Petershoof, Socialist Republic of Severyana, SUE, February 29th, 1 A.U.
Vasiliy feels a hoof gently shaking him awake. He had fallen asleep at his desk, reviewing documents for the South Eastern railway. In truth, he has been awake for quite a while but he doesn’t want to get up.
“Alexei, it’s still dark, let me have a few minutes.”
“Oh, I’m not your secretary, Vasiliy”
The minister jolts up, he recognizes that voice.
Sure enough, standing next to his desk is Karmelka Sladkaya, one of the early leaders of the Winter Revolution. The old mare is still expertly dressed, a fine vermillion coat suit and finely combed, wavy mane. Though advanced in age, that only made her look more dignified.
“Karamelka? How? Wh-”
“Being a respected figure helps in many ways. The guards just let me in.”
Vasiliy groans.
"Well… how can I help you?"
Karamelka laughs.
“Do we always need to talk business? How about some tea?”
She’s going somewhere with this.
“Sure…”
After clearing some papers from the coaches in his office, Minister Wheatkin is sitting across from Karamelka with an old coffee table between them.
On the table is the tea that Karamelka had brewed. Sitting in a kettle with a few tea cups beside it, the tea fills the room with a particular aroma.
“Hindian?” Asks Vasiliy.
Karmelka smiles.
“Yes, Doehi specifically, it's gotten almost impossible to find so I was saving it for a special occasion.”
“Hmm, I see.”
Vasiliy pours himself a cup and carefully sips on the rare beverage.
It’s good.
“So, how was your date?”
Vasiliy almost spits out his tea.
“Wh-wh-what!?”
“With Colna of course. How was it?”
Karamelka smiled as if she hadn’t just said something completely outrageous.
Vasiliy rubs his temples.
“Karamelka, that was official government business, nothing more.”
He sighs.
“Besides, she's much younger than me. I think my moment has passed.”
Karamelka shakes her head.
“Age hardly matters when you're both adults. What are you 45? 48?”
“Fifty and turning Fifty-one this year.”
“She just turned thirty-two so don’t be so discouraged.”
Vasiliy feels defeated.
“How do you even know Ambassador Cascade in the first place?”
Karamelka chuckles.
“Do you think she stays put in the consulate all day? She likes taking walks in Alexander Park and the seafront. I sometimes talk to her there.”
“She let you?”
“I admit she was guarded at first but after a while she really opened up, we’re both mares interested in fashion after all. She’s quite a sweet pony once you get to know her. Do you know she actually studied in Equestria? In Vanhoover College I believe, she graduated and left just before the war.”
“Why are you telling me this Karamelka? Is there a particular reason why you befriended the ambassador?”
Vasiliy studies his friend. Karamelka may have fully retired from politics, but she must have had a reason to become acquainted with the Riverlander ambassador.
However, Karamelka just looks confused.
“Does everything have to be politics with you? I merely wanted to talk to an old friend, let a retired mare have her fun.”
Great, now Vasiliy just feels guilty.
“...sorry.”
“Don’t be. Now, answer my question: how was it? Your dinner with Colna?”
The tired stallion racks his brain, trying to remember that night.
“Uh… not well, it didn’t end well, I left early. We might not get recognition anytime soon… and things got unprofessional.”
Karamelka sighs. She slowly stirs her tea, not looking up at Vasiliy.
“Shame, Colna's lovely but it's very much like her not to budge. In some ways, we might have better chances with the Empire than the Federation.”
Vasiliy chuckles cynically.
“Tell Sinnie that, he might actually consider it.”
“Don’t give him any more ideas.”
Vasiliy takes pause, there’s a bite in Karamelka’s voice, so unlike the usually polite mare. Vasiliy and Karamelka may have had opposed each other on a number of issues, even publicly denounced each other, but that had been just politics. It’d been the same case with Karamelka and Altydia as well, but Sinister had been different.
Vasiliy had noticed Karamelka avoided Sinister whenever she could. In public debates, Karamelka had sometimes lost her temper when she’d been against Sinister. She had always seemed to keep an eye on him during meetings as well.
“Karamelka, you never seemed to like Sinister very much. Can I ask why?”
The mare doesn’t respond at first, she simply remains fixated on her tea. Eventually, however, she opens her mouth to speak.
“Vasiliy, what I’m going to tell you is merely the ramblings of a retired mare with too much free time, do you understand? Don’t take this too seriously.”
Vasiliy gulps.
“Ok.”
I’m going to regret this.
Karamelka finally looks up from her tea, meeting Vasiliy’s eyes. Vasiliy braces, but instead Karamelka softly smiles, a kind motherly one.
“Vasiliy, you’re quite a good pony aren’t you?”
“Is this a trick question or-”
“-No! Have some self confidence!”
“Sorry…”
Karamelka sighs once again.
“I really do mean it, Vasiliy. You’re a kind stallion, you joined the struggle because you wanted the best for everyone and I think that hasn’t changed.”
Karamelka sips her tea.
“We need ponies like you Vasiliy, people who can envision a better world.”
Those words certainly make Vasiliy feel better, but…
“Thank you, Karamelka… but you think Sinister is different?”
The red furred mare seems to ponder for a moment before speaking.
“Well, it’s complicated. I think Sinister was like you. But, at some point, before I met him, he changed.”
“How so?”
Instead of answering, Karamelka gets off the couch. She walks over to the biggest window in Vasiliy’s office - the one with an ocean view.
Vasiliy does the same, walking to be beside her. Karamelka likes the ocean, Vasiliy knows that, so it is strange that she looks at the blue expanse with only a grim expression.
“Vasiliy, just by the nature of our ideology, we have a lot of enemies, don’t we?”
“Yes, unfortunately.”
Even with Equus secured, the Union’s only ally abroad is Arabia, far away in Zebrica. The revolutions of Griffonia had all been crushed and much of Zerbrica is heavily underdeveloped, ruled by despots.
Karamelka sighs.
“Sinister recognized that fact, so his main focus shifted - from helping others to destroying our enemies - No, not just shifted, it’s like he’s forgotten why he joined the fight.”
Vasiliy can’t speak.
“Sinister doesn’t view the state as a collection of individuals, each one valuable, he views it like he views everything - as a weapon to destroy his enemies. He's utterly convinced all his enemies have to be destroyed for any real progress. There is some logic to that: Capitalism must be dismantled, in time, but we can’t be so absorbed in that kind of thinking; it makes us forget that lives are valuable - that you can't throw them away."
Vasiliy still can’t speak.
"Sinister is, however, absorbed in that thinking. He’s more of a soldier than Lunin or Masha. They have ideals they won't compromise, but Sinister? Anything for the war machine. Work with Wingbardy, invade Equestria, even his reasonable decisions: cooperation with Aris, opening Petershoof's port, trying to reestablish foreign ties - to him, they were all first and foremost, goalposts towards crushing victory. Though even then, I don’t even think he can imagine the final triumph - he's too caught up in the struggle to see the end goal. Isn't that mad, Vasiliy? A communist who can't imagine communism? Someone who would throw away the future to win in the present?!"
Karamelka is angry, angrier than Vasiliy had ever seen her.
"Karamelka, I have to ask, what brought this on?"
Her words had struck a chord with Vasiliy. She'd verbalized his fears and frustrations more accurately than he likes to admit. However, a part of him couldn't accept it.
The old mare beside him takes a breath, a long raspy one.
"You probably think I'm interpreting Sinister and all his actions in the worst way possible because of a few questionable decisions. There is an element of that, I have to admit. These are my ramblings after all. I apologize for spoiling your friend's somewhat good name but in truth Vasiliy, my opinion formed firmly the first time I met him."
Karamelka, mother of the revolution, looks at Vasiliy. Her eyes are lined with equal parts anger and fear.
“I will never forget that occasion. I believe it was 96, just after the revolution. You remember that time, it was chaos, even with the provisional government. Anyways, when I visited Konzan, I met with Sinister, who as you know, ended up running the militias by the end of the revolution and was the effective leader of the city. Anyways, we discussed the transition to civilian government, the food situation, among other things. The meeting actually went quite well, but he said something peculiar at the end: With this, we shall create the perfect weapon against capitalism.”
Not once does Karamelka break eye contact with Vasiliy.
“I almost laughed. We discussed grain distribution and elections, nothing to do with guns or bombs, or anything to do with war. We certainly weren’t planning an invasion of Equestria there and then. So, naturally, I asked him what he meant by that… his answer was telling. He told me that a good weapon design relies on many things, that only a fool would pursue brute power without considering other factors: “The powder must ignited properly, the shape cannot be too cumbersome, the mechanisms cannot be too complex to manufacture or repair - so many inglorious factors go into a weapon’s worth” and finally, while looking out the window at ponies he said “every mechanism, every part has to considered so that the final product kills properly,” - needless to say, I left the room as soon as I could.”
It is Vasiliy who breaks eye contact. He shifts head, refusing to look at his old comrade. Perhaps it’s a futile attempt to escape her words.
Vasiliy feels a hoof gently patting his shoulder, it’s Karamelka.
“I’m sorry, you don’t need these worries when you’re running the national economy. I’ll leave now.”
He watches her move to the door.
She opens it.
“What should I do, Karamelka?”
“Do what you've probably been doing - balance him out.”
“That hasn’t worked so far.”
“Again, have some self confidence.”
With that, Karamelka Sladkaya leaves Vasiliy Wheatkin in his own thoughts.
What would Alty do? What would Steel Stallion do? What can I do?
Time passes like a blur. Vasiliy returns to his desk where he spends an uncertain amount of time signing documents, reviewing and drafting proposals, anything to escape his thoughts.
Eventually, his secretary, Alexei, carrying a few documents, breaks the Minister out of his stupor. Vasiliy can’t even remember the young stallion coming in.
“Minister Wheatkin, Premier Serov requests your presence in Manehatten within 2 days' time.”
The blue Pegasus hands Vasiliy a file.
“These are the details, with some classified material.”
Taking the file, Vasiliy is confused.
“Is this about the constitution? I thought the Republics were well on their way to ratify it, even Tzinacatlia.”
“No Minister, I believe the topic is military related, the general staff is being called as well.”
“Huh, is that so?”
Looking through the document, Vasiliy will find the words that will haunt him for the rest of his life: “Operation Guillotine”.