Today was the day. Delegates, leaders from all across the Equestrian and Changeling kingdoms, gathered together to attend the treaty hearing, officially nicknamed "The Auxiliary Convention" by the newspapers. This was one of the most important events in the history of our kingdom. Considering the 2 months leading up to this day, both sides already foresaw the conclusion yet they were still eager to hear the official verdict themselves. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't restless from anticipation myself. I would have liked to be present at the hearing myself but I was put in charge of the security checks. The prime minister, my dearest friend, trusted me to ensure the safety of everyone attending the convention, both the delegates and the citizens, and I have no intention of disappointing him.

The convention was being held at the Crystal Empire due to the sheer size of the convention. Among the many visitors, over half of them were Changeling citizens. Aside from attending the convention, many of them wanted to bask in the beauty of the city and to attend the Crystal fair. Several of them I know personally, one of them being my beloved Kuwagata. I wish I could have accompanied her during her visit but alas, my duties demanded attention. Fortunately, she was indeed accompanied by a group of mares I trust.

"Sergeant Roach! I going to need your help."

"Yes Captain. What do you need me to do?"

"I'm going to need you and your men to set up 12 patrols across the city: 6 ground patrols and 6 air patrols. Shining Armor has the crystal guards stationed at the palace so your job is to patrol and provide security during the hours of the convention. Rules of engagement are the same as the preliminary meeting: in the event of a riot, use of the most minimum amount of force is allowed only when necessary, and no shape shifting is allowed during their visit with the exception of the hidden guards. Said hidden guards are posing as attendants outside the city and bodyguards disguised as assistants and servants. Order your men to cast passive recognition spells before they start their patrols so they can see who is who. If you find a disguised Changeling whose aura does not match the proper wavelength, apprehend them and bring them in for questioning. All guards have instructions to keep in contact and update with each other using closed-circuit telepathy spells, announcing by rank, name, and number in that order. Run roll calls every 20 minutes on the dot; if one guard fails to respond, notify me and the other soldiers immediately and raise the security level to 2 until the situation is resolved. Any questions?"

"No sir."

"Very well then, you are dismissed. If you need me, I am going to be at the palace running security checks for the delegates with Private Widow for the first hour before the hearing starts. After that, I will be joining in the patrols."

"Understood sir."

"Thank you for showing me around this city." Kuwagata serenely said.

"Aw shucks. We've been here many times before sugarcube. Our friend Twilight here is actually the sister of the city's governors." announced Applejack proudly.

"Applejack!" Twilight responded modestly.

"I must ask darling, are you Miss Kuwagata? I met your husband back at Canterlot."

"Oh you must be Lady Rarity." She giggled. "Valour speaks very highly of you."

Kuwagata spoke differently than everyone else the group met. She lost the ability to speak because of an illness which did permanent damage to her vocal cords and she couldn't physically talk. As a result, she communicates using a selective closed-circuit telepathy spell, one that allows any within a wide radius to hear her. She could choose who could hear her whenever she wanted but the radius shortens when she's weak, and disables when asleep.

"Hey Applejack? Do you know where the others are? I lost track of Pinkie Pie and I haven't seen Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy since we arrived." Rarity inquired. "We should introduce them to our new friend here."

"Ah saw Fluttershy talking ta Big Macintosh back at the stands. Well, maybe talking isn't the right word." Applejack giggled. "She sure wus stumbling over her words and boy howdy she wus redder than the stallion she wus talkin ta."

"Yeah, I've seen her getting shy around him lately. Well, shyer/" Twilight added.

"She's been talking about him more during our spa days. Do you think she...."

"Ah think it's safe ta say at this point she has a thing for him." Applejack said smiling.

"And your okay with that?" said Twilight hesitantly. "I mean, he IS your brother."

"Sugar, Big Mac's a grown stallion and Fluttershy is a grown mare. If it wus anypony else, I probably would be more skeptical. But this is Fluttershy were talking bout. If she wants ta pursue it, Ah'll support her all the way. Sides, she'd be in good hooves with Big Mac."

"You all must be really close." Kuwagata said out of the blue.

"You could say that." Twilight responded.

"Back on subject, Ah can't say Ah know where Pinkie and Rainbow are. If Ah had ta guess, Ah'd say RD is with one of the Wonderbolts somewhere round here."

"Probably Soarin." Rarity said without missing a beat. "Next to Spitfire, he's the pony she idealizes most. In more ways than one." The girls all giggled.

"Oh yeah, I forgot she graduated from the Wonderbolt academy awhile ago. We've just seen so little of her since she got accepted, and with the work I've been doing since getting these..." she gestured to her wings. "I've been learning how to fly myself."

"As fer Pinkie, she's lookin after Apple Bloom and her friends. Spike is with em as well. This convention is being held side by side with the Crystal Fair and you know how she loves parties."

"Maybe I could meet them another time then. With my husband working hard today, I'm happy to have somepony to company me here. He's a real gentlecolt but he's extremely dedicated to his job."

"Similar to a certain OTHER Pegasus, right Twilight?" Rarity said with a hint of amusement.

Twilight was a bit dumbfounded. "Pegasus? Do you mean Rainbow Dash?"

"Nah, you know who she's talkin bout Twi."

It took a few seconds to sink in but when she realized it, the Alicorn began to blush. "WHA- NO I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN! Flash and I are just friends, nothing more!" Twilight said turning her head to the side.

The other girls simply laughed.

"Duke of Manehattan."

"Check."

"And lastly, Mayor of Ponyvile."

"Check, and check. Captain, that should just account for all the delegates."

Valour nodded and walked over to the room Celestia and Luna were in. "Your highness, we are ready to begin at anytime." He bowed and turned to leave.

"Sister, shouldn't Twilight Sparkle be here as well. She is a Princess, wouldn't it make sense?" Luna inquired.

"I wanted to have the Elements of Harmony on standby seeing as how Discord is being..."

"Discord?"

"A total ass, yes." Celestia said unimpressed. "Besides, we have a representative from Ponyvile present here already."

"I still have mixed feelings about this sister."

"I know Luna, but I'd say we're making a great friend with this. I've talked to Twilight Sparkle and her friends and they told me about everything that's gone on since the preliminary meeting. Captain Valour is a competent and practical leader and I think that having him on our side would greatly fortify our security. Which is why Shining Armor trusted him with the city parameters. From what I hear from Rarity, he is also an upright fellow as well."

"I suppose I could say the same for Prime Minister Vigour. His work has done wonders for improving relations between our nations. I honestly think he's as good a leader as you." Celestia smiled at this. "There's still a doubt in the back of my head, but I'd be lying if I said I was against this."

"You and me both." a voice said behind them. They turned around and saw the Changeling Queen along with her brother.

"Chrysalis?" the sun princess said.

"My sister wanted to say something to you before we began the hearing." Vigour said with confidence.

Chrysalis walked up to Celestia. The awkwardness levels went through the roof. Nether of the rulers held any personal grudge against each other but there was still some tension between them for the fight they had when she revealed her true self for the first time at the wedding. Celestia knew first hand how powerful she was; even though she was backed up by the excess love energy, Chrysalis's magic power made Celestia strain much more than usual though she hid that fact for the sake of her subjects. Chrysalis herself had been a bit drained from casting her mind control magic on Shining Armor; it would be scary to see her if she were operating on full power. Even if Luna was present, Celestia wasn't sure if it would have made a difference. The Changeling Queen took a deep breath.

"I... want to apologize."

Celestia blinked. "What?"

"I'm directly responsible for all this. If it weren't for my actions 5 years ago, we all wouldn't be in this mess. Even though I did it in the interest of my subjects, it's still no excuse for locking up your niece."

Celestia stood there with a blank expression on her face. She looked at Luna and then back to Chrysalis. "You know? I'm not really sure how to respond to that. I don't really blame you for anything but I am still a bit sour for what happened to Cadance." Then to everyone's surprise she started laughing. "Strange. I always expected this conversation yet I can't think of a proper response."

"So... do you think we could.... start over?"

"I've encountered many threats in my day. Believe me, when you live as long as I do, you see them a lot. All things considered, your pretty decent now that I get to know what you're really like. I think we can put the past behind us, for the sake of our subjects." She looked over at the stain glass windows. "Isn't that right Discord?"

The Draconequus emerged from the window. "How did you know I was here?"

"Discord, it's not that difficult to tell when your around."

This prompted a chuckle from him. "By the way Celestia, don't think I didn't hear that comment you made about me earlier."

Celestia turned back to the queen. "I'm not sure how things will be down the road, but I'm willing to go through with this." She glanced at Luna.

"I suppose I am too." she said after a pause.

Chrysalis extended her hoof. "So what do you Princess Celestia? Truce?" Celestia extended her's as well.

"Truce. For the time being at least. Now, why don't we start the hearing."