We arrived early as requested by the princess. Celestia wanted to have a preliminary meeting with the prime minister to discuss terms and agreement during the official assembly. Before even setting foot in Canterlot I could see the look of confusion and worry on their faces when we approached the castle. Prior to the private meeting between my dearest friend and the co-rulers of Equestria, I had talked with some of the royal guards and my own men.

"Listen up men. No one is to enter the castle without permission from both the princesses and the prime minister. No one is to shapeshift during their time here. No one is allowed to start a fight without reasonable foundation, and in the case of riot, use of the most minimum amount of force is allowed only when necessary. Unless said otherwise, the royal guards stationed hear are to be treated as allies. Disobedience will NOT be tolerated and the violators will be SEVERELY punished. Do I make myself clear?"

"Sir yes sir!"

Valour was clear and to the point. He did not want to screw things up. He then turned to the Canterlot guards who were standing in attention.

"During the hours of the meeting between the prime minister and the princesses, Nopony, Changeling or otherwise, myself included, is allowed to enter without a summons except in the case of emergency. My men were given orders to follow the laws and customs during their visit here. If you see them clearly break the law without regard for anyone else, you have permission to arrest them and alert me immediately. That said, I also do not take kindly to any harm befalling my men out of resentment, fear, or any malicious intent. And I feel the need to remind you: Though I am an advocate of peace, I will not hesitate to beat the absolute crap out of anyone with intentions to sabotage the meeting, regardless if pony or Changeling. Am. I. Clear?"

Both the Canterlot guards and the Changeling soldiers couldn't help but gulp at that last statement.

"Yes sir."

"Good. Now then, gentlecolts: DISMISSED!"

Inside the castle, the Changeling prime minister was escorted to the throne room by one of Princess Celestia's personal guards. He was noticeably apprehensive around Prince Vigour, who took notice of this.

"Have you worked here long?" the prince said trying to break the ice.

"Uh, about 5 years." the guard said having been caught off guard by the question.

"I see. Do you enjoy serving the Princess? I hear she is well respected and loved by her subjects."

"Yes I like it here. Everypony looks out for each other and it's a relief to know my family is safe. Well here we are. The princesses are waiting on the other side." the guard said opening the door. On the other side Vigour was greeted by Princess Celestia and  Princess Luna, albeit hesitantly with the latter's case.

"Hello Mr. Prime Minister, I apologize for calling you here on short notice but I... Well, you see..."

"We want to take precautions. No offense to you personally but we still haven't fully recovered from the wedding day incident." Luna said bluntly causing Celestia to wince.

"I don't doubt that one bit. I've noticed the tension within the city when we arrived."

Celestia exhaled in relief. "Yes I won't deny it. We're all apprehensive. I myself had a personal run-in with the Changeling Queen." the sun princess said while eyeing her horn.

"You fought Chrysalis?" the prime minister looked in surprise. "Then you were the one that she imprisoned in the cocoon. I heard one of her soldiers talking about it. I swear, her regime follow her so blindly."

"Regime?"

"About a decade before the invasion attempt, we had a disagreement that split the kingdom apart. Looking back in hindsight the argument was so minimal that its not even worth mentioning. Nevertheless, our sibling rivalry back then did not set a good example for our subjects. As a result, we divided into two regimes." the prime minister sighed. "I guess we should be more concerned with our own union more so than the alliance."

"I don't think so. If the issues you outlined in your request are as grave as you say then it would be in the best interest for your kingdom if you were to solve those first. Take it from me, its easier to negotiate with citizens when they're not belligerent from hunger."

The prime minister nodded. "And when their not irritable they'll be easier to befriend with your people. Yes, I do see your point." Vigour was a bit embarrassed that he didn't think that far. He cleared his throat as he began to speak again. Before he could though he was interrupted by Luna.

"By the way, when you were talking about the queen earlier you mentioned a sibling rivalry. That would make you and her..."

"Brother and sister, yes. To be more specific she is my older sister. I am the prime minister but I'm a prince unofficially. When she talked about her invasion plan, I was thoroughly against it. I wouldn't allow my regime to endanger themselves like that. I tried to talk her out of it.."

Luna leaned forward in interest. "And how did it go?"

Vigour stood in silence for a brief moment, as if to gather his thoughts. "Well..."

"STUBBORN CICADA!"

"IGNORANT IMBECILE!"

"DUMBASS DULLARD!"

"IDIOT WITH GRAY HAIR!

"I HATE YOU!"

"I HATE YOU A SLIGHTLY LARGER AMOUNT!"

"...Let's just say we're not on speaking terms...." The princesses looked at each other in awkwardness. They were reminded of a thousand years ago. After a moment of silence, Vigour started chuckling. "I think we got off topic here. Why don't we get to that discussion?"