//------------------------------//
// By the Grace of Providence  
// Story: Bread and Circuses 
// by Monsieur Bleu 
//------------------------------//

	There was a crack in space, light flooded in.  A force hopped up-on the bed.

"It’s park day, Mum!" she beamed.

Eyes groggy and lips pursed smile, "go downstairs meh’Muf, I’ll make somethin’ for ye."

The little fil jumped off and skidded across to the steppes.  The mare tossed her covers and started down.  

"Mums," a voice echoed from the door.  She looked over the rail to spy. 

"Spark! on’ta Celeste, wha’re you doin’ere?"

"Wha? I can’t see me own mum?"

Ditz descended and kissed her eldest; "go sit down, I was just about to make Dink a-spot-a-toast." 

She made her way to the wash.  At the sink she splashed eau in her face.  She paused for a moment, and glanced up; she was a mess of a mare.  After drying off, she made into the kitchen where her eldest and her recent sat at the small wooden table, chatting about the happenings at school. 

"So how’s been the goings-on in the capital?" she queried as she set a kettle for tea on the range. 

"It’s gettin’ tense, a bit excitin’even."

"Election’s not too far away is’t?"

"Aye, th’whole campus is buzzin’—folks ye'read about in the paper are now in the flesh.  The Union’s overrun with booths, people out everywhere with signs," with her forehooves she gestured a grand arch.   

Dinky clapped and Derpy couldn't help but smile as she put a halfstick of butter and a-pinch salt into a pan.  She made towards the icebox and got out a bottle of milk.  As she poured Dink a glass, the kettle whistled; Ditz emptied it into a teapot, she added black and peppermint leaves.  Setting the teapot on the table, she returned to the now popping pan on the stovetop.  She took out six pieces of bread and laid them, as soft-en-quick as she could, into the steaming butter.  

"Speakin’bout politics, I asked the Economics Lecturer about virtues."

"An’what e’say? Derpy said as she spun the toast."

"Said how the older generations pretend to hav’em—but don’t."

"Sounds right; the family ahead of me were so caught-up trying to undo the good done.   Seems we spend the best of our years trying to fix their mess."

~*~

"For-a-ways from blotto, Purse! Get up!" shouted the greying MP as she tried to get standing the Chancellor.

"Don’t count it as your bloody fuckin’ hooves place to make me stand up!" She stumbled, managing to get a grip on the table. 

"Faust nailed to a tree—what the hell’s goin’on ‘ere?" 

"Sorry Gov’na... Jack’ere just’ad a few too many."

"Tha’ fuckin’ hell Jackie?" 

" 'At fucka’ of a Princess ‘ed she’s gonna lead un out-rigth revol’ if I add the land provisions to the manifest’a!"

"Ditz, she say that?"

"Certainly implied it."

"Fuck… " the pegasus sighed " 'right, I’ll talk to’er, see if we can’t this resolved.  Get the Purse home and make sure she gets some eau in’er."

The Premier shook her chromatic head and left. 

"Com’on Jackie, let’s get you home."

~*~	

The air wisped about fescue grass under a light grey overcast.  A young fil led her mum and sis into the park.  Whilst joyfully bouncing along, the fil saw worthy to point out the merits of all the leaves the twirled about them. 

"Been five years mum."

"Aye," with one eye she looked towards the heavens, "all lives pass."

"Shame really,"  said Spark looking at her sister, still oblivious – she’ll never know’im."

"But she is’im," the pegasus kissed her on the cheek, "as are you." 

~*~

"Percussion for mine weary eyes! – Dreaming about good times only to be interrupted by you!"

"Beggings pardon, ma’am’s mais le government vous oblige!"

"C’est vous désirez—informez le Primer: piss off!"

"Right then, your Grace."

Porter bowed out and open this whole lot! "I swear if it were half as tolerable, I’d find myself lucky.  Stretching out in respite—o what I need!  For greys this swooning!"

"Counting weary stars again Rare?"

"I want to so to discount you right now, but Celeste knows that wench!"

"Speak ill of the Premier?"

"Only be-cause she could not get ahold-a you."

"Aughe! I told’er I’d-be there tomorrow—worse than I—can’t keep Jackie off the fritz." 

"I should say not!"

"O by the grace of providence let these petty doldrums pass!"

"Eh! T’is not so weary. Princess, for yourself it is the longest."

"Funny," and with a wink Twilight walked out past. 

~*~

Under the deep ceylon heavens, in a gilded balcony, lay upon to rest: hope, fools hope.  

"He was fool then!"

"He was a great stallion!"

"What’d’e ever do—nothing!  All of that money, all of those things we did not have, for folly! 	He was the one made his own demise.  He fritted away all of the support he was ever given!" 

"By providence! You are lost beyond repentance!"

"Well, sister, you grew naive in exile."

"No! Sister, you grew cynical—the grandest form of naiveté."

"If she could then what, share his fate… hmm? … Wandering the back-halls of the palace like some forlorn specter, lamenting her place in universe—and history!"

"He achieved," she whispered looking out at her stars, "he achieved by the people."

"It was all folly, sister!"

"How was all of it folly!?"

"All it was… all it ever was, was bread and circuses.  He fed them, he amused them."  

"I would hardly call the shelter amusement!"  

"I know that," she snapped, "I never meant that of his works, they did… O... dear sister, mine sorrow for shouting – she began to nuzzle the smaller alicorn, tearing.  "I wanted him to succeed so much.  That you did not know him, just his grace, his memory of those wise enough to keep it. I do not want her to share his fate."

They embraced, tearing each.