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Dusty took a moment to consider her story. He picked up his glass and brought it to his lips, taking a sip, then set it down. He took in some breath.

 

"Who are your friends? Who were the ponies? Where was this? What is Celestia like? How has your time in Equestria been? Do changelings have their own system of writing, or is it similar to Equish? What's the art like? Are there changeling poets? Novelists? Do you have libraries? What's the economic system like? How do hives interact? Is each hive soverign, or is there some sort of overarchign government? Do changelings have marriage? How'd you meet Red?"

 

After finishing his rapidfire questions, he took another sip of water and put on a rather dorky smile. "Eh-heh, sorry. I'm just... I'm curious, you know, this it the first time I get to learn about m-your culture!" He said, still speaking quite rapidly off the top of his head.

 

A tiny slip of the tongue, a small fraction of a sylable, would most likely come across as a simple stutter. It was enough to give him a pang of fear.

 

"I- I mean, history is my thing, and I could g-get a whole new history to learn! I just need a bit of modern context, that's all." Dusty was quick to add, to ensure his mistake would go unnoticed. He downed the rest of his water. "More water, please!" He said loudly, not turning his head away from Naj as he placed the glass forcefully on the table. He let out a nervous chuckle. "I'm sorry." He said quietly.

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Red smiled as Naj gave Dusty the short and sweet version of events leading to her being granted citizenship in Equestria. It was nerve-wracking at the time, no doubt about it, but it was now a very fond memory that more and more was turning into something very very good. And then the subject turned back to dancing.

 

“You have to lead, though.” Naj warned him, and Red smiled, nodding. Fair enough that the one who suggested it should be the one to take the fall if they ended up not looking the most graceful on the dance floor, although he really, really hoped actually falling wasn't going to enter into it. "Okay, you have a deal," he said, nuzzling her once more as she was leaning against his shoulder.

 

Dusty, however, was far from satisfied. Being the true academic, he wanted to know as much as he could as soon as possible, and he had many, many questions. Many of them Red would have to leave for Naj to answer, as Dusty had come up with several he had never thought to ask her himself, but a couple he could answer with a bit of certainty. "Well, Naj and I met a couple Winter Wrap-Ups ago in Ponyville, only, we didn't talk much before we ended up getting snowed in." he explained. "We met again later on that Spring, and that was when she let me know that she wasn't just the pegasus she looked like back then." He smiled at that. Another shocking day that he would never forget in his life, that he now looked on fondly, even after getting a bit of a fright at the time.

 

"As for Princess Celestia, well, she's a bit intimidating, but she's fair. More than fair, really. She was willing to give Naj a new life in Equestria based on the word of a handful of ponies, and hopefully that will open the door to a lot better things." He curled his hoof gently around Naj as he reminisced.

 

 

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Morianna and her kind could do and be so much more if they would simply embrace open arms. What she said made little sense to Sky Crack. A dozen blades in the dark couldn't openly break the will of an enemy. It wouldn't drive them to surrender. Because they didn't know they were beat, they would resist. New leaders would rise. Even if they were beholden to the griffons, the people weren't. Submission could not be bought or politicked about. It had to be earned. The quickest, easiest, and most efficient was through force of arms. They could hate you all the more, but they would know the price of conflict. With their size and natural predatory features, griffons could be fierce if they chose to be. Most chose the path of lesser glory.

 

But she wasn't here to help the other nations. She was here to secure a deal. And if that meant she had to allow such nonsense to stand, so be it. She could teach them the error of their ways through conduct, not words. "Maybe they can run from your Marines, but there is no running from Acroneighos. Only delaying your doom. As for your terms, that would seem agreeable. We have a section of the city designed to house non-Pegasi as is, and I am sure whatever elements you deign to send would find it suitable. From an intelligence perspective, a joint-security deal in exchange for logistical support would be agreeable," she said, offering up her drink as a sign of agreement. 

 

As for Rand- well, training with beasts was a good way of making sure you were vicious. But did it make a great soldier? No. Iron discipline. Intelligence. Flexibility. The caribou were strong warriors who fought ferociously, but there was a reason that aside from recent times and their famous Charges they were more of a nuisance than anything else. Infighting and a need to prove their strength cursed them. And, like most, their self-preservation would kick in after a certain point. For them, it was about themselves, their family, their clan. You could always fall back and strike again, they believed. For Sky Crack and all those back home, what mattered was the glory of the City. If it meant following orders and acting as a rearguard despite assurances of death, so be it. You couldn't break Acroneighsians. They broke you!

 

"Haha, oh Princess. There is plenty to be learned! The next time a Caribou attack breaks a Pegtasi formation will be the first. You and yours should come and learn why an iron discipline and tactical flexibility are greater weapons to have on your side than all your mightily impressive muscle," she flirted somewhat, laughing, "though when you combine them, you can do some impressive things," she said, finishing her drink before turning to her former foe, brave Dunder.

 

Equestrians believed far more in redemption than Acroneighos ever could. It was a matter of survival really. Equestria could afford to make mistakes. It was a large nation. It could take blow after blow from within if it happened, but they lived in a very different world. Acroneighos' enemies were deceitful and vile and would love nothing more than to fool the Pegtasi into a monumental disaster. Equestria's enemies were vile, but less numerous and exploitative. Those soldiers who were likely to get out some day were just as guilty as their superiors. Vermin was vermin. Redemption possible, but dangerous. Too dangerous for Acroneighos. "Hmm. Hopefully they will not be Kastroti in how they treat your leniency," she said with a sigh, looing over at Dusty and friends- luckily, he seemed to be in good hooves, and not needing her. She nodded. "Best to get checked, then. Continued issue might be a concussion, though you seem to have missed any serious harm," she said, walking up to the bartender.

"Another water, heavily salted if you would, ma'am."

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Pleased that she wouldn't have to put up with Sky Crack's warrior boasts for much longer, Prof. Razorclaw nodded her head to acknowledge the pegasi's preliminary approval of the offer, currently lacking a drink of her own. "Excellent, then I shall bring up our matter to the Prime Minister. He and your Strategos will then meet and make the joint-security agreement between our two governments a reality. Rest assured, I look forward to the day when unity and security is brought to all of Maretonia." Considering the lawlessness and backstabbing that reigned elsewhere in Maretonia, Acroneighos was by far the best ally available to Aquellia in the region.

 

And who knows? If somehow Acroneighos went on to conquer the rest of that realm with Aquellian support, then that meant a very big favor owed to Aquellia down the line.

 

Morianna's attention meanwhile turned to a most peculiar sight: a blue serpent dragon darting about the lounge. It appeared to be of a juvenile age, so it obviously wasn't the Matron of Longri-La, a known dignitary on the Gala guest list. Probably an apprentice of hers then, if the Matron was the only known Long of note in attendance. No one important.

 

The griffoness regarded the long-living Long with a degree of ambivalence. Like alicorns, serpent dragons were both powerful and of a harmonic disposition, frustrating the scheming Morianna with the absolute lack of leverage available to her if she needed to deal with their kind. The least the Professor could say about the Long though was how they avoided the temptation of coddling the Long Sun with comforting, reality-shielding lies about the "magic" of friendship.


Prof. Razorclaw's raptor eyes remained locked onto the meandering serpent dragon. Assuming the drake was young enough, there just might be the slim possibility of molding the being into a useful, extremely powerful enforcer of Pax Aquellia one day. Mentally entertaining the notion, the aged griffoness turned her body completely in the dragon's direction, leaning on her cane with one hand while silently summoning the dragon over with a claw gesture.....

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Randgrid grinned at the deep blush that crept across Sigrun's face and slapped her upon her back, laughing mirthfully. It was a rare sight to see her firend so affected, by the words of another. She wasn't sure she entirely understood. The High King was the best of all caribou, so why should any feel embarassment for such a thing?

 

She nodded when the other cow went on to explain about her chosen mate, and how they had met in the arena. A curious thing, that. Randgrid had met countless foes in the arena but never had the thought to take one home with her occured to her.  "Halvard of Breen, you say? I know the name. He has a fine reputation, that one. Though I'm not sure I've had the pleasure of making his acquaintence." Randgrid said with marked uncertainty. She had made to many "friends" in her life that it was hard to keep track of them, especially given that so many were made while drinking heartily. "Congratulations, my friend!"

 

She threw back her latest drink and laughed. Then something in the previous conversations occured to her. "And wait, did I hear what you were saying before right? Did you truly take young Limi as your own?" she asked, with some surprise. Limi was one of her own clan, and a bright lad, if not exactly the stuff of which the best warriors were made. 

 

Randgrid turned then to the one called Dunder, considering what Sigrun had said about him. He appeared to be something of a lightweight, at least as far as drinks were concerned, but if he had truly answered the call to protect the High King, he had all of Randgrid's respect. She slapped him across the back and grinned widely. "If what Sig says is true, you my friend have my gratitude! It is an honor to make your acquaintence," she said with force. 

 

Randgrid then turned back to the other pegasus. The pride she had in her tactics and formations were not unexpected, but it wasn't the approach to battle that resonated with Randgrid. "Ha! It isn't just about muscle, friend, but instinct. You can spend all your time out there strategizing, thinking through every possible situation, but it's no substitute for actually being there in the thick of it, face to face with an unpredictable enemy out to take your life. The truth of battle is chaos. All one can do is react as one must." 

 

The princess took another drink and then relaxed in her chair. She then happened to glance over her shoulder at the sound of murmur and quite nearly fell out of her chair for what she saw. As if to prove her point of how unpredictable enemies could be, right there, suddenly in the lounge was hovering a great lindworm. Randgrid stood up and shook her head vigorously, hoping what she saw was simply an illusion brought on by the drink she had consumed, but no, the serpent beast remained. it was smaller and somewhat strange to look at compared to others Randgrid had encountered, but it's shape was such that Randgrid doubted there could possibly be anything else it was.

 

"So, our enemies stick to the same tricks, huh?" she said gravely as she stepped toward the creature. "Don't worry, friends, I've felled bigger ones than this. I shall handle it!"

 

She stepped again toward the serpent. "Foul lindworm, tremble! I, Randgrid of Heil-Barn shall bring you to the ground just as I did your brother in the Crystal Empire!"

 

Not having her sword on her, Randgrid instead started to charge with her massive antlers pointed out, prepared to wrestle the creature to the floor.

 

 

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It was at this moment that a third Caribou entered the lounge.  Unlike the other two, he was a bull, standing slightly shorter than both, but stocky, well-built, and hansome enough.  He'd come to the Gala dressed appropriately enough, with shiny armor inscribed with the runic initials 'HB.'  For this was Halvard of Clan Breen, whom Sigrun had just told Princess Randgrid of.  Besides his bearing and armor, perhaps the most striking thing about his appearance was the fact that his fur was colored blue, as the dye was a mark of his clan.  While that made him stand out in his native Whitescar, it oddly made him blend in more in Equestria, as the native inhabitants here were more used to being and seeing all colors of the rainbow.

 

As it happened, his entrance from the gardens cut right across Randgrid's charging advance, leaving him facing a charging cow with barely a split second to react.  However, his own arena sparring with Sigrun had sharpened his instincts for situations like this.  Crouching slightly, he braced for impact, then pushed sideways to deflect Randgrid's charge from her intended target, which at the very least would slow her down.  Furniture couldn't just get up and walk out of the way..

"Oof!"  Halvard grunted, sore from the impact.  He tried to shake off the pain, and take in the situation, but one does not simply shrug off a blow from the Princess of Whitescar so easily.  It was impressive, even, that he remained standing.  "I was given to understand,"  He sucked a breath through clenched teeth, relaxing slightly as he let it out, "That martial displays were not usual for this Gathering.  Was I wrong?"

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"Now that I think about it, it was probably during that whole foal thing in Ponyville." Tehengu responded, shrugging again. It was probably during their little common workplace, but that wasn't something you could just talk about in the open. 

 

"Good luck though, hope things go well with you two." He said, nodding to the changeling and her partner. That was when he heard Sigrun speaking, drawing the griffon's gaze over to the caribou. 

 

"Hey. Yeah, I'm Tehengu." He said, returning the friendly smile. "Thanks, you're not too bad yourself Sigrun. I've been doing fine, just got here not long ago." He said, nodding to Sigrun. "How about you?"

 

He would've continued the conversation, but his attention turned to the newest arrival on the scene, a dragon of some sort. Apparently the other caribou didn't recognize it as such, claiming it was some kind of worm before charging. Tehengu wasted no time, dropping his bottle and not even caring that it broke as he slammed his full weight into the caribou's side, trying to tackle her or at least knock her off course. 

 

"Rangrid, stop it! I can't claim to be an expert on lindworms or dragons, but I have seen both and this looks more like a dragon." He said, only now realizing he had tackled her after her impact with a male caribou. The griffon sighed to himself, standing up and looking between the three caribou before focusing on Sigrun. 

 

"Any other caribou I should be expecting?" He asked her, raising an eyebrow. 

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As Martini Paradise listened to the Changeling Naj's story, she was both fascinated and taken aback, this Changeling actually had Equestrian citizenship, given by Celestia herself! Or at least the immigration department under her.   Well that explained why no pony alerted the guards, not even Dusty, who was initially shock by the sight of Naj enough to have a fainting spell.  It turned out though the now recovered tan unicorn stallion may have been more awestruck than fearful at the sight of a Changling because he was suddenly full of questions Martini herself felt were a bit too intrusive.  Martini was tempted to shush him but politeness and curiously stopped her, besides it should be up to Naj if she wanted to answer them or not.

 

This was a Gala though and folks were here to mingle, be seen, and dance and it turned out the Changeling even had a volunteer in that last department.  Given how public Naj and the dark red earth pony were in their affection towards each other, Martini assumed they were already warmly acquainted, and unlike herself, this pony was openly comfortable with Naj.  For the first time, Martini feel bad about her own bigoted view of Changelings, even if she was still leery and wasn't quite ready to change her beliefs yet, still, she was a professional and that meant keeping any personal feeling aside. "Well hon, don't let me stand in your way, sounds like you have a willing partner and teacher, one that fancies you by the look of it!"  She gave a friendly wink.

 

As interesting as the Changeling may have been, Martini had other customers to attend to and quickly trotted over to the patiently waiting magenta pegasus mare that ordered some salt water.  She curiously had on some light ceremonial armor that looked like it was from the lands west of Aquella, lands Martini wasn't knowledgeable in but curious about.  "Sure thing hon, one salted water coming right up!"  As she levitated the ice cubes into the glass and began to pour the water, Martini's curiosity got the better of her, "so hon, what's your name and where do you hail from, your uniform there certainly isn't formal R.E.A wear, seen more than enough local guards to know that at least."

 

Before she could even put the salt in the drink a commotion had broken out on the floor.  Now this wasn't unusual at the Ponyland bar where she normally worked, but a brawl in the lounge at the Grand Galloping Gala?  This was a first, well at least at any Galas she's worked at.  Martini had no idea what started it, but something had set off one of the Caribou, a large, rough looking cow, and she was now in full charge, barreling toward an unusual looking serpent, maybe a sea serpent? Martini couldn't really tell, what she could tell is that others were having a very hard time stopping her!  Well there were going to be no fights on Martini's watch!

 

Levitating a large helping of ice cubes from the tray with her magic, she aimed them quickly and carefully, her years as a bartender giving her magic a fine tuned sense of timing and direction.  "Rule number one, no fighting in my bar!!" With her declaration and sudden force Martini rapidly flung the ice cubes as a singular mass to the floor in front of the raging Caribou, causing her to trip up and start to slip about wildly, hopefully it would enough to finally stop her.

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Dunder tensed up at the griffon's peck on the cheek, the display catching the stallion off guard. By the circumstances of their 'date', he had figured they would follow the standard procedure the two had established. After he realized what had happened he accepted it. He smiled at her and leaned in to push his nose against her soft neck feathers in a nuzzle. "Well, Fire told me you were upset and barely budging. I just had to come and make sure you were okay." Dunder said, still wondering what would put such a normally tough griffoness in such gloom.

 

He didn't wonder for long, though, because the princess gave him a stiff slap on the back, knocking the air right out of his lungs and mind right out of his tranquility. He hacked a few times, leaning away from the birdcat, retiring back to a sitting position. "Thanks...." He replied weakly, then hacked again.

Then the Acroneighos pony commented about the WRAITH ponies, hoping they wouldn't try for revenge. "I hope not, either, but I was wearing my mask. On top of that, with the circumstances of the fight I doubt any of them would want to pick up a weapon against Equestria or her allies again." With the pink bartender there, he had to resist getting another alcoholic drink. "Can I get a water with a lemon wedge, please?" He asked the bartender, and turned to see the Princess crying out how she was going to vanquish a... lindworm?

 

Everything happened too fast for the inebriated Dunder, anyway, he doubted after just that pat on the back that anything could stop her.

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Given the way the conversation had gone, the last thing Naj was expecting was a sudden barrage of questions, and it threw her for a bit of a loop.  “Er...well...”  Fortunately, as she grasped for an answer Red was more prepared and filled in a number of questions, specifically some of the details of their getting together and describing Princess Celestia.  When Red finished Naj had managed to recover.  “We have at least one library, though it's got mostly pony books.  I never saw much in the way of art, though I heard a rumour once that one of the administrators wrote fiction.  The rest...” Naj scratched the back of her head with a hoof.  “...I don't really know.  I was a hive guard, and aside from spending some time in the library I didn't do much outside of that.  I wouldn't really be the best changeling to ask.”  She paused for a moment, before adding, “And, Equestria's been nice, and eye-opening.”  She decided not to respond to the question of who her friends were.  She didn't quite trust Dusty enough for that yet, having not known him very long, and not knowing what might come back to them from anyone else listening.

 

Naj would have ignored Dusty's slip of the tongue had it happened alone, and indeed she almost missed it as he first said it.  She did however notice the sudden panic, which stood out after he'd previously been so inquisitive.  It reminded her of her own past a little, a few small almost-errors she'd made here and there.  It was a curious thing to spot in another pony, but without any definitive proof or reason to suspect ill intent, Naj didn't feel the need to pry.  Yet.  She did however, give Dusty a strange look.

 

After suggesting that he and Naj must have met in Ponyville during a particular incident, as he apparently also realized that talking about their shared workplace in public was a bad idea, Tehengu wished Naj and Red well.  Apparently he didn't have more to say, and moved on to other conversation partners.  Regardless, Naj was glad to have caught up, and waved farewell as he moved on.

 

Martini also had other business to attend to, after making note that Red was already there as a dance partner, and moved on to serve a strangely dressed pegasus.  Naj, feeling like she something, eventually called back “It was nice to meet you!”

 

Naj was just about ready to move on and head to the dance floor, even if she was still a bit hesitant about the whole idea.  She was about to tell him such-

 

And then several things happened simultaneously.  First, a caribou called out some sort of airborne snake before charging it, plowing through at least one other person in the process.  Said caribou was immediately charged in turn by Tehengu, followed up by Martini throwing ice at the caribou's hooves while yelling out what sounded like a fundamental rule of Gala etiquette.

 

Naj's first reaction to a sudden, potential combat situation was to throw a hoof up protectively in front of Red, who momentarily became the most important thing in the room.  Even if she wasn't quite as durable as an earth pony, she'd have a better chance of deflecting a hit, and it was an instinct regardless.  The second, after seeing that neither herself nor her fiance were in immediate danger, was to assess the situation.  The caribou, Randgrid, had apparently mistaken the flying thing for another species which was a type of monster, and charged.  This in turn prompted a few counter attacks, but more than that Naj remembered this caribou.  They'd worked together once as well, and seeing as Naj hadn't seen Randgrid since then, she liked the idea of reconnecting.  Plus, that might serve as a distraction preventing further incidents.

 

That said, Naj figured it was better to wait until things settled down before trying.  Once the room was calm, Naj would call out.  “Randgrid!  It's been too long, how have you been?”

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Dusty looked around, confused by the commotion. "Wait, what? Could somepony please tell me what's going on?"

Dusty let out a slight sigh. It seems he was able to get away with that, but the answers he got didn't tell him much. He'd have to earn her trust to find out anything truly informative. "Got any hobbies?" He threw out pitifully. She was probably going to spend time with her lover in the ballroom, and it would just be too awkward for him to follow. He turned back towards the bar. "Two parts cola, one part vodka."

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Red drained the last of his cider, not that he wasn't enjoying the conversation and hoping for it to end, but that he was preparing for that dance with his fiancee he'd be anticipating all night, but that was when one of the caribou in the room bellowed something about a lindworm and charged at... someone. He turned to see what was going on at the caribou's screams, watching the attacking caribou get charged and slipped up by ice. Red himself, while in no hurry to try and take down a charging caribou on his own, was prevented from it nonetheless by Naj, who was holding him protectively in his seat, back from all the carnage.

 

It didn't take long for Red to realize it was no lindworm. Thanks to these caribou he'd seen one of those far closer than he ever would have cared to, and this... was definitely not one. "That's a dragon..." he called, though his voice sounded like he really didn't believe that would make a difference.

 

Hearing that Dusty was having a hard time comprehending what was happening, he turned and said, "One of the caribou mistook a Neighponese dragon for some ugly creature they fight in their homeland," trying to reassure Dusty he himself was in no danger. "Looks like they're figuring that out now."

 

Red was about to wonder out loud if fighting and bench-pressing each other was the only thing these caribou thought about, as it certainly had seemed that way every single time he'd encountered them, when Naj actually recognized one of them, calling out to Randgrid. Red blinked and looked again. Sure enough, the one who had been gung-ho to turn an innocent dragon into luggage was indeed the one who'd been wandering like a zombie during the carnage in the Crystal Empire.

 

Still, the recognition didn't make him any more inclined to say hello, at least, not until the caribou's her adrenaline levels had returned to something approaching normal.

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Truth be told, the serpent dragon hadn't expected to be noticed really. Not that it truly bothered him, he hadn't made such a grand entrance to announce himself, nor had he delved right in to conversation with anyone out of the blue. It was more to sate his curiosity on just why creatures drank, something he had yet to experience himself beyond the occasional ceremonial events, but most of that was for show not for taste. Far too bitter. That's why it was a small surprise when a rather...well, bitter looking griffoness beckoned him over. He was nearly half through his hover over towards her when a voice broke out above the crowd.


It seemed his presence, or rather his mistaken identity was the cause of the sudden outburst and charging. Wait...charging? Àilóng had heard their people were often a 'charge first, talk later' group. He could not fault them for it though. Their land was one filled with far more danger than safety, and Lindwurms were high on the 'Slay or be Slain' list. They shared a similar physiology and if someone had never seen a Long before, it was a reasonable mistake! Not one however, that the king would let himself be gored over, mind.


Several of the guests and friends of the charging caribou had tried to stop her, but likely to little avail. There was one simple course of action for Àilóng. Caribou cannot fly! With a swift little twist the dragon zipped up into the air, high above the crowd, slightly bumping his head on the ceiling as he did so. His usually calm countenance was broken by a frown of concern, not for himself, but for the confused cow and any who may get hurt by her sudden rampage.

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Sigrun was prepared to answer all of her old friend's questions but she soon found herself at a loss for words when she took note of a hovering serpent... She almost reflexively got into a more fight ready stance but she stopped herself when she made a realization. This wasn't a lindwurm. Lindwurm's may have had this creature's long, serpentine form, but they only had two legs and wings. Just as she spoke up she heard  some words from her royal friend that made her brain stop in it's tracks. 

The declaration of an old enemy returning, "What?" The idea that she would 'handle (him)' , "What?" The bold proclaimation that She was about to bring down and the subsequent charge, "Wait, WHAT?!" 

 

"Um Randgrid, pleas take some time to reconsi--" But before her words registered with her old friend she'd already taken off in a charge. Sigrun was ready to jump into action  and try to take a hold of Randgrid's leg's to make her stumble... but thankfully Halvard's entrance however managed  to jar Randgrid's course: Now there's be no need for her to add to her friend's possible humiliation. The sight of her friend colliding with her mate brought up some fiery embers in her heart, but she calmed them. She had to keep her wits about her... letting others see her in a more advanced form of her her affliction brought about by anger would do nothing to help the situation, or the Equestrian population's view of the caribou as savage beasts.

 

Then some lights were blinking in the air as something arced over her antlers. Did someone just throw gems into the scene for some reason... oh no... they were ice cubes! and a lot of them too. The Cow looked to Bartender and mouthed out the words, "Thank you." To her with a look a relief on her face. Thanks to these combined efforts Randgrid was sure to be a bit... taken aback. Breaking out into a Gallop she made her way over to the Dragon in question, She gave him an apologetic bow before speaking in the direction of her friend; hoping the princess was listening. 

"Princess... I believe you may have gotten a bit too into your role as monster hunter..." She looked over to the Serpent and gestured with her hoof, "Tehengu is Right...Lindwurms do not float ... and have only two legs with claws and wings... This one has no wings but forelegs and hind legs as well. " She looked to the dragon and offered her hoof to him, "Please excuse my friend, Sir... She is a bit wound up from a long arduous journey. Would you like to join us in a drink, Sir...?" She trailed off, leaving room for the dragon to bring up his name. "Excuse me a moment."  She turned back to and made her way back to her mate's side with a bout of speed that seemed to cause a noticeable gust in her wake before she nuzzled into Halvard's side andhelped him back up. "I'm sorry, My love... I hadn't thought you'd meet one of my friend's like this... but then again with how we wound up together..." She trailed off again and laughed awkwardly.

 

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Randgrid didn't get very far in her valliant charge toward her would be enemy. A series of events happened in quick succession to throw her quite far from her would be target. A large bull caribou appeared suddenly in her path, diverting her slightly with their collision, then a griffon slammed into her, then the barmare, who mader her anger for the display quite plain with her shouted words, threw some ice at her hooves to make her slip, and finally, the dragon flew up toward the ceiling, vacating the general area entirely.

 

Now Randgrid was exceptionally strong, as she had demonstrated quite plainly in her lifting of Sigrun, a caribou noticeably larger than she up over her head, and that coupled with all of the determination burning in her would make it quite difficult for anyone to impede her effort. Under normal circumstances, it'd also be an unlikely thing to see the princess of Whitescar slip on ice. Randgrid, however, had been drinking heavily since the night began and so her footing with the repeated impacts, soon fell apart. Her hooves gave out under her and soon she was skidding ahead on the floor, no longer under her own power. 

 

She struggled to regain her balance so she could continue, and was sure that she had, when then all of a sudden she slipped again and this time fell flat on her face. It took a few moments before she could pick herself back up, by which point she was surrounded by several others.

 

Her attention first went to the griffon who had slammed into her, who seemed insistent that the beast wasn't a lindworm. She looked at the creature again, but was not so convinced. "The body is long for a dragon though... and besides..." she started, but her attention was then called away by  a new voice.

 

Her eyes found it from a changeling who was familiar to the caribou. They had gotten off to an interesting start, the changeling having compelled her to slay another caribou while she was a puppet to evil magic. Randgrid harbored no ill will to her, however, and was pleased to have worked with her in the past. "Ah, you're Naj. I didn't see you there, friend," she said. "You would understand the danger. You were there that day with that monstrous Fylkir in the Crystal Empire," she said, recalling the grim events. "And so was your pony friend there, wasn't he?" she added, nodding to the red stallion next to her.

 

Sigrun then came to her and Randgrid's attention was once more arrested by the serpent. Her friend pointed out quite well how this serpent's anatomy differed from the lindworms she had known. She couldn't really argue with the observation, but that wasn't enough to put her at ease.

 

"Sig, my friend, I've been across four kingdoms in the past year and through it all I've seen several scaly beasts of this sort and I've found that it matters not whether they are called lindworm, dragon, hydra, serpent or any other name. None of them are the sort of creature you would welcome to sit and drink with you," Randgrid insisted."How can you be sure this one is so different from the others?"

 

She then noticed as Sigrun approached the caribou she had initially collided with. The way she adressed him left little doubt as to his identity. She wasn't about to let her eye off the serpent, whom she remained confident was still there for nefarious reasons, but she nevertheless stepped toward them and gave a nod. "Halvard of Breen, I take it?" she said as she sized the bull up.  "I've heard much about you, friend. It is a surprise that we had not crossed paths until now when you decided to cross mine in so literal a fashion," she added, not too wound up to give a laugh.

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Well, at least he wasn't the only one that tried to stop Rangrid's charge. He sighed at the female's response to his words, glaring at her a bit before Sigrun came over and agreed with him.

 

"Rangrid, older dragons are not always friendly, but this is not the same kind of dragon, and I've learned that you can't judge someone just because they were born a certain race. Sentient races are not so simple that they all fit the same mold." He said, sighing a bit before walking over to the bar and letting the two caribou to greet the new caribou.

 

"Hey, sorry about the bottle I dropped, can I have another beer please?" He asked, looking at the bartender mare. "I'll clean it up too if you can get me a mop or something."

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All the sound, fury, and confusion, though sharp, was swift.  From the shoulder-blow that sent Randgrid off-course, to the scattering of ice cubes and the tackling of the griffon, to the final collapse of the caribou cow's charge was only a few seconds.  Time enough for Havlard to catch his breath and take in the scene.  The Lounge was filled with a most motley collection of species, representing this year's International flavor to the Gala.  Including... an undisguised emotion-eater?  That Randgrid knew?

 

He set aside his momentary puzzlement as Sigrun came up to him, bracing his stance until his hooves were steady.  He sighed, nuzzling into neck as he replied, "Naturally!  I must grant our Equestrian hosts this; they certainly know how to make a caribou feel at home.  Though our own bar brawls generally last a little longer."  He gave as hearty a laugh as his aching ribs would allow, hopefully reassuring the crowd.  Somehow, though, Halvard received the impression that it wasn't quite working.

 

Having just spent all the previous part of the day trying to correct the impressions most Equestrians had of Caribou as unfeeling, bloody vikings, coming in to see this scene rather got under Halvard's skin, to be perfectly frank.  Which was why the greeting he gave to Randgrid in return was rather cooler and more formal than one would expect for the greeting of his mate's friend.  "Randgrid of Heil-Barn."  He bowed to her slightly.  "Your father spoke much to me of you when I mentioned that I was coming here to assist his work in improving the reputation of Whitescar.  I have endeavored long today in that task, and now I come to find you here..."  Of what effect Randgrid's own actions would have upon her father's legacy, he left unsaid.  It didn't need to be, he though, in order for the message to come across.  It was a bit of a cold cut, actually, though one might forgive a bull still smarting from a blow for being a little sharp with his words, or silences.

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Naj spared a glance at Red, and saw that while he did seem to recognize Randgrid once her identity was pointed out too him, he wasn't too eager to get close.  Naj grinned at that.  While she would like all of her friends and colleagues to get along well, truth be told keeping a physical and emotional from a charging caribou warrior was probably the smarter option.

 

As Randgrid was addressed by a number of people around the lounge, Naj took the opportunity to address Dusty, who was understandably struggling to keep himself present in the current, chaotic conversation.  “Books!” the changeling said back in response to the unicorn asking about her hobbies, “I still like to read, all kinds of things, when I don't have any immediate duties or concerns.”  Seeing Dusty struggle, and thinking at least some of his questions might be better suited for a more calm and secluded environment, she added “Look me up in Stalliongrad after the Gala, if you want to talk more.  I'm not willing to just give everypony my address, but try the local courier services.  I work with each of them periodically, and they generally have a way to get in touch with me.”

 

That settled for the evening, or at least so the changeling assumed, and turned back to the ongoing conversation.  Randgrid was at least taking the time to listen, rather than try to continue her former charge, but it was clear the caribou not at all convinced that the wyrm wasn't dangerous.  For her part, Naj had noted that the creature hadn't made any hostile motions, and felt that anything willing to play by the rules should at least be given a chance.

 

Naj guessed Randgrid wouldn't be convinced by simply explaining that however.  Fortunately, the ongoing conversation gave the changeling the time to come up with an alternative.  “Consider this then,” Naj chimed in, not long after Rangrid replied to Sigrun's argument, “the dragon hasn't acted hostile yet.  That would mean that either he genuinely does not wish us any harm, in which case an attack would be unjust, or he's patient enough to have set up a trap for any that might try.  Whichever is accurate, it would be a bad idea to attack now don't you think?” 

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The blacksmith shook her head. "I was budging.", she grumbled, "Even with what happened, it's not like I was hiding in an closet with a big tub of cookie dough ice cream while listening to sad songs on the radio..I kept busy....But I needed a little bit of pony time. And being alone and locked up in my home studio probably wasn't helping. Thankfully, Fire and Pressy visited the previous night with few of those horrible wines they like that come in...boxes.", she groaned, "Still, we had a good time and they mentioned the Gala. They also mentioned something about a very handsome stallion with a cute, fuzzy brown rump. One I could not say no to."
 
* * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * *
 
The black griffon smiled warmly as the Chieftain spoke highly of her family. "Most of the old family has moved away from armor and battleaxes and make more..erm.", she tried to think of a polite word to use, "Common day items. Things you most use in everyday occasions. They make a fine living and each of my brothers have grown to be very skilled in their selective specialty fields." One thing caught the bird's eyes. The pretty pink mare that had been crafting and serving drinks with unmatched skill. She had seen this pony before. She was from the islands...Had a kid? The blacksmith pondered how she managed to get a martini for an cutie mark considering that ponies got these before they reached puberty. Maybe she enjoyed making drinks and not actually drinking them. Probably had a stand more popular than the ones that sold lemonade.
 
"I've always been a bit of a nerdy-birdy.", Zelda added, "I studied the old armor and weaponry of Equestria's past, along with any other culture I could learn of. From the mighty weapons of the Caribou to the igneous tools the Zebra would use to chase away some of the nastier creatures in the Unyasi. I also sculpt when I'm not busy.", a few ideas ran about in the bird's head for a moment, "I could imagine you in plate....Griffin steel mesh..Adamant chest plate. With the right stones to highlight your beauty and enchantments to balance some of the issues one normally has with heavy armor.", the bird shuddered for a moment as she pictured the impressive Chieftain as she ambled about the battlefield in her armor. Stomping evil dragons until they surrendered and ran home to their mommies.
 
"As for my minor-kappore.", she shifted into a whisper, "Just a little bit of a heartbreak I had to deal with. Sometimes I get buried in my work and I lose track of things.", she sighed, "Had a great guy, but he wanted a bit more out of our relationship. More than I was willing to give at the time. I blame myself mostly, but things went by so quickly, he did not give me time to fix what needed to be fixed."
 
"And yes.", the griffon tried to sound positive, "You may call me Zelda...How may I address you?"
 
There was a bit of a ruckus that followed. The black bird refused to get involved, but kept her guard, making sure neither she, nor her date managed to get flatten. She was not even going to think about the drama, but instead ordered another drink, "Whiskey...Erm.", she quickly scanned the selection, "Black Windigo Whiskey, neat."
 
 
 
 
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"Naturally!  I must grant our Equestrian hosts this; they certainly know how to make a caribou feel at home.  Though our own bar brawls generally last a little longer."

 

Seriously? Red blinked his eyes, as if not believing what he just heard, then rolled them as he turned back in his seat towards the bar. A caribou had just made a comparison of the Grand Galloping Gala as a venue for bar brawls. Unbelievable! Red had heard rumours about some of the happenings of previous Galas, but none of them involved fights. Under the circumstances, he thought having to wade hip-deep through a living green ooze might have been preferable.

 

Not even acknowledging that he had himself been recognized by Randgrid, he left it to Naj to try and convince the caribou to calm down in words she could understand. He briefly considered ordering another drink, but decided not to add any fuel to the fire. Turning to Dusty, he added, "And, I work at the logging company. They can get you in touch with me, too, if you need."

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The ice cubes did the trick!  Not the first time Martini Paradise used the old 'cover the floor with ice cubes under the drunk' trick but she never had to try it on a charging Caribou before, usually just two R.E.A ponies tussling after some argument back at the Ponyland Inn.  Come to think of it, she never had to take any sort of measure to break up a fight at the Gala before!  Is the event really better now any species from the four corners of the world are invited to what was once Equestria's most illustrious annual event?


It wasn't Martini's place to decide who should be allowed in the Gala, she wasn't even a guest, just an employee, and a temporary one at that.  Of course that meant now that the Caribou had calmed down she could and should get back to her job, which had suddenly become very busy with demands from drink from a myriad of patrons.


Where was she... Right, the strangely armored megenta pegasus mare.  Martini hesitated at the request.  The pegasus sounded like she knew what she was asking for ... but Martini was from the Gallopocus Islands, and every summer she saw dozens of tourists having to be brought to the medic because they'd drunk too much seawater.  Saltwater just makes you more dehydrated, not less.


Still, it wasn't her place to instruct the guests... with great trepidation, she wet the rim of a glass, then dipped it into the margarita salt to coat the rim in a thick crust of salt.  She poured a little bit of salt on the bottom of the glass, then filled it almost to the top.  She hoped the crust of salt would satisfy the pegasus' salt craving.  "You be careful with this now hon, it'll just make you thirstier, so not too many, especially if you plan to do some dancing."


She already grabbed a second glass, filling it with ice and water on its own, her horn glowing as she floated over a lemon slice to tuck away on the edge.  The two glasses floated into the air, along with Luna and Celestia cutie-marked coasters, the salted glass settling down before Sky Crack, and the be-lemoned glass settling before Dunder.


When Dusty asked for something Martini smiled broadly, finally an actual mixed drink!  Not a complicated one, but she was happy to use at least a bit of her skill.  To make it a bit showier, she cracked open two cola bottles instead of one, and floated down some top-shelf Stalliongrad Vodka.  The three bottles all tipped into the glass at the same time, rotating around the rim of the glass as the three streams mixed together and splashed into the tumbler.  The tumbler floated out to Dusty along with a coaster marked with Princess Mi Amore's cutie mark, then she set the cola down behind the bar and returned the vodka to the shelf.  Hopefully that'll clam the nervous unicorn stallion some, don't need him laying semi-concious on the floor again, especially with wild Caribou about!


Next was a beer, sometime not commonly asked at the Gala but beer was making a big comeback, with hundreds of small craft brews all over the place.  The Gala's bar had been stocked with the finest beers from dozens of small local breweries, and Martini was familiar with most of them.  She chose the Ponyland house brew, popped the top, and slid it down to Tehengu on its own Princess Twilight themed coaster with a friendly wink.


And the last request was certainly a simple one.  If they had it.  She checked quickly over the selection of whiskeys ... ah, good!  Here we go.  She floated it out, spun the whiskey bottle on her hoof as the tumbler floated on over, then brought them together so they clinked, the tumbler stopping the bottle's neck and the whiskey pouring out to fill the glass.  She floated it over to Zelda, the griffon also getting a Twilight themed coaster.


Phew! This was one busy night, not much in the way of conversation yet, but at least everyone was getting their drinks, and hopefully the old tip bar will have more than a few bits at the bottom.

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She nodded, hoping with Dunder. "That is always the hope. My experience is that cockroaches like them always find a way back, from the dark corners to the unfinished jobs. Once they get in your head they stay there and infect everything you do. I have no doubt there may be some good seeds in there and hopefully they will overpower the baser tendencies of their collective lives so far, but I will not hold my breath in the hopes of redemption. Too many times have the good and kindhearted had their good natured sensibilities taken advantage of, reducing them to playthings in the grand scheme of nations. Hopefully this will prove unlike those times."

 

The drink was prepared as requested. Most wonderful! Acroneighos did not see much in the way of drinking. The heavily salted drinks were what passed a sheavy drink in her world, and it had much the same effect. Though dehydration-induced light headedness and wooziness was perhaps more dangerous than the drunken stupor brought on by other drinks, it was more easily rectified and a pony could be brought up to speed much quicker. In a society that demanded preparedness even if you were just at a party, it was a very useful feature. "Thank you, Madame. May your drinks flow ever faithfully!" she responded chirpily, taking her drink in with a large gulp. That saltiness was always a wonderful sign of good times. She took a deep breath. "I've been drinking salt for years, Madame. Rest assured- I am aware of the risks. How long have you been doing this, by the way? You show great comfort and skill, despite these surroundings."

 

Speaking of, it appeared as if she was successful in crafting a deal with the Griffons. That was good. She had done so with others in the area and this was another notch under her belt. Merchant concerns in Equestria as well as a few farms lost in the shuffle. Unyasan cities. Hesperians desperate for money. And now the Griffons, in need of some might. The beauty was that each element could be scaled according to what the city found unsavory about their demands, or even cut off if the city found the quid pro quo against what was best for the city. There would be no holding the Pegasus by the tail here. "Excellent. I shall go the Strategos of Negotiations and see about getting the agreement ratified on our end. This has been a most fruitful negotiation, has it not?"

 

Speaking of fruitful, that was not a word to describe Randgrid's actions when she saw an Eastern Serpent. The trials and tribulations of a caribou that went around the world to make herself a better warrior didn't take her to the east, apparently. Well, nobou was perfect. A consortium of guests were able to help stop her, thugh Rand was still not a fan of the presence of the great serpent. "He is not an animal, Princess of the Caribou. He is Serpent King, He Who Rules from Longri-La, Àilóng. King, it is an honor to meet you. Nǐ jīntiān zěnme yàng?" She asked with a bow, her language competent if shaky.

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Well... that was rather unpleasant. Morianna Razorclaw came terrifyingly close to getting pushed aside when Princess Randgrid initiated a reckless charge against the serpent dragon. Ironic then that the incident came to an ignominious end once the drake... floated higher up in the air, exposing the futility of Randgrid's attack. Morianna tsked tsked to herself; if she had doubts before, then they've all been replaced with certainty. No carelessly aggressive caribou like Randgrid should ever sit on the Throne of Whitescar!

 

Sky Crack next puzzled the griffoness by declaring the unknown Long to be the Serpent King himself. A rather bold claim to make, considering that the serpentine individual exhibited no signs whatsoever of being a dignitary of great importance. No announcements were made of Serpent King Àilóng's attendance at the Grand Galloping Gala either. All Sky Crack had going for her was how this dragon was approximately the same age as the King... and that was pretty much it. Few reliable descriptions of Àilóng existed anywhere in the lands west of the Ancients' Abode.


Then again, maybe Sky Crack knew something that Morianna didn't. Hence, the Professor deemed it prudent to keep her beak shut, lest she embarrassed herself by making a verbal blunder. For the moment, Morianna's face remained expressionless....

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Àilóng watched the scene beneath him unfold for a moment. Watching friends of the poor confused 'bou, whom he now understood was called Randgrid by all the hollering at her, bounce off of her with little effect. It seemed that nothing really would stop her charge, until a few well timed ice cubes were tossed in her path. Funny as the scene was to watch, the dragon did his best not to laugh, only softly giggle  bit, until he was certain that the cow hadn't hurt herself...Which given her bulk and clear strength, it would take an avalanche to do any real damage to her.


It really was a shame that it took so much to stop her, but at least she seemed to be just fine. Once he was sure that things had calmed for the most part, Àilóng floated down closer to the group as a whole and bowed his head respectfully. "Wànsuì, friends. There is no harm done!" the dragon gave a reassuring smile to the fluffy caribou...and resisted the urge to question the nature of her puffy fuzzy coat. Other things first! "I am still in one piece, and so long as...Randgrid was it? Are you well? So long as you are unharmed I am at ease." he asked with no small measure of worry. "I apologize truly, perhaps if I had announced my arrival you would have been more at easy. But I can assure you that I am no Lindwurm. I am Long, a Serpent Dragon of the East. I am here to cause no trouble."


The dragon dearly hoped that she would understand, though he would not fault her if she did not. There were many things in the world, one could not possibly hope to see everything in one lifetime and having never seen or heard of a Long was not unheard of. Though things were calmer now, there still was a small tension of unease that lingered in the air, which left Àilóng with a choice to make, perhaps revealing just who he was would make things finally be at peace...Though it would ruin the whole 'incognito' thing he had been going for! Before he could choose himself, however, the choice was made for him. He hadn't expected a soul here tonight, outside of the Prince, Empress, and Matron to recognize him!


Coiling around in mid air to face the voice that spoiled the fun, he crossed his arms and pouted a bit. "Aww. You've spoiled the surprise..." he said with a small measure of disappointment before giggling. With snort of pink smoke from his nose, something shimmered and glimmered atop his head before it came into view. A beautiful gold and silver crown, ornate in design and made to look like two serpent dragons intertwining around a shining and glistening blue pearl. "Wànsuì! Wǒ hěn hǎo! Certainly an exiting time for my first gala! You have me very curious now, how was it you knew my identity?" the serpent 'swam' around the pegasus with a little smile on his face.

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Dusty gave a little nod. That he could possibly meet them later let him know that he didn't have to rush things now. He could let them enjoy the Gala, and Dusty could find them at a later date. Better yet, he might be able to do so in his old city of Stalliongrad. He hadn't checked up on his mothers in a few moons, they'd appreciate the visit.

 

The impressive show of display from the bartender was, of course, completely lost on Dusty. When he heard the drink set down, he pulsed his horn to determine the exact location of the drink before reaching out, picking it up, and taking a careful sip. "Ah, that's good." He said. "Makes me think of home." He gave a nod to where he hoped the bartender was. "Thanks."

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