Myrtenaster looked as perfect as always, with its shiny metal reflecting the sunlight into Weiss' eyes, and the ancient Atlesian runes that she had painstakingly carved into the blade herself. It was a reflection of its owner, perfectly optimized for Weiss' use. The blade was made just for one single purpose, to serve as an extension of her body as she worked to defend humanity from the creatures of Grimm.
Weiss' lips pressed themselves into a thin line. What was a huntress supposed to do in a world without Grimm? Granted, Weiss wasn't planning on staying here long if the magic portal that Princess Luna and Twilight worked as they hypothesized, but what if it didn't? As much as Weiss hoped it would, she was also a realist. Twilight didn't seem particularly confident that the portal could send her home, despite the smile she forced onto her muzzle. Twilight's eyes betrayed her, eyes were the window to the soul, Father had made sure Weiss learned that lesson at a young age to ensure the Schnee legacy would continue to rule Atlas through the SDC.
"At least you're here with me." Weiss murmured softly, running her aura protected finger against Myrtenaster's blade. Without Ruby, Blake, or Yang, Mrytenaster would be her only friend here, for now at least. Her eyes drifted to the handful of Dust canisters and crystals that Princess Luna had returned.
She had them spread out on her bed, far apart from each other. The raw crystals, like the ones she used for her earrings, would explode if they weren't treated properly. Her aura should be able to protect her, but it was drained from healing her wounds so the former heiress didn't feel like taking any chances. Growing more would take time, a long time even with help from her Schnee glyphs, but it wasn't like Weiss was planning on fighting anyone at the moment. Not in these ugly clothes at least.
Weiss wasn't Yang.
Surprisingly, sleep came to Weiss much easier than she thought it would. She didn't have any nightmares, and from what she remembered about her dreams, they were about her happier days, before the Vytal Festival. It felt…nice.
The ponies had brought her another change of oversized clothes to sleep in, which while uncomfortable, were better than nothing. Weiss didn't want to be a bother.
"Good morning Weiss!" Princess Luna sauntered into the room just as Weiss was in the middle of fixing her bed.
"Good morning Luna." Weiss said softly, adjusting the two pillows. The Princess had convinced the former heiress into dropping her titles, at least whenever the two of them were alone.
"Would you like to have dinn-uh-breakfast I mean, with my sister and I?" Luna was levitating a mug of steaming hot coffee with her magic, lifting up to her muzzle to take a long sip after she finished speaking. "I'll give you a tour of this wing of the castle, so you won't be confined to your room all day."
That was polite of her.
"That sounds lovely." Weiss smiled. Her oversized shirt and shorts looked ridiculous on her, and were certainly not for meetings with royalty. "I hope this request isn't too presumptuous, but would it be possible to have my dress repaired?"
"Of course!" Luna levitated the coffee to her side. Her eyes looked tired, as if she had stayed awake the entire night. "I'll have one of the Royal Tailors handle it. You're smaller than a minotaur, but I'm sure that they'll be able to handle it."
Perfect. Being in clothes that actually fit would help make her stay here bearable.
"Now let's eat! I'm hungry." Luna's grin was infectious as she all but dragged Weiss out of the room, using her muzzle to push the huntress' back.
Ruby would have loved her.
Luna was exhausted, having stayed up the entire night to handle court and to discuss her guest with Celestia. Weiss' dreams were vivid, and if they were accurate, was extremely skilled when it came to combat. Luna remained hidden of course, she didn't want to lose the humans trust.
"This wing of the castle has been completely closed off to visitors, so feel free to wander as you please." Luna smiled as she spoke. Being a guide, and first point of contact for a visitor from another world was a serious job, one that Celestia had entrusted to her. It was nice, being trusted to handle things on her own for once. Most ponies still didn't trust her, with some even going as far to ask Celestia the same question they had asked Luna during the Night Court. "All of the guards and maids have been sworn to secrecy until we reveal you to the public. If you need anything, please feel free to ask!"
"It's lovely." Weiss' eyes were wide, staring at everypony and everything. A few maids were scurrying around, quickly bowing their heads as Luna walked past them. The guards remained silent, with their spears at attention.
Breakfast, and Luna's dinner, were set up in a spare room which was decorated to help the lost human feel at home. Luna had specifically ordered the royal kitchen to cook several varieties of fish in different styles. It had earned her a few uneasy glances, but her subjects followed her command.
"Twilight won't be joining us, unfortunately." Luna continued. "She spent most of the night poring through the library and reviewing her notes from yesterday."
Remnant sounded like such a fascinating place! Dangerous too, which intrigued the Princess of the Night. Equestria had been a land of war before Luna's banishment to the moon, having taken several decades to unite the Three Tribes and solidify pony control over much of Equus. The ponies of today could not even imagine such a conflict with their thousand years of, overall, peace.
"I see." Weiss murmured under her breath. Luna's ears were sharp enough to catch it, only twitching ever so slightly.
She looked like she wanted to say something else, when they finally reached their makeshift dining room. The two Night Guards in front of the door opened them silently, allowing the duo to pass. The smell of mushroom steaks and fresh jam slithered its way into Luna's muzzle, causing her mouth to water.
Mmm, dinner smelled delicious.
"My apologies if it looks like I have been ignoring you." Princess Celestia, the cute white alicorn, said while she floated a lone grape up to her muzzle. "We didn't have a chance to talk much yesterday." She was seated at the head of the long table, with Luna sitting on her right across from Weiss.
Who was in the middle of stuffing her face with the dozen types of fish laid out before her, in the most polite way possible of course. She wasn't a savage that would smush half of her food onto her cheeks. Daintily wiping her lips with a handkerchief provided by another cute maid, Weiss gave the Princess a well practiced smile.
"I understand, running a country must take most of your time." Weiss was used to it. She wouldn't see Father or Mother for months at a time when she was younger.
"It does." Princess Celestia's smile looked exactly like Luna's. It didn't look as genuine as the blue alicorn's, as if she spent hours staring at a mirror in order to perfect it. "Yesterday you mentioned that you were a monster hunter. Did I hear correctly?"
"You did." Weiss said, swallowing another bite of fish, this one was a salmon similar to the one she had the day before. "Technically I'm a Huntress-in-training."
S-She was too weak to be able to call herself a true huntress.
Princess Celestia nodded slowly. "I see. The Royal Guard generally performs those duties here, but such events are rare."
"Equeshtria doeshn't hash a shtanding army." Luna spoke up, her mouth full of mushrooms. She swallowed, ignored a subtle glare from Celestia, and took another sip from her bottomless mug of coffee. "The Royal Guard is too small, and inexperienced." Their world really was peaceful.
But, why were they telling her all of this? This was a pretty weird conversation to have first thing in the morning. Princess Celestia cleared her throat and turned her attention back to Weiss.
"A few months ago Equestria was invaded by an army of changelings." Her soft voice suddenly turned hard. "Canterlot was captured in less than an hour, the Royal Guard failed."
She paused and lowered her gaze, staring at the fruit salad in front of her.
"I failed."
That sounded bad. Weiss remained silent and sliced into a trout. Speaking now without more information would be foolish.
"We will do anything to protect our little ponies." Luna added. Hm, they were leading up to something, Weiss could feel it.
"So, you want my help to hunt them down?" A probing question. Weiss placed her utensils on her plate. It sounded easy enough.
"No, no." Princess Celestia shook her head. "Queen Chrysalis and her army were thrown back to the Badlands with the help of Twilight and her friends."
"There's a forest an hour or two away by train near Ponyville, one that remains untamed and is filled with monsters." Luna rubbed her hooves together. "If you agree, we would like for you to lead an expedition into the Everfree Forest, to test the capabilities of the Guard."
There it was. Did they already trust her that much to lead their men, uh, ponies into some dangerous forest? Weiss pressed her lips together. After everything the ponies had done for her, there was no reason for her to refuse. What should she do? This was a setup, one that she had fallen for.
Weiss took another bite of the trout, it was meatier than the salmon. She would play along for now.
"Very well."