Tempest's Tale

by BeautifulHorse

Rating: everyone
Tags: Starlight Glimmer, Tempest Shadow, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: The Movie, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 2347

When Tempest Shadow is invited to Ponyville, she approches it with a healthy skepticism. But maybe, just maybe, a stay in the friendliest place in Equestria is just what she needs?

Tempest has been invited to stay at Twilight's castle after several months of not very much under heavy watch in Canterlot. Keen on the idea of getting out, she accepts. The one problem: After invading, and then spending quite a bit of time away from society, everypony is a bit anxious about her presence.

Once she arrives in Ponyville, Tempest is much less sure of herself. Sure, she's out, but what now? Will she ever be able to get a meaningful place in life? And what about her lack of cutie mark?

Timeline of alterations:
2/7/2019: First published. Yay!
15/6/2020: Somewhat reworked in an attempt to continue the story. Not much happened afterwards.
9/6/2023: Progress behind the scenes. Massive reboot coming up in the vauge and distant future.
12/6/2023: All currently published chapters rewritten and new chapters on the way. Changes will be published when the story is complete.
24/9/2023: Progress is slower but the story has not been forgotten.

Published 2019-07-02 12:20:01 UTC
Last updated 2020-06-15 08:27:39 UTC

Ponyville's New Tempest

Tempest sighed. She had accepted Twilight’s friendship, but she just felt out of place. The past several months she had been staying in a rather secure wing of the castle in Canterlot, learning about how Equestria had changed, doing paperwork and assessments, getting her copious amount of ‘papers’ in order and transitioning, legally, from a runaway outlaw to a citizen of Equestria. And writing her resume, for when she applied for work.

Tempest had her eye on the guard. It sounded like a good idea for someone who formerly commanded an army. Or maybe the army. Maybe she could be a contracting security pony. She had fought hoof and tooth to keep her armor, albeit with the storm king’s logo covered over, and she wanted to use it. Hopefully Equestria wasn’t too peaceful for that sort of thing.

Thinking back to her last few months, Tempest mulled over how much her life had improved. She was still treated very, very suspiciously and had not been let out of the castle for any reason other than exercise with the guards, but things had been much better for her. She had had pony food instead of the horrible glop and occasional meat (that had taken some getting used to), her accommodations felt huge with a bedroom, small living area and bathroom compared to her shoebox room on the airship and over the past few months many scars, persistent bruises and aches had faded. Her coat and mane were now soft and smooth instead of matted and greasy. Amusingly, her mane actually flopped over a little bit because it wasn’t stiff with grease and other scurf.

Tempest had improved mentally too. She had shifted from her constant pressured toughness to a slightly softer personality, her guard had shifted from constantly up to trusting ponies a bit more and now she was even a little shy and regretful of her actions.

Now, she had been invited to Ponyville by Twilight, the Princess of Friendship. They had met a couple of times before, had a few conversations about her future, discussed the possible reactions of her leaving the castle, and this was it. She was going to be transitioning from her quiet castle life to Ponyville, and the last time Twilight had visited they had set some objectives for her.

The first was to make a friend. Of course. The second was to find a job, so she could support herself financially and the third was to find some hobbies so she could enjoy herself and find some purpose. There was fourth goal, find a home, but that was long term and they had agreed to put that goal off until Tempest had explored a little and become more familiar with the rest of Equestria.

Now looking about an overly glitzy suite in the Castle of Friendship, Tempest wondered if she had made the right decision. Even upon walking in ponies had been giving her weird glances, as though she were some kind of… invader. To be completely fair, she had invaded Canterlot and almost succeeded, but that was in the past, right? Didn’t ponies forgive and forget easy around here? Tempest resigned to admit it must be in her appearance. 20 minutes later she looked in the huge mirror. She looked somewhat different without the body armor and the silky black garment which she had worn underneath it. She couldn’t bring herself to leave the hoof guards behind though. There was something about them that she loved… and walking about without the sounds of metal clinking on the floor would be strange.

Tempest walked through the castle. It was massive. A lot of bumbling about the hallways later she found the balcony overlooking Ponyville. Her hooves clinked against the crystal floor as she walked out and gazed over the ponies that had been so fearful. She lowered her head in quiet shame. I have a way to go before I am accepted by ponies here…

Tempest looked up at the sound of quiet hoofsteps. She looked up to see a light purple pony looking concernedly at her.

“Hi, I’m Tempest… As you have probably heard.”

The pony looked thoughtfully at her for a moment. “Not really actually, I just heard today that you were going to be staying here for a while. I’m Starlight Glimmer, and I am- Used to be Twilight’s student. I now work as a counsellor at her school.”

“Twilight has a school? What sort of school?” Tempest looked at Starlight. Starlight was a grown mare, not a filly. “You were her student? Did you attend her school?”

Starlight gave Tempest a brief and quizzical look. “When she took me on, the school didn’t exist. It’s thanks to your recent chasing her about Equestria that she realized that she needed a place to teach friendship.”

“Oh… so something good came of my conquest…”

“Don’t think of it that way! The Storm King manipulated you into doing what he wanted using a hollow promise. You came around in the end, and that’s what matters now… who you are now.”

At this, Tempest blushed just a little and became a bit shy. “It’s nice that someone thinks that. It’s very hard for me to leave the past in the past… When my horn broke, I was so focused on fixing it that it blinded my every other sense. I couldn’t see that I could try to fit in until I got it back… If that makes any sense. Anyhow, it seems I have missed a lot on my journeys outside of Equestria. Can you fill me in? Maybe show me about Ponyville?

Starlight grinned. “Sure thing. What do you want to know first? I have always wanted to practice my history lecture skills with somepony…”

For a second, Tempest thought about just saying no and going to explore on her own. But Starlight interested her. There was something about her that said she was not just another pony. Starlight seemed to have her own story.

“Okay, Starlight, I want to know everything.”

Touring Ponyville

“… And that is how Sweet Apple Acres was founded!” Starlight took a deep breath and gave a delighted grin, obviously satisfied with how part 7xy4a of her lecture was going. Tempest was very fit from all her invading and conquering, but even she was starting to get tired from all this trotting around and the seemingly endless lecture.

“Say, Starlight, what’s your story?” Tempest inquired curiously, eying her companion as they made a fast pace through the apple orchard.

“Oh, MY story? Do you want the good parts or the bad parts?”

“Everything!”

Starlight swallowed. “Well, my foalhood friend found his destiny and was sent away to magic school. I became very lonely and refused to accept that I could ever make another friend. I was actually scared that if I did, another cutie mark would take them away too! So I decided that I would make a village where that sort of tragedy would never happen again. I formed a settlement, made it a nice place to live, and kinda stole the ponies’ cutie marks off their flanks and brainwashed them into agreeing with me…”

“Wow,” Tempest gawked, “I feel a bit like I’m not the one exception of a rule anymore… did you do anything else?”

“I became really mad at Twilight and her friends and tried to undo the moment when they got their cutie marks… they got them at the same time, as well as the first unknown connection of their friendship. I travelled back in time and would have succeeded had Twilight not convinced me that if I really went through with it I would destroy Equestria,” Starlight lowered her head in almost shame. “It’s really hard for me to believe they forgave me, still. In the end of all my evils Twilight took me on as her personal student and taught me about friendship, and I ended up saving Equestria from a changeling invasion along with three other formerly evil friends, and then I graduated from Twilight’s teaching and became a counsellor at her school when they got the idea of building it!”

Tempest stopped for a moment, taking this all in. “So they give lots of ponies second chances here? I suppose that’s what Twilight’s crown stands for…”

“Not just ponies! There’s dragons, changelings, griffons, even a very naughty and unreliable draquonequs! Gee, I guess that could be what Twilight does. Anyhow, she gets us a lot of allies!” Starlight trotted to a ‘free sample’ barrel ahead of them and picked up an apple with her magic, levitating it to her mouth and biting into it. “Ooooo, Delifschiouf…”

Tempest looked through the trees and spied Twilight and her friends helping get the apples bucked for the harvest “Speaking of Twilight, she’s over there. Should we be running in the opposite direction? Or…?”

“Oh yeah, we should probably make tracks if we don’t want to be roped into how apple bucking builds character, friendship, strength… Want to come with me to visit Zecora? She is a friendly zebra who lives in the Everfree Forest.”

“Now that sounds good.”

The two ponies walked through the Everfree Forest, their pace slowed so they could duck under vines and branches as they came across them. The cool shade was comforting on their hot skin. The forest was humid and there were bugs everywhere. Starlight looked like she hated the bugs, while Tempest was a vast contrast, not minding at all except to flick away the occasional extra-annoying one. Their hooves left impressions in the soft dirt on the trail to Zecora’s hut as they made their way through the increasingly dense forest.

Tempest followed Starlight and they came up to a very strange-looking tree with ornate swirls and decorate masks all over it. The windows seemed a swirly complement, allowing light to stream in and ponies to look out.

A zebra with startling stripes and a swirly looking cutie mark came out and began to speak in rhyme. “Ah Starlight my friend, come in, come in. Who might the pony be that you bring?” This curious method of speech elicited a smile from Tempest.

Starlight spoke up, “This is Tempest Shadow, a unicorn who lost her way in trying to get her horn back. You may have heard of her escapades in Canterlot, but I assure you, it was simple desperation which blinded her to the welfare of her kind…”

“I have heard of Tempest, she caused a commotion, but far be it from me to judge on assumption. Thank you for assuring me there is naught to fear, now formalities are over what may bring you here?”

“Starlight is showing me about Ponyville and surrounds,” Tempest acknowledged, “She thought I might benefit from knowing of your residence.”

“It is indeed a valuable thing to know, in case of injury or illness or danger where to go. Come by here any time you like, I will be here most hours of daylight.”

Tempest smiled. “Thank you Zecora.”

It was later in the day and Tempest was now alone in her glitzy suite again. She was about to flop onto the bed for a moment of just doing nothing when she noticed a box on her bed. Inside there was a leather-bound notebook, a quill and ink, a copy of the Journal of Friendship and a note.

“Dearest Tempest,

I hope you enjoy this gift. It is a copy of the Journal my friends and I kept before we opened the school, and a journal of your own to write in. And, obviously, writing implements to write in. You don’t have to use it like I used mine, but it would be a good place to write down your feelings and unwind without anyone needing to see your innermost feelings.

In friendship,

Twilight”

Tempest smiled. It was considerate of Twilight to think of a way for her to express herself without needing to hurt anyone, literally or mentally. Maybe she'd pen an entry later this evening.

Journal Entry One

Tempest opened the journal, bypassing the first page for now and continuing straight onto the second page. Breifly glancing at the quill and ink, she decided not to bother trying not to crush the feathery quill and extracted a pen from her bag. She began to write.

Hi... Journal...

It's kind of odd to think that some ponies address their journal as a sapient being. I don't think I'll bother with that. I haven't kept a journal since I was a foal, this feels really nostalgic.

Today has been overwhelming. I didn't show it on the outside, but there is so much to Ponyville! It's really bright and full of friendly ponies. I still see lots of ponies who try to subtly sneak off when I walk past, or stop their conversations when I look at them, I guess that's to be expected since I tried to take over.

It still gets under my skin that no one trusts me, but why should they? Rationally I acknowledge that, but I have yet to come to terms with it emotionally.

I saw a farm today. Farms need strong workers, don't they? I could probably get a short-term job there and earn some money.

I met a mare named Starlight and oh, she can talk. She had seven parts of that speech she gave during the tour, and it all went in one ear and out the other. I'll write down the names of the places we went by here, so I remember:

Sugar Cube Corner
The School of Friendship
The Town Hall
The Carousel Boutique
Sweet Feather Sanctuary
The Cutie Mark Crusader's clubhouse
and the farm, Sweet Apple Acres.

We only actually went into the farm, the other places I will have to explore in my own time. There's a lot to see here for a quiet town

Tempest quietly closed the journal and set it down, heading off to make herself some dinner.