In a blurry daze, I awoke, and found myself trapped in a cold, black metal cage. The room I was kept confined in was dark, with metal grates for a floor and orange lights below to illuminate what little it could.

My knowledge of yesterday was a little fuzzy, and my head was in the worst pain I could imagine. As I went to hold my head, I felt the broken horn that resided there once again.

Everything came back to me in an instant with no time to properly come to terms with. My beautiful tranquil village was destroyed. The ponies I grew up with were all slaughtered, including my parents. I saw them all die in front of me, all except one - the colt I had to kill.

As devastated beyond belief I was about my parents murdered in front of me, I felt like a monster when I thought about the colt. He wasn't liked by most of the ponies, but still desired to keep them safe, and I took his life. I know he was suffering and I know he was good as dead, but a part of me wanted to try everything in my power to save him.

"I'm so sorry, Flash." I said with tears in my eyes. "I couldn't save you. I'm so sorry Mother and Father. I should have listened to you. I'm so sorry every pony. I failed you all." Most would think I was going insane, that I was yelling to no pony, but I saw them - I saw them all. While they may be on deaf's ear and unseen to the innocent, the guilty, like me, know the truth - the dead are not silent and you will always see them.

Once again, I broke down. Screaming for someone to help me, even though I knew it wouldn't happen. I was a prisoner, after all - both mentally and physically. Eventually, the pain from my head and my own mentality took a toll on me. My consciousness was leaving me again, and I hoped that this time I would never regain it.

I found myself back in my village. Every pony seemed happy and did their routine jobs: defending the boarders, farming for crops, raising the foals, and repairing structures.

My parents approached me with a smile on their face and I happily rushed to them - giving them the biggest hug I could. I could feel their warmth on my coat and I began to cry tears of joy. Just as I was feeling at home, though, everything got cold.

I looked back up at my parents to see that half their flesh was decayed. I could hear them moaning in relentless pain, telling me things. "You let this happen to us," my mother said.

"Why did you disobey me, Fizzy," my father yelled, "why didn't you run away and let me die knowing I could at least save YOU?!"

All I could do was back away in fear, and as I looked at my surroundings, I saw the village on fire with every pony hanging straight up on spears - the spearhead protruding from their mouths.

"No!," I said while trying to close my eyes, but couldn't, "No!" I repeated. I could see the hanging corpses reaching with their hooves, begging me to help them, "NOOO!," I screamed and ran for my life, trying to escape this madness.

As I continued to run, looking back to make sure I wasn't followed, I soon fell down the hideaway. The corpses of the mares and foals surrounded me and attempted to grab me. I evaded their grasp and continued to run away, until I saw the body of the only foal that looked whole - Flash.

He looked like a full grown stallion now, and was wearing golden armor. I thought he would be another revenant in the village, blaming me for my own weakness, but he wasn't. I saw a smile on him as he got behind me and held out a spear.

"I'll hold off the monsters as you run, my blessed angel." Tears ran through my face and I was confused as to what he meant by that. "You saved me from torment, and now I want to return the favor. You aren't just a part of the village, you are the village. Though the once shining village is now a tempest in the shadow, I know she can survive and live for us all. It is all I can ask of you. Do not surrender to the might of the Storm King. Let him know that a tempest is strong and unruly. That it cannot be broken or tamed."

I approached Flash and kissed him on the cheek, tears still running down my face. "thank you," I said, running out the village and into the shadows.

There was a violent rumble from the cage I was kept, and I awoke. My eyes opened and I was greeted by the ecstatic grin of the Storm King - now wearing an eyepatch over his missing eye. From my surroundings, I could see run down shacks and sand. It was obvious I was far in a desert town. That stupid overgrown monkey was enjoying my little culture shock and I decided I would try and calm down, just to spite him - it worked.

“What did I tell you, Verto?” The Storm King boasted, “quite the catch for the arena, right?”

This revolting mole - I assumed was Verto - came close to me and observed me. “Yes!” He said with excitement. “This one looks really good and fierce. I’m dying to know what you can do my little pony wony.”

In anger, I responded to that comment with an electric charge I managed to shoot from my shattered horn. The cage absorbed the magic and I saw he was unharmed. “Not bad.” He said with a thrilling grin. “She’ll make excellent entertainment for the arena. What’s your name, madam?”

Even at my age, I knew my life was over. The only thing I could do was live on and anger the Storm King for as long as I could. However, I felt that I needed a name that would be well recognized and let everyone know I was a threat.

My real name, Fizzlepop Berrytwist, was not a name I could use. They would never see me as a real threat and I wanted them and the Storm King to know, I would not fall to him. Memories of my dream came back and I could hear the words Flash said to me about what I represented. With sadness in me, I knew what to call myself. Something to remind me that I was the last of my village and that I would never surrender.

As calm and collected as I could be, I looked at him with a fierce expression, and I could see the interest in his “My name is Tempest Shadow.”

Author's Note

I hope you liked this chapter and are enjoying the story so far.