Chapters "This is incredible!"
A high pitched, feminine voice echoed through the white marble hallways of Canterlot, the excitement evident in the speaker's voice. That speaker, currently trotting along said hallways, was none other than the newly crowned Princess Twilight Sparkle, the many times savior of Equestria and former student of Princess Celestia.
The look upon her face matched the sound of her voice, the exuberance so evident that even the normally stoic guards of Canterlot castle could not help but to crack a smile. What could cause such a reaction within the young princess? Simple: the promise of new knowledge, the promise of books even she had not read. For a scholar such as herself, this was a dream come true.
Twilight thought she would explode as she came closer and closer to her destination, an ornate door made out of a fine wood-likely mahogany-guarded by a white mare in bright red armor. The abnormally colored armor distinguished the mare as a member of Princess Celestia's elite solar guard, a unit tasked with guarding the Princess and all she held dear. This included Twilight's destination: The Princess' Personal Library.
Twilight came to a stop before the mare, an action that was obviously quite difficult for her. If it was not for the likelihood of being restrained by the guard, Twilight likely would have run right through the door by now. But alas, it was necessary to wait a few moments, something Twilight would put up with.
"Your Majesty," The armor clad mare said with a bow that caused Twilight to blush a bit. Being addressed by such a formal title was still rather new to the young Princess, and somewhat uncomfortable. " I presume due to your new status that Princess Celestia has given you access to her collection, but I still require the necessary documentation for you to be allowed to enter. My dearest apologies for such an inconvenience Princess."
"O-oh no, don't worry about it!" Twilight stammered out, a nervous look upon her face. She didn't want to make anypony feel as though they were bothering her. "I completely understand! Princess Celestia told me there were some...rather sensitive artifacts in there."
Twilight quickly hoofed over the letter given to her by Celestia herself. The guard took it, examined it for a few moments, then nodded in satisfaction, returning the letter to Twilight. As Twilight's hoof made contact with the letter, the guard leveled her with a gaze of utmost seriousness, speaking in a similar tone.
"Keep this in a secure location. Every time you enter this room, I or whoever else is standing guard will ask to see this letter. If you lose it you will have to ask the Princess to draft you a new one....though considering your standing I doubt that would be hard. Regardless Do. Not. Lose. This."
Twilight was slightly frightened by how serious the guard was. She knew that the library contained some rare artifacts that couldn't be found anywhere else in Equestria, but the way the guard was acting made it seem as though some of these items were dangerous. Celestia wouldn't keep such things in the heart of Canterlot Castle, would she?
Twilight shook herself from those thoughts as she heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. The guard was holding the door to the library open for her, face a total mask of stoicism as though she did not just make that noise. With a blush and a quiet apology, Twilight cantered into the room.
~0~
'SLAM!'
Twilight jumped a bit as the door slammed shut behind her, but the irrational fear was quickly replaced with unsuppressed glee as she took in the space before her. Rows upon rows of shelves lined the walls of the room, filling a space at least three times the size of the old Golden Oaks Library and stretching up at least four stories.
Twilight nearly drooled as she took in the ancient manuscripts upon the walls, 'ooh'd and 'ahh'd at the various relics stored in glass cases throughout the room, and quietly examined the various paintings upon the few bare sections of wall that depicted various landscapes, scenes from Equestrian history, and ponies, some Twilight recognized, some she did not. All in all this library was just as amazing as she thought it would be.
"Ohh where to begin!" Twilight glanced around the room, trying to find something that caught her attention more than everything else, some jumping off point in this great room of knowledge. She was overloaded with choices, and just as she thought the decision would surely be impossible, she spotted something. A book with black binding trimmed with gold coloring was sticking just slightly out of one of the bookshelves as though someone was putting it away in a hurry.
'That must have been what Celestia read most recently. Well, it seems as good a starting point as any! ' Twilight thought with a slight smile as she gripped the book in her magic, pulling it from the shelf and towards her. Bringing it up to her muzzle, she took in the cover of the book, the same color as the binding, with the title written in gold coloring on the front.
"The Princess," Twilight read, intrigued by the name. "Is it a fairy tale? Oh no matter, at least it's something to start out with. Now is there any place to settle down in here?"
Peering around the room, Twilight spotted a little nook in one of the corners, invisible if one were looking from the entrance to the library. Within the small corner was a pillow that would be perfect to lay upon as one read.
"A bit odd it's in a corner like this," Twilight commented as she trotted over to the little reading area. She paused for a moment as she reached it, unsure if it was okay to lay upon Celestia's pillow like this, before shaking her head and chuckling. "I'm sure she'll be fine with it....I hope."
As she laid upon the pillow all of Twilight's anxieties melted away. The pillow was as soft as a cloud, absolutely incredible to lay upon, and Twilight likely would have fallen asleep if she had been in any other situation. But this wasn't any other situation. She had reading to do.
Finally settled in, Twilight opened the book.
~0~
For The Princess
It is with unimaginable glee I, Heavy Crown, present this to you dear Princess. Some ponies pay tribute to one as great as you with gifts of jewels, gold, or any other manner of valuable things they believe will earn them your favor. But as I am not in a position to gift you with such things, I must settle with what I can give: knowledge. Knowledge, in my opinion, is more valuable than any material good, though I am sure this would be debated. And although I feel that it is foolish to present a being as wise and long lived as you with knowledge I am certain pales in comparison to your own, I am also certain you may find some use in this manuscript, perhaps in the training of diplomats or the such.
The knowledge I seek to impart pertains to a subject many ponies are familiar with although they do not realize it. It effects them every day of their lives whether they consent or not. That subject is power.
All governments, no matter how sophisticated or primitive, are ruled by some degree of power, and with this thought in mind it is perhaps wise to instruct rulers on the subject of power so they may strive to be as effective as possible in their position.
And so, with my knowledge of events both ancient and contemporary as my guide, I write this manuscript as a treatise on the various forms of power, the failings a ruler can commit, and, as mentioned before, on how to be an effective ruler.
~0~
"That was...unexpected" Twilight stated as she finished the foreword. A contemplative look was upon her face as she thought of the content. "A book on power and proper ruling. I've never seen such a thing before, though I suppose most ponies don’t have much need for it. But right now, " Twilight looked over her withers at her wings, a reminder of her new status as Princess. "I can't think of any book more applicative to my current situation."
Author's Note
Apologies for the rather short paragraphs, they should become more substantial as this story continues. The content of the titular book will also be a bit more lengthy in subsequent chapters as well. Questions, comments, or concerns? Feel free to voice them.
Turning back to the book Twilight decided to continue reading. After all, she had plenty of time before she was expected to dine with the Princesses. Maybe enough to squeeze in one or two more chapters if she was lucky.
Twilight was pulled out of these thoughts as her eyes glimpsed the title of the next chapter, a title that caused her eyebrows to furrow in confusion and an odd feeling of anxiety to tug at her mind.
"On...Brutality?" Twilight muttered the title to herself. Suddenly, her eyes widened and a wide smile erupted on her face. "Oh, of course! It's probably about how rulers should always be kind and caring! I don't know what I was thinking before."
It was with this new understanding that Twilight began the misunderstood chapter.
~0~
Your glorious majesty Princess Celestia, you rule over us with a kind and caring nature unmatched by any other sovereign. When Equestrians call you 'the mother of the kingdom', they mean this with the utmost reverence and respect. You are truly the greatest ruler in the history of ponykind.
But this kindness has convinced the minds of our people, even those of the highest intellectuals, that a kind ruler is the only ruler that can truly be effective. This is, of course, not true even in the slightest. And so, to demonstrate this, I will begin this treatise by writing of the first thing most of our minds would produce if the subject of power was introduced: sheer, physical power, the kind possessed by the Earth ponies and the various wild beasts of Equestria. Some would think this power has no place in a kingdom, that any ruler so brutal would surely be ineffective and disposed of almost immediately.
This is incorrect.
To see this we may simply look at the dragons, the beastly race that many of us fear. Although many ponies view them as primitive savages with no order or hierarchy, the dragons do, in fact, recognize a sovereign in the form of the Dragon Lord. The Dragon Lord holds the same power as any ruler, with the ability to legislate, judge his subjects, and execute his will. And in this sense, the dragons will make a perfect study for the concept of a brutal ruler.
It was 400 years ago when the great Dragon Lord Bahamut took power. In those days one earned the title of Dragon Lord by defeating the current holder of the title, forcing them to submit in a trial by combat. Bahamut challenged the old Dragon Lord Kingu and, by defeating him, took the title for himself.
Bahamut, then, had quite the advantageous position, for the one who secures a rulership by their own merits and abilities will find it is rather easy to retain. By proving himself more powerful than Kingu, Bahamut displayed to the rest of dragonkind his strength and ability, and so they were ready to submit to him.
But naturally there will always be those who challenge in such a society. But Bahamut, understanding the role of brutality in his reign, grievously injured any who would dare attempt to take his title. In doing this he accomplished two things. The first is that, by maiming the challengers, he made certain they would never fight again. The second is that, by showing his brutality, Bahamut struck fear and self-doubt into any dragon who had even the slightest thought of becoming Dragon Lord. And in this sense, Bahamut remained lord of the dragons until very recently.
But it is not merely the dragons who operated like this. Perhaps it would be wise to include an example much more applicative to ponykind.
The ancient Pegasus city of Strata was presided over by the Equestrian hero Commander Hurricane, the very commander we all celebrate during our Hearth's Warming celebrations. But the commander was not simply a somewhat brash and rude pony as many of the tales depict. She was a brutal military commander who ensured control over Strata by sheer force if necessary.
The Commander rose through the ranks of the Stratan military by showing her effectiveness in combat, leading many successful campaigns in the early conflicts against the Unicorns and Earth ponies. Upon gaining the highest military rank in Strata, Hurricane turned this brutality against her own. She dissolved the Gerousia, the council of Pegasi over age 60 that held the legislative power of Strata, thereby making herself the chief power in the city. Any dissidents were either quickly quashed by her troops or defeated in personal combat. Like Bahamut, she secured her power through example, planting the seeds of fear and doubt in any Pegasi who thought of challenging her.
There is but one issue with a kingdom ruled through brutality: the weakness of the ruler. While it is true that these rulers are initially quite strong and able, that curse we call aging effects us all.
In recent times Bahamut was defeated at the hands of the dragon Marduk. At nearly 500 years old, Bahamut had become weaker, his scales shedding and his claws dulling. And his children, spoiled by the successes of their father, were in no position to challenge the new Dragon Lord. And so the dynasty of Bahamut fell.
Commander Hurricane met a similar fate at the hands of the young Hoplite Spear. Hoplite Spear, like Commander Hurricane many years before him, had advanced through the military of Strata by showing his prowess in battle. He eventually became the second in command to the great Hurricane, but this did not sit well with him. He craved more power and so challenged Hurricane for her position. Commander Hurricane, mane greying and joints aching from the ravages of age, fell easily to the spear of Hoplite, and so the dictatorship under her fell.
Brutality is, for a while, an effective way to rule, as it is better to be feared than loved if you cannot be both. But these rulers, so drunk on their victories of bygone years, fail to secure their positions by other means, and so will eventually be brought down by one who, like them, uses brutality and opportunity to seize power.
Let ponies not confuse brutality for cruelty, which I have wisely decided to depict in the next chapter
~0~
Twilight's eyes were so wide that if any other pony was there they would've said you could serve dinner on them. to say Twilight was shocked would be an understatement. Rather, Twilight had been electrocuted, the equivalent of an entire thunderstorm's worth of energy running through her body. Or so it seemed.
"How...How could any sane pony write this?" Twilight stared down at the book in absolute horror. Her lips started to tremble and her eyes filled with tears as she couldn't stop thinking about the chapter. "He...he makes it seem alright to kill and oppress. "
As tears slid down her face, Twilight only had one question.
"Why would the Princess have this?"
Author's Note
Hope I didn't overdo it with Twilight's reaction. I just figured that in a society as peaceful as Equestria's it would be rather disturbing to advocate for maiming or killing anyone who doesn't agree with the ruler. Maybe the tears were a bit much though......
Dinner With The Princesses
Twilight cried over the contents of the infernal book, quite possibly the only time she had ever done so in her entire life. The pony who prided herself on relentlessly pursuing knowledge no matter the cost found herself wanting nothing more to do with the manuscript currently splayed on the ground in front of her, having been dropped due to Twilight not wanting to taint her magic with that evil.
It seemed like ages before her tears began to subside, yet she still glared at the book as though it was the greatest villain she had ever faced. She found herself wanting to burn it to a crisp, to wipe it off the face of Equus so nopony would ever read it again, but she knew she couldn't. Whether or not she liked it, it was the Princess' book. But that raised a question: why? Why would the kind and caring Princess Celestia have such a manuscript, even if it was dedicated to her? If somepony ever gave something like that to Twilight, dedicated to her or not, she'd throw it out.
"Well,"Twilight began, looking out the window and taking in the relative position of the sun, "It's about time for my dinner with the Princesses. I'll ask Celestia about it."
As Twilight rose from the pillow she'd been reading on, she cast another disgusted glance at the book. As much as she didn't want to touch it, either physically or with her magic, she knew she couldn't just leave it there. That would be rather rude, an insult to the Princess who had so graciously granted her access to this library. So, with no small amount of trepidation, Twilight took the book within her magical grasp and quickly reshelved it in its proper place across the room. With one final look of disgust, she made her way over to the door, pushing it open with her magic.
She passed by the guard from before, who gave her a curt nod as the door slammed shut behind them. With her hoofsteps echoing throughout the marble hallways of Canterlot Castle, Twilight made her way to the Royal Dining Room.
~0~
The Royal Dining Room, contrary to popular belief, did not have servants stationed around it ready to fulfill the Princesses' every demand. It was a private place, meant only for the closest of friends or family members, where the royals could relax, unwind, and just be themselves.
"Oh, and do you remember when cousin Nova made that star explode? Her mother was so angry!" Twilight heard Luna exclaim as she pushed open the door to the dining room. The two other princesses were already there, feasting on a meal of the finest salads, sandwiches, and, Luna's personal favorite, hayfries. The two were sans regalia, a sight Twilight found herself still trying to get used to.
"Ahh, Twilight Sparkle! Join us as we recount stories of our family!" Luna seemed quite excited as she gesticulated wildly to go along with her statement.
"Oh my," As much as Twilight would love to hear about Luna and Celestia's family (a subject she most certainly would never find in any Equestrian history book) there was only one thing on her mind currently. "Maybe later, Luna. I have something else on my mind right now."
"How out of character for you Twilight" Celestia commented, "what could be on your mind that would cause disinterest in such esoteric knowledge?"
Twilight felt a lump form in her throat as she faced her mentor. She wasn't afraid of Celestia, it was just.....anxiety. "Well, Princess, it's just....I was in your library and I found a book-"
"Which are oft found in libraries. Haha!" Luna's laughs trailed off as the other two Alicorns gave her odd looks. "I was making an attempt at a joke. One of my guards accidentally let slip the other day that I appeared to have no sense of humor. I strive to prove him wrong!"
"Uhm, okay." Twilight turned back to Celestia. "Anyway, I found a book called The Princess by somepony named Heavy Crown. I read some of it and, I'm sorry if this comes off as disrespectful, but why would you have such a thing? That book is evil!"
Twilight watched as her mentor closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The purple Alicorn glanced over at Luna, who was looking between the two of them with interest, before settling her gaze back on Celestia. For a few moments the alabaster Alicorn sat there, eyes closed and appearing deep in thought, before speaking, "I take it you read the first chapter, Twilight?"
Twilight gave a nod. "The one titled 'On Brutality' where Heavy Crown...he...he advocates killing and oppression."
Twilight thought she heard Luna mutter something along the lines of 'just like the old days', but she chose to believe she was just hearing things.
"And I see you likely read only the first chapter."
"W-well," Twilight faltered a bit. It sounded kind of ridiculous when one put it like that, but the evil that came from that book surely justified her decision, "that book doesn't deserve to be read!"
Twilight was shocked when Celestia began.....to laugh? Her mentor seemed to be in a fit of hysterics, giggling uncontrollably and gasping for breath. After a few moments, the Princess calmed down and wiped a tear from her eyes before speaking, "My, I never thought I would live to see the day that you, Twilight Sparkle, would say such a thing. Let me ask you Twilight, what did it say in the foreword about the purpose of the piece?"
Twilight's mind was still in shock that her mentor would laugh over something like this, but she quickly pulled herself together and thought over Celestia's question. "I believe the purpose was stated to be to provide a treatise on how to rule effectively."
"Exactly," Celestia responded, "and effectiveness and morality are not always linked. Just because something isn't necessarily moral does not mean it is not effective and vice versa. You will find, Twilight, that Heavy Crown is not looking at these issues from a moral sense. Rather, he is viewing them objectively, their pros and cons weighed. He is not, as you say, advocating for brutality and oppression, he is simply saying it worked for Bahamut and Commander Hurricane. I suggest, though you may find this suggestion despicable, that you continue reading."
"I-I do find that suggestion despicable, but" Twilight paused for a moment and sighed before continuing, "I trust you Princess."
"I'm glad to hear it."
"Now enough of this, it is time to feast!" Luna exclaimed, levitating a bowl of salad in front of Twilight. Celestia chuckled at her sister's antics.
"You could've been eating this entire time, Luna."
"Yes, but the drama was too enjoyable!"
"Perhaps," Celestia began as she levitated a few daffodil sandwiches onto her plate, "you'd like to hear about Heavy Crown, Twilight? Knowing the author may give you insight on the work."
"I suppose that would be alright," Twilight said as she dug into the salad Luna had given her.
"Heavy Crown, he lived at such an interesting time in Equestrian history." Celestia had a far away look in her eyes as she spoke. "In the years after Luna's banishment Equestria entered something of a dark age. It seemed as though the number of learned ponies was decreasing, the nobles were rowdy and constantly fighting one and other, and there seemed to be no creative spirit. I suppose that was bound to happen after the disappearance of one ruler and the destruction of the former capitol."
"Aye, I apologize for that."
"No need, Luna. Nopony was hurt. " Celestia comforted her sister before getting back to her story. "Anyway, about 500 years ago, there was an awakening. Ponies were rediscovering the knowledge of the ancients and it led them to once again innovate. Art, science, architecture, it was truly wonderous! And it was during this time that Heavy Crown was born.
'He was the eldest son of a prominent noble family who was particularly interested in the ancient knowledge. He dedicated his entire life to studying it, even becoming a Professor in History and Philosophy at my School for Gifted Unicorns, which was still quite young at the time.
"Unfortunately, Crown's disinterest in typical noble activities, which mainly consisted of partying and jousting matches, alienated him from the other prominent families. It didn't help when, at one point, he began to campaign for a public education system."
"Something you surely helped him with, right Princess?" Twilight asked with a smile, already sure of the answer.
Celestia's silence discouraged her, as well as the look on her fellow Alicorn's face. "Well, it was a different time then Twilight, and the nobles had much more of a say in how Equestria was ruled than they do today. The fact is, noble ponies didn't want a public education system. I believe they feared an educated public would rise against them, and so Heavy Crown became a pariah. Despite my wishes, he was exiled to an area outside of modern day Manehatten. It was for that reason he wrote the treatise you read today, so as to get in my favor with the hopes that by doing so I would reverse the nobles' decision on him.
"But it perhaps didn't work the way he wanted. There was little I could do at the time. Years later I managed to reinstate him and his family as minor nobles in Canterlot, but by then the poor stallion was already aged and died soon after. He lived half his life in exile."
"Wow," Twilight exclaimed, mulling over what her mentor had said, "it seems as though we owe quite a bit to Heavy Crown."
"Indeed," Celestia agreed as she took a sip of cider, "though I will not say the stallion was perfect. I specifically remember he bucked the face of one of Fancy Pants' ancestors, Sans Coulettes, during an argument. But nopony is without flaw."
Twilight winced a bit at the violence, though she could agree with Celestia's statement. "Though, Princess, I must ask, what became of the family?"
"Oh, they became a line of distinguished scholars. There may even be a few alive today."
"Really? Do you know their names?" Twilight asked.
"Hmm, not from memory. I may have to look them up in the Records Department."
Twilight nodded, before turning to speak to Luna. "You've been oddly quiet this entire.....time?"
It was then that Twilight caught sight of Luna stuffing her mouth as full as possible with hayfries, which garnered a laugh from Celestia.
"Luna, chew your food."
"Mhmmhmm mhmhmm"
Author's Note
I thought for a moment of having Luna be the absolutely prim, proper, stick to decorum type character that some authors characterize her as. Then this happened.
Feel free to comment, question, or criticize down below.
