Day 3: Trial: Decisive Evidence
February 14, 9:44 AM
Ponyville Courthouse
Defendant Lobby
Ugh...worst sleep of my life. The barely awoken Twilight thought. So much to think about, so little time to deal with them.
While Twilight was still trying to wake up, she could at least acknowledge that her little companion, Sweetie Belle, was able to keep alert. She looked like she was doing fine, but Twilight didn't tell her about the letter she got about Scootaloo yet.
"I'm here and ready to roll, Twilight! Are you ready to win the trial?" Sweetie Belle asked.
I'm not actually sure if I've got enough evidence to do that. Better not let her know that. Twilight thought. "I've already got a victory party ready."
"Awesome, but I hope it's not planned out too late, because we'll be walking in and walking out of there."
She's trying so hard to keep morale high. The least I can do is keep smiling.
Twilight did her best to get a smile on her face, and it was enough to keep Sweetie Belle's smile on her face. While she predicted that she was going to have a very stressful day, Twilight knew that Pinkie Pie would want to see her walk into the courtroom with utmost confidence, not just to put on a show for the gallery, but for her own sake as well.
Sweetie belle wasn't even the only pony with a happy look on their face. At that time, Star Cestus had arrived to meet up with Twilight, and much like Sweetie Belle, he looked very confident. He looked very tired, but happy regardless.
"Mr. Cestus! Did you find Scootaloo yet?" Sweetie Belle asked.
And in an instant, the smile on Cestus's face was wiped off. "Way to ruin my good mood, pal."
"I guess your search for her hasn't been going well, huh?" Twilight asked.
Cestus let out a big sigh before answering. "No, I'm afraid not. I had the guys who were investigating the farm to go around and finding the kid, but they couldn't find her. We even got some Ponyvillians volunteer to help. This one mare in particular who looked like she tasted the rainbow has been looking harder than anypony. Personally though, I feel more sorry for the shy looking one she's been dragging all around town."
Well, that will certainly mean two of my friends won't be here to support me. That's a shame, but I guess the more ponies out there looking for Scootaloo, the better.
"OH! That reminds me. The trial is going to start about a half an hour late, girls." Cestus said.
"What? Why is it getting pushed back?" Twilight asked.
"It was my idea actually. I figured the only way for that Masquerade jerk to hurt Scootaloo is if he knew you didn't forfeit the trial."
"WHAT!?" Sweetie Belle screeched with a squeak in her voice. "He's going to hurt Scootaloo if we win?"
And there goes the last shred of morale we had left. Twilight thought with disdain.
"He'll do no such thing. I plan on having my best officers give a thorough check to every single pony that walks into that room so that he can't possibly get in to watch the trial. If we're lucky, we'll might have our killer walk right into our hooves."
"It would take an immeasurable amount of luck to have him walk right and into a trap like that." Twilight said with realism. "But if things go smoothly, he shouldn't suspect a thing. In fact, I think I'll try and have a word with the judge while we still have some time."
"In that case, I got to get ready, too. I want to be able to make the contradiction in my testimony as obvious as possible for you. If all goes as planned, the trial will be suspended until tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Can't Twilight win today?"
"Not a chance, kid. The witness for the third murder STILL hasn't shown up yet." Cestus explained. "In order to solve the case, we need to discuss all three murders."
He must be referring to the Jersey Devils, Coltaire and The Pony of Doom. Since Scootaloo's life is in danger, ending the trial today would definitely be premature. I hope Cestus hasn't gotten in enough trouble to stop him from getting me the case file for that murder. Until then, I have to prove that Pinkie didn't kill her Uncle Shepard.
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February 13, 10:30 AM
Ponyville Courthouse
Courtroom 2
It took an extra thirty minutes of waiting and preparation, but at long last, the trial was ready to begin. The audience had all taken their seats, Twilight and Sweetie Belle had taken their spots at the defense bench while Hope Ray to his at the prosecution's, The Doctor was sitting at the judge's seat, and Star Cestus was ready to take the stand as a witness. Everything was all set.
"Alrighty now. Court is now in session." The Doctor stated. "Is everyone ready?"
"The defense is ready, your honor!" Twilight said as she slammed her hooves on the table. Immidiately after doing so, she became disgusted."Eww, why is my table sticky?"
As Twilight was complaining about her dirty table, Hope was going through some last minute preparations. "If I may, I'll need a second to be completely ready."
In response, The Doctor gave Hope a nod. "Very well. While you're getting ready, I have an important announcement to make. As of right now, the police are handling a very delicate situation in the case, as it seems that a child has gone missing because of it. For that reason, I must insist that everything that is heard in this trial to not be muttered outside these walls until a verdict is finally handed."
He actually listened to my request. Good. Now hopefully, there will be no way for Masquerade to know if the trial is actually over or not unless I actually do lose. Twilight thought happily, knowing that Scootaloo was given a line of safety.
As Twilight stood and waited for the trial to begin, he noticed that something was missing. The pony who was suppose to be the center of attention in the court, Pinkie Pie, had not arrived. Twilight took a quick moment to ask cestus about it.
"Cestus. Where's Pinkie?" Twilight whispered.
"Not here, pal. Because of how she escaped yesterday, Hope asked for security at the detention center to be tripled. She's also been acting weird this morning. She's being twitchy and not making any sense, much like yesterday.
Twilight knew exactly what was going on with Pinkie, and it made her very worried for her friend. I forgot. She still doesn't have her medicine. Only now, I feel bad because she really does need it. Bringing Pinkie's medicine for her will have to be my top priority after this trial.
As Twilight finished thinking and Hope finished preparing, The Doctor slammed down his gavel, for it was time to begin the trial.
"Ready or not, here I come. Mr. Hope Ray, I 'hope" you're ready to give us your opening statement."
"But of course, your honor." Hope said as he gave The Doctor a bow. "Due to yesterday's trial and the defense's claims, there is no concrete evidence to prove or disprove whether or not the defense murdered Copycat or attempted to take the life of Apple Bloom. For that reason, I went to speak with Princess Celestia to declassify the case regarding the second murder victim, Dr. Shepard Pi."
"I see. And...?" The Doctor asked.
"My request was approved. I am now free to discuss to the court and the public the murder of Shepard Pi. There is much more concrete evidence in this case, and for that reason, today's trial will be to prove that Pinkie Pie is the culprit."
"Very good, but I do have one more question. What about the third murder? Will you be discussing that?"
"Ah yes. The murder of Time Charm, who, much like Copycat, died at a concert. Sadly, my witnesses for that crime has yet to show up here in Ponyville. But remember, due to the evidence submitted already, we'll already know that the pony who committed one of these crimes must've committed the rest."
I want to object to that last statement SO badly...but I can't because he's right. Twilight thought, who was angered by her own common sense.
In the end, Twilight was able to resist the urge to object long enough to let Hope summon his witness to the stand. This was when the second trial day would really begin.
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Antsy to get started, Star Cestus wasted no time to get to the witness stand. He had a very smug look on his face as he was ready to testify.
"I'm sure Inspector Cestus doesn't need any introduction. Are you ready to discuss the second murder?" Hope asked.
"Ready and itching to go! I will now disclose the murder of Shepard Pi!" Cestus announced to the court. Once again, his face became long and depressed, but this time, it was his own fault. "Dang, I feel bad for being happy about talking about this stuff."
When it looked like Cestus was about to be quiet and be unfocused, Hope slammed a single hoof on his table, causing Cestus to get startled. At the very least, it got him focused on the case once more. With nothing else to think about, Cestus began.
"Several months ago, a local scientist in Rocky Road Village, by the name of Shepard Pi, was murdered. His death was caused by a stab wound aimed directly to his heart, most certainly causing an instant death. Just like the other crimes, the weapon was a uniquely designed dagger, but unlike the first crime, the defendant's hoofprints are on it."
Black Dagger has been updated.
HOLD IT!
"If Pinkie Pie's hoofprints were on the dagger, how come you didn't arrest her?" Twilight asked.
"Apparently, we didn't even find out that the hoofprints even belonged to Pinkie Pie until the third murder, which was when we finally realized the crimes were connected. We also couldn't find a motive at the time, so we let her off at the time."
They couldn't find solid proof that Pinkie was responsible until after so long? That doesn't sound right. Twilight thought, pondering how the investigation was handled so poorly, but for the time being, she had a more productive question to ask. "One last thing. Why exactly has this murder been covered up where as the others weren't?
"It was due to the brutal and, shall I say, disturbing nature of the case." Cestus answered. "We are absolutely certain that the only injury the victim suffered was the stab wound that killed him. However, his body was mutilated further afterwards."
"Mutilated? How so?"
OBJECTION!
"To prevent any ponies from getting sick, I request that Star Cestus does not go further into detail." Hope requested.
"Objection...uhh...hmm" The Doctor said as he was unsure of himself. "I'm not sure whether I agree or not."
"I'll put it this way then." Cestus said. "We are unfortunately not sure as to what the victim even looks like. Only recently have we even figured out whether he was an earth, pegasus, or unicorn pony."
The ponies in the gallery began to talk with one another as they heard the horrible details of the crime. On the bright side, they only heard the vague details regarding the body. Before things got too loud, The Doctor slammed his gavel down three times.
"Order! Order! Don't make me allow the witness to show a detailed photograph." The Doctor threatened, causing the entire courtroom to go silent.
Nice one, judge. Twilight though, who was just as disgusted as the rest of the ponies.
"Observation #9: The ponies in this town may actually have weaker stomachs than I do." Hope commented.
After a long, awkward silence in the courtroom, Cestus found a chance to once again speak up. "Can I testify as to why we think Pinkie is the culprit now?"
I hope so. This trial has already take a weird turn. Twilight thought with disgust. I remember Cestus saying that he was certain that I would find a contradiction. I hope it'll be as easy as he said.
With no other pony willing to object, especially since no pony wanted to hear how exactly the victim's body was mutilated, Cestus was ready to testify.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--Testimony: How we know it was Pinkie--
-Pinkie Pie apparently lived with the victim for many years, so they have a history.
-We also know that Pinkie was there with him on the day of the murder.
-We even have proof that she was right there. "wink" "wink"
-There could be no other pony to commit the crime.
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"Would this proof be the dagger you mentioned earlier?" The Doctor asked.
"Oh no. It's something completely different, but unlike the dagger, we have a good reason as to why we didn't find it the first time we investigate." Cestus explained with a great big grin on his face. "It's undoubtedly the most perfect, undisputable evidence in the case."
As Cestus was describing the new evidence, Twilight noticed that he was acting very suspicious about it. I bet that he's talking about the evidence with the flaw he mentioned to me earlier. Let's find out what it is.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Cross-examination--
-Pinkie Pie apparently lived with the victim for many years, so they have a history.
HOLD IT!
"So you knew that Pinkie use to live with her uncle too?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah, we found out when we talked with the family members." Cestus answered.
"Their testimony on their opinions of the murder is what initially led the police to believe that she was innocent." Hope spoke up. "In my opinion, they might've just been covering up for a family member."
OBJECTION!
"You can't prove that!"
After Twilight made her objection, The Doctor slammed his gavel down and nodded to Twilight. "I agree with the defense, though I'm afraid that the prosecution raises a good point as well. As much as I'd like to meet the family of a pony like Miss Pinkie, I'm afraid their testimony wouldn't be reliable."
There goes the option of calling in Pinkie's Dad. That would've been a great excuse to delay the trial. Twilight thought, saddened that she lost a good backup plan.
-We also know that Pinkie was there with him on the day of the murder.
HOLD IT!
"How can you be so certain? Surely there could've been another pony that was there at the day of the murder, couldn't there?"
OBJECTION!
"After investigating the crime scene myself, I am absolutely certain that only Pinkie was at the crime scene that day."
"If that's the case, then present the evidence!" Twilight ordered. "I want proof that only Pinkie Pie was there that day!"
At that moment, Twilight's worry about whether or not she could save Pinkie didn't seemed to have mattered. She felt the confidence and charisma that she needed to be a legit defense attorney, which was something that she sometimes forgot she even was. The ponies in the gallery, The Doctor, and even Sweetie Belle was shocked, yet impressed by Twilight. Hope, however, was unfazed.
"Inspector! Do as she asked." Hope ordered.
With an almost evil sounding chuckle, Cestus applied his order. "Sure thing, pal."
-We even have proof that she was right there. "wink" "wink"
HOLD IT!
"The suspense is killing me. Let's see this proof."
"Of course, Twilight." Cestus said. "After a second investigation at the victim's home, AKA: The crime scene, we discovered that the house had their own set of security cameras to monitor everything that goes on in the house."
"PONIES HAVE SECURITY CAM--" The Doctor shouted, but he silenced himself before he got too excited. "Err, I mean...the victim had security cameras?"
"He sure did. Good ones too. The guy had technology more advanced then what Equestria should even have."
Those wonderful, wonderful machines. Why wouldn't Sweetie Belle let me take one? Twilight asked herself depressingly. "So I'm guessing..."
"You for it, pal! We managed to print out a picture that was taken when the crime happened." Cestus explained.
"Only a picture? No footage of the crime?" The Doctor asked.
"Footage? This was a security camera, not a movie filming camera."
"You don't say." The confused Doctor said. "I guess I'm not familiar with your security system then. Perhaps a small explanation?"
"It's actually quite simple, your honor. These camera's work very much like a photography camera. I'm not quite sure how it works myself, but apparently, whenever a sound or something large goes by it, the camera will take a picture, which can then be retrieved later."
"I see. How resourceful."
It feels depressing that I'm probably the only one here who actually understood what the judge was thinking. Twilight thought. I wonder if I could create a camera like--
OBJECTION!
"Inspector! Your honor! You're both straying way off topic." Hope stated. "Please present the photo as evidence!"
"Oh! Sorry about that, pal." Cestus apologized. "Here you go. This is the decisive evidence!"
As Hope ordered, Cestus presented the photo that was taken by the security camera in Shepard Pi's camera. Since it was the evidence that Cestus hinted to Twilight so much, she knew that it was extremely important to get a good look at the picture.
Security Photo was added to the evidence.
As The Doctor looked at the photo, he saw right away how it was decisive evidence. "That pony on the right...is that the defendant?"
"Correct." Hope answered. "And the pony on the left...is the victim, shortly before getting killed by her niece!"
The crowd got restless when the contents of the photo was revealed. A pre-crime photograph to show the two ponies involved in the crime would be decisive evidence no matter what court it was brought to. The prosecution immidiately started the trial by presenting strong evidence.
HOLD IT!
"How do we know for certain that these two ponies are Pinkie Pie and Shepard Pi?" Twilight asked. I certainly know that it's Masquerade on the left.
With a very happy smile on his face, Cestus answered. "That's easy. You can tell by the shadow that the pony on the left is the earth pony, Pinkie Pie."
Following Cestus's explanation was one from Hope. "Furthermore, on the lower right of the photo marks the names "Pinkie Pie" and "Shepard Pi". This means that the camera also recognized that the two ponies were in the room." Hope explained. But as he looked at the photo, he saw that something was off. "Speaking of the photo...Inspector, i can't help but feel that this photo looks different from what I remember."
"Oh yeah, about that...I thought since the we could only see shadows in the picture, it would be a good idea to brighten up. I figured it would make finding out what's what a bit easier."
Hope shook his head, disappointed by Cestus's logic. "Brightening up a shadow only makes a brighter shadow. It does not add color to it."
"Really? Silly me." Cestus said, once again, with a smile.
No. He brightened the picture up for me. If what Cestus said was true... Twilight thought as she thought of her bold move. "Your honor, the picture presented to the court has a major contradiction in it."
"Oh?" The Doctor said as he took another look at the picture. "Are you sure? This looks like pretty damning evidence to me. As is, I'd say this is enough to declare a verdict."
"You are correct. It is enough evidence." Hope said to The Doctor. "The photograph makes the idea of the defendant being right there with the victim before he died an undisputable fact."
OBJECTION!
"I would like to make the argument that this photo IS disputable!" Twilight requested.
Hearing Twilight's request, The Doctor acknowledged it and gave his gavel a slam. "Very well, Miss Sparkle. Please explain to the court why the evidence is wrong."
Alright. Now I can tell the court what is wrong with the photo! Twilight thought happily. Then, after realizing the situation she was in, her happy thought became unhappy. Oh crud. Now I have to tell the court what is wrong with the photo.
As Twilight realized that she was biting more than she could chew, she turned and saw that Sweetie Belle had a weird look on her face as she focused her attention on the photo. Twilight could tell that the filly was on to something.
"Hey Twilight. Are they absolutely sure that the ponies in the picture is Pinkie and her uncle?" Sweetie Belle asked.
Did she find something wrong? Twilight asked herself. Let's see if I can find if something's wrong with this photo.
Twilight took a very close look at the photo in question. At first glance, it did look like Pinkie Pie was the pony on the right, but after a second careful look, she found the clue that Cestus found and made Sweetie Belle uneasy. In hindsight, it was a very obvious problem. Regardless, it was one Twilight planned to abuse.
TAKE THAT!
"Your honor, take a good look at this particular part of the photo! Does anything seem wrong?"
"Not really. All I see is the defendant's horn." The Doctor answered, but after saying it out loud, he noticed his own mistake. "W-wait! Isn't she an earth pony?"
"Exactly. Anypony who's ever met Pinkie Pie knows she isn't a unicorn, but this photo is implying that she is." Twilight stated, which was followed by a hoof slam on her table."Eww, it still feels sticky--I mean...THIS COULD NOT BE PINKIE PIE!"
The ponies in the gallery were shocked when they saw the photo, but became even more shocked when Twilight debunked the theory behind it. They had all been worried about whether or not their beloved Pinkie Pie was a killer, so naturally, they would feel better when Twilight found proof against it.
OBJECTION!
Unfortunately for Ponyville, as well as Twilight, Sweetie, and Cestus, Hope was not willing to let them have that relief. "You have been mislead, Miss Sparkle. Rest assure, the pony on the right is Pinkie Pie."
"Come on, pal. We may have to admit defeat here." Cestus said as he pretended to be on Hope's side. "I've seen the evidence. That isn't Pinkie."
As Cestus stood confidently at the witness stand, Hope simply shook his head in disappointment. "Have you seen THIS piece of evidence?"
With his magic, Hope presented his next piece of evidence: a metal ring, big enough to fit around one's head. The most obvious detail of the evidence was the small steel rod with a drill-like design to it. It looked almost like a piece of garbage. After noting the very unique design of the device, Twilight got a rough idea as to where he was going.
"Fancy that. You've got a...a...what do you got there?" The Doctor eventually asked.
"This is something belonging to the defendant and is what Miss Sparkle noticed in the photo." Hope explained, which was followed by a slam of his hoof on the table. "Fillies and gentlecolts, I present to the court...Pinkie Pie's horn!"
As Twilight heard Hope's claim, her brain stopped working for an instant. Even after realizing what he said, she almost didn't understood what she heard. "Pinkie's...PINKIE'S WHHAAAAAAAT!?"
At that point, the single most ridiculous piece of evidence was shown to the court. Every single pony in the courtroom, from the gallery to the witness stand, were surprised by Pinkie's supposed horn. For something like that to exist went against everything that was sound and logical.
And yet, considering the case, it made sense.
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Now I have an important question to ask you guys, but I'm putting it here because I don't think everyone reads my actual author's note.
If I wrote an Ace Attorney Investigations-styled story that featured Star Cestus as the main protagonist, would you be interested in reading it?
The picture only shows the names and not the ponies.
Interesting.
I'm sorry.
4968554 No problem. I accept point outs whenever I get them.
4968525 It's meant to look pretty dark, though from my own screen, they look bright enough to clearly see the two ponies..
I might replace the picture with a lighter-shaded one if more people get the same problem.
I can't see the picture either.
4968600 Well, I finally noticed the artificial horn, so.
4968692 As you are the third person to have complain about it, I've finally decided to fix up the picture. Try looking again.
4968692 Fixed it up. Should be good to go.
4968746 Yeah, I had to fix it up.
Its a little ironic actually that I really did need to brighten up the image.
4968470 I'd be interested in reading that kind of story.
4968470 Definitely! Cestus is like a combination of Edgeworth and Gumshoe, with Scootaloo as his Kay. That would be awesome to read!
4969901 Then you'll be happy to know that he'll be getting his own Maggey Bryde too.
4968470 Definitley.
also...
ARE YOU MAD!? GIVING THAT PINK MENACE A HORN!? WHAT THE HAY MAN!
4974514 Could be worse. Not entirely sure how, but it could.
4974840 i suppose.
she could be an alicorn
Pinkies WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!!!
What she uses a false horn now?! How the heck does THAT work, and just what the heck is it meant to do?!
4974874 DON'T EVEN GO THERE MAN!!!
4975052 Hmm...he may be on to something.
4975159 wow. im on a roll this month. figurin out secrets left and right.
4968470
Sounds like a good idea, do you already have someone in mind as his assistant?
4979822 Two potential options actually. One is Scootaloo (obviously), and the other would be his wife, who had been mentioned several times throughout the story. Three guesses as to what Ace Attorney character she'll be partially based on..
4979856
Maggie Bryde.
Franziska von Karma.
Maya Fey.
4979862 I guess you only needed one.
Maggey is correct.
5085690 In hindsight, I probably should've written the chapter a bit better. At one point, it felt like I made a shipfic.
Btw, I'm still working on the next chapter. I feel bad for taking so long on it.
And 'click' goes the last piece!
So, If I'm correct:
Due to a strange occurrence with Rainbow's Rainboom, Pinkie had power that could rival Celestia. Dr. Shepard was working on a device that could allow Pinkie to use her magic like a Unicorn.
Masquerade somehow found out and wanted to get rid of Pinkie.
The only piece I'm missing is his motive. Why does he want Pinkie gone?