Turnabout in Wonderland is funny and a great fanfic.

Aww, thankyou! I love detailed reviews, but short and sweet is good too. Cute avatar, by the way.

Oh, and WE HAVE CHAPTER 6 VERSION 2.0. I added some flashback scenes, because I'm finally getting used to writing for Maya. I've got to the point where a few of the characters can pretty much write themselves, but Maya has been almost silent up until recently...and it seems she wants to annoy Phoenix more.

I'm going to try and keep the Court Case (Chapter 7 and 8) with largely the same plot, but then again I'm hoping for a MAJOR re-write since I'm really not happy with it. If you're going to re-read any updated chapters, I'd say Chapters 6-8. And any questions, comments, anything? Post or PM, guys. I loves you all. <3

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very nice and creative ^^ good job!

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Thankyou amasugi! And Chapters 7 and 8 are go! Which means only two more Chapters to re-do before you guys get a brand spankin' new one. JOY.

Seriously, though, it'll be good to start adding to this thing again after re-doing so much. TIW has evolved into something I never thought it would...this stuff would NEVER happen in the PW universe, but we now have character development! I think I prefer it this way...it makes the characters seem more real...I don't think 'believable' applies here. XD

Once Chapters 9 and 10 are done, anyway, there'll be more plot twists, another cameo (if you missed the first one, SHAME ON YOU), a little more serious stuff, and plenty more weird things happening to our hero.

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Yeah, they look well revised

FINALLY. The re-write is complete up to Chapter 10 - so that means Chapter 11. This one's following my new, re-written style like the rest...still just as silly/funny/whatever, but with a more serious undertone. I'm sorry it's not too action-y, but when you're introducing a new character, you gotta take some time...if it matters at all, I'm quite proud of the ending. Hahahaaa. That and the Palace...I was inspired by Hollow Bastion/Castle Oblivion/Beast's Castle from Kingdom Hearts.

Everyone who's contributed and inspired me to write this thing is going to be credited at the end, but I'd just like to thank Sakuro for giving me feedback while re-writing the chapters, and also Can'tFakeTheFunk for letting her defence attorney (from Follow the Fool) make a cameo! Funky, if you're reading this before or after the fic, this isn't the last we'll see of him...or we can at least hope...

Anyway - for those of you who haven't lost interest - CHAPTER 11, HUZZAH.
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Chapter 11 – The Garden of Judgement

“Wow…this really is…something…”

‘Something’ really was the best way to describe the Palace of Hearts. Countless generations of Kings and Queens seemed to have added their personal touch to its structure. Colourful, spiralling towers twisted at impossible angles, co-existing with more traditional white stone turrets, and aged metal parapets.

The huge, stained glass window nestled in the centre appeared to have been Max’s idea. A white rose was surrounded by different symbols...the four Card suits, a pawprint - perhaps for part-animals - and a human handprint. ‘Gaudy’ was an understatement, but at least the message was one of unity.

“I...I don’t like it here, Nick…” Maya said, glancing around nervously. She’d stopped a few steps behind her companion, and looked like she was expecting something to swoop down and attack.

Phoenix couldn’t really blame her...despite what Lotta said, sightseers probably hadn’t ventured here in a long time. The castle itself looked forbidding enough, with two giant rose vines making a huge ‘X’ over the window, and twisting around the whole structure…the reigning Queen’s personal touch, no doubt.

But then, there was what they had to pass through to get to it…

“Come on, Maya…it’s just a garden…I think…”

With the pale figures scattered throughout, and the heavy feeling in the unmoving air, the place was reminiscent of a graveyard.

Phoenix swallowed uneasily. There was a mixture of all Wonderland’s races…but the one thing shared among all the statues was how they were…twisted. There wasn’t a single stoic pose – each one seemed to be writhing in pain, or on their hands and knees, or recoiling as if they’d been struck.

The sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach grew stronger. It had taken an extremely talented sculptor to create such a scene, to capture such emotion…unless…

The White Rabbit was standing next to him now. She was gripping her shoulders, her eyes trained on the floor…she shook her head quickly. “…I don’t like coming here, Nick…he…our Nick…”

She sniffed, a shiver running through her body, and a few tears splashing onto the path. “…A few times, in court…I thought I’d have to come here, to see him again…”

Phoenix’s hand went straight to his heart, gripping his shirt…he felt like an icicle had just punched through his chest. Even his voice sounded hoarse, strangled by the shock. “You mean…they’re…?”

Suddenly, it was all horribly clear. That list, what ‘resigned’ meant…and Edgeworth…all that time, he knew, and yet he was still fighting so hard…

He clenched his fist. Whichever of them failed…they’d join the lawyers and prosecutors who had trusted their clients until the end…and, for their cause, fallen. They’d be just another name struck off a list…another anonymous sacrifice at the altar of perfection.

Once again, he was torn. Could he just stand by and let Edgeworth sacrifice himself, not just for the sake of Ace, but for someone he'd only just met? But, then...if he didn't...could he live with the consequences then?

He felt Maya’s gaze on him…it always amazed him, how strong she could be, how the fire in her eyes carried on even when they were red with tears. And how, looking at his eyes, she seemed to read his thoughts...had it had only been a day, and his connection with Wonderland's Maya was already that strong?

“…Nick…you have to win, okay? Mr. Edgeworth is fighting for our Nick, too, so…so we’ll just find some way to help him, when all this is over!”

[Help him..?]

Phoenix looked up at a nearby statue…it was a goatee’d man, a little taller than him. He’d been unfortunate enough to see the eyes of the dead…the energy, the ‘spark’ that all living creatures had, snuffed out. It was a whole different thing, looking into the unblinking white eyes…

The stone man’s pose was different too. Proud, almost theatrical…his cape and ponytail caught in a long-dead breeze, and his arm extended. With his military-cut jacket, complete with five or six medals - [...Does one say ‘Kiss the Cook?’...] – the statue wouldn’t have looked out of place in Gourd Lake park.

But his eyes practically burned with life. Even now, they seemed to be smiling, laughing at the one who cursed him. And, buried a little deeper…a hint of sadness…maybe even betrayal...there was a spark. Communicating without words, tugging at his heartstrings with raw emotion. Knowing this, Phoenix actually felt slightly better…where there’s life, there’s hope.

He wasn’t sure why, but he found himself reaching out, hesitantly, to pat the statue on the shoulder. And he wasn’t sure if it was his imagination or heat from the afternoon sun, but it maybe felt a little warmer than it should have.

“I’m sorry, my friend.”

“…He can hear you, you know.”

Phoenix jumped back, thinking for a moment the voice had come from the statue – the man had seemed so alive that he might jump up at any minute and shout ‘boo’.

But, no…not only would the voice and body never match, it was a voice he knew, a voice he was surprised he hadn’t heard sooner. But here and now, it came at the perfect time to melt the last of the icy feeling in his chest.

“…Pearls, is that you?”

“Ah!” out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of pink, making a hasty retreat…he mentally chastised himself. Of course she’d be scared if a stranger knew her name…

“Maya, does Pearls normally play around here..?”

“What!? Pearly, out here!? But…she could get in trouble, sneaking around the palace!”

“I think they’d go easy on a little kid…” Phoenix replied, trying to reassure himself more than anyone. If anything happened to Pearl…any Pearl, not just ‘his’...

“...Please don’t be mad, Mystic Maya…”

The lawyer quickly whipped round as if his name had been called, almost causing the voice’s owner to retreat behind another statue. He smiled, his heart warmed…the brown mouse ears made Maya’s little cousin even cuter.

Pearl clasped her hands shyly, her pretzel-shaped hairstyle drooping like her ears. “…I come here a lot…they get lonely...”

“I’m just glad you haven’t been caught, Pearly.” Maya replied, smiling…then a thoughtful look crossed her face, chewing over what was just said. “…But…‘they’ get lonely?”

“…Yeah…I can hear them sometimes, the really strong spirits in the statues. Like Mr. Gunther…he says strange things, about Pum-per-nickel and turtle-doves…”

The little mouse-girl seemed even more…mousy than usual. Then Phoenix realised she kept glancing at him, like she wasn’t sure what to say.

“Oh…” it seemed the rabbit-girl had finally noticed his existence, too, just when he was starting to feel like chopped liver. “…Pearly, this is Nick #2. He’s Nick’s twin brother.”

“Twin bro-!?” Phoenix bit his tongue. No doubt this Pearl didn’t go outside Kurain much, either. And if her cousins were a Cat and a Rabbit, a human being a Card’s twin probably didn’t seem that far-fetched.

And…though he thought he’d left that part of him behind when he grew up, maybe it was just easier, to pretend. He couldn’t escape the facts, like where he was, and why he was there. But at least the bond he felt with Ace, like their hearts were the same, would make more sense…

…Though with how crazy that sounded, it certainly didn’t help the feeling that his sanity was slipping through his fingers, like so much fine sand…

“…and he’s a lot like our Nick, ‘cept he can’t fold himself into a Crane.”

Phoenix blinked, finally picking up that the two were talking about him. […Origami with himself?] It was either a party trick, or the Card answer to yoga.

“Mr. Nick-number-two?” Pearl’s hands moved, her expression changing from surprise to…oh no, not that look…!

“Ow!”

“You’d better not think of stealing Mystic Maya away from Mr. Nick-number-one! She’s his special someone!”

“Don’t worry, I won’t…” Phoenix replied, rubbing his arm where the punch connected. If she wasn’t such a talented spirit medium, she could easily be a boxing champ when she grew up…

The White Rabbit was giggling again...did everyone in Wonderland have such a sadistic sense of humour? And though he could see what was coming next a mile away, he didn’t say anything…he he was right, it must be turning him into some sort of masochist.

“So, we were going to look around the palace…you want to come too, right, Pearly?”

“See the inside..?” that lovey-dovey look was soon on Pearl’s face, her imagination taking her to somewhere straight from ‘Children’s Masterpiece Theatre’. “Do you think the King would mind..?”

[The King…] At the same time, the attorney and his assistant looked at each other, both of them saying, silently, “I’m not telling her”.

“…I don’t think he’d say no.” Phoenix answered, truthfully. It would be hard for his majesty to protest unless one of the mediums channelled him. And with the Kurain technique…he didn’t want to suggest it and find out.

“Well, let’s go! Come on, Mr. Nick-number-two!” the younger girl seemed more than satisfied with his answer, as she took his sleeve and started off along the path. “The entrance is this way!”

“…Please, just call me Mr. Nick for now, Pearls…”

As the rag-tag group headed towards the towering Palace of Hearts, someone watched them go. If he’d been able to, he would have been waving excitedly…he’d been hanging onto hope all that time, but a little extra never went amiss.

“Until we meet again, mein Freund!”

The attorney glanced behind him. He could’ve sworn he’d heard something, in heavily-accented English…almost carried on the breeze, even though there was none. But right now, there was a more immediate problem than his diminishing sanity…

“This isn’t a door, it’s just painted on!” Maya knocked on the stone to confirm her suspicions, and slumped, crestfallen. “I guess they don’t like visitors…”

“Probably not...” he agreed…he couldn’t see Queen Franziska entertaining guests.

But the lack of a door raised another question…if the murder weapon, the Vorpal Blade, was stolen from the palace, how did the thief get in and out? They either had climbing skills to put Mask*DeMasque to shame, or there was some kind of trick to it.

“Hey, Pearly, did you bring any food with you? Nick #2 has this really cool trick that he does-”

“I think breaking down the palace wall would be an act of treason, Maya.”

Phoenix knew exactly what she was thinking. And though he wasn’t up to scratch on all of Wonderland’s laws, he knew they didn’t need any more trouble.

The White Rabbit pouted in return. “You’re such a party pooper…even Mr. Edgeworth would let me have more fun!”

Edgeworth…the words ‘anyone with half a brain’ echoed inside his head. Nick wasn’t sure if it would work...he wasn’t even sure where they were going, exactly…heck, he didn’t even know where to start.

But he tried, regardless. He tried wishing for a door…imagining there was a door there…concentrating on doors…but all he got as a reward was a headache.

Finally, the lawyer sighed, closing his eyes. [Come on, Wonderland…give me a break…]

“Aw, come ON, give me a break!! I try to get a hot chick’s number and I get called away again!? This job really is a curse!!”

Phoenix’s eyes flicked open immediately. He’d never been so happy to hear one of Larry’s explosive temper tantrums…and see a door at a size he could fit through.

“Whoever called me, as soon as I’m outta this thing, I swear, I’m gonna kick his-Oh! N-nick, it’s you!” the Butz tried an innocent-looking thumbs up…once again, he’d said too much.

“Hi Larry…” his friend replied, his arms folded and his eyebrow raised.

The wood-grain image waved his sleeve back and forth. “And Maya, too! And…who’s that?”

[Oh, that’s right…] He remembered, now. Phoenix had lost contact with his world’s Larry for nearly two years, and it was during that time that he’d met Pearl.

It was hard to believe, sometimes, how many friends he really had…it made keeping track of who-knows-who very difficult. Adding the two worlds into the equation…that made it impossible.

“Oh, this is my little cousin…Pearl, this is Nick’s friend Larry.” The medium had to give her cousin a small push, as she was hiding behind her again.

“Aww, she’s so cute~!”

The two seemed to get along almost immediately. A mouse-girl talking with a man trapped in a door, while her rabbit cousin looked on…but that wasn’t the weirdest part. […Larry? ...Good with kids?]

“Really!? You played the trumpet for the Queen!?”

“Yeah! When I get out of here, I’ll totally let you hear it! I don’t think I was that bad…I mean, that window was reeeeally old…”

He’d never actually seen his best friend talking with any female who wasn’t leggy and preferably red-headed. But the thought of the Butz as a father figure…it bordered on disturbing…

“Hey, Larry? Sorry to interrupt your little…moment….but we need to get inside the palace.”

“Oh, sure! I can do that! The Queen still calls me sometimes, to get to the opposite side of the palace…but sometimes I think it’s just so she can gloat over what she did to me!!”

[She’ll be doing a lot worse to you if you keep badmouthing her like that…] Nick thought to himself as he opened the door.

“Bye, Mr. Larry!” Pearl said rather too loudly, bouncing up and down. The high ceiling and narrow pathway carried her voice in an echo…and with the countless numbers of doors along either side, someone surely heard them…

“Pearly, shh!!” Maya whispered quickly, covering her cousin’s mouth. “You have to be quiet, or else someone might-!”

The lawyer quickly covered his assistant’s mouth, too…he could hear someone drawing nearer, the fast footsteps of high-heeled shoes against the hard floor. His breath caught in his throat as he saw a shadow on the wall…a woman, holding a parchment scroll and a quill pen…approaching the corner…the scribe from the courtroom!

“In here, now!!”

There was a quiet ‘click’ as the door shut. The scribe stopped in her tracks.

“Strange…there shouldn’t be anyone else in here…”

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Last edited by ExImplode07 on Mon Nov 19, 2007 9:57 am, edited 1 time in total.

...Uh oh. [first thought] And I can't remember his name, but that's who I thought you meant by OC from Follow the Fool. [I can't say I've ever read the whole thing, but I do remember loving that guy. XD] Pearls~! Mouse ears...Ha. So cuuteee~!

Nick can add another bane to his exsistance now: The only door I can summon is Larry~! WHY?!

That was a very good combination of humour and seriousness. This story is getting more twisted now, hm... Moral dillemma. [tea, or coffee?! Er...I mean, uhm, Ace's life, and Phoenix's own, or Edgeworth's...?] You did Pearl even better then almost anyone yet. XD [the slap/punch, hiding, and talking with Larry were very nice touches.] Typo in this sentence though: '“Probably not...” he agreed…he couldn’t Queen Franziska entertaining guests.' Should be a "see" betwixt "couldn't" and "Queen." Nothing else I can see. I only have one guess as to who the mysterious scribe is...Adrian? But that's only because I see Adrian and Franziska together in my head, so I've been seeing her as one of the mysterious assistants for some time. [I'm looking at you, Can'tFakeTheFunk. It's all your fault. XP]

La. [sets to coloring her chibis and planning Pearls with mouse ears]

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I originally wasn't terribly intrested in this, but I read your one-shots and then noticed you were the same author, THEN noticed you redid it, and I have to say you really are a genius. The characters are perfect reflections and I get a kick out of how you made Edgey work as the mad hatter while still being 1000% in character.

Update it D: I must know what occurs!

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Thanks so much for reading my oneshots! I was worried they weren't attracting very much interest...I've never written anything like that before. ^^

And yeah, I re-did this fic...I wrote most of it while I was bored and sick with the flu. Looking back, I thought 'I can do better than THIS!', so I re-did everything. :3 And I'm really glad you liked Edgey as the Mad Hatter, he's easily one of my favourites...his personality is very complex, so I'm also glad he's in character! XD;;

As for Chapter 12...it's in the works, maybe about 60-75% done. >.> I have an essay to write for Biology over the next few days. I'll try and get it finished over the weekend if I have to...I'll try not to keep you waiting! ^^

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Aww. Okay. *puts away beating stick* *whistles* I was going to comment your oneshots and then saw the TiW banner in your signature and was distracted.

I shall go do that nows.

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Just to let you know, I'm playing catch-up on this one still so I haven't commented at all. It's lovely, though :) You have a wonderful brain :)

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You know what's surprisingly hard? Thinking up chapter titles. No, that's not the reason for the delay with this one, THAT would be writer's block. XD This one's come from another musical source..."Trick and Magic", from Justice for All. I changed one word, I know, but if you read on it actually makes sense.

This is mostly a silly chapter, since we haven't had one in a while, but there IS plot, I swear. I try to avoid the fanfic equivalent of swimsuit episodes, at least when I'm writing something like this.

Comments are appreciated, as usual...as is everything else, thankyou again Sakuro for your art. ^^ I love fanart...and when it's for my take on the characters, it's even better. And I know it's sad, but I keep picturing some of these scenes drawn by Zarla in her boat chibi style. I can't draw so of course I fangirl over artists...from afar. x_x Would it be rude to send her a link to this, if just to see if she likes it...?

And thanks KingMob. First time anything to do with me has been called 'lovely', I think. CHAPTER TWELVE UPSIDE YO HEAD.

EDIT: Sorry to go on like this, but I just HAD TO...
Lisa! What does the counter say about this fic's viewer level?
IT'S OVER ONE THOUSAAAAND!
WHAT? 1 thousand!?

Thanks guys I LOVE YOUSE. <3

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Chapter 12 – Trap and Magic

“It’s a good thing I’m here, Nick! I don’t know where you’d be without me…”

Phoenix had a hundred sarcastic retorts lined up, but kept them to himself. He was thankful that Larry had still been there behind them, allowing a quick and untraceable escape. But where were they now?

Looking around, it seemed to be someone’s bedroom...there was four-poster bed, a vanity table with makeup and hair products, and other bedroom furniture. Nothing particularly out of the ordinary, except the coat of arms on the wall…with a missing sword…!

“Larry, is this the Duchess’s room?”

“It is?” the door seemed pretty clueless, sticking his tongue out in thought. “Maybe, I guess? It was just the first place that popped into my head…good thing it wasn’t the Queen’s bedroom, huh?”

The lawyer actually winced at the thought…whether Franziska used her sceptre or her whip, the only outcome of that situation would be him looking like hamburger meat.

But what-ifs aside, it seemed his luck was finally changing for the better. If the police had been here, they’d left already…so they should be able to investigate the place without being harassed.

“Maya! Don’t do that to other people’s beds!”

…That is, if they could avoid attracting too much attention to themselves…

“But it’s so soft and springy!” the White Rabbit giggled, stopping her bouncing and sitting on the edge.

“It’s like a cloud!” her little cousin added, lying on her back. She was probably used to sleeping on the thin, no-frills futon mats that seemed so common in Kurain…one of the ‘100 ways to save money’, no doubt.

Phoenix rolled his eyes, though he just couldn’t keep the smile off his face. Having Pearl and her beyond-her-years wisdom around helped to balance out Maya’s exuberance. If only he could just forget about his Maya and Pearl…

He shook his head, and occupied his thoughts with examining the scene. There was still the undeniable possibility of being caught. If the police hadn’t been and left, they had yet to arrive…and there must be guards on patrol.

Pulling open a drawer, the lawyer’s cheeks immediately flushed pink, and he closed it even quicker. He had to remember…he was investigating a lady’s bedroom, complete with lady’s…clothing.

“…Is the shield on the coat of arms supposed to be dented like that?” It was Maya who asked with perfect timing, no doubt directed at her long-suffering companion. Pearl was unlikely to know, and Larry…well, ’nuff said.

“Maybe someone clobbered the duchess with it, then hid the body in the maze!!”

“…Somehow, I don’t think so.” Phoenix answered…he really didn’t know where these ideas came from…maybe too many Samurai-related fight scenes.

“It’s too big and heavy for one person. They probably would have hurt themselves getting it down from there.”

Thinking over the possibilities, he looked down, and found his hunch was correct. There was a dent in the carpet, where the edge of something big and heavy – like the shield - had landed.

“Looks to me like it fell off the wall. That could have been when the real murderer stole the sword.”

“Wow! You managed to figure out all that just from looking at it!?”

Nick had almost forgotten about his extra audience member. He decided not to encourage him…Ace’s collection of sidekicks had to be troublesome enough without Larry’s ‘help’.

“Look Pearly, there’s so many colours~! Let’s try the purple! No, the pink!”

Speaking of trouble…the White Rabbit’s short attention span had steered her to the vanity table, and Pearl had come along for the ride.

“How about trying not to get us in trouble? We don’t want anyone to know we’ve been here.”

“Come ooooon, Nick! At least let us have a little fun! Here-!” Phoenix didn’t have time to fight back as she grabbed hold of his lapels – like the rest of her family, Maya had surprising physical strength, when she wanted to use it.

“Hey, not that-! HEY!”

“Mystic Maya, makeup is meant for women!”

“Stop squirming, Nick! The colour compliments your eyes!”

“Hey, lookin’ good there, buddy!”

Phoenix caught sight of his makeup-caked visage in the mirror. If his cheeks flushed again, he couldn’t tell from Maya’s overzealous use of rouge. Annoyed, he picked up a tissue, the others in fits of laughter as he wiped his face. Was he the only one taking this seriously at all!?

But then…he felt something brush against his hand, something that probably shouldn’t have been there. It was a rolled-up scroll of parchment, one end stuffed into an empty makeup jar.

Removing the last of his lipstick, the lawyer unfurled it…his luck was turning back and forth so fast it was making his head spin.

“What is it, Mr. Nick?” Pearl asked curiously, the only one who wasn’t still giggling.

“It looks like a letter, Pearls. It’s a little messy, but…” he squinted at the writing…it was tiny, neat cursive, each elegant loop a work of art in itself. And yet, the page was covered in ink blots and splatters.

Phoenix’s hand wandered around the dressing table as he thought. Who could wr te so neatly, but, at the same time, be so bad with a pen? His free hand found a small box, which he opened without looking…there was a faint scent of chocolate. Was it possible that the person had never used a Quill before? But they did seem to be the norm in Wonderland…

“Hm…” he laid the parchment on the table and leaned on his hand, rolling a bonbon between the fingers of the other.

Pearl was still watching him, and was now squinting at the letter herself, her little mouse tail swaying back and forth. “So what does it say?”

“Well…” he popped the chocolate into his mouth absent-mindedly. Strawberry cream…his favourite. “…Mm. From what I can tell, it’s addressed to the Duchess…”

“Um…Nick…!?”

Phoenix sighed. This was getting ridiculous…his assistant was probably going to ask if she could swing from the chandelier next.

“Maya, I’m kinda busy right now…” he squinted closer at the writing. He could’ve sworn it had gotten even tinier. “Hm…something about a meeting…is that an R? Ro…Rose Maze...”

“Nick...!!!”

His patience was starting to wear thin, but he ignored her. It didn’t help that the room was starting to feel a little…enclosed. With all the ruckus they’d caused already, would opening a window really hurt?

“…It says midday…that’s just 10 minutes before the murder…but what name is this? Brother…?”

“Nick, did you eat something!?”

The rabbit’s voice was even more insistent now…but why was she asking…? His eyes went wide.

[The chocolate...] He’d been so distracted, he’d forgotten what careless snacking did to him-!

Standing up quickly, Phoenix fell over his chair, landing clumsily on the floor. To his horror, he was already taking up far more floor space than he should - and that space was shrinking by the second!

“What’s going on!? Am I getting smaller or is Nick getting bigger!? I don’t wanna be tiny again! It was bad enough the first-MM! MMRGH!!”

Nothing could render Larry Butz speechless, except maybe being squashed by a giant lawyer…it was a good thing doors didn’t need to breathe.

And the feeling of being pulled upwards still wasn’t leaving him. [Isn’t this big enough!?]

Phoenix was so tall by now, his feet were against the opposite wall, and he had to duck his head as his spikes brushed the ceiling. It seemed even a little of something could go a long way…

“The thing you ate was near the makeup, right?? Nngh! Could you be any more in the way!?” Maya growled, unsuccessfully trying to squeeze past her huge companion…the answer, it seemed, was ‘probably not’.

“It-it was just one little candy! I didn’t think it’d do this much!” Phoenix protested, not that it made a lot of difference. With his shoulders pressed against the ceiling and his knees bent to avoid breaking through the wall, he was well and truly stuck.

“Ow, ow…” The furniture poking him whenever he tried to move wasn’t exactly aiding his discomfort, either. “…I guess I deserve this for being so stupid…”

There was a sound from behind him, which sounded like a muffled “But what did I do!?”

The oversized attorney surveyed the scene…furniture had been pushed to one side, but nothing was broken. Larry was still failing to shut up, which was a good sign in this case. Maya must be somewhere by his left arm, but he couldn’t turn his head to see. That only left…

“Where’s Pearl!?” Phoenix’s heart nearly stopped as a horrible thought crossed his mind. She had been over by the vanity table, but…had he accidentally…!?

“Over here…” a little voice spoke up, and Nick felt another pang of guilt. No doubt she was hiding because he’d scared her half to death…

“I saved the box of candy!” she added, popping up, looking surprisingly cheerful, and holding said chocolate box over her head. “Mystic Maya told me what happens when you eat stuff that’s not noodles. It’s magic, like the King does, right?”

“Um…sure, Pearls, let’s go with that.”

“Now we just need to find a way to get those…” Maya, who had finally found a way to her cousin’s side of the room, pointed to the chocolates and then to Phoenix. “…up there, and get you back to normal.”

The White Rabbit folded her arms and sighed. “Honestly, though, Nick. Let this be a lesson to take investigations more seriously.”

[Why do I even bother…?]

If he ate more than one chocolate, he might end up going too far the other way. But his hand was too big to reach into the box…this was going to take some creative thinking.

Meanwhile, the scribe from the court was still patrolling the hallways, parchment and quill pen in hand. With her oval-lensed glasses, white fitted shirt, and black bell-bottoms, she exuded a semi-casual, but professional aura, like a librarian.

Opening and closing a door, the woman made a motion to flick her blonde hair over her shoulder – she was still getting used to wearing it up – and moved on. Adrian Andrews knew she should have called security at the first sign of an intruder, but she just had to make sure. She hoped Queen Franziska wouldn’t be looking for her.

Twirling her quill between thumb and forefinger, she was a little way along the hallway when she came to a door she hadn’t seen before. The shape and colour were different to the others…a summoned door! That meant that someone was inside a private room!

Adrian pressed on a disguised panel in the wall to open the real, hidden door.

She might have given a shriek, the things she was holding clattering to the floor. The scribe had no way to be sure, since she dropped in a dead faint immediately afterwards.

Still holding Pearl between his huge thumb and forefinger, Phoenix glanced towards the door. His mouth was still open, since she’d just thrown in one of the chocolates. And he had to admit, to someone coming in with such terrible timing, the situation must have looked very bad indeed.

Maya had already run over, checking the newcomer to see if she was alright. Larry couldn’t move outside his 2-D prison, but there was cheeky grin on his face even before Nick shrunk back to normal.

“Either she got the wrong idea, or you needed a breath mint the size of a Frisbee.”

“Shut up, Larry.” His friend retorted, sparing Pearl’s cute mouse ears from the onslaught he could have come out with.

It took a few minutes to get Adrian to come round…and more than one attempt, since she saw Phoenix’s face and promptly fainted again.

“I am sorry for bursting in.” The scribe said apologetically, her hand on her heart. She still seemed a little shook up about her ‘strange dream’…but at least it saved a lot of explanation.

“I thought you might be paparazzi…I didn’t know you were here investigating the murder.” She gripped her parchment scroll tightly in her fists. “Fra-her majesty seemed quite upset when she heard the news…but she doesn’t want any more attention than it’s already getting…”

Adrian’s hasty correction had piqued a certain lawyer’s interest…nobody without a death wish would refer to the Queen by her first name, even by accident. Her majesty probably didn’t have many friends, so the only way anyone could have such a privilege would be through a job…an important one.

“You were in court yesterday, right?” his eyes were drawn to a small badge, about the same size as lawyers wore…a tiny replica of Wonderland’s coat of arms. “You’re…the Queen’s advisor?”

“Y-yes…” Adrian looked away shyly. Phoenix almost had to stop himself from exclaiming ‘Zvarri!’.

“In that case, you were the one who discovered the Vorpal Blade was missing.”

“…Yes… I accidentally discovered the secret entrance into here, and when I went to look, I noticed the coat of arms with only one sword. Apart from the original in the Queen’s bedroom, there aren’t any others like it... someone must have broken in somehow, and stolen it.”

Phoenix slumped. Back to square one again…it seemed there really was no way to tell when the sword had been stolen. But that left another question…whenever the thief got in, how did they get in? You couldn’t summon a door or rabbit hole to a place you didn’t remember going to.

Ace probably hadn’t been to the palace before…and there was no way Larry would be in cahoots with the murderer. That left him with only one possible idea…but suggesting an inside job, that someone working at the palace had murdered the Duchess…it was risky. And he had only one possible scrap of proof.

“Ms. Andrews, do you know anything about this?” the letter exchanged hands…he needed to know more in order to use it in court.

“…I’m sorry, I’ve never seen this before.”

“Urk-!” the apology, no matter how sincere, hit the lawyer like a punch to the gut.

“But it’s signed ‘Broken Sword’…that’s the same name the leader of Red Spade uses.”

“EHHHHH!?” Though the other two looked shocked, it was Maya who vocalised her reaction.

“The Broken Sword!? That person who interrupted the Steel Samurai Spectacular for that announcement?”

…Once again, Phoenix was feeling very much out of the loop. Adrian seemed to notice his crestfallen expression…if she’d been talking to Franziska, no doubt she knew he was from the Waking World.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Memory took the advisor back to a flickering television screen, showing some kind of romantic drama. A story of forbidden love in times of old, between a handsome human man and a cat woman, told on a lazy afternoon in.

“It was the day after her majesty was declared Queen…”

Just as the two star-crossed lovers are about to kiss, the screen flickers to static, and then to a screen with “SPADE” written across it in red letters.

“A pirate signal interrupted all local broadcasts. It was the first time anyone had ever heard of Red Spade.”

The screen flickers again, and the screen reveals a dimly lit room. The picture is still quite static-y and flickers occasionally…the person onscreen is wearing a hood, disguising their face, but the sound is still interrupted.

“People of Wonderland. Open your eyes to the injustice committed against your own King. The cuckoo’s nest shall fall, for we are Red Spade, we….......our judgement.......alone. By our hand…broken......Broken Sword......let justice prevail.”

The screen flickers, and the drama returns to the airwaves.

“The Police tried to track down the source of the signal, but all they found was a pre-recorded message and transmitting equipment in an abandoned warehouse.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Nobody knows who Broken Sword is, or was…or even what they sound like. They were using voice-changing software.”

Phoenix really wasn’t sure what to think…this person, this ‘Broken Sword’…could it really be Ace? No…no, he had to have faith…the way things were going, it was just about all he had left. Lotta had photographs from the moment of the murder, but she was a habitual liar...and no doubt Edgeworth had tracked down some surprise witnesses, if only to determine the real murderer.

The rabbit hole just kept getting deeper. If he followed it much further…would he be able to dig himself out?

If he couldn’t…two Phoenix Wrights would be facing a literal dead end.

---

Last edited by ExImplode07 on Thu Nov 22, 2007 9:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I really love how Nick grows and shrinks through food

I've been away for a while, and this story got at least 3 times better in the meantime!

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:D I love how you brought Adrian in :D :D Yay Fradrian. And your plot is so well thought out - I could never come up with all these clues and twists. You're very talented, m'dear!
<3

MORE.

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3 comments, and it's 3 in the morning here, wheeee. Time for a comment of my own I think, before I get some much-needed shuteye.

@Hikari - Who doesn't, really? XD It means I get to be evil to poor Phoenix, makes for a handy plot device, and allows for the occasional silly joke. There's actually a reason why it happens...but y'all will have to wait for that. X3

@SkyTenda - I was wondering where you'd been! I spent all this time re-writing TiW, so I'm glad you like it better. ^^

@Mercury - Hey, I said Queen's advisor, not lover. XD Haha, seriously though, I do love me some Fradrian...I guess the allusions in this chapter were more obvious than I thought? This isn't a pairing fic exactly...mostly it'll just be hints, but expect MOAR. X3

I'm also surprised nobody's had any other guesses as to the murderer, yet. So far we've had Sakuro with 'Spade de Killer' (lol...I'm not ruling that out!). Any other ideas?

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I FIGURED IT OUT, REGINA KILLED HER. Unless she was the duchess...Maybe the duchess killed herself?

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Regina? XD Well, like I said with Sakuro's idea, I'm not ruling anything out...

That said, I'll tell you she's not the duchess. The Duchess isn't anyone, really - when Phoenix sees her photo he comments that she's pretty, but not anyone familiar.

And as for killing herself...well, hitting yourself on the head with a paint can is an unusual suicide attempt, ne? Then there's the sword...hard to stab yourself through your own back. Sorry to debunk that theory, but there IS a murderer. :3

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I suspect The Mad Hatter. *gasp*
Either that or the Queen...or Ace really did do it?!

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I think I'll let the characters speak for themselves...>.>

*monocle he's wearing for some reason falls in teacup* Well I say!

W-what!? Me!? But-but I-!! WAAAAAH!!! *cries like young phoenix*

Adrian, saddle the Jabberwocky! A foolish fool is badmouthing their Queen!

The above is done only for giggles. X3 Once again, I'm not saying if you're right or wrong...everyone's a suspect, gyahahaaa. Hm...this makes me want to do a sort of Question Time with the Wonderland characters now...XD Maybe once this is finished? Or maybe right now? I don't know...but it'd be fun, if you guys want to ask anyone anything.

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When you first said I said Spade de Killer I didn't believe you. XD But I did say that~! I'm so witty. [you can't say that if you didn't remember~!] Pssh. Anywho. I knew it twas Adrian. That was an amusing chapter. [also making boys pretty with excessive makeup for the win] Although now I'm really thinking about who the murderer is...

I don't think its anyone whose been introduced yet. Although I'm not entirely sure about Queen von Karma's involvement...or lack there of. However, that is the conclusion I come too. I know you won't give me any conclusive affirmation of that so NYEH. I'm just guessing. XD

And question time with the characters is fun. XD A more in depth one could be done after all this done probably, but in between chapters is cool too. SO I have to come up with some random things. LIKE...

...Is there a Wonderland Godot?! Or...has anyone else from the Waking World ever been dragged through to Wonderland? What happened if so? And other random things. :D

Lastly, darn you for updating on thanksgiving so I was all late. AND STUFF.

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It's...Super Special Awesome Wonderland Question Time! Starring:
Ace! Phoenix! And the rest!

...What's with the mask?
It's so people can tell us apart. Implode is too lazy to make a custom smiley.
...Right. *moves away from Ace, muttering something about Card flu* So, is there a Wonderland Godot?
Well, there is...some say he came here from Dreamland, and can't go back because of his unfortunate addiction to black coffee.
In that case, I'm thankful I'm just facing Edgeworth in court. What about the other question? Is kidnapping some kind of Wonderland tradition?
*glares* Hey, it was Maya who brought you here, not me! There is an old legend that's supposed to be from a time when the worlds were connected, though...about a girl who followed a vacationing Rabbit back to Wonderland. Apparently she messed the place up so bad, the border to the Waking World was closed after that.
Why does that sound familiar...? And why're you looking at me like that!? I'm not here to mess things up...!
OKAY! Question time's over for today! Or until the two Nicks stop trying to kill each other~!
.....
See? I told you, Trites...my new special Godot blend is so good, it can even stop wars between worlds.

THE END

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Aww D: It's okay Ace, I still love you even if you are the murderer.
*loves Ace*
*a lot*
....*cough*

Ooh, new suspicion. Adrian. She might have done it to get the queen in power?

UPDATE IT *sobs*

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Wahoo~! WONDERLAND GODOT~! [tackles. would kidnap but doesn't think she could actually do that. Godot is stronger...and has a hot coffee machine. IT BURNS~!] Ahem.

And for some reason, that girl sounds familiar... [maybe that was my friend Alice? ...Or me..yeah, I think it was me...]

AHA~! It was you~! GET BACK HERE!

Whoops. Gotta go. [Runs off with Godot into the sunset, Franziska chasing after her.] [note falls to the ground]

Nah. Adrian doesn't have the backbone to murder anyone.
At least... not on purpose.

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Wow...I have a fangirl. ^^;; But then again, how many Ace Attorneys can do this? *folds himself into an origami heart*
*clapclapclap* Do a Crane next, Mr. Nick!
*goes running past, chasing after Sakuro* Come back, you fool! Adrian, my Jabberwocky-!!
*carried, drinks coffee* You had better have coffee wherever you're taking me.

Ace, you showoff. XD And now, for our next trick...a new Chapter! I'm not sure if this would be counted as filler, since the plot doesn't exactly advance that much...but it has FEELINGS. And...um, more characters. And a scene that you can feel free to interpret your own way. And another surprise cameo! Can you figure out who it is? X3

I swear the next chapter will have more plot. I really do...'cause it'll be Day 2 of court (hopefully), and it'll continue from that one line at the end, heheh. XD CHAPTER 13. And hey, the title rhymes~!

-----------------------------------------

Chapter 13 – Perchance to Dream

It had been an exhausting day. After making a hasty exit from the palace before security could arrive, Phoenix had gone to explore the Rose Maze, alone. The sun was already sinking over the horizon, so he finished up quickly with a few photographs of the ladder. Hopefully he'd spot something to prove it fell over, that the paint can was an accident, come morning.

The Vorpal Blade, though...it may as well have been pressing against Ace's throat.

He'd walked for a while, safe in the knowledge he could just call up this world's Larry if he felt the need. And stopping at a bench, under a flickering streetlight modelled in the style of Victorian gas-lit lamps, he'd picked up a forgotten newspaper. Taking one look at the headline, he smacked it down in disgust.

Like so many of Wonderland's euphamisms...the Queen's 'persuasion', the 'resignation' that awaited those who failed...it wasn't hard to read between the lines. Replacing 'suspect' with 'murderer', and 'lawyer' with 'scum'...it'd still sound the same.

Phoenix held his head in his hands. If he could just go home, and forget any of this ever happened. It would be easy, to be a coward, but his own nature forbade it. He couldn't have just stood by, and make Maya explain to her cousin why Ace's apartment would be empty. Why the Duchess and King Max weren't around. His jacket had been there to catch Pearl's tears.

Pearls...Wonderland or Waking World, she always brought out some part of him that was almost fatherly. It made him feel like he was getting old, sometimes...those carefree summers with his friends seemed so far away. Especially here.

Once again, he was up on the roof. The stars held no answers, or even recognition of his existence. Maybe he'd just rather be alone than be tormented by familiar things, by a life he felt he'd stolen.

There was a quiet 'chink' – the sound of ceramic gently touching concrete. He turned to look into Maya's smiling face.

"I thought you'd be up here again." she said, sitting down unceremoniously beside the lawyer, a blanket around her own shoulders, and a mug in her own hands. "The stars are really clear tonight."

"So, you weren't asleep in front of the TV, then...I should've known nothing would get between you and Steel Samurai re-runs."

Phoenix picked up his mug...or Ace's, judging from the 'I <3 <3s' moniker on the side. It was warm, and full of clear liquid. "...Hot water?"

The White Rabbit grinned back, nodding. "Yup. I didn't forget what Wonderland food and drink does to you."

She sipped her own drink, cradling it in her hands. "And I've got water too, so you don't have to be jealous...we were all out of hot chocolate..."

Her companion smiled. First she was guessing what he was thinking...then, in the Statue Garden, they'd communicated without words...and now she was worried about him. And he'd been worried about her, about how she was coping with losing Ace.

And Edgeworth, the Mad Hatter...Larry the door...and who could forget about Pearls, with her adorable mouse ears, who warmed his heart when he thought all was lost...

Staring into the steaming cup, he wondered. It wasn't every day you got to meet people for the very first time, for the second time. Would it really hurt, to pretend? Or did he have to stop pretending, and embrace these 'reflections' as real people...would caring, and having a little faith, really hurt...?

There was still the complicated matter of Ace being him, but...although his memory took him back to the terrible Statue Garden, he chuckled to himself. He remembered a happier time, an old birthday party, the first he'd shared with friends...and he'd still wished for a brother.

"What's so funny?" Maya asked, a quizzical look on her face.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking, even though we're out of hot chocolate...maybe we could still make believe."

"Make believe...? You mean, like..." Phoenix was tempted to stop her – she seemed to be concentrating so hard, that the mug might just shatter. "...like...this isn't water, it's warm, creamy chocolate milk..."

Her companion smiled. "Mine's a little darker, a little more chocolatey...with marshmallows, of course."

"Hey, I want marshmallows too!"

"And whipped cream."

"Whipped cream and chocolate syrup and chocolate chips!"

"Would you drink that or scoop it out with a spoon?" Phoenix laughed, sipping his cocoa, and wiping a whipped cream moustache from his upper lip. It tasted as delicious as he imagined it.

Even with court in the morning...that night, he welcomed the chance of sleep.

But...maybe it was hours later...his tiredness had robbed him of his tense of time...had sleep even come? His mind was moving slowly, groggily, like he was stuck in the twilight moment between awake and dreaming.

It was dark...way too dark...and there was a faint yet insistent stinging pain in his arm...had he been drugged, and dragged off to some distant place..?

His eyes flicked open, greeting by near-blinding white.

"Agh..." it took a certain amount of effort just to shield his eyes...his arm felt heavy, and the air felt strangely thick, like he was underwater. But his surroundings...there was no mistaking them...!

[I...I'm home..?] It was the office...his office, with its boring non-purple décor...and he seemed to have fallen asleep on his arm. Was he really back?

Phoenix sat up slowly. His head felt stuffy, like his sinuses were blocked...he couldn't seem to remember having a cold, but...in front of him, on the desk, was a bottle of pills.

No...two bottles. One was his old favourite which had nearly become his worst enemy, Coldkiller X. The other was the strikingly similar rival brand, Coldkiller Z.

Muttering to himself, he picked up the Coldkiller X and unscrewed the safety cap. He couldn't be bothered to get a drink of water...he'd just swallow one on its own, and take a nap until it kicked in.

Instead, it kicked in immediately – just not in the way he'd expected! His surroundings suddenly leapt up higher, his feet no longer touching the ground from his place in the chair.

"Oh-" Another sudden spurt cut him off, and he'd shrunk even smaller... "-not-" ...smaller... "-this-" ...smaller still... "AGAAAAAIN~!" ...and the office chair suddenly disappeared as he reached his smallest, dropping him down some kind of deep pit, like a rabbit hole...

SPLASH. The now-tiny Phoenix hit water almost immediately, struggling to swim to the surface for the second time...but, at least this puddle was warm...and it had a strange, almost aromatic aroma...

"Ugh...an insect in my tea..." His eyes turned upwards in horror, the Mad Hatter looking back down at him in disgust. "How bothersome..." His hand moved to tip the cup.

"Nonono-!! Edgeworth, it's ME!! It's Nick! Please, please don't-GYAAAH!"

Nick was falling again for just a few seconds before he abruptly hit some kind of ground...immediately, he saw the White Rabbit, running off without him again.

"Maya! Hey, Maya, wait-!"

He tried to give chase, but the air felt thick again...he may as well have been running in place, when SLAM. Something almost landed right on top of him. Glancing up from his instinctive duck, he met his own face...a mirror.

SLAM. SLAM. The sound came again and again...now Phoenix was trapped, surrounded by a circular wall of mirrors.

"NICK! Help me, please! NICK!!"

Behind him, a reflection in the mirror...not his reflection, but an image of Maya...his Maya. She was crying and screaming, struggling against two burly police officers. One of them read out her rights, while the other slapped on cuffs...she was being arrested on suspicion of murder...murdering Phoenix Wright!

"Nick, buddy!! Please, please, help meeee!"

Another voice...it was his Larry, in court again, sitting in the defendant's chair. He had his head in his hands, crying genuine tears instead of 'the ol' waterworks' his friends had seen so many times. The Judge shook his head sagely. He was about to pass his verdict, and there was nobody at the defence's bench...

"Phoenix, where are you...help me..."

The quietest voice was his Edgeworth's...slumped over his desk, his hair was a tangled mess and his cravat was loose and crooked. The entire wooden surface was covered with unfinished paperwork, and a single bottle of strong liquor with a shot glass. Gripped in one of the prosecutor's hands was a poster...the word 'MISSING' in large letters, and a picture of Phoenix's face...

Nick didn't know where to turn...cries for help started to come from all directions...he had to do something, but what!? Which path to take...who to help, and who to sacrifice...how could he possibly make that choice!?

Suddenly, the mirrors shattered, falling away with the sound of a whip crack...and before him stood Queen Franziska, towering over him, like he had over her.

"Cheshire Cat got your tongue, foolish lawyer man!? Choose now, or choose death! The Jabberwocky will be more than happy to oblige!"

There was a low rumble, like a growl crossed with a earthquake...he saw a pair of red eyes with cat-like slits...

"I've got him! You - up here! Grab my hand, NOW!"

The lawyer looked straight above...amidst the seemingly infinite blackness, there was a square hole hanging in mid air. Part of the darkness was actually hanging down, like the lid of a trap door, and a white-gloved hand was reaching through.

Monster or mysterious stranger...not even Edgeworth would accuse him of being that stupid. As he reached up, his saviour pulled him through the opening, and the trapdoor snapped shut at the same time as the Jabberwocky's maw.

"OOF!" Phoenix landed rather heavily on the hard floor...he was in a place which seemed to be shrouded mostly in white mist. He himself, in fact, was dressed in a loose-fitting white T-shirt and trousers.

And suddenly, he was aware that he was dreaming. He must have dreamt up a hero just in time, to save him from his own nightmare. "Thanks...that was really-Mask DeMasque!?"

It wasn't exactly the hero he'd been expecting. [...This is just great...now my cases are invading my dreams...]

"That's a fine way to thank the one who just saved your life!" The phantom thief answered. "And it's Mask*DeMasque! You can't forget the *."

Nick scratched his head...there was something very strange here. "...Well...if you're really Mask*DeMasque...why do you sound like one of those over-dramatic heroes on TV? I mean...you're Ron DeLite, right?"

POOF. He jumped back, a big puff of smoke enveloping the thief, like one of the Queen's spells had just hit. "PLEEEEEEASE DON'T SAY THAT! S-Saying my real name turns me back to normal...b-but I guess you didn't know that, since it's your first time here..."

The smoke cleared, and Ron DeLite was standing in his alter-ego's place, his head tilted to one side as his sentence trailed off into nothing.

Phoenix had to strain his ears to catch the man's voice, but he just about heard the last part. "'Here'...where is 'here'?"

"Actually it's a little more complicated than that...well maybe I shouldn't say a little, but maybe a lot..."

"What my Ronnie's trying to say, Nicky-boy, is Welcome to Dreamland."

"D-D-Dessie!!" Ron jumped slightly as Desiree DeLite appeared behind him. "I...I got him...just before he woke up..."

"And you did a great job." she said, planting a quick kiss on his cheek. Her husband made a sound like a stepped-on mouse, his hair spirals springing out of place for a moment.

Smiling, she turned back to the lawyer, who was blushing slightly himself. "You should be happy, Nicky-boy. Dreamlanders aren't supposed to directly interfere in people's dreams, but the Princess herself bent the rules just for you."

"Princess..." More royalty, that was the last time he needed. And this time, he had a good idea of who it might be...who else was ruler of her own little fantasy land...?

"Did somebody call me?" a voice giggled. Twin showers of sparks came from fireworks on either side of a golden lion's mouth – which, like everything in Dreamland, had come from nowhere – and Princess Regina Berry entered the scene.

Wearing her usual pink outfit, she was standing on the back of Regent, her pet tiger, who was sporting a saddle and a pair of magnificent striped wings. [All the better to chase you down and 'play' with you...] Phoenix thought, fearfully. But what made his heart sink even more, were the other familiar faces flanking the winged tiger...

"Sorry we're late! We had to wake Regent up - we couldn't just leave him 'lion' around all day! AHA! AHA! AHA! HA! HA!"

"He's a tiger, you moron! Not a lion! I swear those jokes of yours get worse every time!"

Nick sighed. Some things, like Moe's jokes and Trilo's attitude, never changed.

"I'm so happy you could make it!" Regina leapt from the big cat's back, landing with perfect precision. "There's someone here who really wants to meet you. And they said they might be able to bring my Maxie back so we can finally be married!"

[Bring King Max back..?] That seemed like an awfully cruel trick to play on Regina's naivety...

"I just hope they're right..." Moe said, sadly. "The relations between our worlds are strained enough. We pointed the finger at King Max, for King Russell's murder...and now some are pointing the finger at us for Max's disappearance..."

"Disappearance?" Phoenix thought about this. If Russell Berry was murdered, that meant that death did hold some kind of meaning in Dreamland...so that left the possibility that Wonderland's King was still alive somewhere...

"I still say good riddance." Trilo said dismissively, his arms folded. It seemed, even in dreams, his proposal had been shot down.

"T-Trilo...don't say that in front of the princess..." Ben received the usual one-two punch to the face for his protest. The lawyer often wondered whether that really hurt or not.

Regina just giggled, scratching Regent behind his ears. "How about you show Mr. Wright to the right room, Captain Cinnabuns?"

"Eek! Um...y-yes, your majesty...and...my name is DeLite, that is...i-if you don't mind me saying..." Ron said, quickly, with a salute.

Phoenix snorted at the nickname. Looking at the him from the back, as they set off through an arched doorway, Ron's hair did resemble a couple of pastries. He was surprised he hadn't thought of it before.

"So...you're a Captain, then?" the lawyer asked. They were in a long hallway now, similar to the one in the Palace of Hearts, but coloured in white and muted pastel shades.

"Mm-hm...Captain of the Dream Armada. Moe is in the Ministry of Fun, Ben and Trilo are in charge of Fantasy...and my darling Dessie is head of Adventures."

He sighed. "I wish I had a job like that...I can only fight nightmares when I'm Mask*DeMasque, and if someone says my real name..."

Nick's mind switched off...Ron's rambling was going nowhere fast. If he was in a dream, shouldn't he be able to do things like stop him from trailing off? He hadn't tried experimenting yet...

"M-Mr.Wright..."

Well, this was something, at least. His favourite shirt and jeans were a lot more comfortable than-

"PLEEEEEEASE, DON'T IGNORE MEEEEE!"

"Sorry, I didn't hear what you were saying!" Phoenix insisted, holding up his hands. "Uh...so...King Max was wrongfully accused of murder?"

"No." Ron tilted his head, then suddenly started failing frantically. "I mean yes! Yes yes YES! He was! I mean...he was..."

Captain DeLite clasped his hands shyly, bowing his head. "But...the Wonderland you...Ace...he saved him. And he saved me from the same thing. And now he's in trouble and all of us know he's innocent..."

[Wow...Ace is lucky...he has friends from three different worlds supporting him...]

But would well-wishing alone help when he was in court? The pair continued walking, and stopped in front of one of the many, unmarked doors. Hopefully, whoever had wanted to talk with him might hold some vital answers...

His guide pushed the door open...and someone sitting at a computer looked up at them curiously. She raised an eyebrow...her hands moved across the keyboard, accompanying every one of her actions. More words in quotation marks appeared even as she spoke, and she wasn't even looking at the screen.

"Uhm...I think you want next door, mate."

"Oh! S-sorry..!" Ron said apologetically.

"Honestly...I just don't know..." the anonymous typist continued her work, muttering something about bloody 4th walls. More quotation marks and text that he couldn't quite see...an author, perhaps?

They shut the door, and moved to the one next to it. Phoenix looked inside, and a voice which was neither male nor female spoke up, from the depths of a hooded robe.

"It's about time, Phoenix Wright. You may call me Broken Sword."

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Reaction Number One: Ooh, Nick/Maya. Interesting. That's a pairing I didn't expect out of you.
Reaction Number Two: CAMEOS HOLY CR-
Reaction to the last line: .....OMFGIT'STHEBLUEBADGER


Anyway. Very well done :D I loved the imaginary hot chocolate, and how Ron turns into himself every time someone says his name. This is just getting so clever, with all of the Big Berry Circus characters being part of the dream world, as with Dessie and Ron. Especially with the circus characters and the point that's often made in the game is that they live in a dream, particularly Regina...

Aww, poor Ace D: He can turn into origami?! :D I love him so.

I particularly liked this line:

Like so many of Wonderland's euphamisms...the Queen's 'persuasion', the 'resignation' that awaited those who failed...it wasn't hard to read between the lines. Replacing 'suspect' with 'murderer', and 'lawyer' with 'scum'...it'd still sound the same.

That sums up Nick's pessimism very well without making him an angst puppet.

Need moar! This was a good update <3 Very well done.

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Um...sorry to disappoint, but that "Nick/Maya" you see wasn't intentional. XD;; To be honest, I hate that pairing in a romantic sense...I see them more as brother and sister. The way I see it is just because she brought him a drink it doesn't mean TRU LUV - she's just worried about him. ^^

It's interesting, though, how you interpreted it your own way. I'm actually proud of it, even if I hate the pairing...like the game, you can make your own assumptions, I suppose. Now I'm waiting for an OMG NICK/MILES comment about Edgeworth in the dream sequence. XD

Yeah, the circus characters in Dreamland, you hit the nail on the head. :3 Well done! The thing with the circus folk/Ronnie and Dessie is they all live in a fantasy, to some extent. And the Blue Badger!? XD Well...I wasn't expecting THAT...but I'm not saying you're wrong either. We'll find out who Broken Sword is eventually. :3 Another mystery for y'all to consider.

And I'm glad you liked that line. ^^ Nick doesn't tend to be angsty, but when he is, he always has a good reason. And he tends to keep it inside his own head, rather than howling at the moon. WRRRRRRY. DX

ACE ORIGAMI IS LOVE. <3 He's so talented...and flexible. X3

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Poor Phoenix. [you know, if I had a dollar for every time I've said that... I mean, uh. You're so mean to him~! ...Heh heh. Yeah, I wasn't picking up Phoenix/Maya...but then I don't look for that much. XD I was thinking about how usually people only show her bouncy side, when she is really a strong person who cares a lot for the people around her, as the games have shown time and time again. Nice job.

And you're waiting for someone to scream Nick/Miles? MMKAY. NICK/MILES~! That was SO SAAAADDD. That made me think poor Miles. XD But that was just a dream, right?! ...RIGHT?!

And then Ron. I love him so. XD By the way, nice cameo. [it took me until the fourth wall line, then I looked at the typing as she spoke, and went ZVARRI~! THE TRUTH HAS BEEN ELEGANTLY REVEALED TO ME~!]

Phoenix has a tendancy to keep his troubles to himself. Fortunatly for him, 'to himself' means 'written all over his face' and his friends are nice and smart enough to pick up on that. Especially Edgey and Maya. That was a roller coaster. It was like, Fluffy friendship stuff, OMG NOOOOOO~!, ...what?, and then Haha, cameo. XD I had to read that twice. And now I will again. Lastly, BROKEN SWORD IS THE BLUE BADGER TOTALLY. D< And I will be Phoenix's fangirl since everyone else likes Ace better. [tackles the unsuspecting Phoenix] ...although the origami thing is pretty cool. XD [hypocrite!]

...Also, yes Godot, there will be coffee. :D

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Last edited by Sakuro on Sat Nov 24, 2007 9:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Flexible? ;D

oh and, um, I'm actually really glad the Nick/Maya wasn't canon (edit: canon being canon to your story) like I thought it was. I'm not a big fan of them either and my above comment was a nice way of saying "whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy." I mean I would still have loved it regardless, but I see it like I see the Franzi/Edgey pairing. It's just...yeah, no... However, just like there are some Franzi/Edgey fanfictions I really enjoy, there are some Nick/Maya ones I like as well.

But Nick/Edgey tops them all. <3 Gay Lawyers FTW.
I sensed the Nick/Miles, but the Nick/Maya assumption was already so strong on me I kinda disregarded it as friendship. I like it better with a few hearts next to it though :D

And I think
I know
who the jabberwock is
if Nick's dream was true to the real jabberwocky
...*wins at life*

Edits: Sakuro can have Nick, I'll steal Ace. It's a win-win :D

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WHY ARE YOU GUYS SO NUTS? WTF BLUE BADGER. XD I love you. Even if our collective HURR-ness is turning this thread into a kind of chatroom.

YAY. Someone noticed the cameo. For those people who haven't caught on and want to know... it's ME. XD Gotta love my northern (British!) accent, mate. It's called the 4th wall, guys, don't just waltz in and break it!

YAY (again) NICK/MILES. X3 Implied slash FTW. Is it a dream..? Like I said, you guys interpret it as you see fit. I take it the dream was your 'what' moment, Sakuro? And Ron is love, don't ignore hiiiim!

Reading back, this is an interesting chapter...it is a rollercoaster, and I'm glad you enjoyed the ride. :3 Random fact here, I think my favourite scene is the imaginary hot chocolate...I was inspired by the food fight scene in "Hook". XD You're doing, it, Phoenix, you're playing with us~! Too cute, made me giggle reading it.

And the Jabberwocky...do you REALLY want to know what/who it is? o_O It's pretty horrible, I'll say that. And now, a word from our characters...

*completely oblivious* Not having a spine means I'm really flexible! :D *rolls into a tube* Makes travelling economy class that much easier.
*plays ba-dum-ching on drumkit* ... !!! *tackled*
You stink, Trites! Get off the stage! *throws coffee*
...Is this really any funnier the second time?
...I don't think so...

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I did catch up on you on the cameo. I was just too excited about the blue badger Broken Sword. But yeah, that was clever.

Oh Oh Oh Oh is the Jabberwocky can I guess it D: Is it



Eh, I just mosey around your thread helping to turn it into a chatterbox because I've got nothing better to do because I, er, prioritize?
Poor Ace...he's just as oblivious as the real Nick. XD

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Hokay, I added you on MSN.
<333 But don't forget to work on 14!

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Actually, I thought that the first time I saw 'red slits' too... [shot] XD I'm so weird.

I think I've partially sold my soul to this thread. x.x [although, I THOUGHT I'd already sold my soul to Phoenix for a mountain dew. Hum.] I just spent a day working on a piccature and I'm still not sure I like it. >.> Oh well. I need to catch up on me scenes. But, here you go.



I both like it and still see many flaws... Mostly the white still around them. I'll fix that later, I think my hands cramping. >.> And the 'Trites' thing still makes ME laugh, at least. XD

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...you win about six internets.
And that's all I have to say about that.

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Thank you~! [bows] Cools, internets.

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Since you already know my opinion on this story and everything related to it, I'll give you someone else's.
I hated it!
It was horrible!
It it was awful!
It wasn't that bad.
It was alright.
I kinda liked it.
...
WE LOVED IT! WE LOVED IT!

Waldorf and Statler FTW.

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This is BRILLIANT....



I-just..

This is probably one of the best PW fanfics I've read... <3

Thanks Shy! Waldorf and Statler indeed...I'm not going to ask why you picked those two. XD I know nearly nothing about GS4. But it's funny, yay crack thingies.

And wow, thanks Feolys! I can't believe you really think that...XD;; I mean, damn. I didn't think anyone would consider TiW THAT good, ever. Wow.

Also, CHAPTER 14 is in the works. >.> I swear. It's looking like a 'filler chapter' again, for a small part, but since I thought the last one was rubbish and y'all liked it...yeah. XD Hopefully this'll be as good.

I just can't believe how big this thing is, also...^^;; With Day 2 and 3 of court, and the investigation in between, this could hit 30 chapters easily. And my chapters have an average of 2500 words...that's a lot of text. x_x But it has to end sometime~! I just hope y'all will like what I have planned.

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This just keeps getting better and better as I go along reading. I'm having such a fun time reading it. Two great series all rolled into one. OMG, Jabberwocky, do we really want to know yet who it is...scary. I'm not taking any guesses but I bet it will be interesting to find out who it will be.

Tee, hee I'm one of the ones who was like "ooh Phoenix/Miles"! All of those dream sequences were great. But the Phoenix/Miles one was the best. *giggles*

Can't wait for the next chapter.

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