//------------------------------//
// White Banner 
// Story: General Winter 
// by SONBoomer 
//------------------------------//

Minx.

Capital of Belostrana. Home of the tsarist royal family. Or, at least, what remained of it.

A curious, if lengthy story, both theirs, and the country's - or rather, countries'...



The beginning of the century prior to the last, the Norther Region rebelled.

Or rather, it rioted.

To be completely fair, it stood up for itself, after years of foreign oppression enforced by a puppet state/military junta, empowered by the Equestrian Monarchy.
No surprise there, though.

The region had a looooong history with bad rulers.

When the last ice age ended, and the solid ice wall that later shrunk into the northern icecaps retreated from the northern region of the Equine mainland, it left a vast, empty continent, barren of wildlife and vegetation, with mountain ranges edging it from the north and the east, fjords and peninsulas from the west, and it's center collapsed in lines where rivers dug through it - the of the disappearing glaciers.

The snow and cold still inhabited the land, dominating it for five months each year. Spring was brief. Life blossomed and bloomed with haste. Summer was scorching, but Spring's efforts yielded fruit. Fall was brief as well, the dying drama of Summer, and the coming of the merciless Winter.

The first tribes arrived a few decades after the first ponies appeared within the lower part of the continent, and grew in size and number, adapting to the harsh weather of the north. Once grown large enough to maintain huge plots of land, the tribes began to fight - unlike in the south, which was ruled by egalitarian societies or matriarchies, most of the tribes of the north were strict patriarchies. Mares, however, were not treated badly, in fact, they enjoyed more freedom and more adoration in certain tribes than the mares in certain egalitarian societies or even matriarchies. This was mainly due to the protective and spiritual nature of the tribes - they didn't saw them as objects, as cattle, bearers of children, but rather, as the earthly representation of the motherly fertility goddesses, beings who without a stallion cannot be called a stallion, or even a pony.

Fillies and colts played together, until they were of age, form where on they had to chose between to positions: stallions usually became hunters, protectors and gatherers, while mares supplied the tribe with nourishment, medicine and healing spells, and a safe home. The choice was there, however: some colts became healing clerics alongside their female companions, and certain mares became renowned hunters. Nopony was outraged by this - they respected their choice, even if these stallions didn't form a family, and if these mares never gave birth to a new generation - it was their decision, and dedication to a task was just as respected as giving it up to take up your role within the tribe.
In northern culture, there was no good or evil. Only power.

Misdeed, of course, existed, and many tribes were quite strict when it came to punishment, especially during the warmongering years. However, the tribes began to mix and trade cultures and methods, due to their uneasy alliances during times when the ponies of the south made their presence known. Eventually, the tribes were forged into one large empire.

In it's early years, the empire suffered dreadfully at the claws of a new, invasive nation: the gryphons - they assaulted them in every way possible, before the ruler of the griffons, the "king", decided that preying on the hapless ponies of the tundras and taigas was not worthy and honorable for his kin. So, he offered a treaty: for the safety and prosperity of the Northern Empire, as he labelled it, they pay them fur, textile, tusks and horns, and ores which they find but not need. In time, the gryphons forgot about their initial position in the treaty, and began to exchange weapons, machines, new material and new methods in hunting, education and medicine, for all the fur and tusks the Northern Empire served to them.

Around the time where the three pony races of the south unified - during an usually modest winter -, the former clan leaders of the tribes made a decision, and elected their own ruler (the last ruler to ever be elected for a VERY long time), the first tsar: Tsar Северный Ветер, or "North Wind". Under his leadership, the Empire successfully became an agrarian superpower within a decade. This further improved it's connections with the Gryphon Empire of Eagleland and both product and cultural trade between the two young countries increased. The life and well being of the northern ponies continued to improve, even after the death of Tsar North Wind - others Tsars and Tsarinas followed his steps, introducing newer and newer systems and newer levels of comfort and progress.


This all changed with the enthronement of Tsar Мертвое Зима - Dead Winter...

He was ruthless megalomaniac and militant fanatic, coming from the cold embrace of the season which's peak he was born on. Bent on modernization, his command-planned economic "reforms" nearly destroyed agriculture in the Northern Empire, while is industrialization thoroughly destroyed the life of thousands... Truth to be told, the Empire was behind many other countries when it came to industrialization, and the lack of mercantilism or any other forms of trade and exchange held it back greatly. Most other countries, including the Equestrian Monarchy, had already developed some primitive form of capitalism, but the "Bastion of the North" still remained firmly feudal.

It had to. Zima enforced it.

But Tsar Dead Winter was anything but stupid or foolish. Even with his megalomania, none could call him arrogant or delusional. As the ruler of a country lagging so far behind, he kept his gaze looking toward the future. He did it so much, in fact, that one may have called him a medium, or rather, a visionary.

Using the latest technology available at the time, he made sure to tell - or rather, to show, considering the illiteracy rate -, that he loved his people, his country, their culture and their freedom, and did everything for them.

And the people loved him.

He was the first to discover and popularize a Cult of Personality, something which marked the fate of his country for a very long time.

In his death, millions grieved him.

He starved, beaten, incarcerated, impaled, burned and destroyed twice as many...



The tsars and tsarinas after Dead Winter didn't proceeded to follow his every step. Literally all of them had some degree or form of personality cult following them in their wake.

Tsar Холодный Болото - "Cold Marsh" - made sure that even the last of the peasants will have the ability to bathe at least five times a week. In return, said peasants were to work on the Cathedrals of Music, Arts, War, and Glory that he ordered to be built and finished under his reign - only the 'Cathedral of Glory' was finished.

Tsar Меч Сталь - "Sword Steel" - led a campaign against organized crime that ended an era of syndicates... And started another one, now under the guidance of the tsarist court. He taxed vehemently until the goal was reached - afterwards, he abolished the taxes of the poorest of his people, the Крепостные, or "serfs".

Tsarina Черное Храм - "Black Shrine" - ensured that even the last, most weakest, youngest, and eldest of her people had three square meals a day to eat. For this, she indoctrinated, incarcerated or executed every large of smallholder of land, and organized, for the first time in equine history, state-owned collective farms. She also revolutionized the currency system, adjusting the value of money not to foreign gold or silver, but to the most valuable mineral of the country itself: Ruby. Thus, the currency known as Рубин, or "Rubin" was born, with a value that outlasted the lifespan of all other currencies, before switching to comparative valuing.
And so on...

Over time, however, it was noted that, barring a few, the tsars and tsarinas became increasingly corrupt, and even the exceptions barely reached the people's expectations...

The one prior to the last, Tsar Ужасный Страх, or "Terrible Fear", as he later became known in world history, was a monster in a pony's skin. Driven by paranoia, fits of rage caused by plausible genetic defects - suspected to be the result of inbreeding -, this stallion ruled the country with an iron hoof, pressing down on everpony around him with the threat of crushing looming over them in every second of their lives. And he lived on to rule the longest.

His successor - Tsar Короткий Судьба, or (quite fittingly, considering the events that later occurred) "Short Fate" - came as a family man, but died a lonely death.

It was never stated (at the time, at least) that it was the Equestrian Monarchy's intervention - especially since it had just recently turned into a monarchy, after the banishment of Nightmare Moon, or, as her defeater knew her: Princess Luna.

Celestia's vision, clouded by grief, failed her, so the underhanded deeds of her ministers got unnoticed. She agreed blindly to let her soldiers intervene when the ponies of the North rose up against their leader, demanding a complete change in government. Foreign agitators boiled their tempers to the bursting point, and in one quick riot, they obliterated the tsar's personal guardsponies, captured their royal family, and deported them them separately into the far corners of their empire, causing an international outrage.

This prompted Celestia into action, now making the fully focused (but still blinded and uninformed) decision to stop the North from further violence - and the result was the annexation of the Northern Region.

It was great setback to democracy in the equine world, as it reared up it's ugliest face: despite the openness and reformist views of Tsar Short Fate, not even his complete agreement to his dethronement and the declaration of a republic saved him and his family from the exile, which served as proof for many other countries to avoid the rule of majority, as the uncouth, and ungrateful crowd will only bite the hoof that gives it food - or removes the leash, in this case.



What followed was roughly 500 years of oppression, misery and agitation, another revolution followed, destroying the puppet state of weak leaders chained to Canterlot, and establishing a shaky, but still firmly supported government...

Meanwhile in Canterlot, retribution followed the revolution - Princess Celestia found out about the ministers and army officials that undermined her trust and goodwill, destroying the lives of many ponies in the Northern Region (by then, known as the Northern Republic, a no-party state which all members of the government were either selected by their predecessors or elected individually by the public). The show-trials (albeit based on hard evidence) shook the ponies of Equestria - never before had they seen their Princess become so indignant, so... Wrathful.

Around a hundred ponies were executed, their wealth and property confiscated and redistributed among the public.

Surprisingly, the new Northern government remained open towards this newfound enemy which it never had a good relationship to begin with - many would say that this is what led to the demise of the Republic and brought forth the Union, but let's not get so ahead in time. One could say that they had a verified reason to do so, what with the whole Great War going on (it lasted 40 years, it came in years and devastated every generation involved, forever changing the concept of war within the minds of... Well, basically everyone)...



During the next 300 or so years, the social, bureaucratic and military elite found newer ways gain extra profit or power within Equestria's newest and most awkward ally.

They were aided by the very same elite from inside the Norther Republic, and although cultural differences were apparent, one thing remained certain:

Both elites knew no morals when it came capitalism.


The unaligned economic system, which influenced the society living with it, turned from a healthy competition of merchants, entrepreneurs producers to a race of life and death between the common workers of factories, workshops, and the peasants of the fields, while their masters enjoyed dinner together in the club.

The masses starved while that selective few enjoyed multiple square meals a day. The workers died because of unreliable machines, and even if they didn't, the awkward positions of their jobs damaged their skeletal frame, and the repetition and monotony of their lives sapped them of any will to fight. Even if they did fight, the police brutally suppressed even the most peaceful of demonstrations. In return, whenever the police demonstrated for better wages, workers often attacked them, and got out of the ensuing mess unpunished.

The environment of the workplace and the homes deteriorated, while the fat cats enjoyed their comfort of solitary living outside the smog-choked, crime-infested cities.

By the end of the 300 year, the protests were organized, the elite was sprawling mess of starry-eyed equinists and hard-line top hats, public misery was at it's peak. The deployment of new machinery lead to rising unemployment in both urban and rural areas. Any agreement made between the labor unions and the ruling class was ultimately broken by the latter, causing an increasing frustration.

Long story short, tempers were nearing their boiling point.

The air was heavy with the smell of another revolution, and it wasn't just the Norther Region...

The losers of the Great War were embittered by their loss, and the treatment they had to endure from the victors only increased their bitterness.

It became more and more clear that the next war wouldn't be fought in the name of heroism.

It will be started in the name of heroism, sure.

But one peek behind the curtain told everything that needed to be known: fear, greed and loathing.

For a nation, the "Most Sacred War of All Wars" was to be fought on these three basic equine fallibilities.



The white movement gained it's popularity right after the Equestrian Intervention. The displacement of the entire tsarist family enraged many loyalist nobles, even those who didn't benefit from the last tsar's social actions. Secret societies were formed, searching high and low for the deported members of the royal family, all of them eventually connecting, uniting, and smoldering into what became known as the "White Guard", as they wore the white dress uniforms of the royal army, usually used during funerals.

During the early years and decades of the Republic, they had to lay low, not wanting to turn the public against them, and over time, their size dwindled, as members assimilated to the new order.

But the ever-stretching War, the social injustices and the general disappointment gave the necessary boost not only to the communalist movement, but to the whites as well.

In the end, it was the social-democrats (split into the hard-line, radical communalists (коммуналистский), the more revolutionary wing, and the more liberal consolidationists (укрепленистский), the orthodox Marksist wing), that seized power. Inter-party competition ended with the communalists gaining full power, but also marked the start of the Civil War, as the Tsarists made their move the moment the communalist rule was announced.

The Northern Republic's soldiers left the front lines of the Great War, only to fight a bloody civil war for another 40 years. In the end, the White Movement was ultimately defeated, but were allowed, along with the anarchists, to live peacefully besides the newly formed Union of Councils, as long as they don't bothered one another. Thus, the along with the Autonomous Territory, Belostrana, the "White State" was formed as well. With the aid of the Union's armies and explorers, the remaining royal family was recovered, and brought to their new home in MInx, the capital of the new country.

The royal family, whilst away from the battles of the Great War and the Civil War, had still suffered, their numbers reduced to barely a dozen, even with the stand-in of foreign relatives. But they managed to regain their strength, and made themselves presentable for what had possibly been the most tense and coldest diplomatic meeting in equine history:

The Meeting of Last Tsar - Tsar Возрожденный Слава, "Renewed Glory" -, and the First Supreme Council, led by the very first Troika - composed of the Head Military Commissar Trotsky, the Head Propaganda Commissar Steel Ink, led by Supreme Commissar Linen.

The Tsar has lost his father to the first rebellion.

The Supreme Commissar lost his brother to the last.

But the War and the Civil War has strained and spent all parties involved, so peace was necessary.


There were rumors of a fourth element besides the Communalists, the anarchists and the whites, who orchestrated the whole meeting, that strived for peace among them, and that outright FORCED the leaders into signing their respective treaties. There were rumors over who this person, this enigma way, and most rumors pointed to a single name. A name that wasn't present during any moment of history, yet ever-present during it's whole course.


The following decades were all about consolidation, rebuilding, and the strengthening of all free countries. In the end, it seemed like that the liberals of the old party were right, after all. This process of peace came to an end with the death of Linen, the growing competition between Trotsky and Steel Ink, and the start of the Second Panequine War.

The war has drained all countries, but the Free Territory recovered the earliest, thanks to it's laissez-faire economy, followed by the massive Union, thanks to it's immense, robust system. Belostrana recovered the last, though it enjoyed the support of other nations, particularly that of Eagleland. It became a semi-constitutional monarchy, similar to it's contemporary Equestria, and, to get on the good side of the Union, introduced a mixed economy. It's case has been steady since, slowly recovering from the many losses it suffered along with it's sister states, but still stubbornly holding up the monarchy.

Visually speaking, it's recovery was only evident in the larger cities, particularly it's capital. However, the countryside had a considerably slower development rate. Having connections with numerous economic powerhouses (Eagleland, Equestria, the U.C.C.R.), and being a considerable economic power itself, in it's own right, the country was steadily growing, but in the same time, so was it's corruption.

The nationalisation of larger enterprises, and heavy regulation of market-oriented businesses, open politics and democratisation of the Union cut ahead of most possibilities of corruption and the formation of oligarchies, but the White State haven't made such measurements.



For the three mares and the dragon, this became evident after the sixth street begard while touring around the capital.

"It's either these guys, or the public workers." Spike mused "What's the deal with them?"

"Belostrana has a market-based economy." Sunset replied "While it does make it progress faster, and provides a greater motivation for the workers, it also means that those who fell out of favor, and become "unmarketable", can end up on the streets."

"They're all free to compete in the free market." Trixie added "But not everypony has the means to even joint the competition."

"Freedom comes at a price, in this case." Twilight put it "The same way equality and progress came at a price in the Union, the price being individual freedom. But things are getting better there, as the state gradually loosens it's grip on the public. Here though, despite it being a mixed economy, the state exerts little control over the market, which has led to the rise of oligarchs and monopolies."

"Great..." the drake groaned "Another country with crooked leaders."

"Not necessarily crooked." Trixie replied "The new tsar was more than willing to meet us, straight of the bat as we arrived."

"He was probably notified in advance." the dragonling retorted "Besides, do Snortherns even CELEBRATE the Winterval?"

"Snow-northerns", Spike, Snow-northerns!" Twilight snapped at him, as quietly as she could "Don't call them "Snortherns". And yes, they do celebrate the Winterval, they ARE the same nation, after all, even if slightly different in culture."

"They also like to emphasize that they're NOT the same nation, though related." Trixie added, correcting the purple unicorn "And, as a matter of fact, they are the ones who follow the old tradition the most rigorously out of the three, with the yucrane ponies being close seconds."

"Really? Huh." Spike paused "Why is that?"

"Maybe because there wasn't an overbearing government to impose a "cultural revolution", that's why!" Sunset snapped at them "Now would you guys hurry up?! We've got royalty to meet, and I want to be done and over with it as soon as it is equinely possible!"

"Hey, what's the rush?" Trixie asked "We still have time! And we all wanted to see their National Theater."

"It's not the place, it's the royalty himself!" the mare fumed "I don't want to waste time on a loafer that drains the money of country's worth of fools monthly, just to stay afloat on a cloud of lies and traditional eccentricities."

Flabbergasted by her outburst, the two followed her to the palace.



The Royal Palace of the Tsar of Belostrana was built some years after the Civil War came to an end, when the spirit of the White Guards was still high and proud in the new country. The castle was built in that very spirit: very traditional, and grand without much hokum. It's bases was in the general shape of a quadrate cross, with tall, slender towers standing on each end, topped with silver onion domes. The center of the building had several, protruding turrets as well, all topped the same way, placed seemingly haphazardly, but in concentric circles, climbing higher and higher, towards the main, grand golden dome that topped the highest, and largest, middle tower, it's bayonet-like flagpole piercing the heavens, the silvery-white banner of the original movement waving in the high winds. The building wasn't significantly tall, well, at least, not compared to the skyscrapers of the city, but it was huge, and it was located in the center of it's own, enormous park, distancing itself from all the other buildings.

Standing in a sea of white (while it wasn't the coldest part of the region, the white country did live up to it's name by having significantly more snowfall than any of it's neighbors), the building, as unimaginatively adorkable as it was, still came across as imposing. To increase the sensation of height, the architects have made the windows smaller and smaller on each level, starting with plated glass, church-style windows at ground level (which was actually OFF the ground, having an elevated floor), and ending in smaller, one metre by one metre windows on the highest level. Interestingly, no windows, not even the largest, colored ones, had arched tops - all of them were rectangles. The elevated ground floor sat on what could best be described as a half-sunken sub-ground floor. Built from thick concrete, it resembled, and actually functioned somewhat like a complex of pillboxes. Back in the day, the threat of a Unionist invasion was still quite vividly present within the minds of the snow-northerns, and the Steel Army's most prominent forces were it's infantry, cavalry, and armored battalions. Thus, most important buildings, such as military and governmental offices, had a "pillbox level" above their basements (and later serving as their basements, when an invasion was no longer considered a threat, and the actual basements were flooded, due to ground-water buildup under the concrete). Some industrial buildings even had gun turrets placed on their corners, or fake smokestacks that were actually guard, or aerial defence towers.

In fact, it was rumored that the many turrets of the palace were actually anti-aircraft towers, capable of revolving around the main tower (in unison on each ascending level), and that their domes would either split apart, camera aperture-style, or just pop open to the side like a lid. The main tower itself was supposed to be housing some sort of super weapon, the nature and design of which changed in each era. When the first rumors began spreading after the Siege of Minx, which ended up as a spectacular aerial combat failure for the Gearmane Army, the citizens and Byelo soldiers suspected that high-velocity, organ-style AA gun complex was hidden under the golden dome. During the rising tension between the Equestrian Monarchy and the Union, they believed it to be housing a huge radar that could not only locate enemy aircrafts or missiles, but could intercept their transmission, and reset their coordinates as well. Later, during the peak of the conflict between the superpowers, it was believed that an emergency "Dead Hoof" missile response system was located within the dome, with the coordinating radar dishes hidden in the four outer towers. As the Cold Conflict began to thaw, the Dome of Doom, as it was called on the street, received a new weapon, or rather, a defense mechanism: a generator that would create a forcefield around the capital, or, at least around the Palace, that was also an EMP emitter as well. Nowadays, it was thought that the secret weapon of the Tsar was either a laser-based anti-missile defence system, or a series of railguns, as some thought that the Dome of Doom may be out of date by now.

Aside from the Great Banner, each of the four, "wing" towers had their respective flags as well.

The South Tower's flag was black, pure black. It had always been black. Nopony really knew, why. Some believed it meant to represent the Autonomous Territory, which was south to Belostrana. Others thought it was a funeral, mourning flag, but for who? Nopony knew the answer.

The Eastern Tower bore the flag of the former Baleian Communal Council, a former member of the Union of Councils. This region has always been known as the favorite of the Royal Family, and they had actually developed a strong bond with the locals. When it was decided that the White Movement and the Royal Family could keep their sovereignty from the Union, and that an area of it shall be granted to them as their own country, the Baleian Council accepted the public's demand, and offered it's territory for the new geopolitical entity. Thus, the White Country was born, and the old flags of the brief Communalist rule were discarded. Similar to the Union's flag, the Baleian banner was also pure blue, with a stripe of silver white on it's bottom, representing the fair land, interrupted by a decorative, traditional Northern embroidery on the left side, used there as a hoist ornament.  Above the white stripe, and next to the ornament, was the gray horseshoe and hammer symbol that many councils running industry-heavy regions chose.

This flag was obviously faded and thorn, worn threadbare by the harsh winds and the cold weather, as the ponies of the region newer grew accustomed to the communalist system, and the members of the White Guard (who soon became the new country's political and military elite) outright banned it's usage. Why it remained on the tower, again, no pony knew.

The Western Tower (which also served as the grand entrance to the Palace) carried the official state flag: white as the banner of the movement, with a golden embroidery (quite similar to that of the BCC's flag) splitting it in half vertically, with the Royal Coat of Arms in the center: a silver shield with the illustration of a bear, standing on it's hind legs, attacking (a universal national symbol for the whole Northern Region), with the Tsar's crown atop the shield itself.

The Northern Tower's flag was different from the others. It was widely acknowledged that it was actually a battleflag, but which, or just what army it belonged to - as you've probably guessed it: nopony knew. It was blue, a darker blue than what the Union of councils used, and it featured a large, five-pointed star in it's center. The star had a gray edge all around, and while it itself was black, it had what appeared to be an elaborate, gray framework on it, covering it in an organized pattern. Unlike other battle flags, however, this wasn't square shaped, but instead, retained the classic rectangle shape of flags.


Aside from the South Tower's flag, this war banner was the most enigmatic. Whom it belonged to... I guess you know how it ends.



"It sure is... Bright..." Spike muttered, as they trotted down the hallway.

In fashion of the Palace's exterior, the interior also intended to represent the goals and essence of the Byelos: Loyalty to Honor, Loyalty to Tradition, Loyalty to the Land, and, most importantly, Loyalty to the Royal Family.

From the marble floor tiles to the wallpaper-less walls, to the silvery decor on the ceiling, everything in the palace was pure white. The only exception was the heavy carpet that broadly covered the hallway's middle. This was pure black, and some assumed that this was a sort of symbolism, representing the opinion the royals and the elite had on their southern neighbor. Apart from the occasional chandelier, the magnesium-gas hall lights and the ceiling and door frame decor, the interior could've almost been considered puritan. A serene silence was present within the building, that made those within the shelter of the wide walls feel elated and tranquil.

"Here... The meeting room is just around this corner..." said Twilight, as the team approached a 'T' section of the hallway. Beyond the corner, to the right, the hallway continued towards the dining hall, while towards the left, it ended shorty. A great door, sunk into the wall deeply, as the gradual, stepwisely decreasing layers revealed around it's frame, stood in the center. Ebony wood, with a silver lock and handle. Two guards stood on either side, wielding the White State's trademark дзіду, or "Lance", a multipurpose medium-to-heavy firearm. While primarily serving as military-issue burst-short rifle, it was also equipped with a tri-bladed bayonet, and when turned around, it's stock acted like an anti-personnel missile launcher, containing two missiles. A speciality of the Tsar's Guardponies, they appeared to have their stock and grip made of wood, a light, but robust type, found among the fjords of Waking Félags, on the cliffs facing the North-Western Sea. Often referred to as "fairy" wood or "silk" wood, this of cream-colored timber was rare, so a number of modern Félags dedicated themselves on breeding it. As a noble, but useful tree, the Elven Pine, from which the wood originated from, was treated with respect.

Across the Equine Continent, the armies and architects of numerous countries commissioned them to provide the noble wood. Belostrana was no different, in fact, it was their main customer.

The mares also had the opportunity to observe the uniform of the Tsarist Guard.

Uniformity among members of the military was pretty much a necessity, as the rows or seas of similar-looking ponies were both imposing and eye-catching, and it also served as propaganda and representation of country's might.

The organized militia of the Free Territory, the Makrochina, didn't had any uniform plan, as they mainly employed guerrilla tactics.

The Steel Guard, the frontline partisans of the Union's army, usually wore insulated clothes matching the main color scheme of the area they were deployed in, but their dress uniforms were dark green, with the union's typical plate-shaped peaked caps, pylotkas or bowl-shaped helmets, coming hoof-in-hoof with the classic, ragged-wood bayoneted long carbines. Veterans, and descendants of veterans, or members of the inland militia sometimes used the Civil-war era greenish-brown uniforms with the well-known budenovkas. The stallions and mares themselves usually wore a brown, beige or red whole body fur make-up during military parades or other special occasions, to further increase the idea of unity among the army. Also, earth ponies were the ones most numerously found in the army, and was not unusual that foreign countries used the red, or brown dress uniform-wearing earth pony 'soldats' when representing the Communal Army, the national successor of the Civil War-era Steel Army.

The Equestrian Royal Guard was composed of three groups: the Day Guard, whose main job was the protection of Princess Celestia, along with the castle and the capital, were all magically disguised to appear to be white furred stallions and mares of the same height, with most of them being pegasi, and wearing a golden armor (it wasn't actual gold, though, but something less expensive and more combat-effective: kevlar-coated leather covered in golden-colored titanium plates), that was inspired by the uniforms of the ancient Roamen Empire. Princess Luna's Evening Guard were mostly gray unicorns wearing an armor of similar design, albeit silver-colored. Their job mainly consisted of the protection of the Princess of the Night, but also nightly patrol and active area control. The Night Guard of Princess Opscura, however, had a drastically different function: usually working alongside with the Princess of Darkness herself, their job was both her protection, and her aid in agressive authority response to criminal activities. Working as a non-political secret police, they monitored criminal activity within the entire country. The batpony guard were all dark gray furred with either bat-like, or dragon wings. Most of them had vertically slit pupils, much like their princess, though some of them had the reptilian "string of pear" type of pupil. Their armor-uniforms were of the same design as the Day or Evening Guards, but unlike them, who had their mane cut in a mohawk to resemble the helmet decoration of centurions from the ancient Roamen times, they had reptilian spike fins poking out through their helm. Theirs was fully metallic, composed of a light, but near-indestructible metal of unknown origin, polished opal blue with a "smokey" reflection. They rarely appeared in public, mainly due to their nocturnal nature, it was easy to say that they were the most imposing of all of Equestria's armed forces - well, aside from the armored battallions, of course.


The Tsarist Guard was somewhat different.

Their uniform fur color was a bright, faded blue, while the stallions had to be a darker blue, and the mares' had to be either white, or black. It wasn't until a few years earlier, when mares were finally allowed to join the White Guard. As a part of their agreement with the Union, Belostrana was not allowed to have an army. That included the infantry and armed battalions, and while they were allowed to keep the existing Royal Navy, and a considerable air force, they weren't allowed to build any more vessels unless they retired and salvaged some of the old ones, and the number of aircrafts they could have was also strictly limited. Keeping a militia and a royal guard, however, was not restricted, so, in similar fashion the Equestrian Monarchy at the time, they used the Inland Militia and the Tsarist Guard instead of a separate army.

Members of the guard who actually had to protect the Royal family did wear the dress uniform. It was based on the uniform of the loyalist generals that originally created and led the movement: all white, with a double-breasted overcoat, and the plate-shaped peaked caps that, over the years, became a symbol of Northern authority and military power. wearing a shoulder decoration that evoked the epaulettes of the generals, as opposed to the starred shoulder boards of the Union's armyponies. Also, a vast majority of them were unicorns, as they were considered to be the most battle-ready among the ponies, due to their magical capabilities. Historically, official ranks, even as low a corporal, were only given to unicorns, whilst the earth ponies, generally regarded as peasantry and humble workers, could only become privates. This was mainly due to the fact that the nobility were the ones entrusted with taking positions with high responsibility. This changed over the decades, especially since most noble families have eventually gone extinct, or became entrepreneurs instead. With nobility gone from the picture, the Guard relied on their military schools to train out their new officers, and there, all were welcome. Soon enough, pegasi and earth ponies made their appearance among the army offices, much to the outrage of many veterans and conservative high-command members, but it was the Tsar's order. Pegasi, rare in the Northern Region due to the unnecessarity of weather control teams, and the harsh weather that made building cloud cities impossible, usually appeared as travelling merchants or stuntponies that intended to entertain the public in markets and social events, but were often regarded as vagabonds by the nobility. The Guard, however, made use of the light-built flying equines for reconnaissance, and as couriers.

The two guards on either side of the door were typical unicorn guardstallions. As big as an earth pony stallion, and mainly capable of offensive and defensive magic, aide from usual household spells, they were also well-trained with the usage of their weapons, and new the Palace layout like the back of their hooves. Silent and still, much Celestia's Day Guard on post, they remained stoic and stern. Oddly enough, one of them seemed to wear glasses, which was unusual for frontline military members, especially in active service. Out of the two of them, he appeared more stern than stoic, but still, the fact that he wore glasses made him less threatening for Twilight, who went forward to introduce the group.

"His majesty is waiting for you." he replied quietly, with a slight hint of an accent. His colleague opened the door, and the three mares and the dragon stepped inside.



***



"Your majesty?"

The stallion was showing his back to them. Dressed in a military uniform similar to that of the Guard's, except that his had real decorations, and also holstered a sword, all they could see from him was his golden tail.

"Your majesty? We, the envoys of the Three Princesses and the Equestrian Senate, came to greet you."

"Good to hear."

His voice was familiar. It had an impish undertone.

He turned around.

"Good to see you, girls!"

The three mares and the drake could only stare, mouths agape.

"B-Blueblood?"

But it didn't needed any afterthought. In unison, the four of them rushed the Tsar, group-hugging their old friend.

"Blue!" Trixie cried.

"I can't believe it's you!" Sunset exclaimed "I was worried that we'll have to deal with the arrogance of some royalty again!"

"Are you saying that I'm not royal enough, Sunny?" the stallion asked.

"I can't believe this!" chuckled the young dragonling "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Spike, how's my little drake? You sure grown a lot!"

Twilight winced, but decided not to ruin the mood, and kept smiling.

"But really, what ARE you doing here?" she asked, after he and Spike finished their "man talk".

"Can't you tell, Twily?" he snickered "I'm the Tsar!"


Blueblood, also known by his title, as "Prince Blueblood" was the nephew of the three princesses, cousin of Cadence, Queen of the Crystal Empire, and long-time rival of Shining Armor, Twilight's brother, and the King of the Crystal Empire. A couple of years older than the three mares, Blueblood has long been considered by many as the royal jester. A mischievous little colt, he often got into trouble, much to the amusement of his aunt, and the grievance of the castle staff, visiting nobility, and his cousin. He had matured a bit by the time the three little fillies arrived, and he was overjoyed to learn that he had two new aunts to entertain. Sure, one of them was scary as fudge, and the other one was a complete shut-in, but they were his aunts, never-the-less. In fact, the two of them seemed rather perplexed about the young prince, but, like Celestia, they've grown used to him. He introduced Luna to the world of gaming, and soon enough, the Princess of the Night was hooked, becoming a gamer extraordinaire in a matter of weeks. Princess Opscura was a harder nut to crack. She wasn't amused by Blueblood's antics, viewing the snobbish, delusional world of the nobles with a more visceral disdain that that of Celestia's, and was the most work-oriented by the three sisters; Video Games didn't interest her in the slightest bit, nor did any other activity that Blueblood considered to be 'fun'. Instead - and this came as a surprise for all parties involved - she found enjoyment in training the young colt. Whether it was magic, tracking, military strategy, or even just hiking, she looked... Moderately overjoyed when she'd gotten word that the little Prince was joining as well. Sure, Sunset was under her tutelage, but she took her training much more seriously. After all, it was her, along with the two other unicorns, that freed her from her own delusions and self-built prison. Blueblood was merely there to soak up her motherly instincts (which was... Quite morbid, considering her... History, with motherhood). From the very start, his best friend - and greatest rival - was Shining Armor. Introduced to the Royal Guards' Training Academy the same moment Twilight became Princess Celestia's student, the sullen-serious colt couldn't have been more different from the trickster Prince. They didn't get along well all the time, but, nevertheless, they had their adventures together, which usually ended up with both of them getting scolded. As a colt, the blue-maned stallion was bit sensitive for that, which led to slight grudge between the two by the time the three fillies entered the scene. Whilst Shining enrolled in the academy, Blueblood was left with three, young fillies, and soon enough, an even younger drake. However, he wasn't the silly little cold that got into trouble, anymore, and quickly became the three mares' foster big brother, helping them overcome their sadness over not seeing their parents as often (though, in the case of Sunset, this wasn't as much of an issue), and aiding them through both his antics, and with actual help every now and then as well. Still the same trickster, he and the mares still got into trouble countless times, but always got away as well, and with a laugh (aside from the 'Cake Incident', but they had all agreed to never speak of that, ever again). But as they grew up together, they began to see the mischievous stallion less and less, until, about six months ago, the Princesses informed them that he had left to fulfil his royal duties, as he has proven himself to be mature and willful enough for such tasks (it was only a couple of years ago that he successfully led a squad of the royal guards in a successful counterattack during the changeling invasion, when Shining Armor, the actual squad leader, was knocked out out cold after a severe assault. He came back, briefly, to join them at the wedding of his friend and his cousin, before disappearing again. None of them knew what happened...


"We've been so worried about you!" Twilight yelled, crying happy tears "We've thought we'd never see you again!"

"Ah, you aren't THAT lucky!" he snickered, hugging the young mare back.

"You've became Tsar?!" Trixie blurted out, finally remembering why they were here "How? I mean... Aren't you supposed to be a member of the royal family? The tsarist family?"

"I am!" he replied, bluntly "As it turned out... Remember, I'm the nephew of the Princesses, after all!"

"But... How does that help?" Twilight muttered.

"I think I know what he's talking about..." Sunset mused. The others stared at her, waiting for her to continue. So, she cleared her throat.

"After the intervention of the first revolution, Princess Celestia originally intended to restore the Tsarist monarchy by putting someone trustworthy in Short Fate's place. Back in the day, there was a guilt of pegacorns, winged unicorns who trained themselves to eventually become alicorns. A prominent member of them, though not their leader, was a northern pony by the name of Cеверноa Cияние, known in equestrian history books as..."

"Grand Princess Aurora Borealis!" Spike exclaimed "She couldn't become a tsarina straight of the bat, as she was only a pegacorn, and not of noble origin. In order to fix that, Princess Celestia, whom she had developed a bond with, had discreetly coronated her as Princess, so later, she could take the throne."

"Unfortunately, what Princess Celestia hadn't considered, was the fact that, like most leading positions linked with royalty, the Tsardom's crown has also carried magical capabilities, that it was supposed to pass on to the next heir, when the old tsar or tsarina died. And nobody knew at the time that the exiled former tsar was dying. He presumably died in the exact moment Aurora placed on the crown to finalize her rise into the throne as Tsarina. Due to that, there was... Something akin to a magical power surge within the crown, overcharging her. This resulted in a massive, but slow burnout of her. While it literally granted her the same magical capabilities - and physique - of Princess Celestia, it also came with a smaller explosion. It destroyed the royal crown, the throne, the throne room, and all regalia on her. It didn't harm anypony, but her altered appearance - which, according to some, resembled Nightmare Moon heavily -, and the fact that she destroyed what were considered to be holy objects caused a massive scandal, which could only be quenched by removing her from the picture, and instead, establishing a shaky provisional government, led by incompetent ministers controlled from Canterlot. Disgraced, abandoned by her guilt-mates, Aurora could only turn to her "sister", Princess Celestia, who allowed her to hide within Equestria. Over the next few centuries, she'd grown accustomed to being immortal, and eventually joined the ponies in their everyday lives within the little town she chose as her place of exile. She died some years ago, when the magical charge of both the crown, and her forced alicorn coronation eventually burned out of her system, making her mortal once more. It was rumored she had had a foal, a few years before she died, as she had retained her cool, northern beauty till the very end..."

"That was no rumor." Blueblood sighed "Mother waited until the very end to ask for my aunt's help, not wanting to lose me, the only pony who ever loved her after her fall from grace."

"Who was your father?" Spike asked, not noticing the disapproving, angry glares of the three mares.

"I never knew." the young Tsar replied "I was a bastard child, though the town never treated me as one, and nor did Auntie."

"Huh..." was all the drake could reply.


There was a long pause...


"...Well, this got quite sour quite soon..." the stallion mused, before smiling "So, what can I do for my three little sisters, and one big lil' bro?"

"Actually, we're here to register if Belostrana will be participating in the winter festival..." Trixie explained, smiling as well "Both the Princesses, and the Troika agreed that it wouldn't be right to celebrate without the Country of Snow."

"I wouldn't mind... In fact, I'm curious about this whole gig." Blueblood replied "But, you see, there's just this two things..."

"What?" Sunset muttered, before scowling at the former prince "Bluuebloood... Big brother, did you got yourself into trouble, again?"

"Wha-? No, it's nothing like that!" he replied, hastily. Too hastily "It's just that... The ministries aren't exactly pleased with the concept of joining the festivities alongside the Union, and ESPECIALLY the Free Territory."

All three mares rolled their eyes, as the young Tsar went on.

"The Union has beaten them, fair and square, but they still consider the Free Territory to be a complete disgrace... Don't worry, I'll convince them."

"And... The other thing?" Trixie asked, worried about the answer. If Blueblood was up to his usual antics, he could easily jeopardize the whole festival.

"Weeell... It's just that... How to put it..." he had to scratch his head "After the Royal Wedding, the ponies here got... Quite... Envious of the Crystal Empires... Eh... "Full set" of royalty."


The three mares and the baby dragon just stared at him.



Slowly, it dawned on them.

"They... Want you... To marry?" Sunset muttered, wide eyed.

"The writings on the wall..." the stallion sighed "The ponies want a tsarina."

Another long pause.

"Well... This is awkward..." Spike muttered.

"This isn't right!" Twilight exclaimed "They can't force you into it!"

"Oh, they're not forcing me!" he replied "They're just... Nudging me. I have to keep a got rep here. While they're still loyal to the Tsardom, the figure of the Tsar seems to have lost it's lustrum to them. And I don't want to fail this role."

His voice suddenly turned serious.

"This is the first time ponies have invested their trust within me, Celestia had invested her trust in me. I cannot fail them."

"We understand... But..." the azure unicorn shook her head "...Are there even any candidates?"

"Well, actually..."

All three mares were suddenly very interested in whole "marriage-thing".

"Whoisit?" Trixie asked, pressing her cheeks together.

Blueblood seemed to be in thought.

"...Well, during the wedding, I met this l'uvly lil' mare, in incognito, of course. We talked for some time, and I became really engrossed with her. So much, in fact, that I was almost late for the wedding... And I was the best stallion of Shining!"

"So THAT'S why you were late!" Sunset smirked "Shiny was livid!"

"Not surprised." Blueblood grinned "Anyways, we traded addresses, and we've been pen pals since then. We've grown very close to each other, I think. I think she loves me."

"But do you love her?" Trixie asked. 'This is very serious', her face told him.

"...With all my heart." sighed the ex-prince. The mares let out a collective "d'aaaaww", while the drake just smirked.

"Who is she, by the way?"

"Ah... She's a unicorn, a student, but she looks more noble than any feathered-wig-wearing tubbo I've ever seen. Regal, even." he paused for a moment "Even her name's wondrous: Rarity Belle..."



He was surprised to hear the collective groan from the three mares...