Master Guardian Selena entered the Council Chamber, with her daughter resting upon her foreleg. She didn’t use magic, this was more intimate, more personal. The father was waiting outside, as was requested. She only took a few steps inside, and stopped a generous distance from the great marble table. Around it, the ten other Master Guardians had their gazes fixed upon the new arrival, the first alicorn born, ever.
Directly across from Selena, Magikhan Arcana cocked her head, and broke the silence:
"So, she was born."
Selena didn't answer, merely got an ever so slightly firmer grip on her daughter.
"Please, step closer, Guardian Selena. Let us all see the newborn."
"I'd prefer not to." came the ice cold answer.
Arcana shook her head once, and left her place, walking a half-circle around the table. The rest of the councilors were still silent, and only followed the events with their eyes.
She stepped right up to Selena, who faced her properly. For a few moments, she only stared at the child, who was sleeping.
"Does she have a name already?"
"Yes. Her name is Celestia." came the answer, and the ice in the mother's voice suddenly melted.
"A beautiful name. Otherwise... how sad. She looks small and weak, just like the infants of mortals. And she doesn't even have her mark of destiny. What were you thinking, Selena?! What was your lover thinking?"
Selena's left eye twitched, but she braced herself, and could keep her composure.
"I'm not sure what you're implying, Arcana. Speak clearly."
"You have broken one of our most sacred tenets, a custom everyone respected. Now, there is a child among us, a potential source of weakness, something that could be exploited by our enemies."
"What enemies? What weakness?" Selena raised her voice "You are out of your mind Arcana, no hostile could ever bring us down, and no one actually tried in several millennia."
"But could she fight? Could she assist if an intervention was necessary to help ponykind? What's her destiny, even?"
"She will grow up to be a great warrior, and more. I'm sure she will find her own destiny. Actually, it might be beneficial destiny wasn't set before her. Unlike with all the created alicorns."
"You mean like a mortal? Selena, you know magic works differently for us, there is no guarantee she can gain a mark."
"There is no guarantee she can't get one, either!" Selena shot back.
Arcana turned away from the newfound mother, and paced for a few seconds before speaking again.
"And who will raise this child, hm? Amongst all our other duties...
"Of course" Selena interrupted, squinting her eyes in anger "Solus and I will raise her. If you wanted to imply it would be the responsibility of the tribe, don't worry, neither of us require your help. But it's rich you're talking about "our other duties". You've been neglecting our most important one! Ponykind is facing winters increasingly long. That can't be natural. It should be investigated, and rectified. But you and the Council have been ignoring it for years. Isn't that right, noble Council?"
Selena stared at the rest present, but she only got blank expressions, and a few upturned snouts in return. She let out a painful chuckle, and shook her head.
"Of course, you're mute again. Or just deaf? Or the Creator stole your ability to speak?"
Arcana slowly returned to her place at the table, between Guardians Chronos and Novum. After Selena's anger subsided a little, she said:
"If you didn't leave the Council, noble Selena, you'd have more influence in such matters. But every member of our tribe could tell, ponykind isn't in immediate danger right now. So an intervention is unnecessary, and so is giving this non-issue undue attention."
"But giving your obsession" Selena tensed up again, and raised her voice "too much attention is entirely necessary, isn't it, noble Council?!"
The Council stirred at such words. Their mumblings were in obvious disapproval of Selena's opinion. One of them, Erasmus, spoke up:
"Selena, please. You can't say finding the Teardrops of Creation isn't important. It is our most sacred artifact! What would our Creator say if we just ignored securing her aspect for ourselves?"
"She would be disappointed that we ignore our most important duty instead."
"She would be also disappointed at your tone." said now the ever-judgemental Guardian Chronos, in his smoothest voice "If we give you even more than your due respect, then please at least don't yell with us."
"I'M YELLING WITH YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE BEING UNREASONABLE!!!"
The council chamber remained silent after Selena's outburst, but the faces told her all she needed to know. Except for Arcana's. Her ever-glowing eyes made her inscrutable. But the other expressions, of anger and contempt, surmised this was another one of those impromptu council sessions that would go nowhere.
And to underline the silence, a few seconds later Celestia began to cry, subtly, quietly, almost in spite of her infancy. Selena glanced down at her baby, and cradled her back and forth a bit.
"Now if you excuse me..." the mother said, and turned around to take her leave.
"Master Guardian Selena...
But Selena didn't wait for Arcana to finish. She left the council chamber, and slammed the door behind herself. With such force, that it thundered throughout the Citadel.