Author's Notes:

Thank you all for your patience. I apologize for the long wait of posting the new chapter, as the holidays and life has kept me and my usual editing team from doing our shares. I'd like to give a big thanks to Silentwoodfire, AuthorGenesis, and KG472 for providing temporary assistance in proofreading/editing the draft to the chapter while I was a little shorthanded on help, and I'd like to come to you guys again for any emergencies in the future if you're interested.

With tonight being the State of the Union Address and everybody needing a breather, I figured publishing this chapter would probably end the night on a lighter note. I'll try to keep my updates more frequent up to the end, so hopefully the next chapter won't take as long to publish as this one did. Hope you all enjoy the chapter, and until next time,

This is Dudeler, signing off.

P.S. What you'll see at the end of this chapter, the thing legitimately exists. It may be made differently depending on the place, but if you don't believe me, look it up. I'm kind of wanting to try it at some point.

[Ozzy’s POV]

“Let’s see … hair, check; shirt, check; suit jacket, check; tie, check; underwear—”

“Um, Ozzy? Don’t you think you’re being a bit too meticulous for this?”

“Can you blame him? If I remember correctly, not only will this be the second time he’s ever been in a trial, but it’s in a foreign country—a foreign world, technically—with one of the diarchy in this land as the judge, covering a recurring case in Equestria that could damage our relations with the human race. Add into the prosecuted being the CEO of one of the most renowned companies in the fashion industries, and this will be all over the media in both worlds the moment we step out of the castle doors.”

“Shiny? I know you mean well, but you’re kind of not making this any easier for me.”

“Sorry … My bad.”

I rubbed my arm while averting my gaze from the mirror in front of me. “I didn’t think I’d be returning to court again after the last time I was in a trial. Even though I’m not the one being prosecuted, I actually feel more nervous about this trial than the one before.”

“Weren’t you tried because of what happened with your brother?” Fleur asked. “I know if I was charged with something, I’d be more of a nervous wreck than I was during my modeling debut.”

“I … had a lot going on in my mind between the event and the trial. I’m not proud of it now, but let’s just say if I hadn’t taken antidepressants after I was done with court, I’m not sure where I’d be right now. I probably wouldn’t even be here with you two, or in this world in general.”

I sighed and fixed my glasses before turning to the girls. Both of them were wearing formal attire, and Fleur looked like Shiny when she’s doing her business, wearing the same kind of suit and skirt, but in different colors. I forced a small smile, as I tried to keep a ‘chin up’ attitude despite how nervous I was about this trial. “That’s precisely why I wouldn’t want to change anything in the past even if I was given the choice. I don’t think I could be any happier right now as I am with you two here beside me.” I wrapped each arm around their waists and pulled them close to me. “I love you two. Very much.”

The two mares smiled and pulled us into a group hug, putting our heads together.

“We love you too, Ozzy. We’ll be with you every step of the way.”

“Don’t think you’re doing this alone. At this point, whether it be as lovers or members of the team, your problems become ours. Even if we weren’t lovers, you’re still our friend and friends look out for each other. You’re sharing your burden with us whether you like it or not.”

“Thanks, you two. That means a lot.”

Shiny pulled out her phone that was ringing and checked the message. “Silver’s already out front. We got everything we need?”

“Pretty much. Let’s just get going before we’re late.”

They nodded and we left the house. Once we stepped inside the carriage, we were off to the Canterlot Castle.

The ride didn’t take very long, but it was quiet throughout the trip. At least, up until we were close enough to the castle. There was a large crowd formed around the gates, filled with reporters, locals, and activists holding up various picket signs. It looked like a handful of humans were mixed in with the ponies while two other groups were clearly separated from one another as species. There were a couple humans holding signs of derogatory comments to ponies about their deeds, while the opposing side were holding up signs of how we shouldn’t even be in this world and Mascara’s arrest was some part of a plan we plotted against them. No matter the contents, they were all radicals in the spectrum of good and bad protesting. The Royal Guard had to intervene and clear a path for us while trying to stop the people from breaking through. Until we were up at the gates, there were exclamations from both sides of the carriage. Whether they were supportive or harmful, it was all just noise to my ears.

The gates opened, and Silver drove the carriage inside as the noises died down behind us. Silver parked at the drop-off site and opened the door for the three of us before we stepped out.

“I’ll just wait in the lobby until the trial’s finished. With how the crowd is, it’s probably best if I stay near the carriage so that we can make a fast getaway,” Silver explained.

“Thank you, Silver,” I said before we made our way inside.

In the lobby we saw Swift Justice standing to the side with a briefcase in hand. He smiled when he spotted us and walked over.

“Good to see you guys made it,” he said. “I anticipated an audience from what we were dealing with, but I didn’t think it would be chaotic to this degree. I’m just glad I got here early enough.”

“Honestly, we’ve had to deal with this kind of thing in our job for a while,” Shiny explained. “It may be more people than usual, but it’s not much different than what we’re used to.”

Fleur and I nodded to that statement. Even though dealing with crowds was starting to be a regular routine to me, the atmosphere from this one was still discomforting.

“Right then. Shall we go over the material once more before we start?”

“Where’s Mascara?” I asked.

“She’s in another room supervised by the guards,” an additional and familiar voice informed us.

We turned to the source and found it was Miss Autumn Winds as she was just coming out from another door. She cleaned herself up well, but the subtle bags under her eyes told me how exhausted she was.

“It’s good to see you again, Autumn,” Fleur greeted. “How’s everything at Vogue?”

“It’s been quite hectic. With Mascara out of commission, I’ve had to deal with some of her duties on top of my own. Excuse me.” She took a moment to yawn and rub her eyes. “We’re still trying to work out who’ll be taking the spot of Vice President since I’ll most likely be taking Mascara’s. Since there’s so much media involved, I’ve had a tough time just trying to squeeze today into my schedule.”

“Sounds like you have it rough,” I commented.

“Indeed. By the way, Oz, have those last few calls a while back helped you in any way?”

“I think I might have some grasp on the situation. Thanks for doing that for me in a crucial time.”

“It’s the least I could do.”

“Hold on, what’s this about calls?” Shiny asked. “I wasn’t notified of anything like that.”

“Neither was I,” Swift commented.

“This was pretty recent. I’m not sure if it helps anything with the trial, and it was more out of my personal curiosity, but I’ll explain while we go over the case.”

Swift nodded. “Any new information helps no matter the value.”

[Fleur’s POV]

Once we had gone over the details, the guards escorted us to the throne room where the trial would take place. Frankly, like Ozzy, this was also my second time being in a trial, with my first involving Solar stabbing Shiny after our break up. I’ve met Princess Celestia a couple of times during some special gatherings, but if a chance comes, it would be the first time in a while since I’ve talked to Princess Luna in person. I briefly thought about how her talks with Ozzy have been going since that nightmare the three of us were in.

What was keeping my mind busy, however, was the new info Ozzy explained to the three of us. Turns out, it was a list of stallions Mascara have made ‘connections’ with that were similar to Ozzy’s case. Autumn was even kind enough to lend Swift a copy of it when she jumped into the conversation. It looked like Mascara had been doing that kind of thing for longer than any of us had expected, but not immediately since she started being Vogue’s CEO. What mostly troubled me wasn’t how many stallions Mascara had met, since Autumn is still trying to get a hold of several of the stallions on the list for any confirmation on their rendezvous, but why Ozzy wanted to know something like this in the first place.

Would we find out later during the trial? I thought.

We approached the double doors and one of the guards peeked inside to let the Princess know we were there.

“They may come in,” a calm, but authoritative voice answered.

The two guards opened the doors and we all walked inside. The room was quite vast with our steps echoing off the walls as we approached the end, but then to our surprise we saw not one but two of the princesses there.

Princess Celestia, as usual, was as regal and radiant as the sun she raises and lowers. She had a form-fitting, white, sleeveless silk gown that reached to her hooves, her sun cutie mark displayed proudly on her exposed alabaster arms. She wore her golden slippers, bracelets, signature crown, and necklace with a purple gem resting comfortably on her large bosom that would dwarf Shiny’s any day of the week, with a fair but decent amount of cleavage shown that fueled some stallions and perhaps some mares’ imaginations for what her breasts might look like underneath. Her aurora colored mane was gently blown from the nonexistent wind indoors, probably due to some magic or something similar, while her tail was hung over her seat.

Princess Luna was pretty much the same as she looked in the dreams, but seeing her in person would still leave me, as well as others, in awe. Her dress looked to be the same kind and quality as Celestia’s, but only black, contrasting her night blue fur and just barely the black splotches on her arms with her cutie mark of a white crescent moon on top of them. She also wore her black slippers, bracelets, a crown, and a necklace with her cutie mark also resting on her chest, which was a little smaller than her sister’s, but her bust was still bigger than Shiny’s. Her mane and tail were in the same state and position as Celestia’s, but hers resembled the night sky with stars speckled around them, leaving those who stared at it thinking they might get sucked right in.

Both of them were sitting on their thrones. Though they may be the most beautiful mares in Equestria, they still displayed great majesty in accordance with their authority that ponies would come to respect. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Ozzy himself was smitten by their appearance, especially Celestia’s, since this was his first time seeing her in person, but looking at my coltfriend then, it was a bit of a mixture of that and perhaps anxiety with how tense his shoulders looked as we approached them.

“Good afternoon, Princesses,” Swift greeted as he kneeled. Ozzy was slightly taken aback and quickly, yet clumsily, kneeled next to him. I couldn’t stifle my giggles from the sight, and it seemed Shiny as well as the princesses had the same idea.

“No need to be so tense, Ozzy,” Celestia said as she waved a hand with a smile. “Both of you, please rise.”

“A pleasure to meet you in person, Ozzy Shore,” Luna greeted.

“N-No, the pleasure and honor is all mine,” Ozzy stuttered as he and Swift stood back up.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like a nervous wreck. Even though this isn’t the first time I’ve been in a trial.”

“So I’ve heard from Luna. While the set up is different compared to the system from Earth, I assure you the procedure’s more or less the same. With your two beautiful marefriends at your side, you won’t have very much to worry about.”

“Y-You’re too kind, Princess Celestia,” Shiny stuttered with a hint of red on her cheeks.

“May I ask a question before we start?” I asked.

“What is it?”

“I’m curious as to why Princess Luna is with us in the Day Court. Not that I have a problem with it, but I assumed we’d have the trial with you alone.”

“It is normal you would question my appearance here,” Luna answered. “Considering the type of case we are dealing with, the charges being levied against a prominent pony leading an industry, the amount of media attention this trial is bringing, my frequent meetings in Ozzy’s dreams, and how the ruling may impact our relationship with the humans along with how we handle our pony subjects who violate them, it seemed necessary for the both of us to be present to discuss what we’ll be hearing today in order to come to a valid conclusion. We’d also like to personally speak with Ozzy afterwards.”

“I have no problems with that,” Ozzy answered.

“Very well. Shall we begin then?” Celestia asked before we all nodded. “Bring in the defendant!”

Within moments, the doors behind us opened and we all turned back. I think all of us had the same thought and expressions from what we saw.

In between two of the guards was Mascara herself, but it took us a moment to take in her appearance compared to the last time we saw her. She may have been well dressed, but her condition looked worse than what we saw from Autumn, who was following from behind along with what looked like a female defense attorney. Mascara’s mane and tail were frayed, bags were hanging under her eyes that not even her glasses could hide. She was slightly slouching while her hands were cuffed as well as her magic blocked with the inhibitor ring around her horn. The whole time she was escorted to our right side, her gaze was down with her ears folded back. I wasn’t sure if I was seeing things, but her eyes looked … empty, devoid of life. It was something I didn’t expect to see from the former confident president of Vogue.

“Let’s not waste any more time, shall we?” Celestia asked. “The Sun Court is now in session for the trial of Mascara.”

“Swift Justice of the prosecution is ready, your Highness.”

“Bright Side of the defense is also ready, your Highness.”

Ah, so that’s her name.

“Swift Justice, your opening statement, please.”

The trial went on pretty much the same as my first one. Prosecutor summarizes the incident and what the defendant was charged for, presents evidence—in this case, the recording caught by Shiny’s bug on Ozzy a while back; the list of confirmed secretaries and associates Mascara ‘negotiated’ with; and the testimonies from Ozzy, Shiny, and Autumn being as detailed with the case as possible—defense points out some flaws in the prosecution’s statements that the two constructively argue over, as well as some questions asked by both of the princesses answered with validity. It may sound pretty routine by summary, but it would get exhausting pretty quickly, especially if it dragged on for an extended period.

When I occasionally glanced at Mascara, she looked to be rapidly aging as the time passed, with not once even looking up or speaking out of objection. I would assume she’d be in a catatonic state if it weren’t for her ears and tail twitching every now and then. Whatever was going on in her head, I couldn’t even imagine.

Meanwhile, I saw the princesses listening to both sides of the case pretty intently. They’d occasionally whisper something to each other between pauses, but it wasn’t until the last exchange that Celestia adjusted her posture.

“I think we’ve heard enough to come to a verdict. Mascara, if you have any final comments or objections, speak now.”

Mascara stood there in silence for a moment before she let out a sigh. “I have no objections, your Highness,” she responded quietly while still looking down. Bright Side gave a few pats to Mascara’s back, probably doing what she could to show some sympathy.

“Very well. We’ll still wait for further confirmations from the other stallions involved in the scandals, but for now, by the power vested in me, the Sun Court finds the defendant, Mascara—”

“Excuse me, your Highness, but I’d like to say something.”

Almost everypony in the room turned to the source of interruption with widened eyes.

“What is it that you need to say, Ozzy?”

“I just thought I should get something off of my chest to Mascara while I still have the chance. If you’d allow it.”

Celestia looked up and rubbed her chin for a moment before turning back to him. “Permission granted.”

Ozzy turned to Mascara who looked up for the first time throughout the trial, but still had the emptiness in her eyes. Ozzy cleared his throat. “Mascara, I thought you should know that I looked into some of your background with Autumn’s help ahead of time. I understand at one point that you were married before you became the CEO.”

Mascara’s eyes widened at the statement.

Really? She was married? Why didn’t he or Autumn bring that up before the trial?

“From what Autumn told me regarding the time you broke up and started your … negotiations, I thought pretty hard about what you might have gone through. I can’t really let it slide as an excuse for what you did to me, I’m not sure if I’m ready to forgive you or if I ever will, but from the way you are now, I can tell you have had some time to think about your actions up to this point, just like I did. With that, I thought I should let you know that despite everything that’s happened, I hope things will get better for you in the future and that you get a second chance, somehow. That is all.” Ozzy then closed his eyes and bowed his head to her.

The room went silent as Mascara stood there blinking. Suddenly, tears began to stream down her face as her body shook and she tried to speak around great choking sobs. Bright Side’s lips were pulled taut and her ears were folded back as she quickly exchanged glances between the princesses, looking distinctly uncomfortable at her client’s emotional display, a hand rubbing along the distraught mare’s back, providing what comfort and solidarity she could.

“I’m … I’m so sorry!” she bawled as tears ran down her cheek. “I didn’t, I didn’t know how bad the humans had it with the sex crimes until after th-that! I didn’t realize how much I was hurting others, I didn’t think about how the stallions must have felt after I used my position to threaten them and coerce them into my bed! I was hurting after my husband’s betrayal, I know it’s no excuse, but I didn’t want to be hurt any more! I just wanted to feel good, to be loved, to be my stallion’s only mare. That I would be the only one he would give his love to! That he wouldn’t want any other mare than me! I still don’t know how it all went wrong between me and my former husband! You or any of the other stallions shouldn’t have gotten pulled into my problems like that, and yet—!” Mascara sniffled and took shaky breaths to calm herself down. Ozzy just stood there staring calmly while the rest of us—including the princesses—were surprised at this sudden development.

After a few moments, Mascara took off her glasses and wiped away what she could from her face with her sleeves, despite being in cuffs. With her glasses back on she looked up to Ozzy with a small smile, her eyes still glassy from the crying, but much different from when she came in. “Thank you, Ozzy Shore, for those words. I hope you have a bright future ahead of you, too. You, as well as your two beautiful friends.” She looked towards Shiny and me and gave us the same smile before getting back to her hooves, still sniffling some. “Sorry for that, your Highnesses. You may continue.”

The smile seemed to contagious as a small one appeared on Celestia’s and Luna’s faces as well. “Very well, then by the power vested in me, the Sun Court finds the defendant, Mascara, guilty of sexual assault and illegal negotiations. She will serve seven years in prison, and with that, court is now adjourned.”

[Ozzy’s POV]

With Celestia’s verdict done, the guards as well as Bright Side escorted Mascara out of the throne room. When the double doors shut, I sighed with exasperation. There. I finally got it out there.

“I gotta say, Mr. Shore. What you did at the end there really came out of left field,” Swift Justice said before he furrowed his brow. “Though I’m a bit irked that you held that information up until then. It could have provided some motive for her actions.”

“Honestly, I didn’t even think something like that was possible,” Autumn said as she approached us. “The idea only came to mind when Oz brought up her past relationships before the negotiations. From what I’ve heard, her former husband chose to become unfaithful and she had to let him go because of that.”

“I can relate,” Fleur commented.

“Holding that info aside, why did you feel the need to say that, Ozzy?” Shiny asked.

“Well, like Mascara, there are two other people back on Earth who’ve made some big mistakes involving me that changed the rest of our lives, and one of them I’ll never be able to talk to in person anymore.” I shrugged. “Even though I’m still not sure if I should forgive that one yet, it sucks that he isn’t around to hear any of my thoughts. I just don’t want to make that same mistake after learning about Mascara’s past.”

Shiny nodded. “I think we can all relate how difficult it is to forgive somepony, especially if the victim feels particularly violated or traumatized. Even despite the offender expressing genuine remorse. I think I understand where you’re coming from now.”

“It also must have took a lot of courage just to say all of that back there as well, didn’t it?” Celestia asked as Luna and her approached us. It was kind of intimidating how big she was in comparison after standing close enough to me. “Would you three mind staying a little longer to talk?”

“Guess that’s my cue to take my leave,” Swift Justice said as he closed his suitcase. “The fees and paperwork have already been taken care of, so my work here is done. If you need any help with another lawsuit, you know my number.”

“Thank you for all you’ve done, Swift Justice. We’ll definitely keep you in mind,” Fleur said.

“It’s about time I try to get back to Manehattan as well. I still have a lot of work ahead of me,” Autumn said. “I’ll give you a call later for our next meeting once things settle down.”

“Duly noted. Good luck out there,” Shiny bid.

The two ponies took their leave, and when the double doors shut, we turned back to the princesses.

“So, Ozzy … Luna has told me some things about you from your chats in the dream realm. It seems you went through a lot to get this far.”

“My uh … incident back there hasn’t changed anything to my staying here, has it?”

“Oh no, you’re fine,” she answered with a wave. “From what Luna had told me in detail and what we’ve experienced ourselves, we know how complicated incidents like that can escalate pretty quickly. We just want to give our utmost sympathies for what one of our own subjects nearly did to you.”

“Well to be frank, I figured stuff like that and others could happen anywhere—other world or not—before I even arrived here, but I couldn’t let something like that stop me from making a fresh start. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have met these two.”

Fleur and Shiny locked their arms with my own in response, the three of us looking up to the princesses with small smiles.

“This may not be the last obstacle we’ll get around, but I’m sure the others won’t be as bad if we have each other to support.”

The princesses smiled as well. “With you three friends standing together like this, it gives us hope that ponies and humans can live together in harmony,” Celestia said.

“We hope you three will keep your friendship strong in the times to come,” Luna added. “Sometimes small groups like yours can be a big influence to others around you. We’ll be sure to do our part as well to keep our subjects’ connections with the humans stable. I believe the both of us have come up with some ideas to help the humans residing here protect themselves from the ponies’ intolerable advances. If you ever need any assistance, you know where to find us.”

“Right,” we all said in unison.

Getting out of the castle grounds was about as much of a hassle as it was getting in. It was a long day for us, so we decided to go to the west side of Canterlot to have a few drinks to loosen us up before we head to bed. Luckily, we had stashed a change of clothes in the carriage so we wouldn’t have to make a stop at the house before that. It might have been for the best, since there could be some reporters sneaking onto the property after the trial. Because of the girls’ upcoming heat cycles, we’d start our vacation from work tomorrow, so we could have more than a drink or two if we wanted. We asked Silver Wheel if he wanted to join us, but said he’d rather keep himself sober to drive us back home. It made sense, but we gotta treat him to something at some point.

We soon ended up in what was called the Sapphire Club, which was quite a large establishment that Fleur mentioned had a large dance floor, but there was also a more calming atmosphere on the second floor we could relax in as we’re pretty sure dancing was the last thing on our minds to unwind. At least until we had a few drinks in our systems.

“We’ll call you when we’re ready to go,” Fleur said.

“You three enjoy yourselves now. You’ve earned it.” Silver then rode off before we walked inside.

Once we paid the entrance fee, we made our way upstairs. “I’m still so glad we’re finally done with that trial.” I sighed.

“This was the same club we went to after our trial with Solar,” Fleur commented. “I figured it’d be a good spot for us to take a breather for a little while.”

“Well, the music’s decent, so I think I can relax without … any … surprises.”

At the bar, there was a large crowd gathered around making a lot of noise that rivals with the music. Behind the counter, there were bottles tossing and spinning in the air. The voice that shouted across the room made me drop my stomach once I realized how familiar it was.

“Vodka! Triple Sec! Watermelon Pucker! Sweet & Sour! And Lemon-Lime Soda! Put them together, and we got … The Pink Pussy!”

The crowd went wild with cheers and laughter from the announcement.

“Thank you! Thank you! I’ll be here all week! Who’s up next for their—Ozzy! Hey! Over here! It’s me! Jude!”

Oh god, I think I’m gonna need something hard. I can already tell this is going to be a loooooong night.