On Behalf of Soviet Equestria

Some of the royals sensed that something was amiss before the news of the revolution had even reached Canterlot.

It came with the change of season. Something had followed Mother Winter into Canterlot after autumn’s end. There was an unnerving sensation that fell with the snow and hissed with the rustling of the leafless shrubs. Ponies found themselves shivering not from the cold, but from a disturbance in the air. With every passing day, it had grown stronger, but nopony quite knew what it was… until the herald arrived from the crystal Empire.

It was almost inconceivable news. A whole region of the Crystal Empire had revolted against imperial rule – and arguably succeeded. The masses had risen up, rallied by a number of revolutionaries from groups that had remained underground in the previous years, and chased all imperial authority out of the territory. It began at the center of the largest city in the region, Stalliongrad, and radiated outward in the subsequent weeks. It was when all of the great cities in Equusia had been taken by Reds, anarchists, or peasants that the humiliated imperials eventually sent word to Canterlot.

Quite some time had gone by since the herald appeared before Celestia's court. Indeed, almost three months had passed since the revolution itself. But everypony remembered the news as if it had just been delivered hours ago. Practically overnight, the Crystal Empire’s Equusia became a household name in Canterlot. It had been declared as an Equestrian Soviet Socialist Republic by the new Congress of Soviets. Of course, the Crystal Empire refused to recognize Soviet Equestria as its own sovereign state, and instead affirmed that despite the disorder, it was still very much a part of the imperial patrimony. They didn't even call it Equusia. They called it Tondranka, a name that stemmed from the tundras that characterized much of the territory.

The Imperials assured the princesses that the unrest would be quelled in due time.

Publicly, the royals in Canterlot remained quiet about the issue. But there wasn’t much going on behind closed palace doors either, mainly because the whole situation was so unprecedented that nopony really knew what action they were supposed to take. The Soviets were butting heads with the Crystal Empire, but it seemed that there was no animosity toward Canterlot or any other city or region of Equestria. At the same time, however, it was no secret that the members of the Party had a strong anti-monarchist sentiment, and were glorifying their new state and its classless society. These views implied animosity toward Canterlot, even if it wasn’t outwardly shown.

Princess Celestia eventually received a letter from several Party officials from Stalliongrad asking for diplomatic talks. The royals found it particularly interesting that, despite their fiery rhetoric, the Soviets had formally requested an audience with the princesses in the traditional manner. After a short deliberation the audience was granted, and Palominov and Mareinskiy were sent from Stalliongrad.

On the morning of their arrival, Princess Celestia was staring through one of the many delicately-painted windows of the throne room at the castle grounds and streets below. Snow once again marked autumn’s end. A white blanket descended upon the cobblestones and golden spires of Canterlot, as it had done so many countless seasons before. It was again the time of warm hearth fires and cups of steaming tea, a time when ponies could see their breath before them as they walked along the boulevards. The mornings were still and quiet, for there were no singing birds to welcome the day. All the same, the nights were without the chirping of crickets, and the streets cleared before sunset as the townsponies rushed home early to escape the frigid tendrils of the evening air. On the surface, it was a winter like any other.

But, of course, things are not always as they seem on the surface.

“Your Highness,” said a voice from behind. Celestia spun around to face one of the guards. She was a bit startled, for she hadn’t even heard him enter. “The two ambassadors have arrived. They’re waiting in the vestibule.”

“Very good. Send them in,” Princess Celestia responded. The guard saluted and made his way toward the towering throne room doors as the princess sighed uneasily and walked toward the throne. The rhythmic clicks of her hooves against the white marble of the floor reverberated throughout the massive room, flying about and dancing off the columns and arches. Celestia climbed the steps to the throne, turned, and sat. The echoes were still fading as she waited, facing the doors at the other end of the long, crimson carpet that stretched from the throne.

That was the first time in what seemed like an eternity that the throne room had seen visitors from the imperial territories of the north. Historically, subjects of the empire would have sought audiences at the imperial court at the Crystal Castle. In the case of Equusia, affairs were handled by the local nobility, the Breiyar princes. For Princess Celestia, it was strange to meet with anypony from the imperial territories. It was even stranger to grant an audience to two ambassadors from a separatist republic of anti-monarchists. But those were strange times. That was simply the nature of the situation.

Celestia’s ears perked up as the doors to the throne room were opened. The guard that had left just minutes ago had returned. He stopped just a few steps into the room.

“I present, for an audience with Your Highness, the ambassadors of the Crystal Empire’s Tondranka – Gennady Sergeyevich Mareinskiy and Alexander Vladimirovich Palominov,” he announced, and then stepped aside.

In from the hallway proceeded the two Soviet diplomats, led by a royal guard at either side. The two black-suited stallions in warm winter ushankas progressed cautiously down the carpet, eyes wide with awe at the colossal dimensions of the throne room and magnificent stained glass of the windows that surrounded it.

“Look at the size of this place,” Palominov whispered to Mareinskiy. “This makes the Sapphire Palace in Stalliongrad look like somepony’s country dacha.”

As they drew closer to the princess, they found themselves equally as amazed by her size. They had known that, as an alicorn, she of course would have been taller than most other ponies, but they hadn’t expected her to be as tall as she truly was. It was intimidating for the two Soviets, who had never before addressed anyone larger than Saphirov III, the duke who had abdicated three months prior with the revolt in Stalliongrad, and even he wasn’t all that much bigger than anypony else. At the same time, Celestia hadn't expected the two stallions in dark suits and winter hats to appear so humble. She had anticipated something more in-line with the Canterlot's understanding of the outspoken, infuriated "Reds."

The guards halted and stopped the ambassadors a short distance from the throne. The one on the left turned and ordered,

“Bow before Her Grand Royal Highness, Princess Celestia, she who raises the sun in darkest darkness.”

Palominov and Mareinskiy extended their right fronts and bowed as the guards proceeded to the base of the throne, stopped, and turned to face them. A few seconds passed before Celestia finally addressed the Soviets.

“You may rise.”

Palominov and Mareinskiy both did as instructed, straightening up and briefly glancing at one another before they locked eyes with the princess. A tense Palominov was sweating bullets. He was to open the dialogue, as had been determined earlier. This was the moment for which they had been waiting. It had seemed like it would never arrive, but now as they stood there in the throne room, they wondered how the hours of discussion at the party congress and the monotonous day of travel had passed so quickly.

“Good morning, Your Highness,” the brown stallion began, stepping forward as his words rebounded through the air of the throne room. To Celestia and the guards, his voice was characterized by a strong, unusual accent. “I am Alexander Palominov. My comrade Gennady Mareinskiy and I have arrived today as elected representatives of the Party and its ministers. First and foremost, we would like to thank you, on behalf of Soviet Equestria, for granting us this audience. We are most appreciative.”

“And you are most welcome,” Celestia responded, nodding. For the two ambassadors, the expression on the princess’s face was extremely difficult to read. From all that they had heard about beforehand, she seemed uncharacteristically stern. It only served to make Palominov all the more nervous. “It’s certainly a change of pace,” Celestia continued. “It’s been a long while since the affairs of the imperial territories – especially those of your Tondranka – were brought to my court.”

A brief but uncomfortable silence followed that remark. Mareinskiy’s ear twitched the second she mentioned the name Tondranka. He apprehensively glanced at his comrade, who cleared his throat.

Alright, we both figured she was going to say it, Mareinskiy thought. Let it slide, Palominov. Don’t doom the whole thing from the start.

“Your Highness,” the brown stallion continued after briefly glancing at Mareinskiy, “the new Republic finds itself in a dangerous situation that’s growing more dire with every passing day. While we have not directly received any formal declarations or ultimatums from the Crystal Empire, we are completely certain that war is just over the horizon. There is probable cause. Imperial troop movement has been corroborated by scouts and external informers. All communication from the Congress of Ponies’ Deputies has been ignored by the imperials. We’re certain that it is only a matter of time before they make their move.” As he finished, Princess Celestia turned her head and raised her brow.

“The Congress of Ponies’ Deputies?” she inquired.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Palominov replied. “Perhaps you know it as the Party Congress. They are one and the same.” Celestia nodded and looked past the two ambassadors at the door on the far end of the room.

“You’re certain that the Crystal Empire intends on waging war?” was the princess’s second question. Mareinskiy and Palominov exchanged glances again.

“Well… of course we are, Your Highness,” Palominov answered carefully. The question was strange to him, and he hadn’t expected it. In his mind, she should have already known the answer. “Because the single demand they have – reincorporation of the Republic – is unimaginable, and will never be accepted by the Party or its supporters. Naturally, if they’re to get what they want, their only option is to try to take it by force.”

Celestia curled her front left and let it drop to the ground. She was still staring off toward the back of the throne room.

“And your Party Congress in Tondranka sent you here to request an intervention,” the princess said with a raised voice. Palominov’s eyes narrowed.

Mareinskiy’s ear twitched again as he looked at his counterpart. Don’t say anything, he begged Palominov in his mind. She did it again, I know. But it isn’t worth it. Pretend you didn’t hear it. Please.

“That’s it, isn’t it?” Princess Celestia asked as she stared right into Palominov’s eyes. “You’ve come to request an intervention.”

“The Crystal Empire is ready for war,” Palominov continued, fighting back his aggravation. “And war is a tragedy. With war comes destruction and death. Warriors will perish in battle, but the blood of the innocents is spilled all the same. If the Empire attacks, the sons and daughters of Soviet Equestria, ready and willing to fight for their motherland, will throw everything they have against the invader.”

Mareinskiy’s and Celestia’s eyes were locked. The two guards were watching the brown pony all the same as he stared up at the alicorn above him on the throne. Palominov was still nervous, but at the same time he had fought back his nerve with his words.

“But if we can avoid tragedy,” the brown stallion went on, “if there is a path we can take that is free of destruction and death, we would prefer to follow that road. The Crystal Empire has but one superior, Your Highness. That, of course, is Canterlot. We indeed do stand before you today to request an intervention. For you are the only one who can order the Crystal Empire to stand down. At this point, only Your Highness can prevent the unnecessary losses and tragedies of war. The imperials won’t listen to anypony else.”

Celestia held her hoof to her muzzle as she contemplated what had just been said. Mareinskiy stifled a smirk as he nodded gently in approval of his comrade’s delivery. A short while passed in silence.

“Mr. Palominov, Mr. Mareinskiy,” the princess began, lowering her hoof, “you both realize that this puts me in a very difficult position, do you not?” The two stallions were silent. “You’ve requested that I prevent what you’ve labeled an unnecessary war. But to do that, I must take years of cooperation and trust with the Crystal Empire, who has sworn allegiance to Canterlot, and push it all aside.” Celestia’s attention kept moving from Palominov to Mareinskiy and back again. “Moreover, you’re asking me to intervene in the defense of ponies that have ousted their legally-appointed duke, condemned the royal family of the Crystal Empire, and, indirectly, affronted my own reign and the authority of Canterlot.”

The stillness that ensued was not one of shock or disbelief. The Soviets had of course anticipated a response of such a nature. Palominov watched Mareinskiy out of the corner of his eye.

The stage is all yours, comrade, the brown pony thought as Mareinskiy took a breath, swallowed and stepped toward the throne.

“Soviet Equestria does not intend to affront your reign, nor does it intend to affront the authority of Canterlot, Your Highness,” Gennady Mareinskiy announced. Celestia shifted in her seat and gave the cream-colored stallion her attention. “The Crystal Empire is the enemy of the Party. In truth, the only ones who have defied Canterlot are the imperials themselves.”

Princess Celestia was watching Mareinskiy with suspicion now. She did nothing but blink several times as she repeated in her mind what she had just been told.

“Is that so?” she asked. “Would you mind explaining this claim of yours, Mr. Mareinskiy?”

“Well, Your Highness, simply put, the imperials have been doing as they please for some time now. The nature of their actions and conduct has diverged from that of Canterlot. This is particularly true with respect to the imperial attitude toward non-crystal ponies within the Empire’s borders. I’m sure that Your Highness would consider their activities inconceivable.”

“Such as?”

“Well, I must stress the Crystal Script,” Mareinskiy continued with a wave of his hoof before pausing and raising his brow. “You are aware of the publication of Saphirov’s Crystal Script, Your Highness?”

“I am.”

“Was the Crystal Script ever presented to Canterlot? Have you ever been given the chance to read the Crystal Script?”

For the first time in the entire conversation, Celestia’s stern expression weakened. She closed her eyes and briefly stretched a wing before responding,

“I have not.”

That’s what I was hoping you’d say, Mareinskiy thought to himself as he suppressed the sigh of relief that was trying to spread across his face. Looks like the Script never reached Canterlot. There’s a gamble that paid off.

You got lucky, Mareinskiy, Palominov thought as she turned to look at his comrade. He was equally as pleased.

“The Crystal Script characterizes Duke Saphirov III for the tyrant he was,” the cream-colored stallion stated. “And Saphirov himself is a reflection of what the Crystal Empire has become. It is an unprovoked decree that forced assimilation and rendered us powerless. The unreasonable demands in the Script are but one of the many factors that justify the actions of Soviet Equestria and the declaration of our sovereign state.”

“Your Highness,” Palominov spoke up, “the Crystal Empire has looked down upon us for years. They’ve treated us with the utmost disrespect for as long as anypony can remember, and why? Because we don’t act like ideal imperials? Because we don’t shine like crystals? Those seem to be the only conceivable reasons, for we never once raised so much as our voices to imperial rule. But they continually spoke down to us. They let us know that we were second-class citizens in the pecking order. Now, I must ask you... Has Your Highness ever done anything of that nature to any of your subjects? Would Your Highness even think about taking such action? I’m sure the answer is no. But that’s precisely what the Empire has done and will continue to do. They no longer act within the scope of your expectations or your authority. They do as they please.”

Mareinskiy turned to his right and referred to the small bag he was wearing on his back. “We’ve arrived today with copies of the Crystal Script and a number of other orders and decrees that most probably were never sent to Canterlot for approval. They of course have been translated from our mother tongue for the convenience of Your Highness. These documents demonstrate just how independent the Crystal Empire believes it is from the true authority in Canterlot.”

Princess Celestia was deep in thought. Relations with the Crystal Empire were not what they had been in previous years. Exchanges and dialogues had become substantially less frequent. While she had known of the appointment of Duke Saphirov, Celestia’s approval of the movement was never sought. She could not help but give some credence to the argument presented by the Soviets. But there was one thing about the whole situation about which Celestia was still suspicious. The last thing Mareinskiy had said… about the true authority in Canterlot…

“I find it strange that you condemn the Crystal Empire for acting independently of the ‘true authority.' Your Party is doing much the same,” Princess Celestia rebutted. “Why should action be taken against the Crystal Empire and not against Tondranka?”

Blast, she said it again… Mareinskiy thought, as he quickly looked over at Palominov, who fought to bite his tongue but was clearly losing the battle. Let it slide, let it slide…

“With all due respect, Your Highness,” Palominov began with closed eyes, “it’s not called Tondranka any longer. 'Tondranka' is the name that the imperials used for our Equusia.” Mareinskiy’s gaze jumped back and forth between the princess and his comrade. “But now, even Equusia is no more. It has become a Soviet Republic.”

Palominov opened his eyes again and looked up toward the throne. The guards, who before were staring straight ahead toward the other end of the room, were watching him now, as was the princess, who shifted slightly in her seat.

“You’ll pardon me for misspeaking,” Celestia said softly. “Old habits die hard.”

It’s alright, it’s alright, Mareinskiy said to himself, taking a deep breath as Celestia watched Palominov with a concentrated stare. Unsurprisingly, the princess wasn’t exactly thrilled by the ambassador’s correction.  He didn’t do anything wrong. There’s nothing inherently wrong with what he said. Because it’s true. All he did was state a fact.

“I’ll ask again,” Princess Celestia said. “Why should action be taken against the Crystal Empire and not against the… Equestria Soviet Socialist Republic?” She strained to force those words out of her mouth. “It is rather obvious that your Party is no friend of the crown.”

“The Party has no quarrel with Canterlot. Its members direct their rhetoric toward the Crystal Empire.” Mareinskiy affirmed. “Throughout our history, the alienation and suffering have stemmed from the Crystal Empire alone. We harbor no ill feelings toward Canterlot, and it would be senseless if we did.”

Mareinskiy and Palominov could not say for sure whether Celestia was satisfied with that answer. She stared off again at the doors to the throne room behind them with a blank expression on her face. For an unnerved Mareinskiy, the silence was particularly grating as he stood there, waiting for Celestia’s response. He had lied right to her face. It was premeditated, of course, though in the end he hadn’t been mentally prepared for the pangs of guilt that struck him afterward. But what else could he have said? Certainly, the average Soviet citizen didn’t feel strongly one way or another when it came to Canterlot, but the Party was a different situation. How could he have admitted that half of the Party’s members had written Canterlot off entirely? It would have killed any chance they had for cooperation. And Mareinskiy was still hoping that successful collaboration with Princess Celestia would help mollify some of the Party’s hotheads in the long run. In his mind, he was moving forward on a lie that could slowly become the truth.

“Well then,” Celestia finally announced after a minute of thought, “given the peculiar circumstances and the nature of this situation, I cannot at this stage render judgment. But if you have both taken the time and effort to prepare the translations of the imperial decrees for me, then I should give them my attention. I can read through them with you in the library annex. I believe that’s a fitting decision for now. Would you agree?”

“Certainly, Your Highness,” Mareinskiy and Palominov replied together. Celestia nodded.

“The guards will escort you to the library. You can organize what you’ve brought with you, and I’ll join you in a short while.” Celestia turned to the guard at her left that had spoken earlier. “Take our guests to the annex.”

The soldier turned, saluted, and told the two ambassadors to follow him. Mareinskiy shifted the bag that rested across his back and joined Palominov, who was already a few steps ahead. The second guard followed along right behind them.

As they proceeded down the red carpet toward the door through which they had passed just a short while ago, Mareinskiy tapped his comrade on the shoulder and whispered in his ear,

“Couldn’t you have let it slide?”

“I let it slide twice,” Palominov whispered back. “Three times was too much. If she doesn't want to call it a Soviet Republic, fine. She can call it by its true name - Equusia. I refuse to hear the imperial name anymore. ”

“For a moment, I thought she was going to have us thrown out. You must realize how fragile this whole setup is, comrade.”

The brown stallion turned to Mareinskiy and smirked.

“And she needs to realize that times have changed.”