"With all that said, how do you plead?" Shining Armour asks Goldrush.

Goldrush sighs and looks up at us with a defeated expression. "Guilty," she replies.

The people in the witness seats start mumbling to each other while the other four nobles look at her with disbelieving expressions.

"And why did you attempt to assassinate them?" Shining then asks her.

Goldrush then looks directly at me. "Because the Princesses were tainted by that savage who pretends to be a King. I've seen the reports and pictures of how he fights and how he sees the nobility. He's a monster who could turn on us at anytime and destroy everything Equestria has worked hard to build. I even know he's gotten the Princesses to eat meat," she says.

Luna glares at her harshly, I think she would like nothing better than to go down there and rip her apart. The witnesses all go silent again and look at Celestia and Luna with wide eyes.

"Really?" Celestia calmly asks. "Because so far Adrian has done nothing but help our nation, he brought together the ponies and the changelings in peace under our fellow herdmate Queen Shella. He's helped to make a treaty between Equestria and his world who we've aided and they'll aid us when we need it. He's also protected me, Luna, Cadence, Shella, and innocent civilians from the gryphons and undead and he's improved our guards arsenal and medical abilities. He’s more than earned his place by our side as our mate and husband," she tells her. "As for the meat, yes we ate fish and meats from Adrian's home world, Cadence and I needed it for our foals to grow healthily as they possess his omnivorous diet and we've also discovered that ponies are omnivorous as well," she tells Goldrush.

Hushed whispers spread throughout the witnesses.

Shining then speaks up again. "So you believed just because the Queens fell in love and married somepony not of noble birth or even a pony, you decided that they all had to die? And what would happen should your plan have succeeded? Who would guide the sun and moon? Who would keep the nation going and keep our allies friendly?" he asks her.

Goldrush closes her eyes and hangs her head. "We had a selection of unicorns who would move the sun and moon using a special magic amplifier... We then would have the nobility run the nation as a government," she replies emotionless.

I huff in irritation. "If you're willing to kill royalty, what would stop you lot from stabbing each other in the backs? From what I've seen from you so called nobles is nothing but chi... foalish behaviour. Wanting nothing but wealth and power," I say to them.

Goldrush finally glares at me. "And what of you? You're now King of Equestria. You have the most wealth and power out of us all," she growls at me.

I raise an eyebrow at her. "I don't decide how the nation is run, I've left that to Tia and Luna, my role is to protect Equestria and my wives with my magic. My wealth is only around fifty-thousand bits which I got from a dragon's hoard and I've only spent a couple thousand of those bits on toys and donations for the Canterlot Orphanage, on lunch out in the city, or for gifts for my wives. I won't and never will use the treasury's funding for my own gain," I reply.

Her glare turns to one of surprise. "Y-You didn't become King just for power?" she asks confused.

"No, I didn't even want to be King. I only became a King just so I could marry the women I love. The women you put in danger because of your stupid beliefs and pride," I tell her.

Her glare is now back and she snarls at me. "Princess Celestia was a shining example of purity, untainted by greed or lust, a goddess we all looked up to. Then you came along and corrupted her with carnal desires and made her bare an abomination of a goddess and a savage, you even brought that insect into the Castle!" she says looking at Shella who now looks upset.

Celestia's calm expression finally snaps and she stands up and takes on her Aspect form. "What did you just call my son and herdmate?" she asks angrily, her voice sounding like hers and Lux's together while floating down to Goldrush.

Goldrush’s eyes go wide and her pupils mere pinpricks. "I-I-I..." she stammers.

"I may be an immortal being, but I still have desires and feelings like any other mare. Just because I'm an alicorn, does that mean I can't have a relationship with anypony I wish? Can I not find love? That only nobles or high ranking military officials have the right to even court us? The nobility took advantage of my depression after I had to banish my sister to make that ridiculous law, which I hereby now abolish!" Celestia tells her with malice. A scroll that I suspect contains that law appears in front of her and she burns it to ashes.

Goldrush looks like she's about to faint from the anger focused on her. "I've waited centuries to have my own family, to bear my own foal that the average pony could never give me. I find a mate who not only can give me that family, but who also cares for who I am and is willing to put himself in harm's way just to keep us all safe," Celestia then grips Goldrush by the collar of her dress and lifts her off the floor. "You had the audacity to not only try to kill me, but my sister, husband, herdmate, her foal, and my unborn son... I have all the reason to enact a punishment I have not used for over seven-hundred years. Hanging at the gallows!" she yells at her.

The witnesses gasp as Silver Vase then chose right there to faint while the other three start shaking in fear. The assassin just looks bored and resigned to his fate.

I stand up and walk over to Celestia and hold her left hand, she looks at me and I shake my head. "As much as I want them to suffer for what they've done, we don't want to be just like them. I suggest life imprisonment and stripped of their titles and assets, their families will keep their wealth after a heavy fine but also lose their nobility," I recommend to her.

Celestia drops to the floor and her aspect form fades, she sighs and lets go of Goldrush who collapses onto the marble floor with a fearful expression.

"You're right, I was blinded by my anger," she replies and looks back at Goldrush. "Do you have anything else to say?" she asks her coldly.

Goldrush just looks up at Celestia and shakes her head. Celestia and I then return to our thrones as Goldrush is put back next to the others.

The other four nobles all pleaded not guilty and said they were coerced into following Goldrush's plan or she'd bankrupt them.

We knew that was a lie as Celestia and Luna read their memories while they slept, they were promised positions in the new government if they chipped in on the assassin's payment. We even found documentation detailing when and where the assassination would take place and bank statements of the amount they withdrew for the payments.

Except for Shining Jewel who was actually manipulated, she was asked to invest five-thousand bits for a new type of invention that would revolutionise the world and she would receive a percentage of the profits. Unfortunately those bits went into paying for the assassination attempt, she was released and freed from all charges, she returned to her husband's side with an expression of disgust at Goldrush for conning her like that.

They were all sentenced to life imprisonment, the loss of their nobility and a fine of ten-thousand bits each which will be added to the treasury for Equestria. Goldrush also had to pay Shining Jewel five-thousand bits plus another five-thousand to repay the con she pulled on her.

Banowa the assassin though. "Banowa, step up to the stand," Shining orders him and he slowly walks up to it and glares at us. "How do you plead?" Shining asks him.

Banowa looks at Shining for a second before grinning behind his muzzle and somehow slips out of his shackles and grasps Shining's sword, he then punches Shining in the face while drawing the sword.

The witnesses panic as the assassin throws the sword at me which I quickly cast a shield spell in front of us. The blade penetrates the shield and gets stuck just an inch away from my face which I stare at cross eyed.

The assassin scowls and makes a break for it towards the windows.

Celestia and Luna's horns glow as the assassin reaches the window but he suddenly slams into the floor as if something heavy was just dropped on him.

He struggles in an attempt to break free but is lifted into the air and held in front of us. "I think it's safe to say the gallows will still be used today," Celestia says coldly as he's restrained again but this time with golden and dark blue chains.

"Does anypony object to the ruling of this trial?" Shining asks the crowd.

None of the other nobles came to their defence and some even looked disgusted at them.

The nobles and the assassin, minus Shining Jewel, are taken back down to the Dungeon where they'll spend the rest of their lives and Banowa will be executed tomorrow.

The witnesses are escorted out by the guards and my wives and I go and get Cadence, Discord and our children and then head down to the Dining Hall for dinner.

"Now that, that has been sorted, we take it thou shalt begin thy Fire Aspect training?" Luna asks me.

"Yeah, starting tomorrow," I reply and take a sip of my drink.

"I'll be taking court tomorrow while Luna continues her training as well," Celestia says while breastfeeding Valiant.

"So what will we do about these Black Hoof assassins? Do we just destroy their base of operations along with their leaders or do we capture them?" I ask.

"No, we were lucky we even managed to capture Banowa at all. The Black Hoof's have been known to take their own lives before letting themselves be taken. We know they have an artificial tooth filled with a potent poison capable of killing them within seconds, Discord managed to restrain Banowa fully including a muzzle to prevent him from biting down on it and we removed it," Celestia replies.

"I see, so a total wipeout then?" I ask her.

"Correct, we shall burn their base to the ground and eliminate any of the assassins there... including the foals," she says.

We all look at her stunned. "What?" Cadence says in shock.

Celestia sighs and nodded. "The foals are born and raised there to kill, they're trained the moment the can hold a weapon and train day in and day out. That's what I've seen from Banowa's memories," she replies. "but any newborns can still be spared as they have not begun the training and mental conditioning the others will have." she tells us.

I frown in thought. "Is it possible to wipe the memories of their training?" I ask.

"Yes, but that is forbidden magic. Reading memories is one thing, but altering or removing them is something we don't touch," Celestia tells me.

"Alright... I guess the best thing we can do is make it quick and painless," I reply and sigh.

We finish up dinner and head up to our room to relax for the rest of the day.

Next Chapter: Chapter 71: The Fire Aspect Part 1 Estimated time remaining: 5 Hours, 55 Minutes