As midafternoon rolled around Twilight was still sitting at her desk, leaning on one hoof and absentmindedly turning the pages of Gratius Magnus’ legacy. Forgetting the speed of her own reading, she was almost surprised when her eyes caught the book’s end, where the text cut off mid page and transitioned to plain white paper. She shut it, stuck it in a desk drawer, and spent a moment ruminating on the words. A knock at her office door startled her from her stupor.

“Hey, Twilight, I’ve got some letters for you.” It was Spike.

“Come on in.” She opened the door with her magic, and her assistant entered carrying an assortment of envelopes and scrolls. He hopped up onto one of the two chairs facing her and deposited the messages onto her desk.

“From the parties, like you were expecting.” He said.

“Perfect. Could you run and get Starlight for me? We should all have a look at these.”

“Yeah, sure.” Spike exited the room.

While he was gone Twilight carefully slit the seals of each of the letters and read over them. They were all quite unique, and she was willing to bet they represented their authors well. Not as good a measure as meeting the party leaders in person would be, but definitely a place to start. Grassroots’ letter was fairly simple, just plain black ink on thick cream paper that looked like it was her official stationary. There was a winged torch, the EDU crest, embossed as a watermark in the top right corner. The motto of the party was underneath it in small text; “Freedom comes to those who seek it.” Grassroots’ name was embossed on the left of the header, next to an image of a sunflower. The EDU’s leader expressed her gratitude at the government’s willingness to consider change, and praised the Transitional Council for taking on such a difficult responsibility. Her words seemed warm, very friendly and open, and she expressed an earnest desire for reason, patience, and cooperation. She addressed Twilight individually and personally, taking a step back from the expected formalities and almost extending a hoof in friendship, hoping they would be able to meet and get to know one another before the committee began its work. Lastly, there was a short postscript; “For you. A token of my appreciation.” Pinned next to it, at the bottom of the letter, was a small tri-color cockade made from pressed flowers. Cute, Twilight thought. Maybe not something she could wear in any official capacity, but cute. Twilight put it aside on her desk for later and turned to the letter from Legacy.

This one was more formal, more prim and proper, with a distinct royal flair. It was written on party stationery similar to the EDU’s; the crest, printed large on the left side of the header, was a sun with a crescent moon layered over and inside the right of its circumference, surrounded by branches of oak, ash, and thorn entwined in a tight ring. The motto to the right of it read “Defending the right to rule.” In contrast with Grassroots, Legacy’s words were honey-coated, overly formal and laced with flattery. He spoke kindly and well, but Twilight sensed no genuine feeling behind them. This was a pony who knew the game of politics inside and out, and played it like a natural. He held nothing back in his praises of her and the other Princesses, nor in the scathing jabs and accusations of treason and sedition he directed at the Reformists. His party was concerned, it seemed, at even just her willingness to work with the others; nevertheless, he said, they had faith in her. Some faith, she thought with a chuckle, if they still felt they had to watch her and dog her steps. Maybe it wasn't her they distrusted but the rest of her government. Her friends weren't steadfast, dyed-in-the-wool monarchists, she knew that; many of them had their own sympathies and doubts, but she at least trusted them. They would be true to her, they had to be, she couldn't even comprehend any other possibility. The parties could put their faith where they liked, but she would place hers with her friends.

The third letter was from Starry Plough. Twilight had gone into this process with few expectations, and yet in some intangible way the letter was something less than she had been anticipating. Maybe it was the AFL’s reputation, but she’d been expecting something a little more intimidating from the Red Menace; something with lots of stars, hammers, and sickles on it, perhaps written in red ink or accompanying a package with a businesspony’s severed hoof in it. It wasn’t even on stationary, just plain parchment. Many ponies called the AFL traitors, terrorists even, but the letter in front of her had energy closer to a beleaguered office worker than an existential threat to the Equestrian way of life. The writing was poor, barely legible in some places, and with a not inconsiderable number of misspellings and other assorted errors. It was clearly written by a pony without the benefits of formal education and who was, quite possibly, holding the pen in their mouth; evidently Starry Plough was too proud to have somepony transcribe his letters for him. No amount of surface clumsiness really mattered though, it was the content that was important. Starry tread an intriguing line. He expressed the same desire for cooperation as Grassroots, but backed it with the same militant attitude that underlined Legacy’s letter. He had very strong opinions, a lot of anger at a system he saw as unjust, and he was willing to fight against that injustice with all of his energy and strength. The thing that struck her most, though it may seem quite small, was that he addressed her only as Interim President and made no mention of her royal title as the previous two had. There was something in that, a strong mental commitment to change. Starry would either be a powerful ally or a determined enemy; there would be no in between. He’d signed the letter “In Solidarity,” next to a little doodle of two stars, one with six points and one with five. She put the parchment aside.

The fourth letter was not marked with a party seal but with a personal one, depicting a cactus. It was from somepony named Sprout, a landholder and farmer out in one of Equestria’s far off colonies, who said he spoke on behalf of the ‘Frontier Party.’ Like Starry, he seemed a bit lacking in education compared to the other party leaders, but he had also clearly dictated the letter rather than writing it himself. It was the shortest so far, very plainspoken, no frills or pleasantries like the others. Just a simple personal introduction, followed by a statement of the FP’s nature, purpose, and goals; a party, in Sprout’s words, to speak for the colonies and advocate measures to their benefit. It’s primary focuses seemed to be lower taxes and further expansion which, Twilight thought, didn’t exactly seem relevant to a constitutional debate. She wasn’t about to turn a party away though, they might still have some useful ideas.

The next one initially caught her eye just by its envelope, which had been dusted with what looked like fine-grain purple glitter. The seal had no personal or party imagery, instead being imprinted with the symbol of the Las Pegasus municipal post office, but whoever had sent this was important enough to have their own stamps; she’d never seen any like these before. The letter was, oddly enough, from a Thestral. Twilight had met a few in her time, but none she was very close to or knew particularly well. The Batponies, as most others called them, had always tended to keep to the fringes of Equestrian society, but this one, who introduced herself as Cold Open and represented the Party for Thestral Rights, seemed intent on changing that. There were no demands or grand statements in the letter, just a general wish for greater integration of Thestrals into Equestria, which Cold hinted could perhaps be included in the constitution. She finished it by wishing Twilight well and expressing high hopes for their work together. Cold Open… why did that name seem familiar? Twilight made a mental note to bring it up when Spike got back with Starlight.

The last letter, the one she was most anticipating, she’d saved on purpose. The seal was an image of the Crystal Heart, which meant only one possible sender. Though the message was certainly for business, Cadance did not address Twilight as a royal or a leader, but as family. She asked how her sister-in-law was doing, how Twilight was taking to her new role, how Canterlot had changed in the few years she'd spent in the far north, and so on, while updating Twilight on all that had been going on with their family in the Empire and giving her all the information on little Flurry Heart a loving aunt could ever want. Cadance kept the official business portion short, but thanks to Raven Inkwell there wasn’t much there that Twilight didn’t already know. Some of the talk of an “Equestrian Empire'' spanning the continent had made it all the way up north and was making the Crystal Ponies antsy, so Cadance wanted Shining Armor on the constitutional committee as some kind of observer. In an effort to stop any possible complaints from the other parties, she’d set up the Crystal Party with its headquarters in the Empire; granted, she and Shining Armor were its only members, but that was something to be conveniently ignored. Twilight didn’t see anything wrong with the Crystal Empire having a face at the negotiations, especially if it meant she got to see her brother again. Spike returned with the Vice President in tow as Twilight finished reading the letter from Cadance.

“Afternoon, Twilight.” Starlight said as she sat in the other chair, next to Spike, “The parties work fast, don’t they?”

“Sure do. There’s a few more than we were expecting.”

“Oh?” Starlight looked at the pile of opened letters on the desk. “Who all wants in?”

“Well, there’s the big three, of course.” Twilight shifted three of the letters aside, “Then two of these are from smaller organizations that have mostly gone under the radar: the Frontier Party, which claims to represent Equestria’s outer provinces and colonies, and the Party for Thestral Rights.”

“Thestral rights? What’s a Thestral?” Spike scratched his head.

“Can’t say I’m familiar either, though it is ringing some kind of bell.” Starlight said.

“Not many ponies actually use that name for them,” Twilight said, “You’ve probably even met one and just not realized it. You know Batponies, right?”

“Oh yeah, like the ones who serve as Princess Luna’s guards!” Spike said.

“Right,” Starlight began to recall her classes on Equestrian history, “The Fourth Tribe. Didn’t they side with Nightmare Moon a thousand years ago?”

“There isn’t actually any substantive evidence to prove that.” Twilight said, “Hasn’t stopped most ponies from believing it though. That rumor and the mistrust it’s caused have kept Thestrals separated from the rest of Equestrian society for centuries.”

“I think I can guess what the PTR wants then.” Starlight said, “Some kind of integration encoded in the constitution, right? Maybe an official government or royal statement that the rumor about them and Nightmare Moon is false?”

“Probably something along those lines, but they don’t really go into specifics in the letter. I imagine they’ll want to test the waters first before making any kind of demands.”

“Who’s their leader?”

“A Thestral named,” Twilight looked back at the bottom of the parchment, “Cold Open.”

“The comedian?” Spike said.

“Huh?”

“There’s a Thestral comedian named Cold Open. I’ve seen her before, she usually performs in Las Pegasus. She’s really good.”

“So that’s why the name sounded familiar… How the hell did a Las Pegasus comedian end up leading the Thestral rights movement?”

“Rallying behind a famous figure is a common tactic for marginalized groups.” Starlight said, “Having a group member break into mainstream culture as a recognizable and familiar figure can be a good step towards full acceptance, especially if the discrimination comes from fear or suspicion. A friendly leading personality like Cold can help break the ice and reduce tensions.”

“Well I’m excited to meet her.” Twilight said, “It’ll be nice to have somepony else on the committee who isn’t a career politician.”

“What about the Frontier Party, what’s their deal?” Starlight picked up the other letter from the desk.

“They seem like a loose coalition of settlers from the outer colonies down south, near Buffalo and Dragon territory, led by a pony named Sprout. Mostly local landowners from the sound of it, wanting lower taxes and more colonial expansion.”

“Doesn’t sound like the kind of thing that belongs in a constitution.”

“I had the same thought.” Twilight chewed the end of a quill, “Maybe they just want to get their name out by having a seat at the table. Y’know, drum up some support, make ponies feel like they’ve got some influence. Regardless, they can attend and make themselves heard. We won’t turn anypony away.” The other two nodded in agreement.

“And the last letter?” Spike pointed to the remaining scroll, “Don’t think I didn’t notice the crest on the seal.”

“Yeah, it’s from Princess Cadance. She’s formed her own party to represent the interests of the Empire, and she wants my brother to be its face at the negotiations.”

“The Empire’s an independent state,” Starlight said, “What would they want with our constitution?”

“I think they’re afraid.” Twilight said, “I was talking to Raven Inkwell earlier, Celestia’s secretary, and she told me she’s been hearing rumors that some ponies want Equestria flexing its muscles more on the international stage. Evidently those same rumors made their way to our northern kin. The ‘Crystal Empire’ might have a grand sound to it, but they’re little more than a city-state; we have a lot of influence over them.”

“An Equestrian Empire; I guess it does have a ring to it. They must think the imperialist politicians will try to get territorial claims included in the constitution,” Starlight folded her forelegs and leaned back in her chair, “Or a clause about how Crystal Ponies are a ‘Fifth Tribe’ and should rightfully be part of Equestria, something along those lines.”

“Exactly. I do think we have a lot in common with the Crystal Ponies, and that we’d both benefit from them joining us, but they’re still adjusting to the Empire’s return. This isn’t the time to push for unification, and we definitely shouldn’t force it on them. If they want to join us in the future, they’ll ask.”

“At least we’ll get to see Shining Armor again!” Spike’s face lit up.

“Yeah, it’ll be a bit of relief.” Twilight smiled, “I miss him a lot.”

“Me too, I’ll have to plan some stuff for us three to do.”

“I think a bit of diversion will be good for all of you.” Starlight said, “I’m sure we’ll be very tired of politics sooner than later.”

“I’m expecting the same.” Twilight sighed, “Anyway, if you two could draft a letter to each of the parties accepting their requests to participate in the constitutional committee that would be excellent, and ask each of their leaders to meet with me before the negotiations start. I’d like to get a measure of who we’ll be dealing with. I’ll respond to Cadance’s letter personally, so don’t worry about that one.” Spike and Starlight nodded their assent and left to start their work.

Barring writing her letter to Cadance, which took almost no time, the next couple hours were interminably boring. With the transitional government still getting up on its hooves and her friends still getting to know their ministries, there was little for Twilight to do at the moment as Interim President. That wouldn’t last for much longer, after the introductory situation reports tomorrow the real work would begin at a feverish pace, but for now the position felt quite useless. Growing tired of tapping her hooves on her desk, she glanced at the clock and saw it was drawing close to evening. It could be her last free and quiet evening for some time. Her thoughts wandered to her parents; she saw them now and then, but it’d been a long time since she’d actually been home, been in that house, felt the warmth and the love and all the memories that lingered there. She should go now, while there was still time, and take Spike with her too. With a sudden start, she left her desk and trotted into Spike’s office, just in time to see him send off a roll of parchment with a puff of smoke and green flame.

“Hey.” He said, “Slow day, huh?”

“Yeah, tell me about it. Probably the last one like this for awhile though. You and Starlight get those letters done?”

“Yep! Just sent the last one off. Do you have Cadance’s?”

“Mhm.” Twilight passed the letter to her assistant, who immediately sent it as well, “I was thinking of going to see the parents tonight, y’know, spend some quality time with them before things get busy. Wanna come?”

“Of course! You know I can’t get enough of your parents, and their cooking.” He licked his lips.

“I know.” Twilight laughed, “Come on, let’s go.” Spike hopped onto Twilight’s back and they stepped out into the hall, just as Starlight was closing up her office. The Vice President turned to face them as she shut her door behind her.

“I never thought I’d get tired of having almost no work to do.” She said with a wry smile, “Where are you off to?”

“Just going to visit my parents.” Twilight said.

“Aw, sweet. Have fun, I’ll see you tomorrow at the situation meetings.”

“Thanks, have a good night, Starlight.” They went their separate ways, Starlight disappearing into the South Tower while Twilight and Spike headed for the castle gates.

Canterlot’s streets had grown quiet and largely empty as the sun started to sink down in the sky. Twilight walked down the street with Spike on her back, making idle conversation, listening to the sound of her hooves on the paving stones as the shadows pooled like liquid in the corners and the alleyways.

“You excited for tomorrow?” Spike asked.

“I guess. Excited and nervous, really, but working is better than waiting.”

“It’ll be okay. We can do it.”

“Yeah. We can do it.”

“You think your parents will mind us just dropping in like this?”

“Nah, never. I’m so spacey they’ll be glad I remembered to visit at all.”

“True, you’ve got a head like a dusty old library; there’s more knowledge in it than a pony could ever need, but good luck making sense of it all.”

“I’ll choose to take that positively. This is why I have you write everything, you know. You’ve got a bit of a way with words.”

“Heh, thanks. Now that you mention it, I-” Spike trailed off.

“What’s wrong?” Twilight looked back at him and saw he was pointing at one of the alleyways running off the street. It was completely shadowed, but dragons could see better in the dark than ponies could. “Is there something there?”

“I think I see something on the wall. It’s weird, I don’t know what it is.”

“Come on, let’s have a look.” Twilight cast a faint purple light from her horn and stepped to the edge of the shadows, letting the magic glow drive them away before walking farther. It didn’t take her long to spot what Spike had been pointing at. “Woah. That’s new.”

“What do you think it is?” Spike moved farther up her back to get a closer look. The subject of their interest was a large symbol painted in white on the brick wall of the alley. It was a simple design, just three circles joined together in an almost triangular pattern. Twilight shrugged.

“Just looks like graffiti to me. Probably some foals with too much time on their hooves and unobservant parents. Stuff like that’s been popping up all over Canterlot since the protests started.”

“Yeah, but that graffiti is all political. What does this even mean?”

“I don’t know. Does it have to mean something? Maybe it doesn’t matter.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good way of looking at it.”

“It’s just some kids, Spike. Don’t get worked up about it.”

“If you say so…”

“Come on, let’s get back on our way.” Twilight’s thoughts turned inwards as they left the alleyway to darken again behind them. She didn’t blame Spike for sounding unconvinced. There was something about the graffiti that made her uneasy too, though she wasn’t sure why. It was a new phenomenon in Equestria, maybe that was the reason. Until recently ponies hadn’t gone around scrawling things on walls and sidewalks. Until recently ponies hadn’t done a lot of things that seemed to be the norm now. She shook her head a little; she was sounding old. What was she going to complain about next, scooters? Trains? The cotton gin? Times changed. She was an Alicorn now, immortal and constant, and there would be a lot of change for her to see. She would have to learn to accept it, to flow with it like a river, instead of trying to endure it like stone; stone cracks and breaks before such an irresistible, immeasurable force as time. The pain the future held for her was too great to simply resist. That was something she already knew with cold, agonizing certainty. She was eternal and most of those she loved were not. Someday they would leave her, and when that day came she knew she must not break. She would find a way to see eternity through.

“Twilight?” Spike’s voice cut through her malaise, “You okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.” Twilight looked up from the paving stones in front of her hooves and saw lights shining from the windows of her childhood home, “Oh, we’re here.” She walked up the steps and knocked a few times. There was shuffling of hooves on the other side, and then the door was opened by her mother, Twilight Velvet.

“Hello? Who’s there?” The older mare glanced around the porch, her eyes quickly coming to rest on her daughter, “Oh, Twilight! Spike!”

“Hey, mom.” Twilight forced an uneasy smile, “Is this a good time for a visit? We can always come back later if-”

“Of course! It’s always a good time!” She grabbed Twilight and pulled her close, into a warm embrace of fur and parental love, and Twilight felt all her worries and dark, intrusive thoughts melt away. “Welcome home, dear.”

Author's Note

I swear every single one of these I do takes longer than the last one... Anyway, I had fun. It's good to finally be out of college, there's a lot more time for me to do stuff I enjoy, including working on this. Of course soon I'll be rejoining the workforce and then everything'll be busy again, but that's a problem for Future Rhed. It almost feels like it lines up with this chapter; the calm before the storm. I think the next item on the agenda for A&C is going to be running through chapters 0-5 and editing them again, cause I always feel like there's something that could be better. Then I'll get started on chapter 7. I hope you all enjoyed chapter 6, and thank you for reading A&C. It's very much appreciated.

Edit 5/27/2021: Edited some slightly confusing wording pointed out by Pete100, thanks mate.