Part 36 - Cruise's Twilight
Ponyville Detention Center
June 10th, 5:10pm
As Twilight returned to the Detention Center for the second time that day, thoughts of her upcoming interrogation of Cruise Control mingled with memories of the inkwell debacle from her earlier visit.
Oh, come on, Twilight. it WAS kind of funny! she grudgingly admitted with a weak grin, knowing she’d probably never live the ink-spattered image of herself down. At least it was Fluttershy who saw it and not Pinkie or Rainbow! she thought, knowing if those two had seen her in that state, she’d never hear the end of it.
To her relief, a new shift of guards was on duty so she was spared further embarrassment, though the unicorn mare at the front desk who had given her the mirror was still there, looking up and unable to suppress a smile when she saw Twilight again. Flushing a bit, Twilight asked for a pencil as she signed in—should have used that instead of an ink quill this morning! she now ruefully acknowledged—which was promptly floated to her by the unicorn mare with a look of sympathy and amusement.
As she was escorted back to the meeting area following a quick search of her saddlebags, the guards warned her that Cruise Control had remained silent during police interrogation and was apparently refusing to speak with anypony, not even his attorney, also warning her that there were only twenty minutes left before civilian visiting hours were over. Twilight gave them a terse acknowledgment as she was let in, knowing time was short with several questions in her head all demanding they be asked first.
Why did he drop out of the race? Why did he want to re-enter? Why did he attack Phoenix and leave him for dead? she pondered as she looked through the cells, finally spotting the faint figure of a pony in the dim light behind a sectioned partition at the far end of the room. I’m going to get all the answers right NOW! she vowed as she entered the partition to see it was indeed Cruise Control on the other side of the glass.
Despite her earlier promise to keep her temper in check, the sight of him set Twilight off and she vented her fury at his ambush of Phoenix with her first question. “Why did you attack Rainbow Dash’s lawyer?” she all but shouted, her mane starting to smoke and eyes beginning to glow red again until a sharp stab of pain through her horn reminded her of the Detention Center’s magical dampening field. Deep breaths, Twilight. Deep breaths… she told herself for the second time that day, vowing she’d start learning new meditative techniques the first chance she got.
But Cruise remained silent, seemingly unaffected by her outburst and refusing to look at or speak with her. He looked utterly broken and forlorn, his head bowed and wings drooped to his sides; as she studied him, Twilight realized he hadn’t even preened his feathers back into place after she and Pinkie had pinned them down. She was especially troubled by the last—pegasi were usually meticulous about keeping their wings in perfect working order; to neglect them implied severe illness or depression. “Uh… I’m sorry. Am I sounding too mean?” she asked, feeling her anger ebbing as she stared at the shell of a pony before her, seeing no longer Phoenix’s assailant but a defeated and dispirited prisoner.
Ignoring her change in tone, Cruise stayed silent, looking down at the floor instead of Twilight.
He looks so sad. I can’t let that distract me though, Twilight reminded herself. I’ll try to get him to talk by asking about the secret I know he’s hiding, she decided, altering her tactics to be less confrontational. “Cruise—I need your help. I think you know something that can help clear my friend, so please tell me:
“Did you have something against Ace Swift?”
*BANG!!!* *Krraaashshh* *krrasshh* *bang* *rattle* *krraasshhhh* *bam!* *Bam!* *BAM!!*
Cruise visibly stiffened at the question and, just as before, a series of phantom chains materialized out of the darkness and wrapped around him, followed by the appearance of three red padlocks at the chain junctions.
These are those ‘psycho-locks’! Twilight noted, finally having a name to put to the phenomenon that had so badly frightened her the first time she saw it. “Cruise, please tell me about Ace. For my friend’s sake, I have to know.”
Upon hearing Ace Swift’s name again, Cruise’s ears perked up and he raised his head to look Twilight in the eye. “Do I look like I’m in the mood to talk about him right now?” he bit out, his voice suddenly as sharp as his stare.
“No. But mentioning him broke your silence.” Twilight met his gaze evenly.
Cruise sighed at that, looking back down at the floor. “I have nothing to say to you or anypony else,” he insisted, going back to his downcast state.
Twilight was not discouraged by his declaration. “I’m sorry, Cruise, but I can’t accept that. You don’t like Ace, and I want to know why.”
But Cruise was hard-headed. “I told you already—I have nothing against him!” he still insisted, turning his suddenly-smoldering green eyes back to Twilight.
The anger behind his gaze was not lost on her. “Well, I think you do!” she pressed on. I can be just as stubborn as you are, Cruise!
Cruise gave a sharp sigh and visibly rolled his eyes. “You really want to waste time playing this game? Fine!” He set his jaw, looking like he was grinding his teeth. “So tell me, Twilight Sparkle—exactly why would I have something against him?” he challenged, glaring at her. “So what if he beats me every time? Everypony does that every year anyway! I’d hold resentment towards every single racer in the Equestrian 500 if that were the case!”
As he spoke, Twilight noted how his entire personality seemed to have changed; there was no longer a trace of the self-deprecating persona Lenora claimed he wore as a façade. So this must be his real self, she realized, deciding that even if he was being belligerent, she much preferred this version of him to the previous one she’d met. “You’re right. It has nothing to do with the race. It stems from something much deeper than that, doesn’t it?” Twilight speculated.
Cruise fell silent again but didn’t let up his glare.
Twilight went for her saddlebags, shrugging them off her back and opening them up. “The reason you don’t like Ace is because of…”
“This!” Twilight showed Cruise Control the picture of him and his sister that Lenora gave her earlier that day, holding it in her hoof.
Cruise’s face went from irritated to shocked, the pegasus stallion suddenly wide-eyed and stuttering badly when he spoke. “W-where… h-how did you get that?” he stammered, looking to her like he was going weak in the legs.
“An old friend of yours gave it to me. She told me all about your sister,” Twilight explained, a note of sympathy making it into her voice. “I also noticed how your personality completely changed when Apple Bloom brought up her elder sister earlier today,” she added, remembering his reaction to the young filly’s outburst:
“Mah big sister is mean to me all the time! She grounds me and makes me do a bunch of lame chores! It’s like she doesn’t even care about me at all!” Apple Bloom exclaimed, stomping her hoof in resentment and anger.
“Don’t say that,” Cruise instructed the young filly, his voice quiet. “Older siblings always care for the well-being of their younger brothers and sisters,” he told her in a strangely fervent tone.
When she finished quoting him, Twilight looked at Cruise directly. “You’re an older sibling, and I have it on good authority that you’ve done everything possible to take care of your stricken sister. So I have a strong feeling this all relates to her,” she deduced, seeing Cruise visibly cringe at her conclusion.
And with that, one of the locks… broke!
Twilight’s eyes widened in surprise and delight, scarcely able to believe her accomplishment. Phoenix was RIGHT! Proof and evidence, just like he SAID! she thought giddily, struggling to keep the smile off her face. This is so EXCITING! The possibilities with the Magatama’s power are ENDLESS! Maybe I could even use it to—! she caught herself before she could continue her flight of fancy, realizing she couldn’t get sidetracked from the matter at hoof.
Oops! Focus, Twilight! Gotta break the other two first! she reminded herself, looking back at Cruise to continue her questioning. “So what is it about your sister and Ace?”
“I don’t know. You tell me!” Cruise shrugged as he spoke with what Twilight sensed was a very feigned indifference.
I will, then! she promised with her thoughts, unfazed by his thick-headed attitude. “Well… I heard she isn’t in a great condition right now.” She paused long enough to see Cruise’s lips tighten. “She’s in a coma, isn’t she?”
“I don’t wanna talk about this anymore!” Cruise snapped at her, turning away to leave.
Afraid of losing him, Twilight quickly pressed on before he could step away. “But she is in Canterlot hospital according to your friend, Lenora?”
He froze at her mention, taking on a momentarily panicked look. “S-so what?” Cruise stammered and looked back fractionally at her, his reaction telling Twilight she was on the right track.
“Cruise? I used to live in Canterlot. The hospital there is among the best there is, but it’s specifically reserved for Canterlot citizens and nobles. Non-Canterlot citizens are stuck with normal clinics, but you and your sister are from Manehattan,” she noted. Upon her saying this, Cruise Control deflated again, his wings and head drooping down towards the floor as Twilight continued. “You somehow snuck your sister in there to get the best treatment, as it’s the only hospital out there able to keep her condition stable. And I think I know how you got her in there,” she announced as Cruise looked back at her in disbelief.
“You had to have help from this pony…”
“The late Ace Swift.”
With great deliberateness, Cruise turned back to face her, giving her a sour scowl. “What are you trying to pull here, Twilight Sparkle? First you say I hate him, and then you say I got help from him?” he asked derisively, glaring at her again, his disheveled wings flaring in anger for the first time. “So which is it?”
Twilight shook her head and continued on, certain his ire was less directed at her than at Ace. “He’s both a citizen and a celebrity. I don’t think it’s a stretch to guess he pulled strings for you to get your sister in that hospital.”
Cruise began to visibly sweat. “I… I…” he stuttered as another of the locks shattered with a sharp sound of breaking glass.
Twilight felt another surge of excitement at her feat. YES! Just one left! And from what Phoenix said, If I can break THIS one, I’ll finally get the TRUTH!
Cruise shook off his panic and stood his ground. “NO! You still didn’t answer my question! Why would I hate him, Twilight Sparkle? In fact, I should be in his eternal debt from what you’re telling me!” he insisted, punctuating his statement with a stomp of his hoof.
Twilight didn’t answer right away. She studied him carefully, finally making a connection she would later think she should have seen from the start. “I’m beginning to understand why you and Lenora resent him so much,” she speculated, putting a hoof to her chin in a half-conscious imitation of Phoenix. Guess he IS rubbing off on me!
“Really? Because you’re telling me the complete opposite!” Cruise scowled and glared at Twilight.
Looking past his glare, Twilight studied him carefully. “Am I, though? I’m starting to think it’s not that you don’t want to tell me. It’s that you can’t tell me. Am I right?” she asked him, thinking his hostility sounded a little too forced.
Forced or not, Cruise’s expression turned even more sour. “You’re making less and less sense with every word you speak!”
Twilight ignored the insult as everything finally fell into place in her head. “I think I have all the puzzle pieces put together now,” she announced, going for her saddlebags one last time.
“And the reason you can’t tell me has to do with this…”
Twilight brought out the race program pamphlet and showed it to him, holding it in her mouth. “Take a look at this race program here,” she spoke around the brochure, laying it on the floor between them.
Cruise took a look at it through the partition and shrugged, but Twilight noticed his eyes narrow in anger when he saw the picture of Ace. “That’s for this year’s Equestrian 500. So what?”
“Care to look at slot number three?” Twilight pointed to it with a hoof. “It’s empty, but why?” she asked in a rhetorical tone, going on when Cruise didn’t respond. “According to someone I spoke with, you arrived in Ponyville a couple of days ago, not this morning,” she explained, watching his reaction carefully.
She noticed Cruise froze momentarily before catching himself. “Okay, so I lied about when I got here. What’s the big deal?” he asked derisively, taking on a dismissive air.
“The big deal is that you signed up for the race when you arrived a couple days ago, but then dropped out shortly afterwards, just before these programs were printed,” Twilight revealed, which made Cruise fall silent once more. “That’s why there’s an empty line—it was originally supposed to be your name there, wasn’t it? And then right after Ace Swift’s death you were on your way to re-enter? That can only mean that Ace was the reason you withdrew!”
Cruise shifted nervously as Twilight said those last words to him.
“It was because of him, wasn’t it?” She leaned close to the partition and looked him in the eye. “He was threatening to take your sister out of that hospital if you didn’t drop out!” she deduced, shocked at her own conclusion, scarcely able to believe anypony could be so cruel.
“Nnggh!!” Cruise gave a pained sound and looked away.
Twilight stared expectantly at the final lock, but to her surprise, it remained intact. It DIDN’T break? Guess I just need to push a bit harder! she decided, quickly thinking of a way to do so. “I know now, Cruise. Why you lose all the time. Why Lenora got angry when I brought up Ace. Why he was carrying embarrassing pictures of my friend. And why you act like a loser when you’re not.”
“You do?” Cruise asked, staring at Twilight in disbelief and… hope? Twilight saw an odd glint in his eyes that almost made her think he was silently urging her on.
She obliged him. “It’s all a big conspiracy, isn’t it? The secret to Ace Swift’s success wasn’t that he was so good…” she paused to carefully review her thoughts, trying to make sure each link in her logic chain was sound before she presented her final conclusion. “His secret was that he was blackmailing all the tough competition… wasn’t he?”
Cruise went silent and exhaled sharply at that moment, looking as if all the tension he’d been holding had suddenly been drained out of him. “Twilight?” he finally spoke.
“Yes?” her ears perked up, watching the final lock intently.
To her surprise, he locked eyes with her and gave a grateful smile. “Thank you for figuring this out by yourself.”
Upon Cruise’s remark, the last lock broke and the chains receded back into the darkness.
—— Unlock Successful ——
The back hairs of Twilight’s mane stood on end at this, an odd and not unpleasant tingling sensation going through them. YES! I did it! I broke all the psycho-locks! she silently cheered her feat, feeling giddy at her accomplishment and successful first use of the Magatama’s magic.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t just tell you straight out,” Cruise apologized, no trace of hostility left in his voice.
Twilight nodded in understanding, half-thinking she should find a way to keep the Magatama’s power even after Phoenix went home. “It’s alright. But now that it is out, would you be willing to share a bit more information with me?” she asked politely as she pulled out the borrowed pencil and scroll paper from her saddlebags, expecting Cruise would now ‘spill the beans’, as Phoenix had put it. That’s an odd idiom, though. Where did it come from? she couldn’t help but wonder.
But Cruise Control just took on his forlorn expression again, going downcast with his wings drooping to his sides once more. “I don’t know what else to tell you, Twilight Sparkle. Everything you said was true,” he admitted, sitting down on his haunches before her.
“Then just answer me a few questions,” she suggested sympathetically, carefully reviewing what she wanted to ask as she picked up the racing program and placed a sheet of scroll paper on the floor in its place. “First, if he was doing this to you, why participate in the race every year?” she wanted to know, picking up the pencil in her mouth. No feathers, no ink, just plain wood with a graphite core, and it’s easy to hold in my mouth. Why didn’t I think of this before?
He shook his head sadly. “Because he forced me to do that as well. After all, if you want to look like the world’s best athlete, you need competition,” Cruise noted bitterly, waiting to go on until Twilight had finished writing her first line. “It’s not just me, either. He forced the best of us to race him just so we could lose to him. Lenora and the others who’ve fallen victim to his blackmail—pony or griffon, it didn’t matter—sort of just treat second place like first.”
“If he forced you to race him before, why did he make you drop out this time, then?” Twilight followed up as she finished writing the first note.
He deflated again, lowering his head. “Because of what happened last year.”
“Last year?” Twilight repeated, raising an eyeridge, her pencil poised to start a new line of notes.
Cruise let out a big sigh before explaining. “I was competing in last year’s Equestrian 500. It was late in the race, and I was well behind, losing just as he wanted me to… but then I accidentally flew right into a storm that blew up in the middle of the race route over the Everfree Forest. I ended up flying headlong into a tornado and blacked out,” he began, visibly wincing at the memory, Twilight doing the same in sympathy—the Ponyville weather patrol occasionally had to deal with wild weather that rolled in off the Everfree; she’d seen some of those forest-spawned storms at a distance and knew how dangerous they could be. And Phoenix’s world can’t control weather? What do humans do when a storm like that comes; just hunker down and PRAY?
“When I came to, I was in a bush and pretty badly beat up from crashing through the forest canopy. I had been thrown way off course and knew I needed medical assistance, so I flew as fast as I could to get back on the track—thankfully, my wings still worked,” he told her, shuddering at the memory.
“I was woozy, bleeding and in a lot of pain, and when I saw the checkered flag up ahead, I thought the tornado had sent me so far off course that the race was already long over. So I used every drop of adrenaline to take me to the finish line,” he continued, grimacing and cradling his left rib cage with a forehoof at what Twilight guessed was his remembered agony.
When Twilight’s writing had caught up again, he went on. “I finally made it back to the course, but right as I was about to cross I heard something behind me. So I looked back and saw the other racers with Ace ahead of the pack! It was only then I realized the tornado had in fact thrown me far ahead and I was about to win,” he remembered, a ghost of a smile touching his face. “I was actually happy for a moment and began to speed up! But then I remembered Ace’s deal…” he trailed off meaningfully, going downcast again.
Understanding dawned on Twilight as she continued to write. “So he thought you were deliberately trying to win?”
Cruise nodded ruefully. “Yeah. So just before crossing the finish line, I fell out of the sky like my injuries had overcome me and let him win. Nopony questioned it afterwards because they could see the state I was in,” he noted, taking a deep breath as he looked back at Twilight. “I spent a week in the hospital after that with broken ribs and internal injuries, which was bad enough. But then Ace himself came to visit me and made it a photo-op of him comforting an injured competitor!” He snorted angrily. “I guess he didn’t want to take the risk of losing to me so he made me drop out completely this year. I suspect he did it to your friend for the same reason.”
“Rainbow Dash?”
“Yeah. Her,” Cruise confirmed, looking thoughtful for a moment. “I’m guessing she was targeted by him for the performance she gave at the Cloudsdale Young Flyers’ competition. I’m sure he didn’t want somepony who could perform a stunt like… that competing against him,” he concluded, looking almost envious for a moment as he recalled the story of the Sonic Rainboom.
“But how do you know all this?” Twilight asked, looking up from her note scroll again.
Cruise hesitated a moment before replying. “Because when I arrived in Ponyville, I bribed the concierge to let me into his hotel room and found a slip of paper saying he was meeting Rainbow Dash in the forest at 8:35 PM that night. No doubt negotiating one of his ‘deals’ in private, like he did with the rest of us,” he stated bitterly.
So THAT’S why Ace was in the forest that night! Twilight instantly realized, her eyes widening. “So why did you finally decide to expose him?”
Pure fury flashed through his green eyes. “Because… I… was… SICK OF IT!!!!” Cruise Control exploded, lashing out with an angry, frustrated buck at the wall, chipping out a large chunk of concrete and causing Twilight to flinch back, her purple eyes wide. “I wanted to end his reign and expose him as the lowlife fraud he really was! It’s wrong what he’s been doing to me and everypony else, and I couldn’t take it anymore! 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.
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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
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Great! The grammar and stuff are now perfect. These last chapters have nicely improved. Good job!
2470781 Well, I got a great editor... he helped me a lot and yeah~ I admit my grammar is a bit off... but with a little spic and span, he made it more... how you say~ Interesting...
Damn it Twilight pull those Royal connections, get that blackmailing bastard for what he did
While I never played Phoenix Wright, I thoroughly enjoy watching let's plays of it simply for the intensity of the trials (and the sillyness of the characters). Will add this to read later, hopefully it'll be a treat
Who wants to bet Ace Swift deliberately injured Cruise Control's sister when he learned how good he was? And of course Lenora served as his eyes and ears.
2470946
I wouldn't put it past Ace to deliberately injure her, but I'd be very surprised if Lenora was involved.
My first thought?
This is copied from the Youtube mini-movie sort of the thing, right?
Second thought?
This is probably gonna be good.
I'll read this later. Looks like a humongous story, need some big time.
2471106
It's a novelization of the youtube series, yes, written by Raven (with permission) and edited/embellished by myself. It's long, but so's the youtube series--at over six hours long and still growing, I wouldn't exactly call it a mini-movie. A miniseries, maybe...
As a fan of the fan-films, this novelization is really interesting. It stays true to the source material while adding elements that don't detract from it.
The implied romance between Twilight and Phoenix is a very nice touch, and the addition of season 2 mentions is appreciated as well. Even if certain things in the series don't mesh with season 2 or 3 canon.
2471295
What is the mini series called?
you just put my number 1 tv show with my number 6 best video game series. I know this is gonna be awesome. I just hope Maya and Pearls are also in this.
2471085 I meant to say Sonata although I think he may have acted solo in hurting Crusie Control's sister. He also used Sonata to find out information about his targets and used her to keep an eye on his blackmailed victims. But if Sonta was a lawyer it does beg the question of how he kept her quiet, perhaps he blackmailed her as well?
2472144
Ah, okay. Sonata makes a lot more sense...
As to how he kept her quiet... I'm guessing he didn't have to for a long time; the letter she wrote implies she was a willing participant in the blackmail scheme until her guilty conscience finally caught up to her. She tried to leave but Ace wouldn't let her, so she followed him to the forest much like Cruise did in hopes of exposing him.
After Dash left, things went very wrong, I'd bet she didn't initially plan to kill him, but there was a confrontation between the two that ended very badly--he probably told her something to the effect of, "If I go down, you go down!" and left Sonata with only one way out. So she knocked him out, used the golf club as a makeshift lightning rod and either levitated him into the cloud/brought the cloud down to him and waited. That way, the bolt would never have left the cloud, meaning no noise and very little flash, which is why neither Apple Bloom, Fluttershy or Gilda saw it. However she got the lightning to hit him, she was injured by a feedback shock through her horn, which is why she was in pain afterwards and had to carry the golf club out of the woods manually.
That's my guess, anyway.
2472744 That seems very logical. Of course the fact that we're still guessing at this point shows the writers are doing a good job. In a mystery story the goal is to leave the readers in the dark as to whodunit so they can draw their own conclusions and thus makes the reveal all the more dramatic.
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Sorry bout that. I tend to run out of alternative words and end up using the next word that sounds familiar.
I'll try and read this afterschool if I have some time. It looks delicious.
Get this right. I had a fair amount of pretty important work to do today, last year of high school and all. Except I started reading the first chapter, and I was hooked. Stuck to my guns all day and got here. So, got no work done, but on the other hand, read this amazing fic! Thanks... I think.
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Thanks. And you're right--the fact that we're still guessing indicates a very good story, and I don't doubt there are a couple surprises left to come. So what's your guess on what the embarrassing photographs of Rainbow Dash were?
2476981 Probably something like ballet. I can imagine she wouldn't like being seen in a tutu. Or perhaps they were pictures of her showering, you know how embarassing those are.
Awesome! I'm watching this on YouTube!!
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Very glad to hear you say that. We've been worried about the how the story enhancements would be received, particularly the Phoenix/Twilight part.
The videos were started between seasons 1 and 2, so that's when the story takes place. It's easy to add a few season 2 and 3 references to the novelization with the benefit of having seen their episodes, but that's not really an option for the videos themselves since they're kind of locked in.
In terms of the Phoenix Wright universe, my understanding is that Turnabout Storm takes place between the second and third Ace Attorney games, Justice for All and Trials and Tribulations. I will say that I had never heard of Phoenix Wright before Turnabout Storm. The videos got me into it, and I watched all the Ace Attorney game walkthroughs. Having done so, I get all the references now and see how well-integrated they are into the greater story. Just one more reason this production is so good.
2493354
Of course!
What do humans do when a storm like that comes, just hunker down and pray?
Sounds like Twi would be really surprised with what humans can do after the worst of storms passes. (I will note that the "stronger than the storm" adds did come to mind when I read that.)
At any rate...
2504071: Certainly explains some of the contradictions I noted. Specifically those regarding the first one to come up with the "Feenie" nickname. Not going to get into many details. Spoilers and all.
But all-in-all, I'd say you definitely helped make this adaptation top notch.
2504071 i really enjoyed the enhancements
and i noticed u dropped some hints as to females being the dominant gender in the history of equestria. id like to see twilight discover that males were the dominant gender in our own history. should be good for a couple laughs.
(if u do it)(please do 
)
rating:
8.5/10
annnd just like that, storm turnabout became 20% cooler. thank you authors for adding the extra content to this already awesome story.
I think I figured out who did it. But, I'll put in spoiler for those who wish to draw their own conclusions. Frieza did it.
Maybe the reason Celestia knows who Phoenix is is because she is reincarnated Mia who has detained her memories
5422874 And you were right all along! That dastardly villain is behind EVERYTHING!!
Especially since he got wished back a zillion times more powerful... seriously, if any of the Z crew farted they'd blow up a planet at this point.
Locks and chains baby.
Use it on Phoenix to see if he fancies her? I'm not sure where she's going with this. Asking him with the magatama is no different than without it really. Am I overthinking this? My brain is still smoldering from reviewing stories all night.
That sucks.
That was kind of you to patch that particular plothole, though I take it as granted that characters in Ace Attorney just carry important evidence and sometimes even useless crap as a point of policy — like Matt Engarde and his stupid wineglass.
static4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120729213525/aceattorney/images/c/ce/Evil_Matt_1.gif
Your life is a lie.
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Psyche-locks are one of the coolest contrivances of the whole AA series, if you ask me. And yes, they would be something Twilight would be interested in studying.
I'm not sure what I was thinking when I wrote that line, but yeah, that's as good a thought as any.
And it blows...
They always have important evidence on them, even behind bars, and are wearing their regular clothes as well instead of prison jumpsuits. Really, guys? How did Engarde smuggle a wine goblet in with him?
As long as my cake isn't!
I cringe every time I see "parchment" in a pony story. It's not like we haven't seen looseleaf and spiral notebooks in the show.
8705044
But we’ve clearly seen parchment scrolls with old-fashioned quills and ink containers too. Why is it wrong to not reference those? The story is modeled after the early version of the show, where they were more prevalent and indeed, this takes place pretty much right after the first season of the show. So I don’t see an issue here.