As the early morning sunlight rose in the East, the ponies of Equestria stirred. Soothing rays of light pierced the veil of darkness that covered the kingdom and breathed life into the world once more. Among those who began to stir, was a particular pony princess. Throughout her crystal castle, light began to shine, and with practiced effort and precise grace, she opened her eyes.
"Uggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Twilight groaned, "Go away, sun... is too early..."
Twilight brought a spark of magic to her horn and promptly threw a pillow at the window in a weak attempt to delay the inevitable. The pillow lightly plopped against the window and gracelessly fell to the floor. With another moan of displeasure, Twilight threw the covers off her bed and rolled over to get up. Unfortunately, she rolled too far and with a panicked yelp, fell flat on her face.
"UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH..." Twilight groaned once again.
She managed to untangle her forelegs and gave a quick push to get back to her hooves. She headed off towards the shower with only a minor grumble. As she walked, she came upon her vanity mirror. She did a double take at her current state of appearance. Her lavender coat was matted and messy, reminding her of the late night she pulled. Her cobalt blue mane was badly disheveled and messy, with stray hairs sticking out at every odd angle, especially on the hot pink and purple streaks running down her mane and tail. The tired bags under her bloodshot eyes reminded her that she had barely slept. Completing the look of utter misery, her feathers were all out of place and sticking out at odd angles.
"Ugh... I need to preen... Sometimes I wish I could just get rid of these wings..." Twilight complained.
Twilight sagged her withers and crept into the bathroom at a snail's pace. The extra-large shower greeted her with all the care of a long lost-friend, and the lavender alicorn lazily climbed into its familiar interior with a tired sigh. Twilight easily found the water adjustment knobs, and set the water to a distinctly mellow temperature. Seconds later, soothingly warm water cascaded out of the shower-head and soaked into her coat. Twilight allowed the water to wash over her for a few moments before she began the long process of preening.
"Seriously, it takes half an hour to preen these things every morning. This is ridiculous." Twilight whined as she began.
The warm water washed over her body, and allowed her to relax into the task at hoof. With quick, accurate motions of her muzzle, the misplaced feathers soon began to form what could be considered a wing-like shape.
As Twilight worked, the shower steam slowly filled the room, and fogged up the large mirror. The faint sound of humming permeated through the constant spraying sound of the water, and into the otherwise empty bathroom. Twilight hummed a familiar tune while she worked, and the corners of her mouth slowly began to curl into a smile as she reminisced of a time before being a princess, and the responsibilities that come with it.
After several minutes of quiet work, a knock at her bedroom door pried Twilight's attention from her current task.
"Um... yes?" Twilight called out over the shower.
"Princess Twilight, I have a letter from a... Crimson Sky? Uh... do you know a pony named Crimson Sky, Princess?" A muffled voice called back through the door.
Twilight allowed a small smile to grace her lips once more.
"Yes, that's David. Don't worry, you'll meet him soon enough. Could you please leave it on my nightstand? I'll be out in a few minutes."
"Of course, Princess."
With that, Twilight returned to her preening, and happily humming her favorite tune. Maybe this morning wasn't going to be so bad after all.
Twilight opened the door to her bedroom with neatly preened wings, a warm, fuzzy coat, and a well combed mane. She quickly finished brushing the last of the tangles out of her tail before trotting into her room and finding the aforementioned letter. Before she could open it, something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. A small purple figure peeking in through the doorway greeted her with a smile.
"Hey, Twilight!" Spike said with his usual cheerful morning smile.
"Hey Spike, what's up?" Twilight asked with an equally cheerful tone.
"Well, I just wanted to come get you because breakfast is ready. I know you missed it yesterday, so I wanted to make sure you got it today."
"Well, thanks, Spike. I'll be down in a second." Twilight replied.
"What'cha got there?"
"Hmm? Oh this? It's a letter from David."
"I thought he was out in Las Pegasus with his wife." Spike replied.
"He is. They're on their honeymoon. I'm fairly sure that this is just the postcard." Twilight explained as she opened the letter with her magic.
A bright photograph of a crimson red pegasus wearing a multicolored lei and a pair of sunglasses alongside a dark grey unicorn mare wearing the same, greeted Twilight's eyes. They both smiled happily while sitting on the beach with the setting sun on the ocean as the backdrop.
Hello from Las Pegasus! You should see the waves here! They're the gnarliest of the gnar-gnar!
I'm sorry you had to read that. Either way, we'll see you in a week, Twi!
-Sky
-Mid
Twilight smiled as she read the mouthwriting. She took the picture in her magic and pinned it to her friendship mirror along with the pictures of her other friends and family.
"Well, they sure look happy. Wish we could take a vacation to Las Pegasus one of these days." Spike grumbled under his breath.
"Now Spike, I want a vacation just as much as you do, but until things settle down around here, I don't think we're gonna have the time." Twilight reasoned.
"I guess. Things have been kinda crazy ever since Cozy Glow pulled her little 'stunt'... and it's been even crazier since a certain somepony came back..." Spike said, his tone turning into a whisper.
"I know you still don't trust Tempest, but she's trying her best to be a better pony. Ever since her trial, she's done good deeds all over Equestria to make up for what she did. She's really trying to show that she's changed... I just wish other ponies would see it." Twilight said.
"Yeah... Finding work in the country you betrayed and sold out just to fix your own problems didn't exactly win any of the local ponies' hearts over. Especially since a lot of the ponies in Canterlot that day were from Ponyville." Spike responded.
"Spike... Be nice. I know you still don't trust her, but she could have killed me in my sleep and fled Equestria at any time over the last week. She's at least trying to be a good pony now. That's more than I can say for some others out there."
"I know, I know. It's just... weird, you know? To have somepony that dangerous sleeping just down the hall from you is hard to get over." Spike explained.
"I know, Spike, but one of the fundamental principals of friendship is forgiveness. What about Starlight? You didn't have much issue when she moved in. I think that if you just give her some more time, you'll find that she can actually be a very nice pony. You just need to get under all that 'rough-and-tough' armor she likes to keep on around everypony. In fact, don't tell her I told you this, but she really loves smoothies."
"Really? Smoothies? I mean, I guess that's a bit more normal, but..." Spike trailed off.
"Well, I'm just saying, maybe you should invite her out for smoothies one day and get to know her a little bit. She doesn't like to talk about her past very much... among other subjects... but she can be very entertaining to talk to if you just be patient with her."
"What subjects? I'm not gonna try this and get my face kicked in. You saw what happened to that tree at Sweet Apple Acres... That poor thing never stood a chance." Spike shivered as the memories played back in his mind.
"Just... try to remember that she's had a hard life, Spike. She spent seventeen years on the road, barely surviving. She has a lot of defense mechanisms in place because she's so used to never being able to trust anypony. If we help her shut those off, and open herself up to friendship again, I think we can really help her." Twilight explained.
Spike thought for a few moments before sighing deeply.
"You're right. I'm sorry," Spike admitted with a sigh, "What if... what if I asked her out for smoothies at breakfast?" he replied with a hopeful glimmer in his eye.
"I think she'd really like that, Spike." Twilight said, placing a grateful hoof on his shoulder.
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Twilight and Spike walked into the kitchen to find the table set and food already waiting at each of their respective plates.
"Uh... Where's Tempest?" Spike asked.
"I'm not sure..." Twilight replied.
The lavender alicorn moved to inspect the table while the purple dragon followed close behind. The inviting smell of scrambled eggs, hay bacon, cinnamon rolls, and pancakes beckoned them closer. Within seconds, they were both salivating at the sight.
"Jeez, Spike, how much did you make?" Twilight asked.
"I didn't... Tempest just told me that it was ready and that I should go get you..." Spike trailed off.
The kitchen door opened and drew both of their attention away from the table. Twilight barely managed to hide her surprise upon seeing Tempest exit the kitchen, her ruby red mohawk just barely brushing against the shorter frame of the kitchen doorway. She wore her black bodysuit and armor over her mulberry coat. Two piercing cyan eyes, seemingly radiating confidence, calmly met Twilight's gaze. A light blue spark of magic fizzled out from her jagged, broken horn, just above the scar crossing her eye.Tempest calmly took a few steps into the room, and a thin smile graced her lips.
"Princess. Spike." Tempest regarded them both with cool confidence and respect.
"Tempest? Did... did you do this?" Twilight asked with an inquisitive look.
"Well... I had some help from Pinkie, but otherwise, yes." Tempest replied, a thoughtful look on her muzzle.
"What's Pinkie doing up this early? And where'd she go?" Spike asked.
"I requested her help the other day. I offered for her to eat with us, but she said she had to throw a party for a 'Cheese Sandwich'... whoever or whatever that is... Just... uh... I wouldn't go into the kitchen if I were you... It's a bit of a mess in there right now." Tempest replied, a sheepish grin on her face.
"Hmm... I thought Cheese Sandwich was in Appaloosa... but then again, Pinkie... Anyways, don't worry about the kitchen, we'll get it later. Come on, let's eat." Twilight spoke up, her tone quickly changing back to her chipper, morning tune.
The two ponies and dragon all proceeded to take their respective seats at the table before digging in. Spike practically inhaled his food while Twilight elegantly cut a piece of a pancake and levitated it to her maw. Tempest seemed to be in the middle of the two, as she ate at a modest pace, not too fast, and not too slow.
After a while, and after Spike managed to slow himself down, conversation finally found its way to the table.
"So... Tempest, just out of curiosity, what made you decide to make breakfast for everypony today?" Twilight carefully asked.
"No reason, really. I guess I just felt like doing something nice." Tempest replied.
"Oh, alright, well... thank you. It's amazing." Twilight complimented.
"You're very welcome, Princess." Tempest responded.
"Uh, again, just out of curiosity, why are you wearing your armor? Ever since you came back, I've only seen you wearing that. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever seen you not wearing at least something." Twilight pointed out.
Tempest slowly looked down at herself. Her black bodysuit clung tightly against her form, and the heavy metal armor gleamed in the early morning sunlight as it filtered in through the windows.
"It's... just a force of habit..." Tempest replied, a slight trace of nervousness in her voice.
"Well, we're not at war or anything right now... and you're under no obligation to wear it, so... why not take it off? It looks heavy." Twilight suggested, having picked up on the nerves in Tempest's tone.
"I'm... more comfortable this way. At least... for a little while. Really, it's fine, Princess."
"Aw c'mon, Tempest, that stuff weighs like, ninety pounds. It's hot out today, the heat's gonna kill you." Spike interjected, much to both Tempest and Twilight's surprise.
"While... I do appreciate the concern, Spike, I'm fine. I lived in a desert wasteland for six months with nothing, I think I can handle a warm Equestrian day. Besides, it's only fifty pounds." Tempest reasoned.
"But-" Spike began
"Now Spike, if Tempest wants to wear her armor, that's her choice and we should respect that. Besides, wasn't there something you wanted to ask her anyways." Twilight interrupted, pointedly motioning to Tempest with her head.
"Hmm?" Tempest raised an eyebrow.
"Uh, I guess... Uh... Tempest?" At her nod, he proceeded, "Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to maybe hang out today and maybe... get some... smoothies?" Spike awkwardly asked while cringing at himself all the while.
Tempest raised both eyebrows at that. She took on a pose of one in deep thought, before ultimately reaching a conclusion.
"Hmm... Well, it almost sounds like you're asking me out on a date." Tempest mused, a thin smile gracing her lips.
"What!? No! I just heard you like smoothies and I thought it'd be cool to hang out and get to know you better. You know, since you're living with us now and all." Spike hastily reasoned.
"Hmm... And I wonder where you learned of my infatuation for smoothies..." Tempest pondered, her gaze steadily falling on Twilight.
"Uh-hehe... um... yes... Truly a strange thing to know... hehe..." Twilight visibly began to sweat from Tempest's piercing gaze.
Tempest's cyan eyes coldly glared at Twilight for several seconds before softening and turning into a small smile, then into a light chuckle.
"Oh you should have seen your face, Princess." Tempest said, finally breaking the tense atmosphere.
"Oh... yeah... hehe..." Twilight managed, her breathing slowly coming back.
"I'm just messing with you. I'm honestly surprised you didn't tell everypony sooner," She said with a sincere smile, "To answer your question, Spike, I would love to."
The purple dragon in question visibly relaxed and sagged his shoulders.
"Not cool dude. You could kill an ursa major with that glare." Spike replied, exhaling heavily.
Tempest suppressed a giggle behind her armored hoof.
"So I've been told. Sorry if I scared you. I'm still trying to develop a 'sense of humor'. I wasn't really allowed to have one under the Storm King." Tempest explained.
"It's alright, just... watch where you point that glare... You could give Fluttershy a run for her money with that thing." Spike replied, shaking his head.
"Duly noted. When do you want to head out?" Tempest asked, her calm smile returning once more.
"Uh... wanna head out in like... an hour?" Spike asked.
"Sounds good. Will Princess Twilight be joining us?" Tempest asked, regarding her with a slight nod.
"Oh, I wish I could, but I have a lot I need to do today. You two go ahead and enjoy some bonding time together." Twilight happily answered.
"Very well then."
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Tempest and Spike waved their goodbyes to Twilight as they made their way into Ponyville. As soon as they were far enough away, Twilight went back inside the castle to resume her duties. She balefully glanced at the mountain of paperwork littering the desk in her office before sighing heavily and sitting down to get to work.
"Fanmail... fanmail... taxes... applications... Ugh..." Twilight groaned as she skimmed through the loose papers most easily accessible to her.
She worked her way through a decent chunk of the paper mountain before the grandfather clock in her office sounded off, announcing that it was officially nine o'clock in the morning. Twilight glanced up at the clock for a moment before diving back into her paperwork, only to stop upon reading an envelope bearing a regal seal.
To: Tempest Shadow
From: Queen Novo
Twilight raised an eyebrow while simultaneously tilting her head in confusion.
"Queen Novo? Why is she sending letters to Tempest?" Twilight asked no one in particular.
After scratching her head in thought for a few moments, Twilight came to a conclusion as to the best course of action. She hopped off the chair with the letter secured in her magic before heading over to Tempest's room.
Twilight quickly found the room in question and gently nudged the door open with her hoof. An impeccably neat and tidy room greeted her, and she nearly did a double-take at the complete lack of personalization in the room. The floor was spotless, and only a small crate in the corner with the Storm King's logo nearly completely scratched off, showed any sign of another being living in this room.
Twilight slowly made her way into the room and placed the letter on the tightly made bed. She allowed herself a quick glance around the room, and found her attention repeatedly pulled to the small crate in the corner. An overwhelming sense of curiosity assaulted her mind, and before she even knew what she was doing, she quietly snooped over to the aforementioned crate and opened it with her magic. A rather loud *tink* halted her progress, and she furrowed her brow upon noticing the small padlock holding the crate shut.
Not to be deterred so easily, Twilight quickly cast a spell on the lock, and within moments, it clicked open. Twilight smiled at her small victory before forcing the crate open, and gazing at its contents.
At first glance, nothing seemed out of the normal. There were a few extra bodysuits, a decently sized brush for her mane and tail, even some extra armor plates laid about in the crate. Twilight almost sagged in disappointment before realizing what she was doing in the first place.
"What the hay, Twilight? What's wrong with you? All that time you spent talking to her about trust, and here you are violating her trust like this?" Twilight verbally reprimanded herself.
Just as she began to close the lid of the crate, a small object caught her eye. Hidden just below the extra bodysuits, the corner of a notebook stuck out. Both of Twilight's eyebrows raised on their own accord, and she once again moved without thinking. Her magic quickly grasped the edge of the notebook and lightly tugged it free of the bodysuit prison it was hiding under.
The notebook slid free easily enough, and before Twilight could stop herself, she was starting at a blank, black notebook. There was no indication of its purpose or its contents from the outside, and without so much as another thought, Twilight opened it to the first page. Crookedly scribbled mouthwriting and elementary level grammar greeted her eyes, and a small gasp, Twilight realized just what this notebook was.
"It's her diary from when she left her village... She had it all these years?" Twilight mused.
After a moment, she began reading the first entry. The writing was difficult to read at first, and seemed to have been written by somepony very unfamiliar with mouthwriting.
-
I haven't seen Glitter Drops and Spring Rain in years.
I haven't seen that damn town in years. I haven't eaten in three days. I don't trust anything in this forest, not since I ate those berries. I couldn't stop throwing up for that first day.
I don't know if I'm going to make it to the next village at this rate... But I have to. I'll do whatever it takes to fix my horn.
-
Twilight's brow furrowed upon finishing the text. She flipped to the next entry.
-
I made it to the village, barely. I need to be more careful next time... If I'm ever going to fix my horn, I need to be smarter than that.
Some of the ponies in town have taken pity on me, being half starved and broken... I don't want their pity. I'm leaving tonight.
The pity is making me sick.
-
Twilight flipped through a few more entries before arriving at the first entry from beyond Equestria.
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Sand... There's nothing but sand... I can't believe there's this much sand... I've been in this cursed desert for months... I can't... I don't think I can do this anymore.
-
Twilight quickly flipped to the next entry.
-
I stole a cloak from a merchant today... Well, it's more of a large rag, but it'll do.
The sun has been burning my coat for weeks now. It's so nice to finally have some relief. That merchant was pretty upset though...
I wish I could have paid him for the food and water... I just don't have anything to pay with...
-
Twilight frowned at the words on the page before flipping through a few more. Twilight read similar recounts of time spent in a desert, searching for a way to restore that which was lost, until she arrived at a particular entry.
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I met a creature today... The Storm King, he calls himself... I've heard about him ever since I left KlugeTown. He's promised to restore my horn in exchange for serving as his Commander. We're planning on invading Equestria to steal the alicorn princess's magic. Although, a new discovery has caught his attention. Apparently Mount Aris has its own source of strong magic. We're going to set sail tomorrow. It makes sense, after all. If we take their magic first, it's one less ally for Equestria and it's an isolated island. Invading Equestria will take an entire fleet. Mount Aris will only take a small contingent of our forces... And me to lead them. The Storm King has declared this as a "test" of my abilities and loyalty. If I prove that I can serve him, I'll be that much closer to restoring my horn. Almost there Fizzlepop... Almost there.
-
Twilight shivered as the memory of the Storm King flashed through her eyes.
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I guess I shouldn't call myself that anymore. Fizzlepop Berrytwist died in that cave all those years ago. I am Commander Tempest Shadow now, and I will not be denied my horn any longer.
-
Twilight hastily flipped to the next page, only to find it missing. The edge of the page remained, indicating that it had been torn out some time ago. Twilight searched all around and inside of the crate to find the missing page, but a stopped upon hearing a familiar mare's voice from behind.
"What are you doing?" Tempest quickly asked.
Twilight froze mid step. Lost as she was in her reading, she hadn't heard Spike and Tempest's reentry into the castle. She slowly turned her head to face Tempest, and visibly wilted at the cold glare Tempest gave her.
"I said-" Tempest stepped forward, wrath emanating from her voice, "What are you doing?"
Twilight audibly gulped at Tempest's tone, and she quickly found herself taking a step back for every step Tempest took forward.
"Why are you going through my things?" Tempest coldly asked, her head lowering into a predatory posture.
"I-uh... Okay, I know this looks bad, but-" Twilight began.
"Don't try to squirm out of this one. Tell me the truth, princess." Tempest's words came out like venom, and visibly struck fear into Twilight.
"I- I was just dropping off a letter for you... and... and then I saw the crate... I got really curious... I'm sorry, Tempest, I know this was wrong, but I just wanted to know what was in here so bad that I didn't think." Twilight explained.
Bright blue sparks began to pour from Tempest's horn as her scowl deepened.
"How much did you read?" Her words came slow, dripping with barely restrained rage.
"I-I only read up until the part where you agreed to work under the Storm King. Right before you attacked Mount Aris! I'm so sorry, I know I shouldn't have, but I couldn't stop myself!" Twilight cried.
"So what!? That just makes it okay?! Is this what you call friendship? Waiting until your friends leave and then snooping through their personal belongings while they're away!?" Tempest snarled.
"No! Tempest, please, I know what I did was wrong, but I swear to you that I never wanted to hurt you!" Twilight cried, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
"No, you just wanted to stab me in the back and go through my stuff when I wasn't even here! For all the crap you preach about friendship, you sure don't hesitate to take advantage of a pony when they're looking the other way!" Tempest shouted.
"Tempest, please, just listen to me! I was in the wrong, I fully admit that! But I never wanted to hurt you! I know how fragile our trust is right now, but I just wanted to know more about you! You never open up for any reason! I just thought that if you weren't going to tell me anything, then maybe I could find some answers in here." Twilight reasoned, pointing at the chest.
"Maybe that's because there are things that I've done that I don't want you to know!" Tempest shouted again, although, this time, rather than rage filling her voice, there was a trace of something else. Fear.
"What... what do you mean?" Twilight asked, having picked up on the waiver in Tempest's voice.
Tempest was breathing heavily now. Her withers shook slightly, and her fur stood on edge. Despite her fearsome appearence, there was no mistaking the waiver in her voice, and the way her eyes seemed to gloss over.
"Tempest... What did you do?" Twilight asked, her brow deeply furrowed in concern.
"Get out." Tempest replied. Her voice was barely a whisper, but it carried through the silent air with the force of a freight train.
"Tempest, I-"
"GET... Out... please..." Tempest interrupted. Her face was a mix of fear, rage, and, worst of all, hurt.
"I'm sorry." Twilight replied as she dejectedly walked out of the room.
The door quickly closed behind her, and Twilight couldn't help but cringe at the sound of it shutting. Within seconds, she was approached by Spike, who, by the look of things, heard everything.
"Twilight, what happened?" Spike asked.
"I messed up... Why are you both back so soon? That shop is always so busy this early, I wasn't expecting you back for another hour at least."
"Well... the line kinda cleared out when we showed up. At first I thought it was just good luck or something, but looking back at it... It was probably because they were scared of Tempest," Spike recounted with a sad sigh, "She looked a little sad on the way back... Guess that was why."
"And me going through her stuff just made her day even worse..." Twilight replied with a sad shake of her head.
"So what do we do? How do we make it up to her?"
"I'm not sure. I could never get her to open up about anything before, and now it's going to be even harder." Twilight said, frustration evident in her voice.
"Well... When you say it like that... you're making her sound like she's just another case you have to deal with... You don't make her sound like she's your friend." Spike observed.
Twilight shot him a look of hurt.
"What? No! She's my friend! I care about her a lot! That's why I've been trying to help her get over her past and move on! That's why I've taken her in as a guest at the castle - so that I can help her!" Twilight pleaded, her voice turning panicky.
"Well, yeah... but did you ever think that maybe she's not ready to open up if you just pry? I mean, I talked to her while we were getting smoothies, and she told me all about her childhood and her journey before the Storm King." Spike explained.
"What, what!? She just TOLD you?! All I got out of her about her past was a song about how she broke her horn and smoothies! That's it! Why was she so willing to tell you all that!?" Twilight nearly yelled, her exasperated voice filling the hall.
"Because I followed your advice," Spike replied with a raised eyebrow, "I just treated her like she was a friend, and she opened up. If there was something she didn't want to talk about, I just let it go. She kinda ended up telling me about it anyways."
Twilight's left eye twitched. Every emotion from guilt, to anger, to jealousy plagued her mind, and she had to physically stop herself from screaming. She took a few moments to breath and calm herself before finally settling back down and looking at Spike with an apologetic look.
"Uh... you good?" Spike asked with a raised eyebrow.
It took several minutes before Twilight could find the right words to speak again.
"I just... Ugh... I really screwed this up..."
"Twilight, it'll be alright..." Spike reasoned.
"It's just... for the last month I just thought she was being stubborn and clinging to her old ways, and that just made me want her to open up even more... I never realized that she was trying and I was just pushing too hard..." Twilight explained.
"She'll come around, I know she will. You just have to be patient... and not freak out like you just did a second ago." Spike said with a small chuckle.
"I'm sorry about that, Spike. I just feel so terrible for what I did. I just wanted to help her so badly that I lost sight of the real reason she's still here..."
"And that is..?" Spike asked, motioning for her to continue.
"Because she wants friends... That's all... She just wants friends... You were right about my approach, Spike... I've been looking at her like a case that's been slapped on my desk and my only goal was to solve it by lunch... Some Princess of Friendship I am..." Twilight glumly explained.
"Aw, c'mon Twilight! You're a great Princess. So you made a few mistakes, that doesn't mean that Tempest hates you. Yeah, she's mad, but do you know what she wanted to talk about the majority of our trip?" At the shake of Twilight's head, he continued, "She was telling me how thankful she is that you took a chance on her. That she owes you her life, and that she wants nothing more than to repay you for that."
"That's very nice, Spike... but I think I might have just changed her opinion of me..." Twilight trailed off.
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Tempest slowly crawled out of bed as the sun began to set on the horizon. The brilliant orange light filtered into her room through the crystallized windows of the castle, and lit her room up in a warm hue of light. Tempest hardly noticed. Her mind focused entirely taking a long, and much needed bath.
Tempest slipped out of her armored horseshoes before unclasping the strap around her barrel and allowing the plated armor to slide off her midsection to the floor. There was an audible *CLANK* as the armor came to a rest, but she paid it no mind. She removed the two straps connecting her flank armor and allowed them to fall to the ground in a similar fashion. Lastly, she slid the wither and neck guards off her head and deposited them with the rest of her armor.
Left with just her bodysuit, Tempest walked to the bathroom and found the porcelain tub waiting for her. She quickly turned the knob and hot water began to flow. The sound of water rushing into the confines of the porcelain tub were so relaxing and calming for her, that they almost drowned out the sound of knocking on her door. Almost.
Tempest sighed.
"Well... let's get this over with..." She said, barely a whisper.
Tempest trotted over to the door and opened it, revealing Twilight, standing with a remorseful look on her face. She sighed again before motioning for Twilight to enter with a nudge of her head. Twilight quickly got the message and walked into the room, Tempest closing the door behind her.
"So, what do you want?" Tempest asked.
"I... Wanted to see if you wanted dinner... Spike made pizza..." Twilight answered, pawing at the floor the whole while.
Tempest cocked an eyebrow.
"I.... wasn't expecting that, but no thank you. I'm fine."
"Tempest... I know you're angry, and you have every right to be, but I just wanted to help... I know that I didn't, if anything, I probably did the opposite. I violated your trust and hurt you, and for that I am truly sorry. I hope that one day you can forgive me." Twilight replied.
Tempest did not reply for some time. Her brow furrowed in thought for several moments before she finally found the words to convey her feelings.
"Do... Do you know what was in that letter? The one that Queen Novo sent me?" She asked.
"No! I didn't read it, I swear I-" Twilight started, only to stop as Tempest raised a hoof to silence her.
"I wasn't implying that you did, but since you don't know what it was, it was a letter of pardon. It seems the hippogriffs are as forgiving as ponies are..." Tempest trailed off.
"A letter of Pardon? Well, that... That's great! See? Creatures from all over have forgiven you!" Twilight said, once more finding excitement in her voice.
Tempest again held out a hoof to silence the Princess of Friendship.
"I don't deserve it..." Tempest woefully admitted.
"What? Temp-"
"Twilight, please... I'm just not ready to talk to you about it yet... I just need some time." Tempest pleaded, her look softening for just a moment.
Twilight's jaw moved for a moment but no words came out. Try as she might, the pleading look in Tempest's eyes made it utterly impossible for her to say no. The pony who relentlessly chased her across Equestria and beyond, who's indomitable spirit conquered Equestria in just one day, and who's steadfast resolve kept her alive for those seventeen years, now, for the first time, looked like the perfect picture of sorrow. It just didn't look right to Twilight.
"I've never seen her like this... This must be really big... Darn it, Spike... Why'd you have to make so much sense..?" Twilight thought to herself.
Twilight took a step forward and placed her hoof on Tempest's wither. She gave a weak smile in her attempt to comfort the slightly taller mare before pulling away and sighing.
"If you aren't ready to tell me about it yet, then I won't press you. It's your story and you have every right to your privacy. I just hope that you'll share it with me someday... I know I've gone a little overboard, but I only did that in an attempt to help you. I really hope you know that." Twilight said, her sad smile betraying the disappointment she was trying to hide.
Tempest shakily nodded and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
"T-thank you... Maybe one day... just not right now..." She said, her voice barely a whisper.
"Okay. I understand. Have a good night, Tempest." Twilight replied, turning on her hooves and heading out the door.
Twilight closed the door behind her, leaving Tempest alone with her thoughts for the rest of the night. With nothing else to do, she returned to the matter of taking a bath. Tempest made her way over to the tub with an eased step, and relief washed over her before she even reached the water. She turned the flow of water off just as it reached a decent level to bathe in.
Tempest took a tentative dip with her foreleg to test the waters. A thoughtful hum escaped her throat as she found the water to be to her liking and she began to strip from her bodysuit. She found the zipper with her foreleg and, with some finesse, pulled it down to her midsection. Fresh air finally found its way into her fur, and her chest fluff perked up slightly at being freed from the tight, leathery prison.
Tempest slipped her right foreleg out of the suit first, then her left. She pulled the suit down until it easily slipped off her hind legs, and left her naked for what felt like the first time in ages. She stepped up to the tub, but paused upon seeing the large mirror directly across from the tub. Tempest frowned upon realizing that she was looking at herself.
Firstly, she noticed her broken horn, and the long scar running down her face, over her right eye. As her eyes trailed further down, she saw more and more scars. A small scar on her neck, two inches from her jugular... A large gash on her upper right foreleg... two wide scars on her left hoof... and most noticeable of all, three long scars running along her barrel, just on top of her ribs...
Tempest swallowed as she took in the sight of herself. Her deeply scarred body, along with her deeply scarred past, only brought her pain, and before long, tears began to flow from her eyes. She grit her teeth in an attempt to hold them back, but only succeeded in choking back a sob. Harsh sniffles filled the air as she tried to wipe the tears away, and before long, she was able to at least look at herself again.
Her eyes were bloodshot, and dark bags under her eyes reminded her of just why she was the way she was. Tempest sighed deeply, collecting her thoughts in the process, before stepping into the bath and setting about washing herself.
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"As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death... I shall fear no evil..." Wise words, I thought to myself.
Our mission was going along swimmingly; Mount Aris lay in ruins beneath us, its vaults and homes all but sacked by my soldiers, and not a single casualty... Although, one thing was missing. The magical artifact we came her for in the first place was nowhere to be seen, and the hippogriffs had nearly completely disappeared. All that was left were the few sentries we captured when I began the assault.
I took my time surveying the damage. Mount Aris may not stand for a long time after this, but it's not completely lost. Maybe one day I could make my own little kingdom here... No, no - first, I need to restore my horn. Finding that pearl was all that mattered.
I calmly walked over to one of the captive griffs and eyed him closely. He nearly soiled himself just looking at me.
"I'm going to ask this once, and only once, so I hope you're prepared to give a good answer. Any liars will find their wings tied to their claws and thrown into the ocean." I announced to the group.
It was a bluff, to be sure. I would never do that to anypony. I'd just put them in chains and throw them in a cell if it really came down to it, but they didn't need to know that.
"Where is the pearl?" I asked.
No response. Great, now I have to make a huge show of throwing one overboard.
I moved to grab the closest griff, while calling for one of my soldiers to bring more rope. Just as I came within reach, I glanced at the other two. I noticed one of them looking past me at something on the far side of the mountain. I swiveled my head to the side to see what had his attention over me, and saw a small silhouette flying away from Mount Aris.
"Grubber! Follow that one!" I shouted while pointing at the dark blue blur flying away from us.
"Guys! Let's go!" I heard Grubber yell, and with a heavy jolt, we began moving.
The hippogriff was fast, no doubt... but we were faster. Also we didn't have to stop to rest like he did. Mount Aris was practically ours, and this griff made a point of sneaking away from our blockade, which most likely meant he had something of extreme value in his grubby claws.
Within minutes, we were barely a hundred feet behind him and gaining. He turned his head to see us and let out a *squawk* of fear. From this close, I could see a lot more details that I couldn't before. Firstly, he was wearing royal guard armor, which meant that he was a guard of Queen Novo. Second, he had a small pouch held tightly in his claws, and upon seeing us, he seemed to cradle it even closer to his breast. That was all the confirmation I needed.
"He's got the pearl! Grubber, get us in closer!" I shouted over the engine.
"You got it, boss!" I heard his reply.
A large puff of black smoke came out of the back of my airship as we pushed the engines harder than ever before, but I knew a damaged airship would be worth the reward of taking the pearl. It was one of the last few steps to getting my horn back. I watched with rapt attention as the griff came in closer. First fifty feet, then forty, then thirty, then twenty, then finally ten...
I could see individual feathers as he strained to fly away from us. I was ready to shock him with my magic and get him to drop the pearl when a terrible sound caught my ears. They flicked back on instinct, and my eyes soon followed. There was a loud pop, and black smoke plumed from the back of the ship.The engine quickly caught fire, sputtered, and gave out from the strain. I turned back around to see the griff gaining valuable distance on us. Distance that we would not be able to make up. I saw my chance at restoring my horn drifting away as this one, lone hippogriff escaped...
So I did what I had to do.
I turned back around and covered half the deck in a quick gallop before rearing around and facing the bow again. I took a deep breath and pushed forward with all my might. My steel horseshoes clopped heavily against the deck as I broke into a full gallop, and before I knew it, I was out of runway. I leapt over the railing and after my prey, determination painted on my brow.
Cold air blew past my face as I dropped like a stone; my armor pulled me down with extra effort. I barely had a second to even register what I had just done before I found the griff's back coming just within my reach. I shot both forelegs out, and managed to grab a hold of his hindlegs. My weight surprised him, as he immediately plummeted down with a startled yelp.
We fell for what must have been a thousand feet; the griff struggled the whole time to maintain altitude. He fought hard to free himself of my weight, but my forelegs were wrapped tight around his barrel and he couldn't quite kick me off with his hind legs. Trying to split his energy between freeing himself of me, and maintaining altitude simply wasn't possible for the already exhausted griff. I could see mountains quickly rising around us, and I knew we were going to crash. With my armor weighing me down on top of both our body weights and the pearl, it wasn't a matter of if, it was a matter of when, and the answer to that was a lot sooner than I'd have liked. I looked down to see jagged mountain ridges and rocks quickly growing larger, and found that I could not scream. I could barely breathe as the terror of the moment overtook my mind and made my body lock up in fear. At a speed that made me cringe, we crashed into the mountainside.
I slammed into the rock face with an audible *Crack* and rolled on my side a few times before coming to a stop. My armor took the brunt of the blow, and very luckily, saved me from breaking anything... or worse. The griff landed just in front of me, and faced a similar fate as he slammed into the ground and rolled over his wings, causing a sickening *SNAP* to fill the air as one of his wings broke. I cringed.
"If it weren't for my armor... even so, the flank guard is cracked... That was reckless..." I thought to myself.
The pearl sat just between us, still wrapped up in its pouch. I moved to grab it, but the griff was faster. He jumped forward, surprising me at how little his broken wing affected him, and shoulder checked me right in the chest. I was knocked back a few feet, more from being startled then from any actual force behind his sudden attack, but within a second, I was back in an offensive stance. I allowed magic to flow to my broken horn and in the dim light, the sound of crackling lighting raised the fur on his coat as bright blue sparks rained down onto the ground below me. Most creatures saw this and ran away at the sight, but not this hippogriff. He only dropped his stance low and prepared to charge. I decided now was the time to strike, and fired a bolt of magic right at his face, but he deftly jumped clear over it. With a decisive flap from his good wing, he sent himself into a downward spiral, bringing his hind leg down toward my forehead.
I barely managed to dodge in time. This griff was seriously fast... The kick connected with the ground next to me, and I used my new positioning to try to shoulder check his belly while it was exposed. Again, he was faster than me and brought an elbow down right against my cheek. It connected with a deafening *CRACK* and my vision quickly blurred. I stumbled to the side to regain my balance while he moved to grab the pearl.
I managed to regain my vision just as he picked up the pearl in his claws, and before I could say anything, he galloped away. My one chance to prove myself... My one chance to show that I deserved to get my horn, no, my LIFE back... was running away from me. I was not going to let that happen.
I broke into the fastest gallop I think I've ever done in my life, and easily caught up to the wounded griff. I managed to just barely take him by surprise when I jumped through the air and tackled him to the ground. The pearl flopped out of his grasp and came to a rest precariously close to the edge of the cliff. I let out a quick breath I didn't even know I was holding once I saw it stop, before my attention was again pulled to the griff now just behind me.
He wasted no time and before I had time to use the distance to my advantage, he propelled himself forward with his hind legs. He threw an armored claw at me in a downward slashing motion. I dodged that move by jumping to the left, but just as his right claw missed, he brought his left claw down in a wide arc. I had no time to react or move, and three sharp, bladed claws found their way into the side of my barrel. I felt an immensely sharp pain as the three claws cut right through my bodysuit and ripped into my flesh. The only thing that stopped them from going any deeper was my rib cage, which, took a beating from the hit itself.
I staggered back and searched for breath, but found none. I could only gasp as the white-hot pain seared into my flesh and nearly made me scream in agony. The only pain that I could remember hurting this much was the defining moment of my life... The moment that Ursa broke my horn off and nearly blinded me in my right eye.
My head pounded, and my ribs burned as blood flowed from the wounds, but I didn't have time to think about the pain, he was coming in for another attack. He pivoted on his claws and hiked his legs up to buck me off the cliff. He spun so fast that my concussed brain could barely keep up, and I barely registered what he was going to do before I had to react. I just barely managed duck under the attack, and with as much magic as I could channel in a split second, I blasted him away from me.
The bright blue lightning caught him off guard and knocked him back. He did a complete somersault and landed on his back. His helmet fell off in the motion, and revealed his face completely. I saw two bright emerald eyes staring back at me as he processed what just happened. His blue coat gave way to white feathers on his head, and there were two distinct cobalt feathers jutting out of the top of his head. What really caught my attention was how terrified he looked... He looked just as scared as I was... That made me hesitate... Big mistake. Big.
He rolled over to his claws and with another defiant flap of his one good wing, he brought himself into a spinning kick. I jumped back as he brought his hindleg down on the rocks, but before I could press forward, he spun on his leg and brought another claw out of nowhere. I just was not fast enough. I tried to jump to the left, but it connected with my right foreleg. It wasn't a shallow cut like the rest of them so far... I felt the talon rip into my flesh and harshly scrape against the bone.
I screamed out in agony as fresh blood flowed freely from the massive gash now embedded in my foreleg and brought my left foreleg over to apply pressure. He seized the opportunity to bring down a vertical slash with his claw. I couldn't get away this time... I could barely walk with my body damaged the way it was. I just managed to bring my left hoof off my injured foreleg and attempt to block the attack. My hope was that the armored horseshoe's would stop his claws before any damaged occurred.
I wasn't that lucky. His claws neatly cut right through the horseshoe and into my hoof, leaving two deep gashes all the way down to the fetlock. I screamed out in pain again and fell to my back, clutching my wounded hoof with my wounded foreleg. My mind raced.
The griff approached me with death in his eyes. I was weak... I was vulnerable... I had no way out. I let out a cowardly whimper as I felt his presence over me. Just as I tried speak, I felt a claw wrap itself around my throat, one of the digits digging into my neck and piercing the skin, before he brought his eyes to mine.
I knew at that moment that he was going to kill me. I could see it in his gaze. He recognized me. He knew that I was the one that burned his home. I was the one who chased him across the ocean. I was the one who tried to kill him first. He wanted revenge. He wanted justice... and he would have it.
I felt the pressure tighten around my airway, and with a sickening gasp, I found that I could no longer breath. His claws gripped tighter, and tighter, until I felt like my trachea was going to snap. My lungs burned, and I squirmed under his strength in a feeble attempt to get some life-giving air.
It must have been pathetic to him. The pony who orchestrated the systematic sacking and destruction of his home was now barely conscious and going to die in his claws. All he had to do was squeeze.
"I-It can't end like this! I still have so much to do, so much to prove! I still need to fix my horn!" I thought.
I felt my vision fading fast, and blackness began to overtake my world... But I was not going to give in. Fresh sparks ignited in my horn, and with all of my remaining willpower, I shot forth every ounce of magic my damaged body had left to give. The effect was an immediate, pained yelp as he let go of my neck and was sent flying back into the rock face. He connected with a resounding *CRACK* and slumped to the ground.
Now having an open airway, I gasped for breath for over a minute straight. I watched him the whole time, making sure that he didn't get back up before I did... but he did...
I couldn't let him.
I forced myself to my hooves and shot him with my magic once more. He screamed in pain as the electricity seared his coat and sent his nerves haywire. Even so, I knew that my magic would not be enough. I needed some way to end this fight for good. I found my saving grace in a large rock sitting happily next to him as he writhed about in agony.
I knew what I had to do. Tears streamed down my face with every step forward, and it took everything in my willpower to not turn around and limp away. No... I was Tempest Shadow now... I had a mission to complete. No matter what.
I struggled to lift the boulder with my damaged forelegs, but managed to heft it just above my head. I groaned in pain through the effort, but finally managed to lift the heavy object.
I didn't wait for his reaction. I just slammed the rock down onto his head as hard as I could. I don't think I'll ever forget that sound. It was a mushy, crunchy sound, and then... silence. His claws fell to the ground, lifeless... and just like that, he was dead.
With my chest still heaving from the exertion, I made my way over to the satchel and pulled it open...
It was not the pearl... It was simply a letter. With visibly shaking forelegs, I opened the letter and read it.
Torrent Streak, in response to your willingness to volunteer for the duty of distracting the Storm King's fleet while Queen Novo and the rest of the guard oversee the evacuation of Mt. Aris, you have our utmost gratitude. Your steadfast resolve, and monumentous courage will not be forgotten. Your family have been made aware of your sacrifice and dedication to serving Her Majesty's Guard. Should the worst come to pass, know that you will never be forgotten, in this, our hour of need, nor in our darkest moments, henceforth.
- Your Friend, ScatterStar
I held the letter for a long time... I couldn't bear to look at the picture folded away in the satchel... After a few moments of paralyzing realization, I fell to my haunches. It grew very quiet on that lonely mountain with just my heavy breathing to keep me company. My mind raced to process what I'd just done, and why I had to to it. Excuse after excuse of why I had to do it filled my mind, but I knew they were all bullshit. This poor creature sacrificed himself to give his people a chance to escape... and I chased him until he was nothing more than a cornered animal... So he did what any cornered animal would do...
"No... no please... I... I didn't want to... no..." I said as my gaze fell back on the corpse.
My heavy breathing quickly changed into hyperventilating as the sheer weight of what I'd done came crashing down on top of me. I never wanted to kill anyone... I never wanted to go that far... Dear Celestia I never wanted to go that far...
I felt like I couldn't breath even though fresh air was pouring into my lungs, but no matter what, it just didn't seem to be enough. I just killed someone... No... No, killed isn't the right word... I murdered someone. In my selfish desire to restore the one thing I believed made me whole, I destroyed a city and took someone's life... and the worst part... it was for nothing... he never had the pearl... It probably didn't even exist in the first place...
He had a family... maybe a wife and a child... Now he's just a corpse with a caved in skull.
I couldn't bear the guilt. With the pain in my body nothing more than just a dull memory, I cried. Not for me... But for the life I took. For the horrible thing I did to someone who shouldn't have had to die. I cried for a long time. I don't even know when the tears finally stopped, but when I finally looked up, the moon was high in the sky, and the nighttime aurora covered the horizon.
I'm not sure how long I sat there. It must have been a long time, because his body was cold when I finally gathered the courage to move again. One touch was all it took for me to look away in shame.
I numbly limped to the edge of the cliff side to look out over the mountain range. After everything I've been through in the pursuit of restoring my horn... all the things I've done... nothing will ever compare to that. On that day, I killed someone... I will never forget that. For the rest of my days, that moment will haunt me, and as I stood at the edge of that cliff, I couldn't help but ask myself...
"Is this all really worth it?"
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Tempest slowly opened her eyes to the dark room around her. The fading moonlight gently filtered in through the crystal windows, and illuminated her room in a pale hue. She quietly rolled over onto her side before the tears came. A quiet sob was all that could be heard from that empty room, and even that faded away into the night with time.
Author's Note
Hey guys. I'm glad you read this story, that means that I'm doing something right :D
I know this was a lot darker than The Discovery, but I felt like Tempest simply has a darker past than Sky or Mid. Not to worry though, the story with them will continue... maybe it'll involve Tempest? Who knows. I sure don't. Anyways, for those of you that'll say that it's dumb for Tempest to feel this way about killing someone who was obviously trying to kill her, I say this: She's a pony at heart. It's my headcannon that she would never go as far as killing another being if she didn't ABSOLUTELY have to. I also feel like her change of heart at the end of the movie was just a tad forced. Like, she's an evil bitch the whole movie, and ONLY when she gets betrayed does she even consider being good. I feel like if the Storm King had kept his promise, she would have gladly served him until she was at least sure she could overthrow him and take over herself. Anyways, the point of this little story was to give extra reason behind her turning good. Like, she already hated herself for killing someone, and then she gets betrayed on top of everything else she had to do. I feel like that's more believable than what happened in the movie. Also, I wanted to give backstory to her scars for a future Tempest romance I'm planning. I won't spoil anything, but look forward to that. Lastly, if you enjoyed this story, I'm really glad you read this far. It means a lot to me and I hope to see you in my next story.
