Twilight stood there with a less-than-comfortable look upon her face, adjusting her stance in a clear display of apprehension. This was, it had to be said, far from the kind of place anypony would want to find themselves, especially after the near-euphoric victory of having recently ousted another terrible dictator from Equestria. And yet, here she was, standing alongside her beloved mentor, Princess Celestia. The room the two alicorns stood in was long, lined with many members of the Royal Guard, with cold grey stone everywhere one looked. On the other side of the chamber was a heavy oak door, reinforced with dark iron. And many of the aforementioned Guard were standing in front of it, their horns lit and trained upon it. Slowly, Twilight looked up, and after a few false starts, she asked the question she'd been wanting to ask for some time.
"Princess...is...is all this really necessary?"
Sighing, Celestia's face, which had been stern and determined until now, began to soften slightly, and she looked down to her prized pupil.
"I am truly sorry, Twilight. But after everything that happened...the people of Canterlot would never have accepted anything less."
Twilight knew she wasn't wrong, but even so, hearing it didn't make anything easier. But then, her ears perked up, for the loud creak of that oak door could now be heard. Her head snapped in its direction, and many of the guards nearby tensed as they kept their eyes utterly focused on it. Once it was open, everypony could see almost sheer darkness on the other side, save for a single shaft of light from whatever window was in there. And beyond that, movement. Gradually, the sound of metal upon the floor was heard, and soon enough, she emerged. Tempest Shadow. A mare who, not long ago, had been one of the greatest threats Equestria had known. But now? Now, she stood there as their prisoner. Gone was her dark armour, and instead, Twilight looked on with drooping ears as she at last noticed the chains about her hooves, not unlike those the denizens of Canterlot wore a short while ago.
"Move out, inmate, nice and slow," one of the Guard spoke out to her.
Tempest, though as reserved as usual in her expression, nevertheless gave a nod, stepping forward. Her movements were slow, as one would expect with bindings like hers, and with every step she took, the Guard moved with her, with almost a dozen horns pointed at her the closer she drew nearer to the two Princesses. As much as she hated to admit this to herself, Twilight knew they were right to be wary. Tempest had proved herself a dangerous mare when she was free, taking down foe after foe with ease. And even now, encumbered as she was, she still gave off an air of slight menace. But, before she reached the two alicorns fully, she was barred by another guard.
"Through the gate, if you would."
Twilight looked on at the final obstruction between her and Tempest, which she recognised instantly as one of the magic-disabling gateways once used at the Equestria Games. Tempest silently gave another nod, not hesitating even for a moment to step through that designated doorway. Once through, the expected effect took hold, and her horn, cracked and broken though it was, was now truly deprived of magic, at least for the time being. Again, Twilight knew the necessity of such a precaution, however harsh she might have thought it. For though Tempest had been without proper unicorn magic for most of her life, that horn had still been a deadly weapon. But, she had been pacified, for now. Or, at least, as much as could be hoped for under the circumstances, and within moments, the former enemy of Equestria now sat upon a wooden chair that stood across from the table that divided her from Twilight. Sighing, Twilight once more looked to her old teacher.
"Could...could we have a moment...alone?"
Though hesitant, Celestia gave a nod of consent.
"Very well...but two shall remain."
Twilight nodded back, accepting those terms. Celestia, after giving Tempest one final measured look, silently gestured to the Guard around her. All of them gave instinctive salutes to this, before marching out in unison. But, as Celestia had decreed, two of them remained, keeping their horns aimed at Tempest at all times, which, while understandable, nevertheless gave Twilight a feeling of discomfort to see. She kept her eyes upon the other mare, listening as the other ponies left the chamber behind her, and then, at the end, she could hear the loud creak of the door, signalling that she and Tempest were, with the obvious exception of the guards, alone. Sighing, she Princess of Friendship moved forward taking a seat herself on her side of the table, and after a long and awkward silence, she finally spoke up.
"So...how are you?"
A dry chuckle escaped the maroon mare before her.
"As well as can be expected, Princess."
A small smile came to Twilight.
"I told you before...you can just call me Twilight."
Tempest's expression relaxed, but only by the smallest amount, and after lifting her chained forelegs upward, placing them upon her side of the table, she spoke in a softer tone than before.
"I...wasn't expecting to see you here."
Twilight looked to that with a degree of determination.
"I said I wanted to give you friendship, Fizzlepop...and I meant it."
Hearing that, Tempest's eyes narrowed slightly, and she looked away.
"I...don't deserve to be called that."
But Twilight shook her head.
"It's your real name. The name of your true self. Not the creature the Storm king tried to turn you into."
Closing her eyes, Tempest let out a long sigh.
"Twilight...I appreciative you saying that...but you're wrong. Fizzlepop was...an innocent. A pony who had never hurt anyone or ever bore a moment's anger. But Tempest? Tempest...is the monster who almost scarred this land forever."
Her eyes opened again, and she glanced over to her visitor.
"That is what my victims know me as. So, for now at least...that is the name I choose to bear."
Twilight's ears drooped a little bit.
"I'm...I'm sorry you feel that way. In fact..."
She looked around the cold room around them, before settling her gaze upon the chains Tempest still bore.
"...I'm sorry about all of this."
This time, it was Tempest's turn to shake her head.
"Don't be. This..."
She lifted her forelegs further, putting the chains between them right in front of her own face.
"...is what I deserve."
Placing her own hooves upon the table, Twilight spoke, her voice almost pleading.
"When we last spoke, I offered you friendship, and a chance to be part of life in Equestria. And instead? Instead...you were put here."
Lowering her forelegs, Tempest nodded.
"And that...is right."
Twilight opened her mouth to speak, only to find that Tempest now cut her off.
"Twilight...please...understand. I turned against my own people. I helped in the invasion of the capital, paving the way for the enslavement of it's citizens. I imprisoned you and Equestria's other leaders, stole your magic, and empowered a tyrant with it."
She frowned.
"Believe me...a stay in a place like this is the least somepony like me has coming for them."
Again, Twilight's ears drooped.
"Tempest...you saved my life. You were willing to sacrifice yourself to keep the Storm king from hurting me and my friends."
Hearing that, and having that memory resurface for her, Tempest's expression once more softened.
"That may be...but one good deed does not wipe away a lifetime of bitterness and mistakes."
She let out a long sigh.
"You...your friends...the people of Canterlot...they are not the only ones I have wronged in my time. My life has been one long string of...of...of bad choices."
Slowly, she turned away, as though ashamed to look Twilight in the eye. A silence fell over the two mares, and Twilight, while she clearly wanted to say more to try and comfort Tempest, found herself contributing to the quiet, as though every good thought had suddenly been taken from her. Not that anypony could blame her of course. A place like this was not exactly where one went when they wanted to enjoy themselves. Tempest, looking to her, realised that, in spite of how she might have personally felt, Twilight was indeed trying to keep things good between them. So, after thinking things over for a short while, she let out another long sigh.
"Twilight..."
The young Princess looked up to her as she continued.
"...believe me when I say that the opportunity for a life of freedom and peace is one I very much want. But right now...I would never feel right having one."
She grimaced slightly.
"I spent so long doing terrible things, all in an effort to have something restored to me."
Though hesitant, she glanced upwards, to her broken horn.
"But in the end....I did not deserve to have something given, but to have something taken from me."
She looked back down to the younger mare.
"And that something, at least for now...is my freedom."
Then, in a surprising move, she smiled.
"You may want to forgive me...but forgiveness is earned. So..."
She leaned back into her chair, looking around the place that would be her home for the foreseeable future.
"...here I am...earning it."
Twilight, who had made many friends in her time, clearly struggled with that statement. That somepony she considered worthy of friendship would feel that they had to be here, in a place like this. Even so, it was obvious from the way Tempest had said all of this that there was no room for debate. And so, letting out a deep exhale, Twilight gave a nod, her eyes soft, but nevertheless speaking without a smile.
"...Alright, Tempest. If that's how you feel...I'll respect it."
The older mare nodded.
"Thank you, Twilight."
Twilight looked away for a few moments, then looked back to her, leaning forward slightly.
"I'll...come and visit you whenever I can. I know you feel you belong here but...I don't want you to spend your whole sentence alone."
Tempest seemed taken aback by that, and then, as she saw the genuine earnestness in the young mare's eyes, she relented, giving a small smile back to her.
"Thank you, Twilight. I...I look forward to it."
