The room was dark and eerily silent. But it didn't stay that way for long, as a light shined down and hoofsteps echoed as Princess Celestia stepped forward, her face expressing no emotion before she spoke:
"Read the charges."
Another light shined down, upon Shining Armor, in his captain's uniform, as he levitated a clipboard with notes on it, as he asked, "Where is... the accused?"
A third light shined down upon a unicorn mare who had seen better days. Aurora Boreala. She wore a simple dress, her hair was done up in a bun although a strand or two stuck out, her face haggard, her eyes expressing sorrow, her overall appearance indicative of the stress she'd been experiencing as of late, and seeing her Shining Armor cleared his throat.
"Aurora Boreala, former Duchess of Education in the Aristocratic Council and Head of House Pallas, you stand before the royal court accused of treason, disclosing classified information to known enemies of the Equestrian nation, as an accessory to the crimes committed by said enemies, and-"
"Why are we wasting our time on this spectacle?!"
Another light shined down, upon Luna, who stood at her sister's left, as she glared venomously at Aurora, "We have all the evidence we need, she confessed to her crimes, she was caught in the act; we should- should... banish her and be done with it!"
"No..."
Another light shined down, on Midnight, who stood to the far right of Celestia as he spoke softly yet harshly, "I want to hear her make her case."
Aurora hesitantly looked up and wished she hadn't as she saw the animosity Midnight bore into her with his eyes, "I want to know what she thinks we're going to do with her. Because I want to do something worse..."
"Fine!" Luna waved her hoof, and the whole room lit up, to reveal the royal court room, where only the worst of criminals were placed on trial, before the alicorn monarchs of Equestria.
"Let's get this over with."
Aurora looked to her side and saw Fancy Pants who had volunteered to act as her defense attorney, but standing near the alicorns was Brass Scales, the Duke of Law and Order. She hadn't had high hopes but any hope she had now hung by a thread to see Brass Scales here, acting as the prosecution. He returned her gaze with one devoid of emotion.
Where the judge would ordinarily sit alone, Celestia sat with Luna and Cadance sitting at her left while Sombra and Midnight sat at her right. The jury was made up of the remaining members of the Aristocratic Council (although for some reason one of them was absent), and the ponies attending to watch the trial were Princess Twilight, her friends, her parents, and several ponies of Canterlot. Among them, Aurora saw her son and daughter with their nanny, all of them looking on at her with eyes sad and scared, and never had she felt so ashamed.
"This trial of the People versus Aurora Boreala shall now come to order," Celestia declared, "the Prosecution shall make their opening statement."
Hearing this, Brass Scales stepped forward and cleared his throat before he spoke loudly and clearly to insure everypony could hear him speak.
"Good morning, everypony in attendance. I am Brass Scales, Head of House Candor and the Duke of Law and Order, and Their Majesties have called upon me to serve the prosecution in this case as representative of the people of this nation. Approximately one month ago, the defendant in this case" he turned to point his hoof directly at her - "former Duchess of Education and head of House Pallas, Aurora Boreala, betrayed her country and her fellow pony, inciting a full-scale invasion at the hooves of recognized enemies of Equestria, the Changeling Hive. Upon conclusion of this trial, we will ask for a verdict of guilty. Fillies and gentlecolts of the jury, this is a case where the defendant in question committed an act of treason against this nation and its rulers and by doing so endangered thousands of lives and resulted in the deaths of over a hundred of our honorable Royal Guardsponies and at least a dozen Wonderbolts. Hundreds of families have suffered and lost ponies near and dear to them, and I am here to get to the Truth so that Justice can be served."
Brass Scales took his seat, and Celestia announced, "And now, we shall hear an opening statement from the Defense."
Everypony looked to Aurora and Fancy Pants, who was beside her. He placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder for a moment before standing up and clearing his throat.
"Ahem, good morning, Your Majesties, esteemed fillies and gentlecolts of the jury, you all know me as Fancy Pants, an official representative and occasional spokespony on behalf the Aristocratic Council, and Head of House Premiere. As a pony, the charges against my client are disturbing, to say the least. But to lay such excessive blame upon this individual is an affront to our rights as sentient beings, in light of the supposed evidence your prosecution claims to possess.
"For example, it has been said that my client allegedly "confessed" to the charges against her sometime prior to this trial, but was she given proper representation? Was she read her rights? Or was she confused by the considerable emotional stress placed upon her by unfounded accusations and premature hoof-pointing? I know if I was suddenly charged with such crimes out of nowhere and from multiple ponies of authority, I might not think clearly or make decisions of sound mind.
"Therefore... before this trial is over, I shall make it so that all of us see the gray between the black and the white."
Fancy Pants gave a respectful bow to the alicorns presiding over the trial before taking his seat, and Celestia stated, "Now, let us proceed. Brass Scales?
“Yes, Your Highness," Brass Scales looked to Shining Armor, who was acting as bailiff, "Would you please have someone bring in the first piece of evidence?”
Shining Armor opened the door, unaware they were about to be screwed over hard. The guard, a stout bluish tan unicorn, came in, carrying a tray in his mahogany aura. He gently set the tray in front of Brass Scales and backed away.
“Exhibit A - the scarabs used by the defendant, Aurora Boreala, to contact the changeling, Commander Thorn!”
He ripped the cloth off the tray to reveal an empty tray.
Moorland stood in the waiting room of the lab, while the scientists examined the scarabs Pipe lifted from the evidence locker. She turned to him and raised a brow.
“Something up?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said. “This whole case is a three ring circus. Something's missing and I want it!”
She sighed and sat down.
“I know you want to get the right party, but....”
On cue, one of the labelings hurried out with a sheaf of papers.
“I have the results on the scarabs!”
Moorland snagged the papers and read. She turned to Pipe and smirked.
“Prepare the circus seats,” she said. “You were right to bring them here, as there was evidence that they missed. Once such piece was on one of the scarabs. It had a broken leg, showing it had been roughly handled and was tossed around to make it look like it was something from a trash bin. That means that whoever gave it to Aurora....”
“Thorn,” Pipe said. “I saw them talking, along with his own spies.”
“...Thorn then. When he gave them to her, he was expecting another Duke to use as a spy,” she said. “He had to make do and slapped a plan together at the last minute.”
He chuckled darkly.
“Show time....”
“WILL DUKE PIPE GLASS COME FORWARD AND TAKE THE STAND?!”
By now, Brass Scales was starting to worry. Having found his first piece of evidence was missing, he quickly changed tactics by calling a witness. Except his witness, Pipe Glass, Duke of Magic and Mysteries and Head of House Clue, was nowhere to be found, and Brass had been stalling for thirty minutes.
“Never trust a PI,” Shining muttered darkly.
Just as he said that, the doors swung open and the pegasus duke strode in. None of them saw he had a cocky smirk on his muzzle. He took the stand and sat, waiting for Brass Scales to question him.
"So Pipe Glass..." Brass walked up to the witness stand, irked by that smug look on his colleague's face, "is there any particular reason as to why you were not present when I first called you up as my witness?"
"Hmm, I had some... important issues to attend to, my apologies," Pipe Glass shrugged it off and his tone was anything but apologetic.
Stifling a growl, Brass decided to just proceed, "Very well then, as a skilled detective, I understand that you combed through the evidence that is involved in this case against the defendant, is that correct?"
"Evidence? Oh, are you talking abut those buggy-looking trinkets?" Pipe Glass responded, his voice sarcastic, raising everypony's ire.
"'Trinkets'?! Those pieces of evidence are the tools that were used by the accused to commit the crimes she is being charged with!" Brass Scales looked incensed.
Pipe Glass continued to smirk; he'd gotten under everypony's coats and he was just getting started. He shrugged again, losing the smirk but raising his brows as he replied, "I never saw them! They were gone before I had a chance to examine them."
"You- You didn't... you didn't examine the evidence?!" Brass Scales couldn't believe what he was hearing, neither could the alicorn judges or the jurors or the ponies in attendance!
"Pipe Glass! You specifically were tasked by Princess Luna to examine the evidence pertaining to this trial! Now either you are inexplicably incompetent or you are lying, and I don't think I need to remind you that you are under oath! So I will ask again:
"Did you examine the evidence?!"
For a few moments, Pipe Glass looked into Brass Scales's eyes before he raised his hooves up in an 'oh well' gesture and answered, “They was gone before I entered the evidence room."
That, of course, was a damn lie and he knew it. He had been in and had seen them. He had even removed them to a lab he knew for further and much more detailed results. He knew the results and was waiting for the right moment.
“If you never saw them....then how....this is.....ggaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!” Brass roared in confused anger.
Pipe was leading him on. After all, years of leading on an old DA by the name Mahogany Gavel and making him look like an ass had trained him well.
“Now, I must clarify,” Pipe asked in his trademark sweet tone. “Do you mean now, or when they were recovered?”
That got Brass Scales attention alright.
“What do you mean 'when they were recovered'?” he demanded.
“That's what I mean,” Pipe responded. “When they were fished out of Aurora's room. Did I see them then or now, before the trial?”
The only one really enjoying the whole spectacle was Aurora. She couldn't wait to see where he went, as the anticipation was killing her.
“I have seen them, but it was only a quick glance, nothing more. You think I somehow got into the room, snagged them, sent them off somewhere and am withholding vital information?” he once again said in his sweet tone.
Brass Scales struggled to contain his fury at this unforeseeable turn of events. The way Pipe spoke in theory, it was all but certain his hypothesis was fact and not just that. But by speaking in theory, his virtual confession could not be turned around against him.
"Now, I must ask one simple question, as there appears to be a mixup of timelines here. From what I recall, at around that time, they were gone. All I remember was a note saying 'Lab Work needs to be done' and that's that. Are you asking me if I examined them before she asked and before they disappeared or after she asked and they had grown legs and walked away?" he asked.
Brass Scales was now getting beyond fed up with this little runaround.
"I have looked them over, and had intentions of seeing them to a lab for test work. I had a slight feeling there was a runaround being had and we were all being played as five star saps," he said, dismissively, as if he were in his office. "But from that first time I saw them when they were pulled out, I haven't seen them since."
"So....you can't tell me any more?" Brass Scales was feeling defeated but damned if he was going to show it.
"Unfortunately not," Pipe confirmed.
The two dukes held each other's gazes, Pipe's distantly smug, Brass's stoney yet chipped, and for a few long moments silence befell the court room. Celestia was about to say something to move things along, when Pipe looked at her and asked, "Can I step down? I think we're done here."
"No, we are not."
All eyes turned back to Brass Scales, as he moved back a few steps, took a deep breath and a moment to center his thoughts, his anxiety falling away, and calm spread over his face.
"I have served in the courts of Canterlot for half of my life and am the youngest to ever achieve the position of judge. All my work I accomplished using common sense, keen observation, and a trust in my own instincts. And Duke Pipe Glass, my instincts are telling me... You're lying!"
"Objection." Fancy Pants spoke up, only for Celestia to respond, "Overruled."
"Duke Brass Scales," Pipe Glass narrowed his eyes and pulled his lips back in another smirk, "Are you proposing that I am committing perjury?"
"I am accusing you..." Brass Scales corrected and both dukes seemed to lean in at each other, as if challenging the other to back down.
As if on cue, to break the tension, one of the on-duty guards of the evidence room came up with a tray and revealed the scarabs.
"Found them! Somehow, one of the idiots working in there moved them into the wrong evidence box. One of the guards clocking out searched through the boxes and found them," he panted a bit, having hurried to bring the evidence. "So, I'll... just leave them here and be on my way."
He hurried out, leaving them to continue their glare fest. Brass Scales then grabbed the tray and shoved them in Pipe's face, still growling and snarling every single threat in the book. He was using everything from perjury to being held in contempt of court. All Pipe did was chuckle.
"Ah, these things," he replied, as if it had just dawned on him. "I think everyone's had enough of the circus. I have seen these. Multiple times, in fact. I had some suspicions on their design, as well as their purpose, so I sent it off to a lab to be examined and the report I got back is quite enlightening."
Everyone's eyes now fixed on him. Brass Scales was now fuming beyond all recognition. He had just been had.
Growling with a real desire to throttle this... this... upstart, Brass Scales forced himself to maintain composure and glared with loathing at Pipe Glass before saying, "Nothing further..."
Stepped back to take his seat, Fancy Pants stood up to approach the witness before he asked, "Duke Pipe Glass, will you explain the report regarding Exhibit A and what it says?"
"Of course. The scarabs were of a design of communication device used by Changelings as a way to communicate with a superior officer when they were in whatever position they were needed in for whatever duty they were to perform. However, the main comms officers found them to be easily intercepted by other technology, magical or otherwise, and were often easily broken. This particular design had been sitting in a trash bin, as is evident by the microscopic trash particles stuck to it."
Hearing that, Aurora stifled an expression of disgust, but continued to listen with rapt attention of Pipe Glass's testimony.
"However, due to the legs having been bent and three being broken off means that they were intended for some pony who would be easy to contact, and even easier to talk to, but the three scratches on the underside of scarab number 3 says that they were hastily given to Aurora last minute, which means that Thorn was not expecting her. From here, I'd hazard a guess that he was expecting a Duke to be his "handle", but...from here, we then get into a bit of information I was entrusted with by Aurora after an unpleasant experience."
Looking to his client, Fancy Pants gently asked her to release him from the vow of confidence. She accepted and verbally told him to let them have everything.
"Very well. She had been in a short temper after Celestia made the announcement that she was planning to abolish the generational pass down of our very positions in the Aristocratic Council. Now, her ideologies and her anger clouded her judgement, and what made it worse was that there were indeed spies around here. They took up the identities of unicorns who shared her... perspective and after she, in her blind anger, let slip about the energem mines, they revealed themselves to her and from there, proceeded to blackmail her into spying for them. From that point, it led to the dispatch of an investigation team led by Prince Shining Armor and Prince Midnight Blaze, which lead to Prince Midnight's capture and the ensuing invasion of Canterlot by Chrysalis's Hive."
The only thing following was dead silence. None of them knew what to think or even feel.
"Do....you wish to continue the questioning?" Celestia asked.
"No, your honor," Fancy Pants said.
"Very well then, Duke Pipe Glass, you may step down," Celestia permitted, and Pipe Glass bowed respectfully before stepping down fro mthe stand and joining the ponies in attendance.
"It is now time to call the next witness. Please step forward... Thorax."
Several of the jurors whispered in confusion when a teenaged earth pony colt with a teal coat and short mane held in a band came forward. But before he took the stand, he was briefly engulfed in blue flame-like mana, revealing...
"A CHANGELING!!"
"LOOK OUT!!!"
"GUARDS!!!!"
"ORDER!!" Celestia banged her hoof on the judge's stand, her voice carrying a subtle bewitchment that compelled the panicking ponies in the courtroom to calm down and listen.
"We shall have order! This is Thorax, the next witness, and he is here to share testimony crucial to this trial!"
Once again, Aurora was feeling nervous, for she recognized him, He's the bug who fooled me into confessing in front of the princess...!
"Please, Thorax, take the stand," Celestia invited kindly and Thorax nervously obliged, albeit looking very uncomfortable.
"Please state your name for the record," requested a pony who was typing the record of the trial.
"M-my name is... Thorax," Thorax forced himself to speak but the way everypony was looking at him, he could feel the fear, the disgust, even the hate, not that he could blame them. If it weren't for the kindness and understanding he felt from Princess Celestia beside him, and the encouraging smiles of Twilight and her friends from the crowd, there was no way he'd be able to choke out a word.
"At the request of Princess Celestia, I am here to provide testimony on this case."
Now I've seen everything... Brass scales thought, as he pushed back the animosity he felt towards changelings and stepped forward to begin questioning the witness.
"So... Thorax, yes? You are here to provide testimony regarding this case agaisnt the accused, correct?"
"Yes, sir, I- I am!" Thorax felt the authority in Brass Scales and he felt the loath too, despite the duke's attempt to be professional and impartial.
"So then, can you explain your part in the whole thing? Why you are here to testify? What role you played in it all?"
"Um... I-I guess I should start at the beginning," Thorax took a deep breath and explained his background. How he was somehow freed of the Hive Mind Control that the queen used to control the changelings, and how he fled the hive with his little sister Elytra, seeking to be free of Chrysalis's evil. How Elytra was able to learn that the changelings were planning another invasion and Thorax came to Canterlot to warn everypony and help. How he helped unveil Aurora as the culprit spying on the princes and princesses and the council. And once all was well and the threat had passed, he and Elytra had been invited by Shining Armor and Cadance to live in the Crystal Empire.
"I know that my kind has done terrible things and maybe nothing I say can change the minds of those who hate us, and they have every right to. But I swear on my little sister's life that while most changelings willingly obey the queen despite the Hive Mind, there are some changelings like me! And Elytra! Changelings who hate doing what Queen Chrysalis made us all do, tricking others, feeding off their love, hurting them...
"There are a few of us, a minority, that want to be free, that hate the queen, and don't want to steal love but earn it. I didn't come to Canterlot just to warn everypony about the danger for the sake of my sister, I did it because it was the right thing to do. And it's because I did the right thing that my little sister Elytra is happy and safe from the queen, and we have real and true friends. My being here is just the start of how much I want to do to repay our new friends for all they've done for us."
Fancy Pants listened in to the testimony of Thorax and something was missing. He had started to say “And I came to warn the four.....” but stopped himself and changed it to “Princes”. It was suspicious, as he knew there were only three princes, unless he counted Blueblood, but that was highly unlikely because Blueblood's title of Prince was honorary; officially it was Duke.
He made a note of that and after Brass Scales was done intimidating the poor changeling with his questions, Fancy Pants moved in.
“I would like to start this off with one simple question. In your testimony, you had an uncomfortable pause between the number four and the word 'Princes'. Is there something you're not telling us? Also, why change the word that was to follow the number four?”
Thorax looked nervously around before he glimpsed a sign from Twilight. The sign she made was subtle, so the others couldn't pick up on it. She gave him a small smile of relief, which was the sign to tell the truth and free himself once and for all.
“Okay, I had changed it to Princes as, if I had told the truth, I would be accused of fabricating evidence and even making it up,” he admitted.
“Then tell us what we need to know,” Fancy Pants pressed, hot on the trail and becoming hard nosed.
“O...okay....then....” Thorax stammered out. “Chrysalis had her eyes on four out of the twelve Dukes and Duchesses here. It was the four 'Sane' Dukes. She 'despises those who where their emotions on their sleeves' as spies, as they can be manipulated by any situation.”
“OBJECTION!” Duke Brass Scales thundered.
“OVERRULED!” Celestia barked. “Fancy Pants, continue. Now this has become something of interest.”
Fancy Pants nodded and pressed on, applying pressure only when Thorax stumbled or kept trying to change the subject. Now, he could see the licks of dying flames and fading smoke. And where there's smoke, there's fire.
“Now, the crucial question,” he carried on. “Can you name the dukes?”
“I forgot,” Thorax squeaked, trying to shrink down.
“Come on! Out with it!” Fancy Pants hissed.
This was it! Everything hinged on this one point! If he could just get Thorax to open up!
“Take a step back and breath,” Cadence spoke up. “Your cross examining him, not running him in on a money laundering charge.”
Fancy Pants pulled back and took in a deep breath, then spoke in a calm manner.
“Thorax, This one piece of evidence is crucial,” he emphasized. “It's what will see the right culprits get it in the long run.”
That lifted Thorax's spirits!
“Right. The names were Brass Scales, Firestorm, Lightning Wing and Pipe Glass. She saw them as being ones she could easily control through logic and well chosen words. Her reason, none of you would be, in her words 'Smart enough to catch on to open and shut betrayal'.”
The names Thorax had just spoken caused another silence to befall the court room, as it sank in to everypony who'd heard. Among them, Brass Scales slowly looked back at Pipe Glass, who looked on without expression.
"Truth be told..."
All eyes turned back to Thorax, who looked sincere as he nervously looked to Aurora, "I don't hold what Miss Aurora did against her. If anything, I feel bad it happened to her, to begin with. She was... I guess you call it, a victim of circumstances."
As much as she resented him for his part in her humiliation, Aurora felt touched. She saw no judgement or spite in Thorax's eyes. There was only true and honest sympathy.
"Thank you, Thorax..." Fancy Pants stepped away to rejoin Aurora, "No further questions."
"You may step down, Thorax," said Celestia.
Thorax nervously did so, almost forgetting to give Celestia a respectful bow, and kept his head low at first as he made for the exit. Only to hear somepony clear their throat and looked to see Twilight giving him a kind smile and tapping the empty spot beside her. At first, he was hesitant, but feeling Twilight's kindness and that she cared about him, Thorax smiled back and joined her to watch the rest of the trial.
"Well..." All eyes turned to Celestia, whose downward gaze displayed her troubled thoughts before she voiced, "In light of this new evidence, the decision to be made has become all the more difficult. Aurora Boreala, please stand."
Nervous, Aurora did as she was told and Celestia went on.
"Aurora, out of spite and misguided thinking, you made a choice and that choice led to the deaths of hundreds of ponies. Good soldiers, Wonderbolts, and hard workers, and the families of all those ponies still grieve. Your actions were made known to the public and in the court of public opinion you're guilty. This new evidence however shows that you are, as Thorax said, a victim of circumstances and the only justifiable reason you acted under duress was out of your concern for your son and daughter.
"That said, I cannot in good conscience condemn you but nor can I permit you to walk away without being made to answer for your actions otherwise the public outcry could yield consequences of its own. The question is... What do we do with you now?"
For a long and uncomfortable moment no one said anything as Celestia and Aurora held each other's gaze, the former troubled with indecision, the latter nervous but understanding.
She had to be judged.
"Community service."
All eyes turned to Thorax, who stood up from his seat by Twilight, and Celestia responded, "Community service, Thorax?"
“We don't want a public outcry from a “Not Guilty” verdict,” Thorax reasoned before he suggested, "so sentence her to some kind of community service."
“What do you propose?” Sombra asked, raising a brow at the Changeling.
“Well... she's gonna need a new identity, so nopony will go after her looking for revenge. And she acted because of her looking down on earth ponies and pegasi, so... have her work as a servant to earth ponies and pegasi. Teach her humility, make her understand that earth ponies and pegasi deserve every bit of respect as unicorns do."
Celestia looked to the alicorns with her and they all nodded, and considered her own thoughts on the idea before saying, "It is reasonable, though there will be conditions to this sentence, that leaves the question of Aurora's children."
“Take them in as wards of the crown, where she can have supervised visits,” Brass Scales suggested “While not ideal, it'll have to do.”
Brass Scales's suggestion struck Aurora to the core and she couldn't help but shed a tear even though she knew this was probably better, for everyone.
"Agreed," Luna nodded to Brass, "but we must discuss this further, so I suggest we take a short recess."
"Agreed. Aurora, I am granting you this period to spend with your children before we reconvene in one hour, make the most of it," Celestia stamped her hoof, and immediately, the ponies attending whispered among themselves while Aurora turned around as her children hurried up to hug her over the banister.
The hour was up and the courtroom filled up again, as Aurora sat by Fancy Pants and they waited for Celestia and the alicorns to return. As they waited, Aurora tapped Fancy Pants on the shoulder and when he turned to look at her, she whispered to him, "I understand if you have some reason to hold me in contempt, but all the same, thank you for representing me."
"There has been too much bad in Canterlot as of late," Fancy Pants responded, "I lost a few friends among the Guard when they did their part to defend our city. But hating you won't bring them back. They did their duty, and I honor them by doing mine. Regardless, Aurora, I wager you have a long road ahead of you."
Aurora nodded in understanding when the alicorns returned. After they took their seats, Celestia bade, "All rise."
Everyone in the courtroom stood up and Celestia declared, "Aurora Boreala, after careful deliberation of the facts regarding this case in relation to the charges against you, we find you guilty."
Aurora sharply inhaled, her heart beginning to hammer, and the whimpers of her children behind her made it harder to remain composed. But she did, for them.
"You are henceforth stripped of your title of Duchess, you are stripped of your powers and office, your House shall forfeit its seat on the council, and you shall spend perhaps the rest of your life serving the ponies you had scorned. You will be given a new name and identity for your protection, and so that you truly learn and understand humility, you shall be outfitted with an Inhibitor Ring. Magic is no longer your right, but in time, with hard work and proven virtue, it may be again.
"You will be permitted supervised visits with your children. They are now wards of the crown and your family fortune will be kept as a trust fund for your son and daughter until they are are fully-grown adults. Keep in mind, Aurora, your actions have left your children with a shadow over your family name, a name they will have to work hard to redeem. I give you this one last thing to hope for - Serve your sentence with dignity and humility, strive to be a better pony than you were before, and lend a helping hoof not simply because you are obligated but out of compassion, and perhaps in time you can earn eligibility for parole."
Then Celestia slammed her hoof, ending the trial.
Canterlot was abuzz the next day, as newscasts and the headlines of the Canterlot Gazette revealed:
"Former Duchess sparks Reformation of Government"
Princess Celestia had announced her plans to the public that the Aristocratic Council was to be abolished and reformed into a National Council where its members would elected by democratic vote. The dukes and duchesses would continue to serve as interim councilors until a date for formal elections could be decided, along with whatever requirements could be agreed upon for anypony who chose to run for office.
Setting down the Gazette, Midnight sighed as he and Twilight had a date at Joe's doughnut shop. They sat at a little cafe table outside, enjoying maple bars and iced tea for Twilight and chilled cola for Midnight. She reached over to him, placing her hoof on his before she asked, "Are you okay?"
"Y'know what... I think I am," Midnight held Twilight's hoof, looking tenderly into her eyes, "Looking back, I wanted Aurora to get what was coming to her, but... I think things turned out the way they were supposed to."
"I'm glad you feel that way," Twilight smiled proudly at her stallion, "Back in the courtroom, you looked like you wanted revenge. But instead, you got justice, as did everypony else. There's been enough suffering, and I hope Aurora will turn out better than she was before."
"Her kids are counting on her to," Midnight sighed, remembering the looks on those foals' faces as they said goodbye to their mother for the time being, "and I have a feeling she doesn't intend to let them down."
Twilight moved her seat so that she could be right beside Midnight, leaning against him, and he rested his cheek on her head, as she said, "Kind of makes me wonder what it will be like to be parents ourselves."
Midnight gulped at Twilight's words, and very hesitantly asked, "Um... do you...?"
Giggling, Twilight pulled back, Midnight almost falling over, and gave him a look, "Oh no, I am so not ready to be a mom. At least... not yet."
"Oh, okay, uh, heh-heh..." Midnight gathered himself but then noticed the sparkle in his Twilight's eyes. "But... maybe someday?"
Twilight nodded, "When we're ready. But we still have to get married, remember?"
"Right, yes, uh...!" Midnight suddenly remembered something, and then said, "Uh, Twi? What time does our train leave back for Ponyville?"
"We've still got a couple of hours, why?"
Smiling, Midnight made some bits appear on the cafe table and gently pulled Twilight to her hooves, "Because I remember a jewelry store somewhere on this block."
"Hmmm..." Twilight looked at the display cases carefully, seeing all kinds of jewelry with the prettiest gemstones. Midnight had brought her to a high-end jewelry store and told her to pick one and settled in the corner to wait.
"I'm not sure... They're all so gorgeous, but... Midnight, what is this about?"
Midnight smirked and chuckled as he got up and rubbed up to her side, "I proposed but never got you an engagement gem."
"Oh! Well..." Twilight scanned the selection but nothing seemed to call to her before she decided, "I can't pick! You pick, surprise me!"
"Ha-What-" Midnight chuckled as Twilight nudged him forward while she stepped back and covered her eyes with her hooves. He thought for a moment before looking at the merchandise. He saw diamonds, rubies, sapphires, topazes, and more, all set within bands or rings or necklaces made of gold or silver or other precious metals.
All of them were beautiful but none of them didn't seem to suit Twilight, so Midnight ran the bell on the counter, calling the clerk, "Yes, Your Highness, you rang?"
"By any chance, do you have any silver and gemstones you haven't crafted into jewelry yet?" inquire Midnight in his most polite voice.
"I believe we do, is there something-" the clerk began to ask until Midnight discreetly put a feather to his lips in a 'hush' signal. He gestured with his head to Twilight, who was still covering her eyes, but her swishing tail signaled she wasn't going to wait for very long.
The clerk got the idea and whispered, "In the back."
Seventy buckets of oats on the wall, seventy buckets of oats... Twilight was singing in her head, trying to distract herself from waiting when-
"Twilight."
Twilight gasped lightly and almost lowered her hooves, only to feel the soft touch of Midnight's mana stop her, "Ah-ah! No peeking. Now, keep your eyes closed and hold out your right hoof."
Twilight did as she was asked, keeping her eyes shut, and holding her hoof out. She felt something slip over her hoof and wrap gently around her fetlock. Then she heard Midnight say, "OK, you can open your eyes now."
Twilight slowly did and looked at her fetlock and gasped! Around it was a woven band of silver that appeared to be two cords, one bright like a star, the other dark like a cloud, and they converged around two small gemstones, one colored the same magenta as the six-point star of Twilight's cutie-mark, the other turquoise, like Midnight's eyes. It was simple in design and yet it just felt right to Twilight, as she smiled at it, and then at her beau, who looked at her with a warmth spreading over his face, along with a shaky smile.
"I-heh, I take it you-"
Twilight interrupted him with a full-on kiss, throwing her forelegs around his neck, startling him, but he held her close, and they stood that way for a long moment until they parted lips and gazed lovingly into each other's eyes as Twilight whispered, "It's perfect!"
"I'm glad," Midnight responded and made Twilight giggle with a tickling nose nuzzle.
"Just curious," Twilight held out her hoof for them both to look at it, "why a band? Not that i'm complaining, it's just... unicorns usually get engagement rings."
"For their horns," Midnight nodded, before whisper-shouting to her, "But just between you and me, I think horn rings are tacky."
"Mmm, depends on the design," Twilight debated, "I mean, Shiny and Cadance's rings don't look tacky."
"True, but do you remember when Rarity was chosen as the Pony of Ceremonies for the Ponyville Days Festival?" Midnight recalled, "She wore that nice gown but had that silly-looking ring on her horn with the big purple jewel."
"Well, either way," Twilight held her hoof and engagement band close to her heart, "I love it so very much.
"But not nearly as much as I love you," Midnight nuzzled up to Twilight, which she happily reciprocated. He then paid for the engagement band, the clerk congratulating their engagement, and they left the store.
"Now that I think about it, maybe we should get started on our wedding plans, we haven't even decided when we'd like to have it, other than Sombra's gonna be the officiator."
"Let's think it over on the train ride home," Twilight suggested, and the happy couple enjoyed a stroll through Canterlot to the train station.
They had come far through thick and thin and overcome many a challenge. But little did they realize, their greatest challenge so far was yet to come...