History In the Making

I fear I may have taken the Princess' claim of drastic measures too lightly. While I am sure she means nothing by it, the words continue to pound in the back of my head over the last days. What could she possibly mean by them?

Today is the day of the grand meeting. The day when, despite our differences, Ponykind will join together to ensure our survival. Pegasi, Earth-ponies, and Unicorn will hear from all sides and take care of the problems we face. I am sure that peace will reign in the tribes again, even if friendship is beyond our reach.

I can only hope that things do not get any worse for Ponykind as it is.

Clover paced across the floor of her visiting room, constantly looking out the window as she passed one by. In the two weeks that had passed, the news of the meeting had gotten out, and Unicorns across the land were hoping that it was a prelude to the end of this perilous winter. All the cream colored mare could hope for was that she hadn't started total war among the tribes.

The unicorn quickly shook the thought out of her head before speaking to herself, "No, Clover. You cannot let yourself think that way. Things will be just fine, we will work with the Pegasi to help stop the snow, the Earth-ponies will be able to grow food again, and everything will be back to what it once was."

The mare wished for the thousandth time that she had gone with Princess Platinum. She had wanted to go, to help moderate when the three leaders would obviously get hot-headed. The Princess, however, insisted she stay.

Levitating what little food she had left in her pantry, a mere two slices of bread, Clover flapped them together as she mocked her leaders voice. "What kind of leader would take another to a meeting between only them? I will not show weakness to these brutes, and I will not be embarrassed by them."

The cream colored mare nearly flew into the rafters as the doors slammed open behind her. She turned woodenly towards her new guest, already knowing it was the only unicorn who comes to see her that makes her want to check the hinges on her doors for damage. "Your highness, please, come in. You absolutely must tell me how the meeting went."

The Princess paid no mind to her subject as she stomped across the room, heading for the cushions that lay behind Clover. Straining her ears, the scholar could swear that Platinum was muttering things like "Brutes" and "Savages" under her breath. The unicorns leader paused for a moment as she came to the floating slices of bread before devouring them in one bite and moving to sit on one of the cushions.

"I... guess things didn't quite go to plan?" Clover asked as she silently mourned her last slices of bread. She was hoping to sneak one of the few tomatoes from the rations brought by the Earth-ponies the other day and give them a proper send-off. The end of the day looks to be full of disappointments on this occasion.

"Go to plan?" The Princess scoffed, "Not only did things not go right, but that filthy Earth-pony Chancellor had the gall to say that she would be cutting off all food supplies being sent to the other kingdoms. And I won't even mention what that brutish Commander Hurricane implied by his words."

"What did he say?" Clover asked wide eyed, barely listening as she took in the statement. No more food meant that the previous drop would be the last. From what she had seen of the delivery, it would last maybe a month if rationed properly. That definitely was not enough to get through the winter.

"That- that MULE of a pony had the impudence to call me- ME- a nag." The Princess swooned, as though even uttering the word made her faint. The cream mare rolled her eyes before she spoke again.

"This makes no sense, your Highness. The three of you were supposed to make peace at this conference, not break further apart. We were all supposed to listen to reason today." Clover breathed deeply as she spoke, not sure why her heart was beating so fast. Was this what some Unicorns called a panic attack? She sure felt like she was panicking.

"Some ponies just won't listen to reason."

Clover knelt down in front of the Princess' cushion and grabbed onto her hoof with her own. "Please, think Princess. Was there anything you said, anything anyone said, that could explain where things went wrong?"

Princess Platinum pulled her hoof out of her advisors grip and brought it up to her chin. Thinking back, she tried to remember the conference as best as she could.

After leaving her advisor, the white coated mare gracefully walked her way to building that was set aside for this day. As she trotted along the cobbled path to the building, birds flew down to the sides of her path and began to sing songs about her beauty. Their loving lilts on her short-but-luscious golden mane had almost made the carriage breaking it's axel the other day worth it.

When she arrived at the building, though it was more of a shack really, the doors flung open to her presence and the room inside grew brighter from her magnificence. Both of the ponies who were waiting inside were awed by her stunning form and her elegance as she walked. Her gem-encrusted crown cutie mark shined and she was sure that there was no beauty that could compare to hers.

As she set herself down at her designated spot at the table, her dainty muzzle wrinkled ever so slightly at the stench that surrounded her. There truly were no words that could define such an odor as what filled the room. Looking at the other two sitting at the table, her heart filled with pity at what she saw.

Sitting at her side, and with the most permeating smell, sat a light pink pony with a brown mane. The mare was wearing what could only be described as a potato sack covering her body with holes cut out of it for her legs. When she spoke, it had the effect of shattering glass around her buck-teeth. "Well, shoot, ain't ye a purty pony."

Across from her sat what she swore could be a pony pulled from time about five hundred years ago. The muscled creature featured a grey coat, his black mane sticking up in a Mohawk with a single white streak reaching from the front to the back. His cutiemark of a couple of clouds twisting together was bisected by the loincloth that fit around his flank as the only clothes he wore. At the other ponies comment, he merely fluffed up his wings a few times and grunted.

Platinum struggled for a second, but was able to keep a straight face. It would truly be improper for a lady to seem put off by her guests. Though it would be difficult, she was Princess Platinum, and no task could be too great for her. The white mare painted a smile on her face before nodding to the two in front of her. "Why thank you darlings, but I am hardly the reason why we all are here."

The two ponies nodded in agreement before she spoke again, "Now, the three of us may all have our differences, but we must put those aside for the greater need. Our people are suffering and need our help. This may be the only chance we have to find what the problem is, so we absolutely must think clearly on what needs to be done."

The two nodded once again before the pegasus grunted once. "Pegasi need food. Earth-pony no give food. Snow no stop if no food."

"Now hold a kernel on th' korn there, fella." The pink mare stomped her hooves on the table as she spoke. "Ah can't just gib ya'll food jus' ta' stop tha snow. It's not like it jus' grows outta da ground now, is it?"

The brute of a neanderpony stomped his hooves against the table. "Small pony no give food. Me crush small pony." With that said, the Commander shot himself at the country pony. Dust started getting kicked up, and some almost fell on the Princess' royal coat before she decided to intervene.

To stop the two from fighting, the Princess dove in to the mix and pulled them apart. Holding them apart with her great strength, the royal Unicorn tried to talk some sense into her fellow ponies. "Both of you, please stop! Fighting is getting us nowhere, and our people do not have much more time."

The Earth-pony and Pegasus stopped struggling at her words and merely stared at her. She had thought they were overcome with joy that someone had thought of their people before Commander Hurricane spoke.

"Pretty pony no want fight? Me blame pretty pony for mess! Me call pretty pony bad names like Nag!"

The Princess could only gasp at such accusations being thrown her way. When Chancellor Puddinghead spoke, things only became worse.

"Well butter my biscuit. If he's blamin' ya, then ah guess ah will two. An if you don' stop the snow all yerself by tomorrow, we isn't given ya no more food."

Platinum nearly fainted out of fear that the Earth-pony was serious. "But my people are starving! Please, if we do not work together to end this snow, I am not sure any of us will make it to the spring."

"Well, ya shoulda though' of that before gettin blamed for stuff."

With those final words, the two ruffians left the room before getting into a loud fight outside the building. Left to herself, the beautiful, radiant Unicorn Princess lamented on her poor fate. "Oh what have I done to deserve such-"

"Okay, that is enough. I understand what happened now." Clover gave her boss a sideways glance as the white mare repositioned herself from her dramatic pose.

"Aww, but I wasn't finished yet." The Princess pouted as her advisor brought a leg up to rest over her eyes. She knew that it would be difficult to have the tribes agree to anything, but she hadn't realized it would be this impossible. There must be something that could be done to make them help each other. Short of dying, that is.

"Maybe if we tried talking to them again-"

"Impossible!" Platinum stood from her cushion and looked Clover directly in the eye. "I am a Princess. I refuse to be humiliated by such despicable ponies a second time." She stomped her hoof once against the ground.

"But Princess, we cannot just-"

"That is enough, Clover!" Her declaration was shouted along with another stomp of her hoof. "As you are my friend, I value your advice, but associating with such rabble will get us nowhere. I have tried it your way, and as it has failed, it is now time to do it mine."

With the words still ringing in the hall, the blonde manned mare stomped out of the room. Clover sighed with relief before the Princess' head poked back in past the door. "You should probably pack." The head then disappeared again, leaving only confusion in its wake.

"What?" Clover asked aloud before trotting up to the door. "Wait! Princess! What do you mean by that?"