The North was cold and dreary even in summer. The sky was a constant film of dull grey, and the sun was almost always behind layers of clouds. The relative warmth merely turned the unforgiving blizzard into rain mixed with the occasional sleet.

Shining Armor yanked his heavy scarves with a huff. He thought that the chilly wetness might even be worse than winter snow - but then he did not really know, being a southerner himself.

After marching through the wide northern expanse for a while, he was still not used to the cold. Whenever the unforgiving gust of skin-cutting wind blasted on his exposed face, he mentally questioned whatever gods, new or old, that created such an inhospitable place for people to live, as well as the sanity of the poor sods that chose to live here.

As Shining’s thought swam, he suddenly felt numbness in his limbs. Fearing it was frostbite that was setting in, he hurriedly tightened his gloves and wrapped his cloak on tight. He and his family wanted to meet their future family members, the House Rock. In particular, he wished to arrive with every limb intact.

“A little cold, are you?” one of his bodyguards asked with cold tremor in his voice. Shining turned, the guard was a relatively new face, a gaunt youth with slightly darker blue hair than him.

After another involuntary shudder, the guard mulled. “Wait until we get to Winterneigh, my Prince. It's a lot warmer with their hot springs and, heh, brothels.”

Shining would never go to a brothel in all of his life, but the prospects of a warm spring did pique his interest. “Don’t mention those... degenerate places to my face. But really? How warm are the springs exactly… guard?”

“You are a poor leader for not knowing the ponies who are loyal to you, my prince,” the guard said with a laugh, but the jeering was apparent in his voice.

Shining Armor’s eyes narrowed, but he sighed, biting back the bile in order to appear as magnanimous in front of his retinue. “I apologize. Your face is new to me, for father only assigned you along with other guards and squires quite recently.”

“It’s fine. My name is Flash Sentry, one of your father’s guards. Sometimes I wish I was a knight sometimes.”

“Then you must work on your manner and knightly conduct a little bit more, Flash Sentry, before a lord would find making you a Ser palatable. For one, no self-respecting knight would just dive inside a brothel, as his first order of business in a princely entourage.”

Shining Armor nodded satisfactorily for his subtle jab back towards the impudent guard. Flash Sentry, on the other hand, simply mumbled something under his breath.

However, the guard then struck up a grin. “Roger that. But my prince, you also asked about the warmth of Winterneigh. The hold is constantly pumped with hot spring water in its walls, and it stays warm throughout the coldest winter. And of course, there are pools of hot springs reserved for visitors who have been numbed by the cold outside.”

“That sounds great. But how do you know so much about Winterneigh?”

“This is not the first time I’ve been to the North, my Prince. Previously I’ve also brought messages and guarded lords to and from the seat of the North.”

“I see. I can’t wait to get inside the comfy walls of Winterneigh, then.”

Flash Sentry laughed. “Me, too. My prince, we all do.”

Shining watched the carriages passing through the treacherous terrain. They were filled with the rich and the royal from the capital - House Light, House Sun, House Moon, and so on. Dusk’s carriage was also there, but now his son Blueblood and his daughter Blue Rose rode on it.

Shining would rather walk in the cold wind, though. He preferred seeing the world with his own eyes than getting stuck in a windowless carriage. Sitting down for so long would certainly cause him to become stir-crazy, he thought.

Hardy Earth Ponies pulled the carriages uphill. Shining observed the scrunched up faces, briefly thinking that if carriages were too taxing to pull. He jokingly thought that, if he became the King, he could issue an edict to ban all carriages.

It was of course a fleeting thought, because he knew that there were children and invalids among them, and supplies could not walk by themselves. He might not be very good with names, but he was still commonsense enough not to act like a mad king.

As they finally passed through the hills, Winterneigh, the home of the Warden of the North, finally entered Shining Armor’s eyes. Winterneigh was a huge castle complex spanning several acres, consisting of two massive walls with a ditch between them and a village located just outside. The complex consisted of many buildings and keeps, some were old as the Wall, and others were newer additions. but Shining knew that this castle could withstand an army and the Winter.

Shining could see the Lord of Winterneigh as he got near. He could also see his wife and his children. One of them was pink and had a bright smile, the second one emotionless who looked at Shining with a bland expression, the their done was shy and wanted to hide behind her father.

The Dragonpony looked around nervously. He almost looked like he was just as shy as the shy one, but he was striking up a brave face, presumably because he did not want to disappoint his father. Shining knew that one of Iguous’s children were not among them, ashe heard that he had five children counting the Dragonpony.

Then at the corner of Shining’s eye, he saw someone wearing a guard helmet approaching.

The Lord of Winterneigh grunted and grabbed at the mare.. “Hey, what exactly are you doing with that on?”

He took the helmet off her head, and all she could do was letting out a groan She then pushed the Dragonpony out of the waym so she could stand with her sisters. Shining pondered about these children. They were all acting quite weird for his taste. There were even unsavory rumors he heard about the madness running in the blood of the Rock family, but he would not of course keep his mouth shut about them.

Shining’s father, Night Light, came out of the carriage with his mother, Twilight Velvet. His younger sister Twilight immediately looked around curiously, because she had never seen the North with her own eyes, but only read about it in books.

Night Light came up to Igneous Rock and hugged him like a brother. “Night, how have you been my old friend!”
Igneous smiled. “Guarding the North from griffons, as usual, my friend.” The duo had not seen each other for almost ten years. The last time they did see each other, it was the war against Loki of the Tank Islands, who raided as far as the Heart Lands.

Shining Armor observed the duo, who seemed to be content to just stand there and chat. He asked his father’s permission to excuse himself with a gaze, and got an acknowledging gaze in return.

Immediately, he scampered away to look for the famed Hot Springs. Asking directions from some of the guards, he hurried downstairs.

Beyond the stony steps, a nice warm pool could be seen steaming and inviting his entry.

However, Shining’s eyes popped from seeing a mare down there with a curly blonde mane, and a short purple dragon nearby. Moreover, they were getting rather intimate.

Shining was staring straight when the purple dragon saw him.

“Oh it’s you. It's bad luck watching a dragon mate, you know.” The dragon smirked.

The dragon, Spike, was no stranger to Shining Armor. Even though they were not truly related by blood, there was a brotherly sort of understanding and camaraderie between them from their years together in the capital.

“Stop making up superstition to cover your own behind, Spike.”

Shining Armor averted his eyes when the mare playfully flashed herself. He then sighed and asked.What exactly are you doing here?”

“Staying at Winterneigh for a bit, friend. I heard there was a feast here, might as well join in.”

“So are you crashing the feast on a goat?” Shining laughed to Spike’s dismay. But the dragon also joined in afterwards.

“Heh, you wish my friend. Anyway, I hear that you are getting married to Cadance soon,is that right?”

Shining nodded, to which Spike continued to ask.“And your sister is getting married to the half dragon Stone, who is a bastard?”

Shining frowned lightly. “I don’t know what decision father would make, but I did hear about some rumors. I can’t help, Canterlot is like a honeypot for seemly and unseemly rumors alike.”

“Everyone’s talking about it! It must have some grain of truth to it.”

Spike laughed. “So are you going to join us or not? There is still some room, my friend.”

Spike pointed to the nearest pool, but Shining Armor merely gave him a stink eye.

“Nah, I’m good. Uh… enjoy yourself here, Spike.”

Author's Note

also a little note the one who was sucking Spike was Carrot Top.