Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1N6LR8UW-z6Xosy0S604cD1Peaq2EK3lZKkm1ou26hnc/edit?usp=sharing

Blinded by endless amounts of white, eight ponies forced their way through the Frozen North, the coldest place in the world. The weather was constantly so harsh, no live was possible to exist in this realm of ice spears and razor sharp cliffs. Not even creatures made of ice could appreciate it, as the constant glacier movements and flying ice darts would crush them. The ponies as well could only agree in unison that the permanent blizzards were so violent and so cold, they even outdid the powers of Crystal Blossom’s icy magic.

Twilight Sparkle needed all her willpower to maintain the arcane sphere which guarded them from the partially tree-sized ice spears flying around. It was a never-ending bombardment against the purple force field, each hit causing a frozen explosion and creating countless small ice shrapnels. To Twilight, each of these hits felt like somepony was smashing such an ice shard directly against her head. But while she was able to cope with this, the extremely low temperatures and the strong winds still made it through the shield.

The entire group was suffering from hypothermia. Rarity brought as many rubies on the journey as she could get her hooves on, in order to create fire spells to warm them up. But she was forced to use them up much faster than she hoped. Deeply worried, she stared into her ever dwindling supplies, having to pull the next gem from deeper and deeper out of the bags.

“I’m not sure how much longer this will last,” she shouted against the wind in worry.

“Maybe we should look for shelter,” Shining Armor suggested.

“Bad idea. The storm never stops. We would only end up trapping ourselves,” Cadence disagreed.

“Just keep pushing forward!” Luna shouted.

Derpy’s and Fluttershy’s reaper cloaks flattered wildly in the wind. Yet, they would not need to worry about them getting loose and flying off. Just like their scythes, the cloaks would dematerialize into black fog and reappear around their bodies again. But still, Fluttershy constantly covered the heart pin on hers with her right front hoof. She would not be able to bear it if it would get lost.

Derpy Hooves, though, kept her focus in the present. She remained alert, observing the group and the surroundings. The low temperatures made them all retreat inwards. The heads were lowered, pushing against the wind. Especially the fallen alicorns seemed to struggle, since they were not used to being the size and physique of a common pony anymore, not to mention being mortal. But of all who were enduring this harsh journey, it was Fluttershy who seemed to be particularly deep sunken in thought. This changed when she suddenly turned her head to the right.

Derpy would not be able to see it. But off in the distance, far outside the force field and seeking shelter between two ice-covered rocks stood the grey figure again. The same mysterious being that was following Fluttershy for over about a year now. Since the moment Twilight realized she could sense its presence, it started to only appear when the purple mare was either absent or distracted. This might also be the reason why it now only appeared so far away that even the yellow mare could barely spot it.

The grey figure stood there motionlessly, doing what it did all the time: Watching. For everypony else, this would be something worthy mentioning to their friends. But Fluttershy was past the point of which she would still care about its presence. She did not care if it was following her or watching her. She did not even talk about it anymore. The grey figure had become something like a shadow for Fluttershy. A normal thing to be around you, only rarely even catching her awareness. Yet, as suddenly as it appeared, it vanished again. As another ice shard flew past Fluttershy’s vision outside of the force field, the grey figure was gone.

A couple of seconds later, the yellow mare lowered her head again. Derpy moved her focus from right to left, observing the former princesses of Equestria and the Crystal Empire anew in worry. Cadence was clearly struggling with the cold, harsh wind. But her husband tried everything he could to keep her warm, including magic spells. Luna had a nearly ferocious expression on her face while she stared straight ahead. It seemed like she had gotten it into her mind that she would not allow something like a blizzard to subdue her. But while the younger sister was fighting against the wind, the elder let her head hanging. Her expression seemed to be even much more thoughtful than that of Fluttershy. But after two seconds, Celestia focused Derpy back, raised her head again and began to smile.

Suddenly, Derpy felt an intense sinister sensation, causing her eyes to grow wide open. Her focus returned to Fluttershy. She as well seemed to be alerted. Seeing each other like this was confirmation enough for both of them.

“Everypony, look out!” the grey mare shouted.

Instantly, the group snapped out of its trance and ran to the next best crevice they could find. After they all found a hiding spot, Twilight let the arcane shield shrink to a minimum, making them very hard to spot. A minute passed, but none of them could see anything. Then suddenly, it got dark.

“Look up!” Shining Armor announced as quietly as he could.

Right above the group, very high up was a massive floating black cloud. Although it was very difficult to see any shape, it appeared to have wings and seemed to glide effortlessly against the cold storm.

“Ow gee! Are we lucky Fluttershy and I noticed that in time! It’s a devastator!” Derpy stated.

“Just by the name I can tell this thing must be really bad,” Rarity commented.

“You bet! Devastators are high-ranked demons capable of devouring every matter, not just bodies and souls. The more they devour, the larger they grow, enabling them to devour even more. It’s a growth that is next to unstoppable. Just recently, we heard a whole town in Equestria got eaten by a single devastator,” the grey explained.

“Hundreds of lives… gone… Just like that…” Celestia spoke quietly and lowered her head again.

“I wonder what it is doing out here,” Luna spoke.

“I guess Blueblood sent it to war. We can only hope it is not aiming for the Mule Republic,” Fluttershy stated.

The group maintained its position for several minutes more, watching the demon grow to a small spot on the horizon. As they finally decided it would be safe to come out again, the journey continued.

---

Hours passed again and Rarity had used up most of her rubies when they finally saw some snow-covered trees ahead of them. The first sign of life in days. Now, the blizzard began to grow weaker and weaker the farther they walked into what turned out to become a pine forest. As the wind finally stopped, most of them were so exhausted and subcooled, they could not go a single step further. So, using the last reserves of magic they had left, they set up a temporary camp and built a fire.

It took a while, but as the ponies slowly warmed up, the mood changed into a more cheerful one. They just accomplished something only the bravest of adventurers ever even attempted. They successfully passed through the Frozen North and survived without a scratch. As their senses began to thaw again, they realized they were pretty hungry. So each of them put some preserved vegetables they brought along into a large pot, added a lot of snow and began to cook a makeshift soup above the fire. Although it wasn’t the most refined recipe they ever had and lacked any sort of spice, the soup tasted like the best in the entire world in this particular instance. Soon, their stomachs were filled with something warm and soothing, enabling them to finally get some sleep.

---

The days went on and now that they made it through the Frozen North, the journey became a lot easier. With every step they took down from the mountains, the air became warmer and warmer. After a while, they reached the point where there was no snow anymore. Birds were flying through the sky, squirrels gathering acorns, and foxes swiftly running between the trees. A sight that even managed to bring Fluttershy’s focus away from her pin.

The warmer it got, the more cheerful the mood became. These last few days were hard for all of them and since Rarity already had some health issues, it was no big surprise when she found out that she caught a cold. But even when sick, Rarity kept pushing forward without saying much of a word about it. This not only surprised all of her friends, but also herself. She used to be so picky and sensitive and she used to be very dramatic about her problems. But these last few years changed her. Having seen and endured all of this, she now thought it would be incredibly selfish of her to put her issues into the foreground and complain about details when there were much bigger things going on.

The farther they went, the more the ponies began to realize just how little they had truly been traveling. Even though the homeland of donkeys did not look all that different from Equestria, it had a completely different feeling to it. Even the air tasted completely different. Most of them just now gathered the first glimpses of the vastness of this world.

“Dear me! What have I found here!” a male voice suddenly called.

After looking around for a bit, they spotted a young adult jack in a clean white suit with blue saddlebags approaching them. Finally a confirmation that they were indeed in the Mule Republic now.

“Greetings, my dear Equestrian friends! I say, it looks like you have quite the journey behind you! Do you require assistance?” the male donkey wondered.

“Oh, hi! Yes, actually!” Twilight started. ”Phew… I am so glad to finally see a donkey. We are coming from the Frozen North, you see.”

“The Frozen? My gosh! I am gobsmacked you made it!” the donkey commented.

“Do you know where we can find civilization?” Shining Armor wondered.

“I was just about to complete my research hereabout and head on my way back. Come along! I will be your guide!” the donkey offered.

“Why thank you most kindly, mister… um…” Rarity spoke in a weakened tone, sniffling every once in a while.

“The full name is Sir Devinius Phial! But that is quite a mouth full. Simply Devin will do, too,” the jack offered.

“Oh! A sir!” Rarity spoke in a flattery tone. “It is so good to meet you. I am Rarity and, if I may take the liberty, these are Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Derpy Hooves, Prince Shining Armor and the three princesses Celestia, Luna and Cadence.”

“Golly! I am in the presence of royalty!” Devin spoke in astonishment and quickly bowed down. “It is an honor to meet you! But on a different topic… Excuse me, Miss Rarity. But could it be that you are sick?”

“Oh, I appreciate an observant male! Sadly, I am. But don’t worry about it, darling. It is just a cold,” Rarity replied with a small gesture, signalling it was no big deal.

“Even so, we should not make it any worse! Let us not dally any longer!” Devin insisted and turned around.

The donkey started walking, leading the way for the others. It did not take long before the silence was broken again.

“If I may, what brings you here through such a dangerous path?” he wanted to know.

“We are members of the rebellion against King Blueblood and here on a political mission. We hope to meet the mule council and ask them to support our cause,” Luna replied.

“I am afraid I might not be able to provide you a direct way, but I could at least give you pointers as to where to go and whom to ask,” the donkey offered.

“Any help is more than welcome, Sir Phial,” Twilight spoke.

“Please, keep it at Devin. I insist,” the jack replied.

“By the way: Did you spot a large black cloud flying by?” Shining Armor wanted to know, instantly reminding Derpy and getting her alert.

“Hm… No. Not that I could remember,” Devin answered.

“Phew…” Derpy spoke in relief “Well, what about you? What brings you out into the wilderness?”

“Research, my dear! I am performing field studies for the magical research department! My particular profession is gathering and analyzing samples of magical potential in relation to natural effects!” Devin replied.

“That sounds interesting!” Twilight commented.

“Oh, yes indeed!” the jack spoke with enthusiasm written all over his face. “I certainly could tell you a lot about my findings! You see, it sometimes just takes a sample of air in different areas to get a good view on the kind of magic flowing around in the region. Over the years, I gathered a lot of seemingly unimpressive samples of soil, water and air. But with the right tools, they can tell you so much about just how much impact magic has on the entirety of this world! It, is, fascinating I tell you! For example: Did you know that many types of animals and plants only developed in certain areas because the magic was flowing differently there?”

“I read something about that in a book once,” Twilight started. “It also explained how it is the flow of magic that causes different climates on our world. Hot areas are created by the friction of two or more magic streams crossing, while cold areas like the Frozen North lack major streams.”

“Well certainly! I say, the work of the ancient pony scholar Starswirl The Bearded truly was groundbreaking! He was so far ahead of his time and even today, we still base our research on his findings and methods! I understand that he had become a forgotten legend in Equestria?” Devin continued.

“Yes, sadly,” Twilight replied.

“That is a tragedy indeed. Well, do not be worried! He will certainly not be forgotten! The Mule Republic still acknowledges his work as the most important in the history of ponies and donkeys alike! But speaking of Equestria, there is something puzzling about this land that I still have not been able to figure out. Perhaps you can help me with that?” the donkey asked.

“What’s the matter?” Fluttershy wondered.

“Well, you see. I have samples from all round the world. From the zebra tribal lands, to the Flaming Islands of the dragons, across the Frozen North and even from the the southern wastelands. They all have a specific kind of magic flowing through them. But whenever I get a sample from Equestria, the magic filling them is rather different,” Devin stated.

“Different as in how?” Cadence wondered.

“That is the thing! It is very confusing to me and difficult to explain! Most of it is dandy. Some of the finest and purest I could ever find. But occasionally, my instruments spike out. It is almost like there is something else going on deeper inside. Almost as if this pure magic is covering something more… I dare say sinister. And this was not just since that no good king got to power. My institution has samples which date back hundreds of years ago and they are all the same,” he replied.

The whole group became quiet now. This donkey had no idea that he was on the verge to discover the very specific signature Maledictum Insania gave off. Still, without exactly knowing that this is a curse and without knowing the effects it has, he would not be able to get very far.

“So? Any idea what might be up with this?” Devin wanted to know.

“Sorry, no. I never noticed anything bad going on in Equestria before Blueblood came to power. Well, besides some occasional monsters, of course… Hey! Maybe the monsters are causing this!” Twilight replied.

The curse of secrets which several of the ponies are under might prevent them from talking about this topic to the uninitiated, but it would not forbid them to lie in order to dodge the confrontation. After Twilight gave her theory, Devin’s face became thoughtful for a couple of seconds before refocusing the purple mare.

“I don’t quite think that this is the reason. Sure, monsters have a sinister magic about them. But they would never cause my instruments to react like that. There must be something going on, I say! Are you sure you do not have any ideas?” he asked again.

“Sorry, but no,” Shining Armor replied.

“Too bad. This topic has been bugging me for quite a while now. But I won’t rest until I found out what this means! Perhaps I might even find a way to cleanse the magic flow in Equestria! That would benefit the entire land, should you be successful with your rebellion!” Devin swore.

Once again, Celestia’s focus lowered, but without changing her expression. Staring at her mortal body which she still hasn’t become used to again, with her pink mane covering the right side of her field of view, she could only stay silent. He made it sound so easy. Cleanse the land and all the troubles will be gone. Celestia tried to do the exact same thing for over one thousand years without success. All that ever happened was that the situation slowly became worse and worse, now having reached its lowest point yet. Gathering her focus again, she looked back at the jack and smiled warmly.

“That would be much appreciated,” she spoke.

“Thank you, your highness!” Devin replied.

“I must say, I truly wished we had more donkeys like you back in the good days,” Rarity commented.

“Well, there is a reason why not all too many of us leave the Mule Republic to live in Equestria. Not that we have anything against the land or a principality, especially if it works so well and harmonious as it used to before Blueblood turned it into a monarchy. But Equestrian ponies have a bit of a racism problem. I blame the pretty isolated location on a continent cut off by seas, deserts and the Frozen North,” Devin replied.

“What do you mean by ‘racism problem’?” Fluttershy wanted to know.

“Ah, you know. Those lines like ‘as stubborn as a mule’, or ‘too cool for mules’, or even ‘as ugly as a mule’. It doesn’t just limit to my kind either. Ponies are scared of griffons and zebras. Even zebras! They have the by far most peaceful and non-violent culture in the world! Can you believe it?” the jack stated.

“Actually… yes. I’m ashamed to admit that we, too, used some of these phrases and stereotypes before,” Twilight admitted with a mildly embarrassed blush on her cheeks.

“Don’t sweat it! Most mules are very hard to get truly upset. We are a sophisticated society that values the power of the common citizen. We are intelligent and not easily shaken by clichê thinking. But most mules simply do not feel like having to put up with stereotypes on a daily basis. Hey! If the Mule Republic joins the rebellion and you dethrone Blueblood, that might also put us into a better light for the common pony!” Devin analyzed.

“Another good reason for them to join our cause,” Luna commented.

Devin already opened his mouth, ready to start again. But then, he realized where they were by now.

“My! Time is flying in good company! We are almost there!” he announced.

---

Another day passed and after a lot of talking around, the group finally got an audience at the parliament. Devin accompanied them and even stood with them in the lobby area as they waited. It was a tedious time, having to just sit around. Twilight took this opportunity to take her dose of pills, inspiring Rarity to take her own medicine. But as the large wooden door finally opened, a mule in noble darkblue suit coming out and signaling them it was time for their audience, they had to say their farewells.

“It was a jolly good time with you ponies! Best of luck in your future endeavours!” the jack spoke.

“Thanks a lot for all the help, Devin. I hope we will meet each other again in better times,” Shining Armor spoke.

Devin stood behind and waved his left front leg as he watched the door close behind the group.

---

The inside of this hall astonished everypony. The council of the Mule Republic turned out to consist of multiple hundred members, all of them watching as the eight approached the center. Only one donkey was standing, awaiting them with a smile on his face and shaking their hooves individually.

“Warmest welcomes to you, dear ponies! Please, have a seat!” he offered.

All members of the group got their own section in the center front row of the hall, refreshments standing ready. After they all took places, the donkey welcoming them stepped to the podium in the middle of the hall and spoke into a microphone. While not exactly being good at magic directly, these mules sure knew how to use it in combination with technology.

“We are opening meeting number thirty-seven. The delegates of the Crystal Empire would like to announce a request towards the entirety of the Mule Republic. Ladies. Gentlecolts. The stage is yours,” he announced, loud and clear enough so even those in the far back could hear him well.

After exchanging a few glances, they came to an agreement that Cadence should step up first. She seemed to want to open the debate the most. So as the male donkey stepped down from the podium and went back to his own seat, Cadence stepped forth and opened the debate.

“Dear jennies and jack of the Mule Republic. We came here as ambassadors of the rebellion trying to dethrone King Blueblood. There is no denying that this tyrant is growing more powerful and megalomaniacal with every day passing. Same goes for his list of crimes, which keeps getting longer and longer. As you can see by my wings and horn, I used to be one of the three demi-goddesses guarding the land of ponies. The same land that now no longer represents freedom and harmony, but captivity and torture. The horrors the ponies of Equestria have to suffer through every day are unimaginable. Something must be done to help them! But on our own, we won’t be able to make much of a difference. Your help would make a tremendous change in our efforts to return Equestria to harmony. So, we beg you to join our cause and actively help us to take down Blueblood and bring him to justice,” she spoke.

Almost immediately after she stopped speaking, one of the donkeys put his front legs on her table, got up and lowered her head to a microphone.

“What you are asking of us would violate our believes of freedom and separation. Of course, Blueblood’s takeover of Equestria was quite hostile. But who are we to decide what is good and what is evil? Are we so flawless that we can say without a doubt that our perspectives, even yours, are the only true ones? For what I understand, Blueblood is already trying to bring Equestria to harmony again under his rule. Jumping into action like this might only throw us into a war that could possibly be avoided altogether!” she stated, sitting back down immediately after finishing.

Mumbling filled the hall. Some seemed to agree with her, some didn’t. But already, this first statement infuriated Twilight. She could not believe what she just heard. But Celestia tapped her shoulder to calm her down. She knew that this was a normal part of mule politics and that there would always be some completely agreeing and some completely disagreeing with your points.

“The methods he is using to achieve peace and unity within Equestria do, by all means, violate common equine rights. Everypony speaking against him gets eliminated. Either through assassination, or by being turned into a slave. This is not harmony, this is suppression. The only ones truly winning are the demons and Blueblood’s cultists. He is building a form of society which hasn’t been seen since King Sombra’s reign, only that he is going far more extreme,” Cadence replied.

Instantly, another jenny got up and started speaking.

“I agree! It baffles me that all the council has decided to do so far is to officially warn Blueblood. It was obvious from the very beginning that he would ignore our warnings and even if we would go to our currently legal maximum and entirely shut down trading with Equestria, he would not care the least bit. The land is fully capable to sustain itself. All that would change is that the rare goods he gets from us would only become even more appealing to him. We would make ourselves his next goal in his insane quest to conquer the world!” she spoke out loudly.

Again, a pulse of rage bolted through Twilight. They were still trading with Blueblood? Twilight had to really hold it together to not just jump up and start shouting. So instead, she just poured some water into a glass cup by magic and started drinking out of the straw in attempt to suffocate her fury.

Rarity, though, did not seem to pay much attention to what was going on. She seemed a bit absent-minded, coughing every now and then and blowing her nose. Even Shining Armor just sat there next to the reaper mares, not saying a word or showing any expression other than determination. Suddenly, a male donkey took over the upset part for Twilight and stood up.

“Nonsense! Do you genuinely believe that shutting down trades would provoke him more than any act of war? Attacking Blueblood would guarantee us to be targeted by him! So far, he leaves us alone. I know it is just a matter of time before he would consider conquering the republic as well, but we still don’t even know what these creatures are he uses! Do you want to go on war against an enemy you don’t even know?” he argued.

Heated mumbling filled the air again. To several of the ponies, this whole scene was very strange. They were used to having maybe one or two deciding over all actions of a nation. Even this ten-leaders-system Twilight insisted on using for their rebellion was already something they had to get used to. But a whole hall filled with hundreds of politicians arguing what the best route of action would be seemed highly inefficient to them. They could not even begin to imagine how their republic was even working and still existing.

The mumbling stopped again. After exchanging a few glances, Cadence left the podium again and Luna stepped forth.

“Please, dear donkeys. I assure you, you have my utmost respect. Your society and government is maybe the most advanced of our time. But simply talking about this matter will get us nowhere. With every moment that passes, another nation is attacked and another pony dies in Equestria! We need your support! If we do not stop Blueblood in time, the results will be catastrophic! All you need to do is have a look at my sister, my niece and me! Blueblood stops at nothing to get what he wants! Nothing is holy to him! He knows not of rights others have. Only of the ones he makes for himself! No nation, no matter how strong, is safe from him! He will not stop before he can truthfully claim the whole world as his own!” she pleaded.

“If he is so powerful, what can the Mule Republic do to defeat him in the first place? None of these ‘demons’ he is using could ever be defeated in combat! Fighting an army of them is like fighting an ocean with your bare hooves!” a male donkey argued.

“That is not true! We have ways defeat demons! A special legion we call the reapers! But they are far too few to handle the sheer masses of demons Blueblood is sending. So far, we are not interesting enough to be targeted by him. But if you let us die, if you let our rebellion fail without even having tried, the whole world would lose its maybe last chance to be saved!” Luna explained.

“Then what role would we play in this rebellion of yours? If only your reapers can defeat demons, what are we supposed to do?” a female donkey wanted to know.

“We are working on finding more ways to defeat demons. We were able to rescue several magical artefacts that might be able to turn the war to our advantage! With your knowledge of both technology and magic, we might speed up the research a lot! Besides, demons are not the only threat! Blueblood is sending whole armies of cultists to war when he is at a lack of available demons, too! Those can very well be defeated by a soldier of the Mule Republic!” Luna replied.

Once more, mumbling filled the hall. They seemed to be unsure. Suddenly, another jenny got up.

“Still, this does not change the first argument we brought up. Even if we had a realistic chance to defeat Blueblood and his armies, it would violate against our own laws. Laws which kept the Mule Republic stable for hundreds of years! Are we going to change these laws now? Because of the actions of a single stallion? Dear fellow donkeys. I ask you, are you willing to live with the consequences this would bring? Can you sleep safe and sound in your beds, knowing we enforced laws that support actively killing other intelligent creatures?” she argued.

It immediately got silent. Luna took the opportunity to step down from the podium and give it to her sister, hoping that due to her age and wisdom, she might be able to convince them yet. In fact, Celestia seemed to be the calmest of all about this situation.

“Fair donkeys of the Mule Republic. I am fully aware that we are asking for a lot. Making the decision to join our cause and fight a war against Blueblood would, without a doubt, result into millions of deaths on both sides. Laws would need to be changed to make this possible, which might make you morally touchable for the first time in hundreds of years. You will have to face bad criticism and you will have to deal with all the attempts of sinister citizens trying to use this new gap to their advantage. I know what I am talking about. I have lived through all this myself. But I ask you all to weigh all this against what would happen if none of us would do anything at all. What is more questionable? Declaring war against a tyrant, or letting him murder unpunished?” she questioned.

“Princess Celestia. You don’t surprise at all with an argument like that. Under your reign, Equestria became known for quickly jumping into war against an enemy that seemed unethical in your eyes. None of us might have lived during these times, but history remembers the results of your wars. For more than one thousand years, crystal ponies were believed to be extinct, because you decided to go to war against King Sombra. Back then just as now, you came to us looking for help. We might have denied you back then, but that does not mean we are forced to agree with you this time. My questions is: What guarantee do we have that this won’t repeat time after time again, once you find an unethical enemy to fight? What if you ended up deciding one day that we are unethical?” a jack wanted to know.

“What you are asking for possibly lies hundreds of years ahead. You have to consider several things. It is still unclear if we will win this upcoming war and even if we do, keeping my current physical state in mind, there is no guarantee whether or not I will ever become immortal again. Just assuming that I will still be alive in more than just a few years is rather… optimistic in my eyes. Well, I can not make any promises for something that lies so far ahead into the future, especially if I may not even survive until then. But should this scenario come to happen, everything will have changed. For the better or worse has yet to be seen. But at least it will go on,” Celestia replied.

Again, the hall became quiet. All donkeys seemed to be sunken in thought. Even the other ponies seemed to be shocked. Those were rather depressing words Celestia spoke there. Suddenly, another jenny stood up.

“I request Twilight Sparkle to speak in front of us,” she spoke.

This came so out of the blue, it shocked Twilight and even several donkey seemed to be surprised. Hesitantly, the purple mare first took a deep breath to calm herself down and get her emotions in place. Then she got up from her seat, crossed Celestia on her way back and placed her front hooves on the podium.

“Miss Sparkle. I understand that you were a student under Princess Celestia’s guidance?” the female donkey wondered.

“That is correct,” Twilight replied, visibly nervous from having to speak in front of hundreds of donkeys.

“This is not an interrogation. So by all means, please do not take it as one. I simply have a few questions left before we close the meeting and come to a decision. Anyway, for what I understand, you are officially the leader of this rebellion. Even the princesses are below you?” the jenny wanted to know.

“Technically, you could say that the whole rebellion rests squarely on my shoulders. But I would never consider the princesses, or any of my friends, to be below me. I need them just as much as they need me,” Twilight responded.

“But why did you take up the leadership of this rebellion? You, as a simple student in the arts of magic?” the jenny kept asking.

“To be completely honest, I have been asking myself questions like these long before. From the moment I came across this book predicting the return of Nightmare Moon many years ago, it seemed like destiny just chose to give me leading roles. I was made the leader in the fight against her, Discord and even King Sombra. But while I at first just felt overwhelmed, I learned to take over the leadership role and fight against Blueblood and his demon worshipping cult with a passion. Not because I was made into a leader, but because I made a decision. I chose to believe in a better future for everypony. I chose to believe in friendship, love, peace and freedom and I chose to fight until my last breath to keep those dear to me alive. No, not just those dear to me. Everyone! Be it pony, donkey, zebra, griffon or even dragon. I care for all us intelligent creatures in this world. I care for this world! As Princess Celestia said, we can’t guarantee that we will win against Blueblood and make Equestria better than it was before. But I can guarantee that I will do everything within my power to protect harmony for all of us,” the purple mare replied.

After Twilight finished, not a single donkey uttered even a word. For twenty seconds, the silence in the hall was deafening. Then, the jenny stood up again.

“Thank you,” she spoke and sat back down.

This seemed to be it. The donkey who first welcomed the group stepped up to the podium again, signalling Twilight to return to her friends. As she walked back to them, all aside of the reapers had proud smiles on their faces.

“Jennies and Gentlejacks. It is time to vote on our actions. As always, decisions are only made if one side wins a vast majority. All those against joining the rebellion, please raise a hoof,” he requested.

Dozens of hooves lifted into the air and lowered moments later. Twilight couldn’t help herself but to frown at the sheer number of donkeys not willing to support her.

“All those in favor, please raise your hooves now,” the jack requested again.

Nearly the entire rest of the present donkeys now raised their hooves. This was more than clearly the majority, causing the group to smile widely.

“All those abstaining from voting, please raise your hooves now,” the donkey requested one last time.

A couple widely scattered hooves lifted and lowered again.

“By vast majority, the council decided to join the rebellion. We would like to invite the rebellion leaders to stay in the republic for at least a few days more so we can negociate and organize," the jack offered.

“We gladly accept the invitation. Thank you. Thank you all,” Twilight spoke from her table, trying her best to not burst out in cheer.

“Very well. The first negotiation is scheduled for tomorrow evening. Meeting number thirty-seven is closed. We will open meeting number thirty-eight in one hour. Good day,” the jack finished.