[After-gala]Park of the Palace

[Blueblood]

"Oh, a teacher?  What d'ya teach?"  Contrary to Cerali- sorry, 'Maran's' protests, Chipper didn't find her profession uninteresting at all.  "Is it magic?  Oh boy, I remember back when I was studying under my old master.  He'd throw a book at me, tell me to read it, and hit me if he caught me doing anything else.  Which was pretty often; those books made my head hurt worse than his clips around ear.  And those weren't even the ones with the brain-breaking curses on them, nyaahaha!"

 

By now, not only was the unicorn's mental state apparent, but also the probable reason for his being so.  You couldn't accuse him of being unfriendly, and under normal circumstances he'd probably fit right in with the rest of Equestria.  He just had the bad luck to be born in the Southern Wilds.

 

Suddenly, however, there approached another stallion who had no such excuse for his eccentricities.  Chipper stared at this apparition, eyes widened in shock.  And given that his eyes were generally half-covered by his eyelids, the effect was startling.  Dawnguard would have indeed been able to see straight into the young necromancer's soul, now that the windows were open.  What he would have seen... was a very young soul.  Almost that of a carefree colt, only one with little to no concept of right and wrong.

 

There was a brief moment of silence as the pegasus' words sunk in.  But then the unicorn's shock wore off.  "Pffft-HAAhahaahahaaha!"  Chipper's laugh wasn't so much like that of a wicked mage finally meeting his foil, as that of a colt laughing at a funny show.  "Wow, we almost never got anypony like you back home!  Oh, but you were all so much fun when you did come up!  We could hear you for miles.  Well, until the Dire Wolves showed up, nyahahah!"  And then, just as if he hadn't been declared a foul enemy to all equine kind, he jumped right off the table and extended a hoof to Dawnguard.  "My name's Chipper Demise, what's yours?"

[Dubstep]

Sometimes letting all the emotion out at once could be all someone needed. A good rant, a good cry, it really could do wonders. And so as Mei started onto her passionate tangent about lies and reindeer and caribou, Lián remained quiet to let her talk. Only occasionally having to duck as she punctuated her sentences with small flailing and squirming. Given the qilin had no idea what she was going on about. But she deserved the chance to let it all out.

When finally she stopped and relaxed, her head gently leaning on his shoulder, Lián let his head rest atop hers. Was she always this dramatic? He was fairly certain the answer was 'Oooooh yeah.' "Shhh. Everything is okay. Just take deep calming breaths. You're going to have to start from the beginning, Mei. What's this about a reindeer? Or a caribou? You know I'll do my best to help you feel better, but I'd need to know where to start ahah."

[QueenCerali]

Cerali watched as the two took turns flaunting their..... eccentricity. After she recovered from her surprise and confusion she began to wrestle with the tough decision before her; try to keep the pegasus from attempting to kill Chipper, or back away slowly so as to not be caught in the crossfire. she grimaced, then sighed as she decided she had to keep this from escalating- Chipper clearly didn't realize this pegasus was serious. Cerali could hardly believe it herself.

 

she took a deep breath, then frowned. how was she supposed to do that? she only had experience dealing with children! although..... that might actually be useful in this case. she shrugged and decided to just answer Chipper's question. "I don't teach magic or anything like that. I just teach the foals at the Ponyville kindergarten the basics of mathematics, language, etc.."

[moonshineTheleocat]

While normally, Star Crusader’s delay could be blamed to her work. This one was for more intiment matters. Well… more like seeking consulting from the REA’s mental health advisor for nearly having her brain shattered into a million pieces from her mare/colt friend suddenly drawing out a base  desire. She did get an odd look for that conversation, by the way. Perhaps because it was just odd that a Mare who’s seen combat gets her mind broken by that, and not by the harsh nature of a mass altercation? Who knows.

 

But once She had returned, she had a chance to reminisce in the way the two met. And it seems that both of them had quite the interesting story to tell.  From two different perspectives in fact. And once the Prince had finished his, the mare tilted her head a bit.

“I suppose it is time to tell the story from my point of view, yes?” She hummed softly before streatching her wings out, and sitting herself into the grass. Her head still well above the prince’s. Her eyes flickered thoughtfully, as she scored through every detail in her memories, and did her best to condense them as much as possible.

“As my love,” there was a small tint of blush bleeding through her naturally stern expression after saying those words, “Had stated, we have first met in Askar. At the time, I was part of the REA Calvary that was stationed in the Badlands, however I was pulled out to act as one of the accompanying guards for the journey.”

She gave a small brief nod for a moment she mused. “Celestia had her usual Honor Guards, and a few more. They… were selected for swiftness rather than strength. The Princess apparently has a history. I was selected to accompany Prince Blueblood… alone. I believe they assumed I was enough?”

She gave a small shrug. “We did not have a chance to meet in the ship. I… tend to take my job very seriously. I was busy studying multiple different background checks, including Bluebloods. When we finally docked and I stepped foot off of the vessel to join my charge I…”

The mare soon covered tilted her muzzle down in shame, and slipped a wing over her eyes, “… immediately sank through the snow by cause of my natural weight in addition to my armor. I couldn’t fly out… the snow was too soft to kick off of, and snow kept piling onto my back. It took… the better part of an hour and a half for a group of Caribou and ponies to finally dig and tow me out of the pit.”

She then looked to Blueblood with a small smile, “I was actually very embarrassed for my misstep, and failure. Anything could have happened during that time, and I would have been unable to do anything about it. And… anything did happen to my charge.”

“When I saw the Prince in the King’s Antlers, I was dangerously close to charging the bull, and snap his neck for your safety. Both my brother and my mother grabbed hold of me to stop me from doing so… at least till I saw the full picture.”

“There was no reason to laugh,” The mare hummed thoughtfully in retrospect. “Truthfully, I thought of the challenge to be courageous. At the time, you had no combat finesse, and yet you challenged Askar’s most dangerous warrior. That was a trait that had gone completely against what most of Equestria say’s about you.”

Her gaze soon returned to the two other ponies.

“After those events, we met again at his mansion. Which was… haunted for some unearthly reason. You were there for that fire. Shortly after those events, Prince Blueblood had signed my transfer papers requesting me for an Honor Guard.”

“During my time under his employment, we got to know each other… more intimately than friends,” She hummed. Her eyes turning thoughtful once more. “I did find myself starting to grow feelings for him. But I did my best to keep my professionalism. I was just not expecting Blueblood to take me on a small trip to a flower garden. It was a simple thing… but it meant a lot. And well… he treated me less like a giant soldier… and more like a giant mare. Which felt nice.”

The mare then closed her eyes, as her memories continued to stream from one date to the next. In small clearings, flower gardens, valleys, and in the privacy of mother nature. Her blush growing brighter with each step. And by the end she was practically as bright as a sun. She shook her head vigorously to try and disperse the thoughts. Still she opened her eyes and somehow kept a straight face.

 

Any pony can look into her eyes, and see that there was far more that she could easily say. And of course a story that she'd rather be on the hush hush, till she was certain that she and her closest friends were in private. Those eyes were no longer calm and pensive. No... they were clouded  and blinded with passion. Poor mare was just not as expressive as the rest. She probably didn't even know how to describe what she was feeling away from battlefield euphemisms.

“… He was the only buck that managed to destroy a flying wall.”

[Zeig]

 

 

From the beginning?...

 

Okay...okay, she could start there. 

 

"There was a...I met a - Reindeer, in Garden Gait," Mei began, haltingly, the memories coming back like a half-remembered storybook, "...except he wasn't a Reindeer because he lied and - " The bright blue Qilin shook her head once, violently, upsetting its perch on Lián's head, before calming herself down and remembering her friend's request for the beginning. "He was traveling through, but he stopped in Garden Gait a while to...to write a poem." A copy of which was, in fact, residing in her very home, lovingly framed in bamboo and dried flowers. "He wrote a poem for me - for us, because he...liked Garden Gait so much, and I was the one to...show him around, and stuff." 

 

Mostly the, 'and stuff.' 

 

"He was my friend." 

 

Friends, who wrote poems and sat atop cliffs and imagined greater worlds beyond this one.

 

"...But then I saw him tonight," Mei continued after a beat, voice heating up again in remembered chagrin and embarrassment, "and - and I made such a fool of myself, going on and on about what a wonderful Reindeer he was and...and he wasn't a Reindeer, he was a Caribou," the Qilin exclaimed, the single word expressing exactly what Lián should think about the entire affair. "And everyone else knew it but not me, because I believed him, and everyone was laughing at me, how foolish I sounded - ugh!" Mei shot back onto her hooves, agitation once again making her pace around as he tail swished angrily from side to side. In truth, she could hardly recall the reaction of those that had been around her in the ballroom, too focused to the singular point of him and his Caribouness, but -

 

But their reactions had hardly mattered, by that point.

 

"I mean, who does that?" the young mare asked rhetorically, pink eyes swiveling onto Lián's own as she continued to pace. "He just let me go on and on and on about Reindeers and him and - and he's a Caribou. I didn't...they're expanding into Equestria, now," Mei stated abruptly, a slight shiver overtaking her as she thought of her home, so very close to the royal city. "It's...it's scary." 

 

 

[Zeig]

 

 

Yes, he could see the black clouds beginning to form overhead, slowly building to cast a shadowy pall atop the blackened mage, whose evil grin would only now start to open up into a soul-searing laugh that would -

 

- sound suspiciously like a colt enjoying a fairly enjoyable birthday party -

 

"I - what?" Dawnguard said intelligently, still stuck in a dramatic pose worthy of the great heroes as the other stallion leapt down from his perch. Never got ones like him back home?...the Unicorn was obviously referring to those housing the bloodline of heroes, and that fact was unsurprising, given their rarity. Chosen Warriors of Light didn't just pop up every which way, after all! No, usually they became apparent in the middle of some great calamity, of which the chosen hero managed to stave off doom and destruction at the last viable second. 

 

Doom and destruction that was usually caused by the agents of darkness, such as this necromancer -

 

- who was suddenly thrusting a hoof out to him, still with that innocent little smile that belied the skulls embedded into his robes. "I'm Dawnguard," the white Pegasus stated, the abrupt motion instinctively causing his non-spear hoof to reach out and grasp the other's - before Dawnguard realized what he was doing. "I mean," Dawnguard backpedaled, snatching his hoof away to stare at it, aghast, "what foul magics do you weave? Hoping to ensnare the minds of the weak-willed and tender-hearted?" The REA guard shook his head, reproach clear in his gaze. "The bloodline of heroes courses through my veins...no black magic can overcome the RIGHTEOUS LIGHT that fills my every breath! I am..."

 

...pause, for effect...

 

"Pvt. First Class, Dawnguard!" 

 

Nailed it. He was getting much better at these. 

 

Unfortunately, the innocent maiden who was so obviously the necromancer's target seemed obvious to the situation, continuing on her conversation with zero awareness of the spell the Unicorn was covertly attempting to weave over every word. "Miss, please be careful!" Dawnguard warned, whipping around towards her with wide eyes. "Even the chitterings of animals hold power - you must be cautious of what you speak in the presence of these." She was speaking of her...teachings, it seemed - a most noble profession, that, leading the young onto the path of Righteousness and Good - but Equestria knew why this...this...Chipper was so interested. Mayhaps he held plans to infiltrate the minds of Equestria's young?

 

By his twitching spear hoof, those dastardly plans would never come into fruition! 

 

 

[Ciraxis]

Squall listened patiently to what Blueblood and Crusader have to say. And although both sides told the same story, the perspective from which both of them were waving it gave noblepony quite a bit of insight.

 

"You changed Blueblood since we were kids." Swift mused, before shaking his head and correcting himself. "No, that's not it. The root was always the same, but now core of yours was finally allowed to shine. Stripped from those unnecessary things the twisted others perception".

Unicorn paused while rubbing his chin before continuing.

"I say you are like willow tree Blue. On the first glance it hardly has any trunk, one that is very small and narrow compared to its long, weepy branches. But it is not a fragile living plant.  It is one of the toughest. They may come fiercest of winds, the most violent of storms. But while might oaks are toppled the willow will not. It will bend, even to very ground sometimes but it will not break. You are the willow Blue"

Swift allowed for small letup in the conversation, to allow Prince to digest what he said before he himself continued.

"....And it seems that this willow entangled one of the mights of mountains with its roots."

 

Swift then allowed the other to lead the conversation afterwards. In the meantime he was pricking up his ears towards the conversation. And as he kept listening  up both the anger and disgust were swelling within him. The anger towards the girl which so violently rejected poor Lími, and kept displaying her ignorance, arrogance and prejudices. And disgust towards himself, as not so long ago he wasn't any better. Especially in perspective of his own dialogue with young bull earlier this evening.

"She doesn't know anything." he blurted through his teeth under Lián's address.

[Dubstep]

Lián listened quietly and patiently as Mei started her story. In a small way it was no different from listening to citizens who would petition his sister for some reason or another. Stories were often equally as dramatic and heartfelt, but many of them were painted from a different brush than the whole truth. He knew that his friend had a flair for the dramatic, honestly it's one of the things the prince liked about her. But the issue was it wasn't just dramatics. It's how she really felt.

As the mare resting against him spoke, it wasn't hard to catch the fondness in her tone as she spoke of the past. She really seemed to been enamored with this 'friend'. It made him a touch jealous, though more so he was curious as to what they did to hurt her so. Mei continued and her frustration started bubbling into her voice again. Wait...Reindeer? Caribou? A look of confusion struck the prince as he thought, they're the same thing are they not? Lián rose to his hooves as well as the beautiful and clearly frustrated qilin started pacing again. This was going to be...a difficult conversation he could already tell.

A soft sigh escaped his throat before he gently attempted to stop Mei's pacing by placing a hoof upon her shoulder. Should it work he would give her a tender hug before stepping back. "Mei. I know full well that the caribou have done things in the past that have been nothing short of atrocious. I've studied the history, I've seen the plays, I've been to areas in Neighpon that still bare the scars of their raids."

It was the prince's turn to pace this time as he tried to find the best words to say and not sound like a complete goon. "But do you know what else I saw in some of those places?" he let the question hang for a moment to let Mei answer should she choose. "Caribou. Living alongside ponies and qilin and longma just like anyone else. I also saw a young pony try and steal from a stall while there." Lián came to a stop next to his friend and looked up towards the night sky.

"There are good ponies and there are bad ponies. Just as there are good and bad caribou." as if on cue, a pair of ponies and caribou walked by making small talk, laughing and smiling as they took their leave of the garden. "While you can't judge the actions of one creature as the heart of their people, so too can you not judge the actions of the people as the heart of the one. If this caribou was truly bad, do you think he would have ever hesitated to make it known? I've not known caribou to be the subterfuge type when they have ill will." with another soft sigh, Lián gave Mei a tender nuzzle. The jealous part of him wanted to push her towards forgetting, but he knew the poor 'bou that she ran from was likely heartbroken."You should talk to him. Hear what he has to say. I could be there if you'd like." Was that good? He wondered. Blessed ancestors this sort of thing was hard.

[Blueblood]

"Nice to meet ya- Hey!"  Chipper looked more surprised than hurt, and more hurt than angry, at Dawnguard's sudden withdrawal of his hoof.  That didn't last long, though, as the pegasus soon launched right back into his first-class show, delighting the unicorn with more heroic histrionics!  "Oh, wow, so you're one of the little grunts with the big dreams, eh?  I understand completely, feel the same way, actually!  Always nice to be great at something, whether its necromancy or bird mating dances, Nayahahaa!  Ain't that right, Topper?"

 

"KRAAK!"  Topper, the crow referred to above, caught the reference alright, and seemed none too pleased to be reminded of his embarrassing encounter with Philomena the Pheonix.  Plucking out a singed feather from his tail, he cast it aside in a kind of avian huff.

 

"Aw, don't give me that look.  What did you think was gonna happen?  Heck, it'd be three times as worse if you actually succeeded!  Nyaahahahaaa!"  The mercurial humor of Chipper Demise dipped once again, however, as Dawnguard accused him of mind control spells on the mare between them.  "Hey, I'm not ensorcelling anypony!  Heck, I don't think I could ensorcel a pony; can't manage anything larger than a wild Turkey.  Well, except for Ulfbrecht, but canines are kind of different.  Pony's best friend, and all that."  The unicorn sniffed, wiping his eye.  Apparently, this 'Ulfbrecht' was no longer in the world of the living.  "Wish he could have seen this... Ahem, anyway, even if I was able to do that, why would I do that to this nice kindergarten teacher here?  She's already friendly."

 

And that would have been a really convincing case for his innocence... but then he had to go and open his big mouth again.  "If I was going to target anyone, it'd be... HER!"  He pointed across the lawns, to where a young Qilin mare was currently being consoled by one of the Long Guo princes.  "Do you want to know what she did?  She broke my friend's heart, right in the middle of the ballroom!  All because of some silly stories that she heard about Caribou.  I never saw the poor guy so hurt in my life, and I helped save him from a horde of undead in the Southern Wilds!"

 

Chipper wasn't smiling anymore.  And as frightening as his less-than-sane grin was, its absence was even more unsettling.  His eyes and anger were clear, and no one knew what their limits might me.  "I mean... what would do, Dawnguard?  Huh?  If someone hurt your best friend like that for no good reason?  What would you do, Maran, if you saw one of your students act like that?"

[tacobob]

 

 

Fire was surprised to hear just how long the good Prince had been afflicted with his ‘curse’. Just after the Crystal Faire? So he was already well into it during their last little adventure together. She could only imagine what would have happened if he shifted into his female form during their little voyage through the nasty old summer home. And the Faire, how long ago was it? A year? She rather liked that. There were unique food and drink stands, and some rather interesting little exhibits as well. Swift and Fire had spent a good portion of their trip just floating around in an cool little salt-water tank a cute little meremare had set up for some game. They also ran into Inkbrand and a very charming Pegasus stallion..What was his name...Kazaam? Shazam? Khamsin? It was all a warm up till their eventual trip to the Gallopocus Islands.

 

The red mare cringed a little when he mentioned how he ended up on a pair of antlers. She wondered where he manage to land? And it at least sounded like a bit of fun. Old timey drinks and a friendly duel with a king. But instead, he found love in the oddest of places. This lead to the impressive Lady Star Crusader being added to the Prince's detail. Was this Princess Celestia's doing? The red mare could not help notice when she had assigned a rather handsome Private to Princess Twilight's guard not that long ago. Fire Walker nodded her head as the prince continued to speak. That was his first major mistake.  Princess Twilight was probably one of the most powerful living spellcasters in all of Equestria. She could teleport. She could lift heavy objects or even living creatures that were hundreds of times heavier than she. The mare could also hurl giant balls of destruction. However, she was not a doctor. "Right, you did mention the whole sneezing thing I believe." While she was obviously not a unicorn, magic study was still part of a young officer's curriculum. She would need to learn on how to deal with magic when it was coming her way. And she was almost completely sure a sneeze would do such a thing to a spell. Maybe the purple mare was playing a rather unique little prank on the Prince?

 

"Maybe this is something that will eventually just fade away, like a bad case of the Poison Joke?", she added before taking a sip from her glass. And whatever she was drinking, this stuff was freaking awesome. "Of course, whatever it is, I'm sure you'll handle it well." The young officer paused to listen to Star Crusader's side of the story. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about.", she cut in for just a moment, "We all have our bad days.  What mattered was that you had guys looking out for you and were able to help you right away.", Fire Walker was not as lucky during her little adventure in the newly restored Crystal Kingdom. She could not help but smile as her fellow officer got into details about their relationship, and she even managed to blush after Crusader's final few words.

 

Now it was her Swift's turn to speak. He was going for a theme. Or maybe even a Root-ine? Thankfully it was short, or the prince would have asked them to leaf him alone. Something that made her feel re-leafed. She really hoped there were photos of the two ponies when they were colts. Probably dressed up Little Lord Fauntleries...Was that a word? Maybe the Champagne was starting to get to her, or maybe she was just tired?

 

[Bellosh]

 

Princess Cadence couldn't come to bed. This was important; someone was heartbroken in Canterlot.

 

Jarl Sigrun had but one favor to ask of the pink alicorn; to learn where her foster son had disappeared off to when it was time for them to leave the Gala. What was supposed to be a simple task however managed to unearth a story of blossoming love turned to ash. At least, that was the vibe Cadence got from hearing eyewitness accounts. Some ponies complain that the pink princess was prone to connecting romantic dots where none existed, but the alicorn happened to boast a successful prediction rate of nine times out of ten, thank you very much!

 

Cadence didn't really know what drove her to become so Tartarus-bent on finding Lími and help mend his spirit. Perhaps it was because it had been so long since the Princess of Love actually got her hooves dirty in a crisis that involved romantic love... or the probability of romantic love, at any rate. Serving as the Crystal Princess filled the alicorn mare with pride certainly, but frankly, that wasn't why she earned a crystal heart for her cutie mark.

 

The more Cadence learned, the more she also felt sorry for the other party in this affair; apparently a qilin mare from what she'd gathered. Although the alicorn didn't share the same sentiments about the Viking Caribou, she understood only too well what drove such strong feelings of bitterness and hatred. After all, Princess Cadence was there the day the Red Jarl and his allies of darkness brutally sacked the Crystal Empire. And even before that, years before the accursed reign of King Sombra, the Viking Caribou were one of the greatest threats to ever befall the Empire. Given all that nasty historical background, Cadence couldn't fault anypony who found it difficult to accept the caribou, even if she did wish the hearts of such ponies would one day unharden.

 

While the search for Lími wasn't turning up any productive leads, Cadence did manage to spot a qilin matching the description of the caribou's companion, over at an outdoor congregation of Gala attendees looking to continue the festivities. The qilin mare was accompanied by someone else; Prince Lián of Long Guo. Neither of them appeared to be in a festive mood though, especially the mare as Lián tried to offer her comfort. Cadence didn't know for sure; she wasn't within eavesdropping range yet.

At any rate, it was time to do what the Princess of Love was always meant to do; kindle love for those in need of it. "Ahem!" she coughed to get the attention of the two qilin; "Excuse my interruption, but it appears something is troubling the mare." An innocent-enough method of extending an overture, Cadence deemed. Now to work her (figurative for now) magic! It would be a delicate process; the alicorn hoped that they won't be interrupted. The last thing anypony needed was a gung ho acquaintance of Lími's giving the qilin mare unwanted trouble for her actions.....

[Blueblood]

As Star Crusader settled down, Blueblood leaned against her, as if to draw some strength from the warm solidity of her muscle mass.  It had been a long day for him; aristocrats rarely woke before dawn, but he had already been working preparations for four hours before Celestia had elevated the sun that morning.  Caffeine and high nervous energy had buoyed him, or rather her, through the first part of the evening.  Now that the event was winding down, however, the Prince was as well, and the champagne was doing nothing to alleviate his light-headedness.

 

While listening to his marefriend's side of the story, Blueblood's thoughts drifted... the snow must have been deep, if she had sunk that far in it.  He hadn't remembered the drifts being that high, though he had come into the hall wearing snowshoes, which might account for that... Such height, he loved the fact that Star Crusader was just so... well, large!  A Titanic or Olympian scale could prove intimidating to most ponies, but with her first impression upon him being a rescue mission, he had felt no reason to fear it.  Indeed, after a while, he had discovered that her size was one of the very attractive things about her... Right now, for instance, she was just sitting at the right height for him to nuzzle into her neck.

 

And now... there was that blush beginning.  How many ponies, outside her immediate family, had ever seen Star so expressive?  Her blushes and her smiles were each hard-won and well-earned sights, though the Prince found that they seemed to be coming with increasing frequency lately.  And intensity, too, especially tonight!  Blueblood had to admit, he'd been slightly worried when she had to excuse herself for a quick visit to her therapist.  He couldn't blame her, of course, for wanting to reassure herself of mental stability.  But given that 'drawing out her base desires' was now part of his job description, was this going to be a recurring issue?

 

He was pulled away from these thoughts eventually by the tug of Swift Squall's voice, which bore with it something of an editorial comment.  The Prince blinked, pulling thoughts together back to the here and now.  "Willows, eh?  Huh."  He considered that metaphor for a few seconds, tilting his gaze back up at his love.  "A willow rooted in the might of the mountains... I wouldn't have thought it, myself.  But I suppose there's something in that; I feel that it's all I can do most days to just not break.  But to bend to the wind... and maybe have it even power my sails... hm, I'm getting mixed here, but we see our points, right?"

 

Fire was talking now, something about it eventually fading away.  What was that 'it?'  Oh, right, gender-swapping curse.  "Well, it's lasted this long, and hasn't faded or left me traumatized, I think, so I think I can live with it.  Actually..."  He dropped his voice, down to a whisper that wasn't quite as quiet as he thought.  "Honestly, by now I think I would miss it if I was suddenly cured.  I won't deny that there's rather a few enjoyable aspects to being Bluebelle.  And as I've found that Star doesn't mind the switches, I don't feel under so much pressure to find a remedy anymore."

 

Swift had turned the group's attention back to Mei, and Blueblood had to wince at his characterization.  "Well, it may be that Jarl Sigrun did not manage to arrive after the raids into her homeland.  I can't afford to be prejudiced in my diplomatic role, but I sometimes have to deal with it... and hers is one of the more understandable ones."  He sighed, shaking his head.  "Still doesn't excuse the scene, but I do wish- ah, there's cousin Cadence!"  The Prince relaxed against Star Crusader again.  It would be alright, now.  The Princess of Love would sort things out, as was her duty and right.  Had things not worked out between him and Star, he might have gone to her for assistance himself.  However, he was more fortunate than perhaps he had a right to expect, leaving Cadence free for those who were not...

[QueenCerali]

Cerali couldn't help but gape at the antics of the two, though she was actually starting to enjoy this the way Chipper was. Dawnguard was rather hilarious.... but then she saw Chipper's eyes as he pointed at a Qilin on the other side of the . he looked furious. when he asked her what she would do, she shrank back slightly, not wanting to get involved.

 

she glanced at the Qilin, then blinked and stared. was that.... Cadence? she began walking towards them, as surreptitiously as possible. she had always wanted to meet the Princess of Love... what changeling wouldn't?! Cerali had always imagined that Cadence was the ultimate food source for her race, and she wanted to see if she was right.

[Zeig]

 

 

She wasn't entirely sure what was going on. It was like she had expected Lián to immediately and completely agree with her agitated exclamations -

 

...Okay, maybe, yes, she had been expecting that, a little.  

 

"But - but," Mei blubbered for a few moments after her foalhood friend finished talking, her body standing rather stock still as her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Did Lián even know what he was saying? Well of course he did, he was a prince, and so intelligent besides, but - what? "But that doesn't - I mean," she tried again as she pulled away from the other Qilin, attempting to get her thoughts back under order at this unexpected turn, "of course no one pony is the same. That is to say...hmph!" Mei pouted, realizing she had became entrapped in her own argument - before realizing Lián had made the same mistake. 

 

"You can't tell me that Caribou are not the type for subterfuge, then claim that each Caribou is different and unique," the Qilin said shrewdly, eyeing the handsome prince. "And even if Li - if he isn't, that sort, then...then what does he gain by lying? To make me look foolish?" Heat was beginning to creep up the back of her neck again, as Mei remembered blabbering on and on to Sunrise about what a wonderful Reindeer Lími was...and how terrible Caribou were. "You cannot ask others to trust that you are different from the reputation of your kin, yet imply a lack of trust in those same others to intelligibly realize this, by lying to them," Mei argued vehemently. 

 

And perhaps that was the true heart of the matter - aside from the fact that Lími was a Long-cursed Caribou, of course - but Mei simply could not get over the lie. Or, misdirection? Instead of this steady assurance of her knowledge of her newfound friend, if Lími had just told her right from the start, she would have - she would have listened...

 

...

 

...Probably. Yes, most certainly! She would have seen the poetic soul beneath his rough surface, and not run screaming from the fields and attempting to round up the villagers with pitchforks and torches in order to fend off the invader from her home. 

 

...

 

...Well. Have-beens and what-ifs were a folly to dwell on, and Mei shook her head once, bells chiming in a merry cacophony that matched miserably with her mood. "How can one ask others for faith and trust when they are unwilling to extend the same?" the Qilin tried, but her weak tone of voice made the question fall rather flat as her pink eyes cast to the ground for a moment, once again taking silent comfort in the presence of her friend as she brought herself back under control.

 

And when she looked up, there was pink. 

 

Not just any pink, either. Mei was vaguely aware of her mouth falling open in shock as the visage of a brightly colored Alicorn filled her eyesight, and the Qilin knew she had to be staring at the Princess of Love. There were only four of them, after all, and two she had already seen this evening, while the third Mei knew was all together rather unremarkable looking, but was responsible for some of the most heroic feats of friendship known to ponykind. Which obviously meant, then, that this particular Alicorn was the fourth one.

 

Who was obviously so attuned to the emotions around her, so much so that Mei couldn't even begin to stop the few tears that started pricking at the corner of her eyes like they had been all evening, the little blights.

 

"Your Highness," Mei breathed, immediately sinking into a bow in front of the tall pony, and almost as quickly pulling herself up to stare at Princess Cadence with suspiciously shiny eyes, "this is an honor! I - no, there's nothing wrong. I mean there is, but it's not...nothing, you should concern yourself with," the Qilin burbled, inexplicably shy in front of pony royalty. And come to think of it, in front of Qilin royalty, as well - except not really. While it had seemed completely normal to rant and cry at her foalhood friend, suddenly her troubles seemed so much more insignificant in front of the Princess of Love, who probably had a million and one other ponies she could be paying attention to, and who probably wouldn't appreciate a Qilin mare dribbling tears all over her finery.

 

"I," the vivid blue Qilin began again, furiously casting around for something to say, something to do...and abruptly found one conveniently standing next to her. "Your Highness, have you met the Empress' brother?" Mei questioned, subtly taking a step sideways closer to Lián, though she left the responsibility of an introduction to the other Qilin himself.

 

Who knew what sort of fancy titles he had now...she wouldn't want to offend by accidentally leaving one forgotten!

 

 

[Zeig]

 

 

Aside from his obvious mistake of, somehow, confusing the righteous bloodline of heroes to mere grunt-ery, this fearsome villain was...not was he was expecting.

 

A thousand times more clever, instead! Yes, even a Chosen Avenger such as himself could become momentarily stymied by the cheerful and genial smile alighting the other stallion's face, and the white Pegasus closely peered at the other, as if he might uncover some tear in this visage. Hmm...this, necromancer was truly a foe of worth...perhaps one of the battles the Hero had to cleave through in order to reach the Final Showdown. Dawnguard would most certainly need to keep a careful eye on him, and the mare Chipper was insisting that he was not -

 

"H-hey!," Dawnguard exclaimed, as said mare abruptly wandered off into the night. Though, it seemed her attention had been grabbed by none other than the Heart Lifting Princess of Everlasting Love, a sight that could excuse even the staunchest of ponies. Still, the REA member kept a wary eye on her, and mostly one on Chipper, because the sudden turn in expression and tone were doing their very best to boil the bloodline of heroes flowing through his veins into a warning cry against the starlit sky itself.

 

...Though, the stallion's words did not unnoticed by the white Pegasus, and despite himself, Dawnguard couldn't help but cast a disproving glance over the Qilin mare Chipper was very obviously pointing out. "Heartbreak?" he murmured, Chipper's status momentarily forgotten as a picture slowly filled in what was left unsaid. A mare, toying with the love of a young stallion, in hopes of achieving some long forgotten or perhaps even forbidden goal, and thus casting him aside at the last second because of perceived slight! Undoubtedly the case, given the veritable hatred emitting from the other stallion and, combined with his wording, one that spoke of intimate knowledge of the situation and a full understanding of the witch's blackened, vile heart! 

 

"To purposefully toy with the heart of another, ensnare and entrap them in blinding love and passionate emotion, only to dash him down unto the dark lakes of rejection and despair!...a wretched thing, and a wretched witch both!" Dawnguard agreed, feeling his spear hoof curl in front of him on its own. Oh, did he only know too well the folly of the heart...all second hoof of course, a Chosen Hero couldn't really afford love, what with the saving of the world...but he knew enough! Such as the fate of his poor friend, Darkness Knight, a Pegasus doomed in this life thanks to the knots of true love tying him to the Princess of Starstricken Wings. One could certainly argue a case of heartbreak on behalf of his steadfast companion, though a pony could hardly blame the Princess for it, given her station and responsibilities. 

 

But this mare, though...according to Chipper, no such thing. Dashing the heart of a young pony all because of stories, for no other reason whatsoever. 

 

Inconceivable!

 

...Unless...

 

"You know the full story, then," the REA guard intoned, having completely forgotten about the skull and crows 'adorning' the other stallion at this point, "she really had no reason for her actions, other than the whispers of darkness carried foul on the wind? Harken to me, my fearsome foe...such is the siren call of EVIL!" Dawnguard exclaimed, hoof slamming down towards the ground, because of course, that could only make sense! Whatever stories this mare had heard had surely been insinuated by agents of darkness, to smear the character of whatever brokenhearted pony in an effort to separate them. This information, purposefully and maliciously inserted into her ear, causing a rift between them..."If you speak truly, then there is ill intent in the air," the white Pegasus continued mysteriously, head rising upwards to peer about the gardens, as if he might suddenly spot some suspicious pony lurking in the bushes.

 

...Which, slowly brought his gaze back onto the skull and feather adorned stallion standing right next to him. 

 

"You, Necromancer of Unapologetic Magics," the white Pegasus stated slowly, a thought forming in his head like the bloom of a newly-grown sapling, "you, who so clearly stated a willingness to cast your spells of unrighteous Mind Control on that mare, with hardly any thought...from where did you appear on this fated night? What dark hole have you crawled out from, to spread your wings and sow seeds of doubt upon the hearts of ponykind?!" 

 

 

 

[Blueblood]

Chipper noticed, out of the corner of his eye, 'Maran' beginning to drift towards Cadence like flotsam caught in a current.  Whether or not he connected the dots presented to him to conclude that she was a changeling, or only made a pretty picture of a butterfly, would sadly be lost to history.  The unicorn's attention was fully taken up by Dawnguard, and that pegasus' slow coming around to Chipper's point of view helped to restore the latter's gleeful smile.  At last, somepony was agreeing with him!  There are more ways to turn a pony's mind than dark magics; ordinary verbal persuasion, for instance.  Used effectively, it could be more powerful than any spell.

 

The necromancer nodded vigorously as Dawnguard attributed such stories that had filled Mei's head to agents of evil.  "That's the sort of thing they do, alright!  They don't stick at anything.  They'll call the same poor caribou a coward to his kind, and a brute to everyone else."  This harmonious meeting of minds was soon disrupted by the other stallion's resurgence of suspicious questions, though.  Chipper Demise took them all in laughing stride.

"Didn't I say that I came with the caribou?  Well, now you know; I came down with the caribou diplomats!  Well, stowed away, really; I don't know if Jarl Sigrun wanted me along.  She says I freak out other ponies, Nyaha!  But, I thought young Limi could use a friend in a strange country, and boy was I right!  Talk about your hostile natives!  We might break your bones in Whitescar, but never your heart!  Nyahaha!"

[Dubstep]

This is precisely what the Prince had been hoping for. Not blind agreement or acknowledgement of prejudice, but thought. Lián often chose his words with care when working in delicate situations...Given most of the time it was dealing with some crooked statespony or the like, but still! He got Mei thinking, she countered logic with logic and that was exactly what he wanted.
 

"Mei, you know me well enough to know that I do not condone lying to those you care about. But from how it sounds, the very thing he lied about is a sign, to me at least, that he does care. As you said, what does he gain from the lie? You weren't afraid of reindeer, for one..." Lián would have continued on, but the arrival of a highly unexpected guest garnered his attention. Not just any guest though! The Prince did his homework, this was THE Princess of Love. What fortuitous timing!...Did she have a sixth sense about these sort of things?...That was a question for later.
 

"Princess Cadence, it is an honor." he said with a bow shortly after Mei introduced him. "Just Lián is fine, Mei. I'm not in court and my sister's advisors aren't around to make a scene about anyone not using 'the proper title'." the qilin gave his longtime friend a comforting pat to her shoulder. "I'm glad that you're here, Princess. I had been looking for you among the guests earlier, remind me later that I still have a gift for you and your family. There's a more pressing matter at the moment, one that I believe you are more qualified to help with than I." the Prince gave Mei an expecting glance, it would be better if she explained in her own words.

[Bellosh]

 

The qilin mare stopped whatever she was doing as Princess Cadence approached, briefly at a loss for words until turning things around to begin introducing Prince Lián instead. Virtually instantly, Cadence felt a rapport with the laid-back Lián. Instead of a bow, the pink alicorn offered a hoof to shake. "Likewise," she beamed; "Please call me Cadence."

The Crystal Princess raised an eyebrow at the mention of a gift for her family, but Lián appeared to be more interested in discussing a more urgent. If Cadence hazarded a guess, it surely had something to do with the Ballroom incident. Feigning ignorance, the alicorn also looked at the qilin mare's direction and soothingly assured; "It's okay, you can tell me anything. What's your name, by the way?"

[QueenCerali]

Cerali stopped beside Cadence, hesitating. should she strike up a conversation with the Princess? would she somehow figure out Cerali was a changeling? she bit her lip, then took a deep breath, before deciding against it. she would wait until the Princess finished talking with the qilins, then talk to her. yes, that was a good idea..... she backed away a little, and just watched, basking in the princess's presence.

[Zeig]

 

 

Yes, this spoke of ensorcellment, of the most Unjust kind!

 

...If, ensorcellment could ever be called just. Which it couldn't, because it was EVIL.

 

Just like this necromancer fellow, who - okay, so he wasn't exactly being EVIL in an EVIL sort of way, at least not in the way the stories went. There was no crazed look in his eyes, no lightning clashing overhead and storm brewing in the skies, no maniacal laughter as he revealed his dastardly plans to entrap and ensnare all the young maidens in Equestria in order to spirit them back to his evil lair and keep them captive for use in his black magics...perhaps bend their minds into a twisted reality and sow them back onto Equestrian soil, in order to plant seeds of doubt against their righteous rules of Day and Night! It was the perfect plan!

 

Ex...cept, he wasn't doing any of those things, and Dawnguard honestly had never been so confused before. He certainly had the look down...but where was the drama? The showcasing?

 

"You're really bad at this," Dawnguard bemoaned, momentarily ignoring what the other stallion was implying in his words due to how unbelievably non-evil he was being. "Don't know you're suppose to react to a fated foe? Where's your evil laugh? Your maniacal cries against the Chosen Hero who heroically foiled your brain-washing plans? Declare myself as your hated nemesis who secretly strikes Avenging Fear into your blackened heart!" the REA guard encouraged, before leaping backwards a bit and brandishing his spear. "Bone Breaker!" he cried out, once again making sure to angle his head so messy strands of his blonde bangs fell in front of his eyes, "Void Whisperer! What evil deeds have you stowed away from Whitescar for, vile necromancer of the night!" 

 

 

[Zeig]

 

 

Well, that answered one question. 

 

Any relief she had gained upon hearing that she wouldn't inadvertently mess something up for Lián by falsely introducing him, however, quickly dissipated as both the prince and princess gave her expectant looks, clearly not keen on letting the matter drop. Perhaps it was one thing from Lián, her foalhood friend and confidant...but for the Princess of Love to take such an interest? She must have caused such a scene in the ballroom that a Princess herself had to personally deal with it, and if she wasn't already mortified from the amount of attention she was getting - actually unwanted this time - Mei might have been tempted to stamp on one of Lián's hooves, because she did not.

 

Need.

 

This.

 

Right now.

 

But they were both looking at her, still expectant, and the Princess - who'd requested to be called Cadence, she was on a given name basis with a Princess of Equestria! - looked so kind and caring...and despite her reserves and the embarrassment she was feeling, Mei couldn't help it. "Oh, oh Cadence," the bright blue Qilin burst out, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make a scene - please don't kick me out of the palace." Mei paused to suck in a shuddering breath, and couldn't help but lean into Lián for support - mental or physical, it didn't matter. "I - a, a dear friend of mine lied to me about who he is, and I believed him for so long...long enough to make a fool out of myself at the Grand Galloping Gala - " a brief spike of anger at the reminder of the humiliation she had felt, before it quickly bled away, "it's like...like, I don't even know him anymore." Mei stopped a second time as her throat clogged up, because ancestors strike her down if she started bawling at the Princess. 

 

Sniffling didn't really count as crying. 

 

Nor did wiping her eyes, a precaution against any tears that might have been falling. Her cheeks were dry however, and Mei sniffed a few more times to regain her composure - and answer a very important question. "It's...Mei, your Highness. Lián Mei." 

 

[Blueblood]

Now it was Chipper's turn to be confused.  Dawnguard had clearly forged off ahead into the fringe bramble of their conversation, leaving the necromancer to chase after him like the proverbial wild goose.  He had just the same chance of success on that hunt, but did that deter the unicorn?  Not a chance!  He would run after the elusive social quarry, laughing all the way!

 

"Nyahaha!  You really think of me as a Fated Foe?  Wow, that must mean that you dreamed about me, or something.  Well, sorry to disappoint you, but you haven't made any appearance in my dreams or my nightmares!  Not even the one where my clothes came to life and tried to eat everypony.  Maybe they got to you before I had a chance to see you, nyaha!"  A theory was beginning to dawn upon his dark magical mind.  Of course, this pony was playing pretend!  What fun!  Chipper had thought that Equestrians stopped doing that sort of thing when they grew up.  Apparently not!  Chipper was unused to playing himself, though, so his imagination was somewhat limited to what actually occurred.  And, of course, he still wasn't sure how Dawnguard expected him to act.

 

"Aw, you haven't ruined any of my plans!  I came here for good times, and I've had 'em!  Well, I did try to see if I could breed a Bird of Black Fire!"  He punctuated the sentence with a dark magic fireball, which shot up into the air to burst harmlessly like a firework.  "Unfortunately, the Pheonix didn't take well to my crow.  Played with the poor fellow's affections, the little feathered minx.  Are minxes fiery things?  Never seen one before; had a few stoats, but they didn't take well to flames, nyaha!"  

[Dubstep]

The Prince happily shook Cadence's hoof, it was nice to know he wouldn't have to be following any stuffy protocol or overly fancy titles. Now his primary concern was his only concern for the time being. Making sure that Mei was alright. He was certain she'd be more than a wee bit upset that he brought her problem to the Princess' attention, but if he didn't she would likely have just skirted around the issue and deflected questions with a mask of style and grace held together by only a thread.
 

When her defenses did finally break, and Lián found the mare leaning against him, the qilin gently placed a leg around her shoulder for comfort. "There, there Mei. Everything is going to be just fine. You're not going to be kicked out of the palace over something so minor. None of the guests from the scuffle in the Lounge were thrown out." the prince gave his friend a little reassuring nuzzle and sighed.

[Bellosh]

 

A deer friend of the Qilin's, hmmmm? No doubt that referred to the antlered Lími, as caribou were in fact considered a type of deer. Princess Cadence took Lián Mei's words at face value, although the alicorn couldn't help but wonder whether Lián Mei was predisposed to dramatic hysterics, like Twilight's friend Rarity? Not like it mattered though; everypony had their own particular way of cracking under an intolerable form of pressure... even Cadence herself.

 

The Crystal Princess winced when Prince Lián mentioned the Lounge incident. Perhaps it was best left unspoken that a caribou was the responsible party, having attempted to pick a fight with a serpent dragon, no less! Cadence wasn't ignorant; she knew full well how the qilin (and longma) revered the wise and noble Long, as if the dragons were their very ancestors. Mei wouldn't take that news well at all.

It looked like however that it would take a little more effort for Mei to divulge all the necessary details. "Mei," Cadence tiptoed closer to the qilin mare; "Could you tell me more about this deer friend of yours, hmm? What's his name? How did the two of you endear yourselves to each other?" The pink alicorn knew Lími's name already of course, but by playing ignorant, maybe it'd encourage Mei to loosen her lips and speak freely.....

[Ciraxis]

"Yes, yes we do." Squall agreed with Blueblood statement. Funny, in a way they couldn't farther from each other character wise, but at the same time Fillydelphian couldn't help but feel a kinship with a prince.

"And that's reminds me. Blue you and that....IMAGINE initiative you are part of...I would like to ask for advice and opinions in regards of something I've been planning." Swift muttered out of blue. "That and.....I know you don't deal with such issues, but if you ever be in need of one, know that you have my sword."

At that moment Fire chimed with her own observation. "Actually he does better then 'handle' it. Which means one thing. If you don't want it gone Blue then don't."

noblepony said.

"From coldly logical point of view there is no reason to do so, especially since you can....switch easily. I say more, it actually can be adventurous somewhat. It can provide change of perspective from point of view of specific gender, convenient disguise, change of body proportions if it's needed, not to mention access to those 'Mares Only' areas."

Swift paused for a moment to ponder over something.

"I wonder if it can be classified as a curse? I heard that it's night impossible to further curse somepony already inflicted with one. Oh and social definition of what's appropriate is rubbish anyway."

 

Conversation about the hysterical quilin didn't got far either, as it was interrupted by arrival of one and only, Equestria pretty pink princess.

"Cousin?" Swift blurted in confusion before realization hit him. "Oh right, I forgot. Sometimes I forgot all that propinquity relations between nobility. I mean how far goes our last common ancestor Blue? Three hundred years? Four?" he asked. Before  Prince could answer, Fillylphian gave one last look at Lián before deciding.

"Well less said about this the better. There's specialist on the case already anyway."

Of course as not a spell, it's a conversation. While exotic mare was getting properly handled by Cadence, the blond maned pegasus and creepy unicorn started making a scene. Despite being exhausted as it is, Swift decided that enough is enough. Especially when unicorn realized that he knew who that winged oaf was.

"One moment please. It appears some ponies need an adult." noblepony excused himself, before hobbling to Dawnguard and catching his spear mid-swing.

"Sit. Down." Swift growled through his teeth "And put that thing away before you stab someone's eye out hothead! Good Harmony I can't believe you and Colonel...I mean General are related. What are the books doing with the ponies today?! First that maniac that modeled herself after Daring Do and now this. What are they teaching in Academy these days, that they couldn't iron it out?"

Squall muttered. His focus then shifted to this...other...pony...Oh Squall was familiar with him alright. It was during that mess in Whitescar when Squall masquerade had finally fell apart that noblepony caught glimpse of this fellow.

"And you....you are from....Whitescar?" Swift spoke, taken aback. This stallion was  giving him a really eerie vibe. The only other pony that Squall could say the same was Foxglove. But while she was on the being on the beginning of the 'weirdness' scale - this guy on the other hoof was on the opposite end of it.

"You know what? It's not important. You helped with that...mess at Askr Hold right? Well since you came up trumps that day then I obliged to to say this. This guy?"

Squall pointed at Dawnguard (while trying to wrestle the spear way from him). "....Entirely serious, so lawful that it's overrides logic. So please, don't add fuel to the fire and stop pushing his buttons!"

Swordstallion gave a long sigh before turning towards Fire. "Love, a little help here? I think you will be much better at this."