Turnabout Storms Parts 51-52 Updated · 9:07pm Sep 9th, 2018
...bringing us to the point of Sonata’s confession. Significant changes were made to both chapters, including some new graphics.
In Part 51 - The Missing Link, a new explanation was given as to golf club got heated up, since it doesn’t really make sense that it would get that hot and damaged from just lying for a few seconds in the fire. But what if the first bolt of lightning struck it directly, as it was attracted to it?
—————— CROSS-EXAMINATION ——————
When Rainbow Dash set the cloud off, the lightning bolt forked, hitting the ground as well as Ace, attracted to the golf club lying there.
“I apologize if the answer to this question is obvious to everyone except me, but… is that possible? Can lightning bolts from pegasus-created clouds fork to hit multiple points at once?” He had to know, looking around for answers. He was not heartened when Rainbow went downcast and gave him a slow nod of her head.
“Yes and no,” Twilight answered him patiently, speaking loud enough for all to hear. “Yes, they can fork into multiple ‘leaders’ same as a natural lightning strike, but no because, only one of those leaders gets to complete the circuit with the ground and receive the return stroke.” She projected a diagram of a lightning bolt into the air.
“Sorry, Mister Wrong, but her testimony works. He was clearly hit by the initial leader but once inside him, the charge couldn’t penetrate his lighting-proof suit,” Trixie piled on, pleased that her careful study of how lightning worked the night before in order to discredit Phoenix’s theory had borne fruit. “So Eye-Butt’s testimony in fact makes clear what happened: as it was unable to complete the circuit through Ace, a second leader forked out from the main branch to target the ground instead, attracted to the metal golf club lying there. In such a circumstance, he would still have received a lethal shock while the golf club took the brunt of the bolt, and thus…”
When it hit, the bolt not only started a fire I had to put out, but heated the metal of the golf club up red-hot.
There you go. And as for the Part 52 - Checkmate chapter, I cleaned it up and added new graphics, thanks to a pony 3-D modeling site:
Before The Judge could reply, Phoenix heard a slow clapping sound like mocking applause; he looked up and across the courtroom pit to see Trixie giving him a triumphant look as she clopped her hooves together. “Very impressive, Mister Wrong. But also completely futile,” she announced with a gleeful grin. “As it happens, Trixie had her own additional analysis done over the lunch break, regarding the burn mark on the back of the victim’s neck,” she announced with her hoof on her chest and nose in the air, her haughty pose telling everypony in the courtroom she was once again certain of victory.
“I see. And what did you find?” The Judge asked.
“That the burn pattern perfectly matched the head of the golf club!” she proclaimed in a tone that said she was putting the long-awaited final nail in the coffin of the case, passing out fresh reports with an attached picture in her aura to The Judge and Phoenix.
She then projected the image for all to see, a picture of the cleaned-up and reassembled golf club colored red along its inside edge to demonstrate what part had hit the victim—the inside of the wide V the shaft and head formed, Phoenix immediately noted—and then adding a second image to show the same-shaped burn area outlined marked in red on an autopsy photo of the back of Ace’s neck for comparison.
“The upshot is that the burn was therefore not caused by a stun spell as Mister Wrong suggests, and the witness’s last testimony is corroborated—it was the golf club that burned him, when he fell onto it! In other words, you lose, Mister Wrong! This trial is over! TRIXIE WINS!!!!!” she proclaimed again with a fresh display of magical fireworks.
Phoenix ignored her and studied the forensic report that had just been passed to him, his brow furrowed in concentration. As he scanned it, he slowly broke out in a huge grin. And then, to the astonishment of all present, he began to laugh as an entire day of tension finally started to ebb from him, garnering worried looks from Twilight and Rainbow and incredulous ones from Trixie and Sonata.
“Mister… Wright?” The Judge stared at him, certain his fellow human had finally cracked under the pressure of the case.
With effort, Phoenix composed himself, shaking his head in amazement. “You know what, Your Honor? The prosecution is right. It’s over,” he said as he stopped laughing but still retained his smile, putting his hands on his hips and raising his eyes to meet Trixie’s. “I thank you for this timely analysis, Trixie…” he paused to savor the moment. “You just proved my client innocent of murder!”
For the first time all trial, he had the pleasure of catching the mare magician completely off guard. “Wh-what?” her jaw dropped open while beside him, Twilight and Rainbow looked at him in equal surprise, barely daring to hope.
“Mister Wright?” The Judge asked, equally confused. “Were you not listening? She just proved the golf club—and not the stun spell as you theorized—was indeed what burned the victim!”
“Indeed she did, Your Honor,” he nodded. “But she also proved that it could not have happened as the witness said. In fact…” he said with a glance at Twilight that told her THIS IS IT!
Phoenix slammed his hands down hard. “What the prosecution’s evidence shows… is that the victim was in fact ALIVE after the first bolt came down!”
...
“I now believe the witness when she says the golf club was snapped in two when it made contact with the back of the victim’s neck. But I believe she has it backwards: he didn’t hit the golf club, but rather, the golf club was used to hit him—that somepony struck him with it and it broke in two over the back of his neck!” he asserted, causing Sonata to flinch yet again. “And I think we all know who that somepony is!”
Trixie looked at him like he’d gone mad, not noticing Sonata’s reaction. “Are you actually suggesting she hit him with it?”
“That’s exactly what I’m suggesting!” Phoenix replied, slamming his hands down on his bench.
As ice crystals appeared again in the air around her, Trixie closed her eyes, trying once more to control her surging magic. “You just keep getting dumber and dumber, you know that?” she said through gritted teeth, willing the cold air to disperse. “You have no evidence of that! None! Zero! Zilch! Nada!” she insisted.
Phoenix crossed his arms, giving her a knowing grin. “If you truly believe that, then answer one simple question, Trixie…” he paused for effect. “How would the golf club have been lying on the ground?”
The showmare gave him an incredulous look. “What kind of question is that? It would have been lying on its side, of cour—” she abruptly gasped and gaped.
“EXACTLY!” Phoenix said triumphantly, his hands on his hips. “Then the burn pattern should have matched the side of the club head and shaft, not the top and front!” he explained, tapping the different points on the club head in turn, causing a echoing gasp of understanding from both Twilight and many other ponies in the gallery.
“In fact, the only way the victim could receive that burn pattern… was if he was hit over the neck with it!” he proclaimed, pointing at Trixie. “And in turn, the only way that could have happened was if the victim was still standing… alive and unharmed after the lightning strike!”
There you are. Hopefully now Phoenix’s use of Trixie’s final piece of evidence is better illustrated and understandable. You are invited as always to check out the revamps. Two more chapters are on the way, including Sonata’s confession and the subsequent magic duel between Twilight and Trixie. Expect major changes to the confession chapter, as well as an explanation as how to Sonata evaded the Magatama earlier.
