The Great and Powerful Ace Attorney

by TundraStanza

Ch. 2: Turnabout Clairvoyance (part 3)

---{Third-Person POV}

"No way," whispered Twilight Sparkle.

"It can't be," muttered Sonata.

"But it is," finished Righty Tidy.

Their eyes were fixated on the figure coming out from behind a potted plant. With a swish of the figure's most amazing levitation spell, several cloth wrappings were stripped away. Aside from a few bandages that lined her face and the surgical tape around her ankles, she looked positively healthy.

"Did you really think you could finish this trial without me?" she asked both rhetorically and greatly.

"Ms. Trixie!" exclaimed Righty. "Is that really you?"

"Why of course!" said the Great and Powerful Trixie with confidence. "Who else could make such a bedazzling entrance?"

"But... the last time I saw you, you were practically burned to a crisp," said Sonata in confusion.

"Hah!" scoffed Trixie. "It will take more than a few measly sparks to keep this powerful unicorn down." She patted her chest proudly, and most definitely did not flinch due to her slightly singed hide.

"Trixie..." muttered Twilight with such pitiful concern. "Are you sure you should be walking around? Medicine may work wonders, but you should probably take it easy."

The Great and Powerful Trixie replied with a harumph. "Trixie thinks you should worry about yourself, Twilight Snarkle. One wrong move in there could lead to some dire consequences on your shoulders... and I'm not referring to those overgrown kites you call wings."

Twilight took a deep breath and exhaled. "When Sonata came to see me earlier, she said you were counting on my innocence. Is that true?"

Trixie greatly pointed a hoof at her. "Don't get the wrong idea, Your Highness. Trixie would love nothing more than to put you in your place. But no pony else deserves that honor, certainly not that orange-sucking excuse for a prosecutor."

Sonata's glasses slid slightly against her wide eyes. "How did you know about Arm-And-Oh?"

Trixie turned and gave her most powerful deadpanned look. "Did you think the live video screens in the lobby were just for show?"

Righty tripped over absolutely nothing before regaining her stance. "Wait a second! You've been waiting in here since the trial started?"

Trixie revealed a great smirk. "Trixie isn't going to fall behind on updates, even if that would be a generous handicap to her opponents."

So you were just hiding? A drop of sweat trickled down Twilight's head. That sounds exactly like her kind of tactic.

"Now, Snota, give Trixie back that Attorney's badge you stole," ordered Trixie.

"That's Sonata," corrected the inferior unicorn prosecutor, "and I didn't steal it. You told me to take the case for you."

"Stop making excuses and cough up the badge." Trixie motioned with her hoof.

Sonata sighed as she levitated the crescent moon off her jacket and onto Trixie's cape collar.

"I guess I'll be taking my leave then," said Sonata while adjusting her necktie.

"Don't you take one step outside," said Trixie, "There is a slim chance that Trixie will need the mediocre evidence still on your person."

Now, it was Sonata's turn to look deadpan. "Shall I give you a hoof rub too?"

"Maybe later," answered Trixie dismissively, greatly dodging the sarcasm in the process.

One of the guard ponies spoke up. "The defense and her co-counsel are to proceed into the courtroom immediately."

"Wow," commented Righty, "That recess ended quickly."

"Come along, fillies," Trixie greatly directed. "We have a trial to win."

"Did... she say 'we'?" wondered Twilight, "As in...?"

"Come on!" Trixie motioned. "The Great and Powerful Trixie will not accept embarrassment because of a tardy co-counsel."

Well, it's a start, thought Twilight sheepishly as they all trotted through the door.

---

The ponies in the observational decks were mostly murmuring now. It was slightly easier to hear a few isolated questions and comments.

"Who is the witness that Mr. Arm-And-Oh found?"

"Hey! I've actually seen Twilight's head catch on fire before, right before one heck of a doozy!"

"But would a princess really waste her time to extract vengeance against some street performer?"

"I would've liked it if somepony had burned her down a peg or two."

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

"The trial shall resume as scheduled," said her honor. "I trust both parties are ready?"

Arm-And-Oh pressed his cup into the dispenser again. "The prosecution is ready, Your Honor."

"The Great and Powerful defense is ready, Your Honor!"

"Hmm?" The armored unicorn hummed in confusion.

"What?" asked at least a few of the observing attendees.

The prosecutor performed a spit-take, and coughed twice. Even his sunglasses tilted slightly. "Wha...What is this?"

"Did Trixie stammer?" asked the burned, yet greatly standing attorney. "Trixie said she is ready."

Arm-And-Oh slammed his cup down. Miraculously, none of its contents spilled onto the desk. "Bonita, what is the meaning of this?"

Sonata shook her head before she adjusted her glasses. "I'm afraid I was only standing in today. Ms. Lulamoon has taken it upon herself to get to the bottom of this case. It's out of my hooves." She gave the most professional shrug she could muster.

"Your Honor!" called Arm-And-Oh. "This is a breach of courtroom procedures. We cannot allow anyone to just waltz in and replace the lawyer to any old case."

"It seems all of that orange juice has done nothing for your brain," said Trixie cleverly. "For Trixie isn't just anyone. She is the best defense attorney that Ponyville has to offer!" Her powerful cape waved behind her for emphasis.

The judge looked a bit shaken. Though, she quickly regained her composure, and cleared her throat. "While your display is impressive, Ms. Trixie, I'm afraid Mr. Oh has a point. Even if you are a lawyer, you cannot break into the middle of an important court case."

There was a tap on her honor's shoulder. She turned and asked, "What is it? We're in the middle of a trial."

The red stallion with a blue, spiky mane whispered into her ear and slipped an official-looking envelope in front of her.

"Huh?" She levitated a folded piece of paper out and skimmed its contents. She looked back at the stallion. "Seriously?"

He nodded firmly before trotting away.

She cleared her throat. "It appears I have received official word from the higher-ups. Under court order, Ms. Trixie Lulamoon is to assume the immediate responsibilities of the defense for the trial of Princess Twilight Sparkle."

Mr. Oh was steaming from the ears. He muttered, "You've got to be kidding me."

There was an uproar among the crowd as well. Were they really changing attorneys in the middle of a case? This was completely unheard of, not to mention unorthodox.

*Tap!* *Tap!*

"Order! Order in the court!" demanded her honor. She sighed and turned her head gently in the direction of the defense. "Ms. Trixie, since you are accepting the risks, am I to assume that you are informed about the case and its current developments?"

"Well, Trixie is glad somepony is smart in this room besides herself," remarked Trixie. "Yes, Trixie is up to speed and up to the task of finding the truth of this case." She floated a couple of papers in front of herself. "The first witness, New Pony had a few scarring memories that made his testimony sketchy regarding the attack and the pony responsible for the fire damage. In response, Mr. And-Oh-Son has taken it upon himself to bring forth a new witness."

"That's Arm-And-Oh, Ms. Lulamoon," corrected the prosecution.

Not so fun when somepony is doing it to you, huh? thought Sonata with a straight face.

"Oh, you don't have to call her Ms. Lulamoon," insisted Trixie generously. "The Great and Powerful Trixie will suffice."

"Aren't you in a bit of a bind here, Ms. Tricks?" asked Arm-And-Oh, purposefully missing the second syllable. "You and your client seem rather close. From what I've heard, you've had a small history together. Doesn't that create a conflict of interest?"

A blue hoof slammed against the defense's desk. The other blue hoof held her hat over her eyes. She ever so slowly lifted it to let her opponent see her serious eyes. This wasn't her usual smug confidence. It was pure determination.

"Listen up, ponies of the courtroom," she demanded, "I'm only going to say this once. Trixie has not, is not currently, and never will be in a relationship of that close proximity with this princess over here. However, I'll be drowned in the deepest underbelly of Tartarus before I let some no pony gain the satisfaction of bringing her down unjustly."

One could almost see the streamlines of wind directing her emotion in front of her.

"Trixie will find a day in which she can properly topple Twilight Sparkle for something that deserves legitimate justice. But until then, I suggest you keep your red herring argument of 'conflicting interests' to yourself!"

...

The judge's eyes were wide open. The court's observers were all silent. The metaphorical wind was slowing down to a breeze. The prosecution took several gulps from his cup and got another refill.

"This is cup number seven," he said quietly, "I guess we'd better get started."

Her honor hastily nodded. "Um, right. Please call in the next witness."

---

"Witness," addressed Arm-And-Oh, "state your name and occupation."

A light amber unicorn stood at the court's center. Her red mane hung low with traces of bright yellow. A black, leather jacket hung loosely over her neck. Her eyes were closed as she looked down and breathed deeply. Twilight's eyes widened and she stared unblinkingly at this witness.

"What's wrong, Princess?" asked Righty Tidy.

"That's her," said Twilight slowly. "But... what is she doing here?"

The witness's eyes opened to reveal determined cyan irises. "My name is Sunset Shimmer. I am... a foreign exchange student."

"A... foreign exchange student?" asked the judge in confusion. "But every pony I know hails from Equestria. What other country could you possibly be from?"

Sunset closed her eyes again. "In regards to that, I plead the fifth."

"I don't understand." Her honor shook her head.

"Her home country doesn't tie into this case, Your Honor," commented Arm-And-Oh. "I suggest we move onto the questioning."

The judge sighed, and muttered, "Sure, why not? We've ignored a bunch of other standard procedures today." She cleared her throat. "Very well, Ms. Shimmer. Please testify to the court what you saw on the day of the crime."

---

"I'm in Ponyville right now because I'm studying abroad."

"I stumbled across news about a case that ended with an accidental suicide."

"Something... struck a wrong chord when I found out that the one charging an innocent pony for murder was Trixie."

"I had been practicing my incendiary spells over the years, for candle and lamp purposes only."

"I guess I finally snapped, went into a rage, and... well..."

"The destruction of Trixie's cart rests solely on my magic, not Twilight Sparkle."

---

"That sounds straightfor- Wait, what?!" Her honor suddenly leaned forward in her seat.

The prosecution emptied his mug and slammed it onto his desk hard. "Witness! That was not what you told me earlier!"

What? Trixie stood there in powerful befuddlement. What in Equestria is he getting up in arms over?

"Sunset Shimmer!" exclaimed Twilight, "What are you saying? Do you know the implications of what you've just said?"

Sunset nodded firmly. "Yes, I do."

"Ms. Shimmer," said her honor while squinting. "Are you... confessing to the damages of this crime?"

"Yes, I am." Sunset's expression was dead serious.

"Well, if that's the case..." The judge slowly leaned back and floated her gavel up. "Then, there's no more reason for this trial to continue."

Something's... off, thought Trixie as her brow furrowed.

I wonder if Trixie can feel it too, thought Sonata while adjusting her glasses.

"Sunset, no!" cried out Twilight. "Don't do this!"

"I've made up my mind, Twilight," said Sunset, "I'm not going to run away from my mistakes."

"I shall now declare my verdict," announced the judge.

Her honor nearly dropped her gavel on her hoof. Arm-And-Oh's sunglasses wobbled to reflect his shock. Twilight turned her head toward the voice. Sonata smirked slightly before returning to a neutral expression.

Trixie slammed a hoof down. "Your Honor! The Great and Powerful defense has yet to cross-examine the witness's testimony!"

"M-Ms. Trixie, what are you doing?" asked Righty with a stammer.

"I'm afraid I must concur," agreed her honor. "Why are you requesting a disadvantageous action? This witness has just confessed to the actions that your client was being charged for. To find any contradictions now could make Princess Twilight Sparkle even more guilty."

Trixie closed her eyes and breathed. That may be. But still...
---
The porcupine head wasn't done. "The defense believes that Sonata did not murder Ace Swift."

"What are you doing?" asked the great and powerful prosecution. "You were about to win!"
---
He shook his head. "No, Your Honor. That's not what happened." He pointed forth. "The handle acted as a lightning rod, pumping all of that electricity through his mouth into his body. It didn't need any accuracy since it hit him in mid-air!"
---
"Do you have any retort to this possibility, Ms. Trixie?" asked his honor.

Trixie was... humbled... and powerless. "No... I don't... I can't beat that. The prosecution rests."
---

Trixie shook her head and looked up with an understanding. "Winning? Losing? Those aren't the tasks required of ponies of justice. What our focus should be on is... the truth."

"Truth?" asked Arm-And-Oh skeptically.

"Until all of the contradictions are struck down, Trixie demands proper cross-examination," reiterated the defense.

This pony... Twilight stared in awe. This isn't the same Trixie I used to know. She's... better.

"Hmm," the judge hummed as she placed a hoof against her helmet. She then lowered that hoof. "Very well, Ms. Trixie. I'm not sure what you hope to accomplish, but I will allow you to continue."

The prosecution downed at least a couple more cups before stopping for a breath. "The ponies in this town are crazy."

---

"I'm in Ponyville right now because I'm studying abroad."

"I stumbled across news about a case that ended with an accidental suicide."

"Something... struck a wrong chord when I found out that the one charging an innocent pony for murder was Trixie."

"I had been practicing my incendiary spells over the years, for candle and lamp purposes only."

"I guess I finally snapped, went into a rage, and... well..."

"The destruction of Trixie's cart rests solely on my magic, not Twilight Sparkle."

"That's where you're wrong, Shimmer," said Trixie.

"What are you talking about?" asked Sunset, "I said that Twilight had nothing to do with it."

"That isn't what Trixie meant. You're saying your magic is what caused Trixie's cart to burn to the ground. However, I have evidence that can prove that wasn't what happened."

Sunset raised her brow. "And what, pray tell, is that evidence?"

Trixie floated out the piece of evidence. "These shards of glass and a burned up string were found on the crime scene. They happen to be the end result of the damage from a Molotov cocktail." Trixie slammed her hoof against the desk before pointing it forth. "In other words, the fire that destroyed Trixie's cart wasn't magical in nature."

"W...What?!" Sunset banged her shoulder into the witness stand.

That objection got the observers riled up with verbal speculation. No one was sure just what this meant.

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

"Order! Order!" commanded the judge. She looked at the defense in confusion. "What does this mean?"

"Trixie will tell you exactly what that means," stated the great and powerful defense, "Neither the witness here nor my client could have caused the fire that resulted in the damage in its entirety."

Arm-And-Oh gulped down another full cup before slamming it into his desk. "You honestly think that one piece of evidence is enough to prove a lack of magical destruction? I think you're jumping the gun, Ms. Tricks. A unicorn could just as easily have lit that cocktail on fire as anypony else. In fact, it's even more likely if it didn't burn anything until after it entered your cart."

"Hmm," hummed Trixie calmly. "That's an... oddly specific piece of information you know."

"Yes," agreed Sonata as she adjusted her glasses. "How exactly do you know the precise timing of when the cocktail caught fire?"

"Er, well... I mean..." The prosecution quickly refilled and took another sip. "I apologize for that outburst. I was... caught up in the moment. I didn't mean to presume anything."

Her honor frowned. "In that case, your objection is overruled, Mr. Oh."

"Hmm." Twilight stared across the room.

"What's up, Princess?" asked Righty.

"Something's a bit off." Twilight turned her head slightly. "Sonata, didn't you say that Arm-And-Oh drinks a maximum of seventeen cups of o.j. in any case?"

Sonata nodded. "I did say that."

"Well, he seems to have inhaled a slightly higher number than that." Twilight held her chin.

"So you noticed that too, huh?" Sonata tapped her glasses.

"Hey, that means you've gotten under his skin, Ms. Trixie," remarked Righty with a bright smile.

...

"Ms. Trixie?" prompted Righty.

"Trixie wonders if it is too soon to be celebrating," the great attorney murmured.

"Wh-What is it, witness?" asked the judge.

Sunset cleared her throat. Her gaze was filled with longing. "I'd like to... make up for trying to admit to a crime I didn't commit... by giving my testimony on what I actually saw."

Everyone else in court flinched at that.

Arm-And-Oh slammed his desk again. "How can we trust a new testimony if there was such an obvious lie in your first one?"

She did lie to protect Twilight, thought Trixie, Should I really be giving her this second chance?

It didn't take Trixie two seconds for her to make up her mind. "Your Honor, the defense requests to hear Sunset Shimmer testify again. There might be something important within it."

"You can't seriously expect court to run on 'might be's," said Arm-And-Oh dismissively.

Contrastly, the judge nodded. "Very well, but this is your last warning, witness. Do not waste our time with more fabrications of events."

The prosecution growled a little before he filled his cup again.

Twenty-three, noted Sonata. He's going to have really bad stomach cramps later.

---

"I was actually passing by the cart because I was in pursuit of some pony."

"Unfortunately, I lost their trail. The next thing I knew, I saw a fire in the distance before it vanished."

"I thought that might lead me to the suspicious pony, but instead it was an inferno."

"It was at that time that I noticed Twilight was way too close to the flames."
---
"Twilight!"

*Wham!*

"Oof!"
---
"Her reduction spell was going to be too little, too late. I had to get her out of the way."

"After that, I had to teleport to avoid the fire myself."

---

"You're wasting your time," said Arm-And-Oh. "Your testimony from before was a complete fabrication. We're right back where we started, leaving Princess Sparkle as the only one who could have caused that fire."

"The Great and Powerful defense believes that you need to get your ears and your brain checked out," muttered Trixie.

"What did you just say?" A blood vessel on the prosecution's head expanded.

"Trixie rests her case, and will begin her cross-examination." Trixie hummed in satisfaction.

"Whenever you're ready, Ms. Trixie," acknowledged the judge.

Time to get to the bottom of this, thought Trixie in determination.

---

"I was actually passing by the cart because I was in pursuit of some pony."

"You were pursuing some pony?" echoed Trixie. "Who was it?"

"I didn't get a good look at who it was." Sunset shook her head. "All I had to go on was the fact that they were hiding around alleys wherever New Pony went."

Her honor opened her eyes. "Some pony was stalking the previous witness? Whatever for?"

"The last time I saw this figure, I noticed that he or she dropped a list with some names on it." Sunset floated up a piece of paper. "They all looked familiar, but I couldn't understand why anyone would be so meticulous with these names."

Hmm, Trixie examined the list herself. 'Derpy, Applejack, Bon Bon, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Doctor (?), Cloudchaser, Fleur, Twilight Sparkle, Trixie, Fluttershy, Vinyl Scratch, Blossom Lotus...' What in Equestria is this list supposed to be? These names look like they were written down with neither alphabetical order nor order of importance. Trixie stuck her nose up. After all, if it were the latter, Trixie would be at the top.

She set the inaccurate piece of paper aside. "All right, then what happened?"

"Unfortunately, I lost their trail. The next thing I knew, I saw a fire in the distance before it vanished."

"You saw a distant fire... vanish?" reiterated Trixie.

"Yeah," confirmed Sunset. "My best guess is that it was that Molotov cocktail you pointed out disappearing through your window or something."

Note to self: get a cart with safety glass windows, thought Trixie.

"I thought that might lead me to the suspicious pony, but instead it was an inferno."

"It was at that time that I noticed Twilight was way too close to the flames."

"How close was Twilight to those flames?" asked Trixie.

"I'd say a few inches too close," answered Sunset.

"I admit I was a little desperate," commented Twilight, "I wasn't even thinking about my own safety at the time. I wanted to make sure you were going to be okay."

"So, even a princess can act the part of a fool," muttered Trixie before looking at Sunset. "Continue."

"Her reduction spell was going to be too little, too late. I had to get her out of the way."

"May Trixie ask why a foreigner thought it was important to save this particular princess?" inquired Trixie.

"It isn't just because she's a princess," admitted Sunset, "She showed me a way out of my own selfishness, a way that could help lead to new friendships."

Arm-And-Oh groaned. "All of this sappiness is making me sick."

"It's probably more like you have too much liquid swimming in your stomach," remarked Sonata while adjusting her tie.

"Hmph." The prosecution sipped another cup in retort.

"After that, I had to teleport to avoid the fire myself."

"Trixie is familiar with teleportation spells," said Trixie, "but even in a sudden bout of desperation, why did you not simply teleport both yourself and Twilight out of the fray?"

"I... haven't exactly had any practice with group teleports." Sunset averted her eyes and frowned. "I didn't want to risk hurting Twilight with a half-finished spell, much less in that situation with a lack of focus."

---

"Hmm," hummed her honor. "This straightforward case seems to be lacking the 'straightforward' part."

"Trixie believes she has a developing picture of what happened," said the great and powerful defense.

"You do?" asked the judge.

"A strange pony had planned to burn down everything Trixie had to her name," said the defense, "Sunset Shimmer was in pursuit of that pony, but lost track of them. Meanwhile, both Twilight Sparkle and New Pony made plans to visit yours truly for mundane reasons. After the mystery pony tossed their Molotov cocktail and escaped, Sparkle happened upon the cart when the fire was getting to its late stages. Shimmer came along and tackled her away, leading to Sparkle getting caught in the small tree nearby. Just before Shimmer teleported away from the last explosion, New Pony saw Shimmer's visage, subconsciously reliving his traumatic past of the pony with a red mane."

"My word," muttered her honor, "You've certainly got a discerning mind."

"Praise some more, Your Honor," said Trixie with a prideful smile.

"Even though the identity of the attacker is missing, it seems to clear up the misconception of Princess Twilight Sparkle's involvement," said her honor. "Do you have anything to add, Mr. Oh?"

For a while, Arm-And-Oh just stood there. He seemed... solemnly somber. The image was only darkened by his sunglasses. Then, after a few seconds, he lifted his mug... and promptly tossed it into a garbage pail. The cup shattered upon impact.

"Well played, Lulamoon," he finally said before leaning his head back against the wall.

"Arm-And..." muttered Sonata.

Trixie simply stared at the silenced prosecution.

"Very well, I can now declare my verdict," said the judge. "For the crime of property damage and bodily injury of another pony, I find Princess Twilight Sparkle..."

A compartment in the ceiling released several pieces of confetti. Simultaneously, a round of cheers was released from the crowd.

*Tap!*

"Court is dismissed," said her honor.

---

"That was amazing!" cheered Righty Tidy.

"Did you think it would be anything less?" asked Trixie rhetorically and greatly.

"Hey, Trixie?" asked Twilight.

"Ap-ap-ap," Trixie interrupted with a lifted hoof. "Save your thanks, Snarkle. Trixie does not wish to see that you owe her anything but the taste of sweet vengeance."

"Well, thank you all the same," said Twilight with a gentle smile.

You always have to get in the last laugh, don't you? Trixie fumed silently yet powerfully.

Trixie needed a distraction. Anything would do. So, she turned to the unofficial add-on of her great and powerful team.

"Sonata," she addressed.

"Trixie," returned Sonata.

"While the Great and Powerful Trixie could have gotten this case finished by herself... she is not without... miniscule... lackluster... assistance from outside." It sickened her to force out the words, but she wasn't going to let anypony hold an unkind act against her. "So... thank you for stepping in and he-he-he... for he-hel... for hel... puh... puh... ing."

"You're welcome," said Sonata. She tapped her glasses. "Just please, don't make a habit out of making me a deceiver."

"Trixie will do her utmost to avoid requiring your service in the near future," vowed Trixie.

"Although, there's still one thing that bothers me," mentioned Twilight.

"Why can't you amount to the Great and Powerful Trixie even with your title of royalty?" prompted Trixie.

"No." Twilight shook her head. "That mystery pony that actually burned your cart. What was their identity?"

"Oh, right," added Righty, "We never did figure out exactly who to pin the blame on."

"Well, I don't know who they were exactly," said Sonata, "but I bet I know who could tell us more about them."

"Who?" asked Twilight and Righty.

"You know who I'm talking about," Sonata looked over. "Don't you, Trixie?"

There's only one pony I could immediately think of that could know, thought Trixie.

"The one who refers to himself as New Pony," she answered.

---