//------------------------------// // 30: Romance Rekindled // Story: The Lawyer and The Unicorn (T-Rated Version) // by Firesight //------------------------------// Music: Meadows of Heaven (Instrumental) - Nightwish While Celestia, Maya and Vinyl spent the afternoon sightseeing, Twilight and Phoenix slept. It was nearly four in the afternoon before they opened their eyes again, finding themselves in each other’s arms. “Good afternoon… or is it evening…?” Twilight wondered somewhat blearily, remembering only then how groggy long midday naps made her. How does Rainbow bounce up from them so easily…? she couldn’t help but wonder even as she snuggled a little more deeply into her human coltfriend’s embrace. “Think it’s still mid-afternoon, but we’re going to have to hustle if we still want to hit the courthouse…” Phoenix chuckled, noting the sun’s rays coming through the westward-facing window at a somewhat sharp angle and then checking his watch which he’d placed on the nightstand. “We’ve got time, but not much. Guess we were both pretty wiped there…” “You said it,” Twilight agreed, nestling up closer to him as Phoenix gave her a kiss on her forehead where her horn would be. He was rewarded immediately with a weak glow from it, her desires starting to respond to him for the first time that day. “Sorry…” she offered with a wan grin. “Don’t be,” Phoenix said soothingly, now lightly kissing her face. “I certainly don’t mind you being insatiable…” he told her, feeling his own desires rise in reply. Guess we’re rested and over things now! “It’s all for you, Phoenix…” she allowed the intensity of her mating aura to increase, just gratified to know he still wanted her after all that had happened and all they had been through the previous night… or is it BECAUSE of that we do…? Her response was noted with approval by Phoenix, his attorney’s eye for detail being turned to far more pleasurable pursuits. “Seems like you’ve gotten used to your human form quite nicely…” “You know, I think I have…” Twilight admitted between kisses. “Vinyl’s in for a treat when she finally tries…” Phoenix felt his excitement increase even further at that, realizing if the pony DJ did, it was very likely going to be with Maya, his mind suddenly and very vividly fantasizing about it. Whoa. Guess if she had to admit that she was interested in me, the same holds true in reverse… he granted, finding his feelings for Twilight did not diminish for it. Still, gonna be a REAL interesting talk with her after Twilight leaves… His thoughts were scattered as Twilight spoke again. “Care for a little fun before we leave…?” she asked coyly, her magic tugging him towards her. Phoenix hesitated, not because he didn’t want to but because… “Love to, but time’s short, Twilight. Courthouse closes at six and it’s a forty-minute bus ride to…” he didn’t finish as Twilight’s mating aura intensified again. All his senses were heightened under its influence, leaving him able to smell her scent and feel the softness of her skin; the warmth of her human body. “You know, you make a pretty strong case we should stay, Twilight…” “I’d say the evidence is incontrovertible, Phoenix…” she rejoined, wriggling against him enticingly. “Surely we can spare five minutes…?” “Only because you asked so nicely…” he said, biting down lightly on the top of her ear, surprised when she all but melted at the gesture. “I guess the courthouse can wait…” Five minutes turned into half an hour before the pair finally rousted themselves, after much cuddling and some minor lovemaking. They simply did not wish to get out of bed, enjoying each other’s company too much. Phoenix felt compelled to reassure Twilight of his feelings for her after the previous night and Twilight simply drank in his touch and presence; the former still ruing how easily he’d allowed his fears to get the best of him and the latter regretting again how easily she’d allowed The Nightmare to nearly take her. Despite their mutual enjoyment, it was Twilight who finally stopped things, saying she wanted to save something for that night. “Planning something?” Phoenix smirked. “Maybe…” she answered with a coy grin that would have done Celestia proud. “It’s funny, though. The longer I stay here, the more adjusted I seem to get to your world and this body,” she noted idly as they started to dress. “Even with the help of this ‘battery’, it’s taking me less mana to stay human now. And even as a human, I can feel my magic recharging more quickly than it did and it’s more effective than when I arrived,” she added, pulling her clothes to her with a simple flare of her horn. “I think you’re right. Your horn glow is stronger now too, even as a human,” Phoenix noted, reflecting that even the previous day the prospect might have worried him. But now, no longer worried about what her magic was doing to him, he was surprised at how easily his own body seemed to accept it, feeling more invigorated than spent for it. Case in point, twice the two lapsed into more make-out sessions before reluctantly stopping and finally making it out the door, walking to the bus stop, hand in hand. Music: Exchanging Knowledge It was nearly five by the time they arrived at the courthouse, where business was wrapping up for the day. From the outside, Twilight was surprised at how similar the architecture was to what she knew back home and remarked to Phoenix as much, to which he noted that Celestia truly had imported their justice system if it was similar to that degree. In fact, aside from uniformed humans acting as police and bailiffs instead of Guardsponies, almost everything looked exactly the same to Twilight, though as they got inside she also noted there were cameras where observation and recording crystals would be. Phoenix checked the day’s court docket and realized they were in luck, leading her down the hallway to the Judges’ chambers, where his ID and attorney’s pin got them past security. They did confiscate his cellphone and check Twilight’s passport as well, which caused him some mild consternation, but it passed inspection and soon they were walking to a very specific office, one that, despite all his work there and how often he’d appeared in front of its occupant, he’d never actually been in before. Taking a breath—he was surprised to feel a moment of schoolboy anxiety like he was about to enter the Principal’s office—he rapped on the door. “Come in,” the familiar voice called, and The Judge looked up in surprise as he entered, still garbed in his robes from an earlier case. “Greetings, Your Honor.” He bowed his head to the older male. “Please forgive the intrusion.” “Mister… Wright?” he recognized in some surprise. “This is unexpected. If memory serves, you have no cases on my docket, so why are you here? And in street clothes, no less?” he asked, Phoenix noting with satisfaction he kept a few Equestrian souvenirs of his own around his office, everything from a signed letter from Princess Celestia he’d had framed to an award from the Equestrian Judiciary for stepping in to help when Fair Verdict had been revealed as corrupt. “This is a social call, Your Honor. I apologize for coming during working hours, but there’s someone visiting I thought you might like to see,” he said, trying but not quite succeeding in suppressing a smile, holding the door open for Twilight to enter. She had turned her hair black and eyes brown again as a precaution, but to Phoenix she was still recognizable enough. “Greetings, Your Honor. It’s good to see you again,” she offered with a smile and a polite bow. “Uh… yes…” The Judge’s brow furrowed, plainly certain he knew her but not immediately recalling from where. “My apologies, Miss… but have we met?” he asked as Phoenix just smirked. Twilight took that as flattery for her spellcasting. “Sorry, Your Honor. We have met, but definitely not here. Maybe this will help?” Just as she’d done for Pearly, she flared her horn and reverted her hair and eye colors to normal, showing him a dark indigo mane with two center stripes and deep purple eyes. The Judge’s eyes went wide. “Twilight Sparkle!” he immediately got up to greet her, taking her presence and use of magic in surprising stride. “This is indeed an unexpected pleasure! What brings you to Earth? And how are you…?” He motioned to her woman’s body. “Well, I wanted to visit Phoenix, but could hardly neglect you as well!” she surprised him by hugging him, causing him to momentarily stiffen. “I’ve been spending the week here with Phoenix. I’ve magically transformed myself to allow it. Took a while to get used to this form, but now that I am, I’ve enjoying my time here a lot… to say nothing of the company!” She slipped her arm through that of Phoenix, who rested his opposite hand on her arm. “Oh! Then you and Mister Wright…” The rest went unsaid as his expression went somewhat mixed. “We are, Your Honor,” Phoenix confirmed, patting her arm. “I would never have thought it possible before meeting her, and didn’t even fully accept it until last night. But… in the end, she’s the one for me.” “I… see…” The Judge said tentatively, not appearing fully at ease with the idea. “Though I am gratified you have found someone special, Mister Wright, I am not sure I can offer my blessings for such a union…” he offered very cautiously. Phoenix was surprised to feel a mild sting at his words and even Twilight looked a little crestfallen. “I… understand, Your Honor,” he bowed his head. Guess it was a bit too much to ask… Their reactions were not lost on The Judge, who suddenly gained a twinkle. “Unless I am allowed to marry you when the time comes!” He suddenly grinned as the two blushed. “Due Process and I had a long chat after we encountered you on the night of the big party in Equestria. We exchanged family photos, discussed past relationships, and in the end, he… convinced me that your potential pairing was neither untoward nor undesirable, pointing out that interspecies couples were acceptable if not commonplace in Equestria. He also rather nicely shot down all my potential objections to them. However, you may call me old-fashioned on one score: I do still believe in marriage!” he told them both. “So if you would choose to seal your bonds in such a way, I would be more than happy to perform the ceremony!” Twilight and Phoenix blushed more deeply, both suddenly rubbing their hands behind their head, the latter taking on his goofy grin. “I don’t think we’re ready for that, Your Honor, but… the offer is appreciated!” “Seconded!” Twilight said as she suddenly imagined how crazy Rarity and Pinkie Pie would go over the prospect. Bet those two could organize one HAY of a wedding… she knew, blinking at how readily she seemed to accept the idea. But if we did get married, how would we make it valid on both Equestria AND Earth…? “Thank you for understanding, Your Honor. It means a lot to us both,” Phoenix bowed his head. “You’re very welcome. I wish you both well, Mister Wright, and look forward to seeing what turnabouts you pull off in my courtroom next!” “Well, I don’t have any clients right now, but maybe that will change soon...?” Even as he said it, he somehow knew it would. “I'd love to see you in action again, Phoenix! Preferably without one of my friends’ lives at stake, that is…” Twilight offered somewhat ruefully. “Trust me, my dear, there are no shortages of cases or clients here!” The Judge rubbed his eyes, motioning to his full trial schedule for the next workday. “Oh, and while I’m thinking about it, Miss Sparkle…?” “Yes, Your Honor?” Twilight immediately asked. “Would you do me the favor of taking a letter back to Due Process? He was a fine judge and became a good friend in the time I was there. In truth, I do rather miss him…” “It would be my pleasure, Your Honor,” she smiled and gave him another short bow. “We can wait for it now, if you like…?” “I will write it this evening, and then leave it at the lobby desk,” he told them both. “In the meantime, enjoy your stay, Miss Sparkle, and be assured that should Mister Wright step out of line, I will be more than happy to penalize him!” He brought up his gavel for emphasis, though there was a fresh twinkle in his eyes. “He’s not lying…” Phoenix chuckled, remembering how many times The Judge’s gavel had rung one out for him in various cases, especially early on when he wasn’t the veteran attorney he had become. “He’s got a gavel and he’s not afraid to use it!” Twilight giggled as she quickly picked up on the joke. “I trust you to keep him in line in court, Your Honor. And I’ll do the same outside of it!” “I will hold you to that, Miss Sparkle!” he told her, jovially. “It was very good to see you again and please convey my regards to the Princess!” “I will,” she promised as the pair took their leave. “Take care and be well, Your Honor…” After their visit to The Judge, Phoenix took Twilight on a tour of the courthouse, showing him the very courtrooms he argued cases in. A few trials were still in progress, and Phoenix pointedly ignored the murder cases—of which there were far too many in L.A.—to show her a simple trial over car theft, prosecuted by Winston Payne and defended by Marvin Grossberg. “I know both these two,” he told her as they settled into the stands, though his memory of the former was anything but pleasant, knowing they typically only gave him easy cases which he still usually managed to screw up. As intimidated as I was by him at first, he’s not even remotely in Edgeworth’s or Franny’s league. They only call him the ‘rookie killer’ because that’s usually about all he can handle… Twilight took an instant disliking to him as well, unimpressed by his performance. “He’s like Trixie without the wit or legal wiles,“ she whispered to him at one point. “Ouch,” Phoenix whispered back, but couldn’t help but smile, reflecting that for all of Trixie’s obnoxiousness and put-downs, she at least proved an effective prosecutor. And when it came down to it, a surprisingly good judge, too… he conceded with his thoughts. If nothing else, she really did have an ability to cut through the crap and get to the heart of the matter… The presiding Judge was the younger brother of Phoenix’s usual one, who demonstrated a propensity for not knowing what he thought of things as well some odd aphorisms—“Is he Caneighdian?” Twilight finally wondered out loud—and also asked Phoenix if it was just her, or was Marvin Grossberg a human ringer for Golden Rule, the pony attorney of Gilda and Cruise Control? “I think you’re right…” he told her, remembering his own startled reaction to encountering him in Equestria. “Funny, that… he’s a good man and a decent defense attorney. He was Mia’s first law firm chief,” he added as an aside as Grossberg chose that moment to look into the gallery and notice him. They exchanged a brief nod before he turned his attention back to the case, which lasted another hour before a guilty verdict came down, one overly-celebrated by Payne, though Grossberg did succeed in gaining leniency on the sentence much as his pony doppelganger had done for Gilda. * * * * * They stuck around long enough for Phoenix to find Grossberg and introduce Twilight to him, his fellow defense attorney surprised to see that he had found a girlfriend but wishing them well for it. By the time they left the courtroom, it was nearly seven, the pair discussing both the trial and what they might like to eat for dinner, when they rounded a corner of a deserted hallway and ran into one of the absolute last people Phoenix wanted to see. “Well, howdy there, Mister Lawyer!” came a familiar voice, causing Phoenix to cringe, and Twilight to blink at the familiar accent. Turning to their left, the two saw a young woman with bright orange hair pulled into an afro, wearing a green turtleneck sweater and white pants. Around her neck hung an old camera. Music: Not a Lotta Honesty “Hello, Lotta,” Phoenix said resignedly, rubbing his eyes. “Fancy seeing you here. What brings you to the courthouse?” “Was just deliverin’ some photos and testimony in a trial!” Lotta Hart said with a grin, “And figured I’d stick around and see what else might be newsworthy! Gotta say, it’s a lot easier to testify when you ain’t the guy trying ta poke holes in mah statements!” “I can imagine,” Phoenix deadpanned, trying to stay polite. “Well, we need to get going, so—" “Now hold on, there!” Lotta snapped, stepping in front of him and scowling. “We ain’t seen each other in a few months, and ya barely stop ta say ‘hello’?! That’s just plain rude! Why ya gotta…” She trailed off, glancing between Phoenix and Twilight, before suddenly grinning again. “Oh, so that’s what’s goin’ on!” She brought up her camera and began snapping, the flashbulb leaving spots in the pair’s vision. “Um… what?” Twilight asked eloquently. She sounds uncannily like Applejack, but there’s something… off. Phoenix sighed. “Twilight, meet Lotta Hart, independent… photojournalist,” he said instead of ‘wannabe paparazzi’, which he found a far more accurate term. “Her pictures have figured in some cases I’ve defended. Lotta, this is Twilight, a… friend of mine,” he offered cautiously, hoping Twilight would take the hint not to confirm their relationship. Not that Lotta needed confirmation. “Ah’d say a fair bit closer than ‘friends’ from the way you two are standin’!” Lotta chuckled, snapping a few more photos. “Thanks for the close-ups, Mister Attorney! Reckon this oughta earn me a few bucks from the local tabloids.” “Wait, what?!” Twilight yelped. I came here to get AWAY from tabloids! “Ah can see it now! ‘Lovestruck Lawyer finds Brown-Eyed Beauty!’ Might not make me millions, but it’ll put food on the table for a while!” the photographer laughed as Phoenix just facepalmed, guessing what was coming next. Twilight’s eyes narrowed, and her hand lashed out to grab the camera, snapping the cord that held it around Lotta’s neck with a quick burst of magic. Ignoring the southerner’s startled ’Hey!’, Twilight popped open the film compartment, and unraveled the film, exposing it to the light and ruining it. “Why, you—! That’s an antique camera! And 20 bucks’ worth of film ya just ruined!” Lotta snapped, putting her hands on her hips and bearing her teeth. “You’ll be payin’ for that, Missy!” “I won’t be paying for a thing,” Twilight said in a low voice, one that caused chills to go down the southerner’s spine, seeing something in her other woman’s brown eyes she couldn’t place. Despite being a full head taller than the brown-eyed girl, Lotta felt very intimidated by the smaller woman as she stepped in front of her and leveled a glare. “Our personal life is none of your business, and it is most definitely not the business of the supermarket tabloids!” She shoved the camera into Lotta’s hands with enough force to knock her back a few paces. “So back off and leave us alone, you cut-rate paparazzo!” she snarled and stalked away, Phoenix following after a second, leaving the shaken photographer behind. “That was… rather cold for you, Twilight,” Phoenix noted once they’d gotten out the door. Can’t say I didn’t enjoy it, though… he suppressed a smile. She took a deep breath. “Sorry, Phoenix. I might’ve been a bit hard on her, but after the tabloid incident in Equestria, I’m a little tired of po—er, people, butting into our personal life,” Twilight sighed. “It was weeks after you left before they finally stopped bothering me, and I don’t care for them at all now. And as for Lotta, she may have sounded like Applejack, but I could tell she’s nowhere near as honest.” That earned a chuckle from Phoenix. “You said it. On the one hand, she’s honest enough about what she is, but yeah, she lied through her teeth on the witness stand a couple times,” he remembered ruefully. “When I first met Applejack and heard her voice, my first impression was that Lotta had followed me somehow,” Phoenix said, suddenly suppressing a shiver. “Imagine what she’d do with photos of Equestria here. We have tech that can detect fraudulent photos, so if she got them verified… it could cause chaos.” Twilight shivered, too. “Yeah… think I’m with the Princess and I’m really not ready for Earth as a whole to be aware of us, yet,” she muttered. And why does the mention of chaos unnerve me? She wondered with her thoughts, her mind flashing back to the odd statue of the mismatched creature in the Canterlot Gardens. “But I think I am ready for dinner…” she told him, wondering what human food Phoenix would introduce her to next. Music: Mental Exploration Deciding it was too late to cook at the villa or make it back out to Santa Monica, they ended up eating locally at a Mexican place Phoenix knew, one he’d been to with Maya and Pearls a couple times for celebratory meals after winning cases. Though unfamiliar with the style of cuisine, she found it somewhat similar to what she could get from Burro-run carts and shops, greatly enjoying the tortilla chips and ‘salsa’ that was complimentary with the meal. Remembering she didn’t like things that were overly cheesy, Phoenix declined the waiter’s suggestion of queso and instead ordered them some guacamole made tableside—a favorite of both Maya and Pearl—so Twilight could see what it was made of, and it did indeed meet with her approval, leaving her amazed at how well the avocado-based dip went with the salty, crunchy chips. Feeling adventurous, Twilight also asked to try some alcohol, and though surprised by the request, Phoenix ordered her a frozen daiquiri and got one himself as well even though he was more typically a wine drinker, reasoning that for all the ciders and Pinkie Pie cupcakes she’d had, she might go for something sweet. The rum-soaked slushie-style drink with red and green swirls arrived with a salt rim, causing him to grimace when he realized he’d forgotten to ask them to remove it, but to his surprise, she was delighted by it—“It’s like a salt lick and spiked snow cone all in one! Pinkie Pie would love this!” she said appreciatively as she tasted the striped strawberry-lime concoction for the first time and found herself starting to feel its bite a minute later, significantly stronger than most ciders she knew. Though she definitely enjoyed it, Phoenix limited her—and himself—to two, recalling the warning from the dream trial that alcohol and magic didn’t mix. The chicken fajitas for two they ordered were quite good, though Twilight was surprised by the presentation, arriving as it did sizzling on a large cast iron skillet. They polished it off as well as all the trimmings between them—a function of having only a late breakfast and no lunch. Sated, they walked it off afterwards, heading back to Santa Monica so Phoenix could keep another promise to take her to the bookstore. As it closed at 11, that still gave a delighted Twilight two hours to roam the many aisles, picking out book after book on everything from history to science to even some of the games and puzzles she saw in one of the racks… though Phoenix advised her to obtain Maya’s advice before she picked out some ‘human nan-gas’ for Spike. Phoenix also made a point of finding and presenting her with the Lord of the Rings book trilogy and also obtained her the Harry Potter series as well—“an old classic and a new,” he told her, though he’d never much cared for the latter himself. In the end, they were walking out at closing with two bags stuffed full of books into the Santa Monica evening, which was filled with activity on a Friday night. After sending the books back to the villa via Twilight’s reverse retrieval spell, they walked the streets for a while, just taking in the weekend scene, then headed for the shore to have some quiet time on the beach. The air and water grew increasingly chilly, but the pair barely noticed it as they walked barefoot through the sand, arm in arm. They talked for a long time about everything from their visit to The Judge to even broaching such topics as Maya, Phoenix relating to Twilight the story of how he’d met her and how many times he’d either defended or saved her, either from a murder charge or being held hostage. Twilight was shocked by the story of how Maya had been framed for murder by Pearl’s mother and later kidnapped by a professional assassin to force Phoenix to defend another client, noting somewhat wanly that Maya seemed to have a propensity for finding trouble, to which Phoenix could only ruefully agree. But then she added she also now understood just why she had fallen for him so hard without even realizing it—“you can bet that any mare would swoon for a stallion that repeatedly saved her!” she chuckled, causing Phoenix to blink. “You know, you’re right…” he had to admit. It’s funny, but I never saw it like that… and yet, now that I think about it, that’s exactly what happened. I saved her, was always there for her, and after a while, we got attached to each other and it was hard for me not to have her around. I saw her as a younger sister or maybe thought of myself as an older uncle or big brother, and that was fine. But then all the sudden she grew up, and… and suddenly, the appreciative twitch of his loins told him he was starting to see her more as a woman than a girl. At Phoenix’s request, Twilight returned the favor by telling the story of how she’d met all her friends, dispatched to Ponyville by Celestia to oversee planning for the previous year’s Summer Sun Celebration, and how she had at first thought “all the ponies in this town are crazy!” for it. She went on to relate the battle against Nightmare Moon and how they’d discovered and activated the Elements of Harmony, cleansing Princess Luna and purging The Nightmare from her body and psyche. “Taste the Rainbow,” Phoenix chuckled, quoting Rainbow Dash from the previous night, noting idly that somehow, Maya seemed to have changed for it afterwards, standing taller and seemingly no longer wracked by jealousy or doubt. What exactly did they do to her? It’s almost like they made her grow up…? “It’s funny, though. From what you said, Nightmare Moon didn’t seem to really to be trying that hard to stop you from reaching the old Everfree castle, just tempt you,” he noted. “You know, I’ve thought about that,” Twilight said as they laid out on the beach, watching the moonlit waves. “Looking back, I think she was just trying to corrupt us, knowing that the Elements wouldn’t work if we gave into our base fears or otherwise doubted ourselves and each other. Judging from last night, The Nightmare did seem to enjoy the idea of corruption more than anything else. If she succeeded, she could then mold us however she wanted—turn us into her soldiers and servants. And deep down she was held back by the simple fact that Luna didn’t want us or any other ponies dead—she just wanted to be loved. She waged war against Celestia a thousand years ago, but I think that was more the Nightmare than her,” she suggested as some teens started setting off some fireworks further down the sand. “Hey, neat…” “You don’t have fireworks back home?” Phoenix smirked at the display—fireworks were illegal in Santa Monica, which stopped exactly nobody—to which she grinned and fired off a facsimile of one from her horn, which burst nicely overhead like a small mortar in multicolored sparkles. “As far as non-magical ones go? The Minotaurs do. They live on an island called Minos in the Mareterranean Sea. They’re really good with machinery and metal. In fact, Celestia enlisted them to help make the first locomotive… what’s so funny?” she suddenly asked as she saw Phoenix chuckling softly. “I’m sorry. It’s just all the historical and mythological parallels between our worlds that keeps getting me. I really don’t know why I keep ending up so surprised…” “Parallels? Like what?” she asked earnestly as she leaned back on her hands. Phoenix gave her a deadpan look. “Everything from similarity of names and geographies to the fact that our history and ancient mythology seems to echo your world. Unicorns, pegasi, griffins, dragons and now minotaurs? These are creatures that don’t exist on earth… except in our old classical mythology,” he told her, going on to relate in brief terms the Greek myth of Theseus and how he had fought and defeated a Minotaur. “And in the myth, the home of the Minotaur was the island of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea… ruled by a king named Minos!” he concluded in wonder. Twilight listened raptly to the tale. “I see what you mean…” she told him, thinking that the fact such uncanny similarities existed would require much more investigation when she got back home. Are we parallel worlds? The fact that ponies like Golden Rule seem to have human doppelgangers would suggest we are! Or is the answer more simply that there were connections between the two worlds in the ancient past, ones that left our world’s races embedded in the psyche of his…? she suddenly wondered, considering the possibilities before a fresh round of fireworks went off, attracting their attention again. They watched for a few minutes more before Phoenix glanced at his watch and realized it was now past 2 am. “Tired at all?” he asked her, showing her how late it was. “Nope,” she grinned. Guess that long afternoon nap helped. Then again, I’m no stranger to all-nighters… “Me neither,” he agreed, amazed and how awake and alive he felt with her, lying out on the beach beneath the stars, hearing the sounds of the surf punctuated by the occasional burst of a rocket in the distance. “It’s more Maya’s thing than mine, but… want to try hitting a nightclub or something?” “Nah. Not really my thing either,” she said, then turned to him, her smile going sly and eyes turning hooded. “Right now, I think what I’d like to do is…” she said silkily, her voice trailing off as she trailed a finger down her chest and magically popped a couple buttons on her blouse. “Can I tempt you, Phoenix Wright?” she asked, her entire posture one of open invitation. “Always, Twilight Sparkle…” he grinned, reaching in to kiss her and causing her to sigh happily, though Phoenix hesitated when he realized her horn was starting to show, casting a pink glow on him that immediately caused his own excitement to surge. “Probably too many people around to do it here…” he told her between kisses. “I could cast a privacy spell…” she reminded him between kisses. “Though for as much mana as it takes, I would have to be a pony to power it…” she suggested meaningfully. “How terrible…” he rejoined, suspecting that was more the excuse than the reason but not particularly caring as he began to undress her with his hands and she returned the favor with her magic. “That would mean I’d have to take you as one…!” he all but cooed, deciding he was ready to do so again. “And out in the open, no less…” he further reminded her, suspecting what her reaction to it would be. To his satisfaction, Twilight indeed moaned and shivered at the thought. She REALLY likes that idea! And as much as I hate to say it, that was actually part of the thrill for me last time too… “And would that be so bad?” she asked coyly, her tone teasing but still trying to make sure he was okay with the idea. Especially after what happened last time… she flashed back hard to happened the last time they were together, causing her to suppress a shudder. Or was it a shiver…? “Not in the least,” he reassured her, momentarily letting up his efforts, moving back so he could see her flushed face in the light of her mating aura, tilting her head up with a finger. “Believe me, I’d love to see my favorite filly again. So if it’s what you want…” In response, she smiled and kissed him deeply, then stepped back and reverted her transformation in a matter of seconds. Phoenix watched in fascination as her form shifted back into her equine one, revealing her mare body and brightly colored fur, showing up nicely in the pink light of her horn. For as much as he appreciated her human form, it was her equine one that had initially held his interest and what he found most exotic about her, and his excitement only increased for it She then closed her eyes, concentrating on casting the privacy spell, causing a brief shimmer in the air around them that quickly faded, leaving the sights and sounds of their surroundings intact. “Nopony can hear or see us now,” she promised him, turning her mating aura up to full power and sending her human clothes and crystal pendant back to the villa with another flare of her horn. “So… a beach to ourselves, a starry sky, and a willing mare in front of you…whatever will you do with her, Phoenix Wright?” she asked, doing her best to bat her eyes at him as she’d seen Rarity do to Edgeworth earlier that day. “I might have a few avenues of investigation to explore...” he rejoined, going to her. Lost in the act and later falling asleep on the sand in its aftermath, they failed to see or hear a drone flying overhead with a low buzzing sound, circling the area the privacy spell protected for the better part of an hour before leaving.