Camaraderie is Sorcery

by FireOfTheNorth

Chapter 3:2.1 - The Lord of the Mountains and the Prince of the City

Chapter 3:2.1 – The Lord of the Mountains and the Prince of the City

“Countess Tetras Marvolo: ‘Something must be done to reign her in. Celestia cannot do whatever she wishes anymore, not it she wants continued support for her new kingdom.’”

“Earl Brisk Shot Ironsides: ‘When has Celestia ever asked permission for anything?’”

“Duke Fancy Pants Hoherdanse: ‘Celestia has always exercised her right to create and distribute titles.’”

“Brisk Shot: ‘Never outside her own realms. The “Grand Duchy of the North” is not a part of the Kingdom of Cant’t Laht, merely a dependency of it, something that Lady mi Amore Cadenza has made abundantly clear in her communiques with the Lodge. Celestia has given one new realm to a former apprentice and heir; what is next? Will she make Twilight Sparkle “Margravine of the Broken Lands” in a year or two?’”

“Fancy Pants: ‘Might I remind the Council that the ponies of the North wished to make Cadence their empress, and she managed to negotiate with them to take the title of grand duchess? Whether or not Celestia bestowed it upon Cadence—who has already sworn allegiance to Celestia and Luna—is irrelevant. It was the ponies of the North who truly placed Grand Duchess mi Amore Cadenza in her position.’”

Spike was reading aloud to Twilight Sparkle the minutes from the latest meeting of the Lodge of Sorceresses. It was the best way she’d come up with to stay at least partly informed of what was happening on the political scene in Cant’r Laht. That was especially important now as she trotted along a path through the White Mountains, having Spike relay them to her instead of reading them herself. Twilight’s father had written her in Ponieville to ask her assistance with a family matter. There hadn’t been many details in the letter, but the issue that Night Light Haltrotsun wanted Twilight’s help with was the breakdown of the previously cordial relationship between House Haltrotsun and House Bersian. Bersian was one of Haltrotsun’s oldest and firmest allies, siding with them even back when Night Light had simply been a Cant’r Lahtian earl instead of Prince of the City. Overnight, by Celestial proclamation, Haltrotsun had gone from one of Cant’r Laht’s most insignificant families to one of its most powerful, something for which Night Light had been wholly unprepared. One would think that the Bersians would see this as a payoff for all the years they had been friends of the Haltrotsuns, but apparently Count Starlit Mere thought differently. It was important that Twilight understand the situation more fully before rushing in, so she got in some last-minute studying on Cant’r Laht politics by having Spike read to her during the journey.

She had cut through some of the missives she’d received since her adventure in the North, but not nearly as much as she could have had she put her mind to it. There were other things to distract her now, in addition to the distractions she’d had before. Celestia was actually sending her instructions on things to look into, the first she’d received in years. Even before she’d left Cant’r Laht for Ponieville, Celestia had ceased assigning her work as her apprentice and allowed Twilight to choose her own areas of research, but now she was once more being given work to do.

Besides that, she also spent a great deal of time in the Crystal Archives. The archivists there were more helpful now that they’d regained their memories of where everything was but were frustratingly steadfast in their decision to not allow any tomes to leave the archives. This meant that Twilight had to actually go to the Crystal City in order to pore through that treasure trove of ancient documents, but this was actually to her advantage. When the Cant’r Laht Archives made previously hidden documents accessible after the returns of Nightmare Moon and Discord, the sorceresses who lived in Cant’r Laht had beaten Twilight to reading them, since she would have to either travel to Cant’r Laht or have them delivered by wagon or courier. Now, she could open a portal to the Crystal City, peruse the ancient documents there, and be back in time for supper. Since most of Cant’r Laht sorceresses were not powerful enough to travel by portal, this was an exclusive privilege that gave her a leg up over her colleagues. It had come at the cost of her other studies, though, but how often did an archive that had been lost for over a thousand years suddenly reappear out of the blue?

“Earl Neighsay Ferrun: ‘Ah, but what is it that will allow her to hold that position? It is no less than the backing of Celestia and Luna. Prince Braid or King Hyelliff may be willing to go against one alicorn, but three?’”

“Duchess Augusta de Prais: ‘She cannot hope to hold the North in any case. As I understand it, less than a fifth of its population from a thousand years ago survived today. It is too sparsely populated; Stalliongrad and Vanhuv’r will carve it up with ease. There is also the matter that much of the nobility was wiped out as well; whole swaths of territory are without lords and being divided among neighbors that did survive. Cadence is facing a scramble for land within her new realm, all of which could have been avoided had Celestia and Luna been advised with the appropriate pressure.’”

With a new year had come new chairponies for the councils of the Lodge of Sorceresses. Fancy Pants had lost his leadership of the 1^st Council and been replaced by Augusta de Prais, a powerful and well-connected sorceress who had fought hard for greater influence of the Lodge in the new Kingdom of Cant’r Laht while Celestia was still drawing up the charter. She had become a leader for those within the Lodge and without who wanted yet more power taken from Celestia and given to Cant’r Laht’s sorceresses. While the transition from a loose realm beneath Celestia to a unified kingdom had benefited the Lodge in the short-term with the concessions they’d acquired, Augusta was acutely aware of the long-term consequences if nothing was done to increase the Lodge’s power now.

With incredible ease, the King or Queen of Cant’r Laht could usurp the governing authority that the Lodge had added piece by piece to themselves as the Dominions of Cant’r Laht had grown—an authority which they had no real right to other than that they claimed it. All too easily could the Lodge of Sorceresses become a body that could only govern the mages within the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht and have no say over the kingdom’s vassals or civil magistrates. Even control of the city of Cant’r Laht itself was no certain, for though that control was currently rock solid, the power they wielded could easily be taken up by civil magistrates who had no ties to the Lodge. Already Augusta could feel the Lodge’s power slipping away as other avenues were opened to the kingdom’s regents that allowed ponies to bypass the Lodge entirely, and she would not have it.

“Baron Midwinter Heles: ‘I did wholeheartedly advise them against accepting Cadence’s declaration of allegiance and against granting her a new title, but they do not listen to me.’”

“Neighsay: ‘The regents must listen to the counsel given to them. If need be, we will remind them of that.’”

“Midwinter: ‘But they do not heed my advice.’”

“Neighsay: ‘Then they must be made to heed it.’”

“Duchess Rocinté Exciterrey: ‘That is folly to suggest. I would not expect something so thoughtless to come from a mind so renowned for cunning as yours, Earl Neighsay. Perhaps you fancy yourself better suited for the position than Baron Midwinter? I dare say you would make a better fool than a chancellor. Since when has the Lodge been able to force Celestia to do anything?’”

“Twilight, do I really need to read these full transcripts to you?” Spike asked as he paused in his reading to flip through the thick stack of parchment, “It seems like all the Lodge does is argue.”

That was typical for the Lodge of Sorceresses, from what Twilight Sparkle had read herself, but she didn’t necessarily need a line-by-line recital of every time Augusta and Neighsay got into a heated argument with Fancy Pants and Rocinté (which was quite often).

“I suppose not, Spike. You can compile summaries for me instead,” Twilight said, and Spike’s face rose and fell in the span of a few seconds as he was liberated from work and then discovered he’d acquired even more work for himself.

As they rounded a promontory, House Bersian’s roost came into sight. Like all pegasus roosts in the White Mountains, it was tucked up high, only reachable by flying or traveling up a long, steep, winding pathway; and surrounded on its three other sides by steep slopes angled in the opposite direction as the approach. The roost was built right up against the mountains, and Twilight Sparkle remembered from the other times she’d been here that it also extended back into the mountains. The walls and towers that could be seen from here were old, dating back at least into the 3^rd Age, but the caverns carved out of the massive stone formation were even older. Twilight wouldn’t be surprised to learn that pegasi had huddled in them during the Long Winter to escape the White Procession’s invasion, but House Bersian didn’t go back that far, and she doubted that they had extensive records from whatever family had held the roost before them.

A shape flew down from the castle as Spike and Twilight walked closer and resolved into a pegasus as it neared them. He landed in front of the duo and folded his dun wings back against his body. The pegasus wasn’t wearing armor like the last two times Twilight had seen him, but breeches and a tunic whose neck was tied only loosely shut at the top to allow relief from the warmth that reached even up here into the mountains. His flight had displaced some of his silvery-blue mane, and he pulled it back away from his emerald eyes.

“My lady, Twilight Sparkle, welcome to Wayroost,” Lightning Charge said as he bobbed his head, “And a welcome to you as well, Master Spike.”

“Thank you, Ser Lightning Charge,” Twilight replied warmly.

Surely the two of them had met as foals, but Twilight couldn’t recall. The first real encounter she’d had with Lightning Charge had been two years ago to the day, when he’d been sent by Celestia to accompany her on her meeting with the Griffon Free Companies. Back then, she’d foolishly thought she had no use for an armed escort and had abandoned him at the first chance. Yet, despite her deception toward him, when they’d met again at the White Tail Tournament just months later, he’d asked to dine at her table as a reward for winning a joust. He had seemed to harbor no ill will toward Twilight at the tournament, the last time she’d seen him, and he still seemed to be glad to see her now.

“Your father wished to see you as soon as you arrived. Come, follow me,” Lightning Charge said as he led the way down the path to the castle.

It wasn’t difficult to find the path up to Wayroost, since there was only one way to go, but Lightning Charge served as their escort anyway. As they went, he talked about Count Starlit Mere’s lands, tucked up in the White Mountains and only easily traversable by pegasi like the nobles that ruled over it. However, quite a few earth ponies worked the fields where there was arable land; and unicorns could be found easily enough in towns, especially if there was a mine nearby. The lower wall that cut off the slope up to Wayroost was only passable to non-flying creatures through a gatehouse, and the guards there nodded respectfully to the son of their lord as the trio passed by. The path climbed the slope by zigzagging back and forth dramatically, carved into the rock so that those on the upper parts of the path could easily rain down arrows and stones upon those beneath them. The climb might have taxed Twilight Sparkle before she’d moved to Ponieville and unintentionally taken a more active lifestyle, but this was nothing compared to the endless staircase she’d faced in Sombra’s pocket dimension. Soon, they were at the main walls of the fortress.

Green and gold pennants flapped over Wayroost’s towers, and banners bearing the standard of House Bersian hung from the walls next to the gates: a war horn hanging from a shield with a snow-capped mountain upon it, backed by the unicorn cross. Though Lightning Charge had said that Twilight’s father was here, there was no sign of House Haltrotsun’s standard or colors, an intentional slight that could be forgiven were Night Light still an earl and not Prince of the City. They had always been afforded that honor before, though, so relations had to be concerningly poor between the two noble houses. Of course, Twilight’s father had to have been fairly desperate to leave Cant’r Laht and to call for his daughter’s help as well.

Prince Night Light Haltrotsun was in the castle’s courtyard when Twilight and Lightning Charge arrived, his mouth moving noiselessly as he spoke to himself and paced nervously to and fro; Spike had a pretty good idea where Twilight had picked up that habit. Night Light looked every bit the way he had at the summer solstice ceremony, and at Celestia and Luna’s coronation, and at every other occasion that Twilight had seen him since her mentor had changed his title: a pony out of his depth. Her father still wore the robes of a sorcerer-scholar, without finery and probably only lacking his customary inkstains because the servants he’d inherited from Blueblood insisted on him remaining presentable.

The baggy and quite undignified pockets that his robes typically had so that he could carry whatever he wanted with him were gone, replaced by smaller hidden pockets that would have lived up to their names had Night Light not absentmindedly still tried to jam things into them, thinking he still had plenty of room, such as the magnifying lens Twilight could see sticking awkwardly out of one of them at the moment. At least he had learned not to try to tuck his circlet into his pockets any longer; Twilight had heard at the summer sun ceremony how often the prince’s servants had to try to bend the crown back into its proper shape after he’d forced it into a pocket too small to hold it. The silver band that denoted his position as Prince of the City was thankfully on his head at the moment, preventing him from untidying his dark blue mane with his hooves as he was fond of doing when lost in thought. Night Light Haltrotsun, by title the third-most powerful pony in the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht, looked very worried.

“Your grace,” Lightning Charge addressed Night Light as Twilight said, “Father?”

“Twilight!” Night Light exclaimed, his face instantly lighting up as he rushed to embrace her, squeezing a little too tightly, “You made it!”

“Of course,” Twilight said as Lightning Charge trotted away into the keep, leaving father and daughter (and Spike) alone, “What is the matter? You were not very clear in your letter.”

“Wasn’t I?” Night Light said quizzically, “Count Starlit Mere is very displeased with our family—well, me in particular—after Celestia gave me this blasted crown. Now that I’m Prince of the City, he wants rewards for House Bersian after they have stuck by us all the years we were a poor and fading house—which I would gladly give were I able, but I am not! The Blueblood lands and possessions all require careful management, and I’m facing all kinds of pressures and complications in Cant’r Laht. I do not even know where to start! I’m in no position at the moment to start giving out rewards, which I’ve tried to explain to Starlit Mere, but he won’t listen to reason. Twilight, I hoped as Celestia’s apprentice and leader of the Brave Companions, you might be able to convince him or work out some solution.”

“Where is Mother?” Twilight Sparkle asked. Neither of her parents had much desire or ability in politics, but her mother had come from a house that involved itself in Cant’r Laht’s favorite pastime, so she had at least some knowledge of how things worked.

“Velvet? She’s in Cant’r Laht, seeing to affairs there. Believe me, Twilight, I would love to have her with me, but it was the only way to keep those vultures in sorceress robes from following me here,” Night Light said with a shudder.

“All right, I will help however I can,” Twilight promised, “Spike, I am relying on you to take note of everything that happens with Count Starlit Mere.”

“Aye-aye, ma’am,” Spike said, saluting with the quill he had already removed from his satchel.

“Your grace, madam,” a pegasus servant addressed the two ponies as he emerged from the keep, “The evening meal will be beginning shortly, and you are expected in the great hall.”

Twilight, Spike, and Night Light made their way into Wayroost, following the servant to the great hall. Night Light had been here for a couple days already but allowed the servant to lead the way. Another servant, wearing the livery of House Haltrotsun instead of House Bersian, materialized and helped straighten up the prince’s appearance before they entered the great hall. The servant left laden down with the contents of Night Light’s pockets and an obligation to have fresh parchment and several tomes that the prince had named waiting for him after they had supped, as well as Twilight’s saddlebags and Spike’s own luggage. The sorceress wouldn’t have time to change out of her traveling robes, but it couldn’t be helped. Night Light appeared still lost in thought on his theories until the count’s servant who’d called them to attention in the courtyard reminded him why they were here and ushered them into the great hall.

They were met by a crowd of ponies in the great hall, eight stallions and three mares. At the center of them was the patriarch of House Bersian, Count Starlit Mere. Starlit Mere was a pegasus with a decade or so on Twilight’s father, a lifelong warrior whose vitality was just beginning to give way to the ravages of time. His mane was already silver, flowing long down the back of his head, held back from his cerulean face by a golden circlet. His family fell silent as he stepped forward to greet those who had entered his hall.

“Lady Twilight Sparkle, it is a pleasure to have you here again,” Starlit Mere said, his voice coarse.

“It has been a long time,” Twilight Sparkle admitted and glanced back to see Spike scribbling something down.

“I must reacquaint you with my family, then,” Starlit Mere said, beckoning the crowd of ponies forward, “My eldest son, Starlit Glade, Baron of Moller Gate.”

“Madam sorceress,” Starlit Glade said respectfully, the big green pegasus inclining his head, “I am afraid my lady-wife is unable to join us tonight; matters to attend to at Moller Gate.”

“This is Moon Stone, my next eldest son, Baron of Crim’s Crossing, and his lady-wife Idyllia,” Starlit Mere introduced the next duo of ponies before Twilight could answer Starlit Glade.

“A pleasure to meet Celestia’s apprentice,” Idyllia said after Moon Stone had given his regards, “What is she like?”

Starlit Mere cleared his throat impatiently, and Idyllia and Moon Stone trotted off before Twilight could consider how to answer such a question.

“Iron Resolve, my third son, and his wife Silverfin,” Starlit Mere introduced the next two ponies.

This continued on for several minutes as Starlit Mere continued to parade his sons (and sometimes their wives) before Twilight Sparkle. His fourth son, Silver Descent, followed, his wife also absent from the gathering. Then came Gliding Light and his wife Soaring Wish, followed by Plunging Strike, whose wife was spending time with her family in a neighboring valley.

“And I understand you’re already acquainted with my youngest son, Lightning Charge,” Starlit Mere said, coming to the end of the lineup at last.

Twilight noted that Lightning Charge had made himself more presentable since he’d met her on the way in to Wayroost. His tunic was properly secured now, and he’d added a doublet to his attire, as well as tying back his mane into a tail.

The servants had brought in the food for their meal while Starlit Mere had been introducing his offspring, and they took their seats at the table once he had finished. The count sat at the head of his table, placing Night Light on his left and Twilight next to her father. Across from Night Light sat Starlit Glade, Moon Stone and Idyllia next to him. The rest of the count’s children and their wives alternated their way down the table in decreasing age until there were six to a side. At the end, Lightning Charge sat across from Soaring Wish and next to Plunging Strike, with Spike at the very end of the table facing Starlit Mere down its length. The meal was quite nice, mostly composed of vegetables that had been harvested that day, but the pleasant atmosphere couldn’t last forever.

“What have I done to deserve your contempt, Night Light?” Starlit Mere asked seemingly offhoof.

“What?” Night Light sputtered in confusion, cut off in the middle of explaining his theories on conditional cloud impermeabilities to an irredeemably lost Starlit Glade.

“I was your friend for years, so I must have done something to lose that friendship,” the count said grouchily, “That, or you are more deceitful and changeable than I could have imagined. Now that you have more powerful potential friends in Cant’r Laht, it gives you an opportunity to dispose of me, eh?”

“Of course not,” Night Light replied incredulously, “Nothing has changed between us, but I cannot give you land right now.”

“That is something I could accept easily when you were a mere earl, but now you are Prince of the City!” Starlit Mere said, slamming a hoof down and nearly overturning his plate, “You have sizable estates in the Equestry Valley, as well as the White and Blue Mountains. Surely you could spare some for the house that fought at your side when the Haltrotsun lands looked ready to collapse under greater neighbors and bring your family down with them.”

“I have learned a thing or two about friendship in these past two years,” Twilight Sparkle spoke up as she pushed her plate away, “It is a fine friend that demands a piece of another’s good fortune.”

Twilight’s father looked mortified, but the sorceress did not regret what she’d said. Count Starlit Mere was truly acting like a brute, and if there was to be any negotiation and resolution, he couldn’t go on trying to bully her father to pay up for the service his family had rendered to the Haltrotsuns, service rendered without any expectation of repayment beyond mutual support. Clearly, it seemed to her, the potential rewards that might be gleaned from the Haltrotsun ascent had gone to the count’s head, and when they were not immediately forthcoming, he considered them an obligation and made himself furious thinking he’d been slighted.

“That is fine for you to say, but I only ask you to reciprocate as Bersian always did when we were the larger house and you the smaller,” Starlit Mere said, “Night Light, you are Prince of the City, your son is Grand Duke of the North, and your daughter is second in line to the throne of Cant’r Laht. You’re set up well, but what am I to do? My lands are small, and I can only give two of my sons their own roosts. Are the other five to spend all day hanging about here or off adventuring in Celestia’s or another lord’s service for rewards that may never come?”

“I’m sure I don’t know,” Night Light replied, “I would like to help you, but I am still trying to manage the old Blueblood lands, and I haven’t found any titles that are free to give. Perhaps, when things are better organized …”

“Perhaps,” Starlit Mere huffed, “Delay and deny all you wish, you are not treating me fairly. You could at least wield your new power in Cant’r Laht to help resolve disputes in my favor.”

“If I could, I would,” Night Light said pleadingly, “The other nobles of Cant’r Laht are dead set against me, all because Celestia named me Prince of the City and not them.”

From what Twilight had learned of recent Cant’r Laht politics, the other lords and ladies had indeed been, unsurprisingly, vehemently against her father’s ascension. The sorceresses of Cant’r Laht were incredibly jealous, and many of the most powerful ones also held the highest titles. To be snubbed by Celestia as they had in her showing extraordinary favor to the House Haltrotsun would fill their veins with vinegar for years. Unless Night Light managed to get some leverage against them, they would adamantly oppose whatever he did for a very long time.

“We do not wish to snub you,” Twilight Sparkle said, “It is an undeniable fact that Bersian and Haltrotsun have been firm friends for a very long time and you have never deserted us. I am sure something can be worked out to reciprocate the alliance which has so long been to our benefit at your cost, but it may take some time, and you cannot just make demands and expect them to be fulfilled instantly.”

“Can I not?” the count said angrily, “I should think that after all this time, I might be able to expect something before being driven to make demands. No, it is your failure to reward those who were loyal to you without being reminded of your duty and then making excuses that brought us here. But, I want to hear no more of it; I am going to retire for the evening. Good night!”

Count Starlit Mere stormed off, nearly capsizing his chair in the process. A servant retrieved what was left of his meal and brought it away after him. None of the rest of the ponies at the table stayed long after the count had gone, all making their excuses to leave in clipped tones—all except for Lightning Charge. He stayed longer and looked like he wanted to say something to the trio of visitors, but eventually decided against it and slipped away, too.

“Oh, what am I going to do, Twilight?” Night Light bemoaned his situation after they and Spike were left alone (apart from the servants clearing the table), “I would like to reward him, as he wishes, but if I do so now, it will appear that I have caved in to his demands. Things are shaky enough in Cant’r Laht as it is without all respect for the Prince of the City falling away.”

“I will think of something,” Twilight promised her father. But what?

***

Twilight Sparkle looked out at the White Mountains and tried to think of something. It was an impressive view from her chambers’ balcony, moonlight reflecting off the snow that clung to the higher peaks even now in the summer. The mountain valley up which she and Spike had traveled to get here was laid out before her, the fields and pastures draped in night’s darkness, a tiny spark of light visible here and there where a homestead stood. Since this was a pegasus castle, heavy wooden doors stood beside the exit to the balcony; they were usually secured shut again attack, but she and Spike had managed to drag them open to allow Twilight a place to sit and think.

She had yet to come up with a solution to the problem plaguing her father, who was quartered in the chambers next to hers. The sorceress had looked through the ledgers and missives on the formerly Blueblood lands, and everything he had told Count Starlit Mere was absolutely true. Before becoming Prince of the City, the only land that Night Light had had to manage was the plot upon which the family manor was built in Cant’r Laht and two tiny rather unprosperous tracts around fortresses in the South Equestry Valley and the White Mountains—the only possession that House Haltrotsun had held for years, and what most ponies considered not worth the trouble of taking for themselves. Now he ruled over a tangled collection of lands throughout the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht, with only White Tail Wood and the Hill Kingdoms left out. Additionally, over half a year had passed between the death of Rhaegis Blueblood and Celestia’s decision to appoint Night Light in his place; many of the minor lords beneath the prince had gotten used to their independence and were being quite troublesome.

There were also Blueblood’s debts to settle, which were quite substantial, and which the Haltrotsuns had inherited along with his title and lands. Of course, the only way that Night Light could hope to repay them in reasonable time would be to obtain the profit due him by his vassals that they had held back after Blueblood’s death and seemed intent to continue holding back. One neat solution would be to have Night Light remove, by force or otherwise, certain disloyal vassals and place some of Starlit Mere’s sons in their place. However, looked at from another angle, that could be extremely dangerous. The displaced lords and ladies could appeal to Celestia or Luna, which might not be so terrible, or they could appeal to the Lodge of Sorceresses, an opportunity Twilight was sure the council would jump on to press their supremacy and further test the fledgling structures of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht. They might even flee to foreign courts whose monarch could press their claims and declare war on Cant’r Laht. No, for the moment, it would be impossible to placate Starlit Mere with land.

The problem continued to gnaw at Twilight as she tried to think of some way to solve it without bringing House Haltrotsun down in the process. Her father would certainly be happier if he were able to return to the life of an earl that nopony really cared much about, able to focus on his studies instead of managing lands, but once the Cant’r Laht families got a taste of blood, they wouldn’t stop there. Any rapid decrease in House Haltrotsun’s fortunes now, when the sorceresses of Cant’r Laht were so set against them, would spell the end of their house entirely. A knock sounded on the door as Twilight headed back into her chambers and she sat down at a writing desk.

“Come in,” she said with a start after a minute or so when the knock came again. She had gotten quite used to her friends in Ponieville simply barging in without waiting for a reply.

“I hope I’m not disturbing you, madam sorceress,” Lightning Charge said as he entered her chambers, “I wished to apologize for my father’s manners this evening.”

“I see,” Twilight said, turning away from the writing-desk laden with Night Light’s ledgers, “Does this apology come from the count himself?”

“Well, no,” the knight admitted awkwardly, “I still wish to apologize on my own behalf and to hopefully help patch things up between our houses. Our families have been friends and allies of each other for so long, it is foolish to let it come to an end like this.”

“Yes, I feel the same way,” Twilight said with a sigh. “My father is sincere in his wish to reward your house for all you have done for us, but he is quite right that now is not the time. If only your father had been willing to wait until things were more settled, I am sure he would gladly give him half his lands.” It would greatly decrease our standing and power, but he still might have done it, as sentimental and generous as he is.

“I know my father can be hasty and … fiery,” Lightning Charge said, grasping for a word other than argumentative or stubborn, “But that has served him well as a count. His indignity is real, but much of what he demands is just words. Really, he only wants to be appreciated for all the help he’s given your father over the years. Even some gesture to prove that Haltrotsun has not forgotten their friends, like a renewal of the alliance between our houses.”

Is he proposing … marriage? It wouldn’t be the first time that an arranged marriage had saved the relationship between two quarrelling houses. It would bind them together closer than any promise, for what benefited one house would be sure to benefit the other, even if in just some small and indirect way. There was only one possible pairing that could accomplish this, however. The only unwed child of Count Starlit Mere was Lightning Charge, and the only unwed child of Prince Night Light was Twilight Sparkle; this was a proposal in another sense as well.

“I will consider it. Thank you,” Twilight told Lightning Charge, and he saw himself out of her chambers.

Twilight hadn’t previously considered it, but this might actually be the neat solution she’d been looking for. At the moment, she was the one bargaining chip that House Haltrotsun actually had free. She and Lightning Charge would be wed, and why not? He was a fine enough stallion and seemed quite nice, from the smattering of encounters that Twilight had had with him. They were even of a similar age, though as a sorceress, Twilight was likely to soon slow her aging process and would surely outlive him. Starlit Mere certainly couldn’t reject the offer, not when Twilight was so highly placed as second in line for Queen of Cant’r Laht. It was a strange and worrying thing to consider that only three deaths or abdications stood between her and that throne; as Celestia’s personal protégé, she’d expected to rise high, but not quite to those heights. The only thing that House Haltrotsun would lose with this deal would be that their name would not adorn the possible future kings and queens of Cant’r Laht, though perhaps Starlit Mere might be persuaded to accept a matrilineal marriage. It would still be quite a prize to have one’s blood flowing in the veins of future monarchs, even if they belonged to a different house.

It seemed the obvious answer from a purely logical standpoint of looking after the needs of House Haltrotsun as a whole, but Twilight Sparkle found herself hesitating on giving the plan her full endorsement and bringing it to her father. Political marriages were a way of life for noble families, and in her youth, Twilight had expected that she would be part of one sooner or later without fail. After becoming Celestia’s apprentice, however, her outlook had changed. Now she expected that she would marry, if not for love, then for her own choice and political furtherance. That is what this is, though, isn’t it? Nopony is forcing me into this marriage; I am free to choose either way if I feel my choice is best. Twilight had no objections about Lightning Charge; he was a fine stallion, but she was not thoroughly acquainted with him. He clearly was enamored with her, so it wouldn’t be a loveless marriage, although it was usually best that both parties felt the same. She considered and considered, but she couldn’t consider something like this alone, and she felt that Spike wouldn’t be the correct one with whom to discuss these ideas.

“Spike, take a letter,” she ordered when he returned to their chambers from returning Night Light’s ledgers to his own rooms.

A few minutes later, Twilight cast a spell upon the tall looking glass in her chambers. It went gray and cloudy for a few seconds before resolving into an image of Cadence, slightly warped due to the fact that the mirror she was using to view Twilight was not precisely the same size and shape as the one Wayroost. It was spell that Twilight had been experimenting with lately and was glad to finally have a use for. Combining the principals behind portals, megascopes, and scrying, she’d managed to create a new way for sorceresses to talk face-to-face across great distances, provided they had a looking-glass or suitable reflective surface at hoof.

“Twilight,” Cadence said with a smile, her voice sounding oddly tinny as it emerged from the mirror, something for Twilight to look into as she perfected the spell, “I got your letter; is everything alright?”

Cadence looked much less exhausted than she had when the Brave Companions had arrived at the Crystal City, but still tired. Like with Night Light and his ascension to Prince of the City, Cadence had plenty of new duties to keep her busy as Grand Duchess of the North.

“Yes, everything is fine, or mostly so. How are things with you?” Twilight said, sticking to pleasantries until she was ready to ask Cadence’s advice on the reason she’d truly wanted to speak.

“I’m getting by, though it’s a chore to get anything done,” Cadence said with a sigh, “Many of the nobles are grateful for my presence here—and I’m grateful to them for being so accommodating with me, a pony who knows nothing of Northern ways—but others are more difficult. There is also so much empty or ungoverned land and I haven’t enough ponies to ennoble, or rather, nopony I pick satisfies the peers of the land. I sometimes think they’d rather I appoint nobles from outside the North than raise commoners or rivals to the vacant titles. At least then I might have some common ground and understanding with my vassals, not to mention some more gratitude. There are also the bison herds; two of them were banished along with the rest of the North, and they’re causing quite a lot of trouble taking advantage of the lack of lords to oppose them. There’re also supposed to be emissaries from the herd in rebellion in Braid’s lands among them and talk of banding together along with the western and southern tribe to form a khaganate. Oh, but I am sorry for going on and complaining and talking about my troubles when you wanted to speak with me about something.”

“Do not be,” Twilight Sparkle said, “You have just given me an idea.”

***

“I never should have doubted you, or your daughter,” Count Starlit Mere admitted the next day, “That is a handsome reward and accomplished to the benefit of all. I see why Celestia chose you to be her apprentice.”

All through the night, Twilight had worked with Cadence and gotten written, binding approval from the grand duchess and the most prominent peers of the North to go forward with her plan. Cadence was hurting for good vassals and Starlit Mere wanted titles and lands for his sons, so it would all work out for the best. The offer would be extended to other children of nobles in the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht too far down the line of succession to hope for their own titles (Cadence had many positions to fill), but for now, House Bersian got preference. Iron Resolve, Silver Descent, and Gliding Light would all soon leave for the North and be granted titles and lands by Cadence. It was a new life ahead of them in a distant and strange land, but all looked eager to go. Everypony seemed satisfied with this arrangement except for Lightning Charge, who was trying to hide his disappointment that there would be no marriage between the houses. I am sorry, but perhaps someday, when I know you better, if you have not moved on yourself by then.

Comments

[TasermonsPartner]

That's a unique solution, though I don't know if the Northerners will be happy to be looked after by someponies that are "up on the times", or unhappy about being looked after by foreigners when some may feel they could've gotten their deceased neighbor's lands themselves. Probably abit of both, but at least Cadence can help her family out, something I'm sure she's grateful for.

Soooo...is Lightning Charge essentially Flash Sentry? His physical description matches, and the names are kinda similar, but I didn't know if that was intentional, or merely a coincidence?

[Xanderfox]

Always satisfying to use one problem to solve another isn't it. House Bersian wanted holdings to control, Cadance had a shortage of Vassals. House Bersian gets lands and a new ally and the Empire doesn't get torn up by it's new neighbors. Ture raising commoners to nobles might have been easier for the Crystal Ponies to accept, but the game of thrones doesn't go easy on newbies, better to stack the deck early with vassals from an established friendly Nobel house. Lesser nobles and commoners given titles will have an easier time with a "barrier" of Bersian vassals to act as a buffer and backup at the negotiation table.