//------------------------------// // Part 4 - Seeking Evidence // Story: Phoenix Wright - Turnabout Storm! // by Firesight //------------------------------// Everfree Forest June 9th, 11:30PM Twilight and Phoenix entered the forest a short distance from Fluttershy’s cottage. As they walked along the path, the trees closed in, and it became so dark that Phoenix could barely see his hands in front of his face. “Welcome to the Everfree Forest, Mister Wright,” Twilight announced, the unicorn mare just a barely-seen shadow on the path in front of him. “Kind of spooky,” Phoenix said nervously, trying to keep the tremor out of his voice as he found himself jumping at every unfamiliar sound. “There are many deadly creatures in the Everfree Forest. Most ponies tend to avoid entering here because of that,” Twilight noted matter-of-factly, sending fresh chills down her human visitor's spine. “D-deadly… creatures?” he repeated, stammering at his own words. At that moment he felt something brush by him. “AHH!!! Something just touched my hand!!!” he panicked. Twilight giggled at him. “That was just my tail. Don’t worry Phoenix, we’re not that deep. Most of the menacing things live much further in,” she assured him, trying to make him feel more comfortable. And if you don’t mind, you can also stop touching it now! she couldn’t quite bring herself to say out loud. “Uh… oh. Okay,” he said, thinking that with his larger and more muscular figure, he should be the brave one ‘protecting’ the smaller female pony, not the other way around! Come on! Don’t be such a chicken, Phoenix! he ordered himself, trying to regain his courage and manhood, imagining all the fun Maya would make of him for it. Just then, the trees parted to reveal a small break in the woods, the oversized moon giving just enough light to recognize it. “Look, there’s a clearing. This must be it,” Phoenix said, still nervous. Twilight stopped and went silent for a moment, causing Phoenix to bump into her from behind, his hand brushing her hip and tail again before he backed off in surprise. “Hard to believe somepony died here,” she said, moving fractionally away and doing her best to ignore the contact, grateful Phoenix couldn’t see her blushing in the dark. “But it’s deserted. Where’s your CSI?” he asked Twilight, attempting to keep his voice casual and stay as close behind her as he could without actually touching her, trying hard to convince himself it was for her protection and not his. He could just see her head turn back to look at him. “CSI?” “Crime Scene Investigators,” he clarified quickly, resisting the urge to make a joke and don dark glasses. But I don’t even have a pair. And Maya says my jokes are lame anyway! “Oh, you mean police forensics? They were out here earlier, but they’ve probably all finished up,” she answered, getting a bit uncomfortable at his proximity. Phoenix shrugged, trying to remain casual and master his fears. “Bonus for us, I guess. Let’s get to work, then,” he said, trying to sound easygoing, stepping up next to her. “But there’s one little problem. It’s so dark that I can hardly see anything, and I don’t have a flashlight,” he admitted. “No problem, Mister Wright. I can take care of that,” Twilight offered, taking the excuse to move away from him. Not waiting for an acknowledgment, she trotted forward into the clearing and made her horn glow with a bright white light, illuminating the entire area and causing some spots in his vision. Phoenix was very surprised, astonishment overriding his fear. It’s that horn of hers again—it’s lighting up like a lantern! That must be really handy! he thought, idly wondering if he could have a horn like that. “Wow, that’s really neat! Thank you, Twilight!” he praised, very grateful to be out of the dark. He couldn’t see her blush anew in the light of her horn. “You’re welcome, Mister Wright,” she told him. If he thinks a simple illumination spell is ‘neat’, he’s going to be really impressed at what other magic I can do! “Alright! Now that we’ve got some light, let’s find some clues!” she said in some excitement. She seems really eager to start this! Phoenix thought, a bit amazed at her activeness as he followed her into the clearing, her enthusiasm reminding him strongly of Maya at that moment. She does seem a lot more mature, though, he couldn’t help but note, wondering what his teenage assistant would think of her or this new world in general. “Hey, look at this.” Twilight cut short his train of thought as she trotted over to where an outline of a pony was visible on the ground. “Why is there tape all over the grass?” she asked him, looking down at the oddly-shaped outline. Phoenix knelt down beside it with a grim expression, knowing only too well why. “Well, if it’s anything like in my world… this is probably where they found Ace Swift’s body.” Twilight’s eyes widened and she felt her stomach lurch, the glow from her horn wavering for a moment. “It marks his body? Ugh… I think I’m going to be sick!” She turned away, her hoof going to her muzzle for a moment as she struggled to hold back a sudden urge to vomit. Aaaand all that eagerness seemed to go away in one fell swoop, Phoenix thought to himself with a quickly suppressed grin, just grateful to be the ‘manly’ one again. “Wait—the victim was Ace Swift?” Twilight asked him, doing her best to choke back the bile that was still trying to rise in her throat. He nodded, wishing he had some water to offer her. “That’s what Rainbow Dash told me. Do you know of him?” “Most ponies do. He’s pretty famous,” Twilight mused, eyes narrowed as she tried to recall the details, slowly forcing her nausea back. “It’s strange though. There’s no blood at all,” Phoenix noted, examining the ground around the outline. “Uh… ponies can bleed, right?” he had to ask. “Of course we can!” she shot back in irritation, still feeling queasy. Phoenix winced at her tone. Guess that was kind of a stupid question. “It’s just really strange that there was a murder here, but there’s not a single drop of blood in sight,” he explained, pointing out his first contradiction of the crime scene. Twilight blinked, realizing he was right. Then her purple eyes noticed something strange about the ground. “The grass is odd, too. It’s all black,” she noted, poking at it with her hoof, feeling it crumble instantly to powder beneath her blunt appendage. Phoenix quickly turned his attention to what Twilight was referring to, experimentally patting the ground with his fingers before bringing them to his nose, picking up the distinct smell of soot from burned leaves and grass. “You’re right! It’s all charred and burned like there was a small fire around the body.” Sensing its significance, Phoenix wiped his hand with a handkerchief before taking out his digital camera, snapping a picture of the charred area with the tape outline in it. “’Steel Samurai’? That sure is an interesting-looking camera, Phoenix,” she noted curiously, reading the label on the side. “It’s not mine; it belongs to a friend,” Phoenix smiled, thinking he was going to have an incredible story to tell Maya when he finally returned home. That made him curious about what Twilight would think of his world, wondering what he might share with her about it. Hey! Maybe I should tell Twilight about ‘The Steel Samurai’! Amazing how a kids show got so popular outside its targeted demographic… he had the idle thought. “Hey, look there, Phoenix. There’s something on the ground next to where the body was.” Twilight pointed to a small charred object, almost invisible against the burnt grass. Phoenix picked it up and turned it over in his hand—a small and severely damaged L-shaped piece of metal, seared and at least slightly warped. “It’s a… what the heck is this thing?” Phoenix asked, showing it to Twilight. Twilight looked it over herself in the light of her horn, probing it with her aura a few times before finally shaking her head. “Aside from the fact it’s made of steel and wasn’t magically forged, I don’t have any idea.” ‘Magically’ forged? “Whatever it was, it’s totally burnt to a crisp,” Phoenix noted, rubbing the rough surface and finding small pieces of metal flaking off beneath his thumb. “Just like the grass,” Twilight noted again. Phoenix nodded in agreement. “This may be important evidence,” he pronounced, putting the odd object into a sealable bag Twilight offered him, labeling it and then adding it to a larger duffel bag she had also somehow produced. Where the heck did these come from? She didn’t bring a pack or anything… “Let’s look at the landscape over there.” He pointed across the clearing to where something seemed off to his eyes. “Sure thing!” Twilight agreed, following him to a small area at the left side of the crime scene to provide him the much-needed light of her horn. “What’s this?” Phoenix asked, pointing down. Twilight saw it too. “There’s an imprint of something in the dirt. Something long,” she recognized, her expression intent. “True. But that isn’t what I find odd.” He shook his head. “What do you mean?” “Look next to it—someone obviously disturbed the dirt there.” He motioned to a scuffed-up area of ground. Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “Now that you mention it, you’re right. This doesn’t look natural at all. It looks like somepony was kicking dirt around in this area,” she agreed. “Exactly. It might be signs of a struggle.” Phoenix pulled out his camera again to take a picture of the disturbed area. “See anything else suspicious?” he asked, looking around again. Twilight directed his attention to the opposite end of the clearing, pointing with a hoof. “Look at that tree way over there, at the other end of the crime scene.” Following her gaze, Phoenix saw it too—a freshly fallen tree. “The leaves are still unwilted. That means it’s been knocked down quite recently,” he observed. “You’re right, but look at that scorched trunk! It has the same burning as the grass and that metal object,” Twilight noted. “Huh. Can ponies breathe fire, or something?” Phoenix wondered 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!