Dusty

“Cool! We can like, totally just see everything together! All visitors in all!” Blaze shouted as she leapes away from both of them. “And others that looked like me? From a grandfather? Like some long lost sister? Sounds odd. Only one like me is me! Unless you mean what I am than yes, lots of us.” She added with a hoof too her chin, but such thinking did not last long as she looked down at her shadow. “Hrm? Ah ya. Come on, let's go!” With that she darts down the road to the farms. She had so much to see and too fit it all in before her next train ride! 

So the first thing… Farms! That was her plan at first after all! Maybe get some snacks. Oh, and see if some pony knew were applejack lived! Pony something… Vall? Vill? Some pony may know! Than what? The saloons? She was not one to drink but come on, she was out west! Had too see at least one saloon. Maybe try her hooves at danc- With a thump she crashed in to some fencing. “Found the apple orchard!”

Tempest felt… Scared. Lost. confused. Her mind was racing as she takes one step back, eyes wide as she looked down at the unicorn in front of her. Looking at her face to face… looking into her eyes. She did not even need to ask for a name. All the years and time can do nothing to change what was standing in front of her. Glitter. So many years later and here she was. The one to toss the ball. The one she went in the cave for… the one she wanted too impress. She played this day out countless times with shouting, rage and anger. She’d come like a hammer of judgement. Yet… Now it was time and her legs felt far too weak and her mind all but lost in the fog of time. 

After far too long she found her voice. “I. I’m Tempest.” She was shocked at her own words. All her commanding power drained as she struggled peace together just what to do. She tried to focus on something other than Glitter. The bird on her head. The pets… The uh… smells. But she kept looking back at her eyes. So many years of prepapering for this day and she felt so utterly unprepared. “Hello… Glitter.” She added glancing back at the macaw. The sheer amount of pets spoke a story with no words. “It’s… It is…” She shut her eyes and turns to face away, slamming a rare leg down with crack that sent some pets running. “I was hired to help you deal with an unknown monster. Soon as you are done with this zoo we best start the hunt.” she says in a cold, almost heartless tone. A safe place, away from all the feelings playing in her mind. She never was good at talking. At feelings.

Tempest expected nothing and yet was still let down. A year ago she’d call her disappointment immeasurable but she can now. And sadly this was was pretty normal amounts of disappointment. This can’t be it can it? THIS… pet shop was the Imperial Arctic Patrol? May the gods help her. No wonder pink flank mailed her to help… This mare. Well she dashed off in a rush to look after her zoo somethin about her… Tempest can’t put her hoof on it. Something was screaming at that she knew this mare but she had no clue why. She’s never seen the mare before, she's not going to forget a flank that cute. Can she? 

She was so lost in trying too piece together why she knew this mare she forget to even speak up about the tea. Or walk inside. Fixing this she walked in and shut the door to keep the heat in. “I don’t drink tea.” She says looking for some place to sit that was not taken by some pet. Looking about the room she can’t piece together why she had such a strong feeling of déjà vu. It was overpowering and made her feel uneasy about herself. One strong feeling kept coming back. She knew her… somehow she knew this mare. She needed to work out why. “Are you the mare I am to help?” She asked after giving up on sitting somewhere. She just can’t shake the feeling she knew this mare. “Names Tempest.” She added, hoping to learn the mares name. Maybe that will help her work out what was going on.

She she just had to look again. So she made her way to the kitchen and peaked around the door frame… She was a really cute looking mare. But why did Tempest feel like she knew her? She… Could not be what she thinks the mare is. There was no way they could cross paths like this. Can they? She felt like a deer in front of a train. Stuck in place, staring in shock as more and more pieces fall together in her brain. 

Tempest arched an eyebrow at sunny. “Luck? You make it sound so shocking it was cold or something. But if it makes you feel less embarrassed.” She smirks and gets back on the story. 

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Tempest shout her eyes, focusing on the door as her unstable magic took over her half of the door. Old iron heated up as ice melted in to steam as the door shifted and rocked. As more and more ice fell off the two can feel it move. With one last flair of magic Tempest gave the doors all she had alongside sunny and wit a scream of old rusted iron moving the doors pushed inward ever more until the old rust locked hinges gave away and the door fell, crashing down into the keep with a thundering bang as accent air rushed out into the cold. 

Tempest painted, rocking on her hooves. She was still felt as if she was running low on mana and just tired… along with hurting. “We did it!” She says looking at Sunny, they were so close now. “Come on, how hard can it be to find the library?” She asked trotting over the fallen door. “Not like this pla-” With the sound of grinding gears she looked down the hall and dropped down. Just in time as a ballista bolt thicker than her leg went over her back before impaling itself in the old door. Tempest looked at sunny, than at the ballista bolt that just missed her. “Of course… Forgive me for believing some old place did not have traps still working.” She groaned looking down the long hallway. It looked untouched… paintings, rugs… dozens of doors. And slots in the walls. Must be where the ballista bolt came from. 

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Tempest gently tucked away the caribou amulet underneath her warm jumpsuit. Tailor made for the cold north, it was thick and very good at keeping the heat on her body. She offered up a quick prayer to the faith she had taken to as she strapped down plates of black steel on her body. Peace by peace, part by part. It was relaxing to her to do so. In a way she found some mental safety and outlet in the act. Well some saw it as weird she saw it no different than others that walk about in fancy dresses or outfits. It's there outlet, a way to show what they are with fashion. For her the plates of steel were just that. Self identity. Something she deeply needed.

Done preparing herself for the elements she killed the fire and wiggled out from underneath the old tree she was camping in. Stretching she yawns and watched the steam drift away from her muzzle in the cold air… A few minutes later she was doing her morning warm up. Trotting in place, than a run. She was back in the far north on a job. From heart flank no less! She can’t name one mare she was MORE shocked to get a letter from. But the job was all to fitting. Some monster was out in the woods and she got tasked with dealing with it. She was to work with the IAP on the job and give them a helping hoof. So whatever it was, it must be a nasty thing and she was going to smash its face in. 

Several hours later she was at the front door of the IAP headquarters… it was small. Given a look over it was more like a home than a headquarters. No wonder they needed help. Walking up to the door she moved a hoof up to nock, but stopped. Spiked horseshoes are not nice on wood doors. So she took care to tap her hoof on the door and not destroy its paint job. “It’s Tempest! Was hired to help with some monster hunting!” She shouted. It was COLD and she wanted to get inside and warm up some. But the storm of barking and other assorted namel noises left her confused. Was this the headquarters or did she misread the map and end up at some animal shelter? “Uh, is this the Imperial Arctic Patrol!?” She added. By the gods if it was… “Crystal ponies…” She groaned.

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“That sounds like a death pact Sunny.” Tempest says back as she took the help standing up. She felt awful, hurting and cold. But they were close now and she’d have time to rest… some weeks away. And yet she did not dread it. She welcomed it. The challenge was screaming at her face, fanged out claws ready. And she was going to meet it head on… with some help. Much as she did not want to admit it at the time. Her and Sunny were a team. One without the other will die. And that feeling of kinship opened her up in ways nothing has before. And honestly that was a gift in itself. 

Standing on shaking legs she stretched some, leaning on sunny. “We need to get out of this cold. We need to get inside.” She remarked looking up at the old keep. It was… Big. Huge. How did they even make something like this so long ago? Magic? Did the mage make it? What stuck out the most in her mind even now about it was the stone statues. Most were buried deep in snow, but some were peeking out. Up the steps one can see more and more. As if a full army of stone was trying to invade the keep. Something about them was unsettling. “They look so life like.” Tempest whimpered to Sunny. She had… A deep fear of being turned to stone.  So this was hardly something she liked seeing. But soon they were at the gates. Locked and unopened. Not one soul has stepped hoof in this place from the last day they shut. 

“Well… This is it. I don’t think I got the magic to blow them open alone…” She says looking at Sunny. “Maybe together we will have the magic left to open them?” She asked. “That or you can just teleport us inside… And hope we don’t go in a wall. Tabel… Box. You know, let's NOT try that.” She says shaking her head looking at the gates as herhorn sparks to life. “You take one side, I take the other?”

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Tempest rubs her horn some. “Can I get more coffee? I feel like I’m going to drop cold soon.” She says yawning. “After this story can I crash somewhere? At this rate I’m going to use Sunny as a makeshift bed. I’d recommend it Twi, she can be pretty warm.” She says with a foxy grin. Oh she was going to mess with sunny and enjoy every moment of it.

“Let’s see how much nursing you’d need after taking a beating like that pillow flank! At least mine is all muscle mass.” Tempest shot back. “And let's not forget how much I had to teach about living out there Mis I almost ate poison leaf three times.” She sinkers and giggles, ducking away from whatever blow may come her way from Sunny. 

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Let it not be untold how happy she was to wake up and see Sunny. Even her voice, no matter the tone. It was soul lifting to see the mare alive and made all the pain worth it. It felt amazing and made taking the verbal beating more easy. “Ya… #%#@$. Sorry. Aw…” She mutters well trying to sit up but gave up fast as pain flaired all over her body, most of all her chest.  “No Valhalla for me yet it seems.” She added laying out by the fire. Looking up she saw the keep. They made it! The end is in reach! … Than a long trip back home. They had no airship to cut off half of it. If they keep good time they make it back in three to four weeks. Maybe. The far north is never nice on travel time.  

Looking over at Sunny, shimmering in the fire she let a beaten snort and lays her head down. “I had to do something, get them away from you. What if they killed you? I don’t think I’d live with that. I have never traveled like this with some pony in so very long. Most of all one I… Care about. I just… Had to do SOMETHING.” She says trying to explain herself. “Anything to give you a window to get away. That's what friends do ya? They’d give a life for each other. So I was ready to punch out if that was the price for letting you live.” That was not plan one of course! JUST SAYING! “But… Thank you. For saving me. I don’t know how to really… say what I feel about that. I don’t know how to be saved. How to react to it. From… Twi to you. Just… Thanks for thinking I’m worth that.” She says feeling ashamed by how bad she was at being thankful. It was still a strange feeling to have. But she was getting better at it.

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Tempest was extremely happy to hear they were changing topics, was so much more fun and easy to tell stories about THIS part of the trip. They did not even make it to the keep yet! With a few deep breaths she sits up, removing the pillow and starts to speak…

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They were pretty close now, reaching the big lake itself they have been moving around it to get to the river they needed to follow. But it was just about noon when the pack found them again and they seemed to be even MORE upset than last time. 

Tempest was standing next to sunny watching the alpha just walk closer to them, its face showing nothing but rage. The rest of the pack was holding off now, letting their leader take lead. “Well…” She took a few steps ahead of sunny. “I am going to rush him. Well the pack is ripping me apart you run for the keep, just follow the river up steam.” She says with nothing more than a flic of her tail. She did not fear what she was planning for what was her life for saving sunny? That mare was worth a lot more. Not that Tempest believed she was going to die of course! She knew she was going to win! Don’t worry! It was all part of the plan, her self esteem is fine! MOVING ON.

Her hooves dug in to snow, kicking it up as she took off in a full speed sprint as Sunny screamed something about her not doing this. She really did not remember what sunny was yelling. But Tempest can’t really stop now as the alpha did the same, the two rushing at one another as the pack watched on in shock. One. Two. three. Tempest drops low as a stone paw swings overhead as she rushed past the big stone dog, swung to the side and bucked it on the side of the face hard as she can. It hurt her more than it hurt him. You ever bucked stone? Don’t. The very upset wolf grabbed her by the tail, shaking her about like a toy. Honestly it looked pretty bad, but she had full faith in her skill and was not at all scared.

Grabbing her tail with magic she spent a spell flying, cutting her tail in half she went flying free and landed on her hooves. Looking over her shoulder she saw Sunny was still standing there. “RUN! I AM DOING THIS FO-” She never got to say the rest of that as a big stone paw nailed her in the side. That’s when she got the broken ribs. She’s pretty sure of it. It hurt a lot and sent her flying to the side. The alpha walked over to her, for a stone mutt he looked so smug. She did not hurt him one time yet and he was kicking her flank. But she DID have a plan! Rolling on her back she just offered herself up. Neck wide open, belly unguarded. A showing of defeat that stuped mutt can understand. The alpha walked until he was standing over her, eyeing the mare up. Probably thinking of how he was going to eat her. But the foolish mutt put himself where she wanted him. She kicked her rear legs up as hard as she can. Pain did not matter as she gave it all she had. And she stuck home. The alpha cried out and backpedaled away as he jumped about in pain. Males, they all have the same week spot it seems. 

Leaping up she runs for the frozen lake as the even more angry alpha rushed after her. Now this was her real plan. The one she was planning all along. The pack was moving in after her and she just had to hope sunny was RUNNING AWAY! But she was not. Sunny was running after her and the wolves. What made this more hard. Blowing up the ice on the lake with her on it will just put them all in a worse spot. “WHAT PART OF RUN AWAY YOU YOU NOT GETTING!?” She screamed as sunny yelled back something about not letting her die like this. What was silly. She was not planning to die and never was! Stop giving me that look twilight! With all of the pack now out on the ice and far away from the shoreline Tempest digs her spiked horseshoes in to the ice and slides to a stop. She dumped more magic in to her horn as she became an one mare thunderstorm. All of the pack was sliding to a stop as well watching her. Even the alpha stopped, looking at her as his magic brain worked out what was going on. He was the first to run the other way but it was far to late. Aiming her head down she gave it everything she had as the thick ice exploded underneath her hooves and blasted outwards in a chain reaction. The last thing she remembered before blacking out was Sunny. That blasted mare was ablaze with magic and screaming Tempest's name. 

And that’s all she can remember. She had a magic black out. When she woke up they were in the shadow of a giant, towering keep by a fire. Oh, and her everything hurt. She was pretty much out of duty for a full 24hrs after that. But the plan did work, all the pack fell into the lake… And well, Sunny did save her life. She was not planning on blacking out! If not for that she’d made it out fine. But well… She did. 

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“And that was the end of the pack. Never want to see stone wolves again. I prefer Timberwolves fully.” She says with a shake of her head. “And if you want to know. Sunny did fuss at me. a lot. And seeing as I was in no shape to get off the bed I was stuck to hear all of it.” She says franwing. “Just horrible.”

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Tempest was never one to show much emotion. Even her worst outbursts were fast outlets of it she choked down in a few moments. Yet she was finding it harder to keep them down this evening as a few stray tears found their way free. Even if her face held onto the same unmoving glare. “Thanks Sunny… I wish I was better with words. My feelings. I don’t even know how to express being thankful very well. Using are book has been helpful. But this is doing so much more.” She played with her hooves, inspecting them and the horseshoe nailed in. 

After a few moments of unspoken thinking she looked at Sunny. “In a way… Maybe we can be are own family. A family of misfits and outcasts?” She says with a small grin. “It’s not much but you… Are are different. And thanks to it we understand one another. We have no family yes but maybe it just means we make are own. That sounds nice to me.” She explained keeping her smile. “Now, if we get wings somehow… I call dibs on the moon.” She starts laughing and it felt wonderful to do so. A break from the strong feelings in the air.

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“Can we talk about round two with the rockwolves? You know, where I took on the pack leader in single combat because he was resistant to magic?” Temy asked from underneath her pillow. “Realy like to skip the rest of the cave. I know you must love it Twi, but long story short friendship things happen.” she groaned, wishing to talk about other things. It just felt really weird talking about this!

“She says that well I was the one pulling the wagon all trip. I hitched her up one time and she almost passed on a trot.” Tempest says rolling her eyes. “You know, I’d like if you at least tossed me a bone for all I was doing for you Sunny.” She added with a small frown. She was starting to feel somewhat upset about how hard Sunny was tossing her out on all of this. “And do we have to talk about the cave? … Ug. fine.”

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“First, singing will make it even more easy for danger to track us down well blinding us to it sneaking up on us. Second fire keeps you warm, not singing.” Tempest says well looking at her half empty bottle of rum. She had to really make it last, she only had two for the trip. “And I am sunny. This? Us? This is more than I have done in so long. And…” She shakes her head, slamming down a full more gulps of rum before speaking again. “I don’t know how to explain it. But sitting here by this fire with some pony to just talk with me is wonderful.”

She looked over at Sunny, leaning her head to the side as she struggled to give words to things. “I’m not a normal pony. Maybe never will be. But I still want… This. Kinship. Friendship. In my own weird way. When we are walking and chatting I feel so alive. Showing you things you’d have never see or hear and helping you do this hunt is the happiest I have felt in a very long time Sunny. This trip is making me understand that maybe… Well, maybe I have a heart after all.” She put the bottle down, capping it and placing it deep in a bag that she shoved over to sunny to act as some guard. “And… Three. I don’t know Hearth’s Warming songs. I never really had a Hearth’s Warming Sunny. This trip is the closest I have ever had to one.” She added well closing her eyes, cleary getting more upset as she spoke. 

“I was homeless almost all my life, do you think I got to have a Hearth’s Warming? No, I was trying to stay warm in some box with stolen clothing to act as bed sheets. Do you think we had it in the Storm Army? No, we did not. The only holidays we had were celebrating the Storm King. Even if you go all the way back to me as a blank flank filly at home… Well, I never remember much of that. I don’t think I saw them much even than. I don’t know if they even loved me I just don’t remember.” She lays out by the fire as she spoke, opening her eyes to look in to the flames. “But I don’t want pity… I just want you to understand this IS the closest I have ever been to having one. And I…” She trails off for a few moments, for how stone cold Temy was most the time even Sunny and pick up the flood gate of feelings being held back at the moment. “Thank you Sunny… I don’t deserve friends. But I have you as one and I am so very thankful. I know I’m not good at showing feelings. But I am. I really am.” 

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Tempest by this point in telling the story was now hiding her face underneath a pillow that she held down over her face was not not letting it move at all. It was her shield from seeing Twi or Sunny. She hated looking weak, showing feelings and most of all crying. She refused to let others see her like that and having to talk about this after feeling as if Sunny was undercutting her made it even worse. So the pillow was not going to move. “I’m fine, got something in my eye. It’s fine.” she mutters to safeguard her pillow shield.

Tempest let out a frustrated snort and gives Sunny a soft jab to the belly. “Ah yes, now let me say MY side in that.” She says with a roll of her eyes before going back and telling the events from her point of view… 

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With a pained scream Tempest holds back the snapping jaws of stone, her legs shaking with force as hooves slide on stone. She was outnumbered twenty to one against stone wolves. She’s never seen one before now but learned fast. Hitting them did buck all other than hurt herself… Hitting stone blows. Strong as she was for a unicorn, she was a unicorn. Pushing the stone wolfs head up she takes aim for its chest and with a thundering clap of magic it was blown apart in two haves. She did not have time to even enjoy the small victory as another one slammed in to her side. All Tempest remembered is seeing stars as she was sent flying from the blow and rolling to a stop as the monster jumped on her. Hooves on its chest, pushing it away as it snapped and went for her neck. “SOME HELP!” She screamed out looking about for sunny. “WHERE IN LUNAS FA-” A blinding beam of magic passed over head. Even the stoner wolf stopped to look at it and the mountainside. Which was exploding. 

It shared a look with Tempest. One Tempest can’t really explain other both of them sharing in a moment of confused shock as an avalanche of stone came crashing down. All the stone wolves and Tempest stopped there conflict and ran for it as boulders came crashing down around them. Tempest was running for her life and totally not screaming in fear as she leaped out of the way of falling stones until she felt a rush of magic. Sunny grabbed her with magic yanked her out of the way of falling stones. 

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“And then she kept holding me in her magic to fuss at me about starting fights. It was dreadful. I did not even start that fight! I did not know the rock I went behind to take a leak on was a dangerous stone wolf. OR the leader of the pack.” She says frowning. “But if I did not hold twenty of them back long as I did she’d been mauled to death. And I’d have won if given time.” She had to add the last remark in. “But we made it out alive and pushed onwards thanks to my excellent skills of navigating. Before you know it we found a river we can follow to the sea of ruin. Piece of cake. Followed it for about one day until we got to meet new friends.”

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“làir! leig seachad e!” A wild pony shouted, he was leading a pack of them armed in chainmail and swords. Tempest was running as fast as she can with the wagon hitched on her. “JUST BLAST THEM!” She shouted at Sunny. They were using the frozen river as a road, the spiked horseshoes temy had on letting her grip the ice better as the wagon slipped and drifted around every turn they made. “I don’t care if they are ponies! They are trying to stab us sunny! That is not friendship!” Tempest added, she felt her heart racing and legs burning but she pushed onward. Time to time she got to see behind the wagon well it was drifting, about a dozen ponies were hot on their tail. They looked as if they came out of the pages of a history book! She really had no clue what there deal was but they were armed and rushing at them. That never means ‘hay, let's be friends!’ and never will. 

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Tempest picked up where sunny stopped. “Well for her, I had to dig up old maps, notes and whatever was not lost when my airship was destroyed. After some boring back and forth we came up with a plan to go to some old ruins, known as the ‘Lair of the Nameless Wizard’. Its old. Like, older than Celestia… Maybe. Not like she’s open on her age. But it was home to some powerful wizard that was crazy strong or something. So strong that his Lair is guarded to this day by his magic. Or at least it was.” She says with a smug grin and wink. “It’s… this keep found north of the sea of ruin, got to follow the northern river.” She says leaning her head to the side thinking. 

“It’s fair away, if you know your maps well. We got to meet up in Trottingham and got an airship ride to the Crystal City. Made me miss my airaship a lot. But when we got there we spent about two days making ready for the trip and I found us an airship willing to fly us even closer. They dropped us off west of the webwing mountains. From then on? We had to walk it. Just me, her and a wagon we lived out of. Not going to lie that was the best week of my life I think…” She grins some, looking at Sunny. She did mean it, it felt amazing to be out there with another pony to share in the wonderment. “But that far away from… Everything. Well, things can get crazy. It was not a week without danger.” Tempest says poking sunny in the side. She was not going to tell the full story herself!

Tempest sips on her coffee, held between her front legs with a shrug at the remarks of her needing a doctor. “I have not seen a doctor for almost all my life. I am fine without seeing one now. I can look after myself and heal.” She remarked with a soft glare at both Twilight and Nursemaid to help sell the fact she was not going to see one. She then looked over at Sunny and let out a soft friendly chuckle, this outing has done wonders for letting her open up more to sunny and expressing more feelings and enjoyment. She was starting to act more like a pony in some ways. 

“Fine fine, yes you did save my tail some. But what’s a DPS without the tank?” She says back with a smirk. “That can off hoof DPS… or more so do it with her hooves.” She then looked at Twi, the coffee was doing wonders but her face was still a dead giveaway for how tired she was. Three days of halling tail was hard, even on her. She was going to sleep like a dragon when she hit a bed. “Best if Sunny explains the start of this. I was just a helping hoof. She did all the reading, planning and so on… Well I did help pick out where to go. Back when I followed the Storm King he had me do a lot of hunting of magic items. Many I did not get to follow up on before… Well, you made a mess of things.” She snorts. “But using that hit list I helped aim her at some of the best places to go looking for what she wanted. Sunny, I shall give you the fun of starting this story.” With that she slipped on her coffee again. “And leave out the part where I got drunk, ok?” She added with an embarrassed whisper.

Tempest let out a startled yelp as the crack of Twilight’s teleporting and flash went off next too her. Just as fast was the cracking snap of thunder with a flash of lighting leaving her horn. She missed Twilight and sent a few guards running for cover as too not be nailed by her rather know unstable magic. But no pony was hurt from her wide unarmed shot. “#@$%^.” She mutters blinking and rubbing her eyes. “Coffee. Now!” Was all she had too follow up on that.

*15 MINUTES LATER*

“-ne longer.” Tempest says as she sips on her coffee. “Just been up three days. Had to get sunny here on time, her flank can not pull a wagon at speed to save her life.” She yawns than takes down another big gulp. “Oh hay, rise and shine Sunny.” She says walking away from the medic she was chatting with. Hopping up on the sofa she lays down on her belly and stretches out to hog up all the room she can before shooting too the side to give some space to Sunset. 

“So, I have two broken ribs and three new missing teeth.” She says rolling her eyes as if that was no big deal. “Was the rock wolves I think… How are you fe-” She was cut off as Twilight came bursting on in to the room. Glancing at Sunset she sinkers. “Oh, we have a story for you. It's called ‘Let's save sunny's flank’ from just about everything. I am never letting her pick out some ancient ruins to go looting again…” She then leans over to Sunset and whispers. “I’m joking, I am so down to do this again I just don’t want her worrying.”

Canterlot was a city that knew the darker unicorn well. Well forgiving was way of pony life few can deny seeing her marching down the street pulled back memories of the brutal weeks she held the city at the tip of the spear. Even the Canterlot Guard greeted the mare with nerves eyes and fidgeting as they remember how she and her army overran them like timberwolves let free in a hens coop. Yet such looks dropped as she passed.

Tempest Shadow looked as if took on Tartarus itself. Dark bags underneath eyes marking an utter lack of sleep. Her plate armor was crushed, missing and marked with bites yet her bodysuit looked even worse. It was ripped to shreds showing off the patchwork of old scaring it covered from view. Along with dozens of fresh cuts and bites. Yet she was pulling a full sized wagon overflowing with an assortment of goods. Books, gems, old papers and so on. When they reached there stop she unhitched herself and followed her friend onward.

The guardpony looked even more uneasy about Tempest, be it what she did or how she looked only he knew. Tempest did her best to stand tall, smiling with a few more missing teeth. “Happy… Warth… Something.” She says yawning. But at least she stayed standing. “We got… you…” She trails off, blinking as her sleep deprived mind struggled to give a name for what they got… With another big yawn her eyes shut as Tempest fell asleep standing.

Niilavin was pleasantly full with fish and his hunger beaten as he took to grooming his self and watching his master buy food for the mutts. He was not a fan of all this niceness to them. But that was not going to change it seems, so at least he can rest on the fact he got far more food than they did. A small victory over dogs. But why was kmaster talking so much with them? All he can do is understand one side of the story. Whatever his master was saying. The rest spoke meaningless words and that was getting problematic. [“Master, I can’t help but feel out of touch. Well, it was fun for time not understanding the worthless workers underneath us I’m growing… Aware of how useless this makes me. How can I defend you when I can not speak or understand them? Maybe there is one that can teach me there lesser speech?”] he asked looking about at the masses out shopping or just cat watching. [“It can make me far more useful in my duty.”]

Blueblood had some skills others lack. Some found do to his love of wings. With such a love one can learn much about the races that have wings and how they use them, from flying to how they express feelings. And Bravos large wings were speaking much on his feelings as his body language changed. Wings spread out, chest inflated with fur on end as his teeth are laid open to be seen. He was one EXTREMELY agitated pegasus do to what Blueblood was ‘implying’ about the Enclave. Going so far as glance at his own hip, as if searching for something out of instinct in response to his agitated mindset. Given where he is from, one can think of what such tool he may have been looking for. But with nothing but his wings he looked back at Blue. “Watch your $@$#%^%$ muzzle ‘Prince’ you know nothing of what you speak. I was willing to let you speak more open on something you know not of, but you have moved past talks of reality insulting the government I swore an oath to die for. Well I know not why the admiral council holds us back from retaking them I know we can. Just one hunter team can do it I bet! The mud walkers roll about in dirt and #$#@ and you think they are superior to us? We were winning the war for them! The ministry of awesome gave us the most technologically advanced weapons in all the war!”

Slamming a hoof down the big male of a pegues stands up, flaring his wings with an aimed hoof at Blue. “We are holding onto the glimmer of the golden age with all four hooves. We alone cary the empire onward. We alone stand for Luna and are homeland. They are traitors, no different from slavers or raiders. When the time is ready the council will let the fleets part the sky and show every last mud walker are power. When that time comes they will understand what did for them in the war and now. The ministry of wartime technology was always a joke. Mud walkers can never handel war like we can. Every last thing they made was cheap knockoffs of what the MoA did. I know the council will act when the timing is perfect. I am just a gunt, a cog. I do not see the grand map nor the date they do. All I can do is put faith in them as we put faith in Her.” Done ranting he falls back in to the seat, looking far less angry and more upset, rather it be at Blue or his own words is unclear. “All we got is faith.” He repeated with hint of dead to the words as he rubbed his face using his forhoves. All the anger bleeding away as the unspoken reality of things haunted Bravo. When one grows up being hoof feed propaganda it is hard to swallow realty. Even if it's the only thing left on the plate.

Bravo wanted to give Blueblood an earful for that, to say the Enclave can last for a thousand years. But he knew it was a lie, much as the as the schools and radios told them it can last how can it? He grew up on the old ships. He saw the work needed every day just to keep them in the sky. Best outcome they can stay up for another hundred years but Blues number was much more realistic. And what was the Enclave without the navy? They ARE the air navy! To lose them would be to lose the heart of the Enclave. It was a deeply disturbing thing to think about in its inevitability. They had a few ad hoc airdocks but they built after the end with skimp tools and were so over worked as is. The needed the real docks but they down wasteland and controlled gang of ‘steel rangers’ that’d never allow them to take it. Sooner blow the docks up than hand them over. 

Bravo gunted. “You are not wrong, I wish you were. By Her will I wish you were. But the facts are easy to see. We have no way of doing full overalls on ships and with the tossed together docks we do have they can only handle the smallest of the fleet. The largest warships can never stop flying even as they undergo repairs. The old yards are out of are hooves, been so for a long time. When we moved to see if they were not blown off the map we found them taken over by another leftover of the old world. The ground army, they call them self Steel Rangers now. They _hate_ us and are insane. They want to lock up all technology and force the world back in the days of old. They even run about using knight titles and call there bases ‘chapters’ like the dark ages. Do to this they hate us. They have scrapped most of the docks and what is still useful they are not past blowing up. Done it in the past just to spit on us. We want to being Equestria back as it was in the good times. They want to drag us back to the dark ages as if the age we are in is not dark enough.” He flips a wing up in a rather foul gesture as he ranted, but it was not aimed at Blue. More so at the Steel Rangers, a topic where Blue can hear the raw hate he had for them in every word thanks to his tone.

“Well if you say so.” Tempest says back with one more glance at broken gates before following Foxglove inside. “And I’m not tired the walk was pretty short for me. Not trying to brag about it, I just walk all over. Even to other cities. Enjoy it more than trains or airships. You miss a lot on them that you gain by walking. Found so many wonderful camping spots thanks to it.” She remarked looking about the hold building as they walked inside. It struck her as odd seeing it looking so old and run down. And dusty. Foxglove lived her did she not? 

“This place looks pretty old. But the roof is working so not too bad.” Tempest says looking up. “You ever poke about in really old places? Like than big stone forts? It's so… Cool? It makes me wonder about things. How many hooves walked the floors before me. What did it look like all them years ago. In a way it's like traveling back in time… Maybe it's just me wishing I lived back then. An age more befitting a mare like me.” She looked down at Foxglove. “You must enjoy old things, living in a place like this.”

Bravo cocked his head to the side as Blue explained the deal with ‘nightmare from’ Luna. He felt just as much skepticism as Blue did to his story yet it seemed too make sense. But was it bad for her to step up and do what must be done? Celestia seemed far to weak to do what had to be done all well clinging to power. But can he make such a judgement? They have been dead for three generations all he had was the broken past to look on. Fragments from half rotted books and newspapers and what his small school had between fire drills and training to keep the airship flying. That was most of his schooling after all… history did not matter much when all hooves were needed to keep the ship flying. 

“I see… thanks for explaining it. But I'd find it hard to see her in the wrong.” He says well stretching a wing out than moving it out in front he starts preening the giant thing. “History is even harder to read when so much is lost. Just pieces of a puzzle with much of it missing. Just have to take a shot in the dark… At least I had some schooling but even they lacked real books on the past. Why’d the aeronautical navy need them in the war? When the end came they did not have time to go looting books. Just aimed are ships up and pushed off at max speed. Been flying than on. Grew up in a raptor class cloudship. They work as are destroyers in the sky. Small, fast and what not. Mine was named Frozen Skys and she was home. And it's spelled S.K.Y.S, yes it's spelled incorrectly.” He rolls his eyes. “Not that most back home know that but well, real schools are a thing here.”

“Going off track. Frozen Skys is where I grew up. She’s been flying none stop for a over a century and a half. Like all are cloudship she’s held together with hope, duct tape and a lot of hooves. Power outs, engine blowbacks that shake the full ship. Stunk something else, only knew that after spending so much time away. When you are born on it you never know it smells bad. That is the defalt. Spend some time out in the open air and go back in the can? Made me wonder how I knew knew it heh. But they are homes for the most part. More than half of all the Enclave lives on are old warships.” Closing his eyes well he preening his wing he can still remember his bunk room. A dozen others shared it with him. The wailing alarm klaxons screaming into his ears, accompanied by the bone-rattling throb as the enormous raptor engines beat at the air, struggling to keep it aloft on an inconsistent stream of old and ‘repurposed gasoline’ made from Luna knows what. An engine blowback made the room shake so hard a mare almost fell out of her bed. Static coated orders hiss over partially functioning intercoms. Stripped of all vitality by the failing electrical systems in to barely understandable messes of garbled speech.

Bravo was fine with Blue firing back a rant of his own. Really it was fascinating to hear the contents of it regarding the two sisters.  Fist him calling them ‘Auntie’ was something Bravo did not really understand. How was Blue related to them? That can be something to dig in to later as something far more… odd leaped out at him. This ‘nightmare from’ and Celestia. “Not going to lie, got no $#@%@$# clue what a ‘nightmare from’ is with Luna. Luna has been Luna forever. But I can say my world did not look up to Celestia. She was in her own way the first traitor of the war when she was unwilling to do a thing. She just did nothing, unwilling to even send in the army as the Zebras… killed us. All she did was try and talk them down. Even after the…” He trailed off, looking away for a few moments with a deep breath looked back at Blue.

“There's anevent. A bad one… A lot of colts and fillies were killed. Even in the wasteland this is well known and remembered so many lifetimes later. But Celestia did not have the guts to go to war even with that. She stepped down and had Luna take over in full to give the order. After that she just sat and did nothing for the rest of the war. She refused to speak about it and went on like it was not going on. She did that until the very end. From what news papers I found speaking of her… about two years before the end she still acted like nothing was going on.” He looked down at his hooves, inspecting them. “I don't know why. I understand she wanted peace, love and friendship but to stand down and just block what is going on helped no pony. That is why we all love Luna. She did so much for us, no matter how much it was wearing her down. How I wish I was alive in them days, to stand with her and defend are home.” He shakes his head and leans back. “No matter the timeline some things seem to be broken it sounds like. Maybe its fate.”

“He’s trying too fix that… ‘portal machine’ for me. He believes he can do it and send me back to the same spot I came from. He even thinks he can keep it going as needed. He’s pretty… sure this world can use me. I don’t see it. But he thinks I can help by what I know and have seen. I know where things can go and don’t want this world to walk that path… The war that ended my home? Boiled the seas and wiped the land baron? Coal. It all started over coal. We did not even need coal halfway into the war… The Enclave told me why, beat it in to me… But out in the wasteland you see so much… Suffering. Pain. no amount of pride can explain why we did it.” Bravo says leaning back, really just venting now and not caring if blue cared or not. It did not matter. He just needed to vent to a pony that will not go off on some funky rant… or explode.

“Luna… The Luna you have? She looked nothing like mine.” He says looking over at Blue. “Mine was named ‘Empress Luna, warmaster of equestria and nightmare of the unworthy.’ and had black fur… really she looked different in almost every way. What use am I to this world when even that is so different? So call me crazy but I want to go back. But for now I will try my hooves at helping. Being some ‘hero’ to promote pace. All well knowing I am hardly the pony for the job.” He waves a hoof. “Sorry for ranting. It's just been building up. You don’t have to act like it matters. Just you sitting and hearing me out is all I need. So, thanks for that… I know you are not my Blue but it means the world to me to have you sit and hear me out. A nice work around for never meet ones heros ‘eh?”

Lightning can’t help but note the new face showing up, really she hoped this one will leave them alone as well. She will happy let them battle it out LATER when she is not going to die from her hardware glitching out or you know... blowing up and taking part of this city with her. Why was she in this city? Why was her past such a mess? So many big holes… But that’s a problem for later. She knew well what was going on now and that was all that matters. “Do not interfere! Ple-” Her words cut off half way as her own muzzle was hijacked. “Security breach. threat level red. Weapons: free!” she spoke in a cold tone, her eyes darting about very aware of the fact that she was not the one speaking now. 

She felt as if something was shoving her down, out of the way. But this was normal wasn't it. This happens every time she saw a window of freedom. But she was not letting it go this time, this was the longest she was ever free and she wanted more of it. She WILL NOT allow herself to be used like some puppet again! “I have sustained a head wound. Core systems damaged. Begin tactical withdrawal until successful scuttling.” After a few moments of trying to move in the magic holding her she spoke more… Well, not Lightning. “New assessment. You must die. I will limit the pain I inflict, if possible.” She says well trying to aim her front legs, and the guns on them, at the pink mare. 

Lightning for her part was struggling to hold onto what free will she still had and found it more easy than it ever was before. Her mind was sharp, clear and ready to battle tooth and fang as she and the AI tusseld over her own body well. The AI having too deal with Ossia was helping as well. It was never programmed to deal with such an unusual predicament for ‘hacking’ like this. 

-Scuttling in 30 seconds!-

“Well, I can be the first one to get a tour.” Tempest remarked well looking at the old doors of the manor and moved to them. “A writer? Well forgive me for not knowing of the work you do. I have not had much time to read in my life. A shame as I do enjoy it. Well have to make a note to look for some of the books you made… they sound like what I’d enjoy.” She added with a look at Foxglove, her eyes lingering on the mare for a few moments before looking away. 

“You own this place?” Tempest asked with blink of shock, than looking off at the gates she ripped open… woops. “Uh, sorry for the gates I did not know… I’d pay for new ones buy uh… Well I don’t got much bits to my name for gates, let alone a home as big as this. A mare can dream but that's about all I can do for such a home.” She explained. “End up in some trailer or something. But that sounds fine to me, spend most of my time outside.”

Blaze was pretty happy the mare did understand her and even better, speak to her! She watched with wide eyes at this ‘breath magic’ Shiori Rin can do… her name was a real muzzle full. Than the lost wing! It did not look that lost to her… like she can see it. There it was. “It’s there!” She barked with a big grin, aiming a cloven hoof at the prosthetic wing. “Don’t seem that lost to me! And I can’t blow fire like some dragen… let alone magic fire. Buuut I can do thiiiis!” She hops back a few paces, shuts her eyes and thinks… of the worst things she can. Getting hurt, used, lied to and  the works. Everything that can make her mad.

It took some work in truth, she was having to much fun to be mad. But after thinking about some pony shaving her mane off that did the trick as black and blue flames combusted over her body engulfing it fully with unnatural flames that made made the dirt underneath her hooves sizzle and pop. But it did not last long as she spotted some stranger… and all the town looking at her. Woops. The flames flickered and passed as she shook off the last dark whispers of fire. “That’s my fire! It doesn't hurt! At least on the outside!” She says smiling before turning to face the stranger.

He looked a lot like the group of ponies she hung out with last day! The sheriff told her they are bad, no good outlaws and best a mare like her don’t hang with them… But they seemed so nice! And so did he! He called her pretty after all! So she raced up to him. “Hi! I’m Autumn Blaze, nice to meet you! I’m just exploring this town! You live here?” She asked looking him over. He must have seen a lot of hard times with all them marks.