Chapter 63 - Cold Comforts
It was approximately minus fuck you degrees Celsius outside and not all that much warmer within by the time they finally, finally reached the Jewel of the North.
The capital city of the Empire was, by all measures, effectively nameless, a tradition Handy found baffling, with the city and the Empire synonymous with one another. It was also, quite effectively, the only real city of note in the entire frigid wasteland it deigned to rule over. For arcane reasons that were beyond not only Handy, but apparently most arcane masters of magic and weather manipulation, the lands of the Crystal Empire were doomed to an eternal winter of frost and snow, and until fairly recently not even the city was present.
Handy had initially mused that it was some mad equivalent to Las Vegas back home, wherein instead of the middle of a desert, someone thought it worthwhile to gamble building a city out in the middle of magical Siberia and somehow got lucky… only to discover that was not the case. The city was ancient, in fact one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in all of the pony kingdoms. It had just been missing for a thousand years with everyone inside of it.
Handy had blankly stared at Spike when he gave the explanation and, for the first time in his life, decided not to question it and just moved on with the walkthrough. While the city was… relatively recently returned to the land of the living, that suddenly meant there was a centre of civilization with thousands of living souls within it. Over the recent years, efforts had been made to connect it to the rest of Equestria to its south, and the kingdom of Henosia to its north, a similarly cold and frigid landscape. Unlike the Empire, Henosia was not bound in the grip of winter by some kind of magical doom. It was just a cold shithole because it was farther north in the world in general, and that was the long and short of it.
This of course made the land of the Empire an inhospitable blight and natural border between the pleasant and temperate climes of Equestria and the major nations to its North: Henosia, the Greycoast Republic, Northern Griffonia and Yakyakistan.
Handy actually took a shot when he heard that last one but otherwise didn’t comment.
In any case, the re-emergence of the Empire after apparently a thousand years of absence meant there was suddenly a trade hub which could more easily facilitate trade and communication between the north and south. So, the Empire found itself exploding in economic importance and commercial trade, which it ruthlessly exploited to begin investing and establishing satellite settlements out in the bleak winterscape for the exploitation of natural resources, farming, magical experimentation, and archaeology. These were all connected by an aggressively well-maintained rail system and increasingly heavy investment in airship infrastructure and advancements in crystal-based magical advancements in science and magic.
Handy recalled the heart monitors of the hospital he had visited all those long months back in Spurbay when he was recovering from his and Joachim’s early misadventures in the mines, and had noted the out-of-place nature of such a high-end technological device in a civilization that didn’t even have electricity. He had recalled a brief explanation about how it ‘ran on crystals’ and with what he was learning about the Empire, it seemed such advancements were deeply intertwined with the specialised magical research the Empire reintroduced to wider society, mingling with newer methods of thought and technological innovation.
This piqued Handy’s interest somewhat, not least because the rapid industrialisation of the city they were heading to would likely mean it’d be more than capable of handling their needs as far as his own airship was concerned. Hopefully more cheaply than he had feared as well, but he wasn’t prepared to bet on that.
The city itself first appeared as nothing more than blurry light on the horizon, a sign of hope in the bleak, dark, continuous blizzard that had dominated the environment the further north they had travelled after patching the ship. It had been a miserable week all told, and the heat off the pipes diffused heat unevenly throughout the ship. Water rations were renewed but had frozen over a number of times and most of their waterskins had burst when they had made the mistake of making them too full and leaving them in areas too far away from the warm pipes.
The rum helped but it was clear there was not enough to go around in such harsh conditions, and Handy had learned a lot about how to properly manage a ship in the few weeks they had been flying. The first lesson was he literally never wanted to have so much of the ship’s system rely on him ever again, and that meant getting a proper crew like Silvertalon kept hinting, but that had its own problems.
His paranoia aside, the space on the ship and its layout meant enlarging the ship’s permanent crew while also carrying Handy and whoever/whatever else he needed to go to places meant it was always going to be a much more cramped miserable experience, with constant stops for resupply. It also meant an economic necessity to keep the ship constantly flying on commercial business to justify the expenses rather than the personal yacht which was essentially its preferred purpose.
Now more than ever, the ship’s reality as one of the earlier prototype models that had succeeded in keeping in the air became apparent. No wonder Fancy Pants could afford to pay him with it despite the absurdly costly investments airships were. Their utility was undeniable, but the border between invaluable asset and white elephant was perilously short. If Fancy Pants could afford this rig when it was new, then he doubtlessly could afford a better model now and it probably paid him to dump this heap on someone else who could better appreciate it.
Clever bastard.
The light grew and Handy’s curiosity grew to genuine wonder as they slowly encroached upon the city of diamonds and dreams. It was the small spots of darkness they spied on the horizon that were the first genuine signs of life they could discern through the blinding wind and snow. Lumbering shapes mirrored the one they themselves appeared to be upon the endless white and greys of the endless skies.
Airships, a few here and there but as they drew closer, as the winds grew less, as the storm eased its fury, the number grew to dozens. It was an uneven border, but the difference was stark all the same even as it slowly eased from frigid wasteland into warm, rolling hill lands. Here and there were small hamlets and farmlands, new settlements and townships distinguished by the archaic architecture of the older buildings which seemed for all the world to be made out of pure crystal. Unlike the abomination that was Princess Twilight’s castle, most of these humble structures seemed much more carefully and purposefully constructed, and looked less like a spike of raw earth driven up out of the ground that happened to resemble a castle and more like properly planned buildings.
Snaking lines of roads, ancient and new, crossed the landscape, punctuated by much newer veins of railroad between major towns and spreading out into the horizons beyond. Clouds of smoke and steam betrayed the locations of locomotives far below, and out of place spires that towered above some of the busier hubs showed lifelines for many a tired airship captain on their way to and from the capital. And sure enough, more than a few airships of all sorts had gathered at these outposts of civilization at winter’s edge, to rest and warm up or to take care of final matters before traversing the harsh skies beyond.
The capital, however, now there was a sight for sore eyes. It was a long way off but the closer one got to it, the clearer the skies got, the more the sun shone its glory upon to Earth, and the greater the beacon of hope radiated outwards to all who had eyes to see. One would think a city made entirely out of crystal would make the thing an absolutely blinding glare hazard but oddly enough, much like Twilight’s castle, that didn’t seem to be the case.
It was eye-catching, but the light that was refracted was easy on the eyes, entrancing almost. Simultaneously plain light and iridescent in hues, it seemed as if the city danced upon the horizon, an illusion that disappeared the closer you got to it, replaced instead with a much more solid but no less glorious reality.
Handy, while no less engrossed in the sights of the crystalline city below than the rest of them, was looking up in awe of the absolutely packed airspace above the city. He had never seen such a busy skyline full of airships before in all his days in this world. The most he had ever seen was during his time in Canterlot, where if you stopped to count at a high enough spot in the city, you could count easily over a dozen in the sky of various sizes coming to and fro. In a less developed city for airships such as Skymount, they were a much rarer sight, with one or two being spotted in any given week that wasn’t Handy’s own.
Apparently the Crystal Empire, by virtue of its aggressive economic development and investments, was the second greatest hub for airship manufacture and trade on the continent outside of the city of Bardingburgh itself way down south in Concordia.
Suddenly having the ruler of the throne so closely tied to the Princesses of Equestria made a great deal more sense than just another simple power play.
Maybe if he ever had the cash to spare one day, he might upgrade his choice of aerial transportation and donate his current ship to the royal armoury as Joachim’s personal vessel. Having insight into the costs and expenses involved, however, he wasn’t holding his breath any time soon.
“Getting crowded up here, Silver,” Handy commented as he stood beside his captain on the bridge of the airship. There was still plenty of room in the sky, but they were going to have to dock somewhere soon, and a lot of the towers closer to the centre of the city were already occupied. It was rather concerning seeing some of the newer and larger airships docked far higher than most, doubtlessly loaded with more cargo and overall tonnage, meaning a bigger disaster awaited if some idiot destroyed an envelope faster than the damage could be repaired.
The smaller ships, lower down on the towers, could actually physically dock on the sturdier levels jutting out from the tower at odd angles. Interestingly, the docks were levelled out as steps on a circular staircase would be, allowing for multiple docking of smaller airships and room for envelope sizes without the absurdity of having airships docked side by side and having their filled envelopes pressing against one another… for the most part that was.
Long hooks and pulleys tied the large envelopes to the docks and tower itself, securing the bulk of the ships from the stronger winds at the greater heights. Handy was relatively confident that, wherever they landed, his pride and joy was most definitely going nowhere.
Unfortunately, that was also something that was worrying him.
“Waiting for contact, sir,” Silvertalon said in his cracked, tired voice. “Can’t go anywhere till air control checks our papers.”
“More sky marshals?” Handy muttered with some disgust.
“Aye, boss.”
“Fantastic. Well, where’s our welcoming committee?”
“Might be a while.” Silvertalon squinted out the glass demisphere that made the front of the bridge. “I see an awful lot of activity around the towers closer to the city centre. Might be best if we hold still for a while and wait for someone to come knocking.”
“Hmph, alright.” Handy pulled his cloak tighter about him. Damn it was cold. “Let me know if anything else happens.”
“Yes, boss.”
Handy left the bridge behind and walked back to his own quarters. It’d hardly be diplomatic to rock on up to the royalty of a kingdom fully kitted out in his armour, especially since he was here in a purely friendly context and not as part of an armed entourage. Besides, it was still bitterly cold at this altitude, even though the environment had warmed considerably after they crossed the border and entered the magical protection of the Crystal Empire. He’d rather keep his winter clothes on rather than swap them out for his armour.
Still, it paid to be prudent.
He patted the pauldron of his newer, sturdier armour on its stand and started to work at his good old, reliable, magic resistant set. It was still a sorry sight after so many repairs, reforges and additions to the metal that marred its artistic beauty, but whereas he forewent heavy armour in the Dragonlands for practical reasons, he was donning it once more for the same concern.
Magic was a much bigger concern when dealing with ponies after all.
He affixed his greaves, his gauntlets, sabatons, plackart and breastplate with time consuming, though practised ease. All affixed and fitted over his beloved chainmail hauberk. He made some more concessions to the cold and an attempt to appear more approachable. Wrapping the blunt metal of his legs and arms in light cloth coverings would help insulate the armour from the cold and keep water out. No one who saw him would make the mistake that he wasn’t wearing armour, but it would look slightly less obvious at a difference.
He made one concession, though, and forewent the pauldrons. The sword breakers on them had saved his life more times than he could count, but his current cloaks were not properly sized to account for them, leaving him looking fairly ridiculous with them equipped. He instead replaced them with more lightweight shoulder pads made out of layered quilted leather and chainmail tied in thick squares, with light metal strips to aid in blade deflection.
The tremendous relief and range of motion it allowed his arms and shoulders were more than appreciated, even if he was making a tactical compromise, lessening some magical protection in favour of mobility. If only he could somehow get more such armour made, he’d have so many things he’d request from Heat Source that could be improved. Maybe he shou—
There was a knock at his cabin door as he tied his cloak into place.
“Handy?”
“What is it, Spike?” Handy asked disinterestedly as he double-checked his possessions, lifting his travel pack and pouches and affixing them to his belts.
“The, uh, sky marshal is demanding to board.” Spike said from the other side of the door. Handy scowled.
“Grant them permission and bring them to the bridge. I’ll be up in a moment.” The first sky marshal he met, who he fully planned on revisiting on his way back for the hell of it, had been an interesting surprise. This one just felt tedious. After a moment, he figured being courteous and polite was probably the best approach this time, especially since they were the ‘conquering heroes’ escorting the man of the hour back to his princess after all. The relationship seemed familial, given how much Twilight was willing to spend to ensure the wellbeing of this dragon, and how Spike seemed so attached to the ponies. He figured the meeting would go over smoothly.
He made to leave his cabin before snapping his fingers in recollection. He stepped back, slipped out his old shield, and slung it over his shoulder in its cover. As he did so he paused, thinking, looking over at his desk. His journal was now thoroughly well-hidden, such that no one who boarded the ship while Silvertalon was on his lonesome here would find it, of that he was confident. His money…. well that was just bad form if it got stolen, and Handy would certainly make sure he got every single damn penny back with fair recompense for trouble caused.
But there was something else he really couldn’t risk losing. Even if a fair few powerful people already knew he possessed it.
He opened the draw and withdrew the glass flask with its precious contents. The countdown for how well-preserved the blood would remain began the second he removed it from the enchanted casket, but it was worth it. He secured it in his travel pack at his side and turned to leave.
--=--
“It’s him! It’s really him!”
Not a damn day went by where Handy wasn’t absolutely floored by something truly unexpected and absurd.
“It’s the hero of the Empire!”
You would think given the reputations involved, people would be a bit more concerned about the sight of them as they made their way through the tower.
“Really!? I haven’t seen him in so long. When did he get so tall?”
Turned out even if you were used to being the biggest bastard on the block…
“Do you think he can sign my wrench with his dragon fire?”
…You could always be overshadowed by a four-foot-fuck-all with a good public relations record. Spike had apparently been underselling just how well-regarded he was in the Crystal Empire, so much so that the Sky Marshal had barely registered Handy’s existence and was much more concerned, and enthused, with the arrival of Spike. The unease and worry Handy was habitually used to receiving had been entirely absent when he stepped onto the bridge, the sky marshal apparently under the ridiculous notion that Spike’s presence would somehow keep the dangerous human that they had been warned would be flying into the Empire in check.
Handy honestly felt offended.
It did, however, make getting through the primitive form of customs much easier, and as much as Handy found it inconvenient, he had to admit it was a much less painful experience than flying back home on Earth. The overworked, and clearly under-experienced, sky marshal had happily recognised Handy’s credentials and right to seek permission to land, and even passed word to expedite the process. They even waived the docking fees at royal request, and probably would have done so just because Spike was present. The drake was positively preening at the adoration he was receiving to the dumbfoundedness of human, whose presence was completely eclipsed by that of the young dragon.
Landing at a properly equipped airship dock for the first time was quite the experience. It ranked somewhere between unfinished construction project, multi-storey open floor warehouse, and every health and safety inspector’s worst nightmare when they entered a machine shop.
The floors were awash with craftsponies, unicorns with horns aglow permanently levitating tools and heavy equipment, comically unbalanced earth ponies jostling with pegasi on ladders moving to and fro the different levels through service ladders only staff were allowed to use… but just anyone could walk on up to if they thought no one was looking. Uncountable pipes of varying sizes and material fabrication crisscrossed the central supporting pillar and went in and out of walls and floors at seemingly random junctions. Numerous water leaks—that thankfully weren’t scalding to the touch—gave the chilly atmosphere outside a particular bite when one had the misfortune of walking underneath one.
The steel supports, Handy noted, that were naked and exposed on the walls and interior of the tower were reminiscent of the heavy iron mongering he had seen in the trains, but as the wooden floors creaked under his boots, he realised the ponies had little experience in constructing so many towering spires designed to deal with so much heavy equipment and moving parts. He suddenly felt less impressed about witnessing the birthing pains of a new industry and wonder of aerial transportation, and more keenly aware of how many safety regulations were written in the blood of the unwary.
He very much wanted to get off the tower. Ponies and other creatures of this world proved masterful architects when it came to rock and stone, but these new, more modern constructions designed for commerce and utility, made of wood and steel and iron will, were more held together with enthusiasm than experience.
“Name?” asked the stupidly smiling functionary, who stood between Handy’s crew and the engineering teamsters he needed to consult as to what his ship needed. Crystal ponies were not so much a separate race of equine but a kind of… magically altered ethnicity. Quite literally the only difference between them and any other Equestrian was that sometimes they would appear to be living breathing crystal in the shape of a pony, rather than the flesh and blood he knew them to be.
Thankfully, this one was still made out of fur and fear, and not whatever nonsense Spike had just been explaining to him. Still though, her eyes were disquieting. Nothing unusual, and he didn’t see the occasional spark that caught his attention when ponies— and sometimes griffons—got when circumstances occurred. The reflection of her eyes, the shape of her pupils, it was almost—
“Baron Handy Haywatch,” Handy replied genially, producing his Writ of Passage, signed by no less a personage than that of Princess Celestia herself. He’d produce the one he got from Joachim, but he figured that’d be unnecessary. “With a crew complement of four.”
“I’m sorry, sir, but uh, I only count three of you. Hi Spike!” The grey pegasi’s untidy blue mane fell out from under her chin-strapped hat as she waved at the drake. Spike chuckled and waved back. They were two feet apart.
“Yeah we uh… He decided to… stretch his wings. He’ll catch up.” Handy resisted the urge to sigh.
“Oh! A griffon?” the border official left behind by the retreating sky marshal asked, writing down the details of their crew manifest and, eventually, their supply manifest for official records.
“No.”
“A pegasi?”
“... No.”
“Uh, uhm, may I ask what your missing crew member is?” she asked, big brown eyes alight with curiosity.
“He’s… a deer.”
“... Deer don’t fly."
“I am aware,” Handy answered. “This one can, so he does.”
“I never heard of a deer with wings! This is amazing!”
“He doesn’t have wings.
“But you said—”
“He flies with magic.”
“A deer wizard! You never see those!”
“He’s not a wizard either, thank God. He just possesses a magic… thing that lets him fly, so he uses it. Look, is this even relevant? I doubt he’ll be coming to this tower.”
“I’m sorry, Sir Handy, I just needed to take record of all occupants of an incoming airship! Had you not mentioned he was part of your crew…”
“No no, I know. I just… don’t want to catch flak if he takes anyone by surprise.” Handy let his eyes look up to the heavens in defeat. “He’s a big stag, one shining antler, singular, has a lot of magic. Can’t miss him. Be sure to let whoever you were told to inform about my whereabouts that he’s with me, and I apologise on his behalf ahead of time.”
“Haha! Inform! I don’t know what you’re talking about!” The border control agent looked hilariously sheepish and struggled to keep a non-guilty face at Handy’s casual accusation. He didn’t so much as bother registering the admission by body language.
Instead, he moved on to where Silvertalon was arguing with a pony with a bizarre set of implements strapped to its back. The mare was a light blue-coated crystal pony, with a slightly darker shade of turquoise hair. She was wearing some kind of jumpsuit with metal fittings all over it stained brown by some protective coating, with a brass ring around the torso of her body, if that was even the right term for equine anatomy.
What was really peculiar were these long, jointed metal prosthetic arms that were attached to the metal ring, consisting of two long metal poles with grasping claws at their end with what looked to be a small, orange, glass sphere inset in the centre ‘palm’ of the device. The pony was talking animatedly with Silvertalon, who seemed to be somewhat annoyed by her enthusiasm. He must have said something that pleased her because she did a little hoofy dance in the annoying manner of ponies and skipped off, barking orders to her equally annoyingly colourful companions.
“Everything alright, Silver?” The griffon looked over to him and scratched the back of his head.
“I think so, boss. Basically explaining what we need seeing to with regards to the ship. Seems it shouldn’t be too much of a bother. The crew here seem excited to see an older model for some reason.”
“Hmm,” Handy hummed, not entirely convinced nor enthused. He mentally calculated the costs of repair, the potential cost of needing to replace the upper deck and all the pipe work and pneumatics… the cost of replacement ballasts if they even had the right size and models… the cost of extra helemnite gas… the cost of replacing the gas entirely if it needed to be vented in order to commit fully to the repairs… docking fees…
“Boss?”
“What?” He was suddenly shaken from his moody recollection. Silvertalon had apparently kept talking to him.
“About the ship?” Handy rubbed his forehead.
“Yeah, yeah, the repairs. What's the problem?”
“Its name.”
“What?” he asked, genuinely confused for a moment.
“We need to register the name of the ship for docking administration.” Silvertalon explained. Handy paused for a moment. In all the time he’d had it, he had never even thought to name the damn thing. It’d be like naming your car. No one named their car.
Well, okay, maybe you would if you were a complete prat.
Come to think of it, you may not name your private vehicle, but major things like ships always had a name. But never planes for some reason. Or well, almost never planes at least; everyone remembered the Enola Gay… and the Hindenburg for that matter. He looked back out to the dock where the ship weighed anchor on this rickety death trap of a conning tower that passed for an airship bay. All this time and he had yet to christen it. It just had never occurred to him before. Strange that Silvertalon, an experienced pilot, had never brought it up. He could ask him what he thought the ship could be called out of respect but… nah.
The Hammerhead? Too aggressive, it wasn’t a warship, and didn’t look the part either. The White Elephant perhaps, given how much of a hole in his pocket it was going to leave him after these repairs. He was really going to need to find a way to make this thing pay for itself apart from carrying his vampiric ass everywhere. A dark part of him enjoyed the humour of calling it the The Coffin Ship because of said nature, but that would set an entirely unbecoming tone everywhere he went. He had his reputation do that for him already. He needn’t lean into it that much. That’d be uncouth.
“The Visitor,” Handy decided. A bit understated, subtle hint of menace, plausible deniability, appropriate for an unarmed ship and accurate to its intended purpose. It’d do. “Put that down as her name.”
“Are you sure?” Silvertalon asked, one ear flicking but otherwise showing no reaction to the name.
“It’ll suffice, and it’s fitting enough.” He shrugged slightly, the worry of the costs still ticking away at the side of his thoughts. “Just be sure these ponies don’t go anywhere they shouldn’t in their… enthusiasm.”
Silvertalon smiled at that. He had no intention of letting them go unsupervised anywhere on his ship of course, and Handy knew that, but it still needed to be said. He left the good captain in peace.
“Alright, Spike.” He turned to the drake. “You know where we need to go better than I do, so lead on.” The dragon beamed at him.
“Alright! Come on then, follow me. Twilight would be waiting for us at the castle!” He turned and scarpered off. Handy watched him go for a minute, hurrying past busy and adoring pony workers on his sturdy two legs, no longer burdened by the heavy coat and scarf he had worn in much less cold weather when Handy had seen him first. Those were instead bundled with the rest of his belongings in an overstuffed pack on his back as he happily made his way down the tower, unaffected by the chill.
Handy shifted his own gear and belongings, considering the dragon’s change in demeanour and candour since the Dragonlands, and glanced outside once more. The cold. The biting cold. He could remember that very clearly. Was that how he had felt all the time without his fire? How long had he been like that? Even in the wastes of the Dragonlands on the tail end of winter, it was too cold for Handy to bear. He couldn’t imagine what proper winter must have been like for the poor lizard. No wonder there was such a spring in his step now
Hopefully, Handy wouldn’t come to regret putting it there.
--=--
Their passage into the royal palace at the heart of the city was mercifully brief, but no less bothersome for its brevity. Spike’s reputation made sure of that. Now that he entered the city proper, he was immediately struck by a number of things. Firstly, the crystal ponies were, apparently, just that. They seemed to be ordinary ponies at first, pegasi, earth ponies, unicorns but all of them had that oddness to their eyes he couldn’t quite place. As if they had facets to their irises.
Not counting the ponies he saw that actually did have gems for irises. He was taken aback at first, but then recalled the first crystal pony he had ever seen had just been the same. What was her name again? Odd, he couldn’t remember, but he remembered her face well enough. He hoped both her and her bullshit emerald eyes survived the tournament ultimately, if only because he wouldn’t wish a fiery death on anyone, really.
The architecture was… actually rather fascinating. He placed his hand upon walls and stonework as they passed and marvelled at the quality of the craftsmanship. It was easier to tell the older construction from newer ones, as the older buildings, while composed almost entirely of stone, were cut in such a way to resemble rough-cut gems. Initially, this had struck him as gaudy, but up close it actually seemed genuinely impressive to manage such an effect on otherwise mundane rocks. More to the point, he couldn’t determine the seams of any groutwork or where any stones or blocks were placed upon another. Still, it was obvious the buildings were not the pure crystalline structures they were intended to resemble, for one thing he already knew what that looked like from visiting Princess Twilight’s castle.
For another thing, he had the castle in the centre of the city to compare it all too.
It was a sight to behold. He had seen it on the way in, of course, but had been so preoccupied and dismissive that he had not paid it the proper attention it was due. It appeared to be a mountain made out of the purest, whitest diamond erupting from the ground, as if tectonic plates made out of the treasury hoards of titans had clashed at that spot and summoned it from the earth. But there the naturalistic allusions ended. The entire base of the structure, in four great thoroughfares, was exposed to the elements and acted as the focal point of the entire capital city and its great roads.
Above that, where the rest of the diamond slopes met suddenly, almost brutally, formed the towering, elegant spires and parapets of the imperial castle itself. The diamond of the rough slopes gave way to white sapphires forming its walls and balconies, its turrets lined with the pale-purple clad soldiers of the Imperial guard and banners of imperial purple and pastel pink bearing a clear blue crystalline heart upon a shield.
The stunning hues of the walls shifted in colour to deeper blues that drew the eye upwards, its towering white spires held upwards like victorious spears in exaltation of the heavens themselves. Pointing to the sun above and beyond the dim clouds that obscured the face of the sky, it stood as if in reminder of the promise of days to come, a future foretold etched in the unyielding diamond of promises of days past.
There was magic here, unfathomable magic. Even Handy, a rank novice though he was, suspected he still would’ve been able to even if he weren’t. He could only compare such raw, forceful latent power while in the presence of people with such absurd degrees of magical power. Celestia, any given warlock when they were in the middle of their hissy fits, the Lady of the Lake…
Here though, he felt it even when they had yet to enter the city’s airspace properly. It was a dull tickle first, no different than what he would have felt walking anywhere when the winds of magic blew particularly hard on any given day. Then more as they approached the city, still nothing to make note of, nothing he wouldn't have noticed entering any city with any particular concentration of mages or magical activity… or even a particularly sizable portion of unicorns running about, for that matter.
But every step he took from the docking tower, it seemed to increase almost exponentially until it was like what he had felt when Crimson had first unlocked his ability to sense the magic in the air around him, a coarse, heavy, oppressive concentration of energy. Then more, and more and more and ever increasing until it felt as if it could overpower him, like what he felt when… when the Singing went through an area and he felt the strange compulsion to participate, but much, much more powerful.
He stopped. He had to; it was… It demanded to be regarded with proper respect almost. He stood at the base of the towering structure, looking upwards. It was strange; there was nothing overtly magical about the structure that could easily be discerned, apart from it being essentially an immaculately carved and constructed crystalline castle. He tried comparing it to the castle Twilight resided in, which in retrospect was so obviously magical and enchanted, especially to be able to guide him through multiple storeys without so much as ever having to place a step on a single staircase. That was absurdly powerful magic and yet he was none the wiser. This… This simply was, it was too hard to articulate.
He looked down as Spike continued rattling off some story or another, presuming Handy was still following behind him as he led them both through the city.
A glance to the side at any point would have revealed to him a subtle honour guard keeping a respectful distance as the pair moved through the city. It was courteous, he supposed, rather than a full brigade having to meet him at the conning tower to guide him to the palace. They were easy to make out with their calm, measured, disciplined demeanours and synchronised movements in relation to Handy and Spike, very at odds with the more sporadic and erratic emotions of all the ponies they passed.
Handy did not mind, having expected such a welcoming committee, and after the… unusual normativity he had been treated with in Ponyville, the suspicion was a welcome familiarity. Doubly appreciated for maintaining a polite distance as well. Handy brushed it off and followed along after Spike, who seemed to be heading to one of the four constructs where the crystal palace met the ground. He smiled. It looked something like the Eiffel Tower, if you cut the top part off and only kept the arches at the base for a frame and stuck some late-gothic castle on top of it instead, and covered the entire thing in a coating of diamonds.
If he didn’t know any better, he’d swear it was constructed by—
He stopped when he sensed sudden agitation in the guards surrounding them. Looking around, he noticed the armoured ponies began to take flight from rooftops and from amidst the crowd, spears were lifted and orders were quietly shouted as some of them moved out of formation and went to different postings. What had suddenly gotten them so agitated? Was it him? No, only a few of their honour guards were paying attention to them anymore. He turned to follow the rough direction they were heading and looked up. He frowned.
“…So anyways I said… Handy?” Spike stopped and looked around when it became clear the human wasn’t following. He seemed to be looking around the crowd and back the way they came. Spike followed his gaze over the heads of the crowds of ponies that filled the main thoroughfare through the city, searching for what had caught his attention.
He didn’t have to look too hard.
Streaming across the sky, heading straight for them, was a large, billowing trail of expanding water vapour in the wake of brightly shining star.
“What in Cadence’s name is that!?” a voice cried out from the crowd. The cry was echoed and passed along as more and more ponies noticed and started moving out of the way. Spike hurried over.
“What’s going on!?” Handy didn’t answer him, simply watching the oncoming events calmly. He did warn them, after all. There was nothing more he could do to affect the situation but stand there and enjoy the show.
The shining missile soared through the air, being chased by an increasing cloud of winged pegasi chasing after it. The star arced and swung down, rocketing towards them like a meteor streaming great clouds of frost and ice as the air froze in its wake and proceeded to thaw once again in mid-air after it had passed. The newly formed clouds burst apart by the thundering approach of furious soldiers desperate to catch the unidentified threat to the city below.
The star fell, and with it, an eruption of snow sparkling crystalline water washed over the great streets of the city and rained down upon all who gazed upon its descent like a shower of gems. Each pure facet reflected and refracted the colourful light already rebounding from the buildings and great houses around them. The star rumbled up the road towards where Handy stood like an avalanche with a grudge to bear. The profusion of clouds was thunderous with the shining, glorious light bursting from within its depths, like an oncoming storm.
And so appeared the smiling, panting face of the Lord in Winter, fur bristling and shining with flecks of ice. The crown of winter, the shining crystals like points of starlight upon silver chains, was resplendent on two fully grown and fully matured antlers, carved with the spiralling patterns of the deer custom. Whirlwind ap Whisperwood stood tall and strong in the full measure of his office. The air around him chilled and wisps of cold vapour constantly danced over his fur, which had been slowly turning to browns with slight twinges of green as spring approached but now fully reverted to the deep greys, blues, and whites of winter. He was a stag transformed, and had Handy not already been exposed to his change on board the ship before he went for his excursion, he would have been just as shocked and taken aback as anyone else.
More so, given his history with white stags, but now was not the time for such a concern.
“Enjoy your walk?” Handy asked casually in the nearly empty section of the street before the crystal palace. Spike blinked and stared at Whirlwind, looking up at his antlers.
“Enjoy? Enjoy!? Ha-ha! You have no idea how good this feels!” Whirlwind shouted in his exuberance, spinning on the spot. Ice formed and cracked with each fall of his hooves, and snow kicked up and fell from the air with each movement. “It’s winter here, Handy! Not just a cold spell, not just a freak magical accident, not just out of season weather patch. It's winter! I am at the height of my power!”
“And that’s… good?” Handy asked, looking around at the cowering local population and the disorganised rabble that was the crystal guard that had dispersed as the ponies ran to and fro to escape Whirlwind’s overly dramatic entrance.
“Oh no, not at all, awful in fact. Terrifying in a way, really. I know ponies always said the Crystal Empire’s lands were trapped in an eternal winter, but that gains a whole other level of meaning when you’re a part of the season!” Handy pretended to understand.
“So you are running at full strength then?”
“Just as I was when running around the Greenwoods, putting the trolls back in their places, wrestling with the Roots of the Wyrdlings for control of the earth beneath, forcing asunder the branches of the maw of the forest to keep it from swallowing the sun and drinking the rivers and causing famine and plague! I don’t think you understand! I have lighting and thunder at my beck and call and nothing to throw it upon!” Handy calmly nodded along, not having a single clue to what anything he was referring to actually was, and took several steps back.
“Uh-huh… Step back a bit there, would you, Spike?”
“Whu—” Spike didn't have the time to finish asking before Handy calmly, but firmly, pushed him back a few steps… then a few steps more, and then stepped back himself to continue speaking with the deer who was lost in the revelry of his explanation.
“I haven’t felt this awake and alive in weeks! Oh, I NEEDED that jaunt to wake up and expend some energy. This is incredible! To think, the other lords always had to sleep the year away between winters! I could well believe it. I had never felt so weakened, so reduced than when winter had ended, but I could still be awake to see the sun…”
“Do you regret it?” Handy asked, as he looked beyond between the antlers of the deer’s head, keeping his attention just long enough for the payoff.
“No! Not once, not ever! If it were not for you there’d be no Lord in Winter! And if there were, he might still be asleep! I’d never see my home again in times of peace. I’d never sit down to hear stories by the fire nor tell my own, I’d never see my friends and tribe again… And other things besides I might still miss yet.” His exuberance slowed as a strange expression came over his face, shrinking his smile as his gaze suddenly grew distant. Handy wasn’t sure what thought crossed his mind that suddenly made him have regrets, but to be fair, he also didn’t particularly care either.
“I see you’ve recovered well enough.” Handy gestured to the repaired and regrown antler. Whirlwind blinked and tapped it himself.
“Oh! Yes, came right back as I was flying, I could feel the crown shift and writhe with power as I flew. Never happened before, but then I never broke an antler while wearing the crown.” Whirlwind then paused as he noticed the distance Handy had put between him and the two of them. “Why are you standing all the way off like that?”
“Oh you know…” Handy looked up behind Whirlwind. “Just learning from pattern recognition.”
“What—?” Whirlwind was lost beneath a suddenly dogpile of lilac-armoured ponies that crashed into the Lord of Winter, one after the other, pinning him to the ground as a cloud of pegasi warriors circled around, some landing and lowering Equestrian shoot sticks at him with the others above aiming crossbows. Most, however, were aimed at the crushed and pinned stag in their midst as more and more guards, many of them unicorns with horns aglow, poured out from the palace and surrounding streets to add to the guard detail.
For once he got to experience something like this happening to someone else when he entered a new kingdom, and found great entertainment in the display. Whirlwind spouted his profusions of innocence and how it was all a misunderstanding, and he really wished they’d all get off him because he wanted to make a very good first impression and didn’t want to hurt anypony. Someone twisted one of his legs in response to that, and he let out a loud shout in surprise more so than pain. Spike winced at the display and it was then, and only then, that Handy smiled.
--=--
“Spike!” The purple alicorn practically bolted from the raised dais where the crystal throne stood and flew across the expanse of the throne room. The drake opened his arms wide, a smile beaming on his face, and promptly disappeared in a cloud of purple feathers as the Princess of Friendship had barrelled into him at high speed and tackled him to the ground.
Whirlwind had laughed at the sudden, explosive display of affection, while Handy watched impassively. He did not know what he had been expecting when they had been escorted into the palace and to the throne room for a private audience with the rulers of the empire, but it had not been this.
He paid no further mind to Twilight Sparkle fussing over her adoptive family member and turned to take in the throne room before him. Much like the exterior of the palace, the interior was similarly tastefully appointed and arranged… by pony standards, that was. Gone were the rough and uneven textures and naturalistic crystalline growths of the crystal castle of Ponyville, whose corridors extended so high the ambient light of the building did not illuminate the ceiling. Instead, the pillars and walls were straight and elegant, the decor tasteful, and the light omnipresent though not oppressive.
The vaulted ceilings hung with soft silken sheets and fabrics that added a splash of warm colour to the cool hues of the halls of the crystal palace. Soft white light spilled from small crystals held in sconces made from seemingly rough-hewn agates which, upon closer inspection, were shaped into crests representing cutie marks of long forgotten worthies of the empire. Each held the light of civilization long after their passing and whose memories filled the palace with the warmth of their devotion still. It was a touching feature, Handy thought, and one that made him pause briefly in appreciation before they were shepherded further to their current destination.
The throne itself was a sight to behold. Much like Twilight’s uncomfortable-looking thrones back in Ponyville, the seat of the Crystal Empire was nestled in what appeared to be an explosive growth of crystal, but this belied the subtle craftsmanship in its construction. The seat itself was straight back and curved at the sides, its edges straight and aligned like a crown at its peak, a large golden gem of some kind resting upon its central spike. It was raised up on a dais of cascading crystal formations that seemed natural and random, but were in fact a carefully measured stairway, its steps draped in a great carpet that flowed down from the very seat of the throne itself like a waterfall of silk. At the throne’s back were massive crystalline growths, too uniform and mirror-perfect on either side to have been left to chance and nature, and soaring above it, stark against the lilac purple and crystalline blue hue of the wall, was the white snowflake symbol of the Empire itself, imposed upon a thin starburst and encapsulated in a thin white circle.
He almost didn’t notice the pink alicorn on the throne and blinked when he finally looked down to see her seated there. A large white unicorn stallion stood beside her to the side, a big bastard too by pony reckoning. Deep blue mane and hair complimented the pure snowy fur of his hide. Bright blue eyes shone as he smiled warmly, watching Twilight and Spike embrace. Princess Cadence, Handy presumed, was watching him, her brow slightly furrowed as if she was puzzled by something unexpected. Well, if Twilight hadn’t informed the ruler of this place that he was coming ming, that was hardly his fault.
The throne room was vast but strangely spartan for all its opulent extent. The walls were richly adorned with carvings and crystalline decoration along its great extents, the tall bright windows that lined one side of the throne room to the right dressed with long, flowing, heavy curtains, but that was the extent. There were no courtiers, no ministers of state, no favourites of the court, no councillors nor advisors. Hell, apart from two armoured ponies by the doors, there weren’t any guards.
Ordinarily, Handy would be aghast at the sheer negligence of leaving the head of state so unguarded in the presence of damn near anyone, let alone someone with his dubious reputation. But this was an alicorn, and an unknown one at that, at least to him. He had to assume much like the sheer power he felt radiating off Celestia when he merely stood in her presence, this pretty pink pony princess had to be of similar standing. Probably just as old too, something which had new meaning if what Spike had told him about the ‘Justicars’ were true. Given the raw power that had forced him instinctively to stop and regard it as he approached the palace, he decided discretion was the better part of valour and was prejudiced in favour of assuming this princess was far more dangerous than she appeared.
Keep in mind, this was no mean feat, as she was a very, very, very pink pony, with hair the colour of a fun fair ice cream swirl and a giant crystal heart on her flank and her official rank and title was the Princess of Love. If Handy didn’t know better, he’d already be laughing.
Twilight eventually let the poor dragon go from her enthusiastic welcome and stepped back, laughing bashfully, fluttering her wings in embarrassment as
Spike pulled himself to his feet, chuckling. “Well, I’m glad to see you too!”
“I was so worried! You hadn’t sent a letter in so long after you left the Dragonlands that I was—”
‘Letter?’ Handy thought suddenly, glancing at the drake out of the corner of his eye. When had he sent a letter? The only thing that came to mind was him burning a scroll up on the bridge… and the burned ashes flowing upon the wind out the open airlock. He frowned at that. He had been too alarmed at the naked exposure of fire to properly be concerned about why the drake was burning a scroll in an open area, but he should’ve figured. That was the precise method he could remain in contact with the Princess. Good to know he supposed.
’Hard to intercept too. How would you even begin to find ashes on the wind, much less collect it and reconstitute it?’
“Are you sure you’re alright now? No more coughing?” Twilight asked furtively. “Are you sure you’re not cold?”
“Twilight I am fine, better even!” Spike spread his arms wide. “I haven’t felt this good in years!”
“He certainly was energetic on the flight over!” Whirlwind interjected. Twilight blinked as if she were only just now noticed the supernatural deer standing beside her. She looked him up and down as if appraising him before her eyes froze upon the glittering Crown of Winter upon his antlers. Her eyes grew wide with the same fervent curiosity Handy had recalled when they had first met. Good, if she was focused on the curiosity the deer presented, it meant less focus would be put on him. He could toss the deer at her and the ponies while he was stuck here and potentially get through the handover of his payment with little fanfare, and get back to his ship to oversee repairs when he was paid.
And that was when she rounded on Handy and instantly, utterly, crushed that forlorn hope.
“You didn’t say you were bringing any deer wizards!” she said accusingly. Handy stuttered briefly in surprise, both from the accusation and her expression of mild annoyance rather than… well, anything else would have been more appropriate. Hesitancy, anger, aloofness, disgust, even gratitude, from everything from twisting her hoof to helping Spike. This… childishness caught him completely off guard.
“I uh, I…” He looked between her and Whirlwind, who was wearing his friendly smile, the one he wore when it was better to keep quiet about certain things. Well, Handy wouldn’t be saying anything at least, so he put the ball back in the stag’s court, letting him navigate this mess however he pleased. “He isn’t.”
This confused Twilight for a moment, and she looked back at Whirlwind, who chuckled. “Pleased to meet you at long last, little Twilight! Handy has told me all about you!” Son of a bitch. Twilight looked back at Handy in confusion.
“I did no such thing and you damn well know it,” Handy shot back, kicking the ball back the stag’s direction. “My lord.”
“Lord?” Twilight asked, now looking up at the strange deer, gears turning in her head. Handy smiled, though Whirlwind was unfazed.
“No need to be so formal; we are such good friends after all!” Whirlwind replied. “Why, after all you’ve done for me, I was of course all too eager to help you out!”
Twilight blinked at that, as if remembering something and rounded on Handy, suddenly very excited.
“That’s right! You said you’d tell me about the Oakenhearts!” Whirlwind gave Handy a curious glance, who looked between the demigod and the princess, thinking quickly.
“I said I might tell you about it sometime,” Handy corrected, very much not wanting to be responsible for revealing deer secrets at all, much less in front of Whirlwind where he could do something about it. “But seeing as there is someone much more qualified than I am on the subject, you’d be better off asking my… friend.”
“Ahem.” The actual ruling princess in the room politely interrupted their little exchange and the dance of responsibility the human and deer lord were engaged in. Twilight looked at her sister-in-law and hurriedly stepped back from the pair of them, standing beside Spike and trying to affect her royal dignity again.
Cadence smiled at the entire ordeal, amusement clear in her eyes. Her husband, for Handy figured it had to be the would-be emperor standing by her side, still smiled down at his sister. For the first time, Handy saw his eyes drift towards both him and Whirlwind. His smile remained unchanged, but there was a look to his eyes betraying some deep consideration.
“Welcome back, Spike,” Cadence said warmly, before looking towards Twilight and winking once. “As you can clearly see, we were worried about you.”
Spike chuckled as Twilight tried to shrink into her own wings to hide her sudden embarrassment. Cadence turned to Handy.
“It seems my good sister princess had made you some promises in return for your services, Baron Handy?” Sister? Oh right, sister as in fellow princess rather than blood sisterhood. That was strangely formal of her given the atmosphere set by Twilight’s foolishness.
“Your majesty.” Handy bowed his head in greeting, being very careful with his demeanour and word choice. He did not know if Twilight actually went through with what he threatened her to do and told her fellow princesses their deal in full. “That was the agreement we came to.”
Cadence looked him over and then closed her eyes with a sigh. “I cannot say I am happy about it. At all.” Here it came. “But, you did fulfil your word. And Twilight has already paid you some of your price, has she not?”
That was all he needed to hear. Now he knew their game, for it was why Twilight was putting on the act of being a foolish, immature princess, more so than she really was. They really were going to attempt to lull him into thinking he had influence over her in an attempt to gain an insight into him and his business. Particularly with this unexpected addition of the Lord in Winter in their midst, who Handy suspected they were under no illusions as to what he really was, Twilight’s assumptions aside. He didn’t smile, but he wanted to.
“... That is correct.” He affected a cautious air. The princess gave him no reproach in her next words.
“Then I suppose that's all that needs to be said on the matter.” She closed her eyes for a moment before eventually opening them with a warm, welcoming smile. “We are glad to see you both safe, and Spike, I’m happy to see you so well again. How is Ember?”
“Oh! I have so much to say, I don’t even know where to begin!” Spike said excitedly. Twilight chuckled and placed a hoof on his shoulder.
“It’s okay, Spike, you can take your time. We’re just glad to have you back.”
“I’ll say!” the big stallion said at last. “Been a while since we last saw each other, little buddy. I admit I was… a little worried about you going back to the Dragonlands again.”
“Why? Don’t tell me the great Shining Armour was worried about little old me,” Spike said teasingly. Shining chuckled.
“No, Spike, I was worried you would be a bit too much for all the other dragons to handle! What with being the winner of the Dragon Lord trials and all!” Dragon Lord trials? Spike? Handy glanced at the drake curiously for a moment. He hadn’t said anything about that, had he? The dragon lord was Ember; what exactly had Spike won?
“I bet you are all exhausted from your journey,” Cadance interjected, and once more the attention was focused back upon the throne. “If you would like, I could have rooms prepared for you but, as I am led to believe, you would rather not stay in the castle?”
That was strangely astute of her. Handy briefly held suspicion towards her but dismissed it. Doubtless his distrust of ponies and history with their royal family would be known to her. He was under no illusions he would be under constant surveillance while he was in the Empire and had long since made peace with that and saw this for the conciliatory gesture that it was. He appreciated it.
“I am honoured by your generosity, your majesty, but yes, I would prefer to seek my own accommodations.”
She nodded and then turned to Whirlwind. “And you, sir, may I have your name?” she asked politely. Whirlwind positively beamed.
“Yes you may!” he began and then proceeded to not give it for a few moments, just long enough that it got awkward. Shining cleared his throat.
“And… Your name is?” he asked.
“Aha! My apologies, I am Whirlwind, Whirlwind ap Whisperwood!”
“I have never heard of deer wizards outside of the Greenwoods,” Cadence noted, raising a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. Twilight now focused raptly on the stag.
He laughed. “Well you wouldn’t. None of the deer who ever leave the forests are wizards.”
“And you aren’t a wizard?” she asked.
“Nope! As my good friend here has already explained.” He gestured to Handy.
‘Friend is a strong word,’ Handy thought, but didn’t say anything. He wasn’t going to re-adopt the ball and left him hanging. He kept his expression neutral, though he wondered about the fixation over whether or not Whirlwind was a wizard, and dodged the very obvious question about what exactly he was instead.
He recalled the deer, ever ones to be contrary to their own traditions, had a thing where only a doe could learn proper magic as a caste apart from the Hart Sight for whatever bullshit deer reasons he had never bothered to learn. And he had picked up from Whirlwind that mentioning that Outer Caste deer frankly practised as much magic as they could get away with in the outside world was something of a secret.
So the ponies most definitely had seen deer ’wizards’ before, even if it was some mercenary spellsword Outcast deer performing parlour tricks. He considered Whirlwind for a moment as he traded conversation with the ponies. The stag was, frankly, not an idiot despite all appearances to the contrary. He had to know the impression he’d leave on the ponies with the way he entered the city, had to know Handy, given his own troubles with the ponies, would have to give something of an explanation for his travelling with them.
He had wanted this audience, had wanted this attention from the ponies, but why? What did the dee—?
‘You know what? Not my business, not my problem.’ Handy cut off his own train of thought. All those questions were valid, but they didn’t concern him, and didn’t concern Griffonia. Whatever the Lord in Winter wanted with the ponies was their problem, and they could have it. Handy wanted nothing more to do with the Greenwoods. He hoped they had fun—he’d just let Joachim know of his suspicions and let the griffon crowns worry about high tier pony shenanigans.
“And you hadn't planned on encountering each other there?” Cadence asked.
“No, your majesty.” Handy decided to cut back on the conversation, spotting a moment to step in and at least cover up any foreknowledge relating to the reason why Whirlwind was out west. Whirlwind simply hummed to himself and allowed Handy to take the conversation back.
“But you’ve met before?” she asked curiously. Handy raised a gloved hand, gesturing to the stag.
“Of course. As I have already explained to her majesty, Princess Celestia, this is the same Sir Whirlwind who saved my life at the festival.” Handy glanced over at Whirlwind, who still remained smiling. “And helped me survive the Greenwoods. I had not anticipated to ever reasonably meet him again, much less in the Dragonlands of all places.”
That much was, at the very least, true, but the princess’ expression was unreadable. He was unconcerned, having set the conversation in such a way as to excuse any foreknowledge of the deer’s intervention in the Dragonlands, allowing Whirlwind to spin the story whatever way best suited his purposes. If only he had agreed to stay on board the ship and not go gallivanting across Equestrian airspace like Santa’s most ill-behaved left hand indicator, they maybe could’ve sidestepped the awkwardness altogether or passed him off as a chance encounter and nothing more.
But the Lord in Winter had to just make a big showy entrance, raising many questions Handy would rather not be asked. Not that he particularly cared for the deer and their secrets, or had any qualms about spreading the story of what happened at the lake. He just really, really didn’t want to increase the chances of the gamble he wagered coming to light because of it. Whirlwind, it seemed, understood this and Handy found himself in the odd position of feeling grateful to the deer.
“And believe me, it was a surprise to see him there myself! Why, had Spike not shown up when he did, I might still be… well that's not exactly a pleasant thought to dwell on,” Whirlwind said.
“Indeed, perhaps you could tell us more?” Cadence asked, smiling. “It’d be wonderful to have the full story. Of course, the offer to stay within the palace is also extended to yourself as well.”
“Oh, that’d be fantastic! I’d be happy to! Thank you, your majesty.” Cadence beamed at him. Whirlwind looked over to Handy with a smile, who returned it with a neutral expression. “Er, you wouldn’t mind if we met up later, would you?”
Handy looked between him and the ponies briefly. Whirlwind knew damn well he’d be staying in the city until the ship was seen to at least. So he simply nodded, and turned back to Cadence.
“Your Highness, if I have your leave for now?” he asked politely. She gestured with a hoof and a chuckle.
“Yes, you do!”
“If you don’t mind, Sir Handy, I would like to have a word with you tomorrow when you’ve settled,” Shining Armour interjected, and Handy tensed slightly. The stallion was cordial and there was no malice in his voice, but Handy didn’t like the hard look in his eye.
“As you wish, your highness.”
Shining Armour nodded. “I’m glad, thank you. Would you be able to attend the castle around noon?” Handy, interest piqued, simply nodded his assent. An odd time—why not the first thing in the morning? Or the afternoon after he had done his duties? Why the exact middle of the day?
“Of course. I could come earlier if you require it of me, majesty.”
“Oh no, noon’s fine.” Cadence gave Shining Armor a worried look but didn’t interrupt him. Twilight looked curious and Spike, who only just started paying attention, looked apprehensive. Whirlwind watched with keen interest, and the tension Handy felt suddenly felt heavier.
“As you wish, your highness,” he said at last. “Do let me know if you can’t make it. I’ll be sure to accommodate you.”
Now that Handy absolutely did not like the sound of, but he was not in a position to immediately refuse. He was not asking anything unreasonable, and he was in the heart of pony power. Maybe not Canterlot, but it had two alicorns present nonetheless. In any case, his nearest and fastest exit from the scene wasn’t currently docked and being heavily worked on in one of this prince’s airdocks.
So in the end, he nodded in acquiescence, and shared one last look with Whirlwind and Spike before departing.
Handy gave his farewells and was escorted from the throne room and led away through the castle. Cadence watched him go as both Twilight and her husband engaged Whirlwind in animated conversation. She frowned as the doors closed behind him, not wanting the rumours she heard to have been true, for his sake if nothing else. She had heard from changelings captured during the fighting at Blackport that he was known to them as the Heartless, a disturbing moniker to be sure.
She had never thought it might have been literal. She was so used to being able to feel the love of everyone wherever she went, however deeply buried, however hidden. It was how she knew even scum like Chrysalis were not truly the monsters they appeared to be in the end, no matter how much she personally loathed them. However, she felt nothing from the human, not a spark, not even a presence. It was as if there was nothing truly held within his heart at all he had affection for in the least.
It was as if he wasn’t even there at all.
--=--
“Handy, Handy.”
“Yes, my name’s Handy,” he responded disinterestedly, scanning the titles on the bookshelf as he walked down the library aisle. The Grand Library of the Crystal empire was graciously opened to the public, which was a tremendous level of trust that really spoke well of crystal pony society. Being from Earth, he took it for granted that you could just go into any public library, but by and large that wasn’t the case in this world, he found. Books were still expensive and rare enough to be worth the effort of stealing. Mass printing was common enough now that they even had news sheets, but an entire library worth of expensive and rare printings was still a serious investment to just… let any old punter off the street to wander in.
Granted there were restricted sections where only credentialed individuals could access. Handy presumed things like publicly accessible magical texts and other rare printings would be located in those areas for use by mages, university students, officials, trusted nobles, that sort of thing. He sincerely doubted anything they couldn’t afford falling into the hands of some scrub would actually be kept here.
Handy, having been given leave to stay in the empire by their gracious hosts, had opted to make his way to the library to pass the time. The staff had been gracious and friendly enough, if nervous, and pointed him to the medical texts section. He’d rather not be in the castle, and wandering the city was probably asking for trouble, this soon after Whirlwind made his little ‘entrance.’
Speaking of whom.
“You know we’re being followed, right?” Whirlwind’s voice sounded odd when he was in his immaterial state. It was at once both distant and right in your ear, and had an odd tinkling echo to it, like speaking into a crystal wine glass. He hated it.
“Yes, Whirlwind, I am keenly aware.” Handy replaced a book on the physiology of pegasi wings and moved on to a text regarding orthopaedics.
“And you’re okay with that?”
“I am used to that. You should get used to it too,” Handy said, uncaring that their shadow detail would overhear. He knew where they were, all with steady heartbeats and calm, collected, focused demeanours, judging by their emotional states. Two were on either side of him, shadowing his movements just on the other side of each line of bookcases. One was above him, in the rafters of the huge ceiling of the library, probably a pegasi jumping from one crystalline arch up there to another. One that had been following him from the castle, he knew, had stopped by the entrance to the library and stayed there. He presumed others covered the other known exits of the library as well.
“Why?” Whirlwind asked, the chill cloud of air that made up his incorporeal form whisking around the aisle, poking at the various books at the shelves.
“Because you drew their attention in the most flagrant way imaginable. What were you thinking about that little entrance of yours?”
Whirlwind didn’t answer that and instead pressed his question. “No I meant, why are you used to it?”
Handy rolled his eyes. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but me and the Equestrians don’t get along.”
“We’re not in Equestria.” Handy waved the point away as he flipped through the book on skeletal formations. He spotted an odd aspect of pony skeletons that made him pause for a moment before he answered the deer.
“Close enough. In either case, I am not exactly the most trusted individual and I don’t trust them either. I respect the honesty.”
“No… No, I don't think that’s quite right.” Whirlwind manifested back into his physical form, as if he was stepping out of a bank of particularly thick mist, his voice returning to normal as he did so. “You said you’re used to it. I take it the ponies aren’t the only ones keeping tabs on you?”
Handy paused as he was withdrawing another book, sliding it back into place on the shelf. “What exactly are you asking?” Handy asked. Whirlwind chuckled.
“You’re a bit too casual about being spied upon. Almost as if you’re used to being spied upon all the time. Trouble in paradise?” he teased. Handy looked at the stag levelly for a moment before sighing.
“I don’t like it and when I first came to these lands, and I have responded very badly to… certain people spying on me. I’ll leave it at that. But to cut a very long story short… As a human, I’m used to it since long before I came to Equestria. At least here, the spies actually have a reason to be poking in my business.” Whirlwind didn’t chuckle at that, frowning for once in his life, seemingly concerned.
“What do you mean by that?” He asked. Handy waved him off.
“Ancient history, and irrelevant for now,” he explained, grateful to have sidestepped any potential digging into the spying he knew Gethrenia’s spymaster simply had to be doing on him. He’d be foolish not to. “In any case, it's probably me they’re following more so than you. Why are you following me for that matter? Is there something amiss?”
“Oh! Right!” Whirlwind stepped forward and around to cut Handy off as he was about to take the aisle. Some poor beleaguered pony with far too many books piled up on its saddle let out a start and stumbled away as the demigod nearly bumped into her. “Back in the throne room, the ponies.”
“Ah…” Handy said, understanding.
“Care to explain to me what precisely you’ve been telling the ponies about the Greenwoods?” His face was the same friendly expression, but it had the hard glintiness Handy learned to take seriously. He put a hand up placatingly.
“Look, I have told her nothing other than the fact that I’ve been there and that the deer live in trees.” Whirlwind said nothing, still smiled and waited for him to continue. “I’ve told her nothing about you or… anything else for that matter.”
“Can you promise me that?” Whirlwind asked. Handy frowned.
“You know, you are honestly just going to be raising more questions asking me in the open like this. You know these guards are going to report this conversation, right?”
“You didn’t answer my question, Handy.” Handy looked the deer in the eye, and he met the vampire’s gaze without flinching. He had no intention to, but something told him he probably couldn’t get away with his vampiric manipulation even if he tried. He doubted he could even lie fully to whatever Whirlwind was right now. He seemed to pick up even the subtle lie regarding spying when previously the deer had not known him well enough to even guess at that. What was he, really, anymore?
“Yes,” he said at last. “I can promise you I haven’t told her, or any pony, about what transpired in the woods, other than the one who was with us.” He still hadn’t revealed the fact that the ‘Crimson’ he knew had been a changeling wearing her face, and he couldn’t say that he told the griffons nearly everything about what had happened where the ponies could overhear. Whirlwind studied Handy’s face for a long time, to the point it was almost uncomfortable.
Eventually he seemed to relax, as if satisfied. “Well alright then! I can accept that. Let me know when we’re leaving. I need to catch a ride with you back to Griffonia.” Whirlwind turned and walked off, the chainmail clinking under his green and tattered cloak.
“Wait, Griffonia? Why are you coming to Gehrenia?” Handy asked, surprised. He’d agreed to help ferry the stag back to more civilised lands so he could find his own way back to the Greenwoods, but this was still a surprise.
“Why, to visit Jacques of course! He’s up there with you now right?”
“How did you know that?”
“Silvertalon told me about some roguish stowaway that looked like a thief that was on his ship and I thought ‘Hey! That sounds like Jacques!’”
“It was Jacques.”
“See? You get it!” Whirlwind said as he turned back to leave. Handy thought for a moment, and called out.
“Hey! Whirl, wait a minute.” He stepped towards the stag who turned, inclining his head curiously. It was a subtle motion, but it was exaggerated due to his crowned antlers. “When you were up there in the throne room, with the princesses… What did you discuss exactly?”
“Oh! Nothing much, who I am, where I came from, why I was with you, what was up with my magic. That sort of thing!” he explained brightly. Handy nodded cautiously.
“And about being a lord?”
“Oh, all about that. They know I’m the Lord in Winter, I made sure of that! I am not exactly hiding it now, am I?” he asked, laughing.
“... About what happened in the Greenwoods?” Whirlwind’s smile did not falter.
“Do you trust me, Handy?” Handy hesitated. That was a dangerous question, given the circumstances. He thought about it carefully, considering what had happened and what oaths were made.
“I trust you to keep your word,” he said eventually, and found to his surprise that he did in fact trust him to keep his word. He did after all, swear to God to fulfil his promise to find what had caused the previous lord to wake out of season and risked his life to rectify the matter. Handy quite literally found that out for himself when they had tripped over each other in the Dragonlands. The certainty of his words briefly confused him and it must have shown, because Whirlwind’s smile broadened.
“Then trust me when I say I haven’t told them anything you wouldn’t want me to.” Somehow, Handy knew that they were true. And while he wondered at that, he realised… he didn’t get that feeling when he said he only wanted to go to Gethrenia to visit his friend.
“You’re not coming to Gethrenia just to visit Jacques, are you?”
“No,” Whirlwind said truthfully. “I have other business up there. I don’t know what it is yet, but I will eventually.”
“... Is this going to be a problem?” Handy asked, a serious edge entering his words and he suddenly felt very tense. Whirlwind seemed entirely unbothered and shook his head.
“No, I don't believe it will. There’s no reason for it to be.”
“How do you know?” Whirlwind chuckled lightly.
“I wish I knew! I just do.” He turned around and this time Handy didn’t stop him as he left. Eventually, the deer took a corner and headed on out the library, but not before clumsily bumping into a pony and creating a rather loud racket of tumbling books, and the clatter of metal, hurried apologies, and complaints.
Handy didn’t know what to make of what just happened. On the one hand, it’d make sense the deer would want to know exactly what Handy had revealed, and for his part he had not expected to ever meet the deer ever again. But there was something… strange about the conversation. There was something strange about Whirlwind as he was now, though he couldn’t quite place it. He was never like this before but now… He wasn’t sure. It left him feeling uneasy.
He considered everything regarding what had happened: the oath at the lake, the ritual, what he had done back when he was the Sword of the King. It had all worked out in the end—the deer were saved, they had their Lord in Winter, Lady Asheia had her viceroy, the source of what woke up the last lord was found, Whirlwind had fulfilled his oath, the Kingdom of Gethrenia was safe.
The dragons were even cured of their curse! Spike was restored to health, and they had killed an ancient and terrible warlock of old magic that they had not known about, and the sham image of a reconciliation between Equestria and Griffonia by means of Gethrenia sending a knight to do a deed of service to the ponies was as good as true as much as it was propaganda. He had served a vital diplomatic service. Handy was even coming away with much gold and wealth, the services of a dragon, the blood of an alicorn, and no need to ever talk about what had happened ever again. He had made off like a bandit!
So why couldn’t he shake the feeling that there was something more? What had he missed? Was there something he hadn’t accounted for?
He stood there for a moment considering the implications before turning and walking among more of the bookshelves, trying to distract himself. The deer could have asked him all that somewhere more private. He’d wanted the ponies to hear all that for some reason. Why? What could be gained from it? What did he discuss with Princess Cadence? More to the point, if he did come back to Gehrenia with him, what would the Lord in Winter discuss with the king?
The apprehension threatened to worry its way into becoming a creeping anxiety. Handy decided to put it, as with so much else, to the back of his mind for the time being. He’d have to trust Whirlwind when he said there wasn’t going to be a problem in Gethrenia, not that he could do much about it now. He didn’t want to think what the consequences were about trying to oppose the Lord in Winter at the best of times given what he now knew, never mind here at the height of his power.
He turned back to the books to distract himself. To fill his mind with literally anything else.
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And it was with that opening sentence... I knew I was home and in for a ride again. Thanks, Handyman.
YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There's been an update!
I love this story good job.
WOOO YEAH HAHAHAH YES
Did I hear a rock and stone?!
11547388
Rock and stone forever!
And then I caught up. Again. Hell of a chapter! Any idea when the next will come?
11529691
Only half? They're obviously slipping then! Hopefully they make up the lack with some snazzy hooded robes, ominous chanting, and weird little handshakes that only members should know (or even know of).
Glad to see we once again have a chapter! I can't wait to see the next in two hundred years
Political maneuvering, yea!
You, uh, might want to edit that bit, I'm pretty sure that's not the word you meant to use
.
An absolute banger, I come here for the horrors beneath the surface and Whirlwind satisfies very much so.
Something something waiting for Shining getting bitch slapped when Handy's under the influence of alicorn blood
I hope JBL gets well soon.
All hail the cranky one. woo hoo
11547432
JBL strikes again.
11530564
Kept you waiting, huh?
Reading this chapter reminded me that Handy is, at the end of the day, more than a bit of a cunt in some ways. I have to wonder if he'll ever clue in to how much of his troubles could have been minimized or even avoided had he been less so.
New chapter! Very nice, always love to see Whirlwind get fleshed out!
Ahh the sheer joy of reading a new chapter to a favourite story followed by the despair at the end of it knowing I have to wait for a new chapter again.
11547432
:)
Appreciate it~
Yus.
Always good to see this one update.
Such an excellently told story, and the human in it is such a well written casual bastard, instead of the absolute asshole that most HiE stories go for.
Looking forward to whenever the next update may be.
Ah a new chapter of this is like finding out that christmas is coming twice this year, good to see this update
my my it must be monday
So even Whirlwind is starting become involved in the worldly intrigue and backroom politicking.
Brace yourselves,
Winter is coming...
Well, things are definitely looking interesting with Whirlwind. He's always been more than the goof he appears to be on the surface, but the cunning and intensity we see here is new. Based on his early comment about being at the height of his power, I have to conclude that this is somehow tied to his new status. That in turn makes me interested in a more frank discussion between the two of them when they can get some proper privacy (maybe the flight home) to more fully explore what all of this actually means and, by extension, how it affects their relationship moving forwards.
Beyond that, purple autism was fun as usual, even if Handy didn't drop the diet bomb on her quite yet, and I'm surprised Handy isn't leaning into the airship repairs as an excuse to avoid ponies. It would have been an easy excuse when Cadence offered him a room, and going back to the airship also would have made him harder to spy on after he left the palace.
Oh, and as always, it's great to see another chapter. It means I don't have to worry about my own writing. For now.
11547449
Sometimes the problems you make are better than the problems others give you, even if only because you yourself are responsible for them. Kinda like that feeling where hitting yourself doesn't leave you as upset as someone else hitting you.
11547333
I've been waiting literally years to use that line.
11547351
Shhh, don't tell anyone.
11547361
Danke
11547362
Well thats certainly enthusiastic
11547388
11547402
Dorf
11547408
Likely not until after Easter at earliest, this is an exam week for me so NOTHING's getting typed up.
11547410
I mean. We do have robes and handshakes, as well as private dinner parties at ancient castles on stormy nights, so uh...
11547418
And with strange eons, even death may die.
11547429
My man just wants to get paid.
11547432
oh for fuck's sake, damn it JBL.
11547437
Funny you should mention both topics.
11547446
He's a jolly good fellow.
11547448
I literally used that video in the blogpost when I finally updated again, hah.
11547449
How likely is it that assholes in real life realize a goodly amount of their daily troubles would frankly disappear if they were less of a cunt?
11547497
There's always been more about Whirlwind than we got to see, and while we're not sticking entirely beside him like glue, there's definitely consequences for Handy's involvement in creating a new Lord in Winter.
What we see here is a glimpse of what he was actually like roaming the Greenwoods during Winter, keeping the forest and the deer tribes safe, and Winter on a leash.
11547516
Oh, the misery.
11547544
You smug cunt.
11547554
Happy to oblige.
11547578
Its a balancing act.
11547612
Happy crimbus
11547617
It still was in America at least when this was updated. It was meant to be updated last week but schedules.
11547663
More than Winter is coming I'm afraid to say. At least for Handy.
11547666
It might've, but Handy is savvy enough now given the circumstances and his history with the Equestrians (and especially after Blackport) that in certain circumstances, it actually pays him off better to just accept the fact he's going to be spied upon and just go about his business casually as if it didn't effect him. Especially given his very public arrival in the Empire on official diplomatic business. He knows he'll get less bothered if he just let the ponies observe him as he goes about his daily business, and its an easy sacrifice to make, as he has no nefarious business to attend to in the Empire, so he has nothing he needs to be sketchy about. Yet.
This is also generally how he approaches the fact that Gethrenia's spymaster also spies on him, Handy is keenly aware of it through logical deduction, and basically admission, even though he can never actually pinpoint who or what is being used to spy on him. His conversation with Whirlwind about why exactly he can be so frank about being spied upon when he knows its happening is reflective of how he can act so naturally like this, having gotten used to the effective surveillance state westerners live under back home on Earth, (without going into detail of course). As seen here, using his vampiric senses, he can easily keep track of the number of guards and other agents tailing him without even looking or their being aware he knows precisely where they are in relation to them, what race they are (pegasi, earth pony, unicorn) based on what they appear to be doing. (those above him probably unicorns, those within line of sight/earshot? Probably earth ponies. Those further away but matching his movements nearly perfectly without seeing him directly? probably unicorns) so its not as if he's being reckless either.
11547681
This presumes one understands one is hitting oneself half the time.
Raise your hand if you think handy is gonna get destroyed in a duel next chapter.
Omg, is that a new chapter? CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY!
1. Internal screaming about updates “yay”
2. Irrational glaring at the movement of the uncanoned chapter
3. Starts reading chapter one. “Hold him down!” the gruff voi…
Ahh, at last another chapter of Bad Mondays. It's already a wonderful Tuesday!
So Whirlwind is getting a lot of focus in this chapter, even more so than in the previous one. From what I can tell, he's trying to stall going back to the Greenwoods for as long as he possibly can before Aisha dishes out divine comeuppance on both him and Gethernia. Understandable, as going back with his mission accomplished would possibly cause her to revert back to the original pact, that being him only active during winter.
So, he might be trying to do something that would at the very least extend his continued freedom by going to Gethernia aided by his, uhh... Lord in Winter instincts? Either that, or he's going there on her orders to do something even he doesn't know yet.
The reason he doesn't mention that to Handy is because his reaction would probably be: "Oh, man. That sure sucks, Whirlwind, but you know, I feel like you've gotta take one for the team on this one champ. Not really feeling the possible divine wrath that would probably ensue."
Now, what Machiavellian master plan does Whirlwind have that involves informing Equestria about this particular part of deer culture/magic? No idea. Deer can be highly obtuse, the little bastards.
Now, there is one other thing that is most probably going to be proven wrong the next chapter when I'm in the retirement home, and that's about Twilight and what she told the others about the deal she and Handy made. I don't think that she told them the truth about it, simply because Shining and Cadence, (let alone Luna and Celestia) wouldn't allow it to go through. Instead, I think she told them that she and him were going to go on a date.
Schizophrenic, I know, but that's what I get from their reactions. Cadence disapproves, and Shining is setting up a clear "If you hurt her I'll make sure to bury you in these arctic lands" speech. If I'm wrong (most likely) I hold that this is an excellent Uncannoned story idea where Handy and her have to go on a date, with him hating every second of it.
At any rate, I'm really glad that this story hasn't gone off and died. I think that this is one of the best stories on this site, and am always happy to reread it when I have the time. It's really nice of Handyman to take precious time off of his Lich training to bring us another chapter of this great story.
And now? We must wait another thousand years for another update.
a new update and on a Monday as well it a miracle
IT LIIIIIVES!
And what an intro unto the arc!
Oh gawd. When a whole SnapOn of Technicians and Enginneers go GaGa over the falling apart junker youve just left totally at their mercies, there is a good chance that you might get it back, and it will either look absolutely perfect out of the stable beand new, or more likely, what the deep dark drawins in the hidden notes of its creator wouldve liked it to have been if they had access to the materials, technologies and abiliites that the countrries he couldnt order from had?
And because the work wouldve been done as research in lost magical practices etc, the quartermaster could claim on expenses, so not only would the work be free, but the whole shop would have enough to upgrade on?
How much trouble would Handy get in if someone decided that old thing would be a great place to build their Spinal Crystal Rune Ram that newer designs couldnt interface with correctly?
I decided to call it Billy, after me Uncle.
Mum always said, Billy, we gotta talk.
An Handy really soome to like talking?
Hey, Spike. What does this Big Red Button do?
Still, even given there sheer power and abiliites of this Deer, I wonder how evenly matched, for the first week or so, against Shinings City Shield, especially if its wrapped round him at minimum size?
11547693
It could happen. I'm just wondering if it ever will.
I mean, in my own life, there was a couple of times when I told someone that I was in position to help them out when they needed it, but I specifically didn't because they were just such complete and utter bellends that not helping them out not only kept me from otherwise wasting something (time, money, so on) better spent on literally anything else, it also gave me greater satisfaction. Curious to see if Handy will ever get slapped with that sort of notice.
Caught a couple things.
Think that needs an 'n' unless he's flashing trolls to death.
This was fantastic, really nice work I was so excited when I saw there was a new chapter.
11547693
Aww yeah, Whirlwind is going to punch Shining‽ Let's GOOO
I fully expect Handy to conquer/unite the world against old magic through the power of the magical equivalent to obscure blue laws. Whirlwind will simply be the starting point of this rationalization which will lead him to spiral further.
I wonder if that simply reefer's to the crystal heart or if it's a subtle hint as to just how powerful a certain someone may have been... Though, given who that person was, the two may be the same.
Hai hai, Handy-desu.
Was the reference on purpose?
so just saw a meme with a line in it that i would honestly see handy using https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/849429918463164487/1093439784459964476/339522125_525527933092408_8703118947791063052_n.png
Huh cool
11547758
Oh be fair.
He's not entirely doomed.
11547762
Or late rather depending on how you look at it.
11547763
Had to make the chapter order look neat.
11547774
Interesting theorizing you got going on here. I can confirm that at the very least, Whirlwind doesn't know why he has to go Griffonia, only that he does need to do so, and its for esoteric Greenwoods Reasons. So you're not too far off with your reasoning, but anything more would be spoiling the matter.
11547796
As is tradition.
11547816
It was meant to be last Monday, but alas.
11547823
Been waiting a long time to use that line.
11547890
Yes this sure is a Booster Spice comment if ever I saw one.
11548044
We'll just have to wait and see on that end. Its not as if he doesn't suffer enough as it is afterall.
11548119
Thanks for catching those, I'll fix them right away. Glad you enjoyed the chapter.
11548473
I don't know what you're talking about, Handyman isn't in this story.
And for that matter, magical Blue Laws? Lmao. Now there's a concept
11548960
=]
11549109
Ironically its another scene been knocking around my head for a few years.
11549650
Damn that actually does sound like something he would say.
11549685
Danke.
11549109
No one has ever accused Handy of being a sexist. His hands are rated E for Everybody
My theory, is that Whirlwind has to go to Gethrenia, because the language used in the ritual. As long as there IS a Gethrenia/Blackwing clan, new lords can be crowned, but if they stop existing, they will need to get a new king and a new agreement with the spirit.
Also, please make Handy call Cadence a pink changeling when he realises she can feel emotions just as they can. (Plus the horn-wing combo)
11549853
imgs.search.brave.com/7271VW9flIRGjc5jwPFzerl7qgtV6RHD6a9yjXHipTs/rs:fit:474:266:1/g:ce/aHR0cHM6Ly9pLnl0/aW1nLmNvbS92aS85/WXh0X1RoUzRmby9t/YXhyZXNkZWZhdWx0/LmpwZw
11550041
A fine theory, except there being no line of Deer kings did not hamper the previous Pact. The only two aspects of the ritual requiring kingship were A, the stated requirement that a King bear witness to it (even the loophole of a representative with the king's sovereign authority in certain matters counted) and the other requirement that the Deer no longer have kings anymore. The new pact upholds both requirements of the old pact, the deer still have no king, and the king who assented to the ritual is not the king of the deer, there was no aspect of the ritual that necessitated the king who bore witness to the ritual and the king of the deer need to be the same individual, line, or crown. "It need only be a king." As Lady Ashaia stated.
11547693
Yeah, that's fair. Even if he's often a reclusive bastard hack home, letting them spy on him as he indulges in their library has its advantages and lets him see if he can learn anything useful. Also, it's a golden opportunity for him to mess with them by reading a bizarre mix of books, and a perfect opportunity to shoot himself in the foot by accidentally playing into someone else's shenanigans.
11547774
Yeah, Twilight lying and saying they're going on a date is exactly the kind of shenanigans Handy could accidentally play into by picking up a random book which either confirms it (e.g., dating advice) or makes it look super sketchy (something about common pony fetishes would fit the bill). Also, if this is Handyman's plan, it would be hilarious if after the initial miscommunication is sorted out, Handy conspires with Shiny and Cadence (and possibly Rarity) to freak Twilight out by having them act super enthusiastic about her fake date instead of the expected concerned family. Bonus points if that panic actually does force Twilight and Handy to go through with it and feed the tabloids.
11549853
What makes that even more funny is that Handy is one of the very few HIEs who is legitimately uncomfortable touching ponies. Forget the usual petting, he locks up when they hug him.
What an unexpected pleasure to get a new chapter! I always love the love the level of detail you include and that the chapters are so packed and yet always leave me wanting more.
Thanks Handy! And a Blessed Triduum to you my friend.
11551161
And to you as well!
of course a chapter gets posted the day after i check for one for the first time in months 😅
great chapter, cant claim to remember everything, but i remember enough to understand this one. gonna have to reread the whole thing again sometime this year as a refresher though! good time filler.
Good stuff also hope you had a good easter