Deep underground there lives the mighty queen of the Diamond Dogs Fenriss and her people. Fenriss has always longed for a pup of her own and by some luck is given one, but it's not a diamond dog
Fenriss, queen of the Diamond Dogs, has longed for a pup of her own but due to her royal duites she has never gotten around to having one. However one day she finds a small baby human, which she names Kiba, and is given the chance to finally have a pup of her own. Now follow as Kiba finds his place in the world.
cover art was graciously done by Alejin, and I can never thank him enough for it. Edited by the amazing Helping Hoof.
Deep inside the Everfree Forest, there stands an enormous mountain which many creatures, like the ponies of Equestria, very seldom tread. The is because, deep inside the mountain there is a city made up of several different types of crystals. This is the home of the proud Diamond Dogs and most importantly the queen of all Diamond Dogs Fenriss.
Fenriss is considered by many in her kingdom to be the most beautiful, “partially because of her Golden fur”, and wise female in the entire pack. Her subjects often praise her for how strong and gracious she always acts,but unbeknown to them Fenriss held a deep sorrow in her heart.
You see,for as long as she could remember,Fenriss had longed for a pup for her to call her own. However,due to her obligations to her subjects,she had never been able to find a mate with which to have a pup. So for the sake of her kingdom and subjects,she decided to bury her desire deep down in her heart. That was,until one fateful day when everything changed.
As Fenriss sat on her throne, looking out at her kingdom, she sighed and said, ”Look at them down there.” She looked at all the families that thrived in her kingdom and said, ”What I wouldn’t give to have what they have.” Fenriss then let out one last sigh before a knocking could be heard from the giant diamond door which served as the entrance to the throne room.
Fenriss looked at the door and ,in a calm voice, said, ”Enter.” Upon saying this the doors slowly started to open and a German Shepard Diamond Dog clad in armor made of iron and adorned in rubies entered. Fenriss groaned as she slightly lowered her head and asked, ”What is it now Commander Howler, is it another messenger from the ponies about those three Omegas that kidnapped that pony?”
Commander Howler shook his head and said, ”No majesty, it not the ponies again. ”Fenriss raised her eyebrow and asked, ”Then what is it?” Commander Howler shook his head and said, ”Majesty come and see for self.” Commander Howler then started to walk out of the room not knowing if Fenriss was following.
Fenriss looked at Commander Howler and wondered what was so important that it needed her attention. So She decided to follow commander Howler to the outside of their mountain home.
Fenriss looked around and asked, ”Alright Commander Howler where is this thing that you deemed so important that I needed to follow you. ”Right as Commander Howler was about to say something a loud crying could be heard from within the forest.
Fenriss looked out into the forest trying to pinpoint the location of the crying. She then started to run into the forest all the while feeling her motherly instincts kick in as the crying grew louder and louder until finally, she came to the source of the crying.
What she saw was a clearing in the forest which had a small pile of cloth that seemed to move ever so slightly.
Fenriss walked up to the pile of cloth and softly poked it with her paw which caused the cloth to move. She shot her paw back in fear at this, but after she had managed to calm herself she decided to pull at the cloth and see what was making it move. Once she had moved the cloth, away she was greeted by the sight of a tiny human baby boy.
Fenriss had no idea what this creature was, so she decided to lean down and sniff him. As she sniffed the small boy, he began to laugh happily because of her nose tickling him. Fenriss raised her head and just smiled at the precious little thing she saw before her.
As the two looked at each other for a bit Fenriss could feel that empty feeling, that pup sized hole she had, slowly starting to fill. She tried to reach down so she might hold the small child. However, as she was about to pick him up Commander Howler yelled, ”Majesty! Don’t touch strange thing!”
Fenriss drew back her paws and turned her attention to the Commander and asked, “Oh Commander Howler whatever are you on about, why should I not touch this little gem?”
Commander Howler walked over to Fenriss and said, ”We not know what little creature is or if it dangerous.” Fenriss rolled her eyes and said, ”Commander Howler while I commend you on your dedication, I must say that you have nothing to worry about. ”She then leaned down and carefully picked the baby up, causing him to smile happily, and showed him to Commander Howler. She then asked, ”Does this cute little thing really look that dangerous?”
Commander Howler sighed and said, ”No but never be too safe.” He then looked at the baby one last time before saying, ”Majesty should get back.”
Fenriss smiled and said, ”Yes we should Commander Howler.” She then looked down at the baby and started to gently tickle him while saying, ”Time for you to see your new home little one.” The baby laughed gleefully at the tickling and snuggled deep into Fenriss, causing her to smile brightly.
As they walked back to her gem palace, Fenriss couldn’t help but notice all her subjects staring at her and the small baby she carried in her arms. Once they reached her gem palace Fenriss said, ”Alright Commander you are dismissed for the day.”
Commander Howler gave Fenriss a bow and walked away from her. Once Fenriss was alone she said, ”Alright little one let me show you around your new home.” Fenriss smiled as she started to show the baby around every inch of her gem palace. Along their tour of the castle, a Rough Collie looking maid by the name of Lassie walked up to them and asked, ”Your Majesty is that a little one in your arms?”
Fenriss smiled and showed the baby to Lassie and said, ”Oh yes it is, I found him outside the mountain and decided to take him in as my own.”
Lassie leaned in to get a better look at the baby but was surprised when he touched her face and giggled. Fenriss chuckled at this and said, ”Looks like he likes you.”
Lassie chuckled as she slowly pulled away from him and asked, ”So what is his name?” Fenriss blinked a couple of times before lowering her gaze at the baby and saying, ”I haven’t given him one yet.”
Lassie looked at Fenriss and asked, ”Then why not give the little one a name now?” Fenriss looked at Lassie and then back to the baby in her arms and said, ”I think I will name him Kiba, after the first king of our pack, Kiba the Vicious.” She then nuzzled Kiba and asked, ”How does that sound my little gem.” Kiba just smiled and giggled as he nuzzled her back.
Lassie chuckled at the sight of the two and said, ”You two sure are cute Your Majesty.” Lassie then said, ”Well if you will excuse me I must return to my duties.” She turned around and was about to leave when Fenriss said, ”Wait! Miss Lassie, I have a request to ask of you.”
Lassie turned back around and asked, ”How might I be of service Your Majesty?” Fenriss smiled and said, ”As you know I can be quite busy dealing with the kingdom and all of our mines.” Lassie gave a quick nod and Fenriss continued, ”So I was wondering if you would be willing to become Kiba’s nanny?”
Lassie smiled widely and said, ”Oh I would love to become Kiba’s nanny.” Fenriss smiled at this and said, ”Good, come by my room tomorrow to start your new job.” Lassie gave a quick nod and was about to say something, but was cut off by a loud yawn from Kiba.
Fenriss and Lassie smiled at this and Fenriss said, ”Looks like my little gem is ready for bed.” She walked past Lassie and said, ”Remember to come by in the morning for your first day.”
Lassie gave a quick nod and said, ”Yes Your Majesty, see you too in the morning.” Lassie then walked away.
After a couple of minutes, Fenriss and Kiba reached Fenriss’ bedchamber, which consisted of a large circular bed in the center of the room. She walked over to the bed and softly laid Kiba down on before climbed in next to him. As soon as she did this Kiba, snuggled up to her causing her to smile happily.
Fenriss kissed the top of his head and said, ”At last I have a pup to call my own, and I swear upon my life that I will be the best mother in the world.” Fenriss held Kiba close to her, and the two fell into a deep sleep.
As Fenriss and Kiba slept soundly a loud, sudden knocking could be heard coming from the bedroom’s doors. Fenriss jumped at this unexpected noise causing young Kiba to cry from being suddenly awoken.
Fenriss looked down at Kiba, carefully picked him up and started to rock him back and forth. She then smiled sweetly and said,“ Oh mommy is sorry for scaring you little one, please stop crying.”
Kiba sniffled a couple of times, before finally smiling and reaching up towards Fenriss to show that he was okay now. She chuckled at this and began to nuzzle the side of his face while saying,” Oh you just look so adorable my little Gem!”
Fenriss then stood up from her bed, while still holding Kiba, and made her way over to the doors and opened it.
Once the doors had been opened, Fenriss was greeted by a smiling Lassie. Lassie gave Fenriss a small curtsey while saying,” Good Morning Your Majesty I have come like you asked of me.”
Fenriss chuckled and said,” Please rise, miss Lassie, no need to be so formal.” Lassie gave a quick nod and stood up tall. She then asked,” So how are you and your new pup doing this morning Your Majesty?”
Fenriss smirked and said,” Well, we were just suddenly woken up from a peaceful sleep, but aside from that, we are just peachy.”
Lassie started to laugh nervously as she rubbed the back of her head and said,” I am sorry but I was just oh so excited to get to spend some time with little Kiba.” She reached out her right paw and started to lightly tickle Kiba, causing him to burst in a fit of giggles.
Fenriss smiled warmly at the sight, and once Lassie stopped tickling Kiba, a loud growl could be heard coming from his stomach. Fenriss, and Lassie chuckled and Fenriss suggested,” Why don’t we go to the kitchen and find something for this little one to eat?”
Lassie gave a nod in agreement, and the two made their way to the kitchen. Once they reached the kitchen Fenriss asked,” So what would my little pup like to eat.” She looked at a couple of apples that some scouts had gotten from the apple farm outside the Everfree Forest.
Fenriss looked at Lassie and asked,” Miss Lassie, do you mind taking those apples and mashing them up for Kiba to eat.” Lassie smiled as she said,” I would be delighted to do so Your Majesty.”
Lassie then grabbed the apples, a big metal bowl, and a tool to mash up the apples. After she finished mashing up the apples, she poured it into a bowl and handed it to Fenriss along with a small spoon for her to use to feed Kiba.
Fenriss smiled as she took the bowl and said,” Thank you, miss Lassie. feel free to grab yourself something to eat while I feed Kiba.” Lassie gave her a nod and went to find something to eat.
Meanwhile, Fenriss picked up the spoon with the applesauce on it and slowly brought it up to Kiba’s mouth. She smiled and said,” Okay Kiba time for food, open wide.”
Kiba smiled up at Fenriss and happily ate the food. Fenriss smiled down at him and said,” Well, I will take that as you liking it.”
Once the bowl was empty Fenriss looked down at the now messy Kiba and with a chuckle said,” Oh my, you sure are one messy pup my little Gem.” Just then, the doors to the kitchen opened and in walked Commander Howler.
Fenriss looked at Commander Howler and asked,” Commander Howler, what seems to be the trouble?” Commander Howler sighed and said,” Nobles ask for words with Majesty.”
Fenriss sighed and asked herself,” Oh what do those fools want now?” She looked at Lassie and asked,” Miss Lassie would you please go and give little Kiba here a bath?” Lassie gave Fenriss a nod as she took Kiba from her arms and the two left the kitchen.
Once the, two left, Fenriss stood up and said,” Alright Commander Howler, let us go and deal with those Nobles.” With that, the two went into the throne room. Once inside, Fenriss saw the three most vocal nobles in all of the kingdom. Two of them were male and the third was female, the two males looked like Bulldogs and the female looked like a Siberian Husky.
Fenriss looked at the three as she walked over to her throne made of assorted gems and asked,” Lady Aniu, Counts Barley and Dozer, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”
Lady Aniu walked up closer to the throne and said,” Well we all noticed the creature that you had yesterday, and just wanted to know what it was and what you will be doing with it?”
Fenriss sighed and said,” Okay, I will be honest, I have no idea what he is and I don’t care. Now as for my plans for him, I have taken him in as my pup and will raise him as if he was my own.” She glared at the three and asked,” Do any of you have a problem with this?”
Lady Aniu shook her head and said,” Oh no quite the opposite. I am so happy to hear that you have a cute pup of your own now.” Fenriss smiled at this for she had, in all honesty, feared her subjects would reject her taking in and raising Kiba.
Fenriss then looked at the pair of Counts and asked,” What say you two, do you have any objections to me taking in the pup?”
Count Barley and Dozer looked at each other and then at Fenriss and asked,” We just want make sure it not problem for kingdom later.” Fenriss smiled at this and said,” I can assure you that he is not and never will be a threat to the kingdom.”
Fenriss then stood up and said,” Now if you will excuse me, I wish to return to my pup, good day to you three.” Fenriss walked past the nobles and exited the throne room where Commander Howler was standing guard.
Fenriss smiled and said,” Commander Howler, I am retiring for the day, please do not disturb me unless it is of the utmost importance.” Commander Howler saluted Fenriss while saying,” Yes Majesty.”
Fenriss gave Commander Howler a quick nod and went to go find Kiba and Lassie. After looking around her castle, she found the pair in the royal garden.
This garden was special to Fenriss because it was the first vegetation to grow like this underground. The reason for this was the massive yellow gem sticking out of the roof known as Solarite. The Solarite acted like an artificial sun which worked well for growing small plants, but not big crops, which is why they got all their fruits and vegetables from the surface.
Fenriss walked over to the two and, with a smile, said,” Well it sure seems like you two are having fun.” This caused Kiba and Lassie to turn and face the smiling Fenriss.
As soon as Kiba saw Fenriss, he started laughing and reached out to her, as a way of saying he wanted her to hold him. Fenriss chuckle, picked Kiba up and nuzzled the side of his face while saying,” Oh aren’t you just the sweetest thing my little Gem.”
Once she stopped nuzzling Kiba, she looked over at Lassie and asked,” Was he any trouble for you?” Lassie just shook her head and said,” Oh no, he was the best pup anyone could ask for.” This made Fenriss smile once more and began to nuzzle Kiba again.
After she stopped nuzzling Kiba, she decided that the three should just relax in the garden for a while. So there they stayed for hours until finally, Kiba fell into a deep sleep.
Fenriss looked at the sleeping Kiba and with a truly happy smile said,” Looks like someone is sleepy, why don’t we get you into bed for a nap.” She then stood up and gently walked to her room.
Once inside her room, she laid Kiba down on the comfy bed and said,” Sweet dreams my little gem.” Fenriss then leaned down and kissed his forehead, causing Kiba to smile warmly in his sleep.
Fenriss chuckled at the sight of her pup smiling. She then stood tall turning to face Lassie and in a low tone said,” Miss Lassie, thank you again for watching Kiba, it truly means the world to me.”
Lassie chuckled and said,” Think nothing of it Your Majesty it was my pleasure.” She then frowned a small bit and asked,” Your Majesty if you do not mind telling me, when do you plan on telling the kingdom of little Kiba?”
Fenriss frowned and said,” If I am to be honest, I don’t know.” She looked at the sleeping Kiba and said,” I am just so scared of how my subjects will react to him.”
Lassie smiled and said,” Your Majesty, I am sure everyone in the kingdom will be overjoyed to hear that you have a pup, be they Diamond Dog or otherwise.”
Fenriss smiled at her words and said,” You are right miss Lassie.” She looked at Lassie and said,” In fact, I will reveal him to the kingdom tomorrow.” She then asked,” Miss Lassie, can you please go inform the kingdom that there will be a special announcement tomorrow?”
Lassie gave a quick bow while saying,” At once my Queen.” With that Lassie quickly left the room, leaving Fenriss and the sleeping Kiba alone.
Fenriss looked down at Kiba once again and said,” Oh my little Gem I know that my subjects will love you almost as much as I love you.” She kissed his forehead once again, before laying down next to him and falling asleep as well.
Chapter 3: Announcing the heir to the throne. (edited)
The day had come, the day Fenriss would announce her adoption of Kiba into the royal family. Now, most creatures would be happy to show their child off to the world, but Fenriss was a bit more scared than she was happy. She was scared of her subjects, or to be more specific, she was scared of their reactions towards her pup.
As she paced back and forth in her room while cradling Kiba in her arms, a knock could be heard coming from the door. Fenriss turned to the door and said,” Come in.” The door swung open and Lassie walked inside.
Lassie gave Fenriss a small bow and said,” Hello Your Majesty.” She then stood up and asked,” How are you and little Kiba doing this fine day Your Majesty?”
Fenriss sighed and said,” I would like to tell you that I am doing good, but truth be told that couldn’t be further from the truth.” She looked down at Kiba and started to brush the hair out of his eyes which caused him to giggle.
Lassie turned her head to the side and asked,” What is wrong Your Majesty, isn’t today the day you show Kiba to the kingdom?”
Fenriss sighed and said,” You would think that wouldn’t you, but truth be told I am not.” She looked at Lassie and said,” I am scared, I am scared of what their reaction to my little Gem will be.” She then looked back down at Kiba in her arms and said,” I don’t think that I could bear it if my subjects treated my sweet little Gem with any form of hostility.”
Lassie chuckled as she walked close to Fenriss and said,” Your Majesty if I might be so bold, you are being over dramatic.” She put her right paw on Fenriss’ shoulder and asked,” Do you really believe that anyone will hold contempt for such a sweet little pup like Kiba?”
Fenriss sighed and said,” That is the problem Lassie, I don’t know.” She looked Lassie with tears running down her cheeks and asked,” How would you respond if you just heard that your ruler, the one you look up to for guidance, suddenly took in a random pup, especially one that isn’t even a Diamond Dog?”
Lassie hesitated for a moment before letting out a soft sigh. She then said,” I see your point, Your Majesty I really do, and I wish I could tell you that everyone would be completely okay with this.” As Fenriss started to lower her tearful gaze back onto Kiba Lassie said,” However, I can tell you that this pup loves you and that you love him and that is all that really matters.”
Fenriss looked back up at Lassie and started to crack a small yet sweet smile. She then looked back down at Kiba who was just smiling and reaching up towards her face.
Fenriss then let out a small chuckle and said,” Your right Lassie, as long I as love him, and he I, then there is nothing to worry about.” She lowered her face so that Kiba could feel it.
Lassie smiled at the sight of the mother and son and said,” Though I hate to break such a sweet sight, I must insist that you prepare for the unveiling Your Majesty.”
Fenriss raised her muzzle from Kiba’s grasp and with a smile said,” Alright Lassie, please come back in an hour, we should be all ready by then.”
Lassie gave Fenriss a small bow and said,” As you wish your majesty.” With that Lassie left the room so the two could get ready for the ceremony.
Once the hour had passed Lassie came back to the royal bedchamber and knocked on the door while asking,” Your Majesty are you and Kiba ready.”
After a couple of seconds, the Ruby doors opened up to reveal the pair in their finest clothes. Fenriss was wearing a golden dress that was adorned with a plethora of gems such as topazes and Garnets. She was also wearing the rest of her royal regalia like her crown and necklace.
Lassie smiled and said,” Oh Your Majesty you look stunning.” She then looked at Fenriss arms which cradled little Kiba, who was wearing the upper half of a suit. Lassie chuckled at the sight and said,” Oh don’t you look just adorable little Kiba.” She reached under his chin and started to tickle it, causing him to burst out into laughter.
As she pulled back her paw Lassie asked,” So, shall we get going Your Majesty? your public awaits.”
Fenriss took in a deep breath to calm her nerves and said,” Yes, I believe that I am let us be off then.” The two walked to the balcony outside the throne room, where she would show her Kingdom little Kiba. She looked at the guards that stood on both sides of the doors and gave them a nod as a way of telling them to open the door.
As the doors began to open, Fenriss could hear the roar of all her subjects talking. She took one last deep breath before handing Kiba to Lassie and walking out onto the balcony, causing the subjects to grow silent.
Fenriss looked out at all her subjects and said,” Hello my dear subjects. I have gathered you here to talk about the creature that you more than likely saw me carrying in my arms not too long ago.” This caused the masses to break into a murmur, before being hushed by Fenriss raising her paws. Fenriss sighed and said,” Please, everyone, calm down so I might continue.”
“ Now as I was saying, I have gathered you here so I might share something with you all, about the creature that you saw me holding not too long ago.” She turned her head around to look at Lassie and cocked her head as a way of telling her to come closer.
Lassie took the hint and walked up to Fenriss and handed Kiba over to her. Fenriss smiled as Kiba was handed to her and lightly tickled him, which caused him to laugh. Fenriss chuckled back at him, before turning her attention back to her subjects. She smiled as she raised Kiba up, so that all her subjects could see him and said,” This adorable little one is named Kiba, and I have decided to take him as my pup.”
When the crowd heard this, a chorus of shocked gasps could be heard throughout the kingdom. Fenriss chuckled at this and said,” Yes you all heard me right, I am taking this little one in as my pup. Now, I know that you all might have some reservations about a non-Diamond Dog being taken into the royal family, but I can guarantee that you all have nothing to worry about.”
Fenriss then looked down at Kiba who seemed to be on the verge of falling asleep right there in her arms. She smiled warmly at this sight, before once again returning her attention to her subjects and asking,” So will you all please join me in welcoming little Kiba into our Kingdom, and into the royal family?”
Fenriss was so nervous about what her subjects would do, but she held out the hope that they would accept little Kiba. After a couple of seconds of silence, a pair of paws clapping could be heard, which set of a whole storm, clapping and cheering the couple on. They had accepted Kiba, not only into the Kingdom but into the royal family.
Fenriss was taken aback by how much her subjects accepted her precious little Kiba. she even started to cry tears of joy from all the cheers. Lassie walked up next to her and, with a smirk, said,” See? I told you that they would accept him.”
Fenriss rubbed her eyes with her left arm while holding Kiba in her right and said,” Thank you all this means so much to me.”
Lassie chuckled at the sight, and with that, the assembly was finished and the three returned to the royal bedchambers. Lassie smiled and said,” Well, I think that went well, wouldn’t you say so Your Majesty?”
Fenriss chuckled and said,” Okay, you were right, it went a lot better than I had thought it would.” She then looked down at the sleeping Kiba and with a smile said,” I think that little Kiba has the right idea, it is time for a nap.”
Lassie smiled and said,” That sounds like a good idea, Your Majesty.” She turned around and started to exit the room. As she left the room she said,” Have a good rest, Your Majesty.”
Fenriss smiled and said,” I will, goodness knows I need it after that conference.” She then laid down next to Kiba and began to fall asleep. As she drifted off into slumber she could feel all the stress she had slip away, and in its place dreams of her life raising Kiba began to play out.
One day, Fenriss, Kiba and Lassie were in the royal gardens enjoying the day. Kiba and Lassie had been playing a game of tag, while Fenriss was sitting under the tree in the center of the garden. As she sat there watching the two play, Fenriss took notice of how much her little pup had grown.
It had been about four years now since Fenriss had adopted young Kiba, and for the most part, their time together has been peaceful and joyous. Fenriss loved having Kiba in her life and especially loved having him as her pup. She had also grown to appreciate having Lassie around very much, whenever she had to take care of some royal business, or just needed help with Kiba.
One of the only things Fenriss hated about having a pup, was watching them grow up bit by bit. At times she wished that Kiba would stay her tiny little pup forever and never get older. However, time never stops, no matter how much she wished it would.
In those four years, she had watched as Kiba had grown from a tiny little bundle of joy, into a cute little boy with energy to spare. But, as far as Fenriss was concerned, Kiba’s looks had by far changed the most.
Kiba now stood about three feet four inches in height and had managed to grow a full, bushy head of chestnut hair. Fenriss loved this because it matched nicely with his chestnut-colored eyes and milky white skin.
As she was thinking, she could feel a light tug on her right arm, which immediately pulled her off her train of thought. Fenriss looked towards her arm to see what was pulling on it and was not surprised when she saw that it was Kiba.
She smiled warmly at him and asked,” Yes Kiba, is there something that you need?” Kiba pointed towards where Lassie and he had been playing and asked,” Mommy want to play?”
Fenriss chuckled at Kiba as she stood up in front of him and asked,” Do you really want me to play with you my little Gem?”
Kiba smiled up at Fenriss and said,” Mommy always sit alone while Lassie play with me.” He then started to give her his best puppy dog look, in an attempt to get Fenriss to agree to his request.
Fenriss let out a small chuckle and said,” Now my little Gem, you know that I can not say no to you when you give me that look.” She then leaned down to his level and said,” You go find somewhere to hide while I count to fifteen, okay, my Gem?”
Kiba smiled, and happily ran into the garden, as Fenriss slowly started to count. Once she was done she called out,” Ready or not my little Gem, here I come!”She then slowly made her way into the garden.
As she looked she asked,” Oh where are you, my little Gem?” As she said this, she could hear a muffled giggling coming from behind a nearby rose bush.
Fenriss smirked as she said,” Oh well, it looks like he is not around.” She made it sound like she was walking away when she was actually sneaking around the bush. Once she was within grabbing distance she quickly reached out and grasped Kiba while saying,” Got you, my little Gem!”
KIba smiled as she held onto him, and he tried to escape from her grasp. This made Fenriss laugh and say,” Oh, you are going to have to try a lot harder than that to get away from me Kiba.” She then lowered her muzzle to his forehead and kissed it tenderly.
This made Kiba shake his head while laughing and saying,” Mommy stop, that tickles!”
Fenriss looked down at him and started to smirk wickedly and asked,” Oh, so you wouldn't like me doing this?” She lunged forward and started to tickle both his sides. This caused Kiba to burst out into a fit of laughter.
This lasted a few minutes until she finally decided that he had had enough and let him go. Once Kiba was able to catch his breath from all the laughing, Fenriss smiled and asked,” So what shall we do now, my little Gem?”
Kiba thought for a minute of what he wanted to do, when out of the blue, his stomach started to rumble. He smiled and exclaimed,” Food, mommy!”
Fenriss snickered at his demand. She stood up and stretched her arms out because they had become somewhat stiff. Once her body was loosened up, she reached down and picked Kiba up and, setting on her hip.
Fenriss looked down at Kba and said,” Why don't we go get miss Lassie, then we will go and get you some food.” Kiba smiled up at her and gave a quick nod okay, before snuggling into Fenriss' side. Fenriss snickered again at how adorable her pup was.
After a few minutes, Fenriss had found Lassie sitting on a lapis bench near the entrance of the garden, reading. Fenriss walked over to her and asked,” Care to join me and my little Gem for a bite to eat?”
Lassie looked up from her book and, with a smile, said,” It would be my honor, Your Majesty.” She closed her book as she stood up from the bench, and the trio began to make their way to the kitchen. However, as they walked, an angry voice called out behind them saying,” YOUR MAJESTY, I NEED A WORD WITH YOU!”
Fenriss and Lassie turned around to see to whom the voice belonged, and to Fenriss' dismay, it was one of the more “vocal” nobles she had to deal with. The noble’s name was Countess Duchess and this poodle always had something to say about any decision Fenriss made about anything. She was one of the few members of her Kingdom, who had objected to Fenriss' adoption of Kiba.
She had said that, such as an abomination had no place in their kingdom, and that she should just throw it out. Oh, she was lucky that Kiba was asleep in Fenriss' arms, because if he wasn't it was very well possible that she was going to kill the annoying poodle where she stood.
Fenriss let out an annoyed groan and asked,” What is it now, Duchess? As you can see, I am rather busy at the moment.”
Duchess glared at Fenriss and said,” I am here because I have a problem with that recent tax increase you enacted the other day!” Lassie rolled her eyes and, in a hushed tone, said,” Oh, what a surprise.” This caused Duchess to give Lassie a death glare.
Duchess then turned her attention back to Fenriss and said,” As I was saying, I have a problem with your new tax plan!”
Fenriss rolled her eyes and said,” Duchess it is only ten bits more, and we need the funds.” She had no idea why it was always such a big deal when she messed with the tax laws.
Duchess growled and said,” That is not my problem, my problem is that you only did it to us nobles! How is it fair that we are taxed more, while the lower class isn’t!”
Fenriss sighed and said,” The reason I did it, was because you and the nobles can afford it, and not risk financial jeopardy. And besides, I hear your jewelry business doing well, so I fail to see why you have such a problem with the tax increase.”
Duchess slammed her foot into the ground and said,” That is not the point, the point is that, as a noble, I should not be expected to pay more money than those beneath me!” She then pointed at Lassie and said,” MUTTS LIKE HER ARE ARE LESSER. IF ANYONE DESERVES A TAX INCREASE IT IS THEM!!”
Fenriss had grown fed up with Duchess’s attitude and was about to say something, when she suddenly felt Kiba’s fists tighten around her fur. It would seem that Kiba didn’t take too kindly to Duchess calling his nanny her lesser.
Kiba wiggled out of his mothers grasp, walked over to Duchess and kicked her as hard as he could in the leg. This caused her to kneel and grab her now hurt leg angrily shouting,” You little monster, how dare you kick me!”
Kiba growled and screamed,” You no be mean to Lassie and you no call her your lesser, you big meanie!” He then kicked her in the same leg and the same spot that he had done before.
Duchess grabbed her leg tighter and said,” Why you little!” She raised one of her paws like she was going to slap him, but before she had the chance her paw was stopped and held in place. Duchess looked up with hate-filled eyes at whoever dared grab her arm, but when she saw who it was her hate turned to fear. It was a very angry Fenriss.
Very few people have ever seen Fenriss when she is angry, and even fewer have ever been able to tell the tale. Fenriss growled at Duchess and said,” I would highly advise against raising your paw to my pup, Countess Duchess.” She then pulled Duchess feet, before throwing her arm to the side and said,” Now, I believe you have overstayed your welcome.”
Duchess had been frightened to her core and quietly made her way away from the group and towards the exit.
Fenriss sighed in relief once Duchess was gone and turned to face Kiba. She crouched down and asked,” Okay young man, care to tell me why you thought it was a good idea to hit Duchess?”
Kiba lowered his head and said,” Sorry mommy, but she was being mean and that made me mad.”
Fenriss sighed and said,” I understand that, but that was still not the right thing to do.” She put her paws on his cheeks and said,” You have a very kind heart, but you need to keep your anger in check. Can you do that for me please?”
Kiba looked Fenriss in the eyes and said,” Yes mommy.” This made Fenriss smile sweetly and kiss the top of his head to show her love.
Fenriss then picked Kiba up and sat him next to her and asked,” Thank you. Now, why don’t we go get that lunch we talked about earlier?” This made Kiba smile as he quickly nodded to show that he liked the idea.
Fenriss chuckled at Kiba’s antics and said,” I’ll take that as a yes.” The three of them then started to make their way to the kitchen.
Chapter 5: The road to enlightenment begins with a single transmutation
Two years have past since Counties Duchess had her little meeting with Fenriss and the kingdom has done nothing but prosper. Because of Fenriss’s new tax policy the lower class has managed to help grow the economy due to their newfound ability to buy more luxury items. However, this is not the only thing that has changed and grown over these couple years.
Kiba has also grown in several ways over the two years, less physically more academically. Over the two years Kiba has grown more curious about the world around him and how things work. So once he turned five Fenriss decided to go and get Kiba a personal tutor, not only because she wanted the best for her pup but she also wanted someone else for Kiba aim his endless questions at.
So when KIba was old enough to start schooling Fenriss decided to go try and get her pup the best mentor in all of the kingdom. This being an elderly Pomeranian Diamond Dog Named Magnus, or as he is better known as Magnus the master Alchemist.
You see unlike the other creatures that inhabited the world of Equestria the Diamond Dogs were not blessed by astounding strength, like the Dragons or Minotaurs, or such magical prowis like the ponies. However, they did have something that no other race seemed to very few others have. This being there natural ability to use alchemy for a variety of things.
Their alchemic prowis has even been rumored to be even be on par with some of the ponies most powerful magicians. However this gift the Diamond Dogs have is actually quite rare in nature, it is said that only one in every fifty pups born is born with the ability to use even a tiny bit of alchemy. For this reason when a pup is born with the ability to use alchemy they are treated as well as the highest rank nobels.
Anyways when Fenriss went to the small stone hut that was deep on the outskirts of her territory to request Magnus to teach her young pup his reaction was not what she expected. What Magnus said was,” find someone else to teach him I am not doing it.”
Fenriss blinked in surprise at this, partially not really used to anyone saying no to her. She then looked at the elder and asked,” um might I ask why that is because if it is about payment then I assure you it will be more than worth it.”
Magnus waved his left paw dismissively in front of his face and said,” No that is not why I will not teach your pup.”
Fenriss raised her eyebrows in confusion and asked,” Okay then for what reason do you say you will not teach him.” Fenriss then clenched her fists as glared at Magnus and in a very angry voice asked,” is it because he is not a Diamond Dog, is that your reason?”
Magnus returned her glare and said,” Frankly your majesty I do not care what your pup is and I would thank you not to suggest such things again.” Magnus then turned his gaze away from Fenriss and looked instead at the ceiling. Magnus then sighed and said,” the reason I will not teach your pup is because I have not meet the lad.”
Fenriss just blinked and asked,” I am sorry did you just say you won't teach him because you have not meet him?” Fenriss then rubbed the temples of her head and asked,” How pray tell does that make even the slightest bit of sense?”
Magnus looked at Fenriss and with a smirk said,” it makes sense to me which in my opinion is the only real thing that matters.”
Fenriss rubbed her face and said,” I always heard that you were a strange one Sir Magnus but honestly this is a bit ridiculous.“ Fenriss then crossed her arms and asked,” so if I bring by pup by to meet you you will teach him?”
Magnuz shook his head and said,” I did not say that, all I said was I wouldn’t teach him because I don’t know him.”
Fenrir grumbled angerly while she rubbed the top of her head. Fenrir then yelled/asked,” Then what while it take for you to teach him?”
Magnus sighed and said,” if you really want me to teach him then he must prove that it won't be a waste of my time.”
Fenriss turned her head to the side and asked,” what do you mean by prove himself, are you talking about some sort of test?”
Magnus gave a quick nod and said,” yes I want him to take a test of my own design.” Magnus then stood up as he walked over to the the giant wooden chair that sat in the center of the main living room and sat in it. Once Magnus was nice and comfortable he said,” If he can show even the smallest amount of promise then I will teach the pup all I know.”
Fenriss gave a small nod and said,” I see, then I shall come back tomorrow with my son and you shall give him your test.” Fenriss then turned around and made her way to the door but stopped and asked,” Does that work for you Sir Magnus?”
Magnus sighed and said,” I would say no but since you are the queen I guess I have no choice.” Magnus then closed his eyes and said,” now I humbly ask you to leave me so I might get all the required material for the test.”
Fenriss gave a small nod and left his hut and returned to her castle to tell her son of what was going on. Once the next day arrived Fenriss took Kiba to Magnus’s hut and once there knocked on the door.
After waiting for a couple minutes Magnus opened the door and said,” so you have finally arrived your highness.” Magnus then turned around and said,” come follow me I will show you to the test.” Magnus then walked into his hut with both Fenriss and Kiba close behind.
Magnus then lead them through his hut and down into his basement which housed vast amounts of knowledge. On all but three of the walls there were whole book several shelves containing a vast amounts of ancient books and scrolls. On the back most wall there was a large table that almost spanned the length of the wall and on top of it there were several vials, beakers, and containers holding different potions and ingredients used in alchemy.
However, there was one thing that was really strange amongst all these things was a giant circle with the several lines inside it smack dab in the center of the room.
Magnus then walked over to the to the table at the back wall and said,” Alright my test is simple even a pup should be able to do it.” Magnus then picked up a becar filled with a green powder and proceeded to walk to the circle and poor the powder in the center. He then smirked and said,” your test my boy is to transmute this emerald dust into a whole emerald.”
Fenriss grawled and bitterly asked,” Is this your idea of a joke sir Magnus?!” Fenriss then pointed at the circle and said,” you known as well as I that very few pups are born with the ability to use alchemy, it was just by chance that i was given such ability!”
Magnus then snickered and said,” well if you don’t think your pup is up to snuff then I thank you for your time and wish you both good day.” Magnus then turned his back to them and walked over to his table.
Fenriss bared her fangs towards the old dog in a blazing fury, how dare he say such things about her precious Kiba. Fenriss then balled up her fists and readied herself fully and thoroughly berate this old fool, but she halted dead in her tracks when she felt something grab onto her left arm.
Fenriss looked to see what was holding her and was shocked to see Kiba with a scared look on his face. Kiba never did like to see his mama angry or upset cause she tended to become very scary, he much rather see her as her normally happy and kind self.
Fenriss sighed as she unballed her fists and crouched down so he was at his eye level. She then smiled softly as she cupped his cheeks and said,” I am sorry you had to see that my Gem I promise that I am all better now.” Fenriss then gently pulled his head closer to her and kissed his forehead.
Kiba smiled as she did this and once she pulled away he said,” I want to try it mama, it looks like it can be fun.”
Fenriss looked at her son quizzically and asked,” Are you sure Kiba cause no one, let alone me, would blame you because very few have the ability use alchemy.”
Kiba gave her two thumbs up and said,” don’t worry mama I am sure I can do it you know why.” Kiba then hugged his mother's neck tightly and said,” I am your son after all.”
Fenriss smiled and hugged Kiba just as tightly and said,” that you are my little Gem.” The two then broke off the hug and Kiba walked over to Magnus and tugged on his robe.
Magnus turned his head to look at Kiba and asked,” so am I correct in assuming that this means that you will be taking my test?”
Kiba gave Magnus a quick nod and said,” yes sir, it looks like it will be a lot of fun.” Kiba then walked over to the circle and smiled as he waited for Magnus to come over and tell him what he needed to do.
Magnus smirked and said,” well this promises to be entertaining at the very least.” Magnus then walked over and stood beside the smiling Kiba. Magnus then cleared his his throat and said,” like I said before your test is to transmute this emerald dust into a whole emerald.”
Kiba turned his head to the side and asked,” um how do I do that?”
Magnus rubbed his chin and said,” well I guess it makes sense that you wouldn’t really have that knowledge.” Magnus then stopped rubbing his chin and said,” okay basically I want you to use alchemy to take the emerald powder and turn it into a whole emerald.”
Kiba was still a bit confused on how to do that so he just gave Magnus a strange look like he was speaking another language. This made Magnus sigh and say,” okay I see this is going to be harder than I first thought.”
Magnus then pointed at Kiba and said,” alright I will tell you what to do step by step.” Magnus then pointed at the ground and said,” the first step is for you to get and your knees and place your hands on the circle.”
Kiba gave Magnus a nod to show he understood and got down on his knees and placed his hands on the circle.
Magnus chuckled and said,” well at least I know you are good when it comes to taking directions.” Magnus then put up two fingers and said,” step number two is simple, I just need you to close your your eyes and imagine your hands filling up with energy.”
Kiba looked up at Magnus and asked,” um how do I imagen energy filling my hands?”
Magnus rubbed the back of his head and said,” well I think of it like this, think of a fire deep in your chest moving to your hands.” Magnus then stopped rubbing the back of his head and said,” okay now the third and final step I want you to send that energy in your hands through the circle and into the emerald dust.”
Kiba gave a strong nod and then closed his eyes and began to picture a flame in the center of his chest. Kiba then imagined the flame moving from his chest to his hands, the circle, and then emerald dust.
As he did this the circle started to glow and sparks started to shoot off. Magnus smiled at this and said,” good now I need to to use that energy to force the dust grains together and form a emerald.”
Kiba then took a deep breath and did as he was told to do, picture the emerald grains coming together and making a whole emerald. While doing this the emerald dusts started to glow brightly, but after a few seconds it and the circle stopped sparking and glowing.
Kiba opened his eyes to see if he had done it, but he was shocked to see the pial of emerald dust was still in the same position. Kiba frowned as he stood up and walked over to his mother and hugged her waist tightly.
Fenriss frowned as she looked down at her son and then at Magnus and said,” I am sorry for wasting your time sir Magnus we will see ourselves out.” Fenriss then put her hands on Kibas shoulders and started leading him out of the basement.
However, before they could leave the basement Magnus said,” hold on just a second your majesty.”
Fenriss and Kiba then turned around to see Magnus to walk over to the emerald dust in the center of the circle and start to move it around. After a few minutes of him sifting Magnus smiled and pulled out a whole emerald the size of an average nail.
Magnus smiled as he looked at the tiny emerald and said,” well it would seem your pup was more than I first thought.” Magnus then put the emerald in his front robe pocket and said,” I have made up my mind.” Magnus then pointed at Kiba and motioned for him to come over.
Kiba was a bit hesitant at first but finally made his way over to him when his mother gave him a small nudge in the back. As he stood in front of Magnus he started to fidget due to being nervous about what he was going to say.
Magnus chuckled as he put his right paw on the boys shoulder and said,” calm down my boy I just wish to congratulate you on passing my test.”
Kiba looked at Magnus in disbelief and said,” but I didn’t turn all the emerald dust into a whole emerald.”
Magnus smiled and said,” I don’t recall ever telling you that I wanted to you to turn all the dust into an emerald.” Magnus then looked at Fenriss and asked,” did you ever hear me say that your majesty.”
Fenriss shook her head as she walked down the stairs and said,” no I don’t recall you saying that.” Fenriss then walked behind Kiba and set her paws on his shoulders and said,” I believe all you told him to do was transmute the dust into a whole emerald.”
Magnus laughed and said,” exactly a never told you needed to make it a certain size or amount of dust that needed to be used.” Magnus put his paw on Kiba's head and said,” this test was to see if you even had a shred of potential I could work with and I can say for certain I saw it.”
Kiba looked up ay Magnus and smiled the biggest smile as he shot forward and hugged Magnus. As he hugged Magnus he repeatedly said,” oh thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Magnus smiled and gently pushed Kiba back a little and said,” alright young one that is enough of that.” Magnus then pointed at the stairs and said,” now I need you to go upstairs so I might have a few words.”
Kiba smiled as he gave Magnus a quick nod and ran up the stairs. Fenriss chuckled as she watched Kiba climb the stairs and said,” well he sure seems excited, I can’t recall the last time I saw him so excited.” Fenriss then turned to Magnus and asked,” so what do we need to discuss sir Magnus?”
Magnus turned around and walked over to his table while saying,” well I was hoping we could talk about possible living arrangement. It would be rather bothersome for me or your pup to travel such a long way for his lessons.”
Fenriss crossed her arms and said,” well I was also thinking about that and I think I might have come up with an idea.” Fenriss then walked over to him and said,” I think it would benefit everyone involved if you moved to the castle so you can successfully teach Kiba.”
Magnus looked at Fenriss with one eye and asked,” what about all the material that is housed here, what will become of it?”
Fenriss smiled as she touched the table and said,” well I can have all your material moved to the castle if you want.”
Magnus closed his eye that he was using to look at her and said,” alright I can agree to that, but there is something else we need to discus.”
Fenriss turned her head to the side and asked,” oh and what might that be?”
Magnus looked her dead in the eyes and said,” this pup is my student so I do not want you to try and undermine me when I am teaching him.” Magnus then turned his attention back to his desk and said,” if that can be done than then we will get along fine.”
Fenriss sighed and said,” when you put it like that than I see no reason to argue.” Fenriss then glared at him and said,” however, I recommend you change how you speak to me though, I am still the queen after all so I could have you thrown in the dungeons.”
Magnus chuckled and said,” yes of course your majesty I can do that.” Magnus then waved his hand while saying,” known if you can excuse me I must make a suitable curriculum for my newfound protege.”
Fenriss chuckled and said,” alright, I will have the guards come by in the next couple days to escort you and your material to the castle so you can start your lessons.”Fenriss then turned around and went upstairs to retrieve Kiba so they could go and celebrate his accomplishment.
Magnus then reached into the pocket he put the emerald in and pulled it out so he might look at it once again. Magnus then gave a small laugh while saying,” this promises to be very fruitful I can just tell.”
About a week after Kiba’s test Magnus, as well as all his material, had been moved into the castle. His living quarters, as well as his study, where located three doors doors down from the castles library. They choose this location so that Magnus could acquire any reading material that he deemed necessary for Kiba’s learning.
The room was set up so that the top half of the room was was split off from the bottom making the room two story. The only thing connecting the two was a small staircase on the west wall of the room.
The top half was the part of the room was used as Magnus’s bedroom. His bedroom was arranged to Magnus’s idea of comfort, which was just a bed, a couple of tables, and his favorite wooden chair. The lower half was set up almost exactly as like his basement, which took a lot of work from a group of master artisans.
Now finally the day that Kiba would begin with his lessons has come and the young human could not be happier. Kiba had so many questions to ask Magnus, not only when is comes to average academics but about alchemy as well.
Ever since Magnus had Kiba take that little test he has grown more and more curious. He wanted to know why he could use alchemy and what he could use it for. However, Kiba had one question he wanted to know more than all the rest, how could he use alchemy to help his mama?
The reason he wanted to know this more than anything else was because he wanted more than anything was to make his mama’s life a bit easier.
Ever since Kiba was little he saw how much the kingdom and its citizens looked up to his mama for guidance. Which she was happy to do but sometimes it took a lot out her, both physically and mentally. This always made Kiba sad whenever he saw her like this because it always made him feel so helpless.
He was so happy at the idea that he would be finally able to help that right after he had breakfast with his mother he ran to Magnus’s room to start his first lesson. Once at the door he started to knock until finally the doors swing open to reveal a slightly irritated Magnus.
Kiba smiled up at Magnus and said,” Hello mister Magnus I am here for my first lesson!”
Magnus sighed as he started to caress the bridge of his nose with his left paw in attempts to calm his nerves. After a couple seconds Magnus sighed and said,” I can see that young pup.” Magnus then turned his back to Kiba and began to walk back into his room while saying,” come now pup so we might begin, oh and close the doors on your way in.”
Kiba gave a small nod and quickly made his way into the room, making sure to close the doors behind him. Kiba than ran up to Magnus and asked,” so what are you going to teach me first mister Magnus?”
Magnus sighed and said,” first, young pup, since you are now my student I must insist you call me master Magnus.” Magnus then turned to KIba to see if he understood, which he did and showed it by shaking his head up and down. Magnus then smiled at the young boy and said,” second I have decided since this is your first lesson I would let you choose.”
KIba smiled widely at this and asked,” really master Magnus I can?” KIba then ran in front of him and said,” I want to know more about alchemy, I want to know everything.”
Magnus smiled at the boy and asked,” Oh and why do you wish to know this my young apprentice?” Magnus had idea why KIba wanted to know why he wanted to know more alchemy, but wanted to see if he was right.
KIba gave Magnus a big smile and said,” I want to help mama out simple as that,”
Magnus’s eyes shot open in surprise at the child's words. For as long as he could remember Diamond Dogs who even had an iota of talent for alchemy sought him out for training. However, every time he would turn them down for one simple reason, all they wanted was power and nothing more.
Magnus loathed this more than anything, other creatures seemingly never ending lust for power. So to hear Kibas reasoning made shocked him to his core.
Magnus then begin to smile at the boy and said,” well that is a breath of fresh air, quit refreshing if I do say so myself.” Magnus then walked up to his work desk and asked,” so where would you like to begin young pup?”
Kiba ran up to join him and said,” well why don’t you start with the all the different types of alchemy.” He then put up his finger and said,” mama always says you should always get all your information before doing anything.”
Magnus let out a stiff chuckle and said,” wise words I can see your mother has taught you well.” He then pulled out the stools that he had under his desk and patted on the seat as a way of telling Kiba to sit, which he did.
Magnus then sat down where he could face Kiba and asked,” okay now where to begin?” Magnus then rubbed his chin and said,” well I guess I should start with the different types of alchemy.” He then put up two fingers and said,” there are two main types of alchemy, that being wartime and domestic.”
Magnus then lowered his left finger and said,”first let us talk about domestic type alchemy.” Magnus then turned to his desk and said,” well domestic alchemy is basically as it sounds, it is alchemy that is used to better the kingdom in a plethora of ways.”
Kiba turned his head to the side and asked,” what kind of ways master Magnus?”
Magnus then started to rub his chin and said,” well an example would have to be this castle.” Magnus then looked at Kiba who still had his head to the side and said,” I see you are still confused, well you know how this castle is made of assorted crystals?”
Kiba gave a quick nod to show he did and asked,” yeah but what does that have to do with this kind of alchemy master Magnus?”
Magnus smirked and said,” everything young pup, it has everything to do with domestic alchemy.” Magnus then pointed a nearby wall and said,” you see natural crystals don’t form like this so it is up to domestic alchemists transmute them into structures like this.”
Kiba then crossed his arms and said,” oh so that’s why all the houses around the castle are made of crystal.” Kiba then rubbed the back of his head and asked,” so what about the houses not made of crystal, like yours, how do they get made?”
Magnus chuckled at the boys question and said,” well that is simple, craftsdogs are the ones who do that.” Magnus then patted the desk and said,” craftsdogs, if you didn’t know, are the ones who make all the woodcrafts as well as all the none crystal structures.”
Magnus then coughed into his paw and said,” anyways moving onwards let us move onto are next topic, wartime alchemy.” Magnus then looked all around him trying to find something he needed for this lecture.
Kiba looked around like Magnus did before looking at the elder and asking,” um what are you looking for master?”
Magnus then stood up and looked underneath the table for whatever it was he needed. While he was doing this he said,” I am looking for a little black box.” Magnus then pulled his head out from under the table and asked,” do you see it anywhere?”
Kiba looked around and then pointed at a box that was on a nearby shelf. Kiba then asked,” is that the box over there master?”
Magnus turned his head to where Kiba was pointing and with a smile said,” ah good eye on you lad.” He then stood up and went over to shelf and grabbed the little box. Magnus then turned back to face Kiba and said,” come over here my boy, I have something to show you.”
Kiba then jumped up from his seat and walked over to Magnus. Magnus then put his left paw onto his shoulder and said.” now what I am about to show you is a tool both made and used by special wartime alchemists.” He then slowly opened the box to reveal a small black octagon.
KIba found himself somewhat intranet by the object and tried to reach out and touch it. However, before his hand could get close enough to the octagon Magnus snapped the box shut. This caused KIba to real his hand back and stare up at his master with a bit of fear in his eyes.
Magnus then said,” I highly advise against that pup, this is not something that a child should mess with.”
KIba turned his head to the side and asked,” why is that master, is it super dangers or something?”
Magnus gave a quick nod again as he opened the box up again. He then reached inside and pulled out the object, making sure to have a tight grip on it the whole time. Magnus then said,” this my young friend is an alchemist weapon which was used in the great Diamond wars, which you will learn about later.”
KIba then pointed at the octagon and asked,” how is that little thing a weapon master, it just looks like a weird gem to me.”
Magnus chuckled at this and said,” well it might not look like much right now but when in the hands of an alchemist it transforms into a powerful weapon.” Magnus then crouched down to Kiba's eye level and asked,” do you want to see it.” This caused KIba to smile widely and shake his head yes as fast as he could.
Magnus laughed at this and said,” okay then young pup, but I will need you to stand back first.” KIba then jumped back a couple spaces so his master had enough room.
Magnus then took a deep breath in while slowly raising his arm that held the octagon until it was straight out infront of him. Magnus then closed his eyes and focused his energy into the object, causing it to glow brightly.
Kiba tried his best to watch what was going on but was unable to and was forced to shut his eyes due to the harsh light. When he final opened them again KIba was shocked to see the little octagon had transformed into a large war hammer.
Kiba awed at the hammer and asked,” wow how did that little thing become that giant hammer master?” Kiba then reached out his hand to touch it put Magnus pulled it back before he could do so.
Magnus then said,” that is another thing that I will get into later.” Magnus then leaned the weapon onto his shoulder and said,” anyways on with the lesson, this weapon is one of the best and only representations of wartime alchemy.”
Magnus then turned the hammer back into an octagon and said,” this is what is known a an alchemist weapon, and it was and is are kingdoms strongest weapons.” He then put the octagon back in the box while saying,” like I said earlier these were used heavily in the great Diamond wars as a way to really combat the other races.”
Magnus then took the box back on the shelf while saying,” we knew that compared to creatures like the Ponies, Griffeins, and Minotaurs we were comparatively weak.” Magnus then turned back to Kiba and said,” then only one up we had on all of them was are alchemy and normal alchemy takes to long and is rather ineffective in combat.” He then smirked and said,” so are wisest alchemists at the time decided to make these special weapons as a way for us to fight more effectively.”
Kiba turned his head to the side and said,” I don’t understand why we would ever need such things master, couldn’t things be solved more peacefully?”
Magnus sighed and said,” believe me I wish there was, but more often than not everything devolves into fighting.”
Kiba shook his head and said,” that is not right, mama always says that we should always strive for peace and only resort to violence when there are no other options.”
Magnus smiled and said,” well your mother truly is a wise Queen, which is why are relationship with the ponies is better than ever.” Magnus then put his paws on Kibas shoulders and said,” however, you must know there are times when you will need to fight, if not for you then for what you believe in and those you care for.”
Kiba looked at Magnus for a couple minutes as he thought about what his master just told him. He then gave Magnus a small nod and said,” I think I understand master and I promise to always keep that in mind.”
Magnus let out a small laugh and said,” I know you will my young apprentice.” Just then a series of dings and chims could be heard coming from a nearby wall clock. Magnus was shocked to see that apparently their lesson, which was only supposed to take an hour to an hour and half, had taken two and a half hours.
Magnus looked up from Kiba and at the clock which caused him to say,” oh how time seems to fly when you are having fun.” Magnus then smiled and said,” now I will see you in two days for your next lesson, which should give you enough time to start reading these.” Magnus then quickly grabbed a few books off the table and handed them to Kiba.
The books that Magnus gave Kiba were early history of the Diamond Dog empire and Alchemy 101.
Kiba smiled as he looked at the books and said,” thank you master, I promise to read them all the way though.” Kiba then moved the books to his left arm and went up and hugged Magnus.
Magnus hugged Kiba back with his right arm and said,” alright young one get going so you can tell your mother everything you learned.”
Kiba gave a quick nod before letting Magnus go and running off to go find his mama so he could tell her about everything he learned.
Magnus chuckled as he watched Kiba run out of the and once the young human was gone he said,” that young man truly is something.” Magnus then rubbed his chin and said,” maybe he will be the one to take on my legasie after I am gone?” Magnus then let out a small chuckle as he walked over to his table and said,” I guess we will just have to wait and see.”
It was just another normal day and Fenriss was getting sick of listening to nobles ramble at her. More of them telling how she should stop with her tax increases on the nobles and take more from the lower class. Honestly she was at her wits end and just prayed for something to come in and shut them up.
Just then the entrance to the throne room opened up and Commander Howler walked inside, causing the whole room to go silent.
Fenriss fought off grinning at how she got her wish. She then gave a small cough and asked,” Commander Howler, for what reason are you disturbing my court?”
Commander Howler gave a small bow and said,” sorry majesty but ponies sent messenger for you.”
Fenriss raised an eyebrow and said,” oh they have have they.” She then stood up and said,” court is now adjourned for the day and are free to go home.” She then watched as the nobles left the room, leaving only Fenriss and Commander Howler. She then sat back down and said,” please show the messenger in.”
Commander Howler then gave a quick bow before leaving to grab the pony messenger. When he walked back into the room he was accompanied by a Pegasus female with ruby fur and a golden mane,
The Pegasus walked up to Fenriss and gave a respectful bow. While still in a bow she said,” greetings your highness I do so hope I that i’m not disturbing you.”
Fenriss waved her hand in front of face while saying,” oh no you are perfectly fine.” She then cleared her throat and said,” now I hear that you have a message to give me.”
The Pegasus then rose up and said,” indeed I have your majesty.” She then craned her neck around so she could reach into her saddle bag. She then pulled out a scroll that was sealed with a wax seal.
Fenriss stood up and walked so the Pegasus and grabbed hold of the scroll. She then opened the scroll and in her head began to read.
Dear Queen Fenriss, I am sending you this letter as a way to remind you of the Royal summit between are two kingdoms being held in Canterlot in one weeks time. As you know this meeting is so we can look over, and revise, are trade territorial agreement. The summit should only take a couple days at most to get everything taken care of that needs to be. I am so looking forward to seeing you again.
From: Princess Celestia of Equestria PS: I have heard rumors of you becoming a mother a few years back and would just love to meet the little one, so please do bring him along.
Fenriss’s eyes shot open in shock when she read that last line and began to panic. How could she have found out about KIba and why would Celetia ask her to bring him along she wondered. After taking a moment to compose herself she said,” thank you for bringing this to me, please return to Celestia and tell her that we will be there.”
The Pegasus gave a small nod and said,” it shall be done.” She then turned around and made her way out of the throne room.
Once the Pegasus was gone, both from vision and ear shot, Fenriss let out a long tired groan.
Commander Howler turned his head to the side and asked,” Majesty okay, something troubles you?”
Fenriss rubbed her temples with her paws while saying,” I am fine commander Howler just very tired.” She then asked,” could you please go fetch KIba and miss Lassie for me?”
Commander Howler gave a respectful bow and quickly left to find the pair. After about ten minutes KIba and Lassie were escorted into the throne room.
As Kiba walked into the throne room he quickly ran up to his mother hugged her neck. KIba then backed off and asked,” hey mom, why did you need to see us all the sudden, especially when you are supposed to be in the middle of court?”
Fenriss smirked and asked,” is it so hard to believe that I just wanted to see my precious Gem and one of my closest friends?” Kiba and Lassie gave her gave her a are you serious look. With a sigh said,” fine, I called you here to inform you about the up and coming Royal summit in Canterlot.”
Kiba and Lassie looked at each other and then back at Fenriss. Kiba then asked,” um what are you talking about mama, what Royal summit?”
Fenriss smiled and said,” well Kiba it is a meeting that us and the kingdom of Equestria hold every ten years in order to discuss trades, border lines, and finally any grievances either of are nations have.” She then smiled and said,” are next summit will be held in a weeks time and you two are coming with me.”
Lassie and Kiba’s eyes shot open and Lassie asked,” your majesty surely you mean you and Kiba are going correct?”
Fenriss gave a quick nod and said,” yes I did and you are coming as well Lassie.” She then smirked and said,” how else do you expect me to keep Kiba in line.” This caused both Fenriss and Lassie to laugh while Kiba pouted. Fenriss then rubbed a small tear from eye and said,” now in all seriousness I will need you to keep an eye on Kiba while i’m in my meetings, at least until I can meet up with you two afterwards.”
Lassie smiled as she gave a small bow and said,” it would be an honor your majesty, I will not let him out of my sight.” She then stood back up tall and looked at Kiba who had his arms crossed over his chest. Lassie then asked,” is something wrong Kiba?”
KIba looked at her and with puffed out cheeks said,” why do you two always act like I can’t be left on my own for more than a few seconds.”
Fenriss smirked and with a chuckle said,” because the last time we left you alone you decided to practice your alchemy in the garden, which destroyed at least half of the garden.”
This caused Kiba to rub the back of his head with a blush and said,” okay you have a point there.” Fenriss and Lassie burst into a fit of laughter as they saw Kiba's reaction.
Once Fenriss and Lassie calmed down Fenriss said,” okay now that that is out of the way.” She then cleared her throat and said,” I want both of you to start preparing to depart, get everything you need to in order.”
Lassie then gave a small nod and asked,” your majesty if I might ask, when exactly are we leaving?’
Fenriss smiled and said,” I am glad that you asked, we will be leaving in six days time.” Her smile the dissipated and with a sigh said,” and we will be going by flying carriage, provided by Equestria of course.”
This caused Lassie to join her in frowning at the thought of using one of those Pegasus drawn carriages. Neither of them, or most Diamond Dogs for that fact, liked being to far from the ground. Because to them the ground represented both home and safety, where as the sky was none of those things.
KIba, on the other hand, was so excited to be able to go up in one of those carriages ever since he heard about them from Magnus. Honestly he couldn’t understand how anyone could not be excited with the idea of getting to fly in the air.
Fenriss shook her head as a way of clearing her head and said,” anyways for the next six days I want you two to make any preparations that you may need to be ready for this little trip of ares.” She then stood up and asked,” do you both understand?”
Kiba and Lassie both gave Ferniss a nod to show that they understood and left the throne room. And so for the next five days the three prepared for their trip to Canterlot. Then at long last the six day had come, the day of their departure.
Kiba ran out of the main tunnels entrance to the surface and happily screamed,” finally it is time to leave!!” He then turned back towards the tunnel entrance and as his mother, Lassie, Magnus, and Commander Howler walked out. Kiba then with a chuckle asked,” what about you mama, are you as excited as I am?”
Fenriss chuckled a little bit at her pups behavior and said,” excited isn’t the word I would use but sure.” She then looked up at the sky and said,” Ah I think that would be are ride now.” Kiba and the rest of the group then looked to the sky as well and noticed something grow closer to them.
As the object drew closer it became clearer and clearer to be a golden carriage drawn by a pair a male Pegusia wearing golden armor.
Once the carriage had touched the group Fenriss gave a small sigh and said,” well let us get this over with.” She then looked at Kiba and Lassia and asked,” are you both sure that you have everything that you need?”
Lassie gave a small nod and said,” yes your majesty I am ready to go.” She then looked at Kiba and with a smirk said,” I even made sure that Kiba was ready in time.” This caused both her and Fenriss to let out a small chuckle.
Fenriss then said,” well that is good to know, we both know that Kiba is just a tad forgetful.” She then turned to Kiba and playfully began to ruffle his hair while saying,” aren’t you my little Gem?”
This caused Kiba to blush and say,” I am not mama, it was only that one time that I forgot my bags in the tunnels.”
Fenriss and Lassie let out a simultaneous chuckle at Kiba’s reaction. After Fenriss calmed herself down she look over towards the chariot and sighed. She then said,” well I guess it is time for us to get going, don’t want to keep them waiting.” Fenriss , Lassie, and KIba then started to walk towards the chariot.
Magnus then put his hand up and said,” hold on for a moment your majesty, I have something for the young pup.”
Fenriss sighed as she stopped and said,” oh alright but please make it quick.” She then nudged Kba to walk over to Magnuss.
Magnus looked down at KIba and with a small smile said,” now before you left I thought it prudent to warn you about a couple things.” He then put his left paw on Kiba’s shoulder while holding up his right paw while saying,” the first, and most important, thing is that the pony culture is far different from ares and often makes them more hostile towards other creatures, especially where you are going.” He then pulled out a metal octagon and said,” which is why I made you this, just incase something happens.”
KIba carefully took the metal octagon and looked it over, making sure he took in every detail of the octagon and asked,” is this what I think it is master?”
Magnus gave a small nod and said,” yes it is an alchemist weapon, your alchammest weapon.” He then stood up tall and asked,” you remember how to activate it correct?”
KIba gave a rapid nod and closed his eye while holding onto the octagon. He then focused and pouring energy into the octagon and imagined it transforming. A white light then enveloped Kiba’s hand and once it disappeared two gauntlets were now on his arms.
While KIba looked over his newfound gauntlets Fenriss walked over to Magnus and angrily demanded,” explain now!”
Magnus waved his hand in front of his face while saying,” your majesty please calm down and I will explain.” However, all he got from her was a deep growl that told him that if he didn’t start explaining then he would be dead. Magnus then let out a small gulp and said,” well you know how those ponies can be towards other species, they view them their lessers.” He then looked over at Kiba and said,” and that view often leads to mistreatment, and I just want you all to be safe.”
Fenriss blinked in surprise and said,” I had no idea you cared for him so much sir Magnus.”
Magnus returned his gaze Fenriss and said,” of course I do, he is the first pup in a long while that have taken on as an apprentice.” He then slightly looked away and with a blush said,” pulse I view the boy as my own grandson.”
Fenriss smirked at his last statement and said,” oh so he has wormed his way even into your hard heart.”
While Magnus and Fenriss talked Kiba slowly opened his eyes and stared at the gauntlets that now where on his arms. Magnus then turned his attention away from Fenriss and back to KIba and asked,” like them, I made them myself?”
This caused Kiba to look up at Magnus and ask,” really master, you made them for me?” Magnus smiled at the boy and gave him a nod to show that he was correct.
Kiba was speechless, he never thought that his mentor would do something like this for him. Kiba then quickly ran up and hugged Magnus as tight as he could while saying,” thank you, thank you, thank you!!”
Magnus pat Kiba on the head and said,” think nothing of it pup, just be sure to only use it in dire circumstances.” He then lightly pushed Kiba away while saying,” now you best get moving or they might just leave you behind.”
Kiba chuckled as he turned around and put the octagon in his pocket while he ran to join his mother and Lassie at the carriage. He then hugged his mother as tight as he could before getting on the carriag followed by Lassie and Fenriss.
As soon as everyone was on the carriage Fenriss gave the pegassi a quick nod, which caused the two pegassi to begin their takeoff. As they flew to Canterlot Kiba found himself amazed as he watched the ground bellow pass them by. Meanwhile Fenriss and Lassie just closed their eyes and waited for them to land, and after a little over half an hour they finally landed.
Once the carriage was on the ground Lassie and Fenriss quickly, and happily, got off. Kiba on the other hand whined as he got off and said,” aw man I don’t want to get off yet.”
Fenriss looked back at Kiba and with a chuckle said,” come on Kiba we will be back in a couple of days so you will get to fly again.”
Kiba smiled and happily ran up to his mother asking,” really we get to fly again?”
Fenriss pat Kiba's head while crouching down and saying,” yes my little Gem you get to fly again.” She then stood back up straight,” but for right now we have someplace to be.” Fenriss then grabbed Kiba’s hand started walking alongside Lassie through Canterlot and towards the castle.
As they walked Kiba looked in awe at all the new buildings, given that they were not made of crystale like they were back home. However, the one thing that he found most interesting was seeing all the ponies. In all of Kiba’s life he had only seen like five or six ponies top, so this was really a treat to him.
However, unlike Kiba, Lassie and Fenriss didn’t even look at the building or the ponies. But they could tell that they were being looked at by then and every once in a while they could hear ponies whispering, about them they could guess. All the attention caused Fenriss to tighten her hold on Kiba’s hand, which did cause Kiba to look up at his mother with a bit of concern.
Fenriss looked down at Kiba and with a smile said,” sorry dear, just not used to being above ground for this long, that is all.”
Kiba smiled back at her and then just returned his attention back to looking at the sights. In this way Fenriss was happy that her son was, for lack of a better term, easily distracted when it came to new things or places.
After walking through Canterlot for a bit the royal castle came in perfect view, which caused Kiba to gasp in awe. Kiba then looked up his mother and asked,” Is this it mama, is this where that summit thing will be held?”
Fenriss chuckled as she said,” yes it is dear, a bit different from ares isn’t it?” She then lead Kiba and Lassie to the front gate of the castle, where she was greeted by two Stallions in golden armor.
The stallion on the right stepped forward and said,” Queen Fenriss it is a pleasure to see you, her majesty awaits you and your..” The stallion then looked past Fenriss at KIba and Lassie and said,” um entourage, in the throne room.”
Fenriss smiled as she gave the stallion a nod while saying,” thank you, we will head there right away.” Just then the castles gates began to open and the stallion guards moved to the side so they could walk through.
As they walked through the gates KIba was blown away by how different the architecture was from back home. In the Diamond Dog Kingdom there were many rough edges to the building, while in Canterlot everything was smoother and more symmetrical. Kiba continued to aw at all everything he saw all the way to the throne room entrance.
Once they reached the throne rooms entrance Fenriss looked back at KIba and Lassie with worry. She had no idea how the Princess’s would react to seeing her son, especially considering how close minded the ponies could be. Fenriss’s was wracked with worry as to what might happen when she entered this room.
As Fenriss began to lose herself in her worry, Lassie laid a comforting paw on her shoulder, almost as if to say that everything was okay.
Fenriss smiled appreciatively at Lassie and gave her a quick nod to show that she was okay now. Fenriss then turned her attention back to the doors, and with a small nervous gulp pushed knocked. It took a couple seconds before the throne room doors slowly began to open to reveal a massive room, lined with stained glass telling different stories, and beautiful marble columns with flowers adorning them. However, the main focal point was the raised Golden throne at the back of the room and the pony sitting on, and standing next to the throne.
Fenriss quickly took hold of Kiba’s hand and lead him to the foot of the raised throne, while Lassie stayed next to the doorway. She then gave a polite bow and said,” Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, it has been too long.”
The pony sitting on the throne then rose to her hooves, giving Kiba a chance to get a good look at them both. Kiba could hardly believe what he had seen, both ponies were much larger than any he had ever seen before and had both wings and a horn. Kiba then pointed at the taller of the two strange ponies and asked Fenris,” mama why do they have both wings and a horn?”
Fenriss eyes shot open with alarm and quickly grabbed and lowered his arm. She then somewhat angrily said,” Kiba what have I told you about pointing at others, and about pointing out others differences!” Fenriss then turned to the two princesses and with a bow asked,” Please forgive my pup, he didn’t mean to be rude?” She then sternly looked at Kiba through the side of her eye, causing him to bow and apologize as well.
As they did this a small chuckle could be coming from the taller of the two ponies. She then descended the stairs that lead to the golden throne, stopping when she was in front of Fenriss and Kiba, causing both of them to raise their head to look at her.
Kiba was blown away at how stunning the tall pony before him looked. From her perpetually flowing rainbow mane, to her almost shining white fur, to finally her warm demeanor. As he looked at her he started to wonder if this pony was really a pony at all, or if she was a spirit of some kind.
The pony then smiled as she said,” Don’t worry I fully understand, I am probably unlike anything that he has ever seen before.” She then walked down from her throne and walked up to Kiba. Once there she smiled down at Kiba, who looked up at the tall pony with wonder in his eyes, and said,” My name is Celestia and I am a Princess of Equestria, it is a pleasure to meet you.” She then offered her hoof, which Kiba happily shook.
After a couple seconds Celestia pulled back her hoof and warmly said,” I am happy to finally get to meet my friends first child.” She then looked over to Fenriss and said,” He really is something special Fenriss, I am very happy for you.”
Fenriss smiled as she gave a small bow and said,” Thank you Celestia, that means a lot to me.” She then leaned down and nuzzled Kiba’s cheek. After a moment she looked up at Celestia again and asked,” So Celestia, mind telling me what is on the docket for this summit this time.”
Celestia smiled as she shook her head and said,” Same as always Fenriss, right down to business.” She then turned her head to face her throne and said,” Well sad to say you will have to wait until tomorrow to begin.”
Ferniss turned her head to the side and asked,” Oh, and why would that be if you don’t mind me asking?”
Celestia turned back to look at Fenriss and said,” Well to start we have two new ponies joining us this time.” She then smirked as she looked down at Kiba while saying,” Besdies I am sure you would like to spend some time with your son, showing him around and such.”
Ferniss looked at Celestia before looking at Kiba, who had a very exciting look on his face. She then chuckled while saying,” Well I must admit that does sound fun.” She then looked down at Kiba and asked,” Would you like that sweetie?”
Kiba looked up at his mother and beamed with joy and said,” Heck yeah, that sounds awesome.”He then hugged hi mother as tight as he could while saying,” Thank you mama!”
Fenriss smiled warmly as she hugged him back while saying,” You are so welcome my little Gem.” After a second she pulled back from Kiba and said,” But we will have to wait until tomorrow, alright?”
Kiba gave a quick nod to show that he understood. Fenriss then smiled as she ruffled his hair while saying,” That’s my boy.” She then looked up at Celestia and asked,” So, care to show us to are courters?”
Celestia gave a swift nod as she said,” Certanly my friend, I shall summon a guard to take you to where you will be staying.” She then summoned a Unicorn Stallion in golden armor and had him show Fenriss, Kiba to their room, and Lassie to hers.
After getting ready for bed Fenriss and Kiba climbed into bed and Fenriss said,” Goodnight dear, sweet dreams.” She then kissed him on his forehead while laying her arms over him and falling asleep.
Fenriss slowly started to awaken from her slumber as she felt Kiba’s foot kick her in the side. She slowly groaned as she sat up and whipped the remaining sleep from her eyes. Now fully awake, she turned her head to look at her son, still happily asleep. As she looked at him, a small smile formed on her face, and she slowly leaned down and licked him on the cheek.
As he felt the tongue brush against his cheek, a slight groan escaped his throat. Sleepy, he pulled a pillow over his head and said,“ Mama, five more minutes.”
Fenriss chuckled as she gently took her paw and rubbed his side. “Alright, my little Gem, five more minutes and no more,” she said sweetly while slowly moving off of the bed. She quickly walked into the washroom that was attached to their room and freshened up. As she walked out and towards where her royal trimmings were, now looking ready for the day, a knock on the bedroom door could be heard.
Before Fenriss could say anything, the bedroom door was pushed open by a guardspony who said,” I am sorry to disturb you, Your Majesty, but Princess Celestia has requested your attendance in the throne room.”
Fenriss turned her head to the side and wondered what Celestia needed her for. She gave a small nod and said“ Alright, tell Celestia I shall be with her shortly. I just need to make sure that my son is taken care of.”
The guardspony gave a firm nod and said,” I will go inform the princess now, Your Majesty.” Then, with a respectful bow, the he backed away, shutting the door in the process.
Fenriss sighed as she turned her head to look at Kiba, who was still fast asleep. She then quickly walked over to the sleeping Kiba and started gently rocking him while saying,” Come on, Kiba, it is time to get up.”
Kiba groaned as he moved the pillow off of his head and said,” I’m up, I’m up.” He then rubbed his eyes to chase the sleep away and asked,” Morning, mama, did you sleep well?”
Fenriss smiled, and, with a chuckle, said,” I slept wonderfully, my little Gem.” She kissed him on the head and said,” Sweetie I am afraid that Princess Celestia needs me for something. So until whatever business we have is finished, I will need you to be with Lassie.” Then, with pleading eyes, she asked,” Will that be alright with you sweetie?”
Kiba looked up into his mother’s eyes and smiled warmly while saying,” Mama, as long as we get to spend any time together, then I am happy.” He then turned his head to the side and asked,” We will be spending some time together, right, mama?”
Fenriss was surprised at first, but quickly smiled and hugged him tightly. As she held Kiba she said,” Oh, of course, sweetie. You and I will spend a lot of time together looking around town before we go home.”
Kiba smiled as he hugged his mother back just as tightly and said,” Then I am happy to wait, mama.” He then managed to wiggle his way out of the hug and said,” Besides, Lassie and I will have fun until you get done with your business.”
Fenriss chuckled as she said,” I knew I could count on you, my precious little Gem. Now you go get ready for the day, while I go inform Lassie of what is going on.” She stood up from the bed and watched as Kiba did the same and went to the washroom. As soon as he was out of sight, she left the room and went to Lassie’s room. Once there, she knocked on the door and waited for an answer.
After a moment, Lassie opened the door with a towel wrapped around her head and yipped. Her voice began to shake as she said,” Y-your Majesty, forgive me, I just got out of the bath.” She pulled the towel off of her head and asked,” Now, how might I be at your service, Your Majesty?”
Fenriss smiled as she said,” There is no need for such formalities Lassie. Feel free to just call me Fenriss.” She sighed before saying,” Now for why I am here, well I am afraid that I must attend a meeting with Princess Celestia. So I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind looking after Kiba while I am indisposed?”
Lassie warmly smiled as she said,” Oh, I would be more than happy to look after young Kiba.”
Fenriss beamed as she said,” Perfect, you really are a lifesaver, Lassie.” She chuckled as she said,” I know you and my little Gem will have a wonderful time.” Her tail then began to wag as she said,” You two could even go to their royal garden, it has some truly wondrous creatures living in it.”
Lassie looked up slightly before looking back to Fenriss and saying,” That sounds like an amazing idea, Your Majesty, thank you.”
Fenriss nodded contently and said,” Perfect, just come by my room in a few minutes to grab him so I can go to my little meeting.” She then turned to leave and said,” I will make sure he is ready for you.”
Fenriss returned to her room, where Kiba was sitting on the bed, still in his sleep clothes with messy hair. She sighed before walking into the washroom and grabbing a hairbrush. With the hairbrush in hand, she sat down next to him and started to tame his wild hair. As she brushed she jokingly asked,” How come your hair is always such a mess?”
Kiba chuckled as he said,” I like it more this way mama, combing it is always such a pain.”
Fenriss chuckled back as she said,” Well I could agree to that, but I think you look a lot more handsome with your hair more kept.” Once his hair was cleaned up, she happily began to nuzzle him, causing him the giggle. However, she stopped suddenly when someone began to knock on the door. Looking at the door she called,” It’s open.”
As she said this, the bedroom door was pushed open to reveal a smiling Lassie. She chuckled as she looked at the duo and said,” I have come to see if young Kiba is ready for the day.”
Kiba jumped off of the bed and ran up to Lassie, tackle-hugging her, nearly knocking her over. He looked up at her and said,” I am almost ready, I just need to get my clothes on.” He released her from the hug and went to go change out of his sleep clothes.
Lassie chuckled as she watched the young prince scurry off, before turning her attention to Fenriss. She smiled as she asked,” Your Majesty, if you so wish, I could see to Kiba while you go ahead and attend your meeting with Princess Celestia.”
Fenriss gave a small nod as she said,” Alright, then I think I shall.” She then headed out of the room, and as she passed Lassie she said,” I will try my best to meet up with you two as soon as I am able, but until then please try and have a good time.”
Lassie smiled and gave a small bow to Fenriss as she left the room. As she returned to normal she felt something pull on her arm. She looked down and saw a smiling Kiba who was now dressed for the day. She moved to where she was standing in front of him and asked,” You look ready, but are you sure you have everything, and I mean everything, that you need?”
It took Kiba a minute to understand what Lassie was saying before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the metal octagon, also known as an alchemist weapon, his master gave him.
Lassie smiled as she said,” Good, now put it away.” She then looked side to side before saying,” We don’t want the guards to take it from you.”
Kiba gave a quick nod before putting the octagon back in his pocket and asking,” So what are we going to do today Lassie?”
Lassie chuckled as she ruffled Kiba’s hair and said,” Well I recently found out that this castle has a wonderful garden, very much unlike our own. So I thought that it might be a wonderful opportunity for you to see plants and creatures that can’t, or don’t, thrive in our underground kingdom.”
Kiba looked up at Lassie with amazement before quickly grabbing her paw and yanking it while saying,” Well then what are we waiting for, lets go.” The two then started heading towards the royal gardens, Kiba pulling on Lassie’s paw the whole time.
As they rounded a corner, Kiba ran headfirst into a fancy white-coated unicorn with a blonde mane, knocking him to the ground. He shook his head as Lassie helped him back on his feet and said,” Woops, should have been watching where I was going, my bad.”
The fancy unicorn glared at Kiba and yelled,” You vile little monster, how dare you! Do you have any idea who I am? I am Prince Blueblood!”
Lassie stepped in front of Kiba and begged,” Please forgive him, Prince Blueblood. It was truly an accident.” She reached back and set a paw on Kiba’s shoulder as she began to guide him away from the prince. However, suddenly, two unicorns clad in armor blocked their path.
Prince Blueblood let out a condescending chuckle before saying,” I don’t remember permitting you to leave, you stupid dog.” He wickedly smirked as he began to circle the two and said,” It has been quite a long time since I had my way with one of your kind.” He quickly stopped his circling and looked at the two armored ponies. He pointed at them with one of his hooves and said,” You two, I want you to take the dog back to my room and chain her up for me.”
The two armored ponies gave a brief nod before walking up to Lassie and grabbing her. One of them then said,” Please come along quietly, we don’t want this getting out of hoof and causing a ruckus.”
Lassie was shocked and tried to free herself from the armored ponies’ hooves to no avail.
Kiba glared at the armored ponies before running up to one of them and trying to pull them off of her, but he was quickly thrown to the ground. He stared in shock for a moment before glaring at Blueblood and running up to him and yelling,” Hey, you, tell them to leave Lassie alone you prissy jerk!”
Blueblood gasped in shock before glaring at Kiba and saying,” How dare you address me in such a manner, you filthy little beast!” He pulled back his hoof and, in one swift motion, brought it down on the side of Kiba’s head, knocking him to the ground.
This caused Lassie and the armored ponies to stare in shock for a moment before starting to drag her once again, all the while Lassie begged them to let her go so she could look after Kiba.
Kiba groaned as he sat up and rubbed where Blueblood had hit him. With one final shake of his head, he looked at the armored ponies and the struggling Lassie and growled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his alchemist weapon, which started to glow as he clenched it tighter. Then, with a roar, he yelled,” I said, leave Lassie alone!!”
As he screamed, the light emitting from the alchemist weapon started to grow brighter, until finally dissipating, revealing two gauntlets now adorned on his arms. He punched his fists together before punching the ground. As he did this, bolts of electricity sparked out from the ground, followed by the ground itself shooting out in columns, pushing both the armored ponies and Blueblood.
Lassie looked in shock at what Kiba had done and quickly ran over to him. She looked him over and asked,” Kiba are you alright? What did you just do?”
Kiba huffed as he said,” I don’t know, I just did what felt right.” Suddenly his gauntlets glowed brightly before turning back into the hexagonal shape. A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over him, causing him to collapse into Lassie.
Lassie quickly caught him and sighed in exhaustion. As she held him she heard Prince Blueblood yelling about how they would pay for this, but she didn’t pay him any mind. However, she did pay attention when she heard an “ahem” nearby. She quickly looked to the ahem's location and horrifyingly saw both Fenriss and Princess Celestia, who did not look pleased.
Fenriss gently laid Kiba onto her bed and sighed. As she gazed down at her son, a sense of pride and sadness fell over her. “ Alright, from the top, Lassie, what exactly went down again?” she asked as she turned to face the nervously fidgeting Lassie.
Lassie whined as she shakily said,” W-well, Your Majesty, as I t-told you, young Kiba and I were on our way to Canterlots Royal Gardens, when Kiba accidentally bumped into Sir Blueblood. We apologized, but he wouldn't accept it and refused to let us go.” She looked down at the ground as she continued.” Then, he tried to have me taken to his chamber, causing Kiba to use his Alchemist weapon in anger.”
Fenriss frowned as she crossed her arms” Laisse, please raise your head.”
Lassie slowly raised her head, revealing tear-filled eyes. Fears of what her Queen was about to say flooded her mind like the thought of being told how disappointingly she had acted in being unable to keep Kiba from using that weapon. It was her job to look out for the young prince, yet he was the one who had looked out for her.
Fenriss looked Lassie over before giving her a warm smile. “ Lassie, wipe those tears from your eyes for you have nothing to be sad about. There was nothing that you could have done.” She rubbed the back of her head as she continued.” While I would have preferred to not let the ponies know that we still have our alchemic weapons, what’s done is done.”
Lassie couldn’t believe it. She wasn’t receiving the berating that she had thought she would. Tears began to flow faster as she fell to the ground.
A small smile crept its way onto Fenriss’s face as she walked over to Lassie and set her paws on her crying friend’s shoulder.“ You have done a fine job at looking after Kiba, so please, won’t you continue looking after my precious gem?” she asked in a reassuring tone.
Lassie rubbed her eyes.” Yes, yes, I promise to always look after Kiba.”
Fenriss smiled as she took her into a tight embrace and let Lassie cry as much as she needed. After a moment, the two broke from their embrace, and Fenriss said,” Now, if you don't mind, I need you to stay with Kiba while I go and speak with Celestia. Can you do that for me?”
Lassie gave a quick nod.” I swear, I will watch him until you come back .”
Fenriss gave Lassie a good pat on her shoulders.” Thank you, my friend, that means a lot to me.” She smiled as she started walking towards the door.” I will be back as soon I can.” With that, she exited the room and was greeted by two unicorn guards waiting for her.
The guards lead Fenriss to Celestia's personal chambers. One of the guards knocked on the doors of the chamber which was meet by Celestia calling,” You may enter.” The guard pushed open the door, letting Fenriss walk through before he closed it.
Fenriss and Celestia looked at one another in silence. This silence persisted until finally, with a sigh, Celestia said,” I hope I do not have to explain why we are having this little meeting.”
Fenriss crossed her arms and, with a growl, said,” Yes, I know why we are here, and before you say anything, I will not apologize. So you might as well put that thought out of your head.”
Celestia was flabbergasted. She was not used to anyone talking to her in such a manner. She closed her eyes in an attempt to regain her composure. Once she had done so, she asked,” Oh? And why would that be?”
Fenriss sighed as she closed her eyes.” From what I have gathered, it was your boorish nephew who started this whole mess, so I see no real reason to apologize.”
Celestia’s eye twitched before she smiled warmly at Fenriss.” While, yes, I can agree that Blueblood started this whole debacle, that was not what I wanted to discuss.”
Fenriss opened one of her eyes.” Oh? Then, if you have not asked me here to apologize, why am I here?”
Celestia’s smile faded as she instead adopted a serious glare.” Your son used an alchemic weapon, something that is forbidden by the accord between our people.” Her eyes narrowed.” You do recall what I am talking about, correct?”
Fenriss gave an “are you serious?” look and, in a low angry tone, said,” Yes, Celestia, I recall the accord.”
Celestia slowly walked closer to Fenriss until she was practically in her face.” Then you should recall that such weapons are supposed to be locked away!” She turned her back to the Diamond Dog Queen and let out a sigh.” Your great-grandfather knew that as long as those weapons are loose then our people will never be at peace,” she said in a somber tone. She slowly started walking towards the nearby fireplace and used her magic to light it. With a mournful gaze, she sat in front of the fire.” So many innocent Ponies died in their frivolous attempts to acquire those weapons.”
This took Fenriss aback. She had not expected Celestia to say such a thing. She growled angrily and said,” Do not forget all the Diamond Dogs that died in your ponies’ raids.” Just thinking about all the pups, mutts, and purebloods that had died in the many fights that broke out between the two nations made her shiver with anger. She slowly breathed in and out to try and calm herself before saying,” Look, bringing up those times does us no good, so here is what I suggest: You forget about my son’s alchemic weapon and I will forgive your nephew’s assault on my friend.”
Celestia craned her neck to look at Fenriss and, in a surprised voice, asked,” You expect me to just forget that you are once again using your alchemic weapons?, Are you mad?”
Fenriss shrugged and flatly said,” Well, it is either that or we can reignite a long-dead war. Take your pick.”
Celestia closed her eyes and thought for a moment before sighing. “ While I am not too happy to know that the alchemic weapons are back, I must admit that I do not wish to see any more death over those things” she admitted in a tone of defeat. However, her tone quickly changed as she then added,” But if this is going to work, then I am going to need you to agree to something?”
Fenriss’ eyebrow raised.” Oh? And what would that something be?”
Celestia turned her body so she was fully facing Fenriss.” In return for me forgetting about the alchemic weapon, you and your son must promise to not use it unless absolutely necessary.”
Fenriss rubbed her chin as she thought.” Alright, I can agree to that. I don’t want him showing that thing off willy-nilly anyway.” She once again crossed her arms and asked,” So with that out of the way, is that is all you wished to talk about?”
Celestia smiled as she shook her head.” No, there was one other thing.” Her horn lit up with a golden aura, and a sealed letter appeared also encased in the golden aura. The letter floated up to Fenriss who reluctantly grabbed it.
Fenriss looked over the sealed letter for a moment before opening it. The letter was an invitation from Princess Twilight Sparkle asking for young representatives from her kingdom to come to the newly built School of Friendship. She looked up from the letter then back at it and said,” So, that little bookworm of yours has made herself a school. Good for her.”
Celestia smiled.” That she has. I truly am proud of her.” One of her eyebrows raised as she asked,” So, shall you do as she asks?”
Fenriss shook her head.” I don’t know. I would have to think about it.” Honestly, she liked that her people were being asked to be part of something like the school. However, she knew that the other species still looked down on her kind and worried that whoever she chose would be treated poorly. “Please tell your pupil that I will send her a letter in a week’s time with my answer.”
Celestia smiled as she gave a small nod.” I will pass it along.”
Fenriss smiled back at Celestia.” Thank you.” With a bow, she said,” Now, if that is all, then I shall return to my room.”
Celestia nodded one again.” Alright, I will see you in the morning then, my friend. Goodnight.”
Without another word, Fenriss turned around and knocked on the door, which was quickly opened by the guards outside. She quietly left the room and headed back to her bedchamber, all the while thinking about the letter. She really had a lot to think about now.
Chapter 10: School or No School, That is The Question
As the days of the conference passed, Fenriss continually wrestled with the idea of sending Kiba to the Friendship School. On the one paw, if she did, not only would that help strengthen the bond that the Diamond Dogs had to the other races, it would also give Kiba a chance to experience more of the world and broaden his horizons in a way just staying within the Kingdom could never do. However, on the other paw, sending him there could invite many problems. The creatures of this world, especially the ponies, had never been very kind to those who were different from them. Now add that to the fact that he was able to use alchemy and was a prince, and disaster was basically being begged for at that point.
Now, on the last day of their stay in Canterlot, Fernis had to come to a decision and send word to Celestia’s pupil, as she had said she would. But try as she might she could not come to a decision. Even now, she sat alone in the Canterlot Gardens thinking about it.
She let out a low growl, as she frantically rubbed her head before lying down on the ground. With a defeated groan, she laid her arm over her eyes and asked herself,” What am I going to do?”
“What are you going to do about what, mama?” a familiar voice suddenly asked. Fenriss quickly moved her arm off her eyes and smiled at the sight of her son smiling down at her.
Kiba chuckled.” What are you doing lying on the ground, mama. Is it comfortable?”
Fenriss chuckled back at him.” Why don’t you come down here and see for yourself.” She quickly bolted upwards, grabbing Kiba and pulling him to the ground. The two laughed as she nuzzled his cheek. After a second, the pair separated and continued to laugh as they sprawled out on the grass.
Kiba smiled as he gazed up at the sky.” You wanna know something? This place is really cool.” He folded his arms behind his head as he further said,” Don’t get me wrong, I love home, because that is where you, master, and Lassie are. But everything out here is just so new.” A frown spread across his face as he nervously asked,” D-does that sound bad?”
Lassie sat up and turned to look at Kiba. A small smile inched across her face.” No, sweetie, there is nothing wrong with that. This place is a whole lot different than our home, so it is understandable.” Her smile dissipated for a moment before returning.” Hey, how would you like to stay up here and see a little more of this world and our fellow creatures?”
Kiba quickly sat up and, with wide eyes, gazed at Fenriss. For years, he had been becoming more and more interested in the other nations, especially their citizens. The Diamond Dogs typically kept to themselves. ”Are you kidding, mama? That sounds so awesome!” he joyously proclaimed as a hopeful smile spread across his face.
While the joy Fenriss had from Kiba being happy was there, she would be lying if his answer didn’t slightly make her sad. However, she was determined to push her feelings aside for her son’s sake. With a tiny smile she warmly said,” Then, if that is what you want, my Gem, then I will see it done.”
Kibas smile grew until he was beaming from ear to ear. Filled with such overwhelming joy, he tackle-hugged Fenriss.” Oh thank you, mama, thank you, thank you!” After a second, he let his mother go and looked up at her, still smiling away. However, his smile slowly started to fade as he asked,” Are you sure that this is okay, mama?” The last thing he wanted to do was hurt his mama’s feelings, so he had to make sure that it was really okay.
Fenriss whispered “no,” too low for Kiba to hear, before gently nuzzling the side of Kiba’s face.” Yes, sweetie I am sure.” As she stopped nuzzling him she said,” Now, you go find Lassie while I go tell Princess Celestia of your attendance.” Giving a quick nod, Kiba stood up and ran off to find Lassie. A small chuckle left her throat as she watched the boy run off. With him now out of sight, she sighed as she stood up.
Fenriss brushed herself off before letting out a sigh.” Well there isn’t much sense in putting it off.” She thought about where Celestia might be at this time of day. Either way, she would be in the throne room or her room. Deciding to first check the throne room she headed that way.
After a few minutes of traversing the halls of Canterlot Castle, she finally came upon the entrance to the throne room. However, unlike before, the massive entrance doors were now closed, and a pair of Pegasus guards were standing at the ready. On the right was a stallion with a dusty brown coat, and on the left, a mare with a dark blue coat.
The mare and stallion raised their spears and the brown coated stallion said,” I am sorry, madam, but their majesties are currently meeting with the Elements of Harmony.”
Fenriss’s ears laid back on her head in annoyance. A small sigh escaped her as she said,” I understand, but my business actually does pertain to one of your elements, so I must ask you to please step aside.”
The two pegasus guards looked at one another wondering what they should do. Hesitantly, the stallion shook his head and said,” I am afraid that I can’t just let you in, but let me see what I can do.” He then turned round and opened the door slightly, just enough for him to enter.
The Pegasus Mare nervously looked at Fenriss. In a shaky voice, she said,” I-I am very sorry for the inconvenience, your grace.”
Fenriss sighed gently.” It is alright, miss, you and your fellow guard are just doing your jobs. As I would hope that my own guards back home would do.”
The mare seemed to calm down a bit, as a tiny smile crept across her face. “ Thank you, your grace, I honestly didn’t expect you to be as nice as you are.”
“Oh? And how did you expect me to act then?” Fenriss asked with a raised brow. She knew that ponies had a rather unflattering view of her kin, especially after a bunch of brainless pups had decided to kidnap the heroes of Equestria.
The mare shuffled her hooves uncomfortably,” Well, growing up, I always heard that your kind are vicious and bloodthirsty.” Her shuffling halted as she then confidently said,” But seeing you now, I really don’t think that is the case anymore.”
This caught Fenriss off guard. Almost every interaction she had had with ponies, aside from Celestia, had been negative, to say the least. But here this mare was being nice to her. A warm smile crawled onto her face as she said,” Well, I am happy I could put those worries to rest.”
Just then, the stallion reemerged from the throne room.” Alright, I asked the Princesses if you might enter, and they agreed.” He and the guardsmare both moved aside and allowed her to enter.
Fenriss gave a nod and smiled as she passed the pair and entered the throne room. Upon entering, she was greeted by the sight of the royal sisters on their thrones as well as the six mares who had saved Equestria time and again. Even amongst the other kingdoms, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony were well known, especially the Element of Generosity Rarity.
The Princesses as well as the six mares all looked at her. Celestia's gaze was kind and welcoming, while her sister Luna’s was more indifferent. As for the Elements, their expressions varied from pony to pony. The purple alicorn and the orange Earth Pony looked curious, while the pink Earth Pony had an enormous grin plastered on her face. As for the last three, the Blue Pegasus looked at her with suspicion and the Tan Pegasus had a wary downright terrified gaze. However, the one who stood out most was the white Unicorn, whose gaze was so sharp Fenriss feared it would cut her to ribbons.
Fenriss tried her best to pay no mind to the six and walked up to the base of the throne. As she approached, Celestia asked,” Hello Fenriss. I was told that you had something to tell me?”
“Yes, I do. After much deliberation I have come to a decision on the topic of our last discussion,” Fenriss said in a calm voice. Slowly, she took a deep breath and said,” I have decided to allow my pup and a few select others to attend the school of friendship your pupil has created.”
Celestia looked shocked for a second before giving the queen of the Diamond Dogs a warm smile. “I am glad to hear that, Fenriss. I am sure that this will help our two kingdoms grow closer, as well as to the rest of the world.”
Fenriss put up her right paw and said,” Let’s not get ahead of ourselves Celestia. I have a small stipulation for their attendance.”
Celestia’s brow raised slightly.” Oh? Please tell me what this stipulation is.”
Fenriss took a deep breath, in and out, before saying,” There are actually a couple, the first being that members of both classes be allowed into the school. I want the world to know both sides of my subjects. As for the second thing,” her eyes grew serious as she said,” I want your solemn word that they will be safe while attending the school, so none of them are discriminated against.”
Celestia looked at Fenriss before turning to her former pupil.” Would those be acceptable conditions, Twilight?” Everyone in the room instantly turned their gaze towards the purple Alicorn who fidgeted uncontrollably at suddenly being made the center of attention.
Twilight quickly cleared her throat and, in a sure tone of voice, said,” I am more than happy to comply.”
Fenriss gave a small nod.” Then, as soon as I return to my Kingdom, I will choose our representatives and send them as soon as possible.” She then turned her attention back to Celestia and gave a polite bow before standing up while saying,” I thank you for letting me barge into your meeting. I wish you all a good day.” She turned her back to everyone and walked out of the throne room, waving at the guards as she passed.
As Fenriss walked, her mind instantly started running a million miles a minute. Who could she choose and exactly how many should she send? These were the things that she had to think about. But that was something for her to deal with after heading home; for now she just wanted to head back and be with her son while she still could.
How could this day come so fast was all that Fenriss could think about as she paced in front of her palace. For the time had finally come to see her darling son off the ponies friendship academy. Now she knew that this was the best thing for Kiba, not to mention for her kingdom’s relationship with Equestria, but part of her just wished it wasn’t so.
With a sigh the monarch stopped her pacing, turning to look at the castle's main entrance. Any minute her little pup would be running out to start this whole new adventure. Honestly, she was only still even the tiniest bit okay with this because of the four other pups she was sending with him.
Since their return from Canterlot, she had been pouring over different potential youths, both Purebred and Mutt, to send as representatives with her son. It took a couple of days to decide on the candidates.
The two of the four she chose was a pair of twin German shepherd and Lab Mutts named Hati and Skoll. Like most Mutts, their physical stature is large and very muscular. However, they are taller than most pups their age, already being as tall as many fully grown Diamond Dogs despite being the same age as Kiba. As an effect of their size, they have already been allowed to take part in mining and expansion of the tunnels.
However, due to the twin's youth, the tunnels that they made have been, unconventional to put it gently. Often the passages would be uneven as well as bend and curve randomly. For this reason, Fenriss believed that they could use this school as a chance to learn discipline.
However, by sending Hati and Skull she would show the strength of the next generation of Diamond Dogs. Hopefully, this would make the other species think twice before deciding to go against her kingdom. It is the job of the ruler to take needed action to prevent future hardships from befalling her subjects, at least that was her logic.
As for the Purebreds, that choice was a lot more difficult. Upon announcing her plan to send the children to Equestria’s school of friendship the monarch was flooded with the majority of her Purebred nobles sending over applications for their children.
While Fenriss would have loved to believe that they did this as a show of support for her attempts at strengthening their relationships with the other nations, she knew better. It was clear to her that a fair few of these nobles had less than admirable intentions. Some saw this as an opportunity to either ingratiate themselves to the crown for their gain or just sabotage her endeavors by offering their less-than-pleasant pups. Though this was not born out of a sense of malice for the crown, but for the other species.
The Purebred's wealth and mental power, especially compared to the Mutts, meant that they often tasked themselves with preserving Diamond Dog's history and culture. This is where their displeasure with Fenriss’s plan lay.
Throughout history, the other species have enslaved Diamond Dogs from time to time to do their bidding. Dragons would use them to endlessly dig up areas for their gems and treasures. If they would fail to meet the greedy beast’s demands then they would be slaughtered. However, the most notorious example of this can be seen by the ponies of the Crystal Empire.
Generations ago, after the Diamond Dogs learned of their alchemic abilities, the ponies of the budding Crystal Empire would hunt down pack after pack, placing them in chains. Before their enslavement, the ponies of the Empire lived in crowded houses and were constantly at the mercy of weather and Umbrum. However, when they heard of the strength of the Diamond Dog’s alchemic abilities to create nigh unbreakable crystal structures with their alchemy they desired to “enlist” their aid.
For years the Diamond Dogs built up what would later be known as the Crystal Empire from the ground with their own two paws. Though the straw that broke the camel's back and forced them to break off their yokes was the creation of the Crystal Heart.
According to Pony history, the heart was created by the first Emperor, Jade Long, of the Crystal Empire to fight back the Umbrum. Though this is only half of the truth. While the magic that courses the Heart is that of the first Emperor the crystal itself was made by the Diamond Dogs. The artifact’s physical form was made of a magically attuned mineral known as Oricalcum, a notorious gem for Alchemists to form. It took the combined efforts of fifteen of the strongest Diamond Dog Alchemists to create the physical shell of the Heart. However, due to the strain of the creation of the weapon, all fifteen slaves meet their ends.
The death of these fifteen Alchemists leads the first King of the Diamond Dogs, Fenriss’s distant ancestor, Fenrir to lead his fellow slaves into rebellion. This event became known as the Diamond Rebellion by the Crystal Empire. From there the now-freed slaves traveled to their current home, and as they say, the rest is history.
With all this in mind, it makes sense that some of the more mistrusting Purebred members of her kingdom would want to send their children to purposely interact with the ponies. Though, that does not mean there weren’t at least some that would be willing to interact with the ponies.
There were a couple of Purebred houses that actively sought to better the bond between the two species. However, at the moment there is only one of these houses that has a child old enough to go, and that would be the Labrador house of Graymoon.
The current heads of the Greymoon family are Lady Lupa and Sir Romulus and are known as one of the best alchemist houses. This fame is due to many members of the Graymoon having a vast love for expanding their knowledge. This familial trait seems to be especially apparent in the family’s heiress Lupinia.
Unlike the majority of other Purebred heirs and heiresses, Lupinia was on the more kind and thoughtful side. Never really thinking of what she could gain out of a situation, but what she could give. This alone made her the most desirable candidate to take part in this program. However, there was one other aspect of her character that made her a good pick, and that was her admiration for the pony Princess of the Moon Luna.
Now some would assume that having an heiress of one of the most powerful Purebred families admiring a foreign monarch would be problematic. Though that is not the case here. There are many Diamond Dogs who think highly of the Monarch of the Moon, some attributing to their canine nature while others attributed to an old myth held by the pack.
The legend goes that after freeing themselves from the chains of the Crystal Empire the light of the moon is what guided them to their current home. Since then many have seen the celestial orb as a sort of guardian spirit, and Luna by proxy.
Honestly, out of all her picks, Lupinia is the one that she is the least worried about.
Now onto the one pick that she was most scared about, the daughter of the Doberman Purebred house of Eitel Brunhild. Coming from one of the more militarily renowned houses of the pack led the pup to take on a notion of superiority to her peers. More often than not, if the girl wanted would become violent and attack others for just the sake of wanting to fight and show her strength.
Fenriss did not want to send her, but there were a couple of advantages to picking her, The first is the fact that Brunhild seemed to inherit the powerful loyalty that came from members of the Eitel house. In that regard, she would work as an exceptional bodyguard for her Kiba. The other reason for her choosing is the hope that the ponies would teach her some form of temperance.
Suddenly the castle's main entrance started to open to reveal all her picks walking out.
First to walk out were the twins Hati and Skoll. At first glance, it was hard for her to discern which was which, but she was able to figure it out after getting a better look at their fur colors. Hati’s fur was black and tan, with the majority being black with patches of tan. While Skoll was black and cream, also the majority were black and had very similar patches but just cream instead of tan. Aside from the fur difference, the only other distinctive factor is the fact that Hati wears a red leather vest, while Skoll wears a pair of metal bracelets and a chain necklace.
The next to come out was Lupinia, a taller-than-average yellow Lab with a relatively slender build, especially for Diamond Dog standards. She was wearing a nice blue robe with gold trim and the emblem of the Graymoon house on the back. Specifically, the emblem was of a gray moon inside of a corked flask. Also plastered on her face was a pair of silver glasses with a small sapphire at the center of the bridge. As a whole, she seemed to embody the noble status that the Purebreds coveted so dearly.
Fourth out of the castle was the short, black and brown, Doberman Brunhild. Honestly, Fenriss was surprised when she first was how short the girl was. To put it in perspective Kiba was considered the shortest pup in the pack, and Brunhild was only a tiny bit taller than him. The monarch wondered if this source of her drive to fight. As if she wants to show her size does not mean she is weak. Her attire was a pair of iron shoulder guards with the crest Eitel house, which is a pair of bloody sickle, a pair of sickles on her side.
The four stopped in front of Fenriss and took a knee in front of her while saying, “Majesty!” This just earned a chuckle from the monarch who motioned for them to stand up, which they quickly did.
“Welcome young pups, and thank you for taking part in this endeavor of mine, “ Fenriss said with a smile. She looked around before saying, “Now we are almost ready to depart, just waiting on one more. Where is my little gem Kiba?”
Just as she said that Kiba quickly ran out, followed by a slightly panicked Lassie, of the castle and to his mother. Once at her side Fenriss noticed he was wearing his black overcoat with what looked like common, a pair of jeans, and a gray shirt. She didn’t care that he chose not to wear all the royal garb, for she knew he did not want to flaunt his statues.
Kiba quickly hugged Fenriss while he said, “Morning Mama, are things all ready for us to go?”
“Yes they are now that you are here my Gem, your new companions just got here as well,” Fenriss said as she motioned towards the four candidates. Kiba looked at the four and waved at them with a smile, which he got back from Hati, Skoll, and Lupinia. Brunhild on the other hand gave a bow of respect for his status.
Lassie walked up to the other side of Fenriss and whispered in her ear, “I am sorry your majesty, but Kiba just wouldn’t get up on time.”
Fenriss turned to Lassie and said, “Thank you Lassie, and I am sure he was just so excited for today that he had trouble falling asleep last night.” With a smile she turned her attention back to the pups and clapped her paws together, getting everyone's attention back on her. “Alright, now that everyone is here I think it's time that we head on our way,” she said before snapping her claws. Suddenly two carriages pulled up, each being pulled by a pair of large Mutts in armor.
One Mutt each moved and opened the carriage doors open for the riders to get inside. Fenriss walked towards the vehicles and said, “If everyone would please step embark then we shall be on our way.” Without another word being said the chosen pups got into the second carriage, while the royal family and Lassie got in the first.
Once inside Fenriss snapped her claws again, causing the Mutts to start pulling the carriages towards the tunnels that lead to the exit of the kingdom. As they made their way the queen couldn’t help but wonder how this day could have come so fast.
