Turnabout Storm

Turnabout Storm is a four-part video series by NeoArtimus under the Youtube user PWaaMLPfim. The series is a crossover between Ace Attorney and MLP:FiM, which involves the main character of the original Ace Attorney trilogy, Phoenix Wright, being summoned to Ponyville to help Rainbow Dash, who's been accused of murder, while at the same time discovering the truth behind the mystery. The series is done in the same visual novel style the Ace Attorney series uses, using a similar structure such as the speech bubbles and sounds. The series also uses many custom icons, original characters, and speaking roles for all the characters.

Part 1
The series starts off deep inside the Everfree Forest, where two Pegasus ponies discuss an unknown topic. Things then take a turn for the worse, as one of the ponies betrays the other pony and deals a killing blow off-screen. We then shift to Phoenix Wright, where he is alone in his office trying out a new slogan Maya had made for them. Suddenly, Phoenix becomes dizzy and is unable to move as he faints and falls onto the ground. Time passes, and he starts to wake up upon hearing a mysterious voice commenting on his hair. When he manages to wake up completely, he finds himself inside the Ponyville Library, where Twilight Sparkle greets him by acknowledging that he is human. However, shortly after realizing who just spoke to him, Phoenix panics at witnessing a talking horse, which Twilight corrects him as being a pony.

Once Phoenix calms down, he asks where he is and how he has ended up in Ponyville. Twilight then explains that she was trying to cast a spell to bring "The Greatest Defense Attorney in all of Equestria" to Ponyville, however, she states she had accidentally missed the Equestria part and has instead cast a spell to bring "The Greatest Defense Attorney... Period". After the uncovering of this, Twilight gives him a "detailed encyclopedia" on the different types of ponies in Equestria, which actually is a children's book for fillies, making Phoenix slightly mad. Phoenix then notices that Twilight is sad, and upon further explanation, figures out that her friend is currently being held at a detention center for being accused of the murder of another pony. Unlike in Phoenix's world, murder has almost never been committed in Ponyville, or Equestria for that matter, meaning the punishment is to either be sent to the Moon or the Sun. Phoenix asks Twilight for more details about the murder case, and Twilight explains that her friend was near the scene of the murder when it occurred, and therefore has become the prime suspect. She also goes on to explain that her friend is currently being held in the Ponyville Detention Center, as Twilight said earlier. Twilight, however, cannot enter the Center unless she has a defense attorney with her; hence why she cast the spell. Phoenix then decides to help Twilight get into the Detention Center and talk to her friend by going with her, but is still thinking about whether or not to take the case. Twilight thanks Phoenix, calling him by his full name, which makes him confused since he hasn't revealed his name to her since he arrived. Twilight then panics and states that she used a identification spell to find out who he was.

After collecting a few things from the library, Twilight and Phoenix arrive outside the Detention Center where the guards outside ask Phoenix for identification. Phoenix shows his defense attorney badge, however the guards deny him access believing it is a toy. Twilight then remembers Princess Celestia gave her a special defense attorney badge so that a pony can defend clients in Equestria, which she gives to Phoenix, allowing him access to the Detention Center; Phoenix becomes a little suspicious on how could the princess have had something like that prepared when he was summoned by accident. Twilight then tells Phoenix that only attorneys can see the suspects, and asks Phoenix to hear her friend out. She also explains that if he does not want to take the case afterwards, then she will send him back. Phoenix decides to hear out Twilight's friend, and travels into the Detention Center to meet the suspect.

Once inside, Phoenix is greeted by Rainbow Dash, the suspect of the murder and Twilight's friend. After a short argument about Phoenix's hair, Rainbow Dash and Phoenix greet each other and start to go more into detail about the murder case. Rainbow Dash explains that the victim, a Pegasus known as Ace Swift, was killed in the Everfree Forest near Fluttershy's house, and explains that he was a hot-shot racer who was suspected to win an upcoming race event known as the "Equestria 500", a 500 mile endurance race around Equestria. Rainbow Dash had even entered herself into the race, not only to prove she could beat Ace, but also for the main prize for winning, being a special lesson with The Wonderbolts, and would do anything to make sure she would win this. Phoenix realizes at this point that Rainbow Dash has just given herself a good motive to kill Ace from what she has stated, and decides to press on and asks her how Ace died, which Rainbow Dash claims she doesn't know, but ended up in the Detention Center because she was flying near the Everfree forest at the time.

Rainbow Dash becomes sad and slightly desperate at this point, feeling that all of the ponies in Ponyville think she committed the crime and will be banished for it. Phoenix then explains that Twilight believes that Rainbow Dash is innocent, and even that is the reason he is in Ponyville in the first place. Rainbow Dash, now cheered up, asks Phoenix Wright to be her defense attorney. Before Phoenix comes to a decision, he remembers that he is carrying his Magatama, a powerful gem allowing Phoenix to see if anyone is hiding any deep secrets from him. He asks Rainbow Dash if she had any involvement with the murder of Ace Swift, which Rainbow Dash replies aggressively, saying that she did not murder anyone. The Magatama doesn't react, meaning that Rainbow Dash is telling the truth, and Phoenix agrees to be her defense attorney. Just before Phoenix leaves, he asks Rainbow Dash why she was at the Everfree Forest. She replies that she was practicing for the Equestrian 500, causing three psyche-locks to appear, revealing that Rainbow Dash is hiding something from Phoenix, but before he can get an answer, Rainbow Dash leaves.

As Phoenix exits the Detention Center, he tells Twilight about the events that happened inside, making Twilight happy. As they talk about the case, Twilight wonders how Rainbow feels, and Phoenix then tells Twilight about how he has been in similar position a few times before, and how he had good friends who helped him overcome those dark times, which is one of the reasons why he became a defense attorney in the first place. Phoenix and Twilight then decide to continue the investigation of the murder by going to Fluttershy's house to see what she knows about the murder.

When they arrive there, Phoenix tries to talk to Fluttershy about the murder case, but Fluttershy whispers to Twilight that she is too scared to talk. They are about to leave when Fluttershy suddenly starts speaking to Phoenix after hearing his name, thinking he is an actual phoenix about to be reborn. Using this opportunity, they try to get any useful information from Fluttershy, however before she says anything, she tells them that some other ponies had told her not to say anything until the trial, where she will be a witness. Despite their best efforts, they can't get anything out of Fluttershy, and decide to head to the crime scene itself. Just before they do, Phoenix asks when the trial will start, which Twilight replies to being the next day. This causes Phoenix to panic, as they only have a few hours to gather enough evidence to present a case. Despite this, they continue to the crime scene to look for clues.

Once at the crime scene, Twilight and Phoenix examine it for things which the forensic team may have missed. They examine the area of death, revealing blackened grass surrounding the body. As they examine the grass, they also find a piece of metal, which was burnt to a crisp. As Phoenix and Twilight search the rest of the crime scene, they discover an area of dirt where there are signs of a struggle. Besides this, they also discover a brown feather that doesn't belong to either a bird or a pony. Phoenix then asks about how Twilight is able to perform certain tasks throughout the day such as levitate books and light up her horn. She explains that its due to unicorns having the ability to use magic, which she then follows with asking if magic exists where he comes from. Phoenix replies explaining how he has been able to speak to the dead via spirit channeling, however he has done this through a friend. Both of them then decide to wrap-up and head back to Ponyville to rest for the next day's trial.

Part 2
The episode begins the next morning a few minutes before the trial, with Phoenix griping about not getting any sleep or having anything to eat--the bed was too small and he couldn't eat the hay offered him for breakfast.

Arriving at the courthouse, he is surprised to find it looks like the ones he's used to at home and asks Twilight about the prosecutor. She admits she forgot to look into that, leaving Phoenix to wonder what his childhood friend, prosecutor and friendly rival Miles Edgeworth, would do in his shoes.

This sparks a sudden and very disturbing mental image of a sissified Miles gleefuly riding Cheerilee and playing alongside Lyra and Bon Bon.

While he's trying to purge that cringeworthy picture from his brain, Twilight asks him if it really matters who the prosecutor is. He replies that most prosecutors from his world are stuck-up, smug and arrogant; Twilight responds that she doesn't think there's anypony in Equestria like that.

Her reassurance is given immediate lie by a loud, mocking, and strangely familiar laugh. The source is no less than The Great and Powerful Trixie, who appears in her wizard's hat and robes to announce herself as the prosecutor in the case. She proceeds to insult everyone in sight, promising to use the trial to take revenge on Twilight and her friends for the humiliation she suffered during the Ursa Minor incident. After she leaves, a sandbagged and worried Twilight is forced to admit that they do have some stuck-up, smug and arrogant ponies, giving Phoenix a brief explanation of the grudge Trixie holds against her.

Pausing briefly to review the evidence they collected the previous night, Twilight makes contact with his Magatama. At her touch, it emits a powerful green glow, startling both of them; Twilight remarks that the light felt mystical to her. Though very concerned by this--the Magatama has never acted that way before--Phoenix has no choice put to put it aside as the defense team is called to the courtroom.

As court is called to order, Phoenix is shocked to discover that the presiding judge is none other than the very Judge behind all of his cases. Twilight explains to him that since Princess Celestia couldn't preside as judge they had to find another one, and since they had a human attorney, she summoned "The Greatest Human Judge". Phoenix silently wonders if she didn't instead summon 'the most fickle judge', but concedes he always seems to return the right verdict.

The trial begins as Trixie makes her opening statement and starts to explain the facts behind the case, showing her status as a worthy Ace Attorney prosecutor by constantly belittling the defense. When Trixie announces that Ace was electrocuted by lightning fired from a storm cloud, Phoenix loudly and confidently objects, claiming that no one in their right mind would suggest that someone can move clouds around and make them shoot lightning on command.

The audience falls silent, Trixie ridicules him, and after explaining that Pegasi can indeed manipulate weather, including moving clouds and inducing them to fire lightning, the Judge and Twilight berate Phoenix for not studying the workings of Equestria when he had the chance.

As a mortified Phoenix tries to refocus, Trixie smugly moves on, explaining that the storm cloud found over the clearing where Ace was killed bore Rainbow Dash's hoofprints. She then presents the evidence collected by the crime scene investigators and 'cloud ballistics' team, which show a time of death between 8:30 and 9pm and that the cloud loosed its first lightning bolt at 8:40pm, followed by two additional strikes at 8:50pm and 11:35pm--the first bolt being the one that killed Ace while the third took down a tree on the other side of the clearing. Where the second bolt hit could not be determined.

Phoenix pounces on that, trying to suggest it might have been the second bolt that killed Ace, but Trixie shoots that argument down quickly, countering that they could not find any indication the second bolt hit in the clearing or nearby. Additionally, Ace was wearing a lightning-proof race suit that would have rendered him invulnerable to anything except a precisely aimed strike to the neck, meaning it could only have been the first bolt, which was set off deliberately--a storm cloud won't fire bolts until the first one is triggered manually by a pegasus, and that one *always* strikes directly under the parent storm cloud, which is exactly where Ace's body was discovered. After the first bolt is triggered, the cloud discharges its remaining bolts at random over a period of time.

Moving on, Trixie admits that since the first bolt was set off manually they could not determine when it was fired, but there is an eyewitness who saw it--Apple Bloom. As she takes the stand, the Judge gushes over how adorable she is while Phoenix and Twilight are surprised, having expected the witness to be Fluttershy.

Ignoring Trixie at first, Apple Bloom gets curious about Phoenix as she's never seen a human nor knows what a defense attorney is. When Phoenix defines a lawyer's job as "to argue", the young filly gets excited, thinking that there may yet be a Cutie Mark for that. Back on topic, Apple Bloom gives her name and occupation as a "CUTIE MARK CRUSADER!!!" and initially refuses to answer Trixie's questions, calling her a 'snotty show-off' and leaving the show mare sputtering to Phoenix's great delight. But the Judge soon convinces Apple Bloom to testify, promising her that it won't take long and even suggesting there might be a cutie mark for it.

Excited at the prospect, Apple Bloom gives her story: she went to Zecora's house in the Everfree forest that evening to help the zebra mare make some potions, but on the way back saw and heard lightning right at 8:40, lining up with the time of Ace's death. She wasn't scared by it, and, following the path, left the forest and went home.

Sensing Apple Bloom is holding something back, Phoenix prepares to cross-examine her, but Trixie and the judge warn him to not press her, as she's just a child. Despite this handicap, Phoenix succeeds in prying several tantalizing new pieces of information out of the young filly--she was in fact very scared by the first lightning bolt, causing her to run off the path in a panic, ending up lost in the woods for twenty minutes. Stumbling around in the dark, she was later blinded by the flash of a second lightning bolt at 9pm just as she ran into something--or someone?--and then found herself outside the forest when her vision cleared. She headed home after that, arriving at 9:10pm.

Trixie is caught off guard by this new information and Phoenix pounces, pointing out a large time discrepency between when Trixie said the second lightning bolt struck (8:50pm) and when Apple Bloom said she saw it (9:00pm), calling the cloud ballistics evidence into doubt. Though momentarily flustered, Trixie recovers quickly, tricking Phoenix into suggesting that what Apple Bloom saw wasn't lightning, making the evidence solid again. Phoenix then challenges Trixie on why Apple Bloom didn't see the 8:50pm bolt if that was the case, but Trixie renders the argument moot by pointing out the only objective of the witness testimony was to corroborate the time of the first lightning bolt striking as being identical to the time of death, which she did. The Judge agrees, and Apple Bloom is excused.

Trixie then presents more evidence regarding the crime, including a weather schedule that shows Rainbow Dash in charge of creating a lightning storm at 3pm on the other side of Ponyville. Challenged by Phoenix to explain how the murder happened, the mare magician almost gleefully obliges, and a confrontation between the two counselors ensues. Phoenix gets the worst of it, as Trixie proves that the storm cloud that killed Ace was in fact taken from the location of the storm Rainbow Dash was supposed to create and had her hoofprints on it. She further shows that Rainbow Dash's feathers were found all over the clearing, demonstrating she was present at the scene of the crime. When Phoenix suggests that there's no way Rainbow Dash could have done all this at night in a very dark forest, Trixie claims premediation--that Rainbow knew Ace was going to be there and had the cloud in place before he even arrived.

With the Judge ready to give a guilty verdict, Phoenix objects, claiming that there might be still something being overlooked. To his surprise, Trixie agrees, presenting a burned envelope that Ace was carrying with him. Rainbow gets very spooked when she sees it and begs Trixie not to open it, making Phoenix worry that the envelope holds decisive evidence that Rainbow Dash did it. But when the mare magician reveals the envelope contents, the audience explodes in laughter--the contents are not incriminating but very embarrassing photographs of Rainbow Dash, who is utterly humiliated. When a flabbergasted Phoenix demands an explanation on how the pictures relate to the crime, Trixie gives none except to say that they're 'important evidence', making him conclude that she just presented them for no other reason but to humiliate Rainbow.

After that sideshow, the Judge prepares to give his verdict before an increasingly desperate Phoenix points out that there's no decisive evidence that Rainbow moved the cloud or was at the scene of the crime--somepony else could moved it and Rainbow's feathers could have been collected elsewhere by that same pony and brought in to frame her. Trixie gives a theatrical sigh, stating she has another eyewitness that can put Rainbow Dash at the scene--Fluttershy.

Though initially having severe stage fright as she takes the stand, Fluttershy perks up when she sees Phoenix (still believing him to be a phoenix) and gives her testimony: she was up feeding her chickens at night when she was badly frightened by a flash and boom of lightning. Looking up, she saw Rainbow Dash flying off from the Everfree Forest following the lightning strike, right at 8:40. Afterwards, she watched the forest until the police arrived a couple hours later, but saw no further lightning or anypony else leave.

Although Trixie claims Fluttershy's testimony to be airtight, Phoenix spots two inconsistencies. First, Fluttershy claims to have only seen Rainbow Dash leave the forest, but she should also have seen Apple Bloom leave twenty minutes later if she was still watching the woods, given the forest exit is right beside her cottage. Second, Fluttershy also claims to not have heard a second bolt of lightning prior to the arrival of the authorities, but if she heard the first strike, she should also have heard the second. Trixie challenges Phoenix to demonstrate what the first contradiction means, saying she knows one possibility but it's up to him to voice it.

Knowing what that possibility is but that he can't use it, Phoenix tries to use the second inconsistency instead, suggesting again that the missing second bolt of lightning could be the real culprit. But Trixie nullifies that argument quickly, pointing out that the odds of being killed by a random bolt while wearing a lightning-proof racesuit are infinitesimal. The Judge concurs, saying he can't consister such a remote possibility without proof. Lacking it, Rainbow Dash's fate is sealed... unless Phoenix uses the first contradication to play his final, deperate card.

With no other way to buy time and prevent a guilty verdict, Phoenix casts suspicion on Fluttershy on the grounds that if she was really watching the forest the whole time, she should have seen Apple Bloom leave the forest but didn't, thus calling her account into doubt. He theorizes that being a pegasus, she could have moved the cloud herself, fired the lightning that killed Ace, wiped her own hoofmarks off the cloud and scattered Rainbow's feathers around the clearing. Twilight is shocked by this accusation and appalled that he would make it, but Phoenix ignores her, charging ahead.

Asked about Rainbow's hoofprints, Phoenix reminds the Judge that they would have been on the cloud anyway if she'd simply done her job of creating the scheduled storm. Challenged on motive, he borrows Trixie's tactic to claim it's irrelevant. When the Judge asks for proof that Fluttershy could have committed the murder, Phoenix produces the large feather he and Twilight found in the clearing the previous night, suggesting that it came from one of Fluttershy's animals and might have been carried in by her.

At that point, a very upset Twilight objects, accusing Phoenix of slander and lies. Clearly enjoying the turn of events, Trixie orders Twilight to be silent, reminding her that accusations like that will get her held in contempt. Twilight calls the magician show mare a hypocrite given that she's been putting Phoenix down all day, but Trixie replies that she's only called him names, not questioned his integrity. The Judge agrees, warning Twilight that if there's another outburst she'll be found in contempt. Frustrated and helpless, Twilight falls silent as the endgame plays out.

Phoenix mentally apologizes to Twilight, but doesn't relent. He claims the feather potentially puts Fluttershy at the scene of the crime and demands further investigation on that basis. To everyone's surprise, Trixie agrees but admits she only does so for the pleasure of getting to put another of Twilight's friends behind bars, making her revenge even more sweet. She then twists the knife deeper into Phoenix by mockingly offering him tickets to her next performance as a thank-you, leaving him even more miserable at what he's done.

As court is adjourned and a frightened Fluttershy is taken into custody, a betrayed and tearful Twilight asks Phoenix how could he do such a thing. There's nothing Phoenix can say--he bought another day, but at a terrible price, and Twilight may never trust him again.

Part 3
Part 3 is a double feature. It shows the second day of investigation from Phoenix's point of view and Twilight's point of view in 2 different videos.

Part 3 - Phoenix
The episode starts off with a flashback in Phoenix Wright's universe. At Fey Laws Office, Phoenix is shouting to himself: "My name is Phoenix Wright, AND I'M FINE!".

Mia then bursts in wondering why Phoenix is shouting. As it turns out, he is following a exercise tape in order to prepare for his very first case the next day. Mia then tells Phoenix that he doesn't need the tape as they start to talk about the case and Phoenix's client--Larry Butz, Phoenix's childhood friend. Phoenix starts to worry about what to do if Larry really is guilty, but Mia tells Phoenix that he shouldn't stress and asks him directly if he thinks his friend could have commited murder. Phoenix replies that his friend couldn't do such a deed, to which Mia responds to always believe in his client and always pursue the truth.

Feeling a bit better, Phoenix asks Mia who the prosecutor for the trial will be. Her answer doesn't help his nerves--the prosecutor is Winston Payne, also known as the "rookie killer". Mia then asks why he wanted to know, but Phoenix says to just forget it as the camera fades out.

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Returning to the here and now, Phoenix and Twilight are exiting the courtroom after a disastrous session. Saying she was wrong about Phoenix after he accused Fluttershy of the murder, a tearful Twilight abandons him. Uncertain what to do next and feeling miserable about his poor trial performance and Fluttershy, Phoenix is startled by the appearance an odd pink earth pony that smells of cotton candy. Seemingly unperturbed by or oblivious to the fact he's a human, she introduces herself as Pinkie Pie, explaining she was trying to find the "spiky-haired monster" everyone was talking about!

Though upset further by this, Phonenix introduces himself. Upon hearing his name, Pinkie starts calling him "Feenie" which reminds him of Dahlia Hawthorne. They talk about the trial and Phoenix wonders out loud what to do next due to the lack of any leads, to which Pinkie suggests he talk to Rainbow Dash. Suddenly remembering the pegasus pony had psyche-locks on her, Phoenix sets off for the detention center.

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Upon arrival, Phoenix finds Rainbow Dash beside herself over the embarrassing pictures that Trixie revealed in the courtroom earlier, the pegasus pony dramatically proclaiming her life to be ruined. He manages to calm her down but she then blasts Phoenix' performance in the trial, claiming she could have done a better job defending herself. Additionally, she accuses Fluttershy of betrayal over her damaging testimony, declaring her to be an ex-friend.

Phoenix tries to explain that Fluttershy was just being honest about what she saw and that it 'tore him up' having to accuse her, but Rainbow Dash still won't forgive her. Changing the subject, Phoenix orders the pegasus pony to tell him the truth about why she was in the Everfree Forest that night. Phoenix immediately sees chains and three psyche-locks surround Rainbow Dash, to his great relief--the magatama still works after the earlier incident with Twilight.

At first, Rainbow Dash repeats her earlier claim that she was only in the Everfree Forest to practice for the race. Not believing her, Phoenix asks to play a game where he will try to guess what really happened and she will tell him if he is correct. An uneasy Rainbow Dash agrees but sticks to her story.

Phoenix starts off the game by guessing that she was at the Everfree Forest for something very important--such as meeting somepony. Now visibly nervous, Rainbow Dash asks who she would want to meet there, particularly since nopony ever goes in the forest willingly, especially at night. Phoenix agrees and turns her logic back on her, asking why she would be training for the race in a forest nopony ever willingly goes into?

Phoenix then guesses that Rainbow Dash was meeting Ace Swift in the Everfree Forest, breaking the first of her psyche-locks. As the cyan pegasus starts to sweat, she quickly asks Phoenix why would she be meeting him when she could have been doing something more important. Phoenix guesses that she had to be there because Ace had something which Rainbow Dash would "move heaven and earth for." When Rainbow Dash asks what this thing is, Phoenix brings out the envelope with the embarrasing images Trixie introduced at the end of the trial, causing Rainbow Dash to immediately freak out. She begs Phoenix to hide them, but owns up that the pictures were the reason for the meeting, causing the second Psyche-Lock to shatter.

With this, Phoenix asks his final question: why did Ace have the pictures in the first place? With forced and unconvincing nonchalantness, Rainbow Dash replies that it's too bad that with Ace dead, they'll never know. But Phoenix responds that he does know: Ace was using the photos to blackmail her, trying to force her to drop out of the Equestrian 500. With that, the last Psyche-Lock shatters, leaving Rainbow Dash stunned and very impressed he was able to figure it out.

Her secret revealed, Rainbow Dash relates the whole story: two days earlier she received a letter from Ace saying only "I’ll let your secret out if you don’t drop out of the equestrian 500. Meet in the Everfree Forest clearing 8:35 PM for negotiations," making it clear what secret he meant by attaching one of the pictures to the letter. Phoenix starts to ask her about the images but she cuts him off hard, saying only "it's a hobby, ALRIGHT????"

Reassuring the pegasus pony that he knows she's innocent, Phoenix asks Rainbow Dash be completely truthful in answering his next series of questions, even if she thinks it makes her look bad. When she agrees, he point-blank asks her why she moved the cloud to the clearing and set it off.

Scared, Rainbow Dash weakly tries to deny it, but Phoenix reminds her that he knows she didn't kill Ace and won't feel any differently about her in light of what she reveals. Mustering her courage, she admits that she did move the cloud to the clearing and set it off with the purpose of scaring--not killing--Ace during the meet-up, both to get the photos back and as an emphatic statement that she wasn't going to drop out of the race, even in the face of blackmail.

After the two go off-topic briefly, Rainbow Dash explains how her prank was going to work: she prepositioned the cloud in anticipation of the meeting, getting a bigger one then usual in order to make more powerful lightning and a louder, more frightening boom. Phoenix asks if the lightning bolt hit Ace, but the pegasus pony emphatically denies it, saying she made sure that the cloud wasn't over him. Despite the darkness of the forest, she could clearly tell Ace wasn't hit on the first strike, which succeeded in frightening him. After setting it off, she raced out of the forest, and Phoenix guesses Fluttershy saw her then.

When Phoenix asks why Rainbow Dash didn't mention about the blackmail to anyone else, she tells him that if she did, she would have had to explain what she was being blackmailed with, meaning the photos--and her secret--would still be revealed. Accepting her rationale, Phoenix then asks Rainbow Dash to help him understand why Ace was found dead underneath the cloud if the first bolt missed, and why his second lighting bolt theory wouldn't work.

To that, she explains that Cloudsdale pegasi have been making a new type of storm cloud with a unique safety feature--its lightning never strikes the same place twice. So, once the first bolt strikes (which is always directly under the cloud), you could then move to where it hit and be safe from any subsequent strike. Phoenix then asks Rainbow Dash about how thunder and lighting work in Equestria so that he has a better understanding next time. The pegasus pony confirms that the lightning bolt creates the boom of thunder when it hits the ground, but concedes that if a bolt struck something in the air close enough to the cloud, then there'd be no thunder, possibly explaining why the second bolt wasn't heard.

But Rainbow Dash further notes that if that was the case, then the second bolt couldn't have killed Ace since he was wearing a special lightning-proof race suit which makes pegasi immune to lighting while flying. The suit has some exposed parts at the neck while a pegasus is standing on the ground, however...

With this infomation, and after a brief mention of Pinkie Pie, Phoenix tells Rainbow Dash that he is going to investigate more. He starts to leave, but Rainbow Dash calls him back, explaining she has something for him. To his shock, she gives him the key to Ace's room at the "Hay and Stay" hotel near Sugar Cube Corner, explaining she found it under his room's welcome mat and used it to sneak in before the meeting to see if there was anything there she could use against him. She couldn't find anything incriminating, but maybe Phoenix can?

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Outside the detention centre, Phoenix is lost in thought, contemplating his next move only to be interrupted by Pinkie Pie, who gets his attention with a party horn. When Phoenix asks why she was waiting for him, Pinkie says she needs help finding something. Figuring she means the 'spiky-headed monster' she mentioned earlier, Phoneix begins to admit it's him but Pinkie doesn't let him finish, saying she's actually trying to find something else but won't tell Phoenix what it is because... "It's a SECRET!"

Phoenix then asks Pinkie if she knows where Suger Cube Corner is so he can find the nearby Hay and Stay hotel, but this causes Pinkie to ramble on about making cupcakes. Trying again, he asks Pinkie to show him the way to the hotel, but the pink party pony says she only will if Phoenix can make her laugh. Phoenix tries several jokes without success until Pinkie notices the pink heart-shaped Equestrian Attorney Badge given him by Twilight. Laughing at the girly-looking trinket, she takes him to the hotel.

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As Phoenix and Pinkie arrive at the Hay and Stay, Phoenix starts to worry they may get into trouble if anyone catches them breaking into Ace's room, but the point is rendered moot when Pinkie takes the key from Phoenix and opens the door herself. As Phoenix starts to look for evidence, Pinkie asks what they are looking for, occasionally rambling about unrelated subjects. Phoenix tries to explain that they are looking for clues related to the murder, but this leads to an argument over whether a ladder leaning against a bookshelf in the room is a stepladder or regular ladder... causing Pinkie to go off on another, more disturbing tangent; the pink party pony cheerfully waxing philosphical about the names and uses of various types of blades and cutting implements.

Though more than a little freaked by this, Phoenix suddenly wonders why Ace would even need a ladder if he was a pegasus, which leads to Pinkie finding a partial letter on the top half of a torn sheet of paper. Though incomplete, it contains some intriguing information about somone 'wanting to quit' after the Equestian 500, saying they 'couldn't help ruin lives' any longer. The bottom half of the letter is missing, however, and with it the likely explanation and identity of whoever wrote it.

As they try to figure out the letter's meaning from the limited information, Pinkie's tail starts twitching. She warns him that means something is about to fall, which Phoenix scoffs at just before being hit on the head by a book that tumbles off the top shelf. Though annoyed and still disblieving that Pinkie's tail spasms could predict anything, he opens the book and discovers it's a advanced spell tome which he remembers seeing Twilight reading earlier. Despite not understanding the language used in the book, he finds a small handwritten scribble on one of the pages saying "Continue from here, third line".

Phoenix reaches up high to return the book to the top shelf only to rip a large hole in the underarm of his suit in the process, causing him great consternation. Pinkie then finds a letter on a table which lists all the racers who were competing in the Equestrian 500; at the very top, Rainbow Dash's name is written with a time next to it saying "8:35".

While Phoenix starts to guess what this means, a voice behind them asks what they are doing.

As Phoenix realizes they been caught red-handed (hoofed?), he turns around and is stunned to see Mia in front of him. He tries to talk to her, but she acts like she has never seen him before in her life. When she reveals her name to be Sonata, Mia changes into a gray, spectacled unicorn with a brown mane and eyelike cutie mark; Phoenix finds it shocking how similar she feels to a pony version of Mia.

Sonata informs Phoenix and Pinkie that they've broken into her room and she could have them booked on breaking and entering charges. Phoenix is confused since Rainbow Dash said it was Ace's room, but Sonata tells Phoenix that she was Ace's manager before the murder and that they were sharing the same room while at the hotel. As she says this, Phoenix starts seeing a side of her that strongly resembles Adrian Andrews, starting to freak him out a little.

Sonata then starts talking more about Rainbow Dash and how justice will be served once she has been given a guilty verdict. After arguing briefly over Rainbow Dash's innocence, they end up talking about Trixie--Sonata states that she wanted to be the prosecutor for the case but Trixie beat her to it, registering for the job before Sonata could get back to Canterlot to do so herself. They talk more, and it is shortly revealed that Sonata bears her own grudge against Trixie, a former classmate at magic school, resenting her for being better at magic then Sonata despite being younger and having such an arrogant and obnoxious personality.

When Pinkie briefly interupts the story, Phoenix notices Sonata appears to be in sudden pain. He asks about it but she insists she is fine. Resuming their conversation, she tells Phoenix how she is striving to become better at magic and not be like Trixie--i.e., not using her magic for showing off or cheap parlor tricks. Phoenix questions why she would hate Trixie just for that, to which she reminds Phoenix about the way Trixie treated him during the trial. Phoenix notes that he has had worse but can agree with the sentiment. Next, he inquires why Sonata wants to be the prosecutor to Ace's murder so bad, to which she replies that if she was in charge she would behave professionally, and have already closed the case with "cold, hard, swift justice." Phoenix tries telling her about the methods Mia taught her--to seek the truth, not just a desired verdict--but Sonata is unmmoved.

Phoenix then asks about Sonata's eyeball cutie mark, which seems to cause Sonata to wince with pain for the second time. When Phoenix again asks if she is alright, she claims to be fine and changes the subject back to his original question, explaining that her cutie mark means she is good at perceiving and having a keen eye on detail--case in point, she is able to tell Phoenix is hiding a suit rip, and Pinkie is thinking about ladders.

Peturbed, Phoenix asks her more about Ace and her relationship with him as a manager. This query, however, sets off the magatama as four psyche-locks appear in front of Sonata. Clearly not wanting to answer his question, Sonata orders Phoenix and Pinkie to leave. They do so, leaving Phoenix wondering why she didn't call the police as she threatened to.

As Phoenix and Pinkie exit the hotel, Phoenix asks Pinkie how she thinks the murder happened. He immediately regrets this as the pink earth pony launches into an outlandish theory that Rainbow Dash was framed for the murder by her evil twin, "Wob Niar". An exasperated Phoenix tries to reason with Pinkie that this is not what happened, but is startled by the sudden appearance of a gray pegasus with a blonde mane asking if they have received a letter not addressed to them.

Phoenix starts to freak out over her eyes, which point in two wildly different directions, but is steadied by Pinkie and manages to answer that they haven't received such a letter. Disappointed, the skew-eyed mail mare explains that an important letter was misdelivered and now she has to track it down. When she recognizes Phoenix as the human lawyer who didn't know anything about Pegasi or weather, Phoenix ruefully admits he was under-prepared and asks for the mail mare's name.

She gives it as Derpy Hooves, but Pinkie warns Phoenix not to call her by it, as she is very sensitive about it. Not quite believing her but heeding the warning all the same, he asks Derpy her opinion on the trial, who replies with a surprisingly well-done (and rather cutting) poem detailing her feelings and observations. As Derpy leaves to continue searching for her missing letter, she warns the two that Trixie is out and about.

With that, Phoenix remembers the hole in his suit, and Pinkie takes him to get it repaired.

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As Phoenix and Pinkie reach the posh Carousel Boutique, they are met by Rarity, who immediately--and to Phoenix's pleasant surprise--sincerely compliments his oft-insulted hair and suit. Noticing the tear in the latter, she is horrified and insists on fixing it immediately. While she starts repairing it, the two introduce themselves properly.

Impressed by her passion and maturity, Phoenix asks Rarity why she wasn't able to make it to the trial. She explains it was due to an important shipment of perfume she had to retrieve that morning from the post office, which turns into a terrifying fit of rage about being stuck in a very long line with a filly crying behind her while another pony in front was taking forever to do her task, and when she finally got to the front, her package had never arrived, making her trip and long wait in vain.

After this outburst ends, Rarity regains her composure and calmly produces a copy of her invoice, asking a thoroughly shaken Phoenix to use it to sue them for the 'torture' she went through. Eager to change the subject, he asks Rarity more about the package she was expecting. Rarity explains that the perfume is very rare and expensive but also very long-lasting, so a single bottle will last a very long time. As they finish chatting, Rarity gives him his suit back, fully repaired. Phoenix compliments her on her work, noting it's his only suit in Equestria.

IIIIIIDDDEEEEEAAAA!!!! This causes Rarity to launch into a long-winded monologue about making a new suit for Phoenix, replete with gemstones and purple fabric. Saying that Rarity will probably be like this for the next hour, the suddenly sane-in-comparison Pinkie tells Phoenix that they have to go to Fluttershy's cottage next. When Phoenix asks why, Pinkie breaks the 4th wall to claim the script says so. Though he has absolutely no idea what she's talking about, Phoenix agrees to go.

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Arriving at Fluttershy's cottage, Phoenix hears a country-accented voice. Turning, he is shocked to see Lotta Hart and starts to panic. However, just like Mia turned out to be Sonata, Lotta turns out to be Applejack. She starts to lecture Phoenix, threatening to 'smack him upside the head' for his poor trial performance and accusing Fluttershy of the murder. Phoenix starts to explain but Applejack cuts him off, saying she figures he only did it to buy Rainbow Dash another day, but still wants to smack him for it.

Phoenix expands on this, insisting he didn't want to accuse Fluttershy but he had to make a small lie in order to save Rainbow Dash from getting a guilty verdict. The orange earth pony is unimpressed, reminding him that even little lies have consequences. Trying to change the subject, Phoenix asks if she is Apple Bloom's elder sister due to the similarity of accent. She confirms it, formally introducing herself and Big Macintosh, who greets Phoenix with his trademark 'Eeyup'. She then asks Phoenix and Pinkie if they have seen Apple Bloom, who is supposed to be grounded for going to the Everfree Forest so late.

They haven't, but Applejack makes a point to thank Phoenix for getting Apple Bloom to tell the truth on the stand, noting herself to be the Element of Honesty and wishing to pass this on to her sister. Chatting briefly about the Elements and Twilight, Phoenix asks if Apple Bloom came home at the time she said in the trial. Applejack confirms she did. That point settled, they try to figure out the mystery of the second lightning bolt, but this stops when Applejack's head starts hurting. Talk turns to Trixie, and Applejack explains the origin of the show pony's grudge against Twilight and the rest of the mane six. At the end, she asks him to prove Rainbow Dash innocent and stick it to Trixie--"show that stuck-up attention-horse a thing or two!" He promises he will.

After they go their separate ways, Phoenix asks Pinkie if meeting Applejack was the reason for coming to Fluttershy's Cottage. Before she can answer, Pinkie coughs, which she says means something strange is about to happen. He scoffs again at her predictive power, only to be struck speechless when impossibly, his cellphone rings.

Shocked, he answers the call and is greeted by an unfamiliar male voice. Its owner refuses to identify himself or how he is calling Ace, but claims to have evidence that will prove Rainbow Dash innocent. He asks to meet Phoenix in the Everfree Forest clearing the murder took place in, and orders him to come alone. Despite misgivings, Phoenix agrees to the terms, telling Pinkie to wait by the forest entrance.

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When Phoenix reaches the clearing, he finds himself alone. Just as he's starting to wonder if he's in a trap, a pony charges in behind Phoenix and knocks him out (in a cut scene animated by MrPoniator). When he comes to, he finds himself lost in the middle of the Everfree Forest and all his evidence stolen. Going from bad to worse, he hears an ominous growling as Timber wolves surround him; Phoenix fears for his life until Fluttershy comes out of nowhere to stare the vicious lupines down, ordering them to leave.

Stunned to see the timid pegasus able to accomplish such a feat but very grateful for her rescue, Phoenix apologies to Fluttershy for accusing her in the trial, explaining why he did it. Fluttershy accepts his apology, saying she went looking for him after being told by Pinkie he was in the woods to make sure he was safe. Phoenix then asks why she is out of police custody; she answers that they let her go, meaning the feather theory was a bust.

Phoenix then asks if she spotted the pony who attacked him. She didn't but starts to fret she was supposed to, reverting back to her trademark timidity after staring down a pack of timber wolves. Phoenix tells her its fine, but Fluttershy adds one more piece of ominious news--Twilight has decided to fire Phoenix and defend Rainbow Dash herself.

Realizing he needs to talk to Twilight immediately, they head for the exit. Before they reach it, Phoenix remembers that Pinkie was waiting at the forest entrance and may have seen the pony who attacked him earlier come out. She did not, but they run into a very surprised Twilight galloping out of the forest instead.

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Back at the Library, Phoenix explains to Twilight his actions at the trial, telling her that he had no other way to buy time but to accuse Fluttershy--if he hadn't done it, Rainbow Dash would have been found guilty right then and there. As Twilight starts to understand, Phoenix mentions he knows that Twilight was going to fire him, warning her that if she becomes Rainbow Dash's defense attorney, she will be facing a well-prepared and very clever Trixie. He reminds Twilight that despite being a professional defense lawyer he barely held his own against the grudge-driven show pony; she was remarkably adept at overruling or explaining away any argument or evidence thrown against her.

Twilight becomes visibly confused, uncertain what to do. Phoenix asks Twilight to allow him to do one thing before she makes the decision to fire him--question a pony he knows is hiding something. Twilight says she knows one too, telling Phoenix that ever since the incident with his magatama she's been "seeing lots of locks." Shocked by the news that she can now see psyche-locks, Phoenix tells her about the magatama, explaining how it works and aids him in his investigations.

Fascinated by what Phoenix has told her, Twilight asks what black psyche-locks means but Phoenix doesn't know, having never seen them. Changing the subject, Phoenix tells Twilight he knows she lied to him about how he arrived in Equestria--he was brought on purpose, not by accident as claimed, and demands to know why.

Embarassed and chagrined, Twilight decides to own up, telling Phoenix that Princess Celestia had ordered her to summon him to Ponyville and play dumb afterwards. She apologizes, but insists she honestly didn't know Phoenix would be a human from another world--the princess didn't tell her that. Phoenix becomes confused how the princess could even know who he is, and Twilight is equally surprised that Phoenix knows nothing about Princess Celestia despite her seemingly knowing everything about him.

With things resolved between them, Phoenix asks Twilight if she managed to find any clues related to the case, at which point the violet unicorn reveals a half-torn letter. Recognizing it as the missing half of the letter she found in Ace's hotel room, Twilight and Phoenix put the pieces together, revealing the full text.

Though there's no name on it, Phoenix guesses from the remaining content who wrote it. With the new information, he suggests to Twilight they split up to interrogate the ponies they want to and meet back at the Library afterwards. She agrees.

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Returning to the Hay and Stay Hotel, Phoenix goes to Ace's hotel room to confront Sonata. She is not happy to see him as he opens by wondering aloud why she didn't call the police since their last encounter, especially since if Phoenix was arrested for breaking into the hotel room, Rainbow Dash would be left without a defense attorney--and very likely be found guilty, just like she wanted.

Not getting a reply, Phoenix goes back to asking Sonata about his relationship with Ace. Just as before, this sets the off the magatama, causing four psyche-locks to appear. Sonata still refuses to answer, claiming it isn't any of his business. Despite this, Phoenix presses her, claiming she has a connection to the murder. When Sonata challenges him to explain the connection, Phoenix reveals the letter Twilight and Phoenix found, noting only she could have written the letter seeing she was the only one doing business with Ace at the time.

This startles Sonata and breaks one of the psyche-locks. She tries to deny it by claiming anypony could have written it, but Phoenix proves it was her with the advanced spell book that fell on his head earlier. At first, Sonata denies the book beings to her, claiming it to be the property of the hotel. Phoenix debunks that claim quickly, noting the book had to belong to Sonata given another unicorn who has read the same book told him it was only available in Canterlot, where Sonata lives.

Sonata owns up and admits that the book is hers but insists that doesn't prove she wrote the letter. Phoenix points out that despite the fact the book is in a language he does not understand, there is a small handwritten note "continue from here, third line" written on the corner of one of the pages, guessing Sonata used it as a bookmark. He goes on to say that they can easily do a handwriting comparison of the note in the book to the writing on the letter, thus confirming she wrote both.

The second psyche-lock breaks as an increasingly frustrated Sonata confirms that she wrote the letter, asking Phoenix how her quitting has any connection to the crime. In response, Phoenix reads out part of the letter stating "I can't help ruin others' lives." Phoenix tells Sonata that he knows what it means, showing her the embarrassing images of Rainbow Dash. Despite the unicorn claiming she has never seen the pictures before, Phoenix asserts that Sonata had some part in Ace's blackmailing business, causing the third Psyche-lock to break.

Sonata then accuses of Phoenix of having wild imagination as she asks why would she and Ace want to blackmail Rainbow Dash in the first place. This time, Phoenix replies by showing Sonata the blackmail letter Rainbow Dash gave him earlier. Sonata claims that there is still no way that letter could prove her or Ace had anything to do with it until Phoenix reminds her that they could do handwriting analysis on it as well--a simple visual inspection shows the writing styles match, thus proving she wrote the letter and was directly involved in the blackmail scheme.

With this, the final Psyche-lock breaks and a strangely serene Sonata congratulates Phoenix on uncovering the truth.

Confused as to why the gray unicorn seems unperturbed about her secret being found out, Sonata informs him that she has nothing to worry about because he is not going to tell anyone about it. Phoenix immediately denies that, claiming he is going to the police immediately, but is stopped short when Sonata reminds him about being caught breaking and entering earlier. After brazenly detailing the blackmail scheme, she warns him that if he tells anyone, she will immediately have him arrested and will be attending the trial the next day to make sure his lips stay sealed. She further reminds him of what he himself noted earlier--if Phoenix is arrested, he won't be able to defend Rainbow Dash and the pegasus pony will almost certainly be found guilty.

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Frustrated, Phoenix returns to the Library to wait for Twilight, trying to think how to get around Sonata's threat but also uncertain as to how the blackmail scheme relates to Ace's death. Entering the library, he spots Owlowiscious and tries talking to him when suddenly Spike appears as well, explaining the owl is Twlight's nocturnal assistant while he handles the day chores. The two are chatting about everything from Spike's job to the library to Twilight when the violet unicorn returns.

Glaring at Spike after overhearing him call her a nerd, she tells Phoenix that she thinks she knows who's behind Ace's murder. Announcing he is not fired, she promises to fill him in the following morning, heading to bed to rest after an exhausting day. Wishing her good night, Phoenix stays up a little while longer, brooding over what to do about Sonata.

Abruptly, an idea occurs to him, and he asks Owlowiscious for a favor as the credits start to roll.

Part 3 - Twilight
A preview clip shows a flashback scene with Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia in the library back when Twilight was looking for a defense lawyer for Rainbow Dash. With nopony willing to do so, Twilight offers to read law books and defend Rainbow Dash herself, but Celestia gently reminds her student she cannot become an adequate lawyer in just a day.

Frustrated, Twilight insists there's nopony else left, but Celestia says there is--she instructs her student to summon "Phoenix Wright," being extremely coy about who and what he is. Twilight is confused, not understanding why she would have to magically summon him or how he could be familiar with murder cases when this is the first such case in Equestria in a very long time.

She asks the princess about this contradiction but Celestia simply chuckles, telling Twilight in an amused tone she'll get along with Phoenix very well. With a parting instruction to not tell Phoenix that she asked Twilight to summon him, Celestia teleports out, leaving a slightly bewildered Twilight behind.

Another preview clip shows the scene when Phoenix and Fluttershy were getting out of the forest, but this time from Twilight's perspective.

Part 4
(Unavailable)

Voices

 * Phoenix Wright - TheGoldCrow
 * Twilight Sparkle - ShiroiUsagine
 * Rainbow Dash - Saru4life (Part 1), GingaJinketsuKoushi (Part 2 forward)
 * Fluttershy - Tomoyo Ichijouji
 * Miles Edgeworth - KampfVerein
 * Trixie - KissofJudas
 * Judge - Keikoandgilly
 * Apple Bloom - Jane Doe
 * Mia Fey - AderuMoro
 * Pinkie Pie - ShiroiUsagine
 * Sonata - AderuMoro
 * Derpy Hooves - BaldDumboRat
 * Rarity - Tomoyo Ichijouji
 * Applejack - Mirisha
 * Big Mac - LumpySpacePony
 * Spike - Saru4life
 * Extras - Keikoandgilly, TheGoldCrow, TallBrony91, Rina-Chan, KampfVerein, Mirisha, PrincessRil, khsrio621, BaldDumboRat, ThatCanadianDude, Smoov28, Gabu Ex, Jessica Nowaking

Cancelled sequel
A sequel was originally intended, but has been cancelled to to overwelmingly negative video comments, all of which complain about the character voices not being similar to those in the actual show.