~I know you, you're a special one. Some see crazy where I see love~
“Well, that's one thing that never changes around here. The party.” Tempest breathed upon seeing Twilight trot over to her. She bit her lip and turned around, set on taking her leave and traveling… somewhere else. Anywhere else, really.
“Well, I hope you'll stay. More friends are definitely merrier.” Twilight smiled.
Turning back around in modest surprise to face the alicorn, Tempest let out a deep sigh. “But, um… my horn…”
“You know, your horn is pretty powerful, just like the pony it belongs to.” Twilight chirped. As a stray thought passed through her mind, her eyes lit up. “I just had a great idea! Tempest, there’s somepony I want you to meet! Come with me!” The alicorn turned around, facing the crowd, and gestured for Tempest to follow.
For a moment Tempest stood frozen, a big ball of apprehension building in the pit of her stomach as Songbird Serenade’s voice rang out in the background.
Is she going to go introduce me to one of the Princesses? I really don’t want to have to meet any of them, considering I turned them into living statues not too long ago...
Nevertheless, Tempest swallowed her fear and padded along to meet up with Twilight, who began weaving through the crowd until finally stopping near the front. She stood next to three fillies Tempest didn’t recognize.
“Hey Twilight,” one of the fillies said in a thick southern accent. “What’s going on?”
“I’m just enjoying the concert!” Twilight responded chipperly. “How about you girls?”
“She’s great!” The white unicorn filly grinned. “Ooh, do you think there’s any chance we can meet her?”
Twilight tapped her chin with a hoof. “I can see if I can do anything about that, but first there’s somepony I want you all to meet.”
Twilight gestured for Tempest to come closer with a foreleg, and as she slowly made her way to the four ponies, the fillies instinctively shrunk back and made frightened noises, instantly recognizing her as the mare that attacked Canterlot and turned three princesses into crystal statues. Tempest stood in front of them and suddenly found something very interesting to look at on the ground.
“Tempest,” Twilight started. “These are the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They’re younger sisters of some very good friends of mine. This is Applebloom,” she pointed at the cream colored filly with a southern accent. “This is Sweetie Belle,” she pointed at the white unicorn. “And this… is Scootaloo.” She pointed at an orange pegasus. “Crusaders, this is Tempest. She’s decided to defect from the Storm King’s army and join the good guys!”
The Crusaders looked far from convinced.
“I’d like us all to take a little break from this party. How about we meet up by that area down there?” Twilight pointed away from the stage, down some stairs, at a clearing that was usually used as a farmer’s market. There was some unconvinced muttering, but the five ponies started to make their way to the aforementioned clearing, when Twilight stopped.
“Actually… Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, can you come help me get those backstage passes you girls wanted? Scootaloo and Tempest, we’ll meet you in just a bit.”
Scootaloo shot a terrified look at Twilight at the prospect of being alone with Tempest.
“Actually Twilight, I think I should come along too!” Scootaloo burst out. A thought shared by Tempest, whose heart was currently beating like war drums in her chest.
Twilight merely gave a knowing smile. “No need, Scootaloo. I just need these two. Why don’t you and Tempest go ahead of us and get to know each other? You don’t have to worry about her, I trust her.”
Trust? Already? What’s up with this Princess? And leaving me alone with a filly? Something about this isn’t right...
Tempest regarded the filly, who was currently watching Tempest with apprehension.
Great. Finally not part of a tyrannical army and I’m still terrifying children.
“You don’t have to worry, small one,” Tempest gave Scootaloo a small smile and tried her best to give her words a reassuring tune. “I have no intention of harming you.”
Scootaloo gave a nervous chuckle and nodded, meekly following Tempest down the stairs. The two stood around for a minute, idly waiting for Twilight and wondering if they should be the one to engage in conversation. A gentle breeze wafted past them, ruffling the fur on their coats. The sound of singing and cheering was still easily heard, but much more subdued now.
“S-so…” Scootaloo chuckled nervously again. “What’s up with… y’know… that?” Scootaloo gestured to her own forehead and immediately dropped her gaze.
“My horn?” Tempest asked breathlessly. Scootaloo cringed and nodded.
I really hate talking about my past… especially that. But… I guess if I’m going to become a normal pony now...
“Long story short? I was playing with some friends when I was around your age, and we sent the ball flying into a cave. I was elected to get it. Then I found an Ursa. I think you can tell what happened from there.” Tempest deadpanned.
Scootaloo gazed back wide eyed, her jaw hanging open.
“And now…” Tempest groaned. “I can’t do any spells at all. Not even basic levitation. If I wanted to lift so much as a blade of grass I couldn’t. I can just release raw magical bursts.”
"Oh." Scootaloo sank to her haunches and looked away. "I think I know why Twilight asked you to talk to me now.”
"Why?" Tempest asked, raising an eyebrow.
Scootaloo opened her wings and looked at them with a pained expression. "I'm a grounder."
"A grounder?"
"That's what they call pegasus who can't fly. A grounder."
Tempest slowly said down, digesting what the filly had just told her.
“Twilight asked us to speak because we’re both…”
“Broken.” Scootaloo finished her thought.
Tempest instantly felt a twinge of sadness as she noticed the dejected expression on the filly’s face. It’s not as if the mare had a reputation for being extremely emphatic, but Tempest had to admit she saw a bit of herself in Scootaloo. The same sadness. The same deep rooted pain in not being able to even be a normal member of your own race.
Tempest idly noted that Songbird Serenade’s song had a significant raise in speed. It seemed much more energetic than how it started. And yet, Twilight and the other fillies had not returned. Tempest looked back at Scootaloo. She had her head bowed and was absentmindedly poking at the ground with a hoof. Tempest chewed her bottom lip, lost in thought.
“Maybe there’s a fix.” She finally spoke.
Scootaloo’s gaze shot up, she had almost forgotten Tempest was sitting near her.
“Well…” Tempest continued slowly. “There’s no fix for a broken horn. It’s like losing most of your leg, there’s nothing you can do to get that to work anymore, you can just wobble around and fall over a lot. But your wings seem physically fine. Is it a muscular issue?”
Scootaloo blinked hard, shocked from the look of… could it be empathy on the face of the mare that had attacked the same city they were currently in just three days ago? The very same one, that while indirectly, had her and friends locked in a cage?
“No. If it was something like underdeveloped muscles my parents just would have sent me to physical therapy. I don’t completely understand it, but what the doctor said it sounds like pegasus have magical pathways in their wings like unicorns do in their horns. These… strengthen the wings or something. Or make the pegasi lighter. Anyway, without those, pegasi bodies are too heavy to hold up the pegasus. My magical pathways are broken. There’s no fix for that.”
~You fall so low but shoot so high. Big dreamers shoot for open sky~
The two lapsed back into silence, until Scootaloo stood up suddenly, a determined look on her face. “But not being able to fly doesn’t mean anything! A ton of pegasi make their lives on the ground. And if I don’t give up, then you shouldn’t either! Maybe Twilight can make you like… a prosthetic. Or even if not, she can probably find something for you to do. If Rainbow Dash refuses to give up on me, I don’t doubt Twilight would be the same for you!”
Tempest paused. “Rainbow Dash… The rainbow maned mare that’s friends with Twilight?”
Scootaloo stared up at Tempest with giant eyes, and let out a soft squee. “Yes! Rainbow Dash is so awesome! You know about her? That’s so cool!”
Tempest chuckled. “I know we would have never found Princess Twilight and her friends in time if it weren’t for her. She caused some sort of rainbow explosion that led us right to them. This whole journey might have turned out very differently without that.”
Scootaloo’s face fell comically. “Oh. That’s uh… less cool.”
Amused by the filly’s reaction, Tempest decided to humor her. “Although I suppose if things didn’t go the way they did, who knows what would have happened? I might have never had been… saved by your princess, and who knows what else would have come to pass?”
Scootaloo returned a smile to Tempest. “Yeah, you’d have to wait until the Storm King tried to invade again if that happened!”
"I don't think he's in any state to invade again. His whole plan kind of... fell to pieces." Tempest shot a sideways glance at Scootaloo.
"Was... Was that a joke?" Scootaloo blinked.
"I uh... I've never been very good at jokes. The only minion with a sense of humor is Grubber and he's... dumb as a bag of rocks."
Scootaloo giggled. "Well it was a good try."
It’s… disarming to see a creature so small so… comfortable in my presence… I don’t think I mind though. If this child is going through similar feelings that I experienced at her age… I’m glad she has such a supportive group. And also that I can be of some momentary respite.
“Thank you, little one.” Tempest replied sincerely.
~But when your wounds open, you will cry, you'll cry out now and you'll question why~
Scootaloo hesitated. “Scootaloo.”
“W-what’s that?”
“My name is Scootaloo. Not ‘Little One’.” Scootaloo grinned at Tempest. “And you’re Tempest Shadow, right?”
And so informal too. I’m just not used to that in general. But as long as we’re being informal...
“Actually… that’s not my real name.”
Scootaloo stared up at Tempest, her eyes filling her face cutely.
“It’s… uh…” Tempest hesitated. “Fizzlepop Berrytwist.”
Scootaloo didn’t respond for a moment. Then just as Tempest was about to ask her if she was okay, Scootaloo fell onto her back, forehooves wrapped around her barrel, clutching her side, shaking from uproarious laughter.
She’s… laughing at me. Should I be angry or offended?
Tempest struggled to keep her face neutral as the filly caught her breath and pushed herself back up to a sitting position, her smile dimming as she caught a look at Tempest’s face.
No, this won’t do.
Tempest shook her head and gave off a little chuckle. “Yes, so you see why I don’t go by that name anymore.”
Scootaloo’s smile returned. “I guess that’s a good point.”
Tempest’s ears instantly swiveled to the sound of the clip clop of three ponies descending the staircase behind Scootaloo and her. From the sound of it, two foals and one mare. Tempest instinctively wheeled around, on all four hooves in a moment. Upon seeing that it was just Twilight and the other two fillies, Tempest dropped her stance and sank to her haunches, cheeks tinted ever so slightly pink.
“Hey there girls!” Twilight’s voice rang out jovially. “How are you getting along?”
The two other fillies look concerned, as to be expected. But the face of Twilight betrayed not even the slightest hint of worry. How could she be so sure I wouldn’t harm the filly? In her horseshoes I wouldn’t trust me. But maybe… maybe that’s the point. Maybe Twilight knows just what I’ve been missing...
~I can see a rainbow in your tears as they fall on down. I can see your soul grow through the pain as they hit the ground.~
“Well girls, I have us five backstage passes. You all want to meet Songbird Serenade?” Twilight chirped.
She… invited me?
Tempest cleared her throat. “I believe after… recent events, maybe I shouldn’t meet with her. I do appreciate the offer though.”
Twilight tilted her head. “Are you sure? I’m sure Songbird Serenade would have refused if she wasn’t okay with meeting you.”
“I’m sure.” Tempest nodded. “But, ah, Princess Twilight?”
Twilight gave off a knowing grin. “Twilight is fine. And what is it?”
Tempest averted her gaze. “Well, one, I just wanted to thank you for… what you did over at the castle. If you’d allow me, I’d like to travel around a bit, and make amends for the atrocities I committed under the Storm King.”
Twilight placed a hoof under Tempest’s chin and raised her head so their gazes matched. “On one condition.” Twilight smiled. “I want you to write to me every so often. Tell me how you’re doing… and what you’ve learned.”
This… This is actually happening. This princess is just… letting me go.
“Of course.” Tempest returned a small smile to Twilight.
“Well then!” Twilight announced, turning around. “Come on girls, let’s go meet Songbird Serenade. And this time I can speak to her without accidentally flinging cake on her!”
The fillies giggled and began following Twilight, all except Scootaloo, who paused, looking between the alicorn and Tempest. After a moment of failing to get a reaction from Tempest, Scootaloo slowly padded up the stairs after her friends.
“Scootaloo.” Tempest said softly.
Scootaloo instantly froze and turned around, trying to read Tempest’s face.
Tempest took a steadying breath. “Thank you as well. And… if I find anything that can help you with… your condition out in Equestria, I’ll be sure to get that information to Twilight. And… If you don’t tell anypony else… you don’t have to call me Tempest.”
Scootaloo beamed at Tempest. “Thank you too! And I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for anything that can help you too! I hope to hear back from you soon… Fizzlepop.”
And with that, Scootaloo started bounding up the stairs, much happier, leaving Tempest with her thoughts, that while usually dark, were fast approaching being… hopeful.
It’s time to make some changes. But if not for me… then for my friends.
~Here comes the sun, smiling down.~
