Part Six
Trials
Chapter Three
The Trial
Nearly another week had passed since Twilight Sparkle questioned the changelings. The trial was well known throughout the town, but only a few were granted entry into the courthouse for the day of the trial, which was in a few hours. Zuro lay on his bench in his cell reading a book on Equestrian romance. One of his most favorite subjects. He flipped through the pages slowly as to enjoy the contents rather than speed through them. He enjoyed a good book, especially to help pass his time. Gnator was asleep in his cell with a book dropped carelessly on the floor. He was reading a book as well before it lulled him to sleep and he nodded off and the book fell from his hold.
Zuro placed a book mark in between the pages of his book and sat it down for a little bit. He looked over to his sleeping brother and smiled lightly as he thought about the times he would tell Gnator bedtime stories to put him to sleep. He laughed on the inside as he thought that even though he was not the one who read to Gnator this time he still passed right out to a good book. He turned to the sink in his cell and turned on the water to get a quick drink. At this point there was a clank on the gates of his cell. Gnator jumped awake at the noise as Zuro turned to see a guard standing at the bars.
"Time to go, bug." He said. Zuro inclined his head as Gnator groaned to his hooves.
"Time to be executed for invading a free country?" Gnator asked.
"Shut up!" The guard at his cell barked.
"I was only having a bit of fun before being sentenced to death." Gnator mused.
"Little, buddy, the ponies don't have death sentences." Zuro explained as he and Gnator were being leashed.
"So they'll lock us up until we rot." Gnator stated. "Either way we're as good as done. Enjoy this time, Zu, for it will be your last." He stated with a mocking tone.
"I said shut up, you bug!" The guard barked again.
"And when will they get it right?" Gnator asked. "We're not bugs, we're ferries."
"Gnator, knock it off." Zuro instructed firmly. "How the Tartarus did you get like this?"
"Shall I answer alphabetically or chronologically?" Gnator asked.
"Start walking." Another guard ordered. They all began to walk through the castle halls, going left and right of the corridors. Several guards were posted along the way to their destination as they walked by. It was not long at all before they reached a large room filled with a number of ponies seated on columns of seats on either side of a walkway leading up to a large desk with a small chair set next to it on their right. Two smaller desks were set in front of the larger one on either side of the path with up to four chairs for each. Zuro and Gnator were seated on the desk to their right and a third party joined them. A unicorn mare with grassy green coat and neatly done brown mane.
"I'm your attorney." She said. Instantly Gnator recognized the voice and looked up to her. She smiled and winked at him.
"Entibus." Gnator whispered. She took her seat next to them as two stallions came up and sat in the chairs at the other desk. Soon the whole room was filled with ponies who were granted approval to witness this trial. Soon the whole room was full of whispers and a little bit of tension at what was to come. After a few minutes of waiting a guard stepped up.
"All rise!" He stated. "For our monarch and judge, Princess Celestia." All quickly got to their hooves with the exception of Gnator who got to his grudgingly. As all were respectfully standing for their monarch Princess Celestia came in and took her place in the seat at the main desk.
"You may be seated, my little ponies." She said. All sat down as she set her scrolls on the desk. "This trial is to settle a dispute about the changeling, Zuro, who is charged with breaking through our country's border to aid in the invasion that took place in the past few weeks." She looked up. "True Justice." One of the stallions at the other desk stood up. "You may call upon your first witness." He inclined his head.
"Thank you, your highness." He said. "The ponies would like to call the changeling in question, Zuro, to the stand." Entibus leaned to him.
"Don't let him get under your shell." She whispered. "I've done research on this guy and he doesn't go easy." Zuro nodded as he stood up and walked up to the desk next to Celestia. He bowed his head to her.
"A pleasure to see you again, your highness." He said respectfully. She smiled at him. He turned to face a guard.
"Raise your right hoof." The guard instructed. Zuro did as he was told. "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you?"
"I do." Zuro replied.
"You may sit." The guard said. Zuro sat in the chair and looked up to the stallion about to question him.
"Mr. Zuro." He began. "Is it not true that you first came to the small town of Ponyville just outside the Everfree Forest four years ago?"
"Yes. It's true." Zuro answered.
"To start studying pony coulter and way of life, correct?" Justice asked.
"The ponies have always fascinated me since I was a child. Yes." Zuro explained.
"And was that knowledge used to learn how your race could invade our capital?" He asked.
"That's not what I was there for." Zuro stated almost too sharply.
"Then how was is that your queen knew about the Canterlot Wedding?" Justice asked with a well hidden smirk.
"Objection!" Entibus called. "According to the records my client left his hive before Chrysalis was in the throne."
"Sustained." Celestia called.
"So, if Chrysalis wasn't your monarch when you left, who was?" Justice asked.
"Around a month before I left, King Rukil had just suddenly passed away." Zuro answered. "No one knows how or why exactly because he was still in great health and no battles were going on at the time."
"So you left because there was chaos?" Justice asked.
"Objection!" Entibus called.
"No, it's okay." Zuro interjected. "I will answer that."
"Then, go ahead." Celestia said.
"Chaos was vaguely growing in our hive, but there was still chaos." Zuro explained. "Nor was chaos the reason why I left."
"Then why did you come to Equestria?" Justice asked.
"It was my sixteenth birthday and my wish was simply to life the rest of my life as a pony." Zuro answered. "I knew it was a big risk on my behalf, but that's what I wanted most. To be a pony." There was a bunch of whispering in the room after this. Justice didn't look to pleased to Zuro's answer.
""No further questions at this time." Justice said before returning to his seat. Celestia turned her gaze to Entibus.
"Does the defense have any questions for the witness?" The princess asked. Entibus stood up.
"I do, you highness." Entibus said as she round the desk. "Mr. Zuro, ever since you arrived in Ponyville you became known as Zuro the Guardian, am I correct?"
"Yes. That's true." Zuro answered.
"And how, pray tell, did you get that title?" She asked.
"At every opportunity that presented itself to me I jumped without thought to save pony lives that were in danger." Zuro answered.
"You actually saved pony lives?" Entibus asked.
"Objection!" Justice stood. "The defendant is a changeling when the Zuro she's talking about lives in Ponyville."
"Who has since the attack on Canterlot vanished from his home town." Entibus countered. "If Zuro the Guardian were still alive he would have returned to Ponyville weeks ago instead of remain hidden."
"Objection overruled." Celestia called. "Please answer the question, Zuro." Zuro inclined his head.
"Yes, I saved lives." He answered.
"Are there any of those ponies you saved here in this room right now?" Entibus asked. At this Zuro looked around the room and spotted a single red pegasus stallion in the audience.
"Yes there is." He answered.
"And would you point that pony out for me?" Entibus asked.
"I'd prefer to keep this one to myself." Zuro answered. "This one's a close friend of mine and I'd like his involvement to remain as neutral as it is." Justice stood up.
"I'd like to remind the defendant he is under oath and is required to tell the truth." Justice stated.
"My client simply said he didn't wish to point this pony out when he already confirmed that the pony is in this room." Entibus countered. "I don't think he's committing perjury."
"The defendant was asked to identify the pony." Justice persisted.
"I merely asked if he could, I didn't tell him to identify the pony." Entibus countered.
"I'm afraid she's right, Mr. Justice." Celestia said. "She never did instruct the defendant to identify the pony."
"Your highness, the pony could be under some kind of mind controlling spell cast on him by this changeling." Justice mused. Immediately Entibus suspected he was up to something, but before she could counter him the red stallion stood up.
"I am not under a spell!" He called out.
"Jet!?" Zuro cried out as the crowd burst into conversation to each other. Celestia slammed her hammer to silence the crown.
"Order!" Celestia called.
"Jet, you idiot!" Zuro called.
"Sit down, Mr. Zuro!" Celestia ordered. Zuro did as her was ordered as Entibus stood up.
"Your highness, I'd like to point out that my client has been unable to use such magic for years as has been proven by Ms. Twilight Sparkle in a review last week." Entibus observed.
"I'll allow it." Celestia said. "It was been proven by my student that this changeling could barely use his magic to write with a quill." Justice growled under his breath. "If there are no further questions, the witness may step down."
"No further questions here, your highness." Entibus said as she went back to her seat.
"I have a question." Justice called.
"You may proceed." Celestia said. Justice stepped up to Zuro.
"Mr. Zuro, is it not true that you got in a fight with the pony you claimed to save?" Justice asked. Entibus stood up.
"Objection!" She called.
"Overruled." Celestia answered. "Answer the question."
"Yes it's true." Zuro answered.
"Nothing further." Justice said as he started to walk back to his desk.
"But it wasn't what you think." Zuro called out. Justice ignored him as he sat back down.
"Does the defense have an further questions for the witness?" Celestia asked.
"No, your highness." Entibus answered.
"Then you may step down, Mr. Zuro." Celestia said. Zuro got up from the stand and walked back down to his seat. Celestia looked up to the defense desk. "The defense may call its first witness." Entibus stood up.
"I'd like to call Jet to the stand." She said. Zuro looked up to her as Gnator smiled.
"No!" Zuro whispered.
"Oh, this should be good." Gnator said.
"Mr. Jet," Celestia called "would you please step up to the stand." Jet got to his hooves and walked through the crowd up to the stand. The guard came up to him and read him the oath which he agreed to before sitting down. Entibus stepped up to him.
"Would you state your name to the court, please." She said.
"Jet Blast, ma'am." Jet answered.
"And how do you know Zuro?" She asked.
"He's my best friend and fellow associate at the cloud factory." Jet answered.
"And when you first met you did get into a fight?" She asked.
"Yes, ma'am." He answered.
"Would you describe the event from your perspective?" She asked.
"Well, the first day I saw him four years ago I thought to myself 'there's a fighter' and I went up and bumped into him hard so I had an excuse to get angry and started to fight him. One heck of a fighter if you ask me."
"And how did that turn out?" She asked.
"He wan the battle and I explained to him my reasoning for fighting him and ever since we've been best buds." He answered. "We always had each other's back and we spent an awful lot of time together."
"And that was the only fight you two were in?" She asked.
"Against each other, yes." He answered.
"But ever since then you've fought side by side." She said.
"If ever there was a fight, yes." He answered.
"And how long have you known he was a changeling?" She asked.
"That's a truth he kept from me up until the day of the attack." He answered. "You could say I was mad at him for lying to me for so long, but that's not the case because I understood why he did."
"And that is?" She asked.
"Because who's to say I wouldn't turn him in before I got to know him?" He asked. "I've known this stallion for four years now and he's never, ever given me any reason to doubt him before, why should I stop trusting him now? I mean I fought side by side with him against his own brother, for Celestia's sake." Zuro cracked a smile at this. Satisfied, Entibus returned to her seat with a thank you to Jet. Justice stood up.
"Mr. Blast, could it be possible the changeling's lying to you right now?" He asked.
"Objection!" Entibus stood again. "I'll point out that my client has been completely cooperative and truthful ever since his arrest. He's never questioned nor resisted any instruction given to him by pony guards or anything."
"Though it could be a tick played by him to make us think we can let our guard down." Justice countered.
"My guard is always at one-hundred percent, Mr. Justice." Celestia stated. "And Zuro's magic is insufficient enough to influence a mind. I'll sustain the objection." Justice snorted. He looked back up to Jet who appeared to look frustrated with him.
"No further questions, your highness." Justice said and returned to his seat. Jet got up and returned to his seat in the audience.
"Are there any further witnesses you'd like to question?" Celestia asked. Just stood up.
"The ponies would like to call Ms. Angel Wings" he began causing Zuro to tense up and look back. "but she's not here and could quite possibly be under some kind of influence caused by this changeling." Zuro growled as Entibus stood up.
"Once again I'll point out the fact that my client is unable to influence ponies due to his unpracticed magical feat." She stated.
"She's correct, Mr. Justice." Celestia stated. "We've already established this before. And if the witness is not available now you may proceed with your final statements." Justice stepped out in the open.
"The ponies would like to call Gnator to the stand." Justice stated. Gnator chuckled at this as Zuro turned to him.
"Bud, don't do anything stupid." Zuro pleaded.
"Big brother, I maybe angry at you, but I'm not stupid enough to let some punk pony get the best of me." Gnator said as he stood up and walked to the stand. He was given the oath and sat down with a smirk on his face.
"Mr. Gnator, is it?" Justice asked.
"As you'll ever be." Gnator answered.
"What was your roll in the invasion?" Justice asked.
"I actually wasn't in the invasion." Gnator answered. "I was too busy trying to get my big brother to join us."
"And he accepted, correct?" Justice asked. Gnator chuckled.
"I wish." He answered. "I threatened him, which I'm not proud of, and he still said no. It's what led us to our big fight."
"And that fight caused a lot of damage, right?" Justice asked.
"What major battle doesn't cause damage?" Gnator asked. "Plus I highly doubt that our little fight caused as much damage as the battle in Canterlot itself."
"That wasn't the question." Justice said.
"A few broken branches and some crumbled up mountain side." Gnator stated. "I hardly think that's sufficient enough to call a lot of damage."
"And how did it end?" Justice asked. "The guards came and intervened, am I right?"
"Nope." Gnator shook his head. "Zu used up his strength and bound my powers." Justice smirked.
"May I remind the court that the defendant, Zuro has been proven to be weak in his magical capabilities." Justice said. "And such a feat as binding one's powers is an extremely high one."
"Not when it's a changeling casting this kind of binding spell." Gnator stated with a smile. Justice looked back to him. "Yes, it drains all our energy to the point we're soar and weak, but it isn't hard to cast it. Even a newborn could cast it if he had enough energy." Entibus stands up.
"I'd like to point out that in a nurses report, Zuro was extremely weak, he was lucky to be alive." She said.
"Noted." Celestia said.
"No further question." Justice said as he sat in his seat. Entibus stood up.
"So, Zuro bound your powers, nearly sacrificing himself in the process?" She asked.
"Eeyup." Gnator answered smugly.
"Does the fact that losing your powers because of your brother anger you?" She asked. Zuro narrowed his eyes at this.
"Oh, I'm extremely furious at him for everything." Gnator said with a smile still on his face. "But I still would never kill him."
"Would you?" Justice asked. Gnator narrowed his eyes at him and leaned forward.
"I'll put it this way." Gnator began. "His my big brother, and even though he left the hive, joined you ponies, fought against his own hive to save you ponies, I am angry with him, but I'd still never aim to kill him."
"Your oldest brother betrayed you?" Justice asked.
"Yes and no." Gnator answered. "I personally feel betrayed by him, but in all actuality the only betrayal he committed was against the queen. Who only was queen because she cheated her way in."
"Nothing further." justice stated as he sat down.
"Does the defense have any questions?" Celestia asked.
"No, your highness." Entibus answered.
"Then the prosecute may make his final statement." Celestia turned to Justice who stood up.
"In the matter of Zuro and Gnator the changelings I believe this court has determined that both are violent and treacherous creatures who have caused nothing but damage and chaos in our country." He began. "Zuro abandoned his hive for another life. Who's to say he won't do the same thing again? And Gnator has done nothing but double cross his fellow clan. He admitted to locking his own family away, and he dishonored his monarch in this very room. I think it's fare to say these two should be locked away in the deepest dungeon or banished to the farthest regions. I pray that justice is heard here today and is met." He turned back to his seat and sat down with a smile on his face.
Entibus stood up and cleared her throat. "Though my clients have been proven to be questionable I feel all of us have some wrong we've done in our pasts" She began. "But it has also been proven that Zuro is a protector. On countless occasions he has saved pony lives, even when odds were against him. He even was willing to fight his own flesh and blood in order to keep the peace. I urge all to see past their grudges and see Zuro for what he really is. And as for Gnator. He has openly admitted his faults to what he has considered to be his enemy and is now without magic. I feel he is no more a threat than a bird is to a cat. I feel these two should be given a chance." She sat down.
Celestia looked over her subjects in the room. "In light of this hearing I must place this court on recess until high noon today. Dismissed."
~~)oOo(~~
High noon had arrived and all were once again seated in the court room. Celestia came in and sat down at her desk. As she sat the rest in the room followed suit. She looked up at her subjects with a sorrowful look.
"This kingdom has long lived in peace for thousands of years." She began. "And I am obliged to keep that peace." She looked up to Zuro and Gnator. "Zuro and Gnator." They stood up at the call of their names along with Entibus. Each wearing a look of fear on their faces. "It has been made clear to me each of your intentions and I have reached a decision do to your actions. I'm afraid the decision of this court is that you two are to be banished from Equestria." The crowd sighed a great sigh of relief at this. Celestia silenced them with her hammer. "You will be taken from my country by way of escort to the outer regions and should you return you will be punished further by the law of Equestria." Zuro let his head drop as Gnator simply shrugged. "Guards, please escort them out." She left from her seat as the guards came and leashed the two up and guided them out of the court room. As they went al the ponies cursed them with smiles of victory and justice.
It was over. Gnator would finally be free from the ponies and Zuro would never see his family and friends again. Jet Blast protested against the guards who were taking them away as Entibus approached him to try and calm him down. Zuro and Gnator were taken out of the court room and led through the castle to the dungeons where they would wait to be taken away forever.