"I am the object of criticism around the world. But I think that since I am being discussed, then I am on the right track."
- Empress Ritmo IV of the Third Crystallian Empire
The United Canterlotian Party was in a mess.
Expedient Expansion supposed the party had always been a mess since their founder left after '58 with that vote of no confidence. He had rejoiced along with his clique those years back when that happened, but since then the conservatives of the party had became an even larger threat to his plans for the country.
His hooves' grips on the cup shook just a little bit as he frowned at the various shenanigans the party had done. From attempting to suppressing the local pegasi minority harder with a variety of bills, and believing that nationalisation was an actual good economic policy.
Their failures were what led to that impeachment in the first place...
... and his ascension to party leader.
Now that was a nice memory to think over.
It was nice to remember winning the party primary with ease after her ousting, declaring that a new method had to be taken for the Second Canterlotian Republic. That he along with his allies would steer the Republic into the future. That they will make Canterlot a better home.
They had barely won last year's election by a margin.
Expedient's grip on the tea cup hardened by just a smidge harder.
Anger, frustration, and pure wrath threatened to boil over but his hooves moved faster. Placing his cup of coffee into his mouth.
The warmth of the drink drew him out of that boiling stew of 'mistakes' that threatened to blow the lid off and give the Blossom a new round of papers to sell. It was a sense of the Celestia's sun. An essence of it extracted and made fluid. Expedient sighed as he looked down at it. Did the Alicorn disappear and manifest this glory after? Or was the holy artifact that was coffee present before her ascension?
The soft sounds of hooves on the carpeted floor drew his musings away to look up at a waiter. She was an older looking pony, with wrinkles around the eyes and a mane of black. A small headdress on her, a contrast to the more fitting forms of younger mares in Expedient's opinion, but one that made her presentable at the very least in an establishment this prestigious.
"Are you ready to order sir?"
Her voice was sweet and sultry, something that the manager probably kept her around for. It reminded him slightly of his lovely wife back home whenever their anniversary came around. Expedient waved a hoof, "I'm still waiting for my friend. Apologies."
"Understood," The mare bowed her head before leaving Expedient left alone once more, with his nice cup of coffee. The silence that left him there was near overwhelming, but it was a tolerable one. It was a bearable silence compared to chaos of the halls of the hallowed - or more accurately, hellish - Privy Council, or the more nervous pain that would originate out from his office.
"Heavy laid the head with the crown..." Expedient muttered to himself. He chose this job for a reason. But it didn't stop him from complaining about it.
His further musings into the Tomorrows that could have been were stopped as he heard the very brief sound of the door opening to this private room in the restaurant... that Glory Cane had arrived.
For all intent and purposes, Expedient didn't like the mare. A self serving conservative corrupt cranky knifer, which was already bad on its own. But she was also charismatic, and happened to been one of the most advent supporters of the outgoing Captain Sparkle.
Expedient placed down his cup as he leant back into his chair. His teeth clenched as he moved a hoof to the table. And, he did his very best to smile as the mare rounded into view.
Glory Cane was distinct, never really fitting to the typical role of a 'Canterlotian' per say. With a bright pink mane and a coat the colour of the golden spires of the Palace, she was more fitting to be a kindergarden teacher than being the chief whip of the UCP. Some suspected that's why the unicorn was quite able to be the chief whip. With the right balance of wrinkles around those dolomite eyes, along with styling her mane to be just as cutesy, she could worm members of parliament back on voting the party line.
Maybe his hatred of her was merely jealousy of such skill. He merely had a white mane and green coat to boot and he looked like he walked out of a mineshaft.
Glory's steps were ones that held her well as Expedient pretended to not notice her entering, mustering a small 'oh' as he turned to face her.
"Ah! Miss Cane! How was the walk here?" Expedient said with a smile, teeth hidden by the lips twisting upwards like some sort of puppet, "Pleasant I hope?"
Glory let out a small giggle unbefitting a mare her stature as she strolled up to the chair opposite Expedient, "It was delightful. The local flowermares had some of the nicest little dandelions you ever see, I'd reckon that your daughter might like them!"
"I did see it so! Very beautiful especially in this season," A lesser pony might have dropped their guard at such a display of cheerful affection, but the two weren't fools to this game, "How about you? Has your day been delightful?"
"It has!" She smiled at Expedient, and he returned a thin smile back. The two holding the looks as the waiter returned.
"Welcome to the Argentum, what can I get you two, esteemed guests?" The waiter asked, a plastic smile on her face. Beaming at the two.
Expedient turned and looked at Glory, gesturing at the menu laid on the table before her. Glory glanced at him before merely nodding back at the waiter, "I'll have the I'Indigo Salad."
"I'll have the same as the lady," Expedient remarked, "Oh, and some orange juice to replace my coffee would you?"
"Understood," The waitress quickly nodded and left, writing it down on a notepad. Leaving the two back into silence, as Glory observed over at Expedient. A quiet analyzing look washed over him with a bemused expression. Expedient returned back with a bored one back at her. Her dolomite eyes met his emeralds.
"I'Indigo? I didn't take you for having Manehattenite tastes, Miss Cane," Expedient stated. Glory merely chuckle back at him as she leant into the soft cushions of the Argentum's chairs. The two's look to one another, seemed polite, but of course the two knew better.
As Glory placed a foreleg against the the top of the chair and smiled, she replied, "I did study in University of Manehatten right before the Crisis those decades ago, Expedient. Can't a mare have their own interesting tastes?"
"Of course they can," Expedient returned with a lean forward, "Like politics."
Glory nodded, "Like politics, and why we're here - the Reforms."
The Reforms. Words enough to spark a fight in a more uncivilized place unlike the Argentum. This was a place of sacred discussion and negotiations, for backroom deals and frontroom parades. A place for the real movers of politics to decide the future of the nation.
And the Reforms, with a capital R, were one of those topics needed to be discussed. The rule of Captain Sparkle, despite what the most avowed UCP members would proclaim, had brought about systematic issues. From a corrupt upper parliament, to an entrenched judiciary, to what the Applelousans had proclaimed to be the most unfair election system in Equestria.
It was frankly, in Expedient's eyes, an embarrassment.
"What's your opinions on the Reforms?" He asked, looking over the older mare. He wasn't a fool, he already knew what the answer to the question was.
Glory smiled shifted to a smirk, "A bunch of populist hogwash, a collection of mistakes, an assemblage's doltish ambitions, aberrations of amateurish delusions. Nothing that any sane pony in the UCP would support, mister Expansion."
"But yet there are more ponies in the UCP who believe it necessary for the Second Republic to continue," Expedient returned, raising an eyebrow carefully, "Do you not believe the Second Republic is in an impasse, Miss Cane?"
"An impasse manufactured by the easily excited amateurs at politics, mister Expansion," Glory said with a small wave of her left hoof, "The Second Republic has endured crises after crises in its decade long history, under the guidance of Captain Sparkle we managed to weather them well through a system she personally built. And that system will serve us well."
"A system that limits legislative participation to an election threshold of fifteen percent? I don't call that particularly... democratic, Miss Cane. Issues like these make it harder for the common citizen of Canterlot to voice their concerns, would you not agree?" He pressed, prodding at her slowly.
A click of her tongue, her lips smacked one another, "I would agree, if it not for the slow infestation of subversive Pieist and Preventusian elements within our nation. The blessing of democracy, is one that we must cherish, and unfortunately, withhold until we can probably... eliminate these threats, Mister Expansion. I do have to commend you for your efforts on suppressing them, but, I simply do not believe that until they are dealt with, we could move on from this system."
"And take action against Preventus and his Manehattenite Coalition?" Expedient shook his head, "We'd be long dead before we allow proper democracy to reign in Canterlot, Miss Cane. It's better if we risk subversion for the freedom of our ponies.'
"And that is the same reason why you think we should abolish the Upper House?" Glory replied, her small facade of being friendly faded as her dolomite eyes became hard as bricks.
"Corruption festers among their ranks, and the fact that they are appointed for life is not exactly helpful in dealing with that corruption, Miss Cane," Expedient stated, his brows furrowing. "I understand that the Upper House was created for the same purpose we have that electoral threshold, but we cannot hide in fear of Pieists and Preventusists forever."
"On the contrary," Glory chuckled with a smile. A more genuine one perhaps, "We can."
"We can?"
"If Her Holiness Sol can do it for a thousand years, why can't we?" Glory said, a twinge of pride lacing her features. Expedient wondered if the sun was positioned just right to give her that glow, "For a thousand years, Equestria as a whole as sheltered by her loving grace, Equestria was safe from the horrible waare waged outside our borders. But because they ascended, as it was their time, that duty of safeguarding Equestria now lays with us! Should we not continue the methods of the Alicorns which brought us peace and prosperity for so long, Mister Expansion?"
The beliefs of the UCP were easy to understand. Expedient knew by heart that the party was founded based on Solarist-Sparklist thought. A frame of belief that the nation could be managed the same way it had been managed for thousands of years. By a strong autocracy, guiding the ponies to prosperity in Harmony. And all threats to its survival crushed underneath their strength.
"No," Expedient shook his head as he looked down at the table, wondering when exactly their salads had arrived and how the usually noisy waitress got in here without them noticing, "The same system can't work forever. And we aren't exactly the princesses, are we?"
"Then you lack faith in Her Holiness, Captain Sparkle, and our nation, Mister Expansion," Glory said with a stern face.
"You lack faith in the people of Canterlot, Miss Cane."
A small sigh escaped Glory as she picked up her own fork with her yellowish magic, stabbing it into the lettuce within, "Listen, Mister Expansion, I want to help you. I really do. We conservatives do also recognize the failures of our... planned economy policies. And how... right you are on these restrictions on democracy. But this is what we need. We are surrounded by enemies, we cannot enjoy our democracy if we are surrounded."
"You want me to remove these threats to our home? Or would you rather simply be fully in a state of fear indefinitely of those around us?" Expedient asked, taking a moment to chew down a portion of his meal. "That is two states of madness I don't understand."
"Do you wish to understand?" Glory asked, swallowing a bite of cucumber.
Expedient nodded, "Explain to me. Why? Why is safety more important than our liberties?"
Glory chuckled as she took a sip of her orange juice, "I can explain it. I doubt you would accept it, but I can explain it."
"To put it simply, we believe that Equestria collapsed because we lost our system in the chaos of the Princesses' Ascension," She began, her fork picking up a stray piece of green with red, "In that chaos, the enemies of Equestria took their moment to strike against us, blowing away any hopes for peace and plunged us into chaos."
Expedient nodded at the history, everypony learned about that in their education.
"Under duress, the Royal Guard took over, and the nobles appointed themselves to lead after the Princessess' Ascension to the Veil. But they were corrupt, corrupt and decadent. They ruled for ten long years... ten long years of strife." Glory recalled, her eyes shimmering with the glow of a mare who had seen history, "Then, Captain Sparkle launched a coup against their degeneracy, disbanding the Republic and replacing it with the Second Republic. It was the better system that resulted. From those short decades, we knew, the shortcomings of liberal democracy, mister Expansion. Enemies flooded our gracious city and chaos reigned in the outer reaches. We lost Tall Tales to the Pieists because of their reign, tens of thousands of our patriots lost beyond our borders."
"The moment we let our guard down, Canterlot was ravaged like a whore," Glory said with seething, "First Equestria broke into pieces, then we lost Tall Tale, then the Shire, then we also lost Cloudsdale to the Confederacy. We were weak, and we cannot be allowed to be taken advantage of again."
"Captain Sparkle moved against this chaos, with strong, decisive action she had the nobles hanged. The Pieist threat was destroyed under her purview and the cursed Manehattenites stopped their harassment," She looked at Expedient as she finished her meal, "Do you understand now?"
Expedient stayed silent as he looked at her. His magic held the cup of orange juice, half empty as he mulled over the explanation.
"I... suppose," It was the start of a response, not exactly the best to say at a press conference, but a response nonetheless. "That does put... things into perspective..."
Glory frowned at the words, "You still think those reforms are necessary don't you?"
He nodded, "Of course they are. Canterlot still needs them, Miss Cane."
A sigh escaped Glory's lips as she shook her head, leaving her utensils in the bowl, "Then there is no point to this meeting. The conservative base shall not accept your amendments, Mister Expansion."
“Can you at the very least, listen to my end?” He spoke up, looking at her with a small pleading look.
Glory paused as she considered the proposition before shaking her head, “No.”
Expedient nodded, feeling quite empty as the bowl, "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," She said as she stood up, a soft smile still on her face, "You have your ideals and I have mine. That’s why we were friends. Thank you for the meal, Expedient."
Expedient merely leant back into the chair as Glory moved away, leaving him in this empty room once more, with a hollow shell of a body.
Passing the Amendments were going to be quite harder now…