//------------------------------// // Elite's Abhorrence // Story: Cold Confrontations // by Dapper Guy //------------------------------// -Friendship Express- A small steam engine chugged up a wintery mountain, progressing smoothly up the rocky terrain. Several cars trailed behind the locomotive. To the common eye, it seemed like a regular train until you saw the last car. The final train car before the caboose was exquisitely decorated, brass trimmings were set into the windows, inlaid with precious, cut amethyst. It was painted a lovely hue of magenta, with pink borders along the edges of the box. Emblazed into the center between each window and on both doors was a six-pointed pink star, surrounded by several smaller stars. Inside, a magenta alicorn sat on a plush pillow while reading a large tome in front of her. A green bottle of cider sat at her side, chilling in a small bucket of ice. A knock on her car’s door interrupted the alicorn’s studies. Getting up and stretching her wings to loosen any kinks, the alicorn was greeted by a small blue colt. “Hello P-p-p-rincess Twilight, I’m here to inform you we will be a–a-a-a-arriving in Canterlot in roughly 15 mi-n-n-nutes,” squeaked the colt, his forehead glued to the ground. Twilight chuckled to herself silently while rolling her eyes. Still don't know why ponies keep bowing to me, I don't ask for it. Levitating a small pouch from her side, she dropped a few bits into her hoof. “Thank you, here’s something for your trouble sweetie." Raising his head, the colt tentatively took the bits and backed out the door and into the car ahead. Twilight smiled to herself, she didn’t expect the engineer’s son to come and inform her that her trip was almost over. Still, I did ask them to tell me when we’d be arriving in Canterlot. Can’t believe the princess got me my own private car to travel in. Walking back to her seat, she levitated a quill and parchment into the air in front of her, going through her checklist. Dipping the quill into an inkwell, she began to mark off all the tasks she accomplished while on her return trip to Canterlot Castle. “Alright then,” gnawing on the tip of the quill. “Get onto train, check. Read the Journal of Star Swirl the Bearded up to page 325.” Glancing down at the old tome to see she had stopped at page 483. “That’s definitely a check, tidy up the royal train carriage,” taking a quick look around. Books were strewn across the floor in front of her bookshelf, small candy wrappers littered her desk and a few pillows were piled in a semi-circle. Soft snores could be heard coming from the center of the pillow 'nest'. Chuckling to herself, Twilight stared down at a baby dragon curled up inside of the pillow nest. “Hnnggg…” “Spike.” “Unnngggghh…” “SPIKE.” “5 more minutes…” rasped a young, male voice. “SPIKE!” “Whaaat?” The tiny dragon rubbed the sleep from his eyes with his tiny claws. Shoving the 'Prepare for Arrival in Canterlot Checklist'. “We need to tidy this place Spike, we’re already near Canterlot and we have to prepare to depart." Spike only stared back at Twilight with a miffed look in his eyes.“Ughh, Twi, quick question," as he flicked a few grains of sands from his eyes. “Don’t the servants usually come in here and clean everything up?” “Well, yes, but I prefer to clean up my own mess Spike." Levitating the trash into a bin by the front door, Twilight set to work on levitating Spike's pillows back into their compartments. “You do know that the servants are paid to clean up after us?” Twilight looked down at the dragon, her eyes narrowing then opening and furrowed her eyes again. Opening her mouth to speak, she couldn’t think of anything to contradict the dragon or reprimand him. “Just fix the pillows on the couch where you found them Spike and maybe I’ll take you to Donut Joes if you’re good." It surprised Twilight how smart Spike was getting; his mouth certainly was going to get him in trouble sooner or later. “Yeah, yeah…” replied Spike, picking up the few remaining pillows from his nest. Twilight smiled, finishing checking off her checklist after her week off in Ponyville. It had been the first time in several months since her coronation into an alicorn princess. A “Super Duper Welcome back to Ponyville, Princess Twilight!” party from Pinkie was a welcome reprieve from all of her new responsibilities. Reconnecting with old faces, shaking hooves and finally being able to be herself without fear of anypony trying to appease her. Putting the final check on her list, Twilight rolled it up and placed it into the drawer of the desk. “Good, now that my “Preparations before arriving in Canterlot” checklists finished, I still have 8 more minutes to myself." A small glint of something caught her eye from beneath her cushion. A small piece of metal was sticking out, Twilight pulled a small brown book with brass corners from underneath where she had been sitting. I was wondering where this had gone. Inside were several photos, each one with her greeting, dining and traveling with the most noticeable figures in Equestria. Since her coronation, Twilight had spent the following weeks shaking hooves/claws/fins with each of Equestria’s allies. Most of the ceremonies Twilight had attended were mostly pleasant, save for a few independent kingdoms that bordered along Equestria and across the oceans. Every creature on the planet seemed to have learned of a new alicorn, and insisted to meet with this newly crowned Princess. After so many introductions and ceremonies, Twilight was the sent out to meet with foreign dignitaries from every race that walked across Equestria, without Celestia or Luna. You’re going to learn how to deal with everypony without us someday Twilight, its best you learn now, Celestia had told her. Her first charge to go to an official function came as a pleasant surprise, brought from Little Strongheart to meet at the Gathering of the Tribes with the High Chieftain, Storm Totem. A massive buffalo that stood even taller than even Chief Thunderhooves with his ceremonial headdress on. Despite his gruff exterior, Storm Totem welcomed the new Princess, presenting her with an engraved totem of her cutie mark and a ceremonial silver, star necklace. After a few abysmally, miserable attempts at performing the Dance of Heaven’s Drums, Twilight found herself welcomed among the buffalo. Medicine bulls shared their own tribal magic, performing feats beyond some unicorns hoped to perform. Summoning small rainstorms and calling small dust devils to churn the sands beneath her hooves, Twilight stared awestruck at their abilities. The thundering of the drums and the ambient chants embraced her, as she felt lost in the wild energy flowing through the air. During the gathering, Storm Totem explained to Twilight that the buffalo tribes of Little Strongheart were the Northernmost Tribe in Equestria. Most of the tribes were south, very far south of Equestria where the untamed wilderness ran freely as the Everfree Forest. As the times changed and as buffalo tribes separated, a few moved on from the traditional nomadic lifestyle and towards more conventional ones. Still, as the buffaloes journeyed further north, they found a want to settle in foreign lands. When the incident in Appleloosa had finally blown over, Princess Celestia went personally to meet Chief Thunderhoof to form a treaty so the buffalo could roam freely. From there, Celestia flew to meet with Storm Totem himself to negotiate any further buffalo’s migration north. Since then, more buffalo had been showing up in Equestria in the passing years growing alongside ponykind in harmony. Twilight smiled as she flipped through the pages, a blossoming warmth growing her chest from the memories from that night, the rustic pleasure of sleeping in the untamed wilds. Since her ascension, she felt a sprouting affinity to reach out, to commune with the earth. A sudden jerk snapped Twilight out of her nostalgia trip, sending the book tumbling onto the floor. Peering out of the window, she saw the towering buildings of Canterlot blocking the sky. Putting the book into her saddlebag, Twilight made one final sweep of her royal car to ensure she had everything before meeting with Celestia. The night before, Celestia had sent a letter to Twilight about having to meet with her immediately the next day to discuss an urgent issue. “Come on Spike, we need to hurry up,” ushering the small dragon over to her side. “Princess Celestia said we have to meet her as soon as we got to Canterlot, we don’t have any time to waste.” Walking over to the door, Twilight prepped herself for the oncoming storm of Canterlot’s higher society. “Remember Spike, no stopping, no talking with strange ponies, just straight to Canterlot Castle, understand?” “Yeah, I got it Twi.” The door of the train car slid open, the same small blue colt from before stood there shaking as Twilight strode out. Looking down at the colt, Twilight affectionately rubbed his head with her hoof before taking off down the streets of her old home. -Lower Streets, Canterlot- Even as she walked down the streets, Twilight could feel eyes on the back of her head, ponies talking in whispers as she walked past the shops. Twilight had learned to ignore the usual jargon over time, it was best not to dwell on the petty problems others conjured up. “We’re doing well so far Spike, I think –“ “Cannot believe what Celestia has done! What is she even thinking?!?” Twilight’s head snapped to her right to see a gaudily dressed purple unicorn noblemare sitting on a bench with who she assumed was her husband near Canterlot’s Fountain. A rather weary looking gray unicorn stallion sat on a bench, wearing a black tuxedo with a red tie. Several clothing bags were scattered around him as his wife was publicly announcing her discomfort for everypony to hear. “First we have a nopony, who’s lived in a backwater town on the doorstep of our empire become a princess,” Twilight’s hoof cracked the pavement where she she stomped causing Spike to jump back in surprise. “- and then she wishes to institute a tithe for those who can’t even work? How, how is it the Princess allows the muck to run free without fear of reprisal?” As the mare continued to destroy any form of silence, Twilight began to walk away from the fountain towards Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. The last thing she needed was to make a scene with some overly, pampered trollop who never knew what it meant to do without. “Don’t let it get to you Twi; Celestia does everything she can for Equestria,” putting a reassuring claw on her wing. The little dragon was more worried about what Twilight could do to the noblemare more than what she could hope to threaten Twilight with. It felt weird when Spike had to help play peacekeeper. “I know Spike,” giving Spike a small nuzzle on the cheek. Despite everything that had happened, Twilight saw Spike as more of a son then she would ever care to admit. “I can’t let every little snide mark get to me, Celestia says it one of the first things she learned as a princess.” Walking past cafés and her old school dormitory, the detour only added an additional twelve minutes from original planned route. A minor small altercation to her schedule but there was enough breathing space to make it the castle in good time. Canterlot still held the air of old bits, even the atmosphere felt rich. After living in Ponyville, Twilight could clearly see the difference in pony’s behavior when she came back for the Grand Galloping Gala. It irked her to no end on how blind she was to not notice how everypony in this city could be so egocentrically inclined. -Castle Road, Canterlot- Trotting past the outer borders of the campus, Twilight finally made it towards the side road along the way to the castle’s gate. As Twilight made her way towards the castle, a horde of ponies had formed in front of the gates. Two ranks of royal guards stood between the growing mass of Canterlot’s citizen and the gates of the castle. Pegasus patrolled over the walls and hedges to deter anypony from sneaking in from the sides while Earth and Unicorns formed solid walls at each gate. “That’s odd, why is the princess keeping everypony out of the castle? She usually wouldn’t do this unless it’s a state of emergency.” “Ughh, Twi, I think that’s the least of our problems." “Huh?” “Princess Twilight, I need a word with you.” The same unicorn stallion from the fountain stood behind Twilight, his head low in a bow. His wife followed close behind , a determined expression on her muzzle. The stallion lifted his head again, grey bags hung low under his eyes. “I’m afraid that I need to request an immediate audience with the Solar Court post haste. My wife and I would like to lodge a complaint against Princess Celestia’s recent decision,” croaked the stallion, his voice cracking at the odd word here and there. “Well I can’t just walk right into the throne room and ask the princess-“ “I implore your Princess Twilight, I desperately need to-“ “The princess has no right to do this to us!” screeched the mare, rearing up her fore hooves into the air. Twilight pulled back as the mare stomped forward, her face scrunched tightly inward and currently a deep bruised purple. The stallion moved away from his wife as she walked straight up to Twilight’s muzzle leaving only an inch of breathing space between the two. “I will not be subjected to such demands because our princess is too soft hearted to tell any run-of-the-mill rock farmer to find bits. We got our money the proper way, so why must we suffer for the poor?” Her honey-yellow eyes dead centered on Twilight’s own, a small trail of spit running out of muzzle “I’m sorry, you are?” “Heirloom, Golden Heirloom. We’re one of the founding families of the Equestrian Capital, one of the longest generations of pure unicorn families and holder of 3 seats within the Equestrian House of Governance,” announcing her words with a tone of reverence. “Princess Twilight, I, by right and as one of the founding members of Equestria, shall have full access to any and all court decisions and to intervene if I find any council faulty in decision.” Twilight merely stared at the mare as she continued on a long list of reasons as to why Celestia 'needed' to see her. As Twilight continued to listen to the daft mare drone on about her entitlements, a sudden surge of ponies detached from the crowd in front of the palace and began swarming around her like a sea of locusts. Twilight walked backwards, trying to escape from the multiplying torrents of babble from Heirloom only to find herself within a semi-circle of several more ponies. The growing demands of the crowds beginning to grow louder and louder. “Princess Twilight, might I have a quick word with you?” “Princess Twilight, I need to discuss-“ “Princess, I demand-“ “Princess Twilight Sparkle, in accordance with Equestrian Law, page 58, subsection C, paragraph 4-“ “Princess Twilight, you must reason with-“ Louder and louder, more ponies came to voice their complaints, Twilight’s ears folded over her head in a futile atempt to block out the growing mass of nobles. Fwish. A bright magenta light exploded from within the crowds, leaving a scorched mark on the ground and a rabble of noblemares and stallions highly flustered. “Where did she go?” one called out adjusting his monocle. An explosively loud bang in the air around the gardens rung out, each of the nobles saw two objects bounce off an invisible wall further away. “She’s over there, quickly, find her!” Heirloom commanded. -Back Alley, Canterlot- Fwish. A singed pair of creatures dropped to the ground, one with burnt scales and bent spikes on his head. The other was no better off with blackened feathers and a still-smoking horn. Shaking off the ash, Twilight plucked what feathers had been burned from her wings while Spike dusted himself off. “Twilight, I think you might’ve screwed up that spell," he said blinking his eyes. “That wasn’t my fault Spike; it was a Mirror Aegis spell.” Spike stared back at Twilight, one brow raised in confusion. “It’s like Shining Armor’s shield spell, only this only prevents anypony from using magic or an incorporeal form from intruding within its walls. Usually one needs to inscribe a physical seal on the surface of a wall, but if we were to use Heisenhoof’s Theory of Relativ- uummph!?!?” Spike clasped Twilight’s muzzle shut with both claws in a bid for dear life. Raising her hoof, Twilight was about to reprimand the young dragon until she heard a familiar voice. “I know she’s around her somewhere, I saw her teleport over in this direction!” Heirloom stood out in the middle of the street, her kempt mane now flowing raggedly across her face. “Heirloom, are you sure? Why wouldn't she be in the castle right now?” The noble stallion looked even worse from before, his clothes looked they were ran through a swamp with all of mud clinging to his form. “Because you dolt, there’s a spell warding off any outside intruders! If I could have, I would’ve gotten inside long ago and had this problem wrapped up.” Heirloom's horn lit up, pulsing with a dull golden glow. Now and then, a small chime was head as she made her way over towards the alley they were in. Twilight braced herself against the wall, a stack of crates blocking her from plain sight. A tracing spell? Twilight thought to herself, clamping her muzzle shut. Conjuring a small purple ball with her magic, she flung it with all her might over the building and down the road. "She's this way, hurry." Heirloom's voice grew distant as she took off with sonic rainboom speed. The stallion meanwhile, looked over towards where Twilight was and mouthed the word 'Sorry' before taking off after his wife. “Okay, let’s just stay out of sight Spike and take the back route to the castle.” “But Twilight, those ponies aren’t going to stop looking for you. As soon as you put hoof out in the open they gonna swarm all over us again.” Twilight paused for thought; these nobles weren’t going to give up until she granted them an audience with Celestia or she left Canterlot. The last resort would be to push her way through into the castle but that would only lead to greater problems in the future. Looking around, Twilight looked around to gain her bearings to find out which way she could get to the castle. Walking over to the stack of crates she hid behind earlier, she examined the logo on the side. A large purple bottle pouring juice into a cup with purple bubbles floating from the glass was painted on the side. Walking around the crates, Twilight found a backdoor to the building she was hiding behind. “Spike I think I know where we’re at. I just hope he’s going to answer the door.” Rapping on the door three times, Twilight backed away to wait for somepony to answer the door. She silently prayed that a new waiter wouldn't answer and blow their lid when they saw a princess of Equestria hanging out in the back alley of their store. The sound of hoofsteps suddenly caught her attention, it seemed somepony was in. As the door swung inward, a leaf green pegasus stallion with a thick grey handlebar mustache stood in the doorway, his eyes bulging at the sight of Twilight. “Pri-“ “Pop, hush! I need to get out of sight!” she said pleadingly. The pegasus stood in shock, and then waved her in with spike en hoof before closing the door behind him. Leading the two into a storeroom, he turned to the two with a hardened expression. “Okay so what do I owe this esteemed honor of having the newest princess of Equestria to grace my humble shop,” as he gave a mock bow. “Fizz Pop, please I really need your help,” Twilight begged. “You’re the only pony in this city that doesn’t seem to need me to get them in contact with Celestia right now.” Pop’s expression softened, raising himself up with a smile on his muzzle. Giving reassuring rub with his hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, he trotted out of the room. A minute later he returned with a tray on his back, one tall glass with a violet drink inside and a small sundae decorated with crushed gems in the other. Twilight smiled at the Pegasus and pulled two boxes up to a crate and sat down, Spike pulling himself up as Pop placed the tray between the two. “I was wondering what all the hub-bub was about, you shook up the parasprite nest their Sparkles.” Pulling up a box to face the two. “Figures, you can’t go anywhere without causing a scene can’t ya? Twilight gave the stallion an empty smile as she drained her glass. Pop, always the sassiest stallion in all of Canterlot and proprietor of the Jeweled Juice Bar, one of Twilight’s favorite spots during her school years. Since the time she’d been gone, his mane grew a little greyer, from pure charcoal black to salt and pepper. Wearing his trademark soda jerk shirt and blue bow tie, he didn’t look much different from the time Twilight had spent away. “It wasn’t intentional Pop. These ponies think I can solve everything wrong in Equestria at the tap of the hoof,” as she sipped the bottom of her glass with her straw. “So then, what didn’t you do?” Propping a leg up on the make shift table, the soda jerk tapped at his chin in thought. "Gossip isn't new in my joint but the truth is." Twilight recounted the past few minutes of her arrival in Canterlot, walking towards the castle, the nobles and finally her getaway. Pop sat in silence, nodding and shuddering at her words as she went into detail of her escape. “So after I teleported a second time, I landed behind your store and waited for them to pass by,” as she finished up her tale. “Did I ever tell you how lucky you are, Sparkly?” Twilight scrunched her muzzle in annoyance. Pop chuckled loudy as he gathered up the glasses onto a tray, “Easy now, Sparkly, easy. I never thought you’d be on the lam." A small chime of bells was heard from the front, Pop stood up and walked out of the room. Twilight and Spike sat hunched over the table, trying to keep as quiet as possible. A few minutes passed until Pop returned, a worried smile on his face. "Few of your 'friends' came looking for you, it's a nuthouse out there right now." Judging from his expression, it seemed that a few of the nobles were staked out in front of the shop. "Either you have any ideas of getting back into that castle without causing a scene?" “Doesn’t Celestia need an order filled?" Spike ran a claw through his scales. "You could sneak us in one of your crates." Pop turned to him, giving him a grin. “Afraid not, already delivered to the castle three days ago. Even if I wanted to smuggle you two in, the guards would have to inspect my cargo. They hold their inspections in front of the gates,” pulling on the end of his mustache. “You’d be out in the open and I know that those ponies probably will be waiting for you there.” “Well there goes that plan,” sighing in defeat. Twilight stared down at the floor as indignation started to grow inside of her. The nobles weren’t going to let her through those gates unless she dragged half of them through with her. She toyed with the idea of announcing that her status as a princess would demand them to cease their petty desires but the act of it disgusted her. She felt so feeble, to be so close to her destination but what hindered her was the inability to use her influence in a more direct manner. Another small ring alerted the trio, Pop snapped up and bolted out the door in a flash. Twilight and Spike pressed themselves against the wall. Neither of them even breathing aloud out of paranoia from the day’s events. Several minutes passed until Pop reemerged from the front of the shop, a grin plastered on his muzzle. “Okay you two, I found your way in,” Pop said beaming. “You did? How!?” Twilight was on the tip of her hooves that it almost looked like she was hovering off the ground. “Outside there’s a carriage, get in before anypony sees you, so make sure you don’t dawdle. Don’t worry, he’s an old friend.” While Twilight would call in to question Pop’s idea, she was already late to meet with the princess. Giving Pop a quick hug, she pulled Spike onto her back and exited out through the back. Slowly trotting around crates and trash cans, Twilight peeked around the corner to spot the carriage Pop mentioned. A large purple carriage was parked right out in front, with a gold fleur-de-lis emblazoned on the side surrounded by three small blue crowns. The door hung open invitingly, nopony else standing off to the sides in expectation of her arrival. Twilight felt doubt begin to gnaw at the back of her mind the longer she stared at the carriage. Several ponies stood around, turning their heads towards the shop every few minutes. Was Pop setting her up? did some noble pay him to get her into the carriage? how could she be sure that this wasn’t some kind of ploy? A grunt of annoyance informed her that Spike was growing impatient, Pop did say to get inside quick before anypony saw her. Readying herself, Twilight bolted from behind the corner, straight up to the door and leapt inside as quickly as she could. Exhaling, Twilight turned to face a lovely white unicorn mare with a pale pink mane and purple eyes staring at her in mixed shock and surprise. “…….uhh…Hello?” “Ah, good, you made it in,” came a voice from behind Twilight. Oh horseapples, I knew it, I knew Pop set me up. Oh after all these years, he went behind my back and sold me out. Oh sweet Celestia why- “Easy my fair princess, I’m not here to harass but to help.” Whipping her head around, she came muzzle to muzzle with a tall white unicorn stallion with a blue mane. Sporting a thin mustache, wearing a monocle and dressed in a ritzy shirt. Stepping into the carriage, he levitated a set of bottles over to the mare in the adjacent seat while sitting down opposite of the lovely unicorn mare. Straightening his mustache, the stallion motioned for Twilight to sit next to him as Spike jumped off her back and down onto the seat. “Umm, thank you...” was all Twilight could muster her voice barely above a whisper for the two unicorns to hear. “Come now princess, did you think this was some elaborate ruse to get your attention?" Twilight half nodded, gaining a small laugh from the stallion. Regaining his composure, the mystery stallion poked his head out of the window, “Mr. Stone, please continue our route to the castle, we’re running a tad late I’m afraid.” “Very good sir,” a voice from the front of the carriage replied. “Well now princess, I dare say you seem a bit flustered.” Twilight looked over herself, noticing a few feathers falling onto the seat and Spike's head. The fur needed a decent brushing along with her now frazzled mane. “Yes, I’m sorry but I don’t remember getting your name." “Oh, how rude of me. Introductions I believe are in order. The name is Fancy Pants princess, and this is my wife, Fleur dis Lee." The mare replied with a respectful nod, taking a bottle from Fancy Pants in her magic and greedily gulping it down. She was a rather lovely looking mare, almost as tall as princess Luna. The only thing that stood out was her large swollen belly hanging slightly over the edge of her seat. “Six months pregnant, next week we shall find out if it’s going to be a filly or a colt,” Fancy said, following Twilight’s eyes over to his wife's belly. Twilight's face lit up in a blush, Fleur on the other hoof just smiled back at her. “Now then princess, my good friend Rarity has told me all about you. I must say you’re not as engaging as she led me to believe, with all due respect." A dim memory of her last birthday swam into Twilight’s memory as she finally recalled seeing this stallion before. The time Rarity had given her a dress, and a stallion commenting on its rustic charm. Spike made a half cough, hlaf growl at the mention of the stallion saying Rarity. “Fancy Pants and Fleur dis Lee," realization dawning on her as she remembered them. "I apologize it’s just so much has happened today I can’t stand still for long without anypony asking me to act on their behalf." “Yes, Pop explained to me as best as he could in what little time he had,” popping off his monocle to polish it with his hoofkerchief. “Odd, Fleur was craving for something sweet, sour and bitter to drink so I thought why not stop in to see and old friend and quench my mare’s thirst.” “Yes, how do you know Pop if you don’t mind me asking?” inquired Twilight. She found it odd that such a highly known aristocrat had known an owner of a soda shop. He didn’t seem to be the type to frequent a low-class watering hole. “I gave him his start-up loan, helped him build that shop from the ground up. It’s nice to see a regular shop in this primped up city,” a hint of annoyance in his voice. “You wouldn’t believe how many say they’re above drinking commoner’s fare but order his stock by the barrel .” Twilight smirked; she was beginning to like this pony. He carried an air of refinement and common courtesy like a cloak. Relaxing back into her seat, Twilight stretched herself out letting her anxiety melt away as she enjoyed the quiet carriage ride towards the castle. Spike on the other hoof still looked a bit testy as he met Fancy's eyes. “Fancy Pants, why is it that you’re going to the castle today? I’m sure you know that there’s a whole city full of ponies trying to get inside and the guards aren’t just going to let you trot right in.” “No worries dear princess, I have a summons to answer,” pulling out a scroll from with the confines of his vest. "It would seem I have to take up my role in the House of Governance, we’ve got a big issue to resolve. Princess Celestia has put us in a bind on this one, I can tell you that but even I don’t know the full details.” “Fancy Pants, if you have a seat on the House of Governance, then you probably know an Heirloom, Golden Heirloom?” “Oh,” was all Fancy Pants could say, his smile sinking like a stone in the ocean. Fleur’s eyes clamping shut in disgust so tightly it hurt to even look at. “Yes, I’m fully acquainted with everypony that holds a seat in the House of Governance as well as the Solar and Lunar Courts and even all the Embassy of the Three Tribes.” “While I’m sure that you may have met quite a sweet, sophisticated mare,” Twilight and Spike snorted in unison. “-Mrs. Heirloom’s family holds more sway in matters that some feel comfortable with, with all due respect to somepony of her stature,” he hastily added. “The only place her family hasn’t held power in is the Embassy but where they have kept a hoof in concerns me. During the past few summits, we’ve had to extend our meeting by days, DAYS, mind you princess before we could resolve any matter.” “Why doesn’t anypony do something about them, I’m sure Princess Celestia-“ “I’m sorry to interrupt Princess Sparkle, but you’ve hit the root of the problem, Princess Celestia herself,” interjected Fancy Pants. “WHAT!?!? Princess Celestia would never allow such a pony to control or manipulate anything, especially within her own courts!” exploded Twilight. “Well princess, do you know of Prince Blueblood? The nephew of our esteemed Princess Celestia herself,” utter disgust hung on his face while Fleur's looked like the epitome of loathing. “Yes, he used Rarity as a shield from cake during the last Grand Galloping Gala,” hissed Twilight. “He didn’t!” “Yes, and he blamed Rarity for causing HIM the inconvenience during that night.” Spike's anger radiated off his small form, a roaring furnace of pent up aggression could be felt by everypony in the carriage. “Yes, well despite his unruly behavior, he is Celestia’s nephew and that grants him some boons as such.” Crack-crack-Krish! The shattering of glass drew everyone’s attention to Fleur. Tears trailed down her eyes, as if she was reliving a painful memory. Fancy Pants leaned over and nuzzled his wife’s face with earnest love. “Forget him, darling, he won’t ever come near you now,” caressing her cheek with a gentle hoof. Fleur looked at the floor, deeply embarrassed of her outbreak, while glancing at Twilight from behind her mane. “As I'm sure you already know, Prince Blueblood isn’t the only descendant of Princess Celestia, nor is he the only one who can claim, certain entitlements.” Twilight and Spike stared back at Fancy Pants in confusion, they never had thought about Celestia have other nieces or nephews that would claim the status of royalty. Twilight had read about Blueblood's lineage in Equestrian History but it never dawned on her who could claim power or entitlements. True political marriages weren’t uncommon in Canterlot, she never dwelled on the idea on who was related to who or whose relations could be used as leverage. “Heirloom is the only legitimate, true blooded niece of Celestia herself. She's Prince Blueblood’s cousin and nopony can challenge her or her ancestry. You see, 500 years ago, the Bluebloods matriarch at the time gave birth to two foals, one filly and one colt on the same day. Since both were born the same day, each had the right to the prestige and control over the House of the Solar Unicorns. This erupted into a schism within the house until it came down to dividing the house in-half in the end. Heirloom’s great-great-great-grandmother was that unicorn and she along with her family holds as much power as the House of Blueblood.” Twilight sat there, mouth agape at the information being told to her, a female Blueblood! The prince was certainly a royal pain in the flank, but a female Blueblood made her want to the run for the Crystal Empire and hide within the mines. “Wait, if Heirloom is Celestia’s niece, wouldn’t that make her a princess?” She shuddered at the thought of Heirloom as a princess, dressed in royal attire while waving around a golden cane with an image of Heirloom’s head affixed to the top in a wonky, broad smile. “No, for you see princess, even when the two families split, the Heirloom side had to relinquish the name Blueblood. Even today, the Blueblood name still controls influence over many business and political standing. While it took several generations to recover from this loss, the Heirlooms slowly took ground in certain circles back from the Blueblood line. If anything, Mrs. Heirloom can only claim the title of a duchess or maybe even a baroness, however never will she hold the title of a princess.” “Thankfully...” muttered Spike, earning a small poke in the stomach from Twilight who half-smiled, half-frowned at the dragon. “However, you can still see as to how this poses a powerful problem with the House." Fancy Pant's popped his monocle off his face and began to furiously clean it with a hoofkerchief. "Heirlooms have always held a seat and for the foreseeable future, it would seem that they will remain secure in their positions dear princess.” Twilight stared at the floor, a mixture of disgust and confusion knotting inside of her stomach as she let this information sink in. It created a slippery slope where only those who were already in power could be the ones to choose who got to attain the right to choose. Did Celestia already know this? Did she plan on doing anything about this? Fancy Pants sighed and sat back in his seat, Fleur giving him a smile and held out her hoof towards Fancy. He replied in kind by hold her hoof and gave his wife a reassuring squeeze, letting her warmth flow into him. “Fancy Pants, this summons for the Governance, does it have something to do with a tithe being passed?” If Fancy Pants was being summoned to fulfill his role today as a Judge of the House, then it may have something to do with what Heirloom was ranting about when they first met. It clear that Celestia was trying to ratify some new tax that caused public unrest within Canterlot. Fancy Pants stared at Twilight, scrutinizing her with his deep blue eyes. “Forgive me dear princess, but may I ask as to how you found about the details of the court summons?” Twilight recounted in greater detail when she had been confronted by Heirloomat the fountain in the middle of Canterlot, down to how she carried herself in front of Twilight. Fancy Pants rigid composure began to wane as he listened attentively to Twilight’s tale, his hoof running under his chin. His face remained impassive but a small twitch could be seen from his lips. Finishing her story, Fancy Pants had both of his hooves massaging his temples. “Of the entire thick headed, narcissistic-“ clasping a fore-hoof to his head. “Forgive me princess, but it seems that our dear acquaintance Heirloom has been informed of very sensitive information that isn’t known to the common pony, nor should it be." Raising his head up, Fancy Pants cleared his throat. “Yes Princess Sparkle, Princess Celestia wishes to pass a new bill, or as she has deemed it, a tithe that would require a certain percentage of ponies to make a contribution,” he began. “You see, recent turn of events have caused an influx in financial stability within Equestria. Today, we planned on passing a compulsory tax to help balance out the treasury. Not much else had been explained, even to me mind you.” “I’m afraid I still don’t understand Fancy Pants.” “Neither do I, the meeting wasn’t supposed to go beyond the walls of the castle, seems Heirloom’s family thought otherwise.” “Sorry to interrupt your conversation, sir,” said a voice from outside. “We shall be arriving at Canterlot Castle in five minutes.” “Thank you, Stone. Well, it seems this is the end of our ride Princess Sparkle, may we meet again soon after this affair has been wrapped up. Hopefully, it will be under more favorable circumstances,” with a heart warming smile. “Now I must insist that you keep your head down, we wouldn’t want anypony to see you and start a ruckus.” Lowering her body flat on the seat, the carriage came to a slow halt. A knock came from the side door where Fancy Pants sat. “Royal Guard, open the door for an inspection before passing onward towards the castle.” Fancy Pants opened the door, his horn flaring up with a golden aura as the knob turned to let the guard in. A coal grey Pegasus guard in golden armor floated outside of the door, his eyes scanning the inside of the carriage. When his locked on Twilight, his eyes bulged as their eyes locked but then receded back beneath his helmet. “Right then. Nothing to report here. Carry on to the front gate,” he instructed, floating backwards like a hummingbird. “Well now princess, seems we’ve finally arrived.”