Cry for Eternity

by asylum1388


Chapter 7

A/N: Nanomight has decided to retire due to time constraints. I appreciate the effort he put in and wish him the best.

If you're reading this Nano, thanks for the help!

And: Five points to anyone who can correctly identify what type of economic philosophy and government the Gryphon Empire has. Negative five points to anyone who identifies it as its polar opposite.

Also: The delay was due to a combination of familial obligations and poor time management, the next one shouldn't take as long.

Editor: Pissfer
Pre-readers: PiquoPie and f0xhole.


Five days since the coronation of Princess Twilight Sparkle.

“It was nice to see you, Zecora! Come visit again soon!” Twilight said to her friend as the zebra led her out the door.

“I must say, Twilight Sparkle, our meeting was quite fine! I assure you, the pleasure was entirely mine!” the zebra called back over her shoulder in her signature rhyme.

That went well, for once, Twilight mused to herself. Zecora had shown up several minutes early, bearing a letter confirming her appointment as Ambassador, as well as a large stack of paperwork containing everything from new trade proposals to military treaties. With each new proposal, Twilight felt her confidence grow; each one had been well-written, respectful, and most importantly, beneficial to both nations.

She stepped into the hallway outside the meeting room and stretched out with a pleasurable groan, contemplating taking a brisk walk before her next audience.

“I take it you had a nice time?” a male voice asked softly from somewhere to her left.

“Dad!” she squealed, turning around to face the stallion. She bounded over to him and pulled him into a tight hug. “What’re you doing here?”

“I meant to come see you earlier in the week, but I never got the chance,” he murmured to her as he returned her affectionate nuzzle. “So, what did the zebras want from us?”

“They just want to start trading with us more,” she explained after she released him. “They’ve planted a lot of new farmland recently and now have more food than they need, but since they live on a savannah, there’s a lot of things they can’t get for themselves and want to trade us their extra food for the things they need. It was actually a really easy negotiation since the vegetables they grow don’t go bad quickly, so we can use it to build up Equestria’s emergency stockpile, and they’re mostly asking for things like extra building materials and farm equipment, but that’s not the point. I actually feel like I’m getting something done for a change!”

“For a change? How bad could it be?”

“Ugh, you don’t know the half of it!” she groaned back. “Yesterday morning, I was forced to spend three hours listening to the heads of two noble houses argue over which one of their families had the mineral rights to some mountain up north that nopony’s ever heard of, then we took a break for lunch, then they argued for five more!”

“They wasted eight hours of your time?” he asked incredulously. “Isn’t that something the courts are supposed to handle?”

“Normally yes, but since they donate to the treasury regularly, they get to bring it to me instead!” she snapped with more than a bit of false enthusiasm. “The worst part about it was that in the end, neither of them owned the rights! After all that somepony went to the archives and found out that the mountain and all the land surrounding it is owned by Pinkie Pie!”

“Your friend from Ponyville? What’s a baker doing owning a whole mountain?” he chuckled, shaking his head.

“I don’t know, and I don’t really want to know,” she replied exasperatedly. “You’d think that that would be the end of it, but when Court resumes on Monday, I’m going to have to listen to petitions from every single noble house demanding that I seize the land from Pinkie since she’s not using it, and turn it over to them for development. I’ve already announced that I’ll be denying all of them, but I’m still required by law to listen to every single one.”

“Thank Celestia it’s Friday?” he snickered.

“Normally, yes, but princesses don’t even get weekend off. My schedule is completely full from now until next month!” she moaned, before taking a few calming breaths.

“Well, hang in there. Princess Celestia trained you well; you’ll do fine,” he responded with an encouraging smile.

“I know, it’s just frustrating,” she sighed. “Anyway... How’s mom?”

“She’s doing well! She just got recommended for a promotion at work, so she’s been skipping around the house for the past couple days,” he said with a smirk.

“Is she... still mad at me?” Twilight whispered, almost afraid of the answer.

“She was never mad, Twilight,” he replied, hugging her again. “She’s just hurt that you did something so risky without talking to her first.”

“...I really screwed up this time, didn’t I?”

“Yes and no,” he replied after a few thoughtful seconds. “You should’ve talked to her, even if it was to just say ‘I’m doing this no matter what you say about it’, but she’s still proud of you. We’re both proud of you,” he murmured to her.

A gruff masculine voice interrupted the pair with an angry shout. “Are you done wasting our time?” Twilight and her father looked down to hallway to see the gryphon ambassador and his entourage, beaks held arrogantly in the air.

“Looks like I better go,” Twilight’s father muttered, rolling his eyes. “I’ll visit again as soon as possible. I’ll even make sure to drag mom along next time.” He gave her one last hug and trotted off, leaving Twilight alone with her guests.

Twilight watched her father go before turning towards the ambassador. He approached her with his eyes narrowed derisively. “To think we would be meeting with you after the zebras of all nations! This will not be forgotten,” he growled to her.

“But there’s still five minutes left before I’m supposed to meet with you...” Twilight said. She didn’t appreciate his tone in the least, but she more so didn’t want to start the meeting off on the wrong hoof. “And you requested this time specifically.”

“You are new, so I’ll explain this once: the gryphons go second to none,” he snarled. Turning away, he sauntered past her into the meeting room without another word.

Oh this is going to be fun... She followed the grumpy creature in, trotted to the other side of the table and sat down across from him. “Since you’re here, we’ll start as soon as my seneschal gets here.”

“You mean to tell me—” he began indignantly

“Aaaand here she is!” Twilight interrupted. “Right on cue!” Twilight grinned nervously at Quill-Pen when she entered and waved her over. The older mare glanced between Twilight and the ambassador before shaking her head and moving silently to Twilight’s side.

The ambassador glared at the two of them distastefully for a few seconds before waving a talon to his entourage. The subordinate gryphons scrambled to place several unrolled scrolls in front of him. “Fine.” His eyes flicked down towards the scroll and back up to Twilight, then he spoke again. “The Empire is quite unhappy, to say the least. We have no less than thirty-one individual problems to address, however this meeting will only encompass three. I am to have dinner with the minotaur ambassador at quarter-after-six and will not be late; you may deal with the rest of the matters on your own time.”

“Wait, you’re going to-” Twilight began before she was interrupted by Quill-Pen nudging her in the side. She turned to Quill-Pen and raised a questioning eyebrow. Quill-Pen just shook her head, again, and motioned for Twilight to continue the meeting. “Alright,” she sighed. “What’s first?”

“Were you aware that the Empire has been in an economic low point for the past several years? No, of course you haven’t; the flow of information from within our borders is well-controlled,” he chuckled haughtily. “Regardless, Equestria must lower its tariffs and regulations for Gryphon businesses so that we may bring more money into the Empire.”

“Well, our regulations on foreign businesses are already rather lax, while it’s nearly impossible for Equestrians to profitably do business in the Empire,” Twilight replied quickly. “Things haven’t exactly been going bad around here, but losing Princess Celestia really damaged our economy. If we make things friendlier for you, we’re going to need something in return so that we don’t end up in the same situation.”

“Impossible,” he muttered dismissively. “Gryphon law is very clear on the matter: foreign businesses may only operate in Imperial territory under tight watch to prevent the subversion of our culture.”

“...We’ll see what we can do,” Twilight muttered unenthusiastically.

“I will not leave without a commitment,” he growled arrogantly.

“And I can’t promise anything without consulting my Ministers, who’ve all gone home for the day,” Twilight sneered back. “Again, we’ll see what we can do. Now you said you were in a hurry, so what’s next?”

“Yes, I am,” he grumbled in return. “The next concern the Empire has is with the recent activity of patrols near our common border. The Empire views any increase of troop strength near our land as a threat and will not treat this matter lightly. We expect some form of compensation.”

“Well, the only reason they’re there is because everypony got nervous when Princess Celestia died. If it makes you feel any better, we increased the number of patrols along every one of our borders, not just the one we share with you,” Twilight replied hopefully. The ambassador’s expression didn’t change. “But we’ll be returning the number of border guards we keep back to their normal levels over the next week or so.”

“And..?” he responded coldly.

“And I’ll let Minister Ironside know to give the Empire notice the next time he plans to increase border security? There’s not much else I can offer.”

“I can see that you won’t be offering any apology of physical substance,” the ambassador sighed. He lowered his head to check over his scroll and continued without looking up. “Very well, this brings us to our final issue, for tonight at least. The succession announcement stated that you inherited not only the throne, but control over the sun as well, correct?”

“Yes, Princess Celestia passed her ability to raise and lower the sun to me.”

“Indeed,” he stated matter-of-factly. “The Empire has determined this outcome unacceptable and requires that you relinquish control of the sun and moon immediately.”

“WHAT?” Twilight and Quill-Pen shouted in unison.

“I’m- I can’t do that, I’m sorry,” Twilight stuttered to him.

“Ah, see you misunderstand me,” he declared with a chuckle. “You seem to be under the assumption that this is a request. This is not a request, this is an order. The Empire believes that allowing control of the sun to remain in the hooves of a chick, or foal, or whatever you call your young to be a foolish action.”

“So, what? You want me to give the sun over to Princess Luna? I suppose that it’s possible for me to pass the sun to whomever I wish,” Twilight growled, praying to herself that she was mistaken about his motives.

“No, we will not see the sun leave the care of a child only be placed into the care of a psychopath,” he responded, still not looking up from his scroll. “You will turn over the sun and moon to the Empire as quickly as time allows.”

“Well, how about this: I’ll form a council of representatives from all of the nations to govern the way the sun is wielded,” Twilight offered, knowing full well that she was only grasping at straws.

“No!” he screeched, looking up again and slamming a fist into the table. “The Emperor demands that you allow him to take control of the sun, and you will do it.”

“This isn’t a negotiation, this is a shakedown,” Quill-Pen snarled. “It’s not happening.”

“I suspected that you would refuse to listen to reason,” the ambassador murmured threateningly. “You should know that the Empire is truly concerned about this. We are more than willing to use force if necessary.”

“Wait a minute,” Twilight stuttered incredulously. “You’re threatening me?”

“No, no... The Empire is aware of your magical talents, and I am no fool. However our armies stand ready to act, if necessary,” he responded smugly. “You see-”

“You’re threatening an invasion, aren’t you?” Quill-Pen interjected. The ambassador’s silence was more than enough to confirm her fears. ”The Empire has never won a war with Equestria! You’d never be able to gain the support of Imperial citizens!”

“Yes, well remember those economic problems I mentioned earlier? They stem from a food shortage,” he retorted with a blatantly fake sigh. “You may not have noticed, but many of your outlying villages are poorly-defended. The Emperor’s subjects may not wish for war with Equestria, but a full stomach is a powerful motivator. Even if you are sure to win the war, are you willing to sacrifice so many of your own subjects?”

“You’re suggesting... Oh, that’s vile!” Quill-Pen snarled.

“To you, maybe...” he grinned sadistically at Twilight and took another scroll from one of his aides. He pretended to glance over it before looking directly at Twilight and speaking again. “Now, we’ve received news that your older brother recently married Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, who now rules the Crystal Empire. Were you aware that the train between Canterlot and the Crystal City travels within viewing distance of gryphon land? It would be such a shame for such a lovely creature to be stranded in the middle of a warzone...”

Twilight felt her blood run cold at the threat. No, Cadance! They wouldn’t!

“And you are friends with a Miss Rarity, yes? Did you know her parents rent a summer cottage near our territory? They visit with that young filly of theirs several times a year. Quite risky, if you ask me,” he said in a low, quiet voice, licking the tip of his beak as if thinking about a rich banquet. “So you see, Princess, you are-”

He stopped mid-sentence as a cloud of red-violet energy snaked its way around his throat. His aides all gave enraged shouts, before falling silent as the ambassador was lifted from his chair.

“You did not just say that,” Twilight whispered, her eyes blazing with fury. “Threatening me is one thing, but threatening the ponies that Princess Celestia trusted me to care for? Threatening my family? Threatening my friends? That I take very personally.” She released him, dropping the choking gryphon back into his seat.

“You— assailing a foreign dignitary is a grave breach of international etiquette!” he coughed. “You should begin to consider how you will apologize for this transgression, simply turning over the sun will not be suff—”

“WHAT I SHOULD DO IS HAVE YOU THROWN IN A DUNGEON FOR THE REST OF YOUR NATURAL LIFE!” she bellowed at him in her best imitation of the Royal Canterlot Voice, leaping onto the table and stomping across. Snout-to-beak with him, she continued, this time in a very low and hostile tone. “But what I’m going to do is simply kick you out of my country. You go back to your Emperor and tell him that if he ever tries something like this again, if a single Imperial soldier sets so much as one claw on Equestrian soil, I will personally fly right up to that capital of yours and pluck every single feather off of that inflated head of his. Got it?"

Yes, ma’am.

“Good! Now. Get. Out. Of. My. Palace!

Without missing a beat, the entire gryphon delegation was up and out the door, tails between their legs. As she watched them leave, Twilight felt her rage slowly subside, only to be replaced by a rapidly growing feeling of panic. “Oh no...”

“What is it, Twilight?” Quill-Pen asked, finally pulling her gaze away from the door the gryphons retreated through.

“I just started a war, didn’t I?” Twilight whispered heavily, her breathing becoming labored. “I’ve been a princess for less than a week and I’ve already started a war.”

“Relax, Twilight, you didn’t start a war,” Quill-Pen groaned. Having seen the signals countless times this week alone, she recognized that Twilight was about to lose her head.

“But I just threatened the Emperor himself! There’s no possible way that this won’t end without bloodshed! How can you be so calm?” Twilight shrieked, now fully hyperventilating.

“Because as tough as the gryphons act, they’re not as brave as they seem,” Quill-Pen explained, guiding Twilight off the table. “Princess Celestia may be gone, but her power still lives on through you, and that power was what usually kept them in line. They didn’t bow to the Princess and treat her ponies fairly out of respect, but because they were terrified of what she could do.”

“I know my history, Quill-Pen. The Empire has gone to war with Equestria seven times in the past thousand years, so don’t tell me that the gryphons were scared witless of Celestia,” Twilight snapped back.

“That’s because Princess Celestia made a point of not involving herself directly in international conflicts. You just made a promise to personally step in. That alone changes everything.”

“What?” Twilight gasped. “Wait, so you’re telling me that Princess Celestia could’ve stopped every one of the Gryphon Wars just by showing up? But thousands of ponies and gryphons died! Why would she just sit on the side and let it happen?”

“I don’t rightly know,” Quill-Pen murmured. “The past was always a bit of a sore spot for her, so I never asked her about it.”

“Okay...” Twilight sighed. “I still don’t know how you can be so calm about this! Everything I’ve ever read and seen about the gryphons told me that their pride is more important to them than anything, and I just stepped all over it. I might as well have wiped my feet on their flag and blew my nose on the Emperor’s robes!”

“Twilight, I’ve met the Emperor, and let me tell you that he is an absolute coward,” Quill-Pen responded, her frustration leaking into her voice. “He cares more about his own hide than he does about his people or his reputation, so as long as he believes you capable of carrying out the threat you just sent him, which you are, he’s not going to test you. I’d stake my life on it.”

“I still don’t know,” Twilight whined back, hanging her head. “What if-”

“I’ll tell you what,” Quill-Pen interrupted. “You go to dinner. You’re probably hungry, even if you don’t realize it, and some time to relax will do wonders for your state-of-mind. I’ll go have a word with our Foreign Affairs ponies and get them on standby to do some damage control in the event that I am for once, wrong, and this actually does get worse. How’s that?”

“Fine,” Twilight sighed. Knowing that Quill-Pen wasn’t actually planning on giving her the option of doing otherwise, she wandered out into the hallway. Moping lethargically, she dragged her hooves along the floor all the way to the dining room. Upon reaching her destination, she dragged herself over to the table, plopped down between the two ponies seated there, and rested her forehead against the table’s wooden surface, feeling completely pathetic.

“Rough day, dear?”

“It was awful, Rarity! The gryphons came in threatening war if I didn’t agree to turn the sun over to them. They even-” she stopped herself mid-sentence as her mind processed what she had just seen, heard and said. “Rarity? How..? What’re you doing here?” she squealed as she leapt up to hug her friend.

“Yes, it’s good to see you too!” the alabaster unicorn giggled. “But I think I’ll allow Princess Luna to explain why I’m here.”

“Luna?” Twilight sputtered as she turned to her fellow princess with a questioning expression. “You invited her here?”

“I did,” Luna murmured, a slight, pink tinge sneaking its way onto her cheeks.

“Not that I don’t appreciate it, but why?” Twilight asked, unable to hold back her grin.

“Well, to make a long story short, I’ve noticed over the past week that you’ve been rather miserable every time I’ve seen you, and Quill-Pen mentioned to me that you were having trouble adjusting to your new life,” Luna replied with a smirk. “I thought that the transition might go along a little... smoother if you had your friends around, so I sent an invitation for Miss Rarity to come to Canterlot.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Princess!” Rarity snickered softly. “Twilight, she came to Ponyville the night before last, gathered the five of us together, and told us that she was worried about you. She then practically begged for one us to come here and spend some time with you.”

“That is a rather embarrassing way to put it,” Luna groaned. “Though I suppose it’s the most accurate retelling.”

“Well, thank you! Thank you both!” Twilight responded happily. “One more thing, Rarity, how did you convince Dash to let you come instead of her? She was already pretty mad that she didn’t have a chance to give me those flying lessons she promised me when you girls went back to Ponyville on Monday; I can’t imagine she’d let you come to Canterlot instead without a fight.”

“I already had to come here tomorrow morning on a business trip anyway and was going to drop in for a surprise visit,” Rarity stated in her usual manner as she took a short sip of a black, strong-smelling tea. “It was just a matter of extending a weekend visit into a weeklong vacation. No trouble, really.”

“No trouble?!” Twilight stuttered. “Rarity, how is taking an unexpected vacation ‘no trouble’? Your shop already has a two-week waiting list!”

“Oh, Twilight, you’d be surprised how easy it is to find somepony to fill-in for you when the Princess asks for you to accompany her to Canterlot!” Rarity chuckled. “Aloe from the spa immediately offered to stay there by day to take orders and Fluttershy offered to do any emergency repair work that came in. Both of them told me flat-out that they would refuse payment, but I think we all know that I’m not going to let that happen.”

“Oh, okay. I guess that makes sense,” Twilight muttered. “So the others were alright with you coming here while they didn’t get to?”

“Well, funny story, that,” Rarity quipped. “Originally I was just going to stay until next Saturday morning, then Rainbow Dash would come out the following night to stay for a week of her own; probably to give you those flying lessons you mentioned. Do be careful with those, by the way. I know she means well, but considering how often she injures herself, I’d be lying to say I wasn’t nervous. Anyway, where was I... Oh yes! It was just going to be the two of us. Pinkie Pie, however, wasn’t too keen on that particular plan. She said something about it not being right, but I think she just misses you. So of course, she’s going to have her week as well.”

“So you, then Dash, then Pinkie. I like it! It’ll be nice to have somepony to talk to!” Twilight chirped. “Errr, aside from Luna, I mean. I love talking to you Luna, but you’re usually asleep all day,” Twilight added quickly, realizing the clumsiness of her initial statement.

“I understand, Twilight,” Luna said back with a sad sigh. “I truly wish I was able to spend more time with you as well, but since I cannot, I had hoped that this would suffice. It pleases me to see your spirits lifted so.”

“Continuing on... After Pinkie decided that she was going regardless of what anypony else had to say about it, she convinced Fluttershy into wanting to come for a week herself. After that, it wasn’t difficult to guilt-trip Applejack into agreeing to join in the fun, though she did make a fuss about ‘being forced to leave her farm’ in the middle of planting season,” Rarity snickered. “So there you have it! We’re all coming to visit you for a week, and you have Luna to thank for it!”

“That’s... I really don’t know what to say!” Twilight replied. “You two have just made me happier than I’ve been in... well I don’t know how long!”

“My pleasure, dear. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be heading to bed now. I must get up early tomorrow for breakfast with Hoity-Toity. He said he had something important to discuss with me, but refused to elaborate further,” Rarity grumbled with a frown. ”In the meantime, I’ve set up a meeting for you, Twilight, with a friend of mine who I think you’ll find most helpful. He’d like for you to meet him at the Highbrow Café in an hour, though he’s probably there now so feel free to show up early.”

With one last smile, Rarity stood up and sauntered out the door, leaving Twilight alone with Luna in silence. “Luna—”

“You do not need to continue thanking me, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna giggled softly. “I much prefer seeing you happy to the melancholy you’ve been wallowing in this past week.”

“Okay... But still, thank you,” Twilight murmured. The pair sat in silence for a few seconds, simply smiling sheepishly at each other. “Well, since it sounds like I’ll be meeting Rarity’s friend over dinner and I’m sort of hungry, I’m going to go now.”

“Ah, not quite yet,” Luna replied sternly. “First you will tell me of your meeting with the ambassador. The gryphons tend to make empty threats, but usually don’t act without provocation. You didn’t do anything to arouse their ire, did you?”

“Oh...” Twilight gulped. “Well, um...”


After a very long, and very uncomfortable, discussion with Luna, Twilight found herself strolling through the streets of Canterlot towards the establishment Rarity had instructed her to. Though she could have easily teleported to her destination, she felt that walking there would give her a much needed chance to clear her head. She resisted glaring upward at the pegasus member of the Royal Guard trying (and failing) to keep himself hidden in a cloud. When she had told the guards on duty that she was going out, they had insisted that a squad be allowed to accompany her. She had refused, but she knew that they had no intention of obeying that particular order; so for now, she pretended she didn’t notice.

And I thought it was bad when Princess Celestia was disappointed with me. Luna could’ve taught her a thing or two about making somepony feel ashamed... Come to think of it, she probably did.

She rounded the last corner before the Café, painfully aware that the eyes of everypony on the street were locked firmly on her. Gritting her teeth and bristling under the attention, she pushed her way through the Café’s front door and steeled herself for whatever disaster she was getting herself into this time.

She had barely made it past the threshold when a pained gasp rang out like a shot. “Oh my! Your Highness! I had been told, but I never actually thought— Right this way, Princess!” the crisply-dressed maître d' stuttered as he gave a deep bow. He spun around and quickly made his way towards the back of the restaurant.

Wow, this place is deserted. Twilight thought darkly to herself. “I expected there to be more ponies here.”

“Normally we are the busiest place in Canterlot at this hour, but our current patron rented out the entire place to meet with you,” the stallion explained. “Normally we refuse such requests, as ‘I have a meeting with the Princess’ is one of the most common excuses ponies use to attempt to clear a dining establishment, but he offered the bits up-front, and unlike every other pony who uses the excuse, actually had the money on him. The owner would have been quite displeased if we refused such easy revenue.” He led her to a private room and bowed once more as he let her through. Twilight stepped through the door and sat at the table across from a tall unicorn stallion that she quickly recognized.

“Your Highness! I am Fancypants and I must say that it is a great honor to meet you at last!” he proclaimed loudly.

At last? He must not remember last time. I should— Actually, it’d probably be better to just go with it for formality's sake. “It’s nice to meet you too! So, what’s this all about?”

“Well, I’ve been in Manehattan for the past month, so I haven’t had the chance to attend any of the meet-and-greet events that were set up, though to be honest I’m not quite sure I would’ve attended at the time anyway,” he said with a small hint of embarrassment in his voice. “Like the rest of the nobles, I was rather skeptical about you when I heard the news. I was originally going to sit back and watch what you did. But that was then.”

“Okay... so what changed?” Twilight replied quizzically. A slight movement at the edges of her vision caught her eye and she looked down, only to gasp when she realized that one of the waiters had set several plates of food in front of her without her notice.

“I received a letter from Miss Rarity yesterday morning explaining several very important matters,” he stated nonchalantly, tapping a hoof on the table. "First and foremost, she told me that you were not only Princess Celestia’s personal student, but her friend and confidante. While all of Equestria may have been saddened by her passing, Rarity explained to me that there were none who were as devastated as yourself.”

“That’s true, but I was told that Luna explained all of that herself,” Twilight muttered, staring at the table as the wait staff brought out more and more delicacy-laden dishes.

“Much of the nobility distrusts Princess Luna,” he replied. "Myself included. I believe that her heart’s in the right place and do not despise her the way most of the others do, but I can’t say that I trust her. I thought that it may simply be propaganda, an attempt to drum up support for your ascension. Rarity, however, assured me that it was all completely true and told me that you were, by leaps and bounds, the most intelligent pony she has ever met. I trust Rarity, and so I wish to offer you my unbridled support.”

“Wait, really?” Twilight squeaked, immediately giving Fancy Pants her full attention. “What’s that going to cost me?”

“Ah, you’re learning the game already,” he chuckled. “Always assuming that a noblepony wants something in return for whatever they’re offering is a wise move, but in this case incorrect. Miss Rarity said that you were the single best pony to become our new princess, and she stated it with such passion that I am inclined to believe her. I do this not for favors, but out of patriotism. I won’t say that I like what I was told you said in court this past Monday, but if you are what’s right for our country, then it is my duty to stand behind you.”

“Oh, well I appreciate that nonetheless,” Twilight responded with a smile. She wasn’t too sure about this development, but she knew not to look a gift-pony in the mouth. “So how exactly can you help me, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Not at all, Your Highness!” he declared exuberantly. “I am actually one of the most influential aristocrats in Equestria. I also pride myself on my debate skills, which were, and still are, legendary among my classmates at Manehattan University. When I start arguing for or against a matter, ponies listen, and listen well. Pardon my bragging, but I am a powerful political weapon.”

“No kidding,” Twilight chuckled. “You make it sound like dealing with the nobility is more like a war than like politics.”

“Well, that’s putting it a little strongly, Your Highness,” he replied thoughtfully. “Think of it more like a game.”

“A game...” Twilight muttered incredulously.

“Yes, a game,” he snickered. “Imagine it as a chess game, where your side is white and your opponents are represented by black, except that each piece is controlled by a different player with different motives, and each piece can change color at will. You can influence the game by influencing the players, but you have no direct control.”

“Okay, so I’m essentially just whispering into the players’ ears and hoping that they listen.”

“Yes!” he exclaimed, happy that she was playing along with his analogy. “It is always better for you for white to be in the better position, so it’s always good to give the white players superior advice. However, it is much better to have a piece of your own on the board, is it not?”

Before Twilight could reply, one of the waiters burst into the room in a near-panic. “Monsieur Fancypants! We’ve a problem!”

“Oh, dear. What is it?” he asked, an unnerving calm in his voice.

“A crowd ‘as gathered around ze restaurant! We are surrounded!”

“I see,” he muttered turning to Twilight. “It would appear that you are more popular than you realize.”

“I’m sorry! I know I should’ve been more discreet but-” Twilight began, before he cut her off by shaking his head.

“Do not apologize, Your Highness, it is no problem at all!” he chuckled. “Such is the life we live. I have heard rumors that you are quite gifted in the art of teleportation, yes?”

Twilight nodded.

“Good. Teleport back to the Castle, and we’ll cover your escape!” he instructed. After a short pause, he gave a startled gasp as he remembered just who he was talking to. “That is, if it pleases you, Your Highness.”

“Sounds good to me,” Twilight replied quickly, as she heard several shouts from the lobby. “Let me know when you want to go over everything in a bit more detail and I’ll arrange somewhere a little less public.”

Using the familiar spell to slip between the threads of time and space, she instantly appeared in Canterlot Castle’s now-empty throne room, safe and sound. I wish I could’ve talked to him a little longer, but it’ll still be real nice to have him as a friend. If he was being honest that is... I should really thank Rarity.

She sighed to herself; it had been a slightly better day than most of the other days that week, but it had been no less long. Silently, she turned and trotted towards the Castle’s guest suites, where her friends had always been roomed when they visited Canterlot in the past. She wandered her way through the corridors until she arrived at Rarity’s bedroom, knocked on the door and entered. Instead of Rarity, she found a very familiar unicorn filly sitting on the bed hunched over a crude drawing, crayon in hoof, humming a song to which only she knew the tune to.

“Sweetie Belle is that you?” she asked, though she already knew the answer. “Hi! How’ve you been?”

“Oh, I’m good,” she mumbled softly, eyes locked firmly on the bed sheet.

“Okay...” Twilight muttered, perplexed at Sweetie’s behavior. “Where’s Rarity?”

The filly jumped with a surprised squeak and tumbled over herself trying to stand up and bow at the same time. When she finally got her hooves back underneath her, she answered Twilight timidly. “Somepony brought her a letter and she got all angry and left. She told me to go to bed soon, but she didn’t say when she’d be back. I’m sorry.”

“Oh, it’s okay, I just wanted to thank her for something. It can wait until morning,” Twilight replied softly, moving to the side of the bed. “What about you though? I didn’t know you came with her.”

“She was supposed to watch me next week because our parents are going on a trip, but since she’s staying for a week instead of just the weekend, she had to take me with her,” Sweetie mumbled. “I’m sorry!”

“Why are you apologizing for that? You’ve done nothing wrong,” Twilight said, careful to keep a giggle out of her voice.

“But this was supposed to be your special week with Rarity!” Sweetie Belle wailed. “Now I’m here and it ruins everything!”

“What? Don’t be silly!” Twilight laughed. “That just means you get to join us. Nothing’s ‘ruined’ by you being here. Why would you think that?”

Sweetie hung her head in silence for a few moments. “Well at my age you were being taught by Princess Celestia and now you are the princess. I can’t even do any magic.”

“Oh, Sweetie Belle, were your classmates teasing you again?” Twilight asked, gently putting a hoof on the filly’s shoulder.

“...Yes.”

“Why do you listen to them? You know they just want you to feel bad.”

“I don’t know,” Sweetie whined. “They say mean things so much that sometimes I guess I start to believe it.” She paused for a few seconds and looked up at Twilight, still not lifting her head. “I still don’t understand why you’d actually want me here though. You were the best unicorn ever, I can’t even cast a single spell.”

“So? My special talent is magic, so it’s natural that I can cast a lot of spells easy,” Twilight murmured as comfortingly as she could manage. “You’ve got a different special talent that you don’t really need magic for.”

“...Wait, you know what my special talent is?” Sweetie squealed, perking up instantly for a moment before frowning suspiciously at Twilight. “You’re not going to tell me what it is.”

“No. No I’m not. You have to figure it out all on your own, Sweetie,” Twilight giggled.

“I bet you’re not telling me ‘cause it’s dumb,” Sweetie grumbled back.

If it were it anypony else, I’d think she was trying to trick me into telling her. “No, it’s not. I think that your talent is very special. It’s one that’ll make a lot of ponies very happy someday, I promise,” Twilight cooed, hoping to lift Sweetie Belle’s spirits. When it didn’t she decided to pry further. “Is there anything else bothering you?”

“Yes!” Sweetie burst out, surprising Twilight with her forwardness. “When mom and dad found out that I was going to be here with you they told me to always bow and to call you ‘Princess’ and to not look you in the eyes, but on the way here, Rarity told me not to treat you any different than I always do!”

“And now you’re confused as to whom you should listen to?” Twilight said, finishing Sweetie’s thought.

“Well, yeah!” she moaned back.

“Okay, well let’s think about this for a bit,” Twilight murmured, climbing onto the bed and lying down so she was nearly eye-to-eye with the filly. “When you look at me, who do you see? Do you see the Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Equestria, or Twilight Sparkle the librarian?”

“I see Twilight the librarian,” Sweetie whispered. “I know you’re the princess now, but when I look at you I just see the same pony I’ve always known you as. The pony who always had some story that Scootaloo said was boring, or a helpful book for my friends and I to get new ideas from.”

“That’s because I am the same pony, Sweetie Belle,” Twilight murmured enthusiastically. “I just... have a bigger job now. But I’m still the same pony inside. And that pony’s happy to see you and doesn’t want you to call her ‘Princess’ unless you really want to.”

“Okay,” Sweetie sighed back. “Well, if you’re okay with it, then I think I’d rather just keep calling you Twilight. As long as you don’t tell my parents.”

“Deal,” Twilight replied with a grin. “So, Sweetie Belle, how jealous do you think your friends will be when you get back to Ponyville and tell them that the new Princess told you a bedtime story?”

The sight of Sweetie Belle frowning as the gears turned in her head was enough to force Twilight to put a hoof to her mouth to stifle her laughter. The excited glow that came over Sweetie’s face when she finally put the pieces of Twilight’s words together was more than enough to wash away the stress of the day. “Really? You mean it?”

“Of course,” Twilight chirped back. “I’m still the same old librarian I always was. So, what story do you want to hear?”

“Ummm, well what’s your favorite? Can I hear that one?” Sweetie asked innocently.

Not expecting that answer, Twilight had to think for a few seconds. “Well, I guess I can... Yeah! I’ll tell you the story that Princess Celestia told me the first night I stayed here in the castle with her,” Twilight giggled, gesturing to the spot on the bed next to her.

Grinning broadly, Sweetie Belle shuffled over to Twilight’s side and snuggled close, ready for her story.


A/N: Sorry, no TwiLuna here, have some Sweetie Belle instead.