Turnabout Storm

Courtroom Antics personified meets sugarbowlian magical equines.

Phoenix Wright: Ugh... Huh? Where am I?
Twilight Sparkle: Hey! You're a human aren't you?
Phoenix Wright: Yeah, I'm a human... *beat* WAIT, WHAT!?

"Just when you thought the Layton crossover was weird."

Turnabout Storm is a fan Crossover between Ace Attorney and My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic by NeoArtimus, and uploaded to PWaaMLPfim. It's notable that this fan work, instead of using a written format as it was first conceived as, shows itself as a movie using the style and point of view the main Ace Attorney games use, with added voice acting.

Rainbow Dash, best flier in Ponyville, is accused of murdering the pegasus Ace Swift, the favorite to win an upcoming race called the Equestrian 500 that Dash is also set to compete in. Now that she faces punishment for what would be the first murder in a long time during Celestia's reign, one of her best friends, Twilight Sparkle, sets out to find a lawyer to represent her. After all of her attempts to find one end fruitless, she makes one last try by casting a spell to summon the greatest defense attorney in Equestria, but she accidentally calls for the greatest defense attorney period, and said attorney turns out to be a confused and non-equine Phoenix Wright. (Or at least, that's what Twilight claims to be the reason how Wright ended up there).

Now Phoenix finds himself stuck in a strange world, one where candy colored talking hors... err... ponies are the norm of the day, and the creatures of myths are just some other species -- yet one where justice still must be served, where the innocent can still be punished, and where they still need the light of someone who trusts and believes in them, someone ready to do whatever it takes to save them.

Thus starts Phoenix's journey to adjust to this new world and search for the truth behind this strange new mystery he's been wrapped up in. Trailer here. Part 1 here. Part 2 here. Part 3 - Phoenix here. Part 3 - Twilight: Preview 1.

...Oh yeah, and did we mention the prosecutor is Trixie?

NOTE: Character appearances aren't considered spoilers for the purposes of this article and its subpages.

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

Phoenix: (Oh please don't tell me this is going where I think it is...)
Twilight: You see... I'm in need of a really good defense attorney.
Phoenix: (Aaaaaand it does go where I think it is...)

Phoenix: (Surprise, surprise...)

  • Angrish: Phoenix, right after falling square into one of Trixie's traps.

Phoenix: B-but-she-stole-I-ah-uh...

  • Arbitrary Skepticism: By Phoenix after he gets told why lightning makes the sound when it hits the ground in Equestria. He himself is the one that notes how he just pulled this off.

Phoenix: (I'm no meteorologist, but I'm pretty sure lightning doesn't work like that. Then again, I keep forgetting I'm in a land full of magical talking ponies who can manually change weather...)

  • Asshole Victim: Ace was trying to blackmail Rainbow Dash into dropping out of the race, and she's hardly the first.
  • Audience Murmurs: The pony courtroom audience murmurs just as the human one would do, except when they are laughing at embarrassing pictures.
  • Bad Liar: Twilight and Rainbow. Phoenix can see right through them when they lie, even without using the Magatama.
  • Batman Gambit: Princess Celestia made Twilight summon Phoenix knowing with full confidence that, notwithstanding getting pulled into another world, he would never allow an innocent to get punished.
  • Berserk Button:
    • Rainbow gets hers pushed when asked plain and straight if she actually killed Ace Swift.

Rainbow: I told you, I DIDN'T KILL ANYPONY!!

    • For the love of all that's holy, don't even dare mention pens or the post office near Rarity!
  • Big Damn Heroes: Right as Phoenix is about to be attacked by timberwolves while stuck in the middle of the forest, Fluttershy shows up right on time to save him..
  • Big No: Shows up occasionally, like by Rainbow when Phoenix breaks her first Psyche-Lock, or by Phoenix when his suit gets ripped.
  • Big "What?": Phoenix's reactions to...
    • First seeing Twilight.
    • Pinkie Pie's fourth wall break. See below for details.
    • His phone ringing in a place where they shouldn't exist.
  • Blackmail: Ace and Sonata are guilty of doing this to Ace's competition. Sonata even manages to blackmail Phoenix into not talking about this.
  • Blatant Lies: Told by two characters as of Part 1. First Twilight's explanations for her "misspeaking" in a) how she knew Phoenix's name, and b) how she got her hooves on the Equestrian Attorney Badge supposedly within 20 minutes of Phoenix's arrival. As for the second: Rainbow Dash's reason to have been near the crime scene.
  • Bloodless Carnage: A slight variation; Phoenix notes how there is no blood whatsoever at the murder site. It's because he was struck by lightning.
  • Blunt Yes:

Trixie: What do you take me for, a fool!?
Phoenix: Why, in fact, I do.

Trixie: ...!

"Toupees, birds, whips..."

Trixie: Witness! This is the first time I'm hearing about this! Why did you not say anything to me regarding this earlier!?
Apple Bloom: Because I don't like you.

Phoenix: (Oh cosmos, you flatter me.)

Phoenix: (Me with children? That'll be the day.)

    • "(Of course I know how to make cupcakes; what does she think I am, a hobo?)". Fast forward to Phoenix's looks seven years later...
    • Twilight seeing black Psyche-Locks, which would not show up to Phoenix in his canon until years later.
  • Cannot Tell a Joke: Pinkie should know better than to ask Phoenix for jokes.
  • Can You Hear Me Now?: Phoenix recieves a vague cellphone call in the middle of Ponyville. How did the caller accomplish this is unknown.
  • Chalk Outline: Of the tape variety; used to mark where Ace Swift's body was found. Given the rarity of murders in Equestria, Twilight has no idea what the meaning of the tape is, and she doesn't like the explanation.
  • Children Are Innocent: Used to Phoenix's disadvantage. Nick is allowed to cross examine Apple Bloom, but is warned that pressing too hard and hurting her feelings will result in a massive penalty. Phoenix skirts the line multiple times, but ultimately keeps his cool. Trixie, on the other hand...
  • Cloudcuckoolander: Pinkie Pie, naturally. This aspect of her reminds Phoenix of Maya Fey with the loopiness Turned Up to Eleven.
  • Complaining About Not Knowing The Wonderbolts: Rainbow Dash gets quite upset at Nick when he asks her who The Wonderbolts are. Never mind that it's his first hour in Equestria.
  • Composite Character: Sonata, who's basically a mix of Mia's appearance, Apollo's Perceive ability, Adrian Andrew's job type, the ruthlessness of Manfred Von Karma and pre-Character Development Edgeworth, and Redd White's propensity for blackmail.
  • Continuity Nod:
    • When Applebloom is told that a lawyer's job consists of a lot of arguing, she says she can't wait to tell Scootaloo. In "Stare Master", they had a debate over the possibility of an "arguing" cutiemark.
    • This isn't the first time Phoenix had to accuse someone he knows is innocent of murder to buy time without getting Played for Laughs.
    • Pinkie Pie will only help Phoenix if he makes her laugh. Since Phoenix Cannot Tell a Joke, he first tells the awful "Wright" pun he used with Moe the Clown in case 2-3, and then he desperately brings up the time he cross examined a parakeet.
    • The way Fluttershy shooed away the timberwolves from Phoenix is reminiscent of the time she yelled a cockatrice into submission.
  • Courtroom Antic: Phoenix is on the case; what else can you expect? Not like Trixie doesn't know her handful of antics either; for instance, she does the typical "hold on to the evidence until a contradiction is found" trick so popular within AA prosecutors.
  • Courtroom Episode: The work is pretty much this for the Friendship is Magic cast; some ponies even get to do detective work.
  • Critical Research Failure: In-universe.

Trixie: A storm cloud found right above the crime scene is what we believe killed Ace.
Phoenix: Objection! A storm cloud!? You call that decisive!? How could you place blame on my client for that!? Unless you are honestly suggesting Rainbow Dash can move around clouds and make them shoot lightning at will!

Phoenix: (Why is everyone staring at me like that?)

Twilight: *Facehoof* Oh, Mr. Wright...

Phoenix: What's her problem, Twilight? She can't honestly think someone can control weather. It's ludicrous!

Trixie: You have to be the biggest imbecile Trixie has ever laid eyes on!

Judge: Mr. Wright... that's a Pegasus's job here in Equestria. It's... sort of what they do.

Phoenix: Mmmph... uh... what...?

  • Cryptic Conversation: Eveything regarding Phoenix Wright when Celestia tells Twilight to summon him. She's very vague about who is Phoenix supposed to be besides a great defense attorney, she doesn't even mention he's neither a pony nor from Equestria!
  • Cutaway Gag / Imagine Spot:

Phoenix: (I wonder what Edgeworth would do if he were in my shoes right now?)
[Cut to Edgeworth riding a pony]
Edgeworth: This is just like that one episode of the Steel Samurai where he meets the Pink Princess! WHEEEEEE!!!
Phoenix: (Doctor, I'd like the part of my brain responsible for that image lobotomized please...)

  • Cuteness Proximity:
    • Played with; Fluttershy is initially intimidated by Phoenix, but she opens up to him after she assumes that he's an actual phoenix who is due to molt soon.
    • Played straight with Apple Bloom. The Judge thinks she's just about the cutest thing he's ever seen, and he becomes very protective of her while she's on the witness stand.
  • Dangerous Forbidden Accusation: Phoenix was reluctant to actually use it, but when he finds himself out of options, he accuses Fluttershy of murdering Ace to buy more time to prove Rainbow Dash is innocent. Twilight is not amused.
  • Darkest Hour: By the end of Part 3 - Phoenix, Rainbow has turned against Fluttershy for nearly destroying any chance of acquittal, a big part of the town has turned against Phoenix for accusing Fluttershy, and to top it all off, the one bit of evidence that could give him an advantage can't be used without implicating himself and Pinkie in a breaking and entering crime. Seeing there is also a part with Twilight Sparkle's point of view, let's just hope she found something to help with the situation.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Phoenix Wright himself in his inner monologue.
  • Death Glare:
    • Twilight gives a menacing one to Phoenix after he gets told that he should have studied during the night. He gets quite scared by it.
    • Rainbow and Applejack give some to Phoenix after he tries to use the "I'm always Wright" joke.
    • Using these is one of Sonata's main traits.
  • Deliberately Monochrome: Most of the flashback pictures.
  • Descriptive Ville: Ponyville; just hearing the name made Phoenix know what was in store for him in this new world.
  • Deus Exit Machina: The "High Council of Equestria" decides that Princess Celestia would be unable to serve as an impartial judge during the trial, thus ensuring that Phoenix and Twilight will have to actually work to prove Rainbow Dash innocent.
  • Did I Just Say That Out Loud?: After Pinkie hears his inner monologue, Phoenix wonders if he just thought or said that for a while.
  • Digging Yourself Deeper: Every single word Pinkie Pie says to Sonata. In classic Pinkie fashion, she's completely oblivious about it and Phoenix eventually silently begs her to stop.
  • Disproportionate Retribution:
    • Trixie took the case as an opportunity to get revenge on Twilight, so she basically wants to get one of her friends killed because Twilight humiliated her before... Yep; Trixie seems to have taken retribution lessons from Von Karma.
    • Rarity wants Phoenix to sue the post office for making her miss the trial.

Rarity: That will teach them to put out more pens!

  • A Dog Named "Dog": Inverted; when Fluttershy hears Phoenix's name, she jumps to the conclusion that he's an actual phoenix who's in his "shedding his feathers before bursting into flame" stage. Nick tries to correct her, but as Twilight points out, at least this way Fluttershy is actually talking to him.
  • Double Take:
    • Phoenix pulls 2 verbal versions of these in Part 1, first when he first sees Twilight and later when she tells him that the trial is scheduled for tomorrow morning.

Phoenix: Oh, tomorrow morning. *beat* TOMORROW MORNING!?

    • Done again in Part 2 when he sees that the good old Judge from all his cases is presiding the trial.
  • Dramatic Lightning: During the introduction of Part 1. In an interesting twist, the lightning isn't there just for dramatic effect, it's the actual murder weapon.
  • Dude, Where's My Respect?: Phoenix gets a lot of crap thrown at him by the ponies, in particular for his "lousy" performance the first day of the trial. At least in this case most ponies don't know about his accomplishments during his career, unlike in his world, where he tends to get even more disrespect.
  • Eccentric Mentor: Twilight points out how Celestia isn't acting very princess-like when she tells her to summon Phoenix. Not to mention, a mentor that gets her studient to summon a being from another world without even pointing out that little fact doesn't exactly fall in non-eccentric territory.
  • Embarrassing Old Photo: Submitted to the court for all to see (except the viewers). Poor Rainbow Dash...
  • Evil Counterpart: Smug Snake Sonata is apparently the Ponyverse's version of Mia, only that she advocates blackmail instead.
  • Evil Twin: Pinkie suggests the possibility of an evil twin of Rainbow Dash nopony knows, Wob Niar, was the real culprit. Phoenix insists on it being a stupid idea, but being Pinkie, she sticks with the idea.
  • Eye Scream: Pinkie has a rather disturbing theory about Sonata's eyeball cutie mark.
  • Figure It Out Yourself: Never said word for word, but Trixie tells Phoenix to do this several times.
  • Fun Size: Spike isn't exactly what Phoenix expected when he heard he was a dragon.
  • Furry Confusion: A minor example; Rarity asks Phoenix to show her designs to the ponies that live in his world, only for him to say that ponies in his world aren't quite as talkative and intelligent as those in Equestria. Pinkie and Rarity get quite puzzled by this.
  • Getting Crap Past the Radar: In a pun worthy of the actual show, Applejack calls Trixie an "attention horse."
  • Giving Someone the Pointer Finger: Phoenix, obviously. It gets on Trixie's nerves after a while.
    • Phoenix even briefly muses that his cutie mark would be a pointing finger.
  • Ham-to-Ham Combat: A Hot-Blooded spiky headed lawyer and a stage performer unicorn too full of herself enter a courtroom. How many miles away from Ponyville can the generated pork be seen?
  • Hero of Another Story: Twilight, the story's Deuteragonist, gets the spotlight in Part 3 - Twilight, showing her side of the investigation.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: Phoenix manages to earn Fluttershy's trust on the night before the trial. This comes back to bite him in the ass by not letting him use her shyness as an excuse to extend the trial another day.

Phoenix: (This kind of backfired on me...)

Phoenix: Eh... I'm sorry, I guess I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. (Should have I said "pony" there I wonder...)

Twilight: But with [Ace's] streak of success he gained a few skeptics, thinking that all his victories were a result of cheating and other dubious methods.
Phoenix: I'd probably think the same if I saw someone winning at everything they do. *cough*

Twilight: Excuse me! I am not a horse; I happen to be a pony.
Phoenix: OH! Okay! A talking PONY, that explains everything!

Phoenix: Umm... Did you know I had the entire left side of my body cut off once? Don't worry... I'm all-Wright now. Hehe... heh...
Pinkie: ...

  • I Need to Go Iron My Dog:
    • Dash's quick excuse to leave the visitors room when Phoenix's asked her about what she was hiding from him.

Rainbow: Um... well... uh-oh, looks like visiting hours are over! Catch ya' later Nix!
Phoenix: Hey! No they aren't! There are still five minutes left!... She's gone...

    • Spike after Twilight catches him calling her a total nerd.

Spike: Oh!? You're back Twilight! I-um... uh... I was just on my way to... um... organize those awesome books my intelligent and smart friend reads! Uh... later!

  • I Never Told You My Name: Twilight addresses Phoenix by name before he properly introduces himself to her. When he calls her on it, she hastily claims that she had cast a NameDar spell on him when he first arrived, but it's still clear that something's up.
  • Inner Monologue: Nick has a lot of them. Par for course of him, he uses them a lot for making the occasional snarky or sarcastic comment, and now he has a lot of good reasons to do so, considering the kind of situation he's stuck in. Twilight also gets to show her inner thoughts in Part 3 - Twilight.
  • Innocent Fanservice Girl/Appropriate Animal Attire: Played with. After Nick damages his suit jacket while on an evidence hunt, he grouses that it'd look unprofessional to come in to court with his only suit of clothes ripped. Pinkie Pie points out that he could always just show up without a suit; since clothing is strictly optional among ponykind, she utterly fails to comprehend Phoenix's horror at the thought of being in court naked.
  • Insane Troll Logic: Pinkie's logic behind the the Wob Niar theory. She's an Evil Twin of Rainbow nopony knows about, then it's obvious nopony has ever heard about her.

Pinkie: Didn't you catch the "nopony knows about" part? You're a pony, and you don't know. See?

  • Insistent Terminology:
    • Nick gets called out quite a few times for not using the word pony. At first is for calling Twilight Sparkle a horse (see I Am Not Weasel) and the next time is for using the word guy instead of pony. He doesn't seem too amused by this.

Phoenix: (Well, excuse me; I didn't take "Hooked on Ponyics")

    • Phoenix inevitably has to argue about ladders and step ladders.
  • Insufferable Genius: Trixie gets this aspect of herself shown. According to Sonata, she was the best in her class when it came to magic, giving some justification to her massive ego. She does have great abilities, but she has cared more about showing them off than on improving them.
  • Intercontinuity Crossover
  • Ironic Echo: Earlier in Part 3 - Phoenix, Phoenix says something about "keeping your pace" and says how he doesn't present all his evidence in one go. Later on, Sonata says something similar, about "keeping her hand" and why she didn't tell the cops about the B&E earlier.
  • Is It Something You Eat?: When Pinkie hears Phoenix talking about Psyche-Locks, she wonders if they are some sort of breakfast cereal.
  • Jerkass: Trixie, full-stop. The fact that she gets Phoenix to genuinely hate her and makes him forget about first-person snarking and call her a fool right to her face should say a lot.
  • Lampshade Hanging: The Periphery Demographic joke in Part 1:

Phoenix: (Hey! Maybe I should tell Twilight about "The Steel Samurai". Amazing how a kids show got so popular outside its targeted demographic.)

  • Large Ham:
    • Trixie, naturally.
    • The Judge has his moments; it helps that he sounds like he was being voiced by Brian Blessed. Especially when he says "OBJECTION OVERRULED!" in exactly the same manner that he does in Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
    • Rarity, of course. Just see her pen rant.
  • Leaning on the Fourth Wall:
    • Phoenix makes an off-hand comment about The Steel Samurai while investigating and remarks how amazing it is that it became so popular with the Periphery Demographic. Sounds familiar fourth wall?
    • While Pinkie's humming the Pursuit ~ Cornered theme, Phoenix comments that it sounds really familiar to him.
  • Leitmotif: All characters have one, much like in Ace Attorney. Taken a step further by making each witness have different Cross Examination and Objection! themes representing them.
  • Literal-Minded: Phoenix's metaphors tend to go right over Pinkie's head, like when she said she missed the part where Sonata was throwing daggers out of her eyes, and wishes she could do that.
  • Loud Gulp: Nick gets more than a little worried after hearing that dragons exist in Equestria and Twilight's assistant happens to be one.

Twilight: Don't be so shy, Spike loves company.
Phoenix: *Gulp* (I really hope there isn't a double meaning to that!)

  • Magic Misfire: Twilight claims this to be the reason why Nick got summoned. Naturally, Trixie called her out on it.
  • Metaphor Is My Middle Name: Rarity says Multitasking is her middle name. According to Pinkie, it apparently is Tabitha.
  • Mood Whiplash: Just as in Ace Attorney the overall mood gets whipslashed constantly between comedic, and serious and suspenseful. Part 2 in particular has all the mood swapping culminate straight into near Tear Jerker territory when Nick accuses Fluttershy of the murder to buy more time.
  • Motor Mouth: By Pinkie Pie when explaining how to make cupcakes to Phoenix.
  • Ms. Exposition: Twilight plays this role. She gives Phoenix basic information about Equestria, makes remarks about found evidence, and explains to him any new information that gets brought up. Sometimes the exposition is common knowledge for Friendship is Magic fans, other times it serves to give insight on new elements. There are moments she wishes that Phoenix did some research on his own though.
  • My God, What Have I Done?: Nick quotes this trope almost word-for-word when he accuses Fluttershy of the murder.
  • My Name Is Not Durwood:
    • Phoenix unnintentionally calls Fluttershy Butshersty, Flutterscotch and Firefly at 3 different times.
    • Trixie has malicious variants with Twilight Screw-Up, Rainbow Trash and Mr. Wrong.
      • Interestingly, her insult toward Phoenix just makes it seem more like she was taught by Von Karma. If she didn't have hooves, she'd probably snap loudly. A lot.
  • My Name Is ???: Taken straight from Ace Attorney. Like in the games, any characters Phoenix doesn't know have their names shown as "??????" in the dialogue box until he learns their name.
  • Mythology Gag: Phoenix calling Rainbow an Earth Pony. Turns out her first incarnation was an Earth Pony, and also the complete opposite of this Rainbow.
  • Naive Newcomer: Phoenix, who is completely clueless about the workings of Equestria. This gets him in trouble quite a few times.
  • Narrative Shapeshifting: A minor case; Rainbow imitated Fluttershy in a mocking voice in the Detention Center, complete with her mane style changing to Fluttershy's.
  • Never Trust a Trailer: It shows Phoenix intimidating Fluttershy into silence. He's actually the only one she'll talk to.
  • Non Sequitur Distraction: When Phoenix meets Fluttershy for the first time, she becomes considerably less shy after mistaking Phoenix's name as his species. Twilight just tells him to roll with it, because she's... you know? Talking to him?
  • Noodle Incident:
    • ...Whatever was in those photographs Trixie submitted to the court as "evidence", seemingly for no purpose other than humiliating Rainbow Dash.
    • From Sonata's perspective, when Phoenix mentioned "whips" in his "lack of professionalism" list.
  • Not Helping Your Case: Quite literally.

Phoenix: (Thank you for effectively establishing a motive for yourself, Ms. Dash. This helps your case so much.)

  • The Not-So-Harmless Punishment: Upon first hearing that the punishment for murder in Equestria is banishment, Phoenix immediately thinks it isn't as bad as in his own world. That is, until Twilight goes into more detail...

Phoenix What is the punishment?
Twilight: Banishment...
Phoenix: Well that doesn't sound so bad compared to -
Twilight: ...to the Moon, or even the Sun. (...)

Phoenix: (Aaaaand forget what I just said...)

  • Not So Stoic:
    • Not that Trixie is stoic, but her general immunity to shock evaporates when Apple Bloom reveals a key piece of information she completely left out of her pretrial preparation...and then explains that she didn't tell Trixie earlier because...

Apple Bloom: I don't like you.
Trixie: *Wild Take*

    • The guard ponies that rarely bat an eye in MLP? Two of them have broken down entirely, pleading for Phoenix to take Pinkie Pie away from them, who spent merely a half-hour talking to them.
  • Oh Crap:
    • Phoenix reacts this way when he realizes the trial is the very next day.
    • Trixie expresses this a lot whenever Phoenix points out a contradiction. As expected for Ace Attorney prosecutors.
    • Phoenix losing all of his evidence.
  • Original Character: Quite a few of them. The victim Ace Swift for starters, his assistant Sonata, and the rest of the racers, like Cruise Control and Lenora.
  • Our Slogan Is Terrible: Phoenix is shown complaining about the ridiculous slogan Maya came up with before he got dragged away.

"Wright & Co. Office: Defending you like it's nuttin' baby!"

  • Pamphlet Shelf: Parodied; Twilight gives Phoenix a "'detailed' encyclopedia" on the different species of ponies; it's literally three bullet points long. Justified in that the book is meant for very young readers. This gets brought up again a little later, when Nick mistakenly calls Rainbow Dash an Earth Pony.

Phoenix: (It's kinda sad I couldn't get down a book with twelve words.)

Phoenix: Celestia? Magic of friendship? Ponyville?

  • Parting From Consciousness Words: "Getting... dizzy. Am I... dying...?" *thud*
  • Pink Is for Sissies: After his unsuccessful attempt at using his world's Attorney's Badge to show to the guards that he's an actual lawyer, Twilight hands Nick the Equestrian Attorney Badge. Turns out it's a pink heart-shaped badge, and Phoenix, well...

Phoenix: A... heart? (I feel my masculinity going... going... gone).

    • Made even worse when Pinkie Pie cracks up laughing at the sight of it, calling it the most ridiculously girly thing she's ever seen.
  • Plot-Triggering Death: Were it not for the death of Ace Swift, and subsequent accusation of Rainbow Dash, Phoenix wouldn't have been summoned to Equestria in the first place.
  • Poor Communication Kills:
    • Fluttershy tried to call out to Rainbow Dash when she was running away, though being Fluttershy, she called out Rainbow Dash in her whispery voice. Things might have turned out differently had she made her voice louder.
    • Phoenix not being able to explain to Twilight Sparkle why he's accusing Fluttershy at that moment caused more than a few problems.
  • Precision F-Strike: From Nick's part right after he discovers that Trixie knew about Rainbow's possible motive.

Phoenix: Dammit! She knows!
Twilight: Phoenix! Language!

  • Prophetic Names: "(With a name like Applejack, I guess she was set up at birth to be put in that apple business.)"
  • Punctuated! For! Emphasis!:
    • "Mr. Wright, you are threading on Very. Thin. Ice."
    • Rainbow and Applejack's "That. Wasn't. Funny."
    • Rarity's post office rant has these all over the place.
  • Puppy Dog Eyes: By Pinkie after Phoenix tells her that they are not looking for oatmeal in Ace's room.
  • Rapid Fire Interrupting: Trixie to Phoenix while she's explaining Ace's cause of death, stopping all of his attempts to say what he thinks about the events.

Judge: The prosecution's logic is very sound, so I must overrule the defense's claims.
Phoenix: B-but... I didn't get to say anything!

  • Rapid-Fire "No": Rainbow Dash, when Phoenix first meets with her again in Part 3 - Phoenix; and Phoenix in reaction to mistaking Applejack for a certain other character he knows.
  • Real Dreams Are Weirder: Pinkie comments that she had a dream where she commanded the sweets army in a war between sweets and vegetables.

Phoenix: (Freud would have a field day with Pinkie Pie.)

  • Record Needle Scratch: In the trailer Phoenix confronts an unseen witness with his usual Hot-Blooded attitude; cue an intimidated Fluttershy on the witness stand.
  • Recursive Fanfiction: The series inspired an unofficial parallel series where Trixie enlists the help of Miles Edgeworth and Professor Layton himself to help her find evidence of Dash's guilt, called Turnabout Storm: The Other Side.
  • Remember the New Guy?: The High Council of Equestria, who according to Twilight are in charge of keeping check of political decisions, and in this case, making sure that an impartial judge precedes the trial of the crime.
  • Retired Monster: Sonata originally intended to be this, though Phoenix wouldn't let her.
  • Revenge by Proxy: Trixie plans to get revenge on Twilight for exposing her as a braggart by getting one of her friends sent to the Moon or the Sun.
  • Right Behind Me: Twilight enters the library just as Spike is commenting on how much of a nerd she is.
  • Rimshot: Accompanying Nick's attempts at using the "Wright" pun.
  • Running Gag:
    • The insulting comments on Phoenix's hair.
    • Continuing from his games, Nick still can't get anyone to react favorably whenever he shows off his badge, human or equestrian.
    • Ace Attorney's ladder/step ladder gag makes a return with Phoenix and Pinkie.
    • Phoenix attempting to use the "Wright" pun, only to get a blank stare or a Death Glare out of it.
    • The "Who?" gag from "Owl's Well That Ends Well".
  • Sarcasm Failure: After Pinkie comments that Phoenix would represent the element of Hair Gel, he gets so baffled by it that the only inner snark he manages to utter is "(No comment...)".
  • Schmuck Bait: Trixie managed to make Phoenix explain a hole in her case by using a little of prosecutor logic.

Twilight: I can't believe you just fell for that...

  • Screen Shake: Straight from Ace Attorney.
  • Sharp-Dressed Man: Phoenix's 3 piece suit gets all sorts of praise from Rarity.
  • Sherlock Scan: Sonata is the master of this.
  • Shocking Voice Identity Reveal: Subverted twice. Phoenix confused Sonata with Mia thanks in part to the identical voice, and Applejack with Lotta due to the thick accent.
  • Shoot the Dog: Accusing Fluttershy of the murder out of sheer desperation.
  • Shout-Out: A lot of them. They have their own page.
  • Shrinking Violet: Fluttershy's shyness is taken Up to Eleven in Part 2. She attempts to hide under the witness podium whenever anyone addresses her, except Phoenix, due to her thinking he actually is a phoenix.
  • Shutting Up Now: Pinkie after Phoenix begs her to keep her trap shut around Sonata. She still manages to keep talking.
  • Simultaneous Arcs: Part 3 is set to be like this, with 2 videos showing the second day of investigation from Phoenix's and Twilight's point of view.
  • Smug Snake: Trixie throughout the whole trial. Even when she gets an Oh Crap moment, she will snap back to her normal self in a quick second. Sonata is no better, despite her colder and more restrained personality.
  • Soundtrack Dissonance: Triumphant music begins to play as Phoenix gets the upper hand by accusing Fluttershy, much to Twilight's and his own chagrin and Fluttershy's confusion. It's interrupted by a loud Objection! but plays soon after. It stops when Trixie agrees with Phoenix's accusation. Then more appropriate music plays.
  • Speak of the Devil: Phoenix's second-last line before being summoned to Equestria? "Unfortunately, sunshine and smiles don't pay the bills."
  • Spit Shake: Applejack wants to confirm Phoenix's promise of fixing this mess with one of these. He passes.
  • Staring Down Cthulhu: Fluttershy to the timberwolves that almost attack Phoenix, in a very similar fashion to when she did this to a cockatrice.
  • Stealth Insult: After assuming that Wright is an actual phoenix, Fluttershy innocently comments that him being soon to molt explains why he looks so homely and sick. Nick only wonders if that was just a plain insult. You know you are a first class Butt Monkey when even Fluttershy can mock you without even knowing it.
  • Stealth Pun: In the middle of Pinkie's Harry Potter reference, she mentions "Maybe something you ordered?". Hmm... something Phoenix ordered...
  • The Stinger:
    • Part 2: "M...Mia!?"
    • Part 3 - Phoenix: "Rainbow Trash? Heh, good one. I prefer Lamebow Dash though."
  • The Stoic: Sonata, nuff said. She maintains her cool even after her blackmailing activities are discovered.
  • Subverted Rhyme Every Occasion/Last-Second Word Swap: The final line of Derpy's poem, which refers to Trixie: "Rich" is rhymed with "...meanie."
  • Suddenly Shouting: Rarity's been the most pleasant pony with Phoenix so far, and then she gets asked what happened to her at the post office...
  • Sufficiently Analyzed Magic: Equestrians seem to have gone through some of this; how else do you explain something like cloud ballistics?
  • Suspiciously Specific Denial: During Apple Bloom's cross examination:

Phoenix: Why did you say it didn't scare you? No one asked you if it did.

  • Take That: Pinkie telling Phoenix that he can't say Derpy's name may be one towards Derpygate, a notorious conflict within the fandom regarding the switching around of the character's officially sanctioned name.
  • Taking You with Me: Sonata says that if Phoenix reports that she had a part in Rainbow Dash's blackmail, she will report that he and Pinkie Pie commited the crime of break and entering into her hotel room.
  • Tap on the Head: A mysterious pony knocked Phoenix out with one of these in the middle of the forest, in order to take away almost all of his evidence and leave him in the middle of it.
  • Tempting Fate: Phoenix tells Twilight that most of the prosecutors from his world are stuck up and arrogant. Twilight reassures him that nopony in Equestria is like that... and then Trixie shows up.
  • Tension-Cutting Laughter: The massive laughter coming from the courtroom after Dash's Embarrassing Old Photo is shown almost makes one forget the fact that she was going to be declared guilty just a few seconds ago. Of course, this being Ace Attorney, Mood Whiplash strikes again quickly.
  • That Was Objectionable: Played for Drama when Twilight objects to the defense on the grounds of "This can't go on!" while Phoenix is accusing Fluttershy.
  • Theme Tune Cameo: Pinkie Pie hums Ace Attorney's iconic Pursuit ~ Cornered theme as they are entering Ace's room.

Phoenix: (That song she's humming sounds really, really familiar...)

  • Third Person Person: The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie of course! It gets on Phoenix's nerves rather quickly.
    • She apparently breaks out of this though when angered or flabbergasted sufficiently, which perplexes Twilight.
  • Thoroughly Mistaken Identity: Phoenix does this twice; first mistaking Sonata with Mia, and later and more amusingly, mistaking Applejack with Lotta Hart.
  • Throw the Dog a Bone: Among all the ponies Phoenix has met, only Rarity praises Phoenix's hair style and, minus the whole "pens" thing, has been generally pleasant towards him.
  • Title Drop: Not for the work itself, but for the series involved:

Phoenix: Sorry, but I don't believe you, my little pony. Not for a single solitary second.
Sonata: I don't know what kind of trials and tribulations you've been through, but you're not changing my opinion.

  • Title Theme Drop: A remix of the My Little Pony theme in the style of AA's Pursuit themes plays when Phoenix places suspicion of the murder over Fluttershy.
  • Token Human: Phoenix gets the honor of being the first human that has ever laid feet on Ponyville, much to his chagrin. Though according to Twilight, humans have been seen before in Equestria, but it's happened rarely, and it's not mentioned under which circumstances.
    • No longer the case after Part 2, as The Judge from the games gets pulled into Equestria to take his usual role.
  • Trapped in Another World
  • Trrrilling Rrrs: Trixie occasionally trills her own name, particularly after calling herself "Great and Powerful."
  • Trilogy Creep: Part 3 was divided into 2 parts for the purpose of making Simultaneous Arcs, thus adding to what was a four part series.
  • Understatement:
    • Twilight calls accidentally pulling Phoenix out of his world (or kidnapping, in Phoenix's words) "a minor setback".
    • Saying that Trixie has a habit for running her mouth doesn't cut it for Phoenix, and this was after spending just 2 minutes with her.
    • Rarity saying she got a "TAD" frustated waiting in the post office's line.

Phoenix: (A "TAD"!? It sounds like you just had an aneurysm!!)

  • Unfortunate Names: Derpy Hooves comes up as a kinda cruel name for Phoenix, but even then he still doesn't get what's the big deal about not mentioning her name.
  • Upgrade Artifact: The Magatama worked like this when Twilight made contact with it. It gave her the ability to see Psyche-Locks.
  • Visible Silence: Both Played for Laughs, like Pinkie's reaction to Phoenix's jokes, and Played for Drama, like Phoenix's only reactions after Trixie agrees with his accusation towards Fluttershy.
  • Wall of Blather: Rarity gets carried away when she gets the idea of making a new suit for Phoenix. She ends up blathering to herself while Phoenix and Pinkie discuss where to go next.
  • Wham! Line:
    • "The suspect the defense accuses is the witness... Fluttershy!"
    • Here's one for Ace Attorney fans: when Twilight is talking to Phoenix about Psyche-locks, she asks him "What about black ones?". For those who don't know the context, black Psyche-locks means the person is trying so hard to hide the secret, that the locks won't break.
  • What Do You Mean It's Not Heinous?:
    • Pinkie gets quite upset when she realizes she still hasn't thrown a welcome party for Phoenix.
    • "WHY AREN'T THERE MORE PENS!? TELL ME, WHY AREN'T THERE MORE PENS!!??", Rarity being Rarity.
  • What the Hell, Hero?: Twilight's reaction to Phoenix accusing Fluttershy of murder. Let's just say she was so ticked off at Phoenix doing this that she objected to the defense just to call out Phoenix for slander. Even PHOENIX calls himself out on it.
  • What Would X Do?: Just what would a profesional and level-headed attorney like Edgeworth do in Phoenix's shoes? Let's just say the mental image kinda backfired on Phoenix.
  • Who's on First?: Part 3 - Phoenix carries over the running gag from "Owl's Well That Ends Well".
  • Wrong-Context Magic: Phoenix introduces one of these with his spiritual powered Magatama. The interaction of Twilight's magic with it yields... interesting results.
  • You Can Talk: The nearest Phoenix's ever been to speaking with an animal is cross-examinating a parrot, so he doesn't take very well the fact that he's holding conversation with a purple pony.
  • You Fool!:
  • You Have Got to Be Kidding Me!: Nick's reaction to "cloud ballistics". He decides to not speak it up to avoid more troubles than he already has for not doing the research of Equestria.
  • Your Approval Fills Me with Shame: Trixie happily proceeds to take up Phoenix's desperate ploy to place Fluttershy under suspicion, even offering him a free ticket to her next performance.

"No matter how far you run, no matter how long you hide, the finger of justice will never lose sight of you."

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