//------------------------------// // Day 1: Invesigation: Dark Secrets // Story: Twilight Sparkle, Ace Attorney: Turnabout Smiles // by Animegx43 //------------------------------// February 12, 2:20 PM Sweet Apple Acres Outside The Barn "It already feels like we've been running in circles." Sweetie Belle said. "There's only so many place for us to go right now." Twilight explained. After becoming Pinkie Pie's official lawyer, Twilight returned to the crime scene to begin an actual investigation. Since coming back, the Canterlot police looked much busier than when they first arrived since they had managed to settle in. Twilight was jealous because she was the only one who didn't do anything yet. She looked around to ask Cestus for help, but he was nowhere to be found. "Alright! With all of these cops here, you'll have lots of help, Twilight!" Sweetie Belle said. "It's not going to be that easy. Before we can check out the crime scene, we have to wait for these guys to finish their investigation." Twilight explained. "That's stupid. You're a princess. You should be like their boss or something." Sweetie Belle said. "Not while she's being a lawyer, pal." After hearing her talk, Star Cestus, who was off the farm, walk in from behind to meet up with her. Two other ponies walked as well, following Cestus. One was Applejack, the other was a blue unicorn who Twilight didn't recognize. "Hey Twilight, since you're here, I'd like to introduce you to the prosecutor of this case." Cestus said. "This here is Hope Ray. Hope, this is Princess Twilight Sparkle." "You're the princess? It is a great honor to meet you." Hope said as he bowed before his princess. Twilight took a good look at the new face she met. He was a unicorn pony with a light blue body, and a white colored mane, which was curled up to resemble a curved mohawk. For a cutie mark, Hope had a yellow and white shield. Twilight noticed the irony of how a cutie mark more appropriate for a defense attorney was given to a prosecutor. "It's a pleasure to meet you. But like Cestus said, I'm only aloud to act as a defense attorney if I don't mix my ranking as a princess with it." Twilight said, which she not only directed to Hope, but to Sweetie belle as well. Hope found what he heard to of been very odd. He needed a moment before he could give a response. "Observation #1: A princess in Ponyville has no value for their position." "WHAT!? I take pride being a princess. Princess Celestia was the one who gave me the honor!" "Observation #2: Princess Twilight is easily enraged." Just as Hope was saying, Twilight started to get more and more angry Hope's choice of words. She had to calm down fast, so she took a deep breath, and exhaled out to calm down. But... AGH! It didn't work! I still want to punch this guy! Twilight thought, who was still angry at Hope. "Can we just move on to important business?" "Sorry, Twi." Applejack said. "But you have to leave this to our lovely friends here. Mr. Ray here is going to make sure they put Pinkie away for good." Oh my...Applejack really does think Pinkie did it, doesn't she? "It's fine, Miss. Apple." Hope said. "As the defense, she's entitled to know about the crime scene. I myself have only been in Ponyville for a few minutes, so we may as well hear Inspector Cestus out now while we're both here." Wow. I think I actually like this guy. At least he's more professional than Discord was as a prosecutor. Much to Applejack's dismay, it was agreed that Twilight and Sweetie Belle would get to learn about what was found at the crime scene, and so the group entered the barn to hear the briefing of the case. Inside the barn, Twilight and Sweetie Belle noticed how much the barn had changed since the incident. Police tape blocked the way in since the day before, so the group had to walk under it. There was also some tape and poles surrounding a spot in the very center of the room, and underneath it was a red stain, which repulsed Sweetie Belle as soon as she saw it. It went without saying that that particular spot was where the crime happened. "Alright. Now here's what we've learned." Cestus said, prompting the rest to put on their listening ears. "Sometime in the early afternoon yesterday, about 1:00 PM I believe, Miss. Applejack here entered the barn and found Pinkie Pie inside, who at the time, was trying to murder the child in this case." "If I heard correctly from Ponyville's police, Apple Bloom was stabbed, right?" Twilight asked. "Right. I managed to get this dagger here from the station in town while me and Applejack picked Hope Ray up at the train station." Cestus then showed the weapon in question to the group. Through the plastic bag, they saw that the dagger was completely blade, from the handle to the blade itself. The blade itself was still stained with some blood. Once again, the sight of Apple Bloom's blood scared Sweetie Belle. She really is too young for this kind of thing. Twilight thought. In any case, I'm glad I've finally seen some evidence to work with. Black Dagger was added to the evidence "This dagger should've been dusted for hoof prints, but the case seemed so cut and dry that they didn't seem to of bothered." Cestus said. "Observation #3: Ponyville's police force is quite lazy." Hope said. "In any case, I brought the hoofprint records, so we can compare the prints right now." "Hoofprint records?" Twilight asked. "This case has been going on for a very long time, your highness. Fortunately, I have the file of the entire case right here, which includes a record of hoofprints from every pony involved in this case." "Sounds important. Can I get a copy of that file?" "I'm afraid it's still confidential. I can, however, give you a copy of the hoofprint records. I'm sure you'll find it useful." Hoofprint Records was added to the evidence Not the kind of evidence I was hoping for, but it's better than nothing. Twilight thought. "The analysts will need copy too before tomorrow." Cestus said. "Anyway, we've also confirmed that every window in this barn was shut. The barn door was the only entrance open, and it's been confirmed that she saw both Pinkie Pie and the girl entering." Not good. NOT GOOD! Twilight thought. While Twilight started to sweat from stress getting piled up on stress, Hope nodded with a sense of satisfaction. With only one way in and out, if the hoof marks matched up, then the entire case would be open and closed. "I think I've heard enough." Hope said. "Be sure to take these print records and analyst the markings. If all goes well, this terrible case will finally be put the rest before lunch tomorrow." "Now hold on! I know things look bad for Pinkie Pie, but I still plan to defend her until the very end!" Twilight said. "I believe you. I'm just saying the very end will be tomorrow." She knew Hope didn't meant it, but the more he talked, the Twilight hated him. Hope was acting calm, clear minded, and realistic, which was everything Twilight was trying to be. "I'll leave you with the file." Hope said to Cestus as he handed over a very big file to him. "I'd like to settle in before I get my case ready." "Need a place to stay?" Applejack asked. "There's plenty of space for such an important pony like yourself here on my farm." "No thank you, Miss Applejack. Arranangements have already been made for me at town hall." Hope said to Applejack. Then, he turned his attention to Twilight. "It was an honor to meet you, Princess. I'll be seeing you tomorrow morning at the trial." As he had no further business and needed to get ready for the trial, Hope left the rest of the investigation to Cestus and made his way off of the farm. In though Twilight was glad that she didn't need to talk to the prosecutor any longer, she still had a lot more to talk about with Apple Bloom. "Applejack, I need to have a word with you. Sweetie Belle, keep Cestus company." Twilight said. "Uhh....sure, Surgarcube." Since Twilight was still skeptical about the idea of Sweetie Belle being her assistant for the case, she decided to leave the filly out of her conversation with Applejack. For the entire day, Twilight had been worried about her friend, so she was glad to have the chance to talk to her alone. As soon as they were outside the barn, Twilight began to talk to Applejack. Since Twilight wanted an honest answer, she secretly channeled the magatama spell, which caused her horn to glow a very faint green, hoping she wouldn't see any psyche-locks. "What is it, Twilight?" Applejack asked. "Applejack, I know you're the element of honesty, but this is an important question, so I NEED an honest answer." Twilight said as she continued to channel her spell. "Pinkie Pie is one of your closest and dearest friends. You treat her like family. That said, do you really believe that she's the one who tried to kill Apple Bloom?" "What? I..." Applejack stammered. She thought carefully about her words, unaware that Twilight was using a lie detecting spell. "I...I guess not. It does look bad for her, but I suppose there's a chance Pinkie Pie isn't responsible for this." Just as Twilight had feared, many the area around Applejack went dark, and many chains appeared around her. After Applejack was surround by chains, five locks appeared overtop of them. No, Psyche-locks. She must be lying. Twilight thought, sadden by what she saw. However, things got much worse from there. Wait. What's up with these psyche-locks? Upon closer inspection, the locks around Applejack were very much different from the ones Twilight had seen before. Normally, a psyche-lock is red, but the ones around Applejack were black. Five black psyche-locks that Twilight had never seen before was hiding Applejack's secret. These psyche-locks. These are unlike anything I've ever seen. They're...nauseating. The sight of the black psyche-locks made Twilight more sick with each passing second. With Applejack looking right at Twilight, she naturally noticed Twilight getting sick. "Twi? You okay?" I'm sensing so much pain and anger from these locks that I don't think I'd be able to break them like this. I'm afraid to know how much suffering Applejack is going through right now. Twilight thought. She didn't want to leave such a thing unchecked, but she couldn't take anymore. Sorry, Applejack. These locks are too much for me. As soon as she canceled the spell, Twilight collapsed on the ground. It happened so suddenly that Applejack wasn't even able to catch her. "Whoa, there! You alright?" "Yes. I'm fine." The sickly Twilight said. "Anyway, if you really think Pinkie Pie is innocent, show her some support. She misses you, and I'm sure she would love it if you visited her." Applejack didn't like the idea of seeing Pinkie. She couldn't even look Twilight in the eyes as she thought about her options. Suddenly though, a big grin appeared on her face and was able to look at Twilight again. "You know what? I think I will see her. Heck, I might even get her a gift." Applejack said, who became surprisingly upbeat. "I just need a few minutes and I'll be off to see her. Later, Twilight." As quickly as her smile appeared, Applejack ran off. Twilight couldn't even say anything else before her friend left, not even a goodbye. First the black psyche-locks, and now this. Applejack is not at all acting normal. I'll have to try and talk to her again after I finish helping Pinkie. Twilight thought, which then gave her another one.OH! Her medicine! I forgot about that As she still had a busy schedule, Twilight went back inside to get Sweetie Belle to fetch the medicine she promised to bring back to Pinkie Pie. She found that Sweetie and Cestus was having a very familiar conversation. "Look, I'm just saying that you're putting too much thought into it." Sweetie Belle said to Cestus. "And I'm just saying that there's a huge difference between daggers and knifes, pal." Cestus said. "One is single-edged, the other is double-edged. Twilight shook her, laughing at the interesting conversation she had missed out. "Come on, Sweetie Belle. We still have work to do. Good luck on your investigation, Cestus. "Thanks. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for something that might help your case." As she got all the information she could get at the farm, Twilight and Sweetie Belle left to get Pinkie's medicine back at Sugarcube Corner. Although she knew that evidence was important, one's health can't be ignored. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- February 12, 3:00 PM Sugarcube Corner Pinkie Pie's room While Twilight had been in Pinkie's room before, after carefully looking at the room and knowing her friend so well, a thought occurred to her about the room's state. "Wow. It's surprisingly neat and tidy in here." Twilight said "I expected that we'd had to swim through a sea of confetti." Sweetie Belle said. "Well, at least this won't take long. I can already see the medicine bottle Pinkie asked us to get." Next to Pinkie Pie's bed was a small table with a mirror on it. Right in front of the mirror was a small green medicine bottle. Sweetie Belle ran over to it, used her magic on it, and passed it over to Twilight. Both were pleased that they finally found an easy task. A.M.P bottle was added to the evidence "Well, that didn't take long." Sweetie Belle said. "It just gives us more time to work on our case." Twilight said. While she had the intention to bring the bottle to Pinkie, she noticed something about it. "Hand on a second." As soon as Twilight read the label on the bottle, she noticed something was up. The bottle had a prescription label on it, but it didn't had an actual prescription on it. In short, Pinkie's name wasn't on it. What was worse was the type of medicine it was. "A.M.P? This can't be." Twilight said to herself. "These are Anti-Magic-Purgers. Unicorn medicine. It can't be Pinkie's medicine." "Anti-magic medicine? That's a thing?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Why would you want medicine that makes your magic weaker?" "These were made for children. I took them as a filly." Twilight explained. "When a child is gifted with a lot of magic, it's sometimes too much for their body. I actually had more magic in my body than an adult unicorn would normally hold." "So you had to take that medicine?" "Right. It kept my magic from overpowering me until I could control it better. Naturally, I've long since mastered my magic, so I don't need them." "Cool. I wonder if Rarity ever had to take such medicine." Most certainly not. These pills are exclusive to those who live in Canterlot. They can't be spread across Equestria because it can easily be an addicting drug. Does this mean...Pinkie Pie is... "Hey look, Twilight! There's something under Pinkie Pie's bed." Just as Sweetie Belle said, there was something under the bed. It was a small crate filled with little green bottles. Just like the one on the table, they were prescription A.M.P bottles, but with nothing actually written on them. Sweetie Belle was still unsure about what they found, but Twilight knew that Pinkie had been keeping a huge stack of illegally acquired drugs. "Sweetie Belle, I want you to do me a huge favour." Twilight said. "I want you to promise me NOT to tell anypony about what we've found here today." "Why, what's wrong?" "I'm afraid if anypony else finds out about Pinkie's medicine, she might get in even more trouble than she already is." "Why? It's just--" "Sweetie Belle! Promise me!" Twilight said as she raised her voice. "EEK! I promise." Sweetie Belle promised. This is just getting better and better. Twilight thought sarcastically. Why does have so much? Unless... Twilight remembered back at the detention center, Pinkie acted strange. Pinkie's arms would shake and her eye would twitch, and she claimed such things only happened when she didn't take her medicine. All of that and the addicting medicine found lead Twilight to one conclusion. Pinkie Pie. You were suffering from withdrawal symptoms, weren't you? Twilight asked herself. "Sweetie Belle, I'm going to take you home now." "WHAT!? Come on, I still want to help." Sweetie Belle complained. "And you can. I'll be sure to bring you to the trial with me tomorrow. I just need to do some investigating alone right now." Twilight explained. That, and I need to talk to Pinkie Pie privately. Since the medicine was the only thing they needed to get, Twilight and Sweetie Belle left Sugarcube Corner, and after that, Twilight brought Sweetie Belle home, albeit against the filly's will. It probably would've been alright if she was brought along since she already knew such much, but Twilight didn't want her to see everything. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- February 12, 3:20 PM Ponyville Detention Center Visitor's Room After bringing Sweetie Belle home, Twilight returned to meet with Pinkie. Like before, Twilight had to make sure Pinkie was on the right side of the room so she didn't get in trouble, but both were able to sit down to have a proper talk. "Welcome back, Twilight! Did you get my medicine?" Pinkie asked. "Yeah, about that..." Twilight said, glad that Pinkie also wanted to get straight to the point. Using her magic, she grabbed the bottle and showed it to Pinkie Pie. "I found this in your room, but there's no way it can be it." "No, that's the right one. The green bottle that says A.M.P? That's what I've taken everyday since I was a filly." "EVERYDAY!? ARE YOU INSANE!?" Twilight asked. "Actually, I'd rather you didn't answer that. But why have you been taking this medicine for so long?" "I'm not too sure myself. Back when I lived with my Uncle Shepard, he told me that I had to take two pills everyday and I would stay healthy. I've done exactly that for all these years and I'm fitter than a fiddle." Two pills everyday for that long? That's impossible. An addict's body would shut down from taking so much. How the heck can Pinkie take that many and not get completely destroyed? When Twilight asked herself that question, another one occurred to her, but it was something she wanted to ask Pinkie. Before asking though, she began to cast the magatama spell for extra measures. "Pinkie, I also found a crate full of A.M.P's. Those can only be prescribed in Canterlot, and even them, it's meant to be children medicine, not to mention it's expensive. How did you get all of it?" Although Pinkie usually smiled at everything, she didn't feel so cheery after Twilight asked the question. "Sorry Twilight, but I don't think I should be saying anything." While Pinkie was honest, it was clear that she was keeping a secret, and thus, the chains and locked were summoned around her, creating a total of four psyche-locks. While they were more bearable than Applejack's black psyche-locks, Twilight was still not equipped to breaking them, so she deactivated the spell. "I can't say I condone the idea of hoarding so much drugs, but as one of my best friends, and one who still needs my help, I guess I can over look it for now." "Great, but it's not a very big deal. It's just medicine." Pinkie said. She must have no idea that these drugs are illegal outside of Canterlot. So why does she keep it as such a big secret? Twilight asked herself. "Pinkie, if you really don't know what kind of effect this stuff is doing, I'd rather if you don't take anymore until I have a chance to study you." "You mean you'll be tying me back up in your basement? Sounds like fun! We can do it as soon as you win the trial. Speaking of which, how's it going?" "Wait! You consider being tied up in my basement fun?" Twilight asked, but she quickly dismissed it. "Never mind. Anyway, things aren't looking really good. It looks obvious that you did it, and if they prove that, you'll be found guilty for committing three murders." While Pinkie didn't look happy, Twilight was the only one between the two who looked downright miserable, but it could've been because Pinkie didn't take the whole thing seriously. Since Twilight was working so hard to help her, Pinkie decided it was her turn. "You know, my Uncle Shepard always told me something when I felt down. The worst times we ever face in our lives are when we have to fake our BIIIIIGEST smiles." Pinkie said as she gave Twilight a huge grin. "The more one smiles, the more others will until eventually, everypony smiles for real." "I don't know, Pinkie. This doesn't seem like something I can smile at." Twilight said. "In that case, I'll smile for both us. Once I smile long enough, I know that you will too. As long as one of us do, I'm sure things will turn out." Despite the bad situation they were both in, Pinkie was able to keep a consistent and genuine smile on her face. Even with the occasional twitches she had been going through, she gave Twilight a good feeling from the happy face. Though it started off as a weak one, Twilight was slowly able to give herself a small smile as well. "Thanks Pinkie. I needed that." "No problemo. Just promise me that you'll smile on your own too." She has so much faith in me. If she wasn't so nutty, she would make a great defense attorney. Twilight thought. "Alright. I'll be sure to have the biggest smile ready for when I clear your name." "YAY! Smiles for all!" With the little pep talk she got from Pinkie, Twilight felt that she was ready to face whatever would come to her at the trial. She found little evidence, but was not empty-handed, plus, she knew she would get a lot more evidence during the trial, though it would mean she would have to think on the fly. Regardless, Pinkie Pie had a smile that Twilight didn't want see be wiped from the face of Equestria and gave her too much to fight for, but even while confident, Twilight couldn't ignore reality. In a single day, many, many questions came to her attention and she doubted that they would all get answered in one day. I don't know what to ask myself first. What is up with Applejack's black psyche-locks? Where did Pinkie Pie get all of those Anti-Magic-Purgers? How could she be framed for four crimes like these? And the one question that's really bothering me: Who in the world is that grey pegasus? So many mysterious haunted Twilight, but to let her friends down would've haunted her more. For their sake, Twilight was determined to get answers to them all.