//------------------------------// // Epilogue: The Best Laid Plans... // Story: Diplomacy // by 8686 //------------------------------// “Sister? Something troubles you?” asked Luna. The morning sun shone golden rays on the castle as they walked. “I am not troubled, as such. But I have been... reflecting.” “Oh?” “On our tribulations these past two days. How they all ultimately stem from a failure to communicate.” She looked to her sister. “In doing what we can for our ponies, have we become too insular? Too willing to look only to the borders of our nation, and not beyond?” “We have a tendency to deal with the problems that present themselves to us directly,” she admitted. “They often keep us busy enough without us looking further afield to ward off others. What are you thinking?” she asked with a sidelong glance. “There was... an effort. Long ago. A coming together of every creature. A free sharing of knowledge and kinship between all, and a lasting peace that it fostered.” “Convocation?” asked Luna. “You believe it could still happen? In this day and age?” “I believe we could have avoided all of this if we had been willing to talk and share more with our dragon neighbours. I wonder if we have inadvertently been making that same mistake with our other friends.” “You plan to revive it? You believe they would all come?” “I believe there will be a great deal of organisation involved,” said Celestia with a smile. “Fortunately, I know someone who is very good at that.” * * * Ponyville was a mess. Almost every ground-floor window was smashed it is frame, there were great, ragged holes in the sides of several buildings, great furrows had rutted and pitted the ground turning the normally pleasant grass and packed earth into churned mud, and faint trails of smoke even wafted into the air in places. It looked like a hurricane had swept through and neither Spike nor Rainbow Dash could keep their jaws from the floor as they landed, and Spike jumped down, aghast. “You’re back!” Twilight galloped up. Tiny pupils. Manic smile. Wiry mane. Uh oh. “Twilight, what happened?!” gasped Spike. “Did a dragon attack Ponyville before they left?!” “What, this? Oh, no,” said Twilight. Little eye-twitch. “This is fine. It’s fine!” “Twilight? What... happened?” insisted Spike. “Well the meeting between the buffalo and the yaks presented certain... unforeseen opportunities for cultural exchange,” said Twilight in a very high-pitched voice. “They hit it off. They... really hit it off. The yaks introduced the buffalo to stomping. And the buffalo introduced the yaks to stampeding. They all had a really good time in Ponyville. Stomping and stampeding. Stampeding and stomping, all over the town! They’re great friends now! Big, successful summit! By the way if you see the mayor I’m not home and you don’t know where I am.” Big-grin-eye-twitch. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go look up a spell to fix drywall. See you later!” she said, galloping off in the direction of the castle. Spike and Dash watched her go, surprise rooting them to the spot, their mouths hanging open and the half-destroyed remains of the village surrounding them. Spike sighed. “I spend almost two days trying to stop Equestria being destroyed...” “And...?” “Why did I bother?”