//------------------------------//
// Dinner With The Princesses 
// Story: The Princess 
// by HeartofSilver 
//------------------------------//

Twilight cried over the contents of the infernal book, quite possibly the only time she had ever done so in her entire life. The pony who prided herself on relentlessly pursuing knowledge no matter the cost found herself wanting nothing more to do with the manuscript currently splayed on the ground in front of her, having been dropped due to Twilight not wanting to taint her magic with that evil. 

It seemed like ages before her tears began to subside, yet she still glared at the book as though it was the greatest villain she had ever faced. She found herself wanting to burn it to a crisp, to wipe it off the face of Equus so nopony would ever read it again, but she knew she couldn't. Whether or not she liked it, it was the Princess' book. But that raised a question: why? Why would the kind and caring Princess Celestia have such a manuscript, even if it was dedicated to her? If somepony ever gave something like that to Twilight, dedicated to her or not, she'd throw it out. 

"Well,"Twilight began, looking out the window and taking in the relative position of the sun, "It's about time for my dinner with the Princesses. I'll ask Celestia about it."

As Twilight rose from the pillow she'd been reading on, she cast another disgusted glance at the book. As much as she didn't want to touch it, either physically or with her magic, she knew she couldn't just leave it there. That would be rather rude, an insult to the Princess who had so graciously granted her access to this library. So, with no small amount of trepidation, Twilight took the book within her magical grasp and quickly reshelved it in its proper place across the room. With one final look of disgust, she made her way over to the door, pushing it open with her magic.

She passed by the guard from before, who gave her a curt nod as the door slammed shut behind them. With her hoofsteps echoing throughout the marble hallways of Canterlot Castle, Twilight made her way to the Royal Dining Room.


~0~


The Royal Dining Room, contrary to popular belief, did not have servants stationed around it ready to fulfill the Princesses' every demand. It was a private place, meant only for the closest of friends or family members, where the royals could relax, unwind, and just be themselves.

"Oh, and do you remember when cousin Nova made that star explode? Her mother was so angry!" Twilight heard Luna exclaim as she pushed open the door to the dining room. The two other princesses were already there, feasting on a meal of the finest salads, sandwiches, and, Luna's personal favorite, hayfries. The two were sans regalia, a sight Twilight found herself still trying to get used to.

"Ahh, Twilight Sparkle! Join us as we recount stories of our family!" Luna seemed quite excited as she gesticulated wildly to go along with her statement. 

"Oh my," As much as Twilight would love to hear about  Luna and Celestia's family (a subject she most certainly would never find in any Equestrian history book) there was only one thing on her mind currently. "Maybe later, Luna. I have something else on my mind right now."

"How out of character for you Twilight" Celestia commented, "what could be on your mind that would cause disinterest in such esoteric knowledge?"

Twilight felt a lump form in her throat as she faced her mentor. She wasn't afraid of Celestia, it was just.....anxiety. "Well, Princess, it's just....I was in your library and I found a book-"

"Which are oft found in libraries. Haha!" Luna's laughs trailed off as the other two Alicorns gave her odd looks. "I was making an attempt at a joke. One of my guards accidentally let slip the other day that I appeared to have no sense of humor. I strive to prove him wrong!"

"Uhm, okay." Twilight turned back to Celestia. "Anyway, I found a book called The Princess by somepony named Heavy Crown. I read some of it and, I'm sorry if this comes off as disrespectful, but why would you have such a thing? That book is evil!"

Twilight watched as her mentor closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The purple Alicorn glanced over at Luna, who was looking between the two of them with interest, before settling her gaze back on Celestia. For a few moments the alabaster Alicorn sat there, eyes closed and appearing deep in thought, before speaking, "I take it you read the first chapter, Twilight?"

Twilight gave a nod. "The one titled 'On Brutality' where Heavy Crown...he...he advocates killing and oppression."

Twilight thought she heard Luna mutter something along the lines of 'just like the old days', but she chose to believe she was just hearing things.

"And I see you likely read only the first chapter."

"W-well," Twilight faltered a bit. It sounded kind of ridiculous when one put it like that, but the evil that came from that book surely justified her decision, "that book doesn't deserve to be read!"

Twilight was shocked when Celestia began.....to laugh? Her mentor seemed to be in a fit of hysterics, giggling uncontrollably and gasping for breath. After a few moments, the Princess calmed down and wiped a tear from her eyes before speaking, "My, I never thought I would live to see the day that you, Twilight Sparkle, would say such a thing. Let me ask you Twilight, what did it say in the foreword about the purpose of the piece?"

Twilight's mind was still in shock that her mentor would laugh over something like this, but she quickly pulled herself together and thought over Celestia's question. "I believe the purpose was stated to be to provide a treatise on how to rule effectively."

"Exactly," Celestia responded, "and effectiveness and morality are not always linked. Just because something isn't necessarily moral does not mean it is not effective and vice versa. You will find, Twilight, that Heavy Crown is not looking at these issues from a moral sense. Rather, he is viewing them objectively, their pros and cons weighed. He is not, as you say, advocating for brutality and oppression, he is simply saying it worked for Bahamut and Commander Hurricane. I suggest, though you may find this suggestion despicable, that you continue reading."

"I-I do find that suggestion despicable, but" Twilight paused for a moment and sighed before continuing, "I trust you Princess."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"Now enough of this, it is time to feast!" Luna exclaimed, levitating a bowl of salad in front of Twilight. Celestia chuckled at her sister's antics.

"You could've been eating this entire time, Luna."

"Yes, but the drama was too enjoyable!"

"Perhaps," Celestia began as she levitated a few daffodil sandwiches onto her plate, "you'd like to hear about Heavy Crown, Twilight? Knowing the author may give you insight on the work."

"I suppose that would be alright," Twilight said as she dug into the salad Luna had given her.

"Heavy Crown, he lived at such an interesting time in Equestrian history." Celestia had a far away look in her eyes as she spoke. "In the years after Luna's banishment Equestria entered something of a dark age. It seemed as though the number of learned ponies was decreasing, the nobles were rowdy and constantly fighting one and other, and there seemed to be no creative spirit. I suppose that was bound to happen after the disappearance of one ruler and the destruction of the former capitol."

"Aye, I apologize for that."

"No need, Luna. Nopony was hurt. " Celestia comforted her sister before getting back to her story. "Anyway, about 500 years ago, there was an awakening. Ponies were rediscovering the knowledge of the ancients and it led them to once again innovate. Art, science, architecture, it was truly wonderous! And it was during this time that Heavy Crown was born.

'He was the eldest son of a prominent noble family who was particularly interested in the ancient knowledge. He dedicated his entire life to studying it, even becoming a Professor in History and Philosophy at my School for Gifted Unicorns, which was still quite young at the time. 

"Unfortunately, Crown's disinterest in typical noble activities, which mainly consisted of partying and jousting matches, alienated him from the other prominent families. It didn't help when, at one point, he began to campaign for a public education system."

"Something you surely helped him with, right Princess?" Twilight asked with a smile, already sure of the answer.

Celestia's silence discouraged her, as well as the look on her fellow Alicorn's face. "Well, it was a different time then Twilight, and the nobles had much more of a say in how Equestria was ruled than they do today. The fact is, noble ponies didn't want a public education system. I believe they feared an educated public would rise against them, and so Heavy Crown became a pariah. Despite my wishes, he was exiled to an area outside of modern day Manehatten. It was for that reason he wrote the treatise you read today, so as to get in my favor with the hopes that by doing so I would reverse the nobles' decision on him. 

"But it perhaps didn't work the way he wanted. There was little I could do at the time. Years later I managed to reinstate him and his family as minor nobles in Canterlot, but by then the poor stallion was already aged and died soon after. He lived half his life in exile."

"Wow," Twilight exclaimed, mulling over what her mentor had said, "it seems as though we owe quite a bit to Heavy Crown."

"Indeed," Celestia agreed as she took a sip of cider, "though I will not say the stallion was perfect. I specifically remember he bucked the face of one of Fancy Pants' ancestors, Sans Coulettes, during an argument. But nopony is without flaw."

Twilight winced a bit at the violence, though she could agree with Celestia's statement. "Though, Princess, I must ask, what became of the family?"

"Oh, they became a line of distinguished scholars. There may even be a few alive today."

"Really? Do you know their names?" Twilight asked.

"Hmm, not from memory. I may have to look them up in the Records Department."

Twilight nodded, before turning to speak to Luna. "You've been oddly quiet this entire.....time?"

It was then that Twilight caught sight of Luna stuffing her mouth as full as possible with hayfries, which garnered a laugh from Celestia.

"Luna, chew your food."

"Mhmmhmm   mhmhmm"