• Published 7th Jan 2012
  • 28,860 Views, 2,735 Comments

Phoenix Wright - Turnabout Storm! - Firesight



A famous racer is found dead in the Everfree, and Rainbow Dash stands accused of his murder. Can an Ace Attorney from another world uncover the truth and prove her innocent, or will Rainbow Dash be banished to the sun for a crime she didn't commit?

  • ...
74
 2,735
 28,860

PreviousChapters Next
Part 65 - Channel Change

Everfree Forest
June 16th, 5:11 PM

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea… worried Maya Fey as the darkness of the Everfree closed in around her, their surroundings growing increasingly gloomy even though the sun was still out.

The teenage mystic was bringing up the rear of the group that included her and Pearl, as well as Zecora, Mystral Noctus and Fluttershy. Though Pearl was treating their trip like yet another grand adventure in Equestria and chatting happily with her new pony friends, Maya was starting to have second thoughts about going with her, following the rhyming zebra mare into the woods.

She’d heard about Phoenix’s near-death experience but was skeptical at best—Come on, Nick’s such a scaredy-cat he could be frightened by a freakin’ mouse. And here he was menaced by wolves made of twigs? That’s not scary, that’s just SILLY!—but as they got deeper into the woods, she swore she could sense eyes and unfriendly presences all around them. Her mystic awareness was also picking up some very odd things; wild spirits and swirling energies that could be neither controlled nor tamed.

Okay, I’ll admit this place is genuinely spooky. And yeah, I definitely wouldn’t want to be out here after dark, she granted, rubbing her goosebumped arms through her sleeves, though she still refused to acknowledge that there could be anything there that was actually dangerous.

Come on, he sent FLUTTERS of all ponies with us! Probably just so Pearly would have a friend to keep her company, she told herself even as she heard a distant howl and felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

Suppressing a shudder, Maya picked up her pace a little so she was closer to the rest of the group. She cast a quick glance to Pearl, who was still chatting amicably with the others, unaware of the apparent dangers all around them. Perhaps it was for the best, she reasoned; having Pearl become scared or upset by the eerie forest would do anything but help them at the moment.

Trying not to think about their surroundings, she turned her thoughts toward the trial they’d just witnessed instead. A non-murder trial for a guilty client in front of a corrupt judge is definitely a change of pace for Nick. He handled it like a champ, though, she conceded, though she refused to give Twilight Sparkle any credit for the outcome despite her speech and testimony, resenting the mare for usurping her co-counsel position, to say nothing of how she seemed to monopolize Nick.

Sparkle… her eyes narrowed again, feeling another surge of jealousy as she remembered Nick putting his hand on her shoulder. She grit her teeth and clenched her fists at her side as she let out a sharp exhale. I don’t care HOW powerful you are, I won’t let you replace me, either in court or in Nick’s LIFE!

The thought caught her short. Despite what Pearly believed, she wasn’t romantically interested in Nick at all—come on, Pearly, I’m eighteen and he’s twenty-five! That’s like an old man to me! she never said—yet to her surprise, it really bothered her that someone else was, whether or not she was a pony from another world.

But that just makes it even WORSE! she thought again, unable to explain or entirely accept it, wondering what their friends and family back home would say if they knew.

If she could describe her relationship to Nick, it would be one of siblings, though at times it was hard for her to say whether she saw Nick more as a big brother or little one. In truth, given his unfamiliarity with basic technology and lack of certain life skills—what adult didn’t know how to use a computer or smartphone? Even with her initial isolation at Kurain village, she’d mastered them in a matter of months—it was a little of both, as she ended up taking care of him as much as the other way around.

Feeling conflicted and needing someone to talk to who wasn’t already smitten with the place or its sickly-sweet inhabitants, she’d asked Pearl to channel Mia when Nick and Sparkle were out so she could have a friendly ear, but her young cousin was bewildered and more than a little upset to find she could not. Surprised, Maya had tried herself and found her attempt to summon her sister somehow blocked.

But that can’t happen unless a more powerful medium is already channeling her! she mentally protested, telling a teary Pearl the same so she wouldn’t feel like she’d failed her beloved Mystic Maya. No way any pony knows spirit channeling. It’s more likely we’re in such a faraway place that Mia’s spirit simply can’t be reached? was all she could think, feeling more cut off from all she knew and loved than ever.

She’d also gotten no sympathy from Pearl regarding her worries about Twilight and Phoenix. “Come on, Mystic Maya. Ponies can’t be sugar mamas. That’s just silly!” she had all but laughed as Maya had broached the subject of Twilight’s interest in Nick. Her eight-year old cousin was still very happy and excited to be in Equestria and, to Maya’s mild disgust, had become a favorite of the others. Pearl delighted in her new pony friends and their displays of strength, flight and magic—case in point, Mystral Noctus was performing a few simple magic tricks of his own for Pearl as they walked, which was doubly impressive given he was an earth pony.

As she watched, Maya grudgingly admitted the pastel-hued equines were pretty impressive at times and unicorn magic dwarfed anything she could do—the duel playback alone was enough to give her nightmares and was another reason she didn’t quite trust Twilight or Trixie. Who could be trusted with THAT kind of power? She shivered. Well, soon as Sparkle sends us home, I won’t have to think about her any more. She’ll be out of our lives and we’ll never have to see her or come here again!

Her thoughts were cut short as they found themselves outside of Zecora’s home. It was carved out of a tree much like Twilight’s library, but a far more spooky and gnarled one as befit the forest, with voodoo-like masks sitting outside and liquid-filled colored vials hanging from the branches, either as decoration or for aging.

Creepy. Is this zebra an evil enchantress or something? she wondered as they were led inside, Fluttershy taking her leave to tend the animals back at her home, promising to return for them and escort them back out the next morning.

* * * * *

To Maya’s surprise, they arrived at the treehouse to find Trixie already there. She started to speak as Zecora entered first, but then her eyes widened as her father came into view, all but cringing at his sight. “Daddy, I—”

Mystral Noctus wasted no time in scolding his daughter. “Lula, your behavior back there was beyond contempt! I know you were overwhelmed, but is a simple ‘thank you’ beyond you?” he asked sharply. “You’ve had a rough time, but that’s no excuse! Mister Wright and Miss Sparkle not only got you off with no prison time, they just paid your fine and gave you the opportunity for a fresh start! And this is how you repay them?”

“Yeah!” Maya piled on. “Nick got you off when he had every reason not to help you, you ice queen ingrate! Never mind that money he gave you! And you threw it back in his face?” She raised her fists in front of her, her cheeks puffing out in anger. “You don’t deserve any of it, especially after breaking Pearly’s heart!”

“Please, Mystic Trixie!” Pearl came up to her when her name was called. “Mister Nick wanted to help you! So did Mystic Twilight! Why won’t you let them?” she asked, tears in her eyes.

Trixie flinched at the sight of the young human girl heartbroken. “Zecora, take it!” she told the zebra mare, magically passing her the check, sounding close to panic. “I’ve ch-changed my mind about keeping it. It-it’s payment for all the help and meals you gave me. I’ll sign it over to you. Just please take it!” she begged, looking like she wanted to leave badly, unable to meet her father’s disapproving face or Pearl’s pleading eyes.

“Lula…” Mystral Noctus shook his head as Maya gave her a look of disgust.

Zecora looked at the check, then at her. “It was given to you, my friend in blue. And though this money, you did not seek, it, I feel, you should keep.”

“Why are you fighting this, Lula?” her father tried again, putting a reassuring hoof on a crying Pearl’s shoulder. “You’re hurting her, and me! What are you so afraid of?”

“I’m not afraid of anything!” Trixie insisted haughtily, though a sudden, fitful gust of cold wind gave lie to that statement.

“Except friendship, apparently,” her father noted sadly, making Zecora nod in agreement.

“And generosity,” Maya added scornfully over crossed arms.

“I don’t want to owe him!” Trixie tried again, clutching her head between her hooves. “I d-don’t want to owe anypony anything—least of all Wrong or his marefriend!”

Maya rolled her eyes. “Nick didn’t ask for repayment. He never does,” she told her, leaning over and getting in the unicorn mare’s face, her arms goosebumping again from the icy air around her. “He thinks kindness is its own reward. But me? I’m with Sparkle’s friends—after the way you’ve acted, you don’t deserve squat, blue-butt!”

“And Trixie agrees!” She tried giving the check to Maya next, ignoring her insult. “Take it yourself then! Spend it as you will! Trixie wants nothing to do with gifts or charity!” But to her frustration, Maya just crossed her arms and stepped back.

“Lula! Accepting gifts is not weakness!” Mystral Noctus raised his voice, showing genuine anger with his daughter for the first time. “You already accepted Mister Wright’s help in defending you, so why aren’t you accepting his money as well? You know, if you’re truly trying to make good on your second chance, you’re not off to a good start! And what would your grandfather say if he could see you now?” he scolded again.

Trixie’s shot her father an angry look as she laid her ears flat. “Don’t bring him into this!” she snapped back, feeling assailed on all sides.

Her father did not back down. “You have his cutie mark, but not his heart, Lula! I watched those playbacks from your performances in Las Pegasus, and I’m sorry to say—you clearly don’t have his love of the art or audiences! And without them, Lady Requiem was right—you’ll never succeed in show business, there or anywhere else!”

The showmare recoiled as if she’d been slapped. “Well he’s not here, is he? And he never had to deal with powers he didn’t want or an audience who would hate her just for having them!” she retorted, but her lip began to tremble. “He was the only one who knew what I was. And then he died when I needed him most.” She got teary-eyed and looked away, causing Maya’s eyes to narrow, a sudden idea taking hold of her.

So… there’s a pony out there blue-butt actually might listen to? “Mister Noctus—do you have a picture of her grandfather?” she asked, turning to him.

The earth pony stallion blinked at the question, giving her an odd look. “I do. Why?”

“Because I can channel him,” Maya proclaimed. “That’s my power, Trixie. I can call his spirit to me so you can talk to him yourself. I’ll let him tell you how badly you’re acting!”

“You… can?” Mystral Noctus was extremely dubious as he brought out a small black-and-white photograph from his pouch; even Zecora seemed uncertain.

Trixie was even less charitable, pinning the human teenager with a glare. “Oh, please! He died when I was six, long before I even got my cutie mark! And you expect me to believe that you can ‘channel’ him?” She audibly snorted. “Your pathetic parlor tricks have no place here, Miss So-Called ‘Mystic’! Trixie knows full well there is no such magic in this or any other world! By suggesting otherwise, you insult both Trixie’s intelligence and her grandfather’s memory, you charlatan!” she all but hissed out the last word.

Maya’s next words were colder than any blizzard Trixie could have conjured. “Don’t you dare call me and my clan charlatans, Trixie,” she growled in a quiet but ominous tone that caused all present to step back. It was all Maya could do to keep from attacking the unicorn mare; after all, a claim that the Feys were frauds had been responsible for the disappearance of her mother, Misty Fey. “Do so again, and I might just break off that horn of yours!”

“Ha!” Trixie burst out laughing, but there was an undercurrent of anger in her voice and she lowered her head to present her horn, as if in a guard position. “And just how do you plan on doing that, Maya Fake? You’re just a weakling human, and I’ve crossed horns with Twilight Sparkle herself! What power do you have here, let alone over me?” She bared her teeth.

“Mystic Trixie, please!” Pearl stepped between them, causing both females to take a step back; it was fortunate, too, because Maya had been a hairsbreadth from tackling the mare and attempting to make good on her promise. “Mystic Maya does have power! The Kurain Spirit Channeling Technique is real, and we can show you! I can do it, Mystic Maya!” Pearl eagerly offered. “I’ll channel Mystic Trixie’s grandfather! I’d love to become a pony!” she said, but Maya shook her head sharply, still fuming.

“No Pearly. I don’t know if this is going to work, or what it might do to you. We’ve never tried channeling a different species before, and the transformation might be too much for you. So the only one trying it is me.”

“Aww...” Pearl went crestfallen, but obeyed, stepping back and giving Maya space as the teenaged mystic knelt on the floor before taking the offered photograph of Trixie’s grandfather and placing it in front of her. It was a picture of a very young but happy-looking Trixie bracketed by two smiling stallions, each with a hoof on her. One was a much younger version of Trixie’s father, and the other…

“This’ll just take a minute. And Trixie?” Maya called out.

“What?” the showmare spat the word out, her emotions still raw.

“I expect an apology when all this is over. You bucking well better appreciate this, Miss Blue-Butt!” she told her, having at least picked up one new curse word since she’d arrived in Equestria. “Now if you please, I need everyone to be quiet while I do this.” She exhaled softly and focused her attention on the picture.

“Fine. This should be amusing!” Trixie all but sneered, but stayed silent afterwards.

Her smug expression evaporated as Maya’s Magatama glowed and her form shifted. The young mystic’s torso expanded and her head lengthened, slate-blue fur spreading all over her body as a crest of dark purple hair erupted from her head and neck. Her hands turned to hooves, and her sleeves split open from the large forelegs inside as a long tail suddenly burst from the base of her back.

It took about twenty seconds for the process to finish, and when it had, those present could only stare as the new arrival suddenly rose to all fours, torn human clothes sloughing off his clearly pony form to reveal a cutie mark…

One that perfectly matched Trixie’s.

The ponies in the room all wore expressions of shock while Pearl jumped up and down in excitement. For where before had sat a teenaged human girl, now stood an earth pony stallion…

A very familiar one to Trixie’s eyes. “Grand… pa?” Trixie Lulamoon could only gape.

“F… Father!” Mystral Noctus was no less stunned, taking a hesitant step forward before halting in place, uncertain whether to believe what he saw to be true.

Upon hearing their voices, the channeled pony opened his violet eyes—their shade identical to Trixie’s—and turned them on the pair. “Lula!” he called out in a voice that was anything but Maya’s. “You really have grown! And Mystral!” He next turned to and recognized his son. “But… how have I returned?” He looked around in wonder, but then his eyes fell on Pearl. “And why is a human child here?”

With that, Pearl approached him. “You’re being channeled, sir.” She clasped her hands and bowed low before the pony, who, instead of appearing elderly, looked very much in his prime. “My cousin, Mystic Maya, has called your spirit to her, and taken your form. You may speak or act through her as you wish, for as long as she keeps your spirit within her.”

“Ah… a most unique talent, and one I’ve never heard of!” mused the clearly impressed stallion. “That’s one trick I never learned! To think that a human would cause Shadowmoon the Illustrious to return, even if only briefly...” He looked over his borrowed body once more.

“Th-this… this is a trick!” Trixie staggered backwards and looked to Pearl to be on the verge of fainting, her legs visibly wobbling. “You aren’t here! This can’t be real!” she continued to insist, disbelief warring with a desperate desire to be wrong.

“I’m real, Lula,” he assured her, putting a hoof to his slate-blue chest.

Prove it!” Trixie challenged, trying not to shake.

He stared at her a moment, then smiled. “When you were four, I was foalsitting you while your father was out performing for the Princess. You got frustrated when you couldn’t immediately master a card trick and accidentally caused a blizzard in your bedroom. Remember how scared you were when it happened?”

Trixie’s mouth fell open again—nopony had known about that except her and her grandfather. “I told you then you had a great gift, and when the time came, you would be able to show it proudly to everypony. That time is coming,” he promised her, his mouth suddenly turning upward in a sly and knowing grin. “Perhaps sooner than you think.”

His identity confirmed beyond any doubt, Trixie could restrain herself no longer. Tears streaming down her face, she launched herself at the human-turned-pony and hugged him tightly. “Grandpa… Grandpa… Grandpa… Grandpa!” she called over and over, sounding like a four-year old foal again through tears and broken breaths.

“Ssshhh…” he said, holding her. “It’s okay, Lula,” he told her, extending a beckoning foreleg towards Mystral, inviting his son to join them. He did so immediately, and Pearl and Zecora smiled as they witnessed the tearful reunion, daughter, father and grandfather all hugging each other at once.

At length, Mystral spoke up, doing his best to calm his nerves and choke back his own tears. “F-Father? I’m s-so sorry you had to see us again like this. Things have been— ”

“I’m aware, Mystral,” Shadowmoon interrupted, releasing his son and granddaughter, though he kept hold of their hooves. “I know full well what has happened during the last few years, let alone the past week.”

Trixie froze up slightly. “Y-you do? B-but… how?”

“The departed have eyes and ears, Lula. We can gaze upon the living when we wish. And I’m sorry to say… I’ve been very disappointed in how you’ve conducted your life,” he told her, his smile falling as he met his granddaughter’s gaze once more.

Every hair in Trixie’s mane seemed to droop. “B-but I—”

“That you’ve had a rough life is no excuse for going after Twilight Sparkle through one of her friends, or refusing her help afterwards. She never meant to hurt you, Lula, and it is not fair for you to take out your frustrations on her—frustrations which are in large part of your own making, my dear.”

Trixie lowered her ears. “B-but…” she tried again but the reflexive denial caught in her throat.

“Tell me—what was the first lesson I ever taught you about show business, Lula?” Shadowmoon asked her, now speaking sternly.

She cringed, but answered. “’When you perform, respect your audience and remember that you’re there for them, not just yourself’,” she recited.

“And have you followed that lesson?” the slate blue stallion quickly followed up.

Trixie’s mouth closed and opened several times before she finally gave the only answer she could. “N-no,” she admitted in defeat.

Her grandfather didn’t mince words. “Then why would you blame Twilight Sparkle for what happened, when it was your own false boasts and audience putdowns that invited it in the first place?” he asked pointedly. “Miss Sparkle wasn’t trying to upstage you; she simply did what she had to do to save her town. Be grateful for her intervention, or you might have lost your life instead of your reputation.”

For the first time since she had known her, Pearl witnessed Trixie bow her head down in submission and shame, told she was wrong by the one pony she could not argue with. “I-I’m sorry, grandpa.” She sniffled. “I just wanted to end all the hurt, and g-getting back at her was the only way I could think to…” she tried again.

Shadowmoon’s expression softened as he hugged her again. “But it wouldn’t have, Lula. Twilight and your father were right—revenge ultimately leads nowhere except more pain.” His expression turned both wry and rueful for a moment. “Trust me as I speak from bitter experience. If you had won the case; even if you had won the duel—you would have found yourself more shunned and alone than ever, with nowhere to go and nopony to turn to.

“You would have been beyond reach or redemption, and easy prey for… things I hope you never meet,” he finished in a slightly cryptic tone. “It was for the best you lost the case and duel, and for the best that you find yourself here now. For it is here your life can begin anew.”

“H-how?” she asked him unsteadily, now hanging on his every word.

He smiled. “By starting over. And you can begin by accepting the help and friendship of others,” he pointed at the check, which was now lying where she had dropped it. “Friendships enrich us, not restrict us, Lula, and no pony can grow without them. But as Mister Wright told you, we need rivals, too. Respect them as peers and do not resent their success—use them instead to push and better yourself, as you used Twilight Sparkle for motivation to improve your magic. And above all else, embrace your power and learn from your past—the right lessons this time,” he told her, pausing to let his words sink in.

“If you can do these things, your life and career will flourish. You can truly be Great and Powerful,” he promised her, causing Trixie’s eyes to water even more. “But until you make the decision to let go of your hate and hurt, that will never come to pass.”

“I don’t know if I can, but… I-I will try, Grandfather,” she promised, bowing her head low again.

He smiled and ruffled her mane. “That’s my little filly. You can and you will,” he promised her, now holding both her hooves. “You will be tested Lula, but if you remember these lessons, you will pass, and then—” He grinned again, then his brow furrowed. “But that is not my place to say, and I think my time is running short,” he said, suddenly stumbling backwards a bit and sitting down heavily, his voice abruptly strained. “I can feel this body losing its grip on me. I’m going to leave soon.”

“What?” Mystral Noctus stepped forward again. “Father, please don’t go!”

“NO!” Trixie shouted, her tone pleading, clutching her grandfather again. “I get you back for five minutes, only to lose you again?” she cried openly, her mind racing, desperately searching her memory for a spell that might allow him to stay longer but coming up empty—for as she herself had noted, such magic was unknown in Equestria. “Why? Why is it my fate to always be hurt? To lose and lose again?” she asked both her grandfather and the universe at large.

“It isn’t your fate. And it never was,” Shadowmoon said, holding his granddaughter tight as he sensed his time run out. “Fate is a funny thing, Lula. It finds you when you least expect it. Sometimes right when you’ve given up on it. So it will be with you.”

With that, his spirit departed and where Shadowmoon the Illustrious once sat was once again Maya Fey, who collapsed against Trixie as the transformation quickly reversed itself, leaving her body and spirit spent.

“Mystic Maya!” Pearl immediately rushed to her older cousin’s side as a shocked Trixie released her naked form. But Maya barely heard her, passing out even before she hit the floor.

* * * * *

Maya Fey woke up in an unfamiliar bed with a massive headache, feeling sore all over.

“Ow…” she called out to nobody in particular, weakly raising her arm to rest her wrist on her forehead. “Mental note: channeling ponies is really hard.”

“Mystic Maya! You’re awake!” she heard Pearl’s relieved shout, its volume painful to her and causing her to wince.

“Pearly…” she called out. “Need… water,” she pleaded, and it was quickly brought to her, her head raised as the cup was held to her lips. A few sips, and she was able to sit up with some help, only to realize she was naked, quickly pulling the covers back up. “Uh… where are my clothes?” she asked, feeling cold and vulnerable.

“They were torn to pieces when you transformed, Mystic Maya,” Pearl told her apologetically. “But you did it! You became a pony! You channeled Mystic Trixie’s grandfather and got through to her!”

“I did?” She managed a weak grin at her success, then lay back down. “I wasn’t sure.”

“You don’t remember?” Mystral Noctus asked, still staring at her in awe.

“I don’t have memories of what happens when I’m channeling,” she explained, reflecting that fact had gotten her in trouble previously, leaving her initially unable to disprove a murder charge. “The spirit takes over, and I’m just the host at that point. The spirit stays until they leave of their own accord, or until I can no longer keep the connection.” There are also ways to sever it, but I haven’t learned those yet...

“Remarkable!” was all he could say. “I never dreamt such magic could exist!”

“Nor did I!” a deeper, accented voice called out, Zecora entering with a platter of food and some rather aromatic tea on her back. “Believed what I saw, I never would. To bring the dead back? I thought nopony could!” She laid the platter on the nightstand beside the bed, offering the human mystic her choice of fruit, along with a rich vegetable broth and some bread.

At least she remembered we don’t eat hay. But what I wouldn’t give for a big juicy burger right now! Maya decided as she picked a couple grapes, had a few bites of bread and sampled the soup. As she ate, she stopped making an effort to cover herself, deciding she was too tired to care and her modesty was misplaced among ponies anyway.

“It’s all good, thank you.” She managed a few sips of what she could only describe as a big tasty stew before tiring again, laying back on the bed. “I’m sorry, but that’s about all I can manage right now. The channeling really took a lot out of me.”

Zecora nodded. “A good night’s rest, you clearly need. I will leave this here for when you can feed.” She left the platter at the bedside.

“Thanks. But where’s Trixie?” Maya asked after a moment. In answer, Pearl pointed outside. Maya turned her head and saw the showmare was sitting by herself just outside the window, facing away with her head bowed. How long have I been out? she suddenly wondered, noting it was nighttime. If it’s after dark, it must have been—

“Lula’s been out there for three hours. She hasn’t said a word since her grandfather left,” Mystral Noctus told her.

“But she did carry you in here with her magic after you collapsed. Wrapped you in a blanket and everything!” Pearl grinned.

“Let her be,” Maya decided, managing a wan grin of her own even as she felt herself start to fall asleep again. “I’ll get her apology another time.”

“You can have it right now,” Trixie spoke up in a flat, emotionless voice, and, with a flare of her horn, teleported back inside the house, reappearing at Maya’s bedside.

She stared at the human girl for several seconds before speaking. “I want you to understand something, Maya Fey. I don’t offer my respect or apologies to many. But I’m offering them to you now,” she announced, bowing her head contritely. “Trixie knows now you are no charlatan, and offers her sincerest apologies for stating otherwise. What you did… was not something Trixie ever dreamed possible, in this world or any other. And for letting me see my grandfather again…”

To the shock of all, the showmare bowed low in deep respect before the human mystic. “Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, Maya Fey.”

With that, she turned on her heel and departed, pausing only to stow the check in her travel pouch. Neither Zecora nor her father made any effort to stop her, knowing she needed time to absorb all she had seen and heard.

Pearl, however, was not so restrained. “Wait, Mystic Trixie!” she called after her, running to the entrance. “Please don’t go…”

The young human girl’s voice stopped Trixie in her tracks. “Do you still want to see my show, sweetie?” she asked without looking back.

“What? Yes! Very much!” Pearl nodded eagerly.

“Then you will,” Trixie promised, and with that, her horn flared and the showmare teleported away, leaving nothing but a few snowflakes and fading magical flourishes in her wake.


Ponyville District Court
Clerk of Court Office
June 17th, 10:02 AM

Our home away from home, Phoenix thought as he and Twilight returned to Ponyville’s District Courthouse yet again, this time to pay their respective fines.

Even though Celestia’s payment wasn’t valid in his world and he’d already given the bulk of his bits to Trixie, he still felt the familiar sting of forking over hard-earned money as he signed the documents and check, paying the 5,000 bit fine he’d been levied by Delta Requiem’s review board, as well as the 500-bit one he’d incurred for the contempt citation handed down by The Judge at the end of Rainbow’s trial. He’d also forgotten about the one penalty he’d earned on the first day of the trial for objecting without knowing that pegasi controlled weather, which was another 50-bit fine.

Just the one penalty this time, though? That’s not too bad, actually. In some of my earlier trials, I ended up with four or five… he reflected ruefully, glad at least that The Judge had been a lot more lenient with him back then, allowing him to stay on cases long past the point he would have thrown other attorneys right out of court.

Twilight, too, had a significant fine to pay, this one for a third of the damages suffered courtroom #2 in her magical duel with Trixie, as per Due Process’s ruling. Though her share of the damages came to several thousand bits and she was entitled to a court date if she wished it, Twilight had elected not to contest the citation, refusing Phoenix’s offer to defend her or pay the fine for her.

“It’s punishment I deserve, and paying it is my responsibility and nopony else’s!” she told him adamantly, and Phoenix had learned by then there was no point in trying to change her mind when it was set.

You know, she’s every bit as stubborn as Maya when it comes down to it, he noted, wondering when Maya and Pearl were going to get back from Zecora’s. Hope they’re okay…

As Twilight magically signed the document, she turned around and was surprised to see… “Sergeant Delta?” she blinked, recognizing the tall red stallion, now sporting a fresh military manecut.

“Hey Twilight. Good to finally meet you as well, Mister Wright,” he sketched the taller human a respectful bow. “Sergeant Major Delta Strike, at your service,” he introduced himself, standing back up and offering Phoenix his hoof.

Another Delta? Phoenix was confused, wondering if he was any relation to Lady Requiem. “Phoenix Wright. And likewise.” He bumped his fist to the stallion’s hoof, looking him over and finding himself mildly intimidated—the newcomer was not only nearly as big as Big Macintosh but also had a military bearing about him, the wrinkles around his eyes marking him as a long-time veteran, one who’d seen his share of action.

But what kind of action would there be in Equestria? And how does Twilight know him? he couldn’t help but wonder.

“I still owe you that dinner, Delta,” Twilight broke into his thoughts, her eyes widening when she saw the look on Phoenix’s face and realized how he was interpreting that statement. “Oh! Nothing like that, Phoenix. Delta used to be one of Princess Celestia’s personal guard. He foalsat me a lot growing up when the Princess wasn’t available.”

“Oh!” Phoenix blinked in relief. “A pleasure, then.” Wait—was I actually jealous for a second there? Am I now thinking of Twilight like a—

Delta’s chuckle cut his thought short. “If it makes you feel any better, Mister Wright, I have a full stable of mares and more than a few foals already. I have my hooves full with them, and I don’t need any more of either, believe me,” he noted, a little ruefully. “I’m here because somepony would like to see you both.”

“Oh?” Phoenix blinked as Twilight’s eyes went wide, even darting.

“Yes. If you two will follow me?” He led them out the door and down a side passage. Phoenix followed Twilight’s lead, wondering about her suddenly nervous manner.

A minute later, they entered a small windowless basement office to find an Equestrian flag and map adorning the walls, a desk with a stack of papers on it interspersed with a few personal effects... and their owner sitting behind the desk, a surprisingly familiar figure peering over it at the pair.

It’s that bailiff! Phoenix was surprised to recognize the white unicorn stallion who had intervened during the courtroom duel and been head bailiff at Trixie’s trial. I swore Twilight was acting like she knew him. But how? he wondered again. Guess I’m about to find out?

Upon seeing the pair, the stallion rose to greet them, giving Phoenix a brief glance before his gaze fell back on Twilight. “Hey, Twily,” he called out, making Phoenix blink at the familiar term.

“Hey, Shiny,” Twilight rejoined, going up to hug him affectionately. She felt far more subdued than their earlier meeting, knowing that this time, she would be the one facing a well-deserved dressing-down. “Phoenix, I’d like you to meet Shining Armor.” She turned back to present him, noting the former was watching the scene in some confusion. “He’s Captain of the Royal Guard, here running an undercover security op and, well—” she took a deep breath “—he’s my big brother.”

Phoenix’s jaw fell open. “Your… brother?” he repeated dumbly as several things fell into place at once—Twilight’s behavior around him, her shock at his initial appearance, her deliberately being coy about his identity and the unspoken conversations she seemed to be having with him at several points during Trixie’s trial. So THAT’S why she was acting so oddly around him! He realized he was gaping and quickly closed his mouth. “An honor, then.” He hurriedly offered the stallion his hand.

Shining Armor stared at him for a moment in appraisal before he offered his hoof back. “Likewise,” he answered, if somewhat coolly. “With apologies, Mister Wright, I’d like to talk to my sister for a few minutes. Alone, if you don’t mind.”

“Sure,” Phoenix agreed after a glance at Twilight, who gave him a brief nod. He departed with a wary glance at the white stallion, who was giving him an equally uncertain look.

“So…” Twilight began after the door closed. Let’s just get this over with.

“So…” Shining Armor looked like he wasn’t sure where to begin. “Hay of a trial, yesterday.”

“Yeah,” Twilight agreed cautiously, sensing her brother dancing around what he really wanted to say. “Phoenix is quite the lawyer, isn’t he?”

“He really is,” Shining Armor agreed, if somewhat reluctantly. “I heard how good he was, but I never would have believed it until I saw for myself. That Phoenix Wright was really something else in there. Especially given Lady Requiem is no pushover! She may not have taken the prosecutor’s role before, but those who know more about the law are few and far between,” he granted, leaving Twilight awaiting the inevitable but.

She didn’t have long to wait as she sensed Shining Armor steeling himself. “But getting Trixie off lightly doesn’t excuse what you did to her, Twiliy!” he scolded her, forcing himself to put a little bite in his voice.

“Shining…” Twilight felt all her pain flood back.

“Twily—you took advantage of her emotional state to read her mind right in the middle of the duel! Even aside from the fact you could have hurt her or lost the fight if you lost concentration, you invaded her mind and stole her memories! And I don’t care what your reasons were, you can’t ever use your magic that way, sis!”

“Shining!” Twilight shouted a little more sharply than she meant to, the wound still raw. “I already got the third degree for it from Due Process, Delta Requiem, and even from Princess Celestia herself! I’ve been suspended as her student for a month, and that hurts most of all! I know it was wrong, you don’t have to tell me again!” She raised her gaze to him, letting him see the hurt in her eyes.

“Okay, okay!” He held up a placating hoof—it was easy for him to dress down a subordinate, but not his little sister. “You just have to understand—it was hard acting the part of head bailiff in that trial and not be able to say anything to you or anypony else, you know. I’m used to giving orders, not taking them.” He sat down heavily and shook his head. “It wasn’t just that, either. You don’t know how badly I wanted to identify myself right there in front of everypony and publicly haul off Fair Verdict under my own authority, but I couldn’t blow my cover.”

Twilight’s expression softened. “I know. And I didn’t say this before, but… thanks for intervening in the duel, Shiny,” she told him, bowing her head. “I was only at half-power and couldn’t take Trixie alone. If you hadn’t been there, I would have lost and Celestia only knows what would have happened then.”

His cheeks warmed. “You’re welcome. No matter how big and strong you get, you’re still my little sis, Twily. I’ve got your back. Always.” He gave her an affectionate hoof noogie, something Twilight wouldn’t tolerate from anypony except him and Rainbow. “So now, about the little matter of you and that human lawyer…”

“Shining…” she all but growled before the perfect retort occurred to her. “Am I being lectured on special someponies by a big brother who gets himself a marefriend but then won’t tell me who she is?” she asked with a smirk, taking some pleasure in watching him squirm. “Fine, you can have your secret. But don’t begrudge me for finding someone too!”

“Aw, come on, Twily! I’m your big brother and he’s your prospective coltfriend. Human or no, I’m supposed to hate him on general principles.” He rubbed his hoof behind his head. “But he is human, and that just makes it even weirder. I mean, what’s the attraction, anyway?”

She gave him an annoyed look, well and truly sick of the question after having been asked variations of it two dozen times already. “Oh, nothing, really. Just that he’s got romance-novel looks, he’s driven and dedicated, he devotes himself to protecting others and has an absolutely brilliant mind…” she recited in a mild tone before smirking again. “Not unlike a certain other stallion I could name. Well, except for the brilliant mind part, of course.” Her smile got wider.

Ouch, Twily!” Shining Armor’s hoof went to his heart like he’d just been mortally wounded, before breaking out into a lopsided grin. “So you’re saying you like him… because he reminds you of me?”

Twilight’s eyes went wide and her cheeks flushed hard. “Touché,” she granted, suddenly wondering how much of it was true. “Look. I know it’s strange—believe me, it’s been a weird ride for us, too—but please try to accept him. It would mean a lot to me if you did.”

Shining gave her an askance look. “So the tabloids are true and you two are officially…?” The rest went unspoken.

Her eyes went wide. “No! We haven’t done anything yet!” she told him slightly frantically, not sure why she had a sudden uncertainty about her own words. “I don’t know what we are, Shiny. All I do know is that he has to go home in a week, so I want to spend as much time with him as I can.” She rubbed her own hoof behind her head, mirroring her brother’s own embarrassment moments earlier. “I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again after, so…”

Shining Armor’s expression softened. “Right. Well, just so you know, I’ve ordered him and his friends shadowed while they’re here. There’s at least a couple plainclothes Guardsponies keeping watch over them at all times. Nothing will happen to them, I promise.”

She felt a flare of resentment at him assigning bodyguards again, but relented quickly, knowing he was just trying to help her protect Phoenix and it was hard for her to be everywhere to do so herself. “Thanks,” she acknowledged. “It means a lot to me.”

He grinned. “You’re welcome. Are we good, then, Twily?” he asked her.

She nodded and grinned back. “We’re good, Shiny,” Twilight answered, and the two embraced affectionately, brother and sister once more.

* * * * *

The pair exited the room to find Phoenix chatting with Delta and a couple other Guardsponies, who quickly stood to attention as their Captain emerged. “As you were,” he called out. “Mister Wright, may I speak to you privately please?”

Phoenix stiffened, but relaxed a bit when Twilight gave him a reassuring grin, following the white stallion into his office, taking one of the low seats in front of his desk. “Sorry about the accommodations. This isn’t as nice as my Captain’s office in Canterlot, believe me,” Shining Armor chuckled, offering Phoenix some coffee out of his office machine.

“It’s fine,” he accepted the drink gratefully. It wasn’t anywhere near as good as his now-daily cup from Sugar Cube Corner, but he’d learned that even mediocre coffee in Equestria was the equal of anything he got back home. Aside from Twilight, when I leave, I might miss that most of all!

“I just wanted to meet you and let you know that by order of Princess Celestia, you and your friends are being treated as human ambassadors and are thus under royal protection while you’re here,” the stallion told him, passing him a scroll that contained the decree. “I’ve got agents of our PSD—that’s the Plainclothes Security Division of the Royal Guard—watching over you at all times, so don’t worry about anything. Nothing will happen to you or your friends for the remainder of your stay. We’ll do our best to keep the press off you as much as possible as well.”

“Thank you,” Phoenix acknowledged, waiting for the other horseshoe to drop. “I really do appreciate it, and I know Twilight does too.”

Shining stared at him a moment before nodding slowly. “Good. Twilight thinks the world of you, and I think the world of her. She’s asked me to give you a chance, and I promised her I would. I saw for myself your strength of character and I admire what you’ve accomplished in the courtroom. But that said…”

He leaned in close and his eyes narrowed. “That’s my little sis there, Phoenix Wright! Break her heart or hurt her, and I’ll kick your flank clear across both worlds. Got it?” He stuck a hoof hard into Phoenix’s chest.

“G-got it!” Phoenix swallowed hard, wondering again what in the name of both worlds he was getting himself into.


Ponyville Plaza
June 18th, 11:42 AM

The next morning found Phoenix touring Ponyville on his own as Twilight stayed back at the treehouse, asking for privacy so she could catch up on her neglected studies and ‘work on a friendship report’, which Phoenix found an odd concept but didn’t ask her to explain.

He spent most of his time sampling various wares from the plaza stalls, but also checked in at the courthouse, surprised to see The Judge presiding over another trial—a perjury case prosecuted by Vinyl, he noted, who was looking and sounding a lot more down to business and lawyerlike than she had when she’d prosecuted Sonata.

Wonder why? OH! he answered his own question when he saw Octavia Melody sitting in the stands above her, looming over her roommate and glaring down at her, scrutinizing every move the DJ made. Their eyes met for a moment, and he again shivered at the intensity of her gaze. I’m starting to think that’s one lady I don’t ever want to cross legal swords with!

Heading out at lunch, he passed by Town Hall. The nearby race stands, he noticed, were nearly completed; the construction crews were just working on the final touches of what he guessed was the royal viewing booth. After signing a few autographs for the workers, he stretched and checked his watch. Well, guess I better head back for the library. I did promise Pearls I’d take her out to Fluttershy’s place after lunch.

He had made it nearly halfway there when Pinkie Pie suddenly ran up to him. “Feenie! Run!” she warned him, rearing up to put her hooves on his chest so she could be near eye level with him. “She’s here! She’s here!” she said with a rare look of panic on her face.

“Here? Who’s here?” Phoenix was confused, but instead of answering, Pinkie darted into the nearest bush, donning a fake nose and glasses before peering out from behind the branches.

“Watch it, pal!” A pegasus mare walked right into him, shoving him roughly aside. “I’m walkin’ here, I’m walkin’ here!”

“I-I’m sorry!” He brushed himself off, then stared at the new arrival. She looked uncannily similar to Rainbow except that she had a bright orange coat paired with her prismatic mane and her cutie mark looked less like a lightning bolt and more like a rainbow arcing between two clouds, an idyllic icon completely belying her gruff manner.

The strange mare simply growled. “Youse best be sorry! Youse lucky I’m in a good mood today! Otherwise I woulda beat youse so hard it’d make you feel like youse smoochin the express!”

Phoenix gulped hard, wondering where Shining Armor’s promised Guardsponies were. “I-It won’t happen again!”

“It better not! Now outta my way, Spiky! I’m here to see my sister!” she proclaimed, shouldering him aside with a contemptuous flick of her orange wing and heading for the library.

Sister? Phoenix gaped and stumbled backwards. Wait! It can’t be… sh-she CAN’T be…!

“So what are youse lookin’ at?” the angry orange mare asked upon seeing him stare, rounding on him and menacingly approaching him, backing him against a tree. “Name’s Wob Niar! Don’t wear it out, blue boy!

Phoenix staggered backwards until he was leaning against the tree, all but ready to faint until he realized: Blue boy? G-Gilda called me that… Phoenix’s cheeks went bright red as he finally realized what was happening.

“R-RAINBOW!” he shouted at the orange mare, who couldn’t contain herself any longer.

“Aw, dude, you should have seen the look on your face! It was priceless!” The orange-dyed Rainbow burst out laughing, pounding her hooves on the ground repeatedly as Pinkie Pie reappeared and did the same, rolling on the ground in front of him and holding her sides as she guffawed. “You were right, Pinkie! He fell for it with all four hooves! the normally-cyan-hued pegasus proclaimed as Phoenix’s cheeks burned hot, in disbelief he’d been fooled by such a simple trick.

“Yeah, hilarious!” He brushed the dirt and grass off his suit before storming off in anger and embarrassment.

“Aw, Nix, don’t be mad.” Rainbow flew after him, hovering a foot from his left shoulder. “We only prank ponies we like! Look, here’s a flower to make up for it. Give it to Twilight; I know she’d appreciate it,” she suggested with an odd tone and smile, passing him a basket that contained a single large blue bloom as Pinkie did her best to stifle renewed giggles.

“Fine!” He snatched the bloom right out of the basket and put its stem in his lapel. “I’d really hate to see what you do to ponies you don’t like! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m supposed to take Pearls out to visit Fluttershy!” he told the pair, not sure why they were following him and wearing looks of what seemed to be eager anticipation, whispering and giggling back and forth.

He arrived back at the library a few minutes later, wondering why everyone was staring at him as he walked in. “Huh? Dude?” Spike gaped at him from the table where he was helping Pearls practice her writing.

“Wha—Nick?” Maya’s mouth had likewise fallen open from where she sat on the couch.

“Mister Nick!” Pearl added, her hands going to her mouth as she beheld him. “Your hair!”

“My hair?” He picked up a vanity mirror lying on the table and looked in it, only to realize to his shock and horror…

HIS HAIR HAD GONE FLAT!!!!

“What happened?” He ran his hands through his suddenly limp mane frantically, feeling like his very manhood had been taken as Twilight came down from her study to see what the commotion was. “What did you do to me?” He rounded on Rainbow Dash.

“Phoenix!” An alarmed Twilight magically plucked the flower out of his lapel and burned it with a flare of her horn. “That flower is poison joke!” she informed him as Rainbow and Pinkie were staring at his head and breaking out in huge grins.

Poison… JOKE? his eyes went wide as he remembered what Zecora had said about it from Trixie’s trial. And at that moment, all he could think to do was raise his arm to point at Rainbow and make an…

His mouth dropped open at how meek and mincing the word came out. “Hey, what? My voice! This isn’t… I’m not…” he protested frantically to no avail, his hands finally clamping hard over his mouth at the familiar and increasingly feeble voice he spoke with, only growing even more quiet and timid the harder he tried to shout, causing Maya to chortle violently and even Pearl to giggle as Rainbow Dash could contain herself no longer.

“BWAH-HAH-HA-HA-HA-HAH!” She rolled on the floor of the library clutching her sides at the sight of his hair and the sound of Fluttershy’s voice coming from him. She was soon joined by Pinkie Pie and Spike; even Twilight was biting her lip, doing her best not to burst out laughing.

His ears burning in shame and humiliation, Phoenix ran upstairs as fast as he could, trying to cover both his mouth and hair as Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie laughed and laughed.


Ponyville
Aloe and Lotus Day Spa
June 18th, 12:02 PM

An hour later found a still-steamed Phoenix at the spa, grumbling endlessly as he soaked in a jacuzzi that contained a specially drawn herbal bath. He was unclothed and being openly ogled by Aloe and Lotus for it as they tended him, but he was too angry to care, fuming over what had happened to him.

Dash is going to GET it for this! I save her from a massive case of sunburn, and she repays me by turning me into freakin’ PHOENIXSHY? He surfaced and ran a hand through his hair, which he was relieved to find had returned to its familiar spiky style. Glancing at Twilight, he coughed a little. “Out of curiosity,” he began, noting with relief that his usual voice had returned, “this isn’t something I normally do, but… any suggestions about how I would go about getting back at Rainbow and Pinkie for this?”

Twilight looked thoughtful as she magically cleansed his clothes of further flower residue, trying to resist the temptation to steal looks at him as Aloe and Lotus were doing but not entirely succeeding. “Well, it’s hard to say. Rainbow and Pinkie are the masters of pranking in this town, so it’ll be hard to top their act.”

Maya had gotten over her snickers by this point, though her grin hadn’t faded, tossing him a towel before he stood up and then turning away. “Yeah, that was a good one! Too bad my phone’s dead, Nick—I would’ve loved to take a picture of you like that and shown it to sis!” She grinned evilly.

Phoenix buried his face in his hands. “Oh, God, please don’t channel Mia just to let her laugh at me!”

Twilight gave Maya an askance look at that. “Didn’t you tell me before that you only channeled spirits when you needed to?”

Maya smirked at her. “Yeah, and I need to deflate Nick’s head every so often, or else he’d never fit through the office door!”

As the two females began to bicker, Phoenix had a nagging feeling in his head. About something she just said… He glanced at Maya; his gaze focusing on the Magatama around her neck. That’s IT! He began to chuckle and shortly all but cackle, drawing the attention of his assistant and her current nemesis.

“Uh, Nick, what’s with the evil laughter?” Maya asked, a little wary.

“Phoenix? You’re starting to scare me, here,” Twilight added only half-jokingly, knowing from past experience that regardless of who it came from, evil laughter rarely meant anything good.

“Sorry. It’s just that I’ve got the perfect idea in mind for how to get back at Rainbow Dash,” Phoenix said with a grin as he began to dry off. “And I’ll need both of you to help me with this!”

Twilight and Maya exchanged looks that, for once, weren’t filled with disdain for the other. Instead, the message that passed between them was: What are we getting into?

* * * * *

The three returned to the library to do research as soon as Phoenix was dressed, Twilight flipping through a few history books while Phoenix explained Maya’s part of the plan.

For her part, the young mystic was equal parts enthused and wary. “I dunno, Nick. Much as I’d like to take Bolt-butt down a notch, using my powers for a prank sounds kinda irresponsible.”

Phoenix arched an eyebrow. “This from the girl, who, when helping me with my cases, enjoys breaking into restricted areas and will help herself to any piece of evidence that tickles her fancy, regardless of legalities?”

Maya had the decency to blush, even as Twilight gave her a startled look. “Well, fair point. And besides, I kinda want to get back at Dash myself. You got really lucky, Nick. Who knows what that ‘Poison Joke’ stuff could’ve done? It could have turned you into a llama!”

Phoenix gave her a look. “A llama? Really? That’s the first thing you thought of?” he deadpanned.

Maya looked at the floor. “Well, I kinda used the office TV to watch some old Disney flicks while you were gone… including The Emperor’s New Groove…”

Phoenix sighed and looked at Twilight. “Any luck?”

Though confused at the exchange—she’d known one or two Llamas but found them a bit too temperamental for her tastes, to say nothing of their propensity of spitting to indicate their displeasure with something—she continued flipping through her military history book. “Almost. I’m trying to find the earliest mention of the Wonderbolts, but it’s difficult to pin down. Wait! There it is! I’ve got it!” Twilight announced, flipping her current book around so Phoenix and Maya could see.

The latter took the book and read the entry on the open pages. “Ahem. ‘The Bolt Knights were an off-branch of the Royal Guard, formed as an elite first-response team to gryphon attacks some seven hundred years ago, shortly after the outbreak of the Great Pony/Gryphon war. During the war, their speed and efficiency allowed the Knights to hold several lines against the invading Gryphon Empire, who came to respect and fear their martial prowess.

“’After the war, in the time of peace that has lasted to this day, the Bolt Knights decided to add performance flying into their duties. As time went on, the Knights performed more and more until it was their primary focus. Around two hundred years ago, Princess Celestia officially renamed the Knights, giving them the name they are known as to this day: The Wonderbolts.’”

Phoenix whistled. “Wow. So the Wonderbolts have effectively been in operation for nearly seven centuries. That’s one long-lasting organization.”

“Yeah…” Maya looked at the pictures that accompanied the text. One was a remarkably lifelike painting, depicting a pegasus mare with a vibrant pink coat paired with a darker blue mane and tail. Unlike the standard Royal Guard armor, she wore a form-fitting outfit that consisted of a breastplate made from what Maya hesitated to call ‘leather’ (she’d read that cows were sapient here, after all) and a few fitted metal-like armor pieces on her back, flanks, and hooves. The latter resembled those of the Royal Guard. The picture caption read ‘Firefly: First captain of the Bolt Knights’:

“Pretty mare. Tough-looking, too,” Maya commented as she showed Twilight and Phoenix the picture.

“Yes, she was. Captain Firefly is a legend, even among non-pegasi. A born soldier and leader who was said to be as good a friend as she was implacable a foe, it’s claimed she survived a thousand different engagements to become one of the greatest warriors in all of pony history. She was so good she didn’t fall in the line of duty, but died of old age in her home.

“She not only survived the entire war with the Gryphon Empire, but a second conflict with a dragon clan a decade or more later, and was even instrumental in reconciling Equestria with the Gryphons afterwards,” Twilight explained, turning the page to show a second picture that depicted the pegasus mare armed with a pair of specially fitted blades that ran along the leading edge of her wings, which Phoenix guessed were meant to cut down opponents in flight. “She was nearly a century and a half old when she died.”

Both Phoenix and Maya whistled. “Most humans don’t live to be one hundred, let alone one-fifty,” the former mused. “Do ponies have naturally longer lives, or was Firefly a bit of a fluke?”

“It’s hard to say, actually,” Twilight mused. “Particularly powerful pegasus flight magic has been known to have odd and unpredictable effects on their owners. It brought long life to some; heightened power but shortened lifespans to others. In fact, some scholars think—”

Anything else the bookish unicorn would’ve said was cut off as Maya spoke up. “If we need a pony for this plan of yours, Nick, I think she’d work perfectly!” the young mystic said, a gleam in her eye. “Imagine a hard-bitten soldier like her chewing out a daredevil weather manager for trying to become part of her organization!”

Phoenix smirked, eagerly imagining and awaiting such a scene. “Works for me. You can use that picture to channel her, right?”

“Given how realistic it looks? No sweat,” Maya said, setting the book down to the open page. She took a meditative pose, then paused as if catching herself. “Um, Nick, could you, like, turn around, at the very least, and not look until I’m done?”

Phoenix blinked at the strange request. “Uh, why?”

She blushed slightly. “Well, um, I kinda experimented with channeling ponies the other day… and I learned the hard way that my clothes don’t take too well to the change,” Maya explained, flushing a bit more. “So I need to take them off first.”

Phoenix turned red as well, and spun around. “Right, then, just tell me when she’s finished changing, Twilight!”

“Actually, Phoenix, it might be best if you went and fetched Rainbow and brought her here,” Twilight suggested with a smirk. “I don’t think having a long-dead legend walking around town would be a good idea.”

Phoenix considered that, and nodded. “You’re right. I’ll bring her straight back here,” he promised as he left. Before reaching the door, he heard some rustling of cloth, and quickly opened, passed through, and shut the door before he could be tempted to look back.

As he walked around trying to locate Rainbow, he spotted a golden-colored mare and a pale blue stallion, both pegasi, flitting around. The mare spotted him, and after exchanging some words with her companion, flew down toward Phoenix, while the stallion went off on his own. Phoenix eyed the approaching pegasus warily, wondering what sort of crazy he would be exposed to this time.

“You’re Phoenix Wright, aren’t you?” the mare said, coming to a halt and hovering in front of him. Phoenix caught sight of her cutie mark; a stylized three-pronged flame.

“Uh, yes? Yes I am, Miss…?” Phoenix prompted.

She snapped him a salute. “The name’s Spitfire! I’m Captain and Commanding Officer of the Wonderbolts. I just wanted to thank you for getting my mare Rainbow Dash off the hook.”

The Wonderbolts? Oh, right, Rainbow mentioned something about the prize for the Equestrian 500 being lessons from them. I guess it makes sense that they’d be here! Phoenix smiled. “Well, I can’t let anyone who’s innocent take the blame for a crime they didn’t commit.”

“Heh. Spoken like a true defense attorney,” Spitfire commented approvingly as she offered him her hoof, then grinned. “So, is it true you’re dating the Princess’s personal protégé?”

Phoenix flushed as he returned the gesture, bumping her hoof with his fist. “I wouldn’t call it ‘dating’ at this point. I don’t really know what to call it.” He decided to head that train of thought off. “Captain, you wouldn’t happen to have seen Rainbow around, would you? She’s needed back at the library.”

Spitfire gave him a smirk as she sensed his evasion, but decided not to tease him. “Actually, my second-in-command and I were looking for her ourselves. We wanted to make sure she was training for the race instead of napping all day. For having such a noticeable mane and tail, that mare can sure hide when she wants to, and she even—“

It was then that a blue blur crashed into Spitfire, a distinct rainbow contrail leaving little doubt as to its owner’s identity. “Whoops,” came the raspy voice. “Darn it, now who’d use a cloud to cover up a weather vane? I completely lost control of my turn back there!”

Phoenix could only roll his eyes at that. “You ought to apologize to your crash victim, Rainbow.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Rainbow said as she stood up, and offered a hoof. “Sorry about thaaaaaaa…” She trailed off into slack-jawed silence as she realized just who she had plowed into.

Spitfire just chuckled. “No worries, Rainbow,” she said, getting to her hooves and brushing off the worst of the dust. “If I couldn’t take ponies crashing into me, I never would have made Captain.” She noticed Rainbow’s stunned expression and closed the prismatic mare’s mouth with a hoof.

This served to restart Rainbow’s mental processes as she began bowing and apologizing profusely. “Omigosh-omigosh-I’m-so-sorry-Spitfire-I-didn’t-mean-to-I-was-just-trying-to-get-a-little-practice-in-before-the-race-and-then-there-was-that-cloud-and-weather-vane-and—”

A golden hoof to her muzzle stopped the flood of words that would have done Pinkie Pie proud. “I said it’s okay, Rainbow. Your lawyer here was looking for you, anyway.”

“Huh? Why’d you need to see me, Nix?” Rainbow asked, turning to Phoenix and getting her composure back.

“I just wanted to show you something Twilight and I came up with at the library,” Phoenix replied, struggling to keep a straight face.

“Ugh, Egghead Central? You gotta be kidding me,” muttered Rainbow, sticking out her tongue briefly.

Spitfire turned stern. “You know, Rainbow, we Wonderbolts don’t just train our bodies. We also keep our minds in peak condition. We’re required to have at least a basic understanding of Equestrian history to qualify in the first place.”

Rainbow looked slightly gobsmacked at this. “You do? Weeeellll… I guess if it’s required, I could bone up on some history. Any particular eras?” she asked.

“How about the Wonderbolts founding?” Phoenix casually suggested as he began walking back to the library, the two mares flying just behind him and off to either side. “I’d think knowing the history of the group you’re joining would be required for any organization.”

“Well, obviously, you need to know about the Wonderbolts’ founding, and our personal history,” Spitfire concurred from where she was hovering beside Phoenix, who was slightly amazed he had gotten so used to the idea of two winged equines flying alongside him as he walked. “A history of the war with the Gryphon Empire wouldn’t go amiss either.”

“You were founded during a war?” Phoenix asked, trying to sound surprised.

Before Spitfire could reply, Rainbow beat her to it. “Yeah, they were! The Wonderbolts, or Bolt Knights as they were known back then, were an elite force formed just after the start of the war to blunt the Empire’s offensives! Only the fastest and toughest pegasi could qualify, and there was nopony faster or tougher than their founder, Firefly!” she stated eagerly.

“Oh?” Phoenix was doing his best to keep a straight face and tone.

“Yeah! She was utterly awesome! Every pegasus knows her name, and even what she looks like! Pink coat, blue mane, and with a pair of blue lightning bolts as a Cutie Mark! She was invincible and could win entire battles all by herself! Hay, even Fluttershy knows who Firefly is, and she’s one of the weakest fliers out there!” Rainbow finished, leaving a smirking Phoenix reflecting that she was gushing about Firefly much like she had about the Wonderbolts when Phoenix first met her.

Spitfire eyed the prismatic mare appreciatively as they got near the front door of the library. “Well, I have to say I’m impressed, Rainbow Dash. If you already know all that, I guess you might not need to study as much as I thought,” she said with approval. “Even if our founder is legend, not everypony knows exactly why or when we were founded.”

Rainbow blushed, rubbing the back of her neck self-consciously. “Heh, well, you guys are my inspiration,” she said, as Phoenix opened the door to the library, catching a glimpse at who was already waiting inside. “I’ve been wanting to join you since the day I could fly!”

“Such low standards,” came an oddly-accented and disapproving female voice from inside the library beyond Phoenix, dripping with scorn. “Do all mares of talent seek to squander it in this day and age?”

Rainbow bristled, as did Spitfire. “Alright, who’s the wise guy?” the former growled as she lifted off and burst into the library, intent on giving the speaker a piece of her mind. Such thoughts fled the moment she got a good look at the pony in question.

A pink coat, blue mane, and a cutie mark of dual lightning bolts registered, as did the distinctly unimpressed expression on the mare’s face. “The ‘wise guy’ would be me,” she said flatly.

Rainbow’s eyes bulged and her jaw fell open in shock as she beheld the impossible sight of one of her greatest idols, alive and standing before her. Her wings locked up, the blood drained from her face, and it was then that Twilight Sparkle, Phoenix Wright, Captain Spitfire, and the spirit of Captain Firefly were witness to one of the rarest events in Equestria as the proud and cocky pegasus fell awkwardly to the floor, keeling over into a dead faint.

* * * * *

Rainbow came to a few minutes later, sitting up on the library’s reading couch. “Ugh, what happened? I’ve got a bit of a headache…”

“You kinda fainted and fell,” Spitfire noted from nearby. “Though, personally, I can’t blame you.”

“I fainted in front of you?!” Rainbow all but squeaked. “There goes my reputation!”

“You mean what’s left of it after those photos were aired to the gallery on the first day of trial?” Phoenix said with a smirk over crossed arms.

She glared at him in response. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, Nix. Why’d I faint, anyway?”

“Methinks you fainted because you laid eyes on me,” said Firefly from beside Twilight, looking amused. “I was told that I have a reputation as a legend in this day and age, but to think ‘twould cause a pony to lose consciousness by merely looking at me…”

Rainbow stared. Then stared some more. Finally, she blurted out, “You? Here?! Breathing?! What? How?!” She began to hyperventilate.

Everypony else chuckled. “Sentences, Rainbow. You should use them instead of single words,” Twilight said teasingly, materializing a paper bag but barely able to keep the gleeful expression off her face.

Firefly smiled and closed her eyes, looking like she was enjoying the scene as well. “I’ve been told that I’m not truly here, but that my spirit has been summoned from the Summerlands by a young human woman named Maya Fey. ‘Twould seem she has taken my form by channeling my spirit, and thus I appear to you now. Though I admit to some annoyance at being used for a simple prank.” She gave a mild glare up at Phoenix, though there was a twinkle in her eyes as well.

“That grumpy girl? She did this?!” Rainbow exclaimed between breaths into the bag, which she filled neared to bursting with each exhale.

“I did mention during Trixie’s trial that Maya and Pearly both were capable of channeling the spirits of the departed,” Twilight reminded her.

Spitfire shook her head. “I’ve seen a lot of things in my time, but this takes the cake. Calling a spirit to talk to us is one thing, but a legend of Firefly’s caliber?”

Phoenix smirked at Rainbow, but offered a half-bow back to Firefly as well. “My apologies for requesting you be summoned under such circumstances, Captain, but there are some things I just can’t let pass. Just consider this your comeuppance for your little double-prank earlier, Rainbow!” he said, crossing his arms triumphantly.

Rainbow glared at him again and then, her breathing back under control, sighed and chuckled a little, rubbing a hoof behind her head. “Okay, you got me good, Nix. But why not try to get Pinkie, too?”

“Because she’s Pinkie—because anything I tried on her would likely either not work, or she’d just laugh it off almost instantly,” Phoenix reminded her. “You, on the other hand…”

Rainbow couldn’t argue with that. “Well, my completely uncool fainting aside, this is a real treat, Nix,” she said, turning to Firefly and bowing low, flaring her wings respectfully before her. “I always wondered what it’d be like to talk to somepony as legendary as you!”

Firefly stared back at her for a moment before replying. “Well, your fainting aside, I have to say, I’m not overly impressed with you, Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow’s smile dropped at that. “O-okay, so what aren’t you impressed by?”

The pink pegasus stood up, and looked her in the eye. “Your dreams. They’re so shallow, and short-sighted.”

“My wha…?” Rainbow cocked her head, confused.

“You said it as you were walking in the door,” Firefly clarified. “You wish to join the Wonderbolts, and have dreamed of such since you were small. That a pegasus of your ability would set your sights so low? That is why I’m not impressed by you.”

Rainbow stared agog at the legendary captain. “B-but the Wonderbolts are your organization! You founded them as the Bolt Knights and—”

“Yes, the Bolt Knights were my organization,” Firefly cut Rainbow off. “We were a military force. ‘First to fly, first to fight, faster than a lightning strike!’ ‘twas our slogan. We fought, we killed, and far too many of us fell in service to Equestria and Princess Celestia. ‘Twas astonishing that I even lived to see the end of the war. But now, these ‘Wonderbolts’ who claim lineage are mere performance flyers, completely cut off from their roots. There’s little connecting them to the Bolt Knights anymore.”

Rainbow was silent, opening and closing her mouth a few times. She wanted to refute Firefly’s statements, but she couldn’t.

“But what causes me true disappointment, more so than your shallow dreams,” continued the legendary mare, “is that my bloodline has apparently fallen this far.”

Rainbow’s irises shrank. “Y-your…”

Firefly nodded. “You are of my line, young pegasus. That mark on your flank is proof enough, in addition to what I’ve seen of your abilities from the Summerlands. You can perform wondrous deeds, Rainbow Dash—indeed; ‘tis certain you already have. You helped purify Princess Luna, purging her of The Nightmare. You are capable of performing the Sonic Rainboom, something that even I could never do. You even saved three of my so-called successors following a failed rescue attempt of a falling pony,” she added, giving a pointed look at Spitfire, who had to suppress a grimace at the memory.

“You have unparalleled potential, as both a pony and a pegasus, and yet you would choose to squander it as a mere performer? You could be so much more. And that is why I’m disappointed in you.”

“But…” Rainbow looked down, her ears and fur drooping, never having expected such a dressing down from the returned legend. Were her dreams truly so shallow? Was she really choosing to waste her abilities by wanting to be a Wonderbolt?

“Captain Firefly, with the utmost of respect… shut your bucking mouth.”

Everypony turned to stare at Spitfire. Her expression of wonder at Firefly’s appearance had vanished, replaced by a stern and angry countenance that showed her training as a military commander. “You were brought here as reparations for a prank, from what I understand. But instead of leaving it there, you choose to flay a promising young mare with your tongue. You not only denigrate her, but in the process you denigrate me, cast aspersions on me and my team, saying in effect that we’re not good enough for Rainbow or for you. Well, that stops now.”

With that, Spitfire stalked forward to get into Firefly’s face, her wings flared in anger as she went nose to nose with the other mare. “In olden times, such an affront to pegasus honor would call for a duel. To that end, I’d be more than happy to don a pair of wingblades to prove neither the Wonderbolts nor their Captain have completely lost touch with their roots.”

There was a tense silence as the two pegasus legends, one living and one past, stared each other down. For a moment, Phoenix was worried that Firefly would take Spitfire up on her offer, and was suddenly wondering if having Maya channel her had been a bad idea.

After a few moments, however, the corners of Firefly’s mouth quirked upward. “Well, now. That’s the kind of attitude I remember from my days as a Bolt Knight—fearless and undaunted, even in the face of overwhelming odds.” She stepped back from Spitfire. “Perchance I misjudged you, Captain Spitfire. You have determination and spirit coupled with a commanding manner. Methinks you would have done well as both a soldier and leader back in my days.”

Spitfire shook her head. “Thank you, but with all due respect, Captain, the days of disharmony and defended borders are long past. This is a time of peace for Equestria. As such, there’s no need for the Bolt Knights’ original purpose.”

“I concede that much. Times have changed greatly since the war ended,” she agreed, then frowned. “Still, even a peace under an immortal ruler can’t possibly last forever. ‘Tis folly to think such. Methinks there will always be war, and a need for warriors,” she mused, and then looked seriously at Spitfire.

“As the commanding officer of the Wonderbolts, heir to the Bolt Knights, I ask this of you: even if you can’t return them to their origins, at least improve the military training that you go through. Methinks you never know when such training will be required.”

There was a moment of silence, before Spitfire nodded and saluted. “At your direct request, I will. I give you my word, ma’am.”

* * * * *

Ow… this really doesn’t get any easier, does it? Maya asked as she awoke to find herself in bed again, her body feeling like she’d just run a marathon in the summer heat of L.A. She opened her eyes to see Twilight was waiting at her bedside with water and a change of clothes, as promised—Fluttershy had made her a simple but functional outfit after she’d lost her original one. “Did it work?” was the first thing she asked.

Twilight nodded eagerly. “It worked! And it was really impressive, Maya! I never knew such magic existed until Phoenix told me about it, but then to actually see it…” She went starry-eyed. “So what is it like to channel?” she asked eagerly.

Maya weakly raised a hand to her head, trying to block the light coming through the window. “Can’t say. I don’t really know what happens when I do. The spirit takes over and I have no memory of what happens afterwards,” she managed. “Water, please?”

“Oh!” Twilight quickly poured her a glass and magically held the cup to her lips.

“Thanks,” Maya acknowledged, trying to sit up so she could drink, Twilight giving her a little magical support, respecting her modesty by keeping a blanket around her. She got half the glass down before laying back down with a heavy sigh. “Just… please don’t ask me to do that again. Humans are easy to channel. Ponies are not.”

“With that kind of cross-species transformation involved, no wonder!” Twilight told her, still amazed.

“Did it work, though?” Maya asked again, weakly. “The prank, I mean. How did Dashie react?”

Twilight grinned. “I’ll show you.” She closed her eyes and flared her horn to play back her memories of the channeling, giving Maya a close up of Rainbow’s face and shocked expression as she beheld the long-dead pegasus legend, letting her see the cocky mare fall to the floor in a dead faint.

Maya managed a weak giggle as the playback concluded. “Totally worth it!” she pronounced and fell asleep with a smile on her face.


Ponyville
Golden Oaks Library
June 18th, 8:08 PM

Maya spent the rest of the afternoon resting in the guest room, occasionally checked on by Twilight and Phoenix as she slept. She did come out for dinner to find that she was now being treated with much more respect by Twilight’s friends, especially by Rainbow, who seemed uncharacteristically quiet after her dressing down by Firefly and being stood up for by Spitfire.

Initially peppered with questions, Maya put a quick kibosh on any further requests to demonstrate her power by saying that after as weakened as her latest effort left her, she would not channel ponies any longer except in an extreme emergency. Twilight followed up by Pinkie-swearing all present to silence about the channeling as she’d already done with Rainbow, worried that the press and other ponies would descend en masse if they heard.

Dinner ended and most of Twilight’s friends departed. Despite the eventful day, Maya found herself strangely depressed, still cut off from her sister and everything she knew. “What I wouldn’t give just to have my phone back,” she muttered, taking it out of its pocket and staring at the blank screen. She’d tried to hide behind it for the first day or two in Equestria, losing herself in her music and gaming apps at least until its power ran out. “I just feel so out of place and useless here!” she said to nobody in particular.

“Aw… can’t I help?” came Pinkie Pie’s unexpected answer, the earth pony suddenly appearing from behind the reading lounge, this time with another tray of her trademark pink-frosted cupcakes she’d figured out Maya liked. “You can always come hang out with me at Sugar Cube Corner! I’m sure the Cakes would even let you work there if you like!” she suggested hopefully.

Maya looked at Pinkie, who had appeared without warning again—she’d given up trying to figure out how the pink mare accomplished her seeming ability to teleport, but did allow she only seemed to appear when she was needed. “No thanks,” Maya sighed, causing Pinkie’s expression to drop. “Don’t take it personally, Pinkie. It’s not your fault. I just miss my friends and my Facebook. My desktop and my Xbox. And I sure wish I could work on my music again,” she said wistfully, remembering the half-finished dance and techno rave mixes she’d left behind.

“I’d just like something to do, you know? I can’t help Nick, and I can’t just go around channeling ponies. I was working on some party music before I came here, but I can’t even do that now,” she sighed, looking up at the ceiling of the library.

“Oh! Oh!” Pinkie jumped up and down. “I love music! And you have party music?” With that, Maya realized she’d said the magic word. “Can I hear some of your music? Huh? Huh?” she asked eagerly, pronking repeatedly.

Maya managed a wan grin at Pinkie’s antics and enthusiasm—Nick’s right; she really DOES grow on you! “I can’t, Pinkie,” she explained apologetically. “My phone’s out of power. Without electricity, I can’t turn it on.”

Pinkie’s eyes lit up again. “Oh, is that all you need? A little ‘juice’?” Pinkie said like she was quoting somepony. “I know exactly who can help you hear your music again! And I bet she’d love to hear it, too!”

Maya’s eyes snapped open. Wait—there’s a pony out there who can get my cellphone back on? “Yeah? Who?” Maya wanted to know, looking over at Pinkie, only to find she was gone. “Huh? Pinkie?” She looked around in bewilderment. “Where’d you go? What pony can help?” she asked frantically. Dammit, how does she DO that?

“This pony!” Pinkie’s voice replied, causing Maya’s head to spin as it came from the hallway door behind her. As if on cue, the door opened and a new pony entered from the broom closet with Pinkie Pie right behind her. She was an off-white unicorn mare with an electric blue mane, wearing a pair of stylized magenta shades that went well with her two-note cutie mark. She had the look and manner of a DJ, and Maya took an instant liking to her even before she spoke.

“Hey there, sister! Name’s Vinyl Scratch! And I hear you got some music in your soul, Maya Fey…”


Canterlot
Supreme Court of Equestria
June 22nd, 10:42 AM

The next few days passed slowly, even leisurely, for Phoenix and his friends.

With no more court cases to prepare for, Phoenix relaxed and began treating his stay in Equestria as more of an exotic vacation, indulging in daily forays to the gym and spa. He also made it a point to spend some time with each of Twilight’s friends, to say nothing of Twilight herself.

To his relief, Maya started getting a bit more social; she seemed to be warming up to Pinkie and was spending more time with her and Vinyl Scratch of all ponies, though he suspected the latter was more due to the fact that the unicorn DJ had figured out how to magically power up her phone so she could have her music and games again.

Her original clothes ruined by the channeling, and Rarity unavailable, she’d been made new ones in the fashionista’s place by Fluttershy. She showed a surprising talent for it, sewing her a simple outfit from materials available in Rarity’s boutique, granted access to it by Sweetie Belle. Wow—she’s far more than just that painfully shy pony I initially thought she was! Phoenix noted yet again as Maya emerged with her new dress to find the fit good and the colors to her liking; a slightly simplified variant of her original attire.

Pearl, by contrast, spent most of her time with the Apple family, and in particular Apple Bloom and her friends; more than once Phoenix saw her being pulled around in a wagon with them by Scootaloo. She ended up getting in trouble with the filly trio on multiple occasions, and both Phoenix and Twilight had to make clear more than once to the Cutie Mark Crusaders that as long as ‘Pearly’ was with them, they were responsible for keeping her safe and sound. They kept their word; she came back frequently filthy but always unhurt, and was always excited to tell them about their latest adventures.

It was the start of a new workweek when they received a letter from Canterlot, written in Rarity’s elegant hornwriting. It said that Edgeworth’s corruption investigation in Canterlot was complete, resulting in several indictments, and he was personally prosecuting the ringleader. It concluded by inviting them to attend, promising front row seats and a grand tour of Canterlot courtesy of Princess Celestia herself if they wished it.

Like she still was about most things Equestrian, Maya wasn’t that enthusiastic about going to Canterlot, not wanting to be taken away from her music and new friends; in the end, she only relented for the chance to see ‘Edgey-Poo’ in action in an Equestrian court. In truth, Phoenix had one other reason to bring her; one he wasn’t going to reveal until the day’s end. Just hope the trial is done before visiting hours at the prison are over…

Taking the early train and arriving in Canterlot, they were whisked past the press to the courthouse and shown to their seats by none other than Delta Requiem herself, who looked quite pleased and invited them to simply enjoy the show. Phoenix and Maya sat in the stands along with Twilight and Rarity, the former watching with interest and the latter with open glee as she explained between testimonies what had happened during their time in Canterlot and the investigations she had helped him with.

Sounds like Rarity and Edgeworth had quite the time together! was all Phoenix could think, following the action below with interest, though every once in a while he had to bite his tongue to keep from objecting to one of Edgeworth’s statements out of sheer reflex.

Phoenix found himself increasingly impressed as the trial wore on. The unicorn defense attorney was clearly experienced and competent, and high-priced if his glittering ensemble was any indication. But against Miles Edgeworth, merely competent wasn’t enough. Every defense objection was refuted, every argument countered and every alternate theory of the crime or evidence dismantled. All of the prosecution witnesses, including Delta Requiem herself, were perfectly prepped and every piece of proof presented at the most opportune moments.

It was vintage Edgeworth, a tour de force of prosecuting prowess, and Phoenix could only shake his head as he watched the legal rout unfold. This is one case I’m glad I’m not defending! he thought as the trial took less than two hours before the inevitable guilty verdict, putting away what Edgeworth described as a ‘major middlepony’ involved in the corruption of the Equestrian legal system.

They were invited out to dinner afterwards, but there was somepony Phoenix wanted to see first.


Canterlot
Canterlot Correctional Center
June 22nd, 4:42 PM

“Hello, Sonata,” Phoenix greeted, pulling up a chair and sitting down across from her on the other side of the visiting room partition.

“Hello, Mister Wright.” Sonata Tarot managed a smile, sitting on her haunches and facing him. “Come to see me one last time?”

“Could hardly leave without saying goodbye,” he told her, if somewhat sadly. It almost feels like I’m saying goodbye to Mia all over again… “I’m not going home for a few days yet, but this is probably my last swing through Canterlot, so I figured if I was going to see you, it’d better be now.”

She gave him a grateful look, though there was sadness in her eyes. “I do appreciate it! It does get quite lonely in here.”

His heart went out to her. Ten years… I can’t imagine serving such a sentence! He shook his head, wishing again he’d been able to win her a shorter one. “So how are you holding up?”

“Settling in,” she told him with a slightly wan smile. “The accommodations aren’t exactly the Canterlot Gatewater and the food could be better,” she told him, the hotel name causing Phoenix to start before he gave a resigned shrug.

Why am I even surprised anymore? “I know it’s hard. Is there anything I can do for you?” Phoenix asked, clasping his hands in front of him.

Her smile turned more grateful, but she shook her head. “You’ve already done more than enough for me, Mister Wright. You saved me—twice—and I will never forget that for as long as I live,” she told him, her eyes tearing up. “I’m well aware I can’t change the past. But I can change the future. I really want to make up for what I’ve done by helping others in need. And I have you to thank for making me understand that. You’re my inspiration, Phoenix Wright, and from here on out, your example will be my guiding light.”

His cheeks warmed at the flattery, her words all the more powerful for making him feel that in some small way, he was repaying Mia for all she had done for him. “You’re very welcome, Sonata,” he told her again. “And if you mean what you say—that you’ll help others—that’s all the thanks I’ll ever need.” He placed his hand, palm open, against the magical glass.

She smiled and duplicated the gesture with her hoof. “You truly are special, Phoenix Wright,” she told him again. “Twilight Sparkle is one lucky mare. And I hope she’ll forgive me, but there is something I’d like to give you.”

“Oh?” Phoenix’s eyebrows raised.

To his surprise, she brought out a small golden heart-shaped locket that hung off a thin gold chain. “They don’t allow me much in here, but I was able to bring this in with me. It’s a keepsake from my mother, Adagio, who disappeared long ago,” she explained, trying and failing to open the locket with her hooves, unable to use her magic while in the visitor’s area. “I’d like you to have this, as a token of gratitude and a way to remember me by.” She put the locket into the shift drawer and pushed it so it was open to Phoenix’s side; the partition’s enchantments allowed it to pass since it contained no magical or otherwise contraband properties.

He picked it up and stared at it for a moment, finding the locket opened into a hidden compartment, suitable for holding a small picture. “Sonata—I can’t accept this!”

“I insist,” she told him. “I can’t pay you and I don’t know if I’ll ever see you again. Mother once told me to save this for a special somepony. This isn’t quite the way she meant it, but I’ve never met a pony more special than you.”

Phoenix stared at it, then at her, touched beyond all measure. “I don’t know what to say, Sonata.”

She looked amused at that, her tone and mannerisms suddenly seeming very much like Mia. “You don’t know what to say? That’s not like you at all, Phoenix Wright.” She closed her eyes and grinned for a moment, but then her expression turned uncertain. “You know, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“Oh?”

She visibly hesitated. “I didn’t want to say anything before, At the time, I thought I was just going crazy from painkiller pill withdrawal, but… during the final chapter of the trial, that last moment when you Announced the Truth? I could have sworn I saw a human woman standing next to you,” she finally got out, causing Phoenix to freeze. “But the strange thing is, she looked and sounded exactly like—”

She didn’t finish before she was suddenly yanked backwards by a taloned paw. “Ah!”

“Outta my way, sister! It’s my turn!” A familiar voice said, causing Phoenix to flinch as the familiar form of a griffon appeared in the grey mare’s place, resolving into Gilda’s snarling face, causing Phoenix to flinch hard. “YOU HAVE SOME NERVE SHOWING UP HERE, BLUE BOY! YOU’RE JUST LUCKY THIS WINDOW IS SEPARATING US! OTHERWISE I’D WRING YOUR SCRAWNY SMARMY NECK!” she roared and slammed a clenched paw against the partition, causing it to rattle hard and Phoenix to take an alarmed step back, suddenly regretting not bringing Twilight and praying that whatever magical enchantment was on the thin glass partition, it could withstand griffon claws and strength.

“YOU BETTER WATCH YOUR BACK FROM HERE ON OUT!!!! BECAUSE SOON AS I GET OUT OF HERE, YOUR FLANK IS BUCKING MINE!” she called out as an earth pony and unicorn bailiff on the other side quickly restrained her. They dragged her off, but not before she made another obscene gesture with her middle talon, leaving Phoenix feeling weak-kneed, his heart going a mile a minute at her unexpected appearance.

Deep breaths, Phoenix! he told himself as Sonata reappeared at the window, looking very apologetic.

“Sorry about that, Mister Wright. She’s actually my cellmate, if you could believe that. If you think she’s bad here, try being her bunkmate.” She gave him a pained look.

“I’d rather not, but you have my sincerest sympathies.” Phoenix grimaced, suddenly hoping Gilda’s sentence wasn’t too long, for Sonata’s sake. “But back to what you were just talking about? I know who you saw. And for it, there’s someone I’d like you to meet!” He grinned, going to the door of the visiting room and opening it.

Maya immediately entered. “So what was all that shouting before, Nick? And why did you want me to wait…” Her voice trailed off as she spotted Sonata. Their eyes locked and their jaws dropped, Maya approaching the grey mare slowly, as if in a trance.

“M-Mia?” was all Maya could immediately manage, her jaw open as she recognized not only her familiar hairstyle and voice, but the familiar feel of the pony’s very spirit.

“A… Aria?” Sonata replied, her tone equally shocked, her very heart telling her who the teenage human girl was.

Phoenix hadn’t expected that, looking back and forth between them. “Aria? Who’s Aria?”

“My… my sister.” Sonata didn’t look away from Maya as she spoke. “You’re my sister!” she told the human teen again in disbelief. “But… you’re dead.” Her eyes began to water and lips quiver as Maya went weak in the knees. “You died years ago… h-how can you be here as a human?”

“No, you died years ago!” Maya replied, tears welling in her own eyes. “And you’re here as a p-pony, M-Mia?”

Phoenix mentally kicked himself at the realization that if Mia had a counterpart that existed in this world, there’d almost certainly be one for Maya as well. But the parallels between the two worlds aren’t perfect. Here, Mia lived but MAYA died? Phoenix felt himself go very sad.

“My name isn’t Mia, it’s Sonata,” she finally corrected, still gaping through the glass.

“And mine isn’t Aria, it’s Maya,” the teenage mystic said back, unable to tear her eyes away from the unlikely visage of her sister. At length, she put her hand against the glass and Sonata answered with her hoof, the pair crying softly.

With that, Phoenix quietly took his leave, letting the unexpected but very emotional reunion continue without him. Guess in an odd way, they’ve got a lot to catch up on! He smiled, hoping he hadn’t caused them both additional trauma for it.

* * * * *

To his relief, it turned out to be the opposite. He ended up waiting outside the visiting room for nearly an hour while the two talked; Maya finally calling him back in so Sonata could speak to him one last time before visiting hours ended. The emotional, teary-eyed mare told Phoenix she now had one more reason to thank him, saying she would never, ever be able to repay all he had done for her.

For Maya’s part, the normally talkative teen said not a word at dinner with Rarity and Edgeworth (who announced he was staying in Canterlot for a few more days to help Lady Requiem reorganize the prosecutors’ office) or on the train ride home, staring out the window, her eyes distant. It wasn’t until they got back to the Golden Oaks Library late in the evening that she finally spoke.

“Nick?” she called out before heading upstairs to the guest room.

“Yes, Maya?” Phoenix asked.

Maya didn’t answer right away. Instead, to his surprise, she hugged him hard and didn’t immediately let go. “I’ve had my issues with this place. I admit I didn’t want to be here at first. But now? Any world that’s still got sis in it, even if she is a pony…”

She shook her head in amazement. “It’s an okay world in my book. Getting to see her like that—getting to know that she’s alive and you were able to help her—that alone made coming here worth it.” She sniffled again.

With that, she turned to Twilight and stood up straight, brought her palms together and bowed deeply, saying the words neither Phoenix nor Twilight ever dreamed they would hear:

“Thank you for bringing us to Equestria, Twilight Sparkle.”

Stunned silent, all Twilight could think to do was bow back.

Author's Note:

Chapter updated as part of a major editing pass and story overhaul on November 26, 2018.


Leo Archon here. I know we said there was just going to be one more chapter, plus the epilogue… but when we were finished with this, the final pre-epilogue chapter, it was sitting at nearly 30,000 words and 80 pages. That’s nearly quadruple our usual chapter length on this story. Our editors (GoldCrow, KeybladePony, AJ_Aficionado, and of course, Firesight and myself) have all agreed that splitting the chapter was the best thing to do. But fear not! This chapter was nearly complete at the time of splitting, so you will not have to wait a few weeks for the next one. We’re nearly finished, everyone, and thank you for your patience!

* * * * *

Firesight here! What Leo said. Also, didn’t seem right to bring Maya all this way and not showcase her talents/give her a hand in things. Both she and Pearly thus get to leave their own mark on Equestria... and in particular on Trixie. Don't worry, our favorite showmare will be back.

The picture of Firefly was created by Equestria-Prevails on DeviantArt, used as per his stated rule that his works are creative-commons/share-alike. He’s got some really good stuff up there. Check it out!

PreviousChapters Next