Turnabout Muffins - Part 1: Trial
Phoenix Wright - Ace Attorney: Equestrian Turnabouts
Chapter 1
Turnabout Muffins
Part 1: Trial
It was early morning Ponyville. Around 9:00 AM to be exact. All was quiet at Sugar Cube Corner. They were expecting something big the next morning. Filthy Rich, of Barn Yard Bargains placed a large order of Muffins for his daughter’s Birthday Party. It was exciting news! The amount of money the Cakes would receive for filling this order would no doubt be great! Inside the bakery, in the back room, the crates were sitting there, ready for delivery the next day. The Cakes were upstairs, asleep, along with their children, Carrot, and Pound Cake, and their excitable kitchen hand, Pinkie Pie. But this silence would soon be broken, when the door slowly crept open. A mare tip-toed across the wooden floor, hardly making a sound. She made her way from the front counter, into the back room, where the muffin crates were. She quickly opened one, and began taking each muffin out, and gently placing it in her tote bag. This was despicable! She was stealing the muffins! She had emptied almost every crate, except for two. Before the mare could begin emptying out the final crates, she heard crying. No doubt from one of the babies upstairs. She had panicked, afraid that one of the Cakes would come downstairs and find her. In her haste, she had dropped the tote bag. Afraid of losing precious time, she grabbed as many muffins as she could in her hooves, and made a break for the back door. Before she left, she muttered something to herself. “Please….forgive me.”
***
Applejack had gotten up early that morning, as was custom, living a farm mare’s life. After she sat up in her bed, she yawned deeply. ‘Mornin’ already?’ She thought to herself. While she had had grown accustomed to waking up at the crack of dawn every day, she had learned to appreciate the time she had to sleep, especially after the whole Apple Bucking Season Incident… She hopped down off of her bed, and began to walk down the wooden stairs, they creaked every so often due to the weight of her hooves on the wood. Her first chore of the day was to begin her morning apple bucking before she had breakfast with the family. She felt the top of her head, and was shocked to find nothing was there. Her trademark Cow Mare’s hat wasn’t on her head like it usually was! She looked around frantically, but was relieved to find it sitting there on the kitchen table. She must’ve left it down there in the previous night before. As she trotted out of the Apple Family Farmhouse, she had almost bumped into the mail pony. He was a Pegasus Stallion with a tan colored coat, brown hair, and glasses. He wore a blue mail pony’s hat, that matched his blue eyes. He reached inside his satchel, and pulled out an envelope with his mouth.
“Got a letter here for a miss Applejack?” He said, through gritted teeth, as he was holding the letter in his mouth.
“Yeah, tha’s me.” Applejack said in reply. She took the letter in her hooves, and paid the Mail Stallion with five bits. As he began to take off into the sky, she wondered something. This wasn’t the usual mail pony who gave her the letters….. ‘Where was Derpy?’ She thought to herself. Derpy Hooves was Ponyville’s resident Mail Mare. Any mail delivered to, or from anypony in the town, was delivered by her. Sure, she was a bit clumsy, and she messed up an order every now and again, but she was still dependable. And she literally worked for peanuts! Or, muffins, rather. They were her favorite pastry. Applejack remembered, how the last time she hosted the Apple Family Reunion, Derpy could hardly contain herself when she saw she had to deliver Apple Slice Muffins to the farm house. The Farm Mare hastily opened the letter.
Dear Applejack,
I know it’s early in the morning, and I know that you have plenty of chores to be doing, but this is important! Come to the Library immediately! It’s urgent! One of our friends is in danger! I’ll explain everything once you get here, just please come!
Sincerely,
Princess Twilight Sparkle.
Applejack was thoroughly surprised. She didn’t expect to receive a letter from Twilight today! Or for a long time, considering her well-read friend had recently become a Princess of Equestria! She wondered why Twilight had returned to Ponyville today, and she wondered which one of her friends was in danger? Being the dependable pony she was, she knew she had to rush over immediately. She galloped at full speed, hoping to reach her friend’s former home as fast as she could. As she looked around, she noticed that everypony was just going about their normal business. It seems none of them had heard of Princess Twilight’s return. The farm mare supposed Twilight didn’t ask for a royal escort for two reasons. 1. She could most likely teleport herself back to Ponyville. 2. Because even though she was now an Alicorn Princess, Twilight still liked to be treated as a normal pony, and not as royalty. After a few minutes, she had finally arrived at her friends tree house. Not tree house as in a house up in a tree, as in the house, was itself a tree. Applejack stepped up to the door, and not wanting to be rude by barging in, knocked on the door.
“Spike! Door!” She heard from the inside.
Applejack smiled at that. Wherever Twilight was, the baby dragon was no doubt far behind. He is her Number 1 Assistant after all.
“Alright! I got it!” She hard another voice from the inside.
A few moments afterward, the door was opened.
Applejack looked down, to see the smiling face of Spike, Twilight’s baby dragon assistant.
“Applejack!” He shouted, happy to see her.
“Howdy! Good to see ya again, Spike!” Applejack said, tipping her hat at him.
“You too! It’s been way too long!” Spike responded.
“Well, ah understand. You and Twilight have royal duties to attend to an’ all.” She said with a smile.
“Yeah….that’s kinda why we’ve come back to Ponyville.” Spike said, the smile disappearing from his face. “Come on inside, Twilight will explain.”
“Don’t mind iffen’ ah do!” Applejack said heartily, taking a step inside the library. It was just as Twilight had left it. Countless shelves, each adorned with countless amounts of books, about any subject imaginable! The history of Equestria, different books concerning different types of magic, Applejack had even found a few books about apple farming on the days when she would read books with her unicorn friend! These books, written by Apple Family Ancestors, of course.
“Spike? Who is it?” Twilight’s voice was heard from upstairs.
“It’s Applejack!” Spike shouted back up at her.
“Oh good! I’m on my way!” Twilight excitedly said.
Applejack knew she was here for something important, but she got a warm feeling in her chest. She hadn’t seen Twilight in a long time, and she was excited to see one of her closest friends once again. She was also surprised to see that rather than taking the stairs, Twilight was slightly hovering above the staircase, flapping her newly earned wings. No doubt trying to get used to using them. As soon as she touched her hooves down on the wooden floor of the library, she had adjusted her crown with one of her fore hooves. Twilight had grown accustomed to wearing her crown out after the whole incident with Sunset Shimmer.
“Well howdy, Princess Twilight!” Applejack greeted her friend, curtsying to show respect.
Twilight’s cheeks blushed slightly when she did so. “Applejack, no need for formalities….you’re my friend!”
“Ah know! That’s why ah did so!” She giggled.
Twilight giggled along with her friend. “Alright, look, I know it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, but this is important!”
“Tha’s what it said in the letter…” Applejack said, putting a hoof to her chin, wondering what this was all about.
“I know. I also said one of our friends was in danger!” Twilight said, a worried expression across her face.
Applejack began to worry as well. Which one of their friends was it? Rainbow Dash? Fluttershy? Pinkie Pie? Rarity? The suspense was killing her!
“Haven’t you noticed that Derpy wasn’t delivering the mail, today?” Twilight asked.
Applejack felt that was an odd question. However, she answered honestly. It was her element, after all. “Yeah….it was some other pony….why?”
“Because it’s Derpy! Derpy’s in trouble!” Twilight shouted.
Applejack let out a sigh of relief, thankful it wasn’t one of her best friends that was in this aforementioned trouble. But still Derpy was one of her friends, and she was just as worried about her. “What did Derpy do?” Applejack asked. Derpy had gotten into trouble before, but it was mainly because most of the time, Derpy was….a bit on the clumsy side. Knocking things over, messing up mail deliveries…and sometimes dropping heavy objects on top of a certain Unicorn’s head….
“It’s not what she did do…it’s what she didn’t do! She’s been framed, Applejack! Framed of theft!” Twilight shouted.
Applejack raised an eyebrow at that. Derpy? Stealing something? The mere thought was laughable! Derpy hooves wasn’t clever enough for that…..but then again, Twilight did say she was framed….
“Woah, woah woah, hang on thar, partner!” Applejack said, placing a hoof upon her royal friend’s shoulder. “How do ya know about this?”
Twilight sighed. “As a Princess of Equestria, I have access to all of the records of each pony settlement. Canterlot, Manehatten, Trottingham, Ponyville it’s all there! Recently, something new had been put into Ponyville’s folder. And…..feeling nostalgic, I decided to take a look! And there I saw it! The dossier of the theft! Somepony stole at least two crates of muffins from Sugar Cube Corner! And Derpy was the one blamed!”
Now it started to make more sense. Muffins. Derpy was absolutely crazy for the pastry! She would do anything to get her hooves on even a bran muffin! But Applejack didn’t think the Mail Mare would stoop so far as to steal them…..
“Alright, tell me more.”
“Of course, they don’t know weather she really did it or not, so a trial is being held for her today in Ponyville! And Miles Edgeworth is prosecuting!!” Twilight explained, an urgent tone in her voice.
Applejack raised an eyebrow once again. “Pardon me…Miles Edge-who?”
“Miles Edgeworth!!!” Twilight shouted. “The infamous Prosecution Attorney…..he’s one of Canterlot’s top Prosecution Lawyers! I’ve read over a few of his previous cases….they’ve all been guilty verdicts! And in almost every single one of those cases, the pony accused was innocent!”
Now that disturbed Applejack a tiny bit. Twilight had levitated Edgeworth’s record over to Applejack with her magic so she could see. She wasn’t kidding! Nearly every single case written in Edgeworth’s record ended with a guilty verdict! “This doesn’t look good fer Derpy…” Applejack stated, being honest about the situation.
“I know! We need to find her a lawyer! Derpy can’t defend herself!” Twilight said.
“Now, hang on, Twilight! Why don’t ya defend her yerself?” Applejack asked. Twilight was a very knowledgeable mare, what with all the books she’s read.
Applejack was right. Twilight could defend Derpy! She knew Equestrian law frontwards, and backwards! But she shook her head. “I could, but the courts wouldn’t allow it….they’d think the judge would be biased, with me being the Princess and all….”
Applejack frowned. No other lawyer would defend Derpy! Not against an attorney like Edgeworth! But then something else caught her eye. Applejack looked closer at Edgeworth’s record. “Twi, look at this. Looks like ol’ Edgy didn’t win every case!”
Twilight levitated the file back over to her. “What? What do you mean?” She asked with a curious tone of voice.
“Look!” Applejack said, pointing at something on the file. “Look at that! The Murder of Mia Fey. Accused, Maya Fey, found Innocent!”
Twilight’s eyes widened. “Really?! How come I didn’t see that?”
“And look at this!” Applejack continued. “The murder of Jack Hammer. The Accused, Will Powers, found innocent!”
Twilight smiled a tiny bit. “Well…that’s good! Who was defending those clients?”
Applejack squinted her eyes, reading the case reports. “Looks like they were defended by a pony named…. Phoenix Wright.”
“Phoenix Wright?” Twilight asked. “That’s an odd name for a pony….”
“Well, odd name or not, ah think this is our Lawyer!” Applejack said in a matter-of-fact sort of way.
Twilight’s eyes brightened at this. She then looked closer at the folder. “Are you sure? It says here Phoenix is a rookie…” She levitated a magnifying glass over the record so Applejack could get a better look.
The farm mare frowned at this. “Now, ah know he may be a rookie…but he’s Derpy’s best option! And it looks like he’s the only attorney that hasn’t lost to this Edgeworth Guy. Now, where’s it say his office is?”
Twilight sighed. She was hoping she could get somepony more….experienced to defend Derpy….but it seemed Wright was her only option. “Ok….we’ll call Wright. Where does it say his office is?”
Applejack squinted her eyes again, trying to find the location of Phoenix’s office somewhere in the mess of papers. “Let’s see….Wright and Co. Law Offices…. new location… 1234 Hayseed Road….”
“That’s not too far from here!” Twilight exclaimed in happiness, and excitement.
“Well, then let’s git goin’! When’s the trial gonna start, anyway?” Applejack asked her friend.
“Hm…” Twilight took a look at her case report again. “In…about an hour! We’d better get going!” She and Applejack ran out of the library. Spike however, stood at the door.
“Wait! What do you want me….to do…? Hm…leaving me behind to go off on some adventure….now it definitely feels like the old times…..” He said half-heartedly to himself. “Might as well just sweep up, and make sure the library is clean when Twilight gets back….like I used to do….
***
“This is the place!” Twilight said, reading the address sign. “1234, Hayseed road!” The sign stood in front of a two floor building. It looked medieval in design, much like the other buildings in Ponyville. Twilight deduced that the bottom floor was where the business happened, and the top floor must be where this so called “Defense Lawyer” lives.
“Well…might as well knock on his door! See if he’s home!” Applejack said as she stepped up to the door. She raised a hoof, however, just before she could knock on it…
“Applejack, wait!” Twilight held her friend’s hoof still with magic.
“Twilight?!” Applejack exclaimed in confusion. “What in tarnation’re ya doin’!?”
“Look!” Twilight said, pointing to a small note pinned to the wooden door.
“Out Working.
Come back later.”
“That’s it then….” Applejack declared sadly. “He’s off doin’ something else….”
Twilight frowned. This would mean that the court would assign a lawyer to Derpy for her….and she doubted they would be able to beat Edgeworth. “Well….we might as well go to the trial and provide moral support…..”
The farm mare nodded as she walked next to her friend. This was bad….Derpy was going to be convicted of a crime she didn’t commit! And what of Dinky?! Applejack didn’t know much about Derpy, but she knew that Derpy was a single mother….of a small Unicorn filly named Dinky….if Derpy was thrown in prison, Dinky would no doubt be put in an orphanage…..it would probably be years before somepony adopted her…..who would want the daughter of an alleged thief?
The Court House was large. It had an elegant appearance to it, as most court houses too, and atop the stair case leading to the large set of double doors, there was a stone carving of a blind folded mare standing on her hind legs, holding a double edged sword in one hoof, and an equally balanced scale in the other. The statue was some brutal symbolism….today, judgement would be blind. Everypony settled down in their seats in the gallery as the trial was about to begin. Twilight heard a few whispers. Things like, “Is that Princess Twilight?!” “What’s she doing here?” “Shouldn’t she be in Canterlot?” Twilight merely ignored these remarks. She was more nervous about the trial. Three more ponies would walk into the room. The first, was a pony with a dark red coat. His cutie mark, a set of scales, no doubt representing justice. His mane was grey and well combed, and he wore a cravat around his neck, to give off the illusion he was wearing a suit. Most stallions in Canterlot did that, and to even further the assumption that he was from Canterlot, he was a unicorn. He had a cold look about him, it gave off the expression that he was a no nonsense kind of pony. He stood on the prosecutors side of the room, looking over his notes, by levitating them with his Unicorn magic. Next, two more ponies walked in. The first, was unmistakably Derpy. Nervously walking in, frowning at the whispers she was getting. “There she is!” “She’s a no good theif!” “I feel bad for her child…” They all truly believed she was guilty…. Derpy looked like she was about ready to cry…..but before she could, another pony put a hoof on her shoulder. She seemed to calm down instantly. This Stallion was an Earth Pony, no wings, or horn to be seen, with a peach colored coat. He had on a blue suit jacket with a red tie, and laughably spiky hair. His Cutie Mark was that of a golden Defense Attorney’s badge. He stepped over to his desk on the Defense’s side. Once everypony was situated, the Bailiff cleared his throat.
“All rise for the honorable Judge Hcieman Oldcoot!”
The Judge seemed to rise up from behind his desk, which was rather large. He had a view over everypony! He looked down at the court. “You may be seated.” he said. His voice was deep, it was the kind of voice that demanded respect and projected authority. But, it also sounded old….The judge did have a rather long and grey beard.
The Judge‘s horn glowed, as he was also a unicorn, and levitated a large Gavel, and banged it on his desk, the sound resonating throughout the court room.
“Ahem. Court is now in Session for the trial of Miss Derpy Hooves! Are both parties ready?” He asked.
Edgeworth nodded. “The Prosecution is ready, Your Honor.”
The pony in the blue suit across from him then spoke. “The Defense is ready, Your Honor.”
The Judge nodded. “Very well then! The Prosecution may begin with it’s opening statement.”
Edgeworth nodded, and cleared his throat. “Of course, Your Honor!” He sounded a tiny bit overconfident. “Now, as many of you are aware, my client has claimed that the Suspect has stolen a large supply of muffins from his business. This may appear to be a rather, silly claim at first, but from the information I have gathered around town, it has become largely evident that the Suspect is known for having a rather….unhealthy muffin obsession…and has been known to obtain these muffins from others in….less than law abiding ways… Testimony has provided that she has raided the refrigerators of others in the past, leading to very high probability in my client’s favor.”
The Judge nodded, then looked over at the Defense side. “Alright then, thank you, Mister Edgeworth. Mister Wright, you may make your opening statement.”
Wright? Did he say Wright?! Twilight and Applejack looked over, practically flabbergasted. This pony was Phoenix Wright!? This must’ve been what the sign on his door was for! He had already taken Derpy’s case!
“Thank you, Your Honor.” He had a confident sound to his voice, but it wasn’t overconfident, like Edgeworth’s. “Now, I am aware of my client’s little muffin problem….but I ask the court, doesn’t this whole case seem a little, sketchy? Why would my opponent’s client get so bent out of shape over a few stolen muffins? Testimony shows that my client was just at the wrong place at the wrong time! I tend to prove that my client is not guilty! She’s a good mare at heart! We plead Not Guilty, and ask that the charges be dropped!”
The ponies in the gallery began conversing with each other, it was a dull roar. Most of what was being said was things like, “Is he insane?!” “She’s obviously guilty!” “Why doesn’t he just give up?”
The judge banged his gavel on his desk. “Order! Order in the Court!” The gallery quickly quieted down.
Edgeworth raised an eyebrow at what Phoenix was saying, he looked like he was deeply thinking about it. “We shall see, Mister Wright.” He then looked to the Judge. “I would like to ask, what are Your Honor’s thoughts on the current situation at hoof?”
The Judge then looked to Edgeworth. “Currently, I agree with Mister Wright. When I read the case file this morning, I was a bit surprised to see that it was just thievery! Oh well! Mister Edgeworth, you may call your first witness!”
Twilight raised an eyebrow at that. Why would the Judge just say, ‘Oh Well’ about something that was clearly fishy?! She suspected that maybe this judge wasn’t very good at his job….but she decided to remain silent. She may have been a Princess, but she wanted to remain respectful.
Edgeworth nodded, un-affected by The Judge’s comment. “Yes, Your Honor, I am paid to do my job. And I shall do it even if it’s for a case as simple as this. The Prosecution calls, Miss Golden Harvest to the stand!”
Derpy gasped loudly. She had a heartbroken look on her face. “Carrot….” Phoenix quickly put a hoof on her shoulder. “Shh, just stay silent, Derpy…”
Carrot made her way to the witnesses stand, she looked like she was trying her best not to look at Derpy. This made Applejack narrow her eyes a bit. She knew Derpy and Golden Harvest were friends….why would she be testifying against her?!
Edgeworth nodded once she made her way up there. “Now, Miss Golden Harvest…or do you prefer Carrot Top? That is your nick name, correct?”
Carrot Top was a nickname Harvest had earned for two reasons. She was famous for her carrot farm she owned in Ponyville, and she had a brightly orange mane an tail.
“Either is fine, thank you, Mister Prosecutor.” She responded in a matter-of-fact sort of way. This made Phoenix put a hoof to his chin in thought. ‘Why would Carrot Top testify against her Best Friend/Roommate?’ He said silently to himself.
“Very well then, Miss Golden Harvest.” Edgeworth began. “It is true you are good friends with the suspect….room mates in fact, am I correct?”
Carrot Top nodded. “Yes. She moved in about a month ago.”
“And it is my understanding that you often return home to find your refrigerator cleaned out, am I correct?” Edgeworth asked.
Carrot narrowed her eyes at Derpy, who noticed this, and giggled nervously, while peering about the room with her wonky eyes.
“Yes…that is also correct.” Carrot had said.
Edgeworth did a slight gesture as he pointed to Derpy with his hoof. “Were you involved in any way with the current case? Such as, did you notice the suspect with a large supply of muffins around the time the accusations state?” He asked.
------------------------------------------------------------WITNESS TESTIMONY-------------------------------------------------------------------
Carrot began. “I can’t say I was involved with the case…..but I do remember being in the bakery on that day…..I heard some noises coming from the kitchen, so I decided to check it out. I saw somepony did raid the kitchen, but I couldn’t make it out. It was around 9:00 AM…..later when I returned home, I did notice Derpy with a large amount of muffins…I asked her about it, and she said she was never in the bakery. Which I found hard to believe.”
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When Carrot was finished, Edgeworth shook his head with a small smile on his face. He reared up on his hind legs, and stuck his forelegs out in a wide-legged gesture. “Seems slightly suspicious, does it not?” He began. “Given the knowledge of our suspect’s reputation, and this testimony, it seems quite evident that this suspect, is our criminal…..that is….unless the defense has anything to say?” He looked over at Phoenix, who looked un-phased by the testimony, and Edgeworth’s claims.
The Judge shook his head. “It does seem like she’s guilty….but, fair is fair! Mister Wright, you may begin your Cross-Examination.”
“Gladly, Your Honor!”
This was it. Here, Twilight and Applejack would see if this lawyer truly was worth his salt.
--------------------------------------------------------------CROSS-EXAMINATION-----------------------------------------------------------------
Carrot then began to re-state her testimony. “I can’t say I was involved with the case, but I do remember being in the bakery on that day.”
“HOLD IT!” Phoenix had loudly shouted. Everypony looked surprised. This was definitely unorthodox….never had Twilight seen a lawyer shout like that…
“You just contradicted yourself. If you were at the bakery, then you were involved with the case in question!”
Twilight’s eyes widened. Not even she had noticed that!
Carrot Top looked at Phoenix nervously. “Oh….sorry….I guess I got a little flustered…”
The Judge nodded his head. “Understandable. Please, continue, Miss Carrot Top.”
Carrot nodded, and continued re-stating her testimony.
“I heard some noises coming from the kitchen, so I decided to check it out. I saw somepony did raid the kitchen, but I couldn’t make them out.”
“HOLD IT!” Phoenix had shouted again. “You couldn’t make them out?” he asked. “So you didn’t notice anything? No gender? No mane color? No cutie mark?”
“N-No…no I couldn’t!” Carrot choked out, looking a bit more nervous. “Anyway, it was 9:00 AM…”
“OBJECTION!” Phoenix had shouted, pointing his left hoof at Carrot.
‘Objection?’ Twilight thought to herself. ‘What was wrong with her testimony?’ She wondered.
“Your Honor, there is a gaping hole in the witness’s testimony!” He stated.
The Judge looked a Phoenix, a bit wide eyed. “Really? What is it?” He asked.
Phoenix slammed his hooves down on his desk. “She couldn’t have been at the bakery at 9:00 AM! Because the bakery doesn’t open until 10:00 AM! A whole hour after the time mentioned!” He then put his hooves on his waist, after standing up on his hind legs, looking rather sure of himself. “And I can prove it! With this sign that says the business hours!” He placed it on his desk. There they were, clear as day! All the business hours….
Twilight grinned at that. This obviously meant he must’ve done some investigating himself beforehand!
“So you can!” The Judge said, looking rather impressed. “So, Miss Carrot Top, please explain why you were at the bakery a full hour before they opened!”
Carrot looked about nervously. “Uh….I wasn’t! I just got the time wrong!”
“OBJECTION!” This time, it had been shouted by Miles Edgeworth, looking rather unimpressed. “She simply got the time wrong, Mister Wright! Take a look at the poor mare! She’s clearly nervous.” He gestured toward the witness. “Now….Miss Harvest, would you mind revising your testimony to match the actual time?” He asked her calmly and collected, like usual. He didn’t seem too nervous by the turn of events.
The Judge nodded. “He has a point…. Mister Wright! Objection Overruled! Do try to be less paranoid about the time…..please revise your testimony, Miss Harvest.”
“Alright….” Carrot said, her voice shaking a tiny bit.
-------------------------------------------------------------WITNESS TESTIMONY------------------------------------------------------------------
Carrot took a few moments to collect herself, before she began re-stating her testimony.
“It was about 10:00 AM….Later when I returned home, I did notice Derpy with a large amount of muffins…I asked her about it, and she said she was never in the bakery. Which I found hard to believe.”
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“Hm….alright. Mister Wright, you may begin your Cross-Examination.” The Judge stated.
Phoenix nodded, as Carrot began re-stating what she said previously.
--------------------------------------------------------------CROSS EXAMINATION------------------------------------------------------------------
“It was about 10:00 AM….Later when I returned home, I did notice Derpy with a large amount of muffins…I asked her about it, and she said she was never in the bakery. Which I found hard to believe.”
“HOLD IT!” Phoenix shouted once again, startling Carrot a bit. “Why did you find it hard to believe, exactly? Don’t you trust your Roommate?”
Carrot now looked a bit miffed. Especially at Derpy. “Well, I do, but not when muffins are involved! Whenever I go out and buy some muffins, they’re literally GONE two minutes after I put them away! Do you have any idea how AGGRAVATING that is?!”
Derpy looked down, tears in her eyes….she was obviously feeling guilty for making Carrot so angry…. “I-I’m sorry, Carrot….” She then sniffled a little bit.
Phoenix put a hoof on Derpy’s shoulder, and continued speaking. “Also, she said she was never at the bakery…and you said you couldn’t make out who was stealing the muffins….maybe Derpy could explain where she got all of her muffins?”
Edgeworth perked up a bit when he heard that supposedly, Derpy had never been at the bakery. “My thoughts exactly, Mister Wright.” The Prosecutor had said. “If the suspect has a valuable alibi, them the whole case could be changed. That is, if it’s not simply a cover up story, of course. Miss Hooves, if you could please explain where you were at 10:00 AM on the particular day in question? And where you obtained such a large amount of muffins, if not at the bakery?”
Derpy then stood up and took the stand, wiping her eyes with her hoof. “W-Well…I was at the bakery….b-but I didn’t steal anything! I know I have my….muffin problem… but I’d never steal from the bakery! I know, sometimes I can’t help myself…but I’d never steal from a business!” She started to tear up even more. “I didn’t know it bothered Carrot Top that much….” She sniffeled a bit.
Phoenix then looked at her. “Would you mind telling us where you got the muffins and why?”
Derpy looked a bit reluctant at first, but then sighed. “I bought them from the bakery…..I was planning on making a muffin treat basket for Carrot Top….as a thank you for letting me live with her….” Carrot then gasped a tiny bit. She felt awful for testifying against her now.
“Derpy….” She said. “Why keep it a secret?! Don’t you know that would only make you look even more suspicious?”
Derpy sighed again. “It was supposed to be a surprise…..”
Edgeworth nodded slightly, a small frown on his face. “Hm….so the suspect claims she was merely buying the treats, rather than stealing………however, this brings up two points. One, There is still the matter of who stole from Filthy…er…Mister Rich….and two, It should be noted that the suspect claimed to have never been at the bakery, despite her now just having admitted it.”
Phoenix nodded and began to respond. “For point one, I think I may have a suspicion for that. As for point two, Derpy said she was trying to keep her buying the muffins a secret so she could surprise her friend! However….that also means….she was lying….under oath….” He then laughed nervously, and Twilight face-hoofed at that. Everypony had their flaws, she supposed.
The Judge nodded his head. “And for that, I’ll have to penalize you, Mister Wright.”
Phoenix looked a little embarrassed. “Understandable, Your Honor.”
Edgeworth then crossed his hooves slightly. “You have a suspicion on who might be the true culprit, Mister Wright?” He asked. “Would you care to elaborate more on this line of thought?”
Phoenix seemed to immediately regain his confidence when Edgeworth asked that. “I have more than that! I can prove that Filthy Rich most likely set up Derpy as revenge! My client said he was rather angry with her because she accidentally made a mistake on a delivery! It’s the perfect motive to frame somepony!”
The gallery began speaking about this, this time it was a bit louder than a dull roar. The Judge banged his gavel to quiet them. “Order! Order in the Court, I say!” He then looked down at Phoenix. “That’s a very bold claim, Mister Wright!”
Twilight and Applejack narrowed their eyes at Phoenix…..it was a very bold claim….he would need a lot of evidence to back it up.
Filthy Rich, who was sitting next to Edgeworth, narrowed his eyes at Phoenix when he made his claim. This made him even angrier than when ponies called him by his first name….he really needed to change that….he looked like he was about to say something….but then he simply turned to Edgeworth. He then nodded slightly. “That is a rather bold claim, Mister Wright…” The Prosecutor said, a chilling calm in his voice. “Tell me, do you have any evidence to back up this claim? Other than your client’s insistence? Otherwise, I am afraid there is no reason to continue this line of progression, and we’ll be back to square one with Miss Hooves as our prime suspect.”
Phoenix nodded, not showing any sign of nervousness. “I do have something to back up my claim!” He picked up some pices of paper in his hooves, and read them as he spoke. “We all know that Mister Rich can be a bit miserly….and we know that my client had to perform a delivery for him! And as we all know…she messed it up.”
At that remark, Derpy’s cheeks blushed a hot red, and she ducked for cover behind Phoenix’s desk.
“And a failed delivery could cause a lot of money to be lost…and something tells me Mister Rich wouldn’t like that very much at all!”
“I see your point….” Said the Judge. “However, I’m not seeing any proof.”
Wright slammed his hooves down on his desk. “Your Honor, I can prove that Mister Rich set all this up, if you allow him to testify!”
The Judge then put a hoof to his chin. “Hm….” He said in thought. “At first, I thought this would be an open and shut case…and that I would’ve given my verdict by now…..however, I’m not too sure….very well! Mister Edgeworth, will you please call Filthy Rich to the stand?”
Filthy cringed a bit when he was requested to take the stand. He looked to Edgeworth simply, who glared for a moment, whispering something that only a few ponies would likely be able to hear or read on his lips, before turning to the judge. “Yes, of course, Your Honor. Mister Filthy Rich, please take the stand!” He had said.
“Twilight…” Applejack whispered. “Did ya’ll hear what Edgeworth said to Mister Rich?”
Twilight looked at her friend confused. “What do you mean? I didn’t hear anything!”
Applejack leaned in close to her Alicorn friend. “Before Filthy stood up, that Prosecutor whispered something to him….it sounded like… ‘If it WAS you…I leave you to yer fate…”
Twilight put a hoof to her chin in thought at that. “What an odd thing for a Prosecutor to say to his client….especially a Prosecutor like Edgeworth….”
By this point, Mister Rich was already up at the stand.
The Judge nodded his head. “Prosecution, you may begin questioning the Witness.”
Edgeworth nodded, and looked to Mister Rich. “Very well, Your Honor. Witness! Name and Occupation, please.”
Filthy smiled a bit. “Name’s Filthy Rich! Owner of Barnyard Bargains!” He said, almost as if he was advertising his own business.
Edgeworth then continued. “Right. The large chain of department stores located all through Equestria. It sounds like you have a pretty successful business, Mister Filthy.”
Filthy frowned at that. “I do…..and I prefer to be called, Mister Rich.”
Edgeworth smirked lightly at that. “So you do…my apologies.”
Meanwhile, Phoenix put his hooves on his desk, listening intently to what Rich was saying, while Derpy was just peering at Filthy, and then Rich nervously…she then looked over to Carrot Top, who at this point was sitting over in the gallery, looking down and feeling ashamed of herself.
Filthy glared to Edgeworth as the Prosecutor continued. “So, Mister Rich, perhaps you could explain to us what exactly you know of the crime and why you expect this mare to be the prime suspect. After all, the way I understand it, there is a certain mare working at the bakery in question that likely could have done it as well.”
Applejack sighed at that. “Ah’d like to say that Pinkie wouldn’t do such a thing….but ah wouldn’t put it past her as an accident….” She muttered to Twilight.
“Very well.” Rich said to Edgeworth.
---------------------------------------------------------------WITNESS TESTIMONY----------------------------------------------------------------
Rich cleared his throat before he began. “I put in a large order of muffins the other day for Sugarcube Corner, the most successful bakery in Ponyville. My daughter’s birthday is coming up, and I figured a large supply of muffins would make good party treats. Given their reputation for making delicious treats, I figured they would be a good place to order from. Now, I’m quite aware that the proprietors have a baking apprentice under their care, who is known for occasionally eating the products on occasion. They ensured that she would not be present at the time of my pick-up. However, when I went to do so……..I found my order destroyed, with the only pony that had visited this particular day being none other than the suspect.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Judge put a hoof to his chin in thought. “Hm….” He began. I see….I can’t find anything wrong with that testimony.”
Derpy gasped nervously, and Phoenix had a shocked expression on his face. “Wait! Your Honor! I assure you, something in that testimony doesn’t add up!” He exclaimed, determined to get his point across. “Just let me cross-examine! Please!”
The Judge then rolled his eyes. “Alright, fine. Mister Wright, you may Cross-Examine the Witness.”
Edgeworth nodded. “For your sake, Mister Wright, I hope you do.”
-----------------------------------------------------------CROSS-EXAMINATION--------------------------------------------------------------------
“I put in a large order of muffins the other day for Sugarcube Corner, the most successful bakery in Ponyville.”
“HOLD IT!”
Phoenix put a hoof to his chin. “Sugarcube Corner?” He asked. “How did you know exactly that it was the most successful?”
Mister Rich simply smiled. “Why, it’s common knowledge ‘round these parts!” He said with a grin. “While there are other bakeries in Ponyville, none are quite as well known as Sugarcube Corner, despite being ran by one married couple and a rather untalented apprentice!”
Applejack was forcing herself with every fiber to not stand and outburst about Filthy's rather mean-spirited comment about Pinkie, but managed to keep herself in check, when Twilight put a hoof on her shoulder. She and everypony who knew her was well aware that Pinkie's baking skills had used to be rather............bad due to her strange sense of taste, but they would also know that her skills had grown greatly in the past year. She had no idea if her friend was here, but she was certainly hoping not upon hearing that
Edgeworth nodded slightly. "Its true Mr. Wright. Sugarcube Corner does get the most income of any of Ponyville's bakeries, as such, making it fact. Though I am unsure how this is relevant to the case."
Phoenix rubbed the back of his head with a hoof, smiling slightly. “It….uh….isn’t? Heh….”
The Judge shook his head. “Mister Wright.” He said. “Please try to ask questions relevant to this case. Alright, Mister Rich, you may continue.”
“My daughter’s birthday is coming up, and I figured a large supply of muffins would make good party treats.”
“HOLD IT!”
“Just how far away is your daughter’s birthday?” He asked.
“A few days Mr. Wright. I would like for those treats to be rather fresh, hence why I wanted to pick them up yesterday.” he responded without missing a beat.
“I suppose that does make sense…” Phoenix responded. “Alright, keep going.”
Filthy nodded. “Given their reputation for making delicious treats, I figured they would be a good place to order from.”
“HOLD IT!”
“Was Sugarcube Corner the first place you checked out?”
Rich smiled at that. “Only the best for my little girl!” He responded heartily.
“Ok….please continue.” Phoenix said in thought.
“Now, I’m quite aware that the proprietors have a baking apprentice under their care, who is known for occasionally eating the products on occasion.”
“HOLD IT!”
“Then why pin it on Derpy? Wouldn't this apprentice be the guilty culprit?”
“I was getting to that, boy!” Rich shouted.
Edgeworth nodded in agreement. “Yes, Mister Wright. Do try to be a bit more patient.”
The Judge nodded. “Yes Mister Wright, do try to contain that temper of yours!”
Phoenix looked dumbfounded. ‘I have a temper?!’ He thought to himself.
“They ensured that she would not be present at the time of my pick-up.”
Phoenix simply nodded, signaling him to keep going.
“However, when I went to do so……..I found my order destroyed, with the only pony that had visited this particular day being none other than the suspect.”
“OBJECTION!”
“Do you have any proof that it was Derpy?” Phoenix asked with a smirk. “The muffins could have been eaten by anypony! Also, my client stated she was only there to buy her own set of muffins for a friend!”
Filthy cringed slightly at this. “Uh….well……”
“OBJECTION!” Edgeworth exclaimed, pointing his hoof to Phoenix. “Perhaps not physical proof, Mr. Wright.......But the witness did state that he was told by the store proprietors that the Suspect had been the only customer that morning. Who else could it be?”
“Oh….Um…” Phoenix began. ‘Gah! He’s right!’ He thought to himself. ‘I have to think….who else could have been in the store?!’
Twilight and Applejack noticed Phoenix stumbling. They both began to think of who else could’ve been in the store?! If only there was something they could do to help!
Edgeworth just shook his head, and moved his forelegs into that wide-legged gesture. “Well, Mister Wright, if you have no ideas on who else it could be, I see no reason we should continue down this line of thou--”
“OBJECTION!” A rather high pitched voice rang out.
Edgeworth’s eyes widened when he heard that. “What?! Who said that?!”
Applejack and Twilight’s eyes widened. They knew that voice. It was one of their best friends after all! Twilight leaned into Applejack. “This could either be really good for Phoenix….” She whispered. “Or really bad…”
A light pink mare with a mane that was a darker shade, taking a poofy form that brought on the thought of cotton candy to mind. Her Cutie Mark was that of three balloons, the one in the center raised higher than the others, and yellow, while the others were blue. She took the court with a serious expression, before it quickly changed to a big dopey grin. “Teehee! I always wanted to say that! OBJECTION! OVERRULED! HOLD IT! TAKE THAT!” She shouted, doing the appropriate gestures.
The Judge just stared at this mare, wide-eyed at her display. “Um…..excuse me, young lady…” He began. “Who are you? And what are you doing out of the gallery?”
Phoenix’s eyes widened. He had a plan, and it was all thanks to this…strange mare! “Your Honor!” He pointed at the pink mare. “I request that the Prosecution call that pink mare to the stand!”
Edgeworth looked to the eccentric mare, and then to Phoenix. “Fist…..I would like to know this mare’s name, and relevance to this case.”
The pink mare grinned. “I’m Pinkie Pie!” She exclaimed. “And I’m the untalented apprentice from the testimony!”
“Gah!” Edgeworth shouted, a bit taken back by Pinkie’s words. “But….wait…..are you saying you were at the store at the same time as these events?”
Pinkie then vigorously shook her head. “Nopeynopeymopeydopeylope!” Edgeworth looked ready to continue, until Pinkie held a hoof in front of his face. “BUT! I can give you information about the morning before I left!”
Edgeworth nodded slightly. “I……see…..Your Honor? What would your thoughts be? Do you believe it would be worthwhile for me to call Miss Pie to the stand? Mister Wright certainly does….”
The Judge put a hoof to his chin in thought. “Hm…..she could hold some vital information…..also, I find her giddyness rather ecstatic!” The Judge said with a smile. “Very well, Mister Wright! She shall be considered a witness in this case!”
Edgeworth nodded. “Very well then….” He said. “Miss Pie, will you please take the stand?”
Pinkie then bounced up to the stand excitedly, giggling slightly.
Edgeworth frowned slightly at this. “Miss Pie, if you could, please try to maintain some hint of seriousness while at the stand?”
Pinkie then tried to attempt a straight face. “Serious! Got it!” She exclaimed.
“Would the Witness begin her testimony then?” The Judge asked.
-------------------------------------------------------------WITNESS TESTIMONY------------------------------------------------------------------
“Hm….yesterday morning….I woke up, did my early morning stretches, and then fed Gummy! It was then time for breakfast, so--”
“OBJECTION!” Edgeworth shouted. He then slammed a hoof on his desk. “Witness, how is this all relevant?”
Pinkie giggled a bit. “I’m telling you what happened yesterday morning!” She said gleefully.
Edgeworth then placed a hoof to his face in frustration.
The Judge was chuckling slightly, but quickly tried to hide it when he noticed Edgewotth’s frustration. “Well….technically she isn’t breaking any rules….so I’ll allow it!” He said.
‘If only she’d skip to the parts that were relevant….’ Phoenix thought to himself.
Edgeworth shook his head slightly. “Very well….continue.”
Pinkie grinned.
-------------------------------------------------------WITNESS TESTIMONY (Take 2)-------------------------------------------------------------
“OK, so I woke up, did my early morning stretches, and then fed Gummy! It was then time for breakfast, so I went downstairs to get my cereal! I then entertained the twins for a while, before Mrs. Cake reminded me of my day off! I then left the store to go find my friends for the day!”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Hm…” The Judge said. “Alright! Everything seems to be in order!”
‘That testimony was a bit vague….’Phoenix said in his head.
“Mister Wright!” The Judge said. “You may begin your Cross-Examination!
“Gladly!” Phoenix exclaimed.
------------------------------------------------------------CROSS-EXAMINATION-------------------------------------------------------------------
“OK, so I woke up, did my early morning stretches, and then fed Gummy!”
“HOLD IT!”
“Gummy?” Wright asked. “Who’s Gummy?”
Pinkie’s grin widened even more at that. “Oh! He’s my pet Alligator!”
“A-Alligator?!” Phoenix stammered. ‘What a strange pet!’
Pinkie simply smiled her same goofy wide grin. “Yup! He’s just the most adorable little guy!”
Edgeworth then remarked, “Miss Pie….don’t you think it’s…rather dangerous to own such a pet?”
Pinkie vigorously shook her head. “Nopeydopeymopeylope!!!! Gummy won’t hurt anypony! He’s as friendly as can be!”
“But even so, would not the teeth of the alligator present a problem?” He asked.
Pinkie giggled. “Oh no! He doesn’t have any teeth! He’s just a baby! So he just has gums! No sharp pointy teeth in sight! Hence Gummy!!”
“Hm…I see!” The Judge said, with a smirk on his face. “I might have to meet this Gummy sometime! But first, if you would continue your testimony, Miss Pie.”
“Oki Doki Loki! You‘d love him, Judgey!” Pinkie said with a smile.
“It was then time for breakfast, so I went downstairs to get my cereal!”
“HOLD IT!”
“Did you have to see anypony else in the bakery when you went downstairs for breakfast?” Phoenix asked, putting a hoof to his chin.
Pinkie put a hoof to her chin in thought as well. “Hm….” She said, thinking. “Nope! Just the regulars! Mister and Missus Cake, and the Twins!” She laughed.
“So you’re absolutely sure that you were the only one there?” Phoenix asked.
Pinkie looked a bit confused by this. “But I wasn't the only one there that morning! Gummy was there! And, Mr. and Mrs. Cake! And the twins! And neither Carrot 'nor Derpy visited until after I had left!” she said, seeming a bit exasperated.
Edgeworth smiled slightly, tapping his hoof to his forehead slightly before then saying “I think I understand what the Witness is trying to say.“ He then turned to the mare, and pointed his hoof to her. "Ms. Pie, please tell me if I am understanding this correctly...…”
“Okey dokey lokey!” Pinkie said turning to him.
“You mean to say that you did your morning activities as per usual......…”
“Warm......…” Pinkie replied.
“Before being reminded that you had a day off from work by your employer.................” he continued.
“Warmer....…” she said seeming a bit more excited.
“And you say there had been no customers before your leave, meaning Ms. Harvest, and the Suspect could not have been there until after your leave....…”
Pinkie nodded vigorously. “You're red hot!!! What does that mean Edgey!!!???”
He seemed slightly taken aback. “Edgey.....?”
She frowned “No! Now you're ice cold! You were so close!!!”
He shook his head. “Ah.....er.......What I meant, Ms. Pie was.......You mean to say there were 2 other ponies present at the store that can provide us with testimony, despite your inability to be able to do so.........Your EMPLOYERS!!!!”
Pinkie grinned enthusiastically. “DING! DING! DING! Edgey's a winner!!!” She said clapping her hooves wildly in excitement.
This would be the part where Phoenix would protest against Edgeworth's claims, but two new witnesses might be just what he needed to gain the upper hand in this trial!
The Judge put a hoof to his chin in thought. “Hm….I see! So...two new witnesses then? I declare that the trial shall reconvene tomorrow while we explain the circumstances to these two witnesses, and to give time for the prosecution and defense to gather evidence and prepare their arguments.” He then banged his gavel. “Court is adjourned!”
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A late review so apologies:
Punctuation: Great!
Spelling: Ok (missing letters :/ but otherwise good)
Plot: Excellent! (nice way of making it seem like a real case. though I feel it would be best to do it from one person's mind then two)
Nice beginning and I cannot wait to read more. As for now Court is adjourned!
Not a bad story, although, i would recommend getting some proof readers. It wasn't bad, but i kept noticing some typos or places where sentence structure could have been better. here's an example
HOLD IT!
There are several errors with that particular statement in itself. First and foremost, you used the wrong form of "Whether." Secondly, the last part of that could have been reiterated better. Instead of "Twilight explained, an urgent tone in her voice." You can shorten it too "Twilight explained, her tone urgent."
Also, My Proofreaders really got on me about starting sentences with the words 'like,' 'as,' or 'and.' This is of course optional, but it's something to take into consideration.
Also, a personal word of advice, use a thesaurus. You do this with Theasarus.com or you can right click a word In Microsoft Word and use 'Synonyms' to find words with a simular meaning. Often you'll find a nice fancy word that sounds really cool, just make sure you look up the definition of said word before you use it.
Also I'd use Horizontal breaks instead of the many lines, it just makes things seem a lot smother in my opinion, especially since different people have different sized font size preferences. it's not hard to do, theres a button for it here, plus if you put --- and then press enter on MS word it makes a horizontal break automatically
Also. there is a color feature in FIM fiction, that color wheel button. You can use it to highlight certain text to make it more like the game, such as a nice green testamony or a big red
OBJECTION!,..
which can also be done by the wheel and the text size button, which can be edited using the buton that Has the A and arrows next to it.
As for where to get proof readers, there are several groups here with lists of people you can message to proof read your story. Before you do you'll probably want to have a google acount and put some chapters in docs there. MOst proof-peaders prefer to ediit stories with Google Docs, and for good reason, that lets the highlight specifically the errors in your story.
So yeah, So far it's pretty good, but could be improved with some editors. But be warned, nothing is really quite as intense as the sheer criticism that are the editors. Trust me, i had some editors that almost made me want to cry or flat out break something.
Also i would avoid the editors that just do the revising for you and don't tell you what you could improve on. They may be sparing you the nit picking, yet at the same time you're not learning much if anything.
And with that, it's like 11:30 here, and i must go to bed.(you have no idea how many errors
werwere in this comment before i revised it)Looks like this was
a close case!
YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH
xP Well fine then.. Anyways good story.
DERPY IS INNOCENT!
Eeeeeyup
It's just like I'm playing the DS pheniox wright gsme
4797092 Agreed.
And well done TheBronywiththeBowTie!
Straighten your Bow Tie for me please!
You also get two
and a 
for good measure!
More beautiful reasons why I hate her.