Entering his apartment, Phoenix Wright folded up his suit jacket as neatly as he cared - which is to say, not really - and threw his body onto the couch, ready to watch whatever was on late-night TV. His first trial had been an absolute success. Not only did he get his friend acquitted, but he also set himself up as an attorney to be feared, given that he had taken down the fabled "Rookie Destroyer" Winston Payne. He grabbed the clicker and pressed the power button. The TV slowly revealed its display of the 8:30 news, which was actually showing the trial that Phoenix had defended in.
Jeez, are they willing to broadcast anything for some views? Phoenix laughed at himself. He looked around for a bit, attempting to find something else to do. Eventually, his eyes laid on the mini-fridge. He grabbed the handle and pulled the fridge open, pulling out a nice, cold can of grape soda. He stuck his finger under the tap and opened it with a nice, euphoric, slow, fizzing noise.
Inexplicably, once the noise started, an incredibly loud wail was heard from Phoenix's bedroom. Hands shrouding both ears, Phoenix made his way into his bedroom while hoping his neighbors wouldn't file complaints. What he was greeted with upon entering the room was too much to take seriously. He likely would have laughed if the noise being made wasn't forcing him to grit his teeth. There was a light blue foal on his bed, except she was a pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail.
Norse mythology may not be total bologna... He though before deciding to approach the situation. He approached the filly and tried to calm her down, trying what he would do with a crying infant. "Shhhhhh..." He picked up the filly and tried rocking her to comfort. Unfortunately, he seemed to be rocking her too fast, as she seemed to be bawling even louder. Giving up on such a thing, he waterfalled a splash of grape soda into the filly's mouth.
It seemed to get the job done. The filly calmed down and smacked her lips. "Purple!" She shouted, likely excited for more. Relenting, he left the filly with his can, warning her not to spill it, and got another. After he returned, he found the filly was flying around the bed, wings buzzing a mile a minute.
30 grams of sugar. Why am I surprised. He would have to remind himself to get grape juice instead of grape soda. He left the filly to her devices and went back to the TV.
Phoenix didn't know what time he passed out, but he knew he passed out with the TV on. Some time later, the filly entered the room on a heavy sugar crash. She saw the TV was on, and found the news boring. Slightly exhausted, she needed to find a way to turn off the TV so she could sleep easily. She pressed the big red button that caught her attention first. It seemed to do the trick. The filly saw the guy in blue exhausted, and thought his chest looked comfortable. She hovered up to the guy's chest and laid down on it, falling asleep just about instantly.
Phoenix awoke from his sleep just long enough to see the filly resting on his stomach. I could get used to this...
August 4th, 2016
Apartment 207
7:30 AM
The filly was awoken by Phoenix waking up and picking her up off his chest. She was kind of annoyed by that, but she understood. She saw Phoenix walk to the pantry and stick a couple of frozen waffles in the toaster. "Daddy?" She said. Phoenix dropped the bag of frozen waffles onto the counter.
"Did you just call me... your dad?" Phoenix stammered.
"Daddy!" The filly rocketed towards him and embraced his midsection. It almost knocked Phoenix off of his feet. Maybe it wasn't the soda's complete fault. Phoenix mused.
"Well, uh... If I'm gonna be your dad, can I at least get your name for future reference?" Phoenix mentally chided himself for using big words in front of someone who likely couldn't even pronounce her own name properly. Sure enough, she couldn't.
"Raybo Dah!" She said, likely preparing for a guessing game with Phoenix.
"'Rainbow Dash'?" Phoenix confirmed.
"Dah!" She nodded. She then pulled out of Phoenix's grip and examined the attorney. She didn't find anything standout about him, but that spiky hair caught her interest. Rainbow approached it and pressed into it with her hoof. "Ow!" She whined. "Hair hurts!"
Phoenix let his posture drop, knowing he had inadvertently let history repeat itself. ANOTHER one making fun of my hair? That does it, I'm going down to the office, gonna get some coffee. Around that time, he grabbed both waffles, tearing one in half and throwing it to the filly. He grabbed his blue suit jacket, still bunched up from being thrown on the counter last night, donned it, and started to walk out the door. He didn't notice the filly trailing behind him, the waffle in her mouth.
Phoenix walked out to his 10-speed bike, and steeled himself for the 20-minute ride to the office he shared with Mia Fey. As he was setting himself on the bike, he heard the filly's voice coming from his left. He looked down and saw the filly making puppy-dog eyes at him, almost like she wanted to go with him, wherever it would have been.
Man, she could weaponize that look, Phoenix mused. "Alright, get on my back." Phoenix relented, loosening his shoulders to make rudimentary grips for Rainbow, only to find that she was hovering beside him.
"Y'know, you don't need permission to do that." He snickered while starting the ride, the steady buzzing of Rainbow's wings beside him.
Phoenix almost didn't make it to the office on time, no doubt due to many passers by stopping them so they could pet or play with Rainbow. He was half expecting to be late because he would have to hold back so Dash could stay with him, but he was pleasantly surprised that she was able to keep up with him, even egging him on to go faster. Now I really need that coffee. I could pass out at any moment. Phoenix thought upon finally reaching the office after 40 arduous minutes.
"Hey, Chief I'm here!" Phoenix said upon entering the office.
"Phoenix!" Mia said, walking into the office. "You did so well yesterdaayy... do you hear a buzzing noise?" She trailed off.
"Oh, heh, yeah." Dash walked out from behind Phoenix, making eye contact with the big lady in black in front of her. Phoenix took notice of this, and decided now was as good a time as any. "Mia, meet Rainbow Dash. Rainbow, Mia Fey."
"Hi, Miss Fey." Rainbow said, flying up to meet her gaze and extended her hoof for a fist bump. Mia merely stared at her for a good 10 seconds, almost appearing catatonic. "Miss Fey?"
Mia didn't say anything. Without warning, she grabbed the filly, held her to the side of her face, and scratched behind her right ear. Phoenix could hear Rainbow sighing in relief for some reason.
After Mia stayed this way for two good minutes, Phoenix got kinda worried. He tried to grab Rainbow out of Mia's hands, but after grabbing Rainbow's chest, Mia slapped his hand away, and muttered just loud enough for him to hear, "Let me enjoy this, Phoenix."
"Well, okay. I-I'm gonna see if there's any paperwork I can file to have the time pass. I'll be back in a few." Phoenix said, walking into the back office to see what there was to work on.
Phoenix entered the back office, not finding much to do. He did see a couple of papers that seemed a bit out of place, so he glanced them over before putting them in the appropriate folders. One of the cabinets he opened had a massive collection of newspapers and lists written in Mia's handwriting, and he couldn't help but give them a look. One of the handwritten lists showed a bunch of people important in the legal and entertainment scene, and the other had one of the famous people listed publicly humiliated for something.
"Hey, Chief, what exactly is this?" Phoenix said, walking in on the still catatonic Mia. Rainbow took notice, and slipped through Mia's hands, muttering something about sweat before Mia woke up.
"Huh? Oh. That..." Mia looked a bit distraught. Whether that was because she had to release Rainbow or the contents of the papers were debatable. She looked over the list and news clipping over before handing it back to Nick. "There's a businessman named Redd White. He has some... less than desirable business practices. I'll just leave it at that before I break down sobbing."
She looks like she's about to, Phoenix admitted. Rainbow also looked like she was going to cry, too. But then she looked at the papers and gave them a quick glance. "Dad, this man looks like someone who holds faults over people and uses them to get his wishes."
"A blackmailer?"
"Is that the word?" Rainbow asked. It looks like she seems to be mentally maturing uncannily fast. Eh, it was late when I found her, that might have had something to do with it. Now that I think of it, she seems a little bit taller than she was last night. "Dad, I say we confront this guy about it."
Phoenix was about to explain in great detail why that would be a bad idea, but Mia took over. "Don't. He will do whatever it takes to get dirt on you, humiliate you in any way, or something like that. He's actually the reason Charley is around."
"Who?" Rainbow and Phoenix chorused.
"That potted plant. He once forced me to buy it, give it a tie, name it, and brand it 'my only friend'." Mia said, looking... strangely happy.
"Chief, that must have been so embarrassing." Phoenix comforted.
"Not really. I've grown to love the little guy. I'm actually considering branding him the law office's mascot." Mia mused, a distant gleam in her eyes.
"Why don't you make daddy's hair the mascot? It's more memorable and chuckle-worthy!" Rainbow yelled, snickering by the end. Mia was also snickering, while Phoenix just went to the back room, grabbed the nearest, heaviest binder, and slammed his head against it. Repeatedly. I'd bet my attorney's badge she's going to have me doing this a lot.
After Phoenix recovered from his self-induced headache, him and Mia proceeded with business as usual. Rainbow tried to keep herself amused by reading through some of the books they had on the shelves, but they just contained legal information and stuff like that. She set them all aside and looked at the clock. 10:00, it showed. Well, this is gonna suck, she thought. There didn't seem to be anything worthwhile in the office to keep herself entertained. She flew around for a couple minutes before deciding, Yep. Nothing. She set back down on the couch and saw the remote. She pressed the red button, at least the news might be somewhat amusing.
And thus, Rainbow Dash was introduced to the wonderful cartoon that was The Steel Samurai. It had everything that would be needed to keep her entertained. Granted, she really only focused on the action scenes, she wished she could care less for the story, but, man, were those action scenes long and flashy.
"Hey, could you turn it down? I'm trying to work." Mia hollered, getting Rainbow's attention.
Rainbow complied, and felt really fortunate that she had encountered a Steel Samurai marathon that would last until 5:00.
Mia grabbed her phone after having dialed her sister's number. While she only heard a steady tone, the phone on the other end heard a melody not unlike the Steel Samurai. After a good 30 seconds, no doubt due to the younger Fey sister refusing to end the theme song, she picked up the phone.
"Hey, sis!" Maya greeted.
"Okay, let's get down to business." Mia replied, no emotion in her tone. "I need you to come over here -sometime around 9:00 PM?- and hold onto some evidence for me. It's a statue of The Thinker, but that's not the important part."
"Well, what is?"
"The contents of the statue's base. It was originally a clock, but I removed the clockwork and stuffed the real evidence within."
"Okay..." Maya complied, slightly disappointed.
"Hey, don't be like that." Mia said, trying to comfort her sister. "We'll get some burgers when you get here, okay?"
"Alright, love you." They both hung up at the same time.
September 5, 2016
Gatewater Hotel
9:27 AM
Unknown to either party, a woman had tapped into Mia's phone and was listening in to their conversation. After the line went dead, evidenced by static, the woman picked up her phone and dialed her boss.
"Mr. White?"
"Yes, Ms. May?"
"It's time. Her sister's name is Maya."
September 22, 2016
Fey and Co. Offices
8:57 PM
Mia desperately sprinted to the back office after door opened to reveal a man with too much jewelry. Still sporting the same eerie smile, he trailed Mia into the back office. After he took notice of the folder he was after, he turned his attention to Mia.
"I'll be taking the papers, Miss Fey." The man said, his usual eccentricity gone.
"I'm sorry, but I can't give you what I don't have." Mia said, doing anything to keep his attention off of the filing cabinets.
"You never were the best liar. I can see them right behind you." He said, revealing his true target. "That statue of The Thinker, it's housing those papers, isn't it?"
When Mia's attempts at a response turned to stutters, he laughed and said, "Don't you know anything about me? Gathering business is my specialty." Mia chided herself for being so reckless, and the man proceeded to grab the statue. "My dear Miss Fey, I am so sorry, but I must ask for one more thing."
The next words he spoke would ring in Mia's ears for the rest of eternity, them being the last words she ever heard. "Your eternal silence. Farewell, Miss Fey."
The sound of the statue's base breaking her skull and killing her instantly rang through the office, Mia's killer smiling so wide it would likely have torn a normal person's facial tissue.
September 5, 2016
Fey and Co. Law Firm
9:07 PM
Phoenix wandered into the office, Dash trailing behind him. He wasn't exactly sure why he was here, something just spoke to him. He regretted accidentally waking up Rainbow, but she still seemed somewhat awake.
"Dad?" Rainbow yawned, partially sprawled out on the couch.
"Rainbow, I'm not too sure why, but I feel like I need to head down to the law offices. If you want to come with, go on ahead."
She took him up on the offer. Rainbow moved forward, ahead of Phoenix, and sniffed the air for no apparent reason. Though the reason was made much clearer afterwards.
"Dad, something smells like old vinegar and molded pennies. It smells like it's coming from the back office." Phoenix nodded affirmative, picking Rainbow up and putting her on his shoulders. Rainbow looked like she would pass out any moment, the unidentified smell being the only thing keeping her up.
When they walked into the office, the first thing that stuck out was everything scattered about. Signs of a struggle... Phoenix considered. I may need to take notice of this. He pulled out his obsolete flip-phone (the only one he could afford) and took a picture of a knocked-over lamp, vaguely aware of a feeling he never saw it before.
Lowering his phone, he saw something that rendered both Phoenix and Rainbow fully alert.
Mia was hunched over under a window, not moving an inch. Blood was spattered over her head, and on a slip of paper.
Phoenix could feel the cold of a dead body emanating from her. He heard sniffling, and thought that Dash was crying.
"Hey, it'll be alright." He said in a desperate attempt to comfort Rainbow, unaware than it was someone else who needed help.
"My sister's dead! How can it be alright?" A new voice said behind him. Phoenix's and Rainbow's attentions were diverted onto a new character.
She looked uncannily like Mia, only with clothes that were shades of purple rather than black and gray. Her hair rappelled down her back all the way down to her waist, where a pink bow was tied. Around her neck was some charm that looked remarkably like Mia's, with pearls on a string serving as what kept it attached.
Her getup also didn't expose her breasts, which definitely made Phoenix happy.
The new girl dashed over to the late attorney's body, eyes watering. Phoenix wasn't fully aware of what she said while mourning his mentor, but one word lingered in his mind.
Phoenix let the new girl alone for a bit while he poked around the crime scene a bit more. Rainbow Dash was trying to keep an eye out for something that would be worthwhile, but she was a bit too tired, so he just let her get cuddled by Maya if need be. Given that her sister was dead, it was definitely likely need be would be "indefinite". After some time, he figured it would be best to call the cops and let them know his mentor was murdered.
"Hello? Yes, there's been a murder. Fey and Co. Offices. The victim's name was Mia Fey. Alright. See ya then." Phoenix hung up, Rainbow staring up at Phoenix, having appeared to have escaped the younger Fey's grip.
"Who were you talking to?" She yawned.
Phoenix had to stifle his own yawn, just so he wouldn't pass out on Rainbow. "The police. I told them about the body, and I was hoping we could apprehend the real killer."
"You mean it's not Maya?" Phoenix stopped for a moment upon learning the girl's name. He figured that Dash would likely get to know her, so her knowing her name wouldn't be unlikely.
"Yeah, not her. What reason would she have to kill her own sister?" Phoenix chuckled. He then sighed, only then realizing how late it really was. He sauntered over to the coffee pot and made himself a pot. He had 10 minutes until the coffee was finished, might as well try to get some shuteye.
Fey and Co. Offices
9:30 PM
September 5, 2016
"Hey, thanks for the coffee." Someone said, stirring Phoenix from his nap. Still lacking the necessary faculties to move around without collapsing, a heated cup found its way into the lawyer's hand. Phoenix drank half the cup without even tasting it, just grateful for the caffeine and the sugar.
After tasting the bittersweet cup-a-joe, Phoenix finally garnered the energy to look around, and saw that there were no police in the room with him, just some guy in a green jacket. He figured this was the guy who gave him the coffee. Still exhausted either way, Phoenix could barely move, so he tried to introduce himself through his yawning.
"Phoenix Wright." He slurred, extending his hand in a vain attempt to be helped up.
"Detective Dick Gumshoe. Please, don't use my first name."
"I'll see to it. So, what's going on right now?"
Gumshoe looked behind him to the back room, where Mia's body lied. "The police are doing a full examination of the room. We found a bloody slip of paper with her sister's name on it, so we currently have our suspicions about her."
That must have been the slip I found next to her body. Phoenix decided. "Have the police been able to run an autopsy?"
"I can't disclose any information; I'm working for the prosecution."
"Wait... did you say that you have your suspicions about the girl back there; the victim's sister?"
"Maya Fey, yes."
"Wouldn't you have had to check the statue for fingerprints? I saw crusted blood on it, not a very subtle clue."
The detective pondered the question for a while, looking as if trying to remember. "Sorry, but there were no fingerprints."
"Ah. Well, I'm gonna get back to sleep." Phoenix said, taking off his jacket, putting it over Rainbow Dash as a rudimentary blanket. "See ya around."
Fey and Co. Offices
7:30 AM
September 6, 2016
"Wait, MAYA is the prime suspect?!!?" Phoenix hollered not 3 seconds after waking up. He didn't particularly care if he woke up Rainbow at that point. "C'mon, we gotta do something about this!" He grabbed Rainbow, who had just woken up, no thanks to him.
Detention Center
8:00 AM
September 6, 2016
Maya seemed to be doing pretty well for herself. At least, for having spent about 10 hours there.
"So... how have things been going for the past 10 hours?" Phoenix said, a complementary cup of coffee finding its way to his mouth.
"Stabbed a bitch in the yard." Heavily sweetened coffee found its way onto the glass separating the two. Maya howled, managing to get out, "I just wanted to see how you'd react! Those beds in there are as stiff as a board and I'm exhausted."
"Preach it to the choir." Dash said, hopping up onto the table. "I know it wasn't you."
"WOW, what tipped you off?" Maya said, dripping with sarcasm.
"A suspicious lack of fingerprints, the handwriting on the paper doesn't match Mia's, and you lack a motive." Rainbow said, beaming. "Y'know, there's an attorney directly behind me. I'd bet Dad would be happy to take your case."
"Actually," Maya interrupted. "Before Sis let her own firm, she worked for someone who I'm pretty sure will be happy to defend me. See if you can bring up a... great, what was his name...?"
"I'll give you some time to think over it." Phoenix interrupted. "You wouldn't mind if I got to know you, would you?"
"What do you want to know?"
Phoenix then spent the next 15 minutes getting acquainted with Maya, Rainbow Dash also learning a few things about her. Every member of her family was dead, except for her mother, who was merely presumed dead. She loved watching The Steel Samurai, and Rainbow proposed watching it together after they got her out of this fix. But one tidbit about about her really spoke out to them both.
"A spirit medium?" Phoenix and Rainbow chorused.
"In training. I'll admit, I'm not the best in skill, but the rest of the Fey clan says I have the greatest potential." She said, beaming. "OH! I remember that other attorney's name!"
"Well, what is it?" Phoenix asked, Dash grabbing a piece of paper and a marker in her mouth to write down the lawyer's name.
"Okay, see if you can get a 'Marvin'- M-A-R-V-I-N," She said, letting Rainbow write it down. "'Grossberg.' G-R-O-S-S-B-E-R-G."
"We'll get back to you." Dash said, tearing off the paper to give to Phoenix.
Phoenix finally found the law firm, a good 17 blocks away from the detention center. Walking into the front door, he found himself jealous of the presence of the receptionist. Throwing the bias aside, he walked up to the desk where he was and spent a good while trying awkwardly to get his attention.
Rainbow Dash lost her patience with her dad's stalling after barely 30 seconds. Out of sheer disdain for businesslike conduct, she sat on top of the important papers, shooting puppy-dog eyes at the man on the phone. A mere "I'm gonna have to call you back." was muttered by the guy before he set the phone down, never breaking eye contact with Dash.
Unprompted, a hand flew behind Rainbow's ears, scratching furiously. "What is it?" He asked.
"Can we speak to Marvin Grossberg?" Phoenix asked, the receptionist losing eye contact with Rainbow. The receptionist pointed to Phoenix's left, showing a door with a small plaque on it.
Marvin Grossberg Attorney at Law
Phoenix opened the door, letting Dash fly in first, and he got his first glimpse at Mia's apparent mentor.
When did Peter Griffin go red-and-green colorblind? The mustache that covered about half the distance from the two sides of his face didn't stick out very much. Rainbow, on the other hand, seemed to have an uncanny attraction with the guy, and perched herself unto his shoulder, getting his attention.
"I want a Steel Samurai T-Shirt for Christmas!" Both human beings in the room facepalmed with enough force to prompt Marvin Grossberg to lean dangerously back in his chair. He muttered something about this not being the first time he was treated like Santa, and set the pony down on his desk.
"Not the best foot to start on, I take it?" Phoenix asked, doing what he could to show concern and stifle his laughter.
"Not really." He said. "What is this about? You don't seem to need an attorney; I can tell by the badge."
"It's not me," Phoenix confirmed, taking a seat across from Grossberg. "someone related to someone I knew needs an attorney, and they wanted you because you seem to have the most concrete relationship with them."
"There's a girl named Maya Fey-" Rainbow piped up, only to have a hand shoved over her mouth by Marvin.
"Well why didn't you say so? I'll gladly take the case."
"Thanks. Make sure you send the bill to her, her sister's death has placed us both in a financial hazard." Phoenix said, smiling sheepishly.
September 6, 2016
Fey and Co. Offices
9:45 AM
"Dad, what are we doing back here?" Rainbow asked. "We got Santa to handle our case, what's left to do but let him take over?"
"I still feel like I need to help out here." Phoenix said. "I can't help but shake this feeling that Redd White's gonna have plenty of monkey wrenches to throw into our plans."
"Actually, I think there's one place we need to check out." Rainbow interjected. "When I was comforting Maya, some lady across the street was calling the cops about the murder. I recognized her from some of the newspapers with Redd on them. I think there's something worth noting about her.
"She was at the hotel across the street. I hope she still is."
You miss all the shots you don't take. Phoenix decided, stepping out the door.
September 6, 2016
Gatewater Hotel
10:00 AM
The main foyer was about as grandiose as any four-star hotel. Phoenix envied those with the money to stay here overnight, but he had a job to do. The reception area up front had some character playing a flash game, as no one had checked in and there was no call for accommodations.
"Excuse me, we're looking for someone."
"Yes, can you give me a name or description of what they looked like?" The receptionist asked, pausing the game.
Rainbow hovered up to rest her forearms on the counter, in deep thought about what she looked like. "She had... pink hair... a pink button-up shirt-"
"I think I know who you are referring to. Lemme see." The receptionist brought up the customer database, and brought up a picture of some cute young lady with a vaguely matching description of what Rainbow said.
Phoenix looked at a news clipping Rainbow gave him, and even though Phoenix's picture had no color, the comparison was clear-cut. "Yep, that's her."
"Well, she's in room 413. I can give you a card if you like, just please return it when you're done?" They both nodded affimative, and they were given a plastic card with half of the Gatewater building pictured in black and white on the side.
September 6
Gatewater Hotel
10:05 AM
Sliding the card into the lock, a satisfying "click" was heard as the green light shined. Phoenix opened the door, entering the room to find nothing off, save for one drawer having cables coming out of it.
Curious as to the source, Phoenix opened up the drawer, and was slightly underwhelmed by what he saw. Nothing more than a black box with two wires from it.
Phoenix snapped a photo of both it and the attached screwdriver before noticing that the shower was running in the bathroom. Bringing his finger to his lips to tell Rainbow to be quiet, they made sure to tread lightly on the carpet. Once they were both sure they were out of earshot, Phoenix closed the door, careful not to slam it, and then they hi-tailed it to the elevator.
September 6
Gatewater Hotel
10:30 AM
Phoenix and Rainbow had spent 15 good minutes pondering where to go from there, Rainbow wanting to show the picture to "Scruffy Detective" to learn what it was, whereas Phoenix wasn't in any rush to get things done, before Phoenix's phone started buzzing in his pocket.
"Yes?" Phoenix asked.
"Mr. Wright." A familiar, raspy voice said.
"Oh, Mr. Grossberg!" Phoenix exclaimed, pleasantly surprised. "How's the case coming along?"
"For unforeseen circumstances, I can't take Ms. Fey's case."
"Redd White?" His silence on the end said absolutely everything he needed to know. "Look, he's going to get it someday, it's just a matter of time when."
"Well, him, but also the prosecutor for the case. No attorney worth their salt would take on Miles Edgeworth."
Phoenix's eyes widened as his grip slipped from the phone. Rainbow Dash was able to catch it before it fell, allowing her to carry on the conversation for him.
"Sorry, Daddy's mind just snapped and he doesn't seem to be moving. He'll call you back later."
Rainbow stretched out her wing to fold the phone back in, and pushed on Phoenix's back, leading him to the couch. "I don't know what he said, but I'll give you some time to process it. But the more pressing matter, do you want to defend Maya?"
When Rainbow found herself in Phoenix's apartment, she couldn't remember anything about herself. She didn't know why either, but going down to the detention center to tell Maya that Marvin wouldn't defend her was much harder than she expected. After realizing that she didn't like to be the bearer of bad news, she decided to tough it out and proceeded to fly to the Detention Center while Phoenix stayed behind and worked on their case.
Rainbow also had Phoenix's phone with him, if she decided to go the Police Offices and ask Gumshoe what that little black box was.
After successfully convincing the guards that she was working with Phoenix, the filly flew onto the counter, waiting for Maya. Eventually, Maya walked in, looking pretty chipper. Rainbow found it hard for her to tell her what happened, but she had to.
"Maya, I've got some bad news. Mr. Grossberg refused our case." Those few words were able to kill her mood. Rainbow decided that the silver lining should be addressed. "But don't worry, Daddy's gonna take over for us!"
"I'm honestly not surprised our case was refused." Maya said, not making eye contact.
"So you've known about Redd White?"
"Yeah. Oh!" Maya exclaimed, snapping her fingers, as if just figuring something out.
"What is it?" Rainbow asked, hoping for information.
"I want to get my phone back from the detective; I'm pretty sure he's still at the police department." Maya walked to the back of the room and snagged a paper and pen, quickly jotting down something. "Rainbow, can you go back to the detective and get my phone back?"
Rainbow retrieved the slip from Maya through the door under the window. "I was on my way there anyway."
September 6th, 2016
Police Depot
11:15
Due to the fact that the Police Department was open to the public, Rainbow was able to get in, no hassle. Finding the detective was also no hassle, as he seemed to be working on something alongside some-gray-haired character in red.
"Mr. Scruffy Detective!" Rainbow hollered, snagging both their attentions.
"Hey, you're that cute pony I saw last night alongside Mr. Wright!" Gumshoe noted, beaming.
"The one and only Rainbow Dash!" she confirmed.
"Detective!" The red-suited person barked.
"Yessir?" The detective stammered.
"We have a case to be working on, and I would thank you to stay focused." The prosecutor (Rainbow was sure of it) dropped the serious tone after catching sight of Rainbow.
"Don't be angry, Mister. This should barely take two minutes." Rainbow said, trying to compromise with the prosecutor.
"Alright." He sighed, waving his hand to signal Gumshoe to take five.
"What did you want to talk about?" Gumshoe asked, bending down to reach Rainbow's eye level.
"Two things." Rainbow pulled out the paper Maya gave her and showed it to Gumshoe. "Can you return Maya's phone to us? There's something on it she wants to show us that's relevant to this case."
"That recorded call? Yeah, we didn't think it was relevant, so I had a little fun and hid it somewhere." Gumshoe elaborated, chuckling sheepishly to himself.
"I'll keep an eye out for it." Rainbow decided. "Also," she grabbed Phoenix's phone and accessed the photo roll, finding the black box. "Do you know what this is?"
The detective's eyes widened at what he was looking at. "That's a wiretap! Where was this?"
"The lady who called about the murder had it in her hotel room." Gumshoe looked ready to about explode in Rainbow's face.
"Gotta Dash!" She joked in an attempt to calm him down as she bolted out the door.
September 6th, 2016
Fey and Co. Offices
11:40 PM
Lunch.
That was the one thing on Rainbow's mind. Lacking any money to purchase foodstuffs, she decided to head back to the Firm and raid the cupboard for some food. She also decided to keep an eye out for a phone aside from the one she had with the band wrapped around her neck.
Walking in and giving a mocking salutation to Charley, she noticed a pink band sticking out of the side of it. Flying up to get a better view of what it was attached to, she found a pink phone. I think this is Maya's phone. Attempting to confirm her suspicions, she turned on the phone and tried to access the call history. One call, dated yesterday, caught her interest.
"Hey, sis!" Rainbow heard in Maya's voice.
"Okay, let's get down to business. I need you to come over here- sometime around 9:00 PM?- and hold onto some evidence for me. It's a statue of The Thinker, but that's not the important part." Mia's voice said.
"Well, what is?"
"The contents of the statue's base. It used to be a clock, but I removed the clockwork and stuffed the real evidence within."
"Okay..."
"Hey, don't be like that. We'll get some burgers when you get here, okay?"
"Alright, love you." They finished in tandem.
I think I may have done just about everything. Rainbow decided. She decided to see if Maya's phone had any games on it, but the only thing she found was a custom ringtone with a strangely familiar melody.
Doo-do, dooo, do-dit, dah-doot-doot-dah... beep beep beep... Rainbow realized that it must have been the Steel Samurai theme. After poking about the app and figuring out how to make that ringtone, she hoped she had enough time on her hooves.
Sometime after Rainbow left, Phoenix recovered from his pseudo-catatonia. He remembered what Grossberg had told him about Miles Edgeworth being the prosecutor. Knowing who his opponent was for this case, he reviewed what he knew about him.
A prosecutor with a perfect record, he recalled. Said to do anything for the verdict. Even potentially illegal activities. Phoenix decided to stop there before his previous knowledge of the prosecutor made him break down again. Knowing full well that Redd White was involved in this, he considered heading down to Grossberg's office to talk to him about White in private.
September 6th, 2016
Grossberg Law Firm
12:00 Noon
Walking into the office behind the secretary's back, Phoenix saw that Marvin was gone, but two folders were on his desk. Both of them appeared to have been evidence previously, as they both had "DL-6 Incident" on the front. Phoenix could openly admit he was the morbidly curious type, so he checked out both folders.
In them were just a couple of pictures. One showed some man with purple hair and an uncannily massive smile, while the other showed some lady with short black hair. Phoenix figured that lady had next to nothing to do with the case, so he slipped the picture of the man into his suit jacket, and decided to write a quick little note to Marvin.
Hey, I'm going to borrow this picture of who I presume is Redd White for a little while. I promise I'll return it to you eventually.
Phoenix Wright
After setting the note down, Phoenix realized something. Wait... if Redd was trying to get dirt on Mia, would he have been staying in that room with that pink-haired lady? That wiretap proves she had something to do with this.
September 6th, 2016
Gatewater Hotel
12:40 PM
Phoenix wandered up to the receptionist, who was still playing that same game he was yesterday. After mustering up the courage- and waiting until he finished the level- he got his attention.
"Excuse me, but was April May, the lady I came up here to see, checked in with someone?" Phoenix asked.
"Sorry, but I'm not the person to ask that. Maybe the bellboy could give you some information?"
"How would I know which is which?" Phoenix got out, somewhat shocked at the aspect of asking 50+ bellboys if they "saw this man."
"Try waiting in the area around her room long enough. I'm sure theirs would eventually arrive."
Gatewater Hotel
4th Floor
It took all of 5 minutes for the bellboy to show up. The attorney decided now was as good a time as any.
"Excuse me?"
"Hm?"
"I just want to ask you a few questions. Is that fine?" Phoenix asked, hoping he wasn't straying the guy from his job.
"Ask away."
"Was April May, the lady in Room 413, checked in with someone?" Phoenix asked, grabbing the folder with the photo in case he needed to be specific.
"Yes, but I don't recall their appearance. If you could show me what they look like, I think I'd be able to remember." Phoenix whipped out the photo of Redd White, and the room service attendant's face lit up like a light bulb. "That's him."
"Thanks." Phoenix started to walk away.
"Hang on. I couldn't help but notice that golden badge. Are you an attorney?" Phoenix nodded. "Let me write up an affidavit. I can confirm that the character you showed me was the man who checked in with Miss May." He walked into one of the rooms and snagged a pad and pen, quickly jotting down something before handing it to Phoenix.
September 6th, 2016
Fey and Co. Offices
1:00 PM
Phoenix wandered into the office, unsure of how to proceed. He decided to bring up any possible information about White online, and eventually got results.
"Huh." He said. "Okay, CEO of Bluecorp, and his main office is 20 minutes from here." Better get going. He figured. He walked back to the front door, directions to Bluecorp in hand, hot off the laser printer. After mounting himself on his bike, he heard Rainbow's wings buzzing from behind him. Phoenix turned around, smiled, and nodded. Rainbow nodded back, the same article from a month ago in her mouth.
September 6th, 2016
Bluecorp
2:15 PM
20 minutes by car? Phoenix and Rainbow wanted to scream equally if they weren't so exhausted. Their combined efforts had half-emptied the water cooler in the main office, which rather fortunately was also the floor Redd's office was on. After recuperating for long enough, they both pushed open the door to the CEO's office. Fortunately for both of them, he was present.
Rather unfortunately, he had so much jewelry they had to avert their eyes. Crystal Crazy, Rainbow mentally sniped.
"How pleasureable to make your acquaintanceship!" He cheered, waving hi to both of them. Phoenix sheepishly waved, while Rainbow had other ideas.
"Can the chatter." She barked, flying into his face with the article in hand. "We know you're a blackmailer. We know April May is in cahoots with you."
"We do?" Phoenix interjected, forgetting about the wiretap.
"There was a name plate or whatever on the front desk with her name on it." She explained, before focusing on Redd again. "And we're going to see to it that you get charged for both your blackmailing AND the murder of Mia Fey." Must... keep... up... bluff! Rainbow strained.
"Three out of four." Redd applauded, angling his knuckles so Phoenix would have to look away again. "I must say, falling short at the end, was rather underwhelmapointing." After inwardly facepalming at this guy's made-up words, Phoenix shot him a glare. "So did you kill her?"
"No, no," Redd started, before walking over to Phoenix, placing a hand on his shoulder and looking him in the eye. "You did." Without warning, a 10-pound payload found its way into Phoenix's chest, forcing him to hunch over onto the ground. Rainbow rocketed over to Phoenix's side, hoping to, in some way, help the attorney recover faster. Redd waved his aching hand in the air before speed-dialing April May. "Call the police, Miss May.
25 minutes after Phoenix learned the sensation of diamond rings flying into his chest, he still wasn't fully recovered. With his heart beating a mile a minute, he wasn't fully aware of a certain detective grabbing him by the shoulder.
"Sorry," a familiar voice whispered in his ear, "but he's got dirt on me too." Phoenix decided he understood, and also that he didn't want to hurt himself gathering the breath needed to press further, for both their sake.
Rainbow on the other hand, had plenty of lung capacity to question such a prompt arrest. "Think logically for a second, Mr. Scruffy Detective! What motive would Daddy have to murder Miss Fey?"
The detective spent 5 seconds in deep thought, still escorting the semi-conscious Phoenix to the cop car. "It's likely he would have wanted the offices from her." Gumshoe gestured to the back of the car, signaling for Rainbow to take a ride. Rainbow couldn't fathom her dad, alone, in prison, so she joined him, rubbing his back.
"Truth be told, kiddo, I know your dad isn't the culprit. I'm just doing my job." Rainbow nodded, before another question sprung.
"I can provide an alibi that coincides with the time of death!" She exclaimed. Gumshoe shot her a glance in the rear-view mirror before wordlessly shoving a manila folder into the backseat. Rainbow opened the folder to find a sheet of paper merely labeled "autopsy" at the top. She would have to ask Daddy about this later. "Do you want this back?"
"I've got copies." The detective elaborated, pulling out three flashcards that all said the same thing.
Time of Death: 8:30 to 9:30
Cause: Head trauma, died immediately.
Still a bit exhausted from the hour-long flight to the building, Rainbow passed out.
September 6th, 2016
Detention Center
8:30 PM
Rainbow stood up, her entire body feeling numb. Upon looking around a bit more, she noticed it was because she had been sleeping on Phoenix's chest for who-knows-how-long. The stereotypical prison bed he was provided looked so much more inviting. Descending onto it, she found that it was solid as a rock, if not more so.
"Ow!" She moaned, riling Phoenix from his siesta.
"Rrrgh, Rainbow! For the love of..." He started, before sighing. "Well, I suppose I can fill you in on what happened while you were out."
September 6th, 2016
Questioning
5:00 PM
"Alright, Mr. Wright. Heh, that rhymes."
"What is it you want from me?" Phoenix asked Gumshoe, who was sitting across from him. Inexplicably, Gumshoe looked behind him, paying double attention to the mirrored glass behind them.
"I doubt I can legally do this, but I'm actually going to see if I can help you in some way." Gumshoe whispered. "If Redd White's previous behavior is anything to go off of, he's blackmailing every attorney within 200 miles of here NOT to defend you, or to get the least competent state attorney appointed to you."
Unless I go pro se, Phoenix remarked before letting Gumshoe continued.
"I snagged a few pieces of paper evidence, and I'm gonna fill you in on who the witnesses are. While we were apprehending you, we heard Redd call April and say they were going to testify tomorrow."
"That sounds so familiar... was I in the room?"
"We were just walking out."
"Alright, anyhoo..."
September 6th, 2016
Detention Center
8:40 PM
"...And questioning proceeded as normal." Phoenix concluded.
Rainbow started to dart around the room, lifting up miscellaneous objects. "Where did you put the papers?" Rainbow barked, glaring daggers at Phoenix. In defense, Phoenix raised his hands, and stood up from the mattress. Rainbow took the hint and rocketed over to the bottom of the bed, searching through the caged bed frame.
"Found it!" She hollered, pointing dead center of the bottom.
Rainbow nodded before going under the bed and teaching herself to read upside down.
September 7th, 2016
Defendant Lobby
9:40 AM
"Is this coffee for defendants?" Phoenix yawned.
"No." The guard droned.
"Attorneys?"
"Yes."
"What if the attorney is the defendant?"
"No."
"What if the defendant is the attorney for the case?"
"No."
"Give it up, Dad." Rainbow sighed. "You've been trying for the past 10 minutes for this guy to relent. I'm sure you can survive without it." Phoenix sighed, reluctantly nodding before turning his attention to the doors.
"Nick!" A familiar, cheery voice said. Maya waltzed up to Nick, tousling Rainbow's hair. "Bad news. Redd is implicating all three of us in the murder, so good luck with that." Maya slumped into the armchair by the coffee table before looking at the floor.
"Wright." Some English-sounding voice said behind Phoenix. Upon turning around, he saw his rival for the case.
Miles Edgeworth was practically unrecognizable after 15 years of being in Europe. He still had that gray hair, though Phoenix wasn't sure it was because legal stress made his hair gray naturally, or that dye prank that went south never got out. He wore a red three-piece that bore a matching design to Phoenix's. In fact, the only reason Phoenix knew it was Edgeworth was because of the next words he spoke.
"It's been a while." He said, looking off in the distance while clutching his shoulder. "I'm not going to lie, I never thought you'd stoop so low as to murder."
Rainbow saw Phoenix about to blast in his face. Without thinking it, she flew up to his face and set her hoof on his shoulder. "Dad, save your counterargument for the trial." Phoenix gritted his teeth before exhaling.
"I think it's about time." Phoenix said, glancing at the clock which read 9:55. Rainbow hovered over to the defense's bench behind her dad, hoping for an acquittal.
The people in the stands clamored among themselves as His Honor proceeded to make his way up to the bench. With a resounding thwack, the peanut gallery silenced itself, all eyes on the gray-bearded judge. "Court is now in session for the trial of Phoenix Wright, Maya Fey, and... Rainbow Dash?"
"Is something the matter, Your Honor?" Phoenix piped up, unsure of why he stopped.
"It's just that this last name is decisively weird."
"That would be my name, your honor?" Rainbow piped up, setting herself down on the bench. The court collectively "awwww"ed, counting the judge. Edgeworth, however, didn't even budge, just steeled his gaze.
"If we can get back to the more pressing matter, the prosecution is ready." Everyone came back to Earth, the judge shaking his head.
"Yes, of course."
"The defense is ready, Your Honor."
"Mr. Edgeworth, your opening statement." The judge said, nodding in the prosecutor's direction.
"At 9:00 PM, Ms. Mia Fey was found murdered in her office. The defendants, Maya Fey, Phoenix Wright, and Rainbow Dash," he elaborated, gesturing to the party at the other bench. "were found at the crime scene. There was evidence implicating Maya Fey, so an immediate arrest was made."
"What of Mr. Wright and Ms. Dash?" His Honor started.
"There was nothing implicating them at the time," Edgeworth continued. "but the next day, Mr. Redd White and Ms. April May came along and said they could testify about Wright, Dash, and Maya working in tandem to kill Ms. Fey."
"That is pretty compelling; two witnesses!" His Honor agreed.
"I would like to call Mr. Phoenix Wright to the stand." Edgeworth proposed.
"OBJECTION!" Phoenix hollered. "If I'm to testify, who will cross-examine me?" As he finished speaking, Rainbow tapped a hoof on his shoulder. She had her puppy-dog eyes again.
"Are you crazy?" Phoenix whisper-shouted.
"Enough to work." Rainbow sniped while making what could only be described as a "derp face."
"Alright." Phoenix sighed. "Your Honor, if you want to overrule my objection, go ahead."
Phoenix walked out from behind the bench, approaching the stand. His hand subconsciously reached behind his head, rubbing the back of his hair out of nervousness.
"Name and occupation?" Edgeworth asked.
"Can't you already infer it?" Phoenix started. Edgeworth gritted his teeth, glaring daggers at the attorney. "Alright... Phoenix Wright, attorney at law." He addressed.
"Wright," Edgeworth started. "I would like for you to get it out of your system. What were you doing on the night of September 5th, around the time of the murder?"
"I was biking to the offices; I didn't know why, I was just worried for some reason." Phoenix knew as well as Miles that the argument held as much water as a sieve, but he was being truthful.
"Can anyone provide an alibi so that we can confirm this as fact?" Edgeworth smirked.
"Yeah, I can." Rainbow said, easing herself onto the bench, only for the courtroom to "daw" again. Edgeworth facepalmed before continuing.
"For the sake of reference, the time of death was 8:30-9:30. He said, pulling out Mia's autopsy." What's the earliest the alibi works for you?"
Rainbow flinched in response, knowing the answer full well. "Nine..."
The court clamored, "He did kill her!"
"There's no argument!"
"Do we need the witnesses when the alibi only does so much?"
After the gavel resounded through the room again, the judge called for order. "Anyway. My alibi is still intact, considering that, on record, Dad takes 20 minutes to get to the victim's office." She elaborated. "I think I fell asleep around 8:30, meaning..." Rainbow sat on her haunches and slammed her hooves on the table, the momentum carrying her hind legs off the table. "Our alibi is airtight!"
The court nodded without a word, but Edgeworth just smiled. "The difference is 5 minutes between what he normally does, and the amount of time it would take for him to murder the victim. He could have easily booked it."
Rainbow had to admit he had a decent point.
"And our first witness can prove it. I would like to call April May to the stand."
Some time later, a beautiful young lady with curly pink hair sashayed up to the witness stand. Half of the men wolf whistled, followed by half the women slapping the men on the back of the head. Phoenix shielded Maya's and Rainbow's eyes, His Honor tried to hide his eyes behind his gavel, and Edgeworth barely flinched. His only reaction was a stern, "Name and occupation."
"April May, a secretary for Bluecorp." She cooed, winking as her bust bounced, eliciting a louder set of wolf whistles and slaps.
"The witness shall refrain from such frivolous activities!" His Honor burst, banging the gavel rapidly.
"Ms. May," Edgeworth droned. "please testify as to what happened around the time of the murder."
Witness Testimony:
The Lady's Death
"It was... 9:00 PM, I think? Yeah... I was sitting in my hotel room when I casually sneaked a glance out the window. I saw a light was on, so I chanced a glance. A lady was backed up behind the window, frantically looking to her left and right. Without warning, a statue held by someone with a blue sleeve hit her! I saw her crawl towards the center of the room before she collapsed."
"Hmm... so you never saw the murderer?"
"No, I'll admit, but I saw his sleeve. It was the same color as his shirt." She cooed, pointing at Phoenix.
"Dad," Rainbow whispered, "We got this. I know where she's lying."
Cross-Examination
"It was... 9:00 PM, I think? Yeah... I was sitting in my hotel room when I casually sneaked a glance out the window." April recounted.
"HOLD IT!" Phoenix hollered. "Why did you look out the window to begin with?"
"Well, I was bored, and the city skyline is pretty at night."
"I can attest." Rainbow responded. "Carry on."
"I saw a light was on, so I chanced a glance. A lady was backed up behind the window, frantically looking to her left and right. Without warning, a statue held by someone with a blue sleeve hit her! I saw her crawl towards the center of the room before she collapsed."
"OBJECTION!" Phoenix and Rainbow chorused, Phoenix holding the autopsy, and Rainbow having her hoof stamped on the bloody paper. "You first, dad." Rainbow shied.
"A-hem," Phoenix resumed. "You claim that this woman was struck, and she proceeded to claw her way toward something, right?"
"Y-Yes?" April stammered.
"I don't think so." Phoenix sniped. "According to the autopsy report, the victim died immediately upon dying." Phoenix slammed his hands on the desk, causing Rainbow to jump. "How could she move is she's already dead?" He pressed.
April flinched, averting her eyes from everyone's causing the audience to chat among themselves. Edgeworth only smiled and shook his head.
"Wright, I may have forgotten to tell you. The forensics team ran a second autopsy after your incarceration. It's been revealed that Miss Fey did not die immediately, but rather bled out."
"And that's where this comes in." Rainbow interjected, the bloody "Maya" under her hoof. "Given the description, April saw Phoenix lodging a statue in her brain. What reason would she have to write her sister's name?" She finished, getting into a mock-up of Phoenix's pose when he objected.
"Oh!" April piped up.
"Yes, Ms. May?" Edgeworth replied.
"I remembered something! You wouldn't mind giving me another shot to testify, would you?"
Edgeworth shook his head no. "Not at all."
Witness Testimony
The Murder, cont.
"I know how the witness was technically able to write her sister's name. After she bled out and died, I saw her body shimmy a bit. I think he might have been using her own finger to write the name, for the sake of framing the defendant. Afterwards, he set her body under the window and put the murder weapon- that clock- next to her body."
The judge looked down at his lap for a brief moment, contemplating. "That does seem like a valid testimony. Mr. Wright, do you want to cross-examine this witness?"
Phoenix nodded affirmative, Rainbow doing the same.
Cross-Examination
"I know how the witness was technically able to write her sister's name. After she bled out and died, I saw her body shimmy a bit. I think he might have been using her own finger to write the name, for the sake of framing the defendant. Afterwards, he set her body under the window and put the murder weapon- that clock- next to her body."
"OBJECTION!" Phoenix bellowed, hands pounding on the table. "You stated that the murder weapon was a clock."
April twitched.
"But, throughout this entire trial, no one has referred to it as such." Phoenix was almost starting to dent the table. "How could you have possibly known?"
April appeared to be in some degree of pain. The audience clamored around both of them, Edgeworth gritting his teeth trying to come up with an explanation.
"In all fairness, though, I already know." April gasped in response. "Do you know what I'm talking about, Rainbow?" Rainbow nodded, Maya's phone wrapped around her hoof. "These!"
Though it was hard to make out on Phoenix's screen, Edgeworth clearly saw it: a black box with a screwdriver attached, two inputs stemming from it. "I know you may not be able to see it, but on my phone is a picture of a wiretap, found in Miss May's room."
"And this phone belongs to the defendant," Rainbow began. "The most recent call on this phone was one between her and the defendant, timed 12 hours before her murder." Rainbow fiddled with the buttons before getting the call to play. The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop, which was just enough for everyone to hear.
"Hey, sis!"
"Okay, let's get down to business. I need you to come over here- sometime around 9:00 PM?- and hold onto some evidence for me. It's a statue of The Thinker, but that's not the important part." Mia's voice said.
"Well, what is?"
"The contents of the statue's base. It used to be a clock, but I removed the clockwork and stuffed the real evidence within."
The entire courtroom burst at the development. "Order! Order! Order!" The judge barked, striking his gavel against the podium.
April May was escorted out of the courtroom by a few of the guards. After a few hours of questioning that occurred while the trial was still going on, it was revealed that she was using the wiretap to "gather dirt", as the one playing bad cop put it. While she was involved in the murder, future evidence provided she did not commit it. At this point, her entire testimony was shortened to, 'The victim did not move while backed up against the window.'
His Honor was sweating and his arm cramped from having to bang the gavel so much. He proceeded to call a 15-minute break so Edgeworth could prepare Redd White, and Phoenix, Rainbow, and Maya could gather their bearings.
"We already know that White murdered Mia," Rainbow started. "what's next?" She asked, knowing the answer full well.
"You know what they say about politicians, businessmen, and lawyers," Maya began, chuckling. "You know they're going to lie when they open their mouths." The sound of a hand colliding with a forehead alerted them both to Phoenix.
"We need to find some way to involve him in the murder. Let's hope he's not the best at thinking on his feet." Phoenix alerted, Rainbow and Maya nodding in agreement.
September 7th, 2016
Courtroom No. 2
11:15 AM
The audience had been clamoring since the recess started, and it didn't seem they'd stop on their own time. Fortunately, his honor had a gavel, a podium, and finite patience.
"Court will now reconvene. Mr. Edgeworth, is Mr. White prepared to testify?" He asked Miles.
"Yes, your honor. I'll bring him up now." Edgeworth replied, Redd White walking in through the court's entryway, and setting himself up behind the podium. "Name and occupation." Edgeworth spat.
"Redd White, CEO of Bluecorp." He spat back. "I must say, Mr. Wrong," He began, speaking towards the defense's bench. "I'm disgustapalled at you murdering Ms. Fey."
"Save it for the testimony, buster." Rainbow returned.
Edgeworth nodded in response. "Ms. Dash is right. Can you please testify about what you witnessed in regards to Miss Fey's death?"
Witness Testimony
Murdercide
"I think it was 9:00... yeah. I was examinating some papers by the window with Miss May, and I remember some loud ruckus coming from across the street. I turned my gaze to the window and saw some long-haired lady being attacked by someone. I know that 'someone' was you, Mr. Lawyer. I remember that she ran off to a direction, and then you gave chase. That was about all I saw before I asked Miss May to dial up the cops."
Redd looked pretty pleased with himself at the testimony he gave, but Phoenix had one question that he couldn't hold in. "How were Ms. Dash and Ms. Fey involved?"
"You killed her, shouldn't you know?"
Classic, Rainbow snarked. treat all fault's like they're the complainer's. He's the pinnacle of management.
Cross-Examination
"I think it was 9:00... yeah. I was examinating some papers by the window with Miss May-"
"Hold it!" Rainbow stopped. "I find that kind of interesting. Nowhere in April May's testimony did she say anything about you."
"I can explain." Redd got out. "There was a mirror by the window closer to the foot of the bed. I was at the other window while Ms. May was taking a break to don her makeup."
Why does that make so much sense? Phoenix remarked. "You were saying...?"
"I remember some loud ruckus coming from across the street. I turned my gaze to the window and saw some long-haired lady being attacked by someone. I know that 'someone' was you, Mr. Lawyer. I remember that she ran off to a direction, and then you gave chase."
"Objection!" Phoenix bellowed, holding a transcript of April's testimony. "Your own secretary stated that the victim never moved after being cornered." Redd flinched, prompting the attorney to continue on. "It's either one or the other, Mr. White. Pick your poison."
"She... uh..." Redd stammered. "She ran to the left!"
"Poison selected." Rainbow droned. The direction you chose makes no sense. If she was running that way, she'd corner herself." She nudged her dad, notifying that he should take over for a bit.
"She's right. Why wouldn't she run to the right, the door, where it makes sense to flee to?!" He hollered, index finger outward towards Redd's sweat-drenched face. Redd wiped his face, and proceeded to snap his fingers.
"I got it! There was one more detail that I left out." He smiled.
Witness Testimony
Second Wind
"So, you cornered her against the window. She proceeded to run to her right, but then you thwacked her. She slumped, and you presumed her dead. Sometime later, she got up and ran to my right, probably to the aforementioned door. That was when I saw a multicolor blur tackle her, and likely finish her off."
"And what do you think that multicolored blur was?" His Honor inquired.
"That little filly sitting on the bench."
Cross-Examination
"So, you cornered her against the window. She proceeded to run to her right, but then you thwacked her. She slumped, and you presumed her dead. Sometime later, she got up and ran to my right, probably to the aforementioned door."
"Objection!" Rainbow and Phoenix chorused, each holding a copy of the autopsy report. "You want this one, Rainbow?" Phoenix asked, Rainbow nodding in response.
"According to Ms. Fey's autopsy, she died almost immediately. That's not the problem here. The problem is where it states she was only hit once. She never had any second wind!" She burst, wings flared.
"Maybe I just misinterpreted him whiffing?" Redd proposed. "I also remember hearing a glass light stand shatter before the entire debacle."
"Wait..." Rainbow stressed, dragging out a bag showing the shards of glass in her mouth. "How were you able to confirm these were shards of a light stand?"
"Maybe he was the one who placed the second wiretap in Ms. Fey's office?" Edgeworth proposed, White nodding.
"Mr. White!" His Honor burst. "Is this true?"
"Yes..." He sighed. "But I'll face any charges myself to put the real criminals in jail!" He proclaimed, glaring daggers, katanas, and all other kinds of sharp objects at Phoenix.
"Can you testify about that?" Edgeworth grumbled, looking distraught.
Witness Testimony
The Wiretap
"It was about a week before the murder. I entered the office to place the wiretap at Fey and Co. That was when I saw the stand."
"I'm not getting a read..." Rainbow and Phoenix thought.
"Phoenix~" A familiar voice sang from the defendant's chair. Phoenix turned around, not knowing what Maya was pulling. Or, rather, what Mia was pulling-wha?
Phoenix reacted as appropriately as one would expect someone to upon seeing a ghost. "Your Honor?" Rainbow asked. "Can we get a short recess until my daddy regains consciousness?"
The peanut gallery burst into laughter, Rainbow and Mia dragging out the spiky-haired attorney by his shins as His Honor nodded.
"... I swear, I saw Mia." Phoenix groaned, rubbing his head from collapsing unconscious.
"You did." Mia responded. "And I think I can help you with this. Have you ever heard of forensic research, Wright?"
"It... sounds familiar." Phoenix affirmed. "But I don't see what it has to do with this testimony."
"Look on the back of the slip of paper Redd wrote my name on." Mia said. "We accidentally left it in the court, so we're gonna have to go back."
Phoenix nodded, and all three returned to the courtroom. "I'd like to cross-examine the witness, Your Honor."
Cross-Examination
"It was about a week before the murder. I entered the office to place the wiretap at Fey and Co. That was when I saw the stand."
Phoenix and Rainbow, prompted by him finishing, proceeded to poke about the Court Record. Eventually, they found the slip of paper, crumpled up by all the other evidence on top of it. Upon acquiring it, Phoenix turned it around. "Hey..."
"Yeah?" Rainbow entered.
"This was written on a receipt... for a glass lamp... on September... 5th!"
"OBJECTION!"
Unknown to any of them, Mia had acquired a napkin and a marker from the defendant's lobby, and was quickly jotting something down.
"Mr. White. You said that it was a week ago you saw the glass stand, yes?" Rainbow began.
"Indeedy-do."
"I don't think so." Phoenix snarked. "The glass stand was bought on September 5th. You testified that you placed the wiretap a week ago. 5 days would seem like a pretty suspicious gap to forget about, don'tcha think?"
Redd fidgeted behind the stand. Mia folded the napkin into a paper airplane that unfolded in its flimsy state just as it reached Phoenix's hand. "I have with me a list of every single person you've blackmailed. Be it for murder, blackmailing, or anything of the sort, you're gonna be in federal prison for a good, long while."
"Objection!" Edgeworth interrupted. "How can you prove that list is a collection of blackmail victims, and not just a list of some random characters?"
"Most of these people I've seen in news clipping regarding White, public shaming, and other miscellaneous acts. Two people I have learned over this case are blackmailed are on this, too." Phoenix elaborated.
"And while we're at it, can we mention the assault charges? Daddy still has the bruise." Rainbow said, lifting up the attorney's shirt and jacket to his dismay.
"I admit it." Redd whimpered. "I killed Ms. Fey. Please, don't recite that list."
That night, Phoenix could safely say he had a rather trippy dream sequence. He was in his office, but Mia was sitting across from him. All he could remember about it were five words spoken by Mia:
"I'll be watching over you."
September 17, 2016
Apartment 207
2:00 PM
"Rainbow?" Phoenix asked, walking into the apartment, two bags in his hands. "I have a bit of a surprise for you!" Rainbow was practically already there, bounding up and down with excitement. She dove into the bag and donned its contents, coming up for air once they were on. She looked at her new clothes in confusion, but the spiky-haired attorney elaborated.
"I enrolled you in school." He stated. "Don't worry, it'll be fun." Assuming, of course, THAT doesn't happen to her...
"When does it start?" She asked, readjusting the backpack.
"This Wednesday. Though in actuality, there's one test you need to take before you can enter..." He said, pulling a packet out of his jacket.
September 21, 2016
Ryuichi Memorial Elementary
7:20 AM
The school was only 10 minutes away by foot, so Dash still had plenty of time left to get some hint of advice from her dad. "Okay, that test I made you take determined your placement; you'll be in the third grade range. I took the liberty of explaining your species and all that noise, so you should be fine."
"Assuming that all the kids don't flock to me and treat me like a plush?" Rainbow sniped.
"Just say you're being raised by a lawyer." Phoenix said, sighing at his deprecation. "Everyone will refuse to associate with you. Anyway, you've got Ms. Victoria, she's in room 23. Good luck."
Rainbow proceeded to blitz over to the school's quad in an attempt to find where room 23 would be. She did eventually find it, and rather fortuitously, no one payed her much mind. Sitting outside the locked door, she rooted through her knapsack's contents. She noticed that Phoenix was polite enough to include a Steel Samurai collectible pin to put on her shirt. One part of her wanted to pierce her ear, but she liked to keep her blood, thank you very much.
Either way, she fumbled with the little doodad in the back before she dropped it on the concrete. She stared at in dejection, the open pin keeping her from being able to pick it up with her mouth. In a few seconds, someone who was also in Ms. Victoria's class piped up, "I can get that for you."
Rainbow took notice of the kid that assisted her with the pin. He had a green baseball cap, a lighter green jacket, and his hair was styled funny. Poking out of his backpack was a sheathed katana with a zip-tie on the end. Peace-bonded. "I'm Cody. Cody Hackins." He explained, extending a hand out to Rainbow.
"Rainbow Dash." She returned, allowing Cody to wrap his hand around her hoof. "I know what you're probably thinking, and it's fine."
"Hm?"
"You can pet me." Cody responded to this sentenced with a cockeyed glare.
"That's what you thought I was thinking? You're not the best a reading people, RD." Cody sniped, chuckling as Rainbow also stifled a laugh. "I was thinking that your hair might go well in a samurai bun."
And thus, one of the most meaty Steel Samurai debates in the history of the fandom was held by two third graders over the course of 10 minutes.
Eventually, the bell rang, alerting Cody and Rainbow to the fact that school had officially begun. Both were excited for two entirely separate reasons. Rainbow was excited because she was fascinated by the concept, but also worried that she wouldn't be able to help Daddy with her cases.
Cody wanted to get it over and done with a soon as possible.
Rainbow could barely remember what happened in that classroom. It was incredibly mundane, and Ms. Victoria's monotone speech pattern didn't help much.
"Now, if you'll direct your attention to the tens column..." Rainbow was so bored, she wished she had those fingers everyone else did so she could mimic her mouth "mindlessly" flapping. Either way, she knew the pain that Daddy went through, and took notes anyway. A part of her was genuinely intrigued, though. Stretching her wings, she felt her left wing smack someone's pencil.
"Sorry!" She whispered, turning her attention to someone with quite a few scars on her face. Rainbow stared, mouth agape, as she just rolled her eyes at Rainbow.
"Carol." She barked.
"Rainbow."
"Oh, and about the first club of the year." The P.A. person ended at the lunch bell. "Mock Trial will be meeting in Room 17 during Lunch. If you are interested, feel free to join." Rainbow's attention was perfectly rapt at the news. A case, where she could take over? She was excited.
Unfortunately, a clicking noise alerted her to the fact that the announcements were over, and she proceeded to go as back to earth as Ms. Victoria's lectures allowed.
"How was school?" Phoenix asked, having walked to the school to pick up Rainbow.
"Tedious, boring, mundane, an effective tranquilizer." She ratted off.
"So, par for the course?" Phoenix said, chuckling. Rainbow, however, was terrified at the prospect that she'd have to do this every day. "Welcome to what's known as 'living for the weekend', Rainbow. It will never stop."
Rainbow had been going to school for a good couple weeks now. The first day, she learned, was just a review of stuff she should have learned in 2nd grade. Now that school had gotten to the heavy stuff...
THIS IS MORE BORING THAN EVER! Rainbow mentally groaned as Ms. Victoria continued about the founding of America.
"In 1789, Continental Congress met up to discuss who should govern America. Can anyone tell me who the elected official was?"
"George Washington?" Cody droned as the teacher turned her attention to him. She nodded in response before continuing on.
BEEEEEEEEP. The sound of the bell alerted everyone in the room that 2:30 had arrived. Sweet freedom, Rainbow thought, bursting out the door. Rather, she would, if Cody hadn't put a hand to Rainbow's head, keeping her rooted in her seat. "What the hay, Cody?"
"I was thinking... maybe we could watch the new Steel Samurai episode together?" He asked, pulling out a box of candy he had with him, as if bribing Rainbow with M&M's and Jujubes. Rainbow nodded.
October 14, 2016
Wright and Co. Law Offices
3:50 PM
After Mia left the firm in Phoenix's hands, he had a rather full plate. Going through another document to recognize that the firm was now in his name, and that he had responsibility for the mortgage(which still had 30 years on it, much to Phoenix's dismay), a part of him wished he had an ice pack.
Instead of a soothing cold pack, the moment he thought of it, Rainbow and Cody started getting excited, talking so fast as to be unintelligible. Fortunately, it only continued for 30 seconds before a knock at the front door was heard. "It's open!" Phoenix hollered, allowing the guest to open the door.
Maya Fey walked into Phoenix's office, her spirit medium garb in a duffel bag, swapped out for a Steel Samurai T-Shirt and a pair of pants. "I was told someone was a fan of Steel Samurai~" She sang, scratching behind Rainbow's ear. While RD was distracted by her scratching, Maya picked up the clicker and turned it over to the cartoon.
Phoenix, still working, couldn't help but overhear the TV in front of him, which just showed a nonstop action scene where he couldn't make heads or tails. Maybe that's why Rainbow likes it so much.
All Phoenix heard from the TV for the next 30 minutes were toy adverts, weapons clanging, and the two kids and Maya cheering on the couch. The amount of times his pen almost struck something he didn't want it to was astounding for only 30 minutes of half-asleep contract signing. The lawyer expected 4:30 to be a sweet release from the show.
Rather unfortunately, Rainbow, Cody, and Maya were a bit too... avid.
"That was a really good episode!"
"What do you mean? We don't know who won!"
"It's implied SS won. He's the good guy, he always wins."
"But they wouldn't do that unless they were planning some big twist. What if The Evil Magistrate won?"
"They wouldn't!" Maya and Cody chorused.
Phoenix had snagged the bulkiest binder, and was slamming his head against it. Repeatedly. Out of concern for the attorney, Maya walked up to Phoenix's desk and yanked the binder from his hand. "I don't know what you see in it!" He explained. "I just want to work..."
October 15, 2016
Wright and Co. Offices
5:00 PM
Phoenix was about set to punch out for the day, Rainbow's wings buzzing at the door. Before he could make it to the door, he felt the need to turn off the TV. By the time his hand was a few feet from the clicker, the news came up with some breaking news.
"Local actor Jack Hammer has been found dead! The current suspect is actor Will Powers. Or, for the younger viewers, the Evil Magistrate has been killed by the Steel Samurai! More at 7."
Phoenix and Rainbow's gazes turned towards each other. Both of them bore a half-lidded glare, and eventually chorusing, "Careful what you wish for, eh?" As if bade by the thought, Phoenix's phone rang, and Rainbow's forgotten prank made itself known. Doot doo dah do dit, dah doot doot dah... beep, beep, beep... Phoenix was trying to pierce Rainbow's soul with a condescending glare, but Rainbow didn't notice as she was rolling on the floor, howling.
Begrudgingly, Phoenix answered the phone. "Hello?"
"Nick!" Maya said. "The Steel Samurai killed the Evil Magistrate!"
"I know!" Rainbow blurt, grabbing the phone from Phoenix. "We just saw it on the news!"
"You know what?" Maya asked rhetorically. "I'm taking the public transit tomorrow to help you on the case, and nothing you say will stop me!" Abruptly, the phone went to a dial tone, Phoenix pressing the red hang up button.
"What did she say?" Phoenix inquired, retrieving the phone from the pegasus.
"She's coming down here tomorrow to help with the investigation. Looks like you're putting in overtime."
"What's this 'you' business?" Phoenix remarked, grabbing Rainbow in his arm and rubbing her head as they walked to the Detention Center. Rainbow fidgeted in his grip before realizing something:
I get to meet the Steel Samurai! This is the greatest day of my life!
OH SWEET EVERYTHING WHAT THE HECK. Rainbow wanted to scream upon the actor entering the area. What Rainbow expected to see was some big, handsome, muscular guy with a great personality, a nice hairdo, and a heavy degree of intelligence.
What she got was some dude with a lot of facial hair and hair that was literally so unkempt, the only difference between his and Daddy's was that Daddy had an excuse in that it was gelled. This guy looked like he just woke up, with a matching personality. "So... are you my state-appointed attorney?"
"No," Phoenix responded. "A friend of mine who is also a massive fan is dragging me by my hair to defend you. At minimum, she will."
"Which sucks on two fronts," Rainbow agreed, making herself known as she rose onto the table. "The hair should stay that way; he'll look like an anime protagonist!" Will Powers lightly chuckled in response before remembering his situation. "Right, murder accusation. Hm."
"Look, Mr. Powers," Phoenix droned. "I'm going to be defending you no matter what, so if you don't want to hear a fangirl whining until you accept a fee until your acquittal, you might as well just accept me now."
"I've seen that look several times." Will stalled, looking at Rainbow's cockeyed glare. "That's why I keep the mask on."
"Am I getting hired or what?" Phoenix sighed.
"$75 an hour?" Will proposed.
"Twelve hundred a day."
"One thousand."
"Deal." Phoenix said, setting his fist on the glass, waiting for Will to do the same. Afterwards, Phoenix marked some areas on a packet, slid it and a pen under the window, allowing Will to see it: a very long agreement with a spot for a signature on the bottom after a short phrase.
Abridged:
I hereby accept Phoenix Wright as my attorney, and I shall pay any ensuing expenses that may arise from his services, counting his negotiated rate of $1,000 a day.
X__________________________(1)
Will scribbled his signature before rolling up the sheet and sliding it back under the window. "What do we do first?" Phoenix asked Rainbow, sticking the packet into his jacket.
"We wait for Maya." Phoenix and Will stared at her. "She's the one who knows everything about the show; I've only known it for six weeks." Phoenix nodded in response, waving goodbye to his first client.
October 15, 2016
Wright and Co. Offices
6:45 PM
"What are we doing back here?" Phoenix asked, startled that Rainbow had dragged his bike back to the offices.
"Odds are, me and Maya are going to be gushing a lot," Rainbow started. "so I want you to watch at least a few episodes to understand some of the stuff we might talk about." Rainbow turned back to Phoenix, remote control precariously balanced on her hoof. Phoenix only stared at it, trepidation screaming at him to turn back.
"Alright. 3 episodes." Dammit, Phoenix! He chided himself. What sort of mess are you getting into?
"Hmm." Phoenix hummed, the credits rolling on the last episode. "Not bad." Phoenix picked up his phone, dialing Maya to tell her he saw some of the show she watched, and it would probably help on the investigation. Unfortunately, it went over to dial tone.
"Hi, this is Maya. I'm probably snoozing, watching Steel Samurai, or training. Leave a message and I'll t-t-y-l."
Phoenix hung up before the tone could play, and turned to Rainbow. He shrugged his shoulders and walked out the door.
October 16, 2016
Wright and Co. Offices
8:30 AM
Maya waltzed into the offices, returning the key to its rightful location on top of the doorframe. "Nick, I'm ready to go!" She hollered, her greeting returned by no one. However, the clicker rested on the sofa with two sticky notes layered atop each other.
Maya,
Me and Dash decided to prepare for Halloween by getting our costumes. The TV is set to a Steel Samurai marathon. We should be back by 9:00.
Phoenix.
Confused, Maya pressed the power button, and sure enough, the titular Samurai was onscreen. She completely forgot about the absence of the attorney and the foal.
October 16, 2016
Wright and Co. Offices
9:15 AM
The door opened, Phoenix and Rainbow walking in, dressed in their costumes for no particular reason. Phoenix had let his hair down, which didn't look very natural, and on his head were a pair of horns that reminded Maya of candy corn. He wore glasses with red lenses, and on a solid black shirt was the symbol for Libra in teal. Clutched in his hand was a roll of what appeared to be gray face paint.
Rainbow's getup was genuinely surprising. Maya would have considered her shape to limit her getup to dog costumes, but apparently there was a massive selection. She had on a pair of loose-fitting blue pants, cinched by a yellow martial arts belt. Around her hooves were felt paws, and clenched in her jaws were phony fangs. Hanging off her back was a soft-looking shirt with a design that, when worn, would give her a white underbelly.
"Come on!" Rainbow whined. "You can do the voice! Show Maya!"
Phoenix groaned, rubbing his throat, as if to show it hurt. "Last one." He promised. He cleared his throat, followed by the kind of voice Maya associated with leet-speak, "His honorable tyranny presiding."
Maya broke down, cackling mad at the fact that Phoenix could do that. Phoenix, slightly irritated, snagged a comb off the desk, clearing out the bedhead he had in lieu of his traditional hair, and donned his shirt and jacket over his Halloween shirt. Rainbow nodded to Maya, spitting the fangs out and kicking off her paws. "You ready to go defend the Steel Samurai?"
Maya was already at the door, head poking outside. "Let's go already!"