//------------------------------// // Iron Precious // Story: An Iron Sunset // by Dragon Angel Knight //------------------------------// Iron Precious “Good morning, Sunset!” Philomena said cheerily from the young mare’s bedside, “Saladin has some food going for you. And coffee. I remember how you are without your morning cup.” Sunset glared at the little drone for a second before giggling a little and nodding, yawning and stretching her limbs as far as they could go. She tore off her covers and crawled out of her bed, reaching for Traveler’s Chosen as she did so. Ever since Banshee had given the sidearm to her, it had been an almost permanent addition to her daily attire so loathe Sunset was to be parted with it. “Alright, let me brush my mane out and get dressed, ‘Mena. Let Daddy know I’ll be down shortly,” Sunset said to her Ghost a bit groggily. Saladin had custom ordered several sets of armor and clothing for his little pony and honestly relished in the fact that his daughter was turning out every bit the regal looking Iron Lady he had planned on raising her as. It turned out that Sunset had taken a liking to both the Titan based armor and Warlock based robes he’d commissioned, though the armor was adorably oversized for her frame, to the point that when she looked up at her father with what he’d assumed was a wide grin on her face under the helmet, he’d needed to be revived when the helm slipped a little and she sat down with a pout. The shop owner had laughed and said “On the house for that little show, Darling” when Saladin had recovered enough to pay the Glimmer for the goods. It was a set of the Warlock robes that Sunset was putting on now. Simple but sturdy, the robes covered enough of her hind-legs to keep them protected, but not get in the way of her walking or running. There were holes on the back for Sunset’s wings as well, though they were a bit uncomfortable to slide into, the freedom of movement and comfort that the robes gave while worn was top notch. “Ready!” the pony said to herself, nodding her head before heading down and into the kitchen. Sunset and her Father were still living in the apartment in the City that had been gifted to them, but the mare could feel that Saladin was more than a little twitchy being confined as he was. Ages in the wilds would do that to anyone, she supposed, but it was good to interact with others from time to time. “Good morning,” Saladin said from where he was standing at the stove, “your meal is on the table. Eat up, I plan on having you do some combat drills today.” “Combat Drills?” Sunset asked as she started wolfing down the breakfast in front of her, “Who is going to be with us?” “I Invited Mina to join in,” Saladin replied as he finished making his own plate, “I don’t think I could fight you the way I would need to for it to be effective…” Sunset looked up at her father and smiled, “It’s alright. ...I’m not sure I could fight you like that either.” `~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~ Later on that day, Sunset, Saladin, and Mina found themselves at Vostok Observatory, the younger of the two Titans stretching herself out a bit before hopping a bit and shadow boxing for a second. Sunset followed her example and stretched out a bit as well, making sure she was limbered up and ready for the sparring match. The room they were in was the large atrium like entrance to the Iron Temple itself, which Saladin had cleared off for that bout specifically. Mina had opted to not wear her helmet for this bout and her armor more closely resembled a set of street clothes. The Titan had a vibrant head of blue hair and her skin was a pale shade of purple, marking her as Awoken. “Have you found your Class yet?” Mina asked curiously, “I remember saying that you were similar to a Warlock when we first met, but I’m still left curious about it.” “Not yet,” Sunset said with a shrug, “But I’ll find it eventually!” “That’s the spirit!” Mina laughed, “Maybe we’ll even be able to find it today!” “Don’t push her too hard today,” Saladin warned from the side of the room, “This is just to get a baseline for what Sunset can do, and we can go from there.” “I understand,” Mina said with a nod, “No Light from me, not from this match anyway.” Nodding in approval, Saladin motioned to Sunset and Mina to take their positions at the center of the makeshift ring that they had set up. The pony Lightbearer took a low crouching stance with her wings flared out while Mina brought her arms up in a cross guard. “Hit me with everything you have, Sunset!!” Mina said, “I can take it!!” “If you say so!” Sunset replied with a grunt and a heavy flap of her wings. She flung herself bodily at Mina, planting her forehooves into the ground before the Titan and spun, kicking her rear legs out at the Awoken. Mina took the impact of the strike on her crossed arms with a surprised grunt of pain, the force behind Sunset’s kick sending the Titan sliding back a good meter or so from her starting position. Mina dug her heels into the ground and stopped her slide, but ended up taking a knee and looking over to Saladin. “Definitely a Titan with that strength,” Mina said with a huff. “So it would seem,” Saladin said with a smile, “Reset your positions and let us see what else she is capable of.” And so, the day went on like that for a while longer, Mina taking the hits as only a Titan could and Sunset striking in ways only she could. Saladin noted that his daughter would often use her wings as a way of both attacking and evading, making slices with them coated in Light to keep them from breaking. He made a mental note to have some armor made for that purpose. He also noticed that Sunset would propel herself into Shoulder Charge speeds with a single flap of her wings, though whether that was a product of her unique biology or the Light was yet to be seen. “Enough,” Saladin said, walking between the two combatants, “Time to rest.” “Whew…” Mina said, wiping sweat from her brow, “Thought that would never end…” “What do you mean?” Sunset asked, cocking her head to the side. Mina’s eyes bulged a bit at how adorable Sunset was like that before scratching her cheek and saying, “Uh… well… To be blunt, I’ve taken hits from Hive Knights that were far gentler than what you managed to pull. If I hadn’t put some Light into my guards, I’d have needed to be res’d more than once in this sparring match.” Sunset’s eyes went wide and she bolted forward and tackle hugged Mina, burying her face in the Titan’s chest. “’M sorry,” came the muffled appology as Sunset nuzzled Mina’s chest. Mina had to take a breath before returning the hug, schooling herself against the Exotic levels of cute the pony had at her disposal. “It’s Alright, Sunny,” Mina replied, patting Sunset’s head, “We all have to learn our strength sometime. I’m just glad you didn’t have to learn it in the wilds like most of us did…” “Indeed,” Saladin said as he came up beside the two and knelt down to Sunset, “And that is why I will have you two spar together. Mina, I also asked Zavala to have you moved to my command for a while for that purpose.” “Understood,” the younger Titan said with a nod, “Anything to help a friend. I may have a Hunter and Warlock in mind that would be able to help as well.” “We’ll see,” Saladin responded as he lifted Sunset away from Mina’s chest and into his arms, “For now, however, let us eat. I had a batch of Ramen broth brought up here to help ward off the cold. The noodles need to be cooked, however.” “Yay! Ramen!” Sunset cried, pumping her hoof.