Turnabout Dreamer

(Important: Takes place AFTER Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies.

Apollo returns to the place where it all began-his orphanage. Phoenix, Trucy and Athena return to the past with him, vowing to always be there whenever Polly needs them.)

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Not even Trucy has said much.

They've gone through the channels of the past, exploring where precious steps were taken, discovering where precious memories were born. Apollo took them through the dining chambers, the halls, playground and even into a certain bedroom. A place he shared with a certain piece of his heart.

He was introducing his family to where he began. The place that charted him off into the unknown. The Someday Dreamers Orphanage was forever burned into the recesses of their minds, as it was a place near and dear to Apollo's heart. He introduced them to where he and Clay first met, told his family about how their dreams were shared, and told them about their good night talks. He told them about what Clay loved to eat for breakfast: the oatmeal Miss Cinna made, topped off with apples and cinnamon. He told them about everything with eyes that seemed calm, but Athena revealed the truth.

Apollo's heart was as loud as Simon's, the day her heart shattered for the very first time.

Her heart was breaking all over again, because of the seemingly calm attorney taking them on a tour.

She's watching him like a hawk. Watching Apollo has made her realize just how important Taka is to Simon. Phoenix and Trucy are doing the same, fearing the moment Apollo will fall. They're walking upon grounds that are the most precious to Apollo: the place where words mended broken hearts. The place where he and Clay would talk, for hours on end. Its covered in snow, but still the same.

"We'd sit out here, talking about whatever came to mind. Breakfast, what we wanted for our birthday...what our families looked like, our favorite books...it didn't matter. We talked about anything and everything. Clay would always bring our talks out here to an end, because he'd end up falling asleep. Me? I wanted them to go on forever. I could've gone on talking for hours."

Apollo laughs, but none of them enjoy the sound. Athena takes him by the hand and peers into his eyes, her own eyes wreathed in intense concern. She has Widget turned off, so his uneasiness wouldn't set off Apollo, and she really doesn't need him. Her friend's emotions are loud enough. "I felt bad one time," he goes on, eyes focused on the snowy ground beneath him. Phoenix takes his other hand.

"It was late at night, and he was pretty tired, but I never wanted him to stop talking about the stars. He was always so excited, and talked about them so much, I finally decided I wanted to learn as much as I could about them. I asked question after question about constellations and nebulas and meteors, and before we knew it, night turned into morning. He fell asleep but I couldn't even think about closing my eyes. I had a friend that loved the stars so much, he must've been made of starlight himself. I thought it was stupid, believing I had a friend made of stars, but...it wasn't. And now I understand why...I never wanted him to stop talking."

Apollo bites his bottom lip, and clenches his fists. Phoenix, Athena and Trucy bring him into a three-way embrace, each one holding on as tight as they can. None of them speak for what feels like forever, immersed only in the sound of falling snow and falling tears. When Apollo speaks again, his voice is strained, hoarse.

"This is where we began. This is where our dreams were born. And now...one dreamer is gone. It's just me. Just me."

He begins to cry. None of them let him go. They tighten their grip, each one shedding tears as he pours his stars onto the snowy ground. Phoenix repeatedly murmurs 'I'm sorry' in a tone softer than the falling white clouds. Trucy sheds tears while hiccuping. "I miss him," Apollo says, and begins to sob. Phoenix continues murmuring messages of comfort, rocking him back and forth. Trucy begins to weep.

Athena's silently peering into the sky. Her voice is clear, warm and radiant.

"You don't have to miss him so much."

All eyes are directed to her. Athena's gazing into the sky, beaming from ear to ear, as if she's speaking to a happy angel. "It's not like you said goodbye," she continues, eyes glistening. "You remember how you believed he was made of stars? Well, Apollo, he was. He was made of beautiful, glittering stars! We're seeing those stars right now. We're touching them!"

Trucy sniffs. "You...you m-m-mean th-th-the snow?"

"Exactly," Athena replies instantly, with her trademark fist-pump. "They aren't the usual stars we see, whenever we look up in the sky at night, but the falling snowdrops are stars nonetheless. Why? Because they're all falling from the same sky. The same sky Polly and Clay looked up at, every day and night!"

She directs her eyes at Apollo, whose peering at her with the eyes of an astonished infant. Phoenix is smiling at her with the warm adoration of a proud father. "He's still here," she says softly. "Just in a different way. He's just up there," she goes on, pointing up at the sky. "He went back to the way he was before. And when the stars are asleep, you can always look forward to talking to him at night."

Trucy resumes weeping, pawing at her eyes.

"And you didn't say goodbye, Apollo. What happened between you two was...well, it was an 'I'll see you later'. Because someday, you'll be right up there with him. And it'll be as if none of this ever happened."

Athena frowns worriedly. "Boss, are you all right?"

Trucy isn't the only one immersed in tears. "Sorry," Phoenix whimpers, sounding very much like the college student that wept over Dahlia Hawthorne: young, clumsy and very sweet. "I'm sorry. Its just that..."

He begins to weep himself, wiping at his eyes. "I'm sorry, it's just that I'm thinking about Mr.Terran and you've made me think about Mia and how she's always up there, watching over me too and-"

Trucy hugs her father, and they both weep together. "Crybabies," Apollo moans, rolling his eyes. Athena shrugs.

"Like father, like daughter, I guess."

Apollo takes her hand. "Up for a cup of hot chocolate? I could use some, and it's freezing out here."

"Sure! I could go for ten cups of hot cocoa. But what about those two?"

"Oh, leave 'em alone. They need some time alone."

Athena squeezes his hand. The two attorneys walk off, leaving behind a sobbing father and daughter, who were both uplifted by Athena's words. Apollo, although tears are still streaking his cheeks, carries a heart five thousand times lighter.

Apollo drops Athena's hand and wraps an arm around her waist. She wraps an arm around his. They enter the cafe near the orphanage. He buys her as many cups of cocoa as she wants, and listens to her happy, warm voice. She asks him about Clay's favorite movie, his favorite book, and his favorite constellation.

Apollo tells her Clay's favorite constellation is the one in the shape of a goddess. The one that was just born minutes ago.