Canterlot University of Sciences and Sorcery, a day later…
Solemn Vow was not in the brightest of moods, had he known his rent would go up by such a large margin in just a few days he’d left Canterlot a long while back. As is the case, he started his morning well enough, having a cup of Joe and reading the Canterlot Times, and soon enough, he would sort through his mail.
Unfortunately, even with some dubious help from his late friend’s will, his job as a doctor and teacher couldn’t fully keep him afloat in this expensive city. Much more so did his day takes a turn when he heard that Twilight was waiting in his office, not only was his first train of thought being a visit concerning more work for him (on top of already working with Smolder), but he simply didn’t have the energy to deal with it, let alone make himself presentable this time around.
Now, like any good pony, he would have brushed his earlier transgression to at least give himself a favorable impression for the princess, but he didn’t. He didn’t want to nor cared, he was simple in a sour mood and he won’t change for a while, and as it would turn out... he would believe in the frankest of words and simple honesty.
“So… what’s the deal this time, princess?” he asked as he entered his own office, heeding no bow.
There patently waiting, was Twilight Sparkle, beside stood two Royal Guards. She simply sat at one end of the room opposite where Solemn would sit at his table.
“Nothing much, just came by to say hello,” she said, looking around as she waited for him to settle down.
“Kiss my ass, princess. Now tell me why you are here, rent just went up and I'm not in the mood to deal with whatever shit you got my way.” He said, sitting down on his chair as he arranged his table and set the newspaper he brought down, with it being settled on a page about economics and news.
Immediately, both royal guards stood at attention ready to strike Vow down for his profanity and indecency in front of her highness, but Twilight, with a single gesture, had them stand down as she observed the morning news.
“Well, I guess we could skip to the point since you already read the news.”
“Is this about Griffonstone?” he asked.
The newspapers were quick on a catch for a good story, and the incident at Griffonstone was no different. To most, it’s just business or publicity, to Twilight and Solemn, it meant the books were right. And it only meant one thing, the clock was ticking… for more than three decades did Twilight lead Equis, and only now did problems arise.
“Well… Unlike Ideals, I use my magic sparingly. So here’s a start for you, how about you bugger off while I try to find a new place to crash by for tonight, how’s that sound?” Levitating the newspaper and some maps, he began to read them as he didn’t bother to listen to the protest of the guards.
Twilight for her part was, as the ever-patient pony, merely gave a suggestion. “How about this, I’ll let you crash by at the palace while you help me with the papers, we're going to be busy for a while.”
He looked at her skeptically, “did Smolder ever tell you about her plans?” he asked.
“Smolder? You mean my old dragon student?” She asked.
“Yep,” he clarified, “she wanted to make an obituary about Ideals, so I decided to help her out.”
“You don’t say,” she mumbled, having an internal conflict on how to feel about it.
She knew she wasn’t supposed to condemn her own student for what could be believed as an innocent act, yet there was a part of her that couldn’t help but outright just oppose the idea as a whole.
“Well, if you’re asking for my extended help, I’ll provide it on some conditions,” she responded, hoping to entice Solemn to work for her.
“Good enough for me,” he responded, never bothering to question her motives as he set the paper down. Reaching for a comfortable position, he began once again, “You’re here to bargain with me, princess. Get the guards to wait outside while we have our talk, got it?”
A quick glimpse and nod from Twilight and they were on their way. Once they left, Solemn promptly locked the door with his magic as he waited for Twilight to make the opening move.
From what he had read from the papers so far, Equis was, as his late friend would put it, approaching a new era. One of enlightenment, or in some rare instances, could be considered a renaissance. Whatever the case would be, Solemn wasn’t sure what the world and its future would be like, nor is he sure on the side he should take, but judging by the fact that Twilight came to him for (most likely) help, he could only assume that ideals and ideas are going to be redefined and expressed, making her job as a ruler that much more complicated.
“Tell me honestly, what have you been up to with Inkwell, or even Spike for that matter?” He inquired, about to make a mental note of whatever she was going to tell.
Suddenly, nervousness started to set in for Twilight as she suddenly found herself abhorring the potential direction of this conversation.
“W-why does it matter?” she hesitantly asked.
For a moment, Twilight swore she saw Solemn look at her with a face of indignation.
"Do you have any idea how big this could be?" Solemn asked, “Thousands upon thousands of hours… just to create something as close to an everlasting impression, and it was all because he was willing to risk it all in his final gambit. A gambit to open something new, not a gamble of change. Something inherently different.”
For a moment, Solemn seemed to have left it that, until he decided to shift through some old papers. It took him a while and a decent number of files and drawers, but he eventually found what he was looking for, something to, perhaps, prove a point for Twilight.
“You know… Ideals told me something, not directly word for word, but through a letter…” he began, skimming through the contents of the paper he held up before setting it down on the table for her to read. “It simple revolved around the idea of a test, that ‘the greatest test for any mortal has everything to do with being mortal, i.e. morality and mortality; the greatest test for any immortal is the question of what it means to be immortal and/or mortal…’…”
While Twilight took the moment to read the paper he had set down, he continued. “He sent me a book that day and an apology… I was still in med school at the time.”
“What does it have to do with-?” Twilight was about to inquire about something before being abruptly interrupted with the answer.
“Everything… because to divide is the beginning to revive. To break the bricks down to build a new. And the greatest tests often divide even the most brilliant of minds.” He said, remembering the topics that Ideals would usually teach in his books
Break it down to fundamentals, make the process as simple as possible while allowing gains to flourish and methods of retaining power as long as possible… but most importantly, make sure it is effective, that no one opposes you yet will still reach out to aid you. That is, to the principles of Ideals’ book, the cornerstone of securing power. And the next step… is to build upon that power, take what you can, give nothing back.
“You'll have to choose a philosophy to stick by, princess,” he said, “because sooner or later, someone, and I do mean someone, will have to look up to you… either for guidance or for prying opportunity, no matter what the motive may be.”
And he ended it at that, waiting patiently as Twilight Sparkle, the Sovereign of Equestria, thought over what he said, the revelation he made still leaving a reasonable impression.
Twilight, who had nothing to say and already having gained what she had come for, decided it was high time to leave.
“So, when are you going to stop by at the palace?” she asked before standing up.
“Tomorrow…” he replied, “and lock the door when you leave.”
She looked at him but didn’t let it settle on her as she began to walk out of the room, that is before she was halted when Solemn asked her a personal question.
“And how’s your student been?” He nonchalantly asked.
For the briefest of moments, Twilight’s heart sank as she suddenly stopped in her place, concerned for her current student, Luster Dawn. It wasn’t officially news yet, but Twilight had had several students in the past decades or so, Luster Dawn was her newest student, which she planned to keep a secret from prying eyes until she was certain that her student could handle not only the attention but also herself.
Hesitantly, her vision hovered over Solemn, ready to instinctively strike him down should worst come to worst.
“Calm down, geez, you’re getting worked up over nothing…” he remarked, spying over her posture as he figured out the apparently personal topic. “Don’t hold any vendettas against me, I’m just asking, Smolder told me about her the other day. She said she was a pleasant one to speak with.”
And as quickly as her suspicion had risen, it had quickly subsided at the mere mention of one of her former students.
“My student aside, any news on Smolder and her works?” she asked.
He looked at her with a somewhat offended face. “Shouldn’t I be the one asking that?”
A heartfelt chuckle escaped Twilight as she heard the remark. Truthfully, she hadn’t had the time of day to check on her close associates and friends as of recent.
“Tell something I don’t know,” she dared, “I’ve got eyes and ears around Equestria to keep my subjects safe, so you shouldn’t really fret.”
“I know you do,” he whispered, “let's just hope that your world would outlast you in every sense of the word…”
As he said this, he heard the doors of his office click shut to signal the sovereign has left. Now left to his own devices, he could only think at the moment, how he had lasted up to this point, how he had outlasted a friend…