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Web Animation / Elements of Justice

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There are many different kinds of worlds out there. Once in a blue moon worlds can even intertwine with each other. It is time...for that blue moon to appear once more.
Phoenix Wright: I never thought I'd return to this world again, but it looks like my friends over here need my help, and this time I won't be helping them on my own.

Elements of Justice is a fan made sequel to the famous Ace Attorney and My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fan Crossover web series Turnabout Storm that was headed by TheAljavis, who in 2023 passed the torch to Mr. G and other members of the team who now continue the project. Chronologically, the series take place after the 4th season of My Little Pony and Dual Destinies from Ace Attorney, respectively. The series format itself is mostly identical to the style used in Turnabout Storm, complete with voice acting for all characters.

Eight years have passed since Phoenix Wright was summoned to Equestria. Many things have since changed for both worlds, but now a new string of murders has occurred throughout Equestria, and Twilight Sparkle—now the alicorn Princess of Friendship—must once again summon her old friend to defend the innocent and pursue the truth. Together with their respective allies, they must solve the mystery behind the new series of murders. Are all of these new murders merely coincidences? Or is there a far more sinister connection between them?

After a deeply Troubled Production, the series finally launched its first episode on June 5, 2019. Elements of Justice is set to be comprised of 5 cases similar to the Ace Attorney games themselves. The first three-part case "Turnabout Theatre" was completed on December 12, 2020. The first part of the second case, "Crusading for a Turnabout", was released on May 1, 2021 and was completed on May 27, 2023. The remaining planned cases are as follows: "Turnabout Discharge", "A Turnabout for Brotherhood" and "The Turnabouts of Friendship".

In addition to the main cases, there is also Bonds of Justice, various side-stories that show what some characters, main or otherwise, are doing before, during, or after the cases.

Follow the channel here.

"I will submit the eviden... ehh... examples, your Honor":

  • Affair Letters: Royal Order's travel pack has one that details Sugar Stamp's affair with him and how she doesn't like being away from him to be with Fair Devotion and Turning Page. Subverted when it's revealed that Sugar Stamp wrote it in order to give herself a motive to kill Royal Order.
  • Amoral Attorney:
    • Prosecutor Prince Blueblood, who at one point goes as far as to try and suppress evidence in order to ensure a guilty verdict.
    • Prosecutor Princess Luna, on the other hoof, is a Subversion. Even though she starts off in a typically dismissive and sneering manner towards the defence (what with nicknaming Athena "golden pixie"), it soon becomes apparent that she's completely cooperative, trying to get to the bottom of the truth in the most ethical and systematic manner possible - inadvertently making her potentially one of the most down-to-earth prosecutors to ever be associated with the AA universe. This takes the protagonists as much off-guard as the audience.
      • This however is Double Subverted as Luna ends up also showing herself to be quite manipulative, basically leading Athena into a specific conclusion, thus showing that while they might be more ethical in many ways, they're also not completely above shady methods. The only thing that complicates things is why they're doing this: Because they're a Friend to All Children, and thus cannot stand or face the idea that one of the younger characters involved might actually be guilty, despite the evidence later on showing that this is the case. That being said, it is ultimately a much more sympathetic reason than the usual.
  • Animation Bump: Even between the beginning when it was a 1 man show, and when the Turnabout Team started coming together, there's a commitment to better fluitdity, mouth movements, and character animation. All their efforts pay off in 2-3, in which high-quality 3D models were implemented (with modified textures to make them pass as 2D models and not clash with the rest of the art, akin to cel-shading), drastically improving the overall feel and quality of the animation.
  • April Fools' Day: In 2019, a video was released where TheAljavis apologized and claimed he was quitting the project since he was burned out. Afterwards, he immediately says he was joking and the first episode is almost done.
    • In 2022, there was a special episode with a different art style that played out as a dating simulator where you play as Athena falling in love with Twilight, rather than a normal Ace Attorney game.
    • In 2023, another episode was released in the style of a Pokémon game where Sonata and Phoenix are turned into Pokémon.
  • Art Evolution: Part 3 of "Crusading for a Turnabout" upgraded the Ace Attorney characters from 2D sprites pulled from Apollo Justice (and fan-made ones for Athena and DD-era Phoenix) to their 3D models from Spirit of Justice.
  • Awful Truth: While Ace Attorney is no stranger to these, Case 2 ends up having one of the most devastating ones so far: After going through a multitude of twists and turns involving clones, blackmail, false affairs and the like, Athena ends up coming to the awful realization of whom the culprit responsible for Royal Order's death is: Turning Page, his own son. It ends up being so horrifying that Athena, despite mere seconds earlier being on a roll with triumphant music in the background, literally cannot bring herself to speak about her realization, instead barely being able to hint towards Luna about this revelation by bringing back Silver Spoon and Sweetie Belle to testify...and the implications are enough to shake the boisterous princess to her core. It's only Phoenix's words about prioritizing the truth over the comfortable illusion involved that gives her the resolve to fully reveal this line of thinking to the court...and even then after the Case's conclusion, Athena still isn't sure if it was the right thing to do, given the damage to everyone involved.
  • Big "SHUT UP!":
    • In addition to the usual Ace Attorney interjections like "Hold It!" and "Objection!", Suri Polomare also regularly shouts "Shut Up!" in large red letters.
    • Starting with the second trial, the new prosecutor, Princess Luna, begins to shout "Be Still!" using her Royal Canterlot Voice when she gets furious at Athena for her groundless accusations of Zecora.
  • Big "WHAT?!": Crusading for a Turnabout after Scootaloo and Turning Page are declared Not Guilty, everybody in the defendant lobby (and the viewers themselves most likely) give this as a reaction when Princess Luna reveals the forensics results on the secondary bloodstains on the Nightmare Night Statue belong to SWEETIE BELLE and the guards promptly arrest her.
    • Earlier in the same case, Trucy and Apollo have this reaction to the reveal that Turning Page became a second suspect in the case.
    • Near the end of Case 2, Twilight, Luna and the Judge have this exact same reaction when Athena reveals that all of the new evidence points towards Turning Page, citing Luna's own words about a small child being the only person who could have been small enough in that scenario. It's so shocking that the entire courtroom is in an uproar.
  • Big Word Shout:
    • In large red letters like in Ace Attorney, "Hold It!" and "Objection!" Suri Polomare gets a unique cut-in: "Shut up!"
    • The new prosecutor of the second trial, Princess Luna, uses "Be Still!". Said words are written with an victorian, old English calligraphy, highlighting the royal and ancient nature of its speaker.
  • Bittersweet Ending: Case 2 ends with special emphasis on the bitter. Scootaloo, Turning (by technicality) and Sweetie Belle all avoid being convicted for Royal Order's murder, with Turning being able to take steps to achieve his dream of becoming royal guard by going to a military school for future royal guards. However, the truth that Turning killed his father was revealed to the world, and Fair Devotion, Private Eye and Sugar Stamp will each be punished for their role in attempting to cover this up, and Turning's own sentecing to military school effectively separates Fair from her son. The case also has a nasty fallout, with everyone, especially Apollo and Athena, being extremely conflicted about the conclusion, while Rainbow and Scootaloo are at Sweetie and Rarity's throats for the former's actions and how they worsened the situation, with Applejack's attempts at calming them down coming up fruitless. Then, as if to rub salt on the wound, Lawkeeper Equity shows up to inform them that Rarity is now a suspect in Overall Concept's murder, arresting her, and encourages Phoenix and Athena to distrust Twilight on account of her hiding the reason for her summoning them, as they realized from Psyche-Locks and discord respectively, and the Bonds of Justice episode "On Valiant Wings", which takes place after the case's conclusion, has Scootaloo finally confess her feelings for Turning Page, only for him to tell her that he doesn't feel the same way, though Scootaloo is at least happy that she finally got it off her chest.
  • Bloody Horror: In Crusading For A Turnabout, the team is informed by investigator Private Eye that a negligible amount of dried, unidentified blood was found behind the Nightmare Night statue - a find which would ordinarily be neither particularly gruesome nor relevant to the crime at hand. Then Athena turns on the UV flashlight, and much of the forest floor and the statue's pedestal light up. The sight is enough to cause Applebloom to have a panic attack.
  • Call-Back:
    • Turnabout Theater
      • Apollo, Athena, and Trucy mistake Twilight for a horse, just like Phoenix first did when he first came to Equestria.
        Apollo: Um...did that purple horse say something?!
        Athena: I thought I heard it talk too!
        Twilight: Excuse me, but I happen to be a pony.
        Trucy: Whoa, it's totally talking!
      • Phoenix jokingly asks Twilight if she summoned him by "accident" again as a nod to how their first meeting went.
        Phoenix: So... did you try to summon the greatest defense attorney in Equestria again?
        Twilight: No, I just simply summoned Phoenix Wright.
      • Twilight only meant to summon Phoenix, but because Apollo, Trucy and Athena grabbed onto him, they got sent to Equestria as well. This is similar to how in Turnabout Storm, Sonata meant to just teleport herself out of the Everfree Forest but ended up bringing Apple Bloom with her when the filly bumped into her.
      • Twilight tells Phoenix what happened to Gilda and Sonata after they were released from prison.
      • Phoenix remembers Rarity as the one who patched up his suit.
      • Phoenix tells Trucy that the currency in Equestria isn't worth anything in their world. He also thinks about how close he was to owning a sports car.
      • Twilight teaches Athena, Apollo, and Trucy about the different abilities each of the different species of ponies have just like she did when Phoenix first came to Equestria.
      • The picture of Luna in the defendant lobby is the same one that was in the defendant lobby in Turnabout Storm.
      • Phoenix remembers Twilight mentioning Equestria's judical system was inspired by humans.
      • Twilight being Phoenix's co-council during Rainbow Dash's trial is brought up.
      • One of the gallery ponies during the first case appears to be Wobniar Hsad, Rainbow Dash's palette-swapped "evil twin" from Turnabout Storm.
      • When Phoenix proposes that Overall Concept committed suicide Blueblood, The Judge, and Twilight respond with:
        Blueblood: WHAT!!
        Judge: THE!!
        Twilight: HELLO!?
      • Pinkie Pie misses the trial once again because she slept in.
    • Crusading for a Turnabout
      • Phoenix remarks how Equestria has no cellphone reception.
      • Phoenix remembers Twilight mentioning the "Equestrian High Council" during Rainbow Dash's trial.
      • Applebloom reminds Twilight about the last time they investigated together.
        Applebloom: Yay! Cutie Mark Crusader Private Investigator!
      • Phoenix remembers when he was stranded in the Everfree Forest and encountered some Timberwolves.
      • Twilight mentions that the Everfree Forest becomes pitch black at night which cause Applebloom to remember the time she got lost in there.
      • Twilight and Applebloom recognize the Canterlot Royal Seal, on one of Zecora's letters, from their last investigation.
      • Phoenix recognizes the "Carousel Boutique" as where he first met Rarity.
      • Athena saw psyche-locks for the first time due to her holding the Magatama. When mentioning "chains and locks", Twilight recalled seeing them as well back in Turnabout Storm after having accidentally absorbing some of the Magatama's power. Apple Bloom also remembers Twilight mentioning "chains and locks" as well.
      • Rainbow Dash is disappointed that Athena, Phoenix, Twilight, and Applebloom weren't able to find any decisive evidence to help Scootaloo but Twilight reminds her that Phoenix wasn't able to save her right away as well and they'll get more details during the trial.
      • Scootaloo and Phoenix recognize each other from Rainbow Dash's trial but were never properly introduced to each other.
      • Twilight mentions that Scootaloo was lucky a defense attorney, Sonata, was willing to defend her mentioning how hard it was for her to find one for Rainbow Dash.
      • Rainbow Dash still holds a grudge against Sonata for what she put her through.
      • The punishment for murder in Equestria is banishment, possibly even to the sun or moon.
      • During the first day of the second trial Twilight asks if the victim knew how to teleport and Luna mentions you can only teleport to places they've been to.
      • Athena asks Twilight for ideas and she comes up with one, cast suspicion on Zecora as the true murderer, but is hesitant to go through with it, having suffered through a similar situation once before.
      • That situation is explained when Phoenix tells Athena that he himself also accused an innocent witness (Fluttershy) in Equestria when defending Rainbow Dash. Twilight was extremely upset that he did it and caused a momentary rift in their trust.
      • Since Trucy, Apollo and Athena never knew the details of why Sonata ended up in jail she tells them about her former blackmailing past with Ace Swift and how she ended up in jail to change for the better.
      • After breaking Sweetie Belle’s Psyche-Locks Sonata mentions that she remembers what that feels like.
      • Sonata mentions that during her trial she had no one to protect until Phoenix asked to protect her.
      • Sonata is once again staying at the Hay and Stay Hotel.
  • Call-Forward:
  • The Cameo: Some of the background ponies in the courtroom gallery of case 2 are the "Ponysonas" of the production crew.
  • Central Theme: As of the end of Case 2, To what point is seeking the truth the right thing to do, if in the process it ends up causing immense harm? The Wright Anything Agency is built on the foundational idea of seeking out the truth and defending the innocent, something that has served the likes of Phoenix well for all of his cases, including his previous case in Equestria. A large part of this stems from the underlying belief that the client is innocent, and that seeking the truth will inherently lead to the good for all involved except those guilty. However, the end of Case 2 reveals severe problems and limitations of this belief system as Apollo ends up noting: Namely, what happens if in seeking out the Awful Truth and exposing it without compassion for all of the potential consequences, it ends up making things worse for all involved, tearing families apart like the Order/Devotion family, destroying lives and damaging the friendships and bonds of those caught in the crossfire? What happens if the situation is infinitely more complicated than that, where those guilty are just as sympathetic and have complicated reasons that don't neatly fit into the above, or if the client is not entirely innocent or guilty, and ultimately have made terrible mistakes and decisions that muddy the water further?
  • Continuity Nod:
    • For "Turnabout Theatre" we have...
      • Phoenix and the rest of the Wright Anything Agency are about to go get some Eldoon's before they suddenly get transported to Equestria.
      • Twilight mentions how she received the title of "Princess" a few months ago, She also says “a title is nothing more than a title.” The same thing Edgeworth said in Dual Destinies.
      • Rarity's reaction to Coco being accused of murder is to say it's "THE! WORST! POSSIBLE! THING!" that could happen.
      • After Athena is refused entry to the Detention Center due not having and Equestrian Attorney's Badge, Apollo warns her not to flip anyone, referring to their first meeting in "The Monstrous Turnabout".
      • Athena revealing how she was accused of murdering her mother Metis, with Apollo adding his best friend Clay was killed and suspected Athena for it, and Trucy adding she was taken hostage during the case, referring to the events of "The Cosmic Turnabout" and "Turnabout for Tomorrow" in Dual Destinies.
      • After Trucy demonstrates to the ponies her Magic Panties tricks, she mentions how a college student wanted to study it. This is from the second case of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, "Turnabout Corner".
      • When Rarity reveals that the victim was working on fabric that glows in the dark, Athena guesses he must be using fluorescent paint, recalling how her friend Juniper used it for her costume in "Turnabout Academy".
      • When Phoenix asks what happened to Trixie, Twilight relates to him the events of the episode "Magic Duel".
      • Rarity is still upset with Blueblood for how he treated her during the "Grand Galloping Gala".
      • Twilight mentions how her castle built itself.
      • During the trial Phoenix mentions that he used to be an art major before becoming a lawyer.
      • Twilight shows Phoenix the breathing technique Cadance taught her.
      • "Turnabout Theatre" is heavily rooted in the events of the episode "Rarity Takes Manehattan", especially with Coco Pommel being the defendant, and Suri Polomare showing up. The murder even took place during a showing of Hinny of the Hills, the same musical that the Mane Six wanted to see in the episode. As it turns out, Suri Polomare is still sore from those events. While not a murderer, she does frame Coco Pommel for Concept's death in revenge.
      • When Apollo asks if Pinkie Pie has a day job she answers that she works for the Cakes at Sugarcube Corner.
        Pinkie Pie: Hey! I have a job! I work at Sugarcube Corner helping the Cakes make cakes!
    • For "Crusading for a Turnabout"...
  • Creator Cameo: Aljavis voices one of the guards from "Turnabout Theatre" and a bailiff from "Crusading for a Turnabout".
  • Darker and Edgier: While the original Turnabout Storm was already this compared to MLP, the case itself was relatively tame compared to what you'd expect from the Ace Attorney series. Here, the tone of the cases is much darker, and the murders in Ace Attorney are rarely if ever as gruesome as seen here. Compare the cause of death in Turnabout Storm (electrocution in the middle of a deserted forest) to those of this series. Case 1 has the victim hanged in the middle of a stage show in full view of the audience. Case 2 has the victim die of a stab wound to the head, with no less than five children directly involved with the case.
  • Didn't See That Coming: Fair Devotion had just about everything set up for a perfect crime. With Sugar Stamp and Private Eye's help, she was able to create a scenario with no contradictions between testimony and evidence, setting herself and Sugar Stamp up to take the fall for Turning Page's actions. But there was one problem she was not aware of and therefore did not account for: Athena's ability to sense emotions. She noticed that Fair Devotion's feelings did not line up with her words. Thus, Athena was still able to see through her lies and uncover the truth.
  • Driving Question: Under the surface of everything, there's a question that keeps cropping up: Why did Twilight REALLY summon Phoenix back to Equestria, and what secrets is she keeping from everyone?
  • Fan Sequel: Obviously to Turnabout Storm, but the first case "Turnabout Theatre" could also be considered one to "Rarity Takes Manehattan". It centers heavily on the same setting, same characters, and even the same theme and Aesop.
  • Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: When Athena concludes that the breathing Scootaloo heard wasn't coming from Royal Order but from BEHIND him Luna counters this by saying only someone as small as child could have done it. This causes Athena to realize that the only one who could've done it was Turning Page!
  • Flat "What": Apollo's reaction when Twilight explained that messages are sent instantly by Spike's dragon breath.
  • Foreshadowing: During "Crusading for a Turnabout" Turning Page is warned that for interfering with the guards he could've been arrested. He is later arrested as a second suspect.
    • Also during the same case when wondering what the "clang" Silver Spoon heard was Luna says it might've been armor from inside the castle that fell over, turns out that it WAS armor that made the clang, as Sweetie Belle was using it to scare off Timberwolves.
  • Fluorescent Footprints: A more justifiable version of the trope occurs in "Turnabout Theatre", as the protagonists discover somepony got fluorescent paint on their hooves, creating a trail that started from a dressing room where the victim worked, then to the catwalks where the crime occurred, and finally out a back door. Phoenix and co managed to discover this when the lights began to flicker, revealing the glow-in-the-dark hoofprints. These footprints turned out to be from Suri Polomare, from her attempt to steal some fabric that was coated in the paint.
  • Forgotten First Meeting: When they meet again, Phoenix doesn't immediately recognize Twilight nor Equestria, but after a few moments, his memory is jogged.
  • Harmful to Minors: Case 2 involves quite a few colts and fillies who end up in terrible situations:
    • When Apple Bloom witnesses the pool of blood at the Nightmare Moon's statue, the sheer amount triggers a panic attack in her.
    • Scootaloo crashes into a gravely wounded Royal Order during the night. Turns out she crashed into his corpse.
    • Turning Page was present at the scene, actually hiding besides his father's body who he was moving after accidentally killing him.
    • Sweetie Belle turned out to have been present in the forest the night of the murder, during which a timberwolf attacked her and hurt her so badly he nearly ripped her leg off.
    • Silver Spoon was able to find and help Sweetie Belle in time, but had to treat a severely wounded filly and steal an extremely expansive potion to save her.
    • Diamond Tiara found Royal Order's body, and moved it while looking for the blackmail note.
  • Hollywood Law:
    • Turnabout Theatre; After prosecutor Prince Blueblood examines only a single witness, he tries to pressure the defence into letting him examine the defendant in order to establish a possible motive. Should the defense refuse, he threatens to simply forego discussing any of the remaining evidence (and thus rob the defense of the opportunity of poking holes into them) and call for a swift guilty verdict. This threat (and the request it's meant to back up) would be invalid in Real Life for several obvious reasons (such as the fact that either party should generally have the right to request the examination of all submitted evidence before a final verdict is passed), but the main one is that all the evidence should have already been disclosed to the defence ahead of the trial, giving them plenty of opportunity to investigate and dispute it to their heart's content; as a matter of fact, a trial lawyer is advised to never bring up a question in cross-examination to which he does not already know the answer. Naturally, the under-preparedness of the defense is a running theme in Ace Attorney in general.
    • Exaggerated in Crusading For A Turnabout, where the investigation and trial are essentially declared a state secret by prosecutor Princess Luna - up to and including for the defence team, who (for instance) aren't allowed to converse with the defendants long enough to even ask what happened. This situation is justified In-Universe, but would ordinarily likely lead to an immediate mistrial.
      Athena: Why does it always feel like we're being left in the dark?
    • Also in Crusading For A Turnabout, no heed is paid to the fact that both defendants are (probably) minors; they run risk of facing the same harsh sentences as adult ponies.
  • I Am Not Weasel: Athena, Apollo, and Trucy mistake Twilight Sparkle for a horse. She gets annoyed and says she is a pony.
  • Immaturity Insult: Princess Luna refers to Athena as a "Child" when she is overcome with fury after the latter accuses Zecora of murder.
  • Karma Houdini Warranty:
    • A Downplayed instance: in Turnabout Storm, Trixie is the haughty, condescending, revenge-driven prosecutor who tries and briefly succeeds in convicting Rainbow Dash of murder. Even when her career is saved by Phoenix she remains arrogant and unapologetic for her actions and gets off scot-free. In this series, Twilight reveals that the events of "Magic Duel" still occurred afterward, wherein Trixie once again returns for revenge and is outwitted by Twilight and co., but ends up apologizing. Phoenix is surprised that she actually apologized.
    • Suri Polomare ends up not being the killer, but her history of lying, cheating and plagiarism is exposed in court, and will face jail time for assault, robbery, commiting perjury and tampering with the crime scene.
  • Laser-Guided Amnesia: In "Turnabout Theatre", Coco Pommel was knocked out when the crime occurred, meaning her memories of the event are hazy. She remembers everything just in time to jump to Suri's defense when she's accused.
  • Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Apollo comments that Pinkie's songs are something you'd play for little kids.
  • Left Hanging: In-universe, and with no bad pun intended considered how the victim died, at the end of Turnabout Theatre, pretty much everyone is left wondering why Overall Concept would take his own life, even with depression being a factor. Rarity points out that, all things considered, with Overall being at a point in his life where he was genuinely happy, it doesn't make any sense. Add to that some unresolved mysteries, such as how Suri came to know about the fabric (something which she adamently refused to reveal, and also the letter she may or may have not recieved from someone who claimed to be Coco), and Overall being conveniently distracted by something unknown long enough for Suri to steal the fabric, and it is easy to realize that these unanswered questions will be addressed in the future.
  • Lethal Letter Opener: The murder weapon used in case 2, having somehow been shoved through the victim's skull. Except it wasn't. Someone else stabbed him after he was dead to implicate another pony.
  • Living Lie Detector: Phoenix returning with his magatama, allowing him to perceive deep secrets people (or ponies in this case) are trying to hide from him, as well as Apollo Justice with his Perceive ability allowing him to catch a person's (pony’s)tell when they're lying. Athena Cykes's Mood Matrix has elements of this as well, and her ability to sense the attitude and feelings of the people (ponies) around her makes her The Empath.
  • Malicious Slander: Invoked in the first trial when Blueblood attacks Coco Pommel's character after her initial testimony. To his credit, the judge agrees with Phoenix's assessment and calls for Blueblood to refrain from such remarks in the future.
  • Morton's Fork: During the final stretch of case 2 Athena is faced with a difficult choice. Either she expose the truth, but prove that Turning Page killed his father, or accept Fair Devotion's lie that she was the killer which would save Turning, but would leave him all alone.
  • Motive = Conclusive Evidence: A sizeable portion of Prosecutor Blueblood's case in Turnabout Theatre relies on establishing Coco Pommel's motive - to the point where he is willing to skip the examination of other evidence to press the point. Naturally, ultimately nothing comes of it.
  • Mythology Gag:
    • Before the trial of Coco Pommel begins, the Wright Anything Agency lawyers talk about having a refresher. This is a reference to how the first trial of an Ace Attorney game attempts to be a Justified Tutorial.
    • Prince Blueblood refers to the case Phoenix defended Rainbow Dash in as the TS-5 Incident. This is a reference to the title of the previous series, "Turnabout Storm", which had five episodes.
  • Narnia Time: The last time Phoenix was teleported to Equestria, he went missing in his own world for the same amount of time he was away, which was two days. Since then, however, eight years have passed in Phoenix's world while only a year and a half have gone by in Equestria.
  • The Nicknamer: Pinkie's at it again! Calling Athena and Apollo "Thena" and "Polly".
  • Nightmare Sequence: After the second day of investigating Athena has a nightmare where Twilight, Applebloom, and the rest of the agency berate her for accusing Zecora and calling her a "screw up" which they keep repeating until Luna shows up and dispels the nightmare.
  • Noose Catch: The victim of the first case, Overall Concept, dies from being hung by a rope from up on a catwalk during a theatre production, in full view of the audience.
  • Oh, Crap!: Athena does this when she realizes that Turning Page might've actually been responsible for his father's death.
  • Only Sane Man: Due to Phoenix having been to Equestria before, Trucy quickly finding familiar ground regarding magic, and Athena's general enthusiasm, Apollo is the only member of the Wright Anything Agency to consistently point out the strangeness of being in a world populated by talking ponies.
  • Original Character:
    • For "Turnabout Theatre" - Playwright, a director and writer of various theatre plays from Manehattan. And Overall Concept, the victim of the case.
    • For "Crusading for a Turnabout" - Private Eye, an investigator from Canterlot who reminds Phoenix of a certain British professor. Turning Page, the young son of the the victim of the case. Fair Devotion, the wife of the victim. Royal Order, member of the royal guard and the victim. Sugar Stamp, a mail pony who frequently delivers Scootaloo letters from her parents, and Lawkeeper Equity, head of the Equestrian Council and a Lieutenant in the Royal Guard.
  • Pyrrhic Victory: While Athena is able to figure out who killed Royal Order and prove Sweetie Belle's innocence it resulted in a family being seperated, and the friendship between Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo severly damaged.
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Princess Luna delivers a scathing one to Athena (and to a lesser degree, to the whole gallery) after she accuses Zecora, pointing out that Zecora's own testimony was not conclusive, reminding Athena very coldly (and with contained but obvious anger) of what her job actually entails (ie. pointing out flaws in the prosecution's assumptions or in a witness' testimony, not blindly accusing someone of murder without any proof), and that her baseless accusation hurt not only Zecora's name, but her own as well. She only calms down after the Judge threatens her with holding her in contempt of court.
  • Recursive Fanfiction: A fan made sequel based off a fan based crossover video series.
  • Ridiculously Cute Critter: Athena and Trucy can’t stop gushing about how cute the ponies of Equestria are.
  • Rotating Protagonist: "Crusading for a Turnabout" sees Athena Cykes take charge as the lead attorney.
  • Running Gag: The nonsensical word "cakewalk" pops up a few times, in reference to what was initially a typo in the first episode.
  • Sadistic Choice: By necessity, Athena forces an ultimatum on her second client. Either Sweetie Belle waives her right to remain silent and testifies in court, or Athena will step down as her defense, at which point she would be found guilty immediately.
  • Save the Villain: When Coco Pommel regains her memory, she realizes that Suri couldn't have committed the murder, and so testifies to save her, interrupting a Not Guilty verdict for herself. Phoenix (along with everyone else in the courtroom) is shocked, but ultimately decides to defend both of them as innocent.
  • Sean Connery Is About to Shoot You: The revealed poster art for Elements of Justice has Phoenix Wright doing his trademark stance directly at the audience while Twilight and Sonata are pointing their hooves to the left and right respectively.
  • Secret Diary: Royal Order's travel pack also contains a planner that only has entries for 3 days where he was trying to find a way to duplicate himself in order to stay with both Fair and Sugar (or in the case he couldn't find it, to tell Sugar he ultimately chooses Fair), finds the Mirror Pool to clone himself, and to meet with Sugar Stamp that night of the murder. This and the Affair Letters are the evidence to convict Sugar of "one or both" his murders. Unfortunately, this piece of evidence turned out to be forged by Private Eye.
  • Sequel Escalation: From 1 long, extra detailed case, to a planned 5 cases, going all over Equestria in the process.
  • Ship Sinking: Scootaloo and Turning Page had slight Ship Tease in "Crusading for a Turnabout" in the form of Apple Bloom and Athena teasing Scootaloo about her budding crush on Turning. In the Bonds of Justice episode "On Valiant Wings", Scootaloo works up the courage to finally confess to Turning, only for him to tell her that while he's happy someone feels that way about him, he does not feel the same way.
  • Ship Tease: Apple Bloom mentions how well Scootaloo and Turning Page get along with each other.
  • Shout-Out:
    Athena: (The entire outcome?! Talk about pressure...pushing down on me!)
  • Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids!: Lawkeeper Equity claims relying on the "magic of friendship" is childish and naïve, and points out how big a chess master Luna is, considering her former past as Nightmare Moon and how she walks a path of mistrust.
  • So Proud of You: At the conclusion of Case 2, before Fair Devotion is arrested for perjury, and before Turning Page is sent to Military School for accidentally killing his father, Fair Devotion asks for a few minutes to say a few words to her son. She then tells Turning Page how proud she is that he grew up to be such a good pony—while he did accidentally kill his father, he spent the whole case wanting to turn himself in and take responsibility, and only went along with the cover-up to spare his mother any further emotional pain. And while he's reckless, it's because he's loyal to what he believes in and will protect those he cares about at any cost. So, while Turning Page will need to atone for his crime, Fair Devotion still believes that Turning Page has the best qualities of both her and Royal Order.
  • The Stinger:
    • Following the credits of the final part of "Turnabout Theatre" there is a scene of Sonata from "Turnabout Storm" being freed from prison, having completed her sentence and saying she's going to help those that it. Just like Phoenix did for her.
    • Following the credits of "Crusading for a Turnabout" part 2, Sonata is seen talking with Lawkeeper Equity about the case and tomorrow's trial.
    • Following the credits of "Crusading for a Turnabout" part 4, Lawkeeper Equity talks with Private Eye about continuing an investigation in Manehattan (and reluctantly allows his choice to keep investigating the case in Ponyville). She later passes beside a framed photograph on her desk. When viewed up close, most is blocked by the sunlight, but it shows a smiling Royal Order and what appears to be the hoof of Equity herself.
  • Suicide, Not Murder: This is how "Turnabout Theatre" concludes in regards to Overall Concept's death, as both Coco and Suri were proven not to be the killer. However, if it really was suicide, the Driving Question is why, given that the victim (outside his depression and the implied stress from Playwright) didn't show signs of being suicidal beforehand. However, it was then revealed at the end of Case 2 that new evidence surfaced to indicate that Overall Concept was indeed murdered and that, now, Rarity is the prime suspect.
  • Summoning Ritual: Twilight summons Phoenix directly after a request for help from Rarity. However, Apollo, Trucy, and Athena get caught up in the spell when they grab onto Phoenix once they saw him fading away.
  • Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Following the end of "Crusading for a Turnabout", quite a few events unfold in a tragic way, whereas in an Ace Attorney game (let alone the My Little Pony franchise) things would end up on a slightly more positive note:
    • Private Eye wants to use his position as a chief investigator to make sure that Sugar Stamp can become Turning Page's legal guardian. He is immediately shut down by Luna, who rightfully points out that after all that transpired during the trial, he doesn't have the authority to do so, and may very well be fired from his job very soon. He accepts the consequences, though he alludes that he could still be able to pull some strings.
    • While Turning Page didn't mean to kill his father, the fact stands that he still did and, as his mother points out, he will be regarded quite defavorably by the common folk as a result, as while he is judicially "innocent" thanks to the Double Jeopardy Clause and thus can't be prosecuted, knowledge about the truth behind everything that happened will inevitably become known. He is also separated from his mother who, despite not having killed her husband, commited several crimes in order to protect her son.
    • One would expect the Cutie Mark Crusaders to make up after everything that happened. This is not the case here, as both Sweetie and Scootaloo (and their respective parental figures) engage in a very vicious argument, calling each other out for creating the whole mess and making things worse. Apollo drily points out that things could have been handled better, judging from the depressing aftermath of the trial, and no one can truly deny his claims.
  • Tagline:
    • "These two worlds will collide for a second time...In pursuit of the one and only truth!"
    • "A storm brews on the horizon..."
  • Tempting Fate: When Twilight is getting an Equestrian attorney's badge for Athena she decides to get one for Apollo "just in case", even though Apollo doubts he'll need it.
  • Video Game Demake: Of the "mock-up" variety, in a way. The Ace Attorney continuity takes place after Dual Destinies but the characters' sprites are taken from previous pre-Video Game 3D Leap installment Apollo Justice. Custom sprites are used for Athena and Phoenix (in his updated look) in order to match the style of the others. Starting with part 3 of "Crusading for a Turnabout", this was changed to using 3D models for all the Ace Attorney characters, pulled from Spirit of Justice.
  • Warmup Boss: The prosecutor who fulfills this role for "Turnabout Theatre" (i.e. the first case) is Prince Blueblood. Word of God has stated that his characterization and animation in the series takes cues from Winston Payne as can be seen in his concept art.
  • Wham Line:
    • In Case 2, Scootaloo states that some other pony decided to be Scootaloo's defender. But she described them as:
      Scootaloo: I didn't catch her name, but she was a dark-coated unicorn with eyeglasses and an eyeball for a Cutie Mark.
      Phoenix and Twilight: (looking in wide-eyed shock)
    • After Scootaloo and Turning Page are cleared of the crime of murder, Princess Luna approaches the W.A.A. and relays a disturbing fact about the bloodstains on the Nightmare Night statue.
      Luna: What I'm here for... relates to the blood test that Detective Private Eye and Sonata performed.
      Athena: Huh? What about it? Was... was it wrong?
      Luna: No. It is true that the large bloodstain contained blood that belonged to Royal Order and, as you surmised, his killer. But that killer's identity...
      Athena: I don't like where this is going...
      Twilight: Who... who is it?
      Luna: Sweetie Belle.
    • Near the end of Case 2 Episode 7, Athena Cykes needs to get testimony from Sweetie Belle, but the latter is maintaining a right to remain silent. Athena's next words come as a shock to everyone in the courtroom: "Your Honor, at this point, the defense...would like to step down from defending Sweetie Belle."
    • At the end of case 2, Lawkeeper Equity informs the W.A.A. that not only has Detective Philo Reed uncovered evidence showing that the death of Overall Concept back in case 1, which Phoenix supposedly proved to have been self-inflicted, was a homicide after all, but that there is also a new suspect.
      Equity: (to a Royal Guard) You are to arrest the pony suspected of conspiring to murder Overall Concept... Ms. Rarity!
  • Wham Shot:
    • The ending of Case 1 has a big one. When Phoenix asks Twilight why she called him to Equestria when she could have defended Coco Pommel herself due to having studied law and her status as a Princess allowing her to, five Psyche Locks pop up, implying that there might be another reason she called him to Equestria...
    • Case 2, the Nightmare Night statue covered in blood.
    • Also Case 2, Turning Page being brought in as another defendant.
  • What the Hell, Hero?: Prosecutor Luna gives one to Athena in Crusading For A Turnabout when she, trying to emulate her boss Phoenix, attempts to implicate the witness Zecora in the murder in order to argue the point that reasonable doubt exists as to whether Scootaloo or Turning Page are truly guilty. Luna is - in stark contrast to her 'colleagues' Trixie and Blueblood - openly disgusted by the unethical and careless nature of this trick, especially since she had been going out of her way to protect the defendants from any unjust accusations anyway.
  • Wild Take:
    • It doesn't happen often, but in Part 2 of Turnabout Theatre, whenever Prince Blueblood is really caught off-guard, such as Phoenix pointing out that his fabric roll evidence is incomplete or the Judge telling him off for accusing Phoenix of presenting false evidence, Prince Blueblood rears back in shock and his normally slicked-back mane and tail "flare out" briefly before slumping back down, and he then cowers with a hoof above his head.
    • Twilight does this in part 3 of case 2 when she finds out princess Celestia asked the judge to preside over the trial.
      • She does another one during part 8 when she realizes Sweetie Belle used Spike to send the anonymous tip, and when Athena proves there was no clone of the victim.
    • In part 7 of case 2, Sugar Stamp hides behind her wings when she's shocked or surprised. Fair Devotion hits the witness stand with her retractable baton several times when she's angry or frustrated, and when she gets surprised or shocked she stands on her hind legs and starts bending her baton. Private Eye's wild takes are more subdued; his eyes go wide when he's surprised, and when he finally confesses to forging evidence, he takes off his hat.
  • "You!" Exclamation: This is Rarity's reaction to literally running into Suri Polomare in "Turnabout Theatre".
Phoenix: Once we find the truth behind all of this we'll be able to bring peace back to Equestria.
Lawkeeper Equity: A bold statement. I find it rather admirable that you choose to have such faith in your naive ideals.

 
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Nightmare Moon's Statue

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