//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: To Avoid the Worst // Story: The Great War // by PioneeringAuthor //------------------------------// September 20th, 1012 SE, Equestrian Calendar It was eight days after the uprising in Saikyo. In Saddle-Arabia, in the capitol city of Rikhab, a meeting took place. The palace greeted the leaders of certain nations who stood together as allies in the Neighkian Pact, and every doorway was decorated and every hallway was sparkling just for the occasion. Deep in the center of the palace was a wide, highly-protected meeting room with no windows, lit only with torches and magic lanterns. Like the rest of the palace, it was made of stone brick walls, smoothed to perfection and decorated with banners of the nation. Across the longest wall hung the banner of Saddle-Arabia. In the torchlight, the bright green fabric looked darker than it truly was, and the white swatches of symbolic wind seemed more like fire, swirling around the white silhouette of Karam in the very center of the grand field. Beneath the flag, at one spot of the oval table, Karam looked around at his visitors, studying all their body languages and their facial expressions. Like Celestia, he was a tall creature, towering above ponies and even many horses as well, and his horse ancestry from his mother gave him a more muscled build than a pure pony would have, as well as more defined hooves and smaller eyes. He was also a very typical coloration--a yellow-orange dun pelt, with black legs and light grey hooves. Unlike Celestia, he had no magic in his average, black mane and tail, but there was always a vague breeze blowing around him, playing with his mane and the many golden coins and tassels hanging from his ornate, layered tack. In modest fashion, his tack covered his back, hindquarters,  and even graced his long face and wide chest. As always, he held himself high, like a proud warrior would, and his very presence commanded respect. Today though, eight days after the uprising in Saikyo, he was not the only leader in his palace. Sitting nearby was the Ambassador of the Gryphon Rikr, Hallr Hrafnsson, who was from an old noble Gryphon family known for having been important in securing the allegiance of some of the disparate regions to the Rikr. This was not the small kingdom that resided on Equestria's continent. This was the Rikr on the Eastern Continent, where the Changeling Hordes, Zuoji, Konlya and other nations were. To keep the distinction of the two ancestral lines of Gryphonhood, most historians and common citizens refered to the Eastern Rikr lands as the "Gryphons," while the lesser, weaker species in Equestria were spelled "Griffons." However, according to history, ALL Gryphons originally came from the Rikr lands. Here, the mighty ambassador of the Rikr dressed in a simple yet elegant manner keeping with the traditional martial aesthetic of his motherland. He had a fine vest, with medals displaying his great deeds of war, and his claws were all sharpened and polished until they shone. As a former general of war, he understood the situation very well. In place of Zuoji was the emperor himself, Biluo Chun, who was a dark green Kirin, dressed in a formal, black and silver and blue, layered robe that flowed around him loosely, and even covered the majority of his tail with its own sleeve. His wood-like horn was adorned with silver rings and chains, showing his status as one of the ambassadors of the nation. With his silvery-colored magic, he adjusted his outfit here and there, clearly not dealing well with the constant heat of Saddle-Arabia, but tolerating it well enough. Though he was rather old, the Emperor of Zebrica still attended. He was quite tall for his species, and his striped form wore a red robe with silver thread decorations. For matters like these he wore no crown. His mane and short beard were starting to thin with his age, and his dark eyes seemed to be sizing up most of the present leaders--save, of course, for the Alicorn among them, who was Karam. Nobeast dared to make any threat toward Karam, no matter how minor or fleeting said threat was. Nobeast dared to even look at Karam the wrong way--especially not the wide, aged Emperor Taye of Zebrica. Emperor Taye had seen much in his lifetime, having to ensure that the lesser kings in Zebrica fully submitted to his authority. He appeared stern, but in a more… protective way. After all, it was not for nothing that one of his titles was “Shield of his people.” This was a beast that was willing to make the absolute worst short-term decisions to secure the best long-term peace and prosperity. “As you probably know, the situation in Rikuma is getting worse. I have secured an alliance with Rikuma, but so has Equestria. If either of us joined in the civil war we could easily win… but WHO would win? Although I wish not to be directly involved, I will support any of your decisions, if I deem them worthy,” Karam said to his fellow pact members. Thankfully, all the leaders here could speak Common to each other, but even IF they needed translators, this time Karam would know what they were saying, for he was fluent in all the languages around him. “Rikuma and Zuoji have long been enemies, on and off. I do not doubt that the Shogun would gladly attack us. We all know that 'emperor' child is merely his puppet now. Whoever wins will surely be our enemy,” Biluo Chun said with a flick of his lion-like tail, “We shall not engage for either side, unless one of you enters first.” “Need I remind you dat de Minotaurs, who are Equestrian Allies, are doing in Rikuma what dey did for decades in parts of Zebrica?” Mentioned Emperor Taye, “Dey used deir trade as a tool to destabilize the land and seek more profit. While I can understand de desire to avoid a direct confrontation, Zebrica will not stand idle while dey do this to another nation.” Karam and Biluo both narrowed their eyes. “Indeed… and we won’t tolerate the emperor winning this civil war,” Biluo growled with a flex of his tail, “But for any of us to openly join the war would be suicide. Surely Equestria would jump in to help their new friends, . Such a thing would be… disastrous.” "Of courrhse, thhis assumes that it VAS Minotaur smugglers who imported thhose Equestrrhian veapons. All of this is still sspeculatiohn. Ve must noht rrhush into varrh." Rikr Hallr said in the Common Tongue, though his accent was very thick. Sadly, he didn't have as good a grasp on Common as his Rikr leader did. Karam nodded in agreement and sighed, “Wars are nothing new, but… Here we are, across the entire planet, considering joining. Shall we truly start a war among ALL nations? No. Equestria is too powerful to get involved and so is Saddle-Arabia, Yet, we cannot let the Minotaurs get away with this, either.” “Our fleets are stronger dan dose of de Minotaurs,” The Taye soon reminded everyone in the room, “If need be, we could patrol de routes between deir nation and Rikuma, to stop de flow of weapons to de Imperial forces… I am fairly sure dat dere will also be plenty of Zebricans willing to volunteer to aid de legitimate government of Rikuma…” “Legitimate? The upstart Shogun who claims he is a king, or the emperor who is a dishonored prisoner of war?” Biluo chun snorted in disgust. "I see de Shogunate as legitimate, dough dangerous. We can use his zeal for his nation to route de Minotaur smugglers in de area. Den peace will come," Taye insisted in a calm, slow tone. “I suppose it matters not, as long as Equestria gets the message to stay out of the war. They’ve been at peace for over a thousand years, and surely Celestia will not want to taint her pure, spotless reputation. I only wish to join if absolutely necessary," Emperor Biluo Chun sighed. Karam nodded in agreement, and added, “I myself will not join, unless Ippeia joins, in which case I will move my troops to keep them away from the rest of the fighting, ensuring that this civil war ends quickly, and with as little collateral damage as possible.” Part of him was worried about such a move, but he shrugged it away. After all, Ippeia was the nation right beside him, on the Southwestern Continent... and Ippeia had very, very strong ties to Equestria too. For centuries, Ippeia and Saddle-Arabia struggled and warred, but Equestria was wise and remained neutral. Certainly, the princess known for kindness and harmony wouldn't dare come between two of her friends. Equestria had a wise princess who kept to her own problems and focused on her own nation... most of the time. Said princess was in her own meeting now, with her own sister. “What now, Luna? Their actions still caused a civil war that we cannot un-do,” Celestia sighed to her sister with a shake of her head. “If we did get involved now, we’d only make it worse,” Luna pointed out with a serious look in her eyes, “We must stay out of it, Sister.” “But Luna, the civil war is ALREADY worse--and did you hear that Minotaurs are smuggling OUR weapons into it? What are we to do? Just ignore that?” “If we do anything, we WILL be held accountable, and our allies could get involved, escalating it all.” “...I know,” Celestia sighed, “I know. I tell myself that dozens of times a day, but still… I have a terrible feeling that this will all go downhill, and it’ll be my fault.” Luna looked away, remaining silent for a time. “I may have been gone for a thousand years… but it seems times truly haven’t changed much. Politics are still as tense as ever,” she bitterly noted, “Come. Let’s… eat supper, and... try to not worry.” “Yes… that’s all we can do, isn’t it? Stay at home… smile… look confident… I’m sick of it already.” Celestia's heart ached. Her mind raced over and over, contemplating the future. For once, she did not have hope for a bright ending. Something deep in her soul gnawed at her, warning of dark times to come. For her, this wasn't merely some prideful stunt of keeping her history "pure" or "spotless" or "Harmonious." This was her nation, of her creatures. Everypony was counting on HER to lead them and protect them. For CENTURIES they all believed in her goodness and power, praising her as if she was a saint. If this nation went into war, nopony would have any idea what to do. In Equestria, war was unheard of. Celestia herself saw war, but that was many generations ago. Her darling, innocent Ponies were NOT ready. Alas, what could she do? Even all the military training her guards and soldiers endured was nothing compared to real battle experience. NOPONY ANYWHERE in Equestria had real experience anymore. Her heart throbbed in a deep, motherly fear. Her sleep was plagued with dreams of the future again--dark, confusing twists of shadows, screams, frostbite, and even Nightmare Moon. In a panic she awoke, breathing hard. For many long, quiet minutes she sat on her bed, gasping for air, until finally she calmed down. What did she even see? It made no sense. All it did was horrify her. She squeezed her eyes shut, trembling in fright. A tiny knock at her door made her snap to attention. "Celie? Celie, I know you had a nightmare. Please, let me in," Luna called softly. Celestia's magic glowed on the door handles, opening it. Immediately Luna ran in, and the two sisters embraced each other. "Did you see it, Luna? I--I don't even know what it was. It made no sense. All I can remember is terror," Celestia sobbed, "Was it prophetic? Was it my anxiety? Could you tell?" "...No. I could sense it was prophetic, but... I know not what it was," Luna admitted, lowering her ears sadly. Celestia trembled, burying her nose in her sister's dark blue fur. Somehow, Celestia HAD to avoid the worst nightmare from coming true.