Of Ice and Empires

I jolted awake with a snort, "Where?!" I looked around, feeling something curl around my back as I moved. I was reminded of the mare curled up against my back as her breathing lapped across my shoulder. I felt my ears start to burn as she pulled me tight against her barrel.

"Five more minutes," She groaned into my mane, "Mr.Bingo isn't ready either...." She moaned as I tried to wiggle free.

"I am not-" She squeezed tighter, "-a...eugh...." I gave up, resigning myself to being her temporary play thing. It wasn't a complete loss. Letting her win meant I was also being drawn deeper into the warm center of the bed. I gave a deep relaxing sigh as I tried to enjoy the heat. Most nights if even a single hoof was exposed to the cold night air you could expect a rather uncomfortable wake up, so this was proving to be rather beneficial if taken from a physical standpoint.

She pulled me lower as her chin rested on my crown, "Cold...." She mumbled, before burying herself in my mane. I could feel myself wearing an unamused expression. Despite the warmth I was not really a fan of being treated like a foal, or in this case, some sort of doll. But another warm breath passing softly against my crown and past my horn saw me calmed.

Daring was an annoyance, but this was also undeniably comfortable. Deciding to simply make the best of this situation, I pushed back against her and closed my eyes. I felt her rustled behind me, "How long?" She asked groggily.

I gave another deep sigh as she continued to stir, "Since you called my 'Mr. Bingo'. On that note...what's a bingo?"

"Nothing..." I felt the warmth at my back fade for a moment before being replaced by another even warmer texture. She had shed the thin covering between us and had pressed her bare fur against my back, broken only by her thin barding landing across my neck. Next came her hooves over me, landing across the center of my chest, "Skane...it's Skane right?"

I felt my breath catch once or twice as I adjusted to the new sensation, "Aye."

"Skane," My coat bristled at her words, her tone was like that of a mother, "Calm down. You're heart's racing."

My voice came out tremblingly, "Well it's not often I share my bed...let alone with a mare." I took a deep breath as I was slowly becoming painfully aware of her heartbeat resonating in my back, "Ah- Fraternization is...ah...forbidden. Those who do are often- castrated."

I felt her lean over my head, her breath warm against my muzzle as she looked down at me, "Castrated? That seems a bit harsh." She murmured before standing from the bed and starting to stretch out, "I mean, a little, unf unf-" She added a few vulgar thrusts to accentuate her point.

"By The Trinity...."

"-is totally normal. I mean, I guess it explains why you're so easy to tease, and why you got mad enough to murder your table." She shook her body and gave her wings a few flaps, "Do you even- you know...take care of it?"

"Not...really...we're never really alone...and dealing with those issues is...complicated.... At any rate don't bring up the table, no one is to know. In fact just don't talk at all." I rolled onto my front, the fur blankets landing in a circle around our nestling spot, "I just thi-" I was cut off by a quick shove, falling off the bed and landing on my side, "Ow! Why!?"

She quickly flew down, landing with a loud clop. "Never tell me not to talk, Virgin." She smacked my face with her tail before looking around my room again.

I was about to call her some vulgarity when I felt a long strand of hair cling to my tongue, "Oh yo- pff- ach!" Thinking fast I managed to grab in with my magic instead of forcing a dirty hoof in my mouth. The long charcoal hair finally vacated, "Oh you incredulous ass!" I quickly rolled onto my stomach and stood, "Aggravat -"

"Got anything to eat?" She cut me off mid yell.

"...You make me so mad..." I levitated a fur blanket onto her back, making sure it would hold her wings down and keep them nigh invisible, "As said, let me talk." I quickly trotted past and made my way out the door.

Daring bumped past me, "Mares first." She said with a slight tune, "Now hurry up, really wanna see this place when it's not trying to kill me." I just grumbled angrily and marched on.

*^**^*

"Geez, this place it huge." She exclaimed, garnering the attention of a pair of passing monks.

"Hello." A mare monk removed her hood, "I don't recognize you...a pilgrim?"

"Uh, no...well, maybe sorta." Daring looked around, "I'm not a follower of..."

The was a long drawn out silence while the monks looked at each other. Eventually the monk realized, "The Trinity."

"Right that. But I'd love to know more!" She added a wide smile to try and compensate for her faux pas.

The monk took a step back and looked her over. She did a quick lap around her before returning to the other monk, "Very well." She turned and trotted off. "We will start with the basics for a heretic."

I saw Daring's tail twitch at being called a heretic. I quickly pulled up along side her and pulled her ear down, "It's the technically meaning...they're not trying to be insulting."

She quickly whispered back, "Yeah well, they were! Go wait in a corner somewhere...I'm gonna go deal with her..." She kicked me back with her hind leg and darted off towards the monks. I grimaced and just watched from a distance, she was about to find out the splendorous wonder of having your ear chewed off over religious practices. I grew a devious smile.

"Runic!" I called to the monk, "Remember to tell her about the Goddess!" I let an evil smile grow on my face as I turned away. I could grab enough food for the both of us before she was free again.

*^**^*

Pine water, snow berries, tundra grass, seems a good a breakfast as any. I trotted along just as Daring was being escorted back to the chamber by the monks, "Daring, hel-" She sullenly walked over before jabbing me a few times with her hoof.

She pressed her forehead against my own, "Three hours of the phrase 'The Trinity', not cool.... Now where's my food..." She huffed, walking to poke at my saddlebags, "I can smell it."

"Ha, be glad only three." I turned and started back towards my room, "Yes I have food, let me say first off that it was delicious warm, but I'm sure you won't mind eating it cold." I snickered as I said it, Daring only running ahead to glare at me, "Be calm, it was a joke, nothing but a joke." I levitated out a bottle of pine water, "Open,"

We stopped in the hall as I held the bottle for her to drink, her hoof met the glass with a thunk, "Hmm- ah...wow is that-"

"We put small amounts of alcohol to keep it from freezing yes." In truth most of us were so used to it we barely noticed besides the taste, "Are you saying, O' might adventurer, that you are going to be chaste from alcohol?"

She glared at my smirk before taking the entire bottle from me and chugging it. With it freshly empty she tried to throw it down the hall, only for me to catch it and tuck it back in my bag, "Kid...I will drink you under the table."

A devious smile grew on my face, "Is that so...then I shall be sure to steal some spirits before we depart." I started us back down the hall, "Keep in mind we drink that as mere water, and the taste of pine is rather refreshing over the usual tooth rotting sweetness of berries."

She caught up with me, giving a quick laugh to lead into her speech, "I'm always one for a bit of sugar." She leaned in, blowing past my neck. I froze and bristled under the contact, "If ya know what I mean...." She trotted on past, "Hey, you coming?"

I shifted side to side, "Give me a moment..." I stood there, focusing on the cold and trying to banish any lewd thoughts. After a few moments I was free to move again, "In privacy is one thing...but in the halls is another entirely...please refrai-" She tried it again, this time my hoof booped her nose, sending her back, "Refrain, from doing that again."

She grumbled angrily as we made our way to the privacy of my quarters, "Acting like you don't like it...."

*^**^*

"Huh...that's it?" Daring asked, poking the grass bun with a hoof, "I mean...it's a little small."

I rolled my eyes, "My apologies we petty monks cannot sate your endless appetite. Amazing you are still so slender." I laughed as I headed back to my bed and waited for her to eat, wrapping myself in my two blankets and curling up.

"Thanks? I know I do look pretty good." Daring stated with a strange conviction.

"That was meant as a joke...you look...well...slender, but it's surprising given...given that you...asking for more...." I let my words trail off, the joke completely failed. I ducked my head down from the shame.

"Well...I've eaten worse I suppose...bugs were definitely worse." I could hear her bite through the soft grass bun. They were effectively grass shells with sugared berries on the inside. The grass was rather hardy and a rather good offset from the sweetness of the berry ooze the waited inside, "Oh my gosh..." There is was, "This-" She dug back into it, taking the whole bun into her mouth before sloppily chewing, "-ish jusht, soo gud!"

"Indeed. Food is rather scares, so what little we have, we make very appetizing. One of our few comforts aside from the warmth of a fire." She tried to utter a reply, only managing to accidentally spit out the multicolored paste, dribbling it down her muzzle "You do realize we're going to meet with the highest authority in this holy site...and you're covered in berry paste...truly a grand envoy of your people." I deadpanned, hoping she would try to clean up.

She only stuck her tongue out before wiping her muzzle with her hoof. As I followed her hoof down I noticed a deep red stain on her left hind leg, "Daring...are you alright?"

She made sure to swallow before addressing me this time, "Yeah- as good as I can be, why?"

"You're bleeding."

"Well that's your fault, should learn to keep sharp things away from other ponies."

"I apologized for that...and no, look at your leg." I shot a hoof out of the blankets towards her leg, "That is not from-"

She looked down and immediately locked eyes with the tabletop, "That's not mine...I'm not sure whose it is, but it's not mine."

A dim silence grew between us. It sat for a long time before I chose break the silence, "Then you've killed...I ask you, how?"

She looked back at me, a hint of sadness buried in her eyes, "I didn't kill them, I was just around when they died...what about you. You don't look hurt, so whose blood is that?"

The blood striped across my chest became very apparent. I shook my head, choosing to deflect the topic, "We should go now, before I lose my nerve." I hopped off the bed and stepped towards the door, "Come along...lest a tribal find you and claim you as a slave."

I could see her tail swish around as I passed, "Like they could, I'm Daring freaking Do." She hopped off the table, adjusting the furs and following me into the hall.

*^**^*

"Ya know, this place is kinda nice when it's not trying to kill me." Daring observed mindlessly, "Kinda cozy for being rock."

I looked around the hall to the Grand Master's chambers, "I still don't understand how this place could every try to kill you. It's not alive, it's not armed, and to my knowledge it is very sturdy." I pressed a hoof against a large pillar, it stayed perfectly still against the test.

"Yeah but...if I'm right, the traps just haven't been made yet. Just you wait, this place will be a deathtrap eventually."

I grew an annoyed expression, "That such a holy site would fall into disrepair, absurd." I stepped off the pillar and rejoined her on the long walk to the far end on the room. We were watch the whole way there, monks, pilgrims, and the occasional zealot watched our every step. It wasn't often even the senior monks met with the Master, let alone a young apostle and a heretic pilgrim.

"This is creepy...why's it so quiet?"

"I don't know...but I must agree with you, this is rather unnerving."

"...So, this master of yours. Are they nice?"

"I have no idea...I've never met her, not in person anyways." I swallowed the lump that had grown in my throat as we were met at the door by two zealots. A quick, soul rending stare later and the door was held open for us. "Thank you sirs." I bowed before walking Daring inside.

It was a massive circular room, sixteen pillars lining the inside ring. We stepped into the center when the Master approached. A gorgeous earth mare with a tan and white spotted coat, and short brown mane. I felt myself start to grow excited from the mere sight of her, "Skane..." Daring brought her hoof under my jaw and closed it, "You're staring."

"Wha- I wasn't...was I?"

"You were." A melodious voice cut my thoughts. I turned my head nearly knocking my muzzle against my master's forehead. I took a reflexive step back before bowing my head.

"I am so sorry Master, please...I beg forgiveness." I said as I jammed my eyes shut, sure of my imminent punishment.

"Be calm Skane, please"- I felt a hoof raise my front up and off the ground, -"Rise."

"Oh course!" I straightened up before I made her pull my entire body off the ground.

She gave me a warm smile, "Miss." She called to Daring, "Give us a moment alone?"

Daring smile before nodding, "But...Skane," I turned to her, "Don't slobber all over her."

"I will bury you!" I snapped as she walked away only to have her stick her tongue out at me, "Insolent-"

I could hear the master give a quick laugh, "She does seem to be rather outlandish."

"Outlandish...perhaps...I would use harsher words-"

"Skane, I though we taught you better than that..." I looked back to see the masters disapproving stare. Two cyan orbs, not unlike mine, staring through my soul.

"I- I'm sorry...." I lowered my head again, "I should go..."

"Skane...we have matters to discuss...grave matters." I perked up as the master passed, my minds drifting to lewd thoughts as her flank swung by, I become completely focused on one of the tan spots that sat on her flank, "Skane, focus."

"I wasn't staring!" I yapped, turning and meeting her pace as she walked us around, "I swear!"

"Well that's good, I never said you were so better not to start." She gave a telling laugh as her words ended. My face glowing a bright red before turning away, "Skane. I need you to listen close now." I looked back to her, my blush fading at her expression. Her face was scrunched up, like her voice was becoming poison in her mouth, "The pegasus' appearence is a sign...the temple is weakening-"

"Weakening!?"

"Skane let me finish...please. Understand...what I ask of you would normally be delageted to the zealots...but they have refused. Their master named you as personally responsible." She turned to me, "Skane, I need you to draw water from the other two petty temples, and pour them in the great basin in the fourth."

My brain reeled from the sudden surge of information, "But...why? I thought we only needed to draw from the great basin!?"

The master lowered her head, "Skane...these temples are not natural holy sites. Only the basin is, but even it has limitations. Draw what power is left from the three, and restore the fourth. From the fourth draw a flask for the temple, with it we will be sustained. Please...I understand this may be sudden...you may wish for another way, a simpler way. But this is our way a-"

"I'll do it."

"-nd we- Excuse me?"

I stepped forward, "I said I'll do it."

"But you could- you could be killed, or captured, or you could- could get eaten, burned, enslaved-"

"That won't happen." I said with a dismissive wave of my hoof, "I am Skane, trained by the zealots, taught by the monks, kin to the earth tribes. I will not fail." I was bluffing of course. I was secretly scared out of my mind but there was no way in the world I could let her down.

The master looked away for a moment, "Of course you won't." She darted a hoof out and pulled me in for a tight hug, "This is your final night with us Skane..." My heart started racing like mad, my brain running through what that could possibly mean, "I want you to enjoy it..."

"I- I don't think I-" I deteriorated into half syllable stammers as she slowly eased away. Next she would lead me to her chambers then-

"Skane...no...not like that." A weight fell into my gut along with a deep relief, "Believe me when I say I have my reasons."

I took a deep breath, "I understand...things are-" I was cut off by a hoof on my lips.

The master gave me a warm smile before letting off, "What is your friends name?"

"Daring...Daring Do...." I said still taken off guard by the sudden contact.

The master gave a final smile before trotting off, "Ms. Daring, Skane, come along!" Daring swung around from behind a pillar and trotted to meet us, "Given that you will be leaving soon I wanted the both of you to leave in the best condition we can possible leave you in." She pressed through a pair of large doors, leading us to a spectacle of royal blue fire. As it dissipated a sole zealot stood staring into a pool of steaming water, "Thank you Jeager." The zealot gave a quick half bow before walking out, "You two...please enjoy." She started walking out, "And be sure to clean that blood off the both of you, it will lead to sickness if left." She gave a final flick of her tail before strutting out. My eyes locked on her swinging flank.

"Skane...Skane...you're-"

"I know...just let me." I watched the spot that wrapped around her flank. It swayed heftily as she walked. The only thing that could be considered modest about her was her mannerism. Her tail stayed down with no movements the whole time she walked away. She was a chaste monk after all, no different than any other.

"She is pretty cute."

"Cute...yes...not the word I would use but yes..."

I could hear daring moan as she stepped into the water, "Wow...it's like a pool. You coming in?" I turned to see a pile of furs and her barding atop it. "Skane!" I jolted up at the edge of the water, "I knew you wanted to see me naked." She started chuckling.

"If I wasn't covered in blood I would walk out...and if I wasn't told to keep you alive I would drown you...I just want you to know that." I slowly dipped into the water. It was amazing, not even warm, hot. A heat that chased back the bitter cold in seconds, replacing it with a surrounding heat as I slowly submerged myself, "Oh by the Goddess, and The Trinity...this- why are you laughing?" I could here Daring snickering.

"Look at you!" She finally gave up trying to pull back, "You look like a mop!"

I looked myself over, I looked completely normal, "Well I apologize if I have more fur than some; thrill seeking, mare loving, jungle dwelling, hat wearing nitwit! ...and also you're sickly thin."

"No, you're just fat." She flapped her wings, sending water all over the room, "Look at this flank!" She jammed the point of her hoof into her rump, "This is one hundred percent Daring muscle!"

"Please stop that..." I sank into the water.

"Or what you gonna- Ah!" I had managed to duck under the water, swimming with just my horn above before lunging up and stabbing her buttock with it, "You- oh you little shit!" She dove down, forcing me to retreat back to my tactic of using a pointy bit of bone to keep her away. I started backing away. I couldn't see when I tried to rise, all I could tell was something was forcing me down. In a brief moment of panic I forced myself up by pushing off the bottom of the bath.

"Daring what are you-" I was cut off by water filling my mouth once more. Another moment of freedom saw me to the edge, "By the Goddess! Are you try-urk-" I felt something land on my crown, sandwiching my jaw between it and the stone floor.

"Feel that! Call me sickly again, I dare you! I Daring dare you!"

"I can't see!" The weight had fallen across my brow, weighing heavily on my horn.

I felt the weight lift off me, leaving me struggling to regain my composure while the upper half of my body sat soaking the floor, "Never poke my butt without permission."

I turned around to see Daring floating in the water, a look of serenity on her face. I felt like holding her under until the bubbles stopped, "I hate you..."

She floated past, "I know~" I could finally see how she was floating around so fast. She was using her wings like paddles and letting the rest of her body float on the top of the water, "Hey," She floated back to me as I was stepping back into the water, "This might seem kinda weird but...help me out?" She lifted a blood encrusted hoof out of the water, "I'll help you if you help me...."

I stared at the red stained hoof. I let my hand run over the wetting streaks of blood across my chest, "Yes...I don't...the mare that...I don't want to think about her..." I took her hoof in my own and started scrubbing the blood from her fetlocks, "You never told me what happened."

"Do you really want to know?" Daring said with an odd tone. I looked over her, she was floating on her back, an uncomfortable look riding her face.

I let my hooves dig into her ankle, "I suppose not." Things got quiet as I let the blood wash away, "I'm going to have to replace those bandages..." I let her hoof go for a moment, letting my hoof trace along her bandaged flank, "Does it still hurt?"

"You running a hoof delicately along my flank? No way, makes me feel like royalty."

I took her hoof back and levitated the bandage over, using it to finish up with her hoof, "Why must you mock me? Do you hate me? Does it amuse you?"

"No and yes, you do amuse me and I don't hate you, I don't hate ponies, even the ones that chase me." I dropped her hoof in the water, causing a large splash to send water onto her face, causing her to spasm in the water. She managed to get to her hooves, gasping from the sudden rush of water down her windpipe. "You did that on purpose!" She yelled before going into a coughing fit.

I rolled my eyes and got behind her, tucking my hooves across her chest before giving a single pull to get situated before pulling hard and forcing the water out of her, "Better?" I asked letting her lurch forward.

I was quickly met with a hoof to the chest, "You....uhgh..." She clutched her chest, "You can- ow- clean yourself...I'm gonna go lay down somewhere.... I'm not mad...but...that hurt...bad." She crawled out of the water before laying her soggy form down on a few strewn about furs from her pile.

"Daring...are you alright?" I asked wading over to the edge of the bath, "Daring?"

She turned away and groaned, "Just let me be here for a little while...I just wanna be here."

I grew slightly concerned, hurrying my bath and using the bandages to clean my coat back to its pristine white. I could see the hazy image of my soaked navy mane in the bobbing water. With my body cleansed I pulled myself out of the water, quickly wrapping myself in a large fur and trotting to find the master.

*^**^*

"Oh dear, is she alright?" The master asked, trotting over with the bandages.

"She'll be fine I think, here." I levitated the bandaged off and started wrapping the quickly healing wound.

"Skane...did you do that?" Master asked as I wrapped Daring's flank.

"An unfortunate accident with an axe. There." I pulled it tight and tied it off, "Should be healed by tomorrow." I quickly levitated the pained mare up and over to us.

"Skane is that safe?" The master asked as she lead us to our sleeping place. She had generously given us a large room with two beds.

"She weights almost nothing. I could toss her about like one of my axes for all her weight." The master gave me a worried look, "Not that I would."

She just shook her head and led on, my final night was going to be spent in a large bed and I was eager to enjoy it.

*^**^*

"As promised...a bed for each." I quickly surveyed the beds. I set Daring down on the large one, "Skane how kind." I gave her a quizzical look as I levitated the blankets from the smaller bed to the larger, "Oh...are you two-"

"I do not bed a mare after only knowing them for a day...but she is an excellent heat source...in your absence that is." I stepped up to the master. She was young, not quite as young as me but still very fair, "I could..."

"Skane...no. I'm sorry...perhaps in time you will understand why but for now you need to trust me."

I took a deep, defeated breath, "I do trust you, it's just difficult...I've seen you before...we've never actually spoken but I feel like I know you so well."

"And that Skane, is why it cannot be." She turned and walked out, "Be ready to leave in the morning."

I watched as the door creaked shut. Turning away from it I crawled in bed next to Daring, this time in the dominant position. I let my forelegs pull her against my barrel, sapping her warmth for my own, "Kid...Skane, not like that." I jolted up, "Here-" Daring grabbed my hooves and pulled them around her, "There...like that.... It's lucky you're coat's so thick...you feel like." I felt her sigh as she nestled into my barrel, "Like a big...hmmm...blanket."

"...Are you always so comfortable around one day companions?"

"Are you always this forward with a mare?"

"When I can be...which isn't often, so I might be taking advantage."

"Yeah you are. But it's too cold to complain about cuddling with strangers...there comes a point when you're more tolerable than the cold." Things got quiet aside from the soft rustle of slowly piling blankets, "And...if you really make me mad," She backed her rump into my groin. I jerked back from the contact and sat uncomfortably away from her waist, "I just do that."

"...My loins ache...I just wanted you to know it's your fault." I laid my muzzle into her mane, "Daring..."

"Yeah?"

"When we're out of the temple...can you teach me to masturbate?"

"...Go to sleep kid..."

"I wasn't being funny...you seem rather....traveled...and living with the monks hasn't exactly given me a wealth of knowledge on the subject...it's starting to hurt..."

"I'll...we'll figure something out.... Why do I always get the weird ones?"