Fallout Equestria : Black And White

by Philweasel


Chapter 3.12 - Peace in our Time

The Emerald Beaches were not the most regal location for a diplomatic summit, ironically considering this place had once enjoyed visits from celebrities from across the world. Situated on a island sat between Equestria and the Zebra Empire however it had been abandoned barely a few weeks into the war and now its luxurious resorts lay in ruins, its gardens and wildlife rotted and dead due to the radiation and polluted water.

Caesar had done his best however, anything less would have insulted his dignity. The great entrance hall of the San-Jurios hotel had been cleaned and polished, banners for all the participants hung above and a new chandelier installed. All in all, it wasn't half bad considering it had been all done in but a couple of weeks.

"The Cervidae have docked sir, but they will not move from their ships until the others have arrived."

Caesar turned to Daisy with a smile, the donkey merchant having impressed him further with her admirable job organizing all this at such short notice, "They don't trust me."

"Who can say?" Another of this councilors stated with a snort, "They pride themselves on being impossible to understand."

"No creature is impossible to understand." He responded with a smile, "The Cervidae for instance like to be assured in their superiority, make sure to send our least impressive looking soldiers and our most over-enthusiastic diplomats. Reinforce their perception of themselves as the culturally superior outsiders, they'll be eating out of our hooves."

Daisy smiled at this, her quietly efficient persona momentarily broken, "And the others sir?"

Caesar chuckled, rather enjoying himself now, "The undine like pomp and fuss. Overdress their escort, give them the most over the top announcements, send the most pompous zebra you can find. Star Fall? Act wary and afraid, like we're still scared of them after all these years. Reference their history, they like that."

Daisy nodded, "I will arrange it immediately my lord."

Caesar chuckled as he turned to the window, Daisy exiting the room to start making preparations. This was it. His moment. His destiny, "How do I look Oteka?"

Oteka gave him a smile, "Like a Caesar."

¬

Star Fall arrived first, as blustering and arrogant as he expected. What he hadn't expected was that they formed two entirely separate delegations. Themba was fully armored and flanked by the largest, ugliest and most overburdened zebra he had ever seen, mounting layers of forged steel and multiple heavy weapons. His son Pangaea too walked with his honor guard, though his wore ceremonial armor more fitting with a diplomatic summit. Caesar had ordered his soldiers to protest at the openly worn weaponry but back down without much fuss, he still had the zebra outgunned and he wanted Themba arrogant and overconfident.

With him however was the expansive form of Golden Dawn, leading her own team of well dressed merchants and priests. He noted the presence of her father, Archon Mayva himself, looking resplendently judgmental as normal.

King Aspen was next, as regal as ever, his ever suspicious eyes already scanning the room for any sign of betrayal. Tall and slim, with white coat and golden markings, the deer king cut a royal figure that Caesar had always tried to emulate. His copper armored guards looked deeply anachronistic and behind the times with their barbed spears, and perhaps they were. Still the presence of a few of those warriors at his father's court had inspired Oteka in her own fighting style, one that had helped win him many battles.

Finally there was Queen Ariel of the Undine Empire, magically transformed into pony form and still managing to look reasonably graceful. Unlike King Aspen she had aged since Caesar had last saw her, still the shimmering blue of her coat and the streamlined curves of her body still inspired a collective sigh from many of the zebra around the room. Caesar only wished she could have been here in her true form. Indeed due to their unfortunate incompatibility with dry land she only had two of her own similarly shapeshifted guards with her, the rest of her retinue supplied by Star Fall warriors wearing her colors.

"King Aspen, a pleasure to meet face to face." Ariel stated in tones full of rich depth as she met Aspen near the door, "Your aid to the Empire has been invaluable, and I still feel I have not done nearly enough to repay you."

Aspen turned to her with a little hesitation, Caesar noticing he seemed somewhat wary of the queen. Indeed his normally unflappable demeanor seemed tainted with a mild embarrassment, though he was quick to hide it, "Queen Ariel, there is no need for gratitude. I wish for the day when all the world blooms again, my aid to you was merely an extension of that."

"And Lord Caesar!" Ariel stated cheerfully as she turned, voice trill and musical, "We so rarely get a chance to meet!"

He noticed Aspen's eyes become wary, the deer king shooting Caesar a look. Caesar simply fell into a respectful bow, lowering his head far enough to flatter, "Queen Ariel, you should know my door is always open to you."

"Oh you are too kind." She tittered, before wearily glancing across the room, "Now if you'd excuse me, I am forced to pander to that boorish brute over yonder. We shall have to talk later dearies."

They watched her make her way over to Themba, all smiles as she finally met him and gave a extremely rehearsed set of kisses and flattery. Aspen finally leaned towards Caesar, after checking she was out of earshot of course, "You would invite a Kelpie to a meeting of world leaders?"

"I have guards wearing earplugs, ready to fill her with lead the moment she starts singing."

Aspen frowned, glancing towards the mare, "Ariel is a mare of depthless cunning and utterly ruthless ambition."

Caesar couldn't help but grin, "Someone to have on your side then."

"She's on her own side Incuta, don't forget that." He paused for a moment before his mouth set in a bitter frown, "She has King Leo's skull mounted on her wall. I do not intend to join him."

Caesar smirked as Aspen strode away. It was already going so well...

¬

"Caesar, I must speak to you."

Caesar turned away from where he had been pondering the fountain in the hope of further inspiration, spotting Golden Dawn and Archon Mayva heading towards him. It was quite the double team, Caesar bracing himself for the confrontation.

"There is no need to look so worried." Archon Mayva stated in his low, deep voice, approaching past middle age and yet losing none of the power in his stare, "I wanted to congratulate you. Talk of peace is rare in these times, and you have done well to merely have them meet here under one roof."

"You are a religious zebra, are you not?" Golden Dawn ventured, her smile creasing at her jowls, "My father and I seek peace and prosperity, the same as you."

Caesar wished he believed that. Unfortunately if belief in the holy flame was enough to unite zebra they wouldn't need 'peace' summits. Not to mention prosperity took on a different meaning coming from a war profiteer, who now only sought peace because conflict was eating into her business interests. As for the Archon, all the fancy outfits and pretty words couldn't disguise the fact that he claimed to represent all practitioners of the faith, while in the end he was nothing more than a Star Fall mouthpiece, "Unification is my primary goal today. As you say, we are one faith, one country."

"Well it isn't always that simple, but then that can be a strength in itself." Archon Mayva stated firmly, "The holy flame is the oldest, and purest way to understanding. Still, through the multitude of faiths, ideas and attitudes that emerge from the chaos of modern society, one can gain a far greater appreciation for the truth than in a world where the truth is easy and self evident. This I believe is the great strength of Star Fall."

Caesar didn't quite feel the same way. Giving the zebra too much choice let to chaos, he had seen that only too well, "And you would like the Golden Coast to be the same way?"

"Well that is beyond the scope of our mission today. But I do believe great Caesar that giving your churches their independence and allowing other faiths to worship freely would promote a spiritual understanding that could only benefit you."

Benefit Star Fall more likely, dividing his people and giving Star Fall spies and propagandists free reign inside his nation,"I will take it under consideration." He waved a hoof at a nearby server, "In the meantime, please, enjoy my hospitality. I have had several wines imported from the Mutum Heartlands that I'm sure you will find absolutely divine."

As he hoped, they quickly took to the wines, drinking from the glasses his server provided for them. All too easy.

¬

Caesar sighed as he finally made it to his room at the end of a long day, allowing Oteka to help him out of his heavier articles of clothing before stretching his muscles out. It had been a tough, stressful day, but well worth it, "No security concerns Oteka?"

"None sir. As I reported, one of Ariel’s guards dueled one of Aspen's, but the battle was settled amicably and no one was hurt."

He smiled. He would have liked to see that, "Who won?"

"Lord Aspen's guard sir, as expected. He was dueling a meremare on land, though said meremare did put up a good fight." She hung his robes up on the wall, smoothing out the silk, "And you sir?"

He laughed, feeling the thrill of victory, "It's all going well Oteka. All ready to be tied up in a bow tomorrow morning."

"Too well. My father already suspects you're up to something."

Caesar turned, smiling at the lean, muscled zebra who had just entered the room. He really didn't understand why the boy was still single. Those sharp, challenging, oh so honest eyes made him shiver, "I am up to something. Let him ponder on the nature of my evil plots, it will just surprise him more."

Pangaea padded softly into the room, those intense eyes furrowed in concern, "You are so sure he will say yes."

"I know he will." Caesar smirked, feeling like he was at the end of a long game, "I uncovered that little plot of his and it just made me laugh. Princess Luna, Khalid? Their plans were doomed to fail, and would have been irrelevant even if they had succeeded. But they did it anyway, because going up against me gave their lives meaning. Khalid is barely even a figurehead, a forgotten relic of the past rapidly fading from relevance. Luna and Abartili were the wrong species, and struggled to make their voices heard. Your father..."

Pangaea considered this, as Caesar hoped he would. He really was a sharp kid, "My father is an old man, in charge of a dying fragment of an great empire he lost."

"More than that, he is a warrior." Caesar stated, chuckling to himself and taking a moment to revel in his own cleverness, "Old warriors are dangerous, but predictable. He has struggled for years with his impotence, without any enemies to fight. I can give him an enemy. I can give him his youth back."

"You are far too clever for your own good Incuta." Pangaea spoke warningly, his expression chilly and imperious, "Zebra are not machines. They are dangerous and unpredictable, and you have grown far too reliant on them acting according to your will."

"There are always a few rare souls that resist. Zebra of more worth than your average drone. You are one of them, which is why I am speaking to you without pretentions." He smirked, "Your father is not. He is intelligent, in his own bullheaded way. But he is predictable and unimaginative."

"The others?"

"Ariel is sharper, but her motives are the same as your father's. And she is used to winning, grown arrogant in her strength." Caesar shrugged, "Aspen is more difficult. But I would settle for a lack of disapproval from him, or the presence of his healers within the rear guard."

"And our mutual friend?"

"Irrelevant in the end." Caesar remarked dismissively, "If the ponies want to fight among themselves, so be it. We haven't given him anything we can't take back, and his information fits with what we've heard from independent sources."

Pangea just frowned, eyes cold and suspicious as he considered this, "Let us hope it is that simple."

¬

Caesar stepped out into the main hall, flanked by Daisy and Oteka, basking in the awesomeness of the moment as the leaders of the civilized world turned to admire him.

...the parts of the world that mattered anyway.

"Sir." A courtier whispered to him as he stepped forward, "I have been asked to deliver apologies from Archon Mayva and Councilor Golden Dawn. Sadly they have both taken ill with a stomach bug this morning."

He grinned. Yet another thing exactly as according to plan. He couldn't have them spoiling the show today.

He had dressed for the occasion, flowing robes of the finest silk, his fur and mane brushed to perfection. In times to come zebra would remember this moment, the day the zebra finally took what they deserved. Not the zebra as a race, he fully admired the other races. No, the zebra culture. Of endurance, of honor, of a spirit born of the land.

He raised his head, bracing his lungs and firming his larynx before speaking, voice clear and commanding, "Great leaders of sea and land, noble representatives! I thank you for coming today, so that we may together work out a path to the future!"

"Huh." Themba snorted, his posture slouched as he stood among the Star Fall representatives, "Don't talk like we're friends Incuta."

"We could be." Caesar spoke softly but clearly, smiling as he took his place at the table.

"We won't be friends until you give us back the lands you stole." He answered back with a glare.

"With interest." Caesar replied.

It took a second for this to sink in. Eventually Themba's eyes widened, "What?"

"I will give you the lands you want. The lands you need to survive." Caesar answered, looking to Aspen and Ariel, "Aspen, how would you like to possess the elements of harmony once more? Ariel, what would you say to the secrets of the Gardens of Equestria, being the Empress who removed the pollution from the seas?" He grinned broadly, watching as the realization dawned, "How would you like to take vengeance on those who caused your suffering?"

"Ahahahahaha! KEEEHAHAHAHA!" Ariel burst out laughing, shifting into a sharp, kreeing cackle as she clapped her hooves. Eventually she regained control of herself, giving a wicked, far too wide smile as all eyes turned to her, "I didn't know you had it in you."

"Madness." Aspen growled, glaring at Ariel, then back at Caesar, "You repeat the mistakes of your ancestors."

"No, I'm going to fix the mistakes of our ancestors." Caesar replied, having expected this argument, "The war occurred because Equestria outmatched our strength, thought it could take what it wanted by force. It is still the case. With Equestria once again fertile and rich, they are already taking steps to attack me in order to seize the Golden Coast."

Themba grinned unpleasantly, "And tell me why I shouldn't join them?"

"Do you truly believe they would leave a zebra in charge Themba?" Caesar replied, fixing him with a smirk, "A pirate? A warlord? And more to the point, who would you rather fight for? Equestria? Or your fellow zebra?"

He went quiet, considering this. Ariel was still smiling, taking advantage of the silence to speak, "And what makes you think you can pull this off pup? Equestria is a rich prize, but you said it yourself, they are more powerful than you."

"Not at the moment." He stated with a sense of rising triumph. They were listening... "I have spies within Equestria, and they have informed me that internal struggles for power have left the Steel Rangers, cornerstones of the Equestrian military, decimated. The leader of the elements of harmony is also missing, as is their champion Littlepip. The single pegasus project is inoperable!"

"I can confirm all this is true." Pangaea stated, all in the room turning to him as he continued in his deep, firm tones, "Equestria is involved in internal struggles, and their ability to respond to attack is extremely limited."

"This is our time!" Caesar implored, striking a hoof against the floor and staring fiercely at those assembled, "Once we were divided, at war with ourselves. All of us suffered at the imperialistic arrogance of Equestria, our world destroyed in a war we never desired! And now the time has come to take reparation, to seize what we are owed!"

"And what of Caesar's curse?" Ariel breezily commented, trying her best to look disinterested, "You still have no way to transport large numbers of troops to Equestria, even with our aid."

"Then we need to focus efforts on stopping Caesar's curse." Pangaea turned his eyes to Themba, "Have you any ideas father?"

A moment of suspicion passed across Themba's face, still he looked proudly smug as he answered, "Actually I already have a team working on that. I am assured they are making good progress... and haha, it's even rather ironic."

Aspen raised an eyebrow, "How so?"

"Well the team consists of Sunshine Ivory, head of the Church of Celestia, and two Equestrian natives, including the son of the ruling Princess."

"And you are confident they can succeed where all others have failed?" Aspen asked.

Themba smirked back, "The other member of the group is Clear Skies, the pegasus who found us in the first place. She flew across the entire sea without stopping to rest, and with nothing but her fur on her back. If anyone can do it, she can."

"If this is true, then you would be the architect of our triumph Themba." Caesar crooned, watching as the zebra visibly preened under his praise, "And Equestria would never expect our assault, especially if some units found themselves suddenly deploying elsewhere on the coast, say without ships to transport them?"

Ariel chuckled, a twinkle in her eye, "My services don't come cheap Incuta."

He grinned charmingly back, "I would never insult you by assuming anything less my lady empress."

"My throne room would look rather nice with the riches of Equestria gracing it's walls..." She chuckled, "And the gardens! Hmm... given that they are required for the spell to work, might I assume that the Elements of Harmony would come with any deal?"

Caesar suppressed an evil chuckle. Exactly as planned.

"Absolutely not!" Aspen protested, rising haughtily, "The elements must be returned to us, so that they can be used to grow a new tree of harmony!"

"Can we expect aid from you as well then King Aspen?" Caesar asked, ever so politely. He watched as Aspen's eyes grew more and more frustrated, eventually turning his eyes to Ariel, "And Aspen's knowledge of the Elements would be invaluable for activating the Garden's of Equestria. Think of the possibilities! Combined, you would be able to heal the whole world with their power!"

"A section of Equestria of equal size to the other claims must be given over to us, so that it can be made into forests once more." Aspen declared hotly.

"Of course Aspen." Caesar soothed, feeling his plans come together. Indeed, they were forming better than he had ever hoped, "None of us could do this alone. Star Fall needs our resources and troops. We need your ships and weapons. Aspen, your healers and knowledge of the wild will save thousands of lives, not to mention the lost wisdom of the old world that you possess. Ariel, you are ruler of the seas and a proven conqueror whose campaigns are legendary. Together, we represent the oppressed underdogs of the world, a reminder that pony civilization is not the only one that matters!"

They all started talking excitedly, Caesar watching in amusement as he saw their faces lit up with a open fire of passion. He had done it. He had convinced them! It would be a day in history just for uniting them, ancestral enemies under one flag. When he took Equestria, brought peace and civilization to the world... then he would write the history books. His would be the line that restored the world to its old glory.

"Sir." A courtier whispered as he walked over, "We have a late arrival. They apologize, but wish to join the proceedings. They say they can help."

His eyes instantly narrowed in suspicion, "How do they know what we were talking about?"

"They said they had a mutual friend sire."

Caesar's eyes widened slightly in understanding, "Let them in. I owe that mutual friend a favor or five."

The functionary hurried off as Caesar set his eyes on the door, waiting in expectation. He could have asked who it was, prepared for the moment.

Still... however old he got, he always loved surprises.

"Announcing, Princess Radiant of the Lost Legion!"

The crier stepped away, a moment before the doors were engulfed in the clear white light of telekinesis and opened to reveal a instantly recognizable... but altogether wrong silhouette. It was an alicorn, tall and powerful, its extended wings shining with radiant green light in place of feathers, it's gait somewhat stiff and heavy. Eyes shone with a bright electronic blue, it's skin metallic grey and... riveted.

It folded its wings at its side, the glow fading away as they clicked into place. Robots of the lost legion moved to flank as it stepped out into the room, light reflecting of shining chrome. It spoke in a voice deep and feminine, echoing and amplified, "Apologies for my interruption, and for my tardiness. Know that I am here in peace, representing my people among the lost legion."

"What... are you?" Themba answered in shocked amazement, mirroring Caesar's own reaction, "You're a robot, but you... used telekinesis... and an advanced AI...?"

"I am indeed a construct, an advanced AI protocol. Due to great Caesar's friendship over the past few months we have been able to develop ourselves, resulting in the form you see now." Princess Radiant stated, this being the first Caesar had heard of any such thing. Not to look a gift horse in the mouth though, he certainly didn't bemoan this added boost to his credibility.

And she was gorgeous. He swore he had seen magic from her horn too, though that was impossible. It looked artificial, though the metal was a different type to the rest of her body and a line of crystal wound round in a spiral. Was that truly... an artificial horn?

"This is... an abomination..." Aspen stated, looking paler than he already was.

Ariel chuckled, waving a dismissive hoof, "Oh stop your gibbering Aspen. She's beautiful, I've never seen anything like her."

"And more could be yours." Radiant stated, glowing eyes regarding the room, "Caesar has won our allegiance with his wisdom and the Legion is happy to provide our services to you noble lords too. All we require in return is the resources needed to continue our research, and perfect our new designs."

Caesar watched her move across the room, having to admire the construction. He had many of his own robots in his army after all. Most of them were constructed in very box like forms because it made it easy to program stable movements, and they tended to mobilize by means of treads. Equine based robots were nearly unheard of, just because of the amount of moving parts even basic locomotion required. Radiant was stiff and clearly artificial, still she was a million times more advanced than anything else he had seen. And they were offering themselves up, technology to make even Saddle Arabia blush, "We welcome your help Princess Radiant. Indeed you have come at a very fortuitous time."

"So I have heard." Radiant answered, eyes flashing crimson for just a moment as she turned them to him, "We shall see where your ambitions take you Lord Caesar."

_______________________________________

Level up - Level 14 Reached

Perk Gained - Impartial Mediation
With the impartial mediation perk, you gain an extra 30 points to your speech skill so long as you maintain a neutral Karma level.