Oahoof, Haywaii
Pineapple Slice was polishing her surfboard out on the back deck of her beach house. Pineapple was an Earth Pony mare with a kelly green coat, a spiky, aureolin mane and tail, chartreuse eyes, and, as her name implied, a pineapple slice for a Cutie Mark. She was a skilled chef in pineapple-related dishes, which in and themselves were favored across the island. Her pineapple-and-mango alcoholic smoothies were a particular hit- they were certainly the favorite of her coltfriend, Spectral Blaze. She was also a skilled surfer, and while more of a hobby than a career, she could certainly earn money doing it professionally.
It wasn't enough.
'Only two months before the mortgage payment.' She thought. 'And our combined earnings still aren't even close to the requisite amount.'
She heard the front door to the house open, and stopped polishing the board. Carefully setting it down, she went inside to see who it was. To her delight, it was her coltfriend, Spectral.
Spectral Blaze was a unique pony, to say the least. He was a Unicorn-Dragon hybrid, and while he was built mostly like a typical unicorn stallion, he had scales, a slightly elongated and reptilian muzzle, sharpened teeth, slit eyes, and claws replacing his front hooves. He had a bone-white coat-of-scales, an eerie-black mane and tail, indigo eyes, and lacked a Cutie Mark, due to only being half-pony. His horn was also broken at the halfway point, with a small ember, currently electric-blue, smoldering from the fractured bone. And he was currently wearing a depressed look on his face.
Hoping to cheer him up, Pineapple walked over and kissed him on the lips, and while his eyes still had a morose look in them, a grateful and warm smile spread across his face. She was successful, at least.
"How much did you get?"
"Only a few bits. It was a tough crowd at the luau tonight, and the only ones who actually paid were a bunch of groupies. And I still had to run and hide from them afterward."
Pineapple couldn't help but giggle at that. "I can't blame them for chasing you, though. Of course, it's not the ONLY reason I fell in love with you, but nonetheless..."
Spectral chuckled at his partner's flirtatious comment, but he was still down in the dumps. He had a career as a fire-dancer who performed at luaus and similar parties, and was a celebrity on the island for his skill(and it helped that his broken horn allowed him fire magic, meaning that he didn't have to twirl around sticks with the ends lit up to do his job, although he still would for the extra 'wow' from the audience on particularly special occasions). Sadly, he and Pineapple were having the aforementioned money troubles, and although the mortgage was still a month or two away, their combined earnings were still nowhere near the fee(and it didn't help that he was payed more on overall performance than said payment being set).
"We need a new way to make money, Pine. Our jobs aren't cutting the mustard, and we won't have a roof over our heads if we don't start earning more bits, quick."
"I know it's hard right now, Blaze. But we WILL get through this. Together."
The two brought their foreheads together, smiling. "It's really hard to stay glum whenever I'm with you, Pine."
"Good. That's part of my job as your marefriend."
They disconnected. "I hope you don't mind, but I think I'm gonna head out and catch some fresh air."
"You do that. Just be back before dark." Pineapple stated, before giving her lover a passionate smirk. "You know how lonely I am at night when I'm not with you..."
"You know I'd never leave you hanging, ESPECIALLY since you like my company so much..." Spectral chuckled, throwing in a flirt of his own.
They kissed, deeply, for a moment or two, before Spectral head out onto his walk. However, little had he known, someone had been listening to their conversation from the jungles outside their home.
And this someone saw an opportunity...
......
Spectral was heading out on his walk, with the sun setting and the cone torches lit along the dirt road. He knew he had to return home soon; although he knew his marefriend had been being coquettish, she would genuinely become concerned if he wasn't back long after dark, which was understandable, and he never wanted her to be afraid that he was hurt when he wasn't.
Even with his walk clearing his head, he couldn't shake the stark fact that they were still in a financial pile of crud, and they would be in serious trouble if they didn't find another way to earn bits fast, soon. It was then that he heard numerous high-pitched screams, in sync with each other. Screams of fanatical obsession.
'Oh, motherbucker!'
He immediately started running like mad, not bothering to look back at the horde of fanfillies chasing him. Running on adrenaline, he began desperately looking around for a place to hide, at least until they were gone. Seeing a jungle trail and not thinking about the potential hazards, he ran into it, running along the paved bike trail and looking for a corner, bend or turn where he could break eye contact with his pursuers and hide. His prayers were answered when he saw a ravine and dove into it, pressing himself to the ground in a field of blue flowers. He saw the groupies look over the cliff and scan the area, and, in spite of his contrasting white scales, they didn't see him in the flower patch. They soon left, much to his relief, both due to him having evaded them and being able to get out of this ditch and go home. He stood up, took a step forward...
And slipped and fell on his face. For no particular reason.
Spectral, confused, looked to see what he had stepped on- only to see that he was actually covered in some weird, viscous slime. He looked around, trying not to slip on himself, amidst the blue flowers, trying to find the reason why THAT was.
The blue flowers.
'Poison joke.' He realized. 'It had to be bucking poison joke.'
He stamped the ground, which caused him to slip on the slick sludge and fall flat on his face.
'There's no freaking way I'll be able to get out of this ditch without help! I'm trapped!'
He began calling out for help frantically, firing jets of flame into the air in order to get someone's attention. He could see that the sun was setting lower.
'Oh, Faust... what's poor Pine going to think when I'm not back? I don't want to put her through so much fear!'
He continued to scream out in desperation, hurling blasts of flame into the air, hoping someone would hear him(and frankly, he was surprised no one was, given the ruckus he was producing). He was so busy desperately trying to attract attention that he didn't realize that he already had.
A punch to the head, both knocking him to the ground and causing him to slide along it, brought him back to reality.
"Shush, you idiot! You'll attract beasts with your shrieking!"
Spectral looked up at the speaker. Although virtually all of his features were concealed under a bulky, brown cloak and cowl, what he could determine was that the individual before him was bipedal, and stood at an imposing seven feet tall.
The mysterious creature spoke to him once more, this time in a calmer voice.
"Come with me. I know something that'll cure the poison joke."
Before Spectral could say anything, the stranger grabbed his slick claw with one hand, traced some sort of triangular sigil around them with the other, and they sank into the ground, vanishing without a trace.
......
Surfacing from the mud far from where they previously were, Spectral and his mystery individual appeared in what seemed to be an open camp. It looked like a shaman's house, with all the mortar-and-pestle equipment and herbal plants, yet still open to the wilderness. Letting go of Spectral, the individual went over to his cauldron and started grinding herbs and pouring liquids into it, mixing it together to form a cure for poison joke. The half-dragon tried to go over to see what was happening, only to slip on himself again, falling onto his back.
"I'd recommend you stay where you are. Given the nature of your affliction, you could wreck the progress for YOUR cure if you come any closer and slip near the cauldron."
Spectral did as the stranger advised, remaining where he currently was(after finally succeeding in standing back up). He still watched from afar, though, although he had little idea on what was actually going on. With a puff of lilac smoke, the cloaked being scooped two cups of the liquid from the cauldron. Walking over to the hybrid, he gave him one of the cups and gulped down the contents of the other one.
After clasping the cup with both claws so it didn't slip out of his grasp, rearing back on his flanks to do so, he chugged the tangerine-colored liquid, and almost immediately after the slime evaporated off of his body in a puff of white mist. He looked at the bipedal creature that had helped him.
"Thank you. But why did you drink some of that potion too?"
"When I went to get you out of there, I technically walked through the flowers as well. And I may not have contracted it immediately, but I would have later on at some point. Always prevent something before it's a problem... something I think I can help you accomplish."
Spectral's eyes widened. "What do you mean? Aside from you being a good Samaritan and a witch doctor, we don't even know each other."
The cloaked individual took a step towards the halfling. "I have overheard you and your partner's predicament. It seems that you are low on money, and won't be able to pay your mortgage... whenever you two weren't being hot-blooded with each other in your conversation, it was the only thing you two seemed to discuss."
"First off, me and my girl's relationship is none of your beeswax." Spectral bluntly stated, with a glare. "And second, what were you doing skulking outside of our house to begin with?"
"You're house isn't that far from the jungle, and just because you're far enough away to live in privacy doesn't guarantee that NOBODY will hear your conversations. I was merely passing by through the jungles when I overheard you two. I stayed, I listened... and I have a way I can help you."
"Oh, really? And how, exactly?" The half-dragon asked, skeptically, unsure on whether to listen or to trust the newfound, suspicious feeling in his gut.
"I will not lie- I, too, as of recently, have been seeking money. And I pride myself in being a master at crafting jewelry and trinkets- small but nonetheless beautiful pieces of art. However, my appearance would surely scare away potential clients."
"Is this why you're wearing the cloak and everything? You're afraid that I'll be afraid? Namely, of you?"
"Yes. I could never sell my treasures- at least, on my own. But this is where you come in."
"Alright, continue." Spectral said politely, looking upwards towards the sun, which was just about to set. "But make it quick. I need to get home. I don't want Pineapple worrying about me."
"Yes, I'm sure you're very excited to get back to your marefriend."
"Just cut to the chase already."
"As you wish." The stranger continued. "Is it true that you are a local celebrity here in Oahoof?"
"Yes."
"Then surely they would take your word on anything you'd say or promote."
"I suppose, yes. And I'll say it again... CUT TO THE CHASE."
"You sell off my gemstone pieces, and we'll split the earnings."
"Say, you never said they were gemstone..." Spectral wouldn't lie, he wasn't above adding gemstone dust on his food, at times; he had dragon blood coursing through his veins, after all.
"And if you eat ANY of them, it's coming out of your payment."
"How are we dividing this up, anyway?"
"Sixty-forty."
Spectral gave the individual an annoyed stare. "And how will that help pay off our mortgage?"
"Surely anyone would buy something sponsored by you. With the bits our cash cow would be producing, forty percent should be more than enough to pay the bills."
The stranger thrust forward his arm, revealing a clawed hand.
"Shake on it."
Spectral brought up his claw, but kept it in midair, hesitating.
"C'mon, you know you want to. Won't you shake a poor sinner's hand?"
Spectral placed his claw back on the ground and looked to where the speaker's face would be, shrouded by the shadows cast by the cloak.
"I would like to see WHAT I'd be selling first, please."
The stranger retracted his own arm. "Very well, then."
He turned and began walking away.
"Follow me. We'll be there, and then back to you're place quick... from what I remember, you do have a personal deadline."
Spectral walked on after this mysterious figure, into the unknown of the twilight-shrouded Haywaiian rainforest.
Author's Note
Sorry this chapter took so long to add; school doesn't help in this regard. Although I'll probably be able to update more frequently after summer starts, just know that you should expect long waits in-between chapters.
Your patience is appreciated, and I hope you guys enjoy!
Chapter 1
A Month and a half later, one day after the events of the movie...
Ponyville, Equestria
*knock, knock*
Tempest Shadow- former commander of the Storm King's fleet- was roused from her slumber by the noise. Her days serving the Storm King made her a light sleeper- such was necessary for when you were out on active duty, and the military of a defending empire could try to launch an ambush on the King's army while they slept. Of course, now she no longer lead such a life.
Princess Twilight had offered Tempest a guest room in the castle, at least until she could get back on her hooves. An offer that Tempest was gracious for- she wasn't going to lie, the Friendship Festival was more exhausting than some of the battles that she had participated in in the past. She had discarded her armor the previous night at the party- she no longer needed it, after all.
There was more knocking on the door, and she finally shifted out of bed to answer whoever it was. She trotted over to the door, and opened it to see none other than Grubber on the other side. He too had been offered a room at the Castle of Friendship, at least for the time being; even after the disbanding of the Storm King's army, with the Storm Beasts going their own separate ways, the hedgehog was loyally sticking by Tempest's side. She wouldn't mind saying that she was actually quite glad that he did; thinking back, he was the closest thing she had to a friend under the Storm King's command, and she wouldn't be ashamed to call him one for that reason.
"Um, Tempest?"
Grubber's speaking snapped the scarred unicorn out of her reverie. She looked down at him.
"Yes?"
"We're having cinnamon-roll pancakes for breakfast. You gotta come and try them out!"
And with that, Grubber sprinted off towards the kitchen, in order to have some of these pancakes. Tempest followed, curious to try something to eat that wasn't nuts, hardtack, or dried fruit(all things that were eaten on active military duty in the military, due to being both inexpensive and nutritious).
She entered the kitchen, and was greeted by the smell of cinnamon, brown sugar, and pecans. Turning the corner, she saw only Twilight at the table, who herself was looking over a variety of papers as she was waiting for her food.
'All of her friends must be asleep.' she thought. 'Whatever she's currently doing must be really important, for her to be up this early.'
The former soldier took a seat at said table, and it was only then that the Princess noticed her arrival.
"Ah, good morning, Tempest."
Tempest herself was going to reply, only to be interrupted by Grubber groaning.
"When is everyone going to wake uuuuup? Just waiting to have these pancakes is killing me!"
"Spike's still cooking, for one, and we'll eat once everyone is awake." Twilight spoke in a deadpan tone, not breaking her vision from the papers she had now returned to levitating in front of her face.
"If we wait until everyone is up, the food will be freezing by then! Here, I'll just go grab them and bring them to the table! That way we can eat when the pancakes come on our own time!"
This succeeded in snapping the alicorn out of her concentration, tearing herself away from the papers. "Grubber, wai--"
Before she could finish, the hedgehog was gone in a blur of black, gray and blue, and was back a second later with every other member of the Mane Six, setting them down at their own chairs, all miraculously still asleep given their swift relocation. Grubber himself bolted back to his own seat, fork and knife clutched in his grasp and napkin tucked in his shirt.
Both were bewildered by what they have just witnessed. "Grubber," Tempest inquired, "may I ask- how in the actual Tartarus did you do that?"
"Anyone can do anything with motivation." He simply said. "Mine being food."
"Alright, who's hungry?"
They all turned to see Spike carrying a tower of pancakes, drizzled in cinnamon creme, brown sugar, and pecans, as the scent wavering from the kitchen foreshadowed. The dragon set them down at the table, although his face contorted into one of confusion at seeing most of it's inhabitants still asleep.
The arrival of the pancakes, however, changed that. The scent of the pancakes began to rouse the other members of the Mane Six from their slumber, Rarity being the first.
"Wh-hu-whas..." The white unicorn semi-consciously mumbled, wiping cucumbers and face mask creme from her face.
Everypony else woke up, and they were just as confused as Spike was that they were already at the table- kudos to Applejack for voicing this fact.
"How... did we even get here?"
"That would be Grubber. Don't ask me how, because we don't know either." Twilight stated, earning a confident smirk from Tempest's number two.
"Well, we're all here now," Grubber said, hungrily, "so let's eat!"
And eat they did. The table's residents all enjoyed the pancakes, especially Grubber(who ate anything either sweet or sugary) and Tempest(again, who was always up for eating anything that wasn't the dry military food that they ate under the Storm King's command).
Soon afterwards, the Mane Six themselves went off to their jobs and professions, such as Pinkie's career at the bakery, or Rarity's as a fashionista. Since Tempest and Grubber had no jobs to speak of, they ultimately agreed to simply tour Ponyville and see what there was to see. As they walked through the streets, they mostly received looks of either fear or hatred, both understandable. Tempest tried to pay them no heed, but she couldn't help but hear the whispers:
"Here comes the traitor. We should probably leave, everyone."
"The Princesses were fools to pardon that renegade."
"Isn't that the scarred creep that attacked Canterlot?"
"We better keep an eye on her, in case she tries anything."
Grubber noticed the withdrawn look on his friend's face. Wondering why that was, he looked and listened out for why she was so sullen- and got his answer soon enough.
"I hope that wretch leaves soon. She attacked our home- her home- and expects to walk free in our town. Audacity at it's strongest."
"Twilight is an imbecile to accept that cur."
Grubber placed a comforting claw on her shoulder, to which Tempest reacted, looking down at the hedgehog.
"Don't listen to those guys- remember, you also saved the city. If they can't acknowledge that, then screw 'em."
The unicorn smiled gratefully at his friend's reassurance, her confidence bolstered again. They continued looking around town, stopping at a variety of locations around town, including Sugarcube Corner(Grubber was hungry), Sweet Apple Acres(Grubber was still hungry), and Cafe Hay(Grubber's appetite was that of a black hole- completely bottomless).
Speaking of which, as they sat down at their seats at the cafe, Tempest noticed that someone else was sitting at that same table. Most of this stranger was shrouded by an opened newspaper, but what she could distinguish was that a pair of brown paws were clutching it. She returned to waiting for her meal.
Wait- brown paws?
"Capper?"
She wasn't disappointed- when the individual lowered the paper, it revealed itself to be the feline con artist, still decked in the attire Rarity had gifted him during the Festival of Friendship just a night prior.
"Ah, Tempest." He greeted warmly, his signature inviting grin on his face. "What a pleasant surprise."
"The same. How have you been?"
"Ah, I'm just hanging around town, just figuring out what I'm going to do with my life now that the Storm King's gone."
It was then that a waiter came over- a brown-coated unicorn with a black mane and a silver platter Cutie Mark. "How may I help you three?"
"Just a hay sandwich, please."
"And a warm glass of milk for me, if you don't mind."
Although perturbed by Capper's offer, the waiter brought his attention to Grubber.
"And you?"
"I would like a triple chocolate milkshake, a large root beer float, a triple-Decker daffodil sandwich with hay fries, and a medium salad with extra dressing."
Tempest had to stifle a laugh at the waiter's dumbstruck face. Said waiter quickly recollected his posture and gave a nod. "Of course, sir."
The waiter went over to the chefs, reading off his orders.
"A hay sandwich, a warmed glass of milk, and..."
He leaned into the chef's ear.
"One Pubescent Teen Special."
Meanwhile, back at the table, Tempest returned to talking to Capper. "A glass of milk?" She asked, just as confused as the waiter was.
"I'm a cat. So sue me."
It was then the three heard a yell of pain, over by the rustic cottages that made up the town. They turned to the source of the noise, which happened to be in one of the alleyways.
"We better go check that out." Tempest voiced, concerned.
They all got up, only for the two to turn to Grubber.
"You better stay here, Grubs-man." Capper insisted. "Whatever's going on over there, I don't think you'd last long against it."
Grubber huffed in disappointment, pouting, but stayed at the table as he was requested. And with that, the feline and broken-horned unicorn followed the sounds of agony towards their source.
When they finally found it, they were horrified.
A gang of twelve armed ruffians were hounding on a Storm Creature, beating it with clubs and their own hooves, as well as firing crossbow bolts into it's body. The abused being was in bad shape, tears of either pain or fear streaming from it's eyes as it maintained a defense curl, hoping to lessen the impact of the weaponry. A black-coated earth pony stallion with a red mane, a baseball Cutie Mark and a baseball bat with nails hammered into it- supposedly the crooks' leader- harshly turned the Storm Creature onto it's back and struck it in the face with his weapon, cracking it's mask-face. As it tried to crawl away from it's assaulters, one of the thugs kicked it's arms, knocking him prone once again.
"You have nerve to come here after what you nearly did to Equestria, creature." The leader spat as he approached the Storm Creature, ready for another strike.
But neither Capper nor Tempest were having any of it. Firing an arc of energy from her horn, it struck the Earth Pony's weapon, both destroying it and getting his attention.
"What the-" His face contorted into one of rage. "It's you. Tempest Shadow."
Once again adopting her soldier mentality, Tempest slowly walked toward the group, Capper following behind her. "I'm going to keep it short and sweet- I may no longer be an enforcer for any warlord, but my combat prowess hasn't faded overnight because of this. Let this Storm Creature go without a fight, and I can guarantee the beds you will sleep in tonight will be your own, not the hospitals- and I can also guarantee that your sleep won't be permanent, either."
The thug leader laughed. "Such tough words for a broken shell of a unicorn. I want to see how tough you are without your army covering your back."
"So be it." Tempest said, adopting a cocky yet grim smile. She turned her head to Capper. "You have any weapons you could use?"
Capper retracted a set of sharp nails from his fingertips, answering her question.
They both rushed toward the gang of ponies, who themselves, including the leader, did the same. Tempest, mid-charge, let loose with a devastating bolt of electricity towards one of the thugs, a cobalt Pegasus mare. Not only did the shockblast completely char the ruffian, but it chained to a gruff-looking, aqua Unicorn stallion, who still suffered a bad burn but still stood his ground, staying alive even as lightning crackled along his flesh.
Meanwhile, Capper had completely thrown himself into the tide(having no other option). A blue Earth Pony mare swung a right hook at the feline, whom, in spite of his feline agility, was still hit hard in the ribs by the punch. He retaliated by raking his claws across her face, but only grazed the thug. Another Earth Pony, this time being a maroon male, pulled out a hoof crossbow and fired a bolt at Capper, who, this time, was successful in dodging the projectile, and ran over to deliver a claw attack to the offender. In stark contrast to his previous attack, this one cut deep; he was successful in tearing his feline talons through the foe's esophagus, effectively slicing the criminal's throat open.
Tempest was now resorting to hoof-to-hoof combat now that the thugs had closed in on her. She savagely kicked the burnt aqua unicorn in the chest, feeling his ribs collapse upon contact with her blow. As her comrade fell, the blue Earth Pony mare gripped Tempest into a headlock- only for the ex-commander to position her horn right at her chest and unleashed a blast of energy through her, an arc of lightning ripping through the Earth Pony's heart. As Tempest shoved aside her foe's scorched corpse, an orange Pegasus stallion ran up and delivered a strong buck to her side, while a cobalt Unicorn mare charged up and chopped her skull with her hoof; both blows were surprisingly effective against the war-hardened veteran, and the broken-horned unicorn found herself stunned.
Thankfully, her feline friend was there to cover her in her vulnerable state in a flash. In a blur of feline speed, Capper ran over to them, putting himself between the thugs and Tempest. The unicorn fired a beam of magic at him, which he dodged with a twirl, resulting in only the slight burning of his fur. As he twirled, he used the momentum to swing his claws into the cobalt pony's face; this proved to be effective, as his claws tore into bone, shredding into her face and exposing the white, hard material within. It had only been that he had missed any vital areas- he had only clawed into her chin and cheek- that kept her alive.
The orange Pegasus charged from behind his back and swung a club into the cat's back, who, with a back-flip, completely dodged the weapon and lashed out with his claws, tearing them down his face, leaving talon marks that raked past his eyes, through his muzzle, and breaking off right at his chin. The orange stallion's screams of pain were silenced by Tempest, who had recovered, punching his face in.
Giving the Abyssinian a grateful nod, she returned his selflessness by firing a blast of electricity at three of the thugs- the cobalt unicorn Capper had wounded, the leader, and a purple Earth Pony mare, all who had been hoping to pounce on him. She successfully disintegrated the unicorn, before making a running leap and kicking the leader out of the air with a blow to the lower jaw. She smiled in satisfaction when he heard said jaw crack.
However, this still left Capper open to attack from the Earth Pony, who lashed out with a ferocious buck to his right leg. Thankfully, Capper side-stepped the blow just in time and dug his claws into her flesh, merely striking her right foreleg. The purple thug recoiled in pain, backing off.
Meanwhile, Tempest was facing off against the five other thugs, including the boss. She sent a volley of eldritch bolts at them; three of them were moderately scorched, including the leader, while the other two were completely incinerated, charred beyond all hope.
Capper was still engaged in combat with the purple flunky, who lashed out with a right hook. Unlike the last punch he had suffered, he successfully dodged this one, before riposting with a claw swipe of his own, which tore across her muzzle, leaving it a shredded, bloody mess. Spitting out some of her own blood, she ended her focus on Capper and whipped around, running towards Tempest and lashing out with a buck to her flanks.
Yelping out of both surprise and pain, Tempest was knocked onto her back, where her attacker brought her face to the Unicorn's.
'Fatal mistake.' She thought, her horn sparking.
Unleashing a current of energy, she blasted the thug directly in the face, the latter falling backwards and collapsing. The warrior somersaulted back onto her hooves, not caring to see the fate of her victim.
"As you can see, your numbers are clearly obliterated, and you three are in no good shape yourselves." she announced, as Capper came up next to her. "So, I will give you one last chance to leave, both this Storm Guard alone and in general."
"Never!" the three surviving thugs bellowed, all in sync.
"Very well. The choice is yours to die with."
She began to charge her horn, and Capper once again unsheathed his claws, ready to-
"That's enough, Tempest Shadow and- Capper, is it?"
Hearing themselves be addressed, they both turned to see Mayor Mare, three Royal Guards accompanying her.
Tempest tried to explain the reason for the bloodbath she and Capper had caused. "Mayor, we--"
"You can talk when we're at the Royal Guard Department... we had best get this mess cleaned up that you caused."
They both looked around to see blood spattered across the alley walls, and the charred and torn corpses of the other thugs. Although this was no new sight to Tempest, being a former soldier, Capper sported a look that combined both nausea and horror; his mouth was agape, and he looked at his bloodstained paws.
"Guards, apprehend all six of these individuals. They certainly have a lot of explaining to do."
As the guards moved to do so, the scarred unicorn immediately withdrew into apprehension.
'Perfect. IMMEDIATELY after I get a royal pardon, I end up in trouble with the law. I can't wait for Princess Twilight and her friends to hear THIS... '
......
Capper honestly couldn't believe himself at the moment.
One moment, he had been a con artist who had only been out for money to pay off his debt to Verko.
The next, he had been the trusted friend of Rarity and her own compadres, eager to discard his old life.
And immediately after that moment, he was waiting in the hallway, to be potentially thrown into prison for a crime.
Only this crime hadn't been ripping someone off; it had been ripping someone up.
And that was the part he found hard to believe; that he had just ended the lives of multiple individuals, not too long ago.
The blood on his claws, sticky and slick on his skin; the coppery smell in the air from the blood spilled in the alleyway; the mangled and torn flesh on the thugs, handiwork of his own talons.
He had never killed before, even during his life of crime, and having done so horrified him, plaguing his thoughts even now. Once he had realized what he had done, he had become sicker than he had ever been in his entire life. It took all of his willpower not to throw up, and he still ended up doing so, eventually, though he had thankfully been in the Guard Department and had been close to a toilet when he had needed to.
He had been in a semi-catatonic state for most of his wait until the door opened to see Tempest leave, Grubber accompanying her.
"W-what did she say?" Capper asked, voice wavering.
"She's letting us go. She deemed our actions justified; the Storm Guard is getting treatment, and the surviving thugs are under arrest." She cast a glare down at Grubber.
"Hey," the hedgehog retorted, "You can't blame me for hearing that scuffle and telling the Mayor about it. Anyone with a sane mind would have wanted you two to be safe, and frankly, I'm surprised no one else heard that chaos anyway."
"Is this... becoming public?" Capper quivered, not fancying on being looked at with caution or even fear, especially from Rarity.
"Of course, you fool. At least, the actual occurrence is. I don't know whether or not they'll mention us, but nonetheless..." Tempest snarked, briefly losing control of herself. She stopped, then took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry, Capper, it's just-"
"I know, I know. Afraid that Twilight will see you as worse. Me too, though with a different pony."
"I have to ask, though, why are you as shaken as you are about the fight? You used Princess Twilight's dragon as a flamethrower on an entire squadron of Storm Guards, for Faust's sake."
"We were running on both adrenaline and a goal, nobody actually died- amazingly- and there wasn't any blood spilled." The Abyssinian entered a fit of shivering, the very thought giving him chills. "And it doesn't help that I was never a soldier like you."
Silence, for a brief moment.
"Well," Tempest stated, "We better get going. Go see if your cape and hat are out of the wash."
Oh, yeah. His hat and cape had gotten bloodied during the fight, as well as they themselves; all parties had washed off thoroughly to get said blood and it's smell off.
The same hat and coat Rarity had gifted him, just yesterday.
'Oh, fudge me.' His thoughts were going to kill him long before Rarity would.
......
Tempest, Grubber and Capper all began to walk back to the Castle of Friendship, all in a more dour mood than before. As they entered, they were enthusiastically greeted by Twilight, who flew over to them in a blitz.
"Tempest! Capper! Grubber! I was just about to head out for you- we have very good news!"
