The Light of a Candle

by Scarheart

Fourteen.

Equestria for Equestrians

The arrival of the human and his daughter had not gone unnoticed. In less than twenty-four hours, word had spread among those with influence. Already forces were mustering as those with political clout began maneuvering for an advantage. Rivalries held in check for years reignited. Alliances were proposed, some were rejected. Contacts within the various newspapers were notified and there was a mad scramble for information. The reclusive baron (who was not a pony) had been summoned by the Diarchy. It was no secret as to why the human had come. What was surprising was how long it had taken for Jakob Gray to finally bow his head. Some things were seen by many in the nobility and upper class as an insult to Equestrian society. Having a non pony holding a noble title and worse, a landed non-pony noble was too much for some to bear.

The Beast, they called the human, though not publicly. The uneducated lout had ridden the coattails of a very powerful magic user, his human mate. It had been argued the sorceress was unfortunate to be born to an inferior form, but her skill with magic proved to many she had a unicorn’s soul. Then, when she was gone, he took their spawn and disappeared into a barony that had a very small population of residents and a small hoof hold in the wine industry. The worst part was the vast wealth of Lady Kaga had gone with the Beast, and he proceeded to invest it into his new acquisitions without bothering to invite other investors in.

Now he was thriving, as his barony was thriving. A barony that would be best served with a unicorn overseeing it! Equestria for Equestrians, or simply the EE, had been around for a very long time. There had been a time when they had a lot of political clout, but those days were long in the past. It had been a near impossible hill to climb back to relevance, but here was an opportunity.

In a darkened room somewhere in the bowels of the oldest residential ring of Canterlot, there was a round table. Seated at this table were five unicorns, each one wearing a porcelain mask with an elaborate cap covering their horns. Each one wore a white shroud concealing their forms.

“Friends,” began the unicorn. He displayed a striking golden dragon with its sweeping wings covering his horn. Here, he was known as Dragon. “You know why you have all been called here.” His voice was cultured. The words used were refined. “The Beast has returned, beckoned by his mistresses. He obeys, as he should, as all pets should.”

There were agreeable nods, for this was the undeniable truth. The Beast was an untamed thing. Surely the princesses had heard the demands of concerned ponies that such a creature was allowed full citizenship. The Beast was far too dangerous to be allowed to do as it pleased. Now it had a daughter, and she was the offspring of the sorcerous mother. Thus, two dilemmas had been created.

A mare raised a hoof, asking to be recognized. Her horn was covered with a dancing black swan. When given permission, Swan asked, “Are we to put The Plan into action?” Eyes that had been locked upon her shifted to Dragon.

“We will,” came the reply with a nod, “once we have voted on the matter. There will be amendments Fox would like to propose.” He indicated the stallion to his left, who sported a laughing red fox.

An older voice spoke from beneath the fox, “I have been in contact with an outside source interested in making a purchase and is willing to cooperate for a speedy extraction. I believe this is to our benefit.”

“Who is this contact of yours?” queried a young-sounding mare with a pouncing wolf covering her horn. “And how did they find out about our Plan?”

“The leak has been dealt with, but the damage had already been done,” replied the fourth member at the table. He was a stallion sporting a cloven hoofed unicorn with a lion’s tail rearing majestically. “It was one of my former employees, one I thought had been promising, a unicorn, of course. It was my mistake as I had hoped to add her to our ranks.”

“You killed her?” Wolf asked in shock.

“Oh, Faust, no!” he shook his head emphatically, “one does not remove useful pieces from the game until they are no longer of use. Especially not promising unicorns that are bright and have better than average magical abilities! Her family is of one of the purest lines in all of Equestria. If anything, she will be useful for passing along her bloodline, if nothing else. Don’t worry, she’ll hoof the line if she knows what’s good for her.”

“What do you have on the filly?” asked the fifth member, also a stallion. He wore a serene alicorn sitting upon his mask. Like the others, he was of good breeding, his family line nearly as old as the foundation of Equestria.

Unicorn chortled, “She has a sickly brother. Poor little colt. Her family can’t afford his medicine, so naturally I offered to become his benefactor.”

“Before or after you caught her?” Fox asked in a sly voice.

The table erupted with chuckles.

“Before,” came the reply when the laughter died down. “The colt has cornu putredine, the poor thing. Most of you would know it as horn rot.” Concern rippled across the table. A unicorn with a useless horn was not really a unicorn anymore. The disease was rare, but curable. It was also dreadfully expensive. The treatment was painful and sedatives tended to cancel out the medicine. “If left untreated, his horn will rot off and will eventually destroy the nerve clusters at the base of his horn. The mortality rate is quite high, from what I understand.”

“The poor little fellow,” Dragon sighed. “Unicorn, I trust you are using this to your advantage?”

“Of course! I am a stallion of my word, after all.”

Alicorn leaned into the table, “Pray you deal with this as discretely as possible. I should like to add more eyes and ears to this potential troublesome unicorn filly of yours.” Unicorn lifted his head as if to protest, but was cut off, “With your permission, of course. A little redundancy never did any harm. You will have the final say in any decisions, of course, but let us be cautious. We lowered our guard once and it cost us dearly.”

“Don’t give the filly a chance to turn on you and in turn harm our cause,” cautioned Wolf. “I do hope you keep your word. We unicorns must look out for each other if we are ever to ascend to our rightful positions as the Right Hoof of the Diarchy.” She adjusted her mask, sitting a bit straighter as her companions were in full agreement.

Dragon was satisfied with the answer, “Yes, we must show compassion and commitment to those we choose to aid. Is it not what Harmony is all about, my friends?” The answers came in a jumble of agreements.

“Indeed.”

“Quite.”

“Indubitably.”

“Of course.”

“Very well, we shall all keep an eye on this unicorn. If she is still of use to us, then we will let things progress as they are. If not, take the necessary steps, even if they are unpleasant,” Dragon told Unicorn.

“I will, and thank you.”

“Now,” Dragon clapped his hooves together, “on to the matter at hoof. Our potential collaborator has expressed a personal interest in the humans. He has been offering top bit for ownership and responsibility of the end result of The Plan.”

Fox asked, “Who is he and can we trust him?”

“Dragon scanned the group for a moment before settling his attention to Fox. Smoothing his robe, he replied, “So far, he has remained anonymous, other than calling himself a believer in purity. From what I gather, his beliefs lie parallel to our own. I think we can work with this as the end result will be more in our favor than his. The attention will fall upon him, and we do have contingencies in place should unwanted attention fall upon us.”

“I don’t trust this fellow,” Alicorn interjected. “He wishes to remain unnamed and I have an issue with that.”

“Just the same, he does not know who we are. We have been using intermediaries for communications. We will not be directly involved in the process. All we have to do is ensure everything runs smoothly and be ready to make adjustments on the fly. If we can maintain our flexibility and our wits, we should be able to pull this off and none would be the wiser. We will all benefit from having some extra bits thrown our way, but that would simply be icing on the cake, if you will.”

“We can’t target the male human,” Wolf warned. “He’s far too strong. It would be more beneficial to eliminate him.”

“Why can’t we eliminate both of them?” Swan asked, thumping a dainty hoof on the table.

“A foalnapping would be far easier to distract attention from than culling the two outright,” Fox said through his mask. “We could arrange an accident to happen, but that could take time when complete removal from Equestria would be more desirable.”

“If we can remove them far from Equestria, then putting the humans down would be far easier to do without the princesses looming over us,” Dragon said as he pressed his hooves together.

“I don’t like it,” Alicorn shook his head. “Too many unknown factors. Something has caught wind of our plan and I dislike that even more. We should abandon The Plan. The humans will eventually grow old and die out. There are only two of them, and they are father and daughter.”

“Actually, there is a potential problem,” Wolf said slowly as she tugged at her sleeves.

“Problem?” Dragon looked at her.

“The Beast’s medical files,” she went on, staring at the table. “I was able to procure copies of his medical files. A simple thing, really. The human male... He is...oh, how should I put this?” Wolf made a delicate cough, “I can’t be more blunt, I’m afraid. He’s sexually compatible.”

The entire table went silent. “What do you mean?” pressed Alicorn.

“My scientists were researching his biology so we could better understand how to...deal with him,” her words faltered as she cleared her throat. “They brought to my attention this possibility, this…,” Wolf coughed, uncomfortable with what was coming out of her mouth, “thoroughness. As much as I found this fascinating, it is so terribly horrifying! Such a ghastly realization, if you ask me. The Beast could feasibly impregnate a mare. I can’t imagine that creature creating something even more abominable than what he already is.”

Dragon’s voice was incredulous, “Impossible!”

Outrage exploded around the table.

“Preposterous!”

“Unholy!”

Unicorn shouted over the din in disgust, “If this is true, then what of the daughter? If she is anything like her mother, then her magic could be quite powerful!”

“If she has magic,” cautioned Swan. “We still don’t know if this is true.”

Dragon tapped his hoof once on the table, “Let us assume she does possess magic. Even if it is but half of what her mother was capable of, she will still be quite powerful.”

“So, would we even want to consider sending her somewhere else to someone who no doubt has an ulterior motive?” Unicorn worried, “I fear this will backfire badly.”

“Are you telling me the humans c-can...can fornicate with ponies and create abominations?” demanded Unicorn, as if the idea had finally sunk into his brain. “That’s horrid! We should do something about it! We cannot stand to let this happen! It’s bad enough we have hippogriffs, griffins, and Faust knows what other monstrous amalgamations of creatures out there! Now you are suggesting we could have a cross between a human and a pony running around?”

“Faust weeps,” Dragon gave a sage nod. “Which brings up a potential problem. What if our mutual friend wishes to procure the human child for a breeding program?”

“The money offered is substantial,” Wolf said, “but is it worth the cost to potentially have human blood mixed with something else? We could still arrange for an accident, or barring that, do something to prevent any chances of conception.”

“Whatever we decide to do,” Swan stressed, “we cannot do it in Equestria, especially not here in Canterlot! It would be far too close to the princesses and I for one would not be foalish enough to draw their ire upon us should we be found out.”

“What do you propose?” Alicorn asked.

“Kill two birds with one stone,” she said, determined. “Get the Beast and his spawn out of Equestria. Get them far from here and take care of them in the unknown reaches. In the meantime, we could put resources to finding out who our mutual friend is and determine if ‘he’ is a threat to our goals. If it is possible, eliminate him, too.”

“A bit bold,” Dragon admitted, casting his gaze towards the others. He wanted to gauge their reactions, but the masks made it all but impossible. “I think it might become necessary. Thoughts, my friends? Wolf, let’s start with you, if you please.”

“If you insist,” Wolf noted, licking her lips, “I must admit to being a bit squeamish when it comes to ending the life of another. I only wish to ensure the other races and tribes understand their proper place in the world. It is the only way for Harmony to truly be harmonious.” Of course, this was already known by the others. “However,” she went on with caution, “as these humans are not of our world, I would wager they could be harmful to our Harmony in the long run. As much as it pains me, the bloody steps must be taken before the unthinkable happens. As for our ‘mutual friend’, I do not trust him. I do not like dealing with unknown factors.”

“Fair enough and well said,” Dragon praised. “Fox? What say you? You have been unusually quiet.”

The stallion sighed and sat back in his chair. “We would run the risk of drawing the attention of our beloved princesses,” he said, clucking his tongue. “I agree we should engage The Plan and get the humans out of here. I agree this outsider expressing interest might become a threat, if not one already.” Fox shrugged, “It is not a pleasant thing to think about, but they are not unicorns, which makes them no more than talking animals. They are not ponies.”

Dragon smiled wryly beneath his mask. “Very good. Unicorn?” he gave his attention to the next stallion.

“Well,” his counterpart began in contemplation, “the question we should be asking is would the humans be more beneficial alive and under careful observation? Like it or not, they are resourceful and Lady Kaga,” —he used her name with fearful reverence— “proved capable of doing the things that needed to be done, but were beneath being tasked to unicorns. There are plenty of other things the male can be used for, and we don’t know if the daughter would be a boon for the benefit of Equestria. They are weapons and should not be discarded simply because we are afraid of what they might do. We are unicorns. We are in control. We must have control. By getting rid of the humans, I believe we would be giving in to our fears and possibly wasting invaluable resources.” His impassioned pleas came with an emphatic hoof pounding on the table, punctuating his words. Meekly, he added, “Thank you.”

“Noted and no, thank you,” Dragon said with an appreciative nod. His ears flicked. “Alicorn?”

“This outsider must be removed,” said the stallion without hesitation. “Too many unknown variables in the equation. The Plan was designed to be simple. We need to maintain that simplicity. Adding the unknown will increase the chances of something going wrong. I would not want to be at the end of such a catastrophe.” He crossed his hooves over his chest as he slumped into the back of his chair, “This new ‘friend’ could very well be a threat, or some sort of counter espionage to draw us out. I say we have nothing to do with whoever this being is. I don’t like it, I don’t trust it. The Plan was fine before it was discovered. We need to silence it, then move on to the simpler version, the one where we have control of all the factors.”

“But the money,” Dragon smirked, already knowing Alicorn’s response.

“We don’t need it. Brothers and sisters,” Alicorn swept his hoof over the table, “we are already wealthy. We have power. We have connections. The means of doing what needs to be done is here, in this room. I am willing to put everything at stake so long as everything is taken into account and all are committed to doing what is right. Are you?” he sneered through his voice. “Or do you consider yourself bigger than the Cause? We do this for the good of Equestria! We do this for our beloved Princess Celestia!”

“So, what do you propose?” Dragon asked carefully.

“Send them to Klugetown, as in The Plan. Take the child there. The Beast will follow. Use disposable pieces. What collateral damage that happens there will be of no concern to us. Nothing of importance will be lost. Better yet,” Alicorn tapped his hoof to his chin, “we can lure our new ‘friend’ there and take care of him, as Swan suggested. We need to take care of this intrusive being that dares put itself at our level. The Beast is dangerous. The daughter is his weakness. Stick to The Plan. No outsiders. Stand firm. No loose ends,” he finished with a snarl.

“Anything else?” Dragon prompted, now grinning beneath his mask.

“Be willing to bloody your hooves,” Alicorn declared, “or hide behind your wealth and politics. Be accountable for The Plan. Commit completely or it. Will. Fail.”

“Well said,” Dragon applauded. “Well said indeed! My friends, we are at a crossroads. Only unicorns can do what is necessary to keep Equestria safe and secure. The proper order of things must be restored and Harmony must be kept in balance! This may be our only opportunity to strike and our window grows smaller with each passing day.”

“What about rumors some Storm King’s remnants were found skulking about at the griffin border?” Fox wondered aloud. “There is a possibility this is tied up with our mutual friend.”

“And why is that, I wonder?”

“The liaison of our mutual acquaintance was a Storm Creature. They were the core of the Storm King’s army,” the stallion said, twirling a hoof in the air in a matter-in-fact manner.

Dragon dipped his chin in thought. “The Storm King is dead. He was turned to stone and shattered. His remains are within the private vault of the princesses.”

“True,” Fox smirked audibly, “but did he leave any heirs? Most of his army retreated back to where ever they had come from largely intact.”

Unicorn tapped the table for attention with a hoof, “This could complicate things. What if this proves to be true?”

“We investigate,” Wolf announced. “Finding the truth is paramount. This could confound The Plan.”

“We have the resources to do both,” Swan interjected. “We can decide on the current issue first, then move on to this revelation.”

“I agree,” Dragon said with a nod. He gave the group one last look, “Very well then. It is decided. We will go with Alicorn’s idea and modify The Plan. Let’s keep it simple and let us follow this through to the end. We have come this far, and we have waited for too many years. Any objections?”

There were none.

“This meeting is adjourned. I thank you all for your thoughts and opinions. Our climb continues. Prepare for what is to come, my friends. Support each other, as always and remember, Harmony is watching over you.”

“May Harmony guide us,” the others intoned. “Equestria for Equestrians!”

The dim light went out, leaving it in darkness. There was only the brief flashes of teleportation spells as the unicorns went back to their normal lives.

Author's Note:

Should be more entertaining than cancelling a flight to attend a wedding cancelled due to a shitty little virus. Enjoy and as always, thank you for reading!

Comments

[Coranth]

Okay, I loathe groups like this. This "EE" group needs to die and then die harder!

[Spiritus Arcane]

So I wonder which one of them is Neighsay?

[Scarheart]

10356659
If he's from the Young Six seasons, I'm not all too familiar with him. I haven't watched any of those episodes, nor have I interest in at the moment.

[Venerable Ro]

What do you know, capable conspirators. Some unnaturally convenient unknown wanders in at the eleventh hour and they don't jump at the opportunity to complicate a perfectly good scheme. Credit where credit is due, they've yet to make any egregious errors.

[Scarheart]

10356691
Better than Bond villains!

[Orrm]

Hubris. They possess much of it. Spend too much time immersed in the war of words and you miss the very real blade as it inches towards your throat..

Politicians, only have as much power as they can buy.

He with the biggest fist wins in the end.

[Bobbles]

Ruh roh, a unicorn cult of supremacists! The plot thickens!

[Spiritus Arcane]

10356672
Aww, cause his xenophobia would fit in perfectly with your cult.

[nioniosbbbb]

If one of them here doesn't have a monocle I'm going to be really pissed.

PISSED I SAY!

Also the way they talked about Jacob (or was it Jakob? DAMMIT I ALWAYS MIX THAT UP!) made me barf.