Commonwealth of Sovereign States

After supervising that all her daughters were now clean and had took a bath or showers for the eldest and with the homework done Masha was in the kitchen and was thinking about her life in general and how her small ugly self that even with the enhancement and cosmetic surgery and procedures was treated as a saint without flaws and with a loving family by her side so in a moment of insecurity she asked to her husband who was watching tv in the living room a few steps away

Masha:darling am I beautiful ?
Aleksandr:of course birdy you are the most beautiful woman in the country and I am lucky to be married to you

said Aleksandr who was now holding her in his arms caressing her belly

Masha:i am ugly and bloated
Aleksandr:you are beautiful and glowing
My dear birdy you are carrying life the most beautiful moment in a life
masha:do I deserve to be treated like a flawless saint and an example ?
Aleksandr:you are the example of a good mother and wife you work hard give all your energy to your family you never did anything that could tell you are unworthy of your reputation birdy
Masha:I am afraid that I am always unworthy and that I could lose everything
Aleksandr:this is totally understandable anyone can feel like this but don’t worry you are not alone you can also depend on us even if you are the mother of the nation
Masha:I just hope our little boy will be happy in our family
Aleksandr:our son will be surrounded with love from ourselves and his big sisters
Masha:i am the luckiest woman
Aleksandr:and all of us are lucky to have you in our lives

And with these words they hugged each other and Aleksandr happy as ever was talking to his son

Long live the commonwealth

Philippic’s eyebrows shot up. He had just trotted into the warehouse alongside Zazen and Apotropaic, watching the Exegesis’  rapacious speech. 

He could feel the air becoming electric as cheers went up as Exegesis preached to the Orange mass, offering them hope and salvation… 

His gaze hardened at the sight. “This… this seems like madness.” He said to Apotropaic. 

“Madness?” Apotropaic’s eyes widened. “How so?” 

Philippic lifted a hoof to point at Exegesis. She was tiny, standing a great distance from where they were, yet it seemed like her words commanded the attention of the crowd. “She’s preaching about Penned’s idiotic theory on iconoclasm! Heresy isn’t caused by material wealth! But the love of wealth!” 

His eyes were wide as he continued listening. And his teeth grinded sand. 

“You have to say something,” Apotropaic remarked, pointing at the way Exegesis spoke. Her tone almost a whisper,  “She’s winning them with the same lies!”

“No,” Philippic paused, “I mean, not really. Just let them decide on what is the best course of action. I’m no orator…”

“But,” Zazen protested as he glanced back at Exegesis, his hofo leant down to his sword “You do have a different viewpoint. You should just speak plainly! State your opinion! Nopony’s stopping you.” 

“Plainly?” Philippic gulped as he eyed a nearby box, “Would that…” 

“It works,” Zazen waved off his concerns, turning and putting a hoof on his shoulder. His eyes blazed with worry,  “As long as you speak passionately? You;ll be fine. You have respect. You are older than most of us. Most of the ponies here! Just… just do it.” 

Phillipic looked at Zazen, the stallion would never lie to his friend right? The blood in his hooves felt as if it was slowly becoming colder as he considered. The way Zazen’s face blazed with both worry and panic.

Apotropaic own usually skittish eyes and her snarl were looking at him - waiting for him to take command.

Friend… 

Commander. 

The stallion bit his lip, Chickpea’s death wasn’t in vain now it? 

He pushed himself forward towards and jumped upon the box, and when he did - there was no other word that fit his lips. 

“Bullsh*t!” 

Sharp gasps elicited from the Vigilants gathered around. Philippic felt a thousand eyes and viewpoints enumerable in the four digits face him and draw their blades. Even Exegesis paused, flabbergasted at his arrival. 

“Are we really not focusing on what’s at hoof?” Philippic exclaimed as he gestured at the gathered crowd. “The traitors amongst us! This is not a failure on our part. Of morality! But of VIgilance! The enemy who  snuck in between us,  who smiled at us and who made friends with us! And look! Behold! The winged traitors and the Mystics! They were the ones who cost us this battle!” 

Those blades of thought were sharp. They always were when pointed inwards. 

Philippic swallowed, “How many amongst you have noticed that some that we used to know have fled to the north, with the traitorous Radiant! Those who were supposedly neutral! Have we not all learned in Seminary that neutrality is siding with the Archheretic through inaction?” 

Mutterings, as Philippic surprised himself with word after word. 

“We cannot point the swords inwards! An enemy infiltrated amongst us and we could only blame ourselves! They abused our trust! Our love! Our piety towards our order!” 

Philippic could feel himself smile as he watched the crowds turn to him. Yet not everyone was convinced. Several, still looked over back at Exegesis expectantly for a retort. 

And that, a retort came. 

“It is alluring to say that the fault came from without!” Exegesis exclaimed, slamming her hoof against the table she stood on. The table creaked underneath as her assault flew, “But the most observable reason is often not the truth! It is the fault of within which creates the most devastating issues! We cannot fall back to the faults that caused us this issue in the first place!” 

The crowd seemed to move, there was a series of gazes split looking between one and the other as Philippic resisted as best as he could, to simply sneer. 

“I don’t need to be a doctor to know that a gunshot is fatal and not the cause of some disease!” Philippic exclaimed, his voice reverberating, “It's clearly been coming from the outside! Traitors coming in to hurt us! We’ve literally seen them! Are we just going to turn inwards and say it was our own fault!?”

“We are prideful creatures!” Exegesis retorted as she tried to drag the crowd back through her words. “Of course, it is natural we don’t want to admit the truth. We must ascend beyond petty hoof–pointing to see where we ourselves are wrong!” 

“Pride is who we are!” Philippic pointed up to the skies, “Are we not to be proud of who we are as ponies? Of what we have done as Knights? Everything was working! We were on track to reforming ourselves before the Battle! Ridding the Diarchy of corruption and then they betrayed us! Those who claim to be neutral! Those who were supposedly above us by being more moral and caring! What is morality without piety to one’s community?”

“Insanity!” Exegesis shouted back, “That is what Sir Philippic is trying to suggest we do! Morality with conditions! Morality and piety to the Saints is more important than the community. For if one has to choose between the deviation of the community or the sanctity of the Saints, one must go to the Saints!” 

Her hoof had pointed up to the skies as Philippic gestured about. 

“Better insanity than to leave one’s fellows to the sh*thole of life! We are meant to work together! We must lift one another up to the right way than just abandoning us! Who are they to judge us, they who too bear the sins of those who came before!” Philippic proclaimed, looking at the gathered Vigilants, “Who are they to say that we are more evil for the fact that we choose to care about our family! Our friends! Our lineage and our homeland! If the Diarchs wished not for us to care for them? Why would they put us here? WHY!?” 

Cheers came, jeers came, as peers rounded and reared with ideas searing in their minds. And Philippic stood at the forefront as one of those leading the searing. Philippic raised a hoof in the air as a cheer raised collectively, “Never again!” 

Like a sea, the group began to split into two. Between Philippic and Exegesis… and the chasm of politics began to emerge amongst the Vigilants. 

And for Philippic?

It felt right. 

With the quiet rattling of the train tracks, the Vigilant mare did her best to ignore the ignoble and insanity-inducing state of what the newspaper she had brought read. 

VIGILANTS TO RECONVENE AT TENNIS COURT: POLITICAL FACTIONS FORMED - CHAOS TO ENSUE

It was a rather short and sad state of affairs. After the Battle of New Canterlot, scaredly a month had passed as the blades of the Vigilant’s tongue had once again turned on each other to make sense of what had happened. 

Labels had formed, Purist, Liberal, Modernist, and Radical. All lines of insanity that made Lady Paper Trail balk at their unique, and equally shortsighted positions. 

Oh, we didn’t believe hard enough. Oh! We didn’t trust each other enough. Oh! We weren’t modern enough. Oh! We weren’t vigilant enough. It was all so tiring. 

The train whistle rang, prompting the faint lavender colour mare to stand up. Ignoring the rattle and the bustle of all the other ponies. She picked up her suitcase and trotted with them. The fear in the air was palpable.

With ease, many parted and gave way for her as she fixed her monocle. Lady Paper Trail did not smile. But if there was a reason for it - this would be one of the two on why she would. 

The air of Bales was much more crisp than the one from New Canterlot. It felt calmer… and it felt much more in tune with the countryside despite the slowly burgeoning refining industry in town. Bales was always much more practical than New Canterlot, meaning that it never really left the countryside too far for its denizens. 

That wasn’t one of the few things for Lady Paper Trail to smile at as she took a step onto the platform. And breathed in that air. Grounding her as she remembered the loveliness of her hometown. 

Her eye shut as memories of old came over her. 

Her journey to become a Knight… started on this very platform a full two decades ago. 

Her life here as a young filly. 

And her family. 

Paper Trail opened her eyes, as she spotted one such family. Against the vibrancy of the Bales colour palette, standing amongst the crowds of ponies more interesting than her, was a stallion of equal mundanity. 

Slacks of beige and a shirt stained with ink. A coat of orange brown and a mane of the darkest oak. And eyes of the most unassuming amber. 

“Brother,” Paper Trail smiled as she trotted up to the stallion, as the two were pulled into a hug by either familial obligations, or genuine desire. 

“Sister,” Her Brother smiled back with a nod as they turned to trot out of the station. With ease once again, the crowds of normal equines parted away from the two Knights as they moved. It was good to be back in town, for them to lay low and wait for the shenanigans in New Canterlot to blow over.

“Was the train ride rough?” her Brother asked, his tone much more expressive along with his face twisted into worry. 

Paper Trail smiled, “It wasn’t rough. It was Simple and demure. Less said about what is happening in New Canterlot, the better.” 

Her Brother bit his lip as the city was mentioned, and Paper Trail got a sinking feeling in her gut. 

“... I mean, it can’t be that bad right?” 

“Cats and dogs fighting, it is a tale as old as the Vigilant Order,” Paper Trail said as the sun of the Diarch beared down on the both of them as they trotted to their family home. “Nothing important for us Inkbloods. Just wait for them to get tired and we will be back at work. Their arguments will be over in half a year or so… but, for now? Keep Vigilance, it is Paramount in these times…” 

Silence. As they trotted amongst the meadows and outskirts of the bustling Bales behind them accompanied by a soft breeze.

In her confidence, she strided, confident that all would be well. 

Yet Sir Dipoly Diffraction trotted alongside her.

His mind read with the opposite of her face - doubt. Unsure if whoever was leading these political factions… could ever reach a proper conclusion without tearing the Order apart.

He could only be Vigilant, that Hostility was to come.