Iron Wing

Duran was a bit scared as everpony looked into Emi´s direction. He had counted two unicorns and one alicorn, all able to detect magic, or at least he thought that way. Since he was a magic entity hidden within fur, he didn´t feel very good around creatures like that. He suggested that if these ponies would find out what he was, they were scared or could hate him for what he was. So he prefered to stay hidden within the fluffy mane of Emi. I never thought that this much -friends- would show up... also the magical ones... he thought. Until now nopony had seen him and he would love if it could stay this way. Emi stepped forward and started to introduce herself and it looked like everything went smooth. The lynx believed that until Colt poked Emi into her flank... Duran was startled as Emi screeched like that and jumped into the air with a loud "Meow!" , landing in front of Emi and his face down to the ground. He got up again and looked directly to Luna who wasn´t far away now. He looked around and noticed that he could be seen from everypony now. This just can´t be true... if i close my eyes and open them up again... darn, i am really in the middle of everypony... he thought. This was kind of embarrassing and he didn´t like to be seen just like that. The alicorn called Luna had powerful magic, Duran just could feel it. Also the unicorn called "Ice Storm" had some unique abilities, and now this mare was the new sister of Iron Wing. And her friend "Daylight" was an unicorn who used light magic. Bah! He didn´t like that one before even knowing him. He knew he should not judge anypony just like that, but he had a bad feeling about the golden stallion. Didn´t Iron mention that he was a detective? Great... He looked back to the dragon who caused this situation he was in now and gave him an "i-will-eat-you-when-you-sleep" stare. Of course the lynx had the ability to adapt to most situations, and his quick thinking led him to just one option. Cuteness power activate! With big cat eyes he looked around, licking his fur and observing everpony unsure where to go. He looked to Iron Wing who just grinned, offering her saddlebag to hide with a smooth gesture. He would love to get into the saddlebag, but just to run to Iron Wing was suspicious, like it was planned. Because this "Daylight" could see him, he decided to act like a normal "cat". He walked a bit around, slowly coming near Iron, trying not to stand out too much. Of course this was difficult after a landing like that, but acting normal could probably the solution to everything. Damn you Colt... Be sure that i will get my revenge on this one. he thought. Not too far and he would reach Iron Wing...

Her plan seemed to unfold very well as everypony started to do most parts Iron Wing had planned. Of course they would knew best what abilities they are capable of and so she trusted all of them. Of course no plan was perfect and she knew that these ponies would react the best they could to use their strengths as good as possible against these creatures. Electro did very well with the distraction part until he fell down to the ground and it looked like one of the treants would get him, but Alex was fast enough to rescue him from this dangerous situation. Colt had encountered the trees behind the group and was already fighting them. She shook her head a bit since she didn´t know what was so difficult to understand "defense-position". But it turned out that he did well against these trees, and so she was relieved that the dragon could handle the situation. Ice started some amazing ice magic and she created shields to protect the group, also managed to freeze the ground and to charge a magical attack to cut down a treant with a crescent blade of ice. Iron gulped a bit as she saw the impact on the tree-folk and she already knew that she would never want Ice Storm to be angry enough to launch something like that at her. The magic of her new little sister was powerful and she never had the idea that she had this kind of strength in her. But then another treant started to launch thorns at Ice and she got injured, forcing her back to cover behind the ice shield. What kind of pony was Iron Wing to let something like this happen! She got angry about herself not be able to protect Ice enough to prevent even something like that. She stepped forward to take her own role within this fight serious, unfolding her wings to their full size and placing them before herself as a shield. Since she was wearing a full body armor, most of her body was covered with the wolframite plates and with strong steps she went forward to the enemy who had shot thorns to Ice. Again the tree started to shoot thorns, but this time in her direction. The impact of the thorns against her armor caused sparks to fly around her with every hit, but determined she went on into the shower of thorns. The sound of metal filled the air as the treant increased the number and the speed of the thorns, but the armored mare didn´t move away just like that. Some scatches were inflicted on parts that were not fully covered, but she had gone through worse situations. As she was within a good attack range, she unfolded her wing blades, swords that were mounted on the edge of her armored wing parts. Now the treant understood that this meant real business and started to attack her more violently, trying to get her with some of the roots. But with some precise cuts these roots meant nothing more than desperate uncoordinated attacks for the knight. She speeded up and ran towards her target, causing to make some noise with her heavy hoove steps, almost making the impression of a stampede running on a metallic road. She swung herself into the air, avoiding an attack of the treants arm, and with a swift move she started to cut the wood before her. She had much strength in her trained wings and hooves since she could lift this heavy armor, and the impact of her blades on the tree were much more critical than most would expect. The blades also were heavy enough to be counted as broad swords. Sharp like hell these things were cutting through the wood like it was butter. Iron Wing self got hit by another swing of the treants arm, and got catapulted to the ground. With her wings she could control her fall somewhat and landed on her hooves with screeching metal protectors. She started a last attack serie and dashed forward to knock down the treant which had attacked Ice Storm, and with a couple of attacks the treant fell down, Iron Wing standing on top of this creature.

Duran the lynx, Blazing Storm @@Colt, "To be honest, it is -unusual- to watch him, but he is very interesting. Also he is not a stallion, he is a dragon. Very friendly but kind of shy on strange moments and he has a strange flavour." she told Emi and grinned. She could remember that flavour very well, it was the best way to memorize a character. Blaze came near Emi and whispered into her ear. "He tastes like burned onions..." and looked at her, starting to laugh loud and rolling on the bed, finally falling on the ground. She settled down a bit and looked to Emi again. "I think at the first meeting he was scared of Iron Wing. But now he is not scared at all." Blaze jumped onto the bed again and let herself fall down on the back, feeling the soft blanket on her back. She sighed and looked to the alabaster coloured mare and sighed. "No, i am not that happy. Since Iron is so into that dragon, she doesn´t have much time for her friends anymore. I feel a bit lonely now and besides that lazy cat i don´t have anypony to talk to..." she said. Duran had twitchy ears as she said "lazy" and got out of the basket. He got near to the ponies from behind and waited for the right moment. "He is working on Sweet Apple Acres to earn a living and she is a guardian at the tower. Sometimes i think she has more time for him than for her duties. She has changed a bit since she met him. Also i think he wasn´t like that before he met Iron. It´s a bit strange. But do you know what i think for real?" she asked Emi. "I think they..." she started as Duran jumped into her face and just sat down. "... tey sshut duu suumthhung abuut thuuur durrrly plluunn..." she mumbled below the fur ball. She tried to get him off with her hooves, but Duran kept his position. "... ggwwoo awwoooy... Duuruuun... luutt gooouuu..." she mumbled and pushed her face - and him into a pillow. Ooooff... Stupid pony! Eat an piano or something big like that... he meowed as he let go of her face. @@dragon4111, Somepony knocked on the door and Blaze had to go to open it. "I am back soon, have to look down." she said quick and ran down. Like a dart she rushed downstairs and stopped before the door. She oppened it and liked the stranger on his cheek without opening her eyes. This taste and the flavour... Cider? "Hey Draco, how are you?" she said, well remembering the taste and the smell of him, opening her eyes. "Oh, what did you do? Fell down some stairs?" she asked, not knowing that he had faced a manticore not too long ago.

Princess Luna was telling the truth and Iron couldn´t deny that the actions of her had a major impact on how the nightwatch guardians were treated the past decades. No pony did have that much respect for them any more, the education was very hard and for usual they were less in numbers as the daywatch guardians. Also the way Luna had used them to spy on other ponies was disgusting in many ways, and Iron was somewhat angry about that. But she remained calm on the outside, looking at Luna with unchanged mimicry. Iron Wing thought about the complete situation for a while. She knew that in the old days Luna made some terrible mistakes... but she learned that everypony deserved a second chance. Also all this happened a long time ago and Luna never did anything bad to Iron until now, so the pegasus had no right to think bad about Luna. And now the princess looked at her with an expectant expression on her face, waiting for Iron to respond to her apologize. She sighed, looking at Luna for some moments, not saying any word. She sorted her thoughts and what she wanted to say could be very important for the princess, since she was the first guardian who would answer her since 1000 years. She closed her eyes, thinking of her final answer. She tried to imagine how the princess feeled and what her thoughts could be. Then she made up her mind, opening her eyes and looking at Luna with a serious and determined look. " I, Iron Wing Celes Greyhoove, commander of the southern watchtower in Ponyville and former member of the Nightwatch in Canterlot, accept your apology." she stated with her most formal Canterlot voice and sighed. "But to be honest, it would be a pleasure if we could talk like normal ponies. And since i am not a guardian today and i am feeling somewhat strange if a princess apologizes to me, i would appreciate it if you would stand up again. I am not angry with you and i won´t judge your pasts since i was thaught that everypony deserves a second chance." Iron Wing explained to Luna and smiled a bit.

Iron Wing looked at the treants that surrounded the group and was surprised how big these creatures were. She had fought many different monsters as a guardian, but this was new to her and she didn´t know what to say in the first moments. Then again experience with such situations forced her to stay calm and to focus on the situation they were in now. Ok, what is the situation actually? Surrounded by five tree like creatures which seemed strong, agressive and heavy. What are the possible weakpoints? Iron started to analyse the anatomie of these creatures like her mother had teached her many times. Since they used their roots to move like an octopus, they were slow and didn´t have much terseness on the ground. Their bodies seemed strong but slow and their heads looked like it couldn´t move around much. That meant the weaknesses are sight, movement and speed. Also because the frontal 3 reants were blocking the road, it seemed they couldn´t move around that much. Within Irons mind the landscape was like a chess board, and now the figures had to take place in the best tactical advantage. But what was their tactical advantage? Alex and Iron were the only pegasus around, but Iron didn´t have the ability to do weather or cloud control. Ice and Daylight were unicorns and ranged fighters, but light and frost weren´t elements that could be used in combination magics. Electro was an earth pony but he had no armor and Colt was a dragon who had scales to protect him, but he was more easy to hit as a pony. Or at least she thought that way. While the treants came closer, she had to think about a plan and how to get every pony in the best possible position. "Thats it!" she shouted. She made some steps forward. "Colt, defense position behind us and fend the two treants off, i take the front. Alex, get some clouds and make the treants wet with some rain! Ice, if the rain falls down, use your magic to freeze the ground beneath those creatures! They aren´t very stable on those roots, and if you use the water Alex gets, you won´t use too much of your energy. Daylight! Use your light magic to dazzle those creatures when Ice freezes the ground! But don´t light up the complete area, concentrate on their tiny eyes. Perhaps some concentrated beams... Since they live deep in the forest they arent used ot bright light, and if you concentrate just on the eyes, you don´t have to use that much power. Electro!" she shouted commands as she placed everyone in the most suited position. "Electro, you have the most important job of all! You are the most agile pony on hooves. They seem very slow and have a bad field of vision, also they won´t be able move around that much. Run around them as a distraction, if possible throw dirt at their eyes. Use their backs to find safe spots where they can´t reach you! If Ice freezes the ground, just jump into the forest or get a lift from Alex!" she explained as quick as possible. "Ice, don´t freeze the water that falls on the treants, just the ground. If Alex uses thunders from the clouds, the water will double the burning effect! Colt and i will use these moments to tackle them down while Daylight blinds them since they aren´t stable with the roots and don´t have the possibilty to look away. We attack the bigger group first to get more effect of the water and perhaps to scare the others behind us! Now prepare everything! Wait until Alex gets the water!" she said and got into a defense position. Her plan was the best option to take in her opinion. Also they could use the frozen ground to slip between the big monsters if it wouldn´t turn out as planned. Since they wouldn´t be able to turn around that fast, it was the perfect solution with the facts given to this battle. A frontal attack on these creatures was obvious useless, so they needed Electro for a quick distraction. Also he would be the first to jump into action if an opportunity appeared to get one of the creatures down. If the treants had some ranged attacks, she would used her wing armor to cover Ice and Daylight. "Electro, we are counting on you! You are the only pony who can pull something like that off!"

Duran the lynx, Blazing Storm @@Colt, Thats right, now go away and make me a sandwich! With tuna! Duran just meowed at Blazing. Of course Blaze wasn´t an enemy or something, but she was just so unpredictable. It made him feel somewhat uncomfortable. But for now he had to go with the stream, just accepting that she was here now too. Also sometimes it could be funny with Blaze beeing around. So he just jumped onto the bed where Emi was laying and cuddled himself into the soft pillows. "It´s not that i don´t like her, but she is wild, unpredictable and full of energy. And somewhat random. You will see sooner or later what i mean..." he told Emi about the red pegasus. But for sure it would be fun to watch Emi handle the red winged storm and perhaps she would have some fun with that too. "So you are all out of energy? Thats fine, just keep laying in the bed there. I started to prepare some food in the kitchen and this will take a while, so i have some time to chat a bit. So Earth Mi... i mean, Emi was it? What are you doing in Ponyville?" she asked, sneaking to the bed. Of course Emi could watch her, but Duran not. Right there she jumped onto the bed and bounced Duran off the bed, sending him flying through the room into a cloths basket. Aiiiieeeee! the cat screamed and landed with a *thwomp* in it. He looked out of the basked, having a used sock on his head. Haha, very funny! I will eat your breakfast tomorrow... he just answered meowing. "Of course i know Iron Wing! We have been friends for a while now, but actually she is a bit busy with duty, organisation and her boyfriend. A more unusual pair if you ask me, but i am not a pony who wants to judge somepony just like that. So you have some business with Iron? What do you want to know and how can i help you?" she asked curious.

Iron Wing looked a bit confused at the princess as she knelt down and started something that sounded like an apology. But why would a princess she never even met apologize to her? What was the secret behind this action? Also the words on her last sentence confused her even more. The pegasus stood there with a surprised face expression and looked down at princess Luna, unable to say a word. Within her mind she tried to focus on memories and possible situations that could have lead to this situation. But it was no use, she didn´t remember anything and also couldn´t imagine what could have happened in the past that something like this would happen. But her long training as a guardian forced her out of confusion to a level her mother teached her many times. "Please rise... i cannot tell why you are apologizing. I hope you have a reason to do something like that...." the iron mare answered to the princess. For sure this was an unusual situation she never could even imagine. But now it happened, and she had to focus on facts. She hated not to have enough information to deal with a situation, but something always helped... a cool and clear mind. So the best way to enlighten this situation was to ask Luna why she would do something like that. "Please tell me... us... why you are doing this. I am curious why a princess i never met is apologizing to a mere and simple guardian." Iron Wing said, awaiting the answer from the princess.

Iron Wing had waited already for this moment and again got into the front position to be the tackler and the tank if they would have to face an opponent from the front. She had her heavy armor on and with proud and courage of a knight she went forward into the direction Ice had shown her. Again the quest to the temple went on and there was a new day full of surprises that awaited them. Iron didn´t know if these strange cold winds would come back, but she hoped not for this event to happen again. But while they were walking the path that seemed to be the shortest way, Iron had the feeling beeing watched by someone or something. The pegasus didn´t like the feeling she got but there was nothing in this world a guaridan wouldn´t face in order to protect their loved ones. The feeling didn´t get better, more worse than before, but since she didn´t see an enemy, she could not analyse if there was a potential threat or not. Again the blue pegasus listened to her new sister ice and what she had to say. She concluded that they could use a path to the northwest to get to their destination faster. "Of course we take the fastest route if you think that will help us..." she answered to the unicorn. "Even if the bridge is damaged, this wouldn´t stop me from getting to the other side." she added with confident eyes. She had already an idea without using the bridge at all, and she loved that idea. But to have a little surprise at her hoove would nice. "If the bridge is damaged, let me handle this..." she said to her sister. Iron sighed. Enemies already in sight? That would not be a picnic trip, that was for sure, but that soon she didn´t expect this to happen. "We have to hurry a bit if these informations are true..." she stated to the group and got a bit faster. She wanted to reach this temple or the bridge before these things could catch up the group, since the enemy couldn´t be identified for now. Within her mind she already constructed every possible reaction and tactic she would going to use on whatever approached them.

Iron wasn´t sure about the meaning of the sentence Emi said. She sounded just as a pony that didn´t like Iron at all, but on the other side perhaps she had some emotions within her she couldn´t fend off. It was hard for Iron Wing to decide what to do next. She wanted to send her flying into the next wall on the one hoove, and on the other, she wanted to hug her. But she decided to do nothing and just to keep on until she could get to know Earth Miracle a bit better. Like the guardian she was, she would not judge a pony just from a couple of impressions. She wanted to know everything before she would get her final impression. Duran just knocked a paw with a bit more strength on Emis Head. "Don´t think something like that. You have a great impact on both, Iron and Colt. You are important. Start to open your eyes, stupid." he said to her, cuddling something more into her mane. Duran loved the fluffy mane and stretched a bit. It was the time as Iron looked at the alabaster mare with thoughtful eyes. Duran knew that Emi would notice that and again be thinking some stupid thoughts. "Aah, direct hit! Ship is going down! Evasive manoevers!" he joked and poked Emi with his paw on the side and pulling a bit on her mane, trying to get her out of Iron Wings sight. Of course he had more practical intentions with this action, but he wanted Emi to calm down a bit and have fun. Just as Duran did some jokes again on Emi, Iron Wing got distracted by a weird sound that came from above. She looked up noticing Alex flying fast to the ground. What was he trying to do? Perhaps he forgot that the meeting of all friends took place soon and was in a rush to get here. "Way to go Alex! Just make sure not to crash on a house or something like that! See you inside of Ice´s shop!" she shouted to him with good intentions. She didn´t know what he was trying to do or that he was in total concentration. She entered Ice´s shop to get a big surprise. Iron listened to Ice and got sight of Luna, the princess of the night and sister of the ruler of Equestria. Iron didn´t expect to meet a princess here on the day of her friends reunion, and she couldn´t get into her mind what she could wanted here now. But Irons mind focused very quick on her manners and her training as a guardian Back then she had the best job every, flying the night patrols in Canterlot. But she never got sight of Luna and she was never visited by her in her dreams. So she wasn´t able until now to get to know the princess. But now she was standing right there. She kneeled down and bow down her head as a sign of good manners and respect for the princess. "I am honored by your presence, princess Luna. What brings you here?" she asked with her typical guardian voice. Iron Wing got up again from her kneeling position and looked a bit more serious than before. Under normal circumstances Iron did not like guests who weren´t invited, and she wouldn´t even care if this guest was a princess. But princess Luna was Ice´s mentor and friend, also Iron didn´t know Luna so she would probably make a mistake if she misjudged her too soon. The pegasus never met Luna in person so she never thought about her that much, but now that she was standing before her there were some questions flying circles in her mind. Back then Iron was in the night watch, but it seemed that Luna never cared about patroling troops or guardians, like they were tools. But on the other hoove, the princess was very busy since she changed back into her normal self with the help of Twilight Sparkle and her friends. "Hmm..." she just mumbled, thinking about some possible things she could or wanted to say. But all these questions wouldn´t matter or help in this situation, so she calmed a bit down, facing the facts that were given to her. Luna wanted to join the party and asked this in the typical princess like style. Iron took a deep breath and looked again into the direction of the princess. "I am honest i am more than surprised, and under normal circumstances i would not just let join anypony such an event just like that. I don´t even care if you are a princess or not. But you are important to Ice, and i want to get an impression of you all by myself, so you may join." Iron answered to the princess request, showing that she would not judge the princess from any rumors, but also making a clear point. "Today, i am here not as a guardian of the royal army, but as a Grayhoove knight, so it would be an honor if you would join the celebration..." she continued with a friendly gesture. She knew that the princess could get the other meaning of this sentence. Not beeing a guardian for today meant that she couldn´t order Iron Wing that easily to do something. Of course this was a bit rude, but Iron didn´t lose her manners. She wanted to celebrate today with friends, and because she didn´t know how princesses would act around "normal" ponies, she kept beeing careful and played with the rules. The pegasus always thought a couple of times about a situation, getting the best tactical advantage. Also she studied social activity and expression, taking the best course of action. She gave the princess a chance to make her own impression on the ponies she would meet today, setting rules indirectly for her without insulting her and showing that even a normal guardian could think for herself without getting orders. Duran was a bit scared as he got sight of the princess, immediately shutting down every magical connection he shared to his surrounding. He disguised himself perfectly as the little lynx he was, going completely stealthed he hid within the feathers of Emis left wing. This is bad! Why is a princess here now? I never wanted to run into a creature like that. If she uncovers me, she just will to the same as most other ponies would do... misjudge me and trying to get rid of me. he thought, hoping that Luna just would see a little cat instead of the creature he was for real. This would be a very long day...

Duran the lynx , Blazing Storm @@Colt, Duran thought about her words a bit and shook then his head. "No, a mare who can´t reach the start line can´t take part in a competition. So there is no point in trying. I guess we are even if i make something to eat so that you can regain your strength..." the serious cat said to Emi. He didn´t want to show her that this form perhaps could have changed a bit. But to think about it, he didn´t feel any difference. Perhaps this feeling thing was really just a short backlash from their soul connection. "How many?" he asked a bit confused. But then he got the joke and looked away from Emi. "Better question is, how many mares made it alive out of here..." he anwered, waiting a bit before looking to Emi again. He just giggled a bit, showing that also he made a joke. Of course he never ate a pony until now... or maybe he had already? He didn´t know for sure, but there was one thing for sure: He didn´t have any hunting feelings towards Emi. That was a good sign he guessed not get hungry if he looked at her. He looked as she fell onto the bed, bouncing off a bit. For a short time a little smile could be seen on his snout. Duran just wanted to answer Emi as a familiar voice could be heared. "Iron? Are you there? Anypony here? At least Duran? Aww, i am alone again..." Blazing shouted from the first floor. It seemed she had come back after a long day. "Damn it!" he just said before transforming back into his first form. Just in time as Blazing came up the stairs to get to her own room. She saw the open door of one of the guest rooms and looked into it, seeing Duran and Emi. "Um... hello there! Didn´t want to disturb... so, Duran, is this your guest?" the red mare asked more as a joke. Yes she is. Go down to the kitchen and make something to eat! Duran meowed as answer. "Is this cat mean to you too all the time?" she asked laughing to Emi, not waiting for an answer. She went on to her room and got her saddlebags down. After a short time she appeared again at the entrance of Emi´s room. "Oh, by the way... i am Blazing Storm, nice to meet ya! Whats your name?" she asked the alabaster coloured mare.

Iron Wing sighed but kept her smile on. Did she do that on purpose again like the last time they met? But Celes had promised Colt to be more patient with Emi, so she would go along with it. While Duran cuddled with Emi and sat on her back instead of Iron Wings, some feelings of envy came up in her belly, but she wouldn´t be distracted now. She had much more to do so it would be the best for her not to make a wrong move. Celes smiled at Colt nodding. "Yes, we get Ice and the others, go back to my tower and prepare for departure. I have prepared everything needed for the trip and i hope everypony will have some fun!" she replied and started to walk into the direction of Ice´s house and shop. Since she was the town guardian she knew about most shops. She was very excited to meet with her friends and there was nothing that could possibly stop her now. No monsters, no dangers and no little sisters which kept getting on her nerves. Colt could perhaps hear the gnashing of teeth from Iron Wing, and her face expression just showed that she could just eat Colts sister. But because she never wouldn´t do such a thing, she had to calm down. She took a deep breath and gave Emi a look that said much like "i stomp you into the ground where you stand" and sighed a little annoyed. "My work has been fine and i didn´t go on any dangerous adventures. The job includes scouting, guarding the town, patrolling and of course to maintain peace and order." explained to Emi´s first question. "... and yes, if your brother does have any needs he can´t handle on his own, i am happy to help him..." she finished. They walked not too long and got sight of Ice´s shop and reached it finally. "There we are...." she just said and knocked on the door before entering the shop. Since on the sign was written "open" she thought that she just could enter.

Duran the lynx @@Colt, "Yes, you are invited to stay here. If you are staying, i don´t have to stalk at all..." he smiled a bit back, watching the mare how she tried to get back on her hooves. These attempts failed and she was soon on the ground again. Duran sighed since this was his fault that she couldn´t move like that. He knew that he was "horrible" in the pony definition. Sometimes he thought about why he was created like that, but than he just didn´t came to a logical explanation and so he throw this thoughts away again. He looked a bit playful to her, rolling on the ground before her, looking upside down. "So you wanna make a bet? If you spaghetti-dance to your guest room, i make you something delicious to eat. If you don´t make it, you have to tell me a story." he suggested to the mare with the shaking hooves. He giggled while imagine her to dance with those legs. But then she was giving in on his suggestion to help her to get to her room. With a slight move his body extended to the second form and the muscles build up, the tail grew to its full length and it didn´t take long for him to reach his jaguar size. "Of course i can help..." he answered, offering the mare to lean against him to escord her to her room. It was a strange feeling but he looked at it as a step of progression. He tried not to snarl to much because he didn´t want to scare the mare again. With silent but strong paws he tried his best to be like a wall she could lean on. But if she would fall, he would carry her! There was no discussion about that.

Duran the lynx @@Colt, "You think i am? Thats good to know because i don´t do self-assessments..." he answered to the mare, not realizing that this was a compliment. He didn´t get compliments that often so Emi could tell about his answer. He just continued with the cleaning stuff and enjoyed to have somepony that near. Since Iron Wing was gone to this stupid Grayhoove meeting he was all alone again. He just hated to be alone like that. Of course even if Iron was there, he didn´t show himself all the time. But it was the feeling he got when she was gone, and this was anoying him. He got the kiss on his forehead and looked surprised around because he didn´t expect something like this to happen. A bit confused he continued with cleaning his tail. Then the mare kept saying something about not wanting to bother him and to search an Inn. This was something he couldn´t understand. "Technically you are part of the family, since Colt is together with Iron and you are Colts sister. That means you are always welcome within this building, so you don´t have to search for an Inn. Also i don´t see a logical act in sleeping elsewere if we have guest rooms prepared. If you want you can just take one of these rooms... or if you don´t can´t get up, i carry you there..." he said, referring to his second form. "And if you don´t want to stay, i ´ll coming with you since without my owner i don´t have anypony to talk to.... " he added after some moments of analyzing the situation and thinking about his plans for the evening. Also he wouldn´t let a weakened mare walk alone around Ponyville. He would escort her to where she wanted to go. Duran just hoped that this magical unicorn Twilight didn´t sense some magical coming from the tower because some moments ago he let his magic power grow freely without restrictions. Something like that could easily be sensed and tracked.

I love her design and her character and i am waiting for the final version of all 4 corners to get the best impression. Way to go!

Iron Wing sighed, since she didn´t have a good feeling about this. But since it was that important for him, she accepted his request and now Earth Miracle, the sister of Colt would join them on the family reunion. But did she want a reunion for real? Iron wasn´t that sure about the alabaster coloured mare and her real intentions. Celes had learned from her pet that she was friends with him so she wouldn´t be alone at all. "Ok... if she won´t insult me or my family in any way i won´t have a problem with her beeing around. But be sure that i will sit down on her make her thin like a pancake if she tries to argue with me too much...." she warned her special somedragon about her ideas. Duran watched both and let Colt scratch him a bit. "Of course i know the way. What did you think flying crocodyle?" was the meaning behind his meowing. He pulled a bit on Iron Wings mane to get her moving. "Owwiie! On my way, on my way!" the blue pegasus just replied to the cats actions. "Howdy! There we go! Out of the way, heavy transporter coming!" the cat meowed. "This is just my armor that make me heavy you little... oowwieee!" was the reply, and the knightly pegasus started to move into the direction of the train station. With heavy hoove steps the "transporter" moved with it´s pilot Duran and the walking crocodyle escord to get Emi. This surely would be an interesting day for the cat... with lots of fun! After a short while they arrived at the train station. The alabaster coloured mare was standing and waiting for them and duran steered his vessel in front of her. "Hooo.... good girl." he meowed and gave Iron Wing a smack on her back. Very fast he build up a mental magical link to Emi to greet her properly and to make it impossible to the others to hear him since he just meowed until now to express the meaning of what he wanted. "Greeting to you Emi. I hope you had a nice trip." he welcomed her. "I shall squish you in your sleep Duran..." Iron mumbled while smiling to Emi to greet her. "Welcome back to Ponyville..." she started a second approach since the first one was a failure back then.

Duran the lynx @@Colt, Duran was thinking about the mares words. Friends do forgive each other, don´t they? He wasn´t entirely sure about that, so he flipped a coin in his mind to think about his final answer. "Hmm... i think an apology is not needed but highly appreciated..." he answered as he enjoyed the warmth of the mares back and the blanket below him. If every pony would wear blankets it would be much better to find somewhere to sleep on. He noticed beeing grabbed and cuddled and Emi whispered words of apology in his ear. He looked at her with the most cute look on his face and big eyes to her and started to purr again. Damn it! This surely was a tactic of the mare and he couldn´t resist. Or maybe this was just instinct or something stupid like that. But somehow he enjoyed beeing cuddled like that. "Super cuddle mode activate. Commencing disguise -fluffy cuddle kitten- !" Were his thoughts while he enjoyed the warmth and the soft touch of the mare. His fur got all fluffy and he stretched in the most cute way someone could imagine. Meanwhile he purred like a powered engine. Emi could feel how he purred since she held him so close, and it was more like a pleasant feeling. "Don´t apologize for a normal reaction... i am used to it." he mumbled. "I don´t want you to lay on the ground, but i don´t want you to move either..." he said as he enjoyed the hug. He would never tell this to anypony, but he just loved beeing scratched, cuddled and hugged like that. Instinctively he started to like his fur and the arm of the mare... because it was to close. For him it made no difference, cleaning was cleaning. And because the mare was too close with her head too, because she had whispered to him before, he liked the tip of her nose to. "Clean..." he just said and continued. While he did this cleaning, he started to move his body in the different positions, all cute to watch.

Duran the lynx @@Colt, "Hurt you?" the cat just asked, making a confused face. "Why would i do such an illogical thing?" he continued asking and turning his head a bit to the side. He sighed a bit as the mare continued talking. "I am me and nobody else. It is strange to be a creature that doesn´t fit into this world, but i am here. And i have to live with this fact. I try to adapt as much as i can..." he explained to the mare, hoping that she would understand that it wasn´t easy for him. The things Emi listed to him were facts but he couldn´t believe it because these things hadn´t happened before. He thought a bit about the situation both were in and came to a possible explanation to these things. "Hmm... well, on normal circumstances i wouldn´t pity in the second form... but since i have feeled these strange feelings you were sending me before, i perhaps was capable of this reaction. I am not sure if this happening has changed me, or if this effect was a short happening... like a malfunction..." he thought loud. He wasn´t sure how it was possible or even if this was a malfunction... but perhaps his soul had adapted these new feelings into his second layer. He was a magical beeing after all, but he knew for sure that his main core wasn´t damaged or did change at all. He just knew it because this would change all his other layers aswell. Perhaps this alabaster coloured mare was right in several points. He wasn´t able to understand all things that ponies could do, or why they were acting like they did. And maybe the ponies could help him to explain several things about himself. But since he didn´t trust many of these creatures, his possible choices were limited. And Colt couldn´t be trusted now for this short time of knowing each other. The events of this day wouldn´t have take place if Emi wasn´t able to detect him, but since he couldn´t change the past, he would adapt to the situation given to him. So he concluded that Emi could be trusted for now. If she would tell anypony, he would eat her anyway. This was another question he had in mind for a long time now... how did ponies even taste? If she would betray him he would have the chance to taste ponies, so this was another possible knowledge he could earn. A win-win situation! He started to grin a bit, the green shine in his eyes was gone also the shadows. He was all natural now. So all he had to do was making this thing called "friends" Iron kept babbling about. He was friends with Iron, was he? He just knew that he could trust her and that she was very important to him, so the same situation had to be build up with Emi, he guessed. How to start a friendship? Good question next question. Comforting would be a logical thing! He looked at Emi who was laying on the ground and he decided that it would be good for her if she was kept warm. So he grabbed a pillow with his mouth and put it in front of her, a little blanket he found also on the couch so he covered her in it. Before Emi could say anything, he jumped on her back, starting to purr. He didn´t know why but he loved soft surfaces.

Duran the lynx @@Colt, Duran was surprised that the mare didn´t run out of the tower but on the other side, she seemed to have some experience with dark creatures or events. But on the other side this would gave him some opportunities to test how great her courage was and how pure her heart could be. He vanished with the shadows, appearing again on a table very near to Emi. "So you will face me? After all you have seen?" he asked her, disappearing again. Emis shadow she had in the room changed form and Duran stood direct in front of her again. An evil female laughter could be heared from one corner of the shadows... or was it another corner? It could be every corner, or shadow within this tower. Now the shadow creature was amused, more than ever. This insane laughter turned into his own. Then the shadows went back into the corners, letting the room fill again with light. The shadows vanished as fast as they had come near her. But one dark abnormal stayed within the room next to the pegasus. It was Duran himself, now noticable in a catform but still engulfed with the shadows and the glowing green eyes, the streams of black whirling like smoke but not leaving his body. "The little Duran is right in front of you... I am the Duran you know, this never has changed since i followed you from the cafe until the hospital. What you see is the real me, the dark energy that gives me the power to live within this world. I am everywhere and nowhere at the same time.." he said to the frightened mare. "You should know the 3 faces of Duran that are me at any time... the core cannot love...." he started to explain. His form changed back into the jaguar, also his voice changed again. "... the big form cannot pity..." he continued while he again changed his appearence. The little fluffy lynx was standing before her now, still with a little glow in his eyes. "... and this form is just curious..." he finished with his explanation. Of course there was more differences between the forms, but he had to take it short. "We all are one and the same creature..." he added and jumped on the couch.

Duran the lynx @@Colt, This sensation was completely new to Duran, feeling something warm and caring like this as she reached for his soul. He could believe this warm feeling but it feld... peaceful... like he didn´t have to care what happened next at all. It was an accepting feeling like he wouldn´t have to hide from ponies or magical beeings from getting detected. He was a creature that didn´t have parents, sisters or brothers... a lone entity within darkness... but this feeling gave him something like a shine of hope... and he didn´t even know what "hope" meant. It was like knowing that everything would get better if he would try harder. But since he let his guard down, something happened that ended the nice feeling and he went back into reality. Too late he noticed that Emi had reached far beyond the limits he would have set for her, but he didn´t guard his core good enough. As she looked at his dark core, it activated. Turning into the direction slowly where Emis soul link looked at it... and then... opening it´s green glowing eyes, starting into her very soul. This was the stare of insanity, eternal darkness that would consume her, tormenting her in every known and unknown way, showing her pictures of destroyed wastelands, skeletons and screams in the background. Laughing mad voices from creatures in the darkness or hidden corners and the feeling of beeing hunted. Nobody could escape the darkness... That moment she screamed and this caused Duran to a reflex reaction of his claws, breaking the link both shared. She stumbled back and fell on the ground, a reaction he had seen so many times that it almost hurt again to see it. He noticed a little something flowing down the neck on the alabaster coloured mare. He looked at his paw... blood on his claw... then he looked back to Emi. "I... i didn´t want to..." he stuttered, feeling guilty to let her go that deep reaching his core and hurting her like that. This wasn´t planned... this wasn´t wanted. She would run away like they all did, leaving him behind with the darkness inside him. "I am sorry..." he nearly whispered as he stood up and went into a dark corner, looking at a wall. "This happens most of the time if somepony... or any creature reaches to close to me... i warned you... i really didn´t want you to watch it... " he continued mumbling. But he could not avoid the things she had set in motion. His core was activated and now the true Duran wanted to know about the mare that dared to awake him from his slumber. The shadows around the feline started to move in a strange and creepy way, growing and getting darker. The shadows grew into a dark corner, darker than the night itself. Durans body changed into something else, something not imaginable. As Emi took a closer look at the jaguar, he didn´t look the same. The contours of his shape was nearly the same size as his first form. But something was still different... it didn´t have a colour. The feline turned slowly around and his fur wasn´t fur at all. It was pure darkness and as he opened his eyes, it was the same like his core. To be exact, it was his core which manifested in the real world. The Green and glowing eyes stared from the corner into her direction. A shadow creature within the real world unbound and unchained and now freely to move anywhere, doing whatever it´s wicked soul desired. 3 green glowing runes appeared around the dark cat from the realm of horror and she could hear the unearthly female voice that anounced the rune names. The magic casted here was ancient and Emi could feel that this spell was pointed at her. An laughter could be heared from the corner, more like an insane one as he looked at her and heared her question. But responding with a more whispering voice tracked by scary echoes he spoke to her. "You dared to awake my core... now face the darkness and the consequence as i had to face you, mortal..." he answered with a cold and menacing tone. The cat like creature moved forward to her, the dark streams of shadows flowing on the ground reaching for object... and also for her shadow. He had a powerful and unrestrained energy within him, a power that wasn´t like anything Emi could have feeled before. No one could ever imagine what this creature would unleash.

Duran the lynx @@Colt, On normal conditions Duran wouldn´t answer any question but something told him that he couldn´t hide from this mare. If he didn´t know that this was Colt´s sister, he probably would have eaten her. But because Iron wing loved this damn dragon, he wouldn´t do anything bad related to him. It would be just one little pounce and a swift bite and everything would be over but he knew that this wouldn´t do anything good for him or his owner. Iron Wing was the only one he would trust and the only one he considered as a friend... as something like a family. He had read much about friendship and family but wasn´t understand anything about it... until he met her. But for now he wouldn´t be distracted about thinking in this direction. To be honest to Emi, would like be honest to Iron Wing. "No, i am limited to cat-like things. I don´t want to explain why." he answered, grunting a bit. He looked now serious into the the eyes of Emi and stared for some moments. "Let me ask you this... if you would face the darkness itself, every fear you connect with it and you identify this shadow as a living beeing, would you let it near you? Hearing voices from beyond, this ghostly presence gives you scary moments and it stares with a void soul, evil in it´s core but not evil in it´s actions... would you acceptit within your family? Iron Wing did... just like that... she was strong and brave enough to face it..." he told Emi. Of course the situation in the past was a weird one... even weird for Duran himself. But perhaps this would be a story he would tell Emi another time. Duran looked at her with a questionable look on his face. Then he snarled loud to her face as his paw grabbed her neck. "I warn you.... don´t go to far, or the shadow will get into the real world..." he said with a careful voice, a bit concerned about the soft hearted mare. For her this would perhaps like a silly warning, but he was serious. He took a deep breath and let Emi do what ever she wanted to do, silencing his inner feelings to a minimum. He would abort any connection if it would get dangerous for Emi, so he would have a little self control on this part.

Duran the lynx @@Colt, Duran snarled and finished to pour tea into her cup, so he took away the pot and said again on his seat. This time he was multiple times bigger than within his small form. He had more muscles, a menacing face expression and he couldn´t stop growling and snarling from time to time. He looked at the shivering mare, smelling her fear and feeling her trembles. He yearned for his hunting instinct, but he shouldn´t do a hunt right now. So he rolled himself a bit into the seat and looked at Emi, watching her every movement. "My true form?" he asked, already knowing the answer for this question. "This is just a small part of what i really am. I have to admit that my cloaking and stealth abilities to hide my power are less effective than within my small form, but this is in no way comparable with my true me." he resounded his voice within her mind. With this action he had shown her the information "i can be much more dangerous if needed" and that was everything he wanted. He took another sip form his little bowl and tasted the delicious tee. He begun to controll his power emitting and dropped it down a bit, sending a less dangerous feeling to Emi and getting a bit sleepy. He wasn´t use to go on energy saving within his battle form. But it was dangerous for him to run around like that. Twilight could have feeled him, so he wouldn´t have much time anyway. He looked at Emi. "If you are not comfortable with this form, i can change back any time if you want that..." he said to the alabaster mare and awaited her response.

Duran the lynx @@Colt, Duran listened to the mare as she spoke but he didn´t understand everything she meant. Within the mysterious mind of the lynx a new picture was created as he tried to analyse her words and to get the meaning out of it. Since he was "born" he wanted to know what he is and where he came from. Everypony in Equestria had parents, brothers or sisters... someponies to call a family. But he didn´t have something like that, but somehow he hoped to find something like that. He believed until now that finding his origins would explain the meaning of his existence... but Emi told him that it wouldn´t matter where his life started. He didn´t know for sure what to think about the mare or Colt. Again he chose to clean his mind from everything that wasn´t a fact. His creation was a fact and his future was unknown. Since he didn´t know about his future, it couldn´t declarated as a fact. So the only thing that was left was his past and creation. He took a deep breath before answering Emi. "I cannot deny that there is a future waiting for me... but since i can not see the value of my future, it can not compare it to anything that i know... so my future, if i have one, isn´t a fact i can rely on. But my creation cannot be denied, so i am going to deal with this situation since it is a fact that i am alive..." he answered with a cool and clear mind. He took a sip out of his little bowl filled with tea which looked adorable in several ways and looked again to Emi. It seemed that her cup was already empty and he alone was to small to carry the pot all alone. "I will get the pot of tea, just a moment please..." he said and jumped off his seat. He got out of her sight and started to build up magic energy, growing to his full extend. He didn´t have a problem in showing this form to Emi since this form wasn´t magical but physical. He reached his full size, comparable of a very big and strong cougar cat. He was now as big as a grown up pony, and now it was easy to grab the pot of tea. He walked into the direction of Emi who was still waiting within the living room. It would be fun to watch to her reaction, but he didn´t smile a lot within this form. He went into the field of view in front of Emi, snarling a bit while he filled up her cup.