House of Horses (Part 7)

>"Why did you do it, Anon?"
>You are having tea with Luna in her private studies. The Princesses are quite fond of their tea, it seems. Not that there is anything necessarily wrong with that. The drink can be very soothing for oneself, and you definitely don't mind partaking in it from time to time. However, coffee and alcohol are more your cup of tea, so to speak. A much unhealthier choice, but you'll leave obsessing over small dietary details to the health fanatics.
"We need to be more open with our citizens, Luna. We can't serve them to the best of our ability if we're not completely honest with them."
>"They wouldn't understand."
"If they believe in you as a leader, then they would eventually step back and trust you to do your job."
>"That sounds rather idealistic."
"No one's ever brought prosperity to their kingdom through pessimism alone."
>Luna sighs as she swirls the tea in her cup, looking at the steam rising from the hot drink.
>"It's almost as if you want to sabotage us, Anon."
>You lean forward in your seat, arms crossed on the table.
"Why would you even think of that? I want nothing but the best for all of us. You have to believe me."
>"Tch. You're starting to sound like my sister."
"But you do trust her, right?"
>Luna stays silent for a few moments.
>"I do, or at least I want to trust her. She tells me how much she loves and cares for me, but that time when you confronted me and questioned if she banished me for my best interests, it got me thinking..."
>She sets her cup down and and puts her head in her hooves.
>"What she did with Finch's dream. I don't know if that was in my best interests."
>You say nothing.
>"It cost me my relationship with you, Anon. This is the first time we've spoken since then."
>It's still uncertain whether she's being sincere with you or trying to get you off guard. However, it's better to be safe than sorry.
>"That bill wasn't because of the hearing, was it?"
"Luna..."
>"Be straight with me, Anon."
>You lean back in your seat.
"You went behind my back, Luna. Both you and your sister. And it put Finch and I on the spotlight, in the public's crosshairs. That day I was convinced that the both of you were trying to shoot me down."
>"I told you I had nothing to do with the hearing."
"I know. So that leaves your sister. Does she hate me, Luna? Surely she must've told you."
>Luna tries to find the words.
>"She's...skeptical, Anon. And if you ask me, she has every right to be. There hasn't been this much turmoil since your involvement with the summit. Everyone's scared, and they're looking to her for answers."
"You don't think I'm causing it, do you?"
>"Maybe you are, Anon, even if unintentionally. We've never had a human Head Chair before, let alone a Prince."
"You've never had a human in Equestria either, at least as far as I know. More tea?"
>"Thank you," she says as you refill her cup. "But I'm sure she has her reasons for whatever she's doing."
>Luna takes a sip, savoring the flavor.
>"I want to trust you, Anon. I really do. But we can't rule Canterlot together if we keep going behind each other's backs like this."
>If Luna really is being honest with you, then perhaps she really is emotionally weaker than her sister. Those thousand years in cold, dark isolation must have left her afraid of being alone. She has her sister, but perhaps giving her a warm blanket should provide her with a better sense of security. Maybe she's the crack in the foundation that you've been looking for.
"I agree. We should stop this nonsense and worth together. But what about your sister?"
>"I think she just needs some space. Perhaps she needs time to get used to you."
"If she wants to talk, she knows where to find me. We're peers now. We have to meet sooner or later."
>With her magic, Luna pulls out an enclosed envelope and hands it to you.
>"Speaking of my sister, we're planning to work with the Saddle Arabians in the construction of one of their bridges. She wants you to seal the deal."
"Why me? Can't she send one of her ambassadors?"
>"She didn't exactly say, but if you ask me, she wants to test you, Anon."
>Accepting this task would put you outside of Canterlot and place a temporary hold on your plans. But if you refuse, then you would be seen as cowardly or incompetent. As the new Prince, you have to be quick to establish your credibility. You might have been well-known as a member of the Court, but just because you aced elementary school doesn't mean you'll be the university valedictorian. You don't like taking orders from others, but this time you don't have much of a choice.
"Very well. It would be my honor to do so, Luna."
>She smiles in response.
>"Thank you, Anon. I know we can count on you."
"And thank you for the tea, Luna. I look forward to having more chats with you in the near future," you say as you rise from your seat. "And tell Celestia that it saddens me that we have to talk to each other through you."
>"I will."
>You exit the room, leaving Luna alone with her tea and her thoughts.

>"Really? Saddle Arabia?"
"It appears so," you say as you hand Finch the documents in the envelope, which she then starts to skim over. "But I'm guessing that the negotiations shouldn't take very long. We've had a very good relationship with the Saddle Arabians for centuries."
>"Why would she give you such a simple assignment?"
"I don't know, but there's no doubt that she's planning something. I want you to grab every book from the archives that involves Saddle Arabia. By the time we're leaving, we're going to know more about their history and culture than their own lead historian."
>"On it. I also got the vote specifics like you asked."
>You sit down as she hands you a document.
>"Everyone voted exactly as they said they would. Everyone except for one head."
"Ironshield..." you mutter as you read the writing. Of all the possible ones to betray you, it had to be someone who prides himself on his dignity. Now he better hope that he has at least some pride in keeping his head.
>"What do you think happened?"
"I don't know for certain, but we're going to find out soon enough. Cancel all my appointments for today. I want to speak with him as soon as possible."
>"I already tried. His secretary says he's completely booked for today."
"That's a lot of cowardice from a military leader."
>"Probably wants to keep his head on his neck."
"Tell his secretary that if he values his life, he's going to run here as quickly as possible before I break down his door and have a much more unpleasant conversation."
>"Exactly as you said it?"
"Word for word."
>"Got it."

"Mr. Ironshield, how nice of you to come here," you say with a smile as he enters your office, the door shutting behind him. "Please, have a seat. Want something to drink?"
>"I'm fine, thanks," he responds as he sits at the other end of your desk, his voice a bit shaky. "What did you want to talk about so urgently, Your Highness?"
"Why, the bill, of course."
>His eyes look downward.
"Do tell me, Mr. Ironshield. What could have possible happened so that you would betray me despite giving me your word? The only possible excuse I can think of is that someone impersonated you, knocked you out just in time for the vote, then took your place as he voted to shoot it down. Did that happen?"
>"N-no, Your Highness," he mutters, sweat starting to bead on his forehead.
"Then what?"
>He doesn't respond.
>You lean back in your seat, swiveling in your chair a bit. The old colt is clearly distraught. If this is what Canterlot's military leadership has come to, then Canterlot is truly doomed if it is ever unfortunate enough to find armed conflict with the weakest of nations. Peace has spoiled everyone.
"You can't dig yourself out of this through silence alone," you almost whisper, your voice menacing. "If you want to ever see the light of day again, you'll tell me exactly why you changed your mind. I don't take kindly to being double-crossed, but I'm willing to be more forgiving if you confess your wrongdoings."
>Ironshield gathers himself, his breath uneven, before finally speaking up.
>"The funding."
>You raise an eyebrow.
"What about it?"
>"We got it. Much more than you could have provided yourself."
>What?
>You lean forward until your face is only a foot from his.
"From who?"
>"I-I don't know. It was from an unnamed donor. Probably someone very rich. It came in right before the vote, and since I was opposed to the bill to begin with before you made your offer, I..."
>He takes a deep breath.
>"I decided to vote against it. I would have told you if I could, but it happened at the last minute. I simply wasn't able to tell you myself. I'm sorry, Your Highness. I truly am."
>Your eyes narrow.
"And you have no idea who this donor is?"
>"None, Your Highness."
>The first thought to come to mind is that either the Princesses did this, or you now have an unknown enemy with access to a vast sum of wealth. In either case, you have to find the source before things become out of hand.
"I'll tell you what," you say as you return to leaning back in your seat, giving Ironshield precious breathing room. "If you hand me all the paperwork involved with this donation, I'll still consider putting more funding into your department."
>"B-but it's an unnamed donation. You can't possibly hope to trace--"
"That is none of your concern. Do you accept this or not?"
>"Of course, Y-your Highness," he stutters. "You're too generous, Your Highness."
"Good. Hand the documents to my assistant by the end of today. You're dismissed."
>As quickly as he can, Ironshield bows and exits the room without breaking into a full sprint. Finch enters soon after.
>"He looks like he just saw a ghost. What did you tell him?"
"Oh, we just had a little friendly conversation is all," you reply. "Change of plans. You're staying here while I'm at Saddle Arabia."
>"What? Why?"
"Our good friend has received a rather generous donation from an unknown donor."
>"You think it's the Princesses?"
"That's what I want you to find out. The papers should reach your desk by the end of today."
>"It's not going to be easy. If the source wants to be hidden, he or she probably took a lot of steps to stay that way."
"Can you do it?"
>"I'll do my best, Anon."
"That's all I want to hear. And if you need help, you can consult with Iceberg. Just don't get him too involved. The less he knows about this, the better. Understand?"
>"Crystal clear."
"Perfect. But for now, we have some reading to do. How many books did you find?"
>"Enough to kill a senior professor at Canterlot University."
"By dropping them on his head or forcing him to read them all?"
>"Dropping them on him would probably be less painful."
"Well, let's get this over with. Order some food, if you may. We're going to be here for a while."
>"I can hardly contain my joy."

>The sun has not yet risen as you're standing on the private station, waiting for the train to pull up.
>"Got all the notes?"
"Right there," you respond as you gesture to one of your luggage bags before pointing to your head. "And right here. I feel like I'm on my way to take an exam."
>"In that case, you better pass."
"I will."
>Soon enough, your train slowly pulls into the station, steam pouring out of the smokestack as it comes to a screeching halt. The doors open, and the royal servants start carrying your luggage inside.
>"How long will you be gone?"
"Hopefully not too long."
>A guard walks up to you.
>"The train's ready for you to come on board, Your Highness."
"Thank you. I'll be on board shortly," you say, upon which he leaves with a salute.
>Finch tugs at you, and you kneel down to reach her level.
>"Stay safe, alright? I can't be of much help if you're dead."
"Don't worry too much. I'll be fine, but I'll definitely try not to kill myself listening to all the boring conversations I'm going to have."
>The both of you laugh before Finch wraps her hooves around your neck, pulling you into a hug.
>You return the gesture. Right before she lets go, she plants a quick kiss on your cheek.
>"If you die there, I'm going to kill you. Got it?"
>You smile, ruffling her mane a bit before getting up.
"I'll keep that in mind."
>You enter the train and reach your compartment, sitting down next to the window. With a loud blow of its whistle, the train slowly starts to pull out of the station, beginning your journey to Saddle Arabia.
>As you look outside, you see Finch waving to you, her figure growing smaller as the distance between you two grows longer. You wave back until she disappears into the horizon. With a sigh, you pull out a bottle from one of the cabinets and pour a little bit of liquor into a cup, swirling it around as you take in the moving scenery outside.
>For the first time in a long time, you and Finch will have to work alone, this time to accomplish different goals. Hopefully the negotiations go smoothly so that you can return home and get back to work within a few days. Something is at play here, and you can't do anything about it while you're in some foreign land discussing irrelevant matters with those who you'll probably never meet again in your life. Finch will get her job done, of that you are sure. The only question is if you'll be back in time to plan your next move.
>You grow tired as the drowsiness steps in from waking up so early, the landscape fading to black as you close your eyes, the sounds of the train speeding on the tracks and the rumbling of its movements lulling you to sleep. There's a lot to be done, but first you need to get your rest. The time for action will come soon enough.