//------------------------------// // Turnabout Wonderbolt - Part 3: Finale // Story: Phoenix Wright - Ace Attorney: The Equestrian Turnabouts // by TheBronywiththeBowTie //------------------------------// September 29, 11:04 AM Ponyville Courthouse Defendant Lobby No. 2 As the group all walked into the defense lobby, they all seemed much more calm and confident. Well, except for Rainbow Dash. Her cheeks were a flushed shade of red, and she looked positively livid. "I can't believe that scumbag!!!" The mare shouted, clearly talking about how Soarin was willing to aid in throwing Dash in prison for apple pie. She stomped her hoof angrily. "When I get my hooves on him, I'm gonna shove that apple pie right up where it hurts!!! Twilight put a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "Rainbow, I understand you're upset..." The alicorn princess said. "But you must remain calm." "She's right." Phoenix said. "You need to keep a cap on that temper. Getting angry won't make our case look any better." Rainbow let out an annoyed sigh. "B-But, he was willing to let me rot in jail, blamed for something I didn't do, FOR PIE!!!!!" Fluttershy nodded. "I agree with Rainbow...it makes me so mad...I--I could just kick something!" She whispered. Just then, she turned to the couch in the lobby, and gave it a light tap with her front hoof. Now it was Pinkie Pie's turn to express anger. "I know right?! What a back stabby traiterous meany mean super duper meany mean liar liar pants on fire meany MEAN PANTS!!!!!!" She rambled on, bouncing up and down ecstatically as she spoke. The doors creaked open, Spitfire and Soaring walking through, side by side, Soarin looking rather ashamed of himself. "I hope you know that the only thing keeping you on the team right now is the fact that without you, I have no Wingpony!" Spitfire reprimanded the teal coated stallion. Soarin sighed. "Yes Ma'am...." Rainbow looked like she was about to give Soarin an earful, but Rarity put a held a hoof in front of her athletic friend. "I believe he's learned his lesson, Darling..." Rarity stated simply, feeling kind of sorry for Soarin. The pegasus wasn't a bad pony, he just made a bad choice. Looking at him, Rainbow came to realize this. What she was going to do was nothing compared to what Spitfire would do to him. She heard some of the punishments for messing up when you're apart of the actual Wonderbolts were much worse than the punishments you would receive in the Academy. Soarin made a glance at Rainbow Dash, clearly feeling ashamed of himself. "Sorry, Dash...." He said simply. "Atten-SHUN!" Spitfire shouted, causing Soarin to stand upright and salute. Rainbow did the same, out of instinct. The yellow mare pointed at Soarin. "You! Back to the Academy! You're on laundry duty for the next FIVE MONTHS!!! AND You're suspended from our next three shows! You'd better thank your lucky stars that I've decided to go easy on you in terms of punishment!" Soarin nodded. "YES MA'AM!" He shouted, flying out of the lobby, and out of the courthouse into the sky. Spitfire looked over at Dash, who was still standing at attention. "At ease." Rainbow relaxed herself, but still stood upright. "I know you're innocent, Rainbow." She then looked to Phoenix. "I just hope that your lawyer can prove it. You're welcome to come back to the academy to investigate." Phoenix nodded. "Thank you, Captain." Just as Spitfire was about to turn and leave, Maya jumped in front of her. "WAIT!!!" Spitfire jumped back a bit. "Y-Yes?" "Can you tell us where you last saw Lightning Dust?" She asked. Spitfire put a hoof to her chin. "I haven't seen her since she was expelled from the academy....but I can tell you where she lives." Twilight and Phoenix's ears perked up at that. "And that is...." Spitfire put a hoof to her chin. "I think her address is....789 Duskfall Ct. It's up in Cloudsdale." Spitfire had impressive recall. She needed it in order to remember the different flight formations and military strategies as Captain. The address she had given them was the address she had sent Dust's Academy Acceptance letter to. Unfortunately, little did Spitfire know that sending that letter would be a waste of time....Lightning Dust was a talented flyer...but she was much too reckless. She didn't seem to care about her fellow cadets in the field. That's what got her expelled. "So I take it you're gonna try and convince her to testify in court?" Phoenix nodded. "It seems that way. Hopefully, we can get her accomplice too." Spitfire nodded. "Then I wish you the best of luck. I'll warn you though, Lightning Dust is kind of.....headstrong. Much like Rainbow Dash." Rainbow's cheeks flushed a hot red when she said that. She looked away from Spitfire, embarrassed. Spitfire noticed Dash's embarressment. "However, unlike Dash, Dust doesn't know when she's being reckless." "Can you tell us a little more about what happened with Lightning Dust?" Phoenix asked. Spitfire nodded. "Of course. She was a cadet like Rainbow Dash....she showed a lot of potential. I was really impressed with how she was willing to go past her limits....because of that, when I paired her and Rainbow Dash together, I made Lightning Dust the leader, and Rainbow Dash her wingpony. I figured Dash could learn a thing or two from Dust.....I was wrong. During one of the obstacle course challenges, Rainbow Dash's friends had flown up to Cloudsdale to visit her. Lightning Dust flew by two fast and knocked them all out of their balloon. Before they could all fall to her death, Rainbow forgot about the obstacle course completely, and went to save her friends. Later that day, Rainbow Dash came to me to talk about Lightning Dust's recklessness. She brought up a valid point about putting the goal before the team, that I had never thought about before that....and she threw down her Wingpony badge and quit.... right in front of me.....Rainbow Dash was willing to give up her life's dream for her friends....that took guts. And so for that, I let Rainbow back onto the team, no longer as a Wingpony, and I expelled Lightning Dust from the academy." Phoenix nodded as he heard the story, he looked over at Rainbow Dash, who was beaming with pride from this story. "Well, this definately gives Lightning Dust a motive....thank you for your time, Captain." Spitfire nodded. "Just do your job, Wright." She nodded, adjusted her sunglasses, and walked out of the court house. "Do you still have that cloudwalk spell, Twilight?" Phoenix asked. The Alicorn princess nodded her head. "Yes." "Good." Phoenix said. "We'll need it." Twilight nodded. "Reckon I'll stay down here, and keep Rainbow Dash company, what with her not bein' aloud to leave n' all." Applejack said, adjusting her hat a bit. Rarity nodded her head. "I will too. I for one am still a bit.....hesitant....to return to Cloudsdale." Twilight nodded. "That's understandable." Just then, a voice was heard outside. A rather high pitched voice in fact. Due to the thickness of the door, it was hard to make out what it was saying. "Does anypony else hear that?" Phoenix asked. "It sounds an awful lot like..." Fluttershy opened the door. Outside, was a small orange pegasus filly with a purple messy mane. She was holding what looked like a picket sign, the words, "FREE RAINBOW DASH!" shabbily painted on it. "FREE RAINBOW DASH!" The orange filly shouted. "SHE'S INNOCENT!! FREE RAINBOW DASH!" Twilight facehoofed. "Of course..." She moaned to herself. Fluttershy recognized the little filly, for she once spent the night foal-sitting her and her two friends. Her name was Scootaloo, a pegasus filly who couldn't fly yet, one third of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and Rainbow Dash's biggest fan. She was accompanied by two other fillies. One yellow, with a red mane, and a bright pink bow, and one white, her mane showing two colors, one light purple, one pink. The yellow filly was holding a sign that said, "NO JUSTICE!" and the white filly a sign that said, "CUTIE MARK CRUSADER PROTESTERS!". "Cutie Mark Crusa--what?" Phoenix asked, reading the white filly's sign. "It's a looooooooooooong story, pardner...." Applejack stated, knowing very well of her little sister's shenanigans.... "Scootaloo?" Rainbow Dash asked, standing at the edge of the door, for if she stepped out of the court house, she would be hounded by the guards almost immediately. "HI RAINBOW DASH!!" Scootaloo shouted loudly. "Wait...if you're here...on a Tuseday....ARE YOU THREE SKIPPING SCHOOL?!" Twilight asked, a shocked tone about her voice. The three nervously looked at each other. "Uh....it was Sweetie Belle's idea!" Scootaloo quickly said, pointing at the white filly. "My idea?!" Sweetie Belle asked, flabbergasted. "It was your idea! You were the one who said we had to protest for Rainbow Dash's freedom!" "Well...Applebloom was the one who said we could probably get our cutie marks by protesting!" Scootaloo shouted. "Ah did not! That was you, Scootaloo!" The yellow filly responded. "You both know very well that I can't be trusted to make good ideas!" They all were just about ready to kill each other, before Twilight stepped in between them. "Girls, please!" She began. "You're all friends! You shouldn't argue! And while....skipping school...isn't a very smart choice....you're doing it for a good cause." The fillies all three looked at each other. "Yeah...I suppose you're right..." Sweetie Belle said. "Besides!" Phoenix began. "We have it all covered, here." The three all gave Phoenix confused looks. "And....who are you?" Scootaloo asked. "Oh, right...I'm Phoenix Wright. Rainbow Dash's Attorney." He said. "What's an attorney?" Applebloom asked. "An Attorney is somepony who debates and argues in court to prove whether their client is innocent, or guilty." He said. "Wait...so you mean..." Sweetie Belle began. "HA!! See?! There is a Cutie Mark for somepony who's special talent is arguing!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "I told you!" "But that still don't mean our special talent is arguin'....otherwise that would mean we woulda had ours by now..." She hung her head sadly. "Hey Now.." Applejack said. "Ah know tha's not true. Ah'm sure ya'll will find yer cutie marks someday. Ah mean, Phoenix got his really late." The attorney blushed a bit at that. "Yeah...I didn't get mine until after my second case...." The Cutie Mark Crusaders all looked at him in awe. "Wow....that late?" Scootaloo asked. Phoenix nodded. "Yeah..." She then smiled. "Well, that means we're bound to get ours eventually! We just have to keep trying!" "But for now..." Rarity said. "I'll be taking you all back to school. How could you pull a rabble-rousing stunt like that, Sweetie Belle?! It's unbecoming of a lady!" "Aaaaaw..." They all three said in unison. September 29, 11:12 AM 789 Duskfall Ct. Lightning Dust's Cloud Home Phoenix, Maya, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy stood outside of the residence of Lightning Dust. Applejack and Rarity stayed to keep Rainbow Dash company at the detention center. Phoenix, Twilight, Maya, and Pinkie all stood in a straight line, while Fluttershy stood behind them, peeking her head out every now and again. "U-Um....are you sure she'll be here?" Fluttershy asked, meekly. "She has to be." Phoenix said. "She's gonna pay for getting Rainbow Dash in trouble!!!" Pinkie said. "Calm down, Pinkie...we need to approach this without hostility...the calmer we are, the more information we may get." Twilight said. "Wow....you sure know your stuff!" Phoenix said, impressed. "I've read over a dozen books on criminology!" Twilight said in a proud, matter-of-fact sort of way. "Wow....that's more than I've read, for sure..." Phoenix said, impressed. "Can we please just knock on her door now?" Maya asked. "The suspense is killing me!!" "Oh! Right!" Phoenix said, as he knocked on Lightning Dust's front door. No answer. He knocked again. No answer. She was clearly making this difficult. He knocked one more time. "I'M COMING!!! I'M COMING! Cool your jets!" A female voice said from the other side of the door. "That must be her..." Fluttershy said silently. The Door opened, and there she was. Lightning Dust. A moderately tall pegasus mare, athletically built, she looked a bit like Rainbow Dash, aside from the blonde mane and tail. She didn't look too happy to see the group. Especially since she recognized Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy as friends of Rainbow Dash... "What do you want?" She asked, a snide tone in her voice. "Miss Dust, I'm Phoenix Wright. Rainbow Dash's Attorney." Phoenix said. "She was accused of stealing Spitfire's suit. We believe she's innocent, and we'd like to ask you a few questions." Lightning Dust shook her head. "Well, you'd be wasting your time, Mister Lawyer, I don't know anything about that." Just then, Phoenix felt something in his suit pocket. He quickly took out a small glowing green trinket. "The Magatama is acting up?" Maya whispered to phoenix. Just then, three red locks appeared around Lightning Dust, complete with chains. -What does Lightning Dust know?- "Psyche locks..." Phoenix thought to himself. "I don't think you're telling us the truth, Miss Dust." Phoenix began. "I remember hearing you had a bad experience with Rainbow Dash..." Lightning Dust shook her head. "I can't say I do. Never really spoke to her much." Phoenix knew that was an outright lie. "TAKE THAT!" "Oh really?" Phoenix began. "Because Spitfire told us different. She grouped you and Rainbow Dash together as partners. She was your wingpony!" "Nng!" Lightning Dust jumped back a bit. "Ok, yeah! She was my wingpony! But that doesn't mean there was bad blood between us! Sure, she was a bit confused as to why I wasn't her wingpony...but c'mon!" The first lock in front of Lightning Dust shattered. Phoenix smirked a bit at this. "Alright, next question. Were you at the Wonderbolt Academy on the day in question?" Phoenix asked. Lightning Dust shook her head. "No! I was here that whole day!" She said. "I think you were there that day!" Phoenix said. "Oh yeah? Prove it!" Dust shouted. "TAKE THAT!" "Soarin said he saw you there." Phoenix said with a smirk. "He also said that you spoke to him while you were there!" "GAH!!!" Lighting Dust staggered a bit. "Soarin's got pie for brains! He's always saying stupid stuff!" The second lock shattered. "How Ironic!" Phoenix said. "Because I was going to bring up pie in my next question! Is it true that you bribed Soarin with pie so that he would keep quiet about you and an accomplace being at the Wonderbolt Academy?" "N-No!" Lightning Dust stammered. "I wasn't there with anypony!" Just then, a large female gryphon, who had no idea of what was going on, stepped up behind Lightning Dust. "Lightning, who's at the doo--YOU!!!!" She glared angrily at the pink mare standing next to phoenix. "ME!!!" Pinkie Pie said, imitating the frustrated gryphon. She then giggled hysterically. "GILDA?!" Lightning Dust said, hysterical. The second lock shattering. "What are you all doing here?!" Gilda spat at the group, recognizing Twilight, Pinkie, and Fluttershy as Rainbow Dash's new friends. "And who's this porcupine haired bozo?!" She gestured to Phoenix. "Porcupine haired?!" Phoenix said in his head, deeply offended. "Uh....I'm Phoenix Wright, Miss. Rainbow Dash's Attorney." He said. "Attorney?" Gilda asked. "Wait, you mean Rainbow's in prison?!" She seemed worried for a second, but then stopped herself. "Heh, that's hilarious....." Thee psyche locks appeared in front of Gilda now as well. "Gilda has Psyche Locks too? We'll deal with those later....for now, we need the information out of Lightning Dust." Phoenix thought to himself. The final lock shattered all on it's own. Phoenix looked confused. Lightning Dust sighed. "I guess we're gonna have to go to court now?" Phoenix nodded. "Uh...yes...." "Wow! They never give up this quickly!" Phoenix remarked to himself in his head. "What?!" Gilda shouted, sounding slightly panicked. "Why?!" "They won't believe us if we tell them we had nothing to do with the theft...we'll just have to do it the old fashioned way." Dust explained. Phoenix was surprised at how mature she was being. "Uh....alright." He adjusted his tie. "Be at the Ponyville courthouse tomorrow at 9:00 AM. The trial begins at 9:30." "9:00?" Gilda asked. "Is that a hard nine, or can I come in around noon?" Phoenix rolled his eyes. "Hard nine." He said. Gilda sighed. "Fine...." "We'll be there." Lightning Dust said, shutting the door to the house. "Uh....Phoenix..." Twilight said. "How can we trust that they'll come to court?" "Because," Phoenix began. "They have nothing left to hide. Twilight was still a bit confused, but he seemed to know what he was talking about. "WAIT A MINUTE!!" That came from Pinkie Pie, who then looked up at me, the writer of the story you are reading. "What kind of Psyche-Lock segment was that!? It seemed incredibly rushed, and not to mention terribly written! Don't you think you could--" Pinkie! Please! I had to get the story moving somehow....besides, this is build-up for the trial scene! "Yeah, bad build up!" Pinkie shouted. PINKIE!!! Ugh...please, just stop breaking the fourth wall...the reader, and not to mention the other characters in the story, are probably very confused...I promise, the finale of this case will only get better from here. Pinkie sighed. "Alright.....but I've got my eye on you, Mister Writer!" September 30, 9:20 AM Ponyville Courthouse Defendant Lobby No. 2 The group stepped inside the defendant lobby, to find Rainbow Dash sitting on the couch, waiting there for them. "So, did you find anything out from them?" The athletic pegasus asked. Phoenix nodded. "As much as they would give. I don't think they were the culprits though...." "WHAT?!" The Mane Six all said in unison. "Hang on a second, pardner!" Applejack said. "Now, ah don't know much about all them fancy shmancy law studies, but don't all the evidence point to Gild a and Lightning Dust?" She asked. Phoenix nodded. "It may seem that way, but if there's one thing I've learned during my time as a lawyer, it's that nothing is ever how it seems." He thought back to the Psyche Locks he saw in front of Gilda....she must have been hiding something....whether it was about the theft of Spitfire's suit or not, he didn't know. He would have to find out in court. Shortly after they had arrived, Spitfire arrived as well, once again wearing her military fatigues and sunglasses, as her uniform was still missing. She solemnly stepped up to Phoenix, Rainbow Dash standing at attention when she got close. "At ease, Cadet." She stated, causing Rainbow to relax. "Best of luck, Mister Wright." She said, nodding before stepping inside the court room to take her seat in the gallery. "Well......whether it was them or not, we'll still be rooting for you, Phoenix." Twilight said with a smile. Shortly after that, they all stepped into the court room. September 30, 9:30 AM Ponyville Courthouse Courtroom No. 2 The gallery was speaking to themselves in a dull roar all of them unsure of what was to come in the case. The Judge banged the gavel on his desk, levitating it with his magic. "Court for the trial of Miss Rainbow Dash will now reconvene!" The Judge declared. "The Prosecution is READY!" Iron Will shouted. "The Defense is ready, Your Honor." Phoenix said. The Judge nodded. "Very well then. Will the prosocution please give us a summary of what was stated in the previous day of the trial?" Iron Will nodded vigourously, before striking a pose, showing off his muscles. "Sure thing, Judge!" He held the papers for the court record in his hand, flexing the muscles in the arm that held them. "Yesterday, we learned from a Witness, Soarin, that there may have been two more ponies present at the scene of the crime!" He then banged his fist on the desk. "But the prosecution says that The Defense's claims are completely and totally bogus! I've had enough of this Hocus Pocus!" Iron Will says that when he questions the witnesses, there will be nothing to say that they stole the suit!" The Judge nodded. "I see....Mister Wright, your rebuttal?" "How was this guy a motivational speaker before he became a Prosecutor!?" Phoenix asked himself, referring to Iron Will's insults. "Mister Wright?" The Judge asked again, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Oh, uh, yes, Your Honor!" Phoenix said, rubbing the back of his head with a hoof. "Ahem, The Defense believes that the new witnesses may have more information on who truly committed the crime! If you let me, all will be revealed in the cross-examination!" The Judge nodded. "Alright then. Mister Will, if you will call the first witness?" The minotaur nodded. "Of course! Yo, Lightning Dust! To the stand!" Much to everypony's surprise, Lightning Dust and Gilda had kept their word, and came to court that day. The teal pegasus was sitting next to the large griffon female, and she had stood up from her place in the gallery, and stepped up to the witness stand. "Witness!" Iron Will said. "Give Iron Will your name and occupation!" "Lightning Dust." The mare said. "And currently, I have no occupation." Iron Will nodded. "Now, will the witness please recount where sher was, on the day of the theft?" Lightning Dust nodded. WITNESS TESTIMONY "I'll come clean. I was at the Wonderbolt Academy. But I just wanted to relive some old memories! Like the accused, it was my dream to join The Wonderbolts. After a chat with Soarin, I left. That's all there is to it." The Judge put a hoof to his chin in thought. "Awfully vague.....Mister Wright! You may begin your Cross-Examination." The Judge said. Phoenix nodded. "With pleasure." CROSS EXAMINATION "I'll come clean. I was at the Wonderbolt Academy." "HOLD IT!" "Why were you at the Academy?" "I was getting to that! Calm down!" Dust responded with. "But I just wanted to relive some old memories!" "HOLD IT!" "Old memories? Of what?" Phoenix asked. "OBJECTION!" Iron Will banged his fist on his desk. "That question's personal! She shouldn't have to answer it!" The Judge nodded. "Mister Wright, the Witness doesn't have to answer that question if she doesn't want to." "Like the accused, it was my dream to join The Wonderbolts." Phoenix nodded his head, signaling Lightning Dust to continue. "After a chat with Soarin, I left. That's all there is too it." "OBJECTION!"[/b Phoenix put a hoof to his chin."Really?" He asked. "It was just a simple chat?" Dust nodded. "Yeah. Just a chat." Phoenix pointed a hoof at her. "You can stop lying under oath, Miss Dust!" "OBJECTION!" Iron Will slammed his fists down on his desk. "Judge!" He shouted. "Phoenix has no proof that she's lying! If you can't prove, then you should just move!" The Judge nodded. "While, I am slightly confused with Mister Will's rhyme, he has a point. What proof do you have that she is lying?" "TAKE THAT!" "All the proof I need was given to us just before we went to recess!" Phoenix said. He took the papers out of his court record and began patting it lightly as he explained it. "Soarin said in his Testimony that Lightning Dust bribed him with apple pie in order to keep him quiet about something." He then slammed his hooves on his desk. "Clearly, a contradiction!" "GAH!" Lightning Dust staggered a bit at the stand. The volume of the court room became a dull roar from the gallery reacting to Phoenix's claims. The Judge banged his gavel to quiet them. "Order! Order in the court!" He then looked back down at Lightning Dust. "He's right, Miss Dust. Soarin did testify that you bribed him to keep quiet about something. What it was, we would like you to tell us." "N-Nothing! It was nothing!!" Lightning stammered, peering about the room nervously. "If it were nothing, then you wouldn't have tried to hide it from us!" Phoenix said. "Just confess, and we'll be easier on you!" Lightning Dust gritted her teeth. She then started to sniffle a bit. After a few seconds tears started streaming down her face, and she began to cry. Loudly. "Ok!! Ok!! I did bribe him!" She sobbed. "I was furious that I was expelled from The Wonderbolts Academy!! It was my life's dream!! All ruined by Rainbow Dash! B-But I promise, I didn't steal the uniform! I was at the academy because I wanted to re-visit some old memories of my time there.....Soarin knew I wasn't supposed to be there......and he was gonna make me leave.....and I knew the pie would keep him quiet....." Phoenix put a hoof to his chin. "Hm....and there was nopony else there with you?" Phoenix asked the distraught witness. "I swear.....as far as I know, there was nopony else there.....Gilda might've bumped into somepony though..." "DUST?!" Gilda shouted from the gallery. "OH, WAY TO SELL ME OUT, DWEEB!!!!" "Don't flatter yourself, Gilda." The Judge said. "We were going to have you testify next anyway. Lightning Dust, I sentence you to two months in prison for trespassing on private property." He banged his gavel. Lightning Dust nodded slowly. "Y-Yes...Your Honor." "And now, Mister Will, if you will call your next Witness to the stand?" The Judge asked. Iron Will was wiping a few tears from his eyes when The Judge called him out. "Huh?! O-Oh, yes! GILDA! TO THE STAND!" Gilda growled to herself as she prowled over to the stand. "Let's just get this over with!" She barked. WITNESS TESTIMONY "Alright, I was at The Wonderbolt Academy. I was wondering what the fuss was all about, since that lame-o Rainbow Dash got in, and I didn't! Lightning Dust just happened to be there with me. We weren't in cahoots or anything! Then, I pumped into somepony, and I left." The Judge nodded. "Again....oddly vague.....alright, Mister Wright. You may begin your cross examination." Phoenix nodded. "Of course." CROSS-EXAMINATION "Alright, I was at The Wonderbolt Academy." "HOLD IT!" "Why were you there? Lightning Dust at least had a reason..." Phoenix asked "I WAS GETTING TO THAT, PORCUPINE HEAD!" Gilda shouted. 'P-Porcupine Head?!' Phoenix thought to himself. "I was wondering what the fuss was all about, since that lame-o Rainbow Dash got in, and I didn't!" "HOLD IT!" Phoenix put a hoof to his chin. "Strange....I don't remember ever hearing about you wanting to join The Wonderbolts...." "Of course I did! It's what Rainbow Dash and I wanted ever since we were in Junior Speedsters Flight Camp together.....uh--not that I care! SHUT UP!" She shouted. "Please continue your testimony, Miss Gilda." The Judge said. "Lightning Dust just happened to be there with me. We weren't in cahoots or anything!" "HOLD IT!" "Didn't you go there together? You arrived at about the same time, didn't you?" Phoenix asked. "JUST BECAUSE WE'RE ROOMMATES NOW IT DOESN'T MEAN WE DO THE SAME THINGS ALL THE TIME, IDIOT!!!! That'd just be weird!" Gilda shouted. 'Ow....my poor ears!' Phoenix whined in his head. "Then I bumped into somepony, and I left." "HOLD IT!" "Who was this somepony you bumped into?" Phoenix asked. "I don't know!" Gilda shouted. "They were too small, and they moved too fast! They did leave behind some orange feathers though....must've gotten stuck to my fur..." Phoenix nodded. 'Gah!' He thought to himself. 'There's nothing there I can use! I need to think of something quick, or it'll be all over!' Twilight noticed Phoenix's uneasy expression. She knew he had nothing left to go on. 'Come on, Phoenix....there has to be something!' "Well, Mister Wright?" The Judge asked. "If you have nothing to say about Gilda's testimony, then I'm afraid I'll have to end this trial." "Ha!" Iron Will shouted, a wide, arrogant smile on his face. "Iron Will TOLD YA she was guilty! But you all didn't wanna listen!" "Nick! Don't leave me hangin' like this!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Please! There has to be something! I DIDN'T DO IT!!!" "Nick..." Maya whispered. "Are you sure there isn't anything else there?" Phoenix put his hooves on his head, thinking about Gilda's testimony. There had to be something that didn't add up.....there had to be.....but what was it?! The Judge shook his head. "Well then, if there's nothing else to say, then this court will have to find the defendant....Rainbow Dash... G--" Then it hit him. The orange feathers! Who could they belong to!? Phoenix thought back to everypony he spoke to during his investigation....he then heard somepony shout. "COME ON!!!! THIS ISN'T FAIR!!! FREE RAINBOW DASH!!!!" He looked to the gallery. It was Scootaloo! Still holding up her sign, still skipping school, still protesting, right there in the gallery. "YOUR HONOR!!" Phoenix shouted. "I WOULD LIKE TO CALL THAT FILLY TO THE STAND!!" The crowd reacted to this in shock. Causing the judge to stop speaking right before he gave his verdict to bang the gavel. "Order! Order I say!" He then looked at Phoenix, wide-eyed. "Mister Wright....are you sure? I don't think that filly is relevant to this case..." "Please, Your Honor! I have a feeling this could prove my client's innocence!" Phoenix pleaded. The Judge thought for a moment....then nodded his head. "Alright fine. Little Filly! Please come to the stand!" Scootaloo's eyes widened when she was called to the stand. She peered about nervously, then walked to the stand. "Alright, little filly! State your name and Occupation if ya have one!" Iron Will said. Scootaloo nodded. "I'm Scootaloo, and I'm a Cutie Mark Crusader!" She shouted with a smile. "Cutie Mark....Crusader?" The Judge asked. Scootaloo's smile grew wider when he asked. "Oh, it's a group I formed with my two friends, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle! The Cutie Mark Crusaders! We're all about trying different things to find out what our special talent is, so we can finally earn our Cutie Marks!" "Aaaaaaw! Isn't that just adorable!" The Judge said with a smile on his face, which irritated Scootaloo. "Hey!" She shouted. "It's not adorable! It's serious business!" "Right right...*ahem*, I apologize....." The Judge stammered. "Would you mind telling us where you were on the day in question?" "Anything to prove Rainbow Dash's innocence!" Scootaloo said. WITNESS TESTIMONY "Alright, so I'd gotten up early that morning. I wanted to get an early start on my Cutie Mark Crusading! Then, I went to the Town Square to meet Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. Simple as that! I never went to the Wonderbolt Academy! I swear!" Scootaloo nodded when her testimony had concluded. The Judge nodded. "Very well." "Hold on a minute, Judge!" Iron Will said. "Yes? What is it, Mister Will?" Asked The Judge. "Think about it. She's just a filly. Iron Will doesn't want Wright pressin' the Witness too hard." Iron Will crossed his massive arms and nodded. The Judge nodded as well. "Yes, Mister Wright, do try to be gentle with the witness." "O-Of course, Your Honor!" Phoenix said. 'Gah....Child Witnesses....the kryptonite of Phoenix Wright.....' He thought to himself. Rainbow Dash then put a hoof on his shoulder. "Don't worry about that." She said. "Scoots is a tough kid!" CROSS-EXAMINATION "Alright, so I had gotten up early that morning." Phoenix nodded, signaling her to continue. "I wanted to get an early start on my Cutie Mark Crusading!" Phoenix saw nothing wrong with that statement, and motioned for her to continue. "Then, I went to the Town Square to meet Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom." "Keep going." Said Phoenix. "Simple as that! I never went to the Wonderbolt Academy! I swear!" "OBJECTION!" "You never went to the Wonderbolt Academy?" Scootaloo's pupils shrank, as she peered about and smiled nervously. "Y-Yes! I mean...no, I didn't. Why?" "Because..." Phoenix pointed at her. "I have evidence that says you did!" "W-What!?" Scootaloo asked, a bit shocked. Phoenix looked over the court record papers. "Gilda said in her testimony that she bumped into somepony before she left the academy. And orange feathers were found on her person. The only pony I can think of who has feathers of that color....is you, Scootaloo." "N-No way!!" Scootaloo shouted. "There's no way I could've been there! I couldn't have been there! I....I.... *sighs* can't....fly yet......" "Well then who else could those feathers belong to?" Phoenix asked. Scootaloo looked around the room frantically. She had nothing left to say. It was time for her to come clean. "I...I......WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!" Scootaloo cried even louder than Lightning Dust, tears pouring down her face, her cheeks flushed red from embarressment. "OK!!!!! OK!!! I WAS THERE!!!! I BORROWED TWILIGHT'S BALLOON AND STOLE SPITFIRE'S SUIT!!!!" "Wait....you took my balloon!?" Twilight shouted in disbelief, causing Applejack to put a hoof on the Alicorn's shoulder. "Easy there, Sugarcube....one thing at a time." The Farm Pony said. This got the crowd active again, they all reacted surprised. The Judge banged his gavel. "Order! Order! Miss Scootaloo, please calm down, and explain yourself!" "O-Ok..." The little filly sniffled. "I-I wanted to see The Wonderbolt Academy myself.....I wanted to see the cadets practice....b-but since I can't fly, I had to borrow Twilight's balloon....and I did it without asking. O-Once I got there, I snuck into the locker rooms....they were awesome....b-but then I heard somepony coming...I panicked....and I must've pulled the suit down off of the hanger by accident....I didn't wanna get in trouble....so I held onto it...I didn't know Rainbow Dash was gonna get blamed.....that's why I was protesting earlier...." "Scootaloo...." Rainbow said to herself silently. The Judge nodded. "Well then, in light of this confession, I hereby rule that the defendant, Rainbow Dash is.... "NOT GUILTY." The Judge banged his gavel, and the gallery cheered and threw confetti. "Scootaloo, your sentence is One Week of Community Service, since you are only a filly, and therefore cannot go to prison. With this, court is adjourned!" September 30, 11:23 AM Ponyville Courthouse Defendant Lobby No. 2 Phoenix, Maya, and Rainbow Dash all stepped into the lobby, Phoenix wiping the sweat off of his forehead with a handkerchief. When they arrived, they found Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity waiting for them. "DASHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!!!!!" Pinkie shouted, tackling her rainbow mane'd friend and holding her in a tight hug. "I knew you were innocent! I knew it! KNEW IT KNEW IT KNEW IT!!!!" "Agh! Thanks...Pinkie...you're...crushing...me!!!" Rainbow strained. Pinkie then immediately let her go. "Well, Mister Right...ah don't know how.." Applejack began. "But ya've done it again!" "Thanks, Applejack...." Phoenix said. "You really saved my tail, Phoenix! Pfft, but I knew all along we were gonna get out of that one ok!" Rainbow said, clapping Phoenix on the back. "Wait a minute....but weren't you all nervous just a few seconds ago--MMPH!" Before Pinkie could finish her sentence, Rainbow quickly placed a hoof over the party pony's mouth. "Wright and Co. Law Offices! We always aim to please!" Maya said. She then gasped loudly. "THAT SHOULD BE OUR SLOGAN!!!" "Heheh...I don't know about that, Maya....." Phoenix muttered. They looked to the door, to see that Scootaloo was walking out of the courtroom, with Spitfire. Spitfire carried a neutral expression, while Scoots looked particularly ashamed of herself. "Keep your chin up, Kid." Spitifre said to Scootaloo. "I said I forgive you..." "I know..." Scootaloo said. "But it's not that I'm ashamed about....." "Is everything ok?" Phoenix asked The Wonderbolt captain. "Yeah. everything's fine." She said. "Scootaloo was gonna take me to her place so she could return my suit." Rainbow Dash walked over to the sad little filly. "Everything ok, Scoots?" "R-Rainbow Dash...." Scootaloo then quickly grabbed Dash's front right leg in a tight embrace. "I'm sorry!!! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to get you in trouble!" Rainbow Dash sighed and patted her on the back. "It's ok, Kid...I don't blame ya." Scootaloo looked up at her. "Y-You don't?" Rainbow shrugged. "Nah, we all make mistakes every now and again!" She smiled. "I knew you didn't mean to frame me!" Scootaloo smiled as Dash ruffled her mane. "Just try and calm down, and keep your chin up!" Scootaloo nodded vigorously with a wide smile on her face. "Sure thing!" After that, Iron Will walked out of the courtroom, and he didn't look very happy. He actually looked sad....his confident expression was gone, replaced with one of shame. "I-Is everything ok, Iron Will?" Fluttershy asked, walking up to him. The minotaur sighed. "Iron Will's fine.....he's just...ashamed of himself...." "Oh....why would that be?" Fluttershy asked. "What, were ya blind?!" He shouted, startling Fluttershy a bit. The minotaur sighed again. "Iron Will's sorry....he didn't mean to scare ya.....he's just ashamed of himself because he almost got an innocent pony thrown in prison....and now he lost his first case....I can't even lawyer right! It's bad enough that my career was ruined as a motivational speaker...." Fluttershy flew up to his height and put a hoof on his chest. "Oh, Mister Will...I'm sorry for ruining your career....." "No, No it wasn't yer fault, Fluttershy..." Iron Will muttered. "Iron Will didn't think you would take him so seriously....Iron Will thought he could get his old mojo back from this case....but now he just feels even worse..." "Awww....it wasn't your fault, Mister Will!" Maya exclaimed. "You were just...so excited about being a prosecutor!" "Y-Yeah.." Phoenix joined in, trying awkwardly to help the other two ponies cheer him up. "Besides, this was only your first case! I'm sure you'll knock it out of the park in the next one!" Iron Will sniffled a bit, looking at the three of them. "Hey.....yer right....this was only Iron Will's first case! He shouln't have had that high of an expectation for himself! Iron Will will get 'em next time!!!" He flexed his muscles proudly, giving a thumbs up to you, the reader. "If you ever need a prosecution Attorney, you can count on Iron Will!" He then looked back down at Phoenix and Maya. "Even though we were on opposing sides, Iron Will would like to thank you for helping him get his confidence back! But don't get too soft! Just because we're friends in real life, in the court room, we're RIVALS!!! Iron Will will get you next time, Wright!" He laughed hard, grabbing Fluttershy, Maya, and Phoenix, crushing them in a tight friend hug. "C-Crushing--My lungs!" Phoenix stammered. "C-Can't breathe!!" Maya rasped. Fluttershy however seemed perfectly nestled in his embrace, she looked like she was enjoying it even. "See?" She said. "He's not a monster! Just a....very confident minotaur!" THE END