//------------------------------// // Terribly Awkward Dinners // Story: Princess Twilight and the Disastrously Daunting Delegates // by Ponibius //------------------------------// After a rough evening spent failing to impress Archon Sunset, dinner time finally rolled around. Thankfully, Pinkie and Spike had outdone themselves and set up quite the spread of food, a major plus when I had so many prestigious guests sitting at my dinner table. In addition to the Archon, we had been joined by ambassadors from Gryphonia, the Zebrican Empire, and Westmarch. According to my advisors, the ambassadors had come along with Sunset as she visited Equestria, probably to gauge how she interacted with me and other Equestrians. That wouldn’t have made me quite so nervous if not for the fact that my first meeting with the Archon could have gone better. Failing to please the Archon was one thing; it was quite another to do so in front of foreign dignitaries. Making Equestria look bad was one of the last things I wanted to do, especially when Princess Celestia had asked me to make the best first impression I could for the Archon. Maybe dinner would turn things around? It was hard to go wrong with everyone sitting around a table and talking. I smiled as everyone settled in at the table. “Thank you for joining us for dinner, everyone. It’s nice to have so many guests tonight.” “Thank you for the invitation.” Archon Sunset gestured at her fettuccini with her fork. “This looks really good.” The ambassadors murmured in polite agreement with Sunset’s sentiments, and I felt my smile widen. “Thank you. I’ll make sure to give the chefs your compliments later.” I’d have to find a way to thank Pinkie and Spike for their help later. “Equestrian hospitality continues to be as welcoming as its always been,” the Zebrican ambassador said, raising his glass in appreciation. Ambassador Kadri was an older stallion, his body covered by wrinkles and scars from many long years with the Zebrican janissaries. He’d reportely been given his ambassador posting by Sultan Batur as thanks for his dedicated service. Gerda, the Ambassador for Westmarch, smiled as she served herself a spoonful of salad. She was a diminutive gryphon, with bright eyes and vigor in all her movements. “I'm certainly impressed, Princess. I’ll have to be careful or I’ll have trouble leaving your castle.” The Ambassador for Gryphonia, Baron Goldpeak, narrowed his eyes in the direction of the Westmarchian ambassador. “It's ... passable.” “Was ... there anything else you wanted?” I felt a few hairs in my mane start to curl. “Or is something not to your satisfaction?” Baron Goldpeak huffed as he tied his napkin around his neck. “A bit more meat on the table would've been nice.” My ears flattened to my head. “My apologies, we normally don't serve a lot of meat here.” Even as a princess, I would have had to special-order that particular dish. There simply wasn’t much of a demand for it. Sure, there was the odd pony with a taste for meat, but it was pretty unusual. I had concentrated so much on Sunset—a fellow pony—that I hadn’t considered having meat served for dinner. Goldpeak huffed and picked up his eating utensils. “Then I will make do.” Gerda narrowed her eyes as she moved her glass to her beak, murmuring just loud enough to be heard. “Or the ambassador could be a better guest.” “It helps when you tell your host what you desire before dinner,” Kadri added, his tone sour. I moved quickly to try and put out the fire before it got too big. “It's not a huge deal either way. Just something to keep in mind for the future.” “Yes, let's just move on,” Sunset declared, not looking up as she ate. The room grew quiet as everyone turned to their meals with varying levels of enthusiasm. Gerda and Baron Goldpeak were trading glances out of the corner of their eyes while Kadri ate in stoic silence. Not a great start to dinner. Not wanting the evening to fall apart, I turned to Archon Sunset to try and spark up a more pleasant conversation. “So Archon, I've heard some pretty exciting things about your school. I’m particularly fascinated by how your school is branching into multiple schools of magic. Little surprise when you can draw on the magical experiences of all the different cultures that live in Freeport.” Sunset smiled. “I do think the Academy has been doing quite well.” “And I've heard you want to start an exchange program with Equestria,” I said. “That would be quite the change, since I don't think Equestria and Freeport have ever done that before.” Sunset turned her head to face me. “No, we haven't. But the early tests with Northmarch have gone well, and I believe Sultan Batur is interested as well.” “The Sultan is entertaining the idea,” Ambassador Kadri confirmed between bites. “Once a couple details have been settled, he should fully approve the exchange.” “Glad to hear it.” Sunset’s eyes flicked to the two gryphons at the other end of the table. “And it’s a program I’d consider extending to other interested nations as well. The strength of the Freeport Magic Academy is in the diversity of its classes.” Goldpeak and Gerda weren’t quick to reply, but I knew how I wanted to respond. “I know I would have been tempted by it when I was attending Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns.” I might very well have gone if not for the fact that I didn’t want to be away from Princess Celestia for so long. That could have been to my detriment, thinking back on it; I spent so much time trying to please Celestia that I completely neglected things like making friends. Well, all I could do was try and make up for it now and help create opportunities for others in the future. “Glad to hear it.” Sunset smiled. “The endorsement of another princess would help push things along and encourage students to join the exchange program.” “And maybe I can visit Freeport someday? You've come all this way to visit me here, after all, and I’d like to see this new magic school.” My smile widened at the idea of all I could do while visiting Freeport. “I’m sure you’re collecting quite the interesting library over there too.” The corner of Sunset’s mouth quirked. “I’m going to guess I’m stating the obvious when I say you’re a bit of a bibliophile?” I chuckled. “Just a little bit. I just really like learning, and what better way to learn than to read?” Sunset hummed neutrally as she returned to her meal. “Honestly, I think the best way to learn is to get your hooves dirty. You learn a lot more by doing something than just by reading about it. That’s why I try and encourage more hooves-on experiences in my school’s classes.” “That ... is another way to look at it, yes,” I said, not wanting to be too contrary to my guest. “There is always that debate between what you can learn in the classroom versus out in the world.” Gerda inserted herself back into the conversation as she prepared another bowl of salad for herself. “If you are planning on visiting Freeport, I hear that the Freeport Magic Academy won’t be the only new school you’ll get to visit.” “Yes, Freeport’s new naval academy,” Kadri said in a carefully neutral tone. “Another one of the Archon’s changes since coming into power.” The ambassadors all turned their attention to Sunset, even if they were trying not to be obvious about it. It made me wonder what this was all about. Equestria and Westmarch each had their military academies, and it seemed Sunset wanted the same for Freeport. The Zebrican Empire and Gryphonia still had ... more traditional arrangements for training their leaders, drawing on the nobility and those with connections to find them. Were they worried about what Freeport was up to? Ugh, I’d spent so much time making everything perfect for the Archon just showing up that I’d neglected looking into recent events in Freeport and what they meant. Sunset took time chewing her food before responding. “The academy’s part of the reforms for Freeport’s military, yes. We’re moving away from having our forces consist entirely of mercenaries, which means we need professional officers to lead a professional military.” The Zebrican general inclined his head slightly. “True, though one has to wonder how Freeport's status might be shifting with recent changes.” An upraised eyebrow from Sunset prompted him to continue. “Freeport has traditionally been neutral in world affairs. One can't help but wonder if its new leader will take Freeport in a new and bold direction. After all, the Council did much to change your country when they came to power. Should we not expect the same from you?” I got the sense there was something else he was asking without saying, but I wasn’t entirely sure what that was. Could it be about the possibility of Freeport shifting its place in relation to its neighbors? Sunset had been a student of Princess Celestia. It made sense that some would worry about Sunset aligning closely to Equestria, since that would be a pretty radical departure from their past policy. Add that to the fact that Freeport seemed to be expanding—or at least reforming its military, and suddenly I sensed the tension that had been in the background of the room since we had all sat down. I wasn’t entirely sure how to deal with the situation I found myself in. Talking about politics around the dinner table was pretty much asking for trouble, but just shutting down the conversation would seem rude. I tried to think of what Celestia would do in a situation like this, but the conversation around me kept going. Sunset shrugged, oblivious to my thoughts. “Yes, well, I've been changing quite a bit since I took power.” “Like the military buildup?” Gerda prompted. “Military formalization,” Sunset corrected—though whether that was really more correct or just a political nicety to brush aside what her nation was doing, I couldn’t say. I seriously needed to do more research, but I’d spent all my time on the preparations for the visit itself. I had thought the Archon’s visit was just going to be a nice meet-and-greet political function, not a very serious political discussion about national policy. That made me feel terribly unprepared. “A more effective military, however you look at it,” Kadri said, his plate forgotten. “This new military academy on top of your magic school, work being done to expand Freeport’s shipbuilding capacity, a national arsenal being constructed, and a dozen other things besides. One has to wonder what exactly you plan on doing after you’ve ... ‘formalized’ your military.” “For the moment, we’re just working on building a proper state-run military,” Sunset said, evading the ambassador’s question. “That’s going to take years of work as we move away from using mercenaries.” “That’s a lot of money being spent,” observed Gerda. “Money spent that would help you control the sea lanes around your islands.” It wasn’t hard to imagine what the Westmarch Ambassador was worried about: they depended heavily on overseas trade for their economy, and a new Freeportian navy might cut some of that off. Westmarch and Freeport had a historic rivalry with both being heavily involved in naval trade, even coming to blows a few times over the centuries. I moved in to try and keep the discussion between my dinner guests from exploding. “I’m sure the Archon just wants to keep the sea lanes safe from pirates. That’s something we can all work together on.” “Perhaps.” Gerda sat back in her seat as she stared at Sunset. “Assuming that’s one of Freeport’s goals.” Sunset frowned deeply, probably not liking the mention of Freeport’s history of piracy. “I assure you, it is. I’ve fought pirates before, and I’m not going to stop now.” “I don’t see the Archon supporting pirates like the previous rulers,” Kadri spoke up. “As she said, she has a history of fighting against such criminals, as well as monsters and warlocks.” Baron Goldpeak cleared his throat. “Though this talk makes me wonder how things will change going into the future, especially regarding Freeport’s foreign relations with its neighbors.” His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes as he looked my and Sunset’s way. “I’m sure plenty will note that Archon Shimmer visited Equestria first among her neighbors.” Ambassador Kadri momentarily stopped eating, his eyes narrowed. “I will also point out that she visited Zebrica right before her elevation to Archon.” Sunset stiffened slightly. “Equestria is Freeport’s most profitable trading partner, and I want to eliminate the trade barriers between our nations in order to make that trade even more profitable. I haven’t made any secret about that.” Goldpeak’s smirk widened as he took another sip of his wine. “Oh, no doubt that is one of your purposes for coming to Equestria. You probably wanted to see your old teacher as well, whom it’s said you are very close to. Though there have been a few rumors for there being a … let’s call it an ancillary reason for your visit.” Sunset’s eyes narrowed. “And that would be?” Goldpeak chuckled as though thinking of a private joke. “That you’re thinking about pursuing the most eligible bachelorette in Equestria, possibly in the entire world.” It took me a second before I realized who he was referring to. “W-wait! You mean me?!” “Who else?” The Baron smirked. “Though if you know of someone more eligible, I would be open to suggestions. My queen has two sons in need of a wife, after all.” My cheeks flushed at the sudden turn in this conversation. I could only stare on as I considered how best to reply to that. Baron Goldpeak must have been teasing me, surely. Unless he was right, and Sunset had specifically wanted to visit me in Ponyville instead of in Canterlot for some reason. Gerda raised an eyebrow as she looked between us. “That’s certainly a curious idea. Any truth to it?” Sunset’s face became a mask of stone as she answered. “If I’m going to marry anyone then you’ll find out when I make a public announcement. Until then, anything you might hear is only a rumor.” “Ah, I see.” Goldpeak nodded. “That clears things up nicely.” Maybe Goldpeak had seen more in the statement than I had, but that had been a pretty vague non-answer to me. There were several possibilities as to what it could mean, but I decided not to feed the fire for this particular conversation. I was blushing badly enough as it was. Sunset dabbed her mouth with her napkin. “In any event, I think I’m full. If no one minds, I’m going to retire for the evening.” None of the ambassadors objected, and she departed the table. Though I couldn’t help but think that she was leaving because of the direction the conversation had gone. Had it been a mistake to invite the ambassadors for dinner? I had only wanted to be polite and get to know everyone, not get everyone’s hackles up. Celestia made all of this look way too easy. Once she was gone, Goldpeak grinned my way. “Though, while we’re on the topic, have you considered your own marriage prospects, Your Highness?” I groaned and covered my face with a wing, eliciting a laugh from everyone at the table. I made my own escape from dinner some time later. That had not been how I wanted things to go. I was going to need to be more careful how I arranged these types of official dinners in the future. In the end, it felt like I had been bum-rushed by the gathered ambassadors and embarrassed in front of the Archon. This is probably why Celestia had wanted me to meet with Sunset to start with, to give me actual experience at this type of thing. It was the best teacher, after all. In any event, afterwards I headed up to the guest rooms assigned to Archon Sunset and her retinue. There were a few things I wanted to say to her after the events of the day, and some things I hoped to clear up. I knocked on the door to Sunset’s room. She opened it and blinked at the sight of me. “Princess Sparkle, why’re you here?” I smiled apologetically. “Hi. I wanted to talk about a couple of things. Now isn't a bad time, is it?” “No, not really.” Sunset trotted to the center of her room and quickly scooped up a metal rune-covered tube before shoving it into her saddlebags. “I wasn't doing anything special.” “Good then,” I said as I stepped into the guest quarters. There were a few suitcases piled to one side of the room, though what really took up space was the pair of golems standing against the wall. One of them turned its head in my direction as I entered, but the other seemed inert. Its chestplate had been opened to expose some of its internal workings. It seemed to me that a few parts had been removed. I pushed aside the desire to further examine the golem and addressed Sunset. “I just wanted to apologize for how dinner went. I didn’t intend for the ambassadors to all jump on you like that.” Sunset waved the issue off. “Don't worry about it, not the worst or most awkward dinner I've ever had.” I suppose that was a relief. “That’s good to hear. Things got a bit ... aggressive back there.” She grinned wryly. “Sometimes that happens when you’re the head of state. Everyone wants to know what you’re up to. They were probably just trying to needle me a bit to see how I’d respond, but that’s nothing I haven’t been through before. You were fine and the food was good, so there’s nothing to really apologize for.” “Thanks.” My ears went flat as another worry came to the surface. “Though I've been a bit worried that you were … um, a bit bored with my tours today.” Sunset frowned as she turned my way. “What gave you that idea?” I grimaced. “You didn't seem very interested when I was showing you around the castle. Or Ponyville. And then there was my little math error in my formula.” The Archon shrugged. “The town was interesting enough, and your palace is quite impressive.” I was momentarily taken aback by that. “Oh! Sorry, I just didn't get that impression.” “Huh.” Sunset scratched the side of her neck as she said, “Sorry, guess I wasn't showing it. Though really, your tour was fine. To be honest, this has been the closest thing I’ve had to a vacation since becoming archon. It’s been nice to just relax and walk around.” Well this hadn’t been what I’d expected. “Um, that’s good news then. It seems I’d been worried for nothing.” I chuckled to myself. “Which is good, since I wanted to make a good first impression for you.” Sunset shook her head. “You've done a fine job as a host so far, don’t worry about it.” She grinned at me. “Even if dinner was bit tense.” “Err, right.” I rubbed the back of my mane, sheepishly remembering the dinner conversation. “I kinda got flat-hoofed by dinner. I probably should have expected politics to come up during a dinner with a bunch of ambassadors, and politics always make things awkward at the dinner table.” She shrugged. “It probably was inevitable.” “At least it's over.” I chuckled as the nervousness started flowing out of me. “It got pretty embarrassing when they brought up the idea of you proposing a marriage alliance with me.” A couple seconds ticked by before Sunset replied. “Right, that was awkward. I guess speculation was inevitable, too.” “Probably. Like they said, I'm a very eligible bachelorette.” I glanced at my wings as I extended them. “What with me being an unmarried alicorn princess and all.” It was something that had come up now and again since I became a princess. Not that I’d really been able to act on any of that ... ever. There was always so much to do that the idea of trying to get married just kept being put on the back burner. I had my princess duties, hanging out with friends and family, helping ponies with their various problems, map missions, random monster attacks and other disasters... Yeah, I was busy. “And just about everyone's curious to see who I marry,” Sunset added, “since it'll impact where Freeport goes.” “That isn't a surprise,” I said. “That would determine whether the archonate is to be hereditary, or if you want the archon to be selected some other way. It’s gone both ways in the history of the archonate—when there’s even been one, anyways. Freeport’s been somewhat inconsistent in how its chosen its leaders, ranging from blood inheritance, adoption, being selected by the current leader, elections, and … um, more aggressive methods.” “Right, and I want whoever comes after me to have become archon legally.” Sunset frowned. “There will be political implications for how the next archon is selected, and who that is. Not to mention all the things a political marriage would determine.” “That’s putting it lightly,” I agreed. “There's a lot to be risked on a political marriage.” Probably why the ambassadors had brought it up during the dinner earlier. Freeport and Equestria entering into some sort of marriage alliance would significantly shift the political landscape, or it could go the other way if one of Freeport’s other neighbors made a similar arrangement with Sunset. That didn’t even get into how the kids would probably be inclined to favor the nation their other parent came from. History itself could be changed by that type of marriage. “And it would help determine which direction I take Freeport in.” Sunset’s face took on a forced neutrality. “I really don't want anyone thinking I'm a puppet.” I grimaced slightly at the hidden edge in Sunset’s tone. “I can respect that. Especially when that would make you look bad to your fellow Freeporters.” That was probably putting it lightly. It was probably already hard enough on her that she was from Equestria and Celestia’s former student. She probably had to work hard just to seem independent to her own people, much less to other nations. That was probably another reason why the ambassadors had needled us earlier, now that I thought about it, to figure out where Equestria and Freeport stood with one another now that Sunset was in charge of Freeport. “Very bad,” she said, her frown grave. “It's one of my top concerns.” “I'll try and not make you look bad then,” I jested, hoping to lighten the mood. “I think I can manage that much while you're here.” Sunset’s lips spread in a dry grin. “Thanks.” “And with that out of the way, there were a few things I wanted to ask about.” I walked to the Archon’s golems and looked them over. The active one’s head continued turning to look at me. “These are pretty interesting, and I couldn't help but notice some of their internal workings are different from other golems I’ve seen. And that's not even getting into their magical fields. They also seem more cognizant than normal golems, and more reactive to external environments. Are they an entirely new design?” Sunset glowered and quickly snatched up a blanket from her bed, tossing it over the inert golem just as I was about to get a closer look at its inner workings. “I made a few changes.” My nose wrinkled as my view of the golem was blocked. “Oh? Like what?” “I'd rather not give away too many secrets,” she answered as she closed her saddlebags—the same ones she had put the rune-covered tube in earlier. Had that been one of the parts to the golem? It seemed likely. Though why didn’t she want me examining her golems? They seemed pretty fascinating. “Um, okay then. I was just curious, was all.” Sunset shook her head. “I understand, no offense taken.” I frowned as I tried to figure out Sunset’s suddenly ... distant behavior. “Are these golems one of the secrets of your school, then? Or one of Freeports?” “Yes.” My frown deepened. “Going with a mathematical answer then?” The Archon’s eyes narrowed. “The design is proprietary to Freeport and our magi. I'm sure you wouldn't hand state secrets over to me.” I blinked. “Of course not! Sorry, it's just I get really curious about anything magical, and these golems aren’t like any previous versions I’ve seen before.” The glare Sunset had been giving me softened and her shoulders lost some tension. “I understand.” She let out a soft sigh and briefly shook her head as though clearing it. “Honestly, I kind of wish we could just sit around swapping ideas and comparing notes on magic. But you're a princess of Equestria, and I'm the Archon of Freeport. Those roles come with responsibilities that make things a bit more complicated.” My ears wilted as all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. “Right. That makes it difficult for two former students of Celestia to just talk and trade notes, because we’re not just former students. We’re representing our own respective nations and have to act like it, even if we’re not wild about it.” Sunset nodded. “That’s why I have to step so carefully on this visit. I want closer relations with Equestria, but it’s worthless if it gives other nations the impression that I'm a puppet.” “Understandable.” Despite the somewhat grim turn to the conversation, I smiled for Sunset. “Still, I hope we can still be friends, if we have be a bit careful how we go about that. Just because we have to keep things official in public doesn’t mean we can’t get along in private.” “I'd like that.” A smirk appeared on Sunset’s features, and she nudged me in the ribs with an elbow. “Especially since your name is on the short list of marriage candidates...” I blinked upon hearing that. “Err, um, ehehehe, um, i-is that right?!” “It's one of the unofficial reasons behind all the state visits,” she informed me. “Having an heir would solve a lot of looming questions, and it’s a chance to shore up existing alliances or cement a new one. Not to mention there’s not exactly a huge list of appropriate matches out there for me.” “Th-that so?” I felt my cheeks blush, and it took me a couple of seconds to start thinking straight. “That makes sense. Admittedly, I need to consider the whole heir issue as well.” “Oh?” “I do have a crown to pass on. Maybe, at least. I needed to sit down and hammer out how the whole Princess of Friendship thing is going to work out over the long term, but even discounting my title, there’s a bunch of other things to worry about.” I motioned at the room around us, with its fine furniture and crystalline architecture. “There’s still the castle and its map, along with all the responsibilities those entail. Then there's the whole Sparkle Duchy to consider on top of that. And if I hadn’t been thinking about it already, somepony or another ends up reminding me every month or so anyway.” “At least Equestria's a lot more flexible. You can get away with marrying any old commoner if you really want to. That's not an option for a new office just getting started.” “You can't just set your own precedent?” I asked. “You’re the first archon to rule in a really long time. You should have some flexibility in how you decide your succession.” Sunset shook her head. “If I want to be taken seriously by Freeport and the rest of the world? No. Most of the world’s ruled by monarchies. You need some royal blood mixed into your family bloodline or other countries will just consider your dynasty to be some upstart. And at the end of the day, I want my work in Freeport to be continued after I’m gone. I don’t want the Council or someone picked after me to backslide and undo everything I accomplished.” I rubbed my chin as I thought over her reasoning. “I think I can see your point. You have to show the archonate is on the same level as any other sovereign in the world while taking care of any governmental stability issues.” Sunset nodded. “That’s why I need to marry royalty, or something similar.” Not that I was sure about the idea of marrying Sunset myself. I’d just met her after all. There were a ton of things to consider for this before we tied the knot. Still, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to figure out what Sunset was thinking. “Who else are you looking at, if I can ask?” Sunset’s shoulders shrugged. “The Sultan of Zebrica made an offer, the second son of the current High Queen of Gryphonia is open to the idea, plus my backup plan in case all else fails.” “Not a bad list, dynastically speaking.” And either of the listed marriages would significantly change the balance of power in the world. That made the paranoid part of my brain worry about this whole meeting, and what I should do. Should I say I’d seriously consider the idea? Encourage her? I didn’t know. This was all so sudden and big I didn’t know how to respond. “Any of them would work quite well,” Sunset’s eyes momentarily flicked over me. “For what it's worth, you've been doing a good job climbing up my list yourself.” I couldn’t help but chuckle nervously. “I suppose I should say I’m flattered? Even if the organizer part of me wants to know where I'm ranking on that list.” That would certainly help me figure out how to respond to all of this. “It's not exactly a strictly organized list so much as a metaphorical expression,” she explained with profound unhelpfulness. I sighed. “Fair enough. Sometimes I forget that everypony else isn't quite as organized as myself.” Though I had a sneaking suspicion that Sunset was just keeping her cards close to her chest for the moment. But instead of continuing the talk about proposed marriage, Sunset changed topics. “Considering you are so organized, what did you have planned for tomorrow?” I rubbed my chin as I considered the question. “Actually I was thinking about changing things a bit, since you seem to like things a bit more ... engaging, we’ll say.” A grin spread across Sunset’s lips. “Oh? What did you have in mind?” “If you’re okay with the risk, we could go into the Everfree Forest and check out the Tree of Harmony and the Castle of the Two Sisters.” “Sounds interesting. Would it be okay if—” She was cut off by a sudden frantic knocking that caused both of us to look at the door. I opened it and was nearly bowled over when Kukri burst into the room, her eyes wide as she skidded to a stop in front of Sunset. “Shimmer-mare!” the changeling cried out. “Someone cut this one off from its golems! This one can’t sense them anymore, and they’re both gone!”