Phoenix Wright - Turnabout Storm!

by Firesight

First published 7th of January, 2012

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.

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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.

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…

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 Notes:

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

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.

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.

“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, the monarch of this land. 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 Notes:

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

Part 2 - Interview with the Accused

Phoenix walked alongside Twilight to the Detention Center, a bit uncomfortable at the attention he was receiving from other Ponyville residents. “I’ve never felt like such a minority in my life!” he whined as they neared their destination.

“Oh, come on, Mister Wright. It wasn’t that bad!” Twilight suggested as she walked beside him.

He gave her an incredulous look. “All those ponies were gawking at me the whole way here!” Still feeling out of place, he glanced back over his shoulder only to see even more ponies staring at and whispering to each other about him.

“Mister Wright, humans have almost never been seen in all of Equestria,” she said solemnly. “In fact you may be the first one in Ponyville! You should be honored!”

Honored? Strolling around a facsimile of a Swiss village infested with candy-colored equines? Yeah, I’d feel honored if I was... oh, I don’t know. A FIVE YEAR OLD GIRL! he silently groused. “So how did you know I was a human?”

“I read a lot!” she answered eagerly. “I’ve read almost every book in my library five times over and I’m familiar with a lot of different species: Gryphons, Minotaurs, Hippogrifs, Harpies, et cetera, et cetera!”

Wait?! You’re telling me she's read every book in that gigantic library FIVE TIMES?! he thought in disbelief.

“Anyway, we’re here, Phoenix!”

Snapped out of his thoughts, Phoenix had no sooner looked up to see the Detention Center then the pair were greeted by two pony sentries, one black and one white, each wearing armor and headgear that made them look like the equine equivalent of Roman soldiers. Phoenix barely had time to register their presence before the first one spoke out.

“Halt! Only a lawyer can enter the Detention Center!” the white-furred pony guard held up a hoof and announced in a thick, royal-sounding accent. A stallion, he was much bigger and brawnier than Twilight, his head at the level of Phoenix’s chest.

Twilight gave Phoenix a little shove forward with her magic. “Well, go on!”

He gave her a momentary glare before looking back at the two guards, who seemed anything but impressed by him. “Uh… hey guys. I’m a lawyer.”

“Identification!” This time, the equally large black stallion spoke, snapping out the order in a very gruff voice.

“Ah—right here!” Phoenix reached into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out a familiar and treasured object: An ornate silver medallion with a raised edge and a recessed symbol of judicial scales in the center. Never leave home without it! he thought, proudly showing his defense attorney badge to the two guards.

“What is that?” the white pony guard asked, looking at the odd artifact the bipedal creature was presenting.

“Is that a toy? You look a little old to be playing with toys,” the black pony guard said sarcastically, sounding a bit irritated.

Next time, I’m leaving it at home! an embarrassed Phoenix thought.

“You cannot pass without valid Equestrian Identification,” the white pony informed him.

“But I don’t have any!”

“Then beat it, spiky!” the black pony dismissed him, shoving him back with a hoof to the chest and barring his entrance.

Frustrated, Phoenix turned to Twilight, who was watching from further back. “Twilight, they’re not letting me in!”

“Oh! I forgot, Mister Wright. I was supposed to pass you this,” she replied, floating him an odd object. “The princess ordered me to give you this earlier today. It’s a permit to defend in Equestria.”

“I see. Wait…” Phoenix’s brow furrowed, his suspicions instantly rekindled. “I thought you ‘accidentally’ brought me here. How could your princess have had that prepared for me?” he demanded to know, not immediately taking the item.

Twilight appeared to briefly panic again before coming up with an explanation—or was it an excuse? “O-oh! Um… what I meant was, I had my assistant Spike prepare it before we left,” she offered quickly.

He gave her an askance look. “Spike? I didn’t see anyone else in that library,” he pointed out, more suspicious than ever.

“He was sleeping. It’s late as you can see; I had to wake him up and have him prepare it. That’s why it took a little while to leave. I’ll properly introduce you to him later,” she spoke quickly, giving Phoenix the distinct impression she was trying to deny him the chance to interject again.

Despite that, he did so anyway. “You prepared a permit in twenty minutes? I find that a little fishy.”

Frustrated, Twilight thrust the badge into his hand with her magic, cutting off any further discussion. “Save your questions for my friend—just take the badge, Mister Wright!”

This isn’t helping me accept your request, you know! Phoenix growled at her with his thoughts, examining the pink and frilly object she had left in his hand. “A heart,” he said as he recognized its shape and effeminate color. I feel my masculinity going… going… gone!

Twilight grabbed his attention back. “Come on, hurry up, Mister Wright! Visiting hours are almost over!” she reminded him, motioning up at the clock in front of the Detention Center.

Reluctantly, Phoenix went back to the two guards. “Okay, guys. Here it is?” he said as he flashed the heart-shaped pink pendant. This is so degrading!

“Permission granted. You may enter,” the two armored ponies announced in unison, stepping aside to allow him access, though Phoenix thought he caught a smirk from both of them as they saw the supposed badge.

Both relieved and embarrassed, Phoenix turned back to Twilight. “Phew. Alrighty! I’ve done my part, Twilight. You can go and speak with your friend now,” he invited, motioning her forward.

But Twilight stayed where she was, sitting back and looking down at her hooves apologetically. “Sorry, Phoenix.”

“Sorry? About what?” Phoenix gave her a confused look.

“I’m not allowed in. Only attorneys are allowed to speak with the suspects,” Twilight explained, leaving Phoenix with a sinking feeling in his gut as the two guards nodded, confirming her words.

“But you said—“ he began to sputter as he looked back to her.

“I know what I said!” Twilight cut him off in mid-sentence, having at least enough sense to look contrite. “And believe me, I’d love to talk to her, but I can’t. And it’d be better if you got all the details about the crime first to make your judgment.” She looked towards the building, sighing as she continued. “You have every right to be angry at me; all I ask now is that you please just hear her out. If you still don’t want to represent her after that…” She paused, as if making a hard decision, and then went downcast. “Then I swear to send you back to your world.”

“But... I…” Phoenix couldn’t continue, feeling trapped and not certain he could trust her, knowing that regardless of her veracity, if he did as she asked, he’d likely end up taking the case and wouldn’t back out until it was done. Should I really be doing this? Should I really be meddling in some other world’s affairs? he asked himself. Still, she’s clearly desperate. Maybe I should at least hear what this fuss is about? His decision made, Phoenix let out a huge sigh and gave his unicorn host the answer she wanted. “Fine.”

Twilight stood up on all fours, now wearing a huge smile on her face. “Thank you so much, Mister Wright!”

Admitted by the guards, Phoenix was escorted back to a dimly lit room filled with cubicle cells separated by clear partitions and metal bars; looking around, he was surprised at how similar it appeared to the detention centers he knew back home. There were a couple other ponies and lawyers present, all giving him odd looks as he entered but otherwise paying him surprisingly little mind.

“Okay. So where is Twilight’s friend?” he wondered aloud as he scanned the cell blocks, looking for the numbered cubicle specified by the guards but belatedly realizing he had no idea what this ‘friend’ of hers looked like, or even what her name was. You’d think she’d have bothered to tell me that!

As he approached the indicated and initially unlit #6 cell, a voice within it called out to him. “HEY!!”

Startled, Phoenix jumped, not seeing the voice’s owner. “Huh?! What did I do?”

As he entered the cell, the lights came up, allowing him to see a striking and exotic-looking equine behind the cell partition: a winged pony with cyan fur and feathers paired with a prismatic mane and tail, looking at him through ruby-pink eyes. “I don’t think they allow animals in here; you should really get out before they toss you in here too!” the pony prisoner told him. Judging from the voice and the owner’s softer-looking features, he guessed the pony was female.

“Look, I’m not an animal, I’m a human being!” he corrected her, trying hard not to stare at her, wondering if her mane was naturally all those colors.

In response, the multicolored mare got a lopsided grin. “Oh, I’m not talking to you—I meant that THING on your head!” she said mischievously, her grin getting broader as she pointed at his hair with a hoof, earning some snickers from the other prisoners.

Despite still feeling out of place, Phoenix began to grind his teeth at that. If someone makes fun of my hair just ONE more time…!

“So, I’m guessing you’re my lawyer, huh?” the rainbow-maned pony asked, appraising him and drawing his attention back to her.

“Yes. Twilight Sparkle sent me,” Phoenix confirmed as he sat down on the too-low chair, but just after saying that, he caught himself. “Wait! No! I haven’t agreed to anything yet!” he protested as a guard behind him noted his discomfort and trotted up to hit a lever that raised his seat to a more comfortable height, earning a grateful nod.

The exotic equine rolled her eyes. “Geez, Twilight sure knows how to pick ‘em’!” she said in annoyance. “If you’re not here to represent me, then what are you doing here?”

“I just want information regarding the crime you are being accused of,” Phoenix stated, all business as he pulled out his pen and pad to take notes. “Let’s start off with your name.”

She was only too eager to give it. “I’m Rainbow Dash, the best flier in Ponyville! Soon to be a household name in all of Equestria! The line for my autograph starts right over there!” she boasted, pointing off to the side.

Phoenix was unimpressed. Twilight Sparkle? Rainbow Dash? Is it me or are their names starting to sound like flavors of ice cream? he couldn’t help but think, suddenly wondering if somewhere in Equestria there was a pony named Tutti Fruiti. “I’m Phoenix Wright. Best attorney in the... universe, apparently.” He introduced himself back.

“Phoenix, huh?” she looked up, tilting her head as she considered him. “Sweet name! But it could sound cooler…” she mused while studying his face.

“Uh… ‘cooler’?” Phoenix had a bad feeling about what was coming next.

“I think I’ll call you… ‘Nix’. That sounds cool!” she pronounced, satisfied.

Inwardly, Phoenix sighed. Another new name I can add to my nickname checklist! “Hmmm… so you’re an… earth pony, correct?” he guessed, but Rainbow Dash looked insulted at the question.

“What the HAY are you talking about? I’m not an earth pony! I’m a pegasus!” she corrected Phoenix, flaring her wings in emphasis while raising her voice at him.

“Uh… never mind that. So why are you here?” he asked, flustered. It’s kinda sad I couldn’t get down a book with twelve words!

“Well, I guess I could tell you all I know,” she offered, turning serious for the first time. “You see, last night, a pegasus named ‘Ace Swift’ was killed in the Everfree Forest.”

“Do you know anything about him?” Phoenix asked, jotting down the name and location, though he initially wrote the latter as ‘Neverfree’.

“Sure do! He was a hot shot racer expected to win the Equestrian 500!”

“’Equestrian 500’?” Phoenix prompted. Sounds like a car race.

“A grueling endurance test for pegasi, enduring a five-hundred mile marathon around Equestria. Ace Swift was the top pick to win the whole thing. Don’t worry, though!”

“Don’t worry? About what?” Phoenix had no idea what to make of the slightly nonsensical statement.

“I still would have won even if he were still alive! HA!” Rainbow enlightened him.

Phoenix could only rub his eyes at the gratuitous display of ego. “Let me guess: you were planning on entering that race as well?”

“Of course! The winner gets special lessons from The Wonderbolts!”

The human lawyer blinked at yet another unfamiliar name. “Who are ‘The Wonderbolts’?”

Rainbow’s mouth dropped open. “You don’t know who The Wonderbolts are? Have you been living under a rock or something?!”

“Hey, I’m new here, give me a break!” Phoenix countered, increasingly annoyed.

Rainbow Dash let out an exasperated sigh. “The Wonderbolts are only the most awesome ponies in all of Equestria! They’re the Princess’s personal aerial acrobatics team; the stunts they can do are like nine degrees of cool!” she squealed like a teenage fangirl as she remembered the performances she’d seen. “You see, I’ve been trying to get in their group forever and the Equestrian 500 is my ticket to show off my slick moves to them. I’d do anything to get that chance!”

Phoenix cringed at that. Thank you for effectively establishing a motive for yourself, Ms. Dash; this helps your case SO much! “So how did this Ace Swift guy die?” he asked, keeping the thought to himself.

“Pony,” Rainbow corrected.

“What?”

“’How did this pony die?’ is what you mean, Nix,” she clarified.

Well, EXCUSE ME, I didn’t take ‘Hooked on Ponyics’! he thought sarcastically, but kept his growing irritation out of his voice. “The point is, how did he die?”

“How should I know? I didn’t do it!” Rainbow shrugged.

Phoenix was confused. “Then why did they take you in?”

The multicolored mare looked upset at that. “I just happened to be flying near the Everfree Forest that night… and then those chuckleheads burst in to my house and brought me in here saying I did it!” she raised her voice a bit, getting visibly angry at being accused. “They even said that they had lots of proof, but I would never do that to another pony!”

“They took you in, just like that?” A dubious Phoenix asked, thinking there had to be more to the story than what she was saying.

Rainbow Dash looked down at that, her cockiness suddenly gone. “Yeah. And they said they’re going to banish me.” Her lip quivered; for a moment there was genuine fear in her gaze.

“So I heard,” Phoenix replied, subdued.

“Everypony thinks I did it. Everypony!” she said, tearing up. “The Wonderbolts probably hate me now. But you believe me, don’t you, Nix?” she asked, all but begging him to say yes.

Though still uncertain, Phoenix obliged her. “Well… I guess. But not everyone thinks you did it.”

“Huh?” she gave him a tilt-headed look.

“Your friend Twilight seems to have faith in you. Otherwise I wouldn’t be in this mess,” he told her.

She smiled a bit at that. “Heh. You’re right, I guess. Twilight’s a real pal! But what do you mean by ‘mess’ anyway?”

Phoenix could only grimace at her question.. “Well, as you can probably already guess, I’m not from Equestria,” he motioned down at his decidedly not-equine body and unusual attire to make his point. “Your purple friend pulled me out of my world because she accidentally called upon ‘The Greatest Defense Attorney’. And that just happened to be me.”

Far from being sympathetic, Rainbow’s rose-colored eyes lit up at that. “AWESOME!!!! It’s only fitting that the best pegasus ever gets the best lawyer ever!” she boasted, putting her hoof on her chest again. “You were destined to defend me!”

Phoenix stared at her in disbelief. This one’s ego is larger than Detective Gumshoe’s appetite for instant noodles! he noted unfavorably, his thoughts going briefly to the poorly-paid and slightly slow police detective he often worked with back home.

“Nix, as much as I hate asking for help…” Rainbow continued, looking like she was gathering herself. “Can you pleeeeease be my defense attorney?” she begged, making at least some effort to appear cute and vulnerable, giving him a dewy-eyed plea.

Despite her not-insubstantial attempt at adorability and very real need, Phoenix hesitated. I do feel kind of sorry for her. I mean, it sounds like she’s telling the truth, and I want to say yes. But should I? “Well…” Just then Phoenix remembered something in his pocket. “Oh, wait a minute!” I believe her, but I need to be sure.

With that, Phoenix took out his Magatama: a small, comma-shaped green gemstone originally given to him by Maya. Functioning as his own personal lie detector, it enabled him to tell if someone was keeping secrets in their heart from him.

“Is that a toy? You look a little old to be playing with toys, Nix,” Rainbow teased, looking at the strange green amulet her human lawyer was holding.

Phoenix ignored the barb. “Listen closely, Rainbow Dash. I’m going to ask you a question, and I want you to tell me the absolute 100% truth!” he instructed her, holding the artifact right in front of her, mentally rehearsing his next statement before speaking it to make sure he didn’t leave any wiggle room in the answer as had happened with his previous case. “Did you have anything to do with the death of Ace Swift?”

Rainbow reacted with fury to the question, rearing up to slam her hooves down hard into the clear partition, rattling it surprisingly hard and making Phoenix flinch backwards. “I told you, I DIDN’T KILL ANYPONY!” she shouted, very upset.

Phoenix waited for something to happen with the Magatama… but nothing did.

“Huh?” Rainbow looked at the suddenly silent Phoenix in some confusion.

Nothing. It’s certain then—she really didn’t do it! he realized, and with that, his mind was made up. “Okay, Rainbow Dash,” he began, stowing the artifact back in his inner jacket pocket.

“What? Why did you go all quiet there, Nix?” she asked him, confused.

“I’ve decided to take your case, Rainbow. I trust you,” he announced, standing up a little straighter before his new client.

With that, Rainbow Dash’s rose-colored eye’s instantly lit up. “YES! Alright! I know you can do it, Nix!” she cheered, giving a hoof pump as she finally got her defense attorney.

“I suppose the first thing I should do is investigate the scene of the crime for evidence to prove your innocence. Where was it again?” he asked her idly, rechecking his notes for the answer.

“A clearing in the Everfree Forest,” she reminded him.

“’Everfree Forest’?” he repeated, hastily correcting the misspelling on his notes.

“Yeah, Twilight can show you the way. It’s about fifteen minutes from Fluttershy’s house.”

“’Fluttershy’,” he repeated, hearing yet another unfamiliar name. Probably another pony. “Well, I best be off, then.”

“Good luck, Nix! And thanks again! You may look a little strange, but you’re okay in my book!” she commented.

Phoenix gave her a disbelieving look despite her complimentary tone. I look a little strange?! Coming from the ‘Roy G Biv’ pony with wings, you look strange even by PONYVILLE standards! “Oh! Right, there was one more question I wanted to ask you,” he remembered, recalling something that had bothered him from earlier.

“Shoot!” She made a show of taking a relaxed stance, leaning back and putting her hooves behind her head.

Phoenix asked the one question he was certain a prosecutor would. “What were you doing near the scene of the crime anyway?”

Instead of answering, Rainbow Dash went suddenly nervous. “Uh…”

“Well?” Phoenix waited for a reply, noticing and frowning at her hesitation.

“I, uh, was practicing… for the Equestrian 500!” she finally answered. No sooner had she spoke those words than the Magatama reacted, causing his vision to go dark and revealing a series of clanking chains reaching out from the edges to surround his new client, fronted by three red padlocks:

“Yup, that’s what I was doing! Practicing for the big race!” she followed up, trying to sound certain.

Despite her attempt at evasion, Phoenix nodded grimly to himself, his suspicions confirmed. Psyche-locks. You’re a bad liar, Rainbow Dash! Even without this thing, I can tell you’re hiding something from me! “Look Rainbow Dash—if I’m going to be able to defend you, you’re going to need to be completely honest with me.”

“I told you twelve times already, I didn’t do it!” she insisted again, unaware of the phantom locks in front of her.

Phoenix shook his head. “I’m not saying you did it! I’m just wondering what you were doing near the scene of the crime?” he challenged, watching her closely.

“Uh… um… well… uh-oh!” Rainbow Dash struggled to find an excuse to not answer his question, finally coming up with a very weak one. “Looks like visiting hours are over! Catch ya’ later Nix!”

“Hey! No they aren’t! There’s still five minutes left!” Phoenix called after her, but Rainbow Dash had already left out the back door, disappearing along with the locks and chains into the darkness. She’s gone? Oh, well; I probably need more information to pursue that any further anyway. As long as she didn’t do it, that’s all I need to know for now, he decided.

Putting his pen and notepad away, he got up to leave, intending to inform Twilight of his decision and begin an investigation to prove the poorly judged pony innocent of murder.

Just hope court trials work the same way here as they do back home!

Author's Notes:

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

Part 3 - The Shy Witness

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.

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, she 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 then 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 at 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 Notes:

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

Part 4 - Seeking Evidence

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 allowed, 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 Notes:

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…

“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 Notes:

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

Part 6 - The Trial Begins

Twilight and Phoenix entered the courtroom to find the spectator galley filled with ponies of all different colors and kinds—unicorns, earth ponies and pegasi—but the latter had no time to gawk as The Judge rapped his gavel repeatedly, signaling the start of the trial.

“Court is now in session, are both sides ready?” The Judge asked the ritual question.

“The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie was born ready!” the showmare boasted, looking supremely confident behind her bench.

“The Defense is ready, Your Honor,” Phoenix replied automatically to the familiar voice. Either due to lack of sleep or the simple unexpectedness of it, he was a bit slow on the uptake, his common sense only kicking in upon realizing the person—a human, not pony—presiding over the trial was none other than the very Judge he argued cases in front of back home!

“YOUR HONOR?!??!?!” he shouted, belatedly recognizing the bearded old man behind the bench.

The Judge blinked in his own surprise. “Mister Wright! Fancy meeting you here!” he said, recognizing in turn the most famous—and occasionally most infamous—defense attorney from his court back on Earth.

“You know him, Phoenix? That’s great!” Twilight said delightedly from the co-counsel’s position beside him.

Far from being delighted himself, Phoenix was completely confused. “B-but I thought… how is he…? WHAT’S GOING ON HERE!?” the dumbfounded defense attorney finally demanded to know.

“Last night while you were in bed, the Princess contacted me about complications,” Twilight explained.

“Complications?!” Phoenix repeated, turning towards her.

She nodded. “Originally, Princess Celestia was going to preside as Judge. But the Equestrian High Council was concerned that she could not remain unbiased.”

“Fine, but… what’s he doing here?!” Phoenix pointed to The Judge.

Her eyes went evasive again for just a moment. “Well, you see… I just thought that since we have a human Defense Attorney, I’d get a human judge as well. So I summoned ‘The Greatest Human Judge’, and he’s a really nice guy! He took the whole thing a lot better than you did,” she told him, giving him a knowing grin. “I would have told you that I summoned him last night, but I didn’t want to wake you.”

Phoenix stared at her with his jaw agape. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he finally replied in disbelief, remembering his own often less-than-encouraging experiences with The Judge. Are you sure you didn’t summon ‘The Ficklest Judge Ever’, Twilight? he asked her with his thoughts. Oh, well. As weird as this is, he seems to always give fair verdicts. Guess I shouldn’t be complaining. “But isn’t this princess the ruler of your country? Can’t she just say ‘Too bad, I’m doing it anyway’?”

“Princess Celestia is our all-powerful ruler, yes. But every political decision must go by the Equestrian High Council First,” Twilight explained to Phoenix. “They represent the different tribes, provinces, and cities of Equestria, and attempt to act in the best interests of both their constituencies and Equestria itself. Apparently, a point of order was raised about the Princess presiding over a trial involving one of her favorite subjects, and in the end, they wouldn’t allow her to preside as judge,” she said regretfully.

Phoenix let out a sigh. He could certainly understand the ruling—judges on his world had to recuse themselves from cases involving people they knew or otherwise had a conflict of interest in. But still, how is Rainbow Dash one of this Princess’s ‘favorite subjects’? Does she have a thing for obnoxious rainbow-maned mares? He inwardly snarked, then decided he didn’t want to know. “Guess that’s democracy for you.”

“Aren’t these ponies just remarkable, Mister Wright? They have shown me nothing but the greatest of hospitality!” The Judge said, to some approving hoofclops from the audience.

“All they’ve done for me is make fun of my hair,” Phoenix muttered to an equal number of equine snickers.

“Enough with this idle chit-chat, Trixie has a trial to win!” the impatient showmare broke in.

“Oh! That’s correct; we have a trial underway. We’ll have to catch up later, Mister Wright,” The Judge said, getting down to business. “Back to the matter at hand, then. I expect you are aware by now of the workings of Equestria?” he asked his fellow human.

“Eh… the workings?” Phoenix repeated, putting a hand on his chin in a pondering expression.

The Judge nodded. “You see, this world operates far differently from our own,” he began.

“Twilight Sparkle here showed me a bit of magic, but I figured it’s otherwise almost exactly like our world. Just with talking ponies?” Phoenix offered with a slightly nervous smile.

The Judge shook his head, “Oh, no! Mister Wright! There are many amazing things these ponies can do that are a far cry from the workings of our world!”

“This is why you should have studied!” Twilight scolded from beside him, suddenly looking peeved.

“Oh. Um… my apologies, then. Could you be so kind as to tell me about these differences, Your Honor?” he asked The Judge sheepishly, putting a hand behind his head and running his fingers through his spiky hair.

“Very well, Mister Wright. I guess the first thing you should know is—”

The cry went up from Trixie. “He isn’t owed any help or information, Your Honor! It’s not our fault this bumbling buffoon didn’t do any research! We shouldn’t be holding up the trial because of his stupidity and negligence!” the unicorn prosecutor protested, leaning her head over her rail.

“HEY!” Phoenix shouted, his anger at her instantly rekindled.

The Judge considered that for a moment before nodding. “I’m sorry, Mister Wright, but the prosecution is correct. You should have studied Equestria before jumping into this case,” he agreed with an apologetic note.

With that, Twilight gave Phoenix a lethal glare. “Err—uh... I’m sorry?” Phoenix offered her weakly, already sweating through his suit.

Twilight sighed, struggling to keep both her temper and her attendant anger over Phoenix’s overconfidence in check. “I’ll try to keep you informed if we encounter anything that may work differently from your world,” she promised.

“Alright, thank you.” Phoenix was relieved, though he sensed he wasn’t out of the woods yet.

“The trial will now commence!” The Judge announced with another rap of his gavel.

“Good! For this drabble has wasted enough of Trixie’s time!” she said, now wearing a very irritated expression.

Phoenix ground his teeth again. That third-person thing is really starting to get on my nerves!

“Very well. The prosecution may give its opening statement,” The Judge invited, giving Trixie permission to talk first.

“About time!” The showmare sneered. “The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie would like to start off by saying that the Defense has no chance of winning this. Zero. Zilch. None! Nada!” she proclaimed arrogantly, raising her nose a little higher with each spoken synonym.

Phoenix stared at her in disbelief. “What kind of opening statement is that?!”

Trixie ignored him, acting like he was beneath her notice, keeping her nose in the air and voice disdainful. “In fact, Trixie finds it insulting she is not given a proper attorney to wage a battle of legal wits with. Instead, she is forced to deal with a pathetic primate who can’t be bothered to do even the most basic of defense attorney diligence,” she continued, insulting Phoenix before the entire courtroom to his face.

“What’s your problem?!” he demanded to know, infuriated anew by her attitude.

For once, The Judge showed at least a little sympathy for him. “Please refrain from personal attacks on the defense, Ms. Trixie. Can you please just get on with stating your case?” The Judge asked politely but emphatically.

Phoenix had never been so glad that The Judge was there to shut her up. There HAS to be a rule in the prosecutor handbook to be as unpleasant as possible! he growled to himself, thinking that if attitude alone were the deciding factor, Trixie would do well in the courtrooms of his own world. Then again, being arrogant and insulting doesn’t automatically make you a good attorney! he knew from past experience while somewhere back on Earth, a prosecutor named Winston Payne sneezed hard.

“Hmph! Very well—Trixie shall DAZZLE and ENLIGHTEN you all on the events that transpired that fateful night!” she proclaimed bombastically, causing Phoenix and half the audience to roll their eyes, several wishing they’d thought to bring a crate or two of tomatoes with them.

“On June 8th, at around the 20th hour, ‘Ace Swift’, the famous pegasus athlete, was murdered in the Everfree Forest. Unfortunately, we don’t know why he was in such a unlikely location, but the Ponyville police force found his body there. And with the evidence they found paired with an eyewitness account, they were able to identify and apprehend his killer: Rainbow Dash!” Trixie announced, pointing a hoof at Rainbow herself as she stood and glared back at her from the defendant box.

The entire courtroom of ponies started to talk under their breath, whispering their opinions back and forth to each other. “I see. Can you please share with the court the evidence that points to Ms. Dash’s guilt?” The Judge requested.

“Certainly!” Trixie said happily, flaring her horn to levitate up her first piece of evidence.

“This is it, Phoenix!” Twilight said, her stomach in knots.

“We’ll finally have some light shed on what exactly happened!” Phoenix agreed, leaning forward over his bench with his hands on the rail, eager to learn more.

“Ace Swift was electrocuted and killed instantly as detailed in this autopsy report,” Trixie declared, her light blue magical aura floating identical envelopes to The Judge and defense bench.

“Electrocuted? That is a peculiar way to die,” The Judge noted, opening the envelope as Phoenix and Twilight did the same with their copy:

This raised several questions in Phoenix’s mind. “Electrocution? But how? The crime scene was in a clearing. I saw no electronic devices or anything of that nature,” he observed as he quickly scanned the autopsy report for the few pertinent facts, suddenly wondering how he was going to recharge his cellphone given Equestria’s apparent lack of them. Then again, I kind of doubt they have cell towers or satellites for me to make a call with anyway, he mused, wondering what his phone company would charge for an out-of-network call from Equestria.

“Let Trixie finish, you dunce!” the unicorn prosecutor interrupted. Phoenix let out a fresh growl of frustration over her treatment of him as she continued. “There was also a fresh and rather sizable burn mark on the back of the victim’s neck. Unfortunately, we couldn’t determine the cause of it.”

A burn mark? Hmm… Phoenix thought as he scratched his chin, his mind turning.

“That wasn’t the cause of death, though. It was the electrocution that did him in. The investigators found decisive evidence pointing to Rainbow Trash as the assailant in this crime,” Trixie announced with a gleeful grin on her face.

“And what was that?” The Judge asked.

“We believe that a storm cloud found hovering directly above the crime scene was the murder weapon,” Trixie announced matter-of-factly.

Phoenix voiced his first objection of the trial in dramatic fashion with a raised arm and pointed finger, announcing his protest of the evidence in a loud, clear voice. “A STORM CLOUD?! You call THAT decisive?! How could you place blame on my client for THAT?!” he demanded to know, , emphatically slamming the rail with his hands and certain he’d won the case right then and there. “Unless you are honestly suggesting Rainbow Dash can move clouds around and make them shoot lightning at will?” he mocked Trixie with his hands on his hips and a triumphant grin, certain he had the upper hand, only to realize the entire courtroom was staring at him in stunned silence…

A silence that stretched for many awkward and uncomfortable seconds. Why is everyone looking at me like that? he wanted to know, his triumphant smile starting to falter.

“Oh, Mister Wright…” Twilight had buried her face in her hoof, looking very embarrassed and disappointed to him.

He turned to her in some confusion. “What’s her problem, Twilight? She can’t honestly think someone can control the weather. It’s ludicrous!” Phoenix insisted in perfect earnestness.

Trixie responded before his acting co-counsel could. “You have to be the biggest imbecile Trixie has ever laid eyes on!” she proclaimed.

“But… but... what did I say?” Phoenix asked, still not comprehending.

“Mister Wright? Controlling the weather is a pegasus job here in Equestria. It’s sort of what they do,” The Judge explained, sounding very embarrassed for him.

“Er… um… what?” Phoenix stammered, suddenly feeling beads of sweat rolling down his face and neck.

“They schedule and control the weather, Phoenix. When it rains, snows, or even the wind blows… that is all pegasus doing. They’ve even got a factory that produces clouds and all other aspects of weather in their home city of Cloudsdale, ” Twilight informed him unhappily, her words causing Phoenix’s heart to sink into the floor.

“Oh, sorry. My mistake.” He laughed it off nervously; his hand behind his head again.

“Trixie knew you were incompetent, but this? HA! This will be a walk in the park!” the showmare prosecutor again boasted, and this time, Phoenix couldn’t work up much anger at her, knowing her ridicule was well-deserved.

“You have spent enough time in my courtroom to know that ill-thought objections earn an immediate penalty, Mister Wright!” The Judge announced with a sharp rap of his gavel, imposing a mild form of sanction that would later result in a fine; if he accrued enough penalties over time he’d end up kicked off the case or, if his offenses were egregious enough, found in contempt of court or referred to a judicial misconduct board for more severe punishment. “The Defense will refrain from any more such ignorant outbursts or they will be reprimanded!” The Judge further announced, driving the knife deeper.

“Maybe you should have—oh, I don’t know. Studied?!” Twilight piled on, all but hissing out the word, giving him another very angry and accusing look.

“I said I was sorry!” he cringed; sure the bookish unicorn wouldn’t even remotely think of him as an intellectual now.

“Continuing…” Trixie grinned, looking to all present like she was thoroughly enjoying herself. “It is common knowledge among weather workers that when a pegasus triggers a cloud to release lightning, the first bolt will always strike directly under it. As the victim’s body was discovered directly under the storm cloud in question, we can safely conclude it was the first bolt that killed him. And as for who triggered it? This particular storm cloud bore hoof markings of the rainbow-colored loser currently sitting in the defendant’s chair,” Trixie announced with a triumphant look at Twilight.

An incensed Rainbow Dash stood up out of the defendant’s seat, fed up with the unending insults. “I’ll show you who’s a loser, you two-bit fraud!” she announced, flaring her wings, ready to attack Trixie again right in the middle of the courtroom.

The entire courtroom went into an uproar at that. “ORDER!! ORDER IN THE COURT, I SAY!!” The Judge pounded his gavel repeatedly to silence the room. “The Defendant will remain seated for the duration of the trial!” he further directed, motioning to two unicorn bailiffs to restrain the hot-blooded pegasus mare, the pair holding her down with magic while they put wing and hoof restraints on her.

“This is a disaster.” Twilight facehoofed again as she spoke.

“Speak for yourself, Sparkle. Trixie believes everything is going swimmingly!” the showmare all but preened before turning back to The Judge. “So in summary, Your Honor… we know the manner of death and the murder weapon, and have hard proof the latter was in the defendant’s possession. As such, Trixie believes this is a very open-and-shut case,” she proclaimed, looking immensely smug and satisfied with herself.

“As do I. There aren’t many ways to be electrocuted in the middle of the forest,” The Judge agreed, nodding thoughtfully. “Well, there was that one incident when I was camping with the bug zapper. I accidentally walked into it and it nearly fried my beard off!” he reminisced.

I never saw The Judge as an outdoorsman, Phoenix noted idly, trying to use the observation to refocus his flustered and scattered thoughts. “I’d like to ask some questions!” he announced, slamming his hands on the rail in an attempt to sound authoritative.

“Fine then, Mister Wrong. Ask away!” Trixie invited, giving him a contemptuous smirk.

“It’s Wright!” he corrected the showmare, wanting to beat her worse than ever but knowing there was a long road to get there… and worse, there was now a large, self-dug hole to climb out of first. “First off, how were the police notified of the murder? It was in the middle of the forest, right? Who reported it?” he wanted to know.

Trixie shrugged. “It was quite peculiar, actually,” she began in a mysterious tone, leaving Phoenix itching to know more.

Maybe the pony who reported it had a connection to the crime? Guess I’m about to find out! he decided, hoping that his ignorance of Equestria wouldn’t trip him up yet again.

Author's Notes:

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

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 Notes:

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 I 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 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 Notes:

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’ Dashs 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 Notes:

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, whom 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 sunk.

“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 Notes:

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 pegasi 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.

He could only pray that even if it worked, that Twilight and Fluttershy might one day forgive him.

Author's Notes:

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 this 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 Notes:

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.

“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.

“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 passerbys.

“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 Notes:

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on February 13, 2018.

Part 14 - The Other Side of the Rainbow

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!

Author's Notes:

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 Notes:

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on February 13, 2018.

Part 16 - Pinkie Pied!

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 Notes:

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.

“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 Notes:

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 Notes:

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on February 24, 2018.

Part 19 - Next Steps

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:

“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 Notes:

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on March 11, 2018.

Part 20 - The Lawyer and the Tailor

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.

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!

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 Notes:

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on March 11, 2018.

Part 21 - Apple Siblings

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.

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 Notes:

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 Notes:

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on April 4, 2018.

Part 23 - Unexpected Turn of Events

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.

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.

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 Notes:

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on April 4, 2018.

Part 24 - Double Blackmail

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 at that. “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 for her 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, 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 by his claim.

“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, 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 Notes:

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on May 4, 2018.

Part 25 - End of the Day

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 Notes:

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on May 4, 2018.

Part 26 - Where It All Begins...

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 Notes:

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on May 14, 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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNErOof3O8g

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 Notes:

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on May 14, 2018.

Part 28 - The Caged Kindness

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 Notes:

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on May 26, 2018.

Part 29 - Apple Cruising

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 oua! 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 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 Notes:

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on May 26, 2018.

Part 30 - Judge Off Court

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 Notes:

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on June 9, 2018.

Part 31 - A Locked Heart

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 Notes:

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on June 9, 2018.

Part 32 - The Rod, The Eyes...and the Muffin

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:

“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.

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 Notes:

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on June 12, 2018.

Part 33 - Griffons of a Feather

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:

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.

“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 Notes:

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on June 12, 2018.

Part 34 - The Vigilante

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.

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 Notes:

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on July 2, 2018.

Part 35 - Intriguing Turn of Events

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.

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.

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.

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 Notes:

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on July 2, 2018.

Part 36 - Cruise's Twilight

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.

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! Nothing was 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! Now do 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 Notes:

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 he thought him uncovering the truth would endanger her 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.

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!” Owlolicious 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 Notes:

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

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…”

“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. A 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’s 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!