In The Comfort of Her Majesty

On Friday...

The morning sun had long begun its trek through the eastern sky as Thunder arose from his slumber. He quickly shook the cobwebs from his mind and hopped out of bed. After a quick shower, he trotted onto his balcony and took in the beauty of the warm summer day. He stood up on his hindlegs and began to stretch his body and wings, his mind deep in thought as he did so Images of the last few days played out in his mind: a few more language lessons with Luna, some funny conversations at the dining table, and Celestia making preparations for Twilight's return on Sunday. As he stretched his torso to the right, he began to break down the issue at hoof.

'All right. Let's go over it again. I need to learn how to be more comfortable with the princesses, get over my anxiety about being...physical, and really do this job right. They need me and I can't break down and cry every time we're together. Now, how to go about it?' He stretched his forelegs out as wide as he could, attempting to touch the tips of his outstretched wings.

'OK. Start out slow. Don't rush yourself. I've already been with Celestia, so we've already jumped a huge hurdle together. Best place to start than any. So, how do I become more relaxed around her? Come on Thunder, you're the consort. Think. Think.' As he carefully fell back onto all fours, a small idea began to form in his mind.

'What about...a day out? Like a date? Well, not a DATE date, but...something where we can...have a good time. Be together. Get to know each other. Tomorrow's Saturday, she'd have the day off to go.'

Thunder looked high into the sky, a new found sense of confidence taking hold. 'Yeah! That could work! Now...all I have to do is ask her... Suddenly, disappointment set in; Celestia had already left for the day court and the wait for her to be free would be long. 'Ugh! Unless Luna needs me, this is gonna be a LONG wait... How am I gonna pass the time? Huh...you know, I've never seen the court in action. Why don't I sit in on today's session and see Celestia work? Show her some support? If anything it would kill some time at least.'

His plan now set, Thunder trotted out of his chambers and up the stairs. As he neared the large double doors, a familiar figure emerged from the other side: Prince Blueblood.

'Oh crap.' Thunder quickly turned around and headed back down the hallway, desperate to avoid the 'honorable' prince. 'Don't make eye contact, Thunder. Don't engage him. Don't engage-'

"Ah, Thunder Shock! A pleasure to see you again." called Blueblood.

Found out, Thunder held his head low and sighed in frustration. "Prince Blueblood. To what do I owe this visit?" he said through clenched teeth.

The prince continued to trot closer and closer to the consort with a snide smirk painted on his face. "Just come to collect my allowance from Luna."

"Um, aren't you a little old for an allowance?"

"Hey! I behave myself! Most of the time, anyway." Blueblood's eyes quickly darted around the room to check for witnesses, then cleared his throat as he regained his usual haughty demeanor. "So, word's gotten around that you've enjoyed the company of my step auntie."

Thunder felt the wind knocked out of his lungs as his wings fluttered involuntarily. "That-That's between me and her! It's certainly none of your business!" he growled out, unconsciously pawing the ground with one hoof.

"Oh, you misunderstand my friend." answered Blueblood in a voice dripping with false camaraderie. "I'm happy for the both of you. Why, I think it's quite amusing that auntie is enjoying her newest...toy." he sneered. He began trotting and posturing around the consort, his voice thick with contempt. "But you know, ponies who play with toys can be very fickle. They could love and cherish that one toy for years and years. But once a newer, better toy comes around...well..."

"Do you have a point to this?" said the consort cocking an eyebrow.

"Merely making an observation, that's all."

"OK, I think you should get out of my sight. NOW!" Thunder commanded while furling his brow.

"Of course. Good day to you sire." Blueblood copped a slight bow and trotted out of the living quarters, leaving Thunder with his growing anger and hatred.

"Plot-hole..." he muttered under his breath. With his annoyance now gone, he took a few minutes to breath deeply and extinguish the flames within him. He then made his way out of the living quarters and towards the day court. Outside the courtroom, two guards stood outside diligently guarding the door.

"Hey there. Do you mind if I sit in for today? See how everything works?" inquired Thunder.

The guards looked at each other then back at the pegasus. The guard on the left was the first to speak: "Visitors are not usually welcome during the court. High matters of state are discussed."

"Oh, I see. Just...wanted to show Celestia a little support. If that's a problem then..."

"Wait!" The guards looked back at each other with concern and worry then back at Thunder. "...Do you promise to be quiet, not disrupt the proceedings, and keep what you hear inside a secret?" said the one on the right.

"Sure. No problem." replied Thunder with a hoof on his heart.

The guards relented and lifted their wings, allowing the consort to quietly trot inside...

The room was abuzz with murmured conversations as the delegates awaited the beginning of the day court. The rows in front of the thrones were filled with stallions and mares of different colors and types representing the entirety of Equestria. Thunder quietly took a spot behind the back benches and began to observe the proceedings.

A few moments later, a tan unicorn stallion trotted into the room and picked up a large metal horn. "All rise! The day court is now in session! Her highness, Princess Celestia presiding!" he dutifully called into it.

The delegates obeyed the command and quickly stood up in their seats. A few moments later, Celestia came trotting in and gracefully sat on her throne, and Thunder was surprised when she spotted him immediately, giving him a brief and knowing glance before focusing on the crowd before her.

"Please be seated." she called out, her voice regal and strong.

"Good morning everypony." A chorus of 'Good morning, your highness' from the delegates sang back at her. "I hope that all of you rested well last night and are ready to serve the ponies of our great nation. Clerk, please call the first motion."

The clerk held the scroll within his magical field and began to read. "The motion, number MT-6942329, proposed by the representative of the city of Las Pegasus, asks for additional military personnel to be stationed in the western half of the Equestrian Republic for the purposes of defense against the Griffon Confederacy."

"I will hear your motion, sir." said Celestia gazing at the delegate in question.

A balding black pegasus in a fine sliver suit and tie sitting in the front row rose from his seat and cleared his throat. "Your highness, fellow delegates, members of this illustrious court. After reading the most recent intelligence reports, it appears that infighting may have erupted between the griffon chieftains. Now, as we all know from the history books, the last time this occurred the Confederacy was plugged into a decades long civil war. A war which ended with not only thousands of casualties for the griffons, but hundreds of innocent pony deaths caught in the crossfire. This proposal will allow additional troops to be garrisoned along the most vulnerable positions of the western frontier to protect and secure the safety of our citizens in case of such an event. As delegates of the Equestrian Republic, it is our moral duty to make sure that our constituents can go about their lives free from the threat of violence from a conflict that does not concern them at all. I thank the court for its time in this matter." As he talked, the clerk was hard at work transcribing the session on a piece of parchment.

"Thank you sir. The motion is now open for deliberation." said Celestia.

From the far right of the room, a hoof shot high into the air. "The court recognizes the representative of the city of Manehatten for deliberation." said the clerk.

A tan unicorn clothed in a green polka dotted bow tie rose and stood before the court. "Your highness, fellow delegates. With respect to my colleague, I must vote against the motion. The Griffon Confederacy has been our ally for countless centuries. Their soldiers have fought alongside ours in battle and their citizens have always been welcome in our homes, and us in theirs. To begin to treat them like ruffians and troublemakers and 'wave the saber at them' as it were based on idle speculation is to incite animosity and hatred between out species. I don't know about the rest of you, but I do not wish to go down in history as a member of the court that allowed this great alliance to be dissolved over petty squabbling."

"Any further deliberation?" asked Celestia.

Another hoof shot into the air. "The court recognizes the representative of the city of Ponyville for deliberation." called the clerk.

The pony in question, a brown earth pony in a green tie, stood at attention. "Your highness, fellow delegates. I agree with my colleague from the city of Manehatten. If the chieftains are indeed preparing for open conflict, then our best hope is to send a delegation of peacemakers to the Confederacy to resolve the issue at hoof, if not at least gain assurance from them that our citizens will not be harmed. Preparing for a conflict that may never occur should be the very last thing on our minds."

The black pegasus' hoof shot back up in the air, slightly trembling as it did so. "The court recognizes the representative of the city of Las Pegasus for rebuttal."

The balding pegasus rose again and motioned towards the others. "With respect to my fellow delegates, their cities lie safely to the far east. Cities, I might add, that are well within our borders and are easily defendable by our armed forces. However, the Confederacy borders my city directly on both the north and the west. If the griffons do launch an attack, than Las Pegasus, along with the western half of our great republic, would be put in mortal danger. I cannot sit idly by and allow that to happen." he said, his voice almost growling in anger.

A hoof from the very back row shot up at attention. "The court recognizes the representative of the city of Fillydelphia." said the clerk.

The green unicorn stood up and pointed at the front row. "I ask the good representative of Las Pegasus, if these troops were garrisoned near your city, how many lucrative military contracts and tax exceptions could it stand to profit from? Would these soldiers not be tempted to spend their hard earned bits in its numerous gambling dens or houses of ill-repute?!"

The pegasus in question stomped his hoof down on the table. "That is an outrageous allegation! I refuse to to dignify such...baseless accusations with a response!" he hissed out.

Thunder just sat and took stock in how the delegates were acting. 'Wow, these guys are our representatives? How does anything get done?' he thought with a rueful shake of his head.

"Order! Order please!" called Celestia as she loudly tapped her hoof. "Now, I believe the motion has been thoroughly debated. We shall now put it to a vote. All in favor?" The pegasus and a few others raised their hooves. The clerk quickly counted them and wrote the results down on the parchment. "And against?" The rest of the court raised their hooves in the air.

"The count is thirty nine against, and eighteen in favor. The motion is defeated." said the clerk while shouting into the horn.

Celestia nodded and turned to face him. "Very well. Clerk, please call-"

"I protest this blatant dismissal of a genuine threat against our republic!" the black pegasus shouted in disgust.

Celestia narrowed her sight onto the representative and lowered her voice. "Sir, I believe we've already voted on the issue-"

"That is beside the point! I cannot believe that one of the rulers of our nation fails to see the growing storm right in front of her eyes! For her highness to be so blissfully in denial about the safety of out kind is, quite frankly, a sign of ignorance that is most unbecoming of her title!"

'Oh. He didn't just call Celestia stupid!' thought Thunder, his left foreleg twitching in rage.

"You dare call our beloved princess ignorant?! Do you have no shame sir?!" the grey unicorn called out from the back rows.

"Oh, does the good gentlecolt from the city of Fillydelphia wish to join our princess in the make-believe land of sunshine and gumdrops that she apparently resides in or actually discuss the real issues at hoof?" replied the balding pegasus.

The court erupted in a chaotic symphony of name calling and accusation. As he watched the drama unfold, Thunder bit his lower lip hard, fighting every urge within him not to jump up and punch the feuding stallions in the face.

The comments continued to ring out: "Scallywag!" "Pompous Featherbrain!" "You sir are an unmitigated-"

"ORDER! ORDER! THERE WILL BE ORDER IN THIS COURT!" shouted Celestia, her words echoing around the room in a mighty roar. At once, the room fell silent as the feuding delegates turned their attention to the solar princess, their faces slack with embarrassment. Thunder himself sat with his mouth wide open at her display of vocal prowess.

"Be seated." she firmly commanded. The representatives quietly sat back down and looked intently at the white alicorn. The room now dead silent, Celestia took a deep breath and gazed over the entire court. "Let me assure you all that I take the safety of our citizens in the utmost regard. If there is a substantial threat made against the republic, I will personally lead a battalion of troops to deal with the issue. But that will only come to pass when every single peaceful option has been extinguished. Also, we cannot allow ourselves bicker like foals when we do not get our way. We are one united nation and we must compromise, tolerate different points of view, and work together to make our country strong."

"And to the representative of the city of Las Pegasus. I find your conduct unbecoming of a delegate within this court. Any further attempt to...indulge yourself as you have just done, and I will hold you in contempt. Am I making myself clear?"

"Y-Yes your highness. My apologies." he whimpered to her.

The Sun Princess allowed the warmth to return to her voice as her small smile returned. "Good. Now let's continue. We do have a lot more to go through. Clerk, please call the next motion..."

"Court is adjourned! All rise!" The delegates rose and grabbed their papers as Celestia trotted out of the room. Thunder went out himself, circling around to meet her in the hallway. As the two made their way back to the living quarters, Thunder carefully keeping quiet the whole way, the afternoon sun began to set, casting a bright orange glow into the regal hallways. Once the two were safely inside, the solar alicorn turned her attention to the consort with a smile.

"So, what did you think of today's session?" she inquired, one eyebrow quirking up.

Thunder hung his head low and pawed at the floor. "Can I be frank, your highness?"

"Of course."

"That...was...AWFUL! How do you put up with that every weekday?!" he loudly exclaimed.

Celestia smiled warmly and let out a slight chuckle. "With a great amount of patience. And all in all, it's not so bad."

"NOT SO BAD?! That pegasus needed to be knocked clear out of the sky! I can't believe that somepony would have the bits to talk to you like that!" shouted Thunder, his wings ruffling as if his anger would launch him into the air.

"Oh, he was just trying to save face. I've stared down countless armies, horrid monsters, and the forces of disharmony and chaos itself. I'm not about to be bothered, let alone defeated, by a bunch of squabbling politicians."

"Still though, it wasn't right. I... I don't like ponies getting picked on." said Thunder, his voice dropping as he spoke. “Especially you and Luna now.” he whispered very softly.

Celestia was moved by the stallion’s gallantry in spite of herself. "I thank you for your concern, Thunder." she said while gazing into his eyes with genuine appreciation.

"N-No problem." He responded, her frank regard distracting him immensely. When she blinked he finally managed, "Say Celestia, have you got anything planned for tomorrow?"

"Not really. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was just wondering...you know...if you weren't too busy...maybe you would like to...walk around town with me?" he stammered.

"Thunder, are you asking me out on a date?"

"NO! It's not like..." Before losing himself further, Thunder closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Look, I'm trying to be better as the consort. I know I have to become more comfortable around both you and Luna and this is the best I could think of to start with. If nothing else, it'll be a nice day out with a friend. So, what do you say?" he said hopefully, looking up at the princess with a shy smile.

Celestia's eyes rolled towards the ceiling as she brought a hoof to her chin. "Well, I suppose I could accept an official luncheon meeting with my weather adviser to discuss the current state of Canterlot's overall weather control tomorrow. Would leaving at around nine a.m. be a problem for you?"

"Not at all." he joyfully replied.

"Excellent. See you then." She then bent down and kissed the consort gently on the cheek, her smile affectionate as she tried not to chuckle at his answering blush. As the princess retired to her room, Thunder shook his head to clear the pink from his cheeks, then trotted back towards his own chambers, excited for the day ahead...