//------------------------------// // Chapter 33: Kyle Bucy: Ace Attorney! Return To Court // Story: Le Retour // by k12314 //------------------------------// CHAPTER 33 I'm just gonna say this right now... PLEASE listen to all of the music I link to, and follow all of the instructions in the parentheses that I give you. It'll add to the effect so much, you wouldn't believe it. Well, I've kept you long enough. Enjoy the chapter! (Listen to this) "Very well. The prosecution may make it's opening statement." Twilight nodded, and took a deep breath. She looked as nervous as I did. "Yes, Your Honor. It's quite simple. The victim was struck over the back of the head with a blunt instrument, this handlebar from a scooter, and was killed immediately. The bar came from the same scooter that the defendant owns. I don't even see the point in a case." I drummed my fingers on my desk, and looked over the court record. "So it's a murder case... When isn't it? So, the victim, a Miss R. Dash... Of course it would be Dashie... She was beaten over the back of the head... Death was instantaneous, although the body was beaten many times after death. T.O.D. estimated to be 11:01pm. The body was so battered, that magical DNA analysis had to be used to identify the body. Blood was found on the handlebar of Scoots' scooter, and she was arrested on the spot. A bookmark from the library was found near the scene. Hm... Not much evidence though. The handlebar looks a bit bent, probably from the impact, and it has splatters of blood all over it. It has no traces of hoofprints, and some scratches where it is inserted and removed from the scooter, which are quite recent. The bookmark... Looks like one from the library... Dashie must have had a Daring Do book with her. Alright then... Time to pick this apart, piece by piece." "Does the prosecution have any witnesses to verify this?" Mayor Mare- Er, the judge gave Twilight a quizzical look. "Of course. The prosecution calls Miss Cherilee to the stand." Cherilee stepped up to the stand, a completely blank expression on her face. "What a poker face... This is gonna be a tough Cross." I leaned on the desk, and stared intently at Cherilee. The judge cleared her throat. "The witness may begin her testimony." Cherilee smiled at the judge, and nodded. (Stop the music, listen to this now) "Well, I was walking home, after doing a lot of paperwork. It was late, I think it was about 10:30. I looked in a back alley, and saw a figure with a pipe or something in her mouth, standing over a body. She ran off without seeing me, so I checked to see who the body belonged to. It was Rainbow Dash. I ran off, and alerted the guards immediately." Cherilee looked to the judge, and nodded. "The defense would like to begin the cross examination, Your Honor." The judge gave me a slight nod. "Very well then." I stared at Cherilee, giving her my "lawyer eyes," and she flinched a little bit, her eyes darting back and forth, avoiding mine. She began to sweat a little bit. "Too easy..." I slammed my hands down on the desk, and then threw my right hand into a point, directed at Cherilee, causing her to flinch again. "Miss Cherilee!" She gulped, and tried her best to look me in the eyes. "Y-Yes?" "First off, how did you know this 'figure' was a mare?" Her jaw dropped. (Stop the music, listen to this now) Well, I- You see-" I slammed my hands on the desk again. "And didn't you say you saw this happen at 10:30?" She nodded violently. "Hm. Your Honor, please take a look at the autopsy report." The judge looked at the report on her podium, and adjusted her glasses. "Beaten over back of head with blunt instrument... Death was instantaneous... Time of death verified at... 11:01pm!" The judge looked at Cherilee with anger, and I crossed my arms, a smug grin breaking across my face, until... "OBJECTION!" (Stop the music) Twilight's voice boomed through the courtroom. I flinched backwards a little bit. "Your Honor, the defenses claims are meaningless!" I slammed my fists down on my desk, and glared at Twilight. "What?!" I yelled at her through clenched teeth. It was her turn to grin smugly. "You see, Your Honor, the witness knew the figure was a mare, by the shape of her body." Cherilee smiled, and nodded again. "Yes! Exactly!" Twilight nodded to her, and then looked back to me. "And as for the time... The witness was so shocked by the sight of a dead body, that she forgot the time. She will adjust her testimony accordingly." I glared at Twilight, and then at Cherilee. "Damn! I was on a roll too..." The judge cleared her throat again. "The witness may re-state her testimony." (Listen to this) Cherilee put her hoof to her chin, apparently trying to dig out any more details she could remember. "OK, so I had a lot of paperwork, and I must have left around 10:45, as it is a fifteen minute walk to my house from the school. When I walked by the alleyway at around 11:00, I saw the figure, a mare, as I thought from the way her body was built, run out of the alleyway with a pipe or something in her mouth. I looked in the alleyway, and saw Rainbow's body-" "OBJECTION!" (Stop the music, listen to this) I slammed my hands down on the desk, a smug grin on my face. "Sorry to interrupt, but are you ABSOLUTELY sure it was Rainbow Dash?" Cherilee nodded. "Yes. I'd recognize her face anywhere." I shook my head, and tapped my temple with my finger. "Ah, but you see, you couldn't have recognized her face. if you look at the autopsy report again, you'll see that the body was beaten to the point where they had to use DNA analysis to identify her." The judge looked over the autopsy report again, and her eyes went wide. "You're right! What is the meaning of this, Miss Cherilee?" Cherilee started to sweat. "Well, um... You see- I, uh... It's just that-" Twilight slammed a hoof on the desk. "The witness could tell it was Rainbow Dash from her hair!" (Stop the music) I felt my jaw drop. "What?! But... Uh..." I was drawing blanks. Twilight nodded in victory. "Exactly. Unless you wish to suggest Scootaloo pulled Rainbow Dash's hair out? But, the witness' testimony states that she saw the murder running away at the very moment of the crime!" Something clicked in my head just then. "No... No, the murderer DIDN'T run away at the very moment of the crime!" Everypony gasped, and I felt a smile creep across my face. (Listen to this) "Rainbow Dash died at 11:01, whereas Cherilee said she saw this occuring at 11:00! Rainbow Dash had at least another minute to live! She could have said something!" Twilight cringed, and I noticed a bruise on her foreleg. "I wonder what that's from..." Cherilee lowered her head, and her ears drooped. "No, but I- She..." I slammed my hands on my desk. "You didn't recognize Rainbow Dash because of her hair, you recognized her because of her voice. Now tell me, what did she say?!" Cherilee slowly composed herself, and stared at me with a blank face. Then, she started shaking, and tears began to well up in her eyes. "OK! OK! I'll tell you everything, she-" "OBJECTION!" Twilight slammed her hooves on her desk, and glared at me. "The defense will NOT badger my witnesses!" I let out a hearty laugh, and then stared straight into Twilight's eyes, smiling. "I'm not BADGERING, I'm simply asking her a question! This information is vital to this case!" The judge nodded. "I agree with the defense. Objection overruled." Twilight leaned down on her desk, and gave me a death stare. I looked back to Cherilee. "Now, witness... Answer the question!" She sniffed, and wiped the tears out of her eyes. "OK... She didn't say much. And I was so freaked out, I couldn't really understand her. I think she said 'Light,' whatever that means. I didn't do it, if that's what you're thinking. I swear I didn't." (Stop the music) I rubbed my chin, and tried to make a connection. "'Light...' What could that mean? I guess we'll find out..." "Mr. Bucy? Your thoughts?" The judge snapped me out of my deep thought. I put my left hand in my pocket. "Your Honor, the witness is obviously NOT the killer, but she has given us some valuable evidence. There's no solid proof that Scootaloo is the murderer, and now, we have a statement from the victim. Aren't you wondering what 'Light' means as well?" The judge pondered this for a moment, and then nodded. "Yes, I believe we DO have some unanswered questions here. I call a five minute recess, then the prosecution may call it's next witness. Mrs. Cherilee, you may leave now." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (Listen to this) "Dad, that was amazing!" Scoots was staring at me with a mix of admiration and awe. "Trust me Scoots, I thought I wasn't gonna make it. Twilight got me good a few times in there..." I ran my hand along my hair, making sure it wasn't sticking up anywhere. Amazingly, it wasn't. "Well, if you keep this up, you'll win for sure!" I smiled, but something kept on eating at me. "Hey, Scoots... Who exactly thought of this whole case? It seems a little violent for a pony to think of." Scoots looked off to the side, apparently trying to remember who it was. "I think it was Pinkie Pie. She said she got the idea from... A Phoenix, or something." Scoots shrugged, and I slapped my forehead. "Of course. Pinkie has some otherworldy powers or something. Either that, or she's been listening to Sean's stories too much." "Hey, Kyle." I looked to my side, to locate the source of the voice that had just said my name. It was Twilight. "Oh, hey Twilight." I gave her a little wave. "I hope you know that you're not winning this case." I felt my jaw drop, and I stared at her in bewilderment. "Wha-" She raised her hoof to silence me. "I've studied all there is to know about Equestrian law, and I take great pride in my studies. You can't win." With that, she turned around and walked away. "Yeesh... Twilight sure is competitive when it comes to things she's studied. That's not gonna make this any easier." I felt a hoof tap my side again. It was the same stallion who'd told me about the case starting last time. He leaned his head towards the door, and I nodded. "Here we go... Round two!" (Stop the music) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (Listen to this) "Now that the five minute recess is up, we may continue the case. Is the prosecution ready?" Twilight gave me a coy smile. "The prosecution is ready, Your Honor." I cocked my eyebrow at her. "The defense is ready, Your Honor..." The judge cleared her throat, and nodded to Twilight. "The prosecution may call it's next witness." Twilight nodded. "The prosecution calls to the stand... Miss Pinkamena Diane Pie." (Stop the music, listen to this now) "OH CRAP." Pinkie appeared out of NOWHERE from below the witness stand. "Hiya everypony!" Twilight looked at me, her evil grin widening. I gulped. "Oh man... This isn't good at all. Who KNOWS what Twilight has Pinkie trained to say? Pinkie's pretty easy to bribe..." I slouched forward, and I could have sworn I started sweating. Pinkie was bouncing all around the room. "Oh wow! This room is so fancy! It's all shiny, and pretty... It needs more pink! Oh! I'm supposed to be in this stand, right?" Pinkie hopped into the witness stand. "OK! I'm ready to talk!" The judge was staring at Twilight, but she quickly composed herself. "Erm... Right. Uh, Miss Pie? Your testimony?" "Okie Dokie Lokie!" (Stop the music, listen to this now) I leaned in on my desk, and focused every fiber of my being on Pinkie. Anything would help me at that point. "Well, I was just sitting in my room in Sugarcube Corner, staring out my window, because I was bored, and didn't have anything to do! Then, I saw Dashie in an alleyway with somepony. I couldn't tell who. Dashie had a bag, but I couldn't tell what was in it. She put it down, and I don't know what happened next. Next thing you know, the pony has a bar or something in their mouth, and Dashie kicks them in the foreleg, and it looked like it really hurt! The pony staggered a bit, but then hit Dashie over the head... Again... And again..." Pinkie closed her eyes, and I saw tears brimming in the corners. The judge nodded, and then looked to me. "Are you ready to cross examine the witness?" I nodded, and then looked back to Pinkie. "Yes, Your Honor... Pinkie, I have a few questions for you..." "Okie dokie! I'll answer them, no problemo!" Her smile made me feel bad for pretty much interrogating her. "You said Rainbow Dash had a bag. What exactly do you think was in it?" Pinkie put a hoof to her chin, and then... A lightbulb popped up above her head, and promptly disappeared. "I dunno. Probably books or something. You know how much she loves reading Daring Do." I nodded. "Right... Well, what about when Rainbow Dash kicked the murderer? Did you see where it connected?" "Yeah! It looked like the left forehoof." Pinkie nodded her head, and her smile widened even more. "Is that all you need, Mr. Bucy?" The judge cocked her eyebrow at me. (Stop the music) "Yes. I've come to a conclusion: We need to find that bag. We can't confirm what was in it-" "OBJECTION!" (Listen to this) Twilight slammed a hoof on her desk, and she glared at me. "Your Honor, that is completely irrelevant to the case! We already have enough evidence. The handlebar used as the murder weapon was from Scootaloo's scooter, and the murderer was a mare! It's obvious. All you need to do, is bang your gavel, and say one. Little. Word." "Oh no... This isn't good! What do I do...?" The judge put a hoof on her chin, and thought for almost a minute. Time seemed to slow down as she nodded. "I agree. There's not much else to figure out here. It's quite obvious who the killer is. I declare the defendant, Scootaloo..." "GUILTY." SLAM "HOLD IT!" (Stop the music, Listen to this now) I was breathing heavily, and I was sweating. I'd almost lost. But there was only one problem... "What do I do NOW?!" "Mr. Bucy! What is the meaning of this?! Explain yourself!" The judge didn't look to happy with my outburst. I slammed my hands on the desk again. "We can't declare a verdict now! There are so many unanswered questions! What was REALLY in that bag, and why wasn't it found at the crime scene? And what did Rainbow Dash mean by 'Light?' We can't just toss details to the side! One of those details could reveal the-" "OBJECTION!" Twilight looked REALLY angry with me. "These minor details have nothing to do with the case! There were just books in that bag! I remember checking them out to Rainbow earlier that day!" I picked up the court record, and started tapping it with the back of my hand. "Then why wasn't it at the scene of the crime?! We're missing a valuable piece of evidence! The victim had the bag with her before she died! How could that POSSIBLY be irrelevant to the case?!" I pointed at Twilight. "Well?! Come on! Explain it to me!" Twilight flinched, and took a step back. "Well... I- Grrr..." I clenched my fists, and put them on my hips. "Exactly! Your Honor, we need to continue the trial! I know that there's something that can uncover the truth somewhere!" (Stop the music) The judge closed her eyes, and thought long and hard, until she nodded her head. "The defense makes a valid point. We shall take a ten minute recess, and both sides may try to work this mess out." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (Listen to this) "Woah that was close..." I wiped my forehead clean of the sweat that I didn't even know was coming off of me. "Yeah... But still, you're doing great! You really turned the tables on Twilight! And you seem like you're having a lot of fun!" Scoots smiled ear to ear, and fluttered her wings a bit. I chuckled, and scratched my chin. Darn stubble. "Yeah, I am. Still, that was pretty intense... I'm still wondering why Pinkie decided to make Dashie the victim... And who the heck is the real killer? I'm almost completely stumped. I guess I'll just BS my way through the rest of this case. I know it wasn't you." "You sure do have a lot of faith in me." I stared at her, straight into her soul. "That's because you're my daughter. Why wouldn't I have any faith in you?" "Well... I just feel like I'm useless sometimes." I shook my head, and pulled her into a hug. "Now you listen to me, young lady, you aren't useless. Think of how happy you make Apple Bloom." Scoots perked right back up after I said that. "Hey, pal!" I jumped at the sudden voice. It was Sean. "Heh. Nice case you've got going here." I feebly pointed at him. "Did you just quote..." "Yep." He nodded. He even had a tacky trench coat and loose tie on. He really did look like Gumshoe. "Well... That's awesome." He grinned, and chuckled a bit. "Yep, but I'm just watching." "Well, at least you're not on Twilight's side, then. That'd be a disaster." We both laughed, although mine was a more nervous, forced laugh. I felt a tap on my shoulder, and I knew what was next. Sean gave me a thumbs up. "Good luck, dude." I nodded to him, and then headed into the courtroom. "Alright. IMPROV TIME!" (Stop the music) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (Listen to this) "Court is now in session. Have both sides managed to sort this whole ordeal out?" Twilight and I both nodded, almost in unison. The whole time, we were glaring daggers at each other. The judge cleared her throat, and nodded. "I assume both sides are ready?" We nodded again. "Then, the prosecution may make it's statement." Twilight used her magic to tap some papers into order on her desk. "Thank you, Your Honor. Now... The defense has made valid points. We do not have the bag the victim had at the time of the murder, and the victim's final word has yet to be linked to anything." She leaned in on her desk, and smiled slyly at me. "However, I have a solution to both of these problems." I leaned forward a bit, letting my shoulders slouch. I felt very annoyed. "Of course you do..." Twilight cleared her throat, and that made me snap back to attention. "I believe that the murder simply removed the bag from the scene!" (Stop the music, listen to this now) "This was just a mugging gone horribly wrong!" I flinched backwards, and I felt sweat start to form on my forehead. "Oh crap... That's a perfect explanation!" Twilight smiled, satisfied that she had me backed into a corner. "And as for the victims final word... She was simply referring to the light at the end of the tunnel." I gasped, and leaned down on my desk. The sweat was pouring off of me now, and Twilight seemed like she was enjoying this. The judge looked at me expectantly. "Does the defense have anything to say to this?" I scratched the side of my head. "Come on Kyle... THINK!" The judge started tapping her hoof against her podium. That didn't help my train of thought. "Well, I've got nothing to lose..." I slammed my hands down on the desk. "OBJECTION!" (Stop the music, listen to this now) Twilight flinched a bit, and then slammed a hoof down on the desk. "What could you possibly have to prove that I'm wrong?!" I chuckled, and pointed at her. "It's not what I have... But it's what you DON'T have!" "Wha-" I picked up the court record, and started skimming through it. "You see any proof that any of those claims are true? Because I don't." Twilight leaned in on her desk a bit, and gave me a stare that seemed to pierce into my very soul. "But there also isn't any proof that they AREN'T." I threw the papers down, and slammed my hands down on the desk. "EXACTLY! Neither of us can prove any of these claims! We DON'T know what was in that bag, we DON'T know if the murderer took it..." I pointed at Twilight again. "AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE VICTIM'S FINAL WORDS TRUELY MEAN!" Twilight took a step back. Her jaw was hanging downwards. "You... You can't- But..." I put my hands on my hips, and smiled smugly. "What do YOU think it means?" Twilight thought for a second, and then she managed to re-compose herself. "Ah, but you see, Mr. Bucy... My claims make the most sense." (Stop the music) "What...?" "Your claims are logical, yes... But they are also improbable. Whereas, my claims relate to the mindset of a criminal much more. A clumsy criminal." The judge nodded. "The prosecution has a point. I think I can make my verdict now. I declare the defendant..." "I'm sorry, Scoots... I let you down." Suddenly, a loud voice boomed through the courtroom. "WAIT!" We all looked to see who it was, and it was none other than Sean. "Sean?! What're you-" He cut me off. "Twilight's wrong! This isn't just some mugging! Please, let me testify, Your Honor!" The judge closed her eyes, and rubbed her temples, and let out a long, stressed sigh. "Alright... I will allow you to testify." Sean smiled, and stepped into the witness stand. (Listen to this) "I know the truth! Now, you probably remember how Pinkie said that the murderer was kicked in the foreleg, right?" I nodded. "Yeah. What does that mean?" "And you remember how the bag was missing from the scene?" I nodded again. "Well... I have the bag here. You see, after this session started, I went and did a little snooping. I found it hidden in a trash can near the alleyway!" Twilight slammed her hoof on her desk. "This doesn't change anythi-" "HOLD IT!" I slammed my hands down on my desk. "This changes EVERYTHING! Missing evidence recovered and brought to the courtroom? This is a big deal!" That shut her up right quick. "Sean, go on." He stepped down, and handed me the bag. "Well, take a look at the bag. What does it say?" I looked it over, and read the store's title. "It says, 'Fixit's Parts...' Dashie was shopping for parts to something?" Sean nodded. "Scootaloo, what's in three days?" Scoots cocked her eyebrow. "Uh... My birthday?" It all clicked in my mind. "Parts... A bloody scooter handlebar... Dashie... Scoots' birthday..." My eyes popped wide open, and I did a little fist pump. "EUREKA!" (Stop the music, listen to this now) "Dashie had gone shopping for Scoots' birthday, and got her a new set of handlebars for her scooter, when the murderer cornered her in a back alley! Instead of using her own weapon, the murderer used something that was on hoof! The handlebar!" Twilight smiled, and shook her head. "But then why was the bag missing from the scene?" Sean waggled his finger at her. "Not so fast, Twi. You see, it's because the murderer is a very tidy, well kept pony. She threw away the bag on impulse... Hey, that's a nice bruise you have there on your foreleg." Twilight looked at her foreleg, and quickly went from leaning on the desk, to standing on all fours. She started to sweat a little bit. "What are you trying to say?!" I started rubbing my chin, thinking as hard as I could. "The murderer was kicked in the foreleg... Is very tidy... No hoofprints on the handlebar... AHA!" I slammed my hands on my desk, and pointed at Twilight. "TWILIGHT! YOU'RE THE MURDERER!" Everypony in the courtroom gasped, while Sean and I stood there with smug grins on our faces. Twilight stepped back, and she went from just sweating, to having sweat pouring off of her, and I saw her mane sticking up in a few places. "Wh- What could POSSIBLY make you assume that?!" Sean shook his head, and shrugged. "It should be obvious. You DID check books out to Dashie, they were in the bag too. But they were in perfect condition. I've seen the way she treats books. Bending their spines so they don't keep trying to close, folding the pages as marks, occasionally using them as a coaster..." Twilight's eye started twitching. "You were at first going to try to tell her not to do it, but then you saw the opportunity to solve the problem permanently, and you TOOK IT!" Twilight started gritting her teeth, and she clenched her eyes closed. I could see the vein on her forehead pulsing. But then, she composed herself, and smiled. "But there's only one problem. How could you POSSIBLY connect me to the scene?" I laughed, and then pointed to her. "The bookmark found on the scene of the crime! You had it with you to give to Dashie, in your attempts to convince her! But after you killed her, you were so focused on hiding the bag and replacing the weapon where it would look like Scoots did it, you forgot to make sure you had EVERYTHING with you!" Twilight didn't flinch at all. "What if it was Rainbow's bookmark?" I just stared at her for a few moments, before I just cracked up laughing. "HA! Were you even paying attention to what Sean was saying? Dashie folds the pages to mark it! She doesn't even have a bookmark!" Twilight slammed her hoof on the desk. "But what if I gave it to her when I checked the books out?!" I ignored her, and instead pointed to her forehoof. "That bruise! The murderer was kicked in the forehoof, according to Pinkie's testimony. Your bruise looks fresh... AS IF IT HAPPENED YESTERDAY! Oh, and another thing... There aren't any hoofprints on the handlebar. How could that be possible? It had to have been a unicorn... And about the victim's last word, Twi... Oh, what was that last part of your name?" The judge's eyes popped open in surprise. "By Celestia, you're right!" I crossed my arms, and a smug grin found its way onto my face. "Oh, I know I am. Anything you'd like to say, Twilight?" Twilight closed her eyes, and started gritting her teeth again. She started trembling, and then her eyes popped open, gleaming with rage. "Grrrr... I- But she... Scootaloo... The pipe... You... YOU... RRRRAAAAGGGGHHHH!" She started screaming at the top of her lungs. Everyone in the courtroom flinched. "WOAH! What a set of vocal chords!" "YOU THINK YOU'RE SO SMART! HUH?! CURSE YOU! I STUDIED LAW SO HARD! HOW COULD I LOSE?! AAAAAAGH! WHY? WHY? WHY?! WHY?! WHY?!" She slammed her head on her desk... And she stayed like that. She went limp, but she was still breathing. (Stop the music) "She knocked herself out... I don't think she was acting that time... I don't think she likes being out-smarted..." The judge cleared her throat, and stared at Twilight. "Well... Uh... I believe I can make my verdict now. I declare the defendant, Scootaloo..." "NOT GUILTY." (Listen to this) Everypony in the courtroom started cheering, and a giant smile broke across my face. "I did it! I won! Boy was that fun..." Scoots flew full speed at me, and hugged me around the neck. "You did it! You did it, you did it, you did it, YOU DID IT! You're awesome, dad!" I hugged her back, and I started laughing. "I know I did! I can't thank you enough for getting this all set up for me, Scoots. I had a blast! And I feel really nostalgic too... I love you, Scoots. this means a lot to me..." She nuzzled the side of my face. "Hey, no problem. Anything to make my dad happy." I hugged her even tighter, and I felt a tear run down the side of my face. I felt so cared for... So loved... It was the greatest feeling in the world. *Ahem...* I spun around to find who cleared their throat... It was Twilight. "So, you woke up already, huh?" She hung her head. I guess I shouldn't have said that. "Yes... I'm sorry for flipping out like that. It's just... When you outsmarted me, something in my head just snapped. I hope you can forgive me." I scratched Twilight's head a bit. "Hey, forgive and forget, right? No problem." She smiled, and then turned to walk away, but she turned her head to say one last thing. "Excellent work, Mr. Bucy." We both laughed, and she walked away. Then, Sean jumped out in front of me. "Man, that was INSANE! Come on, lets go get something to eat! I'm starving, my body had to use all of its energy to take all of that awesomeness in! You know, I think you could even give Phoenix a run for his money!" I let out a little chuckle, but then I cocked my eyebrow. "You really think so?" He nodded. "I KNOW so. Now come on, lets go get something to eat. Hey, Scoots, you wanna come?" Scoots nodded her head violently, and then I heard her stomach growl. "Yeah, come on, kiddo, lets go-" "Kyle... That was amazing." I spun around, another voice catching me off-guard. It was Dashie. I almost fell over. "What the- When did you get here?" She laughed at my surprise, and then gave me a big smile. "Whenever the case first started. I didn't want to come say anything until after the case was over. Can I come along for your victory meal?" Sean shrugged. "Why the heck not? Now come on! Lets eat!" We all started walking out of the courtroom, and Dashie looked up at me, her smile still there. "You know, you really are something, Kyle." I cocked my eyebrow at her. "Whaddya mean?" "The way you fought in there... You seemed very passionate about it. It's like your entire life depended on that case." I shrugged. "Even though it was just a mock trial, Scoots being the defendant made me feel a sense of duty to have her declared Not Guilty. She's my daughter, after all. I have to protect her, no matter what." Dashie giggled, and then leaned her head on my side. "You're such a nice guy... I love you." I scratched her behind her ear, and her smile widened even more. "I love you too, Dashie." And so, the rest of the evening was spent chatting, and chowing down, all Sean's treat. He insisted. The whole time, I felt like I'd really done something. I don't know why, but I felt a sense of newfound courage, like I could take on the world, no matter what it threw at me. I guess winning a case like that does that to a guy. All I know is, I knew, then and there, that no matter what happened, good or bad... I was gonna pull through it all. Oh man, that was a BLAST to write! I actually started writing it as soon as I got home from school two days ago, but sadly, I kept getting distracted by a load of things, so I only got about three-thousand words. The rest was written last night. Thanks for bearing with me and reading all of that. Now then, onwards, to the next adventure! ALLONS-Y!