Trials of A Princess

by Rose Quill

3 Dinner, Shapers, and Warrants

I know for certain that a vision is never cut and dry. I have spoken with Pine, Elm, and Mulberry to seek clarity. None of us understand the portent.

I need to speak to a Heartmender, but they are away at their enclave currently, and it will be some time before they return. The images in my dream trouble me greatly.

Was this the Armageddon for our world, or simply our way of life?

— Silverleaf, Cervyderian Shaman

***

Usually, visiting Twilight’s castle brought me a respite from whatever mired me.

I was lounging on one of her couches while I waited for Sunshine to return from across the mirror. I had hoped to talk to her about the construction of the school, but I instead found her frantically pulling books from her shelves.

“Ohmygoshohmygosh!” Twilight panicked, darting to and fro as books trailed behind her like a gaggle of goslings following their mother. “I know I have more information on Cervyderian diplomatic procedures somewhere!”

I leaned back, my chain of office clinking as I shifted. “Twilight, you know it’s just a dinner, not a formal trade negotiation, right?”

“But I’ve never met a Deerkin before,’ she said, flipping through the pages of her swarm, eyes scanning them with a feverish light.

I never found out what technique she used to process so many words all at once.

“Did you know that they build their homes in the living trees? And there are four different types? I can’t wait to see what kind of magic they use. I wonder what kind of books they have. They don't use paper since they revere the trees…”

I sighed as she pranced over to another shelf, her gaggle of books bobbing along behind. She finally stopped to draw in a breath and I took the moment to wrap a gentle bit of magic around her mouth, stopping the torrent of tidbits and small facts.

“Twilight, I came down here to see how your school was doing. I spent all day sitting through minor petitioners when Celestia’s court ran long with the delegation from Mount Aris, and I’d prefer not to hear anything that makes me even think of diplomacy right now.”

She grinned sheepishly and ruffled her wings. “Sorry. It’s just, they rarely leave their forests! We don't know a lot about them since the first time they sent us an enovy was only seventy years ago! They send couriers every so often but we barely learn anything!” Her raspberry eyes still had a touch of the manic glee I knew from watching my own wife when she discovered something new to learn. “And if what I heard is correct, they were the ones that gifted the seedling for the Golden Oaks...”

I winced as I heard the hitch in her voice as she trailed off. I knew how much that library had meant to her. The evidence of that was hanging over our heads whenever we met in the map room.

“Aw, Twi, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—“

A wave from a wing cut off my apology. Her smile remained unwavering, a single book now hovering in her magic as she stepped over to a window.

“It’s all right,” she said. “I know just as well as you how taxing Court sessions can be.”

I rose and joined her, seeing the School of Magic and Friendship through the window. I had to hand it to pony contractors, they got work done so much faster than human ones. Barely a month in and they were already placing shingles and exterior sheathing on the edifice. It would probably be ready for tours within a week.

“It looks good, Twi,” I said gently. “Any idea who’s going to teach yet?”

“Well, I’d given thought to ask my friends to help out. Moondancer volunteered to help with the library, and I know I can ask Dash for recommendations for weather ponies to teach about pegasi magic.”

“Don’t they attend flight school as foals?”

She giggled. “It’s not just going to be ponies at this school, Sunset. I’ve invited students from the Gryphons, Yaks, Changelings, Dragons, and Hippogryphs to attend as well.”

I tilted my head a little. “Can you do that?”

“Of course,” Twilight said. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“I don't know. I would have thought there’d be some sort of board you’d have to clear things up with. Do you know how many times I had to go things cleared by an advisor or vice-president of some department at the university?”

“I’m the Princess of Friendship. What kind of monster wouldn't let me I open a school for teaching friendship?”

---

I fussed with my peytral, trying to get it settled comfortably against my chest. It kept grabbing hairs of my coat and pulling them out. I was growing tired of the tiny pricks of pain every time I shifted. Why wouldn't it just lay flat?

Azure magic wrapped around the adornment and gave it a firm tug, adjusting it against my chest.

“This wouldn’t be so difficult if you would wear it more often to get used to it, you know.” Sunshine teased.

“All I want is to head back to our home and have a nice quiet life, Twilight.” I turned to my wife and smiled. “I miss our bed, I miss the girls, and I miss my guitar.”

“Mom said she wanted you to come over for dinner as soon as you can.” Sunshine stepped forward, the delicate chain in her mane throwing off silvery light.

I hadn't been wrong when I said she’d look good in one. It offset her mane and coat colors beautifully but was also simple enough to not draw unwanted attention to herself. I was also glad her morning sickness was starting to subside. Her humor had begun to return, and through the bond, I could tell her stress level was considerably lower.

I also got a good taste of her playfulness, soon followed by a ghostly finger along the leading edge of my left wing.

“Twilight,” I hummed. “Don’t. We have to get ready for the dinner!”

“It’s four hours away,” she chirped. “I’m ready, and all you have left is your crown.” My tiara was wrapped in her magic and she settled it on my head. “I think we have a little bit of time to kill.”

Another finger traced along my other wing. I tried to ignore the tingling through my nerves, but she knew just what buttons to push. And to be honest, I wasn’t exactly in a hurry to sit around in my regalia and nibble delicately on food while Celestia talked to the ambassador.

***

A little over an hour later, we were trotting down the corridor towards the Grand Hall. We ran into Twilight coming in from the exterior, her regalia as gleaming and appearance as prim and proper as you'd expect from her.

“Sunset, Sunshine,” she said happily as she fell in alongside. “Ready for dinner?”

“Yes!" Sunshine beamed.

I shrugged. “I suppose.”

Twilight gave a little skip as we turned the corner, a giggle slipping free. “I can’t wait to meet them! What do you think they’ll be like?”

“I know! Who knows what kind of cultural differences there could be? This is an anthropological opportunity I never thought I’d get to experience!”

“And the insight into their magic! I’d love to have a chance to study some of their earth spells!”

I rolled my eyes as the two mares kept chatting back and forth. At least they’d enjoy the dinner. But, after this, I knew Sunshine and I would be going back to our home in the Lower Quarter and not long after that, I’d be heading across the mirror and into my own bed again.

I felt my smile start to grow.

Home sounds pretty good right about now.

The guards saluted us as we passed into the Grand Hall, the twin thrones of the Diarchs already occupied by Celestia and Luna. We took our places on the dais, below and to either side of them. I rolled my shoulders and took up a stance that I had held far too many times during the two and a half weeks I had held the Solar Throne.

Between us and the main entrance was a long table laden with covered plates and pitchers of various sparkling liquids.

As soon as my little entourage was settled, Celestia cleared her throat. “Show them in, please.”

The doors opened, and in strode a tall buck clad in robes colored in the rich green of fresh leaves, a series of fine vines strung back and forth between the tines and points of his antlers and his short-shorn mane. His forelegs were bare, a strange pattern of swirls and lines tracing their way up from his crystalline hooves.

Behind him strode two does, one winged with her mane slicked back, a bit of barding covering her barrel, and a helm tucked under her wing. The other wore robes of similar material as the buck, a pattern of stars showing along her barrel. Her antlers seemed smooth, not nearly as sharp as those of her leader. A pouch on her waist clacked loudly in the relative stillness of the room.

Oh my goodness! He’s gorgeous!

Hush, Twilight, dear.

Hehe, you said deer.

I fought the urge to turn to her and stick out my tongue as Celestia stepped forward, her wings spreading in a welcoming gesture as the Deer came to a stop.

“Welcome, Pine of the Grove. It has been a long time since I have laid eyes upon your countenance. I greet thee.” She bowed her head until her horn touched the ground.

“I greet thee, Celestia of the Sun,” the buck returned in a rich baritone voice, touching his antlers to the floor. “Long has the journey been.”

“Please, break your fast with us.” Her wing swept towards the table to the side.

“Gladly.” The buck gestured to his companions. “I’m sure my companions are as glad to be done with the formalities as I am.”

“They do get tedious, at times,” Celestia agreed.

We all settled in at the table, covers whisking off the plates to reveal steaming piles of various vegetable pies, glittering chilled fruits, and a deep brown stew. The pitchers held what turned out to be spring water and I saw bits of fruit floating in each. I took ahold of one with large chunks of mango in it and poured myself a generous glass.

After a few moments of quiet sampling, the winged deer cleared her throat.

“I see a few new princesses here,” she said in a lyrical voice.

“Cersi,” warned the other doe in a rough accent.

“Oh, lighten up, Ganny! We’re all friends here.” The winged doe, Cersi, fluffed her wings and pointed a feather at her friend. “And the reports you and I read only mentioned three; Celestia, Luna, and the recently found Cadenza.”

Luna sipped her drink before speaking. “I fear the reports you have are at least a decade out of date. I've been back nearly that long.”

“Yes, it appears so,” Pine said, dabbing his mouth with a napkin. I noted that his hooves and the strange lines on his limbs were glowing with a light purple hue, and his fork was hovering in the same aura. “We should really rectify that issue. One of the topics I was sent to discuss was setting up a more regular courier service with Equestria. It should be easier now that the Crystal Empire has returned.”

Celestia nodded. “An excellent proposition. We can talk of it later, of course, after some proper introductions.”

Pine gestured with a hoof towards his companions. “The Peryton is Cersi Sweetwind. Please excuse her table manners.”

The peryton batted lightly at the buck with a wing while chewing on a few steamed greens. Some were hanging from her mouth for a moment before she noisily slurped them in.

“And the Nordeer is Ganymede.”

Ganymede bowed her head slightly.

“And what strain are you?” Sunshine blurted out before clapping a hoof over her mouth and turning so red I swore I could feel the heat in my own cheeks.

The buck gave a rich laugh. “It’s a fair question. My name, as you have heard, is Pine. I’m a Vitrung, and a Shaper of our kind, tending to nature. Just as Cersi helps with the skies and Ganny with the stone.”

“The stone?” I asked.

The Nordeer sat her pouch on the table and opened it. I saw the edges of several tiles within that reminded me of the word game tiles that I had used to play at family game nights. She plucked one out with surprising dexterity and placed it gently on the table.

“We don’t have the same talent as Vitrung with magic, or even that of your Earthbound. We work through runestones, such as this one.”

She nudged the runestone forward. An angular set of carvings set within the stone reminded me of the letter N struck through with a curved line.

“This runestone allows us to feel the depth of a cavern without having to set hoof in it. It has been invaluable for mapping our lands.” She picked the tile up and placed it back into her pouch.

“How do they work?” Twilight asked, visibly fighting the urge to summon a quill and paper to her side.

“The rune defines the spell,” Ganymede said as she replaced the pouch on her belt. “To cast it, we merely break the stone and it releases the spell.”

“We’ll have to take some notes later, Pine,” Celestia smiled. “Meanwhile, there are three new princesses. Cadence gave birth to a daughter some six years ago. Sunset Shimmer here has only been a princess for five. And Twilight Sparkle became a princess almost a year after your last courier was here.”

Pine stiffened. “Twilight Sparkle?”

I exchanged a look with the Alicorn before she stood slightly, dipping her head.

“Y-yes,” she stammered. “Is there a problem?”

Pine stood, followed by Cersi and Ganymede.

“I’m afraid so.” He turned to Celestia. “I fear I must cut these pleasantries short.”

He waved a hoof and Cersi started walking forward hesitantly.

“One of the issues we wished to address was the extradition of Twilight Sparkle to stand trial in the Deep Wood for her crimes against the Cervyderian people.”

Comments

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

I never found out what technique she used to process so many words all at once.

You and me both. 😒

She grinned sheepishly and ruffled her wings. “Sorry. It’s just, they rarely leave their forests! We don't know a lot about them since the first time they sent us an enovy was only seventy years ago! They send couriers every so often but we barely learn anything!” Her raspberry eyes still had a touch of the manic glee I knew from watching my own wife when she discovered something new to learn. “And if what I heard is correct, they were the ones that gifted the seedling for the Golden Oaks...”

Ok, now I see why she's excited about this as it does sound fascinating. 👀

“All I want is to head back to our home and have a nice quiet life, Twilight.” I turned to my wife and smiled. “I miss our bed, I miss the girls, and I miss my guitar.”

I can understand the first two parts but the last part no but still I feel ya sunset.

“This runestone allows us to feel the depth of a cavern without having to set hoof in it. It has been invaluable for mapping our lands.” She picked the tile up and placed it back into her pouch.

Amazing.

“One of the issues we wished to address was the extradition of Twilight Sparkle to stand trial in the Deep Wood for her crimes against the Cervyderian people.”

Wait, what!