Introducing the Keeper
Rainbow Dash was the first to wake up. With a yawn, she stretched herself then moved over to the window and opened it for a breath of fresh air. The sun was rising slowly, giving the pegasus a good view of the neighborhood in the pale morning light. Suddenly, something rushed by her so fast that she lost her balance and started to fall out the window. Thankfully, she was able to arrest her descent with a flap of her wings. Hanging partly out the window, she tried to figure out what hit her. And all she had to go on was a blur of red with some gold and gusts of wind that sounded suspiciously like laughter.
"What in Equestria was that?" She asked herself as she gently flew back into the room.
"A Message Runner." Rainbow almost jumped back out the window at Crystal's answer.
"Sweet Celestia's mane, you scared me!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "And what's a message runner?"
"Message Runners are the fastest in the mountains." Crystal explained. "They deliver messages, letters, packages and at times, nationwide decrees and warnings from the Keeper."
Rainbow Dash took a moment to process this info. "So they're sorta like mail ponies." She summed up.
"Pretty much." Crystal said with a shrug as she came to the window. "Look, there's one making rounds."
Rainbow Dash looked out where the pony was pointing. At the end of the walkway leading up to the front door was a crystal box with a lid and standing near the box was a windigo earthpony mare wearing a bright red cloak with gold trim. And embroidered on the back of the cloak in gold thread was a stylized wing with swirling lines to indicate that it was surrounded and made of wind. Rainbow watched as she sorted through envelopes she pulled out of her red and gold bag and sticking them in the box. The last thing she dropped in the box was a fairly sized package before she shut the lid and lifted a stylized wing on the side. With that done, the mare moved on to the next house.
"So are Message Runners supposed to knock ponies out of windows?" Dash asked and Crystal laughed a bit.
"Not usually, no. But I think it's a safe guess that was Wind Sheer." She said.
"Wind Sheer's a Message Runner?" Rainbow asked. "I thought he was a stunt pony."
"He is, but he's not yet at that point where he can support himself on his stunts alone." Crystal explained. "So he and Wind Runner both work part time as Message Runners. Sheer tells me that he's not only earning bits, but also keeping himself in shape. He probably saw you in the window and figured he'd prank you a little."
Rainbow Dash frowned a little. "That little punk." She growled then leaned out the window to look in the direction he'd gone, even though Wind Sheer was already long gone. A mischievous gleam was in her eyes as a wicked smile spread across her muzzle.
"Oh I'm so getting him back." She said. Crystal laughed.
"I figured as much." She said. "But before you start plotting your revenge, why don't we go get some breakfast started. You've got a busy day ahead of you, you know."
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At breakfast, Rainbow told Twilight about what happened earlier and Twilight instantly started asked what questions she could about Message Runners and recording what she'd learned. After breakfast, Rarity insisted that everyone bathe so they could look more presentable to this land's leader and after they'd been hiking for days, she felt they felt they were all due for a proper bath. None of them could argue with that so bathtime it was. The bath however, wasn't what they expected.
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The bath was a circular room and covered in multicolored crystal tiles. At one side there were stools near faucets, shower heads, sponges and brushes, soaps and buckets. At the other side was a large, covered tub. The room was big enough for the Equestrians to step in and walk around comfortably. Though it wasn't much of a surprise since the windigoes were a bit bigger than Equestrians.
"Whoa. I've never seen a bathroom like this before." Rainbow Dash said as she flew in. "It's wierd."
"Rainbow Dash! We are guests in someone's home and of another culture! Be respectful!" Rarity scolded the brash pegasus.
"It's alright." Sweet Step said as she scooted past them and moved towards the tub. "No offense was taken. By the way though, we call this room a bath. Not a bathroom."
"Judging by how this looks, it seems as though bathing is a little different here." Twilight observed.
"You would be correct." Sweet Step said as she pulled of the cover on the tub and letting in some steam. "It works like this. First you sit there on the stools and rinse of the dirt with the hot water scooped from this bath then you get into the bath for the first soak. After that, you climb out and sit back in the stool and scrub yourself down. Then after you've rinsed the soap off, you climb back in for your final soak."
"So in order ta get clean, we have ta go through this complex ritual?" Applejack asked. "Why would y'all do that? Ain't it much easier ta jus' get in the tub?"
"Applejack!" Rarity hissed at the farmpony. "Respect their culture and traditions! That's the whole point of being a diplomat."
"Ah'm sorry. Ah don't mean any offense, Ah'm jus' wonderin' why y'all have ta have four steps ta bathing. It ain't rocket science." Applejack apologized.
"Again, no offense has been taken." Sweet Step said with a smile. "As for why we do it, well our ancestors learned of this method of bathing from this island nation to the east called Neighpon. Every day, its a very important daily ritual. For them, it isn't just bathing, its also a purification ritual. According to their religion, water symbolizes a cleaning of impurities and distractions. A sort of meditation if you will. For us, it holds similar symbolism. It helps us calm and rejuvenate. Prepare us to take on the day. It also has a certain amount of social significance. After all, aside from unicorns, there are parts that a pony can't reach on their own. Family and friends gather together to help each other and relax. Anyways, I'll leave you guys to get cleaned. Make sure you fish any hairs and debris out of the tub when you're done!"
With that, Sweet Step left the room, leaving the ponies to consider what had been said. Naturally, it was Twilight who broke the silence.
"I so need to get this down." She said as she started to leave to find a quill and paper. Her retreat however, was halted by a blue aura wrapping around her tail.
"Oh no you don't." Rarity declared as she dragged her friend back with a grunt of effort. She wasn't as good at this sort of levitation as Twilight or Cadence so it was an extra strain. Regardless, she yanked Twilight's tail with her magic until she was back in the room.
"We are going to be meeting with this nation's leader and we are not showing up looking and smelling like we just hiked through the mountains." Rarity declared firmly. Though admittedly the smell wasn't as bad as it could've been, taking dips in hot springs had paid off, Rarity still wanted them all at their best for their first meeting with this Keeper.
"B-but, learning!" Twilight protested. "I have to record this for the princesses. And I have to learn more about this!"
"All of that can been done later. AFTER we have bathed." Rarity countered firmly and adding some emphasis on the word 'after'. "When we're clean and presentable, you can learn what you can to your hearts content."
Twilight pouted a little, but in the end she capitulated. "Fine. But I will be researching this thoroughly after!" She declared as she settled into a stool. Everyone smiled and chuckled at that.
"I would expect nothing less from you." Rarity said as she took a seat of her own. "Now let's get started."
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The bath was incredibly relaxing and refreshing. When they were done, the windigoes in the house also used the bath, going in small groups at a time. Rarity was ecstatic to finally be able to set her mane in order and by the time she was done, everyone at the house was bathed and Twilight had put together an impressive report on windigo bathing rituals. Finally, they were able to leave.
"Alrighty then, if that's all, let's go meet this Keeper." Applejack declared and the adult Equestrians and Spike gathered together. Instantly, the Crusaders, Flower Dance, Mountain Mint and Snow Bunny were by their side with expectant eyes.
"Can we please come?" They begged simultaneously before anyone could ask why they were there.
"Girls, this is a very important political meeting." Twilight said. "The only reason why I'm bringing Spike is because he's my Number One assistant. Even then, I'm pretty sure he's going to be bored out of his mind."
"Nuh-uh!" Spike protested. "I'll be perfectly fine!"
"Point is, we don't want you all running around the palace and making a mess of things because you're bored." Rarity spoke up. "What kind of impression would that leave the windigoes if that happened?"
"But we'll be super good! Promise!" Sweetie Belle pleaded.
"Yeah! We were good the whole trip so we can be good here!" Scootaloo said with her own pleading eyes.
"And we really really want to meet the Keeper! So pleeeeeeeeeease?" The entire group chorused with wide eyes and puppy dog pouts. The Mane Six and Cadence suddenly found themselves at a loss. On one hoof, none of them felt it was a great idea to bring fillies to meet this nation's leader. But on the other hoof, the combined force of six sad eyes and puppy dog pouts was proving to be formidable. It was Crystal Flake who settled the issue. Coming into the hall and seeing what was going on, she laughed for a minute. This broke and dissipated the tension that had gathered.
"Oh just take them with you." She said when she finished laughing. "At their age, there's no way they can sit still for very long and Hearth knows we won't be able to handle them. Gold Wood and I are going to be in our workshop filling orders, Mom and Dad have their hooves full with Green Leaf and everyone else have odd jobs around the house or elsewhere in the Capital. Basically, it would be really helpful if they were out of our manes."
"But what about the Keeper?" Rarity asked. "Wouldn't it be improper if we showed up with six young fillies in tow?"
Crystal smiled. "Rarity, if I thought that it would be a bad idea, do you really think I'd suggest this? Remember, half of these fillies are my sisters."
"Ah, yes of course." Rarity said as she cleared her throat. "Sorry. It would be very rude of me to suggest that you would intentionally place your sisters in any type of harm. However, I still hold some concerns about taking six rambunctious fillies to a meeting with an important political and public figure."
Crystal grinned and chuckled lightly. "Oh, don't worry about that Rarity. The Keeper is very kind, understanding and good with kids. Trust me, it won't be a problem." As she spoke, there was a slight smirk like she knew something they didn't.
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And with that, the matter was settled and here they were, walking through the streets to the palace. It was late in the morning, and the streets were starting to fill up with windigoes. In the residential district, there weren't many windigoes. There were adults leaving for work and children running out to play. In the business district, things really got crowded.
Shops, restaurants, stands and other sorts of establishments were open or opening and customers were contributing their business. One building they passed by very large and grand but also very simply decorated. It was made of different shades of blue crystal and there were bronze statues over pools of water that were currently frozen over and from the way it looked, they guessed that these statues were supposed to spout water. There were groups or singular windigoes that were entering the building with what looked like bathing supplies and were exiting looking cleaned and refreshed.
Twilight gasped. "Wait, could that be the bath house?" She asked. Cadence, the Crusaders and the rest of the Mane Six looked at her confused.
"Bath house?" They all asked simultaneously. Twilight turned to them with a grin as she pulled out her report on windigo bathing and passed it to Cadence.
"Page four, paragraph six." She said with a proud grin. Cadence took the stack and flipped to the correct page and began reading out loud.
"Another important aspect of this important daily ritual is the bath house." As Cadence read, the rest of the Equestrians crowded together to read. "The bath house is in basic, a public bath for windigoes to bathe. The original purpose for this building was to provide a place for those who don't have their own baths to have a place to bathe. To this day, this is still one reason to visit the bath house. Athletes also visit this establishment after exercise and workouts in order to clean themselves. Some groups of friends have actually come as a sort of social gathering or spa day. Since it was first conceived, bath houses have become a well known gathering place and are filled with all sorts of different baths. Hot baths, cold baths, tepid baths, saunas, etcetera. For what ever reason, bath houses are one of the most popular places amongst windigoes."
"Hmm, sounds like Fluttershy and I won't miss our Spa Day while we're here." Rarity mused. "But I must admit that bathing in public sounds a little, uncomfortable. I mean, what about your privacy? I understand bathing with family and friends, but in public where strangers can see you? That doesn't sound very relaxing at all."
Applejack scanned the windigoes leaving the building and observed that none of them had any signs of discomfort and were happily relaxed and chatting away with others.
"Well Rares, either they have a way of givin' folks their privacy or that ain't an issue here." Applejack remarked. "But Ah think we got ourselves a little off track. Ain't we supposed to be meetin' someone?"
"Ain't isn't a word." Rarity quipped back. "But I do get what you're saying. We should be getting along."
Everyone agreed and Cadence hoofed back Twilight's report before they continued on. As they went drew closer to the palace, they began noticing a certain aspect of the windigoes crowding around. Amongst the average windigoes, they spotted windigoes wearing bronze armor with copper weapons. The armor design was overlapping plates strapped across the back and around the neck. There were leg guards in the same fashion along with armored hooves and a breastplate with an emblem of a shield with blazing, outstretched wings made of a small copper plate attached to the front. Their helmets were fashioned like Royal Guards but only surrounding the head and with graceful swirled shapes molded into the metal. It didn't take a genius to guess from their armored appearance and their disciplined stances that these were their guard.
"Looks like y'all have yer own version of the Royal Guard." Applejack commented as she observed the armored windigoes. "Though that really doesn't surprise me much. Makes sense fer you guys ta have some sort of military."
"Here, we call them the Hearth Guard." Flower Dance replied.
"Why do y'all call 'em that?" Applebloom asked.
"Like I've said before, the hearth is the center of the home and family." Flower Dance explained. "It's a gathering place for friends and enemies alike and is a place of warmth, light, comfort, protection and life itself. Even in the Capital, it remains the center. The Hearth Guard protects that."
"That makes sense." Cadence said. As Twilight wrote all this down, she noticed something that peaked her curiosity.
"Interesting choice in metal." Twilight noted as she observed the guards. "Copper has a number of uses since it conducts heat and electricity in addition to holding enchantments almost as good as gold or silver, but I never thought it could be used as a weapon."
"It does when its hardened copper." Mountain Mint said. "There's this special process that copper smiths use to harden the copper and make it harder than anything. We use this copper for lots of things like weapons and tools. Crystal says that a good harden copper tool is better than any other metal tool. And they last longer too."
"Amazing." Twilight said as she scribbled notes on her parchment. "When we're done meeting with the Keeper, I should go speak with these copper smiths."
"Speaking of which, we're almost there." Pinkie said, pointing at the palace at the end of the road. Up close, it still looked impressive and beautiful. And of course there were more guards around the palace than anywhere else. Before drawing much closer to the palace, the group paused and pulled the fillies aside.
"Now remember girls, we are going to be appearing before a nation's leader so be on your best behavior." Rarity said firmly.
"Don't worry sis!" Sweetie Belle said. "We'll be so good, you won't even know we're there." The three Equestrian fillies gave their sisters their best angelic smiles and it wasn't too much of a stretch to imagine halos over their heads. The three windigo fillies however liked a bit more relaxed.
"We've never met the Keeper, but from what I've heard, she's a very relaxed and forgiving person." Snow Bunny said.
"Nevertheless, we want to make the best first impression we can." Rarity said. "So all of you please be on your best behavior."
"Okay Miss Rarity." The three sisters said simultaneously but with different tones in their voices. Flower's voice was relaxed and so was Mint's. Snow Bunny however was more enthusiastic than the other two. Satisfied that the fillies would be on their best behavior, the group resumed their walk towards the castle.
As they approached the palace gates, they were met by a windigo pegasus stallion wearing more elaborate armor that suggested that he was in a position of authority. His coat was a blazing orange and red and when he pulled off his helmet, they saw that his mane was yellow and orange which altogether gave him a very firey look. They were all quiet as the stallion's red, orange and yellow eyes looked them over. When he spoke, his voice was deep but also had some warmth.
"Equestrians here in our mountains eh?" He asked in an even, neutral tone that betrayed nothing. "Well then, I'm Captain Blazing Spear of the Hearth Guard. Come with me. We've been expecting you."
That last sentence shocked the mares so much that they almost didn't follow the stallion. How could they be expecting? How did they know? They were all aware of how word traveled in towns and cities, but they'd only just arrived in the Capital. Certainly not enough time for word of their arrival to make it to the palace. Deciding to set aside their questions for later, they followed after the stallion and fillies who'd run ahead as the mares had stood in shock. Noticing how the windigo fillies didn't seem as surprised as the Equestrians, Twilight figured that this wasn't that unusual.
The inside of the palace was just as beautiful as the outside. There were crystal, bronze and copper sculptures and statuettes. Lovely accents that had been carved into the architecture and draped across the walls were glorious tapestries. Some were clearly for decorative purposes while others were remarkably detailed portraits. The detail and craftsponyship was astounding and it took the Equestrian's breaths away. And when started down a hall lined with tapestries, the Equestrians were blown away.
The tapestries here were bigger and more colorful but one thing that set them apart was that they weren't for decoration, or a portrait. Instead, they depicted scenes. The first one of these tapestries had three ponies rearing up on their hindlegs on the bottom. Two were clearly mares. One was a unicorn stitched in purple and blue with a midnight blue mane. The second mare was a two toned blue pegasus with a white mane. The third pony, an earthpony stallion, was black with light grey and his mane was a darker grey with a light grey stripe. Above them was a metallic dish brazier with a fire made of pink and gold thread. And above that fire was a large number of windigoes that looked more like what the Equestrians had grown up seeing in drawings. And they were all looking towards the fire and flying towards it.
The other tapestries had similar scenes and a few of the first tapestries had one or all three of that trio if windigoes. The rest featured scenes with different windigoes. Some featured great victories and others had a more serene nature but still held a feeling of importance.
"My goodness, these tapestries are simply gorgeous." Rarity cooed with awe. "The designs and craftsponyship is amazing."
"Ah agree." Applejack said. "Jus' look at these. Ah think some of these folks were in the portraits earlier."
"Excuse me, Captain Spear?" Twilight called out and the stallion in question glanced back at her.
"You may call me Blazing Spear and what would you like to know?" The Captain replied.
"Well, unlike the other tapestries we've seen so far these ones depict events and scenes." Twilight started her question. "Why is that? And what kind of significance do these scenes hold?"
"These tapestries depict important events and great victories." Blazing Spear answered. "All going back to the beginning of our history."
"So their like the stained glass windows in Canterlot." Rainbow summed up.
"In a nutshell, yes." Blazing said with a nod. "But in my opinion, I find these tapestries much lovelier and more practical in comparison."
"How so?" Twilight asked with a eagerness to learn in her voice.
"For starters, we are masters with weaving cloth, tapestries and embroidery." Blazing began with a light sweep of his hoof. "It is a specialty that we have perfected over centuries. All of these were woven by the masters of their times and their talents show in their work."
"They do indeed." Rarity agreed. "In fact, these patterns have inspired a whole new line!" She finished with a squeal of delight.
"As for the practicality part, tapestries provide insulation against the cold mountain air." Blazing continued. "This is something that we find invaluable, especially during the Cold Season. And in addition, if for some reason we needed to leave this place, its much easier to pack a tapestry than a window."
At some point, Rarity had pulled out a notepad and was taking notes. "Warmth and portability. Got it." She muttered to herself. "Oh! This'll be the best winter fashion line seen!"
The Equestrians only smiled at their friend. The rest of the short walk was spent in silence. At the end of the hallway was a set of tall double doors decorated with a fire motif. Blazing Spear halted and stood to the side of the doors.
"May I present to you the Keeper of the Hearth Fire!" He announced as the doors began to open. When they opened fully, he led them in then stood off to the side. The room that they had walked in was as large and as grand as the throne room in Canterlot. It maintained the pink and gold theme that had been seen and the walls were also decorated with tapestries. The roof was more twisted and tapered like they were in the middle of one of the towers.
Aside from the guards in the room, there were three mares. The first was a deep blue and silver unicorn with a white and silver mane and white hooves. Her kind eyes were a swirl of blue, silver and white. The second mare was an earthpony with a pale blue and icey blue coat and mane that was a swirl of darker blues with a single blue stripe. Her similarly blue eyes scanned them all with a spark of barely restrained excitement.
However the second their eyes landed on the third mare in the room, everything ground to a halt so fast, the Equestrians almost got whiplash. Her seat was on a raised portion of the room like in Canterlot, had a high back and was made of beautifully crafed copper. She was taller than anyone in the room. Easily two heads taller than Celestia. Her coat was a pale golden yellow with soft rosy pink swirls. Her hooves were Golden and her feathers had a rich pink tint. Her long, thick mane was also rich pink with lines of gold and it waved downwards and in a way that reminded them of a gentle fire. And poking through her mane from her head was a long graceful horn. From her position she smiled at them as her pink and gold eyes shone with kindness, wisedom and humor.
"Greetings and welcome to our nation." She greeted and the Equestrians were snapped out of their stupor then began trying to pick their jaws up from the floor. "My name is Adalia Rubaina Karasi Inessa Shamira. Keeper of the Hearth Fire and leader of the windigoes. But, you may call me Ada. Its a pleasure to meet you all."
"I uh um." Twilight stumbled on her words before clearing her throat. "I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle the Princess of Friendship. This is Princess Cadence the Princess of Love and ruler of the Crystal Empire. And these are my friends, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity. This is my Number One assistant Spike, the Cutiemark Crusaders, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo and three of your own subjects, Flower Dance, Mountain Mint and Snow Bunny."
As she rattled off introductions, she found the shock of meeting a fifth alicorn was wearing off and judging by the looks in her friends faces, it was the same with them. Not surprisingly, none of the windigo fillies had been surprised with this reveal. A deep but lighthearted chuckle pulled Twilight back to the present.
"Oh Twilight, there's no need to be so formal here." Ada said kindly.
"Sorry." Twilight automatically apologized. "It's just.....none of us expected an alicorn."
"Of course. I imagine Equestrians would be deeply shocked with such a revelation." Ada replied then clapped her hooves together. "Nevertheless, here we are. And since you've introduced your friends, I'll introduce my own." She then gestured to the unicorn mare to her right.
"This is Star Sight." Ada introduced. "One of my closest advisers."
"A pleasure and an honor to meet you." Star Sight said politely with a slight bow. Ada then turned to the earthpony on her left.
"And this is Frosty Winds, an Equestrian expert and enthusiast." Ada introduced her. "She is also a close advisor and dear friend."
"Hi! Great to meet you all!" She greeted loudly. "And you're all from Equestria! That's so exciting! Eeeeeee!" Suddenly they realized why Frosty had been looking at them with barely contained excitement.
"Uh, yeah I guess?" Rainbow said and Frosty was now vibrating with excitement that'd only been seen that one time Pinkie drank coffee. A lot of ponies in Ponyville still had nightmares about that day. Needless to say, Pinkie Pie was forever banned from coffee. They even had her Pinkie Swear to never touch the stuff again. Returning to the present. Upon seeing Frosty Winds reaction, Ada instantly waved over Blazing Spear to lean in and talk to him.
"Have someone take her out and possibly to the infirmary if you'd please." She said and Blazing nodded. Five minutes later, two soldiers were escorting Frosty Winds out of the room.
"I apologize for that." Ada said. "Believe it or not, Frosty is really a very intelligent and kind advisor and friend. She's just very enthusiastic about meeting you. Just give her time to cool down."
"That's okay." Pinkie said brightly. "She looks like a fun pony so we should totally hang out. By the way, why did you call Frosty your friend but not Star? Is she not your friend?"
"No, she is very close to me." Ada said in answer to Pinkie's question. "But our relationship between each other is a little different and given how you all reacted to my alicorn status, I didn't think that you were ready."
"Honestly, at this point, I'm pretty sure there's very little to surprise us." Rainbow said. "So just lay it on us and get it over with." Star Sight and Ada shared a glance before turning back to the Equestrians.
"Very well." Ada relented. "Star Sight here is my daughter."
As Adalia had suspected, that was the final straw. The second the Equestrians fully processed that sentence, their brains short circuited and they all froze. Even the fillies. Adalia sat there and nodded sagely.
"Yeah, I thought that would happen." She said. From somewhere in the room, there was a soft snicker that was quickly muffled. At first glance, it seemed as though nobody had heard it, but one of Ada's ears twitched slightly.
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After a few minutes, the Equestrians came around. As Guards helped lift them up, they fully processed what was happening.
"Setting aside the fact that you are an alicorn, how is it that you have a daughter?" Twilight asked.
"Since you're a alicorn yourself, I thought you'd know that by now." Ada chided playfully. "We are not godsno matter what the ponies around us believe. We do have emotions and urges. Over the centuries, there have been times when some stallion catches my eye and we court. More often than not this leads to marriage and eventually children."
"Wait, centuries?" Cadence immediately picked up on. "How old are you?"
"Ah yes, I knew that question would come up." Ada said. "In answer, I have been around for as long as our race have lived here in the mountains. Roughly around the time the three tribes settled and founded Equestria."
"But that was more than a thousand years ago." Twilight exclaimed as she ran through the numbers in her head. "It wasn't until eight hundred years after the unification of the three tribes that Celestia and Luna came into power. That would make you almost a thousand years older than the Celestial Sisters."
She looked Adalia in the eyes and saw that she was completely serious. The alicorn then began steaming as she broke down internally. Applejack poked her friend's leg but received no response.
"Well, she's officially broken." Applejack announced and Adalia laughed a little.
"Well, in continuation of your earlier question, I am currently married but Star Sight is what you might the child of a previous marriage but that's a long story that I don't want to get into." Ada said. "Suffice it to say that I have a daughter."
"Well okay then." Cadence said. "Not that that's out of the way, let's move on. We've come here to make contact with you and to negotiate possible Equestrian help and relief."
Adalia nodded. "I imagined that would be your task. However I don't feel like now is the best time to discuss such things."
"Wait what? Why?" Applebloom asked without thinking and Applejack pulled her back.
"Consider the current state of Miss Sparkle." Adalia said with a wave of her in Twilight's direction. The alicorn still remained in the same place she'd been sitting only now she was rattling off numbers and dates.
"I doubt that she is in any state to conduct any sort of negotiations." Ada said and they had to agree. "Plus, you have only just arrived here in a nation you know almost nothing about. In order to have smooth, diplomatic negotiations, I believe it is very useful to learn what you can about the other party. Which is why I propose that we go out and spend the day out in the Capital."
The Equestrians paused to give the matter some thought. Even Twilight paused her rambling and her ears perked up.
"Hmm, it sound like a good idea." Cadence said. "We could definitely use the time to unwind after our journey and this. So I guess, let's hang out."
"Ah'm a more curious about this place so why not." Applejack added.
"Indeed. I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of fashions this place has to offer." Rarity piped up. "What little I have seen so far have been an inspiration already. I may need another sketchbook because of all the material I've seen so far."
"I'd I'm looking forward to eating some windigo cuisine after eating almost nothing but hiking food!" Pinkie exclaimed dramatically as she fainted like Rarity would.
"Uh Pinkie? Didn't we eat some proper food last night at Crystal's place?" AJ pointed out.
"Yeah I know." Pinkie answered as she sprang up like a pony in the box. "That's why I said almost. Plus I'd like to try their sweet treats!"
"I'd like to come too!" Twilight called out loudly then blushed slightly when she found everyone's attention on her. "It's a perfect opportunity to learn what I can about windigo culture. So of course I want to come."
"Glad to see you're back with us." Rainbow Dash said as she slung her arm across her friend's back. "Me personally, I want to check out that stadium. I mean did you see the size of that place? I've so got to see what they do there that requires such a large arena!"
Flower Dance beamed. "We could go there." She announced. "I'd love to so you all Wind Dancing."
"For what you've told us, it sounds so cool!" Scootaloo replied. "I'm so there!"
"Me too!" Applebloom said.
"And me three!" Sweetie Belle added then gasped in realization. "And who knows what kinds of cutiemarks we could earn while we're here. Her friend's faces brightened and then they stuck their hooves out towards the third in their group. The three Equestrian fillies then knocked their hooves together and made their trademark battle cry.
"CUTIEMARK CRUSADERS IN THE WINDIGO CAPITAL!! YAY!!!!" They announced. The adults ears had flopped down in response to the sudden loud noise and three particular mares moved up close to the alicorn.
"Uh sorry bout that." Applejack apologized. "Mah sister and her friends tend to be enthusiastic about stuff like this so apologies in advance fer what kind of trouble they may cause." Rarity and Rainbow Dash nodded agreement and Ada just smiled.
"There's nothing to really apologize for." She said kindly. "Remember, I've raised children many times over and I'm very familiar with this phase in life. They'll be no trouble at all." The alicorn then turned to the only mare that hadn't spoken and addressed her very kindly.
"And what about you dear?" She asked and Fluttershy "eeped!" in response. Adalia simply maintained a calm kind attitude and smiled gently at her. "Is there anything in particular that you'd like to see?" Fluttershy didn't respond immediately but the kind smile being directed at her helped her speak up.
"Well, no not really." She admitted. "I mean nothings really stuck out to me. But I do want to come and hang out."
"Well alright then." Ada said then stood up and trotted down the steps to join them. "That looks like almost everyone. Just give me a moment." They all have her a confused look as she strode out to the middle the room and called out.
"Alright, I know you're up there so there's no point in hiding." She shouted upwards. "Come on down and introduce yourself."
At first there was no response. Then a movement caught their attention as a banner was pushed away by a filly. She was sitting on a small ledge provided by the twisting style of the roof and tucked behind a banner so she was out of sight until then. The young filly then revealed that she was a pegasus when she opened her wings and glided down to land in front of Adalia.
Now that she was down on the ground, they were able to get a good look at her. Her coat was a light pumpkin orange in color with some rosy pink on her wing tips. Her mane was also orange only it was a darker, deeper hue with a slight touch of gold that reminded them of amber. And streaked in her mane were stripes of light and rich pink. Her hooves were also a rich pink and her glimmering eyes were also orange and pink.
"Awww, who'd you know I was up there?" She said. Adalia waved her ears.
"Remember I have sharp hearing." She said. "I heard you stifle a laugh earlier. Now go and introduce yourself to our guests."
The filly skipped forward and smiled at the gathered ponies. "Hi! My name is Warm Heart! It's a pleasure to meet you all!"
"And its a pleasure to meet you too!" Pinkie said in response. "You know, you look a little like Ada here."
"Of course she does. She gets some of her looks from me after all." Adalia piped up. "Warm Heart here is my youngest daughter and a child of my current marriage. And now that she's here, we can go out now. Come along everyone!"
With that, she led the way to the door with Blazing Spear and all the fillies in tow. The others hesitated a moment before following, leaving the room empty, save for the guards.
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Yay that was awesome! You sure make a great story
6758349 Thank you. I hope you enjoy this story and all my others if you choose to read them. Six Queens, Bright Little Shadow and Beneath the Blood Moon are good. And I've got some world building plans for Shadow and Blood Moon. Plans that I'm excited to implement.
The world building is really amazing, love the details and history around the windgoes.
The Alicorn is really awesome, could be great if she's Celestia & Luna's Mother. That would break Twilight
6759176 Truth be told, I haven't really thought of that. I was thinking more along the lines of her being Tia and Lulu's senior. But considering certain world building elements that I have, its not out of the realm of possibility.
6759176 If you want the details, I can PM you.
6759209 I think you can pull it off.
Sure thing, if you like to!
6759209
Love this story, hope it's continuing.
6759209 Update soon please.
7587538 I will try.
7588483 Cool.
please update!!
update?
8104603 I will get on that as soon as possible.
8180120 I know. I'll try to get a new chapter out as soon as possible, until then please be a little patient with me.
Perfect!
8180132
Hey Princess, is the next chapter almost ready? Also, would it be okay if I made an OC for your fic? If yes, please tell me what you need to know. If no, 🤷, oh well.
9479388
Sorry, I've been a little busy and haven't given the fic much attention so no the next chapter isn't finished. If you want to show an OC I don't mind.
9482206
I was planning on making one if you had said yes. Also, I need to know what info you require for me to make the oc in the first place.
9482459
Try not to make it god. That's the best I've got. If you want, we can PM.
9482521
That's... not what I meant. You know what, forget about it. Just please try to update soon.
6759204
Maybe she is the Aunt
9482521
Hey Princess, it's been a while. Is the next chapter almost ready, or have you been stuck in your castle too long to do any work?
Complimenti.
La storia é molto bella.