The Kingdom of the Frozen North covered much of the inhospitable parts of the glacial tundra, with Castle Fjord being the obvious seat of power in which Lord Tundra and Lady Frost ruled from. Although, inhospitable, freezing temperatures was not usually sought after by friend or foe, which meant that Ice Ponies lived in relatively peaceful times; mostly keeping to themselves. With Yakyakistan being their closest neighbors, the Yaks and the Ice Ponies had countless years of prosperity and good will between one another. It was rare to ever receive visitors, rare to ever have political affairs outside their own borders, but it wasn't uncommon to find themselves helping lost hikers in the mountains or assisting the Yak's with avalanches from time to time. Twilight and her friends were the first real Noble Guests to be received by the Ice Ponies in several decades; prompting Lord Tundra to give them a tour of Castle Fjord.
"Ice Pony history is laced with spiritual and intellectual achievements." Lord Tundra began in a very proud tone of voice.
Lady Frost and Lord Tundra were escorting Twilight, Spike, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie through the Main Hall of the Castle. The large marble pillars that stretched towards the high ceilings had been carved in great detail, showcasing a visual retelling of the beginnings of Ice Ponies. Every pony seemed to notice Lady Frost's bored expression while Lord Tundra continued to regale them with their history; it was as if she had already heard this before.
"We were in our primal nature, an aggressive uncultured pony, incapable of feeling, brutally fighting with whatever we came across with our thick ice and cold hearts!" Lord Tundra bellowed dramatically, pointing the pillar to the left.
There was a collective 'oooo' that came from Twilight and her friends as they saw a carving of an ice covered pony fighting with a polar bear. Lady Frost made no such noise, nor did she show any sort of emotion, silently wishing the tour to be over.
"It wasn't until Lord Fjord, my great-great-great-great-great-great- grandfather had chosen to take a different approach to our primal way of life. Choosing to question the mysterious of our stars, the questions of a pony's role in this universe, turning to a spiritual way of thinking rather than the violent alternative that had preceded us." Lord Tundra remarked proudly, placing his hoof over his heart in front of the next pillar.
Yet another collective 'ah' came from Twilight and her friends as they saw a carving of Lord Fjord, deep in thought, with depictions of planets, math, and other eccentric things floating above him. Once more Lady Frost stood off from the pack, heaving an audible sigh, not giving a hay bale of what was going on.
"From this moment forward, Ice Ponies have strived to achieve a sense of self, adopting a hierarchy structure, placing worth in a pony's actions and knowledge, rather than materials and strength. With this in place, Ice Ponies have never fought in wars nor has ever declared them. We seek to understand, to learn, and better ourselves with all of Equestria." Lord Tundra stated proudly, stopping at the third pillar.
"Hooray." Lady Frost muttered unenthusiastically.
Lord Tundra quickly strolled over to Lady Frost and pulled her to the side away from the other ponies.
"Martha, you said you wouldn't do this." Lord Tundra whispered at her.
"I'm not doing anything!" Lady Frost whispered back.
"You're making that 'kill me' face again." Lord Tundra pointed out.
"You make everything sound so lame!" Lady Frost hissed in her defense.
"We have guests, Martha; this is how we welcome guests." Lord Tundra whispered back to her.
"You gave the tour to the polar bear just last week!" Lady Frost retorted.
"He was curious!" Lord Tundra hissed in his defense.
"Excuse me, Lord Tundra? Lady Frost?" Twilight spoke up.
Lord Tundra and Lady Frost turned around to see the ponies watching them very closely. Clearing their throats they resumed their regal postures.
"Yes, what is it Ms. Sparkle?" Lady Frost asked politely.
"I've noticed that Castle Fjord has certain similarities to Castle Char, I was just wondering the two were connected somehow?" Twilight asked, looking about the Main Hall.
"Excellent question, Ms. Sparkle." Lord Tundra declared excitedly; Lady Frost sighed once more.
Lord Tundra motioned for every pony to follow him towards the large marble staircase that led towards the second level of Castle Fjord, although rather than two large doors waiting at the top, there was large corridor that held a great many marble doors. At the end of the corridor led to yet another staircase that probably led to the third tier of the castle, which Castle Char did not have.
"Castle Fjord was the first to be built, designed by the late Oscar Van Snow, named after Lord Fjord and designed with the idea of hierarchy in mind. For the three levels of Castle Fjord, the Lower Level, Mid-Level, and Top Level. The top being of course for Royalty and Nobles, the middle being for the business and scholars, and the bottom being for the common pony." Lord Tundra explained, escorting them down the immense corridor.
"After the uprising of the Flame Ponies over the Dragons, Lord Smoke traveled to the Kingdom of the Frozen North seeking help in building his new empire. Lord Fjord extended an olive branch to our brethren, offering the blueprints of Castle Fjord to help them get started." Lord Tundra stopped turning to point to a blank wall.
Every pony look curiously at the blank wall, wondering what it was that Lord Tundra was referring to when he pulled Lady Frost aside once more to speak with her.
"Martha…" Lord Tundra whispered coldly.
"Yes, beloved?" Lady Frost asked whimsically.
"Where are my sculptures?" Lord Tundra asked flatly.
"Why, where ever could they be?" Lady Frost asked sarcastically, feigning her surprise.
"Those took me two months to make, Martha, two months!" Lord Tundra hissed.
"It only took two minutes to melt." Lady Frost said with a victorious grin.
"Lord Tundra, if I may interrupt?" Rarity asked aloud.
Still fuming from his lost art, Lord Tundra turned to Rarity, trying his best to look pleasant.
"What is it, Ms. Rarity?" Lord Tundra asked.
"I was just wondering if you sculpted all the pillars in the Main Hall, and the sculptures outside before we were brought in." Rarity pointed out.
Lady Frost groaned loudly while Lord Tundra ignored her. Proudly throwing out his chest, Lord Tundra smiled wide.
"How kind of you to notice, I have indeed carved the pillars in the Main Hall and the sculptures outside." Lord Tundra said proudly. "There would have been more here but I'm afraid they met an untimely demise."
Lord Tundra looked over his shoulder, giving Lady Frost a rather accusing stare while Lady Frost stuck her tongue out at him.
"Might I inquire to how the two of you became each-others special some pony?" Rarity asked, taking an interest in their attitude towards one another.
Lady Frost flushed quite a bit at these words, while Lord Tundra didn't seem too bothered by it.
"I suppose it would have begun back when I was just a young Prince attempting to find a suitable mate in which to rule the Frozen North with." Lord Tundra began thinking back on it.
"They're tired from their long journey, dear, perhaps it would be best to show them to their rooms now." Lady Frost interrupted, trying to end the story right then and there.
"Shush! You're ruining the flashback!" Pinkie Pie hissed at her.
At Pinkie Pie's words the world started to ripple away as everything turned a sepia tone with grainy film rolling over it. There was much younger Lord Tundra, a Prince at this point, standing with a much older looking Ice Pony Colt, wearing the same crown Lord Tundra had.
"My father, King Roderick Tundra, had informed me of my need to find a special some pony before my eighteenth birthday or I would be paired with a pony of my parents choosing It had been a long standing tradition within my family, it wasn't until a century ago that they eased back and gave us a chance to choose a special some pony for ourselves." Lord Tundra's voice echoed through the sequence.
"Just like Princess Sapphire!" Twilight's voice echoed.
"Except that you forgot to inform Sapphire of this entirely." Lady Frost's voice echoed.
"Exactly, only this time I had time to try and find a special some pony without having it forced upon me. Unfortunately, the High Nobles had already arranged for several dinners to be taken place at their respected homes in the attempts to win favor over me with their daughters." Lord Tundra explained.
"High Nobles? Sounds like some sort of fancy ponies." Applejack's voice remarked.
"The High Nobles are distinguished Ice Pony families that have made countless contributions to the Frozen North and have impeccable academic and social skills allowing them to be prime candidates for Royal courtships." Lady Frost's voice explained.
"Were you one of the High Nobles, Lady Frost?" Fluttershy's voice asked quietly.
"Sweet Celestia no, pampered twats the lot of them were." Lady Frost's voice said with venom.
"If you weren't a High Noble, how did you and Lord Tundra meet?" Rainbow Dash's voice asked curiously.
"Like I was saying, I was to indulge the High Nobles and attend said dinner invitations to meet my possible suitors." Lord Tundra's voice cut in.
Prince Tundra was sitting at a very elegant marble table with lavish food, decadent silverware, and a mare clinging onto his arm refusing to let go. The table was surrounded by very fancy looking Ice Ponies who toasted and boasted their worth to him and wished him well.
"Who's she?" Lady Frost asked coldly.
"That is Lady Snowfall. One of many Noble mares I was forced to have dinner with in their attempts to win me over." Lord Tundra explained.
"Do we still have dungeons?" Lady Frost asked curiously.
"Stop interrupting!" Pinkie Pie shouted.
"You can imagine that amount of Noble Ice Ponies with suitable daughters; I was having dinner at a different home every day for over three weeks." Lord Tundra explained.
Prince Tundra was forcefully fed different types of dishes, each especially made for him. There were more sequences of dinner dates that soon followed, each one seeming just as awkward and cringe worthy as the last. There were even times where Prince Tundra was attempting to escape from the steel grasp of some of the mares that locked onto his arm, while other times he seemed to be hiding from them throughout the castle.
"It was so unbelievable exhausting having to divide my attention between so many ponies." Lord Tundra remarked sadly.
"Oh, the horror." Lady Frost mumbled sarcastically.
"It was getting close to my eighteenth birthday and I had yet to find a special some pony. Dreading the idea of having to adhere to yet another dinner request from another Noble, I told my father I had taken ill and hid in my room." Lord Tundra explained.
Prince Tundra threw open the large windows of his room, his horn began to glow as he created an ice bridge from his window to the ground below. It was obvious that Prince Tundra was attempting to sneak out without his father's knowledge, adorning a black cloak to conceal is identity, and disappeared into the town below.
"You ran away?" Fluttershy asked in surprise.
"Not quite. Even a Prince needs some time to explore his muses." Lord Tundra explained. "I had heard that there was to be a gallery taking place in town where commoner ponies were displaying their artwork."
"And that's where you met Lady Frost!" Rarity exclaimed excitedly.
"Hardly." Lady Frost said sounding annoyed. "I wouldn't be caught anywhere near one of those snooze fests."
Prince Tundra walked amongst the common Ice Ponies. Coming to a rather large ice building that had a large banner titled Gallery, Prince Tundra made his way inside looking very giddy about the whole thing. He admired the different pieces of art on display, ranging from sculptures, paintings, pottery, and clothing.
"I had met several talented artists that day, learning much for my own craft, and being inspired to continue to refine my own work." Lord Tundra reminisced fondly. "Of course I was careful not to out my own identity, lest I be mobbed by every pony within earshot."
"But what about Lady Frost?" Applejack asked, sounding confused.
"Well by that point I had gotten hungry, and decided that I would try a local family owned restaurant." Lord Tundra replied.
Prince Tundra left the gallery, looking very pleased, and headed down the shoveled snow path. A familiar growl of a stomach could be heard as Prince Tundra seemed to look quite famished. Looking about he set his sights on a rather wholesome looking eatery that seemed to be lively, if not, inviting. Being asked to seat himself where he liked, Prince Tundra sat at a table near the corner. All the while his cloak still masking his appearance, looking over the menu to see what there was to eat.
"Can't we skip this?" Lady Frost moaned uneasily.
"No! On with the flashback!" Pinkie Pie cried.
Prince Tundra was still looking over the menu when a young mare, draped in an apron, biting down on a pencil, carrying a notepad came up to wait his table. This, of course, was the younger version of Lady Frost. She carried a very hollow expression that any pony working as a waiter knew all too well as she half-heartedly greeted the hooded stranger.
"Welcome to the 'Jolly Frost', where we serve the up smiles with every dish." Waitress Frost said flatly. "Can I start you off with some breadsticks?"
"Hahahaha! Nice apron!" Spike laughed aloud.
"Spike… it's not… nice… to… laugh…" Twilight was fighting back the urge to laugh along with Spike something fierce.
"Just get on with it!" Lady Frost bellowed.
"So like any smart pony, I opted for the breadsticks and ordered the special of the day, the 'Soupy Sails'." Lord Tundra continued.
Waitress Frost took down the order, taking a second look at the hooded pony seated in front of her.
"No hoods at the table, sir." Waitress Frost remarked.
The young Lady Frost pulled the hood back off of Prince Tundra who seemed quite surprised by this, but not as surprised as the young Lady Frost who immediately slammed it back down over his head. Panicked, the young Lady Frost lifted the hood a smidge to see if it was who she thought it was, seeing Prince Tundra's bright blue eyes she the hood back down over his face.
"It was safe to say that she was surprised to see me." Lord Tundra explained further.
"Was it love at first sight?" Rarity asked excitedly.
"Hardly! I had the Prince of the Frozen North in my family's restaurant and to make matters worse, he had run away!" Lady Frost hissed. "Don't even get me started on the guards."
"I forgot about that part!" Lord Tundra exclaimed in surprise.
"Just what we needed, a runaway Prince to be found in our restaurant, ruined for life." Lady Frost muttered bitterly.
"I didn't know that my father had come to check on me to see how I was feeling. I believed that he was to be busy for the rest of the night with his meeting, but after realizing that I snuck out he called his Royal Guards together to go and find me. I had no idea at the time but Martha wasn't having it." Lord Tundra chuckled.
"So what happened? Did you get caught?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"He wouldn't leave unless he got something to eat." Lady Frost retorted.
"Get the hay out of my restaurant!" Waitress Frost hissed at him.
"I haven't gotten my soup yet." Prince Tundra hissed back.
"Forget the stupid soup! If the guards find you in here they'll arrest all of us!" Waitress Frost hissed back.
"Can I have an order of the scallops as well?" Prince Tundra asked looking back over the menu.
Prince Tundra sat pointing to things on the menu, much to the frantic pleas from the young Lady Frost to leave, doing her best to seem respectful while attempting to throw him out.
"This is so adorable." Rarity remarked with a loving sigh.
"It was miserable." Lady Frost remarked.
"As it turned out, it was Martha's first day waitressing, and she didn't quite have it down yet." Lord Frost reminisced.
"My father insisted that I take a summer job, which meant working with the family, rather than going to 'Coldchella' like I had planned. I despised working in the restaurant, all the grease, the noise, the cleaning, and having to be on your hooves all day was just awful." Lady Frost moaned.
"Were you nervous? Having to serve Prince Tundra?" Fluttershy asked curiously.
"No mare with any self-respect would fall to pieces over a colt, let alone a dorky prince." Lady Frost stated firmly.
Waitress Frost's arm shook violently attempting to pour Prince Tundra a drink, splashing juice all about the table while Prince Tundra did his best to try to keep his cup under her pour. In reality, Prince Tundra was a very handsome colt; his picture was in the Northern Times almost every week with a story about his dinner dates with the High Nobles. Every mare at school had at some point or another fantasied about what their own dinner date with the Prince would be like. The young Lady Frost was no exception, Prince Tundra was sure to marry a High Noble's daughter, what was the harm in having a celebrity crush she had thought.
Despite her attempts to remain calm, Waitress Frost ended up spilling much of Prince Tundra's drink all over the table, tripping on her own apron and throwing the bowl of soup right into his face. Accidentally using Prince Tundra's cloak as a rag, pouring from the left instead of the right, sneezing on his dessert, but worst of all, stabbing him in the arm with a complimentary toothpick. With all this going on, the Ice Ponies around them were having a good laugh at both of their misfortunes.
"That's rough." Applejack remarked.
"How awful! What did you do?" Rarity asked, feeling embarrassed for Lady Frost.
"I did what any young mare would do after making a complete fool of herself in front of a Prince." Lady Frost said miserably.
The young Lady Frost started to cry. Her face in her hooves, unable to look at the Prince. Countless hours day dreaming her perfect dinner with the Prince would be like, only to have it come crashing down around her.
Prince Tundra, pulling the toothpick from his arm, could not help but pity her. With the sounds of water freezing, the young Lady Frost looked up from her hooves to see Prince Tundra blowing ice into his own hooves. The ice piling into his hooves took shape into a bouquet of sculpted roses, which he offered to her.
"Please stop crying." Prince Tundra asked with a smile.
Waitress Frost flushed a deep purple, nervously taking the bouquet of sculpted roses from him. There was a moment where the world seemed to fall away as the young Lady Frost and Prince Tundra locked eyes with one another. It was then immediately ruined by the sudden barrage of metal horseshoes stomping their way into the restaurant; a squadron of Royal Guard ponies marched in with King Rodrick Tundra strode in. Every Ice Pony bowed before their King, Waitress Frost sat paralyzed in fear as the King's eyes landed upon the two of them; able to see through his son's meager disguise.
"Charles Emerson Tundra the Third! How dare you sneak out under false pretenses of-" King Roderick stopped short of his scolding.
Noticing the young mare with a bouquet of ice sculpted roses, King Roderick jumped to a very sensible, if not wrong, conclusion of what was going on. Clearing his throat, the King motioned Prince Tundra to come over, and he did so without hesitating.
"Is… is this your special some pony?" King Roderick asked quietly.
"What?" Prince Tundra whispered back, flushing himself.
"If you were sneaking out to see her, you could have told me." Lord Roderick whispered.
"Dad!" Prince Tundra hissed feeling embarrassed.
Straightening up, King Roderick signaled his guards to move out. Keeping his son close to him, the King turned to a very shock and moderately frightened Frost family.
"I want to express my gratitude for having my son over for dinner. I want to extend the same offer by having you over for dinner at Castle Fjord tomorrow night." Lord Roderick decreed more then offered.
With the frantic nods of the Frost Family, King Roderick ushered his son towards the door but felt Prince Tundra pulling on his arm.
"What?" King Roderick asked.
"I forgot to pay." Prince Rutherford whispered to him.
"You want to pay her a kiss goodbye?" Lord Roderick asked in surprise, almost admiring the hubris of his own son.
"Dad!" Prince Tundra hissed, flushing once more.
"Well, be quick about it." King Roderick remarked, stepping aside to allow his son to get by.
Prince Tundra hurried past his father, trying his best not to let any pony see his embarrassment. Stopping short in front of the young Lady Frost, her family just behind her, Prince Tundra felt his heart starting to race.
"I-I-I… uh… I… um…" Prince Tundra stammered, holding out a small sack of bits to her. "I hope you come… to dinner… tomorrow."
The young Lady Frost could not find any words to say, simply flushing, and trying to hide behind the bouquet of ice flowers she had.
"We most certainly will." Mrs. Frost said taking the sack of bits from him.
"So that's when you two became each other's special some ponies?" Rarity asked curiously.
"Pretty much." Lord Tundra remarked. "I came back to eat at their restaurant several more times."
"Was it because you fell madly in love with her, even with all her faults?" Rarity asked.
"Actually the soup there was very delicious." Lord Tundra remarked.
Prince Tundra thanked Mr. and Mrs. Frost for the meal. Turning to leave, the young Lady Frost got to her hooves and kissed him on the cheek in thanks for his gift.
"But, I did end up falling very much in love with her." Lord Tundra concluded.
As the flashback ended, the world returned to its normal, full color, with Lady Frost flushed in embarrassment and Lord Tundra holding her hoof.
"What an odd set of circumstances that led to you to getting together." Pinkie Pie said sounding very amused.
"There was lot of things that made us a lot closer over the years, but that's where it started." Lord Tundra said lovingly, pressing his head against Lady Frost's endearingly.
"But, why are you so annoyed with all the ice sculptures Lord Tundra makes?" Twilight Sparkle asked curiously.
"He…" Lady Frost started to mumble, face flushing. "He should only make them for me."
Commander Sleet escorted General Hearth, recently retired, across a very long ice bridge that curved out around Castle Fjord, there were five more just like it, snaking its way in different directions leading to different levels of the castle and the town down below. The ice bridge they were currently on was named 'Noble Road' for it led directly into the heart of the top level of the Kingdom where the High Nobles lived. There were many whispers from other Ice Pony Nobles that were making their way down the ice bridge, staring at General Hearth with fascination. It wasn't uncommon to see Flame Ponies in the Frozen North; it was just unusual to see a new face on one.
"My apologies if I unnerved you back there, General, your family has been a part of mine for so long that finding you to be still alive came as an incredible shock to me." Commander Sleet apologized.
"I'm retired, but don't trouble yourself over it. I'm quite surprised myself to find that my brothers are still here." General Hearth replied.
"Including your sister." Commander Sleet added.
"Jewel is still alive as well?" General Hearth asked in both surprise and relief.
"Your family has grown considerably since arriving all those years ago." Commander Sleet stated. "They are much older now, but they have had families of their own."
"And my nephew is to marry your daughter, is that right?" General Hearth asked, trying to wrap his head around it.
"Your nephew Warrick was born here in the Frozen North, just a few month after your family arrived. He has grown into a fine Officer in our Brotherhood and seemed to fall head over hoof for my Wendy." Commander Sleet explained proudly. "It was just last month when Warrick came to me asking for my blessing in proposing to our Wendy, I can honestly say that it was hard for me to see my Wendy as anything more than my sweet little filly but-"
Commander Sleet stopped short, noticing that General Hearth was no longer walking alongside him. Turning back, he could see General Hearth standing a few ways back, staring at the ground, trembling slightly.
"General?" Commander Sleet asked with concern.
"Warrick…" General Hearth mumbled.
Commander Sleet walked back over to General Hearth, noticing that he seemed rather emotional. The flames on his mane flared softly, the quiver in his voice was enough to let him know that General Hearth was nearly at tears; even if he couldn't produce any.
"That's… that's my name…" General Hearth said slowly.
"I… had forgotten." Commander Sleet said softly. "Coal had thought the worse and decided to honor his son by giving him your name."
"I'm sorry… I just..." General Hearth mumbled, rubbing his eyes.
"There is nothing to be sorry for, General, this is a time of healing and rejoicing." Commander Sleet replied, placing his hoof on his shoulder. "All it takes is time."
Nodding his head, General Hearth composed himself. Once more they traveled along the Noble Road into the heart of the Noble Sector where houses gleamed of frosty marble, the fanciest of ponies roamed the streets, silver and gold seemed to fill every window in every shop. Yet the atmosphere seemed light, the fancy Ice Ponies greeted them kindly, smiles were on nearly every Noble Ponies face, and there was even hearty laughter rather than rich snickering in the eateries.
Near the outskirts of the Noble Sector were the homes of the Noble Ice Ponies. These homes dictated several hundred acres of land, houses nearly twenty times the size of any Flame Pony building. The large marble doors carried sigils, crests, markings of the families that lived there. Eventually, General Hearth and Commander Sleet came to the one that bore the crest of Sleet, a large platinum seal with the runes of his forefathers carved into it.
"I had the great honor of welcoming your family into my home many years ago, General." Commander Sleet began. "In so doing, your family has brought not only pride and respect to my house, but memories I shall cherish forever. I get to once more welcome another member of the Hearth family to our home, and I hope that you will come to find it to be yours as well."
Knocking his hoof against the marble doors, Commander Sleet waited for the shuffling from the other side to finish as the marble doors opened a bit to him. An Ice Pony stood at the other side, glancing through the space to see who had knocked.
"Lord Commander, I didn't expect to see you home so early." The Ice Pony said with surprise, quickly opening the marble door wider to him.
"Some business came up, Kirk, is Coal and his family home?" Commander Sleet asked striding through with General Hearth following behind him.
"Yes, Lord Commander, but Lady Summer and Sir Warrick is on duty until tonight I'm afraid. Mistress Wendy is in town shopping." Kirk replied, surprised by General Hearth.
"Kirk, I would like to introduce General Warrick Hearth, the eldest son of the Hearth Family." Commander Sleet announced. "General, this is Kirk Summerland, my squire."
Kirk Summerland was a unicorn Ice Pony; he was young colt, probably a few years older than Ray. His hide was a bright blue, his mane seemed to billow flawlessly, and his cutie mark bore a frozen sword.
"Retired." General Hearth added.
"Any brother that has sworn the oath to serve thy Lord and Lady is worthy of such respect, General. It is an honor to meet you." Kirk said, bowing his head.
"Kirk, where is Coal and his family now?" Commander Sleet asked curiously.
"Lord Coal is at the back of the house, sir, he's instructing the little masters in swordplay." Kirk responded escorting them to said place.
"Do you have a squire, General?" Commander Sleet asked curiously.
"No, we don't have such… regulations in the Ashen Fields." General Hearth replied awkwardly.
"Interesting, here in the Frozen North, we can offer a young colt a squire position in the lower levels. In so doing, they before all the tasks expected of a squire, and in return they are given a knighthood." Commander Sleet summed it up for him.
"Is one of those tasks waiting around at the front gate? " General Hearth asked with a chuckle.
"I have enchanted the crest upon the gate, General, if any pony knocks upon it, I will know and teleport to it to greet the Lord Commander's guests." Kirk explained to him.
"Kirk takes his roll very seriously. He lives here with us, and spends much of his time preparing for the trials he will be taking to claim his place amongst our Knights. When he isn't training he watches over your younger nieces and nephews; keeping me informed of what goes on while I'm on duty." Commander Sleet explained further.
"I have more nieces? And more nephews?" General Hearth asked in surprise.
"Your family has grown, General." Commander Sleet reminded him.
"Two nieces, Summer and Lily Hearth. Three nephews, Warrick Hearth, Samson Hearth, and Henrik Kiln." Kirk listed off their names.
General Hearth stopped hard once more. Commander Sleet and Kirk took notice of this, realizing that he had taken meaning from these names, much like he did before. This time it was almost shock on his face.
"Kiln? Hothead Kiln?" General Hearth asked in disbelief.
"I'm sorry?" Commander Sleet asked sounding confused.
"Did my sister marry Drake 'Hothead' Kiln?" General Hearth asked again.
"Drake? Yes, they were married about a year after they came to the Frozen North. Did you not know of your sister's special some pony?" Commander Sleet asked curiously.
"Special some pony? Jewel hated Drake with a passion! He would torment her relentlessly when we were foals and fillies, he would do anything just to see her get mad." General Hearth stated thinking back on it.
"Well I'm sure you can ask her about it when you see her." Commander Sleet replied, ushering him to follow once more.
The back of the Sleet Estate was mostly snow covered hillsides, a patch of forest that cut into the property but the trees themselves were bare of any pine. Near the house there was a stage made of stone where straw dummies were set up to train in both swordplay and archery. There was a viewing deck where other High Nobles could sit and watch young squires square off with one another. A gazeebo to entertain guests, a frozen pony made lake to play hockey on, or simply skate. It was quite tame for such a High Noble pony estate but it seemed to suit the humbleness of Commander Sleet's demeanor.
Two young Flame Pony colts, Henrik and Samson, no older then twelve, carried stone swords in their mouths. Striking the straw dummies, shaped like spiders, over and over again. They were being watched over by a much older colt, Coal, who was keeping a keen eye on their form, while shouting out 'attack' again and again as the two colts swung their swords.
Coal, much like his name, was a dark dirty black pegasi pony, bright red and yellow flames mixed together. His cutie mark was that of a hearth, having been gifted the same cutie mark as their father, although being the second born.
In the viewing stands were Jewel Kiln, her husband Drake Kiln, and their youngest daughter Lily, sat watching their son practice. Alongside them was Tinder Hearth, the youngest brother of the Hearth family, and his wife Bloom Hearth, heir to the Incandescence family. Along with them was Lady Catherin Sleet, wife of Commander Sleet. Seated next to her was Coal's wife, Scoria Hearth.
"If you ever want to beat the hide of a Snow Spider you'll have to strike without holding back!" Coal barked, watching Samson and Henrik take a breather.
"Ife goff ah funngee taffe en mife moffe." Henrik said with his stone sword in his mouth.
"You can put your sword down, Henrik." Coal instructed him.
"I've got a funny taste in my mouth." Henrik mumbled, licking his own hoof trying to rid himself of it.
"Meff toffee." Samson said pointing at his own sword in his mouth.
Rubbing the side of his temple, Coal mumbled something under his breath before taking a deep breath.
"The first colt that knocks their dummy down will get an extra scoop of ice cream after today's practice." Coal offered them.
"Ice Cream!" Henrik shouted in surprise.
"Iffe Creeff!" Samson shouted, with his sword still in his mouth.
The two colts started to strike the straw dummies once more. Taking care to not set fire to it by mistake, as it would be a violation of the rules and result in no ice cream. Coal smiled softly to himself at the eagerness of the two colts, looking up into the stands he got a smile from Scoria and a few waves from his family letting him know he was doing a good job. Noticing Lady Catherin getting to her hooves, her attention focused near the house, Coal turned to see what she was looking at. Commander Sleet and Kirk were escorting a Flame Pony to them, it was easy to make the two out from this distance, and believed the Flame Pony was a visiting neighbor from one of the other homes.
"Commander, you're home early!" Coal called out, stepping down from the stone stage to greet him. "I was under the impression that you… you… would…"
The closer Coal got the more he started to realize who exactly that Flame Pony was. Commander Sleet and Kirk did not stop to speak with him, instead they walked right by him to allow him speak to his elder brother unhindered.
General Hearth, although elated to see his brother Coal alive, was not too awestruck for words. Having known that his family was in the Frozen North had given him some peace of mind that they were, at the very least, safe.
"Hello, Coal." General Hearth said warmly.
Coal couldn't speak, his powerful, rock like demeanor seemed to melt away at the sight of his older brother. No words could bridge countless years they had been apart, or the last memories of his older brother looking young and powerful, decorated in his armor, but now such an elder pony with such kind features in his face. A feeling he had buried years ago, started to reemerge within him. At times he would have given anything to share just a few much needed words with his elder brother, but now he could not open his mouth without crying.
"Ash had a baby." General Hearth mentioned, speaking of his daughter. "Her name is Ray Horizon; she's got our father's temper, her father's eyes, her mother's heart, my spirit, and your wings."
The rest of the ponies in the viewing stands were on their hooves now trying to get a better look at who Coal was speaking with, starting to step down from seats and make their way over.
"I was always jealous of your wings, but you already knew that." General Hearth added.
"…Warrick…" Coal managed to choke out, holding back his sobs.
"You named your kid after me… what's up with that?" General Hearth asked with a laugh.
There wasn't anything for it after that, Coal was already embracing Hearth as tightly as he could; sobbing into his shoulder. Lady Catherin was first to reach Commander Sleet, wondering what this was all about, as he explained to her who their new guest was Jewel already shrieked in fright. Tinder shouted words that should never be said in mixed company as he wasted no time joining Coal in embracing his elder brother. Jewel nearly collapsed from her sudden shock of seeing him, needing Drake to keep her up right before she started to sob uncontrollably into her own hooves.
"I… never should have… left you… there…" Coal said hoarsely, choking back his sobs.
"I stayed behind, to protect my family, as you left to protect yours." General Hearth said quietly.