The Great and Powerful Ace Attorney

by TundraStanza

Ch. 1: Turnabout E.R. (part 2)

"I was providing my services to one of the most adorable little fillies I had ever met."

"Sadly, I couldn't stay with her long as I had to be on my way."

"I heard the sound of a rabid dog barking from the house nearby."

"I thought it strange that the door was left open so I decided to take a peek."

"But my glance became a horrified stare at the deed that had transpired."

"The white nurse pony had been slain! Blood was dripping from a nearby knife."

"The killer was clearly insane, barking mad as it was. She would've bitten me had I not chosen to make a tactical retreat from the vicinity."

"I had no idea that the sixth hour of the evening would be such a dreadful disaster."

---

Dr. Digit's uncovered eye shed a twinkling droplet. His raised hoof was shaking with sadness and passion behind his own testimony.

The judge blinked in a what-just-happened sort of way. "The killer had dog-like behavior? Why, that sounds just like..."

"Yes," affirmed Sonata, "It does sound just like the defendant."

Though, Trixie could have sworn that she briefly saw a blood vessel tense up in Sonata's head.

"Remember that you have more than one ability as the defense, Ms. Trixie."

"Wait, what?" Trixie blurted. She looked for the voice, but the only one in the direction of the source was a prosecutor readjusting her glasses. The specific words that the voice had said gave Trixie something to ponder.

The power to press, the power to raise an objection, and the power to present evidence. Wait, Trixie just remembered that one item that Lefty managed to hang onto before being arrested. The time to present it is soon. I... Trixie can just feel it.

"All right then, Ms. Trixie," his honor said, "Begin your cross-examination."

"Gladly." The defense smiled slightly. She thought she saw a mirrored expression in Sonata, but the moment passed just as quickly as it came.

"I was providing my services to one of the most adorable little fillies I had ever met."

"Who was this 'adorable little filly'?" Trixie inquired.

"Normally, I wouldn't go against patient confidentiality," insisted Dr. Digit, "but she seemed rather eager to let her friends know about it. I guess it wouldn't hurt any pony if I let them know that Ms. Sweetie Belle is now the proud owner of a pair of Dr. Digit's glasses."

"Ah, yes," sighed his honor with a smile, "I've seen her before. If being cute was a crime, she'd have a life sentence."

The judge has a soft spot for children? wondered Trixie, Huh. Go figure.

"But as I was saying..." continued the witness.

"Sadly, I couldn't stay with her long as I had to be on my way."

"Why were you in such a hurry?" asked Trixie, "Normal business hours in Ponyville don't end until 8 PM."

"I had a prior engagement that I needed to attend to," answered Dr. Digit as he fiddled with his monocle.

"What was this engagement?"

"Your line of questioning is straying from the topic at hoof," stated Sonata. "Shouldn't you be focusing on a rather important point that you might have missed?"

"I have to admit that talking about the witness's job seems to hold little relevance to what he saw," agreed his honor.

Trixie fumed in silence. You didn't have any trouble losing relevance when the little brat's name was mentioned.

"I heard the sound of a rabid dog barking from the house nearby."

"I thought it strange that the door was left open so I decided to take a peek."

"But my glance became a horrified stare at the deed that had transpired."

"The white nurse pony had been slain! Blood was dripping from a nearby knife."

"The killer was clearly insane, barking mad as it was. She would've bitten me had I not chosen to make a tactical retreat from the vicinity."

"I had no idea that the sixth hour of the evening would be such a dreadful disaster."

"The sixth hour of the evening, Mr. Digit?" Trixie smirked.

"I'd appreciate it if you called me 'Dr.' thank you." The witness frowned.

"Oh, Trixie offers her greatest and most powerful apology," she said with exaggerations, "It's just that, Trixie was under the impression that any pony with a Ph.D. would be able to tell the difference between 6 PM and 7 PM." With that, she levitated the autopsy report into view for all to see.

Dr. Digits eyes snapped open as his monocle dangled by its string. "Uh... well... I..."

"Yes, Dr.," said Sonata in a slightly annoyed tone, "How did you miss that little detail if you were in such a hurry earlier that night?"

The ponies in the courtroom added their own cacophony of suspicion and confusion.

*Tap!* *Tap!* *Tap!*

"Order! Order!" demanded his honor. "Witness, would you care to explain this contradiction?"

Dr. Digit slowly lifted his monocle back into place before clearing his throat. "I can do better than that, Your Honor."

What is that dishonest doctor up to now? thought Trixie greatly.

"You wanted to know why the hour is off?" he asked. "The reason is quite simple."

"The reason is so simple that even a filly could figure it out."

"Sunlight Savings time ended recently. I must have had my watch set to the wrong hour."

"Surely you can forgive such a small oversight. The time wasn't the important thing anyway."

"After all, this doesn't change the fact that the defendant over there stabbed her nurse in cold blood."

---

Trixie's powerful eye twitched. Are you kidding me?

"That's a rather... underwhelming explanation," commented the judge.

"Like I said, it's simple," reiterated the witness while briefly tapping the edge of his monocle.

Sonata had her eyes closed and remained silent.

"All right, Miss Defense, you may begin your cross-examination of this new piece of testimony."

"Great and Powerfully, Your Honor," smirked Trixie.

Sonata briefly opened her eyes to give a deadpan stare.

---

"The reason is so simple that even a filly could figure it out."

"Sunlight Savings time ended recently. I must have had my watch set to the wrong hour."

"May we see this watch of yours?" Trixie asked out of the blue.

"I don't see the harm in that," replied Dr. Eye Digit. "Here."

"So," Trixie rebounded, "you were saying?"

"Surely you can forgive such a small oversight. The time wasn't the important thing anyway."

"After all, this doesn't change the fact that the defendant over there stabbed her nurse in cold blood."

"This may not be your field of expertise," interjected Trixie, "but surely even a colt of your profession can understand what 'cold blood' truly means."

"Hm?" Sonata's lip curled into a half-frown.

"What? Where is this coming from?" wondered the witness. "Of course I know what 'cold blood' means."

Trixie harrumphed. "Perhaps now is a good time to remind everyone here in the court, since no pony else is great and powerful enough to point out the important information."

A picture of Righty Tidy floated into view while Trixie looked down at a piece of paper that she was levitating.

"First, the defendant has already testified earlier to not remembering the full set of events that transpired on the night of the murder. The members of this courtroom agreed that there was nothing contradictory about what she said. Second, we know that she has been slowly recovering from a mental disorder that occasionally causes her to behave in a dog-like manner. During those switches, she doesn't remember anything. Third and most importantly, 'cold blood' means not only committing the act of the kill, but also calmly calculating and planning the kill before hoof."

"Ah!" gasped his honor.

Trixie slammed a hoof against her desk. "So, Mr. Eye Alex Digit, if my client's medical condition is a fact, how could she have possibly premeditated an act of murder?"

"Egads!" The monocle went flying off the witness's face, barely hanging on by its thin, gold chain.

The observing ponies spoke their minds quite vocally in the seconds that followed.

"Furthermore, your choice of words seems a little too specific for a random passerby." Trixie pounded again. "Perhaps it is you who has a dirty deed to hide!"

The multitude of voices suddenly hushed. The judge hadn't even gotten to whack his gavel once.

Sonata nudged her glasses lightly. "Trixie, are you... accusing Dr. Digit here of the crime of murder?"

"Maybe Trixie is." She gave the asker a non-committing stare. "What of it?"

His honor leaned forward. "That is a serious accusation, Ms. Trixie. Should you continue and be found wrong, it will cost you more than just receiving records of your first court loss."

"W-What do you mean?" Trixie greatly inquired.

"It means that if the witness on stand here is innocent," explained Sonata, "then you'll be forced to hand over your attorney badge."

"I'll... what?!" Trixie's hat briefly jumped off her head.

"Think about this carefully, Trixie," advised the prosecutor, "If you back off now, you can keep your badge. No pony will think less of you for it. After all, it's difficult for someone like you to be thought less of for losing something that you didn't put your whole heart into anyway."

The Great and Powerful Trixie could have sworn that she saw a faint smile recede from her opponent's mouth. Who did she think she was offering terms of surrender? Trixie would show her. Trixie would show them all what a great and powerful attorney she could be. Her eyes narrowed as she made her choice.

"Did Trixie stutter?" she inquired. "The accusation against Dr. Digit stands so that the Great and Powerful Trixie can prove the innocence of Righty Tidy!"

The defendant let out a gasp. She said my name correctly.

The witness, however, had since regained his composure and his monocle had found its way back to his eye. "All right, ma'am. How do you intend to prove this serious accusation?"

"Trixie will ask a simple question," she explained, "Then, you will provide your answer in the form of a testimony, which Trixie will then proceed to tear apart any contradiction. At that moment, you will realize what a bad spot lying can place you in."

"Hmph, fine," replied Dr. Digit.

A gavel strike interrupted the exchange. "This is completely unorthodox. I cannot allow-"

"Your Honor, if I may interrupt," piped in Sonata.

The judge looked to his right.

"The prosecution has no objections to this form of interrogation."

His honor nearly dropped his gavel onto his hind hoof. "What... I... what?"

All eyes were on him.

He sighed. "Very well, the defense may proceed with her questioning."

"Trixie appreciates this," thanked Trixie. "Now then, Mr. Digit, in truthful detail, what were you doing at Ms. Tidy's place of residence and why were you there?"

---

"Remember that 'prior engagement' I mentioned before? Well, that was partially the reason I was in that section of the neighborhood."

"I had one last appointment to attend to for the evening and I was in a hurry to get to the meeting place."

"My watch was ringing as loudly as a house clock. That's the logical reason for why I was confused about the time."

"Offhandedly, I happened to look around to make sure my bearings were straight as I ran."

"When I glanced in the direction of the killer's house, I saw the stab taking place."

"I heard what sounded like a dog growling before that crazy pony bit me on the hoof as I managed to get away."

"Who does that? Cutting up a fellow pony and then biting another? A mad pony! She was quite mad."

---

"And on a side note," added the witness, "I asked you to call me 'Dr.' Digit."

"Ponies ask Trixie to call them many things," remarked the attorney, "Trixie takes it upon herself to call them only the fairest names which they deserve."

"You may promptly begin your cross-examination," interrupted the judge.

"Right away, Your Honor," Trixie obliged.

---

"Remember that 'prior engagement' I mentioned before? Well, that was partially the reason I was in that section of the neighborhood."

"I had one last appointment to attend to for the evening and I was in a hurry to get to the meeting place."

"My watch was ringing as loudly as a house clock. That's the logical reason for why I was confused about the time."

Does his watch really sound that loud? wondered Trixie as she examined the Court Record's inventory. With a few magical taps, she set the alarm of the optometrist's watch to go off at the very next minute. It went off with a rather annoying buzz. She winced slightly at the vibration. What a terrible alarm. It doesn't do anything but imitate a pesky bee.

"Offhandedly, I happened to look around to make sure my bearings were straight as I ran."

"When I glanced in the direction of the killer's house, I saw the stab taking place."

"I heard what sounded like a dog growling before that crazy pony bit me on the hoof as I managed to get away."

"By any chance, do you still have the bruise from the bitemark?"

"If you really want to see it, fine," sighed Dr. Digit, "but you'll only have more to incriminate Ms. Tidy over there."

The eye doctor shoved his sleeve up. There was a rather dark mark. It looked about the right size for a pony's jawline around his wrist area.

"Sweet Celestia, that looks painful," commented the judge.

"It actually looks worse than it feels," Dr. Digit dismissed.

"Your Honor," Trixie pointed her hoof, "Trixie would like the witness to add this to his testimony."

"I still think this is a bit out of place." His honor shook his head. "Witness, add the remark of that bitemark to your testimony."

"This is the sign that I was bitten while running away."

"Ms. Trixie." Sonata crossed her hooves in front of herself. "Are you really objecting to the evidence of him being bitten?"

"Hmph," Trixie snorted. "Trixie wonders which is more blind, your eyes or your cutie mark? Trixie is not objecting to the bite. Far from it, Trixie is pointing out a much larger flaw with Mr. Digit's statement."

"Do tell, Ms. Trixie," the judge requested.

Trixie looked directly at the witness. "That bitemark you showed us is around the wrist of your front hoof." She raised and pointed her hoof forward. "How exactly could you get bitten like that if you were already running?"

Dr. Digit narrowed his eyes. "You didn't see the way she bit me that night. She was crazy enough to bend her head in that direction."

"Well, I'd almost believe such a statement," Trixie folded her front hooves across her desk, "if it weren't for one small thing."

The witness raised one eyebrow. "What small thing could you possibly be talking about?"

He tilted his head in confusion. "My watch?"

"Until just a few moments ago," Trixie began, "you were wearing this so-called 'loud as a house clock' piece of metal around that same wrist. Well as it turns out, this watch is no louder than a bee. It's a nuisance, but not enough to tell you six o'clock at 7 PM." She pounded the wood. "These clues together prove two things. One, you weren't wearing this watch on the night of the murder and two, you weren't running at all during the moment of the bite."

"Hmm," hummed Sonata. "Are you beginning to see what happened that night?"

"The Great and Powerful Trixie certainly is!" the defense proclaimed.

---

Mr. Digit was so convinced that the murder was cold and calculated because it was he who was the calculative mind. He found Nurse Coldheart at an hour and a location where she would be the most vulnerable, away from the other doctors and medical staff of Ponyville's hospital and mental institute.

"Die!"

However, he failed to plan for one crucial detail: patient interference.

“Grrr! Ruff! Arf! Arf!”

Since he was holding the knife deeply in the victim's flesh, he couldn't avoid the doggish pony using the basic animal instinct of protecting its caretaker. It wasn't the doctor's watch that rang one hour off. It was Righty Tidy's home clock. It's ironic. The hour that he was so sure had ended the nurse's life became the information to reveal his horrible secret.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!”

---

Trixie pointed with force. "You, Mr. Digit, are the murderer of Nurse Coldheart!"

The witness shook on his stand. He grabbed his head under his wings, but his shivering wouldn't stop. At least, it didn't until he raised his head to gaze upon the ceiling. Feathers popped out as his monocle shattered into silica shards.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!”

...

---

A few minutes passed. The red judge cleared his throat. "Ms. Sonata?"

"Dr. Eye Alex Digit has been taken away for detainment until further notice," the prosecution stated with her eyes closed.

His honor nodded. "And Ms. Trixie?"

"Yes, Your Honor?" responded the defense.

"For some pony who worked on the other side of the court, you did fairly well in bringing a nugget of truth to the court."

"Oh, yes," Trixie smirked, "Please do continue singing Trixie your praise."

"Er, another time perhaps." A sweat drop formed on the judge's head briefly. "I'm ready to declare a verdict. On the charge of murder, this court finds the defendant Righty Tidy..."

...

Variously colored pieces of confetti fluttered through the courtroom as the other ponies cheered and whistled.

*Tap!*

"Court is dismissed."

---

Whew, Trixie never would have thought that being a defense attorney would be so exhausting. It's nothing like the prosecution at all. Trixie chuckled at the thought. I suppose I should give Mr. Wrong some credit for dealing with such tension. Some.

She suddenly had a scarf in the form of Righty Tidy.

"Oh, thank you so much, Ms. Trixie!" the other blue mare exclaimed while hugging her defender. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

I've got a few ideas about what would've happened. Trixie half-smiled.

"You did well in there, Trixie."

The additional voice turned Trixie's expression into a full frown. "Trixie has no desire to hear insults from a sore loser."

"Well, gee, that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me." Sonata smirked. "I didn't come to insult you. I came over to congratulate you on winning your first case... and for protecting the life of an innocent pony."

"One-eighty much?" asked Righty Tidy as she released her hugged captive. "Weren't you the one talking about 'bad omens' during the case?"

Trixie held a hoof in front of her. "Tidy, let Trixie handle this." She then turned to Sonata. "Does the prosecutor have a bipolar complex, or has she truly forgotten the negativity she was exuding at the start of the trial?"

Sonata blinked. Then, she chuckled. She ended with a wink. "I'm sure we'll see each other again really soon, Trixie."

What does she mean by...? But the thought was halted. She trotted off. Whatever. She can say whatever she wants. Frankly, Trixie doesn't give a barn about what that pony thinks.

"Now." The Great and Powerful Trixie turned back to her client, "We never did get to discuss over the phone how you'd go about paying Trixie."

Tidy's eyes snapped open before she stared to the side. "Oh... yeah... that." She nervously scratched the back of her neck. "See, the thing is I don't really have much money in my name right now."

Trixie remained silent.

Righty Tidy shuffled her pockets before fishing out a couple items. "I've got... a few staples and a subway coupon, and I was scheduled for a job interview in a couple of weeks. I could start working on paying you off then."

The recovered mental patient suddenly found two solid, blue limbs on her shoulders. They were not her hooves.

"That's very cute, Tidy," commented Trixie through a gritting teeth smile, "but I intend to collect some form of down payment on my fees right now."

The other blue mare shivered in place as she stared into two cold flames from the deepest corners of Tartarus.

---

A slow, mushy stream of chocolate and wheat passed her tongue. Additionally, Celestia's sun offered only the finest beams of light onto her resting form. Shades that rivaled Luna's night for darkness kept her eyes hidden from view and allowed her to not look at anything hideous around her. Yes, Trixie very much enjoyed this nap/snack time.

She wasn't even bothered by the constant banging of her newest servant.

*Whap!* *Whap!* *Whap!*

"Whew." Righty Tidy wiped some sweat from her head. The last couple of nails were hammered into place. At least now, one side of the travelling home looked in decent shape.

"You missed a spot," Trixie commented without even looking. That was how great she was.

The less great pony turned to see that an entire section of wall on the the other side was in desperate need of repairs. She could've sworn she just did that spot an hour ago. How did the screws come loose from those boards?

Defeated by the conundrum, Tidy sighed. "Of course, Ms. Trixie."

Trixie levitated another slurp from her smoothie and sighed contentedly.

---

To think he could escape from his terrible fate.

*Flick* *Hiss*

Now every pony he cares about must suffer the consequences of his lackluster thinking.

*Whoosh*

Please understand that it's nothing personal, show mare.

---