Camaraderie is Sorcery

by FireOfTheNorth

Chapter 3:5.2 - Trials of a Grand Duchess

Author's Note:

Translations

Chapter 3:5.2 – Trials of a Grand Duchess

It occurred to Twilight Sparkle that perhaps she ought to have recorded the details of all her travels across Equestria, as there had been quite a few of them since Celestia had sent her from Cant’r Laht to oversee the one thousandth summer solstice ceremony. Before then, never had she traveled nearly as often or as far, preferring to stay in the city where she’d been born. Now, however, she had been all over the continent and beyond, and her journeys seemed to increase in distance each year. At least now she didn’t always have to travel by hoof, so the trips wouldn’t absorb quite as much of her time as they had the previous year when she and her friends had been hunting down the fragments of Discord’s soul. Portals made things much easier.

She opened one from Ponieville to the North, and she and her friends crossed hundreds of leagues in an instant. All the Brave Companions were making this journey, something Twilight was grateful for after her recent trip without them to Saddle Arabia. She’d returned to Ponieville by portal only a couple days after making her vow to Sultana Rashida and been granted a few weeks at home before being asked to leave again. This request had come from both Cadence and Celestia. The latter had phrased things in her letter as this being another test for Twilight; at least, it had seemed so in the context of her praise for Twilight’s work in Saddle Arabia. The former had genuinely just asked for the Brave Companions’ help in dealing with the situation in the North. Twilight’s suggestion to Cadence two months earlier that she appoint non-inheriting nobles from the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht to vacant positions in the North had borne fruit as the new grand duchess fleshed out her realm with fresh vassals that held no preexisting feuds with the locals, but it had also caused a great deal of tension in both realms. Not to mention that Cadence’s ascension to Grand Duchess of the North was bound to be fraught with complications, even if most of her vassals and subjects hadn’t missed the last thousand years of history. Celestia’s first apprentice was going through a great deal of testing herself at the moment.

“Twilight!” Grand Duchess mi Amore Cadenza exclaimed as the Brave Companions set hoof in the North after leaving it only a few months earlier, rushing forward to embrace her sister-in-law. “I’m so happy you’ve come!”

They were not alone on the hilltop where Twilight had opened her portal. Much like with the Cant’r Laht embassy to Stalliongrad in the spring, a party had been assembled to greet the Brave Companions when they’d arrived. Banners flapped upon the tops of long poles in both the modern Equestrian and antiquated Northern styles, marking out the important nobles in the crowd of unfamiliar faces. Cadence and Shining Armor had stood at the forefront of the group, and Twilight’s brother hung back still, though he gave Twilight a smile. He was no longer Captain of the Cant’r Laht Guard, as that would interfere with his new role as Grand Duke of the North; though he seemed to have retained his martial duties, judging by the mail to be glimpsed under his courtly attire, the sword strapped to his side, and the greaves and vambraces on his hindlegs and forelegs.

“Of course we came,” Twilight Sparkle told Cadence, “I could not abandon you to court intrigue with only my brother to help.”

“Let’s get you settled in the palace, and then we can speak about why you’ve come,” Cadence said as she released the younger of Celestia’s pupils.

The assembled lords and ladies of the North gave the grand duchess respectful nods as she trotted back to rejoin Shining Armor. Like her husband, she was bedecked in courtly attire that cut down on formality only just enough to make it suitable for traveling. Upon her head, she wore a strangely rounded and peaked crown that nearly looked like a bishop’s mitre. Apparently, this was what the ponies of the North thought a grand duchess’s crown ought to look like, given that they’d never seen one before. Twilight had never seen Cadence wear it any of the times they'd communicated by mirror, so it must have been designated solely for official business, such as greeting the Brave Companions.

The six ponies and dragonling fell in behind the grand ducal couple as servants shouldered their more ponderous baggage. Twilight Sparkle had to assume that they were Cadence’s servants, but their livery was unfamiliar to her. Violet, rose, and gold were not the colors of any noble house that Twilight knew, but they did match Cadence’s mane. House Cadenza? Cadence had made claim to no such house while in Cant’r Laht, but she had also proclaimed an end to House mi Amore, even changing her name so that it would not be passed on to any prospective descendants. Not that she was expected to have any offspring; no alicorn had ever successfully borne or sired a foal. Though she had been known as the Lady mi Amore Cadenza, Cadence hadn’t had an official title to lay claim to for years, but perhaps now that she was a grand duchess, she’d been pressured into finally sorting things out and choosing a house. Though it would have given Twilight and her family no end of joy, she hadn’t joined Haltrotsun at the wedding; this was understandable, given her high position as heir of Celestia at the time. Things had changed since then, though, and Twilight would need to ask her about the situation.

Behind the Brave Companions came the assembly of ponies who’d come to greet them, a few of them trotting up ahead to have a word with the members of their party on the way to the Crystal City. As a whole, though, they followed along behind and waited for when the Brave Companions might come to them. It had seemed strange to Twilight that so many of the North’s nobility had assembled to greet them, but she still didn’t know exactly what to make of this realm that was slowly recovering from a thousand years of banishment. As they made it to the Crystal City and entered its streets, however, it become apparent that this was likely not the norm.

The city had been nearly empty when the Brave Companions had last been here, even with refugees from Sombra’s storms, but now it was packed with ponies. Banners were unfurled throughout the city, demarcating zones where different nobles had taken up temporary residence. Tents were erected in the wide main streets by ponies waiting to obtain more permanent shelter. Crowds swirled around the procession, and the guards in silver-blue armor that accompanied them tried to keep them back, a task made more complicated by the fact that Cadence tried to spare at least a few words for every pony that tried to approach her.

“It is all because of the conclave,” Cadence explained later in the Crystal Castle. “Ponies began to come to the Crystal City with their grievances, and I fear it has gotten a bit out of hoof. With the Crystal Empire’s sudden collapse into the Kingdom of the North and then banishment for a thousand years before being resurrected as the Grand Duchy of the North, everything is a bit muddied and nopony is quite sure how everything should work, though they all have strong opinions. I decided to call a conclave to settle things once and for all, but giving everypony I could a voice in the matter has overtaxed a city not yet back on its hooves and unable to handle these numbers.

“There are also delegations who have come unbidden, but I still must speak to and address their concerns in some way, not to mention the embassy from Cant’r Laht determined to undermine me and manage things themselves. If we don’t have some settlement soon, I fear the North will break apart into factions, and that can only end poorly for everypony involved. I have managed to secure a peace of sorts with Vanhuv’r and Stalliongrad, but if things fall apart, Hyelliff and Braid will not be slow to snatch up the pieces themselves, whatever their assurances.”

“I did not know things were so dire,” Twilight Sparkle replied.

“They are,” Shining Armor replied gravely. “We need your help, Twily. Cadence and I have been doing what we can, but we’re just two ponies, no matter what titles the Northerners have granted, and we can’t be everywhere at once.”

“There are too many groups for us to hear their voices all at once,” Cadence said, “However, with the six—seven of you, I think we can manage.”

“Why does everypony think that just because we’re famous, we’re master diplomats?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Well, you must admit we’ve done pretty well for ourselves in the past,” Rarity said, “The Three Sisters, White Tail Wood, Stalliongrad.”

“I wouldn’t call all of those ringing successes, but I get your point,” the Hunter acceded, “If things are as bad as you say, I suppose we can only make things better, not worse.”

“We’re ready t’ help y’ where’er we’re needed, y’r royal highness,” Applejack said encouragingly.

“Thank you, Applejack, but please call me Cadence,” the Grand Duchess of the North said, looking self-consciously up at the crown still atop her head, “I’ve taken the liberty of dividing up the different groups we’ll need to speak with and arranging meetings with them, so all we have to do is decide who will be meeting with whom.”

“Excellent,” Twilight said, eyes sparkling at the prospect of the planning to come, and Spike came forward with a clean scroll, “Let us get to it, then.”

***

Rainbow Dash soared up among the clouds, taking deep breaths of the crisp, cool Northern air. The autumnal equinox had come and gone, and this far north, the land was already beginning its rapid descent in temperature. There was bound to be snow upon the ground in another month, but for now, the landscape was clear. Tended fields radiated out from the Crystal City in a patchwork manner, becoming sparser and more scattered the farther one got from the city. It had been only a few months since the North had unfrozen, and ponies were hurrying to get their crops harvested before winter descended upon them again. At least this time is wasn’t likely to last a thousand years.

The Hunter began to descend out of the clouds, shaking frost from her wings, as she spotted her destination. A silvery band of water wove through the landscape, a river of middling width and current, and a line of bluffs rose a short distance upon the north bank. Atop those bluffs stood a solitary and ancient fortress of darkened stone that looked like it had seen better days (much like most structures in the North outside the Crystal City). A tangled forest surrounded the fortress and stretched off to the north, but all the trees on the south bank had been cleared away. There was a dock at the base of the bluffs and stairs leading up to the fort, but Rainbow Dash, being a pegasus, flew right up to the entrance atop the bluffs.

Banners hung plastered against the fortress’s walls, rippling only slightly in the wind, so dark and dull in coloration that they nearly blended into the stone. The banners of Hunter orders hadn’t changed much in a thousand years; the only real adornments on them were crude representations of the animals that represented their orders. Petrel, osprey, goshawk, and cormorant hung in a line, the orders that Rainbow had learned to expect before flying here. Her task was to discern what grievances the Northern Hunters had and how to satisfy them. Who better to meet with Hunters than another of their kind?

The sound of striking practice swords reached Rainbow Dash’s ears as she landed in the fortress’s courtyard. A few of the Hunters were training, but most of the armored pegasi around the courtyard didn’t seem to be interested in doing … well, much of anything. Many sat atop the roofs watching the sky distractedly or slept with their backs against swords driven between the courtyard’s paving stones. There was a good deal of evidence for lack of upkeep on weapons and equipment that had been left lying around.

Though the day was only half gone, quite a few of the Hunters looked to be deep in their cups or sleeping off passed revelry wherever they had collapsed. The air was heavy with the smell of beer and spirits the farther Rainbow Dash went in, wafting from their sources and some of the Hunters seated or slumped at scattered tables. At the far end of the courtyard, a table had been set up beneath a tent where four ponies sat awaiting her, the grandmasters of the four orders currently occupying this fortress. However, from what Rainbow Dash had seen so far, this looked less like a Hunter fortress and more like the camp of a mercenary company, and not a very good one at that.

“Thou must be Rainbow Dash,” one of the grandmasters, whose cormorant pendant was nearly hidden by his long gray beard and unsecured mane, said as she approached without standing to greet her, “Of what order art thou? I know not of any that goeth by the name of ‘Brave Companions.’”

Though the Hunters of the North insisted on staying here far beyond the walls of the Crystal City while still being part of the conclave, Cadence had managed to reach them with word of who would be her representative and when she would arrive. They’d known that Rainbow Dash was coming, but apparently Cadence hadn’t shared much more than that; with the time it took to send the message here, there wouldn’t have been much of an interval between its arrival and Rainbow Dash’s.

“I’m a member of the Order of the Falcon,” Rainbow answered as she righted a chair with a kick of a hindhoof and pulled it up to the table with a wing, taking a seat without being invited.

“Ah, yes, I do remember them,” the mare with a petrel pendant and missing both an eye and an ear said.

“And you are?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Introductions and explanations followed. All the Hunters here had disappeared along with most everypony else who’d been in the North a thousand years ago, but things had become confused in the last days of King Sombra’s reign, and they were still picking up the pieces. They had been hit with losses just as severe as the rest of the North, and two of the orders that had existed in the past had been disbanded, their few surviving members joining the only slightly less reduced Order of the Petrel and Order of the Cormorant. The Order of the Osprey and Order of the Goshawk had numbers as low or lower than the orders that had folded, but they had not yet consolidated, due to distrust of the Hunters from the Order of the Goshawk. Unlike the other Hunter orders, which had maintained their neutrality during the War of the Shadow King in the North, the Order of the Goshawk had accepted King Sombra’s demands and aided him and his army directly.

Rainbow Dash nodded along as the grandmasters spoke and she tried to parse their antiquated speech, filtering out the irrelevant bits to get what she actually had asked for: their names. Grandmaster Issika led the Order of the Petrel, a mare who’d seen more than her fair share of action in the field and had the scars to prove it. That wouldn’t have stopped her from continuing to hunt increasingly dangerous monsters, but her order had insisted she take the post of grandmaster so that she would be able to pass on some of her knowledge before she got herself killed. Like all grandmasters, she would still participate in hunts, but seldom alone so she would not be in quite as much danger; though like all Hunters, she was destined to die in the field.

Grandmaster Bladewaithe was the leader of the Order of the Cormorant and had been the pony to first greet her on her arrival. Despite being the eldest of the Cormorant Hunters, he had achieved the rank of grandmaster only recently. The order’s previous grandmaster had not returned from the thousand-year banishment, so Bladewaithe was chosen to lead the few survivors. He’d been accepted by those who’d joined the Order of the Cormorant and boosted its numbers.

The Order of the Goshawk was headed by Grandmaster Crest. Crest was the youngest of the grandmasters at the table and had only been a full Hunter for less than a decade. The Order of the Goshawk hadn’t had much choice in their leader, however, since they’d been hit the hardest of all the Northern Hunter orders, which the others saw as just punishment for their treachery. None of the upper ranks had survived, leaving Crest as the most senior; though he and the other Goshawk Hunters could rightly claim that they were innocent of the decision to serve King Sombra, resentment was bitter from the other orders. The best thing for the Goshawk Hunters would be to join one of the other orders, but none would have them.

Grandmaster Hon the Hammer, leader of the Order of the Osprey, was the last. His nickname came from the short warhammer he used in combat, currently sitting on the table—a peculiar weapon for a Hunter. The Order of the Osprey was the next-smallest order after the Order of the Goshawk, but Hon was stubborn to allow his order to be disbanded; it was too late to do so and maintain some level of independence after the Orders of the Petrel and the Cormorant had already each accepted another order and grown larger. The only alternative would be to join with the Goshawks (which was unacceptable to them) or an order outside of the North. The latter option posed the same problem as joining the Petrels or the Cormorants, since non-Northern Hunter orders were larger than what was left here.

“So, what are the problems you’re bringing to Cadence, besides the smaller numbers and the ostracization of the Goshawks, which you’ll have to work out among yourselves?” Rainbow Dash asked bluntly.

“I beg thy pardon,” Issika said offendedly. “Are our difficulties beneath Grand Duchess mi Amore?”

“I wouldn’t say that, but they’re none of her concern,” Rainbow Dash replied, “Things haven’t changed that much in a thousand years. Hunters still stand apart and settle their differences without the interferences of crowned heads, if they can help it.”

“But the Code dost not forbid serving a ruler,” Crest said with a prickly tone, trying to defend the Goshawks, “Surely thee understandest that.”

“I’m here because of a friend, and to see what I can do to help the Hunters in the North. The grand duchess is no liege of mine and I owe her no service, though I am helping her in this,” Rainbow said frankly.”

“It was not only the betrayal of the Code, but that ye did turn upon us, your blade-brothers and -sisters,” Hon said gruffly to Crest.

The two pegasi looked ready to kill each other, and probably would have were dueling not forbidden for grandmasters. It could still occur in secret, but the death of a grandmaster could only stir up intense ill will with their order. With the Ospreys and Goshawks already hating each other, the effect might not be as profound as in other cases. If they dueled, one of them would surely die; it would probably be Crest, pounded to death by his stronger and more experienced opponent.

“I know that the wounds are still fresh for all of you, but for most of Equestria, the War of the Shadow King was completely forgotten until the Frozen North thawed only a few months ago,” Rainbow Dash sighed, “The war is long over, and you’ll need to find a way to reconcile with each other. Hunters can’t be at each other’s throats. If it were up to me to decide, I’d say the Goshawks have a good claim to some forgiveness, given how young their surviving members are—members that many of you could use well now that your own numbers are also so low. It will take a long time to train up new Hunters if you only have a few trainees now, unless you prove yourselves to the Order of the Sparrow.”

Another peculiarity that Rainbow Dash had learned about the Northern Hunters was that they had all trained their own members instead of recruiting them from the Order of the Sparrow. Evidently, none of them had yet visited Cloudsdale to ask for new Hunters to bolster their numbers; whether this was from tradition or a reticence to interact with modern Equestria, Rainbow Dash didn’t know. They’d need more members if they wanted to survive, one way or the other.

“But, like I said before, that’s a matter for we Hunters to figure out on our own, without Cadence getting involved,” Rainbow Dash brought the conversation back around, “What can I bring to the grand duchess to actually act upon? Do you need her to understand you’re stretched thin with your diminished numbers and protect her subjects as best she can until you rebuild enough to hunt?”

“No; if anything, there is a dearth of monsters to hunt. It seems that Sombra’s winter did scareth many of them away, and it is hard to find contracts. We may need to seek work outside of the North, in fact,” Bladewaithe replied, “Our only grievance with Grand Duchess mi Amore is that she has not set prices in her lands, nor have any of these newcomers from the south.”

It took a minute for Rainbow Dash to realize that the grandmaster was speaking about monster bounties. It didn’t make any sense to her why Cadence ought to be responsible for setting the price of bounties if she wasn’t the one offering or paying them out.

“‘Tis how it hath been in the North since before any of our orders were founded,” Issika explained when asked, “The emperor—or grand duchess—doth set the fair price for the most common monsters, those that art to be paid for from their treasury. Her vassals can then set prices for what she hath not set herself, and so on, from the highest doux to the lowest jarl. Every year, each lord sendeth a tribute to their liege to pay for these bounties, and a portion is paid back to them for each claimed. It eveneth out the load of bounties across all the North to keep monster-plagued lands from becoming destitute, but the southern lords playeth by no such rules. They offer inadequate bounties or force their tenants to pay themselves.”

“Welcome to the Fourth Age,” Rainbow Dash mumbled to herself as she thought of how much ponies tried to get away with in slighting Hunters, “I doubt the southern lords will wish to change their ways, but I can still bring this before Cadence. She might think it’s a good idea, and I know she wishes to preserve some of the North’s traditions. I will do everything I can to convince her.”

“You seem very … familiar with the grand duchess,” Issika commented, “Did you know her well before she came to the North?”

“No, she was a dragonlord’s prisoner until half a year ago. I was at her wedding, though. Both of them, in fact,” Rainbow Dash replied, shocking the grandmasters.

***

Pinkamena didn’t have nearly as far to go as her winged comrade, only a short distance outside of the Crystal City. Several camps had been pitched close to the city limits by groups that hadn’t managed to find space within, though they all kept their distance from the two that the bard was now bounding toward. These camps were populated not with tents or makeshift lean-tos, but with domed yurts. The North’s bison herds, which had been nothing but troublesome for Cadence, had nevertheless deigned to send small delegations to meet with her. They had been wise to keep their camps small, for entire herds showing up at the Crystal City’s gates would surely trigger frenzied panic as raids and siege were considered. A great deal of raiding had been going on in the west as the bison marauded unchecked across depopulated lands, and many of those who’d come to the Crystal City had come seeking protection from the bison herds. Cadence wished to put an end to the marauding, and Pinkamena had been dispatched to reason with the bison.

Though the two bison camps were close, they were undeniably separate. A clear gap divided them, and Pinkamena trotted cheerfully down the path between the camps. Guards didn’t attempt to stop her, having been forewarned that Cadence was sending somepony to speak to the chiefs, but they did watch in amusement (as did other bison in the camps) as this bright pink, fizzy-haired mare with a lute on her back marched through as if she had every right to be there. A long, low table composed of many smaller pieces had been set up between the two camps at the midpoint, the ends stretching out among the yurts on either side. Bison sat all along one side of the table, feasting on the various dishes laid out before them, many of them emitting steam or just talking and enjoying each other’s company. In the center sat two prodigious bison bulls wearing the headdresses that marked them as the chiefs of each tribe.

“Hello there!” Pinkamena greeted the leaders all too informally as she trotted up to them, evoking more than a few shocked snorts from the bison at the table who could understand her, “I am Pinkamena Diane Pie of the Holderton Pies, though now of Ponieville, except right now I’m here to talk with you on behalf of Cadence. What are your names?”

“Dhotun mi Amore moghellike etram?^[1]” the chief on the left said to his associate, who snorted in reply, before switching to Low Equestrian, “I am Khan Norélithrakkah of Kojchah Ordu, and this is Khan Panninyekke of Rembrahn Ordu.”

“Chiefs Burning Hoof and Stonehorn,” Khan Panninyekke (Stone Horn) translated for Pinkamena, before coughing violently into his bowl of mulled wine.

The chief of the Rembrahn Herd did not look to be in very good health even without the coughing. His coat was worn and scarred with the pockmarks of old and new sores. Dry and fresh mucus was caked in his beard and around his eyes from the illness that afflicted him, and he was bundled up more warmly than the chill in the air should have required. A young bison cow beside him put a hoof to his side as he coughed to steady him and pressed an ear against his heaving ribs to listen as the cough subsided into raspy and labored breathing. Self-conscious, Stonehorn pushed her away, though not roughly.

“My daughter, Stormblown Plain,” Stonehorn introduced the cow at his side once he’d regained his breath enough to speak.

“Laundukrittelletéo,” Stormblown Plain said and gave Pinkamena a narrow look, and when no translation was forthcoming, she had to assume it was her name in Equestrian Wisentish.

“Pleased to meet you,” Pinkamena said, nodding to all three bison, “What can I do for you?”

“Thou canst bring Grand Duchess mi Amore our demands,” Chief Burning Hoof said contemptuously.

“Demands?” Pinkamena asked worriedly.

“We must have either yearly tribute in the amount of ten thousand pounds of gold—” Chief Burning Hoof said.

“For each herd,” Chief Stonehorn cut in.

“—For each herd,” Burning Hoof continued, “And unrestricted access to all towns and markets in the North, or to six thousand pounds of tribute and a guarantee that we can support ourselves off the land without interference.”

Pinkamena knew a little of the situation Cadence was in from the briefing on the Brave Companions’ arrival, and she knew enough to be sure that Cadence could never agree to either offer. The grand duchess did not have the funds to make a tribute of such size even once. As for supporting themselves off the land, that would at least allow the bison to take whatever they wanted to feed themselves, stripping fields bare in the process; and likely, they would take much more, not something that the North could endure in its recovering state. Opening markets to them was an easy enough thing to consider, though, if Cadence recognized the agreement between the bison in the south of Equestria and the Appleoosans that had saved them from killing each other off. Perhaps a few other ideas from that treaty could be used here, too.

“I’m sure Cadence would be happy to grant you access to towns and markets, and maybe even the power to help govern them and make sure you’re treated fairly,” Pinkamena said, and Stonehorn slammed a hoof down on the table strongly, sending him into a coughing fit.

“We are not here to negotiate! We are here to make our demands!” Burning Hoof yelled while Stonehorn continued to cough, “If Grand Duchess mi Amore doth not answer them, then we shall take them by pillage!”

“Surely there must be some way to avoid that,” Pinkamena pled, “If we put our heads together, I’m sure we can come to a peaceful and reasonable agreement.”

“Never!” Stonehorn said, his coughing still dying off, “The ponies of this time do not fear and respect us as they once did! They will seek to trick us and delay us to avoid our wrath, as thou hast tried to do! We have not been isolated after our return. We have met with other herds and have heard what they had to say about you ponies. Well, ye shall all see what comes of your treatment of the bison. Each herd alone ye may bully, but together, ye shall relearn the fear and respect you have lost!

“For the first time in millennia, the herds will unite into a khaganate! If Grand Duchess mi Amore doth not heed our demands, then Kajchakh Ordu and Rembrahn Ordu will join rather than heed the laws of a realm in which we are unwelcome. Already, Khan Blaenarratate of Nokíenkh Ordu past the mountains and Khan Higullahmakorn of Tanerahm Ordu in the Westerlands have professed their willingness to join in a khaganate. Khanum Coccokohote of Aseibakh Ordu in the south hath not accepted the proposal, but even without her, we shall be a terrifying khaganate!”

When Stonehorn finished his speech, he broke down into a coughing fit immediately. Stormblow Plain tried to ease his pain, but while she did, she eyed Pinkamena carefully, watching for her reaction to the news that Equestria’s bison herds were planning to unite. It was not all of them, at least. Thanks, Strongheart, for staying out of it. Still, for bison herds in the North, Stalliongrad, and Los Pegasus to all work together could spell disaster not only for ponies in those realms, but also for anywhere else they chose to raid. The North, with its drastically decreased population and twice as many bison herds as the other, would surely feel bear the brunt of it.

“I’m sorry to hear that, but Cadence can’t give you what you ask,” Pinkamena replied, “If only we could talk and work something out—”

“No!” Burning Hoof exclaimed, slamming a hoof on the table, “Thou shalt bring our demands to Grand Duchess mi Amore and she wilt accept or decline, but there shall be no haggling. This audience is done.”

Rebuffed, Pinkamena was forced to leave the bison camps in a far less happy state than she’d entered. That hadn’t gone as she’d expected at all.

***

On nearly the exact opposite side of the Crystal City, Applejack was making her way through another camp. This camp had no organized structure or official delegation to speak with Cadence, but this was the place for Applejack to be. It had nearly been looked over during the distribution of factions among the Brave Companions, but as soon as Applejack had learned that there was a camp of peasant farmers here to seek Cadence’s help in redressing their grievances, she knew she had to be the one to speak to them.

By asking around, she was able to find her way to the nearest thing the camp had to leaders. It required her to explain who she was and why she’d come over and over, but she got to meet quite a few Northerners, and a crowd was following her by the time she reached the camp’s leaders. There were three of them surrounded by a small crowd of ponies that spilled out around a knot of tents in no particularly prominent position in the camp. They were talking with each other animatedly when Applejack arrived, her crowd merging with the one already present and making a path forward for her.

“Nay, nay, nay!” the center pony, a tall stallion with a white coat and green mane, said as he saw the crowd bringing Applejack to the trio of leaders, “We ‘ave already decided that we can nay send too large’a group t’ th’ gran’ duchess, an’ agreed on we t’ree. Y’ can nay bring somepony else in now, not when we just started t’ come t’accord.”

“Come t’accord, indeed!” the short mare next to him with a grape-colored coat huffed, “Ah still say we ought t’ forget ‘bout lords ‘tirely!”

“An’ then ‘oo’d protecteth us?” the third member of the group, a stallion with a gray coat and unruly brown mane asked.

“Why, we’d protect o’selves, o’course,” the mare retorted.

“Not this again,” the center pony sighed wearily, “We ‘ave already decided this.”

“I am Applejack, Cadence’s—mi Amore’s—th’ grand duchess’s envoy,” Applejack introduced herself before the conversation between the camp’s leaders went any further afield. “I’ve come t’ speak t’ y’ an’ learn what your petitions are.”

“And we’re s’posed t’ believe this … why?” the mare demanded, “Thee lookest not like an envoy o’ th’ gran’ duchess.”

“Bristle, do nay be rude,” the tall stallion berated her.

“’Tis a’right,” Applejack assured him, “I am ‘ere at her behest as one o’ th’ Brave Companions, but I am also a farmer—a freeholder of a sort—in th’ Equestry Valley near Ponieville.”

The crowd that had come with Applejack, who’d heard her explain this over and over, nodded at this. The others in the crowd looked skeptical, either of her credentials as an envoy or the truth of her occupation, but word quickly began to spread. Bristle still looked sour, but at least the other two leaders appeared to be warming to her.

“M’ name is Eristhes,” the gray stallion was the first to introduce himself. “I am a free’older m’self, an’ so many o’ these ponies ‘ave been actin’ as free’olders since th’ Return as well.”

“M’ name is Turnip Track, peasant farmer afore th’ Banishment an’ now de facto leader o’ th’ Diocese of Karazan in th’ absence o’ any nobles t’ take th’ position,” the tall stallion said, and Bristle snorted, “This is Bristle, another who hath shared th’ downtrodden state o’ many o’ us afore th’ Banishment but hath since been left t’ her own devices an’ thrived.”

“Your name is Turnip Track?” Applejack asked.

“Thy name art Applejack,” Turnip Track retorted, which was fair enough, she supposed, though she didn’t think their names were as similar as he seemed to think. “Wert thee truly sent from th’ gran’ duchess t’ ‘ear our petitions?”

“That’s right,” Applejack replied, “Tell me what they are, an’ I’ll bring ‘em t’ her.”

“We ‘ave just one petition,” Eristhes said, taking her at her word. “Many did not return from th’ Banishment, includin’ many lords under which we toiled.” He gestured to the crowd around him. “Despite that, many ‘ave done quite well for themselves wi’out any lords t’ oversee them in th’ Interim, actin’ as free’olders.”

“We do nay want t’ lose that freedom an’ independence when th’ gran’ duchess appoints new lords o’er us. Allowest those ‘oo’ve done well for themselves t’ continue wi’out th’ restrictions o’ peasanthood,” Turnip Track said, “‘Ave we nay earned that right? We only wish for what e’ery peasant ‘ath wished for an’ ne’er received: t’ be treated fairly.”

“I have t’ say, it all sounds very fair t’ me,” Applejack said, thinking of how her family had gained their special privileges and lands, “I’ll bring it t’ Ca—th’ grand duchess at once and advise her that this is th’ right decision.”

The crowd was astonished that she could wield such influence over the Grand Duchess of the North. Applejack ignored the not-too-quiet whispers and turned to set off back to the Crystal Castle and speak to Cadence.

“Perhaps,” Turnip Track said suddenly, “Though couldst return t’ us an’ tell us th’ outcome o’ your conversation?”

“O’ course I will,” Applejack promised before departing.

***

When Applejack returned to the castle, she would need to wait in order to speak to Cadence, for the grand duchess and Twilight Sparkle were deep in discussion with the North’s old nobility. An undeniable divide existed between the nobles of the North who’d survived the Banishment; and those who’d only ever known the land as the inhospitable Frozen North and become vassals of its grand duchess very recently, evidenced by the fact that the Brave Companions were meeting with both groups separately. Cadence had tried to get them both together, but that had been an unfruitful experience. Now, she was giving them one more chance to bring their grievances against the other group to her, separately. It wasn’t ideal, but if that’s what it took to settle the matter, she would try anything.

Not that it was at all surprising, but none of the nobles refused to be left out of the conference with Cadence and had all insisted on coming themselves. The throne room of the Crystal Castle had more than adequate space to accommodate them, but the way they all pressed forward made things feel very crowded indeed. Cadence was seated on her throne and Twilight Sparkle sat beside her, both looking down slightly upon nobles assembled in a crescent before them. Neither of the seats they’d taken were the same thrones that had occupied the throne room when Cadence and Shining Armor had first entered the castle, nor were they quite so elevated as those had been.

One of Cadence’s acts as Grand Duchess of the North had been to remove the dual thrones and lower the pedestal they were upon, reflecting that the North was no longer an empire or a kingdom and that she was the sole ruler of the realm. King Sombra had intended his future queen—who turned out to be Luna, much to the shock of Cadence and Shining Armor when they’d learned of it from the crystal ponies—to rule as an equal and had had an equal throne created. However, as much as Cadence loved Shining Armor, his title of grand duke was purely ceremonial. He had no more official power in the grand duchy than the Queen of Vanhuv’r or the King of Los Pegasus. Twilight was not seated in his lesser throne, but to Cadence’s right, in an elaborately styled chair that nevertheless paled in comparison to the grand duchess’s throne. Cadence’s seat of authority was a stone behemoth that appeared crystalline due to the power of the Crystal Heart. While it was very beautiful and imposing, it still looked mightily uncomfortable, even with the cushions that Cadence had added.

“Every act of the Shadow King that may be undone should be undone,” Duke Highcart of Pertallya said, and the other nobles trembled at the mention of Sombra. “The ancient privileges and power of the doukes of the North must be restored.”

It was an argument that Cadence had heard many times over. While she’d stripped away many of the reforms that King Sombra had imposed in the last stage of his reign, there were some more sensible ones that she’d kept in place. One of these was how he’d changed the titles of the North’s nobility and limited their power. The Crystal Empire hadn’t had dukes and earls, it had had doukes and jaarls, both of which were much more empowered than even their contemporary counterparts in the Kingdom of Equestria. The old nobility, especially the dukes and earls, wanted to return to their old ways and traditions that didn’t align with modern conceptions of the duties and powers they ought to have. Cadence may have been open to giving them their old titles back if it wouldn’t have created yet another divide between them and the new nobility. They would also expect their old privileges along with the old titles, and it could become a thorny issue if the new nobility with their new titles had to be treated differently because of this. Cadence wished to keep her new vassals happy, but they weren’t making it easy for her.

“Our traditions must be preserved,” Countess Cecilia of Flanek Field said. “These new lords and ladies from the south care nothing for our ways. If they continue to fill the North, we shall be overwhelmed. What shall become of the Peers of the Realm if nobles who know nothing of it come to sit in it? Your royal highness, the North cannot be subsumed by the south in such a manner.”

It occurs to me that your complaints against the new nobility could have been avoided had you not been so particular about which Northerners should be allowed to fill the vacant titles,” and some of the nobles had the good grace to look ashamed. “However, I am glad you did, for it has provided an opportunity to help rebuild the North. With these southern lords and ladies come fresh funds and peasants from other realms that do not drain our own. Yet, over a third of the North’s lands still have no noble to rule them because once you realized that you might be outnumbered, you stopped approving the distribution of titles.”

“Are the grand duchess’s titles not free for her to give out to whomsoever she chooses?” Cadence’s page, a crystal pony named Cobert, asked from where he stood awkwardly on the steps leading up to the grand duchess, having been displaced from his usual position by Twilight Sparkle.

“Many of these new lords have no heirs, excepting in the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht,” Duchess Marewen of Chasepake objected, “If they die without issue, then their lands shall pass out of the North. The North shall disintegrate!”

“I am aware of your concerns over inheritance, but what do you propose I do that you would accept?” Cadence asked.

“We must begin by reinstating the old titles and traditions,” Duke Highcart said, “New and old nobility alike must abide by laws of the North first and owe it.”

Around and around and around we go, Twilight thought as she searched for a solution that would lead them out of the quagmire they’d fallen into.

***

When Rainbow Dash had gone to the local Hunters, Fluttershy had hoped that she might be sent to the local druids. However, the druid circles in the North seemed perfectly content with Cadence’s rule so far. Or, perhaps they were still recuperating from shock over the extraordinary depopulation of the North. Either way, none of them had come to Cadence’s conclave, so Fluttershy would be meeting with somepony else. At least she wouldn’t be on her own; Twilight had lent her the services of Spike, who rode upon the pegasus’s back while perusing the ancient laws of the Crystal Empire.

Fluttershy and Spike would be meeting with representatives from the North’s Free Cities. Back when the North was still part of the Crystal Empire, certain towns had been designated as Free Imperial Cities and enjoyed special privileges. Much like Ponieville and Appleoosa in the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht, they’d existed directly beneath the emperor in the realm’s hierarchy, despite not residing within his demesne. Now, these cities wanted assurances that they’d be able to continue as they had a thousand years ago, old rights and privileges intact. It should be a fairly simple task for Fluttershy to fulfill, but she was still nervous.

The representatives from the Free Cities had agreed to meet in a high-class inn where many of them were already staying while in the city for the conclave. It was a beautiful place, with fine artwork on the walls and elegant pillars holding up soaring ceilings. The inn was mostly made of timber, but the effects of the Crystal Heart made it shine as if it had been hewn from purest crystal. Fluttershy and Spike were invited into a ballroom that had been reserved by the representatives, and that was where they met them, standing in clusters together. Though there were only twelve Free Cities in the north, there were over thirty ponies here, and it took a long time to get through introductions. When they finished, the clustered representatives elected to stand and speak to Fluttershy, who found it very uncomfortable to have them all looking at her.

“Oh my,” she said quietly as she steeled herself. “What is it you wanted to say to Cadence? Whatever you tell me, I’ll bring it to her.”

“We must know if she intendeth to honor all 437 tenets of the Compendium,” Marcélle, the burgermeisterin of Langhock, said nearly as softly as Fluttershy typically spoke.

The Compendium to which Marcélle was referring was the Compendium of Laws, Rules, and Precedents Regarding the Government of Free Cities within the Crystal Empire; a ponderous collection even without the numerous commentaries that were treated by the Free Cities as just as binding as the actual laws, rules, and precedents. Spike was working through the Compendium himself, but he was far from done. There couldn’t be any harm in telling the Free Cities that they’d remain free, though.

“I’m sure that Grand Duchess mi Amore intends …” Fluttershy started to say before being waved off by Spike, “I … mean ….”

“First she ought to doeth something about the bison,” Fletch, a burgermeister of Overhill, said boisterously, wittingly or not allowing Fluttershy an escape from her near promise on Cadence’s behalf.

“Hear, hear!” several ponies cried in response to Fletch.

“What about the bison?” Fluttershy asked.

“The bison are bolder now than they were before the Banishment. They march to our gates and demand tribute, and when we refuse, they burn the land around the city or attack the walls. Even if we allow them in, they pillage and plunder our homes and stores!” Fletch explained, “This must be stopped! The grand duchess must doeth something about this! She ought to be our protector, but while she doeth nothing, the bison are making us destitute.”

“Bayraht hath been razed thrice since the Return,” complained Turin, the burgermeiser of Bayraht. “We can nay go on.”

“Oh dear,” Fluttershy said after hearing of their plight, something that several other delegations were empathetically nodding along with.

“Well, what is Grand Duchess mi Amore going to do?” Villinius, a burgermeisterin of Overhill demanded.

Spike looked up at the druidess, his expression urging caution, but what could she do? She knew she shouldn’t promise anything unreasonable on Cadence’s behalf, but was it unreasonable for these ponies to expect safety? Not only that, but how might things continue if the bison raided their cities even more than they already had? Would the Free Cities not find their own means of fighting, either themselves or by hiring mercenaries to do the work for them? More conflict would follow between pony and bison, and she wanted none of that. She knew Pinkamena was visiting the bison and hopefully would return with a peaceful solution; but, what if she didn’t? It would be Appleoosa all over again on a larger scale, and both sides might not see reason this time.

“The grand duchess is seeking peace with the bison,” Fluttershy answered after mulling it over, watching the expectant faces. “If that fails, of course she will protect you. You are her subjects.”

With her pronouncement, the tension in the room dropped noticeably. She still hoped that a peaceful resolution would come with the bison, but she knew this: the Equestry Valley around Ponieville had been relatively peaceful for a long time because it had Celestia personally watching over it. Perhaps the North needed their own alicorn sorceress to watch over things to ensure prosperity.

“That is a relief to hear,” Burgermeisterin Marcélle said, “Now, shall we go through each tenet of the Compendium so that we can understand the grand duchess’s stance on each of them?”

Spike dropped the scroll he’d been reading, spilling four of the 437 tenets across the floor.

***

One Northern faction remained to be dealt with by the last of the Brave Companions: the new nobility. While Twilight Sparkle and Cadence spoke to the lords and ladies who’d lived through King Sombra’s banishment, Rarity and Shining Armor met with those who’d been recently appointed by the grand duchess to fill the places of those who hadn’t survived or left heirs. Most were ponies far down any line of succession and unlikely to obtain titles any other way. They were used to being given the leavings, but they were still miffed that the old nobility had been allowed to meet directly with Cadence in the castle’s throne room while they had to meet her envoys in the great hall.

“Count Silent Swallow claims he is not obligated to pay me any taxes or tribute during the first five years of my reign, but that cannot be true,” Duke Kliner, the legitimized bastard of a count with lands near the Hill Kingdoms, complained. “How am I supposed to pay my magistrates? I didn’t exactly bring a fortune with me when I accepted the grand duchess’s offer.”

“Yes, that is rather troubling, but might I remind you that complaints against individuals can be brought to Grand Duchess mi Amore at any time,” Rarity said. “The purpose of this conclave is to deal with issues that affect the entire realm.”

“This does affect the entire realm; it’s a problem for everypony,” Duke Iron Resolve objected, and it wasn’t only his two brothers (both now counts under his rule) that backed him up. “The old nobility is determined to bring us down. They are belligerent at best, and outright hostile at worst. They refuse to change from their traditions and customs, many of which we must believe to be completely fraudulent when they seem to exclusively be to our detriment.”

“This is a confusing time for everypony in the North,” Shining Armor replied. “The ponies who were here before are used to their old ways, and we must all find a way to work together and figure out how things are to be done in the Grand Duchy of the North, for the good of the realm and for each of us.”

“These old nobles are relics of the last age!” Countess Flight Feather yelled. “They should be learning our ways, not the other way around!”

“You must find some compromise,” Rarity said, rapping her hooves on the table to quiet down the crowd, which was getting a touch rowdy while supporting Flight Feather’s sentiment. “They could help you, you know, in dealing with your subjects, most of whom expect to be dealt with as they were a thousand years ago.”

“They would rather see our subjects rise against us,” Iron Resolve said flatly. “If they are intransigent—and they have been—and show no sign of wishing us anything other than harm or a swift departure from what they see as their land alone, then what are we to do?”

Though there was undoubtedly some exaggeration (the belligerence went both ways), most of the complaints the new nobility had were completely valid, as far as Rarity and Shining Armor knew. The old nobility—while grateful to Cadence and willing to make her, an outsider, their grand duchess, and initially allowed outsiders to be put in places of power—had soured against the idea. They also stubbornly clung to traditions that modern Equestrians would consider outdated and peculiar. There had to be some way to make both sides put aside their differences and see reason. If only they could all be held to the same standard; getting them to agree to this sentiment would be an easy task, but the tenets and boundaries of such a standard would be harder to settle. Still, they might as well start somewhere; and, once they had admitted that a standard had to be established, it would be easier to create if the alternative was to allow somepony else to do so—especially if it was somepony they couldn’t refuse, like Cadence.

***

All the Northern factions had been covered and met with, but there was one remaining group whose concerns needed to be addressed in the conclave. Rarity and Shining Armor had managed to convince the new nobility and old nobility to meet and settle their differences, so while the two of them oversaw that, Cadence and Twilight Sparkle met with the delegation from Cant’r Laht. Several important nobles had traveled to the Crystal City from Cant’r Laht, including members from the Lodge of Sorceresses. Since they’d arrived, all they’d done had been to try asserting the power of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht while sowing dissent between the different Northern factions. The Brave Companions meeting with each of them separately had prevented them from being able to continue in that, and they were not pleased. When Cadence summoned them to an audience in the Crystal Castle, however, they couldn’t refuse.

“Where do your loyalties lie?” Duchess Marriette l’Orètal demanded of Cadence. “The Kingdom of Cant’r Laht’s young lords and ladies are flocking to you and abandoning the realm of your birth. You pledged loyalty to Celestia and Luna, but not to the Crown of Cant’r Laht. What exactly are your intentions?”

“While the Grand Duchy of the North is still getting on its hooves, I’m willing to submit to the governance of Cant’r Laht, but I won’t saddle this land with such a burden in perpetuity,” Cadence replied. “Surely you can’t object to an oath to Celestia and Luna. It may not be an eternal oath, but it may as well be when it’s to alicorns.”

The argument was somewhat lessened by the fact that Cadence was an alicorn herself, but the point still stood. Celestia had been a constant fixture in Equestria for two ages now and was essentially assumed to always be there. Numerous treaties—not only in the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht—were signed with “so long as Celestia reigns,” standing in to mean forever. However, it wasn’t enough to satisfy the delegation from Cant’r Laht in Cadence’s case.

“Celestia is trying to bind her dominions into the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht, but you seem to be directly undermining those aims,” Count Arnwulf Steeding accused. “The Grand Duchy of the North does not follow the laws of Cant’r Laht, so why should other realms within it do so?”

“Perhaps you were affected by your time in Tyrannus more than previously thought,” Earl Neighsay Ferrun accused smoothly. “Instead of hoarding gems and gold, you hoard lands, titles, and ponies.”

“The North is not part of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht,” Cadence replied to Arnwulf, ignoring Neighsay’s accusation, “Celestia understands this. It is only the Lodge that seems to have a difficulty with it.”

“You are taking our young nobles and giving them new titles in the North,” Marriette said, “What if they inherit greater titles in the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht? The kingdom that your mentor has set up will lose land. Is that your intention?”

“Is the same not true in the other direction?” Twilight Sparkle asked, “Do you also bemoan the Grand Duchy of the North’s loss in territory if the nobles that have moved here inherit greater titles in Cant’r Laht?”

“Our concern is for the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht, as should yours be, Twilight Sparkle,” Neighsay said with a frown. “You realize that if our concerns are not addressed, then all the titles of your family will pass out of Cant’r Laht via your brother. House Haltrotsun will end in Cant’r Laht with you lacking any titles to pass on, unless you believe that Celestia will conjure up a new realm for you as well.”

Twilight Sparkle couldn’t like Earl Neighsay’s attitude (especially given his belligerence against Celestia in the Lodge of Sorceresses), but he brought up some good points. The Haltrotsuns held the title of Prince of the City now, and it would be a strange thing indeed if it was held by somepony who did not live in Cant’r Laht, much less the kingdom that shared its name. An exception couldn’t be made for them alone, though, without showing unfair favor. It would need to apply to all, which might prove good for the integrity of both realms but was sure to anger those who would be cut off from inheritance and opportunities to expand their lands.

“The Grand Duchy of the North will remain a dependency of Cant’r Laht for as long as Celestia and Luna rule as regents, but no more. Let us have that settled and understood now,” Cadence said firmly, “Now, what other suggestions do you have? Inheritance is a tricky business, but I believe we can come to an agreement.”

***

Only a couple days more were required to draw up the charter that would settle many of the internal problems facing the Grand Duchy of the North. Negotiations with each party that remained in and around the Crystal City, the bison having departed shortly after meeting with Pinkamena, continued to be held individually and culminated in a great council where everypony was able to finalize the charter. The Brave Companions stuck around only long enough to see their work done and the charter signed before returning via portal to Ponieville.

The Grand Ducal Charter of 1002 4A would bind all vassals and subjects of the North under the same rules—rules they’d all agreed to. The old and new nobility would be held to the same rights and obligations, decided upon in the Table of Ranks that they’d drawn up together. Getting them to agree had been a tricky task for Shining Armor and Rarity, but when the charter stated that anything they had not agreed on would be decided by Cadence—who could decide something that pleased neither party, and they’d have no right to complain about it—they were persuaded to make compromises. The old nobility was placated in being allowed to use their old titles again if they so chose, but no precedence would be given to them because of it; and they had to treat those of the same rank, different title or not, as equals, so the new nobility allowed it.

The matter of inheritance was strictly regulated by the charter. No noble in another realm could inherit a lesser title in the Grand Duchy of the North, and no noble in the North could inherit a lesser title in the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht. The same (and more) applied to the grand duchess, who could not inherit greater titles outside of the North. With the stroke of a quill, Cadence gave up her right to inherit the Crown of Cant’r Laht. Twilight Sparkle was now first in the line of succession to become Queen of Cant’r Laht upon the deaths or abdications of Celestia and Luna, something very bizarre to her that made her nervous—unnecessarily so, she was sure, as Celestia and Luna would certainly reign another thousand years or more.

The Free Cities would remain free, and Cadence would respect all 437 tenets of the Compendium. Fluttershy had understood them well enough to explain each’s intricacies to the grand duchess, and she’d been happy to agree to all of them. She would also honor Fluttershy’s promise to protect the Free Cities from the bison.

The bison had gone away from the conclave without contributing much, but they were still provided for. The charter promised open markets without extortion to any bison herd that didn’t pillage and plunder, but the point was moot. The bison herds of the North weren’t willing to cease their raiding, they and were going full steam ahead with the plans for forming a khaganate. Cadence knew that it would be some time before all of the North was under her control, but she couldn’t sit idly by if such a thing created turmoil within her realm. She still wished for a peaceful and fair deal with the bison, but if they forced her to act, she would.

All peasants in the North would be given equal rights and protections, something that elevated many of them who’d been under draconian conditions a thousand years ago. Additionally, the charter allowed for those who’d demonstrated ability during the interim without lords to be granted freeholder status. Cadence wouldn’t remove the feudal lords entirely from their lands and they wouldn’t have the same independence as before, but they would retain some measure of freedom. The charter also provided for peasants that felt they could better govern themselves to petition for such rights, even allowing them to go over their local lord’s head and petition Cadence directly. It was something that hadn’t been tried before, to Cadence’s knowledge, but she hoped it would help the realm, especially while it was still stitching itself back together after the Banishment.

Provisions for Hunters were left up to the lords of the realm. Each could set prices or not as they saw fit, so long as they honored the decisions made by their liege in that arena. Wanting to be a well-informed ruler, Cadence also included a resolution in the charter that she was required to invite the Hunter grandmasters every year to the Crystal City to help her set fair prices.

Things would not be entirely the same as they had before King Sombra, but they could not be. The North had found itself thrust into a new age surrounded by unfamiliar realms and strange ponies. They would need to adapt, and Cadence would see that they did so and survived the change. It would take some time before the North was as secure and prosperous as some of Equestria’s other realms, but she was willing to put in the work to make it so. She wouldn’t be on her own either. Under the protection of Regents Celestia and Luna and able to easily reach out to the Brave Companions for help, she was certain that the Grand Duchy of the North would not only survive, but thrive.

Comments

[TasermonsPartner]

“I wouldn’t call all of those ringing successes, but I get your point,” the Hunter acceded, “If things are as bad as you say, I suppose we can only make things better, not worse.”

Oh Dash, you naive pony, you. 😝

Seriously though, most things worked out here. I think it was rather creative how you set everything up.

I thought it quite ironic how Pinkie was sent to deal with the bison, since she in the show she was so good with Yaks and their temperament here was similar. And then that got me thinking...where are the Yaks? Did they disappear too? Have they always been there, north of the North Empire and are still there, but haven't made contact? Are the northern bison tribes a stand-in for them? Guess we'll wait and see.

Hmm, since nopony from the North really seemed to acknowledge Spike yet, either his hero-following won't be as strong in the story as it was in the show, or it hasn't had time to be built up amongst the population yet (or perhaps Cadence will be the one to help build it; give the North a hero other than herself?)

Introducing Neighsay this early (compared to the show) leads to much more chance for character build-up for potential conflicts with him, which is a clever move. If he has a similar artifact that he does in the show, then he can also open portals, which can put him on-level with Twilight and help contribute to any developing rivalry.

Shining and Rarity together make an odd team, but surprisingly effective. That was a good choice!

[Snowdrifter]

Spike dropped the scroll he’d been reading, spilling four of the 437 tenets across the floor.

Moses: Fifteen Commandments! Fif-
Crash!
Moses: Ten! Ten Commandments!

[Xanderfox]

Humm are Yaks a thing in this Universe? If they are I must assume they are a Hermitage at this point, what happens when Yakyakastan opens up, the Bison will have to deal with foes of similar caliber to them selves that fight in the same manner only more violently.