Blueblood

It took a moment for Ice to realize what Bluebelle was getting at; it was amusing in some way for the Princess to watch it dawn on her. "You're doing what almost everypony thinks they would do in your position, given power, resources, and influence. Most prove to incompetent to use them well, or fall to some temptation along the way. Or else end up preferring the safe to the heroic. And as you just said, you were only one or two bad decisions away from falling yourself. I don't presume lightly upon the intentions of my aunties, but it has rather occurred to me that, as Equestria was founded as a Diarchy, and functions best as one, it didn't make much sense to have Twilight rule alone after they retired." There was, if Icy cared to listen for it, just the faintest note of envy in Bluebelle's voice. She couldn't help it, even after all these years.

Ah, right. That... little issue. Bluebelle could quite understand the desire to avoid complications in that respect. "Quite, quite. Although, I must say, I'm not sure if pregnancy would have any less an effect, just based on all testimonies and observation. But, I'm no medical pony. In any case, I do hope to see your own herd with some little ones soon; it would be nice for Pax to have playmates his own age among family friends, you know?" There was a slight strain of pleading in her voice, that of a mother wishing to provide her foal advantages she herself had not enjoyed. Listening to Icy recount her potential villain origin story, and what ultimately disrupted it, Bluebelle couldn't help but reflect on what parts of it she herself had observed. Star Crusader, her other mate, had served with her together in the brief period of time that Icy was a part of EPIC, before she branched off to create STAR. She too had left, though more to serve domestically without being taken so far and so long away from her new family. As far as the Princess knew, that left EPIC either defunct, or just Twilight's personal Black Ops team, just as STAR was closely associated with Luna. It seemed redundant, but perhaps having some redundancy was key to resilience. Blue was just grateful that other mares more competent in that area than her were handling it. "I knew you were close with Auntie, but I hadn't known it was that close, hm." She mused, draining her cup again, not refilling it this time. "If... I may ask, that sort of close mentorship is the sort of thing that makes one an... ascension candidate. Has anything of the sort been mentioned to you?"

Ambrosia was about at that age where asking her favorite treat would be like asking a parent about their favorite foal. Not that she herself had any doubt that she was Applejack's favorite, she knew by instinct that insisting on that fact would make home life considerably more awkward and unpleasant. Anyway, Zappers was clearly Rainbow Dash's favorite, so it all balanced out in the end! But back to the matter of food, she had no preferences. She was the sort of filly who'd happily munch anything her mama put in front of her (provided it wasn't too messy!) She'd even grow up to be the sort of mare who would unironically like the taste of whole grains and grass. "All of them!" She replied to Twilight with enthusiasm, and indeed she would delicately but thoroughly sample all the little delectables provided. "What's your favorite, Princess?" Amby asked, genuinely curious as to what a Princess like Twilight Sparkle enjoyed. While they all might be her favorites, she might try to like the ones that Princesses liked more.

Hello! Friendly neighborhood admin here, let's take a look at this app. I notice you double posted it; I've taken the liberty of archiving the other one. We ask that each application be titled with the name of the character, just to make it easier for other folks to look up! I can edit it for you if you don't know how. What age is Renesmee? The story seems to focus on her fillyhood, is she a young pony? Where is she staying? Ponyville, or another place in Equestria? World of Equestria tends to be more of a tighter moderated setting (as opposed to the Free For All Boards here: https://www.canterlot.com/forum/427-free-for-all-roleplay/). So, there's some things in the background that I'm going to need cleared up. Right now, only alicorns are able to actually move/manipulate celestial bodies like stars, the sun, and moon. Is the story depicted a dream? Because if its not, it will need some adjusting to play in WoE (though you can go to the Free for All boards right now if you want!)

"Mmm, yes... pregnancy is not a good time to be the test subject of medical experiments." Bluebelle nodded in agreement. "And, as far as my curse goes... I mean, technically you'd only need the transformation to be valid for one night, since you're all mares. That means that using alchemical potions is pretty riskless, actually, as you don't have to maintain integrity of the transformation for a full 11 months. I do have a supplier, if you're interested... and even contacts for the more permanent means of gender-swapping. I mean, as I'm sure you're well aware, Dunnie wasn't born a stallion." Indeed, given that Ice Storm was an ex of Dunder back in the day, she would know that quite well. Perhaps it was for the best that she was currently busy upstairs with the baby. "None of us need help going insane, if we ever decide to do so we could do a bang-up job of it all on our own!" Bluebelle chuckled. "Can I just ask... did you ever entertain villain fantasies? I'll admit I did, in some of my darker times. They never amounted to much, though. Basically getting my hooves on some artifact like the Alicorn Amulet and forcing all the peasants to bow to me. I really didn't have any other plans beyond that; all I wanted was respect, and, well, I think I've actually earned that legitimately now."

"To Fweinship!" Ambrosia was usually pretty good with her enunciations, but her innate adorableness gave her an instinct for when mispronouncements would be cuter. The old 'w for r' trick never failed to get a 'D'aww' from adults when properly deployed. For all the fantastical talk of her becoming a Princess when she grew up, being able to maneuver to catch the best possible reactions would serve her well if she ever decided to go into diplomacy or public relations... As for the tea? Delicious. Apple-cinnamon-maple was a combination of everything sweet and country and homey and good, and honestly could be marketed as a flavor in and of itself. There had been talks of whether flavor additives were heresy or not when it came to apple cider, but bottled teas were less sacrosanct in the Apple Clan's eyes, and there was a market opportunity there that Twilight might well want to take up with AJ...

Ambrosia winced at the sharp sound of the whistle. Her young ears were still sensitive, able to hear sounds of higher pitches than the more hardened eardrums of adults could pick up on. What's more, it had been a pretty magically taxing day, and it was beginning to show on her face. But if she let on that she was tired, Twilight might cancel their tea party and make her take a nap! That couldn't happen, not yet... "I'm good!" She said, smiling as best she could as she rubbed her temples.

"Good to hear things have been going well for you. I wonder if Tempest will be able to take advantage of your research; she's pregnant now, did you hear? Apparently got knocked up by a caribou." Bluebelle sipped her tea, aware that she was starting to slip into gossip mode. "I mean, not to blame her... Dunnie and I, well, we both got up to some fun times in our day, and yes, once with a caribou ambassador who was in Canterlot at the time! I'm just glad she's decided to be responsible in becoming a parent. I admire that; honestly, I don't think either of us were exactly close to our parents. Me and Temmy, I mean; you were, until the rift opened... "I guess in our own ways, we're all trying to be better to our families than our parents were to us." That was a sobering, but also encouraging reflection. "For my own part, Dunnie, Star and I have resisted the temptation to hire nursemaids and the like. Being rich means you can afford to be a worse pony sometimes, and you constantly have to guard against falling into that pattern of behavior, you know?"

For the verses, and the first instance of the chorus, Sky kept to listening to the little zebra's singing as he played. Her voice was quite good, and he judged she would grow up to be quite a good lead once she had a few more summers under her belt. As it was, he hummed along with her to the tune, only breaking out in lyrics after the second verse, in harmony with her: "Lakini kwa upendo na ufahamu, Mkuu mkubwa, mkuu mkubwa, Uwanda na mawe, ilibadilika, Kutoka utupu, kuwa taifa lenye nguvu!" However long the song went, he would finish it out, before playing out the bridge and coda instrumentally, the little group remaining around to listen to the music breaking into applause once he'd finished. Smiling down at Muziki, he'd pat her head with his wing. "Thanks for teaching me! If your parents are playing a show at the Mareage, I'll have to go and see you with them sometime. Right now, though, I have to go upstairs and see to my own little filly, OK?" Speaking of Dad's and Daughters... "That's right, Flurry." It was with some effort that Shining kept himself from calling the Princess 'Fluffalump' in public, but she'd been good this trip, and it would probably be wise to keep parental embarrassments at her expense to a minimum today. He'd keep that one in his quiver for when he needed to head off a potential sugar rush. That could be dangerous when its an alicorn... "Oh, you have kettle corn? I love that!" The smell of the salty-sweet treat was already making the stallion's mouth damp from anticipation, and the family's reputation for their signature product preceded itself. In the meantime, he reached out a hoof to shake Golden Bit's. "Nice to meet you! And yes, we're here for a long weekend trip. Nothing really big planned out, actually; is there anything you'd recommend?" Keeping an eye on Flurry, he noticed one of the customer's approaching, what looked like a kirin, actually. Was he writing? That was odd, he thought that his sister's friends had cured their silence. Maybe it hadn't stuck with some of them?

Ambrosia closed her eyes and tried to do as Twilight said. A unicorn's horn could be quite sensitive when attuned, though the little filly was still a little too young for her nerves in that part of her to be fully developed. It took no small amount of concentration to both feel and picture where the droplets were, her horn glowing and her tongue sticking out. "Mmm-mm..." Tongue staying out even as eyes opened, she stared at the pot, trying to imagine it filled with dozens of tiny droplets like the one she felt on her horn. Heat up, heat up.... like momma's pancakes on a cold morning... warm in the tummy... burns the roof of your mouth if you bite in too soon.... There was a rumbling within the teapot, a rattling of the lid as the water inside began to bubble. Steam started to emerge from the spout... along with, oddly enough, the smell of maple syrup...

"Having seen from the ground level what a slog and quagmire civil wars can be," Bluebelle replied, with a grim look, "I tend to err on the side of non-intervention even when one could argue for one to be justified. Not that we haven't done good work in Whitescar, and the fact that the rebel clans projected power to us does push it over the line... It's just that I find it frustrating that even after years of fighting, and the work IMAGINE has done there... so little seems to have changed, either on the front lines or on the ground. All the aid I've arranged to try and build a peace gets requisitioned ultimately in the service of a war, and it just puts blood on hooves that try to be clean..." The Princess let the matter drop, cleaning her palate with a well-sugarcoated bit of pastry. "Well, here's to hopes for a peaceful resolution, and a restraint to the steps of fools. Let's move on from business, it's been a bit since we talked, and I'd like to catch up! How is your herd doing? Any new additions lately?"

Kahz, being a changeling, could in fact sense Yù's heart skip that beat, and all those tasty little heart shaped candies floating off of her were just... ah, he couldn't resist! She would feel his tongue slip out around her ear and give a little slurping sound before pulling back, his dark chitin still somehow reddening in a blush. "Heh, sorry, couldn't resist snapping up a little appetizer. You're just the sweetest thing~" He put flirtations on hold as the waitress returned, and he put in their order for a sushi boat. "It'll be be a bit, they make it fresh here. Meantime... if you don't mind me asking, if the mere suggestion of domesticity has you feeling like I just sensed... where do you want to end up, relationship-wise?" He smiled disarmingly over his teacup as he sipped. "I know it might seem a little soon to ask, but... well, I've seen enough in my time to know that the amount of time you think you have is... never quite as much as there's going to be." He smiled, but his eyes were the eyes of one who had seen war.

Ambrosia, still so young and tender in her years that the easiest tricks of magic could make her eyes shine and her heart sing; little Amby clapped and giggled with delight as the Princess brought forth a miracle. From the tiniest and ugliest of worms, not even fuzzy cute catterpillars, came a flurry of flittering butterflies! "Flutterbyes!" She called out, cutely messing up the word in her excitement as she reached out to feel one land on her hoof. Distracted by the display, it took a little time for her to refocus and get back into her seat. Ooh, dipping her horn in the water? Momma said that wasn't how she was going to eat with her horn, but this seemed closer to cooking, and momma hadn't said anything about that. "O-kay, Twilight!" Of course, it took a bit of maneuvering for her to dip in her horn without her curls getting wet as well...

Using magic for a tea party? If Ambrosia had any doubts about who was best princess before, now she had it confirmed in her mind: Twilight Sparkle! With shining eyes, she watched the table float over to them, even reaching out with her own magic to 'help' the purple alicorn set it down. "Okay, I'll get the tea cups!" Applejack was smart enough to not give her young filly fine china, so the cups were a little more durable than the porcelain Twilight and Celestia might have used together. Still, the glazed clay could be fragile if dropped, so Amby did exercise at least some care in that, even if the last few cups clinked a little loudly into their saucers. And now... decorations! Little Ambrosia's eagerness could not be contained. "Oooh, ooh... flowers, and ribbons... ah! And butterflies! Can you do butterflies?"

"So... the De Facto power is to be treated as De Jure with full sovereign rights, regardless of the means of ascension used and the existence of disputes?" Bluebelle tried to sum up the position Ice seemed to present her with, trying to figure out if that argument could fly. "That's... one way to treat international relations, I suppose. Possibly a rather good way to ensure international peace; I'm just not sure how we could adopt it without accusations of hypocrisy, given that we are publicly and substantially supporting one side in an ongoing civil war in Whitescar..." With a sigh, the Princess shakes her head, placing her teacup down as she stretches, popping a few joints with a grunt. "Oy... listen to me talk, as if I was advocating for the war lobby! Truth be told, I personally quite agree with what you've said, so much so that... well, in my line of work, if somepony comes at you with exactly what you want to hear, that's a reason to suspect a catch somewhere." She gave a small, apologetic smile to her friend. "No reflection on you, just... wanted to make sure that I had more solid ground for my advocacy than mere class prejudice and family drama. I'd thank you to take that case to Princess Twilight, though, as your judgment may be perceived as less biased."

"Oh, you mean 'Run for the Roses'?" Sky's face lit up at recognition, at least of what he thought Mizuki was referring to. While the little zebra wasn't trying to play a melody on the keys, she did have an instinctual ear for harmony rather that discordant note series, something he knew came only from practice. Spreading his wings out, gently enough to not push her hooves off, he began to tickle the ivories into the first few bars of the song. "Whenever you're ready, you can start singing!" Just as Psmith was seeing to the final arrangements for delivery and leaving the shop, he looked out the door with a mild expression of surprise. "Speak of royalty, and they multiply their presence. Candy and Corns of all description, prepare to receive cavalry!" That grandiloquent introduction would receive just a throaty chuckle and headshake from the stallion just entering the shop, with his little filly in tow, for it was the other Pony Prince, Shining Armor, down on vacation from the Crystal Empire along with little Flurry Heart. The city of Los Pegasus had many things to offer for a dad and his daughter (Cadence was planning a trip herself with Flurry to Manehatten later), but to imagine that he could possibly bypass a candy shop with an excitable alicorn filly in tow was ludicrous. "Well, here we are in any case. I was *hoping* we could go the entire trip without a herald, but I suppose you can't help yourself, Psmith. Do say hi to Bluey for me."

The future Princess of Apples elegantly enjoyed the drink of her station, the still and calm appearance only broken by the swishing and twitching of her tail. Tea with a Princess, an actual Princess, is something few fillies her age ever experienced, and she was quite aware of the privilege. "Mama has tea with me. Zappers did once, but he spilled a lot. But when I go to school, I'm gonna invite class mates to have some!" Which was to say... just family for now, but friends would surely come. She still spent most of her time at home, but once she was going to a schoolhouse most days, she'd be meeting up with more her age.

"While it is true that Equestria cannot tax the land, we could tax the capital." Bluebelle gave a none-too-happy smile. "Welcome to the wonderful world of tax law, and why it has specialized accountants. But that, ultimately, is a side issue." With a long drink, she emptied her cup and returned it to the saucer. "As far as your argument goes its correct; provided that Norton is in fact the legitimate government. Ridge would, and in fact has, argued that Norton Breakbeak is little more than a bandit who has seized control of an area by use of thuggery, bribery, and charisma. Which isn't exactly the sort of thing one ought to encourage, you know?" The Princess sighed, brushing back her mane with one hoof. "I'm just frustrated by this whole situation because, if I'm playing the part of an advocate, I can argue either side rationally enough to take it without burdening my conscience. If I'm acting as a judge between them, I feel too pressured by personal bias to make a fair judgment. And if I'm acting like a diplomatic civil servant... I can see little recourse to prevent violence if violence is desired. I have appealed to law, but there is no court which can compel sovereigns to obey its orders." After rubbing her temples a bit, Bluebelle seemed to relax a little, pouring herself a second cup of tea. "Really though, I do have to thank you for your offer to balance the forces either way. Honestly, I just needed somepony to unload these problems onto; at the end of the day I can see where both sides are coming from, and how each could be right or could be wrong. I just felt that Twilight and I were being pressured to make decisions based on either legal technicalities or class prejudices, rather than on grounds of true wisdom, you know?"

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"Hmm, you think so?" Bluebelle asked as she poured them both some tea, sounding mildly surprised at Icy's assessment. "As a matter of domestic politics, the land rights are not within Princess Twilight's writ, but foreign relations must always consider the presence and possibility of... The Final Argument of Kings. Or Princesses." Her lips curled in evident distaste for the euphemism for war. "My main difficulty is this: for taxing purposes, Ridge registered his company as an Equestrian corporation as an Equestrian National. Which means that Emperor Norton's nationalization technically stole Equestrian property from an Equestrian. In international law, that can be presented as sufficient fig leaf for a cassus belli. There's precedent, if Ridge chooses to so lobby for it. And while I don't wish to profile either merchants or dragons... neither tend to be very forgiving when their property is abstracted from them. "Given how much of an unknown he is, I don't know how good he is at political warmongering, but its never difficult to get certain elements of the populace riled up about this sort of thing if you know the right ponies to serve as mouthpieces. Ridge seemed satisfied for now with the offer of an envoy from Princess Twilight, but I don't know how long its going to be before he starts seriously moving things to get the military involved... or gets fed up with waiting and hires mercenaries. Either way, in my official capacities, I have no legal grounds to stop him from doing either, as by the letter of the law, he's trying to simply recover stolen goods." She sighed, leaning back in the chair as she treated herself to some impromptu aromatherapy from the steam from her teacup. "All that would be problem enough for me; I detest pointless war, especially when I'm in no position to stop it, but my current travails are more domestic. Norton's rhetoric has captured the sympathies of my wife, Dunnie, and my lack of legal means of supporting him have led her to accuse me of 'Backing a capitalist oppressor of the people against one striving for their liberation.'" A distant noise from somewhere in the manor caused Bluebelle's ears to perk up, but as it was quickly quieted she returned to the conversation. "Mind you, she and I just had our first foal, little Pax, but that means neither of us are operating under full sleep and a balanced mood. Nevertheless, while this situation persists, I'm in the doghouse."

There was only one correct answer to the question of what your favorite tea was, as far as Ambrosia was concerned. "Apple Sinna-mon!" It was so sweet, and warm... plus mama wasn't going to let her drink anything with caffeine in it when she was this young. A little filly needed her beauty sleep, and also not to have her growth be stunted. But a healthy drink of apple and spices was something Amby could enjoy every day.

"All we ask is that you understand why a thing exists before you bypass or cut it. If one cannot answer 'why?', one cannot explain 'why not?'." Pmsith smoothly replied, more or less out of dutiful responsibility to report and represent the views of his employer. His own commentary followed, "Time sensitivity and a literal dragon at the doorstep usually suffices as justification, naturally; one simply must account for the waste which comes from haste." Returning to the matter at hand, the secretary once again sighed. "I don't know if I have fully communicated, Comrade Icy, that Griffonstone and Aquellia are not the same thing? Ridge had registered his company under Equestrian Tax Law, and received a mining concession from the Aquellian governor, but the actual territory of the mine is claimed by Griffonstone. This ambiguity of jurisdiction is the whole crux of the conflict, one which unscrupulous actors may exploit for personal gain. Hence, the diplomatic headache. For now, if you can manage it on short notice, one or two of your agents could be dispatched as part of Gallus' security and eyes on the ground; we doubt that Princess Twilight will object to such measures. In any case, Gallus is probably the ideal candidate for this little jaunt, though I can't say he relishes the trip home. He was quite glad to leave the place, and had no plans to return. On the other hoof, this does make him something of an ideal judge for how positive Norton's impact on the place actually is, versus what is claimed. Said proposal has, at any rate, quieted Ridge's demands upon the bureaucracy, so the situation is currently stable. In so far as the politics of it is concerned, anyway." That was the conclusion of the briefing, which covered the journey. With a pit stop at the station for Icy to send any telegrams or communications as needed, the young stallion would then escort her to Platinum Manor, just in time for tea. The parlor was set for the afternoon repast, a pot each of jasmine and blackcurrant blends set to steep, with all the little treats one could desire there, including a stunningly beautiful mare. "Ah, Icy, good to see you could make it! I trust Psmith gave you the thorough rundown of the situation?" Princess Bluebelle smiled from her seat, though Icy would be able to tell that some significant amount of fatigue was affecting her.