The page Flegair tapped firmly on the panels of the observatory door. Behind him were three Unicorns of the Court. One, Merten, was a Count. The other two, Nagoodny and Faultin, were Barons. They pushed Flegar into the observatory and barged in after him. Their magic was reaching ahead, a pen in the grip of it!
Celestia’s delicate seeming Alicorn magic froze the lot of them! She seized the pen but did not move it from its place, almost to the open Scroll of Creation! It was poised to overwrite Luna’s neatly written Matrix of Inequalities needed to move the damaged space craft to the safety of a Solar orbit.
Celestia’s gentle seeming but powerful Alicorn magic picked up all three of the nobles. They were struggling futilely and trying to lash out with their magic. Celestia was blocking it effortlessly if it looked to cause any damage. She did not even bother to cap their horns.
She did request, “Luna, dear, please double check that the Scroll of Creation is not only intact but uncontaminated. Lock it away and meet us in the Thrones Room.
“We have a trial for Crimes Against the State and possible High Treason to put under the Royal Wing.”
Turning to the now quaking page Flegair, Celestia kindly offered, “You have so far served us well. Your presence in our observatory was the result of force by others who did gain entrance. You are excused of any wrongful intent. We do need you for a witness. For that reason, please report to the Thrones Room. Thank you, Flegair.”
The relieved page trotted off to the Thrones Room. Celestia and her unwilling nobles followed him. She was joined by Luna soon after. The Great Doors of the Thrones Room were opened by heralds who called, “Make way! The Royal Princesses of the Realm of Equestria are coming to sit in judgment on recent High Crimes!”
The buzz of comments about the unscheduled Court died suddenly upon the announcement. Celestia advanced to the dais of the Throne of the Queen, carrying the three struggling nobles in her magic. Luna accompanied her.
Celestia left the three at the foot of the Queen’s Throne and took her place on the throne to the right of the Queen’s Throne. Luna took her throne to the left of the Queen’s Throne.
Luna began, “Before we begin this Trial Under the Royal Wing, my sister Princess and I have some simple questions for all of you. Any who cannot or do not answer the questions correctly, will be excused from Court and from Canterlot until such time as they can answer correctly.
“First, what is any attempt by any means at all to alter the contents of a Scroll of Creation?”
As the assembled nobility were looking at each other in consternation, the page Flegair spoke up clearly. “Attempting to alter a Scroll of Creation Magic is High Treason!”
The nobles all quickly agreed.
Luna cast a jaundiced eye at the nobles who were beaten to the answer by a page. She asked again, “What is any attempt to enter the Royal Observatory without Our direct leave?”
The embarrassed nobles got the answer to that one immediately. “Attempting to enter or influence what you do in the Royal Observatory is at least a Crime against the State and may be Treason.”
Luna nodded, “Correct. Now, the last of the questions. Our beloved foster father De Writer often leaves Celestia and I personal notes in the Chronicle. Those notes are to be brought to us, regardless of any other pony’s thoughts or belief about the contents of them. What is any attempt to interfere with our receiving those notes?”
It was the page Flegair who got the answer first! “That is a Crime Against Your Highnesses Persons!”
Celestia pointed her hoof to the page Flegair, asking, “Were you bringing us a note from our foster father, De Writer?”
“Your Highness, I was. Count Merten took it from me by force. He opened the delivery envelope, read your note and then shredded and burned it. He said that it was gibberish of no consequence.
“I did try to dissuade him from the destruction by telling him that the note related to a project of your Highnesses. He would not hear the argument of a mere page and he boxed my ears for my effrontery.”
Celestia nodded and smiled gently at Flegair. “You did serve us well and your clever warning to us by the coded door rap saved us from having to destroy a precious Scroll of Creation Magic, ready to use.”
Merton could not contain himself! “The Evil Twin of Nightmares bungled her work THREE TIMES IN A ROW! You were even then preparing yet another Scroll! We had a single and simple answer to all of that forever to come!”
Luna put a hoof over her eyes. “Dear Queen, our mother, in creating life, did you really have to create Merten? I would ask how stupid he can possibly be but that answer is showing so clearly!”
Celestia nodded and then offered, “Let me guess, Merten. It went something like this:
“The Moon is commanded to stay its proper and natural courses in the sky, with no more corrections needed ever again.
“Am I close?”
Merten grinned meanly as he replied, “Since it is so simple, why have you not done it long ago? The answer is that you use these so-called corrections as a means to overawe the populace! We noble unicorns are not deceived!”
Luna stared at him like he was an interesting but extremely ugly bug. “You said that I bungled the last three corrections. As evidence, you point to our preparing another Scroll of Creation Magic. Tell me, did it ever cross your tiny speck of a mind that the Scroll that we were preparing might have had a different purpose altogether?
“You recently did a demonstration of a new type of plow. It is an excellent design, allowing a pony to plow a fourth more field in the same time. How many times did you bungle the demonstration?”
Merten frowned and replied, “I did NOT bungle the demonstration! During the first showing the plow struck an unforeseen nest of stinging ants!”
Luna smiled serenely as she asked, “And the second bungle?”
He snapped, “It was NOT a bungle! The plow pony inadvertently disturbed a nest of hornets! These were simply unforeseen events! Nothing more!”
Luna nodded briskly. “Odd, that. Something unforeseen happens to what you are doing and you say that it is NOT A BUNGLE. If something unforeseen happens to what I am doing, you say that IT IS A BUNGLE. What is the difference? Only this. One happens to YOU and the other to ME.”
Celestia quietly hoofed over coin. “You said something earlier that disturbs me more than the effort to fix the moon and, incidentally, put yourself on Mother’s Throne. You called my sister, Princess Luna, the Evil Twin of Nightmares.
“Take this bit, Merten. On one side are both of our portraits. On the other, the denomination. Simply separate one side of this coin from the other and keep it as a whole coin.
“That cannot be done, can it? So it is with Day and Night. True that Luna rules the Dream, both good and bad. She also rules the path of the moon in the sky. If ever you bothered to notice it, the moon is in the DAYTIME sky almost as much as it is in the night sky. We SHARE the paths of the heavens.”
Luna added in a soft voice, “More than that, we are of one heart, my sister and I.”
Her voice hardening like an iron bar, she added, “Sister, we waste time. All of the other charges carry the possibility of forgiveness. The Unforgivable Treason of attempting to alter a Scroll of Creation Magic is the sole thing that we need consider.”
Merten sneered, “You will never know what that note said! I will take the secret to my grave!”
The page Flegair made a deep bow to the Thrones. “Your Highnesses, following the wise instruction of Princess Luna, I read and memorized each note that I have given you from your foster father. She feared such circumstances as this might interfere with the delivery of a note.
“It said, 'The damaged vessel Lash of Empire will need the safe haven of the solar orbit whose elements have been already given to you. I am seeing to the powering down of the ship so that you may move it with minimal damage to its systems.’ What that may mean to your Highnesses is not for me to judge.”
Celestia smiled at him and said, “Well done, Flegair. Well done indeed. You shall be rewarded for your loyal service to us.”
Luna offered, “Merten, Nagoodny and Faultin did force their way into the Royal Observatory, a Crime Against the State. Further, Merten attempted to write alterations to a prepared Scroll of Creation Magic, an Unforgivable Treason. Nagoodny and Faultin were accomplices in the Treason.
“I did witness the listed Treason. Further, we have the word of both the Page Flegair and of Merten himself, that he did destroy a note from our foster father, De Writer. This is a Crime Against our Royal Persons.
“I say guilty. I am open to extenuation. Sister, what say you?”
Celestia paused to think. “I did stop Merten’s pen but ten centimeters from the Scroll.
“I too, say guilty. Merten has earned the Traitor’s Drop.
“Merten is Vacant! The County shall be properly filled according to the laws of succession! Remove from his person his Pectoral of County, his Chains of Office and all of his Badges of Duty! They are to be placed before the Throne of the Queen.
Luna awaited the Royal Guardsponies carrying out Celestia’s order before stating, “The Barons Nagoodny and Faultin were accomplices in this Treason. They did know both the crimes that they were committing and the penalties for them.
“I say, guilty. Sister, how say you?”
Heavily, Celestia agreed, “Guilty. I hate to be the agency of death. Mother is the Titan of Life Creation. This must be done, though.”
Faultin quietly asked, “Your Highnesses, may we ask one small boon? Nagoodny and I would like to be granted the dignity calling our baronies Vacant. We will remove our own Baronies, Offices and Duties and lay them before the Throne of the Queen.”
Luna nodded soberly. “That was well said, Faultin. You and Nagoodny are granted that final dignity.”
Turning to Celestia, Luna said gently, “Sister, this heavy duty will not be yours alone. I too shall hold and release them.” She sighed. “The sentence that I have given, I shall help to carry out. I too, wish that they had not done such a Treason.”
Gentle seeming magics of both the midnight sky and the soft pastels of the day gathered up the three plotters and carried them to the balcony known as the Traitor’s Drop. Luna placed a comforting wing over Celestia’s back as they let the traitors fall.