//------------------------------// // Uzhin // Story: The Temnokt Empire // by ladyanaconda //------------------------------// King Bittercold Dreadstalker III Queen Astral Dusk Dreadstalker Mother Queen Boreal Blizzard Dreadstalker Prince Mythic Midnight Dreadstalker Crenshaw Twilight wished King Bittercold had invited them for lunch, not dinner. Sure, she had to admit, the view of the city was pretty at night, but the cold was unbearable, especially since they had no winter clothing. Pinkie Pie hadn't taken the news that she was staying with the foals back home so badly; actually, she had wanted to stay with the children. Twilight and her friends didn't fail to notice how Lake Wave had a dissimulated shudder, however. Screwball and Stormfly opted to stay behind too, but for different reasons. Screwball wouldn't stand being awake so late. Stormfly, on the other hoof, didn't want another fiasco like the one a few days ago. Spike tagged along because he wanted to see his new soldier friends. Fluttershy chose to stay behind as well, but for what she assumed would be in tonight's menu. And she didn't want another sideshow to ruin everything. "Brrr." Discord's teeth were chattering like castanets. "Why couldn't Kuros live in a tropical country with beaches and drinks with little umbrellas?" Fukkuteru was trembling as well. He had been living on Equestria for so long his scales lost the resistance to the harsh cold of his country. "Just wait until devastating winter arrives. You will only have to step for five seconds to turn into a popsicle." "Ha! And you made fun of me for bringing my winter coat." Rarity grinned tauntingly. She was the only one of the group who wore a blue thick winter coat, with furry sky blue boots an a short navy blue scarf. "I don't get it." Shining Armor added up. "Why are there so many months of winter? Why don't you have the normal length of seasons like the rest of the world?" The ponies noticed Fukkuteru wincing slightly at the question. "It's a long story… But now's not the time for stories, everypony. We're almost there." The Krussian Imperial Castle was not so intimidating this day. It seemed King Bittercold wanted his guests to be as comfortable as possible. The Krussian patrols were still flying around, searching for any sign of intrusion, with no avail. Two bulky guards were at the gates, as if expecting them, or simply guarding the gate. They extended their wins like lanced to prevent them from coming inside without a very good reason. "Ostanovit'! Kto tam idet?" One of them hissed, narrowing his eyes. "Heyheyhey!" Rainbow Dash flew up to one of the soldier's maws, despite not really knowing what they were saying. "Careful with your words, pal! You're talking to the dinner guests of King Bittercold himself!" "Seriously, Rainbow Dash!" Applejack rolled her eyes and took a hoof to her temples. "Prostite, nezhnyye selezney." Fukkuteru pulled Rainbow Dash away with his magic, then directed his words at the guards. "My byli priglasheny korolem Bittercold na uzhin. Yesli vy khotite, pozhaluysta, soobshchite nam v, ya i moi tovarishchi merznut zdes'." "Nashi izvineniya, ser, no my ne byli proinformirovany ob etom voprose. My ne mozhem pozvolit' vam v tom, yesli komandir Whiptail ne govorit nam, chtoby." Rarity whispered into Applejack's ear. "What are they talking about?" "I think the guards won't let us in because they weren't told of our arrival. Fukkuteru is trying to convince them to let us in, but he's not having luck at it." Twilight took a hoof to her temples in frustration. A shadow flew above the group. A ballistic roar echoed in the night cold air, and the guards immediately stiffened and straightened, saluting with their wings, regaining their serious expressions. Fukkuteru jumped back as Commander Whiptail himself landed in front of the group, his wings extended menacingly. He glanced at the group of ponies with a narrowed eye, for his damaged eye had only half the eyelid left. The ponies, Twilight particularly, were inwardly terrified upon seeing his blind eye. Burned skin all on the left side of his face, and his left pupil and iris all wide and gray-colored, showing blindness. Fukkuteru was the only one who did not wince upon seeing Commander Whiptail. "My greetings, Commander." Fukkuteru bowed his head lightly. This was nothing more than an education manner. Whiptail didn't reply. He examined the group of ponies with critical eyes, before turning to the gate guards. "Pust' ikh syuda Oni gosti korolya Bittercold v. On ozhidayet ikh na uzhin." The two drakes saluted. "Da, sir!" The drakes proceeded to open the gates with their magic for the ponies to come in. They had to cover their eyes for the sudden light that illuminated the snowy path outside. The Main Hall was majestic, one of the few parts of the castle that wasn't made of obsidian crystal. The walls were a soft Ivory, adorned with purple carpets with the emblem of the Krussian Empire, trimmed golden at the edges. A contrasting red carpet on the floor would led the ponies to the dining hall. A chandelier hung high in the ceiling, illuminating nearly most of the Main Hall, apart from the torches on the walls. "Gorgeous!" Rarity trotted into the Main Hall with wide eyes and a grin. "Absolutely gorgeous! The carpets, the chandelier…I feel like a princess!" The others rolled their eyes, but Cadence giggled. Rarity and her antics. Whiptail glanced back at the ponies. "This way, Lady…" Twilight realized he didn't yet know her name. "Oh, Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle." She motioned at her friends. "And these are-" "That's all I needed to know. Come this way." As they made their way into the hall, and through the labyrinthian-like castle, Discord whispered into Twilight's ear. "Who put spice into his breakfast?" "DIscord!" Twilight whispered sharply, glancing nervously at Whiptail. "Seriously, you don't want to get on the bad side of a dragon like him!" Spike spoke in low voice at the draconequus. "He has a whole army on his command, remember?" "For your information, kid, I don't really have the whole army at my command." Whiptail suddenly spoke, startling them. "King Bittercold ,use grant me permission, and he will only give me the soldiers he believes I will need. Nothing else." Cadence shifted uncomfortably. "You sure have good ears." "When you lose your sight, or at least part of it," Whiptail turned to the pink alicorn with his bad eye, making her shiver. Even though he couldn't see with that eye, it felt like he was staring right at her. "Your other senses augment." Rainbow Dash inquired. "What happened to you that you look like the Colt of the Opera?" "RAINBOW DASH!!" The pegasus flinched when her friends, including Cadence and Shining Armor, yelled and gave her both angry and horrified stares. Whiptail stopped dead in his tracks, and glanced back at Rainbow Dash with his good eye. The normally brash and overconfident pegasus shivered uncharacteristically; he looked like he would murder her for asking that! Whiptail advanced menacingly towards Rainbow Dash. "Commander?" Fukkuteru tried to get in the way. "Don't mind her, she's just a curious pony who doesn't know when to keep things to herself…" Whiptail pushed him aside gently. "Wait a minute!" Rarity was next. "There's no need for violence here, mister!" Whiptail moved her to the side with his magic. This time Shining Armor stepped in. "Commander Whiptail!" He spoke in his 'Captain of the Royal Guard' tone. "Is this how you treat outsiders, and invited dinner guests of the King himself?" That made Whiptail stop. Rainbow Dash released a collected sigh of relief, nearly collapsing to the ground. Discord snapped his fingers and made a fan appear to fan Twilight. She was on the verge of fainting. If there was something Shining recalled, was that Krussians were true to hospitality and would never harm a guest. Whiptail gave Rainbow Dash a look of contempt, before turning around and motioning the group to follow him once more. "Excuse me, Commander." Spike called out for the black dragon. "Would you mind if I greet Rock Dust and Glacial Fire?" Without turning, Whiptail replied. "Those two? I assigned them to guard King Bittercold's courtyard, if you wish to see them I don't have anything against it. To go to the courtyard, go at the end if this corridor, turn right, then left. They should be at that gate." Spike nodded eagerly and sped down the corridor. Twilight was about to call out for him, but decide against it at the last moment. She was glad he had made friends so soon. The ponies were finally brought to a large door, scarlet red with golden edges. Whiptail opened the two large doors with his magic, and invited the ponies to come in. The Dining Room was almost the size of the barn in Sweet Apple Acres, maybe even bigger. A golden chandelier illuminated the ivory yellow walls and the stainless marble floor. There were three long windows adorned with velvety red curtains on the right wall of the room. The clouds had miraculously given way to the pale blue moon, giving the Dining Room an air of calm. The Dining Table was very long, enough for a numerous group to sit. It was adorned with a red mantle, and tall cushions meant for the ponies. Carefully laid plates and at least a wine and water glass was on next to each plate, made of the finest glass and cleaned stainless. "If we decorated the crystal palace like this, I bet it would look simply beautiful!" Cadence glanced around the Dining Room in awe. "Looms like they like the fancy." Applejack commented about the chandelier. "But ah gotta admit, this is something you don't see every day." Rarity giggled teasingly. "If it comes from you, Applejack, it must mean something." "Well, my task is complete." Whiptail announced coldly. "King Bittercold shall join you shortly." Twilight couldn't help but frown lightly when the dragon left, closing the doors behind him. Ambassador Sun was not exaggerating when he said Commander Whiptail was an ice floe. Oh, but she wouldn't give up so easily! She would befriend that dragon, no matter if she had to beg! "These guys must be fabulously wealthy if they can afford all of this!" Discord was disappearing and appearing at every inch of the Dining Room, examining every detail like a critic judging a piece of art. "They're not the second most powerful country for nothing." Twilight retorted. "They only lose to Equestria, but I wouldn't remind them of that so much." Applejack ran a hoof on the surface of the adorning vases, and examined her hood seconds later to see if there was a single speck of dust or dirt on it, only to find it stainless. "Wow. They're sure obsessed with cleanup, too." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at Rarity's remaking up. "Rarity, you've already combed your mane, and adjusted your eyelashes thrice!" "Rainbow Dash, the first impression lasts for all your life." Rarity retorted simply, making sure her coat was neat and combed. "You should take a good look at your mane, otherwise they'll think you're a lost cause in fashion." "Hey, this mane style is the coolest in the whole world!" Rainbow Dash stuck out her chest and pointed at her wild mane. "Everypony sees you as a free, strong and boundless individual!" "Girls!" Fukkuteru called their attention with a soft hiss. "You should know that King Bittercold is quite…" he gulped. "Intolerant." "What do you mean?" Shining Armor inquired. "Don't get me wrong, he is great ruler. But the King simply dislikes losing time with nonsense talking, so we must go straight to the point when he asks about our diplomatic approaches. And do not criticize our way of life in front of him, you won't like his reaction." "Does that mean…" Discord dread what was coming. "Yes. No jokes, nor pranks, nor nonsense with the King." Discord groaned in frustration. Twilight only patted her husband's back comfortingly. The ponies trembled when the doors opened once more, glowing green, before the magic subsided, and the owner of the magic walked into the room. He was a majestic black dragon, with purple underbelly and jaw, the came color as his bushy eyebrows. He was a bit taller than Fukkuteru was, or even more than Lake Wave, maybe because he was of Royal blood. He wore metal armor over his graceful long neck, and from under the armor a regal red cape hung, running down his back and dripping lightly into the floor. The drake wore a metal helmet looking like those of the guards, except this one had no golden trimming. His wild yet slightly combed violet mohawk pointed backwards, with a line wide enough to let the hair go through the helmet. His build was well-built up, making the ponies know he was very strong and muscular. He was King Bittercold Dreadstalker III. By his side was a female dragon, probably his Queen. Unlike her husband she was thin, and frail looking, with silky hair the color of leaves in autumn leaves tied up into a ponytail, with two short bangs on both sides of her head, contrasting her aqua blue eyes. She wore a beautiful blue dress of various tones of persian, sky and dark blue colors, with a long skirt hiding her tail from view, and white cotton on the edges of the skirt, short sleeve and collar. She was very thin, looking like she didn't eat very much. Another female walked into the room, this was was much older than the King himself. This old drady was even thinner than the Queen, and the wrinkles in her face, neck and legs made the ponies know that she was about the same age as Granny Smith. Her hair was a grayish pink, carefully combed wavily with two long, wavy bangs. She wore a dress of pink tonalities: vivid pink sleeveless collar, purple pink bodice, and about three layers of skirt and flounce, with a semi-transparent flounce between the second and third skirts. Her wine-colored eyes were harder than the other dragons eyes. As soon as the dragons stepped into the room, Discord, Shining and Fukkuteru bowed, while Twilight and her friends curtsied like Lightfire showed them to. King Bittercold nodded. Impeccable manners. "Greetings, dear ponies." He spoke. His voice was smooth yet firm. "If I may know, who of you is Lady Sparkle?" Twilight Sparkle knew that was her cue. "T-That would be me, Your Highness." She stepped forward under his hard gaze. "Me and my friends have crossed the ocean in the name of Princess Celestia of Equestria to discuss the possibility of a treaty between our peoples." "I see you're well-informed of our culture and speaking manner, Lady Sparkle." The Queen spoke, her voice soft and may be even shy. "My husband and I will be more than happy to hear your proposal from your ambassador." "That would be me, mi'lady." Fukkuteru bowed respectfully. "I'm Fukkuteru, son of Lake Wave from the Shadowfang Clan." "Greetings, My lord!" Discord disappeared in a flash, and reappeared two seconds later in front of King BIttercold, but the Kuros showed no sign of surprise. "I'm Discord! Lord of Chaos! Well, former Lord of Chaos, ever since I happily married Twilight Sparkle!" Twilight smacked her forehead. Cadence decided to intervene and approached the three dragons. "My name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, my lord and lady, I have come in the name of the Crystal Empire." As soon as the words Crystal Empire left her lips, King Bittercold stiffened slightly, but regained his composure quickly. The Queen was not so dissimulate, however, and a gasp escaped her lips. Not a gasp of awe, that was certain. The oldest drady frowned. "Princess Cadenza, I would be grateful if you didn't mention that place in our presence." Bittercold said with cold eyes. "Me and my people have no fond memories of the Crystal Empire." Twilight decided to change the subject. "My lord, allow me to present myself properly. I'm Twilight Sparkle," she tried to remember how Fukkuteru introduced himself. "Youngest daughter of Twilight Velvet and Night Light from the… Sparkle Clan." Applejack stepped to the front. "I'm Applejack, daughter of Apple Buck and Sweet Acre, from the Apple Clan." "I'm Rainbow Dash!" Rainbow Dash flew to the King's face. "Future Wonderbolt and the best flyer in Equestria!" Bittercold blinked. "Forgive me, Lady Rainbow, but I've never heard about the Wonderbolt Clan of Equestria." Rainbow Dash gaped, but Rarity quickly pulled her back with magic, coughing slightly before introducing herself. "I'm Rarity, daughter of Hondo Flanks and Cookie crumbles." She waved her mane and flicked her tail. "Ponyville's elite fashion designer." Bittercold nodded, before glancing at Shining Armor. Shining Armor gulped, before speaking. "I'm Shining Armor, older brother of Lady Sparkle and husband of Princess Cadence." Bittercold raised an eyebrow. "Cadence?" The pink Alicorn lifted her hoof. "That's how my friends call me, my lord." The drake nodded. "You may already know this, but I am King Bittercold Dreadstalker third." The dragon bowed at his guests, before unfurling his right wing and embracing his wife with it. "This is my Queen, Astral Dusk." He unfurled his other wing and embraced the older female. "And this is my mother, The Elder Queen Boreal Blizzard." The females curtsied as he introduced them. Twilight Sparkle nodded. "My son will be joining us shortly, but for the moment, I suggest we take a seat until he arrives. I must inform you, another friend of mine will be accompanying us to dinner." "Can we eat now? No offense, but I'm hungry." Discord said with a pat on his stomach, then snapped his winger to make his waist thinner than it actually was. Twilight gave him an angry glare, but King Bittercold said nothing about this. "You, Lord Discord, seem to be quite skilled at transformation spells." The dragon said. "But I suggest you to learn some illusionary spells if you'd like to excel." Discord blinked at his proclamation, but Twilight's glare made him keep his mouth shut for the moment. BIttercold extended his wings in a welcoming gesture. "So… shall we sit down?" "What are these called, ma'am?" Pinkie Pie pointed at the dark-colored biscuits on the plate. Velvet smiled slightly as she placed another batch on the kitchen table. "They're raven biscuits. They're made with dark chocolate and usually a bit of rum and no sugar, but since ponies are not used to sugarless tastes, I added sugar this time." Fenrir whined in protest from under the table. If desserts had sugar, it meant he couldn't eat it. "Do you know how to make cupcakes?" Pinkie inquired. "Cupcakes? I must say, Miss Pie, it's the first time I've ever heard about those cupcakes. The last time I knew about that word was in one of Fukkuteru's letters; he said the cupcakes were a colorful, popular dessert in your country, right?" Pinkie nodded happily. "Yep! I can teach you how to make cupcakes if you'd like!" "Well, miss, I think it wouldn't be that bad to learn a recipe from another country-" Before she could continue, Pinkie had already set up what she found in the kitchen to make the cupcakes. The first thing she did was to place a bowl on top of the table, and took a cup of flour. All you have to do is take a cup of flour! Add it to the mix! Now just take a little something sweet, not sour! A bit of salt, just a pinch! Velvet watched in surprise as Pinkie Pie danced around the kitchen, adding ingredients to the bowl and placing a mini-tart tray on the table. Baking these treats is such a cinch! Add a teaspoon of vanilla! Add a little more, and you count to four, And you never get your fill of… Fenrir whined nervously and sped out of the room when Pinkie Pie started to dance. Cupcakes! So sweet and tasty! Cupcakes! Don't be too hasty! Cupcakes! Cupcakes, cupcakes, CUPCAKES! On the living room, Catseye flinched upon hearing Pinkie Pie's song about the famous cupcakes, hoping his mother would survive. Lightfire rolled her eyes at her brother for the fifth time that day. "You should stop judging that poor mare, Catseye. She's lively, that's all." "I wonder if all Equestrians burst randomly into song." Lake Wave muttered under his breath. "You have no idea." Stormfly retorted with a groan, resting atop the table. "At least the children are asleep." Bagaesh sighed with tired eyes. "How could a single foal make a whole room explode?" "Discord's children can." Fluttershy added from her place next to Lightfire in the largest couch. All nervous eyes turned to Screwball, who had fallen asleep on next to Fenrir. The wolf didn't seemingly protest, he just lay his head on his paws once more. "If those foals can make a room explode, I don't want to imagine what she can do." Bagaesh gulped. "Everypony and everykuros, we've brought you treats!" Pinkie Pie's cheerful voice called their attention, and both she and Velvet walked out of the kitchen, holding trays with raven's biscuits and… Lake Wave's eyes widened in realization. "Miss Pinkie Pie said you liked the cupcakes, honey." Velvet noticed the look on her husband's face saying the contrary. "I made these especially for you, Lakey Wavey!" Pinkie Pie placed the tray in from to the drake. "Thank you…" Lake Wave forced himself to smile and levitate one of the cupcakes. Without anything else to do, he took the whole thing into his mouth and swallowed it whole. The burning sensation on his throat passed down to his stomach, and he felt like vomiting. Fluttershy took one of the raven's biscuits and gave it a bite. It wasn't as bitter as Twilight said the chocolate bar was, this one tasted a little more bittersweet. It was what her friends would eat that worried her. Twilight stared down at her plate with dread. What was in tonight's menu? Roasted Elk. Yup, it seemed the Kuros knew nothing about Equestrian gastronomy, and to think they were expected to eat it all. Her friends had the same ration as her, while Discord didn't seem to mind tasting meat; but the cut of meat was so big not even he would be capable of eating it all. To worsen things, Krussian hosts fed you until you were fully quenched to the point you could barely move, which meant they would keep serving them. The only good thing about all this was that leaving some food in your plate was a way of honoring your host. The Queen seemed to notice this. "Is something wrong, Lady Sparkle?" Twilight nearly jumped in her seat. "N-No, my lady." "Excuse her, your Highness." Fukkuteru rescued her. "But her kind are not…" He tried to think of a proper word. "Accustomed to meat." "What do they eat, in that case?" Bittercold inquired, taking a sip from his wine. "They're vegetarian, my lord. Their diet consists of green food, like hay, apples, and various kinds of plants not found in our country." "You should taste Granny Smith's zap apple jelly!" Applejack stated with a grin. "It's the best treat you'll find in the whole world! So great ponies from all across Equestria come to our farm just to buy a jar." Fukkuteru felt nervous when the three members of the Royal Family gave him questioning looks. "Y-Yeah, she tells the truth. Unfortunately, I have not yet tasted that jelly myself, but from what I've heard it's one of the most popular Equestrian foods." "Sounds promising." Bittercold stated. "Any other things you think may be worth trading with Equestria?" "If he listed it down, he would take a long time to finish." Rainbow Dash commented with a wave of her hoof. "I mean, there are so many things you should know about our country, pals." She ignored Fukkuteru's dissimulated gestures to make her heed her words. "The festivities we have over there are awesome! No offense, but I think you should do something with your climate, by the way." Twilight and the others trembled slightly when they realized Bittercold's face was hardening, and he was giving Rainbow Dash a dissimulated but angry glare. Before he could say anything, however, the doors of the Dining Hall were pushed open and two more dragons stepped in. The first was much younger than the King and Queen, probably their son. He took after this father, with spiky purple hair, but with jaw-lenght bangs. He lacked any Age Marks, meaning he was not an adult yet, but it was clear he was not a hatchling either. He wore a spiky iron collar on his neck, and two bracers on his front paws. The second dragon was very old, maybe even older than the Elder Queen. The only hair he had was a tuft of orange on the middle of his head; an old brown cloak hung from his neck, and down his back. His age marks were pale, shaped like thick breezes. "You're late, Mythic." BIttercold glanced at his son hardly. "Sorry, father." Mythic rolled his eyes. "I was just…" "That's something I will discuss with your father at the right moment." the older dragon interrupted him. "For now, we have guests." Twilight didn't fail to notice Bittercold turning around to look at his son when the old drake mentioned 'right moment', like he knew some special sort of meaning for those words. For now, the Krussian prince bowed at the ponies. "My name is Mythic Midnight." He motioned his wing at the old dragon. "That's Crenshaw." Crenshaw frowned lightly at the young dragon, but remained silent as the two went to their seats. Rarity shivered internally when the young prince had taken a seat next to her. "How is Princess Luna, by the way?" Crenshaw asked the lavender Unicorn in front of him. "You must know her personally if Celestia sent you here." "Well, we have interacted personally with her, mister." Twilight replied. "She's fine. She's still getting used to returning to Equestria after a thousand years, but other than that, she is doing alright?" "Why is he more interested in Auntie Luna than Aunt Celestia?" Cadence thought to herself. "Princess Cadenza." Boreal called out for her softly. "You said earlier you and your husband rule.. that place, right?" Cadence and Shining Armor nodded. "I thought the books said it disappeared along with he who must not be named." Mythic stated. "Mythic!" The Queen reprimanded her son softly. The ponies were confused at the outburst. Who was he who must not be named? If they didn't even speak his name, he must have been a terrible Kuros. Twilight was about to ask who he was before realization hit her; Mythic mentioned him after his grandmother asked Cadence about the Crystal Empire. There was only one pony she knew that used dark magic, and was feared and reviled even today by the Crystal ponies, but could it be? Could they be talking about King Sombra?