//------------------------------// // Day 3: Trial: Questionable Vision // Story: Twilight Sparkle, Ace Attorney: The Royal Turnabout // by Animegx43 //------------------------------// Twilight was in a bad spot. Out of all ponies she had to cross-examine, it was Diamond Tiara, a rather obnoxious filly who also came from Ponyville. She had a strong testimony that would've gotten Rarity a guilty verdict, but Twilight was able to find something she didn't initially say in her testimony. After catching it and getting confident in herself thanks to Pinkie Pie, she made Diamond Tiara amend her testimony with the new information. "Yeah. I saw was on the room's balcony when I saw Rarity. So what?" HOLD IT! "Just a minute ago, you were insisting that you saw her through the window." Twilight said. "Why did you lie?" "Well, Discord told me that it wasn't important and that I should've just left it out." Diamond Tiara answered. Eyes darted to Discord after the ponies all heard what Diamond Tiara said. Discord loved attention, but he was getting the kind he didn't want. That little...never mind. Time to start asking questions. There must be some reason Discord didn't want the balcony to be mentioned. Twilight thought. "Diamond Tiara, what can you tell me about this balcony?" "It's part of the privilege of being a wealthy pony like myself." Diamond Tiara answered. "Most of the rooms don't seem to have them, but the suite rooms have great big patios." "And what are these patios like?" Twilight asked. OBJECTION! "The defense is asking pointless questions." Discord said. "Objection overruled." The Doctor said. "I'm a little interested in this balcony myself." OBJECTION! "Planning a vacation, judge? The details of the balcony has nothing to do with the case. All that matters is that our witness saw Rarity from over the edge of it." OBJECTION! "I'm starting to think that that's not the case!" Twilight said. "Can we get a picture of this balcony, or at least a description?" Diamond Tiara began to think the balcony the best she could remember it. "Ah! That's right. The patio is a great privilege. It alone is worth the extra money spent for the suite room. Why, anypony who walks by the hotel can see it sticking out of it like a sore hoof." The more the filly talked, the more discomfort Discord felt. Twilight wasn't sure what Diamond Tiara was saying that created contradictions, but she knew that Discord could see them. That said, Twilight wasn't enjoying the show. "You seem to be happy with this testimony, Miss Sparkle." The Doctor said. "Have you found anything wrong with it?" AAGHH! I was enjoying Discord's pain so much that I didn't find any contradictions. Twilight thought. Although, this seems to be what Discord was hiding before, so something must be wrong. "Wait a second!" Spike said. "I think I know the problem with this testimony!" "Bah! You're no lawyer." Discord said to insult Spike. "Technically, none of you are really lawyers." The Doctor said. "In fact, since I'm not a judge, I wonder if this is even a real trial! In any case, what have you found?" "Hold on, let me draw you a picture." Spike said. After taking out a piece of paper and writing a quick, crude sketch, he submitted it to the court to see. "This here is a picture of the hotel that Diamond Tiara just described. "Notice anything?" Spike asked. "Besides the fact that I look like a monkey?" Diamond Tiara said as she hated the picture. "I notice that your hand-writing skills far surpass your drawing skills." The Doctor said. "But it does seem to be a very basic sketch of the hotel. I suppose I can accept it as evidence." Discord laughed at Spike as he showed the court his picture. "And here I thought I was in trouble. All you wanted to do is draw a picture?" "Twilight! Take a look at this picture! Tell me, what about it makes it impossible for Diamond Tiara to see Rarity climbing to into the prince's room?" After taking a good long look at the picture, Twilight was able to find what Spike figured out. After visualizing how the balcony was sticking out, she knew that Diamond Tiara had been lying the entire time. "Diamond Tiara!" Twilight said as banged her hoof on the table. "You couldn't of seen Rarity below you. And this is why!" TAKE THAT! "Blueblood's room window would be directly below the balcony. If that's the case, that same balcony would be directly above Rarity, blocking off your point of view! Ergo, it's impossible for you to see the crime!" As Diamond Tiara was caught lying, the shock caused her jam her lollipop into her mouth, causing her to choke on it until she could pull it back out. It was at that moment that she knew that she was in big trouble. "Witness! Explain yourself!" The Doctor demanded, but as the he raised his voice, he saw that Diamond Tiara looked as if she was about to cry. "OH! Err, I mean...please explain yourself, young lady. What you said didn't make any sense." "I guess if I have to." Diamond Tiara said as she dropped the charade. She certainly recovered quickly. Twilight thought. "Okay, look. I really did see Rarity, I promised. I just didn't have an up close view of her. Any pony in my position would know it was her right away. I lied because I knew you wouldn't believe me if I said otherwise." I can understand why nopony would trust you. Better keep that to myself, though. A princess hating a little girl won't be good for the image. "I think this calls for another testimony." The Doctor said. "But please tell the truth this time. I'd hate to discredit you as a witness." "Not a problem." Diamond Tiara said. "I stand by my word that I'm the most important witness you have." ---------------------------- --Testimony: From up the balcony.-- "I actually only saw Rarity when she was still on the ground. It was so obviously her down there. She was walking to the building, carrying a ladder. Want more proof than that? She also had her red dress on! Can't get more detailed than that! --End of testimony-- ---------------------------- "Hmm...While not as strong as her last testimony, it still sounds decisive." The Doctor said. "Why do you think I had her be quiet about the balcony?" Discord asked. "Nothing is different, but her first testimony would waste less time." That's not why. You just didn't want me to find out about the balcony. Twilight thought, who was angry at Discord. "I'm ready to cross-examine her again." ---------------------------- --Cross-examination-- "I actually only saw Rarity when she was still on the ground. It was so obviously her down there. " HOLD IT! "How can you say you had it was her? You would've been six stories off the ground." Twilight said. "Please, I can see a blank flank from a mile away. I really don't think my vision can be questioned." Diamond Tiara answered. "The reason your testifying is because your vision was questioned in the first place!" OBJECTION! "Stop badgering her again!" Discord ordered. "She obviously some somepony and it's obvious that it was Rarity. If you're looking for contradictions, look elsewhere!" "As far as this filly is concerned, she saw the defendant." The Doctor said. "For now, her word is all we have. Objection sustained." With the Doctor agreeing with Discord, the cross-examination continued. "She was walking to the building, carrying a ladder." HOLD IT! "Are you sure it was a ladder and not, oh I don't know, a stepladder?" Twilight asked. "Of course not!" Diamond Tiara answered. "Ladders are straight and you have to lean them on something. Stepladders are free-standing, and you can't climb a big building with it." Finally, somepony who know the difference between ladders and stepladders! Twilight thought happily. But wait! That matches the description of the crime scene to a T. That means she did see somepony bring a ladder to the hotel. How am I suppose to argue with that? "Want more proof than that? She also had her red dress on!" HOLD IT! "Do you remember what her dress looked like? We have footage of said dress." "I only had a brief look and she was too far away for me to see the details of the dress." Diamond Tiara said. "I'll admit it, I didn't get a very good look at what she was wearing. Just her colors." "And she said she saw a white mare wearing a red dress." Discord said. "Wait a minute! Wasn't a white mare in a red dress found at the crime scene? What a coincidence!" I hate you, Discord. I really, really do. Twilight thought. "Can't get more detailed than that?" HOLD IT! Hmm...she did ask me. She seemed to of seen everything from the ladder to the dress. I wonder... Twilight thought. Then, after thinking of a number of potential questions... "Do you remember when exactly you saw Rarity?" "What kind of question is that?" Discord asked. "She obviously saw her at--" OBJECTION! "Let the witness answer my question herself!" Twilight ordered. OBJECTION! "What does it matter! Whether she says it or not, we all know when she would've seen the crime!" SILENCE! "Hey, I'm the one who's suppose to be talking here!" Diamond Tiara said as she got angry at everypony. I saw her arriving with that ladder at five after before I stopped watching!" Five after...WAIT A SECOND! Twilight thought as an epiphany struck her like lightning. "Diamond Tiara, you are to add that little detail to your testimony! NOW!" SILENCE! "Who do you think you are, bossing me around like that?" Diamond Tiara asked. "I believe she is a princess, young lady." The Doctor said. "I don't see a problem with the request anyway. Please amend your testimony for the court." While she wasn't happy with being bossed around, even if she was bossed by a princess and a judge, Diamond Tiara reluctantly agreed to their request. "I saw Rarity do all this at five after. So what?" OBJECTION! Twilight was not happy at the filly as she raised her hoof out to her. "Didn't Discord tell you not to lie to this court?" "Actually, he told me to lie when I get the chance." Diamond Tiara said, much to Discord's embarrassment. "But all I've been telling you is the truth!" "And that's the lie right there, Diamond Tiara! You said you saw Rarity at five after! That means it was 2:05, right?" "Yeah, that would've been when she brought the ladder over." Diamond Tiara said. Discord began to laugh at what was going on. "Now, Twilight, are you really calling my witness a liar again? Everything she said matches up with the evidence. She saw Rarity with a red dress and a ladder going to Blueblood's room at 2:05..." Then after realizing it himself, Discord gasped in horror. "Diamond Tiara, you may not realize it, but Rarity couldn't of been committing the crime at 2:05. Take a look at this scrying crystal I have here." Twilight said. "Crying what?" Diamond Tiara asked. "It's security footage. Just watch." Activating the crystal, Twilight showed the court the image of Rarity with Fancy Pants. The image that showed that the recording happened at 2:12. "This recording showed that Rarity was in her room with Fancy Pants until she left to see Blueblood at 2:12. So if you saw somepony at 2:05, then there's no way you could've seen Rarity!" After Twilight found the major contradiction in Diamond Tiara's testimony, the filly once again shoved her lollipop in her mouth in shock, causing her to choke on it for a second time. This discovery also caused the audience to break into an uproar. OBJECTION! "Sh-she must've been mistaken at the time. Kids suck at telling time!" Discord desperately said. OBJECTION! "If that's the case, then her entire credibility as a witness is worthless!" Twilight argued. SILENCE! "WH-WHO ARE YOU CALLING WORTHLESS!" Diamond Tiara asked. The entire courtroom started to go out of control between the restless watchers, the lawyers, and even the witness. The Doctor banged his gavel three times, hoping to silent everypony. It failed the first time, so he had to do it three more times before he got any attention! "Order! Order! I WILL have order!" The Doctor demanded. It was really chaotic for a moment. It looked like the court would have to be cleared for a second time, but it would've been Twilight and Discord's fault that time. After a few seconds of silence among everypony in the room, the Doctor was able to speak up. "Twice now, there's been rather big inconsistencies with this filly's testimony. I'm afraid nothing she has said can mix with the evidence we've seen. If she really did see a pony at 2:05, then Rarity has an airtight alibi. But if that's the case, who did this witness see?" "As long as it wasn't Rarity, we can conclude that she couldn't have been the culprit." Twilight said. Discord banged his tail on his table to grab the court's attention. "But she was still the only pony at the crime scene and her description matches Rarity perfectly. This court hereby has no choice but to discredit her as a witness. But she was YOUR witness! Twilight thought. "Hey, w-wait a minute!" Diamond Tiara said. "You can't do that to me! I-I saw her coming! I'm your most important witness! You can't discredit me like that!" Twilight shook her head in disagreement. "I'm sorry, but a pony's life is at stack here. I can't let one of my best friends die because of a child's fib." "M-MISS TWILIGHT!" The Doctor said. "That's uncalled for! Especially for a girl her age." "That was a pretty mean, Twilight." Spike said, agreeing with the Doctor. Twilight sighed, took a deep breath, and resumed talking. "Yeah, I guess your right. I guess I've finally had enough if this kid." The Doctor shook his head after processing everything that happened during the trial. "It seems our witness wasn't quite as decisive as we hoped. I hereby call an end to this cross--" HOLD IT!! Everypony in the court was surprised by the sudden outburst as it came right out of nowhere. It didn't come from Twilight, it didn't come from Discord, and it certainly didn't come from the Doctor. The outburst was from none other than Diamond Tiara herself, who didn't look very good. "Did..." She hesitated. "Did you say...somepony's life was on the line? I didn't know that!" "Well...yeah." Twilight said. "If Rarity is found guilty of this crime, she'll be banished to the sun, which is, well, the dea--" Before Twilight could finish, the Doctor banged his gavel three times. "MISS SPARKLE! Be nice to this child!" "I was just trying to be honest with her. Sorry." Twilight said. She then started to get worried for Diamond Tiara after. "Now hold on! I was told if I came and talk about what I saw, Sweetie Belle's sister would go far away!" Diamond Tiara said. "I-I never knew she would--" "Well, to be fair, going to the sun IS far away." Discord said. "It just also burns really badly." "W-wait! I-I-I...I never meant...to hurt...a-an-any..." As she began to feel anxiety after learning what her testimony would've done had they taken everything she said, Diamond Tiara began biting down on her lollipop while her body started to shake, an experience all of the ponies in the court could feel from the poor filly. As her remorse and shivering reached its climax, the lollipop completely shattered from her teeth. It was at that point that Diamond Tiara had finally broken down and bursted into tears. "WHAAAAAAAHH!!! I'M SOOOOOO SOOOOOOORRRRYYY!!" The court went silent. They didn't realize that the child was left in the dark like she was. Even Twilight saw nothing but trouble coming out of the filly, but after finally learning the truth, a shred of goodness was finally revealed. "Please...please, let me fix this." Diamond Tiara asked tearfully. "I'll tell the truth. I'll tell you exactly what I saw. No more lies, alright?" "Y-you mean you didn't actually see the defendant?" The Doctor asked. "No...well, yes...I don't know..." The audience grew restless as Diamond Tiara started to change her testimony as she purposely created doubt as to whether she saw Rarity or not. The Doctor banged his gavel once before things got out of control. "Maybe a new testimony is in order." The Doctor suggested. Twilight shook her head in disagreement. "I don't think I'll need to cross-examine her again. I'm confident she's trying to tell us the truth now. So tell us. If you didn't see Rarity, who did you see?" "T-to be honest, I wasn't sure." Diamond Tiara said nervously. "I didn't even think it was her until Discord talked to me. I told him I saw a white and red mare outside, so he asked me to come in and say it was Rarity. But since I didn't get a good look, it might not of been her!" Once again, the audience started to talk, though much quietly than before so they wouldn't get mad at by the Doctor. Good work, Diamond Tiara. I should've had more faith in you. Twilight thought before slamming her hooves on her table. "Your honor, this witness obviously doesn't know if she saw Rarity or not. We can't assume she saw Rarity. That means there's no proof that she was able to go from her room to Blueblood's in just three minutes." "The idea of her pulling off such a feat is rather unlikely, and there would've been no reason for her to rush." The Doctor said. "And as you said, this witness's testimony is questionable." OBJECTION! Discord began to laugh as the Doctor began to agree with Twilight. He wasn't buying what Twilight was selling. "Shame on you, your honor. A boot to the head to anypony who actually agrees with Twilight Sparkle. In fact..." After conjuring a boot in his hand, Discord hurled it at Twilight, causing it to land perfectly around the alicorn's horn. The random act caused Twilight to go into shock from what happened. Twice in two days, you've thrown something at me. Why? Twilight thought. "Discord! Explain yourself!" The Doctor ordered. "True. My witness didn't get a clear look, but it was obvious that she saw Rarity. Let me explain." Discord said. "First, she saw a pony who was white and red. Based off of this mystery pony's size, it was clearly female. Lastly, who was found in the prince's hotel room? A pony who met the ENTIRE description!" OBJECTION! "Without proof, it could've been anypony!" Twilight argued, who finally recovered from her boot attack. OBJECTION! "Look through your profiles. I'll even lend you mine! There are no other ponies who meet the description the witness gave. Since the description matches our only suspect, we have no choice but to acknowledge her as the culprit!" The Doctor went silent. He had a lot to think about with the argument that Discord gave. While he didn't make a decision right away, Twilight could tell that he was going to agree with Discord since everything he said made sense, which she thought made Discord even scarier than when he's random. "Oh, no." Twilight said to Spike. "The judge is going to agree with Discord because we don't have any other suspects!" "We still have Fancy Pants, don't we?" Spike asked. "He's white and he said he would take the fall, right?' "Even if I wanted to do that, he doesn't fit the description at all! He's male and wears a tuxedo. He can't help us at this point." After a long and careful thinking session, the Doctor finally came up with a decision. "While the picture isn't crystal clear, and even I'm still questioning if this is at all possible, as it stands, it would only make sense if the culprit was, in fact, the defendant. If the defense has no further objections, then I'll have no choice but to hand down my verdict." OBJECTION! "Oh, so you do have an objection, Miss Sparkle?" The Doctor asked. "I...err...no..." Twilight said. "I just thought something good would happen if I did object." The Doctor shook his head in disappointment. "I'll have no more pointless outbursts in this court, or you'll receive a major penalty." Things started to look grim for Twilight. She was so close to proven Rarity innocent, but the trial was about to end with a guilty verdict. She tried to think fast, but that didn't work for her." Come on, Twilight! You have confidences in your friends and they gave you confidence back. You can't lose this now! Think harder. Twilight thought, but her think was starting to hurt her more than it was helping. Damn it. It's not working! "Twilight, calm down!" Spike said. "You look like you're the one getting the guilty verdict!" "But I can't think of anything! I can't argue with the evidence!" "Then try and think of something else." Spike said. "We already know Rarity did something wrong, so something must be wrong with our evidence. Try thinking differently!" Think differently? Hmm... Twilight thought. In that case, maybe I should try and look at this from a different angle. If there was no other white ponies wearing red...then I should be looking for a red pony wearing white! After finally getting her brain working, an idea kicked in. OBJECTION! "The defense would like to name another suspect!" Twilight said. "Twilight, Twilight, Twilight." Discord said. "We've been over this. There are no other white pony suspects." "You're right. There are no other white ponies. But if Diamond Tiara really didn't see the attacker clearly, then there's a chance it could've been a red pony who was wearing white!" Discord shook his head in disbelief. "Can you prove there was a pony wearing white?" "I can! Using this piece of evidence that's been bothering me for quite some time!" TAKE THAT! "I found this white hat hear in some bushes out side of the hotel. I found it after...well...after I fell out of Blueblood's room." After hearing about Twilight's mishap, every single pony in the courtroom began to laugh at the unfortunate princess. Even Diamond Tiara, who had completely broken down, laughed nearly into tears. "Yeah, yeah. Get it out of your system." Twilight said with misery. "But this is still enough to suggest my theory is true. If a pony was wearing this, and maybe something else, its possible that Diamond Tiara saw somepony completely different." OBJECTION! "Take this from the lord of chaos. What you just said is completely absurd." Discord said. "If there really was another pony who could match the witness's description!" "Out of everypony I've met on this case, there is only one red pony I've met." Twilight said. "Twilight, I know who you're about to blame." Spike said. "Be careful. Even I think what you're thinking is baloney." Spike is right. But this is all I have. If Rarity didn't attack Blueblood, then there's only one other pony it could've been. "Miss Sparkle?" The Doctor asked. "The defense would like to cast suspicion on Canterlot's commission of police! Star Cestus!" The court went into a very big uproar as Twilight casted suspicion on such a pony. The Doctor banged his gavel three times to calm the audience down, but he was more unpleased with Twilight than the spectators. "Order! Order!" The Doctor said. "Miss Sparkle! That is quite an accusation! How did you reach such a conclusion?" "Easy. If you put on some white clothing, like this white hat, on Star Cestus, then he would also meet Diamond Tiara's description." "But she was confident that she saw a female pony!" The Doctor argued. "That's because of how small the pony was." Twilight explained. "Unlike most stallions, Cestus is actually quite small. Because of that, Diamond Tiara assumed she saw a mare. But if size was the only reason, then it's still possible for it to be a small stallion!" The Doctor had to think over Twilight's proposal, but he was very skeptical about the idea. "Does the prosecution have an argument?" "More like an insult than an argument." Discord said. "You really are getting desperate, aren't you?" More than you know, Discord. Twilight thought. OH WAIT! I forgot he can read my mind! "You know what? if that's going to be Twilight's last stand, I won't mind bringing Red up here." The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Very well. I will allow Star Cestus to take the stand. But if I do, Miss Sparkle, and he's proven to be innocent, then I'll have no choice but to hold you in contempt of court for accusing an innocent pony." "Twilight, no!" Spike said. "If that happens, you'll never be able to save Rarity." I know. But this is the last chance we have anyway. Twilight thought. With no other options, she banged the table and accepted the deal. "I still want Star Cestus to take the stand!" Discord laughed as Twilight stood by her claim. He was very confident that she was going to fail and was actually happy that Twilight still wanted to go through with it. "Very well." The Doctor said. "I will now call for a ten minute recess. After which, Commissioner Star Cestus will take the stand." With one final bang of the gavel, the court was adjourned for a brief recess. After the recess, the final line of questioning was going to commence, as it would decide whether or not Rarity was guilty or not. If I stand by Rarity's claim of being innocent, then I know she's innocent. As much as I hate to admit it, Cestus is the only pony who could of attacked the prince. He meets the Diamond Tiara's description and even has a motive. I would hate it if he really was responsible, but if Rarity is innocent, then he must've done it! But...can I prove it?