The Conversion Bureau: A New Age, A New Life - Part II
Chapter 1: Recovery and Preparations
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[ Safe Haven -- July 12, 2081 ]
"I wonder what I'm supposed to do with myself until my body returns to its normal size?" Blue Vague thought out loud, as he ran his hooves over the covers in his bed. He laid flat on his belly, just quietly taking in the sounds of the false waterfall behind him.
His bed, which was already a little oversized, now seemed simply gargantuan. True to what Luna said, while he was barely conscious recovering from being ground zero of a Elements of Harmony blast, it would take a week for his body to return to normal.
"Hey~ how's my big colt doing~!" Vague heard a familiar female voice perk up. It was a week that Midori Hana was well into enjoying.
The grass-green mare quickly pounced upon her mini-sized coltfriend, nuzzling him. Vague, caught between keeping face and the desire to reconnect with his marefriend, only offered token resistance.
"Ahh, come on, you could have at least let me draw the blanket over the bed..." he said plaintively, Hana finally loosening her surprisingly strong, bear-trap-like grip.
"But you're just so cute. I can't help myself~" she said lovingly, nuzzling him all the while. "Anyway how are you feeling, I heard you've finally started talking to the others outside of our little circle."
Both Vague and Hana sat on their haunches, Vague still somewhat in Hana's grip. He thought for a couple of moments, and then began talking. "Yeah, I was talking to some of the kids of the politicians and volunteers that made their way here. They were surprised when they saw me. Pretty much every Pony here is an adult, even if we kinda do look like living plush dolls in a certain sense."
"I know, they were positively gushing over you... though, not as much as me~" she said as she nuzzled her coltfriend again.
"Oh come on... anyway, they were talking about how incredibly frightened they were when the SPH stormed their residences and their parent's places of work. I think the Aguillars are taking it the hardest, since President Aguillar is apparently going to have to play the role of figurehead for the time being," Vague concluded, sighing as he finished his statement.
Hana sighed as well. She didn't have the most refined mind when it came to geo-politics or sociology, but anyone could see what was going on. The SPH wanted their cake and be able to eat it too; having control over the governments of the world, without having to sit in the hot-seat themselves. "I know it must still eat at you inside, it really eats at all of us that basically this is as far as we can go on Earth, at least physically."
"Yeah, at least we can still connect to the outside through the 'Net. Still, it's like I'm a kid locked up in the house. Admittedly it's a pretty nifty and very, very large house. But there is still that feeling of trapped. Maybe we'll have to take a break in Equestria once my body sorts itself out," Vague said, looking up at Hana's face, noting how odd it felt two-and-a-half days into it.
"I know. I also heard that the Princesses and the HEA leadership were negotiating with that Dragoness that came with Spike about setting up formal negotiations with the other major Powers in... um... wait what were they gonna call their world collectively?"
"Equus, Hana. They are calling the world they come from Equus for the sake of convenience," another familiar voice said. It turned out to be Red Blaze, with Golden Storm following her into Blue Vague's room.
Blue Vague noticed that Red Blaze's horn was alight with a telekinetic tether, so he asked the obvious question. "So what is that you got in your magic grip, Blaze?"
Golden Storm and Red Blaze smiled as she 'drug' in the gift. A gift in the form of a meter tall rubber ball. "And this is for you!" they both said in a sing-songy tone in unison.
"You... really shouldn't have..." Vague replied, honestly confused by the large, blue ball.
"We figured that you needed something to distract yourself with, while you sorted yourself out after that... incident. And we figured you wouldn't want to talk all day and night... so we all others made you this!" Golden Storm said, perching himself on the sphere, deforming it slightly under his weight.
"I'm... sure I'll have fun with it..." Vague replied again, still confused as to what he was supposed to do with a ball that was twice as tall as himself at the current time.
"Anyway, Hana, Princess Luna wanted to talk to you for a little bit in Conference Room... I think 10," Red Blaze reported to the Conduit of Earth.
"Oh alright, I guess we'll just have to continue this later~" Hana said as she nuzzled Vague again before rolling off the bed and trotting on out of the room.
I don't know where I'd be if it weren't for her... I really don't... Vague thought to himself as he looked at Hana's curves flowing past the doorframe.
He then turned his attention to the large, blue rubber ball sitting right there in front of him and the screen with an aquarium display.
Guess it couldn't hurt to give it a try... he thought as he floated himself up on top of the ball.
A few unsteady minutes of rolling around later, he found himself having quite a bit of fun with the object.
You know this is pretty fun...
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[ Safe Haven: July 21, 2081 ]
"So how is everyone doing today?" Princess Luna asked of the gathered Elements for both worlds and the impressively tall (in relative terms) Spike, all sitting in one of the media rooms in the recreational area of Safe Haven.
The Princesses were spending fewer long stretches of time at Safe Haven, checking in a few times a day now while they held court back in Canterlot. The humans were actually a little more thrown off by the Princesses not being there, than they were while they were there.
Blue Vague, body returned to its normal size and proportion and attitude starting to return more to normal, was the one to answer the Princess of the Moon. "Oh we're doing fine. I dunno, the situation outside is still tense but I feel less, I guess enraged about it. I'm still angry, but I think now I got a focus for that frustration instead of just letting it fester."
"That's good to hear Conduit of Water. Using the Elements of Harmony to erase the Nightmare's influence is not permanent, but the experience and the subsequent reconciliation does go a long way to prevent a relapse, if you will. Something I myself still have to be concerned with," Luna responded, looking at Blue Vague sternly but lovingly, like a strict aunt.
I wonder how long Luna has had to sit and confront what she did over those thousand years and her two, I guess, rebellions against Princess Celestia... Blue Vague thought as he held a cup of water in his magical grip.
Luna cleared her throat and resumed speaking. "Anyway, to address you all again. Myself and Princess Celestia have been initializing negotiations between ourselves and the major nations of Equus, as you all already know. At their suggestion, they would like for the Conduits of Terra to each spend a little time to get to know the leadership of each major nation. Eventually we'd like to extend our hooves and etcetera to the other nations of Equus, but we feel we need to get those three squared away first."
"And those three would be the Dragon Nomad Central Council, the House of the Gryphon King, and Congress of Zebra Tribes?" Twilight asked, having read up some info on each nation already in the interim period since the incident with Vague.
"Indeed Twilight. We do not have a set date for these diplomatic missions, however. I figure it will take at least a month to get the terms of the negotiations and to get the other nations up to speed, and maybe a while longer to get some firm dates. The other nations are going to want to, how would you say, get their ducks in a row before entertaining myself and my sister's direct subordinates, despite you all not holding formal governmental titles," Luna stated matter of factly, inwardly dreading dealing with some of the more hardline factions with each of the other nations.
"Well, it is something to look forward to I guess. I think it'd do us all good to get back to Equestria and beyond though. I don't have it as bad as Rainbow Dash, but the whole being cooped up here just makes me a bit jittery. I think we should all find some time in the near future and spend a few days back at the Greystone Conductor, what do you all say." Golden Storm said, flexing his wings a bit to get rid of the nervous energy he had.
The other Conduits of Terra agreed, especially Blue Vague, who just needed some time away from Earth entirely to settle his own thoughts.
"Anyway, Vague, I heard about the situation with that former SPH we had treated a week or so ago. He's your father right?" Fluttershy asked, not knowing when would be a safe time to pose the question, so she just took a chance.
"Yeah, he and I have been estranged for a good 14 years now. My mother, at least according to what he and I can remember, completely freaked out when she found out I had Converted. He almost died when she fired on me and he blocked. The armor was good enough to prevent any long-term paralysis or structural damage to his body, but he's gonna need a month or so of rehab at least," Blue Vague said, thankful he was able to recount the story without choking up.
"If there's anything we can help, we'll do it," Applejack replied, tipping her hat to Vague.
Blue Vague nodded. "Appreciate it A.J. Frankly, I just want him to get back to 100% so we can start truly making up for all this lost time. I want to ask him what he and my mom had been going through out in Atlanta. We hardly talked at all once I moved in with my grandfather formally."
Everyone took some time to think about their own families, what they must have been doing and the like.
"Before I leave for Canterlot to return to my private chambers. I would like to pass along a last, important bit of news. My niece, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, also known simply as Cadence, and her husband Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Unicorn Guard, will be making a formal appearance here in Safe Haven, sometime in the next couple of weeks. Myself and my sister figure Princess Cadence should start getting up to speed regarding the events to date here on Earth and our larger Project, and Shining Armor wants to talk to you ten in particular. He has reviewed the data and interviewed many of those who were involved in our rear-guard action a week and a half ago, and he is deeply concerned that the Royal Guard as a whole are woefully under-equipped to be proper partners with our Human allies."
Twilight Sparkle let out a minor shriek of nervousness. "M-m-m-my brother and Princess Cadence... here... after all that went on... so soon?"
Luna sighed as she tried to calm the high-strung lavender Pony back down. "Twilight, despite the deep family connections, both are integral parts of the Equestrian government, such that it is, and the Equestrian military, such that it is. They were going to have to involve themselves sooner or later; especially your brother, given the highly militaristic nature of those that have pushed their way to the forefront of society here."
"I know Princess Luna, it's just that... I... I don't know," Twilight said, fidgeting around a bit with her forehooves.
"Don't worry Bearer of Magic, I trust that everyone will conduct themselves in exemplary fashion. Now if you excuse me, there is some sleep I must catch up on before the raising of the Moon in Equus. Good day to you all," Princess Luna concluded, as she blinked back to Canterlot in a flash of azure and indigo magic.
"So your brother is the Captain of the Unicorn divisions of the Royal Guard. It seems that your family is a bit charmed, in a sense," Red Blaze stated.
"I guess. Although it's my generation mostly. My mom and dad were, I guess middle class in your terms. Weren't wealthy, but we were comfortable in Canterlot," Twilight responded, laughing nervously.
"So who wants to play a board game on the holopad?" Pinkie Pie suggested, holding the folded up portable terminal and already wearing one of the stylus grips designed for the Ponies.
"Might as well, doesn't look like we're doing anything else important for the day," Midori Hana said, putting one of the grips on her forehooves.
Everyone else agreed, as Blue Vague got another terminal to play a different game. They had already unsuccessfully experimented with all ten playing on one board.
Well I guess we just take it day to day, until the HEA or the Princesses decide on something... Vague thought to himself as he set up a game with himself, Hana, Applejack, and Fluttershy.
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[ Safe Haven: August 1, 2081 ]
"He's gonna be here any minute... any minute..." Twilight said as she kept fidgeting around. Luna had informed her three days ago that Princess Cadence and Shining Armor's meeting would happen today, and obviously today had arrived.
"Twilight, really... this is nothing for you to worry about. I swear, anytime your family comes up you become such a nervous filly," Rarity said as he patted Twilight on her shoulder.
"I just don't want anything to go wrong today... going either way..." Twilight said, starting to calm down a bit.
"We just have to have a little faith, Twilight. It is better we start getting all of this sorted out now; we all need to be better equipped if we are going to do a second version of the Conversion Movement," Blue Vague said, as he took a few breaths, wondering how Shining Armor would act since the issues of three-plus weeks ago.
A short while passed, and the civilian H.E.A leadership gathered to wait in the reception bay along with a good bit of the rescued and evacuated human military personnel. Much of said personnel had also signed up with the H.E.A. in an advisory capacity, including Capt. Rodriguez, wanting to honor the memory of Captain Johnson as best he could.
"I saw the picture of Capt. Shining Armor, he looks like a pretty stand-up stallion. Also fairly young, I guess by Pony standards," Captain Rodriguez said, as he stood next to Twilight, already hearing that she was Shining's kid sister.
"Yeah, he's the youngest out of the leadership of the Royal Guard. I think the Unicorn Commander Titan Buster is grooming him to be his successor," one of the Ponies who knew the higher echelons of the Royal Guard added.
With that said, a gust of air suddenly rushed out from a cordoned off area of the reception bay, heralding the arrival of the Equestrian Dignitaries and Military Officers.
"Well it looks like it time for the show to begin..." Captain Rodriguez thought out loud.
--==--
Eventually everyone relocated to a large meeting room a couple of floors under the main halls of Safe Haven, more than large enough to support the rather large contingent of Ponies and Humans and Spike, who found himself involved in the discussions as the lone Dragon anyone had any access to.
"Good day everyone. As you all know, I am Princess Celestia and this is Princess Luna," Princess Celestia started, introducing everyone attending on behalf of Equestria. "I would like to introduce the H.E.A. representatives and the Conduits of Terra to the other dignitaries from Equestria. The pink Winged-Unicorn to my immediate left is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, whom also answers simply to Princess Cadence. The white and blue Unicorn to her immediate left is Royal Guard Unicorn Defense Corps Captain Shining Armor. The other three Ponies attending in official capacity with me are all generals within the Royal Guard. General Titan Buster is head of the Unicorn Corps, General Southern Monsoon is head of the Pegasi Corps, and General Mountain Pass is head of the Earth Pony Corps."
The three other Ponies all nodded as their names were announced, with the others returning the action in kind.
"While I wish we were all meeting under better circumstances, we all know or can figure why this meeting was called. Shining Armor, if you would take the lead..." Princess Luna started, before acceding to the slightly startled white and blue-maned Unicorn. Everyone was introduced in due time, and Shining Armor trotted over to the head of the table to begin.
Alright Shining, here goes nothing... Shining Armor thought to himself as he stepped forward to the head of the meeting table.
"I have been reviewing the converted film sent to us, and personally interviewing the Unicorns involved in defending the Bureaus before the retreat order was given. From what I have seen and heard, simply put, we are horribly out-gunned figuratively, and literally in terms of armaments regarding the Society for the Preservation of Humanity."
"So what do you suggest, Captain Armor?" Rodriguez asked, not sure how he should refer to the guardspony speaking before him.
Shining Armor then continued. "Well, due to the nature of the arms used against us, I don't think we can make anything like it, right now anyway. A small part of it is lack of familiarity or antipathy for those types of firearms, I believe the word is; but really the major reason is that General Buster and myself figure the thaumatic-tau weaponry used by the SPH is of recent design. We'd have no real way to for you to make versions until we get our hands or hooves on actual examples."
Everyone considered things for a short while, and then eventually agreed.
Shining Armor then called attention back to himself to continue. "Now, of course we did not arrange this meeting to simply say we couldn't make magic-shooting guns, I guess, yet. My specialty is defensive magic, I wish to personally parlay that into developing armors in order to protect ourselves, Pony or whatever, against the SPH's weaponry. I believe we can develop our own offensive weaponry eventually, but we have to ensure our survivability first and foremost."
I'd like to argue with that sentiment, but we aren't going to do much good to anyone dead ourselves after hardly getting any shots off... Rodriguez thought to himself.
Shining Armor then left the head of the table in order to allow Gen. Moutain Pass to speak. "Good Morning fellow travelers. I am General Mountain Pass of the Earth Pony Corps. After much debate with the others back in Equestria, both civilian and military, I believe we don't have any choice but to engage in a massive rearmament project. As Capt. Shining stated, we should first focus on increasing the odds of our survivability against their advanced weaponry. From there, we can adapt different arms for ourselves depending on the specific situation. If the future negotiations that we are conducting with the other nations of Equus pan out... that should bring in entities that are, to be honest, more capable of designing and using offensive weaponry than ourselves."
Richard Edwards then spoke up. "I would assume you would be referring to the Gryphons, if my prior reading is correct."
"Yes, Mr. Edwards. The Gryphon race are natural predators, and thus more, how could you say, inclined to making arms than armor. Honestly, when I first read and watched humanity, I thought that you all would be more than a natural fit for each other. I see differently now, though; your behavior and ideologies are far more diverse than I thought initially," Mountain Pass replied.
Hrm, our reputation is starting to precede us... we will have to be careful when the larger negotiations start in the future... Mr. Edwards thought as his concern was piqued by Mountain Pass's statements.
Mountain Pass walked away from the head of the table and Southern Monsoon approached. "Greetings, I am General Southern Monsoon, leader of the Pegasi Corps. I wish state my own concerns regarding this rearmament project. I want to implore everyone working on the project to remember that a Pony's armor is an extension of themselves, and that we cannot fight effectively if we are not comfortable in it. I would wager Humanity feels much the same way."
Southern Monsoon acceded and allowed Titan Buster to speak. "Good Morning, as you know I am General Titan Buster, overall leader of the Unicorn Corps. I do not have too much more to add before we begin discussing materials and analyzing initial designs for the Pony and Human versions of the armor, but you all must remember this. We also must be adaptable. I have no doubt that the SPH's researchers are constantly developing new armaments, and possibly delving into the more arcane nature of Terran Magic. Thaumatologists both in the military and in the universities back in Equestria are already finding some rather, interesting, applications of this new mana. I would have no doubt the Black Shield's researchers are doing the same."
Hrm, that seems to be an apt nickname for the S.P.H... the Black Shield... Mr. Edwards thought to himself again.
With all said and done, various groups began to break off, as the Generals and researchers and volunteers began to consider the initial designs for the armors, in terms of both shape and material used. Shining Armor however, took a few minutes though to see to Twilight and her crew sitting in the 'back' of the meeting room, with Princess Cadence joining him.
"So how you've been doin' Twily?" Shining Armor asked, hugging his sister tightly.
"Just great Shiny," Twilight answered with a half-mocking tone.
"Heh, anyway, I heard of the Conduits of Terra. So I wanted to make a point to take to you all briefly before I get to work with the HEA researchers on this armor project," Shining Armor requested; the four Conduits coming to the fore of the group.
"I just wanted to tell you all, thank you. Thank you so much for everything you've done for my sister Twilight and the other Bearers of Harmony in this situation on Earth. I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that we can, as both a proud Royal Guardspony and Twilight's brother, to make sure that this project works out best for all involved. Anyway, if you all come back to Equestria, I'm fairly sure that myself and Cadence would love to talk more casually about things," Shining Armor stated, noticing that General Buster was trying to get his attention.
"Yeah sure Shining, we were thinking of taking some time in Equestria in a couple of weeks anyway," Midori Hana replied, the other three Conduits nodding in agreement.
With that, Shining Armor trotted over to General Buster in order to start brainstorming for the Unicorn's new armor.
"So these are the Conduits of Terra I've from my aunts about. I can feel the power that resides in all of you, both Equestrian and Terran. You still have a lot of learn about being a Pony though. That's a life-long quest at any rate, so don't feel like you're in a rush," Princess Cadence said, with a bright smile on her face. Compared to the vibe of a pair of aunts they got from Princesses Celestia and Luna, Cadence felt every bit like a 'cool' older sister to the four Terran Conduits.
"Thanks Princess Cadence, we'd love to talk more with you and Shining Armor at a later date. I just kinda feel like you got a whole lot to discuss with us, both business and casual," Red Blaze stated, taking the measure of Princess Cadence and mentally comparing her to her aunts.
She seems less confident in who she is compared to Princesses Celestia and Luna, I thought all Alicorns were the same... she thought to herself.
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[ Ponyville, Equestria: August 8, ???+1 ]
"So where is Storm now?" Hana said as she leafed through another book on various Equestrian and foreign plants.
"I have no idea honestly. I'm thinking of putting a tracking spell on him whenever he makes his way back here," Blaze said as she performed some exercises that Rarity claimed help to improve concentration and focus.
"He clearly wasn't lying when he complained about being cooped up. Still, I didn't think he'd bolt like that necessarily..." Vague added, as he made sure that everything was in working order. The Princesses had confirmed that maintenance crews made sure that the Bearers and Conduits residences that were left completely empty would be taken care of, but Vague just wanted to check (for the third time since they had arrived the night previous) that everything was working properly.
"Truth be told, I'm glad we were clear to get away for awhile. It just feels like all that pent up stress is slowly being relieved while I'm here. I think it's getting away from the news about whatever random thing the SPH is claiming to do for the benefit of all," Blaze said as she continued on with the yoga-like exercises.
Vague agreed, as he finally felt comfortable enough to relax on a large cushion. "Yeah I see what you mean. I also think it's best to get used to this space again; we'll be on a diplomatic mission before too much longer, I feel. First time any of us will be outside of Equestria's formal borders while over here."
Just then they all heard the buzz of the doorbell. Afterwhile, they saw the familiar lavender and violet-maned Unicorn walk in, holding a formal looking letter in pink-ish stationary.
"Hey Twilight, so how are you doing this morning?" Hana asked, as she was mixing batter for pancakes.
"Fine Hana. I just got a letter from Princess Cadence. Imagine my surprise when this Pink stationery popped into my 'inbox'. So, yeah, she and Shiny want to pay us that courtesy visit here at the Greystone Conductor as soon as we can get everyone together," Twilight said, this time not as nervous about the prospect as she was almost a week ago.
"I thought Shining Armor would be tied down with the Armor Development Project?" Vague asked, not entirely sure of how the Equestrian military handled development projects.
"True, he is overseeing the project in a broad sense. But the humans and the forgeponies are handling the actual nuts and bolts as it were. That Metal Magic Pinkie found is helping quite a bit in that regard, although we want to make sure that the armor is as strong without magical influence as with. I'm sure he'd explain it better if you asked him, though," Twilight said somewhat nervously, hoping she had explained things well enough given the early stages of the project. She then noticed that the Conduits were short one, one rather excitable golden-yellow Pegasus. "Say, um, where is Golden Storm?"
"Who knows where at this point in time..." Blaze responded, still sour on the fact she had no idea where he flew off to, literally.
"Oh sure, I can get ya some," Blaze replied, realizing where Twilight was going with her comments. She blinked in and out of Storm's room with his brush, more than enough gold colored hair and platinum-blonde mane for Twilight to use.
"Alright, just follow me back to the Library and we'll get started!" Twilight said excitedly, always looking for an opportunity to try out a new or rarely used spell.
--==--
Late that afternoon, all ten of the Elements of both worlds and Spike were at the Greystone Conductor, including Golden Storm who found himself suddenly teleported into Twilight's house-tree library, and nearly crashing through one of the walls.
"You know, next time you could give a heads up when you are going to suddenly warp someone to and fro," Storm said incredulously as he walked through the door, still rubbing his neck some.
"Yeah you're lucky I managed to intercept you, otherwise you'd be headfirst through Twi's wall," Spike said as he walked through as well, still rubbing his chest some from the impact.
"Next time you can give a mare a heads up before you suddenly bolt for who knows where," Blaze replied, with the same tone of incredulousness.
"Anyway, you two and you all, my brother and sister-in-law should be here any minute. They finally managed to get time off for today, so everything should be good to go," Twilight said, as she and Pinkie were arranging the food in the rather spacious kitchen.
True to her word, not ten minutes later, there was a rapping on the door. Both Shining Armor and Princess Cadence were there, minus their dress uniform and formal regalia. As stated, it was to be a more or less casual visit, and a chance for Shining and Cadence to get everyone up to speed on the goings on between them and their respective jobs in general.
"Shining, you made it!" Twilight said, as she rushed and hugged her elder brother.
"I did say we were going to show up as soon as you could get everyone together right?" Shining replied, ruffling Twilight's mane some.
"Yep. Anyway come on in, we already have food and everything set up," Twilight said, letting the couple in the door.
"Oh wow, the Manehatten interior decorators certainly knew what they were doing when they put this house together. It does have that, sort of hybrid sensibility to it. Also the stripes along the base of the house in your coat colors is a very nice touch," Princess Cadence said, praising the decor and general architecture.
"Yeah, I always liked the Brownstone-style of houses back on Earth. Too bad that most of the original Brownstones were relocated under the Domes back in Boston," Red Blaze said somewhat sadly.
"So how's the first week of y'all's Armor Project goin'?" Applejack asked.
Shining Armor sighed a bit and rolled his eyes. "It's a bit of hassle so far. A lot of the rank and file are making all kinds of strange requests of the humans. And there is a bit of the inevitable clash in design philosophy. The Earth Ponies don't like the fact the humans use lightweight materials, even if the Humans prove said materials are just as strong. The Pegasi don't like the plain aesthetics, especially how gray everything is. And the Unicorns still don't trust Terran Magic to be a proper shielding mechanism. I'm confident we'll work through these issues eventually; but like I said, it's gonna be a hassle."
"Sounds like fun..." Rainbow Dash added, wondering if Shining was overstating the problem, or understanding it.
"And how have you been holding up, Princess Cadence?" Midori Hana asked of the pink Pegacorn.
Cadence rolled her eyes in much the same fashion as her husband did a few moments earlier. "Spending a lot of time answering the question 'Why I haven't appeared sooner if I was a Princess in the Royal Court?'. It's kinda hard to explain to a lot of the humans, and a few of the Ponies there, that I'm not actually a ruling party of the government yet, I probably still have a few decades before I get to that stage."
The statement piqued Red Blaze's interest. "Oh, um. If I'm not being too forward, would you mind explaining why exactly? The orientation materials didn't explain in depth about yourself. Most of what I got was that the Princesses are the only lawmakers in all of Equestria at the national level."
"Yes, but the story is a bit involved. I figure since you all are Aunt Celestia and Luna's direct subordinates you should get a more in-depth lesson," Princess Cadence said.
Aunt Celestia, the Elements of Harmony and the Conduits of Terra want to know how exactly our government works, and possibly want to know our backstories a bit. Would be it be okay if I tell them?
Sure thing Cadence, but be careful not to tell them too much about myself and Luna. I'm sure she'd want to reserve that right, and to be frank, I would as well.
Alright, Aunt 'Tia!
"Princess Celestia just told me that I'm clear to tell you all more of my back story. Hopefully it will give you some more insight into how things work in Canterlot, and why the Princesses behave the way they do."
A short while later, after everyone ate a bit and grabbed something to drink, they gathered in the recreational area to listen to Cadence's story.
Cadence sat in front of the gathered Ponies and Dragon, and began to speak. "Okay, where to begin with myself. I guess I should start at the present and work my way back a bit. Currently, my title is simply Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, which means I am formally a part of the Royal Court, but I do not hold formal political power within said court. All that really means functionally is that I can't make official decisions for the government of Equestria yet. You might be asking yourselves 'If Princess Cadence is an Alicorn, then why can't she make official decisions?' Well, there is a simple answer to that question, it's because I'm not technically an Alicorn."
Everyone but Twilight and Shining Armor looked around confused as to what the exact distinction was.
"Looking at how confused at how everyone except Shiny and Twily are, I should take a bit of time to explain the difference. I am what you'd call a Pegacorn, which is the informal term for a Winged-Unicorn that has undergone Ascension but not, I guess you could say, completely linked with their base of power on what is known as the Plane of Concepts."
Everyone looked slightly more confused, including Twilight and Shining Armor.
"Well it looks like I'm going to have to explain that as well. Ascension is what happens with any Pony with sufficient power becomes so entwined with a certain concept they begin to tap into the latent power of what makes reality 'reality'. Princesses Celestia and Luna, during the Rebellion of Harmony, which was the term for the actual fight that lead to the end of the Reign of Discord, became so immersed in the power of the heavenly bodies, they were literally reborn as the avatars of Equus's heavenly bodies. I won't go into detail about what exactly happened, my aunts want to reserve the right to tell that tale for themselves. Although I will say what happened to myself. That should probably fill in a few gaps until Aunt Celestia and Luna are ready to talk to you all about that time."
Cadence was glad to see the looks of confusion turn into looks of genuine interest now.
"Um before you continue, Princess Cadence. If Luna is the Avatar of the Moon, and Celestia the Avatar of the Sun. Then what does that make you aligned to?" Pinkie Pie asked, genuinely unsure.
"I'm getting to it Pinkie, don't worry," Cadence answered, going back to her story. "Anyway, I was not always known as Mi Amore Cadenza. I believe my previous name was Heart Linker. My talent then was being able to read Ponies' hearts, if you will, to figure out how to get them to link to something else. This had a lot of different meanings, but mostly I was a matchmaker, dabbling a bit in job counseling as well."
"Wait..." Rainbow Dash interrupted. "Okay, so you had a different name, and you're constantly speaking in the past tense about that phase of your life... I don't get it."
"You do usually speak in the past tense about a Pony that is dead, no?" Cadence replied, face suddenly becoming stern.
"Dead?!" Everyone in the room replied, everyone except Shining Armor.
Cadence continued, her face showing a bit of sadness. "Yes. While the Conversion from Human to Pony does preserve the soul and identity of the Convert; Ascension is a whole other kettle of fish, to use a Human English phrase. During Ascension, the Pony that is Ascending generally has the entirety of themselves reset to nothing and reborn into a new body. Everything I know about my life as Heart Linker is second-hoof information. I am literally incapable of remembering anything of it for myself, short of reading the memories of those Heart Linker knew."
"Wow, it really is like you had suddenly died, and were immediately reborn," Rarity said, just now starting to grip with what that meant.
Cadence nodded in agreement as she continued. "I believe the incident is recorded in the more in-depth history books as 'The Summer of Love Incident'. I became so obsessed with making sure everypony knew their special somepony, I began tapping into the very fabric of reality itself. If I remember the reports correctly, the last thing anyone at Ground Zero remembered before hand was seeing my original body glowing the same shade of pink as my coat now, and then a massive wave and beam of the same pink light shooting out near... I believe it was a little north of Los Pegasus. Thankfully no one was harmed during the outburst, although there was a sudden spike in marriages and a minor foal-boom about a year later. The incident was about 25 years ago roughly, most of couples who weren't of advanced age should still be together if you want to talk to them about it."
That's just... nuts... everyone thought to themselves in unison, somehow.
"When the rescue workers found me after the magical surge died down, all they saw was a pink Winged-Unicorn foal. I was immediately taken to the nearest hospital, and Princess Celestia was called to attend to me. From that point on, I've lived my life as Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, out of the sight of most until recently. Really the only Ponies that knew me outside of the Royal Court were some of the high-ranking Noblepony families and Shining's family. Mostly because somehow I got roped into being Twilight's foalsitter while she was still living in Canterlot."
All four Conduits of Terra turned and looked at Twilight, wondering just how charmed the mare was in the larger scheme of things.
Cadence called attention back to herself and concluded her story. "Anyway, getting back to the present day. I met Twilight as a foal in the park, eventually I work up the nerve to get myself hired as her foal-sitter. I met Shining Armor as a cadet in the Royal Guard, and not too long after he makes Captain, he works up the nerve to propose to me. I have no idea what's going to happen if and when I become a formal stakeholder in Equestria's government, I just hope that I'm up to the task whenever the day comes."
Red Blaze trotted up to Cadence and looked her in the eyes. She could see the nervousness of someone struggling to come to terms with their new situation still. Spike could also sympathize with Cadence, having been forced to live as an adult Dragon through no fault of his own.
"Princess Cadence... you'll make a great Crown Princess, I can see that you have a strong love for everypony and a desire to make sure they live according to what they truly want in their hearts. Princess Celestia and Luna will be lucky to have you as the third entity in a triumvirate," Red Blaze said, trying to project as much confidence as she could at someone who still outranked her in the political scale of things.
Cadence surprised Blaze by hugging her. "Thank you, Red Blaze. Believe me when I told you all, Conduits of Terra - there is a great deal you all still have to learn of yourselves. But that's a lifetime proposition, so don't rush. In any case, I think I've gone on for long enough. Let's just enjoy the rest of the evening as good friends, okay?"
Everyone agreed as Spike pulled out some records to play.
===================================================
[ Somewhere in the Everfree Forest: Aug 10, ???+1 ]
I see that you have visitors on the way, dear...
Indeed mother... would you like to end this session now?
No, I have the feeling that the guests would like to speak to the both of us...
You always had a sense for other's intentions, mother...
Midori Hana, Blue Vague, and Twilight Sparkle were walking the now fairly defined path to Zecora's Hut within the Everfree Forest. They wanted to consult with the Zebra about Blue Vague and gauge just how far along he was in his recovery and reconciliation with himself since the Nightmare Ooze incident.
"You know as long as we've been here, I've never been this deep in the Everfree..." Blue Vague said as he was one part amazed by the vitality of the forest, and one part scared by the fact it was difficult to see anything through all the trees and foliage.
"This is place is just simply... amazing. I guess Earth Ponies would spend a lot more time here if it weren't a wild zone. I heard of all the predators and monsters that still make this area home, and this is just the area near Ponyville," Midori Hana added, invigorated by all the natural greenery surrounding her.
Twilight nodded as they got within eyesight of the simple hut. "I would imagine that's why Zecora settled in this clearing we're approaching. It's about the right spot in-between Ponyville and the deep Everfree, which I doubt anyone would want to call home, unless they were born there or were a bit cracked in the head."
As they all approached the hut, Vague and Twilight picked up a strange aura coming from the edifice. Taking some extra caution, Twilight knocked lightly on the door and called for Zecora. "Excuse me, Zecora. Are you able to receive guests right now?"
"Oh yes Twilight. You and your two friends can come inside," Zecora shouted from inside.
"How did she know there were two of us with you?" Blue Vague asked, not sure if he picked up any new magic aside from what permeated the area around the hut anyway.
"I don't know, Vague. I've learned in the last few years to not exactly question Zecora when she does stuff like that, though," Twilight said as she pushed the door open.
The three Ponies were amazed by the conditions inside the hut. The inside was almost totally dark, despite the fact it was midday outside. It also felt quite cool, despite the mild heat from the summer.
"So, um Miss Zecora... did we walk in on anything that we shouldn't have?" Midori Hana asked nervously, looking at the strange swirls of color in the black background all around them.
"Actually, this might be the best time for you to visit me, given the concerns you may have," Zecora stated, still not having opened her eyes since Twilight and the others walked in.
"Okay. Now how would you know that? And this might be the first time you've talked to me, at least, without constantly speaking in rhyme," Twilight asked, also a tad off-put by the environs they saw in the hut.
"Oh, I can answer that," a strange female voice in the background stated. It sounded a lot like Zecora, except quite older. "We Zebras have a cultural trait that when we want to emphasize something, we speak rhymes. It comes from our proud oral tradition."
A lot like the African tribes back on Earth, at least historically... Vague thought to himself as they sat in the circle Zecora had drawn in white chalk.
"You always did have a bit of a habit of giving away trade secrets when you spoke to outsiders, mother," Zecora stated while chuckling a bit, finally opening her eyes.
"The Zebra Tribes cannot be isolated forever; the world is growing smaller, in a sense. We have to be prepared to receive guests far more frequently than we have been. And now an entirely new world has been joined to our own. The time will soon come where we will have to enter into alliance with the other major nations of this world," the female voice continued to speak.
"That is quite true, mother. And it appears we have two critical figures from the other world with us, given the extremely strong link with that new mana they possess," Zecora stated, as the common room of her hut turned from a strange black field to a more normal looking darkened room during midday.
"Um, not to be too forward or anything. But I don't see anyone else here beside us four, where exactly is your mother?" Midori Hana asked, looking around to see if she missed anyone.
"I am sitting before you, Green One," stated the female voice.
Twilight, Vague, and Hana reeled back a bit from Zecora in surprise. What they saw sitting next to the flesh and blood mostly monochrome Zebra, was the ghost of another Zebra that looked like a somewhat older version of Zecora, the main difference being that the ghost's mane was not styled into a mohawk, but more of a naturally flowing style, not unlike Midori Hana.
The phantom Zebra mare giggled a bit at the surprise etched into the faces and souls of the three Ponies before her. "It's always strange when outsiders react that way when a Zebra Phantom manifests. Anyway, my name is Zel'Ana, I am Zecora's mother, teacher, and in this form, mentor."
The three Ponies managed to gather themselves again, and formally introduce themselves as well. "I-i-i-I'm Twilight Sparkle, and the blue one is Blue Vague and the green one is Midori Hana." The other two Ponies waved nervously after Twilight stopped speaking.
"I see, you three are unfamiliar with the proceedings, which is understandable. When a Zebra faces death, they may join the Circle of Rebirth. However, I am one of a few who still feel they had worth," Zel'Ana said with the now trademark lyrical Zebra style.
The three Ponies finally began to relax, the Unicorns now used to the phantasmal presence of Zel'Ana. They then began talking for awhile, getting Zecora up to speed on the goings on in Earth, or at least the details she might not have gleamed from her communion with the Spirits.
"That is quite troubling indeed. Now I see why mother figures that the Tribal Congress will be forced to enter into a pact with Equestria and the other major nations," Zecora reasoned aloud, with a hoof under her chin.
"And I see the Blue One, Blue Vague, has been touched by the inner darkness of the Pony race. Your mind and heart may be purged of its influence, but the scars are still fresh, are they not?" Zel'Ana also reasoned, looking much like her daughter.
"To be honest, yes. I wrapped myself up so tightly in my own depression and anger, I just... snapped. I don't really remember the specifics of what I did as Nightmare Ooze, but I can only conclude it was bad," Blue Vague started, before taking a breath to continue his thoughts. "I honestly don't know what to think about it. A part of me just wants to bury it, and pretend it never happened. Another part of me though... another part of me wants to find some way to confront it safely."
Zel'Ana began to glow an eerie green, as a strange circle appeared under Blue Vague. Vague, rather than freak out again, felt incredibly calm, instinctively knowing that Zel'Ana's phantom magic was in no way malicious. "I want you to try and remember your last lucid thoughts before the Darkness grabbed hold of you. Can you tell us what they were?"
"I... I... I saw my mother being interviewed by the press. Even though she wore a mask, I could tell it was her by her voice and the words she spoke. It enraged me, it infuriated me, it also depressed me greatly. It was last real lucid thought I had; I couldn't take it, hearing her voice again just sent me over the edge," Blue Vague said, as if under a mild hypnosis. The feeling soon passed, as the green circle vanished from under him.
"Blue Vague, Link to the Water of the Other World... you must come to terms with those feelings. You must restrain and conquer this hostility, if you wish to make you dreams a reality," Zecora stated, both her and the ghost of her mother nodding sagely.
Yeah, but how do you conquer the darkness in your own heart? Maybe I need to talk to the Princesses about it more in depth; but I don't know when I'll be able to gain an audience with them... Blue Vague thought, wondering when they'd have any break in their preliminary negotiations.
==--==--==--==--==
Meanwhile, back in Canterlot, the pair of Princesses were putting to paper the preliminary schedule for the negotiating session to come, having finally secured an agreement from the Dragons, Zebras, and Gryphons.
"So we are to all meet in Safe Haven at the end of September, according to the Earth Calendar, yes?" Luna asked, as she prepared to hold the evening and overnight session of court.
"Yes, Lulu. The exact date is tentatively set at September 28th," Celestia answered, still writing down the lineups of dignitaries.
"I am glad they also agreed to allow the Conduits of Terra and the Bearers of Harmony to spend some time in each of their respective Capitals learning a bit of each Nation's culture. It will be helpful for when they attend the negotiations as an audience," Luna mused aloud.
"Knowing the Gryphons, they might try to work over the Conduits especially. I have a feeling Converts and Humans might identify with the Gryphon mindset the most."
"So how long do you want them all to spend in each Nation?"
"Three days should be sufficient, I'm also giving them memory crystals to record select writings so that they may study them after they leave. Speaking of 'memory crystals'. How is our project with the Magical Computer coming along?"
"The prototype is mostly stable now. There were some unforeseen issues where the artificial mind that runs some of the humans’ machines actually became a unique ego in her own right. So much of our time was spent trying to teach it ethical behavior and the like."
"Do you think you succeeded?"
"I can only hope so..."