Present

A glass of water was polished off by the nations’ leader. Princess Saving Grace sat there idle, trying to slowly drink as long as possible to buy her mind some time to think. Carefully rolling her soft blue eyes along the other players at the table, she avoided eye contact as best she could with the resident Gryphon King and the Diamond Dogs’ Chief.

‘Can’t keep this up forever,’ she muttered in her own mind, before setting the glass down with all the dignity of her name… even if she may want to hurtle it at a few of those present.

“You’re stalling there, your majesty,” King Rhorkin brought up as he caught the glances in her eyes, “you’re the one that called us out here in neutral territory to settle our little problem, and now you are wasting our time.”

“Or buying herself some of her own…” Chief Reinhart spat out from under his muzzle to the ground.

Putting any foul words from her mind, the princess simply cleared her tongue as best she could before she opened up to them once again, “I understand where you both are coming from, believe me I do,” she tried to settle with them, “but with all three of our ever growing countries, you can’t expect that the both of yours will be able to feed off of mine to get the resources you need to support yourselves.”

“The treaty that we have gone off of for decades’ decrees that a barter between our nations is open to settle the needs of another,” Rhorkin declared after reciting the treaty nearly word for word, “your own parents are the ones that wrote it… are you going back on their word?” he asked with an easy eye brow raised up to her highness.

Grace shook her head, trying to maintain her composure, “Absolutely not, and you know that,” she presented the original script. Still preserved by her fathers’ spell to keep it for generations to come, and prevent any creature from rewriting it for their gain. Sliding it gently on to the table with her wing, Grace pointed out the exact words that the king was trying to twist, “it even says here, ‘trade between nations may be discussed, for the matters of increasing goods exchanged should the population continue to climb rapidly’…”

“So what seems to be the-” Reinhart found himself cut off by Grace, as she held up a single hoof.

“However, ‘the changes in trade will not take place should it damage one nations own sustainability, while boosting another’s’,” she finished off. Watching them all process the words carefully for their meaning, “you see we could help provide supplies to both your nations in the past, but not at the level you’re expecting now.”

The claws on the end of the Chiefs’ paw dug in to the table. Slowly scraping bits of wood from the grain as he tried to instill fear in the still new Pegasus Princess. To reach across and strangle the petite mare would be nothing for the battle hardened mutt, who had fought his way up to his position as Chief to the DDR. As the wounds from the past that riddled his face, would easily attest.

Though even with this little tactic, as he glared at the mare through a large scar that ran over top of his eye socket to a cloud white iris. Grace simply uses the sky blue feathers adorning her wing to brush away her golden blond hair from her face so she could look at him straight in the eyes.

“Why are you… unable to meet our needs?” Reinhart growled. Listening to the swords on Graces’ guards’ belts being unhooked and put at the ready.

“That answer is simple there, Chief,” Grace evened out and lightly stroked the soft turquoise fur on her legs, buying her a few more seconds before she placed them on the table and continued, “my country is growing as well, and with that, so does the amount of goods we use. Seren can sustain itself comfortably with what we grow from our fertile soil, or mine from our rich veins… but only itself. Any more strain, and it could collapse.”

“And you cannot simply spare any more than you already have,” the king summarized for her, “without harming your own citizens.” He narrowed his own glare at the slim mare before him.

“Precisely…” she answered without hesitation, “how have either of you not traded with other nations by now? The Zebra States have more than enough minerals, and even Equestria across the sea has loads more than what I have, with even more to spare.”

“The Zebra States refuse to trade with us, difference of ideals it seems,” Reinhart slowly said, recalling the incidents he and the king have run in to with those peace loving little plain dwellers, “they don’t like to trade with, oh how did they put it… ruthless bags of fleas.”

“And ever sense the Lunar Princesses recent banishment by her own sister, Equestria has for the most part closed its boarders,” the king finished off their little rebuttal, “Princess Celestia is still brooding in sorrow over her loss, and wants little to do with the rest of the world, until she can get her own straight.”

The Princess simply slumped back in her chair. Here she was, new to the crown, not a clue what to do, having to face down a thirsty pair of one time enemies. That could quickly turn out to be that once again. The treaty that her parents signed with them years ago kept things quiet for some time, all was good. Then they passed away, and left their only daughter in charge, high and dry.

‘I’m not sure what to do…’ she admitted to herself while unknowingly lowing her head.

“You see our dilemma then, princess,” Rhorkin prodded at her once more, causing her to sit back up and face them, “we can’t go back…”

“… And I can’t go forward,” she finished for him, “I have to look after my citizens first and foremost.”

All three parties looked at one another, unsure where this will lead, but at the same time knowing how things like this end between countries. King Rhorkin got up from his seat, and signaled his guards that they’re on the move. Soon followed by Chief Reinhart as he did the same. Graces’ own guards simply stood there by her side as she sulked in the chair.

“I suppose then we’ll be seeing you again,” Rhorkin commented out the side of his beak to her.

“Probably not under the best of circumstances,” Grace answered.

“Oh you can count on that,” Reinhart responded as he and the king stepped out of the simple tent set up on the hill for them.

Grace finally rolled out of her chair and on to her feet. Settling herself down, she calmly walked to the tent flaps and pushed them open only enough to see the king take off with his escorts, while the chief loaded up in to a chariot and headed off back to his own nation to prepare for what was to come. As she stepped fully out in to the light of the night.

All she wanted to do was make peace once again and keep the serenity around them for a little longer, but with her neck in a vise, what’s a princess to do. The thought had crossed her mind more than once that if she had been an alicorn than she could just magic her way out of this like some of the other princesses in their world. But no, she was just born a Pegasus, following in her mothers’ contrails.

The quiet pair of claws pressing in to the ground voiced a friend that she had known for all of her life, stepping up to her side. Barely turning her head, Grace caught sight of her ever faithful drake by her side like he has always been. Even clearer as the moon light reflected off his metallic silver scales and his sapphire eyes twinkled in the night.

“Well from what I heard that could have gone better,” Silvertongue poorly joked with her.

“A lot better…” she huffed as she stepped on to her own chariot, with him soon boarding behind her, as it took off in to the night.

“Well I think you made the right call?” he said as his tongue traced across his teeth, “I mean they really can’t expect you to bend to their will so freely. Any leader should know that you have to watch out for your own nation, just as they have to.”
Grace simply dropped her head on to the metal frame, “and now I just likely caused a war between all three of our nations…”

“Could be worse.”

The tell tail look of how plastered her face, and spoke more words than she ever needed to. “They could have tried to attack now, instead of leaving to plan?” he tried to reason.

“Your name may be Silvertongue, but I doubt you could have even smoothed over that little discussion,” Grace retorted. Left simply to look over the side of her ride at the lights of her nation Seren in the darkness below. All those ponies down there, with many different other species that have decided to take up residents in her country, all of which have no idea what she just got them all in to.

A cool claw came to rest on her shoulder as the snout of its owner came right up to her side and watched below, “well the Gryphons have always been very stubborn over what’s theirs’ and having a feeling of entitlement, while the Diamond Dogs just like to make war where ever they can,” Silver shrugged his narrow shoulders, “It’s simply in their nature I guess. Nothing we can do about it now.”

A simple pause came over them, with only the wind from them soaring through the air, until it was finally broken by the sweet tone of a mare. “Yes there is,” Silver looked at his best friend as her head rose from the ground below and to the sky ahead, “Silver… do you have any parchment?”

Seconds later, the drake produced a scroll and quill in either claw, “your family has kept me around for reason there, your majesty… I make a good assistant to the crown.” He smirked at her, while the mare couldn’t help but do the same.
“Make this out to the committee… gather them and issue a buildup of arms. If there is going to be a fight, it will be one they don’t forget, we have to fight for what we have.”

“That’s the spirit,” Silver whispered in her ear.

“Though keep it on the down low, I don’t want a full fledge propaganda parade to go through the streets,” Grace thought of fast, “the citizens must not be made to worry about something that still has time to work itself out.”

With everything signed and dated, in one puff Silvertongue sent the letter off in a spurt of blue fire in to the night sky. Now left to only enjoy the rest of the ride along with his friend.

Meanwhile…

The chiefs’ chariot bounced helplessly across the crude path from their meeting ground. Though he can’t really complain, they did all agree to the location. It was secluded, in the open (even if it was night), and far off the beaten path for any traveler to wonder what they were doing out there. However, right about now when all he wanted to do was get back to his nation, Reinhart regretted his approval.

“Why did I agree to such terms…” he scorned himself, dragging his own paw across his face as he tried not to heave up his lunch from the rocking and turning on the nearly non excitant path.

“Has war been declared, Chief?” his councilor asked while he marched along side at a brisk pace.

Swallowing his gut, Reinhart answered, “Not officially… but unofficially, you can set about arming our troops when we return and see where we’re lacking.”

“Understood, Chief,” the councilor answered without a blink.

It was a winding stretch of road they found themselves in. Through the forest with much pain made in preserving its natural beauty as much as possible, if it had been day time, Reinhart might have been able to appreciate it. However as of now he could only dread the long road home, for it would lead only to many sleepless nights.

Not that his nation wasn’t prepared for war, they always were. With surplus arms and armor they had all they needed in order to carry on a quick fight with an opposing party and come out on top. They sure had the strength for it anyway, years of digging in the dirt will do that do a species and instill a natural vigor in them.

However, for all this Grace still had the upper paw… or hoof he would say, in supplying her troops. Himself and the King ran in to similar issues when it came to supplying their troops, either in one area or another. The grounds that the DDR inhabited were always rich in ore veins, allowing them to turn out amounts of arms that would make a nation twice their size drool. Yet all that rock gave them little to run off of in terms of sustenance.

Similarly, Rhorkins’ own nation could farm and stockpile goods that could last their country through years of famine should it rear its ugly head. Though if you can’t arm your own troops, then feeding them means little when they have a blade through their chest.

Grace had the best of both nations, rich veins to supply an army, and plentiful crops to feed them every step of the way as they went about the march. If, or more so when, a fight broke out. if it lasted too long, then Seren could just wait them all out. The DDR would fall away when the storerooms when dry, and the Gryphon Kingdom wouldn’t be able to arm enough of their troops to fight. They needed an edge… an edge that would turn a war that could last several long months in to only a season.

A sudden stop jarred his mind back in to reality as Reinhart was almost sent over top the chariot. Pulling himself back up, he looked out in front of those pulling his ride, “Guards! Why have we stopped?”

“Chief,” one called out, “there's something up a head.”

Sure enough as his eyes peered forward he could make out a single cloaked figure, standing in the middle of the road. It didn’t speak, it didn’t look at them, all it did was slowly move closer.

“You there, state your business!” the head guard called out, but all he heard was the wind blowing through the trees, “This is the convoy of Diamond Dog Republics’ Chief Reinhart, you will tell us why you are here, or we will trample you!”

Not knowing what do to, the guard turned to his king for guidance. Already having a bad day and not in the mood really, Reinhart simply took his paw and ran it slowly across his throat. Without even a word, the guard drew his sword and made his way to the figure.
“You’re a fool to cross us…” the guard mumbled to the creature before, making note of the hoof prints it left in its wake, “…Pony.” He raised his sword, ready to cleave the figure on to either side of the road so they may pass.

“You… are the fool,” It answered back at him.

In a flash there was only light that engulfed the dogs. All parties turned their head to keep their vision safe, even the one that was right in front of the figure only caught a glimpse of the spell powering up on the horn before it was let loose, but by then it was too late. The figure was right at the end of his muzzle and breathing in his own breath.

With a swipe, the guard tried to knock his foe off balance, but to no avail. His paw was only met by a single hoof holding it in place. In the light of the moon though, he saw what he only could have imagined, a metal set of talons were clutching around his limb. Not only grabbing it, but crushing it within its own grasp.

Bone crunched together as they snapped under the pressure, and in the still night a yelp escaped from his throat. Using what ounce of strength he had to ignore the pain shooting through his paw, the guard raised up his other in an attempt to break off the attack. Drawing back his fist as far as his shoulder would allow, it barreled towards the face of his opponent… but was stopped mere inches in another claw.

With a twist of the talons, the wrists snapped where he stood as the sound echoed in the night, leaving the guard crumpled beneath the creatures’ grasp. Landing, the guard found himself on his knees. Bowing at the pony… creature… whatever it was before him, holding him captive in its grasp.

All the while though, Reinhart wasn’t worried about his own guard. There’re plenty more, and they healed fast anyway. He’ll be up and fighting once again in about a week or two. What took his fancy was the strange metal appendages that bore home on the ponies own limbs.

“You there…” he called out to the pony, and grabbed its attention.

In an instant, the guard was thrown to the side, and the pony had leapt up in the air before hitting the ground charging at him. Several other guards started their own charge, heading straight for the attacker. Yet even with the odds against them, the pony pressed on till the last second. Another flash, and the creature teleported out of sight from the oncoming pack, left only to look around for any trace of the assailant.

“Ehem…” Reinhart heard the cough from behind him, and right there was the figure still in its cloak, “now that I have your attention-” Though they were cut off from another guard attempting to seek up behind them.

With a quick flick of a foreleg, the claws on the end retracted to the side, and a small pipe emerged. With a bore no bigger than his own spear shaft, the chief simply stood there as he watched the figure hold whatever it was up to his guards’ forehead. While the guard froze, unsure what he was facing right now at the hooves of the strange equine. For what seemed like an hour the chief met the figures’ eyes in the silence, neither one of them flinched or even breathed for that matter.

Finally, it was the chief that broke the silence among them, “I appreciate the display of magic young one,” he stood up fully, back completely straight and standing several heads taller than the pony, “though I have more important matters-”

“You have a war on your paws that you can’t hope to win…” those words silenced the chief in anything he was going to say, only his eyes narrowed down on the figure as he could swear he saw a smile under the hood, “… you need to beat them quickly or die. I know this.”

“How do you know this then?” he asked simply.

“I’ve done my homework,” the cloaked figure lowered the barrel to the ground while seemly standing on its hind legs, “and snooping.” It mused casually.

“So… are you a spy?” he inquired while his guards got back to his side should things turn south, “for Princess Grace I’m assuming.”

A simple chuckle escaped the figures’ throat, “hardly, I’m here to help… both of you,” they watched as the chiefs’ brow raised curiously, “both you and the king want what she has, and I can help you get it.”

Much to the chiefs’ amusement, and the ponies’ annoyance, he started to laugh while listening to this strange figure. “So you have a way to help me and Rhorkin beat her?” his laughter stopped suddenly as his eyes once again looked down on her, “why would I believe that?”

With a long sigh the ponies’ forelegs slumped down to their side… then snapped one back, aiming the barrel back in the guards’ face. Within the blink of an eye, a loud bang filled the air between them all. Forcing those not used to the sound to cover their ears, while the figure just continued to stare at the chief as he did the same.

Once they all recovered, a dull thud resonated against the dirt as the guard dropped to the ground in a heap. One of the other guards ran up to his side, picked up his head and noted the hole between his comrades’ eyes, “He’s been shot by some sort of spell!”

With swords and spears drawn and aimed at the figure, they simply giggled at the gesture, ‘Silly little puppies…’ they thought at first, “It isn't a spell… it’s the future.”

A surge of energy erupted from the ponies’ horn and ensnared all those around them. Each one could feel the weight of their shoulders pulling them towards the ground, unable to move. Only the chief was spared from the attack, and watched what the one before him had done, “It’s a future I am bringing to you and the king… so… do you want to hear what I have to say?”

The chief looked around at all his guards, as they were forced to the ground. With all the strength they possessed, they couldn’t break from it. Although, the more Reinhart watched, the more he noticed this ponies unlike any he’d seen before. Diamond Dogs can’t use magic, but as a chief he understood the basics of it. Normal spells would start to fade quick after so much use on multiple targets, or even the caster will collapse from stress. Though this pony was holding their own… \ even the horn itself didn’t look all that normal as the ambient glow of the spell held firm.

“Maybe you’re that edge I was looking for,” Reinhart said as he calmly stepped off the chariot and extended a paw to the pony, “Chief Reinhart, it’s a pleasure.”

“Just call me BB…” the pony remarked, and dropped the spell.

“Councilor,” Reinhart called out, grabbing their attention in the group as they all got back up to their feet, “load up the injured guard in the chariot, throw the dead in there as well…” the chief looked back at his new partner, “I’d like to have a nice long talk with our new comer…”