Twilight passed through the gates of the Royal Palace, the guards parting and putting a reasonable amount of distance between themselves and her as she strode past. On the surface, Twilight was the picture of perfect serenity; inside, Twilight had the jitters, badly.
She wasn't sure why Celestia had summoned her, nor why it had been such short notice. Usually, due to the Solar Princess's tightly packed schedule, Twilight would receive a date for their meetings weeks or even months in advance, as well as a full reason for the summons.
Twilight had received this letter yesterday. She had briefly considered there being a new threat to Equestria, but she was sure that Celestia would have found a way to make her aware if that was the case, however cryptically. Well, reasonably sure. No, this had to be something else, but the needling worry in the back of her mind didn't leave easily, no matter how she tried to coax it out.
She trotted past another pair of guards, making her way into the castle grounds, the layout of which she knew all too well from years of experience. With a tremulous shake of her tail, she made her way towards the throne room, hoping that she could simply find Celestia there and put her mind to rest.
As she walked, she began to consider the plethora of reasons Celestia might have needed to speak with her on such short notice. Her eyes traveled upwards and she habitually brushed away her bangs with a flick of magic as she considered the possibilities, be they related to changelings, a royal duty, or some other inconceivable issue that she was unaware of. Her magic subconsciously partitioned her tail hairs, thread by thread, as she gave thought to each of the intersecting possibilities crossing her mind at once.
If she hadn't been so wrapped up in the worries that gripped her, she might have noticed that there was a door directly in front of her, and that it was currently swinging open with some speed. She might also not have been hit in the muzzle by it.
"Ngghh-ahh!" she cried out suddenly, unceremoniously dropping onto her haunches, cradling her precious snout while fighting back a steadily building stream of tears. That had hurt like a bitch.
When her eyes had cleared somewhat, she was able to make out a rather apologetic looking handmaiden, holding out a hoof and offering Twilight some help in getting up. "I am so sorry, princess! Ah, uhm, P-Princess Celestia sent me to come and find you, but I didn't expect you to be," the young mare paused and apprehensively waved a hoof at the stunned Twilight, "For you to be, ahh—" she trailed off, looking both worried and confused.
A few moments, and Twilight had managed to regain her faculties. It was nice to have a distraction from her crippling concern, even if it was a clumsy, pain inducing one. She stood, still rubbing her muzzle, and winced out her best attempt at a convincing smile. "I-It's fine, really! Honestly, I should have been watching where I was going," she let out a nervous laugh, looking around at the castle staff, who all seemed to be trying their hardest to ignore her predicament, be it out of respect or fear that they might offend royalty, "Can't exactly be mad at you for opening a door now, can I?" she grimaced, painfully aware of her insincerity.
The handmaiden either didn't notice or didn't mind, as she still stood with her hoof outstretched, stammering over various apologies. She took a deep breath, and proceeded to speak with an affected calm: "As I was saying, princess," she meekly began, "Princess Celestia has asked me to fetch you, and bring you to her at once."
At this, Twilight's eyes widened and she bolted up to standing. She remembered why she was at the palace, and that thought alone was enough to put some movement into her bones. Something about what the handmaiden had said appeared odd though. "Wait, why would Celestia send somepony to get me? I know my way around, I could find the throne room with my eyes shut!"
As Twilight sprung up, the handmaiden's face whitened. "Uhm, begging your pardon, your highness, I didn't mean to insinuate that you didn't, but I'm just doing as I'm told, and the princess told me th-that she'd actually be receiving you elsewhere today--"
"Really?!" Twilight jumped in place, incredulous, "But these are court hours! When does Celestia ever take time off during the day?!"
The rapidly paling handmaiden was becoming more and more skittish with each of Twilight's bombastic responses. "I-I'm not entirely sure it's my place, to, ah, say that, Princess Twilight. As far as I know, Princess Celestia has always performed her royal duties to the best of her ability, and I never meant to imply that she didn't! Oh, I'm sorry, princess, first I attack you and next I talk badly of Celestia, ohh, please don't tell her—"
Twilight knew that any other pony wouldn't take much heed of the information she had just received, but those ponies didn't know Celestia like she did. To Celestia, her duty to her country was everything, and only the most pressing of circumstances came before it. To Twilight's alarm, she realised that whatever she had been summoned for, it was important enough for Celestia to take a break from presiding over the throne room, presumably without much notice. With her mind suddenly racing as it was, she barely noticed the pony melting into a puddle in front of her.
"...And if I'm banished to Tarturus, I'll never see my friends again, or my family! Oh, princess, she's not going to banish me, is she?" By this point, the pony was visibly shaking –her fetlocks bent forwards– and she looked as if she could collapse at any moment. Before she could become any more panic-stricken, Twilight raised a hoof, silencing her.
"No no, please, I'm so sorry," Twilight looked away for a moment before eyeing the handmaiden sympathetically, "I've made you all worried... None of that's going to happen, I promise," she spoke in soothing tones, walking over to the confused and upset pony, wrapping a soft wing around her barrel and gently pulling her in, "I'm just a little pent up right now, I didn't mean to make you so afraid."
The young attendant flinched at the contact, but quickly settled into it. She took a few calming breaths, allowing herself to deflate. "No, princess, It's not your fault, I should have been straight to the point. Princess Celestia asked me to escort you to the antechamber in the southern wing, are you familiar with it?"
Ponies peered at the pair's impromptu cuddle with little restraint as Twilight cast her gaze skyward, trying to determine whether or not she did remember where that particular room was. When nothing promising came, she shook her head.
"Then would you like me to show you the way?" The pony's tone had swiftly become quite upbeat, Twilight smiled, she must have done a good job of comforting her.
"Of course," she beamed, eyes briefly squeezing shut, "Please. lead the way."
The handmaiden moved to do as instructed, but was stayed by a purple, feathery barrier. She shuffled awkwardly on her hooves before turning to Twilight, who was again staring into space. "Uhm, your highness?"
Twilight's vision snapped back to her, her eyes swiftly gaining focus. "Oh!" She looked at her wing, "Right, that!" grinning sheepishly, she retracted her wing and folded it, "How's that?"
The mare stood up straight, testing her footing and smiling at Twilight before beginning to walk away. "Great! Thank you!"
Apparently, the mare had taken her question a little too literally; Twilight couldn't help but laugh. She quickly trotted up to keep pace with the mare, feeling the last pangs of pain fade from her muzzle as they walked through the winding corridors of the castle.
All the while, Twilight found herself to be a little curious about the mare. Maybe it was just a means of distraction from the impending meeting, maybe it was her tendency to want to understand other ponies, she wasn't sure. Twilight found the swiftness with which her mood changed interesting, as well as her genuine fear of the princesses, despite having worked for the royal sisters for an indeterminate amount of time. Twilight figured she must be new to the job. It helped to be able to deduce why ponies acted the way they did, it helped to affirm her understanding of the world.
Soon enough, her curiosity drifted back to the situation at hoof. "Say, do you know anything about why Celestia wants to see me here?" It was a long shot, but the worst she could say was no.
"I'm afraid not, princess, I was only told to escort the ponies."
Twilight nodded, turning a corner with her escort. I didn't think much would come of that. As they walked, she mentally recited the pony's words. Wait, 'ponies'? She looked quizzically at the handmaid, "Who else did you have to pick up?"
"Prince Blueblood, your highness," she sweetly smiled.
Twilight said nothing in response, but her expression barely diminished. Blueblood? But why? Does he even have anything to do with royal proceedings? Twilight considered asking the handmaiden for more information, but knew it wouldn't be much use.
"I know it really isn't my place to say this, but that Prince Blueblood really is quite the caring stallion."
Twilight involuntarily snorted with laughter. "Really? Blueblood, caring?"
"Why yes, he was nice enough to offer me lunch when I arrived at his estate, said I looked as if I had been on my hooves all day without a moment to spare! I declined, of course, but he insisted! In fact, he refused to leave until I had eaten, and I have to say, the food was scrumptious! It's funny, once we left he barely said a word, but I couldn't stop thanking him!"
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "That is, err, strange," she nodded, unsure what else to say. Twilight's opinion of Blueblood –or what little she had of one– was pretty skewed. On one hand, she had heard the stories of his treatment of Rarity (at some length), and that was enough for her to vehemently dislike him. On the other, she had witnessed his behaviour herself at the Equestria Games, and saw him then to be polite, respectful, and most importantly, not pompous or arrogant in any sense of the word. It would have confused her, had she ever paused to think about it, and now that she gave it some consideration, she realised it didn't make much sense at all.
"Anddd, here we are!" the handmaiden announced, beaming as she gestured toward an exquisitely crafted oaken door, "If you do get a chance and would be so kind, could you please tell the good prince that Meadow Springs says hello?"
Huh, so that was her name, Twilight thought, annoyed she hadn't asked for it sooner. "Uhh, yeah, sure. Well, thanks, Meadow!"
"No problem!" Meadow called, already skipping away to whatever new task awaited her.
Twilight no sooner faced the door as it opened of its own accord. Luckily, this door opened inwards, and there was no chance of it hitting her. Not wasting any time, Twilight stepped inside, soon spotting Princess Celestia and Prince Blueblood sitting together at a small gilded table, purple satin pillows pushed underneath the pair as they sipped from small porcelain cups that hung in each pony's respective aura.
The scene was almost tranquil to look at, and relaxed Twilight somewhat, though it also gave rise to small pangs of jealousy.
Twilight was well aware that Blueblood was Celestia's nephew, but it felt strange to see another pony sitting and drinking tea with her mentor, as she had grown accustomed to doing herself. The only reassurance the picture gave her was that whatever this matter was, it couldn't be as grave as she had anticipated, not if everypony appeared so calm.
Then again, Celestia always appeared calm, and Twilight had no clue about Blueblood. She slowly stepped in, not too eager to make her presence known, but not looking to skulk around in the shadows either. Luckily, Celestia's infallible perception drew her to the fray.
"Ah, Twilight," she said without looking, "Please, come and join us. You've met my nephew, I presume?"
With this, Blueblood's head languidly rose, his eyes regarding Twilight briefly and then narrowing, though he remained silent, save the odd sip of his drink.
"No, I haven't, Princess Celestia, though I have heard of him," Twilight smiled at the pair, hoping she didn't look too false. Just remain cordial, Twilight, you'll be fine. "It's nice to meet you, Prince Blueblood."
Blueblood nodded in response, his face stolid as ever. When Twilight extended a hoof to shake, his features appeared to harden, but he returned the gesture nonetheless, briefly and gingerly shaking her hoof.
Celestia smiled at this. "Good, it seems you're, ahem, already acquainted," Celestia looked away for a moment, and then proceeded to repeat the word 'good' a couple of times.
If Twilight didn't know any better, she would assume that Celestia was currently blanching.
"Now, I must apologise to you both in advance," she eyed Blueblood, and then Twilight, her expression penitent, "For many things, honestly, but first of all for bringing you both here and then thrusting this meeting upon you without any notice or explanation as to why."
If Twilight shared any trait with Blueblood, it was the instinctive smile they both offered to Celestia in forgiveness. Twilight chose to ignore that, and instead try to get a better scope of the situation. "You mean you've not told Prince Blueblood anything yet, Princess?"
"I have not, and he has been very patient in waiting."
"Thank you, Princess Celestia," Blueblood said, softly and clearly.
"Aunt," Celestia sternly corrected.
"Yes, Aunt Celestia," he repeated, his tone childishly querulous for but a moment.
"Honestly, Blue, you don't need to be embarrassed in front of Twilight, she is a wonderful pony."
Twilight stifled a laugh, "Blue?" she wondered aloud, mirth in her eyes as she regarded the prince.
To his credit, Blueblood's strong features didn't falter, he didn't blush nor flinch. "Yes, Celestia has called me such since I was young, I have grown quite accustomed to it."
Twilight put a hoof over her mouth, pushing back a sudden wave of giggles. She wasn't sure why, but she found it difficult to place the idea of Blueblood having a childhood nickname, one given to her by the Princess of all Equestria, no less.
Celestia cleared her throat for a second time, abruptly halting Twilight's laugh before it could break free. When they both turned to regard her, she appeared unsure how to proceed. "I, uhm, I do believe I have kept you waiting long enough, you in particular, Blue, and I'd like to explain why you had to have this meeting."
Twilight instantly raised a hoof like a schoolfilly in a classroom, Celestia nodded her way and she proceeded to speak. Blueblood raised an eyebrow by a centimetre at most.
"Excuse me, Princess, but you used the past participle 'had' to refer to a meeting that hasn't even happened yet."
Celestia smiled at her student's characteristic punctiliousness, but it was overshadowed by a small sigh. "Usually, you would be right as always, Twilight, but I'm afraid that in this case, the meeting has already taken place."
Twilight cocked her head, bewildered. "Wait, what do you mean? I thought I was meant to be present at the meeting?"
"That's the thing, Twilight, you were. You both were. In fact," Celestia briefly chewed her bottom lip, "How do I say this? This meeting was simply an opportunity for you to meet each other."
Twilight looked at Blueblood, who returned her gaze, apparently equally confused, then looked back at Celestia, who looked as if she had just bitten into something very sour. "Uhh, why would you call us here for that, princess? I don't really follow."
"I must concur," Blueblood stated. "I see little merit to this short interaction, what were you hoping to accomplish?"
Celestia briefly closed her eyes before looking at each pony, resolute. "This 'interaction', as you put it, was necessary. I'll try to explain this as best I can. Recently, I came to the end of a long dialogue with the Royal Council regarding a certain topic that I've been trying my hardest to keep off the table for months now. Unfortunately, they've found a way around my efforts to impede them."
Blueblood's eyes widened at mention of the council, but he otherwise remained silent.
"The council members, spearheaded by one in particular, posed a certain plan to me many months ago, and I immediately took every step to veto it. Unfortunately, it seems they've found a way to ensure that they get what they want. Namely, in ancient Equestrian law, long before Luna's banishment, when the royal families were large and diverse, there was a clause that stipulated the allowance of arranged marriage between two noble or royal houses of neighbouring counties, to strengthen the royal bloodline and ensure heirs."
"Hold on," Twilight interjected, "What's this got to do with us?"
"Please listen, Twilight. Luna and I are fully aware that there may come a time in future when we are no longer fit to rule, or when we may no longer want to, and we will not wish to leave Equestria in the hooves of an unchecked republic if we can avoid it. As far as we can see, the only alternative is to have a continuation of the royal bloodline, allowing democracy to be balanced with the monarchy, and for both systems to keep one another in check, but both Luna and I are unable to facilitate this ourselves. The council realise this, and likely have their own agenda for wishing to see the royal tree expand, but while Luna and I have consulted on this extensively, we see no better alternative. We just wish it did not have to be you two."
"W-wait, us two?" Twilight stuttered, "You mean we both have to go and find ponies to marry?! That's crazy!"
"No, Twilight," Celestia softly exhaled, wishing her student was not so oblivious, "I mean that you two must marry. Prince Blueblood controls the Trottingham Duchy, and many of the lands south of Canterlot fall into your own dominion. Because of that, a continuation of both of your respective bloodlines ensures that settlers do not claim independence, should anything ever befall either of you. This union should help to propagate the ideals of a true royal family, and bring a further degree of unity to Equestria. Do you understand that there is little alternative? During the Crystalling, we were all put in a situation where we might have lost our lives. What would happen to Equestria then?"
Twilight had ceased responding. Instead, she had dropped onto her plot, and sat with her muzzle hung open. She appeared to be tracing a few of Celestia's words around the side of her mouth as her expression became increasingly vacant, as if the words were foreign to her.
Reluctantly removing her gaze from Twilight, Celestia turned to Blueblood. "You understand that my hooves are tied, yes?"
Blueblood glanced at Twilight, who still sat in a daze, then back to Celestia, his tone forcibly placid. "If the council wills it, I will not actively oppose the decision. But," he seethed, his face briefly contorting into a deep frown, "This does not mean I will be happy about it."
Celestia pensively rubbed a pair of hooves together. "Honestly, I didn't expect you to react this well," she adjusted her gaze, "As for Twilight..."
"I share the sentiment she is displaying so strongly, though I also believe you should snap her out of it. I will assume that a date has already been arranged, it would be unlike the council to not be fastidiously prepared."
"Yes, there is a date in mind, roughly three months from now. Twilight, did you hear that?" Celestia turned to her student, watching her eyes dart back and forth across the room as she attempted to process all the new information, "Twilight? Did you take in anything I just said?" Celestia asked her directly.
Suddenly, Twilight perked up, turning away from Celestia. "Oh yeah, Blueblood! A pony called Meadow Springs told me to say hello to you," a beat, "from her, I mean."
A second passed, and Twilight slowly began burying her face in her forehooves. "Why is this happening to me? Blueblood is, well, he's—he was rude to my friend in the past, and-and he ruined her night, and now... Now I have to marry him?" Twilight's voice became shrill, "You want me to have foals with him?!"
Blueblood cast a sullen gaze out of the stained glass window, levitating his drink to his lips. "It appears we have a similar opinion, there is not much I would prefer less. As for Meadow Springs, it appears I will not be able to respond to her amorously even if I had intended to, as my betrothed would surely have an issue with it," he grumbled, eyeing Celestia with a mostly restrained anger. Blueblood then allowed his gaze to settle back on the window, where he looked out over the splendor of Canterlot's gardens in the radiant afternoon sun.
With such a superb view at the centre of his focus, his mind surely must have shifted to happier thoughts.
... well, can honestly say I don't know where this is going. But I'm eager to see.
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Cheers! I'm glad I was able to grab your interest!
AAIQU
Setup's contrived as hell, but at least it didn't take very long and is all out of the way now. We'll see if something comes of it.
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I'm sorry to hear that you think so, hopefully you'll enjoy the future chapters a little more!
AAIQU
I always love BlueLight shipping especially when Blueblood is a stuck up jerk with just a few redeeming qualities to him and get forced to to mingled with the common ponies. So far I think Blueblood's characterization would need some work as I feel that he is too subdued in his reaction about the situation even if he know it would be expected going through that. I wonder why Twilight in this story apparently never never interacted with him in the past seeing how close he apparently is to Celestia? Looking forward to the next chapter.
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That particular calm of Blueblood's is probably learned from Celestia. It's also the result of some alternate character interpretation that I'd heard and that me and AAIQU discussed. Without going into spoilers, the idea is that he's meant to be very composed, as befitting of a relative of royalty.
Yes! Another bluelight shipping story! I love this! I have high hopes for it. Keep going in the direction your heading and this will be the best story ever!
This is gonna be good.
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ohh I get you.
Been a while since I've seen a story involving BlueLight shipping. I think the only other one I've ever read was by Aegis Shield. You have my attention.
You have a line to correct at the end, where you both made a new paragraph, and misspelled "sun" as "soon".
"... splendor of Canterlot's gardens in the radiant afternoon sun."
^ Is what it should be.
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have to agree. considering what the alicorns can do. Seriously why should Twilight obey this at all. BUCK the council, hell work to disband it. Also a Republic is not a bad thing .Pure Democracy is.
Welp, time for Twilight to have a magical "accident" aimed approximately at the Royal Council chambers. Oops!
Will keep an eye on this, but the setup is painfully contrived. I hope there's some actual flesh given to the members of the Royal Council and what they're trying to get out of this - shipping these two won't carry the story.
I don't see much of Twilight and Blue ships here in the site. Though I wonder why they are against the Republic and Independence ideals?
Can't wait for more
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Twilight's a stickler for rules, I don't think she'd even consider using her status to violate the law of the land like that. Celestia... well, from my conversations with the author, it sounds like that'll be addressed in the story. But my headcanon is that if she started enforcing her will, she'd become a tyrant, and she knows this... so even though her little ponies would probably let her do whatever she wanted, she holds back.
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Whenever I check on my own most popular story, one of the suggested stories is something about Twilight's "possess a doll" spell becoming permanent. I have not read it, because I can't help thinking, "Why would you write something like that?" But it also makes me think that the fandom just doesn't care about contrivances. Not to mention, all the crossovers resulting from a magic experiment gone wrong... at this point, I don't think the premise of a story is important, but how you tell it.
I mean, yeah, I guess an arranged marriage is a bit contrived (though I think it's an interesting setup), but I've seen so many zany excuses to ship ponies that it never struck me as odd, and I trust AAIQU to make it well-reasoned.
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Well, a "Republic," technically, is any government in which the position of head of state is not hereditary. ...While, now that I think about it, it is odd for Celestia to oppose that, given that her pick of student and newest Princess is not related to her, I guess she's used to traditional forms of government. It's something interesting about FiM's setting - when you've had the same beloved ruler for a millennium, ponies aren't going to have the same views regarding democracy as we do.
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I think the bulk of ponies would be against a forced pairing like this. And it's their tyranny she is opposing.
I've always been interested in TWIxBLUE stories like this though they're aren't that many
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Unfortunately for Twilight and Blueblood, the minority who don't mind arranged marriages are the ancient nobility of Canterlot. Marriage amongst the upper class, even today, isn't always about love... but of course, Twi and Blue are the ones it's happening to, so they'll be finding ways to oppose that!
Honestly, this was too shallow and trite to really leave an impact. Celestia comes across as pathetic and cowardly, the plot is already painfully contrived, and there aren't any narrative hooks to keep me wanting to read.
I have to know now before choosing to invest. Is this an actual Bluelight shipfic, or is this the story of how Twilight and Blueblood manage to get out of this mess without being shackled by any council or romantic interest in each other?
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Both.
I look forward to seeing where this goes. Also I hope that Meadow Springs doesn't make a big deal about the situation, or that she otherwise doesn't end up as a source of conflict.
Then again, that WOULD be a relatively easy source of early conflict I suppose.
Well the Royal Council just BUCKED up on this one, I can see only TWO ways for Twilight to get out of this. One would be to go all MIDNIGHT Sparkle on them, of course I wonder what pony Midnight would look like, and for Two, she would just have to find a way to de-ascend herself back into that of a Unicorn, thus giving up the title of Princess.
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Mostly because it takes forever for anything to get done and it usually devolves into petty partisan bickering.
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Sorry but I'm in full agreement here. And you're portraying Celestia as backing down from the very ponies who enjoy trying to find loopholes in her rule so that they can take over. She's been rebuffing them for over generations, and in a few short paragraphs, you not only made Celestia out to be pathetic and weak, but to have absolutely no power or say in the matter. Which is also known as, making her a pure figure-head and NOT a wise ruler with experience.
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Out of fear of a REPUBLIC, no less. That is incredibly stupid. A republic is one of the best forms of government their is! The Romans, the Greeks, and most modern day countries would like to have a few words!
#merica
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She is an autocrat with a messiaha complex. Benevolent or not, no autocat would ever willingly give up power for the sak of the people.
Multiple occurrances. Should be "Luna and I"
Oh no! Democracy!
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I seem to have offended a lot of Americans. I feel, uhh, accomplished... I guess? But honestly, this was a mix up and completely unintentional, I'll try to explain why here.
I eschew political talk so I'm keeping this short (plus I'm tired as all hell).
First of all, let's talk about the word 'republic'. North American definition versus mine is a little different, which is probably causing a lot of the confusion (and animosity).
By my definition of the word, a republic refers to a country which is considered to be a matter of the public, rather than privately owned. Representatives for the people are elected or appointed, not necessarily by the people.
In other words, republics by my definition aren't exactly always wonderful things. Examples may include the Democratic People's Republic of (North) Korea, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the old Soviet Union, and the Republic of China. As you can see, the definition is very loose.
North American definition is different. When you hear the word, representative democracy and constitution is implied. I'm not saying the American definition or connotation of the word is wrong, just that it's taken differently here.
To put it simply, Celestia wishes to avoid a republic (by my definition of the word) because she believes that would likely dissolve into a bunch of power hungry squabbling nobles employing every tool at their disposal to get a leg up. She also believes that the nation isn't ready for it. She doesn't trust the council to wield supreme power.
For people saying that she's a coward, I'll say this: Celestia has ruled for a very long time, yes, but there's not really any higher an example of tyranny as changing a law that you probably helped to approve yourself because of nepotism. Changing the law around to help out her student and nephew would be considered a grievous abuse of power, and that's just the kind of thing the council needs to start to change more and more public opinions.
I doubt that Celestia would continue to rule indefinitely if the general consensus was no confidence in her ability to lead, but that's my opinion. Unfortunately, the council have the ability to twist her words and manipulate the public, Celestia has the power to disband them but wouldn't do it. (Consider the UK for a moment. Queen Elizabeth has the ability to dissolve parliament whenever she wishes, just as parliament is able to put abolishing the monarchy to a vote whenever they feel like. Both have remained stagnant for years and years. The reason for this is that despite the fact that both would likely rather do without the other, public perceptions of whoever the catalyst of the change was would go through the floor. In other words, if Celestia does anything to dismiss her council, it looks like she doesn't even let 'the little ponies' have a say in her rule any more.)
By the way, the council isn't some faceless entity with nefarious intentions. It's a representative of real world aristocracy, and of course includes the benevolent, the political climbers, the selfish, and the idealists alike. We'll be getting a closer look at the council in the future, they aren't just a plot device I plucked out of thin air to spring this concept into action.
As for it being contrived, well, what can I say? I'm bringing you my own creative interpretation of an idea that I've been asked to carry out, an idea that in my opinion is a good one. Is it convenient that Blueblood and Twilight are being forced to marry? You could say so, but the impression I'm getting from multiple readers is that they think the pair are just going to take it lying down.
I think I've said enough on this now. Sorry for any confusion, I hope this clears at least something up for you! It was never my intention to offend, honestly, nor to imply that an American system of government is incorrect or negative in any other way.
AAIQU
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There are reasons for Blueblood's subdued reaction, you'll see why eventually!
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Thank you! I'll try my best, of course!
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Thanks very much, I'll try my best to make it so.
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Let's hope I keep it!
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Thank you! I was immensely tired last night but saw this comment and corrected it straight away, cheers for pointing it out.
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We can hope, right?
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I'm looking forward to writing more!
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Hopefully I'll keep you interested, eh?
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Thanks for making an effort to hold down the fort while I was gone, I know I didn't exactly make it easy for you!
Thanks to everyone for commenting so far! It's nice to see that so many people consider my story worth talking about. (For better or worse!)
AAIQU
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Nice reply man. I can't wait to see what happens next and how the relationship between Twilight and BlueBlood goes
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the exmples you give are democracies, there is a difference between a democarcy and a republic. the American Foundign Fathers looked at the two and went with a Republic it worked well overall it's only recently we have had issues. Note a republic the nobles wouldn't have power unless sought and considering the common ponies view of the nobility outside ofthe princesses is not good.
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This is well thought out and logical. Therefore, it will probably anger even more americans. You one over this one though, and I cannot wait for more!
Seriously though, without this, there would be no book. Some fontriavences are nessecary for a good story.
8346758
From what you said it looks like she is trying to prevent the creating a oligarchy. Also the fact that ckuncil does have power and even Celestia is bound to their rulings implies some form of constitutional monarchy and the fact that Ponyville has a mayor implies that democracy does exist if in a limited form.
8346545
While I don't like revealing my plans for the future of a story too much in advance, I'd say you haven't much to worry about there. Thank you though!
8346581
For some reason the capitalisation of the words just made me laugh more. Interesting ideas! Thanks for sharing.
8346705
Thanks for mentioning! I'll go back through and check soon.
8346729
See the message directly above yours! Made me laugh though, so thanks for that.
8346841
Thanks man, glad to see that it was appreciated, and I look forward to showing you!
8346855
I respect your opinion, of course mate, but I'd rather the comments didn't begin to deviate from the main point of this story too much, I hope that's understandable! I do agree that the United States have made a republic work well for themselves though, there's no contesting that! You have a good system of government.
8346860
Well hopefully I don't anger too many people, this story wasn't created with that in mind, after all! I completely agree with your last line though, we're of the same mind there!
8346865
I'd say you're pretty much spot on here, and you've described the situation I've presented very well! Thank you for adding to the discussion!
And thank you all very much for your comments, I'm happy to get the chance to speak with all of you, and I'm glad you have something to say about my story!
AAIQU
8346758
For my part, I consider Celestia a coward, not because she bowed to political pressure, but because of her demeanor this chapter. She goes to great lengths to emphasize how not-at-fault she is, and how her hands are tied and there's no alternative, rather than accepting responsibility for circumstances which are ultimately her fault.
As far as contrivance goes, my issue isn't with the setup so much, but the plot so far. The whole encounter with Meadow Springs especially felt like blatant plot-fodder.
8346924
You know, you make a well reasoned argument here, I can definitely see your perspective. Thanks for sharing a little more. It's always nice to receive such criticisms, it helps me to learn and improve!
As for Meadow Springs, I can appreciate your opinion here, and I'm sorry if the door scene came across as a little too convenient. I'm going to make a conscious effort to keep this story as organic as possible in its realisation, so hopefully that won't be a lasting opinion!
Thanks mate,
AAIQU
It is interesting seeing Blueblood opposed to the arranged marriage too. Given the "standard" fannon interpretation of him as an insufferable, skeevy, manipulative philander, I was pleasantly surprised to see that this marriage idea was not (or at least it does not appear) his.
I can see the three of them creating some outlandish plan to ruin the nobles' machinations...
Wow, this is exciting already. Here's a thumbs up and I will be waiting for more!
8346650
The Romans gave up their republic for an Empire, and they seemed happy with the result... and then Europe basically forgot about democracy for a millennium and a half. Also, there have in fact been monarchs who have given up their power for democracy. It's rare, but it happens.
8346855
...You mean the "Examples may include the Democratic People's Republic of (North) Korea, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the old Soviet Union, and the Republic of China" list? Three out of four aren't/weren't democratic... and by my own definition, North Korea isn't even a republic.
8346924
I'm not sure I follow, at least in any meaningful sense. Is she at fault for not illegally stopping it? For being Twilight's mentor and Blueblood's aunt? I don't get it.
8346774
I try - I do have a bit invested in the idea, after all. But I also knew the idea would be... controversial at best, so I'm not concerned with that.
8347088
This is what i get for not doing my research. and forgetting basic information on the empire that spread Catholicism everywhere XD
8346900
I read the message and I understand completely your side. I just wanted to make a little joke.
Wait, I mean, 'MURICA BICHES!
this is going to be fun,
i find it funny fi blueblood is in fact want this cuase he has had a crush on twilight for years,
wonder how twilight friends and family going to react
I feel like this was a pretty slow start to the story, mostly because of Celestia’s prolonged explanation.
I also don’t think blueblood’s previous/current relationship was introduced very well. A “they can’t do this, I’m already in a relationship!” would probably have worked better, that way we would see this thing isn’t just hurting Twilight and we could look forward to seeing how he was to break this to her. As it stance now she is a random maid that kinda likes him because he was nice to her.
Blueblood is just really… meh. where is his overblown drama? He just goes with the flow and the closest he comes to having an opinion is being discouraged that he can’t date the maid.
But, the big thing is that this story has two elephants in the room when it comes to the believability of the concept.
1st. Why would Celestia stand for this?
Celestia practically raised Twilight since she was a child, Twilight returned her sister to her after a thousand years of madness on the moon, Twilight saved the kingdom and is an all-around hero…
So why would Celestia sit back and watch as Twilight is to be raped in the name of politics? – they want her to pop out heirs regardless of her feelings on the subject. That is pretty fucking rapey.
I can’t see Celestia being seen as the bad guy if she abolished forced marriages. I mean, if Celestia and the nobles split up, Celestia moved east, and the nobles moved west. I think most ponies would go east.
2nd. We have Cadence’s marriage.
Cadence becoming an alicorn didn’t force her to marry a noble. Hell, everything Twilight’s marriage was suppose to accomplish has already been accomplish by Shining marrying Cadence. There is already a successor who is going to pop out heirs while Celestia is still in power. – the succession is secure.
I feel like the story hasn’t really started yet, I can’t tell which way this will go. but, the summery already told us most of what we learned in this chapter.
8346774
Hey, a legislative body comprised entirely of potted plants might even be an improvement!
8347356
Well, I feel like that description is sort of unfair to Blueblood, who isn't any more happy with it than Twilight is. Could still call it rape, but I think the expectation with the nobility is that they'll learn to live it with it like ponies have been for thousands of years.
It's much more complex than "Celestia and Luna needing an heir." Basically, the Canterlot nobles don't care about the succession of Cadance and Shining Armor - they're off in the Crystal Empire, which doesn't help them at all, not when Cadance doesn't control any land near them. There's a lot more to Equestria than that, and the lands they have an actual stake in are unaffected by Cadance.
To that end, they're using some old treaties and laws - possibly back from when Celestia and Luna were new to the throne and needed the support of the elite - to enforce this particular marriage.
And despite Celestia having been Princess for over a thousand years, she can't do everything she wants. Being an alicorn doesn't mean living some kind of power fantasy, you have duties and obligations and things to consider - and both Twilight and Blueblood know that. Of course, that won't stop them from trying to find legal loopholes out of it, possibly with Celestia's aid...
I personally can't wait for more, I wish this had been published with more than one chapter...
8347357
I recall hearing about a ficus tree running for governor or mayor or something in the US. Me and some friends had fun with the idea - the tree requires a translator, but he speaks entirely in either matters relating to plants... or, regarding anything else, in plant-based puns.
"Let's get to the root of the matter..."
8346988
I can safely divulge that the marriage was not his idea! That interpretation of Blueblood does work, but I'm going for something a little different here, as should be evidenced in future chapters. I know Blueblood isn't exactly a blank slate, but all we know of his character is from his interactions with Rarity, which was anything between two and three years ago.
I won't give away anything else!
8346998
I'm glad you're enjoying it! I aim to provide more soon, so hang tight!
8347088
I think what Shelf was trying to get at was that it could be assumed that Celestia approved that law in the first place however long ago, so what's happened as a result is her fault in some capacity, although I may be wrong. In my opinion, it's a valid way to interpret the events.
8347192
'Murica indeed! (I say, not being American in the slightest.)
8347226
I wonder how they'll react too. I'm sure we'll find out soon enough!
8347356
8347502
There's a couple of things I'll add to what's already been said.
In regards to Blueblood's demeanour, for one thing he's in the presence of his aunt and ruler, and for another this isn't 'commoner's food', this is a serious matter, his reactions are going to be quite different. Blueblood may be arrogant, but he is in no way a petulant child. If you were expecting the spoilt drama queen prince I can assure you that's not what I'll be writing!
I feel like actively hooking him up with the maid just so he could crush her later would have been unnecessary and gratuitously dramatic, but that's just a personal opinion.
There's one thing I'd like to add about the Cadence and Shining Armour thing, and that's them having Flurry Heart. Alicorn royal babies are a very scary prospect to those who would wish to see a lion's share of power removed from immortals, and as far as anyone knows Cadence is an anomaly for being able to birth one, that or Flurry was a one in a million chance. All we know from the show is that an alicorn birth is unheard of.
This shouldn't be a problem for Twilight. Of course, arranged marriage in general is a little 'rapey', as you put it, but that's something that still goes on in modern culture today between the aristocracy, royal families, and other members of the upper class, even business professionals and politicians. Of course, the term 'marriage of convenience' is preferred these days. This is without getting into Muslim arranged marriages etc.
Add this to the fact that Equestrian society isn't exactly a great representation of 21st century western culture (nor any century, it's all a bit mismatched) and the idea of arranged marriage being in practice is pretty feasible.
8347357
This is the best comment. I completely agree.
AAIQU