//------------------------------// // Chapter 32: Laid To Rest: Part 3 // Story: The Unity Pact // by Truthseeker //------------------------------// The walk down to the area around the lake was a pleasant one. The sun was out and shining but sporadic clouds provided some shade and it wasn't too hot either. I caught a glimpse of the meeting place as it was downhill from the town proper. A short wooden stage had been erected with the back of it facing the lake. Set on the stage were a few chairs and couches as well as a podium which had a microphone stand on the top. There were also three writing desks set up with couches behind them where quills and paper were already set out. The areas to the left, right, and front of the stage were lined with blankets, cushions, benches and chairs with room to seat nearly two thousand by my estimate. Speakers had also been set out around the area with one in each of the corners of the stage, facing outward and a small sound booth directly in behind the stage. I knew I was supposed to be one of the ones on the stage itself so I headed in that direction. I weaved through the Humans and Ponies who were already seated on blankets, cushions, benches, and chairs. They were still filtering down from the town so I took my time. The arrangement of chairs in the first row struck me a somewhat odd and I spotted pieces of paper dictating seat reservations. I picked one of them up and read the name, which was written in both Velensovth and American, 'Leo Brock', I looked at the one next to it, which was a blanket, 'Gale Force'. The order of seating seemed to be Human, Kavim, Human, Kavin. I shrugged and mounted the stage then took the one chair meant for a Human, obviously me. I watched as the crowd continued finding their seats and made it a point to wave as cheerfully as I could when I spotted Leo take his seat up front. Leo saw me wave and scowled then gave me the finger. His scowl broke into a somewhat friendly grin a moment later and he waved back then took his seat. I pulled my shoulder bag off and set it on the ground then opened it up and removed my notes. From the time I had spent in Ponyville, I had taken the steps to learn how law deciding meetings were conducted. One individual would bring a topic to light and from there each individual on the stage would present their opinion of the topic, either for or against. After that point the audience had the chance to rise and be recognized then present their own opinion. After all opinions had been heard the audience and those on stave would either vote the law active or modify it until such a time that a vote was decisive. A full two-thirds of the voters had to agree on a vote for the motion to pass. I waited and watched as everybody took their seats. A white Unicorn mare with an electric blue mane and tail trotted up to the stage and tapped on the microphone to check it. Seemingly satisfied, she trotted back off the stage and returned to the sound booth. Celestia, Luna, and Twilight landed regally on the stage and took their couches as Razor trotted up and sat down right on the front row. A Pegasus, an Earth Pony, and a Unicorn took their places on the couches behind the three writing desks. I waited until the last stragglers were seated before I stood up and approached the podium. Thank God I had taken a class on public speaking, otherwise I would have been petrified to see so many faces all staring at me. I looked down, shuffled my notes into order, and set them down on the podium then looked back up again. I cleared my throat and tilted the microphone toward my face, "Everyone who can hear me, raise your right hand." I said in American. Every Human hand rose, so I nodded and continued in Velensovth, "Everypony who can hear me, raise your right fore hoof." Every hoof rose and I nodded, "We are here today because there is a division between our two peoples." I then repeated the same in Velensovth, then switched back to American, "This division is due to the vast differences in our two great cultures and must be remedied." I said the same in Velensovth, then continued in American, "To that end, for the sake of equality, the Princesses have opened the law books of Equestria today for revisions, changes, and the addition of new laws." I repeated the same for the Ponies once more, "This is a Law Tribunal and will be conducted in such a manner. To this end, if you wish to speak, wait for the proper time then stand and wait to be acknowledged. Every voice will be heard, but interruptions will not be tolerated. If you interrupt another while they are speaking, you will be asked to leave immediately. This rule is universal to all, Humans and Ponies alike." (From this point onward, in order to streamline the process of the meeting, all words are assumed to be translated.) "The first issue to be addressed is the formation of a uniformed group whose purpose is to act as first respondents in any emergency. This is the first decision to be made and here is my opinion on the subject. These first respondents, these Community Welfare Guardians, will need to be capable of responding to a myriad of emergencies with both Humans and Ponies in mind. I believe that to have the C.W.G. work in pairs, one Pony and one Human, would be for the best and provide for the most balanced and efficient response to save lives. They will be populated only with volunteers and trained by a group of elected representatives. Their pay will be the same amount as the Civil Guard since the responsibilities will be nearly identical. I also believe they will require a centralized facility from which to organize and hold perpetrators who have broken laws as needed. I will now turn over the stage to Princess Twilight so that we can hear her own thoughts on the matter." I walked back to my chair as Twilight took the podium, "I agree with everything Artex has said . . . " A Human woman stood up but said nothing. Twilight looked slightly perturbed, "It is not yet time to hear from you." The woman stayed standing so Twilight motioned with her left fore hoof for the woman to speak, "Who is Artex?" Twilight blinked in surprise, "Oh, you know him as Daniel, his nickname is Crash Course which translates into Artex Rias in Velensovth." The woman sat back down without another word, Twilight continued, "I apologize for the confusion." she cleared her throat and continued, "I completely agree with everything Artex said and I would like to add a few ideas of my own. The C.W.G. does need to consist of both Ponies and Humans, however I believe that while many might be inclined to think that the Pony would be the 'lead' as it were, I believe both should be equal in all regards and would like that to be specified in the law. Furthermore, I would like to remind all here that the C.W.G. are going to act as first respondents only to save lives and not property, as property can be replaced. I would like that also specified in the law. I will now turn the podium over to Princess Celestia." Twilight went back to her couch as Celestia took the podium, "I agree with both Artex and Twilight, however I believe there should be a stipulation to the 'lives vs. property' clause. The C.W.G. may take action to ensure that life-saving medical equipment, facilities, and medicines are kept safe as well. I also believe that the C.W.G. should be given emergency allowance for acting as defenders of Equestria. I have nothing else to add so I will now turn the podium over to my my sister Luna." Celestia returned to her bench as Luna stepped up to the podium, "I agree with Artex, Twilight, and my sister, but it must be a foregone conclusion that the C.W.G. will require specialized equipment to ensure they are capable of responding to various situations. To that end, I believe the Royal Treasury should fund the development of their equipment. I have nothing further to add, so with that in mind, I will turn the podium back over to Artex." Luna headed back to her couch and I stepped up to the podium again, "At this time, we will hear from any of you who have any concerns, questions, or comments regarding the C.W.G. If you have a question, comment, or concern please stand up and wait to be called upon." At least thirty Humans and Ponies stood up, "Yes, the Pegasus mare on the fourth row. Please state your name and your perspective." "Triple Filter. Who do the C.W.G. answer to as a check to their authority?" she asked. "Excellent question ma'am." I gestured behind me toward the three Alicorns, "Would one of you like to answer her question?" Twilight rose to her hooves and I stepped aside to give her access to the podium, "The C.W.G. will be required to adhere to all laws that govern Equestria that the Civil Guard do, with allowances for extenuating circumstances. If a grievance is brought against any member of the C.W.G. they will undergo the same process the Civil Guards does in an identical situation. They will answer to Commander Stiff Breeze in the same fashion as the Civil Guard. He will not directly oversee them however the New Humansville C.W.G. Captain will be responsible for that. Does that answer your question Triple Filter?" The Pegasus mare bowed and sat back down, "Thank you Princess." I retook my position at the podium and selected a Human man next, "Yes sir, in the eighteenth row on the right." "Jim Flint. So the C.W.G. will be made of pairs of partners, but the Commander is a Pony? That hardly seems fair. Why not have the Commanders share equal authority or just have the Pony as Commander of the Ponies and the Human Commander stay here as Commander of the Humans? Or better yet, just have a single Commander of the entire C.W.G. based here as its own separate entity?" I decided to field the question, "While yes, the C.W.G. will be unique to New Humansville, such a division might be seen as a sort of favoritism of Humans over Ponies. Also, having two Commanders when only one is actually needed is redundant and would create unnecessary strain on taxpayers. Is that an acceptable answer sir?" He didn't look very happy, he crossed his arms but sat back down, so I moved on, "Yes sir, the Earth Pony in the . . . twenty ninth row, speak loudly please." "Spearmint, the C.W.G. is supposed to be first respondents, right? Well what kind of specific situations will they be allowed to respond to?" he asked. "Excellent question sir, we will be addressing that here shortly, please retain your question until that time." I said easily. I pointed to someone I had been intentionally neglecting, "Yes sir, in the first row." "Mike Joyner, I'm not certain if this is a given, but does the Civil Guard have an command structure? And if so, what is it modeled after?" he asked. "It is based off a military system of ranks that most resembles the ARMY. Does that satisfy your question?" I asked. He sat back down and I selected a Unicorn mare, "Yes ma'am, on the twelfth row." "Cherry Blossom, will mares be allowed to join the Civil Guard or the C.W.G.?" she asked. "We will be deciding on that later on. Please remember your question for later." I decided to make a small statement, "Does anybody have a question pertaining to the command structure or organization of the C.W.G.?" Everybody sat down, so I continued on, "Vote by standing please. All in favor of the creation of the Community Welfare Guardians." Nearly everybody stood up, it was well more than two-thirds, "Motion passed. Let the commission be enscribed into law under the title of Community Welfare Guardians." I paused briefly while the three scribes wrote down the new entry, "Next, code of conduct of the C.W.G. First, I will present possibilities and everybody will have a chance to voice concerns then we will vote each one. Once I have finished with my ideas, I will turn the podium over to Princess Twilight, then Princess Celestia, then Princess Luna, then all of you. Item one, the use of force employed by the C.W.G. shall be equal to or less than the level of force used by a given perpetrator. Are there any questions, comments, or concerns?" I asked. Not a single soul stood so I continued, "All in favor of the limitation, please rise." More than two-thirds of the crowd stood, "Motion passed. Item two, any member of the C.W.G. will be physically, emotionally, and mentally sound when executing the duties of their station and if found to be unsound in judgement, they will be relieved of duty immediately. Judgement is to be determined by the Captain of the town's Community Welfare Guardians. In short, they will not be sleep-deprived, drunk, or upset while on duty and if they are, they will be replaced by another member who is capable of performing the duties. The Captain will make the determination. Are there any questions, comments, or concerns?" Darryl stood up, "Yes sir, in the first row." "Darryl Hord, is this to be practiced in the field or before the C.W.G. set out for their shift? Furthermore, what if a civilian has such a concern about a member? Who do they go to?" he asked. "Any civilian has the right to approach any member of the C.W.G. and ask that Guardian member to observe the other Guardian member in question. If both parties agree that a Guardian member is in question, the concern is to be reported to the on-duty commanding officer for examination. The on-duty commanding officer will make inquiry regarding the Guardian member in question at their earliest possible convenience and take appropriate steps using their best discretion. Does that satisfy your concern?" Darryl sat back down so I continued, "Are there any other questions, comments, or concerns?" nobody stood, so I called the vote, "All in favor of this, please stand." More than two-thirds stood, "Motion passed. Item three, at all times while on-duty, every member of the C.W.G. shall conduct themselves in a courteous and professional manner. Are there any questions, comments, or concerns?" nobody stood, "All in favor, please stand." More than two-thirds stood, "Motion passed. Item four, while off-duty a member of the C.W.G. is allowed, in case of emergency, to take action as if they were on duty until such a time as on-duty members of the C.W.G. arrive and take over the situation. Are there any questions, comments, or concerns?" nobody stood, "All in favor, please stand." More than two-thirds stood, "Motion passed. Item five, when affecting an arrest, the arresting C.W.G. is required to inform the suspect of the reason for their arrest. Are there any questions, comments, or concerns?" I asked. Nobody stood so I continued, "Very well, all in favor please stand." more than two-thirds stood, "Motion passed." I turned to Twilight, "Do you have anything to add Princess?" Twilight shook her head so I moved on to Celestia, "Do you have anything to add Princess?" Celestia shook her head so I moved on to Luna, "Do you have anything to add Princess?" Luna shook her head so I moved on to the crowd, "Do any of you have anything to add?" An Earth Pony stallion stood up, I gestured to him, "Yes sir, on the ninth row on the left." "Spring Stream, will the C.W.G. be capable of using lethal force?" he asked. His question shocked me, but I maintained a straight face, "Yes sir, they will have that capability, but only in the most extreme of circumstances and when there are absolutely no other options. Does that satisfy your question?" He nodded and inclined his head, "Yes, thank you." he laid back down. Nobody else stood, so I continued on, "Next we have requirements. All members and perspective members of the C.W.G. will be required to meet certain requirements in order to obtain or maintain their positions. Men, women, stallions, and mares are welcome to apply to join the ranks of the C.W.G. These following requirement suggestions are all open for debate. Number one: all members and perspective members must be found to have a secure and unwavering moral compass that is to be determined by the commanding officers of the New Humansville C.W.G. Each member and perspective member will undergo mandatory semiannual reevaluation of all regards to ensure the quality of the C.W.G. is maintained. All members and perspective members of the C.W.G. will be required to undergo a semiannual training regimen that will ensure their capability of continuing their service." I turned to Twilight, "Do you have anything you would like to say?" Twilight shook her head, I turned to Celestia, "Do you have anything you would like to say?" Celestia silently shook her head, so I turned to Luna, "Do you have anything you would like to say?" Luna shook her head. I had been expecting this, 'They're keeping quiet at first so they don't expend all their energies on simple matters. They're staying quiet until we open to topics that are close to their hearts. That's when we'll see them act.' I turned to the crowd, "Do any of you have anything you wish to add?" * * * The discussion about the Community Welfare Guardians was more or less a walk in the park. I stuck to my notes and continued onward. The final subject about the C.W.G. was not a surprising one. "Finally, we come to the election of the Captain of the C.W.G. and the individual chosen as Captain will select which Lieutenants and Sergeants will operate under them. Scribes," I addressed, turning toward them, "Notate each individual who is nominated." I turned back to the crowd, "We will hear from you first," I said spreading my arms wide toward the crowd, "Who among you is willing to take up this mantle? Stand and make yourself known. I will call upon you to explain your reasoning and that will be your mission statement." The very first person to rise was Mike Joyner, "I'll take this on." he said stoutly, "I've never been a leader of all these people, and I've never claimed that title. I took it on out of necessity, but my skills are best put to use with a smaller group. If elected, I will have the C.W.G. become a beacon of hope, a guiding light to all citizens of New Humansville that they may sleep peacefully at night because we are on guard. The Battle For New Humansville was a horrible thing, but it has cemented our resolve to serve and protect all we are able to the best of our abilities and I would consider it an honor to have the Ponies of the Civil Guard to stand alongside us in our ongoing and continuous efforts to ensure the safety of everybody who calls New Humansville home." To my surprise, he had no opposition whatsoever, "All in favor of electing Michael Joyner to be the Captain of the New Humansville Community Welfare Guardians, stand now and be recognized." Imagine my shock when every, single, solitary person stood in unison. Every Human and every Pony stood to their feet or hooves, a silent testament to their agreement. Hearing movement behind me, I turned and beheld Twilight, Celestia, and Luna all standing as well. I turned back around and inclined my head, "Very well. Scribes, let the records show that Michael Joyner has been unanimously elected as Captain of the New Humansville Community Welfare Guardians." I looked back at the crowd, "You may be seated. Captain Joyner, remain standing please." everybody sat back down, leaving the new Captain alone, "Please state the names of your Lieutenants and Sergeants, as well as those who will be assisting you in the training of the New Humansville C.W.G." Captain Joyner didn't even have to think about his choices, "I name Alex Ludwig and Cessily Richardson as my Lieutenants. They can chose Sergeants as they see fit. As for the ones who will help with the training I name Eduardo Ortega as the Master At Arms, Bobby Jewel as the Surgeon General, and Darryl Hord as the Fire Chief. All of these will be only for the purposes of training. They will train every member of the C.W.G. in their areas of expertise then designate a single individual to act as their replacement in case they are rendered unable to perform their duties." I nodded, "You may sit down Captain." he sat back down and I cleared my throat, "Ahem, now we will begin discussions of laws. The first item is weapons and their allowability to the common citizen. The laws decided upon here today will affect all of Equestria, Human and Pony alike. My stance is for the allowance of weapons by all citizens with a limit of one weapon carried per individual at a time. This does not include tools. For any tool to be considered a weapon it must be specially made or altered in such a way as to be intentionally lethal and must be carried visibly on or in a sheath or holster of some kind." I turned to Twilight, "Do you have anything to say?" Twilight nodded and rose from her couch to the podium, "I do not agree whatsoever." she stated bluntly, "The citizens of Equestria have, for time beyond memory, been allowed only to train their own bodies in self defense and I believe it has been, in part, because of that, that we have had so little crime in our cities, towns, and villages." she turned to Celestia, "Do you have anything to say?" Celestia nodded and rose from her couch to the podium as Twilight returned to her own couch, "I agree with Twilight. The instances where a weapon has been utilized to facilitate a crime are negligible and I also believe that is due to the lack of availability of weapons. Also keep in mind that foals will need to be protected from playing with these weapons if they become readily available." she turned to Luna, "Do you have anything to say?" Luna nodded and she and Celestia switched places, "Members of the Royal Guard and Civil Guard bring their weapons home with them and they have taken precautions to keep their weapons safely away from their foals. To this end, I ask you to consider how often you hear a story of any foal injuring themselves with weapons?" she paused for dramatic effect, "The answer is 'never' for it has not happened in the last three hundred and twenty-nine years." she gestured to the crowd, "Your thoughts before we vote?" A dizzying number of people stood up, nearly a third of the crowd, "This is going to take a while." * * * There were all sorts of arguments both for and against the allowance of weapons and, of course, magic was brought into the equation, since many Humans were theorized as being capable of using magic to some degree. The arguments ranged from the safety of children to the use of deadly force for self defense and even to the extent of forming a militia, and the founding of training centers dedicated to the instruction of the use of weapons, but the vote finally came in, after three hours of arguments. The final agreement was that weapons would be allowed but only to a certain degree. Any individual would be allowed to carry any tool that they knew how to use and had used in the capacity of a job. The tool could be altered or crafted in such a way as to make it more lethal provided it was still capable of being used for its original function. Swords, morning-stars, and maces were right out, however modified sickles, machetes, knives, hammers, axes, and even spears (for spear fishing) were acceptable and were carried in a clearly visible holster or strap. In short, my khopesh was likely to become a hot item because of its variety of possible uses. The idea of a militia brought about an unexpected but not unwanted vote. That vote decided that the armaments in New Humansville were far from adequate and that smiths in New Humansville were to consult historians in the manufacture of weapons and armor to add to the stockpile in New Humansville's armory. Furthermore, every adult in New Humansville was to undergo an annual week long training and preparedness course in case of emergencies. That vote brought up the topic of firearms, which necessitated another unexpected vote. The Ponies had to understand what firearms were, of course, before they could vote. The explanation did not take as long as I had feared and to my utter astonishment, the Ponies actually voted in FAVOR of adding guns to the list of armaments in the armories of every city, town, and village. The firearms would need to be created from scratch and be usable by both Humans and Ponies alike. Morris was elected as the Arch Magister of Firearms because of his intimate knowledge of their inner workings and a young Marine Scout Sniper by the name of Enrique Edwards was given the newly appointed title of Royal Master Marksman and assigned to instruct every Royal Guard and Militia Trainer in the use of firearms. With the previous votes taken care of the next topic was sure to be a tricky one, "We are ready to move on to the next law." I paused and took a breath to steady myself, "This law is not open for debate though. This part is to be informative. The Princesses have decreed that the practice of abortion will never be legally practiced in Equestria." I waited for the eruption of yelling and screaming. It never came. I turned to Celestia and motioned her to come to the podium, she rose as I stepped back, "The practice of abortion is illegal because it is an absolutely abhorrent practice. Any Unicorn doctor can tell you that the living magic inside of an embryo is active and as much of an indicator of life as a heartbeat. Furthermore, for any child to be conceived, both partners must not only engage in sexual intercourse, but they both must also want the conception to occur. Without the intention of conceiving, the sperm of the male and the egg of the female are inactive and effectively dead. It is the magic of the intention that gives the gametes life at all. It is because of this that abortion shall never be practiced in Equestria and doing so is to be considered attempted murder of the pregnant mother and murder of the unborn. Are there any questions?" she asked. Not a single soul stirred and in fact most folks looked downright happy. Celestia bowed away from the podium and I took my position back up with a sigh of relief. "Alrighty then, onto the next topic, religious practices. I believe that anybody may chose to worship or not worship as they please however, nobody has the right to condemn, injure, or otherwise cause any distress with either words or actions, any other individual's beliefs, race, species, background, sexual orientation, place of origin, skin color, fur color, eye color, hair color, height, weight, gender, or whether or not they are circumcised. Also, any person may sit in or participate in any religious gathering so long as they are not intentionally disruptive. In other words, worship however you feel but do not, I repeat, do not give anybody else any sort of grief of any kind no matter what your belief states. If you want to believe in Christianity, go for it but leave the gays alone. If you want to worship Satan, then do so, but there will be no burning sacrifices. If you wish to practice Islam, then by all means be my guest, but you're not going to be declaring a Jihad against anybody. If you want to practice Wicca, have-at, but don't dance naked under the full moon unless it is in a place where no one is going to be offended. I realize that I'm not correct on several of these, but you get the idea. Just so you know, if I offended anyone, it was accidental." I turned to Twilight, "Do you have anything to say?" Twilight shook her head, "No, I agree completely." I turned to Celestia, "Do you have anything to say?" Celestia smiled and nodded, "I do actually." I stepped back from the podium as she took my place, "I would like to add an addendum. I am familiar with the practice of circumcision. I feel that, objectively, it should be the choice of the individual and only the individual to whom it is done. I believe it should be an option, should the individual chose to undergo such an ordeal. This is not limited to males either, if a female wishes to have it done, then that is her choice also." Celestia stepped down from the podium and I took up my position once more, turning to Luna, "Do you have anything to say?" Luna shook her head, "No, my sister already said what I was thinking." I nodded, then turned to the crowd, "Do any of you have any thoughts on this topic?" An Earth Pony mare stood up first, I pointed to her, "Yes ma'am, on the twenty-first row." "Wild Flower, what is circumcision?" she asked. "Parents, cover your foals' ears. I'll give you ten seconds." I waited ten seconds before I continued, "The practice of circumcision for males is the cutting off of the skin around the head of the penis. This skin is called the foreskin. For females it is he practice of cutting out the . . . " I turned to Celestia for this one, "What's the word for clitoris in Velensovth?" I never expected to see Celestia blush, but her cheeks lit up like a Christmas Tree, "Arlduin." she said. I turned back to the mare, "It is to cut out the clitoris. Does that answer your question?" The mare looked ready to throw up, "Why would anypony want to do that?" "It is a religious practice. Not everything about religion makes sense. I could explain the belief behind each practice if you like." I offered. "No thank you." the mare said laying back down. A young dark skinned man stood up, I guessed him to be Arabic, "Yes sir, on the seventh row." "Yuesif Havbinsein, how can you place restrictions on beliefs? If we believe one part of something, we believe all of it." he said. I nodded, "I understand sir, however I ask that you keep in mind that not a single religion, belief system, or spirituality has been restricted unequally. All practitioners must abide by the same rules, no matter who or what they worship. All must follow the rules, end of story. Does that satisfy your question?" "Not really, but it will have to do." he said sitting back down. "Now hold on a moment there sir." I said quickly, "I fully intend to do my very best to satisfy your question. Could you please restate it so I can try to understand it better?" He stood back up and rubbed his hands together, "What I mean is about holidays. What about Ramadan?" "By all means practice it sir. I only ask that you inform your foreman or boss and let them know what's going on. I see no logical reason to restrict your practice of Ramadan any more than I would restrict someone else's practice of the Sabbath or Christmas or Samhain. Your beliefs are yours and they are a part of what helps define you as a person. This law is to allow you as much freedom to practice your beliefs as you wish. Does that satisfy your question sir?" I asked. This time, the young man looked much happier, "Yes, thank you." "Now for the vote. All in favor of this law, please stand." more than two-thirds of the crowd stood, "Scribes notate that the law has been passed." I said evenly. "Alright, on to the next law. The allowance for interspecies romantic relationships . . . "I was interrupted by loud laughter. I waited until the laughter died down before continuing, "As I was saying," I said much more seriously, "Romantic relationships between Humans and other sentient species are inevitable and I wished to address the topic as quickly as possible." I looked up to see hundreds of disbelieving expressions being directed at me, "To than end," I continued, "I believe that any two beings of consenting age and sound mind should be allowed to form a romantic relationship and marry, should they desire. Such individuals should be free to express their love in every way that more traditional couples would provided they do so in a way that would be socially acceptable were they in a romantic relationship with a member of their original species." I turned to Twilight, "Do you have anytbing to say?" I asked. Twilight shook her head, "No, I agree." I turned to Celestia next, "Do you have anything to say?" Celestia shook her head, "Not at all. That was very well put." I turned to Luna next, "Do you have anything to say?" Luna shook her head, "Nothing. I agree with you." I turned back to the stunned crowd with trepidation, "Do any of you have anything to say?" I asked. At least a hundred people stood up, I pointed to one young woman, "Yes ma'am, on the eleventh row." "Sandy Davidson, . . . what the fuck!?" she shouted, "I mean seriously? You're talking about fucking an animal . . . " she fell silent as Princess Luna rose to her hooves, I saw her out of the corner of my eye, but I gestured for the woman to continue, "I'm not alright with bestiality! This is ridiculous!" I nodded, "Yes ma'am, I feel the same way, however I would caution you away from referring to Ponies, Kavim by their proper name, as beasts." I turned and addressed Luna, "I will ask Princess Luna to take a seat please." she turned her head straight at me, but I continued, "Your sudden rise might be interpreted as an attempt to intimidate or cower somebody." Luna laid back down on her couch looking distinctly self-conscious, I turned back the the young woman, "I understand your reservations, however let us take a moment to list what traits make a beast or animal." I held out my right hand and tipped off my fingers as I spoke, "An animal is not self-aware, Kavim are self -aware. Animals do not speak a language, Kavim do. Animals do not use reason and logic as Humans do, the Kavim use both regularly. Animals do not have society, build buildings using mathematics, or architectural design, animals do not use science or the scientific method to test findings and they do mot make microphones that allow hundreds of others to hear a single voice from so far away without shouting. Kavim are NOT animals. We call them Ponies only because of their basic resemblance to an animal we are familiar with. They are not animals and I would strongly suspect that were we to treat them as such, it would end in a very Human-like revolt. The Kavim are people. They are not Humans but they are people just as much as you or I. As people, they deserve the same respect and consideration as Humans. By that line of logic, why then should we restrict who decides to love whom? We are all very similar and last time I checked, love knew no bounds. Does my answer satisfy your question?" The young woman crossed her arms petulantly, "Oh I never really asked a question, so 'no' you didn't. I'm not going to vote in favor of this," she turned to the rest of the crowd, "I don't hate Ponies or anything but this isn't natural and I sure as hell won't tolerate it." I nodded, "Indeed, would you then be disrespectful to those who wish for such a relationship?" "Yeah I would!" she shouted, "It's ridiculous and I'm not only going to vote against it, but I'm also going to make sure they don't live in New Humansville. Whatever I have to do. Bestiality is a sin and I won't condone it!" "Sin?" I asked, "So you are a Christian then?" She frowned at me, "I'm Catholic." I pursed my lips, "Uh-huh. Tell me then, what was 'The Great Commission'?" She gained a smug expression and began to quote directly, "Go out into all the world and preach the gospel to every . . . " she trailed off and her expression became furious. "Go on." I urged. "Go out into all the world and preach the gospel to every . . . creature." she finished. I smiled, "Creature, not Human." I pointed out, "Tell me what did Jesus say was the greatest commandment?" Her face was a thunderhead, "Love one another." "And does THAT verse specify Humans?" I asked. "No." she hissed between clenched teeth, "But the Bible does say in Leviticus that mankind shall not lie with a beast as he does with a woman. And Genesis says that every creature mated according to its own kind." I nodded, "Correct on both accounts. Now do you also know why Jesus came to Earth?" She rolled her eyes, "YES! To die for our sins so we could get to Heaven." "Mostly correct. He also came because the Old Testament was exactly that, old. He brought the New Testament and new ideas. According to the same book you quoted earlier, Leviticus, any woman caught in an act of infidelity was to be stoned to death, yet Jesus himself stopped such an event in person. He addressed the Pharisees and said, 'Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone.' You have missed one of the points he came for, he came to give us a new way to live. The only thing he really kept from the Old Testament was the Ten Commandments. When he died, the veil that separated the main chamber of the Temple from the Holy of Holies was ripped in two. That was symbolic of the extent of the changes he brought about." I paused to let that sink in, "I'm not saying this to embarrass you, by any means. Were it an actual case of a Human wanting to screw a mindless squirrel or some such, I would be upset as well. We have to remember that our definition of animal doesn't apply to Kavim. They are literally aliens that we live among. I'd like to quote a Bible verse for myself, 'For God did not come into the world to condemn the world, but that through him the world might be saved.' Does that satisfy you ma'am?" Her jaw hung open for a few moments before she came to her senses, "That's . . . How . . . What . . . Where . . . " she plopped down in her seat looking utterly confused. I noted that none of the people who were previously standing were still doing so, "Very well. All in favor of this law please stand up." I couldn't tell if two-thirds stood or not, "I need a count." I said to Twilight, Celestia, and Luna, "I need to know how many are here and how many are standing." The three Alicorns took to the sky and began circling the crowd, I decided to make an announcement, "After the Princesses finish their count we will take a recess and enjoy the dinner that has graciously been provided for us, courtesy of the Princesses." A few minutes later all three Alicorns landed on the stage, Twilight spoke first, "I counted one thousand, two hundred and seventy-one. Out of those, nine hundred and fifty-three are standing." Celestia nodded, "I came to the same conclusion. I confirm the accuracy of this count." Luna spoke last, "I confirm the accuracy of this count." I turned back to the crowd, "Let the record show that more than two-thirds voted in favor of the law." I clapped my hands together, "We will now take a recess for two hours to eat and move around. Get the old circulation going again. A bright red flare will announce the continuance of the meeting once the two hours are over. Please feel free to mingle and talk to your neighbors." I collected my notes and walked back to my seat. I reached down and placed my notes inside my shoulder bag and slipped it on. The meeting had gone MUCH more smoothly than I had anticipated but there were still topics to be discussed. I figured that most of the rest would go by fairly quickly so I felt good about where we stopped. Turning around I nearly stumbled over Razor Wit, "Oh sorry Razor, I didn't see you there. Um, weren't you going to go get some dinner?" Razor tossed her head smiling, "Of course I was, silly. I just wanted to talk to you on the way." she turned and trotted away from me, "Come on." I followed her and caught up fairly quickly, "So . . . what was it you wanted to talk about?" I asked walking on her left. She kept her eyes forward as we weaved our way through the seats, "There are only a couple of things left, if I remember correctly. How quickly do you think they will be decided?" I scratched my chin in thought, "Well, it's really up in the air . . . " Razor stopped and looked up, "What? Where?" I facepalmed and opened my mouth to reply when I saw the tan Unicorn mare smiling at me, "Clever." I smirked, "I'm not sure. They might be quick or they might not be. The one I'm expecting to take a while is the open floor session at the end. Humans are frequently overflowing with ideas." Razor smiled mischievously, "If that's true, then what's your excuse?" "Ha, ha." I said playfully, "I was surprised by the ease of this meeting. It's going very smoothly, I'd almost say too smoothly, but I don't want to jinx it." "Jinx?" Razor asked as we neared New Humansville. "To call down misfortune by way of arrogance." I said blandly. "Ah o.k." Razor sniffed the air, "Mmm, smells wonderful!" she said appreciatively. I sniffed the air, "Yeah it does. I wonder what it is?" We made our way to the Town Square. Humans and Ponies were everywhere. The same long serving tables from before had been cleaned off and reset with different foods with one significant exemption, Kavim style salad was still widely available. We followed our noses to the table that seemed to be the source of the divine scent. The table had a long row of heated platters across it with plates at one end. Ponies and Humans were lined up for a lengthy stretch behind it. Razor and I got in line, chatting as we waited. "So how much longer do you think you'll be in Ponyville?" she asked. I shrugged, "I'm not sure. The only thing keeping me there is learning about Kavim culture and the prospect of learning magic from Twilight. Ideally, I'd like to live here with my own people." an errant thought occurred to me, one I had been meaning to tell Razor about, "I've finally come to a decision about the Emissary position Celestia offered me." Razor's eyes lit up and she turned to face me excitedly, "Really!? What did you decide?" I hated to disappoint her but she deserved the truth, "I'm going to let the people of New Humansville decide. At the end of the meeting I'm going to take a vote on it. Let the citizens decide who they want as their emissary." Razor's entire countenance wilted, ears, head, eyes, everything, "Oh." she said quietly. I sighed but continued, "I know it's a cowardly way to decide, but Celestia left it up to me and this is what I chose. I will nominate myself and if anyone else thinks they can do the job better, then they have the opportunity." We reached the front of the line and picked up a white ceramic plate each, I used my hands and Razor used her mouth, "I wonder what this stuff is?" I asked, changing the subject. The Unicorn server looked up, smiling brightly, "Turnip, potato, and beet pie covered with cheese and with the option of sour cream on the side. Would you like a portion or would prefer me to heap your plate with it?" she asked. "Heap it on, pretty lady!" I said eagerly, it sounded good, "Pile on the cheese and sour cream too! I needs me some carbs!" Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Razor's face, she looked distinctly unhappy, "What's wrong?" I asked her as the serving mare piled the food onto my plate. Razor said nothing but then again she was holding a cracked plate in her mouth, 'Wait a second,' I thought as a realization struck me, 'That plate wasn't cracked a minute ago.' I took a closer look and sure enough, the plate had a spiderweb of cracks branching out from her mouth. I set my plate down on the table, "Razor," I said seriously, "Your plate is cracked. Why don't you put it down and grab another one before you cut yourself." Razor seemed to come out of a daze and her eyes focused on the plate in her mouth. Her eyes narrowed then took on a sad expression. She set the plate down on the table and levitated another one over to her. She looked sad. I picked up my plate and waited for Razor to join me so I could get some silverware. She had the serving mare pile her plate too then disengaged herself from the line and joined me. Neither of us spoke a single word while I retrieved a set of silverware from a designated table. We then ventured to an empty foundation and sat down together, in a secluded spot, away from everyone. I sat on Razor's right. I set my plate down to my right and turned to my tan companion, crossing my arms, "Alright what's wrong? You looked awfully upset a minute ago." She lowered her plate onto the foundation to her left then turned to face me, "You have to watch what you eat." she said quietly, "I don't know much about medicine but I do know that cheese and sour cream both have a lot of fat in them and that much fat can be a health hazard." she looked genuinely upset, "I spoke with some of your friends earlier. They told me that you used to be really fat." I tried not to be offended by her statement, "They were worried about your health back then and I'm worried you'll gain all your weight back. It's not healthy Artex!" hell she looked to almost be in tears, "I don't have friends that I get to see very often. I don't have many friends at all! I count you as one of my friends Artex and I don't want to see anything happen to you!" I was stunned, "You're really THAT concerned about me?" I asked. Razor nodded, "Of course I am. You're a good friend and I don't want you putting yourself in jeopardy just from your diet. Fats are necessary but too much of a good thing is bad. There's a saying I heard once, 'The only difference between medicine and poison is dosage'." I sat there, contemplating what she said while she looked up at me. I gave the matter no small amount of consideration and in the end I knew what to do. I picked up my plate and scooped the better portion of the cheese and sour cream off to the side. Razor looked positively elated and it showed in her glowing smile, "Thank you Artex!"