//------------------------------//
// Day 14 
// Story: Temporary Rulers 
// by Nineveh Orion 
//------------------------------//

Celestia frowned as the latest pony left the court. "I do not like this. The news that Princess Twilight is away from Equestria has emboldened these malcontents far more than it should. They do not even try to hide it now."

Azure nodded, no happier. "There have been reports from some districts of ponies trying to start trouble with other races. Or even between ponies of different tribes. None have succeeded thankfully. But it can't be a coincidence that this is happening all over Equestria."

Celestia nodded. "If there is one thing that I have learned the hard way over my long life. It is that it is never a coincidence. These are too well-timed to be anything other than planned. Princess Twilight made no secret that she was leaving. I hope that it was not a mistake."

Azure gave her a worried look. "Has anything like this happened before?"

Celestia nodded sadly. "Yes. Not long after I lost my sister to her inner darkness, Equestria rose up and tried to lynch all of Luna's followers. For the sole crime of being associated with Luna, though none of them stood with her as Nightmare Moon. I finally had to step in myself and made it clear that any attempt to eliminate my sister's followers, would not be tolerated and that any caught doing so would be tried by me personally."

Azure blinked in surprise. "Doesn't that seem, I don't know? A bit much?"

Celestia chuckled. "The Courts of Law were not as impartial as they are today. Many shared the same views of Luna's followers as those who tried to eliminate them. I would not take that chance."

She sighed as she looked east. "The same can not be done today. I will not call Twilight back. Not until there is no other option. To do so would be to admit defeat to these... ponies."

Azure gulped as the air in the room went up several degrees. She almost swore that she saw Celestia's eyes turn slit for a moment before it passed.

Celestia shook her head, seemingly trying to dispel an unpleasant thought. "Is there any reason that we can see that would explain why this movement seems to be coming mostly from Maretime Bay, Zephyr Heights, and Bridalwood?"

Azure shook her head. "No. They are relatively new towns, but that seems to be the extent of what they have in common. Nothing about them has ever stood out as something to worry about." She tapped her chin. "There was talk about an eccentric earth pony in Maretime Bay that seem really fascinated with alicorns. But nothing ever came of it."

Celestia nodded. She still didn't like any of this. Too much of it reminded her of what the Legion of Doom had managed to do during the Battle of the Bell. For now, though, she put it from her mind. "Who is next then? Another pony asking these same questions?"

Azure looked down at her list. "Sunny Starscout. From Maretime Bay. It doesn't say why she came all the way here though. She seemed really excited about something earlier."

Celestia blinked. Something about that name, for some reason, struck her as important. But she couldn't say for sure why. She smiled, however. "Send her in, please. I can only hope that she is nicer than the others have been."

The door guards nodded, before admitting the mare. The earth pony mare couldn't have been much older than Twilight herself had been when she had first moved to Ponyville so long ago now. Her eyes shown with wonder and excitement as she took in everything around her. When her eyes fell on Celestia, they widened even more, before she fell into a bow.

Celestia smiled. She knew that look in the young mare's eyes, and it warmed her heart. "Please, miss Starscout. There is no need for that."

Sunny blinked as she looked up. "But I thought you were supposed to bow to the princess? Or did Pipp and Zipp get it wrong?"

Celestia chuckled, her smile never faltering. "That is true. But I am not a princess. I have not been one in a very long time. I am merely filling in for Princess Twilight."

Sunny didn't look completely convinced, but she wasn't sure what else she could do. "Izzy was right. I really need to lighten up for this."

Celestia held back a giggle, while Azure fought to keep her mouth straight. "To what do we owe the pleasure, miss Starscout? It is a long way from Maretime Bay. Nothing wrong I hope?"

Sunny's smile fell somewhat as she dug around in her saddlebags. "Actually. There are a few reasons I'm here. I've always wanted to see Canterlot and meet Princess Twilight. I've been a huge fan of hers since I was a filly. Not just as the princess, but for everything she and her friends did, and what they stood for."

Celestia's smile grew. "I am sure Twilight will be thrilled to hear that when she returns."

Sunny smiled widely at this, but it fell a moment later. "There's something else, though. I know about the rumblings all around Equestria. Ponies trying to divide the tribes once more. I think I know who is behind it."

Before Celestia or Azure could respond, Sunny layout a poster showing Twilight's cutie mark, but now slashed with red that looked far too much like blood. On the bottom was a symbol that Celestia recognized.

"Canterlogic," Celestia said quietly, before turning to Azure. "Didn't Princess Twilight..."

Azure nodded grimly. "She shut them down herself. We had discovered they were performing highly unethical and illegal experiments to develop anti-Pegasi and unicorn magic. Phyliss Cloverleaf, their CEO, disavowed any knowledge of any of this. But there was enough evidence to prove she knew of it and greenlit it herself."

Sunny nodded sadly. "I used to be friends with her son, Sprout. He never seemed to be this way, until he vanished a few years ago. Last week he turned up, but he was so different. Now he won't shut up about this anti friendship nonsense."

Celestia frowned. "Does anypony believe him? Maretime Bay is small enough that I would think many in the town would know him."

Sunny nodded. "Most of the town does know him. He used to be a Deputy Sherrif to Hitch. Luckily, nopony is listening to him. Especially after he tried to declare himself Emperor of Maretime Bay. He even used a song. It wasn't very good. Like. We were throwing fruit at him to get him to stop, it was that bad."

Celestia and Azure giggled more than they probably should have at that, and even Sunny couldn't keep a straight face. "I know it wasn't the friendliest thing to do. But nails on a chalkboard are less irritating than the song was. We helped clean up the mess afterward though. Our Sherrif insisted on it," Sunny added with a sheepish smile.

Azure chuckled. "I think Princess Twilight mandated that, as long as you helped clean up the mess afterward, there would be no harsh penalty for throwing fruit at a horrible singer. But if you do more than that? The penalty would depend on what you did to them."

Celestia's smile grew. "Then I believe that you and the other ponies will be fine. Twilight would most likely comment that you could have handled it better. But this is hardly the worst thing she will have ever heard about."

Sunny sighed in relief, a weight off of her shoulders. She made sure that to tell her friends knew this as soon as possible. "I just don't understand why anypony could ever think like this. For Twilight's sake, some of my best friends are from other pony tribes! We graduated from the School of Friendship together! Sure, we fight and argue. But we always come back together. So how..."

Celestia sighed sadly. She could sense that there was a deep bond between Sunny and her friends. Even though she didn't know them, if they were anything like the mare before her, they could do great things together. "I do not know, my little pony. I just do not know. Equestria has enjoyed five centuries of peace and prosperity. I cannot imagine why or how anyone would want to change that."

Azure looked again at the poster. "What I do not understand is what do they hope to accomplish? Equestria is not falling for this from the reports we have been receiving. Princess Twilight will not back down from this."

Celestia nodded. "This is not the Three Tribes Era, or when the Legion of Doom attacked. This, whatever it may be, is doomed to failure."

Sunny shifted uncomfortably. "Sprout said that they had help. High-level help. From Bridalwood and Zephyr Heights. But he didn't say who they might be. My friend Izzy hasn't said anything's changed in Bridalwood, and my friends Pipp and Zipp have said the same thing about Zephyr Heights."

Celestia and Azure shared a concerned look. Nothing about this felt right to them. Was someone pulling the strings behind the scenes? Someone they did not know of? 

Sunny saw the look, and her ears dropped. "I'm sorry I had to bring this up. I never wanted my first trip to Canterlot to be like this. Dad was right. I should have done this years ago."

Celestia shook her head, her smile softening. "It is not your fault, miss Starscout. I too wish your first time I Canterlot could have been under better circumstances." Her brows rose after a moment. "Do you have a place to stay?"

Sunny shook her head. "No. I was planning to go back home tonight. But there's so much to see and do that..."

Celestia giggled. "Then it is decided. You will stay here in the castle. For as long as you wish." She saw the mare ready to argue and held up a hoof. "I must insist. It is a long way back to Maretime Bay. Why don't you relax for a few days before you go home? Unless there is something that you must get back to?"

Sunny's wide grin and squee was all the answer they needed.