Author's Note
The next part is here at long last!
Finally we're gonna get to the good stuff! I know there's a lot of Tempest as a Royal Guard stories out there but I want to try something different from the norm. Hopefully it'll be a blast in this more casual story.
The Arrival
There comes a time in the life of most beings where they find what they were meant to do with their lives. Weather it was to be a sales pony, or a master crafter, from a farmer to royalty, there was nothing a creature couldn’t achieve. For ponies it was different, and that was solely based on the fact ponies are the only creatures to get cutie marks. For ponies, cutie marks are a sign of growth, maturity, and a sign they found what they were most good at. From their they hone that talent into a profession.
Though in most cases a ponies cutie mark did have a direct influence in what they did professionally, some ponies had professions that had nothing to do with their cutie marks. However not every pony found their cutie mark. Though it was rare, it does take some ponies longer to find their special talents. One such pony was Tempest Shadow.
Now, Tempest Shadow was a very talented pony. Some would say she had a very diverse skill set and this was true; however, nothing she did thus far ever allowed her to earn her cutie mark. Thus she was often troubled by the notion she was a mare in her late twenties, almost thirty, and still she had no cutie mark. Today she was on the Friendship Express with Celeano in one of the rooms with the door closed for privacy. They were on the last leg of their journey to reach Ponyville after leaving Tempest’s hometown a week prior.
The room was carpeted with red velvet and well polished wooden walls with the usual plushed red cushion seats and a large overhead bin for storing luggage. Celeano was sleeping across from Tempest using her arm as a support against the windowsill, while Tempest looked outside the window at the scenery. She wondered what the future had instore for her and whether or not she’d ever find her special talent. Find it or not she did know one thing, if Celeano had a say she would say that hunting for cutie marks was stupid. Tempest should just be herself and not limit herself to one thing because some dumb mark told her.
She was probably right Tempest thought, but it still made her wonder nonetheless. She glanced over her armored hoof as the train whistle blew as it passed through a tunnel. Darkness came over the train, but the internal lighting gave a dim golden glow that gave off an eerie feeling to the train as it sped through the darkness.The dim lighting along with the deep red velvet and old wooden style walls made Tempest think of an old murder mystery movie she once saw. It made her appreciate it more than when she first got on the train.
Celeano meanwhile continued to snore away the time as they waited to reach their destination. Tempest leaned back and let out loud yawn. She stretched her stiff limbs overhead cracking her joints little by little trying not to hurt herself in the process. Her armor clanked as the smaller pieces touched one another as she stretched. She really loved the clanking sound of her armor, despite it being an easy way for enemies to find her. Once she finished stretching she looked over at Celeano who was now leaning against the back of her seat barely sitting upright on her own.
The unicorn shook her head at the sleeping form of Celeano. She then got out of her seat and slowly switched sides of the room to sit beside her lover. Once in her seat beside Celeano, Tempest leaned into the larger females fluffy chest and used herself to support her. Tempest breathed in heavily and rubbed her nose against Celeano’s chest feeling sleepy now that she had a soft pillow.
Dozing off she closed her eyes and embraced the wonderful feeling of sleep. She didn’t know how long she slept but while she slept a familiar feeling came over her. It was a soft gentle feeling over her head and it made her stur. She blinked open her eyes feeling something rubbing, or rather petting her head. She glanced up feeling sleepy still and noticed Celenao smiling down at her.
“Good, you’re up. We’re about to get off sleepy head,” Celeano said, retracting her hand.
Tempest released another loud yawn stretching her legs out from her seat. It made Celeano think of a child grabbing for something with all four limbs. It was cute.
“Good thing I woke up then,” Tempest siad getting off the plush seat. “Come one. Let’s get ready. I want to get to the castle as soon as possible.”
Celeano nodded and hurried to grab their stuff when the train began decelerating. The sudden change of speed wasn’t enough to topple them, but it was sufficient for both to shift their weight to comencatefor the changing speed. Tempest shifted her weight leaning in the direction the train was going to help keep herself level, with Celaeno helping with her hand. Once the train came to a full stop Tempest nodded to Celaeno who took her hand back and continued to grab their travel packs. As Tempest put her saddlebags on she rubbed her armored hoof on the soft velvety carpet under her.
“You know, I think I prefer airship travel than this,” She said pulling the last strap tight. “Less noisy and a lot smoother ride.”
“I agree it’s a smoother ride, but this is far more enjoyable. It’s not high in the sky where the thought of falling at a moments notice is at the forefront of your mind. The scenery is nice,” She said looking outside at Ponyville Station. “Plus, there are lots of colors and things to see! Why waste it all on an airship where all you see is the sky or clouds?”
“I guess you got a point. I just prefer airship travel because it’s what I’m sure too I guess,” Tempest replied opening the door with a spark of magic.
The handle around the door lit with a bright blue glow as Tempest reached out with her magic through her broken horn. She discovered in their travels over the last week she could use short burst of magic to grab and levitate objects. However prolonged exposure usually cause any object in her magical grasp to ignite or singe if she wasn’t careful. She learned quickly how long to hold onto objects based on their material.
Tempest walked out of the room and joined a sea of ponies trying to get off the train. Most of them stopped to see her, but most did a double take when Celaeno came out of the train cabin. It was unusual to see an armored hornless unicorn in Equestria, but Celaeno was an entirely different creature that most ponies never saw before.
As they exited the train they were stared at by several more ponies trying to get on the train. By this point Tempest was very annoyed. She held her temper though not wanting to make a fuss when she just arrived. She also didn’t want to jeopardize her new job on the first day before she even got there. Her parents taught her punctuality and it has served her well over the years. She picked up her pace trotting along as fast as she could, weaving in and out between ponies as she made her way to her destination. Celeano was close behind finding it easier to step over most ponies rather than go around them. Though this did earn her several glances of disapproval.
Ponyville was far more interesting than Tempest thought it would be. There was all sorts of things and places to see. From the train station she trotted along to the outer limits of Ponyville which happened to be where the market was. There was everything a pony would need and far more clean too! As she passed by a stall with rugs and carpets for sale, she noticed the vendor and customer pony haggling on the price. She slowed her pace and kept her ear open taking in the conversation as she passed.
The vendor pony wanted to sell a carpet for ten bits, but the customer pony was well versed in the kind of material carpets were made of apparently. Tempest noticed the ponies cutie mark was some kind of cloth with rainbow glitter over it. After a tug of war in words takes place the vendor pony sells the rug for five bits in the end. Both smile and shake hooves afterwards and go on to talk about a nice restaurant the rug reminded them of. Tempest couldn’t help but crack a smile at how civil the conversation went. Deep in the Badlands a haggle was usually filled with more colorful metaphors and alot more punching and kicking.
She was happy to see ponies were more civilized and it filled her with a small sense of pride. Celeano watched too taking in t he sights of the market until ponies noticed them and started to stare. The once chatty market fell into ambient silence as the two walked through. The gawking stares and the silence made Tempest feel uncomfortable, and even Celeano was getting anxious for someone to say something. Anything would have been preferable to the suffocating silence.
“I don’t like this,” Celeano says quietly leaning over to Tempest’s ear.
Tempest nodded in agreement. She didn't like the stars Celeano was getting from the other ponies. Seeing others gawk at Celeano made her feel oddly jealous. Shaking the feeling off as best she could Tempest reached up and bit onto Celeano’s collar and pulled her along faster through the ponies. They were practically running with Tempest leading the way until they found an empty alley and stormed down it. Once hidden from view Tempest released Celeano and they both began to run faster down the alley until its end.
They stopped at the edge of the alley looking over the town square. There were a few ponies around but not nearly as many as there were in the market. The alley came out to another street that was Ponyville central. There was a sizable river cutting through the town with a small bridge that lead to a fountain in the center square. A short distance from that were several buildings representing businesses in Ponyville from a single bank, bookstore, alchemy shop, to a quills and sofa store. Both felt that some of these businesses were oddly specific in their wares, but they were here which showed they had a customer base.
Tempest sighed pulling back into the alley from view and sat on her haunches. She rubbed her shoulder near her neck where she felt a sore spot. Since Celeano was so much taller Tempest figured she must have kinked her neck while pulling Celeano’s collar. Celeano sat beside her, taking her backpack off, and set it aside. She put her claws together and cracked them and went to reach for Tempest’s neck.
“Need a little massage?” She asked her marefriend.
Tempest silently nodded with a smile and removed her hoof. She scooted closer and allowed Celeano to massage her neck.
“Ahh, thanks I really needed that,” Tempest said, twirling her head in circles as Celeano worked her magic. “I’m gonna miss this when we start working.”
Celeano giggled pressing her fingers into the soft tissue in Tempest’s neck. She spun her fingers in small circular motions taking care not to claw Tempest by accident.
“I think there will be plenty of time for that. Twilight is a very understanding mare,” Celeano said confidently.
Tempest snorted, but smiled all the same. “We’re here to become guardsman, Celeano. Not play around.”
Celeano stuck her tongue out behind the mares head. Tempest sighed sitting back into Celeano and allowed her to work in silence. After about two minutes Celeano’s massage began to take effect. The sore kink in Tempest's neck began to fade somewhat, and she felt her neck move more freely afterwards. With the soreness relieved to a minuet degree the unicorn stood up and flexed her legs while Celeano prepared to travel again. As she stood up Tempest felt a growing pain in her waist. Upon inspection she realized her saddlebags were too tight around her and was squeezing her waist uncomfortably.
“I say we avoid the majorly populated areas,” Tempest said adjusting the saddlebags, but was struggling to loosen the strap.
“And how do we do that?” Celeano asked waving her hand across the sky.
She then knelt down and helped Tempest adjust her saddlebags by loosening the strap. Tempest breathed a sigh a relief when the tension on her waist loosened and she could breath easier. “Thanks,” She said.
“No problem,” Celeano replied standing up before continuing to speak. “We aren’t exactly subtle with how we’re dressed. You look like a knight, and I am still wearing my old privateer clothing. Plus, I’m a huge bird in a land with mostly ponies in it. Face it, we stick out like as ore thumb.”
Tempest nodded thinking it over. “You’re right. We can’t hide without looking suspicious, at the same time we do standout. My armor isn’t built for subtlety, and you are the most interesting thing out here-”
“Aww, thanks, hon,” Celeano said playfully.
Tempest rolled her eyes and continued after walking out of the alley.
“The point is, we just need to keep moving and just ignore all the states. Even if it annoys me,” Tempest bitterly stated.
Celenao chuckled petting her marefriends mane. Tempest wanted to swat her hand away but for some reason it helped her relax a bit so she allowed the petting to continue. If only for a short while.
“Don’t worry. When we get there ponies will stop staring at me and you can stop being jealous,” Celeano said in a playful tone, ruffling the unicorn's mane.
“Watch it or I’ll zap you,” Tempest said, with a smile as she ran ahead to escape the unwanted noogie.
Celeano jumped after Tempest and the two of them began a game of chase through the town. Tempest ran through the town giggling like school filly leaping over barrels, ponies, and eventually she ended up jumping over some crates. Celeano had no trouble keeping up, she was much taller and had an easier time navigating through the town than Tempest did from sheer size alone. The two walked leisurely taking in the sights and ignoring the very interested looks they were getting.
Tempest turned down a street and saw what looked like a path that lead out of town. In the distance she saw what could have been appletrees, but she didn't stop to confirm it. She made a mental note to come by again and see it for herself. Continuing down the road she noticed the houses and cottages became more sparsely placed and eventually came to a river that went from the town center outbound into the wilds. It was here both Tempest and Celeeano gasped at what they saw.
Two large structures stood out in the landscape. One was a massive crystal castle with banners doning Princess Twilight’s cutie mark. The river went past it like a moat with large pieces of crystal in the water like stepping stones. These stones lead to the second structure which was built into a mountain close by. It was as large if not larger than the castle, and easily stood out between the two with its elaborate decorative style. Tempest thought of it as a collision of pop culture with traditional architecture. It had a fantastical element to it, yet was invitingly homey to look at. It was indeed a wonder to the eyes for some. Tempest didn’t like it.
After taking in the sights both Celenao and Tempest continued towards the castle’s entrance. Standing outside the entryway was a single pony in purple and gold lined armor. She was a massive unicorn mare with light brown fur and a white mane with small gold streaks through it. Her tail was balled up in a well decorated knot at with a single red ribbon tying it up. Her armor was full plate armor that hung snuggly over her muscular body with smaller plates at the joints. Large thigh plates covered her cutie mark and had a pair of bags on either side of her belt. She also held a very ornately decorated spear with a strange blade tip.
Tempest and Celeano recognized the spear from their time in the Badlands. A few tribes of diamond dogs used them, though the original makers have long since be lost with time, the spear was commonly used among this group of diamond dogs as weapons and digging tools. Tempest recalled this spear was named the Jumonji Yari. A strange name for and equally strange but deadly weapon.
They slowly approached the mare not expecting her to attack them, but the instinct to be cautions was still strong. To survive in the Badlands you needed to be cautious even at a friend’s place. You never knew their intentions, whether they'll stab you in the back and rob you for all your worth, or sell you to slavers. So when the mare blocked them with her spear they were ready and jumped back away from her taking up defensive postures and waited to see what she did next. The mare just continued to stare like she had before and in a gruff voice said, “Please state your business here.”
Taken aback from the mare’s sudden aggressive behavior Tempest and Celeano slowly approached her again stopping just a arms length away from her.
“I am Tempest Shadow, and this is my companion Celeano,” Tempest said making a gesture to Celenao behind her. “We’re here to speak to Princess Twilight Sparkle.”
The mare’s brow twitched as she withdrew her spear and stepped aside. “Ah, yes the Princess mentioned you two would be coming any day now. Please follow me. I’ll escort you to her myself.”
The mare then stepped sideways and allowed Tempest and Celeano to walk behind her. They followed her as a group of ponies ran towards the second building in the distance. Some had saddlebags filled with book while others carried them in hoof. Was this a school of some kind she wondered. Tempest stopped and watched as a peculiar group caught her attention. Among the sea of ponies were a few odd creatures she didn’t expect to see. The first was a young female yak with looped braids running after a pony and a orange dragon. Then close behind them was a blue griffon and a whitish changeling with a pink gossamer mane and tail following close behind. The last oddity was a speedy pink female hippogriff flying towards the group and collided with them.
The group scattered upon impact like bowling pins as the eccentric hippogriff rammed into them at full speed. Tempest started wondering what they’d do. At first she thought for sure the dragon and griffin would fight claw to claw and the yak would try to smash one of them. To her surprise the Dragon helped the griffin up, and the yak helped the pony and changeling up. Then the hippogriff laughed with them as they continued walking towards the building.
Tempest then turned to see the guardsmare and Celeano had stopped and were waiting for her patiently by the castle entrance. She glanced once more back at the odd group before hurrying back towards the guardsmare and Celeano, following them into the entryway and to their future.
The castle was very impressive. It lacked any lavish decor which Tempest assumed was due to the Princesses pragmatic nature. She respected that. She hated things being overly lavish like she’d seen in Canterlot and such. She prefered things to be simple and utilitarian. She also took note as they walked through seemingly endless corridors that there was a definite lack of staff. There was one maybe two maids and a butler maybe and two other guards, other than themselves the castle was lifeless. Tempest wondered about this as they entered through two large double doors into a single large circular room that had seven crystal thorns around a large crystal table in the center.
At the front most throne was Princess Twilight Sparkle. She was laying on her back reading a book when the trio walked in. She closed her book and casually glanced over and smiled when she saw Tempest. She practically threw the book onto the crystal table and rushed over to Tempest, giving her a hug.
“Tempest! It’s good to see you!” She squealed.
The alicorn princess then noticed Celeano waving at her. She then released Tempest and rushed over to give Celenao a hug, though it was a bit awkward due to the size difference between the two of them. Nonetheless Celeano accepted the hug and gave one back in return with a smile on her face.
“It’s good to see you too, Captain Celeano!” Twilight said.
Celeano let out a chuckle. “Not Captain anymore, Princess.”
Twilight giggled, she fluttered her wings, and stepped back from hugging Celeano looking her top to bottom. “Maybe not now, but in time I could make you a Captain again!” The Princess said excitedly.
She then turned to face the mare guard from before and gave her a polite nod. “Thank you, Thunderclap. That will be all for now.”
The brown unicorn Thunderclap, gave a stout salute to her Princess. Then with years of precision training she turned about face and marched out of the room closing the doors behind her. Once the mare was gone Twilight went back to her throne and sat down sliding the book closer to the edge to lean on it for support. She gestured for Celeano and Tempest to sit and they took seats in two adjacent thrones.
“I’m so glad you two made it! I received your letter saying you were taking a trip while traveling?” She asked her two guests.
Tempest and Celeano both nodded. Tempest then leaned forward making sure that Twilight knew she was about to speak.
“We did, Twilight,” Tempest said casually leaning on her front legs for support on the table. “I wanted to see how Equestria changed in my absence, and Celeano wanted to see it too. It was her first time seeing pony lands after all.”
“Did you two have a good time?” Twilight asked with a smile.
This time Celeano answered with an excited tone.
“Yes, we did! I never knew ponies did so many things and could be so kind! It was a thrilling experience! However,” both her and Tempest's moods turned sour on a dime that made Twilight feel uneasy.
“We made a detour to Canterlot,” Tempest said with a hiss in her tone. “I hate the nobles there.”
“Agreed. Most of them are quite obnoxious,” Celenao agreed.
Twilight let out a long sigh. She knew all too well what they were talking about. Growing up in Canterlot before her princesshood Twilight knew what it was like living among the high society of Canterlot. Nobles tended to look down on their fellow ponies for many reasons, most just because of birthright and/or wealth. It was hard to not see the nobles as a whole like that.
“I know the feeling. I love Canterlot, but some of the nobles are very mean, and some are cruel,” Twilight admitted openly. “However, there are some like Fancy Pants, a Royal Blue who aren’t like that. They’re actually very kind ponies and seek to help others.”
“Yes, I’m sure there are,” Tempest said calmly.
“But we had a run in with a very obnoxious royal,” Celeano finished for Tempest. “However, we were given a free lunch after some ponies saw what happened!”
“That was very nice of them,” Twilight said giving her guests a smile.
After taking a moment to shift in her throne Twilight clapped her hooves together and fluttered her wings. Celeano and Tempest both stared at the mare wondering what she was going to do.
“Well, I’m sure you two are tired from your journey, and hungry. So, why don’t I show you to your rooms and we can all meet later for lunch?” Twilight asked.
After agreeing that lunch was a good idea Tempest and Celeano were escorted to their rooms. The rooms were quite simple. Single rooms with attached bathrooms. Each had a bed, a vanity, and two large cases to store clothing, or anything the pony staying wanted. A single king size bed with thick plush pillows and blankets were the centerpiece of the room easily with their size.
As Celeano followed Twilight to her room across the hall Tempest took the time to put her belongings away and got acquainted with her room. By that she took off her armor, her guard, and flopped onto the plush bed and took a long nap.
Lunch and First Assignment
Tempest was asleep in her new bed waiting for lunch. While she slept there came a gentle knocking on the doors to her room. Slowly she blinked her eyes open and craned her neck to look back at the doors. She rolled over until her legs dangled off the side of the bed where she slid herself off the side. Her hooves made contact with the ground making a light clanking noise against the hard crystal. Slowly she waddled forward towards the door. With her hoof she grabbed hold of the turn handle and opened the door revealing Starlight Glimmer.
The two unicorns smiled and without a word Starlight reached through to give her friend a hug.
“Tempest! I heard you just got to town!” Starlight said, excitedly bouncing.
“Yes, Celeano and I got here and are ready to take on our new jobs. All that aside, how have you been Starlight? How’s Trixie and Maud?” Tempest asked, allowing Starlight entry into the room.
Starlight entered the room looking around and took a seat near the vanity. She turned to face Tempest who hopped back on the bed and laid on her belly like a cat, while looking down at Starlight from her elevated position.
“Trixie and Maud are doing great! We recently went to Maud’s home to visit her family,” Starlight said, magically conjuring a photo.
Tempest leaned closer from the bed to see the ponies in the picture. In the front of the group was Starlight flanked by Trixie and Maud. Behind them were four other ponies Tempest didn’t recognize. One was an old stallion, mustard fur and a grey mane that was styled with long sideburns that were undoubtedly older than he was. Next to him was a mare light grey with an even darker grey and white streaked mane tied back in a neat bun with large glasses on the ridge of her snout.
“These two elderly ponies here are Igneous and Cloudy Quartz, they are Maud's parents,” Starlight said, pointing to the two ponies.
She then pointed to the other two ponies on the right of the picture. They were younger mares one with a soft timid expression, the other had a rough almost angry expression on her mug. Tempest couldn’t help but crack a smile at the angry looking mare in the picture.
“I like her,” Tempest said, joyfully, pointing at angry pony.
Starlight giggled taking the photo back and looked at pony in the picture.
“Yeah, I figured you would. I feel you two would get along,” Starlight said, teleporting the picture away. “Well, wanna go get lunch? Twilight sent me to get you when it was ready.”
“Yeah, I’m starving. Lead the way Starlight.”
Tempest once more rolled off the bed and followed Starlight out of the room and into the hall. Tempest took care to lock her room behind her. She did not do it out of paranoia but out of habit. Growing up in the Badlands taught her many things. One such lesson was you can never be too careful with your belongings, even if it's in the safety of one's home.
Once she was sure her room was secure Tempest followed Starlight through the castle. Its many halls were annoyingly similar that she knew it would take time to learn the castles layout. Hall after hall the two mares walked on with Starlight leading, and for the longest time Tempest was sure they were walking in circles. With the castle being made of crystal and lack of interior decor it was difficult nigh impossible for Tempest to determine if they really were going in circles or not.
After what felt like an eternity Starlight turned a corner to a new hall that had a more defined look. It was a straight hall with six doors, three on either side, going down its length. Beside each door was a mirror each distinctly different from the other. Each mirror had a single color and a small plaque that had what Tempest could only guess were cutie marks. She recognized Twilight Sparkles on a purple mirror in the middle row on the right side of the all of the mirrors. She then remembered these cutie marks were Twilight Sparkle’s friends cutie marks.
Tempest noticed Starlight didn’t stop and continued after the young mare. Though with some reluctance she did so. Her curiosity caused her to glance at each picture when she passed them wondering what it was. Not long afterwards they entered the throne room where Twilight Sparkle was overlooking several documents and was sorting them into three neat piles as tall as three full grown stallions high. The busy Princess had heavy bags under her eyes as she seemed to mindlessly zombie through the mass of papers with her magic. Tempest noticed there was a group of ponies leaving as the doors were closed by Thunderclap.
Starlight walked around the table and behind the massive thrones slowly making her way towards Twilight. Thunderclap watched the young mare as she got closer to Twilight almost as if she were expecting something to happen. Tempest watched the scene unfold and noticed a few odd things about Thunderclap.
Immediately it was apparent when Starlight, or any stranger was near Princess Twilight, Thunderclap got very tense and rigid. Her tail twitched to the left and her eyes would narrow, similar to how Tempest was. It was a clear nervous twitch that showed this mare had been around the block as a guard. Tempest also noticed Thunderclap slightly bent her legs as if readying to sprint at a moments notice all the while the mare kept a critical eye on Starlight. If Tempest didn’t know any better she would have called the mare paranoid. Starlight herself was prancing along with a smile on her face and no fear or paranoia whatsoever.
Starlight approached Twilight from the right and closed in never losing her smile as Thunderclap continued to watch like a hawk would its prey. The rhythmic clapping of her hooves managed to pull tear Twilight’s gaze away from the papers long enough to give her former student a big smile as the distance between them closed.
“Starlight! Good morning!” Twilight said, hugging Starlight.
Starlight practically hopped into Twilight’s arms and the two shared a warm hug complemented with girly giggles. Tempest noticed Thunderclap gag at the sight. Guess she’s not the touchy freely type of mare. Tempest thought. She was so fixated on Thunderclap she didn’t notice a purple pony princess until she was abruptly hugged from the front. Tempest visibly flinched and jumped by instinct but Twilight was a lot stronger than she looked and held the strong mare down.
The purple pony had a strong grip around her neck and nuzzled her friends cheek. “Tempest!” Twilight chirped happily.
“Greetings your majesty,” Tempest replied trying to figure out what to do about the awkward hug.
Suddenly she got a cold chill down her spine. From the corner of her eye she noticed Thunderclap was glaring right at her. Hoping to break from the angry glare Tempest resided to pat the Princess on the back, it felt like a safer option.
“Tempest, come on I told you, please call me Twilight,” Twilight requested of her friend. “I don’t like being called something so formal by my friends.”
Tempest was slightly shocked by Twilight’s forwardness on this subject. She knew the mare preferred to be called by her name rather than title, but Tempest never expected she would demand that of her personal guards. For someone like Tempest she felt it was unprofessional to fraternize with royalty as a guard, but then again Twilight wasn’t like other pony nobility or royalty. Therefore Tempest decided to make her best attempt to be more open to this idea of familiarity with Twilight as a pony and not just as royalty.
“I think I understand I’m just not comfortable with this level of intimacy. Especially due to the fact that I'll be one of your guards,” Tempest said.
“I understand Tempest, and believe me I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable,” Twilight walked over to her throne and sitting in it. “You can call me what you like until you get use to working here.”
The alicorn gestures for Tempest and Starlight to join her. As they did Spike came into the room with three other unicorn pony maids carrying plates of food to the crystal map. Starlight waved to Spike, who waved back, while the little dragon placed three table mats down and the maid ponies placed the plates of food down on each one for the three ponies. Spike then followed the ponies out but was stopped when Twilight called out to him.
“Spike!”
The little dragon stopped at the door and turned back and ran back to Twilight’s side. It wasn’t a fast pace run but a casual job if anything. Tempest thought it was mildly cute the way he almost bounced with each step. She then noticed tiny wings on his side. I wonder how long he had those? She thought to herself as Twilight chatted with Spike briefly.
“Spike, why don’t you join us for lunch? You’ve been working so hard these last few days. You deserve a break for all your hard work,” Twilight said, rubbing the little dragons head.
Spike chuckled taking Twilight’s hoof in his claws and held it for a moment.
“Thanks, but I got one last thing to do then I’m going to meet Big Mac, and Discord later for your game night,” Spike said, to his older sibling.
“I’m glad you are getting out and having a good time, Spike. Will you be home tonight or are you staying at Sweet Apple Acres?” She asked Spike.
“I’ll be staying. Big Mac has a room for me at the house so I won’t be sleeping in the barn if you’re worried,” Spike let go of Twilight’s hoof and taking his leave.
“See you tomorrow!” Spike called back waving to the three mares.
“Bye Spike!” Twilight and Starlight called waving.
Spike gave one last goodbye to the mares before leaving them to enjoy their meal. The lunch was a simple one consisting of daisy sandwiches and salads with orange juice for everyone. Tempest thought it was quaint but made no complaints considering it was so late in the afternoon. In a lot of ways it reminded her of her foal hood back in her home town before she ran away. After playing with her friends all day she would prance home to the prospect of sandwiches, soup, and grape juice just for her.
As she ate the last of her sandwiches she moved on to the salad. She took one bite then looked around taking notice that Celeano wasn’t here. Wondering where her lover was she glanced around which Twilight and Starlight took note of. Twilight swallowed the last of food and wiped her mouth followed by a quick sip of her juice. She then cleared her throat to get the unicorns attention. Hearing the princess clear her throat Tempest and even Starlight gave her their full attention as she took all the empty plates and placed them into a neat stack to the side.
“Well, now that we’ve had some time to eat and get reacquainted let's talk about why you’re here Tempest Shadow,” Twilight rested her front legs on the table and leaned into them.
“Yes, please let’s."
The mare adjusted her posture to sit upright and became rather stiff like a statue. Twilight thought it looked like Tempest was trying to sit at attention. It was amusing to her and she couldn’t help but crack a smile. Tempest despite knowing this would most likely be an informal meeting felt a bit nervous about the conversation to come. She wasn’t worried she wouldn’t get the positions, she was more than qualified. She was more worried about what the Princess would have her do than anything else. If she knew anything about Twilight was that she had a very different view on the world around her than Tempest did, and that was the source of her worry.
Twilight for her part looked rather relaxed. She seemed to dislike the position she was in and rested back into her throne and Starlight did the same.
“So Tempest, I want to start by saying thank you for accepting the position of a Royal Guard. I’m glad to know you’ll be in the ranks, and I hope you’ll help bring some experience to the table aside from Captain Thunderclap,” Twilight said, with a smile.
Tempest felt slightly better hearing that. At least there wouldn’t be a long interrogation to go with this meeting.
“This also isn’t an interview in case you’re wondering,” Twilight explained waving a hoof. “I’m more than aware of your qualifications considering what happened in the past between us.”
Tempest suddenly felt her heart sank a bit and as tern glare and snort came from Thunderclap. Twilight hushed the guardsmare with a harsh hiss and a wave of her hoof. Thunderclap nodded politely to her princess and continued to watch over the group.
Tempest felt a little better seeing Twilight defended her, but she still felt a sting in her heart for what she did to the mare and her friends. While Tempest did make peace with the alicorn princess for her past encounters it still made her feel small when she was reminded of her time as the Storm King's right hand. She was supreme commander of his forces and she committed horrible atrocities in that time. She was glad to now work for a more benevolent ruler.
“To that end this will be more of an orientation. Celeano was already here with us while you slept and is off on her first assignment which you too will partake in once this orientation is finished,” Twilight explained clapping her hooves.
At the sound of the alicorns hooves clapping Thunderclap walked over and magically levitate scroll to Tempest Shadow. Tempest nodded other mare but got a grunt in response. Thunderclap immediately turned about face and walked back to her post near the door watching over the meeting. Her eyes scanned the room tentatively, which Tempest could respect. You can’t be too careful these days.
“So, as you know I’m Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship. That isn’t just a title I have, I live by that title. I help spread the magic of friendship to all creatures in hopes to help bring a brighter tomorrow for all creatures and nations. You will be part of my Guards of Friendship under Captain Thunderclap. I believe you noticed my School of Friendship on the mountain nearby as you came in?” Twilight gestured to the wall, but tempest knew what she was implying.
“Yes, I saw it and some other creatures including a dragon and a hippogriff when Celeano and I arrived,” She said, nodding.
So I was right, it is a school. Tempest thought to herself.
“Great! Did you meet any of the students?” Twilight asked grinning.
Tempest shook her head which made Twilight deflate slightly, but she didn’t lose her smile or upbeat attitude.
“That’s fine! You’ll meet them in time. But that leads to my next point, as my personal guard you’ll have many duties that come with this position,” Twilight unrolled a scroll which was identical to the one Tempest was given, so she opened hers too. “Now aside from your typical duties as a guard you’ll have “friendship patrol” duties as well.”
This table we are at is a magical map that calls others to help solve friendship matters all over the world. So, from time to time I may not be here. Should I not be present it is up to my Guards of Friendship to uphold peace and order in Ponyville as well as the magic of friendship in my absence or as the need arises. Any questions so far?” Twilight asked.
Twilight pulled out a single parchment and showed a diagram and list to Tempest. Tempest could not believe what she was hearing. She was well aware of the magic of friendship was a real thing, but a gourd of friendship? That seemed rather outlandish and a bit necessary. She wanted to speak these thoughts but she knew better than to ask questions she knew the answers too. She just thought it was odd, but everything was making sense so far. So in response to Princess Twilight’s inquiry she nodded her head saying, “Yes Princess.”
“Good, good. So now that that’s been made clear your duties are as follows,” She looked at her scroll and cleared her throat. “As a Guard of Friendship you, Tempest Shadow, will uphold the tenets of friendship as stated in your copy of the Journal of Friendship. In addition you are a representative of friendship as well as a guard and must keep this in mind while you conduct yourself in Ponyville and your daily duties.”
“Should a conflict arise you will act accordingly to the situation. If it is a friendship dispute you will uphold the Magic of Friendship and help the citizens as needed to the best of your ability. If you come across a law breaking citizen or such you shall act accordingly in line with the Royal Guards code of conduct but you WILL uphold friendship at all times for every creature. Is that clear Tempest?” Twilight asked in a kind tone trying not to sound too authoritative.
Tempest nodded. “Yes, I understand.” She said, looking at Starlight across the table.
The mare was munching on a large helping of food, and though the puffed cheeks waved to her unicorn friend. Tempest waved back smiling before returning her attention to Twilight.
“Anything else Princess?” Tempest asked taking another bite of her sandwich.
“Nope! That covers everything for now! Now let’s talk about your assignment!” Twilight bellowed.
The alicorn princess had such enthusiasm it was contagious. Tempest felt herself smiling at the overly excited mare. Tempest sat waiting patiently as Twilight calmed herself. Tempest observed Thunderclap watching Twilight closely as if she was expecting something to happen. Her body was stiff and she seemed to be ready to pounce on a moments notice. After a few seconds when nothing happened the guardsmare relaxed and resumed taking a casual pose.
Twilight sighed never losing her smile. Tempest waited patiently as Twilight summoned another scroll with her magic and levitated it over to Tempest who took it in hoof. Tempest examined the scroll unraveling and reading the contents. She donned a look of surprise as she read it twice over to make sure she understood it. It was the details of her first assignment that Twilight was talking about, and she could not believe what she was reading.
“Princess, is this-”
“Yeup, it’s your first assignment. All you have to do is do your duties, get accustomed to Ponyville, and make a new friend by the end of the week! Simple, right?” Twilight said, cheerfully.
“Y-yeah, easy." Tempest felt uneasy.
Being a guard, simple. Make a friend by the end of the week? This posting seemed more absurd the more Tempest thought about it. Sure she was able to make friends herself, but to actively seek one out? Was that really a thing?
Again doubt reeled its ugly head in Tempest Shadow’s heart making her feel unsure of herself. What was wrong with me? She thought to herself. I can lead an army against an enemy force with nothing but my armor and hooves, chase a alicorn across the world, and face terrible odds against overwhelming foes, but why is the thought of actively making friends such a scary thought to me? She wondered.
She pressed back the thoughts and feelings and tried to see the positive side of the assignment, She made friends with several ponies already including Starlight, Maud, and even Trixie after all these years. She was friends with Princess Twilight and company, why should it be difficult? Then again, she was a guard to the Princess of Friendship, so maybe it wasn’t going to be so bad?