As the chariots processed down the main avenue that led to the Royal Palace, Twilight found herself astounded at the cheers and celebration she was receiving. As ponies of all kinds, sizes, and ages waved and watched, Twilight turned to Mathias, who stood as if this occasion didn't even faze him.

"How are you so calm right now?" she asked.

"Because I'm used to this." Mathias replied. "Processions like these are normally reserved for visiting royalty, an occasion such as a birthday or coming-of-age, or after the end of a war. In this case, it's the arrival of an alicorn who is to be my wife. Quite a cause for celebration."

Twilight looked a little downcast as she remembered that the concept of betrothal did involve getting married. Spike then gave her a nudge in the side, and once he had his attention, he gave her a reassuring smile.

"Thanks, Spike." she said quietly.

'"No problem." the dragon replied. "I've got your back, Twi. We all do."

Twilight smiled gratefully back at her friend, and as the chariots came to a stop in front of the palace gates, Mathias helped her disembark. The canid beasts that drew the chariot bowed respectfully before being led off by the soldiers.

"What are those?" Twilight whispered to Mathias.

"We call them Boarhounds." he replied. "They're common in the eastern provinces as beasts of burden and hunting companions. Ah, father!"

Mathias and Twilight turned slightly to see Mathias's father and siblings approach. King Orion, himself a Unicorn, was tall, with a brown coat just like his son's. A gray mane and rough beard contrasted with his jade eyes. He wore a set of robes imbued with steel armor.

Catherine, Mathias's older sister, was remarkably akin to Rarity in terms of shape. She was a Pegasus, with a lilac mane and a white streak in her tail. She wore a gown of bright blue, shaped like a chiton or tunic.

Alexander, an Earth pony, was broad and tall, just like Big Macintosh. He had a coat with darker shade of brown, like his father and brother, and a mane of dark green. He wore full steel armor with a yellow cape.

And last was Lily, Mathias's younger sister. She was a little older than Applebloom or the other Cutie Mark Crusaders, herself also a pegasus. Her mane was bright yellow, and she shared her sister's coat color.

Twilight noticed that none of the members of Mathias's family bore a Cutie Mark, but she made a mental note to ask later in private. As she and Mathias came forward, Orion came to meet them.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle?" he asked, in a even-toned, rich voice.

"Yes, King Orion." she replied.

"I welcome you warmly to Cydonia." he replied. "And this must be Spike?"

"Yep!" the dragon replied. "I'm her number-one assistant!"

Orion chuckled and gave an earnest smile of approval.

"Quite a claim, young one." he said. "My elder son, Alexander and my daughters, Catherine and Liliana."

"Well met." Catherine said, her voice smooth and light.

"Honored to meet you." Alexander replied, his voice was like Shining Armor's

"Same!" Lily replied. Twilight nodded at the young filly, who responded in kind.

"Now that we are acquainted, shall we take ourselves to a more private locale?" Orion asked. As Twilight and Mathias were given a final send-off of cheers, the gates closed behind them as they entered the Palace's front Courtyard.

====

As the Royal Family of Cydonia led Twilight through the gardens that made up a modest portion of the Courtyard area, Mathias and Twilight didn't stray too far from each other, even as Twilight's eyes jumped from one spectacular display of flora to another.

"Impressed, Princess Twilight?" Catherine asked, and Twilight gave a nod. "The groundskeepers work day and night to keep these gardens in perfect shape."

"I can imagine so." Twilight replied, eyeing a display of blue and white speckled flowers near a fountain, before she walked to catch up with Mathias. "King Orion?"

"Yes?"

"I noticed you and your family don't have a Cutie Mark." she asked. "If it's not too much to ask, why is that?"

"The process of gaining a Cutie Mark, as you would know, is a uniquely Equestrian phenomenon." King Orion replied. "Cydonians who work in trades must learn their skills to boast such accomplishments."

"I see." Twilight said. "Fascinating!"

Orion gave a small smile, and as they entered the Keep, Alexander and his Guards bowed and returned to their previous posts while the other Royals, Twilight, and Spike departed for the dormitory area.

"Mathias, I believe the crews should have unloaded Princess Twilight's possessions by now." Orion said. "Would you show Princess Twilight and Spike to their chambers?"

"Of course, father." Mathias replied as the three of them headed to Twilight's new chambers, which were marked with the Equestrian Royal Seal. As Mathias opened the door, Twilight dropped her jaw.

The room was panelled with oak and granite stone, with all sorts of furniture set neatly about the chamber. A large open door revealed a large private library, whose massive bookshelves lay empty, waiting to be filled with books. A second door revealed a bedroom and bath with a large bay window and canopy bed done in purple and gold cloth. It was lit by torches kept alight with magic. To Twilight's great relief, all of her things had been sorted into their places, with the chests containing her books set down in the library.

"This is amazing." was all Twilight could say, sitting down at a table bearing a polished chess set.

"I'm glad you think so." Mathias said kindly, sitting down across from her. "We'll have some time to unpack before dinner and the welcoming ball."

"There's going to be a ball?" Twilight asked.

"It is tradition for visiting royals." Mathias replied. "Seeing as you are my betrothed, I'll be your escort."

"Thank you." Twilight replied. "Also, did you say that "we" would unpack together?"

"Well, my chambers are adjacent to yours, so I thought I would help you out as much as I could." he replied. "Until then, shall we play a game of Chess?"

Twilight gave a nod as Spike hopped up on a third chair to watch.

====

Twilight had only played chess a few times with her brother back in Equestria, but she had learned a few of Shining Armor's tricks when it came to the game.

However, Mathias also knew them, and exactly how to counter against them, along with several strategies of his own.

That was proven to be true when Twilight tipped her king over only a few minutes into their third match.

"You're good." she smiled. "Really good."

"Thanks, Twilight." Mathias replied. "Well, shall we unpack your books? I daresay we've used up quite a bit of our available time."

As the two of them, with Spike's assistance, began unpacking Twilight's tomes and putting them away on the empty shelves, the sun slowly began to set over Cydonia.

Author's Note

Update!