//------------------------------// // Westernization, Part II // Story: The Nineteenth Century: The Saga of Equestria // by mint20 //------------------------------// Westernization, Part II The Nineteenth Century: The Saga of Equestria September 10, 1817 Special Session of the Equestrian Royal Council Canterlot, Equestria “Remind me to abolish the Summit again if we need to,” said Luna. “This September has been so much easier without it. I think I actually got a good day’s sleep yesterday!” “Indeed,” echoed Twilight. “Don’t worry, there is still several opportunities to lose sleep ahead of us,” warned Cadance. “Correct,” interjected Celestia. “And that brings us-” she slammed a massive pile of paper down on the desk in front of her “- to the next item on our ridiculously long list. Now that centralization of the monarchy is underway, we can turn our attention to what’s next.” “And that is?” “We have a choice, actually. We can reorganize the economy, continue the centralization process, jump-start the sciences, found a navy, or...begin military reforms.” The Princesses looked sideways at each other, then Twilight said, “It seems that the sciences are one of the most important parts of that selection, if I can be trusted to be impartial here.” “I agree,” said Cadance. “It clearly appears to be the one upon with the humans have built their vast advantage, and, as such, seems a good place to start.” “We cannot forget the military, however much we might want to,” interjected Luna. “For now, I propose that we begin importing weapons and hiring leaders to aid us in re-training the, quite frankly, pitiful Equestrian Armies, of which, I’m pretty sure only the Royal Guard still exists.” “She has a point,” conceded Cadance. “But, we all know that human weapons are designed...well, for human use,” said Twilight. “With that in mind, are we even sure that two-legged, fingered creatures have weapons that are usable by us?” “Well, as you know, Twilight, ponies can walk on two legs, if only for very limited amounts of time,” said Celestia. “With this in mind, perhaps we could figure out a few modifications that would allow us to temporarily arm the Royal Guard, and give them some teeth. That is, until our scientists can figure out a suitable set of permanent modifications.” “In the meantime, we need to open channels with the British to see if they will lend us officers that we can use to train,” interjected Cadance. “Already in progress,” replied Celestia. “Ambassador Liston is reaching out to his government, to see if their are any military officers they can spare.” “And, while we are on the topic of Mister Liston, training of the beginning of the Equestrian Diplomatic Corps is almost complete. Within a month or so, we shall have our first batch of diplomats.” “Excellent,” said Luna. “We should be ready to dispatch one as soon as we receive word from our expedition to the United States.” As an afterthought, she added, “Such an unwieldy name, isn’t it?” Celestia allowed herself a small chuckle, but quieted quickly and said, “Remember, everypony, this is without a doubt when Equestria is at her weakest. We have to complete westernization, or all of ponykind is doomed to annexation and possibly even slavery. In all honestly, Equestria has seen many threats, but, in this instance, the stakes have never been higher. We cannot slip up now.” “If that is true, we have to do something about those American settlers,” said Luna. “They are a set of unpredictable humans that we have no direct control over, and that cannot be allowed during our time of weakness.” September 13, 1817 The White House Washington, DC “Well, I hardly expected this,” said the current president of the United States, a man named James Monroe. “In that, we agree,” said Silver Compass, feeling slightly underwhelmed. While the White House was luxurious enough, he, quite frankly, expected such a prestigious position as President of one of the largest nations Equestria had ever heard of to have a slightly more impressive home. Monroe must noticed the faint sense of letdown, for he said, “You must know that the United States does not believe in lavishly spending on my salary. I am, after all, merely a servant of the United States, not a ruler.” Silver Compass took a moment to consider that, also pausing to wonder if the President meant something more by that statement. After a moment, he dismissed the thought. “Anyways, do you accept our request?” The man stayed silent for a moment, then said, “Of course. It is traditional to open bilateral diplomatic relations. As was said by our diplomat, we welcome any attempt to resolve international disputes peacefully.” Silver Compass internally raised an eyebrow at this statement, considering the the Manetown Incident. Not commenting on it, he pressed on and asked, “So, we are allowed to begin construction?” “Of course. Take this,” he said, a piece of paper over to the pony. “This note orders that all materials you need for construction be made available to you at no charge. Feel free to build as you see fit, and to send a messenger back to summon your diplomat.” November 2, 1817 Special Meeting of the Equestrian Royal Council Canterlot, Equestria “We received permission?” asked Celestia. “Yes, and our workers started work on the embassy immediately. I was sent back to summon the diplomat to the United States.” “Very well. We will dispatch her by the end of this week, with letters of accreditation. Now, tell me about this ‘Mexico.’” “Well, we haven’t really learned much.” replied the messenger from Equestria’s expedition. “All we know for sure is that a revolution is occurring, attempting to secure their independence from another country named ‘Spain.’ And that they speak a different language.” “Just how many human countries are there?” asked Celestia rhetorically. As the question was rhetorical, she pushed forward and said, “Well, if what you say is true and they are involved in a war of independence, it might hurt relations with this ‘Spain’ if we sent a diplomatic mission. As such, we’ll just observe for now.” “Yes, ma’am!” I think a change in titles is appropriate, Celestia thought to herself, briefly. Shelving the thought for now, she nodded to the messenger, saying “Thank you. Dismissed.” “Interesting,” said Luna. “Indeed.” “Well, first things first,” said Celestia, pulling out a sheet of paper. It read: To the President of the United States of America, The Equestrian Royal Council extends its greetings. This letter certifies that ________ is a member of the Equestrian Diplomatic Corps, and has been assigned as the Equestrian Ambassador to the United States. She is authorized to negotiate and sign treaties, provide services for Equestrian residents in the United States, to run the Equestrian Embassy within the United States, and to otherwise represent the Equestrian Royal Council in all affairs with the United States. In accordance with accepted international tradition and law, she is entitled to all the rights and immunities guaranteed thereof. Sincerely, The Equestrian Royal Council, whose signatures are fixed below. _________ _________ _________ _________ Celestia looked up, and issued an order to the guards defending the doors, “Send her in.” They nodded, and knocked on the doors. The doors opened from the outside, as the Royal Guard outside the doors showed in an moderate-sized, blue-ish colored unicorn pony. “Your Highnesses,” she said, bowing to the Princesses. “Rise, my little pony,” ordered Celestia, and she rose. “What is your name?” asked Twilight. “I am Sapphire Flower,” she replied. “And you completed Ambassador Liston’s course?” asked Luna. Of course, the Princesses knew the answers to all these questions already, but they wanted to assess how the pony acted under pressure. “Yes, ma’am.” “Where are you from?” “Mareposa, ma’am.” “Can you tell us why you want to be the diplomat to the United States?” This question came from Cadance. “...Equestria needs me,” said the pony after a brief pause. “My country and my Princesses need everypony to step up in this time. Most everypony supports adopting western ways, but somepony needs to be the face of Equestria to the United States, and I am as good as anypony else.” Interesting. “So, it is fair to say that you want to do this out of patriotism?” asked Celestia, for clarification. “Yes.” Now, it was time for the test. “It says here that you performed poorly in Ambassador Liston’s classes, and that he does not recommend you for any serious diplomatic position. What say you to that?” Sapphire opened her mouth slightly, presumably to respond, but stopped before doing so. Her face became disciplined as she said, “With all due respect, Your Highnesses, I believe that your information is in error.” “No, it is not,” lied Celestia, searching the pony’s face for emotion. “Well, I have little to say. No matter what the reports say, all I have is my personal experience. In my classes, I found the Ambassador to be a polite, if somewhat strict individual. I, in kind, applied myself to everything that he assigned to the absolute best I could. If that was not enough for him, then it wasn’t enough.” Celestia looked to the other Princesses and nodded once. Seeing them nod in turn, she turned back to the pony and said, “I am satisfied. All in favor of approving Sapphire Flower’s bid for Equestrian Ambassador to the United States of America?” All four Princesses again passed a unanimous vote. “His note said nothing of the kind, did it?” “That is correct. Ambassador Liston actually thought somewhat highly of you, and you were the first entry on his list of recommended ponies for a diplomatic position, due to your, quote, ‘calm disposition under stress.’” The unicorn flushed with pride. “Thank you, Your Highnesses.” “Do not think that we are doing you any favors,” cut in Luna. “You will be deployed in a technologically advanced, somewhat hostile nation. You will be under constant scrutiny, and the humans will leap at any incidence of ‘faux pas’ that you may exhibit. It very well might be the single most dangerous job for a pony in the entire world. Do you still want it?” The pony blinked, but otherwise stood firm. “If this is what Equestria and my Princesses need of me, I will not fail to do my part.” “Good. If that is your stance, then we will finish filling out your letters of accreditation. Please make all necessary arrangements, and report back in Canterlot no later than four days from now. Then, you will be issued your letters, given an escort from the Guard and the remainder of your diplomatic personnel, and sent to the United States.” Celestia hesitated for a moment, then added, “Good luck...and may the Sun and Moon ever guide you.” November 4, 1817 British Embassy to Equestria Canterlot, Equestria “So, you ended up appointing Sapphire Flower?” asked Liston. “Interesting. She is probably the most qualified...pony for the job.” “Indeed, your recommendations said as much, and she passed our brief examination, as well.” “A fine choice...though a female in the role of diplomat…” “I’m sorry?” asked Celestia, raising an eyebrow. The human paused for a moment, his brow furling. After a moment, he slowly began to speak: “For most of human history, such roles of danger and risk have been the domain of men. Women are instead responsible to raise the next generation of leaders of their nation.” Celestia raised her eyebrows and said, “In the past, it was the other way around in Equestria. In the pre-Discord Equestrian Republic, while the tribes were technically equal, mares had a definite political and social advantage. Before that, all three of the founding Tribes were matriarchies. Even in the militaristic Pegasi Tribe, commissions for stallions were exceptionally rare, and a stallion head-of-state, so to speak, was unheard of. But after the overthrow of Discord, everything changed. Ponies had to stand together to survive, and we realized it. As a result, stallions found themselves quickly elevated to the same pedestal that mares stood upon, and it has been as such ever since.” “Fascinating,” said Liston, shaking his head slightly. “Your nation continues to amaze me with its…unorthodox ways.” “Unorthodox to you, perhaps.” Celestia hesitated before saying, “I cannot help but feel somewhat nervous that adopting your new ideas might cost Equestria her ways and traditions. Traditions that are a result of many millennia of harmony and peace.” “It is a forgone conclusion the the culture of Equestria will see a shift,” replied the human. “From what I’ve seen, the country will not be quite the same after westernization. No nation is. However, there is strength in your species. We need only look to your history to see that your kind has faced and overcame enormous challenges in the past. Such a species does not go quietly, and I am certain that reaching westernization is not only possible for this country, but not even particularly difficult.” “Thank you, Ambassador Liston.”