The clubhouse was in an uproar of applause as nearly everypony cheered and clopped their hooves against the floorboards. Several had confused expressions on their faces, either not having understood what the book was saying or finding some fault with it. Twilight was stunned speechless by the missing Equites work, while her friends were a mix of cheers and unnerved glances between each other.
Twilight knew every one of Equites' works, and she knew from his unique style that this Republic had to be one of his - there was no way Apple Bloom could have peiced together a tome of a new ideal, this strange thing called democracy, in the span of a week. No, she had definately copied it as she said she had, and it had the ancient philosopher's hoofwriting all over it. This concerned her more than the obvious approval the new ideal was receiving from the townsponies; if there was a copy of Equites' work that was kept hidden, even from Twilight of all students, then how many books - among other things - were being kept hidden? How much was Celestia really telling her?
Rarity was very proud of her little sister and gave the most polite and elegent golf clop she could manage that would still be loud enough to carry over the cheers of the other ponies. It was a marvelous reading, if she had any say on the fact, and the fact Sweetie Belle had delivered it so flawlessly and with so much passion just made it that much better. Rarity was also greatly impressed by the banner that made the backdrop of the entire speech and would have to give Apple Bloom her most sincere of compliments on putting together such a beautiful flag. Perhaps she could make a dress for Sweetie Belle based on the flag's unique design? Or better still, for all the Cutie Mark Crusaders!
Applejack was even more unnerved than Twilight over the entire reading. There were so many things that seemed wrong about what was being said, so many things that contradicted everything she had been raised to think about Equestria and the Princesses, and yet... There was something inherently right about it all, something honest and true to it. Ponies should have the right to choose - to elect their leaders. Ponies should have a voice in the government, especially when things are going wrong. How many times had it been lately that Celestia was incapacitated or too far away while some long lost tyrant invaded Equestria and nearly conquered it, only to be defeated at the last moment by the Elements of Harmony, while the rest of ponies ran around like chickens with their heads chopped off, directionless because one pony was missing? No, Applejack decided amidst her turmoil, something wasn't right about that.
Rainbow Dash couldn't help the scowl that crossed her face, so she turned from the podium before the fillies could see her expression. She had been raised on the belief that the Princesses - or rather Princess Celestia, because of Luna's banishment - was the rightful ruler of Equestria and that her rule was just and true. After all, in all of Rainbow Dash's life, nothing had gone wrong from Celestia's leadership. Sure, there were the occasional horrifying attacks by Celestia's past enemies, but they were few and far between - and Rainbow Dash and her friends always defeated them, as was Celestia's intent and planning. If anything, that just proved that the Princess had an amazing foresight that made her the right choice for leader. Rainbow Dash wasn't about to betray her so someponies who had a bad lot in life could elect somepony to take care of their personal problems.
Pinkie Pie cheered and felt the uncontrollable urge to break into song. The only thing stopping her was the fact she had no songs that fit this occasion. She would have to get on that, immediately. There was something magical about this new idea, something that deserved celebration. Elections? There could be all sorts of festivities associated with elections! One for the upcoming election, one for election day, one for the results coming in, one for the winners, and a consoling party for the losers! There could even be parties for the candidates! Pinkie's approval of the new ideal went beyond the promise of parties, of course - she liked to see ponies happy and smiling, and giving them a voice in governing Equestria and allowing them to elect their own leader to represent them was a great way to make them happy! Who wouldn't be happy?
Fluttershy's applause was lost amidst the surrounding noise and she wore a tender smile. Even though her outward appearance was timid and reserved, she couldn't stop the swelling of some unknown emotion stirring in her chest. It was like a fire, but it didn't burn. The idea that everypony could have a say in how Equestria was run, that they could elect a leader of their choosing was simply unheard of. Fluttershy liked Celestia, and was sure that everypony would elect her as their leader again if they had a choice, but it was the gesture that mattered. Something about the quiet and shy citizens of Equestria having both the oppurtunity and the means to speak up in a world where all decisions were made by those above them, more powerful than them, made Fluttershy feel at ease. No longer would ponies who had bad lives be treated like door mats. Oh, she hoped she wouldn't be stepping on anypony's hooves with her newfound sense of passion.
After the applause died down, Sweetie Belle spoke up again.
"Thank you, everypony for coming!" she said, a wide grin plastered on her face, the expression shared by her two friends, "We hope you'll join us next week for another book reading, Don't Trot on Me! by Star Spangled!"
Another chorus of cheers and approval sounded from the various ponies, while a few wearing nervous expressions, clearly uncomfortable with what they had heard, began to back out of the clubhouse, all but unnoticed by their peers. Within the hour, the clubhouse had cleared out, only a few straggling classmates staying behind to praise Sweetie Belle's performance and thank Apple Bloom for introducing them to philosophy. Finally, even they left and only Twilight and her close friends were left with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Much to Twilight's surprise, even Spike was there and grinning at the words that had been read.
"AB, that book was so..." he struggled to find the words, "Awesome! I never knew we could elect leaders - I always thought Celestia and Luna were the only leaders Equestria would ever have."
"That's what Ah thought, an' it made me really sad fer a long time." Apple Bloom confessed before smiling, "But could ya imagine if we could vote fer our leaders?"
"I'd nominate Luna." Scootaloo said.
"Ah'd second that nomination!" the yellow filly grinned.
"And Sweetie Belle, your reading was amazing!" Spike turned to the unicorn filly, "I mean, I've never felt so... so excited from a book, before! I think I'm actually starting to see what Twilight sees in these things..."
"Thank you." Sweetie Belle said, trying to hide a growing blush at his compliment.
"Spike?" Twilight's voice snapped the dragon out of his thoughts and he turned to his caretaker in surprise, "I didn't know you were coming to this book reading."
"Uh..." Spike's eyes darted around, "I just heard it was going to be so cool, and everypony else was coming... Plus, aren't you always telling me I should be learning more?"
"Yes, but I never pegged you as the literary sort." the alicorn frowned, "You never seem interested in our study sessions."
"Twi, just because I'm not interested in how many bells were on Starswirl the Bearded's hat, doesn't mean I'm not interested in any history." Spike snorted, "Plus, this is like forbidden history nopony's heard of in centuries! Isn't that awesome?"
"Awesome?" Rainbow Dash snapped, surprising everyone, "What you guys are talking about is taking away Princess Celestia's power!"
"Only her powers of office." Apple Bloom said, innocently. The older mares quirked eyebrows at how she had learned such a phrase. "She'd still raise the sun an' everythin'."
"Don't you think everypony having a say in who the leader of Equestria would be is a good thing?" Scootaloo asked, suddenly worried about how her idol and surrogate sister viewed the ideas she had discovered.
"No!" Rainbow held her head up high, "In my entire lifetime, not a single bad thing has happened under Celestia's watch-"
"Nightmare Moon." Sweetie Belle noted.
"Discord." Apple Bloom added.
"Queen Chrysalis." Scootaloo said.
"King Sombra." Twilight mentioned.
"Those dreadful Diamond Dogs that are allowed to run around Equestria." Rarity shuddered at the memory.
"Then there's all the rampant nature that goes uncared for in Everfree Forest, including the manticores, cockatrices, foreign dragons, and the parasprites." Fluttersy finished before being silenced by a glare from her friend, "Sorry."
"If you guys had let me finish, I was going to say nothing bad's happened under Celestia's watch that we couldn't handle." Rainbow Dash finished, "And I'm pretty sure that Celestia had the Elements of Harmony and us as protectors set up long before any real dangers occured."
"What, like Celestia knew all these villains were gonna come outta left field, so she prepared fer our arrival?" Applejack barely bit back a laugh, "Rainbow, that means she would a' had ta fersee our comin' a thousand years ago."
"Can she do that?" Pinkie asked, looking at Twilight.
"I... don't know." Twilight confessed, "Even though I'm an alicorn now, there's not a lot I understand about their physiology or the extent of their powers."
"Well, I believe that Celestia has everything under control, and will always have everything under control, with everypony's best interest in mind." Rainbow Dash said defiantly, "She only wants everypony to be happy and tries so hard for us to find peaceful solutions to every conflict."
"I agree with Rainbow Dash." Twilight said, "Princess Celestia has never let us down as a leader, and even if the rumors of this so-called 'Reign of Terror' are true, that happened hundreds of years ago."
"Exactly!" Rainbow smiled, happy to have somepony agree with her.
"It could happen again, though." Fluttershy voiced what everypony else was thinking before shying away from their looks, "Sorry. It's just that, well, nopony thought Nightmare Moon or Discord would return, or that they could be reformed, and look what happened."
"An' who's ta say the same couldn't happen in reverse?" Apple Bloom challanged, "If the livin' embodiment a' disharmony can be turned ta friendship an' what-not, who's ta say Celestia won't be corrupted?"
"Traitor!" Rainbow got in the filly's face and actually snarled, startling everypony around her. Applejack immediately got between her friend and her sister.
"Now Rainbow, that's enough!" the farm pony said, coming face to face with the pegasus, "She has a point, ya know. Princess Luna wasn't beyond corruption, an' what if it ain't Celestia's fault? What if she gets brainwashed by an enemy we've never met before, or somethin'? Ya just gonna blindly follow her then?"
"I'll follow Celestia until I die." Rainbow said through gritted teeth, "It's called being loyal, something a few ponies seem to have forgotten."
"Well let me tell ya the honest truth, Rainbow," Applejack said, equally strained, "Ah don't believe any one pony, even a pony as powerful an' trustworthy as Celestia, should have that much power. Y'all have seen what happens when the Princesses are unable ta help us durin' disasters - everypony panics an' cows down ta whoever's takin' over! The only way that'll stop is if ponies learn ta govern themselves instead a' dependin' on the princesses."
"Well that's why Celestia put us here!" Rainbow declared, "We act when she can't! We're like... we're like her awesome sword of righteousness or something!"
"Her awesome sword a'..." Applejack began before shaking her head, "Do ya even realize how crazy ya sound?"
"How crazy I sound?!" Rainbow scoffed, "You hear one book reading and all of a sudden you want ponies to elect their leaders? That's crazy. A thousand years and more of Celestia's rule and nothing happens that can't be handled. If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
"Girls, girls!" Twilight got between her arguing friends, "I know that things tend to get a little hectic around Ponyville and Equestria as a whole, but I have to agree with Rainbow Dash on this - we simply can't betray Celestia. We need to trust in her judgement."
"Well, of course you'd side with Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie laughed, but there was no cruelty in it, "You and Celestia are like, best friends!"
"That's not the reason why, Pinkie." Twilight furrowed her brow.
"Really, Twi?" Applejack asked, "'Cause it seems a might bit peculiar ta me that ya'd still trust her after findin' out she's been hidin' books from everypony, even her most faithful student."
"I'm still not sure whether or not that's true." Twilight said.
"Then ask her." Applejack challenged, "Spike's right here, an' the clubhouse has paper, ink an' pens. Ya could ask her right here an' now. Ah know Celestia might hide thin's from ya, an' the rest a' us - she's done it before - but she'd never lie ta ya, Twi, if ya asked her."
Twilight looked between her friends. She noticed that Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were standing on the side of the clubhouse that Applejack, Spike and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were on and suddenly felt the division between them. Applejack's challenge still stood and Twilight knew that she had to send the letter or lose face; to lose face here would mean she had failed defending Celestia's good name. Still, she was afraid that maybe Celestia had kept books hidden from her. It wouldn't be the first time that the Princess of the Day had withheld information from even her most loyal of subjects. Twilight stood tall, firm in her faith in the Princesses.
"Spike, take a letter." she stated. At once, her assistant pulled a blank scroll and a quill from seemingly nowhere, never in short supply on the materials. "Dear Princess Celestia, I am writing today because some rumors have been springing up around Ponyville that have left me rather confused. Several fillies have been reading a book entitled Republic by the late Equites, but I never recall reading such a work. They also tell me that there are a lot of other books, with similar messages, withheld from the general public of Equestria in the Canterlot Royal Library. I was just curious as to whether or not these preposterous allegations against you - that you would hide knowledge from the public - had even a grain of truth to them.
"Your faithful student, Princess Twilight Sparkle." she finished.
With gush of green flame, Spike dispatched the note and everypony eagerly awaited the reply. Several minutes passed and each of the mares and the dragon had taken to sitting, bored expressions on their faces.
"I doubt she'll reply immediately." Twilight said, "She is very busy, after all."
"That's true." Spike yawned, but suddenly closed his mouth, cheeks swelling. He unleashed a belch of fire and a scroll appeared in his hand. "That didn't take too long."
"Alright, let's have a look at what the Princess said." Twilight smiled as she unfolded the scroll. Everypony in the clubhouse was behind her, leaning in for a look. "Dear Twilight Sparkle," she began before her voice dropped and her smile disappeared.
"How did you come to learn of this?"
*-*
Celestia tried to bite back her frustration, she really did. This was something she could not cope with - not in the centuries since her lapse of judgement had she ever truly been able to come to terms with her actions back then, nor had she ever been able to confess fully to her oppression and the grievances she had laid bare against her own kind. Times were different a millenium ago - death was in abundance, disharmony rampant and strife a part of daily life. She took drastic measures to ensure that secession and the illusion of independence would not weaken the unity she and her sister had strived to create amongst Equestria.
Now it was out in the open. The truth she had tried to hide without burying had risen - her past was back to haunt her. The only thing she could do was damage control; find out how much Twilight and her subjects knew, come clean to it, and try to steer them away from discovering the full extent of her actions. These were dangerous times they were living in, where ancient enemies and would-be despots were rising up from the murky depths of times forgotten to once again challenge the ideals of peace and unity.
Celestia could deal with entire swathes of the population being dragged into an opposing side, even if it was of their own accord, as long as the Elements of Harmony were one and champions of Celestia's vision of the utopia she had strived for countless generations to erect upon the land. However, if even one of the Elements broke away, driven by the ideals of self-governance, independence and exaggerations of freedom these lost writers had promoted, the ponies of Equestria would be torn. The Elements of Harmony were the symbol of Celestia's vision - unshakeable, unbreakable solidarity of peace and prosperity through the ages; an honest, loyal, kind, joyous, charitable, magical union of the three differing tribes of ponies that would eventually unite the world in its image - when the time came that foreign soils were willing to accept that vision, of course.
If even one of them became enraptured with Equites' or his students' half-baked ideals and decided to break away from that which Celestia had suffered centuries, nay, millenia to build, everything would crumble. The pillars of stone she had carved the kingdom upon would become sand before the tide of a turbulent sea. Self-governance and independence would foster selfishness and give power to oppurtunists who knew how to sell their image to the public. Celestia shuddered to think how much power showponies like Flim, Flam and Trixie could garner from the herds of uninformed ponies that made up many of Equestria's backwater populations.
She asked Twilight where she had heard such rumors, though she already knew the source. Only one other pony knew of these forgotten books, for only one pony had ever bothered to look into them. Trotting into the highest, oldest tiers of the Canterlot Royal Library, Celestia was unsurprised to see the shelves, once filthy and in disrepair, having been lovingly restored and cleaned to a reflective finish. She was also unsurprised to see a great amount of the ancient texts missing from their shelves, checked out by the only one who knew about them, apart from Celestia.
With a grimace that was born of wrath, fear and a pain that is only brought about by the betrayal of a loved one, Celestia mouthed the name aloud, to herself in the lonely heights of the library.
"Princess Luna."