//------------------------------// // Chapter 24 // Story: Cry for Eternity // by asylum1388 //------------------------------// Seven years since the coronation of Princess Twilight Sparkle. “This is incredible,” Twilight muttered, inspecting a wall of granite bricks. “No mortar or cement, yet it’s completely airtight. The Lupines are smarter than any history books give them credit for.” “We’re further away from Equestria than any pony has been in hundreds of years, and you’re impressed by masonry?” a nearby Earth Pony stallion asked incredulously. “It’s a coping mechanism, Copper Trot,“ Luna muttered, gently polishing her tiara with a silk cloth. “When she’s nervous, she starts inspecting things.” “O-oh... That makes sense, I’m nervous too,” Copper Trot sighed. “I can’t believe Silverhoof came down with ponypox now of all times.” “And I can’t believe how lucky we were that your sister invited you to come on this trip, even if it was just so you could get a better grasp of international economics,” Twilight snickered. “We can’t thank you enough for agreeing to fill in for her, especially at the last minute. Re-establishing contact with the other races is difficult enough on its own, let alone without my Minister of Foreign Affairs.” A snort drew their eyes to Luna and she glanced up at them after noticing the awkward silence. “Apologies. I am grateful that you are here, Copper, but I cannot help but continue to think about the fact that we would not be in this mess if Celestia hadn’t decided to cut off relations with every nation but our immediate neighbors. I argued it with her for centuries but she would not budge! ‘There are better ways to protect our ponies from carnivores,’ I told her,” Luna grumbled. “I told her it was a stupid plan when she first came up with it, and I told her it was a stupid plan after I returned from banishment. I loved my sister, but she was a very stubborn mare. I mean, it took me well over a year after my return to convince her to establish relations with the Arabians, and they’re practically ponies!” “Well, it makes sense in theory,” Twilight replied with a hint of defensiveness. “By only keeping contact and trading with with nations we shared a border with, other species would have no reason to visit us except for leisure, and sea travel was too dangerous for that to be viable until rather recently.” “Yes, but there were better ways,” Luna retorted insistently. “By isolating ourselves, we lost much and gained so little. Besides, borders change. I explained to her that we might end up sharing a border with carnivores one day; lo and behold we now share one with the gryphons. I imagine the irony wasn’t lost on her when that happened.” “Speaking of the gryphons, Emperor Blackbeak is here,” Shining Armor growled as he trotted up to them. Twilight, Luna, and Copper Trot all grimaced. “We were bound to meet him eventually,” Luna grumbled. She stood up stretched out and stomped a hoof on the ground. “Alright, everypony, I’d like to go over everything one last time.” Copper Trot, Twilight, and Shining armor sat down in a circle and waited as Luna stepped up to them with the air of a General addressing her troops. “We are attending a gala to celebrate the coronation of the new High Chief of the lupine packs. While I would certainly have preferred to first establish relations with a... less aggressive species, we were too slow with our actions and fate deigned to act in our stead. We were invited to attend this event, and it wouldn’t do to insult the lupines by refusing.” She paused, pursing her lips. “While we may not be in an explicitly ideal situation, this still gives us the opportunity to speak with diplomats of races we have long ignored.” She gave Twilight an inquiring glance and the younger princess nodded. “We can’t afford to squander this. We have a chance to make friends here, if we’re careful.” “Exactly,” Luna smiled. “Now, I know we went over everything on the boat, but I’d like to discuss it one last time so that we can ensure that Copper Trot is prepared.” She sat down in front of the group and took a deep breath. “On that note, Copper, what is the most important thing to remember?” “In Lupine culture, it is extremely disrespectful to approach somepo- errr... someone of a higher station than yourself, and a request to speak with one’s superior is relayed via eye-contact,” Copper Trot rattled off. “We’re likely to get a lot of stares, but we should be able to tell if they’re just curious, or if they actually want to speak to us. If we catch them staring and they look away, then they were just curious; but if they keep looking or if you notice them seeming to follow you, then they want to talk.” Luna nodded and looked to Twilight. “And how should we act when speaking to them?” “We need to act almost arrogant,” Twilight muttered distastefully. “Speaking down to a lupine of lower station isn’t a sign of disrespect like it is in Equestria, but a sign of dominance, and we would be best served by displaying dominance.” Luna nodded. “It may be a bit counterintuitive, but it is necessary nonetheless. And finally, Shining Armor?” “Immediately and aggressively respond to any disrespect they show us. Lupines have a tendency to push their boundaries to see how far we’ll let them go. It’s nothing personal, it’s just their culture,” Shining muttered stoically. “Normally lupines would settle such things with a show of violence, but since none of them will be stupid enough to try something like that here with the High Chief’s reputation on the line, berating them should be enough. If not, that’s what magic’s for.” Luna gave another sigh and another nod. “Indeed. Now, I think we are ready. Or rather, as ready as we can be.” Copper Trot stood up and trotted past her, sticking his head through a nearby curtain and calling out “We’re ready!” and quickly withdrew as a lupine burst through, an annoyed grimace on his wolven features. “It has taken you long enough,” he snarled, brushing past Copper Trot gruffly and stomping up to Twilight and Luna. “You and your guests will wait at the top of the stairs until the herald announces you. At that point, you will make your entrance, descend the stairs and join the rest of the crowd. Have I made myself clear?” Twilight and Luna only responded with vexed, hostile glares and their host took an unnerved step back. “I shall take that as a yes...” He glanced away nervously for a moment. “Yes, well, I am unfamiliar with the customs you ponies have, but in our country, the elder always enters first.” The two princesses rolled their eyes in unison and nodded. “That will be fine,” Luna grunted. “We are in your nation, so we will follow your ways.” Without another word, the lupine left and the four ponies followed him out, trotting down the hallway after him and stopping at the top of the stairs. Luna took a deep breath and nodded to her companions with a smile. Copper Trot smiled at her and stepped to her side, with Twilight and Shining Armor lining up behind them as the deep rumble of a horn echoed from the other side of a heavy violet curtain and a sharp howl announced the arrival of new attendees. “Presenting: Her Royal Highness, Luna, Princess of the Moon and Stars, Princess of Equestria, Countess of Everfree; as well as her esteemed guest, Sir Copper Trot, Secondary Heir to House Bullion.” Luna looked back and gave Twilight an encouraging smile before descending the stairs and disappearing around the corner. Shining Armor glanced at Twilight and she gave him a timid smile. “R-ready B.B.B.F.F?” “I’m not so big, anymore, Twiley,” he chuckled, pulling her head down to give her a kiss on her forehead. “Well, here goes nothing!” “Presenting: Her Royal Highness, Twilight Sparkle, Princess of the Sun, Princess of Equestria, Duchess of Central Equestria, Countess of Canterlot; as well as her esteemed guest, Major Shining Armor, Prince-Consort of House Cadenza, Major of the Army of Equestria, High Legionare of the Crystal Guard.” Twilight held her breath as she stepped onto the stairs and began her descent, glancing over the hundreds-strong crowd assembled. Most of the guests seemed to be lupines, but a significant number were made up of creatures of all shapes and sizes. “Ummm, Shining?” “Yes, Twilight?” he muttered softly through gritted teeth. “I-I don’t recognize some of these species, and I’ve read every book I could find on the subject before we left Canterlot,” she breathed nervously. “We need to just take it all in stride and do whatever Luna tells us to,” Shining said confidently, though Twilight could hear the anxiety behind his words. They continued to the bottom of the staircase, rejoining Luna and Copper Trot. “I have not heard my proper title used in quite some time; I had forgotten how formal the lupine are,” Luna mused. “Hmmm... Pecorae, ursine, leporids; many of the old races are here. Is that an anurid? I thought they were extinct!” “I hate to interrupt your trip down memory lane, Luna, but shouldn’t we start mingling?” Twilight asked. “Oop! Sorry,” Luna grimaced. She glanced around quickly with only her eyes, taking in her surroundings with minimal motion. “As I’ve said before, in events like these, the guests are segregated by station, with the higher-ranking ones standing further from the stairs. This way the higher nobility — if they so choose — are able to avoid the lower after their initial entrance. Logic would dictate that we should now find an appropriate place to loiter.” “Okay... So where do we stand?” Copper Trot asked, frowning at one of the nearby groups of lupines. “On the far side of the room, of course!” Luna chirped with a slow, pointed nod. “Twilight and I are not only royalty, but also the wardens of the Sun and Moon; I think we have earned the right to stand in the position of highest honor, and I dare any creature to say otherwise.” She glanced towards the others and grinned. “Of course, we can socialize while we make our way over as well.” As they slowly walked away away from the stairs, Twilight made sure to scan the crowd. Sure enough, nearly every pair of eyes she saw was watching her, but most of them quickly snapped away. While she was admittedly relieved, she was also slightly disappointed, so she continued to make her way through the parting crowd, wandering slightly away from Luna with Shining at her side. She had made it a full quarter of the way through the room when it happened; full, unblinking eye-contact. She nudged Shining, and gestured towards the interested lupine with her head, giving her brother a nauseous smile. He glanced over and nodded to her, “Let’s go.” They walked over slowly and many of the nearby lupine backed away, leaving her target standing alone. She approached slowly, reciting her greeting in her head. “Greetings lupine,” she stated with practiced poise. “I’m Princess Twilight Sparkle, and I’m assuming that you wanted to talk to me. That’s what eye-contact means, correct? What’s your name?” “I am Lady Sureer, Your Highness. A-and yes, that is indeed what eye-contact means,” the lupine muttered. “But I was not asking to converse. I am acting the part of a waitress tonight, and I was wondering if you would like anything.” Twilight began to respond when a thought hit her, and was out of her mouth before she could stop it. “What’s a noble doing as a waiter?” She resisted the urge to slap a hoof over her mouth, but Sureer seemed to take it all in stride. “Normally the peasants would take care of it, but any lupine not of noble blood is forbidden from attending such an important event. Thus it falls to those of us who are unlanded to take up the task.” “Oh, I see. Well, I’m okay for the moment,” she muttered mentally filing away the new information for later. She turned to look at Shining and he shook his head. “We don’t want anything right now. Thank you for your consideration, Lady Sureer.” As she turned to leave, Luna trotted up to her, seeming to be quite annoyed. “Don’t look now, but Ambassador Izel is here.” “Aww, really?” Twilight whined, following Luna’s gaze. “Well, maybe we can slip away before he... nevermind he saw us looking. We better go say hi.” They each beckoned for their partners to follow and slowly, begrudgingly, sauntered over to him. “Izel... Just the primate I was hoping not to see today,” Luna grumbled, giving him a blatantly begrudged smile. “Ponies... I thought the air seemed a little rancid,” Izel muttered, sipping from the glass of crimson wine he held at the end of his tail. “What you smell is that awful cologne you drown yourself in,” Twilight sneered. “You ponies just don’t appreciate true luxury,” he retorted turning slowly to Twilight, staring down his nose at her with a leer. He then sighed and shook his head regretfully. “Vice-President Stoneshatter wishes for me to extend you his apologies, but he could not make it. Something about having to deal with rioting in the Federation’s capital; you know how minotaurs are.” “Oh no! I told him to give the goats more representatives,” Twilight groaned, slapping her forehead with a hoof. “I told him that this exact scenario was going to happen.” “You did; several times I might add. One would think he’d have learned to listen to you by now; you’re by far the smartest one to come to our little meetups,” Izel chuckled with a resigned shrug. “So, have the two of you considered my request to return the Eye of Tlaloc?” “I’m not sure. Has the Assembly considered my request to extradite Ahuizotl?” Twilight replied with a disgustingly smug smirk. “No! You know very well that the Confederacy does not extradite our own citizens,” he snarled back, leaning toward her aggressively. Twilight, however, wasn’t cowed in the least bit and simply smirked at him. “Then you’ll just have to go without your relic for a while longer. Don’t worry, we’re keeping it safe.” “Bah! You and your museums!” “Ambassador, if I may have a moment? My sister, Minister Silverhoof, asked me to discuss something with you if I got the chance,” Copper Trot interjected, as if Izel and Twilight hadn’t just been arguing. “Demand for mangoes in Equestria is up 30 percent from this time last year, and all of our reputable economic models predict the trend to continue to at least another 40 percent by the end of the year. We would like to negotiate a new trade deal to secure an adequate supply.” “70 percent? Yeesh, I don’t think it can be done,” Izel muttered apologetically, scratching the back of his head. “Our plantations are already at maximum capacity, and those environmental engineers you lent us last year told us point-blank that we’d face ecological disaster if we cut down any more forests. So unless you’ve finished adjusting some of that magical grass of yours for mangoes, you’re out of luck.” “We are still working the kinks out of that project and our scientists have given us an estimate of two years before it is ready for deployment. In the meantime we are willing to offer a price more favorable to the Confederacy than our current deal grants. We are running enough of a surplus this year to subsidize such a deal so retail prices will only experience a marginal increase and given the extra revenue it will generate, I doubt anypony will complain about such a minor strain on our extra savings,” Luna replied with a firm, but amiable nod. “Our ponies want their exotic fruits and we are willing to outbid your other trade partners to get them.” “I see,” Izel sighed. “Well, if there’s one thing the Assembly can agree on, it’s that they all like money. I’ll bring them your offer, but it might take a month or two for them to get up off of their rears to organize a delegation.” “We can send one to you if it would be easier,” Copper Trot said warmly. “It would,” Izel grunted. “Now, don’t let me keep you. I’m looking forward to being able to breathe again. Also, avoid the mead; it tastes like lye.” “Then take a bath,” Luna sniggered, trotting away with her companions in tow. “And duly noted.” “That was the single weirdest conversation I’ve ever heard,” Shining Armor muttered. “That was actually pretty standard,” Copper Trot mused. “The Confederacy can’t stand us, and the feeling is mutual. That doesn’t mean we don’t cooperate when we can both benefit from it.” “It’s still wei—” he was cut off as Luna stopped the group by holding a hoof out. She turned around with an apprehensive smile. “Copper Trot, would you be so kind as to explain to Shining Armor the intricacies of our relationship with the Confederacy? And proceed to the far corner? There is someone I would like Twilight to meet.” They nodded and Luna led Twilight through the crowd, lithely slipping around and through various groups of creatures, hardly bothering to contain her excitement. She pulled Twilight up to a large, aging, antlered creature and tapped on its back. “Excuse me, Elder? Your people still use the term, yes?” He turned around slowly, eyes soft, but unblinking as he gazed upon them. “Yes. Elder it is,” he wheezed out in a raspy voice with a stiff bow. “I am most surprised that Your Highnesses would deign to speak to me. Pleasantly surprised, of course.” Luna bowed her head at him and turned to Twilight with an elegant flourish. “Twilight, this magnificent being is an Elder of the Cervi people. In ages past, they were Equestria’s closest friends.” “Indeed, once upon a time. Dozens of generations before I was born, of course, but we have never forgotten our ancient friends. Princess Luna, Princess Twilight, I am Elder File,” he said with a smile and offered Twilight a cloven hoof. She took it and shook gingerly. “Pleased to meet you,” she replied carefully, smiling and trying to avoid examining the hoof she held. “Charming young thing,” he mused to Luna. “I am pleased to see that the late Celestia took great care in choosing her successor.” “She did indeed,” Luna nodded curtly. “But enough about that, how fare the Cervi these days?” “Just fine, thank you. In fact, we just passed a population milestone, 500,000!” he said proudly. “Doesn’t pass muster to Equestria, but we are still quite pleased with ourselves.” “I-if you don’t mind me asking, what happened?” Twilight interjected softly. File and Luna both gave her questioning glances and she continued, “Between us, I mean. I’ve read dozens of books about your people, but all any of them said could be summed up as ‘the Cervi suddenly disappeared’.” File’s face fell and he looked away. “Scrios Mór.” “The Great Sundering,” Luna sighed. “A little under 1,100 years ago, a geological cataclysm rendered their homeland uninhabitable and they were forced to flee. We lost contact with them, and were never able to re-establish it.” “And by the time the land was survivable once again — several centuries later — the minotaurs had moved in, being better able to weather the harshness,” File finished. “But we do not begrudge them that, good land was hard to come about in those days and it was uninhabited. To their credit, they have proven to be ample caretakers of our motherland and allow us unrestricted access.” “And it is the Scrios that I wish to speak to you about, Elder,” Luna stated. She glanced around at the watching crowd and took a deep breath. She then bowed low, nearly touching her horn to the floor. “Elder File, I wish to apologize — on behalf of myself, my sister, and my country — for not helping your people in their time of need. The Cervi were our truest companions, and we allowed a catastrophe to occur without so much as offering to take you in. It is something that we have regretted ever since.” File flinched, taken aback at being bowed to by a being of such a high station. “P-princess Luna, please, my people have never been angry with you. Equestria was in its own crisis at the time and had not the means to handle both.” “Regardless, inaction on our part was inexcusable,” she lamented. She rose again to her full height to address him as peers. “If the Cervi can find it in themselves to forgive us, we would very much like to re-establish relations. Friends are — as Princess Twilight can tell you, and as she has taught me — the single most valuable thing in the world. And we... I would like my old friends back.” Elder File grinned warmly and gently placed a hoof on Luna’s shoulder. “There is nothing to forgive, and we would like nothing more. For over a thousand years, we have dreamed of standing besides ponies once again.” Luna leaned forward and hugged him, much to his surprise. “I will sent emissaries as soon as I get back to Canterlot. I promise.” After being momentarily stunned, File returned her hug briefly. “Thank you, Your Highness. I will relay this news to my people.” He turned to Twilight and again offered her his hoof. “And you, Princess Twilight. The Cervi had heard of your ascension, and have hoped for the chance to work alongside you since. I have not many years left in this world, but I hope you might accomplish great things with my sons and daughters.” “I’ll do my best,” Twilight replied, shaking his hoof again. With one last exchange of smiles, Luna and Twilight trotted off, following the direction that Shining Armor and Copper Trot had gone in. “Luna, you’re crying,” Twilight muttered aside. Luna stopped quickly and brushed her hoof against her cheek. “Oh... So I am.” “Is everything alright?” Twilight asked concernedly. “Did speaking with him bring up sad memories?” “Memories both sad and happy at once,” Luna sighed. “My-my first love was a young Cervi buck. Not my first crush, mind you, but the first being I truly loved.” “Maybe later you can tell me about him,” Twilight cooed, stroking Luna’s back comfortingly with a wing. “I-I’d like that,” Luna murmured, nodding to Shining Armor and Copper Trot as they came into sight. The two alicorns strode up to them and the group huddled in the corner. “Okay, Luna, we’re here, now how do we proceed?” “Well, if memory serves, and I believe it does, we — you and I, that is — should just stand here, side-by-side, looking haughty and intimidating and wait for others who wish to speak with us to line up,” Luna recounted. “Our partners on the other hoof, should stand at our sides and present themselves as respectable, yet mostly silent companions.” “We came here to show the world that Equestria is warm and inviting, not cold and arrogant,” Twilight grumbled. “We did indeed. However, that comes when we are speaking with others. This type of diplomacy is a very delicate game, and very different than what you are used to,” Luna explained, turning around so her back was to the corner. “We wish to show kindness and sympathy, and we will do so, but we also show that we command respect. It’s not enough to just demand respect, we must show them that we expect respect. As if we’ve never known what it’s like to not be respected, let alone disrespected. Then, once someone approaches and shows us our due, we show them why it is Equestria that holds the Elements of Harmony.” “I think I understand. We need to display power so that we can display our willingness to not abuse that power,” Copper Trot replied, moving to Luna’s side. “So, how do we do that?” “Simple, we hold our heads high, look down our noses at those around us, and wear expressions of dismissive boredom,” Luna snickered. “Observe.” She rolled her shoulders once, pulled them back and stood to her full height, chest held out and her chin slightly inclined. “Then, when we are speaking to someone, we stand much the same way, only change our expressions to warm and slightly amused. This way, we seem regal and intimidating, yet not terrifying.” “Alright, let me try,” Twilight muttered, stepping to Luna’s side and attempting to mimic her posture. “Good. Now we wait,” Luna said affirmatively. They stood silently for a few minutes, scanning the crowd carefully. "It looks like we have our first visitor," Luna muttered, gesturing to their left with her head. A younger lupine male stood a few meters away, eyeing them nervously. Luna nodded to him and pointed sharply to the ground in front of her with a hoof. He jumped slightly and glanced around nervously, as if checking to be sure that Luna actually was looking at him. Finding no one else around he grimaced, slunk over to her, and sat before the princesses with his head bowed. "G-greetings, exalted ones. Thank you for seeing me. I would ask for your help, if you would be so kind to aid one such as me," he stammered, face flushed and embarrassed. Luna didn't respond and Twilight resisted the urge to fidget nervously for a few seconds before glancing at the elder princess to find Luna staring at her expectantly. "Oh! Let's start with your name," she asked quickly. "I am Sir Amelus Belgaarde, fourth and youngest son of Lord Prentus Belgaarde. My father owns the largest jewelry empire in these lands; our family has for generations prided ourselves on owning and operating every part of the business from the time the ore is mined, to the time the final product is sold," he replied with restrained pride. “Yet that is now all threatened and my father and brothers are all too proud to seek help; thus they sent me.” “Pleased to meet you, Sir Belgaarde,” Twilight replied fluidly with a polite nod. “There is no shame in asking for help. How can Equestria help you? What exactly is threatening your livelihood?“ “Simply put, our mines are drying up and due to some rather foolish financial decisions on my father’s part, nearly all of our wealth is tied up in the business, leaving us nothing in the way of liquid assets,” Amelus grumbled distastefully. “Without a quick change of fortune, our business will die and we will lose everything. To make things worse, due to the size of our share in our country’s market, if our business goes, the entire industry could collapse. Thousands of lupine would be out of work overnight.” “That is serious,” Luna muttered, “even if such a thing wouldn’t affect us in the slightest, we would be remiss to simply ignore your situation. What would you ask of us?” "Equestria's mines are things of legends," Amelus replied with surprising intensity. "It is said that you build houses of gold and use diamonds as mere cobblestone." "That's... more than a bit exaggerated, but I suppose we do have more than our fair share of mineral wealth," Twilight said with a nervous chuckle. "If there is even a grain of truth behind the rumors, then I would ask for a piece of it," Amelus replied, both hopeful and pleading. "While my family may not have money on paw we are certainly not broke yet and would love to trade. If we cannot mine precious things, then perhaps we can import them and keep the rest of the industry intact." "That's certainly possible; of course we'll have to meet more officially before we agree to anything," Twilight said, giving him a smile that grew into a broad grin when all the tension visibly left his body. "In fact... if you have time now, you can discuss things in-depth with Copper Trot tonight. His family runs a few of Equestria's own mines." "Indeed!" Copper Trot interjected proudly, clearly in his element for the first time that night. "We own and operate three; two gold mines and an amethyst quarry. We also manage over a dozen other mines on their owners' behalfs, have invested in nearly a half-dozen fledgling mining operations in the past decade alone — all of which have gone on to pay us back and now exist as friendly competition — and are one of Equestria’s biggest contributors of start-up funds for new jewelers. If there’s a mutually beneficial way to save your family’s empire, my House and I will find it." "I-I would be honored to speak with you, good Sir," he sputtered, giving her a quick bow before turning back to Twilight. "But before that, I have another request. A more personal one. If you'd be willing to hear it.” "Okay, we're listening," Twilight replied, suppressing a giggle. Much to her surprise, she had actually been enjoying herself thus far. In fact, she found the cautious curiosity of the ball's other guest somewhat endearing. "You see, as my father's youngest, the say I have in how the business is actually run is, well, nonexistent. As a pup, I coped with being the odd-wolf-out by taking jewelcrafting as a hobby," Amelus explained, a glimmer of nostalgia flashing through his eyes. "I was wondering if I may come to Equestria to study your methods. I'm hoping that with proper training I could turn my hobby into something more." "If you don't mind me asking, why not train closer to home with a lupine jeweler?" Luna asked, legitimately curious. "Because Equestria offers something different," he replied excitedly. "By training here, I would be just another jeweler; one of hundreds. If I study the craft in Equestria, then return here, I will be one of a kind. I would be creating pieces of art in styles most of my people have never seen before; showing them things they never dreamed of!” “I for one fully support the spread of art and culture,” Luna smirked proudly. “I believe we can grant this request, assuming that it would not cause some form of political incident.” Without another word, Amelus bent down and kissed Luna’s silver shoe, followed by Twilight’s golden one. “Thank you. Both of you,” he stood back up, trying to blink away happy tears and nodded to Copper Trot. “Sir Copper Trot, I am yours.” The two trotted away and Twilight waited until they were out of earshot before turning to Luna. “That actually went pretty well. Though next time some warning would be nice.” “I wanted to see how you’d react. You’ve learned to think on your hooves at home, I wanted to see how quickly you’d adapt. You did admirably,” Luna replied calmly. “Now look sharp, a line has already formed for us!” Twilight covered a smile with her hoof and beckoned for the next petitioner to come forward, an older female lupine who only wanted to see Luna’s starry mane up-close. She was followed by a pair of large bipedal rabbits who Luna called ‘leporids’ wanting help solving a minor dispute between them. After them, a group of young, toad-like beings Twilight recognized as anurids who simply wanted autographs. After they left, Twilight’s face fell as she spotted a gryphon walking arrogantly up to them next. “Oh, joy. To what do we owe this pleasure?” she asked him sarcastically. “The Emperor would speak with you. Both of you,” he grunted. Twilight and Luna exchanged skeptical glances before glancing towards the near corner where the Gryphon Emperor stood with his entourage. “Fine. We’ll talk.” “Good,” the gryphon snorted smugly, turning to leave. “Follow me.” “I most certainly will not!” Twilight retorted quickly. “If Blackbeak wants to talk to us, he can come over here.” The gryphon stopped and whipped back around. “The Emperor does not come to anyone; others come to him!” “Then I guess whatever he wants to say will go unsaid,” Twilight said with an apathetic shrug. “This was not a req—” the gryphon began aggressively before Shining Armor cut him off by lunging forward and pressing the point of his horn to the gryphon’s feathered throat. “If you even so much as twitch in her direction, I’ll leave you as a smear across the ceiling!” The gryphon sputtered angrily before spinning around and striding off back to the Emperor. Twilight and Luna watched him all the way back and sniggered to themselves as he leaned in to whisper something to Blackbeak. Finally, they burst with laughter when the Emperor’s face flashed with anger and he shot an indignant glare in their direction. "Ha, good show! I knew yeh ponies weren't as soft 's yeh looked," a large, burly bear cackled as he slapped his massive paw down on Shining Armor's back. "Greetings, ursine," Luna exclaimed, snickering at the agonized grimace on Shining's face. "What can we do for you?" "Nuttun', I'm here for 'im," the creature grinned, slapping Shining on the back again, causing the stallion's legs to buckle under the blow. "Me 'n me mates 've bin lookin' ter share war stories wit' a pony fer years!" "Equestria hasn't been to war in eighty years, I don't have any war stories!" Shining Armor groaned, trying in vain to shake off the weight. "Then come'n listen! Yer might learn somin'," the ursine insisted, tugging him away. "B-b-but I have to stay here to protect the Princesses!" "Nah, nuffin' gon' try anyting wif me 'n me mates around," the ursine chuckled. "Not 'less they want to get their legs pulled off!" "He's right Shining; go have fun," Twilight said mischievously, grinning at the expression of shock and betrayal on her brother's face as he was carried away. "That was worth the tongue-lashing I'm going to get from him later," she giggled aside to Luna. "He may not be able to give you one, Twilight," Luna shrugged. "Ursine love displays of bravado and never let the truth get in the way of a good story. Now that they've seen your brother's tougher side, they are liabel to start pouring ale into him until he begins to regale them with exaggerated stories of his exploits." "At least he'll enjoy himself," Twilight giggled. "Now who's next? Elder File? You need something else?" "No, I merely wanted to make an introduction. This is Averdein," File wheezed, gesturing to a small fuzzy creature next to him. Twilight leaned forward to get a better look at it. Whatever it was, it walked on two stubby legs and vaguely canine features poked out of its puffy mass of white fur. "Ummm, hello?" The creature remained still as a statue and continued to stare at her through its beady eyes. “Does he... speak?” Luna asked hesitantly. “Yes, normally he is quite the chatterbox,” File muttered, bending down to examine his companion. “Oh dear, I seem to have broke him.” “How’d you pull that off?” Twilight asked, waving a hoof in front of Averdein’s face. “His people hail from a terribly cold land so they hold a special reverence for the warmth the sun brings,” File sighed. “So much so that their sun god is the chief god of their pantheon. As far as he’s concerned, he’s standing in the presence of a myth come to life. That’s enough to render anything speechless.” Twilight gave File a confused frown and gently placed a hoof on Averdein’s tiny shoulder, causing the creature to jump. “Oops! Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” she giggled, giving him a warm smile and laying down so she was closer to his eye level. “So, your name is Averdein?” The small creature nodded vigorously, trembling violently. "And your people worship the sun?" Twilight asked softly. "Y-yes! No. Sort of..." Averdein stammered, his eyes flicking back and forth between Twilight and Luna. "We used to." He fell silent, staring at the floor guiltily. Twilight used a hoof to raise his eyes to hers and gave him an encouraging smile. "Go on. You don't have to be afraid." "We stopped reading the scriptures literally a long time ago. We still revere the Warmth-Giver and follow the old traditions, we just don't actually worship her as we used to," he whimpered. "But we do love her. Her and her nocturnal sister, whose soft glow guides weary travelers through the cold might." "He," Twilight murmured in reply. "W-what?" "He. The sun is a 'he'," Twilight explained softly. "T-t-the sun is alive? And a male?" Averdein gasped. "I don't know if he's 'alive' per se, but he does have some form of consciousness and considers himself male," Twilight shrugged. "To be honest, he's a bit of a brat." Averdein staggered for a moment before collapsing to his rump. "T-this is amazing... The scriptures will need to be rewritten," he said to himself breathlessly. Suddenly, he snapped back to his senses and stared at Luna intensely. "And the moon?" "The moon is female," she giggled, eyes twinkling with amusement at the tiny creature's antics. "And while I would not go so far as to call her brother a 'brat', she is by far the better mannered of the two." "Definitely," Twilight nodded. She stood back up and smiled down at him. "So, is there anything you'd like to ask us while you have our attention? Any questions we can answer or requests we can grant?" Averdein shot to his feet and whipped his head in File's direction. "You never said anything about a request, just that you were taking me to meet them!" "I did say that, and that is all I intended," File chuckled. "But they, in their grace, have chosen to offer you a most generous gesture of friendship." Averdein turned slowly back to Twilight, babbling incoherently for a minute. “C-can you two come and visit us? Maybe during our holy week?” “I’m not sure they can do that,” File murmured, bending down towards him. “It would take nearly a month to fly from their nation to yours. I doubt they can leave Equestria untended for that long.” Twilight and Luna exchanged doleful stares before Luna spoke. “Elder File is correct; it would be wildly irresponsible for us to leave Equestria for that long. However, I don’t see why one of us wouldn’t be able to visit.” “Really?” Averdein gasped, his face lighting up. “I suppose that could happen,” Twilight mused. She thought for a moment about the logistics of the situation and snickered. “Sure, why not? Write us a letter with the details — where we’d need to go, when your holy week is, and anything we’d need to bring. We’ll make sure that everything at home is set so one of us can govern alone, and within the next few years, you’ll have your royal visit!” “Oh, thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Averdein squealed, bouncing around in place. “Okay, little one. I think that’s enough excitement for you,” File chuckled. “Come, I’ll take you back to your room.” He led Averdein away, giving Twilight and Luna one last wink before he departed. “And I think that will be all for the moment, the High Chief has arrived,” Luna muttered to Twilight, nodding towards the large, raised alcove on the near wall. There the High Chief — a large, grey male wearing only a long flowing cloak of crimson silk — stood, glaring derisively over the crowd. It took less than a minute for the room to fall silent, cowed by his presence. “Welcome all,” he proclaimed, both his voice and expression relaying an air of disinterest. “Or rather, welcome to my foreign guests; you honor me with your presence. As to my lessers, I commend you for fulfilling your obligation and would like to assure you that those who refused to attend this event have been punished.” He sat, his nose held arrogantly in the air and shifted his gaze across the room, his eyes settling on Twilight and Luna for an instant longer than the rest of his guests. “Before we go any further I would like to introduce my friend and ally, Arcshaman Ssythert.” A lithe, bipedal, scaled being slunk out from deeper in the alcove. Its skin was a deep grey-brown, and its front limbs ended in black, three-fingered talons. As it joined the High Chief, it let out a reptilian hiss that made Twilight’s skin crawl. “Luna, what in the hells is that?” Twilight whispered. She glanced at Luna and was disturbed to see her marefriend glaring at the odd creature with deep loathing, her eyes shining with hate and rage. “Varanid. The bane of the alicorns and ancient enemy of ponykind,” she growled. “They believed themselves to be descended from dragons, and that such ancestry entitled them to take whatever they wanted. Bloodthirsty. Ravenous. Evil. They were the one species that my ancestors fought gleefully rather than with remorse.” Before Luna could explain further, the High Chief continued his speech. “Ten years ago, my uncle stood in this spot to announce the formation of an alliance between our two species. Today, I stand before you to announce the formation of a new three-race Syndicate; for as of last week, Emperor Blackbeak has agreed to join us.” Luna’s jaw dropped at the revelation. “Oh f—” “We hope that this addition to our alliance will bring prosperity to our peoples and balance to the world! Thank you,” the High Chief finished. He stepped down from his podium and immediately strode over to Blackbeak, Ssythert in tow. Luna beckoned to Twilight and they retreated back into their corner. “Luna, what are we going to do?” Twilight breathed. “We will do nothing for the moment. Acting rashly before they declare their intent would be a diplomatic disaster for us. We will wait and act as appropriate; and it seems we will not have to wait long,” she nodded towards the other corner and Twilight followed her gaze. The High Chief and Arcshaman were marching confidently towards them, Emperor Blackbeak at their side with a triumphant sneer on his face. “Greetings, Highnesses,” the High Chief said with a threatening softness. “I am most pleased that you were able to attend today.” “As are we, your people have been lovely hosts,” Luna replied in the same tone. Twilight wanted to say something, but just couldn’t bring herself to do it. She didn’t trust herself to say the right thing, but she trusted Luna to wheedle their way through this. “And we would like to offer congratulations.” “Thank you,” the High Chief replied with a smirk and polite nod. “Now, enough with the pleasantries, we are here to talk business. The gryphons demand the return of the Beyaz Highlands. As former gryphon territ—” “Out of the question,” Luna retorted shortly. “The Highlands were never settled by the gryphons and were seized from them in our counterattack to an unprovoked invasion. They have been part of Equestria for three centuries and, on top of that, have since been settled by ponies. We did not accept his father’s offer to purchase them from us, and we will certainly not grant his request to gift them to him.” “And you are willing to hold the land with military force?” the High Chief asked disinterestedly. “Of course not! I intend to hold the land by personally reducing any invaders to a cinder,” Luna sighed with a dismissive wave of her hoof. “Be them gryphon, lupine, or murderous lizard.” “Thought~you might~say that,” Ssythert hissed slowly, stumbling over every word, his species clearly not accustomed to normal speech. He waved his claw and a pair of Varanid trundled over bearing a heavy stone tablet covered in odd symbols. Twilight couldn’t understand any of them, except for one: a name etched into the rock towards the bottom of the tablet in ancient Equestrian script. “What’s this?” Twilight asked, approaching the stone with Luna to inspect it more closely. “A compact,” the High Chief started. “An agreement between the Alicorns and the Varanid signed many thousands of years ago by the ancestors of Princess Luna.” “And what was this agreement?” Twilight asked, unnerved by Luna’s sudden silence. “The outline for and agreement to follow the rules of war,” Blackbeak cackled with malicious glee. “The alicorns and their kingdom would refrain from using their magics to defend the pony nations under their protection, and the Varanid would not call upon their dragon allies. The alicorns would let the battles go on and allow fate to decide the victor. As the descendant of the signer, Luna and Celestia are still bound to its terms.” “T-this can’t be real!” Twilight stammered, squinting at the stone for some sign of forgery. “It’s real, Twilight,” Luna murmured, running her hoof gently over her ancestor’s signature. “I can understand why my predecessors would do it; they had the power to defend the pony tribes even against the full might of the dragons, but the devastation that would have been wrought would have been too terrible to make it worthwhile.” She backed away from the tablet and shook her head. “But that was a long time ago. The Varanid had a falling-out with the dragons long before I was born, and many reliable sources have told me that the rift never healed. You have no way to enforce your treaty.” “Are you saying that you will not honor your agreements?” the High Chief replied loudly with a twisted smirk. Twilight’s face fell and she glanced around at the large crowd gathered to watch. That had been their plan all along. They never intended to invade Equestria, but coerce Luna into surrendering peacefully via threats of diplomatic embarrassment. “Luna may be bound to it, but I’m not! I’m not descended from the Alicorn royal line.” “Not by blood, but you are Celestia’s chosen successor. Thank makes you heir to her agreements,” Blackbeak replied teasingly. “You were bound to this the moment you put on the crown.” Twilight recoiled from him, nearly ready to panic. She turned to Luna, but the elder Princess remained silent, simply staring pensively at the mark left by her ancestor. “B-but, let me think!” She fell to her haunches and closed her eyes, trying to think of a way out of this. They couldn’t back out of this, but neither could they just surrender the Highlands and the ponies who dwelt there. There had to be some legal technicality that she could exploit; some loophole that she could — “Wait a minute. Were the Alicorns allowed to protect themselves with their magic? Their own kingdom?” “Yes,” Ssythert rumbled, shaking his head at Twilight derisively. “Foolish notion. Would not sign treaty otherwise.” “T-then we can use our magic to protect Equestria,” Twilight stammered. She withered a bit as four confused pairs of eyes all locked on her. “I-I was born in Equestria; it’s always been my country, and now it’s my kingdom. As for Luna, she’s a citizen of Equestria too, and has lived there for over 99 percent of her life. So, if the Alicorns were allowed to protect their own kingdom with their magic, then Luna and I can protect Equestria without breaking the treaty.” The expression on Luna’s face quickly flashed from bewilderment to shock, and then slowly shifted to a malicious grin. “I do believe that Princess Twilight is right. So, as I said before, any who invade Equestria forfeit their lives.” Twilight quickly glanced around to see that many members of the surrounding crowd here giving resigned nods and quickly noticed that the High Chief was doing the same. He locked eyes first with Twilight, then with Luna. "We withdraw our demand," he muttered angrily. "What?" The Emperor screeched. "You can't possibly be giving up that easily! You said we would-" "It seems that I was wrong and that they are far better at this game then we are," the High Chief sighed. "Face it, Blackbeak, we overplayed our cards." He strode away, Blackbeak following at his heel cursing and sputtering. Before Twilight could do anything, Luna yanked her into a tight one-hoofed hug and nuzzled Twilight behind the ear. "That. Was. Wonderful! Just when I thought we had lost, you come out with that. I am so proud of you," she whispered. "Well I've had two amazing teachers," Twilight mumbled. "When we get back to the suite, I am kissing your entire body!" At that, Twilight pulled away slightly with a questioning frown. "Okay, well maybe not your entire body, but certainly most of it." "Just make sure the other two aren't in the room," Twilight laughed. "Ahem!" They both turned to see the High Chief sneering at them from only a meter or so away. "I hate to interrupt... whatever this is, but I have more to discuss with you that doesn't involve my colleagues." "We are listening, but only for the moment," Luna growled. He stepped forward, head still held high. "You two just humiliated me in front of my own court without even batting an eye. I'm not sure whether I should be humbled or outraged, so I'll settle for impressed." When neither Twilight or Luna responded, he winced slightly and took a single step forward. That's when Twilight caught it. The momentary grimace; the hesitance in his step; the nervous gleam that shone in his eye for a mere instant. In that brief moment, the High Chief's confidence had waned. "As such, I am naming Equestria as my sanctuary." "Your what?" Twilight asked, her confusion causing her to drop her hostility. "Lupine dynasties have a horrible tendency to get overthrown," he muttered nonchalantly. "It's become common practice for Chiefs to set up a place to flee to should a successful coup occur. A sanctuary." “I don’t suppose we have a choice in this?” Twilight grumbled. “Not if Ferrow Fields has anything to say about it,” the High Chief said with a smirk. “Gahh! What is it today with millenia-old treaties?” Luna groaned. “Luna, what does that even mean?” Twilight asked, frustrated and confused. “It means, Twilight, that we indeed do not have a choice,” Luna replied with a fake smile. She wheeled around on the High Chief and snarled, “If you would invoke Ferrow Fields, then I expect you to sign it.” The High Chief recoiled from the angry mare. “That is... fair. But I want an embassy. In Equestria, that is.” “That can be arranged,” Luna grumbled. “In Canterlot.” Luna nodded affirmatively, “Goes without saying.” “And I want Equestria to fund its construction,” the High Chief said, a small tone of hopefulness seeping into his voice. “Absolutely not. You may fund it yourself, or you may take the gryphons’ old embassy; they abandoned it and it’s in pristine condition,” Luna countered rapidly. “I’ll take it. We have an accord,” the High Chief breathed, glancing around at those watching. “I am pleased we could come to this arrangement. I would now bid you good night.” Barely able to hide his desire to get away from the Princess, he spun around with a swish of his cloak and strode off. “Luna?” “Yes?” Luna growled, wheeling around on Twilight. She realized almost immediately what she had just done and backed away. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to take that out on you.” “It’s fine,” Twilight shook her head. “Now, Ferrow Fields. Explain.” “It is an ancient treaty signed between Equestria and two long-dead nations. Quite possibly the first Equestria ever signed after the unification of the three tribes,” Luna sighed. “The terms are simple, Equestria would never deny asylum to those in need of it, and the other signatories would use their militaries to protect us from any repercussions. It had provisions for what Equestria’s exact obligation was and procedures for extraditing war criminals, but that’s the jist of it.” “That’s... I can understand the sentiment, but that could put Equestria in a bad situation really fast!” Twilight groused. “Why would you sign such a thing.” “I didn’t. I was still a young filly at the time; the treaty was Celestia’s doing. I don’t know the exact details, but she had a good reason for it,” Luna muttered. “You don’t know at all?” “Just what ‘Tia told me later on as a bedtime story, thus I cannot vouch for its accuracy,” Luna shrugged. “That’s good enough for me,” Twilight said with a small smile, taking a seat in front of Luna. “Very well, I shall try to tell it as she did. Let’s see, how did it go..? It was a long time ago; a very long time ago, when Equestra was only a few dozen years old. At that time, we shared our southern border with two nations: the Tigris Empire, and the Grand Duchy of Ariradan,” Luna began, bowing her head. She hesitated somewhat at first, but closed her eyes her voice grew more mellow with every word, eventually becoming an almost hypnotic resonance in the air. “All three of us lived in peace as friends, for we all cooperated for the betterment of all of us.” Her eyes shot open, a dark shadow shifting deep within them as the air grew thicker and menacing. “That peace, however, was not to last. One day, several of the Grand Duke of Ariradan’s trusted advisors seized power, and he and his family were forced to flee for their lives. As it stood, his castle was closer to Equestria than it was to Tigris, so he made for our border. We, however, turned him away; we maintained a policy of strict neutrality and didn’t want to get involved. He and his loved ones began their journey towards the Tigris border, but disappeared.” The fur on the back of Twilight’s neck stood on end with the electric tingle of anticipation and dread as Luna hung her head and continued grimly, “A few days later, they were all found with their throats cut out. The effect was immediate. What began as a simple coup turned into a full-scale civil war. After much bloodshed that spilled over all of Ariradan’s borders, the Tigris had enough and marched in to restore order. As one can imagine, they were furious with us, but that was nothing compared to the anger we felt towards ourselves. We had denied innocents safe harbor when they begged for it, and thousands died as a result.” Luna raised her head, clearing the thick tension with a serene smile. “So we three peoples — the Kingdom of Equestria, the Tigris Empire, and the newly-formed Republic of Ariradan — made a pact. The terms were simple: Equestria would never turn away those in need of shelter, and they would shelter us, in turn, from the repercussions of our kindness. To honor the slain Duke, we met in the fields he was found in, Ferrow Fields, and signed the agreement so that never again would an innocent suffer so needlessly. “Since then, nations have risen and fallen,” she murmured, lowering her voice. ”Many peoples have signed the treaty, only to be removed when they disappeared, but Equestria has never wavered. We never have, and so long as we stand proud, we never shall. ‘Til the sun dies, and the stars fade.” The surrounding area erupted with applause and cheers. Twilight and Luna glanced around, astonished to find that a large crowd had assembled to hear Luna’s tale. When she snapped out of the initial shock, Luna gave them a sheepish grin and a flourished bow. At that the crowd began to disperse, with more than a few approaching to thank Luna for the story. “Long have my people spoke of you,” an aged anurid croaked, bowing to her. “We tell many tales of the Mistress of the Night — Queen of all Bards — and her legendary voice. We were saddened by your disappearance, but even after news spread of your return, I dared not hope... Thank you.” Blushing furiously, Luna gave him a nod and, seemingly satisfied, he walked away. “‘Queen of all Bards’?” Twilight asked skeptically. “I admit that I was a somewhat renowned storyteller back in the day, but that is a new one,” Luna said with an embarrassed giggle. “Then again, stories do tend to be exaggerated over the years.” “I don’t know, Luna; from their reaction it seems like the real thing lived up to the hype,” Twilight snickered, with a teasing nudge. Luna looked away and pursed her lips in a failed attempt to hide a smile. “So, you’re a dancer, fencer, negotiator, minstrel, poet, glass-stainer, weaver, and now you’re a bard, too?” “Yes, well, when one lives as long as I have, they tend to pick up a veritable myriad of hobbies. Celestia was no less talented than I,” Luna murmured modestly. “Let’s put it this way: what don’t you do?” Twilight chuckled. “I... am incapable of gardening,” Luna muttered after a thoughtful pause. “Nothing I have ever tried to grow has lived past a few days. Also, all of my attempts at sculpting have been laughable at best; painting less so, but not by much... And I can’t cook, though not for lack of trying. I have tried it many times over the centuries, but each attempt ended more disastrous than the last. There’s al—” “Woah, woah, wait! This I’ve got to hear!” Twilight cackled. “My cooking attempts? It’s nothing too exciting,” Luna mumbled, nervousness crossing her face. “No, no; you’re not getting away that easily,” Twilight said with a mischievous grin. She stepped up to Luna and put a hoof on her back. “Come on, we’re going to get you some brandy and you’re going to tell me alllll about it.”