• Published 7th Jan 2012
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Phoenix Wright - Turnabout Storm! - Firesight



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?

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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.

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