The next day I was sitting in court waiting for the next pony to come in when I saw Sky come in with Shadow beside her.

“You do know you can just leave the files on my desk, don’t you?” I said once they stopped near the bottom of the steps.

“All the organized crime’s about dried up and no one’s leaving foals on the streets in the city with the nobles gone,” Sky said. “All that’s left are just small time criminals, but we aren’t here to talk about that.”

“Sky and I can’t go to every single little hamlet in Equestria by ourselves, we’d like to make an organization to help us gather info,” Shadow said, glancing around.

“This organization will be for Equestria only, yes?” I stood and walked over to a window, looking out to the east. “I ask because I do not want the other nations launching a preemptive strike on us. With me building up the standing army and making sure the navy is well equipped, not to mention the new design of airship in the works, the other nations will be contacting me to ask what is going on.”

“Why would we want to put anypony in another country? You aren’t responsible for their crime.”

“Luna has kept the peace by holding the heavens above everyone’s heads, threatening either droughts or the coldest of night. I won’t use that as a bargaining chip.” I turned back to the two mares and started walking towards them, saying, “Do you know why the griffins haven’t tried attacking the zebras in the past two hundred years? Or why the wyrms of the north haven’t bothered to wipe out the dragons to the south?” I stopped a few feet in front of them, turning and circling them as I continued, “Equestria is in the way, along with the threat of the sun and moon stopping in their orbit. Equestria is the main hub of the world.”

“Okay, so you’re aiming to keep the peace still?” Sky asked, not sure where I was going with this.

“Precisely. Instead of a humongous bluff, I’m going to provide a real threat if someone tries to start a war.”

“So.... We can start an internal intelligence agency?”

I sighed. “Yes, but you will only have enough funding to have three ponies per city, two for each town, and one for every hamlet.”

Nothing beats a nice walk in the gardens while you learn a transformation spell, I thought as I walked down a path, levitating A Treatise on Transformations. It was only a few minutes after dawn and I was almost done with the safety rules.

“Hehehe... this is going to be very good for pranks.”

All of a sudden I was hit from behind, hooves pounding my back before something slid over me and came to a stop a few feet away.

“I am so dreadfully sorry, madam, my drivers couldn’t see you there,” a Russian-like voice said.

I sat up, stunned at what happened. In front of me was a reindeer and beyond him was a sleigh with a team of nine. Wow, Grandma just got run over by reindee- I felt blood drain from my face as I realized what that meant.

“Mada- whoa!”

I blasted past him, holding myself aloft with magic and heading straight for the windows of the medical wing. I grabbed Home from the guard he was... working on and pulled him over to an empty bed.

“M-max? Um w-what seems to be the problem?” he asked, trying to hide his stallionhood.

“Just- scan me and see if the baby’s still-... still alive,” I said, trying to hold myself together.

The spell flicked once, twice, three times over me before he stopped. I felt a shiver of dread go down my spine as my mind went wild with making horrible scenarios of what his sudden stop meant.

“Well. There is good news. Your son is still growing and alive.”

“W-what’s the bad news, there has to be bad news with how you said that what’s the bad news?!”

Home rubbed the back of his neck for a few moments before he said, “He is developing too slowly. At this rate, it’ll be about seven more months before he’ll be ready to come into the world.”

“That’s all?”

He nodded.

“Hah. You had me worried for nothing.”

“But it takes only six for a foal to be born!”

“Yes, a foal.” I slid off the bed and brushed my dress straight. “For human babies it takes nine months for them to mature properly.”

“Okay.... Why did you rush in here like that if everything was fine?” He paused for a moment, realizing his mistake. “I-I’m sorry, I-”

“I was run over by reindeer just a few minutes ago, and wanted to make sure the baby was okay,” I said, turning to the doors. “And don’t be sorry. You are my doctor, and you have a right to ask me why I came in.”

Just then the doors opened and the reindeer from earlier came in. “Madam...?”

“I am sorry for running like that, I was concerned for my son.”

“But- oh. Oh dear. I just ran over a pregnant mare!”

I waved him off, saying, “No harm was done.” I walked past him, gesturing for him to follow. “Besides, that was just an accident. What kind of ruler would I be if I took offence at every little accident?”

“You- oh, my brother’s going to have my antlers for this!”

“Then just don’t mention it.”

“But I am-”

“Yeah, don’t care. Me being pregnant is supposed to be a secret for the next three months anyways, and if you have loose lips about it I will take offence.”

“Then I shall have my drivers know not to say anything about the crash.”

We spent the next few minutes in silence until we reached the throne room. I rested my hand on the foreleg of Celestia’s statue as I did every time I entered.

“You were close to her?” the reindeer asked quietly.

“I was more than close, I was her wife in all but title.” I floated up a bit and rested my forehead on the statue’s for a moment before sinking back down to my feet. “I’ll never forget her and I doubt I’ll ever fully get over her death, but I have accepted it and moved on somewhat.”

I turned to the throne room doors and pushed them open. Just get this over with and you can visit Lance.

“Before we get to business, why don’t we introduce ourselves? I am Maxine, current ruler of Equestria,” I said after I sat on my throne.

He bowed and said, “I am Prince Rutherford VIII and the Czar of Reinia wishes to know why you are building up your armies. Is there some sort of war coming?”

“No. I am merely trying to get rid of the need to use the sun and moon as bargaining chips. Make it so there will be actual consequences if a nation goes to war with another. In other words: the heavens will continue on their journey no matter what happens as long as I live and breathe.”

“I... see. You aren’t going to try to expand your kingdom?”

“If I was going to do that, I wouldn’t have let the Crystal Empire be its own country again.”

“Ah.... This took much less time than I thought it would.”

“Well, I’m sure you have somethings you would like to do while you’re in Canterlot. I’ll have some rooms prepared for you and your drivers.” I glanced over at a guard who nodded and quietly left to tell the servants.

“That is most kind of you, your majesty. I believe there is a play being put on around this time of year that I have wanted to watch.”

Author's Notes:

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