Please read Author's Notes at bottom, thank you

The day was a somber overcast one in the city of Canterlot, high within the castle a gathering of the most powerful beings in Equus was being held in a nearly disused room, Canterlot Castles War Room. The room was in the process of having a bunch of old crates and junk being cleared out of it but at the center of the room a long table had been set up with chairs set for those here. At the head of the table sat Celestia, her head resting in her clasped hands and her eyes closed as Luna leaned against the wall behind her sister observing the other royals present.

The first chair on the left side was filled by the Chancellor of the Minotaur Republic, Iron Hoof the Third, his massive bulk barely contained by the suit of armor he was wearing as he tapped his hoof on the stone floor with what was either impatience or anger.

On the Right opposite the Chancellor was the ruler of the recently rebuilt Griffon Empire, Emperor Raven Claw, who sat quietly polishing an ornate steel knife, his face a stone mask showing no emotion or reaction to the bustling ponies around him.

Beside the Griffin Emperor were the rulers of the returned Crystal Empire, Princes Cadence, who was sitting at the table while her husband, Prince Shining Armor stood at her side as both guard and advisor per the traditions of the Empire. While both were present the mood around them was a dark one and all present felt it best to not speak to the two grieving ponies as they very obviously wished to be left alone.

Across from the Crystal Empire sat the Tribe Leader of the Buffalo, who had sent their Tribe Chief, Chief Thunderhooves, and beside him sat the Tribal Shaman of Zebra, who surprisingly was Zecora. The two tribal groups were not interacting with the other royals, instead choosing to remain seated in silent meditation.

Across from Zecora was an empty seat set for the head of the Thestral
Enclave, Silent Step, who was standing and pacing back and forth, likely to try and keep himself awake.

A second empty seat was placed beside his, though the one meant to occupy that seat was actually Discord who was actually floating above it. Most disturbingly for the Lord of Chaos was the fact that aside from him floating over his chair rather than sitting in it he was quiet and not making a nuisance of himself showing just how serious he was actually taking this soon to be meeting.

Across from Discord was an empty seat for the Dragon Lord, who had yet to arrive. After waiting for a bit longer Celestia sighed and opened her eyes to look at the assembled group, Discord actually sitting down on the chair when she looked at him, before she cleared her throat. "It seems that almost everyone is here, I suppose Dragon Lord Torch and his daughter will not be joining us." She said as she stood and looked at the gathered royals. "Now, I'm sure you are all aware of why we have all gathered here so I will get straight down to business. The Changelings have declared war on Equestria-"

"And killed young Miss Sparkle as well." The Griffon Emperor said calmly as he set down the cleaning rag and examined the knife in his hand. "Celestia, after everything that that young mare has done for me and mine do you truly think I'd not offer aid?" Raven Claw asked darkly, both his interrupter and declaration of aid shocking everyone there before a laugh came from the Minotaur Chancellor.

"So the cold hearted Lightning King of the Griffon Empire stands with Equestria?" Chancellor Iron Hoof asked with a raised eyebrow. "That's a story I'd like to hear." He said as he leaned forward, not in intimidation but genuine curiosity causing the Griffon Emperor to sigh and lean back.

"When Young Sparkle first came to the castle as Princess Celestia's apprentice she and I met. At the time Griffonstone was in a bad way with the death of King Guto at the hands of the Arimaspi and I was one of the contenders in line for the crown but I felt I needed stronger support so I sought aid from Celestia. While I was here Twilight was perhaps the only pony to not be afraid of me for being a griffon." Raven Claw explained as he sighed and looked at the knife in his talon like hands. "While I didn't get to know her exceptionally well during that time from what interaction I have with her I found her to be a very bright child and we spoke often about politics and policies. After I left for home we kept in touch and over time she became a confidant to the Griffon Crown, I would often send letters to her asking for opinion on matters of the court that I felt needed an... outsider's perspective and she never failed to see something I missed." The Emperor grinned as he reminisced on what seemed like fond memories before his face hardened again. "Despite not seeing each other often she and I were friends in a sense, the fact that one such as she would be murdered in such a way... it is something I can't allow!" The King exclaimed as he drove his knife into the table, burying the knife half way into it.

The room was silent for a moment before Zecora nodded. "It is good that Twilight has such friends, perhaps together we can make amends. Twilight Sparkle was a dear friend I will miss, I will aid you in stopping the Changeling Queen Chrysalis."

"Twilight Sparkle was a friend to our lady." Silent Step said as he took his seat at the table. "As long as this conflict lasts and Princess Luna see's fit to fight in it then so shall we." He said as he looked at the lunar princess who bowed her head.

"Thank you my ponies." Luna said as unshed tears welled in her eyes.

"Twilight was my sister," Cadence said as she looked up at the gathered group, her pupils and iris slitting into a draconic shape for a second causing the gathered rulers to shudder in fear. "You have the full support of the Empire at your call Celestia." Cadences said, her voice laced with hatred before her eyes returned to normal.

The group of gathered rulers remained silent as the Princess of Loves declaration, the old adage of what happens when an Alicorns eyes turn draconic and nothing good ever coming after running through their minds but slowly the group began to speak once more and as the group sat speaking about plans and methods to defend Equestria no one noticed a pair of dark figures soaring over head nor the commotion these figures were causing outside till a sudden knock came from the doors and a guard entered an bowed. "Forgive the interruption your Majesties but the Dragon Lord is here." He said in a shaky breath before the doors were thrown open and a hulking figure stepped into the room and a powerful aura of wrath and bloodlust filled the chamber. "Where is that witch!" The Dragon Lord asked, his voice as calm as the ocean after a storm but a single look showed the calm was a facade waiting to be broken not to mention the aura emanating from the draconic being that stood in the doorway.

"Lord Torch, before you barge in demanding action I'd ask that you please calm yourself." King Raven Claw said as he rose and walked over to the Dragon. "We wouldn't want to have you transforming into your true form in this small room now would we?"

"I will calm down when the insect is dead!" Lord Torch growled as he walked past the Griffon Emperor and sat in the last unoccupied chair, the oppressive aura dissipating as he took his seat, the only indication of acknowledgement of the Griffon King's words shown. "I apologize for my late arrival, however traditions must be done and proper respect to Twilight must be given by dragon kind. She was a dear friend, I will see that the Changeling pays dearly for their crimes." he growled as he looked upon the other rulers present.

"Anger will only lead to brash action and clouded judgment." Raven Claw said as he returned to his seat and reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small box, opening to reveal paper and tobacco. "Apologies Princess, but I believe I need something to take the edge off." He said as he calmly rolled a cigar and lit it with a lighter he quickly returned to his jacket along with the box.

As the Griffon took a drag from the cigar the Dragon Lord eyed him carefully before chuckling. "Funny how almost every one of us has been affected by Twilight. Be it direct or indirect we each have been affected by her in some way." The dragon said as he looked at the other leaders present.

The Chancellor sighed. "Indeed it is impressive that one being could do what centuries of treaties, negotiations and wars could not do." He said calmly. "I and my people have not been affected by her as much but her contributions are still great. My son, Iron Will, went to Ponyville some time ago and met one of her friends, Fluttershy I believe is the young mare's name." Iron Hoof sighed. "Whether it was her or her friends, something in that trip finally put some sense into that boy, came home and became a damn good prince." The Chancellor snorted as he looked around his eyes, finally setting on the Draconequus in the room. "Heh, even Discord is here and I know he is going to help." He said smugly as Discord looked at him with an odd look.

"And what makes you so sure I'd help avenge the one being that could return me to my prison? He asked as he crossed his arms.

The Chancellor grinned a dark grin as he looked at the Draconequus. "Cause you haven't said a damn thing or annoyed any of us. You are cold and serious for the first time I've ever seen and that look in your eyes, it's the look of a child who's favorite toy is broken and they know it can't be fixed." Iron Hoof replied as he looked the Draconequus in his eyes.

Discord held the look for a moment before sighing and looking away. "Indeed, this whole situation has made me, as you say, serious." Discord said calmly. "Then again you all have no idea what Twilight was to become." He replied, causing Celestia to tilt her head in curiosity.

"What do you mean by that Discord?" She asked the Draconequus who shook his head.

"Normally I'm not allowed to speak of the future but I suppose this time I can speak freely, seeing as she is dead." He said bitterly. "Twilight Sparkle wasn't going to be the Alicorn of Friendship." He said earning surprised looks from the ponies and an eyebrow raise from the other races. "She was going to be the Alicorn of Harmony, in time she would have become a being that was my equal. Given time and practice with her power, if she lived long enough she would have become a being even greater, able to wield both Order and Chaos on a whim." Everyone stared at the Draconequus in shock. "But then Chrysalis had to go and screw everything up." Discord frowned and turned to Celestia. "You have my aid, I will fight in this coming war Celestia."

"Then it seems that our initial debating was settled before it even began." Raven Claw said. "We will destroy the Queen Chrysalis and her changelings, and we will do it for Twilight." He declared receiving nods from the other rulers and diplomats.

"For Twilight." The others said their voices filled with determination.

As an alliance of power not seen in many thousands of years was being brought about in the halls of Canterlot Castle, in the Equestrian Senate the full power of the Equestrian Nobility was gathering for the first time in decades.

While the common Pony believed that the Princesses held the full power of the Equestrian Government this was not entirely true, while the princesses had the authority to rule Equestria and the held final say in the implementation of laws in Equestria it was actually Equestrias Nobility and by extension the Equestrian Senate that was the driving force of Equestrias Government.

The Nobility of Equestria was divided into three tiers of authority consisting of the Minor Nobility, Major Nobility and finally the Founding Nobility.

While the Minor Nobility was meant to consist of the Noble Families and Noble Clans that held little noble power and authority such as those with the titles of Baron, Viscount, and Earl. However, oftentimes those placed within the Minor Nobility were young Noble Houses just starting out or houses that had little interest in climbing the social ladder but held great power.

The title of Major Nobility was meant to serve those with great political power and consist of the older Noble Houses such as those who held the titles of Marquess and Duke but more often than not was made up of those who were active participants of the Nobilities 'Great Game' held twice a year during the Grand Galloping Gala and the Winter Solstice Masquerade respectively.

The 'Great Game' as it was called in hushed whispers was the game of politics played by the nobility where they would use their influence and power to either rise or fall in the social standing of the courts with many of the older families acting like sleeping giants not interested in the petty squabbling of the younger houses. It was also for this reason that the Minor and Major Nobility was far from what it should be with the more powerful families more often than not in the position of minor nobility while the young and brash acted as the major nobility and as such, taking center stage.

It was far from uncommon for a Noble House or Clan to fall from Major Nobility to Minor Nobility if they were lead by an older head of house as the ambitions of the Head of the House would ebb away in their old age and it would be for the next head of the house to take charge and bring them back to prosperity; in a sense it was also the same for older Noble Houses and Clans with some of the oldest Noble Houses and Clans all together disappearing from the public view, their presence known and felt but their appearance in high society being a rarity. In a sense it was this very reason that eventually led to the rise of the third faction of the nobility, the Founding Nobility.

The Founding Nobility was predominantly made up of the families that originally led the three tribes when they were divided before the Great Freeze of the Wendigos as well as the original nobility that served Equestria when it was first founded by the Princesses mother, Queen Faust. Most of the time the Noble Houses and Clans that made up the Founding Nobility did not involve themselves in Equestrian Politics but since the murder of Twilight that had changed and now for the first time since the banishment of Princess Lune the Founding Nobility had called the Senate into session.

While the common pony was mourning the loss of their beloved third princess or preparing for war, the senate stood in stark contrast to the dark and oppressive atmosphere with its halls buzzing with excitement as nobles laughing joyously. Many of the Major Nobility sitting in their chairs were drinking fine wines with smiles upon their faces and not a care or concern in their nearly empty heads while the minor nobility looked to be either indifferent or in mourning. Those of the Founding Nobility were dressed in dark clothes, their mourning evident as they sat in silence but behind the sadness, a steel could be seen as these ancient powers had been roused from their slumber and once more began to move. Though like any great beast they were slow to stir and even slower to take action.

After several hours of waiting the last of the nobles finally arrived and the doors to the senate chambers closed, the meeting finally in session as the delegated speaker for the senate stepped forward and up to the podium. "Now with every pony here we may begin the senate's five-thousand six hundred and seventy-third session." He said in a grave voice. "This session was called by member Houses of the Founding Nobility consisting of the joint Sparkle/Armor House, the Shimmer House, the Matron of the Apple Clan, one Smith Apple, and a representative from the Cloudsdale Grand Senatorial House." As the Speaker finished most of the Major Nobles had finally quieted down, their joy and revelry broken by the power this senate session was brought about by.

None of the Major Nobility like to be reminded that they were just big fish in a small but deep pond and that the true powers of Equestria preferred the deep end over their shallows. However as the Major Nobility stewed in their seats many of the Minor Nobles were having an opposite reaction, their somber moods lifting as they realized the power that was present at this gathering, power that often sided with the common pony and by extension them rather than the Major Nobility.

As the Speaker stepped back and took his seat a woman in a black dress rose and approached the podium, her presence causing many to frown for it was none other than the mother of the now dead princess, Velvet Sparkle. Slowly the woman took her place behind the podium and those close to the stage that saw her appearance realized why they had barely recognized the Head of the Sparkle household, her appearance looking as if she had aged several decades in a matter of days. "Gathered Members of the Equestrian Senate, I stand before you in this dark time of our country to call a vote that will bring our nation into a state of open war against the Changeling Race." She said calmly, her voice as strong as steel despite her frail appearance and cutting through the slowly gathering uproar from the nobles gathered, specifically the Major Nobility.

Twilight Velvet stood quietly at the podium as for several minutes the yells of the Major Nobles filled the room before a voice cut through them with a roar for silence causing many of the nobles to turn in outrage on the one commanding them only to quiet when seeing who had spoken and soon the hall had become quiet as a man rose from his seat, Imperial Blood, the head of the Noble House of Blood. "Lady Sparkle, while I can understand your pain, what does this do to benefit us?" He asked as he stepped forward, a smug grin on his face. "I mean, despite your daughter being killed, war with the Changeling Kingdom does not benefit us in the slightest. In fact, I see no reason we should retaliate at all to the changelings."

As Imperial Blood Spoke he moved from his seat and walked down the stairs to the floor of the Senate chamber "Ladies and Gentle Stallions, this is a time for we of the nobility to consolidate our power." He declared earning confused looks from many of the major noble houses. "Remember why the Nobility was founded my friend's, after Princess Celestia's dear sister was banished to the moon, Princess Celestia was saddled with more duties than she could handle and so she came up with the decision to expand the ranks of the nobility and formed the Equestrian Senate to help her rule this great nation." As Imperial spoke many of the nobles nodded, some in understanding of what he was saying and others simply to see where he was going. "But now that Celestia's dear sister has returned, our power and influence has begun to weaken. With the rise of Twilight Sparkle as the fourth princess we very well could have lost all our power." He said, tacking on the last part as a smirk grew on his face.

"Twilight Sparkle may have been one of us by blood and family but her mind was polluted with those sickening beliefs of friendship and harmony by Celestia." As Imperial spoke he raised his hand to cut off any rebuttal and continued speaking quickly. "Now do not take my words in the wrong light, our great princesses vision of peace through 'friendship' and 'harmony' is a great vision but only we, the elite and pure, should benefit from her vision. For that to happen some ponies must be sacrificed for the greater good, after all somepony must be our servants, somepony must bow to us lest all we hold is empty power. Peace and Harmony can not be achieved if the common pony, who knows nothing, were to gain power." As Imperial spoke many of the major nobility nodded in agreement while some, the minority, sat in silence with dark faces.

"Twilight Sparkle did not have the goals of the nobility in mind when she came to power, after all she was never trained to be a noble and it is unfortunate for her to have grown up with our princess tasking her with being around commoners for far too long. Sadly our departed fourth princess posed a dire and direct threat to our power and I'm sure you all saw what would come of the reforms she had planned to implement. The common pony would have gained a voice not directly but by proxy through her. However now with her passing we no longer have to fear the common pony receiving any representation as she was pushing for."

As Imperial Blood spoke, many of the major nobility nodded in agreement, his words bringing the nobles together in all the wrong ways and causing Velvet Sparkle, who still stood at the podium, to almost collapse in horror. Were it not for her husband, Nightlight Armor, to be there for her to lean against. "You dare speak this way and even be so bold to say this crap before the founding members of this nation?!" A voice yelled as a Pegasus who was sitting off to the side asked as they stood revealing themselves to be the Commander of the Wonderbolts. "Ya know, I was curious why I was sent to this job." She said as she walked toward Imperial Blood. "Normally I act as the ambassador for Cloudsdale when it comes to military matters and, I mean, I'm the captain of the Wonderbolts so yeah, it just makes sense why I do that." She said with a shrug "Normally, I don't come here to represent in matters of the senate but I see why now." She said as she stood before Imperial Blood, a dark look crossing her face.

Spitfire signed a she looked down at the speaker's podium and at those that had risen to stand as well and looked at them waiting for the unspoken order to be given and for a moment it looked as if none would give it till she saw Nightlight Armor give a near imperceptible nod and her lips split into a grin. "Looks like it's time to clean house." She said as she looked at Imperial Blood and from within her wings the sound of metal on metal was heard as she unfurled them revealing the canceled wing blades now drawn. "Imperial Blood, you and your supporters are under arrest for treason and conspiracy against the crown." She said as from the shadows of the senate chamber dozens of heavily armored Senate Guards appeared, their golden armor shining in the light of the chamber.

As the Senate Guards moved forward, magic shackles shooting out from their lit horns and reaching for the corrupt Nobles the remaining nobles turned their attention to the ballet box brought out in the commotion. A vote of war was to be held, and this vote would shape the future of Equestria

Every pony saw as the Senate Guards in their golden armor dragged the elite of Equestria out of the Senate in chains and it was then that no pony could deny it any longer, the tides of power within Equestria was changing. Chrysalis's actions, while intended to break Equestria, had done quite the opposite and the far lasting repercussions of her actions would give way to a new and more powerful Equestria, one forged in the blood of those who thought to break them. Little did these common ponies at the heart of their kingdom realize that far off in the distance, at the border of the Badlands the Changeling swarm approached the first of many outposts set up long ago to watch their border.

Author's Note

Holy fuck this chapter took so long for me to get out! I apologize the the wait but a lot of shit come up. The short of it was Family problems, mental health problems, busy with new job, sick, lost new job and finally this last week I was able to actually finish the blasted things editing and now I'm posting it a week late because I forgot to do that.

So this chapter covers the ending part of the original chapter 1 and I can not believe I scrapped so much content. This convers a lot of background information and world building that will be relevant eventually. It gives some context to Twilights family and even her role in Equestrian society before she was a princess.

Honestly I'm not happy with it and I might do some revisions in the future just for better clarification but that will depend on the feedback I get from you readers. Or if one of you lovely readers want to write their own version of the whole senate scene and send me your version I might take parts of it or the whole thing and put it in if it's better than my version. If this happens I will give full credit to you in this chapter as someone who has helped me.

Also, please consider subscribing to either my Patreon or Subscribestar because I'm currently trying to make it so I will have more time to writing these stories but to do that I need money for food and bills. I plan to post some art for this story as well as a few story ideas that never went anywhere on there. If you have an idea for what I should post let me know and I'll look into doing it. My links are down below.

Anyway, I think that's enough out of me, as always thank you for reading my stories, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I hope to see you all in the next one!

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