//------------------------------// // The Five // Story: Twilight's Kingdom of Steam // by Darthvalgaav //------------------------------// It took a bit of time before Twilight found herself standing almost in the middle of a large, circular room that lacked any windows. Despite this, light covered the area from the many bulbs that shined around the room. In an odd bit of design work, the flooring was made of copper plates while the walls had been constructed of plaster and dark wood. Lining the walls were several large machines that hissed and ticked constantly. One, Twilight noticed, looked like an oversized radio with massive speakers. But it also had a large, grey circular window in the middle while below it was a control panel with plenty of knobs. The others, however, Twilight had no idea what to make of, nor did she have the time to wonder about what they might be. All she could guess was that they were important or else they wouldn’t be here. Before her, the floor had been raised so that a pony would have to climb a small set of stairs in order to get to the middle with a railing around it. After climbing them, Twilight found that there was a bronze table directly in the middle of the room shaped like a gear. Around it laid several red cushions placed for ponies to sit on them. Most of the seats had been filled, their occupants watching her intently. There were only two that she recognized, the first being General Steel Trap who looked upon her coldly. Standing near him, beside an unoccupied cushion, stood Count Raven. “Your Grace, please be seated so that we may begin,” said the Count. Nodding, Twilight approached her appointed seat and sat down. Nopony else in the room said anything, they just continued to watch her. As for Spike, he remained standing next to her. “Your Grace, please allow me to introduce these honorable ponies gathered here tonight,” continued Count Raven. “General Steel Trap has already had the pleasure of being in Your Grace’s presence. Seated next to him is Duchess Blue Moon.” Twilight turned to look at the Duchess whom seemed to be older than her mother. Crow’s feet could easily be seen on her grey furred face and streaks of grey could also be seen in her long, black mane. Blue Moon wore a black gown with a high collar as well as a tiny black hat with a matching feather in it. Around her neck was a metallic snake, its head biting its own tail to form a clasp in front. “Duke Rolling Thunder,” continued Count Raven as he gestured to the gentlecolt seated next to Blue Moon. Like Blue Moon, he had a grey coat but it looked more youthful than hers did. The stallion wore a long, fancy black coat which had a matching buttoned up vest underneath it and a top hat. His eyes were covered by thick round glasses with black lenses on them. While his mane was covered by his hat, Twilight noticed that his beard and mutton chops were brown with a black zigzagging pattern in the middle. “Duke Fallen Star.” Twilight looked at the next Duke who was also wearing a top hat. Fallen Star was wearing a long, dark coat as well, only it was buttoned up with the buttons at an odd angle up the right side of his chest. His natural coat was brown and was clean shaven, making it harder for Twilight to tell what his mane color was. “Duchess Eerie Shadow.” Twilight turned to look at the next mare…and almost let out a gasp of shock. The mare’s left eye had been covered by a metal eye patch that seemed bolted into her skull! Twilight could see the large bolts from where she sat while also being unable to see any straps, so it had to be bolted on. The eye patch was decorated with two golden gears with a metal thread connecting the two. Beyond that strangeness, the mare had a black coat with a short brown mane that didn’t go as far as her neck. Her gown was grey that showed off her bare shoulders as she sat. “And finally, Duke Ticking Clock,” finished Count Raven. Ticking Clock was by far the oldest pony in the room. His grey coat was wrinkly and the top of his head was bald leaving only a ring of white mane around his head. His eyes appeared closed, but the stallion’s posture seemed to suggest that he was aware of what was going on in the room. He wore a dark red coat with golden gear shaped buttons running down the middle. As he raised his right hoof, Twilight noticed a large strap on it with an oversized pocket watch attached. Looking at all of them, Twilight couldn’t help but make a mental note at what she had been observing to this point. Thestrals seemed to have a far more limited color pallet than the ponies in Equestria. The majority that Twilight had seen had various shades of brown, grey, and black. The only exception to this seemed to be Princess Alabaster who was white. Now, admittedly, it could have simply been a request to paint her like that in order to make her seem more unique compared to her brother so she couldn’t be a hundred percent certain. Was there a reason for this or was it just she lacked more information? “Hmm, yes,” wheezed Duke Ticking Clock as he checked the time. “Now that the Princess knows who we are we can get down to business. Our time is limited after all.” “And for others it is remarkably shorter,” commented Rolling Thunder with a ghost of a smile. Ticking Clock lowered his hoof as he turned to look in the direction of the younger stallion. However, Twilight wasn’t sure if he was glaring or not. It was so hard to tell. Heck, she wasn’t even sure if Rolling Thunder knew what the look meant or simply didn’t care as he turned his attention to Twilight. “Princess Twilight, I am sure by now you have gathered that we are…a bit disappointed that Count Raven brought you here instead of Princess Luna.” “We acknowledge the reasons why he did this,” continued Duchess Blue Moon who didn’t even bother to look at Twilight. “Princess Luna declined our request and recommended you in her stead. While we would have preferred to have been told this ahead of time, long range communication with Equestria is not possible at the moment. A decision had to be made and the Count did what he believed was correct.” “Be that as it may, we are still concerned,” said Fallen Star. “According to what Count Raven has told us, you were made a Princess because of the traits you showed while defeating several villains in the past. He has relayed the accounts of these adventures and, while being most impressive, we fail to see how these would make you suitable to lead a nation. Perhaps leading a platoon or an army, but not ruling a nation.” “Your lack of experience gives us much reason to worry,” said Ticking Clock as he shook his head. “We are aware of some of your other services to Equestria’s crown, but organizing events pales in comparison to the duties expected of royalty! Count Raven has also informed us that Princess Celestia told him herself that she has not given you any lessons for the duties befitting your new station. Not even sitting down with her as she goes about her duties.” Twilight found herself unable to stop from nodding in agreement. It was hard not to see where they were coming from with this. They had the right to be concerned about who was going to be taking over their country. Twilight herself had been wondering since she became an alicorn if she was ready to take up the role that Princess Celestia had given her. To tell the truth, she didn’t feel like she was able to do something so big. She had read plenty of books on the legal process of Equestria, about treaties formed between nations, and a slew of other things that would help one in leading a nation. But…could she actually do something like that? Would she be able to make the right choices while so many lives hang in the balance? As Twilight was about to give herself a mental pep-talk and formally address the nobility, Spike stood up. “Now wait just a minute,” he said loudly causing Twilight’s eyes to widen in surprise. She looked down at her number one assistant to see him pointing a clawed finger at the thestrals in front of them. “None of you know Twilight so how can you tell what she is and isn’t capable of?! She’s come all this way from Equestria because you asked for somepony to come and lead you.” All of the nobles looked shocked at this outburst. Clearly, they were not used to being talked to like this. However, once they regained their senses, how would they react? It seemed like they had already made up their mind that they didn’t want Twilight to be their Queen and something like this might dissuade from even letting her talk! For all she knew such disrespect could land them in jail if they didn’t know about diplomatic immunity! “Spike,” whispered Twilight through gritted teeth as she forced herself to smile. “What…is that purple creature?” asked Steel Trap, eyeing Spike as if seeing him for the first time. “I’m a dragon,” responded Spike as he snorted green flames from his nostrils. “Not only that, I’m Twilight’s number one assistant!” At this proclamation, Steel Trap stood up with his wings outstretched. His upper lip curled in order to better show off his fangs. “A dragon?!” he snarled before turning his attention towards Twilight. “Hmm,” came the soft voice of Eerie Shadow, speaking for the first time. “A dragon you say. According to our legends, dragons are large flying lizards that breathed fire on innocent ponies as they plundered the land for riches. Complete and utter brutes. Hard to believe that this little one before us is one of their kind.” “He’s a baby dragon,” said Twilight quickly as she placed a hoof on Spike’s shoulder. Quickly she applied a bit of pressure, silently ordering Spike to sit down. He got the message but continued to glare at the nobles as Twilight spoke. “Ever since I hatched him, Spike has been raised like a pony and has had very few encounters with his kind. I promise all of you that he is not dangerous. If fact, most ponies don’t even bat an eye when they meet him for the first time.” “I suppose that’s your excuse for not informing us that you brought in a potentially dangerous creature!” yelled Steel Trap. “General, please compose yourself,” said Eerie Shadow as she kept her good eye on both Twilight and Spike. The General turned to look at the Duchess, but before he could open his mouth Eerie Shadow spoke out. “Need I remind you of the meeting we were having before you left to greet the Princess? It appears that not only did you fail to inform us that you took funding from our other projects to build a blockade at the pass but also to enquire the identity of the race traveling with Princess Twilight.” Twilight could see several heads nodding to this. “Shouldn’t this prove I’m right!” demanded the General as he slammed a hoof onto the table, wings still extended as he did this. “Because we are not taking the proper measures to safeguard our now exposed borders, a foreigner was able to bring a potentially dangerous creature into our land with no difficulty.” Steel Trap then blinked before taking a breath. He sat down again, folding his wings as he did. “I will admit that, in my excitement to meet Princess Luna followed by my profound disappointment, I failed to take into account the…dragon. I vow to be more aware in the future.” Twilight looked at the other Dukes and Duchesses who were exchanging looks with each other with frowns on their faces. A ball of guilt began rolling around inside of Twilight her attention turned to the General who, despite looking rather grim, held his head high. Before she knew what she was doing, Twilight spoke. “The General is correct.” This statement caused all head to turn to look at her, including Spike who seemed shocked by this as well as General Steel Trap. “But Twilight-” began Spike, but Twilight continued to speak. “I have had Spike with me for so long that I forget that not everypony is as comfortable around dragons as I am. That there are those out there who see them as threats. While I had no way of knowing if anypony in Thunder Valley even knew about dragons, it still should have been my duty as both a princess and a guest to make sure you knew about him. For that, I am sorry.” “As is it my fault as well,” added Count Raven. There was a twinkle in the stallion’s eye despite the fact that the rest of his face remained neutral. “When I mentioned Her Grace was here with a guest it should have been my duty to clarify that he was a dragon on Her behalf.” Twilight watched as most of the nobles looked at each other, doing their best to hide their confusion at their admittance. Only Eerie Shadow seemed to be unaffected by this statement, her gaze still locked on Twilight. “Well then,” said the one-eyed Duchess after a moment. “Seeing how there is enough blame to go around, I believe we should get back down to the matter at hoof.” Around her the other nobles nodded. “Very well then. Princess Twilight Sparkle, while we have voiced our concerns on you becoming our Queen, your dragon made two very good points. Ones that we had agreed upon before you entered this room. We did ask for help and we don’t know what you are fully capable of. Therefore, we’d like to see what you can do.” Before she knew what she was doing, Twilight began to shake her head only to place a hoof by her horn when she stopped. This was so unexpected that she thought she had misheard. After everything that they had said they were still going to make her their Queen? Just what was going on here? “For the next six months, we will be giving you temporary control of the government,” said Rolling Thunder as he ignored the confusion on Twilight’s face. “During this time, we expect you to familiarize yourself with our history and customs. Count Raven has agreed to remain here by your side to oversee your education as well as to act as a royal advisor. He will also be sending us regular updates on your progress. As for us, we will be returning to our own estates in order to return to our normal duties. We will only return here for our monthly meeting or if there is something urgent that has come to our attention.” “General Steel Trap will be here to advise you as well,” added in Ticking Clock. “Should there be any rebellious elements or situations that require a military touch that come about.” Twilight gave a slight nod to this while looking at the General out of the corner of her eye. While his face had become neutral, she could see a small glint in his eye that all but confirmed something that was implied but not said. He would be here to keep an eye on her, probably spying on her to make sure she didn’t sabotage the nation. If she stepped out of line or gave them any reason to fear for their country, she was sure he’d put a stop to it quickly. Probably using the end of a sword. “The end of the six month trial will coincide with the end of Mechacon,” said Fallen Star with a hint of pride in his voice. “This is a weeklong celebration occurring here in the capital. Vendors from all across Thunder Valley will be gathered to put up booths, rides, and so forth while companies both large and small show off their latest mechanical wonders. Before Mechacon begins, the five of us will discuss how you have handled things. Should your rule be satisfactory, we shall end Mechacon with your coronation as Queen. But, if things do not improve, we shall need to decide if you should be stripped of this position or given an extension.” “Of course, we might not need wait that long to remove you,” added Blue Moon. “If we feel like things are only getting worse or you are in over your young head, we will step in. Do you understand?” “I do,” said Twilight with a nod. “Good,” said Ticking Clock. “Then, let us go over a few simple things.” -x- Twilight and company didn’t exit the room until two hours later. The Heads of the Great Houses had wanted to go over the many things Twilight would be unable to do until she officially became Queen. Most of them made sense to her, given the circumstances that she found herself in. For example, she would be unable to demote or fire General Steel Trap. If she had good reason for wanting to do so she would have to contact them and provide proof of her claim. Should they agree with her then they would pick his successor. Most likely this was being done as a way to make sure she wouldn’t be able to replace him with somepony who would be willing to help her gain full control. It seemed like most of the rules followed the same kind of logic. There were, however, a few rules that didn’t seem to make much sense to Twilight. One of them being that she would be unable to sit upon the actual throne until she became Queen. Until that day came, a seat would be supplied for her to sit upon should she ever have need of the throne room. Compared to all of the other rules she had sat through, this one seemed to be less important. Why should anypony care where she sat? “It is one of the many traditions we have here,” explained Count Raven when she brought this up in the hallway. “Not even Princess Alabaster was allowed to sit upon her father’s throne until she became Queen. I’m not sure how things work in Equestria, but to us thestrals the throne is sacred. A right of rule that symbolizes one's power over the land more so than any crown.” “Why is that?” asked Spike as he tried to suppress a yawn. Twilight frowned a bit as she looked at him. Not because she was mad…well she was still a little upset that he had spoken out at the meeting. But no, her frown was more directed at how tired he was. Spike was still a baby dragon who needed his sleep. They had been up all night and with no clocks within eyesight there was no way of knowing just how long they had been up. For all she knew the sun had risen hours ago. Count Raven chuckled, catching Twilight’s attention as they approached an intercepting hallway. The one they had been walking in was minuscule in comparison to the other, which looked like a hundred ponies could walk in it at once with no problem. “Allow me to show you,” said the Count as he gestured down the large hallway. Twilight turned her head to look at where he was pointing, seeing large doors similar to the ones in the public area of the castle. Only these were open just a crack, enough for a pony to slip past without any trouble. Without a word the Count lead them towards the door where a row of guards were standing at attention on each side of the hall. All of them were still as statues with their weapons under their right wing. Twilight knew from experiences meeting her brother during his training that they would remain motionless for hours but were nonetheless alert to everything that was going on. With this set up, they could surround at her within moments and knock her out with those weapons if she didn’t put up a shield in time. Thankfully, none of them had spears so she didn’t have to worry about ranged attacks. Beyond the door laid the throne room. Both Twilight and Spike looked around with their jaws slightly hung open. It was easily double the size of the one in Canterlot. Looking around, Twilight saw there were numerous thin marble pillars neatly placed into four rows with vines made of copper wrapped around them. Some of the vines even had copper flowers ‘growing’ on them, making Twilight wonder if this was a real plant that could only be found here in Thunder Valley or if it was just a flourish. From the doorway to the other end was a red velvet walkway that contrasted nicely with the white marble flooring around them. Above their heads, somepony had long ago painted the ceiling to resemble the night sky in perfect detail. Every star was in just the right place and every constellation was perfectly proportionate, causing Twilight to give a nod of approval. The only thing that was off was the moon, which still contained The Mare in the Moon looking down at the few ponies in the room. As Twilight walked across the throne room it almost felt like it was always looking at her. Weird. At the end of the velvet walkway were six marble steps that led up to a wooden throne. Large enough to sit Princess Celestia, the cushion was made of red velvet and looked very soft. There were no engravings or details in the wood, making it look plain and simple. Twilight was almost a tad disappointed having assumed that this would have been another technological marvel. Behind the throne were the only windows in the entire room. They were stained glass, each one with one of the hooded figures from before with their heads looking down upon the throne as if they were watching its occupant. “This throne is over eight hundred years old,” said the Count, his voice echoing across the room. “Queen Blood Diamond was traveling across Thunder Valley when a sudden storm appeared, knocking her carriage to the ground along with her only colt. While her escort did not survive, the royal line survived using the remains of their transport as shelter. For four days they were protected from the fury of the elements and the rage of the beasts that prowl this land. Then, when they were brought back, the Queen demanded that carriage that had so dutifully kept them safe become her throne.” Twilight blinked at this. “You mean to say that this…” Count Raven nodded. “This was hoof crafted from its remains. King Cobalt used to tell me that he always felt safe when he sat there, more level-headed. Something Your Grace will get to experience one day. Now, allow me to show you to Your Grace’s office followed by the living quarters.” As the Count turned to walk over to side, Spike spoke up. “I’m still a little surprised. I mean, that they’re giving Twilight a chance. They seemed like they were against the idea when we first got in there.” “Oh, make no mistake,” said the Count as they approached a wooden door. “They are not excited about this at all. The only reason they are allowing Her Grace this chance is because it will work out well for them either way.” Twilight paused as she blinked at this statement. “What do you mean by that?” “I told Your Grace that the nobles here have made very little headway in improving things over since the Princess was dethroned,” said the Count as he stopped in front of the door. Calmly, he turned to look at her as she nodded. “Many of the ponies here have been losing their faith in them while their own personal projects have had to be put on hold. They need to show that something, anything is being done. Thus where Your Grace comes in. If Your Grace does a good job then they shall receive credit for putting you in the position to do so. Should Your Grace fail, well then, it makes them look better by comparison. Add to the fact that they will remove you while undoing all the changes you made will help make them look a tad bit better. Regardless of the outcome, they get to go home and relax from all the stress they have been under, turning their attention to more personal matters. No matter how one looks at this, it’s a win-win situation for them.” “What a bunch of jerks,” stated Spike as he crossed his arms and looked away. Count Raven, who at this point had a hoof on the door, paused for a moment to look at him. “At least their behavior works in our favor,” he said before opening the door. On the other side was a large, circular room. Walking in, Twilight saw that the room had barely any clutter at all. Nearly every bit of the walls had built in bookshelves stacked with books going all the way to the ceiling. There were only a few exceptions to this. The first was a space directly across from where she stood. Instead of books was a large cylinder pipe coming out of the ground and into the ceiling. Turning her head in one direction Twilight saw another door that looked much like the one she had just come through, meaning that there was more than one way into this office. Turning her head the other way, Twilight spotted a space behind the desk which contained a map of Thunder Valley. Speaking of the desk, it was made of bronze except for its surface, which was made of finely polished wood. Littering the desk was an in & out tray, some sort of machine with a speaker in it, papers, and a picture frame, while in front of it were two seats for guests. As Twilight walked across the wooden floor to get behind the desk she lifted the gear shaped picture frame with her magic. Inside was a black and white photo of four thestrals. There was a large, burly stallion with mutton chops, a short beard, and mustache standing next to an elegant looking mare with her mane tied up in a bun. In front of the couple was a black colt and a white filly. For a while, Twilight stood there as she stared at the picture before her, realizing that this had to be King Cobalt and his family. She wished she could get a better idea of what they were like from the photo but it seemed impossible. The former king was stone faced as he looked at the camera while the mare next to him looked regal, but nothing beyond that. There was no smile to be seen or twinkle in the eyes like the ones Twilight had of her family. Looking down at the two foals, they were displaying much more personality. Obsidian couldn’t hide the grumpiness from his face, his glare shouting to the pony taking the picture to hurry up. Alabaster, on the other hoof, was all smiles and joy. It looked like she was as happy as Pinkie Pie in that moment, clearly enjoying herself. It was saddening to know how she would later turn out. As Twilight set the frame down, she looked up to see Count Raven approaching the pipeline. As she walked around the desk, Twilight watched as the Count reaching for a leaver that he quickly pulled. There was a hissing noise followed by the pipe opening up and slid to the side revealing another elevator lift. “Right this way Your Grace,” said Count Raven as he opened a wing towards the now open door. Soon enough all three of them were in the elevator. Space was a bit tighter than it had been in the first lift, with Spike needing to jump onto her back in order for all of them to fit. It was clear this was meant for a single pony, two max. As she stood there, Twilight watched Count Raven bring the tip of his wing towards three golden buttons that were labeled. The first was labeled as ‘Royal Quarters’ while the second was ‘Office’. The third was simply labeled ‘Escape’. After pressing the first button, Twilight felt the lift rise quicker than she expected. Before she knew it the door slid open once more to reveal a much more cluttered area. In every direction she looked there were mannequins dolled up in fancy dresses of blacks, greys, and golds. Around each of their necks were large necklaces that sported enough gems to serve as a full course meal for Spike. There were also earrings attached to their ears as well as bracelets on their front hooves. Slowly, Twilight stepped into the room only to find more dresses. Along the walls were racks full of dresses that were lightly powdered in dust while in-between them were large cabinets of fine dark wood. What was in them Twilight could only guess. Perhaps more jewelry or horseshoes. Humming to herself, the alicorn had to wonder just how much had been spent on all of this. How much of the Royal budget had been wasted buying so much? Not even Rarity had this many dresses just lying around collecting dust. “Sadly, the upstairs is a bit more crowded Your Grace,” said Count Raven as he stepped out of the lift. Twilight’s wings stiffened in shock as she turned around to look at him. “Please tell me there’s not more dresses up there?” she pleaded. The stallion let out a heavy sigh. “I’m afraid so, Your Grace. Princess Alabaster was never one to throw away anything that belonged to her, even if she hated it or used it only once.” He then turned towards the stairs. “Perhaps Your Grace would like to turn in for the day. I’ll show Your Grace how to summon the maids so that they may clear out a room while bringing up Your Grace’s belongings.” Twilight could only nod to that. It had been a long night and she had a feeling they were only going to be getting longer.