Pinkie found herself quickly led inside the castle, away from the prying eyes of any undesirables that may spread rumors of the ponies' Imperial ties. The normally-bubbly mare wound her way through the halls in search of her friends' rooms, hoping somepony would be able to console her in her hour of need. Sheogorath likely left permanent scars, but talking might help, if only to dull the blade. The Element of Laughter found herself in an area she had never seen before, its winding corridors decorated with extravagant banners displaying a red, diamond-shaped dragon. Four doors had a similar design, but the diamond was solid and a blazing crimson; Pinkie remembered Reman talking about it, meaning those were quarters assigned to the Tulliuses.

A small giggle came from the nearest door bearing the family crest. That was obviously Glade, and it was understood that Reman was with her. The Element briefly considered knocking, but refrained in order to avoid seeing anything that might offend her eyes. But declining the only ears she could easily find may prove a poor choice, especially in regards to the Wabbajack. The two lycans might be in the middle of carnal activities, but the fear of a Daedric Prince was just as horrifying as the thought of interrupting the couple mid-coitus.

“Might I ask what you're doing out here?” A polite but impatient voice came from behind the pink mare, sounding both foreign and familiar. As the Element faced the newcomer, she was more than reminded of her first time seeing an Imperial. The man was identical to Reman in almost every way, the only real difference being hairstyle and the prominent scar on his cheek. “I don't believe we've been acquainted, madam.”

“Oh, sorry, my name's Pinkie Pie.” The straight-maned mare extended a hoof in greeting, and was quickly met with the doppelganger's own hand. The Element almost giggled at the human's rigid courtesy; it was almost like he was forcing himself to be nice to her, but that didn't make any sense. After all, there was no way an illusion that looked like Reman would be different from the genuine article.

“I'm Uriel Tullius; the pleasure is mine, I assure you.” The fake lycan chuckled in his imitation of the true Imperial's voice. Pinkie remembered the changelings from Shining Armor and Cadence's wedding, so shape-changers were nothing new. She'd never seen anything that became a biped, though, so maybe it was a trick of Sheogorath that this human appeared to her. A part of the pony considered using the Wabbajack on the deceiver. “Perhaps you've met my idiot brother.”

“Yeah, we go way back.” Pinkie sounded genuinely happy to speak to somepony, even if she still wasn't certain of the man's truth. Part of the mare realized it was funny that she, of all ponies, needed to know the reality of where she was. The Imperial nodded, before returning to his room without so much as a good night. While the Element had every right to be offended, she was still glad to have spoken to somepony, even if he was rather rude. This left the bubbly mare with a dilemma. While she could always wander the halls for Celestia knows how long, she now had the option of venting to Uriel.

@#@#@#@#@#@#

Night flights were always a challenge, even for the most experienced pegasi. Skyrim's frigid air sliced through Rainbow Dash's fur and bypassed her natural resistance to the cold far worse than anything she'd ever seen. Every few seconds, she glanced at her wings to make sure ice wasn't building up on them, something that only needed done if she were three times as high in Equestria. Once, she heard a dragon roar in the distance, and shuddered to think of the lives it would likely end, knowing fully that she would be unable to do anything even if she was there. The Element of Loyalty touched down close to the trap door she'd used to get her flight in, hoping the guards wouldn't tell Princess Luna she'd disobeyed the no-flying rule.

Even though the action was disallowed, the polychromatic mare needed her exercise. It helped that flying also cleared her head, something that she desperately needed in the foreign land. It wasn't that she was scared or anything, Skyrim was just weird. Earlier that day, Dash had tried to explain the concept of cool to Lynette, and the Breton couldn't understand why a lower temperature would be a pleasant trait for a person. Humans may have been able to understand ponies, but that didn't mean they spoke the same language. It was like when General Tullius called a boring ship awesome. Apparently, in Cyrodiil, awesome meant beautiful and scary, like a dragon roaring to the sky.

The Element of Loyalty made her way through the dull passageways of Castle Dour, her mind filled with the glaring differences between Equestrians and Imperials. A flash of silver in her peripheral vision caught the mare's attention, the sound of metal slamming into wood rang from the training room's door as somepony practiced their deadly art. The well-oiled hinges hid the curious pony's inquisition from the soldier. Rainbow Dash was treated to the sight of Antonius Tullius brutally slaying training dummies. A heavy shield knocked a wooden target several feet as a steel sword wedged into the throat of another, only to be dislodged by a powerful kick. The pony almost started applauding when the legate split a dummies head in two so he knock it out of the way and hit the target with a bucket for a helmet, effectively ending the training session in a decisive victory.

The Imperial's sword clattered to floor as he groaned in pain. Antonius clutched his sword arm as the hurting limb fumbled for an amulet around his neck. The strange bit of jewelery looked like a bow tie with a little tail, and it took the Element a few moments to realize it was a religious emblem, a sign of faith in at least one of the Divines Reman had mentioned. Dash looked on from the doorway as she realized the legate had once been a proud warrior, surpassing his sons in his youth. Those days were long gone now; age, genes, and perhaps even disease prevented him from keeping pace. The mare had no way of knowing exactly what was wrong with the greying man, but Antonius would surely deny any such infirmities should he be questioned.

Rainbow Dash crept from the training room, hoping te ailment wasn't too serious.

@#@#@#@#@#@#

Twilight Sparkle sat in her shared suite, contemplating what could have made Reman act like that. While the Element of Magic understood the dangers involved in trafficking with Daedra, or at least as much as she saw when the two lycans fought Hircine, Tamriel was protected from invasions from Oblivion. Besides, Hermaeus Mora was supposed to be the most neutral of the Princes, devoted solely to the pursuit of knowledge and information. The Imperial didn't seem like the sort to worship the Daedric Lords, being a staunch believer in the Divines, so there was the possibility of religious indoctrination. “Fluttershy, have you noticed anything strange about Solitude?”

“No, nothing sticks out.” The usually soft-spoken mare was busy caring for Gummy while Pinkie remained missing. The animal caretaker believed her energetic friend had simply gotten excited and was taking a break from the hustle and bustle of the diplomatic mission. The absent Element would likely return within the next twenty-four hours, in any event; Pinkie wasn't the sort to abandon anypony for any reason. “Why, if you don't mind me asking?”

“It's just that everypony seems to be acting a little unusual.” Twilight counted off the reasons on her hoof, using fingers that didn't exist. “Rainbow Dash has been obeying the rules, Pinkie's gone off to Celestia know where, Rarity's been in the local sauna since we arrived, and Applejack turned down a local apple.” The Element of Magic had the utmost faith in her friends, but there were more than a few inconsistencies surrounding recent events. “Not to mention Reman's started acting like a spy, and Renoir is probably off killing somepony to drink their blood.”

“I doubt he'd be so cruel to kill just to satisfy a nonessential hunger.” Fluttershy had her own feelings distrust around the humans, and she would call them humans until they proved to be monsters, but there was no need for the Element of Kindness to jump to any conclusions. Besides, Renoir was a very nice man, for a century-old undead pyromancer. “And you know this is Reman's first chance to be around family in years. Can you honestly say you don't act differently around your parents and brother than you do in Ponyville?”

“It's just that nothing makes sense anymore.” Twilight was ready to punch a brick wall, the frustration was too intense to avoid any other outcome. The lavender unicorn longed for the simple days before Reman and lycanthropy, before Equestria even knew about Nirn and Oblivion. The little filly in her just wanted to go home and curl up with a book, not fight for survival in a land that made the Everfree Forest look like a calm meadow. “I know things change with time, but this is just too much data for anypony to put up with.”

“We'll be back in Equestria soon, maybe you can sort your thoughts then.” Fluttershy was probably the most maternal of the Element Bearers, given that she nurtured more infants than her friends. They were animals, but that was neither here nor there. “Until then, relax and try to get some sleep.”

@#@#@#@#@#@#

Dawn arrived quickly for everyone, but Reman Tullius and Summer Glade barely noticed the shining sun. The two had stayed awake after their initial conversation, and both had been too occupied to care about the blazing star. The sky was ablaze with the new day, and it was mere coincidence that the couple left their quarters with daybreak. Lycans were able to go roughly four days without sleep before suffering any ill effects, a fact that was seen as compensation by those afflicted wit the Huntsman's curse. The two werewolves barely made it out the door before someone had to point out a deficiency in the Imperial nobleman's attire.

“Reman, put some clothes on!” Uriel was being unreasonable in his twin's eyes. This was an example of values dissonance of the highest caliber. While the lycan had to go weeks at a time without a scrap of clothing or armor, the younger twin was kept dressed in the garments befitting his status. After spending four long years of his life as s part-time nudist, Reman had come to view the human body as a beautiful thing, unless one had certain insecurities.

“Can it, Uriel; you and I both know there's nothing to be embarrassed about.” The still-naked man was a little miffed at his younger double's disrespect. While the feral human understood the need for decency, Reman had no wishes for his freedom to be suppressed. It would be easy for the spellsword to claim his nudity was to ease the tension the unclothed Equestrians were doubtlessly experiencing.

“We're in a hall, not some bathhouse!” The slightly-younger twin was still shouting, as if he was trying to draw attention to his naked brother. All the while, Glade stood to the side, mildly amused at the siblings' banter on about the finer points of clothing. “We're having breakfast with the Emperor, the least you could do if put on some damned pants.”

“Well, negotiator, are you really so blind that you didn't notice the lack of clothing on Glade?” The lycan motioned to the bleached pony, who waved to the muscular man for emphasis. The legionnaire raised his middle finger at Reman, a gesture the nearby pony had yet to decipher. The werewolf seemed to take offense at that, and donned a hostile posture in response.

“Brother, we don't have time for you to act like a fool.” There were some serious issues between the twins and Glade really wanted to get away from the conflict before it escalated. There was a small sliver of fear in the younger Imperial, which could likely be attributed to superstition and suspicions regarding his elder's condition. The mare almost found that offensive on a personal level. “Have you grown that savage in your time from society?”

“I know more than you ever could, Rocky, so don't even try to call me savage.” Uriel's eye twitched a bit at the childish nickname, dating back to a bit of roughhousing that resulted in the younger twin cracking his head against a boulder. It was torture when Reman and Lynette had called him a stone-head for months after the scrap. But those days were ancient history, and the roles were reversed now. After all these year, the negotiator finally had the upper hand, and no Daedric influence would be able to match his hard-earned strength. A boiling geyser of anger ruptured somewhere within the captain, and it threatened to ruin the healing family as Marcus and Antonius entered the hall to investigate the shouting.

“Listen to me, you narcissistic, Daedra-praising horse-fuc-” Uriel was cut off by a rather well-aimed fist, having stepped on his short-tempered sibling's nerves a bit too far. The first and last thirds of what he had been saying were correct, but the middle and how he spoke had grated Reman in a way that made eating glass seem pleasant. Antonius and Glade held back one of the twins, with the pegasus keeping her forebear aloft and away from his bulky sibling.

“If you two are going to fight, save it for the yard.” Marcus was the family's oldest male, and the head of the house until he passed the title to his chosen successor. The general had a way with words that left no room for debate; the sort one had to be born with, an unteachable ability that Imperials prized in their nobility. “Reman, get some damned pants on; Uriel, take a walk, now.” The twins removed themselves from their bindings with shocking ease. The lycan landed with a muted noise and swiftly entered the suite, while the captain briskly walked outside for a spot of fresh air.

“I should have known better than to leave those two alone.” Antonius shook his head in disappointment, equally aimed at his sons and his own mistake. A consoling hoof patted the greying man on his shoulder.

“How could you have known they'd try to kill each other?” Glade was actually pretty mad at Uriel, if only for calling her a horse in such an insulting tone. The future uncle could at least act like he was fine with her existing when she was within earshot.

“I'm sorry you had to hear that, Glade, but they've been at odds since birth.” There was a cultural matter involved in this, but it would be far too difficult to explain to her. “Tullius twins have that going for them, it seems.”

“Guess I should hope for a single foal then, huh?” The pony laughed as she prodded her own belly. That went over much smoother than it had with Reman, probably because they two men had made their own decisions regarding the interspecies offspring. It may have also been due to the Emperor's acceptance of the child, but that seemed a bit too political for the level-headed noblemen.

“You're using humor to hide how terrified you are, aren't you?” Marcus looked at her like she had tried to juggle and failed miserably. It made sense for the experienced soldier to see through such a defense, given his racial predisposition to negotiations and mercantile pursuits.

“Yep.” Despite the barriers that popped up when using everyday language around the Imperials, Glade was certain her meaning was well-conveyed. In reality, she was seriously worried about fratricide occurring between the twins, with the obvious hope that Uriel would be the one to go if the situation called for it. “They won't resort to murder, will they?”

“They'll probably come to blows soon, but it won't be too serious.”