While the High Lady had invited us to her morning meal, we were provided with a small meal earlier to tide us over until we reached the palace above. Our breakfast that morning consisted of a small bowl of assorted fruits, such as sliced apples, oranges, strawberries, blueberries and more, eggs served scrambled along with some perfectly brown toast. We were even given slices of what smelled like and what tasted remarkably similar to bacon. I thanked the Deerfolk who brought us our meals, and he simply responded with, "We try to ensure that any of the guests from outside our borders are fed according to their dietary needs."
Miora further explained it to me as our small breakfast was ending. "The Deerfolk may be a reclusive species, but they also try and learn much about the outside world, mostly for situations like this and that Council of Equestria you held."
"Well, how did they know about my dietary requirements?" I asked as I cleaned my plate as best as I could.
"They most likely went off of the assumption that you are a carnivore based off of your teeth," Miora replied.
"Right, duh," I said, feeling a bit sheepish now. "Well, it's definitely a nice gesture."
"Indeed, it is," she replied as she finished off an apricot before dabbing at her mouth with a napkin. "They do try their best to be hospitable."
"They're doing a better job than the Lycans did," I replied. This earned me a glare from Gemini, but Mica placed a paw on her shoulders to calm her down. I turned to Gemini. "I'm not going to pretend it's not true, you know?"
Gemini let out a loud and long breath before she nodded. "I know," she said. I made a note to try and make up for that later.
Miora chuckled dryly. "The Lycans are a hardy folk, but they are not all bad people. There are many within their society who feel that the recent misandrist attitude of the crown is going too far. While yes, the dominant sex of the Lycans has traditionally been the she-wolves, a number of modern day Lycans believe that the he-wolves are more equals than the Empress and the Princess proclaim."
"But they're oppressed by the Empress," Gemini interjected with a frown as she looked over at Mica. "We could be so much stronger if she didn't limit us. Mica is a good example…"
"He is a strong warrior," I agreed, "and not only that, but he is wise beyond his years."
Mica looked a bit embarrassed by the praise, but the embarrassment vanished when Gemini said, "But you have so much more to learn, young pup!"
As we watched Gemini lay out the flaws in her brother, Scarlet giggled cutely as she nuzzled me. "It's nice to see her be so proud of her brother, isn't it?"
I chuckled as well and stroked her crimson mane with my hand. "It is, yes."
"It does seem as if she wishes for him to succeed in her own way," Miora said.
"Hey, have either of you sparred with Gemini or Mica?" I asked, turning to the two Dragon guards.
Scoria and Silica, who had been watching the conversation silently, looked at each other, then back at me. "I have," Scoria said, "but Silica hasn't."
"What was it like?" I asked.
Scoria pondered this for a few moments. "It wasn't like sparring with another Dragon, or even my sister. She had a ferocity that I hadn't experienced before, but there was some kind of…I think the word is grace? Yes, grace. There is a grace to her movements."
Gemini turned and now I saw that it was her turn to look embarrassed. She sputtered a bit, but I put a hand on her shoulder. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about. You're a remarkable warrior, one of the best I've ever seen." She looked at me with a stunned expression, then quietly thanked me before going back to finish her own breakfast.
About twenty minutes later, we received a visitor in the form of a tall and elegant looking Reindeer buck. He had dark gray fur and long well-tended to black horns. He was also wearing some kind of armor and was flanked by six other deer also wearing armor. Unlike the Deerfolk from before, the armor these Deerfolk wore looked somewhat ceremonial. The Reindeer looked at me and inclined his head. "I am Captain Alaerys of the High Lady's Guard. I was sent to escort you and your party to the throne room, sir."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Captain Alaerys," I greeted, then stepped aside. "These are my companions. Scarlet Dusk, a member of my herd, Captain Gemini Grayfur of my Imperial Guard, Scoria, Silica and Mica, also members of my Imperial Guard, and Miora, a recent addition to our group who is going to be observing us."
The captain nodded at each in turn with politeness, although when he bowed to the Lycans, the politeness was a bit restrained. He then turned back to me. "Are you and your party ready to go, sir?"
"Yes, we are," I said as I instinctively touched the necklace around my neck, the one that now held all of our belongings. I straightened the elegant but somewhat simplistic imperial royal robes I now wore under the cloak that I'd been given. "Please, lead the way."
As our group was escorted through the streets of the large interior city, I noticed that just like the night before we gathered several stares, and while the Deerfolk who stared at my two Lycan guards had looks of trepidation on their faces, I mostly noticed that the majority of them were looking at me. I didn't think anything of it at first since I was probably the first human they'd ever seen before, but the looks on their faces were ones of some kind of anticipation. At least, if my newfound ability to read the facial expressions of other creatures besides humans was any indication.
When I asked Captain Alaerys if the stares meant anything, he gave me a small smile. "I think you should ask the High Lady about it when we reach the palace. She can tell you better than us. After all, she was there when the Guardian arrived and when he left."
"Wait, is the High Lady immortal?" I asked.
Alaerys chuckled a bit. "She was here when Princess Celestia and Princess Luna interjected in our battle with the Lycans. I don't know if she's immortal like the Pony Princessess, but she has been around a long while."
This was news to me, but I decided to table that conversation for a time when the High Lady and I had built up a rapport. As we walked down the streets, I saw some younger Deerfolk actually waving at me with excited smiles on their faces. I nodded in their direction and waved back.
Soon we were out of the city and walking in the late morning sunlight on our way to the palace. The weather for the morning was cold, but unlike the cold of a winter morning this was the cold of an early spring one.
Scarlet was the one to broach that subject. She flew up and hovered next to Alaerys before asking, "So…where's all the snow? Normally, a lot of Equestria is blanketed by snow by this time."
The captain nodded. "While that might be true where you're from, the tree here protects us from that, so we don't need to go into hibernation like the others of us around the world."
"Whoa, Deerfolk hibernate?" Scarlet asked in shock.
"Not surprising," I said as I stepped forward. "Back in my old world, deer are known to hibernate."
The captain looked at me with a curious expression. "You have deer on your old world? What are they like?"
"Well, unlike here, the deer I know in my old world are like a less intelligent breed of animal," I explained. "You know how in Equestria, pretty much all animals have some semblance of sapience but outside of Equestria they don't?" When he nodded, I continued my explanation. "Deer in my world are like animals outside of Equestria. Where I'm from, humans are the only form of life like you and me."
"One form of life that can talk?" a random guard asked with some incredulity. "That sounds hard to believe."
A slender looking Reindeer stepped forward, and in a soft, feminine voice, said, "I wouldn't be so dismissive, Revil. He comes from another world, so who's to say that things wouldn't be, well, alien there?"
"Imagine how I felt when I came to a world where a bunch of mythical creatures live," I mentioned. "Sure, Earth has deer, ponies, zebras, and even giraffes, but we don't have Pegasi, Unicorns, Griffons, Dragons, magic, and more. All of those are myths to us."
The Reindeer who'd spoken up looked at me with a thoughtful expression. "Well, could it be possible that our worlds once were more in contact with each other?" she pondered.
I looked at her and shrugged. "I mean, perhaps? I'm not a big student of Earth history but I do have the culmination of all human knowledge with me. I could look and see at some point." I decided not to mention Athena and her banished Alicorns for the time being. After all, I was here to build a good relationship with the Deerfolk.
In the light of the morning sun, the tree that was the Citadel looked even more majestic than before. Its golden leaves seeming to glisten in the morning light. When we began walking underneath its branches, a rain began to fall despite there being no clouds in the sky. I assumed that this was some kind of dew falling off of the leaves, and to my further surprise the guards all removed their helmets to bask in the falling moisture. I almost put the hood over my head, but the captain stopped me, explaining that the Citadel rain was a blessing for those who were washed by it.
The further we got towards the entrance, the heavier the rain became, and bits of golden leaves began falling around us. I grabbed a few and kept them but only after being reassured that it was okay to do so, as the tradition was that if a leaf was caught in the air by someone that they could be kept, but the leaves that fell on the ground were to remain. So, using my hands only, as I was told it was forbidden to use magic to catch them, I caught a good number of different sized and shaped leaves. Leaves that looked like they came from different types of trees, but all of which had a golden tint to them. I stored them in my necklace before we reached the front entrance.
The interior of the Citadel itself was beyond big. Canterlot Palace and even the Castle of the Two Sisters looked like a children's toy in comparison. When we stepped through the massive doors, we entered into a city that even made the one we stayed in the night before look tiny. The ceiling arched up until it was hidden away by a golden glowing cloud that had formed. The buildings were of a similar fluid-like design as those of the town we'd stayed in the night before, although this city had an even larger population. Reindeer were flying in the skies while others walked through the streets.
In the center of the city was a massive pillar that resembled a tree trunk with multiple clear creases that ran up the trunk all the way to the ceiling. At the bottom of each of these creases was a door. Not only that, but there were three sets of massive spiral ramps against the side of the trunk, each moving from the bottom of the pillar up into the clouds. At each door there stood a pair of Moose, each wearing armor similar to the ones our escorts wore.
As we stood there, taking in the splendor of this first city, I saw what looked like a large group of Deer approaching one of the doors. The doors slid open and the group entered, the doors closing behind them. I turned to the captain and pointed at the doors. "Do those doors lead to elevators?"
"I don't know that term," Alaerys said, "but those doors lead to specialized compartments that use air to lift said compartments from one level to another."
"Ah, so they are elevators," I said. "That's basically what I meant."
Alaerys nodded in understanding. "Quite a simple term for the lifts, but a good one too. We will be going up through the many levels using the lifts to reach the palace level."
It wasn't long before we were all standing in a large spherical lift with bars on the walls. I quickly realized what the creases in the trunk were: a crystalline tube where the spherical lift traveled through. The doors were see-through so we could all watch as we were lifted up quietly through the pneumatic lift. There was also a large circular glowing crystal in the ceiling that glowed a warm white glow. We watched as we went from level to level. We passed through a level of a massive valley covered by mushrooms as tall as trees, a vast dark forest with a ceiling that seemed to mimic the night sky, a large lake with sandy beaches on the edges and a tropical-looking island, a hilly level covered in white with snow falling from the ceiling, a level with farmland, and a few other cities scattered between. I took a long video of everything, which included a narration from Alaerys about each level.
Eventually, we reached the tallest and largest level I'd seen and the lift stopped. The doors silently opened and Alaerys told us to follow him. This level was a lush garden with flowers, well-trimmed bushes, trees, streams, small ponds, and even a large waterfall that poured down from the ceiling. There were clouds in this level. In the very center of the garden stood a tree that looked like the ones on the ground floor, only this one had pure white bark and a staircase leading up to a set of doors. The leaves of said tree seemed to glow with the same golden light that the Citadel itself did. It was the source of light for the entire garden.
I thought back suddenly to the two trees in Valinor that were described in The Silmarillion. The Citadel, this palace, and the trees outside the Citadel all reminded me somewhat of those two trees. The light from the bioluminescent leaves was like that of sunlight, and since it was so high up above the cloud level it illuminated everything. There were even floating platforms where large vines hung down as they moved around. I saw a number of Deerfolk meandering around and enjoying the garden. Some were lounging and reading, others were walking around and basking in the warm glow of the tree's golden light, and still others were gathered around each other and talking and laughing.
As we walked down the unbroken stone path, we received looks from those we passed by. It wasn't all that different from the stares we'd been receiving throughout our time in this nation, but I was quickly getting used to it. Nevertheless, I stood close to Gemini, a bit worried that something might set her off. A lifetime of prejudice and hatred from a warrior race like hers wasn't something she could just get rid of. I made a point to try and help her work through her feelings on the matter at some point.
When we began our approach to the massive tree palace, Alaerys moved over to me. "When we reach the throne room, I think it'd be best if your party doesn't speak first. Since you're an Emperor, I don't think that rule will apply to you."
I nodded in understanding. "Thank you for escorting us as far as you have, Captain Alaerys," I said gratefully.
He inclined his head. "You're a foreign dignitary, Emperor Jethro," he said, "so it was our duty and honor to do so."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gemini give the Deer captain a glare, but I ignored it as I nodded back at him. "Still, we all appreciate it."
When we reached the steps of the palace, the guards at the front pulled the doors open with their magic, leading us all inside. Much like the exterior, the interior of the palace was covered in pure white. The hallway we found ourselves in was very organic in appearance with absolutely no sharp corners everywhere. There were paintings on the walls along with sculptures of multiple Deerfolk. Each one seemed to be not carved, but grown out of different colored trees with leaves growing only from the horns. It was unusual, but when I thought about it, I realized that it made sense. The paintings and sculptures were situated between ceiling to floor windows that either were clear and looked out at the garden below or were stained glass depictions of what I could only assume were moments in Deerfolk history.
Alaerys and his guards led us down a large corridor that led to a staircase that led up towards a set of gold and white double doors that were decorated with carvings of four Deerfolk rearing up and facing each other, one from each tribe. When the guards opened the door, a Master of Ceremonies shouted out, "Announcing the Emperor of Aelyssia Jethro Bethridge and his party!"
"They couldn't bother to learn our names?" Gemini muttered.
"Shush," I whispered to her as we walked towards the throne where the High Lady sat.
As we approached, I subtly looked around the room, drinking in the details of the room once more. I'd seen it once briefly, but now I could look at everything. The twelve white trees that rose from the ground into the ceiling gave the interior of this throne room a natural golden canopy thanks in part to the leaves that had changed from green to gold since I had last been in this place. The glowing silver gems that were embedded in the trees I now saw actually looked like there was some kind of motion going on in them.
The High Lady herself sat on the massive white throne; the golden furred doe's sparkling blue eyes fixed on me. The crown on her head seemed to shimmer with captured starlight which emanated from the silver and golden leaves crafted into said crown. Unlike the time before, not only were there Deerfolk bucks in green armor on either side of us, but there were a number of other Deerfolk from every race, all dressed in lovely flowing attire with the same white cloaks. Even the guards wore them as did the High Lady. Beside her throne on her right was a raised dais with a floating crystal beneath a glass dome.
Valindra wasn't the only Deerfolk I recognized there. On the High Lady's side were two other familiar faces. Lady Arathyra, daughter of Valindra, and her husband Ambassador Ebiner each nodded at me and smiled. I inclined my head in their direction politely as we stopped in front of the throne. There were several other Deerfolk standing next to Arathyra and Ebiner and I wondered if these were more of Valindra's children and their loved ones or simply some form of nobility.
Miora was the first to incline her head in a sign of respect. Scarlet and the two Dragon guards quickly followed, with Mica bowing as well. He grabbed his sister and pushed her head down as well. I knew I came here as a monarch and that it'd do me a great disservice if I did that, so I stood and looked at the High Lady with a calm expression.
Neither of us made a move for a few moments, until High Lady Valindra spoke. "Emperor Jethro Bethridge of the Empire Aelyssia, I welcome you in the spirit of peace to the Cervinia Citadel."
"It is a great honor to be here, High Lady Valindra," I said in a diplomatic tone. I then looked around, drinking in the sights around me once more as I added, "I must say, this is the most unique citadel and palace I have ever seen." I turned back to her. "You have a very beautiful country."
The golden doe smiled warmly at me and looked around as well. "Yes, it is quite a beautiful place. The rest of you may raise your heads, by the way," she added, addressing the others.
As they began to lift their heads, I stepped to the side. "Please allow me to introduce the members of my entourage. This is Scarlet Dusk, my marefriend and member of my herd. These two Lycans are Gemini and Mica Grayfur, the former is the captain of my Imperial Guard and the latter is a member of my personal guard. These two Dragons are Scoria and Silica who are also members of my personal guard. And this Giraffe is Miora, an impartial third party who wished to observe our talks."
As I introduced the group to her, Valindra inclined her head towards each of them with a polite nod and smile. "Well, I must say that I was not expecting a Giraffe here," Valindra said.
Miora bowed her head. "I am here at the behest of my superiors to observe the Emperor of Aelyssia," she explained, "and to see what kind of creature he is."
Valindra nodded. "I have no issue with you observing, as long as that is all you do."
Miora nodded. "That is my duty."
Valindra turned back to me. "I take it you have no issue with this?" she asked.
"None whatsoever, as long as she doesn't share what we say in private." I gave Miora a questioning look.
"The Elderium only told me to use my discretion and judgment," Miora explained. "I will not share the details, and if you wish, I will leave and observe the results of your negotiations afterwards."
"Very well," Valindra said as she then turned her attention towards the Lycans. "I must say, I'm surprised that any Lycans would willingly step into our borders without any hostile intent."
Gemini bristled a bit but Mica stepped up. "His Grace is one to whom we both owe our lives, High Lady," he explained. "Were it not for him, my older sister may have been dead and I would be something less than a slave. He has treated us both kindly enough that he has earned our trust."
Valindra looked surprised by this, looking between the two Lycans and me before looking at Gemini. "And what say you, Captain Gemini Grayfur?"
She stood tall and proud as she placed a paw on the hilt of her sword. "He is my Emperor," she declared in a loud voice, "and anybody who attempts to cause him harm will meet my blade."
This caused several guards in the room to stiffen in response, but to my surprise, Valindra simply put a hoof to her mouth, tittering warmly. "Stand down, guards," she said before turning to the now bewildered Gemini. "I know there is bad blood between the Lycans and the Deerfolk, but I can appreciate your loyalty to him. It shows a great strength of character. I can assure you, though, that your Emperor is in no danger here."
Once more, I walked over and put a hand on Gemini's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She looked back at me quickly, then nodded and released her grip on her sword. I turned back to the High Lady. Not wanting to put Gemini on the spot in front of the Deerfolk around us, I said, "So, my lady, when would you prefer to start our talks?"
"Well, how about over a late morning meal, just the two of us?" She looked at Miora. "Sorry to keep you out of our initial talks."
"It is no matter," Miora said, "I was hoping to spend some time exploring the High Garden."
Game of Thrones much? I thought with an inner smirk as the High Lady nodded before turning to the rest of my entourage. "Rooms have been prepared for all of you, so my guards will take you to them. You will each be assigned a guide to show you around-"
"Ah, excuse me," Scarlet said, interrupting the High Lady much to my horror, "but I would like to be there with my coltfriend."
To my relief, the High Lady looked more intrigued than upset at this blatant disrespect. "Oh? And what would you wish to be there for, if I may ask?"
"Your Ladyship," Scarlet said, "I mean, you probably already know about how my coltfriend is from a world that sees ours through a cartoon lens."
"Yes, I am aware of the truth behind how humans view Narda," the High Lady said.
"Well, I've seen every single episode and read all of the comics pertaining to the show My Little Pony," she said, which surprised me greatly. "The only mention of Deerfolk is in the comics, and those are a group that live in the Everfree led by somebody named King Aspen. You're not mentioned."
Valindra, to her credit, seemed to take this in stride as she leaned back and asked, "That doesn't quite answer my question, young Pony," she said.
"I don't want him to face this world or anything unknown to him alone," Scarlet said, standing tall and determined, moving to my side and pressing herself against me. In that moment, my love for her deepened. Her resolve to be by my side was something I appreciated more than words could express.
"Admirable, my young one," the High Lady said with a warm smile, "and for that reason alone, I will allow it." She turned to me and nodded as she stood. "Follow me. Guards, don't follow."
While the others were being led away by a number of Deerfolk, Scarlet and I followed the High Lady through a set of doors that led to a smaller but nonetheless just as magnificent hallway. Only this time, there were no statues, paintings, or even windows. There were wooden carvings on the walls, however. As we continued walking down, I focused and began to activate the Pegasus part of my brain, the one that Rainbow Dash had been teaching me about during our flight lessons. The wooden etchings on the walls depicted very realistic scenes of what I once again could only assume was Deerfolk history. I saw a group of twelve Deerfolk sitting around a round table, three from each tribe, with a strange looking three colored crystal floating above said table. There was a battle scene between Reindeer and Moose during what looked like a blizzard. There was even a scene depicting Celestia and Luna flying above an army of all four Deerfolk tribes who were facing off against a Lycan army.
When I looked down to see what Scarlet was doing, I found that she was gone. I quickly looked around and saw her sitting in front of one of the carvings, staring at it in what looked like complete shock. I ran over to her. "Scarlet, honey? What's wrong?" She didn't answer. Instead, all she did was point at the carving in front of her with her wing. I turned and it was my jaw's turn to go dark.
Standing in the middle of a vertical wood carving was the unmistakable image of a clean shaven human male with his arms wrapped around what could only be Valindra, who was standing on her hind legs and looking into his eyes with a look of love that the carver had captured quite well.
Quickly I turned to Valindra, who had quietly approached us as she to was now looking at the carving. "Yes," she said, turning to me slowly with a sad smile on her face. "you're not the first human I've known." She turned back and to my surprise I saw a tear fall. "This man was my first and only husband. He lived to be over a hundred years old before he passed."
"Whoa, you just dropped a damned bombshell on me!" I said without thinking. I was trying hard to process this. While I was about ninety percent sure that I wasn't the first human in this world, having it confirmed was still a big shock. I took a deep breath to calm myself. "Ah, sorry. I'm sorry for your loss, High Lady."
"I've made my peace with it," she began, "but I imagine knowing that you're not the first is a shock." Valindra said this with a surprising amount of understanding in her tone.
"Well…not as much as you might think," I admitted, "but it's still pretty shocking." I looked back at the human and took in his features. He was wearing a pair of what looked like thick boots, jeans with a belt, a polo shirt with a stripe around the chest, an unzipped hoodie, one of those cloaks similar to what the Deerfolk wore, and a baseball cap with a B on the front. His eyes were quite expressive and I even thought I saw some freckles on his face. On his belt was a slightly curved sword with ancient writing on the There was something familiar about him, which I found strange. I looked down at Valindra, a sneaking suspicion growing inside me. "High Lady, may I ask what this man's name was?" Despite my suspicion, I was not prepared for the next two words out of Valindra's mouth.
"Daniel Williams."