“I must say Cadance, this place is certainly… Ornate.” Princess Celestia said.

Cadance glanced up at her as they walked down one of the many crystal corridors within the castle. Though they were rather sparse in furniture at the moment, it was more than made up for with the fascinating array of colors and designs that lined the walls, floors, and ceiling.

“Do you not like it?” She asked,

“Oh I never said that.” Princess Celestia quickly replied, “It’s just not much of my style.”

Cadance gave a slight frown, “I like it,”

“Then it’s a good thing it’s yours.” Princess Celestia said with a smile.

Cadance’s frown deepened, “Are you sure I should be the one ruling the Crystal Empire?”

“Why not you?” Princess Celestia asked, “The ponies here see you as their rightful ruler do they not?”

“They do…” Cadance answered, “It’s just that I don’t feel like I can rule, at least not yet.”

“Cadance.” Princess Celestia said, stopping in the middle of the hallway to look at her, “You are a very capable pony, I believe you can do it, you just need a little help, which is why I am here.”

Cadance gave her a weak smile. “Okay, how would I go about ruling an empire?”

Princess Celestia looked at her in bemusement, “Don’t tell me you’ve learned nothing after all these years of living as a princess in Canterlot.”

Cadance quickly shook her head, “I remember my training. It’s just that the empire doesn’t seem to work like Equestria does.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t run it like it,” Princess Celestia replied, “You are a monarch now, or a diarch should you choose to include Shining Armor, but that means you can rule the Crystal Empire however you see fit.”

Cadance just nodded,

“And I trust that you won't take after the previous ruler will you?” Princess Celestia asked in a jovial tone, elbowing Cadance in the side.

“Of course not,” she said with a smile, but it soon faded, “I just don’t know where to even begin.”

“Then how about we start,” Princess Celestia paused, looking forward, “With finding out what the empire has. A ruler who doesn’t know what they rule surely isn’t a very good ruler.”

Nodding once again at the statement, Cadance continued down the hallway with Princess Celestia, presumably to go and find a tour guide of sorts.

Just like the furniture, the castle staff was also a little sparse, though the castle did in fact have a staff, they just weren’t previously present due to obvious reasons. It was difficult to actually find anypony really, mainly due to the fact that the castle was massive, and that several of the higher up castle staff were reported missing, with no apparent knowledge on their whereabouts. Still, eventually Cadance was able to find somepony to help them around the empire.

“Yes, your highness,” The crystal pony bowed to her, then gave a curt nod to Princess Celestia before turning to lead them.

She raised an eyebrow at this, then spoke a moment later, “I’m beginning to like this place more and more.”

“How so?” Cadance asked, a bit confused.

“The ponies here don’t bow to me.” Princess Celestia explained, “It’s a rather refreshing change of environment. I might have to visit here more often.”

“You’re still going to visit anyway right?”

“Of course.”

Cadance smiled at that, then moved to follow their guide as they began their tour.

Unsurprisingly, the Crystal Empire was only an empire by name, and it more closely resembled a city-state in function. If the large amounts of farmland surrounding the empire were to be excluded, then it would barely surpass some of Equestria’s larger cities in size, and yet the population was closer to a smaller city, a town even.

They were first led out of the castle and into the district surrounding it, which held what could be considered the upper echelon of the Crystal Empire. There wasn’t actually much of a divide between the population, as they all lived in relative equality, but a select few had risen to pseudo-nobility and therefore lived near the castle. However most of which appeared to be missing as well, but before they could focus on that the two alicorns were led into the next district.

“This is the business district, where the majority of all the Crystal Empire’s commerce takes place.” The tour guide began. “You’ll be able to find most anything here… Though if we really have been gone for over a thousand years then you might find some things… lacking.”

“That’s quite alright,” Princess Celestia said, “We have plans to fully reintegrate the Crystal Empire into the world’s economy.”

“We do?” Cadance asked, looking at Princess Celestia.

She just nodded.

“Oh,” Cadance looked back to the tour guide, “Then we do.”

“Excellent, then would you like to visit a few shops before we move on?”

Cadance looked to Princess Celestia again, who gave another slight nod.

“Very well then,” The tour guide said, and they began leading the two further into the business district.

Unfortunately, most of the shops were not open, which made sense. It had really only been a few days since the liberation of the Crystal Empire, and the crystal ponies were still gathering their bearings. So even though the physical status of the empire was ready to start functioning, it would still take some time for everything to start running smoothly once more.

Still, what was open was certainly a good impression for the rest to come. Nothing could be described as simple, as the crystal properties of almost every material prevented anything from looking less than exquisite, which was the status quo anyway. Cadance mused over a few shiny wool garments, while Princess Celestia eyed an intricate crystal tea set, despite her previous statement.

Though neither of them were carrying any money, the crystal ponies were more than willing to give their princess and savior the items for free. Cadance refused of course, saying that she would gladly pay for it later, Princess Celestia though…

“Call it a souvenir,” She said, whisking away the tea set in a plume of magical smoke, “I want to have something to remind me of you.”

Cadance just rolled her eyes, then promised compensation to the shopkeeper.

“Well then, if that concludes our business within the district, then shall we move onto the next?” The tour guide asked.

“Let’s.”

And so the two were led into the next district, though as they were walking, Princess Celestia pulled Cadance to the side.

“I’m not doing anything wrong am I?” Cadance asked preemptively.

“A bit yes,” Princess Celestia admitted, “I understand that you are still new to this, and that you are looking to me for advice, but you are the ruler of these ponies, not me.” She explained, “Try not to refer to me too often in public, it doesn’t exactly paint you in the best light.”

“Right,” Cadance nodded, “So I should lead then?” She asked,

“For the most part, I trust your judgement Cadance, and think of this as a sort of practice, as you won't always have my guidance in the future.”

“Okay…” Cadance said a bit nervously, before standing up straight and turning towards the tour guide. “So tell me about this district.”

“Ah, well this is the residential district,” The tour guide started, “This is where the majority of the population is housed.”

Cadance nodded, “How much housing is there?”

The tour guide stopped “Hmm, by my estimate, I’d say there’s enough space for around one thousand ponies to live comfortably, but at the moment I don’t think we’re even half of that.”

Cadance and Princess Celestia shared a look.

“And how much room would you say there is for expansion?”

“An excellent question your highness, one I unfortunately don’t have the answer to. Would you like me to have a surveyor find out?”

“Yes, that information will be useful in transitioning the empire to a more modern system.” Cadance said, looking towards Princess Celestia again.

She nodded with a smile.

“However at the moment we should continue the tour, there are still some things I would like to see.” Cadance finished.

“Very well your highness,” The tour guide bowed slightly, “Then let us continue.”

As they made their way through the rest of the residential district, the size of each building and the space in between them changed. The layout went from urban, to suburban, then all the way to rural as the two were guided into the last and largest district.

“And this is the agricultural district,” The tour guide said, “Most, if not all of our empire’s food is grown here.”

“Like what?” Cadance asked, gazing across the fields.

“Mostly the empire’s staples, such as crystal corn or crystal wheat, though there are some smaller plots that grow several crystal spices, and the entire Eastern plot is a vineyard dedicated to growing crystal fruit.”

“Crystal fruit? I’ve heard those make a pretty good jam.” Cadance recounted,

“Indeed, though the main reason why they’re grown is for use in crystal wine.” The tour guide explained,

“Crystal wine you say?” Cadance asked, interest peaked.

Princess Celestia raised her eyebrow at this, but otherwise stayed silent.

“Yes, your highness. Would you like to tour the winery as well?” The tour guide asked,

Cadance didn’t even glance at Princess Celestia before answering, “Yes please.”

“Very well then, follow me.”

Princess Celestia gave a slight frown as they were led through the countryside, but continued to keep quiet as they passed fields of crops and pens for livestock. That is, until another worry began to make itself known.

“Cadance,” She began, pulling her to the side once again, “Where is the worm?”

“I don’t know.” Cadance admitted, looking up to the sky, “I haven’t seen him since we saved the Crystal Empire.”

“Him?” Princess Celestia asked,

Cadance turned and looked at her in confusion for a moment, before realizing what she meant. “Oh. I’m just assuming at the moment, since I don’t know how to uh… check.”

Princess Celestia nodded at the answer, “But aren’t you worried about it?”

“A little yes, but I know he’s more than capable of taking care of himself,”

“So you’re just letting it run free?” Princess Celestia demanded, more than a little worried,

“No,” Cadance answered quickly, “I’ve tried calling out to him, but no matter how hard I try he just won’t respond.”

“And it just up and left?” Princess Celestia asked,

“Not exactly,” Cadance said, “Right before he disappeared something freaked him out, majorly, and he just… flew off.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, but it’s happened before.”

“It has?”

Cadance nodded, “Never on this scale though, I think he’s hiding something from me, something he doesn't want me to know.”

“Hmm,” Princess Celestia said, “And you aren’t worried in the slightest about what it’s doing without you?”

“Well… I know he won’t hurt any ponies.”

“Cadance, you are aware that there are more than just ponies up here?”

“There are?” Cadance asked,

“Yes, besides the sparse wildlife, Yakyakistan borders are only a few miles West of here, and there are several nomadic caribou tribes in the surrounding area. While none of them have a particularly strong presence in the sky, I shudder to think of what might happen should the worm be forced to hunt on the ground.”

“Oh,” Cadance realized, “Then I should probably find the worm soon then.”

“Sooner would be much more preferable than later,” Princess Celestia said,

“If I may interrupt,” The tour guide joined in, “We have arrived at our destination.”

Princess Celestia sighed, “Though for now I suppose we should finish the tour.”

The crystal winery was one of the larger buildings on the outskirts of the Crystal Empire, with rows upon rows of crystal trellises in every direction, each adorned with crystalline vines. It was certainly a sight to behold, but the excitement of it all didn’t last long.

“I’m sorry your majesty, we don’t have any wine.”

“You don’t?” Cadance asked, incredibly disappointed, “Why not?”

“Unfortunately, all of our previous stock is just gone.” The vintner said, “We don’t know where or why, it just is.”

Even Princess Celestia looked disappointed at the missed opportunity to try a thousand year wine.

“Actually,” The vintner continued, “We are in the process of making our first batch in what…? Over a thousand years?”

“Oh?” Cadance’s ears perked back up a bit, “And how long will that take?” She asked,

“About three months,”

“I see…”

The vintner awkwardly cleared their throat, “Would you like us to notify you when the first batch is ready to taste?”

“That would be…” Cadance quickly glanced towards Princess Celestia, “Greatly appreciated, thank you.”

Princess Celestia just continued to look bemused at the whole situation.

“It will be done, your highness,” The tour guide said, “Now shall we continue the tour?”

“Yes, we shall,” Cadance said rather quickly, “Where to next?”

“Your castle,”

Though the two already had a good idea of the castle interior, the in depth tour showed them just how extravagant it really was. There was the expansive throne which occupied nearly an entire floor, and the multitude of utilities and staff rooms that allowed the castle to function, not to mention the lavish living accommodations for anypony staying in the castle.

Then there was the royal suite, the last room in the castle tour.

“Oh my.” Princess Celestia commented,

Nearing the top of the spire, the collection of rooms took up the entire floorspace. A truly massive bed sat in the center of the bedroom, obviously heart-shaped, and with plenty of pillows and blankets to use. Surrounding it were doors that led to things such as an extravagant bathroom, if a little outdated, a nice study, with several filled bookshelves lining the walls, a simple lounge, which was sparsely decorated, and a staircase leading to the top of the spire, where the entire Crystal Empire could be seen from it.

“I will admit I am a little envious.” Princess Celestia said, reentering the bedroom from the spire, “My personal chambers barely hold a candle to this.”

“It’s certainly a lot,” Cadance replied, peering through each doorway again, “Though the lack of plumbing might be an issue.”

“I’m sure it wouldn’t be too hard to outfit this place with more modern accommodations.” Princess Celestia mused, looking over the bed once more. “Well,” She concluded, “I suppose that finishes the tour?”

“Yeah...” Cadance turned towards Princess Celestia, then stopped, her nose twitching.

“Is something the matter?

“No?” Cadance wondered, sniffing more, “I just smell something.”

Princess Celestia paused and sniffed the air once, but it was just as crisp as it was before, not dusty or stale in the slightest. “I don’t smell anything.” She said,

“Hang on.” Cadance abruptly leaned down, nose almost touching the floor as she traced the smell.

Tilting her head in confusion, Princess Celestia just watched as Cadance circled the room a few times. Eventually moving over to the bed, then stepping up on it and ruining the once straightened covers in her quest.

“Ummm?”

Cadance continued, ignoring Princess Celestia as she made her way to the wall behind the bed. Lifting up, she placed her hooves on the wall and sniffed it carefully, then she pushed, and a portion of the wall sank back and clicked. It then slid away, revealing a small compartment behind it.

“Is that..?” Princess Celestia asked,

Cadance’s eyes lit up, “A mini-bar!” She exclaimed.

Princess Celestia stopped, sitting there for a moment and staring as Cadance rummaged through the cabinet, pulling out a multitude of crystal glasses and bottles, most of which looked and sounded empty.

“Aha!”

From the back of the shelf Cadance pulled out a pink crystal bottle, the only thing that set it apart from the others was that it still had a cork, and that a little bit of liquid could be seen swirling inside. Princess Celestia looked on in interest as Cadance quickly uncorked the bottle and took a whiff. Her face instantly scrunched up and she pulled away.

“Whew! That’s strong.” She said, “But that’s definitely what I was smelling.”

“Has it gone bad?” Princess Celestia asked,

“I don’t think so,” Cadance replied, hopping off the bed and smelling it again now that she was used to it, “Do you want to try it?”

“That doesn’t seem like a good idea,”

“Why not?” Cadance asked, “Can’t you hold your liquor?”

Princess Celestia looked at her strangely, “I can… But we don’t know exactly what that is, or what it could do.”

Cadance took another whiff, “It smells alright to me.”

Princess Celestia gave her an incredulous look, but eventually sighed and relented. “A toast then?”

“To what?” Cadance asked, bringing up two glasses.

“To a long and successful rulership?”

Cadance smiled, and poured an equal amount of magenta liquid in both glasses, which was all that was left in the bottle.

“To long and successful rulerships” She revised, passing a glass to Princess Celestia.

She took it, and gave the opaque purple liquid inside another uncertain look, but she still tapped her glass with Cadance’s, and they both took a sip.

It burned, badly, as a strong liquor should, but Princess Celestia wasn’t entirely expecting it. She winced, but quickly pushed it down, and as the stinging sensation left, a pleasant flavor remained, something she also wasn’t expecting. It was unique, unlike anything she had ever tasted before, with a pure flavor and a lingering sweetness that was not overpowering in the slightest.

The second sip went down much easier, draining the rest of the glass and leaving Princess Celestia with a bit of longing for more. A quick glance towards Cadance revealed that she had finished hers as well, and the two of them sat there for a moment, waiting to see what would happen next.

It started with a tingle, starting in the pit of Princess Celestia’s stomach, before it moved up her body. She felt it move to her head, which was normal, and soon enough the effects of the alcohol descended upon her, but then it moved to the base of her horn, which was not normal. The tingling sensation resided there for a moment, then it faded completely, leaving Princess Celestia with a strange feeling of emptiness around her horn.

Moving the glass slightly, Princess Celestia felt her magic flow much faster than it did before, and she had to stop herself from sending the crystal cup halfway across the room. She stared at it for a moment as she slowly pulled it back, and Princess Celestia realized that the drink must have done something to her magic. For how long she didn’t know, but given the circumstances of the effects they would probably wear off at the same time as her buzz, and Princess Celestia could easily burn the alcohol out of her system.

Cadance however, was a different story.

Princess Celestia looked at the much smaller, and most likely less tolerant alicorn in front of her, whose eyes began to defocus.

“How are you feeling?” She asked worriedly,

Cadance swayed slightly, but quickly righted herself to answer.

“I feel fabulous.” She semi-slurred, blushing lightly.

Princess Celestia hummed, “Perhaps this wasn’t the best of ideas, it might be best to wait a few moments.”

“No!” Cadance said abruptly, she shook her head, fighting through her haziness “I’m fine, let’s continue.”

“Are you certain?” Princess Celestia asked,

“No.” Cadance repeated, before shaking her head again, “I mean yes.”

Princess Celestia gave her an uncertain look, but otherwise continued as she carefully set her glass down. Then she watched as Cadance nearly smashed her own glass against a table in an attempt to put it down, and from there she took the liberty of guiding her over to the lounge connected to the bedroom.

“Let’s talk,” Princess Celestia said as they both sat down.

“About what?” Cadance asked,

“To start,” Princess Celestia began, “Are you alright?”

Cadance paused for a moment, swaying slightly before answering, “Fine, why do you ask?”

“It’s just… I’m beginning to worry about you. I’ve never seen you seek out alcohol so actively.”

“Oh… That…” Cadance slumped slightly, “Um…” She then paused for another few moments, most likely trying to find the words to respond with. “I may have been drinking more than usual.”

There was a pregnant pause, but before Princess Celestia could respond Cadance found more words.

“It's just that ever since the invasion I just haven’t been feeling normal, and I know that things will never be the same as they were before, but I still feel… stuck.”

“I see,” Princess Celestia tried to begin, but Cadance continued,

“And I’ve been under a lot of stress recently, freeing the empire was hard, yet gratifying, but the idea of ruling over it is nerve wracking. Then the worm left and I haven’t seen him since and both me and Shining have been super busy just trying to figure all of this out!” She finished, taking a moment to catch her breath.

“Then-”

“Not to mention there was that thing that Sombra told me!” Cadance tacked on.

…

“You spoke with Sombra?” Princess Celestia asked, surprised.

“Yes!” Cadance exclaimed, “The Crystal Heart forced us to have a conversation.”

Princess Celestia frowned deeply, “What did he tell you?”

“He told me about the empire, and how it didn’t just disappear,” Cadance sniffled, “Then he told me about the worms.”

“Worms?” Princess Celestia asked, enunciating the plural part of the word.

“Mm-Hm,” Cadance nodded, “He told me that they are bad omens, and that I shouldn’t associate myself with the species.”

“I find that accurate,” Princess Celestia muttered, perhaps a bit too loudly.

Cadance sniffed again, and looked up towards her, “Can you tell me about the worm? Everything you know?”

“I already have.” Princess Celestia answered simply.

Cadance stared at her for a moment, “I don’t believe that.”

Princess Celestia winced slightly, even when drunk, Cadance could be incredibly persuasive, if not more so from an increased intimidation factor.

She let out a sigh, then spoke, “Very well, you deserve to know everything about the worm, so I will tell you all I know about it.”

Cadance gave a small smile, “Thank you.”

Princess Celestia closed her eyes, and began to formulate everything she knew into sentences. “History has been kind to the stories of many. Some things are better left forgotten, but sometimes they can’t be.” She began

Cadance just leaned in to listen.

“The worm didn’t just appear a thousand years ago. It was summoned. By Nightmare Moon.”

Cadance gasped, “Auntie Luna!?”

“No,” Princess Celestia corrected, “Nightmare Moon. Despite their relation they were in fact separate entities.”

“Oh.”

Princess Celestia continued, “In an attempt to find a way to usurp me, Nightmare Moon somehow travelled to another world and found a tablet. One that when used, summoned the worm, along with two others.”

“There were more worms?” Cadance asked,

“No,” Princess Celestia said again, “They were three different beings, but they all served the same purpose, to hunt the sun.”

“What were they?”

Princess Celestia paused for a moment, recalling her assailants. “There was a pitch black mirror, given life and the ability to control darkness. Then there was the spectre, seemingly amorphous yet full of malice. Finally, there was the worm, though it wasn’t the same as it was today.”

“It wasn’t?” Cadance repeated,

Princess Celestia nodded, “When it first appeared it was covered in full plate armor, and it was nearly impenetrable.”

“Nearly?” Cadance asked, “So I guess that’s why the worm isn’t wearing armor today?”

“Correct, if you remember, the first crusade against it managed to strip it of its armor.”

“You wouldn’t happen to still uhh… have it?”

“Unfortunately not. While it was useless in the beginning, experiments with the metal pioneered the creation of all modern weather machines, and almost all of it has been used since then.”

Cadance hummed, “Do you know anything else?”

“Yes, as of more recently, and at my request, Luna delved into its dreams to try and find out more about it.”

Cadance frowned slightly, “What did she find out?”

“Well…” Princess Celestia began, looking down slightly, “It truly does love you… among other things, but it’s also afraid.”

“Of me?” Cadance asked,

“Possibly. It is… complicated,” Princess Celestia explained, “From what Luna was able to gather, something happened in the worm’s past that makes it wary of you, yet it loves you all the same.”

Cadance gave a worried smile.

“But there’s more,” Princess Celestia continued, “There was something else, something that absolutely terrified the worm.”

A worried expression overtook Cadance’s smile.

“You don’t think that’s why he ran away do you?” She asked,

“It doesn’t seem likely, Luna described it as an overwhelming force, with an intimidating aura to match, which certainly sounds like something that others would notice.”

Cadance nodded, then leaned back, “Why do you think he ran away?”

Princess Celestia put a hoof to her chin in thought, “I believe the worm might be distancing itself from you. If something were to have spooked it as you said, then it may have become apprehensive towards you, and is simply being cautious by keeping its distance.”

“So it would be a bad idea to try and find him?” Cadance asked,

“That is something I do not know the answer to,” Princess Celestia admitted, “We both know that the worm is incredibly dangerous, and is most likely unstable at this moment. The idea of going out and calming it seems plausible, but so is it lashing out from fear.”

“What do you think I should do then?”

“Now that is something I cannot answer,” Princess Celestia said, “I have only known the worm through its actions on the opposite end of the battlefield, but you don’t. I cannot tell you how to proceed with this, but you can decide for yourself. What do you believe is the right course of action here?” She finished by asking.

Cadance sat there for a moment, clearly in thought, and it had become evident that through their conversation she had sobered up a bit. She then stood up on her chair proudly with her wings outstretched.

“Let’s go find the worm!” She announced, before wobbling slightly, clearly still a little tipsy.

Princess Celestia smiled at that.

Cadance then gracefully fell out of her chair with a whumpf, then picked herself up and galloped out of the room.

“Right now?” Princess Celestia called out in confusion

She sat there for a moment, waiting for a response, however none came. She then stood up and followed in a brisk trot, going back through the rest of the suite and making it to the top of the spire just in time to see Cadance leap from it, wings open and flapping. Continuing to follow the smaller alicorn, Princess Celestia took her own stance on top of the spire, opening up her massive wings and flapping them a few times before getting a running start and jumping as well.

Initially the air was decently warm, considering they were still in the Crystal Empire, but as the two exited its projected field, it turned much colder. Thankfully the weather was mostly clear, and Princess Celestia could feel the warmth of her sun on her back as she trailed behind Cadance, who appeared to be moving towards a cluster of clouds in the distance, which was probably the best place to start looking.

Other than that though, the frozen North was hardly something to look at. Layers upon layers of snow blanketed the entire landscape, with only a select few outcroppings of stone or ice poking through. At first glance it looked like a wasteland, but the closer you looked, the more you could see.

Princess Celestia dropped down slightly, flying closer to the ground, but still tailing Cadance. She hadn’t been this far North in generations, though it hasn’t changed much, other than the shimmering city behind them of course. A multitude of finer details were visible as they passed below, and while there was minimal plant life, that didn’t mean there wasn’t other life. Princess Celestia could see tracks and evidence of animals, pathways carved into the snow by the locals, maybe even the crystal ponies, there was even an empty campsite that was probably the settling spot for a nearby tribe at the base of the mountain.

Base of the mountain?

Princess Celestia looked up, and immediately began flapping her wings harder to gain altitude, she came closer to crashing than she’d like to admit, but eventually she crested the top of the mountain, and saw Cadance standing nearby.

Quickly touching down, she spoke, “I might have to do this more often, I haven’t flown like that in quite some time, though I rarely get time to do so.”

Cadance just nodded in acknowledgement, then continued to gaze out across the horizon.

“See anything?” Princess Celestia asked,

“There,” Cadance pointed.

Over the next stretch of snowy tundra, a decent amount of clouds had gathered near the peak of another mountain. However what was most catching about it though was the faint flashes of lightning visible within, though none of them actually made it to the ground.

Princess Celestia gave a small grimace, while this storm was a far cry from the first one she delved into all those years ago, it was still unsettling to think she might have to do it again, even if it was for a different reason. She looked towards Cadance, who was already preparing for the next flight, she certainly didn’t look any nervous, perhaps it was her relationship with the worm, or maybe that was just the residual alcohol.

Nonetheless, the two both took off a moment later for the next part of the flight. The storm was quite a distance away, further than the last stretch, so they would be flying for quite some time. There wasn’t much to look at either, unlike the previous flight, the landscape was entirely flat, leaving it looking even more barren, with only a few pathways of tracks to break it up.

Except for one thing.

Further ahead, a larger pair of tracks, most likely belonging to something akin to a polar bear, just stopped in the middle of a field, with a huge amount of displaced snow around them. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out what happened here, at least the worm wouldn’t be hungry when they met.

The storm only seemed to grow larger as they approached, and not just because they were getting closer. The wind began to pick up as both Cadance and Princess Celestia began to ascend the mountain, and they soon noticed the hailstorm that was taking place underneath the storm. Though before any ice pellets could even get near the alicorns, two shields apparated around them, protecting them from the more than adverse weather.

The sun was blotted out as they fully entered the storm, and even with the reflected light from the surrounding landscape, it grew dark fast. Luckily the repeated flashes of lightning above gave them some indication of how much further they had to go. Countless chunks of ice and hail bounced off the shields, but the two eventually made it to the top.

A coarse mixture of snow and hailstones awaited them, and while it was a bit awkward to stand in, both Princess Celestia and Cadance landed in it. They both looked around for a moment, then into the storm above, which was hovering just above the peak of the mountain.

“I’m going in!” Cadance shouted over the rumbling of thunder.

“Are you sure?!” Princess Celestia asked back

“Yes!” Cadance replied, then got ready to take off again.

“Do you want me to come with you?!”

Cadance paused, and looked towards Princess Celestia for a moment.

“No! I need to do this alone!”

Princess Celestia would’ve sighed in relief, but she was still worried about Cadance, but she didn’t stop her as she leapt into the air, disappearing into the storm a moment later.

Then she waited, and waited, and waited. The everpresent hail creating a cacophony of noise against her shield, not to mention the roars of thunder sounding out above. A minute later a screech echoed out from the clouds, causing Princess Celestia to begin searching through the clouds with her eyes. She hoped to see a figure, a silhouette, or a form of any kind, but through the flashes of lightning in the dark storm, there was nothing.

Until there was.

Another flash of lightning revealed a massive shape in the clouds, much closer than Princess Celestia was expecting, causing her to take a cautious step back.

A moment later the worm descended through the clouds, with Cadance nowhere in sight. The remnants of an electric charge faded from its body as the hail bounced off its armor. It shuddered, and clicked a few times as it stared at Princess Celestia, who stared back intensely. Then she noticed something, in the frozen North it would be nearly impossible for water to precipitate, yet the worm’s mandibles were slick and dripping.

It was blood, red blood, meaning it had come from another creature.

Princess Celestia let out a small gasp as the worm moved closer, and she quickly switched her shield to a more combat focused one, charging her horn a moment later. The worm growled at this, and Princess Celestia began to feel the storm turn from turbulent to violent.

“Celestia!” Cadance called out, “What are you doing?!”

She stopped, and looked more closely at the worm, where Cadance’s voice had come from. There, peeking out from behind its head and actively shielding herself from the hail, was Cadance.

This time Princess Celestia actually sighed in relief, and she let the charge in her horn drop. Cadance was alive, a bit beaten and battered from the hail, but alive.

“What happened?!” She shouted.

Cadance went to reply, but she stopped, then tapped the worm a few times on its head. Princess Celestia didn’t hear what she said, but a moment later the worm chittered and whipped its tail. Just like before, the storm above immediately shifted, and the hail began to lessen, shrinking in size before it eventually turned to snow. That, along with the rest of the clouds, soon gave the entire area a new blanket of snow, partially covering any disturbances from earlier.

The worm lowered even more, and Cadance leapt from its back, gliding down and landing next to Princess Celestia.

“Whew.” She began, shaking some snow from her coat, “I sure startled him.”

“You did?” Princess Celestia asked, confused

“Yeah, I don’t think he was expecting me to appear behind him while he was eating.” Cadance said,

Princess Celestia looked from Cadance to the worm, then its bloody mandibles, “So that’s…?”

“From earlier,” Cadance answered, before she too looked at the worm, “Could you clean yourself up please?”

The worm huffed, then erupted into purple flames, quickly vaporizing anything on it.

“So,” Princess Celestia continued, “What happened?” She asked again.

“Well,” Cadance began, “I snuck up on him somehow, and I scared him pretty bad, which in turn scared me.” She then outstretched her wings, revealing quite a lot of damage. “Then I got hit by some hail.”

Princess Celestia cringed, “Are you alright?”

“Fine for now, though I’m not sure about flying all the way back.”

Princess Celestia looked back over the large stretches of land they had flown across earlier.

“Maybe you could carry me.” Cadance said,

“I don’t-” Princess Celestia began, frowning, only to stop as soon as she turned around.

Cadance was no longer facing her, rather she was looking at the worm.

“-oh.”

“But first,” Cadance continued, “You have to tell me why you disappeared earlier.”

The worm froze.

“And don’t even think about running away again.” She chastised, “Now spill it.”

The worm shrank back a bit, but didn’t do anything else. It then inhaled deeply, before speaking.

“S I G N U S.”

There was a moment of pause.

“Sickness?” Princess Celestia asked,

“Signus,” Cadance clarified, then she turned back to the worm, “What is that?”

Princess Celestia thought for a moment, “Who is that?” She reiterated.

The worm shuddered, “E N V O Y.”

“Envoy of who?” Cadance asked

The worm was actively shaking now, and had dropped so low that it was almost resting on the mountainside. A very long moment of silence descended over the mountain’s peak as they waited for the answer.

“M A S T E R.”

Princess Celestia and Cadance shared a look, before they both looked at the worm again, which was clearly displaying its fear. Cadance took this moment to go over and try to comfort it, while Princess Celestia just stood there in thought.

“Could it be?” She wondered, looking up to the sky.

To Be Continued…

Author's Note

Umm, not too sure what to say about this one. I could've released it earlier, but I wanted to give it some time before I proof read it, hope you guys like this one, and I have a few more filler type chapters lined up before we get back into the main story, because who doesn't love filler?

DO NOT ASK ABOUT THE BEACH CHAPTER.