CHAPTER III
It ought to be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.
—Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince
“This is an emergency situation! We can ill afford to sit on out hooves, doing nothing!” bellows an elderly beige unicorn, slamming her hoof down on the table.
“An emergency of your own devising, madam! Lashing out at the unknown without even attempting to understanding it is behaviour fitting for wild animals, not civilised ponies!” retorts an almond stallion with equal zest and volume.
The two well-groomed ponies fiercely glare at each other from across the circular chamber, successive marble tiers filled with regally outfitted ponies following the exchange with rapt attention. The standoff lasts but a second before the two speakers simultaneously attempt to out-shout their opponent, the room erupting into a wild cacophony as further parties try to make themselves heard in the din.
Lost in the storm of yelling and wildly gesticulating ponies, two superficially quite dissimilar unicorns sit with their heads inclined toward each other, the topic of their discussion well hidden under the blanket of voices.
“I do not care for the haste with which minister Lintel is trying to force a decision, but it does give us more room to maneuver,” remarks the left one, a burgundy stallion, absentmindedly adjusting his opulent, gold-trimmed vest and carefully fluffing his complex coiffure. On his flank is depicted a candle with a golden flame.
“Indeed. She is a war-mongering fool, but a useful one,” scoffs the other, a copper-brown mare in a plain but well-crafted linen dress, dark brown mane impeccably brushed and her precisely braided tail partially obscuring the monochrome scales of her cutie mark.
“I have set some things in motion at the ministry of agriculture, regarding the orange plantations. I presume this little... altercation should be no trouble regarding that?”
“I highly doubt it. The committee of interior affairs is completely mired down in the Ponyville incident at the moment, even though nopony really knows anything beyond what everypony else does.”
The extravagantly dressed stallion raises an amused eyebrow.
“‘The Ponyville incident’? Is that what they are calling it now?” he asks with a dry smirk.
“Yes,” the mare answers, without the faintest hint of humour.
“How amusing, considering the history of the place as a hotbed for all manners of cataclysmic events. But no matter. We shall wait and see how the situation develops.”
The mare nods in agreement.
“Prudence before all, for pride goeth before fall.”
At that very moment the great double doors of the hall swing open under the power of two ornately-plated guards, both snapping to attention at the passing rustle of large, white wings and the clear notes of golden horseshoes striking marble flagstones. The chamber—with two jarring exceptions—falls quiet, eyes respectfully lowering at the entrance of princess Celestia.
“—treasonous simpletons who would doom the whole of the nation to oblivion—”
“—bloodthirsty idiots willing to throw away every value Equestria was founded upon— ”
Both fuming debaters halt their respective tirades at the shared realisation that their voices are the only ones echoing against the high ceiling. Frozen in mid-movement, with open mouths, both opponents stare at the benevolent smile of their ruler before snapping out of their trances and hastily propelling themselves onto their respective pillows, flush of anger now replaced by glowing embarrassment. Princess Celestia halts in the middle of the chamber, slowly letting her eyes travel over the assembled nobles.
“I see the... discussion is already well underway,” the gold-crowned alicorn remarks.
“Your Majesty, if I may?” one of the earth ponies present requests, carrying on after receiving a nod from his sovereign.
”Much of the dissonance within the Council stems from the uncertainty of the situation. If there is any more information that you can give, perhaps that would bring a measure of order onto the table,” he suggests.
Murmurs of assent waft from the audience.
“You are quite right, chancellor Caparison, and indeed that is what I intended to do.”
The large, white alicorn calmly tucks her half-open wings to her sides and steps onto the speaker’s podium before beginning her address with clear and precise intonation, the inflections those of a supremely experienced speaker.
“I have only just consulted my sister about the further nature of these... interlopers, as she is the one who has had the most opportunity to observe them in action. According to Luna, these strange visitors have come as refugees, thrust into Equestria possibly without meaning to do so. As such, and in accordance with the information Luna has been able to glean, the visitor are most likely not hostile to ponykind.”
A quiet murmur ripples through the Council chamber.
“Your Majesty, when you specifically mention ‘ponykind’, does that mean...?”
“Indeed, the visitors are not of this world.”
A shocked silence quickly erupts into whispers, murmurs and outright exclamations of astonishment. Celestia continues slightly louder, the noise of the crowd quickly receding.
“To reiterate, it is my belief and that of my sister that these creatures are not hostile. However, stranded on unknown ground, it would not be inconceivable that they could lash out in fear at any unexpected advances upon their position. Therefore, purely as a precaution, we have seen it fit to screen off the crash area using the Royal Guard. We intend to open a channel of communication to the alien visitors as soon as possible.”
“Your Majesty! Have you chosen to whom the diplomatic mission will fall?”
“It is my intention to send the bearers of the Elements of Harmony.”
“Majesty, who has been appointed commander of the operation?”
“Captain Diamond Hoof, by decree of my sister.”
“Your Majesty!”
“Majesty—”
“Princess!”
Silencing the multitude of requests with a raised foreleg, Celestia turns towards the doors.
“Please, mares and gentlecolts, there is much to do before the situation is completely under control. This has been merely an informational meeting, and any further questions can be directed to me or Luna during normal court hours.”
As the great double doors are pulled shut with a finite clang in the wake of the princess’ departure, the marble chamber explodes into utter chaos, making the earlier shouting match compare to the current ruckus like a field exercise would compare to war. Several nobles hurriedly flee the chambers or huddle together in groups of varying sizes, the convoluted gears of the political machine that is the Canterlot aristocracy furiously spinning to rearrange plans and power structures in light of the new information. Forgotten in the midst of the milling crowd, two ponies calmly remain seated in their original positions.
“Well, that was certainly... interesting,” the copper mare remarks.
“Yes, I’d say so. Very clever, playing both the Elements of Harmony and a loyal soldier so early into the game. The princesses have certainly made sure to keep the reins of this incident firmly in their own hooves.”
“They have been playing for a long time. Oh well, I have many things to see to. I trust you’ll keep me informed of your own machinations,” the mare comments, getting up from her pillow and stretching numbed legs. Her companion smiles amicably and places a light kiss on one of her hooves, as a farewell.
“You shall be privy to my every move, dear.”
“You lie like a fish swims,” states the brown mare with a joyless smile before stalking away.
Chuckling, the dark red stallion watches her leave before smoothly coming to his hooves and exiting the room through an alcove on the opposite side of the great doors.
*
Celestia smiles to herself as the doors slam shut and the Council chamber immediately explodes into anarchy behind them.
That ought to give them something to busy themselves with for a while.
Briskly moving down the sunlit corridor, the princess of the sun is soon joined by her nocturnal counterpart, the other mare looking fatigued from both scholarly endeavours and missed sleep. Luna falls into step next to her sister, curiously casting a sidelong glance at her.
“I did not recall that the nobles were ever this blatantly annoying, even in the olden days. A thousand years ago you would have cast them all out of that chamber, informing them that they had no place questioning your decisions.”
Celestia sighs deeply, smiling wistfully at the pony beside her.
“Oh yes, but one does never really appreciate what one has before it is gone, don't you think? In the past few centuries the administration of the land has become a burden too large to carry by one pony, even by one with long experience and a capable staff.”
Celestia stops briefly at an old mosaic of herself and seven simply garbed ponies, depicted in animated discussion around a round table.
“The original Council of nobles was a group of my most trusted staff, and served in a primarily advisory capacity. However, as Equestria grew and prospered, the amount of both nobles and posts on the Council grew, and with our borders touching more and more neighbouring countries’, my time was increasingly lost into foreign affairs. And with time...”
The older princess trails off, half-heartedly gesturing back towards the chamber she just left behind.
“With your return, I’ve finally begun reclaiming the time and resources required to minimise the potential of the Council to cause any serious damage, but as of the current moment they have a direct involvement in most day-to-day running of the country.”
“Oh Tia, you were always too soft on those pompous fools,” the navy alicorn chuckles. Shaking her head mournfully, her voice rises into a melodramatic lament.
“Ah, but what happened to the strong knights and travelling poets of old? Canterlot used to be such a lively place, back when the houses were still made of logs. Back in those days, the noble house were truly noble: straight-backed and strong of hoof! Ah, where are gone the times of yore, mine sister?”
The sisters share a fillyish giggle at the old memories, continuing down the corridor in a far happier mood than moments ago.
”Have you discovered anything of interest regarding our otherworldly guests?”
”But little. I think I have discovered how the breach of my domain's borders was made, however.”
”Oh? Pray tell.”
”It's a fascinating topic, really, it seems there has been a lot of research into it during the last four decades or so. Without going too much into the technical specifics, the visitors used a remarkably clever method of focusing magical pressure onto several outside spots corresponding to the same coordinate on the dream membrane, and then ramming the very fore of their vessel through the gap in the few moments before it could collapse.”
”Sounds like a fairly violent method.”
”It is, and one that requires exceedingly delicate timing. Like I have mentioned, there is plenty of reason to believe that this particular method was chosen out of desperation.”
”Even so. So the opening in the membrane can be... propped open?”
”Hm? Yes. The challenging part is creating the breach in the first place. For a gateway of any longer duration, there's the dilemma of where to anchor the physical gate, as well.”
”I see.”
The pair continues in silence for a while, before finally reaching the intersection leading to the observatory tower.
”Well, I shall get back to my work, then.”
”Please remember to rest, as well. You have been working hard.”
”I will. Waste not your concern on a grown mare, sister.”
The white alicorn quickly nuzzles her sister, before releasing her back to her study.
”Lulu,” she calls out softly, stopping the other alicorn in mid-stride.
”...appointing Diamond Hoof was a wise choice. Thank you.”
”'twas nothing. I but asked myself what action thou would've taken,” Luna replies without turning, before disappearing behind the corner.
Celestia looks after her sister, listening to the receding hoofsteps, and smiles. Luna's blush had been almost too quick to notice. Almost.
*