“—and under no circumstances could Yokeshire [i]possibly[/i] provide a larger tithe of lumber to the Navy than it already does! Those tree-hugging bastards over in Whitetail, on the other hand—”

A bell rang twice and the clamor and fisticuffs which normally accompanied sessions of the Royal Senate died down. At the raised end of the wood paneled chamber, a rather important-looking blue unicorn in crested robes cleared her throat, rapped the gavel several times, and spoke.

“The chamber will now consider the motion placed before it by Lord Berryworth. The Roll shall be taken.”

“Rampant Cross?”

“Aye.”

“Lord Berryworth?”

“Aye!”

“Stellar Gaze?”

“Nay.”

“Harvest Wine?”

“The delegate from Yokeshire abstains. Courteously.”

On this went, with the Lord-Secretary studiously noting every vote. After indicating his satisfaction to the crested-robed unicorn, the Lady-President rapped her gavel and addressed the chamber again.

“The roll call is now closed. The motion carries two hundred-forty three to sixty-seven, five abstaining. The motion will now be referred to the Crown for Assent.”

“The next issue before this august body is the matter the price of eggs and feathers in the County of Baltimare. Madam Keystone proposed a motion to raise taxes on poultry production by twenty bits, partly on account of the smell of her neighbor’s—”

The noise and rambunctiousness resumed its normal pace.

[hr]

Princess Celestia closed the heavy double doors that stood guard over her private chambers. Another day of petitioners and courtiers had left her exhausted in mind, if not body. [i]Some days I actually miss government by combat[/i], she thought as she removed her finery and settled in front of her writing desk. She levitated the first stack of no doubt captivating literature into reading distance.

“The Report of the Grain Board? How tantalizing.” 

Regardless of lack-of-enthusiasm, she set to work.

At last, she was left with only a thin stack of parchment, the battered look immediately identifying them as Acts in Waiting, Courtesy of the Royal Senate. She broke the blue seal and absentmindedly read the first one.

She had her own gold seal half an inch from the parchment before she was taken by surprise. 

Setting it aside, she took the paper in her hooves and read the High Script carefully.


[center]AN ACT OF THE ROYAL SENATE OF THE PRINCIPALITY OF EQUESTRIA[/center]

[center]TO PROVIDE FOR THE PRINCESSES AND REALM OF EQUESTRIA THE PROPER DIGNITY, RESPECT AND GLORY APPROPRIATE THERETO[/center]

I. THE PRINCESSES OF EQUESTRIA SHALL IN PERPETUITY HAVE THE STYLE “QUEEN OF EQUESTRIA, DUCHESS OF CANTERLOT, PROTECTOR OF THE NORTHERN REACHES, AND DEFENDER OF FRIENDSHIP.”

II. THE PRINCIPALITY OF EQUESTRIA SHALL IN PERPETUITY HAVE THE STYLE “SOLAR KINGDOM OF EQUESTRIA.”

AMENDED-

III. THIS ACT SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED AS TO PLACE HONOR OR STATUS ON THE ABSENT PRINCESS.

IV. ALL REFERENCES TO THE ABSENT PRINCESS WITHIN THE CROWN AND GOVERNMENT SHALL BE REMOVED AT HER MAJESTY’S LEISURE. 
 
[center]DONE IN THE NAME OF LADIES, LORDS, AND PONIES OF THE REALM ON THE TWENTY-THIRD OF JULY IN THE YEAR OF THE ROYAL PRINCESSES THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY ONE[/center]


The Lady-President’s and Lord-Secretary’s seal confirmed the bitter truth.

Celestia sank into her cushion as she realized the magnitude of what she’d nearly signed. [i]This is by far the boldest one of these yet[/i], she thought. [i]It was bad enough that the Night Banners and Lunar statuary had to be hauled down for fear of vandalism, or the fifty years of pleading I had to endure at the thrice-damned Court of Day.[/i]
 
For one fraction of a second, she considered ending it all by just fixing her seal to the paper. Never again would she hear star stuck commoners or simpering Dukes suggest she increase her status to that which they all so fervently believed she deserved.

That they so wrongly believed she deserved.

She sat the parchment down and looked at a small and very faded portrait sitting on a desk shelf. The alicorn in the portrait stared back at her, smiling her mysterious smile. For more than half an hour she didn’t move. 

Suddenly she opened one of her desks drawers and brought out a different seal, this one black. 

“ASSENT WITHHELD”

With a brief flash she duplicated the parchment and put the copy in the bottom of her drawer, where more than a dozen crumbling proposals lay. Princess Celestia rose and turned toward her bedchamber.

“At least it’s only eight centuries years more of this nonsense.” she said to nopony in particular.