Tenebris

Few ponies remember the origin of the Kurosidae, better known nowadays as the Temnokt.

According to ancient tomes and records, the Temnokt were once normal dragons; powerful, intelligent, but over all, completely devoid of magic. They lived by fighting amongst each other or with other dragon clans, but even in that time, they were known for being much more refined and cultured than the rest of the dragons.

One day, when a tribe of gypsy Unicorns was passing by their homeland, they set up a camp and spend three moons in the mountains of Equestria before leaving, not wanting to cause the dragons' ire. However, in their rush, they forgot various tomes of books forbidden from long ago. Dark magic books. The dragons were curious, and some of the youngest took those books and attempted to read the Equestrian alphabet, but the dark magic in those books allowed them to absorb the knowledge by simply flipping the pages; the dark magic radiating from the very books corrupted every living thing around it.

Soon, the black magic took its toll on the dragons who were foolish enough to read the books. Their once bright, colorful scales became darker and darker as time passed, and eventually they became blacker than ebony, blacker than the night, blacker than a Changeling's carapace. They grew hair, like ponies, but their hair was spiky and often short, sometimes purple, sometimes blue, other times red or even orange.

But the most notable change was their eyes; their eyes became almost like ponies' eyes. They no longer had a single slit as a pupil, but a complete pupil still-shaped as a slit and colored irises with normal, white sclera. Wherever they used the dark magic, their otherwise white eyes became green, their iris changed to a brilliant scarlet and purple mist emanated from them.

But power came at a price.

One day, the Temnokt found two sharp fangs had grown sticking out of their mouth, almost like a vampire's. As time went on, their magic grew weak, and there was nothing in the books which could help them reverse the side effect. Panicking, one of the elder Temnokt kidnapped a unicorn and attempted to force information about magic out of her; when she refused to answer, in desperation, but in a feat of primal instinct, the black dragon dug his two fangs into her neck...

And drained the magic off the unicorn.

Realizing that to use their magic they would need to steal magic from another creature, the Kuros resolved that they would capture Unicorns and suck the magic out of them to preserve their own. Soon, every Unicorn in Equestria came to fear the black dragons with a strong passion, and the mere mention of their species made them tremble and cower. In honor of the dragons' black color, the ponies decided to dub them 'Temnokt', or 'black' in Marejanese.

A Unicorn drained off magic was like a soulless body. The Temnokt's methods involved kidnapping Unicorns, sucking the magic out of them, and then wiping their memories away so that they would not reveal the secret. After this, they would return the Unicorn to his/her hometown, and the rest of the ponies would assume the 'drained' Unicorns were simply ill. However, the black dragons happened to accidentally capture an Earth Pony or a Pegasus, they simply wiped their memories and let them go. They cared not for magic less creatures, only those who were overwhelmed with magic.

But soon, almost all of the Unicorns were drained off magic, and as the Temnokt ran low on sources of magic, they soon found out about a race of immortal ponies, with the strength of an Earth pony, the elegant wings of a pegasi, but overall, an infinite magic source, much powerful that they could ever imagine. A magic source that would keep their craving for magic quenched for centuries, even millennia, if they wished so.

The Alicorns.

Initially, the Alicorns were caught off guard when some of their kindred disappeared, but when they caught on to the Temnokt's strategy, war broke out. The Temnokt and the Alicorns fought mercilessly, and they would have eradicated Equestria in their quarreling hadn't the two species eventually come to an agreement.

The Alicorns made a truce with the Temnokt King, Burning Moonlight; the oldest, wisest and most powerful of the Temnokt race. The Alicorns created another source of magic for the Temnokt to draw their power from; combining their ancestral magic and knowledge, they created the Astral Line, an infinite but invisible magic source to be used only by the Temnokt. It would never run out, so the Temnokt would not need to worry about running out of magic ever again.

But since they had done a lot of damage to the once magical land of Equestria, the Temnokt were asked to leave and never come back. While thankful for the gift of the Alicorns, they became embittered when they were unofficially exiled, and so they flew across the Great Ocean, in search of a new place to live.

However, after that, the Temnokt were never heard from again...

- Kurosidae, A Forgotten Race by an unknown author.

Canterlot was having a good, sunny morning. The pegasi had made sure the sky was clear of clouds, and yet there were still a few clouds there and there to prevent the sun from giving too much of its lights to the city. Things had been calm for some time now, with no signs of any threat to Equestria or its citizens, which put everypony on a really good mood. There was a sense of calm which made everypony feel at ease, and you could find most of the ponies of Canterlot with a big smile on their faces.

The Princesses were no exception.

Even though they still had a lot of work to do, all that paperwork and the pending business from the short time they were turned to stone caught them by surprise, but that didn't impede them from acting with all the grace of a princess. Princess Celestia, in particular, was actually enjoying the paperwork, it was the first time she was calm and in silence, with no interruptions. As usual, Silver Quill, the mare in charge of administering paperwork, helped her with the duty, using her magic to hold the papers in front of the Alicorn and flipping the papers as soon as Princess Celestia had signed them.

Most of the paperwork involved approving new laws or renewing old ones, but lately, the paperwork involved asking for permission to cross the Great Ocean, probably to trade rare items with the Zebras and the Gryphon Kingdom, but all of the papers seemed to be written with hesitation, as if they were reluctant. However, what could be so important that ponies wanted to cross the Great Ocean so badly? These days, the only way to cross the Great Ocean quickly was to board a Intercontinental Zeppelin, designed for long trips, which could last from a few days to weeks, depending on the climate.

"Princess!" Suddenly, a member of the royal guard crossed the doors of the throne room, panting heavily as if he had come from far away, "News from across the Great Ocean!"

Knowing at once that the matter had to be tended to immediately, Princess Celestia motioned Silver Quill to put the still-long pile of paperwork aside for the moment, putting her attention on the guard who had just entered in, "What is it? Does the Zebra kingdom need our aid? Do they need supplies for the villages?"

Recovering his breath, the soldier shook his head grimly, "No, your Highness. It's much more serious this time, I'm afraid. They have finally answered to our letters."

Letting out a small gasp of surprise, Celestia inquired, "What have they said?"

"They say it won't be that easy to make it, but they are willing to give us a chance. Their people still distrusts our race, but they refuse to tell why, I suppose they don't want anypony to know."

Princess Celestia looked down in disappointment. She had hoped that they would be open for the idea of peace, but unfortunately, they were not precisely fond of Equestrians. The reason for that xenophobic behavior had yet to be explained, but she didn't recall any events in the past that could have made them act this way. Sure, the two races had been at odds with each other for a long time, but they had never gone too far as to declare war. No, she knew war was not the solution, what she needed was somepony who could see past their intimidating appearance and demeanor, somepony who could speak their language, somepony who knew enough about the race.

It clicked.

"Please send a messenger to the Crystal Empire to ask Princess Cadence and Shining Armor to come to Canterlot."

The soldier bowed, "Yes, your highness," then he was galloping out of the throne room.

Princess Celestia used her magic to levitate a quill and paper near her face, and started writing a letter addressed to her most faithful student.

Who better than her to help her in a situation like this?

The morning rays shone down upon Ponyville, notifying the ponies that a new dawn had arrived. The princesses were back, the Changelings were gone, and everypony was safe. Soon, ponies walked out of their homes, some of them for the first time in weeks, and went to visit their friends, to hang out at Sugarcube Corner and have a milkshake or to restock their fridges.

Twilight Sparkle sighed in exhaustion as she used her magic to levitate books back into place, flashcards back into her drawers and accomodated the cushions of the couch. It had been a rough night with the triplets, especially for first-time parents like them. Spike did everything he could to help, but even he had trouble with the triplets, considering he himself was still a baby, and Screwball... well, she wanted to help so badly, but sometimes she just ended up startling the triplets.

Once she was done, Twilight caught her reflection in the mirror: her mane was a complete mess, with a few strands sticking out, and bags under her eyes, due to not having slept for three nights in a row. In fact, she was surprised she still hadn't fainted out of exhaustion. Sure, she knew that having children would be hard, but she never imagined it would be that exhausting, especially since Discord's blood ran through their veins. Feeding them was not a problem, since they had inherited Discord's magic and could feed themselves. Unfortunately, they were also quite unpredictable; Astral Aurora had magic outburst every now and then, and she often appeared and disappeared at will. Night Charge had the habit to nibble on anything he found, including books, quills, and the plushes decorating the foals' room. Lavender Dusk turned out to be quite a troublemaker, he just loved to pounce on things and knock objects over, mainly the piles of books.

She was brought back from her thoughts by a knock in the door. Twilight Sparkle quickly ran her hooves through her mane to fix her hair and made sure there were no strands sticking out. She opened the door and saw Stormfly and Fukkuteru standing outside, with little Mist Wing nibbling her father's ear.

"Hey Twilight," they both said.

"Hi, guys, come on in." Twilight replied, standing aside and letting them in. Actually, only Stormfly was able to enter the library. Fukkuteru could only, barely, fit to his shoulders. "Sorry for the mess."

"No problem, I know parenthood is hard," Stormfly replied, removing a few books from the couch with his magic to take a seat, "Especially triplets."

Twilight sighed as she finally collapsed on the other couch, not minding to remove the papers on top.

"You have no idea..." she whispered, "For the first time ever, I envy oviparous animals. All they have to do is incubate their eggs, and after that they simply feed their offspring."

Fukkuteru lifted his head, offended, "For your information, Twilight, incubating is as hard as taking care of foals. We have to roll over the eggs to keep them warm at both sides, and we have to keep an eye on them all the time, not to mention that clutches are all put together in nurseries, so it's a headache to point a particular egg out!"

Before Twilight could reply, her husband soon walked down the stairs, but he looked older than... usual. He had bags under his eyes, and much to the others' amusement, he looked like Rarity each morning, before she fixed herself to meet other ponies. He had hair tubes on his black mane, a sleeping eye coverer just above his eyebrows and Twilight's cream on his face, almost making him look like an old mare.

"Morning, honey," he spoke, letting out a yawn, "I didn't know we had visits. I would have removed all of these things from me," Discord snapped his fingers, and in a flash of white light the hair tubes, eye coverer and cream was gone.

"Actually, Discord, I invited them here," Twilight replied, "I thought it was a prefect chance to document information about the Temnokt species, without being burnt to ashes, at least."

Fukkuteru exclaimed, "Hey! I heard that!"

"Twilight!" Suddenly, Spike ran down he stairs holding a scroll in his claws, in his hurry not noticing Stormfly and Fukkuteru's presence, "Letter from Princess Celestia!"

"Oh, no!" Stormfly suddenly panicked, and took a cushion to his head, "Surely she is going to arrest me for something! I have to hide!" Ten seconds later, he was trying to hide under the couch, earning giggles from Mist Wing, who decided to imitate her father and hopped off the couch to slid underneath it.

"Seriously, Stormfly," Twilight sighed as she levitated the scroll with her magic, "Why would the Princess arrest you if you haven't done anything wrong? Maybe she needs something," the unicorn started reading out loud, just to prevent another 'incident' with Discord.

My dearest Twilight

I know you must be busy, with your newborn foals and resuming your studies at the same time. But I have something to ask of you, my faithful student. I have been trying to make peace with the Temnokt, but I'm afraid they won't open up for the idea of a treaty. My attempts to negotiate have been futile, and more and more ponies keep crossing the Great Ocean, I believe they are headed for the Temnokt Empire, but their business there I do not know.

That's why I need you to bring that Temnokt friend of yours, Fukkuteru. He may be just what we need to accomplish our goal. The Temnokt Empire won't negotiate with a pony, but they might negotiate with one of their own kind, all I can do right now is hope it will work out. That's why I need you to come to Canterlot immediately to discuss what will be done on this matter. Your friends and your family will accompany you in this quest, and if you were to accept, you will be crossing the Great Ocean, to the Temnokt Empire.

Yours faithfully,
Princess Celestia.

"Fukkuteru?" Stormfly, who had just crawled from down the couch, started waving his hoof in front of the paralyzed Temnokt's eyes, "Are you okay, buddy?"

"S-She... Wants to make me an.... Ambassador?" was all the Temnokt said.

One day later...

"Are you sure you don't want me to go?" Luna inquired, staring at one of the stained glass windows, "I have connections over there."

Celestia grimly shook her head, "I'm afraid it must be another Temnokt who negotiates with them. Our ambassadors never had any luck in getting an audience with the Temnokt King, perhaps Twilight Sparkle and her friends will somehow figure out how to make them open up to us."

"But the Temnokt Empire is one of the most powerful races in the world," Luna continued, "If they were to declare war on us..." the moon princess looked down in worry, "I'm not sure if we would make it through. And If they were to conquer Equestria..."

Celestia put a comforting hoof on her sister's shoulder, "I understand your fears, but they wouldn't go as far as to do that anymore."

"Princess," one of the guards entered the throne room, his expression as serious as ever, "They've arrived."

Luna sighed in resignation and walked towards the door, knowing her sister wouldn't need help in what would happen next.
Fukkuteru was the first to enter the throne room, sweating uncontrollably, his pupils shrunk and dilated. He was followed by the mane six, who were as confused as to why Princess Celestia would need Fukkuteru. Discord waved at his wife from the entrance, holding their triplets with some difficulty, with Astral Aurora on his tail, Night Charge on his head, and Lavender Dusk on his arms. Stormfly had also stayed behind in the hall, with Mist Wing nibbling on his ear.

"P-Princess Celestia," Fukkuteru gulped, still afraid of her being angry for something, "Have you requested to see me?"

Celestia nodded and gave the black dragon a reassuring smile, "Indeed. But do not worry, I did not summon you here to scold you for something," she noticed the Temnokt's sigh of relief, although he attempted to dissimulate it, "But to ask a favor of you."

"A favor?" Fukkuteru inquired, "What would you need of me, your Highness?"

The ponies in the room felt chills run down their spines when the princess's expression became grim, and even Twilight Sparkle couldn't help but to shiver ever slightly. Celestia fired a thin beam of golden magic at one of the stained windows, and suddenly the carvings began to move out of place to accommodate in new shapes, and the color started to change from the brightest pink to a dull magenta, then to a dark fuchsia, and finally to solid black, almost as black as Fukkuteru's skin. The drawings in the stained glass window depicted a majestic black dragon, wearing a regal cape under battle armor, and a helmet hiding most of his face, but what made the ponies shiver was to see Unicorns at his feet, apparently lying on the ground with no strength to even stand.

"The Temnokt Empire," Celestia spoke solemnly, "Your homeland, has finally answered to one of my letters. The Temnokt King says that while he is eager to talk about a treaty, his people are not as excited as him, and I'm afraid that for a reason that they refuse to disclose, ponies seem to be..." Celestia closed her eyes, "... Unwelcome."

"I don't understand," Rarity pointed out at the picture, "Why do those Unicorns look like they're dead? And why are they at his feet?"

"My little ponies, I don't know if Fukkuteru has told you about this, but millennia ago, before Luna and I ruled Equestria, before Discord came to power, the Temnokt were like any other dragon species. But they tampered with black magic, and it not only changed their appearance, it tainted their personalities permanently. While the magic they used was powerful, it was not eternal, and they needed to obtain magic from a source to keep using it." Celestia stared sadly at the poor Unicorns at the Temnokt's feet, "They drained the magic off Unicorns."

The mane six let out gasps of shock, and the worst came from Twilight Sparkle and Rarity, who could not believe that Fukkuteru's race could be so... cruel, when he himself was friendly, honest and likable.

"Wait a second!" Rainbow Dash lifted her hoof, "How can dragons use magic?"

Fukkuteru, ashamed for the revelation of his race's dark past, gave the pegasus a sorrowful look, "The black magic that tainted our blood forever was not normal. It could be used not only by Unicorns, but by other living beings as well; however, while Unicorns could use it as they pleased with no need to refill their magic levels, other beings needed to drain magic from a different source. Our race opted to drain it from Unicorns, since they were filled with magic, magic ran through their veins and they used it more than any other kind of pony."

"Can we see it?" Twilight Sparkle inquired, hopefully, "I mean, I would like to document the first being other than a Unicorn to use magic."

Fukkuteru sighed, "I would like to, but I'm afraid that I haven't had any use for my magic for years, the only times I actually used was when I went exploring in Saddle Arabia. Besides, without the Astral Line, there's no guarantee it will work."

"Astral Line?" Applejack inquired, "What in tarnation is that?"

Celestia explained, "During the Equestrian-Krussian war, the Alicorns made an agreement with the first Temnokt King, Burning Moonlight. They created a source of infinite energy, so that the Kuros would not need to drain Unicorns off their magic. However, they were forced out of Equestria because of the harm they had done to its denizens, and the Astral Line moved along with them."

"In other words," Applejack connected the dots, "The Astral Line is in Krussia, the energy doesn't reach Equestria," she gave the black dragon a glance, "And Fukkuteru's magic is limited."

"You know, you would have been a nice scholar back home," Fukkuteru joked, letting out a chuckle.

"It doesn't have to be long," Twilight pleaded once more, "I just want to take a glance at black magic. King Sombra was the only Unicorn I ever saw using that kind of magic," the ponies noticed Fukkuteru growing uneasy when the lavender Unicorn mentioned the evil king's name.

Seeing Twilight would not give up so easily, "All right, I'll try," he turned his head around to look at Celestia, "If you have nothing against it, your Highness."

Celestia shook her head gently, "You may proceed."

The black dragon closed his eyes shut to concentrate, and after a while he clenched his teeth and started to sweat, as if he was struggling to lift something. Soon, his horns started crackling with black electricity-like energy, after a few seconds they were engulfed in a purple haze, and finally strong violet mist started flowing from the corners of his eyes. Finally, he opened his eyes, now glowing an eerie, phosphorescent luminous vivid pistachio green. The Temnokt extended his bat-like wings, apparently not himself any longer, and the aura from his horns expanded on the whole room, causing black, obsidian crystals to grow on the ground, startling everypony present, Celestia included. However, the sun princess's eyes gleamed white and she extended her own, feathered wings, using her own magic to make the obsidian crumble away and put Fukkuteru out of his trance.

The Temnokt felt like he had just spun around at top speed, and it took him a while to recover, "Huh... What in the...?" When he noticed the looks the Mane Six were giving him, he realized what had happened, "I did it, didn't I?"

Twilight was completely speechless; that magic, she had seen Sombra use it in the past, back at the Crystal Emprie. She still could recall when Princess Celestia first replicated Sombra's magic; the purple mist, the eerie green eyes, the violet haze in her horn. Then the time she saw Sombra for the very first time as a shadow, he had those very same eyes.

"Is that... Temnokt magic...?" Fluttershy whimpered, attempting to use her wings to cover her face.

Fukkuteru nodded, "It is. I apologize for causing such a mess, but as I said, I haven't used this type of magic for a long time. In fact, I'm surprised I got to manifest it."

Celestia coughed softly to call everypony's attention, "As I was saying, I would like Fukkuteru and you to cross over to the Temnokt's capital, Krussia, and arrange a peace conference with the Bittercold, the Temnokt King. But I must warn you, the Temnokt can be very tricky and cunning when they intend to, and most of them won't be welcoming to you. King Bittercold has a short fuse, if you make him angry he won't hesitate to punish you, and the Temnokt are known for their..." Princess Celestia felt uncomfortable when she said the next words, "... grotesque."

With a spark from her horn, the image of a black dragon clad in a regal black armor, similar to the one wore by the Temnokt in the stained glass, glaring at them with eyes as cold as the ice of the Frozen North. Suddenly, the projection extended its wings and let out a soul-shaking roar, like the roar of Cerberus, that resounded in the throne room. Celestia used the magic in the her horn once more, this time to make the projection disappear before Fluttershy got a heart stroke.

The Temnokt spoke, "How do I begin with the task you're commending me, your Highness?"

Celestia smiled, "I have already prepared a vessel that will take you across the Great Ocean, where you will stop for rest at the Zebra village of Greva. From there, you shall take a train that will take you to Kruscow; I have already sent a letter to King Bittercold about your arrival, so you should have no trouble with Immigration once you're there. When you arrive at Kruscow, Ambassador Meteoric Sun will meet you."

Twilight Sparkle looked back at her friends, and they all had determined looks on their faces; even the timid Fluttershy had a small look of confidence upon her face.

Their newest adventure was about to begin.

Horizontem

View Online

Twilight couldn't actually believe there was no information about the Temnokt once she asked Princess Celestia. She read every book about dragons she had ever read, but there were no entries for the black-scaled dragons, and in the few books there was a mention of the Temnokt it only had the phrase 'Undocumented'. Not even Discord could help her; he had about a thousand years, but he had never interacted that much with the Temnokt race, finding them creepy.

Fukkuteru barely fit into the library; in fact, he only fit to his shoulders and waist, with his wings outstretched outside to be more comfortable. Twilight offered him a cupcake, but another interesting detail about the Temnokt she discovered was that they didn't know about cupcakes. But soon she discovered Fukkuteru didn't even know about milkshakes or sweets or apple fritters.

"Do you not have desserts in Krussia?" Twilight asked him while putting away all the treats he had politely declined.

"Yes, but they're not as..." Fukkuteru examined one of the cupcakes which Twilight was yet to put back in the fridge, "... flamboyant as yours."

"What do you mean?"

"Krussian desserts, unlike yours, are not precisely sweet. We're not used to tasting food with too sugary taste, so we usually add little or no sugar in our desserts." Fukkuteru let out a sign of longing, "I miss those bitter Mousses."

"Fukkuteru," Twilight managed to gather the courage to ask what she had in mind, but she had the feeling he would try to avoid the question, "I'd like to know... Why is your kind so reclusive? I mean, why are there no entries about them in the books? I haven't even seen a single black dragon in Equestria but you."

The Temnokt was initially taken aback by her question, but soon he looked down, "It's... hard to explain," he spoke solemnly. "After the Equestrian-Krussian war, my race left Equestria for good and vowed never to return. Ponies don't know this, but Temnokt are not very friendly with Equestrians, especially Unicorns. If a Gryphon tourist from Eagleland, or a Samareai from Neighpan, or even a Zebra from Zebrica comes to our country, most of us welcome them with open arms, but Ponies..." Twilight noticed the black dragon was starting to grow uneasy, "I don't know what happened in the past that made us think like this about Equestrians."

Twilight had the feeling he was lying, but decided not to pressure him so much; after all, it could be a national secret or something, and it was simply not allowed to disclose it to outsiders. She decided to save that subject for later, and levitated a quill and paper to her face. "So, Fukkuteru, would you mind telling me a bit about Krussian customs?"

Lord Clawblack Drakkon

Hookbait

The Canterlot Airship Deck was buzzing with activity. Ponies were running in and out of the Intercontinental Zeppelin the girls would take, carrying crates and supplies, and probably making it more comfortable for them. It was two days of traveling, after all. The captain of the zeppelin, a mare with a fiery orange coat and a bright yellow mane, was speaking with some of the sailors. Her Cutie Mark was that of a zeppelin, with two clouds on one side, hidden beneath a navy blue captain coat.

Twilight cleared her throat. "Excuse me, miss."

The orange mare twirled her head around, and examined the group carefully before speaking. "Ah, you must be Twilight Sparkle, right? I'm captain Cloud Dancer, and I shall take you to Greva. You may put your luggage in that cart, my colts will load it up on your cabins later."

"Wow, Princess Celestia sure prepared an awesome transport for us!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, taking off and examining the airship upside down.

Cloud Dancer had been informed with anticipation that one of the passenger was a Temnokt and the other a Changeling, so she didn't react when said passengers started examining the ship. Stormfly had never seen an Equestrian airship this close, while Fukkuteru's race needed no airships at all, as he had put it. Screwball, after putting her pink and purple suitcase in the loading cart, trotted to the Changeling's side. Mist Wing was on her father's back, napping soundly.

"I must admit, this is beautiful. Simply beautiful." Stormfly said, "I've never seen anything like this."

"Just wait until you see the cabins!" Screwball grinned fondly as she wrapped a hoof around Stormfly's shoulders. "It's all very comfy and tidy and neat! you will love it!"

Discord, struggling to get the triplets under control, didn't fail to notice the approach his daughter was having with the Changeling. Twilight noticed the look he had, decided to say something before he drew conclusions. "Don't worry, she's just being nice with him, that's all."

Discord narrowed his eyes at the pair when Screwball tightened her grip in Stormfly. "I think she's being a little too nice."

Astral Aurora started wailing when Night Charge started nibbling at her tail. Twilight levitated her daughter to her back. "There, there, it's okay. Mommy's got you."

Discord gave his son a scolding glance. "Night Charge, what have your mother and I told you about nibbling on your sister's tail?"

Captain Cloud Dancer walked down the wooden platform leading to the ship's deck back to the port and addressed the group. "Everypony, we are ready to depart. But we must still wait for Prince Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. But you may come into deck if you wish so."

Soon the ponies walked into the ship for different reasons. Rarity wanted to choose her own cabin, Screwball was going to tour Stormfly around the Zeppelin's interior, Fluttershy and Applejack wanted to settle in and Rainbow Dash wanted to see the Zeppelin's engine room. Fukkuteru opted to wait for Shining Armor and Cadence with Twilight.

"Honey, mind if I go into our ship's cabin? My arms are starting to fail me, I've been carrying Night and Lavender for three hours!" Discord whined at his wife, his arms aching to no end.

Twilight rolled her eyes with a grin. "Okay, I guess you and the triplets can wait inside." She gave Astral, who had already stopped crying, back to her father. As Discord flew away into the ship's deck, Twilight noticed Fukkuteru's worried expression. "Is everything okay?"

"It's just that..." The Temnokt sighed sadly. "It's been so long since I last saw my country. What if everything has changed since I was last there?"

"Don't worry, everything will be fine. I'm sure your family will be happy to see you."

"Yeah... My family."

"Twiley!"

Twilight's face brightened with a smile as she galloped towards her brother, and the siblings nuzzled their snouts against each other. Blade Kiss was on his father's back, playing with his mane.

"I'm so happy to see you, BBBFF!" Twilight squealed in delight. Soon, she was happier when she saw Cadence trotting off towards them with a smile on her lips. The lavender unicorn trotted to meet her former foalsitter.

"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake.
Clap your hooves and do a little shake."

Twilight and Cadence laughed, not minding if the sailors gave them funny looks or thought they were odd. The Temnokt smiled softly upon seeing the mares do that particular dance. He had seen ponies dancing, but he had never seen that type of dancing. Must be some kind of greeting dance or something, he thought.

"All aboard!" Cloud Dancer's voice echoed through the speaker. "We depart in five minutes!"

Winter.

Unlike Equestria's gentle winter, Krussian winters were merciless, vicious and infamously long. The fields were constantly covered by a thick blanket of snow, and the skies were often blocked out by dark clouds from where the snow fell. There were no snowflakes, the snow was simple and round, like Equestria's snow before a little blind Pegasus made them see the blessings of winter by creating the first snowflake ever. Unfortunately, there was never such an individual like that in the Temnokt race, and considering that unlike ponies, the Temnokt didn't control their own weather, winters in Kruscow were always the same.

But this did not make their lives miserable. No. Under the rule of King Bittercold, unemployment and delinquency was low, morale was high, and everytemnokt had a roof under which to sleep. Being one of the most powerful countries in the world, the Temnokt' capital city, Kruscow, could be compared to Canterlot, the capital of Equestria in terms of beauty. The buildings resembled those of Maris, Prance, but they had a gothic touch to it. In this unforgiving weather, citizens often had to wear long winter garments like scarves, cloaks, boots and hats in order to leave their homes. Even common folk had elegant-looking and espacious homes, considering that the birthrate was rather high, despite the conditions they lived in.

A great citadel, resembling an ancient Medieval castle turned gothical, with walls of the darkest shades of gray and spines sticking out some walls, made the Imperial Castle look rather intimidating to foreigners. The head of a Temnokt was looking through one of the transparent windows in the highest levels of the castle. His whole body was concealed under a winter cloak, but underneath that cloak were garments worthy of his position as Imperial Confidant. His deep amber eyes were gazing over the snow-stricken land, his spiky short Mohawk of gamboge hair cascading to the left side of his face.

"Milord."

The Temnokt noble didn't react upon hearing his servant's voice. Servants, unlike most Temnokt, were shorter than an average Imperial Temnokt, and their scales didn't gleam as much as a common folk's either, probably due to the lack of exercise. This particular servant, his right claw Temnokt, had a long black hair tied up in a feather-like style. His underbelly was a contrasting chalk white, making his scales look blacker than usual.

"Any news, Hookbait?" The Temnokt in the winter clothing inquired.

Before speaking, Hookbait gave his master the mandatory bow, unfolding his wings to the ground as he did. "Lord Drakon, the new ambassador of Equestria will arrive in three days, minimum."

"I know that, Hookbait." Lord Drakon hissed, narrowing his eyes. "I'm the Royal Family's most trusted advisor and confidante, do you think they would not inform me of new ambassadors crossing the Great Ocean to come here! I mean if there's any news from you know what."

"I'm afraid it's not as easy as I wished, milord. Commander Whiptail has sharp eyes, he is suspecting something."

"Sharp eyes? Him? That's an irony, Hookbait, considering his condition."

"With all due respect, milord, Commander Whiptail is not blind, he just cannot see with his left eye."

"We don't need to worry about him. Even if he actually suspects of me, it's his word against mine." a cruel smirk formed on his lips. "Who do you think Bittercold would believe more? Anyway, did you research what I asked you?"

Hookbait nodded and his horns flashed green and purple as he levitated three books, and a few newspaper articles on the tea table next to the High Blood Temnokt. He had a bad time obtaining these, considering they were only found in Equestria, and only a few Krussian libraries had them, and they were reluctant to part with them. It took him a lot of sweet-talking and money to get his claws on these books.

Copies of The Elements of Harmony, History of Equestria, and Unicorn Magic Basics, along with prints of the Equestrian newspaper The Canterlot Gazzete featuring articles like Nightmare Moon Defeated a Second Time, Spirit of Chaos Brings Havoc, Changeling Invasion and, most recently, Dead King and Changeling Queen defeated by Elements of Harmony.

"These so called Elements of Harmony are the most powerful force known to Equestrians." Hookbait explained. "With them, the Equestrians were able to defeat the Mare in the Moon, the spirit of Chaos, and a Changeling army and their Queen, not once but twice. Even he who must not be named was wiped off the face off the Earth by the Elements of Harmony."

"Imagine it, Hookbait," Drakon whispered in an almost unaudible tone. "If we were to lay our claws in those Elements, we would be unstoppable. Even King Bittercold would be unable to stand up to me. I would rule the Empire as I see fit.

Hookbait agreed. "A strong Empire, milord. An Empire we can be proud of."

"That old fool has ruled for too long. It must be I, and I alone, who rules the Empire. We must obtain these Elements of Harmony as soon as possible."

"Steal the Elements of Harmony? That's impossible!"

"If we play our cards carefully, it isn't. I understand there are six elements, right?"

"Yes. Honesty, Generosity, Kindness, Laughter, Loyalty and, the most powerful of all, Magic."

"If we could obtain the Magic element, our own magic would triplicate. I can imagine how much magic power it must contain."

"There's something else, Milord." Hookbait spoke. "Apparently, the Elements themselves are protected by Wielders, and these particular ponies are linked to the element of the characteristic they posses. Only they can wield them. Even if we could steal the Elements, we would have to search for these Wielders, bring them here and force them to use the Elements in our favor."

"That won't be a problem," Drakon glanced across the snow-covered pines of the stretching forest on the edge of the city. "I have the feeling we will meet them very soon."

After nightfall, when everypony but the sailors and Captain Cloud Dancer, reunited in Twilight Sparkle and Discord's cabin, after putting the foals to bed, Fukkuteru proceeded to explain a few customs of his people to avoid 'misunderstandings'. The cabin was very espacious; the walls were painted in a soft yellow, the floor was a velvety red, and on the sides of the cabin there were round windows allowed the ponies to see the starry night sky, brought forth by Luna. There was a king size bed on the opposite wall of the door, and a few couches for the others to accomodate themselves. Twilight and Discord were resting face-down on the bed, Shining Armor and Cadence were sitting on one of the couches, Pinkie Pie opted to rest on the floor, while the rest of the couches were occupied by Fluttershy, Applejack and Rarity. Rainbow Dash was resting next to Pinkie Pie, while Stormfly and Screwball lay down next to each other, much to Discord's annoyance.

Fukkuteru's family had offered them to accomodate at their home for the duration of their visit. Krussians loved visits, made wonderful hosts and displayed special generosity and goodwill to visitors from another country. Real Krussians were more than happy to accomodate visitors at their homes. They would also be very pleased to show their guests around the city, accompany them sightseeing and take them to interesting places. However, it was also a custom for Krussian guests to bring a gift for their hosts- a chocolate box, a fruit basket, or anything they could afford.

Twilight Sparkle was writing down the information enthusiastically on sheets of paper; she still had the 'first to document Krussian customs and traditions' idea in her head, and there was no stopping her. She often reread what she wrote down; Krussians were quite emotional but often kept it to themselves, were curious about strangers, the elders were very respected there, and were known for expressing what they felt (but not to the point of being extrovert). For some reason, they apparently seemed to have a strange resistance to alcohol.

However, they had their flaws as well; Krussians were very proud, and pointing out their vices or criticizing their country was a very bad idea. They were superstitious, and to enworse things, only a few Krussians could speak Equestrian (luckily, Fukkuteru's family and The Royal Family were among that group).

But what upset the mares the most, was that Krussian society was very gender based.

Apparently, in Krussian eyes, drakes -Krussian term for male- should be strong and assertive while dradies -the term for females -although often smart and beautiful, should be quiet, reserved, obedient and servicing. An ideal mate for a male was demure, graceful, polite, delicate, poised and were expected to stay at home as cooks, caretakers and craft-makers. In fact, King Bittercold was the first ruler to accept females as co-rulers of the Empire, and to give females equalitarian rights.

But old habits died hard.

"Remind me to give them. Piece of my mind when we get there," Rainbow Dash commented, signaling punches with her hooves. "I will show them what an angry female is capable of!"

"Rainbow Dash, you can't just arrive at a foreign country and expect them to change their culture just because you don't like it," Twilight scolded her.

"I must say I agree with Rainbow Dash, Twi," Applejack commented. "I know we can't force them to change their traditions..."

Fukkuteru looked down and thought. Not that they would listen to you, anyway.

"But if they expect us to simply sit down and let sta- drakes," Applejack quickly corrected herself. "Do everything for us they're going to get it!

"Girls, I understand how you feel," Cadence joined the conversation, giving Applejack and Rainbow Dash a serious look. "But remember; as much as they will try to make us comfortable, we are guests in their country and we must adapt somewhat to their customs as they will adapt themselves to avoid offending us."

"You haven't seen anything, princess," Stormfly muttered. "When I was in Chrysalis's Hive, it was the other way around. Females dominated males."

"You girls don't have to worry about it. Since you are only guests, you won't be forced to fill a drady's work, but don't be surprised if you encounter a sexist drake."

Rarity immediately hopped from the red couch and stomped her hooves on the velvet carpet, "What?! What barbarity!! I'm not giving myself away to such a... A..." She looked for a proper word, not wanting to spook the Temnokt in front of her. "... Savage race! How can they force females to do that?!"

Fukkuteru panicked.

"No, no, no, no! You misunderstood! When I say sexist I mean prejudicial and discriminating behavior based on gender!"

Rarity's ire cooled down upon hearing those words, and her face became red or embarrassment. "Oh," she whispered.

"Anyway, I think we should all rest," Shining Armor concluded. "It's getting late, and we'll need all of our energy tomorrow."

Fluttershy let out a small yawn, covering her mouth with a gentle hoof. "I guess you're right. Goodnight, everypony."

When Twilight and Discord were left alone in their cabin, the Draconequus leaned his head closer to his wife's ear and whispered. "Well, now that the children are asleep, and we're completely alone, how about we have some..." He softly nibbled on the lavender unicorn's ear. "... Fun?"

Twilight giggled, blushing deeply and wrapping her hooves around Discord's neck. "You sure know how to make a night exciting, don't you?"

"You have no idea, Twi."

"Then show me."

The couple joined their lips in a passionate kiss, and soon the pillows and bedsheets were all scampered across the floor as Twilight and Discord were carried away by their passion. Discord wrapped his tail around Twilight's as she kissed deeper into his mouth, their tongues tasting each other and their hooves (claws and paw, in Discord's case) caressed and stroke the other's skin.

The door creaked open.

"Hey, Twilight, how much until we- SWEET CELESTIA!!!"

"SPIKE!!!" Twilight and Discord screamed simultaneously, quickly grabbing the edge of the bed sheet to hide their 'little game', looks of shock stricken on their faces. The baby dragon was staring wide-eyed at the scene, his mouth agape, his pupils shrunk, and his left eye twitching in complete dismay and shock. Discord gave his wife an awkward glance.

"Twilight," he spoke. "I think we'll have to give him the Talk."

Pribytiye

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The Intercontinenal Zeppelin landed on the Zebra village of Greva one day later.

Greva was not a big town. There were only a few homes and shops because there was nothing to attract tourists nearby. The village itself was located on a steppe, with very few trees on the surroundings barely touching the morning sky, often for decorating purposes. The homes were no longer made out of sticks and hay, in part thanks to Princess Celestia's generosity. They were now made out of brick and cement, just like normal Equestrian homes. As the ponies descended from the Zeppelin, captain Cloud Dancer waved their hoof at them. "Well, my job ends here. Go to the train station, and take the next train to Kruscow. It's a day of traveling, so I suggest you go and take something to eat, because the trip will be long."

As they descended, the first thing Stormfly did was hide behind the group and take the same shape he had used the first time he had boarded a train with Shining Armor, Rainbow Dash and Screwball He used a similar spell on Mist Wing, since she was too young and couldn't change forms by herself. After all, while the Ponyville ponies were already accustomed to his presence, the Zebras didn't, and who knew what opinion they had of the Changelings.

"Okay, everypony!" Twilight said as they walked down the dirt path, carrying Astral Aurora and Night Charge on her back. "Princess Celestia said she had reserved seats for us in the train before we came, so we won't have to worry about the tickets. We need to be at the train station in half-an-hour."

"Meanwhile." with a snap of his fingers, Discord soon had sunglasses and a bath suit on. "Let's have fun!"

"Discord! We're not here on vacation! We're here on a diplomatic mission for Princess Celestia!"

"Come on, Twilight. We're not in Kruscow yet, and you're already talking about our task!" Rarity said, wrapping a hoof round her friend's neck and trying to ignore Night and Astral starting to play with her mane.

"Yeah, Twiley. You don't need to worry about it yet," Shining Armor added, blushing slightly. "Besides, we would need to find the train station first."

Fukkuteru looked around, his eyes turning red for the slightest moment before speaking. "That way." He pointed West of the main square, towards a rising smoke column. "If you're looking for a train station, you should look for rising smoke."

Spike made an effort not to flinch next to the Kuros; he had gotten to know him, but that did not mean a dragon much more bigger than him, and capable of using dark magic, was not creepy. In fact, he was surprised that the zebras passing by did not even turn to look at him, and when they did, they simply looked up at Fukkuteru's face casually before going back to their business. As they walked towards the train station, Pinkie spotted something peculiar. A few zebras were making a long line on a pastry shop, and whatever they were buying seemed to be very popular.

"Look! A pastry shop! Let's go have some cupcakes!"

"Pinkie Pie!" Twilight called out to the pink mare in dismay as she ran towards the line to wait. Finally, she let out a collective sigh of frustration. "Alright, everypony! I suppose we could take a break. Just don't forget that we'll be meeting in the-"

"Wo-hoo!"

"I want to see the Zebra's rustic clothing! I might even get to buy a dress or two!"

"I suppose I could take a look around and... Maybe, there's some new little animal I haven't seen before around here."

"What do you say, Cadence? Should we take a walk around?"

"Well, I think Blade Kiss would enjoy it as much as we do, Shiny."

"Hey, Stormie! Let's go and make some new friends!"

"Well, Screwball, I'd like to, but- HEY! Be careful!"

Before she was even done speaking, everypony else had already walked off to see a point on interest or to buy some souvenirs, or to simply take a look around. Only Discord and Fukkuteru remained. Lavender Dusk started to giggle upon seeing the look of dismay on his mother's face, soon followed by his brother and sister.

The zebras protested when Pinkie Pie galloped to the counter, and barely calmed down when Twilight and Discord followed them, only settling down when Fukkuteru took a few steps closer. The zebra behind the counter, a mare with crystal blue eyes, became surprised when the pink pony burst through the crowd of Zebras to take a look at the pastries. Her face soon fell when she realized there were no cupcakes, but rather strange-looking sweets. Twilight and Discord followed.

Upon the counter there a few cakes with a thick slice of marshmallow covered in chocolate, a dark-colored cake with a very thin layer of icing, round buns with what appeared to be cottage cheese, and chocolate bars.

"What are these?" Twilight inquired, not recalling having seen them in any recipe books.

"Krussian desserts brought directly from Kruscow!" the owner of the pastry shop said with pride. "And you'll only find them here!"

"Brought from Kruscow! Let me see!" Immediately after the word Kruscow left the Zebra's lips, Fukkuteru's head poked through the door of the shop, and soon he was drooling in excitement. "Ah, yes! I haven't tasted them for so long!"

Discord immediately took Night and Astral in his arms to keep them away from the desserts as they, along with Lavender, were already trying to reach out for them. They had, unfortunately, inherited his taste for sweets, but this time he did not know how Krussian desserts tasted like. "What kind of sweets are those?"

"These," Fukkuteru first pointed to the marshmallow-chocolate cake. "It's Ptichie Moloko, or as Equestrians would say, Bird's Milk Cake. It's one of the best Krussian sweets." Next he pointed to the dark cake. "That's Prague Cake. It requires four different sorts of cream, some laced with brandy and other liquors, and the pastry is soaked in rum."

"WHAT?!" Twilight yelped, almost making the zebra from behind the counter flinch. "You put alcohol in that cake?!"

Fukkuteru tilted his head to the side. "Yes, why?"

"It's... Not... normal in Equestria." Twilight muttered. "Remind me not to taste that cake..."

Pinkie Pie lifted the round buns. "Do these have alcoholic beverages too? Because if it does, I'm not eating it! And if I don't eat it, I'm going to get sad! If I get sad, I'll make everypony sad! If everypony is sad, we'll make the Kuros sad-!" Before she continued speaking, Fukkuteru, in a fit of panic, used his magic to make her mouth close shut.

"N-No..." he stuttered. "It doesn't have any liquor."

Pinki accepted the answer with a 'hhmmm'.

"Listen, fellas." The zebra from the counter spoke, her patience wearing thin. "Are you buying something or not? There are clients who have been waiting a month to come and get their orders."

"Don't worry, we won't take that long." Discord whispered, still struggling to get the triplets away from the pastries, especially the prague cake. "We'll take a chocolate bar!"

"Ok. It's twenty bits."

"WHAT?!" Twilight bellowed, this time making even the entire line of zebras outside flinch. "Twenty bits for one single bar of chocolate?!"

The zebra stared at her like she had lost her mind. "Well, what did you expect? Krussians are very picky about their desserts, and it's not compared with how much it costs in Kruscow."

"She's right, Twilight." The present Kuros spoke. "If I were you, I'd take the chance."

Twilight let out a sigh as she placed twenty bits on the counter, and Pinkie enthusiastically grabbed one of the chocolate bars. Before they could be overhelmed by the zebras outside, they calmly walked out of the shop, watching as the rest of the zebras -mostly mares and colts- rushing into the store.

"I don't get it," Twilight levitated the chocolate bar from Pinkie Pie's hooves to take a closer look at it. "What makes this bar different from normal chocolate?" she looked up at Fukkuteru in dismay. "Please don't tell me it has rum!"

"Don't worry, it doesn't." Fukkuteru chuckled. "Just remember what I told you about Krussian sweets."

Twilight looked down at the chocolate bar levitating in front of her. Shrugging, she decided to taste it since she had spent twenty bits on it, it had to be worth of it if it was so expensive. She levitated the chocolate to her lips and gave it a small bite...

The lavender unicorn's eyes widened as an incredibly bitter feeling invaded her mouth, she felt her papillae protesting against the piece of chocolate, not used to such a bitter flavor. Twilight immediately spat the piece of chocolate from her mouth, and started wiping her tongue in desperation. "This thing is very bitter! How can Krussians eat this?!" she spat.

"Like I told you, we are not used to eating too much sugary food," Fukkuteru said as he gently took the chocolate bar from Twilight, levitataed it up to his face and gave it a bite. His lips curled into a smile. "Delicious! I had missed these bars so badly!"

Twilight and Discord stared dumbfounded as the Kuros ate the rest of the chocolate with a grin. Pinkie Pie tapped Twilight's shoulder and pointed to her lips with her hoof when the lavender unicorn turned her head around.

"Oh, sorry, Pinkie!" With a flash of her horn, the pink pony's lips opened. Pinkie Pie looked up to the Kuros pleadingly.

"Would you give me a bite?"

Rarity and Applejack looked around the rather small marketplace, watching as zebras sold strange-looking fruits or herbs to those who could afford it, and a few, homeless zebra colts were waiting for a chance to snatch up a single piece of fruit and run for it before the owner caught them in the act. Much to Rarity's disappointment, zebras didn't exactly have a taste in fashion. They didn't even use clothing, for Celestia's sake. And the few who actually did wore nothing more than cloaks and small garments of dark brown cloth. Applejack was looking for some souvenirs. After all, she had promised Applebloom to take her something from Krussia.

"My! I can't believe it! These zebras really should look at themselves in the mirror sometime, if they have one!" Rarity commented overlooking one nearby zebra mare, who gave her a funny look.

"Stop it, Rare!" Applejack snapped, upon noticing the way the other zebras were looking at them. "The last thing we need is to be chased around by an angry zebra mob."

"Applejack, please! What would make them lynch us to death?"

"Maybe somepony's comments about their lifestyle."

"I'm just giving giving them a little words on fashion." Rarity's eyes widened when at another zebra mare with spiky hair. "My gosh! Look at her hair!"

The zebra mare in question twirled her head around, and narrowed her eyes. As she walked closer to the duo, they realized she was not a short as she seemed; in fact, her build as much bulkier and she had much more muscles than the rest of the zebra mares.

"Ya got a problem with my hair?!" the zebra hissed, making Rarity step back in fear. "I said, ya got a problem with my hair?"

"No, no, no!" Rarity replied, panicking, loking around. "I was talking about that zebra's hair!" She pointed at a zebra stallion with a long mane that almost touched the ground, making the zebra mare snort.

"That's my husband!" she hissed

Before Rarity could say somethiing else, Applejack gently shoved her back and took charge. "Don't listen to her, miss!" she stuttered nervously. "She's just... Confused, yes, that's right! All this heat is afecting her brain!"

"Hey! I not-!"

Applejack quickly put her hoof over her friend's mouth before giving the zebra a nervous grin.

This was going to take a long time.

Fluttershy stared in wonder at a glossy-furred skunk napping on a small stuffed bed.

The pet shop she had come into had many types of animals she had never seen before. There were gray-feathered parrots, red-colored macaws and a few other birds. There were gigantic ground turtles, alligators, crocodiles and three meter long snakes. There were monkeys, chimps, lemurs and many other small mammals scrittering around. The zebras had a policy of 'no cages' for the animals, so all the little creatures in the shop were trained to remain in their respective places wherever a potential buyer- and owner- came into the shop.

However, there was an area Fluttershy found rather... intimidating.

Unlike most animals in the shop, those animals were mosty colored in dark shades. And unlike those animals, these were actually encaged; the cages were big enough to be comfortable, of course. Ravens and crows cawed at the zebra shopkeeper asking to be fed. Great panthers, ebony-colored jaguars and white tigers were either napping or licking their fur. Dark-colored wolves, foxes and coyotes were playing around in their warm stray beds inside their cages. Five-meter long black snakes, deep green iguanas and spiky-covered lizards were lying around in their tanks.

"What kind of animals are those?" Fluttershy inquired, walking closer to one of the cages containing a crow.

"Those animals are imported from Krussia, miss." The zebra explained. "However, they are mostly for collectors. Whoever buys them usually want either guardian beasts, or to show off animal collections. They're expensive, that's for sure. Only members of the High Blood can afford them, and they're shipped to the capital."

"Shipped?" Fluttershy inquired, giggling as one of the wolves started licking playfully on her hoof. "Aren't there animals like this in the capital?"

The zebra shookd his head. "No, miss. Since Greva is the closest Zebra setlement to Kruscow, the Kuros can only send them here. It would take two weeks to ship them from Kruscow to the Imperial city, while it only takes two days to ship them here."

Fluttershy stroke one of the snake's heads. "What kind of snake is this? I've never seen them in this color."

"I would be careful if I were you, miss. Those are black mambas, and they're very poisonous."

Flutershy let out a frightened 'meep' and quickly withdrew her hoof. The snake simply stared at her in confusion, bright golden eyes staring into aquamarine eyes.

She needed to be careful around black snakes.

Stormfly flinched as Screwball dragged him across the town, Mist Wing clinging to his mane. His face was a much darker shade of gray due to the blood rushing to his cheeks, making him blush deeply. He was starting to realize that he felt strongly about Screwball, but he had not missed the looks Discord gave him wherever he and Screwball were 'too close' to one another. Screwball didn't seem to notice, however, and she always cuddled with him whenever she could.

"Screwball, where are you taking me?" Stormfly finally gathered the courage to speak, and he nearly tripped when the mare stopped right in her tracks and let go of his hoof.

Innocently, she turned around. "I don't know." Screwball started gigling. "I was just trying to drag you away from daddy so that he would stop giving you funny looks."

So she actually does notice Discord's glares. Stormfly thought. "What kind of funny looks?"

The mare shrugged. "I don't know. But he looks like he want's to kill you with his eyes, do you think it's bad?"

"Seriously?" the Changeling in disguise sighed, making Mist wing slide from his back to his neck. "I think it's bad considering that he tends to be quite... jealous."

"How can he be jealous? We're just friends, right?"

Stormfly stared at Screwball for a few minutes, enthralled by her swirly, pinkish purple eyes, her cotton candy pink coat, and the white swirls in her violet mane. She always had that innocent look to her, like a filly inside a mare's body, which made her look adorable, in his eyes. Mist Wing had taken a great liking to her as well, often crawling or hovering in search of Screwball when he was out. He was confused to this. Baby Changelings were hostile towards those who did not carry their parents' scent; in fact, it took about a month for him to teach Mist Wing that Twilight Sparkle and everypony else were 'family'. But it was a piece of cake with Screwball. He deduced that, since they had interacted very closely during the first hours they met (when he had first embraced her in a moment of weakness) his scent had mixed with hers.

"Yeah..." stormfly whispered as Screwball turned around and started to walk towards some zebra fillies.

Just friends.

The train station of Greva was nothing grand. Nothing fancy. It was simply a wooden platform next to the railway and the brown-colored train that would take Twilight and the rest to their destination. The morning sun was already hovering much higher in the sky, and the colors of heaven had changed from cake blue with the white clouds tinted of yellow to a bright sky blue. Twilight was the first one to arrive, carrying the triplets on her back, after Discord and Pinkie Pie's little incident made her husband carry an unconscious Kuros to the station.

"Come on, Twilight! it was fun!" Pinkie Pie giggled.

"Pinkie, making Fukkuteru faint just for a chocolate bar that you didn't even eat is not funny." Twilight rolled her eyes.

"Hello! A little help here!" Discord cried out, almost dropping Fukkuteru in the process. Twilight sighed and, using her magic, levitated the Kuros's unconscious body next to her. Pinkie Pie hopped unto his back and started playing 'cowpony'. Twilight was glad he was unconscious.

"I just don't understand why he reacts that way with Pinkie Pie." Discord commented.

"Maybe she resembles somepony... or somekuros he would rather forget." Twilight deduced. "Or maybe his race is not used to... ponies like Pinkie Pie."

"Hey, everypony!"

Applejack and Rarity trotted toward the station, calling out for Twilight and Discord. Rarity looked like she was about to faint, and it took five minutes to explain to the others the little situation with the zebra they just had. Rainbow Dash was the second to arrive, saying that she didn't find any 'worthy opponents' anywhere, not that the zebras paid her any attention anyway.

Fluttershy arrived soon after, and she couldn't wait to tell them about the wonderful animals she discovered in a nearby pet shop, but also the animals imported from Krussia. The most majestic beings she had ever seen, with a prideful air and good proportions. Stormfy and Screwball arrived soon after, with Spike following suit. Discord discretely narrowed his eyes when he noticed his little Screwball was holding the Changeling's hoof, but this timeStormfly chose to ignore it.

"So, everypony is here?" Twilight asked for the fifth time.

"No, Twilight. Cadence and Shining Armor are yet to arrive." Spike rolled his eyes

"Why don't you relax a bit, mommy?" Screwball asked innocently.

"How can I calm down?" Twilight replied, nervousness in every fiber of her body. "The train departs in five minutes, and they're not still here!"

"Well, maybe they're coming right now..." Fluttershy timidly suggested. "I mean, it's not like them to be late for a train ride."

"To enworse this, Fukkuteru is unconscious!"

"I have an idea. Some of us could get Fukkuteru inside the train, while Twilight Sparkle waits here for Shining Armor and Princess Cadence!" Pinkie Pie hopped from the Kuros's back. "I'm bored, and I want to take a nap because I couldn't sleep much last night because I was excited so-"

"Okay, okay!" Rarity finally snapped out of her state of shock. "We all understood, Pinkie."

Twilight Sparkle watched anxiously as Discord and Stormfly struggled to get Fukkuteru into the train with a little help from Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Pinkie Pie followed suit, hopping her way to the train door. Rarity and Fluttershy, along with Screwball and Spike, decided to wait for Shining Armor and Cadence.

They failed to see a crow staring at them from a nearby withered tree branch. It flew away once it noticed a pink alicorn and a white unicorn rushing to the station.

Said crow landed twenty minutes later in a parch inside one of the windows of the Krussian Imperial Castle. While it took usually three hours for a normal bird to fly from Greva all the way to Kruscow, Krussian messenger ravens were enhanced by dark magic. They could fly to Equestria and return in a question of hours if their master asked them to.

Drakon slowly walked towards his window when he heard wings flapping, and a bird's talons grab onto its wooden perch. While he wasn't particularly fond of animals, crows were an exception. They could be as silent as a gray wolf about to lunge at prey. They could be as fierce as a panther pouncing at its enemies.They had an elegant air to them, like the Kuros themselves. But overall, they were loyal.

"Well, hello there, Charcoal." Drakon whispered, his voice as cold as ever, but his eyes showing great affection towards the black bird. "What took you so long?"

Charcoal cawed in reply

"There's something I need to see?" Drakon chuckled humorlessly. "Show me."

Purple mist started flowing from his amber eyes, and his schlera changed to phosphorecent green. He met the crow's gaze, and soon the bird's eyes turned red and green. Blurs of images invaded Drakon's mind. An Equestrian airship, ponies descending and going their separate ways just to reunite minutes later at the train station. A Draconequus, a baby dragon, a Changeling, a Unicorn, and various mares whom he assumed were their maids. But what gave them away was the unconscious body of a very familiar black dragon being carried into the train.

Drakon's eyes went back to normal as a malicious, cold grin that would have given King Sombra chills formed in his face.

"They're finally coming."

Introduktsii

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I still remember it like it was yesterday.

All those countless years ago. After they were driven out of Equestria by the Royal Sisters, they sought refuge in the cold, boreal forests near the zebra kingdom. The unicorns living in those long-forgotten regions learned of the Temnokt's dark magic, and many went to these dragons in search or knowledge and power.

When I first set a hoof in Krussia, I couldn't believe my eyes. A frozen land of pine trees and endless blizzards, it took me three days to reach it's small capital, named Darkhala back then. The Temnokt could barely survive in that unwelcoming land, and when I arrived, they lived in wooden homes and barely ate.

To think that small village filled with starving black dragons became one of the most powerful nations in the whole world.

- Starswirl the Bearded's journal.

Bagaesh

Vasilisa

Velvet

Lightfire

Tinder

Lake Wave.

Catseye

Cold.

Ice.

Blizzard.

It was very surprising how the landscape changed drastically from a treeless, hot steppe to a boreal forest, made mostly out of pine trees, with no sunlight at all, but dark clouds all over the land, as if Celestia's sun refused to share its warm with the Krussians.

As soon as the ponies first took a peek through the window of the train, one day later, they were shocked at the landscape. While it was spring in Equestria, with colorful flowers sprouting from the green grass, fruits growing in the trees and little birds and animals out in the forest, it was still winter in Krussia. Almost everything was covered in snow, and there were no animals to be seen. Fluttershy felt rather disappointed, since she had hoped to see animals in their natural habitat.

When they stepped out of the train, they would have frozen to death hadn't the zebras supplied them with scarves and socks and winter hats. The foals were completely wrapped in miniature winter clothing, but they didn't seem to like it; they constantly attempted to get the hat off their heads.

"I don't understand." Discord commented, looking the snow gathering around the tall buildings. "How can there be snow here when we're in the middle of spring?"

"It's the middle of spring in Equestria." Fukkuteru explained. "Winter here lasts nine months, and the rest of the seasons only last a month. I don't like it, but that's how it is."

"Why don't you simply blow the snow clouds away to let the sunlight in?" Rainbow Dash inquired.

"The Temnokt don't control their own weather." Twilight explained. "Even if they wanted to, climate is unpredictable in this part of the world, just like the Everfree Forest."

"We're supposed to meet ambassador Meteoric Sun now, everypony!" Shining Armor had to shout so that the others would hear him over the howling wind. "But where does he live? Or was he supposed to meet us here?"

"Princess Celestia explained to me that Ambassador Meteoric Sun would go greet us to wherever we would stay! I suppose that we ought to go to Fukkuteru's home and he'll go and see us!"

"He does know we're staying there, doesn't he?" Applejack inquired, barely managing to keep her hat upon her head. "The last thing we need is the Ambassador going to meet us at the wrong place!"

"She said she would write him a letter!"

"Everypony, follow me!" Fukkuteru cried out. "My family's home is this way, but don't separate from the group! Kruscow's streets can be very treacherous, even for us!"

Kruscow was a very large city. Larger than Ponyville. Larger than Canterlot. Even larger than Manehattan. A major part of the city was a labyrinth of narrow streets (in Krussian standards), a few half-timber homes and wide avenues lined with neoclassical stone buildings or bourgeoisie standing. Long, straight, wide boulevards with a few closed cafes and shops made up the streets, sometimes extending far beyond the city's limits. It reminded Rarity of the Marisian streets, in Prance, apparently the Krussians had based their architecture on Hooffmann's design. Around the limits of the city was a massive wall, presumably to protect Krussians from the beasts wandering outside the city walls. Almost every building was colored in dark shades of gray, cream and red, with white timbers and transparent windows. Streets were designed as homogeneous architectural wholes. Buildings themselves were not treated as independent structures, but together created-on a block, if not the same street or even quarter-a unified urban landscape. The Krussian facade was organized around horizontal lines that often continued from one building to the next; balconies and cornices were perfectly aligned without any noticeable alcoves or projections. They looked like ten five stories high-in Pony standards, at least-but were actually two stories high, plus the attic.

Due to the terrible climate, only a few Temnokt were out in the streets, wearing their heavy, colorless winter cloaks and coats. But when they noticed the ponies walking down the streets, they pretended they were not there, some of the youngest accompanying their parents giving them a glance before its mother told him not to look at them directly.

Before long, the group came to one of the houses, colored a dark ivory, with white edges on the stairs. Soon the ponies took notice that the buildings were very large. In fact, they had to hop in order to climb the steps on the stairs. Fukkuteru knocked three times on the door, and before long, a black dragon even larger than him poked his head through the door. Two thick glasses were resting on his snout, but he narrowed his golden eyes at the figure before him.

"Do I know you?" a raspy voice came from his throat, indicating that he was either sick or he was very old.

"Grandpa, it's me!" Fukkuteru replied, containing liquid joy (he had once heard Shining Armor address tears as such, and has been calling them like that ever since). "I'm your youngest grandchild, Fukkuteru!"

After a few minutes, during which the ponies had huddled against each other in order to stay warm, the elder Krussian's eyes widened in wonder upon closely inspecting the younger individual in front of him. "Fukkute, is that really you, child?" The door burst open, and the two Temnokt embraced each other with their wings; Twilight and the others noticed that Fukkuteru's grandfather had first stepped out, and Fukkuteru had stepped back a bit. "Well, I can't really keep calling you child! You're a grown-up drake! Last time I saw you, you were no older than Swift wing!"

The old Twmnokt was thin, and he only had a few muscles along his frontal and back legs. He had a pale purplish blue underbelly, the underneath of his wings were of a more solid tone, and his horns were about five feet long. Unlike Fukkuteru, he lacked any kind of hair, probably due to age. There were dark bags under his bags, and a few wrinkles across his face, showing he was in his last years.

He soon realized they had visitors, but he was taken by surprise when he realized they were much more smaller, and came in different colors as well, but the one who called his attention the most was the tall individual who looked like he had combined various animals to make himself a body.

"And who are these?" he inquired.

"Hello, Mr." Twilight smiled. "My name is Twilight Sparkle, and we're here on a diplomatic visit." She extended out her hoof to him...

"GAH!" the elder Temnokt immediately twirled around twice before digging at the stony floor. "Bad luck! Bad luck!"

Twilight stepped back in shock, her pupils shrunk. Rainbow Dash tried to contain a snicker, while Applejack and Fluttershy stared in shock at the Elder Temnokt. Fukkuteru panicked and lowered his head to Twilight's side. "I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you. If you want to shake sometemnokt's claw, you can't do it through the door. You have to go in, or wait for your host to come out. Shaking a claw across a door it's considered a bad omen."

"And you tell me now?!" Twilight snapped, before looking up at the Elder Kuros. "I'm so sorry, Mr.! I didn't know that! I didn't mean to offend you!"

The Elder Kuros, having already regained his composure, looked down at the unicorn with warmth in his eyes. "Worry not, Lady... Sparkle, right?" Twilight nodded. "I know it's the first time you and your friends have ever come here, so it doesn't matter. But you have to be careful, not everytemnokt can speak Equestrian, and they may... misunderstand it." A smile twisted the old dragon's features. "Where are my manners? My name is Bagaesh. Any friend of my grandson's is welcome in this house!"

The group followed Bagaesh inside before they turned in to icicles, and shook the snow off their coats. While Fukkuteru claimed that the house was of middle-class, to them it seemed as if they had stepped into a four-star apartment. The walls were a simply dark red while the carpet on which the velvety couches of the living room were accommodated was a toned down brown. Through the wide doorway leading to the kitchen, the ponies could see pearl white gabinets, counter-tops and brand new looking cookware, with an old-fashioned oven on one side.

"It's not much, but it's what we have." Bagaesh sighed.

"Not much? Are you kidding?" Rainbow Dash flew up to see the Temnokt in the eye. "This is one of the coolest houses I've ever seen! You sure have style!"

"I like it! It's so comfy-comfy and it has pretty colors!" Pinkie Pie suddenly looked upside down from Bagaesh's head (how she had gotten there without anypony noticing, he couldn't explain) with a wide grin. "Do you have cupcakes? I'd like to eat a cupcake right now! I tried to taste a chocolate bar at Greva, but it wasn't sweet, so I figured you had a cupcake here, am I right?"

Bagaesh's eyes were wide, his pupils were almost invisible, and his mouth was agape, showing a pair of sharp fangs. He stared at Pinkie like he was staring at a terrible monster.

"Uh...."

Before the pink mare could send his grandfather into cardiac arrest, Fukkuteru levitated her from his grandfather's head and placed her on the ground before speaking. "Hey, grandpa, are mother and father and my siblings home? I'd like to see them after all these years!"

"Your father and Catseye are out, I'm afraid, but Velvet and your sisters must be upstairs." Bagaesh replied, recovering from Pinkie's unannounced antics. "I must warn you, though. You know how your sisters tend to 'welcome' you."

Fukkuteru grinned. "It's so nice to be back home."

As the two Temnokt spoke, the apparently forgotten group of ponies was looking around the place. Pinkie Pie had attempted to go into the kitchen, but Applejack and Rainbow Dash stopped her; after all, they were only guests, and they didn't want to snoop somekuros's else belongings. Cadence and Twilight were watching as their respective children played with one another, and giggled when Lavender and Blade attempted to do their 'greeting', having witnessed their mothers doing it everytime they saw each other. Rarity was staring at the much larger couches; for a pony to climb onto Krussian furniture would mean to jump. Fluttershy was timidly peeking in search of any sign of pets. Spike gulped upon seeing how large things were in that part of the world, from his perspective, at least. Screwball just sat, waiting for something to happen.

"So, this is what a Krussian home looks on the inside," Discord commented, stretching on the couch before relaxing his muscles and looking towards the ceiling. "Not bad."

"Not bad?" Stormfly repeated as he levitated Mist Wing to the ground, then fluttered into the air to look at Discord in the eye. "Not bad? Can't you be a little more polite with your words?"

"Come on! What's the worst they could react just for hearing me say something about their style?"

"Remember what Fukkuteru said about their customs!" Shining Armor joined the conversation. "They are proud and dislike being criticized."

"Hey, on whose side are you, Shiny?!"

As Fukkuteru went up the stairs to greet the rest of his family, Bagaesh started examining the pony guests, even using his magic to lift Rarity from the ground and sniff her. When he was about to do so with Twilight, Discord appeared in front of her in a flash of light, his arms crossed. "Don't you even dare, pal."

Bagaesh stared at the Draconequus with wide eyes. "Sorry for that, mister..."

"Discord. My name is Discord."

"... Mister Discord. I did not mean to offend you, it's just that I've never seen a female pony for a long time." He started examining Discord as well, not as closely this time. "Now that I think of it, I've never seen a pony quite like you, Mister Discord."

"Excuse me?"

"You look like various animals mixed together. Did something go wrong with a spell or something?"

Discord's eye twitched ever so slightly.

"Well, Mister Bagaesh..." Applejack took the Kuros's attention from Discord. "He's not exactly a pony." They would have to do a lot of explaining.

Fukkuteru poked through the door leading to his mother's room, expecting to see his three sisters in there arguing over the simplest things and asking their mother to decide who was right. The room was surprisingly quiet, but it was not empty. The walls were painted a creamy green with white edges, the wooden boards of the floor were bright brown with tints of a darker shade. Black ebony night desks were on both sides of the bed, along with drawer chests and a wardrobe against the walls. Two windows with white frames were across the doorway, allowing to see the ice-covered street, the crystal tarnished with snow.

A young female Temnokt, apparently in her teens, was lying on top of the bed. Her black scales were shimmering with the faint light of the small spider chandelier hanging on the roof of the middle-sized room, her light blue underbelly contrasting with her dark hide as well. She had a haircut of short, straight icy blue hair hanging on the left side of her face, reaching down to her cheek. When the old wooden floor creaked under Fukkuteru's feet, the female Temnokt whipped her head around, and green met golden in a single glance.

The drady's eyes opened wide, examining the drake in front of her in awe and wonder, like she was in a dream she didn't want to awake from. A gasp of surprise escaped from her lips, and barely managed to speak in a hushed whisper. "B-Brother..." she stuttered. "Is that you?"

Fukkuteru felt tears forming in the corners of his eyes as he gave his young sister the grin he would give her back when she was only a hatchling. "Hi there, Vasi."

He could not say anything else, for he was soon pinned to the ground by his smaller sibling, and felt Vasi's joyous kisses all over his scales. He couldn't help but smile at her antics. He tried to speak, but she spoke first.

"You're back, big brother!" She was saying. "You're back! I thought I'd never see you!"

"Yeah, Vasi, I know you're happy to see me, but-"

"Mother! Lightfire! Tinder! You have to come and see this!"

"Vasi, I-"

Before he could say anything else, three females rushed to the doorway of the room, curious as to why Vasi sounded so excited. An almost elderly adult, a young adult and a youngling about to enter puberty. The adult's marks were shaped like fire, like her long, straight orange hair and light vermillon underbelly. The young adult's hair was short and colored like a blueberry with sprinkles of purple running down some of the strands; her underbelly was colored of the same purple, and her markings looked like pearlish white water drops. The youngest of the females had no marks yet, but her hair was just like her mother's, except with a few strands of blue, in the shape of a mohawk.

"Look, everytemnokt! My brother is back!" Vasi cried out excitedly.

Fukkuteru was slightly relieved that his sisters were not yet over him as well. Perhaps they wanted to make sure that he was not an illusion conjured up by Vasi. The oldest female looked like she was about to cry, while the young females had their eyes open like plates, like Vasi a few minutes ago. Three pairs of green eyes staring at him soon made Fukkuteru feel rather awkward.

"Mother, I'm home." he simply said.

Suddenly, he felt even heavier burdens upon him as his other two sisters rushed towards him and filled his face with kisses. Lightfire, the young adult, wrapped her wings around her brother's neck, unknowingly pushing Vasi aside, while Tinder, the youngest, comforted with just embracing his head.

"Fukkute..." the oldest female, named Velvet, whispered in awe. "Is that really you, my child?"

Managing to overcome his three sisters' combined weight, Fukkuteru looked up at his mother with a glint of ecstasy. "Considering that my sisters are all over me, I think I am, am I not?"

...

"My baby!" Velvet gently brushed her daughters aside with her wings to wrap them around her male child and fill his face with motherly kisses.

"Mother!" Even thought he was happy to see her again, Fukkuteru felt embarassed when Velvet started licking and kissing him as if he were a hatchling. "I'm happy to see you too, but there's something I need to tell you-"

He was interrupted again when his sisters started bombarding him with questions.

"Where did you live?"

"Are you staying here?"

"How's Equestria like? Is it true winter only lasts three months there?"

"Can you take me there sometime? Please?"

"Did you bring us a souvenir?"

"HEY!" Fukkuteru's yell made his sisters remain silent in surprise, but didn't object his mother still embracing him. "Sorry for that, but I've been trying to tell you that-"

A sudden scream of terror from downstairs made everytemnokt in the room flinch.

Fukkuteru, once free of his mother's embrace, smacked his forehead with his paw in dismay.

Some things would never change, it seemed.

Rainbow Dash trembled at the sight of the wolf snarling at her, baring her teeth from behind the old Temnokt's wing. She would so kill Fukkuteru once he got down the stairs; how could he forget to mention his familly's pet was a wolf?! If were not for Bagaesh interferring, she would have been eaten! To think the Temnokt were able to keep these beasts as pets didn't help much either. Now she would have to sleep with one eye open for the duration of their visit!

"WHERE DID THAT WOLF COME FROM!!" Screamed Rarity, having climbed unto the couch to get away from those gnashing teeth.

"Sorry if Fukkuteru didn't tell you about our... pet." Bagaesh said apologetically as he flapped his wings, nearly sending every furniture in the living room plummeting into the air, and snarled at the wolf. "Down, Fenrir!"

The black-furred wolf's piercing golden eyes glared at the rainbow-haired pegasus, but did as told and sat down, not taking his glare off her. Bagaesh turned his head around to see if the Equestrian visitors had foillowed the white-coated Unicorn's example, but he was surprised to see that they were surprisingly calm. Not completely calm, of course, they had huddled up in the corner of the living room upon seeing the black beast, but at least they were not screaming on top of the couch like a maddrake. The pony with the holes on his legs and a bug-like body- Stormfly the Changeling, as Shining Armor and Cadence had said- was up in the ceiling, curled up like a hatchling shrinking wherever he was being scolded, holding the tiny Changeling in his hooves.

"Everku- pony," Bagaesh quickly corrected himself. "I know this is not the right moment, but this is Fenrir. He's Fukkuteru's wolf, but he couldn't take the poor animal with him when he left, so we have been taking care of him."

"I never saw him when we came in!" Shining Armor cried out in dismay, holding Blade Kiss in his hooves tightl. "Where did he come from?!"

"Fenrir has the habit of sleeping underneath the couch." Bagaesh explained. "I suppose the pegasus stepped on his tail without noticing. I'm afraid Fenrir is going to take it against you, honey." he glanced at Rainbow Dash apologetically.

"He holds grudges?" Fluttershy inquired, glancing at the wolf. "How much time can a wolf hold grudges?"

"Can I play with him?" Pinkie Pie hopped to see Bagaesh in the eye. "I want to play fetch, and tricks, and scratch wolfie's tummy! Then we can all be best friends!"

"Errr...." Bagaesh was about to freeze in shock again, but managed to remain calm despite the mare's... attitude. "I'm afraid Fenrir is too old to play." Pinkie Pie landed on her hooves and drooped her ears in disappointment.

"Well, Mr. Bagaesh, I don't mean to be rude, but we haven't eaten since morning." Rainbow Dash clutched her stomach with a face of hunger. "What do you have to eat?"

"RAINBOW DASH!!"

The rainbow-maned pegasus flinched when every single one of her friends cried out in dismay. Shining Armor trotted closer to the elder Temnokt and bowed his head apologetically. "I'm sorry for that, Mr. Bagaesh, she didn't mean to say something offensive."

"On the contrary, Mr... Shining Armor, right?" Shining nodded. "I'd be more than happy to give you something to eat, but I'm afraid you'll have to wait a little longer. My son and grandson are yet to return from hunting, they are the ones who always bring the food." Bagaesh sighed nostalgically. "Ah, I can still recall when I used to take my grandchildren hunting when they were barely old enough to fly."

Twilight narrowed her eyes at the unfamiliar word. Hunting? What did that mean?

Applejack got ahead of her. "What do you mean 'hunting'?"

"Fukkuteru didn't tell you about it?"

Before Bagaesh could explain the meaning of the word, the door opened with a creak. Twilight and Discord quickly picked up their triplets from the floor and stepped aside as two male, much younger Temnokt walked into the living room. The smaller one had lavender underbelly and mohawk, pointing backwards, and his Age Marks were reminiscent of wind breezes, colored a silvery lilac. The older one had brilliant blue violet spiky hair with jaw-lenght bangs framing either side of his snake-like face. His underbelly was colored brilliant indigo; his eyes were a contrasting moderate apple green.

Fluttershy was stunned when she was what appeared to be two dead deer-like beasts resting on the younger Temnokt's back.

The pair of Temnokt, meanwhile, were surprised to find their house overrun with ponies. "Father, why are there Equestrians in our living room?" The black dragon with the bangs inquired calmly, but narrowed his eyes at Bagaesh. "Did you bring ponies here without telling me again?"

"Lake Wave! Catseye! Remember when Fukkute wrote us saying he would bring some friends?"

Catseye's eyes widened. "You mean.... my little bro is back?"

Bagaesh pointed upstairs. "Upstairs with your mother and your sisters, but if you're going up to see them you should leave our dinner in the kitchen."

Fluttershy's eyes widened in horror upon hearing the word 'dinner'.

Cadence took a hoof to her mouth, while Twilight, Rainbow and Applejack stared dumbfounded at the carcasses. Pinkie Pie and Screwball didn't do anything in particular but keep their gaze fixed on the elks; Discord, Shining and Stormfly realized what Bagaesh meant and felt sickness in their stomachs. Spike contained the urge to throw up right then, but the though of feeding on the dead body of an animal disgusted him to no end. Rarity was about to faint, but managed to remain her hoofing.

"D-Dinner?" Fluttershy felt her hooves trembling, tears stinging in the corners of her eyes and the feeling of her stomach aching and feeling sick. "You mean... you k-kill animals t-to..." the shy pegasus gulped. "... Eat?"

Catseye, mistakingly assuming she was impressed of their effort, proudly stuck out his chest and grinned as he levitated the carcasses from his back and held them up in the air to that she could see them, his horns glowing in an aura starting from green and blending to purple, failing to see Discord and Twilight's motions for him to stop. "Yep. And it only took us three hours to catch them and send them plummeting to the ground."

That was it. Before anypony could do anything about it, Fluttershy's eyes rolled back and she lost consciousness, falling into Applejack and Rarity's hooves. Catseye, Bagaesh and Lake Wave stared at her dumbfounded, the carcasses still hovering in front of them.

Catseye commented awkwardly. "Was it something I said?"

Prem'yera

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Nopony knows we're here, smiling beneath the black mantle of the night and the pale moonlight while we remember our dear mother.

For we'll forever be her Children of the Dark.

- Anonymous Krussian Mage

Glacial Fire

Rock Dust

Fluttershy sobbed uncontrollably. Dinner time was a complete disaster for both parties, mostly due to Fluttershy's emotional breakdown, the ponies' vegetarian -as Lightfire put it- habits and the difficulty their reptilian hosts had in looking for something their flat teeth could chew. But even then, Fluttershy lost her appetite upon seeing Catseye devour one of the legs of the poor animal, and so Fukkuteru's older sister, Lightfire, was asked to lead the creamy pegasus up to the guest room. Unfortunately, the only place the Temnokt could offer was the attic. They did whatever they could to make it more comfortable for their pony guests, using their magic to make red-clad beds with white pillows appear and put them in place so that they fit in. Luckily the attic was spacious, and it didn't really take much effort. Twilight and Rarity offered to help, but Lake Wave and Velvet politely declined the offer, saying that it was their duty as hosts to make them as comfortable as possible, making the ponies doubt if Celestia had been exaggerating when she stated the Temnokt were distrustful towards ponies.

Before heading back down, Lightfire turned to see Fluttershy made a ocean of tears, lightly tainting the bed sheets with the salty water from her eyes. She could not bring herself to just leave the poor thing crying her eyes out by herself, and deciding her meal could wait, Lightfire silently approached the edge of the bed, the old wood creaking in protest.

Fluttershy heard the Temnokt walking close to her, but she didn't mind. She still couldn't get that image out of her head, the lifeless corpses of two poor deer on Catseye's back, and the way he had held them out for them to see; pridefully, he had been proud of committing the atrocious deed. She could imagine it, as much as she tried not to think about it; the fawn's terror as it was chased around the boreal forests by the black dragon, its pain as it felt Catseye's claws dig into its flesh mercilessly and the agony of having it's neck twisted around, ending its life.

"Miss Fluttershy? Are you alright?" Lightfire inquired.

"How can they do it?" Fluttershy sobbed, wiping her mucus and tears off her face. "How can they kill those poor little animals? It's barbaric!"

"Excuse me, but... Don't you have meat in Equestria? Fukkute had mentioned you have tons of animals there."

"W-We do... But..." Fluttershy sniffed. "We don't eat them, it's cruel..."

Cruel... Now Lightfire knew why, in the years a certain number of population emigrated to Equestria they returned to Krussia within days, or even hours. They said ponies had 'no taste for juicy, red meat,' and their diet consisted of nothing more than apple, hay and salad-derived meals. Their teeth gave their herbivorous diet away, anyway. Pony teeth were flat, meant to simply chew their plant-derived food in order to make it easier to swallow and digest; Temnokt teeth were sharp and pointy, meant to chunk off pieces of their prey, which they sometimes swallowed without chewing.

That's why ponies didn't eat meat. Not only because they loved animals and often saw them as family members. But because their bodies and teeth were not made to consume red meat, just like a black dragon wouldn't be able to gain enough nutrients from an apple in order to survive; heck, they wouldn't even be able to chew on the apple at all.

"Sorry if my brother made you feel... Uncomfortable." Lightfire shuddered. "It was not his intention. But since we're not used in having ponies as guests, we did not know meat was not acceptable in your country. But unfortunately we can't feed on hay and apples to live off, just like you can't even look at meat. I hope it doesn't ruin your stay..." Lightfire looked down. "It has been so long since we last had any guests, so we want to make you feel as comfortable as you can, but I suppose our dietetic habits just ruined everything."

Fluttershy gently turned her neck around so that she was looking up to the young drady with glossy aqua green eyes. Her lips trembled as she tried to give her a smile, but her mouth had other ideas, and she could do no more than offer the drady an almost unseen grin that nearly escaped Lightfire's sight. Lightfire decided to try a different approach, and to leave the subject of their eating habits. "So, Fluttershy. Could you tell me a bit about your animals?"

"Could you tell me more about your animals?"

"Twilight!" Discord whined. "Seriously, stop pestering Catseye like that!"

"Catseye, why are those foals all deformed?" Tinder innocently asked when Night, Lavender and Astral curiously crawled towards her to sniff her.

Catseye nearly spat the tea in his mouth. "TINDER!!" He shouted at his little sister before turning to Twilight and Discord. "I'm sorry! She didn't mean it! She's just confused from all that chocolate she ate this morning!" The older drake levitated the youngling away from the triplets.

Twilight was taking notes nonstop, and though she had asked if there were any books about Krussian customs in order to prevent another incident like the one with Bagaesh when they first set hoof in their home, there were actually none. In fact, Lake Wave was pretty serious about the book thing, not even letting Vasi bring the unicorn a book from the shelves upstairs. When the blizzard subsided Applejack and the girls opted to go out and take a peek around Kruscow, something which Bagaesh had been waiting for with terrifying eagerness. He even dragged Lake Wave and Velvet along, despite their protests. Fukkuteru and Vasi managed to sneak out from his grandfather's 'tourism party', but five minutes later Bagaesh returned and forcefully levitated his grandchildren out. Only Catseye and Tinder remained home. Cadence and Shining Armor decided to go upstairs after a rotten stench started to emanate from Blade's diaper.

As for Screwball and Stormfly... The young mare had taken the Changeling out for a walk, which had spiked Discord's fatherly overprotection, but Twilight Sparkle prevented him from following them.

But she had said nothing about sending Spike to follow the pair.

"Don't worry, I know it must be..." Twilight struggled to find a word. "... Awkward to see our foals' looks are not precisely... To the standards."

"In other words, Catsy, thanks to my... Varied genetic code, the triplets are mixed blends of their mother and I." Discord summarized what Twilight was saying, earning a reproachful stare from her. "But they're still my children! Our children! We love them more than anything else, and we would love them even if they were more mixed-up than they already are!"

"Drake, you parents chose well." Catseye simply said, directing his words at Twilight Sparkle while he took another sip from his tea.

Twilight blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Your mother and father. They chose a good husband for you, but I simply cannot imagine how they managed to see past that..." The drake tried to sound as less offensive as possible. "... Appearance."

Discord would have yelled if Twilight had not answered quickly. "No, no, no. My parents didn't choose Discord for me, I chose him."

It was Catseye's turn to remain silent for a while, his cup of tea floating in mid air. "You... Chose him?"

Discord crossed his arms. "Any problem with me?"

"No! It's just that... Ponies choose their own mates in Equestria? I suppose you brother chose his own wife as well, right?"

Twilight Sparkle nodded.

"Drake, you guys are lucky." Catseye sighed. "I can't say the same for us."

"Wait a second. You... Don't choose your mates here?" Discord inquired when he noticed the drake's downtrodden expression.

Catseye shook his head. "Our parents choose our mates for us, whether we like them or not. Father is already looking for a mate for me, actually."

"And Lightfire and the rest of us can't marry until Catseye has because the eldest child always has preference over the younger ones." Tinder innocently added, freeing herself from her brother's magical grasp.

Twilight and Discord were completely silent. Catseye did not seem eager to mate yet, it seemed, and with some Temnokt he didn't even know wasn't helping. But before Twilight could say something else, there was a knock at the door. A subtle knock. Catseye rolled his eyes at being interrupted, but he had to open the door or his parents would surely give him a lecture about hospitality. He just didn't want that. Reluctantly, Catseye lay his cup down on the table, stood up from the red couch and walked towards the door.

As the door opened with a creak, Catseye was met by a pony in a winter coat.

"I beg your pardon." The voice of an elderly stallion echoed through the wind. "Is this where the Equestrian Delegates are staying?"

Confused, the drake simply said. "Who is searching for them, if I may ask?"

"My apologies! I'm ambassador Meteoric Sun, and Princess Celestia has asked me to meet the delegation to discuss a possible audience with King Bittercold."

"Okay, pal. You don't need to give me a lecture. Come in, two..." Catseye thought for a moment... Or five members are currently in the living room, but I'm afraid most of them have gone out." He stepped aside to let the pony walk in, and closed the door.

"If you need me, I shall be in the courtyard doing... Something."

As Catseye walked away to have a little fresh air, Meteoric removed his winter coat, revealing a shimmering golden coat, with a jet black long mane and tail. His eyes were of a soft green that could be compared to the soft spring grass back in Equestria. Meteoric Sun walked to the living room, where Twilight and Discord still sat, trying to control their children's curiosity. Letting out a small cough to call their attention, he stepped into the living room.

"Good evening, Miss Sparkle, and Mister Discord."

Twilight instantly panicked. "Oh my gosh!" Twilight levitated her children over to Discord to gallop towards the ambassador. "I'm sorry, mister! I completely forgot about you!"

"Twilight-" Discord tried to speak, but his wife didn't stop.

"It's just we've been so busy getting used to Krussian lifestyle that we haven't been thinking about our diplomatic mission!"

"Miss Sparkle!" Meteoric Sun had to raise his voice to call Twilight's attention. "Do not worry, I understand. I was in your same position when I first came here, but it's not that hard to get accustomed to the Krussian customs. However, I'm here to go straight to the point. Getting an audience with Bittercold won't be easy, I've been trying for years but Commander Whiptail always denies my petitions!"

Discord twitched an ear which Night Charge started nibbling on. "Whiptail?"

Tinder giggled. "He's daddy's friend. Sometimes he comes over to dine!"

Meteoric nodded. "He's the leader of the army. He doesn't like ponies in the least, I believe that is the reason that overgrown lizard won't let me see the King, almost like he believes I will do an assassination attempt or something! You will meet him sooner or later, but..." the old stallion shuddered. "I must warn you, the Commander has an.... injury."

Twilight gulped when an air of dread surrounded them. "Injury? What kind of... injury?"

"His left eye. He is blind of his left eye, and most of that side of his face is scarred for life. He got a burn sometime in the past, and he lost his eyesight on the left eye. I don't know the details of how he got it, but I can tell you he doesn't like when anypony or anytemnokt keeps staring at his scarred wound."

"How does it look like?"

"DISCORD!" Twilight wailed.

Meteoric chuckled darkly. "Mr. Discord, I would not take Commander Whiptail so lightly if I were you. One wrong word can make you earn an enemy in him, and believe me when I tell you it's not convenient to be on bad terms with Whiptail."

Twilight gulped at the tone the ambassador was using, but kept her composure. "Speaking of which, Mr. Meteoric, how do we get an audience with King Bittercold? Do we have to speak with Commander Whiptail?"

"I believe that before we speak about the audience, we should first wait for my son. He should be arriving anytime soon, but yes, we must ask Commander Whiptail for an audience with King Bittercold. He is in charge of the Krussian Royal Family's safety, so you have to convince him you're not carrying hidden weapons or he will have you incarcerated. The only alternative..." Meteoric Sun sighed in dismay. "Is that King Bittercold himself requests your presence and invites you to the castle, but that has never happened with ponies of Equestria."

Before Twilight could say anything there was a knock at the door, this time louder than before. Since Catseye was in the courtyard, Tinder took it upon herself to open the door. The trio of Equestrians heard the door creak, and Tinder's voice. "Miss Sparkle! There are two guards outside who want to speak with you!"

"M-me? Did I do something wrong?" Twilight asked nervously as her hooves started to tremble.

"I don't know, but they say they're here to deliver a message!"

"Message?"

Twilight Sparkle picked Astral up and headed towards the doorway. She nearly fainted when she was encountered by two large drakes clad in silver and gold armor. One was burly with thick neck and legs while the other was thin and more elegant-looking. Their helmets almost reminded the Unicorn of the Pegasus guard's helmets but colored in silver with gold trimmings, with the crests apparently matching their hair color as well as she could guess.

The burly drake had grayish vermillon underbelly and hair-crest, while the slim drake had brilliant azure underbelly with a similar colored hair-crest. Two jaw-lenght bangs hung from beneath his helmet, probably part of his actual hair. The vermilion Temnokt had small spines on top of his eyebrows, but his partner lacked them. The blue Temnokt's Age Marks were shaped like water currents, while the vermilion Temnokt's looked like fire. The one thing they had in common, they were staring curiously at Twilight and Astral.

"So this is how an actual female pony looks like, huh?" the burly drake sniffed at the lavender mare.

"Is that how a pony hatchling looks like?! I thought they would be more..." the slim soldier took a look at Astral for a good while. "... Errr... pony-like."

"Oh, no! It's just that Miss Sparkle's husband is a mutant dragon!" Tinder innocently explained, making Twilight shudder internally. "But don't worry, her hatchlings don't bite! Well, actually one her hatchlings likes to nibble on things he finds!"

"Sorry, Miss Sparkle, we have not introduced ourselves." The blue drake stated softly. "My name is Glacial Fire," he pointed at his partner with a wing. "And this is Rock Dust."

Rock Dust turned to see at his friend in annoyance. "That does not sound like an appropriate introduction for her, don't you think?"

Glacial frowned at his partner. "And what do you want me to do? Bring highlights?"

"No, but at least we could have done something much fancier just than simply say our names!"

Twilight coughed. "Excuse me, gentlecol- gentledrakes, but I believe you had a message for me?"

"Oh, that's right!" Rock Dust shifted and arched his neck rightwards to look into a satchel hanging on his right side, but as he looked into the bag, he started to panic.

"You lost it, didn't you?" Glacial Fire sighed in exasperation.

"No, I didn't!" Rock Dust's voice sounded more nervous every second that passed. "It's right over here!"

"I can't believe it! I told you to be careful with it, but nooo, you never listen to me!"

"If you don't stop rushing me, I'll make you listen your own wheezes as I strangle you!"

"HEY!" Twilight lost her patience and yelled at the two drakes, startling Tinder and Astral. The hatchling rushed back inside while Astral started wailing in fright. "Gentledrakes, if it doesn't matter if you don't have the actual letter, just pass on the message!"

Glacial Fire gulped as Rock Dust kept searching in the satchel. "Well, Miss Sparkle, we would like to but... We were not told what the message is about, we were only ordered to deliver it to you. In fact, if we go back to Commander Whiptail without your reply, he'll have our heads."

"Here it is!" Rock Dust's relieved voice cut the conversation, and he rather abruptly passed the scroll - a Dragon-sized scroll- to the unicorn. "Well, our job here is almost done, miss! We shall wait here for your answer!"

Twilight struggled to carry both the scroll and her daughter, but she managed to blurt out. "One more thing, gentledrakes... I'm married, so I'd thank you if you could please call me ma'am."

Glacial Fire and Rock Dust grinned. "Sure, miss!"

Twilight sighed in exasperation, but before she could head inside, their words processed through her brain. "Wait a second," the twirled her head around. "Aren't you guys coming in?"

The grins faded.

"We would, Miss Sparkle. But we are on an assignment, and we are not supposed to go into homes without permission."

Reluctant to leave the soldiers out in the cold, Twilight finally walked back into the home, but left the door half-open in case they changed their minds. When she was out of earshot, Rock Dust commented. "She's nice. And she has a good body too- OW!" Rock Dust yelped when his partner smacked his head with his wing. "What was that for?!" Rock Dust snarled at his partner.

Glacial Fire snapped. "Didn't you just hear?! She has a mate! You should not say those things about Miss Sparkle!"

"Come on, bigamy is not even allowed here, so I doubt-" Another smack. "Would you knock it off?!"

"Don't get any ideas into your head!"

Luckily for the two of them, Twilight was not listening. She gave ambassador Meteoric Sun the scroll she had just received so he could translate it; ever since he came to live in Krussia, he had to learn to read and write Krussian so that he would be able to properly do his diplomatic duties.

"Well, honey, I think I'll take the triplets upstairs." said Discord, holding Night and Lavender in his arms and wrapping his tail around Astral to lift her off his wife's back. "It appears you could use some quiet time." With a snap of his fingers and a flash of white, he was gone.

Meteoric unfolded the scroll and read out loud.

To Miss Twilight Sparkle.

Princess Celestia sent me word of your arrival to discuss a possibility of a treaty between our countries. So you and the rest of the delegates are cordially invited to dine at the tomorrow after the sun has gone down. However, I am aware that you brought your children, and I'd rather have you leave them at your hosts' home so we may calmly discuss. I look forward to our meeting, Miss Sparkle, and I do hope you enjoy your say in our fair country.

Yours truly,
King Bittercold Dreadstalker.

Stunned was not enough to describe Meteoric's reaction.

Stormfly hadn't time to shapeshift into his pony form as Screwball dragged him away, and he felt very nervous when the crowd of black dragons stared at him like he was some kind of freak. Well, he'd have to be a freak in Krussian eyes, they had probably never seen a Changeling in their entire lives. Mist Wing, as always, was completely oblivious to the incredulous eyes peering at them. Screwball finally came to a halt in one of the turns leading into another street, making sure her father had not followed her. When she was certain she and Stormfly were alone, she let go of his hoof and startled giggling.

"Uh, Screwball, it's not that I'm being insistent, but..." Stormfly gulped. "Why did you bring me here?"

"Well, Stormie, there's something I've wanted to tell you about..." Screwball said with a broad smile. "Have you ever heard of the butterflies in the belly?"

"Wha-?" Stormfly's cheeks became red, so much that his face gained an almost reddish black color. "W-what do you m-mean?"

"It's funny, really. Mommy Twilight says that those butterflies appear every time when you're with your special somepony."

"Yeah, and what about it?"

"Well, lately I've started feeling those butterflies..."

Stormfly didn't like where this was going. "Really?" he asked. Mist Wing was curiously staring at her father's expression. "Any particular moments?"

Screwball gave the Changeling a... was that a seductive grin? Stormfly backed away into a brick wall, but Screwball walked closer to him, until her face was a few inches from his snout. "... Well, in particular, the butterflies usually come when..."

She leaned in to the Changeling's face.

"Yes?" Stormfly started to tremble.

"When I'm close to-"

Suddenly, the mare was pulled back by a dark purple aura. Before Stormfly could do anything about it, a young drake with mint-colored long hair rushed into the alley they had unknowingly walked in, his horns glowing in a purple aura. "Stay away! He might be sick!" he snapped at Screwball as he gently released her on the ground before examining the Changeling closely. "A pony with holes on the legs must be infected with a mortal plague!"

"Excuse me?!" Stormfly protested before he felt his giggling hatchling being levitated away from his head. "Hey, be careful with Mist Wing!"

Screwball stepped in front of the levitating Changeling protectively."Drop Stormie right now, you meanie!" She demanded.

The drake stared at her like she was mad. "Are you kidding me?! Look at him! That plague might be contagious!"

"I'm not ill!" Stormfly protested, using his own magic to counter the drake's aura and release himself. "I'm supposed to look like this! I'm a Changeling!"

The drake stared at him for a few good seconds before speaking. "What's a Changeling?"

Yup, just as he thought.

"Have you never heard of them?" Screwball asked in a softer voice, her characteristic tone of innocence back.

No reply.

"Insect-like, parasitic ponies that feed on love?" Stormfly urged on.

Nothing.

"They take the form of somepony you love and gain power on feeding on your love for them?"

"I really don't know what those things are, sorry."

Stormfly smacked his forehead with his hoof. He took Mist Wing from his back and handed her to Screwball for what he was going to do. "Look at this." Much to the drake's surprise, Stormfly's horn bubbled with green magic, and he was suddenly surrounded by a sickly green magic aura; it glowed so brightly the drake had to cover up his eyes with his wings. When the glow died down and the drake set his gaze where the Changeling had been standing, he was dumbfounded in astonishment when he saw...himself.

Stormfly had taken the shape of the drake to prove his point. The young Temnokt examined him closely. "What are you?"

"I told you. A Changeling." Stormfly imitated the drake's voice perfectly, further scaring the dragon.

Screwball giggled. How she loved when he did that.

Vstrechi

View Online

Commander Whiptail

Needlemouth

Stormchaser

Spike ran through the snow-covered streets after witnessing Screwball's almost first kiss. He had to tell a passing by Krussian that Stormfly was carrying a 'dangerous, mortal, incurable plague' to stop them from kissing. Scales, why did he even agree to follow the pair at all? Why couldn't Discord stop making such a mess just because they went out for a walk? It's not like it was against the law to kiss in public, was it? The baby dragon had been getting strange looks by the adult Temnokt, like he was born with a genetic mutation or something. He wondered if it was because of his coloration, and the fact he was running on two legs instead of four, like the other dragons around.

Just then, he turned around a corner leading to... wait, hadn't he already passed through here? He couldn't tell, for all the streets looked alike; every corner and pavement, every adorning tree and every door looked alike, for Celestia's sake! How did these guys ever manage to point out a particular house? Spike gulped. He didn't wish to spend the night out in the cold, especially after the little encounter with Fenrir the wolf. What if there were more like him, or other types of animals, roaming the streets at night? The memory of Fenrir's snapping white teeth and bristled black fur like Opal's when she was on a bad mood brought chills down the baby dragon's spine.

A sound behind him made Spike jump (literally, he jumped up a light post and prayed to Celestia he wouldn't slip back down), until he realized the sound had been nothing more than a sneeze from a hatchling. Five hatchlings were surrounding the light post Spike had climbed unto, their little curious irises set on him. All of them had mohawks for hair, but their underbellies and horns were of different colors. One of the hatchlings, a young drake with purple underbelly and hair, walked up to the light post.

"He's funny." he said.

The other hatchlings followed suit.

"What happened to your hair?"

"Did you do it on purpose?"

"Why don't you have any horns or wings?"

"Where are your black scales?"

Spike's eyes widened, his head shaking 'No', praying these curious little dragons would lose interest and walk away soon, but he was a foreigner in a strange land, and the least thing he needed was to make them cry and provoke their parents' rage. As minutes passed, it became clear that the hatchlings would not go away; a drady with mint underbelly had climbed upon the purple hatchling's head and was trying to get to him; Spike tried to climb even higher, but his arms were starting to hurt in protest.

"Hey, little ones, what do you have there?" Spike was relieved when he heard sometemnokt approaching to help, but his relieved feeling disappeared when Spike noticed that the help he was expecting came in the form of two soldiers.

Glacial Fire and Rock Dust were on their way back to Commander Whiptail when they saw a rather funny scene. A baby dragon with purple scales holding unto a light post, trying to escape the five hatchlings surrounding him. The terrified look on his face made them realize he did not know hatchlings were harmless (unless they were throwing a tantrum).

"Hehe, this is something you don't see everyday." Rock Dust snickered as they saw Spike panicking when the small drady momentarily bite into his tail, nearly bringing him down before she slipped back unto the ground, unto her friend.

"Come on, Rock Dust! We're already very late, and you know the Commander doesn't like to wait!" Glacial Fire snapped, attempting to drag his friend away, but the bulkier drake simply ignored him.

"Oh, come on, Glacial! I don't think he will mind if we get ten minutes late."

"You know he doesn't like anykuros getting ten seconds late!"

"Yeah, yeah, as you say." Rock Dust ignored his protests once more and walked to the hatchlings, feigning surprise. "Well, what do you have there, little ones?"

The five hatchlings turned to look at him and the baby dragon gave a look of utter desperation.

A hatchling with red underbelly and mohawk, piped up. "There's a strange lizard on the light post!"

Another little one, this one with silver underbelly, countered his friend with, "He can't be a lizard! He's too big and clumsy to be one!"

The drake with purple coloration continued to focus on Spike. "Down! Down! Wanna play!"

Spike seemed to want to climb higher after hearing those words. Glacial Fire sighed and told the hatchlings. "How about you five go there?" he pointed to a tree in the middle of the sidewalk with a claw. "I think there's a pigeon nesting there."

The hatchlings chirped in excitement and ran towards said tree, the drady having to drag the purple-haired hatchling along. Spike slid down the light post while letting out a sigh of relief. "Thanks for the help...."

"Lake Wave," the blue-haired soldier introduced himself before motioning towards his friend. "And this is Rock Dust."

Rock Dust gave the baby dragon a toothy grin. "Hi there."

"How did you do that? I was afraid of making them cry."

"Please, kiddo! If there's something hatchlings love it's scaring off pigeons. They find it funny."

"Rock Dust! We have to go!" Glacial Fire hissed. He was starting to sweat of anxiety and nervousness, he did not want to face Whiptail's wrath.

"Alright, alright!"

Before they could walk away, Spike called out one more time. "Wait a second, guys!"

"What now, kid?!" Glacial Fire snapped at him in frustration, in a tone that made Spike step back.

"Well, it's just..." Spike gulped. "I'm kind of lost, and I don't know which way to go. Can I stick with you for a while?"

"No!/Yes!" Both soldiers turned to see the other's faces.

"What are you nuts?! We're already in hot water, and you want to go from the frying pan into the fire?!" Glacial snapped.

"Commander Whiptail cannot punish us in the presence of an outsider, remember? It'll delay whatever embarrassing task the Commander has prepared for us." Rock replied with a sly grin, then turned to Spike. "Very well, kid! You can come with us at least until we find your..." he tried to find a tasteful word so not to offend the youngling. "... group."

Glacial Fire flapped his wings and started cursing in Krussian, which Spike was grateful for. He did not need to know how Krussian insults were, but by the way he was stomping his paws on the ground and snapping his teeth, it was not pretty.

After putting Blade Kiss to bed, Cadence decided to go downstairs for a little while on insistence of Shining Armor. Foals liked to be near their mothers all the time, and they wailed nonstop if they noticed they were not around. This could make the first medical checkups a complete headache; they cried, wailed their legs, wings or had outbursts of unfocused magic, doing their utmost best to run and hide beside their mothers. When she was passing by the room Fluttershy had locked herself into, she heard giggling. She had never been one to eavesdrop into others' conversations, but she couldn't help but lean in closer to the door to listen.

"Wow! That was scary!" she recognized Lightfire's voice, her voice drenched in both fright and laughter.

"I only use it for emergencies when someone is really, really, really mean or when our lives are in danger." Fluttershy replied from behind the door.

"I bet even Commander Whiptail would flinch... No, I don't think he would, he has a similar strategy to intimidate his lazy soldiers. Just that his is much worse, believe me, I have seen him use it on various occasions.

Fluttershy gasped. "Is he that bad?"

"Nyet (Lit.meanint 'No'). He is not bad, he is simply very stern, that's all."

Cadence giggled in a low voice, but trotted away from the door, the least thing she needed was Fluttershy and Lightfire realizing she was evasdroping. Upon trotting down the stairs, she found Twilight and a stallion who seemed to be in the last of his years conversing, Tinder no longer there, but Catseye was back. Maybe she had gotten bored and went outside to play in the snow, while Catseye may have been freezing out there and decided to come in for a little hot cocoa... if they had cocoa, that is.. Meteoric Sun was pacing around the living room, apparently fuming about something (literally, Cadence could see a little smoke from his nostrils).

"I can't believe it! I've been trying to get an audience with King Bittercold for twenty years, Commander Whiptail never let me have a single glance of him, but he invites you to dine in the palace after one day?" Meteoric growled. "Unbelieavable! What do I have to do to make that winged lizard they have as a Commander respect me?!"

"Maybe he's just trying to do his job." Twilight felt rather awkward at trying to defend sometemnokt she did not know, but on the other hoof, maybe the ambassador was being too hard on him. "I mean, being charged with the safety of the Royal Family can't be easy."

"You have no idea, Lady Sparkle." Catseye sighed, trembling as he took a sip from his hot cocoa (just as Cadence had guessed). "Even the soldiers fear him. There's not a single drake in this country that is able to look at him in the eyes with any trace of fear, I think that's what he wants, anyway."

"Has anytemnokt tried to befriend him? Maybe that would be a good place to start, you can't judge a book for its cover." Twilight smiled upon remembering the time she had learned that lesson, when she and her friends had been victims of Poison Joke flowers, and had to turn for Zecora, who had been seen as an evil witch by the citizens of Ponyville at the time, for help.

Catseye sadly shook his head. "It's not like we haven't tried, Lady Sparkle. He just... No one has gotten anywhere with him, it's like he doesn't want to be befriended. I assume that after his accident all those years ago, he doesn't see himself as worth of having friends. I think it's because after his face was scarred, some of the other Temnokt kept staring at the burn-scarred half of his face."

Twilight frowned. "That shouldn't matter to them."

"It does, Twilight." Meteoric replied, having overheard the conversation. " It's not just his scar, it's his eye as well. I think part of his eyelid was burned off, he can't blink on that eye, not to mention that his pupil lost all coloration, and it enlarged to a certain degree. There's only one Temnokt in this whole country that has been able to see past his brutish exterior and worm her way into his heart, even after the accident."

"And who would that be?"

Before Meteoric could reply, there was a knock at the door. Cadence opted to go and open the door herself, she wanted to be a helping guest, instead of simply loafing around without doing nothing at all, like she had seen a few ponies do in her life. Cadence trotted to the door and, with a great effort and magic, managed to turn the heavy knob and pull the door open. "Good evening, how can I-?"

She stopped in mid-sentence when her purple eyes encountered deep forest eyes, equally surprised and ecstastic. The stallion had amberish gold skin, with a short, wavy mane of brilliant ruby red and yellow, with a matching long tail almost dripping its tiip on the floor. On his flank lay a Cutie Mark with the shape of a roaring fire, giving away his talent at handling fire spells.

"Cadence?" The stallion was the first to recover from surprise and speak, with a voice similar to that of a little colt being reunited with a long-lost sister. "Caddie? Is that you?"

Cadence's lips twisted into an ecstastic smile. "Sunset? Sunset Glare?"

"Caddie!" the stallion whose name was Sunset Glare wrapped his hooves around Cadence's thin frame, and the Alicorn corresponded the embrace. "I can't believe it! I never thought I would see you again!"

"Me neither!" Cadence replied, breaking away from the embrace. "I thought you had moved back to Equestria!"

"I wanted to, but father said he needed my help here, so I had no other choice but to remain here." Sunset Glare frowned lightly. "I do not understand what the Krussians have against us, really!

"What am I doing? Come in! You must be freezing, and Velvet doesn't like when there's snow in the doorway! Come on! Besides, there are ponies I want you to meet!" Cadence said, pulling the unicorn inside and closing the door, making sure there was no snow on the velvety carpet.

Twilight was surprised when Cadence came into the living room accompanied by a golden-coated unicorn, making a bell ring in the back of her brain. She had seen him before, but there she could not remember where she had seen him last. Catseye was equally surprised, but not by the presence of the golden unicorn, but to the fact Cadence had been able to close and open the door so easily, especially with her rather frail-looking body.

When Meteoric sensed the presence of one more pony in the room, his pacing temporally stopped and he turned around to face the young stallion. "Ah, son! Good timing! We were just talking about the letter Lady Sparkle just received!

"Twilight, Catseye, this is Sunset Glare." Cadence smiled as she introduced her old friend to the lavender Unicorn and the purple-haired Kuros. "He was my best friend when we were foals."

"Nice to meet you." Sunset Glare extended out his hoof to shake Twilight's, and the lavender unicorn complied, although with some hesitation drawn on her features. However, Sunset Glare did not bother to extend it to Catseye, knowing that shaking hooves -or claws- was not part of their customs.

"You received a letter, you say?"

"Y-y-yes. King Bittercold invited us to dinner in the castle to d-d-discuss matters of the treaty." Twilight stuttered, feeling a knot in her throat at being so close to Sunser Glare.

"He did?" Cadence repeated. "Is everypony else aware of this?"

Catseye shook his head. "Nyet. They have not returned still. But if you want King Bittercold to like you, follow this warning." Catseye leaned his lips to Twilight's ear. "Do not take that... pink madmare with the crazy hair with you-"

"Pinkie Pie?" Twilight frowned at the Temnokt's way of referring to her friend. "What does everytemnokt have against Pinkie Pie?! Even Fukkuteru freaks out when she's near him! What does she have that you don't like!"

"I do not know her personally, Lady Sparkle," Meteoric joined in the topic to diminish the growing tension. "How is she like?"

"She's smiling all the time, she pops out of nowhere and she freaks me out!" Catseye replied, wrapping himself in his wings. "She's evil, I tell you!"

Twilight stomped her hoof on the table. "Excuse me?!"

"I get it, now. Lady Sparkle." Meteoric nearly trembled when Twilight's angry eyes were fixed on him. "Is your friend extremely... cheerful, hyperactive and excitable?"

"Yes. She loves to make everypony laugh, is that a problem?"

"Well, how do I put this lightly... In this country, there is nodrake who has those traits, their stereotype of 'fun and laughter' is very different from ours. In other words, in their eyes, Miss Pinkie is..." Meteoric was reluctant to say it, but there was no other word he could think of. "... Mentally disturbed."

The 'WHAT?!' Twilight exclaimed at the top of her lung capacity would have made the one she let out back at Greva for the price of a chocolate bar sound like a mere tantrum.

But how right his words were.

Lake Wave was not happy.

The ridiculously-optimistic mare named Pinkie was embarasssing him to no end. While everypony else decided to return home to rest a bit (not to mention it was getting dark), Pinkie Pie decided to stick out a little longer, and much to the Drake's annoyance, Velvet and Fukkuteru insisted that he accompany her, just in case so she wouldn't get arrested.

"Hello there, my name is Pinkie Pie!"

Lake Wave resisted the urge to wrap himself in his wings to keep anytemnokt from seeing he was with her. The mare hopped in front of a passing by drake or drady and happily extended out her hoof to shake, making them skip away with disturbed expressions. He thanked whoever deity inhabited the heavens the Royal Guard had not come to her to arrest her for public disturbance; perhaps they were freaked out by her as well.

"What's wrong with everytemnokt here?" Pinkie Pie extended out her hooves into the air, looking at the sky in a rather exaggerated manner of dismay. "I try to become friends but they walk away looking like I was scary! I'm not scary! Well, maybe I am, I'm from another country, after all! But hey, Stormfly looks much more scarier than me and they don't act like this when he's around!"

Lake's hair bristled and his teeth started clanching in anger and frustration.

"Is it my hair, Lakey? Do I have to dress my hair like you guys do? But I don't like it, it looks spiky and makes me look like a meanie! Don't take it bad, you are not meanie, but you gotta admit those hairstyles are rather punky! At least I'm not Rarity, I bet she would give you a whole lecture about fashion and even funnier-looking hairstyles, but hey, she's the expert, not me!"

The drake could swear he was feeling his dark magic reacting to his conflicted emotions, cackling in his horns.

"Do you know what a cupcake is? Maybe if I offer them cupcakes they'll like me! Wait, I don't think I have any cupcakes right now, I left them in my luggage and-"

"ENOUGH!!" Lake Wave let out his anger out in a that single word, using the Krussian Roaring Cry, a practice usually only used by the Krussian Royal Family. The Cry made the snow from the rooftops and leafless trees collapse ot the ground, falling on top of those unfortunate enough to be on its way. "You're driving me crazy! Pochemu ty tak mnogo govoryat, kobylu?!"

Pinkie Pie just tilted her head. "Could you speak in Equestrian, please? I can't respond if I don't know what you're saying! But wait a minute, I do have a cupcake!"

Lake Wave stared in shock as the pink mare searched through her puffy hair with her hooves, throwing away objects such as an apple friter, a cannon, a party hat... What was wrong with this mare?! "Here it is!" Pinkie Pie held out the strangest-looking dessert he had ever seen. A small pastry with colorful paper wrapped on it and bright green frosting mixed with pink sprinkles. This was what she called a cupcake, and it seemed gross.

"Do it!" Pinkie pleaded now.

He gave her the cheesiest, most awkward glance he could muster and bent down towards the cupcake. He levitated it and pulled off the paper wrapping, slid his tongue underneath the pastry and pulled the whole thing into his mouth, chewing it in uneven chomps. Pinkie was waiting beaming to his reaction, but the Temnokt was trying his best not to gag. This thing was just too sweet! It burned his throat and and put a foul aftertaste in his mouth, sweeter than the sweetest bird's milk cake he ever tasted!

He looked at her, felt like vomiting, but instead he gave her an awkward grin to falsely show her he enjoyed the treat. Pinkie Pie smiled excitedly. "Oh, you liked it!" When she turned, he quickly spat the overly-sweet contents of his mouth and buried it under the snow at his paws. She might be extremely annoying, but she was still a guest in his house, and she appeared to be the sensible type. The least thing he needed right now was Pinkie Pie crying and having to respond for it.

Amazing was not enough to describe the Armory.

Glacial and Rock had to sacrifice and entire month of a quarter of their food rations so that the rest of the Guard would allow Spike into the 'off-limited for civilians' armory. Still, Spike couldn't help but wince everytime their hard eyes glanced at him. The Armory, or rather the Royal Guard's quarters for the matter, located inside the surprisingly wide grounds of the Krussian Imperial Castle, were a row of two-stories high rectangular buildings, with even more rows of dragon-sized beds accommodated like the beds in a military camp.

The actual armory was inside the castle, in a large room with worn-down bricked walls, with only a window to look into the conifer forest around Kruscow, and two metal doors, one leading into the winter-stricken outdoors, and another leading into the Entrance Hall of the castle. Obsidian-made spears, swords and medieval styled weaponry were accommodated unto wooden rafts, categorized by length, sharpness and type. Spike had only seen obsidian in the Crystal Empire when King Sombra attacked, but he never thought he would see such fearsome crystal being used in such an elegant way.

"Do you ever use these?" Spike inquired, trying to touch one of the spears, but withdrew his claw when Glacial smacked it with his tail.

"No touch! Commander Whiptail and King Bittercold insist that they are only to be used in matters of dire emergency!" he replied.

"Besides, look at these," Rock proudly unsheathed his claws and pointed at his sharp teeth. "Who needs spears when we have these babes at our disposition at everytime? Too bad I can't say the same thing about you, denysh."

Spike was not sure what that word meant, but judging by his tone, it meant something close to 'baby' or 'lad'. He had never liked being referred to as a baby dragon by anypony, but he never voiced his opinion about it, not wanting to upset Twilight or the others. What he didn't like right then was the Temnokt, including Rock and Glacial, treating him like he was a helpless little child who needed to be accompanied by an adult all the time. The soldiers coming in and out of the room looked at him coldly, or didn't glance at him at all, like he didn't exist.

"Hey, guys…" Spike tried his best not to growl as he spoke. "Why is everytemnokt treating me like this?"

"How?"

Frowning, Spike waved his claw at a passing by drake, but was paid no heed. "See? Everytemnokt is ignoring me!"

"Oh, that." Glacial Fire let out a sigh. "It's because you have no Age Marks."

"Age… I think Fukkuteru spoke of them once. They're some sort of coming of age, right?"

"Da. If you don't have them, you're still seen as a hatchling, and as such, your opinion doesn't count."

Before Spike could protest, the Armory's air suddenly went silent and rigid. Every soldier inside straightened up with blank expressions; only Rock Dust and Glacial Fire's faces had a strong sight of fear and nervousness. Spike became confused to this sudden change of the atmosphere, but as he stepped back to look up at the two drakes' terrified expressions, he felt something against his back. He had bumped backwards into sometemnokt. As he turned around to apologize, the baby dragon froze too upon seeing the fire in front of him.

It was a burly but slim drake, wearing a regal silver armor like every other dragon in the army, but this drake had an air of authority and coldness he had not seen in the rest. The drake's underbelly was a contrasting brilliant amaranth, equal to the spiky mohawk upon his helmet. His mohawk had a few pale, light grayish amaranth-colored tufts of hair, and when Spike saw his folded wings, he realized the drake's left wing was colored like his underbelly, while his right wing had the same color as the lighter-toned tufts in his hair. Unlike most other Temnokt, this one had only one pair of horns on the right side of his head; all remaining of the other pair was the stubs where they once were. But that was not what made Spike tremble, no. What made Spike shudder was the sight of his face. The dragon's right eye was completely normal, colored a brilliant blue violet, but his right eye was…

How to explain it? Part of the left side of his face was covered up by his mask-like helmet (maybe that was the reason his helmet was different from the others'), but the baby dragon could manage to see burned, scorched scars from around his eyes and in the area around the left side of his snout, it looked a dark grayish blue violet color. There were still a few spots of black upon the scarred flesh. The dragon's eye was open wide, like somekuros had cut off a little part of his eyelid, with a black outlining around it, but what made it even creepier was the fact that his pupil and iris was enlarged, occupying a large part of the white sclera. The pupil was light gray, while the iris was a more medium gray.

"Commander Whiptail!" Both Rock and Glacial stuttered, saluting the higher-ranking dragon with their wings. "Reporting for duty, sir!"

Whiptail didn't say anything, but his hard gaze setting on the pair was enough to make them whimper in fear. Whiptail looked down, noticing Spike, but like the drakes before him, paid the baby dragon no heed. When he finally spoke, it was in a tone that demanded both respect and seriousness. "Takim obrazom, vy , nakonets, reshili pokazat' vash cheshuychatoy stalkivayetsya zdes'?"

Spike blinked in confusion. The drake was speaking in Krussian, a foreign language.

Glacial Fire gulped. "S- ser, my mozhem ob"yasnit' eto-" He flinched when Whiptail snapped his teeth.

"YA ne khochu nikakikh opravdaniy! Kogda ya dayu vam prikaz, ya ozhidayu, chto vy sledovat' yemu!" Whiptail hissed. "Vy dolzhny byli prosto dostavit' pis'mo, i vozvrashchaysya ko mne, chtoby dat' mne otvet! Razve vy ne mozhete dazhe sdelat' eto pravo?!"

Rock Dust tried to get on the Commander's good side. "S-komandir, my vozvrashchalis' k vam, no my nashli etot ptentsa zdes' ." Rock patted Spike's head. "On pogib, a poetomu, my prinesli yego s soboy po krayney mere, poka my ne mogli poluchit' yego domoy."

Whiptail looked down at Spike coldly, making the baby dragon shiver and try to hide behind Glacial Fire's leg. With a humorless snicker, Whiptail set his hard eyes on Rock and Glacial. "Tem ne meneye, eto ne opravdyvayet vashu zaderzhku . YA budu zabotit'sya o tebe eva pozzhe." Whiptail narrowed his eyes. "V moyem ofise. Vy uvoleny."

Spike's panic commenced when the two drakes left, not before giving the commander the mandatory salute. Spike stepped back in fear when Whiptail set his eyes on him, cold like the ice in the Frozen North back in Equestria.

"You're not from around here, are you, denysh?" he asked, in Equestrian, taking Spike by surprise. "I suppose you're part of the Equestrian delegation, am I right?"

It took a few minutes for Spike to say anything. "Y-you can speak Equestrian?"

Whiptail simply replied. "Yes. My apologies for the…. circumstances in which we met, but those two are a thorn at my side! I don't know why I still keep them here! But you have not answered my question, denysh."

"Oh! Sorry! Yes, I came here with Twilight and the others! But Discord asked me to follow Screwball and Stormfly and-"

"That's all I need to know." Whiptail snapped. "I don't care about your errands."

"Sorry."

"I suppose you're staying in the same place as Lady Sparkle, right?"

Spike nodded.

Whiptail turned towards the door and yelled using the Krussian Roaring Cry. "Stormchaser! Needlemouth! Poluchite vash cheshuychatyye zadnitsy zdes', pryamo seychas!"

Within seconds, two more dragons rushed into the armory, and saluted. One had moderate cerulean underbelly and not-so-spiky mohawk with traces of pale, light grayish gold locks, combining with his vermillion eyes, and two pairs of straight, slightly curved horns. The second had more wild-looking hair, shaped like lighting of moderate indigo, with light indigo thunder-shaped highlights. His underbelly was brilliant indigo, and his emerald eyes were open wide, with pupils shrunk. The indigo colored drake had an air of unpredictability about him, as if there was another dragon hidden within. The two wore the Royal Guard armor, but the drake with the crazy hair had no helmet.

"Na sluzhbu, ser!" The two said simultaneously.

"Voz'mite etu ptentsa zdes' v dom Temnogo Klana." Whiptail replide sharply, his air of hardness back.

"Da, sir!"

Whiptail gave Spike one last glance before walking away, probably to punish Glacial and Rock. But being left alone with two other drakes made him feel rather uncomfortable. His nerves spiked when the two set their eyes on him.

"He's the strangest hatchling I've ever seen." The wild-haired dragon commented, lifting Spike off the ground and sniffing him.

"D-Don't d-do that!" The other drake stuttered, obviously nervous. Spike could tell he was new in this job. "You'll m-make him angry!"

"Oh, come on! He's a hatchling! What could a hatchling possibly do?"

"H-he's a foreigner, r-remember? What if his p-parents get angry?"

Yup. He was definitely a newbie.

Author's Notes:

Translations:

Lake Wave: Pochemu ty tak mnogo govoryat, kobylu?!
Trans: Why do you speak so much, mare?!

Conversation between Commander Whiptail, Glacial Fire and Rock Dust.
CW: So, you're finally decided to show your scaly faces around here?
GF: S-Sir, we can explain it-
CW: I don't want any excuses! When I give you an order, I expect you to follow it! You were supposed to simply deliver a letter, and return to me to give me the reply! Can't you even do that right?!
RD: C-Commander, we were returning to you, but we found this hatchling here. He was lost, and so we brought him with us at least until we could get him home.
CW: Still, that doesn't excuse your delay. I will take care of you two later. In my office. You're dismissed.

CW: Poluchite vash cheshuychatyye zadnitsy zdes', pryamo seychas!
Translation: GET YOUR SCALY ASSES HERE RIGHT NOW!!

Na sluzhbu, ser
Translation: Reporting for duty, sir!

Voz'mite etu ptentsa zdes' v dom Temnogo Klana
Translation: Take this hatchling here back to the Shadowfang Clan's house.

Revnivo

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Cadence and Sunset Glare had much to catch up with.

They talked about their lives after their parted ways, and Sunset was so happy to be reunited with his dear friend after so much time. The last time they met was under heart-breaking conditions, when Ambassador Meteoric first left for Krussia and took his son along with him.

"So, you've never tasted Krussian desserts?" Sunset Glare chuckled.

"No, not ever since Twilight bought that chocolate bar," Cadence explained. "She said it was the most bitter thing she had tasted in her entire life."

"It is, and I have to warn you, Krussian deserts sometimes have alcohol."

Cadence's eyes widened. "No way!"

"Yes. It seems that they have resistance to the effects of alcoholic beverages. You should see the size of their tars! Krussian tars are as big as barrels!" Sunset thought for a moment. "They're actully carved barrels."

Cadence smiled in delight. How she had missed this pony.

"I'm happy to see you again, Sunset," she softly said with a glint of happiness. "I truly missed you."

"Me too, Caddie." Sunset leaned closer to the mare with loving eyes. "Actually, there's something I wanted to tell you that time but I didn't get to. I've been wanting to tell you this for all the years I've been living here, but I didn't want to express it in a letter. I wanted to tell you personally."

"What is it?" Cadence was caught by surprise when Sunset Glare leaned even closer to her, the look of his eyes unchanging.

"Caddie..." Sunset Glare put his hoof on hers. "I lov-"

"Cadence!"

Interrupting Sunset Glare's sentence, Shining Armor rushed down the stairs, holding a wailing Blade Kiss in his hooves. "Help!" He mouthed the word while giving his wife pleading look. Cadence giggled and hopped off the couch, walking towards her husband and her foal, to take Blade Kiss from Shining's hooves and hold him against her. "Shhh, it's okay. Mommy's here, mommy's got you." As soon as he felt the maternal warmth of his mother's embrace, Blade's crying subsided and the foal snuggled against his mother's coat.

Sunset Glare blinked.

"Cadence, who is that?"

"Oh!" Cadence remembered she had left her friend with the words on his mouth. "I'm sorry! This is Shining Armor, my husband, and our foal, Blade Kiss."

Sunset Glare's eyes widened with shrunk pupils at the word 'husband', but Cadence assumed he was just surprised. Shining Armor decided to be polite -in case any of their Krussian hosts was watching- and extended out his hoof to the golden-coated stallion. "Nice to meet you."

It took a few seconds for Sunset Glare to react, he abruptly shook Shining Armor's hoof before quickly putting it back down. "Nice to meet you too." Shining Armor could swear Sunset Glare was attempting to contain disgust, but maybe he was imagining things. The least thing he needed was another fiasco like the one he had with Discord when he and Twilight were getting married. But Sunset Glare had eerily familiar to him, which made Shining Armor a feeling of dread.

"So, you married...?" Sunset Glare asked, attempting to dissimulate his discomfort as much as possible. "Shining Armor?"

Cadence nodded eagerly as she rubbed her head against her husband's body. " Yeah. You have no idea how many things we've gone through together."

Shining Armor didn't mind. He and Sunset Glare were exchanging glances at one another, but not friendly ones at all on Sunset Glare's part. It seemed like he had a little pang of jealously in his eyes.

"Excuse me," Sunset finally said, all playfulness gone from his voice. "I must go."

Cadence's mood changed instantaneously when she saw her friend head towards the door. "Wait! You just arrived!" She called out for him.

"I'm sorry, Caddie, I just remembered there's something father asked me to do." Sunset Glare quickly replied, pulling the door open with his magic. "I guess I'll see you later."

Sunset Glare nearly ran into a baby dragon accompanied by two soldiers. He paid them no heed and simply pushed the baby dragon out of his way, without even wincing at the sight of the two guards. He had already enough incidents withy the Royal Guard, so he didn't care if the drakes told him anything as he trotted away, stomping his hooves.

Spike was confused as to why the unicorn had pushed him out of the way in such a rude manner, rather than ask him to move aside. Needlemouth and Stormchaser seemed to be thinking similarly, for they started one of their 'talks'.

"Was that who I think?" Stormchaser inquired.

Needlemouth nodded. "Yeah, I think it was him."

"Who?" Spike asked. "How do you know him?"

"All members of t-the Royal G-guard know about him." Needlemouth replied, trembling. "He has b-been arrested fifteen times for v-violent assault." The mere thought of a mere unicorn bringing down a full-grown drake made him shiver.

"Don't forget the he also got twenty arrests for public disturbance, five for starting a fight in a canteen, two for harassing dradies, and the most recent, attempting to sneak into the Imperial Castle." Stormchaser recalled all the times that unicorn had spent a night in the dungeons of the castle. "Hehehe, they should put his name on one of the cells."

Spike sighed in dismay. He was starting to prefer being in Glacial and Rock's company rather than these two's. It was not that he disliked them, but Needlemouth was always worrying over the most ridiculous of things and Stormchaser almost always spoke too much and too fast.

The three of them failed to see a perched raven on a light post.

Twilight paced around the attic with a look of worry upon her face. That letter she had been sent a few hours ago was making her worry, plus the comment Catseye made about Pinkie Pie was very nasty. Thank Celestia the pink mare didn't hear that, even though Pinkie Pie wouldn't probably see the insult behind it.

"Maybe he didn't mean to denigrate Pinkie Pie," Fluttershy suggested. "Perhaps he said that because he doesn't want us to risk our diplomatic meeting."

"He called her evil, Fluttershy!" Rarity snapped back, wiping her plaster-like mint cream on her face to get ready for bed. "How could he say such a thing about such a sweet, cheerful, good-natured pony such a s Pinkie Pie?"

Discord peeked from behind the curtain separating the mares' side of the room from the stallions (According to Krussian tradition, males and females could not share a room unless they were married. Only Cadence, Shining Armor,Twilight and Discord had right to share a bed). "Hey, Twilight, Meteoric did mention that Pinkie Pie's behavior is not normal around these parts." He said, putting Night Charge to bed with his tail along with his siblings.

"DISCORD!!!" Rarity took a blanket and covered her face from him. "DON'T LOOK! DON'T LOOK!"

With a roll of his eyes, Discord went back behind the curtain.

"Seriously, Rarity!" Applejack rolled her eyes. "Are you forgetting we don't use clothes?"

There was a knock at the door. Rarity immediately levitated the whole blanket and hid within it, not wanting anytemnokt to see her in those looks. Rainbow Dash flew down from the rafts above and turned the knob with a little effort. She found herself face to face with the little Tinder, judging by the look on her face she was past her bed time. The pegasus noticed she was carrying a book in her teeth.

"Tinder? What are you doing with that book?" Rainbow Dash inquired

The hatchling placed the book on the floor and replied. "Miss Twilight said she wanted to read a book, so I brought her one now that mother and father are not watching."

At the mere mention of 'book', Twilight dashed from her bed and gently pushed Rainbow Dash aside. It was a thick book with a dark purple spine and cover, with the drawing of a dragon head on the cover. Luckily for her, the book was apparently written -or translated- in Equestrian. The cover title read A Drady's Guide to High Blood.

"It's about manners, at least that's what Lightfire says." Tinder explained. "Catseye mentioned that you're going to dinner with the King, so I thought you would need it. The least thing you'll want is him thinking you have no manners, right?"

Twilight grinned as she ruffled Tinder's head playfully, sending the hatchling away in giggles. The unicorn then closed the door and trotted back to her friends, book levitating next to her.

"A book for manners?" Rainbow Dash waved her hoof dismissively. "I don't need a book for manners! The King will recognize a super-cool pony when he sees me!"

"Rainbow Dash, I think their definition of 'cool' is different from ours too." Applejack countered as she fidgeted with her pillow. "I wouldn't be surprised if the King sent you away for considering you a bad influence."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know, girls, I wonder if the King has any pets. Lightfire told me he has a garden full of crittes, but it is usually not open to outsiders." Fluttershy sighed in wonder. "Maybe if I ask him politely, he'll let me take a look."

"Girls!" Twilight called their atention, flipping the pages of the book, searching for something useful. "According to this book, in presence of Royalty or High Bloods we must make them see we're refined, cultured and smart. A 'drady' who can neither conceive an interesting topic conversation nor articulate her thoughts on words or paper will soon gain the reputation of a featherhead." Twilight glanced at Rainbow Dash for a brief moment before returning to the book.

"Twi, I think you're forgetting something." Applejack sighed, her stomach revolting at the thought. "We're going for dinner. Don't you think we should worry about what we're going to tell the King about our different gastronomic tastes?"

"She's right on that point, Twilight." Discord sided with Applejack without peeking over the curtain this time unless he wanted another little scene with Rarity. "We can't just go and say 'hey, Your Highness, I just wanted to tell you we do not eat meat because we don't like eating animals.' It would be rude!"

Fluttershy hid under her covers with a whimper. She did not want to speak about Krussian food.

"I assume they must know we do not like meat." Twilight replied, not taking her eyes off the book. "I don't think King Bittercold is inconsiderate enough to serve us meat for dinner knowing we won't be able to even look at it."

"Speak for Fluttershy on that one." Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath from her beam on the roof.

"Girls, I think the main point of discussion right now was Pinkie Pie and her effect on the Krussians." Twilight levitated the book to the night desk and sighed. "Maybe we should listen to Catseye's advice after all."

"Exclude Pinkie Pie?" Rainbow Dash frowned at the suggestion.

"No, no, no! Just not take her to King Bittercold's presence, or at the very least we should ask her to try and not to get too excited around him. If Krussian high society is different from Canterlot's, then we must not risk our credibility. I like Pinkie Pie the way s he is as much as you do, but if you don't know her she can seem a bit..."

"Demented." Discord finished from behind the curtain. "Rarity, can I look now?! I feel awkward speaking to my wife from behind a curtain!"

"You should have thought that before deciding to be a boy." Was all the fashionista replied, putting on her eye blindfold for sleep and letting herself fall on top of her matress. Discord contained the urge to snap his fingers and turn her mane orange.

Twilight smacked her forehead.

Sunset Glare would have gone to a tavern to drink his frustration at his awful luck away, but ever since his arrest for starting a fight at a canteen, he was banned from any bar, tavern or any stablishment that served alcoholic beverages. So, the only place he could go was home, and hope there was still some apple cider in his father's minibar. Stomping his hooves as he made his way to the minibar, his horn glowed mint green as he levitated a tar and poured the apple cider from its special tank into the tar.

Sunset Glare drank the cider in a single gulp, just to refill the tar again and take another gulp. He internally cursed his bad luck. Encountering Cadence after so much time just to find out she was already married, and ascended to the throne of the Crystal Empire-which he had never heard about, now that he thought about it.

The Equestrian Embassy in Kruscow was built especifically for ponies to live in it. From the outside it looked like a Canterlot two story house, both to help pony tourists find it in case they got into trouble and to make the Equestrian ambassador feel a bit like at home. The Embassy was of the size the ponies were accustomed to, so if a Temnokt wanted to speak with the ambassador, he could only fit his upper body inside, thus Krussians didn't really like visiting the Equestrian Embassy. The interior had an elegant and simple touch combined. Soft yellow walls, dark blue rug over a mahogany floor, and purple-colored furniture with golden trimming adorning ther living room.

His father arrived a little while ago, but the old stallion was so worried about the next day that he paid his son no heed for now. Sunset Glare didn't care. All he cared about was getting rid of his anger and sorrows. Why did mares have to be like roses? Beautiful, but thorny. Sunset Glare was drinking his fifteenth tar of cider when he heard a loud knock in the door.

"Great, what now?" Sunset Glare muttered as he stumbled towards the door. What did the Royal Guard want with him now? Did he do something again, or had they grown to arrest him just because they wanted? He opened the door with a rather loud 'what?', louder than he intended. Outside, like he expected, a large drake stood. He wore no armor, however, meaning he was not from the Royal Guard. Blue eyes, black hair tied up like a feather, chalk-white underbelly. He had seen this dragon before.

"Sunset Glare, I presume?" the dragon inquired, then sniffed at the unicorn. "Yes. Ambassador Meteoric Sun has never been the type to overdrink."

Sunset Glare frowned. "What brings you here at this hour?"

"Some business is better done in the dark." The dragon replied.

Sunset's frown deepened. "What do you want?"

The drake smiled like a shark. "Speak with you, of course."

Glare's blood chilled. "I have done nothing wrong, so beat it." He tried to shut the door on him, but his claw was wedged in the doorway.

"Do not worry, for I am not here for official matters. I'm not of the Royal Guard, as you can see, even if you did something wrong it is not my job to arrest you. I'm just here to make you an offer. May I come in?"

"No, you may not."

"Sometemnokt might hear us if we talk out here."

"Then say it quietly."

"Do you not remember me? We've seen each other a couple of times, especially when you were just a colt." The drake gave him a fake smile. "I'm Hookbait, servant to Lord Clawblack Drakkon from the House of Clawstrike, and like I said, have a proposal for you."

"i'm not interested," Glare tried and failed to close the door.

"It was hatchling's play to find you," Hookbait said, leaning closer. "Have you not heard that we have ears in every single street of this city? Sometimes it's even in front of you and you don't notice. But maybe it would be best to speak with your father."

"He is not home-"

"Really? How curious, because I believe I just saw him enter the embassy a little while ago, or did my eyes deceive me?"

Sunset Glare leaned forward himself, butting heads with the larger dragon. "Now listen to me, pal! I don't care if your master is the Royal Advisor, if you put a claw on my father I will hunt you down like a dog and end your life in the slowest and most painful way possible. Do you understand?"

Hookbait's smile widened. "And I thought Equestrians were weak of spirit. If you wish to question me, you should ask why my master sent me to you, instead of telling all to your father."

Sunset tilted his head. "Go on."

"We're no fools. We know your father has not found out about the countless times you've spent the night in the dungeons, the times you've commited minor faults to our fair country. You want him thinking you're the perfect stallion and that's why you never told them all the times you've been arrested, instead making up stories about why you spent the night out of the house. You can't keep the truth hidden from him. Sooner or later the blindfold will fall off his eyes." Hookbait noticed Sunset Glare was stiffening. "But if you haven't changed your mind, maybe it'll be best that I speak with that pretty Alicorn princess."

Sunset Glare's eyes widened in shock. "How did you-?!"

"Every single street of this city." Hookbait repeated those words with a crispness comparable to the snow falling from the sky. "You know, it's been so long since my master tasted the sweet magic of a pony."

"You're a fool if you think you can harm Princess Cadence." Glare said. "I know your laws, Temnokt. Your kind is true to their hospitality, it is forbidden to harm outsiders, not to mention stealing magic from other beings was forbidden a millenia ago. A mere Unicorn would only give you a few days or months in the dungeons. But attacking and harming a delegate from another country, a princess, King Bittercold will undoubtely apply the Capital Punishment to you."

"But of course. Bittercold doesn't have the racist fear every other Temnokt has against Unicorns ever since he who must not be named came. And I never said I would harm Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, Princess of the Crystal Empire, it is far too risky. But I didn't say I wouldn't tell her the terrible influence you would be for her little foal either. So, will yo come and hear my master's proposal? Or shall I see what gratitude spilling the soup to both your father and Princess Cadence might buy?"

Sunset Glare's jaw tightened. "I don't have muchy of a choice, do I?"

Hookbait's smile was unsufferable. "None at all."

Predlozheniye

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The Krussian Imperial Castle was a fortress. Unless you had a Royal Invitation or asked Commander Whiptail for permission to be given a tour there was no way in. Full-armored guards always patrolled both the skies and the vast courtyards around the palace, their eyes piercing the night in search of any potential intruders. Particularly, the Royal Guard had grown accustomed to looking out for a certain golden unicorn.

Sunset Glare felt rather uncomfortable under the wary stares they gave him as he trotted alongside Hookbait the ivory and obsidian halls of the Imperial Castle, heading towards Lord Clawblack's study. It took Hookbait ten minutes to convince the Royal Guard that the golden unicorn was with him so they would let him into the palace, ever since Sunset's last attempt at sneaking into the Imperial Castle Commander Whiptail ordered the Royal Guard strictly not to let him near the gates.

The castle's halls and corridors at night could be seen as creepy by foreigners. The dark gray walls were dimly illuminated by candles, the orange light reflecting on the parts of the marble floor that wasn't covered in a velvet red carpet. The pale moonlight filtered through the windows, the shadow of the snowflakes moving down as if bugs were crawling down the window. The few outsiders who had been invited into the palace often sometimes even thought the palace was haunted by evil spirits. Not that they voiced their opinion to their hosts, of course.

"Here we are." Hookbait finally broke the eerie silence when they came to a large door, using his magic to open it with a creak. "I shall wait for you here, my master wishes to speak with you alone."

Sunset Glare gave the drake a suspicious glance, but trotted into the room anyway. He trembled internally when the door closed shut behind him, leaving him alone in the dark room. Just like the halls outside, it was only dimly illuminated by candles. The room itself was spacious, and with the little light in there Sunset could tell the room was not as sparse as he thought. Sure, it had a plain, bare obsidian desk, a simple chair, an unadorned window and thin purple curtains. There were bookcases filled with scrolls, dark books and papers he wouldn't probably understand, for he never mastered Krussian language like his father did. On the side of a wall hung a giant, violet-colored piece of cloth with golden borders and the national symbol of the Empire, a black dragon, trimmed exactly in the center.

Clawblack had his back turned on the door, his back turned on Sunset Glare, his bat wings folded upon his back.

"Seriously, what's with the Temnokt and the darkness?" Sunset Glare snapped softly, looking around the dark space. "Don't you know electricity's already being invented?"

Clawblack chuckled darkly. "I don't know if you've noticed, why do you think our race is called 'Temnokt? It's actually a Krussian word that means 'darkness'. The ponies who first tried to document us were Neighpanese, and they noticed we had a natural affinity of darkness and shadows, thus they started calling us Kurosidae, or but we called ourselves Temnokt." He ignored Sunset Glare's snort of discomfort. "Long story short, we like the darkness."

"Whatever." Sunset snapped, his patience running short. "Just tell me what do you want?"

"Straight to the point, huh? I think you and I are going to be good friends." Clawblack finally turned his head to glance at the stallion. "I want the Elements of Harmony."

Sunset Glare blinked. After a while, he burst out in laughter, stamping his hoof on the ground. "Now, that was a good one! 'I want the Elements of Harmony', ha!" He laughed for a while before he noticed Clawblack's eyes were hardening. "Wait a minute, what do you mean? Are you serious? Why would you want those? They're just an old wives' tale."

Clawblack shook his head. "You don't know your own history, do you? The Elements of Harmony have been wielded by Bearers already, and you never found out? The Mare in the Moon, the Spirit of Chaos, the Changeling Queen and her army and even he who must not be named were already defeated by them." The drake noticed the look on Sunset Glare's face. "If you don't believe me, then look at this."

He levitated the Canterlot Gazette articles Hookbait had brought him a few days ago. They glowed mint as Sunset Glare took a look at the articles with widened eyes. After a while, he regained his icy composure. "Even if it is true, why did you make me come here just to tell me that? I cannot give you the Elements of Harmony, I live here. Besides, what do you want them for? You cannot wield them, only their bearers."

"Would you shut up and listen?" Clawblack hissed as he stood up and elegantly circled the Unicorn. "I can't wield them by myself, I know that, I need the other bearers. Yet it seems fate is looking favorably upon me, I got word that the Bearers have just come to our fair country."

"What do you mean….?"

"The white Unicorn, Shining Armor, the Spirit of Chaos himself, a Changeling, a baby dragon, even one of own my kind has become a Bearer, something I didn't thought possible."

Sunset Glare's eyes widened like plates. Shining Armor, an Element Bearer? The Spirit of Chaos? A Changeling? But the most disturbing, a Temnokt? That was not possible!

"As for what I want them for?" Clawblack stopped his pacing, giving the Unicorn an evil smirk. "Let's say I'm not happy with the current government."

"You want to overthrow King Bittercold?" Sunset Glare chuckled again. "Good luck with that." He turned to leave, but the drake's magic aura immobilized his hooves. The stallion shuddered internally when he felt Clawblack's hot breath behind his neck.

"You don't know what I'm capable of to get what I want, my friend." the dragon hissed dangerously. "Do you recall reading why my kind was banished from Equestria?" Clawblack's two long fangs flashed in front of Sunset Glare. "We can steal magic from other beings. In fact, if I wanted, I could dig my fangs into your neck and suck you dry of your magic." The drake regained his composure. "But no. I need you in perfect conditions for this."

Sunset Glare had enough of this. "Knock it off! Why in Tartarus do you need me?! Send your dog outside the doors to steal them!"

"No." Clawblack shook his head. "It would be too obvious that the robber came from Krussia, and Princess Celestia would warn King Bittercold in advanced. But if an Equestrian is the one who robs them, she will never suspect the Elements were brought over here and she will focus solely on her own country."

"And what makes you think I'll agree to this?" Sunset Glare snorted, raising an eyebrow. "If I get caught by King Bittercold, he can apply the Capital Punishment to me since I've lived here for the past twenty years, long enough to be considered a citizen of this country. If I get caught by Princess Celestia, she'll exile me from Equestria and I'll never be able to return, forever wandering through the world country less. What can you offer me that can outweigh those risks?"

Clawblack smiled like a crocodile. "That pretty pink Alicorn, of course. I've noted you have feelings for her, don't you."

Sunset Glare's eyes widened in shock. How did he…? Before he could ask, a raven flew to Clawblack's horns and posed there, staring at the golden-coated stallion curiously. That must be how he even knew Cadence was here.

"You weren't very happy when you found she already formed a family with another stallion, were you? You wanted her all for yourself, but she moved on from you and found comfort in the hooves of another pony. It bothers you." Clawblack smiled further. "But if you help me, I can give her to you. Dark magic can do anything, even mess with love and feelings."

Sunset Glare seemed to consider for a moment, but he set his jaw. Before he could say anything however, Clawblack lifted his wing. "No, no, no. You don't have to answer me now. Go back home, give it a little thought, and when you've taken a decision come back to see me." Clawblack's smile faded. "But do not even think of mentioning this conversation to anypony, or anytemnokt, I have ears and eyes in this whole city. Spill anything I just told you to anyone, and I'll destroy you. Like I just said, you don't know what I'm capable of when I want something."

Sunset Glare nodded and, with his hooves now free, walked out of the room, where Hookbait was still waiting, like he said he would. Wordlessly, the drake led Sunset Glare through the halls of the palace, not turning to glance at him. Sunset Glare was giving thought to Clawblack's words. No, he didn't think he would need dark magic to win back Cadence's heart from Shining Armor's hooves. He was sure he could convince her that he was a much better choice.

Still, he would have to pick a right time to start with his plan.

Next morning, it was surprisingly sunny. In such a tundratic climate, such days were very rare, and when they came, everytemnokt spent it outside, either playing or just enjoying the sun. Sunny days meant that the Devastating Winter was coming, and they wanted to enjoy the last days they would spend outside before shutting into their homes for two whole months.

However, Twilight and her friends had no time to play. Tonight, they were expected at the Imperial Castle to join King Bittercold for dinner, and they wanted to cause a good first-impression. All morning, it was spent practicing the ways of Krussian etiquette; they were so lucky that Fukkuteru's family was a High Blood family, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to help. Pinkie Pie, however, preferred to go outside and play in the snow with Screwball and Tinder (dragging Stormfly along), having decided that making new friends 'was not so hard'.

Lightfire was an expert in etiquette, having being taught by her mother ever since she could remember. With Twillight and her friends, Discord, Shining Armor and Cadence sitting (Lake Wave and Catseye had to put cushions so their guests' heads would be above the table) examining the dining table's contents, she had to be specific and try not to confuse them very much. "Pay attention to everything I say, it's a little bit complicated to understand the first time, especially since you don't have any..." Lightfire sighed sadly. "Claws. First of all, table manners are casual. The fork is held in the left paw and the knife in the right." She nodded in satisfaction when the ponies took the fork and knife in their hooves just like she just told them.

Twilight examined the knife nervously, wondering how sharp it was. However, she gathered the courage to speak. "Lightfire, according to the book, the oldest guests are always served first?"

The drady nodded. "Yes. If I may ask, who of you is the oldest?"

"That would be me." Discord lifted his eagle talon, blushing. "Don't ask me how old I am, you won't believe me."

Rarity reached out for one of the pieces of freshly-baked bread, but Lightfire levitated it off her hoof and back into the plate, frowning lightly. "Do not start to eat until your host has invited you to start." Then she caught a sight of Rainbow Dash resting her head on her hooves with a yawn. "You should not rest your elbows on the table!" Lightfire moved the cian pegasus's elbows off the table with her magic, but left her hooves upon it. "But your hooves should be visible at all times."

"Oh, come on! Are there so many ways to be rude on a table?!" Discord groaned. He caught sight of the obsidian, red wine jar a few inches away from him. But as he snapped his finger and, with some effort, levitated to serve himself, Lightfire coughed. "Aren't you forgetting something, mister Discord?"

"What?"

"Males are supposed to pour drinks for females eated next to them. Fluttershy and Twilight are next to you, you should serve them first." Lightfire then glanced at Spike and Shining Armor. "That's for you as well. Shining Armor, you first serve Cadence and Applejack, and Spike has to pour Rainbow Dash and Rarity's drinks. "

The baby dragon stared at the giant-sized wine jar (in his standards, that is). "How am I supposed to lift that thing off the table?"

"I see you're going well with Lightfire's mannerism classes."

Lightfire rolled her eyes at her older brother's remark. "At least I do have, manners, Catseye. If you weren't so rude at the table and disrespectful with your guests, father would have already found you a mate."

"My dear sister," Catseye patted Lightfire's shoulder lightly. "That's the idea. I don't want father to find me a mate too soon. I'm in the prime of my youth, and he wants me to settle down already. Besides, not everydragon has the luck to be born as beautiful as you."

Lightfire rolled her eyes at his words.

"Catseye, weren't you looking after our children?" Twilight's heart skipped a beat when she noticed the drake had apparently left their children alone.

"Don't worry, Lady Sparkle, they're safe and sound with my granpa." Catseye replied with a confident grin, but his younger sister gasped.

"Catseye! How can you say that?! He fell asleep in the Civil War!"

"But he did wake up to sound the alarm! He should be able to handle a handful of foals!"

Just as he finished speaking, there was a sound of an explosion upstairs. Twilight and Cadence immediately rushed upstais to see if their foals hadn't hurt themselves or destroyed a part of the house, but Discord simply limited to snap his fingers and disappear in a flash of white. Shining Armor was next, going after his wife and his sister when he overcame the shock of what had happened.

Lightfire arched her eyebrow at her brother. "You were saying?"

"Grandpa!" Catseye rushed up through the stairs, worried about his grandfather's well-being, while Lake Wave and Vasilisa ran in from the courtyard and rushed up the stairs to see what had happened. Rarity wondered what Catseye had meant when he said not everydragon had the luck to be born as beautiful as Lightfire. She lifted her hoof to call for the drady's attention.

Lightfire noticed the unicorn's lifted hoof. "Is there something you need, Lady Rarity?"

The Unicorn grinned. "Oh, there's no need for formalities, Miss. You may call me Rarity." Rarity's smile faded a bit. "But there's something I need to inquire of you. What did Catseye's words mean?"

Lightfire knew what she wanted to know. She sighed in sadness before replying. "Take a look at me, everypony." the drady stood from the table and allowed the present ponies to see her. "What do you think of me?"

Fluttershy blinked. "Excuse me, I do not understand."

"My looks. How do you think I look?"

The ponies eamined the drady closely. Lightfire had a well-proportioned body, with stunning curbes and a slim waist. Her legs were delicate-looking and thin, but with well-cared claws and scales. Her neck was slender and curved, like her tail and wings. Lightfire's hair was unique as well, with locks of blue hair tinted purple at the tips cascading from her head, like spider silk on one of Rarity's most beautiful dresses. Her green eyes had a shine full of spirit, glowing like two emeralds. Lightfire's Age Marks were shaped like drops of water, also beautifully curved.

In other words, she could be the definition of beauty.

"My, you're one of the most beautiful Temnokt I've ever seen." said Rarity after a while.

"You're pretty." Fluttershy added.

Rainbow Dash wasn't usually interested in this kind of things, but even she couldn't contain it. "How do you do that with your hair?"

"Wow. Sugarcube, I bet you have everydrake in this city kissing the ground you step on." Applejack commented.

Usually, anyone would be very flattered by those words, but Lightfire wasn't. She looked down sadly, the shine in her eyes gone momentarily, before replying. "That's precisely the problem."

Rarity blinked. "What do you mean? Are you not happy with your looks?"

"It's not that. Like Applejack just said, almost everydrake in Krussia is smitten with me and my looks. Every Rose Festival I'm flooded with bouquets of flowers. gifts, cards and love letters. Back in school I was never picked on by anydrake, instead they harassed and bullied the less-attractive females. Not me."

"Wait, how is that a problem?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I would be very happy to have tons of stallions and colts who would sell their tails for a single glance from me."

"The problem is, that none of those drakes really love me." Lightfire replied, her eyes tearing up a bit. "They're just smitten and infuatuated with my looks and my beauty, they want me as a mate without even knowing me. When Catseye marries, father will start looking for a mate for me, but how is he supposed to find a drake who will love me sincerely, when none of the males I've met has even bothered to strike a conversation with me?"

"Lightfire," Fluttershy began sympathetically.

"What are you complaining about?" Vasilisa's voice called everyone's attention. The teen was standing in the stairs, having overheard what they were talking about on her way down. Her eyes were filled with hurt. "At least the drakes are actually interested in you! Because they think you're beautiful!"

Rarity and Fluttershy took their hooves to their lips in shock. Rainbow Dash and Applejack stared at the younger drady pitifully.

"Vasilisa," Lightfire tried to speak, but her sister interrupted her.

"Me, on the other hand...! I'm not even close to you! All the males in my class are always calling me names and teasing me, and none of the other females want anything to do with me! All because I have bad hair and an unnatractive body? At least you've never been stood up by a drake!"

"Vasi," Lightfire felt like crying for her sister's words, but she was once more interrupted.

"So what are you so teary-eyed about? I'm the one who has every reason to cry and be miserable! You should instead be worrying about what will you do when you grow old and your beauty is reduced to nothing more than a memory!"

With those parting words, Vasilisa flew upstaris again, her eyes blood-stained from her tears. Lightfire wanted to go after her, but in that state the young drady would not listen. Besides, she felt she was not the adequate dragon to talk to her about this matter. She had to talk to their mother about this later.

Meanwhile, their pony guests had experienced a rather awkward scene. Lightfire just hoped they would not get a bad impression for this.

"How does it look? Do you like it? If you don't we can always make another one until there's one you actually like! It's pretty fun!"

Fukkuteru rubbed his temples like it would cease his headache. "Pinkie, for the eleventh time, it's fine the way it is." He glanced at the pink mare's attempt to make a snowdragon, a crudely made snowdragon. Tinder attempted to give it a few touches, but all she managed to do was to make a bit of the snowdragon fall apart.

"Are you sure? Are the horns fine? And the teeth?" she pointed at the two toothpicks they used to make the Kuros's fangs.

"It's fine!"

"Are you really, really sure?"

"YES-!" Fukkuteru nearly roared at her, but he held his breath and inhaled deeply, then exhaled to calm himself down, the cold making his breath freeze. "It's perfect the way it is, Pinkie Pie. Why don't you go play snowball fight with Screwball and Tinder?"

Pinkie Pie thought for a second, before shrugging. "Okay."

"Yay! I want to show you how much I've advanced with my magic, Big brother!" Tinder squealed happily.

Fukkuteru smiled fondly at his younger sibling. "I'm sure you have, Tindy. I'll catch up to you in a while."

Fukkuteru sighed in relief as he watched her trot away to look for the purple-maned mare, Tinder going after her. It was not he disliked Pînkie Pie, but she was so... He couldn't even find a word for it. The dragon looked around the snow-blanketed courtyard of his family's home, looking for Stormfly. There was not a sign of his black carapace, nor his red scarf. Fukkuteru rose to his paws and was about to return inside when he heard something from the tree he had been resting under.

He recognized Stormfly's voice. "Are you sure they won't find us here?"

"Don't worry! Pinkie and Tinder must be playing snowball fight, so we have about ten minutes before they start looking for us." Screwball replied.

Fukkuteru arched an eyebrow at their hideout. He silently crept towards the tree and stretched his neck to take a pek through the leaves. Krussian trees were adapted to the constant winter climate, so instead of losing their leaves during Autumn, the leaves only turned gray and dull and unresponsive. Fukkuteru peeked into the inside of the tree, spotting Screwball and Stormfly sitting on a branch. The Changeling was covered with a thick, woolen blanket, trembling and chattering his teeth.

"Why must every place I go have snow? ACHOO!" Stormfly sniffed and wiped his mucus.

"Come on, Stormy, it's not that bad." Screwball replied between giggles. "At least we can play together in the snow."

"That's my point, Screwball. I do notlike snow. I'm not a pony, I don't have any fur."

Screwball pretended to be upset and crossed her hooves. "Well, you didn't want to put on the sweater Mrs.Velvet offered you."

"That thing was the size of a blanket!"

Screwball giggled at the remark, her angry facade fading away.

"What's so funny?" Stormfly inquired before sneezing again.

"You're cute when you're complaining about something."

Fukkuteru contained a snicker when he saw Stormfly's cheeks turning red at that comment. "Well, thanks for the compliment."

Stormfly started to tremble when Screwball shifted closer to him, but he did not dare move away. She leaned her head closer to him. "Do you think I'm cute?"

"Of course! I... You're..."

Screwball leaned even closer until her snout was touching the Changeling's. "Yes?"

"I think you're... very... uh..."

"Beautiful?" Fukkuteru rescued him with a snicker.

"Yeah, thanks. Screwball, I think you're-" Stormfly blinked in surprise and turned towards the direction he heard his friend's voice. Fukkuteru was staring at the two with a toothy, teasing grin. Stormfly yelped in surprise and lost his balance. Screwball gasped when she saw her friend fall backwards from branch to branch until he was caught by the blanket of snow on the ground. Fukkuteru let out a hearty laugh as he removed his head from the leaves of the trees and shook the snow accumulated on his hair and horns.

"Owowowowow..." Stormfly glared up at the Temnokt. "Hey, you don't spy on other ponies!"

"What were you loveponies doing up there, Stormie?" Fukkuteru snickered playfully. "You were about to kiss!"

"What?!" Stormfly blushed at his words. But before he could reply, the tree's branche shook, making the ice on the trees fall to the ground.

"Hey, guys." Screwball called out from the tree. "Would you help me down? I may know how to climb trees, but I'm scared to climb down!"

Stormfly sighed in dismay as his friend approached the tree to help the filly-mannered mare get down their tree. He needed some time to think this.

Uzhin

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King Bittercold Dreadstalker III

Queen Astral Dusk Dreadstalker

Mother Queen Boreal Blizzard Dreadstalker

Prince Mythic Midnight Dreadstalker

Crenshaw

Twilight wished King Bittercold had invited them for lunch, not dinner. Sure, she had to admit, the view of the city was pretty at night, but the cold was unbearable, especially since they had no winter clothing. Pinkie Pie hadn't taken the news that she was staying with the foals back home so badly; actually, she had wanted to stay with the children. Twilight and her friends didn't fail to notice how Lake Wave had a dissimulated shudder, however. Screwball and Stormfly opted to stay behind too, but for different reasons. Screwball wouldn't stand being awake so late. Stormfly, on the other hoof, didn't want another fiasco like the one a few days ago. Spike tagged along because he wanted to see his new soldier friends. Fluttershy chose to stay behind as well, but for what she assumed would be in tonight's menu. And she didn't want another sideshow to ruin everything.

"Brrr." Discord's teeth were chattering like castanets. "Why couldn't Kuros live in a tropical country with beaches and drinks with little umbrellas?"

Fukkuteru was trembling as well. He had been living on Equestria for so long his scales lost the resistance to the harsh cold of his country. "Just wait until devastating winter arrives. You will only have to step for five seconds to turn into a popsicle."

"Ha! And you made fun of me for bringing my winter coat." Rarity grinned tauntingly. She was the only one of the group who wore a blue thick winter coat, with furry sky blue boots an a short navy blue scarf.

"I don't get it." Shining Armor added up. "Why are there so many months of winter? Why don't you have the normal length of seasons like the rest of the world?"

The ponies noticed Fukkuteru wincing slightly at the question. "It's a long story… But now's not the time for stories, everypony. We're almost there."

The Krussian Imperial Castle was not so intimidating this day. It seemed King Bittercold wanted his guests to be as comfortable as possible. The Krussian patrols were still flying around, searching for any sign of intrusion, with no avail. Two bulky guards were at the gates, as if expecting them, or simply guarding the gate. They extended their wins like lanced to prevent them from coming inside without a very good reason.

"Ostanovit'! Kto tam idet?" One of them hissed, narrowing his eyes.

"Heyheyhey!" Rainbow Dash flew up to one of the soldier's maws, despite not really knowing what they were saying. "Careful with your words, pal! You're talking to the dinner guests of King Bittercold himself!"

"Seriously, Rainbow Dash!" Applejack rolled her eyes and took a hoof to her temples.

"Prostite, nezhnyye selezney." Fukkuteru pulled Rainbow Dash away with his magic, then directed his words at the guards. "My byli priglasheny korolem Bittercold na uzhin. Yesli vy khotite, pozhaluysta, soobshchite nam v, ya i moi tovarishchi merznut zdes'."

"Nashi izvineniya, ser, no my ne byli proinformirovany ob etom voprose. My ne mozhem pozvolit' vam v tom, yesli komandir Whiptail ne govorit nam, chtoby."

Rarity whispered into Applejack's ear. "What are they talking about?"

"I think the guards won't let us in because they weren't told of our arrival. Fukkuteru is trying to convince them to let us in, but he's not having luck at it."

Twilight took a hoof to her temples in frustration.

A shadow flew above the group. A ballistic roar echoed in the night cold air, and the guards immediately stiffened and straightened, saluting with their wings, regaining their serious expressions. Fukkuteru jumped back as Commander Whiptail himself landed in front of the group, his wings extended menacingly. He glanced at the group of ponies with a narrowed eye, for his damaged eye had only half the eyelid left.

The ponies, Twilight particularly, were inwardly terrified upon seeing his blind eye. Burned skin all on the left side of his face, and his left pupil and iris all wide and gray-colored, showing blindness. Fukkuteru was the only one who did not wince upon seeing Commander Whiptail.

"My greetings, Commander." Fukkuteru bowed his head lightly. This was nothing more than an education manner.

Whiptail didn't reply. He examined the group of ponies with critical eyes, before turning to the gate guards. "Pust' ikh syuda Oni gosti korolya Bittercold v. On ozhidayet ikh na uzhin."

The two drakes saluted. "Da, sir!"

The drakes proceeded to open the gates with their magic for the ponies to come in. They had to cover their eyes for the sudden light that illuminated the snowy path outside. The Main Hall was majestic, one of the few parts of the castle that wasn't made of obsidian crystal. The walls were a soft Ivory, adorned with purple carpets with the emblem of the Krussian Empire, trimmed golden at the edges. A contrasting red carpet on the floor would led the ponies to the dining hall. A chandelier hung high in the ceiling, illuminating nearly most of the Main Hall, apart from the torches on the walls.

"Gorgeous!" Rarity trotted into the Main Hall with wide eyes and a grin. "Absolutely gorgeous! The carpets, the chandelier…I feel like a princess!"

The others rolled their eyes, but Cadence giggled. Rarity and her antics. Whiptail glanced back at the ponies. "This way, Lady…"

Twilight realized he didn't yet know her name. "Oh, Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle." She motioned at her friends. "And these are-"

"That's all I needed to know. Come this way."

As they made their way into the hall, and through the labyrinthian-like castle, Discord whispered into Twilight's ear. "Who put spice into his breakfast?"

"DIscord!" Twilight whispered sharply, glancing nervously at Whiptail.

"Seriously, you don't want to get on the bad side of a dragon like him!" Spike spoke in low voice at the draconequus. "He has a whole army on his command, remember?"

"For your information, kid, I don't really have the whole army at my command." Whiptail suddenly spoke, startling them. "King Bittercold ,use grant me permission, and he will only give me the soldiers he believes I will need. Nothing else."

Cadence shifted uncomfortably. "You sure have good ears."

"When you lose your sight, or at least part of it," Whiptail turned to the pink alicorn with his bad eye, making her shiver. Even though he couldn't see with that eye, it felt like he was staring right at her. "Your other senses augment."

Rainbow Dash inquired. "What happened to you that you look like the Colt of the Opera?"

"RAINBOW DASH!!"

The pegasus flinched when her friends, including Cadence and Shining Armor, yelled and gave her both angry and horrified stares. Whiptail stopped dead in his tracks, and glanced back at Rainbow Dash with his good eye. The normally brash and overconfident pegasus shivered uncharacteristically; he looked like he would murder her for asking that! Whiptail advanced menacingly towards Rainbow Dash.

"Commander?" Fukkuteru tried to get in the way. "Don't mind her, she's just a curious pony who doesn't know when to keep things to herself…"

Whiptail pushed him aside gently.

"Wait a minute!" Rarity was next. "There's no need for violence here, mister!"

Whiptail moved her to the side with his magic. This time Shining Armor stepped in.

"Commander Whiptail!" He spoke in his 'Captain of the Royal Guard' tone. "Is this how you treat outsiders, and invited dinner guests of the King himself?"

That made Whiptail stop. Rainbow Dash released a collected sigh of relief, nearly collapsing to the ground. Discord snapped his fingers and made a fan appear to fan Twilight. She was on the verge of fainting. If there was something Shining recalled, was that Krussians were true to hospitality and would never harm a guest. Whiptail gave Rainbow Dash a look of contempt, before turning around and motioning the group to follow him once more.

"Excuse me, Commander." Spike called out for the black dragon. "Would you mind if I greet Rock Dust and Glacial Fire?"

Without turning, Whiptail replied. "Those two? I assigned them to guard King Bittercold's courtyard, if you wish to see them I don't have anything against it. To go to the courtyard, go at the end if this corridor, turn right, then left. They should be at that gate."

Spike nodded eagerly and sped down the corridor. Twilight was about to call out for him, but decide against it at the last moment. She was glad he had made friends so soon.

The ponies were finally brought to a large door, scarlet red with golden edges. Whiptail opened the two large doors with his magic, and invited the ponies to come in. The Dining Room was almost the size of the barn in Sweet Apple Acres, maybe even bigger. A golden chandelier illuminated the ivory yellow walls and the stainless marble floor. There were three long windows adorned with velvety red curtains on the right wall of the room. The clouds had miraculously given way to the pale blue moon, giving the Dining Room an air of calm.

The Dining Table was very long, enough for a numerous group to sit. It was adorned with a red mantle, and tall cushions meant for the ponies. Carefully laid plates and at least a wine and water glass was on next to each plate, made of the finest glass and cleaned stainless.

"If we decorated the crystal palace like this, I bet it would look simply beautiful!" Cadence glanced around the Dining Room in awe.

"Looms like they like the fancy." Applejack commented about the chandelier. "But ah gotta admit, this is something you don't see every day."

Rarity giggled teasingly. "If it comes from you, Applejack, it must mean something."

"Well, my task is complete." Whiptail announced coldly. "King Bittercold shall join you shortly."

Twilight couldn't help but frown lightly when the dragon left, closing the doors behind him. Ambassador Sun was not exaggerating when he said Commander Whiptail was an ice floe. Oh, but she wouldn't give up so easily! She would befriend that dragon, no matter if she had to beg!

"These guys must be fabulously wealthy if they can afford all of this!" Discord was disappearing and appearing at every inch of the Dining Room, examining every detail like a critic judging a piece of art.

"They're not the second most powerful country for nothing." Twilight retorted. "They only lose to Equestria, but I wouldn't remind them of that so much."

Applejack ran a hoof on the surface of the adorning vases, and examined her hood seconds later to see if there was a single speck of dust or dirt on it, only to find it stainless. "Wow. They're sure obsessed with cleanup, too."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at Rarity's remaking up. "Rarity, you've already combed your mane, and adjusted your eyelashes thrice!"

"Rainbow Dash, the first impression lasts for all your life." Rarity retorted simply, making sure her coat was neat and combed. "You should take a good look at your mane, otherwise they'll think you're a lost cause in fashion."

"Hey, this mane style is the coolest in the whole world!" Rainbow Dash stuck out her chest and pointed at her wild mane. "Everypony sees you as a free, strong and boundless individual!"

"Girls!" Fukkuteru called their attention with a soft hiss. "You should know that King Bittercold is quite…" he gulped. "Intolerant."

"What do you mean?" Shining Armor inquired.

"Don't get me wrong, he is great ruler. But the King simply dislikes losing time with nonsense talking, so we must go straight to the point when he asks about our diplomatic approaches. And do not criticize our way of life in front of him, you won't like his reaction."

"Does that mean…" Discord dread what was coming.

"Yes. No jokes, nor pranks, nor nonsense with the King."

Discord groaned in frustration. Twilight only patted her husband's back comfortingly.

The ponies trembled when the doors opened once more, glowing green, before the magic subsided, and the owner of the magic walked into the room. He was a majestic black dragon, with purple underbelly and jaw, the came color as his bushy eyebrows. He was a bit taller than Fukkuteru was, or even more than Lake Wave, maybe because he was of Royal blood. He wore metal armor over his graceful long neck, and from under the armor a regal red cape hung, running down his back and dripping lightly into the floor. The drake wore a metal helmet looking like those of the guards, except this one had no golden trimming. His wild yet slightly combed violet mohawk pointed backwards, with a line wide enough to let the hair go through the helmet. His build was well-built up, making the ponies know he was very strong and muscular.

He was King Bittercold Dreadstalker III.

By his side was a female dragon, probably his Queen. Unlike her husband she was thin, and frail looking, with silky hair the color of leaves in autumn leaves tied up into a ponytail, with two short bangs on both sides of her head, contrasting her aqua blue eyes. She wore a beautiful blue dress of various tones of persian, sky and dark blue colors, with a long skirt hiding her tail from view, and white cotton on the edges of the skirt, short sleeve and collar. She was very thin, looking like she didn't eat very much.

Another female walked into the room, this was was much older than the King himself. This old drady was even thinner than the Queen, and the wrinkles in her face, neck and legs made the ponies know that she was about the same age as Granny Smith. Her hair was a grayish pink, carefully combed wavily with two long, wavy bangs. She wore a dress of pink tonalities: vivid pink sleeveless collar, purple pink bodice, and about three layers of skirt and flounce, with a semi-transparent flounce between the second and third skirts. Her wine-colored eyes were harder than the other dragons eyes.

As soon as the dragons stepped into the room, Discord, Shining and Fukkuteru bowed, while Twilight and her friends curtsied like Lightfire showed them to. King Bittercold nodded. Impeccable manners.

"Greetings, dear ponies." He spoke. His voice was smooth yet firm. "If I may know, who of you is Lady Sparkle?"

Twilight Sparkle knew that was her cue. "T-That would be me, Your Highness." She stepped forward under his hard gaze. "Me and my friends have crossed the ocean in the name of Princess Celestia of Equestria to discuss the possibility of a treaty between our peoples."

"I see you're well-informed of our culture and speaking manner, Lady Sparkle." The Queen spoke, her voice soft and may be even shy. "My husband and I will be more than happy to hear your proposal from your ambassador."

"That would be me, mi'lady." Fukkuteru bowed respectfully. "I'm Fukkuteru, son of Lake Wave from the Shadowfang Clan."

"Greetings, My lord!" Discord disappeared in a flash, and reappeared two seconds later in front of King BIttercold, but the Kuros showed no sign of surprise. "I'm Discord! Lord of Chaos! Well, former Lord of Chaos, ever since I happily married Twilight Sparkle!"

Twilight smacked her forehead. Cadence decided to intervene and approached the three dragons. "My name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, my lord and lady, I have come in the name of the Crystal Empire."

As soon as the words Crystal Empire left her lips, King Bittercold stiffened slightly, but regained his composure quickly. The Queen was not so dissimulate, however, and a gasp escaped her lips. Not a gasp of awe, that was certain. The oldest drady frowned.

"Princess Cadenza, I would be grateful if you didn't mention that place in our presence." Bittercold said with cold eyes. "Me and my people have no fond memories of the Crystal Empire."

Twilight decided to change the subject. "My lord, allow me to present myself properly. I'm Twilight Sparkle," she tried to remember how Fukkuteru introduced himself. "Youngest daughter of Twilight Velvet and Night Light from the… Sparkle Clan."

Applejack stepped to the front. "I'm Applejack, daughter of Apple Buck and Sweet Acre, from the Apple Clan."

"I'm Rainbow Dash!" Rainbow Dash flew to the King's face. "Future Wonderbolt and the best flyer in Equestria!"

Bittercold blinked. "Forgive me, Lady Rainbow, but I've never heard about the Wonderbolt Clan of Equestria."

Rainbow Dash gaped, but Rarity quickly pulled her back with magic, coughing slightly before introducing herself. "I'm Rarity, daughter of Hondo Flanks and Cookie crumbles." She waved her mane and flicked her tail. "Ponyville's elite fashion designer."

Bittercold nodded, before glancing at Shining Armor. Shining Armor gulped, before speaking. "I'm Shining Armor, older brother of Lady Sparkle and husband of Princess Cadence."

Bittercold raised an eyebrow. "Cadence?"

The pink Alicorn lifted her hoof. "That's how my friends call me, my lord."

The drake nodded. "You may already know this, but I am King Bittercold Dreadstalker third." The dragon bowed at his guests, before unfurling his right wing and embracing his wife with it. "This is my Queen, Astral Dusk." He unfurled his other wing and embraced the older female. "And this is my mother, The Elder Queen Boreal Blizzard."

The females curtsied as he introduced them. Twilight Sparkle nodded.

"My son will be joining us shortly, but for the moment, I suggest we take a seat until he arrives. I must inform you, another friend of mine will be accompanying us to dinner."

"Can we eat now? No offense, but I'm hungry." Discord said with a pat on his stomach, then snapped his winger to make his waist thinner than it actually was. Twilight gave him an angry glare, but King Bittercold said nothing about this.

"You, Lord Discord, seem to be quite skilled at transformation spells." The dragon said. "But I suggest you to learn some illusionary spells if you'd like to excel."

Discord blinked at his proclamation, but Twilight's glare made him keep his mouth shut for the moment. BIttercold extended his wings in a welcoming gesture.

"So… shall we sit down?"

"What are these called, ma'am?" Pinkie Pie pointed at the dark-colored biscuits on the plate.

Velvet smiled slightly as she placed another batch on the kitchen table. "They're raven biscuits. They're made with dark chocolate and usually a bit of rum and no sugar, but since ponies are not used to sugarless tastes, I added sugar this time."

Fenrir whined in protest from under the table. If desserts had sugar, it meant he couldn't eat it.

"Do you know how to make cupcakes?" Pinkie inquired.

"Cupcakes? I must say, Miss Pie, it's the first time I've ever heard about those cupcakes. The last time I knew about that word was in one of Fukkuteru's letters; he said the cupcakes were a colorful, popular dessert in your country, right?"

Pinkie nodded happily. "Yep! I can teach you how to make cupcakes if you'd like!"

"Well, miss, I think it wouldn't be that bad to learn a recipe from another country-"

Before she could continue, Pinkie had already set up what she found in the kitchen to make the cupcakes. The first thing she did was to place a bowl on top of the table, and took a cup of flour.

All you have to do is take a cup of flour!
Add it to the mix!
Now just take a little something sweet, not sour!
A bit of salt, just a pinch!

Velvet watched in surprise as Pinkie Pie danced around the kitchen, adding ingredients to the bowl and placing a mini-tart tray on the table.

Baking these treats is such a cinch!
Add a teaspoon of vanilla!
Add a little more, and you count to four,
And you never get your fill of…

Fenrir whined nervously and sped out of the room when Pinkie Pie started to dance.

Cupcakes! So sweet and tasty!
Cupcakes! Don't be too hasty!
Cupcakes! Cupcakes, cupcakes, CUPCAKES!

On the living room, Catseye flinched upon hearing Pinkie Pie's song about the famous cupcakes, hoping his mother would survive. Lightfire rolled her eyes at her brother for the fifth time that day. "You should stop judging that poor mare, Catseye. She's lively, that's all."

"I wonder if all Equestrians burst randomly into song." Lake Wave muttered under his breath.

"You have no idea." Stormfly retorted with a groan, resting atop the table.

"At least the children are asleep." Bagaesh sighed with tired eyes. "How could a single foal make a whole room explode?"

"Discord's children can." Fluttershy added from her place next to Lightfire in the largest couch.

All nervous eyes turned to Screwball, who had fallen asleep on next to Fenrir. The wolf didn't seemingly protest, he just lay his head on his paws once more.

"If those foals can make a room explode, I don't want to imagine what she can do." Bagaesh gulped.

"Everypony and everykuros, we've brought you treats!" Pinkie Pie's cheerful voice called their attention, and both she and Velvet walked out of the kitchen, holding trays with raven's biscuits and… Lake Wave's eyes widened in realization.

"Miss Pinkie Pie said you liked the cupcakes, honey." Velvet noticed the look on her husband's face saying the contrary.

"I made these especially for you, Lakey Wavey!" Pinkie Pie placed the tray in from to the drake.

"Thank you…" Lake Wave forced himself to smile and levitate one of the cupcakes. Without anything else to do, he took the whole thing into his mouth and swallowed it whole. The burning sensation on his throat passed down to his stomach, and he felt like vomiting.

Fluttershy took one of the raven's biscuits and gave it a bite. It wasn't as bitter as Twilight said the chocolate bar was, this one tasted a little more bittersweet.

It was what her friends would eat that worried her.

Twilight stared down at her plate with dread.

What was in tonight's menu? Roasted Elk. Yup, it seemed the Kuros knew nothing about Equestrian gastronomy, and to think they were expected to eat it all. Her friends had the same ration as her, while Discord didn't seem to mind tasting meat; but the cut of meat was so big not even he would be capable of eating it all. To worsen things, Krussian hosts fed you until you were fully quenched to the point you could barely move, which meant they would keep serving them. The only good thing about all this was that leaving some food in your plate was a way of honoring your host.

The Queen seemed to notice this. "Is something wrong, Lady Sparkle?"

Twilight nearly jumped in her seat. "N-No, my lady."

"Excuse her, your Highness." Fukkuteru rescued her. "But her kind are not…" He tried to think of a proper word. "Accustomed to meat."

"What do they eat, in that case?" Bittercold inquired, taking a sip from his wine.

"They're vegetarian, my lord. Their diet consists of green food, like hay, apples, and various kinds of plants not found in our country."

"You should taste Granny Smith's zap apple jelly!" Applejack stated with a grin. "It's the best treat you'll find in the whole world! So great ponies from all across Equestria come to our farm just to buy a jar."

Fukkuteru felt nervous when the three members of the Royal Family gave him questioning looks. "Y-Yeah, she tells the truth. Unfortunately, I have not yet tasted that jelly myself, but from what I've heard it's one of the most popular Equestrian foods."

"Sounds promising." Bittercold stated. "Any other things you think may be worth trading with Equestria?"

"If he listed it down, he would take a long time to finish." Rainbow Dash commented with a wave of her hoof. "I mean, there are so many things you should know about our country, pals." She ignored Fukkuteru's dissimulated gestures to make her heed her words. "The festivities we have over there are awesome! No offense, but I think you should do something with your climate, by the way."

Twilight and the others trembled slightly when they realized Bittercold's face was hardening, and he was giving Rainbow Dash a dissimulated but angry glare. Before he could say anything, however, the doors of the Dining Hall were pushed open and two more dragons stepped in.

The first was much younger than the King and Queen, probably their son. He took after this father, with spiky purple hair, but with jaw-lenght bangs. He lacked any Age Marks, meaning he was not an adult yet, but it was clear he was not a hatchling either. He wore a spiky iron collar on his neck, and two bracers on his front paws. The second dragon was very old, maybe even older than the Elder Queen. The only hair he had was a tuft of orange on the middle of his head; an old brown cloak hung from his neck, and down his back. His age marks were pale, shaped like thick breezes.

"You're late, Mythic." BIttercold glanced at his son hardly.

"Sorry, father." Mythic rolled his eyes. "I was just…"

"That's something I will discuss with your father at the right moment." the older dragon interrupted him. "For now, we have guests."

Twilight didn't fail to notice Bittercold turning around to look at his son when the old drake mentioned 'right moment', like he knew some special sort of meaning for those words. For now, the Krussian prince bowed at the ponies. "My name is Mythic Midnight." He motioned his wing at the old dragon. "That's Crenshaw."

Crenshaw frowned lightly at the young dragon, but remained silent as the two went to their seats. Rarity shivered internally when the young prince had taken a seat next to her.

"How is Princess Luna, by the way?" Crenshaw asked the lavender Unicorn in front of him. "You must know her personally if Celestia sent you here."

"Well, we have interacted personally with her, mister." Twilight replied. "She's fine. She's still getting used to returning to Equestria after a thousand years, but other than that, she is doing alright?"

"Why is he more interested in Auntie Luna than Aunt Celestia?" Cadence thought to herself.

"Princess Cadenza." Boreal called out for her softly. "You said earlier you and your husband rule.. that place, right?"

Cadence and Shining Armor nodded.

"I thought the books said it disappeared along with he who must not be named." Mythic stated.

"Mythic!" The Queen reprimanded her son softly.

The ponies were confused at the outburst. Who was he who must not be named? If they didn't even speak his name, he must have been a terrible Kuros. Twilight was about to ask who he was before realization hit her; Mythic mentioned him after his grandmother asked Cadence about the Crystal Empire. There was only one pony she knew that used dark magic, and was feared and reviled even today by the Crystal ponies, but could it be?

Could they be talking about King Sombra?

Uzhas

View Online

Great. Just great.

Glacial Fire was shivering, the armor was not meant to keep any dragon warm. The snow was getting entangled into his hair, and his breath froze into tiny bits of ice that made it visible. But that was not the thing that had him so irritated, no. What was driving him angry was that little hatchling, Spike was his name. He had come into the courtyard -he'd have to ask other guards how he got in in the first place- and was speaking with Rock Dust and Needlemouth. Seriously, that hatchling was annoying with his little voice and his habit of pestering others around when he had nothing else to do. How he envied Stormchaser, whose shift had ended half an hour ago.

"Don't you guys have sweaters or something?" Spike was so cold he swore his mucus were turning into chopsticks. "It's freezing out here."

Rock Dust and Needlemouth glanced at each other before the former asked. "What's a sweater?"

"Seriously?" Spike could not believe what he was hearing."I suppose you don't know what is a hay shake."

"Hay? Are you serious?" Glacial Fire couldn't help but feel incensed at the thought. "What kind of dragon eats hay?"

Spike thought for a moment before he replied. "Uh... Me?"

"It was a rhetorical question, kid."

"Y-You d-don't eat m-meat?" Needlemouth stuttered with chattering teeth, but not out of the freezing cold. "Are you v-vegetarian?"

"I get the feeling you're going to be a very small dragon." Rock Dust snickered to himself. "No wonder no one takes you seriously."

"Hey! Twilight takes me seriously!" Spike protested with a cross of his arms and a small glare. "Besides, what if I'm small?"

"Nothing." The bigger dragon looked away with a playful look.

"By the way," Spike glanced around to make sure no one was around, the. Motioned the three dragons to lean closer. "Who was that stallion from the other night? The one with orange coat we saw when you took me back to Fukkuteru's house."

"You mean Sunset Glare?" Glacial Fire snorted irritated. "That stallion means nothing but trouble. I'm sad to say that I've been involved in half of his arrests." Glacial thought for a moment before turning to Spike. "Did you find out what he was doing there?"

Spike simply shrugged. "I asked Cadence, she said he had come for a visit, but he left just like that when she told him she and Shining were married."

"Love triangle." Rock Dust let out a hearty laugh. "Even in ponies, there are love triangles!" He shot his friend a glance. "And here you thought Equestria was perfect."

Glacial Fire said something in Krussian, probably another curse, Spike couldn't tell, but judging by his face, it was a possibility. Before he could say anything else, however, a long, stern shadow came from behind him and made the three guards stiffen and return to their original posts in a matter of seconds, freezing in place as if the cold itself had turned them to ice statues.

Whiptail nodded approvingly. They knew their place. Whiptail looked down at Spike. "What are you doing out here, kid?"

Spike gulped under the commander' intimidating shadow. "I-I was just... Just... I didn't want to..."

"Speak up." Whiptail raised his voice a little, his patience wearing thin.

"I only came to say hi to my friends, that's all!" Spike chirped, running to hide behind Needlemouth's front legs. The dragon didn't protest, too frightened of Whiptail to even blink.

"Well, you should go back inside." Whiptail's hard eyes softened a bit. "You will catch a cold out here."

"For example...!" Rock Dust thought bitterly, his nostrils itching from the cold, his throat raspy. If there was some dragon who would catch a cold, it was them.

"Commander Whiptail... Can I ask you a thing?" Spike inquired timidly with his little voice.

The dragon looked down at him curiously. "What is it, kid?"

When Glacial and Rock realized what he was going to ask, they started making signals to the baby dragon from behind Whiptail's back to tell him to stop. But either he didn't mind them, or he had no idea what those signals meant.

"What happened to your eye?"

Glacial Fire smacked his forehead in frustration, Needlemouth contained the urges to gulp, and Rock Dust let out a silent groan of horror. Whiptail's eyes fixed severely in Spike, having being asked the same question not long ago by the rainbow-haired Pegasus. Spike gulped when Whiptail arched his long neck down to set his amethyst eye on him hardly. The pupil of his left eye lacked any pigment of color to show blindness, yet Spike could feel like both eyes were set on him.

"S-Sorry, c-commander. I d-didn't mean to… I was just…"

"Speak up." Whiptail raised his tone even more than before, his gaze hardening. "Don't stutter. I have enough headaches with Needlemouth stuttering everytime he speaks."

Spike took a few breaths and managed to calm himself down a little bit. "It's not that you are ugly or anything, I just had curiosity!"

"Don't you know curiosity killed the crow, kid?" Whiptail said coldly. "Sometimes it's better not to know anything."

With these words, he flew away. Rock Dust, Glacial Fire and Needlemouth let out the cold breaths of anxiety they had been containing, then they glanced down at the baby dragon. "That was scary." Rock Dust spoke with dismay. "You were lucky, kid. Usually, anydragon who mentions Commander Whiptail's condition in front of him ends up in the infirmary."

"Seriously?" Spike gulped at the thought. "But why is he so sensitive about it? It's not like I'm asking him about a lost familiar or something!"

Before Rock Dust could say anything, Glacial Fire had enough. "Well, look at the time! Our shift it's over, let's go!" He walked away, glancing back to see if the other two drakes were following.

"B-But it's still t-twenty minutes b-before our shift e-ends!" Needlemouth called out.

Cursing in Krussian, Glacial Fire levitated Rock Dust and Needlemouth away from Spike and closer to him as he 'dragged' them away. Rock Dust and Needlemouth could only wave their claws at Spike. Spike did the same, waving them good bye with his claw. Spike thought it was time to go back with Twilight Sparkle and the others, but he wanted to take one more look around the courtyard.

Like any courtyard, it was very spacious, and adorned with stone paths going around and through each other like vines, covered with snow. The grass patches between the stone pavement were all covered in snow, with the tall pine trees white from the ice and snow gathering on their branches. Spike could swear he caught a glance of a snowy owl moving through the branches of one of the pine trees looking for its nest. The moon was glowing peacefully, sharing its light with the taiga creatures.

A branch snapped.

Spike jumped at the sound and glanced around. The sound had come from behind him, but there was nothing more than a bush. Spike gulped and approached the thick bush silently, he didn't want to scare whoever animal was hiding in there.

"Hey."

"WAH!" Spike stepped back from the bush when it talked. His hand trembled as he pointed a claw at it with shrunk pupils, his heart throbbing inside his chest.

Wide, aqua green eyes were staring at him.

"Is everything alright out there?"

Spike was frozen in fear. "Huh?" What kind of bushes were these?!

"Are there any guards roaming around?"

Despite the awkwardness of talking to a bush, Spike glanced around, then back at it. "N-No."

"Yay!"

Spike yelled in fear and fell back when a flash of black emerged from the bush and landed in front of him. He tried to crawl away, but the thing that came out jumped to his front and took the pose of a playful dog, now snout-to-snout with the baby dragon. Spike realized his mysterious attacker was not an animal, but a hatchling. A female hatchling. Judging by her size-a few inches shorter than him-she had his age, maybe a bit younger. She had a creamy pink underbelly and hair, with contrasting aqua green eyes. A pink ribbon was wrapped around her neck, tied into a bow similar to Applebloom's.

"Who are you?" the hatchling inquired, tilting her head. "I've never seen you around here. And why are your scales purple and not black?"

"I…" It took Spike a few seconds to calm down and reply. "I'm Spike. And I'm not from here, as you've guessed, I come from Equestria."

"Equestria? Where Princess Lulu lives?"

Spike blinked at the name. "Princess… Lulu? Who is that?"

"Princess Lulu is the pony who brings out the moon every night. Mommy, Daddy and everydragon else speaks very fondly of her."

Princess Luna? The Temnokt knew her?

"And, what's your name?" Spike changed the subject.

"I'm Clawrene." The hatchling grinned with squinted eyes. "How did you get here? Commander Whippy doesn't let any dragon into the castle."

Spike nearly went into a fit of laughter when he heard how she called Whiptail. He wondered if the Commander or the guards knew about this.

"I came with Twilight and the others, but I wanted to come and greet Glacial Fire and Rock Dust. Now I don't know the way back to the Dining Hall."

"I can show you the way." Clawrene offered. "But then I must go back to my room. Daddy and mommy don't like when I'm awake past my sleeping time."

Before Spike could ask who her parents were, Clawrene was already running through the door and into the hallway. Spike ran after her and struggled to keep with her pace. The last thing he wanted was to get lost in the dark castle corridors.

"So, Lady Sparkle, you say Princess Celestia is offering us a free trade agreement apart from the peace treaty?"

Twilight nodded. "Yeah, and the removal of all tariffs between Krussia and Equestria, my lord."

She was so glad the King and Queen understood their vegetarian habits, and spared them having to eat the meat. She had to say, it was interesting to talk with Crenshaw, the Court Mage, as she had just learned. He shared her passion for book and spells, but was hesitant to talk about dark magic with a unicorn. In fact, during the whole conversation the Temnokt mostly directed to her, or Discord, Rarity, Applejack or even Rainbow Dash, but they barely even glanced at Cadence or Shining Armor ever since they learned they ruled the Crystal Empire. There was something they weren't telling them. But she felt in no position to ask.

"So you are a seamstress, Lady Rarity?" Boreal Blizzard inquired, glancing at Rarity curiously.

"I'd rather prefer the term 'fashion designer', Majesty, if you wouldn't mind." Rarity said softly, feeling uncomfortable at the term 'seamstress. "But yes, I have a small boutique in my hometown, Ponyville. I design and make my own dresses and for my customers depending on their taste and personality."

"Sounds more like a seamstress." Mythic muttered, before his mother gave him a mild glare.

"Mythic, be more respectful!" she chided him.

"Lady Sparkle, are there any other products you think could be worth trading?" King Bittercold changed the subject, again directing his words at the unicorn.

"Well, My Lord, like my friend Applejack said, zap apple jam is one of the most popular Equestrian products, and there's also certain fabrics and materials that could be useful for you in this climate..."

"I understand your kind controls their own weather, am I correct?" Crenshaw inquired.

"It's the coolest thing ever!" Rainbow Dash laughed. "We fabricate the types of weather clouds in Cloudsdale, then we spread them out throughout Equestria and with a good buck, Pam! You got rain, or snow!" she glanced outside at the dark clouds and the bitter winter. "Seriously, no offense, but you guys need a weather factory."

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight snapped through grit teeth.

"A factory of weather?" King Bittercold raised an eyebrow. "Is that possible?"

"Well, it's a sort of a pegasi thing, My Lord." Applejack explained. "They control the weather, we Earth ponies grow crops and take care of animals, and the Unicorns take care of certain things that require pure magic."

Midnight muttered under his breath as he fidgeted with his elk. "I can imagine..." he flinched when both his father and Crenshaw gave him a warning glance.

"Well, it's now official. I don't like that guy." Discord muttered into Shining Armor's ear, subtly pointing at Mythic Midnight. "He thinks he's better than us or what?"

"Discord, do you want to have us executed?" Shining Armor muttered back.

"My Lord, Equestria is a prosperous country of friendship and harmony. Princess Celestia wishes to form a cordial relationship with your empire for the benefit of both countries." Cadence explained with a smile. "I'm certain we can reach an agreement that will benefit both parties."

"A land of harmony, alright." Crenshaw glanced at Cadence with a small frown. "Forgive my incredulity, but as far as I know, your country has been attacked not only by Princess Luna in her corrupted form, but also from the Spirit of Chaos here present." he glanced at Discord as he froze in dismay, before continuing. "The Queen of a race of insect-like ponies, and 'He who must not be named' returned along with the Crystal Empire."

"Excuse me, when you say 'he who must not be named' are you referring to King Sombra?" Rainbow Dash inquired.

Twilight gagged and had to contain the urge to spit the water in her mouth, especially when she saw the expression on Bittercold's face darken as he glanced at Rainbow Dash.

"Miss Rainbow Dash, I believe we asked you not to speak his name in our presence."

"Oh, don't mind her, Majesty, she doesn't know what she says half of the time!" Rarity laughed nervously.

"Hey!"

Discord decided to try and lighten up the mood. "Indeed, she knocked her head on a cloud when she was a foal, she is a loony and makes coo-coo!"

Cadence took a hoof to her forehead and shook her head, while Twilight looked like she wanted to be swallowed by the earth. She was certain Bittercold would have ordered them executed hadn't a creak signaling the door opening, and yet another Temnokt entered the Dining Room, wearing a regal red suit with a blue band, orange blonde hair falling on one side and a regal posture compared to that of the King himself. The drake bowed respectfully at the King.

"My apologies if I'm late, Your Highness, I had a pending matter that couldn't wait." the dragon said apologetically, to which Bittercold nodded.

"It's okay, Clawblack. We were just chatting with our guests."

"Ah, the famous delegation has arrived, I presume." Clawblack took a glance at the ponies, and saw most of the delegation consisted of mares. "Is that all of them?"

"No, My Lord, the rest of the delegates stayed behind at my clan's home." Fukkuteru explained. "We thought bringing so many ponies would be... overwhelming."

"How many stayed behind, if we may know?" the Queen inquired politely, coughing a bit,

"Nine." Applejack explained. "Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Stormfly and his daughter, both Changelings-"

Crenshaw technically gagged on his elk, but quickly regained his composure to glare at Applejack. "You brought a CHANGELING into our country?!"

Mythic Midnight rolled his eyes. "Cool it down, Crenshaw. It's not like they brought the Black Plague."

Boreal Blizzard glanced down at her grandson disapprovingly. "Changelings feed on love, we don't know what... other things they might be capable of."

"Nothing really, just take the shape of anypony to impersonate them and-"

Twilight panicked and sealed Rainbow Dash's lips shut with her magic, while Cadence kept her head cool and glanced at the Elder Queen respectfully. "But Stormfly is a good Changeling, he has no bad intentions. We thought that if we were to sign a treaty, we should show you that Equestrian is open to all especies of all kinds and Princess Celestia will receive them with open arms."

"Including the potentially dangerous species?" Crenshaw insisted.

"Crenshaw, I believe you interrupted miss...." Clawblack glanced at Applejack.

"Applejack." she presented herself.

"Applejack when she was just explaining about the rest of the Equestrian delegation. That was rude on your part, if you don't mind me being honest." Clawblack smiled at Applejack. "Please, continue."

Despite Crenshaw's muttering, Applejack coughed and resumed talking. "As I was saying, we also left Screwball and the children back in Fukkuteru's home."

"Excuse me, children?" Bittercold inquired, staring questioningly at her.

"Me and Discord's triplets, Your Highness." Twilight explained. "And my brother and Cadence's son."

"You brought your young to a diplomatic mission?" Boreal Blizzard frowned. "Forgive me, but that's not very responsible on your part."

"Majesty, they had a good reason to bring their young along." Fukkuteru spoke before another argument broke out. "Equestrian infants stay close to their mothers the first few months after birth, Lady Sparkle and Lady Cadenza couldn't leave their foals behind just like that."

Clawblack pretended to be thinking, before speaking to Bittercold. "I think it would be better if we spoke with all delegates present, Majesty. That way we can avoid... misunderstandings."

"What do you suggest?" Bittercold inquired.

"The Ball of the Hunt is coming in a few days. Perhaps you could invite our guests to a social event so they can learn a bit about our customs."

Fukkuteru quickly lifted his talon. "E-Excuse me, My Lord, but I don't think our visitors are ready for such an important event!"

"I like the idea." Bittercold unfortunately agreed with Clawblack, before glancing at Twilight Sparkle. "Lady Sparkle, Do you have gala events in Equestria?"

Twilight nodded. "The Grand Galloping Gala, Majesty."

Surprisingly, Bittercold gave her a gesture which she could interpret as a smile. "Then you won't have any problem in attending the Ball of the Hunt."

"No we won't, Majesty."

Fukkuteru groaned and lifted his talon to his forehead. "They're doomed."

"Bittercold..." Queen Astral Dusk lifted a talon to her husband's. "The delegates have just arrived. They're strangers in a foreign land, I don't think exposing them to such an elitist event will be good for them. They don't know of our customs, and you know how the High Bloods think of Unicorns, we could be exposing them to discrimination..."

Thankfully, Bittercold seemed to considerate his wife's words, but Clawback spoke again. "My Queen, I assure you, surely our delegates are poised and have previous knowledge of out customs and traditions. I don't think Princess Celestia would be foolish enough to send a group of novices to negotiate with us, would she?"

Crenshaw grunted and narrowed his eyes at Clawblack's insistence. He perfectly knew the Ball of the Hunt was one of the most important events in the Empire, all High Blood families would attend, the elite of the Krussian nobility, one mistake on the delegates' part and it could cost them not only the possibility of an agreement with Bittercold, but further deepen the discrimination and prejudice against Equestrians, already very strong in these times. Midnight simply continued to fidget with his meal, uninterested in the conversation.

Applejack realized one member of their party was missing. "Uh, girls, where's Spike?"

"He said he was going to see some friends." Discord shrugged.

"Spike? Who is that?" Crenshaw glanced at them.

"He's my assistant." Twilight explained. "He should have been back by now..."

Just then, there was a tiny knock on the door. "Hello? Anyone there? Twilight?"

The Royal Family's attention drew to the tiny voice behind the door, and Bittercold pulled the door open with his magic, allowing a small purple and green... lizard of some type to enter, and he rushed towards Twilight Sparkle.

"Sorry, Twilight, I got lost and it took me a while to-" Spike stopped talking when Twilight coughed and motioned him to the larger dragons. Spike turned around and froze at the sight of the Temnokt who, judging by their regal clothing, apparently were the higher-ups here. "Oh, I'm sorry, Majesty, Y-Your Highness, I..." he fell to his knees and bowed. "Please don't execute me!"

Twilight smacked her forehead with a hoof in dismay when Bittercold and Astral Dusk stared down at Spike curiously. Crenshaw and Clawblack were apparently not impressed, though. "What is that?"

Spike stood up and introduced himself. "Oh, I'm Spike, Twilight's number one assistant!"

Discord coughed and whispered into his ear. "I think he's talking about your species, Spike."

"Oh, I'm a dragon."

At that, suddenly Mythic Midnight burst out laughing. "A dragon! Don't make me laugh!" he snickered, pointing at Spike. "You don't even have wings, or claws, even a pony is taller than you! You look more like an overgrown lizard!"

"MYTHIC MIDNIGHT!"

Everyone in the room, the ponies in particular, jumped when King Bittercold roared at his son, his eyes glowing run and emanating purple mist as he glared at the younger Temnokt. The Queen took a hand to her chest in surprise, while Mythic Midnight flinched; the ponies had to cover their ears when Bittercold continued to roar at his son with an intimidating glare.

"IS THAT HOW YOU TREAT A GUEST?! IS THAT HOW YOU TREAT A PEACE DELEGATION FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY?! GET OUT OF MY SIGHT BEFORE I PUNISH YOU LIKE I SHOULD!" His eyes went back to normal, but he still glared at his son. "To your room. Now."

Mythic Midnight needed no more words. Leaving as he grumbled and left his seat, he stomped away with a lowered head. When Bittercold managed to calm down, he centered his attention back on his guests, and saw they were terrified; the white mare looked like she was about to faint, while the others were still in shock about what had just happened. A disapproving look from both his wife and mother told him all he needed to know.

"My apologies." he sighed, looking slightly embarrassed, but most of all he seemed upset. "Sometimes I tend to lose my... head when my son behaves like that."

Twilight managed to calm down and speak. "Don't worry, Your Majesty. But I believe it'll be best that we retire, we need to prepare for the Ball of the Hunt, and I think you need to tend some matters."

Bittercold nodded. "I understand. Clawblack will escort you to the entrance."

Clawblack smiled as he watched the visitors leave their seats,motioning towards the door. "If you'd be so kind to follow me."

Konfliksty

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"You're wearing my patience thin, boy!"

Mythic Midnight didn't look at his father as he received his daily sermon. As soon as their guests left, Bittercold had flown straight to his son's room to have a 'chat' with him, and he was not happy. He was giving his son a severe glare, tapping his claws on the marble floor. The prince's room was sombre, like the rest of the castle. canopy bed with purple covers, an intricate crystal door that led into a balcony, wide windows with crimson velvet curtains, as well as bedside tables and a few furniture meant to keep the prince's few pieces of clothing, meant for important occasions such as galas, balls and parties hosted at his family's behalf.

"I was only joking, Father!" Mythic Midnight snapped.

"Joking?! You offended a delegate from Equestria! I'm doing my best to have them see the best of us and you ruin it with your rudeness?! It's hard enough with the opinion most of the people have of Equestrians and having to keep the delegation safe from any sort of hostility to have YOU of all people to disrespect them like that!"

"Please! It's not like I declared war or something!"

"How do you know?!" Bittercold hissed, narrowing his eyes. "Not all countries are as benevolent as Equestria! If they had been delegates from Bullspain they would have already declared war on us for such an offense! Have I taught you nothing about manners?!"

"No, you haven't." Mythic muttered bitterly. "Crenshaw did it."

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Bittercold's stony expression started to soften and he let out a sigh. "Son, why can't you understand? You will take my place someday, you can't just make those kind of comments in front of foreigners. That's not how Temnokt show hospitality. Sometimes when you don't have anything nice to say about somedragon, or somepony, it's better not to say anything at all. A King-"

"Yes, I know, 'A King should show respect for all of his subjects, whether they are part of their kingdom or come from another country.' I've heard it a hundred times, Dad! You don't stop repeating it!"

"And you still don't listen to it. Midnight, I know it's not easy, I was young too once."

"You said it. You were."

Seeing his son would not listen to him, Bittercold's face stiffened into its familiar stern expression. "Just think about it, my boy. I expect you be more considerate with our guests on the Ball of the Hunt. But for tonight's offense you will not leave the castle grounds until I say otherwise, do you understand?"

Mythic Midnight muttered. "Yes, Dad." As Bittercold walked out of the room, closing the door behind him, the young prince's face changed into one of sadness as he lay down on his bed. "Why don't you ever listen to me...?"

"Are you okay, big brother?"

Midnight sighed. "Clawrene, I thought we agreed that I wouldn't mess with your dolls if you didn't sneak on private conversations again."

The younger Temnokt crawled from under the bed and hopped unto her brother's bed. "What did you do now that daddy was so mad at you?"

"I made a... nasty comment of one of the Equestria delegates, and he didn't like it a bit."

"Oh, by the way, guess who I met today?"

He smiled, rolling his eyes. "Let me guess, you found a new critter today and hid it in your room?"

"Nyet!" Clawrene replied, wagging her tail. "He was a small, funny dragon that stood on two legs and had now wings."

Midnight's smile faltered a bit. "Oh, and... was he casually purple with green?"

"Hey, how did you know?"

"Let's say that was the delegate I commented on. But come on, how can they call him a dragon if he doesn't even have wings?"

"He says he's a baby dragon."

"Well, that information would have been useful, you know! Besides, I thought you were suppose to be asleep at that time!"

"I heard we had visitors, and I wanted to meet them. But I knew daddy would get angry if he saw me out of my room past my bedtime."

Bittercold had returned to his and the Queen's bedchambers. The room was very big and elegant, much like the Prince's room, but there was a chimney, and above it hung a portrait of the Royal Family in from a few years back. Astral Dusk was already on bed, reading a book, her lamp dimly lit the pages of her writing, before she lifted her gentle gaze to her husband, who was taking off his cape and armor, but she could tell there was something on his mind. "What happened, Bittercold?"

"That boy just-!" Bittercold growled, then letting out a sigh of dismay as he looked down sadly. "I just... I don't know what to do with him anymore." He headed to bed and lay down next to his wife.

"Why don't you just talk to him?"

"I do! But he doesn't want to listen!"

"Perhaps you shouldn't be so hard on him. He's just a teenager, you're putting too much pressure on him."

"Then imagine how much pressure he'll be in when he is crowned." Bittercold sighed again, laying his head down on his pillow. "I just want him to be ready."

"All he wants is your approval, my love." Astral Dusk rubbed her head against her husband's. "IF you made him feel like you trust him, he wouldn't be so stubborn."

"That's precisely the problem, Astral." Bittercold sighed again. "How can I trust him if he doesn't give me a reason to? He skips his lessons, he sneaks out of the castle and goes heaven-knows-where. That's irresponsible on his part. And he doesn't show any sort of respect to his elders or to foreigners. We nearly went into war with Bullspain because he made a prank on the ambassador!"

"Well, Midnight does have his defects, but he is not a bad drake. You know it."

"I know, my love, but..."

Astral Dusk smiled and placed a wing over his back. "Everything will be okay, Bittercold. You just need to give him a chance, he'll surprise you if you get to know him better."

The Temnokt King smiled at his wife and rubbed his snout against her cheek. She sure knew how to make him feel better.

But he hoped Midnight would behave in the Ball of the Hunt.

"They invited you to the Ball of the Hunt! I can't believe it!"

"SHHH!" Discord growled, rocking the recently-made crib of cotton candy clouds with his foot, while trying to keep the triplets asleep. "We heard you, Fukku! Lower your volume!"

"I'm sorry, it's just...!" Fukkuteru sighed as he paced around the attic, sweating heavily. "It's the most important celebration in all of Krussia! All the High Bloods from the country will attend, it's the elite of the Krussian High Society! One mistake, and finito! It's all over!"

"You should start with telling us what this 'Ball of the Hunt' is about! I mean, judging by the name, it must include some kind of harm to animals, doesn't it?" Rainbow Dash said, patting Fluttershy's trembling shoulder. "We can't have Fluttershy go through that!"

"Oh, no! It's a normal ball, the reason it's called Ball of the Hunt it's because usually a contest is held to see who catches the largest game. But it's only a catch-and-release contest, after the captured game is measured and weighted, the animals are released." Fukkuteru saw Fluttershy relax in relief that apparently there would be no bloodshed. But it would be best he informed them of everything. "But..."

Fluttershy tensed up again. "B-But...?"

"Is there something else we should know about?" Applejack frowned when she saw the Temnokt's hesitating gestures. "Something unpleasant?"

"Sometimes, the High Bloods have bear-baiting to entertain themselves."

"Bear-baiting?"

"It's a custom around here. A bear is caught, and a few baiters and wolves torment the bear to make it angry." Fukkuteru shielded himself with his wings in case any sort of item was thrown at him.

"What?!" Twilight couldn't believe what she just heard. "That's animal cruelty!"

"Well, it is in your country, but here it's a popular blood sport-"

"Oh, great! It even has a classification!"

Rarity lifted her gaze from the notebook she was sketching in to glance at the others in dismay. "Girls, instead of worrying about silly things such as a bunch of brutes torturing a poor animal, we should be worrying about what we're going to wear! We'll be in the presence of the Krussian high society! We need to look out best!"

"Silly thing?" Fluttershy repeated, trembling, her eyes swelling up with tears. "Is torturing a poor bear just a silly thing to you?"

"Whoa, there! Let's calm down, every pony!" Applejack intervened before a fight broke out. "Let's not lose our heads here! We're all stressed out from today and some of the... traditions, but have to keep our heads cool!"

"Applejack is right." Cadence said. "We have a week to prepare for the ball, so we must do our best to make a good impression."

"Good idea, Cadence! Let's get organized!" Twilight levitated a scroll and quill and started to scribble down. "We have to have proper dresses for this occasion, Rarity will be in charge of it."

"Oh, I have so many ideas I don't know where to begin!" Rarity continued to flip the pages of the notebook.

"Spike, you and I will take a look around the High Class districts to study the behavior of the High Bloods, and observe the etiquette and way to interact with each other."

"Count me in, Twilight!" Spike laughed.

"And I'll stay behind with the triplets, don't worry about me!" Discord yelled from the other side of the curtain.

"Fukkuteru, you and your family will be our guides in the city, and you can lend us a hoof in communicating!"

"Sure, boss." Fukkuteru lifted his wing in an almost military way. "Whatever you say."

"Oh, I can't wait!" Pinkie Pie was chirping in excitement. "A party in the castle! I can take my party cannon and we can play confetti wars! Or cupcake wars!" she thought for a moment. "Though I'd have to make lots of cupcakes."

"Uh, Pinkie Pie, how about you leave your... party cannon here on the party?" Fukkuteru managed to speak calmly this time. "I mean, I don't think King Bittercold will find it... funny."

"Why not? Every pony loves my party cannon!"

"Pinkie, they're not ponies, they're big, grumpy dragons." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "These guys never laugh!"

"I will have to disagree with you on that, Rainbow Dash." Fukkuteru frowned. "Our laughter is different from yours, but we do have our funny moments."

"Name one."

"Guys, I think how about we consult the pillow about this?" Discord peeked his head from the curtain, irritated. "Seriously, pillows are good at giving advice." With a snap of his eagle claws, he summoned a sleeping eye coverer. "Good night, everypony!" With that, he returned to bed and turned the lights off the side of the attic on the other side. Fukkuteru wondered how he had done it if the lamps were still lit.

Shining Armor nodded. "He's right, let's go to sleep, and tomorrow we'll keep talking about this."

"I second the motion." Fukkuteru commented with a yawn, and turned to leave. "Good night, everypony..."

As soon as he closed the door behind him, the rest of the ponies went to their 'beds', Twilight Sparkle and Cadence soon joining their husbands and children on the other side of the curtain. Screwball had long fallen asleep, cuddled against her father's body, while Stormfly and Mist Wing chose to sleep on the rafts of the ceiling. Discord snapped the fingers of his lion paw, and soon the rest of the room was shrouded in darkness, except for the little light that filtered through the window.

They didn't notice the raven perched at the window with glowing red eyes.

Clawblack blinked, breaking the mental link between him and his raven. He had seen enough. Surprisingly, the purple unicorn seemed to be the leader of the group, and the element bearers didn't really argue with any of her decisions. Was it how Equestrian culture was? Females had priority and dominance over males? That was one of the things he'd change once this business was all complete. He had gotten to see the pink alicorn, that Cadence mare Sunset Glare was so obsessed with. He had to admit, he could now say why he was so interested in her, she had a good body and looks, but she had already bore an offspring to another. It was a lost cause.

There was a knock on the door. A small knock that let him know who was asking to enter. "Come in, Hookbait."

Hookbait peeked his head in, and after he made sure there was no one around, entered the room, closing it behind him silently. "Any new orders, My Lord?"

"Indeed, I have another task for you, dear Hookbait." Clawblack smiled. "As you know, the Ball of the Hunt will be coming in some days, and the High Bloods will be expecting a good entertainment. And you know the drill."

"Should I hire a proper bear-baiter?"

"Indeed. And..." Clawblack thought for a moment. "These days the High Bloods have been itching for a good spectacle ever since the rule of King Windshear the Second, when he legalized lizard-fighting and made the High Bloods bring their best lizards to fight amongst each other. I want you to hire the best bear-baiters you can find, ones who will torture the animal until it stops breathing."

Hookbait nodded. "I understand, My Lord, but this year the Equestrian delegation will be present, I don't think bringing such a bloody sport will be wise. They could make a scandal-"

"Exactly." Clawblack, rolling his eyes. "As I could see, there's a Pegasus in the delegation who is particularly... disturbed by our customs. Imagine it, if she made a scandal about one of our fair country's oldest traditions, the High Bloods and the Royal Family would feel offended by such criticizing of our customs."

"I... understand." Hookbait recalled there was something else. "And what about Sunset Glare? I've been keeping an eye on him, like you asked me too, but he doesn't seem like he will be willing to help us."

"He will, eventually." Clawblack retorted, uninterested. "Believe me, his desire for the alicorn princess will bring him to us, begging me to help him. And I will only do so if he helps me in return."

"And how much time will it take him to see things our way, My Lord?"

"If my calculations are correct... Three days."

"I do not like this!"

"Come on, Stormfly! You don't look that bad!"

The Changeling had been asked to take the form of a Temnokt while out on town to avoid another misunderstanding like the one he had a few days ago, but since Changelings couldn't invent their own disguises, only copy others' looks, he had taken the shape of a distant relative of Fukkuteru's family. He had to get used a bit to the size difference, and had accidentally knocked his long tail against other Temnokt, earning growls and snarls in Krussian, which he was glad he couldn't understand.

In their given tour around the High Blood district by Lightfire, Twilight, Cadence, Spike and Stormfly had to wear thick coats, scarves and hats to protect themselves against the harsh cold, but much to their confusion, the rest of the citizens-all clad with jewelry, bracers, collars and other accessories that branded them as high-class-used simple outdoor cloaks, Lightfire included, and acted as if this was a minor snowstorm. However, every now and then, Lightfire would glance at the hatchlings playing outside sadly and sigh, though it seemed she wasn't aware of it.

The first place Twilight had wanted to take a look at, naturally, was a library to see if they could learn a bit about the Empire's history. The nearest was the Winghook Library, named in honor of a General that had served during the time of the Equestrian-Krussian war (Twilight made a mental note to take a note of that detail), and apparently it was the largest library in Kruscow. It had an intimidating air to it from the outside, with gray and black walls, some parts made of obsidian, with Krussian nobles or middle-classers going it and coming out, either borrowing or returning books, or just going inside to have a good read.

Twilight squealed in delight when she saw the apparently endless bookshelves, all filled with books, and the librarians flying around accommodating them in alphabetical order, category and numbering. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, giving the great library an elegant look and contrasting with the purplish blue walls, reflecting on the obsidian tables and chairs, some occupied by silent lectors. Lightfire got them a table near the staircase that led up to the entry desk and entrance doors, and used her 'feminine charms' to convince a librarian to bring the Equestrians books about their Empire's history in Equestrian language, if there were any. Twilight was examining the nearby books in wonder.

"So... many..." she whispered, running a hoof down one of the book's leather cover. "I wish I could read Krussian..."

"I'm worried about Shining Armor, I'm worried that Kiss Blade might throw a tantrum when he wakes up and finds me gone." Cadence sighed. "I don't want to trouble Fukkuteru's family again..."

Lightfire offered the alicorn a smile. "Don't worry, Mother and Father know what's to deal with hatchlings, I think they will be able to help your mate if things do get out of control again." Though she knew her father had limited patience.

When the librarian brought a single black book with the Emblem of the Krussian Empire (a black dragon with spread out wings, the glowing green eyes and obsidian growing at his talons) and walked away with a blush when Lightfire waved him a kiss as thanks, the ponies headed to the table it had been placed on. "Holy tails!" Stormfly cried out in dismay. "This book is thicker than a dictionary! It'll take us decades to finish reading it!"

"It's actually a resumed version for light reading." Lightfire stated.

"This is light?" Spike inquired, and gave a gulp at the positive nod. "Man, If this is light, I don't want to imagine the heavy lecture ones."

"I think it's the size that makes it look that thick." Cadence pointed out. "I mean, our books are comics for them, so it's natural their books look like extended versions of Equestria's History books to us." She had to admit, though, the idea of having to read all of this thing made her feel indimidated.

"We won't read all of it, only the vital parts." Twilight said, her horn glowing as she attempted to open the book, but it felt much heavier than usual. After a while, Lightfire's horns glowed and she opened the book for Twilight. "Thanks." She smiled, before glancing at Spike. "Remember, Spike, write down important dates, events and characters."

Spike smiled and readied paper and quill. "On my marks!"

Twilight started to read in low voice, but loud enough for Spike to hear. "After the First King, Burning Moonlight, and all the dragons who had learned black magic, thereby turning themselves into Temnokt, were driven out of Equestria, they crossed the Great Ocean and came to a part of Wildurope devastated by winter, it was a large unoccupied territory consisting of tundra forests and snowy mountains. Since the rest of the surrounding territories were long-occupied by other species, Burning Moonlight and his people had no other choice but to settle there. The first few months, many perished of hunger and exposure to the harsh elements, until one of the younger Temnokt, Shadowfang, discovered that their magic could be used to harvest obsidian, a dark crystal which could withstand the harshness of the constant blizzards."

"That's why almost everything here is made of obsidian." Cadence pointed out.

"Well, don't take me badly, but I'm going to take a look around." Stormfly sighed, leaving his seat and walking down the rows to do a little exploring.

Twilight rolled her eyes and continued. "With Shadowfang's discovery, the Temnokt made their houses out of obsidians, settling in the heart of the unclaimed and then nameless territory, naming their little town Obsidiask. A few years later, as Obsidiask kept growing and developing, a group of the populace, led by Liutenant Clawshka in a reconnaissance mission to find more resources to trade with other countries, left the city and headed further east, settling in a forest filled with animals never seen before by other tribes, including white deer, hares and snowy owls, all fit to survive in this climate. They built a small town and it was named Clawshka in honor of its founder, today known as the best hunting grounds in Krussia."

"Back at Obsidiask, Burning Moonlight negotiated a commercial trade with the Zebras, who heard of their obsidian harvesting and were in desperate need for materials for their civil war against the Eaglelish at the time. In exchange, Krussia received cattle in the form of water buffalos and wild sheep, materials such as wood, coal and salt, and silver, fur and silk from the Bengarians."

"The Bengal tigers?" Spike gulped.

"Well, we were not known to be picky about who we traded with at that time." Lightfire sighed. "We were desperate for resources.

As Twilight continued to read, Spike kept writing all the events, names and dates as quickly as he could, Including the founding of the other major cities, The passing of Burning Moonlight and the war for the throne between his three sons Warfang, Windshear and Spinewick, of which the second was the winner, the designs of the Krussian Flag and the naming of the country, the brief skirmish with Bullspain and Eagleland to keep their territory when they tried to claim it themselves, Obsidiask's renaming to Kruscow when it had grown into a city, spanning years and centuries of top of golden ages to civil wars and revolutions, brave warriors who died serving their country and traitors who were executed in public. However, Twilight and Cadence took notice of something.

"Hey, Lightfire, has the climate always been like this?" Cadence inquired. "The whole book never mentions a thing about developing a way to control the winter."

"We cannot control it because it's not..." Lightfire took a deep breath, not certain if she should tell them about it, but finally let out a sigh of defeat. "...a natural kind of winter."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.

Lightfire's horns glowed again as she skipped pages and stopped at certain chapter. "Read that passage."

The Cryokinetic War

Twilight thought that was a weird name for a war, but nevertheless started to read. "When King Deathkiller sent an exploration team further north to the mountains in search of minerals, they only one of the ten soldiers sent returned, and he was frozen to the bone, barely surviving; he told the king they had been attacked by a group of white dragons with power over the snow and ice, and his companions were frozen to death by these strangers. He described them as having 'scales like ice, a blinding white that blended with the snow around them, and icy cold breaths that could freeze blood if possible'. Believing those strangers, who were named Cryos due to their cryokinetic abilities, were responsible for the horrible weather that had been striking them since their arrival, Deathkiller gathered his army, all clad in obsidian armor that would protect them against the ice magic, and left to the mountains of the north to eradicate the source of the blizzards. The Cryos." Twilight had a bad feeling about this, but nevertheless continued reading.

"The battle lasted three days, but eventually, King Deathkiller and his army emerged victorious, in eradicating the Cryos, until there was none left. But with the Cryos gone, the blizzards only worsened and became more constant, until there were only three months of the year that were free of the winter's wrath so the earth could rejuvenate, only for the cycle to repeat again the rest of the year."

"These guys sound a lot like the windigos..." Spike muttered.

"No, the Windigos bring winter, but they don't control it..." Twilight commented. "...And these... Cryos don't seem to feed on emotions. And the climate only worsened when they were all dead, it could mean that they were indeed behind the constant blizzards, but I don't think they were trying to harm the Temnokt on purpose..."

Lightfire's eyes were swelling up with tears.

"Maybe they needed the cold to survive, but they didn't know the Temnokt had arrived to the region." Cadence suggested.

"That makes sense. And without the Cryos to control it, the winter got out of control to the point it would be practically impossible to remove it, even if the best weather managers in Cloudsdale tried... Maybe if they had spared at least one of them, he would have figured out a way to-"

"There is one left..."

The ponies looked up at Lightfire, and noticed she was almost weeping, a few tears rolled down her cheeks.

"What do you mean?" Spike couldn't help to ask.

"He was... We were good friends e-ever since we were h-hatchlings... but t-then... I-It happened..." She couldn't bear it any longer. "I'm s-sorry, I c-can't..."

Without any other words, Lightfire flew off with teary eyes, going past Stormfly, who was just returning from his 'exploration', and turned to the others, who remained stunned in their seats.

"Did I miss something?"

Chercheniya

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Deciding they had enough of just staying back at home without nothing to do but to watch the snow accumulating on the window panes, Discord and Shining Armor thought it wouldn't do bad to take the foals out for a small stroll. Discord fashioned two strollers out of cotton candy (much to the Temnokt's amusement and surprise) for the triplets and Blade Kiss, and technically 'mummified' them with lots of thermal blankets and clothing. Catseye offered to give them a tour around the 'interesting' parts of the city, but Lake Wave told him something about not taking them there, whatever he meant. After going down a few streets while being the subject to strange glances from the rest of the citizens for being accompanied by such a strange creature like Discord (Dracone-something, he couldn't really recall), Catseye decided to break the awkward silence. "So... How do you like Krussia so far?"

"Do you want me to be honest or kind?" Discord inquired between chattering teeth.

"Eeerrr... Honest."

"These guys don't understand Equestrian, right?"

"Most of them don't."

"Good. THIS IS HORRIBLE!" out of sudden Discord yelled at the top of his lungs, startling both Shining Armor and Catseye, as well as the babies and the nearby Temnokt. "Why can't you build a weather factory?! I'm freezing to the bone here! And why is everytemnokt here staring at us like we were freaks or something!" he pointed at a drady who was staring at him like he were insane. "See?! That's what I'm talking about!"

"Do you want them to call the royal guard?!" Shining Armor hissed, glancing nervously at the passing guards, who thankfully ignored Discord's ranting.

"Well, Mr. Discord, you are a quite... interesting creature." Catseye sighed. "Don't be surprised if the other High Bloods bomb you with questions in the Ball of the Hunt..."

"Where are we going, by the way?"

"Oh, don't tell father about this, but I think you two should know one of the most popular places for drakes-or in your case, stallions-to hang out." Catseye grinned, stopping in front of a building. "Welcome to Icethorn Mount, one of the most popular bars here in Kruscow!"

The building itself was surprisingly elegant on the outside, just like the rest of the buildings, but Discord and Shining could hear a rather... rough type of music coming from the inside, and startled when out of sudden the doors opened and a burly drake was thrown out by a pair of other two drakes, who yelled something in their language before slamming the doors shut. The babies giggled as they watched the drake get back on his feet, muttering something as he shook the snow off him and stomped away.

"Oh, no! If I take the children in there, Twilight will kill me!" Discord snapped.

"She doesn't have to know..." Catseye glanced back at the two. "Besides, they don't let underages in there."

"And you want us to go inside with babies?" Shining Armor pointed out, a bit irritated.

"I'll handle it, just keep your foals close to you and no blood will be spilled." he laughed at their expressions when he said the word blood. "Just kidding! Come on, let's go!"

He levitated the triples and Blade Kiss out of their strolled and placed them on their fathers' 'hooves', motioning them to follow him. As soon as he opened the door, Discord and Shining Armor felt the strong smell of alcoholic beverages and heard the loud rambling of some drunken drakes. The tavern was lit by lamps hanging form the walls, and the black wooden tables were spread out in perfect accommodation, most of them occupied by young and old males alike, but all of them had the Age Marks that identified them as adults. Shining Armor gulped. "I think I will wait in the door..."

"Well..." Catseye shivered when he saw the looks the other drakes were giving them. "Considering you are an unicorn with a baby Alicorn, yes, maybe you should wait by the door and try not to get into trouble."

Discord and Shining Armor exchanged worried glances, and the Draconequus held the triplets closer to his chest, momentarily ignoring their protesting. He followed Catseye towards the bar, where an old Temnokt was wiping an empty beer jar with a rag. Apparently Catseye was a regular there, for the bartender greeted him with a small grunt and levitated a clean jar towards one of the barrels on one side and poured a good quantity of the liquor into it, then slid it towards him. Catseye caught the pint and took a gulp.

"What kind of drink is that?" Discord inquired, snapping his fingers and making gas masks appear on his children's faces. They squealed in discomfort and tried to get it off their faces.

"It's called Vodka, Dissy." Catseye said. "You can't visit Krussia without tasting it!"

"Sorry, but I cannot drink right now, as you can see."

"Don't worry, dad's got quite a lot of vodka brands back home. I can give you one when he is not looking, he's really picky about it,"

"Really?" Discord looked around uncomfortably. "By the way, why did you bring us here? It's not like we can go all loco and get drunk until we see everything in pink! Twilight will kill me!"

"Relax! I just figured that you two would need some time to relax, I mean, with all of the stress you are going through with the Ball of the Hunt, and all that."

"I don't think I want to know what is the Krussian standard for 'relax'."

Suddenly, all of the drakes left their seats and rushed towards the catwalk to one side of the bar as the lights went on, and a elegant wearing a bowtie and a charismatic expression stepped unto the stage. "Good evening, drakes and gentledrakes! Would you like some 'shivers'?"

Discord startled when all the Temnokt gave cheering roars of agreement. The triplets had managed to remove the gas masks from their faces.

The drake on stage chuckled. "Now on stage! The most beautiful, the most sexy..." he winked. "And the best singer drady of al of Kruscow! FYSZAL!" With another chuckle, he stepped off and the curtains moved aside, revealing a drady with reddish fuchsia underbelly and streaks of hair cascading on one side of her head, wearing a revealing red gown and a few pieces of jewelry on her pair of white horns. Her wings were half-spread and she had an intense look on her face as she started to sing.

I'm on my guard for a drake who will make me feel...

Discord's jaw literally dropped to the ground when his eyes set on the provoking drady, while Catseye wolf-whistled at her along with some of the other drakes. She opened her eyes and gave the drakes a seductive look.

Who makes me forget and forget all of which I felt...

She walked down the small steps, waving her hips and rear rhythmically.

Who easily finds my weak point
Where I shiver the most
Who can move my world
In the inside and outside
And is bent on making me as happy as he.

She spread out her wings, startling and arousing the drakes around her when she started to dance once more. Discord placed the triplets on the bar, completely hypnotized as he clumsily danced while walking towards the catwalk. Catseye glanced at the triplets, and then at Discord. "Huh, Discord?"

Ahhhh!
I got no one to kiss me, to squeeze me, who provokes me
or who'd give everything for meee

The drady spread out her wings once again, walking down the catwalk in a seductive manner.

Ahhhh!
How I want you to tell me
what you want and to convince me
to draw me closer to you.

All the drakes were by then drawn closer to the catwalk, Discord among them. "Discord!" Catseye called out to him. "She's not that good!What were you saying about being married and with kids-?" He froze when he recalled the triplets were now on the loose, his suspicions were confirmed when he saw the triplets were not on the bar anymore, the bartender motioned him to the rest of the room, and Catseye caught glimpses of the three foals running around the tavern, giggling, leaving trails of pink clouds behind them, or transforming random items into another material. "Oh, no! Foals, get back here!" he immediately went after them.

I got more nothing to say
I'll only ask, if I may
That you kiss me and squeeze me
to provoke and to tell me that you want me
to convince me so tonight you can have all of me for you

Discord was oblivious to the fact that his foals were running around causing mischief, his pupils were big red ovals as he stared at the drady, completely hypnotized as she lifted his chin with a claw, looking as if she were flirting with him before going back to stage, extending out her wings provokingly, receiving more wolf whistles for the lustful, half-drunken drakes.

Have it, have it,
Have what I give you today...

"Hello? Foal? Whatever-you're-called, where are you?!" Catseye had tried and failed to catch any of the triplets thrice, they simply teleported out of his grasp or slipped away by an inch, and he had already been drenched in the so-famous 'chocolate rain' they seemed to summon out of those pink clouds. "You'll have me banned from here!" He saw a red tail on the corner of his eye, and turned around to find the foal that looked a bit like Discord's wife about to peek into an empty beer jar. "No, no!" He rushed towards her just as Fyzsal was walking back towards the center of the stage, her song coming to an end.

To feel his warmth
so that I can show him all of what I am.
Yes, sir!

The crowd erupted in roars and cheers as the curtain fell, hiding the singer from view, and Discord was clapping his eagle talon and lion paw wildly. "WO-HOO! Another one!" But he-as well as the rest of the drakes present- was broken out of his daze with the sound of a loud yell of pain coming from one of the tables...

Glacial Fire couldn't believe it. All he wanted was to relax a bit, have a good pint of beer and maybe some vodka to forget about his problems, when out of sudden he felt a sharp pain on his tail, and let out a great yell that caught the attention of every dragon inside that place, startling Rock Dust into spilling his own pint unto the table. Startled, Glacial Fire lifted his tail and glanced back at it, finding a strange creature digging his teeth into it. Wait, what?!

"WHAT IN TARNATION?!" he shook is tail in panic, but the creature just clung to it like a tick to a wolf.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Almost instantly, an adult version of this creature suddenly appeared next to him in a flash of white light, and he looked like he wanted to disappear. "It's just Night Charge likes to nibble on things! Hehe! Night Charge, leave the gentledrake's tail alone!"

Discord tried to pull his son off Glacial Fire's tail, but Night Charge just hardened his bite, making the Temnokt cry out in pain. "Night Charge Sparkle, If you don't release the gentledrake's tail right now you're not having any chocolate milk tonight!!" the rest of the Temnokt, the bartender included, had gathered around to see how it ended up, some of them even snickering in delight.

"Get that thing off my tail!" Glacial Fire cried out.

"I'll get a crowbar!" Rock Dust was instantly dashing towards the bar counter to look for the bartender's tool box.

All the while, Shining Armor waited outside under a large black owning just outside, entertaining Blade Kiss with his favorite rattle while trying to keep him inside the thick thermal clothing he had packed. He thought he could hear a commotion going on inside, and he had the feeling Discord and one of the triplets had something to do with it. Blade Kiss suckled on the rattle, a gift from his mommy when he was but a few days old, and the only thing that distracted him from his mother's temporal absence. "Well, Blade, looks like your cousins are having fun in there." Shining Armor sighed, patting his son's back gently with his hoof.

"Well, what do we have here?"

Shining Armor was startled when he heard a familiar voice, nearly dropping Blade Kiss but managing to keep him in his hold, though he couldn't say the same for the foal's rattle. Blade Kiss whimpered and reached out for the rattle, until an aquamarine magical aura levitated the rattle back unto Blade Kiss's hooves. The golden unicorn from before walked closer, with a smile Shining Armor didn't find sincere at all.

"Why, Shining Armor, what a surprise to find you here, outside a..." Sunset Glare looked up the big signboard of the establishment. "Tavern."

"Err, just accompanying Discord and Catseye while Twiley and the others are busy preparing for the Ball of the Hunt."

"Oh, so you were actually invited?" Sunset Glare was still smiling, looking impressed. "Well, you are lucky. Outsiders are usually not invited to such significant events, especially in such short notice. Hay, not even my father, who has been here for almost went years has managed to earn Bittercold's trust enough to be invited to that ball."

"It really wasn't King Bittercold's idea, Lord Clawblack was behind it, actually." Shining Armor admitted.

"Ah, yes. Clawblack is pretty good at convincing others to his convenience. I wonder why he'd want you present at the ball, I doubt it's to settle the High Blood's nerves."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't tell me you haven't heard." Sunset smirked. "The High Blood houses of Kruscow want you out of their country as soon as possible, they are afraid you will attempt to murder their King like King Sombra did centuries ago-"

"Wait, what?!" Shining Armor snapped, holding Blade Kiss closer.

"Anyway, you're a lucky stallion." Sunset Glare stated to circle around his rival. "I mean, winning Cadence's heart, I can't imagine how happy you two must be right now, with your new foal."

"Oh, that's right. He is just a few months old, but he is quite handful. Not as much as my nephews and niece, though..."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, they kind of got Discord's fondness of chaos quite a bit... And my sister likes organization and order. You can imagine the combination is not usual..."

"And yet, you say she and... the Spirit of Chaos got married anyway?"

"I didn't like the idea at first either, but when two ponies love each other, they can put their differences aside, or make it all work together."

"Indeed it is." Sunset Glare admitted, sitting down casually next to Shining Armor. "Love is a powerful emotion, it brings all folk together in different ways, but sometimes it can be out doom as much as our happiness. Not every pony is fortunate enough to have their feelings returned by the pony they love with all their heart and soul, and can do nothing as they make their lives with somepony else."

Shining Armor definitely had a weird feeling about this stallion, specially when his expression turned forlorn, like he had a long lost love he wanted to reunite with. Before he could say anything else, a yell from within the tavern startled him.

"SHINY, I NEED A LITTLE HELP HERE!!"

Shining Armor momentarily forgot about Sunset Glare as he rushed into the tavern, and found Discord trying to pull Night Charge off the tail of a blue-haired drake. Even some other Temnokt had joined in, some trying to help pull physically (Catseye among them, and a burly drake who was using a crowbar) and others used their magic, which surrounded Night Charge, but he clung to the drake's tail like a shark; the poor drake yelled with every pull, and there were a few tears of pain in the corner of his eyes.

Discord saw his brother-in-law in the doorway with a shocked expression. "Well, don't you stand there! Lend us a hoof, would you?!"

"What happened?!" Shining Armor inquired.

"What do you think?! Night Charge is being stubborn, that is pretty obvious!" Finally, Night Charge's teeth gave away out of sudden, sending Discord and the other drakes who had been pulling backwards, while Glacial Fire quickly grabbed his tail and stared in horror at the bite marks. Discord was about to reprimand his son when Night Charge started to wail his lungs out, and he decided to save it for later, for the moment he held the foal close, shushing him and patting his back. Catseye levitated Lavender Dusk and Astral Aurora closer to their father, gulping when the bartender glared at him, and pointed at the door.

"Okay, Jaws, we got the message. It won't happen again, and I won't be able to come here for a week- Whoa, okay, okay, a month!"

Glacial Fire glared at Discord angrily. "That hatchling has no manners!"

Fyszal walked into her dressing room, slamming it shut behind her, grumbling as she headed over to her boudoir and started wiping the makeup from her face. Another day of having to perform for these drunk, good-for-nothing overgrown lizards while her sister lived in the lap of luxury and had all the temnoktfolk at her feet with just a glance. She'd rather be at the Imperial Castle and be treated like the Queen she knew she should have been, and instead, she was trapped in this damn hole, forced to perform every single day for ten obsids an hour, a misery! She was not even a renown singer or model, she was simply a low-rank performer in a tavern.

There was a knock in the door. "Go away, I'm not in the mood for visits right now!" Fyszal hissed warningly, but her words were dismissed as her door opened and a drake with black hair and white underbelly walked it with a expensive-looking flower arrangement. "I said no visits!" She found the drake familiar. She had seen him before...

"No offense, miss, I just follow orders. My master has asked me to bring you these flowers." Hookbait shrugged with a small smile, placing the arrangement of 'cloth of gold' flowers on her desk.

"And who is your master, if I may know?"

"Lord Clawblack Drakkon the Third of the House of Clawstrike."

Clawblack? The advisor of King Bittercold? Why would he send her an arrangement of flowers, unless...

"I know what you're thinking, ma'am. I'm afraid this comes from Lord Clawblack himself, King Bittercold has no knowledge of this." Hook bait knew he had been right when Fyszal's expression changed into bitter disappointment. "However, Lord Clawblack also asked me to inform you he has a... proposal for you?"

"Proposal? What kind of proposal?"

"One that may improve your..." Hookbait looked around the rather grim dressing room, unimpressed. "...living conditions. Is this how you imagined yourself ten years ago? The Firstborn of the Forestsilk Clan dancing and exposing her body to drunken drakes like a whore?"

In a fit of anger, Fyszal flew towards Hookbait and would have slapped him if he had not grabbed her talon in the last moment, smirking. He had touched a nerve. Fyszal did her best to contain the tears of anger in the corner of her eyes; she hated to be reminded that she had fallen out of her family' grace long ago, and instead they adored her 'little sister' like she were perfect. Bah! She was twice as graceful and beautiful than she ever was! Hookbait remained unmoved, however.

"Anyway, my dear. My Master wishes to make a small proposal to you."

Fyszal narrowed her eyes. "Why do I have the feeling he is going to do something under Bittercold's noses?"

"I'm afraid you will have to personally ask him, if you'd accompany me to the House of Clawstrike."

"His house? Why in his house indent in the palace?"

"The matters he wishes to discuss with you are rather... secretive, and he wouldn't like anytemnokt to listen."

The drady had the feeling that whatever Clawblack was planning, it was against the law. She wasn't certain if she'd want to fall any lower, but he said he could improve her living conditions if she agreed to help him. As long as she could get out of this rat lair, she didn't care to commit High Treason, especially if she could find some way to get revenge on her sister for robbing her of what should have been hers from the very beginning. Hookbait was tapping his claws on the wooden floor, losing his patience. "So, ma'am? Are you coming or not?"

Making up her mind, Fyzsal levitated her cloak from the coathanger and placed it on her back. "Very well. I shall listen to what your... Master has to offer."

Smirking again, Hookbait stepped aside and motioned to the door. "Shall we?"

"ARGH! Bucking clouds!"

Rainbow Dash didn't understand. She had won the cloud-breaking championship for five years in a row, she had broken the record in the Wonderbolts' Academy, she had mastered the sonic rainboom, but she couldn't even get close to these humongous storm clouds?! Every time she tried to fly towards them, a cold wind would send her spiraling down to a considerable distance, as if they had a life of their own. With a yell of frustration, Rainbow Dash flew at her top speed towards the clouds, but again a strong, freezing wind blew from within the clouds and she was sent flying back, but she could not open her wings this time, for her feathers had caught ice and frozen, rendering them unusable for the time being despite her use of a thick coat and scarf.

Rainbow Dash yelled as she fell, flapping her frozen wings in a failed attempt to soften her fall, and since she was falling backwards she did not see a figure flying just beneath her, and crashed into the drake, sending them both spiraling to the forest. Rainbow Dash and the mysterious figure crash-landed, though Rainbow Dash's damage was lesser since she fell on top of the drake.

"Ouch... Stupid clouds...!" she whined in pain, before being pushed off the drake by the drake himself.

"Why don't you look where you are going?!" a familiar voice snapped in anger.

"ME?! you were the one who didn't look were-!"

When Rainbow Dash turned to glare at the drake she had bumped into, her eyes widened when she recognized the Crown Prince glaring at her. "Mathic Midnight?!"

"It's Prince Mythic Midnight to you, you blind stallion!"

"Hey! I'm a mare!"

Mythic Midnight went back to his feet and took a glance a Rainbow Dash, scoffing. "Please, you don't look, you don't even act like a female."

"Just because I don't follow your cultural views on dradies doesn't make me less mare than any other female, as you say!"

"You should get some etiquette lessons, if you can't properly talk to a Royal I can't imagine how it will go when you are before all the High Blood houses in the Ball of the Hunt."

"Look who talks! You insulted my friend Spike when we went to dinner, and your daddy didn't seem too happy about it!" Rainbow Dash crossed her hooves and smirked triumphantly when Midnight flinched. "Looks like the one who needs to take etiquette should take a look at the mirror before judging others about being rude."

Midnight growled at the mare's confident tone. She was mocking at him, even if indirectly. "As if. Why don't you go back to the kitchen and make some cookies for your hatchlings?" It was his turn to smirk when Rainbow Dash growled.

"Ah, so you're of the sexist type, aren't you?" she regained her cool and smirked, much to his confusion. "I'll let you that me and my friends- we're all mares, by the way- have saved Equestria countless of times. Nightmare Moon, the Spirit of Chaos, a Changeling Queen and her hordes, King Sombra and the list goes on..." she stopped when she saw Midnight becoming pale as soon as he heard King Sombra's name leave her lips.

"You..." he stepped back. "You faced 'he who must not be named'?! A mere mare?!"

Rainbow Dash realized he was actually impressed, so she decided t take advantage of it. "Urrr... Yeah, that's right! And I must say, it was a piece of cake! That King Sombrero was not challenge at all, but I must say, most of the credit actually goes to Spike, the little dragon you insulted yesterday night."

"That tiny lizard?! H-How the hell could he have defeated him of all ponies?!"

"It's something simple, the Magic of Friendship always overcomes all obstacles!"

"The what?"

"Magic of Friendship!"

"What kind of spell is that? I've never heard of it before."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "It's not a spell, it's not magic itself. It's the strength of your bond with your friends who are always there for you, and when we are together and are true to ourselves we can use the Magic of Friendship to protect those we cherish. Really, don't they teach you anything in that castle of yours?"

Midnight tried not to look confused, he clearly had no idea what she was talking about. Finally, he scoffed. "Please! I doubt you could defeat him by just hanging out with a bunch of 'friends', if the First King could not even stand against him-!"

"Wait, the First King?!"

Midnight froze when he realized he had said too much. His father had forbidden to speak of The Sombratic Attack, especially to outsiders. "Err... Forget it! You expect me to believe a bunch of mares and a baby dragon defeated him?! Don't make me laugh!"

"The Elements of Harmony are no joke, you spoiled-little-rich-drake!"

Elements of Harmony... Midnight had heard about those, supposedly they had been used various times in Equestria to defeat powerful foes that threatened it, according to Crenshaw, which kind of explained why neither his father or any of his predecessors had ever thought of starting a war with Equestria. That, and the fact that the Princess of the Night had always been in their good graces, though he could never fully understand was held in such high regard among their people when they didn't like unicorns in general. Midnight frowned. "You do realize that you just committed lèse-majestè, better known as insulting or offending Royalty, in another country. You know you can be executed for that if I told my father, don't you?"

Rainbow Dash's confidence instantly evaporated. Damn it, Twilight had said not to bring too much attention to themselves, and she had just insulted the Crown Prince of all people. Could this possibly be any worse?

"But... I may let it slip this once." Midnight looked up and pretended to be thinking. "If you can beat me in a race."

A race? Pft! Piece of cake! "Okay, bring it on!" Rainbow Dash flew up, regaining her lost confidence in a flash, smirking. "Nopony's ever beaten me in a race!"

"I'm not a pony, I'm a Temnokt." Midnight flew up to her level, smirking. "You don't know how my people race. We'll do one lap around the city's perimeter, and you have to keep up against the wind and the snow, think you can handle it, little pony?"

Rainbow Dash rubbed her hooves together. "You're going to eat snow when I'm done with you!"

Zagovory

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Lightfire managed to calm herself down for the time being as she led Twilight and the others back home for the day. Twilight and Cadence, however, could tell they had opened an old wound she had tried to close, and they couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt as she kept her vision to the front and didn't say a word.

"Man, I knew history lessons were long, but I never thought i'd fill out a whole notebook in three hours!" Spike was staring at the notebook in awe, flipping through the page, and glancing at his claws. "I don't think I'll be able to write in a long time..."

"They didn't mention anything about the 'he who must not be named' guy they keep mentioning like he was the devil." Stormfly commented. "Apparently, he was omitted from all history books."

"Lightfire..." Twilight wasn't certain if it was the right thing to do at the moment, but she was worried that the drady hadn't said anything the whole way. "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay..." Lightfire's voice sounded hoarse, but there was a deep sadness in her expression. "I was just remembering..."

"I know we've just met, but you can tell us." Cadence smiled sympathetically at her. "Sometimes it helps to let things out."

Lightfire seemed to consider it for a while, but before she could say something they were already near the front door, and both Catseye and Lake Wave were rushing out the door. "What's up?" she asked.

"Mom's gone nuts! She made vegetarian dishes!" Catseye cried out.

"So what?"

"No meat! Only green things, and she expects us to sit and eat it!" Lake Wave shuddered. "I swear, I love your mother's cooking, but I simply cannot stand vegetables!"

"Excuse me, but we're here." Stormfly rolled his eyes.

"I thought you had a varied diet." Twilight pointed out.

Catseye groaned. "We do, but it's not even Veggie Monday!"

Velvet's yell from inside the house made both drakes flinch."Catseye! Lake Wave! Get back in here in this instant!"

Cadence and Twilight barely contained a giggle as the two drakes darted back inside. Lightfire spotted something on the roof and allowed them to go first. There was a snowy owl perched on the edge of the roof, looking down at the drady with its golden eyes. Lightfire swore the bird's eyes flashed purple for a brief moment, making her gasp.

"...Cryo?"

The owl instantly flew away, soon disappearing into the wintery rain of snow. Lightfire contained the urge to cry as she went inside, managing to regain her composure in the last minute. As she went inside, she saw most of their guests were already inside, along with her grandfather and Fukkutery, while Catseye and Lake Wave begrudgingly headed over to their seats, though she soon saw why. Today's menu consisted of vegetarian dishes, like Solyanka with sal and pepper, some Syrniki to accompany and the main course, Vareniki. She personally had nothing against vegetables, they were enjoyable every now and then. As she made her way to her seat, she noticed their vegetarian guests thought the same.

"These are the best dumplings I've ever tasted in my life!" Pinkie Pie as stuffing themselves on the Vareniki. "What do they have on the inside?"

Velvet smiled kindly. "Tvorog and potato."

"Tvo-what what?."

"It's Krussian cottage cheese, but its dryer than in most other countries. It's usually made from organic goat milk, and even to this day it's still homemade." Twilight explained.

"Our living encyclopedia, every pony!" Discord pulled his wife into another hug.

"Mom, couldn't you have at least made something actually edible for us?" Catseye muttered, glaring at the vegetables, but quieted after his mother shot him a glare.

"Don't be like that, it'll do good for you, bro." Fukkuteru chuckled while he enjoyed a piece of syrniki with jam. How he had missed his mother's cooking!

"Little brother, maybe you got used to eating apples in Equestria, but you're back in Krussia. Meat is what we live for!"

Rarity noticed Fluttershy wincing at the word 'meat'. "Excuse me, would you be so kind as to mind your words regarding your... particular diet with Fluttershy?"

"I know it's silly to ask this, but you don't eat meat, do you?"

"Catseye..." Lake Wave growled warningly at his eldest son.

"Hmm, this is quite good!" Cadence had taken a small bite of solyanka. "But it feels a bit sour."

"My apologies, those cabagges were brined for months, so you might feel its taste a bit off."

"Brined?" Shining Armor inquired.

"Since it's winter most of the time, in the few warm months we can get our vegetables we put them in vinegar, salt and aromatic herbs to conserve them for winter." Lightfire explained. " It's called brining."

As Twilight, Cadence and Stormfly took a seat in the already-crowded table, Twilight noticed something. "Where are Applejack and Rainbow Dash?"

"Applejack's in the kitchen making some apple cider." Fukkuteru stated. "Rainbow Dash hasn't arrived."

The door of the kitchen opened and Applejack walked out with some pints of cider, helped by Vasilisa and Tinder.
"Alright, here I bring some of the Apple Family's famous apple cider made from fresh apples! I hope you all like it!" The trays were placed in the empty part of the table, and soon they all took a pint. Twilight and the others were happy to taste something familiar, though their hosts had somewhat wistful looks on their faces as they tasted the foreign drink.

"It tastes a bit like a sort of juice... though a bit more acidic." Bagaesh pointed out as he drank more of the cider.

"I'd say it tastes almost like that beer the guards often drink... I don't recall the brand." Lake Wave was more thoughtful as he drank it sip by sip to taste it more thoroughly.

"And I can drink it!" Tinder was crying out happily as she drank her pint whole.

"I'm glad ya liked it!" Applejack felt complimented at the Temnokt's delightful expressions as they tasted it. "Ol' family recipe!"

"No wonder it's so tasty!"

"Now that we're on it, how come you explain to us what the Ball of the Hunt consists about exactly?" Shining Armor inquired. "I mean, you said it's a sort of 'catching the largest prey' contest, but is it only about that?."

"Oh, it's actually held every year before Razrushizima comes. It's the last party of the year and our last chance to hunt for supplies before we have to shut our homes in to protect ourselves from all the snow. It's a way to say goodbye to Nezhnazima."

"Nezhi-what?" Pinkie Pie inquired. "Nezhani? No, wait, Nazizima!"

"You may call it Gentle Winter." Fukkuteru said. "Some think the spirits of the Cryos are the cause of the constant winter."

"The what?" Discord summoned a Krussian dictionary and started flipping pages. "Is that the pronunciation of something?"

"They were a native species who lived here long before us." Bagaesh sighed sadly.

"And what do you mean with spirits? Are they dead?"

"There was a sort of... massive genocide." Twilight hesitatingly said.

"Courtesy of King Deathkiller." Lake Wave continued. "He thought that by killing them off he'd get rid of the problem, but he only made it worse."

"Ever since, it's said the restless spirits of the slain Cryos became Zimadeniya. They bring the winter upon us to take our lives with the one thing that we could never learn to control: the force of nature itself."

"Remind me not to piss those icy guys." Stormfly gulped.

Twilight realized there was one missing member of the group. "Hey, where's Rainbow Dash?"

"She went out a while ago to try and to something about those clouds, as she said." Rarity commented as she sipped a bit of apple cider from her pint. "She should be back at anytime."

Rainbow Dash had to give credit to the Krussian Prince. He hadn't been kidding when he said the winds were freezing and very strong, worse than that of the Windigos themselves, and that was something. She flapped her wings furiously, but ice was starting to accumulate in her feathers, which made it even more difficult. Midnight, on the other hand, didn't seem to have any trouble with the wind, already being accustomed to it. He glanced back at Rainbow Dash smugly, grinning.

"What? Is that all you have?"

Rainbow Dash snapped at him. "I''m just warming up to make you eat snow, you airhead!"

"And that's another insult to your list of transgressions!"

Rainbow Dash wanted to punch his 'so-handsome' face as he mocked at her, but she'd be content with making him eat snow. Her feathers felt heavy form the ice and snow accumulating in them, but she didn't give up. Midnight would glance back to make sure she hadn't gotten too close, and when she did he flapped his wings to gain more speed. If she could go fast enough to make a sonic rainboom she'd send this airhead flying literally, but the wind was making it difficult to her. Flying against a current of wind was a foolish thing to do, it would only tire her out and she wouldn't even get close to him. But if she flew in the same direction of the wind, it would increment her speed, perhaps enough to go into a Sonic Rainboom.

"Hey, lizard face! Watch this!" Rainbow Dash turned around and flew with the wind, flapping her wings furiously, without as much effort this time. Midnight braked and looked back in confusion, wondering if she as abandoning the race. However, he realized she was flying faster than before, and she was reaching a speed he couldn't even imagine.

Rainbow Dash grinned when she felt the familiar spark upon reaching the appropriate speed, and soon the adrenaline overcame her as the massive boost of speed came, creating the rainbow-colored ring which expanded with the familiar shockwave, and the rainbow trail flowing form her mane as she flew around the city. Midnight stared at the scene in shock before the strength of the shockwave sent him plummeting against the ground.

In the streets, the citizens yelled in terror and ran inside their homes at the sight of the explosion, and a few called the Royal Guards. Commander Whiptail had gone out to solve an issue with a shopkeeper and a supposed thief, but immediately after the ring of color extended across the sky, he yelled at the guards accompanying him to take flight, and they flew after the trail of color that was the most probable cause. Midnight was just recovering from the spinout when he saw Commander Whiptail and some guards going after Rainbow Dash. He knew this wouldn't end good, he had to help the tomboyish mare before she got thrown into the dungeons for 'terrorism'.

Rainbow Dash landed on a snowy clearing just outside the Western Gates or Kruscow, creating a small shockwave of snow. "Ha! How did you take that, lizard face?! Who's the weakling now?" She jumped around, laughing triumphantly at her victory, but she froze when suddenly a group of guards landed around her, spreading out their wings and snapping their teeth. "What the hell-?!"

"Lady Rainbow Dash." Commander Whiptail landed just in front of her with a stern glare. "I would have never expected a delegate from Equestria to cause such a ruckus."

"My Sonic Rainboom? I know, it's amazing!" Rainbow Dash was still oblivious to the scolding. "I can imagine the look on Prince Airhead's face!"

Whiptail narrowed his eyes. "Choose your words more carefully, Miss. You are insulting a member of the Royal Family, that's lèsse majesté. My obligation is to report to King Bittercold to ask for permission to carry out your execution."

Rainbow Dash's smirk disappeared and she went pale. Midnight wasn't joking when he said that?! "W-Wait, I...! I wasn't serious! Man, you guys can't take a joke?!"

"Joke or not, I still have to place you under arrest for creating mass panic, triggering a rather strange explosive without any kind of previous authorization and disorderly conduct, plus charge of Lèsse Majesté."

"You can't send me to jail for performing a Sonic Rainboom!" Before Rainbow Dash could do anything, she was lifted off the ground with magic by one of the guards. "Hey! Put me down!"

"You can explain it to King Bittercold, Miss."

"Shouldn't I have a lawyer at least?!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Suddenly, Mythic Midnight had broken through the circle of guards and hurriedly landed between Rainbow Dash and Commander Whiptail. "Commander, this is unnecessary!"

"Your Highness, she committed Lèsse Majesté and disorderly conduct, I cannot overlook it." Whiptail said, his resolve firm.

"Nonono! You don't understand, this is my fault! I challenged her to a race and things got out of control."

"With all due respect, My Prince, you shouldn't be here either. Your father told me you had no permission to leave the castle grounds until he said otherwise."

Way to go, dad. "I know, but I was just taking a small flight around! Then I encountered Miss Rainbow Dash and I challenged her to a race!"

Rainbow Dash didn't understand why he was defending her after acting like a jerk, but she guessed it had to do with Krussian customs.

"You expect me to neglect my duty?" Whiptail wasn't convinced.

"Nono, just don't be as hard on her! She didn't really hurt anytemnokt!

Whiptail muttered under his breath, glancing at Rainbow Dash, then at Midnight. "What I can do is to put miss Rainbow Dash under surveillance for the next forty eight hours to make sure she won't try her... stunt again, but I will inform King Bittercold of what happened. And I will have to escort you back to the palace, Your Highness."

"Okay, okay." Midnight sighed in dismay, knowing his father would give him a whole lecture. "Can I at least speak with Miss Rainbow Dash before we go?"

Whiptail narrowed his eyes. "Very well, but I'll only give you one minute. No more." He stretched out his wings, signaling most of the other guards to take off, but they were still hovering around, watching at the scene apprehensively as Whiptail joined them in the air.

"What's his problem?!" Rainbow Dash cried out pointing at Commander Whiptail. "That Temnokt has serious problems!"

"Don't worry about him, when he's on duty he is always professional, he and dad are actually good friends."

"So he's not a jerk the whole time?"

"Well... He's a bit less jerky, but he's still serious."

Rainbow Dash was still confused at the Crown Prince's rather benevolent action. "Say... Thanks for sticking out for me... Twilight would have gotten a heart attack if she learned I was taken to the dungeons..."

"Well, you did beat me.. You went the opposite way and used that stunt to beat me, but you won. And dad says we ought to keep our promises." He whispered to her. "You have to teach me that thing!"

Rainbow Dash smirked and crossed her hooves. "Tell you what. If you teach me some Krussian maneuvers I will try and teach you my Sonic Rainboom."

"Your Highness!" Whiptail called out impatiently. "Let's go!"

"I'm coming!" Midnight cried out in frustration, but he managed to whisper a 'we have a deal' to the pegasus as he took off and followed Whiptail through the sky, followed closely by the guards. Rainbow Dash watched him go before she started to make her way back to the city, a satisfied grin on her face.

The House of Drakkon was an impressive mansion in the nicest part of the city. However, despite its size and elegance, there was a grim air to it that made some temnoktfolk think the place was a haunted building. It would look like it if the trees and bushes weren't perfectly trimmed, the pathway salted and clear of snow, and all the lamps and torches well-lit, with servants going around the place to remove snow or the maids coming go and fro to buy food or do any tasks their Master had ordered them to tend to.

The servitude was especially alert when Lord Clawblack was home. He liked his house perfectly clean and organized, there was not a single thing out of place nor a single speck of dust. The surprisingly golden light coming from the chandelier in the main hall where a beautiful and wide staircase led into the upper rooms gave the mansion a warm feeling to it, opposite with its owner's nature. There was an entryway on the right side of the main hall that led into a fine, elegant dining room whose chandelier gave equally golden light. There were portraits of various members of the Drakkon house on the walls, plants decorating the corners and a red velvet carpet on the floor.

Fyszal hadn't been in such an ambient ever since she lived at her parents' house before they left her on her own, so surprisingly there was a homely air to this place. Hookbait led her to the Dining Room, where the table was neatly prepared for a dinner, with silver utensils, plates and crystal glasses laid out carefully. They were of the fancy class, she could name each fork, spoon and knife perfectly and use them with as much grace, having been taught Etiquette since a young age. This was the only reason she felt obliged to give a curtsy to the Owner of this place.

"Lord Clawblack." she said politely.

Clawblack was sitting on the other end of the table, smiling in an almost welcoming way. "Welcome to my humble abode, baryshnya." he said. "My apologies if my servant made you feel uncomfortable."

"He was okay..." Fyszal replied, not looking at Hookbait as he pulled back the chair on her end of the table for her to sit. "Spasibo."

Clawblack snapped his fingers, and a few maids came in, serving some water into Fyszal's glass-it was customary in all the High Blood Houses to serve guests first- before serving their master. Then came a small bowl of fancy-looking soup with a pleasant smell coming from it.

"Your... servant said you had a proposal." Fyszal decided to bring it out at once.

"Indeed I do." Clawblack took a sip from his spoonful of soup, signaling subtly to his guest that she could start eating. "As you know, the Ball of the Hunt will take place in a few days, and I'm afraid I don't have a partner to take."

"Wait, you simply made me come all the way here to invite me to the ball?"

"No, my dear. I would never waste your time just for an invitation, if that was the case I would have sent you a postcard with my little present. There's more to my proposal."

Fyszal placed her glass delicately back on the table. "What is it?"

"First of all, I'm so sorry about your situation. The last time we saw each other you were the favored child of the Forestsilk Clan, and what happened? Now you have to sell your... services to drunkards to put the bread of the table, all for a past mistake..."

Fyszal was doing her best not to snap as she stiffened. "My Lord, with all due respect, I don't want to talk about it."

"My apologies. I just wanted to see if you were okay before I tell you my proposal." Clawblack took more spoonfuls of soup. "how far would you go to become Queen?"

At that, the drady's talon froze as she was about to take another spoonful of the warm soup. "What?"

"I'm afraid our current Queen is weak and feverish, as you must already know. She has had so many illnesses that some of the other houses think Death will come and claim her soon enough. That would be such a pity, especially for the little drady and the young drake..."

"Where are you going with this?"

"Oh, and King Bittercold. He would be so devastated with the loss of his beloved wife. But Krussian law requires that the King be married, and we know he won't have the emotional state to think about a new wife. He would need someone to console him, support him and let him he's not alone..." as he spoke, his smirk was turning malicious.

"Wait, you want to commit... regicide?"

"Nothing gruesome, my dear. I just want to put the beloved Queen out of her misery. And you want to become Bittercold's wife, don't you? That's what you have always wanted, but sadly he fell for Astral Dusk, the younger sister. I can tell you've been wanting to get back at her for a long time ever since you fell out of grace with your parents and society..."

"So what's your plan?"

"In a way, it involves our visitors from Equestria. They have something I desire, but before I can make a move to obtain it I have to make sure King bittercold doesn't trust them fully. As you know, his father was murdered by he who must not me named, so he is already wary about the representatives. A scandal involving the Equestrians would give me the chance to obtain what I need from them."

"And what does it have to do with me specifically?"

"I obtained a particularly dangerous substance made from Equestrian poisonous plants. As you know, such substances cannot be obtained from our neighboring countries, and only an Equestrian would have knowledge of how to fabricate the poison, anyway. The lavender unicorn has a great knowledge, so she fits that role perfectly. They would be retained from leaving the country until the investigations carry out. However, it won't be the lavender unicorn who poisons the Queen." Clawblack glanced at Fyszal quizzically. "It will be you."

"Me?" Fyszal repeated in surprise, but there was a malicious glint in her gaze. This was the chance she had been waiting for. "At the Ball, I guess."

"Yes. Go to the ball disguised so you won't be recognized. I will grant you one vial of poison, when no one is watching, pour it in a drink while making it look like any of the ponies offered it to her. I will do the rest." Clawblack smiled at her. "What do you say? If we succeed, you will have a chance with Bittercold..."

Fyszal was considering the idea. He was offering her heart's desire in a silver tray if she did things right, it would be like killing two birds with one stone. She'd win Bittercold's heart and take back her rightful place as Queen, and she'd have her sweet revenge on her sister for disgracing her life. She wasn't sure what Clawback hoped to win, but as long as he gave her what was promised, she didn't care. Fyszal placed her cup on the table, smiling.

"You may count on me, milord."

Ledyanoye Serdtse

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Legends about the long-gone Cryos were very frequent, but unlike most legends from around the world, these had actually a solid basis. Those white dragons had never been thought of as a myth of a little hatchling's story, because all the Temnokt remembered when one of them had lived among them. No one knew where he came from or how he got there, they only knew that somehow his egg ended up in the hatchery, and one female decided to take the hatchling into her care. Many things happened, but no outsider knew about this fact. Even the Royal Family themselves knew about the last living Cryos, but no one knew where to find him, only that he was still alive.

That was exactly what he wanted.

In the Altair Mountains, known as Altayskre Gory, there was a structure no one knew about, only its creator and architect. It was made of pure, flawless ice, and was centered around the hexagonal shape of a snowflake, the symbol of the Cryos people. Although the castle's master had no visitors other than the beasts that served him, there was a flawless crystal ice staircase that led up to intricate double doors which in turn led into the palace. Though it only housed one person, the palace could be compared to the Crystal Empire's own castle in size.

Among all those rooms, there was one which could be called the 'heart'. Like most rooms, there was a large snowflake on the floor, but this room had a grand chandelier made of ice and crystals hanging from the ceiling, along with double doors leading to a round balcony. It would seem bare with lacking furniture, but the way the walls reflected the light made up for it. In the Balcony, a large dragon with pearly white scales was sitting, his lavender eyes staring into the distance with coldness, and one might even have said nostalgia. He was covered in a purplish white armor made out of ice, which hid his dark aqua green hair from view. Two swirly light blue horns stuck out of his skull in an elegant, curved way, along with two shorter pairs that were an actual part of his body just down. His large wings were folded on his back, resting, not keeping him warm, the cold wasn't a problem for him. A Temnokt would have died of hypothermia for prolonged exposure to his ice.

But he was not a normal Temnokt.

He was the Ice Emperor. The last of the Cryos people.

He cared not for the Temnokt in Krussia. Not anymore. Sure, he had been born and raised with them, but they never showed any concern for him, so he had no reason to care about them at all. They thought him a monster and a freak just because of his power over ice and snow? It wasn't like he asked for those powers to begin with, it was a natural ability that came with his species. He couldn't remember when it came for the first time, if he had it as a hatchling or if it came later on, but he did remember all the attempts to repress it without his knowledge, the gloves he always had to wear, being forbidden from going out on especially snowy days.

Sure, he couldn't complain of everything. He did have a loving mother who accepted him for who he was, and there were a few hatchlings who did like him... Among them...

The Cryos shook his head. He didn't want to think about her again, it always brought his regrets to the surface.

A flapping of wings caught his attention, and he held out his talon as a snowy owl landed on it, hooting and ruffling its feathers. The good thing about discovering his heritage was that he got to practice his own natural magic. He didn't have much written information regarding Cryos magic, but he learned through actual experimenting and experience, which is how he found out he could see through the eyes of an animal. Sure, it took him a while to master the spell, but it was worth it. At least he could see how things were in Kruscow-not that he cared, but living alone had its disadvantages, the main one being that he didn't have much to do.

From what he could hear and see from his faithful bird companion's ears and eyes, King Bittercold had finally accepted a proposal from Equestria to send a delegation to discuss political matters. It was a rather large group this time, and among them he saw two creatures he had never seen before, and one of his-the Temnokt's kind, he quickly corrected himself before he could think 'his kind'. They were not his kind, not anymore. They had annihilated his actual kin for prejudice and fear of their winter magic.

The Cryos turned away from his balcony and stepped inside, closing the ice doors behind him. He made his way down the cold and icy but majestic ice palace, ignoring his reflection on the walls and floor. There was not a single speck of a fire in that place, instead it was illuminated by glowing crystals made out of his own magic, he had a natural animosity for fire and high temperatures, for it melted his ice. He walked up the ice staircases that led into his bedchambers.

Contrary to what one would think, the Cryo's bedchambers weren't just a bare room as empty as its owner's heart. It was wide nd spacious, every single furniture and wall was made of ice, but there were bookshelves filled with books which spoke of the Distant Sands of Saddle Arabia, the Forbidden City in Neighpan, the famous clocktower in Eagleland, among other cultural treasures from distant lands. There were paintings of said landmarks hanging from the walls, which gave the room a sort of familiar air despite the coldness. The cryos went over to his bed, his horns glowing a gentle blue as he lifted his helmet from his head, letting his wild locks of dark peacock blue hair fall to his face. His owl flew over to an icy perch he had created for it, hooting as its large golden eyes set on him with a worried expression.

"It's okay, Belyogot." the Cryos told him, though his voice said otherwise. He had wanted to see her at least once, but a single glimpse was enough to bring back feelings long buried underneath his frozen heart. If only things had been different, maybe they would have hada chance at romance, but now...

He didn't know what she thought of him anymore.

After dinner, Rarity returned to the attic, which was half-filled with sketched and folded fabrics and other materials, bought earlier during the visit to Fashion Row. Krussian fashion wasn't much different from what she was used to, but the garments and dresses were all serious and elegant, with varying colors even though Krussians seemed to prefer cold colors with a few warmth, along with some hand-made, homely sewing. She had much work to do to make appropiate outfits for such an occasion! They had to look at their best if they wanted to pass as presentable in the elite of Krussian aristocracy.

A knock in the door momentarily distracted her from her sketches. "Yes?"

Vasilisa peeked her head inside, making sure there was no one around, before stepping in. "Excuse me, miss Rarity... But I need to ask for a favor..."

"Certainly, dear. What is it you need?"

"See, Fukkutery said you're a sea-fashion designer." Vasilisa corrected herself quickly. "I wanted to ask you if you could mend my dress for the ball, it's got a ripping." she placed a simple, homemade red dress with satins.

Rarity gasped at the sight. "Oh, my! That's your dress for the ball?"

"Well, it's not much like other dresses, but I don't want to bother my parents by asking them for another dress, this one is fine..."

"Oh, no, no! I cannot allow you to present yourself in such an important party with such a... worn out attire! You need something special that lets everytemnokt know you are special!"

"What do you mean?"

"A lady's wardrobe speaks much about her persona! Go to such an elitist party with that dress and they won't think higher of you than a maid! And you say your family is one of the High Bloods, right?"

"Yeah."

"In that case, you must look at your best! You need a glamorous new outfit and I'll make it for you."

Vasilisa blinked in confusion. "You want to make me a dress?"

"Why, it's a good chance to create a foreign outfit! It's not problem at all, it'll be my pleasure!"

"But... I don't have any money..." Vasilisa confessed shyly.

"Oh, no! I'd never charge a gift on a friend, especially if you mean that much to Fukkuteru! You can consider it a present on my behalf for your family allowing us to stay here."

Vasilisa couldn't believe it. "Are y-you serious?"

"Why, darling, I'd never make a joke on you on something this important. I will make sure you are the most beautiful drady at that ball, if you'd let me take your measurements, I won't take long..." Rarity levitated her tape measure and started to measure the young drady, dropping the tape occasionally to take notes of the size. Thankfully, due to her young age she was the size of a normal pony, maybe only slightly taller, so it wouldn't be a problem at all.

Hmm... Maybe some aqua, its minty hue blended well with an equally creamy color, or maybe coral, in an unexpected pairing to add interest to her frosty look, or.... powder pink seemed a good option to make a dreamy palette, but then again... Vasilisa was not as refined as her sister Lightfire, but she had her own wild charm if one could get to meet her properly... an Emerald to create both a bold and sophisticated balance between her attire and her natural secondary colors. Perfect!

"Oh, I promise you, it'll be absolutely radiant!" Rarity levitated a small bunch of beautiful emerald fabric closer while starting to sketch her ideas on paper. "And I must say, those fabrics are simply beautiful. They are tender but very resistant, and yet they almost feel as if they were hand-made personally."

"Well, sort of, Mom mentioned you had a rather unpleasant surprise when you went shopping for fabrics..."

Rarity shivered at the reminder. "Who lets such a giant spider roam around freely?! It could have eaten me, or any potential costumer!" It had taken her about ten minutes to calm down, and curiously the spider kept giving small flashcards to Velvet, it seemed as a sort of communication system.

"Don't worry, they are actually harmless. They're called Paukach, they're a breed of spider used by seamstresses to help them wave fabrics. They're pretty expensive, though, and only the richest fashion designers can afford to buy or keep one. The fabric they produced is called Paukshelkani, it's quite demanded in most foreign industries."

"It's funny, it's the first time I ever heard of it."

"It's because it cannot be exported. It can only be sold to Krussian industries, it's considered a national patrimony by the Krussian Commerce Guild, all who open a fashion business must sign a contract to never sell the fabric or a Paukach to a foreign industry before they are given access to it. They only sold it in this occasion because mom said she was the one who was using it..."

"My, you certainly have strange customs..."

But she wouldn't let that get to her.

Having been so long since he was last back home, Fukkuteru did what he loved the most and reread some of his old textbooks from The Dark Arts School, DAS for short. While the ponies from Equestria would find such an institution dangerous and front upon it, to the Krussians it was as much prestigious as Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns was to the ponies of Canterlot. It was required that all hatchlings attended to learn to control their dark magic, often it started out with simple spells, but students might continue their studies to learn more advanced spells instead of sticking with just daily life spells.

Since the original Temnokt had been divided in four Clans, there were four categories Magic which could be learned in the school: Darkness, Water, Fire and Forest. Eventually the interbreeding among each other erased direct distinction of the clans, al becoming one, but there were traces of their genes in their descendants. A simple Affinity Test Charm was needed to determine if an individual was more apt for Water spells, or for Darkness, and the individual in question could focus his studies on that type of magic. Fukkuteru himself had turned out to be Darkness, just like most of his family, minus Lightfire who was a Water-caster from their father's side of the family.

Fukkuteru placed his copy of Basic Darkness Spells aside to read a more advanced one, Shadowkinesis Theory, from scratch all over again, maybe to refreshen his knowledge of magic from years of being unused.

And naturally, Twilight Sparkle couldn't ignore the idea of learning as much as she could.

"Twilight, honey, remember how you don't like being disturbed while reading?" Discord told her, changing his face into that of his wife with a grumpy expression for a moment before changing it back. "Well, maybe our dear old Fukkuteru feels the same. How about we let him enjoy it?"

"Just a minute..." Twilight said for the fifth time, still taking notes. "So, you mean everytemnokt has to attend that school?"

"Yes unless they want to make a hole on the wall while trying to light a candle." Fukkuteru chuckled. "The spells grow more advanced and complicated as we get older, and by the time we graduate we know how to cast most spells. However, some may continue their studies on certain branches of Dark Magic, like combative, healing, illusion, etcetera. Though we are peaceful, every single Temnokt in Krussia can defend themselves should something happen."

"You mentioned magical affinity to certain elements."

"That comes from way back. Initially we were divided in four clans, but after generations of interbreeding we merged into one, though the affinity for a certain elemental type of magic remained."

"Too much history, how about you tell us something more interesting?" Discord said, snapping his fingers to appear a glass of chocolate milk and taking a sip. "You know, what you guys do while slacking off or those things. And maybe you could tell us why everyone here is so afraid of King Sombrero."

Fukkuteru flinched at the mention of King Sombra. Twilight noticed, and gave Discord a mild glare. "Discord, that's enough! He doesn't have to speak about that if he can't!"

"It's okay, it just caught me a bit off guard... that's all." Fukkuteru sighed, and his horns started to glow. A large aura bubble formed around them. "I can't afford to my family hearing I'm talking about it, or I might get in trouble. But you have the right to know."

"Oh, finally!" Another snap, and Discord was eating some popcorn while sitting on a chair reminiscent of the couches of the cinema.

Fukkuteru rolled his eyes, but nevertheless he spoke. "It all started a few centuries after our species' banishment from Equestria, a thousand years ago, approximately. By then Kruscow was still a small city, and we were low on resources due to skirmishes in the borders with the Bengal Tigers. The rulers at that time were Tzar Fangimir and his wife Mawnastasia. Princess Celestia had ascended to the throne a few years ago, and she wanted to offer her hoof in friendship. She sent a delegate from what you call the Crystal Empire, a unicorn stallion known as Sombra."

Discord took a loud slurp from his soda, listening intently. Twilight was hearing the story with wide eyes, taking some notes every now and then.

"Sombra was received warmly. He was generous and friendly, and he looked like he was a decent pony, but overall he had a great passion for learning. He got his hooves on every book he could find about Temnokt magic, and eventually he ask Tzar Fangimir to teach him."

"Wait a minute, you mean he learned Temnokt magic?" Twilight asked.

Fukkuteru nodded. "Tzar Fangimir taught him generously of our dark arts. However, the water-aligned Temnokt refused to teach him anything. Some say their element gives them the ability to see through a person's true nature as if they were a pond of clear water. They must have seen something off, and didn't want to give the ambitious unicorn more power. Their fears proved to be true when Sombra started to change. He became obsessed with learning more and more, and soon he was isolating himself, practicing the dark magic he learned."

"Let me guess, you guys are so used to dark magic you didn't think it would have so much negative effects on other creatures who were not so accustomed to it." Discord said matter-of-fact, to which he received a grim nod.

"Eventually, he challenged Tzar Fangimir openly. Krussian Law states that to rise to the throne the challenger must defeat the current ruler in a honorable duel. But Sombra played dirty, and our Tzar paid it dearly..." Fukkuteru closed his eyes shut. "He was murdered."

The quill Twilight had been levitating fell to the ground as she stared at the Temnokt, shocked and horrified. Discord had conjured a double bass playing by itself to mirror the suspense, but even the instrument stopped when he gulped in dismay.

"Afterwards, Sombra was banished from the Empire. Some of the High Bloods accused Princess Celestia of sending him with the purpose of murdering our ruler, but the wise Princess Luna pointed out that we had taught the young unicorn to use dark magic, not her. We put more power into his hooves, not her. We had good intentions, but we didn't think of the consequences of exposing a unicorn to Dark Magic would be. Still, most of our race was so horrified about the event that any possibilities of peace were dropped until recently. All we knew about Sombra was that he came for this 'Crystal Empire', so our people cut off al contact with Equestria for 'being partly responsible' for the tragedy." Fukkutery had ben wanting to ask something else ever since he learned of the Crystal Empire from Twilight Sparkle. "Hey, what happened to the Crystal Empire when... he returned to Equestria?"

"He enslaved the crystal ponies." Twilight explained, looking down. "Princess Celestia and Princess Luna banished him, but he cast a curse that caused it to disappear along with him. It appeared a thousand years later, and we managed to defeat Sombra with the Crystal Heart."

"Yeah, I've heard about it..." He had been at the crystal empire a few times, usually accompanying Stormfly to visit Cadence. It wasn't like he had imagined, it was the most beautiful Equestrian city he had ever seen, in his opinion, at least. All the ponies were kind and friendly, everything was made of crystal, he even wind up participating in one of the jousts, which reminded him of Krussia's good old jousting.

"It kinda explains why you guys are so bitter." Discord shrugged. "They gave my wife the bad looks and started to whisper, not to mention I've been called a freak by teenagers! Or a least I think they were teenagers!"

"Discord, how would you react if Princess Celestia was suddenly murdered by a foreigner who supposedly came talking about peace?" Twilight retorted, frowning.

"I'd throw a party." Discord said, even appearing a party hat, balloons and a slice of cake, but winced when his wife shot him a glare. "I-I mean...!" He snapped his fingers again, and this time he was dressed in funerary clothing, blowing his nose with a napkin. "That's awful!"

"How do you get to just... summon things out of thin air?" Fukkuteru asked him in surprise. He had never understood how 'chaotic' magic worked out, especially the part when he just messed with the laws of physics among other things, especially the time he made his wings separate from his body! It took Fukkuteru a whole day to catch them again.

Discord dropped his gloomy mood, snapping his fingers and changing back to normal. "Practice, pal. Sure, when you spend a thousand years encased in stone you get a little rusty, but you eventually get the hang of it."

Twilight took a look at one of the nearby books, and noticed its cover was dark, and the Krussian writing on the cover was silver. It looked worn, but she could tell it was an important book. "Oh, what about that book? What is it about?"

Suddenly, Fukkuteru grew nervous as he levitated the book away from Twilight. "Err... nothing! It's just an old tome I found, it's one of Grandpa's old books... Hehe, who knows what it's about-" Before he could react, the book had disappeared from his telekinetic hold in a flash of white, and reappeared in Discord's lion paw. Discord took a look at the words in the cover and read it.

"Dark Arcane Rituals?"

Fukkuteru reacted almost immediately. "Y-You know Krussian?! How did you know...?!"

"As a matter of fact, I don't." Discord grinned, balancing the book by the tip on his eagle claw, causally leaning against the sofa. "I just wanted to see your reaction to figure if this was one of books you wouldn't want to show a unicorn after the fiasco with King Sombrero."

Fukkuteru noticed Twilight giving him a confused look, and finally he sighed in defeat. "Okay, I admit it. It's a book on dark rituals, but it was forbidden to show them to... unicorns after what happened with him. We learn from mistakes, you know."

"I don't have to read it." Twilight pointed out. "Just tell me what exactly is in that book without giving in too much crucial details about how to cast whatever spells it contains."

Discord made a camera appear out of nowhere, grinning. "Just don't mind I'm here! I'm like a fly on the wall!" Almost literally, he turned into a fly with a tiny camera on his head.

Sighing again, Fukkuteru levitated the book closer, making sure to keep it away from Twilight and closed shut. "IT was the first written book in the Burnlight Era, when we Temnokt were just getting used to using Dark Magic. We experimented different methods to strengthen our magic, or to communicate with the Darkness-"

"Wait, what do you mean... communicate with the darkness?"

"You probably don't know this, but our Dark Magic is... unique. To some extent, it has life of its own to some extent, it gives us most of the control, but it intervene when certain circumstances are met. For example, if someone should try and fire a spell at us without us noticing, the magic would summon a protective barrier of some sort, be it physical or magical, to protect us."

"You mean its quatisentient?" Twilight inquired.

"Thats how you call it? Well, anyway, initially, the Dark magic spoke to us, guiding us and telling us how to use its gifts wisely, but then the time came when we stopped hearing its voice. We could tell he hadn't abandoned us, however, for we were still black-colored, and we used magic just fine as long as we could rob it from Unicorns. Eventually, a special spell to contact the Darkness itself was created."

Twilight's quill didn't stop writing down notes on her notepad. "Oh, learning so much!"

She sounded so excited Fukkuteru didn't want to stop and disappoint her. "With years of study into the Obscurancy, we eventually learned that the reason we could hear its voice was because at that time it was at its strongest. The first few weeks we used it, it wanted to make sure we wouldn't stop using it, so it kept talking to us. As years and generations went by, the Dark Magic rooted even deeper into us, and when it was certain we wouldn't abandon it, it let us be, let us use it for whatever we wished, be it for good or bad. After the Alicorns created the Astral Line for us to absorb magical energy from it instead of robbing it from unicorns, all types of magic became available. But soon we discovered our magic wouldn't allow us to use Light Magic, it would react aggressively to us trying to change 'allegiance' as it called it."

"That was when the Inner Darkness was created. It was a sort of ritual that allowed us to communicate with our inner Darkness, the very manifestation of our Dark Magic. It consisted of two Temnokt offering themselves for it; one would act as the temporary host for the Darkness to come forth and speak, and the other would act as an intermediary between the Darkness and our race, or whoever wished to talk to it. According to the Ancient Customs, the Host had to be completely willing to allow Darkness to come forth, and have no kind of negative emotions against the Intermediary or anyone around, for it reacts according to the Host's emotions and character. When it spoke with us the Temnokt, the Darkness was.. well, not 'gentle' gentle, but it had no hostility in it whatsoever. It spoke as a parent of some sort, wishing to guide us through life and through the Dark Arts. But it reacted savagely when anyone who bore Light Magic acted as the Intermediary or was in the room at the time of the Ritual."

"Can we talk about something that is actually interesting?" Discord said with crossed arms. "All that explanation would have killed Pinkie Pie of boredom, and that is something-" A wailing, or rather three different wailings, coming from the upper floors interrupted him.

Twilight smirked. "Speaking of interesting, I remember it's our turn to tend to the triplets."

Author's Notes:

Altayskre Gory: the largest mountain range about 200km north of Kruscow.
Paukach: A special breed of giant spider used exclusively for weaving fabrics in Krussia, usually owned by the owners of important fashion houses. They are docile and especially trained to weave with certain given commands.
Paukshelkani: The famous Krussian fabric which can only be weaved by Paukaches. It's cold-resistant, durable and very hard to tear, but it is also very comfortable and hand-made. It's very demanded in the market, but the Krussian Commerce Guild forbids trading the fabric to foreign industries.
Krussian Commerce Guild: a national organization that keeps track of all industries of any kind within the country. To open a business in any part of Krussia you must register and ask for a petition, present what kind of business you'll be opening, and if its approved you're granted written permission to buy all the materials needed in that business (e.g. If you open a bakery in Krussia, you obtain permission to buy baking and confectionary materials and ingredients.)
Dark Arts School (DAS):

Yeah, I got inspired on Elsa's palace for Cryo's home, I simply love the visuals and effects of that place! I kinda inspired on Elsa to make Cryos too, though there are a few differences between them.
I think i mentioned before, but the reason i changed the Temnokt ruler who was in charge at the time of King Sombra is because it happened about a thousand years ago, and Temnokt don't live that long.

Ottsy I Deti

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Curiously, Kruscow had very nice restaurants.

Fukkuteru decided that the ponies needed some time to relax after what had been happening these days, and it would be a nice opportunity for him to have some of his country's food again, so he invited the group to a nice place called Chestnaya Kukhnya, a gourmet restaurant with a variety of Krussian cuisine. It was located in the fancy part of Krussia, and it was quite expensive too, but apparently Fukkuteru's family could afford to pay it if he was taking them there. It was very big, and very popular, so much usually one had to make reservation of two months of anticipation, but in the month before the Devastating Winter only a few families or individuals went to eat there. They were too busy buying their supplies and the food to spend three months stuck in their homes.

A friendly waitress led the group to one of the larger tables. It had a nice atmosphere, the walls were a peachy color, and all the tables were carefully laid, adorned with white mantels, glasses, plates and flower decorations. There were already a few others eating there, enjoying their meals. Due to the fact the menus were in Krussian, Fukkuteru took a while to explain to his friends what each of the meatless dishes consisted of, though curiously Discord and Stormfly were more open to the idea of meats, probably because they weren't ponies.

In the end, the group asked for various dishes to taste. Caviar, medovik, pirozhki, blini and knish for the first course, and as a main course a mimosa salad. Fukkuteru asked for lots of dishes, most of them with meat, like filet mignon with mashed potato, shashlik and many other meat-derived dishes.

"This is simply tasty!" Rarity liked the small acidic touch the lettuce leaves had, probably because of the brining. "Such a subtle acid taste."

Fluttershy winced everytime Fukkuteru sliced a piece of his meat cut and placed it on his mouth. Discord and Stormfly took noticed of this, and so decided to comfort themselves with the salads too to avoid upsetting her any further. Besides, they were a bit nervous with the two guards(who were casually Spike's new friends, Glacial Fire and Rock Dust) posted outside the restaurant, they had been following them for a while ever since Rainbow Dash caught up with them. Twilight was not happy, she glanced nervously at the door where they were posted, and she could tell Glacial Fire wasn't happy at all either. She gave Rainbow Dash a glare.

"Rainbow Dash, I can't believe you challenged the Crown Prince to a race!" Twilight snapped. "Even worse, you insulted him! What would have happened if they had you executed?!"

"Relax, Twi!" Rainbow Dash shrugged as she took a bite from a loaf of bread. "It wasn't that bad, I just called him a small name! Besides, I beat him! You should have seen the look on his face when my sonic rainboom sent him flying!"

"It would have if you hadn't scared all the city into a frenzy thinking a terrorist unleashed a sort of explosive." Fukkuteru stated matter-of-factly, taking another bite from his filet. "It took half-an-hour for the Royal Guards to calm people down. That's why Rock and Glacial are so crossed at you."

"Come on! Why does every pony here act as if I had committed a capital crime? It was just a stunt!"

"What is King Bittercold going to think about us after this? Have you considered that?" Twilight continued, her frown still there. "What if he thinks we're terrorists and has us sent to the dungeon? Or worse, what if he deports us from Krussia and we can never come back?!"

"My dear, I don't think our good friend Bittercold is that exaggerate." Discord assured her. "I mean, if he were Dashie here would be in one of those torture devices the Krussians invented, right? He looks like a nice guy when you look past his grumpy face."

"If we're talking about grumpiness, I seriously think the Commander would defeat Bittercold in it." Shining pointed out. "I don't trust him, did you notice the way he looks at us?"

"When yer half-blind, I think ye'd have to focus yer good eye on people, and sometimes it does look kind of weird." Applejack commented. "Hay, my ol' uncle Apple Cider wore an eyepatch and he was always staring at ponies with his good eye, almost as if he were glaring at 'em."

"And why does he get so angry when he's asked about his eye? I thought we was going to kill Rainbow Dash the other night." Rarity added up. "He seriously should think about seeing a psychiatrist."

Fukkuteru sighed sadly. "I don't know all the details, but he had to see one. The first months after his... scarring event, he suffered PTSD for months. I think he isn't completely over it, but he never shows it. He's very professional and doesn't let personal issues mix up with his work."

"Ambassador Meteoric Sun said he's very hard to befriend."

"The only person he's ever been a softie around is his mate. She means the world to him, if you see them around when he's not on duty you'd take notice."

"Twilight, if you want to befriend him so badly how about you ask the guards?" Rarity suggested, glancing at Glacial Fire and Rock Dust. "If someone knows how to handle him when he's wearing the armor, surely it's them."

"They don't like to talk about him, or they are now allowed to. They were pretty secretive when I tried to ask them." Spike added.

She giggled. "Oh, Spike, perhaps you didn't ask them the right way."

Outside, Rock Dust did his best not to snicker every time he caught a glance of his friend's bandaged tail, just where one of the foals had bitten him. He quickly glanced away whenever Glacial glared at him, and snorted. He decided to distract him with something else. "So, what did you think of that stunt Lady Rainbow performed yesterday?"

"Are you kidding me?! I thought the Eaglelish had dropped a nuclear bomb on us!" Glacial snapped. "I can't believe they didn't punish her for it! I had to deal with frightened old drakes and dradies for an hour I'll never take back!"

"What do you complain about? I had to calm down a drady who wanted to hang herself!"

"I don't understand why Commander Whiptail didn't have Needlemouth and Stormchaser keep an eye on that mare!"

"Maybe he knows we're more acquainted with one of the delegates and wants them to feel more comfortable."

"We have only talked with the baby dragon twice! That doesn't classify as becoming an acquaintance!"

"Excuse me, gentledrakes."

Both Glacial Fire and Rock Dust turned to the doors to see the pink alicorn and the lovely white unicorn standing there levitating cups of glorious warm coffee and with friendly expressions. The pleasant smell of the hot drink sent pleasant shivers down their spines.

"How can we help you, baryshnya?" Rock Dust said politely.

"We thought you would like something to drink." Rarity said, offering the cups to the two guards. "What kind of friends would we be if we let you stay out here in this cold climate?"

Glacial Fire hesitated, but Rock Dust didn't think it twice and took the cup in his own levitation spell. Sighing in dismay, Glacial Fire accepted the other cup, though he was thankful for the sensation of the hot drink going down his throat. "Thank you."

"Wouldn't you like to step inside? It is very cold out here." Cadence inquired.

"That would be nice, but unfortunately, it's impolite to be present in the same room with the people we're supposed to be guarding, with armor and and all."

Rarity knew it was time to use her charm, remembering Lightfire's advice. They wouldn't have the same reaction with her since they were of a different species, but at last she could get them to soften up a bit. "Oh my, your job must be so hard. Just standing outside in the cold and I can guess you don't get enough appreciation for it." As she spoke, she leaned against one of the walls and make a small dramatic gesture.

"Well, at last somepony understands!" Rock Dust sighed in dismay. "They could at least give us a free night for every time they make us stand guard! Or at least a rise!"

"Knock it off, Dust!" Glacial snapped, taking another sip of coffee. "We're not supposed to complain, we're supposed to do our job! And our job is to obey orders!"

"Oh, but your opinion must count! You are a vital part in the Krussian Army, if it weren't for you there would be chaos and crime. Surely there must be somepony, or sometemnokt, who understands that!" Cadence added up, though she omitted the dramatic gesture part. She did place a hoof on Glacial Fire's arm to assure him, though. Much to her surprise, Glacial glanced at her in alarm and pulled his arm away from her, though he did glance down at the ground in thought.

"Well... Now that you mention it, there are temnokt who bake us pies as thanks sometimes. And we do get our free days..."

"How about the... Commander?"

"Commander Whiptail? Are you serious?" Rock Dust snickered. "If he actually does, then he's pretty good making it seem like the opposite! Sometimes I think he enjoys barking orders at us!"

"Mind your tongue, Dust!" Glacial Fire growled at him, baring his teeth. "If he's strict, it's a good thing! Don't put the blame of your laziness and indulgence on him! And in case you forgot, his methods have worked pretty well!"

"Will he go to the Ball of the Hunt?" Cadence asked curiously.

"He has to go even if he doesn't want to." Glacial explained. "But be prepared to see him without his armor, it's the few times he's ever without it."

Rarity smiled. "Oh, he will be off-duty that night then?"

"Yeah. But don't expect him to get all friendly, he's even grumpier without the armor on, though he dissimulates it pretty fine."

"And what about you? Will you be there?"

"Not as guests, unfortunately. We're on duty that night, we will be probably patrolling around the castle grounds."

"Well, ladies, it was nice talking to you. But we are supposed to be keeping an eye on Lady Dash." Glacial finished the conversation, taking another sip of coffee.

Rock Dust rolled his eyes at his friends' rather rude attitude. Nevertheless, he glanced at the two ponies apologetically. "Please forgive my friend, sometimes he mistakes professionalism with being an idiot."

Glacial merely snorted in reply.

Rarity smiled generously. "Oh, don't worry, darling. I can actually understand why you would be... picky right now. But we were wondering, if you wanted to buy a present for Commander Whiptail, what would you get?"

Now it was Glacial Fire's turn to scoff. "Good luck with that, he doesn't like presents from strangers. Whenever somebody gets him one, he thinks it's because they ask going to ask for something..." he muttered the following words. "...And he isn't completely wrong."

Rock Dust thought for a moment. "But if you want to give him a gift without giving it to him, you could get something for his mate."

"Mate?" Cadence inquired curiously.

"Cinnamon sugar. If you saw them together, you'd wonder what she saw in him to actually consider having him for a mate, but then again, our parents choose our mates so they wouldn't be to blame. She's his polar opposite, she's warm, attentive and very kind, in fact, you could say she's the only one who can get ol' Whiptail to open up! Anyway, if you want to get to Whiptail, she's a good start!"

Rarity and Cadence smiled while exchanging glances.

She would have never dreamed of ever stepping into the Imperial Castle ever again. The last time she was here was during the ball held when Bittercold was old enough to be found a mate, and she hoped he would fix his eyes on her, the 'most beautiful drady in all of Krussia', but much to her shock and anger he chose her younger sister instead. It was her younger sister he danced with, her younger sister he presented to his parents the King and Queen as his choice, while he never acknowledged she was there.

So naturally, Fyzsal almost felt like she didn't belong when she was led by Hookbait through the corridors towards Clawblack's study, her hair and underbelly dyed a vivid green, her age marks camouflaged with make-up. Even though most of the guards and staff in the castle didn't know her, the Queen did, and the last thing they needed was to be seen by her of all people. Thankfully, the King and Queen were making preparations for the Ball of the Last Hunt, so the chances to be caught were scarce.

Hookbait coughed loudly to catch her attention and then opened the door for her. Fyszal stepped into the room, where Clawblack was enjoying a cup of warm tea in his desk, his expression content. What was he so happy about? He wasn't King yet. When Hookbait closed the door behind him, he stepped forward and spread out his wing towards Fyszal in a introductory way. "My Lord, may I present to you Lady Veeklaw."

Clawblack nodded approvingly. "You really outdid yourself this time, Hookbait. You found quite a lovely date for the ball."

Fyzsal blinked in confusion. "Date?"

"Fear not, my dear, it's just to keep appearances. No one would suspect of a random drady my drakeservant invited to the Ball of the Hunt. Besides, perhaps it would be a good chance for you to be close to the King without his knowledge."

"You said you had a way to kill my sister while pinning the blame on Equestria. And you say it's from an Equestrian poisonous plant?"

"Easy, my dear." Clawblack motioned to Hookbait, who levitated a small vial out of the satchel he was carrying, it was filled with a strange black substance.

"Is that it?" Fyzsal asked.

"It's a small dose of poison made from a plant that is only found in Equestria." Hookbait stated. "Since it's not found here we don't have a name in our language for it, but ponies know it as Blue Dragonbane."

"Dragonbane?"

"Curious fact: most of our people do not accept it, but despite our changes in culture and physiology among other things, we're still closely related to the Equestrian Dragons. As such, we still retain a few things from our draconic heritage, vulnerability to this family of plants being one of them. My contact said this plant in particular provokes severe poisoning on dragons."

Clawblack. "Imagine what such a plant would do to our frail Queen."

Fyzsal started to connect the dots. "...If they did find traces of poison, they would realize the plant it was made from is only found in Equestria..."

"...And naturally, the only people who could have brought it are the recently-arriving delegates in an attempt to weaken our government." Clawblack smirked. "King Bittercold would never let such a crime go unpunished, but even he knows he can't just have the delegates executed without risking war with Equestria, so it will take a while for him to reach an actual verdict."

"And what part do those... Elements of Harmony play in this?"

"Why, Fyzsal, let's not get impatient. I'll get there eventually." Clawblack glanced at Hookbait. "Speaking of which, any word from the Sunset boy?"

"Not yet, my lord. Are you sure I shouldn't look for another option...?"

"Trust me, soon he will come begging us to help him win the heart of his love in exchange of aiding us..."

"Wait, sunset...?" Fyzsal was sure she had heard that name somewhere. "...Isn't that the son of Meteoric Sun, the ambassador who has been begging Whiptail for an audience with Bittercold?"

"Yes." Said Clawblack with another sip of his tea. "That boy is not as bad once you get to know him."

"You mean half of your 'brilliant plan' depends on him wanting to help you?"

The Temnokt chuckled humorlessly. "Rather, it depends on him asking for my help, my dear."

He thought of taking her flowers, but realized it would be too obvious if she was accompanied by her husband, not to mention there were no flower shops open at this time of the year. Chocolates were the second option, before he recalled Temnokt added little to no sugar to their sweets. And he had to discard jewelry, it was very expensive and he didn't have enough money to buy it. But then again, taking Caddy a gift in presence of her husband wouldn't be smart.

Finally he saw her. Even in this dark and cold climate, her beauty was unparalleled. She was only accompanied by the lavender mare, Twilight Sparkle, the filly she used to foalsit. Good, maybe now would be a good time to talk to her. Sunset Glare quickly fixed his messy mane and made his friendliest expression as he walked towards the mares.

"It's pretty nice on his part to give us a tour around." Cadence commented, sighing. "With all that has been happening these days." Sadly, they had to go home and check on the foals to prevent them from turning the house upside down while Fukkuteru took the rest to see the Kremlik.

"Kremliks are fortified citadels located in various cities, but the one located here is the most famous." Twilight said, chirping in delight. "It contains five palaces, four temples and the Kremlik Wall and towers. According to Fukkuteru, it used to be the residence of the Tzars before their decline."

A new voice joined it. "Actually, nowadays one of the palaces still houses the Ruling Imperial Family, it serves as a sort of summer house for them."

Both Twilight and Cadence turned to see the young stallion approaching. Cadence smiled at him. "Sunset! How nice to see you!" she stepped forward to share a friendly hug with her old friend.

"It's nice seeing you too, Caddy!" He laughed, before pulling back to glance at Twilight, who was staring at him in surprise. "And you must be Twilight Sparkle! Cadence has told me about you! Princess Celestia's pupil, right? That's a great honor!"

Twilight smiled politely, but she had a feeling in her gut. She didn't know why she had the feeling there was something... off about him, but she couldn't tell what. And she didn't like the way he was looking at Cadence. "Thank you."

"So, where are you ladies going?"

"We were heading back to Fukkuteru's house to check on our foals." Cadence explained.

"Wandering around Kruscow by yourself isn't wise, young ladies, especially when everydrake is tense about your presence here."

"I guess you know about the reason they are... wary of us, right?"

"Sort of. They fear you'll go mad and kill King Bittercold, but that guy is so well-guarded I doubt any pony with such idea would get close to him. Would you mind if I accompanied you home? Just to make sure you get there safe and sound."

Twilight wanted to protest, but Cadence spoke before she could do so. "That's very thoughtful of you, Sunset!"

"Anything for you, Caddie!"

Twilight decided not to say anything else for the time being, the house was only a few more doors ahead, anyway. Still, she intently listened all of Sunset's words and his tone of voice. She could tell he really was happy to see Cadence after so much years, but... she couldn't tell why, but she had the feeling it wasn't just to catch up as friends.

A while later, they finally arrived at the door, and judging by the lack of a ruckus inside, it appeared the children weren't giving any trouble. At last, she spoke up to call their attention. "Well, here we are! Thanks for accompanying us, mister Sunset Glare!"

"Oh, it was no problem at all." said Sunset, smiling kindly as he courteously bowed to Twilight, but when it came to Cadence, he gently lifted hoof and planted a kiss on it. "It was a pleasure to catch up, Caddy."

Cadence blushed. "Oh, stop! We might see each other again at the ball, right?"

Twilight swore she saw the corners of Sunset Glare's smile twitch for a millisecond. "Certainly, I do hope to meet you there."

After they waved one more time and Twilight was certain he was out of earshot, she commented. "Well, I have to say he's pretty... charming."

"Right, isn't he?" Cadence said, still blushing. "He was always so sweet when we were foals! And I can see he hasn't changed much ever since!"

"Yeah..." Twilight wasn't sure if she should tell her what Ambassador Meteoric told her, the thing about Sunset Glare being locked in the dungeons various times for disorderly conduct. But she guessed she could let it slip, she might as well be imagining things. She couldn't really judge the stallion if she didn't know him all. "Think he will be allowed into the ball?"

"Why do you say that?"

"I mean, we're not sure if King Bittercold invited ambassador Meteoric Sun and Sunset Glare too. The ambassador made it sound like His Majesty doesn't want to see either's pictures."

"If that's the case, maybe they could come with us. I don't think the King will mind if we invite them over, don't you think?"

"Yeah... Maybe he won't."

Maskarad

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The long-anticipated event expected by all High-Blood families had finally arrived. It would be the last event before the Devastating Winter arrived, forcing them to shut themselves into their homes to avoid being frozen to death. Traditionally, the event took place both in the Royal Ballroom and the castle terrains: outside, the drakes would look for the biggest game and hunt it to be turned into a trophy, while dradies, hatchlings and those who would not participate waited inside, chatting, dancing, and interacting with each other.

However, this year there was an air of tension as most of the High Bloods learned the Equestrian delegates had been invited. The most anti-pony clans saw this as an insult to one of their oldest traditions, while the most... tolerant ones decided they would not mind as they did not cause trouble.

The ballroom was, for once, decorated in a different manner than the rest of the Imperial Castle: rather than gothic elegance and serious dark colors, it was illuminated with warm golden lights, and the long buffet tables covered in white silk mantles, decorated with dissipated swans, with different gourmet dishes laid out for the guests. The dance floor was momentarily clear, but members of the Noble Houses were scattered around the ballroom interacting with one another, though some drakes were already eyeing the drady they wished to ask for a dance.

The ponies, dressed in colorful but not too flamboyant gala attires, arrived in the company of the Shadowfang Clan, minus their foals who stayed behind, along with Tinder and Bagaesh, and as soon as they arrived they looked around the room in wonder after so many days of seeing only cold palettes.

Fyzsal arrived-with her dyed hair and gala dress-accompanying Hookbait, eyeing the luxury she had been stolen and denied, already plotting the way to subtly carry out the plan. Hookbait, meanwhile, would make sure she didn't call to much attention to herself.

To the disgust of many, Sunset Glare had also attended as Clawblack's guest along with his father to avoid suspicion: Sunset would have kept staring at Cadence's beautiful figure if his father hadn't dragged him to the group of Equestrians to give them some last minute tips, mostly to watch what they said; most High Bloods understood basic Equestrian, unlike the lower caste.

"We got the message, you've repeated it five times in a row!" Rainbow Dash whined, rolling her eyes.

Fluttershy was staring in sorrow at the buffet table, particularly at the main decoration: an unmoving white swan with spread out wings, and open beak that seemed to let out a silent and unheard cry. Light fire assured her. "It's not a real swan, Fluttershy. It's merely a taxidermic replica." This seemed to give Fluttershy some relief, but still the sight made her sad.

Soon, the group dispersed in different directions, but for distinct reasons. Fukkuteru's parents to talk to some acquaintances and perhaps discuss a marriage arrangement between their eldest children, Catseye to hide amongst the crowd to avoid precisely that, and Lightfire and Vasilisa to talk to some of their friends, who were already eyeing the latter's beautiful aqua dress.

Fukkuteru decided to stay with his pony companions for the time being. He had the feeling they wouldn't like some of their... traditions, like the decorating swans in the buffet.

Discord, meanwhile, was itching to do something. Anything. But he had promised Twilight and Fluttershy he'd behave tonight, and that meant no pranking and no chaos magic. "So how long does the... party last?" he asked with a forced politeness.

"All night." Fukkuteru said simply.

"Great."

"When will the 'hunting' begin?" Fluttershy asked in a whisper.

"As soon as the Royal Family joins so the King can give his approval for it to begin. Only drakes can participate, though."

It wasn't long before the ponies went in separate directions too; Twilight and Ambassador Sun decided to interact with the aristocrats in an attempt to improve the relations, Cadence and Shining headed over to the dance floor, and Spike again went to talk with Glacial, Rock and Needlemouth, who were in duty that night, apparently. The rest just wandered around the area, eyeing the place curiously, while making sure not to call too much attention to themselves.

That was when Twilight spotted Commander Whiptail among the crowd. However, on this occasion he did not wear amor, but rather he was wearing a deep wine colored suit; and his hair was combed back. Twilight had never seen a Temnokt's hair combed that way, especially since that time when the ponies in Ponyville's hairdressing saloon couldn't even cut through Fukkuteru's hair, and he had to compensate five broken scissors.

She also noted he was accompanied by a drady. She had a delicate figure, and long green hair with long bangs at both sides her head. Her dress was a emerald green matching her underbelly.

"Okay, Twilight. You can surely get him to open up now, he's not on duty and he's... accompanied." Twilight assured herself as she made her way towards them. Even without his armor, though, Whiptail was still an imposing figure. She almost had second thoughts about approaching, but it was too late, for the commander's companion noticed her.

"My dear, is she a friend of yours?" she asked.

Confused, Whiptail looked around, but when he saw no one in particular he looked down and spotted the same mare from before, Twilight Sparkle; she waved her hoof while smiling nervously. Did she wish to talk? He turned to his mate. "She's one of the Equestrian Delegates, my dear." he said in Krussian, before turning to address Twilight. "How may I help you, Lady Sparkle?"

Twilight reacted quickly, figuring he wasn't very patient. "Oh, there's no need for formality. You may call me Twilight."

Although he seemed doubtful, Whiptail complied. "In that case, how may I help you, Twilight?"

"Oh, I just thought i'd come say hello," Twilight said, looking around at the ballroom. "It is such an splendid celebration, isn't it? It reminds me of the Grand Galloping Gala a bit."

"Grand Galloping Gala? I've heard about that," Whiptail's companion said, smiling amiably. "Does it celebrate something in particular?"

"Oh, yes, it celebrates Canterlot, our capital, being completed after the founding of Equestria."

"I see," Whiptail commented. "It's a pity the First King destroyed it months later during the Equestrian-Krussian war. Does your fair city have any scars from that... unfortunate event?"

"Not that I know of." Twilight responded.

"Where are my manners? Allow me to present you to Cinnamon, my dear wife." Whiptail announced as he spread out a wing and covered his wife with it, making the drady blush.

"Nice to meet you, Twilight." Cinnamon bowed her head in a respectful manner.

Twilight returned the bow, and then looked at Whiptail's attire. "I'm quite surprised, Commander, I never thought I'd see you without an armor."

"King Bittercold insisted that I take a break tonight," Whiptail sighed impatiently. "He insisted the Chornd'yavol will take care of his security."

"Excuse me?" Twilight asked, giving a confused glance at the commander.

Whiptail grunted and took a glance around the ballroom until he found the individuals he was looking for. He subtly motioned at Twilight to look at them; Twilight glanced towards the great doors that led into the inner part of the castle, and noticed two drakes wearing in black obsidian armor guarding it, their poses rigid and unmoving. Looking around the room, Twilight noticed there were a few other black-armored drakes posted around in strategic places such as near windows or doorways.

"Those are the Chornd'yavol, in your language you may call them Black Devils." Cinnamon explained gently as she glanced uneasily at the nearest one. "They are an elite branch of the military in charge of the safety and protection of the Royal Family."

"Aren't those the Royal Guards?" Twilight inquired, confused.

"The Royal Guard mostly takes care of keeping order in the city," Whiptail said, looking uncomfortable. "And while we do make sure to keep any potential threats to the Royal Family a at bay, it's the Chornd'yavol who directly deal with said threats should they come to endanger the King and his clan. And don't bother to try and 'befriend' them, Twilight, they won't even spare you a glance."

Twilight had to frown a bit at that comment. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Whiptail motioned her to look at the Chornd'yavol near the windows, where Pinkie Pie was waving her hoof in front of him, then she offered him a cupcake, and many more of her antics trying to catch his attention; yet, the drake didn't even flinch or look at her like the other High-Bloods who spotted Pinkie Pie. Twilight hurriedly said her goodbyes to the couple and then galloped towards Pinkie before she unintentionally provoked the statue-like soldier into attacking her.

"Well, I must say I'm quite... impressed," Whiptail whispered to his wife, leaning in his head closer. "She is the first person I talk to who doesn't keep staring at my... scars."

"Perhaps because she is not a superficial pony," Cinnamon responded with sweetness, rubbing her own head against her mate. "You should try to be a little nicer to her."

"I don't trust her."

"You can't say that, you don't know her, and she's Princess Celestia's personal student as far as I know."

"Exactly. She is a student, not a properly-prepared ambassador, and she doesn't seem to take her appointment seriously, considering she brought her family and friends as if it were a vacation." Whiptail growled, narrowing his eyes at Discord and Stormfly as they enjoyed the snacks. "Not to mention two of her companions were enemies of Equestria. At least the last pony Celestia sent was properly educated beforehand."

"And yet you never granted him an audience with King Bittercold."

"The King has enough flatterers that kiss his talons to worry about," Whiptail simply said, spotting Ambassador Sun in an apparently-pleasant conversation with some nobles in fluent Krussian. "Besides, Sun's child is not precisely a good influence for Prince Midnight and Princess Clawrene."

It wasn't long before a pair of trumpets announced the arrival of King Bittercold, Queen Astral Dusk and their children. The doors leading to the inner parts of the castle opened and the Royal Family strode in with pride and dignity, though Clawrene looked like she was uncomfortable in her small but elegant red dress, and Midnight tried to hide his boredom behind his mask of seriousness.

All people present in the room, except for the Chornd'yavol, bowed their heads as the Royal Family elegantly walked through the room, though a few young females glanced at the prince as he passed by, charmed by his good looks. King Bittercold and his family headed over to the thrones on the other side of the room, two large seats carved from obsidian for Bittercold and Astral Dusk, and two smaller ones besides Astral Dusk's meant for their children.

Soon after, King Bittercold gave his approval for the hunt to begin, and almost all of the males in the room-including Fukkuteru, Lake Wave and Catseye-left the ballroom, went outside and soon disappeared into the wilderness. Meanwhile, the females stayed behind and started chatting amongst themselves, the single ones whispering about prince Midnight.

Fyszal's gaze, however, was set on Bittercold's dignified posture.

"Stop looking at him like that," Hookbait hissed in low voice at her, glancing at the Chornd'yavol posted in both sides next to the thrones. "The Chornd'yavol are likely to notice."

"They wouldn't suspect a drady, would they?" Fyszal responded simply.

"They're especially wary around females, given that they can successfully conceal any ill intentions, and ladies take advantage of often being dismissed as a potential threat."

"And where is your master, now that we're on it?"

"Lord Clawblack is busy preparing the... spectacle for later; he thought it would be better if he wasn't present when the exchange takes place, the main suspects will be all who were close or interacted with the Queen."

"In that case, you do realize I cannot just go and offer a cup of wine to my sister, don't you?"

"I'm aware of that, and that Queen Astral might recognize you even while disguised. What we need..." Hookbait looked around the ballroom, and spotted the Changeling keeping to himself in a corner of the ballroom. "...Is a scapegoat."

"The Changeling?" Fyszal snarled quietly, shivering in disgust.

"He is Equestrian, but he is not a pony, his species is already known for having tried to invade Canterlot, and Whiptail is particularly wary about him and Discord. Of those two options, the Changeling looks more gullible and easy to manipulate."

"I will not go near that beast."

"You don't have to touch him, for goodness's sake. Just give him the poisoned drink and convince him to give it to the Queen when she's by herself."

"How long will it take for the poison to take effect?"

"24 hours, approximately. Now go, and don't mess it up."

"Shut up." Fyszal snapped as she walked off towards the buffet table.

Her gaze set on the crystal bowl filled with red punch, surrounded by delicate glasses and other entrées. Fyszal levitated a glass, filled it with the red drink and-making sure there was no one nearby to notice-subtly took the vial of poison from her bodice to spill the contents unto the punch. Thankfully, no one was around to witness the act. Still, she made sure not to touch the cup lest she leave her digital prints on it.

Swallowing all her disgust, Fyszal made her way towards the Changeling while containing the urge to shiver at the sight of his hole-filled legs. "Good night." she said politely.

The Changeling turned to her, looking nervous, but managed to give a rather awkward smile. "Good night, ma'am."

"Why is one of the Equestrian delegates so lonely?" she knew why, but she had learned it helped give familiarity, and made people open up a bit more.

"Well, as you see, I don't look as... normal as Twilight and the others. Most people here think I have a contagious disease and avoid me; hay, a few days ago a drake panicked and thought I was going to spread it unto Screwball! On the other hand, since my kind can only copy appearances, I wouldn't like to turn into someone and accidentally run into them, it's very embarrassing!"

"You're a Changeling, right? Some of the High Bloods are talking nonstop about you ever since your encounter with one of the lower classes."

Stormfly groaned in dismay, lowering his ears. "Let me guess, they're calling me a freak."

Fyzsal glanced at Discord, who was trying to distract himself by eating a puffy-looking candy of some sort. "Not as much as they're calling him a freak."

"Discord? He's harmless... most of the time."

"I know how you could give a good impression," Fyzsal said with a small smile, holding out her poisoned glass of punch. "You could offer a drink to the Queen."

"Offer a drink to...?" Stormfly turned to see Queen Astral, who for the time being had left the throne and was chatting with other noble dradies, though two Chornd'yavol were near her. "Queen Astral?"

"It's considered polite to offer a drink to a female," Fyzsal explained. It wasn't a complete lie. She remembered being offered drinks by potential suitors often in the good days. "Who knows? It might leave a good impression on her, and if that's the case, the general opinion about you will change."

Although doubtful, Stormfly accepted the cup with his own levitation spell. "Thank you for the suggestion, miss..."

"Veeklaw." Fyzsal said with a smile, using the name Hookbait had made up for her.

Stormfly wasn't sure if it was good idea, but he didn't have anything to lose, really, if it meant people would stop staring at him. He slowly started walking towards Queen Astral. When the Chornd'yavol turned at him and gave him wary looks he started to regret it, but it was too late; Astral had already noticed him. The other ladies stepped back when he approached, but she didn't. Instead, she smiled politely

"How may I help you, Mr. Stormfly?" she inquired.

The gentleness in her voice calmed him down considerably, and the gathered the courage to speak. "Good night, your Majesty," he started. "I thought you'd be thirsty, so I brought you some punch." He held out the glass.

Like Veeklaw had said, Astral smiled again. "That's very considerate of you, mister Stormfly. I do feel a bit thirsty, thank you very much." As she levitated it to her lips, the Chornd'yavol changed their glances between Stormfly and the Queen as she took small sips from the drink. The other ladies seemed to have calmed down, though they gave Stormfly nervous looks. "Now that we get a chance to talk, I'm interested by your... unique ability to shapeshifter. Would you mind giving a demonstration?"

He was surprised by her request. Twilight had asked that he did no transformations tonight, but since the Queen herself wanted to see it... Reluctantly, he transformed into an exact copy of Ambassador Sun-hopefully he wouldn't mind-and spoke in his voice. "Good evening, My Queen."

Dusk and her companions stared in wonder at him; even the Chornd'yavol reacted ever so slightly. "Can you turn into anypony? or anytemnokt?" a nobledrady inquired curiously.

"Well, I could turn into a temnokt, but it's harder to keep those disguises on since they're bigger than the standard pony disguise," Stormfly gathered a good amount of magic into his horn and change again, this time into Fukkuteru, and again his voice shifted to sound exactly like his. "See what I mean?" Again, it took much more effort to keep this glamour on.

Unfortunately, his spectators had grown excited, and continued to ask him to change into different things. He guessed this is why Twilight had warned him against changing in public.

About an hour later, the drakes returned from their hunt, and their game was brought to the courtyard of the castle to be examined by the judges. There were bears, deer, elk and many other types of large prey. Each clan which partook in the event put their own game together; each animal would be weighed by the judges, then the numbers summed up, and the clan who got the highest won. Afterwards, the meat would be cooked and served for dinner.

Fluttershy, of course, did not head outside with some of the others for evident reasons.

While the weighing took place, some drakes returned inside to dance with their partners. It would only be about two dances left before the musicians were allowed to retire for the night. King Bittercold couldn't do so with his beloved wife since he had to be present in the weighing of the game, and Queen Astral was in no condition to go into the freezing cold. Instead, she remained inside with her two children.

Shining Armor proceeded to ask his wife out for a dance, now that they could have some time for themselves. They had a bit of difficulty, since they had to be careful not to step on any tails or dresses, but eventually a small part of the dance floor was cleared for them.

"It's nice to have some time alone, don't you think?" Shining whispered into her ear.

Cadence giggled. "Indeed. We haven't had that much free time because of Blade."

"Yeah, but Blade is back at the house and in good hoof-err, claws." Shining laughed a bit in embarrassment.

"I just hope he won't cause any trouble, you know Blade is a bit more troublesome than most foals."

"Come on, from what Lake Wave said he took care of his five grandchildren. I think he's good with children."

"I'm too old for children!" Bagaesh cried in dismay as he chased after Blade, while Night Charge was nibbling on his tail, Lavender made a mess in the kitchen, Aurora cried for attention-causing a small storm of lemonade rain in the process- and Mist Wing used some decorative ornamental figurines made of obsidian as toys as she played with Tinder.

"I guess you're right," Cadence finished. "He did seem like that type of drake.

Glare stared at the couple from afar, though the emotion displayed in his eyes changed according to who was in his vision range the most. Hatred when it was Shining Armor, longing when it was Cadence. Upon noticing that often the High Blood pairs changed their dancing partner every few minutes, he decided to take advantage of it to talk with Cadence without Shining Armor's sabotaging.

Gracefully he trotted through the dance floor without bumping into the pairs in movement, and a few seconds later he had arrived to his objective. He gently poked Shining Armor's shoulder, and spoke when he got his attention. "Excuse me, Shining, do you mind if I dance with your wife for a moment?"

Shining Armor was about to protest, but Cadence spoke before he could. "Oh, it's no problem, Sunset," she responded with her sweet smile. "Right, honey?"

"Right," Shining said, rather reluctantly. "Meanwhile I'll go save Stormfly." With that, he moved through the dance floor in the direction of Stormfly, who by hen was exhausted from having to constantly shapeshifter to entertain the growing multitude of curious Krussian Nobles.

Once they were alone, Glare held out his hoof and grinned at Cadence. "Would you grant me this piece, milady?" he asked, almost purring.

Again, Cadence giggles as she accepted it. "My pleasure, gentlestallion."

Though Glare was a bit rusty from having lacked a dancing partner, or any partaking at any dance at all, on all his years, he did his best to dance with as much elegance and grace as his beloved Cadence. She was as good as he remembered, and the proximity he found himself in with her at the moment was almost enough to make him excite, but he contained himself.

If it happened in front of her, it would be something very embarrassing.

"Remember the last time we danced?" he asked her.

"We were eight years old, and I was terrible at it," Cadence admitted, blushing. "I think I stepped on many of my partners' hooves."

"Nonsense. You were the best dancing partner anypony could have asked for."

"You think so?"

Glare pulled her even closer with his forelegs, looking at her seductively. "Absolutely."

She felt uncomfortable when he pulled her a bit too close to his body, she wanted nopony but Shining Armor to hold her this way. Maybe it was because he has not danced in a while or his hold was slipping. Yes, that must be it. "Um, Glare, could you loosen up your hold a bit?"

Though internally disappointed, he forced himself to comply. "I'm sorry, Caddie, it's just I'm quite rusted in waltz."

"That's alright, Sunset," Cadence accepted his apology.

This was one of the times Midnight wished his father would force him to stay in his room while grounded. He had never liked balls, mostly because they were intended to have him find a 'future queen' like his father did when he was his age. But he wasn't interested in any of those shallow, superficial and interested dradies who only wanted the wealth and power that came with marrying into the Royal Family.

They didn't want him, they wanted his status.

Bittercold disagreed, stating to Midnight that his mother had been nobility, and she wasn't anywhere near 'shallow, superficial or interested'. He just needed to learn how to look.

But Midnight knew it had been different in that case because Astral hadn't really known Bittercold was the crown prince, so it was natural she fell in love for who he was on the inside. But all the girls knew he was the crown prince, so all of them wanted his position. Man, he envied Clawrene, who had started to fall asleep-given that it was way past her usual bedtime-and had been taken away to her bedroom by her nanny.

But he couldn't even let out a yawn of boredom; Midnight was the crown prince, and more obliged to show a proper behavior tonight. Instead, he say on his 'mini-fancy-chair', as his little sister called thrones, twitching the tip of his tail.

Astral seemed to notice her son's predicament, and gently told him. "Why don't you go look for a dancing partner?"

"I don't wish to dance with any of those girls, mother," Midnight said simply, staring indifferently at some young dradies who were whispering and glancing flirtily at him. "They'll just flatter me and kiss my talons to try and get into my good graces."

"Don't be so negative, son, surely there is one girl who is not like the rest," Astral assured him with a gentle smile.

"It's hard to tell given that most girls don't even bother to start a conversation, instead they subtly praise themselves hoping I'll like them."

"Why don't you take a look?"

Midnight sighed in dismay as he started looking around the ballroom, if only please his mother. There was a decent number of couples dancing, including the white unicorn with his pink wife. There were many dradies who found themselves alone for the time being since their husbands or companions were outside for the weighing. It wouldn't be long before the rest of the males returned, and afterwards dinner would be served.

As he expected, almost all the young, single dradies giggled when he looked at them, some even winking at him, much to his distaste; he couldn't scowl at them as much as he wanted, instead smiling politely; hopefully they didn't notice it was a forced smile. This went on for a few minutes, always receiving the same reactions, except that drady with the emerald dress...

Wait a second.

His gaze again when to that particular drady, who had previously met his gaze but only briefly, and when she did she didn't laugh or flirt with him. On the contrary, she seemed to want to avoid his gaze out of shyness.

"Hey, Mother, who is she?" he inquired, pointing at the drady. Nobody would have expected him to ask her, but as Queen she knew most of her High Blood subjects and her families.

Astral glanced at the drady in the emerald dress, and smiled. "That's Vasilisa from the Shadowfang Clan."

Vasilisa...

When the weighing was finally done, and the winner was declared-sadly for Lake Wave, his family didn't win that year-everyone went back inside, while the prey was sent to the addresses of whoever caught them to be stored for the Devastating Winter. Tables with elaborate centerpieces had been set up in the other half of the ballroom, where each family was accommodated in one table each. The Royal Family had their own table a few feet away, surrounded by at least four Chornd'yavol around it.

Twilight had read about the Á la Krusse style of dinner, she and her family had been in fancy restaurants that used this type of dinner. She was partly familiarized with it, but she had the feeling courses would be much more abundant here, given the difference in size.

She was right; not only there were even more courses, but the rations were bigger. The first two courses were medium-sized soups -in Krussian standarsds-, followed by spinach with eggs, brussel sprouts and cabbage -each course of vegetables served individually, warm and at the moment-, all delicately sliced, accommodated and brined. The ponies had no problem with these courses.

Problems began when the main courses were brought. They were all mostly meat. And they were big. Poached salmon, elk filets mignon, lamb with mint source, roast deer sirloin, again served individually and one by one. Fukkuteru and his family enjoyed the courses, of course, but Twilight and her friends dreaded it. Much to their surprise, though, instead of the meat courses they were served more... vegetarian meals.

It seemed Bittercold had noticed their aversion to meat. Thank Celestia.

"These vegetables are so tasty!" Rarity complemented as she took delicate bites of her roasted celeries.

"Come on, Screwball, eat your vegetables," Discord gently ordered his daughter upon noticing her frown at seeing the celeries in front of her. "Unless you don't want dessert."

"I just don't understand how ponies can go on without meat," Lake Wave muttered, taking a bite from his sirloin and giving a satisfied snort. "You're missing a good meal."

"The idea of eating other animals is... foreign to us," Applejack pointed out. "Ah mean, we do have cows fer milk and sheep fer wool, but we don't have animals fer eating."

"We're aware of that, miss Applejack," Catseye stated as he took a sip of wine. "Many of my friends have visited Equestria, and when they returned they complained endlessly that they couldn't find a single place that served a good cut of meat."

"How come you do eat salads, though?" Shining inquired. "From the looks of it, you don't seem fond of vegetables."

This time it was Glare who answered the question. "Due to the climate they live in, temnokt need to have lots of vitamins and minerals found in vegetables, while the meat provides iron and fat. As for the size of the portions, their large size requires a lot of calorie consumption."

Spike was, oddly, asking for small portions of meat, but instead of eating it he was hiding it under the mantle. "What are you doing?" Twilight inquired curiously.

"I'm saving some meat for Rock and Glacial," Spike whispered. "Since they're on duty the cannot have dinner, but they're starving. And Rock loves the filet."

"You certainly seem to be getting pretty close to those two." Cadence pointed out.

"They're very cool! Though Glacial doesn't seem to like me, but Rock does! He has interesting stories to tell."

A few seconds later, another, much more smaller course was served. Curious, Rarity levitated her fork to take a small slice of into her mouth. Her expression brightened. "Hmm, this is tasty!" emboldened, she took another small bite. "What kind of dish is this?"

"It's zhirnay pechén." Velvet explained.

"In Equestrian, please." Rainbow pointed out.

Lightfire explained. "It's the liver of a fattened goose."

The only reason Rarity didn't spit it right back out was because of the occasion; Applejack quickly changed the subject. "So... What's for dessert?"

Although Clawblack couldn't personally be present at the ball, he had made sure the evening's main event went on without a hitch. A temporary arena had been put on outside, while some special runes created a special anti-snow field force that would prevent the guests from getting a cold.

The ponies reunited, and wondered what was going on as they were led towards the higher platform meant for the Royal Family, having been invited to seat with them. Stormfly and the Queen had seemed to grow fond of each other during the night, which probably had to do with this gesture. Meanwhile, the rest of the High Bloods sat in the other platforms, Fukkuteru and his family among them. The arena was momentarily clear, but covered in snow.

"Lady Sparkle," King Bittercold greeted Twilight politely. "I do hope you have enjoyed yourself tonight."

Twilight bowed her head. "Me and your friends appreciate your invitation to his event, your Majesty."

"Just a little suggestion, think you could move whatever this is inside?" Rainbow protested, rubbing her shoulders. "It's freezing out here!"

"Rainbow!"

"I'm afraid that this... entertainment is rather violent, and I'd rather not destroy my castle." Bittercold responded simply, frowning at Rainbow Dash.

Thankfully, Stormfly quickly changed the subject. "So what is this activity about?"

"Is it a game of some sorts?" Pinkie asked, grinning excitedly while clapping her hooves. "If so, can we play?"

"It's an old sport dating from a few centuries ago," Astral explained. "One of our previous Tzars enjoyed hunting, so much that he created a new blood sport."

Fluttershy had a feeling when she hear the words hunting and blood sport in one single sentence, but she didn't dare utter a word.

King Bittercold looked down to the arena, smiling in delight when he heard the opening of an unseen cage. "It is beginning."

Suddenly, a giant bear emerged from a dark entrance, roaring in distress, but as it attempted to break out of the pen, it was sent back flying by a sort of magical barrier that prevented wild animals from going through it. It landed back with a moan of pain.

"Hey, are is this similar to that sport in Bullspain where you have to fight bulls?" Discord inquired, though he contained the urge to change into a matador outfit.

Before Bittercold or Astral could give an answer, some drakes in the outer part of the corral released five large and black-furred wolves into the pen. The animals circled around the bear, baring their teeth at it, while the bear returned the hostility.

What happened next greatly shocked the group of Equestrians.

Fluttershy let an audible gasp when the wolves started attacking the bear mercilessly, digging their teeth into it and sometimes even tearing pieces of flesh from it; the snow was soon stained with red. The bear couldn't stand off against five trained battle wolves, no matter how much it roared and swiped its claws at them.

To make things worse, the audience wasn't bothered by the scene; on the contrary, they were enjoying it, most of them cheering in Krussian at the wolves, Lake Wave and Catseye included. Fukkuteru was staring worriedly at the ponies, particularly at Fluttershy, he didn't know how long she'd be able to bear this.

"T-This is b-bear-baiting?" Cadence whispered in horror as the bear was bitten in the throat.

The members of the Equestrian delegation had mixed reactions to this. Pinkie Pie's mane had deflated in shock at what was going on. Rarity fainted two seconds after the first attack, being caught by Applejack, who distracted her attention by tending to the fallen designer. Twilight gasped and quickly covered Spike's eyes, but for once he didn't protest. Cadence turned away from the scene with her eyes closed shut, unable to bear the carnage. Stormfly felt sick at his stomach, but he, Discord and Shining Armor had the most 'controlled' reactions of the group. Rainbow Dash thought she was going to throw up.

But Fluttershy was another story.

Tears started trickling down her cheeks and her pupils shrunk into tiny dots, unable to turn away even though she wanted to with all her might. She knew bears, she had a few bear friends back in Ponyville. They might be big and a bit scary, but they could be the sweetest creatures once you got to know them. And these creatures were torturing this bear for entertainment.

Defeated, bloodied and with several parts of its body torn, the bear finally collapsed unto the snow, panting heavily as the wolves prepared to go in for the kill.

"STOP!"

Before anyone could do anything about it, Fluttershy had left her seat and flew down to the corral, much to the shock of the audience, and she fell to her knees as she landed right next to the bear's head, staining her dress with its blood. The wolves continued to snarl, but they halted their attack; they had been trained to attack only bears. Should any other creature be put in front of them they wouldn't even look at it.

"I-It's okay, little one...!" Flutttershy whispered desperately as she stroked the bear's fur comfortingly. "You're going to be okay, j-just hang on...!" The sight of the blood made her stomach twist, but she resisted the urge to faint or break down, she had to make sure the poor animal was safe.

The bear managed to open his eyes and look up at Fluttershy; his face showed only suffering.

"Hush now, it's alright..." Fluttershy whispered to him once more.

Then she remembered she was not alone there. Her anger was directed at these... people who did nothing to stop this atrocity, instead they approved it and treated it as entertainment. She could forgive them for eating meat, many animals needed to do so to survive. But she would not forgive them for tormenting animals like this.

With this mindset, Fluttershy glared up at King Bittercold. "How dare you...?" She whispered, and her voice started raising in volume. "How dare you call this entertainment?! This is torture!"

The High Bloods gathered at the place frowned at Fluttershy, some even protested for the interruption, but the ones who understood Equestrian felt offended; unfortunately, King Bittercold himself was among that group.

"Miss Fluttershy, it's a bear. An animal," he said, sounding like he was trying his best to explain it patiently. "Nothing more, nothing less."

And he dare dismiss it just like that!

"This bear is a living being with feelings! He can feel pain, and you subject him to this atrocity!" Fluttershy snapped at him, her own patience at the limit.

At the word atrocity, the High Bloods erupted into incensed yells and protests, most of them in Krussian. Lake Wave looked like he wanted to be swallowed by the snow, while Fukkuteru stared at the scene in dread, his fear having come true.

Bittercold was unmoved, however. "Perhaps, but you cannot give an animal the same rights as a temnokt or a pony like yourself, as sentient as he is. In the end, they are moved only by their instinct."

Ambassador sun panicked, and went straight to King Bittercold. "Your Majesty, this is surely misunderstanding...!" However, he was ignored.

When the wolves growled at the bear, Fluttershy stood between them. "I will not let you hurt him!" Instantly, Rainbow Dash left her own seat, slipping out of her dress in the process, and stood next to Fluttershy.

"If you mess with her, you mess with me, mongrels!" she cried, putting on a fighting stance.

Unsurprisingly, suddenly Discord popped in at the other side, having turned into a giant wolf himself, and gave a roar that sent the real wolves whining to their shocked masters.

"If you want to touch Fluttershy, you'll have to go through me!" he then roared at the crowd, who went momentarily silent.

One of the wolf trainers, however, gave a command in Krussian, and his wolf headed towards the the three. The wolf would have jumped over them and deliver the killing blow to the bear, but Applejack thought he was going to hurt Fluttershy. She quickly jumped into the pen and sent the wolf flying back with a powerful buck. The wolf cried in pain and returned to his master.

"Applejack!" Twilight cried in horror.

That was the last straw.

The whole arena exploded in yells of anger from the High Bloods. Midnight realized they would probably revolt against them if they didn't allow this to continue. He turned to his father pleadingly. "D-Dad, you have to stop this before they kill them!"

Astral joined in. "My dear, you have to do something!"

Bittercold's expression was unreadable, however. Finally, he stood up, spread out his wings and gave a loud roar that sent the crowds into permanent silence. Twilight sighed in relief, thinking he was going to talk them down.

But what he said was the contrary to what she expected. "Very well, then. Finish it off yourself, Miss Fluttershy."

Fluttershy's expression changed into one of shock. "What the hay are you saying?!" Rainbow Dash cried out.

"You don't seem to understand the situation," Bittercold calmly said, glancing at the bear. "You believe you saved its life, but look at it. It's suffering. It lost a lot of blood and parts of its flesh have been torn by the wolves' jaws; but since it's a big animal, it will take a long while for it to actually die. Do you know what it means for it? Hours of agony. You do not want it killed by the wolves' fangs? Then put it out of its suffering with your own hooves, Miss Fluttershy, if you claim to love animals so much. Or if you're not strong enough, then ask the draconequus to do it for you."

"How dare you?!" Rainbow Dash growled, but Applejack held her by the tail before she could fly and deliver a punch to the King's face.

Fluttershy glared at Bittercold defiantly. "I will never do anything to harm an innocent animal." she said.

Bittercold didn't lost his composure at the negative. "In that case, stand aside so that the wolves may finish what they started."

Her stomach sunk.

"Like I said, the animal is in pain. If you don't want to kill it, then allow the wolves to do so and put it out of its misery," Bittercold continued. You say you love animals, but you're selfishly prolonging that bear's pain because you cannot accept this is part of nature, Miss Fluttershy. In any way, the bear will end up dying, but what is better? A quick, painless death? Or a long, agonizing death?"

"Dad, you can't do that to her-!" Midnight protested, but was silenced by a stern glare from his father. Reluctantly, he looked away, feeling impotent. The Queen herself said nothing, knowing it was futile.

"So what will it be, Miss Fluttershy?" King Bittercold asked. "The wolves? Or your own hoof?"

She had lost. And he knew it. Fluttershy just stood there, frozen in shock as that truth overwhelmed her, along with the sight of blood, and the pain of knowing he was right. She could not do this. And if she stepped aside, the wolves would.

Either way, the bear would die.

Her hoof slipped, and she fell to the snow, speechless as the tears continued to fall. Rainbow Dash and Applejack glared at Bittercold before they went to their friend, helped her up to her hooves, and led her away, followed by Discord, being booed and jeered at by the crowd as they left.

With the pen empty save for the bear and wolves, Bittercold went back to his seat and signaled for the event to continue. The crowd cheered again when the wolves were unleashed once again upon the bear. Fluttershy winced when she heard the bear's last cry of pain.

The other ponies silently left the arena, followed by Fukkuteru and Lightfire, leaving the scene behind them.

Among the crowd, Hookbait and Fyzsal smirked.