• Published 25th Dec 2011
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Nation Shall Speak Peace Unto Nation - Dan The Man



In the year 2012, Equestria is discovered. The United Nations reacts swiftly.

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13. Difficult Inheritance

13. – Canterlot Castle

(The delegation is closing in, emerging from a nearby forest, and this allows them to look at Canterlot’s tremendous architectural scenery in awe. Never has anyone of them seen such daring, impossible, risking architecture. The delegates think one of their conclusions to be conformed; this civilisation may as well be technologically superior to the contemporary human one)

·Finch: *to Hartfield, but in a volume so Matuszek can listen in too* Look at that. Those are, what, 450 feet vertically up!

·Hartfield: Hell. I’ never thought one could build that height using merely stone. You’d need steel frames… and main weight-carrying points, wide supports, high rise cranes and God knows what other supplements. Just think at how long it must have taken to build it in the first place…

·Matuszek: This is unbelievable. They have the technology to do it, alright. It cannot be made by humans. We had this technology since, I don’t know, forty years. If it were that unsupported height alone, it may be still understandable; just look at the Minster of Ulm. But this… this is not built like a cathedral tower. And it is built on a mountain. That’s something we have the hardest time to do ourselves.

·Finch: Look at the way it is halfway constructed over the cliff behind there! Those must be a half a million tons backed only by those few manmade support arcs. And it’s not even manmade, per se. And so is much of the other technology.
Do you remember that flying chariot, Hartfield? Such a small yet so powerful aviational turbine has yet to be constructed in our world. The same goes for the letter; I am not sure, but it seems that that dragon has sent his letter by… by spurting a flame to motor a small pipe post system out the window to that residence.
That is the only possible explanation.

·Hartfield: Didn’t that little sucker burp out the reply? *he reaches for his medicine*

·Finch: So, what are you saying Hartfield? *thinks it over* That they maybe have developed small, portable fax machines? That they carry them on the interior of their digestive tract? *raises his eyebrows* That’s simply tacky.

·Hartfield: *shrugs at his theories* You’re outta line, Finch. *drowns his pills and puts them away again*

·´Finch: *skeptically* I believe that you are the one ‘outta line’ here. What exactly is that stuff you keep drowning?

·Hartfield: Meds. Against heartburn and high blood pressure. I have something strange there at high nervousness levels.

·Finch: Ah well. Never mind. Back to the castle: Have you ever seen anything from the medieval ages that is shaped like that?

·Hartfield: Nah.

·Matuszek: *to Twilight, who is close by* What can you tell us about that residence?

·Twilight: Well, it was constructed nigh exactly 600 years ago. I think there should be a jubilee feast coming up very soon, too…

·Hartfield: 600 years? What, uh, years are we talking about here?

·Twilight: *confusedly* Well, years years, I guess.

·Matuszek: I believe Mr. Hartfield meant how many days one year has here.

·Twilight: 150 days exactly. It is a very old calendar system, developed in Canterlot too, I believe.

·Finch: Only 150 days? Fascinating. And how long is a day of yours?

·Twilight: *grinning a bit strangely at his obvious question* Well, one day and one night exactly. It starts over each midnight.

·Hartfield: And how do you define midnight?

·Matuszek: *frowning at Hatfield and Finch* Okay, I think that’s enough, gentlemen. *to Twilight* It is just, that in our world, we do not have such architecture. But I would say that it is clearly paralleled with human European building. It, too is some 500 to 1000 years old.

·Twilight: *nods in agreement* This makes perfect sense. I once read in the Canterlot Town Archive Records, that the construction of Canterlot, taking full eight years, was issued and directed by “many a species’ prodigies”. It never named the species exactly. I always suspected buffaloes and mules, or something alike. Perhaps even dragons. But humans were still ponytale creatures for me.

·Matuszek: *thinking for a second* Do you know what this means?

·Twilight: What?

·Matuszek: That humanity has done enough impact on this society beforehand. As in the architecture. If you look at the various houses back in the town, they appear to be quite distinctively similar with various forms of historical human architecture.

·Finch: That, Dr Matuszek, has be prevalent in many forms I have seen here. Many of the objects I have seen here seem… so strangely out of place. There would be the carriages, there would be the quill and parchment, there would be the books… I mean, why does a pony do with books? How do equines use or even hold books?

·Twilight: Ah, I see what you mean. We normally use levitation for such tasks. As well as the mouth. And sometimes, when the objects are just flat enough, we balance them on our heads and even with our hooves.

·Hartfield: Levitation? That is… uh… interesting. In our society, we would usually call levitation… humbug. *quickly raises his hand before somebody gets the chance to berate him* But I am surprised by nothing anymore now, just hear me out. Well, it just is weird that one has to rely on… levitation to do even the most mundane of tasks at times. In my opinion, this… world is imbedded in this society like… well… like a hoof in a glove. Literally.

·Twilight: *smiles at the strangely fitting simile* Well, we do produce hoof gloves, but that is unimportant. Yes, it is rather strange for myself too, now that I think about it. I myself have grown up in this society, and it has always been that way to me. I guess Equestrians adapted much of the knowledge from beyond our borders and… simply decided to stick without much change, as long as it didn’t cause any serious problems.

·Laukkinen: *moving up to them; he had been standing further down the path and made geographic pictures of the castle* Too, as I have mentioned before, the language is strange. It is full English. Full, correct English. I understand all you, Ms. Twilight, are saying to us. It does, however, sound strangely American in pronouncement. How can it be possible?

·Matuszek: Of course, the English! How could we forget that? And it sound so modern, too. Most words are only a hundred years old. *looks at the castle* Then again, Twilight, your regent’s English is again different. I would even say that it is an Elizabethan choice of words.

·Twilight: “Elizabethan”? What does it mean?

·Matuszek: That was an important era of the human world, about 500 years back. And let us not forget the use of Greek and Latin… the names “Luna” and “Celestia”, “levitation” and “medicine”, the helmets of Princess Luna’s Guardsponies…
All in all really, the structure of the entire… civilisation of yours, Ms. Sparkle, is uncannily similar to the real world.

·Laukkinen: Yes. *gets out his DVR* As you mentioned, you have a state system. Not tribal, but actually Eurasian. You have libraries and records, which already comes from the Sumerans, Babylonians, Greeks and Romans. That seems, that your world had contact with ours already 6000 - 2000 years back, at least. Then 1000 years, 700 years, and, as we found out right now, also 500 years and 100 years. What does it mean?

·Matuszek: Yes, exactly. How could our worlds share and actively exchange this information in such as way that none of them were even aware of each others’ existence?

·Finch: *quickly reciting Luna’s words in his head* “Asthoumaybeawarethetimesofilldisposedrelationshipsbetween bothourworldshathpassedahopefullylongtimeago… thycompanyhathnothingtofear”…
So could this be what she meant? What did she mean with those words, Ms. Sparkle?

·Twilight: You know, I cannot actually answer this question. Quite surprisingly, I could have never considered too much what could be outside of Equestria.
For me, the world beyond could have just been one square map. Then I would think that that is impossible, as the sun and the moon would be in its way. Then, I would discard this thought completely.
I simply never wondered far enough. And neither did anypony else. *thinks*
Then again, I may not be the right pony to ask. I am sure Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will willingly answer you all of your questions. *smilingly* After all, I am not the one who has lived through the entire history of Equestria.

·Finch: *smiles back, thinking that the ‘living through the entire history of Equestria’ portion was a mere throwaway joke* Yes, yes. Though to be fair, I wouldn’t talk about their Highnesses in such a manner. Her Highness Luna, for instance, seems to be still young.

·Twilight: *misinterpreting him too* Well, they do not usually such signs of age.

·Finch: Aha…

(They come to the majestic hill upon which Canterlot lies. With big steps, they make their way up to the heavy gate, passing fountains and sculptures on the way. One or two gardeners, a maid on leave and a small regiment of guards espy the strange group. Some kneel before the honoured guests, some start to panick and gallop into the opposite direction and some try to get back to work)

·Twilight: *to the guards* I’m sorry. Could you possibly open the gates for our guests? They have an audience with Princess Luna.

·Guard: Of course, Twilight Sparkle. The guests are already awaited.

·Twilight: Oh excellent.

(The heavy three-layer gate is budged open, uncovering the view on Canterlot’s eponymous gate square. The diplomats think they have been led into either Babylon or Moscow, judging by every single ivory tower and colourful Onion-arch towers shooting into the sky.
Solemnly, they pass through the gate made of pure white marble and colour-stained glass plates representing large though artificial windows. On the other side, a parade of guardsmen has rowed up left and right of Princess Luna, who, now standing proud with a passionate smile on her face, in the middle of a market square filled with cheering, onlooking ponies, a little servant holding on to one very special massive book, whom she seems to have brought only for the diplomatic mission.
Finch, Matuszek, Hartfield and also Laukkinen step forward, while the DS agents build an honour guard formation of their own)

·Finch: *under his breath* Twooo, three…

(the four slowly bow and before Luna once more, and she nods her head in acknowledgement)

·Finch: Your Highness.

·Luna: *in a much more moderate tone* Donathan Finch. While thou hast wished to depart manually from the Library, we have taken ourselves the liberty to read the book of thy people once more. It has been kept in the same state as when it was presented to us in thy year of 1271.

(Her servant brings her the hefty book on his back, and then shifts it on the floor before her hooves. It is a thick and heavy book, coated with dark brown leather, and remarkable drawings and in colourings on its cover, which were somewhat reminiscent of old gothic illustrations and shapes. Among the black tying bands that ran across the front diagonally, a visible cross made from white cloth and colourful ceramic rises out of the middle. The servant carefully opens the ancient document for her onto a designated page, skipping very small yet detailed written scriptures, as well as lushly coloured images that covered multiple pages. Twilight is impressed by the beautiful book, but confused; never had she seen it. Never had Celestia shown her that one book )

·Luna: *tapping unto the page* May we recite this passage for thee, as Brother Wiegand did, countless years ago.

·Finch: Certainly, Your Highness.

·Luna: *translating slowly and gracefully*
Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him.

·Finch: The Bible, Your Highness?

·Luna: Yes, Donathan Finch. It is a very old document that hath been given to us in the name of Reynard d’Elsace, the count of Elsace.

·Matuszek: And he was human?

·Luna: Certainly, milady. He said he was French, and his soldiers had journeyed over the frontiers of Equestria. We were inclined to greet him ourselves. When he percieved our countenance for the first time, he believed to be surrounded by “creatures of the heavens”.
He himself stated that he were engaging in a war, which he referred to as “the holy war”, or “the crusades”. We decided that he would stay with us at Canterlot until futher notice, for he and his companions, thousands of creatures, looked ill and fatigued.
At that time, thou must understand, many of our subjects were quite discomforted by the fact that humans had entered our kingdom, for they had fled oppression and slavery before, and settled here for their own protection. Reynard replied by teaching us his languages, which were Fränkisch and Teutsch, and his faiths, the arts of the spoken and the written word and of the imagery. Furthermore, he taught us the taming of falcons. He gave us his shield, which bears his personal standard.

(Another servant brings a flat, surfboard-sized packet, lays it down and unfolds it, revealing it to be a heraldic shield of a crusader, completely with a blue cross and a dark green coat of arms located in the middle, that contained a red griffon on white cloth, three white birds following a red trail over a yellow background and a red-and-white diamond pattern)

·Luna: That he put such an amount of emphasis on the sharing of knowledge between both our cultures showed that he was an intelligent and well-read commander.
Soon, Reynard and his forces grew better, both physically and mentally, yet strangely protective of our nation. He said that it was his ambition to protect Equestria, of his own enemies, which he called “infidels” and “devil-worshippers”, telling us that they were savage slavers and out to spread the “unholy faith”. My sister and us, quite naturally, decided that this matter, disregarding of his persistence, was not of our personal concern. We were and we still are a nation founded upon the principle of friendship and harmony.
However, he did not listen, and grew more rabid. He began to threaten our sister and us, that if we do not take measures for war, he would assume control.
When we asked him and his troops to leave, he refused. He proceeded to tell his men that they had been betrayed, and that their hosts were traitors of their faith. He ordered the burning of Ponyville, where his army had initially camped.
Celestia personally lead the charge against him, and yet, due to our inferior fighting experience, many ponies were lost on that day. It was tragic. The entire old town of Ponyville burned to the ground, but his own soldiers were scattered and driven back into the desert, overwhelmed by our sister’s abilities.
It was despotic of us, yes, but it was necessary for our ponies.
Until this day, this remembrance haunts us and our sister. Especially our sister, for she had lost many friends and good allies in those decisive days.

·Finch: With respect, Your Highness, I believe that I speak for my nation when I say that I condemn the behaviour of Reynard d’Elsace, as well as his treatment of your authority.

·Luna: We thank thee for thy opinion. We were hoping that a change had come over humans since those times.

·Finch: Indeed, Your Highness. This period has been one of the bloodiest of conflicts in all of human history. Between faith and culture. Of course, today, such an erratic behaviour has been avoided to a minority of fanatics. If I may quote Edmund Burke, a great historian; “History repeats himself because nobody was listening the first time.”

·Luna: Thou hast spoken words of great wisdom, Donathan Finch. One shall never forget his or her history, and neither should one attempt to discard it. However, neither should one let history influence you in judging other situations under completely different premises.

·Matsuzek: *slowly reaching out for the shield* May I take a look at the shield, Your Highness?

·Luna: *putting the away her hoof that was resting on the shield* Naturally.

·Matuszek: *lifting the shield to her and Luna’s head height*

·Twilight: What is it, Doctor?

·Matuszek: This shield definitely is a piece of armour of that time period. From the crusades. Your Highness, what was the year when it happened?

·Luna: 1800 years ago. In your own time, if we remember correctly, it was 740 years ago.

·Matuszek: *making sure* in the year of… 1271?

·Hartfield: Your Highness, did you just say that you were personally present when this happened?

·Luna: Yes, Lucas Hartfield. And so was our sister, Princess Celestia.

·Hartfield: *looking at Matuszek and Finch with a skeptic look* Even though… it has happened exactly 1800 years ago… 740 years ago?

·Finch: Forgive us our dubiety, but how can Your Highness and Her Highness Princess Celestia have witnessed the incident first-hand and still be… living?

(There is a small pause. Prominently Finch and Hartfield eye Luna inquiringly, discretely designating her as a lunatic. Luna looks somewhat confused by their questions, subconsciously asking ‘Well, what answer is there to give?’ until she manages to remind herself that they were merely humans, and may need an additional explanation. Before Twilight, who is standing behind Hartfield and Matuszek can utter ‘I told you so before!’, Luna answers)

·Luna: We are grateful to say that we were blessed, considering our earthly duty, with an exceptionally long span of life, that may as well not be measured with that of any other creature, neither pony, nor… human.

·Hartfield: Your Highness…

·Luna: I understand that you have not heard of anything like it before. It is indeed a very inimitable, but we and our subjects have learned to accept it as a part of our destinies. *she shows the four her cutie mark* It is perhaps part of our very existence, as perceived by powers beyond our cognisance or control. We may have one duty to fullfill for our lives, no matter how difficult and unimaginable it seems.
For the moment though, Lucas Hartman, we sincerely look forward to explore said areas together, the sciences of both worlds contributing to each other, rather than fomenting rivalry and dissent of our principles.

·Finch: *glancing left and right, as if to motion the others forward* Your Highness. It should be in the best interests of both our worlds to rely on such principles. *he raises his hand for a shake* At least in our world, it is complementary to complete such an agreement with a vigorous and spirited handshake.

·Luna: *smiles affectionately* Then this is another semblance between our cultures *she gives him her hoof, although a bit hesitantly* Osculation is not a necessity, Donathan Finch.

·Finch: Certainly, Your Highness.

(They shake hoof and hand one more time, though this time more affectionately and trustingly. After a few seconds of shaking, Laukkinen breaks out of his position and grabs up his photocamera. As Luna and Finch turn to him so see what happened, he quickly nods his head and then asks)

·Laukkinen: Please, Your Highness, Mr. Finch, would photographs be appropriate?

·Finch: Naturally, Laukkinen. *turns to Luna* As he is our documenter, he will have to capture this moment.

·Laukkinen: *waves to Hartfield, Matuszek and Twilight* Please, ladies and Gentlemen, Ms. Sparkle, please feel free to come into the frame.

(They do as he bids, and come closer to Finch and Luna, who are still holding their shake. Dr. Matuszek picks up the book and the shield, presenting it to the camera, having the book rest in the foreground and Reynard’s shield symbolically in the back.
Laukkinen bows his face into the camera and makes the picture, as the crowd in the background gives a hefty cheer)

(Concluding Music Cue)