Cold Confrontations

Chapters

Family Ties
Rite to Act
Elite's Abhorrence
An Unusual Pairing
Virtue & Vanity
On and Off the Rails
Cleansing Water
Departure to a New World
Rough Start
Fractured Heart
Rude Awakenings

Family Ties

-Union Park-

“What?!? When the buck did you plan on letting me in on this?" Cold's accusations shook the air.

“Cold, ple-"

“Why is it that I'm the last to know, everytime? I’d love for once to be involved with what’s going on with everydeer. Especially when it's about me being shipped out to another country," stomping his hoof into the cold ground.

“Col-“

“Why was I so stupid to think that even my old buck of an uncle wouldn’t pull crap on me like this on me? How-"

Thwump

Vanhi's hoof lodged itself firmly into Cold's mouth, blocking any further outburst.

“Cold.”

“Yephf?” Cold replied, his voice muffled due to Vanhi's rather dirty hoof.

“Shut. Up."

“Ohf-Khay.”

“And listen.”

“Awh Wight.”

Vanhi removed his hoof from his nephew’s muzzle, wiping the spittle on the ground. Looking back up, Cold saw the tired look in his uncle’s graying eyes. “That wasn’t the reaction I was hoping for, but you’ve never been one to do anything that’s expected,” with a wry grin.

“So, back to the point uncle, why get me to do this?" His usual tone returning in full force. "Those golden antlers all on capitol hill should be all lined up for this kind of thing. Why you want me to be a, what was it?"

“Representative is the official title. It’s not as high maintenance as you would think it would be. Nothing more than simply escorting a few ponies from one side of the mountain to the other side.”

“Wait, I think we have a name for these kinds of deer, oh right…chauffeurs." His curt tone struck Vanhi's ears but he didn't flinch at his nephew's less than respectable attitude.

“No, if that was the case Cold, we’d let anydeer do it." Vanhi's eyes glanced up towards the upper district. "Unfortunately it’s not. When Celestia froze the deals, she didn’t immediately decide to send emissaries over to us. It’s what happened afterward that made her launch this plan.”

Pausing for a breath, he continued. “The ministers decided they wanted to send representatives of their own houses to Canterlot. We’d be having several little spoiled prats showing the Princess of an entire nation how we act. I’d rather refrain from such methods unless Tartarus itself would freeze over first.”

“Makes sense, they act polite and play nice, so what stopped them?” Cold's hoof during pointlessly at the ground, as if he way trying to break through solid stone to ease his frustration.

“I think we both know who put a stop to that,” raising his eyebrows in his all-knowing way.

“Right, so why would they coming to us instead?”

“Celestia holds the Crystal Empire’s authority as of right now," Vanhi's words seemed to carry around the word authority. "We’re not only going to have to impress her emissaries but also the Crystal Empire's as well. We’ve never, in the history of our nation, been tied to any lands beyond the Crystal Empire in recorded history.” A small glimmer was in the old reindeer's eyes as he continued to talk. All of it seemed to only blow over Cold's head as he looked with a lackadaisical look on his face.

“So, again, why me?” A little more venom in his words as his building irritation grew. “Celestia just wants to send her little ponies over to us and negotiate long term deals. Not like there's any solid reason to send me to escort whoever she sends over to us. Better yet, we should send those idiots who want to kiss up to her by how you’re explaining the situation.”

“Then you’re not listening well, dear nephew. It was Celestia’s idea to send her ponies to us instead of the other way around. I think that she wanted to see if we’re trustworthy enough to be dealing with," growled out Vanhi. "She’s never dealt directly with our country," cracking his his back to loosen the growing tension. If we were to control the market in the Crystal Empire, she’d be the one losing ground.”

“We wouldn’t do that; well I wouldn’t-”

“Exactly!" jabbing a hoof at his nephew's face. "You wouldn’t, you’re mind isn’t clouded by anydeer else. You think for yourself. That reason is solely why I wanted you to aspire to this job,” cutting off Cold in his wizened voice. “You think and act for yourself, not because of me and not even because your aunt. You do things the way you want to, no deer else.”

Cold looked at Vanhi in silence with half-lidded eyes. Was that really the reason for him to get him onboard with this half, well, full-crazed idea? There had to be better candidates than him, one’s who’d split the heavens to leap at this chance. So what was the real underlying reason he wasn’t being told everything?

Well, I’ll just have to drag it out of him. “Okay, let’s say I do agree to become to take this representative position. I just show up, escort whoever shows up back here, wave them off and trot back home?” Cold's gaze never left Vanhi. The elderly reindeer didn't even flinch at his words, not even the faintest hint of doubt flickered across his face. “Or is there more to this little arrangement?”

“You’ve whittled it down to the heartwood of the tree dear nephew,” slightly amazed at how astute his nephew could be. “You would be entitled to traveling expenses, food costs and even your luggage would be covered along with other little things.”

“So the whole gold package for me then," tapping his chin in thought. Cold imagined what he could write off as a business expense on the trip, knowing full well he'd never have to spend a single token or pay anydeer back. Still, it wasn't in his nature to just blow through the ministry's banks so blindly.

“Correct, besides I don’t think you would spend half the countries’ treasury between here and the Crystal Empire,” a small grunt of annoyance . "Unlike some other bucks I can think of."

“Alright, even though you have faith in me, what makes you think all the gold-hoofed plotheads are going to elect me?" Vanhi's smile dropped as his nephew's shoulders slumped down. "I don’t have the 'apropos' background to do this. I know for a fact the Minister of Commerce won’t be happy to see me.”

“Don’t worry about him. He’s under control." Vanhi gripped Cold's shoulder reassuringly, shocked to feel as to how literally cold he was."Not to mention he already has more on his hooves at the moment, especially after that fiasco with his son’s embezzlement scandal."

“Yeah, surprised that went public," rolling his eyes at Vanhi.

“Like I always say, karma works.”

“That or somedeer made karma get off its plot and did something for once," casting a knowing glance at his uncle.

“Well, yeah that could’ve happen too," replied Vanhi, scrathing at an imaginary itch behind his head. Anyways, before we stray too far off topic I’m guaranteeing you this chance, so please don’t pass it up.”

So that’s it then. You want me to give it another shot. After everything that happened you want me to stake another at this crap? You certainly pulled out all the stops for this whole ordeal to go through uncle. Cold stood silently by, closing off his mind to the world around him. “Anything else I should know?”

“No, I’ve told you everything that’s in the paperwork." Vanhi looked down at Cold, only realizing at how small and fragile his nephew looked. Doubt flickered arossed his muzzle as he watched an invisible battle wage inside his nephew's head. "It’s all up to you to put your hoof-stamp on the papers to say you’ll do this. I won’t think of you any less if you don’t want to.”

Okay, uncle I don’t think there’s anything else you’re not telling me but I not too sure I want this deal. They need somedeer who’s not some conniving little kiss up but they don’t want just any bum either," he could feel a small amount of satisfaction in that statement. "So I’m in the middle of the bar, perfect. Doesn’t sound like he’s going to scrutinize me if I say no either.

Vanhi stood in front of Cold, his heart pounding rapidy his chest as his nephew stood there in front of him. Casey whined as she waited, shaking the snow that piled on the top of her dark coat. Poor girl, she’s been listening to us talk this entire time, as he pulled back his right hoof. Casey sprang towards Vanhi, running underneath his foreleg and turning on her back. Vanhi began to stroke her fluffy belly, giving the dog some small comfort to know she hadn’t been forgotten during this entire time.

So, should or shouldn’t I? It’d give me something to do at least. “Uncle,” Cold shouted out suddenly. shattering the long silence between the two reindeer.

Pulling his attention away from Casey, the elder reindeer looked down at his nephew. Please, please, cried Vanhi inwardly. Let me help you nephew.

“I’ll…I’ll do it.”

“Good.” Yes, yes,YES! I’ll make sure that you won’t regret this decision," pulling up his nephew in another tight hug.

“Right, let’s do this before I change my mind. Where’s-“

“Right here, got everything you need right here,” the older reindeer pulled out a rusty brown envelope from the pockets of his cloak.

“So you just assumed I’d just sign this, right?” Cold planted a hoof to the side of his forehead.

“No, I expected an answer dear nephew. Now that I have your answer I need you to sign it.”

“I don’t like being toyed with, uncle.” Cold pulled up the letter, glancing over the wording of the entire page rather than just reading the entire thing to himself.

“Stop, you could’ve as easily walked from this a few minutes ago. Let’s not start that argument all over again,” as he pulled out a pen from another pocket.

“Well then, let’s see where this’ll take me,” taking the pen in his hoof and inscribing his spidery signature on the paper. “Well, there’s the John Hoofcock signature, but how fast can you have this sent?“

Vanhi smiled as he resealed the envelope. It began to rise up from his hooves before spinning wildly in the air in a chaotic dance. It shot off towards the upper district, lost in the wintery air and clouds of snow. Cold stood still, his eyes locked onto his uncle at what he just saw. “Did you just-“

“Yes.”

“But why would-“

“I’ll worry about the cost later," brushing off Cold's question without an air of worry. "Besides you need to prepare for your departure. You’ll need to present yourself tomorrow in front of the other ministers, so compose yourself.”

“Not getting rid of the beard uncle."

“Oh, is that what that little bit of scruff beneath your muzzle is? Odd," clasping the small tuft of beard beneath Cold's chin. "I thought that you combed all the hair underneath your chin for once," sticking his tongue out mockingly.

“Hey!”

“Oh grow up.”

“Funny coming from you, old buck,” with an equally mocking grin.

“Well, at least be nice to the ministers for my sake at least. Be polite, be confident and most importantly, be polite."

Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence old buck. “Okay so when, where and what time does this all go down?”

Vanhi leaned back onto his haunches, closing his eyes in focus. “It will be tomorrow in the upper district’s court, the Buckland’s High Court building. Be there at around 11 o’clock, and please try to be early.”

“Wonderful, a trip down the golden roads with all the high and mighty as-“

“Hush," admonished Vanhi. Cold's eyes grew large as his uncle's usual tone grew more fierce. "Don’t dwell on the past Cold," cutting off Cold before he could continue. "Oh, one more thing"

“Yes uncle?” Cold could tell that this last bit of information was going to be much more painful than the last.

“Miss Bittersweet still works as the receptionist,"

“Oh hell, that old bit-“ covering his eyes with a hoof.

“Don’t say it; she does the work of two deer in one day.”

“Only reason she enjoys her job is because she’s got nothing better to do." He could still recall the last attempt at trying to talk with that 'creature'. He wasn't even sure if she was a reindeer still, she drove anydeer unfortunate to talk with her insane. "How old is she now, 200?”

“Watch it nephew," jabbing at Cold with a polished hoof. "All you have to do is tell her you’ve got a meeting and walk right past her. No yelling, no arguing and please, no chairs flying through the second story windows this time.”

“Hey, that was never proven to be me!” countering uncle's argument. If that bucking idiot Silver Pines hadn’t gone and run his mouth, muttering to himself.

“Anyway, just be sure to show up tomorrow, okay?”

“Alright uncle, oh and one thing.”

“Hmm?”

“Thanks, for everything.”

“Cold," wrapping him up his forelegs one last time. "You are my family and I would do anything for you," he said with pure love in his voice.

Cold could only smile back at his overly emotional uncle. “Alright, I’ll be there. Come on Casey, let’s go.”

Casey yipped happily as Cold started walk back home. Vanhi waved them off as they walked back to their home. He stood there as Cold disappeared further down the slopes of the hill. Flakes of snow starting to gather around him as he waited until his nephew disappeared over the horizon.

The old reindeer began to retreat back to his own home, emotions swirling inside of his chest like a rampant typhoon Spirits, be with that boy, I want him to see there’s more to this world, dull aches in his tired body started to flare up. He needs to see there’s so much more to this world. I know he’ll accept who comes along. I just hope they’ll put up with his eccentric attitude. Vanhi continued on at a leisurely pace, his thoughts playing on his face as he walked. Things are going smoothly so far, but I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. I know who’ll support the boy’s appointment but I fear those who won’t. I hope he won’t be swayed, I know him better than most but I don’t everything.

Vanhi shivered as the wind picked, invisible fangs driving into his thick coat. Strange, the weather seemed to be getting stronger. From what the forecast team predicted the weather should’ve have been normal for the next few days. Now though it seemed to be growing in force. I hope that isn’t a sign of things to come. he silently prayed.

-Jingle Road-

“So Casey, did I just sign myself up for something that I have no idea about? Again?”

Arf.

“Think so? I can’t ever ask him directly, it’s always 'not the right question' or 'not the proper way to phrase it' with uncle.”

Whrt.

“Okay, true but I couldn’t hurt to answer me when I ask a simple question.”

Arf.

“Why are you taking his side in all this? You’re not the one who has to impress whatever spoiled brats that princess decides to send over.”

Woof.

“No, I don’t think they’ll be nice.”

Arf

“I am not too negative.”

Grghgh.

“Meh, whatever. I’m done talking with you. Let’s just get back home, but first a quick stop at Red Wood’s Pet Emporium.”

Arwooh!

“See, I didn’t forget ya,” scratching his loyal dog behind her tufted ears.

-Warm Hart’s Café-

Sweet Hart raised her head from the oven door as she pulled out a fresh trey of gingerbread deer, the heat rushing over her muzzle. Her head snapped towards the front parlor as the bells rung and rapt against the door. Putting the tray down, she peered over the side of the door frame to see if anydeer was in the mood for coffee. Instead Cold was the only one to be seen trotting into the room, Casey following close behind him with a rawhide locked in her mouth.

“So you’re back finally, you’ve been gone for a while now." Cold didn't even attempt to respond to his aunt and walked on without even looking up. "Was he happy to see you?” Sweet stood off to the side, her silver and blue apron hanging loosely around her knees. Cold remained silent as he unstrung the laces of his cloak. Casey settled down on a chair at one of the tables. Hanging up the cloak on the wall, he turned to his aunt with a blank face.

“Not that great then, huh?” Her face withered as Cold opened his mouth but closed it again. Cold merely sat down next to Casey, playfully rubbing the dog’s head with one hoof as he laid his other down on the oak surface of the table. Sweet trotted over to him, sitting down across from her nephew on the other side.

“So, I’m gonna be leaving to-“

“You’re leaving? Where? When?” Jolting out of her seat and toppling over the chair.

“Can I finish please?” Sweet Hart grinned in embarrassment as she sat back down in her chair.

“So, seeing as your having a spazz attack, I guess you didn’t know what uncle Vanhi wanted with me." Cold stared his aunt in the face. No flinching or pawing at her nose. She really hadn’t been told everything then.Uncle usually doesn’t go that far to keep things a secret.

“Well, what’s the deal?” Vanhi, what did you rope your nephew into?

Cold gave her a smile and said “Oh nothing big, just gotta escort a few ponies from the Crystal Empire to back here.”

Sweet merely sat there, waiting for Cold to go on. “And?”

“That’s it.” Watching as his aunt waited for more information, he merely sat with his his cupped together as time trickled by.

“So then Cold, let me get this straight," throwing an accusing hoof at her nephew. "You just spent the past 3 hours sitting with your uncle, in a park, in the afternoon just so he could tell you can be a chauffeur?” her skepticism plain for all to see.

“Ha! I said the same exact thing!” shifting his chair back.

“So there was nothing else? Just go grab some ponies and bring ‘em back here?”

“Mhh-hmm,” nodding in confirmation.

“Feels like you’re not telling me all the major details here,"

“Yeah, it sucks doesn’t it?” relishing how the tables had turned. "I'll get evaluated and they'll tell me if I'm 'worthy' or not. I have to appeal to the Ministers tomorrow to let me do this. If I do receive approval, I’ll just take a quick train ride to pick up the ponies and take a ride back.”

“Okay, by the way is-“

“Yes Bittersweet still works there,” poorly suppressed rage showing on his face. “Trust me, I’ll bite my tongue.”

“Spirits help you boy, cause I wouldn’t be so polite towards that hag,” she replied through gritted teeth.

“Moving on,” desperately wanting to move the conversation forward. “I’m not worried about tomorrow, they’ll just say yay or nay no matter what I have to say. Their minds are probably already set.”

“Don’t sell yourself short Cold, I know you’ll get this job,” wrapping her hooves around his. “I have faith in you, now you need faith in yourself.”

“Thanks, well, I’m going back to sleep. I’ll be ready for tomorrow’s outcome.” His voice was strong but his face still held the same doubtful expression.

“You’re so lazy young deer but before you clock out, at least get some dinner alright?”

Cold sighed but gave his aunt a grin as they got out of their seats and walked towards the kitchen. The smell of potato soup greeted Cold’s nose, its hearty scent making his mouth water. “You even made my favorite soup Aunt Sweet? Today is a good day,” quipped Cold. “Is Dark going to be joining us?

“Uncle Dark to you, and no. He’s out tonight seeing some friends who just got back into town,” opening up the cupboard next to the stove. Cold sat down at the dinner table, his pillow from earlier still in the same exact spot. “I hope you realize that your Uncle Vanhi went through a lot of trouble to get this set up just for you, you know that?” as she began pulling out a pair of porcelain bowls.

“I’m very aware."

Sweet poured two bowls for Cold and herself. Walking over to the table, Casey staring up at her, her eyes pleading for more food. “Sorry sweetie, but you don’t get to eat any of this,” smiling down at the dog.

“So, any advice for tomorrow?”

“Thought you said you weren’t worried?” she said with an impish grin.

“I meant on what I should say, I have to play nice with these plotheads.” Cold lapped up his soup slowly, his tongue burning as he continued to eat. "Vanhi said that this is going to be the final day, so I guess they need to scrape at the bottom of the barrel if they couldn't find any buck else."

“So don’t run your mouth and play nice." Picking up Cold's bowl she walked over to the stove and poured out a second helping of soup. "You need to be honest and if they don't like what you have to say, then it wasn't meant to be."

“That it?”

“Yes, there’s nothing I need to say." Dropping the bowl in front of Cold, she put a hoof under his chin and raised his head up. "It's you who needs to mind youself. Who knows? Maybe you just need to find something to give you confidence.”

Dinner was finished in a pleasant silence. Rising up from the table, Cold left his still full bowl on the table beside the oven and began to walk towards the stairs. “Cold, you’re only going to have one bowl?” his pudgy aunt called out from the kitchen.

“Yeah, I don’t feel like eating much right now,” he replied half-way up the stairs. Walking down the hallway to his room, Casey stayed at his side the entire time.

Entering his room, he walked straight to the bathroom and turned the faucet to draw a warm bath. He felt a churning in his stomach lancing his insides. Tomorrow is gonna be a long day, as he pulled a red towel off the top of the sink and laid it on the floor. “What am I doing? I’m getting sucked into something I have no clue how to do in the first place. I don’t know anything about ponies, I don’t know if we even speak the same language.”

Cold dipped his forehoof into the warm water, pulling back from the initial shock. Slowly, he dropped his front hooves in followed by the rest of his body. Turning over his body to face belly up, he turned to Casey staring back at him. He had forgotten to close the door behind him.

Casey patted over to the side of the bath. Lifting her front paws to its lip, she peered over to let her muzzle rest against Cold's side. “What are you doing, you goofy dog?” a smile forming on his muzzle. Casey’s tail wagged in response, relishing the attention she was getting from her master.

“Guess we’ll, no, I’m going to have to be little miss snowflake in front of the ministry tomorrow," batting his eyelashes in a rather overly feminine way. "Can’t make any promises if they start to get underneath my hide that I won’t say what I’m thinking. What do you think girl?”

Casey only stood there, staring back at Cold until she licked the side of face, drawing her tongue along his cheek.

“Hmmm, don’t know if that’s gonna work with them. They’re not the touchy feely kind of bucks but you never know," splashing water across his face to get rid of Casey's spit. "I’ll try it if I want to make a long lasting memory for ‘em. Dunking his head underneath the water, he rubbed the sides of antlers to remove any hidden spots of dirt from his head. “Alright, back up now I’m getting out."

Casey backpedaled as Cold rose out of the tub, placing his hooves on the towel. the excess water dripping from his fur. Reaching over towards the sink he grabbed another to towel to dry off with. “Who know, maybe it’ll be five questions and I’m out, right?”

Wrt.

“Yeah, not likely, okay Casey time for bed.”

Arf.

“You already have a bed, why do want to sleep in mine?”

Woof.

“No, but I’ll let you sleep at the end of the bunk.”

Casey howled happily and bolted towards Cold’s bunk in a blur. Jumping on to the bottom, the lapphund circled in spot until finally stretching out. Cold toweled off and walked back into the room, stopping before the bunk. Cracking his, Cold felt the tension ebb away from him. As he began to climb into his bunk, a small glint from his desk caught his attention. Looking down, he saw a small ball shining from the light given off by his lantern hanging over his bed. A green and black lanyard was laid out carefully on top of the nightstand, attached to the bottom was a small silver bell. Two hooks at the top of the lanyard would hook around the back of the neck. A memento Cold lost years ago, he thought it was either thrown away or lost in the attic.

Maybe you need to find something to give you confidence.

Thanks Aunt Sweet, maybe this is the something I’ll need for tomorrow, he whispered to himself. Spirits help me, come tomorrow. Pulling the lanyard around his neck, he hooked the straps together. Lying down, the small bell gave him a small chill as he laid in his bunk. Casey shifted upwards to rest on his back legs. Cold drifted off to sleep, the comfort of his loyal dog and the security of his bell easing his mind.

From the doorway, Sweet watched her nephew drift into sleep. A smile formed on her muzzle when Cold donned the old lanyard.

-???-

A soon as Cold had shut his eyes; a strong light invaded his sleep. Turning his head to the other side of his pillow, the light continued to invade his eyes.

Why is it so bright? Opening his eyes, Cold woke up to find lying in a clearing with fir trees surrounding him. Standing up, he felt the sun’s rays shining down directly above, warming his coat. The pungent scent of the pine’s refreshing but sharp smell overwhelmed his nostrils as he sat back on his haunches. What, how did I get into a forest? I was in my room, Casey sleeping on my back hooves and then.

Cold’s focus shattered like glass as an earth-rocking boom erupted deeper within the forest. Soon another followed, like hoofsteps. His ears folded flat against his skull as building pressure made him collapse to the ground. Even as he heard the thundering booms, he couldn’t run. His legs refusing to obey him.

Whatever this beast was, it was large enough to make the earth tremor merely by walking. Trees fell, rocks bounced off the ground as the sound of the steps drew closer to the hollow. Soon a hoof stuck out into the small clearing, a very large dirt covered hoof accompanied by a very large head.

Cold looked up to see a stony face, covered in gravel, tree bark and fur with two empty sockets that glowed with a soft white light. The large reindeer in front of Cold gracefully walked into the clearing, its gargantuan form swallowing the area beneath it. As it towered above him, the earthen giant peered down at the hapless young buck in front of it, it formless eyes trained on him.

He watched as the creature lowered itself to lie down on its stomach. Its eyes never strayed away from his body. Cold could see the creature in clearer definition. Its antlers were tree stumps that turned to solid stone, its points ended in rough metal. Its fur was a rich green, mottled with dirt, stones, moss and leaves. Its hooves covered in bark but underneath of its exterior, it seemed to be made from stone as well.

“Young child of the Northern Wilds, you called and I have answered,” echoed a deep stony voice, coming from below Cold. “Why do you not rise up to meet my eyes?”

Cold tried to raise his head but the invisible force continued to prevent any progress. Cold tried to move his head to the sides but even that was met with force. He felt so frail; this creature was toying with him like a blind pup.

“I can’t get up.”

“You can, but you chose not to." Stones shook, branches swayed in an invisble wind and the grass even seemed to bend as the creature spoke. "You’ve let the burdens of fear and doubt weigh you down, you must be freed from such trivialities child. Don’t let fear impair your judgment, it will break you.”

Cold stared up at the forest deer again; try to piece together its message. “I’m not afraid.”

“You can lie to yourself, it won’t help.” The earthen reindeer only continued to stare down at Cold, its face a blank slate. “I can feel your fears, so stop lying to yourself. The fear of change, of confrontation, of the unknown and even how you fear yourself.”

“Fear of myself? Why would I be afraid of myself?” Cold forced his head up, perspiration stinging into his eyes as he tried in vain to rise up. He tried to will himself up but his body was still being compressed beneath an invisible weight.

“Fear comes in many forms, from many things but it is all comes from inside of us." Lowering its giant muzzle down to his, Cold nostrils burned as the creatures scent struck his nose. Sweet yet incredibly musty, the creature's smell made him think of it as living being of nature. "You are wise to fear yourself for it shows you know what you are capable of. Knowing what you can do is more terrifying then what you can’t do.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Cold's mouth began to froth as his anger grew. The inability to move was fueling his rage but if the stone reindeer even noticed, it hardly seemed to care as it continued to talk.

“You are aware of what you can do but you chose to not act. You can go further; all it will take is for you to make that first step, young sprout.”

“So what do I do?”

A booming laugh echoed into Cold’s mind. “You already have that answer, why you chose to ignore it is well beyond me,” it replied with mirth.

“Well answer this then, who or what are you.”

“…” The stony mouth opened and closed but no sound came out.

“Well?”

“Again young sprout, you know the answer. I never forgot you, but sadly you lost me in your memories,” it said, sorrow heavy in its voice. “You waited so long to call me, I was afraid you forgotten me, and it seems you have.”

“Will you tell me then, please?” Whatever this thing was, it enjoyed speaking in riddles.

“No. You will remember in time but don’t wait too long this time to search for me. You won’t be able to hear my voice again if you fail,” it said solemnly.

The forest floor beneath Cold began to crack, the earth beginning to give away. Cold eyes locked onto the forest deer as he fell into the pit beneath, swallowed by darkness.

-Warm Hart’s Café-

Cold bolted up, knocking Casey off his back. Standing up on his bunk, his head swiveled around as he tried to find the forest deer that he was talking with. Casey snarled at Cold, trying to find the reason he interrupted her sleep. It had felt so real, the pine needles beneath his hooves, the smell of the forest. What was that? As he peered outside, he noticed it was some time before sunrise.

Cold dropped back into his bunk, Casey jumped up and laid down by his side to share his warmth. Cold’s mind too out of sync with the real world to notice Casey’s attempts to grab attention. One phrase that continued to flash itself over and over again.

“You already know the answer.”

Rite to Act

-Jingle Road-

Cold walked down the cold, cobbled stone road of Jingle Rd., snow falling at a leisurely pace. His cloak clung to his body, the strings digging into his throat as the wind blew over his body. Well, this is it. Got one chance to do this, now’s not the time to screw it up.

Walking past Union Park, he felt the stone beneath his hooves beginning to flatten out. Roads grew smoother, with only the odd rock sticking out here and there along his path. Passing through the outer environs, he could fell the change in the air. Everything was different, right down to the ground Cold walked on. So little changes around these parts. Then again it would surprise if they did. Melancholy welled up in him dim memories of his last visit flashed in his mind. How uncle lives here with these uppity plotheads is beyond me.

-Gilding Complex-

Shops lined the sides of the street with lanterns hanging out in front. Signs hung high above, large letters to capture the eyes of anydeer passing by. Nearly every shop was made out of grey-white stone, with a few made from polished wood. Each shop had a larger window display than the last to show off their wares to the passing crowds to gaze in. Every shop was flawlessly designed, no flaws or imperfections were seen in their construction to the naked eye. Here and there, several small fauns stood out each shop, waiting to open the doors open for anydeer willing to indulge themselves.

Passing the merchants, Cold looked up to see a mixture of golden lined window shops and towering hotels spreading out. This was where the actual crème de la crème resided. Bell fauns standing out in front of the hotels in vests underneath the stone canopy by each of the inns. The ambiance of higher culture permeated even the air, the smell of old tokens tickling his nose.

Now I know that to get to the courts I need to pass by the Silver Doe’s Dowry jewelry store. The one with the deerequins placed in the front windows, as he walked in silence. Several reindeer walked past him, as trekked on. Other greeted him with a small smile yet others nearly collided into him with their snouts up in the air. Pausing at a small intersection, a tall metal pole stood out in the middle of the road. Walking up to it, a picture of a token inside of a six spokes wheel was in the center.

Clink!

Cold’s forehoof struck something hard buried underneath the snow, hard enough to send a shock up his leg. “What’s this?” Looking down, a little thick iron rail was embedded into the ground, half hidden in snow. The only part showing was a dull grey strip with snow on either side of it, hiding the small grove from plain sight. “Heard about the city expanding the rails, but why would they build this deep into the district?“

Ting-ting-ting.

A sharp, tinny bell rung loudly in his ears far off to his left side. Straightening himself, Cold followed the rails to see what looked like a small curved rectangular train traveling along the rails. It chugged forward towards him, a small lantern affixed to the front, right below a large curved window in front obscuring whoever was operating the machine. Cold stepped back from the rails to let it pass, but to his own shock the machine stopped in front of him instead. As it came to a complete halt, the wheels on its sides screeching with a short metal hiss.

Cold stared in awe as a door began to reel back and slide inside, a young fawn looking back at him with a smile. She wore a deep blue station master uniform with gold trimmings at the seams and around her side pockets. On top of her head was a small, circular blue hat with a black beak between her small antlers.

“Care to ride, sir?”

Cold merely stood there, his head cocked to the side, still lost at the abrupt statement of the fawn before him seemed to be the conductor of the mini train.

“You know it’s quite rude to stare, sir?” said the doe.

“Oh! Sorry I’ve never seen one of these little trains where I live,” pointing his face down hide his ignorance. Looking back up the fawn still had a smile on her face, obviously trying to hold back her laughter. “So, I’m Cold, and you are?”

“I’m junior conductor Autumn Leaf, at your service, sir,” flashing a smile at Cold again.

“Well this is actually the newest thing to get around anywhere. The steam trolley,” a small hint of pride in her voice. She raised her hoof up with a flourish, “It’s the newest development by the transportation ministry and soon it’ll be expanding further down to as far south to the lower districts,” she said as if reciting a slogan.

Probably her first day of driving this thing. Gotta admit though she’s got pizazz. “So this trolley will get me anywhere then?" as his eyes looked down at the rails beneath the snow. Figures the city would have built this, then again not having to walk everywhere sounds about right for these bucks.

“Only as far as the rails go sir.” Oh Spirits, why did I have to get some random bum from the sticks? Why couldn’t I get a real somedeer instead? Still retaining her cheerful facade, she remained on top of her cushion as Cold stood infront of the still open doors.

“Sure, how much does this cost?” Flitting through his cloak, pulling out a few silver coins between his hoof.

“Depends on how far you want to go, got anywhere in mind?”

“I need to get to the Buckland’s High Court.”

Autumn's slumped forward slightly as Cold's words reach her ears. “Oh, yes we can get you there.” Why is this buck going to the High Court? He doesn’t look like an attorney so why in Tartarus is he heading there, some kind of felon? Suprresing the thought of transporting a possible criminal inside a trolley by herself, she refrained from slamming the door in Cold's face. “And since it’s not too far from here, it’ll be 3 tokens sir, just drop them in the box as you walk in.”

“Wow, thanks.” Autumn shuffled back inside to let him step inside the trolley. Digging into his pockets, Cold pulled out three bronze little coins and dropped them into the box behind Autumn’s seat.

Inside the trolley were two wooden benches, red padding on each for comfort to sit on. Cold sat down, admiring the interior as his mind drew in the new contraption he entered. He felt a notable shift in the temperature as soon as he stepped inside. A large metal box jutted out right near the back of the trolley, a tangible heat emanating from it. Peering down beneath the opposite bench, Cold noticed that the space beneath of it was slanted slightly and curved inwards.

“Alright then Mr. Hart, we’re all set now. Please remain seated for the rest of the ride,” Autumn chirped.

Cold jerked forward as the trolley lurched forward but remained seated as the trolley chugged forward. He felt his heart slightly pumping faster at this new experience. It’s just like an actual miniature train but it’s not, a small tingle of euphoria welling up in his chest.

“So,mind if I ask what you’re going to the courts for, sir?”Autumn had gotten up and walked over to the other bench opposite of him. "Usually no deer goes there unless they did something, right?

“Well, I heard that there’s a position open to be a representative, so hey I thought I give it a shot.” No real emotion could be heard behind his words. "If I don't then I don't, so what's the harm in trying right?"

“Really?” said Autumn. Yeah right, like they’re gonna hire some random hick. “Well, do you think you can get the position?”

“Doubt it, really don’t have the proper background for this line of work but I’ll try it for laughs.”

“Well don’t let something like your history weigh you down. That won’t get you anywhere,”she said sincerely. “Well good news, we’re almost there Mr. Cold, so be prepared to disembark the trolley. Hope you enjoyed your brief time on Buckland’s future means of transportation, and have a nice day.” No way in Tartarus is anydeer picking a bottom ring.

“Well okay then.” Wow, she takes this job seriously. Smile any harder Autumn, I think your teeth will bend backwards.

As the trolley came to the stop, Autumn watched Cold depart, his cloak starting to ripple as a gale began to blow. I know I've seen that emlbem before, but where? Oh well, he probably bought it at some back alley store. Ringing the trolley’s bell she continued down the rails, hoping to at least pick up some noteworthy deer this time.

-Buckland’s High Courts-

An immense white building separated from the local building. It stood out with its simplicity compared to the more lavishing designs of its neighbors. Dark grey steps leading up to the main body of the white building. Two dark wood doors served as the main entrance, a glass arch window above to let light in from above. A pair of balusters served as hoof rails by the sides of the doors and along the pillars to deter anyone from entering from the sides. Several pillars supported the overarching part of the roof, snow piling between the ledges as Cold looked up.

Gotta place themselves on a higher level from the rest of the district. It’s not like they really needed to dote on this place anyways. The size of building dawned on him the further up he went. By the time he ascended to the top step, he could feel the small shift in the air from the ground level. A pair of oak double doors were wide open, letting the raw elements inside of the building. Passing through the entrance, Cold let the warm air soothe his aching hooves from the oppressing cold outside.

In the center of the room was a large receptionist desk, a small doe's head barely able to be seen over the piles of paperwork and other paraphernalia surrounding her. As he approached the front desk, Cold could hear the small metallic clicks of a type writer she was hunched over, solely focusing on her work.

“He-“ Cold started.

“Hello and welcome to the Buckland High Courts." The doe behind the desk continued to type away, not even one looking up at Cold."If you're here to stand any trial it will be on your left, courtrooms one through seven. Each one is marked by their respective doors,” stated the bottle glass doe in a nasally grating voice. Cold bit the side of his cheek as the doe continued on. "If you're here for a license and/or need to lodge a complaint, please go to your right and go through the first door you see. If you are here for legal disputes, any violations of the laws or here for complaints against the district please go past the first door and into the second.”

Wonderful, I see Ms. Bittersweet has passed on her oh-so-wonderful personality to this fawn, “I’m not here for any of that.” Cold said “I-“

“Sir, please note that loitering in an official building is a punishable offense and I will have to call the guard to remove you, by force if necessary." she said, still typing away at her reports.

Don’t snap Cold, you promised Vanhi you wouldn’t cause a scene. “I’m here for the representative position,” he said with fervor. Cold wasn't sure if he was annoyed or impressed with the audacity this doe had to immediately dismiss somedeer who she thought wasn't worth her time.

“Oh, well, good for you then,” replied the doe in a condescending tone. “Family name please.”

“Hart.”

“Ha-, wait. H-E-A-R-T, or H-A-R-T?” she asked, pulling a drawer open by her side. Her hoof skimming over the folders inside.

“H-A-R-T,” emphasizing each letter for the doe. Her hooves stopped onto of a purple folder, pulling it open, she skimmed over it.

“Oh…” Rising up her face nearly seemed to have melted. Her eyes were little black dots through her thick glasses. “Well, Mr. Hart, ughh, yes, well ehmm." Coughing to try and ease her obvious discomfort, she shifted through a few papers behind her desk until she came to a small folder. "Would please go through the second door that is on your left, you will be in the Minister’s Court,” she squeaked out.

Hart stared back at the doe’s now crumpling form with a blank expression. Inwardly he was laughing manically at her now hapless state, not that he would show it. Turning his head, he looked past the first door and noticed the second past it.

“Well then I’ll be going then." Stopping for a brief second he turned his head to her. “Oh, and here’s a little advice, having your head so far up your own plot doesn’t help others opinion of you.” Ya narcissistic buck.

A narrow hallway opened up to him as he walked through the door. The only other thing besides him were a few lanterns illuminating the barren hall, the odd crackles from the fires disturbing the silence. At the end, a dark wooden door lead off to another room.

Why would they build a hallway like this? walking in dead silence. Then again, who I’m dealing with I should stop being surprised about half the things they do. Coming up to the adjacent door, Cold held up his forehoof to the knob and grasped it. Well, may as well this over with. When I tell Vanhi they said no, I hope he won’t take it too badly, Cold thought darkly as he turned the knob and pushed open the door.

-Minister’s High Courtroom-

Dark, forebodingly dark. The entire area was hardly lit except for the raised bench where the ministers were to be seated. The only other light coming down from the ceiling seemed to be at a stand spaced a few yards away from the bench. The minister's stand separated the courtroom in half like a partition. It arched around the small stand to encompass it in a semi-circle so each of the ministers could look down at anydeer on it. A podium at the far right side for a stenographer, and beyond that was the jury box.

Drawing closer to the stand, his hooves felt the polish of the wood beneath him. His nation’s emblem was carved into the wood at the center of the base, a pair of curved back black antlers set side by side, with leaves growing from each of the points to represent the ties of nature that reindeer shared with the land and the spirits that guided them.

Walking up towards the stand, Cold’s eyes roved around the courtroom. Anxiety began to eat away at the back of his mind. Where are they? Are they making me wait while they take their time? How long will this go on? Standing on the wooden base of the stand, his impatience grew stronger. Did Vanhi make a mistake? Did I come too late? Did I-

Clink!

A sudden click from behind the judge’s bench rung in Cold’s ears as hoofsteps began to enter the room. Half-hidden faces began to appear above the bench, only a few muzzles showing in the dim lantern's lights. Turning his head from left to right, Cold only counted four out of the seven ministers had actually shown up. Peering into the shadows, he could vaguely make out who was sitting in front of him.

“Well young buck, you’ve arrived on time. It’s good at least to see you can be punctual,” said the deer in front of Cold, shattering the drawn out silence. “While I’d wished to make this as fast as possible,-

Fat chance. he thought bitterly.

-protocol must be adhered to. You understand, correct?" A narrow muzzle was the only part that was illuminated by the light.

Fan-freakin-tastic, they want to draw this out.

“Since the prime minister has waived his right to act directly in the matter at hoof,-

He did what?!? Causing his foreleg to jerk forward and knock into the stand. Pulling back his leg, a small chuckle where a larger shadow sat was heard.

“A majority ruling by the current ministers attending this shall be the ones to appoint you, Cold Hart. The position of Representative of the Ministries of Buckland, is not to be taken lightly.”

Wasn’t this supposed to be about Buckland as a whole, not the government solely? Cold could feel his knee swelling where he struck it but the sudden pain helped him focus. Cold remained impassive but he took note of each of the deer’s words, reading into each sentence.

“Furthermore, you will be required to adhere to all orders and needs that are relayed to you." The minister rapped his hoof across the top of his desk. "Do you understand what is being asked of you, Mister Cold Hart?”

And there’s the icing on cake. “I understand completely.” He was greeted with a gruff tsk from somedeer but he couldn't tell which one.

Watching the muzzle bob for a brief moment in a nod, Cold watched as the deer pulled out a worn folder from beneath the stand. Opening it up, the head of the veiled deer moved forward but not enough to reveal any features. His dark brown muzzle pointed downwards while a few tips of his antlers peeked out forward as he tilted his head down. Cold remained composed as the hidden deer took his time reviewing the contents of the folder.

“Very good then, no we’ve checked your records and have found your personal history to be satisfactory. Your level of education is, well, adequate." Cold couldn't tell if he was pausing intentionally to let his words sink in or if the minister had a flair for being overly dramatic. “Now do you believe that you are fully capable of taking up this charge?”

“Yeah." Another tsk hissed out, Cold's head snapping over to his right. A rather shallow form was there, no distinguishing marks could be seen beyond the light.

“A rather rude way to answer somedeer, Mister Cold." Stiffing a yawn, Cold merely nodded his head towards the minister. "Now then, before we decide appoint you, is there anything you would like to say Cold Hart?”

Few things I’d be jailed for but I’m gonna bite my tongue here. May as well say something. Rubbing a hoof against the grained wood, Cold felt his legs starting to twitch and buckle beneath him. “Well, can I at least see who’s judging me? I'd rather look you all in the eyes so we can all be up front with each other."

“Surely,” a voice from Cold’s left called. One by one, the lantern's light began to shine brighter.

A large caramel brown reindeer sat down at the left most seat of the bench, his immense frame encompassing the sides with ease. He wore a tight blue vest that seemed to hug his form, with a small silver chain hanging down from his right barrel pocket as he sat there comfortably behind his part of the bench. A few stray crumbs stained his muzzle with a tiny stain on his vest. “Ah. So much better now I don’t have to strain these poor old eyes of mine. Shifting his girth in his seat, the hefty reindeer brushed a hoof against his antlers. “Well now Cold, it’s certainly been a while since we’ve last met.”

“Minister Lite Sweets, it’s nice to make your acquaintance, again." Cold dipped his head down in a bow. Inwardly Cold was elated to see the hefty reindeer, things didn’t seem so abysmally painful now. “What does the Minister of Agriculture have to do with this meeting?”

“You’re not here to questions us, young buck!” The sudden shout rocked the room, even the minister's jumped in place while Cold fell back on his haunches.

Sweets' hardy laugh echoed in the room in his childish voice. “Now there’s no need to snap off at the young buck, good friend Gold Leaf." Wiping away tears of laughter from his eyes with a blue hoofkerchief, Sweets re-pocketed the cloth in his vest. "If we’re not going to be honest with him, I’m sure he wouldn’t think twice about walking out. Wouldn’t you Cold?”

Cold gave the large reindeer his trademark snarky grin as a response. You know me all too well, big buck, as he returned his attention to the minister in front of him. An unusually tall reindeer with thing legs and skinny horns sat in front of Cold, leering at him with icy blue eyes. Cold honestly thought he had pulled and stretched by a minotaur to be so gangly and still able to walk. Wearing a black vest with gold trimmings, a gold bell on a silver chain hung loosely around his reedy neck. A small set of horn-rimmed glasses were on the tip of his muzzle. The Minister of Economics always openly displayed his position as well as his wealth with his vestments and trinkets.

“I see you don’t fully comprehend the situation that you’re in,” he spat with distaste.

Okay, remember Cold, you promised to not throw any chairs this time around. “Sure Leaf, spell it out for me if you would be so kind,” a stretched smile on his muzzle.

“I am the Minister of Economics to you, it would be who of you to remember that and I will be addressed by title and position,” retorting with venom.

Pretentious prick.

“We already trade with Equestria but not directly. Until recently we’ve had no direct means or routes even to connect to any country beyond our southern borders." Gold Leaf removed his glass from his muzzle and began skimming through the folder in front of him. "The emissaries of Equestria will be escorted here by the appointed representative. From there, it will be the cornerstone of a new trade empire to begin but only if we act accordingly. We’re going to be establishing several new offices inside of Equestria as well, Cold Hart." A small hint of irritation rested with Gold's words as he said his name. "We’re going to need our kind in Equestria to achieve and maintain a proper order between our two nations.” Taking a pause for breath, Leaf placed his glasses back on his muzzle a flourishing motion. “I’m sure that you're already aware that Princess Celestia froze all current transactions. Do you know why?”

Cold bit his bottom lip in thought. He didn’t say what we’re doing and he didn’t really say why Celestia did what she did, feeling ignorant of the situation. Did he intentionally leave it out, or was unaware of this as well? Guess I’m about to find out, furrowing his brow in annoyance. "I am aware that the princess has frozen our deals, I do not know the reasons why she did it."

Leaf wheezed out an exasperated sigh. Very well then, as per my duty I'll tell you. In recorded history we’ve failed to achieve a foundation of business in Equestria for a thousand years, Celestia has ruled her entire country during those thousand years." Tapping his hoof in a rhythmic motion, he casted Cold a rather bemused look. "There’s been little to no contact with anydeer in her country unless it’s the Equis Union Summit. This sudden change to Equestria could cause an upheaval for Celestia’s rule in Equestria.”

“So these ponies aren’t the trusting type then?”

“Far from it, they’re an incredibly open species that even deal with griffins, despite their…animosity. The point is though Celestia doesn’t want to cause civil unrest in her nation by just letting us to trot right into her country." The sound of a drawer opening and closing was heard as Leaf held up a small brown book. "None of our kind is allowed to step into Equestria without holding a passport. The second you're without it they'll chuck you out before you could even try to blink.

“So we go through this ordeal slowly then. Celestia doesn’t have to worry about her little ponies what they want and we get what we want.”

“Don’t downplay the situation young blood,” interjected a reindeer on Gold’s left.

A squat reindeer peered over the counter behind his part of the bench, his head barely peeping over the top of it. Unlike the other ministers, he wore a simple white vest that constricted his small but well muscled form.

“We’ve got to take everything in strides, these ponies will warm up to us.” His bass voice booming with confidence. “These ponies are a cautious lot but anything new will do that to anydeer. We have to look at both sides of the problem here. Both must be addressed as such before we decide to intervene and risk upsetting Equestria’s well-being.”

“Yeah…and you are minister…?”

“It’s Armistice Pact, Foreign Affairs Minister to you young blood. Do try to remember my name." Cold nodded dumbly. “We’ve got a long road ahead of us here, we need to plan accordingly. One small hoof out of place and the whole thing will crumble beneath our hooves,” throwing up his tiny forelegs.

“Well since we’ve all introducing ourselves,” rung out a fourth voice. “I say we finish up the small talk and move on with the appointment.”

A maple brown, plain looking reindeer sat at the right end of the bench, a rather bored expression on his face. He had no distinguishing features other than a stone grey vest, with black buttons and a small pin at the tip of collar. No matter how long he stared Cold couldn’t seem to focus on him. His thoughts gathered but dispersed the more he tried to pay attention to the reindeer.

“Minister of Commerce, Fine Print,” answering in a monotone voice. “So far the young buck has listened to every word we’ve said. I’d prefer somedeer who can listen. Better than some sycophantic, plothead who rambles on. So, can we move this along?”

An abrupt cough cut through Cold’s mind, his head snapping back to Gold Leaf sitting at the center of the elevated stand. His glasses lower on his muzzle and a small dampness to his fur around the crown of his head. Clearing his throat, Gold put a hoof on top of the bench and stared down at Cold, his face locked in a state of judgment.

“Cold Hart, let's stop before we stray any further down the line. Do you understand the full weight of the charges being placed on your shoulders right now?” Leaf tone deepening in bass.

We haven’t stopped talking about this for the whole meeting, so yeah, pretty good handle of this fiasco. “Yes, I’m fully aware what has been placed upon my withers."

“This is an honor many deer would die for Cold.” Lite Sweets unsually high voice grew much deeper than he had heard before. Gone was the good-humored smile, overshadowed by grim solemnity and a stony face. “We all must come to a unanimous decision to appoint you. We must have no doubts in your commitment and ability to uphold our honor. The authority you will carry will be a reflection of us."

Pact banged his tiny hoof on his desk, Cold swore he could hear the woods splintering beneath it. “We have plans to further this expansion, if Celestia permits it of course. Soon we could connect the whole world by rails, without relying on airships." Pact leaned back in seat. "Soon we could have the nobility of Canterlot even arriving en masse to grace our nation, their scholars willing to teach at our universities." A dreamy look sparkled in his eyes, "Buisnessponies dealing directly with us, imports on goods will be altered and who can supply us as well for the costs. Soon the rules will be changed, we must take adhere with caution as we progress.”

Cold drew a deep breath, refocusing his mind and letting his irritation recede. Oh the overwhelming sense of support and trust from you all is so awe-inspiring. It wouldn’t help losing his composure this far into the game; he had to ride out the rest of the scrutinizing remarks and tedious questioning. Feels like the walls are even getting closer. “May I make a statement?”

Gold Leaf stared down at Cold, his lips tightening slightly. Cold could see out of the corner of his that Lite Sweets had a mixed expression of amusement with underlying fear. The other two ministers’ merely looked at Cold expectantly. Sitting up straighter to take in what Cold had to say.

“Throughout this entire meeting, I’ve stood here listening intently as to what is to be expected of me and how I must act.” His eyes passed over each of the minister’s faces receiving nothing in return. Not one of the even batting their eyes. Alright, keep up the momentum Cold. “What hasn’t been addressed however is how you want me to handle the situation. What needs to be done and if I do fully comprehend what is being asked of me? While I’ve kept quiet I must ask why, why is it that you don’t tell me how you want it done? Do you doubt my competence or do you doubt me because of who I am?” his voice wavering in and out.

The tension in the room shifted as Cold finished up. A slight creak was all that was heard from behind the benches. Somdedeer was pawing on the bench from somedeer’s hooves. As silence crawled over the room, Cold heard a slight ringing in his ears, like a bell. Finally, Gold Leaf interrupted the drawn out silence by clearing his throat. Placing both hooves on to the bench and closing his eyes. Cold merely stood there, pondering if he had either made the best or worst decision yet.

“So blunt and yet so full of wit, young buck.” Opening his eyes towards Cold, Leaf stared back at him intently. “While, I admit, we haven’t directly confronted you on the subject, we were waiting to see how you would handle yourself Cold Hart. To see how you can adapt to the change of political figures.”

You’re joking right?

“I don’t have any doubts in you Cold Hart. Let me reassure you of that," clasping both of coal black hooves together. "This meeting is unbiased in anyway conceivable. You’ve remained, moderately respectable. Well I'm quite sure you'll keep yourself in check," lolling his tongue out as if he wanted to spit."

“So, am I worthy?”

"One question, Cold, before I, we, come to a decision." Leaf crossed his forelegs across his chest. "Do you feel worthy of this position? If not, you may walk out now and we'll all pretend this never happened."

Cold looked down at his hooves, feeling so naked and exposed as all eyes feel on him. Up until now I thought this was so simple, I'm a bucking idiot. Sweets swayed in his seat, rocking from side to side. Pact leaned against the edge of his desk, like an ice wolf about to launch itself at its prey. Print sat still as could be, he could've passed for a deeraquinn if somedeer walked into the room.

"No, I don't feel worthy of the task." Sweets looked crestfallen while Leaf's own visage was holding back a grin. "But, I honestly think that I can do this, not because I think I'm worthy. I'm taking on this task for something that is greater than personal glory." Cold let the words pour out of, purely from what he felt. "I know I'm not the prime example of what this country is, I'm nothing great. You all know my history but I know that I will gladly bear this responsibility. I will have no regrets if you can find anydeer better than me."

Gold Leaf turned his head to the left and the right, his gaze caste over his fellow ministers. Returning his eyes back on Cold, Leaf leaned towards his right and pulled out a wooden stamp with a small red box. The other ministers followed en suite, each one pulling out a stamp from beneath their seats.

“Well then fellow ministers, I cast my vote to appoint this young deer who stands before us to the position of Buckland’s Representative. If you judge him worthy, place your stamp of approval on the Rite of Ascension,” Armistice called out. Dipping his stamp into his ink box, he pressed it down onto the form in front of him. Lite Sweets placed his stamp down followed by Fine Print, leaving only Gold Leaf as the deciding vote.

“Gold Leaf, I hope you will make the right choice, here and now," as the large reindeer looked at Gold Leaf with a sad expression. "We must conclude this soon. We don’t have much time left," his face a mask of worry.

“It’s not a matter of how I feel Minister Lite, rather-“

Bam!

A door slammed from behind the bench, each of the minister’s attention caught on somedeer bolting towards the bench. Cold watched as Gold Leaf turned to address whoever interrupted the meeting. After a few moments, Gold turned around and finally placed his stamp down on the paper in front of him. “Well then Cold it seems we’re now pressed for time, congratulations on your approval of ascension."

“Yes, well unfortunately it seems an unforeseen development has occurred." Leaf skimmed over the paper again, his eyes darting back and forth making them blur. “It seems a freak storm has rolled in, we’ve just received word of it from the meteorology department. We’ll have to push our plans forward now." Tossing the paper into the air, it began to smoke and burst into a gout of flames. Small bits of burnt paper and ashes fell to the floor as Gold Leaf rose up out of his seat.

"You'll be leaving tomorrow Cold. I hope our faith in you," pausing for a moment before finishing his thought. "Won't be our greatest blunder."

One by one, each of the ministers left, leaving Cold by himself.

Elite's Abhorrence

-Friendship Express-

A small steam engine chugged up a wintery mountain, progressing smoothly up the rocky terrain. Several cars trailed behind the locomotive. To the common eye, it seemed like a regular train until you saw the last car. The final train car before the caboose was exquisitely decorated, brass trimmings were set into the windows, inlaid with precious, cut amethyst. It was painted a lovely hue of magenta, with pink borders along the edges of the box. Emblazed into the center between each window and on both doors was a six-pointed pink star, surrounded by several smaller stars.

Inside, a magenta alicorn sat on a plush pillow while reading a large tome in front of her. A green bottle of cider sat at her side, chilling in a small bucket of ice. A knock on her car’s door interrupted the alicorn’s studies. Getting up and stretching her wings to loosen any kinks, the alicorn was greeted by a small blue colt.

“Hello P-p-p-rincess Twilight, I’m here to inform you we will be a–a-a-a-arriving in Canterlot in roughly 15 mi-n-n-nutes,” squeaked the colt, his forehead glued to the ground.

Twilight chuckled to herself silently while rolling her eyes. Still don't know why ponies keep bowing to me, I don't ask for it. Levitating a small pouch from her side, she dropped a few bits into her hoof. “Thank you, here’s something for your trouble sweetie."

Raising his head, the colt tentatively took the bits and backed out the door and into the car ahead. Twilight smiled to herself, she didn’t expect the engineer’s son to come and inform her that her trip was almost over. Still, I did ask them to tell me when we’d be arriving in Canterlot. Can’t believe the princess got me my own private car to travel in.

Walking back to her seat, she levitated a quill and parchment into the air in front of her, going through her checklist. Dipping the quill into an inkwell, she began to mark off all the tasks she accomplished while on her return trip to Canterlot Castle.

“Alright then,” gnawing on the tip of the quill. “Get onto train, check. Read the Journal of Star Swirl the Bearded up to page 325.” Glancing down at the old tome to see she had stopped at page 483. “That’s definitely a check, tidy up the royal train carriage,” taking a quick look around. Books were strewn across the floor in front of her bookshelf, small candy wrappers littered her desk and a few pillows were piled in a semi-circle. Soft snores could be heard coming from the center of the pillow 'nest'. Chuckling to herself, Twilight stared down at a baby dragon curled up inside of the pillow nest.

“Hnnggg…”

“Spike.”

“Unnngggghh…”

“SPIKE.”

“5 more minutes…” rasped a young, male voice.

“SPIKE!”

“Whaaat?” The tiny dragon rubbed the sleep from his eyes with his tiny claws.

Shoving the 'Prepare for Arrival in Canterlot Checklist'. “We need to tidy this place Spike, we’re already near Canterlot and we have to prepare to depart."

Spike only stared back at Twilight with a miffed look in his eyes.“Ughh, Twi, quick question," as he flicked a few grains of sands from his eyes. “Don’t the servants usually come in here and clean everything up?”

“Well, yes, but I prefer to clean up my own mess Spike." Levitating the trash into a bin by the front door, Twilight set to work on levitating Spike's pillows back into their compartments.

“You do know that the servants are paid to clean up after us?”

Twilight looked down at the dragon, her eyes narrowing then opening and furrowed her eyes again. Opening her mouth to speak, she couldn’t think of anything to contradict the dragon or reprimand him. “Just fix the pillows on the couch where you found them Spike and maybe I’ll take you to Donut Joes if you’re good." It surprised Twilight how smart Spike was getting; his mouth certainly was going to get him in trouble sooner or later.

“Yeah, yeah…” replied Spike, picking up the few remaining pillows from his nest.

Twilight smiled, finishing checking off her checklist after her week off in Ponyville. It had been the first time in several months since her coronation into an alicorn princess. A “Super Duper Welcome back to Ponyville, Princess Twilight!” party from Pinkie was a welcome reprieve from all of her new responsibilities. Reconnecting with old faces, shaking hooves and finally being able to be herself without fear of anypony trying to appease her.

Putting the final check on her list, Twilight rolled it up and placed it into the drawer of the desk. “Good, now that my “Preparations before arriving in Canterlot” checklists finished, I still have 8 more minutes to myself." A small glint of something caught her eye from beneath her cushion. A small piece of metal was sticking out, Twilight pulled a small brown book with brass corners from underneath where she had been sitting.

I was wondering where this had gone. Inside were several photos, each one with her greeting, dining and traveling with the most noticeable figures in Equestria. Since her coronation, Twilight had spent the following weeks shaking hooves/claws/fins with each of Equestria’s allies. Most of the ceremonies Twilight had attended were mostly pleasant, save for a few independent kingdoms that bordered along Equestria and across the oceans. Every creature on the planet seemed to have learned of a new alicorn, and insisted to meet with this newly crowned Princess. After so many introductions and ceremonies, Twilight was the sent out to meet with foreign dignitaries from every race that walked across Equestria, without Celestia or Luna. You’re going to learn how to deal with everypony without us someday Twilight, its best you learn now, Celestia had told her.

Her first charge to go to an official function came as a pleasant surprise, brought from Little Strongheart to meet at the Gathering of the Tribes with the High Chieftain, Storm Totem. A massive buffalo that stood even taller than even Chief Thunderhooves with his ceremonial headdress on. Despite his gruff exterior, Storm Totem welcomed the new Princess, presenting her with an engraved totem of her cutie mark and a ceremonial silver, star necklace.

After a few abysmally, miserable attempts at performing the Dance of Heaven’s Drums, Twilight found herself welcomed among the buffalo. Medicine bulls shared their own tribal magic, performing feats beyond some unicorns hoped to perform. Summoning small rainstorms and calling small dust devils to churn the sands beneath her hooves, Twilight stared awestruck at their abilities. The thundering of the drums and the ambient chants embraced her, as she felt lost in the wild energy flowing through the air.

During the gathering, Storm Totem explained to Twilight that the buffalo tribes of Little Strongheart were the Northernmost Tribe in Equestria. Most of the tribes were south, very far south of Equestria where the untamed wilderness ran freely as the Everfree Forest. As the times changed and as buffalo tribes separated, a few moved on from the traditional nomadic lifestyle and towards more conventional ones. Still, as the buffaloes journeyed further north, they found a want to settle in foreign lands.

When the incident in Appleloosa had finally blown over, Princess Celestia went personally to meet Chief Thunderhoof to form a treaty so the buffalo could roam freely. From there, Celestia flew to meet with Storm Totem himself to negotiate any further buffalo’s migration north. Since then, more buffalo had been showing up in Equestria in the passing years growing alongside ponykind in harmony. Twilight smiled as she flipped through the pages, a blossoming warmth growing her chest from the memories from that night, the rustic pleasure of sleeping in the untamed wilds. Since her ascension, she felt a sprouting affinity to reach out, to commune with the earth.

A sudden jerk snapped Twilight out of her nostalgia trip, sending the book tumbling onto the floor. Peering out of the window, she saw the towering buildings of Canterlot blocking the sky. Putting the book into her saddlebag, Twilight made one final sweep of her royal car to ensure she had everything before meeting with Celestia. The night before, Celestia had sent a letter to Twilight about having to meet with her immediately the next day to discuss an urgent issue.

“Come on Spike, we need to hurry up,” ushering the small dragon over to her side. “Princess Celestia said we have to meet her as soon as we got to Canterlot, we don’t have any time to waste.”

Walking over to the door, Twilight prepped herself for the oncoming storm of Canterlot’s higher society. “Remember Spike, no stopping, no talking with strange ponies, just straight to Canterlot Castle, understand?”

“Yeah, I got it Twi.”

The door of the train car slid open, the same small blue colt from before stood there shaking as Twilight strode out. Looking down at the colt, Twilight affectionately rubbed his head with her hoof before taking off down the streets of her old home.

-Lower Streets, Canterlot-

Even as she walked down the streets, Twilight could feel eyes on the back of her head, ponies talking in whispers as she walked past the shops. Twilight had learned to ignore the usual jargon over time, it was best not to dwell on the petty problems others conjured up.

“We’re doing well so far Spike, I think –“

“Cannot believe what Celestia has done! What is she even thinking?!?”

Twilight’s head snapped to her right to see a gaudily dressed purple unicorn noblemare sitting on a bench with who she assumed was her husband near Canterlot’s Fountain. A rather weary looking gray unicorn stallion sat on a bench, wearing a black tuxedo with a red tie. Several clothing bags were scattered around him as his wife was publicly announcing her discomfort for everypony to hear.

“First we have a nopony, who’s lived in a backwater town on the doorstep of our empire become a princess,”

Twilight’s hoof cracked the pavement where she she stomped causing Spike to jump back in surprise.

“- and then she wishes to institute a tithe for those who can’t even work? How, how is it the Princess allows the muck to run free without fear of reprisal?”

As the mare continued to destroy any form of silence, Twilight began to walk away from the fountain towards Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. The last thing she needed was to make a scene with some overly, pampered trollop who never knew what it meant to do without.

“Don’t let it get to you Twi; Celestia does everything she can for Equestria,” putting a reassuring claw on her wing. The little dragon was more worried about what Twilight could do to the noblemare more than what she could hope to threaten Twilight with. It felt weird when Spike had to help play peacekeeper.

“I know Spike,” giving Spike a small nuzzle on the cheek. Despite everything that had happened, Twilight saw Spike as more of a son then she would ever care to admit. “I can’t let every little snide mark get to me, Celestia says it one of the first things she learned as a princess.”

Walking past cafés and her old school dormitory, the detour only added an additional twelve minutes from original planned route. A minor small altercation to her schedule but there was enough breathing space to make it the castle in good time. Canterlot still held the air of old bits, even the atmosphere felt rich. After living in Ponyville, Twilight could clearly see the difference in pony’s behavior when she came back for the Grand Galloping Gala. It irked her to no end on how blind she was to not notice how everypony in this city could be so egocentrically inclined.

-Castle Road, Canterlot-

Trotting past the outer borders of the campus, Twilight finally made it towards the side road along the way to the castle’s gate. As Twilight made her way towards the castle, a horde of ponies had formed in front of the gates. Two ranks of royal guards stood between the growing mass of Canterlot’s citizen and the gates of the castle. Pegasus patrolled over the walls and hedges to deter anypony from sneaking in from the sides while Earth and Unicorns formed solid walls at each gate.

“That’s odd, why is the princess keeping everypony out of the castle? She usually wouldn’t do this unless it’s a state of emergency.”

“Ughh, Twi, I think that’s the least of our problems."

“Huh?”

“Princess Twilight, I need a word with you.” The same unicorn stallion from the fountain stood behind Twilight, his head low in a bow. His wife followed close behind , a determined expression on her muzzle. The stallion lifted his head again, grey bags hung low under his eyes. “I’m afraid that I need to request an immediate audience with the Solar Court post haste. My wife and I would like to lodge a complaint against Princess Celestia’s recent decision,” croaked the stallion, his voice cracking at the odd word here and there.

“Well I can’t just walk right into the throne room and ask the princess-“

“I implore your Princess Twilight, I desperately need to-“

“The princess has no right to do this to us!” screeched the mare, rearing up her fore hooves into the air. Twilight pulled back as the mare stomped forward, her face scrunched tightly inward and currently a deep bruised purple. The stallion moved away from his wife as she walked straight up to Twilight’s muzzle leaving only an inch of breathing space between the two.

“I will not be subjected to such demands because our princess is too soft hearted to tell any run-of-the-mill rock farmer to find bits. We got our money the proper way, so why must we suffer for the poor?” Her honey-yellow eyes dead centered on Twilight’s own, a small trail of spit running out of muzzle

“I’m sorry, you are?”

“Heirloom, Golden Heirloom. We’re one of the founding families of the Equestrian Capital, one of the longest generations of pure unicorn families and holder of 3 seats within the Equestrian House of Governance,” announcing her words with a tone of reverence. “Princess Twilight, I, by right and as one of the founding members of Equestria, shall have full access to any and all court decisions and to intervene if I find any council faulty in decision.”

Twilight merely stared at the mare as she continued on a long list of reasons as to why Celestia 'needed' to see her. As Twilight continued to listen to the daft mare drone on about her entitlements, a sudden surge of ponies detached from the crowd in front of the palace and began swarming around her like a sea of locusts. Twilight walked backwards, trying to escape from the multiplying torrents of babble from Heirloom only to find herself within a semi-circle of several more ponies. The growing demands of the crowds beginning to grow louder and louder.

“Princess Twilight, might I have a quick word with you?”

“Princess Twilight, I need to discuss-“

“Princess, I demand-“

“Princess Twilight Sparkle, in accordance with Equestrian Law, page 58, subsection C, paragraph 4-“

“Princess Twilight, you must reason with-“

Louder and louder, more ponies came to voice their complaints, Twilight’s ears folded over her head in a futile atempt to block out the growing mass of nobles.

Fwish.

A bright magenta light exploded from within the crowds, leaving a scorched mark on the ground and a rabble of noblemares and stallions highly flustered.

“Where did she go?” one called out adjusting his monocle.

An explosively loud bang in the air around the gardens rung out, each of the nobles saw two objects bounce off an invisible wall further away.

“She’s over there, quickly, find her!” Heirloom commanded.

-Back Alley, Canterlot-

Fwish.

A singed pair of creatures dropped to the ground, one with burnt scales and bent spikes on his head. The other was no better off with blackened feathers and a still-smoking horn. Shaking off the ash, Twilight plucked what feathers had been burned from her wings while Spike dusted himself off. “Twilight, I think you might’ve screwed up that spell," he said blinking his eyes.

“That wasn’t my fault Spike; it was a Mirror Aegis spell.”

Spike stared back at Twilight, one brow raised in confusion.

“It’s like Shining Armor’s shield spell, only this only prevents anypony from using magic or an incorporeal form from intruding within its walls. Usually one needs to inscribe a physical seal on the surface of a wall, but if we were to use Heisenhoof’s Theory of Relativ- uummph!?!?”

Spike clasped Twilight’s muzzle shut with both claws in a bid for dear life. Raising her hoof, Twilight was about to reprimand the young dragon until she heard a familiar voice. “I know she’s around her somewhere, I saw her teleport over in this direction!” Heirloom stood out in the middle of the street, her kempt mane now flowing raggedly across her face.

“Heirloom, are you sure? Why wouldn't she be in the castle right now?” The noble stallion looked even worse from before, his clothes looked they were ran through a swamp with all of mud clinging to his form.

“Because you dolt, there’s a spell warding off any outside intruders! If I could have, I would’ve gotten inside long ago and had this problem wrapped up.” Heirloom's horn lit up, pulsing with a dull golden glow. Now and then, a small chime was head as she made her way over towards the alley they were in.

Twilight braced herself against the wall, a stack of crates blocking her from plain sight. A tracing spell? Twilight thought to herself, clamping her muzzle shut. Conjuring a small purple ball with her magic, she flung it with all her might over the building and down the road. "She's this way, hurry." Heirloom's voice grew distant as she took off with sonic rainboom speed. The stallion meanwhile, looked over towards where Twilight was and mouthed the word 'Sorry' before taking off after his wife.

“Okay, let’s just stay out of sight Spike and take the back route to the castle.”

“But Twilight, those ponies aren’t going to stop looking for you. As soon as you put hoof out in the open they gonna swarm all over us again.”

Twilight paused for thought; these nobles weren’t going to give up until she granted them an audience with Celestia or she left Canterlot. The last resort would be to push her way through into the castle but that would only lead to greater problems in the future.

Looking around, Twilight looked around to gain her bearings to find out which way she could get to the castle. Walking over to the stack of crates she hid behind earlier, she examined the logo on the side. A large purple bottle pouring juice into a cup with purple bubbles floating from the glass was painted on the side. Walking around the crates, Twilight found a backdoor to the building she was hiding behind.

“Spike I think I know where we’re at. I just hope he’s going to answer the door.”

Rapping on the door three times, Twilight backed away to wait for somepony to answer the door. She silently prayed that a new waiter wouldn't answer and blow their lid when they saw a princess of Equestria hanging out in the back alley of their store. The sound of hoofsteps suddenly caught her attention, it seemed somepony was in. As the door swung inward, a leaf green pegasus stallion with a thick grey handlebar mustache stood in the doorway, his eyes bulging at the sight of Twilight.

“Pri-“

“Pop, hush! I need to get out of sight!” she said pleadingly.

The pegasus stood in shock, and then waved her in with spike en hoof before closing the door behind him. Leading the two into a storeroom, he turned to the two with a hardened expression. “Okay so what do I owe this esteemed honor of having the newest princess of Equestria to grace my humble shop,” as he gave a mock bow.

“Fizz Pop, please I really need your help,” Twilight begged. “You’re the only pony in this city that doesn’t seem to need me to get them in contact with Celestia right now.”

Pop’s expression softened, raising himself up with a smile on his muzzle. Giving reassuring rub with his hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, he trotted out of the room. A minute later he returned with a tray on his back, one tall glass with a violet drink inside and a small sundae decorated with crushed gems in the other. Twilight smiled at the Pegasus and pulled two boxes up to a crate and sat down, Spike pulling himself up as Pop placed the tray between the two.

“I was wondering what all the hub-bub was about, you shook up the parasprite nest their Sparkles.” Pulling up a box to face the two. “Figures, you can’t go anywhere without causing a scene can’t ya?

Twilight gave the stallion an empty smile as she drained her glass. Pop, always the sassiest stallion in all of Canterlot and proprietor of the Jeweled Juice Bar, one of Twilight’s favorite spots during her school years. Since the time she’d been gone, his mane grew a little greyer, from pure charcoal black to salt and pepper. Wearing his trademark soda jerk shirt and blue bow tie, he didn’t look much different from the time Twilight had spent away.

“It wasn’t intentional Pop. These ponies think I can solve everything wrong in Equestria at the tap of the hoof,” as she sipped the bottom of her glass with her straw.

“So then, what didn’t you do?” Propping a leg up on the make shift table, the soda jerk tapped at his chin in thought. "Gossip isn't new in my joint but the truth is."

Twilight recounted the past few minutes of her arrival in Canterlot, walking towards the castle, the nobles and finally her getaway. Pop sat in silence, nodding and shuddering at her words as she went into detail of her escape.

“So after I teleported a second time, I landed behind your store and waited for them to pass by,” as she finished up her tale.

“Did I ever tell you how lucky you are, Sparkly?”

Twilight scrunched her muzzle in annoyance. Pop chuckled loudy as he gathered up the glasses onto a tray, “Easy now, Sparkly, easy. I never thought you’d be on the lam." A small chime of bells was heard from the front, Pop stood up and walked out of the room. Twilight and Spike sat hunched over the table, trying to keep as quiet as possible. A few minutes passed until Pop returned, a worried smile on his face. "Few of your 'friends' came looking for you, it's a nuthouse out there right now." Judging from his expression, it seemed that a few of the nobles were staked out in front of the shop.

"Either you have any ideas of getting back into that castle without causing a scene?"

“Doesn’t Celestia need an order filled?" Spike ran a claw through his scales. "You could sneak us in one of your crates."

Pop turned to him, giving him a grin. “Afraid not, already delivered to the castle three days ago. Even if I wanted to smuggle you two in, the guards would have to inspect my cargo. They hold their inspections in front of the gates,” pulling on the end of his mustache. “You’d be out in the open and I know that those ponies probably will be waiting for you there.”

“Well there goes that plan,” sighing in defeat.

Twilight stared down at the floor as indignation started to grow inside of her. The nobles weren’t going to let her through those gates unless she dragged half of them through with her. She toyed with the idea of announcing that her status as a princess would demand them to cease their petty desires but the act of it disgusted her. She felt so feeble, to be so close to her destination but what hindered her was the inability to use her influence in a more direct manner.

Another small ring alerted the trio, Pop snapped up and bolted out the door in a flash. Twilight and Spike pressed themselves against the wall. Neither of them even breathing aloud out of paranoia from the day’s events. Several minutes passed until Pop reemerged from the front of the shop, a grin plastered on his muzzle.

“Okay you two, I found your way in,” Pop said beaming.

“You did? How!?” Twilight was on the tip of her hooves that it almost looked like she was hovering off the ground.

“Outside there’s a carriage, get in before anypony sees you, so make sure you don’t dawdle. Don’t worry, he’s an old friend.”

While Twilight would call in to question Pop’s idea, she was already late to meet with the princess. Giving Pop a quick hug, she pulled Spike onto her back and exited out through the back. Slowly trotting around crates and trash cans, Twilight peeked around the corner to spot the carriage Pop mentioned. A large purple carriage was parked right out in front, with a gold fleur-de-lis emblazoned on the side surrounded by three small blue crowns. The door hung open invitingly, nopony else standing off to the sides in expectation of her arrival.

Twilight felt doubt begin to gnaw at the back of her mind the longer she stared at the carriage. Several ponies stood around, turning their heads towards the shop every few minutes. Was Pop setting her up? did some noble pay him to get her into the carriage? how could she be sure that this wasn’t some kind of ploy? A grunt of annoyance informed her that Spike was growing impatient, Pop did say to get inside quick before anypony saw her.

Readying herself, Twilight bolted from behind the corner, straight up to the door and leapt inside as quickly as she could. Exhaling, Twilight turned to face a lovely white unicorn mare with a pale pink mane and purple eyes staring at her in mixed shock and surprise.

“…….uhh…Hello?”

“Ah, good, you made it in,” came a voice from behind Twilight.

Oh horseapples, I knew it, I knew Pop set me up. Oh after all these years, he went behind my back and sold me out. Oh sweet Celestia why-

“Easy my fair princess, I’m not here to harass but to help.”

Whipping her head around, she came muzzle to muzzle with a tall white unicorn stallion with a blue mane. Sporting a thin mustache, wearing a monocle and dressed in a ritzy shirt. Stepping into the carriage, he levitated a set of bottles over to the mare in the adjacent seat while sitting down opposite of the lovely unicorn mare. Straightening his mustache, the stallion motioned for Twilight to sit next to him as Spike jumped off her back and down onto the seat.

“Umm, thank you...” was all Twilight could muster her voice barely above a whisper for the two unicorns to hear.

“Come now princess, did you think this was some elaborate ruse to get your attention?" Twilight half nodded, gaining a small laugh from the stallion. Regaining his composure, the mystery stallion poked his head out of the window, “Mr. Stone, please continue our route to the castle, we’re running a tad late I’m afraid.”

“Very good sir,” a voice from the front of the carriage replied.

“Well now princess, I dare say you seem a bit flustered.” Twilight looked over herself, noticing a few feathers falling onto the seat and Spike's head. The fur needed a decent brushing along with her now frazzled mane.

“Yes, I’m sorry but I don’t remember getting your name."

“Oh, how rude of me. Introductions I believe are in order. The name is Fancy Pants princess, and this is my wife, Fleur dis Lee." The mare replied with a respectful nod, taking a bottle from Fancy Pants in her magic and greedily gulping it down. She was a rather lovely looking mare, almost as tall as princess Luna. The only thing that stood out was her large swollen belly hanging slightly over the edge of her seat.

“Six months pregnant, next week we shall find out if it’s going to be a filly or a colt,” Fancy said, following Twilight’s eyes over to his wife's belly. Twilight's face lit up in a blush, Fleur on the other hoof just smiled back at her. “Now then princess, my good friend Rarity has told me all about you. I must say you’re not as engaging as she led me to believe, with all due respect."

A dim memory of her last birthday swam into Twilight’s memory as she finally recalled seeing this stallion before. The time Rarity had given her a dress, and a stallion commenting on its rustic charm. Spike made a half cough, hlaf growl at the mention of the stallion saying Rarity.

“Fancy Pants and Fleur dis Lee," realization dawning on her as she remembered them. "I apologize it’s just so much has happened today I can’t stand still for long without anypony asking me to act on their behalf."

“Yes, Pop explained to me as best as he could in what little time he had,” popping off his monocle to polish it with his hoofkerchief. “Odd, Fleur was craving for something sweet, sour and bitter to drink so I thought why not stop in to see and old friend and quench my mare’s thirst.”

“Yes, how do you know Pop if you don’t mind me asking?” inquired Twilight. She found it odd that such a highly known aristocrat had known an owner of a soda shop. He didn’t seem to be the type to frequent a low-class watering hole.

“I gave him his start-up loan, helped him build that shop from the ground up. It’s nice to see a regular shop in this primped up city,” a hint of annoyance in his voice. “You wouldn’t believe how many say they’re above drinking commoner’s fare but order his stock by the barrel .”

Twilight smirked; she was beginning to like this pony. He carried an air of refinement and common courtesy like a cloak. Relaxing back into her seat, Twilight stretched herself out letting her anxiety melt away as she enjoyed the quiet carriage ride towards the castle. Spike on the other hoof still looked a bit testy as he met Fancy's eyes.

“Fancy Pants, why is it that you’re going to the castle today? I’m sure you know that there’s a whole city full of ponies trying to get inside and the guards aren’t just going to let you trot right in.”

“No worries dear princess, I have a summons to answer,” pulling out a scroll from with the confines of his vest. "It would seem I have to take up my role in the House of Governance, we’ve got a big issue to resolve. Princess Celestia has put us in a bind on this one, I can tell you that but even I don’t know the full details.”

“Fancy Pants, if you have a seat on the House of Governance, then you probably know an Heirloom, Golden Heirloom?”

“Oh,” was all Fancy Pants could say, his smile sinking like a stone in the ocean. Fleur’s eyes clamping shut in disgust so tightly it hurt to even look at. “Yes, I’m fully acquainted with everypony that holds a seat in the House of Governance as well as the Solar and Lunar Courts and even all the Embassy of the Three Tribes.”

“While I’m sure that you may have met quite a sweet, sophisticated mare,”

Twilight and Spike snorted in unison.

“-Mrs. Heirloom’s family holds more sway in matters that some feel comfortable with, with all due respect to somepony of her stature,” he hastily added. “The only place her family hasn’t held power in is the Embassy but where they have kept a hoof in concerns me. During the past few summits, we’ve had to extend our meeting by days, DAYS, mind you princess before we could resolve any matter.”

“Why doesn’t anypony do something about them, I’m sure Princess Celestia-“

“I’m sorry to interrupt Princess Sparkle, but you’ve hit the root of the problem, Princess Celestia herself,” interjected Fancy Pants.

“WHAT!?!? Princess Celestia would never allow such a pony to control or manipulate anything, especially within her own courts!” exploded Twilight.

“Well princess, do you know of Prince Blueblood? The nephew of our esteemed Princess Celestia herself,” utter disgust hung on his face while Fleur's looked like the epitome of loathing.

“Yes, he used Rarity as a shield from cake during the last Grand Galloping Gala,” hissed Twilight.

“He didn’t!”

“Yes, and he blamed Rarity for causing HIM the inconvenience during that night.” Spike's anger radiated off his small form, a roaring furnace of pent up aggression could be felt by everypony in the carriage.

“Yes, well despite his unruly behavior, he is Celestia’s nephew and that grants him some boons as such.”

Crack-crack-Krish!

The shattering of glass drew everyone’s attention to Fleur. Tears trailed down her eyes, as if she was reliving a painful memory. Fancy Pants leaned over and nuzzled his wife’s face with earnest love. “Forget him, darling, he won’t ever come near you now,” caressing her cheek with a gentle hoof. Fleur looked at the floor, deeply embarrassed of her outbreak, while glancing at Twilight from behind her mane.

“As I'm sure you already know, Prince Blueblood isn’t the only descendant of Princess Celestia, nor is he the only one who can claim, certain entitlements.”

Twilight and Spike stared back at Fancy Pants in confusion, they never had thought about Celestia have other nieces or nephews that would claim the status of royalty. Twilight had read about Blueblood's lineage in Equestrian History but it never dawned on her who could claim power or entitlements. True political marriages weren’t uncommon in Canterlot, she never dwelled on the idea on who was related to who or whose relations could be used as leverage.

“Heirloom is the only legitimate, true blooded niece of Celestia herself. She's Prince Blueblood’s cousin and nopony can challenge her or her ancestry. You see, 500 years ago, the Bluebloods matriarch at the time gave birth to two foals, one filly and one colt on the same day. Since both were born the same day, each had the right to the prestige and control over the House of the Solar Unicorns. This erupted into a schism within the house until it came down to dividing the house in-half in the end. Heirloom’s great-great-great-grandmother was that unicorn and she along with her family holds as much power as the House of Blueblood.”

Twilight sat there, mouth agape at the information being told to her, a female Blueblood! The prince was certainly a royal pain in the flank, but a female Blueblood made her want to the run for the Crystal Empire and hide within the mines.

“Wait, if Heirloom is Celestia’s niece, wouldn’t that make her a princess?” She shuddered at the thought of Heirloom as a princess, dressed in royal attire while waving around a golden cane with an image of Heirloom’s head affixed to the top in a wonky, broad smile.

“No, for you see princess, even when the two families split, the Heirloom side had to relinquish the name Blueblood. Even today, the Blueblood name still controls influence over many business and political standing. While it took several generations to recover from this loss, the Heirlooms slowly took ground in certain circles back from the Blueblood line. If anything, Mrs. Heirloom can only claim the title of a duchess or maybe even a baroness, however never will she hold the title of a princess.”

“Thankfully...” muttered Spike, earning a small poke in the stomach from Twilight who half-smiled, half-frowned at the dragon.

“However, you can still see as to how this poses a powerful problem with the House." Fancy Pant's popped his monocle off his face and began to furiously clean it with a hoofkerchief. "Heirlooms have always held a seat and for the foreseeable future, it would seem that they will remain secure in their positions dear princess.”

Twilight stared at the floor, a mixture of disgust and confusion knotting inside of her stomach as she let this information sink in. It created a slippery slope where only those who were already in power could be the ones to choose who got to attain the right to choose. Did Celestia already know this? Did she plan on doing anything about this?

Fancy Pants sighed and sat back in his seat, Fleur giving him a smile and held out her hoof towards Fancy. He replied in kind by hold her hoof and gave his wife a reassuring squeeze, letting her warmth flow into him.

“Fancy Pants, this summons for the Governance, does it have something to do with a tithe being passed?” If Fancy Pants was being summoned to fulfill his role today as a Judge of the House, then it may have something to do with what Heirloom was ranting about when they first met. It clear that Celestia was trying to ratify some new tax that caused public unrest within Canterlot.

Fancy Pants stared at Twilight, scrutinizing her with his deep blue eyes. “Forgive me dear princess, but may I ask as to how you found about the details of the court summons?”

Twilight recounted in greater detail when she had been confronted by Heirloomat the fountain in the middle of Canterlot, down to how she carried herself in front of Twilight. Fancy Pants rigid composure began to wane as he listened attentively to Twilight’s tale, his hoof running under his chin. His face remained impassive but a small twitch could be seen from his lips. Finishing her story, Fancy Pants had both of his hooves massaging his temples.

“Of the entire thick headed, narcissistic-“ clasping a fore-hoof to his head. “Forgive me princess, but it seems that our dear acquaintance Heirloom has been informed of very sensitive information that isn’t known to the common pony, nor should it be."

Raising his head up, Fancy Pants cleared his throat. “Yes Princess Sparkle, Princess Celestia wishes to pass a new bill, or as she has deemed it, a tithe that would require a certain percentage of ponies to make a contribution,” he began. “You see, recent turn of events have caused an influx in financial stability within Equestria. Today, we planned on passing a compulsory tax to help balance out the treasury. Not much else had been explained, even to me mind you.”

“I’m afraid I still don’t understand Fancy Pants.”

“Neither do I, the meeting wasn’t supposed to go beyond the walls of the castle, seems Heirloom’s family thought otherwise.”

“Sorry to interrupt your conversation, sir,” said a voice from outside. “We shall be arriving at Canterlot Castle in five minutes.”

“Thank you, Stone. Well, it seems this is the end of our ride Princess Sparkle, may we meet again soon after this affair has been wrapped up. Hopefully, it will be under more favorable circumstances,” with a heart warming smile. “Now I must insist that you keep your head down, we wouldn’t want anypony to see you and start a ruckus.”

Lowering her body flat on the seat, the carriage came to a slow halt. A knock came from the side door where Fancy Pants sat. “Royal Guard, open the door for an inspection before passing onward towards the castle.”

Fancy Pants opened the door, his horn flaring up with a golden aura as the knob turned to let the guard in. A coal grey Pegasus guard in golden armor floated outside of the door, his eyes scanning the inside of the carriage. When his locked on Twilight, his eyes bulged as their eyes locked but then receded back beneath his helmet.

“Right then. Nothing to report here. Carry on to the front gate,” he instructed, floating backwards like a hummingbird.

“Well now princess, seems we’ve finally arrived.”

Author's Note

This takes place the same day that Cold met with Vanhi to discuss his opportunity for the Representative position.

An Unusual Pairing

-Main Entrance, Canterlot Castle-

A carriage made its way to the front entrance of Canterlot Castle, coming to a halt at the marble steps of Canterlot Castle. An armored sentry opened the door partway to inspect everypony present. Nodding his head, he opened the door fully for the party to continue in. Princess Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Fancy Pants, and Fleur de Lis made their way towards the foyer.

“Once again, Fancy Pants, I’m grateful that you escorted me to the castle,” Twilight repeated for what seemed like the hundredth time.

“Think nothing of it princess," said the stallion. "A true gentlecolt helps a mare in distress. Twilight suppressed a giggle while Fleur playfully rubbed up against his neck, while Spike just rolled his eyes. “I’m sure you can get to Celestia with no worries, princess. I doubt anypony here will try to stop you now.”

-Foyer, Canterlot Castle-

As the party made their way into the foyer, a cacophony of debates could be heard beyond the doors. Fancy Pants stood still and drew a deep breath before opening up the door in front of them. As the door opened, several stallions and mares stopped to notice the newest additions to the council, their eyes locking immediately onto the purple alicorn. Time seemed to slow down as Twilight and the others crossed into the fray inside the foyer. A few noteable figure tried t make their way over but were met by a dark glare from Fancy Pants.

Fancy Pants walked in stride alongside Twilight and Fleur while Spike trailed behind them, his stubby legs trying to keep pace with the rest. Low whispers erupted around the group, most eyes flitting between Twilight and Fancy Pants.

“What is he doing with the princess?”

“Never knew Fancy was so close to the royalty, especially after-“

“Quite the collection he has, I wonder how big his herd-“

Twilight’s eyes bulged out of their sockets, her face beginning to erupt into a bright shade of scarlet as she picked up on the side conversations. Fancy Pants’ face remained impassive as the clamor of ponies continued on, ignorant of who could hear their conversations. As they finally stood at the end of the foyer, Twilight bowed her heads towards Fancy Pants and Fleur before exiting out the foyer doors towards the grand hall.

-Grand Hall, Canterlot Castle-

Twilight and Spike walked in silence as they made their way up towards Princess Celestia’s chambers. As the pair got to the end of the grand hall, the door opened in front of them to reveal a butter yellow earth pony maid standing in the gap of the doors.

“Princess!” yelped the mare, throwing her head down towards the floor.

“No need to bow, thank you,” Twilight said. “Do you know where Princess Celestia is? I’m running late for an appointment.”

“Oh…” replied the mare. “Well, I’m sorry Princess Twilight but as of right now, Princess Celestia is currently attending an urgent meeting. I’m afraid it will take some time before she will be able to see anypony.”

“Is this about the meeting with House of Governance?” Twilight asked.

“It is, actually. You're very well informed, princess. Princess Celestia closed the Solar Court today to personally attend the assembly of the House.”

Although she had spent a majority of the time with Celestia, Twilight could never recall the princess leaving the throne for an assembly or court function. In fact, Twilight had never seen Celestia participate in any workings of the law besides the Solar Court. She had said that dealing with her own court was demanding enough, so why would she decide to intervene now?

“How long will the meeting take?” Twilight asked. If what Fancy Pants had told her was true about the Heirloom family, Celestia would be locked up in the assembly for the rest of the day. She was really hoping that Fancy Pants was embellishing his story but his composure told her he wasn’t fabricating a story just to appeal to her.

“I’m afraid I don’t know. The house rarely meets unless it’s a dire matter and even then, these meeting do take some time, princess. Sorry I can’t be of any greater help,” the maid said remorsefully.

“Thank you, but do you know what is going on inside of the assembly?” While not a stranger to waiting for Celestia to wrap up one of her arrangements, Twilight knew that the princess wouldn't have called her if she hadn't set time aside for her already.

“Well I can’t say for sure, princess, but I know this matter won’t be solved in one day,” replied the maid.

Twilight’s face remained impassive, but she knew this maid was only feigning ignorance. Celestia’s servants were always attending to the castle’s needs, and they all kept an open ear for any information. Easy for them, since none of the nobility seemed to even acknowledge them, so it was easy to pick up any gossip, rumors, or news to report back to the princesses. Celestia had her spy network out in the open and nopony could pick up on how the princesses were always three hooves in front of them.

The yellow mare looked back at Twilight with an oblivious look. A slight twitch of her hoof against the carpet, her eyes alert, it was easy even for Twilight to tell this mare wasn’t being entirely truthful.

“Well, I’m sure you can tell me what you’ve heard?” Twilight said with a stretched grin.

Spike slapped a claw over his eyes. Real subtle there princess.

“Well, I do hear the odd bit of gossip but nothing credible, and I’m sure princess you wouldn’t want to waste your time on such things,” she said keeping up her facade.

“Well since I won’t be able to talk with Celestia for a while, I thought it would be a nice way to pass the time, miss?”

“Spring, Morning Spring, princess. I’m flattered you wish to talk with me princess. Well, since I’m off duty for the next hour, why don’t we continue our conversation somewhere else?” she said with a relieved look on her muzzle. “It can’t be comfortable standing there talking in the doorway now?”

Guess being a princess has its perks when you need to find out something, Twilight thought as she followed the maid towards a balcony.

Twilight and Spike followed the maid down the left side of the hall and out towards a balcony on the side. Several potted plants adorned the railing while four blue cushions were laid out for castle staff and occasionally for whenever the princess decided to come down. Twilight sat down first while Spike flopped down on his belly on the cushion next to her. Flexing her wings real quick, Twilight let the sun warm her as the maid sat down across from her.

“Now then where were we?” the mare muttered to herself, as she ran a hoof through her cherry pink mane. “Well you see, dear princess, Canterlot has been in steep debt for over the past year, and it’s been only getting worse. Since this issue hasn’t been resolved, Princess Celestia has decided to handle the financial state of affairs personally since four months ago.”

The maid took a breath to regain her composure. “However, it seems that since Princess Celestia has started interfering, it’s caused some civil unrest with most of Canterlot’s citizens. Usually, Princess Celestia isn’t permitted to act on decisions that are made by the House of Governance due to laws she issued herself long ago. Now, however, she decided it was prudent to attend every meeting that she has issued. As you have probably already seen, this has been met with rather negative response.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Spike said while a roll of his eyes. “I nearly had to beat those ponies off Twilight with a bat.”

“I beg your pardon?” interjected Spring.

“It’s a long story, Spring,” Twilight said, shooting a look at Spike. She didn’t need everypony to know she snuck into the castle like a thief in the night. “But as you were saying, Celestia ignored her own laws? I’m sorry but I don’t think that the princess would do that.” Although it wouldn’t be the first time Celestia has kept somepony in the dark, she thought wryly.

“Can’t say, princess, I’m not a lawyer and I’ve never dabbled in politics myself. I am only a servant in service to her majesty,” Spring replied as if it was the obvious answer. “It’s only from what I have heard. Nothing will be ratified or thrown out until a full revision is made by either of the princesses.”

Now this is getting serious, Twilight thought to herself. This all started over a year ago, so why then was it just now getting resolved? When did we start falling to such a pitiful state? Questions began to pile up in her head the longer she thought about the situation. This was beyond her; she couldn’t draw a conclusion from what little she understood so far since everything she heard so far was guesswork.

“If you would like, Princess Twilight, I can walk you to her majesty’s chamber and let you wait for her arrival or you may stay in your old quarters here. The staff has kept everything that was there since your departure two years ago,” Spring offered, her smile giving off a warm glow to the princess.

“I would appreciate that very much, Ms. Spring," thanked Twilight. "Will you please let me know when Celestia is finished?”

“As soon as the assembly has finished, I will inform you, princess,” said Spring, finishing with a bow.

Stepping aside for Twilight to walk through the door, Spring led the way with the princess following behind. Passing through the halls, Twilight saw how little changed within the castle since she had last been there. The red carpets still covered the floor with the odd dirty hoofprint, marring its perfection. Sets of armor of the former captains of the guards and the bravest warriors of Equestria were set up on display for everypony to see. This place is just like Celestia, ageless. She stays the same while the world around her does.

“So Princess, may I ask how your royal visit to Ponyville was?” inquired Spring snapping Twilight out of her thoughts.

“It wasn’t a royal visit, Ms. Spring,” Twiilght replied flatly in a bland voice. “I just wanted to see my friends after being gone for so long. I never realized how heavy my obligations as the newest princess of Equestria would be.” Does everypony think everywhere I go is some royal visit?

Spring snickered at Twilight's response. "You sound just like Celestia when she returns from one of her diplomatic missions,” Spring replied in between giggles. “We prep a hot bubble bath, devil’s food cake from Donut Joe’s, and scented candles for her room,” Spring said, listing off the preparations for the princess like it was an everyday task.

“Princess Celestia has all of that prepared for when she returns?”

“No, we just know what it takes to let her relax without having to pester her. We do lay the frosting on thick with if she returns from the Griffon Kingdom. How she stands putting up with High Lord Avias is beyond me,” laughed Spring . "Now that the Crystal Empire re-emerged, Princess Celestia has even more work piling up on her desk.”

“Why?” Spike asked.

“I’m a bit confused as well,” Twilight added. Why hasn’t Princess Celestia talked to me about what’s happening? The more Spring told her, the more she felt a tiny black lump of annoyance growing inside of her. Celestia was her teacher, her idol, but she could be so secretive sometimes it hurt deeply.

“Well since the Crystal Empire is on Equestrian soil but stands as an independent kingdom, Princess Celestia has had to balance her nation while the empire recovers. Sadly I don’t know all the details but I’m sure Princess Celestia will be able to answer all of your questions,” Spring said with a smile. “Ah, we’ve finally arrived.”

Twilight snapped back before looking in front of the doors to her old room. The oak wood had a rustic luster to it and the hinges showed no signs of blemishes on them. Opening up the door, a rush of warm air greeted her as she stepped inside for the first time in so long. Spring was right, the entire room had remained untouched. Even the creases in the blankets and the pillows seemed to still remain in place from all those years she had spent away. Walking over to her telescope, she could smell fresh oil had been applied to the gears, the brass polished to a bright sheen and lens wiped clean of any lingering dust.

“Amazing, it really does look the same,” Twilight said aloud, nostalgia washing over her. Since her ascension, Twilight, rarely visited her old room in the castle anymore. Celestia had commissioned for Twilight to have her own private quarters near the royal archives, which she accepted with glee.

“We’ve made it a priority to keep every room in the castle clean, princess,” stated Spring. "It wouldn't be appropriate for the staff to ignore a princess' personal quarters, wouldn't it?"

“Thank you so much Spring. It’s like I never left Canterlot.” Twilight said examining the rest of the room, her eyes sparkling at the flawless state everything was kept in.

“You’re too kind, princess. Well now I must be going, there’s a bell above the bed that’ll summon the servants when you need them. I’ll see if the assembly is finished,” Spring said as she walked out the door, waving a hoof in the air behind her.

Good, Princess Sparkle is finally inside of the castle. Now onto the rest of the plan princess, Spring thought to herself as she made her way down the hallway past the grand hall, down to the doors of the foyer.

As Spring entered the foyer, she noticed how poorly the councilcolts and mares left it. Food, litter and other things were strewn across the floor in an uncaring manner. Next time, I’m not leaving anything out for those primped up brats. she thought, making a mental note for a cleaning crew to come down later to fix up the mess.

Taking a door on the right side of the foyer, Spring walked down a hallway towards the eastern keep of the castle. Spring rarely had to come down here; most of the time she forgot this part of the castle was on the schedule. While still made of the pure white stone that the rest of the castle was constructed from, the eastern keep was set apart with its paintings, books, and historic items of Canterlot’s former council members. Pillars lined the sides, each with an inscription of the crowning achievements left behind shaping Equestria’s legal system.

Reaching the end of the hall, Spring stood before old wooden double doors with large bronze plates fastened into the middle on the doors. With Honor, Equality, and Resolve was inscribed on the plaque on the left door, and We Will Guide Our Hooves Towards Justice was inscribed on the plaque on the right door.

Let’s see… Spring thought to herself, tapping a hoof to her chin. The assembly started early, so they should be heading for recess any seco-

“Meeting adjourned!”

Well that sounds like it’s going along swimmingly, Spring grimly thought. Usually you get to the second recess before breaking out the Royal Canterlot Voice princess.

Spring stepped off to the side of the door, positioning herself between a pillar and the door frame. A few seconds passed until the doors exploded outwards, rattling the cylinders in the hinges followed by a few councilcolts leaving slowly with heads held high. As Spring waited for any stragglers, she walked past the doors and into somepony.

Reeling back onto her flank, Spring opened her eyes to see Princess Celestia staring down at her with a tired smile. Standing back up, Spring composed herself before bowing to the princess.

“Pri-“

“And what is she doing in here? This room is for council members only,” spat a eloquent but hateful voice.

Spring snapped her head up to see a dark purple unicorn stallion, dressed in a fine charcoal grey suit and silver rimmed monocle. A silver candelabrum with three lit candles adorned his flank, nearly hidden by the tails of his suit. He had an air of self-importance about him, his eyes half opened with a bored expression on his face. He stared back at Spring with a look of contempt, his eyes drilling into her as she stood in front of the princess.

“My servants are allowed access to every room in the castle, Silver Heirloom,” snapped Celestia. “And I believe the assembly has been adjourned so please kindly leave MY castle," Celestia said, finishing with a terse note in her voice.

Spring looked at Silver Heirloom, seeing if he was going to snap back with a retort but instead merely lowered his head. “A fine day to you then, your highness, and may we resolve this matter tomorrow then.” Both princess and servant watching the haughty noble leave in cold silence, leaving the two of them finally alone in peace.

Spring returned her attention to Celestia with a wry smile on her face. “I could hear you from outside, you know?” Spring said breaking the silence.

“Yes, well, hopefully we can finally resolve this issue tomorrow, without anypony bring up laws set before my sister’s banishment,” Celestia said. Walking out the auditorium, Spring doubled her pace to keep up with the princess' long strides. “Now I remember why I wrote laws preventing me from taking part in these kinds of meetings.”

“Councilcolt Heirloom seems to love dragging these matters out doesn’t he?” Celestia merely shook her head in response to Spring’s question. “Well, don’t feel bad, princess. I do have good news.”

“Oh?”

“Princess Twilight Sparkle has arrived while you were busy babysitting the nobility,” Spring said in a playful tone.

A wave of relief washed over Celestia at the news that her precious student had finally arrived. “I feel bad making Twilight wait so long for me to finish up things but I can’t ignore the situation any longer.”

“Actually, princess, she has only been in the castle for the last,” she started, pausing a quick second to think. “Fifteen minutes I believe?” waving her hoof in a circle as she tried to guess how long since Twilight had arrived.

“What? Twilight would never arrive this late,” Celestia said perplexed. Celestia knew Twilight better than anypony; she raised her like her own daughter. “Was the train delayed? Did something happen to her?”

“No, she was held up at the gate with the rest of the ponies trying to get into the castle, princess. Fancy Pants walked her inside along with his wife and Spike. Only reason I know is because the maid serving food down in the foyer saw them walking in."

Celestia sighed. “Thank you Spring, I think I rely more on you than I do half the guards here.”

“You’re welcome, Princess, but dare I ask how the assembly was?” Spring said, a plastered on smile on her muzzle as she turned to face Celestia, receiving a hollowed look back .

“Not so good then? Sorry,” Spring replied with a deflated sigh.

“My little pony, I’m truly grateful for your help, but now is not the time for jokes. I have a task that only Princess Sparkle will be able to carry out and hopefully put an end to our worries.”

“She’s in her old room, waiting for you, princess. Also, the kitchens have already prepared a small devil’s food cake for when you finished business for the day. It’s already in your room.”

Celestia licked her lips at the thought of cake after everything that had transpired today. All she wanted to do now was taking a hot bath, a nap and prepare for tomorrow’s continuation of the assembly. She was going to have to read up on half of the laws she had placed and the clauses of what limited her stance in the arguments for tomorrow if today was anything to go by. Exiting out to the foyer, the pair walked higher up into the castle. Servants bowed as their ruler passed by, a smile on Celestia’s face at the overwhelming respect she received from everypony.

“Spring, is there anything else I should be informed of today? Has he arrived yet”

“Yes he already came early this morning,” Spring said a little more curtly than she intended. “He’s already made himself comfortable in the lounge. I’ll send a guard to get him so you can have both of them in your room, other than that you’ve received several urgent letters from your niece from the Crystal Empire. I’m sure you already know what they’re about.” Spring said in a calmer tone. “Other than that, the usual junk mail of petitions, charities, contracts, and issues that somepony is too busy to come and explain to you themselves.”

Celestia sighed deeply. “Cadence, I wonder if she will forgive me. I never expected the situation to grow so fast and so early but I had to do what’s best for Equestria.”

“Give her time, your highness. We can settle that issue when you finish up with the current one. You know the one that’s left Canterlot and the nobles in a tizzy?” Spring bluntly stated.

“Yes, Spring, I know. The three mail pegasi with broken backs have clearly shown me what the state of my capitol is right now. Even the teleported scroll system has gotten backlogged. I didn’t even think that was possible.” the alicorn said with a heavy tone. Rarely in all her years as the ruler of Equestria had she regretted the Insta-Scroll spell, a literal flood of scrolls flowing over her when she awoke this morning.

“Yes. Well then, princess, I’ll leave the royalty to its own devices now," Spring playfully mocking her. "I have to scrounge together a cleaning crew for the foyer.”

Celestia continued on alone in silence, making her way to her star pupil’s room. It seemed so long ago that she had a little purple filly darting between her legs, asking a million questions. She was so eager to show her work, to try to impress the princess like a daughter. Celestia shook her head. Now’s not the time for those thoughts Celly, chiding herself. She had students learn under her, but it only kept the feeling of loneliness away for as long as she mentored them.

Arriving at her destination, Celestia knocked on the door of her pupil’s room.

“One moment!” called out a worried voice.

Celestia chuckled to herself as she waited for her student. Soon enough, a magenta alicorn opened the door, her face reeling in shock to see Princess Celestia, Ruler of Equestria standing at her door.

“Princess! I didn’t expect you so soon. Spike just curled into his old bed for a nap and I was going to start my composistion report of Starswirl’s Journal-“

“Twilight, it’s quite alright, I just finished the meeting with the House of Governance. Now I’d like for us to discuss why I had you come back to Canterlot so early,” cutting off Twilight’s building episode. Over the years, Celestia learned it was best to stop Twilight before her nerves overtook her. “I need to discuss what I talked about in my letter.”

“Is there something wrong, princess?” Twilight asked. “When I got your letter last night, all it said was come back to Canterlot and meet with you as soon as possible. Princess, you’re never this vague unless something bad is happening.”

Oh, Twilight, you know me as well as I know you. “Yes and now I need your help more than ever. This will be a test like no other, but you will not be alone on this journey. We need to talk in my chambers. My wings are aching, and I’d rather what we discuss be kept private between us. Along the way, please tell me why you were late to the castle.”

While the trip from Twilight’s room to Celestia’s private chambers was brief, the smaller alicorn recounted the day’s events from her departure from the train, how the nobles blocked the gate, and the fateful encounter with Fancy Pants and Fleur helping her get inside the castle. Celestia merely nodded as her student recounted her tale, grimacing when she heard how her student was swarmed by the nobility, especially at the mention of Heirloom.

When will that mare get through her thick skull that she holds no true power of attorney within these walls? I will not let this slide by Heirloom, mark my words, fumed Celestia. “I’m sorry about that, Twilight, but you should’ve ignored those ponies and trotted right through the gates. You’re a princess, and you must assert yourself as one.”

"I know, princess," Twilight said. "But I don't want to abuse my title. I could hear them in the streets, a commoner turned a princess. I don't think they truly respect me as one."

“Remember your friendship report after you dealt with that showmare. Trixie, I believe her name was? Remember that denying one’s own ability isn’t right. You can let someponys thoughts control who you are. You can’t please everypony, trust me. I speak from experience,” Celestia replied in a dry tone.

Finally approaching her private chambers, Celestia’s horn glowed in a golden aura for a few brief seconds. A ripple in the air caught Twilight’s attention, followed by a golden wall surrounding the door glow and then dim in front of her eyes. “A barrier spell, one I put up when I want nopony to enter my private quarters unless it’s my personal servants,” Celestia explained, using her magic to open the doors.

-Celestia’s Personal Quarters, Canterlot Castle-

As soon as Twilight walked through the doors she could smell, vanilla? Several white candles were lit around Celestia’s bed, giving off a alluringly sweet smell of vanilla frosting. A large plate with a devil’s food cake was on a table next to the bed.

An old wooden desk set against the walls had several scrolls stuffed into open drawers, the overhead shelf was littered with several books. Several bookcases with varying languages written on the spines were lined up against the wall like a miniature library. A painting of Celestia herself, and some with Luna were hung by the window while others were of other notable ponies Twilight had seen in history books. Everything in the room oozed with exotic and fine taste.

Celestia walked in and sat down on a large silken pillow that accommodated her size, closing the door behind her. Igniting her horn again, Celestia's royal attire began to shimmer and float off her body onto a ponniquinn, roughly the same size as the princess, behind her. A loud pop, like a small balloon exploding came from her side. Looking down she saw a smaller silk pillow similar to the one Celestia was on was there. Taking her seat, Twilight prepared herself for her newest task.

“Now then,” began Celestia, cracking her back from knotted tension. “Twilight I’ve sent you to meet with various parties of royalty, government and others of great influence. This task I’m about to assign you is one of great importance. This will be the ultimate test of your abilities as royalty of Equestria and as an embodiment of what our nation stands for. There is no room for error.” Celestia’s voice began to grow with power, her mane lashing as if in a phantom gale.

“I understand princess, I’m prepared for anything,” the younger alicorn said confidently. “I’ve dealt with griffons, minotaurs, and the buffaloes. I’m ready to face anything Equestria has to offer."

I know you will Twilight, I have faith in you. “You have accomplished much in these past few month as a princess but your journey now will take you beyond Equestria,” Celestia replied with a smile. It was bound to happen sooner or later, now you will see how vast this world is my faithful student.

Twilight sat there, her face betraying no emotion as she sat on her pillow. She had never gone beyond the borders and never really expected for this situation to occur so fast. Maybe in a few years when she learned all of courtesies and mannerisms she needed to master to act in a foreign country. Okay Twilight, deep breaths and focus. You’re the Element of Magic and a princess, there’s nothing you can’t handle. Finally I’m going to get to understand what everypony’s been talking about today, Twilight thought, her hooves beginning to twitch betraying her calm composure.

“Before we begin, we must wait for somepony else to arrive,” Celestia said. “You won’t be making the journey alone this time.”

“You’re sending somepony with me?” Why is she sending somepony with me? Does the princess doubt I can do this myself? Did I do something wrong last time?

Celestia watched silently as the mask of confidence that Twilight had kept on was beginning to crack open. “He’s somepony I’ve known for a very long time, Twilight,” explained the princess. “He’s well cultured, knows how to deal with royalty and has a well-known reputation,” she said with a reassuring smile.

“Is he a scholar?”Sounds like one of my old professors at Celesita’s School for Gifted Unicorns. They’ve all had to deal with royalty, they’re well-spoken and each has a reputation for their expertise in their studies of magic.

“No but he has attended my school, Twilight,” Celestia said with a pained look in her eyes. “He was on the dean’s list every year and you’ve met him before.””

Okay, let’s see. I’ve met him before, he’s an intelligent unicorn, has a well-known reputation and is royalty, maybe… “Is this stallion, Fancy Pants?”

“No Twilight, though I think he may have been a better choice. I couldn’t send Fancy Pants away on an mission right now." Twilight watched as Celestia seemed to be picking her words carefully, an unusual habit for the sun monarch. "He has a pregnant wife, not to mentionhe’s one of the councilcolt’s of the House. I need his help more than ever right now.”

Okay, so it wasn’t Fancy Pants but could it be Shining Armour? He is nobility now since he married Cadence but I don’t think he made the dean’s list at C.S. of G.U.(s), ughh, why can’t Celestia just tell me. “I’m sorry princess but I can’t remember any stallion I’ve met that matches the description,” Twilight said crestfallen. “Please, could you tell me his name?”

“Well Twilight, he’s-“

Knock-knock

Two heavy knocks on Celestia’s door interrupted the princesses, Twilight’s ears straightening at the sudden intrusion of the princess' conversation. Celestia stared at the door for a moment, her eyes losing focus before she began to speak. “Come in, we’ve been waiting for your arrival,” Celestia said, a small whimper in her tone.

The two doors to the Royal Quarters creaked open, a single stallion stood beyond the entrance. He had a pure white coat just like Celestias, golden blond hair slicked with mane gel and two deep, blue eyes. Around the base of his neck was a green bow tie, studded with a golden pin with an eight pointed star like his cuite mark.

“Hello dear auntie,” announced Prince Blueblood. “And too you as well Princess Twilight Sparkle. I’m ready to offer my services for the crown.”

Author's Note

Big thanks to CartsBeforeHorses for proofreading and editing this chapter.

Virtue & Vanity

Twilight sat motionless, her eyes dwindling to pinpricks as she watched as Prince Blueblood strode into the room haughtily, as if he was a guest of honor. A long, ear splitting noise rung out in her ears. She could feel her coat starting to lose color as Blueblood sat right next to her.

Somepony who is noble.

“Twilight?”

Somepony she’s known for a long time.

“Twilight?”

Who’s well cultured, knows how to deal with royalty and has a well-known reputation.

“Twilight?”

“You’re sending me with Prince Blueblood?!?”

A few seconds passed before Twilight realized she was screaming up at the ceiling. Her cheeks exploded into a crimson blush as she turned her head down to see Celestia and Blueblood looking at her with shock. An air of unease began to fester as the three stood, no pony making a sound.

“Yes, Twilight, I will be sending you out with my nephew,” Celestia's angelic voice shattered the silence. “Prince Blueblood, normally I wouldn’t ask you to undertake this task but I’m short hoofed at the moment,” stated the solar monarch. Very, very short hoofed at the moment.

Blueblood merely smiled back at his aunt as his pearly white teeth seemed to glow. “No worries dear auntie, I myself, am amazed that I will be escorted to the North with Princess Twilight Sparkle,” he said, tossing back his mane as he spoke her name. “To imagine, the highest royals of Equestria save my aunts themselves gracing another country. What an honor this is for them.”

Twilight sat back, clenching her teeth as she looked back at Celestia with pleading eyes but still maintaining her regal composire. Celestia, however, merely stared at Blueblood with her usual stoic composure.

“There is a reason I’m sending the two of, specifically you two.” Twilight could feel her ears twitching slightly however Celestia took no notice of it. “Buckland is one of our closest neighboring nations but Equestria has never had an established means of direct contact with them. If we are to form any kind of long lasting ties with them, we must show we are worthy of being trusted.”

Celestia stood up and walked over towards Twilight, the younger princess leaning back to look at her face. Standing over Twilight, Celestia looked down, a stern but caring expression on her face. “To send Equestria’s newest princess, one of the wielders of the Element of Harmony and one of the saviors of our nation shows how strong our conviction is.”

Turning to face Blueblood, she dipped her head down. “And one member of the royal family,” Celestia continued in a slightly higher tone. “One who shares the same blood as my own. We prove how far our trust will build the foundation of our future.”

Celestia returned to her seat, a slight slump from her usual composure. “Now then, what is said here mustn’t leave this room. I am placing my faith in the two of you." Celestia watched as Twilight's eyes sparkled with obvious hope while Blueblood merely looked back at her, her words seeming to wash over him. “I fear our situation would become more complicated than it would need to be if news were to leak out.

"It would be best to start from the beginning of our, no, my mistakes.” A strong feeling of shame hung in the solar alicorn's voice. “A year and half ago, we were besieged by the changelings at your brother’s wedding even infiltrated by their Queen,” Celestia began, raising a hoof to her chest. I can still feel the searing pain from Chrysalis’ magic, she recalled as she rubbed the patch of fur that had been seared by the queen’s vile magic. “Canterlot suffered for my inability to stop the invasion, leaving our capital nearly in ruins. We were lucky your brother and Princess Cadence were able to use their love and banish the changeling from our kingdom before the swarm took over. But on that day another evil took root inside of my city.”

Twilight merely nodded her head, recalling that fateful day when the giant insectoid-like pony had ransacked Canterlot. Even now, buzzing sounds gave her the chills. Blueblood meanwhile stood as still as stone, his mouth not so much give a twitch.

“While the invasion was thwarted, we had to rebuild our city. A certain group of ponies decided to take advantage of the situation. While the reconstruction was underway we issued out scribes to take care of how much money was going to be needed for reconstruction,” Celestia explained. “We had construction team scout and assess the damages made to the shops and homes and figure how many bits this would be needed. However, it seems that somepony may have cooked the books.”

“Ummm ‘cook the books’, princess?” Twilight asked, a quizzical look on her face.

“It means Twilight that they cheated the numbers in the books to get away with other pony’s bit lining their pockets. They exaggerated the costs on their homes and how severely they suffered to ring more bits out of the treasury. We sunk twice the amount of money we should have into scheming hoofs because I failed to oversee the situation. When I noticed how much bits were spent, I implemented several new laws to be passed within the House of Governance. Sadly this was only the beginning of our problems.”

Celestia craned her head up, staring absently at the ceiling. “Soon after, the seal on the Crystal Empire was broken. You and your friends, Twilight, set it free from Sombra,” Celestia said, looking down at her student with pride.

“But Princess, it was Spike who saved the day in the end,” Twilight interjected.

“You don’t give yourself enough credit Twilight. You were able to overcome Sombra’s trap, you were able to find the Crystal Heart and you ensured that Spike was able to deliver it Cadence. Since its reemergence into the modern world, I’ve had to help rebuild the Crystal Empire. We’ve sent over soldiers, building materials, food and other necessities.”

So this is what Spring was talking about earlier. Twilight felt the pieces of the puzzle forming in her head but still there seemed to a large piece missing.

“I had to pull from the treasury directly to help fund the reconstruction of the rails for the Crystal Empire.” Celestia pawed at her pillow in an irritated manner. “It wasn’t cheap to fix up a rusted railway under a freezing tundra.”

“But what’s the point, Auntie?” spoke up Blueblood, raising an eyebrow at Celestia’s explanation. “Why are we going through so much trouble to restore the Crystal Empire? Why would we even have a railway that travels towards to the freezing tundra in the first place?”

Twilight looked over at the prince, disgust plain on her face. While still sounding like a pompous brat, he had raised a very critical point. Twilight eyes squinted as she recalled the less than comfortable ride to the frozen north. How the rest of the elements and her had to step out of the train for what seemed to be miles away from the empire. I was surprised that the train could even get that far with how much snow was covering the tracks.

“I knew the curse of Sombra would be ending soon, nephew,” the regal alicorn simply replied. “I wasn’t sure but my agents have kept a close tab on the Crystal Empire as it slumbered. The spell’s power waned till it could no longer maintain its control over the crystal ponies.”

“As for the financial problem, the empire is currently bankrupt.” Celestia shifted her hooves beneath her, taking a deep breath before continuing on with her explanation. “Sombra wasted away all of the bits within the empire on his own personal desires. If I hadn’t intervened, the Crystal Empire would have collapsed under growing tension.”

“Auntie, if I may be so bold,” Blueblood interrupted again, in his usual haughty tone. “We spent a huge portion of the national treasury and instated a tithe merely to help the Crystal Empire?" His voice was laced with tones of betrayal and anger.

“Prince Blueblood, while it may be odd for you to help another pony, Celestia thought it was a good idea to save the crystal ponies from starvation,” Twilight snapped back, venom underlining her words.

Blueblood turned to Twilight, his face impassive despite her jab at him. “You misunderstand me, Princess,” retorted the prince. “What I’m asking is merely how the Crystal Empire plans to compensate us when we’ve finally conducted business. It seems to me to be a major sinkhole, loaning hard-earned bits to somepony who can’t repay them. Surely you can’t fault my line of thinking?” The white unicorn's cultured voice never wavered as his eyes were leveled with Twilight. “If we spend so much money on somepony’s problems then they’ll be expecting a hoofout every time,” he said waving a hoof. “Who knows what will happen to Equestria, next especially when we have a demon like Discord bungling around.”

Twilight looked back at Blueblood, her face switching between loathing and deep thought. While she despised how he phrased the situation, she had to agree that putting money into the Empire was an act of good faith it would put a strain on Equestria. Raising the taxes of your own country to help a foreign kingdom sounded, a tad illogical.

“While I do not care for how you’ve assumed the situation, dear nephew,” snapped Celestia. “The Crystal Empire is still a part of Equestria and I will see no pony starve because I failed to act." The prince returned her hardened look with his own bored one. “I will deal with how we can restore the treasury, after, you two have completed this assignment.”

Celestia levitated a large map from somewhere behind her bookshelves, unfurling it in the air beside her. "This is a map of Equestria's current borders." Flipping over the map, it showed another continent right behind the Crystal Mountains. “Beyond the Crystal Mountains of the Crystal Empire, there lies the continent of Equiope. This is one of the largest continents on the planet of Equis and it’s one of the most powerful nations of trade.” Celestia paused, letting the information sink in. Twilight stood still, drinking in the words while Blueblood let out a yawn. “While being a main hub for commerce, there is no direct connection between the two of us. Now, however we have a chance to finally unite our two nations.”

Twilight’s brain throbbed as she took in her debriefing. “Wait princess, why haven’t we ever had a direct means to Equiope?” We’re so close to each other, why wouldn’t we be on better terms? Something sounded out of place as to how Celestia was explaining the situation.

“The safest route to get to Equiope was established when the Crystal Empire was still part of Equestria. When the throne was usurped by Sombra, he destroyed all means of contact within his domain.” Celestia eyes narrowed in anger as she recalled the tyrant's foolish actions. “With the fall of the Crystal Empire, all ties with our northern allies ceased as well.”

“Now, we stand at one of the turning points in history. Where Equestria will open its doors to the North.” A divine smile grew on her muzzle. “This is your assignment, to negotiate the terms and welcome in the country of Buckland.” Celestia finished, her wings flaring briefly as her excitement grew.

Twilight sat back, her eyes seeming to swirl in place as her mind wrapped around what was going on. Blueblood however, grinned from ear to ear. “Auntie, I am honored by your request. When do we depart?” he said eagerly, his voicebarely restraining his obvious eagerness.

Celestia’s face drooped slightly at her nephew’s question. “A train will be taking the both of you to the Crystal Empire tomorrow. As I'm sure you already know Twilight, the weather of the Crystal Empire is wild, no pegasi can control it. A large snow storm is expected to hit it soon.”

“Primitives.”

Twilight head jerked slightly at Blueblood’s snide remark but kept her attention on Celestia. “With winter coming, the crystal ponies will be put under greater strains and Equestria doesn’t have the resources to feed another nation." Her tone brook no arguments. “There is no room for error, the fate of the Crystal Empire lies with both of you,” she said rising up from her seat.

Celestia walked walk an air of grace up to the pair as they themselves stood up. Bowing her head down, she tapped the shoulders of both her student and her nephew with her horn, “Your actions from here on out will reflect on Equestria, you will define who we are.”

“Now then, take this time to prepare yourselves for this journey,” Celestia continued as she opened up her door. “I’d suggest researching into Buckland.”

“Well then auntie, I’ll take my leave then,” Blueblood said with a toothy grin, bending his head down in a deep bow. Turning to face Twilight, his eyelids dropped slightly, “And to you Princess Twilight, I look forward to accompanying you on this excursion.” His usual tone deepening marginally as he spoke to her. Turning to leave, he turned to face the two princesses and waved a hoof in a courteous manner before traveling down the stairs.

As soon as Blueblood was out of sight, Twilight turned back to Celestia, her eyes filled with grief. “Princess, why are-“

“Stop,” Celestia said in a commanding tone, raising her hoof to Twilight’s face. Twilight’s mouth shut as Celestia drew in a deep breath and let out a sigh. “I’m well aware of what you think of my decision Twilight, you weren’t exactly subtle about it.".

“Princess, with all due respect none of what you said makes sense.” Twilight felt a fire building growing inside her chest. “You’ve sent me on several missions before. You can send anypony you want but you’re sending Blueblood, just because he’s your nephew?

Celestia didn’t do anything, not even the tiniest flinch as her student spoke out against her. “Twilight, I respect your concern on the matter. Sadly, I'm afraid that you’re not well versed in the leviathan infested waters of politics,” Celestia said, her tone growing somber. “A strong presence must be shown up front, to show how deeply concerned we are. We need a strong bond with Buckland right now. I know how you feel about Blueblood lack of common courtesy,but he has been taught the etiquette of nobility.”

Celestia walked away from Twilight towards her desk, wrapping a large red quill in her magic as she began to write on a few pieces of parchment. “I trust my nephew, Twilight, and I want you to trust me in my decision,” her voice a little weaker than before.

“But princess, I trust you,” Twilight said, taken aback at what Celestia said. “I know you’re doing the right thing but Blueblood, well, he…”

“If you trusted me, Twilight, I doubt you would be so adamant against my nephew journeying alongside you.” A soft chuckle escaping Celestia while she levitated a scroll into the air, followed by a loud pop as it disappeared in the air. “While I’m glad you’re not afraid to voice your concerns Twilight, I want to know that no matters what happens, you’ll be ready. Who knows? Maybe you come to understand why nephew became the stallion you see today. ”

A knot grew in Twilight’s stomach as she let Celestia’s words take hold. Before she knew it, she was grasped by two strong legs, pushing her into her teacher’s soft barrel. The two stood there in silence, letting her teacher’s warmth pour into her. Letting the smaller alicorn go, Celestia faced her student. “Now I’ve sent word to the head librarian at the university, they’ll be gathering every book they have on Buckland’s history, culture, any book that has the word Buckland in it.”

The purple alicorn’s smile stretched to the back of her head. “Thank you princess,” Twilight said. “Uh, princess, I-“

“No pony is at the front gate Twilight." An impish grin was spread out on the white alicorn's face, “The guards just received instruction to send away anypony who comes even close to my castle without proper authorization.” Celestia watched as Twilight flashed her grin and left with a spring in her step.

Closing the doors, Celestia trotted over to her bed, stretching out like a cat lazing in a sunbeam. “Now then,time for Princess Celestia to be just Celestia.”

-Library, Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns-

After making her way out through the castle’s front gates, Twilight leisurely strolled to her old school’s library. As she walked through the doors, her nose caught the scent of old books and ink, reminding her of all the days she spent locked up here.

“Hold up there,” shouted somepony’s voice.

A small, wiry old teal green unicorn mare was slowly making her way over to Twilight. Creases lined her aging face, a thick pair of blue horn-rimmed glasses perched on her muzzle and a quill stuck out of her hair bun. A small piece of paper with a magnifying glass over it with a small check mark in the center was emblazed as her cutie mark. The mare approached her, close enough for her to be muzzle to muzzle, squinting her eyes as she looked into Twilight’s eyes.

“Ah!” exclaimed the mare, “Miss Sparkle, the only student I’ve ever had the pleasure of watch reading even after the library closed.” Her cheeks rising up slightly in a genuine smile, “How good to see you back here again.”

“Hello again, Miss Index,” Twilight said, giving the old librarian her most sincerest smile. “I’m here for some books.”

“Why of course you are, sweet child,” Index replied. “We got Princess Celestia’s message but an hour ago. Sad to say there Miss Sparkle, we don’t have much.”

The pair walked in silence as they headed towards the back of the library, the older mare walking with a slight limp while Twilight followed behind at a slower pace. Passing the endless shelves of books, the pair made their way to a table stacked with four individual books placed with great care. “Here we are, Twilight. This is everything we have on the nation of Buckland.”

Twilight stared at the table expectantly, “I’m sorry Ms. Index, I was expecting more than this,” Twilight said with concern.

“Yes, well I’m afraid after severe categorizing and referencing, it seems our library is lacking in the particular subject Princess Celestia wanted.” Index explained, somewhat miffed about how small her collection was. “Had I known how limited we were in foreign countries, I’d petition for more books in foreign matters, but no one listens us librarians, no siree,” whinnied the old mare. Twilight held up a hoof to her muzzle, trying to repress her laughter.

“Now then Miss Sparkle, while you may hold these books for longer than usual, I’m still holding you to the same principles as anypony else who checks out a book from my library. Even if you’re a princess now. Knowledge isn’t something to be wasted, all of these books are like my children, and like any mother, you never dare tempt the mother of a child,” she said, turning to face Twilight, her muzzle only an inch apart from hers.

“Understood.” Same old Ms. Index, never misses a thing. Even after all the years, she still has the fire of somepony half her age, lamented the alicorn princess. Looking over each book, Twilight could help but notice that each tome seemed to be weathered by time.

The Geographer’s Collection of Buckland.
Mad Beasts of the North.
Facts & Fiction: A Guide to Equestria’s Northern Friends.
Tales of the Untamed North: Myths & Legends

Twilight’s eyes skimmed over the titles of each book, her expression shifting from fascination to unease as she read over each title. These books don’t seem to be that specific, she thought as she skimmed over the titles. The school housed over tens of thousands of books, why is it that a small quantity of books on Buckland? It seemed unusual for the university to carry such a limited selection.

“Now be careful with these books princess, they’re first editions and the library doesn’t get as much funding as it used too,” Index said, snapping the princess out of her inner thoughts. “I expect them in the same condition as you’ve received them.” Index eyed the princess like she was a student, one eye gathering her attention as she leaned forward at Twilight.

Twilight couldn’t help but smile at the old mare. “I promise Miss Index that I will return your books in pristine condition.” Levitating the books in her grasp, each one beginning to waiver and fade in the air. “Don’t worry, I just teleported them to my room in the castle."

“Well you take care of yourself now, Twilight. I’ve got to go back to searching our records for overdue books,” wheezed out the old librarian.

Gathering her magic, Twilight took one last look at the library before vanishing in a burst of sparks.

-Banquet Hall, Blueblood Estate-

Prince Blueblood sat by himself at a grand mahogany table, enjoying a late lunch. The prince requested for a bowl of cream of mushroom soup with parsley for added affect with a bottle of Gallopagos Golden chardonnay from the kitchens. The prince ate in silence, only the clinging of silverware were the only sounds made.

“Ahh…” Blueblood sighed contentedly. “Perfect as usual.” Grabbing a silver bell by his side, he rang three times. A dark green earth pony maid with gold hair wearing a white apron came through the doors of the kitchen. “Do get those dishes back to the kitchen now.” Getting off his pillow, the prince made his way up to his personal quarters.

Twilight Sparkle, you’re such an unusual mare. You ascend to the status of a princess but you don’t even wear your crown, so undignified. Why did Auntie even bequeath such a revered title if wasn’t not even going to become a rule over a nation? Sometimes I think I’m the only one sees the big picture. Blueblood had been pondering on his meeting with his Aunt and the so-called Princess Sparkle. Walking out of the hall, he headed towards the main entrance for the stairs, the sun shining down through the glass windows high above.

“Daily Planner!" called out the prince. "I have need of you.”

A slight gust of wind, followed by the sound of hooves clicking on the floor greeted Blueblood’s ears. A purple Pegasus with a solid black mane stood behind the prince, two saddlebags strapped to his sides. A thick set of glasses perched on his muzzle, giving him a constant surprised look in his face.

“Planner, do remember that mother has asked that you refrain from flying indoors? We’d rather not have feathers in the rafters again.”

“My apologies, Prince Blueblood,” said the pegasus.

“Now then, tomorrow I will be leaving for the Crystal Empire with Princess Twilight Sparkle. I need to make a formal announcement to the staff, and while you’re at it I’ll need my personal train car hooked up to the train tomorrow as well,” Blueblood said, planning out the following morning. “I want to ensure that the Blueblood Estate is to remain the same, not a painting out of place, understood?”

“Of course, Prince Blueblood.”

“Very well then. Pass onto the rest of the staff that I’m not to be disturbed for the rest of the day.”

“Very good. By the way sire, Steel Wheel arrived at the front gate several minutes ago." Pulling out pocket watch and clicking it open. “He should be at the door in roughly three minutes.”

Blueblood eyes widened slightly, the head of Equestria’s shipping industry was coming to his estate without any formal warning? “Tell the chefs to prepare something, anything for our guest immediately!” he shouted, his mane slightly going askew. “And get one of our best bottles from the cellar, nothing that my father will notice missing but not commoner’s fare.” Wheel, what are you doing, showing up uninvited?

With a curt bow, the Pegasus took off with haste while Blueblood prostrated himself as he walked to the center of the entrance. Close enough to see his guest but not far enough that Wheel wouldn’t see him. A sudden knock on the door alerted the young prince that his guests had arrived. Adjusting his mane to its usual perfect position, he opened the door slowly.

A large red pegasus stood under the arch of the open doorway, sporting a white dinner jacket with a blue hoofkerchief in the barrel pocket. His mane was a delicate yellow and his eyes were electric blue. Walking in with a causal swagger in his step, he smiled at Blueblood.

“Greetings Prince Blueblood, how do you do on this fine day?” he asked, his smile never wavering.

So forward aren’t you? “Oh it’s been a rather calm day,” replying in a nonchalant tone.

“That is wonderful to hear, my prince,” as the pegasus strollined up to him. “Now I’m sure you’re wondering as to why I’m here unannounced.”

So you do have some tact, I’d never have guessed. “When you’re the head of one of Equestria’s shipping industries, you’re certainly welcomed inside my home.” Pointing his hoof towards the banquet hall, “Please follow me, Wheel, I’ve had the staff to prepare a suitable meal for you.”

Blueblood sat exactly opposite of Wheel at the table as soon as they sat down, watching with interest as the Pegasus consumed some of the leftover soup from the kitchen. Blueblood poured a generous amount of wine into his guest’s glass. Eden’s Fruit, he read to himself. Almost forgot we had this in the cellar. “I must say,” Wheel said in between swallows, “they weren’t joking about the chefs in your service.” The prince nodded his head in thanks.

“Now, Prince Blueblood, my ears extend as fair as my companies’ rails do," began Wheel.

Blueblood’s ears flickered for a brief moment. “Mh-hmm,” was his only reply as he began to sip from his wineglass.

“And quite recently, I’ve heard that you’ll be going on a trip to the North.”

Years of composure and tutoring kicked in as Blueblood tried to not choke on his wine, his eyes widening from the words. Lowering his glass, the prince gave Wheel his undivided attention.

Wheel sat there, sipping the wine leaving the two in silence. “You’re surprised I know?” chortled the pegasus. “Like I said, my ears are all over Equestria.”

Blueblood sat there, eyes focused in on Wheel as his tried to think how he could have gained such information. Twilight wouldn’t have been as stupid as to talk about our assignment, would she? No, she’s utterly devoted to my aunt, so how then?

Wheel relaxed back into his seat, his wings raising and lowering as he reclined back. “You have nothing to fear my prince. I merely wish to extend my hoof to you with the opportunity of a lifetime.” Wheel sat in his chair, the air around him growing still as the prince of Canterlot put up a mask of indifference. The slight shifts in his posture were there but Wheel’s face never showed his intentions. “Now then, dear prince, would you like to hear what I have to say?”

“Of course,” his tone as sweet as poisoned honey. You knew you already had me when you brought my assignment from my aunt into this.

“Well then, I had an interest in establishing a warehouse somewhere near the Crystal Empire,” Wheels began, pausing for a moment to let Blueblood dwell on the statement. “I would like to gain the rights to own land but since the empire is its own country I can’t just buy the land itself. I’ve appealed to Empress Cadence but she shot down my offer to her, and I honestly doubt she’ll let me, anywhere in the near future, build anywhere remotely close to her domain.”

“You want me to petition for a plot of land Wheel?” Blueblood asked in an innocent tone. Odd, he could’ve gone to Celestia with this request, stroking his chin absent mindedly.

“No,” he said flatly. “I want to build beyond the Crystal Empire, beyond the restrictions of Equestria.”

Blueblood nodded his head, He’s baiting me in but I won’t be played so easily. “You want me to find an investor for your company up north,” posing it as a statement. "You wish to sell your idea to establish a warehouse between them and the Crystal Empire? Is that correct?”

“Exactly so!” Wheel’s response was so abrupt it nearly made Blueblood fall over.

“Well this does sound like an amazing opportunity for you," Blueblood said, emphasizing his point as he flashed his eyes at Wheel. “But why would you come here just to come and get me?”

Tugging at his left barrel pocket, Wheel removed his hoofkerchief and dug deeper until a small and vanilla folded paper popped out. Unfolding it on the table, he nudged it towards the prince who grasped it in his magic.

“What am I reading?” Blueblood said, he knew full well what was written but he wanted to see how honest Wheel was.

“It’s merely a contract drafted up by my board of directors to let you be entitled to a founding fee and a yearly percentage of our profits will be paid to you, and only you.”

Blueblood looked over him, no twitch or shifting of the eyes. It wasn’t an act, he was dead serious. He wants this bad enough to work around my aunt. “Well this is a most generous offer, what must I do?”

Wheel removed his wallet from his other pocket, opening it up to pull out a small mirror roughly the size of his hoof. “This is an enchanted mirror. It’ll allow you to talk to me wherever you are. You’ll need to charge it with your magic for it to work but it’s virtually undetectable and nopony will be able to use.”

Odd. “Why did you make it undetectable? Does the north have mages?” he inquired.

“No, they have no magic to them,” said the pegasus. “The problem is that no magical instruments are allowed beyond Equestria’s borders without going through the proper channels. This will be strictly between the two of us of course. You’re free, of course, to reject my offer. We'll both walkaway and pretend this never happened.”

After how you just spilt your plans to me, you would think I wouldn’t refuse. The prince sat there, knocking his fore hooves together, closing his eyes. Wheels gets a hoof into new territory while everypony else has to wait. The contract would guarantee me money but he comes out with the lion’s share of the profit.

“A thought occurred to me." Wheel straightened up as the prince’s mood suddenly changed. “What if I were to buy the land whilst I was there and I could let you build it there?” Wheel’s tucked his lips back into his mouth. “You wouldn’t have to pay me of course for the founder’s fee but still have stock in your company.”

Wheel’s shoulders slightly slumped at Blueblood’s words. “Well I’m not sure. It would cost you greatly to do all of that for my sake.”

“Think nothing of it, my friend. Do wish to accept my alternative?”

Wheel sat back mulling over his words, the prince watching as the cracks were starting to show. Sweat formed on his brow, his wings quivering. “Well, I’ll have to think on that but you’re still willing to work alongside of me, yes?”

More like over you on this one, Wheel.

Fwish

In a burst of yellow sparks, Blueblood stood beside Wheel, his hoof extended out with grace. “To a long and stable partnership.” he said as Wheel gripped his hoof and shook. And soon an even greater legacy in the name of Blueblood.

On and Off the Rails

-Canterlot Train Station, Canterlot-

Twilight Sparkle sat patiently on a station bench, a satchel with her cutie mark embroidered on it laid next to her. As soon as she had woken up, the princess had gathered all the books she received the day before and started to depart for her train. Giving a small kiss to Spike, the young dragon was still asleep in his basket, the princess walked out the door quietly.

“Now Twilight, I have arranged a carriage to take you to the station,” Celestia said, meeting the white alicorn in the foyer. “My nephew will meet up with you momentarily. He’s made some special arrangements for the trip.”

“Special arrangements?” raising an eyebrow at how the princess phrased the term.

“My nephew is a slave to comfort, no doubt you already know,” a hint of guilt in her voice.

Out of the front gate, the two princesses were greeted by a magenta carriage in the middle of the castle’s path. The side doors were flanked by two guards, standing silently at attention. “Take care Twilight,” watching as the smaller alicorn boarded into the carriage, “And when you see Cadence, tell her I am sorry.” Celestia watched as Twilight’s confused expression faded as she traveled down the castle’s dirt road and out the front gates.

Since her arrival, the princess had sat in silence as she pulled out a book to read. The few ponies that were awake worked the station, leaving the princess to her thoughts. For half an hour, Twilight sat on the bench, a few station managers offering her food which she gratefully accepted.

Whooooooooo!

The sound of a steam whistle stole Twilight’s attention away from her book, as a brightly colored train chugged into the station. Brakes hissed at the forced halt, the locomotive’s wheel squealed as the train stopped. A familiar magenta train car was hooked up to the back; however there was another car behind it.

An eight pointed blue and gold star was set in the middle, between two long windows inlaid with silver frames. The train car itself painted royal blue with small suns and moons alongside the top and bottom, with iron railings polished to reflect the morning. Even the balusters were eight pointed stars. Twilight stared at it until a small cough made her turn her attention away from the gaudy waste of bits.

“Well now, Princess Sparkle, it’s good to see you’ve come prepared,” came Blueblood's usual haughty tone from directly behind her.

Twilight half closed her eyes as she began walking to her train car, “Yes I have, tell me Blueblood-

“Prince Blueblood,” he hissed, interrupting Twilight.

Eying the petty unicorn with contempt, the purple alicorn bit her tongue as she boarded into her private train car, a train colt opening the door for her as she entered. Blueblood watched as the princess disappeared beyond her doors before heading off into his train car, fuming. Princess or not, all lines of royalty need to be addressed by title out of respect.

The shrill whining of the whistle rung in Twilight’s ears as a sudden lurch of the car told her that the train had started moving. Several minutes passed before Twilight began to dig through her satchel to pick up from where she was reading in her book. Opening up to her bookmark, the princess continued on reading from "Mad Beasts of the North".

Before the rise of the black tyrant Sombra, the Crystal Empire was tied intimately with the creatures beyond its mountains,-

Odd that the author would call these ponies’ creatures, as Twilight scanned over the passage again. This entire book just goes on about how utterly deranged the northerners are, scratching her cheek.

-these creatures seem to wield a different type of magic, it’s neither unicorn nor pegasi or even earthen in nature. From gathered evidence, it’s believed that their works require spoken incantations for it to work. They call it communicating with the land itself however without physical representation it’s proven difficult as to how they perform magic at all. Their antlers-

“Antlers?” she said aloud, glancing up to see if anypony was there to hear her. Sheepishly returning to her book, she continued on reading.

-may work similar as to how a unicorn’s horn works using magic. Strangely though, they lose this appendage from time to time but unlike a unicorn, are capable of growing them when broken off.

Flipping the page, Twilight’s gaze was locked on a crude outline of a creature that vaguely looked like a pony. Its shape similar to a pony however on the crown of its head was what appeared to be several pointy tree branches growing. The creatures frame slightly sleeker than a pony and a more narrow muzzle.

So this is what they look like, she whispered to herself. I wonder what one looks like up close though. From all the books so far, she had read that they were called reindeer but hadn’t a clear description of the creature. I wonder how different they are from ponies. Maybe they’re not; they look just like us except they all have horns.

Knock-knock!

Getting up, Twilight went to the door to see who it was. Standing outside was the colt from yesterday, his legs trembling slightly as his head was bent down in respect. “Princess, would you mind if I could walk through here?”

“Of course,” stepping slightly off to the side, watching the colt walk to the back of the train and through the door. Did Blueblood call for something?Shaking her head, Twilight returned to her seat.

Knock-knock!

A slightly irritated princess got up once again, the same blue colt bowing in respect from the opposite door. “Pwinshesh, I ave a wetta fur wou,” he said, mumbling through the white envelope clutched between his lips.

Stepping back to let the colt inside, Twilight flipped over the letter, taking note of the eight pointed star wax stamp on the flap. “Thank you,” as she gave the envelope a look of confusion. “Sweetie, how did Blueblood tell you to come to his car?” Blueblood, for her knowledge, hadn’t left his train car and she hadn’t sensed any magic being used coming from his car.

“No princess, he told me to come to him after the train started before we started.”

Twilight looked down at the foal, trying to comprehend what he had just said. What’s he doing? Opening the letter,

Dear Princess Twilight,

I offer my services to the crown and ask that you meet me in my private car as soon as possible.

Yours truly,
Prince Blueblood.

Slapping a hoof to her muzzle, the alicorn let out a disgruntled sigh. “Something wrong princess?” squeaked the colt, his head quickly bowing his head again.

“No,” she replied. “what’s your name sweetie?”

“It’s Steam Puff, princess.”

“Thank you, Puff,” placing a hoof on the colt’s shoulder. “Go back to your dad, there’s nothing to worry about.” As soon as the young colt left, Twilight straightened herself and opened the door. Celestia help me, Blueblood, you couldn’t even take five steps outside your own door to tell me something.

The wind tussled Twilight’s hair as soon as she stepped out of the door and out into the open. Stepping over the small gap linking the two royal cars, Twilight stood in front of a silver handled white door .

Soft music played from a phonograph on a bureau, giving a calm atmosphere to the room. A chandelier with three small lanterns hung from the center of the roof while smaller ones were glowing brightly in the corners to light the rest of the car. At the back was the prince, admiring himself in a vanity, his image reflected in three different angles.

“Welcome, princess,” his eyes traveling towards the purple alicorn’s reflection, “I’m glad to see that you came as soon as you could afford to.”

“Why did you send somepony to get me Blueblood?” Her voice held no emotion or trace of sincerity.

So direct, so forward, I'm going to have to change that. “I just wanted to talk to you, princess, and offer my services to you. Please, come in and sit down,” motioning towards two gold silken pillows lying out on a rug near a window.

Twilight sat in front of the prince, watching him finish admiring himself in the mirror before trotting over to her. She watched as the prince opened a small wooden container behind the bureau with his magic, levitating a large bottle of blood red wine with his magic. Sitting down, he conjured two small glasses in midair and filling both halfway with the red temptation.

“Isn’t it a bit early to start drinking, Blueblood?” More of a statement than it was a question for the prince to answer.

“This wine is nothing special, merely something to relax the nerves,” his voice calm and composed.

Taking the glass, Twilight slightly grimaced as she sipped the sweet but tongue nipping drink. Blueblood smiled at her, as he, without even his eyes twitching, sipped his own glass. “I take it you have no experience with such drinks?” a ghost of a smile on his face.

“Now then, princess, I know this won’t be your first time my auntie has sent you away,” pausing as he read Twilight’s expression. Slight shift in the wings, minor frown in the brow, seems I’m on point so far. “However, you’ve never traveled farther than the Crystal Empire? Correct?”

“Yes.” Still a little on edge on Blueblood’s actions, Twilight felt that if she was going to figure out the prince’s actions, she’d remain as calm as possible.

“Also,” he started, shifting his weight slightly on the pillow, “I believe auntie Celestia taught you the basic exchange of etiquette between two different parties, yes?”

Yes and no, learning most of the regular practices with her time in Canterlot while she was under Celestia’s wings. So many hours spent on frivolous dining rituals that made her cross eyed. “Do you plan on telling me what you want?”

Between his leer and smile, it was hard for Twilight to read his expression. “What I want you to understand is how to understand politics,” as he began to sip his wine again.

“What?”

“You see, Princess Sparkle, while my aunt may have taught you about how, we, the nobility works, she forgot to show how we operate.”A slight slur in his speech from the rosy concoction. Let’s see the fruit of auntie’s labor, shall we.

“You mean bending the rules, backstabbing, buying out each other and lying?”

So much for that approach. “Well, I can see that I’ll have to instruct you in the ways of nobility, princess.”

The slow calming tune of jazz continued to play through the souring mood as the two looked at each other, sunlight sifting through the windows panes. One regal purple alicorn, stunned and speechless while one bleached white unicorn prince sat in silence of a luxurious car.

“Excuse me?” rupturing the delicate mood of the car, “Teach me?”

“Yes, teach you, princess, on how to-“

“You are the last, LAST, pony to ever teach anypony how to act, in any way!” she screamed, a small portion of the royal Canterlot voice bleeding through.

Despite the glass shattering ring battering in his ears, Blueblood had remained belly down on his pillow, mane slightly askew from Twilight’s verbal assault. Brushing a few stray hairs out of his eyes, the unicorn smiled broadly. “Princess, I want to help you. Is that so hard to believe?”

Standing up, Twilight turned towards the door and began to walk away. “Yes,” grabbing the door knob and tugging, only to find the door encased in a yellow glow. Blueblood was standing, his horn glowing with a soft golden light.

“Princess, this entire time I’ve been calm, I’ve overlooked all of the little remarks and stings you’ve shot at me, now I’m done,” his voice coarser as he emphasized done. His lips tightly drew together tightly, as a scowl formed.

“What is it that I’ve done wrong, personally, to you?” jabbing a hoof at her like a spear thrust.

A mane ruffling silence began to fester between the two until a harsh sigh from Twilight shattered it. “Do you remember what you did to a certain mare at the Grand Galloping Gala two years ago?”

“You’ll have to be more specific, princess; there are many mares who try to grab my attention.”

Pig. “Unicorn, white coat with a purple mane, she was wearing an exquisite gala dress.”

“No, can’t say I remember her.” She knows that insufferable unicorn?

“Her name is Rarity, and you treated her like a hoofstool the entire time.”

Blueblood’s features softened, slightly, however the royal unicorn still wore a scowl on his face. “That still doesn’t answer my question, what have I done to you?”

“You treated my friend like dirt and she wasn’t the only that night you were such a pain in the flank to,” biting back at the prince. “The earth pony selling treats at her stall?”

“I do remember somepony like that, can’t believe she was trying to sell such commoner’s fare at such an esteemed party.”

“How, stupid, are you?” shouted Twilight, the panes in the window’s shuddering from the sheer volume in her voice. “Do you honestly just walk over anypony who you think is beneath you? Is your head that far up your plot that you can’t see how disgusting you are?”

A light chuckle escaped the unicorn’s throat, “Normally, I’d have somepony detained for such animosity towards me.” Tossing his mane, the prince returned to his usual calm demeanor. “Why is it you still haven’t answered my question?”

Twilight could feel her body shaking, the faint smell of smoke tickling her nose. Control, stay in control, feeling the magic surging through her body roiled. “Those ponies were my friends; you insulted ponies who I care about.”

“I didn’t know,” he stated firmly.

“Oh, and that just makes it better?”

The royal unicorn rose up his glass again and downed the rest of his wine in a single gulp. “Well then, perhaps you can forgive my ignorance of whose part of your inner circle then?”

“No.”

“Then at least let me help prepare you for what you’re about to be pitted up against,” the prince said, his body swaying slightly. Light wine, huh? Twilight joked to herself. “I can teach you more than my aunt ever could.”

“My answer is still no, Blueblood,” Twilight grasped the door in her magic as she tried to remove the spell on the door.

“You’re a fool princess; don’t spurn me because of my past mistakes.”

“MISTAKES? Being stuck up and inconsiderate isn’t a mistake; it’s a sign of how much of a witless dolt you are.”

“As bad as somepony who holds a grudge for two years after an incident?” he casually remarked as he poured more of the red wine into his cup. “I can’t dwell on every minor detail, Princess Twilight; I can’t hope to remember every fleeting moment. I do however; know that I must keep my bearings as a crown prince to my greatest attention, something you have failed to do yourself. The crown is something everypony looks up to so you should wear it with grace.”

No princess, I don’t know how Blueblood fell out of the back of the train car and onto the rails at breakneck speed.

“Besides, if you can overlook a creature like Discord for his ways, then you can certainly give me another chance. You write reports on the magic of friendship, so why not think of this as another learning experience?”

Relinquishing her hold on the door, Twilight backpedaled to Blueblood with fire in her eyes. “Princess Celestia tasked the elements of harmony to correct Discord so he could use his powers for the greater good.” Tiny wisps of smoke flickered off her tail as she spoke. “You want me to give you another chance? Do you honestly believe you’re worth giving one, Blueblood?”

The prince sat back on his haunches, swirling his wine in his glass in response. “That is entirely up to you, princess; I can only try to change your opinion of me.” Looking out the window, his eyes seem to glaze over as the sunlight pooled into them. “You may leave but I’ll still be here if you change your mind.” A faint hiss and the prince released his magic from the front door.

Twilight sat like a statue, her eyes closed in concentration as she stood there. Slowly, very slowly, she sat back down on top of the plush pillow. “I’ll hear you out Prince Blueblood, but only because Princess Celestia said we need to work together.”

You certainly are a tough mare Princess Sparkle, you’re beginning to arouse my curiosity, sipping at his wine again as he smiled back at Twilight. “Now then, there are a few basic steps to know when you’re in control of the conversation."

The two royals talked for hours, one always questioning the other. At this time, a certain reindeer had just stepped out of a court building wondering what his own journey would bring.

Cleansing Water

Fat flakes of snow drifted in the winds, covering the land in a white blanket. The wind howled, kicking up ice in its invisible claws. A lone reindeer made his way down the stone steps of the Buckland High Courts, a small sway in his steps. Slowly, he trotted out past the front and onto solid ground, making his way past the city.

They actually elected me? Skepticism written all over his face as he continued to trudge forward, I walk in there without hardly a care and yet here I am about to play messenger fawn to a bunch of ponies, what was I thinking? Walking listlessly down the stone road, he kept his head pointing down at the ground not even caring as to what or who was in his path.

Well, Vanhi said I could do it and I did, somehow, making his way down to the middle district. I’ve got one night and then I’ve got to be on a train to buck knows where, wincing as the odd rock struck into the bottom of his hoof on the uneven roads.

Passing the fountain where he had meet Vanhi the day before, he paused to look up at the pony statue, taking in its finer details. Besides the obvious lack of antlers, the two did rather similar despite the difference in build. Maybe I’m just over thinking this, if were on good enough terms to form a trade route, they probably can’t be all that bad, right? trying to reassure himself. His inner monologue was cut short as bumped into somedeer.

“Oh, sorry about that,” righting himself. As he got back up, his eyes stared directly into a wizened old muzzle with rainwater grey eyes. His antlers dulled with age, some points broken off with dull nubs at the ends. “Oh, hello there, it certainly has been a while, old buck.”

Whap!

Cold recoiled back from the sudden pain. Squinting through his eyes, a walking staff was clasped tightly in the old deer’s hoof. The gnarled wood was splitting from the seasons but clearly still durable, several engraving running up along the shaft. “Manners, young one. It’s elder to you, keep that in mind,” his raspy voice rung out.

Forgot how spry he is for such a crusty old buck, rubbing the swelling cheek with a hoof. “So what do I owe the pleasure of meeting you here, elder?” hastily adding the older deer’s title as the staff began to rise up. “I usually don’t see you no further than the lower districts.”

“I heard a call last night, young one,” a sliver of joy hidden in his voice. “It drew me in and ever since I’ve been chasing after it ever since, like an itch I couldn’t scratch.”

“They have ointment for that.”

WHAP!

Shut up, Cold. Just shut up.

“As I was saying,” leaning up against the staff once again. “I needed to find the source however, this one seemed very strange.” Rubbing the staff against his antlers, the older deer’s misty eyes darkened as they looked at Cold. “I needed to find the one, as fast as these old hooves could bear. Not a very good omen. Tell me, have you had any strange dreams lately?”

“Can’t say I have,” slightly put off by the elder’s question.

“Seeing faces you’ve never seen before? Conversations within your dreams as if they were truly there? Feelings of nostalgia as you slumber?”

Uneasiness took over his mind as Cold’s recent dream from the night before. The giant forest deer stood towering over him. The scent of pine wafting in the air, tickling his nose as he lay sprawled out on the ground. “Yes, I think I remember something like that.”

“Well then, young one, would you mind if I accompanied you then?” he asked, leaning so close towards Cold that he could see the small wisps of his breath. Another knee jerking chill of the wind made the old deer quiver; his scrawny form withering from the harsh elements. “These old bones of mine need a quick rest before I am to return to my own home.”

“Of course, it’s this way,” jerking his head down the road. Tying the staff to his back, the elder walked alongside Cold at a brisk pace, a slight hobble in his step. Never really dealt with elders that often, wonder if any of those rumors are true?

The pair walked in silence as they made their way down the road, the harsh sting of the icy gale surrounding them. “So young one, I must ask, do you feel lost?” His tone was strong even though he kept his muzzle pointed forward. “You look rather lost though you’re hooves tell you where to go,” casting a sideways glance as Cold’s face seem to drop a little.

“No, I’ve just got a bit much on my hooves than I usually do,” as a lump formed in his chest. Who am I kidding, I feel like a lost pup in the middle of a blizzard. Ever since I left this pain in my chest keeps getting worse and worse.

“You can lie to yourself, but I’ve weathered many seasons, young one. I can hear the disharmony in your voice,” pity lacing his words.

“There is no reason to not trust me. I’ve face my trials in this life, yours have just begun.”

Fan-tas-tic, that just made my whole day seem so much brighter. “I got a job.”

“Good, it’s nice to see young ones going out to find themselves in this strange, ever changing world,” chirped the elder. “So, why do you carry your head through the snow?” craning his neck to face Cold. “No one finds themselves in the first go, it’s a common lie we all like to believe.”

“I didn’t think I’d get it, elder,” the words flowed from his mouth, pure and true. Why am I telling him all of this? I hardly know him. Heat erupted in his cheeks as he drew his cloak tighter against his form like a shield. “I thought I was going to fail and just move on.”

“You wouldn’t have succeeded if you hadn’t wanted this, you shouldn’t be surprised,” said the elder. Shaking off the clinging snow on his back, he pressed onward as Cold led the way a good distance in front of him. “You could have easily walked away from this. No deer can force you to do anything. It is rather childish to think like that.”

The elder’s words starting to gnaw at Cold’s mind. “So what if-“ A small, rough hoof shot out, pressing firmly against Cold’s lips before he could finish. The elder stood there silently, an unseen energy radiating off his slender form. Slowly, he withdrew his hoof from his mouth and dragging it against the ground. His falcon like glare never left Cold’s eyes, keeping him transfixed before he could continue.

“There are a lot of ’what ifs’ but not enough ‘what I will’ in this world,” the old deer said, raising his voice over the wind. “So, again, I ask why do you have such childish thoughts?”

Facing the ground, Cold tried to muster something to say, some feasible defense to say anything but his thought were too muddled. “I don’t know…”

“Nothing is ever easy, young blood, and you shouldn’t expect it to ever be so simple. Come now, let’s continue on our way,” grabbing Cold by his shoulder. A small snow devil breezed through the street in front of them, dancing madly around them as they trekked onward. “I may have a solution to your problem,” said the elder.

Solution? Cold mentally steeled himself as he heard the word solution come out of the old reindeer’s mouth. “Elder, what kind of solution are you referring to?” Elders were widely respected for their vast wisdom, some even as high as the prime minister for their sagely judgment and ties with other races in the north. However, their ‘eccentric’ behavior did leave room for others to pause for thought; this ‘solution’ was undoubtedly going to be painless.

A small chuckle escaped out of the elder’s lips, “Nothing you can’t already handle, young blood.”

-Warm Hart’s Café-

The small chime of a bell rung in a doe’s ears as a pair of hoof steps entered from the front of the store. Pulling out a tray of freshly baked cinnamon rolls from her oven, Sweet Hart brushed off any flour that still clung to her body before shuffling her way to the dining area. A warm smile grew on her lips as Cold made his way inside however concern took over as the other deer made his way in. “Oh, Elder Tuhka, what a pleasant surprise,” keeping a rather stoic grin on her face. “I am honored an elder has graced our home.”

“I hope you’ll excuse my abruptness, dear matron,” bowing deeply as his antlers scratched the wooden floors. “Your, son-“

“Nephew,” corrected Sweet, wincing at the grating noises of scuffed wood. She’d be sanding out the scuffs left behind later.

“Yes, nephew, is having some difficulties with himself,” hobbling over to a coat rack and hanging up his attire and leaning his cane against the wall. Working some kinks out of his back, he pulled out a small stool to sit on, “Forgive my intrusion on your hospitality, but I require some herbs for a brew to help with you nephew’s condition.”

Sweet leered at the old reindeer before clearing her throat. “Yes, well, I’ll be happy to help.”

“My thanks,” bowing deep again, causing several new scratches in the woodwork. “I require some plants from your stock. Dried moon flower petals, a small bushel of arctic frost berries and the cap of a white spotted mushroom.” As Sweet left the room, Tuhka walked over to his cloak and began to fumble through several pockets lining the sides of it. A small tink was heard as he withdrew a small, dusty vial with a clear, swirling liquid inside.

“So, what is this going to do for me?” Cold’s eye leered at the bottle in Tuhka’s hoof. Sweet reemerged into the room with a small porcelain bowl of the herbs that the elder had asked for. Uncorking the small container, the liquid seemed to leap out and splash around in the bowl. The plants inside began to wither and dry as if they were set ablaze, crumbling into a small pile of ash. A small hiss issued followed by a small plume of steam shot out until the contents of the bowl withered down to a small, syrupy grey puddle.

“Drink,” offering the slightly steaming bowl to Cold.

“What is this?” Cold asked, looking down at the vile brew that settled at the bottom of the bowl.

“It will allow you to gain the clarity that you need.” Clasping the bowl in both hooves, Cold lapped up the concoction. A sharp sting of what tasted like liquid burnt bread washed into his mouth. It seared the top of his tongue and felt like hot coals had settled into his stomach as it trailed down his throat.

“Cold?” Sweets voice called out to him, echoing as if he was underwater. Sweat began to pour out of his head while his hooves began to feel numb. His vision began to fade, mist gathering around his eyes. Time slowed to a trickle, watching as the world seemed to stop until a haze grew over his vision. He could feel his body falling out of the chair yet for some reason, it felt like he was falling through the floor.

Tuhka watched as the the young reindeer collapsed onto the floor, his aunt rushing to his side. I hope you will overcome this trial safety, Cold, as he rose from his seat. “Do not worry,” he said, placing a reassuring hoof on Sweet’s shoulder. “He will come back to us.”

“What have done to my nephew?” grabbing the elder by the scruff of his neck and thrusting him against the wall. Damn the consequences, elder or not, no one comes into my home and attacks my family.

Tuhka smiled as Sweet’s warm breath washed over his face. “Like I said, do not worry. I merely reunited two old friends.”

-???-

Cold, blood freezing cold. He couldn’t remember when he regained consciousness but now the only thing he could think of was the intense feeling running up his spine like an electrical current. Cracking open up his eyes, he was greeted to an endless plain of white, sheets of snow falling down burying his body. Stretching out a hoof, he began to clear away the flakes that had gathered in front of his eyes. Closing his eyes, he opened them again as he stared at his foreleg. Pawing at it with his other leg, the snow still clung to his hair, almost as if…

I turned white? His fur had bleached to a pure white. Checking both of his forelegs, each had turned purely white, all of him purely white. What’s happened to me? Getting up, he began to walk forward as the ferocity of the wind bore down on him yet he couldn’t feel its wrath.

Okay, if I can find some kind of constellation then I could at least get my bearings, as he looked up towards the sky. He dropped to his rump in disbelief as he saw nothing but an endless sea of white covering the sky above.

Fwish.

The ground beneath him gave way sending him face forward, a small trickle of blood running from his nose. Pulling himself up, he peered down at a small pool that had formed in the middle of the snow. A clear reflection stared back at him, shock etched into his face at what he saw. His entire body was white, his eyes a deep blue with no pupils but the most drastic change was his antlers. They were clear, almost diamond like, sprouting from his head but still retaining their original shape.

As he continued to investigate his new appearance, a bubble emerged from the small pool before him. Soon another followed, and another until it began to froth and gush upward. Small shards of ice beneath the snow began to splinter apart, several chunks flowing over the top of the snow. Cold began to back up as more of the ice began to give way, realizing that he was standing on a sheet of pure ice.

Fwoosh!

A small geyser erupted upward, followed by another on Cold’s side. Mist stung his eyes as a great tremor made him fall to his hooves. Fear rooted him to the floor as he began to stumble backwards, tripping over himself. His heart raced, beating like a festival drum as something far beneath the ice began to surface. He could feel it coming; the sheer force of it surfacing could be felt beneath his hooves.

FWOOSH!

With the roar of thunder and the force of a cannon, a beast covered in scales and splinters of ice shot out from underneath the ice. Cold lay splayed out, half buried in snow, as the beast broke through the frozen barrier and made its way onto the solid surface. It began to wrap itself in a large circle around him, coiling itself around Cold, towering over him with its massive size. Opening his eyes, he came face to face with a creature that was rarely even seen in the northern wilds.

A sea serpent, one that made the ones in his books would look miniscule in comparison. Aquamarine scales with a pearly sheen covered the top while its pale blue underbelly was exposed beneath. Several barbels extended out from its lower lip, a silver orb hanging from the end of each appendage. A large sapphire was embedded into the hollow of its throat with several pearls surrounding it. Its deep purple eyes looked down at Cold but not with ravenous hunger but oddly with motherly concern and sadness.

“Young child of the north, what ails you?” came a soft, caring voice. Small wisps of frozen air shot out of its snout, the dorsal fin on top of its head retracted back as it began to lower its head. Cold tried to retreat backwards but was blocked by the wall of scales.

“I-I-I…”

“I can feel your despair, young child,” came the voice once again. “What makes your heart ache?” Cold’s vision was now engulfed by the serpentess, he was sure it was a female. “Tell me, do you remember my name?”

“Can’t say I remember meeting a sea serpent before,” choking out his words. The sudden feeling of dread began to fade away yet a primal fear was latched onto his mind. A small chuckle arose then a hearty laugh as the serpent threw back her head giving Cold the unpleasant surprise of several rows of razor sharp teeth lining its maw.

“So honest and innocent but always dead serious with your answers now,” it replied with mirth. “Allow me to re-introduce myself, Cold. I am Puhdasta Vettä, but you may call me Vettä. I am she who shifts the tides and dances with the moon, swaying her body with a hint of pride. Tell me, do remember ----?”

“Who?” Her voice went silent yet he could hear a faint whisper, but muffled as if she was talking from far away. Her lips moved but no sound could be heard coming from them.

“I see, it has been a very long time, but you shall remember along the way. For now, I will guide you through this trial and overcome your burden, young Cold.” The great serpent drew back her while still keeping her eyes on the small reindeer she was coiled around.

“My burden, what burden? What are you talking about, and where am I?”

A small harrumph came from the sea serpentess, “You are within the realm of water and ice and all that dwells within the endless depths. An endless ocean covered in icebergs and islands covered in snow. Where else would expect the spirits of water to reside?”

“To answer your other question, it is rather simple. Like each of the realms of the spirits, you’ve left your body behind and sought my counsel. Those who come seeking guidance are often burdened, and as one of the nature spirits, I will impart my teachings onto you,” her tone growing stern and becoming sharp as the weather itself. “Tell me Cold, do you know why the ice beneath you began to break?”

“You emerged from beneath the ice?” feeling rather foolish as to how fast he responded.

“Look beneath you now, Cold,” she said, unraveling her and laying out her sinewy body on the ice field. Peering down, the ice beneath Cold looked like a shattered mirror, spreading out beneath him.

“How did you do this?” looking up at the spirit, the feeling of the cracks driving deeper into the ice through his hooves made his heart race.

“Despair, despair is weighing you down,” shaking her scaly head from side to side. “Soon you shall drown in it and you will be at the mercy of my brother. Before Hukkuminen Epätoivo can claim you, you must let go of whatever dark thoughts cloud your mind.".

”If not, you will drown in the dark depths like so many others before you.”

Water began to pool around Cold’s hooves as the ice swayed beneath him, Vettä’s words sinking in with even greater weight. ”What do I do?” Cold watched as the serpentess wrapped a pearl up in one of her barbels and pulled it free from the center of her throat. Placing the pearl in front of him, Cold stared at a glossy but distorted reflection of himself within the pure white orb.

”Take this and pour your thoughts into it,” coiling herself up and looming over the white reindeer. ”Your despair will be given form and when it manifests, be prepared to confront it. And remember Cold, if you fail, you will be lost to Epätoivo’s realm. He lords over the darkest recesses of this realm, where even I dare not swim.”

Grasping the pearl within his fore hooves, Cold closed his eyes as he tried to think back on what had happened so far today. Despair? What’s there to be upset about really? Maybe this all a dream, trying to shrug off the whole experience but the weight of the object in his hooves destroyed all doubts about that thought. Vanhi, is that where my despair stems from? A sudden chilling pulse shot out from his hooves, causing him to loosen his grip on the pearl. Opening his eyes, it laid buried in the snow and ice however, several black lines began to form on the surface.

Picking it back up in his hooves, Cold resumed recollecting his thought as the water spirit continued to watch over him. Okay, so uncle is part of the problem, or wait. He did make me do this whole thing. Another jolt ran down his fore hooves but he still clamped down on the pearl to not let it slip out of his grasp again. At least I’m on the right track.

Do not lose yourself Cold, confront your problems and overcome them. A sudden lancing pain came from the sea serpentess’ tail, her pupils turning to slits as she began to search for the intruder. Something dares to intrude on my realm? No, this is much more sinister, nothing on the material realm can make me writhe with such pain. Vettä scales prickled with anxiety, casting her eyes down below the reindeer. He was here, following the scent of fresh blood. Watching, waiting, he was as cold and calculating as she was serene and caring. His long lithe form swam beneath them, a predator encircling its prey before moving in for the kill.

I don’t know what’s bothering me so much, Cold sat in silence as the wind howled in his ears. A small voice rose up in the back of mind, or maybe you know but you choose not to accept. His eyes opened up, looking around for the owner of the voice.
“Cold,” Vettä’s voice struck him as he looked up at her. “Now is not the time to let petty concerns obscure your judgment,” she said with finality. Shutting everything out, the white reindeer pressed the pearl onto his forehead, locking it between his antlers. Alright, time to stop prancing around the fire. I...I’m in despair because I can’t figure how I can possibly get through this whole ordeal without letting uncle down.

The pearl rung out an ear shattering blast, deafening Cold as he was thrown backwards, landing head first into the snow several yards away. Drawing himself up, the once white pearls now hovered in the air, now completely black as blue smoke hissed from the multiple cracks that formed on the surface of it. Cold watched as he heard something shatter like glass from within the small blue nebula, receding inwards and taking on a form.

Soon, the smoke grew denser; solidifying until in its place was a familiar form. It looked like a photo negative of himself, albeit slightly larger with icy blue glyphs inscribed into his body. Its black fur a stark contrast to his now white coat, the antlers a dirty dull grey. Its form shimmered in and out as if it was still wasn’t completely solid, like a ghost trying to retain a corporal form.

“Your despair has been given form,” Vettä’ began to recoil herself around the two reindeer. “Face this part of yourself, Cold. I will assist you with this trial. With my blessing, you will be able to draw upon the power of the water spirits without cost.”

Staring down his doppelganger, Cold advanced towards it with mild curiosity. What am I supposed to do here, yell at him? ”He-”

”Pathetic,” the voice was dull but full of sadness.

”Excuse me?” Cold snapped back, a small sting in his hide painfully reminding him of the harsh elements bearing down on him. ”Where do you get off on calling me pathetic?” stamping down a hoof. Ice suddenly encased his right leg, growing over it like a living thing.

”I’m a part of you, that part of you that sees the truth you don’t want to,” as it started to walk towards him. The voice of the dark Cold sounded sorrowful, a bizarre contrast to its rather bored expression. ”How is it that you continue to move forward and yet always take several steps back at the same time?” The closer the copy got, the bigger it seemed to grow, surpassing Cold’s height until it had to lower its neck to meet him eye to eye.

”So what exactly is this truth I’m not seeing?” staring back with defiance in his eyes yet he could feel the ice crawling up both of his front legs now.

”You tell me, we both already know the answer. You keep pushing everydeer else away in some sad attempt to keep your fears in check,” it said, circling around Cold now at a lazy pace.

Cold’s head turned to face the floor, noticing that several more cracks had grown and branched out. His forelegs were covered up to his knees with grey ice. Uncertainty slithered its way into his stomach, clamping down on his lungs as the feeling of despair began to grow more and more. With each passing moment, he could see the ice beginning to encase him until finally he would fall through the ground beneath him and into the depths.

”I don’t think I can actually pull this job off,” he muttered to himself.

”That’s right, you will fail like you always do.” Cold picked up his head to meet the doppelganger’s face. Horror ran up his spine as he saw that it had grown again, a cocksure smile on its face. ”You’re given an opportunity and yet you keep stumbling around like an adolescent fawn,” it continued on with the same distraught look.

”Doesn’t mean I shouldn’t do nothing at all.”

The doppelganger stopped dead, flinching as it had been struck by an unknown force. “What did you say?” turning back to face Cold.

“Well, I better start doing something because it’s better than listening to you talk,” confidence starting to build up, albeit slowly. The copy’s eye locked with his but now it was nearly once again eye level with him. “Now that it’s all out in the open, sounds kind of stupid to worry about what could happen right?” A comforting warmth spread throughout his body once again, the ice cracking off his legs until it was only above his hooves now.

A sudden shift in the ice caught Cold off guard as he fell down. Small pin pricks of shattered ice nipped at his belly as fell unceremoniously to the unforgiving ground. Staring through the ice, he could make out a faint shape. Something swam underneath, so close to him but yet it didn’t dare to rise up through the ice. He could feel small shifts in the icy floor, bending and cracking as the creature continued to lurk beneath him.

“You have no clue as to what you’re getting into,” shouted the doppelganger, its voice now coarse and harsh as it stood over him. “The only reason you got anything is because your uncle continues to waste his time on you.”

“That’s not true! Vanhi knows I can do this.”

“But you honestly don’t believe that do you?” replied the doppelganger in a condescending tone. “If you honestly had any kind of faith in yourself, I wouldn’t be here.” Pointing a grey hoof at itself, “How many times do I have to repeat it, moron. I’m a part of you.”

“Enough!” roared Cold, stamping a hoof. Ice shot up around the doppelganger, its hoofs locked just like his were moments ago. “I’m sick and tired of all of this despair tearing away at me.” Another stamp of his hooves, more ice began to entomb the doppelganger, trapping it inside of a growing prison of solid ice. “I made a choice but at least it was one I made on my own.”

Locking horns with his doppelganger, Cold stared down at the now fearful looking copy of himself. Letting out a held breath, Cold felt an invisible weight lift off his shoulders, “I’m not going to fail.”

Walking away from his doppelganger, Cold felt a new sensation growing from within. Somehow he felt lighter, like he could literally walk on air.

“No, it is not that simple, Cold.”

A sudden bang, followed by a large chunk of ice striking the back of his head made Cold lose his balance. Turning around, the doppelganger’s icy prison began to crack as it began to swell in size again. “There’s a difference in saying, Cold, and doing.” Its growing body burst out of the ice, the glyphs on its body began to glow brighter than before. “Can you put those words into action? Or like always, are you just all talk?” towering over the white reindeer.

Vettä pulled herself away from the two reindeer, knowing full well what was about to happen. You’ve rid yourself of the despair in your mind, Cold. But now, you must gain the strength to fight off the lingering thoughts that remain behind. Be prepared Cold, now you must fight for your life.

The doppelganger reeled back onto his back hooves and slammed them into the ground. Cold barely managed to dodge an icicle shooting up from the ground like a spear. Falling to his side, his doppelganger lowered his head and began to charge. Cold remember, as long as you are here the water spirits will come to your aid, Vettä’s voice giving his some small modicum of reassurance.

Throwing his head up, a wall of ice erupted between him and his oncoming attacker. The wall held up, shattering the doppelgangers horns in the process, fragments of his antlers falling to the ground. Pressing his advantage, Cold stamped down feeling a pulse of energy running through his hooves. A large hiss came from the ice and a torrent of water burst forth from underneath, sending the doppelganger careening backwards. Feeling the power churning inside, Cold poured more energy through his hooves, the strange sensation feeling oddly familiar.

Regaining its footing, the doppelganger stood up, white cracks trailing down its head. Blue ichor ran down its face, small droplets mixing into the snow. A small cackle came from the doppelganger, its face contorted in pain. “Drown,” it said with a devilish smile.

The ice beneath Cold gave way, the water rushing up to grab him. As soon as his hoof touched the surface of the pool, he could feel something grabbing a hold of him and drag him down into the deep abyss. His body began to grow numb, an overwhelming pressure wrapped around his body and squeezed out any air still in his lungs. His nerves screamed out in pain as he continued to sink down deeper.

This can’t be how it ends, not like this. Cold struggled to move his limbs, trying to call out to Vettä to help pull him up from the water. Opening his eyes, he could see something swimming towards him. It almost looked like Vettä, but if gave off an aura of mind numbing despair. Ice clung to its ebony scales with its iron grey underbelly. Soulless eyes stared at Cold as he continued to plummet downwards.

“So little one, you have failed in the end,” it’s voice sounded exactly like his doppelganger. “You have fallen prey to despair like many others before you. Vettä was truly a fool to believe that you could have succeeded in passing this trial,” the sea serpent’s sad tone almost sounded like pity to him. “It is only a matter of time, so let me formally welcome you to the realm of Hukkuminen Epätoivo. Not even my dear sister shall find you here. Any final words you wish for me to tell her?”

Cold stared back at the beast and closed his eyes. “No.”

“Are you sure? It would be a pity to not watch my dearest sister writhe in misery,” he said with exuberance. “Oh how I do enjoy the small things in life.”

“I’m sure, because I’m not going to stay here, Epätoivo.

The sea serpent shook his mighty head. “And what does that mean?” shoving his giant, scaly head in front of Cold.

“I understand where I am now. This is the realm of the water and ice spirits.”

“Yes, how very astute of you to realize that fact,” mocked Epätoivo, his voice bristling with cold rage.

“So then different rules apply to me in this realm since I'm a spirit, right?”

Epätoivo stared at Cold, a storm raging in his black, pupiless eyes as they stared back at him. “What are you getting at, child of the north?” hissing through clenched teeth.

“In this realm, like the other realms, we don’t actually have a physical body. Everything here is governed by the spirits that live in it,” Cold stopped dead in the water. Everywhere he looked was dark, not even the tiniest sliver of light could be seen. “So that means it isn’t about what my body can do. Rather it’s all about what I can think I can do.”

The pain left him, and air filled his lungs again as he began to move upward. “If I chose to accept despair, then I will drown. When the ice beneath me gave away, I let it overwhelm me because I thought I lost at the moment.” The water churned as he began to rise even faster, “It’s all in how I think in this realm, if despair clouds m judgment then I will continue to sink until it will crush me like the ocean.”

Epätoivo roared with anger as his prey left him, lunging at the white reindeer in vain. “But if I chose to not give into despair, then I will prevail.” Cold felt himself rocket upwards, the sudden turbulence forcing him to shut his eyes as continued to ascend. “I think it’s time that I got over my despair, don’t you?”

Vettä remained on the surface of the ice, silently weeping as she continued to stare down where Cold had been claimed by her brother. His doppelganger stood still, a triumphant look on its muzzle.

Krick.

Vettä opened her eyes, her pupils expanding as she listened to the sound of the ice shifting.

Kra-shoom!

Pillars of ice shot up, towering over even Vettä herself, her scales bristling in awe as she watched in bewilderment at such a feat. The snow stopped falling, a calm in the everlasting storm within her realm.

Ka-thoom!

A small, horned form destroyed the ice floor before Vettä, rising out of the water like a sea serpent itself. Icicles shot up across the ice, impaling the doppelganger’s body, locking it in place. Cold stood tall on the ice before Vettä, his eyes looking back at her with a hardened resolve. Ice formed at his hooves, mending the destruction he created upon his entrance.

Turning his attention towards the doppelganger, he walked up towards the embodiment of his despair. The doppelganger stared down at Cold, its blue blood flowing down in small rivulets from the icy spears piercing through its body. “So, what are you going to do now?” it asked. The glyphs on its form snuffed out, the antlers gone and its eyes were empty of color. “You’ve conquered your despair, haven’t you?”

“You’re right,” Cold replied. “But I can’t honestly say it’s all gone,” lowering his head so that his antlers interlocked with his doppelganger. “For now, I mustn’t worry about how I can fail.”

“Despair has consumed many before you Cold,” came Vettä’s motherly voice from behind him. The sea serpentess slithered across the ice, stopping a small distance away from him. “It’s not as easy a task as some may think, but you have prevailed over it,” lowering her head down on the ice floor. “I have watched over you since you’re arrival and I find you worthy of taking up the druidic oath.”

Extending her barbels out in front of her, she began to weave them through the air. Small motes of water began to form in the air and began to cluster together in the center until it formed a near, invisible orb. Wrapping it up in her appendages, Vettä presented the orb to Cold, “With this, you will be able to call for water’s aide so long as you are willing to offer your own assistance to my realm’s needs.”

Pulling up his hoof, Cold ran his hoof against the orb. As soon as he had made contact, he could feel the water churning inside, like a whirlpool. “If you chose to accept this task, the tether to the realm of water will be made. If you ever abuse this trust, I shall sever the tether until you repent for your actions, do you understand?” Beneath him, the ice seemed to rise and groan, emphasizing how poor a choice it would be to enrage the sea serpentess.

“I accept.”

Water gushed out of the orb and began to pool around Cold. He watched as the water began to wrap around his body and seep into his skin until nothing remained. Blue, wavy lines began to rise up on his hide, soon covering his whole body. Running up from his hooves to around his muzzle, Cold’s entire body was now covered in icy blue tattoos. “The pact has now imprinted itself on your body, an evident display to all that you have my blessing.”

Bowing deeply, Cold uttered his thanks. “Now dear northern child, I believe it is time for you to return to the material word.” Vertigo overtook him as some unknown force flung him into the air, soaring towards the white sky. “Never forget what you have learned here,” called out Vettä, watching Cold’s dwindling form leave her realm.

The spirit of the water stared at the sky a little while long until she could no longer feel Cold's presence. A rueful smile spread across her maw, elated at his success, however it was short lived as she cast her eyes on the doppelganger. The broken black reindeer’s head rose to meet her eyes, staring back with a disinterested look on its muzzle as if it was oblivious to the shape of its body. “I know you can hear me brother. Why did you intervene in the trial of Cold Hart?” snapping her jaws violently. “Were you afraid of him like the coward you are?” putting her face directly in front of the doppelganger.

The doppelganger laughed, small trickles of blue blood dripped from its muzzle and onto the ice beneath it. “Coward? I prefer to call it being witty, dearest sister.” The imitation reindeer wiped the blood away from its muzzle, “Don’t misunderstand my actions, dearest sister. I was merely trying to protect you from him.”

The sea serpentess hissed, the sound grating the air and splintering the ice around her. “I will not be swayed by your ludicrous lies, brother.” The doppelganger only laughed in response to Vettä’s outburst. “Be gone,” lashing out her tail at the doppelganger, turning it into a black smear on the ice. Diving through the ice and back into her realm, Epätoivo’s words still haunted her mind.

Protect you from him.

Was this another of Epätoivo’s ruses, to sever the bond that she had forged with Cold? Or was there something that her brother knew about the young reindeer that she was woefully ignorant of? As she swam against the mighty currents of the ocean, she couldn’t make any sense of Epätoivo’s words. He is a coward, depraved, the embodiment of doubt, passing by a school of a scared witless great white shark as she continued to swim further. But of all of the things that Epätoivo is, he is always brutally honest.

Author's Note

In case anyone was wondering about the names of my newest characters. The origin of the words are Finnish.

Tuhka - Ash
Puhdasta Vettä - Purifying Water
Hukkuminen Epätoivo - Drowning Despair

Departure to a New World

-Dining Area, Warm Heart Café-

The sudden sensation of becoming physical again came as a shock to Cold. His senses flared up as his body felt oddly alien to him. Cold could hear the sound of his blood flowed through his veins and pumping through his heart. His ears could hear the timbers in the floorboards beneath him groan in protest against his weight. Pain lanced through his eyes as the sun’s rays burned his irises.

“Well, now,” came a familiar gruff voice. “Look whose back from the dead.” Cold blinked a few times to clear away the tears from the sudden burst of light. Tuhka stood over him, an expression of joy on his muzzle. “Don’t try and get up too soon, the soul returning to its body for the first time has some, well, side-effects.”

Putting a hoof down, Cold shakily stood to his hooves before falling like a new born fawn trying to take its first steps. Tuhka extended a hoof out but Cold merely swatted it away. “I don’t need help.” Trying once again, he was able to stand on all fours, however his knees continued to shake slightly as his weight seemed new to him. “You could’ve warned me at least, elder.”

“Warn you of what?” Tuhka speed back to let the younger reindeer flex his legs, “That wasn’t supposed to be an easy journey. Releasing your soul from the physical confines of your body is the only way for one travel to one of the spirit realms. Once there, each deer experiences their own personal trial to further commune with the spirits.” Pulling out a chair from the table, he ushered Cold over to his side. “Sit,” he commanded.

Cold’s senses found equilibrium as he sat across from Tuhka. Taking in the room around him, he felt like he was sitting in an entirely different place. He could see cracks in the ceiling he hadn’t noticed before. Small scuffs worn into the floor from so many hooves from everydeer that came to the café. “You didn’t move my body?” he said as he continued to look around the room with new eyes.

Tuhka shook his head, “Of course not. There is too much of a risk in moving the physical form from where the soul departs from it. It can unintentionally cause you to be left stranded within the spirit world for long periods of time.”

Cold mouthed a small ‘oh’, as he regained some small form of composure. “Now then, young Cold,” began Tuhka. “Where did you’re travels take you this time?”

Cold recounted falling into a world of ice and the endless ocean beneath of it. How Vettä came to him, offering to rid him of his overwhelming despair if he undertook her trial. Tuhka’s remained calm and composed as he always was as he took in Cold’s words, save for a constant small twitch in his left ear. “Now then Cold, that copy of you, was it whole?” Tuhka leaned forward a bit, a palpable air of concern swirling around him.

“I don’t understand what you mean, elder,” Cold replied.

“This creature that took your form, was it exactly like you? Was it whole? Was it a shade, not unlike a ghost?” Tuhka asked with keen interest.

Cold concentrated on the black and blue copyof himself, its haunting voice sending shivers down his spine. It looked exactly like him, albeit a twisted version of him. “No, it looked just like I am except for the color of its hair and its antlers,” Cold recalled.

Tuhka paused for a moment, leaning back from Cold. “Well it hardly matters, young Cold. Congratulations to you though, it has been some time since somedeer your age has made the pact with a spirit,” beamed Tuhka. “Do you understand what has happened?”

“No.” Cold watched as the elder’s face sag into a frown at his ignorance. “I have no clue what I’ve done and I have no idea as to what I can do with this power.”

“To call it power shows your ignorance in this matter, young Cold,” snapped Tuhka. “The spirits are there to guide you, and yes, even at times, lend you their strength. In return, you offer your own strength to help the spirits when they need you.

Cold leaned back into his chair, committing the information that Tuhka was giving to to memory. “Elder, what did you mean lending my strength to the spirits?”
Tuhka clamped his jaw together, perturbed by Cold interrupting him. “The world is, and always will be, in a constant flux,” answered the elder. “Nature tends to balance itself out but the spirits may deem it necessary for you to act on their behalf. It may not always seem clear why the task must be done but know that it always has a meaning to it.”

“Ever since the first druid communed with the spirits, we’ve always sought to maintain the balance in our lands and in this world. Releasing ourselves from the limitations imposed on us is the key to understanding the ways of the spirits.” Tuhka reclined in his seat, giving Cold some breathing room. “Each and every reindeer can hear the spirits but it is a choice to live as a druid. When you contact them, you will have to pour your own energy into the realms. If a spirits hears your call, they may come to your aid. However, be warned that if you spend too much energy, you could find yourself at the gates of death.”

A small flicker of fear played on Cold’s face, as a macabre thought of him lying dead in the snow out in the tundra with no deer else around. “How will I contact the spirits?” trying to distract himself of any more grim thoughts. Tuhka, grunted and cracked his neck before responding.

“Each druid has an item of great value that they’ve always held close to them.” Tuhka picked at his chin. “The item in question is one you’ve cared deeply for, one that you’ve left an impression on. Emotions leave an imprint from your soul inscribed into it, invisible to the naked eye. The spiritual tether is formed from these feelings to bridge the gap between the realms.”

Tuhka pulled out an old pocket watch from inside of his cloak. The bronze lettering across the center was barely legible but Cold still could make out the name Tuhka etched into the metal. “I’ve carried this watch for many seasons. I’ve never gone anywhere without it,” he mused as he clicked it open. Cold could hardly see the hooves slowly ticking inside behind the broken glass. “Think back, young Cold. There must be something you’ve always kept by your side. The spirits may have even shown you something you remember.”

Cold leaned back in thought, his head still in a fog. First Vettä used the pearl that drew out my despair, and then there was the orb of water that she used to make me swear the oath. The night before, that mountain deer was in my dream but was there anything important he showed me? Cold shoved his hooves to his ears, grinding them against his skull as he tried to assemble his memories.

Ting-Ting

A small chime rung out, throwing off Cold’s concentration. Sweet Hart stood in the middle of the doorway of her café, her eyes landing directly on Cold. In a heartbeat the doe scooped up her nephew into a tight hug, “You’re finally awake!”

Cold felt his head beginning to swim as his overly loving aunt continued to cut off the blood flow from his head. A small tap on her shoulder let her know she was about to unknowingly strangle the life out of him. “Good to see you too, Aunt Sweet,” wheezed Cold, as he inhaled sweet, delicious air.

“I was so worried, after you drank, well, whatever it was,” wept Sweet. “I tried to wake you up but Elder Tuhka said we couldn’t move you or else we might lose you.” Grabbing a hold of her nephew again, Sweet’s eyes welled up with tears, rolling down her muzzle and onto Cold’s coat. “I’m just glad you came back to me.” Releasing her nephew, Sweet walked into the kitchen and returned with a rucksack embroidered with Buckland’s emblem on it. “Somedeer came by earlier and dropped this off for you, it’s got everything you’ll need for your little trip.”

Looking through the raggedy bag, Cold pulled out two train tickets, a small white book, a few gold tokens and a thick sealed envelope. Tearing through the waxed seal, a small booklet was pushed up against three leaves of paper.

To Cold Hart,

Congratulations on your appointment of the esteemed status of Representative of the Ministries of Buckland. Inside of your travel bag, you will find several items that will be necessary for a safe and timely arrival in Equestria. Inside this envelope will be your passport, be sure to keep this and all documents on hoof in case of emergency.

The letter continued on in its minute script, detailing his entire schedule up until his arrival in the Crystal Empire. “I’m so proud of you that going thorough with all of this.” Placing the letter back inside, he opened up his passport, a rather old but still recognizable photo was glued onto the first page. Well, at least I don’t look that different from this picture. Opening up the other book, lines crossed across the page, the words business and bits were across the top. My expenses booklet, tossing it back inside of the bag. “Well, I guess that’s everything I’ll need,” throwing the rucksack around his back.

“I’m afraid you’re overlooking something, Cold,” interrupted Tuhka. “We still need you to find the tether.” Furrowing his brow at the elder’s sudden interruption, he tried to make an earnest effort to recall anything that he held deeply. My cloak? No, I’ve had it for a while but I don’t really have a deep connection to it. What if there is a common theme here? What did the pearl, the orb of water and my dream all have in common? he pondered to himself.

Ting-ting

The bells knocked against the door frame again as Sweet shut the door behind her. An idea blossomed in Cold’s head as sudden realization came to him. Jumping out of the chair, he sprinted upwards towards his room. Opening his desk drawer, he found what he was looking for. It was there, his silver bell on a lanyard. Picking it up delicately in his hooves, he hung it around his neck. The cords of the lanyard seemed to grip his neck in a small hug as it came in contact with Cold’s body.

“I take it you found it?” Tuhka stood in the doorway of Cold’s room. Hobbling over to him, the elder grasped the small bell in his hoof. “Yes, I can feel a wellspring of emotions overflowing from this item of yours, Cold. How did you know this would be it?”

“On the night I first had my dream, I wore this to bed. I only just remember it now,” as he cradled it delicately like a new born fawn. “Don’t remember why I ever let this thing be thrown in the attic, I used to never take it off.” As they returned to the bottom floor, Sweet could be heard from the kitchen humming a small tune inside the kitchen. “Yes, I’ll be ready for tomorrow,” he declared, a strong feeling of pride welling up inside.

“I believe you mean today.”

“…what?” Cold’s sudden joy crumbed into dust.

“You were asleep for, oh, I think a good sixteen hours. You will need to run to the train station if you still plan on making it on time,” said Tuhka with hardly any empathy in his voice.

It took a few moments for Cold to register Tuhka’s words, the sudden news crashing into him like a runaway sleigh. Knocking over Tuhka, Cold flew into the main parlor nearly colliding head on with Sweet and the tray of cookies she was carrying on her back. Draping his cloak over his back and grabbing the rucksack, Cold tore open the door and tore off down the road. A mile long cloud of snow flurries trailed behind the young reindeer.

Peering out the door, Sweet smiled as she watched her nephew disappear off into the distance beyond the roads of the district. “Well, can’t blame the young buck for not taking this seriously, I’d say.” Picking up the chairs that had been knocked over by Cold’s hasty exit, she noticed two slips of paper on the floor. The train tickets. A jolt of fear shook Sweet as Cold had forgotten to put them back inside of his bag before taking off.

“It would seem our young buck forgot something of importance.” Tuhka walked out into the middle of the dining area. “Do you think you can catch up to him in time, matron?”

“No, Cold’s already probably already half-way to the station by now,” Sweet said. She smiled as an idea struck her. “But I do know someone faster than Cold.”

“Someone?” Tuhka cocked an eye at her at how she phrased her sentence.

A few curt whistles and a bolt of black fur made its way down the stairs, flinging itself into the room. Casey sat at the ready, her tail waggling so fast it seemed to blur. “Here Casey.” Sweet’s tucked the tickets inside of the dog’s pink collar, securing them in place with a pin. “Go get these to Cold before he leaves, sweetie.”

Arf.

Running out the door, the lapphund made its way down the street in hot pursuit of her master. Sweet turned her attention back to Tuhka who was picking up his effects, his staff now strapped to his back. “Are you leaving now, elder?”

“Yes, I believe I have worn out my welcome, dear matron.”

“Oh, not at all. I-“

“Forgive my abruptness, dear matron,” half-shouted Tuhka. “But I can read it in your face that you see me as quite bothersome. To hold it against you would be quite rude, especially after how I thrust your nephew into new responsibilities.” Opening up the door, the elderly reindeer walked out into the oncoming snowstorm. “Do take care, and may the spirits continue to watch over you,” said Tuhka. The old reindeer hobbled down the cobbled road with a small kink in his step.

Tuhka walked at a brisk pace, his mind wandering as he struggled against the ongoing storm rattling his bones. “Well old friend, what do the winds whisper to you?” Small grey wisps of smoke formed in the air, right above Tuhka’s head. A small, gray cloud of ash hovered above him, two sooty eyes formed within the cloud. “Yes, but he’s always been a problem fawn.” The small ash spirit merely floated beside the old reindeer, hardly being impeded by the current weather. “Well, we all shall see in the end, won’t we, Noki?” The small spirit merely continued to fight against the wind, its form never losing shape.

-Platform 4, Season’s Passing Train Station-

A whistle of a train whined as the locomotive took off from the station, heading down the line and disappearing from sight. Cold bolted up the platform, past the station master before finally skidding to a halt. Feels like I sheared off two layers of keratin off my hooves. Tentatively putting a hoof down, Cold let out a small yelp as he yanked it back up from the sudden surge of pain. Slowly, he treaded over to a bench and sat down, putting his burning hooves into a small snowbank.

The air sent shivers down his spine, as the sweat from his sudden run began to form on his coat. “Alright, let’s see now,” he said to nodeer in particular. “Where are those tickets at? My books, letter of recognition, passport, bag of golden tokens and, what’s this?” A raggedy, brown journal lay next to the small accounting book in his bag. Creases covered the front while the broken spine hardly kept the yellowing pages from falling out. A small torn piece of paper jutted out behind the tattered cover.

This journal is one I’ve carried with me for many years. It’s passed down within the druidic circle. Learn from the mistakes of the past but also recognize the triumphs of those before you.

-Elder Valkoinen Tuhka

Opening up the musty old book, Cold began leafing through it slowly. Each page seemed to have different hoof writing, some had pictures while others had script so incomprehensible that he wasn’t sure he’d bother to try and decipher it. Some of the pages had sparse stories, a few sentences in cryptic writing. Others seemed to go on for several pages, going into explicit details. One page stuck out to him, as he recognized the eloquent strokes in charcoal.

Strength doesn’t come from overcoming the trials of life but rather the willingness to confront them.

“You always full of wisdom, old buck,” laughed Cold to himself. Snapping the book close, he continued to search in vain for his tickets. After dumping the whole bag to the station floor, his heart withered as it seemed he either lost or forgotten them. “Great, haven’t even got there and I already screwed up,” he cursed to himself, thumping the side of head with a hoof.

Fweet!

A train whistle rung out in the air as a steam engine rolled through the station. The hissing screech of the brakes bit into Cold’s ears as the train came to a grinding halt. Two passenger cars and a caboose were the only things attached to the train. That’s the least I’ve seen a train haul before.

The doors to the train cars opened slowly as a few reindeer walked out, most of them in suits and fine dresses and a few who were bare. He watched silently as they walked past him, none of them even bothering to look in general direction.

“Ehem.”

A small cough came from behind Cold. A station master stepped out of his small office on the platform, “I take it you’re the one who I’m been waiting for?”

“I guess,” glancing around at the now barren platform. “Did you close the lines today?”

“Not exactly, we had to halt all outgoing trains from this station due to the weather. The rest are all still up and running but were not allowing for large hauls so the trains will be short today.” Searching through one of his pockets, he pulled out a small white card, “Cold Hart, is it? You’re private car will be here any moment. I’ll just need to see your tickets,” he said, putting his hoof out expectantly.

My own private car? They’re giving me the whole royal treatment here. “Well, I need to go retrieve my tickets from my house,” Cold replied, plastering a wide grin on his muzzle.

“I hope you can make it there and back in five minutes then,” stated the station master dryly. “If we can’t leave within the next fifteen minutes, we won’t be able to pass through the storm.”

“You already know it’s me, though. Can’t we just bend the rules on this?” Cold pleaded.

The chocolate brown reindeer remained stalwart at Cold’s pitiful attempt to coerce him. “Fraid not, even if you showed me proper identification. Those tickets are the only thing allowing us to pass through the guard station on the other side of the crystal mountain. We need an accurate account of everydeer, if not we won’t be able to gain access into Equestria.

Out of everything that I could’ve forgotten, why was I so stupid as to forget the buckin trai-

Arwhoo!

Casey barreled onto Cold with a unimaginable force, toppling over the unsuspecting reindeer onto the dusty, gray stoned station’s floor. “Casey, what are you doing here girl?” Two small pieces of paper pinned to the dog’s collar flapped in the air, slightly worn from their sudden venture.

“You’re a lucky one, Cold,” the station master said as he unpinned the tickets from the lapphund’s collar. “And your luck just keeps going. Here comes your car right now.” A green passenger car was slowly being pushed through the station. The Buckland national emblem was painted in white on the side, surround by a wreath of maple leaves in gold. Despite its elegant craftsmanship it was rather simple in design. No extra trimmings were added to make it stand out too much. If it weren’t for the emblem, it would’ve looked like a regular train car.

“Not what you were expecting?” The pair watched as the caboose was pulled off from the first train while the second moved Cold’s car to the back. “Well then, I’ll need you to board shortly, Mister Cold.”

“Thanks. I wasn’t able to catch your name.”

“Icy Gale and you should be thanking your dog instead of me. He’s the one who saved your hide,” he said with a cheeky smile.

“She’s a she,” corrected Cold, giving the faithful pooch a loving head rub. “Now, I need you to head on back to Aunt Sweet, okay?” The lapphund stared at her master with a sad look as she whined at his words. “Don’t worry Casey, I won’t be gone long. This trip is only going to take a few days, you can handle that right?”

Fweet!

Casey barked as the train’s whistle rung out, signaling everydeer on the station platform of the train’s imminent departure. “All aboard!” called out Gale, waving his hoof at Cold to depart. As soon as Cold got through the side door of his train car, Casey bolted through his legs and sat in front of him. “Casey, stop, I don’t have the time for this,” chided Cold. Two station attendants greeted him as he pulled the whimpering dog by her collar back onto the platform.

“I won’t be gone forever.” Heading back inside to his private car, he closed the doors behind him, a pang of regret of leaving behind his oldest friend. The train whistle sounded again, notifying everydeer on board that their journey had begun. The sudden lurch of the train finally pulling out of the station sent Cold stumbling into the wall. Shaking it off, Cold inspected the interior of the train car.

Each of the walls were painted a dark shade of green, like the leaves of a tree in the midst of spring. Two blue velvet couches were against the walls of the car. Between them were several white sitting blankets with a different type of tree leaf stitched along the borders of each one. It was an old Buckland tradition to gift another deer with a traveler’s blanket with the leaves of the tree that the deer’s families were tied to. Cold’s eyes flicked over each one, recognizing only a few of them. I’m guessing one from each minister, he thought. Each one was big enough to lay on but not too large to be cumbersome to take on an extensive journey if somedeer were to travel.

A small wood fire furnace radiated heat from the back, causing the back windows to fog up as a thin film of condensation covered the glass. Beneath it was a small mat of Cold felt his eyes droop at the homely feel of the train car and the blanket beneath his hooves. A loud bark interrupted Cold’s thoughts. Casey ran down the edge of the platform, her ears flat against her head as she tried in vain to catch up to the train. As his car finally passed the platform’s end, Casey ran to the edge and howled. The painful call to her master brought a small tear to his eyes as the lapphund called out to him.

“I’ll be waiting for you when I get back!” Cold shouted, his voice seeming to reach his faithful dog’s ears. Soon the wind and the snow obscured his vision, as the world around him became enshrouded in a white veil.

Rough Start

-Topaz Train Station, Crystal Empire-

Coal Vein glanced down at his watch for what seemed to be the fiftieth time today. Standing near the edge of the train platform, the station master could hardly sit still after being informed that royals of Equestria would be arriving soon. Coal could hardly remember feeling such a rush welcoming ponies into the empire. Then again, I can’t remember that clearly after waking up from that curse, he thought dryly.

Pocketing his watch back into his uniform, Coal flicked his tail in annoyance. He was never one to fold under pressure but the weight of the situation was beginning to take its toll on his nerves. I don’t know whether to call myself lucky or not.

The sound of a train whistle brought him back to reality. A small but rapidly growing trail of white smoke could be seen rising down the line.

Alright, here goes nothing. Dusting off his uniform, Coal slicked back his charcoal black mane and tightened his tie. “Everypony, they’re almost here!” Coal’s voice thundered across the platform. Casting a quick glance at the entrance, he could barely see the two guards that had positioned themselves at the entrance of the station.

Coal nearly fainted on his hoofs wheb the Royal Crystal Guards had shown up to his front door with a letter addressed from the empress herself this morning.Thankfully he was able to maintain his composure in front of the two stallions while he read the letter.

Never thought I’d be the one to welcome two royals to the empire. Coal gave his uniform one last cursory glance to make sure no discrepancies could be seen. It wouldn’t be a very pleasant memory if I looked like I just walked out of the mines.

A metallic hiss grated against Coal’s ears as the steam engine came to a halt. Making his way down towards the caboose, Coal stopped at an ornate, purple door on a magenta train car. Trying his best to not lock his knees, the station master stood at the ready to greet the princess.

Magenta light encompassed the door. Princess Twilight Sparkle casually walked out onto the platform with saddlebags strapped to her sides. A worn out book was levitating so close in front of Twilight’s face that she didn’t notice that she was about to walk into Coal.

Coal felt his tongue stick to the roof of his mouth. “Gre-“

“Oh, I’m sorry,” apologized Twilight, taking a step back from Coal. Failing to realize the dumbfounded look on Coal’s face, Twilight closed the book and placed it in her bags. “I swear that’s got to be the fifth time I’ve done that. I couldn’t just put down this book. Well I could’ve but I couldn’t when I was getting into the more informative part of it.”

Coal stood as still as stone as Twilight continued to ramble on. An ache in his legs began to grow as she continued to talk to him.

“Ahem.” Prince Blueblood stood in the center of his doorway, his eyes trained on Coal.

Coal bolted over to Blueblood’s train car and immediately bowed his head. “Greeting, Prince Blueblood. On behalf of the Crystal Empire, we welcome you to our fair nation.” Coal raised his head up but was met with only an empty smile from the prince.

“Wonderful,” Blueblood said. Stepping out with his head held high, the prince walked over to Twilight. “Well, princess, do you wish to simply walk to the Crystal Spire or should we hail a carriage?”

“Excuse me, your majesties,” spoke up Coal. “A carriage was already brought for you, courtesy of the Crystal Empress. If you would, please follow me.” Coal felt a bead of sweat trail down his mane. This wasn’t what he had in mind when he was told to greet royalty.

As Twilight and Blueblood were led to the carriage, a reflection of light caught Twilight’s attention. Two crystal pony guards were standing by at both sides of the entrance to the station. Beyond them was another pair standing in front of the carriage that she assumed was meant for them. Taking a look around, she noticed that a fair amount of guards could be seen scattered around the train station.

“Your majesties, it was an honor meeting with you.” With a final bow, Coal left leaving Twilight and Blueblood to the guards.

“Princess Sparkle and Prince Blueblood, we are happy to see that you have arrived on time,” announced the guard in a flat tone. “I am Lieutenant Diamond Shield. We are here to escort you and the prince to the empress immediately. They are eagerly waiting for your arrival at the Crystal Spire.”

A rather tall guard opened the carriage door for them. Giving a small thank you, Twilight leaned back in her seat as Blueblood took the seat opposite of her. As soon as the door was closed, the carriage immediately began to move.

Poking her head out the window, Twilight drank in the view of the ancient kingdom that was brought back to life. She was never able to explore the sights when she first arrived. The architecture, the animals, even the crystal ponies were just so fascinating to even look at. All of this, a piece of Equestrian history, had been gone for a thousand years because of a curse by a mad king.

As they made their way into the central hub of the empire, Twilight felt like she was in main street of Manehatten. Vendors were calling out to anypony to take a look at their wares. Bargains were struck and deals were being made. It looked like merchants from all parts of Equestria were out on the streets. A mule was selling potted plants and fertilizer at his stall. Next to him was a griffoness selling talon crafted bags on a rather worn looking mat.

A small crystal filly was selling what looked like crystal apples for a few bits in baskets outside of her house. Her tiny head was barely visible over the baskets of fruit as a grey minotaur examined her produce. The two seemed to be haggling over the filly’s prices.

“Enjoying the sights, princess?” quipped Blueblood.

Ignoring the snide comment, Twilight continued to stare out into the world. Everything seemed so new for an empire that was gone for a thousand years. Suddenly, Twilight noticed something peculiar out of the corner of her eye.

A young colt was slowly keeping pace with the carriage. Not too fast that he’d bump into somepony but not outright sprinting to make his intent obvious. The colt seemed to notice that she had spotted him and changed from a hurried pace into a full-on gallop. Blueblood turned his attention outside as he watched the colt begin to charge at the carriage. When the colt broke away from the crowds, Twilight was able to finally catch a clear look of him. An orange crystal pony charged towards her with a small black bag hanging around his neck. A small set of scars were etched into forelegs.

As he neared the carriage, he skidded to a halt before reaching into his bag and pulling out a small spherical object. Winding back his foreleg, the colt hurled the object in a wide arc straight at Twilight with all of his might .

Fwish!

A clear purple barrier surrounded the carriage in an instant, drawing everypony’s attention to it. A moldy tomato exploded against the dome’s surface, putrid juices started running down the sides as a rotting stench began to fill the air. The orange colt ran back into the crowds, promptly making a quick escape while everypony was too busy distracted by the sudden turn of events.

Guards responded by surrounding the carriage. Diamond Shield could be heard barking orders to the guards, while Twilight dispelled the barrier spell. Everypony in the area began to backaway from the scene of the attack.

Diamond Shield threw open the door of the carriage with such incredible force Twilight thought he almost ripped it off its hinges. “Prince Blueblood, Princess Twilight. Are the both of you alright?”

Blueblood gave Shield a rather miffed look but answered with a “yes.” Twilight could feel legs shaking from the sudden attack but gave the officer a small “yes,” as well.

"Did either of you see your assialant?" inquired Shield in a hoarse voice.

"Yes. I did. It was young colt, hardly out of his teens. He was orange and had scars across his legs," recounted Twilight.

Diamond Shield winced when Twilight finished her description of the would be attacker. “Private Graphite and Wingcolt Jade, front and center!” commanded Shield. One grey unicorn and a lime green Pegasus ran towards the lieutenant and saluted. “Fan out and find whoever just threw that tomato at royalty. Snap to it!”

Both guards snapped a quick salute before heading off into the dwindling crowds. Shield called over another pair of guards, relayed another set of orders and sent them off towards vendors.

“Your majesties, I hope you will forgive my lack of attention,” apologized Shield. “We will double time to the Crystal Spire immediately.”

As soon as the carriage door was closed, Twilight was thrown back into her seat as it lunged forward. The sound of metal horseshoes clanged against the stony road as the guards pulled the carriage at breakneck speed. Twilight cringed inwardly at the thought of how painful it was to run in guard’s armor, especially when they were pulling a carriage with two ponies inside.

-Crystal Spire, Crystal Empire-

A few minutes later the carriage came to an abrupt halt, nearly catapulting Twilight out of her seat. A small platoon of crystal guards were stationed outside of the main doors. Each one of the guards was covered in a full suite of crystal armor and a helm with a visor. Not a single part of their bodies were exposed, each one was covered from mane to hoof. All the of the guards were equipped with lances held tightly in hoof.

As the two royals stepped out into the open, two of the armored guards broke away from the formation and began to walk towards Twilight and Blueblood. Diamond Shield cut the two guards off, barring them from the royals. “I have information that must be reported to the empress. There was another public incident.”

The crystal armored guard stood still for a time until finally nodding his head. The pair of armored guards stepped to the side, allowing the three of them passage into the Spire.

After passing through the doors, Shield turned to face the royal pair. “Your majesties, I had hoped for your arrival in the empire had been less eventful in a sense. What had happened earlier was one of the most recent outlandish acts against royalty.”

Shield removed his helmet, revealing an oblong scar running along the top his head. It ran through his mane and on to his ear, tapering off at the end. “As you can see, such acts can become increasingly violent. I am thankful that wasn’t the case in today’s situation,” he said as he donned his helmet again.

“What’s happened to the Crystal Empire?” blurted out Twilight. She could see that even Blueblood looked surprised by this unnerving news.

“I will explain everything as soon as we reach the Empress and Prince Shining Armor in the meeting hall.” The three walked in absolute silence as they made their way up the Spire.

Odd, I never heard of such things happening in the Crystal Empire. What other surprises will be in store for me here? Blueblood wondered. He had seen public outcries before. As a prince, he had seen the odd vagrant try to make a statement by performing some insipid act in the past. This, however, was on a completely different scale. The perpetrator had decided to assault him in broad daylight.

Either the state of the empire has finally reached a boiling point, or somepony thought they were actually making some kind of message. How sad. Blueblood looked to his left, watching Twilight as she continued to observe the interior of the Crystal Empire. His thought went back to the little tiff they had inside of his train car.

Blueblood was well aware of Twilight’s her keen intellect and comprehensive skills. So naturally, this would’ve been an easy lesson for her to grasp. To his dismay, everything he said was overanalyzed or questioned so heavily he would just drop the subject. After several glasses of wine, it became painfully obvious to him that Twilight was clearly unable to understand the basics of politics.

Well, it looks like it falls to me to make sure this whole ordeal will end on a good note. Not to mention that other thing, Blueblood recalled as he adjusted his trademark collar. Steel Wheel’s muzzle popped into his head a few times on the ride down. He was resourceful type, despite being a pegasus. He’d have to deal with his request as soon as everything else was wrapped up.

“Lieutenant Shield, what has been Empress Cadance been doing since she began to rule the Crystal Empire?” Twilight asked. With the

“The empress has been locking herself away recently in the record room. Well, at least what’s left of it,” Shield replied. “When Sombra had taken over, his only interest seemed to be in arcane tomes. Everything was superfluous to him in his desire for power. All of the books that kept track of anything in the empire were left to rot or simply thrown away. We haven't been able to recover everything that was lost but we've done all that we could.”

“Now that Empress Cadance has assumed the throne, she’s been dedicating herself to undo all the damage that tyrant had done. It has been a rather tiring affair,” continued Shield. “For days she’ll be locked away, barely eating or sleeping for that matter. Servants go in and out of her chambers but she hasn’t made a public appearance in nearly six days.”

Twilight listened to what Shield was saying but couldn’t help but worry about the alicorn of love. From what she understood, Cadance may have been in a tighter bind then what Celestia may have guessed.

After the fourth flight of stairs, Shield led them down a hall compromised entirely of sapphires. Shield stopped in front of a pair of double doors with rubies along the frame. “This is the meeting hall, your majesties. Empress Cadance will no doubt be able to answer all of your questions.”

I hope so, Twilight thought as Shield opened the door to the meeting hall.

Fractured Heart

-Royal Conference Room, Crystal Palace-

Empress Cadance sat at the end of a pure white marble table, buried up to her neck in paper work. Her usually well kempt, purple and yellow mane, hung loosely around her face in an untidy fashion. Brushing away a few strands from her eyes, Cadance readjusted the straps on the royal crystal regalia around her neck.

All along the table was what could only be described as a sea of paperwork. Tomes, tablets and thousands of odd pieces of paper covered every square inch of it. A purple crystal pony was carefully balancing several ledgers on her back, standing within hoof’s reach of Cadance. No, no, no. This is even worse that we initially thought.

“My empress, I have brought Princess Twilight and Prince Blueblood, as you commanded.” Diamond took a moment to pause, and added, “I also request to wait for Prince Shining Armor to join us. I have urgent news to discuss with him.”

Cadance felt her joints pop and click as she rose up from her seat. “Twilight, Prince Blueblood, it’s a relief to that the two of you arrived here unharmed.”

Both Twilight and Blueblood performed a small curtsey before rising up. “Well it is truly an honor to meet with you, Empress Cadance. It has been far too long since we were able to talk without the paparazzi harassing us in public.”

Cadance gave the unicorn prince a knowing smile. “Well now, will you all please take a seat with me at the table? Prince Shining is almost done debriefing the guard; he will be joining us in a while.”

Blueblood immediately placed himself in the chair on Cadance’s right while Twilight sat on the second from her left to save a seat for Shining Armor. Always the one to get close to those in power, as always, Blueblood. “Amethyst Shine, I need you to stay as well.”

“Yes, empress.” Amethyst picked up the ledgers from the floor. Squaring away the books on the table, Amethyst took a seat one chair away from Twilight.

“Princess Twilight and Prince Blueblood, I have no doubt that Princess Celestia has informed you of the current predicament that the Crystal Empire is facing?” Both of them nodded in confirmation.

“Princess Celestia told us that the Empire is in desperate need of resources and we need to act soon,” Twilight answered, while Blueblood remained silent.

“That is correct. One of the first things I did when I became the Crystal Empress was to check the royal treasury.” A large, raggedy book that Amethyst had placed on the table earlier began to levitate in an aura of blue magic. It landed in front of Blueblood, sending up a small plume of dust. “If our current projections are accurate, the Crystal Empire will not likely last beyond half a year.” Her words carried an air of finality in them.

Blueblood’s eyes roved over the ledger, not even bothering to look up at Cadance. “We have received aid from Princess Celestia for the past few months; however, it won’t be enough.”

Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but immediately closed it before letting a sound escape. Why did she say Celestia’s title with such, anger?

“Did you have a question, Twilight?” asked Cadance, taking note of the purple alicorn’s look of concern.

“Yes, I was wondering how you were able to keep everything together,” she lied.

Whether or not Cadance could see through her falsehood, the empress continued where she left off. “Celestia knew that the empire’s curse would soon expire, so she decided to form a reconstruction project for the railways. As luck would have it, something unexpected happened. When the excavation team finally arrived, they were greeted by a group of reindeer pioneers.”

Both Blueblood and Twilight sat up a bit straighter at the mention of reindeer. Cadance continued, “An archaeological dig group was on their annual trip to the Crystal Empire. For the past one hundred years, they’ve traveled over the Crystal Mountains and have been studying the curse that was cast by Sombra. They had deduced that the curse was close to breaking, but not exactly when it would break. That was when Celestia and the reindeer began to devise new plans for when the Crystal Empire would return.”

Cadance took a small sip of mineral water from a glass by her side before continuing. “One interesting fact that she learned was that the Crystal Empire and Buckland had held close ties before its disappearance. When the empire was enslaved, the reindeer of Buckland retreated back to their homeland. All traces of them in Equestria were subsequently erased from history.”

Twilight could barely restrain a welling sense of pure anticipation. She barely noticed that she had been slowly leaning closer to Cadance. So much history, so many lost stories. I could publish a book on everything I could rediscover and share with the rest of Equestria. She had thoughts of university professors and famed historians lining up to meet her for signed copies. A small cough brought her back to the present from the white stallion across from her.

Blueblood cocked an eyebrow at Twilight. “As amazing as all of that sounds, how does any of that pertain to our journey, Empress?”

“I was just about to explain that, Prince Blueblood,” Cadance retorted with a snort. “Buckland helped Equestria rebuild the railways for the Crystal Empire without asking for anything in return.”

“I find it hard to believe that they didn’t ask for anything, Empress,” said Blueblood through narrowed eyes.

“Not everypony expects a reward for helping those in need.” Prince Shining Armor entered the room in his trademark captain uniform. He walked with a soldier’s bearing, his eyes fixated on Blueblood. “I wasn’t aware that you were going to be escorting my sister to the Crystal Empire, Prince Blueblood.”

Blueblood turned to face Cadance with a skeptical look on his face. His only response from Cadance was a sheepish grin while Shining Armor took a seat next to her. “I see that you are unaware, Prince Armor, of what I’m doing here,” he said. “Aunt Celestia has tasked me with being an ambassador alongside Princess Twilight.”

Although the prince of the Crystal Empire didn’t even so much as flinch, the tension in the air was palpable to everypony sitting at the table. “I see. I hadn’t been informed of this... altercation.”

“We’re getting off topic,” interjected Cadance loudly, trying to dispel the bubbling anger in the air. “When the Crystal Empire did reemerge and Sombra’s spirit was rooted out, Buckland established their embassy here. Soon they were sending supplies, materials, anything we needed from beyond the Crystal Mountains. We paid for what we could, but that’s when the real issue surfaced.”

An ivory scroll tied with a red ribbon materialized in a burst of blue sparks right above Twilight. “That document empowers Princess Celestia’s right, as one of the di-archs of Equestria, to supersede my authority in any future matters.”

The scroll unfurled itself, the parchment rolling down on to the table. A large golden C with a green V right below it were stamped onto the bottom of the page. Cadance’s wings visibly shifted, breaking her perfect composure. “She felt it was necessary for her to oversee all trade negotiations. After a few months, the Prime Minister of Buckland and Princess Celestia met here. They both came up with a final solution.”

Cadance rose up out of her seat for the first time since starting her meeting. “The two of you will be escorted by a reindeer of their choosing, into Buckland. You will be delegating any future long standing trade establishments as well as showing Buckland that Equestria welcomes them back onto our lands.”

“Amethyst,” began Cadance, causing the crystal pony to shuffle in her seat, “will be joining you as well. She’s going to help with your coaching and is well versed in the ‘cervidae’ language and dialect.”

Twilight felt her stomach dance a flamenco as the implications began to grow. “Cadance, when will be leaving for Buckland?”

“We can expect the ambassador sometime within the next two to four days. The Northern Wilds are notorious for their erratic changes in weather.” Cadance paused a moment to choose her words. “In that time, I will see to it that you both be brought up to speed on everything you will need to know about Buckland. From the smallest formalities to the largest social taboos. I, no, the Crystal Empire needs this.”

Cadance clapped her hooves together three times in rapid succession. Two crystal pony servants entered the room, dressed in matching suits. “Starting tomorrow, we will begin your formal education on Buckland. Until then, please enjoy the rest of your day. Diamond and Pearl, please direct our guests to their quarters.”

As soon as the door clicked shut, Cadance reclined back into her chair. Shining Armor rested a hoof on his wife’s shoulder. “Why didn’t you tell me Blueblood was going to be involved with my sister?” he inquired.

Cadance gave Shining a guilty look before sitting up straight. “Shining, I know how protective you are of Twilight. If I had told you, I have no doubt that you would’ve written to Celestia to beg her to reconsider.”

Shining Armor stared at his wife, cold anger burning behind his deep, blue eyes. “You’re right,” admitted Shining Armor. Adjusting the cuffs on his uniform, he looked over to Diamond Shield. “Soldier, I believe you had a report?”

“Yes, sir.” Diamond Shield retold every detail of the earlier incident. Shining’s face went from calm, to enraged, to proud, and then finally back to calm. “Sir, I will say this now, even in front of the Empress: I take full responsibility for failing to keep a proper watch.”

“At ease, Shield. You’re positive that our perpetrator was hardly older than a teenager?”” asked Shining Armor. Shield removed his helmet, letting his sweat drenched mane fall around his face. “Go over everything in detail.”

“I believe so, sir. With information compromised from our latest reports, it would seem most of these would-be attackers are generally young. Hazarding a guess, I’d be willing to group that at least sixty percent are in their late teens.”

Captain Shining Armor tapped a hoof against the crystal floor. In the past four months, small incidents with young ponies seemed to be popping up. Until recently, most of these crimes were rather tame, rarely bordering on what could be dubbed a terroristic level. “This goes far beyond their usual modus operandi. What we had here is deliberate intent to harm.”

“I agree, Sir. Shall I give the order for the guard to be on the lookout for this pony?” Diamond Shield waited patiently as Shining Armor furrowed his brows in thought.

Cadance silently fumed at the thought of somepony harming Twilight. She knew that now that somepony had attempted to harm his sister, Shining wouldn’t hold back to apprehend the culprit.

“I want a full scale investigation, Shield. We will not wait for the next one. We’re nipping this evil in the bud, now.” Diamond Shield snapped to attention and saluted before exiting the room. Shining waited until the door clicked before turning to face Cadance, “I knew we should’ve put out a watch for them earlier.”

Cadance nodded her head. “We couldn’t have foreseen this happening. What’s done is done.” The royal couple exited the room and made their way up the stairs. “I’m sure you’re going to have a ‘talk’ with Blueblood, Shining. Don’t tell me you won’t,” Cadance said, silencing her husband. “All I ask is that you don’t go overboard with him, okay?”

“I promise.” Not to go that far overboard. Sharing one final kiss, the two went their separate ways.

-Royal Guestroom, Crystal Spire-

Twilight sat on her bed, a book laid open on top of the sheets. After being escorted into her room, the saw that a pile of books had been stacked by her bedside with a note on top.

Twily, found these in the Royal Archives in the Crystal Library. I’m sure you’ll like them.

-Cadance

As soon as she had flipped open the cover, Twilight became enthralled by the book’s contents. “I can’t believe how Crystal Ponies can shape the earth like this,” Twilight muttered to herself. A sudden knock at the door pulled her attention away. “Come in.” Out of everypony inside the Spire, Twilight didn’t expect Cadance to come to her room so soon. “Cadance!”

“Sunshine, sunshine.
Ladybugs awake!
Clap your hooves!
And do a little shake!”

The two princesses laughed as they completed their old song, “You don’t know how much I wanted to do that as soon as I saw you," Cadance said. Removing her regalia and placing it on Twilight’s bed, she shared a tight hug with Twilight.

“Twilight, I’m sorry for what happened in the marketplace,” apologized Cadance.

“I’ve wanted to talk to you about that. Why was somepony throwing rotten tomatoes?” Twilight observed Cadance’s rapidly changing expressions. She had a feeling in the pit of her chest that her explanation wasn’t going to be a pleasant one.

Cadance steadied herself, “Twilight, were you able to see who it was that attacked you?”

Twilight flinched at the way Cadance worded her sentence. “Well, it wasn’t so much of an attack, I would call it. I just saw a young colt throw a tomato at the carriage.”

Worry flickered over Cadance’s face as soon as Twilight had said the word "young." “Twilight, there’s something you should know. In recent months, a ragtag group of ponies, most of them young, have been slandering Shining Armor and I. Most of these attacks were on a small scale, but they’ve become more bold. An outright attack is not something we can just brush off.”

Twilight stood there, mouth agape, as Cadance continued her explanation. “The attacks have been few and far between. Nothing too serious that weren’t able to stamp out. Today, however, was the breaking point for both of us. Shining will now be sending out random sweeps to find these ponies.”

Twilight felt an icy hoof rove up her spine at the seriousness of Cadance’s words. “What’s going on , Cadance? You’ve protected these ponies from Sombra, even returned the Crystal Heart back to them. What’s happening in the Crystal Empire?”

The alicorn inhaled and let out a long, drawn out sigh. “I honestly wish I knew myself, Twilight.” Cadance walked over to a window and pushed open the pane. “Look outside and tell me, what do you see?”

Perplexed by the question, Twilight stared down at the Crystal Empire below her. Thousands of ponies were outside, enjoying a crisp autumn day. Nothing that would be considered out of the ordinary. Some were bartering at the stalls in the market. She could make out a small family of four sitting on a blanket in a park. Life seemed normal. “I see ponies enjoying a sunny day,” answered Twilight.

Cadance shook her head, “On the surface, yes.” Closing the window, Cadance walked over to Twilight’s bed. Grasping a thick, red book in her magic, she began to flip through the pages. “However, beneath those smiling faces are groups of ponies who wish to do away with me. As of right now, I’m hanging onto the Crystal Empire by a thread. A thread that is unraveling faster by the minute."

Cadance levitated the book over to Twilight. The page in front of her showed a tree with names written inside of the branches. While half of the picture was intact, the other half was smeared as if a messy foal had splashed ink on it. “That book shows my great, great, great, great, great grandmother, Princess Amore. She was the ruler of the Crystal Empire before Sombra conquered it.”

“So then you are, in fact, the true heir to the throne.” Twilight tapped her hoof against the floor. “Still, why would the crystal ponies be against you if they know you’re a direct descendant of their princess?”

Cadance delicately placed the book back on the bed. “When Sombra stole away the throne, he also wiped out all of the noble houses and anypony with ties to them.”

Twilight watched as Cadance slumped to the floor. She hadn’t noticed how exhausted she looked. A few pinions had dropped from her wings, her coat a tinge greyer than the usually light pink. “As soon as Shining and I settled in, we were faced with a power struggle by nearly everypony. Each one came to us seeking restitution from Sombra’s reign. I couldn’t deny my ponies, but I couldn’t give them everything that they wanted at the time either.

“So now I’m faced with three different factions. The first are those who see me as the rightful ruler of the Crystal Empire. These are the ponies who don’t mind that I’ve ascended to the Crystal Throne. The second and third groups are an entire bushel of rotten apples.”

A small picture began to form in the air. It stretched and weaved until a picture of the Crystal Heart formed. Around the artifact was a broken chain, with tiny lettering that spelled out ‘Liberty’. “This is the sigil of the Crystal Liberation Militia. There a motley crew of vagabonds that wish to see me off the throne and a ‘True' Crystal pony put in my place. They’re backed by a majority of the old nobility and have flooded my courts for months with petitions and calls for action.”

The picture violently tore itself apart, catching Twilight off guard. The colors began to swirl around in the air, shifting and shaping into a new picture. It began to stretch out and elongate until it started to form a coiled purple snake with green fins along its edge. “This is the mark of the ‘Draconic Liberation Front.' they believe that since Spike was the one who carried the Heart, he’s the one who should lead the Empire.”

Twilight felt her eyes cross at the sudden news, “They want Spike to take the throne?”

Cadance let out a sad laugh as she cancelled the spell, “As much of a joke as we see it, Twilight, the crystal ponies are dead serious. They’ve been under a curse for a thousand years and are dealing with an entirely different Equestria. I believe that the colt who attacked you was part of this group. They recruit the young and the weak to fight for their cause. Their tactics have grown in numbers and levels of violence. Their philosophy holds an ‘ends justify the means’ outlook. Nothing is forbidden to use against me to chase me off the throne.”

Pulling a book from a shelf above the bed, Cadance levitated it towards Twilight. “At first, we could contain the small outbursts of unrest, but with winter beginning to nip at our flanks, more weight has been placed on us. I’m afraid I won’t be able to save these ponies from themselves.”

A violet wing brushed away a budding tear from Cadance’s eyes. “You’ve done so much for them, Cadance. No matter what anypony says, there’s no other pony who’s heart is strong enough to guide them through this.”

For the first time since starting her rule over the Crystal Empire, Empress Cadance felt a sensation of relief, that everything would just be fine, fill her heart. “Thank you, Twilight.”

Author's Note

I would like to thank my new editor Chromio for taking their time to look at this chapter. It's good to bring back Cold Confrontations from such a long hiatus.

Rude Awakenings

“Mmmmmm…” A slight sigh escaped from a rather large pile of blankets on top of a wooden bunk, sided up against the wooden wall of the house. The snow outside lazily blew by the window above the bed as another content sigh of peaceful slumber escaped. Everything was so quiet, warm, it-

“Cold Hart! Will you get out of your bunk already?” shouted somedeer downstairs.

-all came to a grinding halt like a freight train slamming into a mountainside in a second.

“Ummmmm… No…Not anytime soon,” Cold responded in a slightly slurred speech, his mind still heavily fogged from his interrupted sleep.

“I’ve already let you sleep in an extra hour already,Cold. If you don’t get up now I’m sending her up to get you up.”

No. Oh no. She would not do that. Oh spirits, she would not send her up to get me. Oh please dear aunt tell me you’re not that cruel of a doe, oh sweet aunt of mine tell me you wouldn’t-

Rawr! Rawr Rawr Rawr!

The destroyer of naps, the interrupter of rest, and overall archenemy of getting extra sleep had awoken and barked a war cry. It cannoned through hallway like a beast from Tartarus itself and straight to the poor, unsuspecting buck’s sacred bunk. It leapt onto the top of the covers. With a howl of triumph it seized its prey and commenced to destroy any hope of further sleep.

“Augh, come on, down, no, no, no, NO! Get down already!” Cold said as he tried to bat away the unwelcome intruder in his room.

A Buckish Lapphund sat on the floor next to the bunk, its eyes boring into his own marble-green ones. It front paws slightly edged forward, eagerly ready to pounce on him again if he decided to retreat back into his bunk. It's dark chocolate coat clashed spledindely with its caramel under coat. It sat there, panting with its tongue hanging out, waiting for him eagerly to get up.

“Casey, I gotta break you of that habit one of these day." as he dropped his hooves to the floor. "Don't always listen to my aunt when she tells ya to get me out of bed like that, okay?”

The dog only whimpered in response, its nose now nudging against his front hooves.

“Alright, alright,I’m up now. Let’s go see what Auntie wants then.”

Stepping down onto the cold, wooden floors, Cold made his way through the hallway and down the stairs to the first floor of the house. His nose caught the enticing aroma of coffee wafting up as he descended down towards the kitchen. Casey followed close behind, hoof, never straying too far from his side. As he walked closer to the kitchen, he could feel the heat beginning to rise as the oven’s fire flared out from beneath the grille.

Two slender antlers were visible over the rim of the counter-top as he passed through the doorway of the kitchen. “Finally up then,” came a motherly voice from somewhere in the back.

“Yeah, well, when you send up the scourge of sweet dreams after me, what am I supposed to do? She pretty much licked me into submission, Aunt Sweet."

Whrrrt.

Casey looked up guiltily towards Hart, her muzzle pointing down towards the floor, her eyes looking up at Cold’s face with deep remorse. “Oh, come here you. I can’t ever stand to be mad at you for too long, girl," as he playfully ran his hoof down the back of her neck.

“The coffees has been ready for a while now, creamers on the counter next to you,” Sweet said.

Cold grabbed the coffee pot and poured it's contents into a small porcelain cup on the counter. As the coffee’s aroma wafted up to meet his nose, he felt slightly shiver of unease. Taking a sip, he recognized the bittersweet taste nipping at his tongue as a chill ran down hooves. “So then, what’s the oh-so-special reason I gotta wake up on a Saturday with no one in the shop?” he said in his unusually deep voice. “I know I gotta deliver the goods to the old buck but that’s not till, what, half-hour or so? What’s the deal Aunt Hart?”

“That old buck, is letting you live here. You best remember that if you want to keep living here," as Sweet's deep purple eyes scrutinized him. "I won’t think twice to have your sorry flank thrown out.”

“Come on, if you wanted me gone you would’ve thrown me outta here head over flank a long time ago." Cold threw his hooves up in a playful manner. “Besides, I’m the one who can make all of those deliveries on time. So is this as big a deal from what I’ve been hearing or is this regular manure from the press? So much from everydeer but you, you know so much more then you let on.” Resting a hoof on his chin, he watched as Sweet's demeanor abruptly shifted.

Sweet Hart bit into her lower lip in frustration as she looked at her nephew. It would be better if Vanhi would tell him face to face. as she pawed at her light blue nose. Cold's eyes narrowed at Sweet, her usual nervous tick of touching her face sending off alarm bells in his head.

Well then, time to do what I do best, as she dusted off flour from hoof. “Well, that all depends, what have you heard?” her usual chipper tone now replaced with a more serious one.

“Nothing solid, only thing I’ve heard is that we’ve expanded the railroad,” shifting his cup slightly with hooves. “Thing is, it’s towards the south but nothing's down there but the Crystal Spire Mountains. Seems a little odd since since we’ve got no real reason to expand in that direction. No one we are in contact with has any settlements up there.”

Taking another sip, Cold stared down at the dark brew. “Pretty sure it’s something important, why else would you make this coffee?” he replied.

“Hmm?” What do you mean? I always make coffee in the morning, sweet hart,” as Sweet straightening out her apron.

Of all the things Sweet Hart was, she wasn’t dumb, sometimes gullible, but never dumb. She had it all set up, probably before even this morning. Whatever she wanted, it had to be a big deal, probably one of those long distance deliveries. “Yeah, but this is my favorite blend and it’s a bit pricier than the regular market brand. You never make this blend on any regular day,” Cold retorted with a cynical grin.

“Oh, why are you being so mean? Can’t an aunt do something nice for her nephew?” Her trademark smile was greeted by Cold’s deadpan stare as her only response.

I wish you were younger, I could’ve gotten you to do anything with a few gingerbread cookies, as the older reindeer sighed in defeat. Sweet Hart looked up at her nephew now sporting a frown as he sat on his pillow slowly nursing his coffee. Maybe I should just tell him and let it be done with? she thought while she straightened out a few crinkles from her apron.

“Auntie, you don’t need to butter me up. Just be more direct with me when you need me for a job for me, okay?” A small wave of embarrassment warmed up his cheeks, Guess I was a little over the top there with ya, auntie.

“Yes well, from what I have heard Princess Celestia was planning on visiting our kingdom with some kind of proposal. What it was, or even what it’s about I don’t even know entirely. Due to recent events, the princess will be sending her own hoof picked emissaries in her steed. Beyond that I’m not too sure myself,” she finished in a nonchalant tone, as she scratched the underside of her antler. “But that’s all I’ve been hearing lately.”

Cold Hart’s eyes nearly shot out of his skull, How could he not know about this? How did his aunt even get gossip like this? Questions flooded his mind, as Aunt Sweet Hart just stood there with a small grin on her face.

“Alright, so what’s this got to do with me?” as he tried to not strain his voice.

“Oh nothing, really sweetie just something I picked up on my casual stroll through town.”

“Sure, like I haven’t heard that one before,” as an underlying suspicion scratched at the back of Cold's head. It was obvious Sweet was hinting at something bigger, she rarely bragged. No this is only the calm before the storm.

“Well now, I think that’s enough chit-chat for now, you better be on your way. Don’t want to keep your uncle waiting do you?” as she walked behind the counter to grab a white, string tied package next to the stove. Cold stood up and walked out of the room, returning with a cloak in his mouth. “I’m sure you know how he gets when this isn’t delivered on time."

Cold threw his purple and green cloak over his back, grasping the package in his hooves, he tethered the excess string into the stings of his cloak. “Oh and take Casey with you, that fluff ball needs to get some more exercise.”

You’re not gonna tell me the whole story and that’s what scaring me. No 'Hey go do this' or 'Run this over the hills to the south'. Why are you deliberately dancing around the whole subject? I can't wait to find out, tightening the draw strings around his neck. I’m not the brightest lantern hanging up but I can smell deceit like a diamond dog in the midst of winter. Do you honestly not know or you just leading me on?

“Well then I guess I’ll be taking off. Let me know when the other old buck gets back in,” Cold shouted out a parting shot as he walked out of the kitchen to the front door. “Bet he’s-“

Thwack!

“Oww! Come on, was that really necessary?!

Thwack! Thwack!

“How many of those hoof shoes do you own?!?” Cold form darted out the door, Casey following not too far behind like a fuzzy bolt of lightning.

Sweet Hart collapsed onto the counter top, letting out a held breath. That boy can be such hoof-full, my how the time just flies by a doe my age.

“Finally got the lazy bum out did ya?” Sweet Hart turned around to see a grinning face in front of her eyes, his muzzle rubbing up against hers as the two met. She could smell the pinewood clinging to him as they rubbed noses. The coarse hair of his muzzle scratching against her carefully groomed muzzle.

“Nice to see you too, Dark,” Sweet Hart said as they parted. You sly buck. “Finally got the boy up but I don’t think he’ll be ready for what comes next,” with a tone of hidden fear in her words. “Why would he lay this kind of responsibility on him, he’s not exactly,well…you know?”

Dark looked at her, half-smiling. “Yes well we can’t blame his uncle’s decisions; he usually has a good idea of what he’s doing.”

“Usually doesn’t mean all the time, Dark," while she shuffled over to the sink. Splashing water on her face, she could swear she could feel steam coming off her face. Why am I getting so worked up over this?

“No deer is perfect, Sweets, so let’s let him do what he thinks is best,” Dark placed a hoof on her shoulder. “You need to put faith in him. This will be a good thing for him to experience,” reassuring his wife.

“But what if he’s not ready?”

“But what if he is? This will be his time to show everydeer what he’s worth. Beneath all that fur is somedeer worth knowing. Let him fall once in a while, he'll pick himself back up and learn. You keep doting on this you’re gonna be an old d-“

Thwack! Thwack!

“I mean-“

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

“Where do you keep all those hoof-shoes at doe? The cupboards?” Dark Hart said running from the kitchen from his enraged wife.

Sweet Hart stared at the doorway til she heard the door upstairs close shut, letting out a huff as she sat back down on her pillow and closed the cupboard. “Not old, just very well aged,” she said to herself.

-Jingle Road-

“Well girl, I’m glad we got out of there when we did, I don’ know how but Aunt Sweet can chuck a shoe like Ernie Rudolph from the Buckland Dodgers.” As soon as he left the house, Cold felt the sting of the wind on his hide. Casey following close by his side as the pair trudged through the hoof deep snow.

Arf.

“Yeah, well, I’m hoping that I’ll get an answer out of the old buck, not like my aunt who just loves leading me on.”

Woof.

“I don’t know, probably just wants to say hi or something. Last time I saw him was 2 months ago and we haven’t talked since then.”

Whrt?

“Well then you tell me what he wants, I can’t read the future. Wait, unless you can?”

Arf.

“Yeah, I thought not. So then let’s just get there and find out.”

On a normal day, the streets were filled with reindeer walking up and down the snow covered roads but an uncomfortable silence covered the district. It was the weekend and most stores tended to be closed or open later but as he pressed on, Cold felt as if everydeer had just decided to remain shut in. Snow was nothing new to the north, but only the worst blizzards halted reindeer from wandering outside of their dwellings. Even the few reindeer he crossed on the street just walked past without so much as nod in his direction.

-Union Park-

As Cold finally arrived at the park he noticed the fountain in the middle was still flowing, the water jetting up from the center spout. In the center were two sculptures both carved from pure gray stone. One was a reindeer, standing tall and proud, its face point upwards towards the sky. It wore a bell collar wrapped around its neck, each one of the bells were carved with such fine details, Cold was expecting them to chime as the wind blew around the statue. A fine cloak covered its back, with a tree emblazed in the center. Various leaves encircled around the tree in a wild fashion yet still still retained a noticeable pattern as he looked on.

The second sculpture however was drastically different from the first.It was a pony, wearing foreign garbs and standing noticeably shorter than the reindeer. A small crooked, steepled hat covered its ears and some of its long mane. It wore a cloak as well but there were no distinguishable emblems or marks to be seen. It stood by the reindeer, perfectly in harmony at the center of a fountain.

Odd this park was the place Uncle wanted to meet at. Especially after hearing that little tid-bit about Celestia from Aunt Sweet. The young reindeer's eyes rested on the pony sculpture. It muzzle was stretched into a grin just like the reindeer. The two looked nearly alive, ready to leap off of the foundation and onto the streets.

“Now then where is."

“Ahem…” came a raspy old voice. An elderly reindeer laid on the bench covered in a purple and green cloak with blue embroidery. A cold scowl hung on his grizzly face as he got up and began walking up the younger reindeer. Bending his neck down to look Cold in the eyes, the taller reindeer's face broke out into a smile.

“Well, young buck, what took ya?” coughed the old reindeer. “Been waiting for a while now, and I gotta get that package without you-know-who finding out,” making hoof quotes in the air. “I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“Don’t worry, no one will say anything. Isn’t that the reason you come down to these parts, to get away from all of that?” as he cast his eyes up to the upper district.

“True, but do I need an excuse to see my wonderful, little nephew,” sweeping up Hart into a caring embrace. Standing four hooves taller than Cold, Vahni still held his vigor from his spring years.

Ugh. Good old Uncle Vanhi. Cold smiled as he let the elderly reindeer hold him, the scent of paper and old spices clinging to his graying coat like always. “Well I heard you wanted something delivered, good to know that I didn’t need to make the usual trek.”

Cold put the box on the ground and untied the strings. Casey immediately started to sniff and paw at the box, eagerly trying to get whatever it was inside. “Easy girl, you can’t have any of this.” Casey sat lying on the cold stone, her eyes looking up pleadingly towards Hart. This trick usually worked on her master, but not today.

“Sorry girl, not today but maybe I’ll pick something up on the way home for ya.”

Opening the box, Hart pulled out several gingerbread cookies, their toothsome scent was carried off into the air, teasing the two reindeer’s noses. The entire box began to bend at the sides as its lid popped open. Each one was smothered with frosting and obviously baked with more cinnamon than necessary. The mere sight of them already made Vanhi's mouth water.

“So,” *munch* “I’m pretty sure,” *munch* “that Sweet Hart,-“

“Uncle, how bout you finish up eating, then we can talk?” interrupted Cold.

The two reindeer sat on the bench, eating away at the sweets. Casey sat in-front of them with her rump on the ground, looking up at the two with pleading eyes, small whimpers eliciting from her lips. As the last of cookies were finished Cold looked up at Vanhi. “So, now that that’s out of the way, was their anything you needed to tell me?” Might as well get this over with and stop sniffing for answers.

“Yes, now then I’m sure you already heard something from your aunt,” started Vanhi, making Cold smile sheepishly. “Certain circumstances have arisen, nothing that affects us as of right now but it could grow into a real problem if we don’t do something about it. Now then, do you know anything about the current standing between us and Equestria, the domain of Princess Celestia? How far her rule extends and how much influence she holds over the southern lands?”

“Ermm…” A blank slate was the only thing that Cold could muster, trying to route around in his head for any information on Equestria.

“Take your time, this isn’t a test or anything. Rack that brain of yours, young buck, I’m sure you have an inkling of an idea.”

Politics, what did I do to deserve this? “Well, I know that we move everything we export out from Buckland to our neighboring countries. From there, those countries will move out supplies by train, ship or even some by airship. However, since we own most of the railway the northern countries, we’re one of the biggest trade hubs since our trains are the most commonly used.”

“Right so far, we are one of leading importers and exporters,” nodding his head like a school teacher. “Our hooves touch nearly everything that is shipped in the entire North,” emphasizing the last word of his statement.

“Gonna go out on a limb, we do everything with the north but we hardly have anything to do with the south?”

“And why is that?” Vanhi pressed Cold on his shoulder with a hoof.

“We’re not on the best of terms?”

“Sorry, close but no dice,” Vanhi said with a cheesy smirk. “Want another go?”

“I’m drawing a blank here," thumping the side of his. He could feel the information but for some reason his mind couldn't focus. "We’re literally right next to each other and yet we don’t engage one another at all? I’m pretty sure that we would have covered this subject in school. It’d be at least common knowledge for spirit's sake."

“Cold your over thinking it now, the truth is so much simpler than that."

Alright, he’s not going to just give me the answer. I’m going to have to really think about this. Maybe there's an alternative method? Equestria is to the south but they can’t use ships to reach us obviously since we’re nowhere close to bodies large enough to use them. No airships can get over the mountain tops on our southern borders due to the extreme altitude and winds. We have the means to access anyone using our railways except those who use a separate company. So maybe it’s not they we don’t trade directly with them because of our railway maybe it’s…

“We’re not connected at all?” Cold could tell the volume of his voice was becoming lower, betraying his feeling of uncertainty.

“You’re so close you could reach out and touch it with your hooves Cold,” laughed the elderly reindeer. “We’re connected but only recently, you have the problem figured out but there is one more piece to this puzzle you’re over-looking.”

So I’m only half-right but what could the other half be then? Uncle said that the rails were only recently connected. So we can trade with them, so why don’t we already? Cold Hart racked his brain for some kind of reason. What had he heard recently about Equestria? A dim memory began to surface in his mind.

Yes well, from what I have heard Princess Celestia was planning on visiting our kingdom with some kind of proposal.

Right, Aunt Hart said that Princess Celestia was going to visit our country with some kind of proposal. She’s sending emissaries in her place to this so then what does she want to propose to us? If we’re connected physically, we can trade but we wouldn’t be able on legal terms if we haven’t already haven’t…

“We don’t have an established system set-up to move goods between our neighboring nations.” The sound of a small clap from Vanhi was his response.

The lines in Vanhi’s face began to stretch as his smile grew wider. “I knew you would figure out, smart little buck,” getting up to stretch his legs. Small pops escaped as he bent his knees. “Princess Celestia of Equestria, has graciously decided to welcome us into her kingdom’s expanding market. We’re already drafted several contracts with the Crystal Empire already.”

Cold sat back on the bench, soaking in his uncle’s words. Getting to his hooves, he picked up the box and threw it in a trash bin. Walking back, Casey was laying on her back as Vanhi playfully rubbed her belly.

“So we’re already contracted with Equestria?”

“Yes and no nephew,” Vanhi replied as he continued to rub Casey’s belly.

“It’s one or the other uncle,” Cold's voice was rife with restrained annoyance. “Can anyone answer with an actual response?” After having to figure out the whole situation, his head felt like a solid lead weight, the continuous mind games were starting to take their toll on him.

Vanhi looked up with smug smile on his muzzle. “Maybe you should be asking the right questions first?”

“Okay, how about why aren’t we connected to Equestria still?”

“See, was that so hard?” teased Vanhi. “For months, the nation of Buckland has been working to connect with the Crystal Empire. Rebuilding the old railways was taxing but now we can run through the mountains. It’s taken a serious effort but the fruits of our labor finally bloomed. The railways were finished two months ago.”

“Hold on a second, months ago? Why haven’t I heard about this, or better yet why hasn’t it been printed?” inquired the young reindeer.

“Well news about this isn’t that wide spread. It wasn’t announced publicly because no one can legally enter Equestria. Not yet at least," as he stroked his white beard. “The ministries have been working overtime stopping anydeer from border hopping to the south. We've had to uproot several attempts of illicit activities. Don’t want to start off on the wrong hoof with illegal trafficking, do we now?”

“So it’s pretty much anydeer who’s anydeer know this stuff then,” Cold said with steel in voice. “Typical. Wait, what about the growing relations with the Crystal Empire?”

“Well first, the trade ministry sat down and discussed long term plans with the Crystal Empress. Laying most of the ground work was simple enough. I won't bore you with the minor details but it was a phenomenal success from what I read. Every deer and pony was in agreement. Notaries from both sides checked and confirmed the hoof stamps after the ink dried on set-up business proposals. That's when we hit a snag in the trail.”

“Snag? From what you’re saying it sounds like some deer or pony didn’t have any complaints,” Cold interjected.

“Let me finish. Before the Crystal Empress would affix her royal seal on any paperwork, an unexpected party decided to show up.”

“Who?”

“Princess Celestia of Equestria,” a defeated sigh escaped his cracking, old lips. “She sent an urgent message to freeze all further proceedings immediately. Apparently when the Crystal Empress took the thrown, its territory came under the sovereignty of Celestia.”

“So before the Crystal Empress can sign anything, Celestia has to review it first?” Cold pondered the thought, Well she's in charge of the country but shouldn't we start off this whole thing slow with just the Crystal Empire?

“In a sense, yes. She has to go over with her advisers before she will sanction any future contracts." Vanhi pulled on the hairs of his long beard, twilring them in his hooves as Casey laid at his side.

“Wait, how did she know about the deals in the first place?” tilting his head with a bemused expression.

“Princess Celestia, Ruler of Equestria. Know what that means?" Vanhi could swear that if his nephew clenched his jaw any harder his teeth would shatter. "It’s her business to know what’s going on in her country.”

“So then, what’s going to happen now?"

“Well now, I’m glad you asked,” putting a hoof on Cold’s cloak covered shoulder. “The ministry is selecting anydeer brave enough to represent us and escort the emissaries to our borders. The majority ruled that a neutral party, one outside of it all, would be best to go. Tomorrow will be the last day and we need somedeer found now."

“Translation: one deer couldn’t stand to see the other get the upper hoof over the other,” rolling his eyes.

“Crude but an accurate way to look at this current development.” Are you always going to be a pessimist, nephew?

“So then, who’s getting the oh-so special privilege of playing royal baby-sitter?” Cold felt a painful squeeze from Vanhi, a small sign to let him know he was getting a tad too mouthy.

“Well that’s what the reason I called to meet with you. You see, not just anydeer will be able to complete this role but I think I have one in mind that the ministry wouldn’t oppose outright.”

“Huh?”

“Anydeer can petition but they must be approved unanimously by each minister of their respective branch. Think of it as a political screening, no subterfuge,” displaying a painful grin.

“Sure. I wonder who came up with that idea,” Cold interjected sarcastically, raising his eyebrows.

“Well, it doesn’t seem they’ll come to a conclusion anytime soon. If things don’t move along soon, the deals we’ve already set-up with the Crystal Empire will become stagnant," rubbing a hoof across his bony chest. “If we wait too long to establish any kinds of relations, it’ll make us look like we can’t keep up our side of the bargain."

“Wait, you just said that Celestia herself put a hold on all deals."

“Correct, but we need to solve that problem immediately. We need to honor our current contracts," the old reindeer reached into the hem of his cloak to pull out a small pocket watch. Flicking it open, a small look of surprise flickered over his face before he put it back in back in the cloak pocket. "Hesitation will look like weakness. We need to show the other side we’re capable of being flexible, to work out this problem.”

“So, that's what this whole thing was about?" incredulity clearly painted onto his face. Cold's hair seemed to stand on end as he felt something coming, a flurry of fear as he felt Vanhi was about to drop a mountain of snow on him. "So what is it that you drag me all the way down here? To talk about the rich and their problems?”

Alright, time to play my hoof. “Nephew, I want you to petition for this position.”

“I’m fully assured that you are capable of handling this. You're a reindeer that won’t pursue their own agenda I know you're one to be trusted with this task," his voice thrumming with energy.
Nay-Nay

“Besides, I’ve already drafted up the papers for ya.”

Silence. It seemed that time stood still, even the snow seemed to hang in place in the wind. Vanhi felt his hooves quiver. Cold remained still, face forward at his uncle. Completely frozen in place until destroying the tranquility with one word.

“WHAT?!?”

Author's Note

First thing I ever wrote, positive criticism accpeted