//------------------------------// // The Manetown Incident // Story: The Nineteenth Century: The Saga of Equestria // by mint20 //------------------------------// Chapter 9: The Manetown Incident The Nineteenth Century: The Saga of Equestria June 25, 1817 American Embassy to Equestria Canterlot. Equestria “I must decline, Princess Celestia,” said the human ambassador. “I have already given you my terms, and they are the only ones I am authorized to accept. Now, the United States of America demands that you turn that man over to us for punishment according to the laws of the United States of America. Are you refusing our demand?” How did it come to this? wondered Celestia. How did everything spiral out of control so quickly? November 23, 1816 Special Meeting of the Equestrian Royal Council Canterlot, Equestria “Thank you for coming, esteemed Ambassadors,” said Celestia, smiling at the two diplomats. Ambassador Liston smiled in return, relaxed, and inclined his head towards the Princesses. Erickson, however, remained in his stiff position. “Why have you summoned us?” he asked, wasting no time. “It has come to my attention that both of your countries have requested that we open our borders to human immigrants. I have convened the Royal Council to deliberate, and we wish to hear why you think this is a good idea.” Liston spoke first. “The United Kingdom wishes to learn more of this land. After all, the existence of your species was a mystery until very recently, and many of our greatest minds are still puzzling over it. In addition...I could not help but notice that your nation is technologically inferior to the rest of the civilized world. If you wish...perhaps we could trade our knowledge, and help you. All immigration to your nation would be kept strictly controlled, of course.” After he fell silent, it was Erickson’s turn. “As my...esteemed colleague said, the United States of America wishes to discover more about your country, and your species. In addition, we believe that a fundamental part of national understanding is cultural blending. As a result, we would allow a number of Americans that wish to settle in your lands to do so.” Alarm bells went off in Celestia’s brain. An unspecified number of permanent human residents? Not a chance. “Thank you,” she said carefully. “We will continue our deliberations, and inform you of our decision when we arrive at one.” The humans bowed and took their leave. As the door closed behind them, Luna muttered, “All in favor of unlimited American settlers in Equestria, please adicate right now and spare us the trouble of having explain to the population why we stripped you of power.” Celestia didn’t blame her. “I actually do not have a problem with the Kingdom’s proposal,” said Cadance. “I agree. It seems reasonable enough,” added Twilight. “That is true,” replied Celestia. “The United Kingdom, I say, can go ahead, as long as we get a say in just how ‘limited’ that immigration is. The Americans, though…” The Princesses reflected silently for a moment, then Celestia cleared her throat and said, “All in favor of provisionally approving the United Kingdom’s proposal?” All four Princesses raised a hoof. “Very well. Now, if we remove the American settlers from the proposal of the United States, who here would be inclined to approve it?” The Princesses looked sideways at each other, then - slowly - each of them raised a hoof. After a brief moment of silence, Twilight spoke up. “Actually, as long as the number of human settlers were tightly controlled - say, no more than fifty - and they were kept under constant watch by the Guard, I would allow it.” Cadance, next to her, nodded slowly. “I would as well, as long as the second they start acting up, we were allowed to arrest and punish them.” Luna slowly began to nod as well, and said, “I suppose that the essence of diplomacy is compromise, after all. As long as the human population within Equestria follows our rules regarding slavery and the like, and remains orderly and obedient, I can’t see a reason to deny their request.” Celestia nodded. “If that is the decision of the Council, I shall deliver our compromise to the Americans.” “Is that all for now?” asked Cadance. “Actually, no,” replied Luna. “If the Americans and the British get to establish embassies in Equestria, why don’t we establish a diplomatic presence in their nations? A number of ponies have approached me, offering their services as diplomats. Of course, they would require training before we send them off, but it sounds like the beginning of an Equestrian Diplomatic Corps to me.” “Interesting...we could take the British up on their offer and ask them to assist in their training,” added Celestia. After a moment, she asked, “All in favor of the establishment of the Equestrian Diplomatic Corps?” Another unanimous approval. December 17, 1816 Manetown, Equestria As the human settlers approached the town, some eighty strong, they felt the cold get harsher and harsher. As the sun set, the heat quickly left the ground, thanks to the fact that there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Eventually, their presence was noticed, and a orange-coated pegasus decided to brave the cold and flew out to meet them. “...Hello. Are you one of those humans the Princess told us about?” asked the pegasus, looking wary, but not unfriendly. The de facto leader of the human settlers looked the pony up and down for a few seconds, then decided that he was not seeing things. He had been told about the ponies, of course, but being told about them was one thing. Actually seeing them in the flesh, however, was quite another… “I don’t know who this ‘Princess’ is,” he replied, “but I and my companions are humans, yes.” The pegasus considered this fact for a moment, then noticed just how freezing the group looked. “It’s too cold to be outside,” he said. “Come with me. I have a few friends. If we pool our resources, we might just have enough room for the night.” “I don’t imagine you’ll have enough beds,” he replied. “No, but we do have warm fires, and walls to keep the cold away.” The human considered it for a moment, then looked out at his group. Consisting of mostly small families, he shuttered to think what would happen if they were caught out in the cold without some form of shelter. While they did have tents and tools to make fire with, the man was not sure just how effective they would be. “Very well,” he said. The pony cracked a small smile, then said, “Follow me, then.” December 21, 1816 American Embassy to Equestria Canterlot, Equestria “I fail to see the problem,” said the human diplomat. “Our people were more than orderly.” “I do,” replied Celestia. “First off, I had no idea the human immigrants would arrive so swiftly!” “That is of no concern of yours,” Erickson replied. “But, if you must know, the United States had selected them before we received word back from you, and they were stationed at the edge of the Louisiana Territory. Word travelled swiftly.” “Ok,” said Celestia. “I can accept that. However, the number of settlers is almost double what the Council said we’d allow!” “And I warned you that the United States would send up to one hundred,” the human said, “You had no justifiable reason to defy the will of the Royal Council!” replied Celestia. “I have a half mind to declare them unwelcome right now and send them back where they came from!” “You wouldn’t dare,” said the diplomat. And that was the crux of the matter. No matter how loudly Princess Celestia protested, both of them knew that Equestria lacked the military might to challenge anything that the United States did. Celestia could complain as much as she wanted to, and all the human would have to do is sit back in his chair and call her bluff. It pissed the Princess off. After a moment of awkward silence, the human allowed a small smile to come through before changing the topic. “Now, it has come to my attention that this nation does not follow Christianity, and has no idea what Christmas is.” “And I take it some, most, or all of the settlers are members of this ‘Christianity?’” “All of them, I should think,” replied the diplomat. “I need your guarantee that on December 24 and 25, you and your subjects will allow them to worship in peace.” “December 25? That’s Hearth’s Warming Eve,” Celestia noticed. “Problem?” “None, as long as these humans do not interfere with our holiday,” she replied. “I should warn you. all public celebrations of Hearth Warming are nationally protected.” “Noted.” December 25, 1816 (Hearth’s Warming Eve) Manetown, Equestria “What are the heathens doing now?” asked a settler. When the humans discovered that the ponies were neither Christians nor interested in becoming Christians, some of the more religious among them thought that maybe, just maybe, God wanted them to change that. “Most of them seem to have gone into the town hall,” replied another. “No doubt to practice their ungodly ways,” said the first. “Well, what are we waiting for? We have a dozen-and-a-half God-fearing men here, and with more weapons than these primitive bastards could ever imagine! Let’s teach them a thing or two about the true faith!” “You think boss will approve?” asked a more cautious member of their group. “Who cares? We’re doing God’s work! How can we be wrong?” As the party of humans entered the town hall, they saw the ponies mingling and speaking with each other. In the back of the hall, a pony was clearly (somehow) about to begin playing the piano. How she would do that with her hooves, none of the humans had any idea. “Alright you damn horses! Enough of your satanic ways!” shouted one of the humans. Nopony heard him over the din. Angry, he lifted his gun and fired a shot into the roof of the building. “I said, ENOUGH of your Devil worshipping ways!” That silenced the crowd in no time flat. All of them expect for that same pegasus that had first welcomed them into the town. “What are you doing, my...friends?” he asked. “You’re no friend of mine,” replied the human. “I have no heathen friends.” “...Very well. If not my friend, then, what do you want?” “For you to abandon your filthy, satanic beliefs and submit to the will of God!” “We already told you, we have no interest in your religion. We allowed you to celebrate your holiday in peace, now we want you to do the same for us.” This time, it was not the orange pegasus speaking, but rather the mayor of Manetown. “Now, leave us now, and we will forget this whole thing even happened. Or stay, and learn about us. Leave those weapons out of it, though.” As he spoke, nobody noticed a unicorn in the corner cast a quick spell. “No!” yelled the human, and he lowered his gun so it pointed at the mayor. “I am doing the Lord’s work now! My Savior commands it!” “Maybe...maybe not,” said one of his fellow humans. “This is a bad idea. Maybe we should just leave.” The man carrying the gun whirled around and pointed the gun at him. “Traitor! Treason before God! I should shoot you right now!” “But you won’t,” the other man replied, “for this is not God’s will. You whipped us up into a frenzy, but now reason is resurfacing. These ponies treated us just fine, and no amount of angry words will change that. Jesus once said, ‘love thy neighbor as thyself,’ after all.” Before anybody else could say anything, a door gave way with a loud BANG! In their shining gold armor, half a dozen members of the Royal Guard charged through. The lead pony yelled, “Royal Guard! Drop your weap-ack!” He fell to the ground, as the human wielding the gun dimly felt the recoil of his weapon. It took his brain a few seconds to register what had happened. In that few seconds, the Guard closed the gap between themselves and the man. Seeing the spears leveled at him, he whispered, “I did it for God...may He have mercy on my soul.” One of the Guard clubbed him over the head with a spear, and the man collapsed into the waiting arms of darkness. January 2, 1817 Emergency Meeting of the Equestrian Royal Council Canterlot, Equestria “What charges do we have? A better question would be what charges we don’t have!” exclaimed Princess Luna. “Disruption of Hearth’s Warming Eve, property damage, bringing disharmony, and, to top it all off, assaulting an officer of the Royal Guard. Any word on his condition, by the way?” There was a moment of silence before Twilight finally spoke. “He...he died last night.” “Add murder to the charges,” Luna muttered. All of the Princesses fell silent for a moment. “And what does this mean for the perpetrator?” asked Erickson. Celestia sighed. “Murder of a member of the Royal Guard is almost unheard of in Equestria.” “That being said, however, we cannot allow this crime to go unpunished. Most likely, he will be fined a sum of approximately seventy-five thousand bits, in addition to the cost to repair the damage done to Manetown’s Town Hall. As for the killed Guard...above and beyond the fines, ancient law demands that he be imprisoned for a period of no less than twenty years, along with reparations to the family of the fallen pony.” “Unacceptable,” said the human. Celestia hesitated for a moment, then said, “I’m sorry you feel that way. However, Equestria has rules and laws that we must follow. We cannot just waive the law whenever we feel uncomfortable. No, this human’s punishment will go forward, regardless of your personal feelings on the matter.” “No. I have received orders in anticipation of an incident like this from the United States. We demand that you turn the American over to us for trial by his own species.” “May I remind you, Ambassador, that we never signed a treaty of extraterritorially with your nation. As such, you cannot make any such demands upon us and expect us do any such thing.” “The United States is prepared to take...drastic action...to protect its citizens,” came the reply. All of the Princesses recognized a thinly-veiled threat when they heard one. “As such, I urge you to reconsider your stance, before something happens that we all regret.” He left, the door booming shut behind him. “Well,” said Cadance. “that happened.” “What in the name of all things under the Sun are we going to do?” asked Twilight, a very faint note of despair in her voice. Celestia walked over to a window and glared in the general direction of the US embassy. After a moment, though, she let her gaze wander, until it fell upon a similar building, flying a different flag. With a sense of finality, she turned and faced the rest of the Royal Council. “It is high time,” she said, attaching as much weight as she could to each word, “that we start making a few friends.” British Embassy to Equestria Canterlot, Equestria “I wish I could say that I was surprised, Your Highnesses,” said Liston. “Once again the Americans have demonstrated their contempt for civility and rationalism.” “Does that mean your government will side with us?” “Side with you? No, not in so many words. It would take weeks before word made it back to His Majesty, time you simply do not have to spare. Rather, I am prepared to offer my services as mediator. Note that I would not be acting as an ambassador from the United Kingdom, but rather a man with extensive knowledge of diplomacy and conflict resolution. Perhaps with my help, we can come to an agreement that is...serviceable to both sides, before this becomes any more unpleasant than it already is.” “Very well. The Royal Council will consent your offer. Now to get the American on board...” February 22, 1817 British Embassy to Equestria First Day of Negotiations “Alright,” said Ambassador Liston. “Please, take your seats.” Ambassador Erickson took a seat perpendicular to Liston’s, as Princess Celestia sat across from him. “I have selected this spot as a neutral location for us to sit down, as civilized creatures, to discuss our differences. Do note that I am not an arbiter, nor a judge of any kind. Rather, I simply act as mediator, and my presence here is simply of one who wishes to see the peace on this continent preserved.” “Now, I have looked at the facts of the case, and they seem straightforward enough. With that in mind, Princess Celestia, if, for the record, you can state the charges against and expected punishment for the man in question?” “Certainly,” she replied. “The man is charged with general disruption of harmony, disruption of Hearth’s Warming Eve Celebrations, breaking and entering, public property damage, and the assault and murder of a member of the Equestrian Royal Guard. The absolute minimum demanded by law is a fine of no less than twenty-two thousand bits, and a term of imprisonment of no less than twenty years. At the absolute minimum.” “What are the odds he would be given such terms?” “Slim. As I said to Ambassador Erickson, it is more likely that he would face a twenty five year imprisonment, and a slightly harsher fine.” “Do you over the power to override this?” Celestia paused, a troubled look on her face. “Technically, yes, I can pardon anypony for any reason. However, doing so invites dangerous legal precedents.” “You did so for your sister,” pointed out Erickson. “That’s not the same thing. She had already been banished for over a thousand years. that was punishment enough.” “Peace,” interrupted Liston. “We’re getting off track. Ambassador Erickson, is it possible for your government to pay the fines on behalf of this man?” “Possible? Yes,” he said. “However, I would need to get into contact with the United States. Should take weeks for a messenger to get to Washington, DC, and weeks to get a message back. And before we send the messenger, we need establish just how much the fine will be for and its value. We don’t have any ‘bits,’ so some other form of payment, if it is approved, will need to suffice.” “I must warn you that I have received more letters and petitions than I can count demanding that something be done about the human. I have not seen the ponies so angry about something in over a thousand years.” “That is concerning, but let it be known that the United States will not allow a mob to dictate whether or not an individual will get justice. We are prepared to take drastic measures to protect this man’s rights.”