[Canterlot]Friendship is Timeless[Private, Steel]

[IceStorm]

 

For the most part, today had been a day like any other that she had been here in Canterlot for. Everypony mingling in and out of Frozen Delights was nothing new for her, especially with the growing resources and recruits of the Magic Guild. It had gotten pretty large and at some points she'd been asked to help with some instruction in the guild, but with her defensive ties within the confines of EPIC and needing to be able to leave for an undisclosed mission at a moments notice, she couldn't do a whole lot of teaching but she did where she could in her field. That field of course was naturaly ice. The guild had dubber her one of the masters over the arcane element which meant that she would be one of the ponies others would look up to in that regards, but at the same time, she was still fairly young herself and hardly ever in the guild hall for longer than a day or two at most. Keeping Equestria safe was a very time consuming job, and when she wasn't doing that those snow cones weren't going to make themselves.

 

Today though, she found herself waiting in her shop for a different reason, and for the moment, her shop was closed. She had received a letter from Princess Twilight stating that she would be coming by for a visit. The last time she had seen the princess, she was laying unconscious on her back as they were sliding into a spelljammer to escape a collapsing tower. She could only wonder what the princess could have wanted, and why now. She wondered if maybe she had done something wrong, or if maybe deep down inside herself, she was a friendship mess that just wore a shell on the outside. No... that couldn't be the case! She had her fiance, and Moony, and Pressy , and.... Well.... that was it really... She had a few friends outside of equestria, but here... She hadn't seen Rarity in forever... She hadn't seen Glitzen in forever... she hadn't done much with any of the guild mates, possible alienating more of them... No... she wasn't like this. This wasn't her. She didn't have a friendship problem at all. She was happy with the friends that they had, and those who stood by here were more important than anypony else. Other than the princesses of course.

 

She looked down at the letter again and back up at the clock. The letter gave her a rough estimate around noon, but she had closed at eleven to make sure that she had everything presentable for when the princess game in. She may not know what the princess wanted to discuss or talk about, and perhaps it was just a meeting of good faith and she just wanted to well, just talk. She had taken lessons from her in the past on her magic. Perhaps she'd heard that she was a master in the guild now and wanted to come and see what she learned and how she progressed. Friends do those sorts of things right? But was Twilight really a friend? could she really be called that considering they hadn't talked but a few times? They weren't enemies though, but she didn't think friends was the right word yet either. Acquaintances, that was the better word for what their relationship was like. Maybe Twilight was taking a measure to change that, perhaps she should have done the same as well a lot sooner, but both of them were very busy mares, and it's possible she'd tried to come by before when she was on missions of some kind. She didn't know, but she knew she'd find out soon enough.

[SteelEagle]

 

Princess Twilight Sparkle was a name that stole all of Twilight's time and energy, as the demands of her station and knowledge lay a heavy burden upon her many times. Luckily she had become an Alicorn in the prime of her life and her energy was never found wanting, but it didn't mean she couldn't get more than a little swamped. She figured it was likely her own fault, always taking on more tasks and trying to get more done. Between rewriting laws and tax codes to settling the tangles web of frontier land disputes while keeping the trains running on time, all set upon the background of dozens of secret programs she had going to protect Equestria, it was a wonder she was able to make time to see Ice Storm.

 

She could always lie to herself and claim it was purely business related. Ice Storm was part of EPIC, or the Equestrian Protection and Investigation Command. It was a mix of military and civilian agents who nevertheless were highly skilled and capable in their fields and given a mandate to oppose organizations such as WRAITH wherever they were found, and by any means necessary. Talented unicorns, adventurous Pegasi, and skilled Earth ponies, caribou, griffons, and even Changelings came together to form a sum greater than its parts. It had done well and she was proud to say that they free of infiltration and had great reliability.

 

So yes, it was partially business- she had to check in with her agents personally from time to time, after all. But that was a cover and she knew it because had she not had the drain on her free time that her lifestyle demanded, she would have come here eventually anyway. Ice Storm was a fine pony and one Twilight considered a friend, and not in the way she made fast and easy friendships with most ponies she met. They shared some similar passions and styles and both acted in great and selfless ways that were often overlooked, and other times overblown. She was a good pony, and Twilight could always take time out of her day for good ponies.

 

She had sent a letter to let Ice know of her expected arrival, but she hadn't really expected the store to be closed when she arrived. Maybe it was a Ponyville thing- the stores never seemed to go out of the way for her, only seemingly making room for the additional bodies rather than the pomp and circumstance, and never quiet about it either. She would have preferred it remain open, but she guessed it was nice to a degree. if the topic did turn into something secret or private, they wouldn't have to worry about prying eyes or ears. 

 

She was accompanied by a single guard dressed plainly except for a strange sigil. His horn lit up and ventured in and out of the building and surrounding area, doing a thorough search before he stepped back, bowed, and took a position reading a newspaper on the corner as if he was simply a normal pony. Twilight smiled and entered. "Ice Storm, it has been a while! I hear you're a Guild Master now? Congratulations!"

[IceStorm]

 

 

The clock was ticking and Ice Storm knew that Twilight would be there at any moment. Sure enough at eleven fifty-five one of her guards came into the shop and did a once over on everything to make sure nothing was out of the ordinary. And then right at noon, princess Twilight entered. She did look to be a bit surprised about something but couldn't quite place what it was. One thing that Ice Storm did know, was that she was happy to see her. The last time she saw Twilight, well.... it would definitely be a time for her to remember, even if she doubted Twilight would since she was unconscious for most of it. She was happy to see that the princess had been doing well despite being busy.

 

She figured that Twilight also no doubt knew that she was now part of the Equestrian Protection and Investigation Command focus, and it was actually a good thing that she did. She had a file for her next mission that was set to start in a few days. In fact, she was set to leave for Seaddle tonight on the Canterlot Express to make sure that she made it there in time for departure. One of their agents had gone missing, which means that they had either gone rogue, or have been captured. Considering who the agent was that went missing, going rogue wasn't an option, so they needed to get ponies in there fast. Ice Storm hadn't been to Neighpon so she had no idea what to expect once she got there, but that was for another time.

 

When she heard Twilight speak up, it seemed that the mare was quite happy to see her as well! Which was no surprise as before everything else started she was a temporary student of Twilight. Well, more of her seeking magical guidance to help with her teleportation. When she inquired about her being a guild master now, Ice Storm nodded. "That I am! I am the guild master of Ice magic, and work when I can on helping tutor others in it's arts. However, the time I have between missions anymore is quite short. But I have also mastered Teleporting at least a bit better. I can now Teleport twice, before succumbing to the aura depletion sickness I was suffering before after the first one. However, the method I had to learn to do it in, was a bit unorthodox, and is a bit telegraphing of where I'm going, as I when I use it, I leave a pile of snow behind, and appear in a puff of snow!" she smiled to Twilight.

[SteelEagle]

 

It was also exciting when you found yourself promoted in whatever endeavor you were engaged in. Becoming a master inside of that guild was a major accomplishment regardless of how specific it was. After all, every element had to have a master and many types of magics required the aid of a more experienced and capable mentor to help you along the path. If you didn't have that, you could be absolutely lost in the weeds. Even if you did manage to perform the magic spell you could have done so incorrectly, with a fatal flaw in it that could be unraveled by a rival without issue. The position of a master was prestigious and difficult, and Twilight was pleased that the Guild had chosen Ice. She deserved it.

 

And not only because of her skill and diligence, but because she was also just a generally fine pony. In order to become a master of any form of magic you needed to understand the magic that you tapped into, and by extension the ponies that also tapped into that magic. A pony needed as much support to become a better pony so as to have a clearer mind for study as they needed help practicing the actual mechanics of their magic. That was why Ice Storm was going to be a fantastic Master! She could help you understand yourself as easily as she could help you understand magic- in her own way, of course. The great thing about the guild was that everypony shared the same elemental passion for magic and it was in that common love that friendships and passions could be fomed and directed.

 

Her style of teleportation was unique and fit her. More importantly, it would leave an impression on anypony who saw it! "Well, that is great to hear that you've conquered some element of the sickness. That is a very debilitating condition. It is always very interesting to see the unique affects a pony can put on more classical spells. Would you mind showing me?"

[IceStorm]

 

Truth be told she was actually surprised that the guild had appointed her as one of the masters because of how little time she actually got to stay there. Nevertheless though, she did make sure to help when she could. No point in being a master if you couldn't teach, and she liked to help others reach more than just their magic goals. Right now though, the guild was somewhat of an after thought. She knew that she would have to go there today after she was done here and let them know that she would be out of the country for a while again, but that was neither here nor there.

 

Her smile broadened though when she heard Twilight ask if she could demonstrate what she was talking about and how she was always interested in seeing how ponies put their own unique twist on a more classical spell. Ice Storm gave Twilight a small nod as her horn lit up and through her magical energy, she ceased to be where she was, and the only thing that remained was falling snow that was shaped in the outline of a pone and settled into a pile before she appeared in a cold burst of snow just on the other side of her. "Sure!, but I'm only gonna do it once," she told Twilight, the spell indeed having affected her a bit, but more leaving her a bit winded rather than incapacitatingly nauseous like it usually does. I learned to use the water that's already in the atmosphere to help disperse some of the magical energy is coming off of me, and in doing so, creates the snow and ice that you now see on the ground both when I disappear and reappear," she told her picking up the snow with her magic and placing it in her sink to let it melt away.

 

After her little demonstration though, she took her attention back to Twilight. After all, the entire metting shouldn't only be about her, and while she knew they had as long as they wanted, it would still be quite rude to not at least inquire about a few things of Twilight. "That said, how have you been? Last time we actually saw each other, well... there wasn't much seeing involved. Also, can I interest you in something to drink? I have tea, strawberry soda, and of course, anything frozen that you'd like," she smiled back to her.

[SteelEagle]

 

It was a unique variation of the teleportation spell, that much was certain. It was one of the more underrated aspects of certain magics that they were absolutely capable of personalization to some degree and were often the linchpins to understanding a pony's aetheral flow. Ice Storm's own variation was certainly pleasing to see, pony-shaped snow and tufts of it at both ends creating a more visually engaging spell. Twilight herself preferred cleaner and more efficiency methods since they tended to fit her own persona stylings more and were simply cleaner, but she could appreciate the small ticks that everypony placed into their own spells. Ice Storm finished up in a better spot than she used to be- tired, yes, but not suffering from the same sickness as she had before. She had really come a long way and that perseverance and dedication positioned her for success in her role as a guild master. "Great work Ice! You've really improved so much."

 

The topic turned to Twilight. How had she been? Busy was the short and simple answer. It was hard to explain just how much paperwork she had to do. That would sound like a fate fit for an aide of some kind, but she liked it- seeing the exact specifications of how things were to turn out emboldened her. But there was so much. Mining conflicts, border foibles, peace conferences destined to go nowhere. Meetings wth royalty and officials across the world trying to strengthen bonds. Once in a generation emergency meetings with the REA regarding new developments in the armed forces. None of that even included her ceaseless desire to meet with and solve the problems of the ponies she cared for so much. Laws and tax codes and many secret programs and organizations yes, she was very, very busy.

 

And she was thirsty, which meant Ice Storm must have been able to read her mind! "Oh, I'd love some nice tea, if you would be so kind. Thank you!" Twilight responded excitedly. She was also very hugnry, but that was natural alicorn appetites that would subside after the first several decades. She was very happy to have such a wonderful host, a fact which maybe as a royal you would think she would get used to it. But she made sure to always be grateful for it because she knew how nervous it was easy to become when in the presence of a Princess, even if you knew them better than most. It didn't escape her own orbit no matter how long she knew Celestia, and that was a pony who she knew just about better than anypony else. 

"As for me- yeah, I've been very busy. It would be impossible to list all of the things I do, but suffice it is to say that every day is both an immense challenge and a wonderful gift. I couldn't be happier. Most of the time anyway."

[IceStorm]

 

A smile crept along the blue unicorn's face whens he heard Twilight tell her that she had improved so much. It was actually quite a feat for her to adapt as much, but well, she wouldn't have gotten to be a master in her guild without being able to adapt and figure out how to apply things in new ways, and her job as an EPIC tactitioner, and front line defender didn't make that any less important. She constantly had to improvise on the run in order to make sure everypony that she was trying to protect got out alive. a task that she had become very good at, as Twilight herself could attest to. Other than the smile, she stood proud and stoic. Ice Storm was more than happy to be in the position that she was in right now. She felt it an honor to be able to make sure that everypony else could live their daily lives uninterrupted by turmoil.

 

That said, when she heard Twilight take her up on the offer for tea, she nodded and levitated in a large pitcher of Iced Tea, two glasses and ice cubes that formed in the glasses on the way into the shop where they sat.  She quickly poured them both a glass and brought some of the standard flavoring elements of tea over in case Twilight wanted a flavored tea. OH! She should start selling those! Flavored Iced Teas!! "It's not a problem. I already had some made, although I'm not sure why I never thought about selling fresh brewed Iced Tea and flavored teas before. I already have everything to do it with," she giggles a bit as she listened to Twilight reply that she had been very busy. That it would be impossible to list all the things that she does, but that it would suffice to sat that every day was a challenge but a gift at the same time and that she couldn't be happier. At least, most of the time. Again Ice Storm nodded.

 

"I can understand that myself. The path that is chosen is not a path that is easy nor is a path that can be taken lightly. I find myself running on very little sleep at times, but on the time that I do manage to relax, I am able to look around and see the fruit of my actions. There isn't a mission one that I regret going on, either with the REN, EPIC, or pursing my own endeavors in the name of the guild. The ultimate goal, and the best reward anypony can have, is coming home to see that those whom they are protecting being able to live their daily lives as they see fit. I don't do it for fame, or glory, or for bragging rights to say that I defeated something amazing or spectacular. And that makes it that much more satisfying to see everypony else happy as they are."