//------------------------------// // Day 2: The Trial. Part 4: Rarity's secret // Story: Twilight Sparkle, Ace Attorney: The Royal Turnabout // by Animegx43 //------------------------------// Instead of handing down the verdict, the Doctor agreed to listen to a testimony from Rarity herself and share what she wanted to say, but there was also pressure for her. If she failed to bring any new information to the court, Discord would take away Twilight's horn and wings. Rarity walked to the witness stand. Once there, she became nervous after the Canterlot citizens looking down at her from the audience benches. "You certainly don't look like the type who would try to kill a pony, let alone a prince." The Doctor said. OBJECTION! "Keep in mind that the evidence still points to her as the culprit." Discord said. "Also, remember that nothing she says will be reliable without solid proof." The Doctor nodded in agreement. "For now, let's just hear what she has to say." "W-w-what am I suppose to say?" Rarity asked. "Just try to say something that can prove you're innocent." The Doctor explains. "I would like to hear an explanation about why you were at the crime scene in the first place. Any objections?" Rarity hasn't been telling me the truth about everything. Twilight thought. I wonder if her secrets are even that big. Knowing her, it's probably something like her hair is going grey. In any case, I'll have to get it out of her if I want to save her. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --Testimony: Why I was there.-- "Why I was there? Uh...of course. When I was at the hotel, I heard that the prince was there as well, so I thought I'd seem him. I felt a little bad about how things went at the Grand Galloping Gala, so I thought I'd try to make amends. And rest assure, Twilight. I DID have a hotel room that day." --End of testimony-- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Not exactly case breaking testimony now is it?" The Doctor said. "If that's the case, shall we give her the guilty verdict now?" Discord asked. "No, I'd first like to give Miss Sparkle a chance to cross-examine her first." The testimony was not a good one for Twilight's case. It was vague, lacked anything of real interest, and was mostly what she already knew. Nothing had changed. "It looks like this could be the end of the trial, Spike." Twilight said with sadness. "I'm not sure what more we can do here." "Really? I don't think so." Spike said. "Rarity is obviously lying to us. Why can't you just try to get her to tell us the truth? She could end up giving us something we don't know yet." "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm hoping she really is lying. If she's telling the truth, we'll lose the trial right now." Twilight said. And if it does end, then I'll lose my wings, my horn, and even my friend. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --Cross-examination-- Why I was there? Uh...of course. When I was at the hotel, I heard that the prince was there as well, so I thought I'd seem him. " "I felt a little bad about how things went at the Grand Galloping Gala, so I thought I'd try to make amends." "And rest assure, Twilight. I DID have a hotel room that day OBJECTION! There's only one thing I want to talk about/ Twilight thought. "Rarity, you claim to of had a room at the Gilded Horseshoe, but I have here a list of names of the ponies who were at the hotel that day. I've looked through the names and haven't found your name anywhere." "I...well...are you sure you have the right list?" Rarity asked desperately. The Doctor looked down at Rarity with disapproval, not being satisfied with the testimony. At that time, Discord was getting ready to snap his fingers and make Twilight's wings and horn disappear as they agreed. "Rarity, the judge is ready to hand down a verdict. Please, for both of us, you need to tell us what happened." Twilight begged. At that point, Rarity remembered about the deal Twilight made with Discord and realized that she was being selfish. While trying to hide her secrets, she had slowly made her problem Twilight's problem as well. She knew she had to say something she didn't want to share. "Fine. I guess I have no choice." Rarity said. "Not only was I at the hotel, but I even have an alibi." Yes! I knew you'd come through. Twilight thought happily. "If you really do have an alibi, please add it to your testimony." The Doctor said. I was staying at a room at the top floor of the hotel." HOLD IT! "Alright, Rarity. This is where the lies have to end." Twilight said. "The same list makes it clear that you weren't on the top floor, the penthouse rooms. Can you really prove you were there." Rarity took a deep breath, look up to the Canterlot citizens watching, looked back to Twilight, and continued her testimony. "Yes. In fact, you ask the front desk or the manager, and they will recognize me." OBJECTION! "I've met those ponies." Discord said. "They don't ever recall seeing a mare name Rarity checking in." "Well...that's because I didn't use my name." Rarity confessed. "I...used the name...Flashy Skirt." Flashy Skirt? Where do have I heard that name? Twilight pondered. Then, after remembering a piece of evidence...WAIT A MINUTE! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Names of ponies at the Gilded Horseshoe: Floor 6: Filthy Rich, Gold Digger, and Diamond Tiara. Fancy Pants and Flashy Skirt. Floor 5: Prince Blueblood and Giant Hand Floor 4: Sapphire Shores. Fluer Dis Lee. Soarin and Spitfire. Rapidfire and Fleetfoot. Photo Finish. Hoity Toity. Jet Set and Upper Crust. Gustave Le Grand. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Flashy Skirt? Why..." Twilight said after looking through the list of names. "That was Fancy Pant's roommate!" After hearing that Rarity was sharing a hotel room with Fancy Pants, the audience went into the biggest uproar of the day. They were all talking away, shocked that a mare like Rarity would be at a hotel room with somepony as famous as Fancy Pants. The Doctor didn't like the audience's behavior and banged his gavel three times. "Order! Order! Please behave yourselves!" OBJECTION! "Th-this is obviously a lie. She's trying to wiggle out of this mess." Discord said, shocked by the turnabout. OBJECTION! "If what she says is true, then she'll have an airtight alibi!" Twilight argued. "Rarity, were you really sharing a room with Fancy Pants?" "I...yes. Me and Fancy Pants were...together at the hotel." Rarity admitted. Hearing the words from the pony's mouth for a second time made everypony in the audience go even crazier as none of them could stop talking about what they had learned. As they went on and on, Rarity began to hide behind the witness stand. "Order! Order! ORDER!" The Doctor said after banging his gavel three times again, not being able to enjoy banging it anymore. "I will have order or I will clear this court!" Completely ignoring the Doctor's wishes, the ponies of Canterlot kept going, forgetting that they were at a courthouse. Finally losing his patience, the Doctor banged his gavel a final time. "That's it. I'm officially clearing this court. Bailiff, removing everyone here who isn't involved with this trial." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was chaotic for a few minutes, and the not the kind of chaos Discord enjoyed, but everypony watching the trial had to be removed from the courtroom and the trial was no longer public. This allowed the exhausted Doctor, the annoyed Discord, and the sweating Twilight to continue the trial. "Sorry about that, but my patience grew thin." The Doctor said after calming down. "Now then, if you had an alibi this whole time, why wait until now to share it?" "I admit, it would've been better for my case if I came clean, but I just couldn't." Rarity said. "I knew that if word got out that Fancy Pants invited me to come with him on a trip to Canterlot's best hotel, I'd never be able to show my face to the public again!" "Wouldn't being with a famous pony be good for your image?" The Doctor asked. "Good heavens, no! It would be nothing but a great big scandal. Imagine the headlines! Canterlot's most elite bachelor dating mare from the boonies! I would get so much unwanted attention." I sure hope nopony back in Ponyville finds out about what she just said. Twilight thought with a worried look. Although, I know Rarity takes pride in her image, so it's believable that this is the reason she waited so long to reveal what she was doing. But it does raise another question. Was there a reason why they went to the same hotel as Prince Blueblood? The Doctor thought over the new information he was given with great care. "I'd like to hear a testimony from this Fancy fellow my self, but if it holds up, you will be free to go." OBJECTION! After finally regaining his composure, Discord once again wagged his finger at Twilight and the Doctor. "I'm afraid an alibi won't be enough to clear her name at this point." "Explain yourself, Discord!" Twilight ordered. "It's simple. She can have an alibi on every other hour, but the facts remain the same. Rarity was found at the crime scene when Red and the unreliable bodyguard found the prince. It's obvious that they arrived at the crime scene shortly after Rarity did the deed. On top of that, the weapon has her hoofprints and magic on it." OBJECTION! "But it changes the importance of the ladder and the broken window." Twilight said. "Since Rarity was inside hotel, why would she go through such complex measures going inside when she could just go downstairs and enter." "Simple, my stupid pony. The door was locked!" Discord said in an insulting manner. "The prince didn't want to let her in, so she resorted to more drastic measures. It's the only explanation." "If you can explain everything, then explain her motive!" Twilight said. "What reason would she have to go down to his room and try to kill him?" "Oh, that's easy." Discord answered. "Prince Blueblood is responsible for Proposition G3, which although is mostly favorable to the ponies of Canterlot, if it were to pass through, Rarity would never be able to live in Canterlot." Proposition G3? Didn't Giant Hand say something like that? Its been brought up in court twice now, so it must be important. With one final bang of his gavel, the Doctor had made his decision on what to do next. "From the new information the defense has shared, although not completely consistent with the rest of the evidence, now questions the defendant's whereabouts during the crime. In order to declare a fair verdict, the defense and prosecution will need to bring in more evidence. Therefore, I will end the trial for Today." Yes! I've managed to give myself a little time. Now hopefully, I'll be able to investigate this whole thing with more detail. "Miss Sparkle, you are to look into your client's alibi with more detail and bring this Fancy Pants fellow in here. Discord, you will need to find more decisive evidence to prove the defendant's guilt." With an angry groan, Discord replied..."Fine. It's not a smart move, but I promise I'll end this tomorrow." "Very good then. We will resume this trial tomorrow at 10:00 AM. Court is adjourned." The Doctor said as he banged his gavel, ending the trial for the day. "Bailiff, please escort the defendent back to the detention center." As requested, the bailiff and a guard went to Rarity and began to bring her to the court doors, but as soon as the door cracked open, they flew wide open as other ponies, mainly photographers, reporters and journalists, all talking at once and scaring Rarity. "How long have you gone out with Fancy Pants?" "Do you plan on divorcing him for his money?" "Is it true you're carrying Fancy Pant's love child? "Does this suit make me look fat?" Before any of the reporters could get inside the courtroom, the Bailiff slammed the door as quickly as possible, being almost as horrified as Rarity herself. "Is it too late to plead for the death penalty?" Rarity asked. "I guess I'll have to bring her back myself." Discord said. "Until then, I bid you adieu, Twilight Sparkle." With a snap of his fingers, Discord and Rarity disappeared from the courtroom, avoiding the annoying reporters. I think I finally understand exactly why Rarity kept quiet about this. Twilight thought. But now, I have a lot to look into. I need to find Fancy Pants and ask him about him and Rarity, find out why Rarity went to see Prince Blueblood in the first place, and I've also grown curious about Proposition G3. I have a feeling that it's important. I'm not too far from getting Rarity acquitted, so I hope she can be patient for a little while longer. With her priorities set in place, Twilight also made her way out of the courtroom with Spike, planning her next move in saving Rarity. She still had so many questions to ask and very little time to get answers, but after going head-to-head with Discord, she didn't feel like letting anything stop her.