Settling into the Sunside House

‘’Your Majesty!’’ Jet Set greeted excitedly, before bowing deeply. ‘’Welcome to New Mareland, your Majesty.’’

‘’Thank you for receiving us, Governor-General Set,’’ Celestia replied with a slight nod. ‘’It is good to be visiting here again, though I wish the circumstances were better.’’

‘’I believe all here do,’’ Jet Set observed, before looking down at Flurry. ‘’Good day to you as well, your Highness. Welcome to New Mareland.’’

‘’Thank you, Mr Governor-General,’’ Flurry said a little shyly, ‘’It’s nice to be here.’’

‘’I am glad to hear that,’’ Jet Set said, before looking up at Celestia again.

The switching up and down must be Tartarus on his neck, Celestia mused dryly.

‘’Princess Celestia, the Sunside House has been fully prepared for your arrival. A car will take you there through the city,’’ Jet Set explained to them.

‘’Auntie, what’s the Sunside House?’’ Flurry asked softly.

‘’Later,’’ Celestia quickly whispered back, before continuing in a louder voice, ‘’That is excellent to hear, Governor-General.’’

‘’Please, this way then, your Majesties.’’ Jet Set seemed eager to get on his way, for which Celestia couldn’t blame him. There were, after all, a great many things to discuss.

A car had been prepared, and it quickly bore Celestia and Flurry Heart, as well as their escort, from Pukwudgie Island through Sunset towards the Sunside House.

As they were driving there, Celestia gave Flurry a brief explanation of the Sunside House.

‘’So, Flurry,’’ she said, ‘’the Sunside House is where we’ll be staying for now. It’s a very big, very comfortable house, and it was built for when I came to visit New Mareland for the first time.’’

‘’How big?’’

‘’Not as big as your old home,’’ Celestia decided to answer, ‘’but bigger than the house we stayed in in Tall Tale.’’

Flurry nodded, then frowned. ‘’My legs feel wobbly.’’

That was something Celestia had noticed too. ‘’They have to get used to being on land again, Flurry. Don’t worry, it’ll go away soon.’’

‘’Okay, auntie.’’ Flurry slid over and cuddled against Celestia’s side. ‘’Is it far to the house?’’

‘’No, it’s not,’’ Celestia replied. ‘’We’ll be there soon.’’

Indeed, some seven minutes and a steep climb to the top of the northern cliffs later, they drove through the gates of the Sunside House, which was surrounded by a tall hedge in which a fence was hidden. A few Guards of the New Mareland Royal Guard stood at the gatehouse and quickly checked their car as well as the ones behind them, but one look inside was enough to keep the Guardspony checking Celestia’s car to nod and wave them through.

Once that was done, the car drove a short distance until it was parked in front of the main entrance to the Sunside House, and Celestia could finally get out of the cramped car. Cars were decent inventions, but usually built a little too small for a pony her size.

Not that there are many ponies with my size, she reflected glumly as she watched Flurry hop out of the car onto the gravel road.

Flurry looked past Celestia towards the Sunside House and remained silent for a few seconds. Whether that was a good sign or not, Celestia had no idea.

‘’It looks like your palace!’’ the filly declared with enthusiasm.

Celestia turned to follow the filly’s gaze, only to see she wasn’t looking at any part of the building in particular. Still, she agreed.

The Sunside House was a sizable mansion, with an even larger garden around it, in which were placed a few statues, trees and a pavilion where dinner or lunch could be eaten outside. There was also a pool behind the House, between the House proper and the part of the hedge that had been lowered to half its original height, so one had a perfect view of the rest of the city.

The House was built from white stones, in the same architectural style that had characterised Canterlot since its founding over thirteen-hundred years ago, but there were also more slender, avian edges, which showed the compromise with Griffonian architecture that marked Sunset, and to a lesser extent other cities in New Mareland, as unique in the world.

Big windows allowed sunlight through, despite the cold winds that still often swept through the bay being a usual deterrent from such things when the Sunside House was first constructed. But wards had sufficed well enough to keep those winds out, even though they were too expensive to be used for the majority of buildings.

The House had four floors, including the ground floor, and all of them held a great deal of rooms, with equally as many purposes. Celestia hadn’t been to the House in a long time, however, so she couldn’t quite recall every room and its purpose.

‘’Indeed it does,’’ Celestia agreed with Flurry, looking down at the filly with a smile. ‘’Shall we go inside?’’

‘’Okay, but I wanna be on your back.’’

‘’Of course.’’

So said, so done, and once Flurry was properly on Celestia’s back the older alicorn walked up to the door.

It was opened before her eyes by a stallion dressed in an immaculate suit with an equally-immaculate manecut. ‘’Good afternoon, Your Majesty- Majesties,’’ he corrected himself after Flurry poked out her head from behind Celestia’s neck. ‘’Welcome to the Sunside House. I am Clean Sight, the Master of the Household. It is my pleasure to receive you here.’’

‘’Good afternoon to you as well, Master Sight,’’ Celestia returned the greeting. ‘’I am glad to be here.’’

‘’As are we all,’’ Clean Sight said, before stepping aside so Celestia could enter. ‘’The House has been fully prepared for you, ma’am. You will have every comfort while staying here.’’

There were a great many things Celestia could answer to that, but the only thing she did was nod her head. She’d have every comfort, yes, except the comfort of sitting down with her sister for a cup of tea while they talked about whatever subject came to their minds, or the comfort of corresponding with Twilight about small things that happened in Canterlot or Ponyville.

Her former student was out of reach, at large somewhere in Equestria, and Luna…

By the time Celestia dragged herself away from her memories, they’d walked through the central hallway and arrived at the main staircase, which led up to the first floor. There, Celestia remembered, were offices and rooms for the staff of whoever was visiting. The permanent staff of the house, of course, did not stay overnight, unless the situation demanded otherwise.

‘’Ma’am, I assume you are familiar with the lay-out of the House?’’ Clean Sight asked her.

‘’I am,’’ Celestia confirmed, ‘’though some of the details might escape. I have not been here in some time.’’

Over fifty years, as it stood, but bringing that up would serve no purpose beyond widening the gap between herself and her ponies, which was something Celestia did not want at all.

Ponies are already awed and intimidated by me enough as it is.

‘’Very well,’’ Clean Sight said. ‘’Is there anything I can do for you, ma’am?’’

‘’Not at the moment, Master Sight,’’ Celestia answered, before using her left wing to nudge Flurry. ‘’Flurry, do you need anything?’’ she asked.

‘’Ice cream.’’

Clean Sight opened his mouth, but Celestia cut him off with a chuckle. ‘’After dinner,’’ she reminded the impatient filly.

‘’Aww…’’ Flurry pouted. ‘’Okay, Auntie.’’

Smiling, Celestia turned her head back to Clean Sight, who was looking quite surprised at what he’d just witnessed. ‘’Please, if you’d show me the way to Flurry’s room?’’

‘’Of course, ma’am,’’ Clean Sight agreed immediately. ‘’It is right next to your own, ma’am.’’

Celestia inclined her head. ‘’Lead the way then, Master Sight.’’

Celestia’s room was the largest of all the residential rooms in the Sunside House, and was more luxurious than the average five-star hotel. Celestia would have been content with far less, but a Princess needed to appear regal, and all the pillows she received were wonderfully soft, so she wasn’t complaining.

Aside from a large bedroom with a balcony, it had a study combined with a living room, as well as a large bathroom and a walk-in closet with enough dresses to last any sane pony a lifetime. All in all, it was more than adequate.

Flurry’s room, just as Clean Sight had said, was next to Celestia’s room, and it held all the same accommodations that Celestia’s room did, on a smaller and slightly less expensive scale. Frankly it was too much for a four-year old, but Celestia didn’t want to put Flurry in a room far away from Celestia’s.

‘’So, Flurry, what do you think of your new room?’’ Celestia asked. The two of them were lying on the bed, Flurry curled against Celestia’s belly, her Whammy nestled in her forelegs.

‘’I like it,’’ the filly replied. ‘’It’s nicer than the ship.’’

‘’It is, isn’t it?’’ Celestia agreed. ‘’Do you think you’ll like staying here?’’

‘’Yeah.’’

‘’That’s good.’’ Celestia pressed a kiss against Flurry’s forehead, just under her horn, then nuzzled her.

‘’Now, it’s time for me to head to a meeting with a lot of ponies,’’ she said once they stopped nuzzling each other. ‘’Do you want to come? You can also stay here. I won’t go far.’’

Flurry immediately clung to Celestia’s coat. ‘’I don’t want you to go, Auntie.’’

‘’I don’t want to go either,’’ Celestia admitted honestly, ‘’but I have to.’’

‘’Then I wanna come with you,’’ Flurry declared.

And that was that.

|-x-X-x-|

The meeting was in the Sunside House, which of course had a room designed for large-scale meetings precisely like the one happening just now.

Celestia, of course, sat at the head of the long table, and Flurry sat to her left, on a chair that had been brought in from the dining room. Jet Set sat on Celestia’s right, an amused look on his face as he watched the filly opposite him.

The table was then rounded out by other ponies; Admiral Stronghammer, Moondancer of all ponies, and a mare who had introduced herself as Sour Sweet, an expert on warfare production, as well as another mare called Sunny Flare, a big name in New Mareland's civilian industry. The Minister of Defence was also present, a stallion by the name of Quick Draw.

‘’Good afternoon to you all,’’ Celestia opened the meeting once everyone had taken their seats. ‘’It is good to see you have all gathered here. We have a great many things to discuss.’’

‘’The most important question of all,’’ Jet Set immediately took over, ‘’is: what do we do now?’’

Quick Draw cleared his throat. ‘’The generals and admirals have told me they expect to hold the Spa Islands for a week or two before the next attack will come. They will not be able to repulse it, if it happens.’’

Celestia had expected that, but the confirmation still stung. Equestria had truly fallen. ‘’How is the evacuation proceeding?’’

‘’As well as can be,’’ Admiral Stronghammer answered. ‘’Most of the important personnel have been evacuated, and the rest will follow soon.’’

‘’What about the civilians?’’

Stronghammer glanced at Quick Draw, who glanced at Jet Set, who cleared his throat. ‘’We are doing all we can, ma’am,’’ he said, ‘’but we cannot save everyone.’’

Celestia knew that. She’d known it from the moment she saw Port Calm appear in her sight. And still, it stung. She should have able to protect her little ponies, but she couldn’t.

With a long sigh, she nodded. ‘’I see.’’

The room remained silent, everyone watching her anticipation. Celestia gave herself one moment, two, three, then raised her head again and looked around the table.

Time for action.

‘’Ensure the people will have food and shelter,’’ she instructed. ‘’Get them all passports and make sure they get jobs as well. Offer military service as a possibility, but do not force anyone into it.’’ She took a breath, then continued, ‘’I want to know what is happening in Equestria. I want information. Ladies and gentlecolts, any suggestions?’’

Nobody answered for a moment; evidently, Celestia had taken the room by surprise. Then Jet Set cleared his throat. ‘’We can form a department.’’

‘’Do that,’’ Celestia immediately commanded. ‘’We need to stay in contact with Equestria. There are still ponies fighting for Harmony, we can’t forget about them.’’

‘’I agree, ma’am,’’ Admiral Stronghammer spoke up. ‘’Anything we try to take Equestria back will require intelligence on the Lunarist defences. And local forces helping us would be beneficial.’’

‘’New Mareland’s industry is not prepared for war,’’ Sour Sweet stated. ‘’And it won’t be for a long time, because of some people not being willing to do what is necessary.’’ Her eyes flicked at Jet Set.

The Governor-General opened his mouth to reply to that, but Celestia cut him off. ‘’Let’s not fight amongst ourselves. We have a greater foe to face.’’

‘’Indeed,’’ Sour Sweet agreed.

‘’How long will New Mareland’s industry need to switch to a war hoofing?’’ Celestia inquired.

Sunny Flare shrugged. ‘’Half a year?’’

Not nearly as fast as Celestia would have hoped. ‘’Employ whoever you can to ensure the process goes faster. And we need more factories as well, if we are to supply the military as best as possible.’’

‘’For now, we are safe,’’ Quick Draw informed them. ‘’Our navy outnumbers that of the Lunar Empire, and we have the home advantage. However, they have access to a greater deal of resources and industry than we do.’’

‘’I am working with the Admirals of the New Mareland Royal Navy on a long-term strategy for defending New Mareland as best as possible,’’ Admiral Stronghammer said, ‘’but Minister Draw is correct in his assessment that we will eventually be outnumbered.’’

We need allies.

To the north of New Mareland was Aquileia, which had just come out of its second revolution as a new republic. However, it seemed to Celestia that the new President, Léonard Rodier, was too militaristic and expansionist for her preference. But there lived many ponies in Aquileia, and Celestia had never heard of them being mistreated.

The other option was to the east: The Kingdom of Wingbardy and its allies in the Karthinian Pact. While Aquileia was separated from New Mareland by the Mane Strait, Wingbardy and its ally Talouse had a direct land border with New Mareland. However, its king had taken over control from parliament after a period of political instability. Celestia had met Garibald Talonuel III twice, and while she liked him in person, she didn’t approve of some of his policies.

Most of the griffons that lived in New Mareland were Wingbardian, or at least closely related to that culture. Of course, ponies and griffons did not always get along, but as far as Celestia knew they lived together well enough in New Mareland.

Perhaps a visit to both nations would be prudent.

‘’We have time,’’ she finally said.

|-x-X-x-|

The meeting took a few more hours, and so Celestia and Flurry had a later dinner than usual. They dined outside, seeing it was getting near-time for Celestia to lower the Sun, and she wanted to enjoy the view.

‘’Are you enjoying the food, Flurry?’’ she asked the filly.

‘’It’s very tasty, auntie,’’ Flurry replied. ‘’I like it more than the ship food.’’

‘’So do I.’’

Fresh hay with dandelions and some mashed potatoes. Delicious.

‘’Are you gonna lower the Sun soon?’’

‘’I am,’’ Celestia confirmed. ‘’And then we’ll go and have some ice cream, all right?’’

‘’Yay!’’ Flurry cheered.

The rest of the dinner was finished in comfortable silence. Then, Celestia rose from her comfortable spot on the couch and walked forward until she stood on the edge of the cliff.

She reached out to the Sun.

As always, touching it gave her a brilliant feeling of warmth and light, and the Sun immediately obeyed her wish, lowering itself and allowing for… Nightmare Moon to raise the Moon.

Celestia, as soon as she was done, stepped back from the cliffside. Withdrawing from the Sun always left her feeling cold; there was nothing quite like its warmth.

Flurry, by now, knew this, and so she hurried over to Celestia and gave her a warm hug. Celestia hugged Flurry back, of course.

‘’Thank you, sunshine,’’ she said. ‘’Do you want ice cream still?’’

‘’Yeah I do!’’

‘’Then we shall go and get it.’’

There was sure to be ice cream around here somewhere. And with a bit of luck, it’d be banana-flavoured too. Celestia would very much like that.

Days in Sunset

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The days passed by quickly, filled with meetings. A week had gone by since their arrival in New Mareland, and aside from dinner and breakfast Celestia rarely had time to spend with Flurry.

There were a great many things to arrange, of course. Ensuring the proper integration of the remnants of the Equestrian Royal Navy and the refugees it had ferried - and continued to ferry, several destroyers continuing to go back and forth between the Spa Islands and Sunset every few days - to New Mareland was one of the first tasks Celestia had been thrust into, but also one she had been planning for while travelling.

Her solution for the matter of refugees was simple and ingenious, if she did say so herself: there would be a great demand for all manner of armaments in the coming years, and there already was a lot of unemployment in New Mareland owing to the Great Depression of 999, the effects of which still lingered almost nine years after the fact.

So, with that in mind, Celestia had come up with the idea of constructing many factories throughout the country, which would be used to supply the war effort. It was not hard work; anypony should be able to do it with some minor instruction, if what Celestia understood of the work was true.

It all worked out neatly too: the factories would need to be built, of course, generating work for the construction sector; and once operational, they would require materials, which the mining sector would be able to provide, especially if some of the refugees ended up working there as well. That was leaving aside the fact that there would need to be an increase in housing availability for all the refugees, which would give yet more work to the construction sector.

The only problem Celestia could see was a lack of initial funds to kickstart the program. She’d need to talk to the Minister of Finances about that. And Sour Sweet as well; while she didn't have a government position (yet), it was clear that the mare was skilled in her work and well-respected by her fellows. The same went for her companion, Sunny Flare. Celestia wasn’t sure what the relationship between the two was - if they were just friends, or more - but it didn’t really matter.

It wasn’t like they were spies, after all.

Aside from that, there were several other important things. The matter of allies and foreign relations had come up several times in other meetings of Celestia’s. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Neon Lights, had explained to her that while relations with both the Karthinian Pact and Aquileia were generally pleasant, there had been some problems recently with Aquileian monarchists fleeing from the victorious Republicans, as well as extremists from both sides of the Wingbardian political spectrum moving to New Mareland. Nothing dangerous, but still something to keep in mind.

She was already planning out letters for King Talonuel and President Rodier, requesting an official diplomatic meeting with both. In the case of King Talonuel, the heads of state from the other members of the Karthinian Pact had been invited as well. It seemed only fitting.

But a foreign visit would have to wait. Taking Flurry with her was risky, but Celestia was not going to leave the filly alone in Sunset. At least, not yet. She didn’t think there were spies amongst the staff of the Sunside House, but that didn’t mean she trusted them either.

‘’Your Majesty?’’

‘’Hm?’’

Celestia looked up to see one of the servants, a light yellow earth pony mare with an orange mane and blue eyes, was holding a telegram in her mouth. ‘’This is for you, ma’am,’’ she said. ‘’One of the guards said I had to give it to you.’’

‘’Thank you.’’ Celestia took the letter from the mare. ‘’You may return to your duties.’’

‘’Yes ma’am.’’ The servant bowed her head, then left again.

Not being in her office had its perks; for one, it made it easier for ponies to approach her. Thus, Celestia liked to reside in any of the House’s more public rooms, which didn’t have the stigma of being private attached to them.

Celestia opened the telegram, eyes widening as she read the first words.

To Her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia of Equestria,

Greetings, Princess. I am Thorax, the new king of the United Changeling Hives. It saddens me that we have been unable to meet so far, and that you have now been forced to relocate to New Mareland. If I had been able to, I would have helped your fight against your fallen sister, but alas my nation is still unstable and recovering from our civil war.

However, despite this I also have good news for you: Princess Cadence and her husband Shining Armour are on their way to Vesalipolis! They, together with some refugees and soldiers, crossed the border into Changelingia a week ago, and headed for the nearest Hive, who immediately informed me. They are being brought to Vesalipolis via train, and will receive a warm welcome here.

I understand their daughter, Princess Flurry Heart, is currently with you in New Mareland. If you wish to send her here, there is room, though I do not know how you would go about such an endeavour. Telegrams are one thing, but a young princess is rather more difficult to move.

Regardless, I just wanted to let you know that the United Changeling Hives shall stand with you, Princess, in your battle to retake Equestria. But we cannot fight the Lunar Empire alone; we will need allies. And anyhow, this telegram is not the way to discuss this. With your permission, our nations would officially open diplomatic relations, including establishing an embassy in Sunset (and vice versa, one in Vesalipolis).

I await your reply eagerly,

King Thorax I of the United Changeling Hives

Celestia stared at the piece of paper, unable to properly form a response, be it mental or verbal. Cadence and Shining were alive. They had an ally. Cadence and Shining were alive.

She had to tell Flurry.

Celestia grabbed the telegram off the table, trying to remember where she’d seen Flurry last.

The pool!

Celestia’s horn sprung alight, and she teleported.

The pool was nothing spectacular, just a rectangle filled with water. There were several sun chairs placed next to it, set up under parasols. A pegasus mare, lime-green coat and black mane with brown eyes, was keeping watch on Flurry, who was happily playing in the shallow part of the pool.

‘’Flurry!’’ Celestia called out, ignoring the mare’s gasp of surprise at the alicorn’s sudden appearance. ‘’Come out of the water, please. I’ve got something!’’

‘’Okay, auntie!’’ Flurry quickly got out of the pool and gave Celestia a very wet hug, dripping water all over the stones. ‘’Can you come play in the pool with me after?’’

‘’Of course, sunshine,’’ Celestia agreed. ‘’But first, I’ve just received this telegram. Shall I read it to you?’’

‘’Sure.’’

And so, Celestia read the telegram to Flurry, who sat quietly and waited until Celestia was finished before very softly asking: ‘’Can Mummy and Daddy come here?’’

Celestia frowned. ‘’I don’t know, sunshine,’’ she admitted. ‘’They’re very far away from here, and there is no safe route here. But at least they’re safe, and I’m sure they’ll write to you as soon as possible.’’

Flurry didn’t look any happier after hearing that, but nodded anyway. ‘’Can we write to them as well? I wanna tell them I miss them.’’

‘’Oh sweetheart.’’ Celestia swept the filly up in a hug. ‘’Of course we can write to them. I’m sure they’re very worried about you as well.’’ As I am about them.

|-x-X-x-|

They ended up writing the letter about one-and-a-half hours later, when Flurry finally had enough of the pool; for now at least. Once they were dry again, Celestia got herself a pen and paper and settled on one of the sun chairs, Flurry curled up on another such chair next to her.

‘’Now, what do you want me to write?’’ Celestia asked the filly.

Flurry stared at the paper. ‘’Uhhhh…’’

Celestia repressed a sigh. ‘’Let’s start with saying hello, alright?’’ Might as well turn this into a lesson.

Flurry nodded. ‘’Yeah, that sounds good.’’

‘’Dear Cadence and Shining,’’ Celestia read out as she wrote it down, before looking back at Flurry. ‘’Do you mind if I write something to them as well?’’

‘’No, auntie.’’

‘’Thank you, sunshine.’’ Celestia pressed a nuzzle to her forehead. ‘’It won’t take long, I promise.’’

She quickly wrote down that she was happy to hear they were safe, and that Flurry and she were safe as well. She asked if they had heard anything about Twilight or the other Elements of Harmony, and how they were doing. Nothing too extravagant, just some simple questions Celestia had for them.

‘’Alright, I’m finished,’’ she announced. ‘’What do you want to write, Flurry?’’

‘’Can you tell me what you wrote?’’ Flurry asked back.

‘’Of course,’’ Celestia agreed, before clearing her throat. ‘’Dear Cadence and Shining, it heartens me to hear that you are both safe and sound. Flurry and myself are currently in Sunset, in New Mareland. I have many questions about what happened once I left Tall Tale, but those can wait for now. I am just relieved that you are alright. I do have a few pressing questions, however. Have you heard anything concerning Twilight and her friends? Last I knew Twilight was in Dodge City with the rest of the Elements, minus Rarity of course. If you know anything, please tell me. I’ll give the letter to Flurry now. All my love, Celestia.’’

Celestia put the letter down. ‘’So, what do you want to write?’’

‘’I want you to write that I miss them,’’ Flurry immediately said. Evidently the few minutes of thought had allowed her to make up her mind on what she wanted to tell her parents. Celestia could only approve.

‘’Of course,’’ Celestia agreed. ‘’And what else?’’

‘’That it’s very nice here,’’ Flurry replied. ‘’And the ship was nice too, but this is nicer. Oh! And tell them that I love them, please?’’

‘’I will,’’ Celestia promised, before promptly giving the filly a hug with her wing. ‘’And shall we go and have dinner when we’re finished?’’

‘’Yeah!’’

|-x-X-x-|

Once the letter was done and sent (by way of a courier to the office who’d delivered Thorax’s letter to her; that being the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) Celestia and Flurry retired to the dining room for, well, dinner.

There wasn’t anything special about it, not really. Just mashed potatoes with some hay and vegetables. But the company made it special, nonetheless.

‘’Auntie, do you know when Mummy and Daddy are going to write back?’’

Celestia could only shake her head. ‘’I don’t, sunshine. But no doubt they’ll write back as soon as possible. And the moment I get their letter, I’ll tell you, alright?’’

‘’Okay,’’ Flurry agreed. ‘’Thanks, auntie!’’

‘’No problem, sunshine.’’

They talked as they ate, about little things. Mostly Flurry talked and Celestia listened; from the sound of it, Flurry’s day had been far more exciting than Celestia’s had been, even though she’d only played in and around the house.

Ah, the innocence of youth.

An idea came to Celestia’s mind. It probably wasn’t safe. Captain-General White Wood was going to be quite upset with the idea, most likely. But Celestia really didn’t care one bit.

‘’Flurry,’’ she asked, ‘’shall we go take a walk through Sunset after dinner?’’

‘’Can we go get ice cream?’’ Flurry asked immediately.

Celestia chuckled. ‘’Yes, we certainly can. And then I think we’ll take a stroll along the beach.’’

Following one conversation with her newly-appointed Captain-General of the Royal Guard, one car ride down to the boulevard and one visit to Juniper Berry’s ice cream booth, Celestia and Flurry were striding on the beach, eating their ice cream. With sunset soon to occur, most ponies had already vacated the beach, but there were still a good few enjoying the pleasant May weather.

As such, Celestia was forced to concede that taking along two guards - the minimum she had managed to bargain her new Captain-General down to - might not have been such a bad idea.

Flurry had two scoops of dark chocolate, which she was eating with gusto, while Celestia was a tad more dignified with eating her own banana ice cream. Still, the older alicorn knew they made for quite the unique sight.

‘’Mummy! Mummy! Look, that’s the Princess!’’

Celestia almost raised an eyebrow as a young pegasus filly flew away from her parents towards them. A preemptive move from her wings kept the guards from stopping the filly.

The golden-coloured filly, with a white and pink curly mane, landed in front of them. ‘’Hi!’’ she chirped, seemingly undaunted by Celestia, which already made her rather unique. ‘’I’m Summer Blossom! Nice to meet ya!’’

‘’It is nice to meet you as well, Summer Blossom,’’ Celestia returned the greeting. ‘’My name is Celestia, but I think you already knew that.’’

‘’Yeah I did!’’ the filly confirmed. ‘’You’re the Princess from overseas!’’

‘’I am.’’

‘’And you!’’ Summer Blossom turned towards Flurry, who was looking very surprised by this turn of events. In fairness to the filly, so was Celestia, but she was far better at hiding it. ‘’You’re Princess Flurry Heart!’’

‘’Uhhh…’’ Flurry stared at the other filly. ‘’Hi?’’

‘’I’ve heard so much about you!’’ Summer Blossom gushed. ‘’And look at you! You’re so pretty!’’

‘’Thanks?’’ Flurry hesitated, then added: ‘’You look really pretty too.’’

‘’Summer Blossom!’’ The voice of what was most likely the mother of Summer Blossom cut off the filly’s reply. ‘’Just what do you think you’re doing!?’’

‘’Mum! Can’t you see I’m talking with the Princesses?’’ Summer Blossom snapped back.

‘’I can,’’ Summer Blossom’s mother, also a pegasus, confirmed. ‘’And you need to not wander off, young lady!” The yellow mare, with a lilac green mane, glared at her daughter.

‘’Sorry mummy,’’ Summer Blossom muttered.

‘’I apologise for my daughter’s actions, your Majesty,’’ the mare said as she turned to Celestia and bowed.

‘’There is nothing to apologise for, ma’am,’’ Celestia returned. ‘’I don’t mind it at all.’’

The mare let out a breath, and bowed her head again. ‘’Thank you, your Majesty.’’

‘’What is your name?’’

‘’I am Grey Flower,’’ the mare replied. ‘’It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.’’

And as Celestia and Grey Flower struck up a conversation, Flurry and Summer Blossom began playing together in the sand. Then, when Celestia finally returned to the Sunside House, carrying Flurry on her back, she went to bed satisfied.

The Eagle and the Sun

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It took a few days before responses to Celestia’s two letters arrived. Both King Talonuel and President Rodier were willing to meet with her, and due to the former also having to sort out the schedules of the Duchess of Talouse, Count of Francistria and Duchess of Arantiga, it was decided that Celestia would meet with Leonard Rodier first.

The details of this meeting were still being sorted out - it would be the first diplomatic meeting on such a level as this between Aquileia and Equestria since 990 ALB, and that had been between the Governor-General of New Mareland and the King of Aquileia. The former position was no less important than before, but the latter had been - both in practice and in legality - dissolved.

Of course, this meant that it would be a well-planned event, even if it was just a conversation between Celestia and the President. The location had yet to be chosen, but Celestia had cautiously suggested New Manehattan already. It was roughly half way between Sunset and Aquila, so it wouldn’t be too much of a journey for either party, and there were certainly enough suitable locales in that city to hold a proper diplomatic meeting.

And, of course, places to leave Flurry while she conversed with Rodier. There was no way in Tartarus she was leaving the filly behind in Sunset until she could defend herself, and Celestia was not going to teach a four year old anything about fighting under any circumstances.

Celestia was startled from her thoughts as she heard the sound of running hooves approaching. Lifting her head from the book on the Aquileian language she’d been reading to get herself acquainted with the language, she saw it was one of the Royal Guards, and he was carrying a telegram or letter in his magic.

‘’Emergency message from the Ministry of Defence, your Majesty,’’ the soldier reported as he came to a halt in front of her. ‘’Delivered by courier.’’

Celestia nodded. ‘’Thank you, Private. Please wait, I may wish to send a reply.’’

‘’Yes ma’am.’’

Celestia took the piece of paper from the stallion and opened it.

To: Minister Quick Draw

From: Admiral Ryan Celer

Sir, I regret to inform you that the Spa Islands have fallen to a Lunarist invasion. We have evacuated as many as possible from the islands, but have been forced to leave some of those planned to be evacuated behind due to being surprised by the sudden appearance of the Lunarist ships. We have sustained no casualties but for light damage to two destroyers who first caught sight of the enemy, and are pursuing a course towards Cross Island now.

Well, that was that then.

‘’Send a messenger to the members of the War Council; I wish to convene within half an hour, here,’’ Celestia instructed.

The soldier snapped off a salute. ‘’Yes ma’am!’’

‘’Dismissed.’’

The soldier made off, and once he was gone Celestia allowed her head to droop.

Equestria has truly fallen then. My kingdom, broken again by my fallen sister. History is doomed to repeat itself, it seems.

The War Council was convened as Celestia had requested, minus Sunny Flare, who was on a business trip in Stratus Springs, and Admiral Stronghammer, who was assessing the war-readiness of Hoovesplain’s harbour.

‘’Good evening,’’ Celestia started the meeting. ‘’I apologise for the sudden and late hour, but some disturbing news has reached us all. The Spa Islands have fallen to the enemy.’’

‘’Damnit,’’ Jet Set cursed aloud.

‘’How did this happen, Minister?’’ Sour Sweet looked towards the stallion as she asked this, brow furrowed in thought.

‘’We don’t know a lot yet, Miss Sweet,’’ Quick Draw replied. ‘’I received a telegram from Admiral Celer informing me that the enemy had taken over the Spa Islands via invasion, that not everyone eligible had yet been evacuated, and that he had suffered no losses to his command except for minor damage to two vessels. They are making their way here now.’’

‘’May we see this telegram, Mr Draw?’’ Moondancer requested.

‘’I sent it to Her Majesty as soon as I received it and read it,’’ Quick Draw replied.

‘’I have it here.’’ Celestia laid the telegram out on the table for everyone to see and read. ‘’See for yourselves.’’

The telegram was passed around.

‘’Apparently we cannot even repel a single invasion,’’ Sour Sweet remarked snarkily as she put the letter down. ‘’I am quite interested in finding out what Admiral Celer means by ‘not everyone eligible’ and ‘suffered no losses’. Did the garrison retreat without a fight?’’

Celestia, admittedly, had already considered that as a likely possibility, but had found she could not fault the Admiral for making that decision. At least, not yet. She would hear the full story from him and those under his command when he arrived in New Mareland and judge him on that.

‘’I cannot say, Miss Sweet,’’ Quick Draw replied, ‘’but I do not think that Admiral Celer would have retreated without a fight if he was not certain of defeat otherwise. I’ve not known him to be a coward.’’

‘’So, what do we do?’’ Moondancer asked the room after a moment of silence. ‘’The ships are already making their way back, and do correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think we currently have the capability to retake the islands?’’

Quick Draw shook his head. ‘’We have no staging area to launch an invasion from, and in any case it is likely the islands will be garrisoned and well defended by the time we could have force prepared. Of course, even if we managed to retake the islands they will likely be attacked again by the Lunarists, and we cannot repel continuous invasions.’’

Before the meeting could derail, Celestia cleared her throat. ‘’The influx of refugees should not be a problem, now that we have established a strategy of dealing with them. And I’m sure the Admirals are already working on a new schedule for patrolling our seas now that we have all our ships again. How are the new factories coming along?’’

That got everyone’s attention back on track, and the meeting continued without incident.

|-x-X-x-|

In the end, Celestia and Flurry took a plane to New Manehattan almost a week after the Spa Islands had been conquered. The vessels that had previously patrolled around the islands would not arrive for a while, even with the most favourable conditions, so Celestia felt no obligation to remain behind and wait for them.

Flurry had been unhappy to be parted from her new friend Summer Blossom, who - accompanied by her mother, of course - came up to the Sunside House almost every day now. Celestia and Grey Flower held amicable conversation as the foals played together, in the pool, gardens or in Flurry’s rooms. During these conversations, Celestia found out more about Grey Flower: she and her husband were both originally from a village out in the countryside, but had moved to Sunset together in search of better jobs. They kept in contact with their parents via letters and occasional visits.

Grey Flower and her husband, Golden Voice, owned a small flower shop near the beach, above which was their home. Celestia had not yet visited it, but had made plans to do so once they were back from New Manehattan.

In any case, Flurry’s displeasure had evaporated once they’d boarded the plane and gotten off into the air: Celestia had flown higher than the plane had, before, but the filly had not yet done so, and so was entranced by the view of New Mareland from the air. Admittedly it was a pretty view, but it reminded Celestia too much of the plains to the north of Canterlot, so she kept herself from looking outside and busied herself with a final refresher in Aquileian.

The flight only took three hours and they left just after noon, so it was a little past three o’clock when they landed in New Manehattan’s newly-constructed airport. The outbreak of the Civil War had seen its planned construction for later that year sped up, as it was connected to the new NMRAF airbase.

Once they had descended from the plane, a car stood ready to take them into New Manehattan proper. Celestia had, after some deliberation, chosen the Starhoof Tower, the city’s most luxurious hotel, as the location for the meeting. She had booked the penthouse suites, one for the President and one for herself and Flurry. The meeting itself would take place in the Tower’s Upper Lounge, which was located just one floor under the penthouses.

The Tower had, of course, been checked and secured beforehand. The Royal Guard had been deployed in force around the Tower, supported by the New Manehattan Police Department. President Rodier had brought his own guard, Aquileian griffons and ponies in dark blue uniforms, and Celestia saw a few of them standing alongside the Royal Guard as they entered.

Besides her, Flurry looked around, wide-eyed. The Crystal Palace was higher than most of the skyscrapers in the city, but that was just one building; this was Flurry’s first time seeing a skyscraper, and while New Manehattan wasn’t even half the size Manehattan was, it was still surely an impressive sight to anyone seeing it for the first time.

Inside the lobby of Starhoof Tower, the owner, Sunlit Starhoof, awaited them. He was a yellow-white pegasus stallion, with a mane of gold and eyes of aquamarine, dressed smartly in a black suit.

‘’Welcome, my Princesses!’’ He bowed low to both of them. ‘’It is my great pleasure to receive you here. I am Sunlit Starhoof, and I hope you shall enjoy your stay in my tower.’’

‘’Certainly, Mr Starhoof,’’ Celestia replied kindly. ‘’It is a pleasure to be here. Judging by the guards, I assume that Président Rodier has already arrived?’’

‘’He has, ma’am, but less than half an hour ago. I believe he is already in the Upper Lounge.’’

‘’Let’s not keep him waiting then.’’

Celestia and Flurry quickly made their way up the skyscraper via the lift, their personal effects brought to their rooms by hotel staff.

‘’Auntie, do I have to go to the room?’’ Flurry asked again.

‘’You do, Flurry,’’ Celestia replied. ‘’This is a private meeting, and it’s very important. But when the talking is finished, we can go and have dinner together.’’

‘’With the Président as well?’’

‘’Maybe,’’ Celestia answered. ‘’We’ll see.’’ That would depend on how the negotiations went.

She gave Flurry a quick hug. ‘’I won’t be long, alright?’’

‘’Okay, auntie.’’

‘’Ask one of the guards for help if there’s a problem,’’ Celestia instructed for the third time in as many hours. ‘’And have fun. I’m sure there’s lots of things to do in the room.’’

‘’Okay auntie,’’ Flurry said again.

The lift stopped, announcing its arrival with a ping.

‘’Bye auntie!’’

‘’See you soon, sunshine!’’ Celestia briefly nuzzled the top of Flurry’s head, then stepped out of the elevator and made her way straight ahead.

The entrance to the restaurant was guarded by two broad griffons, armed with rifles and dressed in sleek dark blue uniforms. ‘’Bonjour,’’ one of them greeted. ‘’Le Président is awaiting you, madam.’’

Two Royal Guards had accompanied her, and they took up position next to the griffons as Celestia headed through the double doors, held open by one of the griffons.

The restaurant, as predicted, was empty of guests, except for one. Leonard Rodier, Président of the Second Aquileian Republic, seated at a table next to a window that looked out on the south, showing New Manehattan and then the Freeside Gulf.

Celestia had seen pictures in newspapers, of course, but it was something else to see someone in the flesh. His feathers were dark blue, almost as black as his hair, and he wore a dark brown trenchcoat over what appeared to be his military uniform.

Well, he was a field marshal after all. Or still is.

‘’Good afternoon,’’ Celestia greeted him as she approached the table, which only had a glass of water on it. ‘’It is a pleasure to meet you, Président Rodier.’’

‘’Good afternoon to you as well, Princess Celestia.’’ The griffon’s blue eyes met her as she sat down. ‘’I assure you, the pleasure is all mine.’’

‘’I am happy you accepted my invitation,’’ Celestia began the conversation. ‘’We have much to discuss, of course, but I wasn’t sure you would have the time.’’

‘’I do have a busy life,’’ Rodier agreed, ‘’but I imagine you do as well, Princess. I would think both of us spent some time figuring out how to fit this meeting into our schedules.’’

Celestia inclined her head in acknowledgement. ‘’That is true.’’

Just then, a waiter came up to them. ‘’Good afternoon, your Majesty. Would you like anything to drink?’

‘’Water, please,’’ Celestia replied.

‘’As you wish, ma’am.’’ With that said, the waiter retreated again.

Celestia looked back at Rodier, who was watching her calmly even as he took a sip of his own water.

‘’So,’’ he said as he put the glass down, ‘’what do you wish to discuss, your Majesty? Your letters, while eloquent and polite, were quite vague as to the actual contents of this meeting.’’

‘’I wish to discuss the relationship between our two countries,’’ Celestia put forth.

Rodier nodded once. ‘’I see. And do you speak for Equestria or New Mareland?’’

‘’Both.’’

‘’Very well.’’

‘’As you know,’’ Celestia continued, ‘’Nightmare Moon has taken over Equestria. While I have, for now, been able to stop her from making the night last forever, I cannot do so forever, and she will surely wish to defeat me and take New Mareland for herself. I am sure you can see what problems that would cause for Aquileia, should she succeed in that.’’

‘’You think she would try to conquer parts of Griffonia?’’ Rodier sounded skeptical, but not dismissive. He was a military griff, he could work out the strategy himself.

‘’I think she would, yes,’’ Celestia agreed. ‘’Not for a while of course; she needs to rebuild Equestria in her image, and squash the remaining rebellious regions. But eventually she will come for Griffonia, if left unchecked.’’

‘’So you have a proposal?’’

‘’Let me continue first,’’ Celestia replied. ‘’The new King Thorax of the Changeling Hives is supportive of me and has promised me aid should I land in Equestria again, but his country is still rebuilding from their own civil war. He’s also sheltering refugees from Equestria and the Crystal Empire, including Princess Cadence and her husband. Should I attack the Lunar Empire, I would not be alone.’’

Rodier remained silent, so Celestia continued speaking. ‘’Answer a question of mine: Aquileia wishes to expand, no?’’

‘’Perhaps,’’ was all Rodier answered.

‘’You wish to defeat the Empire.’’ It wasn’t a very bold guess. ‘’I will also meet with King Talonuel of Wingbardy and the other leaders of the Karthinian Pact soon, just like we are doing now.’’

The waiter arrived, and brought with him Celestia’s glass of water. Once he was gone again, Celestia smiled at Rodier. ‘’And that is not all. New Mareland is rapidly climbing out of its economic depression; soon it shall be able to start producing weapons and ships in great quantities. But since we are not yet at war, those guns can be used elsewhere.’’

‘’Meaning?’’ Rodier asked.

‘’I would be willing to sign a deal,’’ Celestia explained, ‘’signing over a part of the production - a set amount or a percentage, whichever you prefer - of New Mareland’s new armament factories, in exchange for feedback on said weapons. This is apart of the other deal I have for you, Mr Rodier.’’

‘’What would the other deal entail?’’

‘’A full military alliance,’’ Celestia answered, ‘’between Aquileia and New Mareland. Possibly joined by the nations of the Karthinian Pact.’’

‘’And the scope of this alliance?’’

‘’New Mareland would support Aquileia in any defensive war it finds itself, and vice versa,’’ Celestia explained. ‘’Offensive wars the other party may elect to stay out of. Outside of war, our militaries will work and train together, and our inventors and researchers will share ideas and designs for new weapons with each other. That way, we all benefit.’’

Rodier leaned back in his chair. ‘’You have given me much to think about, Princess Celestia.’’

Celestia thought for a moment on how to best frame her reply. ‘’Of course,’’ she said finally, ‘’it would more of a problem if you did not.’’

Rodier’s beak twitched in amusement. ‘’Indeed,’’ he agreed, before asking; ‘’What timeframe do you have in mind?’’

‘’I wish to be back on the shores of Equestria by the summer of 1012 at the absolute latest.’’

‘’1012…’’ the griffon muttered. ‘’I will tell you that I did not plan to take back the Périphérie before 1009. Aquileia needs to be rebuilt first, including its military. But with your assistance and possibly that of the Karthinian Pact, we may be able to shorten that time.’’

‘’That was my thought as well,’’ Celestia said. ‘’I know several companies would like to invest in Aquileia for sure. And we have many refugees from the war that need work.’’

‘’Yes, that could work out quite well,’’ Rodier agreed. ‘’And I do agree with your assessment; I know little of what Nightmare Moon is like, but if she is as much a tyrant as the Discrets then I cannot see her ambitions being contained to one continent only.’’

‘’Speaking of the Discrets…’’

Rodier sniffed disdainfully. ‘’Those that weren’t beheaded or died in the Revolution are serving a life sentence. As for the crown princess, we will deal with her flight to Les Méridiennes in time.’’

Celestia didn’t agree with that, but she was not in the position where she could afford her morals to dictate foreign policy, and most of the Discrets had been tyrants and scum. But she would ensure Crown Princess Vivienne survived, if nothing else.

‘’Very well,’’ she agreed. ‘’But that is for later. For now, monsieur Président, do we have a deal?’’

‘’I think we do, madam.’’ Rodier offered her his claw, and she shook it with her hoof.

‘’Now,’’ Celestia said as she pulled her hoof back again, ‘’how about we retire, and then meet again at dinner? Unless you have to leave again?’’

‘’I’ve time,’’ Rodier answered, ‘’and I would gladly have dinner with you, ma’am.’’

‘’Excellent. At seven, then?’’

‘’As you wish.’’

Once the door to her and Flurry’s room was closed, Celestia had a moment to let out a quiet sigh of relief before the filly pounced on her.

One down, one to go.

The Southern King

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By the time Celestia and Flurry arrived back in Sunset, correspondence had arrived from King Talonuel III, giving a date for the meeting between Celestia and the rulers of the various nations that made up the Karthinian Pact. The meeting would be held five days, in the Talousian city of Chiazbeacle. That was reasonably close to New Mareland, and geographically pretty much centrally inside the Karthinian Pact.

Celestia didn’t mind the travelling; it was only a few hours of flight, after all. But she was not so happy about taking Flurry with her this time. New Manehattan was one thing, but taking her to a city in a country filled with Griffons speaking a language the filly did not understand a lick of didn’t sit right with her at all.

Still, leaving her in Sunset posed even more of a security risk, and there was the emotional damage such a thing might do to consider. So, in the end there was nothing to it: Flurry would have to come as well.

And so, the two of them were now standing in the entrance hall of the Chiazbeacle Castle, where the negotiations would be held.

‘’How long is it going to take, auntie?’’ Flurry asked.

‘’I have no idea, sunshine,’’ Celestia replied. ‘’But I’ll see you at dinner, in any case.’’

Which… wouldn’t be for four hours, at least. What fun.

‘’Princess Celestia!’’ a male voice called out from the stairs above.

Celestia looked up to see Garibald Talonuel III, King of Wingbardy, standing atop the stairs, flanked by a younger Griffon in a decorated uniform that had to be his son, Crown Prince Gumberto.

‘’It’s a pleasure to meet you again, Princess,’’ King Talonuel said as he descended from the stairs, followed by his son and two armoured Griffons, clearly knights and the guards of the King.

Celestia bowed her head slightly in acknowledgement. ‘’King Talonuel, the pleasure is all mine.’’ As the King came within the appropriate distance, she offered him her hoof, and he took it with his claw and placed the Griffon equivalent of a kiss on it.

‘’It has been a long time since we last met, Princess’’ the Griffon said as he raised his head up and looked at Celestia, who was only a little taller than him. ‘’You have not grown any less impressive since.’’

Flatterer. ‘’You flatter me, King Talonuel,’’ Celestia said. ‘’And I must say the same for you.’’

‘’Yeah!’’ Flurry suddenly piped up. ‘’Auntie said you had a moustache, but she didn’t say it was so cool!’’

Celestia could barely suppress a smile at her niece’s antics, as Talonuel stared at the filly for a moment, before chuckling heartily. ‘’I don’t hear such compliments from youngsters very often,’’ he said with a smile of his own, and judging by the astonished look Gumberto had painted on his face, Celestia felt it was a slight jab at the Prince.

Well, far be it from me to get involved in family affairs.

‘’So you must be Princess Flurry Heart,’’ Talonuel continued. ‘’Might I say, your mane is very pretty.’’

‘’Really? Thanks, Mr King!’’

Celestia really had to teach Flurry etiquette. At some point. Probably. Maybe.

Talonuel chuckled again. ‘’You’re welcome, Princess.’’

‘’Shall we get started on the meeting?’’ Celestia suggested after a moment. As fun as this was, they were here for a reason.

‘’As you wish, Princess,’’ King Talonuel agreed. ‘’Duchess Ginevra and Count Francis are already waiting for us in the dinner room. Shall we?’’

‘’We shall.’’

‘’Oh, and another question. Would you mind if my son stayed with your niece?’’

|-x-X-x-|

Gumberto Talonuel looked down at the young alicorn filly with a frown on his face. He would have rather been anywhere else than here, but Father had insisted he’d come, and Gumberto didn’t dare refuse him anything.

He carefully kept his expression neutral, despite the instinct to let his boredom and irritation show. The filly might not notice, but those two guards that Princess Celestia had insisted follow her definitely would. Gumberto didn’t feel threatened by them: he had two knights of the Guardia Reale with him, who would be more than a match for those two ponies.

‘’So, Principessa Flurry Heart,’’ Gumberto said after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, ‘’is there anything you would like to do?’’

The young pony looked up at him, face scrunching up in what was sure to be intense thought. ‘’Can you show me around the castle? It looks really nice!’’

I have been relegated to tour guide. Was this Father’s plan all along?

If it was, Gumberto wasn’t very happy with it. But alas, there was little he could do about it.

‘’Very well,’’ he agreed. ‘’Follow me then.’’

Luckily, the owner of the castle had given the noble guests a tour himself the day before, and while Gumberto hadn’t paid as much attention as he probably should have, he’d still be able to show something of the castle.

‘’We shall begin at the entrance to the castle,’’ mostly because that’s the part I remember best, ‘’and from there we shall go up through the building.’’

‘’Okay!’’ the alicorn chirped.

One quick trip down the stairs and across the courtyard, they stood at the castle’s gate. Gumberto cleared his throat, then began to speak. ‘’The entrance to the castle was designed by the owner at the time, Countess Leonarda Panzica, who wanted to have something to suitably impress visiting nobles with. Hence, the detailing on the arch.’’ He pointed a claw at the intricate patterns carved into the stone, which showed tales of knightly valour by, who’d have guessed, the Panzicas.

‘’It looks very pretty,’’ the filly said. ‘’Who are they fighting?’’

‘’Their enemies, of course,’’ Gumberto replied. ‘’I don’t know the full history of the Panzicas, but they’re probably great fighters.’’ Though of course, this could be exaggerated.

‘’Did they have many enemies?’’

How the Tartarus should I know?

‘’I would guess so, yes. And by the fact they’re still living here nowadays, I suppose they won.’’

‘’Yeah…’’

‘’Come,’’ Gumberto said after a moment, ‘’let’s go back inside now.’’ No point in remaining outside now that they’d seen the gate.

‘’But I wanna know more about the gate!’’

‘’Well too bad,’’ Gumberto snapped. ‘’You can look at it later.’’ He didn’t want to bother with this stupid filly and her stupid questions!

Both of the Pony guards glared at him, and he glared back. They could fuck off for all he cared, he was the Prince of Wingbardy!

‘’Aww…’’

‘’You don’t have to follow,’’ Gumberto pointed out rather smugly. ‘’I’m sure one of the members of the castle’s staff could show you more of the castle, if you so wish. Frankly, I don’t care. I’m going inside.’’ And getting a drink.

‘’Okay!’’ Flurry chirped. ‘’Have fun!’’

‘’Thanks,’’ Gumberto muttered insincerely, before spreading his wings and flying off.

|-x-X-x-|

‘’Principessa, these are Duchess Ginevra di Chiazbini of Talouse and Count Francis IX Martlewing of Francistria. Unfortunately, due to some unrest at home, Baroness Margareth Featherin couldn’t make it. My lady, my lord, Princess Celestia.’’

‘’A pleasure to meet you both,’’ Celestia greeted the other two Griffons.

‘’The pleasure is ours, Princess,’’ Ginevra replied with a bow of her head.

‘’I-indeed,’’ Francis seconded.

‘’Well, now that we are all here,’’ Garibald said as he took a seat, ‘’Principessa Celestia, might I invite you to begin the conversation?’’

‘’Of course.’’ Celestia took a breath, then sought out and found the eyes of Garibald. He would be the most important to convince; if she got him onboard, the rest of the Karthinian Pact should follow suit.

‘’You are all familiar with the war that has forced me from my country,’’ she began, ‘’started by my corrupted sister. For the moment, she is still occupied with putting down the last remnants of open resistance against her rule across Equestria. But then, I fear, she will come for me.

But not just for me. No, while I still represent a threat to her on a personal level, she and I both know New Mareland cannot match up against her Empire in a war. That is, New Mareland cannot do so alone.

My aim then, is to make sure I am not alone in the coming fight. I would extend an offer of friendship and alliance to you, as I have already done to Président Rodier of Aquileia. An offer he has accepted, I might add. We will aid each other in times of war and peace both. I have also made a similar agreement with King Thorax of the Changeling Hives.

Technically I haven’t yet, but I will.

But, I fear Aquileia, Changelingia and New Mareland may not be enough to face my sister’s forces. And so, I come to you, leaders of the Karthinian Pact. We are neighbours, and should New Mareland fall to the darkness I am sure you shall be soon after.

And I am not the only one who is threatened. If the Empire in Griffenheim has a resurgence, which I suspect it will, then the South will soon find itself under attack from Herzland again. In this I would help as well.

That is my proposal then. A common cause against mutual enemies unites us, and while divided we may fall to the onslaught one by one, together we can be a force that will break their tyranny. What do you say to that?’’

Silence reigned in the room for a moment; a moment that Celestia used to take a deep breath again.

‘’Well, Principessa Celestia, I dare say you make a convincing argument,’’ was the first thing Garibald said. ‘’But, I see an issue with your plan: Wingbardy is not threatened by the Lunar Empire, and has no reason to be enemies with it. What keeps me from simply aligning myself with your sister?’’

You’re smart.

‘’You could do that, King Talonuel,’’ Celestia acknowledged serenely. ‘’But I do not believe it would be good for you or your kingdom. My sister wishes nothing more than to rule over all the world: such was the case a thousand years ago, and so I predict it shall be again.’’

‘’So she is like a storm,’’ Duchess Ginevra surmised.

‘’In some ways, yes,’’ Celestia agreed. ‘’You might be able to appease her, for a time, but you will not be able to do so forever,’’ she continued. ‘’One day she will come for you, or your descendants. She has time.’’

‘’So do you,’’ Garibald observed.

‘’The longer I wait with my return, the stronger Nightmare Moon becomes,’’ Celestia countered. ‘’Once she constructs a navy strong enough to best New Mareland’s own, she will attempt to cross the ocean and finish the fight. Of course she is, chiefly, a master when it comes to land warfare, but I am certain she can figure out how to fight a war on the oceans too.’’

‘’You intend to hide behind the Wingbardian fleet?’’

‘’I intend to have it by my side when I return to Equus,’’ Celestia countered. ‘’But I will not use it as a shield against my sister’s forces, King Garibald. On that you have my word.’’

‘’And what of our land troops?’’ Ginevra asked. ‘’I don’t want to see Talousian soldiers die on foreign shores for a land that isn’t theirs in any way.’’

‘’Neither do I wish to see that fate come to my ponies,’’ Celestia replied, ‘’but such is the cost of an alliance. In return for your soldiers in Equestria, mine will be in Griffonia.’’

Francis IX spoke next. ‘’Y-you said there w-were-e other aspects to t-this alliance?’’

Celestia nodded. ‘’Indeed. There are many companies and businesses in New Mareland that wish to expand their reach beyond its borders, and with Equestria falling away we are also in dire need of trade partners. I’m sure you can see how beneficial that would be for all of us.’’

‘’I-I can, yes.’’

‘’As can I,’’ Ginevra said. ‘’I’ll be frank: Talouse’s economy is not in the best of shapes, and any help to get it out of its current depression will be appreciated.’’

Celestia pointedly didn’t point out how New Mareland wasn’t all that much better off. That would just be bad sport. Instead, she simply inclined her head. ‘’In conclusion, I believe our nations can and would benefit from helping each other in these matters and more. The world has grown dangerous, and will only continue to do so for the foreseeable future, I fear.’’

‘’I agree with your assessment,’’ Ginevra said. ‘’And I think that, regardless of what my fellow rulers conclude, that on behalf of Talouse I shall accept this deal with New Mareland.’’

Huzzah!

‘’I-I will as well,’’ Francis spoke up. ‘’A-and s-s-so, I think, will my c-colleague.’’

Celestia inclined her head gratefully at both of them. ‘’Thank you.’’

That just leaves everyone’s favourite King.

Who was looking rather pensive. ‘’I will admit,’’ he said after a few seconds of silence, ‘’that the offer we have before us is tempting. But there are concerns that I have, and these concerns… they dominate my thoughts.’’

Well, shit. She wasn’t quite out of options, but she was getting there, and there was little chance any of her fall-back plans would be able to sway Garibald if he’d already made up his mind. Perhaps he had, and was simply humouring her for his own amusement. It seemed unlikely, but Celestia didn’t know him nearly well enough to say it was out of character.

‘’But,’’ Garibald continued, ‘’but but but. That and if are two words that I keep coming back to.’’ He looked at the table. ‘’What if?’’

And then he looked up at Celestia, and smiled as best a Griffon could. ‘’What if… what if I agreed?’’ He chuckled. ‘’Well, I suppose we will find out what happens, won’t we?’’

And he offered his left claw to Celestia. ‘’Principessa, you have yourself an agreement.’’

Rising Sun, Mending Heart

by Eltirions

Settling into the Sunside House

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Days in Sunset

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The Eagle and the Sun

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The Southern King

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