• Published 7th Jan 2012
  • 28,860 Views, 2,735 Comments

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?

  • ...
74
 2,735
 28,860

PreviousChapters Next
Part 8 - An Apple in the Everfree

Phoenix and Twilight listened intently as Apple Bloom began her testimony, wondering what eyewitness account of the lightning bolt she could possibly offer.

—————— WITNESS TESTIMONY ——————
— Walkin’ Home —

“Ah went to Zecora’s place in the Everfree Forest to help her brew some stuff. After we were all done, Ah walked home along the pathway. Reckon it was right around 8:40 when I Ah heard and saw a lightning bolt… but it didn’t scare me! Then, Ah found my way out of the forest and went on home.”

The Judge nodded as Apple Bloom finished her statement, scratching his beard thoughtfully. “I see. So there was indeed a lightning bolt around the time of death! Mister Wright, this isn’t looking good for your client!” he pronounced gravely.

“Please, just let me cross-examine this witness, Your Honor!” Phoenix pleaded, wishing The Judge would refrain from casting aspersions on the defense’s case as he so often did.

“She’s just a foal, Phoenix. It might just be an overactive imagination?” Twilight suggested in an aside.

Phoenix scratched his chin, looking thoughtful. “I don’t think so. I think she’s being vague, if anything.”

Twilight gave him a curious look. “Vague? Meaning she’s not telling us everything?” she asked, uncertain where Phoenix was going.

“Exactly! I don’t think this will be so much about finding a contradiction as about pressing her testimony to bring out those extra nuggets of information,” Phoenix said with the certainty borne of experience, carefully reviewing in his head what he wanted to ask.

The Judge waited for them to finish their whispered conversation before he spoke again. “Enough discussion of strategy, Mister Wright. You may cross-examine the witness.”

“Yes, Your Honor,” Phoenix acknowledged, considering carefully what he wanted to ask first.

Trixie stopped him before he could begin. “Before we start the cross-examination—Trixie knows all about sneaky underhanded defense attorney tricks! If you dare press this innocent and fragile foal too hard, you will be punished!” she announced as if she were The Judge, leaning over the rail to make her point.

Twilight shot the showmare-turned-prosecutor a look of utter disbelief while Phoenix’s jaw went completely slack. “W-WHAT?!” the latter sputtered.

To his shock, instead of admonishing Trixie for usurping his authority, The Judge jumped on him as well. “She’s right! You better not hurt this sweet little one’s feelings, Mister Wright! I know your tactics only too well! You will be forced to face the consequences if you do!” he warned.

Children—the kryptonite of Phoenix Wright! he sulked to himself as he rubbed his eyes, wondering again why nothing ever came easy for him.

—————— CROSS-EXAMINATION ——————

“Ah went to Zecora’s place in the Everfree forest to help her brew some stuff…”

“Zecora? Who’s this?” Phoenix interrupted, hearing yet another unfamiliar name.

“She’s a zebra. A friend of mine who lives in th’ forest,” Apple Bloom replied.

Phoenix blinked. There are talking zebras here as well? Oh, brother! he thought to himself, certain he had heard it all now. “And you were helping her brew potions? What kind of potions?” he followed up, wondering if he’d even understand if he was told.

The orange-eyed filly looked puzzled. “Ah don’t really know. She just told me to gather some flowers and plants outside the house, so I did,” she said with a shrug.

“Before Mister Wrong follows this pointless tangent, the zebra mare in question confirmed Apple Bloom visited that night and told us she was making herbal ointments and medicines. Nothing out of the ordinary,” Trixie stated, eyes closed and nose in the air.

Phoenix resisted the urge to rub his still-bleary eyes a second time. Now I really HAVE heard it all! A zebra brewing potions is ‘Nothing out of the ordinary’? He thought to himself, wondering if she could also brew coffee, as badly as he still needed some caffeine in his system. “So what did you do afterwards, Apple Bloom?” he asked next, continuing the Cross-Examination.

“Well…” she began again.

“After we were all done, Ah walked home along the pathway…”

Phoenix stopped her again. “You walked home all alone in the dark? I heard that forest was dangerous. Definitely not the place for someone your age,” Phoenix knew, remembering how frightened he was in it.

“Thank Heavens she is alright! From what I read, there are terrible creatures in that forest!” The Judge noted, looking down with wide-eyed concern at the little filly in the witness stand.

Apple Bloom drooped her ears at that. “Yeah, well… the truth is, Ah wasn’t supposed to be in there that late. Ah got grounded by mah big sis and Granny when Ah got home,” she confessed, looking chagrined.

Phoenix was unsympathetic. “Serves you right for breaking your curfew,” he scolded without thinking.

Apple Bloom began to tear up.

Phoenix panicked when he saw the lethal glares he was getting from both the bench and the gallery, none more so than from the stetson-wearing earth pony mare he’d seen Twilight exchange a look with earlier. “AH!! I-I MEAN, YOU SURE ARE A BRAVE COOTIE MARK CRUSADER!” he all but screamed as he saw The Judge raise his gavel with fire in his eyes.

“Cutie Mark Crusader!” Apple Bloom corrected, now more annoyed than sad.

“Mister Wright! You are treading on very… thin… ice!” The Judge warned him, gavel still poised to deliver not just a penalty but a contempt citation.

Phoenix stepped back from the rail and took a deep breath, turning to a concerned-looking Twilight. “I better be real careful of what I say to her,” he belatedly realized, still trembling over his close call.

“I know we need to get more out of her, but try not to be too hard on her, Phoenix. She’s just a filly and she doesn’t have anything to do with what happened,” Twilight pleaded, not wanting to see Apple Bloom’s feelings hurt any more than The Judge. “Press her gently; maybe you can coax her into doing what you want like The Judge did earlier.”

As embarrassing as what he did earlier to get her testimony was, it did work, he granted, taking a deep breath before speaking again. “I know, but I’m kind of on a handicap here—not being able to squeeze information as I would normally do with any other witness. But I have dealt with children in the past and I can do it again,” Phoenix promised, as much to remind himself as reassure Twilight.

Twilight looked at him in fresh interest. “Oh, so you have children? You don’t really look like the father type,” she commented, seemingly appraising him in a whole new light.

His eyes went wide at the suggestion. “N-no, I don’t have any kids! I mean I’ve dealt with children testifying!” he hastily corrected her before she got the wrong idea. Me with children? THAT’LL be the day!

The rap of a gavel jolted him out of his thoughts. “If the defense is done with idle conversation, please continue your cross-examination,” The Judge ordered. “And remember… gently, Mister Wright. Or else, you will be hearing my gavel banging an unfortunate fate for you!” he warned, his tone very ominous and threatening.

Phoenix gulped hard, dripping sweat again, scared half out of his wits by the intimidating look The Judge was giving him. “Y-yes, sir!” The Judge is staring down at me like he has the intent to kill! he realized, half-wondering if he’d be sent to the sun as a punishment.

“Okay, Apple Bloom. Please continue.” He composed himself, trying to keep his tone neutral.

“Reckon it was right around 8:40 when I Ah heard and saw a lightning bolt… but it didn’t scare me!”

“How did you know the time?” Phoenix asked her to clarify, not expecting she would be able to and he would have a new line of attack. I mean, it’s not like she’s wearing a watch or anything...

To his surprise, the young filly gave a prompt and authoritative answer. “Zecora told me at 8:30 what time it was and said that Ah should really head home before it got too late. So, Ah helped her clean up for a few minutes, hugged her goodbye, and then headed out. Her clock said 8:35 when Ah left and reckon Ah’d been walking for about five minutes when the lightning hit,” Apple Bloom answered his question with surprising ease, making Trixie smile.

“That lines up perfectly with the time of death,” the showmare noted with a smug grin, pleased that all the time she had spent in witness preparation had paid off—instead of poking a hole in her case, Phoenix’s question had only reinforced it.

Though stung at the obviously well-rehearsed answer—Trixie had clearly prepped her witness well—Phoenix shook it off, quickly moving on. “Okay. Why did you say ‘it didn’t scare you’? No one asked you if it did.” He tried a new angle.

Apple Bloom suddenly looked evasive, a fact not lost on Phoenix or Twilight. “Ummm… well… okay, Ah reckon maybe it scared me a little,” she allowed, hoping he didn’t push further.

Phoenix raised an eyebrow. “A ‘little’?”

“Yeah, just a little, no big deal!” Apple Bloom insisted, trying to win him and the rest of the court over with another adorable smile.

Though not unaffected, Phoenix kept his focus, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think you’re being honest with me, Apple Bloom,” he accused as gently as he could.

Trixie stopped him, leaning over the rail again. “Mister Wrong is badgering the witness; who cares if the lightning scared her? Penalize him!” she demanded.

“She’s not giving us all the details as to what she saw, Your Honor!” Phoenix immediately countered.

The Judge closed his eyes and thought about it before finally giving a reluctant nod. “I’ll allow the defense to pursue this matter. But I’m warning you Mister Wright…” he cautioned again, his gavel poised and eyes narrowed, watching Phoenix like a hawk ready to swoop down on its prey.

“Y-yes Your Honor, I understand.” Phoenix swallowed, forcing himself to proceed. “Apple Bloom, please, you need to tell me the truth. Even if it may not seem like it, this is really important,” he pleaded with the downcast young filly. “Someone’s life depends on you being honest here!” he added when he didn’t get an immediate response.

Upon hearing that, Apple Bloom perked her ears up. “Someone’s… life?” she repeated in a curious tone. “Whose?”

“Rainbow Dash’s, Apple Bloom.” Twilight spoke up for the first time in the testimony. “If you don’t be honest like your big sister, Rainbow could be banished and we’ll never see her again.” She had to stifle a sniffle of emotion of her own at the thought of losing Rainbow forever.

Phoenix was impressed at her carefully worded statement, as well as the effect on Apple Bloom. “Banished? Nopony told me about that.” Her eyes sought and found the stetson-wearing mare in the audience, who nodded gravely.

“Then please tell us what really happened, Apple Bloom,” Phoenix requested again, far more gently. “Do that, and everything will be okay.” I hope...

“Fine. You win, Mister Lawyer.” Defeated, the young filly finally gave up. “The truth is, the lightning really scared me,” she admitted in a beaten and barely audible voice. “Reckon it was so close and so loud it just about made me jump right outta my horseshoes.”

Phoenix nodded in sympathy, knowing how hard the confession was for her, trying not to think about how he would have reacted to a sudden lightning bolt in the dark forest the previous night, even with Twilight present. “Then what did you do?”

“Ah got so scared Ah ran right off th’ path and ended up even deeper in the forest. Took me forever to find mah way out,” she told Phoenix in both embarrassment and fright.

“You ran off the path?” he asked her to clarify.

She nodded. “Yeah, and Ah kinda got lost. Ah couldn’t find the path and Ah was really scared.” The young filly shivered as she remembered her plight.

“The witness will amend this to her testimony,” The Judge ordered, though there was a note of sympathy in his voice as well.

“A-mend?” Apple Bloom repeated, uncomprehendingly.

“He means testify about it.” Twilight quickly clarified. “Tell us more about how you left the path, Apple Bloom.”

“Oh… okay,” Apple Bloom agreed.

“Ah got so scared Ah bolted ‘n ran right off th’ path, ending up even deeper in the forest. Took me forever to find mah way out.”

“How long you were lost?” Phoenix asked, hand on his chin again.

“Reckon Ah was in there for a really long time,” Apple Bloom replied after a pause.

“How long, exactly?” Phoenix asked again, leaning over the rail intently as he waited for the answer. Apple Bloom became silent, and Phoenix did the same. They both stared at each other and an uncomfortable silence fell over the courtroom until finally…

“A really long time!” The young filly gave another winning smile, as if believing she’d given the right answer.

Phoenix rubbed his eyes and sighed again. “Ugh. Okay, let’s look at this in a different way: what time did you get home?” Maybe we can determine how long she was lost by backtracking?

Apple Bloom thought about that. “Oh. Um… at 9:10. Ah know because both mah big sis ‘n Granny Smith were there waitin’ for me and told me how late it was when I got home.”

“Her family can confirm she got home at 9:10 PM,” Trixie spoke up, perfectly happy to corroborate the testimony since it didn’t contradict her version of events.

“I see. And how long does it take you to walk from the forest entrance to your house?” he asked next, impressing Twilight as she realized what he was doing.

“Hmm… well, when Ah’ve done it before, the walk’s taken right around ten minutes or so,” Apple Bloom offered thoughtfully.

“So by simple subtraction, a ten-minute walk home means you got out of the Everfree right at 9 PM, and given the lightning struck at 8:40, that means you were lost in the woods for twenty minutes,” he concluded, noting with some satisfaction that Twilight was giving him an approving look. “That’s quite a long time to be lost in there,” Phoenix further mused, taking on his pondering expression once more.

She nodded jerkily, looking downcast and her eyes going fearful again as she relived the experience. “You said it, Mister Lawyer. Ah thought Ah was gonna be lost in the woods forever! It was really dark in there, and Ah couldn’t see anything. Reckon Ah was jumpin’ at every noise and shadow,” she said, causing Phoenix to have a flashback to his own time in the forest, remembering how relieved he was when they reached the clearing and Twilight lit her horn. “Ah could find my way out of the forest while on the pathway because Ah could feel the dirt road under my hooves. But once Ah was off the path, Ah couldn’t tell left from right!”

“So you just wandered around blindly in the dark for 20 minutes?” Phoenix asked in astonishment.

“Y-yeah. Ah was stumbling over everything and thought Ah’d never get out!” Apple Bloom visibly shivered.

“Do not fear, little one! I’ll defend you from all those horrible monsters in that dreadful forest with my Gavel of Truth!” The Judge proclaimed grandly, raising his gavel high like a sword.

Phoenix couldn’t help but be amused at the image that brought to mind. The Judge versus the Everfree Forest? Sounds like a title for a pay-per-view event! he chuckled to himself, thinking he might just buy tickets to such a spectacle. “Did anything happen while you were lost?” he asked next. Don’t expect she’s going to say yes, given Trixie would probably have asked during her initial interview, but you never know...

To his great surprise, the young filly nodded jerkily. “Oh, yeah. Ah thought Ah was gonna die of fright when Ah bumped into that thing.”

All conversation in the courtroom ceased instantly as the entire gallery blinked at once. “What?” Phoenix asked in surprise as he leaned forward, an intent tone in his voice.

“You… you bumped into something?” The Judge repeated, as curious as Phoenix and Twilight were to know more.

Sensing the young filly’s testimony was heading into unknown territory, Trixie tried to stop her. “Witness! This is the first time I’m hearing about this! Why did you not say anything to me regarding this earlier?” she demanded to know, leaning over the rail and raising her voice again.

“Because Ah don’t like you!” Apple Bloom shot back. Trixie could only manage a strangled sound in response. “And Ah didn’t wanna admit Ah got lost…”

Phoenix couldn’t help but smile at that. “Looks like Trixie is getting a dose of her own medicine,” he noted in an aside to Twilight, a hint of amusement in his voice.

When Twilight didn’t immediately answer, Phoenix turned to look at her and found she was staring fixedly at Trixie, her expression intent. “Did Trixie just…?” she trailed off in mid-sentence.

“Just what?” a puzzled Phoenix prompted.

“She just… never mind; it’s nothing important.” She shook her head.

He gave her an odd look. “If you say so, Twilight.” Phoenix dropped the matter, returning to the cross-examination. “I’d like to know more about this thing she bumped into,” Phoenix told The Judge.

“As do I! Would you mind adding this to your testimony, dear?” The Judge asked, his tone grandfatherly again.

“Not a problem!” Apple Bloom said agreeably, happy to do what the nice bearded human asked, especially if it ended up getting her a cutie mark!

“Ah thought Ah was gonna die of fright when Ah bumped into that thing…”

“You bumped into something? What was it?” Phoenix asked, wearing his hand-on-chin pondering expression yet again.

But Apple Bloom could only shake her head. “Ah don’t have a clue. Ah’m sorry Mister Lawyer, but it was really dark. Ah couldn’t see anything.” she apologized sincerely, looking unhappy at her inability to answer.

“Apple Bloom, you have to know more about this!” Phoenix pressed as hard as he dared as he leaned over the rail, sensing he was onto something.

“But Ah really don’t know what it was, Mister Lawyer! Honest!” she pleaded with him, tears welling in her eyes again as he pushed her.

“Leave her alone, you jerk! She already said she doesn’t know what it was!” Trixie protested, less worried about Apple Bloom’s feelings then keeping the human lawyer from pursuing a potentially dangerous line of questioning to her case.

Phoenix responded instantly with a raised arm and pointed finger. “This is important information! Just moments ago, you said she never told you about this! If there was something or someone else in the woods that night, we need to know about it!” he reminded The Judge as much as her.

“I am curious as to what she bumped into as well. Objection overruled!” The Judge announced with a rap of his gavel.

Trixie initially reacted to the sound like a slap to her cheek, drawing back in surprise and giving a wounded squeal. “Hmph! If you enjoy pointless information… be my guest! It was probably just a tree or a rock. I think the defense is just hopelessly grasping at straws!” Trixie dismissed her small defeat, trying to salve her hurt ego by hurling additional insults Phoenix’s way.

But Phoenix was less concerned about that than Twilight, seeing her staring intently at the other unicorn mare again. Why does Twilight keep looking at Trixie like that? Maybe I should ask her later. But for now, I have to focus on the matter at hand, he reminded himself, turning his attention away from Trixie and back to the young filly on the witness stand. “Alright, Apple Bloom. Just like I asked you to think of a different way about how long you were lost, let’s think about what you bumped into in a different way as well,” he proposed.

“How do y’ mean?” Apple Bloom asked, confused.

“You might not have been able to see, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t use your other senses. So let’s start with this: what did the thing you bumped into feel like?” he asked, trying to jog her memory.

“How’d it feel? Hmmm…” Apple Bloom thought for a while and then… “Oh! That’s right!” she exclaimed, perking up and smiling.

“What is it, witness?” The Judge inquired.

“It felt alive. Ah mean, it wasn’t a rock or a tree!” she remembered, her eyes wide.

“Alive?” Phoenix repeated.

The Judge echoed him. “It was… ‘alive’? Please explain how you were able to deduce this?” he prompted.

“Well, Ah reckon Ah definitely felt fur when I bumped into it. And Ah could hear it breathing heavy like it’d been running for a good while and was really tired,” Apple Bloom remembered.

“It was breathing hard? Could it have been a wild animal?” Phoenix suggested.

“Ah’m not sure, Mister Lawyer. Ah know Ah heard it breathing heavy, though,” Apple Bloom maintained.

“How did it react when you bumped into it?” Phoenix asked next.

She thought about that. “When Ah bumped into it, it kinda jumped a bit.”

Phoenix nodded at that. “I would probably jump too if something bumped into me in the dark.”

“As would I,” The Judge agreed.

“Trixie wouldn’t. Trixie is BRAVE and COURAGEOUS!” the showmare boasted from the opposite rail, rearing up theatrically again.

Oh, SHUT UP! Phoenix shouted at her mentally, half-wishing he could gag the mare magician with her own pointed hat—of all the prosecutors he had faced, even the whip-wielding Franziska von Karma hadn’t gotten under his skin as much as Trixie already had.

“Almost right after that there was another bolt of lightning,” Apple Bloom added.

“That must have been the second bolt,” Trixie said with a fresh grin, only too happy to chime in when Apple Bloom’s testimony matched her evidence and timeline.

“But the thing is… it didn’t scare me. Really, honest this time!” Apple Bloom insisted, and by the way she met his gaze evenly, Phoenix sensed she was telling the truth.

“And why didn’t it scare you then?” Phoenix immediately followed up.

“Well, ‘cause there weren’t any thunder that time; just a flash. And Ah know this will sound strange, but… after it flashed, Ah was dizzy and mah eyes kinda hurt for a bit,” Apple Bloom said.

“That’s not strange,” Phoenix reassured her, hand going back to his chin. “Anyone’s eyes would hurt if there was a sudden burst of light in pitch black darkness.” Why no thunder, though?

She shook her head. “No, not that part, Mister Lawyer. Ah mean after that. Ah stumbled around for about a minute or two because Ah was real dizzy and couldn’t open mah eyes. The flash of lightning made mah eyes sting, but when the hurting in mah eyes went away… Ah was outside the forest just like that!” she finished with another winning smile, to murmurs of surprise from the gallery.

“W-what?! But how?” Phoenix asked, sharing in the astonishment.

Trixie was doubtful. “There is only one way in and out of the forest, and that is the entrance on the pathway as the forest border is completely overgrown with magical briars and brambles that block passage and resist all magical efforts to uproot them. They and the trees surrounding the outer perimeter act as a barricade; you can only leave or enter the Everfree Forest from the pathway. Unless, of course, you’re a pegasus—then you could just fly out as Rainbow Trash did,” she said with a ending grin, her deductions simple and irrefutable.

“That is certainly strange,” The Judge mused, scratching his beard thoughtfully again.

“But how could you go from being lost to being outside of the forest just like that, Apple Bloom?” Phoenix was determined to find out.

She gave him an uncertain look. “Ah know it sounds weird, Mister Lawyer, but it’s true! Ah was outside the dark forest after the lightning hit. Once mah dizziness passed, Ah went straight home and got there at 9:10 like Ah said before,” Apple Bloom swore.

Something clicked in Phoenix’s mind, and he immediately leaned forward over his bench, planting his hands on the rail. “Wait a minute—what did you just say?”

“Ah went straight home after Ah was outside the forest… because Ah was… y’know… scared?” Apple Bloom admitted, cringing a bit.

Phoenix pointed directly at Trixie. “The prosecution has some explaining to do!” he announced to the courtroom, certain he had found something decisive.

“Hmph! What are you babbling about, you blue-suited baboon?” Trixie asked derisively, causing Twilight’s eyes to narrow in anger.

“Apple Bloom claims she got out of the forest at exactly 9:00, when she saw the second bolt of lightning!” Phoenix restated.

“Yes? So what?” Trixie replied disdainfully, only to gasp and gape a second later when she realized what he was getting at.

It was finally Phoenix’s turn to wear a smug grin. “I see you caught on, Trixie! According to these ‘Cloud Ballistics’ reports, the second lightning bolt struck at ten ‘til nine,” he reminded her, picking up the report and tapping it with his fingers, giving his own theatrical pause before he brought the hammer down. “So perhaps the prosecution would care to explain how Apple Bloom only saw a lightning bolt TEN MINUTES AFTER THAT?!” he thundered, slamming his hands down on the rail again and sending Trixie into a state of panic.

“Uh… w-well uh… m-maybe…” the performer-turned prosecutor stammered, knowing that if the human lawyer succeeded in disproving even one piece of forensic or cloud ballistics evidence, it meant none of it could be trusted and her case fell apart.

“Cool!” Apple Bloom said, watching with great interest as the two attorneys argued, pointing and shouting back and forth at each other.

“Ms. Trixie, this is a big oversight! Why is there a ten minute gap as to when the child saw the lightning bolt?” The Judge asked.

“I’M THINKING! BE QUIET!!!” Trixie shouted back, making him open his eyes wide.

“Oh… o-okay,” the suddenly cowed Judge agreed, leaving Phoenix wishing he wasn’t such a prosecutorial pushover. Regardless, he planned to move that all Cloud Ballistics-based evidence be suppressed when Trixie couldn’t come up with a plausible explanation. If he succeeded in discrediting it and her case along with it, The Judge would have no choice but to toss all cloud-related evidence, leaving Trixie unable to tie Rainbow Dash to the crime and resulting in a not guilty verdict by default.

Kind of a cheap way to win, but I already know Rainbow Dash is innocent. And after how badly I screwed up the start of this trial, I’ll take it! he decided grimly, hoping he could convince the Judge to dismiss the murder charge quickly so he might be sent home in time for lunch. You know, a big mug of coffee and a couple kabobs from that Greek place would really hit the spot right about now...

But he was to be disappointed as, after a few more seconds, Trixie lifted her head. ”Alright, The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie is done thinking!” she announced, theatrically rearing up yet again.

“And?” The Judge prompted while Phoenix waited to pounce on whatever explanation she’d come up with.

“Trixie wants the defense to explain what this means!” she passed the question to Phoenix, to his surprise.

“Hey! You’re just saying that because you don’t know!” he accused, pointing a finger back at her.

True to form, Trixie didn’t back down. “You are the one who brought up the inconsistency, Mister Wrong. Therefore you should be the one to explain it!” Trixie reasoned, goading him with another sneering grin.

Phoenix knew perfectly well that was not his responsibility; that the burden of proof in this matter was on the prosecution, not the defense. But seeing the mocking look on Trixie’s face made his blood boil again, more determined than ever to put the infuriating showmare in her place by showing off his own deductive prowess. “Very well! There are two possibilities to this: either what Apple Bloom saw wasn’t lightning, or she’s mistaken on the time. That is, if your ‘Cloud Ballistics’ are accurate,” Phoenix proclaimed, putting his hands on his hips and giving her a mocking look of his own.

“They are accurate! To the second!” Trixie declared, giving him a glare. “And this filly’s family can confirm she arrived home at 9:10. So the prosecution believes that what little Apple Bloom saw was not lightning! That is Trixie’s GREAT and POWERFUL theory!” she announced grandly, rearing back on her hind legs again.

It was only at that moment Phoenix realized he’d been tricked, goaded right into a potentially devastating mistake. “W-WHAT!?”

“I can’t believe you fell for that.” A disbelieving Twilight facehoofed again, knowing from her own legal studies that Phoenix had been under no obligation to answer.

Phoenix was completely flustered. “But-but-I-she-stole-I-I uhh…” he stammered, unable to accept that he’d been so badly suckered by the mare magician.

“But if not lightning, what was it?” The Judge wondered aloud.

“Nothing sinister, Your Honor. It could have been a baby illumi-bear the child bumped into or something of that nature. Many animals in the Everfree forest have strange characteristics, including built-in lights that flash when startled as a means of confusing predators,” Trixie went on calmly and smugly, knowing she was back in control.

“She probably bumped into such a creature and just happened to be near the exit of the forest when it happened, stumbling out in her daze. As there is no other way she could have exited the woods except through the front entrance, this is the most likely explanation. The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie has therefore resolved this inconsistency in the witness’s testimony!” she finished with a flourish.

“Remarkable! You are very clever, deducing something like that from such scant evidence, Ms. Trixie!” The Judge praised her.

“Naturally!” she boasted with a hoof on her chest, eyes closed and nose in the air.

Argh!! That was MY deduction! Phoenix wanted to scream, but knew from long experience it was pointless trying to convince The Judge of that fact. And worse, I gave her an out by answering! He wondered if Twilight knew a spell to send him back in time by twenty seconds so he could slap himself. “But there’s still a problem, Your Honor!” he started over, moving on to the next contradiction in line.

“And what is that, Mister Wright? Ms. Trixie seems to have solved the mystery of the time inconsistency,” The Judge said.

“Perhaps she did. But another mystery comes from that!” Phoenix said, determined to turn the tables right back on Trixie.

“Another mystery? Do tell, Mister Wright?” The Judge invited.

“The real second bolt of lightning—why didn’t Apple Bloom mention seeing or hearing that?” Phoenix challenged. “If she heard and saw the first one, she should certainly have seen the second!”

The Judge blinked. “Ah, you bring up a valid point, Mister Wright. Witness?” The Judge turned to Apple Bloom.

“Yes?” she asked, more than happy to answer his questions—he looked a bit strange, but was so much nicer than many ponies she knew!

“Did you not see any lightning other than the one at 8:40 PM that night?” The Judge asked Apple Bloom.

The young filly shook her head. “Ah’m sorry, sir. Ah only saw the one at 8:40 and the flash after Ah bumped into that thing,” she claimed again.

“Hmm… this is very peculiar. Ms. Trixie, do you have an explanation for this?” The Judge turned his attention to his left once more.

Trixie was again at a loss for words. “Umm… uh… The defense will—”

This time Phoenix was ahead of her. “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice shame on me! I’m not going to fall for that again! Besides, remember? It’s your ‘GREAT and POWERFUL’ theory, after all!” he mocked in her own intonations.

If looks could kill, Phoenix would have dropped dead on the spot. “What do you take me for, a foal?!” Trixie demanded to know.

Phoenix couldn’t believe she’d given him such an easy opening, guessing what the word was supposed to mean from its context. “Why, in fact, I do!”

Trixie gave a strangled sound.

“Low blow, Phoenix,” Twilight commented, trying to keep the smile off her face as she finally sensed the trial starting to turn in their favor.

“HOW DARE YOU!!!!” the showmare screamed in wounded pride, her horn starting to glow in anger beneath her wizard hat. Sensing the surge of magical energy, the bailiffs stepped forward and Twilight immediately charged her own horn, just in case.

“Mister Wright! That was uncalled for,” The Judge scolded him, seemingly oblivious to the magic building around him.

Phoenix looked at him in disbelief, oblivious to the danger. “Hey! She’s been putting me down all day long!” he complained.

“Trixie will show you, you spiky-haired ingrate! Do you remember why this witness is testifying?” Trixie asked, her horn glowing brighter, finally getting Phoenix’s attention when it became visible right through her hat.

“Yes, to confirm the time of the lightning bolt striking,” Phoenix answered calmly in the face of the implied threat. He wasn’t sure what the ice-blue unicorn mare could do to him, but noted Twilight had moved closer as if to protect him, her head lowered and own horn aglow, giving the showmare a steady stare.

Trixie’s eyes flickered to Twilight for a moment, knowing it was neither the time nor place to challenge her power, no matter how badly she wanted to strangle the infuriating human lawyer with his own necktie. Forcing herself to calm down, she powered down her horn, the mare magician reminding herself that while she fully intended to meet and defeat Twilight in a magical duel one day, it would be far more satisfying to best the human lawyer at his own game in a battle of logic and wit, winning the case and showing herself once again to be ‘the best at everything’—making her revenge doubly delicious for also defeating Twilight’s hired help!

“Exactly! Which she did. Anything beyond that is trivial,” Trixie concluded, her arrogant smile reappearing as she imagined how much more glorious her eventual victory was going to be for Phoenix Wright’s presence.

To Phoenix’s great frustration, The Judge agreed. “Though it is curious why this witness didn’t testify to hearing or seeing the second lightning bolt, the fact still stands: the initial bolt was set off at 8:40 PM, thus establishing that lightning did strike at the estimated time of death,” he concluded.

Phoenix sensed his turnabout slipping away. “But the second bolt—”

Trixie again didn’t let him finish. “You seem obsessed with that, Mister Wrong! Perhaps the reason the witness didn’t detect it is that she was too far away. The clearing is 15 minutes away from the entrance on hoof. Perhaps the sound simply didn’t have enough volume to reach that far.”

“And what about the fact she didn’t see a flash? In my world, lightning can be visible from a hundred miles away at night!” Phoenix refused to let it go, strangely certain the second bolt was important.

That only made Trixie more annoyed. “Well, we’re not in your world, are we, Mister Wrong? Even Sparkle over there will tell you that the Everfree forest is notorious for sucking up light, remaining dark even in the day! It is also certain that as this witness ran away from the bolt that scared her at top speed, she got far enough away to be out of range.”

The Judge thought about it and nodded. “I agree with the prosecution. The witness did what she came here to do and regardless of why she didn’t see the second bolt, it would appear to have no relevance to the murder. OBJECTION OVERRULED!” he announced loudly as he brought down his gavel, making his decision final.

“Argh! NO!!!!” Phoenix vented his frustration over losing yet another round to Trixie.

“This witness is free to go!” The Judge dismissed Apple Bloom, who remained the stand for a few seconds more.

“OBJECTION!! HOLD IT!!!” the young filly shouted just as she’d heard Phoenix and Trixie do, looking at her flank expectantly afterwards only to see… “Aw, nothing.”

Escorted out by a unicorn bailiff, Apple Bloom left a bit disappointed and downcast at not getting her cutie mark, but for Rainbow, Phoenix and Twilight, the worst was yet to come.

PreviousChapters Next