//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 // Story: Diplomacy for the Strong // by Wages of Sin //------------------------------// Stoning her features and building her courage, Twilight released a held breath before surrounding the doors in her magic and swiftly pushing them open. In her mental preparation she had expected within the room to find an important-looking table with a series of middle-aged griffons. She was therefore quite surprised when, for the first time in what felt like so long, her expectations actually lined up with what she found. Before her sat another immense, solid-looking square table that filled the middle of the room. Despite its size, only eleven chairs sat around it, of which only eight were filled by griffons. Around the outside of the room were short shelves in front of walls adorned with elaborate paintings of important-looking griffons bedecked in medals. On one side of the room, the shelves held a large number of identical boxes, and on the other wall the shelves held stacks of rolled up paper. The shelving on the box side had nothing resting on top, leaving the finely polished surface clear, but the shelves with the paper had yet more paper on top, in the form of enormous rolls multiple meters in length, suspiciously similar to the size of the central table. The table itself looked like it could seat dozens more than its current occupants and probably hold a Hearth Warming’s feast for the whole capitol. It would not be mistaken for a feast table though, as what was on it showed it was clearly not for dining. Directly in front of each griffon were papers and folders. Some had only a few folders while others had stacks. One seat had one of the boxes from the shelf placed atop a veritable mountain of paper. Slightly inward of each seat’s papers were intricate individual inkstands with matched quills, each finely crafted and bearing a small crest that Twilight could assume was representative of the griffon to whom each belonged. Sitting beside each stand was a full glass of what looked to be freshly poured ice water. The back of Twilight’ mind absently made a connection between the full refreshments and the presence of the maids, but was too preoccupied with the final thing on the table. The last thing to be seen on the table was the most impressive. In the center taking up ninety percent of the surface, was an enormous map of the empire. Though calling it just "a map" was like calling the library down the halls just "a library" or Celestia just "a pony". This map was a work of art. As intricate in detail as any map Twilight had seen in her trips spelunking the archives in Canterlot; the map depicted every hill, every valley, every border, stream, town, port, fort, village, glen and dale, cop of trees; every feature of even the most trivial note was each represented in fine detail. It was as if she was so high up in the clouds that she could be looking down upon the entire empire. The map was not bare though, with its immensity partially covered by a large number of finely crafted silver-grey models. The two largest models depicted cloud cities, which sat suspended above the map on thin glass legs, which held the mobile city “aloft” while simultaneously not obstructing the map itself. The mobile nature of the cities justified why they were not depicted on the map itself, and rather added as a flexible feature. What it did not explain was the purpose of the remaining figures, which overwhelmingly depict griffins in armor, though she could spot some other non-griffons pieces too. Twilight had seen a similar setup in Canterlot’s guard barracks, though that one only depicted Canterlot and had fallen into a dusty state of dis-use, only to be periodically cleaned off and used for war games, or to coordinate searches for lost fillies and foals. This one looked nothing like that one. The variously arranged figures of armed and armored griffons shined as if from recent polish, clearly depicting the undoubtedly up-to-date arrangement of griffon troops inside the nation. To be sure, this was a quintessential war room. A small part of Twilight felt an immense satisfaction that, for once, she may actually be able to “play this off” or at least be convincing enough as a ruler that on the off chance one of these generals was feeling less than content to be following a pony, that her actions here and now would dissuade them. Strong and bold. she told herself Just like last time. That was the practice run. These are the griffons that matter! she said psyching herself up. Go! Perhaps three seconds had passed since she had opened the doors, enough time for those inside to react to her presence, but not so long as to feel hesitant. On her mental mark, she began marching into the room, wings extended and with all the confidence of the juggernaut she was supposed to be. I’m an Alicorn, and I run this place now! She marched in, making her way to her seat. She could tell it was to be her seat, the seat of honor, due to its positioning at what could be considered the head of the table. Before it sat several implements of direction, including a pointer stick and a long wooden hoe-like object that looked like it was used for moving around pieces on the map. Reaching the seat, she hopped up, waited a moment, and cleared her throat, finally looking around to examine the griffons themselves. She could now clearly see that most of the eight generals present were in line with her expectations. Each appeared significantly older than herself, though not old enough to be considered elderly. In fact, several appeared to be in condition to fight, though she expected such things were behind them in any context other than training and discipline. The only outliers from her predictions of what a griffon high-general would look like were the griffon with the high stack of papers, whose eyes darted around as he fidgeted in his seat, and the one across the table from him, whose dark black feathers accentuated his younger appearance and whose frame was much slimmer than those to his left and right. “Now,” Twilight began, intentionally trying to sound firm, “What is the situation?” She made a show of surveying the map with a slow sweep of her head, mentally noting all the particularly dense clusters of troops. “Empress,” the griffon to her immediate left said, drawing Twilight’s attention to him and the nest-with-eggs engraved ink-stand before him, “May I be the first among us to congratulate you on your masterful maneuvering and swift conquest. A brilliant strategy through and through.” Twilight rolled her eyes, half in act and half genuinely. “It was far from perfect.” she said challengingly, “My original plan failed to account for the necessary time and area required for the storm to build, nor had I planned a proper way for the prisoners to be dealt with following the surrender. Should I have the opportunity to employ the same strategy again, I would need to plan the storm’s path over the geography better, as well as scale the storm’s power relative to the size and composition of the enemy’s forces, as well as their footing on the terrain.” The explanation was only the beginning of the critique she had done the night after the event. Her words lasted only a few seconds, but she could tell that the generals were suitably impressed. Reactions ranged, most were still stony-faced, but a few gave up their own pretense and were wearing grins. Before anyone else spoke, Twilight heard a hum from the door, “It seems everything is under control here.” The former empress said, starting to close the door. “Where are you going?” Twilight said flatly. “I could never intrude upon-” “No, come here.” she cut her off, patting the side of her chair with a hoof. The griffoness obeyed, traveling to her master’s side like a trained dog. The griffon had lowered her head as she approached, but Twilight could still see her smirking, bringing the slightest hint of one to her features as well. If there were any objections to the former empress’s presence, the generals didn't say anything. “Now!” she announced from her chair-throne, “What is the goal of today’s meeting?” One of the smirking griffons was first to recover. “Standard defense, your highness, we must sure our defenses during this time. Others may see this time of uncertainty and attack.” “Uncertainty? What is uncertain?” Twilight asked, her tone challenging, but inside she was genuinely confused. The griffon’s composure faltered for a moment, “No- I meant no disrespect, your highness.” he straightened himself, “Surely your plan accounts for this, but some may still worry what other nations may try for the short time we are not at full strength.” Plan? Another of the smirking griffons, this one with what looked like either a lit wick or a stylized feather on his stand, was quick to add, “Of course, we are more powerful than ever before, but they may not realize the new extent of our power!” “New power?” Twilight asked, this time verbally as she calmly raised a brow. “I refer, of course, to your majesty!” he all too happily announced, “between your wisdom and your power, the Empire has never before been as secure as it is right now! Even the slave king would be a mere annoyance to us now!” “Especially,” the former empress said from her position beside Twilight, “since the re-awakened slave king was already defeated a second time by our Empress’s son.” Looks of shock crossed the beaks around the table. “Is this true, your majesty?” one wide-eyed general asked. “Well, yes,” Twilight responded truthfully, “but I don’t know about the ‘son’ part. Spike is my dragon assistant. I did hatch his egg and raise him though.” Surprised looks turned to even broader smirks. The second griffon to speak, a blue-grey plumed individual nodded to the one with the largest stack of papers and the box, who stood up, and began scanning the additional boxes behind him. “We were unaware of such, pardon our unpreparedness.” the blue grey griffon entreated. The searching griffon gave an “ah!” and pulled out another box, checking its contents before placing it on another of his paper towers. “Now?” he asked the others, who nodded, before pulling down the first box and opening it. He removed something from the box and handed it to the griffon with the burning feather insignia, who in turn approached Twilight, bowing as he raised the object to her. Twilight took the object, finding it to be a small metallic figure like those on the map, but rather than a griffon, it depicted a pony with both wings and a horn. “It’s... me?” “Yes your majesty! It would be beyond us to place your piece for you, so we thought it best if your first military action as Empress was to be the placement of your own piece!” the griffon with the papers excitedly explained. Twilight stared at the piece in her hoof. “Oh, that explains it,” she said calmly, taking it in her magic and placing it amongst the forces in the capital city, “I was wondering why there was so many pieces on the map. I had forgotten that the government itself was a military structure. These pieces represent Government officials don’t they?” “Very perceptive your highness, that is correct, figures with bases indicate officers or other noteworthy figures, freestanding pieces indicate troop counts. As you can see, most of our forces are off the table at the moment, though a sizable contingent of reserves is assigned to and kept by each city, should the need arise. We try to keep a rather even distribution of reserve forces, excepting the eastern coast and southern borders, of course. We keep triple contingents in those areas.” “Once the field army has returned, we had anticipated a doubling of all forces, and a further bulwark of the active army sent to reinforce the coast. “While doctrine would have us place more peace-keeping forces within the capitol for the time being, with your highness now leading us I doubt any would be foolish enough to try a coup’.” “I doubt even the dragons would be able to do much with you leading our forces! Not to mention,” he nodded to the griffon who had opened the second box, pulling out another figure, “one of our own!” he reached far from his seat over the table, placing the figure of a rather frightfully depicted dragon, “To think, an Alicorn and a Dragon leading the armies of the Empire! A sight to behold!” While Twilight couldn’t fault the General for his enthusiasm, she did feel a little tempering of his expectations was in order. “Well, don’t expect too much out of Spike.” she said with a chuckle, “While he is shaping up to be a great leader, but I doubt his particular skills will be in military command.” “Oh? Not much of one to stay back and give orders? Understandable, I remember making the transition from spear to quill myself. I still long for my early years when I could volunteer for a courier’s mission all the way across the Empire. The wind beneath my wings for days on end was an experience I cherish.” he sat wistfully for a moment, “Oh, but don’t worry, we’ll just from a personal regiment for him and place his alongside yours! I can only assume you are eager to inspect your Imperial Guard unit. You have the keen eyes of a warrior!” She was honestly taken aback by the… complement? She wanted to disagree with him, to protest somehow, but held her tongue. Instead she gave an ambiguous smile, which seemed to encourage the general. The griffon replied with a conspiratorial grin, “Your highness, you are amongst allies here! There is no need to be modest! Surely you can share with a story or two of your experiences in combat?” Twilight pondered the request. Should I? I don’t want to think that combat should be our primary policy, nor do I really want them thinking of me like that… but… ok Twilight, you are setting this up for stability… and for them stability is power... and it’s not like you DON’T have any stories… but to be sure... “What would you like to hear about?” she asked. The general to her left looked to the others before turning to her, “Do you have a favorite? A conflict that stands out amongst the rest?” “Well,” she said calmly, “for me the most un-conventional or rather what you would call a conventional fight, was with Tirek. We couldn’t use the Elements, so it was just a one on one fight. We ended up destroying a bunch of the Gallop Mountains by the time it was over, but that was mostly on accident. I would have to say out of all of the enemies I have faced, that fight was the most… intense.” While she spoke Twilight noticed a disproportionate amount of surprise from the generals at the mention of Tirek. “You defeated the First of the Minotaurs?” the blue-grey plumed general asked, nearly breathless. “First of the minotaurs?” Twilight repeated quietly to herself. She almost dove out of her seat when a beak whispered into her ear, “Tirek is the first order being of the Minotaurs.” Calming her heart as she remembered the presence of the former empress beside her, she sat back and racked her brains for an explanation. Before it came though, the generals were showering her with praise, “Surely if you have defeated the Consumer of Essence in single combat then we have nothing to fear!” “Truly, our new Empress is undefeatable!” The commotion turned inwards and the generals began animatedly speaking amongst themselves, only the griffon directly to her right remaining focused on her. “If I may be frank your majesty?” After a moment Twilight realized that he was actually waiting for permission, which she gave with a quick nod of her head. The griffon closed his eyes and bowed his head to her, “I had not known what to expect when I was made privy to the situation at hand, but now I truly believe that you will lead us to unprecedented greatness.” he raised his head, and made a show of looking around to the others at the table, “We have much yet to discuss, but nothing that truly requires your esteemed presence. The majority of administration is merely keeping everyone doing what they have already been doing. If there is another call upon your time, you have appropriately made your mark here.” Twilight recognized the offer and quickly decided to take it. “Then I will take my leave.” Twilight responded, nodding to the griffon before standing. To be fair, she knew perfectly well that ceremony almost certainly dictated that she make a show of departing, having everyone bow and such, but with the former empress at her side she simply trotted out of the room, not disturbing the generals still absorbed in their now much more animated discussions. With no further fuss they were out of the room with the door closed behind them. “That was Ikendar. While all generals of the council technically hold the same rank, he is the one they all defer to. He carries a great amount of weight throughout the Empire, and I am sure you will be relying on him a lot.” the former empress giggled, “And I think he likes you.” Twilight blushed despite knowing that was not what she meant. Twilight released a breath, “Well, how was that?” “Perfect your majesty. I had no doubts you would, but making the impression you just did with the generals will lend to good things in the future.” Twilight nodded, but then looked to the Empress when she remembered an earlier point of confusion, “So what was all that about the ‘first of the minotaurs’?” “Oh? I was wondering what term you ponies used for them. It’s what we call the Original Children, the High Order.” Twilight stared at the griffoness with a continued look of confusion. The griffoness returned her own look of befuddlement. “The guardians of the races? The… You are an alicorn, how do you not know of this? The beings of each race tasked with their guidance, and therefore given great powers and immortality?” Twilight was stunned silent, this was the first she was hearing about this, something that the griffoness was noticing with increasing concern. “When the creator made all life, she appointed some of her children to lead their respective races to prosperity. In doing so, she granted each a portion of her unending power. Of course, it worked out better for some than others, but… You really do not know of this?” “NO!” Twilight all but screamed, ”How do YOU know this?” The griffoness recoiled at her liege’s outburst, genuinely frightened, “The journal of the Eggless! It is one of our greatest treasures. An account of the first High Order, of those originally picked by the Creator herself before her departure, the Original Children.” “I need to see it!” Twilight said with a seriousness that she would not have realized herself capable of had she not felt as she did right now. Her sudden quest for ancient reality-shaping knowledge was sidetracked before the pair could turn the next corner though, as another booming cry could be heard throughout the castle. “Twilight Sparkle! Great Betrayer! Come now and face righteous judgement!” Twilight wanted to slam her face into the walls until the whole palace collapsed. Not only was this voice appearing at a pretty important time, it was also one she recognized. “What in the high hay does Luna want?”