//------------------------------// // [21] Mys // Story: Queen of Storms // by Via //------------------------------// Mys The life used her power to shape the world, to shape the cosmos to their will - through ley. There are two creatures. One large, one small. Heat rolls off the large one in waves. She lays on her stomach, eyes half-lidded. The other creature is young. She is lost in thought. Her gaze is far away, not on its companion. The larger creature begins to speak- She speaks her tale. She speaks of birth, life, death - and rebirth. She speaks of taffy, Olympus, gryphons, clarity, ash, Celestia, Luna, Order, Life, Death, Harmony - she speaks of drakons, she speaks of history. She speaks of all these things and more: she speaks of Windplume, Storm Breeze, Temper, Tundra, She speaks of a thousand things for an entire night. She speaks of Storms; she speaks of their Queen - She speaks the tale of a drakon - named Tempest. The words hang heavy in the air. It's hard to breathe - the very world itself seems to have come alive as she spoke her tale, the shadows grew deeper, and the air weighed down on the two. Every word had been scribed down, exactly as said - but ever-inquisitive Twilight hadn't found the strength to say a single word. It's minutes later, but it feels like hours when Twilight breaks the silence. "Wow," she whispered. "That's - a lot." Tempest nodded slowly. Her eyes are wet as her claws lightly dig into the scale. "My guts - bare and bleeding for the world to see, Twilight Sparkle. Do you understand why Celestia kept this secret?" "...I - I think I - understand more, now, but I don't - fully agree. Maybe - maybe everypony shouldn't know...everything. But they deserve to know about the truth. Maybe just - a little bit less..." Twilight searched for the word. "Gruesome," Tempest offered. Twilight nodded. "Gruesome," she accepted. "Do you know how you woke me up, little spirit?" Tempest suddenly lurched forward, her head smashing down into the ground right in front of Twilight. Twilight didn't so much as flinch - used to her sudden movements in the midst of her story-telling. "Not really," Twilight spoke honestly. "You and your friends - you were arguing. It was disharmonious. I could sense it. Did you know that?" "Uh - you didn't mention it in your story. So I didn't." Twilight looked a bit confused. "I'll get to the point quickly, little one. I sense disharmony - in you. Whenever you look at me. Whenever you speak to me. There's something on your chest - its weighing on your soul. So you must let it burst." She lightly poked Twilight's chest with a claw. "...I was just - a pony." She glanced down. "I didn't know about - any of this. About Spirits. Or - divinity. I- after I got my wings, I asked Celestia if I was like her. Immortal - well, ageless. And I cried that night - I cried and held Spike tight to my chest. And whenever I see you - I'm just...reminded of that. Of how I was so small, and now I'm so...big." Tempest thought for a moment before answering. "If I so desired - and let me assure you that I do not, I could grind this continent to dust, Twilight Sparkle." She shifted around, her tone becoming low and her eyes narrowing. "With my claws, I could shred the mountains. With my might, I could crush the sun and moon - and nothing would be able to withstand me. I would never do such a thing - I love the sun and moon more than you could comprehend. Or - maybe you could. I'm not sure." "I...don't really see your point." Twilight's ears were flat against her head. Tempest's threat wasn't really a threat - more of a fact, but it didn't make it less uncomfortable to hear. "My point is - that it should be high praise, that I am not sure which of us is mightier. You rival the power of a Spirit a hundred times your age - and yet, you're so young. There has never been a Spirit of Magic before, and I don't believe that it was mere chance that it was you, Twilight Sparkle, who took that mantle. If not for your - accelerated ascension, then you would've ascended on your own merit. You are spectacular, Twilight - I think so, and so does Celestia." Twilight's eyes were wide even as she blushed and shifted. "I - well, thank you for the praise. Really. But - that's not really...helping. My problem is - that I'm so - ugh, big-" "You were always this big, Little Spirit. You merely didn't notice it." There was a soft lull in the conversation. Twilight's head tilted to the side as she lost her focus - staring off into space as she processed her words. "...You meant it?" The Spirit of Magic spoke. She glanced up at Tempest. "That - you're not sure who's...stronger?" "The long answer - I outpower you by an order of magnitude. It would be time before you surpass me - but I have the utmost confidence that you will. But you are undoubtedly my superior in skill. My experience of magic is mostly..." She trailed off. "Instinctual." "What's the short answer?" Twilight tilted her head to the side. "That I am happy, Twilight Sparkle - that we are on the same side." Tempest grinned lightly. Twilight snorted. "...you could teach me." She spoke after a moment. She glanced up at the drakoness. "Teach me what it means to be a Spirit. How to - use this power, I suppose." Tempest tilted her head to the side. "Would you not prefer being tutored by Celestia? You two are - close." "Of course we are. I - she's almost like a second mother to me. But she's..." She thought for a second. "...It hurt, a little bit, that she kept something like this from me. That - I am magic, in a sense. I trust her - but...I'm not sure that..." Twilight trailed off. "I understand." "You do?" Twilight looked surprised. "That's - well, I don't really understand." Twilight laughed nervously, shifting around on her hooves. "I do." Tempest nodded. "I would happily accept a role of tutor. On a condition, though." "A condition?" Twilight tilted her head to the side. "...Teach me magic." While Tempest would be reluctant to admit it - her knowledge of magic was...poor. What she had learned, she had learned on the run - and over two thousand years ago. While much history had been lost in Discord I's attack on the world, enough knowledge of magic had survived that modern mages were significantly more advanced than the mages of the past - with obvious exceptions like Starswirl nonincluded. Tempest's magic was more - instictual. Harmony and Order wove glyphs through her when she needed skill - but brute force, and simply allowing the world to flow through her had sufficed when she was in control of her magic. But she would never turn down more knowledge. Twilight came to Tempest's cave every day to test her limits to see what she was capable of. Every day, Tempest awaited Twilight - ready and eager to learn about the advancements in glyphs. Glyphs were now divided into categories. They weren't actual categories, more so meant as memorization and learning tools for mages deciding what aspects of magic they would target for their study. The categories were the Essentials, the Physicals, the Actions, the Affixes, the Elements, the Natures, the States, and the Abstract. The Essentials were the fundamentals. The building blocks of reality itself - magic, aether, order, harmony, chaos, space, time, life, death, all of these things were essential to the very existence of magic. Magic could not exist without Magic jus tas much as it could not exist without Aether - without Life to give it birth, or Death to let it flow back into the universe...they were just that, essential. They tended to be the building blocks of spells, what a spell rested on. The Physicals were glyphs that had to do with manipulation or movement through physical space - or the effect on physical reality. Movement, Strength, Force, Body, Sound, Sleep, etc. They weren't - necessary, but when included, tended to limit the focus to whatever the Physical Glyphs dictated. The Actions were - well, rather self-explanatory. The description of Actions - glyphs that took a predominant role in shaping the glyph sequences. Cut, Restore, Destroy, Defense (or, Defend,) Search, etc. The Affixes were glyphs that changed the role of another glyph entirely - Denial, Negative, Ignore, Empowerment, Sharpened, Focus, etc. Ne, or negative was a rather important glyph - while ne, dis and dos are the same thing, there are some glyph sequences that were more, abstract. In which case, it became necessary to use negative for succintness. The Elements and Natures were rather closely intertwined - the Elements were the forms of physical matter and magical matter - fire, ice, air, water, earth, void, and light, while the Natures (which tended towards compound glyphs) were amalgamations of glyphs to describe just that - nature. Tesrun was not an elemental glyph, but rather a Nature. The States and Abstract were the hardest glyphs to understand - both of them were more...abstract but self-explanatory. Abstract were glyphs that had no exact definition, such as Lis. States were glyphs that described the - well, state of something. But it was a bit more complicated than that - day, night, war, protection. They don't seem to have much in common, but they all meet the definition of what a State is. Tempest was a natural. Twilight had never seen anyone - asides from herself - with such an instinctive comprehension of magic. It was no small part due to the ageless Spirits that guided and shaped her thoughts to suit a magic caster's role better. But their lessons did not revolve entirely around the drakon. Learning the theoretical was easy, yet that was what Tempest needed the most. But, on the other hand - Twilight was in dire need of a more - practical education. --- "A wise stallion once told me," she spoke as the air. Then, the room seemed to fade away - the air rippling, trembling as it was enveloped in a vast, starry void. Twilight Sparkle now numbered among the few - mortal or immortal, to have seen the True Bodies. Tempest's projection had been supplied by Order and Harmony - who remembered a time long before the days of the Spirit of the Sun. "That his power is the power that shapes the universe." "You know who spoke those words, Twilight Sparkle. The Sealer of Tartarus, Binder of Tambelon, Creator of the Amniomorphic Spell, and the Strongest Mortal Mage. Know that - know his glory, and know that compared to you - he is dust." Tempest formed from the air in front of Twilight. She slashed through space itself with a claw - tearing stars and galaxies apart into thin shreds of dusty mist. Twilight stumbled backwards. "He was great. A great man - but in the grand scheme of things, he is - a blip." Tempest stood by Twilight's side now. She rested a hoof on her back as she took the form of , a long-dead pegasus. "You are eternal, Twilight Sparkle. Your magic is not the power that shapes the universe - you are the power that shapes the universe." Tempest formed - in all of her glory, the cave seemed so large that she could fit in it with ease - and she cried out, "follow me, Twilight Sparkle!" She faded away with a teleport. Teleports were traceable. They were magically noise, spraying out the equivalent of magical flashbangs. But no mage had been able to track one of Celestia's teleports or Discord's. They seemed to operate on something - else. So Twilight cast her senses out - and she searched for that else. She found it. Underneath them - a leyline, that throbbed with far too much harmony and order to be natural. Leylines were pulsing things of rushing chaos - they couldn't be harmonic or orderly. So Twilight tracked the teleport - and she pushed. Her hooves burst. Her skin and muscles melted painlessly - even as she reformed as pure Thought, miles away from where she had been moments ago. The two stood at the peak of Mt. Metazoa, the third - or, now second tallest mountain considering the Canterhorn's shaving a few millennia ago. It was cold. It was impossibly cold - so cold that Twilight could feel it sink into her bones and begin to drain her pegasus magic as she fought desperately for warmth - and if she had been anything less than an alicorn, she would've been killed instantly. So instead, she looked at Tempest with wide eyes. "Warm yourself, Twilight Sparkle." Twilight's horn began to glow - summoning up fyrd, boryd- but Tempest shook her head. "No! You are a Spirit. All you need - is will." "I - I can't - I..." Twilight shivered as her wings wrapped around herself. Tempest quickly shifted her position around - letting herself coil around the tiny pony and starving off the cold with the warm waves of heat that rolled off of her massive bulk. "You are in no danger here, Twilight Sparkle." "You - don't have to say - Sparkle, every time-" Twilight managed out through shimmering breaths. Tempest didn't respond - so Twilight took the chance to shut her eyes and let her will flow. It felt - wrong. It went against everything she knew to channel magic with no intent and let it flow. But she could feel it - a sort of strength in the air, a deep pool within herself. It felt like - there was her personal reserve of mana, a well that she had dug - but right beside that well was a calm, cool ocean- held back by a dam. Fire. Astral. Light. Twilight was a creature of all these things. She was a creature of flaming passion - of astral might and inquisitive light. She had let her passion free - she had let her curiosity guide her. But now - it was time to let the might flow. Twilight found herself warm. The snow melted underneath her hooves. Tempest had her eyes shut - but the second Twilight's Will flared, they snapped open. Twilight fell to her knees, panting. The warmth didn't subside even as she stopped actively focusing on the magic - it fought back the biting cold and made her tremble and shudder as her body got used to her new temperature. Her mana reserves were still full, and she had plenty of energy - but she felt as if she had just taken three tests simultaneously. Her mind felt - drained. "You're strong, Twilight Sparkle." "-Twilight," she wheezed out. "Twilight," Tempest corrected. "You have had a long day." Day, Twilight thought? It's only been an hour- she glanced up at the sky to see that the moon hung high above them. Twilight blanched. "Rest, Little Spirit." Tempest wrapped the Wings of the Storm around Twilight, her fur standing up on end as the two of them blurred- and Twilight let somn's sweet call take her. --- A whipping whirlwind of - well, wind formed in the center of the Castle of Friendship. The two formed - the drakon having taken a smaller form mid-teleport to avoid tearing the castle apart - as the whirlwind dissipated, Tempest appeared while carrying the smaller Spirit of Magic. Spike rushed into the main hall before letting out something between a gasp and a sigh of relief. "Oh! Um. Hey, Tempest. Sorry - I was just...worried about her." "Where should I put her, young drake?" Tempest walked over and lightly dragged her claws over Spike's scales. Spike shuddered and stepped away. "Please don't do that." "Sorry. My - mother, did it to me." "Well - yeah. But you aren't my mother." Tempest nodded and looked away. "I - know. It's...you know - so little, about - yourself-" "Okay, I'm gonna stop this right now. I would love to learn more about dragons. But if you're gonna be super weird about it and all melodramatic - then I'm not gonna deal with it." "...You're right. I'm sorry, young- Spike. I've just - it's been a very long time. Since I've met another draconic - dragon, drakon. I - I'm..." She turned to the side. "Let's go put Twilight down." Spike began walking in a direction, gesturing for Tempest to follow. Tempest gently set Twilight down on her bed. She shifted her around telekinetically so she could be comfortable - then turned around to look at Spike. "Are you hungry?" "Uh. Kind of, I guess? I can cook, though, but..." "Have you ever eaten meat, Spike?" Spike nodded. "I did, once. It was - alright. Fluttershy gave me some fish. I prefer gems, honestly." Tempest's eyes narrowed. "Dragons are geovoric second, carnivoric first. Meat is - it's an important part of your diet. You can't neglect it." "Oh. That's - bad." Spike said softly. Tempest spread her wings - and brought the two of them to her cave. One part that she was immensely grateful for about being a Spirit was the ability to travel - and travel quickly. If she had half this speed when Discord was hunting her - things would've been very different. Spike stumbled and looked around - before a soft "woah," escaped his lips. "They're a bit big for you - but eels are particularly tasty. And - don't feel bad about eating them. Most eels are barely sentient." She reached down and picked up one of the eels from the pool of water in her cave - before promptly snapping its neck with a twist. Spike flinched. "You kill it quickly, painlessly - then you cut the head off." Tempest slowly sawed the head off. "Eventually, once you get your magic-" "-my magic?" Tempest blinked. "Yes. Your magic. All draconics have magic - you'll channel it through your horns, once they grow in. How old are you?" "Uh." Spike slowly counted on his hands. "Sixteen?" Tempest thought for a second. "You should really eat meat. It'll help it grow in faster. Eventually, once you get it - you won't have to use your claws to de-scale it. But I do have magic, so-" with a quick telekinetic yank, Tempest tore its scales off - and then promptly tore it in half, letting blood drop to the ground. She then quickly cooked the two pieces with some Fyrd cast through her tongue. She tossed Spike the smaller piece. It was roughly the size of his arm. The larger piece - she stuck it in her mouth and swallowed like a spaghetti strand before chewing on it. Spike stared at her for a second - before he reluctantly gripped onto the meat. He stuck the thick part of the eel in his mouth - then slowly slurped it up, just like Tempest - before he began to chew. His eyes widened after a few bites - and he began ravenously chewing, dropping down onto all fours as he ate messily. His tail wagged side to side as he swallowed, blood oozing from his mouth. Tempest quickly cleaned him off with magic. "It's - good!" Spike groaned. "It's like - gem, but...thicker, and lighter, and-" "I know what meat tastes like, Spike," Tempest said flatly. "I'll give Twilight a bit of meat for you every time she comes over for a lesson. It's important for you. You're - basically, malnourished." Spike swallowed loudly. "Well - yeah, but Twilight didn't know." He said defensively. "I'm not blaming Twilight. I'm simply stating fact." "...Yeah. Sorry. It's just-" "I don't expect you to like me immediately. After all, things have been rather - strained between us. For a good reason. But - your heritage is important. You have to carry it with you, honor your people. At the very least - you should know. How you choose to act on it is up to you. If you'd be comfortable - I'd love to teach you more." "...Yeah. Maybe - that might be nice." Spike glanced down at the floor. "...Could you tell me about your mother? Your father? If you don't mind." Spike sat down as he chewed on another strip Tempest tossed towards him. "I didn't know my father. We are - were, a matriarchal society. Mostly. It was only through sheer strength that we had a King in lieu of a Queen. My father fertilized my mother and then left. My mother - her name was Pulsera." "Pulsera? Like, the person who made the light spell that everyone uses?" A warm pride filled Tempest's chest. "Yes. My mother. Pulsera. That's how she earned her name. She never told me - she rarely spoke, at all. Maybe ten words, all in all. She didn't need to speak. She cared for me - she fed me, so I knew she loved me, and she knew I loved her." "...you were never worried? That - she wouldn't love you?" "Once. My siblings were born - and she was less...doting, on me, I suppose. But she spoke a word to me - her first word. Hunt. She trusted me to hunt with her - to feed her own children. My own siblings. She trusted me, because she loved me." "...how did...how did she-" Spike fidgeted. His food went untouched. "King Bellum - the Spirit of War. He fought against Discord." "Against Discord?" Spike blanched. "Not your Discord. No - much worse. More violent. It was he who tore my species apart. And when he stripped the magic away from Bellum - he exploded, and - my mother was vaporized. She shielded me from the attack with her body. She just - nodded at me. And then she was gone," Tempest whispered. "...I hope - I hope I did her justice. When I killed Discord-" "you-" "No, Spike." She shook her head. "Ask Twilight to read my story to you. All the Bearers should listen. Discord should - as well. It's...important. But it's hard for me to speak of it." She shut her eyes. "...yeah. Sorry. T-thanks, Tempest. For - everything." "Thank you, Spike." She shut her eyes. "I'd like to be alone now." "Yeah, yeah, totally! That's fine. Can you-" Spike was already gone before he finished his sentence. Tempest let out a soft, shuddering sigh - and much like her tutor-student, she let somn overtake her. Rainbow Dash broke the silence. "Woah." Fluttershy pushed her face deeper into Discord. Discord ran his fingers through her mane - but found that he couldn't look anyone in the eye. "Woah, indeed." Rarity spoke softly - a slightly green look on her face. "I must say - I never thought that I'd be - well, grateful, for you, Discord." "Such high praise," the draconequus said dryly. "And - it's all true? Ah- ah'm sorry, ah just find it hard to believe - that a dragon-" Applejack started, "-drakon," Spike corrected with a glare- "-right, sorry. That a drakon - did ah say that right?" Nod. "That a drakon made the elements. Ah mean - ah never knew what made them. But...it feels...underwhelming," she finished. "Underwhelming?" Rainbow stared at her. "Did - did we hear the same story? Huge lasers? Mountains being torn apart?" "Ah know. It's just...ah'm not sure what ah expected. And ah'm trying to wrap m'head around it." "...we need to throw her a party. A Oh My Celestia Welcome Back To A Non Apocalyptic Equestria party. Pronto!" "It's been a long night, girls. I think that I need to sleep. Sorry - our training took a lot out of me, yesterday, and this...well. It's heavy. Please don't go and pester her with questions - she nearly cried telling the story to me, and...well. I think she said everything. And - don't tell anyone, yet. We're still - figuring it out. Okay?" There were nods all around. Moments later - they left only Twilight and Discord. "You're not him," Twilight said softly. "As I've been told for millennia, purplesmart." He flicked her nose. "Yet I'm closer to him than I'd like. Same name, same flesh - he made me. I'm - an echo of him. A tamed one - but an echo, nonetheless." "Sure," Twilight shrugged. "But you're not him. And - I mean, you don't - have to have the same name." "But I like my name." Discord said flatly. "You could call him something else then. Something - a bit more, gruesome? I guess? Like - Entropy?" "...Entropy, hm? I quite like that. Entropy." Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes - and immediately hacked up a heaping mouthful of her own blood, splattering onto the ground. She groaned as she shifted over onto her stomach as she stood up on trembling, far-too-thin legs. She looked as if she might snap at any moment - and some part of her would've welcomed that. She glanced outside the entrance to the cave. Yes, she thought. Not a nightmare, as she looked up at the strangely coloured sky - the twisted, malformed land made of far too much flesh and bone to be natural. He had been more original before. Now - it was the same few dozen tricks. It hadn't always been like this, she mused to herself. No - merely a year ago, the world was still - pure. Perfect, almost. Twilight couldn't ask for anything more. But then - something shifted in him. His eyes - red and yellow, now black. Darker than black - they were more of an absence than a dark shade. She had only seen them a few times. He had been a friend once - one that she had so-softly joked with, traded barbs with, snapped at. A frenemy, really - but still, a friend. He was gone now. No trace of him left - no. Nothing to redeem. She was sure of that now - after all, he had torn Fluttershy in two. Celestia and Luna went first. The sun and moon were his playthings now - shifting around, dancing in the sky in strange patterns. Then, both simultaneously, bumping into each other - the moon melted, malformed, twisted. Twilight wasn't sure how exactly they had died - she just imagined it was suitably horrific. Probably forced to tear each other apart - that's what he had made Spike do to Rarity, after all. The Elements - Cadance, Shining had given their life to retrieve them. He broke them with a single word - a word that carved itself into Twilight's brain. No. Twilight could barely handle the magical backlash - maybe that was why he had left her alive. Even as he tore her friends apart, not so much as giggling while he did it - efficient, ironic, toying with them - he didn't so much as spare her a second glance. He would regret that. She hadn't used a drop of magic in months - and her body was beginning to die. Her cells had started to burn off; her organs started to decay - she needed to let the magic out, and quickly - but she was determined to save it all for him. --- Twilight Sparkle had never learned how to fight. It was something that she wasn't embarrassed by until it was too late. And when it was too late - there was no one left to teach her. At the very least - she had an excess of raw power. And it would have to suffice - because if it didn't... The world broke underneath her hooves. The ground shattered - seas of bubbling rock erupting, exploding as sheer power exploded out of her. Her horn shattered - an unfathomable amount of energy rushing towards him as he slept. When he noticed - it was simply too late. He was pulled apart - cell by cell, atom by atom - until he was dust. Twilight collapsed down to the ground moments later. Blood leaked from her mouth. Her eyes watered. Her vision blurred. She laughed. She tilted her head back and laughed, even as the laughter tore her throat apart. Gone. She had done it - she had- Hm. His non-voice echoed throughout space itself. Twilight's eyes didn't so much as widen even as her heart sank. No - she didn't have the energy for that. You continue to surprise me, Twilight Sparkle. It is a shame - you would have made me an excellent vessel. Twilight's head slowly turned - as a white dragon tore itself up from the ground. Antlers, rippling with black un-light: wings made of a raging hurricane that tore the land apart underneath it. The dragon tilted its head to the side - its eyes, pure void. Goodbye, Twilight Sparkle. There was a warmth in her chest - a burning- Twilight Sparkle woke up with a scream. --- "You want me to teach you to fight." Tempest tilted her head to the side. "W-well. Not - fight. Not exactly, I guess." "Hm. You ask me - and not another alicorn? Would it not make more sense to ask Celestia or Luna?" "Well - I'll probably ask Luna on how to...fight. Like, physically. But - magic...I - you're...you killed him." She said softly. "Discord. But - none of us have...ever so much as bruised him. Maybe you're not more skilled - but I don't need skill. I mean, I do - but..." "Find your words, first. Then speak." Tempest suggested. Twilight shut her eyes, and took a deep breath to collect herself. "I want to learn how to fight from you because I feel as if you would know how to make better use of my magic. Of - my Will." "In that case, then - Twilight Sparkle - I accept." --- "Woo! Go Twilight!" Pinkie Pie jumped up and down. "Yeah! Kick her scaly-flank!" Rainbow Dash threw a hoof up into the air. Spike glanced at her. She looked away. "Really, Twilight - are you sure this is necessary? It's rather..." Rarity thought for a second. "Well, brutish, isn't it dear?" "No one said you have to come, hun." Applejack rolled her eyes. "Well - of course I must! Twilight is my friend, and as a lady - I must support my friend in all her endeavors." "um - miss Tempest? are you sure - um, that - it's...safe?" "Don't worry, Fluttershy." Twilight put a hoof on her barrel. "It's just practice. And there's plenty of shielding around here for you to watch safely, and we'll be doing it far back - so nothing should even come near here. And we've taken precautions so that neither of us gets hurt. Not that we'll be using nearly that much force." "um. Alright, Twilight. If - if you say so." She nodded. "I trust you." She smiled weakly. "Seriously, Fluttershy. Why did you even come? Not that I don't want you here," Rainbow added quickly. "But - aren't you like...really pacifistic?" "Well - um. The same reason as Rarity, I guess. Twilight's my friend. And I want to be here to support here." "Fluttershy." The alicorn pushed harder on her withers. "If you don't want to watch - you don't have to." "Thank you, Twilight - but it's fine. I promise." "Okay. If you say so. But if you ever want to leave..." Twilight trailed off. Fluttershy smiled and nodded at her. "I'll tell you." "Are you ready, Little Spirit?" Tempest called from afar. They had chosen their impromptu battlefield at Rambling Rock Ridge, where the two had initially met. While Twilight hadn't planned on inviting her friends - each one had insisted ongoing. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity to support their friend - while Rainbow Dash and Applejack (although she wouldn't admit it) wanted to see a little bit of action. Spike had also insisted on coming - bringing a first aid kit along. The rules were as followed. The first one to land a hit won. Tempest wasn't allowed to use the Storm, considering the effect it would have on the locale - (her reaction to finding out about BOWA had been one of annoyance, despite how pleased it made Order-) and neither were allowed to teleport. Twilight teleported over a few dozen feet away from the drakon. She gulped and nodded. "Ready." "Spike." Tempest glanced at the dragon. "If you'd be as kind to start us off." "U-uh. Sure." Spike cleared his throat. "Okay. On your mark-" drakon and pony lowered themselves close to the ground, wings spreading, "-get set," the telltale violet and ivory glow of magic around horns and antlers - "Go!" Twilight's first spell wasn't an attack - but rather a shielding spell. And for a good reason, too - in a movement so fast that no one but Rainbow Dash was quite able to track it, the drakon leapt across the battlefield and smashed her head towards Twilight in an attempt to pin her underneath her head. The shield shattered underneath the blow. Twilight's horn glowed - and she blurred backwards. No, it wasn't teleportation - she had spent the better part of her preparation creating a rather ingenious spell that propelled herself in any direction she willed. "Smart," Order praised through Tempest. Twilight cast the spell two more times in rapid succession to get behind Tempest, readying a simple bolt of energy to strike her. Tempest Asked, and the bolt of energy was lost to the aether. Twilight blanched as she recognized the use of mere Will in lieu of glyphs - Tempest had done it so fast...but she didn't have too much time to think about this as she was forced to cast her mobility spell to dodge Tempest's tail whipping towards her. Twilight let out a short breath as Tempest turned around slowly, the two's eyes meeting. "Good, Twilight Sparkle." "Seriously, you don't have to-" Twilight narrowly managed to get the spell off, weaving underneath the razor-sharp claws (yet, blunted with an edge of magic) that lunged towards her. Twilight stumbled and rolled through the dirt - before standing up, only to see Tempest's tail lunge forward - then lightly tap her on the nose. "You got distracted." "You didn't - that's-" "Cheating? There are less rules, in true combat - and I did not violate the few we set. I did not cheat, Twilight Sparkle." Tempest put an emphasis on her surname. Twilight groaned, even as Pinkie giggled lightly. "Again." Tempest teleported back and spread her wings. She turned to Spike. "On your marks - get set...go!" They had marched. They weren't particularly happy about it. Gryphons weren't supposed to march - they were supposed to fly. To soar through the air and crush all opposition. Now, though - they were just a days journey from the edge of Griffonstone Station to Trottingham. "Sir - are you -" "Your Majesty." The red-feathered gryphon corrected with a soft snarl. "Your Majesty - are you sure about this?" "You - question me? You - dare to question me?" Redclaw whirled on the soldier with a snarl. "...Yes!" The gryphon soldier nodded. Eyes slowly turned to the two. "I'm sure. The ponies - they're our allies, we can't-" His eyes went wide. He coughed - choked, gurgled - then fell to the ground. Drip. Drip. Drip. Blood oozed from his open throat. Redclaw examined his talons - drenched in blood. "Anyone else?" He looked around. There wasn't so much as a peep in the camp. Redclaw stood up and glanced over the ocean - glanced at Trottingham. Their prize. "No prisoners." He said softly. "Feast - burn, shred them all. Kill every last one of them - and take what is ours." "Take what is ours!" King Redclaw yelled, a glimmer of green in his eye. "Leave them with nothing!" A resounding cry went up through the gryphon soldiers. -