//------------------------------// // Part 48 - Back to the Brink // Story: Phoenix Wright - Turnabout Storm! // by Firesight //------------------------------// Ponyville District Court Courtroom #2 June 11th, 12:28 PM “You’ve got your opening, Phoenix. Now go get her!” Twilight encouraged him. “My pleasure,” Phoenix grinned, turning his attention back to The Judge. “Your Honor! The witness could not have seen this golf club at the store!” he declared authoritatively, slapping the top of his rail with his hands. “Really?” The Judge asked in a rhetorical tone. Phoenix gave a sharp nod. “Yes! And I have proof!” he announced, putting his hands on his hips and giving an unimpressed Sonata a triumphant stare. “Do go on, Mister Wright.” The Judge invited, sounding both surprised and skeptical. Phoenix picked up on his dubious tone. “It’s quite simple, Your Honor. You see, the witness could not have seen this golf club at the store, because it’s not for sale there or anywhere else!” he explained. “It’s in fact a one-of-a-kind creation!” “A… what?” The Judge blinked. “Your Honor… allow me to introduce the court to the Pinkie Iron Mk. V!” he held the mangled golf club high for all to see. “The very first invention patented by one Pinkamena Diane Pie!” “Oh, I see,” The Judge stroked his beard, thinking, but then his eyes abruptly narrowed in confusion. “Wait a minute! If it’s her first invention, then what happened to the Mk. I through IV?” “That’s what I wanted to know!” Twilight muttered under her breath. “Uh… n-never mind that!” Phoenix said, taking on his goofy grin for a moment, having a brief but potent nightmare about calling Pinkie Pie to the stand. “The point is, it’s impossible for the witness to have seen the club in a store because it was custom-crafted by Miss Pie and not for sale anywhere! She lost it in the forest a week ago when she tried playing golf there!” The Judge only looked more confused. “Uh… why would she be playing golf in the forest? With all those trees around, wouldn’t it be a little… counterproductive?” he asked, stroking his beard again. Beside Phoenix, Twilight could only shake her head in amazement and exasperation as her own thoughts were echoed. “She, um, said she wanted a challenge, Your Honor.” “A challenge?” The Judge repeated in disbelief. “What would each hole be, a par-fifty?” he asked, causing Twilight to facehoof and the gallery members from Ponyville to exchange nods and knowing looks. Phoenix was getting flustered. Of all the times for The Judge to start showing some deductive powers, why did it have to be NOW? “The point, Your Honor, is that not only does this prove Sonata couldn’t have seen the club at the store, but also that she saw it when it was whole!” he emphasized the final few words. “She had to have seen it intact to have recognized it as a golf club. But the only place that was possible was in the forest where it was lost!” Sonata flinched hard at that, her glasses going briefly askew as the audience chatter picked up again. Scenting blood and that the entire gallery of ponies was increasingly behind him, Phoenix pressed his advantage. “I should also inform you, Sonata, that Pinkie Pie lost that golf club in the forest a week ago!” he paused dramatically, letting his words sink in. “But according to both hotel records and your own admission, you only arrived in Ponyville two days after that! “Therefore, the only place you could have seen it whole was in the Everfree Forest—no more than three days before the murder!” he announced to a fresh upsurge of conversation from the gallery; glancing up he saw that Applejack and Rarity were excitedly whispering an explanation to a visibly confused Fluttershy. Whatever was said by her two friends, Fluttershy seemed to finally get it as understanding dawned on her face. Sonata’s tail twitched; she was starting to look rattled, gritting her teeth and taking a sharp intake of breath. The Judge rapped his gavel on his bench twice to restore order. “Ms. Sonata! You will explain this!” he ordered, pinning the grey unicorn mare with his most intimidating glare. Phoenix finally had the great pleasure of seeing Sonata speechless and stammering, her eyes darting nervously and glasses going crooked on her face once more. “I… I…” was all she could immediately manage. YES! I finally broke her! Let’s see her try to talk her way out of THIS! he waited, leaning forward over his rail in anticipation. Not as cool a customer as you want everypony to believe, are you, Sonata? But to his surprise, Sonata’s tail stilled and she stood up straight again, a smirk back on her face. “Actually, I don’t need to say anything,” she announced, straightening her glasses with a hoof. The Judge gave her a stern look. “I’m afraid you do, Ms. Sonata. The defense has proven to this court’s satisfaction that you’ve seen this golf club while it was still in one piece. And that the only place you could have done so was in the forest you claimed you were never in!” “But do you remember why I was dragged in here, Your Honor? It was all because of that other witness,” she recalled, turning away from Phoenix again, leaving him wondering what form of misdirection she was resorting to this time. “Let’s not beat around the bush, shall we, Phoenix Wright? It’s clear you’re trying to get me to admit I was in the forest that night,” she noted as she turned back towards him. “Of course I am! Because you were!” he accused, still not certain what she was up to. “Is that so? Then please enlighten me, Mister Wright—if I really was in there that night, why didn’t Fluttershy see me leave?” she abruptly challenged, looking up into the gallery and causing Fluttershy to cringe at having that pointed out again. “She said she saw me walking towards Ponyville, but she also testified that she didn’t see me leave the forest.” This time, it was Phoenix who was caught off-guard. “There has to be a reason!” he stated, glancing over to Twilight to silently ask if she had any ideas; Twilight didn’t immediately reply, but he saw her eyes narrow as if deep in thought. Sonata was unsympathetic. “Sorry, Mister Wright, but ‘there has to be’ doesn’t fly in court. If you’re trying to plant me in that forest based on her testimony, you need an explanation as to why she didn’t see me leave.” “The broken golf club should be enough proof! Gilda confirmed it was on site even after the murder! Therefore, you had to have been there to take it at some point after that!” Phoenix countered, pointing at her again. He saw the problem with his assertion even as he said it, cringing as The Judge confirmed his fears. “Mister Wright… I ordered Ms. Behertz’ testimony struck. Her statements are not admissible as evidence,” he reminded Phoenix with strained patience. “All we know for certain is that the broken golf club was on the crime scene at some point, not that it was present for the murder.” “It’s alright. I’ll humor him, Your Honor,” Sonata said easily. “So, Mister Wright. Let’s assume for the sake of argument both that the stick was on site and I was near the forest that night—not in it, just near it,” she took pains to clarify. “Since we are apparently to disregard both Fluttershy’s and Gilda’s testimonies, who is to say Rainbow Dash or Gilda didn’t carry the golf club out and I didn’t just find it there on an evening walk?” she asked, now sounding to Phoenix like the prosecutor she claimed she could be. “I don’t believe picking up a stick is a crime,” she concluded, smiling and sounding very pleased with herself. The Judge nodded thoughtfully at that, stroking his beard again. “She does bring up some valid points, Mister Wright. I can’t allow you to continue accusing her if you cannot provide stronger evidence that she was indeed inside the forest at the time of the murder.” “But at a minimum, this does mean she lied, Your Honor!” Phoenix pointed out. “She said she was ‘nowhere near’ the forest, but now she’s all but admitted that she was!” “An assumption is not an admission, Mister Wright,” Sonata broke in. “She is correct, I’m afraid,” The Judge agreed. “Regardless, it isn’t enough for her to have been near the forest. You have to be able to place her inside it at the time of the crime, or this trial is over!” Phoenix’s jaw dropped open. “But, Your Honor—!” The Judge was having none of it. “Your client’s verdict has already been handed down, Mister Wright. So unless you are able to provide this court a very substantial amount of evidence of this manager’s potential guilt to convince me otherwise…” he trailed off and lowered his head in warning, giving Phoenix a stare. “I won’t hesitate to end this post-verdict inquiry here and now!” “Ngh! What do I do?” Phoenix turned to Twilight, his mind racing. “Actually, Phoenix… I’ve been thinking and I may know how she did it,” she offered cautiously. “B-but I could be wrong!” “How?” he quickly asked her, knowing he had hit another dead end. “Tell me now! We’re at the brink again!” Twilight took a deep breath and raised her voice so the entire court could hear. “Sonata is a unicorn. So it’s possible she could have… teleported?” she offered tentatively, looking around the courtroom for support, only to get some very doubtful looks from the unicorn bailiffs and gallery members in return. Phoenix blinked. “Teleported?” he repeated uncomprehendingly before making a connection. “Wait—was that what you did this morning when Rarity came in? You teleported?” he guessed, trying to shake off a sudden flashback to the fear and helplessness he had felt as the frazzled fashionista had bodily picked him up and began to forcibly undress him with her aura. “Yes!” She nodded quickly. “But admittedly, it’s unlikely. It’s a very advanced unicorn spell, requiring a great deal of focus and practice to master. Technically, all unicorns are capable of it. But not many can actually do it.” “Why not?” Phoenix wanted to know, a tingle on the back of his neck telling him she was on to something. “It’s a complex, high-energy spell. Stronger unicorns like Trixie and myself can perform it repeatedly without many repercussions since our special talents have to do with magic,” she explained with a nod back at her cutie mark. “But for those that don’t…” Phoenix nodded slowly as he turned his attention back to Sonata, several new puzzle pieces clicking into place at once. “I actually think she can do it,” he announced as much to himself as to the chamber. “And if so, that would explain how she was able to leave the forest without being seen!” “An intriguing suggestion,” The Judge agreed, stroking his beard thoughtfully again. “Ms. Sonata—do you know how to teleport?” She turned away again. “No. And even if I did, short of me actually performing the spell, you couldn’t prove it,” she said dismissively. She’s lying! Phoenix knew instantly as her tell gave her away once more. “I’m afraid I can, Sonata!” he announced, going for his camera again and clicking forward through his picture roll until he found one in particular. He showed it to Twilight, who instantly projected it into the middle of the courtroom pit. “These pictures are of a certain book I found in your hotel room.” “Oh! I know that book!” Twilight announced excitedly, focusing on the cover title, which was written in the same odd hieroglyphics as the inner text. “It’s written by a former headmistress of the Celestial Magic Academy, and it’s got all sorts of neat spells you can learn, including the story and theory behind them! It’s a great read, and I can heartily recommend it for any unicorn who wants to—” “Uh, Twilight?” Phoenix broke in. “Not the time.” “Oh! Sorry.” She blushed, falling silent while in the defendant’s box, Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and muttered ‘egghead’ under her breath. Sonata’s eyes widened in surprise before narrowing in anger, laying her ears back again. “Hey! You can’t prove that book belongs to me!” Phoenix crossed his arms, giving her a smug look. “Do you really want me to waste this court’s time by repeating that entire arduous process I used yesterday to prove that it does?” he asked her mildly. “Knowing what it would reveal, I have a funny feeling that you don’t!” he said with a self-assured smile, reflecting on how good it felt to have a secret he could now hold over her. Sonata’s lip tightened at that. “Very well, then. Does that book belong to you, witness?” The Judge asked her directly. “Yes. It does,” she confirmed, forcing herself to stand up straight again while Twilight felt a familiar burst of mystical energy. Reengaging her ability to see psyche-locks, she was surprised but pleased to see that one of the locks had broken. Great. Only eleven more to go, she reminded herself as she turned back to her left. “Phoenix, what are you doing? Why don’t you just tell everypony about her blackmailing right now?” she wanted to know, speaking in a low voice. “Because she obviously doesn’t want it revealed,” he replied in an equally quiet tone, turning towards her. “I can use it to make her sing like a canary about everything else in return for keeping it secret.” For now, he mentally added to himself, having no intention of letting her off the hook for any of her crimes, whether blackmail or murder. “Guess she should have thought of that before trying to have me arrested, because that was the only thing holding me back from revealing it before!” Twilight smiled, looking up at him in admiration as she comprehended his tactics. “So by using the blackmail as leverage, you’ll force her to tell the truth about the smaller details of what happened, and eventually they’ll start piling up on her!” she paraphrased, her tail swishing gently a couple times behind her. “That’s brilliant, Phoenix!” The sharp rap of The Judge’s gavel broke into his thoughts. “Mister Wright! And Miss Sparkle! Can you please stop your socializing and tell us about this book?” he ordered, a warning note in his voice. “Sorry, Your Honor,” Phoenix apologized, turning back to face The Judge and clearing his throat. “As my co-counsel rather enthusiastically pointed out, this is an advanced unicorn spell book.” He motioned to the picture Twilight was still projecting in the middle of the courtroom pit. “If we can find a teleportation spell inside, it proves Sonata had access to the spell and could have used it to escape the forest without using the entrance,” he further explained, clicking forward on his camera to show Twilight some of the pictures he’d taken of the internal pages, who then copied them to pieces of scroll paper for The Judge and Trixie before adding their images to the hologram-like collage she was projecting into the air. “It goes without saying that in that case, Fluttershy would not have seen her leave the forest, and it further becomes possible that she brought the golf club out with her!” Sonata remained silent, her lips set in a thin line; the only sign of emotion she gave was a quickly swishing tail. Sorry, Sonata, but I’m one fly you can’t brush off your back! Phoenix couldn’t help but grin. “But these pages, Mister Wright… I can’t make any sense of them!” he said, squinting at the pieces of scroll paper Twilight was floating him. “I’m not familiar with this language and have no idea what any of these symbols mean!” Phoenix grinned broadly at that. “Nor do I, Your Honor. But as it happens, we have a magically adept unicorn with an astute mind for the subject right here in this courtroom!” He motioned to Twilight, who beamed. “Very well, then. Miss Sparkle—can you please confirm if there is a teleportation spell in this book as Mister Wright claims?” The Judge requested. “Yes, Your Honor. I can!” she promised, bowing low and looking very pleased to be called upon. “In fact, I already know! There should be one somewhere in chapter—” Phoenix was surprised to hear Sonata’s voice ring out. “No! You can’t!” she shouted, a shrill note in her voice. “As co-counsel and a friend of the defendant, her determination would be biased!” Grasping at straws now, aren’t you Sonata? Phoenix rolled his eyes while Twilight went indignant. “Hey! I won’t lie!” Once more, Sonata turned away and closed her eyes at that. “Sorry, but this court can’t take that chance. Your personal relationship with the defendant—to say nothing of the defense attorney—ruins your credibility, Miss Sparkle.” Twilight’s cheeks flushed and her eyes went wide. “My… what?” “Oh, please,” Sonata chuckled, turning to face her fellow unicorn directly. “You don’t think I noticed that cute little enchantment you put on him yesterday?” she challenged, causing Twilight to cringe. Enchantment? Phoenix blinked. “Twilight, what is she talking about?” Twilight looked embarrassed and chagrined. “Before you left the library for the Hay and Stay, I… cast a special tracking spell on you to let me know where you were and if somepony else used magic on you,” she admitted. “I’m sorry, Phoenix. You were nearly killed because I wasn’t there, and I was afraid that…” her voice trailed off in defeat. You’re a stallion, and I’m supposed to protect you… He stared at her a moment, disturbed by the revelation, reminded yet again he had no way to defend himself against magic and was in effect completely at the mercy of every unicorn in Equestria, even those he knew as friends. She used magic on me and didn’t TELL me? The idea made his skin crawl. “Is it still on me now?” he wanted to know, resisting the urge to pat down his own body trying to find it. “No, it wore off after a few hours,” she offered weakly, unable to look him in the eye. “It’s because of me you’re here, and it’s my duty to keep you safe. After you were attacked yesterday because I wasn’t there, I felt responsible and wanted to make sure it couldn’t happen again. The enchantment was for… when I couldn’t keep watch over you personally,” she told him, choosing her words with care. Sonata snickered. “Now, now, Miss Sparkle. You’re in a court of law and should be truthful. You should tell him that mares normally only use that spell to keep tabs on their foals… or stallions,” she grinned, eager to turn the tables back not only on Phoenix, but Twilight as well. “So tell us, Twilight Sparkle—was Trixie accidentally right? Is he your new coltfriend?” Sonata asked mockingly with a lopsided grin, to a mixture of laughter and leering looks from the gallery. “I-I… uh…” Twilight stammered, eyes darting and shifting back and forth on her hooves nervously. “That is, I…” caught off-guard, she couldn’t even come up with a decent denial; the laughter quickly changing into not-entirely favorable comments and conversations as the audience ponies realized from her reaction it wasn’t just a joke. An equally embarrassed Phoenix looked up to see Rarity and Spike upbraiding the ponies engaged in one such discussion while Applejack glared another pair silent. Between them, Fluttershy was blushing heavily, her expression uncertain; even his gym friends were whispering back and forth with each other like they weren’t sure what to think. For what it’s worth, neither am I! he couldn’t say out loud. “Uh… are you, Mister Wright?” The Judge couldn’t help but ask as well upon noting Twilight’s guilty reaction. Phoenix felt his cheeks going hot. “Your Honor! The witness is attempting to distract from the question at hoof!” he pointed out, raising his voice to be heard over the sounds coming from the stands. “This is about whether she knows a teleportation spell, not about the actions my co-counsel took to ensure my safety yesterday!” “Oh!” The Judge blinked, clearing his throat and banging his gavel twice more to get the attention of the now-heavily gossiping gallery back. “Yes, I must agree. However, Ms. Sonata is correct in that given the conflict of interests involved, I cannot allow you or your co-counsel to make the determination. We will have to get confirmation from a neutral party.” “Sorry, Phoenix,” Twilight apologized in a voice only he could hear, her ears and head low. “I should have asked your permission. Please don’t be mad.” Phoenix hadn’t yet decided if he was or not, but he gave her a look that said they were going to have a long talk after the trial. Wonder if she’s done anything ELSE I don’t know about? “We’ll discuss it later. In the meantime, any suggestions?” “Well… we could get a professor from the Celestial Magic Academy to confirm it if I can’t,” she offered, still blushing but grateful for the change of subject. “I know that book well—I first read it when I was ten! Your Honor, I know for a fact there is a teleportation spell in that book. If I can just be shown her copy of it, I’ll have Spike send a copy of the inscription from the book to the academy and then—” “No!” Sonata exclaimed, her ears laid back, though Phoenix thought he heard a note of fear in her voice as well as anger. “Your talent with magic is well known, Twilight Sparkle! You could doctor it! Or your scribe could!” “But I wouldn’t!” she insisted again, stomping a hoof and laying her own ears back. “And neither would Spike!” she added with a glance up at the latter, who was sitting in his seat with his arms crossed, looking just as offended as Twilight at the suggestion. “Enough!” The Judge shouted, bringing his gavel down hard again and reaching for a stack of scroll paper and quill pen. “I will settle this. I am issuing a search warrant for Ms. Sonata’s hotel room, to be executed immediately, with the goal of retrieving this book,” he announced. “Once obtained, it will be examined by the defense, and then—” “NO!” Sonata shouted, going wide-eyed and sounding close to panic for a moment. “N-no need, I mean. I’ll… I’ll save you the trouble, Your Honor. Miss Sparkle is correct. There is a teleportation spell in the book,” she admitted, visibly struggling to regain her composure. “I’m sorry. I’m just… very particular about ponies going through my things,” she offered. Huh? That’s odd. Why’d she reverse herself like that? Phoenix asked himself, thinking that as they’d gone deeper into the interrogation, Sonata somehow seemed different than she had the day before—more animated and expressive; having a harder time hiding her emotions. Yesterday, she was cold and detached; she barely reacted even when I broke her psyche-locks or accused her of blackmail. But today, it’s almost like she’s a different pony entirely. But WHY? he wondered while beside him, Twilight felt another sharp but familiar tug on her enhanced senses. Tapping the Magatama’s power again, she saw that a second psyche-lock had broken around the other unicorn. Okay. Ten left. Starting to dig deeper now! “I see,” The Judge nodded his understanding, eyes closed and looking deep in thought. “So if there is a teleportation spell in that book… that means there is the possibility the witness may have teleported from the forest.” “So what?” Sonata asked from the witness stand, appearing composed again. “With respect, possibility is not certainty, Your Honor. Yes, I grant the book contains a teleportation spell, but you still can’t prove that I actually know the spell, let alone used it,” she said. “So despite owning the book, you’re claiming you don’t know how to teleport?” The Judge prompted. Sonata looked amused at the question, closing her eyes and smiling. “Tell me, Your Honor: if I owned a cookbook, would that mean I knew every recipe inside?” she made the analogy. “Or if I owned a book on quantum metaphysics, would that automatically make me an expert in quantum metaphysics?” “Point taken,” The Judge conceded, and Phoenix grudgingly agreed, realizing there really wasn’t a way he could prove she knew any single spell out of the book. “Oh! Hey!” Twilight spoke up, the excited note in her voice making Phoenix think she had suddenly realized something important. “I actually own an excellent book on quantum metaphysics by the great griffon professor Stavian Hawkwing, and I don’t mean to brag, but…” She gave a giddy schoolgirl giggle. “I know a lot about quantum metaphysics, and I study it regularly! You never know when you might need quantum metaphysics to get you out of a jam!” she said, not slowing down or noticing Phoenix gaping at her. “Professor Hawkwing has a rare disease and can’t fly but he’s completely brilliant! It’s an absolutely fascinating subject and I take great pride and passion in…” Her voice trailed off as she realized everyone in the courtroom had fallen silent and were giving her glazed stares. Phoenix appeared mortified while in the gallery Spike had facepalmed, Rarity looked embarrassed, Applejack and Fluttershy had uncomprehending expressions while in the defendant’s box beside her, Rainbow Dash was giving her a glare. “Save the omega nerd topics for later, egghead!” she ordered. “Uh… heh-heh… s-sorry.” Twilight gave a sheepish grin. “I’ll just… be hiding under the desk now,” she announced, stepping back and wondering if the courtroom’s magical suppression field would let her cast an invisibility spell. “Yes, well…” Even Sonata sounded embarrassed for her. “Back to the point I was making—many unicorns like me have a hard time executing that rare and difficult spell,” she continued. “A good percentage of us just don’t have it in us to cast it, either due to lack of power or an inability to learn it. It’s even more difficult for one such as myself, as my talent isn’t magic like the defense’s co-counsel and our now-useless prosecutor,” she elaborated with a glance over at the still-silent and downcast mare magician. Unseen by anypony, Trixie’s lip tightened and ear twitched. “Then why do you even have that book?” Phoenix tried. “And why did you fight so hard to keep us from examining it to determine if there was a teleportation spell in it?” “Perhaps because I feel my privacy has already been violated enough, Phoenix Wright,” Sonata replied angrily. “For the record, there are over a hundred different incantations described in that book. I bought it because I wanted to learn some of them—there was a memory playback spell I was interested in, for example. But I didn’t read it cover to cover. I never studied the teleportation spell,” she insisted, giving Phoenix a level look again. Huh? She’s not giving her tell there. So she’s NOT lying? he thought in confusion. Then why was she so adamant about keeping the book out of our hands? His brow furrowed in thought, sensing the answer was important. But Sonata gave him little chance to dwell on it. “But besides that, even if I was able to teleport…” she trailed off and leaned her head forward over the witness stand to glare at Phoenix, challenging him directly. “Answer me this, Phoenix Wright: if you’re claiming I was in the forest and teleported out? Then why would I not simply teleport back to my hotel room?” “Huh?” Phoenix said, not sure what she was getting at, his previous train of thought lost. “If you’re accusing me of secretly being in the forest and having murdered Ace, why would I compromise myself by teleporting near Miss Fluttershy’s abode, leaving myself exposed and vulnerable, unable to use magic?” “Uh…” Phoenix was completely lost. “Y-you’d be what now? Unable to use magic?” he asked, his hand behind his head and wearing his goofy grin again. Sonata gave a heavy sigh like she was being forced to suffer fools. “Since you seem as utterly ignorant of this topic as you do to all things Equestrian… perhaps your co-counsel marefriend would like to explain this spell in a little more detail?” she suggested with a smirk, causing Twilight and Phoenix to flush again and a fresh round of snickers to erupt from the gallery. “She is said to be an expert on magic, after all. And she does seem to enjoy her little lectures.” Twilight perked up at that, her embarrassment instantly forgotten. She WANTS me to lecture? she thought giddily while half the audience recoiled at the suggestion and Rainbow Dash made frantic head-shaking motions at Phoenix. “I’d be delighted to!” I hope I’m not about to regret this… Phoenix prayed, the reactions of his client and the rest of the courtroom not lost on him. “Well… both myself and The Judge could probably use a primer course on it,” he said cautiously with a glance up to the bench. “I read about the basic theory of magic when I was studying last night, but it didn’t cover teleportation.” “Uh… yes,” The Judge agreed somewhat warily, having noted the unhappy reactions from the gallery and defendant as well. “But please, Miss Sparkle—stay on topic. Make your explanation brief, with no tangents. Just give us the essential information for the issue at hand.” Twilight looked crestfallen. “But Your Honor! There’s so much else to tell! The history of the spell, the biography of its inventor, the trans-dimensional leyline string theory that underlies it... I could talk about it for hours!” she proclaimed with a dreamy expression that caused the entire courtroom to cringe; Phoenix even thought he heard some audible whimpers. “That’s what we’re all afraid of, egghead,” Rainbow muttered just loud enough for Phoenix to hear. Twilight deflated at that. “Very well. Just a two-minute lesson, then,” she promised in a disappointed tone, to the apparent relief of the entire gallery. “Your Honor? I respectfully request, for purposes of demonstration, that the magical suppression field be lowered in the courtroom pit so I can teleport and cast spells freely within it,” she asked politely. “This lesson will be much easier for the laypony to understand if illustrated.” “Uh… can we do that?” The Judge asked a unicorn bailiff at his side. “We can, Your Honor,” the mare answered cautiously. “But I can’t do it alone. As a security measure, it takes several of us working in tandem to raise or lower the field.” “Very well, then,” The Judge agreed. “Proceed.” A minute later, four unicorn bailiffs stood at the corners of the courtroom pit. Their horns glowed in their own respective auras, and an odd somethingness momentarily washed over Phoenix. When they were finished, their horns ceased glowing and the nearest bailiff nodded to The Judge. “The magical suppression field is lowered over the courtroom pit, Your Honor,” she announced. “Thank you,” The Judge acknowledged. “Miss Sparkle? The floor is yours.” Twilight took a deep breath. “Okay. Teleportation works like this:” Her horn glowed and she disappeared in a flash of light and sharp popping sound only to reappear instantly in the center of the pit. Phoenix couldn’t help but flinch at the feat. I don’t think I’ll EVER get used to that! “Actually, it would be easier for me to demonstrate this with a volunteer,” she began, magically enhancing her voice so it would carry easily throughout the courtroom, giving Phoenix an odd, even mischievous grin. “But a virtual one will suffice,” she announced as she flared her horn again and projected a two-dimensional image into the air… of herself and Phoenix, the pair looking like slightly stylized cartoon versions of each other rather than a real picture. Huh? What is she…? Phoenix didn’t get to finish his thought before the cartoon Twilight in the picture suddenly moved, proceeding to cast a spell on the cartoon Phoenix, turning him into a blue-furred unicorn with a spiky black mane and tail. The transformed Phoenix had a surprised, then annoyed look, while the other Twilight giggled and suddenly plopped him into a chair in front of what looked like a school desk. Phoenix wasn’t sure if he should feel more flattered or frightened by what she was projecting. Is this a personal fantasy of hers? Could she REALLY turn me into a unicorn? he suddenly wondered, though he did note she had given him an appropriate cutie mark—his human attorney badge. She got THAT detail right, at least! “When performing a teleportation spell, aside from knowing the spell itself, you need three things,” Twilight began in a loud, clear voice, a series of check marks appearing in the animation above the unicorn Phoenix’s head while he feverishly took notes at his desk, writing on a sheet of scroll paper with a pen in his hoof. “First, a mental image of your destination,” she said, a thought balloon appearing over her cartoon doppelganger’s head that showed the interior of her treehouse library. “Second, stalwart concentration,” she continued, showing unicorn Phoenix in a meditative pose similar to what Maya did. Yeah. Not happening, Phoenix thought. “And third, a degree of natural magic talent,” she concluded, graduation robes and caps suddenly appearing on them both as the virtual Twilight presented unicorn Phoenix with a diploma. Abruptly, the classroom disappeared and the scene in the animation shifted to something that looked like a cartoon version of the Everfree Forest, with his virtual self and Twilight at its forefront. “Now, it’s in fact a misnomer that you have to be magically strong to teleport. The average unicorn can learn the teleportation spell, and be able to perform it well enough to make one big jump. Or perhaps even a few smaller ones,” Twilight said, showing unicorn Phoenix studying a spellbook and then watching as cartoon Twilight teleported out in demonstration. After his doppelganger observed hers, he then attempted to copy her spell and teleport a short distance himself, a look of pride and accomplishment on his equine face when he finally did it after a few failed attempts. Apparently getting the hang of it for subsequent tries, he closed his eyes, and a thought balloon appeared over him showing him envisioning the courtroom. It was quickly followed by him successfully teleporting there, a delighted expression on his face when he looked around and realized he had actually pulled it off. Okay, it really WOULD be cool, being able to do that! It would let me avoid rush hour traffic and certainly speed up my investigations! Phoenix conceded, but his smile vanished when his cartoon self suddenly collapsed as if he was exhausted, looking very sleepy as Twilight continued her explanation. “Given the average unicorn’s power, that one big jump could be from deep inside the Everfree Forest to almost anywhere in Ponyville. But their magic would be completely drained afterwards; they would have to rest and recharge before they could even cast a simple levitation spell again. That’s what Sonata meant by saying she would have been left powerless by such a long-range jump.” Twilight concluded, her expression turning wistful as she showed her virtual self retrieving Phoenix and then teleporting them both back to the library so she could tuck him into bed. That accomplished, she leaned over his sleeping form, puckering her lips and closing her eyes as if to kiss his cheek… He heard an audible Eep! come from her as she caught herself a second too late, cutting off the projection before the kiss could be delivered. Her intent was clear to everypony, however, judging by the fresh wave of laughter in the gallery. Looking up, she saw that Fluttershy was blushing, her eyes wide and a hoof over her mouth as Rarity giggled delightedly; Applejack wore an amused smirk while Spike just made retching motions, closing his eyes and sticking out his tongue while pointing down his throat with a talon. “So, um… a-any questions?” Twilight asked, her cheeks flushed again, unable to look at a shoulder-slumping Phoenix or a facehoofing Rainbow Dash. “Uh… one,” Phoenix spoke up, his own cheeks still hot. Could you be any LESS discreet, Twilight? “I read last night that the energy required to affect something magically is a function of the square of a target’s mass, meaning that if you double the weight, it takes four times the magical energy,” he recited, trying to move on quickly. “Does the same hold true for distance?” She looked back at him, impressed. “It does! The amount of power it takes to teleport is a function of both the caster’s mass, and the square of the distance traversed. For that reason, short jumps like this—” she teleported several times to different locations throughout the courtroom pit “—don’t cost much power at all, at least if you’re experienced in the spell and otherwise magically adept. “But over a longer distance—” she teleported out, disappearing for fifteen seconds. When she rematerialized, she was carrying a steaming cup of coffee with a label that marked it as coming from Sugar Cube Corner; Phoenix’s nose twitched at the scent of his favorite brew. “—It takes exponentially more magical energy,” she finished, floating the cup to a surprised Phoenix, who accepted it gratefully and took a sip before putting it down on the bench in front of him. “As you can see, I just went to Sugar Cube Corner and back—a round trip distance of about half a mile. Now, I can make that trip repeatedly, and Trixie probably could as well. But for an average unicorn with non-magical talents?” She shook her head. “The average unicorn could only manage a one-way trip over that distance. Or maybe two if they were starting with a full magical charge. But even then—” She was abruptly cut off as Pinkie Pie suddenly popped out from under the desk beside Phoenix, causing everyone in the courtroom to start and Phoenix himself to leap back in fright. “Twilight! You silly filly! You forgot your change!” she announced, putting some coins on the defense bench. “Uh… Pinkie Pie?” A slack-jawed Phoenix asked while on the witness stand, Sonata stared at the newly arrived earth pony in wide-eyed shock of her own. “How did you…?” “Oh! Hey, Feenie! Sorry, can’t stay! Got a big order to fill!” Pinkie announced before bounding up into the gallery and out the back, disappearing as quickly as she had arrived. And of course, if you’re Pinkie Pie, you can just ignore all natural laws and the fact you’re not a unicorn at leisure! a slightly freaked Twilight didn’t add, her cheeks flushed again. “Uh… what just…?” The Judge began. “L-later, Your Honor,” Twilight requested with a pained expression. “It would take too long to explain.” If I even COULD explain it… The Judge cleared his throat again. “Well, then… I thank you for a most… enlightening demonstration, Miss Sparkle,” The Judge said, giving Phoenix another strange look. “So what you’re saying is: if you were a unicorn, guilty of being in that forest that night and didn’t want to be caught—” “What she’s saying is simply to prove my point, Your Honor,” Sonata broke in, still staring at the spot Pinkie had appeared. “Once again, I ask: even assuming I was in the forest and in fact knew a teleportation spell… why would I teleport right in front of Fluttershy’s cottage out in the open where she could potentially see me, and not directly to my hotel room? Especially when, according to Miss Sparkle’s explanation, I should have been able to do so?” she challenged, turning to face Phoenix. “Do I look that stupid, Phoenix Wright?” Phoenix sensed his assault on Sonata starting to falter, taking a quick gulp of the coffee to steady himself and sharpen his wits. “I hate to say it, but she’s right,” he admitted to Twilight, who had retaken her place beside him. “If she really did teleport, why would she make her destination out in the open like that?” “Assuming you have sufficient power and focus to make the jump, the main limit on teleportation is you can only jump to places you’ve seen with your own eyes. Meaning, you have to have directly seen the place you’re teleporting to before you can jump there,” Twilight answered, a blush still in her cheeks. “I hate to say it too, but if she really was in the woods and guilty of the murder, it just doesn’t make any sense she’d teleport somewhere public like that.” Phoenix scratched his chin as he pondered the question himself. “Well, she certainly would have seen the hotel room before, given she was staying in it,” he grimaced, realizing the facts still weren’t adding up. Dammit, Sonata’s right. Assuming she committed the murder, why WOULDN’T she just teleport back to her hotel room? His mind raced, struggling to find the answer. Sonata wasn’t about to give him the chance. “Seeing as how Mister Wright has no theory as to why Fluttershy didn’t see me leave the forest, nor any evidence that I was even inside of it in the first place, may I please go now, Your Honor?” she requested, sounding more relaxed. “I’ve had quite enough of Mister Wright’s interrogation and baseless claims against me.” “As have I, Mister Wright,” The Judge announced. “You have no direct evidence to place Ms. Sonata in the forest, nor any explanation as to how she could have gone from inside the forest to the road by Miss Fluttershy’s cottage. As such, I see no reason to hold her or prolong these proceedings any longer.” “But she lied about seeing the golf club, Your Honor!” he reminded The Judge. “And we still don’t have any explanation as to how the golf club got from the forest to the park!” “That isn’t enough, Mister Wright,” The Judge shook his head. “All you have proven to this point is that she saw the golf club before it was broken, which only suggests she may have been in the forest sometime during the three days preceding the murder,” he told Phoenix. “Though I am far from convinced of her veracity, so far I see nothing to suggest that she could have committed the murder instead of your client; nor have you established that it was in fact her that Miss Fluttershy saw! “So unless you can place Ms. Sonata in that forest at the time of the crime, or at least give me a reasonable explanation as to how she could have subsequently appeared outside of it… this inquiry is over!” Phoenix felt a trickle of sweat go down his back, gripping the ends of the rail more tightly. He’s right! Unless I can come up with another piece of evidence or theory right here and now, we’re DONE FOR! he realized, his eyes widening with a sudden inspiration. “Wait! Twilight—what would happen if a unicorn tried to teleport further than their magic level would allow? Would they only go halfway?” he asked hopefully, speaking loudly enough for The Judge to hear. His heart sank as Twilight shook her head. “No, Phoenix. Trying to cast a spell that requires more power than you possess results in a failed casting called a ‘squib’,” she explained. “What that means is, you would expend your magical energy but the spell wouldn’t work at all! In other words, you wouldn’t teleport anywhere, but you would still lose all your strength! So that doesn’t explain it either!” she told him in frustration. “But… then what does?” he asked her in equal frustration. “I… I don’t know!” she admitted, her tail twitching in agitation. “Last chance, Mister Wright,” The Judge warned, raising his gavel, preparing to end the trial once and for all. “Speak now or forever hold your peace!” “But… I…” Phoenix wracked his mind but was coming up empty. We’ve come so far… overcome so much… I KNOW Sonata’s guilty… it CAN’T end now! he protested, sensing there was still an important fact or connection he was missing but knowing he was out of evidence and arguments again. And even more crucially, out of time. I saved us… Fluttershy saved us… Twilight saved us… but who’s left? Who will save us NOW? Phoenix asked the trial gods desperately, certain they had no saviors left. On the other side of the courtroom pit, the corners of Trixie’s mouth turned upwards.