A Diplomatic Visit

by Evilhumour

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

Despite her pronouncement, it took Luna some time to gather everypony she needed, along with the information required for this mission. She, Raven, Kibitz and the guards then set out to several other military stations, where she reaffirmed certain standings, something she had been putting off doing since her return. Once she had paid them all a visit and gathered several other important guests for this meeting, she led her group to the station by Bur Patch.

Several ponies looked up in surprise when they heard the gatehouse door open, and even more reacted with shock when they saw exactly who had just arrived.

"Ponies of the Equestrian Border Patrol!" Luna boomed. "We would have words with thee!"

There was an instant scramble as the guards on duty rushed to stand at attention, and finally, the station’s Patrol Agent in Charge emerged. On seeing her, he bowed.

“Your highness, I’m PAIC Thorough Search, at your service,” he started. “What may we do for you?”

Luna tilted her nose down at him in disapproval before looking at the blank Most Wanted board and shooting him another piercing glare. “To your largest conference room; we will have words and your agents and counterparts have stations to operate.”

“Yes, your majesty,” he said, bowing his head as he directed her towards the conference room and began to feel confused as he saw several high ranking individuals accompanying her. Top ranking army and air force generals were next to several fleet admirals and the new captain of the royal guards for Equestria, flanked by several senior officers of the Solar and Lunar guard while several of the Sector Chief Patrol Agents, including his own superior officer, fell in sheepishly behind them all and two prim-looking Canterlot unicorns walked in with their heads held high.

At the very back of the military group came Strict Standards, the Chief of the Border Patrol himself and the highest-ranking officer of the Equestrian Border Patrol, who looked confident for some reason; maybe he was overly hopeful that one of the Princesses had come down to see them all? Thorough Search doubted it; something felt bad. He made his way to one of the few remaining empty chairs and sat himself down while the Princess took her place at the head of the table.

“Strict Standards,” the princess said, causing the Chief to frown at the lack of his title. “I have several important questions that you and your officers will answer.”

“Your highness, if you would please just,” Strict Standards began only for the Princess to once again narrow her eyes.

“Before you finish your sentence, Strict Standards, let me tell you a short story and the difference between my sister and I,” the princess said, beginning to pace. “Back in the old times as it is now, my sister was the diplomat. She weaved into creation treaties and agreements, forming alliances and friendship with words spoken and written.” She paused for a moment before bringing a massive hammer down into the floor, causing all to jump in surprise. “I was the warrior, the general who led the charge against our foes and created plans so we could win our wars of old. Back then, I held supreme command over all of Equestria’s armed forces and these generals, admirals and captains can attest that in a thousand years, my rank has not changed at all.” All eyes turned to the other military officers, who nodded their heads in agreement.

“So what, is this your way of telling me you’re taking my job?” Strict Standards snorted angrily with half of those present gasping in surprise at his rude behaviour and the other glaring in anger.

Princess Luna frowned. “I am saying that I already outrank you,” she said. “The Equestrian Border Patrol and its Chief answered to me a thousand years ago, and still do. And as of late, I am not pleased with some of what I have observed.” She leaned in, suddenly in his face. “Well over a quarter million complaints exist in the archives, with an entire floor dedicated to holding them. All of these have occured during your tenure as Chief of the Border Patrol, and that is why you are losing your job.” She tilted her head to the royal guards who had moved behind Strict Standards, taking him away from the conference room while the unicorn civilians dropped several stacks of files across the length of the table.

“These are all questionable incident reports, complaints, arrests and other concerns over the last five years alone,” Luna announced. “And that is just the beginning; the sheer amount of files on the subject that remain in Canterlot’s storage would more than fill every room of this station. This is unacceptable and we are going to stay here, you the leaders of the Equestrian Border Guard, until we reach the last file on this table and sort things out. After which, those who are still here and not arrested for whatever may appear in these papers, will be free to return to their stations and ensure that this will never need to happen again.” She had summoned a throne for herself, teleporting those not needed away before taking the first file off the pile, holding it in her magic. “Are we understood?”

“Yes sir,” was the chorus of answers as she handed off the files with each Border Guard opening theirs up as she began to read off its content.

---

Celestia had teleported to the town of Tall Tale, standing on the outskirts. It was like nearly any other small town in Equestria so it was not hard for her to find where the Apple Clan’s farm was and the walk gave her some more time to think and prepare.

She had, at long last, found out why most stores had refused to sell any products from the Big Apple Orchard. Due to being an outcast and shunned by her family, selling any of Slice n’ Dice’s meat products would run the risk of having the Apple clan pulling their wares out of the store and that was more than any store would be willing to take. If she were successful in rebuilding this relationship, it would not only be a family reunited but also allow meat products to be back on the shelves and help normalize it for her ponies to see so there would be less race-based attacks. It was the smallest of things but it could help immensely in far reaching ways.

Just like what Twilight was doing to help overturn the whole debacle Nobleblood had gotten Equestria and the Packlands in. He had put both nations in a horrendous stalemate; she knew unofficially that the wolves had regretted calling what he had done an honour crime as it had locked them into a feud against Equestria that had very few ways for them back out from without suffering from looking politically weak in the international community and she couldn’t just hand over a pony to another nation for what amounted to a death sentence as it would undoubtedly cause mass civil unrest. She snorted; there were times when some had quietly suggested that she just remove those officials who would stand in her way via imprisonment in Tartarus, and she had promptly dismissed any advisor who did so. Such an act might have been the easy solution, but it was also the act of a tyrant and a dictator seeking to consolidate power, and she was neither.

The fact that her fellow Powers would likely step in had she done so was also a factor, but far from the only one. She had seen full well what happened to Powers who let their position go to their head, and she had no desire to become one of them. She had paid special attention to the other Celestias who’d gone too far, falling to Order and requiring help from multiple Powers to help unseat them, allowing Life to take charge of the mantle until a new Lord or Lady of Day could be found.

Shaking her head to turn herself from such thoughts, she focused on her goal here and now: to speak to Slice ‘n Dice’s immediate family, and hopefully find some way of ending the divide between them.

Walking along the dirt path of this apple farm, Tall Apple Farm, Celestia saw a small filly walking who gasped in surprise when she saw her and immediately went running, yelling “Ma!”

“For Celestia’s sake, child, what is it?” a female voice called back, and then an Earth pony mare with a silverish-blue mane came trotting out. When she saw Celestia, she looked just as surprised, before composing herself. “Your highness,” she greeted Celestia. “This is unexpected. How may I help you?”

“Hello my dear pony,” she smiled at the mare. “I would like to speak with you and your husband about your daughter.”

“What about my daughter?” The mare placed her hooves on her young daughter’s shoulder. “I didn’t know my little Bramley here had done anything to attract your attention, your highness.”

“Your older daughter.” Celestia looked firmly at her.

The mare immediately looked down at her filly. “Go back to the house, dear,” she said. “The princess and I need to speak in private.”

“But ma, Ah don’t have a sister,” the filly said before her mother shooed her back inside, a stallion walking out the door right afterward.

“Your highness, forgive us but our daughter is right,” the stallion said, standing next to his wife and was actually staring at her in the eyes. “She is our only blessing and we couldn't be more pleased with her. Right, Lazuli?”

The mare nodded her head but was slightly slow in doing so; a possible path for Celestia to use. “Yes, Johnny.” she said before looking at Celestia, seemingly wishing to speak before she held back.

“Please my ponies, I can understand how you would feel about your daughter’s supposed actions but there are things that you may not know of.”

“Again yer highness, Ah don’t know what yer talkin’ about,” the stallion said confidently, puffing out his chest.

“Slice n’ Dice,” Celestia said, slowly losing her patience. She was always impressed when her ponies found the confidence to talk back to her but this was not the time nor place for it.“Your firstborn, whom you’ve been denying the existence of ever since a certain group of ponies came and told you a swarm of lies about her.”

“Oh that mare,” the stallion snorted loudly and angrily. “Ah’m sorry ya highness had to deal with such nonsense. She ain’t right in the head; at first we had humoured her but then she was making mah wife all upset and Ah told her ta stop writing to us and leave us alone.”

“She is still your daughter,” Celestia snapped back, leaning down to stare him in the eyes. “And those workers had spread lies about her.”

“And Ah’m saying that she ain’t no daughter of mine!” he shouted back in her face. “Ah read them letters she wrote of her ‘butchering’ and saw them products in da store before Ah told them to get them out or they’d get no Apple products ever again!” He jabbed a hoof into her chest with latent Earth Pony magic pushing into her protection wards. “Ah thank ya to get off mah property, ya highness and never come back or mention that mare ever agai-”

“ENOUGH!” the mare shouted, startling them both. “Johnny Apple, I’ve had it with your attitude! Your highness, you said they lied about Slice n’ Dice’s actions?”

Celestia nodded. “My own personal student, and our nation’s newest alicorn, met with her at her home earlier today and informed me of what she had found.”

The mare bowed her head, shooting glares at her husband to silence him. “Tell us everything.”

Celestia spent the next few minutes telling the two everything she had learned as well as all she knew of the situation, which included the issue with the border guards and their prejudices and how butchery was actually done.

It was a long moment of silence before the stallion nodded his head once and turned to his wife. “All right, let’s go get ready.”

“Johnny?” his wife asked with confusion on her face, though still clearly angry.

“Well, we are going to go visit our daughter, aren’t we?” Johnny replied. “An Apple don’t do no apology by letter or some such nonsense. We do it in person.” He let out a sigh, shaking his head. “Ah have a lot to apologize for.”

At that, Celestia smiled. “Making amends is the first step in repairing old friendships my dear ponies.” She smiled at at the two gently, letting a bit of Day magic sweep out. It was a somewhat admittedly cheap tactic and trick but it was an effective one none the less. “I know it must not have been easy for you to accept her back into your life, but I am proud of you.”

“Ah ain’t,” Johnny said, shaking his head. “Ah threw out mah baby filly just ’cause some ol’ friends yapped their lips at me and Ah didn’t trust her at all. Ah forced mah wife and mah family to pretend she ain’t never been born or existed. Ah ain’t no Apple or father or husband after what I had done and Ah have a lot to answer for.”

“Mr. Johnny,” Celestia said slowly. “I have learned, in my many years, that nobody’s perfect. But do you know the difference between an error and a mistake?”

The stallion shook his head.

“Anyone can make an error. But that error doesn’t become a mistake until you refuse to correct it.” Celestia looked at him. “You have made errors in judgement, and errors in your decisions. But the fact that you have recognized your errors and are seeking to correct them is a step in the right direction. You have learned from your experience, and that will help you to become a better pony.”

The stallion nodded. “Ah still feel guilty though.”

“That is understandable. But do not allow it to consume you.” Celestia looked away briefly. “I nearly did, once, and it almost resulted in disaster for those around me - indeed, for all of Equestria - until I was brought out of it. I advise you to not make the same error I once did.”

“Ah’ll keep that in mind, Princess.” He tilted his head before looking sadly at his wife. “Ah’m mighty sorry for forcing ya to destroy all her pictures.”

Lazuli blushed. “Um… actually…”

Johnny looked at her, then shook his head. “Let me guess. Ya saved some?”

“I always had duplicates of all of our photos, actually,” Lazuli said. “I tore up a few of the extras to make you think I got rid of them, but the originals and at least one set of copies have always been kept somewhere safe.”

Johnny smiled. “Ya fooled me good there then… just as well,” he leaned in to nuzzle her face before stopping and shaking his head. “Ah don’t think Ah earned that right yet. Ah need ta go explain some things ta Bramley.”

“We both do,” Lazuli said with a bit of steel in her eyes, showing she hadn’t forgiven him just yet. “Thank you, your highness, for everything.”

“It was my pleasure to help a family heal, my dear ponies,” Celestia said.

Comments

[Wartank55]

“Anyone can make an error. But that error doesn’t become a mistake until you refuse to correct it.”

Ok Grand Admiral Thrawn

[Asolem2]

“Well over a quarter million complaints exist in the archives, with an entire floor dedicated to holding them. All of these have occured during your tenure as Chief of the Border Patrol, and that is why you are losing your job.”

Wow that's... actually kinda impressive

“And Ah’m saying that she ain’t no daughter of mine!” he shouted back in her face. “Ah read them letters she wrote of her ‘ butchering ’ and saw them products in da store before Ah told them to get them out or they’d get no Apple products ever again!” He jabbed a hoof into her chest with latent Earth Pony magic pushing into her protection wards. “Ah thank ya to get off mah property, ya highness and never come back or mention that mare ever agai-”

I'm with Celestia, it's always impressive to see ponies stand up against her, but in this case it strikes me more as stubbornness than confidence

It was a long moment of silence before the stallion nodded his head once and turned to his wife. “All right, let’s go get ready.”

Hmm

“Well, we are going to go visit our daughter, aren’t we?” Johnny replied. “An Apple don’t do no apology by letter or some such nonsense. We do it in person.” He let out a sigh, shaking his head. “Ah have a lot to apologize for.”

I like you Johnny, you're a bit stubborn, and quick to judge, but you can admit when you're wrong and you know the proper way to apologize

“I always had duplicates of all of our photos, actually,” Lazuli said. “I tore up a few of the extras to make you think I got rid of them, but the originals and at least one set of copies have always been kept somewhere safe.”

A mare after my own heart, if you're gonna save something then create a few copies and keep them somewhere else, just in case

[SpikeSmolder fan]

Whoa, Luna should have gotten RD's grill since she roasted all those Border Patrol ponies!

Also very sweet of Celestia to do something proactive in regards to the Apple Clan!

Almost reaching the updated chapters of this story, it has been fun & interesting!

[redmar]

It's good that Slice N' Dice's parents were willing to to correct their mistake.