Totally platonic sudsy cuddles... right?
One question she had to ask herself. Why? It was a simple question asked by scholars throughout the ages, though Tempest didn’t fancy herself as one. Far from it, really. No, that wasn’t correct, at least on the naming part as she’d discarded that name for her true one, Fizzlepop Berrytwist. Fizzlepop tested those words as she looked herself in the mirror, they still felt… odd after not being used for so long coming out of her own mouth. They probably always would be.
But why? Why did Princess Twilight take her in, and why was she being so nice to her?
Fizzlepop ran a hoof down the right side of her face, and it met bare skin, fur ripped from it by one single slash. She’d been a fool really. At one time, it would have been to consider herself open to the idea of friendship, cheesy as it sounded. And she did know cheesy, having spent enough time around both Grubber (She made a mental note to apologize to him one day for all of her treatment towards him, small steps first after all though) and Twilight Sparkle. Now, the only reason she considered herself a fool was thinking she could take on an Ursa Minor by herself.
Fizzlepop chuckled darkly to herself as she thought of a certain showmare she’d seen at the Festival in Canterlot, and had personally put in a cage. She vaguely remembered overhearing once from one of the Storm King’s yeti minions that this mare boasted about how she could take on an Ursa Major of all things in combat, and banish it. Fizzlepop reminded herself to give this showmare a stern talking to later on how being a braggart only ended up getting yourself damaged in the eyes of the public, or worse.
Fizzlepop knew it, she was the one who challenged that Ursa Minor to a duel. Sure, she’d only told Twilight she and her friends had lost a ball in his cave, but truth was, it was far more than that. What she had omitted from her little tale was that as soon as she had seen the Minor, she had decided, in all of her stupidity that came with being a young mare, decided to challenge it. Perhaps out of a desire to prove herself, or maybe to save her so-called friends, who decided to cut and run at the first sign of the damned thing.
In all honesty, if Fizzlepop ever met up with them again, she probably wouldn’t give two bits in Tartarus for whatever happened to them. They left her to die at one of ponykind’s biggest predators, so why should she care about what happened to them? As much as one would probably like to deny it, there was still that dark side lurking in the shadows of the back of Fizzlepop’s mind. Far too many wounds still open in it, and it’d be a long road ahead of her before they started to close.
Part of her, it just wanted to run for the hills and travel as far away as she could, in hopes of nopony ever having to see her ever again.
Nopony probably would have minded really, given how much damage she and the Storm King’s army dealt to Canterlot amongst other places over the years. Not to mention turning three of Equestria’s most beloved rulers to pure obsidian.
But it was the damndest thing really, another part of Fizzlepop stayed her hooves, and stood her ground. She couldn’t really put a hoof as to why, really. Maybe she was just that stubborn. Or maybe, without the Storm King’s army along with Grubber to boss around anymore (Again, Fizzlepop noted to herself to apologize to the little hedgehog) she’d lost her sense of purpose. Simply put, she’d lost her sense of… being. She needed to find something new to do, or risk growing mad. Fizzlepop had spent far too much time being a soldier, and now the trouble was she had to readjust to normal life if there ever was such a thing for her.
In all honesty, she probably would have preferred being executed or imprisoned. Would have been so much easier for her in the long run, really. No unneeded stress or anything to worry about anymore.
Like I said before, the poor mare’s mind still had some dark thoughts and corners still left running in it unchecked.
“Fizzlepop, you up yet?” a familiar voice called from somewhere outside her room. Fizzlepop’s nose wrinkled. Twilight Sparkle, she was a curiosity amongst ponies to be sure. Anypony else, if they’d seen her hanging for dear life during a storm that surely could be likened to her namesake, they’d have just let her drop and be swept up. But not her. All she did, was just extend a hoof.
“Yes… Yes, I’m up. Just… Just give me a minute, okay?” Fizzlepop replied, somewhat tiredly, her brain not completely awake yet which made thinking about all of these things all the more tedious.
“Take all the time you need, Fizzlepop,” Twilight replied kindly. “I can wait.”
Fizzlepop tried to figure that one out, and let the gears in her mind turn as she did so. Here was Twilight, a mare so regimented on schedules and the like letting her take all the time she needed to get herself ready for the day.
“She’s just being kind, that’s all,” Fizzlepop told herself. “Give her a few days, and she’ll be back to normal with me, and asking me to get up at predesignated times,”
If Fizzlepop had to be honest, she would have liked that. In fact, she actually missed sticking to a regimented schedule. One of the few things that brought her comfort really. Fact was, back in the Storm Guard, she was generally one of the first ones up and about, generally knocking those lazy bum Yetis out of bed with a zap from her horn and little to no warning. She didn’t have time, or rather the Storm King didn’t have time, for anybody being late. So, Twilight letting her do whatever she wanted on her own time was… Well, it was definitely a change-up from the norm wasn’t it?
“But that’s the thing isn’t it?” Fizzlepop asked herself. “You’re not second in command of the Storm King’s army any longer are you? You’re just a normal pony now. Hell, calling yourself by your original name is proof of that isn’t it? You’re just not Tempest Shadow anymore, are you?”
Fizzlepop hated to even admit it, but did she miss the regimentation of it all? Yes, yes she did. Did she miss her old life? Maybe just a bit. But there was no going back now, only forwards.
Fizzlepop, still slightly tired and rubbing her eyes, wandered down to the Castle of Friendship’s kitchen, the sounds of last night’s party still pounding in her ears. She could still hear Songbird, or whatever her name was as she really didn’t care enough to remember singing: “I can see a rainbow
In your tears as they fall on down…” in her head.
Damn earworms, she grumbled to herself. World could do without one more song, right? Right?
Metal horseshoes clanked against the flooring, as a really rather tall dark mulberry pony walked into the room wearing some rather intimidating black armor. This, of course, hadn’t escaped Twilight’s notice.
“You… you didn’t change out of that armor, did you?” Twilight asked.
“Very observant, Princess,” Fizzlepop deadpanned in a flat tone of voice. “You should win an award for that. But put simply, I was far too tired from yesterday’s events and perhaps a bit on the drunk side to even care, so I just… collapsed in the room you’d set up for me,” she explained, and it was fairly obvious she was still a little bit hungover judging from how she blinked a little from the bright lights in the room and how drowsy she looked.
“I suppose that’s understandable,” Twilight admitted. “I can make a hangover cure if you want,”
“That will not be necessary,” Fizzlepop replied. “I can deal with this myself. But there’s something I don’t understand, why’d you bring me back all the way here to your castle, when I suspect something as grand as the one in Canterlot has far more guest bedrooms?”
“I noticed you back during the party, you didn’t look particularly comfortable around all of those ponies, so I-” Twilight began to explain before she was cut off.
“Elected to take it upon yourself to make me more comfortable?” Fizzlepop replied. “I suppose the right answer would be to say thank you?” she asked, smiling awkwardly.
“Um… Yes?” Twilight answered, not really sure how to reply to that.
“Then thank you Princes-”
This time Fizzlepop was the one to be cut off.
“Please, don’t call me Princess, just Twilight Sparkle. And secondly, no thanks are needed. I was just doing what a friend should do.”
“Strange, you consider me a friend, and yet I tried to kill you yesterday. Imprisoned you, stripped you of your magic, and yet you consider me a ‘friend’?” Fizzlepop asked. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but those don’t sound like things that friends do,”
“No, maybe not,” Twilight admitted, with a touch of sheepish laughter. “But you looked like you needed one, that’s why I helped you, brought you into my humble abode,”
“I’d hardly call a castle made of crystal a humble abode,” Fizzlepop pointed out, replying in a flat tone of voice. She smirked inwardly, she liked being in control of the conversation.
“Perhaps not,” Twilight again admitted. Fizzlepop smirked to herself again. Another point to her, oh yes. “But the point still stands, you didn’t look very happy being around all those ponies, so here you are!” she chimed in, before Twilight smiled nervously.
“Of course I wouldn’t be comfortable around those ponies, I doubt I’m very high on their popularity rankings after what I did,” Fizzlepop pointed out.
“That’s in the past,” Twilight shook her head, placing a hoof on Fizzlepop’s shoulder. “Ponies… Well, we have this tendency to forgive and forget easily enough,” she explained.
“Even after I turned three of your Princesses to stone?” Fizzlepop deadpanned once more. Twilight got the feeling the former soldier liked that.
“Okay, I’ll grant you that one…” Twilight mumbled to herself quietly. “But have I ever told you about my student Starlight Glimmer? Okay, maybe ex-student, but-”
“Ex-student? What happened?” Fizzlepop asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. “Did she go mad with power and did you have to banish her?”
“No,” Twilight corrected. “She just graduated, that’s all!” she continued, sounding quite proud of herself. As she very well should, Fizzlepop admitted.
“Oh.” the mulberry pony replied as Twilight continued.
“Anyways, what happened with her was, she wasn’t that so different from yourself, in a few ways. Lost a friend, and went completely insane,” Twilight explained, before slapping herself in the face for her verbal blunder remembering who she was talking to. “Okay, maybe not insane, but-”
“No,” Fizzlepop replied. “You can use the word insane around me, it’s not like I’m going to zap you with my horn or anything!” she laughed, and it took a minute to realize for Twilight that her newfound friend was only joking at her expense.
“...That wasn’t very funny,” she muttered, and Fizzlepop had the decency to look ashamed of herself.
“So, what happened anyways, with this Starlight Glimmer? Continue your story, and enlighten me,” Fizzlepop asked.
“Well, long story short, she… kinda maybe sorta became my stalker, and eventually stole a powerful scroll that would allow her to change time.”
Fizzlepop’s eyes nearly bugged out of their skull at about that point. “C-change time?” she stuttered out, just nearly losing her carefully crafted calm and composed (Some would say grumpy) composure at that. Even the Storm King knew how insane it was to change time. It probably wouldn’t have stopped him from doing it if he had the means, but still!
“Yes, she tried to change time so that I didn’t get my Cutie Mark, and therefore couldn’t oppose her. In the end, I chased her through so many different timelines, and in the end the final one… Well, there was absolutely nothing. No life to speak of.”
“H-How can you sound so calm about this Pri-Sorry, Twilight?” Fizzlepop asked.
“It’s in the past, if you excuse the frankly terrible pun, and besides, Starlight’s a well-functioning member of society now, even hailed as a hero after stopping Queen Chrysalis!” Twilight said proudly before she began mumbling to herself. “...Speaking of which, wonder what happened to her, haven’t seen her since. Should probably keep an eye out.”
Fizzlepop coughed, and Twilight flushed sheepishly.
“Right, sorry.” Twilight apologized.
“I’m beginning to see the moral of this story,” Fizzlepop replied. “And it’s that anyone can change for the better right?”
Twilight confirmed this with a nod. “Yes,” she said.
“Even me?” Fizzlepop asked. Another nod. “I wish I shared your confidence Twilight, I really wish I did. But being a conqueror for so long, kinda really doesn’t help your confidence when it comes to changing your ways.” she sighed sadly.
“Listen, if we can reform Discord, we can sure as Tartarus reform you!” Twilight stated firmly. “First things first, though, we need to get that armor of yours off. It really doesn’t suit you, I’m afraid…”
Fizzlepop gulped. She hadn’t been without her armor in what was a very long time indeed and even more if she counted her black undersuit, removing both of these would feel like removing a part of her. But maybe that was for the best. After all, she’d given her friendship -Fizzlepop admitted, if only to herself, that she was beginning to like that word- so freely to this pony, and she’d allowed her to save her life and keep from falling off that balcony into the raging storm winds below.
With a nervous swallow, and then a deep sigh, she calmed her nerves. Should be a piece of cake, right? Now normally, any other unicorn in Fizzlepop’s situation wouldn’t have been able to do this, but she’d long since mastered the art of controlled, and focused spells for smaller tasks like this. Carefully removing her barding, her armor falling away piece by piece, all she was left with was her black undersuit that revealed her carefully toned figure.
If Fizzlepop didn’t know any better, she could have sworn Twilight was drooling just a little. Soon, even her undersuit fell away as Fizzlepop undid the zipper and revealed her body in all of it’s scarred glory. It wasn’t just her right eye that bore a scar, her left side also bore a nasty slash coming from Celestia only knew where.
Fizzlepop looked away, more than slightly ashamed that Twilight had to see her in this state, she felt truly vulnerable for the first time in her life. Then, she felt a hoof caress her cheek.
“Shh…” Twilight whispered to her. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing at all.”
“But my scars-”
“Well, think of it this way, and I know you’ll probably like this,” Fizzlepop was told. “They just make you look like even more of a tough pony.”
Fizzlepop did like that in fact, and she smiled. One of those smiles that Twilight would later swear could light up a whole room.
Then, Twilight’s nose wrinkled.
“Something wrong?” Fizzlepop asked.
“Nothing, it’s just…” Twilight trailed off. “Well, I don’t know how to say this, so I’ll just come right out. You stink. You smell of sweat, and dirt, and grime and-”
“No need to say anymore. Baths, I admit, were a luxury,”
“Well, high time we get you cleaned up then. Follow me,” Twilight said cheerfully, with a small gesture of her hoof. “Come along, it’s not going to hurt or anything, you’re just getting a long-awaited bubble bath, that’s all!”
Fizzlepop watched as Twilight gently turned the taps on in her personal bathroom, and let water fill the tub before squeezing out some soap into the tub.
“You know, I could easily have my wicked way with you right now, and shove you up against a wall right?” Fizzlepop remarked, and was treated to a truly priceless sight as Twilight tried to fight for an appropriate response. “Relax, I was just kidding. But I do have to admit, it’s so cute seeing you so flustered!” Fizzlepop teased.
“...Well, at least she’s opening up,” Twilight muttered before she announced: “Done!”
And done she was, with a slightly lavender-tinged bath full of sudsy bubbles in front of Fizzlepop. The mulberry unicorn carefully slowly stepped into it, and practically melted into the tub at the water’s warmth, letting out a sigh of relaxation as she did so. She had to admit, this was a pleasure she missed.
“I’m not the only one who smells,” Fizzlepop remarked. “Come on, get in.”
“I… I don’t think we’ve reached that point in our friendship yet!” Twilight stammered out, a rather adorable blush gracing her cheeks.
“Oh please, you ran me a bath and from what I can figure, were perfectly willing to watch me bathe given that you handed me this rubber duck here,” Fizzlepop replied teasingly, holding up the aforementioned duck and squeezing it a bit letting it make a small cutesy squeaking noise. “So I can assume you’re perfectly happy getting into the bath with me.”
“Well, I do admit I am a bit dirty…” Twilight admitted in a thoughtful tone. “And my wings could do with a bit of a preening,” she blushed shyly.
“I can take care of that as well,” Fizzlepop answered just perhaps a little too quickly, as Twilight stepped into the bath with her before giving her a skeptical expression. “What, don’t give me that look! There’s a perfectly rational explanation for me knowing how to preen!”
“Oh?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I may have had to preen a griffon’s wings once. Long story.” Fizzlepop answered shyly with a deep red blush covering her features, and in spite of herself and her telling her brain not to, rested herself up against Twilight’s chest catching the Alicorn and Tempest herself off-guard. Twilight caught herself even more off guard when she allowed herself to drape her wings in front of Fizzlepop, and allowed the unicorn to gently set her feathers back into place.
“This is… nice,” Fizzlepop admitted, adjusting herself so that she rested herself upon Twilight’s barrel. The lavender unicorn let out a squeak, but eventually, let out a sigh of pleasure. “Thank you, Twilight Sparkle.”
“For what?” Twilight asked.
“Just taking me in, like you did, and this… Not the bathtime cuddling, although that is I admit an added bonus, but the bath itself, and you accepting me as I am, scars and all.” Fizzlepop admitted.
“Anything for a friend,” Twilight said, as she rubbed a bit of soap into Fizzlepop’s fur.
“If it’s okay with you, I’d like to stay with you a little while longer,” Fizzlepop asked.
“Well, I do have openings in my personal guard that I’ve recently decided to form…” Twilight trailed off.
“Consider me your first applicant,” Fizzlepop replied, those old wounds of hers starting to heal now that she was beginning to find a new sense of purpose. Not to conquer, but to protect. “Also, if it’s possible, can I enlist Grubber in the guard?”
“Of course you can.” Twilight smiled, and if a tear was in her eye, then maybe that was just some suds somehow getting there. Twilight then realized something, and smiled.
“She smells of berries...”
Author's Note
Okay, so I'm finally jumping on the Twipest bandwagon. So sue me. They, and I admit this is hard coming from a Twixie and Twidash shipper, make a cute couple. And yes, I admit, quite a bit of this was inspired by this story in particular, but it's a very good story and well worth a read. Still, credit is where credit is due.
An interesting thing, getting inside the mindset of this broken mare for the first time, and presented quite a few challenges. My friend, Megaskullmon or Malla as I better know him, offered to help write Fizzlepop, but I felt this was something I had to do myself, to be honest. Did I succeed? Well, the only way I'll know is through your comments. Please, any help is good help.
