1882, January, Canterlot

Princess Celestia's face is masklike as she looks down at the pictures from the frontier. Her mouth is a thin, furious line as the messenger lays out the pictures on her desk. Her rosy eyes are hard as she inspects each picture minutely.

“These are from the frontier?” she asks, and the messenger nods swiftly.

“They are, your highness. We've had five small villages hit in total, total number of casualties are roughly four hundred at this time,” the messenger says dispassionately. “We expect that number to go up.” Princess Celestia nods slowly, looking through the pictures. She then picks up a sheaf of documents and starts to read through them, her expression becoming progressively more sour with each line. Eventually she puts the documents down sharply.

“So we've got the Khans, or at least Khan friendly elements striking inside my borders,” she says levelly, and the messenger nods quickly.

“They're linked to the Khans ma'am, they've left Fars'ad graffiti on the walls, and the corpses are dressed in Khan uniforms and carrying Khan rifles. It looks like there was a battle between militia units and these Khans.”

“A battle?” Celestia asks, and the messenger nods quickly.

“Yes ma'am, they didn't take their dead with them, two of the larger villages were in Ameryth Province, that's Lord Night-Light's territory and he didn't take too kindly to their presence. His militia ambushed them on the approach to Meryn and chased them all the way back to the border, and he borrowed some Royal Marines from HMS Lion, who tore the raiders who attacked Talwar to dogmeat.”

Celestia's frown flickers into a faint smile, and she nods. “And I take it that Lord Night-Light led the charge himself.”

“Yes ma'am, he sends his regards by the way.” The messenger smiles slightly, but then Celestia's expression chills once more.

“Well, as silver linings go, that is as good as things are likely to get,” Celestia says as she steeples her fingers before her face. “I'll need to speak to my war cabinet, and I'll need to get a statement drawn up for release... it looks like the cats have decided to step this game up a few notches, and my patience with them is wearing thin.” She turns to her messenger. “I want you to get a message to the Ministry of Defence: I wish to speak to my sister forthwith, and I will wish to speak to the war cabinet and to my press secretaries. I also want you to get in touch with the Khanate's Embassy, I will want to speak to Ambassador Suhail without delay.” Celestia then reaches for a sheet of parchment and swiftly starts to draft a telegram.

_____

1882, January
Citadel for God's Strength

Princess Twilight is sat down in one of the Shah's conference rooms, her eyes locked upon the chancellor of the Exchequer, who is sat opposite her, looking levelly back at her, his fingers steepled in front of his face.

“So it's come down to this...” His low growl rumbles softly through the room. His eyes scrutinize the proposal before him. He scratches his chin in a thoughtful gesture.

“It's a simple offer, Chancellor, it'll be better for all of us if you take me up on it. Then we can recess for dinner. ” Twilight’s eyes locked upon the Chancellor's face, and particularly on his whiskers. The Khan clicks his tongue thoughtfully.

“Indeed... we have been working on this one all day, with a break for lunch. I think we've come to a natural conclusion to this.” He turns to the Shah.

“Your excellency, whose countenance reflects the glory of the sun, would you possibly-”

“No, we've been working on this for two days now and I'm not going to drag this out with another round of negotiations for everyone. We settle this now, or we don't settle it at all,” the Shah says from his position on the edge of the table, glancing down behind the low screen to consult his notes for a moment.

“My Shah-”

“Come now, you know she's got the measure of you,” Diplomatic Incident says from his position on the other side of the round table. “All we're doing here is delaying the inevitable.”

The Chancellor sighs and then he sets his proposal down. “Very well Princess, I will offer you fifteen-”

“Twelve-” Twilight shoots back.

“Fourteen-”

“Thirteen point five-”

“Done.” With that, the Chancellor of the Exchequer rifles through the small pile of cards in front of him and hands two small white ones, each decorated with a pink stripe, across to Twilight, who reaches for the pile of money, and she hands that to the Shah, who counts it and hands it across to the Chancellor.

“Equestrians come up with the most amusing board games... who would have thought a people so dedicated to rushing around rather than finding their inner peace could have come up with a way to waste time in such a manner.” Shah Khalid grins faintly as he looks down at the large square board. “So what, you now move the top hat to this place, is that what happens?”

“Of course. I’m surprised you didn’t select the boot, noble Shah, given how fond you are of putting aforementioned boot in,” Diplomatic Incident says, and the two Khans look at each other.

“I often wonder how some Equestrians get their names… Twilight Sparkle for instance,” the chancellor mutters. “You, on the other hand, I do not wonder at all how you came upon your name.”

“You flatter me, oh noble Chancellor who is now in debt to my princess to the tune of twelve thousand… what are these, bits?”

“It was not intended to be a compliment, fat man.”

“Nevertheless, I chose to take it as such. I hardly find a predilection for a single malt and a few cream cakes to be worth censure.”

“A few perhaps, a few dozen however?” the Chancellor rejoinders, and Twilight sits back to watch, chagrin warring with amusement as a pained smile crosses her face, noticing the way the Shah is chuckling to himself. Diplomatic Incident looks up to Twilight, and his expression is surprised.

“You know, Princess, I think I’m rather enjoying my trip so far. Very congenial company, and only the one attempted incarceration.”

“Only the one? How troubling. I would have thought the guards would have been able to smell the alcohol from across the room. How many drinks have you had since you stepped into the palace?”

“Well…” Diplomatic Incident pauses for breath, sucking his teeth for a moment before he starts counting on his fingers. “One two, three, four, five, six… seven maybe… what are we, eight, yes, eight.”

Diplomatic pauses, digs into his pocket and pulls out a hip flask.

“One moment please, I find a little lubrication helps my counting somewhat...“ He holds up a finger and, in full view of the ruler of a country in which consumption of spirits is considered illegal, takes a swig. He looks up at the stony-faced silence which greets him and smiles faintly. “Sorry, where are my manners, I completely forgot to offer you some.”

He holds the flask and shakes it slightly, the heavy silence punctuated by the unctuous sloshing of the liquid in the flask, out to the Shah and the Chancellor, who both look at each other for a moment, before the Shah offers Diplomatic Incident a flat basilisk stare.

“Of course, if whiskey isn’t your thing then I could always summon up a little sherry, perhaps a gin and tonic? I’m sure I have a bottle for emergencies around here somewhere.”

“A whole bottle?” Twilight asks, and Diplomatic Incident shrugs.

“Forgive me, did I say a bottle, I meant several bottles… No, many, many bottles. Just a little private enterprise on the side, your Highness, nothing too dubious.”

“Of course,” the Shah agrees. “We wouldn’t want to be suspecting the Equestrian aide of smuggling, that would be rude.”

“Accusing him on the other hand…” the Chancellor muses.

Twilight’s conspicuous cough is heard from across the room, as she attempts to stifle a nervous laugh.

“I'm not sure funny is the word that my brother would use on a Sunday afternoon to describe this game,” Twilight says, groping for something to try and rein the conversation back onto a natural heading, and the Shah chuckles.

“His loss... though I daresay playing with people like you ruined the sport of it somewhat.”

“Not quite,” Twilight says, “my father was worse. He could make a game of monopoly last for whole weeks at a time if we let him.” The Shah flicks one ear in apparent agreement.

“I see... well it is good that you have introduced this board game to us. It is a good way to kill time.”

“You're sure that no one will take umbrage with the fact that the Equestrian delegation is spending their time playing monopoly in one of your state rooms rather than working on a treaty?” Twilight asks, knowing that at some point during the debrief, Celestia will want to know what she spent three weeks doing in the Khanate. Granted, tensions have decreased somewhat over the last week or so, as people grew accustomed to the status quo ante. Of course, the sight of Princess Twilight chatting merrily on her way to the Citadel did plenty to relax the population.

“I am reasonably confident that no one will get upset. We came up with the basic framework in twenty minutes last week, and we fleshed that out into workable proposals over the space of a couple of days. All we need to do now is wait until the Revolution Day festival and then we can present the document to our grateful populations, war averted.”

Twilight nods, clicking her tongue softly. “Well I'll do what I can on my end to shore that up... the indications I received last night when I spoke to my host government were more than favourable.”

The Shah blinks, confused. “You use military radios to communicate with your own government?” he asks, and Twilight shakes her head.

“It's one of those archdaemon things,” Twilight replies. “The most appropriate way I can explain it would be a dream conference...” she starts to explain, but Khalid and the Chancellor are already raising their hands.

“You don't have to explain anything more... As nice as you are, every time I speak to you I have to check my pockets to make sure my soul is still attached,” the Shah grumbles, though the smile on his face makes it plain that he's not being serious.

“Honestly, you're worse sometimes than the other three,” Shah Khalid rumbles after a moment of thought. “Princess Luna rubs me the wrong way, Princess Cadance is so polished that she gleams, and Princess Celestia... please do not take this the wrong way, but she's so superior, focussed in her rightness and so on. All three of them are more magic than mortal. There's a distance between them and us mortals, no matter how friendly and charming they try to be, but when I think I've got Princesses all wrapped up, you come along, and you're so earnest and disarming that it physically hurts.”

Twilight tilts her head, and then tilts it some more.

A flicker suddenly passes through the air.

She feels the world suddenly lurch beneath her feet, and she steps backwards as a bitter taste fills her mouth. Her step becomes a stagger, and she feels the cold presence once more. Weight presses down across her shoulders; icy fingers grip at her spinal cord. Twilight pushes back, trying to resist.

Now is not a good time, Luna! she thinks as loudly as she can.

Now is the only time, student of my sister. Princess Luna's voice is soft and apologetic. Please, do not fight me. It will hurt you more if you resist.

Twilight feels the world starting to go waxy around her, and she looks up to see Diplomatic Incident frozen in mid stride as he dashes toward her, frozen at a crazy angle as she feels herself start to fall into infinite darkness.

Twilight is unconscious before she hits the ground.
______

Twilight opens her eyes to find herself once more sat up at that familiar table with the green and white umbrella. Princesses Luna, Celestia and Cadance are all gathered, though Cadance looks reasonably put out, and something about her seems to be vague and indistinct.

“I hope there's a reason for this!” Cadance says shortly. “I was in conference with Vladmir Illych, it was reasonably important.”

“We would not have summoned both of you if it was not,” Celestia replies, and there's something about her that persuades Twilight not to question the ageless head of state.

“Today, we have received word that over the course of the night, several settlements on the Equestrian side of the Khan-Equestria border have been attacked by what appear to be Khan troops,” Celestia says coolly. “From our understanding of the situation, these appear to be Khan militia units rather than regular infantry, and it's happening over a relatively small portion of the frontier between our nations, but at least one person has witnessed the terrorist Springbok, who we are led to believe is an employee of General Aznan, taking a leading role. He gave orders, the human troops around him listened.” Celestia’s icy calm washes through the room like a chill breeze. Her rosy eyes are narrowed. Twilight’s face drains of colour as Celestia’s statement hits home. They can’t… they can’t… How can it...

Twilight blinks, coming back to the room as Celestia continues speaking. “... this juncture, opinions, both within the Royal Household, and within the war cabinet differ. Luna, please outline your position.”

“Of course sister,” Luna says softly, her fingers briefly brushing the right hand edge of her mask. “It is my belief, and the belief of the General Staff, that this is an orchestrated manoeuvre by the Khans, aimed at pulling ships from the Samarkand gap to reinforce the frontier, pulling us into strategic dispersal prior to an assault. It was also conducted by soldiers working for the Khans. It is our belief therefore that this constitutes an act of war. We wish for the right to respond as appropriate, with retaliatory cross border strikes as necessary to destroy Khan troop concentrations close to the border.” Twilight slowly shakes her head, unable to quite process this horrifying new development.

“That's absurd!” Twilight’s voice raises several octaves. “I've talked to the Shah myself, he wouldn't do anything like that.” Horror colours Twilight's voice.

“Your faith in the better nature of our fellow sentient beings is admirable, if misplaced.” Luna's mask is fixed upon Twilight, the blank steel giving no impression of Princess Luna’s expression. “These are Khans, give them an inch and they will carry away a mile if you let them.”

“Luna...” Celestia's voice sharpens noticeably in warning, and then she looks up at Twilight.

“It is your opinion of the situation that this is not the Shah's doing?” Princess Celestia asks, and Twilight shakes her head swiftly, gathering herself.

“No, he has nothing to gain and everything to lose by escalating the situation. His interest is in maintaining his own position and he does not believe that a war would serve that end,” Twilight says. “There are fairly serious differences of opinion within the Shah's parliament however... and there are rumours about a highly conservative group within the army, the police and a sect of the clergy, along with any number of anti-Equestria extremists who would love to prod the situation into boiling over,” Twilight elaborates, and Cadance nods supportively.

“So you're saying that this is a splinter group either within the Khan military or else, it's a bunch of radicals looking to capitalize on the situation?” Celestia asks, and Twilight nods.

“It doesn't make sense for much else. If the Shah was set on war, he wouldn't be doing something that surrenders the moral high-ground so completely to us like this,” Twilight says, and Celestia nods.

“You're forgetting something Twilight,” Celestia says. “I'm also being forced into a corner by these attacks. Quite large segments of my own population, including both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, will want to see action, a very clear and very sharp reprisal. The tabloids will scream and bellow as tabloids will, and the broadsheets will start being oh-so-polite in that infuriating way that they have. They may even use the F word.”

“I thought the papers couldn't say Fu-”

“Flaccid,” Celestia's face turns slightly bitter, “weak, ineffectual and so on... you get the idea. Then the republicans will start to hurf and blurf as republicans do, and say, oh so politely of course, that maybe after a thousand years on the throne, I haven't quite got the requisite steel in my spine, and being a woman, with a womb where my testicles should be and no manly pride to speak of, I haven't got the stomach for hard political decisions.”

Celestia looks disgusted at the notion, and she clicks her tongue.

“I have yet to see these voices last once the shooting starts in earnest and the newspapers start to fill with lists of names.” She sighs, and pushes back from the table, rising to her feet and clasping a clenched fist in her other hand, turning on her heel and starting to pace. “We owe it to the Equestrian population that any war we drag them into is a just war, insofar as one can exist... but we must also not allow other nations to think they can perpetrate acts of violence against my people. We owe it to them to keep them safe...” She trails off and then she nods decisively. “It looks like the path for war is all neatly laid, but it is a road I have no intention of walking down yet.” Celestia turns back toward the table, her eyes finding her masked sister. “Sister, call up the reservists and tighten the defences on the Khan border. I don't even want a flea to cross that border without your knowing of it.” Celestia unfolds her wings with a whisper of feathers and muscle. “We shall make statements of warning. This is the last time that the Equestrian eastern border will be violated. If there are any further attacks, I shall have no option but to reply with force. Luna, I want you to make a series of demonstrations that I mean what I say: visibly fortify the border, bring more troops up, that kind of thing.”

Celestia then steps away from the table.
“Twilight. Your job is to find out who is responsible, and bring me his head on a silver platter. I also want Springbok to vanish. Ideally I'd like you to bring him back to Canterlot to stand trial, but I'd settle for his head being brought back on the same platter.”

“But he's a Khanate citizen, we can't-”

“I don't care,” Celestia says, a spark of irritation flickering across her face. “He's been a thorn in my side for too long, and I'm not possessed of a boundless font of patience where creatures like him are concerned.” Twilight glances around the table before locking eyes with the God-Empress.

“And you want me to secure a peace treaty whilst I'm doing this?” she asks, and Celestia nods.

“If you can,” Celestia says. “But if you get the sense that we're not being dealt with in good faith, then I want you to break off the negotiations and come home, is that understood?”

“Of course.”

“Good, then we're done here. I'll be sending a wallet across to you, containing photographs and daguerreotypes of the evidence. If you need further physical evidence, you need only ask and it shall be dispatched to you forthwith.” Celestia offers Twilight an apologetic smile. “I know precisely what a can of worms I'm handing you Twilight, and I don't expect you to work miracles.”

Twilight looks her mentor in the face. “I'm going to do the best I can Princess.” She smiles weakly. “I won't let you down, I promise. I should probably go now before...”

“Okay,” Celestia says softly. “Be good Twilight, I know you’ll do fine.” She clicks her fingers and Twilight’s vision becomes hazy around the edges, before fading to black once more.

_______

“You need to tell her,” Cadance says, once the essence of Celestia's most faithful student disappears. “She deserves to know.”

“I will...” Celestia says as she casts a long look at the chair Twilight had been sitting in. “She's got enough on her plate to worry about right now, and she hasn't yet come into her full power.”

“And you need to tell her before she does.” Luna drums a gloved finger on the table, resting her chin on her other hand. “Since once she does, she's going to have a lot more options for resolving this crisis and someone will need to be on hand to keep her from doing something rash.”

“We don't know if she'll mature in the same way as the rest of us. We were all created, she was...” Celestia gropes for a term.

“Born, I believe is the word you're looking for,” Cadance says. “I would have thought you would be more aware of the vernacular involved, you being so closely-”

“That's enough,” Celestia says, her tone carrying a note of finality. “Twilight is still young, and she's still growing into her power... She's not ready to learn some things yet...”

“I think, Celestia, you might just be biased by who and what she is to you,” Luna replies frankly. “You wish to spare her the truth because it might hurt. In my estimation, your continued denial of what she is and what she will be is the most hurtful thing you could be doing to her. Your-”

“Luna,” Celestia cuts Luna off with a sharp snap of her wings, her tone edged as a dagger. “As you not so long ago pointed out, Twilight is up to her eyeballs in her very first major diplomatic crisis. I do not think that now is the correct time or place for her to be learning certain delicate home truths when we're not around to ride herd on her.”

“Well you'd better hurry up and get this crisis solved, or get the war underway,” Luna interjects sharply. “She's in the Khanate right now, and that means Our Friend will be taking an interest in the situation if She's not already.” Celestia nods.

“Mmmhm, I'd been concerned about that, given Twilight’s contact with the Justicar, Prophet. Mind you, She's been keeping her head down the last two hundred years or so, and the last thing anyone wants is a re-hash of the Heresy Wars, Her included.”

Luna leans forward, one hand laid flat upon the table. “All the more reason for you to hurry up and get this sorted so we can get our pre-pubescent princess back home before she starts going through the mood swings and tantrums.” Celestia nods her head, her wings folding away.

“Indeed, now we've all got things to do... do you have anything in mind to keep the Khans honest, like we discussed earlier?”

“I do,” Luna says. “I have just the thing.”

Next Chapter: Chapter 11: Administrated chaos Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 60 Minutes