Dusty

“Flapjacks?” Tempest asked, somewhat shocked by the change of gears. But one she was fine with. Food sounds good. “Not had that… in a very long time.” she added thinking on it. “Last time I had some I was just a small filly. Be nice to enjoy them again” She stretched out and followed Applejack. “Got timberwolves? I can deal with them for you.” She offers. “When I move on I will head out in the woods and hunt them down.” She shrugs. 

Tempest looks about the home, taking her time to do so. She looked like a lost mare as she gently walked about and stopping to look at… just about everything. But most of all family photos. They really drew her as she gazed at them with no hint to what she was feeling about it. That same cold face blinked at them, moving from one to the next. “Ya.” She mutters, leaning down to look at one framed photo… Then something clicked. She looked back for AJ but the mare was gone. “Is… She a mother?” Tempest asked to nopony before looking back at the photos. Someing deep in her... did not know how to feel. It was unnerving. 

Tempest felt like time itself stopped as she stared up at the roaring monster. Fear. Pain. Fear. She was never strong enough to stop it. Her horn failed. Her legs gave out. She was never strong enough. Unmoving she watched it come down, jaws wide swallow her in to the pit of darkness…

-Tempest!- Her ears flick. -Are you alright?!- She was alone… so alone… what was talking? She felt hooves… Than her eyes opened for real. 

Scrambling up on her hooves she trips over herself in a panic, panting hard as her eyes darted around. Sitting on her flank she stays put gasping for air as her heart pounded. She looked at Sunset, eyes focusing on her as Tempest remembers where she is. This was Sunsets falt! Sunset betrayed her! She… She took the magic. Tempest’s rage held back. Her magic… With a shaking hoof Tempest touches her own horn. “M-magic… Give… give it back.” she mutters, her voice shaking with fear. For all her rage and lust for battle the mare in front of Sunset seemed more like a scared filly than a battle hardened veteran. So lost in her own fears she did not know her magic was back already.

Tempest started down the giant fox, unflinching as its muzzle filled with green flames and fang. She steps closer, her horn thundering as the thatch roof underneath her hooves smolders and smokes from the rolling storm of magic flowing down her body like a living lightning rod. Hooves space out, horn aims. She did not plan to hit the fox, they were not out here to hurt her after all. But if the fox was going too show off so was she! 

Than a spell hit her. Tempest was taken back from the shock as her magic sputters out. Betrayed! That word screamed in her head. She was Betrayed. Swinging her head to aim at Sunset, her eyes full of rage. Than nothing… The rage faded away from her face as her eyes go wide. “No.” She mutters, trying to channel her magic again. “No no no no no!” Is the only word leaving her muzzle as she back pedals and looks up at the giant fox. Towering. Fangs. Just like the ursa. She saw it replay in her head. A small helpless filly with no magic. Helpless, screaming for her life. 

Tripping over her own legs Tempest falls off the thatch roof out of view of the others well they were busy talking to Yanhua. In her panic and fall she failed to what see happened between Feng and the fox.

“Well, I think the bull story made him shy and run.” Tempest says looking back at Applejack. “So, still stuck with me.” She added with soft grin of enjoyment as she stretches her legs out from all the running about in mud. She was very dirty now, her hide a mix of mud, dirt and sweat yet she was none to bothered by it. Baths are a luxury most ponies never understand is a luxury. Same for fresh drinking water but that’s a tangent for another day. 

She looked out over the farm and clear skies. Really this was what she grew up in. Well it was no farm life the lands outpost towns and cities was her home. How many farms did she see? Roads? Rivers? Can she ever settle down? She did not know yet. But for now this was what she needed. Looking back at AJ she watched the mare work. That was a Mare she can get behind. Working every day, feeling blessed for what she had and not shying away from work that will leave most laid out on the ground. Can they be friends? AJ may think so but something clawed at the back of Tempest’s feelings saying they can’t be. She can’t have friends. She’d never fit in with them. AJ had plenty. “So, what’s next boss?"

“What in the name of…” Tempest muttered as walked down a road from good bit of running. One of the better parts of this place was the farmland outside of town. The weather was pretty nice all year long. Not too hot, not too cold. Lots of open farmland. Can’t ask for better weather or views for a good run. But what she was not expecting walking back to her renting room in ponyville was this. She did want to stop by and greet AJ… She did like the mare, of all the element holders she was her favorite. Just the most down to earth, easy to talk to. Honestly she was a good mare and if Tempest was less nervous about friendships she’d be so blunt as to call AJ a good one. Maybe her best. … if one can have a best friend when they had none. 

Walking past the short line she looked at the booth, ear flicking as she looked at AJ and reads the text. Arching an eyebrow she had to read it again. Something about this was…. Funny. Buy some apples and get a kiss from AJ? Pifff, why’d some pony what that? Well the kiss part. That’d just be weird. She was just some earth pony. And one of the element holders! … And strong. Caring. Hard working. Cares about her family and will do whatever it takes for them… Well now she was just staring and making this weird. Looking away she gazed at the short line. Well… She will just get some apples and say hello. Moving to the back she gets in to the line.

Tempest slides to a stop on the roof, looking at the now giant fox in aw. For a blink of an eye she saw that… Bear again. But she choked down that feer. This looked nothing like it. “Well this is new.” She says blinking, then grins as here horn flairs to life with a thundering clap of power. She had no plans on hurting the fox, not at all! But if the fox wanted to play hard ball she was going to do the same. “GOOD SHOW!” She yells up at the fox. “IS IT MY TURN?!” She shouted as her horn sparked with power that rolled over her body like a thunderstorm.

“I joined to do my duty for the Hurricane Conglomerate!” She barks back at the pink mare. “Fame, cred and all one can hope for is easy when you join the Hurricane Conglomerate Enforcer Core!” She added like some advertisements… It was not to far from the truth… maybe. But her rank did come with some fun… favors. Shame Rainbow was found to be working with Runners… so shameful. The look on that mares face when she worked out how utterly dead she was about to be. 

But such daydreaming must come to an end… the battle was heating up! Shield was taking some heavy blows from the pink mare. What was she? The battle AI was overclocking itself keeping up with every new trick she was pulling out. Jut how many tricks did she have? She can’t track and pre-plan every single one! 

-Contact lost-

Do what now? How did she lose conta- ….

Ow. 

-OS rebooted-

-All systems: Online-

-Enforcer states: Offline-Danged-

-Implants states: Offline-Danged-

Well that’s not good. She felt… something going on. But she was blind and deaf to whatever was going on. Her core systems were working at least but she must have taken one heck of a blow. 

-diagnostic test starting-

Well that was going to be fun. Here's hoping she did not die or something until it fixed itself. 

-ERROR: failed to content to ECCM-

-ERROR: failed to content to CCNW-

Oh not again! 

-----

Kōkina Kyūkei at least had more luck. Thanks too LD being… offline thanks to a pink alicorn leaving a hoof print on her face Kōkina Kyūkei’s nanite transmitters got a head start in scanning the mare well she was down. And what first drips of data Kōkina Kyūkei got was very alarming in how powerful the energy source for LD was and how advanced she was. For all Neighpon had this mare outclassed them by a few decades .

---

“Ugh…” LD moans as her eyes booted up. About time… Still can’t move yet. Or hear. She looks about at all the smoke and fire… the heck did she miss?

A gasp of air forced its way out of Lightnings muzzle as she hit the ground with force from Hogo-sha’s slam. He was getting far more aggressive! Seeing the paw rising up she knew what was coming and by the hair of her hide rolled out of the way in time. Spinning on to her chest before leaping up with the help of all for legs. Bouncing back to get a moment of space before she rushed back in knowing he’d not let her rest long. Moving at him as if to charge with her antlers she held onto the last moment before pulling her head to the side, digging her front hooves in and spinning her flank out front to deliver a sweep at the dogs legs to knock him over. 

Niilavin stretched out like a cat, claws digging up grass before he lays out in the sun as his master took to leaning against his side to talk with the mutts. Looking out at the park his eyes followed a few flying pegasus… They made him feel hungry. If only one got closer… Looking over at his master he leans his head to the side, than looks at the mutts more. What was so fascinating about them? He was about to speak up on it but the sound wings took his gaze back to a few flying onlookers. 

So close… pulling himself up the large cat-pony moved in to a crouching hunt as he slowly walked away from Blue and closer to the nearist hovering pegasus. “[Come now, come closer… Do you wish to play a game of riddles?]” He asked, but the lucky  pegasus can’t understand the sphinx and its offering and did not respond or come closer. Niilavin felt confused at first but the fact of the matter hit him soon… it can’t understand him. Did that mean it lost the game? He did not know… Can one lose the game if they never understand it to play?

Oh this was… boring. Tempest had a flawless shot at jumping the fox here and now but what fun will that be? She was only warming up! So she just watched the fox run past the shocked Sunset with an uncaring smirk before turning and running alongside the rooftops following her pray. The hunt was fresh and the games only just starting. “Come now fox~ Is this all you have!?” She shouted down at Yanhua. “You are a beast of magic! Show me what you can really do!” she added before leaping to the next rooftop.

What power did this fox have? Shape shifting was one. But there must be more… fire? Her tails did end in green flames. Tempest wanted to see what this magic fox can do. Rather or not the others liked this did not mean much in the face of some real fun. They’d get her in the end, why did they care how long it takes? She’d hoped Feng may understand that but even he seems to want to make this as boring as one can. A pitty.

“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.