High Sun 15th 3473 EE

Well that went about as well as I expected. I've never actually bullied a kingdom before. Still, there's a first time for everything.

In comparison to our visit as Nightmare Moon and Pitiless Sun, we pulled out all the stops. We flew into Canterlot on the most fancy flying chariot we had, newly built to our specifications in Shirefield, a four-pegasi chariot with gold trim and fancy detailing. Our four pegasi were from the cadre of Fife guards we started building up, as was our escort.

Armour and weapons we could recover from Maresia Keep, so they were outfitted with the best we could find. It covered up the fact that most of them were only a few weeks trained, but it didn't show, they wheeled and flew like veterans. We had unicorns and earth ponies with us, riding in other chariots, and an escort of a half dozen pegasi flying cover.

In fact, it was over half of our entire army, though less than a platoon in strength. Traditional tactics has the three races spilt up, separate units doing separate jobs, pegasi scouting and suppressing an enemy, earth ponies actually fighting face to face, while unicorns provide signalling and magical support. Oh, and run the whole show, as only in Maresia would an earth pony be able to become an officer no matter how competent.

Not that some would ever want to be. Sergeant Apony survived by a miracle it seems. His eldest daughter was having a naming ceremony for her newborn foal, so he was in Trottingham when the event happened. His experience and unlimited common sense is exactly what we needed, so Sergeant Major Apony has managed to provide us with an effective if small force. As a matter of fact, it is too small for the traditional divisions to exist.

I'm wondering if we can actually turn this to our advantage, combined units using flying chariots could have far greater flexibility and speed of response. It could counter-balance our much smaller force size. We could even carry light artillery, flying chariots with built in onagers or light ballista.

Note to self: Come up with some designs. Power to weight ratio is key, they need to be as light as possible to keep up with flying infantry. Enchant for greater strength? See if it's possible to adapt the pegasus power transfer runes for chariots to earth pony magic to allow them to increase a weapon's structural integrity while they use it. Could flying clouds and use of the Cloud Hoof spell substitute for large flying carts or coaches to carry infantry units? Figure out mass loading and cohesion limits.

I don't think that any of the other Fifes would try and invade us after what happened at the Canterlot palace, but it would also be a way of breaking down the barriers between the races. And there are other threats out there, the wild griffin tribes, or burrowing dogs, which might think or taking advantage of the current turmoil, not to mention dragons and other monsters that lair in the mountains. What's left of Maresia is particularly vulnerable, a long, narrow strip of territory that's hard to defend.

How did I get into a discussion of military theory? In this case we weren't going there to start a war, but to prevent a disaster. We landed on the outskirts of Canterlot and made a parade of it through the streets, leaving a rear guard to watch over the troop carriers, while we rode in the fancy chariot.

We didn't meet any resistance until we reached the palace gates. Two full companies of Royal guards were lined up in front of them. Of course we knew this, as I'd used my solar sight to watch it forming up. Our honour guard was hopelessly outnumbered but they acted like veterans, while Royal Guard morale was cracking like river ice in a thaw. Most of them had been there when our insane alter egos had paid a visit, and know if we wanted in, they wouldn't even be able to slow us down.

The king's seneschal Periwig came up ask us our business. I have to grant that stallion had guts, or at least a poker face that wouldn't quit. I gave him the truth, that we were there to speak with the king on no less than the safety of the entire kingdom, and that it was a matter of the utmost urgency.

I'm pleased to say the not quite threat had the right effect; it got us an audience within a few minutes. We saw our honour guard put up with food and drink, and went directly to the throne room. We had made sure we'd be introduced as the Duchesses of Maresia, but didn't make the customary knee to the king, who I have to admit was showing more backbone than I'd given him credit for.

When Periwig called us on it, I made it quite clear that we considered our family's original oath of fealty to him to be well and truly broken when King Goldmane allowed his cronies to try and assassinate us. When he said he'd known nothing of the plot, we agreed. As far as I'm concerned, he lost the plot years ago and wouldn't currently be able to find it with a map and a dedicated magic spell.

The point was that he'd known nothing and done nothing to stop any of their excesses, leaving them to believe they could do as they pleased with no consequences. An oath of fealty goes both ways, and usually includes a clause about how in return for their loyalty; the one swearing is under the protection of their liege. Having our entire family and nine tenths of our realm destroyed was a pretty big breach of that agreement.

Which brought us to the point of why we were there. We laid it out, not everything about our brother, but the concept that the magical disaster that the unicorn supremacists had turned our experiment into had a wider effect than just destroying Maresia, it was also affecting the whole world, and would need more fixing than us keeping the sun and moon on schedule.

We got his tame mages in to study the notes Luna had so carefully compiled. After they'd gotten over the initial shock, and freaked out when some of their own diagnostic spells confirmed our built-in manna links, they were forced to agree Luna's analysis was correct. Canterlot breeds a lot of white unicorns, but I never saw a paler bunch then when they realised that the only thing between the world, and the end of all life was us.

Then we fed him the bolus, the plans Luna had worked out from my ideas. Creating cloud cities as weather manufacturing plants, co-ordinating and caring for the wildlife, the whole nine pony-lengths. The whole of Equestria would have to help manually turn the seasons and run the weather and ecology, but combined with our power it could keep things running.

The King refused, of course. Getting the nobility to co-operate with such a plan would be impossible, not to mention the vast costs involved. Was there no other way, some spell to put things back to normal. He might be a unicorn, but his magical theory wasn't up to much. He wasn't happy when we told him there might be, but it would take decades of research and we didn't have that long.

He was still stubborn, so we gave him the horn. Since the issue was nothing less than the survival of everyone, if he couldn't manage it, we'd have to depose him and run things ourselves. That knocked him back on his hindquarters. However, with the horn firmly poking his back, we gave the carrot.

We didn't want to run all of Equestria, which was after all the simple truth. Our current domain was more than enough. So instead, if he remained King and helped to organise our reforms, we'd agree to swear to him as vassals. In return he backed us to the brow in what needed to be done, and gave us a free hand in running what was left of Maresia (not that the last part would be much of a change from how he'd run things before).

That had him interested. No matter how poor he was at leadership, he understood the power we were offering him. Then I sweetened the pot. While what money and personal effects that were owned by ponies with living relatives in the safe zone would be returned to them, there was still a lot of loose gold and other treasure in the irradiated zone. That would be put towards setting up the needed projects.

Then we handed him the big black scroll. There were soon a number of Royal Guard units rushing around, and they weren't after us. With the demonstration of how corrupt his court had become, and that we could also provide him with a way to stop it happening again, we hit him with the final part.

Luna's illusions showing him exactly what had happened to his father, and who'd been responsible, along with our oath that we'd reported only what had actually happened more or less sealed the deal. By the time we left, we were officially a part of Equestrian nobility again, with a full pardon for any and all past actions, and Royal backing for our plans.

And here was I thinking diplomacy was difficult. I guess it only goes to show. You can get more with a kind word and a huge glowing horn than just a kind word. Now we can get on with the work of saving the world. And while we're at it, making it a better world for every-pony.

We will find a way to recover Atlas and restore things one day, and when we do, I want him to come back to a world we can be proud of. I don't care if it takes a thousand years there will be an Equestria where unicorns and pegasi and earth pony foals can play together and no-one will think wrong of it. This I swear!