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Lyra Heartstrings: Ace Attorney

by DeiStar

Chapter 2: Turnabout Orchestra: Part II

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Lyra Heartstrings: Ace Attorney
Turnabout Orchestra

*****

Even if the trial that morning was just starting, Lyra could feel the pressure upon her shoulders. She was concerned about the upcoming witness that was going to take the stand. It was certainly not going to help the case get any better. The defendant was already charged with a motive, not to mention the murder weapon was only used by Octavia that night. Still, she knew that she didn’t do it. Right now, it was only a matter of proving it.

“Hold it!” Lyra exclaimed. “Before you call the next witness, I have one last question for the defendant!” she requested. There was only one little thing she had to know before letting her step down the witness stand. Maybe it’s not important, but any extra nuggets of information would help me right now.

“Hmm… well, Ms. Bon Bon?” Celestia asked.

“Sure, why not? The defendant will be found guilty anyway.” Bon Bon rested her chin on her hoof, looking at Lyra with a smug smirk on her face. “Ask away, Lyree. To your heart’s content.”

What is she planning to do? Well, never mind that, I better go ahead and ask now that I have the chance. “Ms. Octavia. There is still one thing I don’t quite understand,” Lyra said, tapping her chin with her hoof. “If you recall your testimony, you said that last night, you only went to the auditorium to talk with the victim.”

“Yes, that is correct,” Octavia confirmed. She wasn’t sure what was Lyra implying, but she knew it could only be for the benefit of her case.

“However, you also testified that you took part of the auditions for picking up new members for the Blue Moon Orchestra,” Lyra said. She was now going to ask the crucial question. The one that was bothering for a while. “So? Did you play in the auditions? Or did you just talk with the defendant? Care to give us some more details?”

Bon Bon raised her head and looked at her rival with certain confusion on her face. “What are you implying, Lyree?” she asked. “That the defendant is lying or something?”

“N-no! I’m not lying!” Octavia claimed, keeping her voice from shouting. “I did play in the auditions. After that, the incident happened!”

“Well then… when did the auditions begin? And when did they finish? Please tell to the court everything you did that night,” Lyra requested. She doubted she would find anything useful from that information, but perhaps, something else happened that night.

“I agree,” Celestia commented, nodding. “The witness will testify about what she did the whole night. From the instant she arrived to the auditorium until her arrest.” She struck her gavel, giving Octavia the sign to commence.

“Y-yes, Your Honor,” Octavia muttered. She rolled her eyes and looked at her determined attorney.

Witness Testimony

“Last night, I arrived at the auditorium at 19:45, since the auditions began at 20:00. After my performance, I waited for the auditions to end so I could talk in private with Ms. Minuette. The auditions finished at 22:30, so I waited around thirty minutes to talk with her at the hall. As for what happened next, you know the rest.”

“Hmm… I see. So you were auditioning for the Blue Moon Orchestra.” Celestia meditated the testimony in her head. “Well, it clears the time gap between what you did between the audition and the incident. Okay, Ms. Lyra, your cross-examination, if you please.”

“Yes, Your Honor.” That testimony didn’t give me lots of answers, but I’m sure that if I press on some of those statements, I can milk some more information from it. Okay, Octavia. Here I come! Lyra nodded, noticing Bon Bon’s smug on the way. Bonnie, I’ll be the one laughing at the end.

Cross-Examination

“Last night, I arrived at the auditorium at 19:45, since the auditions began at 20:00. After my performance, I waited for the auditions to end so I could talk in private with Ms. Minuette,” Octavia repeated, unsure of what kind of contradiction would lie on her statement.

“Hold it!” Lyra exclaimed. “You say you ‘waited’ for the auditions to end. Where exactly?” Lyra asked. I don’t see how this is relevant, but anyway.

“The lobby, just outside the main hall, of course,” Octavia replied. “I and the other ponies that went there took turns to perform. We were going inside one by one. After their auditions, everypony began to leave,” she explained.

“But, since you wanted to talk with Ms. Minuette, you waited for everypony to leave, right?” Bon Bon asked. It was not that hard to understand after all.

“Yes. After my cello audition, I left the room and waited outside the lobby,” Octavia replied.

“And then, what happened?” Celestia asked, indicating the defendant to continue with her testimony.

“The auditions finished at 22:30, so I waited around thirty minutes to talk with her at the hall,” Octavia repeated.

“Hold it!” Lyra exclaimed once again. “22:30? Certainly, those were some pretty long auditions,” she commented.

“Yes. There are a lot of musicians who want to try their chance at the Blue Moon Orchestra, you know,” Octavia responded. The number of participants that went that night still amazed her. However, strangely enough, not a single one was a cellist. “I even heard they were going to replace their cellist soon, so that’s why I went to audition.”

“Hmm?” Lyra hummed. She wasn’t sure what she just noticed, but maybe it was an important statement.

“What’s the matter, Ms. Lyra?” Vinyl asked, confused about the attorney’s sudden reaction. “I-is something wrong with Tavi’s testimony?” she asked with concern.

“Beg pardon, the Blue Moon Orchestra was planning to replace its cellist?” Lyra asked. She somehow knew she had found a connection, but she still needed more information.

“Yes. I was the only cellist that auditioned that night. I don’t know why, since there were many other musicians auditioning for several places. But none for cellist,” Octavia explained. How was that and this related?

“It is indeed strange that Ms. Octavia was the only cellist who auditioned. And something sounds fishy about that rumor she heard about the orchestra cellist planning to be replaced and all,” Celestia commented, closing her eyes to rethink about the testimony.

“Just one more question. After you went back to the hall to talk with Ms. Minuette, were you carrying your cello?” Lyra asked. That was the last question she could come up with now. At least, she had a little more of information now.

“Yes, I always carry my cello. I couldn’t leave it in the lobby. It could have been stolen, you know!” Octavia answered. Not like her cello could be stolen anymore since it was broken to pieces now.

“Heh, more reason to suspect her, don’t you think, Your Honor?” Bon Bon waved her hoof around with a mocking smirk on her face. The trial was going to be over soon, or at least, that’s what she thought. “Any more questions, Lyree?”

I think I’ve collected enough information from Octavia now. For whatever reason, she was the only cellist who auditioned that night. Also, seems like the orchestra cellist was going to be replaced soon. Could it be that those two events are related? Lyra closed her eyes and tapped her horn with a hoof. The case was not over yet, but she had nothing else to add. “No, no more questions. The prosecution may call its next witness,” she said.

“That’s my line, Ms. Heartstrings!” Celestia said, looking with certain discontent at the defense attorney, who giggled a bit. If there was something that she disliked, it was lawyers stealing her lines or doing her job. “Very well then, the prosecution may call its next witness!” She struck her gavel, indicating the prosecutor to continue. Octavia left the witness stand and proceed to take her seat back in the defendant’s chair.

“Okay, if there are no more interruptions.” Bon Bon gave Lyra a quick, suggestive glance. “The prosecution calls Ms. Twinkleshine to the stand!”

With that order, the doors behind the witness stand slowly opened. A white unicorn walked inside and looked around the courtroom, as if she were amazed by its size. After all, it was the biggest courtroom in the entire courthouse. She stopped looking around and finally took the stand.

“Witness, state your name and occupation, if you please,” Bon Bon requested. The formality to introduce the witness was still obligatory.

Twinkleshine ran a hoof through her curly, pink mane and smiled at Bon Bon. “The name’s Twinkleshine. As for my occupation, I’m a professional cellist,” she said.

Some murmurs and whispers were heard across the room. Once again, Celestia’s gavel silenced them. “Order! Order!” she exclaimed. “A cellist, you say? Just like the defendant?”

“Your Honor, please,” Twinkleshine said, shaking her head and waving her mane around. “Don’t compare me to that third-rate ‘cellist’ sitting on the defendant’s chair.” She slammed one hoof on the stand. “I am Twinkleshine! The star cellist of the Blue Moon Orchestra!” she exclaimed.

That last comment made Octavia grumble, clenching her teeth. That pony had the guts to call her a third-rate cellist, something that would piss anypony. Lyra, Vinyl and pretty much everypony in the courtroom were surprised about Twinkleshine’s occupation. However, Bon Bon was still smiling.

“Ms. Twinkleshine here witnessed what happened that night,” Bon Bon explained. “She will be the last nail of this case coffin!”

“Tsk. We’ll see about that, Bonnie,” Lyra said. So if she’s the Blue Moon Orchestra cellist… does it mean she’s the one who was rumored to be replaced? The pieces of the puzzle were slowly assembling. In just a matter of minutes, the real truth would come out to the light.

“Okay, if the witness is ready, please testify for the court about what happened last night,” Celestia said, striking her gavel.

Witness Testimony

“It was around 23:00 that night. I was busy in the storage room, helping Minuette to sort some musical instruments. After a few minutes, I noticed she was talking with the defendant. All of a sudden, she grabbed that cello of hers and struck her on the face. I was too scared to react. She ran away just seconds after assaulting her. Finally, I went to check on Minuette.”

“Hmm… so you were in the storage room of the hall?” Celestia asked.

“The main hall indeed has a storage room situated on one side of the room. The witness happened to peek through the door and saw the moment when the defendant struck the victim with her cello, right, Ms. Twinkleshine?” Bon Bon guessed. It was just like she had heard earlier. There were no possible contradictions.

“Correct, Ms. Bon Bon,” Twinkleshine replied, with a calmed smile on her face. “It was her, I tell you!” She pointed her hoof at Octavia, who clenched her teeth in anger.

“Vinyl, I think we’ve got her,” Lyra commented, looking around the scattered papers on her desk. I can’t believe she just made a mistake like that.

“What do you mean, Ms. Lyra?” Vinyl asked. She didn’t notice anything suspicious about her testimony. “I mean, Tavi is innocent, so there must be a lie hidden somewhere in there!”

“You catch on quick, Vinyl,” Lyra chuckled, awaiting for Celestia’s permission to begin with her cross-examination. This was it, the case was finally going to become clearer.

“Very well then, Ms. Heartstrings, your cross-examination, please,” Celestia said.

Cross-Examination

“It was around 23:00 that night. I was busy in the storage room, helping Minuette to sort some musical instruments,” Twinkleshine repeated.

“Hold it!” Lyra exclaimed. “Exactly what were you doing there?” she asked.

“I was just stacking and sorting instruments, you know. Trumpets, drums, cymbals, cellos, violins and—”

“Wait, did you say cellos?” Lyra asked. Something was fishy about that statement.

“Lyree, are you really that desperate to press on irrelevant statements?” Bon Bon asked, waving a hoof around with amusement. “I know what you’re thinking. Since there were no cellists, other than the defendant, auditioning that night, there shouldn’t be any cellos. Am I right?”

Lyra gasped, shocked by her rival’s claim. She hated to admit it, but she had read her mind. “Tsk. Very smart, Bonnie. And I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for that, right?” she asked. This was not over yet.

“The auditorium has its own instruments. It’s only natural for them to have cellos,” Twinkleshine stated. “I didn’t bring my own cello that night. I was only there to help Minuette with the auditions. Besides, that third-rate cellist was carrying her dusty, old cello around the whole night.”

She did let it behind when she left the room. That’s why she returned to the hall. Or at least, that’s what Octavia claims. “Okay then, what happened next?” Lyra asked, requesting Twinkleshine to continue with her testimony. Celestia was quietly listening to the argument.

“After a few minutes, I noticed she was talking with the defendant,” Twinkleshine repeated.

“Hold it!” Lyra exclaimed. “What were they talking about?”

“And how should I know? I was too far to hear what they were mumbling about,” Twinkleshine claimed. “Unless you’re implying I have a super ear or something.”

“Eh, no, of course not…” Lyra muttered. Well, that didn’t help much. Maybe I should just get over it. “Okay, please continue,” she requested.

“All of a sudden, she grabbed that cello of hers and struck her on the face.”

“Objection!” Lyra yelled, pointing her hoof at the witness. She strongly slammed her hooves on the table with confidence. Finally, she was about to unmask the lies behind Twinkleshine’s testimony. “So, you’re saying that Ms. Octavia grabbed her cello and struck Ms. Minuette on the face, right?”

“Yes. That’s exactly what I saw. It was a very strong scene. I almost screamed when she did,” Twinkleshine said, shaking her head to wave around her soft mane.

“Is there a problem with that statement, Ms. Heartstrings?” Celestia asked, curious about the sudden outburst. The smirk on Lyra’s face was growing bigger and bigger.

“Bonnie, would you please be a sweetheart and read once again the autopsy record, for me?” Lyra said between giggles. Vinyl was still oblivious about what was going on, but if Lyra was happy for whatever reason, that meant she had an ace under the sleeve.

“My pleasure, Lyree,” Bon Bon said as she checked through a copy of the autopsy record. She placed it in front of the table and started to read. “The time of death was 23:05. And the cause was instant death due a single blow to the… back of… aah!” she exclaimed. Her face immediately frowned as her eyes went wide open.

“I see you noticed it too,” Lyra chuckled, wiping away the smile from her face and replacing it with the toughest of looks. “The witness claims the defendant struck the victim on her face, but that completely contradicts the autopsy report!”

“W-what!?” Twinkleshine cringed, nervously grinding her teeth. The public at the stands began to mutter. They were soon cut off by Celestia’s gavel striking several times against the table. Each strike mightier than the previous one.

“Whoa! That was intense, Ms. Lyra!” Vinyl said, amazed by how the attorney pulled out that objection. There it was, the contradiction in the testimony.

“Order! Order in the court, I say!” Celestia exclaimed. “Ms. Twinkleshine! What’s the meaning of this!?” she asked. It was clearly a severe contradiction. How could she claim such thing if the autopsy record clearly showed the opposite?

Twinkleshine was sweating. She wasn’t expecting her testimony to backfire at her after all. She closed her eyes to think about the matter. “W-well, I… you see,”

“Objection!” Bon Bon yelled. “Perhaps the witness is still a bit confused! After all, she witnessed a murder with her own eyes. Not only that, but a very graphic scene. It would be only natural for her to be shocked!” she claimed. It was the best thing she could come up with at the moment.

“Y-yes! It must be that… I-I’m sorry, heh,” Twinkleshine said, with a forced smile. Her sweating didn’t stop though.

Ugh… nice move, Bonnie. Lyra bit her lower lip. Arguments like that are tending to work almost in any case, since it involves the witness saying a faulty testimony due the shock.

“Hmm… that is a valid point. Witness, please, be more careful with your testimony! Please, tell us what really happened!”

“Y-yes, sorry, Your Honor,” Twinkleshine said, regaining her cool. She shook her head once again to wave around her mane. She liked showing off her pink locks to almost everypony. Even in court.

Witness Testimony

“Sorry for the silly mistake. Actually, the defendant struck Minuette on the back of the head. After committing that atrocious crime, she fled from the hall. I wanted to check on Minuette, but I was afraid that the killer could come back, so I waited around ten minutes to check on her.”

“Well, it seems like it was the defendant who did it after all,” Celestia commented. She still had her doubts, but for now, she had to hear more about the case.

“Of course it was,” Bon Bon commented, running a hoof through her mane. “Unless the defense has any comment to say?”

“I will during the cross-examination,” Lyra said, slamming one hoof against the table. Now then, I should reveal the lies hidden within that testimony.

Cross-Examination

“Sorry for the silly mistake. Actually, the defendant struck Minuette on the back of the head. After committing that atrocious crime, she fled from the hall,” Twinkleshine repeated.

“Hold it!” Lyra exclaimed. “So, she just struck her and fled?”

“Yes.” Twinkleshine nodded. “She stared at Minuette for a few seconds before running away from the hall. Just like a coward,” she said, glancing at the defendant.

“It’s the common thing any murderer would do. Flee right after committing the crime,” Bon Bon commented.

“Wouldn’t she stay to clean up the evidence?” Lyra asked. “It would have been wiser to stick around and—”

“Objection!” Bon Bon exclaimed. “We’ve already assumed that the defendant went back to the scene of crime to clean up the evidence, but failed because of her shock,” she remarked. “Enough of this trivial conversation. Witness, please continue.”

“I wanted to check on Minuette, but I was afraid that the killer could come back,” Twinkleshine repeated.

“Hold it!” Lyra exclaimed. “But the killer didn’t come back? Did she?” she asked. Something was faulty about her testimony. She knew it.

“It seems she did. After checking her body, I left the auditorium and called the police. I don’t know what happened after that. I was too afraid to enter back,” Twinkleshine claimed. The eyes of everypony in the courtroom were now fixed at her and her gorgeous mane.

“There was a vicious storm out there. Were you really under the storm the whole time until the police arrived?” Lyra asked. That’s not something anypony in their sane mind would do. Colds at this time of the year were bad news for anypony.

“Heavens, no! I was under the little roof at the front door of the auditorium,” Twinkleshine claimed. “I wouldn’t let my gorgeous make be soaked with dirty raindrops.”

Right, assuming rain water is dirty… “Anyway, back to the crime scene, when did you check on the victim?”

“I waited around ten minutes to check on her,” Twinkleshine repeated.

“Objection!” Lyra yelled, pointing her hoof at Twinkleshine. “Ms. Twinkleshine… your testimony is nothing but a house of cards!”

“W-what? What do you mean?” Twinkleshine asked. Drops of sweat began to drop from her forehead.

“Explain yourself, Lyree,” Bon Bon ordered, slamming one hoof against her table. Any objections had to have any reason behind them, so she was expecting a very good one.

“Your Honor.” Lyra shifted her gaze at Celestia. Twinkleshine had just made a fatal mistake, and she was about to pay for it. “If you recall the autopsy record, Ms. Minuette died exactly at 23:05.”

“Hmm, yes, that is correct,” Celestia affirmed. “So, what about it?”

“Easy, Your Honor. Ms. Twinkleshine just testified to the court that she waited around ten minutes after the murder took place to check on Ms. Minuette.” Lyra looked around her sea of sheets for a particular one. “Now then, if the murder took place at 23:05, that means the witness checked on Ms. Minuette at 23:15, right?”

“Y-yeah, I did. What about it, Ms. Heartstrings?” Twinkleshine asked. Her mane began to get a bit soaked and messy due the sweat coming out from it.

“Just spit it out already, Lyree!” Bon Bon exclaimed. She was getting annoyed of Lyra’s rhetoric questions. Her patience was also very short.

“Simple. What Ms. Twinkleshine just said… it’s… well… impossible!” Lyra claimed, slamming both her hooves on the table. I got you now!

“I-impossible?” Vinyl asked. She thought for a few seconds until the imaginary bulb in her head illuminated her mind. “Ah! You don’t mean… the blackout record!?” Lyra smugly nodded.

“The blackout record? The one that said that the lights on the main hall went off at… 23… aah!” Bon Bon grinded her teeth in anger and checked through the blackout record.

“Exactly.” Lyra flashed the blackout record to the court. “According to the blackout record, lights went off at the main hall at 23:10 because of the wicked storm out there. However, the witness just said she checked on the victim at 23:15! How in Equestria would she check on her in a pitch black room!?” She pointed her hoof at Twinkleshine, who cringed in fear.

The courtroom was filled with the murmurs and whispers from the public. They weren’t expecting a sudden twist of events like that. Celestia’s gavel of justice echoed through the room to restore order. The trial had to go on. “Order! Order! Order!” she commanded. “Witness! What is the meaning of this!?”

“I-I… didn’t… I mean… I…” Twinkleshine stuttered, unable to come up with an answer. Her once precious mane was now a pink mess all over her head. “The lights never went off when I checked on Minuette!”

“Then explain how you saw the victim at 23:15 when the lights were out since 23:10!” Lyra exclaimed. No way she can escape of this now!

“Objection!” Bon Bon exclaimed, pointing her hoof at Lyra. “Maybe the witness just miscalculated the time!”

“Objection!” Lyra responded. “She said she waited ten minutes to check on the victim, that means—”

“Objection!” Bon Bon replied. “She just thought she stood there ten minutes! Remember that she is still in shock from witnessing a crime with her own eyes!”

“Yes! And I’m certain that the lights weren’t out! Because when I checked on Minuette, I saw… that,” Twinkleshine claimed. She was still sweating like a pig. Her ear would occasionally twitch and her hind legs were shivering. It didn’t take a genius to figure out she was completely nervous.

“That?” Celestia asked. “What do you mean, witness?”

“Heh… so it has come to this…” Bon Bon shrugged, placing a hoof on her desk. Everypony in the courtroom looked at her with confusion. “I was saving this for the last, and it’s time for it to make its triumphal appearance!” she claimed.

“W-what are you talking about? What were you saving?” Lyra asked. She knew that smirk on Bon Bon’s face. She was about to submit something big and it was going to be bad… very bad.

“This is the final evidence the prosecution will show to the court!” Bon Bon claimed, presenting a photo on her table. “Your Honor, if you please.”

W-what!? More evidence!? This can’t be good! Lyra bit her lower lip, awaiting for Celestia to reveal the contents of the photo. Vinyl looked at Lyra with concern. Where was the happy Lyra that was objecting just a while ago?

“Ah! This is… the defendant’s cutie mark!?” Celestia said, as she looked at the photo.

“The photo reveals the hoof of the victim tainted in blood,” Bon Bon said, withdrawing a copy of the photo from one of her folders. “Here, Lyree, I have a copy, just for you,” she said, placing it in front of her table.

Lyra swiftly enveloped the photo with her magic and dragged it across the room to see it by herself. “Ah!” she gasped. Vinyl gave a quick glance to the photo and gasped as well. Right in the photo, was Octavia’s clef cutie mark drawn with a trace of blood, connected to the tip of Minuette’s hoof.

“The witness will testify about this, immediately!” Celestia ordered. The scenario was pretty clear now.

“You see, Lyree,” Bon Bon chuckled, looking at Twinkleshine. “Now, testify for the court about what this bloody clef means, if you please.”

“Y-yes.” She wasn’t showing signs to be nervous anymore. Finally, her last testimony was going to give the guilty verdict to Octavia.

Witness Testimony

“I’m certain the lights weren’t out because I saw this bloody draw next to Minuette. It clearly shows she drew a clef with her own blood. With the last of her strength, she must have drawn it so they could recognize her attacker!”

“What now, Lyree? How can you possibly explain this?” Bon Bon ran a hoof through her mane. “It’s over. I won, you lost.”

“This seems convincing enough,” Celestia commented. “I think I can safely hand down my verdict now—”

“Objection!” Lyra exclaimed. She slammed her hooves against the table with anger. “Your Honor! There’s still a cross-examination I must realize!”

“Ms. Heartstrings… this case is extremely clear… I don’t think a cross-examination will—”

“Objection!” This time, it was Bon Bon who replied. “Let her do it, Your Honor. Nothing would please me more than a perfect victory.” She waved one hoof around. “But this will be your final cross-examination, Lyree.”

Lyra grunted. “Fine then, one cross-examination is all I need!” she claimed.

“Okay then, Ms. Heartstrings. Please, commence you last cross-examination.” Celestia struck her gavel, indicating her to begin.

Cross-Examination

“I’m certain the lights weren’t out because I saw this bloody draw next to Minuette. It clearly shows she drew a clef with her own blood,” Twinkleshine repeated.

“Hold it!” Lyra exclaimed. “Was it really the victim’s blood?”

“The police can confirm that the draw on the floor and the blood on her hoof were indeed from the victim,” Bon Bon commented, flashing the lab test report. “Needless to say, she was the one who drew it.”

“But why would she draw it?” Lyra asked, looking at Twinkleshine. That was the one-million bits question.

“With the last of her strength, she must have drawn it so they could recognize her attacker!” Twinkleshine repeated.

“Objection!” Lyra yelled. “This… is it,” she claimed. A smile grew on the face that was concerned just seconds ago. Her eyes beamed as she looked at the witness. It’s over, for you, Twinkleshine.

“What now, Lyree? Any final comments before I walk out of here as the winner?” Bon Bon smugly laughed, resting her chin on her hoof.

“Heh, Bonnie, this is a sad turn of events… for you,” Lyra claimed. Bon Bon’s smirk was wiped off instantly as she stared at her rival.

“Please, just explain it already, Ms. Heartstrings,” Celestia requested. The final objection of the final cross-examination. It was going to be finally revealed.

“My pleasure, Your Honor,” Lyra said. She levitated a sheet from her table and tapped it with her hoof. “The witness just testified the following: ‘With the last of her strength, she must have drawn it so they could recognize her attacker,’ correct?” She looked at Twinkleshine, awaiting an answer from her.

“Y-yes! Isn’t it obvious!?” Twinkleshine said.

“The only obvious thing is that your castle of lies has fallen down, and here’s why!” Lyra placed the autopsy record on her table. “The autopsy record!”

“What about it?” Bon Bon asked, checking her own copy to read it once again.

“With the ‘last of her strength’? Sounds weird to me,” Lyra claimed. The grin on her face grew wider each time she spoke. “Because right here, the cause of death confirms that it was instant death! Meaning that the victim DIED at the moment she was struck with the cello!”

“N-NOOO!” Twinkleshine cried as she slammed both her hooves against the stand.

“Objection!” Bon Bon yelled. “M-maybe the defendant drew—”

“Objection!” Lyra replied. “Oh, come on, Bonnie. Why would the defendant draw her own cutie mark with the victim’s blood? Why would she incriminate herself!?” She was on fire. She could feel how every single of her claims were super effective against her rival.

Bon Bon grunted. She couldn’t come up with something else. She looked at Twinkleshine, who was nervously clenching her teeth. “W-witness!”

“W-what is going on here!?” Celestia asked. She was as clueless as almost everypony in the courtroom.

“Ms. Lyra! What does this mean?” Vinyl asked. She could feel the case was going to be over soon, and Octavia was going to be free.

“I think I have an idea of what happened at the night of the murder,” Lyra claimed. Her eyes showed determination and courage. The events of that night were crystal clear now. It was now the time to finish it.

“Then please tell us what happened!” Celestia requested. She hadn’t seen any attorney so sure about herself before. It seemed like a burst of truth exploded in her mind.

“At the night of the murder, Ms. Octavia went to talk with Ms. Minuette. After the victim told her that she wasn’t eligible for the orchestra, Octavia left the room, forgetting her cello on the way. After she was gone, Twinkleshine seized the moment and murdered Minuette with the defendant’s cello!” Lyra explained.

“A-aaaaah!” Twinkleshine cried. The courtroom exploded in mutters and mumbles between the public. Celestia restored the order by slamming her gavel once again.

“Ms. Heartstrings! You mean you’re accusing the witness to be the murderer!?” Celestia asked, surprised about the turn of events. She couldn’t deny her logic had some sense.

“Objection!” Bon Bon shouted. “But there were no hoofprints on the cello other than the defendant’s!”

“Objection!” Lyra responded. “Well, obviously only the defendant’s hoofprints are on it!”

“What… what do you mean?” Bon Bon asked.

“Twinkleshine is a unicorn! Therefore she could have levitated the cello with her magic and slam the victim with it! After committing the crime, she had to pin the guilt on someone else! That’s when she thought of drawing the defendant’s cutie mark with the victim’s blood!” Lyra explained. She had the whole scenario in her mind already. The witness was going down, and she was going to get Octavia a not guilty verdict.

“Y-yeeaaargh!” Twinkleshine moaned. Her mane rustled wildly as she slammed both her hooves on the stand. “V-very impressive!” she exclaimed. “What an open imagination you have, Ms. Lyra!” She looked at her with disgust. Some locks of her pink mane were covering part of her face. She was breathing heavily, twitching her ear every few seconds. “But tell me, what motive would I have to commit the crime? Why would I kill my own conductor?” She thought she could come back with a question like that, but the only thing she received was a snicker from Lyra.

“Pretty obvious,” Lyra said. “Recall Octavia’s testimony! There were rumors that the orchestra was going to replace its cellist. In other words… they were going to replace YOU!” She pointed her hoof at the witness. There were no traces of doubt on her own face. Every claim she threw at her was packed with justice.

“N-noooo!” Twinkleshine slammed her head and hooves against the stand. She raised her head and looked at the attorney with a wicked smile on her face. “But then, why would I kill the conductor? Wouldn’t it be easier to just kill that cellist sitting on the defendant’s chair!?”

“Not a chance,” Lyra claimed. “As we know, Octavia failed to impress Minuette, so she couldn’t join the Blue Moon Orchestra. However, you knew about her intentions. You knew that Minuette was looking for cellists to replace you! So, in order to keep your spot in your precious orchestra, you got rid of your only obstacle!” She slammed her hooves on the table harder than any other time. “Admit your guilt, Twinkleshine! Last night, you murdered the conductor of Blue Moon Orchestra, Minuette!”

Vinyl, Bon Bon, Octavia and Celestia were looking at the argument with mouths agape. None of them said a word while Lyra was accusing the witness. The courtroom had a few seconds of silence until a faint snicker was heard from the witness stand.

“Heh heh…” Twinkleshine chuckled. Her face was still facing the stand. “Hah hah hah heh heh heh” she laughed, raising her head from the stand and looking directly at Lyra. “L-Lyra… Heartstrings…” she muttered. “Lyra! Heartstrings!” she repeated, with a louder tone. “LYRA! HEARTSTRINGS!” she yelled. She smashed her head against the stand once again, quickly raising it just to smash it again. “Lyra Heartstrings! Lyra Heartstrings! Lyra Heartstrings! Lyra Heartstrings!” she shouted as she kept slamming her head against the solid stand. She finally raised her head and looked at the ceiling. “LYRAAAAAA…” she screamed. Her voice began to fade away and she collapsed on her back. She was done. The real culprit was found at last.

Bon Bon was still looking at Lyra with disgust on her face. “I… I can’t believe this!”

*****

“So… Ms. Bon Bon. What ever happened with Ms. Twinkleshine?” Celestia asked. The order was finally restored. Just a minute ago, the bailiff retired the unconscious unicorn from the courtroom.

“She was arrested and taken away, Your Honor,” Bon Bon confirmed. She still couldn’t believe that she had lost the case. And it was her own evidence that backfired at her. She looked at Lyra, giving her a smile. “Nice job, Lyree. You beat me fair and square.”

“You did a great job too, Bonnie,” Lyra admitted, returning the smile. She quickly looked at Vinyl, who was still shocked about the whole thing. “See? I told you everything was going to be okay!”

“Y-yes… thanks… Ms. Lyra,” Vinyl said. She felt her eyes were getting teary. She only wanted to run and hug her sister like she had never done before. It was over, at last.

“Well, it seems like the truth has came out at last. I, myself, didn’t expect the witness to be the real murderer,” Celestia commented. “Very well then, the case seems to have come to a close. I find the defendant, Ms. Octavia… not guilty!”

Lots of streamers and confetti popped out from the party balls hanging on the ceiling on the courtroom. The crowd cheered for the innocent verdict. It was something to celebrate, after all.

“The court is now adjourned!” Celestia informed, striking her gavel for the last time.

*****

“Tavi!” Vinyl cried, squeezing her sister with all her strength. “I was so worried! I don’t know what I’d have done if you were found guilty!” She tightened her hug. She was not going to let go.

“Urk, Vinyl! You’re… hugging… too… hard!” Octavia whimpered. Vinyl released her from her hug and looked at her with a giggle. She took a deep breath and shared the laugh with her sister.

“I’m glad for you two,” Lyra commented. Walking towards the two mares.

“Ms. Lyra! None of this could have been possible without you! Thank you so much!” Vinyl exclaimed. She was so glad she was the one who took on their case when everypony else turned their backs on them. It seems like she was the best option, after all.

“I’ll never forget what you’ve done for me. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you, Ms. Lyra,” Octavia said, extending her hoof to shake the lawyer.

Lyra’s usual aquamarine cheeks turned into a bright, red color. “Aw, it was nothing, really.” She extended her hoof and shook Octavia’s. “It was my pleasure defending you today.”

“Well, well, seems like you’ve made new friends, Lyree,” somepony said. The three mares turned their head and looked at the mare in front of them. “Hey,” Bon Bon greeted.

“Ms. Bon Bon! What are you doing here?” Vinyl asked. She thought she had left the courtroom still upset about her loss. Was she there to say a few words to them?

“I just came to apologize… for… you know, accusing you of murder,” Bon Bon said, trying to avoid eye contact with Octavia. She was too ashamed of her loss, and even more to look at the mare she was trying to find as a murderer.

“Don’t worry, Ms. Bon Bon. You were only doing your job! I’m not upset,” Octavia claimed, giving the prosecutor a warm smile. Bon Bon finally looked at her and returned the smile. It was good to see that everypony was getting along.

“You were pretty good at court, Bonnie, but I was better!” Lyra said, pressing a hoof against her chest.

“Heh, I couldn’t expect less from my little sis, after all,” Bon Bon said. The last few words caused a unison gasp from both Vinyl and Octavia. Did she really just say ‘sister’?

“W-what!? Ms. Bon Bon is your sister!?” Vinyl asked, looking at Lyra with a surprised look on her face. How could that even be? All the time, she thought they were fierce rivals.

“You didn’t know? Heh, sorry, I think I should’ve told you,” Lyra chuckled. “Yes, Bonnie is my big sis. We’re both lawyers. The only difference is that she is a prosecutor attorney, while I’m a defense attorney.” She extended one hoof and rested it on her sister’s neck. “But I just kicked her flank in court today! Didn’t I?” Octavia and Vinyl still couldn’t believe what was going on. However, Octavia was the first to laugh.

“Two sisters that have something in common, while having something totally not in common. Sounds familiar, eh, Vinyl?” She looked at her sister, who quickly understood the question.

“Yeah! You and I are musicians, yet, you like boring music, and I like the cool stuff!” Vinyl claimed, levitating her own shades from her face and placing it on her sister’s face. “Congratulations on your victory today, sis.”

“My music can be boring… but it’s not noisy like yours!” Octavia claimed, pausing for a few seconds. “Couldn’t have done it without you, sis.”

A few seconds of silence surrounded the defendant’s lobby, until Lyra finally broke it. “Alright, everypony! How about if we go for something to eat? Lunch’s on me!” she chirped. The three mares nodded in agreement. The trial had been long and they needed a good meal to recharge their energy.

“I’ll get my revenge, Lyree, just you wait!” Bon Bon joked as they began to walk out of the courtroom.

“By the way, Ms. Lyra, you seemed to be very clumsy today,” Vinyl commented, immediately making all the stares to be fixed on her.

“Vinyl! Don’t be rude! She did her best today at the trial!” Octavia nagged her sister. She couldn’t believe she would call her clumsy, when she discovered the truth behind Minuette’s murder.

“No, no. I don’t mean that. I mean, before the trial, you didn’t even know why Octavia was the suspect. Basically, you went blind into the courtroom.” Vinyl explained, receiving a snicker from Lyra. “You even said you were to give up to your attorney badge!”

“I know, I know,” Lyra chuckled. “But remember that I’m a defense attorney. My job is to believe my client until the end, that’s why I still went through the whole trial, even if the odds were against us,” she explained, shifting her gaze towards Bon Bon. “Don’t you think so too, Bonnie?”

“You’re crazy, you know. Swearing to quit your job if you lose the trial,” Bon Bon replied. Even she wouldn’t do something as reckless as giving up her prosecutor badge if she didn’t win a trial.

“Well, that’s how I roll,” Lyra claimed. “I might not be as organized or professional as other lawyers, but that doesn’t stop me from doing what I love, and that’s defending ponies when they’re accused of a crime.”

Lyra received a chuckle from Bon Bon. Her little sister still had some things to learn, but she was sure she would discover them by her own. Right now, her stomach was growling.

After a while, the two pairs of sisters left the courthouse. They laughed and joked at each other. It was going to be a tasty lunch. A lunch served with justice. Lyra saved not only one but two ponies’ lives today, and that was the best reward she could ask for.

My name is Lyra Heartstrings, Ace Attorney. Whenever somepony needs my services, I’ll do my best to defend them until the end. Octavia and Vinyl can now sleep in peace, knowing that justice was well served. But this is not the end. I’m sure there will be more cases in the future, but for now, I’m starving! Oh, seems like they’ve picked the most expensive restaurant in Canterlot, and I said that lunch was on me… hee hee…

“Objection!”

Next Chapter: Objection! Estimated time remaining: 18 Minutes
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