//------------------------------//
// Chapter 04: A Troll's Courtesy 
// Story: Forged Anew 
// by Friend_Computer 
//------------------------------//

The carriage hit another pothole, and Ruby cussed quietly while trying to not fall off the bench. Many of the roads outside the Crystal City were still in a state of disrepair, and traveling by carriage was a taxing ordeal. Walking might have actually been easier and faster. Malachite sat next to her, but to Ruby's amazement, he had managed to fall asleep despite the carriage's constant jumps and shudders. Princess Cadance sat on the bench facing the two of them, and while she was not sleeping, the fact that she was capable of doing paperwork without spilling ink all over the carriage's interior was equally baffling to Ruby.

Cadance was sitting on several soft cushions, levitating a number of documents in front of her. Every now and then, she would pick up a slender quill and make a few notes, or use it to sign one of the papers before rolling it up and stowing it in a labeled tube. 

While she was in the middle of putting her delicate signature on a document, the front wheels of the carriage hit another hole in the road, and the vehicle made an abrupt lurch forward. Ruby heard the quill snap against the paper, and a single drop of ink landed on the carriage floor. The princess frowned ever so slightly, but then she just sighed and began to put away the papers and writing implements.

"I'm terribly sorry about this Ruby. I really wish there was a way to make this trip more comfortable for everyone," she said apologetically.

Sweet Harmony. Morgha is going to eat her alive.

Ruby had voiced her concerns about sending Princess Cadance on this mission. Cadance was tactful, friendly, and compassionate, all of which had to be horrible traits for a negotiation involving trolls. Shining Armor would have been a much better choice. Him, Morgha could probably respect as a warrior. But Cadance?

Ruby looked at the princess, who had just finished hiding a stifled yawn behind one of her manicured hooves, and gifted Ruby with a bright and genuine smile when she noticed that the knight's eyes were resting on her.

There was just no way in Tartarus.

Shining Armor had listened patiently to her arguments, but insisted that Cadance knew what she was doing, and that she was the right mare to conduct the negotiations. Ruby was not convinced, but there was nothing she could do about it. If they were lucky, the trolls would take one look at the delicate alicorn princess, and simply refuse to talk to her at all. Or they might see her mere presence as an insult and turn violent.

Ruby's musings were interrupted when the carriage began to slow down and finally came to a halt. She breathed a sigh of relief, and then gave Malachite a sharp poke in the side to wake him up, before hurrying to leave the stuffy little box in which she had spent the better part of a week.

It was early afternoon, and one of the rare occasions when the Frozen Plains were not covered by a thick blanket of gray clouds. Ruby could see all the way to the horizon, where the pristine white of the plains was cut off by the dark, imposing silhouette of the Crystal Mountains. The sky seemed close enough to touch, and was as blue as polished glacier ice.

Ruby sucked the cold, fresh air into her lungs, and took a few seconds to appreciate this moment of calm and peaceful beauty that was such a rarity in the untamed wilderness of the Frozen Plains. Then she turned around to help the princess out of the carriage. Cadance took the hoof Ruby offered her, but probably more for politeness’ sake than because she needed it.

"Ah. That feels so much better," the princess murmured while unfurling her wings and stretching her legs until her joints made little popping noises. Then she turned towards one of the soldiers who had been pulling her carriage. "Is this the place? Is the Blackglacier camp north from here?"

The soldier nodded. "Yes Princess Cadance. This is as close to the clan's camp as we can get with the carriage."

"Excellent. Then we should be able to reach the Blackglacier Clan before sunset." Cadance said while wrapping a thick woolen shawl around her slender neck. "Is there a place nearby where you could make yourselves somewhat comfortable until we return?"

The question seemed to confuse the soldier. "Are you planning on leaving part of your escort with the carriage, your Majesty?"

Cadance lifted a pair of finely stitched silken saddlebags from the carriage’s luggage compartment and nodded. "Most of it, actually. Sir Malachite and Dame Ruby Chip will accompany me to the camp, but I'm afraid I must ask the rest of you to stay behind." The soldier opened his mouth to respond, but Cadance cut him off with a quick gesture and a knowing smile. "I know Shining Armor gave you strict orders not to let me out of your sight. I'm sorry, I am aware that this is putting you in a difficult situation, but I'm afraid I have to insist."

Ruby raised an eyebrow and looked back and forth between Cadance and the seemingly very unhappy guardspony. This plan was news to her as well.

"Do you think that is wise princess?" Malachite asked with some reluctance. "We are honored that you have such high confidence in our ability to act as your protectors, but Frost Work and his comrades are very capable as well, and there is strength in numbers. In the middle of a troll camp, surrounded by Blackglacier warriors, there is only so much Ruby and I could do to shield you from harm if we were on our own."

"I am aware of the risks Malachite," Cadance said. "But this is how we have to do things. Among the trolls of the Frozen Plains, it is tradition for their chiefs to take only two of their strongest and most reputable warriors with them when they visit another clan for a moot. That's what they call negotiations between clan leaders." The princess looked at Malachite and Ruby. "That is why I picked the two of you specifically to accompany me. Both of you were present at the battle of the Howling Barrows, and you have fought against marauding warbands on several occasions. Malachite, you slew one of their chieftains in single combat, and Ruby, just recently, you were with the troops that defeated the Blackglacier Clan during their newest clash with us. You two may not be aware of it, but you have a reputation among the clans of the Frozen Plains. Most members of the Lance do, but you are quite notorious even compared to them." She turned back to Frost Work. "Which is why I cannot take anypony else with me. Going against their traditions would make the negotiations with the Blackglacier Clan more complicated than they have to be. Don't worry about us Frost Work. Everything is going to be fine."

The soldier did not look convinced, but he bowed his head. "If that is what you wish your Majesty. At least you will have the Lance at your side. We will await your safe return."

"Thank you Frost Work. You won't have to wait long," Cadance said. Then her attention returned to Ruby and Malachite, and if Ruby hadn't know any better, she would almost have said that the princess looked excited. "Now my knights. Are you ready to depart?"


* * *


They left the rest of the princess' escort behind, after Frost Work showed them on their map where he and the other soldiers would be waiting for them. The camp of the Blackglacier Clan was located in a hidden hollow, surrounded by steep, rocky hills and deep ice crevices. The place was not very far away, but they would have to travel through a maze of narrow canyons to reach it, and even even though they had a map, it would still take them some time to get through.

They hadn’t reached the hills yet, so the deep snow of the Plains was all they had to content with at the moment. Ruby was leading the way to dig a furrow into the almost chest-high snow. Princess Cadance followed directly behind her, while Malachite marched in the rearmost spot of their little formation. It had always struck Ruby as eerie how quiet the Frozen Plains could be when no blizzard was sweeping over them. There were no animals around to make any sound, and not even the slightest breeze was stirring, as if the Plains had to catch their breath for the next storm they would unleash. Even the clanking of her armor and the scrunching of the snow beneath her hooves seemed to get muted and almost swallowed up by the still, cold air around them. It was a peculiar feeling, not enough to be frightening, but sufficient to make Ruby feel slightly uncomfortable and on edge.

"Your Majesty? May I ask you a question?" Ruby said. Mostly, she was eager to chase away the irritating silence, but there were a few things she hoped Cadance could tell her more about.

"Of course Ruby. Ask away," came the answer from behind her.

"What is the purpose of this tradition the clans have? I just think it is strange that trolls would trust each other enough to make themselves vulnerable like this."

"The clans are constantly feuding with each other, that is true." said Cadance. "But as brutal and warlike as they are, they still obey their own laws. A moot between chieftains is a sacred thing. No violence is allowed between the clans that have agreed to it until three days after it is over. By bringing only two warriors with them, the visiting chieftains show that they trust their host to keep the peace. There is another side to it of course. They bring their mightiest warriors to display the strength and prowess of their clan, as a reminder of what their enemies would have to face in times of war. So it is a demonstration of power as much as it is a sign of trust and respect."

Ruby kept trudging forward through the snow while she thought about that. "So you don't think they will try to jump us?"

"Among the clans, there are few crimes as despised as breaking the peace during a moot," said Cadance. "Make no mistake: Morgha should not be underestimated. He is brutal, cunning, and ruthless. Distrusting him is always a smart decision, and if he can turn a situation to his advantage, he will do so. But he will not break his word when he has given it, or go against the laws of his people. From what I have learned, it seems that he considers such things to be beneath him."

Hearing that made Ruby frown. These laws and codes of honor were something she had never heard about before. It suddenly occurred to her that, for all she knew about how trolls thought and acted in battle, their culture and society beyond that was completely unknown to her. Ruby had never really considered that they even had something worthy of being called such. The uncomfortable silence that surrounded her was forgotten while she pondered over Cadance's words.

They walked for another hour before the hill ridge that surrounded the Blackglacier camp came into view. It was basically a natural wall of rock and ice that stretched into both directions, no less than twenty paces in height at any point that Ruby could see. Fortunately, they had not strayed from their intended path on their way here. After they got a little closer to the torn and jagged rock face, Ruby could make out the gap they were looking for, hardly wide enough for three ponies to pass through it shoulder to shoulder.

Ruby heard Cadance halt her steps. "One moment, please. Once we enter the canyons, the Blackglacier Clan will be watching us, and there is something I need to ask the two of you while we can still speak privately."

Ruby turned around and gave Cadance a concerned look. The princess stared into the distance, and judging by her expression, her mind had to be occupied with very grave thoughts.

"I need your advice. You know how fearsome trolls can be in a fight, and you know how strong our forces are. If the peace ends today... if the worst possible thing happens, and Morgha unites the clans into an army to lead them against the Empire... will we be able to defeat them?" She looked first at Ruby, then at Malachite. "You were both at the Howling Barrows. If things get even worse than they were then, do we stand a chance?"

Ruby felt a chill run down her spine. The battle of the Howling Barrows had been an important experience for her, and a great victory for the Empire, but whenever Ruby called up her memories of that day, the first thing that came to her mind was how frightened and alone she had felt before the fight.

Shining Armor had chosen the battlefield with care, and positioned every knight he could muster behind the two hills that were known as the Howling Barrows, before luring the trolls into the small valley between them with a force of Imperial soldiers and levied citizens. It was a risky tactic. Regular troops could not stand against a troll army for long, so the prince's plan was to signal the knights behind the hills once the trolls were in position. The Empire's elite would then swoop in, fall upon the enemies' flanks, and obliterate them.

It had been Ruby's first major battle since her accolade two weeks prior, and she was all alone. Sure, there were other knights all around her, but Malachite had been assigned to the flanking party stationed behind the opposite hill, and Emerald Breeze was still a soldier back then. The Howling Barrows was where Emerald would earn her knighthood, but of course Ruby didn't know that back then. All she knew was that one of her friends was far away and as alone as she was, while another one was fighting a fierce battle just a few hundred paces away from her, and whether or not Emerald or anyone in that valley survived would be decided within the next few minutes. Naturally, those thoughts did nothing to make Ruby feel more at ease.

The armor had still bothered her back then. She was used to the lighter armor worn by Imperial soldiers, and the suit of full plate had felt incredibly cumbersome. She also wasn't used to the heavy helmet restricting her view. Ruby simply couldn't imagine how she should run or fight like this. And if her lance got stuck, and the buckles would not break like they were suppose to, what would she do then?

But then, the clear, sharp sound of a crystal flugelhorn had cut through her thoughts, and after a heartbeat of hesitation, she broke into a trot, then a canter, and finally a full gallop.

During the first few steps, the armor still seemed to hinder her, but after she passed over the hilltop and began to move downwards, the weight stopped being a handicap, and instead added to the momentum of her charge, to the tremendous force that concentrated itself behind the gleaming tip of her heavy war lance. Ruby saw the valley stretch out before her, and the battle line she was rapidly approaching. The ground seemed to tremble with every step she took, and the trampling of hundreds of armored hooves all around her made a sound like swelling thunder. Ruby could see the other troop of knights, her brothers and sisters in arms, spill over the opposing hilltop like a wave of liquid silver, rushing towards the trolls’ flank. 

And she wasn't afraid anymore. There was no uncertainty, no fear left in her. At this moment, she was more than just one pony. She was part of a terrible, irresistible force, as devastating and unstoppable as a rock slide or an avalanche. The trolls in the valley before her suddenly looked so puny. There was nothing she had to fear. There was nothing that could stand before her.

One of the trolls turned around and looked directly at her, just before the Empire's knights smashed into their flank, but Ruby doubted that it had enough time to really understand what was about to happen. One fraction of a second later, she felt the shock of impact travel down the solid wooden shaft of her lance and into her shoulder. After that, the world drowned in a cacophony of deafening crashes and throaty cries of pain.

Ruby and her comrades stormed through the trolls' battle line as if it were a field of frozen weeds. She vaguely remembered that her lance must have gotten stuck and snapped off at some point. She barely noticed, and the energy of her charge was still not spent, so she just tackled the trolls' legs and brought them down to be trampled by the knights following behind her.

The first thing she could recall clearly was the second sounding of the prince's signal horn. Both groups of knights immediately disengaged and circled around for another charge, this time in the enemy's' rear. They needn’t have bothered. The trolls were broken and defeated by the time the knights collided with them for a second time.

Ruby looked at Cadance, and her voice was full of certainty and determination when she spoke, "We will defeat them your Majesty. If we have to fight, there is nothing that will stand before the knights of the Empire."

For a second, Ruby thought she saw a hint of disapproval in Malachite's eyes. But the princess just nodded and turned her attention to the stallion, and the moment passed before Ruby could be certain.

Malachite seemed to think very intently about the princess question, but ultimately, he sighed and nodded. "It would be a terrible fight. But we have more knights and more soldiers than we had at the Howling Barrows. Many of them are young, and they lack experience. But they are determined." Malachite looked into Cadance's eyes, and his next words sounded almost pleading, "They have barely tasted what it means to live free from tyranny and fear, and if they are called upon, even the lowliest soldier will defend the Empire to the death, without protest or hesitation. So yes, even if we wage war against the united power of the clans, we shall have victory. For a price."

Cadance bit her lip and lowered her head. "I understand, Malachite. Thank you for your honest answer. And thank you, Ruby." She stood motionless for several seconds, her head hanging low and her eyes closed. When she opened them again and straightened her posture, it was clear that she had come to a decision. "Very well then. Let's not keep Morgha waiting. And please, put your helmets on before we get in eyeshot of the hills."


* * *


Passing through the maze of canyons was unnerving, to say the least. Ruby caught a glimpse of trolls silently looking down at them on several occasions, and she was acutely aware of the fact that there was nothing she could do if they decided to bury the small group of ponies beneath a hail of rocks and boulders. Ruby was still leading the way, but Cadance carried the map, and every time the path forked before them, the princess had to give quick directions so Ruby knew where to turn. Apart from those few words, the only sounds were their hoofsteps echoing through the narrow ravine.

When they finally left the canyon, Ruby felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted off her chest. She regarded her surroundings through her helmet's narrow vision slits, and saw that she and her companions had entered a round hollow that had to be a little more than four miles in diameter. Right in the middle of it sat the Blackglacier camp, a cluster of several dozen squat, elongated stone huts of various sizes, surrounded by a deep ditch and a mound with dug-in wooden stakes. There were no gates, just two spots where a gap had been left in the mound and the ditch had been filled in, but Ruby judged that the camp was exceptionally well fortified nonetheless, since the steep cliffs and rocky hills encircling its vicinity were already a great defense all by themselves. The trolls had chosen their home well.

"Now, Ruby, Malachite, before we continue, just a few things," Cadance said. "First, please keep your helmets on at all times. Since they rarely see them without their armor, some trolls have a number of interesting superstitions about Imperial knights, and I see no reason to refute them at this time. Second, once we approach the camp, the trolls will send a group of warriors to meet us. From what information I have gathered to prepare myself for this meeting, they will act very aggressive, but it is not an actual attack. It is already a part of the negotiations. They will try to intimidate us and chase us away, and if we run, or worse, react with violence, that means we are not worth talking to. So no matter what it looks like, you can't attack them."

Ruby glanced at Malachite. He nodded. "As you wish your Majesty."

In turn, Ruby let out a sound that was halfway between a snort and a growl. "They won't unnerve me that easily. I won't start kicking heads in, as long as they don't try anything."

"Don't worry Ruby. They won't," Cadance said. After she had turned around and made a few steps towards the camp, she added, "At least I don't think so."

While they approached the settlement, Ruby noticed how deserted the place looked. The snow between the huts was trampled flat in many places, so there must have been activity in it recently, but she spotted no trolls now. Aside from that, the most common sign of life a village in the Frozen Plains normally had was missing, since there was no smoke from a burning fireplace curling out of the settlement's houses. It took Ruby a few seconds to realize that this did not mean anything here. Frost trolls had no use for the warmth of a fire, and their huts didn't even have chimneys.

She was not able to make further observations, because after only a few hundred steps, they had moved so far downhill that she could no longer look over the settlement's defensive mound. Ruby almost hoped they would make it inside the fortification without incident, but once they were only about a hundred paces away from the spot where they could cross the ditch, Ruby suddenly heard the sound of a signal horn nearby, quickly swelling from a slight wailing to a deafening howl. It could have been her imagination, but Ruby thought it sounded rather familiar.

"Just keep walking," Cadance said calmly, her voice barely audible over the crude instrument's infernal blaring.

Then several deep, snarling voices joined into the horn's savage melody, and only a heartbeat later, more than a dozen trolls stormed out from behind the settlement's mound.

They couldn't rush directly at them, not right away at least. The place where the ditch had been filled up to allow easy crossing was slightly offset from the spot where the gap had been left in the mount to offer entrance into the settlement, so the trolls immediately had to make a sharp left turn, and then an equally sharp turn to the right only a couple of steps later. But once they could run towards Ruby and her companions in a straight line, the trolls picked up speed quickly. Much too quickly for Ruby's taste. Cadance had insisted that this wasn't really an attack, but Ruby found that she could not tell the difference between this and the several actual troll attacks she had witnessed before. The towering beasts were coming directly at them, swinging their ugly weapons and baring their yellow fangs, all the while screaming at the top of their lungs.

Ruby licked her lips and glanced at Princess Cadance. If she was worried, she certainly hid it very well. Cadance was watching the advancing trolls closely, but nothing about her expression or posture showed anything an observer could have interpreted as fear. She was simply putting one hoof in front of the other, as if this was nothing put a pleasant afternoon stroll. But despite the princess' calm demeanor and her previous reassurances, every instinct Ruby had screamed for her to take action, while her mind was already presenting her with options for what that action should be. It was not something she had to consciously think about. After years of training and combat as a soldier and knight of the Empire, Ruby simply couldn't look at a troll warband and not immediately try to figure out the best way to survive a fight with them. She knew that few things could stop a troll in full sprint, and most of them were not available at the moment. A counter charge would probably be the best, albeit risky option.

Bringing down a charging troll without a lance was tricky, but Ruby had done it before. Timing was the most essential part; you had to catch the moment when most of the troll's weight was resting on a single leg, then throw yourself forward to ram your shoulder into it just below the knee joint. A troll that got hit like that would not get back up, at least not without using its weapon as a crutch.

Ruby sized up the foremost troll warrior, a massive beast swinging an iron battleaxe, and did her best to get a feeling for the rhythm of its steps as it closed in on them. When the distance between them had melted to about twenty paces, Ruby gritted her teeth, took one more sideways look at Cadance, and, with an extreme effort of will, maintained her steady pace at the princess' side.

If Cadance was so certain that the success of the negotiations hinged on how they reacted to this apparent threat, then Ruby could not risk ruining their chances for peace. Even so, ignoring the trolls' charge while calmly walking on took all the self-restraint she could muster.

The trolls did not slow down when they were fifteen paces away. Not when they were ten paces away either, and Ruby could already see specks of foamy spittle spray from the beasts' gaping maws. Then, when only about five paces separated the two very disparate groups, the trolls suddenly stopped shouting and dug their leathery heels into the ground, showering Ruby, Malachite and Cadance with snow and clumps of frozen earth.

The wailing of the horn died down, and the trolls skidded to a halt. They had either timed this very well, or Ruby and her companions had just been extremely lucky. When the creatures finally stopped, Cadance's horn was almost poking the leading troll in the stomach.

For several long seconds, tense silence and equally tense looks were all the two groups traded with each other. The foremost troll glowered down at Cadance with its beady black eyes, its fangs still bared in a soundless snarl. Ruby was watching the creature closely, looking for anything that might signal an attack.

Cadance just smiled politely at the troll. The way she had to tilt her head back to look it in the eye couldn't have been pleasant, but she remained standing where she was, and did not take a single step back. "Greetings warrior," she finally said, after the stillness had stretched on for far longer than was comfortable. "I am Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, ruler of the Crystal Empire, and I am here to hold a moot with Morgha Blackglacier. Would you be kind enough to show us the way?"

The troll she had addressed, by all appearances the band's leader, shifted its massive brow ridge into a deep frown and snarled. The trolls behind him made similar sounds, and seemed to grow a little restless.

When that remained the trolls' only reaction, Cadance tried again, her tone still every bit as amiable as before, "Excuse me? I said..."

"I hear you, pink thing," the troll interrupted her. Its voice was deep and rumbling, and it slurred its words so much Ruby had trouble understanding it. "I know why you here. But maybe I not think you should see Morgha."

Cadance raised an eyebrow, and her smile slowly faded. "Your chieftain agreed to these negotiations. You will bring me to him." Her voice was still friendly, but Ruby thought that a lot of its usual warmth had suddenly bled out of it. "The clans' laws..."

"They is clans' laws pink thing!" the troll snarled. "You is not clan. Iron horses is not clan. None of you is clan! Laws are not for you, and moot is not for you! Is best you run back to pretty crystal place, little horse."

The troll moved its arm to give Cadance a shove, or maybe a slap. But it had barely raised its hand up to its hip when the gnarled black appendage was suddenly surrounded by a shimmering, pale-green aura and stopped moving. Ruby did not need to turn her head to know that Malachite's exposed horn was lit up by the same glow. Without having to exchange a single word, the two knights stepped forward in perfect unison to position themselves protectively in front of the princess.

The troll did not react the way Ruby had expected. When it saw the light around its hand, the creature let out a startled grunt and pulled its arm back as if it had touched a red-hot coal. But that was tame compared to the reaction it had when it saw Ruby and Malachite move. The troll's eyes grew wide, its mouth dropped open, and it made a hasty step backwards, bumping into the troll standing behind it and almost throwing both of them to the ground. Ruby had trouble reading the troll's facial expression, but she could have sworn the thing looked scared.

"One word from you, your Majesty," Ruby said, "and the brute will speak its apologies while coughing up its teeth."

Hearing Ruby's words, the troll seemed to grow even more frightened. "No fighting!" it said hastily. "We have peace! No fighting when we have peace. It is law!"

"Ah, I see," Cadance said merrily. She took a step forward, and Ruby and Malachite reluctantly let her pass. "I suppose that means the clans' laws do apply to us after all. We should have no more problems then." Her smile had returned as if nothing had happened. "I think you were about to show us where we can find Morgha."


* * *


Ruby found Morgha's home to be somewhat underwhelming. It looked like any other dwelling in the settlement, a simple hut with an arched roof, erected from rough-hewn stones. It wasn't even particularly big, or positioned at a central or distinct place. If the troll leading them hadn't stopped in front of it and pointed at the entrance, Ruby would have found no sign that this was the place they were looking for.

Cadance gave their guide a thankful nod and made a step towards the doorway, but Ruby quickly walked up to her and put a hoof on her shoulder. "With your leave, Princess, I probably should go first."

For a moment, it looked like Cadance might object, but then she thought better of it. "All right Ruby. Go ahead."

Ruby looked at the hut's entrance. It was rather narrow, just wide enough for a single troll to pass through it without trouble. While they were lead through the settlement, Ruby had wondered why all the huts had such low roofs, since most of the buildings were considerably less tall than the creatures who supposedly lived in them. But now that she approached the hut's entrance, she saw that there were steps dug into the ground that lead down into the dwelling's interior. The inside of the chieftain's hut was only dimly lit, so Ruby could not make out any details from where she stood, but she guessed that only about a third of the actual living space was located above ground.

Ruby began to slowly walk down the steps, but since they were not made for her height, hopping might have been the more appropriate term to describe her method of descend. When she reached the bottom of the staircase, she paused to let her eyes get accustomed to the sparse illumination within the hut.

It took several seconds before she could make out clear details in the dimness that seemed to hang in the air like a fog. What little light there was came from several crystal lamps that were placed inside small niches in the walls. Most of them were cracked and chipped, and barely gave off any light at all. Ruby imagined that they had to be scavenged from abandoned towns decades or even centuries ago. The floor was mostly covered with what seemed to be several layers of pelts and hides from various beasts and monsters. The dwelling had little in the way of furniture; there was a spot in the far corner of the room where the furs were piled up to a heap, and Ruby assumed that was the hut's sleeping place. Apart from that, she saw only a single table, made out of a crude stone slab placed atop a pony-sized rock.

Behind that table sat Morgha Blackglacier.

He was by far the largest frost troll Ruby had ever seen. Right now, he was sitting cross-legged on the ground, and yet he was still more than twice as high as her. His thick chest and broad shoulders looked as if someone had wrapped white furs around a large boulder, and his arms and legs resembled hairy logs. A breastplate fashioned from black iron was strapped around his torso, and most of his fur was styled into thick braids about as long as Ruby's legs. Bits of bone, metal and stone inscribed with strange symbols had been woven into the braids, so that every movement of the troll chieftain caused quiet clattering.

Morgha's black eyes were set on Ruby the moment she entered. He said nothing, but he pulled his thick lips apart and bared his yellow teeth in what had to be a troll's idea of a smile, or maybe a mocking grin. Even from across the room, Ruby could see that swirls and patterns had been carved into his large canines.

She remained just as silent as the troll while she sized him up as best she could. The heavy helmet did impair her vision somewhat, but it also allowed her to keep an eye on whatever she deemed suspicious without giving away what exactly she was looking at. Not that there was much to draw her attention apart from Morgha himself. While the room was fairly large, the fact that it was almost completely empty meant that there were no apparent hiding places, and Morgha was the only troll Ruby could see. He seemed to be unarmed, but of course that didn't mean that he was harmless. Ruby knew that a troll's fists and teeth could be as dangerous and deadly as any weapon, and looking at Morgha's massive build, she guessed that he could effortlessly pick up the heavy stone table in front of him and hurl it across the room like a dinner plate.

Ruby kept her eyes on the silently grinning troll and stepped to the side to allow Cadance entrance into the underground living space. When the princess stepped into the hut, Morgha's grin stretched even wider. "Ah, little princess arrive. Well come." His voice was very deep, and like the troll Cadance had talked to before, his speech was slurred and clumsy, to the point where Ruby had trouble understanding him at all.  He lifted one of his wrinkled hands, which were both bigger than Ruby's head, and gestured at the side of the table opposite to him. "Sit, my little pony. Sit, and we make talk, yes?"

Cadance bowed her head slightly. "Thank you Chief Morgha. And thank you for agreeing to this moot. There is indeed much that we need to discuss."

She walked up to the stone table, with Ruby and Malachite following only a step behind. When Morgha saw this, he leaned forward and let out a rumbling chuckle. "No need your iron shadows here little princess. No need be scared of Morgha now. Moot is time for talk."

"Of course Morgha. I do not doubt that," said Cadance. "And of course I would never imply that you would go back on your given word. But since we are guest here, I do not wish to inconvenience any members of your clan, and I thought having my companions wait outside might cause them some distress. The sight of my knights seems to make your warriors quite nervous."

For the fraction of a second, Ruby thought she saw the troll's smile falter, but the moment passed quickly. "Knights can stay and listen to talk then," the chieftain said. "Means nothing to Morgha."

After Cadance sat down at the table, Morgha pulled a fur aside that hung on the wall behind him, revealing a small hole. While he reached inside, he looked a Cadance and said, "You like talking over tea, yes? Make you feel at home, be good host to little pink princess."

The mocking tone of his voice made Ruby grind her teeth with barely contained anger, but Cadance just smiled and nodded. "That would be lovely, Morgha. Thank you."

The troll chieftain pulled a large stone pitcher and two cups from the hole, filled both of them with a honey-colored liquid, and emptied his own cup in a single gulp. Cadance was still wearing her friendly smile, but she looked at the cup standing in front of her and hadn't picked it up yet.

"It is cold," she said, somehow managing to turn those three words into both a statement of fact and a polite inquiry.

"Is ice tea," Morgha confirmed, evidently very pleased with himself.

"Of course it is," Cadance replied cheerfully without missing a beat. She picked up the cup with her magic and took a sip of the peculiar beverage. "Very nice," she said while placing the cup back on the table. "Now Morgha, while I very much enjoy exchanging pleasantries with you, we both know that isn't why I am here today."

The troll nodded slowly and scratched his head. It sounded like nails being dragged across a chalkboard. "Ah, yes. Here because Blackglacier warriors attack you ponies." Ruby thought she could see a predatory gleam in the chieftain's eyes. "Morgha see why that would worry little princess."

"So you admit to it?" Cadance asked.

Morgha raised his hands defensively. "Is nothing to admit for Morgha. Raid was done by clan, but warriors were not his. Raid planned by one of his warleaders. Didn't ask Morgha's permission for raid. Of course, Morgha would said no." The giant troll shrugged. "He already be punished. No longer warleader, no longer sit on Morgha's council. Can do more to him if that not enough for little princess. Can even give him to you if want. Morgha not care."

"I see." said Cadance and took another sip from her cup. "And what would be the name of that warleader?"

Ruby noticed a very subtle shift in the princess' voice, and it made her ears perk up underneath her helmet. Cadance was going for something specific. This was how a mother would ask her foal a question when she already knew the answer, but wanted to see if the child would lie to her. As someone who had gotten into her share of trouble over the years, Ruby was quite familiar with that type of questioning.

Morgha seemed to realize that the question had not been put forth without purpose, and he hesitated to give an answer. Cadance just looked at him, her smile suddenly gone.

"Bergash," the chieftain finally said.

Cadance nodded, apparently satisfied with that answer. "Ah, of course. Your reputation of being equally as cunning as you are formidable is well earned Morgha. Bergash is an excellent choice for a scapegoat."

Morgha's mouth dropped open, and he seemed too stunned to respond. Ruby's own reaction was more confusion than shock, since neither the name nor Cadance's words made any sense to her. She gently tapped the ground with her hoof to get Malachite's attention, but when she looked at him, he subtly shook his head. Whatever Cadance meant, he knew no more about it than Ruby did.

"Now Morgha," the princess said, breaking the tense silence that had followed her previous words, "as I said, there is much we need to discuss, and I'd rather not waste any more time with silly diversions and maneuvers. I am going to explain how I see the situation, and afterwards, I hope we can talk in earnest."

Morgha had regained his composure, but now he was missing the insolent smile from earlier, and the look he gave the princess was far more alert than before. "We'll see," he said slowly.

Cadance ignored the noncommittal answer and continued, "You say Bergash acted without your consent. That's probably what he believes as well, but Morgha, the two of us know that your warleaders don't make a move without you knowing about it. You have been chieftain of the Blackglacier Clan for well over a century, and you could not have held on to that position if you had not kept a close eye on your potential rivals at all times. I believe you when you say that Bergash did not ask your permission, so of course you did not grant it. But you still knew about the raid, and you let it happen."

Morgha nodded thoughtfully. "Is that so? Then tell me little princess: Why would I do something like that, and allow Bergash to undermine my authority as chieftain?"

Ruby frowned when she heard the troll speak. His speech was still slurred and heavily accented, but not as badly as it had been just a few moments ago, and his grasp of their language seemed to be a lot better than he had initially let on.

Cadance was apparently not even slightly surprised by Morgha's change of speech."Because you knew that you could turn the situation to your advantage, no matter what the outcome would be. If Bergash failed, you could blame everything on him and strip him of his title and position without anyone objecting to it. Which is, by your own admission, exactly what you did. From what I hear, Bergash was quite ambitious. In time, he might have grown into an annoyance, maybe even a threat. That is now something you don't have to worry about anymore. But if he had succeeded..."

She let those last words hang in the air and made a great show of slowly picking up her cup and lifting it to her lips. Morgha was listening very closely, but his face gave nothing away. Ruby, on the other hoof, was glad that her face was concealed behind the steel of her helmet, because she didn't think that she could have hidden the fact that she was both incredibly tense and absolutely clueless. This wasn't how she had expected the negotiations to go, and since the princess evidently had information Ruby did not know about, it was impossible for her to foresee how things would proceed from here. Ruby nervously licked her lips, and tried her best to keep her tail from frantically whipping back and forth.

"If he had succeeded," Cadance continued after her dramatic pause, "it would have been easy for you to turn his victory into your own. Bergash didn't have the savvy or the supporters to really turn such a success to his advantage. Taking all the credit for it would have been easy for you, and it would have sent a message to the other clans." Cadance’s eyes narrowed, and there wasn't a trace of her usual friendliness and warmth left in her voice at this point. "'Morgha Blackglacier successfully carried out the first major raid against the Empire since the Howling Barrows. They are not as undefeatable as we thought. Morgha Blackglacier can defeat the Empire.'"

Morgha looked at Cadance and said nothing. Something close to a minute passed in total silence.

When Morgha finally answered, he seemed to carefully evaluate every single word before it passed his lips, "I'm not saying that any of this is true. But how could you possibly know about it if it were?"

"Some of it, I pieced together based on what I knew. The other parts..." Cadance paused and shrugged. "Of course I'm not going to tell you. Just think about what possibility would be most inconvenient to you, and assume that is how I know."

Morgha threw back his head and roared with laughter. "Not a bad advice. Very well, keep your secret, even though you already have most of mine." He looked at Cadance with a spark of interest that had not been there when he first laid eyes on her. "You got most of it right, clever princess. Bergash was indeed a good choice to take the fall, if I dare say so myself. A good fighter, and he could be clever if he had to be, but he always overestimated the reach of his own influence. He wasn’t going to give me trouble any time soon, but better to be rid of him now. Too bad he could not be of any use to me before." He leaned across the table, until his massive, brutish face hovered right in front of Cadance. "So, now everything is on the table. You caught me off-guard, princess. I'll give you that much. My plans and intentions are laid out in the open, but the question remains: What now?"

Ruby's head was spinning from all information this verbal exchange had dropped on her. Before she entered this hut just a few minutes ago, she would have dismissed the idea of a troll being capable of this kind of scheming and deception as preposterous. And what was worse, Morgha had obviously expected them to think like that. He played the role of a smug, brutish imbecile, and Ruby hadn't questioned it for a second. Of course, Morgha did not know how thoroughly Ruby had fallen for his ruse, but that didn't make it any easier for her.

Cadance stared straight into the trolls eyes, not even slightly receding from the grinning visage that was now barely more than a hair's breadth away from her. "Now we are in a predicament Morgha. You covered your tracks well, but I know what your intentions were. You want to estimate our strength, and make us look weak in front of the other clans. And when you sense another opportunity in the future, you will do it again."

The troll nodded. "Wouldn't you?"

"No," Cadance said immediately. "No I wouldn't Morgha. Because it is pointless. You pursue conflict for the sake of it. That is something I just can't wrap my head around."

"Don't you try and lecture me," Morgha sneered. "This is how we live, princess. We are the children of ice and iron, as harsh and unyielding as the glacier that birthed us at the dawn of creation. It is conflict that keeps us strong, this has always been our way. You don't like that? Too bad! You can't chide us for living like we did for centuries, just because you showed up with your crystal city and your armored knights and started to act like this place belongs to you!"

Ruby felt fire rushing through her veins upon hearing those words.

"You scum!" she shouted. "How dare you?" She stepped forward, seething with rage, and gestured towards the cracked crystal lamps that illuminated the hut. "You decorate your filthy hovels with scraps you dug up in the ruins of our Empire, and you say we are the ones who don't belong here?! You are nothing but a bunch of thieving squatters! This is our home!"

Morgha fixed his eyes on her, and a low growl bubbled up from his throat. "Careful, Ironhoof. This may be a moot, but there are limits to what I have to take from you. Some of my warriors may be scared of your ilk, but I don't buy into that superstitious nonsense. I know that underneath that shiny steel, there are bones that can be broken and flesh that can be rend!"

Ruby made another step forward. "Why don't you try, you mangy..."

"Ruby. Please."

Just two quiet, softly spoken words, but they made Ruby stop in her tracks as if she had been rooted to the ground. She turned her head to look at Cadance, suddenly aware of what she had almost done. When Ruby met Cadance's eyes, she expected them to be alight with anger, but there was none. All she saw in them was sympathy, and a deep sadness.

Ruby lowered her head and stepped back. "Forgiveness, your Majesty. I forgot myself."

"I understand Ruby," Cadance said softly. Then she turned back to Morgha. "And I understand you as well. It has been such a long time since my people disappeared, and this has become your home. But there is no reason why we can't live in harmony. The Frozen Plains are a vast place, Morgha. There is more than enough room for all of us, especially since your people mostly live in places that we would consider uninhabitable. And if this constant state of conflict and feuding amongst each other is how you wish to live, so be it. We won't interfere with your way of life, but you will leave my people out of it."

Morgha chuckled. "Will I?"

"Yes, you will!" The sudden hardness of Cadance's voice almost made Ruby jump, and even Morgha seemed surprised by it.

The princess rose, spread her wings, and firmly placed her front hooves on the table's surface. "I said that this place has become your home, but it is home to my people as well. And while it is true that they were gone for a long time, to them it is as if they never left, and this is the only home they know. They have endured more than enough hardship. Whatever it takes, I will see to it that they are safe and happy once again. Dealing with raids and petty harassment from minor clans is bad enough, but I will not tolerate the constant threat of you waiting for an opportunity to assemble an army and wage war against my subjects." The fiery glare she gave Morgha seemed to heat up the room by several degrees. "This is my ultimatum to you, Morgha. Your first and final warning. If you try anything like this ever again, I will know about it, and the Empire will retaliate in full force. After we are done with you, even the weakest clan in the plains will be able to swallow what is left of the Blackglacier whole."

Morgha leaned back against the wall with a satisfied grin. "Ah. The negotiations are taking so many delightful turns. I could almost take you seriously at this point, but I know your threats are empty. If you openly attack one of the clans, the other chieftains will beg me to unite them against you. I will have my army, and I won't even have to work for it."

"Fine. Then get your army Morgha," said Cadance.

Ruby's helmet fortunately hid the rather undignified display of her mouth dropping wide open.

What?!

Morgha's thick and bristled eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What?"

"Unite the clans," Cadance said. She sounded eerily calm, but there was steel in her voice. "Gather every last warrior in the Frozen Plains. It won't make any difference. You think the defeat the Crimson Avalanche and Frozen Fangs suffered at the Howling Barrows was disastrous? It will not even begin to compare with what will happen if you dare to lead an army against us. We will crush you so utterly that in a hundred years, when the clans still haven't recovered from it, they will continue to curse your name for the misery your actions brought upon them."
It was now Cadance's turn to lean across the table and bring her face close to Morgha's. "Many of my subjects have faced things infinitely more terrible than your kind when they were little more than foals. They are tired of conflict, but if they have to fight in order to truly call this place home again, they will. Mark my words Morgha, if you force this war on us, you and all your kind will come to rue the day you mistook our love of peace for weakness."

The silence that followed Cadance's declaration was deafening. Morgha had lost all semblance of his smug self-assurance, and while fearful might not have been the word Ruby would have used to describe him, it was obvious that the princess had shaken his confidence down to the very core. He sat still and quiet as a statue for a few seemingly endless seconds, but soon began to mutter and fidget under Cadance's unmoving and unflinching gaze.

"I... will think about what you said princess. There might have been some errors of judgment on my part. You will have my answer soon," he finally managed to say.

"No. I will have your answer now," Cadance responded instantly. "I won't give you time to assess your strength and look for other options. I am tired of your games, Morgha. Make a decision now. War or peace. What will it be?"

The troll chieftain bared his teeth and growled. His hands clawed furiously at the table, leaving deep scratch marks in the rough stone surface. "Measlylittlepinkhorsedamnyoucrushyouripyourwingsbreak youchewyourbonesspityououtbahar'grash grohägsh ka'jagarash..."
He continued like this for quite a while. Cadance just stood motionless and let the chieftain vent his anger, until Morgha slumped over the table with a growl and shook his head. "Fine, curse your hide and may you walk on brittle ice for all your life! I agree to your demands."

"Swear it," said Cadance.

Morgha sighed in utter defeat. "I swear on my name, and I swear on Ice and Iron: I will no longer conspire against your kind, and my clan will make no move against you or support the ones who do. The Blackglacier Clan and the Clan of Crystal will have peace. You win."

Cadance nodded and sat back down. "No Morgha. We both win. I hope that in time, you will come to realize that."

Morgha sneered. "All I know now is that I would rather have you as an ally than an enemy. But I guess that is a start."

He seemed to contemplate something for a few moments, before he untangled a heavy iron ring big enough to fit around Ruby's fetlock from his braided fur and pushed it towards Cadance. He looked at the princess and uttered two words in his guttural language. Cadance seemed surprised by this, but she quickly took off the gold necklace she was wearing and slid it across the table in a similar manner, repeating the words back.

Morgha made a face as if he had tasted something foul. "Terrible. It will do." Then he picked up the trinket lying in front of him, while Cadance took the heavy iron ring. "Leave now," Morgha then said, his voice tired. "This has not been my proudest day. I wish to end it as soon as possible."

Cadance bowed her head. "As you wish Morgha. Farewell, until we meet again."

Morgha did not answer. He just leaned his back against the wall and closed his eyes, and Ruby left the hut with Cadance and Malachite without another word being spoken.

Ruby's heart was beating like a drum, and there were so many questions buzzing around in her head, it felt as if she was carrying a beehive on her shoulders. She didn't really know what she had been expecting to see during the negotiations, but she could say with absolute certainty that this wasn't it, and it was a lot to take in.

They left the settlement and passed through the canyons without encountering a single member of the clan. Since nopony seemed to feel like talking, Ruby was left alone with her thoughts while they walked. She looked at Cadance, who had taken the lead this time, and somehow it was as if she was seeing the princess for the first time. Ruby had never questioned Cadance’s ability to rule, or that she cared deeply for the Empire and her subjects. But this was a side of her Ruby hadn’t seen before. Cadance had displayed a strength and tenacity Ruby never knew she possessed, and in hindsight, the fact that she had doubted Cadance's aptitude for this task made Ruby feel more than a little guilty.

After they left the narrow canyons behind, they kept walking until the ridge of hills and cliffs was out of sight. Then Cadance abruptly stopped, sat down, and took a deep breath.

Ruby made a hesitant step towards her. "Your Majesty?" When she got closer, Ruby noticed that Cadance was breathing hard, and that her sides were trembling slightly. "Cadance?" Now seriously worried, Ruby quickly pulled off her helmet and simply dropped it in the snow next to her, before she walked up to the princess' side and gently touched her shoulder. "Are you all right?"

The princess turned her head and nodded. She looked exhausted, but Ruby could also see a deep feeling of relief reflected on her face. "I'm fine Ruby. Thank you. I'm just..." She swallowed. "I'm really glad that worked out."

"You did admirably Cadance," said Malachite as he joined them. "I don't think anypony could have done it better."

"Yes," said Ruby.

Say it!

She stammered around for a couple of seconds, before she finally managed to say, "I'm... I'm sorry."

Cadance looked at her, apparently slightly puzzled, but then she seemed to understand. "Oh. About what happened between you and Morgha. It could have turned ugly, that is true. But I can see why hearing him talk like that would make you angry, Ruby."

Ruby and shook her head. "No, not that.” She bit her tongue and quickly added, “Well, yes, that as well. But mostly..." She poked at the ground for a while, not quite sure how she should phrase it. "When we planned this mission, and I heard that you would be the one in charge of it, I didn't think..." She cleared her throat and acted as if she had spotted something extremely interesting on a nearby snowdrift. "I wasn't sure if..."

Cadance interrupted her stammering attempts at an explanation, "You didn't think I could deal with trolls, let alone the most infamous chieftain in the Frozen Plains."

Ruby felt her cheeks heat up. "Yes."

Cadance smiled at her. "Well, neither did Morgha, and that worked out just fine in the end. I'm not offended Ruby, but I appreciate it that you told me."

Ruby nodded, relieved and grateful that she managed to get this thing off her chest.

The wind had picked up by now, and the tracks they left on their way here had been completely wiped out by drifting snow, so Ruby took the lead again to clear a path.

"So what happens now?" Malachite asked while they were slowly marching along.

"Not much, hopefully," said Cadance. "The Blackglacier Clan will leave us in peace, and Morgha will stop his plotting. I imagine the other clans will still cause trouble from time to time, but we can deal with that. In time, we should even be able to earn their respect, considering we are now a clan of our own."

Ruby stopped so abruptly that Cadance came close to forcibly introducing her royal snout to the knight's armored hindquarters. "We are what now?"

"We are the Clan of Crystal now,” Cadance said. “I guess Morgha made that name up on the fly, but I think we should stick with it. It seems quite fitting." When Ruby turned around, she saw the princess levitating the iron ring Morgha had given her. "That is what this means. Honestly, I never imagined he would go that far, but I'm glad that he did."

Malachite gave the crude piece of jewelry a questioning look. "I'm not sure I understand. This thing makes the Empire a clan?"

"No, not quite like that," said Cadance. "The exchange of trinkets was just a symbolic gesture. And technically, that didn't make us a clan either, it formed an alliance between the Blackglacier Clan and us. But such alliances can only exist between clans, and since Morgha allied himself with us, that means we have to be a clan of our own now."

Cadance beamed and looked back and forth between Malachite and Ruby, who both still looked fairly skeptical.

"Does it really work like that? Are none of the other chieftains going to object to this?" asked Malachite.

Cadance shrugged and put the iron ring into her saddlebags. Ruby saw that as a sign to continue their march, and Cadance kept talking while they walked, "They won't like it, but they won't dare to speak out against Morgha's decision. It will not earn him any friends, but I suppose he expects that it will benefit him in the long run. If I had to guess, I would say that he figures since he and the Blackglacier Clan won't work against us anymore, the Empire will soon wield a lot of influence and power, and he wants to get on our good side early."

Ruby still wasn't sure what to think of this. "So, do we have any obligations? Protect them against other clans? Aid them in their raids?"

"No, I would not have agreed to it if that were the case," said Cadance. "I don't want the Empire to get involved with the clans' petty squabbling. Alliances between them are mostly formed when two clans are equal in strength, and realize that any fighting would only weaken them both. So they hold a moot, agree not to harass each other, and go their separate ways. They will only offer their ally aid against threats from the outside, which is –" she looked slightly uneasy for a moment "– which is why this is actually the kind of alliance Morgha hoped to form with the other clans against us. I know it must be hard for you to see things from their perspective, but as far as the clans are concerned, we are the ones who don't belong here. But thanks to Morgha's decision to ally himself with us, we are no longer outsiders according to the laws of the clans. That is a great boon for the Empire."

"I guess so," Ruby said. "So there is no danger of the clans uniting against the Empire anymore?"

"Certainly not in the near future, no." said Cadance. "Morgha was the only chieftain powerful and respected enough to accomplish that. He may have hated the fact that he had to give me his word, but he will abide by it. It is a matter of pride for him, and he is a very prideful individual."

"You know a lot about him." said Ruby. "More than me, and I thought I knew everything there was to know. I mean, I heard stories, and I know at least some of his warleaders by reputation, but that just seems laughable now. How could you possibly know all those details about Morgha and his plans anyway?"

When Ruby turned her head to look at Cadance, the princess winked at her, and for the fraction of a second, the magic aura around her horn flared up. 

"It's a secret," she whispered.