//------------------------------// // Chapter 37: Kyle Bucy: Ace Attorney! Turnabout Forgiveness: Day 1 // Story: Le Retour // by k12314 //------------------------------// CHAPTER 37 Another case, but there's a little more in this one. Not only do I have music... I'm also marking the important bits in orange text. So if you want to try to figure this out, then write it down or something. Have fun! "Well, yesterday certainly was... Interesting... Oh man, catching my daughter and her marefriend looking at porn... AWKWARD." "Kyle! Hey!" I turned around, and a slightly familiar face was coming at me. It was a red earth pony. One of Hoops' friends. I got into a fighting stance, but he slowed down, and kept his distance. "Listen, I'm not here for a fight... You've gotta help me!" I lowered my guard... Slightly, and cocked my eyebrow. "Why should I?" "Because! Hoops is in serious trouble. I know you two don't get along, but this is really serious!" I rolled my eyes, and crossed my arms. "How serious could it possibly be?" "He's been accused of murder!" I felt my eyes widen, and I let my arms fall to my sides. "OK, yeah, that's pretty serious..." "Hoops may be a jerk, but he'd never murder anypony... He doesn't have the guts! But this is a real, honest-to-goodness case, not a Mock Trial... But I can't just let Hoops be tried 'Guilty.'" The red pony started trotting in place, freaking out. "Well, will you help?!" "Relax... I will. Hoops is in good hands." "Alright! Well, the case is tomorrow... Come on, I'll take you to the Detention Center." "Of COURSE it's tomorrow... Just my luck." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (Listen to this) I sat down in the chair, and looked through the glass. Hoops looked depressed, and as if he were about to lose it. "So... You're here to laugh at me?" Hoops hung his head, and I saw a tear run down his face. "No. Hoops, I'm here to offer my help. I'm a decent attorney, and you can trust me. I'd never let an innocent pony go to jail, no matter who they are." He looked up at me, and I saw a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "You really mean that?" I nodded. "I just need you to tell me: Did you, or did you not, kill whoever the victim is?" He shook his head. "No. I couldn't do that. It's just sick." I smiled, and gave him a nod of approval. "You're not so bad, you know that, Hoops? I promise you, I'm not letting you stay in there... Can you tell me anything about the case?" He put his hoof on his chin, and nodded. "I don't know much, but I do know that the victim is somepony named... Lightning Speed. He was this pegasus in Cloudsdale, always messing with ponies, and stabbing them in the back... Well, this time, it was him who got stabbed in the back." "So I take it the murder weapon was a knife, and death was caused by being... Well, backstabbed. Wow. Irony." He chuckled a bit. "Yeah. Well, he messed with my mom about a year back, and I told him to back off. I didn't touch him or anything. They think that's my motive." I shook my head, and let out a sigh. "They don't have much on you... Why did they arrest you?" "I'm the one who found the body." (Stop the music) I blinked. "Say again?" He nodded. "Yeah, I found the body, and when I went to call the guards, they'd already arrived, and arrested me." I scratched my chin a bit. "Where's the crime scene?" "An alleyway, up in Cloudsdale. It's on Starswirl Street." I stood up, and nodded to Hoops to say goodbye. "I've got this. You just sit tight, and wait until the trial tomorrow." "Alright. And Kyle?" I turned to look at him. "Thanks." I grinned, and waved my hand dismissively. "No problem." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (Listen to this) I stepped into the alleyway, which had a wall at the end of it, making it a dead end, and noticed the red spot on the cloud, and the slight indent in the shape of a body. "Eh, so that's where he died." I looked around the point of death, and saw some hoof indents in the clouds. "It looks like there was a bit of a struggle, but the victim was chased into the alleyway... Hm... Both of these sets of hoofprints seem too big to be Hoops'." Suddenly, I heard hoofsteps behind me, a bit muffled by the clouds, but otherwise, quite audible. I turned around, and saw a brown pegasus, wearing a black coat, with a black mane, which was quite messy. His Cutie Mark was a magnifying glass, and he had an angry look on his face. "Hey! What're you doing, snooping around on a crime scene?" I raised my hands in front of me defensively. "Woah, easy there. I'm investigating. I'm the defense's attorney." He furrowed his brow even more. "Hm... Give me one reason why I shouldn't haul you off right now." I shook my head, and grinned. "Because, I'm just doing my job. Who are you, anyways?" He smiled, and leaned his head back a bit, proudly. "Whick Horseshoe. Just call me Detective Horseshoe. And you are?" "Kyle Bucy." "Yeah, I figured. Everypony knows about you. Alright, I'll let you look around, just don't go messing with anything, OK, bub?" I nodded. "Yes sir." He grinned a bit at being called sir, and went off to the side, looking over the scene as well. I crouched down next to the bloodstain, and looked it over. "Hm... It's dried up, that's to be expected. It looks like it spread a little bit as the victim bled out... Nothing strange here..." I stood back up, and then I noticed a small glimmer of light come from next to the blood. "What the...?" I checked it out, and it was small metal shards. "Metal shards... What if they're from the murder weapon?" "Hey, detective?" "Yeah?" I stood up, and shoved my hand in my jacket pocket, and tipped my hat a bit. "Do you have a copy of the autopsy report?" He nodded, and reached into his jacket, and pulled out a yellow envelope. "Yeah, here ya' go, bub. I'll just get another copy from the precinct." I gave him a thankful nod, and pulled the autopsy report out. "Victim: Lightning Speed. Cause of Death: Single stab wound to the back, causing the victim to bleed out. Time of Death: Sometime around 12:00am. Murder weapon: Switchblade knife. Blade broken in center. End of blade found in body. Hm... So those metal shards are from the murder weapon... And it broke off in the victim's back... Ouch. I guess it wouldn't hurt to just borrow these shards then." I stealthily picked up the shards, and put them in my jacket pocket, and kept my hand out of it. "Hey, detective... Do you have any other suspects, other than Hoops?" He shook his head. "No, sorry. I hate to say it, but I think your friend did it." "Dammit. This is gonna be tough..." "Well, I'm heading home. I don't see anything here. You have fun." He chuckled a bit, and trotted away. "What a cool guy. I like him... Back to investigating." After looking around a bit more, I found something else interesting. A wallet hidden under a dumpster. "The money is gone, but everything else is still in here... The victim's ID, some tickets to a Wonderbolts show... This may have just been a mugging." (Stop the music) I stood up, and looked around. There was nothing else to be found. And then, something clicked in my mind. "I need some place to stay. I can't run between home and here. I doubt this trial will last only one day. Hm... I wonder if I could catch up with Horseshoe? Worth a shot!" And thankfully, I did. I asked him if I could crash on his couch, and he let me. Next up: The trial. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (Listen to this) I sat on the bench in the Courtroom Lounge. I felt a little nervous, but I also felt confident. I had some evidence, and I was actually informed of the details of the case beforehand. "Oh man, my first REAL case... This is gonna be intense... Man I hope I win. I know Hoops didn't do it... But who? And who's the prosecutor? I guess it'll all become clear in there..." I looked at the large double doors. It felt strange, being in a courthouse made of clouds, but I could get over it. "Ah, so you're Mr. Bucy. A pleasure to meet you." I looked to my other side, and saw a posh pegasus, with a bow-tie, and grey hair, which is slicked to the right. His coat was a light blue, and his eyes were green. His Cutie Mark was the Scales of Justice. "Hello... Who are you?" He smiled, and did a little bow. "My name, is Guilt Trip. I will be prosecuting today. A pleasure to meet you, Loser." I cocked my eyebrow. "What did you just call me?" His smile turned into a smug grin. "I called you 'Loser.' Do you think you're going to win today? Think again." "Why are all prosecutors stuck-up jerks? I mean, really." I waved my hand dismissively. "Whatever, just leave me alone." I fixed the collar on my suit, and checked to make sure my hair was still properly slicked back. Everything was in check. "Well, I just wanted to let you know that you haven't a chance in the world! I bid you, adieu." He did another one of his bows, and trotted off. "The urge to beat his face in is unbearable... I can't wait to see the look on his face when I turn the tables on him." One of the guards, who watch over the Courthouse to make sure nopony causes any problems or tries to run off, tapped me on the shoulder. "Mr. Bucy, the trial is starting." I nodded, and stood up, heading for the double doors. "Wait!" I turned around and saw... Dashie? She was flying at me pretty fast. "Dashie, what the heck are you doing here?" She landed, and skidded to a hault right in front of me. "I was out with Twilight, when I heard you talking to that red pony! I heard you had to come here, so I followed you. I wanna help!" The guard shrugged. "You could be his co-council." We both nodded, and the guard nodded back at us. We both walked into the courtroom. "Oh, this is gonna be fun..." (Stop the music) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (Listen to this) I looked around. Everypony was a pegasus, obviously. The judge was a grey pegasus, with no mane, but a white beard, and a black robe, hiding his Cutie Mark. "I bet it's a gavel..." He cleared his throat, and looked over the courtroom. "The trial is now in session. Is the prosecution ready?" Guilt Trip did another bow. "Yes, Your Honor." The judge looked at me, and looked me over for a second. "Is the defense ready?" I nodded. "Yes, Your Honor." He nodded. "Then the Prosecution may make it's opening statement." Guilt Trip shot me a smug look, which earned him a scowl from me. "Of course. It's quite simple, really. The defendant, Hoops Basket, followed the victim into an alleyway, and stabbed him a single time in the back, and left the victim to bleed out. The reason? The victim was toying with his mother's emotions and using her a little under a year ago. May I call my first witness?" The judge nodded. "Then, I'd like to call Ditzy Do to the stand." "WHAT." Dashie stared at the doors to the prosecutor's lounge, behind the witness' stand. "What could Derpy possibly have to do with this?" I swallowed hard. "I have no idea... I hope she's just a witness, and nothing else." Derpy came out from the prosecutor's lounge, and climbed up to the witness stand. She looked over to me, and smiled, waving. "Hi Kyle! Long time no see!" "I'm assuming she's not traveling with The Doctor anymore..." Guilt Trip leaned on his desk. "State your name and occupation, please." Derpy did a little salute. "My name is Ditzy Do. I run the Equestrian Postal Offices. I also deliver mail." Guilt put his hooves back on the ground, and gave Derpy a nod. "You may testify. What did you see?" (Stop the music, listen to this now) Derpy did another little salute. "I was doing my usual nighttime mail route. I think it was around... Midnight. Well, I was flying over the alleyway, and I saw somepony follow Lightning into the alleyway, he was probably taking a shortcut. Well, the pony had a knife, and they... They stabbed Lightning in the back... I think he was stabbed only once. I'm not sure. I rushed off to tell the guards, but when I told them, they told me they'd already taken care of it." The judge nodded, and looked to me. "Do you wish to cross examine the witness?" "Yes, Your Honor." I leaned in on my desk, and looked Derpy straight in her good eye. "So... Derpy... About your nighttime mail route... Do you usually look around below you while you're delivering mail?" She nodded, and smiled. "Yeah! I love looking at the pretty scenery." "Hm... I guess that makes sense." "And you saw Lightning enter the alleyway on his own accord?" She nodded again. I chuckled, and tapped the side of my head. "Derpy, there's only one problem with your testimony..." She tilted her head sideways. "Huh?" (Stop the music, listen to this now) "When I went to the crime scene, I saw signs of a struggle. And the hoofprints suggest that he was chased into the alleyway! He didn't enter on his own accord, he was trying to escape the murderer. Ergo, you couldn't have seen him calmly walking along, you had to have seen him being chased. I'm not saying your lying, you were probably just really tired, and you're having a hard time remembering because of that." I crossed my arms, and shot a smug look at Guilt, who was looking a bit irritated. Derpy nodded. "Yeah! I was pretty sleepy. It was midnight, after all." "Poor thing... I have insomnia, and I know how it feels to not be able to sleep for hours or even days on end... Not fun." The judge nodded to the witness understandingly. "I know how you feel. I've been rather restless today. I almost forgot I had to work today!" I slouched, and stared at the judge. "Why am I not surprised?" Dashie looked up at me. "How did you catch that? I didn't notice any of that stuff until you pointed it out." I shrugged. "Intuition. I have an eye for detail." The judge cleared his throat again. "The witness may re-state her testimony accordingly." Guilt Trip slammed a hoof down on his desk. "Why? This testimony isn't proving anything. We already have a suspect, we can put him a the scene of the crime, and he has a motive. I think you can pass judgement-" "OBJECTION!" (Stop the music, listen to this now) I leaned on my desk, and glared at Guilt. "You can't just cast away all of these details. We still need to hear the witness' revised testimony, and I still need to cross examine it. So calm down, and be patient." He shook his head, and chuckled a bit. "What's the point of these useless details? They won't change anyth-" "HOLD IT! You don't know that, so like I said, SHUT UP, and listen." The judge nodded. "I agree with the defense. The prosecution may remain quiet until they have something meaningful to add." I crossed my arms and grinned, and Guilt Trip looked like he wanted to scream. The judge cocked his eyebrow. "Mr. Trip... Are you alright?" Guilt leaned down on his desk, and glared daggers at me. "Yes... Your Honor..." "Guilt needs to lighten up... He looks like he's ready to go ballistic." Dashie nudged me in the side. "So what happens now?" I leaned in on my desk a little bit, and ran a hand over my hair. "Now, Derpy just says her testimony over again, changing any mistakes, and adding details. Then, I cross examine her again, and point out any contradictions, if there are any. Otherwise, I just keep digging for more info." Dashie nodded, and we both looked up at Derpy again. "Oh man... I really hope Derpy doesn't try anything. I don't see why she would lie, though..." The judge cleared his throat, and gave Derpy a small nod. (Stop the music, listen to this now) "Okie Dokie..." Derpy put a hoof on her chin. "Like I said, I was doing my nighttime delivery route, and it was around midnight, and I saw two stallions... And they were... Running around. One was chasing the other, and I saw a little glint come from his mouth, I think it was the knife. Well, the one in front, Lightning, ran into an alley, and he was cornered. The one chasing him stabbed him, and then ran away. I flew off to tell the guards, but they were already on it." "Wait..." Dashie cocked her eyebrow. "If the killer ran away, how could it have been Hoops? They arrested him in the alleyway!" I crossed my arms, and nodded. "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. That doesn't make any sense." The judge closed his eyes, and tapped his hoof on his podium. "Yes, that doesn't make much sense, does it? Mr. Trip, would you like to offer an explanation for this?" Guilt tapped his hoof on his chin, and then smiled. "Of course, Your Honor." "Dammit." He shrugged, and his smile turned smug. "It's quite simple. Hoops DID run away, but he came back to make sure he finished the job, and got caught right before he left again." "DAMMIT!" (Stop the music, listen to this now) I slouched over a bit, and felt myself start to sweat. The judge nodded. "That does make sense. And that means that the witness' testimony only re-enforces the court's suspicions of Mr. Basket. And this isn't his first time in my courtroom, either." "Words cannot describe how screwed I am..." Guilt nodded in satisfaction. "Well, Your Honor? Are you ready to deliver your verdict?" The judge picked up his gavel. "I believe so. Mr. Bucy, do you have anything to say?" "Uhhh..." I couldn't think of anything. "W-Well... M-Maybe it wasn't Hoops? I mean, we can't be one-hundred percent sure-" "HOLD IT!" Guilt glared at me. "You're just prolonging the inevitable! You don't even have a case. Just give up. Nopony'll hold it against you. Hoops is just a punk anyways." "Even though he has a point, I know that Hoops didn't do it... But I can't prove it... Oh man... Hoops... What do I do?!" The judge furrowed his brow. "Mr. Bucy?" I scratched the side of my head. "Uh... Well, again, we don't have any concrete evidence that the killer was Hoops-" "OBJECTION!" Guilt sighed, and shook his head. "You just don't know when to quit, do you, Bucy?" "Ugh... I can never win, can I?" He pointed at me, and his smug grin returned. "You lose. Plain and simple. Judge?" The judge nodded. "Right then. If there won't be anymore interruptions..." He shot a dirty look at me, and I grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of my neck, and then tugged on the collar of my suit. I was still sweating. The judge shook his head, and raised his gavel. "I declare the defendant, Hoops Basket-" "HOLD IT!" (Stop the music, listen to this now) Everyone in the courtroom, even me, was shocked. We all looked at the source of the voice. Dashie. The judge's eyes were wide in surprise. "Um... Is there a problem, Ms...." Dashie slammed her hoof on the desk. "It's Mrs., Your Honor. Mrs. Dash. I'm Kyle's wife, and co-council." "When the heck did Dashie learn anything about law...? She must have taken an interest in it after my Mock Trial... how convenient." The judge nodded. "Right... So what is it, Mrs. Dash? Do you need to use the facilities?" Dashie shook her head. "No, Your Honor. I just wanted to say that the prosecution has no idea of what he's doing." Guilt took a step back. "What?" Dashie leaned in on the desk, and grinned. "Yeah! You're rushing this whole thing! We don't have any decisive evidence, as Kyle said, and plus, I doubt Hoops would run away, and then come back to check the body. Nopony's that stupid, not even Hoops." The judge closed his eyes, and fell into deep thought. "Hm... Mrs. Dash has a point. That would be quite irrational. But maybe he just came back because he felt bad or something?" I shook my head. "Not likely, Your Honor, because you see, I found a wallet at the crime scene. The money in it was missing, and it was well hidden. So it could have been a robbery, and the murdered just didn't want Lightning crying to the authorities, so he finished him off." Guilt laughed, and glared at me. "Then why didn't he hide the body?!" "Crap." I scratched my chin, trying to think. "Uhh..." Dashie's eyes suddenly widened. "What if the murderer knew Hoops was going to find the body? The guards were on their way by the time Derpy told them. What if the murderer alerted the guards, knowing Hoops would be there, and framed him?" (Stop the music) The judge nodded. "Excellent observation, Mrs. Dash. The defense has raised several good points, and I cannot make my verdict now. We need to investigate this more thoroughly. I give both sides another day for research and investigation. Court is adjourned!" The judge banged his gavel, and Guilt Trip looked like he wanted to gouge my eyes out. He said nothing, and just marched out. I wiped my forehead with my arm, and pulled Dashie into a hug. "You, my wonderful wife, just saved my skin." She nuzzled my cheek a bit. "Heh, it was nothing. Now... Where are we staying?" "Oh, uh... Detective Horseshoe's couch. Ehehe..." Dashie shrugged. "It's fine. I've got a pillow. You." "I love my life..." We both headed out of the courtroom, and the detective was standing in the defense's lounge. "Hey, bub. Nice work in there. You've got me thinkin'... Maybe Hoops didn't do it. I don't know how you figured it out, but I'm gonna get to the bottom of this, and you and your wife there are gonna help me." I gave him a nod. "Don't worry, Detective. I've got your back." Dashie did a little salute. "I'm on it!" He chuckled. "Great." He flicked his head in the direction of the door. "Now let's get going, I've got instant noodles at the house if any of you want any dinner." We followed him to his house, and sure enough, we had a wonderful instant noodle dinner. The guy's house is a little small, but it gets the job done. I felt good, like I was gonna win this thing. But little did I know, that I was being watched by the very pony I was trying to find.