Prologue
“Once upon a time, long before the peaceful rule of Celestia, and before ponies discovered the beautiful land of Equestria, ponies did not know harmony. It was a strange and dark time. A time when ponies were torn apart, by hatred.
During this frightful age, each of the three tribes, the Pegasi, the unicorns, and the Earth ponies, cared not for what befell the other tribes, but only for their own welfare. In those troubled times, as now, the Pegasi were the stewards of the weather. But, they demanded something in return. Food that could only be grown by the Earth ponies.
The Unicorns demanded the same, in return for magically bringing forth day and night. And so, mistrust between the tribes festered, until one fateful day, it came to a boil. And what prompted the ponies to clash? It was a mysterious blizzard that overtook the land, and toppled the tribes' precarious peace.
The normally industrious Earth ponies were unable to farm their land. The Earth ponies were freezing. The home of the Pegasi fared no better. The Pegasi were hungry. And the Unicorns were freezing and hungry. Even the Unicorns' magic was powerless against the storm. Each tribe blamed the others for their suffering, and the angrier everypony grew, the worse the blizzard became.”
Chapter 1
Realization
Scene 1
It is, like always, a cold and stormy morning in Nurbulia, capital of the Pegasi. Today is, however, a special day for Tempest. She gets to leave the capital for the first time since years to accompany her father to an important meeting with the leader of the Earth ponies: Chancellor Pudding Head.
Tempest gets up from her cloud bed and walks slowly to her mirror, while looking into it and seeing her light blue coat. When she gets closer she fixes her eyepatch, while she looks into her yellow left eye. The last thing she needs to do now is to comb her dark blue spiky mane with three white bolts going from her scalp to the tips of her hair. Her cutiemark is a rain cloud with two white bolts. Suddenly a guard knocks at the door and enters the room.
Guard: “Commander Hurricane wants to see you.”
Tempest: “I will meet him in a second.”
Tempest enters the map hall, a big room with a map in the middle and seats around it, to meet the commander, who is the only one in the hall.
Tempest: “You wanted to see me, father?”
Commander Hurricane: “Are you ready?”
Tempest: “Yes, father. I am ready. And I will fight alongside you, when anything goes wrong. Together we can crush those filthy Earth ponies and force them to provide us with food!”
Commander Hurricane: “I truly appreciate your enthusiasm to fight for your race, but we do not go to Humurbia to fight the Earth ponies, but to make an arrangement. However I doubt that the meeting will have a sensible outcome. This Chancellor Pudding Head is way too random to discuss something like peace with him.”
Tempest: “That’s why I tell you to supress them. And after we made them work for us we’ll do the same with those arrogant Unicorns.”
Commander Hurricane: “Oh, how much I would like to do that, but unfortunately I cannot defeat two tribes within the blink of an eye. Besides the Unicorns are a very powerful race too.
I taught you everything I know in both, flying and fighting, and you have become a great warrior. The thought of you being my daughter and successor makes me proud, but sometimes politics are a better way than fighting to solve a problem, though I despise this fact.
Private Pansy enters the map hall.
Private Pansy: “C-commander Hurricane,… sir, your escort is ready. We can fly now.”
Commander Hurricane: “Excellent. Let us go then.”
Scene 2
The flight to Humurbia, the capital of the Earth ponies, is turbulent. The blizzard is outstandingly strong during their journey. It was nearly impossible to see the Pegasus before you and stones and branches are tossed in the air by the storm. The howling forced the already exhausted Pegasi too shout to speak to each other.
Private Pansy: “Commander! It’s too dangerous to keep flying. We should land and take a rest. The soldiers are exhausted!”
Commander Hurricane: “Impossible! We are flying above Unicorn territory! What if they find us in this state? We wouldn’t be able to defend ourselves!”
Private Pansy: “But this way the blizzard will kill us all! Think of what happened last time! I beg you!”
Commander Hurricane: “No! I will not let this bucking storm worsen our relationship with the Earth ponies because we were to late!”
Tempest: “Father! I can keep flying!”
Commander Hurricane: “And so we will!”
It becomes harder and harder for the Pegasi to fly in a straight line and avoid the rocks and branches. They get hit regularly now and that is when a sharp rock hits the also exhausted Tempest on the head and she falls unconscious towards the ground. Commander Hurricane tries to catch her, but he lost the sight of her right after she fell. He keeps dashing after her not avoiding any rocks or branches, when some of the escort finally stopped him and hold him back. The blizzard makes it simply impossible and too dangerous to search for somepony. They land and Commander Hurricane has to face the truth.
Commander Hurricane: (crying) “Tempest… why couldn’t I save you? Why did the blizzard take you away from me, like it did with your mother? I promised her to watch over you when she died in my hooves. You were supposed to success me and be the greatest leader the Pegasi have ever seen.”
Private Pansy: “Commander! …Commander! What now? What are we going to do now? We need your lead!”
Commander Hurricane: (wiping his tears off ) “We will continue our journey! We will fly until we arrive at Humurbia!”
Private Pansy: (whispering) “I’m so sorry.”
They fly off.
Scene 3
When Tempest wakes up she finds herself in a comfortable house lying in a bed close to a crimson. She also sees a Unicorn colt with a white coat, green eyes and a red mane with two white strands. His cutiemark is a red rod of asclepius. Suddenly Tempest jumps up.
Tempest: “Who are you!? You are a Unicorn! What do you want from me?”
Curo: “Haha, I see you’re awake. I am Curo. Please hold still. You have a serious head injury and I’m not done healing you yet.”
Curo puts his horn on Tempest’s forehead and it begins to glow green.
Tempest: (backing off) “Wait! Get away from me! I won’t accept the help of a snotty unicorn! I would rather die from that injury!”
Curo: “Stop talking nonsense and let me use my healing magic. I’m a doctor and your only chance to survive.”
Tempest: “No! As I said I won’t accept the help of the likes of you!”
Curo: “I know who you are. You are Tempest, daughter of Commander Hurricane. I doubt that you want to die in a situation like this, when you still have a bright future before you. Just let me take care for you and after you’re completely healed you are free to go.”
Tempest thinks for a second.
Tempest: (grumpy) “Okay. But I don’t trust you.”
Curo puts his horn on Tempest’s forehead again and performs his healing magic. During the casting of the spell the two do not say a word and after it is finished Tempest breaks the silent.
Tempest: “So what now? Are you gonna hand me over to your fabulous princess?”
Curo: “I should. But I won’t. Though it would bring a lot of bits I will not hand you over to Princess Platinum.”
Tempest: “So I can go! Perfect!”
Curo: “No, you can’t. I said I will let you go when you are fully recovered, and I want to make sure that you won’t faint as soon as you leave this house.”
Tempest: “Are you bucking kidding me? I’m completely fine. I have to get Humurbia as soon as possible.”
Curo: “No, you are not fine and you need to rest for now. Besides the storm is still very heavy and it would be far too dangerous to fly off now. If you want to we won’t even talk to each other during that time.”
Tempest: (grumpy) “Whatever!”
The two remain silent again, but a few minutes later Tempest starts to speak.
Tempest: “What- What happened?”
Curo: “To you? Well, I found you lying on a riverbank completely soaked with water. If I hadn’t been there you would have definitely freezed to death, but I can’t say how you ended up in that river.
Tempest: “I fell. The last thing I can remember is that I was flying with my father and an escort through this storm.”
Curo: “I guess that you got hit by a rock that was tossed in the air by the blizzard, which caused your head injury. You are very lucky that you fell into that river and that I found you”
Tempest: “No? If I would have been lucky that stone wouldn’t have hit me and I wouldn’t have ended up sitting together with a slotty Unicorn!”
Curo: (smiling) “You should rest now.”
Curo leaves and Tempest falls asleep instantly.
Scene 4
On the next morning Tempest finds carrots next to the bed and Curo sitting in the room reading a book.
Curo: “Good morning. You should eat. It will help you to get well soon.”
Tempest: “Why are helping me?”
Curo: “Because I’m a doctor of course. It is my duty to help ponies in need.”
Tempest: “But I’m a Pegasus and you’re a Unicorn. Our tribes fight against each other.”
Curo: “Well, I don’t think that this war will get us anywhere. The three tribes should work together during this crisis. We need to take care for each other or otherwise the blizzard will make us all disappear from this world.”
Tempest: “Don’t make me laugh! You Unicorns are way too arrogant too cooperate with us.”
Curo: “Is that so? Tell me, how many Unicorns have you met before me?”
Tempest: “Many!”
Curo: “I don’t believe you. I think you got taught to hate us by your father.”
Tempest: “Are you saying my father is a liar?”
Curo: “Greed and jealousy have overcome him and the same goes for my princess and everypony else. These are the reasons for the war.
Look out of the window. (she does) Do you see any arrogance? No. All Unicorns in this town are fighting for their sole existence just like the Pegasi. Our tribes are foolish to hate each other and the hatred grows with each day.”
Tempest stares out of the window for several minutes when she begins to talk.
Tempest: “I-I always thought that the Unicorns are an arrogant tribe, that think we Pegasi are barbaric. My attitude towards the Unicorns for my entire life was just based on a lie.
I have to talk to my father! I will leave this town right now.”
Curo: “No! I can’t allow that! At least stay for three more days. I think you will have enough strength to return to Nurbulia then.”
Tempest: “Okay. Three days.”
Curo continues to read and Tempest eats the carrots. After she has finished she starts talking with Curo again.
Tempest: “Um. What- What are you reading?”
Curo: “A book about spells to heal injuries caused by weapons.”
Tempest: “By weapons?”
Curo: “The army wants me to be a medic and help the wounded soldiers on the frontline.”
Tempest: “So you do fight other races.”
Curo: “No. I will only help those who get wounded in the battle and I will help all sides.”
Tempest: “You will get arrested and probably executed for treason if you do that!”
Curo: “I don’t care. It would be worth it.”
Tempest: “Why are sacrificing yourself? Don’t you want to live too?”
Curo: (smiling) “Let me show you something.”
The two leave the house and sneak out of the town.
Scene 5
Curo leads Tempest to a vale that is untouched by the blizzard with a pond in the middle. Flowers and butterflies are everywhere around it and trees other than firs are growing. Not a single snowflake can be seen.
Curo: “In this place the animals live in harmony together. Not many ponies come here or even know of this vale.
I believe in a future where the whole world looks like this and we live in peace together in the same land and the same cities. I’m ready to sacrifice myself to a future that looks like this vale.” (he smiles and looks into Tempest’s eye)
Tempest’s heart starts to beat faster and she can feel how her face begins to flush as a sudden urge to touch Curo’s lips with hers overcomes her. The two kiss under birds flying above their heads and a strong wind blows through their manes.
After a long and passionate kiss they lie in the green grass and tell each other stories from their lives for hours, when Curo comes up with a question.
Curo: “Why do you wear an eyepatch?”
Tempest: “When I was a little filly my father, my mother and I were on a vacation on our country residence on the ground. On a stormy day, like the one yesterday, we got attacked by Unicorn assassins. My father fought them and told my mother to fly me away for my safety, but after a few miles she got hit by a rock, that was tossed in the air and fell to the ground and after my father arrived in his hooves. I survived with luck because she had me in her arms when we hit the ground and only my eye got hurt.
Since that day I was not allowed to leave Nurbulia.”
Curo: (hugging Tempest) “I’m sorry.”
Tempest: “It’s okay.”
Curo: “We should go back. It’s getting late.”
They stand up and goback to the town. During their walk their shoulders touch each other.
Scene 6
In the evening two guards knock on Curo’s door and he tells Tempest to hide and opens the door.
Curo: “Good evening. How can I help you? Do you have a wounded soldier for me?”
Guard 1: “Somepony saw you bringing a Pegasus into your house. Is that true?”
Curo: (laughing)“ A Pegasus? Don’t be ridiculous. Now, if you don’t have a patient for me would you excuse me?”
Guard 2: “Sir, we would like to search your house.”
Curo: “This is a bad moment. I’m working on a spell to prevent Athlete’s hoof and it is a bad idea to disturb me any further since I really need to concentrate.”
Guard 1: “Okay, we will make an exception this time, but we will we come again tomorrow.”
Guard 2: “No excuses tomorrow, got that?”
Curo: “Yes, yes. Good night, gentlecolts.”
The guards leave and Tempest gets out of her hiding place.
Curo: “You have to leave. They know you’re here.”
Tempest: “What? No! I will not leave you.”
Curo: “You have to. They will come again tomorrow.”
Tempest: “I can hide outside of the town, when they come.”
Curo: “No! Since they know you’re here they will search everywhere for you. You have to leave this town for good. That’s the only way.”
Tempest: “Come with me then!”
Curo: “I can’t. If I suddenly disappear now, they would know that I was hiding you and would follow us.”
Tempest: “I’m not leaving without you! I-I love you.”
Curo sank his head for a moment and thought for a moment. When he raised it again he saw a tear running down on Tempest’s left cheek.
Curo: “Listen to me. Fly to Nurbulia and convince your father to stop the war. I will follow you in three days and come up with an excuse for leaving the town, but it is too careless to go together. Don’t worry I know a spell to walk on clouds and I will find a balloon somewhere to get up to the city. Trust me.”
Tempest: (now crying) “Okay. I will see you in Nurbulia.”
Curo and Tempest sneak out of the town again and the two kiss goodbye. Curo watches Tempest until she was too far away too see her. When he turned around to go back he sees the two guard from before.
Guards: “You are under arrest!”