When I walked into the Council Chambers, all conversations stopped, and all eyes were on me. I simply smiled at this as I scanned the room. Steel Axe, Zendaya, Thorax, Ember, Gilda, and all the Royals of Equestria were sitting at a large, circular table made of marble, and the seat of each member had banners over their backs, each with their country's colors on them. There were even sets of golden statues of each country's leaders lining the walls of the circular room, each one lined up to the seat of their respective leader at the table. The domed ceiling followed the same theme, being made up of stained glass and cordoned off into sections, with each section detailing some scene from the past of each country.

As I made my way towards the table, I saw that while there was an empty seat for me, it was right between the Royal Sisters. And not in an orderly manner, either. It also didn't have my banner on it.

I rolled my eyes at this, but continued nonetheless and sat down in the chair. As soon as I did, Steel Axe growled.

"Remind me again why we're holding this meeting?" He asked, arms crossed.

I quirked a brow at this, but kept my smirk. Celestia answered his question before I could give him a subtle insult, sadly. "I already told you earlier, Emperor Steel Axe," she started, sounding tired as she rubbed a temple with one of her golden-shod hooves. "We're holding this meeting to decide whether or not to bring the Storm Queen into the Council."

"And I told you my decision was no," he shot back with a scowl.

"Well, that's your decision," Ember replied, bringing my attention to her. She was filing her claws, completely focused on them. I smirked as she shot a brief glare at Steel Axe. "Maybe we want to throw our hats into the ring too."

"W-Well, I'm for it," said Twilight shakily. I raised a brow under my mask and looked to her, as did many others. She wilted under the gazes. "U-Um, well, I mean, as the Princess of Friendship, I just w-want us all to get along, a-a-and as a leader, I respect her, um, power and stuff, so..." She sunk lower into her chair as Steel Axe glared at her fiercely.

I smiled. "Well, thank you for the compliment, Princess," I said, leaning back in my chair and crossing my legs.

She perked up a bit, giving me a weak yet happy smile.

"U-Um, well, I'm okay with it too!" Thorax piped up, putting his hooves on the table. He too, wilted when Steel Axe glared at him.

Luna rolled her eyes at Steel Axe's actions, but smiled and looked around at the others. "And the rest of you?"

"I think it'd be interesting at least," Gilda mused, yawning into her claw. My smirk grew as she continued. "It gets super boring just listening to the same people arguing all the time at these meetings, so having a newbie might spice things up," She finished, resting her cheek on her claw as she gazed in boredom at us all.

"Well, Queen Gilda, if there's one thing I can admit to being good at, it's making things interesting," I admitted. Gilda chuckled.

"What, you mean that horrible excuse for a tournament? Where you clearly cheated us all?!" Steel Axe roared, then stood up and slammed his fists on the table, cracking it. I simply raised my brow and angled my chin at him, urging him to continue. He growled and pointed at me. "This woman has been playing us all! Don't you idiots see that?!"

Zendaya sighed deeply, putting a hoof to her head. "A set of ploys to make us all but toys?" She shook her head and glared at the Minotaur. "My dear Emperor, is that not every ruler?" He grit his teeth and made to retort, but she raised a hoof to stop him as she continued. "I see no ill intent in her, no sign of twist or turn," she looked to me and smiled. "Though I can see how she does purr."

I giggled and winked at her, and she winked back. I like her, she's got some sass.

"I have to agree with Zendaya here," started Cadance. She looked to me. "I'm pretty good at sensing emotions, even if it's not as good as Thorax and his people, but..." She smiled at me. "...I can tell she loves her people. Her daughter, too." She looked to the others. "She's happy because this will solidify her people's place, protect them." She glanced back at me, still wearing that smile while a mischievous glint shone in her amethyst eyes. "Right?"

I chuckled and held my hands up in a, 'well, you got me,' motion. "Guilty as charged, Princess." I said with a smirk. Seems that charmed anklet is working, because she didn't sense how happy I am just at being in control in here. I giggled.

Neither did Thorax, by the looks of it. Thank you, black market.

Steel Axe ground his teeth loudly at all this. Celestia glanced around at all of us, smiled, then asked her question. "So, then we all agree?"

Zendaya nodded, smiling as well. Gilda gave a thumbs up. Thorax smiled nervously and nodded also. Celestia looked to Ember, who grinned and also gave a thumbs up. Celestia looked to her fellow Princesses, and all of them smiled and nodded. The solar diarch then clapped a hoof on the table as she held her own smile.

"Then with a majority voting in favor," Celestia looked to me, smiling that smile she always does. "I believe congratulations are in order, as well as a welcome to the Inner Council, Queen Petremol."

I smirked and stuck out a hand. She put her hoof in it, and we shook. "I thank you all for your generosity."

Celestia giggled. "Think nothing of it." We released our hold on each other, and then settled ourselves again. "Now, I believe we have a few more important things to discuss, now that Queen Petremol has been accepted into our little group."

I looked to Steel Axe to see bulging, pulsing veins all over his face, him clenching his fists and gritting his teeth so hard that he was actually getting close to busting a blood vessel by the looks of it. We were all looking at him now, in fact, waiting for his outburst. However, he didn't say a word, he just kept glaring at me and growling lowly. Eventually, he slammed himself heavily back into his seat, crossing his arms afterwards.

With a heavy scowl, he uttered darkly, "Yeah, we do. First, I ain't doing any trade with the Storm Nation." I rolled my eyes at this, thankful no one could see it.

'Not too big of a deal, since my spies are still all over your nation, getting what I need from it anyways.' I thought with a smirk still etched on my lips.

"I'm not opening any travel routes, either," he finished with a snort.

"Well, I'm trading with her," Ember announced. A pause, before she added, "Well, we're all trading with her already, but I mean I'm opening trade fully with her." She grinned at me. "Heck, I'd love it if we could open travel routes and tourism, too."

"Same here," Gilda added, raising a claw lazily in acknowledgement.

"Me too," Thorax included, smiling.

"And I as well. Full trade and travel routes sound swell," Zendaya mused, a twinkle in her silver eyes.

I hummed at this, crossing my arms over my chest. "Well, the open trade I'm more than fine with," I started, watching as their grins grew, "But I have a few rules in terms of tourism." They all immediately frowned.

"Like what?" Celestia queried, a sharpness to her tone. I shrugged it off. I've dealt with worse.

"Well, for one, I don't want any soldiers, spies, or military of any sort, retired or not, in any of my territories," I began. All of them seemed a bit upset at this, so I continued. "Pure military sorts I really don't want in my territories, period, but retired ones I'm okay with...so long as they go through the proper checks first. Oh, and cameras and the like will be forbidden around industrial areas as well as military checkpoints, facilities, and the like."

Their frowns turned up to eleven. Gilda and Ember were actually scowling. Steel Axe, however, was smirking.

"Got something to hide, Queen Petremol?" he asked smugly.

I shrugged, leaning back in my chair. "Don't we all?" I retorted, before swiftly adding, "I simply don't want to take chances with my security." I glanced to Celestia, then Luna, before continuing with, "After all, I've had quite my fill of spies."

"So, what, you're scared we're gonna pull something?" Gilda asked. She glared at me and leaned forward, claws on the marble table while her eyes gleamed dangerously. "With what you just said, how do we know you aren't going to?"

"Yeah, sounds like you're being really protective of something. Got some weapons in the works?" Ember accused.

"Sounds like it to me," Steel Axe agreed with a nod.

"I thought we had gotten past this, Queen Petremol. We agreed some time ago we would not have any spies in or around your lands," Luna pointed out.

Cadance and Twilight, along with Thorax, seemed to be unsure how to jump in. Zendaya seemed to just be eyeing me up.

"Well, Princess, that is true, but that's in the case of your people. I need to make it clear with everyone else here," I explained. I looked to Ember. "As for those accusations of weapons, even if I did have some in the works, I don't plan on training them on any of you." I leaned forward, placing my hands on the table and steepling my fingers. "Not unless you decide to turn your own on me, at least." I looked to Gilda, then Steel Axe. "I will say this, my people will always come first. If that means I must restrict things to this level for their safety, then so be it."

They all frowned, and I caught Thorax, Cadance, and Twilight wincing out of the corner of my eye. Otherwise, things were silent. Eventually, Ember snorted out a plume of smoke, then spoke. "Alright, fine. I can get where you're coming from, at least. But, in exchange for all this security bull crap, I want something too." She smirked and leaned forward. "I want a chance to fight you. One on one."

I blinked at this. "...What?"

The others seemed just as shocked.

"A fight," Ember repeated, smirk still on her face. "I know the old Storm King beat my dad in a fight a while back, and you beat the Storm King, so you gotta be good, right?" She leaned back, crossing her arms. "I wanna see just how good you are. A fight seems like a small price to pay compared to these big demands and rules you've set."

I blinked a few more times at this. I honestly didn't know what to say.

"Well, if you're going that route, then I want something too if we're doing this," Gilda started. I looked to her. She grinned cockily. "I want some weapons."

I frowned. "I'll have to decline that one right out the gate, I'm afraid."

Gilda groaned, throwing her head back. "Uuugh! Come ooon! That's so frickin' lame!"

I shook my head firmly. "I'm sorry, but my decision is final. However..." I looked to Ember. "...I'm willing to fight the Dragon Lord if it means my terms will be met."

Ember smiled widely as she slammed a fist on the table. "Awesome! You got a deal!"

"Come on! That's not fair at all!" Gilda whined. "It's not like I'm gonna use 'em on you, ya know! I just want some to play around with!"

I shook my head again. "No deal."

Gilda threw her claws up in the air. "Oh come on!"

"There is no point in arguing this, I'm afraid," Zendaya interrupted. "On this matter, her mind is made."

I nodded. "Correct. Thank you, Queen Zendaya."

Gilda groaned again, but slumped in her seat and conceded with, "Fine, whatever..." as she crossed her arms.

Steel Axe seemed a bit unhappy again, but he didn't say anything.

"W-Well, with that out of the way, I have something I'd like to ask as well," Thorax asked meekly. I looked to him expectantly, motioning for him to continue. "Um, well, I know you won't budge on weapons deals, but... Could I, um, at the least get one of those guns for my brother?" After a short pause, he added, "Please?"

I stared at him, then pulled back and leaned into my chair again. I put a hand on my chin, thinking it over. 'The Changelings really aren't smart enough to even reach Equestria's level of tech, or, hell, even culture. They've mostly just copied Equestria with lackluster results so far, so giving them at least one gun shouldn't be too big of a deal. Heck, the Changelings don't even have any official scholars among them. No researchers either, if what my spies have reported is true...' I looked back at Thorax, seeing the plea in his eyes. 'If I recall, he has a daughter named Ocellus at that School of Friendship. She's not an official scholar, or a researcher, but she is very inquisitive. She's one of the few who might try to understand the gun if I give it out. And I know that if I give him one, I'll have to explain how to clean it and how it works.' I grunted. 'I have a few choices here. I can give him the gun, let him have his fun with it and just keep an eye on what they do with the knowledge and tech, or I can decline.' I hummed. 'Or...' I smirked. Yeah, that'll work.

"I'll allow it, on one condition," I started. Thorax smiled widely.

"Name it!" he said excitedly.

"You'll owe me a favor," I said simply, relaxing in my chair. "Nothing more, nothing less."

He blinked a few times. "That's all?" He asked, tilting his head. I nodded, and he smiled wide. "Then it's a deal!"

I smiled myself. "Good to hear. In that case, tell your brother he'll receive a gun in a matter of weeks." I'll have to talk to Viviya too, now... Oh well.

"You got it!" He said with a cheerful nod and smile.

"I'd like to ask about the Sea of Clouds," Zendaya started, dropping her rhymes. "I was wondering if we could speak of borders. Specifically, my borders with it."

Celestia hummed. "Hmm, that is a concern for me, as well."

"Oh, that's something I wanted to talk about too!" Thorax added.

"Oh?" I asked simply, raising a brow.

"Well, in my case, I simply want to set up a guard there," Celestia explained. "Along with a few trade and travel routes."

"As do I," Zendaya said with a nod.

I hummed, then looked to Thorax. "And you, King Thorax?"

"Oh! Um, well, I kinda need to expand a little, since we're growing more, and I was wondering if we could use one of the mountain ranges under the sea to use for that..." His ears lowered. "Is that okay?"

I hummed again. 'While I'm not that keen on people being so close to some of my facilities, this does actually help me keep an eye on them, too. At a much closer distance, too.' I decided to allow this. "Well, the Sea of Clouds is rather vast, so I can't say I have any problem with giving some of the land up, so long as you keep with the previously stated rules."

"I-I can do that!" Thorax said, seeming relieved. "Thank you!"

I waved it off. "Think nothing of it." I looked to Zendaya and then Celestia. "As for your requests, I don't mind, as long as you follow the same rules."

"Well, much as we wish you'd lessen those restrictions," Celestia began, looking to Zendaya, who smiled and nodded. She looked back to me. "We're willing to compromise on that."

I smiled. "Good to hear."

"Um, I have a request too!" Twilight piped up. I raised a brow and looked to her. She wilted a bit. "U-Um, well, I heard that you had some schools in the Sea of Clouds, a-a-and I was wondering if, um..." She sank into her seat a bit. "...if me and my student could, maybe come and look around...?" She asked quietly.

I hummed at this. She'd learn a lot by going to any of the schools there, but, maybe, just maybe, I could use this to my advantage. "Well, I wouldn't be entirely averse to it," I started, and she perked up, sparkles in her eyes. "However, since you seem so keen on visiting my schools, I feel it's only fair I get to do the same with your own esteemed one, yes?" I smiled. "Who knows, I might even enroll my daughter there."

Twilight's eyes were shining brightly at this prospect. "I accept!" She cupped her cheeks in her hooves and squealed. "Oooh, this'll be so much fun!!"

I chuckled at this.

"Well, Auntie, is that about it?" Cadance asked Celestia.

Celestia nodded. "Just about. All we have left is to go over the finer details of the agreements."

"Alright. I kinda need to talk to Queen Petremol about some of the taxes for our crystal trade, anyways," she admitted, smiling radiantly.

I sighed at this, but managed to keep up my smile.

Well, at least things worked out in the end. Though these next few hours are gonna be hell on my brain...

"We are now proud to announce Storm Queen Lucette Petremol as the eleventh member of the Inner International Council!" cried Luna to the crowd of leaders and nobles below us.

I was dead tired. We spent the last five, almost six hours going over the nitty gritty details of the agreements. Thankfully Ventus helped a lot, namely with the calculations and taxes, but god damn did I want coffee. All they gave me was some shitty tea that supposedly helped with sleep, but the stuff didn't have a lick of caffeine in it and didn't do a thing for me.

Thankfully I managed to get through it all, and now all I had to do was get through this ceremony. As Luna and Celestia went over the traditional lines for the ceremony, I looked to where Suki was in the crowd, talking with the Kirins. I was glad Rain Shine was kind enough to watch over her while I was busy, because Suki would've gotten into trouble otherwise.

I looked to the vaulted ceiling as Celestia and Luna finished the lines and ushered me forward to greet the crowd. With a deep breath, I stepped forward and up to the railing and waved at the crowd, practicing my royal smile.

...I get the feeling I'm gonna have to deal with a few more hours of greeting the newly arrived nobles after this.

....God dammit, I'm tired.

EDIT: Added a new, better intro, complete with a new, more fitting song.

EDIT: Fixed a mistake I should have noticed before.

Well, it's finally here, folks. I know it may seem a little lack luster right now, but I promise I'll go over it with a finer brush and polish it later. Right now, I have a lot to do and little time to do it.

Hope you enjoyed it at least somewhat, folks! Thanks for reading!

-Timeless Celestial