//------------------------------// // Princess Late Night Legal discussion // Story: Night Patrol 2: Awakening // by Foxgear //------------------------------// Night Patrol 2 chapter 53 By Foxgear Canterlot, Lunar Tower, 9:00PM hr] In the second tallest structure in Canterlot sat perhaps the four most powerful and influential ponies in two kingdoms. Princess Celestia, Princess Cadence, and Mother Queen Kira Perfecta Shiroyama of Nippon, all three called by Princess Luna to discuss an essential matter at her behest. Naturally, the three royals knew the princess of the night would not call them like this without reason. Though the setting did have them perplexed. They expected intense debate and challenging questions, so they showed up in full regalia. Only to find Princess Luna in her evening gown. The Night Princess offered them each a cushion spread out in a circle in the center of her room. A plate of confections, cupcakes, cookies, etc. laid out before them. All of it warm and freshly baked. A choice of tea, coffee caffeinated/decaf, milk, and juice were offered by the attendants. When Kira asked if this was an official meeting and given no for an answer. The Mother Queen called for a bottle of her personal alcohol to be delivered. The Miko that produced the beverage set land speed records with her timely arrival. Arriving at the door with the desired drink in less than ten minutes. Having run all the way from the Emerald Cutter, parked on the outskirts of the city, still clad in her heavy layered robes. Her body was a waterfall of sweat, soaking her gown thoroughly. After that little bit of comedy, they dug into the sweets, exchanging stories from earlier that day. While amid their light-hearted chat, the maids removed their regalia, leaving the three royals bare, safe for Kira, who kept her kimono. Celestia and Cadence where offered evening gowns, which they accepted. After asking if there was anything else they needed, the maids took their leave. The heavy door closed with a soft ‘thud.’ Seconds later, several layers of anti-listening, eavesdropping, and silencing barriers were cast over the room. Completely isolating the three from the outside world and the world from listening to them. With a tap of her hoof, Luna called the meeting to order. “Thank you for coming on such short notice, Sister, Cadence, Kira. I know I’ve caused some inconvenience, so I’ll try to keep this brief. Hopefully, we’ll be done before midnight.” Celestia’s lip twitched at the mention of midnight. Her smile was a gentle sisterly one, but that was merely a mask to hide her internal screaming. She had not planned to be up so late and knew the next morning would be hell. The other two had different reactions. “You’ve helped me so much, Auntie, whatever I can do to help return the favor, I will. Even if you asked me to stay up until dawn the day after next.” Was Cadence’s answer. Hyperbolic as it sounded, the fierce determination in the young princess’s eyes confirmed she was willing to make good on that promise. Kira was less graceful in her wording, “I’m retired, I got Nothing better to do, so I’ll listen for however long you want. That’s what I would have said this morning, but I’ve found a new punching bag… I mean interesting protégé. So, if we can get the ball rolling, that would be appreciated.” “I am in agreement.” Said Celestia, happy to have an ally in Kira. “I’ve no qualms hearing you out, but we all have schedules to keep. What did you want to talk about, Luna?” “You’re right, I’ll try to be brief, but there is a list of things I think we need to discuss first before my announcement. Starting with some information sharing.” Luna’s eyes landed squarely on the Sun Princess. “Celestia, I think its time you finally explain yourself.” This caused Kira and Cadence to look bewilderedly between the two sisters. Celestia was seemingly ignoring the question as she sipped on her tea. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to be more specific.” “Alright,” Luna relented, sucking in a deep breath. “I’ve done some digging and a little questioning of your long-time staff and their notes in the last two months, but I think the most important piece of information came from Daring. Why have you been gathering the Amulets, and how do they play into your plans. How many have you collected thus far, and what are they exactly? Also, what are you planning to do with Twilight Sparkle?” “That’s a good point,” Kira added. “Also, I’ve never got the Blue Amulet back. Don’t think you can just keep it.” The Nippon Queen’s expression darkened radically. “Also, I’ve heard through the grapevine that Fierce Fury had the Green Alicorn amulet. Please explain that for me, Celestia?” Under the focused and determined gaze of her sister and oldest living friend, Celestia, after an extended length of stalling via sipping tea. Sighed and decided now was as good as time as any. “Originally,” Celestia began. “I intended to groom Twilight for ascension. At the time I discovered her, I had thought the Crystal Empire could be reclaimed. Thus I could send Cadence to rule her birthright and ease Twilight into the role of my replacement. I planned to retire after a few years if she managed to transcend to alicornhood via the method Starswirl theorized. My plan was for you and her to rule until you thought you were ready to step down.” The sun princess sighed haggardly, letting her age show to the others. “But I don’t know anymore. Meddling with ponies’ destinies… with Twilight’s destiny… I might not have the stomach for it now. There’s a high chance of it actually happening. If that stupid mirror wasn’t so close to activation, I probably wouldn’t be wavering.” “What mirror? What are you talking about?” Luna demanded, confused by Celestia's sobby explanation. “I…” Celestia paused, but then shook her head. “I have a granddaughter, Sunset Shimmer, she’s Crusader’s only child and also Sixes’ granddaughter by extension. Her circumstances are a bit bizarre, but Sunset attended my school and was one grade above or below Cadence, I don’t remember. Anyway, we had a falling out, and she jumped into Starswirl’s transdimensional mirror, which activates every three years or so. It will be activating within the next year, I believe.” “So that’s what happened to her!” Cadence blurted out, surprised. “Wow, I thought she got pregnant was sent to one of those…” She trailed off under Celestia’s narrowed stare. “I guess it isn’t my business. Sorry, I’ll just keep listening.” “It’s fine, but now that it’s out in the open. Depending on whether or not Sunset comes home, I’d rather give the throne to her, providing she’s… matured these past three years.” Celestia explained, looking guilty. “I’m planning to step back and let Twilight decide things for herself, rather than push her towards anything. Do you have a problem with that? Luna?” Luna tapped her cheek, “Hmm, do I have a problem with you not manipulating a pony’s free will? No, not really. The fact you have a granddaughter is interesting though, does Sixes know?” “No, I didn’t even tell Sunset the truth, which led to the misunderstanding that could have been avoided.” “I see…” (Well this makes things more complicated) Luna mused. “Moving on. Answer my questions regarding the alicorn amulets.” “I don’t know what you want me to say, it’s pretty self-explanatory, they’re Alicorn Amulets.” “I know that! Just who made them, and why did Sombra turn into that lava monster?” Celestia took a long deep breath. “Luna, you’re not understanding. Alicorn Amulets, are ALICORN amulets.” “I get that, but what does that mean! How did they get that name?” “It means they’re the crystalized remains of our tribe, Luna!” Celestia shouted, frustrated at the back and forth. “At the climax of the Alicorn War. There was this huge flash and suddenly.” She began to heave. “All the adults turned into crystals, their bodies broke apart as they hit the ground, thousands of sparkling gems of all colors floated in the sky and then suddenly flew away like shooting stars. Mom’s gem… floated down to me, and that’s when I got my mark and gained control of the sun. The same thing happened to you when the Alicorn of Dreams died. Those gems aren’t some artifact made by some wizard; they are the crystalized soul of a formerly living breathing alicorn!” The room went dead silent. Luna and Cadence could only open and close their gaping mouths at the stunning truth. “Will that happen to us? When we die?” Luna quietly asked. “That didn’t happen to Symphony as far as I know… wait, did her magic go into the crystal heart? Is that why Cadence transformed when she used it? And what happened to Sombra? If the user of the amulet grows too weak to keep the power in control, does the Alicorn take over their body like Vulcan did?” “I don’t know,” Celestia replied quietly. “What does this mean for Sixes and the others that ate amulets? What will happen to them?” “I don’t know!” Celestia was anguished. “I haven’t been experimenting with them, just locking them up. Besides being extremely dangerous, I didn’t like the idea of our kin being used as accessories! I didn’t know the original Alicorn’s could be revived like Vulcan was. Not that we have all the facts behind that, but that’s why I’ve had Daring and her mother plundering every tomb, tribe, and country that has one. A lot of artifacts are just objects powered by an amulet. Even the Elements of Harmony fall into that category.” A clearing of a throat pulled the sisters’ attention to Kira, who was casually lighting her pipe. “I have a question concerning this subject.” “Ask it then,” Celestia encouraged. “But I might not have an answer.” “A hypothesis will do,” Kira drawled, tapping her pipe against the ashtray. “The question itself is straightforward, why are some ponies more compatible than others? Sixes ate the gold amulet, and after a brief rampage, he never had any real trouble with it. Meanwhile, Emerald Cutter fused perfectly, and Overheat was consumed by the power, and Fierce Fury was rejected by his. By the way, that wasn’t the same amulet Emerald ate, was it?” The Nippon Queen asked darkly. “No, we didn’t dig up Emerald for the gem, it sleeps with her as far as I know,” Celestia answered. “The gem Fury had is the Lime Green Amulet; Emerald’s was the emerald green. It’s confusing, but there’s multiple of the same color of gems. Such as the Red, Crimson, and Scarlet. Sombra had the Crimson one, I think. I couldn’t tell you why some ponies are more compatible than others, other than maybe bloodline? Or perhaps color alignment? It’s a strange theory, but a pony’s color of magic might have something to do with it.” “I have a question,” declared Cadence raising her hoof. Prompting the others to look at her amused by the childish action. They spared the youngest member of the group any flak, urging her to ask her question. “How many Amulets are there, and how many do you have in storage, Auntie?” Celestia blew out a long-exacerbated breath, “Oh, let me think, including the gold inside Sixes, the two buried with Overheat and Emerald, the blue gem, and the Black and purple that Daring brought me, oh and the Lime Amulet I loaned to Fury. That’s six-plus… twelve? So, eighteen. I have eighteen alicorn amulets in my procession.” “Out of how many?” Luna inquired before her sister could attempt to change subjects. “Aah… well… taking the population of Canterlot at the time, and there was an alicorn for almost everything… a million on the low end and ten million on the high end of the total population? That said, I think only the Alicorns involved in the final battle actually turned into crystals so, there might only be a hundred thousand or less.” Celestia finished sheepishly, pretending not to see the irritating twitch in Luna’s eye. “So…” Luna drawled out slowly. “In the last thousand years, you found eighteen out an estimated hundred thousand alicorn amulets? That is correct?” “They are not easy to find!” Celestia protested! “It took years of research to track down even one! Then months to find the location and maybe it was still there! If it was, it’s surrounded by traps! Before you even say I should have put more ponies on the job, I let me just say I didn’t want the world to know the Alicorn Amulets were available in such a high volume. I didn’t want to kick off an arms race with countries trying to secure their raw magical power!” Luna held up a hoof in surrender. “I understand. I’m not trying to criticize your actions. I probably couldn’t have done much better myself, but that said, even a small team of ponies would be better than one pony. Five to ten would be enough to increase success and keep the operation under wraps, but we can talk about this later. I have other issues to discuss.” “Prance, I presume?” Luna shook her head, “No, we’ve talked enough about that for the time being. Though my opinion still stands. What I want to discuss has to do with our visit from Dusk.” Luna turned to Kira. “Has Sake given up any more information?” All eyes turned to Kira, who been keeping a hawk’s gaze on the rogue Nippon Princess. Under the three sets of intense curiosity, Kira showed little care, merely sipping on her drink. Taking her time to answer. After setting her cup down, she cleared her throat. “Nothing really worth mentioning. Sake has spoken little of anything, besides her unwillingness to go home or see her brother. I’m a bit out of the loop on her family affair, what caused her runaway in the first place?” Kira pitched the conversation ball back to Celestia’s court. The sun princess sighing, feeling like she’d never get a chance to just sit and listen. The curse of being the most informed. “It was… I forget how long ago really. The ages of the Nippon ponies vary greatly because of the rinin blood in the population.” Celestia scratched her head, trying to recall the details of Haibara’s tear-stained letter. “Oh yes, Kiri executed her fiancé.” “I beg your pardon?” Luna gawked. Kiri came off as rather cold and strict, but to kill his future brother in law? That was something else. “I assume there’s some context behind this? It’s not like he killed this pony just because he didn’t like him, right?” Celestia breathed through her teeth. “Well… there were some other reasons, but Kiri didn’t like him. He got a trial at least rather than cut down in the streets, which Kiri would have done given a chance.” “What’s the story behind this tragic romance?” Cadence asked, fascinated by the similarity to some of her romance novels. She had to look at it from that view; otherwise, the queasy feeling in her stomach would overwhelm her. For her part, Celestia looked haggard, her brow frowned deeply as she searched through her vast memory. It was almost comical when after a full minute of thinking, she blinked blankly at the group. “I don’t know.” She admitted, sounding amazed by her own ignorance for once. “I couldn’t have forgotten, did I? No, I remember the letter, asking that if I saw Sake to try and calm her down and bring her home. The whole ordeal about Kiri killing her fiancé was barely a side note. Come to think of it, I don’t think there was ever an official reason behind Sake running away to the wider world. I actually don’t even know the stallion’s name or if he was from Nippon or not.” “It matters not,” Kira said dismissively, almost sounding bored by the topic. “Whatever the reason she’s been on the run for ten years. I could understand maybe two years, but she has to face this issue sometime, which she will soon, but that’s my family’s business. There is no need to discuss it here.” Has much as Luna would like to protest Kira’s statement, the white rinin was right, it wasn’t their business. Leaving the topic of Sake’s tragic romance, she pressed forward to her main issue for the night. Or topics. They were all interconnected. So, while she steeled herself, she called the maids back in to restock the food and drink for her guests. In a regular meeting, such a maneuver would be virtually meaningless, here, in the presence of the ponies that knew her best. It said a lot. It said she needed time to think and that what she was about to say was important and challenging to bring up. The maids’ slow pace played into this. Usually, they’d be in and out in less then a minute, maybe two if there was a particular order. However, they lagged in their work, dragging the brief interval to an awkward five minutes. They even tried to extend it further, almost pestering the three other royals with offers and asking them repeatedly if there was anything they could do. One maid was even getting risqué with her suggestions. Luna decided she’s had enough time and signaled for them to leave. After the servants exited and the barriers reapplied, Luna took a deep breath and released it feeling as ready as she’ll ever be. “I’m engaged, to Sixes.” She announced with little dramatics. This was not her first marriage for sure, but that didn’t mean her heart didn’t throb just a bit faster, or there wasn’t heat on her cheeks. “He ah… proposed to me the other night, he even had a ring prepared.” Really talking about her personal life like this was embarrassing. Still, she’s been keeping the bubbling joy locked inside all day and desperately wanted to tell somepony without causing a scene or have the masses in an uproar over something that was frankly none of their business. Naturally, the expected responses were made. Kira tossed her a toast saying it was about time. Cadence inhaled, all but squealing like a teenager and groping onto Luna, speaking a mile a minute with congratulations and pure girly excitement. Celestia appeared strangely indifferent. Looking closer, she almost seemed sad. “I knew it! I’m so happy for you! When’s the wedding? Do you have bridesmaids picked out, a venue? Don’t worry, I have plenty of connections from my wedding you can use, not that you probably need them. I mean, who wouldn’t want to host a Princess’s wedding.” Cadence inhaled again, the obvious question that any pony who heard such news would want to be answered coming to the fore. “Does this mean you’ll be crowned Queen?” That was it. The words Luna dreaded to hear, which is why she kept this announcement on the down-low. It was why she couldn’t wear her ring in public, not without a mountain of groundwork backed up by her two months of research. The rights of succession. It was all laid out in the Equestrian Constitution and Founding Documents, initially written by the leaders of the three tribes, Princess Platinum Diamond, General Hurricane, and Chancellor Puddinghead, that formed Equestria thousands of years ago. It was through these three ponies that Celestia and Luna gained the right to rule. To summarize the fifty pages of legal writing. Celestia and Luna became Princesses by being named Platinum Diamond’s successors. Thus, the royal bloodline became their bloodline. There were similar exchanges of power for the other tribes, but the Rights of Succession were adopted from the Unicorn’s method of Rule by Blood. In hindsight, it was something the two sisters should have protested against, as it led to them swearing off marriage and mothering. Celestia found out the hard way with the Whiteblood scandal, in which her descendants were basically pimped out and exploited by both their families and nobles the world over. Leading to her to have to disown all her descendants to discredit any claims to the throne should a foreign power try to use them for political gain. According to the Founding Documents, the power and right to rule were divided equally between the two sisters. Co-rulers, duel dictatorship, that was basically the results of this. Of course, to keep their power in check, a council was formed that could veto the sisters if necessary with a majority vote. That first council was made of three ponies from each race, which somehow became the Rainbow Council, which had been all unicorns and only six members. The meat of the Rights of Succession was this, should one of the sisters marry, and produce offspring, then that sister’s bloodline would be the pure royal bloodline, and once the child came of age, the sisters would retire. The founders didn’t expect the sisters to rule forever. However, they didn’t predict that neither would marry for centuries either. Of course, since this system was from the Unicorn Royal Family, naturally, they expected the husband and future king to be of noble blood (Unicorn), and that is what would have been written into law. Had the other two tribes not put their hooves down in protest. At the risk of starting a civil war, the amendment to eliminate the need to marry nobility was passed and set it stone. Literally. “It was tough to find that little snippet of the original documents.” Luna mused, explaining her findings from the restricted section of the library. “So, if I so choose, Sixes and I could be crowned King and Queen with no trouble, that is, if we had that intention.” Cadence blinked, not quite understanding. She turned to Celestia, who had a torn look about her. “So, this is your choice, then Luna?” Celestia asked tightly, clearly upset. Luna, for her part, had enough sense not to appear too happy for her selfish actions. “Since our encounter or possibly even before, meeting Dusk again and hearing her warning. I’ve wondered if what we’re doing was the best course of action.” Luna looked squarely at Celestia, so her sister knew she was talking about them. Cadence was too green and Kira a third party when it came to how the two sisters ruled Equestria. “Actually, if I’m honest. I might have thought this from the beginning, since day one of our rules, if we were truly the right choice.” She let that hang in the air, making the others, but most importantly, Celestia, absorb what she said. Luna wanted to be as transparent as possible. “The first few decades were ok. We ruled as one, and then we began to be undermined by the Blood Nobles and other factions that formed in those early days. Even when Yellowblood and the others were removed, I continued to face abnormal criticism.” “Luna, you can’t…” Luna cut off her sister, “Let me finish Celestia. I’m not whining or bemoaning what happened. I am merely pointing out events that had transpired.” The Night Princess cleared her throat and resumed. “Not long later, I turned into Nightmare Moon and was banished for a thousand years. When I returned, I found that while things have most certainly changed, one thing did not. And that thing is what I think you and I know now. Equestria doesn’t need two rulers.” Again, Luna let that sink in, thankfully no pony protested her statement, allowing her to continue after a quick breath and sip of water. “I will lay out my case now. In the last thousand years, you, Celestia, have built a wonderful kingdom that knows perhaps the longest stretch of peace in all of pony history. You are loved, revered as a goddess by some, and perhaps more to others. You did it all without me. When I look back on my hoof in the ruling Equestria, it barely equals over fifty years. My mark in my own country’s history barely warrants a page, if even a paragraph. Equestria is not the land of the Royal Sisters, it is your land Celestia, built by you, organized around you, and supported by ponies that adore and wish to help you. After Dusk’s visit, it became so clear to me when I saw her, I have no place ruling beside you. Equestria has no need of me as a princess.” This time Celestia could not hold her tongue. “That’s nonsense, Luna! I des… I mean, I only worked so hard because I wanted you to have a place to come back too! We were meant to rule together, remember? Starswirl said it best, we represent all the elements of harmony. We cover each other’s weakness.” Luna lagged her head off to the side, disappointed by her sister’s passionate remarks. “I wish you wouldn’t use Starswirl’s nonsense. He only saw what he wanted to see in us. He never acknowledged that at our very core, we were sisters. We fought, argued, disagreed, and acted petty with each other. It took months of study for us to even gain a margin of proper etiquette. Your particular habit of eating cake by plunging headfirst into it really set him off.” “Could you not mention that? That was a long time ago.” Celestia cleared her throat while ignoring the look Cadence was giving her. “In any case, I am planning on stepping down eventually. Meaning you’ll have to take over as lead ruler Luna. At least that was my plan.” “Well, that’s certainly news to me,” Luna replied sharply. “Where you ever going ask for my thoughts on the matter or just drop it on me before going off to go zip lining? And before you even remark about my engagement, that happened within the last forty-eight hours. Everything else I spent two months researching and debating if it was the best course of action, but the more I debated, the more my resolved hardened.” Celestia took a long shuttering breath, unfocused anger oozing off her in the form of heatwaves. “So, you've resolved to give up your crown? After everything? What will you do? Where will you live? Or will you and Sixes just go globetrotting?” Luna turned up her nose at the jab. “You speak as if I’m leaving you out to hang and dry. Let me elaborate. Just as Dusk has shown, you don’t need a crown to do good. I am giving up my crown because it’s a hindrance to my true calling, the job that needs my time and focus. I will go from princess to the Alicorn of Night and Dreams, I will fulfill my duties as the guardian of dreams and defender of the night. As for my home… well, enjoy your net sum of our inheritance.” The elder Royal Sister blinked as a folder baring her lawyer’s name, Shark Shackler, slammed down before her with a pile of other legal documents. Biting back her confusion, Celestia read the contents. Well, she was skimming. Shark was helpful enough to place abridged notes inside for her. She couldn’t appreciate them because of the legal contents involved and irresponsible blunder on her part from four hundred years ago. During that time, she signed a power of attorney document with Shackler’s family, giving them control of most of her personal holdings. She had donated them all to the public, the bulk of which were land assets surrounding the Everfree forest and the forest itself. Overall, the land area in question totaled just less than one fourth the size of Equestria. “By the rights of Attorney, given by Princess Celestia Solaris, I Shark Shackler, sell Celestia Solaris’s landholdings of 9,720,000,000 acres for $972 billion gold bits. As a commission fee, I Shark Shackler, Royal Equestrian Attorney, shall collect a fee of thirty percent.” Celestia chewed her lips, seemingly numb at the fact she just added fifteen percent of Luna’s side of their treasure horde to her’s. And more than a little upset that her own lawyer went around her back like this. “When I sighed that contract, I read it ten times, and yet I can’t remember giving the Shackler family this much power. Also, all that land was supposed to be open for public auction! What happened?” “All that land was or was near the Everfree forest, no pony was going to buy it! They’ve been trying to sell it for four hundred years! They dropped the price to a hundred gold bits an acre! Do you know how cheap that is?” “I haven’t kept up with land prices, but I’ll assume that’s below the norm. That’s all beside the point! Why would you go around my back to buy out my half of the inheritance! Do you not trust me, Luna? After everything! Well?” Celestia ran out of breath, panting slightly while receiving bewildered stares. It seems she’s lost her cool and actually shouted. Rather loudly. It was a good thing the room was soundproof. Or this would have been front-page news. Not cowed nor intimidated by her sister, Luna stuck out her chest. “I did what I thought I needed to do. This is not a debate Celestia, I’m doing this. I will take the Everfree Forest as my own territory and rule it under my own banner. I will always be Equestria’s ally, but things need to change. If we all blindly follow down your path, then we’ll all end up in the same place.” Maybe it was her current level of frustration, but Celestia couldn’t comprehend her sister’s words. She must have made a funny face because Kira suddenly chuckled. “You should take a few breaths Celestia, your thinking a bit slow.” The white Rinin advised sliding over a cup of sake. “I think what Luna is trying to say is Dusk’s lecture on how the future is made is build on our choices. If we all follow a singular plan, then the chances of getting one particular future goes up. That said, we have no way to know if it’s good or bad. So rather than put all our eggs into one basket, Luna wants to make… diverging choices that lead to different possibilities. Is that correct?” “Something like that,” Luna replied hesitantly. “Really, I just want to do what I think is best. Time will tell if I’m right or wrong, but I won’t let fear rule me, not anymore. I’m taking back my destiny. I will establish my own territory to nurture my own ideas.” Luna looked Celestia square in the eye. “It’ll be a fiefdom, I’ll admit outright, I’ll be little more than a city-state ruler or Baroness, but I want to see what I can do and finish what I started with Night Patrol. I won’t apologize for going behind your back to do this. I’ve always appreciated your wisdom and input, but I decide how I live my life, sister.” Smiling sadly, Luna looked to Cadence. “I’ve decided to name you my successor, Cadence. There will be a conflict if Celestia chooses somepony else, but I believe you and Shining Armor would make wonderful rulers. I know you can do it.” Cadence sprang up with surprise, her wings popped up with the sudden rush of blood. “Oh, um… I…” Cadence did a quick breathing exercise. “I’m honored, Aunt Luna, I will make you proud!” “I know you will.” Smiled Luna. “And not to rush you, but until you have a child, Celestia can name a successor as well, which could cause some conflict. Civil war is unlikely, but…” The Princess of the Night coughed into her hoof, embarrassed. “You might have to form a herd at the very least.” Cadence blushed, but that quickly turned to jealously when she thought of having to share her husband. On the other hoof if Twilight was named Celestia’s successor, she would be automatically adopted into the royal family as a branch member, so that would resolve any conflicts. The real problem would be if Celestia insisted on naming Sunset Shimmer as her heir. She vaguely remembered the girl from the magic school. It behooved her to admit it, but she was pretty, talented, and at the time, a much better mage. She was also a bitch. Sunset's arrogant attitude ruffled many feathers during her time at school. Students and Teachers included. (Ok, it’s been a few years, maybe she’s matured since disappearing, but… maybe Shining and I should step up in our child making attempts.) Faking a smile, Cadence said, “Let’s leave that for later. Unless you have any other candidates Aunt Celestia?” The elder sister hung her head, sighing in defeat. “No.” She answered, raising her head to stare down her sister. “I can’t tell if your maturing or just going through a second rebellious phase, but fine. If this is what you want.” Celestia looked longingly at the ceiling. “Things have already been shaken up. What’s annexing a quarter of the nation? But I am curious what your plan to do with the military, I was leaving that to you.” “We’ll continue to work with the GEA and the Commando Unit. Think of Night Patrol as Private Military Contractors.” Luna smiled, feeling confident about her choice. She had to since Celestia was admitting defeat. A rare accomplishment that only happened a few dozen times. She was so happy that Luna twisted the dagger just a little more. “And is it really annexing if the place I’m taking over is basically uninhabited?” Celestia regained a bit of a smile, shaking her head. “I suppose that’ll be up for debate for the historians. So, when are you announcing all of this to the public?” “When the castle in the Everfree is done,” Answered Luna. “So, a few months to maybe even a year. I wasn’t just going to drop everything on you and leave. I want this to be a smooth transition. I’ll quietly step aside while allowing Cadence more of the public limelight, and before any pony realizes I’m gone, they won’t even miss me. Trust me, sister, I’ve put some thought into this.” “So you say,” Celestia yawned audibly, her eyes threatening to fall closed at any minute. “I’ll assume we’ll talk more on this later, but is that all for tonight? Can I go to sleep?” Luna nodded, “Yes. That is the gist of it.” “Then goodnight,” Celestia said curtly, leaving the room without another word. “Well I’m going to go too, this was exciting, you two are always so much fun!” Kira proclaimed, taking her sake bottle and exiting as well. Which left Luna and Cadence alone. “Auntie…” Cadence hesitated. “Do you think this is really the best idea? Won’t this divide ponies?” “It’s possible,” Luna admitted rising from her cushion. “I think the rewards will be a well worth risk. Equestria, as a country, has stagnated. My return has shaken the status quo, and so did the war in the north, but not enough. Whether right or wrong, we can’t rely on Celestia to carry us all anymore. Ponies need to step up and fight for themselves again.” Cadence stood silent as Luna made her way to bed, only speaking when the older princess laid down. “Are doing this… to force Celestia to retire? You're worried about her, aren’t you?” Luna closed her eyes, “She’s my elder sister, I worry for her, just as she worries for me. She has been at this job for a long time, Cadence, grinding herself to the bone, sacrificing everything for this nation. It’s time for her to collect her dues.” She opened her eyes to look at Cadence. “Celestia’s old. It might not be this decade or even the next, but her age is going to catch up with her. Equestria needs to be able to stand on its own before then because I won’t let my sister sacrifice herself anymore.” “Then why don’t you just take over? Wouldn’t that achieve the same thing?” “Me taking the title of Queen would only be a stop-gap. Besides, it makes more sense for you, a while established figure already, to step up and rule. Rather then Celestia’s long lost sister.” Luna yawn indicated their conversation was over, but she did mumble out one more thought. “Maybe one day, we’ll be a republic instead of a diarchy.” Cadence didn’t know if her Aunt was faking sleep or not, probably not given the loud snoring she remembered from their time on the Taisho, but she quietly left the room either way. In the hall, she felt a profound intrigue by Luna’s mumbles. “A republic, huh… I might have to look into that.”