Got Your Six

by Revel Montaro

Chapter 5

“Oh, you have got to be bucking kidding me?!”

The head armorer of the guard had gone around back to retrieve something after Tempest finished speaking with the weapons and bladesmiths as part of her inspection. The earth pony returned a moment later rolling out a poniequin similar to ones found in a retail store or tailor’s shop with a set of armor attached to it. It had gold trim and purple plates… a LOT of purple plates. Plus, the helmet had one of those feathery, dyed hair crest that were cumbersome and just plain ugly in Tempest’s opinion. The captain had not bother hiding her disgust from the armorer who introduced himself as Dusty Canyon.

“The design was last approved by Captain Shining armor, in case you were wondering. Quick Strike greatly respected Captain Armor so he made no changes to the design after assuming the position. Judging by the look on your face I’m guessing it’s not your liking.”

Tempest sighed and humored the armorer by giving the armor a more thorough inspection. No reason to start off by getting on the bad side of the pony who was responsible for keeping her troops well armed and safe. Upon closer inspection Tempest could see that the plates were well crafted and polished to a showroom finish. The rivets all appeared tight and the overall design covered the majority of the vital weak points on a pony’s body while remaining light and airy so as to not become too heavy from all day use. The saddle was a nice addition as well, considering it was sized for a foal to sit comfortably without risk of plates pinching their fur. The helmet was a no-go and there was no changing her mind on that one though.

“The purple not doing it for you, captain?”

Tempest rubbed her nose bridge and sighed before turning her eyes to Flash Sentry who was trying hard not to smirk… and failing. He must have anticipated her ire and had quietly stepped out of easy strike range. “I knew with Twilight taking the throne there was bound to be more purple regalia, but… this? This is too much.”

Flash shrugged. “I dunno, you could probably pull it off.”

Tempest sighed. She had awoken at dawn to a courier delivering a piece of correspondence stating that she was to meet with the advisory council and budget committee before mid-day lunch time while court was not in current session and Twilight was busy with students at CSGU. It worked out well because it gave Tempest an opportunity to inspect the armory and meet with the ponies who were in charge of protecting those that protected. Dusty Canyon had been cordial and showed a great deal of knowledge in his field, which Tempest appreciated. He then offered to show Tempest what he had in stock for her as captain.

“Look, it’s a good piece. I can tell it's well made, but it’s not… me.” Dusty grumbled something under his breath and Tempest allowed it. She did after all just insult one of his pieces of art. If only she could get ahold of… wait… could she?

“Captain?”

Tempest shook her head and glanced between the two stallions. “Sorry, had a thought I might need to look into. For now, just store the armor. Some of it might be useable later.” Dusty grumbled again, but did as he was told. Tempest made her way to the exit with Flash to her right and a step behind. Once outside Tempest stopped and leaned in closer to the orange pegasus.

“I need you to run an errand for me while I go find Spike the Dragon before we meet up with the nobles.”

Flash shrugged. “I'm at your command, what’s up?”

“Are you familiar with scrying potions or know who or what shop in town would be?”

“I’ve heard of them but never used one myself. Two way communications between two points using some sort of liquid, right?”

Tempest nodded, retrieving an old folded piece of paper from one of her armor pouches. “I need you to find a potion master who can make a scrying potion to these exact measurements. If they ask for payment tell them to send the bill to my office and that I will pay extra if they can make it a rush job for this afternoon.”

Flash examined the piece of paper that had been opened and refolded numerous times that simply said Tempest at the top along with the formula directions. He quickly tucked the paper away into his own pouch before saluting. “I’m on it. I’ll meet you outside the conference hall ten minutes before you are scheduled to appear. If I’m late, go on without me.”

Tempest nodded and began to trot towards the hotel where Twilight had been staying.

----------

It took asking a few of the staff for directions, but eventually Tempest found Spike with a list in his little claws as if he was doing the rounds, which he might be. Twilight probably had given him a task or checklist and he was hard at work not unlike herself.

Spike, much like Twilight and her friends, had welcomed Tempest with a smile and reserved judgment. However, unlike Twilight, Spike had made it clear to the former villain that if she ever betrayed the trust Twilight had extended like an olive branch that he would not hesitate to find out if her armor was fireproof. He probably had a better chance than a snowball in a volcano, but not by much and she respected the loyalty he had to his ‘sister’ and princess.

“Sooooo, you want me to send a dragon fire message to who now?”

“As I understand it, some dragons have the ability to send messages all over the world by their magic fire spell or whatever you call it.”

Spike shrugged and waved his claw back and forth. “Eh, something like that. I’ve honestly never tested to see how far it actually goes, but I know when I was sending regular reports to Celestia it found her no matter where she was. The only other ponies I’ve sent letters to are Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, who are pretty far away now that I think about it. But, I’ve never even heard of this pony named Vector.”

Tempest rubbed a foreleg with her other one more anxious that she really needed to be. “Okay so, we are working on theory here, but as I understand it from other dragons I've talked to, you only have to focus on the name and some sort of connection to the recipient in order to send a message.”

Spike shrugged again. “It might be that simple. I mean, I could ask Dragon Lord Ember for more detail on how it works, but I’ve never actually read the details on the ability. There is so little written on dragons and our abilities. Trust me, Twilight has looked everywhere. To be honest, I’m not even sure how Celesta knew I could do it to begin with. I always meant to ask her and I keep forgetting.”

Tempest produced a small scroll she had filled out ahead of time. More than one, in case the first one just burned up. “Okay, focus on me. Vector is a minotaur and a master armor crafter. He created the Storm Guard's shields and my armor for the Storm King’s forces. After the fall and the army disbanded, he probably grabbed everything he could carry and ran before looters could take his tools and materials. I need to contact him so that he will come to Canterlot and craft me a new set of captain’s formal armor.”

Spike closed his eyes and focused on the words, imagining a massive minotaur with arms bigger than Spike’s head swinging a hammer down onto a massive anvil surrounded by fire. He reached out and touched Tempest’s armor with one claw while beckoning her to place the scroll in his other. A moment later he took a deep breath and exhaled fire. Tempest expected to see the paper blacken to ash and fall to the ground, but instead as it was consumed by green flame the scroll transformed into a sparkling cloud that zoomed off into the sky and beyond the horizon.

“Well,” Spike said, opening his eyes, “hope that worked. Guess we’ll know when I belch up… wait how is he supposed to reply?”

Tempest smiled and gave a courteous nod to Spike. “I gave him instructions. I guess we’ll find out soon if it worked. Thanks again for your help. I have to go.”

With that out of the way Tempest considered stopping by the barracks mess for a snack before heading to the conference center that was just down the road from the palace grounds where she was scheduled to meet the nobles. The thought passed and Tempest surmised she could tough it out in case talking to ponies with more opulence than brains made her sick to her stomach.

She had just exited the school campus grounds and crossed the street when a greyish blue pony in a coat that was far too warm for the weather moved from the wall he had been leaning next to. The movement had not gone unnoticed and Tempest slowed her step.

He approached her path, lifted his cabbie hat and said, “Tempest Shadow?”

Hesitantly, and with her horn already beginning to spark she replied, “Yes?”

The pony tipped his hat as something landed on the ground from within his coat near his hindleg. Without another word the stallion began to walk away. Tempest rapidly switched her eyes from the bag that she was half expecting to explode, to the retreating pony and back again to the bag. After a moment of nothing she touched it lightly with her hoof and heard the familiar clink of coins sliding on coins. Carefully, she unlaced the satchel and as she suspected, it was loaded with Equestrian bits.

Tempest scowled at the coins bearing Celestia’s face. A bribe? A BRIBE?! I’ve been on the job a few days and someone is already trying to influence power over me with… money?! Are you bucking kidding me?! Her displeasure twisted into a full faced snarl. “Stop you! Get back here!” The stallion in the long coat’s eyes went wide and he took off at a full gallop, his hat flying off. Tempest broke out into a gallop to pursue, her horn crackling with energy. If she could get enough bystanders out of the way she could stun him with one good bolt.

“Move! Guard business! MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!” The suspect was fast on his hooves, but the billowing coat made him easy to follow and he was knocking ponies and items over to flee that slowed and impeded both of them. Tempest, roared in frustration and dashed out wide around the street vendors, past two carriage cabbies who had to halt to avoid a collision, yelling their own frustrations, and finally back to where her quarry was attempting to run down a side alley. Tempest finally let loose the bolt she had been holding the moment she had a clear shot. Blue lightning arced across the stone and finally bounced into her target. The stallion’s body seize up from the electricity and he fell on his face.

Before he could stand again Tempest placed one armored hoof on his head and held him flat to the dirty alley gutter. As an earth pony he probably could have easily bucked her off, but she knew he could feel the crackle of her horn so close to his face and no chance to get away unscathed.

“Don’t make me hurt you any more than I already have.”

“C’mon lady, I was just trying to do my job. If it wasn’t enough or you didn’t like how I made the drop no reason to get rough about it.”

“You may know my name, because someone told you or you recognized my face, but do you know WHO I am?”

“Uhhhhh… is this a trick question? I didn't get very far in school as you might imagine.”

Tempest hauled her prisoner back to his hooves, slamming his back into the brick and looked him in the eye. He instinctively flinched back from the crackling horn as much as he could while she still held him in her iron grip from escaping. “I am the captain of the royal guard, dumbass and you are under arrest for attempted bribery.”

“Awww, c’mon. I was just doing what I was told!”

“Oh, we’re going to talk all about that later. Right now I have a meeting I can’t miss, but I’m sure you’ll stay nice and cozy in the local constable’s cell thinking about all the poor choices you've made in life.” With nothing else to add Tempest shoved her prisoner out of the alley and steered him the direction she wished to go.

While Canterlot was the primary jurisdiction of the guard, they did in fact have joint duty/cooperation with the local authorities that handled things that were not considered royal guard business. Like most cities or regions throughout Equestria, the duty of keeping most of the citizens safe fell to a sheriff office or constabulary. Tempest had familiarized herself with where the local offices were in case she needed their help on matters. Knowledge that was already paying off.

It ran the risk of nearly making her late, but Tempest took the time to explain to the officer on duty what had transpired and that she needed him to hold her suspect until she had finished her meeting with the council and she could return to collect and question him. She had explained to her prisoner that if he needed to contact a lawyer or friend for advice he could do so, but had to remain in his cell. The suspect just crossed his hooves and scowled at the wall in response. The desk clerk duty officer had not been much much more welcoming of her presence.

With that unexpected detour done Tempest raced to the convention center where Flash was waiting and visibly sighed with relief when she trotted up to him. “Cutting a bit close, captain. I was just about to go try some stall tactics that most likely would have involved singing or telling bad jokes.”

Tempest placed a hoof on his shoulder and smiled her thanks. “Sorry, I had to run a suspect in who tried to bribe me as I was leaving the school grounds of all places. Chase, pursuit, mess, blah, blah, blah. I’m sure someone will tell the local news about it. Anyhow, we’ll deal with him after this mess.” With nothing else to add she pushed the door open.

It was a common belief in misconception that the princess held court before the representatives of the noble houses of Canterlot every day. That was only partially true. Court sessions for both the nobility and the common petitioners were done in intervals sessions. Usually they lasted two weeks at a time with a small break in between so that the princess and the representatives could see to their agendas, families, and any other pressing matters including what had been discussed in court. It mimicked the process that Celestia had perfected over the centuries and fell firmly into the category of, 'ain't broke, don't fix it' as some of the rural folk were fond of saying.

The rest of the time the government operated in what could be referred to as “small groups” such as guilds and councils. It was also not unusual for some members to have seats at more than one governing table depending on the family structure and what their holdings were. As Tempest and Flash entered there were seven ponies already in the room not counting the small security detail that was standing along the back wall. Tempest took note of the fact that they were private security and not royal guards.

Upon entering, the stallions and mares ceased their casual mingling and moved to the table that had already been prepared for them. As Flash had explained earlier, six of the ponies she would be speaking with were nobles on the princess’s advisor council and one was a member of the royal budget committee who was not a noble, but rather just a government rep, the designated paper pusher. He also advised his captain to treat these meetings with the same care and caution one would have when approaching an enemy for a honor duel on the battlefield. That was an analogy she could easily grasp.

“Good afternoon, members of the council,” Tempest said politely with a nod of her head. They were not royalty and it was the most courtesy she was required to show.

“Good afternoon to you as well, hmm, how shall we address you, Miss Shadow?”

Flash had briefed her thoroughly the night before on the six members of the council and if she recalled the description correctly it was Fancy Pants who had spoken first. “I have accepted the position of Captain of the Guard that was generously offered to me by Princess Twilight. Addressing me by my rank will be fine, councilor.”

“Do you believe you are ready for such a responsibility? There is more at stake in your accepting this than just a steady satchel of coin and a bit of notoriety.”

The mention of money and coin caused Tempest to furrow her brow and frown at the other white unicorn stallion who had spoken. She knew in the back of her head that she should have expected some sort of push back or grilling from others in positions of power, but the mention of a satchel made her immediately suspicious of who had ordered the drop from earlier. Hopefully she would get useful answers to that after the meeting. Tempest straightened her posture held her head high as she methodically paced back and forth before the table where her 'enemy' sat trying to assess her. Fighting for her rank and position was nothing new, an old dance she knew all the steps to.

“I understand that many of you are unfamiliar with my credentials beyond me being a former commander of the Storm King’s forces and oppressor of the weak. So, let me cut through all the speculation, rumors, and hearsay. My rank as commander was not a gift or ceremonial, I earned it by fighting my way to the top of the ladder one blood soaked rung at a time. I have traveled to many different parts of the world some of which you may not have maps for or even heard of. I have fought numerous battles and campaigns against known creatures as well as ones you may have only read about, but never seen with your own two eyes.

“In that time, I honed my hoof combat, my attack spells, and my own personal interest in tactics and strategy. No matter what I was born to be or whatever destiny was once set aside for me as some ponies believe I am a solider now and until I am incapable of performing my duties as such that is what I shall remain. Now, with the Storm King in pieces at the bottom of a trash pit I gladly use my hard fought experience to teach the royal guard how to fight stronger and smarter because I owe the princess, her friends, and all of Equestria a debt I may never be able to repay, but I’m going to damn well try. Are we good?”

The council members murmured amongst themselves a moment and finally all six nodded. Fancy Pants spoke again. “Let’s move on to why we’re are all here then, shall we?”

Tempest nodded, relief washing over her. “Thank you. Recently I obtained the guard’s annual budget documents and have personally inspected the barracks, training grounds and armory. While I still need to conduct a thorough audit of the inventory to compare to what is on file I am confident in moving forward with a new annual budget proposal so that it does not become an issue farther down the road.”

Flash stepped forward and presented the new budget and requested expense report to the council with practiced efficiency then stepped back to stand next to his captain while they passed the report amongst themselves. Tempest had remained ramrod as a statue and carefully watched their reactions. Her horn may have been broken and body battered by war, but her eyesight was as sharp as a pegasus. The looks of surprise were expected, that was not what she was looking for. A few however, their expressions turned sour for only a fraction of a second. They were all very good at controlling their body language, which again, was no surprise. She took mental note of the tiny giveaways for further review. After a few murmurs back and forth it was Lord Gray Coal who cleared his throat to speak.

“You seem to have cut a great deal from your appropriations. Are you certain you reviewed everything carefully enough to make these decision?”

Tempest nodded to the bluish black stallion in a suit jacket and tie. “I kept everything I knew that was related to the guard’s pay, including weekly pay, hazard pay, and retirement benefits. In addition, we kept every program that we were able to recognize that was related to the security and safety of the city and Her Majesty. However, there were numerous unknown programs that neither myself or my advisors were able to identify. Since we are starting fresh, new high princess, new guard captain, I felt it was best to remove the unknowns and if needed, they could be debated and added back at the next hearing, which as I understand is in the fall.”

“I noticed you did not cut the funding to program EIS7B7,” said Grey Coal far too casually with just a hint of disappointment in his voice. It would have gone unnoticed by someone who was not specifically listening for it.

Oh, how interesting that you would call THAT ONE out you pompous snake oil seller.

“As I have been made to understand that is the Equestrian Intelligence Service. They gather information and that could be of some use to me. If they prove to be more useless than a sack of rotting tomatoes then I’ll cut it next time. For now it stays.”

The nobles once again whispered amongst themselves while the budget committee rep looked practically giddy. They were after all proposing to save money instead of asking for more. After a minute of deliberation the six nobles settled again and the noblemare by the name of Purity Brilliance smiled at Tempest, far, far too brightly for her liking.

“Well, you have made this rather easy for us, captain. However, I have to inquire further about this one strike through and notation you made next to the Captain’s Pay Salary.” Flash Sentry quirked an eyebrow. They had not discussed any changes or requests to the change in the captain’s pay.

“Yes, councilor?”

“You crossed out the weekly pay amount and nearly halved it. Was that a mistake?”

“No, councilor. To clarify, I cut it by a third if you want to run the math.”

The silence lingered before Purity’s smile twitched for a moment and she spoke again. “While generous, that is a significant loss of income. How will you compensate?”

Tempest had to fight to keep from flashing her teeth like a predator at the would be sharks. “There is nothing to compensate for, councilor. I looked at the pay grade of a lieutenant senior grade and added two extra bits. That seemed reasonable to me. I have no real personal possessions and everything I need to live and do my job is provided by the service of the guard itself. The money is just so that if I need to get things for others I will not have to ask Her Highness to buy it for me because that would just be embarrassing. Beyond that I have no other need for money.” Tempest looked each noble in the eye before throwing her last card on the proverbial table. “Even if it were dropped before me in the street. I would just leave it there for someone else.”

That got a few reactions out of the nobles as if she had committed some sort of blasphemy. No need for money? Unheard of! Money was influence, money was power! Tempest had heard it all before, from nobles and royalty to wannabe despots and pirates of tiny islands and corners of the world that barely had names. Even the Storm King in the end was no better. Sure, he had charisma and access to a vast fortune he had mostly stolen that he used to build his army and invasion forces, but that was all just more of the same in the end. No real power. Money, lies, and corruption. Especially corruption. The Storm King had no intention of treating anyone, loyal or slave, any different. He got what he deserved. Tempest continued to study the faces of the nobles before her, committing every tiny detail to memory. If they were corrupt they would get what they deserved as well.

The silence was about to reach an uncomfortable moment when it was broken by a musical chime tone. All eyes turned to Flash Sentry as his satchel began to emit a faint blue glow. He did a wide eyed double take, not expecting it to do that.

Tempest cleared her throat to bring the attention back around to her. “If there is nothing else, I need to answer that and I have several guard matters to attend to this afternoon.”

“No, I believe we can handle it from here, captain. The council can contact your office if we require clarification on any of the minor details. Good day to you,” said Fancy Pants with a pleasant smile. Tempest nodded and marched out with Flash Sentry a few steps behind. Once outside the convention center Tempest retrieved the potion bottle that was glowing and chiming. She frantically looked about for a vessel to pour it into.

“Dammit, I need a bowl or something to pour this into before the spell times out.”

“Um…” Flash looked about as well, but saw nothing useful like a pot or even a bird bath. Before Tempest could swear again, he pulled his helmet off and flipped it over. If he held it just right… “Quick, in here!”

With no other choices available and only seconds left she did so and the scry potion activated. It took a moment for the connection to settle and the voice that was shouting from the other end to become clear.

“Tempest!” the creature on the other end said again far more clearly. “Hot damn! By the stone gates of Garglon! Y’are still alive! I heard a rumor you were, but I don’t give that shit much credence unless my own two peepers have seen it! Figured after it all went down the poop shoot and the big guy bit the dust that you were on the run so as to not end up in a cell or at the end of a rope.”

Much to Flash’s surprise, Tempest’s face split into a large, genuinely pleasant grin. The first the pegasus had seen on her face.

“Vector! You ugly, old cow! I’m glad to see you alive and well too.”

Flash risked the breach in protocol and leaned forward so he could look down into the small pool in his helmet to see the rippled face of a stocky grey minotaur. He could not make much else out as far as location or personal details, but this Vector was definitely not a pony.

“Hey!” the minotaur barked, “don’tcha know a private talk when ya see one, boy? Honestly, the nosey curiosity of some folk.”

“Private talk, lieutenant, keep the vessel still.”

“Right, sorry, captain.”

“Captain? You done gone joined up with another army, girl? Well, guess I can't blame ya on that one. Probably a good idea given your skills. Only caught a glimpse of nose, but that minion you got looked like a pony.”

Tempest chuckled and smiled again. “Believe it or I’ve gone legit. I got a full pardon from the Princesses of Equestria after the battle and just wandered for a bit to find my own way and let the dust settle. Then got asked by Princess Twilight Sparkle to lead her new guard. The offer was too good to pass up.”

“Hot damn, girl! I knew you were a survivor, but you continue to impress no matter what life throws at ya! Love the catch up and all, but somethin’ tells me you sent me that dragon fire message for a reason.”

“I did want to check on you, but yes, I also am in need of your services.”

The minotaur’s face got closer to the pool on his side as if he were trying to examine something. “You didn’t go an lose my armor now didya?”

“No, never. Best gift anyone has ever given me and has saved my plot more times than I can count, but since I am now the captain of the guard I also have to play the part that entails. The captain’s armor they have in stock is more show than function. I was hoping I could convince you to make me a new set that will be just as good as what I have, but also stand out on display as a princess’s captain.”

“Mmhmm, mmhmm, I can see that, gotta play the part and all that shit. Well, ya know I would love to, but the problem is after the fall of the Storm Guard I lost access to all my stock of ferronite ore we had for Storm Guard armor and shields. In fact, it took less than a day for the defense force to turn on itself. That was some nasty backstabbi' shit let me tell ya! I had just enough time to pack all my tools and grab a sack of coin and run before the infighting turned bloody. My old smithy is probably nothin' but ashes now. Gods on high only know where all that material went. I mean I can make ya a damn flashy set outta any ol' material, but the enchanted qualities of your armor comes from the ferronite.”

Tempest grimace. “Damn, I hadn’t thought about that. It could take months or longer to track down the ore and who knows how much to buy enough material on the black market. And after I just got done telling those stuck up nobles how I didn’t need the extra money too. Figures.”

Flash flicked his ears. He had agreed to stay quiet because it was not a conversation he was supposed to be involved with, but he had too many questions. “What is ferronite? I’ve never heard of it.”

“Extremely rare metal so far only ever found in the ancient island lands of my people not far from the modern Zebrican territories. My people don’t got no real magic on their own just like zebras or dragons so we evolved and learned to adapt. Zebra shamans got potions and incantations, dragons are naturally resistant to magic, and we got a natural attunement to the world around us.

“Minotaurs can sense barriers, artifacts, the ley lines of the world itself even if we can’t harness it. But sometimes, some objects like wood and metal absorb large quantities of magic where those power points come together. Makes them strong like how ironwood can cut just like steel if you can find the right type. Ferronite is like iron, but better. Easy to forge, easy to shape, and when turned into armor or a shield it can be highly magic resistant. Can bounce a unicorn blast right off of it like rubber. I even heard of some highly refined variants that can resist dragon fire.”

Flash’s eyes turned to the plating layers on Tempest’s armor. No wonder she had no desire to give it up. She was wearing a small fortune in one of the most rare and powerful armors ever made. The conversation stalled as Tempest continued to frown while racking her brain on what was best to do next. Flash, on the other hoof, remembered a conversation he had overheard from some of the other guards a few weeks ago. His face lit up as the light bulb went off.

“Wait, those shields the Storm Guard had when they invaded the city were made of this stuff?”

“The expeditionary force had them. Not many, but the blitz wave was the tip of the spear and needed the best.”

“After the yetis were released to go where they wished or were assisted to return to their homeland, one requirement was that their armor and weapons be left behind. Those shields are still here... somewhere.”

Tempest’s eyes lit up.

“Did I hear that right? Y’all still got them shields I crafted?”

Tempest nodded. “I’ll have to double check where, but it would seem so. Think that would be enough to craft me a new set of armor?”

The minotaur smiled, a few teeth were missing. “If it’s still good I can smelt'em down and pound'em out. If need be I could always take pieces from your old set. Since it’s supposed to be all fancy like maybe I’ll get me a few gems to jazz it up a little too! Hot damn! Now I got me some ideas flowin!”

“Great! How soon can you get here?”

“Eh… Not in Equestria or the islands right now. Could be a while, plus I got a few order to finish else my payin’ customers might think I ripped’em off. Let me clear that out first. Though in the mean time if you could get me one of those fancy princess pardons that I had nothin’ to do with the invasion might make things go smoother. Ya follow me?”

“I’ll get one for you and have Spike send it by dragon fire again.” The image was beginning to fade out as the potion began to wear off. “Talk to you again soon, take care of yourself, Vector.”

“See ya soon and watch your six, girl!”

The image faded to a simple blue tinted water. Flash turned it over and dumped the remains on the ground. He hooked the helmet on the side, preferring to rinse it out before putting it back on just in case it did anything to his mane. When he looked back up Tempest was still smiling, seeming lost in thought. She shook her head, expression professional stoic once more. A shame, he thought, she has such a lovely smile when she wants to.

“Come on, back to work.”

Author's Note:

Most of this was set up for later, but still managed to have a few good conversations.

I found it interesting when watching the Movie how Twilight's horn blast bounced off the Storm Guar's shield. At the same time it was interesting how Tempest quickly and confidently kicked those insanely dangerous petrification spheres around. It got me thinking that her armor may have been made of the same material that was magic resistant. So I just gave it a name.

Since I am about to start chapter ten if things continue well I may drop another chapter this weekend and still be comfortable with my buffer.

Questions Comments?