//------------------------------//
// If I Was Into That Sort of Military-Grade High Explosive Thing 
// Story: Dan Vs. The Magic of Friendship(Season 1) 
// by Barrobroadcaster 
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"Dan, you're not a witness. There's no need for you to testify in this case," Lightning said.

"I know, I know," Dan defended. "I'm just saying IF and WHEN I testify NEXT TIME, THEN I demand my own bomb."

(And I'll demand a blast shield.) "What if you're doing the cross examination?"

Dan thought about that for a moment. It wasn't the first time he'd thought of going into law but he had to admit, the title of Dan, ace defense attorney, did have a ring to it. He imagined himself wearing a blue suit and having slick-backed hair like Phoenix with a tie that said JERK vertically on it, a briefcase with the words Dan-Wright Equestrian Legal Services written on it in his hand. It wasn't a bad image.

"I demand two bombs, then," Dan stated. "And you get to help me set them up."

Phoenix forced a smile. "I'm sure the judge will get a… bang out of it." (If he doesn't throw us out.) "Anyway, I'd like to get on with the cross examination."

The judge nodded. "You may proceed, Mr. Wright."

"Yes, your honor."


Dual Cross Examination


Phoenix approached the two sisters at the witness stand. "Now, my associate just brought up a good point."

"That everypony who testifies should get a bomb?" Blast Fuse asked.

"No, NO!" Phoenix quickly waved his arms. "I mean- Firedancer. He brought up the fact you specifically stated that only current rulers of the Crystal Empire can even move the Crystal Heart, which explains how Sombra could've broken it."

"Yep," Pow said. "Only the leader of the Empire actually has access to the heart to do anything with it. Or leaders."

No one else noticed but Phoenix did. Across the courtroom, Payne sat with a venomous smile plastered on his face. He knew what it had to mean: Payne wanted Phoenix to press the issue. A loaded portion of the testimony, like a land mine just waiting to be stepped on by Phoenix uttering one of his trademark phrases. Objecting to this statement, pressing it or even questioning it further was what Payne wanted and could wind up costing Phoenix the case.

"I see," Phoenix said, pretending to rub his chin. "That's very interesting." He turned around, pacing back to the defense desk.

Payne cleared his throat. "Uh-umm… you… don't you, uh, have anything more to say?"

"Mr. Payne!" the judge banged his gavel lightly. "This is Mr. Wright's cross examination. If you have something to say, you must make an objection to the defense!"

"Uh-ugh, ye-yes, your honor," Payne said. Phoenix turned around and noticed beads of sweat on Payne's forehead again.

"This does narrow down the possible ponies who could've broken the Crystal Heart," Phoenix continued. "Other than my client, who else had the potential to break the Crystal Heart?"

Payne rose a sweaty hoof. "OB-OBJECTION!!"

The courtroom turned to him. "Yes, Mr. Payne?"

The mustard pony shook. "Um… he didn't ask the right question…"

"MR. PAYNE!!" the judge bellowed. "This is the defense's cross examination! It is up to the defense to decide what questions to ask the witness, not yours!!"

A psyche-guage above Payne's head took a hit. Having already been battered down to half, the white bar representing the prosecutor's help lowered further to one-quarter. "GAH!!!"

Phoenix smiled. (If I just wait for him to make all these mistakes, maybe he'll end the trial for me. But wait… that would only put him in contempt of court. Then they'd probably summon another prosecutor like Edgeworth or someone. Not that I bet he wouldn't be happy here but it still wouldn't tell us who really broke the Crystal Heart.)

He turned back to the witnesses. "So, who else at the time was currently capable of breaking the Crystal Heart?"

"Just Sombra-boy," the sisters said at the same time.

This was the answer to press, Wright knew it.

"How do you know?"

Blast Fuse shrugged. "It's clear as crystal, Wright. Ole' Shadow-smog was the only pony on the first floor where the Crystal Heart was. He was standing right in front of it, the pedestal fell over and the gem crashed to the ground."

"No explosion though," Powder said. "That was kind of disappointing."

Phoenix thought. (This is getting me nowhere. Who else could've broken the Crystal Heart?)

"Let's say everypony who could've broken the Crystal Heart was within distance of it," Wright said. "Who else would be able to break the Crystal Heart?"

Both of the explosive mares thought about it, adorably mulling over the idea tapping their hooves to their chins.

"Hmm…"

"Well, Vice Grip for one."

"I'm betting he still did," Dan said. "He probably broke it with those steel gloves he loves so much."

"He was out giving speeches at the time on how great he is," Lightning said. "That's his alibi."

Dan threw his hands up. "Of course. Guy's ego is so big, he can use it as a life raft. I'll leave it to you, Nicky."

"Who else?" Phoenix asked.

The two sisters thought again. "Princess Cadence." Blast Powder said.

"And Prince Shining Armor," Fuse added.

"But they were both locked up at the time," Powder said.

Phoenix nodded. "I understand."

"Yeah. We would've blasted them out if we knew where they were," the two sisters said simultaneously.

"Vice had them hidden," Fuse said.

"Hidden in plain sight is more like it," Dan said, folding his arms. "Right under his boot where he wants them."

Phoenix's eyes went wide. (Right under his boot…) "Miss Powder and Fuse."

"Yeah, babe?" they batted eyelashes at him.

"You having fun?"

"Cross examining us both?"

"At the same time?"

"Mmmm."

"Maybe we should make this a…"

"…closer examination?"

Phoenix shivered. The double-speech given by the cute mares sent a chill up his spine. He shook it off. Now wasn't the time, even if he had been into that sort of thing. Which he wasn't. At least, he didn't think so.

"Um… how exactly did the Crystal Heart break?"

"Sombra knocked it over," Fuse said.

"Slammed it against the floor," Pow added.

"So… you're saying it fell over?" Phoenix asked to clarify.

"Mm-hmmm," the mares mewed. "King Sombra used his magic to knock it over."

Phoenix smiled. "OBJECTION!!"

The judge's eyes went wide. "Objection, Mr. Wright?"

"Yes!" Phoenix said. "This evidence contradicts the witness's statement!"

"And… what piece of evidence is that?"

Phoenix held up a photograph. The same photograph from earlier. "I was wondering where this piece of evidence fit in but I didn't know until now."

Payne smirked. "The photo of King Sombra? You trying to get him locked up now, Wright? If you say that's a picture of who broke the Crystal Heart, you're pretty much forfeiting the case."

The defense attorney put his hands on his hips. "It is who broke the Crystal Heart."

The prosecutor's shades fell off. "It… it is?! You just admitted defeat, Phoenix Wright! Ha ha! I DID IT!!" he almost jumped for joy. "I can't believe Phoenix Wright actually admitted that I, a Payne actually beat him in-"

"You didn't let me finish," Phoenix said.

Payen's smile quickly faded as Phoenix grinned at him. He swallowed hard.

The jury was on the edge of their individual seats. Dan, Lightning Claw, Spike, Firedancer, even Sambra leaned forward, eager to hear what Phoenix was about to say.

Phoenix held up the photo. "This is a picture of the pony that broke the Crystal Heart. The ONLY pony who could've broken the Crystal Heart."

The judge leaned forward in his own chair. "And… who is this pony, Mr. Wright?"

"I'm not sure."

The jaws of the courtroom collectively dropped.

"That means you lose, Wright!!" Payne said, pointing at him. "Say good-bye to your psych-guage! This trial is over!"

"Again, not finished," Phoenix smirked.

"Geh," Payne winced.

"I'm only sure of one thing: that this picture is NOT of my client, the defendant, King Sombra, aka Sam," Phoenix said. "But it is a picture of one of the only two ponies who had could've been able to destroy the Crystal Heart at this time."

"And these ponies are…?" the judge asked.

"The current rulers of the Crystal Empire," Phoenix said. "Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor. This photo was taken from above."

"Ob-OBJECTION!!" Payne waved his hoof. "That's not possible! Cadence and Shining were prisoners at the time King Sombra stormed into the mall! They were-"

"Imprisoned right underneath the Crystal Heart!" Dan yelled, emphatic. "They had the perfect opportunity to break it right under every pony's nose!!"

"But… but how?!!" Payne said, practically pleading. "How does this picture prove they were the ones that broke it??!!"

"It was stated that my client would've had to use magic in order to break the Crystal Heart," Phoenix said, holding up the photo. "But there's no aura in this photograph to indicate a spell was used!!"

The jury gasped. Murmurs of dissent broke out among the poorly-graphiced heads representing individual jurors.

"Then how were Shining Armor and Cadence able to break the Crystal Heart?" the judge asked.

Phoenix made one of his hands flat and hit it from underneath with his fist. "They smacked into it from underneath. It caused the pedestal to wobble and fall over. Sambra just happened to be there when it happened."

"That's… that's not possible!!" Payne screeched. "Where's the evidence that any of this took place at all?!"

Phoenix turned to Sam. "Maybe if understood why it was in black and white?"

Sam, the pony who was and was not King Sombra, couldn't bare to look Phoenix in the eyes. Dan and the others turned to him as well. His face turned red. "You didn't have anything to do with that… or did you?"


 The Confession- What Actually Happened


"We had to break the Crystal Heart. After Prince Shining and Princess Cadence were captured, I was the only one left. I still was able to maintain contact with them through Flash Sentry before they separated them and we all agreed something had to be done. We knew that when the Crystal Heart was broken, the only one of us who wasn't imprisoned would be left to rule the Crystal Empire. It was supposed to be me but… I couldn't."

Phoenix stepped forward. "Why?"

Sombra turned to face Wright. "I ruled the Crystal Empire once. Even vindicated, I didn't think I deserved to rule it again. I couldn't bare the thought of… doing what I did a second time. When Cadence and Shining attacked the Crystal Heart, I tried to make it look like I was the one who broke it so I would be arrested as well. I had no idea it was really what Vice Grip wanted."