Megan. Empress Megan the Bright. She was renowned for her many skills. Dedication, poise, elegance, power, brilliance. But none of her talents shined nor were better noted than her ability to lead. Friends, foes, and followers alike listened to her speak when she would address her populace; address the world. Her words were without fault; without failure; with nothing but sincerity.
The courtyard of the Crystal Empire's grand palace -once glittering with the reflective surfaces of the smooth, beautiful crystal landscape that encompassed all of the empire- was now swarmed with the multicolored coats and manes of all the denizens of the empire tightly packed together. Words were mulled about among the masses; quietly but meaningfully as each and every soul among the crowd wondered the same thing. Though they gathered by decree of the empress -the empress the adored- they knew nothing of why she called for a public ceremony. Still, packing tightly into the courtyard of the Crystal Palace, guards stationed at every passage, the whole of the empire gathered to hear what had to be announced.
High above the gathered court of denizens, a single balcony protruded out from the immaculate crystal face of the keep. Beautiful draperies cascaded down from the railing of the balcony of every such color one could imagine; but the most important and prominent -placed dead center facing the crowd before the castle- was one colored a regal purple with leopard-esque spots across it and a golden insignia done into the center. It was well regarded as Empress Megan's personal banner; and one that would only be put on display in times of great importance. All eyes below were focused onto the balcony, expecting the Empress to present herself from the quarters that the balcony led to. However, for some time, they had to wait.
Within the private quarters that led to the balcony, the six council members stood at attention in the dimly lit room. They waited patiently as their keeper -their empress- sat silent at her work desk. Papers were strewn about before her, littering the otherwise pristine table she kept. Her eyes drifted lazily up to the mirror in front of her desk, taking a moment to remark her own face. Heavy, dark bags sunk under her eyes; and her usually golden hair looked grimy and greased. She ran her cool fingers against her aching visage, letting out a groan before noticing one of her council members had moved to stand behind her.
"Now, Empress..." the brown pony began to speak.
"Stay. I know what you're going to say..." Megan held his tongue as fast as she could, "I have a duty to uphold. I called for this... So I must answer it."
Megan went quiet for a moment, a dread falling over her; as it always did when her crown began to weigh on her young mind. However, a twitch of something came to her when she heard the pony speak again. Joy. "That wasn't what I was going to say, Megan. I was going to suggest we send Sombra out to scare everyone away," a biting hiss came out from one of the other council members while the others snickered, "It'll give you time to make up a plan... And it'll give us a chance to better use Sombra's growing frown lines."
The council continued to snicker at the pony's smart comment; before long having Megan offer in a few laughs herself. Slowly, she drew to a stand, taking one of the papers on her desk with her. Tucking her thick fur cape around her, she stood to face the pony speaking to her. "Yes, well... While that's a good use of what we have, Turner, I believe everyone has gathered to hear a speech... Not see a fright."
Time Turner submitted a low bow, stepping out of the way of his empress; pleased enough with returning a little light to her face. Sombra on the other hand snorted before peering at Megan as she moved towards the balcony. "Promise me you won't drag your words down with meaningless jabs like your so-called council member, empress. The citizens need a leader... Not a jester," Sombra spoke in a mumble, but the council could hear him well enough; used to his usual manner of speaking.
"Peace in the empire starts with peace in the council, Lord Sombra," Megan offered a sincere smile to her more agitated member of the court.
The dark unicorn submitted to the smile, sheepishly looking away with a mix of shame and humility; though his muzzle formed a smile all the same from his leader's concern for him and their subjects. Another step from Megan brought her to stand before her most steadfast member of the council; Firefly. The pegasi garbed in regal armor stood at a stout attention as the empress moved pass her. "You will do wonderfully, ma'am. We humbly await your decree, ma'am. It is a momentous honor to stand at your side as you address the realm, ma--"
"Firefly, Firefly!" Megan waved her hands out before Firefly's eyes, urging her to calm down, "At ease..."
Sure enough, the pegasi slumped ever-so slightly against herself and let out a compressed sigh. "Right, sorry. I'm just nervous..."
Empress Megan gave her loyal council mare a caring stroke to her mane, an unsure smile crossing her face. "Strange since I'm the one giving the speech. But, you would not be Firefly if you just relaxed, would you?" Excusing herself from Firefly's side, Megan moved on, nearing the exit to the balcony.
Yet again, a council member -this time a fit, young unicorn of a pearly white coat- stood in her path. The garbs he wore hung loosely over him, clearly not tailored to his smaller size. Megan raised a brow at the young stallion as he moved to stand in her way. "Offering your own piece, Starswirl?"
"Yes. I mean, no. But..." The stallion fumbled for a second, a tint of white magic summoning around the large hat he wore to pull it up from covering his eyes. "Just... Just speak from the heart, my liege. That's what the master would say... If he were here, I mean. Not that he didn't want to be here! He did! But, I... I was told he had duties to attend to."
"I am thankful all the same that he sent you in his place, Starswirl," Megan reassured the apprentice wizard, "Your input does a world of good to me... And have no worries. I speak only from the heart."
Embarrassed, Starswirl shifted out of Megan's path and took refuge in the shadows of her quarters; away from the eyes and attention of the esteemed council. While watching Starswirl slink off into the shadows, Megan failed to notice a female earth pony stomp up to her. The moment Megan turned to greet her council member, the mare shoved a hardened hoof into Megan's chest. The empress jumped a little, but the pat didn't pack enough force to knock the wind out of her. "Listen. We are comrades... The kingdom is our assembly... The world is company... They do not serve us..."
Megan wrapped her fingers around the mare's hoof, giving her a gentle smile. "And we do not serve them. We work as one for a common goal. Equal supremacy. No supremacy... Is that about right, Silver Bit?"
The mare -forge master of the council- cocked a hard smirk as she snapped her hoof away from Megan's chest. "That's why I kneel to only you, Megan... Now, step softly and speak softer. Embrace the will of the earth, and she will yield you her secrets." Silver Bit moved out from Megan's path, leaving the empress only one hurdle left before she reached her public.
Facing out towards the crowd, a massive being of red skin and four legs watched every motion the public made outside. Megan moved to stand beside him, clutching onto the edges of her cloak as she did so; so as to close her cape around her for warmth as the cold northern air outside started to become more prominent to her. "...Worried, Tirek?"
The massive centaur -Tirek- huffed to himself, his eyes closed tight as he stood with his thoughts. "For you? No. For them? Yes."
"You should have more faith, general."
"Faith does not make a twig break any less easily..." The giant slowly opened his eyes, offering a purely worried gaze to his empress, "I worry for the ones so easily broken, my empress..."
"We all do..." Megan muttered her own worry as she looked among the many faces filling her court. "However... It's the ones who fight against that worry and try to bind all the twigs that stop them from breaking, right?"
It was small, but assurance went into Tirek's expression and his shoulders loosened up. "I will greet the crowd..." Slowly, the giant beast crossed the threshold of the balcony, drawing all the eyes and attention from every creature of the Crystal Empire's realm. With a booming, echoing voice, Tirek spoke to the masses while Megan finalized her mental preparations.
"Citizens of the Crystal Empire...! Your empress; First Empress Megan the Bright speaks!" Even as Tirek left the balcony; even as Megan gradually went out to meet her public; even as the council stood behind their empress with conviction in their hearts; the crowd roared with applause, admiration, and joy at the mere mention of their great empress' name.