Chapter XIII: Long
Chapter XIII: Long
“It’s past your bedtime, young filly.”
Twilight looked up and blinked. She dropped the potted plant and turned around with wide eyes. “What did you just say?”
Luna froze where she stood in the doorway. “I’m sorry, Twilight. I didn’t mean to offend. I only wanted to remind you of a happier time.”
“I, but… How did you know?” Twilight turned away from Luna and blinked away the memories of a thousand late nights nestled in fluffy white feathers with a book in her hooves. “You even got the inflection perfect.”
“I chased away her nightmares.” Luna turned her head and squinted at a blank section of wall, her focus far beyond it. “In their place, I tried to pull up the happiest, most peaceful feeling I could find. She longs for the days when you looked up to her. What I saw was a little—”
“Yes, I know,” Twilight snapped. “But those days are over.”
“Today is over, Twilight. Tomorrow comes quickly, and you need your sleep before the summit. There will be no time for napping on the train.”
Twilight clenched her jaw and pinched her lips together, trying to make her suppressed yawn appear more like an angry moment of thought. “I don’t care if you go yourself, if you throw a bucket of cold water on Celestia, or if you send the window washer. I’m not leaving until I’ve found Flash.”
Luna raised one eyebrow. “And you expect to find him under potted plants and couch cushions?”
“I…” Twilight jammed the cushion back onto the couch with more force than was necessary. “He’s out there, he’s confused, and he’s hurt. I have to do something.”
“This is at least your fourth circuit around this part of the castle. You’re not going to find him like this. Why don’t you let the Canterlot guard handle the searching? Your brother is leading the effort, and if I’m not mistaken, he is the one who taught Flash everything he knows about ‘e and e’ as they call it. If anyone can find him, it’s Shining Armor.”
Twilight sat down on the couch and wrapped her tail around her haunches. “You’re right. He couldn’t have gone far. I’ll go make friends with an entire nation, and by the time I get back, Flash will be safe and sound, right here in the castle.” She smirked and poked Luna with a hoof. “Assuming you don’t lose him again, that is.”
“Ah, well.” Luna cleared her throat. “On that topic, I think that he would be better served by a facility equipped to deal with his… capabilities. He needs professionals who can keep him from hurting himself or others. Professionals who can help him readjust to the real world.”
“An institution. Yeah. Celestia literally drove him crazy.” She looked up at Luna as she hugged her tail tighter. “Crazy enough to hurt other ponies.”
Luna chuckled. “Well, it happens to the best of us.” She wrapped a wing around Twilight and shook her gently as she said, “When I found ponies who were willing to forgive me, I realized that I had room to forgive my sister as well.”
The castle had always been quiet at night, but even with the sound of rustling feathers and two ponies breathing, it had never felt empty like this. Then again, when filly Twilight was spending nights in the castle, she had usually filled the night with grand adventures through ancient places that smelled like musty books. And always on her own.
“You know what?” Twilight sat up straighter and took a refreshing breath. “All my friends are sleeping in the castle library right now. I’m going to pull up a comfy pile of books and join them. Take care of Flash for me. Thanks, Luna.”
Luna chuckled as she returned Twilight’s hug. “Rainbow Dash is probably drooling on an ancient, priceless manuscript as we speak. Go be with your friends.”
Twilight waved goodbye as she stepped out of the sitting room. A pair of guards fell into step behind her, their hoofsteps echoing ahead as she mindlessly traced the familiar hallways. As they neared the giant polished oak doors, Twilight slowed to a quiet shuffle, mindful of the gentle snores rolling through the doorway. She turned to the guards with a smile, but one of them spoke before she could.
“We’ll have everything ready for your trip tomorrow. I’ll be right here all night if you need anything, and I’ll make sure you get up on time. Starfire here will join the search as soon as everything’s packed. Don’t worry, Princess, a lot of us served with Flash Sentry. We’ve got your back.”
Starfire saluted. “Sleep easy, Princess.”
Twilight smiled and nodded before dragging herself into the library’s dim interior.
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Twilight concentrated on the train’s rhythm as the vibrations passed through the windowpane and transmitted directly into her skull. The cold glass felt good against her forehead. Not “good” per se, but distracting enough to keep her mind off of the train car full of stallions, all overly eager to be helpful. Flash had a lot of friends, and she’d never met any of them.
She sat up, feeling the long earrings dangling against her neck. They were heavy, they were pendulous, and she had been wearing them for hours now. She almost regretted having them made, but they marked her status as a head of state. At least, according to her most recent research. Spike’s earrings were not nearly so long, but proportional to his smaller size, they were nearly the size of hers. He seemed even less excited about them than she was.
Twilight sighed and held up a hoof. “No, Heavyside. I don’t think they will literally hold a sword to your throat. That was just a ‘for instance’ to illustrate the value they place on trust.”
“So,” the skinny stallion asked, “is that something like how a timberwolf can smell fear?”
“Ummmm…” Twilight looked at the ceiling. “I think it’s more like how a pony knows when someone doesn’t respect them. As much as you want to be respected by your peers, and especially by those you look up to, the Lóng want trust to be part of their relationships.”
A pegasus guard raised a hoof with a thoughtful look on his face. “Hypothetically,” he began, with every stallion in the car nodding gravely at the word, “if one of them was to hold a sword to my throat, I should trust that he isn’t going to hurt me. I can’t show any fear, right?”
“I think that ‘not showing fear’ falls more along the lines of false bravado than trust. Even a hardened warrior would be afraid of a blade at his throat. I’m guessing that it is more important to react honestly? There’s so much we don’t know about their culture, but any protocol gaffes will be easier to smooth over if they come from a genuine desire for friendship. So, I think, just be honest with them, and treat them like a trusted friend. It’s not like we’re hiding anything.”
“How do we know we can trust them, though?” an earth stallion asked. “I’m all for trusting your friends, but they’re friends because they already earned that trust.”
Twilight nodded as she looked over the ponies who seemed like they weren’t sure whether it was okay to agree with him. “The Lóng tell a story. Actually, they tell a lot of stories. Well, they used to. I would think they still do. I mean, it’s a very effective method of passing on and reinforcing cultural mores and—”
Spike cleared his throat. “The story?”
“Oh, right. Sorry. The point of this particular story is that if you withhold trust until it’s earned, then there’s no trust at all. It’s just two parties, waiting to be betrayed.”
“No offense, your highness,” said a graying unicorn, “but you just described international diplomacy. I’ve been on a lot of these summits with Princess Celestia, and let me tell you, most places outside of Equestria aren’t as… um, peaceful, I guess. Can you think of any ponies who would support an Equestrian war of territorial expansion?”
Twilight shook her head as she looked at one stallion after another. Some of them looked grim, some sad, and others simply looked at the floor.
“In other nations, it wouldn’t be so difficult to find that support. I’m just saying you need to be cautious, is all.”
Twilight nodded, but remained silent. She thought through the stories she had been told as a filly. All the storybooks, tall tales, and nursery rhymes that filled the heads of foals across Equestria. There was no overriding narrative in them, else she was too thoroughly steeped in it to recognize the theme. Maybe the desire to be trusted was that ingrained in the Long Dragons as well.
Twilight stood up. “You know what, Laurel? The rest of the world may be like that, but I think the Lóng reached out to us because they want to start a new kind of international diplomacy.”
Laurel chuckled, while several of the stallions behind him nodded. “Princess, I like your optimism. I wish I shared it. Just try not to get your hopes up, okay? All you have to do is find out what they want, make a good first impression, and ask for a few days to think things over. Then Princess Celestia can take over from there.”
“Yay,” Twilight mumbled, “something else she doesn’t trust me to do.”
Spike elbowed her in the ribs. Twilight glanced at his face and felt a tiny pang of guilt. She leaned over and pressed her forehead against his, whispering, “I’m sorry, Spike. I know I promised.”
He hugged her around the neck and replied, “She’s pretty much family for both of us. I don’t like you being mad at her.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t be nursing this grudge for long. I’ll go make friends with an entire new nation, Celestia will see how mature I am, and by the time we get back Flash will be safe and sound.” Twilight sank further into her seat. “Right?”
Laurel put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Princess, everything’s going to be fine. Just let the Canterlot Guard worry about Flash, and you focus on the summit. I’ll be right next to you the whole time.”
The door to the next car slid open, and a mustachioed stallion in a conductor hat poked his head inside. “We’re about ten minutes out of San Franciscolt. We’ll pull up to the conference center’s platform in fifteen.”
“Thanks,” Twilight said, then turned back to the guards. “I guess we’re running short on time. There’s a lot we don’t know, so we’ll have to play it by ear. Return whatever greeting they give. The most recent custom I could find is this. Heavyside, come here.”
The other guards took a step back as Heavyside stood at attention in front of Twilight. She lifted her head, tilting her chin up and to her right. She held the pose for a moment before turning back to Heavyside and asking, “What do you notice about that greeting?”
“Ummmm.” He looked at the other guards, then back at Twilight. “It exposes your most vulnerable area to the strongest attack of a right-hoofed opponent, while preventing you from seeing the attack coming.”
“Which means?” Twilight asked.
“It means that you’ve really gotta trust someone to expose your neck like that.”
“Bingo! Now, remember, we don’t know if they still use this greeting, but I don’t want you to be surprised if they offer it, because you will need to return it. Any questions?”
“No, ma’am,” Heavyside said with a salute.
“Good. Come on, Spike. Let’s get ready to meet the Yang delegation.”
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Twilight looked over her shoulder, glancing at the guards assembled behind her. From their identically perfect armor and calm confidence, it was clear that they were well-practiced in this type of diplomatic mission. She turned back to the front and nodded to Laurel. The train’s door slid open in a glow of orange magic.
A pair of pegasus guards stood on the station platform, clearly out of breath and probably sweaty beneath their armor’s uniform enchantment. One stepped forward with a smile as Twilight and her entourage exited the train. “Your highness, Princess Celestia has just arrived. She is waiting for you inside.”
Twilight gasped and took a halting step forward. “Did she find Flash Sentry?”
“I’m sorry, your highness, I don’t think so. She’s just inside, if you want to talk to her.”
Twilight’s ears drooped for just a moment before she held her head up again and straightened her tiara. “Thank you. Why don’t you two get some rest? There’s plenty of comfortable space on the train.”
She turned toward the conference center and let her eyes follow the lines of the classical pillars down to the open archway leading to its sunlit interior. With a deep breath, she glanced down at Spike, then marched up the wide staircase.
Only a few steps into the atrium, Twilight could see Celestia standing in front of a mosaic, studying ponies in white robes as they stood frozen in scenes whose historicity had been lost to the ages. An hour ago, the tiny bits of glass and gemstones had probably been sparkling in the wash of morning sunlight, before the sun had risen too high and its light had slipped to the floor. In another hour, the overhanging roof would block out the direct sunlight entirely.
Celestia didn’t acknowledge Twilight’s approach until they were standing side by side. She sighed and closed her eyes, then lowered her head. “Twilight, I’m sorry. There is no excuse for what I did.” She turned to look at Twilight. “I want you to know that my actions were motivated by love, and I hope you can forgive me.”
Twilight looked at the floor. In the direct sunlight, she could see that the marble was translucent, with opaque swirls standing like smoke inside a milky haze. She poked at it with a gold-shod hoof. It didn’t look that different from the compressed clouds the pegasi used.
Celestia sighed again. “I see. Perhaps later, after Flash Sentry is safe and recovering.”
“Speaking of which,” Twilight said, “why aren’t you still in Canterlot, looking for him?”
“The search is in the best possible hooves. I thought you could use some help at the summit.”
“The summit is in the best possible hooves. I don’t—” Twilight bit off her words and glanced back at the entrance, where Spike was watching and chewing the tips of his claws.
Twilight took a deep breath. “Right now, I know more about the Yang Dynasty and Lóng culture than anyone in Equestria. Including you.”
Celestia smiled. “And I’m proud of you for that—”
“Don’t patronize me.” Twilight clenched her jaw as she heard Spike clear his throat. She softened the tone of her words. “Any foal could have read those same books if they had the inclination. I am qualified to represent Equestria because I believe in the power of friendship to bring harmony.”
“I’m sorry, Twilight. You are qualified. I didn’t mean to imply that you couldn’t handle things here. I just wanted to help.” She tilted her head toward Twilight and smiled. “And I wanted to see you.”
Twilight couldn’t help but smile a little bit. “Well it was… nice to see you. I should go, the meeting is going to start any minute.”
As Twilight turned to leave, Celestia took a step in the same direction. “I’ll join you.”
Twilight stopped and turned to face her mentor. “No. I’ve got everything handled. I don’t need your help. Laurel is going to be sitting right next to me.”
Celestia gave another patronizing smile. “The Lóng arranged the meeting with the expectation that I would be there. Even if you take the lead in the negotiations, I should be present if at all possible.”
“No,” Twilight said. “You’re not prepared, and” —she poked at her own long earrings— “you’re not equipped.”
“With your help, I think I can manage to avoid doing anything offensive,” Celestia said. She looked at the long golden chains and carved figures dangling from Twilight’s ears. “And I meant to ask you about those beautiful earrings. I assume they represent social status, or mark you as a head of state?”
Twilight grinned as she watched Spike jog his way across the atrium. “Pretty much. I asked Fillygree to make a pair of earrings for Spike and me, but I wanted them to reflect Equestrian aesthetics and history. That shows that we respect their customs as much as we have our own culture.”
This time, Celestia’s smile was genuine. “That’s very wise of you, Twilight! And she did an excellent job. I don’t suppose you have a spare set for me?”
Spike poked at his earrings and grimaced. “Do you want mine? I don’t actually have external ears, you know.”
Twilight reached out and poked Spike with her wing. “We talked about this. Anypony without earrings is going to be seen as a servant.” She looked at Celestia.
“As a matter of principle,” Celestia said, “I don’t believe in replicating art. But I can make a temporary illusion to duplicate the appearance of your earrings. I’ll be sure to have a proper set made when we get back to Canterlot.”
Twilight sucked in a breath through her teeth. “I don’t…” Her eyes ran from Celestia’s long legs and graceful neck up to a height well above Twilight’s own. “You know what? Knock yourself out.”
Celestia smiled as she took Twilight’s earrings in her magic. “Thank you Twilight. This meeting is very important. I’m glad we are able to put aside our personal issues and act professionally for a few hours.”
A set of identical trinkets appeared on Celestia’s ears just as Heavyside trotted up to the trio. “Your highnesses.” He glanced at Celestia. “I assume you’re taking Laurel’s place at the table?”
Celestia nodded.
“The Yang delegation is already seated and waiting for you. Are you both ready?”
“Just one second,” Twilight said as she straightened her earrings. “Alright.”
Heavyside led them a short distance down the hallway, then peeked through a crack between heavy double doors. “They’re ready. Princess Twilight, you’re up first, then Spike.” He pushed a door open and looked back at Twilight.
Twilight took a deep breath and stepped through the door, falling into step behind another unicorn guard. She had to fight the urge to stop and gawk at the high domed roof, encircled by large swaths of stained glass that painted the stark white walls with static rainbows. The entire building was an excellent commentary on earth pony interpretation of pegasus architecture. The Lóng delegation, observing her from the other side of the white spruce table, either had little interest in the architecture or had already taken the opportunity to enjoy the view.
The stallion pulled back a tall chair at the center of the table and announced Twilight’s name and title. She sat down and smiled, looking at the trio seated across from her. Each dragon stared at her stoically, with teeth peeking out of their unsmiling, square muzzles. Tall leathery ears stood out of their shaggy manes, twitching slightly as Spike’s name was announced. He clambered up into his chair with a nervous grin.
Twilight looked from one dragon to another, comparing the length of their earrings. The eight Lóng standing behind the delegation were sporting what looked like quilted silken armor, and had no earrings. Of the three at the table, there definitely seemed to be a positive relationship between earring length and the whiteness of a dragon’s beard. It probably wasn’t an absolute relation, as that would make the earrings redundant as an indicator of status and rank. Correleation was probably the correct word, as older dragons had likely had more time to improve their status.
Celestia stepped from behind Twilight, looking from her own cushion on the floor to Twilight’s tall chair and back as the guard announced her name and title. She sat, and looked up at Twilight with the stealthiest glare Twilight had ever felt. It burned into the side of her head as she smiled at the delegation on the other side of the table. Her ears felt like they were on fire, and though it was probably her imagination, she thought she could hear Celestia growling.
One of the armored dragons stepped forward and began speaking – in a strikingly beautiful feminine voice – perfect Equestrian. “Prince Song, son of Emperor Song, of the Yang Dynasty.” The dragon sitting in the middle of the table, with the longest earrings and whitest beard, gave a tiny bow.
Twilight chided herself for failing to notice sexual dimorphism among the Lóng who were present. The speaking guard certainly had a rounder muzzle than the representatives, and a quick scan of the other dragon guards confirmed Twilight’s suspicion that they likewise were female.
“Chancellor Jasmine.”
The dragon across from Celestia bowed slightly, then returned to stroking his gray mustache absentmindedly.
None of the guards had a beard, though that was hardly confirmation of gender, as most stallions kept their beards short enough to be invisible through their normal fur. Maybe Flash would grow a mustache or a beard at some point. She couldn’t decide whether that would be ruggedly handsome, or just weird like when Night Light had let his mustache grow out several years ago. Shining grew a mustache once in high school, and… Twilight realized that it had never occurred to her that Flash had almost exactly the same mane color as both Night Light and Shining Armor.
“Secretary Dream Pool.”
Horns. Each of the male delegates had a pair of horns behind their eyes, extending rearward. That was the most visible, most absolute indicator of gender that Twilight could tell. The dragon guard handed a scroll to Prince Song, and stepped back to join the other guards.
As the elder Lóng slid a red ribbon off the end of the scroll, Twilight said, “It’s nice to meet you.”
Prince Song froze for a moment, staring at Twilight with an expression she couldn’t read. She could, however, feel Celestia perform a mental facehoof. Secretary Dream Pool – the youngest of the Yang delegation if his glossy black mane was any indication – tried to hide his smirk behind a casual claw as he pretended to scratch his nose.
With a rustle of parchment, Prince Song unfurled the scroll, licked his lips, and began reading. “A scarce few years ago, the sun and moon battled in the sky. When the battle was over, the moon’s horse had disappeared. Many Lóng found this troubling, because our legend tells of a creature of nightmares imprisoned in the moon. We feared it to be the end.” He looked up and readjusted the scroll in his hands.
“Within six months, ponies arrived on our shores, claiming ownership of the Jade Valley and bearing a treaty so old, none of our scribes can attest to it. Several times since then, the sun and moon dance like drunken fools, or sleep in the sky together. There are those who fear that ponies are the end of the Lóng, or will be if they are allowed to live.”
Prince Song rolled up the parchment, and let it rest on the table while he steepled his claws and looked at Twilight.
Twilight swallowed a lump down her throat. “Hoboy.”
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“…which is why the sun and moon were acting unusual. So, you see, there’s nothing to worry about in that regard.”
Twilight smiled as reassuringly as she could while Dream Pool finished writing with some kind of little paintbrush. Chancellor Jasmine glanced at Prince Song, then focused on Twilight and asked, “Is that supposed to reassure us?”
“Well, I mean, we, uh… always win.” Twilight knew her smile was starting to crack.
Celestia placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. Twilight managed to avoid collapsing with a sigh of relief as Celestia said, “What Twilight means is that ponies face adversity and always manage to triumph in the end.”
“These ponies,” Prince Song said with a growl, “will triumph over us?”
“What Celestia means,” Twilight said, “is that ponies will always find a way for friendship to bring hope and light into the darkest of situations. I mean, look at Princess Luna and Discord. Neither of them were conquered. They saw the value of friendship, and chose that instead.”
“These ponies, they came to steal our land for friendship? If this is what it is to be friends with a pony, then we will protect ourselves from your friendship by all means.”
“No! Aaaugh!” Twilight buried her face in her hooves. She held up her left hoof to silence Celestia’s imminent commentary, then looked back up to the dragons on the other side of the table. “I don’t know anything about these ponies. They might be good, or they might be trouble. I don’t even know where they came from. But I do know this: that whatever problems you might be having, that friendship can make things better.”
Celestia nodded her head. “Twilight is right. And I believe I can shed some light on where the ponies came from. After the events surrounding the return of my sister, ponies from across Equestria began searching through libraries, looking for information on other old legends that might turn out to be true as well. I suspect that your visitors may be a group of adventurous ponies who dug up some long-lost information.”
Twilight tried to ignore what looked like a charcoal sketch of herself forming on Dream Pool’s paper as she listened to Celestia’s explanation. Prince Song stroked his beard with a claw, agonizingly slowly, twirling his other hand in the air as he spoke. “And if these ponies don’t believe in the power of friendship?”
Twilight didn’t hesitate. “Sometimes, when a pony knows absolutely nothing about friendship, they can do a great deal of harm through sheer ignor—”
Spike kicked her under the table. From the corner of her eye, Twilight could see Celestia lower her head a bit. Celestia worked her jaw for a moment before she spoke. “What Twilight means is that, even if someone does something hurtful, friendship can overcome that hurt and paint a bright future.”
Twilight slumped in her chair and sent an apologetic glance toward Celestia. She was sure there would be a discussion about this later, but she was grateful for Spike’s burp of green flame to change the subject. As Spike reached out to catch the scroll, Twilight swiped it in her magic, unrolling it and reading the first words before the sparks of green flame had faded. After a few seconds, her ears folded back and she passed it to Celestia, muttering, “It’s for you.”
“Ah,” Celestia said, taking the scroll in her magic and reading, “Princess Luna informs me that the royal historians have located the treaty in the oldest section of our library. Although the Yang Dynasty’s cession of the Jade Valley ended a war, there is no record of the war in our archives. And a group of ponies did access this section of the archives nearly three years ago. That’s one mystery solved.” Celestia let her eyes wander down the scroll for a few more moments before she let it coil back up.
“A mystery solved, yes, but not the problem,” said Chancellor Jasmine. He pointed one sharp claw at Twilight. “You must remove these ponies before they destroy everything!”
Dream Pool reached across Prince Song and pushed Jasmine’s arm down to the table. “Why don’t we listen to what Princess Twilight has to say? It doesn’t seem like she would approve of a pony invasion.”
Twilight smiled. “Thank you, Secretary Dream Pool.” She looked at Jasmine and said, “I doubt that these ponies are trying to conquer anything. What is it they do in the Jade Valley?”
Jasmine cleared his throat, drawing a glance from Prince Song. “Farming, mining, and trading.”
“Oh,” said Twilight, “That doesn’t sound so bad. How do the pon— er, dragons in the Jade Valley feel about that?”
Prince Song shook his head. “We do not know. The artisan monks of the Jade Valley are—” he took a breath while he looked at Dream Pool “—difficult to deal with. Reclusive, you might say.”
Jasmine leaned over the table, stretching his arm in front of Prince song to point at Dream Pool. “They talk in circles! I can only hope that he can confuse the ponies half as much as he confused the court.”
Prince Song pushed Jasmine’s arm out of his personal space and pretended to smile. “Secretary Dream Pool is one of the few who regularly make the pilgrimage to the Silent Monastery.”
Dream Pool folded his arms on the table and sat up a bit straighter. “I find that if you can clear your mind, a solution to your problems will often present itself.”
“Exactly!” Twilight said, her ears perking up. “You have to step back and let your brain work on it from another angle while you don’t think about it. And I think a good book helps, too.”
“Hmmmph.” Jasmine scowled, his mustache hanging crooked across his face. “And why can’t you meditate in the palace like the rest of the court?”
Dream Pool smiled. “It’s easier to meditate when you don’t have politicians nattering in your ear.”
Celestia chuckled. “I should think so. But how do you ever get a politician to stop talking?”
“The monks find that a rattan switch applied directly to the muzzle is very effective.”
Spike snorted, then burst out laughing. “I bet that’d work great on Prince Blueblood!”
Twilight giggled. “I bet Rarity would love to see that.”
“Ooh!” Spike said, standing up in his chair. “Secretary Dream Pool, can I have a rattan switch?”
All three Lóng on the other side of the table were silently staring at Spike. After several seconds, Jasmine cleared his throat. “So your servant can speak.” He spread his hands in something between a shrug and a surrender. “And here we thought he was simply decoration, to show us how thoroughly you had subjugated Equestrian dragons.”
Twilight blinked several times, then haltingly turned toward Spike. He looked up at Twilight and whispered, “I don’t feel subjugated.”
“What was that,” Jasmine said, with a hand cupped behind one leathery ear. “Your servant must ask permissi—”
Twilight slammed her hooves on the table and shouted, “Spike is not a servant! Spike is one of my closest friends; he’s like a little brother to me.”
Jasmine casually waved in Spike’s direction. “Then why do you starve him? Keep him small.”
“I don’t sta—”
Spike interrupted Twilight with a hand on her shoulder. “Twilight, please. Let me answer this one.”
He hopped up onto the table, standing as tall as the alicorn princess. “I have been as large as a mountain. I have single-handedly defeated the Wonderbolts, Equestria’s top fast-response pegasus brigade. I, um…” He clasped his hands behind his back and blushed slightly, before poking at the table with a razor-sharp toe. “I looted the entire town of Ponyville. Nopony could stop me.”
Jasmine raised one eyebrow. “Then why are you not now enjoying your own nation?”
“Because,” Spike said with a bigger blush, grinning up into the air, “I was reminded of something more valuable than all the loot or power in the world.”
An excited murmur passed through the Yang delegation. They looked at Spike with wide eyes, sitting up taller on their haunches and leaning their long bodies forward. After a breathless silence, Prince Song spoke with trembling lips that sent waves down his shimmering white mustache. “And what is that, young mountain?”
“Friendship. No amount of gold or gems is worth the fortune I have right here in Twilight and my other friends.” Spike turned around to see tears clinging to the corners of Twilight’s eyes. Tears were threatening to mar his own smile, so he buried his face in her neck with a big hug.
Twilight returned the hug warmly, and as she let go of Spike she opened her eyes to see every one of the Yang delegation staring at the pair with gaping mouths and raised eyebrows. Spike climbed down off of the table as the Lóng began to frantically whisper among themselves.
Before the commotion died down, Twilight felt a warm wing on her back. She knew it meant ‘good job’ and she tried to enjoy it without thinking too much.
Dream Pool picked up his charcoal again, roughing out a pair of figures with rapid, sweeping strokes. Twilight watched the figures grow more distinct with each scratch against the paper, until she realized that he was going back and forth between two separate scenes. Her hug with Spike, and Celestia’s back pat. She had thought that Celestia’s gesture had been pretty subtle. Dream Pool must have a sharp eye to have noticed that. And Twilight didn’t realize she had been wearing such a huge grin.
Celestia cleared her throat loudly. “—circumstances. I judged that, should it ever hatch, its best chance for a happy life was to be part of a pony family.”
Twilight nodded her head solemnly, as if she had been following the conversation. Prince Song nodded back as he stroked his mustache. “Though he had everything a dragon would want, he gave it up for something so pony as friendship. And now he bends the ear of princesses. He must be very wise for you to place so much faith in him.”
Jasmine leaned back and huffed. “For such a young dragon to have such high position…”
“Yes,” said Dream Pool before blowing the charcoal dust off his paper. “The situation is different than you had feared.”
Jasmine opened his mouth to speak, but held his tongue when Prince Song raised his claw. “There is still the matter of this treaty.”
Spike’s stomach rumbled. He raised one hand and said, “There is also the matter of lunch.”
Dream Pool pointed his paintbrush at Spike and grinned. “I like this guy more and more.”
“Rather than dine separately,” Prince Song said as he unrolled another scroll, “why do we not share a meal? That is a universal ritual of friendship upon which we can all agree.”
Celestia smiled. “That sounds lovely. Why—”
Twilight cut her off. “There is already a meal prepared. Some of our finest cuisine is waiting just outside. I hope you can find something you like.” She raised a hoof without turning her head. “Heavyside, please have the meal brought in here, and then you and the guards can go have lunch as well. There’s no need to stand around in here. Oh, and make sure the Lóng guards don’t go hungry.”
“Yes, your highness.”
Within seconds, three ponies with carts rolled up to the table. A mare with curly blue hair slid a tray onto the polished wooden surface and said, “Are we serving lunch to the dragon guards in here, or…”
Prince Song waved his hand dismissively in the direction of the dragon guards as he settled a pair of wire-rim glasses on his muzzle, then returned his attention to the scrolls and papers in front of him.
The mare leaned toward Twilight without taking her eyes off of the dragon guards. “I don’t know what that means.”
The two groups of guards had begun to mingle quietly, filling the room with a soft murmur of conversation and laughter as they made their way through the main doors. Prince Song watched them file out with a grin like a grandfather humoring foals. “It seems all the guards will take lunch together.” He looked back toward Twilight. “I hope their conversation is more pleasant than ours is apt to be.”
______________________________________________
Twilight rolled the donut back and forth between her hooves, watching as one dragon and then another were visible through its hole. Her cheek was numb against the cold table, still scattered with crumbs from lunch, dinner, and a late-night dessert. Celestia droned on and on about things like tariff structures, immigration quotas, and deportation manifestoes, interrupted only by equally boring counter-proposals from Prince Song or Chancellor Jasmine.
Dream Pool was surely drawing again, capturing this very-unflattering moment as Twilight played the part of a child bored by the discussion of grownups. Even Spike was at least pretending to pay attention while a unicorn secretary scribbled away with a pair of quills floating parallel in her magic. Twilight’s eyes darted to the mare’s flank. As fun as it would be to write with two quills at once, a cutie mark in dictation was about the most boring thing Twilight could think of. And right now, she was an expert on “boring.”
Celestia studied the scroll of notes in front of her, then tapped it with her hoof. “Twilight, what do you think about—”
“It’s dumb.”
“Twilight,” Celestia said as she shifted her focus away from the scroll, “you haven’t even looked at it.”
Twilight glanced up without lifting her head from the table. “I can tell from here.”
Celestia sighed. “I know it’s late, but the Lóng delegation have come a very long way to meet with us, and the least we can do is work hard to come to a fair agreement regarding the Jade Valley and its residents.”
The donut fell over. Twilight let her hooves go limp on the table. “Then why isn’t anypony here from the Jade Valley?”
Dream Pool cleared his throat. “I think that I can speak for the interests of the dragons in the Jade Valley. And aren’t you here to speak for the ponies?”
“I, um. Yeah, that makes sense.” Twilight rubbed her face with her hooves and sat up straight. “Okay, let’s take a look at this. Uhhh… Yeah. I was right. This is dumb. If Equestria owns the Jade Valley, then why would we agree to all this stuff?”
Spike leaned over and said, “It’s a common-law principle called ‘adverse possession.’ Because Equestria never occupied the Jade Valley, or prevented the Yang Dynasty from treating it like their own territory, they have a legitimate claim to it.”
“Wait,” Twilight said with a hoof on her forehead. “How can the Yang Dynasty possibly have the same common-law principles as we do?”
Jasmine threw his hands in the air. “Pffft! She doesn’t pay attention.” He turned toward Prince Song and held a hand out toward Twilight. “She doesn’t even pay attention! Why is she here?”
Celestia smiled woodenly. “The first several hours of negotiations were us agreeing upon a set of international jurisprudence and case law.”
“Oh.” Twilight nodded and licked her lips. “I thought I had fallen asleep and was having the most boring nightmare ever.”
Jasmine dropped his elbow to the table, but left his hand extended toward Twilight. “Huh. She was paying attention.”
“Seriously, why does it matter? That war happened so long ago that nobody on either side can remember it! And it’s been their territory ever since.”
“De facto,” Spike added.
Twilight glanced at Spike, then turned back to Celestia. “Right. So, why does it matter? Why not just let them have it back?”
Celestia smiled at the dragons on the other side of the table. “Will you excuse us for just a moment?”
She leaned toward Twilight and activated her horn, generating a bubble that flowed outward and submerged both princesses in a shimmering silence. “Twilight, I understand that you are new to diplomacy, but you can’t unilaterally give them everything they’re asking for, and expect them to give up something without any way to enforce it.”
“Celestia, you brought me here to start a friendship with the Lóng, not to” —she crossed her eyes and spoke in a deeper voice— “enforce treaty provisions.” She looked at Celestia, clenching and unclenching her jaw. “Friendship isn’t about ‘enforcing.’ In fact, wouldn’t you say that trust is an important part of a relationship?”
Without blinking, Celestia spoke in an even voice. “This is not about you and I, Twilight. And friendship on an international scale is much different than an interpersonal scale. I need you to forget about the guards’ little seating error, and let me take the lead on this.”
Twilight crossed her hooves over her chest. “Again. You don’t trust me to handle things on my own. And you don’t trust the Lóng either.”
“It’s not that I don’t trust you. You lack experience.” Celestia glanced at the shimmering surface of the bubble as if she could see through it. “And I don’t particularly mistrust the Lóng, but they haven’t yet earned our trust, and it would be foolish to extend it to them without some gesture on their part. Follow my lead.”
Twilight rolled her eyes and muttered, “You’re not exactly the princess of trust, are you?” She looked up to see the last of the silence bubble dissolving into golden threads that unraveled into the air. Her heart skipped a beat as she forced herself to look at Celestia.
Celestia was staring at Twilight with a mixture of disbelief and anger. Twilight was surprised at her lack of composure. They both turned to see several Lóng staring, with their tall leathery ears locked on like radar dishes. As the dragons began murmuring to each other, Celestia slowly twisted her neck to glare at Twilight in her subtle still-smiling way. At least she had her composure back.
Before Celestia could speak, Twilight stood. “Spike! What do you think of the treaty proposal?”
Spike snatched the papers off of the table, pursed his lips, and paused briefly, glancing at Twilight. She nodded her assent, and he exhaled a gentle lick of green flame, which turned orange as the paper became fuel and then ash.
A collective gasp arose from the other end of the table. While Prince Song sat motionless with a pinched brow, the others became restless. Jasmine raised himself on his tail, standing imposingly over everyone else at the table. “What is the meaning of this?” He flexed the claws on all four of his limbs.
Twilight planted her forehooves on the table. Her eyebrows were low but she was wearing a grin that would have been at home on Rainbow Dash. She glanced at Celestia, then announced, “Equestria relinquishes all claim to the disputed territory!” This time, Celestia gasped. Jasmine relaxed into a casual coil next to the others.
“Furthermore,” Twilight said as she lifted her chin, “Equestria opens their borders unconditionally to all Lóng: Yang Dynasty diplomats, businessdragons, and citizens. We also immediately cancel all tariffs and taxes on imports from and exports to the Yang Dynasty.”
“And what,” Prince Song asked, “do you demand in return?”
“We demand nothing. But as friends, we trust you to treat the residents of the Jade Valley, pony and Lóng, with respect. As friends, we suggest that you also relinquish your claim to the disputed territory. I understand that pony culture is more open than yours, but I encourage you to consider opening your borders as well, in time and according to your wisdom.”
Prince Song and Secretary Dream Pool conversed quietly before the elder again spoke up. “This thing is confusing. If you cede the Jade Valley, and we cede the Jade Valley, then what is to become of it?”
“I suppose they will have to run their own affairs. You said they mostly keep to themselves, anyway. This shouldn’t be much of a change for you or for them.”
“And of the Lóng who live in the Jade Valley? The ponies?”
“I suppose they will be free to stay, or leave, or dance in circles, or whatever they want. I actually have an idea for an exchange program, where a pony and a dragon trade houses. I think it would be a great way for ponies to learn the language and culture of the Lóng, and vice versa.”
Jasmine was still holding his hand out toward Twilight, but now his jaw was hanging limp. “Did… Did you see what she just did? She just got everything she wanted!”
Prince Song chuckled. “And did we not? We are free to deal with the ponies as we see fit. In addition to this, we have a plan that will help us understand their motives, and help them integrate into Yang society.”
“But, but what about the…” Jasmine held up a fistful of notes, shuffling through them one by one. “The arbitration procedures? Import and export quotas? Settlement allocation district division?”
Twilight stood up and stretched. “Nope. We’ve given up all control of the Jade Valley. There’s nothing left to negotiate. It was very nice meeting all of you, and I’d love to see you again, but it’s late and I have business in Canterlot. You’re all welcome to visit any time, though I actually live in Ponyville, where you are also welcome to visit any time.” She smiled again and trotted toward the double doors.
Celestia jumped to her hooves and quickly caught up to Twilight, trotting alongside her as Spike jogged up to her other side. The Lóng delegates stood up and waved their guards over before striding, as quickly as could be considered dignified, in the same direction. Celestia hurried a few paces ahead of Twilight and took a spot nearest the doorway, nodding to a unicorn guard who opened the doors in his magic.
While the dragon guards gathered up armfuls of notes and scrolls, Prince Song stopped in front of Spike and clasped his hands in front of his chest. He smiled and nodded slowly, his eyelids nearly closed. “This was certainly an unusual type of diplomacy. I hope you have occasion to visit us, Young Mountain.” He shifted his soft gaze to Twilight. “And you as well, Fenghuang.”
Twilight blinked and silently mouthed the word, trying to recall its significance. It was… some sort of rooster? No, a mythical bird. It was— Twilight couldn’t help but smile, opening her wings and stretching them toward the sky-colored stained glass above.
Prince Song smiled with his eyes. “Aaaaaah.”
All three dragons leaned back, until their horns touched the back of their necks. Twilight mimicked the gesture, stretching her neck and pointing her chin straight toward the ceiling rather than to the side. When she looked back down, the Lóng were smiling. Even Jasmine looked impressed. Dream Pool smirked and said, “It was nice to meet you.”
“Thanks, it wa—” Twilight scrunched her face and tried not to smile.
Dream Pool chuckled and smiled at Twilight as the trio shuffled past Celestia. She arched her neck in a perfect imitation of Twilight’s gesture, but somehow with far more grace. Twilight bit her tongue as all three dragons walked past Celestia and turned toward their own hallway.
“Twilight.”
That tone of voice carried the implied “we need to talk.” Twilight ignored it, stepping in front of Celestia and continuing into the hallway. A left turn, down the moonlit hallway, across the station platform, and then she would be on her way back to Canterlot. Except that Celestia wanted to talk. Talk and not listen.
“Twilight…” Celestia stepped around Twilight, blocking her path.
Twilight opened her mouth, then closed it when she felt Spike latch onto her foreleg. She let out a frustrated hum, then took a deep breath. “I’m sure you want to know why the Lóng snubbed you. And how it’s my fault. But now that you’re available to negotiate all the fun out of international friendships, I need to get back to Canterlot and help look for Flash Sentry.”
“I’m sorry for messing up your summit.” Celestia turned and took a single step, then waited for Twilight to fall into step beside her. “You were right. I should have let you handle it. I have some concerns, but they can be addressed another day.”
They walked silently for a few more steps before Celestia said, “I am curious, though. Prince Song called you… fenghuang. What does that mean?”
Twilight paused to let Spike clamber up onto her back. She smiled and held her head high. “Fenghuang is a mythical bird that reigns over all other birds, a symbol of virtue and grace. It is the counterpart of the Lóng, and ruler of the six celestial bodies.”
“Ruler of all the celestial bodies?” Celestia smirked and looked sideways at Twilight.
Twilight squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip. “The sun, the moon, the earth, the stars, and…” She opened her eyes and looked at Celestia with one eyebrow raised. “The wind? That’s five. I don’t remember the sixth.”
“Don’t ask me,” Celestia said, “you’re the expert.” She returned Twilight’s gaze. “Reigns over all the other birds? Ruler of the celestial bodies? How did you give them that idea?”
Twilight stopped walking. “Okay, first, you said we could have this conversation later. Second, I suspect they were being poetic. I don’t think they are under the impression I actually control the sun and the moon and everything else. And third, you gave them that idea when you showed up with smaller copies of my earrings that denoted you as my subordinate.”
Celestia let her earrings dissolve. “You could have told me, Twilight.”
“I tried. I tried to tell you. And you didn’t listen because you don’t trust me.” Twilight hissed the last words, and tried to ignore the feeling of Spike’s claws digging into her neck as he buried his face in her mane.
“You didn’t try very hard.”
“Okay. Maybe I did want to hurt you. I wanted to see you humiliated.” Twilight’s eyes burned with tears, and her voice was cracking. “You hurt me, and I wanted to hurt you back. Like a five year old. And you sure made it easy to give in.”
“Twilight, I— We have company.”
Over the blood pounding in her ears, Twilight could detect the sound of claws tapping on stone. She rubbed her face with a fetlock and tried to calm her breathing. She sniffed and turned around.
Dream Pool stopped immediately. He set down his bag and bowed his head. “Princess Twilight, sorrow paints your face like a willow at sunset. Am I interrupting something?”
Twilight shook her head and rubbed her muzzle again. “No. Well, yes, but it’s okay. And you can call me Twilight. I’m not fond of the title.”
Dream Pool nodded, then waved a claw in a swirling motion between the Princesses. “Is this about your… husband?”
Celestia’s ears pricked at the word. Twilight squinted at Dream Pool and said, “Well, we’re not married yet, but yes.”
“I hope you haven’t received bad news?”
“No, no bad news. No news at all. Just” —Twilight glanced at Celestia— “old business. How, uh, how do you know about that?”
Dream Pool laughed. “Yes, about that. Our guards rather enjoyed their time together. Your guards in particular were very open. They discussed politics, Equestrian society, even their own personal lives.”
“And mine.”
“Indeed. I’m sorry to hear of what happened to your husband. I wish him well.”
Twilight nodded and sniffled. “Thanks. And the word is fiancé, actually.”
“Fiancé, then.” He picked up his bag. “I’ve decided to stay in Equestria for a while, and I’d like to visit Canterlot. Your guards extended an invitation to share your train, which was quickly recanted in deference to your consent. I was hoping to converse with you and Spike during the ride.”
Twilight had barely opened her mouth to reply when Spike agreed for her. She smiled and said, “Well, there you have it.”
As they resumed walking, Celestia said, “I notice your earrings are gone.”
Dream Pool laughed again. “Yes, we only use them for the most formal of events. I will be glad when they have passed completely out of fashion, but the older dragons tell me that my opinion will change when I am the highest dragon in the room.”
Celestia giggled. “I wouldn’t know. Say, Twilight, did you enjoy having the longest earrings in the room?”
When Twilight did not respond, Celestia sighed. “She’s had a long day.”
“Yes,” said Dream Pool, “it is difficult to see one you love in so much pain.”
Twilight nodded. “It’s even harder when—”
Dream Pool cleared his throat. “I was talking to Celestia.”
Celestia gave a sort of half-smile. “Thank you, Dream Pool. You’re very… You’re right. It is difficult.”
San Franciscolt’s trademark fog had rolled across the station platform, smoothing the moonlight into a silver glow that saturated the air. Laurel and Heavyside chatted by the train’s open door, glancing occasionally toward the group as they approached. Celestia pulled Twilight aside, letting Dream Pool jog ahead. “Twilight, we need to talk. I was hoping we could spend some time on the train together.”
Twilight could feel Spike’s breath on her ear. She bit her lip before replying. “I thought you said this discussion could wait.”
Celestia shook her head. “This isn’t about the summit.”
Twilight sighed. “Fine. The train isn’t set up for somepony of your stature. Gimme a minute to rearrange some furniture to make room for you. And to help Dream Pool get settled in.”
“Thank you, Twilight.”
Twilight trotted up to the train, smiling at the group gathered by its doors. “Shall we?”
She followed them into the train and watched them file into the first passenger car, where the growing murmur of conversation was just beginning to wake a pair of pegasus guards sleeping next to their armor and empty dinner plates. One of the female dragon guards was already aboard and the center of attention for half a dozen stallions. Twilight turned to the conductor and asked, “Are we ready to go?”
The stallion tipped his hat back and nodded. “Yes, ma’am. The engineer has the boiler stoked and rarin’ to go.”
Without turning away from the conductor or dropping her smile, Twilight closed the door with her magic. “All aboard, then.”
The conductor echoed her call, louder and with gusto. Twilight winced and made a mental note to never utter the phrase ‘all aboard’ while standing next to a conductor. The train lurched three times, as each car came to rest against the next car’s coupler. Spike tugged on Twilight’s mane as she trotted into the first passenger car. “Hey, Twilight?”
“Mhmmm?” Twilight said as she sat on a bench near the window.
Spike hopped down to the seat and pulled off his earrings with a grimace. “Wasn’t Celestia going to ride on the train with us?”
“Oh, no,” Twilight mumbled as she kept her eyes fixed on the seat in front of her, “I must have forgotten.” Out of the corner of her eye, Twilight saw the station platform slide by, faster and faster as the seconds ticked past. Soon, the station’s lights had faded into the fog, and Twilight sighed. “She’ll be fine, Spike. I just didn’t feel like having that conversation right now.”
Spike reached up and carefully removed Twilight’s earrings. “I wasn’t worried about her.”
Twilight leaned over, touching her forehead to his with a smile. “Thanks, Spike.”
Spike yawned, covering his mouth with one hand. “Don’t stay up too late. I’m going to take a nap. Can you call it a nap if it’s at night?” He scratched his head, then shrugged. “We’ll have a few hours to talk to Dream Pool in the morning, before we get to Canterlot. Good night.” He ambled toward the sleeper car, clutching the earrings above his head to avoid dragging them on the floor.
The window steadfastly refused to show Twilight the landscapes that were surely speeding past. No matter how much she squinted, only Twilight looked back at her, squinting and trying to see into her eyes. Green hills and scrubby trees snuck by unseen, the same ones that escaped her notice on the way into San Franciscolt. She was missing everything in life, coming and going. Then, she was being too introspective and metaphorical about it.
She rolled her eyes at the pony in the window and leaned back in her seat with a huff. A clatter of dishes and the rattle of armor being hastily donned drew everypony’s attention as one of the pegasus guards cried out, “We’re moving! We left her behind!”
One of them leapt over a bench seat and tumbled to a stop in front of Twilight, panting as he squirmed into his golden plates. “Princess Twilight, we need, need to stop the train! P-princess Celestia is… We left her behind!”
Twilight shook her head. “Celestia chose to be alone.”
The other pegasus landed next to his partner and dropped the helmet he’d been carrying in his hooves. “What? What does that mean?”
Twilight shrugged. “I guess you’ve got the night off. Try and have some fun. I think I heard them talking about a game of cards over there.”
Dream Pool stepped up beside the pegasus guards, fidgeting with his lustrous black mane. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I had assumed that Princess Celestia rode the train here, with you?”
“Oh, no,” Twilight said. “We came separately.”
“Yes, she only recently recovered from the ordeal with your fiancé. Tell me,” Dream Pool said, sitting on the seat across from Twilight and leaning forward, “is there any news of his whereabouts or condition?”
Twilight shook her head. “Not since he disappeared from the infirmary. It seems like you know as much about him as I do.” She pretended to look out the window, instead focusing on the reflections of the guards who’d shared everything they knew. “Maybe more,” she murmured under her breath.
Dream Pool stared out the window as well, looking so deeply and so long that Twilight wondered if his dragon eyes could pierce the darkness and look beyond the room’s reflection. She felt awkwardly constrained to continue facing the window in silence.
Luna had said that Flash would need to be institutionalized. What exactly would that mean? Twilight couldn’t think of any experience she’d had with mental institutions. There was that one mare in the Ponyville Hospital who was always barking at everypony. She’d been there for as long as Twilight had been in Ponyville, and the girls had talked like she’d been there for a long, long time, and didn’t seem to be getting any better.
That was Ponyville, though. It wasn’t high-security, and it wasn’t an institution. If anything, it was mostly a place to make sure that she was fed and taken care of. Anypony in charge of her care had probably given up on treatment years ago. But the Guard should have some sort of resources to deal with a recent psychological trauma. Or not, given the lack of any real conflict in the last thousand years. Then again, there had been a few fatalities during Shiny’s wedding.
And that was something else that Celestia hadn’t wanted her to know. True, she had been younger then, but even Shiny had thought she was mature enough to know what had really happened. If he hadn’t told her the truth, she might never have known how bad the situation really was. Celestia had always underestimated her maturity and capability. Disregarded her input.
No, that couldn’t be true, because she’d never have become Celestia’s personal student if Celestia didn’t believe in her capabilities and value her opinions. Twilight squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath before looking herself in the eyes again. The good guys weren’t supposed to be the bad guys. It was so much simpler when Twilight knew who to zap, Celestia said good job, and Pinkie threw a party.
Maybe all Flash needed was a good old-fashioned Pinkie Pie Party? Or maybe they should pull the Elements of Harmony out of that tree and zap Flash back to reality. It worked for Nightmare Moon, but then again she’d been evil at the time. Although Flash was currently sort of evil. In only two days, he’d beaten three mares – including his fiancée – and several of his own friends.
Flash’s ordeal was the kind of thing that turned normal ponies into supervillains, at least in all of Spike’s comics. And this is where Spike would have thrown his hands into the air and shouted at the characters in his comic book, begging them to see the foreshadowing and warning them to recognize the violent signs of impending villainhood.
What if he never got better? Twilight didn’t want to think about it, but the question wouldn’t stop nagging at the edges of her consciousness. She could see him, bound in a straitjacket, writhing and thrashing on the floor of a padded room as he tried to bite the hooves of nurses and orderlies. Spending his every waking moment trying to escape, willing to hurt anypony in his way. He would never experience a hug again, never hear anypony say ‘I love you.’
And where would that leave her? She felt selfish thinking about it, but she couldn’t be expected to stay engaged to an insane stallion who hated her guts. At some point, nopony would blame her if she gave up and started looking for another stallion. Not that she’d been looking for a stallion when Flash had shown up and swept her off her hooves. She almost chuckled. Some sweeping. She hadn’t even realized she was on a date. He’d seemed so adorably clueless, even though he was the one with all the dating experience.
Was it something about her that made confident stallions turn into blubbering colts? Was there something wrong with her? Maybe Celestia was right. Flash was the only stallion to ever show any interest in her. There must be something wrong with her, that most stallions just run away. No, not even run away – just not see her as a potential romantic interest.
Flash would spend the rest of his life chained up in a high-security asylum, and Twilight would spend the rest of her life a spinster. Living alone, in a cold castle, surrounded by professionally-polite guards and diplomats, all of whom have no more interest in her than her books do.
“Twilight Sparkle, I have a proposal.”
Twilight nearly jumped. “I’m sorry,” Twilight said, blinking herself out of her introspection, “the time to make a proposal was during the summit. If you have anything to add, we’ll have to convene another meeting where all parties can be present.”
Dream Pool smiled and shook his head as he stepped across the space between them and sat down next to her. “No, the proposal isn’t for Equestria. It’s for you. Personally.”
Twilight choked on air, then cleared her throat and looked at Dream Pool with wide eyes. “W-what?”
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You know, I was hoping to see more about Flash this chapter... But what we had instead was excellent, with Twilight doing some badass un negotiating, and showing up Celestia, and Spike keeping up
Although... that last part, with Dream Pool's proposal, makes me nervous. Especially with Twilight thinking about how she may be forced to leave Flash anyway, if he can't be brought back to sanity easily...
But Dream Pool also seems really even-tempered, so he might have a suggestion to repair Twilight and Celestia's relationship.
OmO I need to know what happeneddddddddddddddddddddddddd
- I love this story 
Good to see a new chapter. I used to hate-read this story until I learned what was actually happening, and now I'm hooked.
6491390 The next chapter is already under way... but there are two or three clues in this chapter already.
Yeeeaaahh....feeling a little uneasy about this.
Yeah... the bond between Twilight and Celestia is gonna take a while to repair.
By Luna's unshorn fetlocks, it lives! I must confess, I had all but forgotten about this story - it's good to have it back.
And yeah, the relationship between Twilight and Celestia seems to be doing about as well as could be expected. And if this is the manner Celestia insists on acting, it's not going to heal for a long time. Because showing up at the last moment to loom over Twilight's shoulder when Twilight was previously given the impression she would be handling things on her own? That is disrespectful and all but telegraphing that she doesn't trust her judgment.
Which, after what just happened with Flash, was bound to ruffle Twilight's feathers greatly - after all this is exactly how the whole fiasco with Flash came to be - by Celestia butting in to what should have been Twilight's affair and trying to impose her own spin on the situation. And she did almost the same thing just now.
And funnily enough, it was Twilight not bowing down to Celestia's pressure that allowed her to achieve a positive outcome with the dragons. She cast aside the typical realpolitik bullshit, earned their respect in the process, allowed both sides to get what they want and secured amiable relations with the Long and left a door open for further improvements in the process.
Celestia's approach, on the other hand, would have probably left them a diplomatic deadlock for who knows how long, with both sides suspicious of the other and not negotiating in good faith, with Equestrian and Long relations becoming worse than they were before.
Just like with Flash - Celestia would have saved everyone a good deal of headache if she had simply left well enough alone instead of indulging her urge to meddle. Ironically enough the relations between dragons and Equestria are better off thanks to Flash's ordeal, as that's what triggered Twilight to stand up to Celestia and not submit to her way of doing things.
And unless Celestia truly changes how she treats Twilight - in actions, not just in what would be empty platitudes to Twilight's mind - that's one relationship that isn't going to heal for a long time. This is the stuff that serious grudges and resentment are made of.
Now then, I do wonder what the dragon wants to propose - I wonder if it's something concerning Flash. Perhaps that dragon monastery has a way to treat a damaged mind?
Seeing Twilight being righteously rude in an adult passive aggressive manner is soooo much more satisfying than anything in the Tyrant Sparkle group.
I love that Twilight deftly outmaneuvered Celestia at the negotiating table, but that unilateral cancel on tariffs, import and export taxes is not going to be returned. Twilight just undercut the Equestrian manufacturing base to punish her mentor.
I've been reading this story from when its been posted, even before I made my account, but... now I have no idea what the heck is happening in this story.
What was this suppose to be about again?
This story is absolutely wonderful. Easily one of my favorites. It's a damn shame - hell, I'd even say a crime - that it's got so many downvotes just for daring to show Twilight in a relationship with Flash.
Some people are really pathetic.
Great story with an engaging plot, had me questioning what Flash had actually done and all in all really messes with your mind.
Only big issue: we get left on a great cliffhanger with Flash maybe dead, and then POW! We get introduced to a chapter of ~magic of politics~ which hurts the pacing.
6504333 This wouldn't be the first time I've been accused of poor pacing. I may ask you for more opinions after I finish the next chapter.
Oh, and thanks!
6504841 It's an easy mistake, one I've made myself with entire chapters. (which I had to rewrite or altogether throw out in the cases I've noticed it)
Keep up the great work!
6506138 Yes, I did change the order of a couple of chapters based on astute feedback from several of my readers. I like to think my writing has improved significantly since the first chapters, largely due to feedback from you guys.
6524339 I'm glad you find it immersive, thanks!
For reference, those are Twilight's teeth. If you'll notice, there are two distinct Twilights, with different roles.
6525892 HOLY MOTHER OF A FAT PEGASUS!
How did I manage to do that? Not only me, but two editors and the EqD pre-reader missed it, too. Good job, Hawkeye.
To be honest though, I don't think that Twilight would act like that during the summit, and be uninvolved in the policy making or be so disinterested, or using such an impolite manner ("It's stupid"). I don't see it, even if she has been through a lot of stress and trauma.
However I must point out several things that are undoubtedly affecting my opinion and views. 1. I have not seen any episodes in over a year now, so I don't remember exactly what the characters are like and my perspective has unfortunately mostly been influenced by fan-fiction and other fan content instead, however little it may be. 2. I have never even dated someone before, and I am much too young for a relationship serious enough to result in marriage. I cannot think like Twilight would/does in this situation and I find it difficult to have a perspective based on emotion and being personally involved here instead of my normal objective and separated perspective. I only see what would be professional, not what is real, partially because I have no personal basis.
The way that Twilight handled the summit and policies however, does not make sense, was unprofessional, and unwise.
Say that the ponies end up exporting a significantly higher total value of goods than the Lóng. The Lóng's economy would suffer. This is how I see it, but I haven't taken Economy yet. That's next semester. Anyway, Friendship will not necessarily fix that.
A bigger point would be that Friendship and trust between two governments does not mean that all or most of the citizens of the nations would be feel the same all the time. Even in their world, it would be near impossible to avoid enough conflicts to make it possible for them prosper in the long run. That or it might just be less troublesome if they set up more rules even if they might not get as many benefits by doing so.
One thing that isn't just pointing things out, but that I feel could actually improve this chapter, is to make the Lóng committee members seem to hold trust as important earlier on in the meeting.
Wait... I'm probably not seeing this right... I need more experience in life.
At any rate, can someone tell me what they think about this part of the chapter? I'd like to continue a discussion of that via messages to keep the comments clear of it, but I do want to figure out how/if I am perceiving it wrongly.
Edit (July 17th 2023): I fixed a typo (darn it. Each of my old comments on this story had one typo).
6527655 Heh, glad I could be of help. Might wanna hit ctrl+F on the master document, cause it happened in at least one other chapter as well.
As far as this chapter goes, Twilight is not so secretly a genius and optimistic at that, though this is probably one of those rare situations where this sort of response to the situation could work.
and goddamn you and your beautiful cliffhangers, (which happen to include an actual cliff in a previous chapter) I seem to have run out of ledges to throw myself off of, which means I will actually sleep at a decent hour tonight and wait in eager expectation for the next.
6528664 Well... I liked the chapter.
Twilight's issue in this chapter isn't about Flash, not any more. She's been betrayed by someone she looked up to her entire life, someone who's been like another mother to her, someone who literally set the course of her life. Sort of like, say, you'd looked up to your dad for your whole life. Because, not only is he really cool, and can beat up all the other dads... he is literally Batman, Superman, The President, and the lead guitarist and vocalist of all five top rock bands in history.
Then, one day, you find out that your dad only became a superhero because he thinks you're too dumb to make it in life without his constant help.
Twilight was ready to do the conference professionally. Then, Celestia showed up and reinforced all the worst things Twilight believed about how Celestia views her.
There was in fact a recent episode in which Twilight hosted a Yak delegation. I think it meshes with Twilight's efforts in this chapter, given her disaffected mood at the moment.
And as far as the economics... don't feel bad if you don't understand it. Nobody who's taken college courses, gotten an economics degree (or doctorate), or teaches the classes, or makes national policy, understands it either. Even if we did, who knows how economics works in Equestria? Celestia might... and she seems as concerned as you do about it.
6529912
Right. I pay attention to some things more than others for some reason. You have very good points, that I would have though I'd have noticed, but I didn't for some reason. Probably lack of sleep and the fact that I haven't really kept up with the show lately... I just saw Celestia as a friend to Twilight, and the leader of a nation. The objectively logical, perfectly impersonal, and 'correct' thing to do, would be to put aside personal disagreements and conflicts for the time being and focus on the meeting. Heck, I can tell that something is still missing from this...
I also got so wrapped up in a few details about the chapter and my views last time, that I forgot to mention anything positive.
Sorry about that.
I do like this story, though I'm not exactly sure why right now... I'm too tired to think, but I wanted to reply and say something positive before I forgot to do so.
I'll edit this later... sorry. That is REALLY unprofessional and rude of me to intentionally leave a comment in an incomplete form, but I wanted to say something positive.
I'd better go before I say something else stupid right now.
6534714 Not rude at all. You gotta say what you're thinking.
As an author, though, I should be able to convey what I want through the story rather than have to explain things in the comments. I mean, granted, not every reader will see things the same way, but it's my goal to make you see, feel, and experience certain things through the story.
Welp, Flash is fucked. Or if he isn't, that is one tall waterfall to hang off of.
And I'm pretty sure the commenting quirk isn't fixed.
6584774 I'm glad you like the story. What commenting quirk is that?
6586594
The one where if the reply isn't in the same chapter, no alert is sent out.
Can someone enjoy my story too?
6537277 Ok I really like your story and I can't wait for more.
6953615
But WHO is it a reference too?
6954149
Larry Correia, obviously.
6524339 Oh yeah I remember that last part.
We arrived at our hotel while on a trip to a clinic in a far off city (with terrible roads, and a college I would later apply to but ultimately be denied from. The only one that didn't accept me :P).
Aw. Please continue it. I actually liked it in a weird way. Mostly the prision section with hallucinations. I don't know why. It's been a long time since I've been lost like that (if ever before), and I both am attracted to it and terrified of it.
I really want to see IF they can make it work out, and how they try to both figure out what's wrong with Flash (last I remember, they all didn't seem to recognize that he was delusional), and how they try to help him past each of his problems and delusions.
Edit (July 17th, 2023): I fixed a typo.
7388241
Next chapter is nearly finished. Soon it will be off to the editors.
Glad you're still engaged!
Oh damn, I forgot about this story. May reread soon.