//------------------------------//
// Case 01-1: The Last Minute Turnabout (Day 1, Pre-Trial) 
// Story: Lumina Moondancer: Turnabout Attorney 
// by CrownofDissonance 
//------------------------------//


[Canterlot City Courthouse]


[Defendant Lobby No. 2]


[July 16th, 9:30]


Deep breath in, then let it out.

Deep breath in, let it out...

This was it. Thirty minutes before my first real trial. Minuette's trial. I did my best to look collected, pacing back and forth in front of the window of the defendant lobby like I was trying to think. In reality, I was just trying to give myself something better to do than anxiously quiver. Minuette sat on a short sofa up by the wall across from me, looking about as nervous as I felt. Surprisingly, she wasn't making any overly energetic expressions, but by the way she fidgeted in her seat I could tell she was no more ready for what might happen then I was.

Criminal trials had a maximum limit of three days, and they were fast paced and cutthroat. Apparently things had been different at the start of the century, but as magic and supernatural events became more commonplace, crime revolving around them did as well. Law inevitably adapted, bringing the legal system to become much more decisive. I thought it was really messed up, but that's how history tends to be a lot of the time.

The role of a defense attorney was still clear though: Fight to prove my client's innocence. I just might've had more of a time window to work with had I been born a hundred years ago...

I stayed up all of last night looking over the relevant reports and data regarding the facts of the case, and there was really only one point I had to argue, that Minuette was incapable of interacting with things affected by her magic. Everything else that was there easily supported an arguement of her having committed the murder.

The most troubling bit of evidence was a note that the police found, a blackmail note clearly directed toward Minuette, accusing her of altering the times of a recent race? There were a few other documents recovered that seemed to back up that theory, suggesting that Indigo should've won, but as evident by her second place trophy, she didn't. Given the circumstances, it could be argued that she had a perfectly clear reason to want Indigo dead.

I feel like those papers held the key to all of this. But if Minuette didn't alter the times, then who did?

I stopped my pacing and turned towards Minuette. 

"You're gonna hold together for this, right?"

After a moment of bringing her nervous shaking together, she flashed a calm, steady smile.

"Yep! We've gone over everything already. I'm going to be called to testify and I'll answer questions as truthfully as I can, right?"

I nodded. There was one other thing we went over. "Yes, and?"

"And..." She thought for a moment, then brought her controlled smile back alongside a shaky thumbs up. "I won't speak out of turn!"

I smiled too, if only for a moment. At least she had some measure of control of herself. 

"Good. Everything is already stacked against us, and it's just going to be me out there defending you. I'm going to be honest, I don't have a clear path to prove your innocence here, but I'll figure something out, I promise."

Her smile faded a little, but she nodded her head in agreement still. "Right. I trust you, Lumi."

A familiar, gentle voice sounded behind me from the doorway, nearly startling me to the floor.

"With that attitude, I think you'll do just fine, Lumina."

I knew that voice. I knew exactly who was behind me. A friend, my boss, really, she headed the law firm I was working under. But she was also my mentor, she tutored me through law school and took me under her wing.

She had to take an emergency trip out of town this month, I didn't think I'd be seeing her again so soon.

"Miss Tia?"

I didn't need to turn my head for confirmation, but I couldn't help myself. Minuette looked over too, but wasn't as taken aback as I was. She was just as I remembered; tall, slender, wearing a muted orange suit jacket with a sun print along the chest that was immediately recognizable, as were the soft magenta slacks she wore along with them. Her long, faded pastel pink hair was pulled back today, falling in line with the formality she carried. 

Because of her trip, she wasn't there to celebrate when I took my licence exam. She got a call from an old friend, one she had some important business with. Called it "chasing a shadow", and although I didn't really understand the metaphor I didn't pry. It was her business, after all.

I wrote to her about it though, sent her an overexcited email about how I'd got my badge and could finally claim the desk she'd prepared in our office room. She never got back to me though, I assumed she just didn't have the time at that point...

But here she was now.

Ms. Tia.

"Surprised to see me again?" She smiled warmly, her eyes meeting mine in the familiar way of a teacher proud of their student. By the time the surprise of seeing her again faded, all that remained was a familiar sense of calmness. I didn't respond right away, I didn't quite know what to say. "I'd heard one of my proteges was about to defend her first client, not something I'd want to miss."

"Protege?" Minuette tilted her head. "She taught you?"

"Taught me everything I know about being an attorney," I nodded, my eyes not leaving Ms. Tia's. I was talking to Minuette, but I still was trying to process seeing my mentor again. "Things you can't learn in a classroom."

Ms. Tia laughed softly at that. "Oh, I like to think I was just pushing you in the right direction. You're probably the brightest of my apprentices, and you did all of that learning yourself. I certainly didn't pass your exams for you."

My eyes darted away instinctively, and I nervously scratched the back of my head. When she put it that way, it sounded a bit silly. Maybe her importance to me was a bit more overplayed in my head. "Yeah, I guess so. I don't always give myself the most credit..."

"This is your client then, I'm guessing?" Ms. Tia looked to Minuette, who's anxiety seemed to be gradually pressing through her controlled, attentive look. "Ms. Chrona, right?"

"That's me!" Minuette's bright smile returned for a moment as she gave a little wave. "If you're a friend of Lumi's you can just call me Minuette, though, Miss."

"So you're here to wish me luck?" I asked. I might've sounded a bit ungrateful. Maybe I shouldn't have asked it like that. Ms. Tia gave a nod, though she looked like she had something else on her mind too.

"Not just that," she explained. "I took the liberty of reading over the files of this case when I got back to the office earlier this morning... You left them on your desk. I wanted to offer to be your co-counsel for this, if you'd let me."

My eyes met hers again. Again, I didn't really know what to say. The past day I'd spent stressing on my own, unsure if I was really getting anywhere with this. Any help was appreciated, but help from her meant more than words could say.

"You'd do that?" Uncertainty was certainly present in my voice. "You don't think this is something I can handle on my own, do you?"

"I think you're more than capable of handling this. I just think it's always good to have someone to rely on, regardless of the situation. This is the real thing, Lumina," She said. "If your client is innocent, this is your only shot to prove it."

Giving Minuette another glance showed me a picture of her looking concerned again. It was hard to keep that smile on her face.

"She is, I know she is," I gave her a nod. "There's no way she's guilty of murder."

"I believe you," Ms. Tia said. "And I believe you can make the judge believe you too."

"That's what it's all coming down to..." I closed my eyes for a moment, took a breath in, then let it out. The trial would be starting soon, we needed to get to the courtroom. "I'd gladly have you as my co-counsel, ma'am."

Ms. Tia gave another soft laugh. "You don't have to call me that anymore. You never even had to call me that in the first place..."

"Huh?" It took me a moment to register what she was talking about. Ma'am. "Oh... Sorry, ma'am..."

!!!

I guess I treated Ms. Tia with more formality than I realised. I have a lot of admiration and respect for her...

"I suppose a little respect doesn't hurt anyone," She said. "Don't worry about it, then."

Too late for that. She'd already brought it to my attention. There were other things I needed to be focusing on though...

I checked my watch. Fifteen minutes until the trial began.

"We should probably get down to the courtroom, then."


-----


The courtroom had a simple yet decorated layout. The focal point of the room was the judge's elevated bench, sitting before a depiction of a golden set of scales on the wall behind it. Sitting here, the judge could see over the entire room, and she would be able to direct the trial from an appropriate position. She sat ready, bifocal glasses high on her face and her greying hair neatly styled to the side. In typical judicial fashion she wore a plain black gown, and had no particular expression on her face. This seemed to just be another trial for her.

I got to look up to her from her left side, where a table for the defense sat ready. Here, I had all the papers on the case organized and ready to go through as needed. Across the floor from me and to the judge's right was a similar table for the prosecution. Between us, off to the side and facing the judge, was a stand for any witnesses called, and closer to my side was the defendant's seat. Beyond that, wrapping the edges of the room, was the gallery, for any non-involved spectators. There were seats on the floor level as well as balcony seating, and they seemed halfway full today.

It was intimidating, for starters. A bunch of people watching while my best friend's future was on the line? I'd done plenty of practice trials, but... nothing really could've prepared me for this.

As I took my place at the defense's table, I looked over to Ms. Tia. She was right there with me, looking at the same scene I was. But she'd done this before, she could easily keep her cool.

"Hey, just relax." She told me. She could see I was starting to unravel. "You've got this, and if that's not enough, I'm here in your corner."

Minuette was patiently waiting in the defendant's seat as well, but something else was missing here. The trial started at ten o'clock, where was the prosecutor? He needed to be present for us to get anywhere. As my mind shifted to him, I pondered what he might be like. All I had heard of him was his name and his record. Princeton Blueblood, with a three year streak of guilty verdicts. What was this guy even like? What kind of person did it take to have a perfect record like that?

After tossing those thoughts around for a few minutes more, the courtroom doors finally opened, and I realised that the universe always immediately answered your questions when the answers were unpleasant.

I don't know how to accurately describe my first glimpse of Blueblood. To put it underwhelmingly simply, he seemed to just... glow, but in a really irritating way. He had positively shiny blonde hair, perfectly combed and styled. Too perfectly. The white suit he wore was almost obnoxiously eye-catching, with it's gold trim contrasting his black undershirt and blue bow tie, and then his rose- that rose running through the lapel of his jacket made for a look that screamed "I'm better than you".

Who was this guy? He carried himself with his chin towards the sky like he was royalty, I wasn't even sure if he could see where he was walking. And his expression was just so... dismissive. He'd just got here and he already looked like he had somewhere better to be, and by the time he got to the prosecutor's desk he looked thoroughly done with everyone in the room. When his eyes finally did take in their surroundings, they did so through an aloof gaze, his face not showing anything in particular but still managing to radiate disdain.

Needless to say, his arrival did not help my nerves.

His eyes seemed to widen for a moment as he looked across to us, the defense, then they narrowed dangerously. He certainly wasn't looking at me... My eyes glanced over to Ms. Tia, and seeing her eyes locked in the same narrowed gaze confirmed my thought. 

"Do you know him?" I asked, quietly.

"Unfortunately," she replied. "Disregard that though, you're the one leading the defense. He should be worried about you, not me."

"Right..."

"Mr. Blueblood," the judge addressed him as the prosecutor prepared papers at his table. "A pleasure to have you with us. You're right on schedule, as it's about time to get things underway."

"Indeed." Yep. One word was all it took, but his tone of voice was exactly what I thought it'd be. Haughty. Condescending. Had a higher pitch than I was expecting, though.

This was it. The trial was about to begin.