7. Scene – The Library
(The group of Finch and Matuszek were lead around the town’s outskirts and then directly to the library to avoid too much attention, as she knew fully well how easily the townsfolk could become panic-stricken. Twilight knocks discretely, and Spike opens the door)
·Spike: Hey, Twilight. Back alrea… *he sees the strange creatures behind her* …dy?
·Twilight: Spike, I want you to meet Mr… *cannot remember his name*
·Finch: *finishes the sentence* Finch. *notices there is a dragon standing at the door* Donathan Fi- A Dragon?!
·Matuszek: *Peeps over his shoulder* A dragon? *truly amazed* Ungeheuerlich…
·Spike: Ooookaaaay… creepy. *bows Twilight’s ear to his mouth and whispers* Who are those guys?!
·Twilight: *frees herself* These, my dear Spike, are humans.
·Spike: *wide-eyed* Humans? Wow…
·Twilight: *telling him to snap out of it* Spike, these humans are your guests. They are here to make diplomacy with Princess Celestia.
·Finch: *still unsettled* My… my name is Donathan Finch. I am the Charge d’Affaires of the Diplomatic Mission to Equestria. *acknowledges his two colleagues* These are my colleagues, Mr. Hartfield and Dr. Matuszek.
·Spike: *bedazzled* …Fascinating… *gets bluntly nudged by Twilight* Ow!
·Twilight: Spike, please, let our guests in and write a letter to Princess Celestia about their visit.
·Spike: Uuh, sure thing, Twi! Right away. *to all* Please, come in.
(Laukkinen, although impressed by the dragon’s presence as much as everyone else, remains outside, aiming for the house’s exterior with his camera)
·Hartfield: Mr. Laukkinen, please come in.
·Laukkinen: Only one minute, Mr. Hartfield. Just let me photograph this house from the exterior. Remarkable use of a tree, very similar to the Swedish Tree Housings. And that houses over there! A very interesting half-timbered house variation. Very popular in Europe of the 1500s… but never in this form…
·Hartfield: Alright, you can photograph it. But please, do not cause any unnecessary attention.
·Laukkinen: Don’t worry. You see? The town is like deserted.
(Spike and Twilight go in, quickly followed by the DS. They take a short look around, and then hail the diplomats in)
·DS-Agent: *to Levin* It’s clear, Miriam.
·Levin: *waves to the diplomats* Please come in.
·Spike: *having slumped down at the writing desk* What should I write, Twilight?
·Twilight: Well, uh, write-
·Finch: *approaching quickly* Ehm, I will take that over! *takes Twilight’s spot* Thank you for your cooperation, Ms Twilight, but this is nevertheless a form of diplomatic correspondence.
·Twilight: *slightly irritated* Okay, alright.
·Matuszek: *intervening* Mr. Finch, with all due respect.
·Finch: You are aware of the protocol as much as me, Dr. Matuszek. It is a sign of mutual respect and cooperation on a geopolitical level. *To Spike* now please: “To Her Royal Highness”… *quickly to Twilight* is this Princess Celestia’s title?
·Twilight: Well, I always call her ‘Princess Celestia’, but she will probably accept it.
·Finch: *rather gruff* I will take that as a ‘Yes’, Ms. Twilight. *dictates to Spike*: “To Her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia of Equestria”. *waits for the approval of Twilight* ?
·Twilight: *exhales* Yes, this is correct.
·Finch: Well, “
The Country of Equestria, being isolated to all Nations belonging to the United Nations, has only been recently located by members of allied Armed Forces. A discrete and pre-emptive conference between the diplomatic authorities of the UN and Her Royal Highness was supposed to be arranged and agreed upon.
·Matuszek: *whispers to Hartfield* Really? That is what he is calling it? I mean, we simply drew it in the sand for a passerby horse.
·Hartfield: *whispers back* Don’t worry, I guess he knows what he’s doing. If it were any different, I wouldn’t be sitting here for long…
·Finch: *still dictating* However, due to some complications regarding the transfer of the message, there was no mutual agreement, and the diplomatic mission has run aground at a local…” *he looks around* “library, near the city centre of…” *he looks at Twilight for advice*
·Twilight: …’Ponyville’. But you can just write that the library belongs to Twilight Sparkle. I am her personal scholar.
·Finch: *stiff yet genuinely thankful* Thank you, Ms. Sparkle. *to Spike* Alright, cut that last part…
·Spike: *wearily* Okay…
·Finch: “has run aground at a library of Her Royal Highness’ Protégé, Twilight Sparkle.
Her Royal Highness is unquestionably free to either receive the diplomatic mission and engage the summit as proposed, or would otherwise benevolently allow preparations for the diplomats’ departures (through the air) to be made.
Sincerely, Donathan Finch, Envoy of the United Nations, Special Envoy of the Foreign And Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom, Charge d’Affaires of the current Diplomatic Mission.“ Full stop.
·Spike: *Who rapidly copies everything down, rolls up the parchment and massages his right arm* Got it all (ow, my claw!).
·Finch: Excellent. Would you mind to hurry when delivering it, please? This is urgent.
·Spike: Okay… *stands up and goes up to the window*
·Finch: *startled* Are you… sending it by pigeon?
·Spike: *readying* Nope.
·Finch: *starting to get concerned* Please be careful with it.
·Spike: I am! *quickly and efficiently incinerates the letter over the windowsill with a big green flame burst*
·Finch: *buff with shock, nervously combs through his hair* What… are… you … doing?! Why did you… *goes over to Hartfield and drags him by the shoulder* Did you see what he just did? He incinerated that letter!
·Hartfield : *in startlement* Hell… *to Spike* Sucker, what did you do that for?!
·Spike: *defensively* Hey, calm down. I sent it to the princess, I swear!
·Twilight: *hurrying along; to Finch* Don’t be scared, he did send it. It’s just a faster way!
·Finch: *violently sarcastic* Well I can see that! *turns around and keeps combing* Dr. Matuszek, could you kindly tell him that it needs to be delivered?
·Matuszek: *amazed, yet tries to be reasonable* Mr. Finch, I think it is their way of sending letters.
·Finch: *stands up with a surrendered face* All right, then. *sarcastically* So, what do we do now, interpret the ashes?
·Hartfield: What is it, Finch? Are we perchance running out of Valerian Pills?
·Finch: Watch it, Hartfield. Shouldn’t you be the one agreeing with me now? This mission is about to run aground completely if no one wishes to help us!
·Twilight: *empathetically* No, we have to wait, Mr. Finch.
·Hartfield: Okay, calm down, Finch. Let’s give them a minute before I join you *glares at Spike and Twilight*. Let’s just sit down wait.
·Finch: Well, lets wait, alright.
(Both Finch and Hartfield slump down on a random staircase; Matuszek however approaches Spike, packing a copy of an historical Habsburgian Encyclopedia)
·Matuszek: I am sorry, is your name Spike?
·Spike: Yes, how is yours?
·Matuszek: Elke, Matuszek. In my country, I am a professor of history and myths. A little bit like Twilight.
·Spike: *interested* Really?
·Matuszek: Yes. And I have read and heard a lot about dragons like you.
·Spike: Awesome! I have also heard from humans, but only from ponytales.
·Matuszek: Fairytales? *smiles* So have I. *thinks; she remembers that Spike really looks like a European Dragon* Say, you don’t happen to know ‘Europe’, do you? *she opens the book and shows him a typical lindworm of a Scandinavian Coat-Of-Arms*
·Spike: Is that really how you think dragons looked? That’s weird.
·Matuszek: *grins* You think so? Do you happen to know Eastern Dragons? *shows him a separate picture of a Korean Temple Dragon* Dragons with serpent-like bodies and colourful scales.
·Spike: *realisation* Ha, tons! They’re all over the place! Both sorts!
·Matuszek: Unbelievable! *to Finch and Hartfield* It seems this nation is a combined refuge for all of Eurasian anthropomorphic mythology!
·Finch: *unimpressed* You don’t say. I just find it strangely disturbing.
·Matuszek: *to Spike* Please, do not take him too serious. We all have a tiring day behind us.
·Spike: But isn’t it only noon now?
·Matuszek: *breathes* Well, enough is enough for some…
·Spike: *making strange sounds* Ooh, I’m sorry, you better stand back.
·Matuszek: Alright… *goes a few steps back*
·Finch: What is it?
·Spike: *belches audibly, accompanied by a typical green gas cloud and a sealed parchment* Here it is.
·Hartfield: *searches his pockets for his pills* Now, that’s just disgusting.
·Finch: *standing up, he didn’t see it* What exactly did just happen? *notices the still sealed parchment* Is that… the reply?
·Twilight: Yes, Mr Finch. She has responded really quickly this time. Please, sit down again. *to Spike* Spike, read it.
·Spike: Yessir. *unscrolls the parchment* So, it says… *holds* Wait, this is strange. This cannot be written by Princess Celestia…
·Twilight: Can I ? *Spike holds the letter in front of her eyes* “Dearest Legates,
Due to a hapless circumstance in Cloudsdale, Her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia, is nonattending. However, We, Her Royal Highness Luna, a Princess of Equestra, hath chosen to liase with ye dearest plenipotentiaries any pivotal matters of the realm or realms. We will receive the honourable legates forthright and on the earth. Hence, Donathan Finch of the United Kingdom shall please be willed to tarry in Our confidante’s establishment until Our arrival.
Thous Truthfully, Luna, Princess of Equestria.”
·Finch: *relieved and motivated* Thank God for that. *looks towards Spike and back to Twilight* I have positively no idea how on earth it reached her… but I have to say that this mission might as well end as a success. *shakes hands/hooves with Twilight* Thank you, Ms. Sparkle, *and just looks at Spike, unwilling to shake hands* and ‘Spike’, you have been a great help. *mentions on* Say, is Princess Luna a benevolent personality?
·Twilight: But of course. She is trying to be benign to her subjects. However, it does not always succeed. She… *tries to think of a word* she is very difficult to initially comprehend.
·Matuzek: *snarky* Then, I believe Mr Finch may be the best person to attend to negotiations with her.
·Finch: *snarking back* I will take that as a compliment on my potentiality, Dr. Matuszek.
·Laukkinen: *enters through the door* I am sorry, Mr Finch. I have just finished with my documentations… have I missed anything?
·Hartfield: *smiles at his unawareness* Well, Mr. Laukkinen, you have just missed a dragon that wrote a letter, burnt it and then belched out a totally different letter.
(His description causes much amusement among the listeners)
·Laukinnen: *does not understand what Hartfield is talking about* That is interesting. *looks at Spike* On the other hand, it reminds me… *he quickly kneels down before Spike, camera at the ready* Please, you Lohikäärme, Can you fire-breathe?
·Spike: *poses comically* Sure I can! *blows a small flame*
·Laukinnen: Uskomatomnta. Hän voi! *takes the pictures*