Tempest Shadow and Grubber left the confines of Canterlot and were now on their way to spread word of their former boss's defeat and share what they had learned in recent days. However, Tempest couldn't stop thinking about the spirit of an inanimate object that had been bugging her since the Storm King's defeat.
While she and her hedgehog companion were resting at a nearby river, the thoughts came back again.
"Grubber," Tempest sighed as she flung a rock across the river. "Have you ever been in a situation where your mind can't stop think about something not even worth thinking about?"
Grubber, who had been sitting under a tree and eating an apple, was perplexed to his friend's odd question.
"What do you mean?" he asked in his usual lipsy voice.
"I mean, while I was serving my sentence in Canterlot," explained Tempest as she tossed another stone across the river. "I was constantly haunted by Princess Twilight's crown."
"A crown?" wondered Grubber, scratching his head in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"I mean, after I ordered you to find me Princess Twilight in Canterlot, I stomped on her crown in anger and frustration and ever since then, I have been haunted by this spirit who told me that it can put itself together if only I could do good deeds to others."
"Maybe it's just your imagination," replied Grubber. "Take it from me, ever since that pony died in front of me that one night, I've already made myself focus on nothing but serving others instead of myself."
Tempest shuddered in response to Grubber's story about how he had tried to feed a homeless pony who ended up dying at his footsteps. But, that was all about to quickly change.
"Or maybe it was a sign," Tempest gasped, hastly turning around and racing towards her friend. "A sign that I need to be a better pony even more than I should have been."
"Trust me, Tempest, you've been given another chance from a higher power as have I and we need to take advantage of that chance. If a pony dying in front of me was a sign, then talking spirits of crowns to you is your sign."
…
Just then, Tempest felt floating air against the back of her neck and she turned around to see the spirit of the crown floating behind her.
"You again!" she gasped, her face filled with shock. "But, you, you were on Twilight's head fully repaired! Why do you still torment me?"
"Because I want you to understand what you now need to do," the crown answered.
"Don't say another word!" Tempest cried, putting her hoof to the crown. "I know what I need to do and I don't need a talking crown to tell me otherwise!"
"Of course I know what you need to do, Fizzlepop," chuckled the crown's spirit. "You've managed to already regain the trust of the four alicorns that you hunted for their magic. Now, it's your time to focus on…"
"…redeeming myself in the eyes of Equestria," finished Tempest, trying to block the crown out of her mind and sight. "How many times must you tell me what I need to do?"
"I will keep telling and reminding you until you achieve your goals," the crown answered, trying to stay in front of Tempest's face. "In fact, you need to start getting used to having me around, Fizzlepop."
"Why?" asked Tempest in a panicked voice.
"So that you can never forget what you did to me and to the pony on whose head I sit on. You can't change the past, Fizzlepop, but you can change the future and there is no better time to start than now."
The crown then turned and motioned for Tempest to look at a dirt road that led towards a nearby town.
"Do you see that road?" the crown asked. "You must take that road and begin your journey of redemption. Go now and repent yourself for your actions! Repent!"
Crying out to Tempest to repent for her actions, the crown's spirit slowly disappeared leaving Tempest shocked and dismayed over what had just transpired.
"Do you see what I mean, Tempest?" advised Grubber. "You can't run away from your past, but you can change the future. I need to be a better creature and you need to be a better pony."
But, Tempest was more dumbfounded than accepting of what she needed to face. Yes, she needed to repent, but she didn't need to be constantly reminded of it.
"Maybe," stammered Tempest, who tried to keep herself in denial of the situation. "It's just my imagination. That's it, maybe its just my imagination catching up with me."
"Perhaps we should start now and repent our actions before you lose your mind, Tempest," suggested Grubber, throwing the apple he was eating away and advancing towards the road. "I know I need to repent and so do you."
Tempest let out a deep sigh and followed her hedgehog companion towards the road. But, the thoughts of the annoying spirit of a crown remained in her mind.
"Why can't you give me some credit for what I am trying to do?" she thought to herself as they walked towards the town. "For a crown, you are really starting to annoy me with your constant babbling of telling me to repent. I helped put you together and now, you must leave me alone. I'm not going to let you run my life like the Storm King did. If I travel across Equestria and spread the magic of friendship as ordered by the princess whose head you sit yourself on, will you PLEASE finally leave me alone?"
Soon, they reached the town of Mustangia and Tempest took a deep breath as she and Grubber made their way into the town to begin their repentance in the eyes of Equestria and it's citizens. All Tempest could do was hope and pray that the crown would stop bothering her about her actions once and for all.
…
But, only would tell.
…
THE END
