Love And Dramas In The Government

Tension at the table quickly rose up after Orus made her colorful comment to Twilight, Which earned her a particularly long earful from her mom and subsequently apology from Orus, which Mark had to settle a deal with her in order for her to say it, which cause him to sit between her and the queen as the mares sat on the other side of the table.

Dinner soon arrived, and even though the chef knew about the mare's herbivores' habits, Orus decided to order a well-made T-bone steak while the rest settled for some pasta to be more sensitive with their guest.
Her taunt didn't seem to work as Twilight took her actions calmly as she and the rest ate their salad calmly and relaxed, Rarity was unable to contain herself, even smiling smugly at Orus as she took a bite of a piece of tomato.

"I must say, Your Highness, this is by far one of finest salads I have ever tasted, I simply must ask for the recipe later" Rarity mentions trying to make some small talk and kill the tension in the room.

"Sure, why not? You've already wanted to take our family and our land why not also our food while you are at it?" Orus comments sarcastically glaring daggers at Rarity.

"What? Oh no, no, no miss you miss understood I don't intent..."

"I know what you intend to do, you lying, stealing..."

"Orus!" Mark exclaims with his own glare at the lamia "You promised, we kept our part of the deal, now you must do the same" He reminds her with a stern tone.

From her part, she only looks at him with a stern look before smiling and nods "But of course, no reason to not be a civil right brother? Is not like they kept you for themselves for eight long years or anything like that" She mentions with contain anger.

"Orus please, if you are gonna be angry at someone be angry at me, leave them out of..."

"Oh don't get me wrong, I'm still angry at you brother but that is the thing we are still a family, and this is what family does, it forgives each other. Especially when we are also to blame in this situation" She argues making Rarity smile and nod.

"Indeed, I must say, I have lost count of how many times I have lost my lost my patience with my own sister and got ourselves into yet another discussion, she calls Sweetie Bell and while I do love her to date, there are times we just can't stand one another" She recalled with a small giggle "I imagine that is something you can relate, don't you Ms. Orus" Rarity offer with a hopeful smile as the lamia look at her with a neutral expression, maintaining the silence before she smiles "Indeed, and I suppose this is what happens when you ask mom for a little brother" She nods and bring Mark into a hug nuzzling the top of his head easing the tension in the room a little.

His other sisters seem to be relaxing and even Vipral seems to nod and sigh in relief seeing Orus calming down. Taking the opportunity Cobraline made her move and tried to warm the queen to Twilight's idea.

"You know Mom, talking with Twilight has made me realize how much we have missed over the centuries, despite our best efforts to keep track of the world on top of us"

"Oh really?" Vipral looked at her with interest "Like what?

"Well for starters, the Nirik kingdom seems to have resurfaced again, turns out they didn't kill themselves among the great fire of Nirikgnia, and then there are the changelings that now have a new form and seem to be intrigued to make some radical changes to their culture and some six-year-old filly manage to figure out a way to perverse the concept of friendship itself. Isn't that interesting facts?"

"My, I couldn't imagine that is even possible, how do you pervert the idea of being kind to others?" Vipral mentions with interest.

"That is quite the tell, let me tell you" Twilight mentions with a sigh "I will be more than happy to tell you all about it as well as grant you access to much more we know if we were to establish a link between our kingdoms" Twilight offers with a friendly smile.

Orus seems to smile as well as she nods "Sounds like a lovely idea, and let me ask you, Your Highness, how much involvement did a pony have to make such extreme changes in other cultures?" She asks sarcastically and raises an eyebrow.

"Ah excuse me?" Twilight asks caught off guard.

"Oh I'm just saying, it's nice to see the Nirik returning to the public eye and how the changelings change things for the better, but the disturbing thing about pervert friendship makes me wonder, did they really change, or did a certain pony made them change to fit THEIR ideology? Tell me Cobraline what kind of radical new changes do the changelings wish to implement into their culture? I for one would be kind of scared if I were to hear that they are just adopting pony traditions since that would seem more like colonization"

The mares seemed to tense up and Mark's eyes wide so he decided to intervene "Kind of hard to tell just yet, Orus after all, changelings are well known for well...copy, like us, so what is to say they are not just taking what they see and is still expanding, but on their own terms"

Twilight nods rapidly "Yeah that is right, in part that is why I constructed the school of friendship, so we can learn from each other more and unite as one, understanding each other culture, had fun, and spread the gospel of harmony and friendship"

"Is it spread the gospel...or enforce it?" Opal keeps pressing on the subject with a stern look "I'm just saying, my brother is a free spirit that would never be tame and his heart belongs to exploring, is so shocking hearing that he suddenly decided to remain in one single place for so long without any reason"

"There is a reason Orus" Mark was quick to answer "Yes I like to move but I also love to help. Canterlot needs help so I step in, and things change. I wasn't even sure where to go, after circling the globe. The city gave me a choice and I took it, that is why I remain there, not because any of them convinced me" He chuckles and shakes his head "To be honest I wasn't sure if they even remember me"

"Yeah we had plenty to catch on when we finally saw each other again" Fluttershy nods "He didn't abandon anyone or want to hurt anyone's feelings, Mark simply has a hard time trusting in friendship to last"

"Yeah I'm guilty of that, the same was happening with you guys" He admitted with some embarrassment as he looked at the entire room "And I intend to fix that"

His words seem to calm everyone a little even Orus who smile and turn to Twilight.

"Glad to hear that brother, because that raises an interesting point, tell me, Your Highness, may I know the story of how you two met? Correct me if I'm wrong but I had the impression you were already in a relationship with a certain stallion called Flash Sentry"

With that, the room goes back to being tense as Twilight flinches before continue eating and then sighs and looks at Orus.

"You are right Ms. Orus, me and Flash Sentry were an item, keep word on where. We broke up some time ago before I started dating your brother"

"And how long were you separate exactly?" Orus keeps pressuring her.

"Orus that is enough!" Vipral warns her.

"I'm just saying, mom! Don't you want to have the guarantee that this isn't just her using Mark as a rebound fling? Or maybe just using him to make her ex jealous?"

"He is not either of those things!" Twilight exclaims feeling insulted as she punches the table and glares at Orus

"Then answer the question? How did you two end up together exactly?!" Orus match her own glare with a smirk standing up.

"She doesn't have to answer anything Orus, none of them has, that is our personal lives and you have no right to..." Mark tries to protect Twilight yet the lamia seems to be ready now.

"...what about the fact that you seem oddly defensive brother? You seem particularly scared of the subject like you don't want me to find something important. Maybe I'm right in be wary of how fast and eager you seem to be, in starting a relationship with a pony?" She questions with a raised eyebrow "Maybe even consider that one of them place a spell on you?"

Vipral eyes wide at the comment not helping on how she spot Rarity flinching at the comment. With her gaze hardening Vipral lowers her fork and stares forward "Answer the question Princess" She demands with a cold tone.

"Mom! Please tell me you are not actually considering..."

"I will protect my family young man, one more remark and you head straight to the infirmary and if I found out a mare was messing with your head so help me..." Her warning makes the mayor gulp as he sits down unsure of what to do now.

After that the queen remained quiet and took some breath to calm down before looking at Twilight with indifference "Answer her question Princess Twilight"

Twilight looks at the queen in slight panic and then at Orus who seems to be smirking having caught them in a trap.

Taking a moment to breathe Twilight calmed down and rose to her chair to look at the lamias with a neutral expression "It would be easy to interpret this story so I will tell you on the condition that I will not be interrupted until I'm done talking"

Vipral remains quiet before nodding "Understood"

"What?! Mom, you can't be serious..."

"I am, young lady and if you say one single word during her tale you will be excused from the table are we clear?" Vipral demands with finality making Orus grumble and cross her arms "Fine"

"Princess Sparkle, please proceed" Vipral invited her to speak, and the princess accepted it right away as she started, everyone in the room was particularly interested in hearing this story.

"The question of when exactly our relationship started is very dubious for various factors, but if I have to take a guest, I say it all began a couple of months ago when I just announced the subject of New Harmonious. There was a party afterward and some enemies of the mayor tried to place dirt on us by spiking our drinks. The story involving that is long and complex so for this argument I will just mention how the end result was the mayor sharing a night of passion with me and the other two rulers"

Everyone's eyes were wide in surprise, and Orus was about to voice a complaint but a swift glare from her mother was enough to keep her quiet and let Twilight continue.

"I know it was a mistake, for all involved, me personally because I even just recently broke up with my last coltfriend yet Mark was there for me, he was a shoulder to cry on and a boost of confidence in a certain way. Me and the other rulers were willing to let things there but not Mark" Twilight smirked at him in memory "He was determined to make this event into something more"

In surprise the queen looks to Mark "Wait, I thought the mares are the ones that court the stallion, you court them, sweetie?" Vipral asks in surprise.

"It's complicated but in my world usually is the other way around" Mark explains with some embarrassment.

"And for what is worth in here we don't do that as often" Rarity clarified "It can go either way, to be frank"

Ringler nods and writes what they are saying on a journey.

"Anyway, after that, a lot of things kept happening, and even when we knew things were wrong and even Mark was warning us about...his hidden side. There was this thing like a gravity that just kept pulling us into each other. Eventually, with one single kiss, we got all the proof we needed. We had fallen in love and just wanted to try this new adventure. So to answer your question, officially we have only had two or three weeks tops, and yes we already have slept together, but don't you go thinking this just happened or is just pure lust, we spent months just courting each other, and we knew each other closely before anything physical happens"

Orus remains quiet grumbling and still angry at Twilight before turning her attention to the others, starting with Fluttershy

"And what is your excuse? When and why did my brother mark you?" She asks in a depicting matter making Fluttershy feel uncomfortable

"I will stop you right there Orus" Mark pressed his hands on the table and stood up "I humor you with Twilight to ease your fears and see that while we are not traditional we truly love each other" he started to walk toward the mares "I will not let you egg Fluttershy or Rarity for that matter"

He defends them with determination "They are both my friends and as a gentlemen I would not stand here and force them to expose their personal lives as if this is some sort of interrogatory"

"Thank you Mark" Fluttershy nods with a small blush dissipating her worries as she looks down with some embarrassment but also appreciation for his aid.

"That is right darling!" Rarity also stood next to Mark with determination "We indeed love each other and we don't have to prove anything to anyone. Do you want proof? Here is your proof" She claims before grabbing Mark with both cheeks and planting a deep kiss on his lips that caught the human off guard for a moment before he decided to hug her frame and intensify the kiss which surprised Rarity before she giggled and enjoyed the attention.

Orus was frozen from anger at the display as it happened until it finished.

Once he was done Mark looked at Orus's reaction and got an idea "I'm a man of herds just like you say, turns out I'm a free spirit who has more than enough love to spare" Mark admits, and then surprised Twilight as she grabs her and spins her around "And these mares have driven me crazy" Planting a deep kiss Twilight whole body stiff from the shock as her wings sprung to action before she melts, one of her hooves rising from the shock before Mark end the kiss and put her down.

The princess left with a dopey smile as her feathers and fur puff and ruffle

"Please don't make me choose, I love all of you but if you force me, I will cut ties to the group that gave me an ultimatum since I would never be truly happy otherwise" Mark mentions sincerely as he helps Fluttershy up and grabs her chin preparing to kiss her as she closes her eyes in anticipation.

"OK! OK! Enough!" Orus yells extending her arms and making Mark stop to look at her. "I get the idea, you love each other very much, I will not ask about your love life, just please stop showing it"

She begs making everyone chuckle as Mark lets go of Fluttershy, much to her slight annoyance.

"Ah Orus, as usual, you are all hiss no bite" Fang jokes as she finishes eating a bone from her plate.

"Oh, I'm sorry do you want them to just hump on the table!?" Orus questioned in alarm looking at her siblings and making them laugh.

"Hey we are not the ones that keep proving their love lives, you asked for it, sis" Fang replied.

"Can we please change the subject?" Ringlet pleads looking at everyone "Princess Twilight I think you were saying something about sharing our collective knowledge?" She asks trying to put things back on track yet Twilight just keeps chuckling with a dopey smile.

"Ah, princess?" Casket asks in worry making

"My, my, brother, seems like you inherited the family kiss. The poor dear is in a daze" Viper says with a giggle as the queen waves her hand around Twilight's eye who doesn't seem to react.

"Oh my, and it seems to be a deep one too" Vipral confirmed in worry after snapping her fingers yet Twilight seemed unresponsive "This is what I was warning you about earlier Mark, did you bite her?"

"No, I just kissed her a bit harder than I should, maybe one of my fangs rose her tongue but that is it, I swear" Mark explained

She nodded and sighed "That is all you need" The queen stood up and cradled Twilight in her arms "This poor mare will be out as a light any moment now, I will take her to the infirmary so she can rest and drink the antidote, you can finish without me in the meanwhile"

"You don't have to mom, I got this" Mark offered yet the queen moved him away with her tail

"I insist, after all, I still want to hear about her ideas, and you still have five sisters to catch up on lost time mister" She reminds him with a wink before leaving the room with Twilight

The room was left quiet until Fang cleared her throat.

"Ok now that we are done with Orus bitching, it's my turn" Fang spoke up breaking the silence and smirking at the mares "I'm putting on the table ladies, these are part of the deal when dating our family" She explain pointing at her own huge fans before closing her mouth "No shame in admitting it, and we will let you walk free. But you have to be honest here. Is this a deal breaker?"

The two mares were put in the spotlight yet Rarity was prepared and smiled with determination "Not in the slightest darling, when you date a carnivore this is to be expected. And we don't care, just like Mark accepted our way our life we accept his in return"

Fluttershy surprised the mayor a little when she hugged his arms and started to run in circles with her finger fidgeting a little with a small smile "I wouldn't mind one tinsy nibble here and there" She admitted in a barely audible whisper and with a red face which just keeps surprising Mark who manages to catch the comment.

Smirking Fang nods and leans on her chair "You pick them well bro, I honestly thought they wouldn't last more than a month but, eh, unlike a certain brat, I would not complain if they prove me wrong"

"I will reserve my opinion until I hear her opinion on green" Viper mentions crossing her arms while staring at Rarity.

"Oh my green, well while I admit a nice shade of jade could look fantastic, I have to admit that I'm not exactly trill with that color" Rarity admits honestly with a small nervous chuckle.

"Ok, they still may won me over" Viper admit with a smile, Orus just keeps looking at her food in anger taking glances at the mares and clenching her fist with much Fluttershy was pressing her chest against Mark, yet she hold her tongue.

You won this round ponies, but it will take more than that to convince me that any of you are worthy of my brother