Nobody parties like the caribou! (Open to all species)

[Zeig]

 

Hmm. Apparently not.

Her new Griffun friend was not behaving as such, seeming to have fallen into the mug of his own thoughts - though perhaps he was as lost to the rowdy going-ons of the drab and plain ponies as she was? Perhaps her new Griffun friend had unwittingly found his way here, just as she had, drifted in on a random gust of wind to oversee the goings and comings of the great hall. Perhaps he, too, was searching for pony secrets that he could one day had to his burgeoning hoard.

Or, perhaps, her new Griffun friend was just lost in thought.

Either way, Yuri didn't let it bother her as she cheerfully accepted a mug of - well, she wasn't entirely what it was, but that was not being the point, now - from the large brown pony behind the counter, dunking her long snout into its narrow opening as she gulped her fill. It ran like fire down her throat, the warm, blooming kind of fire that didn't burst but slowly swelled in size, and the Eastern Dragon recovered her head to let loose a satisfied sigh, frothy bubbles sticking to her muzzle. "That is being the stuff!" she exclaimed, before swiveling her head back down for another taste.

And another.

And, perhaps, one more.

Before she could get too deep into her mug, howev - oh. Too late for that. Well, at least she had something else to occupy herself with, and Yuri craned her neck around while her body remained perfectly straight, pink eyes inquisitively staring at the large brown pony that was speaking to her and her new Griffun friend. This one was surely a female of the highest quality, for while many of the other brown ponies were lumbering and matted, this one's fur shone like silk, begging to be felt under claw. Yuri didn't see the point in resisting the temptation, and reverently reached one claw out to carefully stroke along the pony's neckline.

Very soft. Very soft indeed!

"You have not interrupted, no!" the white dragon reassured her, even as her claw continued with its absent-minded petting. "You have the very soft fur," Yuri felt compelled to explain, before retrieving her claw to stick it out like many of the ponies she had seen do before. "I am Yuri! That's Yuri with an 'i', see?"

Even better than finally being able to speak with one of the large ponies, Eindride seemed very knowledgeable of the going-ons around them, though her words failed to fully connect in the dragon's mind. Askr? Sigrun? She had said, 'Halls of Askr.' Was this whole region named Askr, or just this singular building? Seemed rather foolish to name a building, for a building could not answer to its name nor join song with a voice. But perhaps, there was some other reasons these brown ponies felt compelled to name their structures.

Another tidbit she would have to find out.

"You have wandered serpent spines?" Yuri questioned with some awe in her tone, sharing a glance with her Griffun friend. Surely, serpent spines bore symbolism to some great conquest or adventure. "Such a feat must take precision and accuracy. But why do you wander serpent spines?" the Eastern Dragon couldn't help but question, head cocked inquisitively to one side. "What do you seek amongst them?"

 

 

 

[[ OOC: She's pronouncing her name Yoo-ree with a slight tongue roll on the r, as opposed to the western pronunciation Yer-ee. ]]

 

 

[PyroBlaze]

(Sorry Zeig, I was waiting to see how Blueblood would respond to Flux's greeting before posting again.)

Tehengu wasn't sure what to think of Yuri's response to his greeting. Had she just swatted his claw instead of shaking it? Did she not know a handshake when she saw one? Huh... Well, she did seem to be rather uninformed about what was going on, so it was possible she didn't know what he was going for there. Oh well.

"Caribou, not ponies. There are differences there." He said when he recovered some. Well, if she had never seen them before he could understand her confusion on the matter. As for her question, it had already been answered, so he didn't bother with that. There was also some caribou talking to them, one who introduced herself as Eindride.

"Nice to meet you too. Name's Tehengu." He said to the caribou, nodding to her. He still wasn't comfortable with so many caribou around, but he was working on it.

----

Flux tilted her head at Bulk's words, blinking a little bit. What was he talking about? At least some ponies were defending Blueblood!

"Yeah! Bluey's fun! I've never seen him like you're talking about..." She said, looking to the prince as he picked up a spear and essentially challenged Bulk to a fight.

Frowny frown town... She didn't like her friends fighting...

Oh well, it hadn't happened yet, and there was another friend of Blueblood to meet! Flux moved over to the pegasus stallion and looked at him for a second before her smile came back.

"Hiya! I'm Flux! Who're you?" She asked cheerfully, glancing over at Blueblood occasionally in case she needed to intervene.

[DerpRavener]

Celestia found it somewhat refreshing to go largely unrecognized, or at least unremarked on.  Reverence, and scorn for that matter, had their uses.  But the usual reactions could get tiresome after enough time.  It was a pleasant change of pace to be somewhere where she wasn't that recognized.

 

It was nonetheless temporary as well, though she did not especially mind that.  Even if the caribou did not pay Celestia much mind, they were not the only species at this gathering.  A griffon spotted her amid the crowds, and after making his way over he bowed low.  While the greeting was perhaps not the most formal she had received, it was beyond what was needed for the current setting.

She smiled, and nodded in turn.  “And it is a pleasure to meet you as well, though there is no need to be so formal.  I am a guest here as much as anyone else.”  Buried in there was a slight warning.  This griffon obviously wished to speak with her, but there was a limit to what she could do here, let alone what she wished to do.  But that was no reason to turn him away.  “I am afraid you have me at a disadvantage however.  To who do I have the pleasure speaking?”

 

A sudden development divided her attention: Blueblood had effectively snatched the high king's spear, intending to duel another pony in the makeshift arena.  Celestia's expression became unreadable as she considered her options.  Her first instinct was to put a stop to the duel immediately, but such an action would not be without consequences.  The caribou only recently entered the greater political sphere, and there was still much to learn.  Interrupting such a duel might result in a loss of face, and as a leader of Equestria that was something she could not afford.  She also had to admit that Blueblood was an adult and could make his own decisions, no matter how protective she herself might feel.  And who knows?  Perhaps a defeat might even knock some sense into him.

She may have to settle for simply observing, at least for now, but she could still be nearby to prevent anything overly harmful from occurring.  Or for that matter, for damage control.  She looked back to the griffon, and smiled again.  “Would you mind walking with me, for a moment?”  she said, as she started to casually make her way towards the forming duel.

[RedCedar]

Bulk Biceps smirked. Even the very little the Prince had said to him was laced with the scent of mead, which explained the outburst and his challenge more than anything. Certainly the reaction upon snatching a spear from a fairly elaborately decorated caribou indicated that drink may have overridden his common sense, had he had any in the first place.

 

Honestly, at this point, even if Bulk lost, it would probably be funny.

 

Bulk held out his forehoof and bellowed, "Staff!", and when he was granted one by some caribou buck, he nodded his thanks and stepped towards the ring.

 

"Careful, your highness," he said, more quietly, "Flopping around like a drunken fool isn't particularly noble." With a smirk, he waited for the Prince to make the first move.

[ShadowWalking18]

 

 

 

 

"I could see that already, he's got a good physique for it. I'm not surprised, he shows a great deal of hidden ferocity last time we met. I admire that he was able to control it though." The cow took note of the mention of a battle with creatures -not of this world- and smiled at Razor once his friend had left the two to their own devices. This was something she needed to make sure she learned about, not just for the sake of a conversation with a new fur and feathered friend but to learn of an epic battle she dearly wished she could have been a part of.

 

The cow nodded at Razor, "Sound excellent! Think you can handle a flagon of Caribou kind's finest meade, Sir Razor?" she asked in almost challenging tone before thumping a hoof once and then twice on the bar table. Soon a pair of large mugs slid their way down and stopped squarely in front of the griffin and the chieftain. Sigrun quickly took it in her hoof and offered raised it up, To new friends, Razor!" She said heartily before taking a deep swig of it and letting out a thunderous belch that rocked the halls. "Now," She said, wiping a bit of the drink from her lips, "Tell me of this battle you partook in, who might you're opponent have been? I want to hear every detail."

 

 

Razor couldn't help but blush at the compliments, and a bit embarrassed, and he lifted a wing and looked at it. He wasn't use to getting compliments...especially from girls.

 

When Sigrun offered a drink, Razor went a bit stiff and gulped in fear. But he shook his head and took a deep breath, reminding himself this was just friends having a drink. He had done that before plenty of times.

 

'Just friends. Just friends. That's all it is.' He thought, but he still felt nervous as he followed. Luckily Sigrun, either intentional or not, knew the right words to get him his fire back. Even if she didn't mean it, the way his mind phrased those words made him think of a challenge.

 

He puffed his chest out, confidence proud and said, "Of course I can handle a flagon. I can handle twenty of them and not skip a beat." He said and followed to the bar.

 

He lifted the flagon and raised it in toast, and joined in taking a deep swig. Razor felt his body shiver as he felt the drink enter.

 

'Whoa....this stuffs got a kick to it.' He thought. Nothing at all like anything ponies made; which wasn't surprising. But it did taste good. He took another swig, but choked and coughed when Sigrun asked about....

 

...well that which should never had been brought up if somepony had kept their yap shut. He couldn't help but toss Dunder a glare before coughing once more into his wing and looking at Sigrun nervously.

 

"Oh...well...uh...that...battle...yes....well...." He said, rubbing the back of his head as he tried to figure out a way to...well get out of that question.

 

He couldn't really avoid it. Sigrun didn't seem like the kind to be evaded easily, size not counting. So he really had to think on this. He couldn't give all the details....but maybe...maybe he could give a few...unimportant and nonclassified bits.

 

"Well....there was some old ruins down in Aquilla. An excavation team had gone missing, and my father and I had been part of it. When dug into some deep foundations, before stumbling across a sort of portal or magical cage I guess should best be called, holding an assortment of twisted and horrifying eldritch like beasts."

 

Razor made sure that he kept his voice low as he could, while still allowing Sigrun to hear clearly. The less who knew even the smallest details the better. He took another swig of his ale, noticing it was empty and bagged on the bar for another. He was gonna stick by his boast. One down and nineteen more to go.

 

"Anyway....the whole team ended up....deceased by these creatures. Only myself and my father survived, if barely, but we got separated on our retreat and my father ended up lost in the ruins while I got to the surface; though I was barely still conscious or alive when I did having had to fight my way to the entrance. After that, I had to send out word for mercenaries to come and help me save my father and put an end to the monsters before they spread out. Dunder happened to be one of those mercenaries."

 

'And should have kept his mouth shut. He better not have spread it around beyond this.' He thought. When this was all done he was gonna have a..."talk"....with the loud mouth Pegasus before he left.

 

Razor took another swig of ale before continuing, "Anway. Dunder, myself, and a few other ponies and griffons I won't name for confidential reasons, gathered up equipment and descended into the ruins. We had to fight our way through dozens of twisted abominations, made from the flesh and bones of former occupants of the ruins and the bodies of the excavation crew. Some twisted dark magic was behind it, stitching the monsters together into grotesque pig shaped beasts. I can't really say how long it took as we descended, but we eventually found my father. Alive thankfully, though that should be obvious since he is here."

 

Though it had been a close thing, and his dad would have the scars of that time for the rest of his life.

 

"Now granted...neither my father or I was in the best shape at the time. I was still half dead and bandaged, barely able to stand at times. I can't tell you how many times Dunder and some of the others tried to convince me to stay behind. But I wasn't gonna let others go into danger if I still had life in me. And father...heh...he may be old but he is as tough as Ironclaw the First. Even wounded and half crazed from the family curse he wasn't going to leave till the source of the monsters was destroyed."

 

Taking another swig, Razor thought back to those moments and shivered in pure fear. Even after so long the images of those monsters filled him with terror. He hoped to never see anything like that again.

 

"So we headed further, till we reached the core of the ruins...and came across the leader and source of the monsters. It was a giant, bloated and half rotted monster of twisted flesh and bone and dark energies. Its limbs were misshapen and lanky, yet with the muscle power to swing a rusted cleaver the size of a cart with force and speed. Upon its head it wore a crown of black crystal that seemed to glow with magic. The beast was nearly impossible to hurt, its body immune to pain and its rotted carcass tough to cut, though it certainly burnt easily." Razor couldn't help but chuckle and a glint in his eyes as he relived the battle in his head.

 

"My claws of iron tasted the flesh of the monster, and my blade took several of its fingers and gashed across its black pits for eyes. Others crushed its limb pulp, and others burnt its face to disfigurement till finally the beast toppled over dead. Yet the black crystal crown still glowed...and seemed to be healing the monster. Luckily we destroyed it with a little effort, and when we did the monsters body dissolved into liquid. As did all the remaining beasts as well. It was a rightfully earned victory...if a bit....smelly."

 

Razor puffed out his chest in pride and downed his second flagon, and asked for a third....and a fourth before looking back to Sigurn, "What about you? I told you a tale of battle for me. Now you tell me one of yours."

 

 

Celestia found it somewhat refreshing to go largely unrecognized, or at least unremarked on.  Reverence, and scorn for that matter, had their uses.  But the usual reactions could get tiresome after enough time.  It was a pleasant change of pace to be somewhere where she wasn't that recognized.

 

It was nonetheless temporary as well, though she did not especially mind that.  Even if the caribou did not pay Celestia much mind, they were not the only species at this gathering.  A griffon spotted her amid the crowds, and after making his way over he bowed low.  While the greeting was perhaps not the most formal she had received, it was beyond what was needed for the current setting.

She smiled, and nodded in turn.  “And it is a pleasure to meet you as well, though there is no need to be so formal.  I am a guest here as much as anyone else.”  Buried in there was a slight warning.  This griffon obviously wished to speak with her, but there was a limit to what she could do here, let alone what she wished to do.  But that was no reason to turn him away.  “I am afraid you have me at a disadvantage however.  To who do I have the pleasure speaking?”

 

A sudden development divided her attention: Blueblood had effectively snatched the high king's spear, intending to duel another pony in the makeshift arena.  Celestia's expression became unreadable as she considered her options.  Her first instinct was to put a stop to the duel immediately, but such an action would not be without consequences.  The caribou only recently entered the greater political sphere, and there was still much to learn.  Interrupting such a duel might result in a loss of face, and as a leader of Equestria that was something she could not afford.  She also had to admit that Blueblood was an adult and could make his own decisions, no matter how protective she herself might feel.  And who knows?  Perhaps a defeat might even knock some sense into him.

She may have to settle for simply observing, at least for now, but she could still be nearby to prevent anything overly harmful from occurring.  Or for that matter, for damage control.  She looked back to the griffon, and smiled again.  “Would you mind walking with me, for a moment?”  she said, as she started to casually make her way towards the forming duel.

 

 

Ironclaw could tell that this would be a delicate maneuvering. He could hear the warning tone in the words of the princess of the sun. He would need to be wise in his words. He would be wise to not offend.

 

"Ah yes, forgive me. I am General Ironclaw the 87th, one of the top ranked generals in the Aquillian military. As well I am the patriarch of the Ironclaw clan and family, an old and proud family in griffon history...though...you might not know of us." He gave a slight nod of his head.

 

It was then that Ironclaw noticed the commotion that Celestia did; though not who the combatants were. He sighed in relief though to see that his son was not the cause.

 

'Thank goodness.' He thought.

 

He nodded at the princess' offer to join her, "Of course. Am I correct to assume you know one of the combatants?" He asked as he followed her to watch the duel.

 

It would be interesting to see how the caribou handled duels of ritual combat.

[starswirlthebearded]

Like any good party many things were happening at once. From the Prince's social faux pax to the entrance of the Princess of Equestria herself. None of that really mattered to Havardr, he was drinking his mead and taking everything in considering how he would reply. The first of course had to be Blueblood. The King gave a hearty laugh at the Prince's misunderstanding of the situation. "Not all stand on ceremony Blueblood" the king retorted. "Nay, there are many like myself whom are happy serving his people. Those whom are enlightened in the ways of leadership often share this view." He laughed while casting a glance over at Celestia. He never really had a chance to meet her, but he would have his chance. The leader of the respective species were bound to cross paths, it mattered not now. 

 

Speaking of ceremony two griffons approached the king and gave very deep bows after being introduced by Sigrun. "The pleasure is mine, to whom do I owe the pleasure of meeting during this fine party." As the king started his second flagon of mead. "And please, you need not bow to me here, we are not in my hold. This is a place of merriment, not ceremony."

 

A strange pony was eating the fish that was laid out for those that enjoyed it, the King never expected a pony to partake in it. But the king knew that this pony was at least intelligent. Fish provided many a thing that a grass, grain and flower diet could not. "Ah Blueblood, the matters of the body are foreign to you. Fish can not only be delicious but rather good for the coat and body. Perhaps you should follow your friend's lead and partake of some!" He said heartily giving Blueblood a firm pat on the back. 

 

The hostess of the party gave a bit of a jab at the fighting prowess of the prince which the king could only laugh at. To him Equestrians were not warriors but perveyors of peace and love. A noble aspiration and one which the king hoped to lead his own caribou towards, though he doubted an ability to quell their warrior spirit entirely, but not starting wars between fellow clans and species would only be good at growing their influence and power. The king knew this... war was not the only way.

 

And yet... Apparently the prince wished to show what he was made of and... with his magic took the King's spear.

 

...

.....

......

 

The prince used his unicorn magic to take what he did not know. That spear was not to be used lightly, and not to be wielded by one who clearly had so little experience fighting. And of the Caribou, all knew not to touch it. The king rose from his seat and made his way to the ring, to confront Blueblood. Upon reaching the ring he was already facing off against a large pony, and the King without a second thought stood before them. "I suggest you drop the spear from your magical tow Blueblood. It is unwise to take that which you do not understand." The king stood before the pony with his imposing stature hoping he would understand his faux pas. "If you truly wish to use /that/ weapon to "teach your citizen a lesson" then I insist you first prove yourself worthy of the weapon by opposing me in single combat. Only then will I allow this fight to commence." The king paused and looked at the opponent. "You may of course take another option... Choose another weapon from the walls of this great hall. And then the fight may continue unabated." 

[Pretzelparty]

 

Sigrun smiled and took another swig of her meade, enjoying the kick it had as it overwhelmed her taste buds. She looked over to the griffin and thought a moment, "Hm... that's quite the tale, reminds me of some of Necromancy that goes on in this land..." The cow took another deep drink and let out a sigh of contentment, her ears perking in Razor's direction as he requested a story from her as well.

 

"Oh... Now that is a hard request seeing as I've been in so many. Maybe my first big battle would be a good choice." After another deep drink from her mug she smiled brightly before looking to the griffin and speaking up, "It took place some time ago, back when I was a teenaged calf and when our clan was just a small trading and hunting clan out in the forests of Whitescar's many askrwood groves. Back before the High-king had taken power the clan was raided and attacked often so the rival herds could seize our ways of honing magic absorbing wood..."

 

"Back then, all I'd ever wanted to be was a warrior that could bring pride to our clan... even though quite a few swords were a bit too big for me I trained and worked hard for the sake of me and my family's pride. I had eventually managed to join the past Jarl of this hold's army just as the most trying nights our clan would endure was over the horizon. Our hold's leader had to go away on business to assist clan Aured, it was supposed to be a well kept secret but somehow the rival clans had learned of his absence and took advantage to launch a sustained assault on Our clan." 

 

"That night, snow covered the ground and a black night sky with barely visible stars hung around the entire hold until the light of torches and then flaming arrows launched upon our hold from our hold. Many of the houses and farms outside the stone walls of the keep were set ablaze as a gigantic hoard of warriors from our opposing clans marched toward the gates like a wave of steel, bloodlust, and rage..." The Jarl slammed her hoof down on the table, another flagon of mead lsiding her way before she swiftly took a long drink and planted it back down before resuming.

 

"Without our Jarl or chieftain there to coordinate the forces... well I wouldn't say my clan's hold was an easy place to raid back then, but with no leadership they could only manage so much. Many of the younger fighters were stuck with watching the older warriors trying to hold the gate and keep the Escalades and ladders from letting the enemy inside. Obviously the defenses fell after much whittling down, otherwise I wouldn't have much of a story if I didn't get involved." she chuckled softly, shooting the griffin an aside glance to see if he was still listening.

 

"So, yes, the defenses fell after seven days and the enemy flooded the hold save for the hall and keep. After that was quite a battle... Every bull and cow and calf stood tall with a weapon in their teeth and hooves, even those who had no training got up to defend their home, myself included. Back then I was barely a half as tall as I am now with antlers included and against the gigantic musclebound raiders with which my clan was facing I looked like I was more likely to be a lumpy red stain on the ground after my first real fight."

 

"I fought the best I could and found I was very good at it... I had a sense of my surroundings well and kept mobile enough to evade many of his attacks and as soon as my first true opponent let his guard open I crouched down under him and jammed a dagger into his chest over his heart. Looking back I couldn't say for sure if that killed him instantly since I wasn't sure I hit the heart or grazed it... but after that I Took his own axe and made sure it didn't matter." She gestured with the edge of her hoof and made a cutting motion.

 

"The remaining warriors on our side managed to gather together the remaining commonfolk and barred them all behind the doors of the keep with the only known way in to the enemy begin the great doors in the front where what was left of our remaining fighters stood, waiting to face them. At first, they came at us in waves, none of us fell but many of them did. Then they rushed us, their numbers were seemingly endless compared to ours and many of us had fallen during that fight. I fought alongside the older warriors and sustained more than a few injuries of my own... I remember all the flashes of steel and the bashing of shields and chopping of axes, but after a point I can't remember all the details of the battle. The older warriors said at a point they were worried I'd fallen into the berserker's rage... and honestly I think I very well could have if I was on my own. By the end of the battle, the amount of warriors I'd slain numbered in hundred, it helped I tried to make sure my fights ended quick." she chuckled nostalgically and looked back to the griffin. 

 

"When the chieftain and the Jarl had returned... There were only ten of our warriors left and the commonfolk within were untouched, most of our coats were covered in the blood of our enemies... but mine, well you could be forgiven for assuming that red was my natural coat color."

 

Sigrun's eyes then fell upon the developing scene with the prince, the musclebound pegasus, and the highking. "My king! if he does fight you, try to hold back a bit." A fight in her hold was nothign special, no matter how royal the participants. All she really felt she needed to make sure of was that Blueblood didn't lose his life ... especially on her watch.

[Blueblood]

It would be ludicrously redundant to state that Prince Blueblood was out of his depth; that threshold had been crossed the moment he stepped his manicured hoof onto the soil of Whitescar.  His metaphorical boat was wrecked at the point where he'd actually challenged Bulk Bicepts to a duel, and his taking of the spear had summoned the circling sharks around the flotsam.

 

And now that his Royal Highness was confronted with the High King, a rank and person that eclipsed his in every conceivable way, some vague realization of his position began to dawn upon his alcohol-befogged brain.  It analyzed the situation as best it could, and presented its owner with the options in front of him.  Either he would fight the king before Bulk, or he would not.  Under normal circumstances, Blueblood would have dismissed option 1 out of hoof.  As it was obviously suicide, no self-respecting coward would consider it for a minute.

 

Thing was, the Prince had recently resolved not to actually be a coward anymore.  And with that motivation gone, his Ego took the floor.  *I've been called out.  In front of others who I aim to impress.  I cannot back down now.*  Reason, in a timid, sloshed sort of way, pointed out that there was no chance of him actually winning.  *Then we shall make losing look good!*

 

Thus did it happen, that the unicorn Prince of Canterlot looked unblinkingly up at the Caribou King, and nodded assent.  "Very well then."  He spoke, in a careful diction never heard in a sober pony, "I apologize for the breach of protocol, and I shall rectify."  He signaled to the same caribou who had brought Bulk his staff, indicating that he wanted one himself.  "At least, if I do happen to lose to you, I will at least have disproved his accusation," Here Blueblood waved at the offending pegasus as he steadied himself on his staff, "And that was, after all, the point of all this.  The point, always get to the point, shouldn't fight without a point."

 

Concluding this grand lecture on the theory and purpose of war, the Prince marched with all the dignity his limbs could bear to his corner of the ring.  From the actually rather professional stance he adopted upon arrival, Sigrun would be able to see that Blueblood had indeed been training since she'd last met him.  It was therefore unlikely that he would actually die today.  More than that would have, perhaps, exceeded the limits of optimism to predict...

[DerpRavener]

The griffon introduced himself and General Ironclaw of the Aquillian military, before mentioning that Celestia might not know of him.  In truth, the name was familiar.  Celestia made a point to keep up-to-date on prominent individuals where possible, even from other countries, and despite their more recent misfortunes the Ironclaws still held some positions of importance.

 

Celestia did not have time to discuss or deny any knowledge at the moment however, as the situation with continued onward.  “Yes,” she replied absently, addressing Ironclaw's question.  She indicated toward the white unicorn in the makeshift ring with a nod of her head.  “The wayward prince is my nephew.”

 

And then Blueblood snatched the caribou king's spear.  The king gave a warning, that the unicorn knew not what he did, and would have to fight the king himself.  Blueblood, in his current state, found this turn of events agreeable.

Celestia had so far been content to let things play out.  She had accepted the inebriation, indeed that seemed to be the purpose of the gathering, and she would not stop anyone from enjoying themselves.  She would even have tolerated the duel between Blueblood and the pegasus, or even with a caribou.  It was not her preferred method of conflict resolution, but here it was tradition.  But this, this she could not accept.  It was disrespectful to the caribou, showing such a blatant disregard for the culture, not to mention dangerous.

 

Celestia hoped that General Ironclaw would understand, but it was unavoidable.  “We'll have to talk later,” before starting to move toward the duel at a quick trot.

 

“Wait!”  Celestia called out.

In other circumstances, she might have interposed herself between the combatants, and sought out another way of resolving differences.  This was not Equestria however, or at least not her Equestria.  As an immortal and a princess her decisions could still carry a lot of weight, but she was guest here.  She couldn't simply put a stop to it.  That didn't mean she was without options however.  “There cannot be any honour to be gained in duel with one so...” she looked at Blueblood, her expression unreadable for the moment, “...impaired.  I propose that the duel be postponed, so that he may fight at his best.”

Her hope was in the end to buy time.  If Blueblood was able to consider this again when he was more aware of his actions, maybe he would recognize his error, and a method could be found to make up for what was done.  And it had the added bonus of ruining his attempt to 'prove his courage' through this foolishness, ending up having to be rescued by his aunt.  Perhaps this could teach him to pick his battles more carefully in future.  'A fight should have a point', indeed.

 

Unfortunately, Celestia did not know all the details of such trials.  It was something she would have to correct, for future interactions, but for the moment it left a troubling gap in her knowledge.  There was clearly a ritualistic element at play, it was entirely possible that such a duel could not be delayed.  Tradition may not allow for it, and in some ways the caribou themselves may have little more power to change it than Celestia did, at least for a single duel.  After a moment's pause, she looked the king dead in the eye, and added “And if that is unacceptable, they I will fight in his stead.”

Physical combat was not her forte, but neither was it something she neglected.  Between that and her own experience and endurance, she had confidence that she could at least avoid any lasting injuries.  And in truth, one-on-one combat was a good way to get to know someone, even it if was not her preferred contest of minds.

[starswirlthebearded]

The prince apparently quickly realized he was out of his depth and surrendered the spear post haste. And with that the king sheathed his weapon and returned it to the holster on his side with one fluid expert motion. The king had originally given Blueblood the two options to impress on him the severity of his actions. One does not simply take a warrior's cherished weapon, especially not the one of High King Dragonsong. Still he was expecting nothing to come from the offer to challenge him for the right to wield the spear...

 

And then it happened... The prince accepted the offer to challenge him... Well this is unexpected. Havardr thought to himself, and he slowly brought a wry smile to his muzzle. Not because he was planning to be cruel, quite the opposite, it would be a chance to teach this pony humility. The Jarl and hostess of the party called out to the king asking to hold back.The king looked her way and nodded in acknowledgement. "Fear not Jarl Sigrun, I shall not sully your halls with any unseemly acts of violence. This is not the first time I've faced opponents so very far out of their depths." The King said with a hearty laugh. 

The prince retorted that even if he were to lose to the king it would have proven what the large pony had earlier said. "While that is likely true Prince, it is also possible to prove your self-worth in other ways, without entering into a fight you have little chance to win." The king paused... "However if this is how you wish to prove yourself and your honor I shall accept your chall..." Before the King could finish Princess Celestia decided to intervene. He understood quite well why. To any observer this looked to be assisted suicide. No pony or griffon could know what is going through the king's head, though surely some of the caribou have seen this demeanor in him before. "I shall return momentarily..." The king spoke curtly to the prince.

 

He exited the ring to speak with Celestia eye to eye. Upon facing her he bowed his head slightly, never breaking eye contact as a sign of mutual respect. "Good day to you Princess Celestia of Equestria." He greeted her politely "I looked forward to meeting you this day, but the current set of circumstances are not ideal... And I hope we shall have a better opportunity later this evening..." The king paused... "You speak of my honor, but it is not my honor that was called into question, and in this place cannot be questioned. It is your nephew that chooses this path to prove his should he choose to go through with it. That is his choice and his choice alone, it is not your place to intervene. I was not intending to intervene, however he took something of mine which he did not earn the right to, even /I/ had to earn the right to wield this weapon." Havardr motioned to the spear at his side. "This situation is of his making. If you still wish to face against me, you are welcome to /after/ Prince Blueblood." The king advanced slightly into whispering distance. "And such situations are not unfamiliar to me princess. Many young calves challenge the 'great' High King to duels, and none exit the ring injured. So I request that you respect my judgement. This could very well be a good experience for Blueblood." 

 

The king then returned to the ring after finishing with Celestia... "As I was saying I accept your challenge, Prince Blueblood of Equestria. Please choose your weapon, I shall fight unarmed, so long as no magic is involved." The king then went on to explain the process... "When you are ready we shall meet in the middle to tap horns as a sign of mutual respect..." The king paused and once again smirked thinking that it is fortunate he faces a unicorn, trying to hold back laughter. "Then we shall depart to our respective corners. When you are ready, you may advance to signal the start of the match, and I shall give you the first strike... I suggest you use it well." The king looked Blueblood dead in the eyes... "Do you understand the terms and conditions of the match?"

[ShadowWalking18]

Razor listened with interest as Sigrun told her story, he took more drinks from his flagon. His heard feathers twitched and slightly stood up, making a sort of crest for him as he caught the word of magic absorbing wood. That might have uses, he wondered if he could get some from Sigrun. He kept his peace though as he listened to her tale.

 

And as he listened to her feats of valor and battle, Razor found himself gaining a growing respect for the caribou cow and, he couldn't help but note that she was...rather attractive. In that big Valkyrie like warrior way. 

 

He smirked as he took note of what he could only consider her falling into a berserker like state and said, "You probably went Battle Crazy. Berserk. Its something griffons can get like as well if we lose control. My family in particular has something of a curse you could say with those regards. Must have been a sight to all around you, a single fighter felling hundreds of warriors all on her own."

 

Razor rubbed his beak as he smirked, "Its actually kind of attractive." He said to himself as he took another drink.

 

The commotion over with the Highking and some drunk noble took his attention a moment, and he looked over to just get a good look. But he didn't pay it much mind. He didn't really have any interest who was fighting who.

 

'Long as it ain't me in there. So far though I've managed to avoid getting into scraps....which is rare.' He thought as he took another drink. What was in this stuff?

 

"So...your clan makes magic absorbing wood? How does that work?" He asked, looking to Sigrun, his eyes looking her up and down unconsciously ogling her.

 

----------

 

Ironclaw blinked at what Celestia told him.

 

It was her nephew looking to get into a fight...and with the Highking of the Caribou?

 

'The boy has a death wish. Or too much of the local amber drink.' He thought.

 

As Celestia departed to save her nephew from what Ironclaw could only calculate to what would account to a beat down on the poor prince's flank, he merely nodded and waited and watched.

 

Cause it seemed that the Prince was going to get his flank smacked around some. Well...it would be educational to see how well trained a prince of Equestria was taught.

[moonshineTheleocat]

Java had been sitting still for quite some time. A foreleg propped up onto a table, while he stared off  into space. He couldn’t help to believe that he was possibly forgetting something. In fact… he felt it had something to do with why his mother was so late at showing up when Celestia had. And also why he had to fly the ship only a hundred meters above sea level. So strange indeed… Where had his friend had gone? He… could almost remember…. but no… his mind was once again taken away. Once again… trying to recall something so important. Did he leave his oven on at home? No… that wasn’t it, he hadn’t cooked that night. Did he forget to feed Sine? No… that cat joined him, and is asleep in the ship. What was it!?

 

---

 

Once more, the great mead halls of the Caribou’s Jarvaskr had opened up, this time revealing a military outfit of ponies of varying races. Unicorns, Pegasus, and Earth ponies all dressed in a traditional FetLoch parade armor featuring an armored kilt, and a few more traditional items. There were also a small collection of ponies in their ranks that wore the regular Royal Equestrian Army’s armor, whom would be acting as the Royal Guard for the night. Then finally there was a decorated mare standing in the front holding a banner featuring Equestria’s insignia. Then below it, the crest of the Nova house. The mare was no other than Star Breezer. Decorated Captain of the Fetloch's REA, and also the Duchess of the same area.

 

The mare wore an expression that seemed to be on the verge of tipping off into the deep end of annoyance. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be here. She very much did. But it was something that her idiot of a son had done.

 

Her only, but keen, eye searched the crowd of creatures. It sifted through all the faces till she found a few familiar ones. She gestured off to her subordiants signalling them to join the party while Star Breezer made her way towards her son.

 

When she was a meter away from her son, her brow slowly rose when she noticed that he seemed to be in good thought.

“He better be thinking bout how he...” she mentally growled to herself. She slowly raised a hoof, and brought it crashing down onto her son’s head to get his attention.

Java… after taking the sharp crack to the back of his head… experienced the oh so joyful laws of conservation of momentum… and felt his muzzle slam down onto the hard wooden table. The pony lept back up, letting out a startled yelp when he moved his hooves to cover his maw.

“Hi there lil, bean! Was aye interrupti something,” The mare growled, now sliding into a seat next to him. Her hoof slid across the table to snatch up an abandoned drink.

Java… slowly regaining his wits looked down to notice his platter of fish and a drink was now on the floor. He frowned, and slowly looked to his mother. He knew that look all too well. He screwed up somewhere. And... he had a sneaking suspicion it was what he was trying to remember. “Er… no ma’am?”

“Oh really?! Good good, cuz aye was hopin to talk about yer buckin ship.” She caught her son’s blank stare. And rolled her eyes. “Remember when ye told us ye had to fly lower or risk somethin rupturing.”

Java… continued to stare at her. His hoof rubbing the back of his sore head…. till something deep down in his head finally clicked. The stallions face lit up in horror as he quickly rose up. “Oh crud!”

“Oh don’t worry bout it now! One oh the boys heard somethin snap low down, and went to go check it out. One of the pipes dun froze over, and ruptured. We got it handled now. But how about ye insulate yar equipment before parking it in the middle of the friggen frozen wasteland! C'mon! We've got ponies to take home later, and ye about to break the only way back!?”

 

"S-sorry mom..." Java groaned nervously and sat back down. Chuckling softly to himself if only to fend off a severe amount of embarrassment from the maternal scolding he had just received. Of the times his mother actually acted like a mother... is usually when it's the worst time to be a mother. That is.... in any area a mother could possibly embarrassed one of her children. He glanced around... noticing one particular pony was missing. “So… where’s Crusader?”

The mare looked back towards the door. “Oh I don’t know. Ye know yer sister. She’s probably talking to a few of the locals to get an idea bout the surroundings…. or she sunk in the snow somewhere.”

 

The two ponies looked to each other. Both being at equal height, they could look each other square in the eyes. Before finally they both sighed and shook their heads. They spoke simultaneously, "Both."

 

Star Breezer ended her statement by slowly rubbing her temples. Her annoyance wasn't just from her own children. No... that was only a drop of water in an ocean. It was being coupe up on an Airship with her previous armor rubbing her raw, tagged teamed with a dunder head and a line of Duchessly duties.

Java ended his musing with a giggle-fit. The thought of plume of her sister's struggling had easily entered his mind like a breeze in an open field. He imagined her stiring up a plume of whispy snow from a hole in the ground in a desperate attempt to escape.

[Blueblood]

“Wait!  There cannot be any honour to be gained in duel with one so... impaired.  I propose that the duel be postponed, so that he may fight at his best.”

 

Of course.  Of-bucking-course!  It always happened like this; just when Blueblood had finally prepared to actually go and do something, his high-and-mighty Auntie would always poke her nose into his affairs.  This had gone on for years, and while it had to be said that most of these interferences were well-intentioned rescues from the consequences of his own stupidity, a certain degree of immaturity in the Prince could be attributed to the fact that Celestia had trouble treating him as an actual grown-up.

 

Long-suppressed frustration began to bubble up in the unicorn's mind, drawing his brows together and hardening his resolve.  He was going to fight, even if he had to walk with a limp for the rest of his life!  Even his opponent's final offer of an out was greeted with a flat and quiet refusal.  "Perhaps, your majesty.  But remember who I have to prove it to."  There was something amounting to actual sobriety in this statement, though the meaning may not have quite gotten through.  A listener would probably assume that he was referring to an interested caribou audience, but anypony who knew the Prince would guess more accurately that he was referring to himself.  If he backed down now, he would see a coward in the mirror for the rest of his days.  And Blueblood Manor had a lot of mirrors!

 

Still, the High King was a sport, as they used to say in his school, and after a word with Princess Celestia, had come back to crude arena to state the terms of the match.  Magic was off-limits, but the King was unarmed.  It seemed fair enough, though it hardly counted as an actual handicap.  Blueblood, for his part, had chosen his own weapon, the staff.  His trainer back in Canterlot had not seen fit to put an actual blade into his hooves, not that the martial artist worked with any of them himself, anyhow.  The trouble was, that his lessons so far had only covered what to do when you got hit to avoid being crippled with injury.  Actually hitting was going to be the next course...

 

And now, here he was, staring into the eyes of Havardr.  Those eyes had seen opponents much more impressive than an Equestrian Prince of no political or military distinction.  Blueblood felt his bravado drain away at the sight, leaving... something else.  Maybe it was honor, maybe it was pride, or perhaps just a stiff neck.  In any case, the unicorn nodded.  "Yes, I understand."  Not exactly true, as he didn't actually know what the ending conditions were, but if he hesitated now, his nerves would probably fail altogether.

 

And so the two Royals, one by birth and the other by merit, approached the center of the ring, and touched horns.  Havardr had to bow a little low to reach Blueblood with his antlers.  Having paid his respects, the alabaster unicorn trotted to his corner of the stage, turned around-

 

And paused.  *Oh Faust, what do I do now?*  He had no idea.  In his only other actual duel with a caribou, Sigrun had allowed him no such first strike, thus taking all the pressure off of him.  Now, the Prince actually had to do something before taking his licks.  Racking his mead-ravaged brain for an idea of what to do with his pole, a vague memory from the Equestrian games surfaced, and he clutched at it like a drowning pony to a piece of driftwood.

 

Heaving the staff to shoulder-height with a forehoof, he held most of the length in front of him as he charged, accelerating as rapidly as he could in the short distance before the point of the staff dropped and dug into the dirt floor; the momentum vaulting the Prince up and-

 

*Ka-chunk*  "AAAUUGH!"

 

Right onto the King's antlers.  Well, if it was to first blood, then victory was already Havardr's.  Not that any of the cuts were serious.  No, the real damage was, as always, to Blueblood's dignity, buffeted by the raucous laughter of the audience.  Goaded by the pain and humiliation, the Prince struggled to extricate himself, but all efforts were in vain.  "RRGh, NGHGH!  Ugh.  Uh, I'm... stuck."

[DerpRavener]

There was nothing for it.  To what degree the rules were inflexible, and to what degree they simply required the input of the combatant parties to change was unclear at this time, but the result was the same.  There was nothing she could do to affect the outcome.  It took just a moment for this, and what the king himself said, to sink in.

 

Celestia bowed her head.  “I am sure you would find me a disappointing opponent.”  If the king had wished to face her in a spar, she likely would not refuse.  It would certainly be an enlightening experience.  But, physical combat was not her strongest suit, and she doubted she could leverage her true strengths into any sort of duel.  Certainly not one that would produce any satisfying results.  “I thank you for understanding my concerns,” she said as, although he had refused her suggestions he did acknowledge the underlying concerns behind them.  While she can only have lost favour by her actions, she would not walk away completely empty hooved.  She would have to be content in that.  “Forgive my intrusion,” she added, before walking away from the ring.  For better or worse, Blueblood's fate was exclusively in his own hooves, and there was nothing she could do but accept that.

She would have to study caribou culture in greater detail, to learn what she could and could not do, and avoid any more blunders.  It was too late for this particular gathering of course, but it could at least serve as a reminder for the future.

 

Celestia returned to General Ironclaw, with a small smile.  “It would seem we have all the time we need to converse.”  She forced herself to turn, and keep an eye on the duel.  Much as she did not care to see what would happen there, observation and analysis were good ways to learn.  Most of her focus remained on the griffon before her however.  “Ironclaw...” she mused as she tapped her chin with a hoof, returning to where they left off, “The name is familiar, though unfortunately I cannot recall much more than that at the moment.  If you don't mind me asking, how did you earn your title?”

 

Celestia turned an eye toward the entrance, though she heard more than saw a company of Fetloch guardsponies enter, dressed in full parade armour and accompanied by a few in standard REA colours.  She smiled mischievously at the sight.  She was wondering where they were, and had just started to think she had gotten away.  Coming as merely a guest, rather than as the princess of Equestria, Celestia had thought she wouldn't need any sort of escort.  Some had insisted on their presence regardless.

Celestia was nonetheless happy to see them disperse, and begin mingling with the crowd.  It was a good sign to more of her little ponies getting along with the caribou, even after the relatively recent difficulties.

Beyond this, she paid them little mind for the moment, focussing on the conversation at hoof until she was needed.  Which, she expected would be never this particular evening.  Given how things had gone thus far, it seemed clear to her that the biggest risk to a guest of this party was the guest herself. 

[Pretzelparty]

The addition of Celestia to the event made things a bit interesting and a bit worrying. She figured that Blueblood might be able to have a bit of fun with the king, the only thing that niggled at the back of her mind was the worry of how the ponies may react should they find a hoof laid upon their princess... In the end though, Sigrun couldn't predict how ponies would react to a bit of royal roughhousing in a caribou party. She figured in the end that only time would tell, but she would have to intervene if things started to look dangerous for either Celestia or Blueblood.

 

 

Sigrun chuckled abit and looked over to Razor, "I was hardly the only one to rake up a bodycount that day, and I couldn't have done it without the rest of the clan's warrior's at our side." The Cow took another deep sip of her drink and smiled, "In our clan we have a saying... a somewhat long winded one, but no less true. Just as the trees we grow, cutdown, and refine stand tall, so does clan Askr; but a tree only stands as strong as it does because of the many roots that reach deep into the ground and keep it upright. Me and those in my charge make up the multitude of roots that keep our clan standing... but having the occasional bloodthirty battler pop up like myself does make things a tad easier for our forces." 

 

When Razor smirked at her and paid her a compliment she looked at him slyly, "Be careful there, Razor. More words like that and you may find some cows taking a liking to you." The jarl's bright silver eyes looked over to the scene going on with the high-king to make sure things weren't going south yet. 

 

"The way the trees work is no secret to any caribou of this land or outsider." she began, "The Askr trees that grow here are a potent variation on the types that grow all around this land, my clan simply hold the land where they grow most heavily. Askrwood trees are born in a land with sparse moments of sunlight and covered in snow... so rather than take magic from the sun they take magic from the earth. While we Caribou ourselves have no magic, We are more than capable of harnessing the vast and powerful magics of our homeland, just as our trees do... If you're asking me -how- we make the wood into the fastest longboats in Whitescar and the incorporate it into armor I can't share with you our trade secrets."

 

"Although from how your eyes are wandering perhaps you are more curious about other things?" she asked, her voice bearing a playful lilt before she glanced at the marking on her backside. 

[ShadowWalking18]

Razor listened at the, as Sigrun had said, long clan Askr saying. It all made perfect sense to him. "Can't say I disagree with the saying. Certainly a lot longer then my families saying."

 

He especially listened in good attention to how the wood up in Askr worked. Though he didn't so much care about the trees other then how they could be incorporated into magic draining armor. He snapped his talons in disappointment when Sigrun stated she couldn't tell their secret crafting skill.

 

Her words of his compliment though made him blush slightly, but he kept silent. Though he did look around a bit nervously before refocusing on the conversation at hand with the wood crafting of the Caribou.

 

"Dang. Still I guess I can understand. All clans need their secrets." Still he did come away with the knowledge that Caribou seemed to be the ones capable of it. And while he was sure, if given time, anyone could probably learn this, he supposed that was something. But then again, he didn't have any magic so maybe only Caribou could do it. Either way, it was something to keep in mind.

 

Razor went to say something, but stopped when Sigrun spoke, and looked at her backside. Faust she must have noticed him ogling her. And he just noticed that he had been ogling. He blushed more, and scratched at the back of his head as he stammered a bit.

 

"Uh I that, well...I...maybe. Yeah." He said, "I just...take...notice of things I guess. You are attractive after all." His eyes looked at Sigrun's form again, and he gulped and took another deep drink, and called for another. Maybe two more. How many had he had so far again?

 

"Uh, but uh...the fact that you can create magic draining hulls and armor is a great advantage. I know a lot of parties who would pay out their beaks to acquire such works. Even my own family would pay a fortune to acquire some. M-maybe we can...work a deal?" He said, hoping to aver the conversation to something he was comfortable with....and hopefully keep his eyes off from Sigruns flank.

 

He looked to the fight, hoping to distract himself and saw perhaps the funniest sight in years.

 

Prince Blueblood stuck in the Caribou Highking's antlers. Razor had to clamp his talons over his beak, making struggling sounds as he fought back a roaring laugh. He turned away and placed his head on the bar, slapping a talon on the surface as he started laughing.

 

"Oh Ahahahahahahaha. Ohohoho that is funny!" He said, looking back at Blueblood as he tried to free himself. He laughed some more before finally controlling himself, but he still held a smirk

 

----------------------------------

 

Ironclaw watched as Celestia tried to keep her nephew from what Ironclaw was sure to be an embarrassing defeat.

 

Sadly the hot blooded prince didn't seem to know the wisdom in listening to others advice. Ironclaw could only shake his head, and watched as Celestia returned.

 

"So it seems we do." He said, looking once more at Blueblood before returning his attention to the Princess of the Sun.

 

He nodded slightly at Celestia's lack of knowledge of him. "Ironclaw is the name of the founder of my clan and family. My parents named me it in the hopes I would accomplish great things as our ancient founder did many ages ago. It is also the title given to each new clan patriarch. One day, when I leave this world one of my sons shall take the name and become the new Ironclaw. Still till that day comes I continue to strive to live up to my birthright."

[Dunder]

Dunder wiped his mouth free of the grease from the fish. Only if they had some sort of method for preserving those fish for a long time, then the whole world could be graced with the food from this frozen wasteland. Equestria had fish didn't it? Of course it did, there was a bunch of coastline and lakes and rivers. Fish loved the water.

But his zoning out was broken when he heard the distinct voice of the Fetloch mare, the captain herself. Panic stricken, Dunder pushed himself from the counter and turned in one swift motion to reassemble with the crowd of caribou.

There seemed to be a lot of commotion, the shorter caribou in the back were jumping, clamoring to see what all the others were gathering in a circle to see. Compared to a caribou, Dunder was vertically challenged. But unlike the caribou, Dunder was a pony and not bound to the earth. The stallion flared his wings out, hopped into the air, and began to flap. After a good few strokes and he was flying over the crowd.

He supposed one good thing about this place was the lack of air traffic. At a pony event of this size, Dunder would be bound to slam into some pony flying too close to the crowd to not give taking off pegasi enough space. a that guy.

 

When he got high enough, Dunder spotted the reason why the crowd was gathering. On one side was what he fancied himself a friend, the unicorn blueblood. Facing off against what looked like the scariest caribou in the room. The caribou wasn't even armed and Blueblood was in a poor stance. After a few moments, Blueblood held the staff in front of him and charged. At least the pony held the staff point first before charging. But Dunder knew how this was going to end after noticing the carribou didn't even flinch.

But right as Dunder was getting some confidence, Blueblood dropped his point,allowing it to dig into the dirt. "NO! YOU --"

Nothing Dunder could say could stop what was already in motion. Blueblood was a part of the air traffic for a moment before landing right into the clutches of the caribou's antlers. It was almost beautiful, and some schadenfreude made Dunder witness it all.

The pegasus flew forward over his stuck friend and descended from the sky, a stiff grin on his face "Nice Job, Blueblood. I've never seen anypony look so good while losing." Maybe some usual grilling of the pony would lighten his mood. "Come on, let me help you get outta there." He said and held out a hoof to his friend.

[starswirlthebearded]

Celestia suggested that she would not be opposed to fighting Havardr, but clearly she mistook his words. Truthfully he had no intent to fight or roughhouse more than necessary, he was not a young bull anymore. And though he would not mind a friendly match with the Princess of Equestria, it would not be conducive at least not in this setting. While it was true that fighting someone is a great way to learn about them, it wasn't necessarily the best way to build a diplomatic relationship. The King nodded as she turned away and he returned to the ring.

 

The Prince seemed to understand, but the king realized that he didn't stipulate the ending conditions of the fight... He was so used to that being known that he failed to mention it to the non-combatant, well at the very least he could perhaps convey it during the fight, as it was either give up or be unable to continue. Apparently he was doing this to prove something to himself... a worthy cause the king thought. Though he still very much intended to hold back, it would be unwise to go all out on one such as the Prince whom barely seemed to know how to hold a staff right or stand in a fighting stance...

 

The prince broke out into a galloping charge at the king, which Havardr nonchalantly walked to meet his first blow. He really had no intention of blocking or defending this first strike. Then... he saw the tip of the pole lower.... A thought occurred to him... This pony had really no clue how to actually fight at all, he wasn't like a calf, he was worse... At least the calves of his clan were capable of basics in combat. As the staff lowered it eventually made contact with the ground, and launched the prince into the air and... onto the kings antlers. 

 

He couldn't even bring himself to laugh at the humorous end to this fight. He wanted to, but he couldn't, he felt more pity than anything, especially since he could already hear laughter and mocks from the gallery. The.The king noticed his struggle and the scratches his antlers were doing to the poor prince. He even noticed droplets of blood moving down his antlers... Well that wasn't good... He didn't want to draw blood at all... Though this situation could not be helped. "Prince, I can only assist if you cease struggling..." Before he could even finish another winged pony... a pegasus they were called as the king recalled... came to assist him. "Come we shall get him down together." The king said as he knelt down allowing the lowest position so that Blueblood could be taken off safely. 

 

"Normally this would naturally be considered your loss, as you were unable to continue, however... if you would like to try your hoof at it again, I would not be unopposed." The king was gracious, but unsure if this was wise. "However, considering what happened I might think that unwise. Perhaps you could train yourself harder, and face me again at a later date to prove to yourself of your own courage." Havardr looked upon the pegasus "I thank you for your assistance."

[RedCedar]

Bulk Biceps, meanwhile, held his weapon at ease and stood back from the ring as the caribou High King explained Blueblood's error. Rather than do the sane thing and simply proceed with another staff, similar to what Bulk had been given, Blueblood instead challenged the King right then and there, for the right to use the spear in a spar with himself.

 

Bulk was only just starting to chuckle at the absurdity of the situation, but that was short lived, when the tall and stately form of Princess Celestia stepped in to attempt to take Blueblood's place. That came as a complete shock to Bulk. As he briefly bowed in her presence while she talked to the King, he wondered if he hadn't taken things a little too far. Blueblood may have been an imbecile with an inheritance, but Celestia had, in his mind, earned the respect one would normally associate with a royal title. For a moment, he wondered if he could live with himself should Celestia take any sort of injury, however minor.

 

That, however, was a short-lived contemplation, as the King announced that, despite the sorry state of Blueblood's sobriety and sensibility, the challenge would go on as it stood, which left Bulk little to do but stand back and watch.

 

What it was that he witnessed, however, Bulk would be at a loss to describe afterwards, because Blueblood had apparently resorted to throwing himself bodily at the King in order to overwhelm him straight away, only to get tangled in the caribou's massive antlers. Bulk looked on in concern for a moment, noticing the traces of blood, but soon realized that the injuries were more to Blueblood's pride than his body. Suppressing a laugh as Blueblood was extricated, he turned and returned the staff to the young caribou it had come from, saying "Thanks, but I won't need it," before beginning to search for a drink that would poison neither his mind nor his muscles.

[Blueblood]

It is never a fun experience to be laughed at; the effects upon one's ego and self-esteem range from the merely humbling to the absolutely humiliating.  But, if it was any comfort to the Prince whose dignity had been sacrificed upon the horned altar, the scent thereof had reached the gods of harmony, who breathed it in as sweet incense.  Any tension or conflict that Blueblood's mannerisms had bred in his fellow ponies were blown away in a gust of humor, or pity.  The admittedly amusing spectacle had also given something for ponies and caribou to chuckle about in common, forging, perhaps, new bonds of friendship...

 

Blueblood was in a prime position to observe all this from atop the High King, but at the moment his biggest pre-occupation was extricating himself from said position.  "Er- ow!  That'sh put paid to thish jacket... um, right... I think I shall give thish one to you, your majesty..."  It was his still-valiant attempts to keep his tattered dignity wrapped about him that made the Prince twice as funny as he might otherwise be.  That, and the still-tipsy slurring.  

 

It was clear that his entanglement was going to require assistance to end, and there ready to lend a hoof was... Dunder.  Great.  "I know perfectly well what it looked like.  Might ash well have given a show, eh?  Now help me out here..."  Much grunting and creaking and bending later... Blueblood got one hoof and his neck free.  "We're... gonna need one more shet of hoovesh here..."

[Zeig]

 

…

Care, a…boo?

If she'd been flying, Yuri was entirely certain she would have fallen straight out of the sky. As it was, she was safely but precariously seated on a stool at the bar, and the huge twitch her body gave at the sudden revelation traveled all the way down the length of her spine, ending in an almost violent lashing of her tail against the floor.

"Not, ponies?" the eastern dragon repeated incredulously, vaguely away of the frothing drink she had accidentally spit out dripping down her snout and neck. "Caraboo," she stated again, pink eyes slowly swiveling to take in the brown ponies with new understanding. No, wonder, the brown pon - caraboos were so drab compared to the ponies near Canterlot - they weren't ponies at all! No, they were something entirely different, something with large horns and shaggy brown coats and impressive statures.

Well…now she felt like the fool! She couldn't even focus on the lack of response from the brown…caraboo of the serpent spines, too caught up in her newfound revelation.

"That is, explaining much," Yuri said a bit dizzily, watching as one of the…ponies, that one had to be a pony. Short and squat and brightly colored, white and golden. She watched as the pony vaulted himself onto the horns of a caraboo with help from a spear, amidst much raucous laughter from others in the hall.

"These…these lands, then," she questioned hesitantly after a moment, setting down her mug in favor of spilling her coils from the stool, ending up puddled on the floor so her face could be closer to her Griffun friend. "These…halls of Askr. They are all belonging to caraboos, not to ponies?" Exactly how far had the giant flying ship taken her? She was meant to explore the pony lands of Equestria, not…not, the frost lands of caraboos!

 

[DerpRavener]

With her concerns assuaged, and having made enough of a spectacle already, Celestia turned her attention away from the duel.  Of course she kept an ear open, she couldn't bring herself to ignore it entirely, nor was that likely a wise decision.  But at this point the duel was no business of hers.  And perhaps it was better that way.  She was not here to play the diplomat, not really, she was here as a guest.  Old habits died hard she supposed, but she'd made enough of a scene already.  She started to wonder if perhaps she was a little worn out, and if so letting go and relaxing would be just the thing she would need.

 

With that in mind, she turned the majority of her attention back to griffon before her, who was in the middle of the most interesting story of his own family name.  Apparently when one was head of the Ironclaw clan, wasn't merely an identifier, it was also a legacy and a call to action.  There were Equestrians who took pride in their name and lineage, but she couldn't recall any for whom it was codified quite like that.

 

None of that however, changed that Ironclaw was not the title about which she had been asking.  She chuckled softly, and there was amusement in her eyes as she replied.  “A most interesting story, and I would like to hear more about it.  I had been hoping, however, that you would tell me how you achieved the rank of general.  I am sure that is a tale all its own.”

 

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she heard the duel come to its conclusion.  As it hadn't sounded like there where any serious injuries, and it was clear no one was running for a doctor, she forced herself to pay it no mind.

[moonshineTheleocat]

Soon again, the doors to the glorious mead halls of Askar had opened once more. A mare -with an imposing figure and an expression that is as stoic as a brick- stood un-phased by the chilly winds that followed her from outside. And despite the lack of any layers of warm material on her figure, she seemed nearly unbothered by the cold. She wore a set of heavy and thick armor in the color palate of the Royal Equestrian Guard. And strapped to her back was a tower shield with a reflective front, and notches for her wings.

 

Star Crusader was covered with a sheet of snow in various locations of her body. The glob on her head easily implied that she had sunk in a soft spot somewhere in town. Only proving the suspicions of her brother and mother, whom sat off to the side with a pitiful attempt at containing themselves from laughter. Not that Crusader minded. As embarrassing as it was to be stuck in the snow, helplessly flapping your wings and stiring up a small snow storm, she merely saw it as a hard earned lesson in these cold fridgid lands. Watch your step.

 

Her eyes carefully scanned the room. Those piercing pupils left nothing undisturbed by her observing glare. She mentally catalogued every fork. Every griffon, whom seem to be mostly the Iron Claws. Every pony. The Princess. The Caribou. The small-esque dragon. Even the forks, plates, spoons, tables, and nails in the floor boards. There was very little in the way of detail that would escape her eyes. If she could… she’d spend some time to count the very feathers on the two griffons whom were present.

 

But alas, she had no time. She had already wasted plenty of time getting the lay of the land. And more when she tried to free herself from the treacherous clutches of frosty precipitation. And now she must find the Prince. And that she did…. Though the current predicament surprised her. In fact… it made her brows raise by only a mere millimeter in shock.

There he was… tangled in the Antlers of the King Caribou himself. And with her old friend, Dunder, trying to help pull him out.

The mare blinked softly, and then approached the trio. Each step she took had a noisy clink from the armor. But there was a form of grace and power in her movements. She seemed completely unhindered by her armor, and treated it almost like a second skin.

“Good Evening gentlemen,” The mare called out. Her voice clearly of feminine make, but with a gusto of power behind it. “I have been assigned as Prince Bluebloods Honor guard….” Her eyes flicked to the white stallion and back to the general group.


“And it appears I should have been here sooner. My Apologies,” She said, and bowed politely. Once she rose back up, she took a few steps closer.

She slipped a forehoof underneath the stallion, and planted her rear hooves directly underneath her. She slowly rose up, with her massive wings spread out to help her maintain her balance. Once she was sure she had him loose enough, Crusader gave Blueblood one hard jerk to pull the rest of him out. He slipped out fairly easily with the mare’s efforts.

But she did have to quickly shift her footing to catch the stallion as the rest of the weight fell onto her. Once she had him securely in her forelegs, she lowered him back to the ground. The mare gave the stallion a quick look over, and then like a caring mother, began to quickly straighten out the male’s appearance by brushing his fur back down, and refitting his mane with a brush.

“Are you ok sir?”

What can one say? She takes her job seriously.

[Blueblood]

After all the initial writhings and wranglings failed to extricate him, Blueblood felt even more strung up than before.  This was mostly because his neck and head were in a fixed position now, making him feel more pinned.  The only benefit to this was that his angle of vision was positioned just right to catch Star Crusader's entrance.

 

And it certainly was an entrance.  Of all the ponies that had come to this party as guests, this mare had to incline her head the least to meet the eyes of their caribou hosts.  Well, second least, actually, if one counted Auntie Celestia, but not even the Royal Sister conveyed such an imposing presence from the first go.  She certainly wasn't one to be intimidated by the caribou around her, that he could tell for certain.

 

Blueblood caught here eye as she approached; apparently she was offering a hoof to help?  Well, one hoof and two wings, but it was more than sufficient.  "Mrph, unh!  Whoa."  It seemed so simple and effortless once it was done; and as he was carried down by the guard, the stallion looked up at her with a degree of admiration for her technique.  That measure of surprised was matched when, upon setting him down, Star gave him a brush-over worthy of a trained valet.

 

"Ahem!  Well, er, thank you.  Honor guard, you say?"  Yes... the Prince remembered hearing something about that, but he'd refrained on following up.  Mostly this was because he had wanted to make a good impression on the strong and independent caribou, and some instinct had told him that bringing along ponies to watch and fuss over him would do the exact opposite.

 

However, since he'd already made a bloody fool of himself without any need of assistance, that was a moot point.  "I think so... yes."  Blueblood answered, checking himself over once, before looking back at Star to get a closer look as his newly-assigned honor guard.  "A little cut and bruised."

[Pretzelparty]

 

"I must admit you're a good looking griffin, yourself. I can appreciate the ferocity of one such as yourself." She smirked playfully and took another deep drink of her mead. "... And try not to get hung up on our craft, Sir Razor. It was made to combat unicorn magic primarily and will perform about the same as any other armor. Really, I can't  give away samples because it risks letting equestrian experts examine it and try to determine a way to get around or render i obsolete. If another alicorn goes mad with jealousy or some other emotion, we wouldn't want our greatest asset and defense to be useless against them."

 

The silver eyed cow paused a moment and then added, "But I hope it doesn't come to that. I'm rather fond of Equestrians even if their homeland doesn't agree with me." She gave a twitch of her nose for emphasis before looking back to Razor, "But enough about trade opportunities... it's a party! Business can wait!" 

 

"Hmm good to see the prince is still in one piece. I'm glad that he and his aunt were willing to attend... I was honestly a bit worried after the events in the Crystal empire with the rebels." The Caribou suddenly lightly smacked her cheek, "I just said business can wait and here I go bringing in politics! I apologize."

 

"SO, Sir Razor. Do you see a lot of battle? The one you spoke of previously seemed to quite the epic tale."