As you stepped through the doorway, you were greeted by a balcony rather than a hallway. To your right was Celestia who was calmly awaiting your return while on the left was Luna doing the same. In front of you however was, to put it plainly, one of the most beautiful sights you have ever seen. In the distance were buildings of magnificent structure which seemed to glow in the moonlight. Though the streets were empty, you could tell that during daylight, merchants of all calibers filled the streets with stalls to provide for their families. What struct you the most however was the smell, or rather absence of smell. Back in Skyrim or anywhere really, it always smelled of death, dirt or feces, sometimes all at once! But here, it smelled clean, your keen nose even managed to pick up a few baked goods from a distant bakery. As you looked up, you could see that the balcony you were on was part of an enormous castle.
'Amazing, the Blue palace is nothing but a tent compared to this grand place.'
Your comparison wasn't exaggerated either, the grand palace you were beholding was at least ten times grander than the Blue palace or really any palace you have seen during your time. Like the other buildings, it seemed very clean, almost as if it were scrubbed down daily.
"Canterlot is a rather beautiful city is it not?" Realizing that you were to captivated by the magnificent view, you let out a small blush before responding to Celestia.
"This place you call Canterlot, it is something by the likes of which J'lae has never witnessed. True J'lae has seen many palaces, both thriving and in ruin, yet the size and structure of this place is very unique... and clean." Hearing the compliment to their fair city, the royal sisters spoke in unison.
"Would you like to hear the history of Canterlot?" Seeing the joy in their faces, who were you to deny them on giving you a small lecture?
"It would be an honor to be taught the history of Canterlot by none other than the Princesses themselves." You said in a playful tone while giving a mock bow. The sisters almost jumped in joy and began to recite the history of this place, almost as if they were a part of it. Listening attentively, you were unaware of the horrors that your "little" lesson were to bring.
Several hours and pots of tea later...
"What most people didn't know was that Star Swirl The Bearded was a bed wetter until he was thirteen!" Luna blurted out.
"Luna! He told us to keep that a secret!" Celestia scolded while trying to hold back a giggle. From as far as you could tell, it had been hours since the princesses begin their "lecture" which not so later turned into them sharing fond memories. Though some of the topics they brought up caught your attention, the rest you just blocked out while you absentmindedly started grooming yourself. From the nonstop babbling, you were able to pick up a few basic things. Both Luna and Celestia were very, very, very old, are considered alicorns and raise both the sun and moon.
'To think beings such as these have the power to control the very moon and sun. It is fortunate J'lae is not considered an enemy anymore...'
Still sharing memories of their very long lives to you, Celestia's pupils dilated as if something was wrong. Her worried tone did not help either.
"Oh no I'm late! Luna, please escort J'lae to our blacksmith Strong Steel!" With that the distraught alicorn spread her wings and jumped off the balcony, probably to raise the sun. Luna giggled at her sisters forgetfulness of her sole duty and took another sip of her tea before putting it down.
"Are you ready to be fitted for your armor J'lae?" Looking over the balcony and the steep fall, you let out an audible gulp. Unsure of how you would get to your destination without going from cat to splat, you looked up to Luna.
"Would you mind if J'lae rides you?" Luna seemed taken aback by the question and even gave a little blush.
"R-ride me? We have not even known each other more than a day!" You could only stare blankly at Luna who shifted under your gaze. Slowly letting the dwemer cogs turn in your mind, you realized your mistake. After all this is a race of ponies, for them "ride" may have more than a few meanings.
"Oh... OH! J'lae didn't mean it like that Luna. He was only asking if he could mount you." Luna only seemed to blush harder at the mention of the word "mount". Realizing that you needed to get a better grasp of pony slang, you simplified your words.
"Can J'lae go on your back Luna, so you could fly him to Strong Steel, instead of me becoming a big blood stain on your city?" Luna realized your mistakes and regained her composure.
"Why didn't you say so in the first place?" Smacking your forehead with your paw, you only reeled back in pain as you forgot about your claws. Seeing the "warrior" that was going to help Equistria act like that, Luna let out a giggle. Regaining from the attack on yourself, you jumped onto Luna's back and held on tight as she spread her wings and delved into the moonlit night.
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"WHAT DO YOU MEAN ALL YOU HAVE IS IRON!?" You angrily screamed at Strong Steel.
"Well that's all we have since you refuse to wear gold armor." Though the thought of having pure gold armor was an amusing one, it would provide almost no protection against normal attacks, let alone dragon bites.
'What kind of race uses gold as armor? Have these ponies never been to war? Maybe that's why they needed my help with the dragons...'
"What if J'lae makes the armor himself? Will you be able to provide him with better materials?" You suggest.
"You can go ahead and try, but I'll still only give you iron." Strong Steel retorted. The earth pony was very different compared to the guards and servants of the palace. For starters, he wasn't terrified of you... yet... Aside from that, instead of having a pure white hide and blue hair like the guards, Strong Steel possessed a shade of dark red for his hide while his hair was black but was starting to gray from age. Realizing there was no way you were going to persuade the pony to provide better materials, you let out a sigh and gave in.
"Fine, where is the iron so J'lae can start working?"
"Its in storage. Just go through that door to the left of you and it'll be right there." Doing as Strong Steel said, you stepped through the door. Just as he said, the iron was right in front of you on a shelf. However, next to it was a black cloth that seemed to glow and pulse in a red light. Knowing a bit about enchantments, you realized that the clothes glow was a effect of an enchantment. Which one however you had no idea.
'Should J'lae take it? No, it isn't right... Well J'lae is going to fight dragons and is going to need much more than iron...'
Realizing all you had was iron protecting you from dragons, you took the cloth without a second thought.
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After about an hour at the forge, you finally completed a set of iron armor. Well almost a set, considering you only had enough iron to make greaves, boots and a chest piece. The absence of a helmet didn't bother you though, considering that it always hindered your hearing and sight. From the cloth with the unknown enchantment, you fashioned a cloak whose hood had slits for your ears to poke out of. Putting on the gear, you gave inventory of yourself. True the armor you made was not the best, but it would provide enough protection for the time being. The cloak also gave out a strange feeling on your fur, almost as if it froze it, only to have it heated back to life in a matter of seconds. Another thing was that you weren't able to fashion a sword with what little iron you had. However, this did not bother you as you always had your claws ready. Spending time at the college also gave you quite a bit of extensive knowledge in magic. Ready to take on any foe, you walked towards Luna who was waiting for you.
"Well, J'lae is ready to fight dragons." You said. Luna seemed to eye you suspiciously.
"Where did you get that material for your cloak J'lae?" Luna quistioned. Thinking of a quick lie, you responded.
"While J'lae was looking for the iron, he found many scraps of cloth on the ground and used them for his cloak." Luna seemed to accept the answer but you could hear her mutter something about Strong Steel and how messy he is. "Well where is J'lae headed?" You questioned.
"To Ponyville." The mention of the town made you brake down in a nervous sweat.
"Ponyville?" you questioned.
"Yes, you are going there to apologize for the attack on the baby dragon." Luna said calmly. Remembering that you left Twilight and Applejack more than mad at you, the thought of them accepting your apology was quite far fetched.
"Can't J'lae just go fight dragons and possibly be burnt horribly to death?" you said with pleading eyes. All you got in return was a cold glare from Luna. Letting out a sigh, you respond, "Fine....."