Dunder

Dunnie could see that the new recruit was getting his harsh briefing as expected. Perhaps better than she could. Prince Blueblood was occupied with the large creature, and the Captain was busy roasting the recruit. She slipped away from the group and turned toward the door that she had entered through. With everyone doing their thing, she slipped back out the door so that she could maybe get to her other duties of the house.

Dunnie walked into the back garden, following close behind Blueblood as they passed the threshold with Tiger Blood. The sun's warmth was welcome on her wings, and her armored glowed softly with its polished sheen. She crouched down low, and stretched her wings out, "Those halls are too air conditioned." She muttered to herself as she finished her stretches. That's when she saw him: the sphynx. It was amazing to see a creature that large, especially one that was sapient and talking. If it weren't for the maids that were floating about the creature, Dunnie would have pulled Bluey to safety. However, nopony was alarmed and neither was Dunnie.

Dunnie didn't even notice Star Crusader arrive until she had already landed and bowed. Dunnie quickly bowed back, "It's good to see you again, Star." She said and grinned behind her mask.

When Blueblood left the side to talk to the spyhx, Dunnie stayed put. "I just got off vacation myself. So I'm trying to adjust back to everything around here. Seems that..." She trailed off, looking around the garden, "...some changes are more surprising."

Dunnie raised an eyebrow. She gave a sidelong glance to Blueblood. The stallion seemed committed to this, so she would have to be too. She stayed close to Blueblood. She looked back to Tiger, "Alright, alright." The sharpness in her tone dropped. "If you are serious about joining you will have to be serious about the rest of it. Ettiquette included." She stated, "And, of course, if you do not learn, we will have to give you the boot."

"You have spoken with the conviction and poise of a deflating balloon." She eyed the stallion, "Though, you have spoken with a modicum of decency on your third attempt, so I will nod disqualify you outright." She stepped back, moving to rejoin Blueblood at where he was standing, "As said, you will need to present yourself respectfully to the public. As well as foreign and domestic officials. You will be scrutinized for how you carry yourself and how you speak. Combat prowess and the appropriate behavior are equally as necessary. If this does not appeal to you, then you are dismissed."

She half turned away from the stallion, giving him less space to look over her at the prince. "So you are both blind and deaf." The pegasus reached up to take off her mask. After removing it and setting it on the floor, she looked back to the brown stallion. "I am Dunnie Blust, of Prince Blueblood's honor guard." She stated, "Everything you say and do will be taken into account for your entry into this retinue." She reached back up and put the mask back on with a metallic clink. "Now, state your name, where you are from, and why you are here whilst commanding dignity and respect. Else you will be disqualified from entry on the grounds of being blind, deaf, and dumb."

"Do not speak to the prince in such a manner." A mare's voice from above. There flew a pegasus, who was looking down at the brown stallion. She drifted down and landed gently between him and the prince. "You will speak in a respecful, formal tone while you are on guard duty. Especially to the prince." Her voice was muffled by her mask but still carried the sharpless of a blade. The mask of shiny metal construction, polished, but still scarred from heavy use. She wore a breastplate, a pink puffy shirt, blue and red breeches, and a hat with a puffy red feather. On her belt were a sword and blucker.

"Now, state why you are here. This time with dignity." She commanded.

Oh, wow. That was a very, very large dog working the treadmill on that machine. Not only very large, but also enveloped in an aura of smoky clouds that blended in with illuminated markings across his body. As the creature responded to Blueblood's wisecrack, Dunnie could only watch in awe as the creature moved legs and jaw. Only after a familiar voice entered her ears, did she realize that she was staring. Her cheeks flushed red as she took a deep breath. Her reaction can't be that bad, can it?

She smiled as she laid eyes on the black griffoness. "Hey." Dunnie said back, then paused a moment, "Hay is for horses."

"I haven't seen you in a while. I think you've gotten a lot taller." Dunnie grinned at the black catbird.

While Blueblood was distracted, she dropped a bit of her own cider into his mug to give him a little more. He had saved her a spot, afterall, and he was the one excited about all of this. On time with Zelda's cheer, she took a sip. After a gulp she was starting to realize why ponies lined up for this stuff. The flavor, apple, acidity, smooth. All with the zing of fermentation at the end.

Dunnie chuckled at Blueblood's late thoughtfulness with the kitchenette. It was the thought that counted, afterall. "Oh, Blueblood. Lack of a cooking space is no worry, I get to take a break and we get to try the local cuisine!" She pulled the fast-food bag free from under her wing and set it inside the tent. The brown bag's bottom was stained noticeably dark from the oils.

Just as soon as the bag was set down, it seemed that the line was moving. Talk about good timing, "Right, lead the way!" She tried not to get swept up by the crowd and stick close to Blueblood. How this place managed to not turn into a full on riot was beyond the brown pony. So many bodies were lined up and eager to taste something of such a limited supply. The Apple family must be flattered.

She was trotting alongside Bluey while glancing about the trees and landscape. She would have flown overhead, but, she also wanted to blend in as well as she could. When the unicorn pulled her attention toward someone she knew, she glanced over to see none other than...Zelda. "Ah! Zelda!" Her eyes lit up. Indeed, she was an old friend. They had been through a lot and shared a lot with each other. Though, the bird has not seen this form of Dunnie.

"Oh, two cups?" She asked. Perhaps she could get another cup with some cunning. "Well, it seems most ponies already know you are as you are, so." She took one of the mugs, thanking Blueblood for the payment and smiling down and thanking Apple Bloom too. So cute! "Anyway, seems that the cider is going to run out before you can try." She eyed the cider stocks, already getting dangerously low.

Waking up at the crack of dawn was not something that Dunnie was used to. At least, not anymore. However, camping was an exception no matter how close to civilization the camping was. These were also unusual circumstances for the mare, it seemed that Blueblood's collection of expensive drink would not be complete without some of that famous Ponyville cider, made by none other than the Apple family. Dunnie knew well enough that this was a popular enough occasion for the locals and some out-of-towners to break out the tents, so this had better be some good cider!

She was trotting back along the endless stream of tents. Ponies waking up, milling about, preparing food or drink to start the day of waiting in line. Fortunately for her, she had a spot saved for her closer to the front of the line. Surprisingly so, since she had just arrived yesterday to find that her quarry had been camping early enough for him to get a good spot. Fresher cider, or something like that.

As she trotted back up, she noticed that Blueblood was already awake and talking to a neighbor. She smiled and trotted past the pale pink pony and took a spot up next to Blueblood, where she would plant a kiss on the side of his muzzle. "Good morning." She opened up her wing to reveal a paper bag. "Got us some breakfast! For some reason, though, the only place open was the fast food restaurant." Guess they couldn't ditch work to snatch up some limited time cider. "Is this your friend?" She certainly was pretty, and definitely did not look like a local. A Canterlot native would not be far fetched.

"This castle was built but in a few moments?" She asked, noting the jagged chunks of crystal jutting out of the arches and generally just posing a safety concern. "I guess, at least it has rooms actually built? Instead of just being a giant monolith of crystal." She asked while scraping a hoof gently across the point, seeing how sharp it was. While she hoofed mindlessly at the jutting out crystal, she listened in on them. She hoped that a magical force who is omnipotent would know how not to waste the time of these important ponies. Dunnie didn't mind traveling across Equestria, but it would be rather disheartening to see that the objective of her goal was to take out somepony's trash.

As the group moved on she did too. When the door the the library was opened and she stepped in, she looked around the room at all the books, mouth wide in amazement, "Whoah. Are these all the books from the old library? Oh, that wouldn't make sense since the old library was blown up..." She thought for a moment on that, while walking forward, taking in the scenery more. "This place really seems bigger on the inside than the outside. It's amazing."

She glanced back at fire, "Also why is this Princess Twilight's favorite room? I don't actually know much about her. Also I've never met her." She gasped, "Are we going to be able to meet her today?! That would be so cool!"

Heart of Equestria... What even could even be such a thing?

The collective will of all ponies? An entity greater than both of the princesses combined? Would an entity of that power remain neutral for long? Thoughts raced through Dunnie's mind as the power of the magic table before her was revealed, even if the source of such power remained mysterious.

At Fire's explanation, she nodded slowly while listening. Her eyes locked on the table throughout the explanation. A very knowledgeable pony indeed.

"I suppose the princess is lucky, then, that her old residence was built atop this powerful magic?" She chuckled lightly, "Or maybe this castle would have followed her wherever she went?" Dunnie pushed herself onto her hindlegs and did the best shrug that she could.

No protest came from Dunnie as Fire moved the tour along, she dropped back to her hooves and followed silently, getting close to Bevel.

Dunnie gave a sidelong smile to Bevel as she was embraced suddenly, "I think this form is much preferable too, personally. However, being tall is a little overrated when you have wings." She said, flexing her own and looking back to appreciate them. "Though, I suppose magic is useful to reach things on a high shelf too." She commented and gestured to her friend's horn. "Also if we went out for a drink, I'm sure they'd be more than happy to serve you something soft." She suggested, then shrugged, having already noted that she had never seen Bevel partake in alcohol before.

However, as pair began to follow the red mare, Dunnie's head hung a bit lower. The rush of emotions that had just gone through her and Fire was enough to keep Dunnie feeling a bit ill. Though, she kept going on, perhaps by the end of the tour their hearts would calm down a bit and they could make some sensible plans. She still loved her crimson comrade and was unwilling to let something silly like changing into a mare get between them.

As they entered the opening, her eyes went wide. Looking like a fantasy novel come to life, the table was surrounded by six chairs, the jagged edges of the crystalline furniture was fitting for a castle that had supposedly sprouted from the ground. She listened to Fire speak as ashe trotted around the table, examining the table and each chair with a curious gaze.

At Fire's question, Dunnie spoke up, "What happens if you are asleep or something and you don't hear your cutie mark make the annoying sound?"

At this point, Dunnie knew to look away from the flashing light. She didn't know how strong it appeared to the spectators, but so close the magical light could leave a pony blind for a few minutes. When the flash from the spell had dissipated, all that was left standing were the figures of the two stallions where the mares used to be. As Gearbox got to explaining the magic using jargon that will fly over most pony's heads in his regular jovial demeanor, Dunder suddenly became apprehensive. His already melancholic behavior dropped further, along with his head which now hung low while his hoof kicked idly against the castle floor with soft clacking.

Though, when Gearbox spoke up about his attractiveness, the stallion smiled and stifled a chuckle. "You are a rather attractive stallion. And as a mare. I guess you got pretty lucky." He said, his voice low, barely loud enough for Gearbox to hear.

He lifted his head to look straight at the re mare before him, "Oh, and we can go to the microbrew if you wish. But there isn't really much to 'catch up' on." He said, leaving out his thought that he could really go for a drink right about now. For they had to continue with the reason they all gathered.

"Let us begin the tour." He said, still speaking softly. He turned to face gearbox, "But first...." He held out his hoof with the bracelet around it while looking down at the slightly shorter stallion.

"We used to date." The words stung, but not as much as they used to. The words that really hurt, that realized Dunnie's worst fears, was Fire insisting that Dunnie needed "fixing." On top of Fire's refusal to return the hug. The tears welled up behind her eyes, as fears of losing one of her oldest and best friends surfaced. However, Dunnie held back the tears, as crying and causing a scene would only make things worse.

As Fire showcased the golden cider and the brightly colored cupcakes, Dunnie could only look at them with an abject gaze. However, the cupcakes could offer some temporary comfort given the circumstances. Dunnie ripped the wrapper off one, eating the whole cupcake in one bite while listening to Fire explain her ideas for the castle. By the end of Fire's monologue, Dunnie had gotten through 3 cupcakes and was holding out a fourth to Bevel. "They are very good. The chocolate ones are better." She said while maintaining eye contact on Fire, who was now breathing into a paper bag.

Dunnie approached her, "Fire, you're overreacting. There is nothing to be freaking out about, there is no part of me that you need to fix. The magic can be undone at a moment's notice, if we so wish." Dunnie said, motioning to the golden bracelet on her fore leg. While putting her hoof down, she resisted the urge to stop the ground. "You're just going to have to accept it." Her voice stayed strong, not revealing the burning fear in her gut.

"Only if it would make you feel better," She spun around, and trotted back towards Bevel, "We could showcase this device?"

It all made sense now. Every last bit of luck left for Dunnie was used up with Bevel offering to turn her into a mare. After the vacation to the changeling isles and going back to work at the Blueblood manor, all that has followed the transformation have been encounters with ponies who have known her since before the transformation. Even though she knew that such encounters would eventually happen, she had hoped to enjoy life as a mare and suffer awkward reunions later. However, it seemed fate put Dunnie against one of the last ponies she wanted to see again.

Her legs locked up, her teeth gritted, ever muscle in her body stiffened up. What will she say? What will she think? Will she keep being my friend? Will she never talk to me again? Thoughts of fear buzzed through her mind, but the jig was already up. There was nothing to do, except to prove how minimal the differences were.

The look of shock slowly gave way to a wide smile. "Fire!" She zoomed to embrace the red pony, squeezing her tight and nuzzling her neck. "Long time no see!" Fire would get a whiff of Dunnie's perfume which carried a light fragrance of fresh strawberries. "How have you been? We need to make sure to keep in touch better!" Greeting her like this felt natural. She was still the same pony inside, even though her appearance changed.

"Oh, yes." Dunnie released Fire to look at Bevel, "We have known eachother for a long time, actually. Went on quite a few expeditions, ey, friendo?" She beamed at the mare, giving a light nudge with a firehoof against the chest.

New beginnings: part of the reason why Dunnie had chosen to come to ponyville at all. With her new looks, it was almost like she had never stepped into the town before. Not that she was tunning away from her memories of the town, instead she wanted to create new, happier ones. And in what better company than that of her good friend Bevel. Such a sweet mare, helping out a friend in need in such an ingenious way.

As they made their way to the castle, Dunnie looked at the bracelet around her left forehoof. It was currently gold, and giving off a brilliant shine in the summer sun. To imagine something so simple could cause such a change. Her mind was snapped back to reality when she heard a familliar accented voice. "Oh! Does it seem like it is not working? I only saw myself in the mirror for a moment this morning, but I saw a mare." In an instant she became a bit flustered, she brought a wing up to brush her mane, which was long and brought down, straight at the top but a bit wavy near the bottom.

"Also you said your friend was the one who got us the tour." She said, a bit scatterbrained as usual, "Did you say who the friend was?" Clank A mechanism in the door sprung to life. "So they were expecting us." The door began to swing open, "I hope we aren't laa--" her eyes shot open when she saw the red mare inside the castle, "Fire?!"

"Is not my fault Equestrian is hard to read!" She protested, jumping to her own defense. Memories of her frustration staring at the same characters, trying to memorize the specific sounds they made based on where they were and how they were written. Drawing pictographs was much more efficient once one became familiar with what each picture meant. No more pesky letters and the same word meaning 5 different things. "Maybe later you can give me some books to read! Though I might need some help reading them." She admitted.

When they reached the main warehouse, Cemmoyāhua  got low to the ground to stay as hidden as possible. "This stallion is not like the 'baddies' you are used to encountering. He is a clever and ambitious pony who is pushing his luck, not a... 'muh-fee-yo-so'. This is probably as many guards he could hire without drawing too much attention. But tonight they would be stretched thin, that's why we are here. He has a lot of inventory moving around that still needs to be protected." After scanning along the walkways and the interior of the room from their poor vantage point for a moment. Wooden boxes stacked on top of each other bound in rope and rivets should provide sufficient cover. she spoke up again, "We need to get to a higher vantage point. If we are where I think we are, his main office should be on the other side of the warehouse." She looked up, "Do you think you will be able to fly me up? Or will I have to climb on some boxes to get high enough? It would be no trouble, I have climbed trees much more challenging than some boxes."

Some of the boxes were stacked in a way that some acrobatic skills, one would be able to get to the second floor. Alternatively, there might be a ladder or staircase somewhere, but who could guess where and how well they would be watched.

Cemmoyāhua tried to rush in to help, but her attempt was thwarted quickly by the black spear-point of the guard. While being choked, he focused on the mare in front of him, and in his panic was unable to try to defend himself against the Pathfinder who would eventually make him see stars. On the ground, he was breathing and his heartbeat was steady. Useless now.

"If you were a criminal as much as our quarry, then you would spare no expense trying to protect yourself." The mare said, thinking that Pathfinder didn't truly grasp the scale of her work and how that related to the rest of the life in the Tenochtitlan basin. Oh well, she thought, at least she will be able to help us, even if she doesn't understand the importance. Cemmoyāhua reassured herself, firm in the idea that Pathfinder would lead the Tenochtitlan basin and the crown to her goals. That is, after all, the goal of a hero to make sure that the good guys win.

The Basiner decided to remind her Equestrian counterpart, "Remember that lives are at risk." She said, turning to head out the door where the guard came in. Since they were in the bowls of the facility, and the boss didn't bother putting much security down here, she gave her assessment. "So we are looking for a ceam-colored pony, who is older than the average stallion." She said, checking down the hallway to see nopony there. "It looks clear. I don't imagine there would be any more traps around here." She whispered, in case there were any more guards. But it all seemed clear.

"Huh. It seems that the guards were all sent to the top, where the easiest place to enter would be." She said, beginning to trot down the darkened hallway, lit by the occasional candle set into the wall. "If the rest of the staff are up there, maybe we could sneak past them and get to the main office, which should be on the third floor, overlooking the warehouse itself." She said, "Where I would be if I were an evil mustardmine."

The goggle's band stretched as Cemmoyāhua pulled it over her face to cover her eyes. A couple blinks and a quick wipe with her fetlock and she smiled at Pathfinder, ready to dive.

Despite her affinity for fire magic, she was an excellent swimmer as most were who grew up surrounded by canals and a lake. With only some light stone jewelry to weigh her down, she glided through the water currents with ease. At least, until they got to the point where they could both be pulled where she went limp and let the water pull them along. The plan of entry was still Pathfinder's. So she followed along with her friend's instinct. Even though while faced with the gate blocking them from air, she suppressed her panic and remained calm as Pathfinder kicked the metal apart. Once, twice, the metal strained against the pounding hooves. With a powerful kick of her hindlegs she shot forth, aiming for the gate to help breath through to precious air.

As she braced for impact, instead she felt nothing except herself breaching the water "Aggghhh!" She groaned, coughing up some water. Her rapid breaths sucked in pretty rank air but still breathable nonetheless. After a pause she removed her goggles, "We're never doing that again." She looked up at Pathfinder pushed the tank open with relative ease. A common complaint of places owned by traders was that they cut corners on costs wherever they could. Cemmoyāhua never thought that this would come in her favor, however. Though her relief was quickly dashed when the lid swung open and crashed, the hinges that allowed it to open completely giving way and breaking under the weight of the lid.

The loud crash sent a jolt of fear down Cemmoyāhua's spine, pushing her to action. She hopped out of the cauldron-like contraption. Instead of shaking herself off, Cemmoyāhua's horn lit up. In a flash she was consumed in flame that vaporized off the water in a puff of steam but left the rest of herself untouched. Mid air-however. Something else clanked, and a rope zipped along the stone floor, barely missing Cemmoyāhua's airborne hooves and wrapping tightly around Pathfinder's legs. Just when Pathfinder was about to get strung up and dangled, Cemmoyāhua summoned a whip-like stream of super hot flame. The spell quickly sliced through the rope, still wrapping around Pathfinder's legs but she remained on the ground about to topple but Cemmoyāhua jumped on her back to stabilize the pegasus.

"We got to get out of here, we're gonna--" She was going to continue but a masculine voice cut her off.

She kicked the bound pathfinder behind a series of pipes, concealing herself but barely. Just before somepony rounded a corner and entered the small room, lantern in one wing and an obsidian spear in the other. "What are you doing here?" He asked in the language of the empire. "I'm just checking the pipes. And this water tank exploded down here!" Cemmoyāhua responded casually. Despite Cemmoyāhua outranking the young warrior in both class and warrior-rank, the lines between each so often blurred, she couldn't just tell him to flap-off due to the sensitivity of her mission.

He approached still, spear now held in his hoof, menacingly. "Nopony is supposed to be down here now! What are you doing here?!"

The wood groaned under the hooves, despite the actual bridge itself feeling sturdy. The sound of water flowing beneath the bridge along with moonlight glistening off the mostly still water gave Cemmoyāhua a sense of peace to think carefully. How much exactly was she going to tell Pathfinder? As much as she hated withholding information, it was a very sensitive subject. It was bad enough already for Cemmoyāhua to know. But Pathfinder's part in this whole ordeal was integral, and denying her of information may not be the best idea. Anyway, she made a good and humorous point as to why

"The closes it comes at your language is, 'The first bone.'" She said, her voice dropping low "The bone of a pony pulled from the underworld. To stop its power the first time cost many lives. How it came to our world, we do not know. All you will need to do is be like Daring-Do. Beat up the bad guys, help get the thing. You know, stuff like that." Her hushed tone continuing until she exclaimed, "Yes! It is surprising that you know." She said, impressed by Pathfinder's knowledge despite her admitted head-injury. She however did not comment on Pathfinder's accent. "A ritual to send off traders, wishing them luck on their journey. The brigands around here are usually no trouble for the caravan guards, but still it is a dangerous job." She said, her normal, happier tone returning.

"I think we will skip the festival for now. They will continue through the night, I am sure when our mission is complete we will be able to join in the fun!" She said as they crossed the bridge, taking a step onto the compacted dirt road of the city edges. "We will be heading to the warehouse where it should be. I would like to add that we should try to get it and get out. Oh!" She paused in her tracks, and looked up at the flying mare. "And if we find it, let me handle it! This is very important."

There were hardly any ponies in the streets. Those who were were making their way to the festivities, and of those only few stopped to take a glance at the oddly dressed Pathfinder. After making their way through the city, Cemmoyāhua paused and signaled for her companion to halt as well. Then the unicorn dove into a nearby canal, bobbing back up to peek over at the stone building. "This is it. A warehouse where taxes are kept. Unassuming, yet close to the festivites. Perfect place to get contraband to the caravans." She said, pointing a hoof at a pony-drawn wagon, "It seems like some of the taxes are going towards keeping the party going. Taxes being food and fuel and the like." She clarified.

"There's a passage on the other side where wagons enter and exit. There are some other entrances for ponies. Pegasi and earth-bound alike. No doubt they are guarded. What say you, Pathfinder? How would you get into such a place?"

Immediately upon Pathfinder getting close enough, the maroon mare pulled the pegasus into a tight hug that was quickly released. "Hey... is for eating." She said and winked at the other, "I learned that joke in Manehattan. The carrot venders there are very kind." She said, covering a giggle. Though, her smile quickly faded as they both moved onto the matter at hoof. "I sent you the letter because of Daring-Do books." She responded, a hint of hurry accompanying her once cheerful tone. In a flash,  Cemmoyāhua had to decide how much information she was going to give out at this point. "I'm sure you know, nopony is better at retrieving artifacts than Daring Do. And A.K. Yearling told me that Daring-Do is just a character in a book, the neigh-sayer!" The unicorn spun around, her black tail whooshing air over the pegasus's nose. "So I sent a letter to the most Daring-Do pony in Equestria, you!" She said over her shoulder and started to trot off. "We should probably get out of here, the jungles are dangerous at night, you know!"

The mare glanced around at the trees, the flame atop her horn dragging behind and puffing at the quick movements. She trotted off towards the edge of the jungle, "I don't wish to bore you with details. I will tell you though." Her tone went solemn, almost sad, "Something very important and very powerful has been stolen from our city. In the wrong hooves, it could easily change the fate of our city or even Equestria... or anywhere it is used." As she emerged from the jungle, the city of Tenochtitlan stood stoic resting atop the lake. The buildings, temples and monuments casting a silhouette across the illuminated sky dotted with stars. "A few hundred years ago this place was a wasteland. I will do anything to stop that from happening again."

Up the temple, a series of flames could be seen erupting. Jetlike, alternating in a pattern up and down and around the temple. "Oh! I forgot to mention, there is a yearly ritual tonight. Perfect cover for a foreigner to be here." She said, happiness beginning to return, "And I think you're gonna love it!  At least, you would. I was not planning on going there." She scratched her chin, inflecting for a moment, "It's up to you, we have this bridge to get across to the center of the lake and city, anyway."

Crossing into a jungle was definitely a jarring experience for most ponies. Sucking in air became difficult with the humidity, the sense of personal space ebbed away with every low hanging tree branch and every insect that buzzed one's head. What would seem like an obstacle to most ponies, Cemmoyāhua saw as sheer beauty. Decades upon decades of organisms, each living their lives stretching their wings and burrowing their roots made the jungle into what it was. And how she loved it.

A.K. Yearling did justice to the beauty of the tenochtitlan basin in her book that Cemmoyāhua was flipping through. The passages of Daring-Do, defying all odds to beat up the baddies and get away just in the nick of time with the treasure. The unicorn had read the book cover to cover several times and was eager to find the pages where Daring Do beat the odds for they filled Cemmoyāhua with hope.

When the time came to meet Pathfinder, she took watch at the top of the temple. Her head was on a swivel as she made her rounds around the construction, scanning the ponies who were either visiting or taking the bridge to the center of the lake and the city itself. As usual, it was busy. Not only were common ponies as well as priests trotting up and down the temple steps, but so were hordes flowing in and out of the city, some carrying carts but most wearing dull colors or white. Which helped Cemmoyāhua because she knew her quarry would be wearing her green shirt and tan hat. At least, if every picture the unicorn ever saw of the Pathfinder was correct.

Also as usual, as the sun set and the 7th full moon of the year arose, the ponies had thinned to just groups of preists carrying torches to prepare for their night time rituals. Perfect time for Cemmoyāhua to meet her guest.

She descended from the temple and with haste made it to the biggest tree she could see. For a moment she appreciated the specimen, then she put her hoof and horn to the trunk and closed her eyes to concentrate. Shallow roots, all intertwined created a sensitive mat for a pony as skilled as Cemmoyāhua to pick up on. In a few moments she picked up, not too far in the jungle, of the 1-2-3-4 hoofbeats of a singular pony.

A smile came over the mare, as eagerness built up in her chest.

Quickly she made her way into the jungle to meet finally with the pony she waited so long for.

Bobbing and weaving over and under low hanging branches and vines, she made her way until she could see the other mare in the pale moonlight. Her horn sprouted a flame, just strong enough to illuminate the mare. "Hey! Pathfinder!" She greeted, a toothy smile on her face. "Please call me, Cemmoyāhua Tletl." She said, touching her hoof to her chest. Her accent was strange sounding, but also very light. "The pony who sent you the letter."

The sun had long since fallen behind the mountains and the ponies of Tenochtitlan were flowing through the streets. Torchlight was in no short supply as groups of ponies trotted about the city to visit friends and family after a long day of work. Cemmoyāhua had just returned home from Equestria, but her plans to visit and feast with her friends had to be postponed, for her return home was quickly in peril.

Cemmoyāhua laid out a sheet of amatl, paper made of bark, onto the stone surface of her desk. A fire flickered atop her horn, illuminating her face and desk against the black night. Normally she would use the flat headed instrument to paint out vibrant glyphs, but this time she employed the use of two recently acquired treasures from Equestria: a ball point pen and a book on the Equestrian language. After all, the pony she was addressing was not only an Equestrian, but an important Equestrian in her own right.

"To who this may concern," A greeting that Cemmoyāhua memorized headed the letter.

"I am writing at you because I need your help. An artifact of great important has been stolen from our city of Tenochtitlan. Fortunately, we have discovered you and your renowned talents.
If you are interested visit the eastern temple on the bank on the 7th full moon of your year.

Please use discr-" CRACK

Her window sill was flushed with light when she craned her neck towards it. The crack was much too close to be from a pony using a street or canal and the entrance to her family's home was on the other side of the building. Despite her pyromancy, all that was visible beyond the window were the stars strewn across the sunless sky. She bolted to the window, sticking her head outside and scanning the landscape, the flame atop her horn now doubled in size. Still, she saw nopony, just the brick pathways and plants of her home's garden. Her already almond shaped eyes narrowed, scanning once again slowly across the corn, beans, and colorful flowers for any sign of pony.

The mare withdrew back into her chambers, glancing out the window once more before plopping her rump on the floor and turning back to the letter.

"-ecion. for your safety and mine."

With haste she exchanged the pen for something more familiar. A flat stone on a stick which she dipped in black ink to inscribe upon the paper a glyph of a two headed feathered serpent breathing fire.

While the ink set, she threw a white cloak around her shoulders and pulled it over her head. Her last trinket from Equestria was an envelope covered in stamps. Upon it she scribbled the address of the Daring-Do Fan-Club headquarters. Along with the address she wrote "To: Pathfinder."

She had wasted enough time. Now donning her cloak she trotted along the stone out to the street to get the letter on its journey to Equestria.

Superhero/Supervillain Name:

The Corroded

"Breath deep, fools!"

Powers:

Chemical - He is able to absorb otherwise toxic chemicals and use them in attacks. Mostly he is able to generate and breath out poisonous gas and able to generate and spew substances corrosive enough to destroy all but tough armor. Because of this, he is also immune to what would normally be a dangerous chemical to other ponies. including controlled substances.

Unusually tough- He is much stronger and able to take more of a beating than most ponies alive. He also does not need sustenance as a normal pony would.

Protective suit- A black suit not designed to protect himself from his environment, but to protect his environment from him. It protects against puncture, abrasion, heat, and magic manipulation. However, it is pretty cumbersome and does cause mobility problems.

Alias:

The conditions of his superpower make him unable to maintain an alias.

Backstory:

There was once a foal born on death's doorstep. So sick, unable to breath on his own or kick his tiny legs. All he could do was fill his mother's heart with fear and desperation.

It is true that vultures circle above the dying. In her vulnerability, she was approached by a doctor who promised to her that her foal's health could be achieved through new, experimental technology. Where he was taken was more of a laboratory than a hospital. The mother, longing for her foal's health eagerly gave her foal away to be treated, to be given a second chance. The second chance the foal received was not of his mother's wish.

She was told two weeks later that her foal was too sick for treatment, and died. In reality, the foal was alive, but barely. The experiment had worked, where he was given a serum that made his body less reliant on organic nutrients, but increased its reliance on more unconventional inorganic ones. He was fed otherwise mildly toxic substances. Like that he survived, but still by a thread.

He reached colthood living day by day, new experiments that destroyed his natural body were disguised as games or yummy new food to guarantee his cooperation. He lived happily, readily accepting what he thought was love by those who he thought had his best interests in mind. He was taken care of, energetic, and overall very happy with a positive outlook on life. This continued until he was a young stallion. With each passing day his body continued to decay. Even though his condition worsened, he maintained his happiness until he eventually died.

He was no use dead, so they chucked his body where they chucked the rest of the waste they wanted to take care of carefully. There, his corpse was washed over with reinvigorating toxicity that acted as a more effective medicine than the original serum he was treated with.

He was discovered days later while the waste was being processed. He was taken back to the laboratory where it was discovered that he did not die of exposure to toxic chemicals. He died because his body was malnourished. The volume of such toxic chemicals he was exposed to in the trash resuscitated him.

With this new revelation, the scientists of the laboratory constructed him a suit. The suit is resistant to abrasion, puncturing, fire, and magic manipulation. On his back is a backpack that cycles out toxic gasses through a pipe attached to his helmet that provides sustenance for his body. He also has a speaker on his suit that processes his voice into a computerized one for others to hear. The front of his helmet can also display text at his choosing. The suit connected to a dome helmet that allowed him to look out, but didn't allow any pony to look in. The last time anypony saw his face was when he put on his suit for the first time.

After his powers were realized, his captors saw the potential they wanted. They attempted to train him to use his powers for evil. Until one day where he refused and managed to break out. Shortly after breaking out, he was apprehended. When questioned on where he came from, he gave the location of where he used to call home only for it to be found completely empty except for a few piles of burned documents.

Notable Allies: None.

Notable Personal Villains: Those who made him this way.

General Notability:

The rumors of the volatility of his powers along with the deponyization of his suit make him frightening to be around, thus he is not viewed in a very positive light. He is generally known as being dangerous, even though his powers are under control until needed. However, his captivity kept his sense of justice more black and white than most heroes. He is still also

Still, he tries to look for the best in life and wants to use his powers for what he believes is good.

Left to right

"That smells pretty good."

"That looks pretty shiny."