There was no doubt about it, the party had been great. Everywhere one looked, they saw the smiling and laughing faces of ponies, having had a wonderful time, celebrating the saving of their nation. Songbird Serenade’s recent number especially had done much to alleviate a lot of the bad times the ponies had been through lately, and now that the party was starting to wind down, the mare was right in the midst of a group of her fans, signing autographs and chatting it up with them. Twilight, right on the edge of the party-goers, couldn't help but smile as she surveyed her surroundings. Her friends were nearby, all looking happy with how everything had turned out. Her mentor, Celestia, and the other alicorn Princesses were likewise close by, and the eldest gave her a smile and a nod in silent thanks of what had happened.
Twilight returned the gesture, and watched as both Celestia and the other alicorns began to speak with some of the friends they'd made in their most recent adventure, with Capper acting especially smooth, taking Celestia's hoof and giving a gentlemanly kiss upon it. The other alicorns giggled to this, though Celestia remained as composed as ever. As for Twilight, she chuckled and shook her head, turning away from all of the lights and music still going on, to where it was a bit quieter. Before long, she found enough space to let out a long sigh, looking clearly relieved over the way things had ended up. But, in this moment of solitude, she noticed, in the corner of her eye, another lone figure out here. Her smile faded somewhat as she realised who it was; Tempest Shadow. A mare who, not so long ago, had been her enemy. But, as she watched that older mare staring out at the starry sky, Twilight's smile returned, and she began to walk up to her.
"Did you enjoy the party?"
Tempest turned to her, and for a time, looked as though she didn't know what to say.
"It was...different."
Twilight giggled.
"Don't worry. You'll get used to it."
As before, Tempest looked to the sky, and in the silence that followed, Twilight considered her next words carefully.
"You know...I'm sure pinkie and the others would love for you to go over and talk with them some more, Fizzlepop."
In a move Twilight had in no way been expecting, Tempest actually laughed a little.
"It's strange...hearing my real name said back to me after all these years."
Twilight's smiled widened, and she took another step closer to her. But, as she did so, she showed a few signs of hesitation, scratching the back of her head in a nervous manner before finally speaking up.
"I'm glad you were willing to tell us what you were really called, but...Fizzlepop Berrytwist? Really?"
Tempest looked to her with a raised eyebrow, prompting Twilight to raise her hooves in a defensive manner.
"Right! Right! Sorry."
Tempest sighed, her expression relaxing somewhat.
"It's fine. Though...I've gone by Tempest so long that...I think for the time being...that's what I'll stick with."
Twilight nodded.
"Okay...if that's what you want."
As before, a silence passed between the two mares, with both of them simply staring out at the night sky. Princess Luna had done fine work this evening, with the stars extra-twinkly tonight. Even the moon itself seemed to have a brighter shine to it than usual, which Twilight made a mental note to compliment her on later. But, after a few minutes of saying nothing, Tempest looked down slightly, her gaze straying to Twilight with a look that could only be described as confusion.
"...Why?"
Twilight looked back to her, equally confused.
"Hm?"
Tempest frowned slightly.
"Why are you doing all this for me?"
Like her, Twilight seemed confused by the remark.
"What do you mean?"
Raising a hoof, Tempest gestured to the rest of the party-goers further away from them.
"All this...letting me in, treating me like we're best friends, all laughing and smiling and...and...everything?!"
Slowly, Twilight grew into a small but genuine smile.
"Everypony deserves a second chance, Tempest. You're not a bad person, even if that's what you think you are."
Tempest's frown deepened.
"How can you say that?! Look at everything I've done! To you..."
She looked back to the other ponies.
"...to them..."
Then, she looked back out to the stars.
"...to everypony?!"
Twilight considered that, seeing that Tempest was clearly upset. She weighed her words carefully, pausing to consider how best to answer her, admittedly reasonable question.
"We believe in friendship, Tempest. We always have done. If somepony has it in their hearts to be better than they were...to grow into a friend..."
She considered her next words, then spoke softer than before.
"...we let them in."
For a while, Tempest seemed to have great difficulty in accepting that. But, mere moments later, Twilight started to look almost ashamed of something, though of what, Tempest could not say.
“Besides...you’re not the only pony here who’s...made mistakes,” the young Princess remarked.
Tempest looked to her with curiosity, and Twilight turned away from her, her ears drooping as she regarded the crowd further away. In particular, her eyes focused onto Queen Novo, and her daughter, Skystar, who were happily speaking with one another. After a few further moments of quiet, Twilight began to explain.
“When I tried to save Equestria from the Storm King, I...I did things. I betrayed the trust of an ally. And when my friends confronted me, I lashed out at them.”
She let out a long sigh, turning back to face Tempest.
“For what it’s worth...I know what it’s like to do bad things because I feel like I’m trying to make something right.”
Hearing those words, Tempest narrowed her eyes somewhat.
“With all due respect...I doubt your recent actions can truly compare to the things I’ve done in my life, Princess.”
Briefly, Twilight looked away again, accepting that remark, albeit with silent shame. But, as the seconds passed, Tempest softened a little.
“But...thank you. I...I appreciate that you’re trying to cheer me up.”
Looking back to her, Twilight regained her earlier smile, offering her colleague an open hoof.
“Well...I am the Princess of Friendship after all. And...I could offer that to you...if you wanted.”
Tempest looked down to the offered hoof, then into Twilight's eyes. The younger mare had meant every word of that, as clear honesty could be seen in those bright purple eyes of hers. But Tempest herself continued to display hesitation, and, in a move that caused Twilight's smile to fade, she turned away, walking a few steps further from her.
"All my life...ponies have been afraid of me...and not without cause. The things I've done, both here and beyond...have hurt many."
She shut her eyes tightly.
"Not once have I ever had somepony just...want me...as part of their lives."
Smiling once more, Twilight walked forward, standing beside her fellow mare and gently placing a hoof upon her shoulder.
"Maybe not out there...but you'll have it here."
Slowly, Tempest opened her eyes again, but instead of looking to Twilight, those eyes turned upwards. She raised her hoof, placing it upon her long-broken horn. And, as had happened so many times before, a few sparks flew out of it in response to this touch.
"When I lost my...when this happened...I felt like I'd lost everything. I spent my whole life trying to survive without it...or worse, to do terrible things to see it restored. Whenever I was low...really low...the only person I had to rely on was myself."
At last, she looked back to Twilight.
"To have somepony actually want to help me, even in the face of all my crimes...I think...it'll take some getting used to."
To that, Twilight giggled, giving a sly look to her before replying.
"Well, not to put too fine a point on it, Tempest, but you're not the first enemy that's managed to become a friend."
Tempest raised an eyebrow again in another display of confusion, but whatever curiosity she might have had about that statement, she did not enquire further about it. Instead, she looked away, back to the far-away stars. In this new silence, Twilight started to gain a look of realisation, as she pondered her own words, before looking back up to Tempest.
"You know...um...there might actually be a way to...well...get your horn back."
As one would expect, Tempest's head snapped in her direction after having heard that.
"W...what?"
Twilight smiled to this.
"One of those friends I told you about? He's kind of a wiz at making unlikely things happen."
In response to that, Tempest returned to a more sceptical expression.
"What, are you trying to tell me he can just return somepony's taken horn with a snap of his fingers or something?” she asked sarcastically.
Contrary to what Tempest might have expected, Twilight instead looked to her with a knowing smirk.
"Well...now that you mention it..."
Slowly, Tempest's scepticism melted away, replaced instead by a look that Twilight recognised immediately as one of hope. She could already see the idea forming in Tempest's mind, of having that which she spent so long trying to get back being given to her. Again, she reached up to the ruins of her old horn, and again, some sparks flowed. This was an offer she was considering, that much was obvious, and she took a few steps away from Twilight as she dwelt on it. But, as the Princess of Friendship saw, there was also more mixed in with that look of hope. Fear. Concern. Shame even, especially when the older mare once more looked back to the nearby party. Though she had no idea what Tempest was thinking, Twilight didn't have to wait long to find out, as the latter soon turned to her yet again.
"I...I thank you for the offer, Princess, but...I can't accept it."
Naturally, Twilight was taken aback by this.
"You don't want your horn back?"
Tempest shook her head.
"No, I do...more than you could ever know. But..."
Again, she looked to the party.
"...I don't think I deserve it."
Raising a hoof she pointed to the assembled ponies.
"I've hurt...and wounded...and humiliated...for so long. My list of crimes cannot be ignored or washed away, no matter how you may feel about me."
She looked back to Twilight.
"What I've done to this nation...will hang heavy in my heart for a very long time. If I took your offer now, then no matter how happy I would be to be... to be..."
Pain crossed her face, and she once more looked up to her horn.
"...to be whole again...all I would ever see is the pained faces of every single pony I betrayed to make that restoration happen once before."
She looked away for a minute or two, and when she again looked back to Twilight, she sighed.
"Perhaps, one day, I will accept your offer, Princess...but not today."
Understandably, Twilight struggled for a time on how to respond to something like this. She knew Tempest had meant what she'd said, and she knew also that she was far from wrong in her belief. After considering this response for some time, the youngest Princess broke out into another friendly smile, giving a short nod to her former enemy.
"Okay...if that's what you want."
Tempest smiled, which was still a strange sight to see, given the kind of mare she usually held herself to be. For a time, neither mare said anything to one another, merely silently acknowledging each other and their respect and appreciation for what each had said to the other. Then, after a while, Twilight's ears perked up, and she turned to see her friends, Pinkie especially, laughing loudly at some joke that one of Captain Celaeno’s crew had said. Everypony was over there, having a grand old time, and it was a sight that Twilight couldn't help but smile to. Again, she turned to Tempest, and again, she placed a hoof upon her shoulder.
"You know...the night is still young. Shall we?"
Tempest looked over to the other ponies, then back to Twilight, and after a few more moments of hesitation on her part, she sighed, nodding slightly and giving a small smile.
"I've never really been a party person, but...I suppose a bit more time in one couldn't hurt."
Twilight smiled back, and together, the two mares began to make their way back to the party. As they did so, however, Twilight looked back up to the taller pony, smiling sweetly and speaking to her in a soft tone.
"I know there's still a long road ahead for you, Tempest...but for what it's worth...welcome to friendship."
Hearing that, Tempest chuckled.
"Friendship? Yeah...I think...that might not be so bad after all."
But, as the two approached the rest of the ponies, Twilight looked to Tempest again, but with a rather sly grin.
“You know...if you want these ponies to warm up to you, you could always try a duet with Songbird. You had quite the singing voice, as I recall.”
To that, Tempest merely smirked.
“Well...let it never be said that combat was the only thing I practised all those years.”
