Camaraderie is Sorcery

by FireOfTheNorth

Chapter 4:8.1 - Mother and Daughter, Princesses Both

Chapter 4:8.1 – Mother and Daughter, Princesses Both

As Twilight Sparkle trotted through the corridors of Cant’r Laht Castle, she resisted the urge to teleport directly to her destination. Every servant she passed immediately paused what they were doing to bow to her. There was a large concentration of them along her route, and many of them were carrying things; that meant she caused quite an unintentional commotion and more than a few accidents as ponies lost focus on whatever items they were transporting and let them fall to the floor. This wing of the castle was in a tizzy at the moment anyway, since Twilight’s parents had finally been persuaded to move into the chambers that belonged to the Prince of the City. Prince Blueblood’s rooms had been abandoned for two years, and quite a lot of cleaning had been required, both to remove all traces of the prince’s untimely death and to clear away the paraphernalia of the defunct House Blueblood. House Haltrotsun was now ascendant, and Twilight saw that a few of their banners had already been hung up in the hallways. The standard—an impaled shield with half an eagle and two seven-pointed stars upon a white background with a red diagonal stripe—had been familiar to Twilight Sparkle all her life. She still used it from time to time, though now as an alicorn she had the right to create her own personal standard. It reminded her of her youth, when she’d dwelt in the Haltrotsun Manor alongside her rambunctious brother and her bookish mother and father.

Opening the doors to the Prince’s chambers, she found one of them. Twilight Velvet Haltrotsun, formerly Eorlessa of House Haltrotsun and now Princess of the City, stood at the center of the room, directing the servants around her on exactly where to place the possessions that had been carted over from the Haltrotsun Manor. Twilight’s mother, like her father, was a sorceress-scholar first and a member of the nobility second. Her purple-and-white striped mane was pulled back into a practical bun, with several strands having escaped; the silver circlet that proclaimed her rank had been looped around it, since it couldn’t currently occupy its proper place against her horn. Twilight thought of the circlet in her own saddlebags as well as the stories of her poor father’s frequent mangling of his own circlet by stuffing it into his pockets. Twilight Velvet’s robes were finely tailored, with no such pockets, but a set of overfull saddlebags sat in the corner of the room spilling out scrolls and magical trinkets. As she directed the servants, Velvet consulted a complicated diagram with many charts and foldaway panels that she levitated in front of her with her sorcery.

“No, no, no,” she lectured a weary pegasus with a hammer in his mouth. “Three nails, the center of which is 2 pasterns, 2 ¼ fens from the ceiling, centered over the mantle; that is to say, 3 pasterns, 1 ½ fens from either edge. The outer nails are to be 2 pasterns, 6 fens from the center nail and 3 ¼ fens lower than it.”

What Twilight Velvet was trying to accomplish was the hanging of a portrait that had held a prominent place in the Haltrotsun Manor for many years. It depicted the entire family and had been commissioned shortly after Twilight Sparkle had been chosen as Celestia’s apprentice. At the back stood the patriarch and matriarch of the family: Night Light and Twilight Velvet. Because it had been a formal portrait, the artist had done their best to capture the noble qualities of each, but there was no hiding the truth without making them unrecognizable. Night Light was in his finest robes and was at first glance every bit an imperious earl … until one looked to his face and could see that he was contemplating something that had nothing to do with ruling the small parcels of land the Haltrotsuns owned. Twilight Velvet, on the other hoof, had plenty of practice posing for portraits when she’d still been a member of House Szorniy prior to her marriage to Night Light; it was easy to capture her nobility but not without also conveying that her mind was busy planning something else or that she was carefully examining the portraitist, and by extension, anyone who looked at the portrait. In front of them were their two children. A much younger Twilight Sparkle stood in front of her mother, excitement written on her face as she looked forward to learning more sorcery. She was dressed in the new robes her parents had had made for her as she prepared to follow in their hoofsteps and become a sorceress. Next to her was the only pony in the portrait not dressed in sorceress robes; Shining Armor stood proudly in his guard uniform, the most suited to a portrait. Ever since his birth, he had been heir to the Haltrotsun titles, though whether that remained true after the Grand Ducal Charter of the North was unclear since he wasn’t actually lord over anything in the north, merely consort to the grand duchess.

As the door to the chambers swung shut, Twilight Velvet looked back and noticed that Twilight Sparkle had entered.

“Oh,” she said in surprise, and folded up her diagrams, leaving the servants to decorate without interventions, then turned before pausing and giving a bow to her daughter, “Your Highness.”

It was an odd situation they found themselves in, and without any precedence to establish the protocol. Both mother and daughter were princesses, and neither were standalone titles. Twilight Velvet was a princess because her husband was Prince of the City, and Twilight Sparkle because she was heir to the Crown of Cant’r Laht. In the complex interplay of titles and relations, it was unclear who was superior in rank to the other, but the least Twilight could do for the mare who’d borne and raised her was to reciprocate.

“Your Highness,” Twilight Sparkle replied, bowing in turn. Spike mimicked her, no complex decisions facing him.

Neither of Twilight’s parents were powerful (or vain) enough mages to perform youth spells, and wrinkles crinkled around Twilight Velvet’s eyes as she smiled at her daughter.

“I’m glad to see you again,” Velvet said, “And that you can help your mother out. I don’t doubt that you have many, many other things keeping you busy.”

“Well, you were much clearer in your letter than Father was last year,” Twilight chuckled.

“Oh, I couldn’t believe it when he told me what he’d done,” Velvet laughed. “Honestly, he should have just asked me to write the letter for him. How hard is it to say, ‘Count Bersian is cross because I cannot reward him now that I’m Prince of the City. I need your help to smooth things over?’”

“It worked out in the end, at least,” Twilight said. “Where is Father?”

“At the Lodge. They—take those to the secondary dining room, I’ve already told the servants there how I want everything set up,” Velvet said, interrupting herself as a group of servants trotted through carrying boxes. “They made him a member of the 2^nd Council, and he insists on going even if nopony will listen to him.”

“Maybe one day they will,” Twilight suggested.

Thanks in no small part to the efforts of Twilight Velvet over the past year, the nobles of Cant’r Laht now (begrudgingly) accepted House Haltrotsun’s new place as Prince of the City. All of them would like to see them fall back into obscurity or even lower, but for the moment they were no longer constantly petitioning Celestia to reverse her decision. In time, perhaps they would show them the respect that had been allotted the Bluebloods, but for that to happen the Haltrotsuns would have to conquer the next challenge facing the family. That was the reason Twilight Sparkle had come to Cant’r Laht, and why she and her mother would be traveling on a procession together.

When Celestia had appointed Night Light as Prince of the City, they’d inherited all the Blueblood lands, but also the Blueblood debts; only one of the two was solid. Rhaegis Blueblood had been a terrible ruler who’d both frittered away the family wealth, racked up the aforementioned debts, and mismanaged his lands to an appalling extent. The thorough survey Twilight Velvet had compiled revealed that most of the princely demesne was either abandoned or had neglected to pay their taxes and tithes for many years. Theoretically, the income these lands were capable of yielding (even without excessive taxation) would make their overseer one of the richest families in Cant’r Laht. Due to Prince Blueblood’s mismanagement, however, they barely brought in enough to cover the interest on the outstanding debts.

Twilight Sparkle was here to help her mother bring the princely lands back under the control of the Prince of the City and ensure they dutifully paid what was owed. Only then could House Haltrotsun take its place among the great houses of Cant’r Laht that it should have had upon the bestowal of the princely title. Twilight Sparkle aldo had another motive for helping her mother secure these funds. Typically, the personal funds that Twilight had accumulated, along with the modest allowance she collected from Celestia as her apprentice, was enough to see her by comfortably, but that had been when she only had herself and Spike to pay for. Now that she’d made herself responsible for providing for the Saddle Arabian exiles in Ponieville, that would no longer suffice. She hoped that once the income of the princely lands was restored, she would be able to use some of it herself, but that was a topic best left until after it had been accomplished.

“Do you have everything you need to depart?” Twilight Sparkle asked her mother.

“Yes, yes, of course … somewhere,” Twilight Velvet said as she tried to recall where, before giving up and pulling a sheet of parchment from her saddlebags. “Ah, yes, my travelling saddlebags are in the primary dining room.”

Velvet left her diagram, along with strict instructions, for how she wanted the princely chambers set up with the pegasus who’d just finished hanging the family portrait before leading Twilight and Spike to the dining room. They had to dodge more servants on the way who were dusting, decorating, and painting, but eventually they made it to their destination. It was clear why Velvet had left her saddlebags here the moment they entered the room; stretched out across the dining table was a large and recently created map of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht. Twilight’s mother had made prodigious annotations upon it to mark the territories that belonged to the Prince of the City and had pinned various other sheets of paper, containing notes and itineraries, to the map when she’d run out of room. Twilight had her own ideas for how to approach the task ahead, but it looked like her mother already had things well in hoof. Their procession through the princely lands was well planned out and would allow them to visit every disparate patch in turn. Twilight Velvet folded the map deftly before tucking it into her saddlebags and pulling them on.

“Right,” the elder Twilight said, “We’re expected at the court of Baron Torsgold tonight, and we have to visit Telfenn, Ömist, and Outria before we arrive at Thorgate, where his castle is.”

That was Twilight’s mother. Whereas she’d gotten her inquisitive and anxious nature from her father, Twilight had inherited her tendency to plan out every detail from her mother. Dutifully, the daughter opened a portal in the dining room to Telfenn’s square, and they stepped through to greet the crowd of ponies awaiting the beginning of their procession.

***

The lands of the Prince of the City were scattered throughout the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht. Nearly every time the realm had grown as the Dominion of Cant’r Laht, a parcel of land or a hoofful of vassals had been set aside for the prince. That meant the prince’s lands were far from contiguous, and a continuous procession was impossible without portals. Some of Rhaegis Blueblood’s ancestors had been a bit brighter than him and had attempted to consolidate their lands through deals and exchanges with other lords, but the lands were so spread out that it would be impossible to completely do so without taking over half the kingdom. The first set of visits Twilight’s mother had planned were to a cluster of territories in the north of the kingdom, near White Tail Woods and the Kingdom of Vanhuv’r. Some were personal lands of Prince Night Light, while others were the lands of ponies who owed fealty to him. There was one of those in particular that Twilight Velvet had planned this first leg around, one who was farther out of line than any of the others.

Count Oakin Preceps had not only been negligent in his tribute and duties, he’d acted as if he was no vassal of the prince at all. His allegiance to even Celestia was tenuous at best, and if something wasn’t done about this, his lands could soon be lost to the Kingdom of Vanhuv’r. Twilight Velvet’s intentions were to bring the headstrong count back under control. After a few days passing through nearby lands, they arrived at his castle, a jumped-up fort perched upon a promontory overlooking a minor river.

“Welcome, Your Highnesses,” Count Oakin greeted them pleasantly enough when they arrived at the feast thrown in their honor. Once the meal was consumed and talk turned to more heady matters, things began to deteriorate.

“I understand you are having some difficulty with your timber production,” Twilight Velvet mentioned to the count. “Something about bandits coming from White Tail Wood?”

“Bandits?” Oakin scoffed before downing a draught of ale. “It’s Duchess Periwinkle’s woodsmares that raid the logging camps. The border between our lands is not the edge of the wood, however much she would prefer it to be.”

“Well, perhaps I or my lord-husband could help resolve this matter for you,” Velvet offered.

“Unnecessary,” Oakin said bluntly. “I can deal with Duchess Periwinkle myself, though your highness’s … generous … offer is noted.”

“Obligated, I would say,” Velvet said. “It is, after all, the duty of a lord to see to the concerns of their vassals, especially when the integrity of territory is at stake, for it is of equal concern to both.”

“You’ve studied Estacles,” Oakin noted. “My tutor as a foal beat those lessons into me as well, but I can’t say I see how they apply here. I’ve made no oaths to you or your lord-husband, nor do I intend to. I’m perfectly content on my own.”

“Your fealty is rightfully owed to the Prince of the City,” Twilight Sparkle pointed out.

“By what right?” Oakin said obstinately. “Because two ponies centuries ago—neither of whom are related to either of us—made an agreement? You may think I’ve become accustomed to my freedom during the time that the princely title was vacant, and you may be partially right, but I’ve acted on my own for a long time. Rhaegis Blueblood knew to leave me be, and I don’t see any need to keep up appearances for your sake, or for your lord-husband’s. Why should I care about the Prince of the City? It may come as a shock to you, but the ivory city is not the bright shining center around which the world turns. We have our own lives out here in the extremities of Celestia’s kingdom that have nothing to do with you or your sorcerous lives, so go home and leave us be.”

Twilight Velvet sighed in frustration and looked down at her platter before looking back up at the count.

“Count Oakin, I see you have no appetite for carrots, so let’s try the stick instead,” she said before levitating a scroll from within the folds of her dress. “Do you know what this is?”

“A hex to make me do as you wish?” Oakin ventured, his voice dripping with skepticism.

“Close, but no,” Velvet said as she unrolled and flattened the scroll on the table before lifting it back up to present the text to Count Oakin. “This is a treaty between Prince Ahrman Blueblood and the Lords of White Tail Wood agreeing that in exchange for the prince surrendering his lands in the west of White Tail, the lords of the Wood would never acquire through any means the lands of the Prince of the City bordering White Tail on the east. Specifically, it refers to your lands.”

“In other words, I’m safe from Periwinkle,” Oakin said, unimpressed.

“Hmm, not quite. She may be trying to bend the rules—and that can be easily straightened out—but she would never break them. Unless …” Twilight Velvet said as she hovered the treaty near one of the candles on the table, “You claim not to be a vassal of the Prince of the City, so this treaty is worthless except as kindling.”

“You would throw me to Periwinkle?” Oakin asked dreadfully.

“What concern is it of mine?” Velvet said icily. “This treaty is between ponies neither of us are related to, signed centuries ago. It has nothing to do with you or I, and there is no other relationship binding us together, so why keep it around?”

“You came here just to threaten me,” Oakin accused, his jaw tightening.

“No, my initial strategy was to convince you to do the honorable thing, but seeing as you would rather throw away all protection you have for personal gain, I moved on to the next strategy. Has it proved effective?”

“Fine. You win,” Oakin spat the words. “I’ll make my oath of fealty to your husband.”

“Yes, you will,” Velvet said as she pulled the treaty away from the flickering candle flame. “Before I complete my procession of the princely lands, you will go in person to Cant’r Laht to make your oath to my lord-husband and bring with you all the tax left unpaid to him and to Prince Blueblood before him. Agreed?”

Twilight Sparkle looked in amazement at her mother. This was a side of her she’d never really seen before. The Haltrotsuns hadn’t taken part in political maneuvering for a very long time, and that hadn’t changed when Twilight Velvet had joined the dynasty. The family’s matriarch wasn’t accustomed to doing such things, but the lessons of House Szorniy hadn’t escaped her mind. Nothing was ever truly forgotten by Twilight Velvet Haltrotsun, only filed away for later. She’d chosen to turn her analytical mind toward the complex planning of enchantments, but as she was now proving it could just as easily be repurposed for scheming. Twilight Sparkle had wondered how much she would have to assist with the diplomacy on this procession, as she had with her father when dealing with the Bersians, but it seemed her mother had it thoroughly handled.

***

The next stage of the princely procession took the mother-daughter duo far south of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht, into disputed territories. The Prince of the City ruled over a string of lands along the border of what had once been the Kingdom of Los Pegasus but was now mostly the Kingdom of Applewood and Mareagon. The south Equestry Valley was a land that knew little in the way of solid governance. Although the threat from the South Equestrian Bison before the Treaty of Boulder Brook was no longer a problem, two main sources of trouble remained: powerful neighbors who claimed they ought to rule over the valley and the negligence caused by distant lords in Cant’r Laht who failed to take any meaningful interest in seeing to the lands. The Bluebloods had been as guilty as any others in the latter respect, and it was doubtful that many of the ponies here knew Prince Night Light Haltrotsun was their lord (or even that a new Prince of the City had been appointed). Much of the land was abandoned and lay fallow, overgrown as nature reclaimed what ponies had once planted, tilled, and reaped. However, there were still plenty of ponies here, most living in small villages scattered throughout the landscape.

One thing that wasn’t here was lords. Not all the land here in the southwest was technically part of the Prince of the City’s demesne, but effectively it was. The lords meant to govern these lands as the prince’s vassals had all either abandoned them or died out, leaving it all as the prince’s personal property. Most of the lands hadn’t returned revenues to Cant’r Laht for generations, since the Bluebloods had no desire to put any effort into ruling the most distant of their possessions. Instead of counts, earls, and barons, Twilight Velvet and Twilight Sparkle met with mayors, aldermares, and village headstallions, depending on how organized the peasantry was. The hamlets they passed through were no Appleoosa or Ponieville (even before Twilight’s arrival had triggered a population surge), and many were often no more than homes of local farmers clustered around a small chapel tended by a priestess who could barely read.

Throughout the journey, Twilight Velvet spoke to her husband’s subjects, inquiring about governance and what Blueblood had left behind, and every night she summarized what she’d learned to Spike, who copied her words down in copious notes. The final night of this leg of the procession, she reviewed the notes, all laid out before her on the floor, and tried to formulate a plan to bring the prince’s lands here back under control. The local village had treated them to a modest feast and afterwards the sorceresses had retired to the nearby manor house. It had been abandoned for quite a long time; the locals now used it for grain storage and a source of building materials, but some of the rooms were still livable. While Spike tried to stoke a fire in the fireplace, Twilight Sparkle had created an orb of light that hovered over her mother, illuminating the room and the outspread notes.

“It needs a rearrangement, yes, definitely,” Twilight Velvet said as she shuffled together some of the parchments into a stack.

“What are you thinking?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“It’s a wonder the Los Pegasans haven’t swallowed these lands up already. Although, lately, they’ve been too busy fighting each other,” Velvet said. “As much as Celestia’s maps may proclaim it so, this is no part of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht. These lands are completely adrift. They need lords?”

“Do they?” Twilight asked, and her mother gave her a look she’d seen many times in her youth whenever Twilight Sparkle asked her a somewhat rhetorical question. “Perhaps local nobility is unnecessary here. In the North, Cadence had to deal with peasants who proved quite adept at ruling themselves without lords between them and her. The same could be used here, at least to some extent. Not all the lands here have fallen vacant, and those that are managed continue to produce crops and revenue. If you can persuade others to fill the empty lands, then all this territory could become the Prince of the City’s personal demesne in truth. There is no reason to place lords between you that you will have to then negotiate with and govern when the ponies already here can govern themselves.”

“Dear, it’s not peasant self-governance that I’m worried about,” Velvet said with a loving smile. “Capable as they may be, their duties lie elsewhere. The time they must spend in the fields to make them bear fruit is time they cannot spend learning the finer arts of diplomacy or war. That is the purpose of the nobility, though in Cant’r Laht the latter art might be lacking, which I confess is something neither I nor your father are guiltless of. When our lands were small, we had the Bersians to rely on as allies to lead our armies were we to be attacked, so there was little need for either of us to pursue that course. It is much the same with many of Cant’r Laht’s nobles, in varying patterns. Because of your father’s ascension, we must shift our family’s pattern since it is too late for us to meaningfully change ourselves, though your father may try, bless his heart. We need strong military vassals, here more than anywhere else. King Alfons of Applewood and Mareagon or Queen Harmonia are sure to attempt seizure of these lands at some point, and these ponies here will not be able to defend themselves alone. This land must be garrisoned, not left vacant.

“There’s another reason, besides that; your father and I cannot personally govern these lands. There is much work to do here, and we cannot devote ourselves entirely to the rebuilding and census-taking that will need to be done. A go-between is necessary for this to run smoothly, even if that means a smaller amount of tax paid directly to us. Someone must collect that from our subjects on our behalf, for we cannot go on processions constantly, as nice as it is to spend the time with you,” Velvet continued. “We must choose good vassals, certainly. They must be capable warriors, loyal, honest, fair towards both their lord and their subjects, diligent, and intelligent. Hard ponies to find, to be sure, but we shall do our best—and we must. Perhaps there are some among the locals who could benefit from an ennobling, but we will have to draw the majority from elsewhere, for the integrity of the western border is of paramount concern.”

“I see what you are saying,” Twilight Sparkle said as she considered her mother’s words. “Can’t Laht is the ground open to us from which to recruit new vassals, but it is not a very fertile one, is it? Especially after many of the likely candidates have gone to the North already. Unless … I may have an idea.”

“Oh?” Velvet said.

“You mentioned that our family has relied on the Bersians for years for military protection. Perhaps they could do so still, just in a different way. Not all of Count Starlit Mere’s noninheriting sons left for the North,” Twilight Sparkle said, and her mother smiled cryptically.

***

In the morning, they departed for their next destination. However, Rainbow Dash, of all ponies, showed up unexpectedly in the middle of the night. There was a Great Hunt in the area put on by King Alfons, and the Hunter was experiencing a bit of a crisis of conscience in the midst of it. Twilight Sparkle tried to give her friend the best advice she could, but she regretted that she couldn’t accompany Rainbow to the Great Hunt and support her; Twilight and her mother were due in the last cluster of the prince’s lands.

These were also in the south Equestry Valley but in the east, on the other side of Appleoosa, near the border with the Duchy of Balte-Maer and the southern edge of the Everfree Forest. There were a few local lords that the mother and daughter had to meet with, but most of these lands were part of the prince’s direct demesne. Here, so close to Balte-Maer and the only way to cross the White Mountains without going through Manehattan, disorder was not such an issue. Night Light’s subjects did pay their taxes, just to the wrong ponies. The local lords who were not vassals of the Prince of the City had taken advantage of the Blueblood’s general disinterest in the region to act as if the lands belonged to them. Speaking personally to every subject would not only be impossible, it also wouldn’t be enough. Unless the local lords were properly chastised, they would continue to send their tax collectors into the prince’s lands and the locals would have no choice but to pay.

Fortunately, they wouldn’t have to go to every lord individually to speak with them. All the offending lords had conveniently gathered themselves together on Count Baukus’s lands. The count had just married his daughter to Mayor Mare’s son, and in celebration a tourney was being held. It was the autumnal equinox, so the implications of a competition with the White Tail Tourney couldn’t be missed. That was why the local lords were all in attendance, along with as many of their household as could be mustered; they were attempting to make this tourney equal to the one held in White Tail Wood, perhaps even usurping it one day. That wasn’t likely to happen, though, especially after the Haltrotsuns were through with them.

They hadn’t been rude enough to arrive unannounced or uninvited, at least technically. The procession was public knowledge and the invitation to the tourney was open to all, so they were expected by the lords in the box set aside for them to watch the jousts. In the most prominent position sat Count Baukus in his full regalia: crown and mantle both, despite the warm weather. The count had a cream-colored coat, a long red mane and a bushy red beard, and seemed jovial until Twilight Velvet and Twilight Sparkle arrived. Next to him sat his new son-in-law—Fengold—and his daughter, Rolina. Soon, Twilight would be seeing her in Ponieville alongside her new husband and his scheming mother, who now sat on the other side of Count Baukus. She had no crown like Baukus or the other lords and ladies that sat around them in the box, but she wore the only symbol of office she possessed: her mayoral chain, which was merely gilded in gold instead of forged from it entirely. The mayor didn’t make any effort to disguise her displeasure at seeing Twilight Sparkle here, disrupting her triumph at finally making a link (however tenuous) between her family and the nobility.

“Twilight Velvet, Princess of the City, and Twilight Sparkle, Crown Princess of Cant’r Laht, both of House Haltrotsun,” a page nervously announced them as they entered the private box.

“It’s an honor to have two princesses attend the Equestry Tourney’s inaugural games,” Baukus said diplomatically. “Perhaps you would consider making an annual appearance in the future?”

“Perhaps,” Velvet said. “However, I’m afraid we won’t be staying this time for very long, as I am here only for two purposes. The first is to wish the new couple a future of peace, prosperity, and marital bliss.”

Fengold and Rolina made their polite thanks quietly, both overshadowed by the presence of their parents.

“And your second purpose?” Mayor Mare asked acridly.

“I wished to inform you all that the Prince of the City will be sending his own tax collectors to his lands from now on,” Velvet addressed the ponies in the box. “My husband appreciates you collecting tax for him in his absence and looks forward to you sending it to him in Cant’r Laht, but it is unnecessary for you to continue.”

The assembled lords grumbled, and some laughed before seeing how serious Twilight Velvet was.

“You can dress it up however you like,” Baukus said as he faced the sorceress down. “These lands you speak of may have been the Prince of the City’s once, but no more. We tend them now, not some distant lord in Cant’r Laht. Rhaegis Blueblood knew this, which is why he never sent his own tax collectors here. It’s time your husband was informed of the reality.”

“I’m afraid it is you who is mistaken,” Twilight Velvet said. “Things have changed. My husband is not Rhaegis Blueblood. House Haltrotsun is not House Blueblood. My husband was appointed by Regent Celestia. We will soon reside in Cant’r Laht Castle alongside her and Regent Luna. My daughter-in-law is Grand Duchess Mi Amore Cadenza. My daughter is Celestia’s protégé and heir to the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht. We may have once been a small and inconsequential Cant’r Laht house, but now we have the backing of all four living alicorns. Do you really think it is prudent to violate our rights?”

“Are you threatening me, madam sorceress?” Baukus asked.

“Yes, I am,” Twilight Velvet said calmly. “I have kept meticulous track of the Haltrotsun income and expenses for years, and I do not want to see one penny out of place in these lands from now on. If you truly think it is wise to continue as you have, then you will see where that gets you, and it will not be pleasant. Haltrotsun is no longer a toothless house. Now, I must be getting back to Cant’r Laht … for now. Enjoy your games.”

Twilight Sparkle followed her mother as they left the box and the thoughtful lords that occupied it.

“You keep surprising me,” Twilight admitted once they were outside of the tourney grounds. “I have never seen you be so forceful in defending our family.”

“It was what was planned for me, but not the route I wished to go down. However, it seems I found my way to it anyway. Sometimes the unexpected occurs in life and we are forced to change roles. You must understand that better than many.”

“Indeed, I do,” Twilight said.

“More changes will be asked of you,” Twilight Velvet said as she regarded her daughter. “You are an alicorn and Crown Princess of Cant’r Laht. Celestia has always expected much from you, but she will ask even more. You know that, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Twilight said, thinking about all the changes she’d already undergone after leaving Cant’r Laht for Ponieville, and what Celestia had confided in her about her help. “Mother, I wanted to ask a favor of you.”

“You want funds to help the Saddle Arabians in Ponieville,” her mother stated, no question in her voice.

“How did you know?” Twilight asked.

“My shining star,” Velvet used her pet name for Twilight she hadn’t in years as she looked at her compassionately, “Do you think I didn’t keep an eye on you after you left Cant’r Laht? I’m your mother. I solicit reports as often as I can about how you are faring and what you are doing. The Saddle Arabians need housing, and you feel responsible to provide it. I anticipated that you would need help and would ask for it. Why do you think I put together this procession?”

“For me?” Twilight asked disbelievingly.

“You know how I plan everything. If all goes well, we should be able to spare enough for your needs,” Velvet said. “And, I would like to spend some time with you again, when pressing matters in Cant’r Laht are not calling on either of our attentions.”

“It was good to see you again, mother,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“You, too,” she replied. “Now, traipsing hither and yon across the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht had made me quite exhausted. I think it’s time we return home … to our new home.”

Comments

[TasermonsPartner]

I’m your mother. I solicit reports as often as I can about how you are faring and what you are doing.

She bribes Spike with cookies, so he sends her word of all the juicy goings-on. 😉

Sooo...did Twilight's knights not accompany her at all on this trip?

Good to see more updates! I have missed your attention to detail and research into the social structure of the olden days.

[FireOfTheNorth]

11561132

Sooo...did Twilight's knights not accompany her at all on this trip?

Ream and Baldavin stayed behind this time. It probably would have made sense for them to come along, but I wanted to keep the focus on Twilight and her mother. Don't worry, though. Her guards will be getting some more attention very soon.