Dusty

Niilavin just rolls his eyes at his master's remarks. “[Given that I am the first of my breed you have seen I don’t know how much help that is.]” He says as they make their way to the river. He watched his master jump in and play about in the water with a frown. He really was going to do this. The fun of making his master look like a cat was soon lost in this fact. He -hated- water. But this was his fate…

So with grumpy hiss he got closer and paws at the cold water. “[This is dreadful to the extreme master, if not for the magic bounding me i’d sooner jump in mud.]” With his hatred of this voice again he walked in to the pool well whimpering in discomfort at the feeling. He stopped when the water was reaching his back. “[this is as far as I can go master… I can not swim. So do not force me deeper, I wish to not die today.]” He explained as he walked along the bottom of the lake, never straying deeper than his back as he moved about.

Under most situations running in the untouched woods of the north hot on the trails of some beast is an extremely good time. At least for Tempest. This was her bread and butter in a way. Yet she found her focus on it hazy, lost in the fog of times past. Vices, places and memories ran alongside her. Try as she did to out pace them her past held on to her tail, unrelenting to in its grab to not be forgotten again. Yet push on she did. It was all she could do. 

Run, run and run. Run from her past. Run from her feelings. It was distracting and all consuming as the world around her passed away. It was just her, show and tracks. Tracks that were making some deep part of her past scream out in alarm. She has seen them before. Locked away in some deep forgotten pit of her own making. But she can’t hear it. One more voice lost in the strain of her own need to shut them all up. She did not need help. She did not need Glitter. No room for argument. 

Yet that creeping feeling did not go away. Dread… She was feeling dread. More and more the pieces were falling together as repressed memories come free from places long forgotten. Something that can’t be. Yet it was. The realization came far too slow as her brain worked out what she just did. What she just ran after full speed. She saw it as soon as… It did. The silence was killed by the roaring call of the ursa, enraged at the intruder that was charged headlong at it. 

Tempest just felt the world dropping out from underneath her hooves as she falls head over hooves. Legs failing her in panic as her eyes look up at the ursa in fear. Raw, unbroken fear. She didn't even scream as her legs desperalty flailed in the snow to drag herself away from the enraged ursa. She felt it move in her very bones. The thumping of giant paws as she dug and pulled herself in the deep snow like some helpless fly in a web. All rational thoughts are lost in one unrelenting panic. All her training, magic and power was made useless in one moment as panic over takes all other forms of thinking.

All she has done was leading up to this. From that moment in the cave she swore to be strong. To be powerful. No matter the cost to herself or others. Kingdoms crushed. Families shattered. How many felt like she did now? How many watched their home destroyed beneath her airships, helpless to stop it? All the suffering she’s unleashed on this world and here she was. Crawling away with tears in her eyes and a heart ready to explode out of her chest. She did unspeakable things for power. But for what? She fell like a house of cards. Helpless. Worthless. Rolling on to her back she stared at the ursa as it towered over her. The night sky given horrible life to torment all it found. An unrelenting juggernaut of death. Fizzy was meant to die in that cave and death finly caught up with her.

“[Oh not at all master!]” Niilavin says looking back at Blue. “[But the gift of flight is something I can not give you. That is magic far outside of my reach shamefully.]” he explained and it was the truth. Such magic was out of his range of skills. He just left out the part of the wings being uttley fake. Just how long will master think they are a sphinx? That was the game to be had and with luck, it shall make this… bath at least fun to partake in. “[come along now master, you can marvel at how pretty you are at the river. Unless you wish to skip this bath and look at yourself all day. You are a fine looking sphinx after all. Just on the… short side.]” Niil adds with a soft chuckle but it did leave a lingering thought about all of this. If he was the last of his race no illusionary Magic will fix that… Maybe he needed to start looking for permanent solutions. Just in case. But that was a worry to tuck away for later. He was young with meany, many years ahead. 

Niilavin was… excited! He’s yet to use much of his magic around his master. But to use it on them? Well, it was a first. One he planned to make the most of. but first, something of a show as he swings his tail back and forth and waves a paw for the maids to watch. He’s found ponies more easy to trick with flashiness. Not that his magic was fake, not at all, but his magic was the art of mirages. And the best tricks needed to have some unf to the lead up. 

So with a shimmer of magic over a paw he slams it down just out of view and yanks the wing up. In place of a female unicorn was a white sphinx. The same overall size of Bluebelle but a pony she was not. Paws to feline ears she was nothing short of the spitting likeness of a female sphinx! And to top off the look were two white wings rested on her back. Niilavin eyes up his work… Not a bad looking sphinx if you asked him. Shame Blue really was just a pony. But for how she was one… in looks. Her sphinx...ness? Was nothing but an illusion on top of a pony. But a finely crafted one by all means. “[that’s more like it… But before you go leaping off a cliff, the wings do not work master. You will drop like… Well, a unicorn that jumped off a cliff.]” He says turning away from her to get back to his march to the river as if nothing of note happened. “[Come on master, let's get this bath done with. At least now I have a sphinx drooling over my wings.]”

Niilavin holds his fanged grin as he almost prances ahead of Blue before turning sound to face her. “[Well master, you want me to be comfortable so I wish to help you. Now, close your eyes. You can trust me, I can not ever harm you after all.]” He says opening a wing out to hide blue from view of the maids. Broken lines of eyesight are extremely important for his magic to work. It is hard to trick the view of one if they saw the trick happen after all. “[I think you will enjoy it master.]” he added with wink to help sell it. Even if Blue did like this it was more… for his own fun and games. He was not going down to get all wet without playing it his way… 

Niilavin honestly did not know how to respond to that with a witty remark. His new master was a very… odd one but he knew that early on. It was more so the bravery of this new master that kept shocking him. They seem to be fearless when it came to following what they wanted. It was something worry of his respect as much with how they used the power they had. Master worked hard to never force something. They had the power, a few words and Nil will HAVE to do what they wanted… but the master went out of the way not too. 

He looked down at the pony, eyeing her up. If only the master was a sphinx, they'd make for a fine one. “[Yes, if you must do so than as a mare is much more welcomed master. But you are… Master. It just seems so… odd for you to do this work. You have many servants. But you seem all so keen on getting dirty first hoof.]” He remarks before a grin takes his muzzle. “[Master… If you will it, May I use my magic on you? I wish to see something.]” He asked as the grin takes in to a fanged smile. He just wanted to see something… for the fun of it. And how master reacted.

“[A bath in the river?]” He asked more too himself than blue with a grumpy roll of his eyes before following his master. At least it's out of the way. Hopefully. He’d hate to have the unwashed masses see him like that! A wet cat never looks good. But this was how it shall be… At least he can make it fun. “[Master, I am well aware of this love. From the looks you give mine to the looks your honor guard gives to you. But having you clean my wings feels… rather personnel. Cleaning each other for sphinxes is something… Rare and given only to court. To have you clean me is… Well.]” He explained well they walked with a small army of maids tagging along. Nil wished he didn't wave away his servants now, having some music well he washed may have been nice. 

Tempest did not make it all too far. Soon as she felt alone all drive to push on dropped out underneath her like her own legs. She did not even stop her own fall as she landed in the snow. Cold. Upset. Crying. She had every moment too try and FIX something. but she broke it more. That’s all she ever did. Break things. There is no glory or greatness found here just another testament to her failures. But such an outcome was bound to happen. Such is the fate of one like her. She is nothing but a failed pony, tainted to the core with no hope of salvation. She tries and tries only to fall all the more hard. Her one use was being utterly expendable and walked over as that’s all she’s done. No matter her power, no matter her pride what has it gotten her? Nothing. Time after time life has made it clear she was utterly worthless. 

And it was a miserable fact. Why did she even try? Why did keep going on as that giant boulder of misery drags behind her? Why did she still believe there was something worth trying for? That tiny voice that just never shuts up. Even over the howling roars of darkness it keeps going. Hope was a silly thing. Hope for what she can’t say. Happyness? Love? To feel like she was worth something? Whatever it was that fillies hopeful voice never let her give up. 

Pulling herself up from the show she shakes clumps of it off and looked back the way she ran from. Can she go back? After that? She can do this alone… Can’t she? Looking away from that path her eyes fell on some large tracks… she did not make that. They were not filled in by snow and given that it snowed all day… they must be fresh. Looking down the path deeper in to the woods she felt… uneasy. The size of them were… alarming. And it did lead from the barn… … she can’t go back yet. Not after what she did. Turning down the trail she follows it to see where it may lead.

Master was not going to let him get out of this it seems. Looking at the army of maids and the medallion he let out a long desperate whining wimper. There was nothing he could do about this, his Master's will was infallible and it was better to act on his own than be forced to take the bath at the end of magic chains. “Fine.” He says with a frown before shaking his head and looking down at his Master. “[So Master where do you want me to take this bath? And you can not wash my wings, it may destroy them. I know you’d hate to see them ruined.]” He explains well stretching one wing out. 

Tempest stopped as Glitter rushed in front of her, she honestly did not think the mare was going too have the guts to do that. But it may have been better if Glitter did not. “Never abandoned? Is that what you call leaving me? You stopped inviting me over, stopped coming over and tried to keep away from me. Every time I reached out you found some way to run off and leave me. You were my best friend, my most trusted. And you along with every pony abandoned me. You. him. My own FAMILY!” She shouted the last part, the cold tone bleeding away in to rage. “No pony loved me! No pony wanted me! Did they even look for me when I ran away? Did they even care? I never saw one hint of it. Not one poster, not one story told of a lost filly. Nothing. I was broken and tossed to the side like some toy! That is what I lived with! My life is WORTHLESS! Do you even understand what it is like living with that? I am no different than a broken toy tossed to the side and forgotten. I am used and discarded. Every time I believed I found my calling, my use, it's ripped out from underneath me!” She slaps her hoof over the snow, tossing up a flurry of it in rage as she screams at Glitter. 

Looking away from Glitter she shut her eyes. This was miserable. Why was this happening? She can’t deal with this! “You were more than a BFF glitter.  When you were gone I understood it.” She says with all  the anger giveing away underneath the raw emotional stress crushing down on her into sadness. She can’t deal with this. She can’t. So she did all she could do… And just ran and a random direction. Did not matter where it was going, she just needed to get away from this and track the monster down. She had a job to do.

Niilavin just blinked at that. He honestly was not expecting that to be what Master wished. “[I cleaned myself this morning Master. I see no need for me to be washed.]” he says back hoping it will get him out of the bath. What cat -ever- wanted to in a bath? It’s horrible! You get all wet! But he had no way saying no, he just had to talk his way out of it before he was told to take it. “[If you wish I can do so again…]” He added, lifting a leg up to start licking it well looking at blue. It was a long shot, but he was not about to roll over and accept this fate without puting up something of a fuss. 

“What we plea will be a faithful end decree, where a stallion will not retreat from the defeat of his fathers. A time has come for battle lines. We will cut these knotted ties, and some may live and some may die.” 

Niilavin watched the Calnais pegasus mare slowly dance as she sang for him well other ‘servants’ he's been gifted brush his fur as he enjoyed a spot of sunbathing. It was a rather beautiful day and he was keen to make the most of it thanks to winter. It was his first one so far north and it was dreadful, he was a cat born of sand and sun. weeks of snow and cold were just not for him. But with them passing he was fast to make use of warmer days. 

Pulling his up he looked to his side at the sound of his Master calling out. He was more used to Blueblood now, even if some of his masters powers were… odd, the pony was extremely fair and rather generous on gift giving. It's done much to warm Niilavin up to the pony. Sitting up he stretched out and waved a paw at his servients. “Go.” He says with a heavy accent, but he was learning how to speak to them. And he knew from how Master spoke she wanted something. 

Without fuss the team of mares gather up their tools and trot away. Niilavin walked to meet Blue halfway. “[Whatever shall it be this time Master? Something for the both of us?]” he asked as they drew closer, eyeing up the rather large formation of maids Blue had behind him. Just what was this pony planning…

“You are the only pony that comes to this city and then wants too do nothing.” Tempest says with a roll of her eyes as they walk down a hallway of the Casino. “And it's free!” She added with huff. Sunny was so held back about this, you’d think she’d enjoy meeting a show mare in the back room! But nooo, she’s a big nerd. Tempest was going to teach her how to party some day. But for today, Tempest had a meeting she was not going to pass up. Ice new what treats to toss her way and this was a nice one… Even if she did not plan for Sunny to along for the ride. Changed some plans. But fun can still be had! “After this I will let you pick out where we go. Whatever you want. So long as it's cheap. I blew most of my last check on a black smith… Will be so worth it.” She added with a grin as the stop at a door marked for Wind Dancer. “Now, are you going to wimp out or not?” With that she hits the door three times with a hoof. 

Tempest was utterly lost in her own world and it was not one worth visiting. countless imaginary situations clashed from one extreme to another. Some of them were so vile and evil it made her own mind step back in bewilderment at it. Others were far more palatable yet full of anger. She just felt mad at Glitter and had no outlet for years as her mind made up more and more crimes on the mare. Glitter was the scapegoat of her life but now it was walking alongside her. And being face to face with this age old scapegoat was something she was just not ready for. The fact of the matter. What DID Glitter do? She just… moved on. They were young and silly, yet the pain was so real. How much of the pain was Glitters doing? Tempests life just… Sucked. Her friends were all she really had as her family never did much with her. She knew the maid more than her own mom! And her dad… she can hardly even put a face to the word. 

With a flick of her ears she focused as Glitter talks. “Fine.” She says looking at the farm, only half aware of what Glitter was even talking about with it. She just wanted to be done with this and go find some hole to lay in. What she was not ready for was the follow up. ‘I never thought I'd see you again.’ as if this was somehow her fault. She did not run away. Glitter did. It made her stop in her tracks, looking at Glitter with a dead, almost hateful glare. “Why? So you’d never have to see the broken friend you abandoned again? Like everypony else? You and everypony never did care.” She says back without even a hint of anger. Just cold, dead uncaring spite. “Soon as we are done with this job you can go back to whatever life you had and forget I’m alive. Bet you have some happy family and husband. Just all happy and smiles until I show up and you have to face past sins. Hope it sucks.” She added pushing on ahead to get away from glitter. She wanted to scream and cry. She wanted her old friends back. She has wanted them back for so very long. But she can’t. Fizzy was dead.

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Tempest was far from fearless as she acted. She still had nightmares as much as any other pony. She just never spoke of her fears and hoped to hide them all. For some it did work as she overcame them alone with none the wiser. But others? No matter how much she believed herself ready she was not. She never was. And there such a fear was, towering before her like the stars in the sky. 

She felt… out of body. Out of place. She was stuck watching a filly screaming, small and scared. But the filly was her self and the screams her own as her legs failed, falling and flailing as she desperately tries to run away like some scared foal. She felt powerless. She never was ready. Not that she’d ever say it.

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“It was magic, halgram, nothing happens.” Tempest says as Sunny speaks. “We beat it. That’s it.” She added, not explaining her side in the events at all. She did not want too. Not in front of Twi or others. What happened in there was between her and Sunny alone. 

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“HELP!” Tempest screamed well she dives underneath Sunnys legs, it was the first safe place to pop in her head. She had no clue why. But it's what she did as she shook with fear and curled up in a ball. If she can’t see it, it’s not there. It was foals thinking but its all she had to deal with the stress and fear overwhelming her. Her mind forced her to relive that day. Over and over she saw it coming for her. She was so small. So alone. Powerless. She’s just powerless.

************

You know I must ask for a Temy, you may do with her as you wish! 

Tempest let out a cold breath as she heard Glitter rush away to a back room. She wanted to run away as well. To just escape this moment, this meeting. Glitter recognized her, that was easy to see. And how she reacted? Tempest did not know how to feel about that. She did not know how to feel about any of this! She was never good at this! She never had a way to get good at this. She’s a broken pony. Well they can easily see the broken horn it was hardly all that was. She was missing so many pieces and somehow she knew Glitter was one of them. That mare was the keystone that destroyed her life. All do to a filly hood crush that exploded in her face. Why did it happen? Why did glitter.. Why did every pony abandon her? Friends. Famly. She wanted to scream at Glitter. Demand why. Why did Glitter abandon her?

And… How. How did this happen? Was it Cadence? There was no way she’d have found out. Unless she tracked down the few that knew her so far back. But why? If this was Cadence playing her games why did she think this was ok? It was not! THIS WAS NOT OK! But as much as she wanted to run away and cry alone in a pit of alcohol induced depression she can’t. The cat was out of the bag. Even if Cadence did not know about… this she will if they ran away. All she can do is just finish the job.

Hearing hoof steps Tempest rubbed a foreleg on her muzzle to dry up the tears of her failure. No weakness. No fear. She was Tempest. That… Filly. Was dead so long ago. Braced and ready she turns to face Glitter with an unbreaking face of utter disinterest. “I may have seen tracks like that… I have spent many years out in the wilderness, I know many well.” She remarked. “But the fact it is killing livestock helps slim down the list… At least it's a living monster and not one of magic. Hopefully.” There was some overlap with such things. A few monsters of magic did need to eat. She just hoped it was not… one of them. 

“I have been ready, it is why I am here after all.” She added with a snort before heading to the door and tossing it open. Yet for all her acting she still can’t shake her feelings. Every moment she looked at Glitter she wanted to scream and yell. Why. Why. She can not shake the word even as she stomped down the steps to the road. Looking over her back she watched Glitter call up a dog. She didn't feel the need too comment about it… She wanted a dog of her own same day to travel with. Maybe it will help make her feel less… alone. Even with the magic book to talk to her friends she was utterly alone for weeks or months at a time. 

Looking down at the dog her ears flick as she heard Glitter say the f-word. It hurt. Worse than the broken ribs as it hurt something far deeper. “Were we ever?” She whispered before walking down the road to just get away from the moment. Her tallness was handy this far north, it let her plow on ahead like a caribou in the snow. She never knew why she was so tall, when she was a filly you’d have never known! She was so small back then. A small ball of bravery that acted far bigger than she was… But now she was as big as she acted back then. But fell so far short of her dreams. She stopped walking and looked back at Glitter. She did not have anything to say to her. She just… knew this was going to be a very long walk. And she didn't even know where she was going. She was just walking too get away. “Lead the way.” She says, not asking.

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Tempest pulled herself back up, rolling her shoulders and popping her neck. “Stay put, I will deal with it.” She says back as her eyes stay focused down the hallway. She takes a feed beep breaths, focusing fully on what she was about to do. “I need too focus, don’t yell or whatever.” With that the spikes in her horseshoes dig in to old wood and rip it apart as she pushed in to a full galloping run down the hall. Like clockwork the sounds of gears can be heard as the first bolt comes flying down the hall. Tempest did not slow as she ducks down, sparks kicking off stone from her still horseshoes. Yet that was just the start. Soon after the first one more came as she rushed down the hall, ducking, jumping and leaping off a wall as a line of bolt hit stone behind her. She did not have the magic to blast them… But she can run them dry. 

Rechin the end oh the hallway she turns and runs back to Sunny, bolts hot on her flank as they hit stone in a shower of sparks as old iron and wood shatters. She was in her own world now. All that mattered was where she was and the sounds came from. It was a deadly dance, but her bet was paying off. They were old, unlooked after and failing. She bet even sunny can hear the old things breaking down as strings snapped and old wood splitters. By the time she made it back to Sunny the stream of bolts were dying down in to a few stray shots that hit nowhere close to Tempest. Yet Tempest was not willing to trust it yet. She did one last lap, turning about to make one last run down the hallway. This trip saw even less. Reaching the end leaps off the wall and ran back to sunny, only to slow down until she was standing. She can still hear the gears spinning way but nothing happens. All the traps were out of ammo or broken. With a heavy breath she looked at sunny. “Don’t move, not a sound.” She says before doing one last walk up and down the hallway. Now she felt it was safe. “Ok, we are good. They did not have much ammo. Look at the size of the bolts. At most they less than a dozen each.” She says shaking her head and looking down the hallway. “But have so many? Well, I think we hit something good…” She grins some. “This guy was RICH to have traps like this. And we are going to loot this place dry. I can see my new airship already.”

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Tempest rubs her side. “By the way. All that running with with broken ribs? It sucks. But that was at least, the worst of the traps. At least in “killing us” out the door. This place had lots and lots of them… Even if most felt like… tests. It was weird but we shall get to them soon.” she says leaning her head to the side in thinking, than looked at Sunny. “Why don’t you do the next room? You were the one pulling hero in that one after all. I want more coffee."

“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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