//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 - Council // Story: Flight of the Golden Eagle - A New World // by Acacia Sgt //------------------------------// March 18, 1825AD Mexico City, Federal District The sun was only just peaking over the Mexican capital. The city was bustling with activity already, but what was already setting it apart from past days was the group of men on horseback approaching the city. True to his previous message, General Echávarri and his men were arriving to the capital on schedule, all the way from Acapulco. They still had distance to cover before reaching the outskirts, but at the speed of the horses’ gallop, it would not take more than an hour, barring an unforeseen difficulty. They had woken when it was still dark, but Echávarri knew there was such a thing as arriving too early. But by the time they would reach the President, he was bound to be already awake, and perhaps even already waiting for them. The city soon came within sight. Canterlot, Central Equestria Gold Ingot and Starswirl, alongside the former’s guards, were almost at the room that housed the Council, advancing through the preceding hallway. The doors awaited at the opposite end, flanked by two guards. And yet, despite still advancing towards the doors, they could hear the voices coming from within. “They cannot possibly be too many! We do not need the entire army there!” “It is a risk to our reputation! Is that what we want for a first impression!?” “We do not know yet how Captain Wing Shield is proceeding! He just sent word back, we should wait to hear the full report!” The King stopped, allowing Starswirl to close the distance between them, stopping once they were side by side. The guards remained a bit behind them both. “Seems they are still in debate,” Starswirl said, as the voices kept going. “So it is,” the King began. “It is almost a shame, then.” “Oh, and what makes you say that, your majesty?” Starswirl could almost not need to ask, but sometimes, it humored him hearing it anyway. “The time they spent bickering will not be fully come undone once I announce my decision,” Gold Ingot, likewise, found humor much the same in replying. They stood there for a few moments more, listening to the loud conversation. “I think it is time we should let their throats rest, don’t you agree, your majesty?” Starswirl asked, a small smirk on his face. “I agree,” Gold Ingot returned a smirk, but both were brief, as they soon returned to their previous neutral expressions. They all resumed their walk, closing the remaining distance. The guards at the doors bowed, before one of the them opened a door with his magic. It opened to a big room, with a high ceiling like the throne room, but this one housed a large table running across it. It contained several seats, almost all which were currently occupied by the bickering ponies, spread out uniformly around. The table itself was mostly barren, but did contained a few glass pitchers filled with water, and a cup per seat. There were guards present on the room’s side of the doors, two as well. They bowed as well as the entourage of four crossed the doorway, the door closing behind them. All this did not go unnoticed by the seated individuals, which finally brought pause to their arguments. “Your majesty!” They all bowed. Gold Ingot made his way to the seat at the closest end of the table, which was unoccupied, and sat. Starswirl for his part, took the also unoccupied seat that was to the right from Gold Ingot’s perspective, the first of the side seats. The King’s two guards positioned themselves behind his seat, to the sides. “Everypony,” Gold Ingot began, glancing around the table. “As I was coming here it came to my attention the heated discussion that was happening a moment ago.” The ponies glanced at each other, and while a few did falter into a brief worried expression, most kept their composure. “Unfortunately, I cannot say I liked what I was hearing.” The council kept their silence. “This is not a light decision to make, I will admit. And I know you are hopeful that Captain Wing Shield has sent us information on the identity and intents of our potential visitors.” He made a pause, before grabbing one of the pitchers with his magic, and began to pour water to his designated cup. “But the truth on the matter is that we are still in the dark about them.” And that did it, the whole room’s silence was broken. “Wing Shield sent us nothing!?” “This is of no help!” “We should proceed anyway with the plan!” “That is still a bad idea!” The council had begun to bicker with each other once more, as Gold Ingot merely drank from his cup. Starswirl only stared at the scene unfolding before him. “You were right, your majesty,” he said, speaking louder than usual to be heard over the mass of voices. “None pleased whatsoever.” “Starswirl, if you will,” Gold Ingot said, at an equally raised volume. “At once, your majesty,” Starswirl lit up his horn, and shortly after the same glow appeared in Gold Ingot’s throat. The guards behind him barely had time to cover their ears with their hooves. “Silence!” The augmented volume, thanks to Starswirl’s magic, was enough to quiet once more the room. As almost everypony present flinched at the sudden outburst, they all turned back to face their king. The glow on his throat vanished, as did the one in Starswirl’s horn. “Thank you, Starswirl,” Gold Ingot said before glancing back to the rest of the room. “Yes, it is unfortunate Captain Wing Shield acted the way he did,” he continued. “Perhaps we may soon be hearing more news, but I think we should act now.” “Your majesty,” one of them was finally addressing Gold Ingot. “Did you not previously stated you disliked our current discussion?” “That is correct,” Gold Ingot nodded. “We must not forget the values from which our realm was born.” On cue, Starswirl used his magic once more, from which a cone of light shot out from his horn. He moved his head so the light now shone on a big tapestry that hung on one of the walls. It depicted six ponies, with three huddled together in the center, and the other three forming a semi-circle below them. Just above the former three was a fiery heart, and all around the edges of the tapestry depicted ghostly equines. It was a depiction of the Hearth’s Warming. “Equestria came to be when we united in friendship, and while we never had the chance to, now the opportunity has come where we can show it to the rest of the world. Starting with our first contact with a fellow realm.” At this the light dissipated, as Starswirl turned back to face the council. “Quite well stated, your majesty,” he said. “But, your majesty,” a pony spoke up. “We still need to think on our safety. Discord was a foreigner to these lands. What if they too come with malign intentions? Or expect compensation for whatever havoc spilled out during Discord’s reign?” Other ponies murmured in agreement. He had a point. Some of the things Discord did, like moving the sun and moon however he pleased, that was something the rest of the world could hardly ignore. And he had usurped the title of ruler of Equestria, which now meant the kingdom was now involved to a degree. “I am sure we can clear any misunderstanding that could arise,” Gold Ingot replied. “And it is for that reason that I have decided that we should not only meet up with them, but also invite them into Equestria proper.” The silence was only brief. “What!?” Mexico City, Federal District “Is that all?” After arriving to the capital, Echávarri made it directly to the National Palace. President Victoria was, indeed, waiting for his arrival. Echávarri was then able to deliver his report to not just President Victoria, but also to Vice President Nicolás Bravo, who was present as well. “Yes, Mr. President,” Echávarri replied. “And since by that point we had veer so much off the original course, it was decided to head back immediately.” “A wise decision,” the vice president said, glancing to Victoria. “Though personally, I would think we already had enough evidence.” “It is true, considering the reports that have arrived so far,” the president said, returning the gaze. “But I think that after listening to the general’s findings, it seals any doubt that still lingered. Any remaining report from the north might no longer be needed, at least for that subject.” “Should we inform Congress right away?” Bravo asked. “That would be best,” Victoria replied. “Besides, there are a few things to address in light of the new information.” He then turned back to face Echávarri. “General, I would like for you and your men to accompany us. Some of the congress members may require more than just my word.” “Understood, Mr. President,” Echávarri said. The three men then proceeded to leave the building. Not far from the National Palace lied the St. Peter & St. Paul Church. Ever since the Jesuits were expelled from the Spanish realms in the mid eighteenth century, the church, and the college with the same name next to it, were left mostly abandoned with almost all the items housed within taken elsewhere. Despite their return in the early nineteenth century, only restoration work was done to the buildings. It wasn’t until the year eighteen twenty-two when the church saw use again, being chosen to house the congress of the nascent nation, and remained so when the failed empire gave way to the federal republic. It was where the 1824 Constitution was drafted and ratified, and Guadalupe Victoria was chosen as the first president of the country, mere weeks before the rest of the world vanished. But such action did not stop the First Constitutional Congress from starting suit at the beginning of the current year, but their workload had to shift accordingly because of it. Echavárri and his men, alongside Victoria and Bravo, had now arrived in front of the church. They crossed under the archway that served as the entrance gate into the small courtyard that then led into the buildings. They all dismounted from their horses, and gathered by the main entrance of the church. “There is no need for all of you to enter, wait here,” Echávarri was saying to his men. Soon, they were inside. Canterlot, Central Equestria Gold Ingot waited, a front knee resting on one of the armchairs, chin resting over a hoof. The council members were once more arguing with each other. But enough was enough, so he simply glanced towards Starswirl, who nodded and his horn began to glow again. However, unlike the last time, somepony happened to see it, and began to franticly wave and point. He didn’t go unnoticed, and soon the room quickly fell into silence once more. Seeing there was no need to cast the spell again, Starswirl cancelled its casting right away. The attention back to him, Gold Ingot straightened back out on his seat. “Everypony, I know many of you are not sure of this decision,” he began. “It is true, they might come with less than friendly intentions. But if we stay true to what Equestria represents, and they are witness to it, it might compel them to respond in kind. I should say we must give friendship a chance.” “And if they don’t want to?” A pony spoke up. “Then we will answer accordingly,” the king replied. “Please do not misunderstand my proposal to mean we will not be cautious about it.” The worried expressions on most of the council began to relax. Gold Ingot could almost smile. The more comfortable they were to the idea, the more they would accept it. Though others seemed to need some more convincing. “I know it is a risk,” he decided to immediately continue. “We have not done this before. Even before Discord, before the unification, at best there are only records of isolated cases. We ponies have been mostly on our own. But now that will change. If not them, others will come, and we need to start somewhere. We will learn from the experience, good or bad. But we need to act.” Silence fell once more upon the room. Barely noticed, one pony had a thoughtful look, lightly tapping his chin with a hoof. He finally stopped, nodded to himself, and rose from his seat. “Your majesty, I understand what you say,” he said, as he began to walk to the end of the table. “Even if I cannot say I fully support it. I know many here would agree with me. But, at the same time, you have a point that otherwise it would be going against the very values that founded our society.” He finally reached the end of the table. “So, if you think it is our best course to follow, I am willing to give your suggestion a chance.” And then gave a small bow. The effect was almost immediate. Talk once more took over the room, with the atmosphere was different. Only a few remained silent. The standing pony returned to his seat. “So quick to comply when they can shift all responsibility of what happens to others,” Gold Ingot turned to face Starswirl. “And are you worried about it, your majesty?” Starswirl talked back. “A little,” Gold Ingot faced back the council, still mostly talking between themselves. “But I still trust it will not come to that.” “I take it you had also thought about how to actually proceed with this?” “As a matter of fact, I have,” the King replied. “And that involves…” Castle of the Two Sisters, South Equestria “Us!?” Celestia and Luna could only stare in shock. “Yes, it is as I say,” Starswirl said. “The King has chosen you two to meet up with our guests.”