Tempest hated having to fill out paperwork and write reports.
However, she could not abstain since she and her council had decided to create an organized bureaucracy.

Although bureaucracy was normally a symptom of slowness and inefficiency, it was necessary to take into account what was happening, the available resources, the soldiers and guarantee precise and error-free logistics.

In the event of war, knowing which pawns you had at your disposal was essential to achieving victory.

Obviously in the report she had omitted some facts such as the obvious crush she had on Princess Celestia. It would not have been appropriate to include thoughts of a teenager in puberty in the relationship.

Tempest should have done something about it.
Her logic dictated that she should simply throw a bucket of ice water over herself and then forget about Celestia and assume a more professional demeanor, as an empress should.

But the most intimate and unexplored side of her pushed her to welcome the feelings of warmth and affection and perhaps try to approach Celestia.

But what did Celestia think of her?

From their interactions she came across as interested, attentive and at times even funny and nice. She sometimes smiled at her genuinely and it made her feel euphoric and eager to hug her.

Plus she seemed similar to her in certain ways. She could understand how she felt as they had both had tragic experiences.

Never before had she found someone who made her feel this way.
She was not unaware of her sexual desire as some had already tried to woo her and she would have even been willing to have sex, but every time she backed away and resorted to satisfying herself alone.

However now there was more than just physical attraction. Tempest wished he could get to know her more intimately just like they had the night before when they dipped in the pond.

She wanted to be able to see every day that loving and sometimes devious smile that Celestia had given her in the last few days.

She would have given everything she had to spend more time with the princess but their journey was coming to an end.

After they resolve matters in New Metropolis, Celestia and Twilight will return to Equestria while she must continue to rule the empire alongside the council.

She wanted to feel the warmth and softness of her wings and her perfectly white fur again.
She wanted to listen to her sweet voice forever, sweet as honey and fresh as the clearest of water sources.

Tempest had stopped writing to fantasize about the white alicorn.

Romantic thoughts slowly mixed with more carnal ones.

How could you blame her? She had never seen a mare of such beauty.
She began to feel a slight itch under her tail which soon became an unbearable heat that was impossible to ignore.

Tempest could no longer resist, she took off her armor and suit and then threw herself on the bed to perform the sinful act.

Meanwhile on the other side of the wall a very disappointed Celestia was admonishing her student.

“Twilight Sparkle, what you did is unacceptable! You are a princess of Equestria and you can't afford to have an outburst like that. What would have happened if instead of Tempest there had been someone more resentful?!”

While Celestia spoke, Twilight sat listening in the corner with her ears down and her eyes blank. Rarely had Celestia scolded her so much.
Celestia wasn't screaming but that made her even more intimidating.

You should never make a good person angry.

“But the most worrying thing is not that you are a princess who yelled at another ruler, but that you are an alicorn and have lost control. I have told you many times that feelings work differently for us than for ordinary ponies.”

Celestia had witnessed multiple times alicorns lose control and unintentionally wreak havoc, at best someone could die and at worst entire nations could be wiped out.

“I'm afraid you still haven't realized what you've become, a great sage once told me that with great power comes great responsibility and I naively ignored him.”

The princess had a melancholy look for a moment.

“Even today I am repaying the mistake I made centuries ago.” then she continued the lecture.

“During these days you have shown me that you are not capable of adequately holding back your emotions.”

Celestia hated having to give punishments, she much preferred giving rewards in a way that encouraged others to be better.

“When we return to Equestria you will remain in Canterlot so that you are educated on how an alicorn princess should behave. Until you learn properly you will not be allowed to return to Ponyville.”

Celestia's tone was final.

The only thing Twilight could do was accept the punishment with dignity and learn from her mistakes.

“As you wish Princess Celestia.” she said defeatedly.

“You have to realize that we are no longer in Equestria, the outside world is full of civilizations with different cultures and some may seem strange, but that doesn't mean we have the right to judge them like you did.”

Twilight just nodded.
“When and if we meet the imperial council you must not open your mouth, it is up to them to decide what to do and we are only visiting guests, we cannot interfere. Did you understand!?"

Hearing this Twilight wanted to protest but she remained silent, the last thing to do at that moment was to stoke the anger of her mentor.

Celestia was exhausted and having to put her student in line didn't help.

The white alicorn let out a sigh and then looked around as she hadn't even had time to take in what their cabin looked like.

As expected, it was just what a captain's cabin should be like.
When you entered you had a large desk in front of you and behind it a large window through which you could see what was behind the airship.
On the sides there were two beds so that the captain could rest and possibly also a guest. It was right up their alley.

Celestia walked over to the window to look out.
She was surprised to see that they were no longer docked on the ground but were already flying at a high altitude as only the clouds could be seen passing by.
The sky was tinged with a golden hue as the sun was about to set.

The white alicorn thought to her sister that was thousands of miles away.
Celestia wished she could send Luna a letter but she couldn't since she didn't know the exact location she was in at the moment. If she had tried, the letter would have only dissolved into the ether, becoming magical energy.

"Knock Knock!"

Celestia turned around, she could have had Twilight open the door like she usually did but seeing that the purple alicorn was still sitting in the corner with a blank look on her face she chose to go herself and see who she was.

The princess approached the door and opened it, in front of her was another sailor.

The sailor had a perplexed look as if he didn't expect to be faced with a two meter tall pony with wings and horn.

"Yes?" Celestia said as she saw the sailor standing with his mouth slightly open.

The sailor realized the situation and quickly stood at attention.

“Forgive the disturbance, I came to inform the Empress that we have taken off and are flying at full capacity, we will arrive in New Metropolis tomorrow evening. But I didn't expect to find you in the captain's cabin."

"I understand, thank you very much."

Celestia would have told him that Tempest was in the other cabin but inside she already missed the scarred alicorn. Maybe she could have taken advantage of the situation.

“You are free to go, I will inform the empress.”

The sailor saluted and turned to go back the way he had come.

Celestia left the room closing the door behind her, she would leave Twilight alone to think for a while.

The princess took a few steps and knocked on the door of Tempest's cabin.

"Knock Knock."

No one answered. Celestia supposed Tempest was busy doing other things but the selfish side of her wanted to be able to talk to her.

"Knock Knock!"

"Who is it?"

Tempest's voice was muffled by the thickness of the wood but she thought she was a little out of breath.

“Celestia, can I come in?”

For a moment there was silence but then she heard footsteps and the door opened.

Celestia didn't expect to see the empress without her armor on.

"Please come in."

The magenta alicorn stepped aside and Celestia entered.

When the door was closed Celestia was able to take a closer look at the other mare and she liked what she saw.

Celestia had seen her undressed before but it was always in low-light situations or moments where it was more important to listen than see.

But she could now observe clearly. Besides the obvious injuries such as scars and broken horn she could see that her body was well built.

Tempest was muscular but not like an earth pony like Applejack was. There was the right balance that made her body very thin but robust, capable of great agility and gracefulness but also strength and power.

Celestia was reminded of the goddesses of ancient mythology, if Celestia could be compared to Aphrodite then Tempest was the personification of Athena.

Furthermore, her reptilian eyes and sharp teeth gave her an exotic and unusual appearance.

Tempest's fur was slightly shiny, she was breathing a little labored as if she had been doing some physical activity.

Celestia also noticed that there was a strange smell in the air, she smelled it a couple of times without showing it and it didn't take her long to piece together the clues. She came to the conclusion that perhaps she had interrupted Tempest at a special moment.

Celestia felt embarrassed but at the same time she couldn't help but find it very exciting.

The white alicorn looked back at Tempest, her head was turned slightly away and she seemed to have a guilty look on her face.

“Is there anything you need?” Tempest asked.

Celestia was abruptly pulled away from her impure thoughts.

“A sailor came to my cabin to tell you that we will arrive at our destination tomorrow evening, so I decided to come and give you the message.”

“I understand, thank you very much.”
The two remained silent, staring at each other and throwing lewd glances at each other.

They could have stayed like this for hours as the sexual tension built.

Celestia wanted to run a wing over Tempest's scars while the scarred alicorn wished she could feel the warmth of their fur together.

Before anything too much could happen Tempest took a step back.

“Is there anything else you need to talk to me about?”
Tempest's voice was a little weak, far from the usual firm and authoritative voice.

Celestia remembered the other reason she came, she wanted to be able to talk to her about what Twilight had done.

“I came to apologize again for what happened while we were having lunch.”

“I told you it's no problem. I assure you that we will not declare war on Equestria over something like that. I can guarantee it."

“I'm grateful.”

With that said Celestia would have returned to her quarters but Tempest stopped her.

“There's more, is that correct?”

It was not for nothing that the scarred alicorn had become empress, the years of war had sharpened her senses, improved her ability to read situations and people.

Both could understand when the other was restless as if they were in tune.

“The loss of control that Twilight had worries me, it had already happened a few times but it was always an accident or on a whim. However back then she was just a very talented unicorn.
Now she is an ascendant alicorn meaning that she holds power rivaled by only a few in this world and it would be catastrophic if she used that power to impose her will, just as Nightmare Moon had done."

“Do you think this could really happen?” Tempest asked raising an eyebrow, she was a little skeptical thinking about the little purple alicorn, she was stubborn but she didn't seem like the type of person to wreak havoc.

“I wish I could say no but too many times I have seen good and pure souls being corrupted, if it were to happen I don't know if I would be able to defeat her.
Previously every time I had to deal with a threat I had the elements of harmony on my side but after using them against my sister I lost control of them. Now it is Twilight and her friends who are the bearers of the elements."

Hearing this, Tempest was not at all comforted. From what she had heard the elements of harmony were a kind of very powerful weapon. Not designed with the intent to destroy but still a weapon.

“This is both bad and good, if the elements are not entirely controlled by Twilight means she cannot use them at will. Do Twilight's friends blindly do everything she says?” Tempest said.

Celestia thought about the five mares, they were very loyal but not without common sense.
The white alicorn shook her head no.

Celestia had to use all her strength not to give in to primal instincts and molest the mare in front of her.

“Excellent, however this means that when it is necessary to use the elements some of them may refuse.”

Celestia hadn't thought about the possibility that some of the element bearers might refuse but the debacle with Discord was proof of this.

“You're right, but unfortunately I can't do anything about it, the elements have their own will and consequently they are the ones who choose who to represent them by.
Indeed they lay dormant for a thousand years and revealed themselves only in time of need, when my sister returned from her exile."

Tempest had now forgotten romantic and lustful thoughts, their conversation brought to light truly worrying issues.

“What if one of them were to die? Would it take another thousand years for a new one to arise?”

“I don't know, the elements of harmony have existed long before I was born and I'm not sure how they work.”

Celestia wanted to say more but in all the years she had had it she had never been able to get much information.

Tempest was thinking hard. Until then she had always had to fight armies or relatively normal people. However, she couldn't have done much against an entity that transcends the laws of physics and magic and from what Celestia had said, the elements of harmony were essential to counteract this type of enemy.

Now that she knew this she couldn't let Equestria be left to its own.
It was like gambling, the fate of the world rested in the hooves of six mares and that meant they could be killed, kidnapped or forced to use the elements for nefarious purposes.

“Who watches over the element bearers?”

Tempest considered Celestia a wise and perceptive mare, surely she had taken precautions.

“There are undercover guards watching over them in the physical world while my sister makes sure they are protected from intangible entities.
However, I fear that this is not enough. My soldiers have never faced threats as serious as a large-scale attack.”

Simply put, they were inept.

This was all very worrying, Tempest should have done something about it.

“Princess Celestia, would you mind telling me more about these elements of harmony? I would like to bring this matter to the council.

Celestia wasn't sure if it was a wise choice, she feared that someone might try to take over the elements, but even now there was a very real risk. She also trusted Tempest.

“Of course, I would be happy to.”

Tempest returned to the desk she was sitting on and grabbed another piece of paper so she could write.

But before they could begin she remembered that she had not seated the white alicorn.
She looked around but in the small cabin there was only the desk, the chair and the bed.

“Princess Celestia, go ahead and lie down on the bed.” she said pointing to the mattress with a blanket on it.

Celestia went to lie down on the bed, it was a little small for her size but she managed to get comfortable.

"Thank you. Now we can begin."

With that, Celestia recounted what she knew about the elements of harmony and all the events surrounding them while Tempest carefully wrote down every word.

(The following morning)

Tempest was used to sleeping in uncomfortable places.
During the war, having a comfortable bed was a luxury you couldn't afford.
You had to make do with what there was and if there was nothing then you slept on the floor wearing weapons and armor and if you were really unlucky even with the rain in the mud.

However, now that she was empress she always had a comfortable bed available. She didn't like too many frills like extra pillows or blankets embroidered with lace or things like that because it was too hot for her and they were suffocating.

Her bed was indeed very warm that morning, but not the heat that she despised and that made her sweat. It was an intimate warmth that made her feel good.

Tempest tried to move but felt there was a weight on her that prevented her from moving her legs. She immediately shook off the sleep and opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was the chair and the desk, on the latter there were some papers on which she had written the night before.

Tempest looked behind her and saw a long white neck. She then looked down at herself to see what was holding her back. A pair of long white legs were wrapped around her while an immense white wing was draped over her entire body like a blanket.

There was no doubt: she had slept in the same bed as Princess Celestia.

The warmth that she had once considered pleasant had now become too intense, exciting and embarrassing.

Apparently her wish had been granted much sooner than she could have hoped.
As she remembered, Celestia's body was extremely soft but not plump. Her wing feathers were long and thin, slightly shiny.
Celestia's body wrapped around Tempest and this made the scarred alicorn very restless.

Tempest wasn't too sure how she ended up in this situation.

She remembered writing late into the night while Celestia dictated. The princess's voice waned in energy as the hours passed until she shut down completely.

Tempest turned to see why she had stopped dictating and saw that the princess had fallen asleep on her bed.

She hadn't considered that Celestia might be exhausted after walking for days in the desert.

Tempest could have gone to sleep in the captain's cabin with Twilight but she didn't want to wake the princesses by walking on the creaking and noisy boards, so she simply chose to sleep on the floor next to the bed.

But now she was lying on a small bed with Princess Celestia in a very compromising pose.

Thinking about it, even the night before, after bathing in the pond, Celestia had laid down next to her.

Maybe the princess was trying to woo her?

It was a bit strange but she didn't mind it at all.
She could feel Celestia's breath on her neck, the heat of her belly on her back and one of Tempest's hind legs was wedged between the princess' thighs.

It looked exactly like the pose two lovers would take after a night of passion.
Tempest's mind was filled with lustful images of what could have been.

However, the more rational part of her made itself felt. Her logic said that she should find a way to get away before Celestia woke up or someone could see and misunderstand her.

Obviously fate wanted to play a bad joke on her.

The door suddenly flew open.

Tempest's reflexes would have made her immediately get out of bed and assume a fighting pose but she was currently pinned under the weight of a large white alicorn.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Twilight shouted in disbelief as she saw her mentor in bed with Tempest.

"It's not what it looks like!"

Tempest wanted to slap herself, she had responded in the most equivocal way possible. It was the typical phrase someone would say when they were discovered with their lover.

Hearing the noise, Celestia woke up, raised her head and looked at Tempest and then at Twilight.

She turned back to Tempest and as her cheeks reddened she said in a thin voice “You will have to take responsibility.” and then she hid her muzzle between her paws.

Tempest was petrified while Twilight grimaced in dissent and disbelief.

"SHAME ON YOU!"

Twilight slammed the door making a lot of noise and then ran away.

A few seconds of disconcerting silence passed until he was interrupted by a loud laugh.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

Celestia writhed on the bed as she laughed her head off. She was having so much fun that she was crying and her ribs hurt.

Meanwhile, Tempest remained sitting at the end of the bed while she watched the white alicorn howl with laughter at her.

In fact, she had to admit that the scene had been very comical, albeit stereotyped.

“Care to explain?” Tempest asked as Celestia regained control between laughs.

“I'm sorry, I've always wanted to say that phrase and I finally managed it.” the princess replied as she wiped away her tears of happiness.

Tempest rolled her eyes but she wasn't angry.
She had woken up wrapped around Celestia and then she could hear her wonderful laugh.

She couldn't ask for anything better.

“Last night I saw you sleeping on the floor so I levitated you onto the bed.” the princess explained as she got up from the bed.

“Thank you, but it wasn't necessary, I'm used to sleeping in uncomfortable places.”

"Did not you like it?" Celesta said playfully.

Tempest felt the heat wave again.

WHAT SHOULD SHE SAY?!

If she had said yes she might have been taken as a pervert but if she had said no she would have implied that she didn't like Celestia.

"Don't worry, it was a joke." the white alicorn said seeing that Tempest was having trouble answering.

The scarred alicorn let out a sigh she didn't even know she was holding.

“It seems you are very witty this morning.”

"What can I say? I slept very well last night.”
She gave a real, genuine smile, she really meant it.
For the first time since she had exiled her sister she was able to sleep soundly.

"Me too." Tempest said softly. Then she looked out the little porthole.

Seeing the position of the sun she assumed that it was already past noon. They had really slept a lot, at least ten hours she calculated mentally.

“Do you want to eat something?” Tempest proposed, it was too late for breakfast now.

“Of course, lead the way.”

The two left the cramped cabin but before going to the mess they went to get Twilight.

Celestia knocked on the door of the captain's cabin, they waited a few seconds and then Twilight opened the door.

When she saw Celestia and Tempest she gave him that look of disapproval and disgust again, her mentor's prank had been too much for her.

Maybe Celestia should have talked to her to explain that nothing had happened. But she preferred to wait a little longer, it would be a great punishment for Twilight.

Honestly, a small part of the white alicorn wished that something had actually happened with Tempest, but she was sure that she had made her advances towards the empress loud and clear.

“We're going to have lunch, will you join us?” Celestia asked.

Twilight didn't say anything but she left the room and closed the door behind her, apparently she wanted to play the silent game like children do when they're angry.

The trio moved to reach the mess hall, Tempest standing in front as she knew the layout of all the Imperial airships, while Twilight stood behind pouting.

When they arrived in the canteen they saw that there was almost no one there.

The room was not very large, it only had two tables with benches and the kitchen was very similar to those commonly found in normal homes.

The three alicorns sat down, Tempest on one bench and the other two on the opposite one.

In no time at all the cook arrived.

“Welcome my empress!”

“Good morning, is there anything left to eat?”

Before sitting down Tempest had seen the clock hanging on the wall, it read 1.30pm, a little late to have lunch but it was worth it since she had been able to sleep more with Celestia.

“Unfortunately not much, we have some mixed vegetables and grilled chicken.”

“It's enough, no meat for our guests.”

With that the cook returned to the kitchen to fetch the food.

“How does meat taste?” Twilight asked out of nowhere.

Tempest observed Twilight, as whenever she had to deal with meat she had a disgusted expression.

“I don't know, the meat has its own flavor and is very often seasoned with salt, spices or other things that increase the flavour.” Tempest replied, besides this there were no vegetables in nature that had the same flavor and consistency, as far as she knew at least.

“And you don't feel guilty eating it?”

“No, where I was born we ate meat and I still do it now, I know it's not right to kill a living being but that's how the food chain works.”

"I find it unacceptable anyway." Twilight commented but she stopped there as soon as Celestia glared at her like she had done two nights before.

“I can understand you, everyone has their own moral principles and I will not force you to eat meat, but I would prefer you to refrain from making these comments when we are in the capital, among the people there are many who practically only eat meat such as griffins and minotaurs. ”

Twilight shuddered to think of how many creatures were eaten every day to feed all these carnivores.

Maybe it was best to change the subject before she started vomiting on the floor.

As if that wasn't enough the cook returned with three dishes. As ordered Twilight and Celestia only had vegetables while Tempest's portion also had a slice of chicken.

The only thing Twilight could do was try to ignore the nauseating smell invading her nostrils.

The three grabbed a pair of cutlery from a container that was in the center of the table and began to eat.

As Tempest chewed her food, a question she'd wanted to ask for a while crossed her mind.

"Princess Celestia, why do you use this title? Wouldn't it be more appropriate for you to call yourself Queen Celestia? After all, you rule Equestria together with your sister."

Celestia wasn't surprised by the question but it was still unusual, it had been a very long time since she and her sister had chosen not to be called queens.

“It dates back to the time we ascended the throne, our parents were king and queen but our kingdom was no longer an absolute monarchy. Our form of government consists of a ruler who reigns above the governors of the various provinces of Equestria.
However, as the centuries passed, governors learned to manage themselves and the need for a supreme authority disappeared.”

Celestia explained beautifully while Twilight and Tempest ate slowly.

“When Luna and I ascended the throne there was no longer any need for us except to raise and lower the sun and the moon. Therefore we chose to be called princesses in order to leave more autonomy to the governors, also it was a tribute to our parents, we wanted them to be remembered as the last great king and queen.”

“Really very enlightening, your form of government is very similar to ours, I hope that one day my successors can also relinquish the title of emperor but for the moment it is not feasible. The empire is still too unstable, there are still many antipathies between the various peoples therefore a centralized power is necessary to guarantee peace and collaboration."

Perhaps if Tempest had lived long enough she might have been the one to abdicate herself, she might have been freed from the burden of command.

“What powers do you have?” This time it was Twilight who asked.

“If you are referring to my role as empress then it really depends on the situation. In times of peace and prosperity I have a more representative role than a governmental one, this is usually taken care of by the council while I have the task of enforcing the laws, maintaining diplomatic relations, making sure the army is in order and other minor things I count.
However, in the event of an emergency such as war, epidemic, famine or the like, I assume emergency powers which allow me to issue temporary edicts such as calls to arms, impose the obligation to ration food, quarantine the population and much more. .”

“And have you ever had to do this?”

“A couple of times and will probably happen again if the council decides to fight the goblins and orcs.”

Twilight sighed, once again she had come to a topic that she didn't like.

“And what role do you have on Equestria?”

Tempest really wanted to know what this princess of friendship could do. She had to try not to laugh when she thought of the title of the purple alicorn.

Twilight was about to answer but realized that she actually didn't know exactly what her role as princess of friendship was. She obviously had to spread the friendship, but beyond that? Celestia and Luna were the diarchs, Cadence was ruler of the crystal empire, what about her?

Celestia replied as her student was perplexed.

“Princess Twilight is currently responsible for representing Equestria in diplomatic relations and she is also governor of the district of Ponyville.”

Twilight was amazed, she hadn't expected her to be given such assignments so casually during a lunch discussion.

“She hasn't been made official yet as she has only been a princess for a short time but perhaps when we return to Canterlot it will be formally declared."

Tempest understood what Celestia meant.
During this trip Celestia was testing her student to see if she was capable of taking on the role of diplomatic representative. Very clever indeed.

The three finished eating and then each returned to their cabin.

"Knock Knock!" Tempest looked up from the parchment he was writing on.
She wasn't sure how long she had been engrossed in the task but it was late enough that the sun had disappeared. However, she hadn't noticed since she had no difficulty seeing in the dark.

Tempest opened the cabin door and in front of her was the sailor from the day before.

However, the sailor was scared, he didn't expect to see in the dark room only a dark shape with a pair of slightly luminescent eyes.

“My Empress, we have arrived in New Metropolis.” said 37045 the sailor standing at attention and trying not to show fear.

“Thank you sailor, you are free to go.”

With that the sailor left while Tempest went to knock on the door of the cabin where Celestia and Twilight were staying.
Unlike her room, theirs was lit by a couple of candles.

“We have arrived, I would like to show you the city before landing.”

Her voice had more enthusiasm than she intended but she was happy to be able to show off something she had worked hard for.

Twilight was also very excited to see a city outside of Equestria for the first time, she didn't know what to expect.

Twilight trotted out as Tempest and Celestia followed her walking normally.

When they reached the main deck they were greeted by a light breeze of cold, dry air

The captain was at the helm and gave orders to her subordinates while some sailors moved frantically from side to side to adjust the sails.

They looked around to see where Twilight had gone, she was in the bow leaning on the railing as she poked her head out to look down.

Tempest and Celestia approached and when the white alicorn saw what was underneath her she was amazed too.

New Metropolis was located on an immense hill and had a circular shape. The city developed on several levels, each separated by a great wall and at the top, in the center of everything, there was the imperial palace which stood out unchallenged over the entire landscape.

The city was truly boundless, much larger than Canterlot, Manehattan and Las Pegasus combined and beyond the walls there was only an infinite expanse of grass and fields.

Since it was night all the streets were illuminated creating a breathtaking landscape worthy of being immortalized by the greatest artists of that era.

"It's really wonderful!" Twilight commented as she gasped at how enchanting what she saw was.

“I know well, I also wonder how the city has managed to become so big in so few years. When we founded the empire ten years ago there was only the castle from which Storm King ruled and now it is a city that extends over 1500 square kilometers and the population amounts to two hundred thousand.”

“TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND?!” Twilight exclaimed in disbelief. “Manehattan has barely eighty thousand inhabitants and is the largest city in Equestria!”

“The Union of Free Peoples is a very large empire and there are millions of inhabitants. Cities like this are forming all over the empire.”

While the three alicorns were talking, the airship dropped in altitude and approached the imperial palace.

Unlike Canterlot Castle, the imperial palace had a simpler appearance, it did not have gilded decorations and imposing spiers.
It looked more like a fortress with a more practical than representative function, in fact there were no large windows or majestic terraces.

In fact the whole city had a very utilitarian appearance, the streets were all well paved and lit, the walls were high and deep and the houses were all made of brick.

But beyond that there wasn't much else like flower meadows, parks, fountains and hedges.
There were only the small gardens of the houses to give a touch of green.

“We must prepare to disembark.” Tempest warned before turning and walking down the stairs as the other two followed her.

They were now a few meters from the royal palace, the airship was slowly descending.

Below you could see a dozen guards who were arranging themselves in two rows to welcome the arrival of their empress and Reddace was also among them.

Before touching the ground, the airship deployed its stabilizing arms to prevent the vessel from tilting on its side and when they stopped, a door opened on the side of the hull and a ramp went down.

The first to come out was Tempest and following were Celestia, Twilight and the captain.

The guards stood at attention while Reddace remained in front of the two rows waiting for the guests.

“Welcome back my empress! We are happy that you have returned safely.” she greeted the griffin in her usual austere tone.

Tempest was happy to see her friend again, and she put a paw on his shoulder and spoke.

“Me too Reddace. Call the council, there's a lot to talk about.”

Author's Note

Some reference images to be able to imagine what New Metropolis could be like, remember that it is built on a hill so it has a conical shape with the imperial palace on the top.

This time I wanted to put some quotes and references, congratulations to those who noticed.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
As always, I remind you that there may have been syntax or grammatical errors so I ask you to report them in the comments and if possible to interpret the events.

Thank you.