---

---

Adrian went back to his room where Celestia is and each squad left to find their targets.

My target is Scroll Minder at the Archives, we walk down the halls trying to be as casual as possible. Once we reach our location I enter with two of my unicorn guards.

Scroll looks up from the book he is reading and smiles gently, he's an old unicorn stallion in his sixties with green fur, a grey mane, tail and beard. He's also wearing an old royal guard robe from when he used to be in the guard.

"Captain Shining Armour, what can this old stallion do for you today?" he asks me.

"I'd like you to help me find a book about the royal guards history," I reply.

He looks confused and tilts his head. "Why would you need that? I thought you already knew all about it," he asks.

"It's not for me," I reply and nod to the two guards. One of them quickly pulls out an anti-magic ring and places it on Scroll's horn, the second guard uses his magic to force Scroll’s arms behind his back.

"W-What's going on here!?" Scroll Minder demands.

"You are under arrest for the attempted murder of the royal family, you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you," I tell him, my previous cheerful expression now one of anger.

"What? I have done no such thing! I have faithfully served Queen Celestia for decades!" he shouts out as a few ponies watch from the reading area.

'Only Queen Celestia huh?' "Well then, you have nothing to worry about do you?" I reply and then face the guards. "Take him to the dungeon and muzzle him," I order them.

They salute and take him away. 'I hope the others get their targets just as easily,' I think to myself before following the guards.

---

---

My guards and I are in the alleyway across from Golden Blossom's manor, I snarl at the overly decorated building, I never understood why the nobles think it necessary to spend so much on looks and useless junk when it could be used to help others...

'Bah, it doesn't matter, we're here for Golden Blossom, nothing more,' I think and turn to my guards.

"Where is Golden?" I ask the thestral scout who is keeping an eye on our target.

"She's in her study, Sir," she replies and tells me the location, third floor sixth room to the right.

"Alright, team one will head to the back of the manor and enter from there and detain any of the staff they see. Team Two will surround the building to prevent anypony escaping, I want the pegasi in the air to keep watch and team three is with me, we'll go through the front and head to the study. Got it?" I tell them.

"Yes, Sir!" they reply.

I nodded and order them to begin.

Team one quietly circles around the manor and gets into position while team two surrounds the building. Once in place, we move forward and with my hammer, I bash the ornate and expensive looking door down.

A couple of maids scream from the sudden noise and my guards detain them, I make my way through the manor and reach the study. I kick the door in and two of my guards wielding scatterguns move in and points them at Golden Blossom.

"Aaaahh! Captain Hammer Strike!? What is the meaning of this!" she demands looking furious. She's a middle aged earth pony mare with golden fur and an orange coloured mane and tail. She's wearing a fancy red dress as well.

"Oh not much," I say and step into the room. "You're just under arrest for the attempted assassination of the King and Queens," I reply coldly. She starts stuttering and begins looking around. "I wouldn't try anything stupid if I were you, place your hands behind your head and get on your knees, now," I tell her.

She starts to panic and looks at the open window, she then runs towards it and jumps out. 'Damn she desperate, we're on the third floor and I don't think she realized she doesn't have wings,' I think and shake my head as her screams echo outside.

Just seconds later a pegasi guard catches her and she's arrested.

"Well then fellas, let's as they say, 'clean house'," I tell my guards and we continue to round up the staff.

---

---

Shining Jewel is having dinner at an expensive restaurant with her husband. She's a light pink twenty-eight year old unicorn with a light blue mane and tail with a light pink stripe going through them. She's wearing a white dinner dress.

"Alright ponies, we go in, arrest Shining Jewel and we leave. Understood?" I tell them. I'm not going to take any back talk or resistance from her or her husband.

"Yes, ma'am!" they reply.

"Good, let's go," I say and we head inside.

I use my magic to place an anti-magic ring on her horn while she wasn't looking and then fold her arms behind her back.

"OW! W-What's happening!?" she screams in fear and confusion.

"What is the meaning of this outrage!?" her husband demands but he's restrained by my guards.

"Shining Jewel, you are under arrest for the attempted assassination of the royal family, you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you," I tell her and grab her by her tied up wrists.

"What!? My wife would never do such a thing!" the husband yells.

"We have evidence of her and four others who hired the assassins, she will stand trial for her treason," I reply. "If you continue to get in our way, you'll be charged for obstructing the guard," I warn him.

He frowns at me. "I will be speaking to the Queens about this! I'll have you fired by the end of the week!" he threatens me.

I don't answer and take Shining Jewel away.

---

---

Our target is a pegasi noble by the name of Silver Vase, a forty-three year old white furred stallion with a light blue mane and tail with two silver stripes through it. He owns a company who specialize in vases, pots, and other decorative containers.

We're heading to a cloud manor just above Canterlot, most noble pegasi live in Cloudsdale, but his company headquarters is in Canterlot so he had it built here.

Me and a mix of twenty pegasi and thestrals fly up to the cloud manor and quietly hover underneath it.

"Okay fillies, our scout says he's in his bath right now, but we're going to give him an unpleasant surprise! So, three of you will come with me to arrest Silver Vase and the rest of you detain his servants, and to make things interesting! We're going through the bathroom window!" I tell them.

I hear a few sighs but that only makes me smirk.

"Alright then! On my mark, three, two, one, go!" I count down and we all swarm the manor.

The other guards burst through the windows and begin their job, me and three others dive through the bathroom window where a rather feminine scream shouts out.

It's Silver Vase squealing in his bath at us.

"By Celestia! What in Tartarus are you doing in my bathroom!?" he shouts at us.

"By order of the King and Queens you are under arrest for the attempted murder of the very ones who told us to grab your flank... So you can come quietly or we drag you back buck naked," I tell him with my rifle pointing right at him.

And there's my smirk as his eyes go wide and he starts looking around in panic.

"I have no idea what you are talking about! Now leave before I file a complaint with the guard!" he tells us. Fortunately the bath bubbles are covering him up, I don't want to see a shrivelled up old geezers junk.

"Then by all means do so, but good luck with that in the Dungeons," I reply and turn to the stallions with me. "Get him out, dried and dressed," I order them.

"Yes ma'am," they reply and drag his flank out and hand him a towel.

A guard enters the bathroom through the door and salutes to me. "Ma'am, all the servants have been rounded up," he tells me.

"Good work, let’s get this piece of trash outta here," I reply and glare at Silver Vase.

---

---

I'm standing in the Dungeon looking at the people who wanted me and my lovers dead, they're all tied up and muzzled.

"My King, the trial is scheduled to take place in two days," a guard tells me.

"Thank you, I want all their homes searched for any more evidence about their involvement with the Black Hoof Clan and Goldrush," I order the guard.

"Yes, Sir. I'll inform Captain Shining Armour immediately," he replies and runs off.

I glare at the nobles one more time noticing looks of horror before heading back up to my bedroom.

I open the door to see Celestia with the most happy smile I've ever seen on her while nuzzling our newborn son. Luna and Cadence have finished up court for the day and are sitting on the bed. Shella is holding Mavis and mom, dad, and Jasmine have gone back to their guest rooms.

"Well, they're all caught and a trial will be held in two days time," I tell them and sit next to Cadence.

"That's good to hear, Shining Armour already found evidence against Goldrush at her manor, letters from the Black Hoof Clan and a bank notice of bits she withdrew as part of the payment," Celestia tells me, her smile fading slightly.

"At least we don't have to worry about them now, all that's left to worry about is the gryphons, Chrysalis, the Black Hoof Clan ,and Grogar... Maybe the dragons as well, if that red dragon heard about the one I killed, who's to say the others haven't as well," I reply. "I'm thinking if we can get Chrysalis' changelings to convert to the Lapis Hive, she'd be too weak and powerless to attack us, we already have four of her changelings converted, and with the promise of a constant supply of food, safety, and a kind Queen leading them, they wouldn't think twice."

Shella hums in thought. "That is possible, changelings follow a Queen who can provide for them and can keep up a steady flow of hatchlings. They most likely follow her since she was the only Queen around until I became one. I doubt her main Hive even knows I exist yet as she'd not want them to know. She probably told the Hive that Equestria destroyed my old home and are keeping the changelings from there as prisoners or slaves," she tells us with a sad expression at the end.

"So we just need to go to her Hive with a few of our changelings, a life crystal and show them what we can offer that Chrysalis can't?" I reply and ask.

"Yes, but there may be a few changelings that will be completely loyal to her, a Queen has the power to... to wipe the mind from a drone and make them completely obedient, it's a slow and very painful process," she tells us while looking away. “She’d likely have a few personal guard drones like that.”

I get up and walk around the bed to her, I lift her chin up with my right hand to look at me. "Hey, you are nothing like Chrysalis. I know you would never do that to any changeling in your hive. You're a kind and caring Queen, you're my wife and I love you. Nothing will change that," I tell her and give her a small amount of my love to her with a kiss.

She smiles as our lips part. "Thank you," she says.

"So, we take it we shall attempt to locate Chrysalis' Hive after the trial?" Luna asks.

"It will have to be after Blueblood's and Rarity's wedding in nine days. I still need to recover from giving birth and-" Celestia says but is cut off as Valiant starts crying. "Shhh, shhhh. It's okay, mommy's here, are you hungry?" she asks the newborn.

Celestia then removes her dress and begins to breastfeed Valiant. "As I was saying, I still need to go over the plans for Aries Peak, I believe it is almost ready. I have the route planned, we just need to discuss who is going, any targets worth going for from Hagriff, how we’ll attack, and with what," she tells us.

"We can discuss that all later, right now I think we should get some sleep and prepare for the trial," I reply.

Luna takes Valiant and places him in his new cot next to Mavis, we then all cuddle up and fall asleep in each other's embrace.

---

---

Over the last two days, I held court on the first day while Luna and Shella took the second. We got a lot of anger and complaints about us arresting the nobles from their friends and family, we told them that they're welcome to come to the trial and find out why they were arrested.

Discord has told me that the building he made for me behind the Barracks is ready for my training with Infernus, meaning that it's heavily warded against fire.

Celestia had stayed in bed on the first day with Valiant and Mavis and started walking around on the second, the maids were all fawning over him as Celestia walked by with him in her arms.

Celestia and Luna did a magical scan on Valiant and it's as we thought, he may look like an earth pony but he has an alicorn mana pool in him with my kind of magic. He'll also have the same teeth as I do, so he'll have the same diet as me. Other than that he is a perfectly healthy and happy baby boy.

My parents returned to Elysium with Jasmine and we received news that the orcs have agreed to trade with Reymorah.

On the second day I spent most of my time with Celestia and Valiant, and mostly to help Celestia walk around while her legs recover.

---

---

My wives and I are sitting on our thrones as benches and chairs have been set up for the witnesses to sit at the sides of the throne room. Cadence is in our room with Mavis and Valiant while Discord is watching over them for protection.

The five nobles who tried to have us killed are in shackles with anti-magic rings on for the unicorns and wing restraints for the pegasus Silver Vase. Even that assassin we captured is here as well shackled and muzzled.

"We are gathered here today for the trial of Goldrush, Silver Vase, Shining Jewel, Scroll Minder, and Golden Blossom on the charges of attempted murder of the royal family and treason. Also we have one of the assassins named Banowa who is charged for attempting to assassinate the royal family and many other killings he’s taken part of," Shining Armour says aloud. "Mrs. Goldrush, step up to the stand," he orders the now clean woman. They all had baths and a decent meal before arriving.

Celestia glares down at the broken looking woman with a look that could melt steel as Goldrush steps up to the stand in the middle of the room.

Shining holds up a folder with several pieces of paper inside and opens it up. "Goldrush, we have evidence of you and your associates dealing with an assassin organisation with the intent of killing Queen Celestia and her unborn foal, Queen Luna, and Queen Shella and her foal Mavis as well as King Adrian. We have records of bank statements detailing the amounts from each of your accounts that total up to the sum paid to the assassins. We even have letters to and from you and the organisation specifying the time and place. That along with the memories the Queens have seen of your involvement has put you in a tight spot," he says, the people in the seats are silent with shock.

Shining then walks up to her and asks her the big question. "With all that said, how do you plead?"

Next Chapter: Chapter 70: Trial Part 2 Estimated time remaining: 6 Hours, 3 Minutes