[After-gala]Park of the Palace

[Zeig]

 

 

Oh, yes, of course. No titles, just given names.

 

...Hmm. Her, being able to call the Equestrian Princess of Love, by her given name...

 

It was almost a giddy enough thought to distract Mei from everything that had happened that night. Almost. Still, the thought of writing home to her friends to tell them how she was now best friends with Cadence, who was, oh, no one important, not really, only the Princess of Love, was enough to force Mei's lips to curl inwards in order to stop a giggle from escaping. Sunswept would be so, jealous. 

 

But that would have to be saved for later, as, after relocating them to a bit more private area, Cadence suddenly professed her own meeting with him, causing Mei's face to fall almost as quickly as it had risen. The reminder of his precious Jarl, some authority figure who had almost had LIMI leaving Garden Gait because her oh so delicate nose couldn't handle a little bit of pollen, what even sort of vicious Viking Caribou was that, anyways? And the knowledge that Lími had been, perhaps, even more cowed in his youth behind this vaguely formed Viking oppressor that she had never met but had heard loads about was enough to turn Mei's pout into a full out scowl. 

 

Really now. A few flowers! 

 

"I'm not surprised," Mei sniffed delicately, wrapping one foreleg around herself, "he mentioned this...Jarl of his several times in Garden Gait. Always needing to report back to her, get her permission for everything...it's no wonder that he had to live in her shadow for most of his life." Her poor, sweet Lími, forced to live amongst barbarians and brutes when all he wished was for some quill and parchment, and a quiet place to write poems for beautiful Qilins.

 

...Except those barbarians and brutes were Vikings, of which he was one also. 

 

"It's probably all her fault, isn't it," the Qilin suddenly exclaimed, the puzzle pieces falling quite neatly into place. "He had to live under her shadow for so long - he did everything she said, nothing without her permission - well it's no wonder he was so shy," Mei continued, nodding her head a bit viciously in righteous indignation. Yes, yes that made sense. Raised by an overbearing, axe-wielding barbarian who forced LIMI into his life as a Viking Caribou-

 

...No wait, that wasn't right. Because he was a Caribou, being forced had nothing to do with what one was -

 

- but then he liked to write poems with a poet's eyes taking in the beauty of the world -

 

- but what did that matter, he was a Caribou and a brute and her head hurt, causing Mei to let out a small groan and tap the side of her head with one hoof, as if she could simply shake out all the confusing thoughts. It had seemed so simple at first, but the pieces that had made sense just moments earlier suddenly, quite abruptly, no longer fit. Nothing made sense, and the Qilin sincerely hoped she didn't look quite as pitiful as she felt, under the Princess' gaze. 

 

 

[Zeig]

 

 

Wha...what?

 

"B-but you just introduced yourself with various titles," Dawnguard spluttered, now truly lost in the back-and-forth conversation with stallion of mismatched words, "when all I asked is who you were. Clearly, you value your own titles, else you would have deigned to use them. And besides," the white Pegasus continued, voice ramping up in indignation at the other's hypocritical statements, "you place value on your material possessions over the Unending Light of Justice that you claim to uphold! Why did you feel the need to inform all and present that you are one of the richest ponies in the world?" And to furthermore use that as a right to authority...

 

He had made a mistake. This stallion wasn't likened kin. 

 

"At least I've the passion of the raging bloodline of heroes to call upon my name," the REA guard mustered up, head tilting forward slightly as his eyes narrowed as he caught the stallion in yet another lie, "a passion that carries me upon wings of burning steel towards the ever encroaching darkness and - h-hey!" Dawnguward was left to gape, rather open-mouthedly, as the stallion actually turned around and went back to the red-maned mare in the middle of his talking, as if this Swift Squall Squallcoast couldn't even be bothered to fully listen to the stallion he was attempting to lecture! 

 

This stallion, who claimed riches as a right to authority, who scolded others for doing things he himself did, who rudely left conversations in the middle without so much as an 'excuse me' - and now, had the gall to lie about having any sort of relationship with his father, the General?!

 

Liar, Deceiver, Hypocrite...and Utter Killer of Good Vibes!

 

"And never have I claimed deceit - unlike you. Never has my father mentioned a Sharp Carrot nor a Swift Squall Squallcoast, and only a brigand with a heart of darkness hides his name behind a cloak of deceit. Begone, ye stallion of hypocritical lies!" Dawnguard denounced, flinging his wings outwards as he turned his back on the Stallion Hypocrite, much as one would when attempting to cause a cape to dramatically billow about. "And pray you seek your own faults first, before you attempt again to smother the Inextinguishable Light of Good." That said, the white Pegasus wasted no further time with the stallion who felt it right to assert himself as authority but could not be bothered seeing it through - among other equally unflattering thoughts - and, unthinkingly, grasped the Vile Necromancer with one hoof in order to drag him away from the other stallion.

 

Despicable. To besmirch his honor and the bloodline of heroes within him, yet lie claim relationship with the General! 

 

Oh, well was he used to others attempting to corral him into theaters and plays - as if the mighty power of his Spear Hoof could be thusly regaled to the simple stage! - but never had one so hypocritical, deceiving, and downright rude attempted so. At the very least, Swift Squall Squallcoast could have seen his intention through, but no, apparently his lecture could only hold half his attention, as if he, Dawnguard, and Chipper Demise should just stand around and simply wait for Swift Squall Squallcoast to come and go as he pleases. 

 

So incensed was he, that Dawnguard almost failed to notice he had dragged Demise near halfway 'cross the way, closer to the snow cones the Necromancer himself had pointed out. "Oh! Sorry," the REA guard exclaimed, dropping the other's foreleg like a hot potato, before he collected himself a coughed a bit into one hoof. "I mean - ahem! My apologies, most evil of necromancers, I hadn't - I mean!" Dawnguard cried out, just now realizing he was apologizing to a vile necromancer who was intent on enchanting fair maids into his evil bidding! "Now we may finish our battle, where you cower in fear of the mighty power of my - gah," the white Pegasus exclaimed again, dropping the hoof he'd had pointed towards Demise to instead furiously rub at his mane, "I can't concentrate anymore! He totally killed my mojo - I mean, his dastardly plan had not...extinguished the unending...vile...argh!" 

 

 

[Pretzelparty]

 

This was getting worrying... Limi seemed to be nowhere to be found after the galas events were winding down. Perhaps he decided to go on ahead to the carriage... but if he wasn't Sigrun would be beating herself up for days if she left her foster son behind in the castle after this night. On some level she wondered if she was just hoping to hear at least one caribou at this gathering had a nice, and uncomplicated night of revelry. She'd heard about the phoenix incident... and that combined with Randgrid's reflexive attack on the Royalty of Long Guo's dragons after mistaking him for a lindwurm: It sounded like this was a bad night for any creature who didn't hail from this land. 

 

Still, Sigrun continued her search, this was the last place she'd check before heading off to the carriage that had brought her and her own mate: Halvard, here. Upon exiting out to the park she took a deep breath to build up some confidence after a long night... and gave her muzzle a quick rub with her cloven hoof before continuing on and already coming upon some familiar faces! The stalwart hero of the light: Dawnguard was here! She'd met him and lent him a cloak for him to pose with when she wound up getting her portrait done. She was about to approach him but the sight of who he was adjacent to was... someone speaking to would be very awkward. 

 

Swift Squall knew of her current condition and worked to assist her clan... after she had rather soundly beaten the stallion in the arena. If there was any chance she could avoid that unpleasantness she would. So that was what she did. The presence of another face in the room got her attention. It was none other than Princess Cadence! She hadn't spoken to her in ages. The history between her and Sigrun was also a bit complicated but despite the circumstances of their meeting they had become rather decently acquainted and hearing from her would be refreshing after a long, tiring night. She approached quietly. mostly so she wouldn't draw much attention from anyone else. Once she was close enough to speak up she offered a kind smile, "Princess Cadence, It's lovely to se-" She paused. Noting the qilin at her side, looking a bit... distraught. 

Sigrun's ears lowered a bit, a hoof coming up to scratch nervously at the back of her neck. "Oh... um I'm not interrupting anything am I?" She said in a concerned tone, "I'm sorry to bother you at this late hour but... have you seen my son, Limi?" The caribou looked to the qilin and, still trying to be polite, lowered her head in a bow, the fangs poking from under her upper lip glinting slightly in the light of the moon. "I am Sigrun. Chieftain of the Askr clan of Whitescar." 

 

 

 

[Blueblood]

By this point in the conversation, Chipper's mind was almost completely on food.  Oh, sure, he'd sent the crows to rustle up some treats from the buffet table, but that had been at least an hour ago!  And there were so many delicious things being served here, he hardly knew what to go for!  

 

Fortunately, his new friend Dawnguard was more decided, dragging him away from the admittedly entertaining conversation, in the direction of the snow cones.  Fantastic!  The unicorn turned around to thank his pegasus companion, waving away his attempted apology.  "Nah, don't worry about it!  I didn't come here to get in any fights; all I want now is a tasty treat.  And just for you, I won't do any evil magic to get it, either!  Nyahahaha!  I guess that means you win!"  It might not have been the most satisfying victory for the idealistic young hero, but it was a real one in any case.  No more intentional trouble would be had from the young necromancer, so chalk up one for the good guys!

 

Now it was time for Chipper Demise to get his snack on!  Cantering up gaily to Ice, Fire, and Lian, he waved excitedly at the blue mare.  "Hiii!  Could I have one of those?  Oh, make that two, one for me, and one for my new friend!  He's funny, but aren't we all, eh?  Nyahaha!"  Leaning in closer suddenly, he dropped his voice to a whisper.  "But if a green-coated stallion comes over, don't give him one!  He needs to say he's sorry first."  Running a frozen treats shop, Ice Storm was probably familiar with this sort of behavior.  Admittedly, from much younger colts, but still.  It might be a welcome return to familiarity.

[moonshineTheleocat]

Crusader watched with a frown as the wonderful relationship that Limi and that exotic pony had finally comletely dissolve into a mess. It broke her heart to see such a strong bond suddenly destroyed because of one’s prejudice. She did not really know Limi. She’s only seen him from the Caribou’s Mead halls, but she could tell he was no warrior. He was likely crying his little heart out after he ran off.

Something did give Crusader the strong desire to smash Mei through the castle walls as she danced with her words. It’d be perfectly easy. She wouldn’t have to think about it. With the numbness that she felt, she probably could do it without any regrets. The foolish mare needs to learn that a cut made by words is far worse than any blade’s bite. But… she was a better mare than that.

Oh look… the situation has grown from a one-hundred to a hundred fifty in a mere heartbeat when Limi’s motherly figure showed up. Could this grow any worse? Perhaps… his father figure could show up to. Yes… that would definitely be worse.

The mare sighed softly, seeing that it might be best to go find the stallion before things grow a bit heated. Hopefully this will sort it’s self out in the near future.

Crusader dipped her muzzle down to give Blueblood a loving nuzzle. “I hope you will be fine by yourself for some time. I am afraid I need to help locate the lost jarling.” She hummed softly before approaching Jarl Sigurn.

She instinctively saluted the mare, but showed no conscience sign of actually catching herself doing such a thing. “Excuse me Jarl Sigurn. I hope you remember me. I am Star Breezer’s daughter. While I am under Prince Bluebloods charge, I am also still a guard of this castle. If you would allow it, I could help you locate Limi.”

 

Depending on that softy’s personality… he could easily be sobbing in a locked bathroom in the castle. Please don’t let that be the case. She was not even sure about the depth of her ability to comfort somepony. She was an intimidating figure… not a gentle one.

[tacobob]

 

With Swift Squall’s gentle prodding, Fire Walker ended her brief journey to Slumberland. “Rhino… Rhino Feeder...”, the mare muttered to herself as her eyes creaked open. What the heck just happened? Her brother Sky Walker had challenged her beloved Swift to a nerd-off. Or maybe that wasn't Sky? Wasn't he traveling to the Raptorclaw Canons for some silly adventure? And what was that dream she just had? Something about muffins? "Sorry Swifty." She quickly got back onto her hooves, only to watch her beloved as he made his way towards the R.E.A officer, who was a rather silly stallion. Was he about to get into a fight? Would she need to stop it? First, a quick shake removed a few bits of grass that had attached to her rather pricey dress. Even before the Gala, the young Pegasus pony had kept herself rather busy. Before meeting up with her unicorn, she had to ruin a few errands, from picking up her dress at the cleaners to making sure her younger sister made it to the train station in time to meet her friends. The added alcohol made her into a real pooped pony.

 

Curious on what had been going around her, the red mare glanced about. The deer-dragon-pony-girl looked rather happy. That was good, and most of the people that started the little mini-party after the gala were still there. Her ears perked up as Dawnguard broke out into another round of his drama. 'A passion that carries me upon wings of burning steel towards the ever encroaching darkness'? Ho-boy. Almost sounded like one of those horrible romance titles.

 

Still, she needed to be at Swift's side to make sure he didn't get into an actual fight with the private. While he appeared to be more of a theater nerd than warrior, Dawnguard was still a properly trained member of the R.E.A and could still put up a decent fight. This she did not want to see, especially with all the rather important ponies about. Neither his riches nor his social standings would keep Sir Squall from being tossed into the nearest gaol, at least for the night if he caused a ruckus. "Swifty.", she scooted near the stallion and whispered into his ears, "Maybe its time we head back...Get some sleep.. What do you say?"

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

[Blueblood]

The esoteric mysteries of femininity and cranberry juice would apparently not be revealed tonight.  Fire Walker was now officially drunk off her flank, and pretty near to dropping out entirely into sleep.  Meanwhile, Star Crusader's attention was arrested by the romantic drama off to the side.  Blueblood's mood, on the other hoof, was much more attuned to comedy, as befitted a stallion in a dress.  Hence, he was still watching the 'Swift, Chipper, and Dawnguard comedy variety hour' until it began to break up.

 

Stretching up to nuzzle his guard, he assented to her leave.  "Ah, don't worry, I'll be fine.  I've got a few things I want to take care of myself."  That might have been a slightly troubling statement, given the Prince's known acumen (or lack thereof), and the fact that he was currently tipsy himself.  But, if Star Crusader trusted him, then things would surely turn out for the best.

 

His first stop was Swift Squall, currently beside Fire Walker as she entreated him to go home.  "Well, that was an entirely futile conversation!"  He opened with a laugh.  "I think I can see now why you haven't gotten anywhere in politics, old chap.  You spend so much energy trying to file down the eccentricities of others to suit yourself, rather than utilize them!  After all, angles are shapes, y'see?  Unless you're an egg.  And we're not eggs!  Live births, y'see.... see..."  Blueblood blinked, shaking himself out of the slog of an extended metaphor with a somewhat sloshy shake of the head.  "Anyhow!  You just watch, see?"  He interjected, poking the green stallion in the chest.  "Watch'n learn, old boy, from the professionals!"

 

Helping himself to a final glass of champagne, so he could be properly drunk as a lord, he sauntered off towards Dawnguard, with all the regal gait of a royal with a fizzing brain.  "Good evening, Dawnguard!"  He exclaimed his greeting in loud tones, slapping the young private on the back.  "Fervent... whatsit of the noble thingummy.  Yes, well, let's not bother titles, see.  Spirit!  It's the spirit, that's the key, and you!  You have got the real stuff, and no mistake."

 

In Blueblood's head, this was no doubt sounding as spirited and noble as the iambic pentameter of the Immortal Bard.  Or even as theatrical and genuine as Dawnguard's own rhetoric.  But, like he'd just said, it was the spirit that counted, even if you needed to imbibe it.  "Tell you what you don't have, though.  Opportunity!  No dragons to fight, no maidens to rescue, modern life, and cynics in the ruddy peanut gallery all saying 'nuts to you!'  Well, I think there's something better for you, see?  I'm a Prince, you know, and as such, I need an Honor Guard.  Understaffed, see, couldn't stand a siege!  Now, bright, spirited lad like you, just the ticket!  I'm on a mission, see?  World Peace, and all that.  Ever heard of it?  Anyhow, give the word, and I'll take you right on board!"

[Bellosh]

 

Well then..... this was certainly an unexpected turn of conversation. What was supposed to be an ad-hoc attempt to paint Lími in a sympathetic light had given Lián Mei the idea that somehow, Jarl Sigrun was the real villain behind the scenes! Something... like that. Princess Cadence was flabbergasted at these accusations, not the least because was one of the few whom Sigrun had told about Lími's early childhood. If anything, another caribou's influence was to blame for causing that buck to constantly doubt his worth for most of his life.

 

But geez, was it really proper to blabber about all that to a girl that Lími had taken fancy to, but nothing more than that? Cadence needed to answer fast, because Mei's inner thoughts were seemingly at war with themselves if her pained body language was any signal. "Well ummm," the princess attempted a feeble answer; "I know Jarl Sigrun as well, and she's nothing like-"

 

Cadence didn't get to finish, for who came by but Jarl Sigrun herself. Oh boy, this wasn't good at all! The Jarl of Askr couldn't have arrived at a worse time; having Lími's mother pop up right there and then would only agitate Mei further. The cow's... unusual appearance wouldn't win her any favors either with a qilin all but convinced of the viking warrior's nefariousness. Uggggh, maybe it would have been smarter to have just let Prince Lián privately taken care of this whole matter.

 

Of course, Cadence wasn't the sort of pony to throw in the towel so easily. In a last-ditch attempt to salvage this situation, she nervously greeted the Jarl. "Ehhh heh heh, hello Sigrun," the alicorn vocalized through an obviously fake smile, rubbing the back of her neck; "Sorry ummm, got absolutely no leads on your son. Oh uhhhh, and this is Lián Mei. She's-" the pink princess required a couple moments to think it over; "A friend of Empress Yuè's brother and..."

 

Wait a second... Empress Yuè.....

 

.......................

 

D'OH!

Cadence forgot; she was also supposed to deliver a message from Princess Celestia to the Empress of Long Guo! But then Jarl Sigrun asked about her son's whereabouts, then Cadence got carried away with learning about Lími's ballroom predicament. Now the alicorn was really sweating up a storm. "Saaaay," the flustered Cadence asked the caribou; "You didn't happen to see Empress Yuè anywhere, did you? I just remembered I wanted to tell her something before she turned in for the night....."

[Lux]

Well, the night certainly got interesting. Not only did Fire Heart learn that she was engaged and the two meeting Cadence and trying to help Mei, now the two were in the company of another Qilin! Interestingly, the stallion didn't appear to like the fact that he had to entertain the two mares. 

 

"Good evening, it's a pleasure to make the acquaintance of the both of you." The Prince gave a regal little bow and nodded happily."The party has seemed quite delightful! Though most of my time has been spent trying to cheer up dear Mei...Ahem, but yes! Some champagne sounds excellent, thank you. Before I forget my manners in drink though allow me to introduce myself ahaha. My name is Hēi Lián, Prince of Long Guo. I hope you do not mind me being sent to 'entertain' you two while Cadance takes care of my friend, I have the feeling she has more experience at this sort of thing than I."

 

"Hehe, The honor is ours your majesty! Of course we don't mind! I had hoped to help console the poor mare and give her refuge from the events of the night, but I believe that you are right. I do believe that the princess would be able to handle and diffuse the situation that we could. Love is Princess Cadence's specialty and she has a way with ponies. I personally have only met her once, and it really wasn't on great terms before. I won't go into detail on such a lovely night, but just a lot of chaos ensued and our first meeting just happened to be in the Crystal Empire Medical Center," Ice Storm started as she levitated one of the glasses of champagne over. "I must say though, I am honored that you find my little after-party get together enjoyable. I figured that there were still some things that needed to be done before the night was out that some of us didn't get to do during the Gala. That said, how would you like your champagne, chilled or frozen? I can make it either or."

 

"It is an honor to meet you, Prince Lian. I don't mind having you here to speak with us, as admittedly I know very little of Long Guo. I have to agree with Ice Storm, if there is anypony who can help Mei, Princess Cadence could do so. After all she is the Princess of Love. Unlike Ice Storm, I only met her tonight, but it seems like I know much about her from my studies. Can you spare the moment and help satisfy my curiosity a little by explaining a little about a Qilin's breath magic? I sadly know only a little about it, but I know it's more than a typical dragon's fire breath."

 

As Ice offered the champagne, Fire said, "You know, I think I could use that frozen champagne now, Ice." 

[Ciraxis]

"Justice? Long time ago it was the thing I cared the most, but  even back then I don't recall ever calling myself the hero. Now I only fight for those I care and believe in." Squall explained while looking with affection over his love, struggling back to her hooves. "Perhaps one day you to will find someone who's will be so dear to you that it will eclipse everything else."

 

"And the thing about titles? Names? None of this matter Dawnguard. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Words can be bent, twisted. It's our actions that are true indicators who we are, even if try to appear as someone we are not. But not everyone wear masks out of malice...." unicorn attempted to further educate the white stallion, only to notice he was no longer listening.

"I see....unable to acknowledge the 'gray' huh....?" Swift mused to himself. There was nothing he could do anymore. It appears that life itself had to bring Dawnguard from that fairytale he was living in right now. Noblepony returned to freshly awakened Fire, only to run once again into Blueblood. It appeared that that he too had a few shoots to many, although he was holding himself quite well despite that.

"I....have to agree - unfortunately so." Squall said. "....And you may be right, but....Dawnguard's more green then my mane. And on top of being inexperienced and naive, he's too hot blooded for his own good. It's almost as if he's protagonist from one of those silly Neighponese comics. Only seeing things in black and white, no place for compromise and unable to wrap his head around the fact that it is not how things work. You may label this as quirk, but this is very unhealthy way to view things." unicorn summed up his impression of pegasus stallion. "Also - Blue, you're drunk." 

 

As Prince trailed off towards Squall could only shake his head.

"I think Blue may regret this hire when he gets sober." he said to his love.

"And it's fine Moto, I heard that this champagne was really good.....that said, I am locking up wine cellar for rest of the week." noblepony quickly added, in a scolding tone of voice. "Also what was that 'Rhino Feeders' thing about?" he asked in confusion.

 

While Squall would minutes ago quickly agree with Fire's proposition, Jarl Askr entrance made unicorn change his mind. Indeed his rival couldn't choose worst moment for her appearance. Considering that, unicorn shook his head in answer to crimson mare question.

"We probably should....but I am kind of worried how things play out. We don't need to get involved right now, but Candace may need a backup in case conversation goes south." swordpony said.

 

And then pink alicorn started to get really nervous.

"Aaaaan from where I see it, things are soon to hit Unyasi." he mused, not liking where all of this was going.

[Zeig]

 

 

Sigrun, Sigrun...

 

Where did she know that name?

 

It gnawed at her subconscious, even as the vivid blue Qilin oh so carefully repositioned herself slightly behind Cadence as the large Rein - Caribou came sauntering up to them, as if she just hadn't interrupted her very intimate personal conversation with the Princess of Love. Just...look at her, all bulking and huge and throwing her weight around like it was nothing. Mei attempted to keep her gaze resolute and firm, and wasn't quite sure how well she succeeded given the shiver that passed through her frame as silver eyes passed over her. 

 

Stupid silver eyes. And her teeth. Just what did they feed Caribou these days? Of all the stories she had heard from her families and friends, Mei was sure she would remember any reference to glistening fangs that were most likely shining with the blood of her fallen conquests. 

 

Mei was so focused on attempting to hold her ground and not fling herself backwards from the gigantic hooves that threatened to squash her with a single step, that she almost missed the exchange that passed - quite literally - above her head. Luckily (or unluckily?) she managed to catch the tail end of the Caribou's words, along with Cadence's response. 

 

...Yes. Definitely unluckily. 

 

If her face had had any semblance of calm serenity before, it gave complete way to the bloody murder that washed over Mei as she took in the Caribou in full - and really, took her in. Not skimming over her prominent features, not a stray glance before quickly pulling her eyes away, no. This was Jarl Sigrun,  Lími's precious Jarl that had almost pulled him from Garden Gait over a few stray flowers mussing up her delicate snout, the one who had  Lími so far under her control that the poor Reindeer had been forced to suffer his gentleness in a harsh, unforgiving land. The one  Lími would have left her for, and never mind that he had only know her, Mei, for a single afternoon whereas this one had had him under hoof for most probably his entire life. 

 

"Humph," Mei snorted, quietly, but not so quietly as she turned her head away, primly fluffing up her tail tuft a bit as the two conversed. She hoped it was very clear to the Caribou that she had interrupted quite egregiously...though, she wouldn't come out and say that, that would be suicidal. No, she would just sit here with her head turned away as the two spoke about poor Reindeers and vicious Caribous and messages for Empresses and other such -

 

...

 

"Yuè!" the bright blue Qilin cried out, all attempts at condensation forgotten as she jumped onto her hooves, "Yuè! I completely forgot - oh no no, she's probably already left - to her lodgings or with her Ministers - " Mei was vaguely aware that she was trampling a rather precise circle into the dirt as she agitatedly paced, but in all honesty, she couldn't really be bothered because she had completely forgotten about Yuè. Her foalhood friend was here, somewhere, and since Lián was still around the Palace that meant Yuè surely was as well - but she couldn't believe she had forgotten about her friend even for a second -

 

"Thank you Cadence!" the young mare said hurriedly as she pulled the Princess of Love into a quick hug, squeezing for all she was worth because - well honestly. How often did one get to hug a Princess? "I'm sorry I just - I completely forgot - thank you for everything, I need to go!" A quick turn around brought Mei up short with a sharp gasp, having quite forgotten the intimidating presence of the Caribou standing right there. She recovered quickly however, swallowing the lump in her throat to offer the sharpest of nods, pink eyes narrowed in implied threat...before she was off again, skidding to a stop next to Lián and the other two mares.

 

"Lián, I'm going to go find - aiya," Mei bemoaned, as she noticed her hurried efforts had gotten one of her tufts rather smudged with dirt, "ergh, where can I clean up my - ooh, not important right now! Lián, I'm going to go find Yuè," the blue Qilin reiterated, throwing her hooves around her friend and also squeezing him for all she was worth because - well, honestly. How often did one get to hug a Prince? "I'll catch up with you later, okay? Okay!" A brief nod of farewell was offered to the two mares Lián had been conversing with, and towards two other stallions that had come trotting over from who knew where, and it never even occurred to Mei to ask her friend where his sister had retired to as she shot off towards the garden gates, heading back towards the Royal Palace.

 

Because Yuè was here, and it was high time she got to say hello.

 

[[ Exit ]]

[Zeig]

 

 

No...no evil magics?

 

Yes...then the night ended in the biggest victory of all. Not in riches and wealth as Swift Squall Squallcoast would have wished, but in Goodness and the Virtues of Justice. 

 

"I...well, of course," Dawnguard recovered from his stumble, straightening up slightly as he hefted his spear over one shoulder. "The forces of Evil can never overpower the Light of True Good and Peace! I mean," the white Pegasus amended, scratching his head slightly as he challenged every heroic epic he had ever read, "at least not in the end. Usually at the beginning the Darkness has triumphed, and all hope seems lost in a future as Desolate as the barren wastelands...but that just makes the hero's entrance all the more heroic!" 

 

Swooping in to save the day at the last possible second was the stuff of legends, after all. If the hero showed up early on, well then, he wouldn't seem nearly as heroic. 

 

Flush with his victory, Dawnguard soon became keenly aware of the proffered treats apparently being hoofed out by a Unicorn of Icy Blues, along with a mare of Fiery Oranges and Reds. A matched pair! They were most likely eternal rivals as well, Fire and Ice, Hot and Cold, Opposites forever locked in an eternal embrace to dance along the River of Destiny...the red mare probably sold hot cocoa, to complement the icy snow cones of the other. 

 

Whatever she did sell, however, was unmatched by her own insistence on retrieving a snow cone of her own, seeing how she completely ignored the two stallions and Chipper's request for a treat. Dawnguard felt compelled to stand tall and firm and stoic in the face of delicious temptation, never mind the twinkle he could feel in his eyes as he glanced over the snow cones. "Indeed, Fair Maidens of Fire and Ice," the REA guard intoned, "have we come to partake in the wintery treats of your labors. Longing for the first taste of frozen snow yon late season. Prithee give us relief, against the fiery storm of Heroes that sings along my bloodline!" His wings, which had been slowly flaring out from the first word, spread wide and proud at the last as he gazed into the sky, having - quite clearly - reclaimed his mighty mojo.

 

Dawnguard was forced to settle himself back down, however, as a voice caused him to turn around and face himself face to face with none other than Prince Blueblood, a familiar face seen frequently around the Palace. "Ah, Your Highness!...Fervent Stalwart of the Noble Bloodlines, yes," the REA guard corrected matter-o-factually, ears perking upwards. Though he had never met the Prince himself, he was one noble spirit Dawnguard had been lead to believe was on the Righteous Path towards Diplomacy - and chic fashion. The white Pegasus eyed the garment for a moment, admiring its wide stretch across shoulders and flowing looseness down the chest. Almost like a cape, that! Perhaps strewn carelessly 'round the neck and left to drape over one side...a style that screamed, I'm a Hero Without Even Really Trying. 

 

Hmm, yes...he wondered if anyone at the Gala had a cloak he could borrow...

 

But even more importantly than his sharp style, was Prince Blueblood's words, and they were enough to cause Dawnguard's eyes to open wide in surprise and anticipation. "D-down, spear hoof!" Dawnguard commanded, though his voice trembled with excitement as the Prince continued to speak. A position as Honor Guard to Equestrian Royalty!...so much responsibility, so many evils to apprehend and contain...so, much, Righteousness. 

 

Can't, CONTROL...

 

Though, Prince Blueblood had hardly finished speaking before the excitement Dawnguard was feeling all but fled out of him, his wings drooping towards the ground as thoughts of responsibilities and honor flooded his mind. "Such an opportunity I have awaited for the setting of many moons," the REA guard commiserated, one hoof resting cradling his forehead in agony, "to fulfill my destiny as a Chosen Warrior of Light! But..." Dawnguard moved a few steps away from the crowd, his back turned to them as he slowly curled his spear hoof in front of his face. "But so, then, have I offered my spear to the noble ranks of the Royal Equestrian Army," he said, raising his head to gaze mysteriously at the moon, "in life, in death. To my squadmates and officers, and my - " 

 

...

 

"Forgive me, Sir Prince," Dawnguard groaned, turning back around to face the white coated stallion, "my life has never been my own - since the moment blood began to course through my veins, I have, and will always, belonged to the Light. And thus," the white stallion continued, voice growing more impassioned as foalhood dreams repeated themselves in memory, "has the Light guided me to the royal guard, through the red strings of Fate that lead me unerringly towards the ranks of General and beyond, to further the cause of Glorious Righteousness throughout all the lands of great Equestria!" 

 

[[ @tacobob: I've got that beautiful picture saved for later use. Where exactly later? Oh, who knows... ]]

[Blueblood]

Blueblood wasn't going to argue the point about him being drunk.  He wasn't going to argue anything with Swift Squall, really.  He no longer saw the point in it, after seeing what had come of the last debate in which the green unicorn had participated; namely, bupkiss.  If the Prince had been in a mood to argue, he might have pointed out that Dawnguard's vision of reality might not be so far-fetched.  After all, the tide had been turned in the Crystal Empire by a set of foals playing patriotic tunes to rally the troops!  And to hear Twilight's story of her battle with Tirek, it sounded very much like a Neighponese comic come to life, complete with the Power of Friendship (or so Shining Armor had told him; Blueblood didn't read the things himself.)

 

Point was, Blueblood really did want Dawnguard on his team, and drunk as he was, he was determined not to take 'no' for an answer.  Not that the pegasus would give him a straight-up refusal; that wouldn't have been nearly wordy and epic enough!   "Well, that's all good.  Heart in the right place, and all that, but your body might not be.  After all, Light works in mysterious ways, don't you know?  Waves and particles at once, y'see."  That stray fact of physics probably had little to do with heroics, but Blueblood soldiered blithely on.  "Who's to say that you weren't called to the REA to meet me?  Wouldn't have happened otherwise, really; your folks are from Stalliongrad, 's I recall.  Father's a general, yes?  Part of being a guard is going where your superiors think your talents'll do the most good.  I think you'd do well in my squadron, but I'll have a word with him and your CO.  I hear he was looking for something that would give more... practical 'sperience.  'Fter all, have you done any real heroing things, lately?"

[Dubstep]

If Lián were to be honest, while the party was and continued to seem to be a delightful hit what with guests from the gala milling about, chatting, having a grand old time, he wished that he was here on different circumstances instead of having to try to make an old friend realize that her thoughts on caribou are more than a bit old fashioned...True for some of them, but still. Her caribeau sounded like he could barely hurt a fly on purpose, let alone someone he cared for. That was neither here nor there though, Cadance would handle it.  "Hmm, frozen sounds great, thank you! From the sounds of it, your meeting with the Princess must have been far more exciting, I won't press for details though, that would be rude, especially to a gracious host." the qilin replied.

Only but a moment later, the other mare spoke up. The prince let out a little 'phew' and a chuckle. "A tough but interesting question!" he began. "Qilin and thus Longma magic is, as you are aware, breath oriented. When you say it's 'a typical dragon's breath' you think of the dragons of Equstria. The serpent dragons of Long Guo however are far better skilled than I could ever be. But I suppose this shouldn't be a history lesson." Lián took a slow deep breath, upon his soft exhale a little billow of clouds poured from his mouth, silvery and sparking gently with electricity. The little cloud hovered gently in front of the prince. "The best way to describe the difference between Unicorn magic and the magic we Qilin and Longma use is that, while unicorns channel theirs through external means via their horn acting as a conduit, we channel ours inside of us and then release it. Truthfully though, our breath magics don't afford us any particular advantage over unicorns, as any magics we could do a unicorn could do with enough practice." the prince blew into the little cloud he had made with another small wisp of smoke, causing the tiny cloud to gently rain with a very soft rumbling of thunder.

Before he could go any further into his explanation however, a familiar voice broke his concentration. Mei was in a big rush it seemed, to catch up with his sister no less. Lián had opened his mouth to let his friend know where she was staying, but all that came out was an almost comical squeak of a noise as his childhood friend hugsqueezed him tightly. By the time he got his wind back the mare had already rushed off. With a look of confusion on his face, the prince tossed a confused glance over towards where Cadance, and now a rather tall and imposing looking caribou, was...Well that would explain that...Now what would happen, there was hardly a chance that Cadance solved the issue in such a short matter of time...All he could do now was hope that some of what they said got through to her.

Allowed little time between thoughts to gather himself, another voice broke through the sudden awkward quiet brought on by Mei's whirlwind arrival and dash away. This one more...dramatic. Which was surprising given who just went by. No, this one was dramatic in an overly heroic sense, something one would see in plays...usually comedies where the 'hero' charges off to fight the 'dragon' which turns out to be a windmill. The source of the voice was an admittedly handsome looking pegasus with a beautiful mane and a charming smile and a shap...wait no, back on track. Even if it sounded like he may or may not be a few cards short of a full deck. If Lián were a translator, he would assume that he was asking for a frozen champagne cone. Before he could greet this arrival though, the pegasus' attention was drawn by another almost as handsome blond. This one however Lián did recognize, at least from pictures anyway. Prince Blueblood of Equestria who, at the moment, seemed to be three sheets to the wind. He wondered what poor or fortunate soul would be stuck carrying the prince to his bedchambers this evening.

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

"Ah... Breezer's filly! I believe I enlisted your help with a situation in Whitescar not too long ago." The towering cow smiled down at the pegasus, "You're work that saved saved many of my clan. If I hadn't gotten the chance to thank you before. I am doing so right now." Sigrun's hoof raised up a bit and was presented to the smaller, but sturdy pegasus before her and shaking the pony's hoof. Possibly thanks to the caribou's appreciative excitement, she wound up shaking the entire pony whose hoof she 'grasped': thankfully Crusader was already a very immovable mare under normal circumstances so it merely appeared to any passerby as a momentary lift off the ground an inch or two. Once that was over she let go of the hoof. 

 

"I appreciate your offer to help me find him... but I've already checked most of the chamber's available to search." The tall cow let out a sigh, "I'm starting to think he might have simply left on his own. It's a good thing he's taken that initiative, but I wish he'd told me if that was the case... I'm just doing the -best- job at this motherhood thing, aren't I?" Her tone when speaking the worst best practically dripping with sarcasm and self doubt, following it up with a  heavy sigh. However, being the tough cow that she was: She quickly covered it back up when she looked back to empress of the Crystal empire.

 

Soon through, that was replaced by one of surprise at the Qilin who was sporting a look of unfettered rage. Those magenta irises seeming to house an intent that looked like the one using them was attempting to set fire to her with her mind. Sigrun's eyes darted to Cadence, then to Mei, then to Cadence again, then to Mei again and finally on Cadence. A nervous smile sprawled over over her muzzle. Her hopes to ask on what was on this Qilin's mind were put on the backburner as the love princess spoke up.

 

"Oh! u-um... Right. It's nice to meet you Miss Mei." That snort the Qilin gave made it rather clear she wasn't all that interested in talking with this northern hailing visitor.The caribou gave a polite bow before looking back to cadence, "And I believe I caught a glimpse of her in the garde-" Miss Mei's sudden cry of the name of the Long Guo empress cut off the caribou, althoguh she didn't really mind all that much. It was always nice to see the brighter, more colorful creatures from outside Whitescar excited. Soon enough the qilin turned back to the Chietfain only for Sigrun to flash nervous smile of slightly conical teeth: Being this far out of the loop was a strange experience for her. Once the mare made her way off, Sigrun coughed into her hoof and looked back to Cadence. 

"So, um... How's your family?"

 

 

 

[Bellosh]

 

As the result of a simple off-hoof question to Jarl Sigrun, Princess Cadence would never know whether her attempts to console Lián Mei worked or not. All it took was an utterance of "Empress Yuè" for the qilin mare to do literal 180s. Without any fanfare, the subject of Lími had been all but forgotten in Mei's mind. It wasn't possible to tell whether she merely found an excuse to run for the hills or if there was a legitimate deeper connection between that qilin and the Empress. Given that Cadence first found Mei in the company of Yuè's brother, the latter was a very distinct possibility.

 

Either way, the Crystal Princess was blindsided by a sudden hug from the qilin mare. "Ummmm, you're... welcome?" Cadence didn't know what to think of this situation. Who ever thought this could be a logical outcome of what the alicorn set out to do? Before Cadence could say or do anything more, Mei zipped off to give her friend the same royal treatment.

 

.....Well then.

 

Too bad though that Jarl Sigrun didn't get a chance to endear herself to the distrusting qilin. At least the caribou's still around for some chit-chat. "My family, huh?" Cadence was working residual awkwardness out of her system; "They uhh, they're doing great. Shining and Flurry have the Crystal Palace to themselves while I'm down in Canterlot for tonight."

Talking about that, along with noting the presence of Prince Blueblood's girlfriend, allowed Cadence to remember the news that Sigrun herself had found herself a mate recently. Those sorts of things were always a pleasure to discuss! "Soooo," the princess was feeling more at ease; "I heard you and Jarl Halvard are together now, is that right?"

[tacobob]

 

 

“I do recall you being rather good at that, my Prince.” Fire Walker tried to shake off the combination of weariness and drunkenness, “Taking what what would be considered a fault or weakness and turning it into an advantage. Realizing we all can’t be square pegs and fit nice and nearly into what we need to be done.”, she paused for a moment. “Or was that General Pummel? Hmmph.", she whinnied, "Never did like that guy. Had such a long grey face. Never smiled much.", she had a rather silly smile on her face while she listened to her stallion.

 

"Don't be so hard on the boy.", the mare attempted a whisper, but ended up speaking normally, "He's a nerdy, silly pony, but he's adorable." She glanced over at the Pegasus pony with a grin. "We could take him home with us. He'd make a lovely jester." She let out a chuckle as Swift threatened to lock up the wine cellar. Her father tried that as well when she was a teenager, but the tip of a Pegasus' wings with a proper tool made for an excellent lock-picker. "The champagne was good. So was the Nicolashka and Caribou Lou they served before the dance. Not sure what you mean about 'Rhino Feeders'?", she gave her very special some-pony a good look-over to make sure he was alright. "Hope you're not drunk as well. As one of us needs to help the other to the taxi. And for the record, it's Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, and she's an Alicorn. She's as powerful as a hundred dragons..oh."

 

Fire Walker was quickly distracted by Dawnguard. The longer he spoke, the bigger a grin fell upon the red mare. "Seriously? What did I just say? He's so bloody adorable."

 

Spoiler

 

[IceStorm]

 

 

 

Ice Storm gave the Qilin a small smile and a nod as he replied to her question, stating that he would like his champagne frozen. With a quick flick of her magic, she the drink was frozen to the same consistency that she had made Mei's treat. If this was a hit, the perhaps maybe she would get into the nightclub business as well serving alcoholic frozen beverages and treats. Although she knew that could open up a whole other slew of problems and red tape that she would have to deal with. Red tape that would well... be rather identifying of her, even more so than her shops that she already owns. At the very least she owns four different locations now so trying to track her down to one would be problematic.

 

That was neither here nor there though, as she finished freezing the treat and handed it over to the Qilin as she listened to him explain to Fire Heart about how their magic works, and honestly she was quite interested in that as well. She may not have been Twilight Sparkle, but she was always curious when it came to things like that. Of course, this was even more so considering that she needed to know of possible things that she might have to prepare for in the future as well. She doubted that it would ever come to anything like that between Equestria and Long Guo, but finding Longma and Qilin in WRAITH? That, was a much more likely outcome. A pony could never know when information like this could become invaluable because it only takes a second and the slightest bit of information could be deadly. The pen was mightier than the sword they say.

 

She listened as Lian explained that the best way to describe the difference between a unicorn's magic and a longma, or Qilin's magic, was that while unicorns used an external conduit for channeling their magic, they channeled it inside their bodies and exhaled it as a breath. Her mind instantly went down her path of training and started thinking of ways to defend against such magic. Shielding it wouldn't be much different than a unicorns as it's still coming from a localized location, however, everything else could be defended a number of ways. This was even more so true when she watched him take in a deep breath and when he released it, a small storm cloud appeared. Nothing deadly, but she watched it. She took in any information that it could give her. In a sense, with multiple entities being able to control the weather, one would think that wet spells and dry spells would be a non-issue. But that kind of thought was for another time. She simply smiled as the bou spoke, taking the opportunity to make her love's drink the same way that she had made the others upon her request.

 

"I don't know if exciting would be the word that I use to describe it, but it was definitely a lot more engaging, and required a lot more focus and protection for those that couldn't protect themselves... but it was definitely a lot different from tonight, I can assure you. As far as the magic goes, I wouldn't mind hearing anything you wanna share, and likewise I'd be willing to share and answer any questions you may have to the best of my abilities as well. I tend to pretty knowledgeable about a few specific areas of study. I'm fairly decent at reading the stars, even more so now under my study from Princess Luna, and if you have a question about anything frozen, I'm your mare," she giggled a bit. It was true that she had a good knowledge of a few particular fields, but outside of that, she usually learned most of her information on the fly. Naturally, she'd use what information she had to make a decision, but that still was mostly impulse and instinct at that point.

 

A few moments later, she noticed that the Qilin that the princess had been talking to zipped over and gave the other Qilin a hug before mentioning something about an Empress and having to catch up later and before even giving him a chance to respond, she was gone again. "Well, I'd say whatever Princess Cadence spoke to her about, it definitely cheered her up," she giggled a bit before noticing that now standing next to Cadence was Sigrin, the Jarl of Askr. It was a place that she had come to know well, and honestly, if it wasn't for the fact that she now had so many ties to Equestia, she might have inquired about becoming one of their warriors. Most ponies and even some of the caribou talk about how fierce and bitter the weather was in Whitescar, but honestly, it was all weather that she loved, and the immense amount of Ice and Snow that she had at her disposal would make her even more potent than she already was because she then wouldn't have to make it at all.

 

Of course though, she couldn't rightfully just leave her life in Equestria behind either, and she knew that weather would kill Fire Heart, so that was pretty much off limits for her, although she would definitely have to plan at least a couple vacations there. As it stood though, the sight of the Jarl also explained the hasty retreat from the Qilin mare. Judging from her previous reactions to Caribou, seeing a caribou leader was probably more than enough to make her heart jump a few times. With a small smile she gently waved over to the Jarl with a hoof, hoping that at the very least she would catch sight of it and if nothing else, they could catch up before she left back for Whitescar. For now though, she seemed plenty busy with the princess whom had also planned on speaking with them more tonight. It seemed that this was going to be an even longer night than she planned, and she was perfectly okay with that. She smiled again before turning and giving her fiance a small nuzzle.

 

Just as she did though, she noticed another stallion with kind of a mixed colored coat and eyes that she couldn't see very well approaching them. However, the one thing that she was quick to pick up on was his interest in her frozen treats. Specifically, he wanted her to make one of the frozen champagnes for him and his friend. She couldn't help but blush a bit at how the pegasi had worded the request, but also couldn't quite stifle a giggle from it either as she nodded to the both of them. "Sure thing, I would be more than happy to make a frozen treat for the both of you," she smiled and levitated two more glasses of champagne over to where they were, the alcoholic treat already frozen and ready to serve to them by the time she got it to them. "Alrighty. Here ya both go. If you need more, just come see me, I'll be happy to make more for ya," she smiled handing it to them. "That said," she said looking to the unicorn stallion. "I don't believe I've seen you around here before. New to Canterlot?" she asked the unicorn

[Lux]

"Qilin and thus Longma magic is, as you are aware, breath oriented. When you say it's 'a typical dragon's breath' you think of the dragons of Equstria. The serpent dragons of Long Guo however are far better skilled than I could ever be. But I suppose this shouldn't be a history lesson.  The best way to describe the difference between Unicorn magic and the magic we Qilin and Longma use is that, while unicorns channel theirs through external means via their horn acting as a conduit, we channel ours inside of us and then release it. Truthfully though, our breath magics don't afford us any particular advantage over unicorns, as any magics we could do a unicorn could do with enough practice." 

 

"Hmm... Internal versus external. That makes sense, although I'd say that unicorns do have some internal aspects to our magic. Like if we're sick or hurt we can't harness the magic around us as. Then again since we're all part of nature we are all connected to magic." 

 

I don't know if exciting would be the word that I use to describe it, but it was definitely a lot more engaging, and required a lot more focus and protection for those that couldn't protect themselves... but it was definitely a lot different from tonight, I can assure you. As far as the magic goes, I wouldn't mind hearing anything you wanna share, and likewise I'd be willing to share and answer any questions you may have to the best of my abilities as well. I tend to pretty knowledgeable about a few specific areas of study. I'm fairly decent at reading the stars, even more so now under my study from Princess Luna, and if you have a question about anything frozen, I'm your mare,"

 

"And I'd be happy to answer any questions about my fire magic." 

 

Well, I'd say whatever Princess Cadence spoke to her about, it definitely cheered her up,"

 

"I wish I had a chance to meet her more," Fire said with a sigh, "But I'm glad Cadence helped her. And thanks for the champagne!" 

 

 

[Blueblood]

"Yay!"  In certain essential aspects of life, Chipper Demise had never grown up.  True, his life in Whitescar had been hard, and he had grown used to many hardships, taking them with an almost (or actually) insane kind of optimistic familiarity.  But pleasant things, foalhood delights, were new to him, and he received them with the simplicity of a foal.  The look of sheer happiness in his face when Icy gave him the snowcone made him look like an overgrown colt, almost in a cute way, despite his somewhat ragged and fierce attire.  It also helped that he grasped the cone in his hooves instead of his magic, diving in with lip-smacking, crunchy bites.

 

"Mmm!  This is much tastier than the yellow snow back home, nyahaha!"  Yep, definitely an overgrown colt.  Continuing to chow down on the frozen champagne, he answered the ice-blue mare's questions.  "Oh yeah, I'm from Whitescar, the southern Wilds, actually.  I came here with... oh, Sigrun!  I came with that caribou over there!"  He jumped up, gulping down the rest of the treat in one bite.  "Hi Sigrun!  It's meEEEeeEEE!"

 

His shouted greeting ended in a strangled gasp, and he suddenly clutched his head with his forehooves, toppling over.  "My head... my head... ah..."  What was happening?  Had there been some malignant magic in that treat?  And if so, would she be so kind as to teach him how to do it?  He, of course, never having had frozen treats before, had never before experienced brainfreeze...

[Zeig]

 

 

The mention of his relation to his father was enough to cause Dawnguard to swell, in a manner completely dissimilar to the negative association the brigand from earlier had implied.

 

After all, hearing that phrase - His father, the General...well now, it made the raw fury held aloft in his mighty Spear Hoof come alive with unconstrained, impassioned pride!

 

"Down, Spear Hoof!" the golden-maned Pegasus chided, said hoof clenched tightly against his chest as he struggled to control the Avenging Storm of Righteousness threatening to break loose across all the fields of Equestria...a battle narrowly won, allowing Dawnguard to let loose a breathe of respite, before returning his attention back onto the Prince of Persistence. "Well I -" he started, then paused, attempting to call the most recent valiant Avenging he had performed...hadn't he just had this conversation with someone, not a few scant moments ago?

 

...

 

Ah yes, the Nurse of Starflowers! Indeed, his exploits had been well explained then, and they would be again. 

 

"I've fought the blackened clouds of Misery threatening to swallow all of Ponyville in total darkness," Dawnguard said in a hushed voice, tone reverent as he remembered felling the terrible foes one by one, "and saved a fair Maid of Bubbles from a fate most dizzying." Last he'd seen her, her eyes had still been spiraling out of control, poor thing. "Indeed!" the white Pegasus continued, head turning dramatically to the side, "'ere do the forces of Evil ever lay in wait, and so must I follow my celestial-descend calling unto the path of the noble guard...as my father once did," he added, almost as an afterthought. 

 

In all honesty...Dawnguard had no idea what his father would recommend if the White Prince so chose to speak to him. He...liked to think that his father would gruffly refuse, cite that Dawnguard was following his hoof steps and needed to do so, so that he might one day hoof over the mantle to his son, entrust the care of Equestria onto the one pony who could deliver all from Evil...

 

Yes...that was exactly what his father would say.

 

Probably.

 

...

 

Though, before Dawnguard could fall into a morose pout, as he was wont to do when he thought of his father for too long a stretch, the Mare of Many Blues proffered unto him his requested treat, causing the white Pegasus to perk up as he accepted it alongside Chipper Demise. The first bite had Dawnguard stiffening, hopping slightly on his hooves as the icy burn of flavorful cold burst inside his mouth, but the fiery blaze of his Avenging Fury soon overcame it, allowing the Pegasus to follow up with several more bites. "By the stars of Burning Glory," Dawnguard exclaimed, "such is the icy denizen of celestial foods!" Which was to say it was really good, and he wasted no more time finishing his off.

 

Before calamity struck!

 

Enjoying his treat as he was, Dawnguard couldn't help but start in surprise as Demise suddenly became struck with some plague, keeling over into the dirt as he grabbed his head between his hooves. "Great Galloping Gadflies!" the REA guard cried out, dropping his used snow cone cup as he rushed to the Unicorn's side, "what ails you? The price of your darkened magic?!" All such magics had a price, and all too many foolishly paid them, ensorcelled by their sweet whispers and lies...a tragic fate. "Forgo the Darkness, be instead stricken with Light!" 

 

 

[Blueblood]

Prince Blueblood was too far into the night, and his cups, to fully parse what ponies were saying to him, much less figure out their implications.  And Dawnguard was a harder pony than most to figure out properly.  All he knew for certain was that the guard was hesitating before the opportunity of a lifetime, for reasons that the Prince could not quite understanding.  "Clouds of misery...?  Are you talking about... real, literal clouds?  Or just the sort of blue funk you can chase away by laughing at it?"  His choice of words was likely not going to clarify the issue.  That was the trouble of living in a magical land; the metaphorical transitions all too smoothly to the literal.

 

"Look, here, see.... It's not like you're leaving the guard, it's just a different sort of post, is all.  One that seemsh to be more likely to be adventuring, and whatnot."  He wasn't sure if he was getting through to the pegasus, so he tried one last throw.  "Could you at leasht talk to your father about this?  He'd know 'bout where you belong.  'S how he became a gen'ral, after all.  Knowing where to put ponies.  That's offi-fiff-ficership, lad."

 

Blueblood was breaking up, he could feel it.  He stepped back from the now-taxing conversation, giving a somewhat lopsided smile to the whole group surrounding the champagne-giving pony.  "Lovely night!"  He remarked idly, nodding towards Icy and Fire.  Cute... couple?  If he was reading the rings right?  Jolly good, jolly good.  Lots of couples here.  Must make Cadence very happy.  

 

His eyes also turned to the other Prince present.  "Oh, hullo!"  The unicorn seemed startled to see the Qilin; perhaps he had failed to notice him before?  Possibly, possibly. Fine figure of a proper Prince, though.  Elegant, well-groomed, showing good genes.  Jolly good, but seemingly alone?  Ah, probably wouldn't be true for long.  "Dunno... 'f we've met?  I am... Prince Blueblood.  House Platinum, Canterlot."

 

Swaying slightly on his feet, he was momentarily distracted by Chipper's writhings, though he had a saner interpretation than Dawnguard.  "Chugged his drink too fasht.  Never do that, hitsh you too early.  Can't drink as much, then."  He made to tap his muzzle conspiratorially, but hit himself a little too hard.  "Op!  Then maybe you drink too mush.  No good, that."

[Dubstep]

"Certainly! I plan on spending a deal of time here in Equestria to tie up some things that I didn't get to during the Gala, as well as enjoy a little me time. So perhaps sometime during my stay here, we can get together and discuss more on the topic of breath magic versus unicorn magics. I'm sure my former tutors in Huangjing and my teachers at the Monastery would get a laugh or two out of my fumbling through explanations!" he said with a laugh as he took the offered snow cone and gave it a small lick "Thank you very much, it's delicious. Maybe...Though knowing Mei like I do it's just as likely that seeing my sister outweighs her...'pouting' for now. Until she has my sister's ear ahaha..."

Shaking his head softly he returned to slowly enjoying the snow cone...unlike a couple of the other nearby ponies, one in particular seemed to be stricken by a sever case of brain freeze. Poor guy, it was like they never eaten something frozen before...hm. But that was neither here nor there. It seemed the 'slightly' inebriated Prince Blueblood had finally noticed his presence. He'd make sure to have a proper meeting with them after they had sobered up, who knows if they'd even remember this meeting anyway. "A pleasure to meet you, Prince Blueblood. While I can't say I've had the honour, I have heard of you and it's nice to meet you in face to face." the qilin replied, offering the other Prince a little bow...Part of him wanted to see Blueblood reciprocate just to see him stumble. Not out of spite, just out of the sheer fact it would be silly.

[Zeig]

 

 

Ah yes, drink. The fated foe of many a valiant hero -

 

- er, except this wasn't a valiant hero but a vile necromancer. 

 

"A stomach weakened by the foul magics he weaves night and day," Dawnguard agreed with the Prince, though he didn't think Prince Blueblood had said exactly that...but close enough. "One who houses the heroic bloodline can withstand even the most potent of potions and drink, for the mind of the righteousness prevails over all bodily ills!" He would have liked to prove that little fact, but he had already finished off his frozen treat at a sedated pace, and was sadly lacking in more...along with more substantial food stuffs, because the amount of Righteous Avenging he had upheld this glorious eve had taken its toll upon his belly.

 

High time to remedy that!

 

"And so the hunt begins again," the white Pegasus proclaimed, resting a hoof briefly against one of Chipper's shoulders. "May you be embraced by the Light next we cross paths," Dawnguard intoned solemnly, his spear hoof rising upwards to clench passionately in front of his face as he struggled to contain the RAW FURY threatening to burst forth, "for should you continue along your dark path, you shall be felled by spear and might. Pray thee break free of the darkness!" Ah...his fated foe had a long and arduous journey ahead of him, but 'twould it bear the fruit of his hard labor? Or was Chipper Demise set to be his fated foe for all eternity? 

 

The red strings of fate would beholden him unto this fateful confrontation, some day, in the near distant future. 

 

With a (in his opinion) rather impressive flurry of his wings, Dawnguard spun around dramatically and began stalking away, ever the watchful, shining beacon of white against the blood-lit moon. Only when he was out of sight did the white Pegasus let his wings drop as he huffed out a breath, stomach betraying him with a loud rumble. "To the buffet tables...again!" Dawnguard cried, and he was off, once more.

 

And if the tables had already been thoroughly clear out, well then...the Prancing Pony was always open to stalwart heroes of Light and Goodness!

 

[[ Exit ]]