Fire and Ice

Chapter Six: Culture Shock

“… Rhem… Tell me something. Just how… far… would you go for King Talonblaze?”

The addressed Draconian had to think about this… It really mattered on the circumstances. He held no loyalty for his ruler.

“It depends… I do not aim to please him, I aim to survive.” The young dragon closed his eyes just for a moment, taking in a deep breath as he contemplated heavily on the next bits of information he would be spouting. “Did… you give him any land?”

Princess Celestia was pleased by this. She hadn’t fully expected Rhem to say that he would do absolutely anything for his king, but that told her that she could likely trust him.

“Yes, I did. We agreed he could have the lands of Gaitland to the east along the borders, and there are none of our ponykind out there using it.”

Rhem shook his head, his eyebrows furrowing as his facial features morphed into a look of absolute seriousness.

“Do not give him anything. There is no shortage of land for our livestock. He lied to you so he would have more room to raise a bigger army and eventually invade your country.”

The alicorn felt her heart stop for a second, her brows sinking. So, she had been right all along. She was right to believe she could not trust King Talonblaze. Part of her was suspicious that this was a ruse as well. Though, as she stared into the reptilian’s eyes, with how serious he appeared, she got the feeling that he wasn’t lying.

‘Why would he? … He has nothing to lose… Nothing to hide.’

“I see,” she said after a short abeyance. “I suspected King Talonblaze was planning something, I just wasn’t sure what.”

She stole a cursory glance, to check if the Draconian monarch was around. For some reason, she was struck with a deep seated sense of paranoia.

“… Rhem… how would you feel if I were to offer you a chance to escape from everything you know? If I offered you a chance to learn the ways of the world? It’s clear to me you have no love, or loyalty to your king… and my forces are severely unequipped to deal with a Draconian invasion. I could use… an ally.”

“You… are offering me to… stay here?” he asked, wanting to be certain. It just seemed too good to be true.

The mare nodded with a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

“Nopony should have to suffer through what you did. And I also have the sick feeling there’s more to it than what you’ve told me.”

His entire face glowed at the idea of leaving King Talonblaze’s forces forever and serving Princess Celestia. He opened his mouth to speak, but he was unable to form any words due to the flood of emotion. His eyes even began to tear up.

Suddenly, a thought came to mind, and the bliss that had bloomed within him died. King Talonblaze would be livid beyond measure if the princess were to take him, his prized general--the one he had been waiting for many centuries after careful selective breeding. He would want to take his anger out on Equestria with double--maybe triple--vengeance.

“No. That would be a foolish thing to do. If you take me, King Talonblaze would be furious.”

The solar princess paused, mulling this over.

Yes, that actually did seem quite likely. Something told her that King Talonblaze would be more than a little upset at such a betrayal. There was also the fact that, while she would be glad to have the general serving in her armed forces, she wasn’t sure the rest of her guards would feel the same way.

As it was, if Rhem defected to Equestria, then she assumed that the dragon king would indeed waste no effort in… wasting them.

“I doubt you want the full force of his wrath on your kingdom.”

“King Talonblaze is planning an invasion anyway,” she said. “I would most likely receive the full force of his wrath regardless.”

The dragon was silenced as his eyes clouded over, drifting into deep thought.

“Maybe… there is a way to convince him to leave your country alone…”

“And… that would be?” she ventured, arching her eyebrow.

His fiery eyes lit up with resolve, flashing with a devious glint.

“From what you have observed from training, I went down quite easily from that sorcery that unicorn used. King Talonblaze really prides himself in his army’s power and he would enjoy watching me fight one of your own soldiers. If you invite him to a sparring match and pit me up against one of your unicorns, he can give me one blast of his magic and I will go down. Then maybe you can say something about boosting your unicorn troops to him? Seeing me go down would make him think about how the rest of his warriors would fare against your unicorns.”

Princess Celestia went over the idea in her head. The idea… actually had merit. Put on a good show, make it look like a struggle, and Rhem would take the fall. The young reptilian had a point, King Talonblaze seeing his most prized general go down would possibly intimidate him to a potential standoff…

“That actually sounds quite feasible,” she admitted, considering it. “It might give King Talonblaze pause to think twice before on an invasion as well.”

The young general felt quite proud of himself for concocting such a scheme.

“… Are you going to pick out a guard?”

“I shall.” The tall mare nodded. “In fact, I’ll pass the mention to King Talonblaze myself, get his opinion. I think it would be interesting to see how you fare against them… even if you plan on throwing the fight to my champion.”

Rhem was intrigued over the armed forces’ other abilities. Since things were so different in this country, he was curious to know more about them.

“How long have they been training and serving you?”

“I’ve had the royal guard around for as long as my sister and I have been in power. But, if you mean how long each individual has served… at no point do I ever require any sort of mandatory service. All of my guards were those who volunteered. We’ve got soldiers here who have only been in the royal guard for a couple of months, and we’ve got those who have been here for decades. On the average, my ponies usually serve a couple of years before they’re relieved from duty, unless they decide to continue service.”

Another pause quieted the dragon as he attempted to imagine what it would be like to be able to have the choice to serve in an army or not. He would have enjoyed the training he received if the Draconian customs had been taken out of it.

“We do not have a choice. We have to abide by the king’s wishes whether we want to or not. If someone is considered weak in his eyes, or not developing fast enough… he believes they are better off dead. He does not want to… waste resources and space on dragons he considers unworthy…”

Princess Celestia shook her head slowly in disapproval.

“I don’t believe in that. I will admit, there is a certain quality to that line of thinking--after all, I want my guards to be the best of the best, too--but, I’m certainly not going to kill somepony for simply not doing a good job.

“No… if he or she is not developing fast enough, we’ll do everything we can to make sure they’re up to speed. And if he or she still doesn’t reach that level… well, we’re sure to find an area they would be more properly suited in. We all have our place to serve, and some are just better than others in areas.

“… And… if it turns out that he or she’s not suited to being in the royal guard, then we discharge them. We’ve had more than a few who were unable to serve for a myriad of reasons. Physical disabilities, chronic illness… insubordination, among others.”

Rhem was amazed to say the least, more drawn into the Equestrian culture. The instant the word “she” emanated from the alicorn, he looked… shocked.

“You… allow… females to become soldiers?”

Smile widening a tiny bit, she gave another nod.

“Of course. We value gender equality as much as we do skill. We tend to keep stallions and mares in designated branches, but we’ve got plenty of female soldiers. One of my top lieutenants is a mare who’s served nearly two decades.”

“King Talonblaze thinks all females are good for is producing eggs. And that… they are not strong enough to be warriors…” Rhem informed. “I would not know that though… Females are kept in the far south of our country and separated from the rest of us. So… I have never seen a female dragon.”

“Well… again, to a certain extent, I can see how that can be. But, still, I don’t agree with it. We don’t have our entire populace in the military, and the civilians that don’t serve often handle day-to-day tasks. We contract a lot of citizens for things such as produce and other supplies like our weapons and armor.

“While we keep our male and female forces separate, that doesn’t mean they can’t interact. We do tend to discourage military romances in the same branch, especially if it happens to involve chain of command, but we’ve got a number of those who serve that are… together.”

“Together? You mean… as… mates?” he asked.

The mare nodded once again.

“You would be surprised how many ponies have significant others in my royal guard. In fact, my female lieutenant, Ruby Spears--her husband, both of their sons, and daughter are also in the royal guard… As far as I’m aware, they’re the only family who’s members have all willingly served in such a capacity.”

He dropped his vision to the ground to replay her words before lifting his eyes back to her again.

“Will you explain in further detail how families are formed?”

The alicorn’s eyes twinkled.

“Family forming, hmm? … Alright, I’ll use this as an example. Say we have a male and a female. The male finds the female particularly attractive, as she does him. The two of them don’t know each other, and introduce themselves. As they get to know one another, they build a relationship and become friends by sharing mutual interests and finding things in common.

“The male can show affection by giving the female a gift she would enjoy. The female can, in return, maybe give him a nuzzle or a hug, or possibly a gift in return. This isn’t necessary. Sometimes enjoying each other’s company can be affection all by itself.

“As time passes, this feeling can grow. If it does, the two may want to spend more time together. They may want to make the other happy, as it pleases them. In time, the two might fall in love. If they love each other enough, they may want to spend the rest of their lives together… and perhaps procreate, producing offspring. The male, female, and the child or children they create is called a family.

“The children are then nurtured by the parents. They raise their children, help them to grow, guiding them, and teaching them. As those children grow and mature, they eventually seek out mates of their own, and the cycle begins anew.”

Rhem was quiet for a few seconds before he parted his jaws to speak.

“Eggs are taken away as soon as they are laid and transferred to a hatchery. When we hatch… we are given our basic needs… except for… affection. We are taught what we are supposed to be, how to act, and how we should think. If we stray from our teachings or ask questions that does not have to do with our future… we are beaten… I have… seen a few of my brothers die under beatings…”

The Equestrian princess closed her eyes and shuddered, her heart breaking.

“That’s horrible…” she sighed, opening her eyes again. “No child should ever have to endure such a thing. And your society actively encourages this…?”

“Our society at large knows only our own customs and they believe it is normal… Even I did. Now that I know of another nation to compare ours to.” The Draconian once again replayed his newly acquired knowledge, and prepared to ask about a few words he didn’t recognize. “There are some things you said I do not know about… Like… what is a nuzzle? Or a hug?”

The pony couldn’t help but smile.

“You’ve got a lot to learn.” She chuckled, moving closer to throw a foreleg around his shoulders and draw him into an embrace and rub her muzzle against his. “That… was a hug, followed by a nuzzle.”

Rhem tensed up as he was pulled in and he scrunched up his muzzle lightly at the nuzzle, finding it strange. He wasn’t sure what to think of it or if he liked it or not. The soft fur was pleasant though…

Princess Celestia held him close, sighing. Several moments elapsed and she abruptly let him go.

“I’m sorry, General. I got a little carried away. I… haven’t really hugged anypony like that since… since before Luna…”

He appeared uncomfortable, but he remained pressed up against her, the starch tension steadily fading.

“Why have you not hugged anyone else like that since?”

“Predominately, because of customs,” she explained. “I’m expected to maintain appearances. I’m supposed to be this high-and-mighty monarch of the entire kingdom… To let my public see me giving hugs, or nuzzling others supposedly below my station… or just merely frolicking in the fields…

“I risk losing respect. I shouldn’t have rumors started.”

Scanning their environment, Rhem scooted closer and pressed more of his body against hers.

“Hrm… You may hug me…”

Princess Celestia smiled. Sighing lightly, she pulled Rhem into another hug.

“… Thank you, General.”

“King Talonblaze does not care what his public thinks of him. As long as he is obeyed, he is happy… or satisfied at least.”

Body sinking slightly against the alicorn, the winged reptilian sighed and tucked his head underneath hers.

Princess Celestia chuckled softly.

“Well, you know what? … I think I shouldn’t really care what my ponies think of me, too, at times. I think I have a right to be a little aberrant once in a while. Besides,” she halted to take a look around, “I don’t see anypony around.”

Giving the mare’s neck fur a nuzzle of his own, he sighed again. Feeling an emotional dam beginning to break, tears subsequently pooled in his eyes.

The Equestrian monarch didn’t see him crying, and simply hugged him a little closer while running her other foreleg down his side and back to comfort him. He needed this… and she was only too happy to give. She couldn’t help but smile warmly, feeling good that she was indulging him, and knowing that he wouldn’t get this treatment back in his homeland.

As she did so, she momentarily lapsed her vigilance in keeping a watch for King Talonblaze, figuring he wouldn’t by coming by anyway. They were still in the center of the labyrinth.

The dragon lifted a paw to wipe his eyes, not wanting Princess Celestia to see him crying. Reveling in the warmth and comfort, the moment was soon interrupted by an enraged yell that belonged to King Talonblaze.

Princess Celestia instantly jumped away from Rhem, eyes widening and searching. While she didn’t want to just jerk away from him in such a manner, she also didn’t want him getting in trouble.

Her eyes darted around vainly in search for the dragon king, wondering if he had seen them. That roar had been so loud and carried so easily, she assumed he had…

Rhem took to the skies to locate his king, eventually finding him in the gardens and was currently being escorted into the palace by a guard. Unbeknownst to him, a bee had flown up one of King Talonblaze’s nostrils and stung the flesh inside. While the monarch had insisted he was fine, the nostril was beginning to swell. A nurse would meet him in his room.

The general rejoined Princess Celestia on the ground with a look of worry in his eyes. Even though he didn’t like his king, he was still concerned over what happened.

“King Talonblaze is being led inside the castle.”

Princess Celestia gave a significant sigh, feeling a little foolish that they may have been caught. Chuckling, she smiled--though it was really more to dismiss what ever anxiety she still possessed. She quickly got serious.

“What’s wrong? Did he do something?”

“I do not know. No one around him appeared hurt. Sometimes he yells for no reason other than to let out anger or frustration.” He closed the distance between them again, this time, sliding his own foreleg around her. “You are really soft and warm…”

The princess smirked, settling back down onto her haunches and allowing herself to shift closer to him.

“I almost wonder what he was yelling about… Almost. I probably would rather not know.”