest, though not before Applejack whispered something in his ear that made his eyes widen, the country mare giving the Wonderbolt stallion a parting smack on the flank with her stetson as he departed.

“So what’cha tell him?” Rainbow Dash flew up and asked from her hover, her forelegs crossed and a grin on her face.

“Ain’t none o’ yer dang business, Rainbow!” Applejack replied jovially with a grin of her own.

At least SOME ponies are okay with whatever happened! Phoenix noted, still feeling incredibly awkward around Twilight, who could barely look at him in return.

Everyone was back in their usual beds that night and slept in long and hard the next day. Unable to remember what happened, by unspoken agreement all concerned simply let the matter drop.

Ponyville
Equestrian 500 Starting Line
June 24, 10:23 AM

Sunday dawned bright and clear as Ponyville once again became a beehive of activity, the day of the Equestrian 500—the very event that initially brought Phoenix to Equestria—finally at hoof.

Ponies crowded into the spectator stands and surrounding grounds as the morning wore on, including a very surprising visitor, which they were only made aware of when a somewhat large and new-looking but otherwise nondescript wagon suddenly exploded into a fireworks and light show, magically deploying itself into a stage as ponies came to see what the commotion was.

“Come ONE! Come ALL!” a male voice on a loudspeaker proclaimed as the stage was suddenly covered in an icy smoke or mist that materialized out of the very air around them. “See the greatest feats of magic ever performed by pony! Be dazzled! Be entertained! And above all, be prepared to witness the impossible, courtesy of your humble hosts!”

With that, there was a flash inside the mist Twilight recognized as a teleport, which was suddenly dispersed by a gust of wind to reveal: “Please welcome…The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie!” The showmare reared up, decked out for the first time since Rainbow’s trial in her trademark cape and hat, “performing together for the first time with her equally illustrious father!”

Her horn flared and there was a poof of pink smoke in which materialized… “The MIGHTY and MAGNIFICENT Mystral!” The earth pony stallion appeared, and then the pair then bowed low as one to the quickly assembling crowd.

Wow—bowing from TRIXIE? Twilight immediately noted, as well as the fact that she was openly using some of her ice and weather magic despite a few uncomfortable reactions from ponies in the crowd. And she’s got a new stage and everything! Guess she put that money to good use! And if her dad’s here, it’s a good guess she’s also going to behave herself a bit better, she decided, settling in with Phoenix and her friends to the front row, Applejack putting Pearl on her back so she could watch from above the crowd, the young human girl clapping wildly as she realized her beloved Mystic Trixie had kept her promise to give her a show.

The pair started off simply, with a few crowd-pleasers, Trixie letting her father take the lead. Though he was not a unicorn, Mystral was clearly an expert at sleight-of-hoof and misdirection tricks, and he knew how to work the crowd, playing to the watching foals and Pearl in particular. He wasn’t completely without magic either, wielding an array of enchanted artifacts that he could use to various effects, some of which even took Twilight by surprise.

Trixie herself had definitely amped up her routine, Twilight noted and even Applejack grudgingly admitted. She used more complicated tricks and illusions than she had before, alternating with and playing off her father’s acts. She also kept her condescension of the crowd to a minimum, though she couldn’t resist a few tweaks of Twilight and her friends, suggesting Spike was a pet dog and then electrifying Rarity’s mane so it stuck straight out from her head before freezing it in position, causing the fashionista to shriek in horror.

Later, she turned her attention on Phoenix and Edgeworth, a gleam in her eyes. “As you can see, nothing is impossible to the Great and Powerful Trixie! Watch as up becomes down! Left becomes right! Summer becomes winter! And defense attorneys become prosecutors!” With that, she grinned like she’d been saving the best for last and flared her horn, causing an odd sensation to wash over Phoenix as the showmare’s aura briefly took hold of him.

Everyone’s attention turned towards him and suddenly several gasps were heard, Pearl putting both hands over her mouth and gaping at him as Maya and Twilight blushed hard while Rarity passed out from shock. Huh? What did she— He had a very sinking feeling in his gut as he looked down and beheld himself… not in his usual attire, but something far worse: he was wearing burgundy slacks and jacket, a black vest and a white cravat. What? But that means… SHE…! BUT…! NO!!!!!

“Wh-WHAT?” he heard an appalled voice to his right and turned to realize that Edgeworth was equally aghast to find himself wearing Phoenix’s blue suit and red tie, stumbling back in horror.

“Me? A DEFENSE ATTORNEY?!!!??” The devout prosecutor recoiled at the very notion as Pinkie, Rainbow, and the rest of the audience around them collapsed in helpless laughter at the suit-swapped pair, both of whom ran back to the library to change, all but tearing off each other’s jacket along the way.

“Wright, let me ask you a question,” Edgeworth said as they changed as quickly as possible—Trixie had announced an intermission just as they left, telling the pair and her increasingly eager audience to ‘get some snacks and hurry back!’ “Must you wear your tie so tightly?”

Phoenix grimaced. “Let’s just say I decided that a little tightness was better than being too loose. One too many ties lost to mischievous classmates at school,” he explained. “And don’t take the knot out!”

“So you would rather be choked to death than replace something so cheap?” Edgeworth deadpanned.

“Not all of us make a High Proseuctor’s salary, Edgeworth,” Phoenix riposted. “Every cent is valuable to someone like me.”

“Regarding that,” Edgeworth said as he re-did his cravat, “Miss Fey mentioned that you’d been having difficulty finding work, prior to… well, this,” he waved his arm around their surroundings. “And that you have only ever received full payment from me. Why have you not pressed previous clients for your due?”

Phoenix sighed as he buttoned up his jacket. I don’t need to because I make enough money on the side playing poker! But he’s about the LAST person short of Maya I want to know about that! “Call me a bleeding heart if you want, Edgeworth, but if they don’t pay me right away, I usually trust that they have good reason. And let’s not forget who my first client was?”

“Ah,” Edgeworth mused as he remembered. “Well, I certainly understand you not getting payment from him…”

Properly dressed, the two returned to the venue in time to witness the resumption of the show. Mystral kicked things off again by building a life-sized ponyquin out of playing cards, much to the amazement of all present, and Trixie was soon playing off of that. To the nervousness of most of the adults, her eyes glowed blue as a patch of ice formed beneath her. Stepping off the ice with all but one hoof, she glanced at her father, who gave her a nod of encouragement, and then closed her eyes.

What’s she doing? Phoenix wondered as snow started to swirl around her, but he got his answer as the patch of ice expanded and grew, forming into a definitive shape. Everypony’s jaw dropped in amazement as Trixie’s magic crafted a larger-than-life ice sculpture of Princess Celestia, along with a slightly smaller alicorn made from darker-hued ice. The sculptures were so realistic, they even had Cutie Marks. Celestia had the sun, while the other alicorn had a crescent moon inside a darkened part of her flank.

That must be Princess Luna! Phoenix thought in some astonishment, recognizing her from official portraits. I haven’t gotten to meet her yet, though. And it looks like I might not get the opportunity.

Regardless of his inner thoughts, he started to applaud. This broke the stupor the crowd had fallen under, and soon the area was roaring with whinnies and hoofstomps at the showmare’s latest feat. Pearl in particular was cheering hard, jumping up and down in her excitement. “You’re amazing, Mystic Trixie!” she called with more enthusiasm than ever.

Trixie’s ear twitched, and she gave Pearl a smile; an honest-to-goodness smile, one not lined with scorn or malice. For the first time since he had known her, she seemed genuinely happy, and Phoenix realized, watching her, that this was Trixie as she was meant to be:

A performer in love with her art, and her audience.

* * * * *

As midday approached, the festivities in the courtyard wound down so the main event could begin; ponies and racers taking their places in the grandstands constructed for just that purpose.

With the National Equestrian Racing Federation (“N.E.R.F.?” Maya smirked when she was told the name) still consumed by scandal in the wake of the corruption revelations, the Equestrian 500 was being run unofficially with only around half the competitors originally scheduled to fly—the ones who had not been implicated in the cheating and bribery scandals uncovered during Sonata’s trial.

Though technically reduced to just an exhibition race, all the competitors were excited and promising their best efforts, now that they weren’t under blackmail threat and could finally have “A real race!” in the words of Cruise Control as he and Lenora gave a pre-race interview.

Phoenix was surprised when the pony/griffon pair sought him out an hour before the race began, bumping hooves and exchanging a forearm clasp with him under the above-ground starting line as cameras flashed. “I just wanted to thank you, Mister Wright, for not holding any grudge against me or pressing further charges after what I did to you. I still feel absolutely awful about it.” His expression became downcast, but Twilight noted quickly that he no longer descended to verbal self-flagellation like before.

Lenora answered before Phoenix could. “Don’t blame yourself, Cruise. All of us were victims of this,” he reminded her pony mate. “But that’s behind us now, thanks to Mister Wright and Twilight Sparkler here. No more holding back this time, right?” she asked with a grin as Twilight bit her lip hard, the smirk with which the line was delivered making her wonder if it was deliberate this time.

Cruise actually smiled, and Twilight’s heart warmed to see it, enough that she let Lenora’s latest mispronunciation of her name pass. “No, not anymore; that heavy burden is gone now. That is, thanks to you, Mister Wright.” He offered his hoof to Phoenix.

“My pleasure, Cruise,” Phoenix told him, bumping his fist back. “Take care of your sister, and consider yourself forgiven.”

“Promise,” he said, the group posing for pictures at the request of the reporters. But Rainbow couldn’t resist butting into the scene, darting in and landing between them, right where the cameras would capture her.

“Yeah, of course he forgives you; he’s really nice like that! I mean, Nix plays with baby toys in public and everything!” She smirked at him as the cameras flashed.

Twilight glanced at Phoenix, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. “That ‘baby toy’ is part of what allowed Maya to summon a certain pony to chew you out, Rainbow. Shall we call her again to give you another pep talk?” she suggested mildly as Phoenix and Maya gave equally evil grins.

Rainbow’s demeanor went from smug to nervous in an instant. “Uh… heh-heh! I, uh, think I need to get dressed now. Later!” She flew off in a rainbow streak, trying not to look too panicked about it.

Cruise chuckled, even if he didn’t get the joke. “Thank you as well, Twilight, for knocking some sense into me. Telling me I was a good big brother? I really needed to hear that.” He bowed his head before her.

“You’re welcome. And you are, Cruise,” Twilight bumped her hoof to his, and then gave him a foreleg hug. “Best of luck to both of you.”

“Thanks, Twilight Sparkler! Okay. Let’s stop this moping around and get this show in the air!” Lenora said as they went back with Rainbow to get dressed in their flight suits; Phoenix and Twilight heading up to join their friends in the stands.

* * * * *

Right at noon, the starting gun—or actually, a signal flare fired from the horn of Princess Celestia herself—went off to mark the start of the Equestrian 500, a series of fireworks following as the racers streaked off into the distance, colored trails matching their fur or tails fading in their wake.

It was quite a production, Phoenix had to admit. Though the racers passed out of sight quickly, moving faster than any racecar he’d ever seen, they could still be seen from the grandstands via relayed telepathy and video projection spells similar to what Twilight had used in the trials, but on a far larger scale—he didn’t even want to think how many pegasi and unicorns it took to bring what amounted to a live telecast across a 500-mile race route back to the event viewers in Ponyville, but they pulled it off in fine fashion.

He watched from the stands with his friends and Twilight’s, munching on candy apples and caramel popcorn as they cheered on Rainbow. She was wearing a racesuit nearly as flashy as her mane, bright gold with red highlights, but the normally-cerulean mare was easily identifiable by her rainbow tail trailing out the back.

She shot out to an early lead but found she couldn’t sustain the pace, falling back into the middle of the pack and causing Phoenix to facepalm—dammit, Rainbow, I TOLD you to pace yourself! He shook his head as Pearl cheered enthusiastically for her new hero alongside Scootaloo while Applejack whipped her stetson around, shouting mingled insults and encouragement at Rainbow Dash even though she knew the other mare couldn’t hear her.

The race itself consisted of several legs through different terrain and environments, including several in-race obstacle courses. The one through “Ghastly Gorge” nearly gave him a heart attack as he saw the monstrous creatures they had to dodge, while another through a volcano, dodging fiery lava fountains and showers of cinders made him cringe.

Trixie’s right—why would ANYPONY with a sane mind want to race in a volcano??? Phoenix could only shake his head. For the prize, I guess? I just hope the money and the private lessons with the Wonderbolts are really worth it! he thought as he glanced back up at the royal reviewing booth, where Soarin and Spitfire were sitting at Celestia’s side, decked out in their formal uniforms and watching the racers carefully. Huh. I wonder if they use this race for recruiting?

They passed over mountains and inland seas, braving blizzards and tempests whipped up just for the race by pegasus weather teams. The final leg of the race took them over the Everfree Forest, and Phoenix was stunned to see a very ugly-looking thundercloud materialize right over the race route, causing an equally concerned Twilight to explain that the storm was unplanned—that the Everfree had ‘wild weather’ that pegasi couldn’t always anticipate or control.

Determined to protect their captain and remembering such a storm had resulted in a casualty the year before, the Ponyville weather patrol went to work, Phoenix watching through the projection spells as they braved lightning and ferocious winds to hurriedly corral the wayward supercell, but were not making much headway... until Twilight sensed a teleport into the woods followed by a massive surge of weather magic as Trixie intervened, bringing her elemental abilities to bear.

Mustering all her magic and straining her powers to the limit, Trixie succeeded in shunting the storm aside and giving the racers a path to the finish, the weather patrol cheering loudly for her and then for Rainbow as she passed.

In the end, through power and sheer determination, Rainbow fought through her fatigue and did break the previous race record held by Ace Swift, clocking in at just under two hours. But so did five other racers who finished ahead of her, including the winners, Lenora and Cruise Control, who made it a point to cross the finish line together, hoof in paw, shattering the old record by nearly eight minutes.

* * * * *

An hour later, the press and Ponyville fans gathered around the victor’s circle as the pony and griffon pair were named the official winners of the exhibition event by Princess Celestia, who personally presented them with their trophies and levitated the ceremonial wreaths around their necks.

They stood together in the winner circle as the other racers were awarded special medals just for finishing the grueling race, etched with their own individual cutie marks or griffon family crest. Once all had been given, Celestia called out a surprised Trixie to thank her for ‘ensuring the safety of the racers’, saying she had a ‘rare and remarkable gift’ Luna herself would appreciate.

Stunned silent at the royal recognition and the appreciative applause that followed, all the mare magician could think to do was bow as her beaming father looked on. Finally, the Equestrian and Griffon Kingdom anthems were played; Lenora and Cruise standing proud through them and then later as they were congratulated by Spitfire and Soarin.

“Sure we can’t convince you to join the Wonderbolts, Cruise?” Spitfire asked him after he declined the prize of a private lesson, awarding it instead to the ‘most promising young flyer’ he’d ever seen—a sweaty but stunned Rainbow Dash, who looked like she wanted to kiss him when she heard the news. “I think you’d make a fine one.”

Cruise grinned but shook his head. “Thank you, Captain. But I’m a racer, and my heart belongs to the racetrack—and to her!” With that, he turned to Lenora and raised a hoof to her chin, tilting her head upwards to kiss her deeply to the thunderous applause of all present.

Ponyville
Sweet Apple Acres
June 24th, 9:13 PM

Dinner that night, the final one before their departure, was held at Applejack’s family farm at Sweet Apple Acres; a veritable feast of vegetarian treats served with a heaping helping of Apple Family hospitality.

Phoenix found Granny Smith a little odd but interesting, with some remarkable and occasionally harrowing stories to tell of Timberwolves and Ponyville’s founding, while Applejack did most of the cooking, serving up hearty dishes of baked apples and grits paired with some surprisingly good corn-on-the-cob and roasted vegetables—all of which were eagerly devoured by Rainbow; the famished mare having second, third and even fourth helpings to replenish the energy she’d lost in the race.

Dessert was apple pie, to little surprise of Phoenix, and talk over it soon turned to Rainbow’s trial, which seemed almost impossibly distant even though it had barely been ten days since it ended.

“Have to admit, Ah didn’t think much of you after that first day of trial, Phoenix Wright. Reckon Ah really did wanna rip ya a new one,” Applejack addressed Phoenix, causing Maya to grin and Edgeworth to smirk at his old friend. “But, Ah guess you really showed me! Ah mean, you got Rainbow off the hook ‘n everything. Never seen the likes of what you did in that courthouse!”

Phoenix tensed a bit despite her compliments. “You don’t still want to ‘smack me upside the head’, do you?”

Applejack just shrugged. “After what you did for Rainbow and everypony else? Nah. But one thing, though.”

“And that is?” He held his breath.

She hesitated briefly before explaining. “Well, it’s not so much about you as that Judge o’ yers. He visited the farm a couple days ago, and well… he’s a nice feller ‘n all but can you kindly tell Ol’ Beardy to…” she trailed off again.

“To what?” Phoenix prompted, exchanging glances with Maya and Edgeworth, all of them wondering what issue she could possibly have with The Judge.

“To…” Applejack thought for a minute, only to shake her head. “Dagnabit, how do Ah put this? Help me out, Big Mac?” she asked, turning to her big older brother, who hadn’t said a word all night.

Surprised, Phoenix and the others turned to him. Big Macintosh talking? This should be good!

At her prompting, the large red earth pony raised his head and looked around. “Well, now. Reckon what my sister Applejack is trying to say is, this Judge character is prancing about shoving his love for Equestria in everypony’s faces, and that’s just a tad overbearing to everypony around him,” he began, causing Phoenix and everybody who wasn’t an Apple to drop their jaws open; even Edgeworth had a dumbfounded expression as the normally silent stallion spoke.

“We’re pleased he likes Equestria and enjoys our company, but also reckon there ain’t no need for him to say so each and every time he sees us. It’s okay to take pride in what you like, but that doesn’t mean you should proclaim it as loudly as possible as often as you can. Reckon ya’ll can agree that’s just a tad annoying and ingratiating, to say nothing of just a tiny bit disrespectful to your hosts.

“Sharing opinions and learning more about each other’s differences is where Harmony and understanding come from, but it can’t be a one-sided affair like he’s been making it. So after a couple weeks of being here in Equestria, we’d just appreciate it if he’d be a bit more mindful of how he’s coming across, is all.”

Applejack nodded even as their guests continued to gape. “Yeah! What he said. Thanks, Big Mac!”

“Eeyup.”

Ponyville
Golden Oaks Library
June 25th, 8:02 AM

After a late night at Applejack’s farm, Phoenix had another good night’s sleep, reflecting that he’d gotten good at sleeping on mattresses and other sleeping surfaces that were too short for him. He stayed in the guest room again while Edgeworth took a reading lounge—the same one they’d originally arrived in.

Pearl was spending one last night with the Apples while Maya spent hers with Vinyl. Edgeworth had gone out for a walk and tea in the park as was his morning custom, but promised he would return in time for breakfast, which Twilight’s friends had already gathered for at the Golden Oaks Library. There was a knock at the door that they assumed was Edgeworth returning, but they opened it to see...

“Trixie?” Twilight blinked, then gave her rival a slightly wary look, noting with some surprise she was without her cape and hat, suddenly wondering if she was about to be challenged. “Have you come to see Phoenix before he leaves?”

The showmare gave her a look. “Get serious, Sparkle. Trixie was actually looking for Mister Wrong before he left. Because Trixie is leaving too! Oh, not to say goodbye or anything.”

Perish the thought, Phoenix didn’t say, stepping forward. “So, what can I do for you, Trixie?”

Trixie hesitated. “Well, Trixie wishes you to pass on a message to Miles Edgeworth. Trixie missed the opportunity to see him in court, and would like to see if he could pass along his notes and evidence. For future reference, in the event I reclaim my badge, I would like to see how he did things so I can improve my own courtroom performance.”

Phoenix blinked. Trixie admitting she could improve? Wow! “Very well, I’ll make sure he knows. By the way, Trixie, your pre-race show at the Equestrian 500 was amazing! If you ever did something like that on my world, you could probably play Broadway venues.”

He paused, about to try and correct ‘Broadway’ into something pony-related, but Trixie’s widening eyes interrupted him. She managed to control herself, though. “S-stop teasing Trixie, Wrong. There’s no way something like that would happen.”

Phoenix shook his head. “I’m not teasing, Trixie. Your abilities are something that no one in my world has ever seen before. You’d probably have to get a few props so that the stage owners don’t wonder how you’re doing it, but the fortune and fame you’d earn would probably make a prosecutor’s salary look pale in comparison.”

Trixie opened her mouth a few times before finally speaking. “Trixie will keep that in mind, should she ever deign to set hoof in your world, Wrong."

Rainbow snorted. “Which will probably be never!”

Twilight headed off an argument before it could begin. “You know, since Phoenix is leaving soon, we were planning on taking a commemorative photo. You should join us, Trixie!”

Trixie looked startled for a moment, then schooled her expression. “Trixie supposes it would not be a true commemorative photo without her. She will indulge you just this once, Snarkle.”

“Excellent!” Twilight said, clapping her hooves together. “Does anypony have a camera?”

“I do, but it’s out of power. I can’t recharge it until I get home.” Phoenix gave an apologetic shrug.

Twilight’s expression dropped. “So none of you have one?

“I do, but it’s back at home. I can go get it if you want?” Fluttershy suggested softly.

“That’s fine! Reckon we can wait a bit,” Applejack offered.

“Bah!” Trixie dismissed the suggestion with a single word and wave of her hoof, causing the others to look at her.

In response, Trixie materialized a camera with a flare of her horn: “You can just use the one the investigation team gave Trixie. They never did ask for it back.”

Fluttershy’s eyes lit up. “Oh! Thank you. That’s very kind of you.”

Trixie blinked and looked at the yellow pegasus like she’d just been told she’d been born on another planet. “Kind?”

“Um… yes?” Fluttershy offered tentatively while Trixie seemed surprised and uncertain.

“Trixie?” Twilight prompted, struggling to keep the smile off her face.

The showmare shook her head sharply as if to clear it. “I… it’s… look, just take the stupid camera!” She floated it to Twilight.

Fluttershy cringed slightly. “O-okay…”

Twilight gave a quick chuckle and shared a knowing smile with Phoenix, floating the camera out in front of them and setting the timer as her friends and Phoenix gathered around her. “Alright, everypony! Say cheese!”

Trixie gave her a look, and to Twilight’s surprise, so did the rest of her friends. “Say ‘cheese’? How old are you, Snarkle? Four?” the mare magician asked with a smirk.

Twilight’s expression dropped. “Oh. Well, I—”

“It is kind of cliche,” Fluttershy reluctantly concurred.

Rarity nodded as well. “I have to agree, Twilight. Saying ‘cheese’ is a little, well, cheesy.”

“Yeah, Twilight. You did sound kind of lame.” Spike spoke up for the first time.

Twilight took on a grumpy look. “Okay! I get it! Sheesh! So what do you suggest we say then? And Spike, when did you get here?” she looked down at her scribe.

Spike crossed his arms and put on an indignant air. “I was here the whole—”

“Oh! I know exactly what we should say! Truly, there is only one word that would be appropriate to the occasion!” Rarity broke in.

“Hmm? Ooh, you mean that word!” Phoenix grinned.

Twilight’s eyes lit up. “Ah! I know what word you’re talking about!”

For once, Rainbow wasn’t slow on the uptake, giving a wide grin and to Phoenix’s surprise, draping a foreleg around his shoulders from her hover. “Yeah, and I gotta say, I was totally dying to say it my whole trial!”

“I even got to say it once. It made me feel so strong!” Fluttershy giggled.

“Yeah, me too! Sure is a powerful word!” Applejack agreed. “Let’s use it!”

Trixie put on an insufferable air, but the corners of her mouth betrayed the barest hint of a smile. “The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie doesn’t see anything special about it. But if we must…” she took her place at the right end of the group, beside Twilight.

Pinkie Pie started jumping up and down to Phoenix’s left. “Oh, this is going to be so much fun! I love saying funny words!”

“Then get ready, everypony!” Twilight triggered the timer as Spike climbed on her back.

They counted down together: “3… 2… 1…”

The camera flashed.

* * * * *

The picture taken, Twilight invited Trixie to breakfast over the distasteful and disapproving looks of her friends, but to their relief, the showmare deferred, saying she was leaving town but did want to speak with “Mister Wrong” one last time, teleporting outside the treehouse to wait for him.

Surprised, Phoenix followed her outside, catching a glimpse of her hurriedly writing something with a quill pen that disappeared with a flare of her horn.

“What did you want, Trixie?” he asked, hands clasped in front of him.

To his surprise, she glared at him. “I want you! To take! All! This! Stupid! Evidence!” She stuffed a series of items he recognized as the evidence from Rainbow Dash’s trial into Gilda’s old satchel. “Trixie doesn’t want it! Keep it all as a souvenir! Frame it on your wall for all Trixie cares! Trixie is leaving Ponyville as well and wishes to purge her mind of this backwater hicktown! Nothing but bad memories here!

“So start by taking out this trash, garbage boy! You said one man’s trash is another’s treasure, so see if you can find any in here!” She magically shoved the bag into his hands, though there was an odd, even impish gleam in her eyes.

You’re not fooling anyone, Trixie! Phoenix suppressed an eyeroll, recognizing that her ill temper was—for once—just a bit too forced, deciding that whatever she was doing, he’d play along. “Fine, I’ll take it. So what are you going to do now?”

She looked away for a moment, then back at him. “I’m going on tour with my father. Our show at the race went well, so we’re going to take our act on the road. Maybe get some good publicity and then see if we can make it in Las Pegasus again.”

So she’ll get some bonding time with her father and maybe learn more about giving shows? Good, Phoenix decided, nodding approvingly. “I know you want to get out of here, but would you at least say goodbye to Pearls? You know how much she admires you.”

That stopped Trixie short. “I… well…” The showmare went nervous and seemed to be groping for words. “I need to leave, but… tell her that… ‘Mystic Trixie’ thanks her for liking her. I don’t get why she likes me or my powers so much, but… it helps that someone does.” With that, she was gone in a flash of light.

“Well, that’s gratitude for ya!” Applejack said with a disgusted look, having watched with the rest of the group from the windows and doorway. “Is a simple ‘thank you’ beyond her? And Ah can’t believe she wouldn’t say goodbye to Pearly! Her one real fan! Celestia knows why!”

Phoenix felt compelled to speak up. “Well, it might be because I’m still fairly new here, but I’m with Pearls on this one. I think Trixie’s magic’s amazing and her show was very entertaining.” Getting my suit switched with Edgeworth’s aside…

Twilight grinned even though the others gave him shocked looks. “I agree, but it wasn’t so much because of her magic as her attitude. She wasn’t doing all the name-calling and boasting this time, or even just now. When she did play pranks or call us names, she was doing it more for audience laughs. Maybe it was her father’s influence, but I honestly think she’s finally on the road to a better lifestyle.”

Rarity was scarcely less angry than Applejack. “What are you talking about, Twilight? That conceited, ill-mannered, unsavory degenerate froze my mane and called me ‘Nag-ity’!” Her cheeks went red. “I’m not a nag!”

“And did you hear what she said to me? She said Ah should lend mahself out as a rodeo clown!” Applejack brought her hoof down hard. “Ah was this close to cleaning her clock two ways into tomorrow! ‘Better lifestyle’ my hoof!”

Twilight spoke for Phoenix. “Baby steps, girls. Baby steps.”

MUSIC: Guide You Home

Ponyville
Golden Oaks Library
June 25, 6 PM

Seems like I just arrived... Phoenix thought as the hour of their departure finally drew near. It was a workday, so they had elected to wait until day’s end to make sure everypony who wanted to say goodbye would be able to, and they would in turn be able to spend some quality time with their new friends before leaving. If time flew by, I guess that means I had fun?

For his part, Phoenix made one last visit to the gym and day spa, having greatly enjoyed the attention and efforts of Aloe and Lotus whenever he went to the latter, but he spent the bulk of his day with Twilight, just walking and chatting with her.

He treated her with his last bits to lunch, which seemed to surprise her judging by her suddenly red cheeks—he would later learn because mares were supposed to treat stallions, not the other way around—and they had one more talk about things, agreeing that even if it was possible to stay in touch or visit once he was back home, it would be best to step back from each other for a while and see how they felt after some time and distance. Though they reached the decision jointly, Twilight seemed to Phoenix to be a little disappointed, leaving him the impression that she’d perhaps been half-hoping for an end-of-stay tryst.

The problem is, we might have already had one! Phoenix shifted uncomfortably, remembering how they’d woken up from the party. And I’m still not sure how I feel about that!

The afternoon passed quickly for all. Maya hung out with Pinkie and Vinyl as Edgeworth went off with Rarity for his own talk, the pair finding a secluded area of the park to have a heart-to-heart.

Love to be a fly on that wall! Phoenix thought as he saw them go off to talk things out. But whatever was said between them, they came back together and shared tea as a very prim and proper couple, leaving Phoenix wondering if he’d ever be able to pry the story out of Edgeworth of what was discussed. Pearl was finally delivered by the CMC wagon to the library once again filthy, apparently having had one last romp with her new friends. Phoenix sent her up to bathe and her clothes with Spike to the gym laundromat, noting that the scribe seemed royally sick of clothes washing duties.

At 6 PM, the group gathered in the Golden Oaks Library one last time. It seemed half the town had joined them; the audience consisting of acquaintances and well-wishers as well as new friends. Even Twilight’s brother appeared, though he very carefully kept to the background, just making sure Twilight had seen him, giving Phoenix a brief nod he returned.

The crown itself was represented in the form of Delta Requiem, who was wearing her formal cloak for the occasion and presented both Phoenix and Edgeworth with Royal Certificates of Appreciation. Though glad to see her again, Phoenix found his attention was drawn more to her assistant, a tawny gold earth pony mare with curly green hair, orange eyes and a five-star cutie mark, who he noticed seemed to be giving him strangely appraising looks. She caught his eye and smiled at him, causing a shiver to pass through him.

Who IS that? he suddenly wondered, uncertain why he was getting such an odd feeling from her.

Twilight gave Shining Armor a grateful look as she completed her preparations, drawing a larger version of the circle she’d originally used to summon Phoenix on the ground floor of the library. “Teleportation circle,” she explained as Spike gathered some reagents. “It takes much less energy to send a willing someone out than to summon an unwilling someone here, so I’ll be able to send all four of you home in sequence, one after the other,” she promised. “The triple summon I did earlier left a magical nexus in your office that should still be strong enough to lock on to, so I’ll be sending you back to that point. You don’t have to do anything except stand in the circle.”

“Sounds good, but you’re not gonna lose us to the ‘interdimensional ether’, are you Sparkle?” Maya smirked.

“Give me a little credit, Maya!” Twilight smirked back, though she sensed she was being more teased than anything else. “I have done this before.”

Finally, the time arrived. With everypony gathered, Twilight stepped to the center of the room and announced she had something to share with everypony—her friendship report to Princess Celestia.

Oh, yeah—I remember she mentioned that before. Wonder what a ‘friendship report’ is, exactly? Phoenix pondered as she cleared her throat and began to speak, reciting from an unrolled scroll:

Friendship Report

Dear Princess Celestia,

I learned something these past two weeks from the most unlikely pony: Trixie. I thought about something she said and I think she’s right. Friendship is unnecessary—in the same sense that things like art, poetry, and music are. True, we don’t need it to survive like food and water, but rather, it’s one of those things that gives our lives greater value and meaning.

It gives us a reason to push forward. It allows us to achieve feats of strength and valor we never thought we had in us, in order to protect the ones we care about. It teaches us that by uniting, even the biggest problems can be overcome. And that’s where Trixie was wrong. Ironically, that “word” she mocked ended up saving the day… and Rainbow. And Sonata. And ultimately, even Trixie herself.

That’s the Magic of Friendship, and it should never be underestimated. It can lead to redemption, affords second chances and gives hope when all seems lost. It can save and it can heal; it can bring together the most unlikely of beings… and sometimes turn them into something more.

Your Faithful Student,

—Twilight Sparkle

“It’s perfect,” Phoenix acknowledged, noting she had turned her shining eyes on him as she read her last sentence. “Those are words of wisdom we can all heed.” With that, she passed the scroll to Spike, who nodded and breathed fire on it, sending it along to the Princess.

Edgeworth was the first to return home, but he didn’t leave empty-handed. He was given an exquisite new tea set by Rarity and plenty of high-quality tea to go with it, as well as an Equestrian chess set from Twilight conditional on someday getting a rematch.

“It would be my pleasure, Miss Sparkle,” he acknowledged with a rare grin, giving her his trademark bow. His parting with Rarity was slightly stiff, but he did give her a low bow, publicly thanking her for helping with his investigation, saying he was ‘glad to have met her’.

Wow—I wonder if Rarity realizes how big a compliment that is coming from Edgeworth! Phoenix couldn’t help but think, but judging by her beaming face and the nod of respect they exchanged as Edgeworth took his place in the teleportation circle, he decided that she did.

Twilight’s horn flared, causing an ethereal white bubble to rise up from the edges of the circle and envelop Edgeworth, turning quickly opaque. When it had faded a few seconds later, the prosecutor was gone and Rarity released a pent-up tear.

Next up was Pearl, who was given a calligraphy set by Spike and generally plied with toys, sweets and her favorite apple treats, but she seemed most happy at the burgundy cape with patched-on blue-and-gold pony emblem she was given by Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, along with the news that she was now and forever an honorary Cutie Mark Crusader. She hugged her three filly friends hard one last time before taking her place within the circle to be sent back home with another flare of Twilight’s horn.

Maya came third, her smartphone now loaded with new music she’d worked on with Vinyl, and she was given a big container of her favorite rock candy by Pinkie. “Aw, Nick… do we have to go home?” she all but whined, making Phoenix and Twilight glance at each other and chuckle.

Quite a change from a week ago! “You know we can’t stay, Maya,” Phoenix reminded her. “There’s plenty of clients who’ll need us and cases yet to fight.”

“Yeah, I know, it’s just… “ she trailed off, rubbing her hand behind her head. “Well, anyway—I’m waiting, V-Jay!” she turned to Vinyl, calling her by the new nickname she’d come up with.

“Huh? Waiting for what, Miss ‘Mystic’?” Vinyl asked in a bantering tone that suggested to Phoenix she was deliberately playing dumb.

“Aw, come on, Vinyl. You promised!” Maya insisted in a pouting tone, though she seemed to realize the unicorn DJ was just teasing her.

“Okay, okay. You earned it,” Vinyl grinned, then removed her shades to reveal her red eyes and flared her horn. Her aura concentrated around Maya’s head, and when the teenage mystic had likewise removed her shades, Phoenix started to see her irises had taken on Vinyl’s dark red hue!

“Cool!” she admired herself in a floated mirror, delighting in Phoenix’s flinch. “How long will this last?”

“Just a few days, sorry,” Vinyl explained apologetically. “Magical transformations are never permanent.”

“Short of ascending to an alicorn, she’s right, Maya,” Twilight confirmed. “But a small change like that could last you a week!”

“Enough time to enjoy it and show it off to all my friends? This is so going on Facebook soon as I get back!” She hugged Vinyl and Pinkie together for the last time, waving goodbye as she was sent home, leaving Phoenix alone in Equestria once again.

Phoenix was plied with gifts as well. His gym friends gave him a light blue winter cap with ‘PAPA’ stitched in red thread on the side, saying it was inspired by the fact he seemed to be a bit of a father figure to Maya and Pearls, and it was to otherwise ‘keep his mane warm’.

But it never snows in L.A.! Well, it’s the thought that counts, right? Guess I could at least add it to my poker disguise! he decided—while Applejack gave him the red ribbon that tied off her mane and a small cask of her family’s ‘special reserve’ cider—“Fer special occasions only, ya hear?” she admonished him—as well as a bushel of apples to take back.

The Cakes gave him a large bag of his favorite coffee brew while Pinkie added a box of her trademark cupcakes to his rapidly growing gift pile, plus a rock painted pink with her cutie mark, if slightly sloppily. “From my family’s farm! Just a little something to remember me by!” she offered as she jumped up and down in front of him.

Phoenix laughed. “Trust me, Pinkie, I don’t think I could ever forget you!” he told her, but hugged her hard all the same, his face briefly buried in her cotton candy-colored and scented mane.

She hugged him back, her hair falling flat for a moment as her expression went genuinely sad. “I can’t believe it’s over already. But don’t worry! There’s already a sequel in the works! Maybe it’ll be called ‘Justice for Everypony!’ No! No! ‘My Little Investigations!’ No wait! I got it!‘Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: The Revenge of Wob Niar’!” she said with increasing eagerness, her hair poofing back up.

“It’s going to be super-duper mongo fun! I call top billing!” she announced to everypony as she went back into the crowd, leaving a slightly befuddled Phoenix behind.

Next up was Rarity, who gave him a large boxed package. “Your new suit is ready, Mister Wright! And it’s some of my best work!” she announced proudly. He started to open it, but she stopped him with a hoof on his arm. “Not now, but when the time is right,” she told him with a twinkle. “And when it is? I promise this suit will make you look like a million bits!”

He thanked her as graciously as he could, and then decided to give her one final thrill, kneeling down to kiss her hoof again, causing a fresh eruption of giggles and gasps as Rarity all but swooned.

“Excuse me. Mister Phoenix?” Fluttershy came up to him next, acting even more bashful than usual. “I just wanted to give you…” She took a breath and pulled one of her large and apparently previously shed yellow feathers out of her bag.

Phoenix didn’t understand why there was a stunned reaction from the ponies, none more so from Rainbow, whose jaw fell open. “Fluttershy? Are you sure you want to do that?” a startled Twilight asked as Phoenix looked on in some confusion.

“I do,” she nodded, going up to him and presenting her feather. “Pegasi only give their primary feathers to special someponies, Mister Phoenix. And for saving my friends and doing so much for them, I don’t think there’s any somepony more special than you,” she told him, blushing slightly.

“But that’s not what it—” Rainbow finally overcame her speechlessness, only to fall silent again as Twilight stopped her with a smiling shake of her head.

Phoenix took the feather in his hand and smiled himself, touched beyond measure by the gesture. “Hug?” he asked her, opening his arms; in response she blushed and grinned, rearing up to do so. He embraced her gently, being very careful to not touch her flight muscles and wings. He couldn’t help but be reminded one last time of how truly wonderful and beautiful she was, doubly so when she stretched out her neck to give him a peck on the cheek.

“Be well and visit again soon, Mister Phoenix. My animals will miss you, too!” she told him, leaving Phoenix once again feeling like he’d met an actual angel.

Rainbow remained beside herself, but went up to him anyway. “Well, dude… sorry, but I ain’t givin’ you one of my feathers! I like you, but not like that!” she insisted, still shocked by the gesture. “But I do have something for you.” She passed him a small and rather crudely wrapped box with her hoof. “Go on, open it!”

He did so and found… a large copper-colored medal and attached ribbon. The former was engraved with Rainbow’s cutie mark; it took him only a second to place where he’d seen it before. “Rainbow, this is—”

“It’s my medal for finishing the Equestrian 500,” she confirmed. “I wouldn’t have been able to race in it without you, Nix. Hay, I wouldn’t be here without you.” She looked to Phoenix like she wanted to say or do something more, but settled on offering him her hoof. “So, well, I think you earned this more than me. And I just wanted to say… thanks. For everything.” She rubbed her hoof behind her head after he bumped it, blushing lightly.

“Is that all, Rainbow?” Twilight prompted, recognizing from her growing blush that it wasn’t.

“I’m not the touchy-feely type, okay?” she insisted, her cheeks going from rose to red.

Oh, really? Phoenix smiled, remembering her nearly crushing him in her embrace after the Not Guilty verdict. “How about another ‘victory hug’ then? Just be a bit more gentle this time?”

Rainbow looked surprised. “Oh! Uh… yeah, I guess I could do that,” she offered tentatively, lifting off into a hover and embracing him somewhat stiffly. But lest anypony think she was sentimental, she suddenly reached up and gave his head a hard hoof noogie, trying to mess up his hair to the laughter of the ponies watching.

“Ow! Rainbow!” Phoenix protested but only half-heartedly, sensing it was a show of affection from her, the only one she’d really allow herself in public. “Well, take care of yourself and your friends, okay?” he instructed her, and Rainbow promised she would, giving him one more quick hard hug from behind before retreating.

“I have something for you too, Phoenix,” Twilight approached him last and passed him a small box tied with a violet ribbon that caused some excited whispers to rise from the gallery; Rarity giggling delightedly while Rainbow Dash elbowed Applejack, whispering something in her ear that caused the country mare to smirk and nod in agreement. “It’s not much, but I’m going to ask that you not open it until you get back.” She blushed hard as she realized some ponies, including most of her friends, had already guessed what she was giving him.

“Oh. Okay. Well then… thank you, Twilight. I guess this is it.” He rubbed the back of his head, feeling suddenly sad, looking over the library treehouse and his pony friends for what he feared might be the last time.

“I guess so,” Twilight agreed with the identical gesture, before suddenly blushing again. “Hug?” she echoed his request to Fluttershy.

He smiled and opened his arms, letting her rear up and lean into him, wrapping his arms around her barrel.

“Thank you so much for everything, Phoenix!” she told him, soaking up as much of his presence and warmth as she could. “But I guess it’s time to say goodbye, now...”

“Yeah...” Phoenix replied in an equally subdued voice.

She didn’t break the embrace, and neither did he. “I wish you could stay a bit longer, so we could get to know each other outside of investigating and trials. I’ve learned a lot from you, though!” she told him. More than I could ever have imagined!

“I do have a life and legal career back home, Twilight,” he reminded her, feeling sad himself at the knowledge the moment of their parting was finally at hand. I’m just like Maya—first I couldn’t wait to go home, and now I don’t want to leave! “There are going to be clients who need me. Besides, I can’t let Edgeworth win every case!” he added with a wry grin.

Twilight giggled. “Good luck! Anyone who ends up with you as a lawyer is really lucky. No, anyone who ends up with you as a friend is really lucky!” she quickly amended her statement. “Let’s keep it that way! Even if you’re far away from us, the others and I won’t forget you, and I hope you won’t you forget you have friends over here either. We’ll always be friends in each other’s hearts, and that is the most wonderful thing about friendship! It’s everlasting, and you’re never truly alone, and even if we’re a world apart I think it can transcend—”

“Twilight! Stop with the sappy stuff! I think he gets it!” Spike called out.

“I’m just trying to make a meaningful goodbye, Spike!” she shot over her shoulder.

“Then just say goodbye already!” he pleaded, wanting to reclaim the library and Rarity from their guests.

Twilight sighed. “I guess you’re right,” she admitted before turning back to Phoenix. “Well, this is it. Maybe we can see each other again someday?” she asked hopefully.

“I’d like that,” Phoenix replied. “But please don’t pull me back here without warning next time, okay?” he asked, giving her another wry grin.

“Promise,” Twilight said, and then, realizing she was down to her last moments with him, decided to take the chance. “Goodbye, Phoenix Wright,” she hugged him again but raised her head and stretched her neck out a little, her eyes glittering hopefully, leaving Phoenix no doubt what she was inviting him to do. Should I? Could I? he suddenly wondered. Is it really a good idea? I kind of want to, but in the end, I still don’t know if this is real or—.

From the front row of spectators, Delta Requiem read his indecision. Rolling her eyes, she turned away slightly, covering her mouth with a hoof while singing softly under her breath.

Phoenix and Twilight’s eyes went wide as their lips abruptly found each other’s, warmth and tingling blossoming where they met. The barrier of resistance finally broken, they pushed into each other, kissing deeply as the surrounding ponies cheered loudly, Twilight settling deeper into his embrace and Phoenix running his hand through her mane and fur.

When they finally came up for air, Twilight was blushing deeply, surprise and delight on her face. She shot Delta a grateful smile as the other mare gave her a wink back, Phoenix now finding he didn’t ever want to let Twilight go. They held each other tightly for a few seconds more before finally, reluctantly, parting. Steeling herself, Twilight stepped back outside the summoning circle and, with tears in her eyes, cast the spell to send him home.

Goodbye, Phoenix Wright… Twilight sent her thoughts and very heart after him as he disappeared behind the white energy bubble. As Celestia is my witness, I’ll find a way to see you again!

Los Angeles
Wright and Co. Law Office
June 25th, 6:26 PM

The return trip was much easier on him than the one there, and as he watched the library around him dissolve only to be replaced by the familiar confines of his office, Phoenix couldn’t help but exhale loudly. “What an ordeal, but I’m finally back home.”

“Nick!” Maya called out from the sofa where she’d been awaiting his return impatiently; Edgeworth and Pearl were not present though he could hear noises coming from the washroom and private lounge that Pearl often played in.

“Hey, Maya! I see you made it back—”

“Don’t ‘Hey Maya’ me, Nick! Took you a while! So just what were you doing back there?” she said suspiciously, noting a few purple fur strands on his jacket.

“Saying goodbye,” he replied with a perfunctory tone, “to everypony. You can see how much they gave me.” He motioned to the array of boxes and gifts at his feet before stepping over them to plug his phone into the charger on his desk, turning it on for the first time in over a week.

“Yeah,” she conceded, sensing from his warning look that he would not welcome any probing questions about Twilight. Well, whatever happened with Sparkle, it’s not like we’re ever going to see her or any of the other ponies again, she thought, only to realize the thought actually made her sad. Guess I really will miss Pinkie and Vinyl!

“So now that we’re back, where are we going to tell everypony—er, everyone we were?” Maya’s eyes went wide and hand went to her mouth as she realized that the pony manner of speech had infected her as well. Better stop that before I see my friends again!

“Same as I originally told you. We’ll just say we were called out of country on a case.” He shrugged as he turned on and listened to some of the voicemail messages on his phone, frowning as they played. “By the way, about your new slogan for our law office?”

“Oh, yeah! It attracted a lot of business, didn’t it?” she crossed her arms and grinned.

Phoenix shook his head. “No, just telemarketers.” He turned on the speaker to let her hear an advertisement for an onion slicer.

Maya harrumphed. “That’s because you probably said it like an old man! You need to put some oomph into it!” She cleared her throat and pantomimed answering the phone. “Wright and Co. Law Office! Defending you like it’s nuttin’, baby!”

Phoenix gave her a look. “Old Man? I’m still in my twenties!”

At that moment, Edgeworth returned from the washroom, wiping his hands and rolling his eyes. “And this, Wright, is why I work alone.”

Phoenix broke out into a grin. “Not counting Miss Rarity?” he asked, delighting in seeing Edgeworth flush.

“Missing your favorite marshmallow treat already, Edgey-Poo?” Maya added with a lopsided grin of her own as she started looking through the mail. “I’ll bet she’s a lot more lively than Oldbag!”

His flush intensified. “You two are never going to let me live her down, are you?” He rubbed his eyes.

Maya’s grin got wider as Phoenix just smiled and shook his head. “Not in a million years, ‘darling’,” the former mimed Rarity’s intonations surprisingly well before her smile abruptly dropped and her brow furrowed. “Uh… Nick?” she sounded puzzled as she pulled one envelope out of the ten days of accumulated correspondence. “There’s something odd for you here. Something that was just overnighted from Switzerland via certified mail.”

“Switzerland?” he blinked.

“Yeah.” Maya stared at it. At his nod, she opened it and quickly scanned its contents, only to nearly drop them. “N-Nick…” Her voice went unsteady, her tone strangely giddy.

He froze. “What’s wrong?”

In response, she passed it to him with a visibly shaking hand. Confused, he plucked it out of her grasp, looked and nearly dropped it himself:

It was a cashier’s check, drawn on an overseas bank and made out to him, as good as a briefcase full of cash. His hands shook as he looked it over again, certain he’d read it incorrectly. There was an attached letter as well, written on a small piece of very ornate scroll paper tied off with a wax seal, bearing Celestia’s symbol and written in the flawless script of the Sun Princess herself:

“Is this thing real?” Maya glanced between the letter and check, staring at the latter like it might disappear.

“It appears to be.” Edgeworth was equally surprised as he examined the check from multiple angles, searching for and finding its watermark and security strip, but still uncertain. “Though I’m not sure how I feel about knowing there are Equestrian ‘interests’ on Earth.”

Phoenix wasn’t sure either, but coming on the heels of his kiss with Twilight and being so handsomely compensated, he was in too good a mood to care. “Well, we can worry about that later. Guess burgers are on me, as usual?”

“Hell yeah!” Maya said eagerly.

“A burger?” Edgeworth raised an eyebrow. “Really, Wright. For such a princely sum, I would say a steakhouse is in order! After a week or more in Equestria, I think we all have an intense craving for red meat to satisfy.”

“I’ll second that!” Maya rubbed her suddenly-growling belly. “Prime rib, here I come! I’ll make the reservations and call a taxi. Or better yet, a limo!” She started hurriedly punching in information to her tablet as Edgeworth made a few calls on his phone to make sure the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office didn’t think he was dead.

Phoenix left them to it as he went to start organizing his souvenirs. The food went to his office refrigerator while his new toboggan cap and the as-yet unrevealed new suit he placed in his closet, leaving the latter in its box.

Rarity said to only open it when the time is right. But when would that be? He put the question aside for the moment, turning his attention back to sorting his remaining gifts. Fluttershy’s feather went into his pen holder, while Pinkie’s rock he decided to keep on his desk and use as a paperweight. He was still wondering what to do with Applejack’s ribbon, Rainbow’s medal and all the old case evidence Trixie had given him when he suddenly noticed a round blue disk-shaped object in Gilda’s satchel.

Huh? What’s this? I don’t remember finding this during the investigation!

As he studied it, he started when the middle suddenly popped up into a blue top hat. “Ah!” He nearly dropped it, fumbling with it for a moment. His heart slowing back down, he studied it carefully—it was not just a top hat but a brand new silk magician’s hat, and the only pony he ever mentioned wanting one to was—

It was TRIXIE! She must have slipped it to me when she gave me back the trial evidence this MORNING! He shook his head in amazement, genuinely touched at the gesture. Oh, wait—there’s something inside of it? He reached inside the hat’s false bottom to pull out:

Phoenix felt his heart warm again as he held the picture. You know, maybe we did get through to her after all? He smiled. You’re welcome, Trixie. Best of luck with everything. You’re a good pony even if you don’t want anyone else to know it!

All that left was Twilight’s present. He pulled the ribbon on the small, formal-looking box to reveal… a single dark-blue-and-purple iris flower nestled in its satin folds, its stem clipped short and pedal colors brilliant, accompanied by another small rolled-up note:

“Come on, Nick! I’ve made us all reservations at the downtown steakhouse and there’s a limo waiting outside!” Maya stuck her head in, interrupting his suddenly brooding thoughts.

“Isn’t that place semi-formal attire? Are you going to get in there wearing a short skirt and open midriff?” He pointed at the outfit she’d been wearing, but Maya just gave an evil grin.

“Ha! If they complain, I’ll just show them these!” she flipped up her magenta shades to reveal her deep red eyes with an evil grin, delighting in his flinch. “Now put that pony stuff away and let’s get going! I’ve got a massive craving for red meat!”

Phoenix chuckled and realized that after two weeks of a vegetarian diet, he did too. “Let’s go, then,” he said, getting up to leave. He started to head for the door but paused and looked back at the iris Twilight had given him.

The stallion wears the flower to show he’s interested back, he repeated to himself, staring at the bloom as he held and turned it, remembering their kiss and time together with a wistful grin. But was it real, or…?

His heart told him the answer, bringing a smile to his face. Closing his eyes and nodding to himself, he reached his decision, placing the iris in his jacket lapel before leaving to join his friends.

NOT QUITE THE END…

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on December 10, 2018.

From Leo—

Okay, we’re finally done with the story proper! Woo! No more fake-outs, no more splits. All that’s left is the epilogue, and then we’ll see action from Firesight’s end on his side story. Although… ‘side-story’ implies that it takes place at the same time as Turnabout Storm, but it’s in truth a bridge-fic; a fic that serves as a bridge of sorts between two other fics. In this case, his story will bridge Turnabout Storm and the sequel, Ace Attorney: Sonata for Two Worlds.

I’m aware there are some loose ends, such as that ethereal disturbance the Princesses picked up around Ponyville. Rest assured, those issues will be addressed, in time. I’m also aware that multiple people have asked me to elaborate on the bad ending I wrote for the contest NeoArtimus hosted (and if you don’t know who she is, why are you even reading this fanfic?!). After giving it much consideration, I’ve decided that I’ll begin work on that timeline shortly, probably around the same time Firesight begins posting his bridge-fic.

On another note, we have yet to receive any feedback regarding our side-story contest. No one has submitted any stories for consideration. Perhaps I should make an addendum to the rules: the story does not have to be complete at the time of submission. So, if you want us to consider your story, but it’s not finished yet, fear not! Send it in to either Firesight or myself, and we’ll take a look.

From Firesight—

One word—whew! It’s been a two-and-a-half year journey for me that’s coming to an end. When I started work on this, I never dreamed it would consume me as it did, first as editor and then as writer.

Looking back on this enormous project, there are definitely things I would change or do differently if I had to do it all over again. But in the end… no regrets, and no apologies. I set out to write something truly epic, and I believe I succeeded… with no little help from Raven, Leo Archon and TheGoldCrow, and of late prereaders AJ_Aficionado and KeybladePony. I made a promise to myself and to Raven that I would see this all the way through and I did. I’m proud of the results and honored by the popularity this story has gained.

To this point, I have not advertised my works outside of Turnabout Storm. But here at the end, I’m going to. I’m not a one-trick pony. For those of you who like my storytelling and are curious to know what else I’ve written, you are invited to check out Five Star Service. Mature story so I can’t directly link it, but the main character made a cameo appearance here as Delta Requiem’s assistant. :coolphoto: I have also written an adult anthropomorphic novel that was published last year. Information on that is here.

The first three chapters of the side story, tentatively titled The Lawyer and the Unicorn are ready and will be posted when the epilogue is released, hopefully in two weeks. You are hereby warned it will be mature! :pinkiegasp: Oh, and for those of you still looking for a couple scenes or characters… remember that we still have the epilogue to go. Certain things are being saved for last. :raritywink:

And finally, for those of you wondering what actually happened during the party… ain’t saying. :scootangel: It was deliberately written so anything or nothing could have happened, whatever you prefer. But if you really want to know... I promise to eventually tell the tale as a bonus chapter at the end of the side story. :rainbowwild:

Epilogue - All Good Things...

Canterlot
Princess Celestia’s Private Quarters
June 25th, 10:05 PM

“Good evening, Your Highness,” Celestia was greeted by the thestral night guards stationed by the doors of her private quarters, who bowed their heads and spears as she passed.

“Good evening to you both. I am retiring for the night and do not wish to be disturbed,” she told them, awaiting their nods of confirmation.

The doors closed behind her, leaving the Sun Princess alone in her chambers. Finally able to let down her ethereal mane a bit, she removed her royal vestments, including her crown, collar and gilded hoof covers, settling down on her big cushioned reading lounge in front of her fireplace, which she lit with a single flare of her horn. Sipping some tea, she read through Twilight’s latest friendship report, nodding and grinning at intervals as she did so. Stretching out languidly, she suddenly blinked, and to a casual observer, would have seemed to be speaking to herself.

“Oh, you’re still here…” Celestia’s voice broke the silence, followed by a pause as if she was receiving an answer. “No, I’m quite glad, just a little surprised. I had thought you would depart once he did.”

She smiled following another pause. “Well, I’m grateful you came back to say goodbye. And let me say again that I’m very sorry for summoning you here without warning. It’s not like me to misinterpret a spell like that.” She shook her head and chuckled softly. “Perhaps I let my concern for Rainbow Dash get to me. But it happened just like you said; he accepted and won.”

A few seconds later, the Sun Princess’s smile seemed to turn sly. “Yes, I suppose that was just as I said. Do you object?”

Celestia awaited the response, and then nodded in approval and relief. “I’m glad, then. And yes, that was my reading as well. I knew from your description of him Twilight would find him to at least be intriguing, and from the novels she’d been reading, I judged there was a good chance it could turn into something more...”

The silent partner in her conversation spoke again; several seconds passed before Celestia gave a small nod. “Perhaps, but that is their choice, and I speak from long experience when I say it can work. That she can help him, and he can help her in turn,” the Sun Princess replied with surety. “Our worlds will unite one day, and I can already sense they will play a role in it.”

Celestia listened intently to the other party’s silent reply, then closed her eyes and smiled. “Fear not. I respected your wishes and didn’t say a word—though you’ll forgive me if I did have a little fun with him before he left. I just wish I could see the look on his face when he gets his real payment.” She chuckled again. “Whether he is the ‘Greatest Defense Attorney’ or not, he still performed magnificently. He saved three mares, helped expose a corrupt judge and restored the integrity of one of our most celebrated athletic events.”

Celestia cocked her head as she listened again. “Well, yes, I could have had you do it, but under the circumstances, it would have been very difficult. Not without raising more questions than even I could easily answer. My sister already thinks I’m crazy for talking to myself. But from what she’s saying, she will get something out of this whole affair as well.”

A longer reply followed. “That’s good,” Celestia acknowledged, then seemed to steel herself. “I have wondered, though. I fear I’ve been avoiding this question ever since I met you. But can you tell me… what is it like?” Her eyes went sad and distant for a moment. “I’m sorry to ask, but many I have known and loved have long passed from all but my memory, and I would give up my ageless life in a moment to see them all again. I know it’s wrong of me, but, in truth, I’m quite envious of you.”

Celestia went visibly startled at the answer she received. “It’s boring?”

Another few seconds passed before the Sun Princess closed her eyes and chuckled. “Oh, that was a joke.”

Another pause. “Really? It looks just like Equestria?” Celestia echoed in some surprise, then smiled. “Well, perhaps I was wrong, then. Maybe, just maybe, it’s a little closer than I thought.“

With that, Celestia rose and walked over to her full-length mirror, looking into it before speaking again. “Well, I understand if you will be departing now, given he and his friends went home earlier today. I elected to not be present myself for their departure, as I did not wish to take the focus away from them. So on behalf of myself and all my little ponies, I humbly thank you for helping us in a time of such dire need.” She bowed low before the mirror, flaring her wings in deep respect.

“But before you go…” With that, she raised her eyes to the image in the reflection, which was not of her, but of a brown-haired human woman wearing a short-cut business suit and a small comma-shaped pendant around her neck, which she had recognized as also being worn by the young spirit medium she had met earlier. “I would really like to know your name.”

At that moment, another voice was heard coming from the mirror, one both motherly and mischievous. “My name?” Its owner closed her eyes and crossed her arms, giving a coy grin that was the equal of Celestia’s. “My name is…” she trailed off, an amused gleam in her eye as she faded from the mirror’s sight.

Ponyville
Border of Everfree Forest
June 27th, 5:15 PM

Lieutenant Flash Sentry and Sergeant Major Delta Strike trekked around the edge of the Everfree Forest, searching for signs of anything unusual.

As the race was over, their human guests departed, and the trial of Rainbow Dash and all subsequent trials had been resolved, this was to be the last day that the Guard would be stationed in the secret chamber beneath Ponyville. Consequently, this would also be the last opportunity to locate the disturbance on the ethereal plane that had given both Princesses such foreboding.

“I still wish we knew what to look for,” Flash Sentry grumbled as he held a crystal scanner in his hoof, flying just over the treetops. “We’ve been here for over a week, and we still haven’t found anything out of place.”

“Well, sir, the Princesses themselves don’t rightly know what’s going on,” Delta reminded his superior, holding an identical crystal scanner beside him. It was attuned to detect ethereal and magical disturbances but so far had picked up nothing—or at least, nothing out of the ordinary for the Everfree. “It’s kind of hard for us to know what to look for if our leaders don’t.”

“I know that, Sergeant Major,” Flash Sentry all but sighed. “But any sort of clue would be useful.”

But no clues were forthcoming as the two flew in silence for a bit. Finally, Delta looked at Flash. “So, there’s been something I’ve been wanting to know for a while, and maybe you can tell me, sir—are the rumors about the Captain true?”

Flash Sentry looked back at him, arching an eyeridge. “Which ones? Keep in mind there’s a lot of rumors floating around about Shining Armor.”

The Sergeant Major chuckled at that. “True. I meant the ones regarding him having a special somepony back home.”

Flash Sentry snickered. “Oh, those? Well, didn’t his little dust-up with Twilight Sparkle the other day confirm that?”

“Well, yeah, but since you’re a bit higher in the Royal Guard hierarchy than I am, I thought you might know some details,” Delta explained.

The Lieutenant looked skyward for a moment, considering the question. “Well, it’s nothing official, but… I have noticed him spending a lot of his off time around Princess Cadenza. He seems to go to a lot of trouble to hide knowledge of it, too.”

Delta’s eyes widened. “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza? Wow. He’s got his sights set high, doesn’t he?”

Flash shrugged. “Well, ever since she ascended, Princess Cadenza hasn’t really done all that much. My best guess is that Princess Celestia crowned her just to keep confusion to a minimum. Really, at this point she’s a princess in name only.”

Delta frowned at that. “Kinda like Blueblood, then?”

His Lieutenant gave a grimace of distaste. “Yeah, but nowhere near as obnoxious and conniving. I mean, she has some power and authority, but nowhere near as much as, say, the Court Bard.”

The Sergeant Major smirked. “Oh, yeah; that dark-colored pegasus who’s also named Delta. A real looker, that one.”

His superior gave him a dour look. “Might wanna keep that to yourself, Sergeant Major. Lady Requiem has an uncanny ability to find out things you don’t want her to know.”

The red stallion paused, then nodded. “Point. But getting back to Princess Cadenza, why would Princess Celestia crown her, but not give her the full authority of being a princess?”

Flash Sentry shrugged again. “Good question. My best guess is that since Princess Cadenza doesn’t have a true kingdom to call her own, she doesn’t get the full power and authority just yet.”

“Makes sense,” Delta mused after a moment. “Wonder if she’ll get her own realm someday?”

Flash chuckled. “Please. Most cities and towns in Equestria are perfectly fine without a local princess overseeing things. And I really doubt a kingdom for her is just gonna pop up out of nowhere.”

Delta nodded at that. “True. Eh, she’s probably happier without all the to-do and whatnot of being a full princess.”

“Probably. I know I would be!” his Lieutenant said emphatically. He glanced around, and then up at the sun. “Well, I think that’s it for our patrol, and our time in Ponyville. There’s no ‘ethereal disturbance’ or anything else out of the ordinary here,” he concluded after checking his scanner one last time.

Delta followed the same pattern. “Yeah. Guess it’s time to report back, then. I need to get moving anyway; I’m meeting Twilight Sparkle for dinner,” the Sergeant Major announced.

Flash Sentry gave him a look of envy. “Lucky,” he said, and then his voice went wistful. “That filly’s a bit of a looker herself. You don’t suppose her and a pony like me could…?”

The other pegasus arched an eyeridge at him. “With all due respect, Lieutenant, she’s already spoken for. And that also begs the question of exactly why she would fall for you?” Delta teased. “Despite what you may see in the movies, mares don’t randomly fall for guys they’ve just met.”

“Excepting Phoenix Wright?” Flash Sentry countered, a note of resignation in his voice.

Delta rolled his eyes. “Well, you defend her best friend from a murder rap out of the goodness of your heart, and then maybe we’ll talk,” the older stallion answered mildly, to which the younger one could only chuckle.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right, Sergeant Major. That’s probably setting my sights a bit too high myself,” Flash admitted as the two pegasi left, veering away and heading back toward Ponyville.

With their departure, the edge of the Everfree became quiet. Had either pegasus been paying attention before the left, they might have realized that it had grown a little too quiet in the area. There were no birds chirping, no animals chittering. Even the wind itself had gone unnaturally still.

Had the two remained, they might have noticed a shimmering in the air. It lasted mere moments before disappearing. A keen observer may well have heard something before it vanished, however: a light, tinkling laugh, filled with gleeful malice.

Equestria
North Mountains
Nine Months After Rainbow Dash’s Trial

How had she come to this point?

Even now, months after her search had started, Trixie Lulamoon still wasn’t sure. She had been performing with her father, going from town to town, slowly working their way towards Las Pegasus. Her grandfather’s visit had reached her in a way nothing ever had before, convincing her to try to make good on her hard-won second chance,

And with her father’s help, she was. She was finally ready to leave Twilight Sparkle and all her pain behind, finally ready to embrace her second chance fully…

And then whispers had reached her ears of a powerful magical artifact; one that could give her all the power she could ever want or need. Power enough to defeat Twilight Sparkle. Power enough to make her the best there was at everything, as she had always claimed to be…

Power enough to truly be Great and Powerful, and for all of Equestria to know it.

Even from afar, she had sensed its power calling to her, a siren song she could not ignore. After asking her father for some time ‘to think things over’ and going off on her own again, it had taken all her investigative skills to locate the artifact and its current owner. Weeks more to track down the caravan the gypsy pony belonged to. She had purchased it with the remaining money left over from Phoenix Wright’s gift, ignoring the guilt and pain it caused her. She had then taken it deep into the North Mountains near the former Crystal Empire, where winter was never far. Her powers a reflection of the icy environment around her, the cold temperatures and wind did not bother her as much as the strange chill that was growing inside her heart.

She should have been happy. She should have felt eager. She should have put the artifact on immediately, and yet she hadn’t, taking it to where she now lay to contemplate. For even now, after all her plans had finally reached fruition, the showmare was consumed by doubt. In her hooves was the potential answer to all her prayers; the key to taking vengeance on Twilight Sparkle and all who had wronged her:

The Alicorn Amulet.

She could feel its dark magic calling to her, sensed the immense power it could offer her, its pull on her wavering psyche redoubled for proximity. With it, she could take all comers without breaking a sweat. When combined with her own natural abilities, it would give her power the equal of any alicorn. And all she had to do to gain such power was don it… accept it… give in to its dark magic…

All she had to do was throw away everything she had yet again.

But at what cost? something kept warning her. Throwing my life away once more for another chance at revenge, when my last one almost cost me EVERYTHING? Disappointing my father and grandfather AGAIN? And for what? she asked herself, but it was the amulet itself that answered.

Vengeance, a male voice replied. It is no less than she deserves. She raided your mind and memories. Pried them out of you when you were at your most vulnerable,the voice whispered to her, causing Trixie’s jaw to clench and her lip to quiver. She deserves to be punished. She deserves to know the pain she caused you. Don us, and she will be helpless before you! the amulet all but cooed to the showmare, its tone seductive and silky. Don us, and you will have the power to command respect from all you see.

For who needs the applause of a crowd when you have an entire world cowering before you?

The showmare was sorely tempted, yet still troubled by the thought. She remembered how much she enjoyed performing with her father and the genuine cheers from their crowds, cheers she had earned, and how they felt all the better for it. She remembered the words of her grandfather, channeled by the human mystic, telling her she could have everything she wanted… if only she would let her past go.

And then she remembered little Pearly, the young human girl. Her biggest fan; the sheer delight on her face as she watched Trixie perform. She wasn’t a sycophant like Snips or Snails; she genuinely enjoyed Trixie’s talents, and the thought of hurting her gave the mare magician the most pause of all.

But… she liked me. What would she think of what I’m about to do?

She saw again Pearly’s crying face at Zecora’s hut, before Maya Fey had channeled the spirit of her grandfather, how she begged for Trixie to accept the help and friendship offered her. She had only known the showmare a short time, yet she had always been there, always been happy to see her, never said a bad word about her even when the others did…

Inexplicably, she truly loved her.

My one true fan. How could I do this to her? Trixie shook her head, then stared away into the frozen lake, her power scraping the surface clear and polishing the ice to a shine so she could look at her reflection in it.

But instead of her own visage, she beheld an image that made her flinch—an evil red-eyed shadow of herself who was not the amulet’s master, but its slave. She saw herself lost in its power, consumed by it, her own power and personality slowly subsumed and forgotten. And in the images that surrounded her, she saw where it could only lead:

Fear.

Hate.

Defeat.

Humiliation.

Abandonment.

All her chances gone. Her grandfather’s hopes for her dashed; her father’s love defiled and help defied. No more shows. No more audiences. No chance to ever make right her wrongs. And even worse…

She saw Pearly’s crying face again, turning her back for the final time after she learned what the mare magician had done to her friends.

Something primal and powerful, even somehow sisterly rose up within Trixie—a desire to not hurt the one little human girl who had loved her despite all she had said and done. No! she shook her head sharply, her hooves beginning to shake, the urge to rid herself of the amulet now growing. No… this is not who I am! I am NOT a monster! she told the amulet.

But if everypony thinks you are, why not become one?The amulet shook in her hoof even as it tried to tempt her again, showing her visions of herself on the very throne of Equestria, the Celestial Sisters themselves lying chained at her hooves.

Far from being tempted, Trixie recoiled. I can’t! This is NOT who I am! she clenched the amulet hard in her aura, feeling her natural power resisting its darker one, trying to drive the images it was feeding her away. I don’t want this! the thought rose up again, even as it showed her a vision of Twilight Sparkle defeated and made her own personal slave, a servant to the throne of her ice palace.

She wavered, but only for a moment. “I am a showmare—not some evil ice queen!” she told it out loud, and in a moment of insight, she saw the truth. “It’s all a lie! You don’t want this for me! You just need me for yourself!” she was only too certain.

You will be NOTHING without me! The amulet shifted tactics, the alicorn’s single ruby eye glittering malevolently. Forgotten and worthless; second fiddle to what? A librarian? An undeserving Element of Magic who never knew your pain or want?It mocked her.

Tears welled in Trixie’s eyes as the words struck home, only to finally realize beyond any shadow of a doubt they simply weren’t true. “Trixie is a magician and prosecutor, an entertainer and elemental, a daughter and an idol to one little girl! That is not nothing!” she proclaimed angrily. “Trixie is not your puppet! Trixie doesn’t need you…” she told the amulet, the wind and snow intensifying around her in reflection of her growing anger.

But… you can’t! You WOULDN’T!the amulet seemed to sense her intent.

“I can and I will!I reject you!!!!” She bared her teeth at it, gathering her power and considerable will to overcome its remaining thrall, until finally…

“BEGONE!” Her eyes glowed blue as she encased the amulet in ice and sealed its power with a spell, magically flinging it as far away as she could, sending it rocketing off on a burst of icy gale. She watched it fly off into the deepening night until she could no longer see it, not caring where it went, and then…

The amulet’s evil influence and temptation gone, she sat back and smiled, feeling her spirit still and the wind and snow along with it, reducing itself to a flurry and bare breeze. The amulet’s hold broken, she felt warm and happy, even giddy despite her cold surroundings, sensing she had passed a great test. She remembered her father’s plea and her grandfather’s final request to embrace her power, remembered again little Pearly’s delight at seeing them.

Embrace it… she repeated to herself as she felt her ice and weather magic rising rapidly within her, seeking voice and expression…

Seeking her final acceptance. Just… let it go… the words suggested themselves. And finally…

She did.

She released her powers into the night air, not the anger-driven explosion of the trial, but an exhilarating rush and flow of elemental energy that invigorated her; left her feeling more alive than she could ever remember. Snow and multicolored magical sparkles suddenly swirled around her, as if dancing with the same joy she felt. She laughed and reveled in the full release and expression of her power, her frosty mane whipping in the icy breeze, one that wrapped her like a warm blanket, knowing its source, lover and master.

Finally resolving to leave her old self behind, she threw her hat into the gathering wind and released the clasp on her cape, watching as they were carried away into the night. Snow laden clouds, white and pure materialized around her and she unleashed from them… not a blizzard, but a gentle, swirling snowfall, like a million glittering diamonds that danced about her.

She laughed. She cried. She had never felt so free! She felt no conflict or fear, just sweet, sweet release. But I can do more! she knew instinctively, inspecting the snow field around her, sensing for the first time that she could draw power directly from the icy environment that surrounded her. And that means…!

She slammed a hoof down, turning the snow beneath her feet into a circular sheet of ice etched with her cutie mark, its lines glowing the very same blue of her eyes. She next reared up and made a raising motion with her front hooves, causing pillars of ice to erupt out of the ground and air around her, transforming her surroundings into a great amphitheater, with circular stepped seat benches all facing the joyous mare that now stood reveling in her released power at the center.

Her stage complete, she began making sculptures of ice at the stage corners. One was of her father, another of her grandfather… and then a third, of Pearly applauding her; her joyful expression and clapping hands captured in the crystalline water she was so lovingly carved out of.

This is for YOU, Sweetie! a happily crying Trixie told the young human girl as she materialized a new cape and hat out of the snow itself, flakes fusing and transmuting into a sheer dark blue-and-white fabric studded with iridescent stars and snowflakes; a matching hat to replace her old one constructing itself right on her head.

When it was finished, she stood on a stage spotlit by the moon, announcing her presence to the world with celebratory fireworks and a show of iridescent, prisming ice crystals. “Fillies and Gentlecolts! Please welcome for the first time… the GREAT! The POWERFUL! And the REAL Trixie!!!!”she called out in a joyful voice, wishing young Pearly was there to see her now. If only she was, then I could—

“AN IMPRESSIVE DISPLAY!” a deep and thunderous female voice broke into her thoughts.

Trixie started, letting out a surprised yelp. “What? Who’s there?” She looked around in surprise, shocked and alarmed to feel control of her clouds—of the very wind and air around her—being taken from her; her snow clouds turning dark and stormy, crackling with incipient electricity.

“A friend,”the voice replied. “One who can appreciate thy talent and trials. Great is thy power, Trixie Lulamoon. But thy control is still crude; thy weather energies unfocused. We can teach thee to fully master thy magic! To realize thy true potential!” the words were punctuated by a series of rapidly shifting winds and sharp display of lightning, the clouds forming sculptures and bolts traveling in geometric patterns around her, creating various shapes and starlike constellations, leaving no doubt in Trixie’s mind the mysterious mare’s words were true.

“But how?” she called, frantically scanning her surroundings with her eyes and magical awareness, but the voice’s owner was somehow invisible to both. “How do you have this ability? And why would you do this for me?” But I thought I was the only living weather elemental!

“Because thou hast known our pain, Trixie Lulamoon,”the voice pronounced, seeming to echo from everywhere, leaving her unable to pinpoint its source. “Thou hast known what it is to be shunned for thy power. Thou hast known what it is to suffer in the shadow of another. Thou hast known what it is to fight that shadow and to lose. Thou hast known temptation. And finally, thou hast known redemption.

[color=#35c46ff]“And thus, we find in thee a kindred spirit, if still an immature one. Accept our offer of apprenticeship, and in time, thy skill with the sky will be second only to ours!”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is nopony’s second!” she stated haughtily, trying to bite back a surge of fear—any pony with the power to take control of the weather away from her had tremendously strong magic and was not to be trifled with. “So cut the corny Shakesponian accent and show yourself!”

She was not reassured when she heard an amused chuckle. “In another time and place, we would either have taken thee as our disciple… or simply slain thee for thine insolence,” the voice told her, causing Trixie’s heart to stop. “But those times—and that version of us—are long past. ‘Tis said that when the student is ready, the master will appear. And in rejecting this evil power and embracing thine own, thou hast proved beyond all shadow of a doubt that thou art indeed ready, Trixie Lulamoon,”the voice proclaimed.

“Long have we watched thee. Long have we tested thee. And in the end, we have found thee… WORTHY!”

With that, there was a sharp burst of wind. The storm clouds that surrounded Trixie parted in its wake to reveal a descending figure; a dark-furred winged pony backlit by the moon and starry skies behind. She was a large but slender mare, her ageless and flawless appearance belying her long life and recent resurrection. Her glowing white eyes were piercing even without visible pupils, giving Trixie the impression they could see into her very soul.

No longer silhouetted, the showmare could see her large unicorn horn and coat that was the color of the very night sky; her ethereal mane consisting of the twinkling stars that filled it. She possessed a prominent crescent moon cutie mark and wore a small tiara and royal garb, silver collar and hoof coverings that only emphasized her stature and status.

As she flared her large and beautiful wings to land in front of Trixie, the showmare fell quickly to her knee and bowed her head low, finally recognizing she was in the power and presence of…

PRINCESS LUNA!!!!!!!

As the Lunar Regent descended to the stage, the glow in her eyes ceased and the clouds around them dissipated to reveal the full glory of the night sky, the light of the stars and moon reflected and made all the more beautiful by the stage of ice around them.

“Arise, young scion of winter,” the powerful Princess of the Night commanded, no longer in her royal speaking voice. “We would speak with thee.”

“A-about wh-what?” Trixie stood but struggled to stop her shaking, uncertain if the former Nightmare Moon was truly there to take her as a pupil, or slay her as a potential threat.

She smiled. “Destiny,” came the simple, succinct reply. “We have learned much of this new era, and now wish to enter it fully. And to that end, we seek a student of our own…”

Los Angeles
Wright and Co. Law Office
July 31st, 11:45 AM

Early afternoon found Phoenix Wright where he was most days, sitting at his desk awaiting the call of a client. Maya was there as well, lounging on the office sofa reading something on her phone as Pearly, still on her summer break from school, played a videogame and munched on corn chips in the other room.

It had been five weeks since their return from Equestria, and all was back to normal... for better and for worse. Phoenix couldn’t speak for Maya and Pearls, but to his surprise, he’d actually had some trouble readjusting to back home after two weeks in Ponyville, getting used again to all the hustle and bustle, noise and smells of the city. After the perfect weather and the pristine atmosphere of Equestria, he found the midsummer heat and smoggy skies of Los Angeles to be particularly jarring, and more than once wished for a squadron of pegasi to come through and clean it up.

Heck, even a little rainstorm would be nice once in a while. But since when does it rain in L.A.?

He shook his head at that. The more removed from his time in Equestria he got, the more like a dream it seemed. Talking ponies in a magical world… a trio of cases I can’t tell anyone about… a unicorn mare I may have fallen in love with… it couldn’t truly have been real, could it?

Though time and distance had dimmed his memories of Equestria, the one thing he still could recall clearly was Twilight Sparkle, especially the unexpected kiss he’d shared with her just before being sent home. The feel of her lips paired with the silky strands of her mane running through his fingers. The equally soft lavender fur under his hands. The warmth and blush on her cheeks as the surprise and delight had registered on her face much as it had on his. Her happiness turned to sadness as she finally sent him home, possibly never to see him again.

It was a sadness he shared. He had wondered many times since whether what he felt for her was real or just some magical artifact of Equestria, and yet: I miss her! he was increasingly surprised to realize. Not having her here is like I’m missing some magic from my life!

He shook his head again, considering the question of their unexpected attraction once more. There’s no magic like hers here, so anything she could have done to me before would have worn off long ago. Then does that mean what I felt for her… it really WAS real? He fingered the purple iris she’d given him, still sitting in a small vase on his desk. It had lasted much longer than the flowers he could get from his local shops but was finally starting to wilt despite his efforts to preserve it.

To preserve his memories of her.

What if it was the flower that was somehow doing it? Does that mean my feelings for her will disappear when it dies? he fretted, finding the thought more than a little depressing, but had little time to consider the question before his phone rang.

Maya beat him to it, quickly darting up from the sofa where she’d been reading an article about some pop star, and snatching his cellphone right out of his hand. “Wright and Co. Law Offices, defending you like it’s nuttin’, baby!” she used her slogan again, making Phoenix groan, certain she’d just cost him another potential client.

But to his surprise, she broke out in a huge grin as she talked. “You do? And you are? Yes, we’re here!” she said at intervals. “Yes, please come over immediately, and we’ll see about taking your case!” she promised, hanging up the phone before turning decidedly smug.

“Well, Nick. Looks like you were wrong about my slogan after all! We’ve got a new client! She says she needs you and that she’ll be here in ten minutes,” Maya said, her tone chipper as she straightened his tie. “Now clean all that Equestria crap off your desk and get ready! We need to look professional!” she instructed, proceeding to tidy up the rest of the office, picking up some scattered newspapers and magazines around the waiting area.

The promised knock at the door came almost exactly ten minutes later, quickly admitted by Maya to reveal… a young dark-haired woman. “Ph-Phoenix Wright?” she asked him with a trembling voice, her eyes holding an odd mixture of fear and excitement as Maya looked at her funny.

“Yes. May I help you, Miss?” he immediately asked, inviting her inside. Phoenix shared Maya’s confusion, thinking something was both familiar and off about their prospective client. She was a rather well-built woman with dark hair and brown eyes, attractive by most measures he knew, except for her attire—her clothes were decidedly gaudy and even tacky, consisting of a set of mismatched skirt, boots, vest and blouse as if she’d been dressed by someone who had no idea what constituted proper personal apparel or fashion.

She entered at his invitation, stumbling once over the threshold like she was unsure of her footing and looked around his office. Her eyes, she noticed, immediately locked on to the violet iris on his desk.

“You… you kept it!” she said almost giddily, making Phoenix’s brow furrow. Her voice and mannerisms all seemed familiar, somehow, and judging by the look on Maya’s face, he wasn’t the only one to think so. “Excuse me, but… do I know you?” he had to ask, even as his heart was screaming that he did.

Far from taking offense, the mystery woman’s grin got broader as if she’d been complimented. “I guess my spell is working perfectly, then! Here’s a hint, Phoenix...” She grinned and closed her eyes, and Phoenix was startled to see a faint purple glow surrounding a narrow area of her forehead jutting out conically from it; when he looked close he could see what looked like the outline of a single spiral horn in the swirling energy. The glow of the phantom horn faded and she opened her eyes to reveal her irises had turned an impossible shade of purple…

A shade he had only seen on one other person—one other pony—in his life.

Her eyes! Her voice! It…it CAN’T be! His mouth went dry and he felt himself going weak in the knees, but there was no doubt left in either his mind or his suddenly thudding heart, the shock of her appearance leaving him leaning heavily against his desk.

“Tw… Twilight?”

—FINIS

The Storm has passed… but the story of Twilight and Phoenix has just begun! The last section was a preview of the promised side story, titled The Lawyer and the Unicorn, of which you have your choice of a T-rated or M-rated version. The T-rated version is here:

https://www.fimfiction.net/story/408802/the-lawyer-and-the-unicorn-t-rated-version

If you want to read or downvote the M-rated version, go through this blog post. Yes, I am going to make you read something first. :twilightsmile:

—Firesight

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on December 10, 2018.

Update added 4/6/2018: Congratulations; you made it!!!!! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading. This was a multiyear effort that involved many different people, and for myself, an effort that is still ongoing as I’m now going through the entire novelization and editing/updating/expanding each chapter in turn with the help of my prereading team.

If you enjoyed the story and the effort put into it, I invite you to hit my new tip jar at Patreon. Note a new bonus chapter for Turnabout Storm is offered as a goal!

https://www.patreon.com/firesight

There’s a long list of thank-yous for this chapter and this whole story. First and foremost to Raven Regios for starting this enormous undertaking, for writing all but one of the first 43 chapters, allowing me to edit and later write for it, giving me free reign over the story. To Leo Archon, who won the “bad end” contest, who became a prereader and later a co-writer, particularly for the last ten chapters. He lent a lot to the story, and will continue to do so in the side story and sequel to follow.

To the voice of Phoenix Wright himself, TheGoldCrow, for his willingness to help and preread, for offering honest feedback and for making his own contribution in the form of writing a couple very touching scenes for the story. I also very much thank him for getting me touch with NeoArtimus, who in turn granted me the incredible privilege of editing video part 5, weeks before its official release. I make no claim of her endorsement of this story, but do thank her from the bottom of my heart for the recognition she granted me. I consider that opportunity one of the greatest honors of my life, and thank her as well for the wonderful story she brought to life, for the two universes she improbably merged.

To prereaders AJ_Aficionado and of late KeybladePony, who gave me all the feedback I could ever want, catching and pointing out things I might have missed otherwise, and the encouragement to keep going.

To James CyberLink and his confused boner for an editing pass on the epilogue and coming up with a good music selection for it.

And of course, to all of you for reading, for following, for commenting, for telling us you enjoyed the story. Positive feedback is what sustained us this whole way, and we got plenty of it.

I get that not everybody liked everything we did. If I’ve learned nothing else, I’ve learned it’s impossible to please everyone in a story like this, and if you try you end up pleasing nobody... least of all yourself as a writer. But regardless of what criticisms are out there, I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: I have no regrets, and make no apologies. This is the story we told. It’s loud, it’s proud, it was bold, it took risks, and if you didn’t like it, why did you follow it for 67 chapters and 436,600 words? :ajsmug: We must have done something right, then...

So on behalf of myself and the entire Turnabout Storm writing and reviewing crew, thanks for coming along for the ride! Hope to see you for the side story and sequel! This is Firesight... signing off!

Psst, Leo Archon here. It has been an honor and a joy to be working on this novelization, and I wish to see as many of you as I can on Firesight’s side story, as well as the sequel.

Prelude to Murder

In the darkness of an Everfree Forest night, a mysterious meeting was taking place.

Only the silhouettes of two ponies were visible as they faced off in the dimly-lit clearing; from their stances and demeanor, it was clear to any observers that their discussion would not be a friendly one. “Time for negotiations!” one of the obscured figures broke the tense silence with three smugly spoken words, addressing the other pony in front of him.

“Forget it! I’m not doing it!” the second pony refused, speaking in a mare’s voice.

“Do it—or else!” the first voice threatened, brandishing a large envelope that looked like it had come from a photo store. “You don’t want your little secret revealed, do you?”

The mare hesitated, but only briefly. “I don't care about that anymore! ” she growled, her wings flared in anger. “Besides, I have a better idea!”

“WHAT?!” He could just make out the white of her teeth as her lips parted into a very sly smile.

“Enjoy this parting gift!” she sneered just before darting up into the sky to kick a hidden cloud, causing it to fire a lightning bolt down towards him into the clearing with a bright flash and earshattering…

BOOM!!!!!!

The jagged stroke briefly but brilliantly lit up the forest, revealing the second pony to be a blue-furred pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane…

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on January 18, 2018.

Part 26 - Where It All Begins...

[Twilight’s Perspective… ]
*Before Phoenix’s Arrival*
Location: Golden Oaks Library
Time: June 9th, 7:52 PM

It had not been a good day, and the next one promised to be even worse.

Rainbow Dash was in a holding cell accused of murder with her trial scheduled to begin the following morning, while Twilight’s increasingly frantic efforts to find a lawyer willing to represent her had gone for naught. “I’m sorry, Princess,” she apologized to the honored guest in her home, her head bowed low in failure and regret, an unusually unkempt pile of scroll paper at her feet. “I couldn’t find anypony.”

“So not one of them accepted?” a second, much taller pony asked, looking down at her protégé in dismay. She was a very large and regal figure; her pristine alabaster coat contrasting with an ethereal, pastel-hued mane and tail that waved about as though it were caught in an unseen breeze, a broad and stylized sun-shaped cutie mark adorning her hips. Her size, massive wings and long horn marked her as an Alicorn—the most powerful of all pony races, combining the traits and abilities of Earth Ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns into one mighty creature—and she spoke in a soft, gentle voice that bespoke of great wisdom and compassion born of eighteen hundred years of life.

She was Celestia, the ageless and majestic Princess of the Sun, ruler of Equestria, and mentor of Twilight Sparkle.

“No, Princess. All ten of the attorneys I contacted refused to represent Rainbow when they heard the gravity of the case,” a very downcast Twilight confirmed, motioning with a hoof at the scattered letter scrolls on the floor around her. The Sun Princess seemed troubled as well, looking down at the floor, frowning slightly. “But there is another option!” her longtime student perked back up, sweeping the debris aside with a flare of magic from her horn, making her mentor look back to her.

“And what would that be, Twilight?” Celestia asked solemnly, her broad wings flared and twitching in the only outward sign of the emotions she was feeling.

“I could study the law and defend Rainbow Dash myself,” she offered, standing up straighter to present herself. “There’s several books on Equestrian law in the library. I’ve read them once or twice to get the gist of how our law works, but… I can study them all night to become a lawyer!” Twilight suggested with the eagerness she often had when contemplating learning a brand new subject.

But the Sun Princess did not share her student’s enthusiasm, regarding Twilight quietly for a moment before replying. “Do you truly think you can become an adequate lawyer in just one night?” Celestia asked with a slightly tilted head.

Twilight lowered her ears fractionally as she recognized her mentor’s implied rebuke, gently telling her that she could not. “I have to try. You and I both know Rainbow Dash would never murder another pony,” Twilight reasoned, feeling that she had to do something to save her friend. “At this point, what else can I do?”

Celestia turned away, her troubled look returning as she considered the situation. “You have to understand, Twilight—this is not a matter to be taken lightly. I have every bit of confidence in you, my faithful student, but some things simply cannot be adequately learned in a single night. The hour is late and the need for an experienced attorney in this matter is great. We need to find a lawyer with the legal proficiency to handle this properly.”

“But Princess, there’s nopony else left!” Twilight said in panic, fearing that her monarch was asking for the impossible and her friend’s fate was sealed for it. “You said it yourself—there isn’t anypony in all Equestria with experience in murder cases!”

To her surprise, the Sun Princess raised her head and smiled. “Indeed I did. And that is why there is someone else I have in mind,” Celestia announced, an odd glint in her violet eyes.

“Who?” Twilight demanded to know in an almost-shrill voice. Some… ONE?

“Contact Phoenix Wright,” the ruler of Equestria directed, folding her wings at her sides.

Twilight tilted her head in confusion. “’Phoenix Wright’?” she asked, repeating the odd and unfamiliar name.

“Yes. He is said to be an outstanding lawyer. Perhaps even the greatest defense attorney there is,” Celestia claimed.

Twilight’s hopes soared. “The greatest defense attorney in Equestria? That’s great! How do I get hold of him?” she asked in excitement, eager for instructions.

Celestia chuckled at her student’s enthusiasm, giving Twilight a smile she could only describe as sly. “Before you do, there are a few things you should know about him,” she began, an oddly teasing tone in her voice. “First, you’ll need to magically summon him. The basic beck-and-call summoning spell should suffice, but when he arrives, he’s going to act a bit odd and look a bit strange. He may even overreact, but try to bear with him no matter what happens,” the Sun Princess instructed in a slow and motherly voice.

Twilight was puzzled, both by the instructions and the manner in which they were given, almost feeling like the princess was speaking to her like a parent telling her young foal how to care for a new pet. “Um… why would I have to magically summon him? It takes a lot of power to do something like that,” she noted, thinking it was also very rough and disorienting on the targeted pony when they weren’t expecting it.

Celestia’s grin seemed to get a little wider. “I’m afraid he’s rather… hard to get hold of otherwise. Time is short, and the sooner he arrives, the better. Summoning him to you and speaking with him directly is the best course of action,” she explained cryptically, a mischievous gleam now visible in her violet eyes—at least, the one unhidden by her long, flowing bangs.

Twilight felt increasingly lost, almost feeling like her regent was playing a prank on her. But why would she at a time like this? “I’m a little confused, Princess. Why would he overreact? And why can’t I just send him a letter?” she wanted to know, but to her growing frustration, Celestia went on like her student hadn’t spoken at all.

“Just stroke his ego a bit. Tell him you accidentally summoned ‘The Greatest Defense Attorney Ever,’” she suggested. “That should win him over. He should be like putty in your hooves after that,” she added, the grin on her face growing.

I’m no expert, but the way she’s acting isn’t very Princess-like! Twilight thought, getting a little exasperated at her mentor’s apparently-deliberate coyness. “Okay, but this is still really confusing. Are you sure he’s really that good?”

“I have complete confidence in him. And so may you,” Celestia assured her student, flaring her broad wings again in an impressive and majestic display.

Twilight gave the sun princess an askance look, more certain than ever there was something she wasn’t telling her. “And you’re sure he will accept the murder case? Nopony else I spoke to would!”

“Be assured he’s no stranger to murder cases. I’m positive he’ll accept,” Celestia replied, refolding her wings but still wearing her sly smile.

“Alright, if you say so, Princess,” Twilight accepted her mentor’s suggestion reluctantly, recognizing she wasn’t going to get anything more out of her.

Celestia nodded in satisfaction. “Excellent. I’ll start preparing the paperwork assigning him as Rainbow Dash’s lawyer.” She raised her forehoof as if she was turning to leave, but Twilight stopped her before she could.

“Um, with respect, Princess, aren’t you getting a little ahead of yourself? We haven’t even spoken with him about the crime yet.”

“Don’t worry. He won’t turn down a client who is undoubtedly innocent,” Celestia promised, brushing off Twilight’s concern. “You do believe Rainbow Dash is innocent, right?” she asked her prized pupil directly, turning back and looking her in the eye.

“Of course I do!” Twilight declared vehemently and without hesitation, a little more forcefully than she intended.

To her relief, Celestia was unruffled. “As do I. So there is nothing to fear,” she said softly, closing her eyes and looking very satisfied.

Why is she so calm, cool and collected about this attorney? an increasingly bewildered Twilight wondered, but reminded herself that her mentor’s advice had never led her astray. “Okay, I’ll have faith in this ‘Phoenix Wright’ if you do, Princess,” she agreed, though still not entirely convinced.

Celestia gave an approving nod. “You won’t be disappointed. Everything will turn out fine as long as he is here. I regret that I will be unable to stay and welcome him as I have diplomatic business to attend in Germaneigh. But be assured you and Rainbow will be in my thoughts, my faithful student. I wish you the best of luck with the trial,” Celestia said, flaring her wings and turning to the door as she readied to depart.

“Thank you, Princess,” Twilight said formally, briefly bowing before her monarch. “But one more question, if I may?”

The Sun Princess looked back at Twilight, tilting her head curiously. “Hmm?”

Twilight hesitated—she didn’t want to say what she was thinking, as it came perilously close to accusing her regent of lying, but in the end, she felt that she had to. “I was just thinking that there have been no murders in Equestria for several centuries. The worst we get are thefts and burglaries, and those rarely warrant trials and lawyers,” Twilight noted carefully.

Celestia lowered her head and closed her eyes, looking sad for a moment. “Yes, that is true, Twilight. This is the first murder I can remember in many years during my long reign over Equestria,” the Sun Princess acknowledged with a solemn air.

“But that’s just it,” Twilight replied, her brow furrowed. “You said a minute ago that this defense attorney ‘Phoenix Wright’ has been in murder cases before, but… how can that be if there hasn’t been a murder in Equestria for centuries?” she pointed out. “Doesn’t that… contradict what you said?”

To her annoyance, Celestia merely chuckled, looking very amused. “Very good, my faithful student. I can already see you’ll get along with Phoenix Wright quite well.” She gave her pupil yet another one of her mysterious, yet knowing grins.

Twilight gave her regent an askance look back. “Wh-what does that mean? That doesn’t answer my question,” Twilight persisted, but instead of responding, Celestia materialized something with a flare of magic from her horn.

“Here, Twilight. Take this.” The Sun Princess floated her student a small heart-shaped pink crest.

Hey! Why is she avoiding my question? Twilight protested mentally, studying the odd object the Princess had given her. “What is this?” she asked in an uncertain tone, accepting it in her aura.

“It’s an Equestrian Defense Attorney badge. He’ll need it to represent Rainbow Dash, so please be sure and give it to him,” Celestia requested, the mischievous gleam in her eye back in full force.

Twilight regarded the heart-shaped object in distaste. I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing this cheap looking trinket—it looks like something a kindergartner would make! Wait—if he’s a lawyer, shouldn’t he already have one of these? she wondered, but something told her she’d just get another evasive answer if she asked. “Understood, Princess,” she said as she bowed low again.

“Very well. I must take my leave now, Twilight. Oh. And one more thing?”

“Yes?” Twilight’s ears perked up.

“Please don’t tell Phoenix Wright I asked you to call him,” Celestia directed, this time giving Twilight a playful wink.

Twilight was increasingly certain she was being made the subject of a joke she did not yet know the punchline to, finding Celestia’s latest request to be the most nonsensical of all. “Why not?” Twilight asked, but her regent’s only response was several seconds of silence followed by yet another coy grin.

“You certainly are curious, aren’t you? Goodbye, Twilight,” Celestia bid her prize pupil farewell with her trademark Cheshire-cat grin. She teleported out in a flash of light; Twilight swore she saw the Sun Princess give her yet another wink just before she disappeared.

Twilight’s muzzle fell open at her departure. GAH! She did it AGAIN! Why do you always have to be so cryptic, Princess? she mentally asked her mentor in frustration, sighing and rubbing her head with a hoof, floating the badge over to a nearby table and leaving it there.

“’Phoenix Wright’… what a strange name,” she thought out loud, trying and failing to envision the pony who bore it. “Guess I should prepare the beck-and-call spell to summon him. Now where’s that book...?” she started pulling random texts off the shelves with her magic, floating them in a circle around her head. “I think it was… oh, yes. Super Spectacular Stupendous Spontaneous Summoning Scripture Signals and You,” she remembered, dropping the other books and pulling a new one off a shelf on the opposite wall.

Hearing the all-too familiar clatter of falling texts, Spike came in from the kitchen and groaned in dismay when he saw the mess, starting to pick the scattered books up, grumbling under his breath. Barely aware of his presence, Twilight reviewed the spell and made a checklist of the reagents, dispatching her baby dragon scribe to gather them while she began using chalk to draw a summoning circle on the floor.

An hour later she was ready. Here goes nothing! she thought, gathering herself carefully as she prepared to perform the ritual. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and channeled magic through her horn, funneling it through the reagents into the summoning circle. The lines began to glow with the same violet hue as her aura, energy dancing as she felt the spell take hold of its target, starting to pull him towards her across the intra-dimensional divide. She could feel an odd resistance, like he was fighting it and the distance he had to come was far greater than she had planned, so she channeled more magic into the effort, hoping it didn’t leave her—or him—too badly drained afterwards.

Well, Phoenix Wright, I apologize in advance for bringing you here like this, but my friend’s life is at stake! she thought as a form began to take shape within the circle, though at first glance it seemed rather large for a pony.

I just hope you really are as good as the Princess says!

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on May 14, 2018.

Part 32 - The Rod, The Eyes...and the Muffin

Ponyville Park
June 10th, 1:48 PM

Twilight and Apple Bloom arrived at Ponyville Park after a twelve-minute walk, taking a more circuitous route to avoid the growing raincloud to the south.

What kind of world must Phoenix live in that they don’t control the WEATHER? Twilight wondered in disbelief, still angry at him for not knowing such a basic fact of pony life.

She put the thought aside as they entered the modest but well-maintained park. Filled with manicured lawns, meticulously maintained flowerbeds, ornate fountains, shady trails and two sports fields, Ponyville Park was a place meant for ponies to relax and play, though being the middle of a workday, there weren’t many about. The park was bisected by a small river; a rustic stone arch bridge connecting the south and north wings over the wide but deep stream dotted with a few lily pads.

On the north side of the bridge they saw Lyra and Bon Bon sitting together on a bench, which in and of itself was no real surprise—the unicorn and earth pony mares were normally inseparable; the latter running a confectionery while the former was a former classmate and musician of some renown… though she was better known for her odd hobbies and habits, including an almost-obsessive interest in humans.

Case in point, Twilight noted when she noticed Lyra was sitting on the bench in a human-like manner. For her part, Bon Bon was lounged out beside her roommate lying on her side as ponies normally did, reading a book and giving Twilight a brief wave of greeting as she noticed her and Apple Bloom walking by.

Saw those two in the gallery at the trial, Twilight remembered as she waved back. Figures Lyra would be there—not like she’d pass up the chance to see an actual human! Surprised she hasn’t tried to talk to Phoenix directly yet, she mused, telling herself her old schoolmate was welcome to him.

Casting aside the oddly uncomfortable idea, she again read the torn letter that Apple Bloom had obtained for her from Fluttershy’s cottage, still marveling that the young filly had been able to snatch it from right under Trixie’s nose. Well, I guess when your nose is stuck up that high in the air, it’s kind of hard to see beneath it! Twilight reasoned with a weak chuckle, not sure if she more hated or wanted to help the rival unicorn after their encounter and her experience with the strange black locks.

She shook her head at that, not paying attention to her surroundings as Apple Bloom led her along. Can’t worry about Phoenix or Trixie now. I got what I wanted from Fluttershy’s house, but I’m not sure what to do with it now. For all the trouble getting this was, it could have at least been a bit more decisive! she wished as she turned over the letter for what must have been the dozenth time since retrieving it, hoping that maybe there was something she might have missed on the other side, only to find it was still blank. But beggars can’t be choosers, I guess. Still, I can’t make heads or tails of what it means?

“It’s right over here on this bridge!” Apple Bloom snapped Twilight back to the present.

“Huh? Oh, right. You wanted me to do something for you here,” she recalled, shaking her head to clear it and stowing the letter into her saddlebag as the young filly led her onto the small span.

“Look down there in the water,” Apple Bloom leaned over the rail as she pointed out something with her hoof, but Twilight couldn’t actually see much since the stream was in constant motion and a bit murky despite its blue shining look.

“I don’t see anything.” Twilight shook her head, unable to pick out anything except their own distorted reflections.

“Really squint yer eyes. It’s down there pretty deep,” Apple Bloom instructed.

Twilight did just that, focusing her eyes past the surface glimmer. After a few seconds of staring, she caught a glimpse of something long that was half-buried in the mud, glinting in the sunlight through the ripples of the water.

“I see… something?” she shrugged, not able to tell what it was except that it might have been metallic from the way the sunlight was occasionally glinting off it.

“Yeah! Sweetie Belle and I saw it yesterday when we were walking home from school!”

Twilight turned to the young filly. “Okay. So what exactly do you want me to do here?”

Apple Bloom gave her an odd look. “Whaddaya think? Pull it out with that magic o’ yers!” she exclaimed.

Twilight blinked. “Pull it out? Why?”

“Weeeell…” Apple Bloom thought back to several days earlier.

Ponyville Park
June 9th, 3:10pm

School had let out only ten minutes earlier, but Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had already made their way to the park, ready and eager to make their latest attempt to gain their cutie marks—water skiing; they were waiting for Scootaloo to show up with her scooter, rope, and a pair of purloined boards from a construction site, intending to have the pegasus filly pull them through the stream from shore. While they debated who would get to go first, they noticed something in the water beneath the bridge.

“Hey, Sweetie Belle!” Apple Bloom nudged her friend. “While we’re waiting for Scoots, let’s make a bet!”

“Huh?” Sweetie Belle looked over at her fellow Cutie Mark Crusader curiously.

“Whaddaya say we try to pull that thing out of’ the water?” She pointed down at the strange object resting on the stream’s bottom.

“Oh! That sounds fun! But how are we gonna get it? Look how far it is down there!”

“Let’s make some fishing rods. All you need is a stick and rope, right?”

“And maybe a banana as bait!” Sweetie Belle snickered at her own suggestion.

“Perfect! But let’s make it more interesting,” Apple Bloom said with a grin. “The one who snags it first gets a bowl of ice cream from the loser!”

Sweetie Belle’s pale green eyes lit up at that, a small spark of magic coming off the tip of her horn. “Okay! You’re on, Apple Bloom! That ice cream is as good as mine!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed as the two fillies went through a complicated Cutie Mark Crusader hoof-bumping ritual as a sign of their agreement.

“So we came back after dinner, but we just couldn’t get it with those fishing rods we made,” Apple Bloom explained, not wanting to admit how badly the water skiing attempt had gone. She’d ended up sore and covered in mud from so many collisions with the river bank, except for the one time she’d somehow ended up in a tree. “So that’s why you’re gonna be mah secret weapon, Twi!” she announced with a gleeful grin.

Twilight fell silent. “That’s it?” she asked after it became clear nothing else would be said.

“Uh-huh!” Apple Bloom nodded eagerly.

“So let me get this straight...” Twilight rubbed her head with her hoof. “You pulled me away from my investigation and brought me here… just so I could pull that thing out of the water and win you a bowl of ice cream from Sweetie Belle?” she asked in increasing annoyance.

“Eeeyup!” Apple Bloom said, echoing the favorite phrase of her big brother, Big Macintosh.

Twilight was less than thrilled with the farm filly. “You can’t do that, Apple Bloom! That’s cheating!”

Apple Bloom’s ears drooped as her smile fell. “Aw, c’mon, Twi! Ah’m already grounded. For as mad as AJ is with me, Ah’m not gonna be getting any ice cream for weeks!” she reasoned, her eager look turning into a pleading one. “Besides, you still need mah help to find that thing that fell in the woods, right?”

Twilight glared daggers at the young filly, fed up with her constant conniving to say nothing of being pulled off her investigation for such a trivial and self-serving reason. “Your sister is the Element of Honesty. So how honest are you being right now, Apple Bloom?” she asked pointedly, causing the young filly’s eyes to widen and her ears to go flat. “I’ll take it out so you can see what it is, but that’s all! I’m not giving it to you just so you can unfairly win a bowl of ice cream from Sweetie Belle!” Twilight said, her stern and angry expression making clear that this time, she wouldn’t be changing her mind about it.

“Aw…” Apple Bloom answered with a groan, but she did look genuinely chagrined.

Twilight stepped up to the bridge rail, looking down and examining the water. It’s down there pretty deep, and my magic is almost exhausted from last night’s summoning spells and then going full-fire on Trixie. But I THINK I can muster enough power to haul it up? She took a deep breath as she prepared to cast what little was left of her magic. Just have to focus, she thought, her horn flaring weakly, her purple eyes narrowed in concentration and strain.

It wasn’t easy. She needed to see something in order to act on it with her aura, and water distorted sight and distances, making it difficult to do so—doubly so when her energy was at low ebb. She grimaced with the effort, groping at the muddy bottom with her magic, feeling her power only sluggishly respond. A little to the left… a bit to the right… With several movements in the water and careful navigation, she finally felt her aura take hold of the thing and yank it free of the mud. “Got it!” she announced as it broke the surface of the water with a loud splash, revealing the object to be:

“Ooohhh! It’s a...?” Apple Bloom trailed off in confusion.

“It’s a… long rod of some kind,” Twilight stated the obvious, turning it over once—and even that was difficult in her current low-power state. Her magic told her the object was metal, but it was so caked in mud she couldn’t tell by sight alone. She sighed with relief as she released it from her aura, setting it down on the floor of the bridge with a clatter. Haven’t felt this weak since after taking care of that Ursa Minor! she thought, remembering how much energy she’d expended dealing with the beast and how drained it left her afterwards.

Apple Bloom spotted something on the wet stick as Twilight lowered it. “Hey Twi, look on the end of it—there’s a ‘P’.”

Twilight looked where she was pointing and found that she was correct—there was a distinct pink letter P capping one end. “You’re right. But whatever this thing was, somepony really did a number on it. It looks all burnt,” she noted, experimentally poking the rodlike object with a hoof and realizing the brown covering wasn’t mud—it was seared and flaking metal, already rusting from exposure to the water. Wait a minute! Her brow furrowed, a stray memory clicking. Haven’t I seen something like this already? Twilight asked herself, flashing back to when she and Phoenix were investigating the forest clearing the previous night.

“Hey, look there, Phoenix. There’s something on the ground next to where the body was.” Twilight pointed to a small charred object, almost invisible against the burnt grass.

Phoenix picked it up and turned it over in his hand—a small and severely damaged L-shaped piece of metal, seared and at least slightly warped. “It’s a… what the heck is this thing?” Phoenix asked, showing it to her.

Twilight looked it over herself in the light of her horn, probing it with her aura a few times before finally shaking her head. “Aside from the fact it’s made of steel and wasn’t magically forged, I don’t have any idea.”

“Whatever it was, it’s totally burnt to a crisp,” Phoenix noted, rubbing the rough surface and finding small pieces of metal flaking off beneath his thumb.

This looks and feels just like that metal thing we found by Ace’s body. Could it be related? Twilight wondered.

“What’s the matter, Twi?” Apple Bloom asked. “You look like yer in real deep thought again.”

Twilight didn’t immediately reply; her brow furrowed as she sensed the potential significance of her find. “Huh? Oh, it's nothing. But on second thought... I think I’m actually going to keep this rod,” she announced, making Apple Bloom drop her jaw in surprise.

“What? Hey! You just want to keep it so you can get free ice cream from Sweetie Belle!” Apple Bloom accused.

“What? No I don’t! It could be evidence for my investigation!” Twilight insisted, but the young filly continued to rant.

“You completely ripped off mah idea! Ah hope you choke on that ice cream!” Apple Bloom said, fuming in anger.

How could anypony possibly CHOKE on ice cream? Twilight thought, rolling her eyes as she placed the strange stick in her saddlebag, leaving half its length poking at an angle out of the back corner.

“Uh, Twi?” Apple Bloom spoke up again.

“Yes, Apple Bloom?”

“Somepony is coming this way real fast!” Apple bloom backed up a bit, her eyes wide.

Twilight quickly turned in the direction Apple Bloom was looking, seeing a somewhat familiar pegasus approaching quickly, swooping down at a dangerous velocity out of the sky. Huh? Who’s that? Wait! Isn’t that—?

A grey mare with blonde mane and distinctive googly eyes flared her wings and landed awkwardly on the bridge, stumbling to a stop and only barely keeping her hooves before tripping over a slightly protruding stone, flopping down beside them. “Special Delivery!” she announced as she stood back up, as if a crash landing was perfectly normal for her.

“For me?” Twilight asked, but wasn’t sure if the mare was addressing her. I can’t tell if she’s looking at me or Apple Bloom?

“Uh-huh! For you!” The odd mailmare confirmed, rummaging through her mail carrier saddlebags.

As she did so, Twilight remembered something. “Hey, wait a minute! You’re that mail carrier who dropped a piano and a bunch of other stuff on me! That hospital bill wasn’t cheap, you know!” she recalled angrily.

“Ah think I know who you are! You’re uh… Ditzy Doo, right?” Apple Bloom guessed.

The mailmare shook her head. “Nope, my name is Derpy. Derpy Hooves! Try not to forget it; a lot of ponies do.”

“I’ve seen you a lot in various places. I think I even saw you at the trial today, but we were never formally introduced,” Twilight said, offering her hoof.

“Yeah! Ah see you all the time, but reckon Ah’ve never actually met you!” Apple Bloom added, remembering how the strange skew-eyed mare always seemed to be in the background somewhere but was rarely seen up close.

Derpy shrugged at that, returning the hoofbump, though her own hoof nearly missed Twilight’s. “Well, you know, the life of a mail carrier. I get around a lot,” she said with a smile, her eyes turning topsy-turvy, somehow rotating independently in their sockets.

Twilight flinched a little at that. “But I’ve only seen you delivering once, Derpy Hooves, and that was when you sent a bunch of junk plummeting on top of me!” she reminded the pegasus mare, certain she would’ve been squashed flat by the anvil or piano if it hadn’t been for the reflexive use of her magic.

“Everypony makes mistakes! And please get my name right, it’s Ditzy Doo!” she replied in some annoyance.

Twilight gave the blond mare a dumbfounded look. “But you just said—”

“In any case, I have a special delivery for you!” ~~Derpy~~ Ditzy said, cutting Twilight’s words off completely as she retrieved something from her saddlebags. “Here you go!” she announced as she passed Twilight a…

“A… muffin?” Twilight tilted her head in confusion as the mailmare took out a small notepad and a quill.

“Yup! Can you sign for it here, here… and here,” ~~Derpy~~ Ditzy said, tapping it at several points on the pad with her hoof.

“Who sent me a muffin?” Twilight asked her as she reluctantly signed the notepad, using the small container of ink provided.

To her frustration, the mailmare shrugged. “I don’t know. Check the return address. That’s what it’s for!” she reminded Twilight.

But no matter how Twilight looked at the muffin, she couldn’t see anything on it. “There is no return address. There’s not even a normal address! And it’s not packaged! How did you even know it was for me?”

~~Derpy~~ Ditzy dismissed her concerns with a wave of her hoof, taking a hovering pose and crossing her forelegs over her chest. “Please don’t complain. I’m but a lowly mail carrier; you can take it up with the post office if you have an issue,” she directed. “On second thought, don’t. There’s been a lot of chaos there since the other night. The last thing they need is another problem on top of all the others.”

“There’s a problem at the post office?” Apple Bloom tilted her head.

If it happened around the time of the murder, it could be another lead? Twilight hoped as she put the muffin in her bag, not sure if she trusted eating it for its source. “Can you tell us what’s going on, Ditzy Doo?”

The mailmare let out a weary sigh and gave Twilight a disgusted look. “Why do ponies have such a hard time remembering my name?”

“Huh?” Twilight and Apple Bloom asked at once.

“Please try to remember this time; it’s ‘Derpy Hooves’; with a ‘D’. You’re starting to hurt my feelings, Twilight Sparkle!” she said with a frustrated frown.

Twilight fell speechless, staring agape at the other mare.

“So you want to know what’s going on at the post office?” ~~Derpy Ditzy~~ Derpy asked.

“Uh, sure, if it’s not a problem,” Twilight said warily.

“It is a problem. It’s top secret! I’m not supposed to tell anypony!”

Twilight growled in frustration. This is getting us NOWHERE!

“But since you two helped me out so much, I think I can tell you!” The mailmare smiled.

Huh? How did we help her? This pony is so DAFT! Twilight thought. “Well, if you wouldn’t mind, Derpy?”

“Ditzy!” she corrected with an angry glare. “Well, let me start off by telling the code of the mail carrier. It’s a poem we’re forced to memorize and recite proudly at the beginning of each new day!”

Now she wants to recite a POEM? Twilight thought in disbelief. “What’s this have to do with—?”

“Ahem,” ~~Derpy Ditzy Derpy~~ Ditzy cut her off again with a loud clearing of her throat, tossed her mane back… and then began her poem:

“No letter shall go undelivered rain or shine!
No canine shall prevent us from reaching the mailbox!
All packages must reach their destination!”

“Wow, that was amazing!” Apple Bloom cheered, clopping her hooves together.

“Thank you! Thank you!” ~~Derpy Ditzy Derpy~~ Ditzy said, tossing her mane for her loving fan.

Oh, please. That was the corniest thing I’ve ever HEARD! Twilight restrained another eyeroll. “Okay, so what’s this have to do with chaos at the post office?”

“Post office?” The mailmare repeated blankly.

“Yes! You said you were going to tell us what was going on at the post office!” Twilight reminded her in an increasingly exasperated tone.

“Oh! Oh! Right-right!” ~~Derpy Ditzy Derpy~~ Ditzy belatedly recalled what she had told them. “You see, it does have to do with the code.”

“You mean that nice poem you told us?” Apple Bloom said.

That wasn’t a poem! It didn’t even RHYME! Twilight didn’t say out loud.

“Yes, the last part of it: ‘All packages must reach their destination’,” the mailmare reminded her.

“Oh! So then something didn’t reach its destination?” Apple Bloom guessed with a hoof on her chin like she’d seen the nice human lawyer do.

~~Derpy Ditzy Derpy~~ Ditzy nodded sharply. “You got it! We’ve had incidents in the past where packages have been delivered to the wrong ponies,” she noted.

“Gee, I wonder who’s responsible for that?” Twilight deadpanned, but her sarcasm was lost on the other mare.

“Not a clue. We usually get those problems sorted out fast though,” ~~Derpy Ditzy Derpy~~ Ditzy stated. “But this time was different, because a shipment imported to Ponyville from overseas didn’t arrive when it was supposed to.”

“Okay. And what was the shipment?” Twilight asked, starting to think that pulling information out of ~~Derpy Ditzy Derpy~~ Ditzy was like pulling teeth.

“I can’t tell you that! It’s top secret!” The mailmare snapped, squinting her eyes and raising a forehoof in a halting gesture. “A local pony wanted to import it here. And boy, was she mad when she didn’t get it today!”

“What do you mean? Who was this pony?” Twilight asked curiously.

The mailmare crossed her forelegs over her chest and shook her head. “It’s—”

“’Top secret’! We know!” Apple Bloom and Twilight finished her sentence in unison.

“See? You’re learning!” ~~Derpy Ditzy Derpy~~ Ditzy smiled. “I can tell you this much, though. I heard from other mail ponies that she was down at the post office yelling and screaming up a storm about it. She ended up causing quite a scene there this morning.”

“So this was all happening during the trial, I guess?” Twilight speculated, half-thinking it sounded like something Rarity would do and abruptly wondering why her fashionista friend hadn’t been at the trial. Come to think of it, only Applejack showed up! she realized, a little disgusted with Pinkie Pie and Rarity for not being there. They better have a HAY of a good excuse!

~~Derpy Ditzy Derpy~~ Ditzy nodded. “Yeah, I didn’t witness it because I took the morning off so I could be at the trial myself, but my fellow mail carriers told me all about it,” she said with a sigh. “In the end, she didn’t get her package, and she was furious. I heard my boss was blaming the Griffon Express for not delivering the package to us.”

“Griffon Express?” Twilight repeated, her violet brow furrowing.

The mailmare sighed once more. “That’s the company that ships overseas and stuff, from, you know, the Griffon Kingdom? That place far away from Ponyville?”

“I know where it is!” Twilight said, annoyed at being spoken down to, having been to the griffon lands as Celestia’s student during several state visits. “What I mean is, why didn’t the Griffon Express deliver this package?”

The odd grey mare gave her a cockeyed look—no mean feat since she was already that way to begin with. “How the hay should I know? I told you, I’m but a lowly mail carrier. I only deliver stuff around Ponyville!” she huffed.

And despite the small population, you STILL manage to mess it up! Twilight didn’t say out loud, amazed that she hadn’t yet delivered somepony’s Hearts and Hooves day gift to the wrong pony.

“All I know is, the Griffon Express didn’t show up with the package when they were supposed to,” ~~Derpy Ditzy Derpy~~ Ditzy continued.

“When was it they were supposed to deliver the package?” Twilight asked further.

“Let me take a gander at my deliver schedule.” The mailmare grabbed something else out of her mail carrier saddlebag and read it, first with one eye, then the other. “Hmm. Two days ago, it was supposed to reach Ponyville mail sorting at 10:00 PM sharp, then it was scheduled to be delivered at 8:30 AM today,” she noted as she scanned the schedule, alternating which eye she was using to read.

“It was supposed to reach Ponyville at 10 PM two nights ago? That’s near the time of the murder!” Twilight realized, the odd coincidence ringing a loud bell in her head. It’s NOT a coincidence! she was strangely certain, suddenly wanting to find the thing that fell in the woods more than ever.

“Hey! You’re right!” ~~Derpy Ditzy Derpy~~ Ditzy agreed, putting on a thoughtful expression—or as close as she could manage.

“Ditzy Doo, can I borrow that schedule? Maybe I can use it in court tomorrow when defending Rainbow Dash!” Twilight asked politely.

The mailmare sighed again, starting to sound extremely annoyed. “Say it with me: 'Der—py—Hooves'!” It’s not that hard to remember! It’s only three syllables, eleven letters, two words. I do my best to remember all the names of the ponies in Ponyville. You should do the same, Twilight Sparkle!” ~~Derpy Ditzy Derpy Ditzy~~ Derpy snapped.

Twilight just barely managed to stop herself from smacking her forehead, hard. What is this wonky pegasus’ PROBLEM?! she was all but ready to scream, unable to understand how the mailmare’s mind worked. Hey, I know! “So, I’m confused. Is your name Derpy Hooves or Ditzy Doo?” she asked boldly.

Twilight smiled in satisfaction when the blonde-maned pony didn’t reply, falling silent and seemingly looking down at her hooves in confusion. HA! I got her! She can’t answer it! Twilight grinned to herself, certain that she'd trapped the mailmare in her own game. But then—

The grey pegasus mare started to tear up. “Now you really hurt my feelings, Twilight Sparkle. Why are you calling me harsh names like that? My name is ‘Bright Eyes’,” she sniffled as she sat down on her haunches, staring at Twilight with a pained look on her face. “You’re just like every other pony! Making fun of my eyes! I can’t help it if I was born with them!” She began to cry.

“Twilight… how could you say such a thing?” Apple Bloom asked, looking in sympathy at the hurt mailmare as she sobbed in front of them.

Twilight almost bit her tongue at that. “Wh-what?! I’m not making fun of her! She just keeps changing her name on a whim!”

But as quickly as the grey pegasus mare started to cry, she stopped, perking up instantly like nothing had happened. “I would love to give you my schedule as evidence, though!”

“Huh?” Twilight tilted her head in confusion at the sudden change of mood, thinking that ~~Derpy Ditzy Derpy Ditzy Derpy~~ Bright Eyes could give Cruise Control a run for mood swings and unexpected outbursts.

Oblivious to her thoughts, the mailmare went on. “Court dramas! I adore them! The suspense! The tension! The incredibly high stakes! The judge is just about to lay down the guilty verdict, but then out of nowhere, when all hope seems lost, the purple-horned attorney uses Bright Eyes’ valuable turnabout schedule!” she monologued, lost in her own imagination. “The courtroom gasps in disbelief—‘My gosh, Bright Eyes is amazing!’ chirps one pony. ‘She can deliver my mail any day!’ a hunky stallion says while holding a rose in his mouth! The unbelievable becomes believable; lies become truths, truths become lies!” She reared up and pinwheeled her hooves in excitement as she completed reciting her made-up legal thriller.

Way to ham it up! Twilight rolled her eyes again. And who would ever title something ‘turnabout’, anyway?

“Besides, I have an extra copy of the schedule you can have,” ~~Derpy Ditzy Derpy Ditzy Derpy~~ Bright Eyes added as she passed a small scroll to Twilight with her mouth

“Uh… thanks,” Twilight rolled it up and slipped it into her saddlebag, deciding it would be safest not to engage the odd mare in any more conversation than was necessary.

“Thank you Ms. Bri—uh, Ms. Mailmare!” Apple Bloom just barely caught herself in time.

“Aw, no problem, little filly!” ~~Derpy Ditzy Derpy Ditzy Derpy~~ Bright Eyes said cheerfully, giving the young earth pony’s mane an affectionate fluff with her hoof.

I see Apple Bloom caught on! Twilight thought in silent praise, thinking the young filly was certainly getting her quota of mane ruffles that day. Guess cuteness still counts for something in this world!

“Here! I have a surprise for you!” The mailmare shot up in excitement, addressing Apple Bloom.

“I like surprises!” Apple Bloom answered eagerly as ~~Derpy Ditzy Derpy Ditzy Derpy~~ Bright Eyes took something else out of her bag.

“Here you are! A nice scrumptious muffin!” the skew-eyed pegasus announced, presenting Apple Bloom with an envelope.

The farm filly looked confused at that. “Uh, but this is—”

“No need to thank me. Enjoy!” The mailmare said with a smile, sticking the envelope in a confused Apple Bloom’s mouth.

“But, Bright Eyes, that’s not a—” Twilight began, only to have her words interrupted by the mailmare’s angry snort.

“Okay, that’s it!” ~~Derpy Ditzy Derpy Ditzy Derpy~~ Bright Eyes cut her off in irritation. “You obviously aren’t too bright if you can’t remember my name!” She stomped her hoof angrily, flaring her wings as she prepared to take off. “I’ve gotta go now! You’re holding up Ponyville’s mail!” she berated Twilight.

“But—”

“No buts! I don’t feel like speaking with you anymore! You can’t even remember my name after I told you like a million times! Good! And! Bye!” With that, ~~Derpy Ditzy Derpy Ditzy Derpy Bright Eyes~~ (?) stormed off, flying nearly out of sight before turning back to give them a friendly wave… just before hitting a tree.

I was right all along—the ponies in this town really ARE crazy! Twilight decided, feeling the remembered impact of the giant anvil on her head again before turning back to Apple Bloom. “So, who’s it for?” she asked as Apple Bloom took the little white envelope out of her mouth and held it in a hoof, staring at it.

“It’s for somepony named ‘Lenora’,” Apple Bloom read the address.

“Lenora?” Twilight repeated, searching her memory but coming up empty. Don’t know who that is, but it sure doesn’t sound like a pony name to me! she thought as she retrieved the muffin from her bag. “Okay, then. I guess this muffin belongs to you, Apple Bloom. So let’s trade,” she offered, passing Apple Bloom the muffin with her magic—she could manage that much, at least—while Apple Bloom gave the letter to Twilight in return.

***** Muffin and Letter exchanged *****

As Apple Bloom began to eat the muffin, Twilight read the address written on the back of the envelope. “It’s addressed to Lenora by care of the Mayor’s Office at Town Hall,” she noted, and upon further inspection, she saw something surprising. Wait a minute—this has the royal seal on it. Did the Princess send this? she suddenly wondered.

“Well, if we know where she is, why don’t we go deliver it to her, then?” Apple Bloom suggested as she finished off the muffin.

“I really don’t think we have time to do that, Apple Bloom. We need to get to the forest to find that thing you saw fall and we can’t keep getting distracted like this.” Twilight said impatiently, getting sick of being sidetracked so often. First by phantom chains, then by Trixie, then by a stupid stick in a stream, now this. What’s next; I have to go rescue a proverbial stallion in distress from the clutches of an evil sorceress and her enslaved male minion? she thought derisively. Even Rarity's romance novels aren't that cheesy! Okay, well maybe one or two...

“But what if it’s important?” a downcast Apple Bloom worried. “We should deliver it now!”

That made Twilight think again. “Well, it does have the royal seal on it,” she admitted, thinking that if it was official correspondence from the Princess, then it might well be as important as Apple Bloom suggested it was. “Okay, fine,” she gave in, but swore to herself there would be no further distractions afterwards.

“Yay! CUTIE MARK CRUSADER LETTER DELIVERER!” Apple Bloom shouted loudly, making the nearby Lyra and Bon Bon look over at the two.

“I thought it was private investigator?” Twilight teased, wincing again at the filly's volume while glancing over and offering Lyra and Bon Bon a silly what-can-I-do smile. She saw the two giggle in return; Lyra looked like she wanted to come over and talk, but Bon Bon said something that stopped her.

She probably wants to know more about Phoenix, Twilight guessed, but she had no time to indulge her mint-colored foalhood friend. Really should catch up with her at some point, though. “Anyway, Town Hall is just over there, so let’s head over and find this Lenora,” she instructed, vowing to be in and out as quickly as possible so they could find whatever fell in the woods.

“Okay!” Apple Bloom smiled as they headed down the street towards the tall building in the distance.

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on June 12, 2018.

Part 50 - The Above-Average Apprentice

Ponyville District Court
Courtroom No. 2
Gallery
June 11th, 1:08 PM

The tension in the gallery was palpable as the trial—or what The Judge had termed the “post-verdict inquiry”—dragged on.

Through interrogation and demonstration, through yet another last-second reprieve thanks to Trixie(!) and through a virtuoso display of deduction by Phoenix, the foursome of Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy and Spike were slowly coming to understand the meaning of the phrase “the suspense is killing me,” not sure how much more of it they could take. For her part, Rarity reflected that the courtroom dramas she’d enjoyed reading in the past had nothing on the battle of wits and will she was seeing before her; convinced that watching the trial through so many highs and lows, close calls and last-second saves had aged her five years.

Still recovering from Trixie’s magical mischief, the group had only barely relaxed as Sonata was finally proven to be in the forest and admitted to the blackmail scheme. “Reckon we’re only halfway there,” Applejack observed, wondering aloud what Phoenix and Twilight would do next.

They got an answer quickly when a surprised Spike burped fire not once, but twice. The scribe and his friends first thought the Princess was trying to contact Twilight, but the assumption was quickly dispelled as they saw the hastily-scrawled on piece of scroll paper and accompanying photograph of what appeared to be the interior page of a book. With that, the foursome realized it had come from Twilight herself, and the three mares gathered around Spike to read it along with him:

“Oh my,” was all Fluttershy could say as she finished reading. “This sounds important!”

“Indeed it does,” Rarity agreed. “If Mister Wright is correct, this could be the missing link that ties Sonata to the murder!”

“Well, y’all heard Twi! We gotta get Spike back to the library so he can get that book! Ah don’t suppose you can teleport, Rarity?” Applejack suggested in a low voice while the back-and-forth continued in the courtroom pit below.

“I regret I cannot.” The bleary-eyed fashionista shook her head, suddenly ruing the fact she hadn’t taken up Twilight on her longstanding offer to teach her and resolving to finally do so at the first opportunity. “But even if I could—you saw Twilight’s demonstration. Spike could be stranded there because I might not have enough power for a round trip!”

“Okay, then. Fluttershy?” Applejack tried next. “You can get there and back quick by air, can’t you?”

“Oh! Well, um, sure,” she began, only to shake her head. “But I’m not used to carrying anything heavier than a bunny. I don’t think I could go very fast carrying Spike,” she said apologetically. “And I don’t like going fast anyway,” she added in a tinnier voice, her head retreating behind her bangs for a moment.

“It’s alright, dear. You should go, Applejack! You’re the fastest of all of us, and carrying Spiky-Wikey will slow you down the least!” Rarity noted. “Go! Fluttershy and I will remain here to provide moral support!”

Applejack nodded and got out of her seat. “Alrighty then. Let’s do this!” She crouched down to let Spike climb on her back, waiting until he was set before rearing up and pinwheeling her front legs. “Time’s a-wasting, Spike! Now hold on tight!” she warned him just before leaping three rows of seats like they were hay bales at the Equestria Rodeo competition, causing the ponies sitting in them to duck.

It was all Spike could do to hold on as she erupted into a full gallop as soon as she hit the floor again, her hooves sliding along the tiled floor until they were at the exit. They burst out of the courtroom doors at all the country mare’s considerable speed and power, charging past startled security guards, down the stairs and out of the courthouse.

“Applejack? Slow down!” Spike pleaded as the plaza and other ponies passed by at terrifying speed.

“No can do, part’ner!” Applejack only picked up the pace more as her hooves met dirt and she sped up even further, the earth pony instinctively and unknowingly tapping into the earth itself for additional power. “We gotta get that book!” she proclaimed as she leapt the plaza fountain and then cut through the construction site by town hall, ponies in hard hats hurriedly leaping or flying out of her way. Spike got a brief glimpse of a gray unicorn stallion with dark glasses, red-and-blue mane and saddlebags full of blueprints just before they got thrown into the air by the sheer force of Applejack’s passing.

“Sorry!” she called back, but didn’t stop.

This is not going to END WELL!!! was all Spike could think as Applejack darted over and through various obstructions like she was on the obstacle course at the Iron Pony competition again, not slowing down as she approached the scaffolding the crew was using to build the race grandstands, making no effort to avoid or go around it.

“I can’t look!” Spike panicked as she charged ahead and lowered her head in preparation for a single, powerful leap, her jump somehow finding the seams in the structure just as a log on a crane swung by.

“Yee-HAW!!!” an exhilarated Applejack called out as the wooden support beam only barely missed them, while Spike’s reaction was to nearly die of fright, certain he was about to lose his breakfast if not his life as he clung desperately to her mane and neck.

Then abruptly, about thirty seconds later, they stopped as Applejack went skidding to a halt in a cloud of dust. “Spike? We’re here. You can open yer eyes now,” she said with a note of amusement, letting him slide off her back onto the front stoop of the library.

He landed hard on his butt, resisting the temptation to kiss the ground after his ordeal. I will never EVER complain about Twilight going too slow when I ride on her back AGAIN! he promised himself as he went for his key to open the front door, only to realize—“Oh no! I left my key in my pouch back at the courthouse!” His shoulders slumped, terrified that meant he would have to make the trip on Applejack’s back twice more.

“Then stand back!” Applejack ordered, facing away from the door and taking a pose like she was about to buck apples off a tree.

“AJ, what good is apple bucking going to—” Spike got his answer as the country mare’s hind hooves connected with the door at full power, knocking it right off its hinges and blasting it clean out of its frame. It landed halfway across the library hall, badly splintered as it settled on the living room rug.

“After you, Spike,” Applejack invited, motioning him in with a hoof.

“Uh… thanks,” the baby dragon said with a paw behind his head, wearing a sheepish look and hoping Twilight wouldn’t take too much out of his allowance for the door repairs. “Now let’s find that book! Wait here, AJ—this should only take a minute!” he promised, heading upstairs to a secondary library room while Applejack waited at the doorway below.

But one minute quickly turned into three and there was still no book or scribe. “Spike? What’s going on up there?” Applejack called after him, hearing an increasing racket coming from the room, deciding to go up and check on him after he didn’t respond.

When she entered, he found him tossing books off the shelves with increasing franticness. “No, no! NO! Where is it where is it WHERE IS IT?” he asked in frustration, running from shelf to shelf and section to section, half the room’s books now strewn haphazardly about the floor. “It’s not where it’s supposed to be! I forgot Twilight reorganized the books again!” he said, punctuating his statement by throwing a pile of them up into the air.

Dangnabit, Twilight, why’d you have to do that NOW of all weeks? “Well, how’d she order them this time?” Applejack asked impatiently. She’d been involved in a couple of Twilight’s grand book rearrangements, and had come to dread them nearly as much as her lectures.

“Uh… she said it was by subject, color, and number of words,” the baby dragon recalled. “But would subject mean magic, or spell, or enchantment…?” he wondered aloud, rubbing his hand behind his head. “Gah! Why can’t she just use the Donkey Decimal System like any other library?”

“Color and number o’ words?” Applejack wanted to facehoof. “Reckon ah really don’t know what goes through that filly’s head sometimes. So what are we looking fer now?” she asked, starting to pick through the books herself.

Spike blinked at that. “Uh… it’s a big cerulean-colored tome written in ancient unicorn runics…”

Applejack gave him a look. “Okay. Now in Equish, please?”

“It’s a big blue book with funny symbols on it!” he clarified in exasperation, rubbing his hand behind his scaled head. “And if it’s not here, it’d probably be in—oh, that’s right!” His eyes lit up. “She was trying to make it easier for readers to find stuff by talent or pony type. So she’d file it on the first level, under S for specific interest, then U for Unicorn!” he reasoned, sliding down the stair rail and then hurrying to the other side of the main room, examining a new series of shelves.

“Right. Makes perfect sense,” Applejack deadpanned. That filly can run a Winter Wrap Up like nopony’s business, but remind me NEVER to let her organize mah scrapbook or family reunions!she thought as she trotted behind him, watching as the scribe found a large section marked in Twilight’s hornwriting with a large cursive “S”, then searched the individual shelf blocks until he found “Su” in smaller script.

“Okay, so… it should be here! Next is color. It’s blue, and she went in reverse rainbow order this time! So red, orange, yellow, green…” he ticked off the shelves from bottom to top, finally pointing to the fifth one up from the floor, which contained a long row of blue books, leaving Spike at least grateful Twilight had scrapped her previous color-based scheme, which involved alphabetizing them by book color name—it’d been endlessly frustrating to him trying to find or file a book on the basis of whether the cover hue was more teal than turquoise. “Then number of words, so it’d be in the middle rack somewhere. Let me get the stepladder!” he headed over to the rail-mounted ladder a few shelves over.

“That ain’t a stepladder, Spike. It’s a ladder,” Applejack automatically corrected him—she’d gotten an hourlong lecture from Twilight the one time she’d called it by the wrong name. “And ferget it. Ah got it.” She stood up on her hind legs and swept all the books from the fifth shelf's middle rack onto the floor with her hoof, where they fell with a loud clatter.

“Well, that works too,” Spike admitted, hurrying back over while hoping Twilight didn’t also berate him for messing up her new book ordering scheme on top of destroying the front door and making a big mess in the upstairs room. “Now, where is it...?” he wondered, digging into the pile and immediately throwing aside any book that didn’t have unicorn hieroglyphs on the cover. “Maybe this one? Or this one?” He looked between two very similar books in his reptilian hands, and three more lying at his feet. “Agh! I don’t know which one it is!”

“Whaddaya mean you don’t know?” Applejack asked incredulously. “Just check the title!”

“I mean, I don’t read this language! Only Twilight does!” Spike explained. “I mean, I knew exactly where the book was before, but she only reorganized last week and I haven’t yet memorized where everything is now!”

Applejack couldn’t believe it. “Well, is there any other pony who does read it? ‘Cause we can’t bring all these books back to Twilight!”

“Um…” Spike visibly wracked his mind. “Nopony I can think of who we could immediately find! Everypony’s either at the trial or at work, and I don’t have direct lines to any of them like I do to Twilight!”

“Then contact her and tell her to teleport her filly flank back here!” Applejack ordered, wondering why it was always herself who had to be the sensible one and keep a cool head in a crisis.

To her frustration, Spike shot that idea down immediately. “She can’t teleport out with the magic dampening field up! She’d have to leave the courthouse first! And even then, I don’t think she’d be willing to leave Phoenix alone again after that stunt Trixie pulled!”

“Point taken,” Applejack grimaced. Twi’s dangerous enough when you mess with her friends; ain’t no tellin’ WHAT she’d do if you messed with her stallion! She shivered, knowing how lucky Trixie had been that Twilight didn’t retaliate on the spot. Tartarus ain’t got no fury! “Then send a message to the Princess! She’ll help!”

“She's at a diplomatic meeting in Germaneigh and might not be available!” Spike shook his head, sitting back and clutching his head before looking up suddenly, an inkling of an idea on his face. “Oh! Wait! Maybe there is somepony!” he abruptly remembered, hurriedly writing out a note on a piece of scroll and then igniting it in his breath. “I’ve got a direct line to her alchemy shop for Twilight’s lab experiments. Just hope she’s there!” he prayed out loud as the note vanished and his green flames were extinguished. “It’ll only take her a couple minutes to fly here if she is!”

“Spike, we don’t have time to—” Applejack started, but was cut off by a bright flash of light and popping sound overhead. She and Spike looked up in time to see two ponies materialize several feet above the center of the room, one tumbling awkwardly to the ground while the other barely caught herself with her flared wings, floating the last few inches to the floor.

“Five feet up? Really?” the latter, a blue pegasus mare with a two-tone mane of lighter and darker hues asked the former, an indigo-furred unicorn stallion with brown eyes and a fiery orange and yellow mane.

“B-best I could do…” the unicorn stallion replied in a shaky voice, visibly struggling to stay on his hooves. “It w-worked, didn’t it?”

“Chrome? Firesight?” Spike stared at them in disbelief, while Applejack was less restrained.

“Firesight, you crazy colt! You just had surgery! You shouldn’t even be out of bed, let alone teleporting!” she stomped her hoof, cracking the floor in exasperation and resisting the temptation to smack him with her stetson. Am I the ONLY pony with a lick o’ sense anymore?

“G-Good to see you too, AJ,” the fire-maned, indigo-furred unicorn replied with a shaky voice through gritted teeth, glowing wires visible inside his noticeably swollen mouth. “N-now if you’ll excuse me, I th-think I’m going to… p-pass out,” he announced just before he fell forward, barely caught by Applejack before he hit the floor face-first.

While she carefully gathered up the stallion’s limp form and carried him over to the nearest couch, Spike found himself alone with the owner of the Bannered Mare Inn and Alchemy Store, who was staring at him angrily over flared wings.

“Okay. You said it was an emergency, so we came immediately even though Firesight isn’t supposed to be using magic right now. He might have just hurt himself or set his recovery back! So what is it?” the pegasus alchemist and innkeeper demanded in an annoyed tone as she dropped the sent message at the scribe’s feet, the look on her face telling him to make his explanation a good one.

“Well…” Spike took a deep breath and began speaking so quickly Applejack thought he was channeling Pinkie Pie.

“It’s-a-long-story-but-the-short-of-it-is-that-Rainbow-was-found-guilty-but-then-Fluttershy-stopped-them-and-said-she-saw-this-strange-mare-with-a-golf-club-who-turned-out-to-be-a-unicorn-named-Sonata-and-she’s-on-the-stand-now-and-was-probably-in-the-woods-that-night-and-unless-we-can-convince-the-judge-she-may-have-done-it-Rainbow’s-about-to-be-banished-and-if-that-happens-because-I-couldn’t-find-this-book-I’ll-never-forgive-myself-and-”

“Whoa! Back up!” Chrome cut him off, holding up a hoof to stop him while she tried to catch up to all his words, her head lowered and eyes closed while she processed them. “You said ‘Sonata’ was on the stand? You mean Sonata Tarot? Grey unicorn mare? Eye cutie mark?”

“Yeah. You know her?” Applejack prompted, rejoining the pair.

“I attended magic school in Neigh Orleans with her.” Chrome nodded slowly. “She was a year behind me. Canterlot mare and a bit of a recluse. Good-looking and really smart, but kind of odd and kept mostly to herself outside of working on the school paper.” Sure, she was aloof and something of a loner, but I can’t see her as a murderer!

“Huh? So what was a pegasus like you doing at a unicorn magic school?” Applejack wanted to know.

“Studying alchemy. It shares roots with unicorn magic and uses the same runic language,” Chrome replied, an impatient note in her voice. “Now enough! I don’t like leaving the Inn during my alchemy shop’s business hours, especially with so many strangers in town for the race! So what’s the emergency? What do you want me to do?”

“We need to find this book!” Spike thrust Twilight’s note at her.

Chrome scanned it quickly, arching an eyeridge in response. “Not sure I get it, but fine,” she said, looking at the pile of blue books on the floor and quickly picking one out. “It’s this one.” She tapped one of the tomes on the ground with a hoof, dragging it out of the pile. “Advanced Incantations, Enchantments, and Alchemy for the Above-Average Apprentice. I’ve got my own copy for the alchemy sections.”

“Great! Thanks, Chrome! Let me get this back to Twilight now!” he said, making ready to hop back on Applejack’s back. “I’ll tell her you helped!”

“Wait.” Chrome stopped them with an upraised hoof. “If time is important and Rainbow’s fate is on the line, I’ll do you one better. Give it to me, and I’ll find that page for Twilight!”

“Nice of you to offer, but can’t you just dragonfire the book back to Twi, Spike?” Applejack asked.

“Not something that big over that distance. And not with the magical suppression field up in the courtroom; it’d just bounce back!” Spike knew, shaking his head. “I could maybe try it from inside the courthouse, but that’s about it.”

“Then I’ll fly it there,” Chrome offered. “I can have it there in under a minute—as soon as I find the spell, that is.”

Spike glanced at Applejack, who considered the offer and nodded. “Deal! Do it!” he invited, putting the book back down and stepping out of her light.

“Okay, let’s see…” Chrome knelt in front of the tome, opening it as she began to think out loud, holding the photograph in a hoof while she manipulated the pages with her wings. “Page header of this photograph says it’s in the sixth section, which is…” she trailed off as she located the table of contents. “Defensive magic and enchantments, page 394. Okay.”

She flipped the book forward with her wingtips, dexterously turning each page until she arrived at the start of the section. “Still, that’s nearly ninety pages to search! Wish whatever pony took this picture got the bottom of the page as well as the top. Would have been nice to see a page number!” she noted in some annoyance, beginning to flip individual pages forward, looking back and forth between the picture of the page and what was in the book. She did that for five pages before she shook her head in exasperation.

“Dammit, it’ll take too long this way! A snippet of page isn’t enough! We need some way to narrow this down or we could be here for half an hour!” she realized, rubbing her eyes with a hoof. “Any idea what kind of spell we should be looking for?”

“Well, if it helps, Ace was done in by lightning, or so Trixie says. He was electrocuted,” Applejack added, proud that she didn’t stumble over the pronunciation of the previously unfamiliar word.

“Electrocuted? Wait…” Chrome blinked, turning back to the table of contents. She began scanning the list of spells in the section, moving her hoof down the page as she read.

Abruptly, her hoof stilled about two-thirds of the way down the list. “Maybe this one?” she wondered aloud as she turned to a specific page and held the page photograph against it; both Applejack and Spike didn’t have to read the text to see that it matched what was in the picture.

“That’s IT!” Chrome said, excited. “I’ve got it! Spike, give me your quill,” she requested, and the scribe swiftly passed it over. She took the feather pen in her muzzle and scrawled her own note on the scroll after Twilight’s message, inserted one end of it into the tome as a bookmark, and then flared her wings. “Hop on, Spike! And hold on to that book! Sorry, Applejack, but I can’t take you both,” she added apologetically.

“No problem! Ah’ll be right behind ya!” Applejack promised.

“Deal! And Firesight?” Chrome called back over to the couch. The unicorn stallion managed only a muffled groan in response. “Just rest. I’ll come back for you when I can, okay?”

“That’s fine,” he replied in a tired voice, giving her a weak wave. “Don’t think I’m going anywhere for a while. I’m just gonna nap now if that’s okay,” he managed to get out before his head lolled to the side, starting to snore softly.

“Okay, let’s go!” Spike said as he climbed on Chrome’s back, silently grateful he wasn’t riding Applejack again. At least this should be a more gentle ride, right?

“Careful of my wings, Spike. Hold on to my mane and neck, not my shoulders,” she admonished him, waiting for him to set himself. “Now off we go!” she announced, rocketing out of the library and beating her wings hard as Spike struggled to hold on to both the book and her mane at the same time.

Ponyville Courthouse
Courtroom No. 2
Security Checkpoint
June 11th, 1:21 PM

As she promised, it took the pegasus alchemist and innkeeper less than a minute to make the trip, even with Spike clinging to her, Applejack pounding pavement below her and not far behind.

The baby dragon quickly realized he’d miscalculated again as the return trip proved even more harrowing than the one there; Chrome swooping and banking to avoid buildings and other ponies in her zeal to take as direct and quick a flight path as possible. The scribe squeezed his eyes tight shut and whimpered softly as his stomach lurched with each sharp move she made, praying he didn’t fall off or drop the book.

He felt them go into a sudden descent and opened his eyes briefly only to wish he hadn’t, realizing that Chrome was diving for the open second-floor window of the courthouse lobby, her wings tucked in, making the air whistle by.

She shot through the opening and then flared her wings to brake herself, gliding to a stop at the base of the stairs leading to the courtroom galleries. When she had finally landed, Spike hopped off, stumbling slightly and wondering if he was about to lose not only his breakfast but his uneaten lunch.

What is this, make-Spike-sick-to-his-stomach-day? he couldn’t help but wonder as she touched down.

Eternally grateful to be on the ground again, he took a deep breath, trying to will his shaky legs to steady themselves. “Thanks, Chrome! I’ll take it from here!”

“You’re welcome,” she replied, turning to leave. “Give Twilight my regards!”

“Will do!” he promised as he rushed up the stairs to the courtroom. Almost there! he thought in accomplishment, only to be halted at the courtroom doors by a security guard.

“You can’t bring that in,” the uniformed unicorn bailiff told him with a nod to the heavy tome. “No magical items or artifacts allowed.”

Spike stared at him in disbelief. “It’s not an artifact, it’s just a book!”

“It’s clearly a spellbook and could have magical properties. I’m not going to repeat myself. It can’t go in!” he was informed.

“But I have to take it to Twilight!” Spike pleaded, still clutching the book and making shuffling motions with his feet like he wanted to run. “Twilight Sparkle! She’s the defense co-counsel and she requested I retrieve this!” he clarified upon realizing the guard was from out of town and didn’t know who he or Twilight was.

To his frustration, the bailiff was unmoved. “I don’t care who—”

“Now what’s the hold up?” Applejack arrived, barely winded even after two hard sprints, a hard hat somehow sitting on top of her Stetson.

“He won’t let me through!” Spike motioned to the unicorn stallion in front of him.

“And why not?” She gave him a cockeyed glance, tossing the hard hat aside. “This is evidence fer the trial!”

“So you say,” he countered, drawing himself up to his maximum height and trying to appear intimidating. “I’m not going to let you smuggle in contraband.”

With effort, Applejack held her temper in check, thinking she should send in Big Macintosh just to show the overbearing security stallion what intimidating really meant. “Look, partner, we don’t have time fer this! Just scan it and let us pass!”

He did so with an air of somepony who didn’t appreciate mere mortals telling him what to do. “There’s magical traces on it,” he sniffed. “That means you can’t take it in.”

Spike stared at him in disbelief. “Of course there are magical traces on it! Probably a hundred different unicorns have held it in their aura or tried spells out of it!”

“Okay. This ain’t about the book; yer just looking fer an excuse to be difficult!” Applejack accused as she stepped forward. “So mah next question is why? Are you a stickler for rules? Or do you just like throwing yer weight around?” she asked him like she was talking down to a recalcitrant colt.

“Me, Ah’m guessing it’s the latter. So Ah can’t help but wonder—is it ’cause yer apples are too small or ’cause yer helmet’s screwed too tight on yer swelled head?” she challenged the larger stallion, going nose to nose with him.

Narrowed eyes told her the insult had registered. “If you don’t leave immediately, I’ll have no choice but to detain you, ma’am,” he warned her, igniting his horn for emphasis.

Applejack didn’t back off an inch, tipping her hat so she could stealthily slip her lasso out of her Stetson. “We’re trying to save our friend. And that means we’re taking that book in… whether you want us to or not!”

Spike realized two things at that moment—that Applejack was about to do something extremely rash, and the resulting fracas might get them both detained and prevent him from delivering the book. He bit his lip as he looked down at the heavy tome in his reptilian paws, knowing he was going to sorely regret his next move. I have to get this to Twilight, and it’s the only way! he realized, steeling himself for something he knew was going to be very painful and unpleasant.

The baby dragon took as deep a breath as he could, held it for just a moment to heat it, and then exhaled, breathing massive amounts of green fire onto the book in his paws, trying to send the tome itself as a message to Twilight, hoping the distance was short enough to allow it—and that his dragonfire was strong enough to punch through the magical suppression field for her to receive it.

His actions did not go unnoticed. “Hey! What are you—” The guard tried to push past Applejack to stop Spike, but suddenly found himself on his back, hogtied and looking up in a daze at the ceiling lights.

“Do it, Spike!” Applejack told him while she held the shocked sentry down, pulling on the rope with her teeth to keep the bonds tight and the unicorn bailiff unable to focus enough to use his magic. Spike didn’t look up or acknowledge her, trying to concentrate on his task—sending a message or item via dragonfire had to be done in one breath; with something so big he prayed his lungs wouldn’t give out before the job was done.

Just when he thought he couldn’t exhale any more, the book disappeared out of his grasp in a puff of green smoke and dissipating flames. Exhausted, he collapsed to the floor, spent and gasping for air, only dimly aware of the approach of many hoofclops as other guards heard the commotion and came running. “What the buck’s going on here?” a strangely familiar voice demanded to know. “Whoa! Is that you, Spike?”

Spike stared up into the familiar face as the room spun around him, wondering if he was delirious or suffering from flame deprivation.

“Sh-Shining Armor?”

In the courtroom, Twilight’s horn activated involuntarily and, to her great surprise, an entire book materialized out of Spike’s dragonfire. It fell with a loud THUMP! onto the bench in front of her, stopping Phoenix’s ongoing interrogation of Sonata mid-sentence as everypony’s attention turned to Twilight.

“Mister Wright? What is—?” The Judge began to ask but Phoenix cut him off.

“A moment, Your Honor!” Phoenix pleaded, mentally begging Twilight to hurry as she quickly examined the book.

Twilight didn’t know why Spike had sent it to her that way—it must have taken up most of his dragonfire to do so, she reflected—and she was further surprised to see the tome had been bookmarked by the same piece of scroll paper she’d wrote her original instructions to Spike on. She opened it to the bookmarked page and scanned the appended message, passing it to Phoenix and making a mental note to thank Chrome personally as she studied the spell in question.

Twilight gave an audible gasp as she identified the incantation. Spike, you’re dining on gemstones tonight! she promised her scribe as she turned to Phoenix and gave him a very wide and triumphant grin.

He grinned back, taking her smile for the invitation it was. “Your Honor! New evidence has just been brought to the defense’s attention…”

Author's Note

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on September 5, 2018.

Two thoughts on this chapter:

First, if you think about it, Applejack and Spike were the only ones who really didn't do anything to help out the case in the videos. This takes care of it by giving them the starring role for obtaining a critical piece of evidence, offering them both a chance to shine. And second... there's self-inserts for myself and Raven where our OCs play a brief but important role. After all the work we've put on this, I think we've earned it. You be the judge if it works.

A little late for the New Year, a new and rather shameless bonus chapter where the OCs of myself and Raven play a brief but important role. For our 50th chapter, and after all the work we've put on this, I think we're entitled. Hope you enjoy!

And for anypony who's wondering or didn't know--yes, I had major surgery this past year to advance my jaw and end my severe obstructive sleep apnea. And yes, that's about how I was for the first couple weeks afterwards--very weak and quickly regretting any exertion, walking around with my jaw wired shut and restricted to a liquid diet. But... it worked! My apnea is no more and I can sleep again, and that alone made it worth the long recovery time and three months of eating restrictions.

From Raven and your editor... Happy New Year, folks!

—Firesight