"Anarchists." The bullish figure crossed his arms, his eyes moving from one face to the next around the table. "Your people like to do what they want? This is charmingly quaint when the ponies do it, but your people have already proven to be slightly more... troubling."

Ember leaned over the table, snarling at the minotaur. "Yeah so what?! Dragons like being free too and I'm here, so who cares?"

A female cat thrust a finger towards Ember. "You are an interesting distraction, but little more, on the global stage. Your people are free, yes, but also wildly disorganized. They pose no real threat, and when they do, it is more akin to an ill-timed storm than a military strike." She purred softly in satisfaction with her own words, eyes half-closed.

The dog from earlier pointed outside. "Did you see the craft they arrived in? It rivals minotaurish design in complexity, and noise... and smell."

Crane did not like the sound of that. That minotaur could represent something he needed to know more about. As mild arguments circled the table, he set his hands on the table. "Are we not gathered here to discuss matters of importance?" Eyes turned towards him. "Would you have us here, where we can talk, or surrender that opportunity? My people are here, whether they are admitted into this circle or not."

Novo suddenly clapped her hands together. "He speaks the truth. When I and my people withdrew, we were still present, and eventually acted, toppling the Storm King. Actors who are not part of the circle are only... more unpredictable. If you fear that, why would you even consider not having him here?"

The speaker's nodded towards Novo. "Thank you, but I feel we've argued all sides. I call to vote. All in favor of admitting the country of The United States of America to the circle?"

His known allies had their arms raised; Celestia, Luna, and Novo. Ember had joined them, though he hadn't originally penned dragons down as a proper ally. Despite that, Ember was grinning towards him like she was standing in solidarity with an old chum. Dragons were curious creatures.

Other hands raised without the smiles to go with them. "Eleven for," announced the speaker. "Against?" The raised hands went down and new hands went up.

The minotaur did not have a hand raised. He had taken his seat, eyes locked on Crane. He had not voted in support either.

It seemed most had not voted for or against.

"Five against. Motion carries. Welcome, President Crane." She dipped her head in his direction. "Next on the docket..."

Holding a microphone close to the otterish face of the person they were interviewing, the reporter nodded. "And what do you think is being discussed today?"

The otter pointed at the reporter. "Well, to start, you creatures. Ain't never seen something like you before. Ain't you cold?" He leaned in towards the reporter, nose dancing in little sniffs. "So little fur, no scales..."

The reporter nodded softly. "If it helps, you're just as curious looking to us. Do you believe our appearance will dominate the discussions?"

"Nah." He waved that idea off before glancing away at some others of his kind that were working on a flying ship. "They got tons of things to argue about. You're just one of 'em."

Another reporter suddenly approached. "What do you think the number one topic will be, besides America?"

The otter's eyes jerked back from the flying ship to the two humans facing him and the cameras behind them. "Hey woah, uh, nice to meet you both but I should... get goin'." He scurried away, dropping to all fours and scampering as an otter might, just to bounce right back up to two legs when he was with his friends.

The first reporter scowled at the second. "Stick to your own interviews."

The topic shifted to a trade disagreement between two nations Crane had never heard of before. While it was fascinating watching two aliens argue passionately about the rights of their people, it only revealed that much of the world was of a lower technology level than America by what they were arguing about.

"Next on the docket," announced the speaker. "--The appearance of a new landmass has disrupted trade lanes." Her eyes went to Crane. "At the time of drafting, the United States of America -- Is there a shorter name for that? -- were not a part of the circle, but that's been fixed."

Crane raised a hand towards the speaker. "United States or America will do." Not like there were any other countries to have even slight umbrage at the use of the term America while residing on America. The continent was gone, shredded down to the US. "We haven't had any trade vessels attempt to get past us, though we have had increasingly more trade activity at our docks, primarily of pony origin."

The minotaur snorted in a way only a bull could. "We have enough sense to know when the lanes have been severed." He leaned forward, eyes still locked in that unwavering way. "A lot of trade has been lost on account of your sudden... invasion." Murmurs spread through the crowd. "Don't try to act coy." Crane had looked surprised. "An armed nation appeared overnight and we are expected to assume it was an accident? No, something caused it, and my first assumption would place it at the feet of the people involved."

Celestia brought down a hoof with a clop. "That is a great accusation. Do you have any proof other than conjectures?"

A fully-automatic gun slid across the table, spinning in a slow rotation once it left the bull's hand to come to a rest near the center. "That is one of their weapons. It speaks of an advanced engineering people."

New murmurs rose. The bull gestured at it. "Do you deny this is yours?"

Crane was no expert on random firearms, but it seemed clear the M4 Carbine laying there on the table was likely to be an American object. "Likely so, where did you--"

"--Of no consequence. They are extremely ready for invasion. They have a standing army not in the hundreds." He looked to the dogs. "Or the thousands." He looked to Celestia. "Or even in the tens of thousands." His gaze wandered over the table. "These are a people that have nearly a million ready to march. A million. Can you even envision so many soldiers?"

The table become bedlam. The speaker squawked and began striking a wooden disc with a gavel-like hammer, trying to usher in order, and failing.

"They would make the Storm King appear to be but a mewling infant in comparison, with ships that are a magnitude faster, filled with several orders more fighters wielding advanced weapons." He rested his hands on the table by the fingertips. "I propose!" His sharp call caused the furor to die down a little. "I propose," he repeated a little quieter. "--a defensive pact. America's presence threatens the stability of the entire world, and any that do not see that is a fool, soon to be relegated to history. Those who desire the protection of the minotaurs, and will fight alongside us, raise your hand."

A worryingly large number of hands rose. Ember was one of them. She noticed Crane's surprised look. "What? I thought you guys like fighting. It'll be great!"

Novo snarled softly, her pretty face disfigured with the momentary lack of control. "Preposterous! The humans have been nothing but kind. They have been a tremendous boon to my people. You once all called me a coward, for not facing the Storm King, and now here you are, running before a foe before he even bares his teeth? Pathetic simpering fools, the lot of you!"

Cadance, close to Ember, floated a letter over to the dragon. Ember blinked as the paper slapped against her face. "Huh, what?" She peeled it away and read it quickly. "Oh, uh... Nevermind." She lowered her hand.

The speaker cleared her throat. "I must insist we return to the matter on the docket. America's landmass is obstructing existing trade routes. Can it be moved? That is the question."

Crane lifted his hands in a shrug. "That is beyond our abilities. We are not even sure how we arrived here, let alone able to move the country out of the way. We do have a robust internal infrastructure and welcome trade on either end of our country, and there is a sea on both the north and south side, allowing ships to move around us if they desire."

The chairman of the minotaurs huffed. "How passive he tries to sound. What if we want to fly over your inconvenient country?"

"We have regulations and laws about that, to prevent collisions in the air." He didn't know them all, but he knew they existed. "Any aircraft flying over America would need a recognizable transponder, schedule its flight, and remain contactable for the duration."

"And if they do not?" pressed the minotaur. "What would you do then?"

He was being pressed into a corner. "They would then be breaking our law, and we would react appropriately."

The minotaur gestured grandly at the weapon at the center of the table, a path of knocked over glasses and statues between it and himself. "They will show you their hospitality, as they are equipped to do. Know this, President; I am not intimidated." He slammed a balled fist on the table. "I am not scared." His other hand came down, thumping beside the first. "You have only seen what meager force the ponies have, but we have weapons just as efficient."

Murmurs rose, none of them claiming the minotaur was lying about their people's abilities. Crane sat down gently. "It would seem that there is a warlike aggressor at this table, angrily beating his chest and making lofty claims of his military abilities."

The tension suddenly twisted, laughter and guffaws circled around the table. The minotaur snorted powerfully, nostrils going wide a moment. "Know this, President, your agressions will not win you any friends. You may have cowed the ponies into submission, but we will stand strong." Others called out in support and he nodded once with confidence. "I declare the formation of the Trans-Species Defense Initiative, or TSDI."

"Recorded," noted the speaker. "May I have a show of who is a member?" She dutifully scribbled on her paper, making an official tracking of what the TSDI was comprised of. "Thank you. Are there other questions regarding the trade route obstruction?"

The she-cat raised a paw. "If we wish to cross your country legally, are there fees?"

"They are modest." He didn't know the specifics. "They cover keeping the air safe for all travellers and avoiding collisions as I noted before. We make extensive use of air transportation, keeping that organized and safe is the #1 priority and why the fee exists."

She nodded softly. "You take a far more active, mmm, role than most nations. I admit, it does sound... safer, yes. We will try it. If we do not have this device you mentioned, how do we proceed?"

"That can be done, but I'm not equipped to give you the specifics."

The speaker cleared her throat. "I recommend you two discuss privately how to proceed. Does America have paperwork it would like to submit for the circle?"

Crane did not bring the laws concerning airspace with him... "Where would we send such things for everyone to be aware of?"

"We'll be in touch," assured the speaker. "Next on the docket..."

A bright-eyed young minotaur calf was smiling up at the reporter. "Is that magic?" she asked, pointing at the camera behind the reporter.

"Of a sorts," agreed the reporter. "It's recording what we say and sharing it with the rest of the country back home. Say hello to all the people."

"Hi!" She waved excitedly at the camera. "Are you here for the meeting too? Dad said he was going to say super important things in there."

Author's Notes:

The summit, it continues! It's surprisingly hard to interview important people at the summit, since they are inside the summit. The reporters are trying though! The chairman seems to have strong opinions.

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