Chapters Ghost Intelligence: Insect Investigation
Within the humble town of Ponyville, a big battle was being waged between six familiar-faced ponies and a beast known as a bug-bear. It had arrived to Ponyville seemingly out of nowhere and started causing collateral damage everywhere it went, even with the aforementioned group trying to stop it however they could. Brute force seemed to be doing nothing against the creature and magic delivered minimal damage at best. Even "the stare", a potent technique when dealing with dangerous animals, was useless against the large creature. The bear was currently atop Carousel Boutique as two of the ponies were holding it down while another was blasting it with stronger magic than before.
"This isn't working Twilight! We need to come up with a new strategy!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she and Fluttershy were thrown off the beast, providing it ample opportunity to escape.
Twilight put her hoof to her chin before her face lit up in realization. "I've got an idea. Fluttershy, I need you to gather all your predatory animals." Fluttershy nodded bravely before racing off to her cottage. "Applejack, Rainbow Dash, see if you can keep that bug-bear in one spot for as long as you can. I'll join you soon enough" The two ponies nodded before chasing after the creature. "Rarity, we need a net. As big as you can make it and be absolutely sure to use your strongest fabric." Rarity nodded dutifully before rushing into her shop to get started. "Pinkie Pie, we're going to need bait. Lots of it." Pinkie grew a sadistic grin on her face before disappearing into the distance. Twilight then raced off to join Applejack and Rainbow Dash.
Inside Carousel Boutique, Rarity frantically sifted through her materials, looking for what she needed. "Oh dear, let's see. (frantic mumbling) Ah! Found it!" She cheered as she pulled out a large roll of Dragon Leather, a rare fabric made from the fallen scales of various species of dragons. Because of this, it is almost impossible to ruin it. She had been saving it for an outfit for the next Grand Galloping Gala, but she knew full well that this situation was much more pressing as she quickly set to work.
Meanwhile, Fluttershy had reached her cottage and told her predatory animals of the situation and upon hearing of it, they were more than willing to lend her their support however they could.
At Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie was working hard and fast to bake as many sweet treats as she could. Currently, she had cupcakes, cakes, cookies, muffins, and various other baked goods lining the walls of the kitchen. As soon as she felt she had enough, she packaged them all and stuffed them all inside her mane and tail before racing out the door to join her friends.
In a clearing outside of town, Twilight, Rainbow, and AJ were were doing everything they could to keep the bug-bear from getting too far away. Rainbow flew through the air, blocking the creature's path whenever it tried to fly away. Twilight used her magic to lift AJ into the air so she could strike it from multiple directions using her physical strength while also hitting it with her own magic whenever an opportunity presented itself. They managed to keep up this technique for a while, but they were quickly losing ground as all three of them were becoming very tired very quickly. "Faust-damn it, where in Tartarus are the others?! They should have been here by now!" Rainbow exclaimed with clear exhaustion in her voice.
"Just calm down Rainbow, they'll be here soon." Twilight tried to speak confidently, but even she couldn't hide how tiring it was becoming to not only lift another pony into the air, but also firing her own magical blasts. Applejack wanted to say her part, but she was too tired from hitting the bug bear as hard as she could for as long as she was.
It was then that the ponies and the bug-bear smelled something rather sweet coming from beyond the hill. Upon smelling it, the bug bear raced towards it like a child would a brand-new toy. Once the bug-bear flew over the hill, it saw several baked goods sitting atop a plate in the middle of the ground. It then raced towards it, intent on devouring the entire smorgasbord in one fell swoop.
Suddenly, as it was about to take a bit out of one of the cakes, an eagle came swooping down and used its talons to strike the bug-bears face. The bear tried to fight back, but the eagle was too nimble and quick-minded. Then a falcon came and struck the bug-bears torso, causing it to descend due to the sudden pain. Two normal bears then appeared from over the hill and grabbed the legs of the bug-bear before biting into them with all their might. Soon, the fearsome bug-bear became much too weak to remain airborne and fell to the ground with a thud. It was then covered completely by a huge purple net, causing it to become completely restricted.
The mane six emerged with smiles on their faces as they watched the bug-bear struggle from within the net. Twilight then turned to address the group. "Nice job girls. You all did wonderfully." She then lit up her horn and teleported both the net and the bug-bear back to Tartarus. "Come on, we'd better get to Town Hall. We don't want to be late for the wedding."
The girls raced towards Town hall with all they had left. Unfortunately, as they neared the door, it suddenly slammed shut, leaving them all locked out and forcing them to watch through the window. They were unable to make out what was being said, but they could definitely feel the emotion in the room. Especially when the "flowers" that somepony had brought suddenly turned into fireworks. Twilight then turned towards the town and spoke to the girls once again. "You know something girls? We are so lucky to live in this town. I love you all." The others then came closer as Twilight pulled them all into a tight hug.
Rainbow suddenly yelled out in pain. "Ow! That's where the bug-bear bit me!"
"Sorry."
Ghost Intelligence: Insect Investigation
The next morning, Twilight woke up still feeling mentally and physically sore from the incident with the bug-bear yesterday. Seeing as nothing else could be done, she decided to inform Princess Celestia about the ordeal. Seeing as how Spike was still asleep, she decided to write the letter herself as she got out a quill and parchment.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I am writing to inform you of an event that has transpired yesterday prior to the wedding between Matilda and Cranky Doodle Donkey. A bug bear appeared in Ponyville and terrorized the town upon arrival. Thankfully, my friends and I were able to incapacitate it and send it back to Tartarus, but we would still like to know more about it so that we can prevent something like this from occurring in the future. If you have any information regarding this creature, it would me most appreciated. Otherwise, I will see what I can find here.
Your faithful student and friend, Twilight Sparkle
At that moment, Spike came down from upstairs and saw that Twilight had a finished scroll in her magical grasp. "So you finally managed to write your own letter to the Princess, did you?" He looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
Twilight giggled and spoke kindly to Spike. "You know it's not like that Spike. I just didn't want to wake you up too early is all. But you can send this letter to the Princess for me."
Twilight floated the scroll over to spike and he took it in his claws. He then opened it to give the letter a once-over before nodding, rolling it back up, and igniting it with his fire breath, turning it into a stream of magical smoke that made its way to Princess Celestia. "So what did end up happening to that bug-bear? You never told me after you and the others came back from Cranky and Matilda's wedding."
"Well Spike, it's actually quite an interesting story..."
As Twilight relayed the bug-bear story to Spike, a sparkling trail of smoke wafted into Princess Celestia's study and took the form of a scroll. Right away, she knew it was from Twilight as she opened it and observed the writing inside. As she continued reading, her face went from happily calm to worriedly nervous. She then got out her own quill and parchment to let Twilight know that she would find out whatever she could. She sent it off and then walked out of her study and down the hall, being careful so as to not let anyone else see her worried expression. Soon, she reached the royal library and walked in. Celestia observed the books shelf-by-shelf until she came across one with no title on the cover. She pulled the book back and triggered a chain reaction that opened a door in the wall nearest to the shelf she was standing in front of.
She walked through the newly-opened passageway while recovering her grim face as the door closed behind her. Once it did, torches automatically lit up one after another, lighting the hallway and revealing a staircase. As she reached the bottom, she came to another door and stopped to catch her breath. 'I haven't asked for help from these ponies in a long time. I truly hope that they will accept what I have to offer them.' She took a deep breath and enveloped the door in her magical aura, causing several pressure plates to appear around it. She pressed them all in a specific order, causing the door to open and revealing another library/laboratory. As soon as she stepped in, hundreds of books began to fly off their shelves and onto others with some coming very close to hitting Celestia. Acting fast, she used her magic to stop the books in their paths before letting them fall to the ground.
A voice suddenly rang out as if it was coming from all directions. "Stop right there intruder! State your business immediately or you will be expelled from the room post-haste!" The voice sounded robotic and somewhat distorted.
It was then that a sudden blur came from around the corner and stopped right in front of the princess, revealing a brown unicorn with a moss green mane and tail and grey eyes covered by thick glasses. His cutie mark was that of a brain trapped in a large cage. Upon seeing who it was, the pony almost instantly froze up and regretted what had happened. "Oh my! Princess Celestia!" He then acted without any hesitation and cleaned up the books that were on the floor, placing them onto their proper shelves. He then led Celestia further into the chamber. "I was wholeheartedly unaware that you were coming to visit us today! Would you like to hear my theories regarding the geysers in Yellowstable National Park? Or perhaps you would like to observe my newest magical discovery. It is quite innovative if I do say so myself."
Princess Celestia was taken aback by how much this pony had offered to let her in on. It was then that she noticed the large number of empty Demon Energy Drink cans scattered around the floor, leading her to believe that this rambling was nothing more than just that. "Thank you Mr. Mind Trap, but I am merely here to relay a message from my student in Ponyville."
Mind Trap's eyes lit up in recognition. "Ah yes, I recall that bright student of yours quite well princess." Trap's horn lit up brightly as he and Celestia found themselves in a study where two ponies were sitting in front of a fireplace looking over various spell books. They looked like a younger Twilight and Mind Trap himself. Celestia took note of the calendar on the far wall and sighed in mild annoyance. Mind Trap always had a thing for overdoing it with the magic, like using a time-travel spell to recall a memory. In relation to Twilight, he was her back-up tutor in whenever Celestia was swamped with too many royal duties. "I recall her brilliant mind and how well it managed to comprehend my admittedly eccentric personality. Even so, I knew she would be the perfect student for you Celestia." The two teleported back to Mind Trap's study. "It seems that we made the correct choice in making her an alicorn, didn't we Celestia?"
Celestia shot Mind Trap a dirty look before lightly scolding him on his apparent insolence. "Actually, it was mine and Luna's idea. Granted, Luna was skeptical of it at first, but still. All you did was approve of the test that we had decided on giving her."
A new voice then rang out. "She's right, you know." A mildly muscular, dark gray pegasus pony jumped down from atop the bookshelves and landed between Mind Trap and the Princess. He had a silver mane and tail as well as a cutie mark depicting a sail being blown by a strong wind current. "If it weren't for Celestia and her trust in your abilities, you likely would not have been any help to either her, Luna, or Twilight herself."
Celestia had managed to regain her smile upon seeing the newcomer. "Tempest Tailwind. How are you doing?"
Tempest turned to address the Princess. "Quite well your majesty, thank you for asking. Although it is rather troubling when my dear brother over there stands there while drinking nothing but that garbage over there." The two looked to see Mind Trap downing another can of Demon Energy Drink before throwing it to the ground and crushing it under his hooves. "If you ask me, the only thing demonic about that stuff is what it does to your body." He and Celestia shared a small laugh upon hearing that. Tempest then cleared his throat and regained his composure. "Now then, you were about to request something of us Princess?"
Celestia's eyes lit up as she recalled the initial reason for her visit. "Ah, yes. I wished to speak to the two of you regarding a letter I received from Twilight Sparkle." Celestia took out the latter and presented it to the two ponies.
Tempest was about to take it when it became enveloped in a grayish-silver aura and it floated over to Mind Trap. He then undid the scroll's seal and unfurled it. He hadn't even looked at it for a second before throwing it into the air and shouting. "A bug-bear? In Ponyville? Impossible, they all became extinct years ago, and those that weren't killed were sent to Tartarus so that they wouldn't be able to cause any further damage! How is this possible? How, I ask you?!" Mind trap was frantically bouncing off the walls seemingly in complete panic.
In response, Tempest quickly flew up and caught him before he could hit the wall again. "Easy there little brother. Remember what we talked about regarding that energy of yours? I swear to you, those Demon drinks are pure energetic poison." He then reached into his bag and pulled out a thermos and poured himself a cup of the liquid inside. "Why can't you ever settle down and have some nice mint-chamomile tea? It clears your mind better and has a much better taste to it, especially when you add a dash of lemon and a whisper of honey. Would you care for some Princess?" Tempest held the thermos cup out to Celestia as Mind Trap shot a look of disgust towards said cup.
Princess Celestia looked at the cup that was offered to her and decided that she could use something to calm her nerves after this sort of ordeal. She politely took the cup with her magic and sipped gently from it. She let the warm beverage sit on her tongue for a bit, taking in the different flavors mixed into it, before swallowing it and sending it down her waiting gullet. "(Sigh of relief), you are quite right Tempest Tailwind, I do feel much more relaxed." She returned the cup and decided that now was a better time than any to elaborate on the situation regarding the bug-bear. "Anyway, it is true that the bug-bears that were not killed were sent to Tartarus to be contained, but it seems that one has escaped and recently let loose its wrath in the town of Ponyville. I would like you two to find out the reason behind it and take action accordingly.
Mind Trap seemed to be taken aback by this request from the Princess. Tempest, on the other hoof, seemed to be quite excited. "Awesome, it's about time we got to experience the world of Equestria for ourselves. What do you think, bro?" Tempest turned to Mind Trap, but instead of seeing him, he found two large suitcases sitting next to each other. "Uhh, Mind Trap?"
Mind Trap then sprung out from around the corner carrying another suitcase and placing it with the others. "Oh man, this is very exhilarating. I have always wanted to interact with the denizens inhabiting this great land of ours and now I finally have the chance. I wonder if any of them have any interest in the logistical workings of magic and individual spells. Or perhaps they might like to hear my theories regarding Stonehayge. (Gasp) I could absolutely tell them everything about my progress in obtaining a brand new substance that could recharge and boost a pony's specific magic. Or perhaps even-" He did not even get the chance to continue as he saw Tempest dumping the Demon Energy Drinks that he had packed down the drain and throwing the empty cans into the recycling bin. "Wait, what are you doing? Stop! Those are my fuel! I need those to pursue and expand my love and expertise of magic and how it functions in relation to us all!!" He then fired a spell at Tempest, causing his entire body to go completely numb and fall over.
Tempest tried to move, but he was unable to feel any of his appendages. "Look dude, I know you like these things and I respect that, but they have to stay here in the lab. You can't really expect ponies to take you seriously when they make you run your mouth like a super-charged cloud mower, can you?" Tempest looked as his brother took on a sad and depressed face. He then sighed and made a decision. "Fine, you can take them with you." Mind trap gained a gleeful smile on his face as he bear-hugged his older brother. "However, there are a few conditions that I want you to follow." Trap raised and eyebrow and signaled his brother to continue. "First, only one of these things per day, no more and no less." Trap nodded and Tailwind continued. "Second, you let me do the talking whenever we come across another pony. Don't say a word unless I tell you to." Trap nodded his head in agreement again as Tailwind put forward the final condition. "Finally, let me out of this spell please. You don't want to have to carry me around on this trip, do you?" Trap blushed and cast a counter-spell on Tempest that allowed him to regain the feeling in his body.
Celestia smiled at the bond between brothers and addressed them once again. "Very well, now that that's settled..." She then teleported a folder with a document in it to her side and floated it over to the two ponies. Mind Trap took it in his own magic as Celestia spoke again. "...according to intel from Special Agent Sweetie Drops in Ponyville, the bug bear seemed to come from the vicinity of the Whitetail Woods. So I recommend that you start there."
The two ponies nodded dutifully as they headed for the far wall where Mind Trap triggered a pressure plate that opened a door leading to a chute big enough for two ponies to slide through. Tempest jumped in first and then followed by Mind Trap. The door shut behind them as Celestia wished the both of them luck before exiting the room herself and returning to her chambers.
Ghost Intelligence: Insect Investigation
Author's Note
Hey guys, sorry this took me so long. I had trouble finding the inspiration to continue this story. But from here on, I will find whatever time I can to continue this story. I hope that you all enjoy it as much as I do.
Setting Out
Tempest and Mind Trap walked through the tunnel until they came to what looked like a dead end. The two brothers looked to one another and nodded in understanding. Tempest then began to hover overhead while flapping his wings so that they created a gentle, but noticeable breeze within the tunnel. Mind then used his magic to manipulate the wind so that it turned into a small-scale cyclone. The wall before them then began to flicker as if it were a projection before becoming completely transparent. The two brothers then walked out as the wall behind them solidified, making it seem like it was never there in the first place. They walked for a bit before coming upon the Canterlot train station and walking onto the platform.
The two then walked up to the ticket counter. "Hello there, Where to and how many?" Asked the pony at the ticket counter.
"Two one-way tickets to Ponyville good sir, soonest train possible too if you are able." Tempest asked casually with a hint of force in his voice.
"Alright, two one-way tickets to Ponyville. Next train there arrives in 15 minutes." The ticket pony took two slips of paper and magically printed the appropriate information on them. "That'll be 14 bits please."
Tempest reached into his saddle bag and pulled out a bag of bits. He reached in and gave the ticket pony a ten-bit coin and a five-bit coin. "Keep the change." He said before taking the tickets and putting them in a separate pocket in his saddle bags.
"Excuse me dear brother, but are you not going to allow me to have my ticket for when we board the train?" Mind Trap asked while wearing a slight pout on his face.
Tempest shot a look of skepticism towards his brother. "You wish to hold your own ticket? forgive me for saying so dear brother, but your mental record of your belongings is much less than you anticipate it to be."
Mind Trap then scowled in anger. "I will have you know dear brother that your words did indeed offend me. I am perfectly capable of noting the whereabouts regarding my personal belongings. For example, I have 24 cases of Demon Energy drinks in the storeroom, enough to last me a month at the least."
Tempest maintained his smug look. "Actually, considering that you drank three cases worth over the past week and that you packed another cases worth in your saddlebags, we only have 20 left in our storerooms."
Mind was about to retort until he took Tempest's words into consideration. After a minute of ruminating, Mind finally conceded. "Very well, you were successful in this bout dear brother." Mind trap then took a seat on the bench as Tempest Joined him.
Tempest put a reassuring hoof onto his brother's back. "You know that I still love you, do you not? I value your vast intellect as well as your ingenious, albeit wild and at times chaotic, ideas about this world." Mind trap regained an appreciative smile as he turned towards Tempest.
*Attention passengers, the train bound for Ponyville is arriving shortly. Please be prepared to board, but remember to stand well back from the edge of the platform. Thank you and have a lovely day.* The stationmaster's voice rung out from the loudspeakers as a bright light could be seen approaching in the distance.
Tempest and Mind nodded to one another as they got up and walked to the middle of the platform. Steam and smoke filled the air as the train screeched to a halt at the platform. The doors opened as ponies of all sorts flooded out and filled the platform. Once the path was clear, Tempest and Mind made their way through the crowd, boarded the train, and took their respective seats next to one another. A few minutes later, the train began to move and the conductor made his way through each car taking and punching each passengers tickets, including those of Tempest and Mind. Once he had safely passed, Tempest decided to get in a nap before the real trip began while mind looked excitedly around the car and at the passing scenery. He was very excited for this trip, but remembered that he needed to calm down so as to not make a scene. He then saw Tempest's thermos sticking out of his saddlebags and suddenly became curious of the liquid inside. Being careful to not wake his sleeping brother, Mind Trap took the thermos in his magic and lifted it slowly out of the bag. After eyeing it for a few minutes, he removed the cup and lid and poured out some of the tea that was inside it. With some hesitation, he put the cup to his lips and took a gentle sip before letting it sit on his tongue for a minute. He found it bitter at first, but the smoothness of the honey and the sour pungency of the lemon soon kicked in, enhancing the flavor and allowing to glide down his throat.
"Perhaps there is something to this substance that I have overlooked." Mind Trap took another sip and it was then that the coolness of the mint had hit his tongue as well, completing the beverage and allowing him to take a slow, calm breath. He then resealed the thermos before carefully putting it back into Tempest's saddlebags. He felt his mind start to slow down as he took more careful looks towards the scenery as, unbeknownst to him, Tempest gained a small grin in satisfaction of his brother.
Ghost Intelligence: Insect Investigation
Gearing up for the adventure
Tempest slept soundly as the train he and his brother were on made its way through the mountains towards Ponyville. With one final blast of the whistle, Tempest woke suddenly and saw their destination in the distance.
"Ah good, you've awakened at last brother. I was fearing that I would be forced to wake you myself." Tempest was greeted by the surprisingly calm tone of voice that his brother used. He then remembered that Mind Trap helped himself to a cup of tea from his thermos and quickly gained a look of pride for his Mind.
The two ponies felt the train slow down as they approached the platform. They then made sure that they had their respective belongings near them as the train finally came to a stop. With their supplies in hand, Tempest and Mind Trap disembarked and made their way into town.
Upon reaching the square, Tempest turned to Mind as a thought occurred to him. "Perhaps we should use our time in this vicinity to top off our provisions and other supplies. I would have suggested doing so in Canterlot but..." Tempest trailed off as his brother caught on.
"Say no more Tempest. Had we stocked up in Canterlot, we likely would have gone through our budget within mere minutes." Mind Trap then surveyed the surroundings as he nodded and turned back towards his brother. "Alright, I shall acquire our expedition supplies and leave you to gather our provisions. Shall we agree to meet with one another in approximately two hours?" As Mind Trap relayed the plan, Tempest showed a look of surprise towards his brother. "Tempest? Are you alright?"
Tempest shook himself out of his stupor as he registered his brother's question. "Yes, yes I am. I am merely surprised that you are taking this much responsibility. It seems that my tea has had a bigger effect on you than I had initially thought."
Mind Trap gained a smug look on his face. "Well dear brother, you should have more faith in me. Besides, you shouldn't be so quick to judge one based on how they carry themselves." Mind Trap then gained a minutely crazed smile as he teleported around the immediate area briefly before heading off while continuing to teleport short distances along the way.
Upon his disappearance into town, Tempest shook his head in amusement before heading off in his own direction.
Two Hours Later
Tempest and Mind met back in the square with carts full of supplies. Tempest's cart had all sorts of energy bars, dehydrated meals, extra canteens and thermoses, and even camping dinnerware. In Mind's cart, he had sleeping bags, an all-weather tent, first-aid kits, climbing gear, and even multi-colored glow sticks. "My, it seems that you've not improved as much as I had hoped."
"Well it is as they say brother, you either go big or you go home. And I have no intention of returning home this soon into our journey." Mind Trap stoop proud as Tempest looked on impressively.
Suddenly, Tempest's stomach began to rumble loudly. "Well then, I suppose after a day of shopping like this, it's only right that we stop for something to eat. I located an interesting-looking bakery during my excursion. Perhaps we could stop there for a spot of lunch."
Mind trap's stomach rumbled as well. "Indeed, I quite agree. Lead the way dear brother."
Tempest smiled as he lead his brother into town towards a bakery that looked like a life-size gingerbread house, complete with candy decorations. The two walked into the door to find the establishment suspiciously quiet. Not even two seconds after they entered, the lights suddenly came on and revealed a huge crowd of ponies gathered within. "SURPRISE!!!" Yelled the crowd as Tempest and Mind reeled back in complete shock as one pony with a light pink coat, deep pink mane and tail, and three-balloon cutie mark emerged and greeted the two. Tempest recognized her as Pinkie Pie, the Element of Laughter
"Hi there, I'm Pinkie Pie. I saw the two of you around town and figured that you guys must be new, so I decided to throw this party for you. I saw you two come into town before splitting up. I wanted to through a party for each of you, but then I thought why have two separate parties for two different ponies when I can throw one big party for both ponies?!" Pinkie finally took a breath before gaining a somewhat terrifying grin on her face.
Tempest expected this type of greeting due to the information provided to him and his brother from Princess Celestia, but pretended otherwise so as to not arouse suspicion. "Well then thank you for this celebration Ms. Pie, but we only stopped by for a quick snack before finding a place to stay for the night."
Pinkie's grin did not leave her face. "Well then don't worry, you can meet some new friends and get a good meal while you're here. Besides, I'm sure your friend here would like to stay. He doesn't seem the same as when I saw him with you." She gestured to mind trap as Tempest turned to look at him as well. What he saw surprised him greatly.
In Mind Trap's place was a pony with the same build and cutie mark, but his coat was orange and he had peach-colored hair that covered most of his body. He also spoke with a dull tone in his voice. "Sure, I could stay for a bite to eat. Just as long as you make sure that I don't eat the building we're currently in."
Pinkie found herself laughing quite hard at this new pony's joke while Tempest looked on in confusion. "Hahahahahaha! That's a good one. Come on, I'll show you to the sweet treats table." Pinkie lead the new pony to the confection table as Tempest stood there with a dumbfounded look on his face.
"Thank you Ms. Pie. By the way, my name is Lunch Box, so if you have any fillies that want to bring their meals to school, have them get me to carry it for them." Pinkie let out another burst of laughter as the other ponies in the vicinity stared blankly in confusion.
Tempest finally snapped himself back to reality as he followed Pinkie and Lunch Box to the table where cupcakes, cookies, punch, pies, and other various sweets. Tempest grabbed a plate in his mouth and carefully observed the table lined with confectionaries. Looking to make sure no one was watching, he fluffed his wings and created a gentle breeze over the table. As if by levitation, cookies, cupcakes, and other treats floated off the table and onto the plate. As Tempest filled his plate, he heard Lunch Box ask Pinkie why the cupcakes weren't in cups followed by another fit of laughter from Pinkie.
After filling his plate, Tempest found an empty table to set his plate and sat down. He was about to take a bite of one of the cookies when he heard two voices behind him ask the same question in unison. "How in Equestria did you do that?!"
Ghost Intelligence: Insect Investigation
Author's Note
I sincerely apologize that this chapter took so long to get out. I was very busy with school and social stuff. However, I hope to have more of a concise schedule with this story. I hope that you guys like this chapter and once again, please leave any constructive criticisms in the comments below.
Knowing Your Power
Tempest turned around and found himself face-to-face with a cyan pegasus mare with rainbow hair along with a cloud shooting a tri-colored lightning bolt and a lavender alicorn with purple hair with a pink streak through it. Her cutie mark consisted of a pink star with several smaller white ones surrounding it. Tempest recognized them as Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty, and Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic, respectively.
Tempest figured they saw his wind control but decided to play dumb just in case. "I'm sorry, but to what are you referring to?"
Twilight spoke next. "You're a pegasus, but you lifted those treats without even touching them! How'd you do that?!" As she spoke, Tempest found her getting uncomfortably close to his face.
But before he had a chance to respond, Rainbow cut in. "Did it have anything to do with that gust of wind that I felt? I thought it was weird since, you know, we're inside."
Tempest took a breath to check his composure before responding. "It's actually my special talent." He gestured to his cutie mark. "I always loved flying with the wind, it made me feel powerful like I could do anything." As Tempest spoke, Rainbow found herself reminiscing about when she was a young and rambunctious flyer growing up. "And then one day, a massive windstorm hit our town. The wind broke trees, it loosened boulders, everything was going to shambles."
The scene changed to a small mountain village being all but ripped to shreds by raging winds as numerous pegasi are seen amongst the clouds trying to clear them, but to no avail. As that happens, a young Tempest Tailwind looks out his window at the wind, staring at it in awe, fear, and excitement. Suddenly, he was jerked back and placed onto his bed by a pegasus mare with a bluish-gray coat, Indigo mane and tail, and a cute mark that seemed to showcase rays of sunlight piercing through a cluster of clouds. She warningly gestured to Tempest and then the window and begged him to not go out there or even look in that direction. Tempest was sad, but he respected the wishes of his mother, Cloudy Rays. Cloudy then left her son's room after tucking him in and shutting the door behind her.
She went down to the living room to talk to a stallion who was also a pegasus with a deep gray coat, almost pitch-black mane, and tail, and a cutie mark showing a tornado with hail, snow, and rain all pulled into it. However, the stallion also had bandages around his wings. She looked at him worriedly as if asking what was going to happen. The stallion reassured her that the team was doing everything they could as Cloudy went to change his bandages. Upon removing them, the stallion's wings were revealed to be bruised and lacerated in several places. The stallion then laughed and looked out the window, wishing he could join the other pegasi in quelling the storm. Cloudy admired the passion and courage of her husband, Ark-storm Spiral, but once again gestured to his damaged wings and set to work re-bandaging them.
Up in his room, Tempest couldn't seem to get to sleep with the storm continuing its destruction outside. He wanted to help in some way with his father's wings being injured and his mother tending to him. He ended up unconsciously letting his frustration out and opening his bedroom window as a result. However, instead of ransacking his room, the wind seemed to gather without disturbing any of what was within. Tempest then felt the wind gather underneath him and lift him into the air as if it was giving him strength. He marveled at his newfound power and flew out the window with incredible speed. Within seconds, Tempest found himself high above his village with the wind rushing through him and making him feel even stronger with each passing second. With his newfound strength and speed, Tempest circled the perimeter of the village with speed and force equivalent to that of a runaway cart.
As he began to move faster, Tempest failed to notice a dim flash coming from behind him, but he had noticed that he was actually creating a tornado around the town. He was scared and thought about stopping, but then he saw that inside the tornado, the town had been completely spared. The other ponies marveled at the new wall of wind that was evidently protecting them from the windstorm occurring outside. The pegasi managing the clouds above saw this and took the opportunity to safely correct the irregular weather patterns. A few minutes later, the wind died down and Tempest found himself gradually slowing down until he landed on the ground and came to a stop with his hooves scraping aggressively against the dirt. Not even five seconds later, he collapsed to the ground and caught a glimpse of two ponies approaching him before passing out from exhaustion.
Tempest found waking up somewhat difficult with how heavy his eyelids seemed to be. Although with a bit of stretching and after letting out a great big yawn, he found waking up much easier as a result. He looked around and saw that he was back in his room, or what was left of it. Tempest surveyed the room and found several items scattered all over the floor, some of them broken. He was then able to recall the events of last night before reaching to his head and feeling a bandage wrapped around it. A minute later, Cloudy Rays and Ark-storm Spiral came in to see him. Cloudy sat next to Tempest and put a comforting hoof around his shoulders. Ark-storm just looked at his son with pride and admiration for his feats. The two then gestured to his rear, where he found what looked like a depiction of heavy wind currents blowing on a sail. All three smiled at one another as the scene panned back to reveal the other ponies going around and cleaning up what they could.
The scene then faded back to Sugarcube Corner with Twilight and Rainbow still listening intently to Tempest's story. "And that was when I knew that my abilities would be able to take me to new and exciting places. So I did some weather jobs around my town and earned some money before traveling to Canterlot with my brother." Upon his completion of the story, Twilight looked on in shock while Rainbow looked as if she was about to burst from the excitement she was going through.
"Holy Taileto! You mean that you actually stopped a raging wind storm with a tornado big enough to wrap around your entire town?!?! WHEN YOU WERE A COLT?!?!" Rainbow started to cause a scene with her shouting, but Twilight cast a bubble of silence around them as she took over.
"That's incredible uh..." It was then that realization hit her like a crate of bricks. "Oh my gosh! I just realized that we never got your name! I'm so sorry, that's so rude of me."
Tempest chuckled before raising a hoof to silence her. "It's alright ma'am. We all forget our manners once in a while. My name is Tempest Tailwind and I'm assuming that you two are Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle, correct? I've heard quite a bit about you and your friends"
Twilight seemed surprised, but Rainbow took on a smug grin. "So you've heard about us have you? Well, I'm not one to brag, but I am the fastest pegasus in Ponyville, probably Equestria for that matter." Twilight then rolled her eyes at her friend while Tempest just chuckled.
"Well, I would assume that you'd have to be fast in order to get into a group such as the Wonderbolts. Truth be told, I had actually wanted to get into that group for quite a while. However, once I arrived at the training camp, I quickly realized that my newfound talents were interfering with my flight capabilities. Whenever we would do speed drills, I would end up going too fast and crash as a result. It was quite embarrassing." Tempest hung his head as the memories flooded into him.
Rainbow couldn't help but let out a few chuckles at her own mishaps while she was at the academy while Twilight merely looked on with Sympathy. The latter then spotted the dessert table and informed the other two that she was going off to sample a few of the treats. Rainbow and Tempest then continued to talk about their mishaps and accidents when they first started flying as a professional career. Tempest then saw Mind Trap, who seemed to be back to normal, and beckoned him over. "Hey Rainbow, I want you to meet my brother. This is-" Tempest flinched in surprise as in his brother's place stood a pegasus pony with a red coat and a white pompadour mane.
"My name is Red Comet and it is very good to meet you Ms. Dash." The pony, named Comet, shook Rainbow's hoof with a firm grip as he spoke with a Russian accent.
"Nice to meet you too Red Comet." Rainbow greeted warmly as she observed the pegasus in front of her. Tempest meanwhile stood with a dumbfounded look on his face at his brother's new look.
'Mind Trap, what the hell is going on with you?'