Once our meeting with Luna and Miles was over, Celestia invited me back to her study to work on revisions on the guest lists. I was a little worried that I didn't catch any of Celestia's little warnings, but the meeting wasn't that bad. Once we actually got to working on details, Luna and Miles opened up a bit more. I would say it went from liquid nitrogen to ice cold, an improvement nonetheless. We make it to her study and I go to one of the seats in front of her desk, where I start to unpack all of my notes.

"I thought that went well, given the circumstances." I mention to her. Celestia collapses into her seat and buries her face in her hooves, letting out a long, tired breath. "Um... is everything okay?"

"Twilight... do me a favor and take some notes." I don't know where she's going with this, but I do as she says. "Ready?"

"Yes, what would you like me to copy down?" I ask as I dip my quill and wait for her to start talking.

"When looking for social cues, I will look up from my notes so I may see them," Celestia recites. I start to write it down when the statement hits me. I pause and look up, seeing her glaring at me.

"Oh... uh... did... did I... make a mistake?" I ask shyly, trying to hide behind the scroll. She lets out another long breath and buries her face in her hooves again. I think back to the meeting, and can't think of anything that I did wrong. I mean, they each asked me some off topic questions, but I gave them my honest answers. What was I supposed to say?

---

"So, Twilight," Luna asks me politely. "How has it been with Storm home for so long?"

"It's been great! Having him home has been a blessing, especially for Softy. I don't know how I'd manage without him here helping!"

"Hey Twilight, have you read up on Equestrian military ethics or tactics? Just in case the nation was thrust into war?" Miles asks me.

"There aren't any really out there. The only text that have been made are from when the three tribes were fighting, but those wouldn't be relevant in a fight with the griffins."

"Sure is lucky Storm is Spartan trained, isn't it."

"I don't know how we'd get by without it."

---

"Oh... sorry." How could I have not seen that coming!? I was told before hoof! I feel like a complete idiot now. Even worse, I didn't catch any of Celestia's warnings. How could I have been so blind to all of this?

"It's alright Twilight. But, in the future, please be a little more thoughtful when in meetings like those," she tells me tiredly.

"Of course. Sorry Prin- Celestia." Darn it, and then I let that slip too! To be fair, she is scolding me right now, so it would make sense that I would revert to that. I've never seen Celestia this... disappointed before. I've never really done anything to garner it. I don't know how to deal with this.

"It's alright, Twilight. Let's just get started with the guest list." She sounds so defeated. I don't know how to deal with this! I've never seen her so... lost. I don't know how to make up for disappointing her either. Maybe I should just take my notes and let it slide by. I don't even know what to say, so I guess silence is the best answer for the time being.

"Right. So we're still having a reserved party in the castle, but we need to switch some of the ponies out," I mention, trying to keep it official.

"Correct. Do you have the current list?" I nod and pull it out, showing it to her. "With the Gala so close, we can't really stop anypony from coming who already has a ticket. So, the best we can do is invite the few that I have on this list and stick around them the most."

"Right. And we need to alienate the right ponies as well," I mention, getting her to nod.

"That shouldn't be too hard to do. Most of them are of the younger generation, as well as friends of Blueblood. In reality all we need to do is alienate him and a few other key individuals."

"Like who?" she sits back and thinks about this for a moment. How many ponies does she know that could help in this situation?

"Well... there's the baroness Silky Smooth. She's a textile owner from Manehatten. She's young and infatuated with Blueblood. If we can get him to show her his true colors, I'm sure that will work in our favor."

"Right... or, if Rarity is there to talk to her, maybe she could convince her otherwise-"

"That won't work," Celestia cuts me off quickly, silencing me. "Rarity is an independent worker, Silky is a factory owner. Not to mention Silky is also friends with Suri Polomare, a rival of hers. If they were in the same room... well, it would certainly alienate her."

"And... isn't that what we want?" I ask, not understanding the issue.

"Yes and no. When testing the waters in the political field, you need to cover your bases. We need to assume that Luna will be attempting to gain favor as well, meaning we need to cover our tracks. If we invite her, we'd need to invite all of the Elements. And if one of our plans backfires, Luna may use it to her advantage."

"So the best way to avoid that is by limiting the possibilities." Celestia nods to that, finally sitting up right. "Then we should start with Rainbow Dash. Miles is forcing all of the Spartans to attend, so she's going to be there anyway."

"Hm... I wasn't aware of that." Oh... was I not suppose to mention that? Well, no secrets, right? "That actually might play in our favor."

"How so?" I ask, genuinely intrigued.

"If I'm seen with them, they might give me an appeal of a warrior. Especially if I can act as a liaison between them and certain officials." I go to say something, but stop myself. Sadly, Celestia notices it right away. "If you have something to say, please do not withhold it."

"Well... it's just that... Luna may already have you beat there," I tell her coyly as I hide behind my scroll.

"Oh? How's that? The Lords and Nobles don't know them, so if I'm the one to introduce them-"

"Yeah, but they hardly know you," I interrupt, making her pause. "They know Luna, they see her all the time. Most of them are fairly antisocial, so they're going to stick around the ponies they already know. That's Miles and Luna. Ponies already know Rainbow, so that won't work. Not to mention some of them were wanted criminals, so if you're seen with them it might give the wrong idea. Your best bet for them is to convince them to stay as far away from Luna as possible. Then you might have a chance at giving the introductions. But I don't know how we're going to do that without Luna becoming suspicious."

"Hm... that's thinking like a politician." I smile from the compliment. We both think about it for a moment as we try to come up with a plan. Something that will separate the two groups but won't disrupt either of them...

"Celestia... should we ask Miles for help?" I ask quietly, knowing that this is a touchy subject.

"I don't think that would be wise-"

"Because if we can, getting Luna away from the Spartans will be tremendously easier. Otherwise, we'll have to work around him as well." Celestia thinks about that for a moment. If trying to sneak around Luna is being this difficult, how are we going to work our way around him? The problem isn't even that he'll be trying anything. Because he's the King, ponies will be flocking to him in droves. If we don't convince him to help us, nothing we try to set up may work.

Knock knock knock

"Yes?" Celestia calls out. The door opens for a moment and Miles steps in, closing the door behind himself. "Miles! How long were you there?"

"The entire time." WELP! There goes everything we've been planning! Which is nothing because we just STARTED! "Though I do not approve of backroom dealings, I agree with your goals." Well... I should have seen that coming.

"Then you'll help us?" Celestia asks, perking up a bit. Miles doesn't respond, instead moving to a nearby chair to take a seat.

"No." Well... now I'm lost. "I can't help you because Luna would know something is up. But, I might have a solution that may... aid your cause, if only slightly."

"At this point we'll take all the help we can get," I tell him, getting Celestia to nod with me.

"When are you free for sparring matches?" Miles asks, growing a slight smirk.

"I... don't understand. How will that help-"

"My Spartans respect one thing: Warriors. We don't care about nationality, we don't care about nobility, we are warriors. Luna may know them more personally, but very few of them have fought with her. You want their respect, make it to the sparring grounds everyday at seven hundred hours. You may not get them to like you, but it's better than nothing."

"Everyday at seven AM... I'll have to move some things, but I think I can do that." I pull up her calendar and take a look. There are some meetings that don't look as if they can be moved.

"If you would like, I can oversee these meetings in your place. That way, you can focus on that and possibly take on more planning obligations."

"That would be best, thank you." I smile to her, glad to finally be of some real help.

"Just a warning though," Miles tells her. "Some of them may attempt to question you, on varying things. Be ready for them. And don't give any of that rehearsed public speech shit, either. They want true opinion, facts, and dick jokes. I cannot stress that enough. Your T.O.F.D. will make or break you."

"I'm sorry... jokes? I have to make... jokes-"

"Dick jokes," Miles reiterates, completely serious. "It'll show that you're relaxed around them and letting your guard down. You could sit there and listen to their life stories, which we don't have time for, or just talk about how little Damian's dick is. You will get to the same place faster, trust me on that."

"... why those kind of jokes? I know some very funny anecdotes-"

"See, that's too serious. We're training, which we take very seriously. So, our conversations have to become our outlets for stupidity. Therefore, dick jokes. It's crass, simple, and effective. If you don't know any, I can lend you a few of my goto lines, and I'm sure Storm could offer a few as well-"

"Storm makes those jokes too?" I ask in bewilderment. He can be funny from time to time, I just didn't think he could be crass... how does Miles know my husband better than I do?

"Storm is more situational about it. But he does it all the same-"

"I've never heard you guys make jokes like that before, are you messing with us?" I ask, eyeing him closely. He chuckles at that, standing up casually.

"You've never trained with us before. But, you are invited to if you would like." He goes to the door and opens it, looking back to Celestia as he steps out. "Remember: seven hundred hours. Bring your A-game, don't complain, and T.O.F.D. I'll see you then."

We sit there in silence when he walks out. He has to be joking about that, he has to be. Storm is too mild mannered for that kind of humor! Or, he is now at least. Maybe six years ago, but not now! I look over to Celestia and see her staring at the doorway, thinking deeply over what he said. I bite my lip as I try to think of what to tell her, but I'm not sure of what to say. This isn't really my area of expertise.

"Let's continue," Celestia tells me coldly.

"Of course! Who else is there that we need to invite to the Grand Galloping Gala?" I ask, returning to my notes.

"Well, there's the steel mill owner Carnieghgy, Static Effect from the head of the foci college, Peach Pit from the head of the Stone Fruit cooperative, and Bull Market from the East Equestrian Traders. Each of those ponies are opposed to me, but may be swayed in my favor, given the right circumstances of course. We also need to make sure that we invite Fancy Pants, Golden Vein from the Miners Guild, Priestess Sunlight from the Celestial Holy Order, and Doctor Grey Matter, head of the medical board of Equestria. These are some of my most loyal supporters who normally don't come to the Gala. We need to make sure that they attend this year."

"Right. Will there be trouble getting them to agree?" I ask as I prepare my next set of notes.

"Possibly. Some of them don't like the politics of the Gala, others stopped due to... bad blood."

"They were fighting?" I ask to clarify.

"... sure. I'll try to make time to meet with each of them-"

"With how busy your schedule is, I think it would be better if I went to speak with them. You can brief me before each of them, but I think it would be better this way." Celestia gives it some thought before nodding to me. I can't help but smile from that. This will be my real test into my political career, I just hope I don't mess it up.

"Right, those are the few that come to mind for now. In total there are forty nobles with the authority to sway this vote. I believe there are roughly twelve that I will not have to worry about voting to send me to war, another ten or so that will be persuaded when we speak, leaving another nine votes needed to solidify my position as general for Equestria."

"What do you mean persuaded? Do you get to speak before the vote?" I ask.

"Luna has to make an appeal to the Court for a vote to be made. When they gather to vote, we each will be allowed to make our case. After that, it'll be up to them. Are you ready for this?"

"Of course Princess-"

"Twilight," she says in a firmer voice. I stop writing my notes to look up at her, seeing the conviction in her eyes. "I will be the one to go to war. Do not let anything come between that."

"Prin... Celestia?" I ask, caught off guard by her demeanor.

"The safety of my family and my subjects are my deepest concerns. I will not stand aside and let somepony else defend them. You know this first hoof. My sister has the same tenacity, but I am counting on you to stand on my side. Do not let any personal feelings stand in your way. Am I understood?" I swallow the lump in my throat and nod to her. I was on her side to begin with, why is she acting like this? "Very well, now let's discuss Carnieghgy. He's a steel mogul based out of Detrot..."

---

I let out a sigh as I take my seat beside Luna in her carriage. It was her idea that we take this thing home together, meaning there are still things she wishes to discuss. After our little spat, I'm not sure what else I can handle right now. But, that doesn't mean I'm going to shy away from it either. At least I can trust her guards. Ever since Discord's attack with Celestia's guards I've had some doubts trusting them. Over the last few years I've seen to it that they've all been retrained and I've taken a liking to the Lunar guard. They have a certain tenacity that I don't see in the Solar guard, though I don't know why.

"So... where did you go after our meeting?" Luna asks me, breaking me from my thoughts.

"Celestia's and Twilight's meeting, you?" I'm pretty sure I know where she went. I just want to see if she tells me.

"I met with Blueblood." Okay, didn't see that coming. I thought she would go talk with Diamond Heart to start winning over votes. "I know what you are going to say, that it was already decided and that I shouldn't fight this. There are plenty of reasons for me not to go, but there are equally as many for me to go as well! If I can get thirty one votes from the nobles, I can become the General in Celestia's place."

I stay quiet, instead sitting back in my seat and closing my eyes with a sigh. I knew she wouldn't take this sitting down, why would she? Especially with such a clear loophole. We already fought about this, I'm not fighting anymore. I've said what I've had to say and she still wants to go to war. I'm too tired to be mad. I'm emotionally drained by now. All I want to do is go home and sleep, even for a little bit. I'm not going to get that luxury later, why can't I enjoy it now?

"Well... don't you have anything to say?" Luna asks, somewhere between curious and desperate. I open my eyes to look at her, seeing the conflict in her eyes. I'm too tired to fight this losing war, so why bother?

"Luna... you know how I feel about that-"

"I know, but-"

"And I know what you have to say in response," I cut her off, silencing her. "I've been up for the past three days with maybe six or eight hours sleep. I've said what I believe and you've said what you believe. At this point, arguing it any further is wasted energy and emotions."

"But I-"

"If there's one avenue left, and if you feel as strong about this as I think you do, then let's walk down this bumpy road." She goes to say something, but stops herself. She blinks a few times before finding the words.

"Are... are you saying what I think you're saying?" she asks cautiously. I give her a look before moving to sit sideways, pulling her into my lap along the way. She doesn't fight it, but she does blush from the sudden move.

"I'm tired, Luna, and not just physically. I've been fondled, shot, beat, yelled at, and yelled more than I want to in the past few days. And by the looks of things, it's not going to get any easier from here on out. I've said what I wanted to say. Now you want to do what you believe is right, even though I object to it. I don't have the mental or physical capacity to fight you any further on this, so I won't. Who knows, maybe later I'll feel different, but right now I want to get some rest. Whatever happens, happens." She doesn't say anything in response. Rather, she nestles into my embrace and stays quiet. Like I said, I'm too tired to say anything, so we just lay there for a period of time.

I don't fall asleep during our silence, but not from a lack of effort. Something about these sky carriages always keep me up. They're bumpy, the wind whips at you constantly, and then there's the fear that this thing will turn over and I'll fall to my doom. But, she wanted to tell me she was still going to try... she kept me in the loop. Something I haven't done.

"The goblins are trying to establish a foothold in the Southern Badlands," I tell Luna, getting her to stir.

"Do you know what they were after?" she asks quietly.

"We have guesses. But we haven't confirmed if they knew what they were gathering intentionally."

"Hm... how mad are you that I'm still going to try to become general?" I think about that for a moment, trying to think of the best way to answer that.

"Remember when Lupus took a dump in the living room?"

"Which time?" she asks with almost a laugh.

"The time he hid it under the recliner-"

"And then we had to throw it out, yes. I recall that... I don't think that is the appropriate amount of anger." I chuckle at that.

"Nothing between us is normal, Luna." She nods to that, scooting over to have her back against me. "I'm mad, but what you're doing is in your nature. Whatever happens, happens-"

"Every time you say that, you sound defeated," Luna points out quickly. "I guess... my fear is that you will resent me for doing this. But my fear of losing you is pushing me forward. I know what you are capable of, Miles, I've seen your memories plenty of times now."

"Luna-"

"My greatest fear is that you'll do something and regret it. And then you'll try to keep it to yourself; to protect those around you. I want to be there for those moments, Miles. I want to be there when you need someone to be strong for you. I am your wife, it should be me you go to for strength. I know what you struggle with, Miles, but I can't help you if I'm not there for you. If you try to bottle all of that up... I don't know what kind of man you would be then."

"..."

I don't say anything to her. What would I say? She's right, there's no arguing that. My biggest fear is losing them, but there's so much more to it than that. Losing their respect. Losing their hopes. It's in my nature to try and carry the burden by myself, but Luna simply will not allow me to do that. I messed up before, I can't again. But what is there to do? I need her by my side, but I need to keep her off the front lines as well. And then, just to makes things more complicated, we throw in the kids to the mix. I miss them, but there is so much to be done now. As it seems, there doesn't seem to be much time left before things boil down even further. How are we going to get through this?

"How difficult will it be for you to sway opinion?" I ask her after some thought.

"Well... that depends. Assuming that I'm doing it by myself, rather difficult. I still tend to sleep during the day, so most of the ponies I would need to speak with won't be awake. Then there's the fact that I don't really have anypony to send out to mingle for me. Not like Celestia does, at least."

"As it seems, you have Blueblood and she has Twilight, Diamond Heart, Cadence, Fancy Pants-"

"I get it," Luna cuts me off, giving me the stink eye. I shut my mouth and stay quiet. Probably not what she wanted to hear right now. She lets out a huff and relaxes against me, rubbing her eyes slowly as her ears fold back. "Is this even possible?"

"Everything is possible," I console, rubbing her forelegs gently. "We won't know until you try."

"... and if I do succeed?" I pause and think about that.

If on the off chance that she does get the votes to lead the war, what would I do? I don't know how to answer that, there are too many variables. What if only Terradisia goes to war? Then none of this would even matter. But if Equestria is attacked, and she leads, I couldn't ignore that. I'd have to do something, but how? Would I be going as a Spartan, or as the King of Equestria? What would that allow me to do? Would there even be a line?

There are a few things that I can assume to happen. Regardless of who goes to war, I can see Luna and Celestia breaking ties with Terradisia. That way, they can act more freely for Equestria. If Equestria goes to war, it would only be a matter of time before Terradisia is brought in as well. They are our host nation, we wouldn't be able to ignore it. Then there's the fact that most of the fighting will occur in Equestria. Even if Luna doesn't lead, that may not matter. She may have to fight anyway. Even though Ponyville is under joint jurisdiction, I doubt that the Griffins know, or care, about that. It's a prime target...

"You have convinced me," I tell her solemnly.

"About what?" she asks, unsure of my intent.

"I still oppose it, but I will not stand in your way in this. And I can think of a few ways to help you win over others."

"You're going to help me?" she asks hopefully, turning to look down at me.

"Don't get me wrong. Technically speaking, I'm helping both of you. The way I see it, you both should be at your best when they go to vote. That way, there can be no argument about the winner. I have a few ideas about what you need to do, but most of them will occur during the Gala. Plus, I'll need to get some information from Celestia and Twilight as well. Luckily for us, they're coming over in the morning to train. You already spoke with Blueblood, so I'll contact him as well-"

"Miles," Luna says as she turns to lay on her stomach. I pause and wait to see what she says. She looks... lost? I'm not sure what she's thinking right now, which scares me a little. "Why are you helping me?"

"I... just told you."

"I don't want you to help me with something you are opposed to-"

"Luna-"

"I want you to agree with me first." I stop at that, understanding the conflict. "If you are not invested in this, then do not aid me. Though I appreciate the gesture, I will not accept insincerity. Are you with me or not?"

I stay quiet again. She couldn't just let it be, could she. I really shouldn't be surprised. Of course she would fight it, this is her one chance to get out there. I knew this was going to happen, but can I be alright with this? If she gets enough backing, she'll go to war. She'll be at the battlefields, fighting the enemy face to face, leading a weak army. How am I supposed to support that? Well, not lying would be a starter. She'll know.

"I... don't know yet. If I can wrap my head around it, I'll let you know. But... I need to think on it first... When I'm rested and thinking straight." Luna mulls it over for a second before nodding to me. I let out a long breath and relax into the seat, finally feeling the tension leave me. For now at least. She nestles herself against me and relaxes as well, letting the silence fall between us once more.

"So... are you going to train me along with Tia?" I hum in response, barely awake. "Celestia is training with you in the mornings now. I have a chance at becoming the leader as well, you should train me as well."

"Hm, that is true."

"... so... are you going to?" She sounds a little eager about this.

"Well, do you want to train with Celestia? I could train you in the afternoon PT regimen to keep up some form of espionage between the two of you. Or you can train with her, either way."

"So, you'll train me?"

"Yeah, but I don't think I need to. You know as much about fighting as I do." All thanks to Soul Fire. Ever since our souls bonded together, her knowledge of war astounds me. I still don't know why Soul Fire did that though. Why would she get that, but I couldn't get how to fly? Actually, I didn't get anything from that.

"I think I'll train at night. It'll fit my schedule better." I hum to her, still thinking on our soul bonding. "Though, I would like to be there when Celestia makes her first dick joke."

"I'll record it for generations to cherish," I tell her, getting her to chuckle.

"Please do. And make copies, lots of copies." I chuckle at that, thinking about it further. Celestia's first dick joke posted on every corner in the nation, for all to hear. I could do that...

"Nah, just one copy will be enough-"

"Aw, come on! For her birthday?" I laugh harder at that.

"I think she would actually kill me for that. Nah, I don't want to be a massive dick for her first."

"Miles, you are a massive dick when it comes to first times." I laugh at that, looking at her in disbelief.

"No, no. I have a massive dick. You should know-"

"I do know, I was there. And I stand by my statement," she cuts me off confidently, resting her hooves behind head. I go to say something, but chuckle instead. "What? Got nothing to say?"

"I'm going to make you eat those words," I tell her casually, getting her to laugh. We make eye contact for a second and laugh some more, warming into each other's embrace. Things might not be perfect, but it seems as if we'll be okay. We can make it through this, together.

Next Chapter: Chapter 236 Political Understanding Estimated time remaining: 13 Hours, 10 Minutes