The helicopter landed on the pad. It landing on a pad was fairly standard. What was more unusual was that a place outside America had one specifically for the purpose. It was a great big surface for flying vehicles of all varieties, they had been told, and it supported their helicopter without complaint.

President Crane hopped down with a serviceman right there just in case. "Here we are." 'Here' was not Equestria. That summit was being held in neutral territory that was held by no country. Such places were frightfully rare on Earth, which all of the planet being claimed by humans, and barely a scrap of dry land free of being in the bounds of one country or another.

A pony approached, her wings unfurled and her horn held high. "President Crane," spoke Celestia. "Good of you to make it. Come, this way." Despite the roar of the helicopter's engine as it slowed, she spoke over it without difficulty.

Luna was with her, but did not speak at that moment, simply watching from her sister's side.

Crane, two guards, and his pony escorts made their way off the landing pad and into a building. The floors were made of marble. The walls were embossed with gold and silver. The air was fresh and scented with some floral hint. It was an opulent place for important people to meet. Celestia extended a wing, separating the president from his guards. "From this point forward, they must remain behind. My own guards can not move past this point."

Luna tossed her head towards an offshoot passage. "Guards may remain there. Only the leaders may progress, and by ancient oath, none may cause harm on another during such a meeting."

Crane held up the flat of a hand. "I'll be fine." It helped that he was wired and could call for them if needed. He knew that. They knew that. They went down the appointed hall without raising a fuss.

Luna advanced to be opposite of Celestia on Crane's side. "I would have your unvarnished opinion, finally free of all other human listeners."

The president knew that wasn't entirely true. "About?"

Luna raised a fine brow. "What is your true opinion of how the ponies your nation held captive were treated? I will not repeat what words you speak, and I would ask mine sister agree."

"My lips are sealed," echoed Celestia, making a zipping motion across her lips with a hoof.

"I think it was regrettable... but partially required. I do think they were overcautious in keeping them entirely separate and not trying to break their solitary confinement. That is inhumane." There was a word suddenly given a ponish counterpart, but that didn't mean the two ponies understood it. "Cruel," he explained. "For any prisoner, especially for as long as they remained in it."

Celestia inclined her head. "Which reminds, we need to arrange for the sale and movement of the magic suppressors, so that this is never again a required path. I would prefer to never be told a pony was treated in such a way."

The topic was done, apparently satisfied. They traveled as one group into a grand circular hall with an equally well-appointed table that was just as round as the room it rested in. Around the table were seats of all kinds. In some places, cushions, in others, more human chairs. Different resting places for different anatomies, and there were many such anatomies already resting on them.

Celestia pointed a hoof to the right. "I believe I see your seat there." She and Luna went off to the left, seated next to one another, as was proper, on cushions they could perch on in pony fashion.

Many eyes were on Crane. Slit feline eyes, canine eyes, avian and others all stared at the newest leader to attend such a meeting. A sudden motion caught his eye. Right beside his seat was Queen Novo in her hippogriff form, resplendent with finery and clearly done up to tasteful perfection. She patted the chair that had been set for him.

He was not alone, even politically. America had allies. It was good to be reminded. He closed the distance in confident strides but did not immediately sit, instead offering a hand to Novo. "A pleasure to see you."

"And I you, dear." She took his hand in her own, but did not shake it.

He got the unspoken hint, raising her talons to kiss the back of them. She smiled gently, clearly approving. "Now sit yourself. I was sure to have us side-by-side, for we are partners on this stage." She sank on her haunches on her cushion, facing the table.

Crane sank beside her on the chair, elevated from ber by merit of it, but such was the way of things. He was not the only one using a chair, he noted. There were almost as many bipeds present as quadrupeds.

"The president has just joined the international summit. We are covering this live, but can't provide video from the interior." A picture was provided, showing the outside of the building it was in. It was a live feed, but still the outside. Other humans and aliens milled around, taking care of their various flying crafts.

"This does not take place in the states, and freedom of the press is not considered reason enough to allow any station inside. With me are several other eager reporters." The camera panned to show the person speaking as well as half a dozen others that all waved together. "We'd all love to get inside and show you all, but this is as close as we can get."

"You can be sure CNN will be here until it's over!" shouted one female at the camera.

"MSNBC isn't leaving," agreed a male.

"The people deserve a fair and balanced viewpoint," added the Fox respondent.

"We'll all be here, delivering the news as it surfaces. Back to you, John."

Celestia rose with spread wings and the sun shone directly down on the center of the table, casting brilliant reflections across the room. "I humbly call this meeting to order. Since we have a new member, I will explain that it is standard for the owner of the kingdom in which the summit takes place to initiate the meeting. When it is here, it falls to me to call exactly when the sun reaches overhead. This does not give me any additional speaking power." She sank down, wings folding. "Speaker."

A parrot lady rose from her chair. "Yes. Greetings, one and all." She bowed most formally, one arm going far to the side. "It is an honor to be chosen to speak for this summit. The first matter on the docket." She raised a clipboard before herself, held in her hands. "With the Storm King's demise, his kingdom was allowed to decide its own fate, but this has gone poorly since the last summit."

Novo leaned towards Crane, whispering, "The Storm King deserved his end."

A canine paw slapped the table. "It was at Celestia's hand, er, hoof that this was set in motion. Why isn't she handling this?!"

Celestia raised one of those hooves, speaking with a moment of quiet to not interrupt, "it was agreed on in the last summit that no action would be taken. Are you suggesting I defy the concord we all made together?"

Eyes turned to the dog that was growing low in his throat. "No... Of course not..." He sank to his seat, abandoning the argument.

A hand went up, covered in fur, but clearly a hand, as many of the bipeds seemed to have. "Let them rot." The speaker of those words had great horns atop his head and a scowl on his face. He had a large bovine nose and a ring that dangled from his nostrils. "We have far more pressing concerns than the petty instability of an increasingly irrelevant nation."

"Chairman of the minotaurs," helpfully whispered Novo.

A hoof raised, pink. Cadance nodded to those presence. "Thank you. I believe that this is an opportunity We should help lift these distraught people, to help cement the ties that hold us together. We should all know that the rest will come to their aid."

"Pretty words," spoke a much more animal-like parrot, fluffing himself, eyes set on Cadance. "But they never belonged to this circle. The Storm King sought to have us destroyed, subjugated, and his people were never one of ours."

The table began to argue, different opinions rising and shouted across at one another. Some agreed with Cadance; others with the minotaur.

Crane stood up. All eyes were suddenly attached to him. It went silent. He hadn't expected to command such full attention, but he had little choice in his eyes but to continue. "The actions of a deposed leader can not, and should not, be shared by their people. If this 'Storm King' was as troublesome as he sounds, he didn't leave much option for his people to argue with him. We should at least offer aid to those caught in the instability."

Some clapped, striking their hands, hooves, or paws together, or even tapping at the ground.

The minotaur did not, slamming the table as he stood up, his chair forced back with a loud squeal in its rough slide. "Are you volunteering then? Will it be your kingdom's coffers that are drained for such petty ends?"

Noises of assent rose from others who were just as displeased at the idea of contributing to the relief project. "My people have their own needs, and they come before fixing the messes of megalomaniacal morons that saw their military brought low by ponies."

Soft chuckles spread through the room, as if the idea of the ponies being a military force were quite laughable indeed.

Did Crane want to be left holding that ball?

Queen Novo was standing suddenly beside him. "The Seaquestrians pledge to assist."

Celestia raised a hoof. "Equestria pledges to assist."

A few other countries called out support. He would either take that step, or be branded a coward and a hypocrite. "Thank you. We'll arrange how to move forward and deliver aid." He moved to sit down.

"Not so fast," interrupted the minotaur. "You're next on the docket. Speaker?"

"Oh! Hm, yes, yes, here it is." She tapped at the clipboard with a taloned finger. "A new nation has been founded, and waged war within its first year of conception, and would like to join this august body." Her eyes moved to Crane. "Their name is 'The United States of America'. Is this a federation? Oh, sorry." She suddenly sat. It was not her job, as speaker, to hurl questions.

The minotaur chuckled deeply as he stood up straight. "The newest boy on the block, already eager to make a name for himself. First in battle... against the ponies. To their benefit, they didn't fail in that as the Storm King had laughably managed..."

The guffaws and soft laughter returned, the idea of pony military a running joke it seemed.

The dog pointed at the standing Crane. "Tell us. Tell us who you are and what you stand for. What sort of nation are you?"

"They can fight," came a new voice. There was Ember, leaning on the table with a snarl. Her small stature meant that the rest of her was dangling. If not for her flapping wings, she would have looked quite undignified. "And they respect honor, so they get a thumbs up from me. I can think of worse neighbors."

There was quite the loaded question. What was America, condensed into a few sentences... "America began its life in the hands of people who wanted their destiny in their own hands. It has never abandoned those roots. We have a fierce love for independence and self-determination. Are we perfect? I would have to lie to claim that, and I imagine that goes equally as well for anyone else gathered around this table, but we have come here in good faith to join this global community."

Author's Notes:

And lo the summit does begin. Did you think it would be a little thing, over and done in one chapter? Ha... no. This is a big deal for all of the world. Would you have spoken differently, if you had Crane's position?

Enjoy the writing? Help me stay afloat and show your support by joining the Patreon!

Join my discord to chat!