Dusty

“Oh for the love of…” Tempest rubs her nose with a hoof. “That is not… you know what forget it. She’s ove-” She was cut off as Feng spotted the fox and ran after her. “There.” She rolls her eyes, looking over at Sunset. “You know, yelling things like that is… not the smartest move. Oh well. The hunt is on.” She smirks and winks, dropping her saddle bags off Tempest took off like a thunderbolt but did not follow Feng. Veering off to the town she hoped to cut the fox off. Where the fox was aiming for in town was more hard to judge… with all the pathways it will be easy to lose her. So Tempest took the high road. Leaping up on wagen than up onto a rooftop in one fluid movement. Stopping she looked out to see where Feng and the Fox was. She’d have to move fast and know what road the fox was going to run down on hitting the town… oh, this was too much fun.

“There are no hidden portals that’s stuped.” Tempest says looking over at Sunset. She did not know why Sunset tagged along. Maybe she just wanted to get out of town as well but did not want to openly say so. “Well at least none here… But the one I know of is not really hidden if I know about it.” She added thinking on it for a moment before looking back at Feng. “Maybe she got stressed out and ran off in the woods? If she feels good out in nature maybe she just needed some space. I can understand that…” she says with a shrug. “And maybe she had spells all along to do that. Transformation magic is... rare and hard but you never know. I can’t say as I don't know her at all. But if she does have transformation magic I am going to ask about it. Maybe I can change into a wolf! That’d be so… cool. Thunder wolf… oh I like that. If I ever get transformed in to a stallion I am going by that name.” Talking more to herself at this point she looked about her surroundings. “Oh hay.” Tempest says hitting Feng in the shoulder and aiming a hoof out at the grasses just outside of town. “Fox was it? Can we sit here for a few minutes? I want her to get more of a head start. If we run her down now it will be boring…” She asked with a tiny grin.

“I needed a way out.” Tempest says back with a few worried glances back at the town, she was in something of a rush to get out of town it seems. “And something about repaying kindness or something.” She looked away from the town and at Feng. She was good at reading others and he was looking weak. Tired. He did a lot and it showed! He even won the race. Somehow. Stuiped judges will never make that mistake again. But Feng had won a lot of respect in her eyes. Strong, swift, skilled and handsome.That last one made Tempest double take her own thinking. Why did she care about that? “Can’t be too hard to track down your friend. I think we will have her before sundown so don’t worry too much about her.” Tempest says moving up to walk alongside Feng. “The woods out here are pretty soft. She’d have to really get lost and head far deeper to get in to more dangerous parts. At least for the unskilled. The Everfree can be kinda fun to go camping in if you know what to do. Lived in it for almost a year way back.” She added looking over at Feng, she did hope her words helped him relax. This can’t be that big of a deal can it? It was just a friend. Pones have like... Hundreds of them or something. Well he was not a pony… maybe he did not have a lot. Is that how that worked? Tempest really had no idea. Her so called friends never looked for her when she ran away! Other than the newspapers and some posters. But that was lazy! She was already doing more than they EVER did! This firendship thing is easy.

Tempest leaned her to the side like a dog as a hoof was offered to her. After staring at it for a few moments she picked a hoof up and poked Shimmer’s hoof. It looked as awkward as it felt for Tempest. “Sunset Shimmer… Sunset Shimmer…” she mutters, rolling the name around in her head before something clicked. “You were in the news… some years ago. A run away was it? Welcome to the club, I need to start making shirts and hats for us.” She says with a soft chuckle at her own joke. “I do not blame you for living far, far away… don’t know why you’d want to come back to this place.” Looking at Feng she flixs an ear. “I do know the Empress runs a good ship. It was on my recommendation we did not see her lands as… safe to invade. Unlike here she has a real army.” Tempest chokes back a giggle. “If you can even call what we have here even close to one… I took on a full squad by myself. I’d call it a show but it was so depressing even my own storm guards found it just disappointing to watch. So maybe it was good you weren't alongside them Sunset.”

“I can understand that.” Tempest says back, the worry in her voice slipping away back to the same cold monotone voice she liked to use. “Every time I see myself I am greeting with my past. Hunting me. I don’t know if I can ever come to peace with my past. Not yet at least.” She shakes her head and looked over at the unicorn mare he called out at. Ugh. “Eastern mystic?” Tempest snorted hearing that, almost like she was about to laugh but choked it down. “That’s not how you great something. That’s like asking every earth pony you meet ‘do you farm?’ first.” She says back to the unicorn. “Even if what he asked you was not much better…” With that she glares at Feng.

Feng may not know how lucky he was to have all of his teeth the second his hoof touched her shoulder. But for all the temptation to lash out on some pony and make them understand how she felt. she… Feng was right. She needed to cool down. Getting out of her seat she follows Feng to a more quiet and secluded spot. Well it was not too far away from all the going on it gave the space she deeply needed. “I can't stand this.” Tempest says glancing over at the growing crowd. “I feel out of place. Did years ago and still do now. I found a home and lost it. It may not have been the best but it was one.” She let out a deep breath. “Thank you for... being… Nice.” She added in a tone that made it seem like she was not used to saying such a thing. Looking to Feng she flicked an ear and studied him more before feeling like she needed to… explain something. She had to get it off her chest. “Deadname.” She mutters out in a deadpan tone. “The name they keep saying. It’s a deadname and what its tied to makes me…” She had to shut her eyes, she hated saying this and it took some force to do it. “Uncomfortable.” She wanted to explain it better but found no words for it. She hated speaking like this. She looked pathetic. Weak. Deep breaths. "Cold water sounds nice."

“What?” Tempest asked, she sounded genuinely shocked by what Feng asked. She blinked at him, then put her bottle of rum down. She eye’d up the pen and paper as if it was going to hurt her somehow. After a few moments of starin she takes it in her muzzle and places it on the desk. “I… You really want that?” She asked, the coldness to her tone almost lost as a tiny spark of something can be seen in her eyes that was not hatred or contempt. She was shocked by the fact he wanted her autograph and seems so honest in it. Maybe it was thanks to where he came from he acted and felt so different. Taking the pen in her muzzle she put it to paper and got to work puting down the words. Tempest, big and bold. She was half way done with Shadow when some pony had to break the moment. Berrytwist Shadow. How come every time some pony used her old name they had to mess it up somehow? And then mix it with her new name? It was like getting smacked in the face with an earth pony buck. Fizzlepop Berrytwist was gone and there was no going back to her. She was gone long before Tempest came in to being. That mare, that name was dead ages ago to a filly all alone in the world. All it did was bring back pain, loneliness and repressed memories. The taste of ink snapped her out of it. Spitting up the broken pin and some ink she blinked at the half done autograph, ruined by ink mixed with spit. She needed to relax, Deep breaths… Than he came. Why. Why was this town FULL of them. There was no end, no peace. She wanted to see the town aflame, ash in the air as every last one of them was muzzled in to silence. Was that too much to ask for? She was at her breaking point. “NO! NO WE NEVER DID!” She screamed at the pony, her voice full of rage. “I never have and never will!” She snapped her head at the mare that miss spoke her name with eyes full of evil. “I am Tempest Shadow. That is my one and only name and all it has ever been.” with that she falls back in to her seat. Why did she do this. Why did she come out here. Every time she tries to interact with others this happened. Why didn't she just take the ship to Hesperia? She’d been better off. She’d never fit in here. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. “If you must know why i’m so unhappy it is how every pony must force themselves up in to my day. I was doing fine. I was happy. So if you want me to be happy don’t dogpile me. Just… Give me some space ok?” she asked, opening her eyes to look at Cheese and Yanhua then to the rest hanging about. she was makeing a mess and it was her falt in the end. not theme. "I'm sorry." It was not alot but even that felt hard to say.

Tempest’s eye twitched with anger as she wached the pegasus jump about in to a tree like some blasted cat! How she’d love to push a hoof down on her stu- Taking a deep breath Tempest sits down and shuts her eyes. Anger management! The deep breathing exercises was paying off after all. Clearing her mind she took it to happily places… Well what she viewed as happily places were extremely different to what most called happy but it worked for her… Until she heard a voice. The pink one. Well she and all the six were worthy of respect it did nothing to make her like some of them. Grunting, she opens her eyes and got up. Today was not the day she got zapped in to stone for snapping. Walking back to her seat next to Feng she opens a saddle bag and pulls out a big bottle of Captain Maregin and falls in to her seat. Today was going to be a long one. “Sometimes I honestly regret not joining the Black Sails.” She says to no pony before taking several big gulps of her rum.

“I’m Tempest Shadow.” She says in a rather deadpan way looking at Feng's wings. “I like the name… Yours is not too bad.” She added with soft smirk as she warmed up to speaking to him. “But I'd never give up something for somepony. Ever. Take my word Fēng, it's not worth it. It never is. You will only be seen as some crippled thing to take pity on… or make fun of.” She looked away on that remark, looking pained too have even said it before looking back at Fēng. She was just about to speak more when the most bothersome mare in the wor- No this one was not pink. The new second place winner of being utterly intolerable showed up. “I did not ask nor want you to speak to me…” Tempest growls at the odd pony. She was not at all shocked she knew the name Tempest. Almost every pony knew what her and what she did. It was no small news after all. But hearing the name Berry Twist Dropped sent her from just being intolerable to somepony to hate with the rage of a volcano. “WHAT!?” she barked out in a rage storming after Pathfinder, horn sparking with snaps of electricity that ran down her black armor. “How do you know that name? Was it the pink one?” she demanded, flaty just ignoring all other things as she hyperfixated on that one small detail.

The mare flicked her ears not looking at Feng as he spoke. But his compliment did make her tail twitch as her head turned to look at him with a side glare. “Safe?” She says with a small grin on her lips. “Safe is like a ship. The more safe one says it is the faster such a hope sinks to the bottom of the sea. But… Thank you.” She added the last part with a tiny wave of a hoof before she looked away. “I… Was very impressed by the sky dive. I wish for wings sometimes. Maybe why I love my airships so much. More free up there.” She stands there for a few moments before finly turning sound to face Feng more proper. “What is your name? Not mangled by some pony that can’t say words with more than five letters.”

“And that is why I don’t eat junk.” Without making a sound a mare was standing in front of Feng, leaning down to be eye level with the lazy male he was greeted with a pair of blueish green eyes that had nothing nice or warm about them. Her gaze hit as hard as a spear to the chest as he felt her judgement. The armored pulled her eyes away, standing tall with a shake of her head she took a few steps away. “I must say, I was impressed by you. Somewhat. I saw a shred of real talent. So i’m despanted to see you laying about full of junk and sweets. Helpless. I’d never let myself be like that.” She snorted well looking at the others milling about. “But than few here care about such things… fun and games or something.” Her tone was just as heartless as her glaring eyes.

*This post is submitted for judging* “Dreadful.” Tempest mutters under her breath. Well this was all fun and games she can’t help but place judgement on others. Getting off her haunches she approached the starting line. As she walked she leaned her head down to start undoing her armor… Piece by piece fell off with a hearty thump and by the time she was standing at the starting line all she had on was her skin tight jumpsuit. “Our next… um, contestant is Tempest Shadow from… nowhere!” Tempest rolls her eyes and digs her hooves in dirt, tail flicking and nose flaring as she takes in a few deep breaths and counted down in her head. Three. Two. one. The ground rips up underneath her powerful legs in a shower of dirt. First up was the mud. Long, deep and wide. Easy, picking up as much speed as she can Tempsit pushed off in to a long leap clearing a healthy chunk of the mud. Aiming her legs out she straightened herself as much as she can on contact. Her momentum did the rest as she slid across the mud. Soon as she slowed down she pushed her legs down and crawled the last few feet and out of the mud and on to dry land. She did not waste a moment, soon as her hooves were on dry earth she was off for the barrels. Without slowing down she leaps halfway up the stack. Soon as her front legs made contact her rear legs slammed down as she leaps over the top of the barrel stack with a spin just for more flair. Landing on her front hooves she pushed off and pulled a backflip landing on all four hooves. No sooner did she land she pushed off in a full dash. The long straight stretch was nothing for her. She ran every morning in full kit for the fun of it. Without that slowing her down and with a race in her mind Tempest was almost flying across the dirt trail with her bounding sprint as sweat drips down her body and lungs panting for breath yet a smile was big on her face. This was joy, this was love. Pushing herself to the breaking point and well past made so much melt away. Worry. Pain. loss. This was freedom and she was going to win… Not for a prize or for glory but for the sake of winning for herself. The fourth obstacle was… Something she was less used to. Sliding to a stop she panted hard staring at the three pies on a table. Her body was shaking, she did not want to slow down but she needed to. With her mind racing she grabbed the pies, stacking all three on top of one another before picking up the bottom pie in her muzzle by the rim. Trotting down the path she weaved between the wooden poles doing her best to balance the pies held by her muzzle. While it let her watch them and keep it more steady in the heat of the moment she forgot the pies were meant to be balanced on her back, not held in her muzzle. Passing the last wooden pole she puts the pies down and panted like a racehorse. After catching her breath Tempest looked up smiling. “That’s how it's done.” She remarked before walking back to the start of the race to pick up all her gear. Soon as she picked it all up she moved off the course to get water and rest.

“[That is troubling, but I have many years to seek out another in time.]” Niilavin says looking at the growing traffic he was making. It did not bug him, let them stand. If he wanted he can take a nap here and the dregs can just deal with it! Such low things, it was shameful how his master acted around them. Yet it did keep the masses in line and happy too do as told. It was shameful how well this system was working it seems.“[Master it seems the unwashed masses wish to not stare at my nice hunches all day. Shall we… move?” He asked flicking an ear and stretching out his big wings, fully out he can touch the buildings lining the road before he pulled them back in agent his sides.

The push to keep the pressure up was not unexpected, in fact it was how she liked to handle herself. Overwhelm them with raw force and unrelenting pressure to make them slip up. So long as the pressure is steady it keeps one in a endless chain of drafting and pulling back out of fear. She did not allow such fear to grip her and pushed back against the mutt. The hook was to much like the last one, repeating a faint, so she did not move to block it by pushed in to it with a left hook of her own in to the mutts chest well eating his own jab in to her own chest. A blow for a blow as both push hard to make the back off. Swallowing the pain as the wind was pushed from her lungs Lightning followed up her hook by pushing in closer and going for an antler headbutt.

“All citizens please clear the area and find cover. There is an 95.23 percent chance of collateral damage and or death to non-combatants! All citizens are to remain calm! Unexpected behavior may cause unnecessary defensive action to be taken, resulting in damage or death of citizen non-combatants!” Lightning added as she moved in to a full speed run at her targets, she hated forced scripted speech. It felt weird to have words forced out of one's muzzle without your own input on it. But she had more pressing matters to deal with. Leaping in to the air with blinding speed she dodges in the incoming discs, aimes here for legs and opens fire in one clam calculated move as her combat poragarms documented what the combatants did, moved and acted to help her better pre-act there moves. The longer she was engaged the better her AI can judge what they will do and pre-run ways to counteract them. It was about time this world learns not to mess with a first class Enforcer. “For the Hurricane Conglomerate! Long live the CEOs!” She shouted as more combat drugs flood her body and line after line of text, maps and combat date flash before her eyes.

Niilavin flinches from the bap between his ears. His claws dig in to the road but soon pull back as he relented. “[My actions are justified… But Fine, I will stand… them being here. But I will not tolerate such dregs within are home Master.]” He says looking away from the mutts, he’d not dignify them with his look. “[I can’t help but pick up on the fact I seem to be rare… Its making me worry master. I can’t be the last can I?]” He asked with a hint of worry as he did fear this. It seems absurd that he’d be the last one but yet… its been a vary long time.

The cow flicks an ear as the sword slammed into a wall behind her, eyes not moving from her target as that faint smile holds. She leans her head side to side as the dog talks, than makes a bored snorting sound and waves at him to move it along. Everyone has to talk in combat… With him done she readies herself. Watching him rush her she easily picked up on him going for a haymaker. To easy, its as if he was slinging all of his body. He’d know better than to do that, she’d easy nail him in chest and parry the blow. So she leaps back and went on the defenses, well she will land no hits it allowed her time to react to the faint and back out from the follow up blow. He’d be ready for her follow up so did not, instead she stayed on the defense to study him more. She did enjoy that he switched too hoof… well, paw combat? It earned some respect from her.

“[Why do you think I am impressed at what you have done master? I did not say you must be like my old one. You played the game smarter and so did the twin queens. There are no equals but you made them believe it so.]” Niilavin says back. “[Something I am taking to heart, if I ever gain freedom I use this system… it seems to work well. The twin queens, if they are old as you told me, lasted so long using it.]” He flicked his ears, looking at the mutt talking more and waving some book at him… what was that even and how dare this dog wave it in his face? With a rather agitated hiss he raised a paw up smacked the book out of the dogs hand well he was distracted. “[Why do you allow such mutts to speak to me master!? Or allow one being a skin changer! Hostile or not, I will not let such vermen speak to me and flint papers under my nose.]” his words had a angry cat like hiss to them, cleary getting upset by growing bravery of the onlookers. Looking up at the roofs he spots the other dog… wonderfull. “[There are more of them? Uhg. Master, i deeply dislike how you will not allow me to hurt such things. But it is your will…]” He rolls his eyes but looked more at the odd dog… hold on… “[A world away and one of them is here? The mutt is from my land! Master, do tell him to go back, no need to follow my kin even more! Can us cats not have a land to are self?]” The big cat ruffeld it's wings and looks away, it's anger going way in to just sounding upset, allmost like a young colt not geting his way. "[And I will get much biger master, in time. I am young, but in time my power will grow and so will my size. One day I will be big as a pirde king... then I hope to be free.]"

The cow snorted at the block but did not even try to move away from his follow up. Taking it on her chest plate she leans to the side, forcing it to glance left where she meets it with a raised leg. In one fast movement she traps it between her leg and chest, locking it down for just a moment as she reared up and delivered a hoof to the dogs frowning muzzle well pulling the blade closer to force him to let go or take a hit on the face for the price of pulling his blade free. For her part, she was smiling now.

“[You call them equals yet we come first. They are not peasants yet they pay cash onto us for the honor of living in are land and to work. Workers. Even in the grand city we saw at the coastline… with buildings so tall. They lived in small homes. The powerful lived in the grand, the equals below them in small homes. Packed like fish in a net. Smaller towns looked not so different from my time. More colors, different buildings… but so similar. And here. The heart of it all… sitting above them all in keep of white and gold, towering over the land so small below sits the leaders. I see nothing equal but the belief they all are equals. And for that I have nothing to give but my utter respect.]” Niilavin speaks in a calm but powerful way, his words flowing one in to the other with wisdom. It is hard to know if he really was or if it was just the power of his race to sound like they knew best to play with the minds of others. Sniffing the air some more he gazed back down at the dog speaking to his master… magic was in the air. Leaning down he looked at the dog more close. “[Master, we have skin changers in are shadow. I recommend slaying one rat before it is five. They bring nothing but troubles and steal from my… Are land. Food. goods. Servents. Nothing more than a rat stealing grain but let to many live and you will have no grain to eat.]”

The cow took the jab in stride, using the force of it to turn herself about to face him head on without one yelp of pain or discomfort. She’s felt far worse. She rolls her shoulders and gives him a small grin. He may not be worthless after all. But that a easy blow to handel, she’d been disappointed if he failed to handle to. But with no time to wast she dug her hoof in to dirt and mud and kicks it up at the dog but did not follow in to head on. even a blind foal and swing a sword about in front of him. So she rushed to his side and swings a hoof low at his legs. Cheap, dirty moves but she honestly did not care. She never was one to play fair.

The cows ears flicked, her head turning to look at the approaching mutt. Turning about to face him she steps down from the bull, delivering one last kick to his face stopping his sad whimpering. She leans her head to one side, than the other as she looked at the mutt. A soft short leaves her nose at his name. Hogo-sha? Dressed like a weeb. Talking about wishing to meet someone with ‘skill’ and how he’s been doing this for a long time… She felt like vomiting. At least he was not fat, smelly and going ‘m’lady’ at her. He may be a real sword master. Maybe. She hopes he was, she wanted something fun. Rolling her shoulder blades she gave him a utterly dead look. No feelings to it at all with uncaring eyes. She’s found such looks tend to offset others, making them uneasy seeing a face so uncaring and unfeeling. It was nerve racking to many and helped mask what she was doing. Stepping closer she taps a for leg against his wooden blade, letting the black plate clank on it before backing up and spacing her hooves out for battle. One hoof tap. Two. three. And she was on him, rushing to his left in a spinning dash, lining her rare up to deliver a two hoof buck at his hip. It was a risky move but she was hoping her speed will take him by surprise. If he was worth his salt he’d block it or move. If not… well, she’d not waste to much time on a useless game.

Hooves stomping to the drummer's beat, horns blaring and crowds screaming as steels clashed. The arenas of Saarvagerg were busy as ever as a larger crowd gathered around one of the smaller public arenas. It was a open arena, no real guidelines given. Just a free for all brawl zone to sort out troubles. That was until one cow arrived. For the past two hours she carved a path around the arena taking on everything in it with utter disregard for how many rushed her and yet she came out on top using nothing more than her hooves. The cheering was reaching deafening levels as she bucked a bull so hard he shot over the arena wall. All around her the deaten, many out cold or rolling in pain on the muddy floor. The cow was shorter than most caribou yet her strength bested many bulls bigger than her. Her frame mached her strength with clear muscle mass underneath her hide and fur that was ashy white. She had a black mane done up in a mohawk with purple highlights. Her eyes were a crisp ice blue with a long jagged scar over her right eye that looked like lighting built. She was wearing black platemail covered her more vital organs but left the rest wide open to cut down on weight in a “all or nothing” take on self defense. Her weapons were nothing more than her four hooves reinforced with some black steel to be used in blocking blows. Standing on top of a whimpering bull twice her size the cow looks up at the onlookers, grinning ear to ear. She was not even panting yet. Yet she did not speak. Not one word left her muzzle in all of the combat. She waves a hoof at the onlookers, than aimed it at her self, dearing more to come down and take her on as they chanted the name given to her by onlookers. Silent Lightning, given thanks to her face scar and utter lack of speaking. But this was no cow. She was tempest. Thanks to the magic of Masquerade and his one of a kind disguises she looked complenty like a caribou even up close. The custom outfit cost so much she had to lone Bits from Ice just to pay for it! AND was going to need to do some… ‘work’ for Masquerade on top of it. But it was all worth it. The magic and skill in its making masked her flawlessly. She was for all it was worth a full blooded caribou when inside of it. But one thing it can’t mask was her accent and lack luster understanding of the caribou language. Well she had what she needed too get by and understand most things speaking it was another story. So to cover her flank she pretend to be mute and let her acts speak for her. ((This RP contants tempest in a magic disguse bult by Masquerade, as such she looks like a female caribou. If you don't know about Masquerade or his costumes read his app! it's vary usefull. The only thing that knows tempest is here or owns that costume is Ice her self.))

Niilavin walked down the street with his head held up and ears pricked. He was much taller than everypony around him yet he was not even close too fully grown. By his races standards he was rather young but he held himself to much more demanding standards than to act like some kitten. He wasn't after all. Swaying his tail side to side he gazed down at the peasants before him, gasping in shock and awe. It made his pride swell even more as he did his best to hold his chest out and show off just how strong and powerful he was as his muscles move and fixed underneath his hide. He was nothing short of a show off, something his new master seemed to enjoy much to his own enjoyment. “[Look at them Master, they look on to us with such wonder! Fitting of such dregs is it not? We are as undeliverable and wonderful as the gods there self walking amongst theme.]” Niilavin says with a sharp grin, to all on-lookers his words were utter gibberish. An ancient language known only to the most learned scholars of history. Yet his master Blue understands every word of it clear and easily. Something that may be for the best given Niilavins attitude to just about everything that was not his master or himself. His superiority complex put the one Blue use too be known for too shame. But it made Blue all the better to be the one to help the cat learn how to live in this new age as his new master understands such complexes better than most. “[But given your power to change master… God is fiting in some ways.]” Niilavin added with rolling of his powerful shoulders. He’s yet to fully understand how his master changed… genders like he did. Blue did try to explain it but even with that it was hard for the cat to get his paws around the concept so easily. Something seemingly so fixed, appointed at birth to death, yet there it was. Changed and broken like a new outfit. In his eyes it only proved how peorfull his new master must be to so easily break something like that and wave it off as something so trivial. Sniffing the air the big cat tossed a gaze down at something most odd. A dog? All dressed up and walking about? How odd. More odd was his smell. Something magic was in the air about that dog, he just can’t put his paw on what. [“And now mutts dress up and speak. This age is already disappointing me.”]