Queen Novo groaned as the herald entered her office. She was not pleased with the feeling that he may have come to announce yet another petitioner wishing to see her.
“Please do tell me that it is not a petitioner this time?”
The herald shifted nervously, his fins quivering. “Apparently, it is, Your Highness.”
“Groan…for once, I am not their gift dispenser! Do these nobles recognize their position in my kingdom and the responsibility that goes with it? I don’t throw money around like candy, for bubbles’ sake they have plenty for themselves – titles, lands, riches!”
“I-it appears they do not, Your Highness.”
“Well then, what are you waiting for? Send him out!”
“W-well, she insisted very much to g-gain an audience with Your H-highness.”
With rolled eyes and an unpleasant demeanor, she floated along the coral corridors of her palace with the herald in tow, both making their way to the petition hall. They stopped before a pair of seapony guards, who, with a gesture, swung open the double doors. In she entered, and with wide gaping eyes, saw the last pony she could ever think of meeting, other than Tempest Shadow.
Twilight Sparkle stood, or rather, floated, in a bubble, wings and all jittering nervously, as her purpose of coming to see Queen Novo was rather…a solemn one. She tried to steal a look at the seapony queen's face, but quickly looked down at the marble-like floor. The cold water wasn’t making her feel better.
“Twilight Sparkle…or rather, Princess Twilight Sparkle, I see you have requested an audience with me?”
Twilight gulped, trying not to stutter. “Y-yes, Queen N-novo, I-I have.”
The queen observed with cold, unmoving eyes. To her right, floating at the doors where they entered, was the herald, also looking down, afraid that the queen might unleash her rage and anger all over the room, all because of this one pony.
Yes, the reason Twilight has come was for an…apology, for the attempted theft of the Pearl. A mistake gravely committed, though it was for good intentions; the ends certainly did not justify the means, at least with Queen Novo.
“What do you wish, seeing that you have nothing to do with my kingdom?”
Her eyes teared, threatening to spill over at any moment. In an impulse, she jerked into a stooping posture, front hooves sprawled in a gesture begging for mercy.
“I-I apologize for the grave mistake I committed against you and your kingdom by stealing the Pearl of Transformation; though it was for good intentions, it was not the right way. I wholly take responsibility for the crime I committed, please do not hold this against my friends. I’ll gladly receive any punishment that you decide upon me!” Novo didn’t moved, although her unseen facial expression betrayed a sense of…surprise?
The herald trembled with shock at Twilight’s words. He quickly cast his gaze down when the queen shifted in her seat.
“Tell me…does Princess Celestia know of this?” Twilight looked up.
“N-no, Your Highness.”
She sighed. Twilight’s ears perked. Novo just sighed? And in a seemingly…”let-go” kind of sigh. Perhaps...?
“The crime you committed against me and my kingdom is indeed great, and you shall be duly punished as such.” Twilight gulped, waiting for the sentence to be uttered.
Novo arose, floated to the side, and turned her back against Twilight for a moment, obscuring her facial expression. She looked up to the glasswork of the room’s windows, light filtering in whiffs of cyan, then sighed again, albeit in a quieter volume.
“Do you understand the severity of the thing you have done, Princess Twilight?”
The princess looked down. “Y-yes, Your Highness.”
The queen turned to meet her, eyes unwavering and calculated. “Do you understand the consequences of your actions?”
Keeping her eyes down, she answered, “Yes.”
She spoke up with a regal voice. “Then in accordance with the law and its power which I hold, I hereby sentence you, Princess Twilight Sparkle…” Here it comes…
“…to go back to Princess Celestia and tell her I want to set a trade deal with her.”
The room fell silent, awkwardly silent, so much so that even the water around Twilight refused to budge an inch as he turned up to face the queen.
“Um…pardon me, Your Highness?”
“Oh stop it with the ‘Your Highness’ please, just call me Novo here. And, I reiterate: Go back to Princess Celestia and tell her I want to set a trade deal with her. Do you understand?”
Twilight briefly turned to look at the herald, who responded with the same confused look. She turned back and tried to make sure she was not hearing wrongly.
“Um, Your High-I-I mean, Novo, aren’t you going to, or supposed to…punish me..?”
The queen deadpanned, “Punish you? Oh no, please, there is no reason to punish you, even if I or my counselors wanted it to be so.”
Now Twilight was even more confused. “Wait, so you’re just gonna let me go?”
“Why yes.”
“Um, with all respect, may I ask why?”
She sighed, the same “let-go” sigh that Twilight speculated.
“When I asked you whether you understood the severity and consequences of your actions, I wasn’t referring to the crime you committed.”
“Huh?!”
“Yes, I was referring to whether you understood what your actions meant to me, at least later when I reflected on myself.” She swam over to her.
“The fact that you tried to steal an important artefact of our kingdom just to save the ones you loved…was enough to open up my eyes later to see and accept the power of Friendship, although the means was wrong.”
Twilight’s eyes brimmed again, and she bowed low. “I-I don’t know what to say. Thank you, Your High-I mean, Queen Novo.” Novo held a fin to her bubbled head and lifted it to meet her eyes.
“Please, just Novo.”
“But still, Novo, I am really sorry that I caused so much trouble.”
She smiled. “Apology accepted. Now, please get to Celestia and tell her what I’ve said. And your bubble is running out of air as well, so you’d better hurry.”
With a slight yelp, Twilight zipped out of the room, mumbling a “Thank you!” and disappearing off in a flurry of bubbles. Novo sank into her seat, a satisfied sigh escaping her lips.
“Scales!”
The herald floated over. “Yes, Your Highness?”
“You deserve a salary raise.” Scales’ eyes widened.
“U-uh, please, Your Highness, I was just doing my job! It’s not much…”
“Sorry, but no qualms with me. Now go back to your post and I will tell my treasurers to increase your pay by 5%. No excuses.” She rose and floated out of the room, the bewildered herald in tow.
“T-thank you, Your H-highness.”
Queen Novo smiled, happy that at least this time, it was a good petition.
