The Great Equestrian Consort Audition (Open- See OOC)

[SteelEagle]

 

 

Twilight read the book's passage a fourth time in the last minute, and for the thirtieth time in a row. It didn't make sense. If it was a royal rule, something all Princesses had to have, why didn't the others (well, Luna, and Celestia at least) have to follow it? Or maybe they did once long ago and in their great lifespans it had ceased to be a continuing element in their lives. Either way, she didn't know if she could do this. It seemed so strange, but if it was true she had to have one within three years of becoming a Princess...well...such were the rules.

Twilight Sparkle was the former Element of Magic. She knew more magic than any[pony else in Equestria, and was one of the most renowned scientists as well. A true dual threat, but that was just the start. She was an alicorn. The most powerful and rarest of pony types. She wasn't born that way- she had earned it. Ascension, rare and worthy of celebration on its own accord, but that was just the start. She was a Princess and had done many great things with that title, but the most important had been her role specifically as the Princess of Friendship. She had been able to help so many ponies, and that didn't even include all the times she had helped save Equestria. In other words, she should have been prepared for just about anything.

But she wasn't prepared for this.

-------

A message was posted at every town hall in Equestria, in every town square, in every castle and place of importance. It had the royal seal and shone in the light and dark alike. It was on a single parchment and for all of the heraldry it was a simple message:

“From the Castle of Friendship in Ponyville, home of Princess Twilight Sparkle:

The Law requires that the Princess has a consort (or more) within 1,100 days of ascending to her throne. In order to facilitate the continued law abiding nature of her rule, the Princess has decided to open up auditions for this role on the twentieth day of the first month of the new year. All may apply as long as they are legal residents of Equestria.

Good luck?”

---

She wasn't prepared for this. The grand hall was emptied of everything except her small throne and the marble pillars. No guards. No servants. Not even Spike! Outside of these doors, crowding around the castle and in the hallways leading up to it, was...it felt like most of Equestria. Or at least large portions of it. And sitting on the throne was a prime piece of Princess, Twilight in all of her splendor, as well taken care of as she possible could be, in her coronation dress. She stood as still as a statue, nervous beyond reckoning as she watched the doors. Breathing treatment. One hoof out, in, out, in.

“I can do this...I can do this...Allllright, time for it to...start,” she gulped. Her horn lit, doors opened. Time for the show to begin.

Basic Rules:
1- One pony enters the grand hall with Twilight at a time. Once in, only Twilight and that pony can see and deal with one another.
2- Your audition can be anything within RP/Site rules.
3- Check the OOC for any and all chat.

[Blueblood]

 

"Why, this is incredible news!"

 

His Imperial Majesty, Norton Breakbeak I, was elated when he heard the news that Equestria's new Princess was on the lookout for a Royal consort.  Truth be told, he had grown somewhat worried about the equine royals; they hardly seemed to take full advantage of their situation, and certainly hadn't been taking much steps to secure their legacy and inheritance.  With the admirable exception of Princess Cadence, who had her own autonomous fiefdom in any case, none of the Princesses had taken consorts, produced or named heirs, or solidified personal unions.  And what was the point of being Royal if you couldn't do that?

 

Of course, he himself had to admit, one could often find one's daily tasks entangling one, preventing a ruler from seeing the big picture.  So concerned was the Emperor in the lives of his subjects (currently consisting of those citizens of Breakbeak city who saw no harm in indulging a harmless lunatic), that his efforts to assist them in building a glorious city upon the industrial dreck that Breakbeak had let itself become in his absence... well, he hadn't gotten a consort himself!

 

But that was about to change.  "My people, ponies and griffons alike!"  He was shouting from atop a railway platform, addressing the crowds (who never could resist a good show).  "I leave you but for a time.  I shall soon return, having hopefully won the heart and hoof of the fair Princess Twilight of Equestria!  Together, we shall be able to forge from our combined union a bright future, for what is impossible, when the might of a griffon and the mind of a pony are combined?  I have seen many such combinations among you, and it warms my heart to see them.  And today, I set off to show your example to the world!"

 

It said something about the city's attitude towards their crazy mascot that their cheers were largely unmixed with irony.  After all, deluded fool though he was, he did care about them and their city, when few outsiders regarded it as anything but a dirty hole.  And who knew?  Life was strange, and stranger things could happen than Norton actually succeeding...

 

~***~

 

On the day of the audition, the Emperor was surprised at how nervous he felt.  Of course, he held an obvious advantage in the field, being royal himself.  The burdens that might crush someone unfamiliar with what a consort's duties might actually hold sat lightly upon his shoulders.  And he was a handsome bird, no doubt about it.  Especially when dressed to the nines in his old dress uniform, sash sparkling with "Imperial Regalia" that he'd serendipitously discovered in his local pawnshop.  But... there was no disguising the fact that his mustache was growing a little grey.  And as the declared ruler of a sovereign state, it was a little ambiguous whether he counted as "an Equestrian resident."

 

Well, no matter.  He'd made the trip, was in the lobby, and the doors were opening.  Too late to turn back now.  He steeled himself, and put on a smile, which soon warmed into a natural look of... well, admiration, upon seeing the alicorn upon her throne.  Twilight Sparkle wasn't the sort to go all out on looks all of the time, but when she did, the results were spectacular!

"Your majesty..."  The griffon bowed, gracefully, but only to depth one does for equals.  He waited, wondering what the first words would be out of her beautiful mouth...

​

[SteelEagle]

 

Twilight was prepared for just about any combination of insanity and competence to walk through the door. She had not been very discriminating in the net she had cast, basically allowing any citizen to audition. The idea behind it, she believed, was sound. Who was to know where a shining light of Equestrian goodwill and capability was to be found? She could scarcely believe how far she had come, and her birth was heralded by nopony. The augur lights of the nightly celebrations of high society held no sway in her heart. So on one hoof, it was a great thing just about any Equestrian could audition because it didn't limit her legal options any, and when you were as confused and anxious as she was, removing paperwork doubt was one way to ease her troubled mind.

On the other hoof, she would have rather not dealt with certain styles of troublemakers. And one she knew of walked in as the first to audition to be her...consort. It still felt outrageous to even think about, but there it was. From the hard-bitten city of Breakbeak came a self-styled Emperor. Emperor Norton Breakbeak the first, to be exact. He didn't lack ambition and he was harmless enough that no action was taken, but it still caused a bit of a stir every time tax collection or other state functions took place and he gummed up the works. Under Maretonian, Saddle Arabian, or Aquellian jurisdiction, he would have been put into a far worse position. Of all creatures, it had to be him to start this off. The cosmos sure did have a good sense of humpr on such matters, didn't they?

Nonetheless, he would be given a fair shot. After all, who knew what could do best by Equestria and from whom it would come from? “Welcome, Norton Breakbeak the First. I've heard of you. Very interesting to see you come out here today. Tell me, what do you think you can offer to me as a consort?” Twilight asked, trying to hide her outrageous anxiousness behind a mask of professionalism.

[Blueblood]

Now that the audition was on in earnest, there were essentially two approaches that Norton could take.

 

On the first claw, he could try to woo Twilight personally.  After all, both ponies and griffons, for the most part, adhered to the idea that love should precede and accompany marriage.  True, the issue grew somewhat more doubtful the higher one went in the social scale, but the only other royal marriage currently operating right now was undoubtedly based on love.  And said marriage involved Princess Twilight's brother!  All told, it seemed the obvious tactic...

 

But on the other claw, the announcement had been that she was looking for a consort specifically, not a mate or lover.  That indicated a focus upon the duties involved, and this impression was further solidified by the professional tone in which the Princess greeted him.  Hence, this was the route he decided to go.

 

"My first offering?  It is experience in the caliber of duties that would be expected of me in the position, along with a passion to do them well!"  An ebullient opening, to be sure, but he'd brought evidence to back it up, in the form of a few photographs he'd stashed in his pockets.  He brought them out, practically running up to show the alicorn like a proud parent showing snapshots of his children.

 

"See this pair of before and after photos?  This was the shop street of my beloved home city, before I discovered that it indeed was my ancestral home.  The keepers barely cleaned up the coal dust and detritus, viewing it as a hopeless battle against the inevitable fate that the world had consigned them to!  Well, I wasn't having any of that!  So, I got out there, scrub-brush in claw, to lead my people to a better, brighter future!  As you can see in the second picture, a superior standard of cleanliness has been established, along with, I am pleased to say, more money in their pockets from increased customer traffic.  That's the sort of thing I mean; leading by example, showing the way, making the life of your subjects better than you found them!"

 

And that was the thing about him.  He really cared.  He genuinely cared about those he considered "his subjects," whatever they thought of him, and unlike another royal male who shall not be mentioned, was unafraid to get himself dirty for their sakes.  He would have made, perhaps, no bad leader, were it not for his administrative-clogging lunacy.

​

[SteelEagle]

 

 

"My first offering?  It is experience in the caliber of duties that would be expected of me in the position, along with a passion to do them well!"

That was one way to lead off the audition. No doubt he believed this, but Twilight knew the truth. He was an Emperor in name only who hadn't any real experience in larger matters. That wasn't by itself a determining factor. After all, just about anypony could potentially become her consort. But if you were going to offer Twilight something, and that something could be disregarded almost immediately, it didn't bode well for your candidacy. However, she wasn't going to cut him off at the knees. He would be allowed to make his case, answer her questions, and have his time to shine. But he was working at a major deficit.

"See this pair of before and after photos?  This was the shop street of my beloved home city, before I discovered that it indeed was my ancestral home.  The keepers barely cleaned up the coal dust and detritus, viewing it as a hopeless battle against the inevitable fate that the world had consigned them to!  Well, I wasn't having any of that!  So, I got out there, scrub-brush in claw, to lead my people to a better, brighter future!  As you can see in the second picture, a superior standard of cleanliness has been established, along with, I am pleased to say, more money in their pockets from increased customer traffic.  That's the sort of thing I mean; leading by example, showing the way, making the life of your subjects better than you found them!"

What happened next would be incredibly entertaining even under more die circumstances. In order to show his acumen at handling the bigger tasks that come with being a consort, he showed Twilight pictures of how he had helped a storefront cleanup which helped increase their foot traffic. This was in no way, shape, or form matching up with the description of an Emperor and the duties he undertook nor did it seem to give much weight to the theory that the Emperor's experience on weighty matters was...well...weighty. It was very kind of him to go through all this effort to help ponies and it certainly spoke to the same thing that the reports on his actions said- he was a genial sort who only sought to help. From a would be Emperor there were many greater flaws to be had than a little ego.

Still, he led off saying he could handle bigger tasks and he hadn't shown it. This was a problem for Twilight, as his considered strength was a minor influencer at best. “I see. You did good by helping them- always make sure that you show the care you feel for those around you and you can help make a better Equestria through actions both big and small. So, you are certainly very helpful in helping out the common people of Equestria, which is very, very important. As for larger matters- do you know of the Barn Accords' effect on international relations? What are your opinions on the Maretonian Crisis? The Stalliongrad-Seaddle Dispute?” Twilight asked as she levitated some tea to drink, allowing him the chance to make a case for himself further.

[Blueblood]

Well, this was promising! Twilight seemed suitably impressed by his pictures of progress.  At any rate, the Princess was wearing that subtle sort of smile that royalty tended to bring out as a show of approval; out-and-out enthusiasm perhaps was thought of as vulgar.  Not that Norton cared much for that!  But then, he was a griffon, and his people, on the whole, cared little for notions of delicacy.  And what sort of ruler wasn't representative of his people?

 

“I see. You did good by helping them- always make sure that you show the care you feel for those around you and you can help make a better Equestria through actions both big and small. So, you are certainly very helpful in helping out the common people of Equestria, which is very, very important. As for larger matters- do you know of the Barn Accords' effect on international relations? What are your opinions on the Maretonian Crisis? The Stalliongrad-Seaddle Dispute?”

 

Aha!  And here were the weighty affairs of state.  Ever since the discovery of his true heritage, Norton Breakbeak the First had remained engaged in the international scene, devouring every scrap of information that came by his city of such things, and regurgitating a bevy of proclamation and op-eds to newspapers across Equestria... and their wastepaper baskets.  At least the local paper, the Breakbeak Tribune, loyally reported his work.

 

"The Barn accords..."  The expression of his face changed, from proud, excitable parent to grave senator, balancing the considerations of history and posterity.  "Afford, to my knowledge of history, the first international recognition of any King of the Caribou as an equal in the Community of Nations.  The accords themselves are much of the same sort that Equestria always offers as a symbol of legitimacy, goodwill, and intention to do business, much like those signed with Yakyakistan, Saddle Arabia, and even..."  A brief sign of distaste appeared upon the Emperor's face.  "Aquellia.  The weight of precedent notwithstanding, there's been a few raised eyebrows over the fact that such accords were signed shortly after the infamous attack upon the Crystal Empire.  If the King in Whitescar is serious about peace, then there are serious factions in that continent that do not agree with his policies.  In short, I would say that he is bargaining for aid in consolidating his rule, in exchange for a reduction or ending of longboat raids by the Caribou.  As Equestria's trade and settlements stand most at risk, I should say you were wise to take the bargain, assuming the King is sincere.  The rest of the International community is still less sanguine about diplomatic dealings with the caribou, at least until there are signs of greater domestic stability.  Still, if it works out, Equestria will have expanded its sphere of influence even further... which may make other powers nervous."

 

With no more embarrassment than any other guest, Norton took a cup of tea for himself.  This was quite a lot of talking, after all, and he needed to un-parch his throat.  Inwardly, his heart was beginning to warm brightly; discussing politics together with other royalty was like a dream come true for the would-be Emperor, and he grew more and more at his ease as he went on.  "To say 'Maretonian Crisis' is to repeat oneself.  If the land is not at war with itself, it is at war with a foreign meddler.  To engage with any of the three cities is to entangle one in a ceaseless series of disputes with the other two, and to try and impose one's ideas of order upon it..."  He shook his head, a humorless smile upon his beak.  "They don't call it 'The Graveyard of Empires' for nothing.  The irritating thing, of course, is that one can't afford to ignore it.  Acroneighos can project it's military power in a manner shockingly disproportionate to its population base; you'll often see their ships stop by to coal at my Imperial seat.  Hipposition is a regional trade hub, and recently infamous as a pirate den.  Kastrot is much the same, with the added wrinkle of absurdly powerful wizards.  In short, the whole region is a problem disguised as an opportunity.  I've never seen any foreign power, in the past or now, gain anything substantial from its investments of resources there that was worth the political headaches."

 

Another slurp of tea.  Pontification was thirsty work.  "As for the Stalliongrad-Seaddle dispute... it seems so petty that they can't sort out trading rights between them.  The more time they spend fighting over profits, the less they spend actually getting them.  Personally, I'm in favor of abolishing all tarriffs and regional monopolies, and letting the best ones float to the top!  If the citizens of those cities care about the greatness of their home, they ought to spend their efforts in enriching it, rather than beggaring its neighbors."

 

He finished his tea, settling back with a sigh.  He almost didn't care now, how Twilight made her decision.  They had talked for five minutes as equals, royal-to-royal.   He could go home happy, though Miss Sparkle would be added to his correspondence, for sure!

​

[SteelEagle]

 

Twilight made allowances for ponies to surprise her at times. Of course it wasn't that much of a shock as none of the three items she had brought up were necessarily secrets, so a good, working knowledge of such matters was expected in somepony who claimed that their experience in matters of weight was worth the position. Still, she was surprised at the depth of his opinion even if some facts were incorrect. The Barn Accords were not th first time a King in Whitescar had been given such recognition, it was simply the first time it had been spearheaded by Equestria. And the last time it had happened, Equestria was simply a small gathering of villages that happened to have ponies in them. It was historically significant from a stability standpoint and a relations standpoint either way.

Of course there were things he absolutely swung and missed on in his reading of the situation. There were not just factions in Whitescar that opposed him, there was a full blown civil war with nearly half of Caribou disregarding his rule. While he held most of the continent itself, the badlands and seas and islands around Whitescar were infested with traitors. Even getting to and from meetings with the King, no matter if it was him or an Equestrian delegation in transit, was harrowing in and of itself. And the civil war had battles so close to Maretonia that Hippostion looted the wrecks of longships, inside the Savannah of Unyasi where delegates of the King found themselves ambushed, and even so deep into Changeling territory that the lack of another Changeling offensive could perhaps be chalked up to the wanton violence the caribou were capable of. Missing out on that was something of a mark against the would be Emperor, but overall she was pleasantly surprised with his insight.

His thoughts on Maretonia and the Crisis paralleled his thoughts on the Whitescar. He was will informed and opinionated when compared to the average Equestrian, and he knew his history well. His general beliefs and characterization of the three cities was very accurate, if not perfect. Acroneighos was militarily significant despite its small size. It had a military whose quality of training and soldier was without equal across the world, even if their equipment and numbers left something to be desired. Kastrot was an economic powerhouse and a leading center of magical education that was rivaled only by Canterlot, but it was a fractured pit of vipers. Of course, he missed what the Crisis was about- namely, that the Maretonian King was rumored to be in poor health and was without child, putting the fragile political alliance that kept violence at bay in danger. Still, some credit was due there.

The Seaddle-Stalliongrad Dispute was again one of those things he knew well. But for all he knew he missed the real debate. While the trade dispute attracted the attention, anypony who had studied the history of the cities knew it was more about the influence each city was trying to exert on Equestrian land management. Depending on where you lived you could have wildly different financial concerns. That and there were cultural divisions of great significance and with the lack of any real agreement, settlements on the edge of the cultural influence of the major cities tended to have some conflict, This was the true heart of th Seaddle-Stalliongrad dispute, but he had done well regardless.

“Very impressive. You missed a few key details- mostly the intensity of the caribou civil war. The attack on the Crystal Empire was...” she shook her head. She hadn't seen any of it- she had been removed by a magical explosion at the very start. That didn't make the knowledge of what happened any easier,”awful, but so much worse has been going on,” she said,leaving the world of journalism and entering the one unknown to most. “The Caribou Civil War is very, very real and many battles have already been fought. There aren't simply factions opposed to him- there is a force that encompasses half of all caribou actively opposing him from inside Whitescar as well as the great caribou diaspora abroad. But I guess I can't expect everypony to know that. Overall, very impressive! So, you are helpful and informed. But how do you deal with complications?”

[Blueblood]

Details, details... the footsoldiers of the armies of Tartarus.  Given that the Emperor's holdings, such as they were, had no coasts, there was a limit to what he could know about combat upon the seas, and how far conflict raged across them.  Still, a thinker was best judged by what conclusions they could get from the information they had; and Norton was reasonably confident that he'd justified himself in that regard.

 

But now the next hurdle came up, and it was a bit of a doozy.  "Complications?"  The griffon raised an eyebrow, not quite sure of Twilight's meaning.  "Do you mean mere complexity at the outset, or are you referring to unforeseen circumstances?  I find the former are usually overestimated before a task is begun, while the latter are under-estimated.  About the only reliable thing that can deal with either is a set of good helpers; and an active citizen makes the best Civil Servant.  

For example, when we were dealing with the problem of how to expand the sewer system under existing buildings, an early supporter of mine who had connections to a pack of Diamond Dogs proved key to negotiating a contract with them.  They have the best engineering knowledge of tunneling that I have seen, and I'm hoping to expand that working relationship in the future of Public Works for Breakbeak City.  Few would have believed such a thing possible before hand, hence the over-estimation of complexity.  Even fewer knew what to do when freak weather threatened to swamp the system before we finished.  In both cases, however, bringing together as many competent minds as possible made for solutions!  Empires live or die by their Civil Service, and, well, I'd stake my life on mine!"

 

You couldn't fault Norton for a lack of confidence, that was for sure!  It seemed he was engaged more deeply in public affairs in his city than one might suppose, though whether or not he contributed more than a certain social gravitas and decoration to the proceedings of real working ponies and griffons was up for debate.  On the other hoof, you could say the same about actual royalty...

​

[SteelEagle]

He spoke very well, even if Twilight was one to disagree with his beliefs regarding difficulties. In international relations, the first step- estimation of difficulty- was often poorly done. There was an inbred conceit in any form of international analysis that led you and those who shared your world view to utterly misinterpret the intentions and facts on the ground of a another nation. You would think the job easier when it was harder, much harder, and complications that should have been planned for took you by surprise. At that point you could say they became unforeseen complications and fell under the second category, but any problem that could have been solved with due diligence and common sense wasn't unforeseen. It was a result of ignorance, and she hated that.

Beyond that, he continued seeming like an overall nice pony. His delusions immediately disqualified him from being taken seriously, but his actions showed him as the sort of pony you could entertain as a friend very seriously. What were his qualifications as consort? Nothing more than any other civil servant, nothing less. She knew from the list that there would be a few of those coming soon anyway. He was kind and seemingly earnest in his efforts and that didn't hurt him any. How serious of a candidate was he? Probably not very serious. He probably wasn't going to be picked. There were going to be many ponies to come and while he had his qualities, she wasn't quite sure he would survive the deluge of friendliness of quality. He was very charming, though.

Twilight nodded after he finished, smiling pleasantly. "It is very good to see that you work with ponies and griffons of all stripes to ensure that the city is as beautiful and well taken care of as it deserves to be. Caring for one another is the most important thing I look for in a possible mmm...anyway, you've done very well! I cannot say where you stand since this has just begun, but you can go home confident that you presented yourself exceptionally well. Anything else you'd like to offer?" She asked, otherwise ready to motion in the next would be suitor.

[Blueblood]

From the tone and words of Twilight Sparkle, Norton could tell that his little tete-a-tete with the Princess was coming to its conclusion.  Whatever the alicorn might have thought of him, he was certainly impressed by her!  In fact, this whole day had been something of a peak in his own deluded ambitions; whether or not the griffon was ultimately chosen to her consort, he felt as if his position and suit was taken seriously, and that can mean a lot to a pony or griffon.

"You humble me, your majesty; I am pleased to be thought so well of!"  Norton beamed as he put down his tea-things.  "As a final gesture of friendship, ah-"  He looked a little non-plussed for a second.  Surely, surely he couldn't have forgotten a gift for Twilight herself!  His claw went instinctively to his coat, where it clutched a medal.  Unpinning it with a practiced gesture, he presented it to her.  "I... this one is rather personal, as far as gifts go.  But I don't suppose you're likely to receive it from anyone else."  Indeed not.  This wasn't part of his pawn shop regalia; it was an actual medal given to him during his service in the Acquellian Marines, specifically for enduring debilitating injury in service to the Republic.  A cynical observer would have guessed, correctly, it was for severe heat stroke and brain fever, but the gesture was no less meaningful for that.

He looked into her eyes as he handed it over.  "Thank you very much for today," He said, in possibly his most lucid tone of voice for the whole afternoon, "It has meant more to me than many in my past."  And with that, he took his leave, with a firm step and a bright attitude.  Already, his mind was crowded with the vision of his city cheering his return... and so the Emperor returned to his world, after briefly alighting on that of the Princess.

[SteelEagle]

Her suitor dug deep into his jacket, poking around as if he was rummaging around without a plan. No gift? No problem. She wasn't expecting it as a matter of course, though she knew for a fact it was proper courtship. But she wasn't going to hold it against him if he didn't get her anything, and indeed, she would be pleasantly surprised in any case. From the depths of his somewhat amusing regalia he pulled something she recognized that had some actual interest behind it. He gave her a medal of the Aquellian Marines, the premiere airship based light infantry in the world. It was a very personal gift- service in the defense of a country spoke of a deep and abiding love of nation, something very admirable. Such traits were rare and only occasionally transferable, and the medals of service were very rare.

"Thank you for this, Norton. You were certainly a brave Griffon," she said, noting what it was for. She didn't want it. She loved the thought behind it, but it felt wrong. This was something deeply personal and based on what he was doing, not something he had planned. He would regret giving this to her and he only did so under the belief it would help him when it came time for Twilight to parse her list of candidates to discover her consort. It wouldn't. Gifts were kind but she wasn't a materialistic mare by passion or fashion. All this medal could do was be missed by its owner. But it was a kind gesture regardless and she wouldn't cut his hopes off at the wings. She would accept it, thank him for it, and if she didn't pick him, send him a nice note as well as the medal. Until then, there were other candidates she needed to attend to.

"Have a pleasant trip home, Norton, and thank you for coming today. I certainly found it...enlightening," she said, allowing him to walk out with his head held high After a few moments she took a deep breath and motioned for the guard to send in the next candidate.

[Pretzelparty]

"Just keep calm, be on your best behavior... and above all; Don't say anything stupid." Despite having her usual stern look on her face (darn these eyebrows!). Bevel had heard that the newest addition to the Equestrian royalty was looking for consorts. Bevel had never been the romantic type, she'd always been focusing on honing her magic and technological based skills once she left to live with the Silverbeaks. She'd heard about how being a consort could lead to many opportunities and she already had plenty of those. She had two other reasons for attempting this. 

1. She felt it may be a good show of friendship between her benefactors and Equestria.

2. ... She was genuinely interested in meeting the new princess; From what she had heard she felt she had common ground with her, intellectually and interest wise. 

This was one of the few moments involving meeting someone new in ANY context that made her worry enough to actually think about how she conducted herself. Honestly she didn't look all that 'attractive" at the moment, especially with the band-aid over her nose. So many thoughts were buzzing in her brain,"Not to self; when working on dimensionally transcendent devices adjust at a distance with magic. Is this coat alright? I should have washed my face shouldn't I? Was bringing this briefcase too arrogant to assume she'd be interested in? It's not too garish is it? I mean I gave it a new exterior look so that magic circuit isn't as noticeable... Oh there are so many ways this could go sou-"

"Miss!"

"YES?!" Shouted the mare in an almost panicked tone almost falling over her seat before catchign herself and balancing back on the chair. "U-um I mean, Yes?" She asked clearing her throat in the hopes of regaining some dignity. Apparently she'd given the guard a bit of a shock as her eyes fell upon him but soon he said that she was up to meet the princess. She nodded and gave a bow to the stallion before heading over to the throne room. She blinked once or twice, her pale golden eyes darting from one side then the other before the door closed behind her. The mare took a deep breath and soon spoke up, "It's nice to meet you, Your highness. I need to beg your pardon on two things. One is... Well I haven't been back in Equestria for some time and I don't remember all the customs or procedures I've spent  a great deal of my life in Aquellia. The second would be My disruption of the peace in Ponyville When My Air ship materialized on the highest spire of your Castle."

"Oh no... I messed up." she gave herself a gentle facehoof before bowing deeply in a reverant fashion, "My name is Bevel Gear."

[SteelEagle]

In the presence of royalty a certain degree of nervousness was expected. She was still nervous around Celestia and Luna after all. She was used to herself
being the recipient of mountains of nervous proclamations and greetings. That didn't make it any easier or less awkward for her to take, however. She still
viewed herself as a pony of the working class first and foremost- the trappings of royalty and the excruciating social pains of those around her were unpleasant.
Still, she had grown accustomed to it and didn't show any discomfort as the next applicant to be a consort looked like she was moments from freaking out.
Poor mare.

When she finally spoke however, the true reason for the formless nature of her worry came to light. Sure she may still be just as nervous as anypony else but she had a greater cause for her very shaken nature. So she was the one who had nearly crashed an airship into Twilight's castle? The Guards had been beyond negligent in their duties that day. Both Celestia and Luna had recommended she fire a number of them but Twilight preferred retraining and a second chance. Hopefully her leniency would serve her well. It had cost thousands of bits for retraining and investigation, and Twilight had been steamed about it for a while. She had cooled off, but she was going to be polite and just not acknowledge the subject. Yet.

"Well, there isn't anything wrong with the customs of griffons, I suppose," she replied evenly. "So, Miss Gear, what brings you here today?"

[Pretzelparty]

"Well besides an explaination as to why that happened and that apology,... I'd imagine the same as the griffon who left moments earlier." She bowed politely, it still felt so odd to the idea of bowing to a princess besides Celestia, but customs were customs. "I intend to volunteer myself to be your consort and if not that I wished to maybe correspond with you as a fellow enthusiast of magic and a potential colleague." She then stood back up, " I hope not to spend too long explaining but to put it simply: It was an error in my charts."

The mare pulled a rolled up piece of parchment that was at least three sizes too large to fit in her saddlebag before hholding it up next to her, "This was the map I was using; it has the coordinates of the airspace I was hoping my ship to materialize in. If you'll look closely at the date it was produced about a week before this castle was erected and ... well My ship's teleportation device worked but I made an error and for that I apologize and am willing to reimburse you for any damages sustained by your property." 

With the explanation out of the way she coughed, "I think I've spoken long enough." she said, her accent slipping momentarily before she calmly looked to the mare on the throne. "I hope I can offer you something useful regardless of your choice at the end of this... audition."

[SteelEagle]

Ahh, so it was a teleportation mishap. Not that uncommon. Even a trained unicorn could make critical mistakes, and using the power and magic of a unicorn through a machine was bound to cause trouble. It was rare for a device like that to work right. Even well made ones were bound to eventually fail. and there was no real way to undo that. You needed active mental manipulation of the aether to ensure a stable transport. In that way, no machine, no technology, would ever be able to replicate the magical spell of teleportation. That wasn't belief; it was fact. And it was a fact everypony who tried to commit themselves to spellcraft who didn't have a horn had to eventually come to terms with.

But it was still nice to see a pony of science. Even if she was not going to be able to solve the inherent mystery of unicorn magical teleportation, the design of a teleporting airship was very interesting. The fact that the failure came not from technological mishaps but the fallibility of Ponyville maps from recent history was good to hear. One thing was much easier to correct than the other! It was also kind of her to lead in with why she wanted to be a consort. More importantly, what she wanted to do even without being a consort. It spoke well to her character and put Twilight at ease- and made her curious.

"Don't worry about the damage, it was taken care of. How did your vessel fare? The damage to the castle didn't speak to a major disaster, anyway. Just a minor collision at most. What aetherial capacitor did you use? How was the transference done? Did you go the route of Flow-Store-Use or Store-Use-Flow? Was it a sixteen megather focusing or something similar?" Twiight asked, deftly avoiding more troubling subject matter. Namely, even if the castle hadn't been there, suddenly appearing the sky above a town without clearance was both very dangerous to local pegasi and birds and a crime. 

[Pretzelparty]

 

Upon the question about her ship, Bevel winced almost reflexively as if twilight had pinched a nerve on her somewhere. The aftermath of getting it off the spire was on her part the most painful part of extracting the ship, "Well... Thankfully your own ward, a miss Sunrise Beach, Your Librarian-Lore weaver I think was his name-, and a small dragon managed to assist me in getting it off your castle. Once it was moved a safe distance away and the force of gravity was acting on it unhindered by magical movement... the ship split in two down the middle." The mare rubbed the side of her forehead as she recalled the event, "Thankfully I managed to get some agents of my benefactors to come by and assist with the repairs. Once everything was done and the arrangements were in place... the ship was safely brought home through the method it left."

The questions about technical and magical methods used to achieve this feet actually managed to get the mare to smile while she responded. "I actually built the Aetherial capacitor myself! Throughout the tests on the finished product it has proven to be able to hold and regulate a charge of aetheric energy fifty times stronger than the latest model that was released to the public." She was sure she didn't have to explain the charge capacities of other such devices to the princess. Even a brief research could show that her latest creation was a massive improvement if what she said was indeed true.

"This particular occurrence was of the second method; Store use flow, but done very quickly. I went a bit overboard on the megaether focusing as I used several experimental Aetheric amplifying devices that increase magical potency for only a few seconds to provide the magical energy that could pull the entirety of the ship and all on it through the spatial rift." Magical amplifiers from hoofmade sources and non relics were proven to be remarkably weaker than any magical artifact but they still did in fact work ... just not nearly as regularly or potently as some magical charms from ages past could allow; but using several at once in rapid succession had allowed her t bring a larger object than normal along on a trip through the aether.

 

[SteelEagle]

Well, it was good to hear that for the most part it was recoverable. A ship splitting in two wasn't like it once was. It was not a death sentence. They were recovered and repaired all the time, assuming it wasn't naval anyway. While the overall situation could have been improved in any number of ways, there was little doubt that it could have gone much worse for everypony involved. All told it was more interesting to think about the why and how of the ship than ask those soe questions of how it ended up bouncing off of her home- at least now it was, anyway. No use crying over chipped facades.

"That is good to hear. What benefactor? I would imagine the wealth needed to ensure proper research, development, and construction of an object that size and reach would cost a significant amount of bits," she said, levitating a drink to her guest while sipping her own. "Only a few corporations could do that, and only fewer individuals. Who did you impress and how, I wonder?" she asked aimlessly and not at all accusatory, intrigued at the many answers there could be. More impressive was that the capicator wasn't as fragile on her model as it was on the larger ships of teh REA. Of course their's was made by the lowest bidder.

Fifty times the capacity of others was very impressive. Most commonly available ones could store up ten megaethers of energy. The more advanced ones were hovering around fifteen. Hers could do seven-fifty? That was on par with the more advanced internal developments of the Aether Research Department, and half that of the Great Celestial Backup under Canterlot. Numbers were numbers, but it was impressive no matter what. Of course it was easier to create unique batteries than it was to create ones that could be produced for the public- there were many private batteries that did between two to three hundred. Either way, impressive.

"That is a good way of going about it. Of course, there is a problem most don't know about if there is too much focusing. See, during teleportation, the body doesn't go directly where you sent it. It goes into the closest available open space. That is why you don't teleport in big cities and have ponies materializing with their body being dissected by carriages or other decidedly poor things. Instead that pony will appear in front of or behind the carriage, or even on top, whatever is closest. However, too much aether focusing creates too strong of a aether cut, so you materialize exactly where you wanted to be- which, if you have an old chart, will be smacking into my castle. This is because excessive focusing overrides aether's innate survival instinct and mass awareness. My advice is to remove some of the devices. In fact, for focusing, stick to sixteen megaethers of use. This will mean that with the same location put into your ship, the vessel should arrive further back!" Twilight offered gainfully. taking a sip as she did so.

[Pretzelparty]

 

"My parents were very close with the Silverbeak family of Aquellia and often worked on their airships. There was an accident when I was about eight and... I never saw them again." The mare's voice hushed a bit at that last bit, but she quickly tried to brush off the subject so she could continue. "Anyway, I was approached by the Silverbeaks. They said they wanted to take care of me as a way to honor their associates; I accepted and moved to Aquellia with them so I'm ashamed to admit I think Nepotism may have be a factor in how they treat me... but after I moved and spent some time there I got my mark by finding a massive problem in one of their airship designs that could have been immensely problematic once the ship was launched and as a result I started learning more about machinery... and afterwards I enrolled in the school for talented unicorns so I could learn ways that I can possibly mix magic and technology together." Bevel was trying her best to keep from giving her entire life story as the princess didn't ask for it. It was a bit hard for her to give a short answer as in her opinion there were a variety of factors that contributed to where she was today. 

Twilight's explanation make a look of almost insane realization before she lightly put her hooves to the sides of her head and groaned, "I can't believe I didn't take into the account the Aetheric instinct principle... I'm such a fool. I need to apologize gain for my mistake, Princess. I'll be sure to take your advice into account for the next testing of the Blink Drive...  in fact I'd be happy to work with you on it's development. It could revolutionize travel for every sentient creature on the planet!... I'm sorry I'm turning this into work again." She coughed before holding up a suitcase, "I thought you may be interested in some of these: Inventions I've been working on for various applications. 

Bevel opened up her briefcase, facing it towards herself before she removed what seemed to be a small brass colored bowl that was upside down. The dusty brown unicorn rolled up her sleeve and pressed a button on a bracelet on her foreleg and there was a very faint humming sound coming from it before the bowl lifted itself up on six small legs and two smaller claws like pincers. The "front' of this object then extended two stalk like eyes that were like small, shiny saucers, "I use this little guy and others like him to help me with the construction of certain larger scale projects. They're small and agile and in groups can accomplish a lot... I use some of my smaller batteries to power them and they can easily be recharged in the span of five minutes to last about... five days. and strangely enough I've been approached by a toy company in Aquellia to try and find a way to mass produce them."

 

[SteelEagle]

Twilight had to make sure to not get too passionate about the tragedy of any one pony she meant, but knowing what had happened to her parents troubled Twilight. "I'm sorry to hear, that Bevel. For whatever it is worth, I am sure they would be very proud of the mare you became," she replied honestly and earnestly, listening with great intent to her benefactors. Griffons? Right. That answered a lot of questions she hadn't verbalized and few of them good. She'd have to be careful about where and how this technology spread- it wouldn't be the first time the leading families had decided having talons and powerful wings wasn't enough.

Twilight listened and then smiled anyway as Bevel spoke about her flying machine. "No need to apologize. It is a difficult thing to do. I'm not aware of anypony else who has created their own without full teams at their beck and call. As for the other element...revolutionize for every creature? Well, maybe a few. There is another reason you haven't seen such devices proliferate. To use an example: Have you ever seen a large collection of airships in a small space all in use? You don't, and it isn't just because of airspace concerns. Aether as a resource is limited and when stored in batteries can create a small 'dark space' in the aether network. Aether then spreads out to reflect the loss. 

Too much battery use can create very large dark spaces in the network, forcing the aether to thin out until it is almost useless- unicorn spells, even basic ones, become extremely difficult to use, earth pony magic doesn't function, pegasi weather control becomes impossible, so on and so on.  Therefore, you see a few larger ships rather than a lot of smaller ones. It is dangerous for all magical beings to have too much battery use- especially store-use-flow, which keeps inactive aether on standby until use. I'd be happy to help you with development, though I warn you I can be a bit...pushy. So I'd understand if you said no once we started," Twilight sighed, understandably saddened by the inability of magic to go where it was needed when needed when dark space was involved. Even she, with all her magic and technology and resources, couldn't prod it any more than a foal in that regarded. 

She looked at the next batch of inventions. Very intriguing mare, this Bevel. "The idea here is great, but I wouldn't mass produce them for the same reason as I wouldn't see too many larger batteries in use at one time. While just one of them doesn't create much dark space, groups can. I is also why aether battery toys are very expensive as well. Anyway- he looks really adorable! Crab golems, but technological. Rather neat. When you created their Observability Sphere did you set it to Store or Flow?" Twilight asked, levitating the crab closer to her for a nice inspection. She could see where somethings could be improved but it was infinitely easier to judge a creation and improve on it than be the pony creating it!

[Pretzelparty]

Strangely there was a moment of silence where bevel wasn't really sure what to say in regards to what her parent's would have thought of her... She'd only known them for eight years and didn't have many memories about them. Seeing as she couldn't think of a response she could only move on to the next topic as she dwelt on this statement in the back of her mind.

"My batteries actually don't use aether that is pulled from the air." The mare produced one such battery from her briefcase. "I'm sure you know of the difference between the aether of the network and the aether that equines such as ourselves ... well yourself moreso; generate within ourselves and restore with the expenditure of our magic in some circumstances like sudden strenuous activity." The mare looked over the battery, "I've managed to make an aetheric battery that holds my own magical energy within it. It's still only a temporary measure. I've been working on a battery that doesn't feed off of magic but instead uses it to generate and electrical current that flows into and stays within the battery; I Hope to use magic to incite Air ionization to channel an electrical charge into a battery and ... well that way magic only assists in maintaining the power of the battery rather than being the only factor in powering something. The device I've been build that can capture and store these charges in the battery has already proven a success and wasn't nearly as expensive to build as the aetheric battery was. " 

The mention of the Princess being "pushy" was something she hadn't heard about her. "I wouldn't worry about that, Princess. The likelihood you could be more pushy than myself in regards to how I try and work is astronomically low; I think some of my past griffin lab assistants are scared of me now. I can shout sometimes when I'm riled by either Failure or success, I've apologized but they seem to still avoid me." The mare's  face fell a moment before sighed at her own words, "I'm not making a good case for myself am I?" 

As if trying to distract from Bevel's self perceived mediocrity, Twilight switched the subject to the topic of Bevel Crustacean toy." Oh The observability sphere is some I whipped up on my own. It perceives the world around by sensing even the faintest traces of magic around it in a constant state of 'flow'. It still needs a bit of work but they don;t bump into things and the pincers are actually tipped with a soft rubber so they can pick up or touch a creature without giving it a nasty cut."

"May I ask any questions about you, Princess? I find myself slightly curious about many things."

[SteelEagle]

 

Twilight's eyes lit up as she became unreasonably excited as Bevel discussed her battery for several reasons. "Ahh, but- oh, well, I guess you couldn't know. I've got very exciting stuff to share with you vis a vi magical research! See, up until now we always thought that ponies had their own aether. That they went ahead and pulled from themselves the magic they used for spells, weather, on and on. But we were wrong. Each pony has an aura, or their aetheral projection, in the aetheral realme. When we use magic, we are pulling aether through our aura. The magic comes from the same place either way, but an aura never changes- normally, anyway. 

That is why a newborn foal is capable of such extreme magic. They have the aura from birth of being exceptionally strong- or weak- fliers, spellcasters, on and on. Now, this doesn't mean your battery isn't great. It just means that it is great because of other reasons. See, the future of magical batteries is electricity, which allows for a much longer life. Your battery is one of the first to do it, and by far and away the most efficient! Great work on that," Twilight said, imagining the possibilities before sighing, "of course, some places won't allow anything too radical. Like Ponyville," she smiled, "but times change, don't they?" she laughed as Bevel spoke about her and her less than stellar dealings with lab assistants.

It could be tough, being as smart as she was and as creative a pony as lay within. When you worked with those that did not share your vision or could not understand exactly what you saw in your mind's eyes, the impervious nature of one's gentle facade could crack under the torrent of desire. Twilight shook her head. "Well, I'm sure others will make great cases but everypony is flawed. If I looked at flaws instead of strengths, I would find cause to say no to everypony I meet today. So no, it doesn't really hurt your case," she responded with finality.

Back to her crabby friends. "Very interesting. It will make them far less useful outside of Equestria, but still cool. And yes, of course you may ask me a question. Anything, really- how could I find a good consort without them wanting to know more about me?"

[Pretzelparty]

 

"Why, Thank you." She said politely in response to Twilight's retort to her self perceived lack of positive qualities. "I'll try to make sure whatever our future relationship becomes that you will see more of the best in than the worst in me. "I'm very glad you approve of my battery designs! I've managed to make some interesting devices based off the function of these batteries as well. There're all mostly works in progress but at least one has proven to work as I'd hoped."  The scruffy looking mare's face was growing a bit more bright as she spoke, so this is what it's like when you can talk to someone on equal intellectual hoofing. 

"Well... when did you first start delving into the magical sciences? I started... well I started very early from what my benefactors told me based on what my parent's told them." The mare stopped herself, trying not to make it seem as if every thought about others somehow circled back to herself. "Also, What magical fields did you enjoy most studying?" 

The Inventor once again opened up her briefcase and pulled out a long box that had a simple beige color with yellow string securing the lid to it. Bevel then carefully leaned in against a pillar nearby, hoping to present this later on to the princess when her time was eventually done.

 

 

[SteelEagle]

She listened to her possible consort talk about her battery and wanting to place her best hoof forward in the future with her. It was good to hear, but for the most part she assumed the best of her possible consorts anyway. "You'll be fine I am sure, Bevel. Be yourself and be kind and let everything else come after," she said before moving to respond to the next item on their personal agenda, "excellent. Once you go ahead and are able to utilize a base design with great efficiency and drive you can do very well. This applies to an even greater degree with a mare of your talent doing the yeomare's work, anyway," Twilight said with a great deal of respect as she looked around and got herself some new glasses of water.

Twilight listened to the questions and then tilted her head up in thought as she tried to narrow down the answers. Foalhood could be a blur and with everything that has happened since she last recanted the story it was unlikely for things to stay the same in any honest retelling.  Best to start at the start and leave the rest to Bevel. "hmm...I always had a certain interest in magic and science. My father is a professor and an astronomer. I guess in that way it was only natural. But what really pushed me forwards was the Summer Sun Celebration, when I saw Celestia raising the sun- I was amazed one pony could do that! I went home and immediately dove into study. 

After I joined Celestia's School I made sure to study everything I could, but how the aether a pony takes in can change them was very lovely. But I think the Unified Theory of Aetheral Development and the overall study of Aether Inflection was the specific field I studied most. It even led to my discovery of Auras," she said wistfully, remembering simpler days of sixteen hundred page reports, late night study sessions, and the endless supply of coffee that powered her. Good times. She wondered if the School still had the First Edition copy of Starswirl's Musings on the Nature of Magic and the Meaning of Aether in the Post-Celestial World.
 

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

"Interesting..." Hm, her father was an astronomer? This might indicate that she would appreciate the gift she'd brought. " I think you'll enjoy this item I brought. It's from a personal collection of mine." 

"As for an origin on my part I don't have anything as inspiring. I had an interest in both the magic of the world and also the various devices that my mother would make. I wound up learning all I could from Mandelbrot's -erm. My father's library but eventually I didn't feel I should keep going in there... also I obviously physically couldn't seeing as after the accident I changed location." The inventor seemed to have somewhat distanced herself from the bonds she originally shared with her parent's. the way she spoke about it seemed to more matter of fact rather than saddened acknowledgement. The name Mandelbrot might have sounded faintly familiar, the stallion she spoke of was a rather... unusual mage who kept a great deal of his research and methods in regards to some of his strangest feats secret. When approached and asked to make contributions to the library in Canterlot he was known to be incredibly aggressive in his refusal to share his work... and shortly after his and his wive's death all traces of it seemed to just disappear.

"My own fields of expertise back in the School for talented unicorns were Aetherial dynamics, interspatial Aetherology, Abstract magical theory, unorthodox magical talents, the Mathematics of Spatial Aetherial Dimensional Manipulations, and a few others... I had a lot of time on my hooves there. " The mare coughed, perhaps all the courses may have attributed to the dark circles beneath her eyes. Celestia knows how much sleep she must have lost in the time she spends with her research fields alone.

"Anyway I thought that you may like this." The mare levitated the box she'd laid beside on a pillar forward. Once the string was loosened It turned out... to be a telescope Seemingly for stargazing purposes. "It's an antique telescope that was designed by Nicolas Coponecus of Old Equestria. I managed to win it in the auction when it first came out. I was hoping to get the others of different designs but I was outbid by two griffins from the other families in Talonopolis."

 

[SteelEagle]

Twilight was pleased to see that the discussion they were having brought this mare down to a more personable level, at least for her, a bit warmer and gentler and conversational. It was at this level that Twilight wanted to know other ponies more. She loved discussion of magic and science and the theories that connected them and was more than pleased that at least one pony today would allow her to flex her muscles in that area. But for all of that, she was a pony who enjoyed the honest hearts and souls of other ponies. Learning more about somepony wasn't just something she liked to do, it was something she loved to do and in a consort needed to do. Bevel was sharing and Twilight was caring. 

When she spoke of her parents her speech became confused. A bit jumping around. Her mother was an inventor and in that Twilight could make a connection easily there. Like mother, like daughter. Her father, however, was a bit more obscured in her telling of events. A slip of a name however told a greater story. She was the daughter of one of the more reclusive and intense mages in Equestria, somepony whose magic and theories were thought lost to the sands of time. He was beloved for what little was known of him and scorned by academia for his selfish hoarding of knowledge. His death, tragic as any other, was made worse in the eyes of well-studied because with him went his knowledge. No wonder she spoke very little of them.

Her scholastic education was expected of a mare of her capabilities. Still, it was great to know that Twilight didn't have to fight down her language to a lower level. She had to quite commonly and while she didn't hold it against the ponies whom it involved, it was a slightly vexxing element to her character in Ponyville. No matter- now was the time for a gift. Twilight opened it slowly but with a hint of excitement- a telescope, and a well known one too! "Why thank you so much, Bevel!" Twilight said, studying it. Yes, the crack was of the right age and type. "This means so much to me!" She pulled Bevel in telekenitically in for a hug- and a kiss, before setting her back down. "You've made quite the impression!"