Standing in front of a set of double doors, the Prince took one final breath as he mentally prepared to go inside. To his right, Princess Celestia took a glance at her nephew with some mix of worry and anxiety as she inspected his chosen wardrobe for the occasion. A simple silver breastplate similar to hers. Instead of a purple amethyst on the front, there was a sun engraved on it. Overtop of that, there was an expensive and tailor-made light blue silk mantle, with Luna's moon and stars decorating it. The outer garment was clasped together at his neck loosely with a golden broach emblazoned with Equestria's crest. Finally, to complete the ensemble, the silver crown Discord gifted him rested on his brow, just above his horn, where a small bridge in the design prevented any discomfort from use. Overall, an elegant and royal ensemble proclaiming his allegiance while also demonstrating etiquette, formality, and respect to the dignitaries he was about to meet.
"Are you sure you don't want me there? It is not that I don't trust your judgment, dear, but this will be your very first encounter with the rulers of other nations. Even if it is via caldron, their presence can be…imposing for those unprepared." She pleaded, seeing how he was struggling to maintain a straight face. Part of her couldn't help but feel a sense of pride for his initiative and was entirely on board with his decision when they discussed the offer of assistance to other nations. Still, the other was riddled with anxiety feeling like she was sending her flesh and blood into a den full of starving lions. "I know we already discussed and practiced a million times, but maybe just to be sure, I at the very least could…"
Before she could say anything else, Blueblood lifted his right hoof and stopped her with a look and a smile. "…I'm sure, auntie. And believe me, I'm more than a little tempted to accept your offer, but this is something I need to do alone." He looked back at the door, "I have more than tested the patience of all of those rulers as they waited for my answer. Arriving now with you or Aunt Luna will not help de-escalate the situation. It will seem like my decision was yours at best, and a lack of trust in them, your subjects, and even your family at worst.
All of them want to have a personal meeting with me, and they honored your request of arranged marriages being off the table. So the least we can do is agree with their's and let them have a private meeting with me."
"As true as that might be, it will not erase the concerns I have." She said, still worried, as he sighed and nodded. "Nor does mine, but these are our friends' auntie. We should have more trust in them"
"You are right, and Luna keeps telling me I should learn to relax more and not be such a helicopter aunt around you," She half-joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Auntie, come on! I think that is a bit extreme." Blueblood chuckled and tried to lightly push her away, only for her to grab his hoof and bring him into her barrel for a hug. "Try to be careful out there and don't let any of them manipulate you into doing something you don't want to, ok? Oh! And remember, in case of an emergency, lean on your cousin Cadence," She instructed. "I promise, auntie, I will keep my guard up at all times."
She ended the hug, and Blueblood placed his right hoof on the door handle, slowly opening it as he walked inside. "Best of luck, dear, I know you will do great" Celestia gave him the last bit of encouragement before leaving him to his devices.
"Thank you. I promise I will not do anything crazy." He whispered the last bit while marching to the empty throne. Arrayed before the throne stood six golden cauldrons bubbling with a blue substance in them and a round table in the middle of the room with a map of Equestria resting upon it.
"Ok…showtime," The Prince told himself and did a quick breathing exercise to relax before sitting on the throne and looking forward. Seconds later, all the caldrons burst to life in blue towers of fire from which, one by one, an image of rulers slowly manifested inside the infernos until Blueblood was able to distinguish each individual in them. Besides his cousin Cadence, who was smiling at him while sporting a relatively simple yet elegant dark pink dress with a crystal necklace with the crystal empire's crest on it, there was also, Bulkups, the King of the minotaurs, an imposing and muscular giant brown minotaur with black hair and long, thick bull horns each decorated with a thick golden ring, and lastly, blue paint in the form of vertical lines covering the left side of his face. Besides some bandages on his arms and hands, a shoulder plate on his right shoulder and a thick black belt supporting his armor, and a hammer resting on his back, he didn't seem to be wearing any other piece of cloth from the waist up, letting everyone one see more tattoos on his exposed chest.
Queen Novo, a ruler of the hippogriff race, was wearing nothing save some jewelry on her chest as she was currently in her siren form. King Raptor, the regent of the griffin kingdom, could be seen wearing his usual royal garb. Ivory, the werewolf Matriarch of the Sif nation, sporting a reasonably simple victorian light green dress accented with emerald pieces, with matching earrings and necklaces making her glitter slightly in the light alone. She had an athletic yet feminine figure with red fur covering her body and long straight hair with white fur accenting the underside of her snout, the front part of her neck, and presumably part of her stomach and chest.
And finally, Xena, the Queen of Abyssinia, as well as princess Nefertiti's mother. Like her daughter, she was an anthropomorphic lioness who also had albino fur and black hair. Though unlike the dreadlocks her daughter chose to wear, Xena's hair was arranged into a long ponytail with three long bangs of her hair loose to cascade down in front of her face. Her wardrobe consisted of a white toga with a golden corset showing their nation's symbol, similar to Blueblood's breastplate, three rings on her left paw, and some slight blue shadow under her eyes.
"Good day, everyone, glad that you could make it," Blueblood addressed the group with a short bow. "And thank you for your patience concerning my reply, even if the reasoning for my delay was understandable. Making you wait this long must have been frustrating, and for that, I apologize."
"There is no need to issue an apology, child," Ivory was quick to point out, lifting a paw and smiling calmly at him. "It is quite understandable that a proposition like this required time to process and think about." She then looked at Xena, maintaining a smile. However, this one was more forced. "Rushing into action and making impulsive moves leads to nothing but disaster after all, wouldn't you agree, Queen Xena?"
The tension in the room quickly grew palpable as rather than reply to the jab. The lioness remained calm before looking at Ivory from the corner of her eye. "Indeed, if one were to act blindly without a sharp mind to understand one's movements. After all, in a hunt, there next to no time to stop and think about each step you take." She retorted with a smirk, causing Ivory to growl at her momentarily before recovering her forced smile. "Of course."
Unknown to them, the Prince was smirking inwardly at the display. Just as I planned, that is it, focus on needling each other. The more time you spend thinking of clever comebacks, the less you think of ways to manipulate me.
"Enough of this!" Bulkups interjects in annoyance, pounding the arm of his throne as he turns to regard Blueblood. "As funny as it is watching two grown women act like spoiled brats, that is not why I came to this meeting." He continued, regarding both queens who kept giving each other the stink eye, but other than that, didn't say anything else and looked back at the Prince.
"Quit stalling for time, boy. Your letter says you finally made up your mind, so give us your answer already."
"Fair enough, it would be better to clear the air right away anyway," Blueblood nodded before addressing everyone. "I must admit, the idea of visiting your lands does sound enticing. Viewing new places, seeing other cultures, meeting, and making new friends. It simply too good to pass up on, so my answer will be yes. I will gladly visit all of your realms and see what I can do to lend you a hoof, at least as an experiment to see how things develop."
"Excellent!" Queen Novo reply happily, with the rest of the rulers nodding in approval with smiles on their faces, "I would be more than happy to welcome you into our nation just as your aunts did for me. I assure you, the experience will be something you will remember with fondness, young Prince, just as much as with the rest of us."
"I am sure of it. However, I can't promise the same results that occurred in Manehattan" That piqued their curiosity once more. "Each nation has its own culture, rules, habits, and customs. All of which influence and direct how that nation's crime operates. Let us not fool ourselves here pe…PO…rulers. Every kingdom has crime one way or another. It is a necessary evil. And because of that, I can give you advice and suggestions on how to study, confront, and with luck, reduce it as much as possible, but erase it? That would be asking for the impossible."
"A very nice speech," King Raptor replied, steepling his claws together. "Although it seems you misunderstood the intention of our proposals, Prince Blueblood." Blueblood turned to look at him. Confused by the kings' words as he continued, "Do not misunderstand child, toppling five criminal families and forcing them out of your nation and letting them know who rules over your lands? That is certainly a nice bonus, but what piqued our interest in you and what we would love for you to share is something else entirely."
"The economic miracle." Blueblood answered in realization as the rulers nodded slowly, minus Cadence, who was instead covertly looking between the gathered rulers and Blueblood with worry.
"You single handedly took... What? Four? Maybe five businesses?"
"Six," Blueblood corrected, looking away. "And I hardly did anything other than return the bits those crime bosses took from them."
"My point still stands. You took all those enterprises on the brink of bankruptcy and, before starting your anti-crime campaign, raised them to the top of their industries in a frighteningly short amount of time. That is something that has never happen before"
"It wasn't that hard, really, with criminals extorting everypony, finding allies wanting payback was as easy as turning a corner," Blueblood remarked, causing Raptor to chuckle lightly. "Please, your highness. There is such thing as too much modesty, too." He smirked and points at him. "You put an end to an economic crisis by yourself, simple as that. and we would like to know how it happened."
"If I may interject, what would be the point of that King Raptor?" Cadence was quick to intervene, "Last time I checked, neither Grifingnest nor any of our kingdoms, for that matter, are suffering any economic issues. So why ask for help with a problem that is not even there?"
"True, we all have been blessed with a rich and booming era of prosperity." Queen Xena was quick to reply. "But wouldn't it be best to ensure it lasts rather than hope that it does?" She asked with a raised eyebrow at Cadence, "After all, isn't it best to have a fire extinguisher in arms reach BEFORE a fire starts, hmm? He performed a miracle with those dying companies. Imagine what could be achieved with functional ones."
"It's ok, Princess Cadence," Blueblood called to her with a nod. "I thank you for your concern and appreciate the intervention, but I am happy to answer this." He smiled at her before addressing the rest of the group. "While I'm flattered that you think so highly of my actions, to tell you the truth, what ended this crisis was the very thing that started in the first place. The power vacuum left after the arrest of Fort Knox." The Prince proclaimed, gaining the attention of everyone present.
"I meant it when I said how I only recovered what those crooks stole in the first place. Do you want to know the big secret behind that miracle I created? Simple economic psychology, combined with good old-fashioned war games. Tell me, have any of you ever heard the saying "Know your enemy as you know yourself?"
"It is a well-known quote in our kingdom, yes," Ivory replied with a raised eyebrow. "Except it says 'know your prey,' and it's meant to be a lesson to keep in mind when you hunt your meals. Tell us, young Prince, how does that relate with restoring an economy?"
Because Equestria's economic system is behind Earths by like 50 or more years and never had a great depression which birthed a lot of regulations and rules to prevent it from repeating, making it soft and easy to manipulate. The prince internally answers, weighing his options.
"Because, as you have seen, the same principle could be applied to economics as well." The Prince finally answered. "The power vacuum in the city created a boom in crime and hoarding of bits by those that tried to be the replacement of Fort Knox, and none of them had the subtlety or the patience to hold any of that for long. So when I arrived, it took me just a week of studying their behaviors to understand precisely how they think, where to strike and what buttons to push” He tells with a semi malicious smirk on his face “The moment I made the first move, they were already nothing but puppets in the frog of my hooves.
Making them reveal exactly where they hide all their money and then trick them into giving it back and then some, all the while not breaking a single law was so painfully easy and fast that after I was done returning it to the corresponding authorities, I decided to show them how outclassed they were and what happens to those that hurt me…I mean, Equestria's citizenry" He then shrugged.
"The economic boom was simply a side effect, take away the predator, and the prey will flourish, ah; I hope that is not offensive." He added, looking at the rulers in worry.
"Don't worry, and it's not." Xena was quick to ease his fear. "And we understand what you meant"
Bulkups laughed at the story, "Turn your enemies into mere puppets and make them work for you? Oh, that is cold blood and I love it! You sure taught them a lesson, didn't you, boy?"
"Yes, indeed I did." The Prince joined in with a smile of his own.
And that is all you need to know. It's one thing to give an economy a light push forward. It's a whole other matter to provide it with a massive jumpstart, and Tartarus will freeze before I become the pony that causes the first global great depression.
"I hope this clears the air and helps you understand how what I did was more a matter of security rather than economics."
"Now that you have explained it to us, it's crystal clear." Novo replied, with the others nodding in agreement. "And you don't have to worry about that being a deterrent. I still will welcome you into our kingdom," She tells him with a smile, as the others soon voice their approval as well. Cadence letting go a sigh of happiness on how he de-escalate what could had been a potentially heated argument
"I suppose there is only the issue of when and who will be the first to receive you, young Prince." Xena stated, looking at the other rulers.
"Let us not get ahead of ourselves just yet. Queen Xena" Blueblood called their attention once more with a smirk. "I said I would accept your invitations as a courtesy to King Bulkups wanting a direct answer and in hopes to clear any possible misunderstandings. But that doesn't mean I don't have conditions of my own for this proposal of yours. Rest assured, I won't ask for much, just further clarifications towards my role. And the condition that my teachings will be to the royal of my choosing, particularly, those that like me, are directly connected to the now present ruler or rulers of each nation."
The daring announcement of the Prince's caught the rulers by surprise, not expecting to hear such a proclamation, all except for Queen Xena, who smiled calmly at him after the brief shock.
My sweet Nifi, you genuinely have caught the attention of this poor naïve Prince. Good job.
"You wish to impart your wisdom to our children?" Xena asked with a raised eyebrow, to which he nodded affirmatively.
"That is my intention, yes, but I'm not beyond dialogue, and I'm willing to compromise, which is the true intention of this meeting your highness's. The floor is open. Let the negotiations begin." The Prince proclaimed confidently as the rulers smiled and nodded as their cases were laid out one by one, and the details of his conditions were calmly discussed.
Later that night
After the meeting ended, the Prince went straight to the dining room where a cup of coffee and a muffin were waiting for him, next to his maids, who stood by with a smile. Returning the gesture, the Prince took a seat and took a bite of his little snack before sighing in relief and looking up. "Whoever thought of this, you just read my mind. This is exactly what I needed, thank you."
"I had a hunch you will appreciate the small treat, your highness," Mist answered with a knowing smirk.
"Really? How?" the Prince inquired, noticing her expression.
"Because Tia has the same vice," Luna replied as she entered the room, making the maids stand to attention and offering her the same treatment as the Prince before bowing and standing back once more. "Meeting with other rulers can be quite draining, isn't it?" Luna inquired with a quirked eyebrow, making the prince sigh in reply. "I feel like I just came back from running around Canterlot eight times. All I want to do is lay down and sleep for a week," He whined, eliciting a chuckle from Luna.
"Yeah, your first always saps you of energy. Don't worry over much, though. It gets easier with time and practice." Luna reassured him. "So, by the lack of dread on your face, I believe that everything went as planned?"
The Prince smiled as he picked up his cup. "Like a charm, every single condition I put forth was accepted in a matter of minutes without too much hassle. Not even Queen Xena opposed it when I set the date. The Prince or Princess of my choosing will hear my advice and instruction during my visits, and in return, their voice will be heard in their respective homes."
"Having spoken for those that felt used or ignored will be a sure way to gain a substantial number of allies among the future rulers. Nicely done, nephew. You did pretty well for your first meeting, I'm proud of you, and I'm sure Tia will be too once she hears the news."
"Thanks, auntie, and where is she anyway?" Blueblood asked, looking around the room
"Tia and your great aunt Platinum had a meeting of their own outside the city that has gone on longer than expected, unfortunately. A guard has already informed me that they will come back tomorrow and are more than eager to hear how things went, do not fret, nephew. This is not that unusual in our line of work." Luna assured Blueblood with a smile.
"Yes, I understand. Even when timed, a meeting can, unfortunately, always end earlier or later than expected. Hers must have been extended by an extraordinary amount of time if she still needed to be there, unlike making a caldron call. I hope it goes as well as mine did."
"I am sure of it, Tia was always particularly skilled in dealing with meetings and diplomacy."
At that moment in a hotel room in Cloudsdale near the Wonderbolt academy
Celestia finished placing her regalia on a travel mannequin she was a force to request after what she thought was going to be a short and straightforward meeting evolved into a whole excursion that made her seek out a place to spend the night and put her other obligations on hold that no doubt would be waiting for her once she returned. With an exhausted sigh, the princess looked out the window towards the wonderbolt academy, where she could see various ponies hard at work preparing an exhibition practice. Just for her and the ponies in charge of regulating and assisting the Wonderbolts in their daily activities. A prospect that she was less than eager to participate in. All called by Crossfire Tempo who somehow manage to convince her and prepare everything up for a demonstration of her case.
By all my sisters' stars, how did I end up here?