“Godchild.” Fortuna’s voice drifted through my unconcious like a leaf in the wind. “Fiery. I expect your attention.”

“Aunty?” I rubbed my face and rose slightly from my bed sheets. “Aunty,” I looked around, “Aunty, where are you?”

In a chromatic ray, my godmother appeared before me.

“I am here,” she said, stretching out her wing in an inviting gesture. “There are a few things we need to speak about,” she continued while I rose completely and leaned in for the hug.

“What is it?” Slowly, my eyes adjusted to the light my godmother was emanating and I could see that we were alone in the tent. “And where is every creature?”

“They are still where you left them, sleeping in your tent.”

“So, I am…”

“Yes. I wanted to show you something, and the dream realm is best suited for that.”

“I see.” I replied, but couldn’t suppress a happy swing of my tail. “Did you see that I already claimed two other azure kirins, aunty? My friend Bliz and a guy called Nimble Prophecy. Did you see that?”

“I did notice,” my godmother nodded. “A good start for your adventure. Still, there are things you must be aware of.” She turned around and slowly approached the tent's exit. “Follow me on a walk.”

“Okay,” I rushed after her and matched my pace with hers. “Where are we… -My claw landed on a marble floor- “... going?”

Suddenly, the air was filled with a great deal of unfamiliar noises and smells. At a moment's notice, Fortuna had brought us to some kind of marketplace. And what a marketplace it was! As far as I could see, the place was filled with kirins of all colours and heritages. I saw horns, wings, and strangely enough, none without either of them. They were all happily chattering, singing and dancing in a language I didn’t know. I perked up my ears and listened. It definitely had a similarity to old draconic, there was a word here and there I knew, though, on the whole, it was different enough that I could only guess at what they meant. And while my nose was still trying to catch up with the new sensations this place was giving off, specifically the mix of spicy flavours in the air, Fortuna raised her voice.

“Welcome to Shakirin-La, my godchild.”

“Shakirin-La!” I spun around to face her and my jaw felt agape. With my eyes wide open, I once more let my gaze wander over the hundreds of kirins. “This, is Shakirin-La?” I burst out loud.

My godmother chuckled. “It was. A long time ago. What you see is how Shakirin-La used to be.” Her gaze darkened for a second. “In better times.”

“I don’t know what I should say!” Ignoring her last remark, I pranced around, taking in as much as I could. There was so much to learn and discover! What had their lives been like? Their culture, their songs and customs! This was my folk, my species in their glory days! Sure, I was aware of my parents heritage and what their folks were like, but this, this was my species’ capital!

“I expected you to get excited. So that proves I was right in choosing this location for our little walk.” She smiled. “Sometimes mortals are a little bit unpredictable.”

“This is fantastic, aunty!” I wized around her, unable to stand still for even a second. “We have to take the time for some sightseeing!”

“All in due time. Our walk will lead us through some of the most interesting spots anyway.” She slowly began to proceed through the capital, making her way through the mass of kirins. Despite the fact she was twice, perhaps even thrice the size of any other kirin, no one seemed to really pay her any mind. Everykirin seemed to just made room for her instinctually without even looking at her sometimes.

Fortuna noticed my confusion. “They are not able to see or hear us, they just feel the sudden urge to make room.

“Hmm,” I stopped every few steps to inspect the kirins we passed. There was an interesting stallion I passed that caught my eye. His coat and horn were in shades of green and yellow that reminded me of a grassy plain in summer. He was wearing a brown cloak that exposed his back scales and had a hole at its end for his tail.

“Is that paint?” I wondered aloud as I looked back at Fortuna.

“Yes, it is. But it is not permanent,” she explained. “It was part of their fashion to colour their back scales. The more artistic ones even drew pictures on them on a daily basis.”

“That looks awesome! But,” I tilted my head and raised an eyebrow, “doesn’t it get damaged when, you know, they get upset?” I stopped in my tracks and looked around at the sheer mass of kirins around us. “How do they handle that anyway? I mean,” I made a ‘poof’ gesture with my claws, “that.”

“The most common building material was stone in Shakirin-La, one of the benefits of living next to such a huge mountain. And the wood they use for the bridges was hard to ignite too. So setting the town on fire was not really a risk, though, sometimes a few things did get burned. However, the aqueduct was one of their best inventions and helped a lot in extinguishing developing fires.” Fortuna then pointed at a stone construct above us that ran over the whole marketplace and, as far as I could see, even further through the city. “The aqueduct ensures water is available at all times and all places.”

I looked up at this ‘aqueduct’. It was a series of stone arches on top of another series of arches. Though, I couldn’t see any water.

“And how does that work?” I asked.

My godmother smiled slightly. “If I am going to explain every little detail to you, we will never make it to our destination tonight.”

“I am just curious,” I replied with a mix of guilt and suppressed curiosity. “This is Shakirin-La after all! This is all so thrilling!”

“Well,” Fortuna kept her pace, but was generous enough to explain it to me anyway, “the water is on top of the aqueduct and flows through a channel. The water is brought all the way down from the top of the mountain or nearby hills into all the springs and pools around the city.”

“Woah!” I took another look at the aqueduct.

“There are also some trinkets that can prevent a kirin from turning nirik. An inverse version of the collar your mother once possessed.”

“That must be a great help for Shakirin-La’s society. How are those made?” I rushed back next to her. “Do you know how they’re made, Aunty? I’m sure if I could make some my merriment would have a lot fewer fights and problems in the future. You know,” I rubbed the back of my head, “tonight they nearly destroyed our campside.”

“You need magic to make them, Fiery.”

“Ohh, yeah, right.” I sighed.

“Also, it is far too complex to be made on the road, even if you had some stronger kirins with unicorn heritage.” She turned to the left. “This way.”

“That’s unfort… I mean that is impractical.” I followed her as she entered a stone tunnel. I only stopped at the entrance for a second to look at the letters that were carved into the light blue stones before I spoke on. “Well, maybe we will be able to create some after I claim the throne.”

“I am sure that would be possible. However, that is one of the things we need to speak about. Ares has taken interest in the throne himself.”

“Ares?”

“The god of war, the god that appeared in your dreams.” Fortuna looked back at me. “I thought you had figured out who he was already?”

“Oh, that guy.”

“He is not after you anymore, but he wants the throne of Shakirin-La in the hooves of his puppet. Therefore, he’s sent his own champion to claim the throne.”

A growl escaped my throat. “He can forget about that! The throne is mine!”

This statement brought about a raised eyebrow from my godmother. “We will see. It is important however that you decline any attempts at seduction by him, and not fall for any bargain with Ares. He already tried to bribe me and did so under false claims and assurances. He can’t be trusted.”

“Don’t worry, Aunty, I wasn’t interested in Ares and his offers in the first place!”

“It is not only about you anymore. I was able to discern Ares' true goals. He wants to control Shakirin-La to push them to war again, to return kirins to their old ways and serve him.”

“War? That is the last thing we need!” As I said this, we arrived at the exit of the tunnel. “We don’t even have the numbers for…” My gaze fell upon Shakrin-La, and I lost my train of thought. You thought the marketplace with hundreds of kirins was a lot? The tunnel we had passed through had apparently been bore through a small hill, and what I had thought to be a section of the city had merely been its outskirts. What was in front of me now was the actual city.

Before me laid the dale of the mountain Shakirin-La was carved into. For miles, hills and cliffs spread across the landscape, all of them filled with houses and buildings of white stone, covered in a greenish plant that looked similar to ivy, but appeared to almost coil around these structures as though it was a kind of serpent. Every crevice in the stonewalls was either carved into a home or made into a pathway to connect said homes. There were even hundreds of wooden bridges hanging below me that served to further connect everything in the city.

“Every labyrinth would crumble in envy at seeing this!” I spat out before bursting forward to the corner where the road took a left turn and began descending into the dale. “How… ?“ I stopped, unable to find the words to properly express my astonishment as well as my excitement.

“The city grew over time, there was no planning. Mortals tend to be unaware of the effect time has on things. When the city was founded,” Fortuna pointed off into the distance, to the base of the mountain, “right over there, they didn’t spend much time thinking about where tens of thousand kirins were going to live. They only built a few threehouses and lived off of what they could hunt and find in this valley. For a few dozen kirins, that was enough. A few hundred years later, they had to improvise.”

“I was more wondering how they find their way through this maze? How do they sustain it? One could wander through this gorges for days without finding what they were looking for!”

“That is indeed the case,” Fortuna agreed and stepped next to me.

“And the amount of things they need,” I jumped onto a little wall that prevented travellers from falling down the slope, “the amount of food alone must be enormous! Not to mention all the other things, like the paint for the scales or whatever else they have down there! Where do they get those?”

“In the case of the food, that is easily answered. If you look a little closer at the top of the sidewalls of the gorges, you will see that they use them as fields for all kinds of vegetables. Their slaves work day and night there to produce a good amount of their daily needs. And the other…”

“Wait, slaves?” Sure Dad and Oma had mentioned once or twice before that the ihabitants of Shakrin-La used to have slaves, but it was quite different to be here and see it myself.

“It was quite common among mortals at the time. The concept of goods for gold alone didn‘t work out in such a society. The amount of work required to keep the city running far exceeded what could be put forth by those willing to put in the effort. Therefore, cheap workers were a must.” Fortuna nodded down into the dale and started to make her way down the pathway. “My knowledge of mortals points out that for a city or empire this big, either a certain level of magic or technology is required. Without it, more drastic solutions had to be used.”

“What do you mean by that?” I spread my wings and flew after her, hoovering next to her in the air, but keeping my gaze mostly on the city.”

“Slavery, war, plundering, all those things mortals tend to do. The more advanced a species is, the less need for those there is. Back in the days, when the concept of farming first occurred, you should have seen what it enabled the tribes of various species to do.”

“Farming?” With considerable effort, I tore my gaze from Shakirin-La and looked back at my godmother. “Sorry, what are you talking about?”

Fortuna stopped and took a moment to look at me. Tapping her hoof tip on the ground, she released a ‘hmm’. “The evolution and history of early tribes may be a bit above your head, I see.” She flicked her tail and moved forward again. “Well, let me put it in terms that will be easier for you to understand. Shakirin-La grew faster than its culture and the abilities of its leaders. They weren’t ready for a population of this size when they reached it. Say,” she suddenly seemed to change the topic, “do you remember the capital of your mothers folk?”

I landed next to her and matched her pace. “Canterlot?”

“Yes, Canterlot. Imagine that city without the use of advanced magic, like they used to form the rocks and build the platforms and houses, not to mention the waterfalls.” She waited a moment for me to place the picture in my mind. “And now remove the train station and teleportation spells that would allow you to bring supplies into it. Do you think it would be a good place to build a city at?”

“If you word it that way, am I supposed to say no?” I tilted my head and gave her a doubtful look.

“Anything bigger than a campside would be a nightmare for you mortals. You would have to carry any food you’d need into those mountains, as well as everything else required for setting up the camp to begin with. The constant supply of firewood or water you’d need to bring in would also be a problem. Mortals would quickly leave due to the effort it would take to simply make it habitable. Or,” she gestured at all of Shakirin-La with her wing, “would force others to do it.”

“I don’t think ponies would do that. My mothers species is too friendly for that. More likely they would befriend some creatures to help them.”

“History tells a different story,” Fortuna replied. “Ponies also had to take some time to get to where they are now in regarding their social norms.”

“What do you mean by that? The ponies I met were always friendly to me. And Kirins have even started to immigrate to Equestria, like all kinds of different species. Ponies are trying really hard to be nice to every creature, even those dragons from the east, despite how strange they are.”

“Modern day ponies, yes. They had some struggles back in the days though. Unicorns, pegasi and earth-ponies didn’t get along so well when this all started. Strangely enough, this didn’t happen for the different kinds of kirins. Runehorns and Luftirins never had a problem with each other, and the few Scalins that were born never caused any problems.”

“Mom never told me about the problems between the different kinds of ponies. I always thought they’d always lived together peacefully.” I took a moment to take a closer look at some kirins we passed. “I can figure out what a runehorn is, I mean, kirin horns do look a little like they were marked with runes compared to unicorns. But Luftrins and scalins? Who is who?”

“Lufti, with an extra i, also, Luft is the old word for air.”

“So luftirins is the name for kirins like me?” I thought about it for a moment and repeated the name a few times and let it roll off my tongue. “That… sounds kind of nice. I could get used to that.” I looked back at Fortuna. “And scalins is a reference to scales I assume? So without wings and horns, it’s just scales that make them special?”

Fortuna just shrugged. “They like it that way.”

“Well, I am sure I can find something better as soon as I am empress!”

“Perhaps you will, perhaps you will not. There surely will be more important things to do if you claim the throne.”

“You sound like you have some doubts about it, Aunty.”

“The future is not yet written. More so with how many gods and goddesses are taking interest in this matter. I do have faith in you though, Fiery. You have a good chance to gain the throne.”

“And I have the most luck,” I added with a smile and rubbed my side against Fortuna’s belly.

“And you have the most luck out of the contenders, yes,” Fortuna smiled. “Anyhow, you will have to be careful and give it your best to have a chance at claiming the throne.”

“I sure will!”

Fortuna just nodded and focused back on the way down the slope, while I turned back to inspect this ancient town further. With us getting nearer to the bottom, I was able to see what my godmother had been talking about. Several gryphons, minotaurs and some species I didn't know were working on the fields above the gorges, guarded by a few kirins nearby. I have to say, the sight gave me mixed feelings. On the one claw, having other weaker beings do the work for you is kind of appealing, and fit quite well with how my dragon heritage wants things to be. On the other claw, forcing somecreature to do all the stuff I didn’t want to, it seemed wrong.

And of course, it was totally different from my ability to order my merriment around!

While I was looking at these poor creatures, another thought crossed my mind. “Aunty, why don’t we see any dragons here? Oma said dragons had a lot to do with Shakirin-La in the past, but there don’t seem to be any dragons around at all.”

“There are dragons in Shakirin-La,” Fortuna replied. “Though, not as many as your father’s mother think there were. The ones who are here mostly lay in the steam caves around the city. Caves carved into the sides of the gorges and filled with water from the aqueduct by slaves and boiled using fires below the pools. Dragons and kirins alike love to relax in those caves on the hot stones. It can be seen as a form of early sauna if you like.” She paused for a moment. “And of course, they are also used for funtimes now and then. Dragons and kirins tend to get naughty on occasion.”

I raised my head in bewilderment. “Aren’t those caves public places? I mean, you know…”

“Mortals weren’t so prudish back in the days. A thing Aphrodite doesn't get tired of mentioning. You should have heard how she scolded your parents when they were not having sex right after they left my temple.”

“Yeah, I think we can skip that topic, right?” I gave her an innocent smile.

“If I didn’t know how frisky you got with your batfriend, I would have thought you’d taken after your mom in that regard.”

“Don’t worry, I’m just not so found of hearing about the sex life of my parents more often than I have to. Dad tells that story every now and then, so I am quite familiar with how it goes. That and the role dea ex fructices had on their life.”

“I see. Well, if you are not interested in that topic, we can continue on our way to the main square.”

*

There I stood on the marble ground of the main square, staring at the statue of one of the ancient emperors of Shakirin-La. It was not the crown, decorated with golden feathers, nor the cloak, adorned with carved pictures of his greatest accomplishments that caught my interest, or better said, not only that.

“He was quite well equipped, I would say,” I mentioned after a while.

*

“Yes, he was quite gifted. His seventeen wifes were quite happy with him,” Fortuna explained. “And his concubines too, at least from what I’ve heard.”

“Kirins do spend a lot of time thinking about details when creating these statues, don’t they?”

“They certainly did. The emperors and empresses were quite proud of what they had, and were more than willing to display it. If you look at empress Morning Chill over there for example,” my gaze followed her hoof, “you see her in a passionate hug with one of her twenty husbands. And along the way, you will also find some statues with her and one of her cicisbeos in different positions.”

I nodded while a little giggle crawled up my throat. “Exactly the missing influence of our dragon heritage that Autumn Blaze always talked about wanting for the little village back home.”

“Aphrodite would surely agree on that. However, that is not what we came here for.” Fortuna smiled, turning back to the road and continuing her walk in a slow but steady manner. “Shakirin-La has more to offer than just its precious artwork. The wisdom this place holds is remarkable by mortal standards. You should try to get a claw on it if you have the chance.”

“With my level of luck, that’ll surely be possible,” I replied with a wink.

“Luck will be of use, indeed,” Fortuna agreed. “But there are limits set by the rules of the gods, as you know. I can’t just bathe you in good luck and drop you next to the throne, you have to do your part.”

“I will do my best.”

“I know you will, and I already planned to help you with that.” She pointed with her snout ahead to one of the taller buildings. “It is time for you to visit me at my place for a change.”

“Your place?” I looked at the building ahead. It was made from white marble like most of the buildings around here, and was shaped like a box with several pillars on top of it holding up a dome. Though, instead of the Kurvenglühchen that covered everything else in Shakirin-La, as I learned this green, ivy-like, spicy smelling plant was called, this one was decorated with something that looked like hydrangeas, in shades of green and blue, as well as a few orchids here and there around the entrance and the top of the dome. The very top of the dome, however, was covered in four-leaf clovers.

“You mean, this is one of your temples?” I flew up a bit and clapped my claws together. “We are going to see one of your bigger temples from the inside?”

“Yes.”

“Woo-hoo!” I had never seen one of my godmother's temples before, so I think my excitement was understandable. Well, yeah, I had seen some small shrines made for worshipping her, but never a real temple.

“I am so excited! How did you furnish it?” I flew around her and babbled one question after another. “Do you have priests? What about the Fountain? It surely has a great Fountain, right? And when it comes to worshipping you, how is that generally handled?”

“You will see. Yes. Yes. And you will also see that,” Fortuna replied patiently.

“Awesome!”

Way too slowly for my taste, we made our way over to her temple. When we finally arrived, the huge fontain at the entrance was hard to miss. In the centre stood a statue of a kirin, emptying a vase into the basin of the fountain. The liquid was the colour of gold, so it was either because of some magical effect, or maybe… honey? Given how the water in the basin was reflecting the sunlight and dispersing its light to all the colours of the rainbow, honey didn’t seem as likely. Seeing this, I was convinced that magic was the cause, either from my godmother, or from the architects of the fountain. At the bottom of the basin lay dozens, if not hundreds, of golden coins, possibly thrown in there by the visitors of the temple who sought good luck.

With a content smile, Fortuna came up beside me and threw a look at the fountain. “I always enjoy the sight of it. So many good memories.”

“And it looks amazing!” I nodded before sticking my claw into it. Slowly, the chromatic water fell from my claw and back into the fountain’s basin, sadly, without colouring my claw. “I wonder how it tastes,” and with these words, I licked one of the drops. Surprisingly, it only tasted like normal water.

“You can’t fill a jar that is already full, my godchild.”

“Hmm?”

“Drinking from a fountain of luck will not really affect you anymore.”

“Ohh,” I looked back at the pond at the base of the fountain. “Yeah, makes sense.”

“Let us head inside.”

My gaze wandered to the entrance of the temple. It was a huge door guarded by two kirins in shimmering armour, and engraved on the door was the sign of Fortuna, goddess of luck, a rainbow over a golden horseshoe, surrounded by little four clover leaves. An engraving that also adorned the chest plates of the two kirins.

“Oh, those must be your guards, right?” I shook my claw free of the remaining water and trotted over, with the gaze of the two kirins following my steps. At first I didn’t think anything of it, but then I remembered that they weren’t supposed to be able to see me. “Uhm, Aunty? Shouldn’t they not be seeing me?”

“Why should I hide you from my own luck knights?” Fortuna asked as she approached them. The moment she allowed them to see her as well was quite obvious. Instantly, both of them dropped to the ground, lowered their gaze, and began speaking in the strange language I had heard in the marketplace.

Generously, Fortuna stretched out a hoof and patted one of the guard’s heads. “Sweet Ocean,” she said. “I am content with your service, keep acting as you do.”

A loud purr of pride could be heard after this.

Fortuna proceeded into her temple, but hesitated when she saw my confusion. “You do not speak the language of the kirins of old, do you?”

“I never had the chance to learn it,” I replied.

“Seems we need to do something about that.” Fortuna raised her hoof and a wave of echoes and whispers arose around me. Indistinct chattering interspersed with some familiar words reached my ears. However, as quickly as it had arisen, it was gone again.

“What was that?”

“The blessing of our dear Goddess,” the guard, Sweet Ocean, said to me.

My head spun around to him. “I can understand you now!”

“That was the plan,” Fortuna said before moving on.

I quickly trotted after her, but noticed how the other kirin threw a timid glance at her. Probably having hoped for head pats too.

“Aunty, what about your other knight?” I asked while rushing behind her.

“Blossom Wilt has recently managed to stop gambling.”

“Oh, uhm, isn’t that good?”

“It's not right for a follower of mine to not gamble!”

I stopped in my tracks for a second. “That… makes sense I think. Hmm, I never thought about that before. You never encouraged me to gamble though?”

“I never had a godchild before. I think there should be a difference between a familial relationship and a mere follower. My followers want something from me, therefore, have to follow my will and please me with their actions. You, however, are just you, my godchild. You do not need to prove yourself worthy to me.” She looked back at me. “That doesn’t mean I can’t show my disapproval if your behaviour differs too much from what I decide is right.”

“You mean from fulfilling my part of the great game.”

“For example.”

As we spoke, we made our way into the main room of the temple, and I had to stop in my tracks for a second time. Many things caught my attention, like the numerous springs throughout the room, the floating clovers, the kirins that stood or sat in small groups playing dice or cards, and the smell of… freshness, for lack of a better word.

What stood out most though were two things. First off, a giant, perhaps wooden wheel at the back of the room. I knew my godmother had a wheel to determine one's luck, that was common knowledge, but still, this one was huge, at least twice Dad's size, and was marked along its entire circumference with symbols, possibly representing what would happen if you landed on them. Spinning it would surely be a challenge!

The second was the long, floating noodle with light-blue fur next to it, doing its best to keep it spinning.

“Welcome, Fiery,” Fortuna said after a while, allowing me to just stand there and take in my surroundings. “Welcome to my temple in Shakirin-La.”

I shook my head to dispel my astonishment. “Oh, well, thank you!” I stepped forward and next to her. “This is not exactly what I had in mind when I imagined your temples, though, it looks kind of nice!”

“Kind of nice?” With a smile Fortuna raised an eyebrow. “I can’t let my godchild remember her first entrance into one of my main temples as just ‘kind of nice’, can I?” She stepped forward, and from her hooves spread light and an array of colours, turning the water in the springs to a golden liquid that emitted a light reminiscent of a sunrise, illuminating the now growing tendrils of clover all over the place. When finally it dimmered down, along with the now strong scent of clover, the smell of orchid and topaz filled the air, harmonising well with the butterflies and little birds that flew around chirping.

Watching my gaze with my mouth hanging agape, Fortuna smiled. “That's better.”

“My goddess!” With a scream of joy just louder than the uproar of astonishment and excitement Fortuna’s display had caused, the flying noodle made her way over to us. Though, while she flew, she looked more like a snake with how her body waved in the air. That was even more surprising since the noodle didn't have any wings! I mean, sure, I know about creatures or even objects using magic to fly, but to see it with my own eyes, more so on this level, was a different story though. Well, to add a bit to my bewilderment, she was not only flying, she was also dragging a little rainbow behind her which vanished as quickly as it emerged from her fluffy tail tip. “My goddess,” the noodle yelled once more when she landed in front of Fortuna and lowered herself to the ground. “You honour us all with your presence! Is there any way I can be of service?”

“Rejinra, high priest of my temple in Shakirin-La,” Fortuna introduced her.

“Your high priestess is a flying noo…”

“Luck Dragon,” Fortuna interrupted me strictly. “She is a luck dragon.” She then turned back to said luck dragon. “Rise, Rejinra.”

Her high priestess did as she was told, and suddenly, I had to look up at her. Standing on her hind legs, with the rest of her body vertical, she had to have been five-metres tall, if not more. Even Fortuna had to look up now.

“They don’t like to be called noodles, Fiery. Rejinra has led my temple for sixty-nine years now and deserves some respect.”

“I am sorry. I didn’t mean to annoy you,” I said. “Fiery leadership,” I added, and extended a claw.

“Rejinra,” the luck dragoness replied, leaned down, and shook my claw with hers. “Welcome to the temple of Fortuna.”

“Thanks,” I said while her smell reached my nose. It reminded me of the outside of our lair after a storm. Fresh and clean, but with a hint of moisture.

“I brought Fiery here so you could tell her a little bit about what it means to be a priestess of mine, Rejinra.”

“Oh, you are interested in becoming a priestess of our beloved goddess? What a wonderful idea!”

“Not exactly,” I shook my head.

“Oh?” Rejinra exchanged a quick look with Fortuna. “Well, anyway, uhm, being a priestess of Fortuna is as much a blessing as it is a serious duty. Our goddess grants us a considerable amount of luck and good fortune. In return, we guide her followers and those who want to become…”

“I meant your abilities as my priestess,” Fortuna clarified.

“Oh, yes, of course,” Rejinra hastily nodded. “As a priestess of our goddess, you are granted the ability to influence the manifestation of luck in the world. Be it to grant some as well as to strip somecreature of it.” She pulled a little golden sceptre out of her furr and waved it in the air. “Luck or misfortune, expressed exactly as our goddess wills it to be.”

“That is surely something,” I nodded, though, my gaze wandered to Fortuna, “isn’t that what one would expect?”

“Listen carefully,” she replied.

“Also, there is the fact that you are granted a great deal of luck,” Rejinra added. “Practically no one will ever be able to beat you in a game of chance.” She smiled and fetched some dice out of her furr. For a moment, I wondered what else she might have in there, but she quickly offered them to me. “No one except another follower of our goddess of course. Let me show you.”

I took the dice and examined them. They were three simple six-sided ones.

“Let us gamble! Highest role wins.” She looked me over. “Do you have anything to wager?”

“Actually…”

“Here,” Fortuna said and gave me a few fortune cookies.

… this,” I ended my sentence and held the fortune cookies up.

“Perfect,” Rejinra smiled. “I bet my scepter against your fortune cookies.”

“Your scepter? That's worth way more than my cookies!” I threw a glance at Fortuna, but she seemed to be perfectly fine with this gambling.

“Don’t worry about it,” Rejinra said with a wink. “You will lose anyway and we will share the cookies.”

“If you say so.”

In the meantime, more and more visitors to the temple had gathered near us, making themselves comfortable on the ground.

“Just throw the dice,” Rejinra requested.

“Okay…”

I threw them and they rolled across the floor.

Four, three, six.

“Not bad at all,” the high priestess said. “Now let me show you what a blessing of our goddess can do.” She bowed before Fortuna and threw the dice. “You know,” she said without even watching them, “it is no dishonour to lose against the high priestess of our goddess.” She stretched her claw out to demand my cookies when a murmur spread across the crowd. “Hmm?” she wondered, and her gaze shifted over to the dice.

One, one, one. The lowest possible roll.

“I think I have an idea,” I giggled, closed her jaw with my wingtip, and rubbing my head thankfully against my godmother.

“Who are you?” Rejinra inquired, desperately wanting to know as she hesitantly offered me her, I mean my, sceptre.

Before I could answer, Fortuna leaned forward, sealed my lips with her wing, and whispered into Rejinra’s ear.

“You are what!?” Rejinra’s fur became stiff and she flew several metres in the air.

The slightest sign of Fortuna’s displeasure quickly brought her back to her senses though. “My goddess,” she said, and bowed deeply as soon as her claws touched the ground again.

“That knowledge is not meant for other creatures to know, yet.”

“As my goddess wishes.”

“Good. Fiery,” Fortuna addressed me. “There is one more thing I want to show you.” With these words, she made her way over to the huge wheel I mentioned when we entered her temple.

“This is one of my wheels of fortune,” she explained. “Whoever spins it will change their luck. Be it for the better, or for the worse. Don’t!” she yelled, and stopped my claw when I tried to touch it. “Not even I can change what is set once the wheel has been turned. You should never try to spin it yourself, but there might come the time when you will want others to turn it.”

“Why would I do that? It doesn’t look like all the possible outcomes are positive.” I pointed at the symbol of a skull. “Looks pretty risky to me.”

“Risky, yes. But it still may be of use.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You will see.”

“Aunty.”

“You know there are rules, Fiery. Don’t worry about things you can’t change just yet.”

“Okay, fine.” I let my gaze wander over the wheel once more. “Aunty?”

“Yes?”

“What did you really bring me here for? I love that I got to see your temple, and more so Shakirin-La, it is amazing! Still, in the last eighteen years, you’ve never invited me over to one of your places, why now?”

“You’ve just learned some very useful information and won a very special item.”

I turned the scepter in my claw. “It surely is special, changing some creature’s luck is a powerful ability, and will surely help me claim the throne. Though, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with the wisdom of what your temple looks like or what your high priestess can do. You already granted me your blessing.”

“The scepter will not be able to follow you into the waking world, Fiery. Better you leave it here, in good claws, keeping it safe for you.”

I deflated a bit after hearing I wasn’t even able to take it with me.

“As for the information you gathered, you will see in due time. Keep them well in mind, you will have use for them later.”

“Hmm,” I turned the scepter in my claw, “I shall do that then.”

“Rejinra,” Fortuna called out. In but a moment, the luck dragoness appeared by our side and my godmother threw a meaningful look at my scepter.

After putting two and two together, I asked,” Would you please keep an eye on this for me? I am afraid I can’t take it with me right now.”

“I can surely do that,” Rejinra replied as she took it. “It shall be ready for you as soon as you return to retrieve it.”

“And everything went as it should,” Fortuna judged mysteriously. “Now we…” she raised a claw, “one moment.” Her gaze drifted into the distance for a while, far beyond her own temple. “Come in,” she finally said when her gaze returned to the here and now.

“Fortuna,” Aphrodite happily said with a nod after she and another kirin mare appeared out of thin air. “Good news!” She raised her hoof and some kind of bubble surrounded all five of us. “I found a worthy contestant for myself! So I am able to send somekirin for the great game too! Isn’t that wonderful?”

“Why is that good news?” Fortuna wondered, while I was shocked. Of all the gods, Aphrodite was the one I least suspected to challenge me and my godmother for the throne!

“How could you do that, Aphrodite!” I yelled in outrage. “I thought you were on our side!” My gaze landed on the mare she had brought with her, and a growl formed in my throat.

“But we are on the same side, little one,” the goddess replied cheerfully. “And this is not him, this is my priestess, Impulsive Temptation. No need to growl, she is not an azure.” Said priestess bowed before Fortuna and nodded to me and Rejina, which also allowed me to see her green backscales. “Also, that's why I am here! So we can team up!” Her gaze returned to Fortuna. “Isn’t that great? You and me, together, sending our favourites out to claim the throne! Your godchild and my chosen one, his name is Lively Stasis by the way, teaming up, claiming the throne together!”

“I told you that isn’t going to work, my godchild will not be interested,” Fortuna replied flatly.

Waving off Fortunas objections, Aphrodite went on. “Ahh, nonsense. Your godchild needs a kirin stallion anyway, and she can keep her batpony friend as a side stallion. Lively Stasis will not object, more so with his own harem of mares to pleasure him.”

“What?!” I could feel my back already heating up. “You want to pair me up with your favourite? And you’re encouraging us to have side affairs too! Have you lost your mind? No way!”

“I don’t know where your problem lies, Fiery. If you are going to be an empress, you’re going to need kirin children anyway. Otherwise, who would take the throne once you’re gone? It would be a waste of time and effort to claim the throne just to let one of your rivals have it after you’re gone.”

“If, I have children with Illu, they will take the throne after me, no matter their species!”

“And how do you think that is going to work? Only true kirins can use the mental connection, not to mention have the ability to use their azure heritage. Your children would be part batpony, they would not be able to lead the kirins. And having a harem or side affairs is a tradition of the empresses and emperors anyway.”

Now I was speechless. With an open jaw and sparkles coming off my back, I stood there, mentally working through what Aprodite had said.

“My godchild is still young, even by mortal standards. One problem at a time.”

“You knew about this?” My gaze shot towards Fortuna. “You knew my and Illu’s possible children couldn’t lead the kirins?”

“I was aware of the possible complications, yes.”

I groaned in anger and frustration. “Can’t you just use your goddess powers and arrange something?”

Fortuna raised an eyebrow.

“I mean,” I slowly exhaled, “please.”

“That is forbidden,” Aphrodite threw in. “Claiming the throne is a core objective in the great game. No divine intervention of that scale is allowed. If you die without pure kirin progeny, some other god or goddess may place their favourite on the throne and receive the points.” She shrugged and smiled apologetically. “The rules are the rules.”

“Indeed,” Fortuna agreed. “I can do a little bit here and there, but using my influence to allow you to have pure kirin progeny with your batfriend is forbidden.” She raised her claw to suppress my protest. “It’s the same reason why Ares isn’t fighting you and the other azure kirins directly to set his champion on the throne.”

“Great!” I raised my claws to the ceiling and shook them angrily. “And what am I supposed to do now?”

“Like I said, one problem at a time,” Fortuna said. “We can deal with that problem later. For now,” she looked back at Aphrodite, “a non-aggression pact seems to be the best option.”

“Not really what I had in mind, though, it may work out for now. You really should speak with your godchild about polygamy and its advantages. She is a kirin after all.”

“And you should pay more attention to the developments in the mortal worlds in matters of social standards. Anyway, so we agree that there shall be no claiming or other attacks between our favourites on the way to the throne?”

Aprodite nodded. “Sounds good to me, though, we could’ve had an even better agreement. Till they reach the mountain, they are friends. After that, you may reconsider my offer, or things may get complicated.”

“Deal,” Fortuna nodded.

“Deal,” Aphrodite also nodded.

A loud whipping sound, followed by a cry of pain from Impulsive Temptation caught everyone's attention. She was standing next to Rejinra, and we watched as she rapidly pulled back her foreleg from the luck dragon and began rubbing her pastern. Given she was a priestess of Aphrodite, it wasn’t hard to guess what had happened.

“Seems I am not the only one whose offer got rejected,” Aphrodite said giggling. “Be it as it may, we should be going. Fortuna,” Aphrodite nodded and stepped next to her priestess. A second later, both were gone.

“Just so you know, accepting her offer would immediately solve a lot of problems.”

“Aunty!”

“Not every mortal gets the opportunity to receive support from two goddesses and the chance to become the leader of their species too. In the old days, creatures sacrificed their firstborn to get even a splitter of such a chance.”

“But we are no longer in the old times! I never asked for any of this! I love Illu and want to keep him!”

“No one said you had to discard him, just that you would get an additional husband for the sake of the empire. Also, this was a thing most rulers had to do, sacrifice something for the greater good of their kingdom or empire.”

“Not Illu!”

“You are being offered the support of two goddesses, a marriage that will gift you with kirin progeny, and the chance to create your own empire. The entire continent would lay in your claws, if not more. You should at least consider the opportunity, even if Aphrodite didn’t really display much care regarding how she presented it to you.”

“Excuse me, my goddess,” Rejinra said quietly before I could respond. She looked at the bubble once more before continuing. “Speaking of creating an empire and ruling the continent… does that mean something is happening to the kirin empire?”

Oh right, she probably doesn’t know about the fate of Shakirin-La! A feeling of compassion replaced part of my anger as my gaze remained on her for a moment.

“You have nothing to fear, Rejinra,” Fortuna said. “The events that are to come lay hundreds of years in the future from your place in time. But yes, one day, the kirin empire will need to be rebuilt. And it is my will that my godchild will do the task.” Fortunas gaze switched to me. “But this is enough for one night, Fiery. We shall discuss this another time.”

She snapped with a hoof, and in a loud ‘puff’, I was gone.”

Author's Note

* The NSFW version of that picture can be found on my Discord Server in the NSFW channel. Link is on my profile page.

The Artwork is by Clarke Otterton, check out his cool artwork! Devi-link

Edits by my friend Schattendache

And the pre-reader was QueenChrysalisForever