Author's Notes:

Yay, I'm back to writing it! It's been a long time since the last update, and I'm sorry for it. Fortunately, however, I managed to get some stuff done. Enjoy!

I have no idea what happened during the trial, but it took nearly five hours to complete. While it seemed like it should've gone faster... it didn't. I suppose that the only way to explain it is, well, the complications of legality and law. From what I've heard back on Earth, courts might take months to make a decision. Sometimes, even years. But since Equestria has magic to help with all that, maybe Blueblood Junior won't have to wait that long. Hopefully, at least. I wish for him to get a good family, something I couldn't quite get right myself. Well, not counting the current situation with me creating a family. This is where I can choose a family for myself.

Speaking of that, we had just enough time to get cucumbers and ice-cream for Night Breeze. She thanked me with a smooch on my cheek, as well as making a sucking motion on one of the cucumbers. I guess, uh, she wants some 'stallion meat' after all is done. I'm pretty sure she wanted a bit less before this moment, but whatever. I guess I can do some sexy stuff once the trial is over.

So, about halfway through the court session, we were called to provide our memories. Due to Blueblood's family request, we had to present ourselves in front of the court. Once Moonshine, Iridia, and I entered, we were met with furious glares from the family. There were a couple more ponies in the room, and I think they were also nobility. They met us with neutral or judging looks. Labeling it 'uncomfortable' doesn't quite do it justice if I'm being honest.

I kept close to Moonshine because she was the most nervous. Her ears were flat against her head and she avoided looking at anyone present in the room. I too wanted to be as far away from the courtroom as possible, but... legal stuff didn't allow me to. However, I looked right in the eyes of the family's head. Neither of us could make the other look away, but I will not back down just because of his status. People like him need to be put down. Well, not in the 'kill' sort of way, I'm not suggesting that, but... Effectively eliminated in a, uh, political sense, I suppose. And in any case, I have a bigger status because I'm an alicorn. I could say something like 'bow down, bitch', and they will do it. At least, that's how I think it works when you're an alicorn. Haven't tried, probably won't try it, but... Just in case things go extremely wrong, I can do something to fix them. I should probably ask Luna about how it exactly works, but that comes later.

Back to the matter at hand. The process of accessing our memories felt... weird. Yeah, that's pretty much the only word I can think of to describe it. It was like someone massaging my brain with fingers, pulling on certain parts. It wasn't painful or anything but it was... uncomfortable. Thankfully, it didn't last long, and soon our memories were on full display. Seeing my own memories from the third person was definitely odd, and they looked like as if I had cameras installed in my eyes. But hey, my eyes are good, so the quality is top notch! The image itself resembled a flat borderless screen that is as thin as... I don't actually know, the image seems completely two-dimensional.

For around fifteen minutes, our memories were viewed, and the only sound in the room was coming from them. The glare of Bluebloods became way more intense, and I'm pretty sure they feel helpless now. No matter how good of a lawyer they have, no matter how high up the society they are... they can't evade facts. And I'm glad I have a reasonably good memory. While some faces were blurred, what I had was still enough to show what was needed.

I couldn't hold my excitement. I looked in the eyes of the father of Blueblood Junior and smiled.

"How disrespectful!" he slammed a hoof on the desk in front of him, and I bet he wanted to tear me to shreds there and then.

"Quiet, Blueblood," Luna ordered, "Or be removed from the court."

"But..."

"Quiet," the princess ordered more firmly, "Thou art in no position to object. Dost not disrespect the court or thou shalt be judged accordingly."

"You will pay for that!" he shook his hoof at me.

"How much, and do you accept nothing?" I replied with a challenge.

"Flame Metal, please do not antagonize the defender," Luna told me in a neutral tone, though I swear I can see a hidden smile on her face, "Blueblood, this is thy last warning. Misbehave again and thou shalt face judgment."

With a heavy huff, the father slowly sat back down, even though his glare didn't cease. As for me, well... I couldn't be happier. While I should've probably remained silent, I do have a lot of words to say to him. Most of them consist of swears.

"So, with the evidence provided, We shall exercise Our right to judge fairly and justly," Luna said, "The facts speak for themselves, and they show us that House Blueblood committed crimes of foal abuse against their youngest colt by the name of Blueblood Junior. Per section one of the Family Protection and Safety act, Blueblood Junior will no longer be in the custody of House Blueblood. The latter is to provide foal support to the new family starting from the time of the adoption. The titles of House Blueblood are to be removed, starting from this very moment. A vacant residence is to be confiscated in favor of the new family starting from the time of the adoption; the maintenance of the residence is to be paid for by the Bluebloods indefinitely or until the family willingly moves from it."

That glare I was receiving turned into seething, burning hellfire. If I'm being honest, he'd be intimidating if he was, well... intimidating. So... all Bluebloods can do is to glare at me. As for me? I'm very satisfied about the outcome. For nobility, it is certainly unacceptable to do what they did, and I hope they'll either learn the lesson or keep getting punished. Fine with me either way.

It might seem like a very harsh punishment, but it would serve like a very good lesson. Hopefully, they'll change their ways. And I'm sure that if they try to pull something like this off again, consequences will be even more severe. What's more important, however, is that Blueblood Junior – also, do I still call him that name? – is free now, and I'm sure he'll get a way better family. Probably not nearly as rich or influential, but does money matter when your life is controlled to the point of not being able to choose a harmless hobby if your parents don't support it? A similar thing happened to me. My mother, despite being reasonably smart, believed that heavy metal is the music of the devil. I mean... it can be? I listen to Powerwolf and Ghost, so I suppose she was right in some way, ironically. But! I've not sold my soul and neither have I been to hell. Equestria seems more like heaven to me. Well, at the very least, it's far from hell and it's better than Earth in plenty of ways. Does it count as heaven?

"Flame Metal, Iridia, Moonshine – you are free to leave the courthouse," Luna told us, breaking my line of thought. Good thing, otherwise I'd go into thinking about heaven, hell, limbo, and whatever other stuff my mother tried to push into me. Hours of studying the Bible... Ugh. I kinda forgot most of that just like I forgot plenty of stuff I learned from school, but the time I wasted on that could be spent somewhere else.

Anyway, the three of us can leave now and get some fresh air. This courtroom is a bit filled with negativity and anger from Bluebloods.

After that happened, we had to wait around two hours until the trial ended. No idea what was discussed during that time, but I'm glad it's over, and it ended in the favor of my friend. Can't wait to see his smile! At least, I hope he'll smile. Despite what Bluebloods did to him, they've not done nearly enough to turn him away completely, I think.

I didn't have more time to think about that because I saw Luna exiting the courthouse and heading to us, a smile on her face.

"It seems everything went rather well indeed," she told us, "Since we still have plenty of time, I suppose we can visit Blueblood and bring him the news."

"Why not?" I asked rhetorically, "Let's go!"

Iridia and Moonshine also nodded, and the four of us headed towards the Canterlot Castle. And, well, we were met with looks and stares as we went. I'd say that's not surprising, though – we're in the company of a princess. Not to mention that we weren't in a chariot or anything, we were on hoof.

I have one fear about it, however... What if it is viewed as being friends with the princess in a legal sense? Wouldn't it warrant an investigation into the trial that has just finished? I'm pretty sure Bluebloods would try to pull something like that off. Fortunately, the evidence is there to prove that they are guilty, and my relationship with Luna didn't alter it in any way whatsoever. As she told me, she sympathized with my cause an all, but she is first and foremost a ruler of Equestria, and as such she must judge fairly. I fully understand it, too – I wouldn't want bad stuff to happen just because Luna swayed the court decision in my favor. Yes, I did want it to go my way, but who wouldn't? I also didn't know Luna would be the one judging.

"Luna... can I ask you a question?" I turned my head to look at the princess. She nodded, and so I continued: "What motivates you to do good things for everyone? Where I'm from, we have a saying 'Absolute power corrupts absolutely'. And, from what I know, you do have absolute power."

"That's a very good question," Luna nodded to my words, "I suppose my sister and I grew out of the more greedy phase of our lives. Believe it or not, we used to be not as good as we are now, pardon my, ahem, bragging. We used our power to get what we wanted, whenever and wherever we wanted. However... after some time passed, rebellions raised. Of course, ponies didn't want to live under someone who didn't care about them.

"One rebellion was prevented. Another put down... And yet they kept appearing no matter what we did. It came close to one of us being assassinated," she let out a sigh, "Lives were lost before we came to an understanding of things. Perhaps, it was a random thought, but nevertheless, we started doubting ourselves. We were very powerful, much more powerful than any other pony, and yet they were not afraid to stand up against us. What could be the driving force behind what seemed like a hopeless endeavor?" she paused, letting her words sink in.

"...Desperation, I guess?" Iridia answered her question after a few moments of silence. I wanted to say the same, but, well, she was quicker.

"It was hope. Hope for a better future," Luna countered, "Once we saw it, once we could understand them, we could see the fault in ourselves. And since then, we did everything in our power to fix what we and countless others did before us. It took many years, and even now we sometimes struggle to fulfill our duty, but we march forward nevertheless."

"How long did it take to understand?" surprisingly, it was Moonshine who voiced the question. To be honest, I also had it on my mind. I bet Iridia also had the same thought.

"We were around eighty years old. Our bodies and minds were as young and as flexible as of when we were late teenagers," Luna answered, "Perhaps, this is why we managed to understand and so few could understand it before us. Time... not enough of it."

This... actually makes sense. Thankfully, Celestia and Luna managed to fix their mess before it was too late. Perhaps, all we need is someone old enough to understand the errors? Probably not since a lot of young people do see the problems, but... I guess it's hard to say. All of us are mortal, none of us have magic. Celestia and Luna have a lot that we don't.

"Unfortunately, not all things were changing as quickly or as easily as we hoped," Luna continued, "I had an especially bad image in the eyes of the ponies. I suppose I was... harder on them than my sister. Even now, such view persists. Let us not think of the past now – we have the future to look forward to."

I nodded in understanding. It's obvious Luna still doesn't like to talk about why she became Nightmare Moon. And, well... I definitely wouldn't like to speak of it if I were in her shoes. Horseshoes? Whatever, this wasn't literal.

We spent the rest of our journey to the castle in a reasonably comfortable silence. I might've struck something inside Luna that she didn't want to discuss, but... She's not angry at me or anything. Perhaps, she understands my curiosity.

Soon, the four of us reached the gardens where Blueblood was currently playing around. As soon as he saw us, he galloped to us, a bright look in his eyes.

"How did it go?" was his simple question.

"Everything's fine, Blue," I told him with a smile on my face, "You'll soon have a new family."

His face beamed a bright smile at me, almost blinding me. How? Metaphorically. Anyway, he hugged me, and I somewhat awkwardly hugged him back.

"Thank you, dude!" he said to me, "Like, wow... You totally did the impossible! You, Moonshine, Luna... Iridia... Damn..." I swear I could see a tear rolling down his cheek.

"No problem, I'm always glad to help a friend," I replied, "Say... would you like to do something together with us?"

"Yeah! I've been exploring this place, and there's a ton of spots for hide-n-seek!"

"Well, I'm in," I nodded without hesitation.

"Me, too!" Moonshine was next.

"I'm also in," Iridia was the third.

"If you don't mind, I would like to join as well," Luna said, surprising all of us, "I've not played in a while... Might as well do it when I have the chance."

Well... Am I against it? Nope. Blueblood nodded, too. So, hide-n-seek with everyone, including Luna! Just the right sort of thing after a fairly stressful day, that's for sure.