TQ 68 Extended Scene: (Onyxia & Steel)

Shima: Steel sighs as the canary leads you towards a storage hall located within the halls of the academy. You don't see many students out as you pass by, likely in lockdown still as a result of the attack. Within the hall you find several containers filled with alchemical materials, and nearby one is one filled with pure iron.

"I understand you want that for me but there's only so much I can do. I don't feel anything anymore, Onyxia, most damage I do to myself I'm not even realizing is occurring. And though it takes a while, I'll remind you the armor does seem to heal itself over time. It's... just hard to be calm right now."

He turns to you, "I'm 'feeling' fine. As much as I can be, I suppose."

Khazard: Onyxia glances over at the iron as they step into the room, but their conversation has distracted from matters like repair. "You have to be able to feel yourself coming apart, even I could feel it when I saw that beetle break your chestplate!" She shouts slihtly, voice raised with concern. "I'm just worried. Wh-What if..." She trails, wordscatching in her throat.

Shima: Steel looks about the iron boxes, pulling the top off of one such crate and reaching in, grabbing a solid chunk and tossing it in his hoof for a bit before setting it down. The canary tweets in their presence, landing on Steel's horn you made for him. Steel looks up at the canary, shakes his horn to force it off, and turns to Onyxia. "I... don't, really. I mean, I'm aware of it, I know when I'm damaged but, this iron body has no pain receptors. It's helpful, in combat, lets me go all out but, it makes it hard to tell when I'm pushing myself too hard."

He turns his head, "How could you feel it, we weren't fused when..." he pauses, looking at her as she gives a slight shout. "Oh... oh. I'm... THAT'S what you mean."

Steel walks over to you, and holds up your chin in his powerful metal hoof. "Listen to me.  Your fears are unfounded, Onyxia. I swear to you, I will never perish. I'm not even sure if I can."

Khazard: Onyxia looks up as he lifts her chin. While his words offer soem comfort, her eyes are still wet with worry, and her coat isn't at its usualy luster. "And I don't want to see if you can!" She says, voice trembling. "I nearly lost my dad again, a-and Sterling... The Order jsut keeps sending stronger things at us, just look what some creature that was tossed at us do! I-I don't want to lose you the next time they come!" She says, a few tears forming on the corners of her eyes.

Shima: Steel seems stricken still as your tears start to flow. The sides of his muzzle curls up, unsure of what to say in response. He looks down at his chest, reaching up to touch the deep gash to run a hoof alongside it. He looks at Onyxia's teary face.

"I... I know. We have lost a good pony today. I know you care for me and, I don't want to see you worry." He taps his hoof, "But the same can be spoken of me. I... I don't want to see YOU hurt either, Onyxia. Especially not from my... my old family. Every blow I take is one YOU don't have to."

Khazard: "You shouldn't have to get hurt because of me..." She says through a sniffle, Steel's words making her think o heir time fused and how their fight with Chitus went. "...Whether we're fused or seperate. I didn't think things would ever get this dangerous when I left home. I... Do you have to fight them?" She questions as she wipes her eyes. "The others can take care of things. I don't want you to get hurt, o-or worse, because you're trying to protect me."

Shima: Steel lifts up his cape and puts it to rest on Onyxia's face, wiping away the tears forming along her cheeks. "I never meant for you to be in this great of danger either... but I suppose fate had other plans for me."

As you ask if he needs to fight, Steel looks at you for a long moment, then finally says after taking a short breath, "I do not want to see you cry. I truly don't, but, yes, Onyxia. I have to. Even if the others could take down Sight all without me having to lift a hoof..."

He looks at his scuffed hooves, "I don't know if Master believes in it anymore, but, when he was still one I could look up to, he taught me about duty, and honor. The Order of Eon, as I knew it then, stood for self-sacrifice in the name of the greater good. I believed in it." He shakes his head. "The Order of Eon was MY family. They've enlisted monsters to their causes. Good ponies have had their lives put in danger, changed irreversibly, or even lost, in the name of a conflict they had no part of. His monsters may continue to terroize and harm more ponies throughout time in seek of his prize."

He stomps his hoof. "I may have not had any part in it... but the Order of Eon is still a part of me. I'm a part of it. Their actions, I must take responsibility for. If those I used to call friend will do harm to others, I MUST stand in their way." He lowers his head. "I... I hope you can forgive me, Onyxia. But I have many battles left to fight."

Khazard: Onyxia watches on as Steel explains his bound duty to the Order, still looking no better or less worried afterwards. "If only the Order never changed, then we wouldn't have to worry about it." She gives a sad sigh. "I know I can't keep you from stopping them, but I'm just a burden. I barely was able ot keep up against Chitus when we were together, and I don't want you to keep covering me if I'm there seperate..." She says somberly at Steel's dedication, looking down at the ground at her helplessness towards the situation.

After a pause, her eyes dry as no more tears follow. She takes Steel's hoof, looking him in the eye. "Train me." She says, voice still cracked but with seriousness instead of worry this time.

Shima: Steel shakes his head, "If they had never changed, yes, but, there's no sense in worrying about 'what if's now." He puts a hoof on her shoulder, gripping it strongly. "You are no burden, Onyxia.. without you I would have been undone by now. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for."

As you grip his hoof, he stops to leave his mouth slightly agape, "You want me to train you?" He looks at you considering it. "I... I can. It's been some time but I used to train others in the Order in the way of sword-play. I could do it again." He leans in, "But, assuming I do this... you'd leave the charging in to me, won't you?" He smiles.

Khazard: She nods at Steel's surprise. "I don't want to hold you back. I need to be able to hold my own in a fight, alone or if we fuse again." She looks a bit more hopeful that Steel agrees. "I'm sure you'll be great. Though... for me it'll be more hoof-play. It wasn't too different between using a weapon normally and as your hoof, was it?" She questions.

As he leans in, she gives him a stern glare. "Leave that to somepony else. I stll don't want you being reckless even if you're teach me to fight. ...And, I'd feel safer with you at my side." She states, but the las part quiets down to a whisper.

Shima: He looks at his hoof, the one that used to be a hammer, and studies it. "Not much. I'm much more used to a handle, but, I can teach you to use your transmuted limbs just as well, it will be a simple matter of readjusting my teaching." He looks at you as he leans in, the gigantic iron horse standing his ground as you chide him for charging in.

"...I can't promise I'll always be on the defensive. But," he looks at his gash, "I will promise to show more restraint in the future. Take better care of myself." As you comment you feel safer with him close, he stays still and his mouth locks. "Oh..? Well. Um. Of course. Only natural you should feel that way, with my skill." He smiles with a bit of confident. "I assume that's the... only, reason you'd want me by your side?"

Khazard: "That's good. I should know how to use these hooves properly after all if I can make them weapons."

"You better, I don't want to take all of Starswirl's metal to cover you in the future." At Steel's comment, Onyxia's eyes shift away for a moment. "Well, I wasn't talking about just in a fight..." She says, coat brightening backto normal and a smile wiping away the worry that's been on her face since the fight.

Shima: "Being a smith, I'm somewhat surprised your master didn't teach you to weild them more effectively already. In my time, I didn't know a smith who wasn't a swordsmen on some level. But you should do well given your familiarity with the craft."

He gives a short laugh, looking at the iron. "He seems to have plenty. And I say we're owed a bit after that battle." He rubs his scar, "But, yes, I don't want to bankrupt Claymore's new school. I'll keep it light." As Onyxia's coat begins to brighten and shimmer again, he grins confidently, stepping over to rest his hoof along around her whithers. "Oh? That's good. I was worrying we had been fused so long..." he grins, joking with you.

Khazard: "Brimstone's shop was more of a historical recreation. I'm positive they could have been used to fight with, but he never mentioned anything of it."

Onyxia blushes as Steel steps over and pus a hoof over her. "I'd be surprised that you're being more open, but the beetle already did that for you." She jokes back at his new forwardness.

"...Speakig, of the fusion. We did run right out the door after, and his day and that beetle were exhausting. Could you... spare a hug, f-for a snack?" She asks rather sheepishly after a pause.

Shima: "Hm. Recreations tend to be kept with more care, I wouldn't be surprised then he didn't show you how to fight with them." As you make your more open joke, Steel shakes his head, shifting weight uncomfortably between his hooves as he lays off her whithers. "O-oh. I am... hm. Must be the solidarity. We haven't been alone... er, like 'this' at least, for a bit." The canary tweets, and Steel stares at it. "Almost alone at least. I blame the adrenaline from the battle... that makes sense."

As you ask, he looks around, lips pursed as he makes sure none will interrupt. "...absolutely." He leans down, wrapping his hooves around her in a fairly soft embrace. He seems very careful to keep it light, almost afraid he'd break you if he squeezed to hard. "I'm... I'm not too cold, am I?"

Khazard: She looks up at Steel as he pulls his hoof away. "Don't blame adrenaline. I think I just rubbed off on you while we were fused. You say all those times you can't feel in that body but I know you can deep down."

Onyxia returns the embrace, rsting her head against his chest. "You're just right." She says, coat sparkling. "After everything, you don't know how much this helps."

Shima: As you hug him, he gives a light squeeze. "Hmph. Maybe you rubbed off a little. Still cold as iron, though, let me make that clear."

He looks down as you lean against his cracked chest, giving her more time in the embrace as he looks at her, silent for several moments. "I... ahem. I'm honored to help. In anyway." He leans down closer to your head but at the last moment stops himself. He lets up ever so slightly on the grip. "...I guess, we should probably patch this crack. Wouldn't want to pull you in by mistake. That and, I imagine that explosion won't wait forever."

Khazard: Onyxia's coat gives a slightly brighter flash with the squeeze, not expecting the extra affection even with him being more open. "I am a blacksmith, remember? And with my shapeshifting, iron is the same as flesh and blood to me."

She looks confused as Steel leans and pulls back, and by his comment. "I don't think I'd fall through that crack... Oh, you meant like... Y-Yea, would be better when I can control this." She says a litle dissapointed, looking down to her cloth hooves. She endsthe hug, letting Steel go as she walsk over to the crate of iron. Looking over the pieces and weighing them in her hooves, she takes two chuncks. With one in eahc hoof, she places one to Steel's chest and the other to his melted shoulder. Black crystal spreads over hte iron and then over Steel as she patches up the missing portions and reshapes the areas back to normal. "Do you really think Sight would bomb the city when he only has problems with us?"

Shima: Steel seems to stiffen up as the hug finally releases, some semblance of regret forming along his mobile mouth. "I... yes, I am in agreement. I'm certain you're in greater control of it now, but, just in case, it would be more convenient to try it... uh, you know. What brought us together in the first place, later."

He sits still as you pull out the iron and started to patch up the melted pieces, the black crystal restructuring his body successfully as you reunite the torn iron. He shakes his head, "I don't know. He seemed willing to attack a historical figure like Starswirl, and his academy, for the chance to wipe us out. I assume he may do anything so long it serves a purpose. If by any chance it isn't him, I'd still like to make certain. The timing seems too perfect for that explosion to have occurred at the same time we were distracted with his beast."

Khazard: "Right... I should be able to try and figure it out with things a little calmer now."

"What if it's a trap though? Or what if its to pull us away for that beetle to do something again?" Onyxia asks as she patches Steel up. She pulls her hooves back as she finishes. "I just don't want to run back out into something terrible again after everything today..."

She looks Steel up and down to make sure there isn't damage anywhere else. "Could you take off your helm for a second? I want to check inside you, that your armor isn't thinned out in there."

Shima: Steel gives a fake cough. "I'd like that. To figure it out i mean.."

He smiles, tapping at his newly restored chest as you pull your hooves back again. Its newly finished sheen shimmers in the light of the room as he marvels at your handiwork. "Beautiful work as always. If it is a trap, we can deal with it as it comes. I can't shy away from it based solely on that possibility. And the beetle doesn't look like it's going to recover. If it does, I'm certain Starswirl's staff now that it's been mobilized will be able to take care of it."

As you ask about his insides, he turns to you, muzzle slightly curled. "Inside...? If you wish." He reaches up to his helm, giving a slight twerk of his wrists as the metal helmet disconnects from the armor body, and he takes it off to hold in his hooves as his neck opens wide into a dark gap. "Take a look. I hope it's all alright in there."

Peering into the top, the first thing you can see is a symbol drawn into the back of his neck. ( http://i.imgur.com/Ewr4lgX.jpg )

Khazard: Onyxia scrunches up at Steel's insistence to go, but softens with a sigh at remembering his duty speech earlier. "As long as you're careful."

"Hopefully it is, but it doesn't hurt to check." Onyxia leans in after Steel pulls off his head, but her dagger-horn hits the rim of his open neck causing her to step back and shake her head. "Gah, forgot that was there." She says followed by an akward chuckle. She goes to peer in again, watchful of the extra extension off her forehead. "I almost forgot about that symbol from when we first met. Do you know what it is?" She asks as she continues her look around Steel's insides.
Shima: Steel chuckles, "I'll try my best." As you bonk your horn against the side of his neck, he gives a light snicker barely contained by his hoof as he shifts the grip of his helmet in his hooves to cover the muzzle. "Rookie unicorn mistake, Onyxia."

As you peer at the symbol and check around his insides, you see that internal damage is very very well managed: most of the damage that occurred on the outside transferred well internally. He says, "Ah, that. That is my Order's symbol, meant to look like the tops of the staff I was given. Vaguely similar to Sight's as well, if I recall correctly. When I was still flesh, I had a brand on the same spot on the back of my neck, every order member had one somewhere on their body. Why it transferred to an indent on the inside of my neck, I'm not sure. Particularly odd Discord would let me keep THAT and not my horn."
Khazard: "You guys must bump into all kinds of things with these on your head. I hate to imagien how wings would get in the way."

"Y-You were branded?" Onyxia says in shock as Steel explains the mark. "Didn't they have tattoos then, or magic of some kind?" She looks back at the symbol, with that kind of commitment, the Order was beyond important to him. "Maybe since it was a mark on your skin, it left a mark on the iron."

She glances around the interior metal, checking over every bit. "It doesn't look bad in here, though I could add some patches in here fora little backup so you don't get punctured as easily." She says, most of her head inside Steel's bod through the neck hole from her examination.