Equestrian Monsters and how to deal with them

Chapters

Old Memories
Afternoon Blues
Shadow
Moving on
Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Old Memories

Author's Note

So in the comics Rockhoof and Fizzlepop make a really cool team so I want to write this fanfiction now. :twilightsmile:
I am a sucker for dark themes and want to make this a slow burn, but I try providing enough comic-relief (Please give all feedback you've got for that since I tend to drift too much into darkness!! hehe)
Anyway, enjoy reading and make sure to leave a nice comment and tell me your thoughts later! :yay:

Old Memories

"Tsk. Out of all the possible monsters haunting these plains, why does it have to be this one?" Tempest ridiculed herself, her voice growing partially anxious towards the ending.

Usually her vast experience in martial arts and kicking butt gave her a lot of confidence. She would just take a breath, follow up with a few quick moves and the foe would be vanquished - no matter how strong, Tempest would at least retain her laid back attitude and stay rational.

But this time it was different. Rationally she knew she'd be fine and there would be no need to hesitate or even fear what's towering in front of her, however after the last time she encountered such a beast it scarred her for life. Literally.

That time, albeit it had happened more than two decades ago, one of its kin had taken what made her very being: Her horn.

Ultimately this single event lead her down the path of leaving her home city, adventuring through the wild, being rescued by the Storm King's soldiers and eventually becoming the very villain which nearly would have destroyed Equestria's harmony for ever.

So it really wasn't about which swings and swipes the blue translucent bear was actually capable of, but the rush of adrenaline and anticipation - that at any moment another overwhelming growl, another flash of what's shoved away deep into her minds vast treasury of scars - could strike her offguard... it kept her on edge.

She tried to shrug it off, convincing herself this cave would just be unusually cold and that anypony would start to shake at this point. At least it bought her enough time to refocus and - on the brink of being crushed by her foes' left paw - to tumble underneath.

Now facing its exposed shoulder Tempest's muscles reacted in routine as she accelerated, charged her magic and stormed towards its shocked visage.

A bolt of lightning elicited from the remains of her horn and headed straight for the head of the baffled Ursa.

Narrowly removing its head from the blast the bear was shook off balance just long enough for Tempest to leap onto its back and send a kick through its whole body. "Take that!"

The bear jolted its head right up and against rocks falling from the roof, crumbling from Tempest's earlier bolts.

Another flurry of kicks and punches later she sent it collapsing to the floor.

Tempest shed the last bits of distractions from her mind and raised a cold gaze while strutting across its back, then jumped in front of the bear's face, looked into his eyes and smirked.

"Revenge truly is a dish best served in brute force. And don't you dare threaten this or any other village ever again."

She didn't shout or raise her voice, yet every single word carried control and content.

The bear nodded hastily, then carefully creeped backwards.

Tempest was already about to turn around and call it a job well done when her opponent bumped against something. As it lit up in purple, a translucent sky of stars came into view. It wasn't simply a rock or the cave's walls - instead it had furry texture and as its eyes opened... "Aw fuck."

Behind the apprehensive Minor reigned a vastly larger purple version of itself. Sharper claws stuck out of its strong paws, larger fangs hung from its teeth and bigger eyes flared. And they stared straight at Tempest.

If not before, now her limbs definitely trembled in fear. And this time she was well aware that it was not because of the cold atmosphere.

Without a thought her attention focused on one thing only as her survival instinct kicked in. In an instant she sketched possible ways the Major's enormous paws could strike and attempted to prepare a counter for each of them.

This time it was the right paw smiting down from the top of the hall.

Tempest tumbled to her left, barely evading the attack. But the ground shook in a horrifying rumbling.

Thrown off balance Tempest's experience told her it wouldn't be long before the other paw would join in on the action. Anticipating what was coming she lit her horn and raised her head, caught sight of the bottom of the predicted paw and put all her might into another lightning ball.

And after firing she kept pushing. It wasn't enough yet, she had to make it stronger! A continuous ray of sparks followed trail.

An image flashed before her eyes.

Ever since she met Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends Tempest understood that friendship is something to be valued and that everypony and every creature would have its reasons for what they do. And thus that she should respect other creatures and not cause serious harm to anybody. But with the sakes of her own life in the hooves of fate, or rather in the paws of an Ursa Major, she was more than willing to risk damage.

However, as luck would have it, it proved surprisingly difficult to push against what was coming from above. Albeit dampening the initial impact with her lightning balls explosion, the pressure stacked on top of her laser and grew heavier with each passing moment.

Slightly shifting her angle to her left the built up tension exploded as the paw flicked, smashing into the ground right besides her. Her laser only scraped the Major's left shoulder before blasting a crater into the ceiling.

This time the entire Cave tembled.

"Screw this damn bear. I'll be buried before it kills me!"

As the first rocks smashed into the ground the Minor winced and saught cover in the arms of its mother. In reaction to it's cries and bruises she completely disregarded the intruder, took her child to her arms and ran for the exit.

Tempest was more than happy to follow the same plan. While trapping the bears six feet under would make her job a lot easier, she was not reckless enough to risk her own burial aswell.

Also to be fair she didn't want to kill these animals. After all Ursas aren't born with an aggressive or harmful nature, they only want to slumber in their caves and gaze the stars during nights. Actually Ursas are a quite peaceful species which seeks to keep trouble out of their territories - which on the other hoof causes nearby villages to live more peaceful aswell.

However sometimes Ursas also attack peaceful villages. May it be because of their overprotective nature regarding their cubs or because somepony from the village acted foolishly and tried to challenge them, whenever it happened the villagers only had one choice left - fight or flight.

And that's where Tempest stepped in. With the cave collapsing there would be no home for the bears in the close area and they would be forced into another territory further away. Now she only needed to get herself out alive so she can collect her paycheck.

Taking cover behind the Major she found it to be quite easy. In front of her the bear would destroy or punch aside any falling rocks, so all she had to do was keep up with its unnaturally fast pace.

Occasionally a stone or two did fall behind the bear and threatened to hit Tempest or block her path, but with most of the danger taken care of by her frontier it wasn't too big of a deal to zap and destroy them.

She had barely seen rays of sunlight when the Major escaped and struck the top of the entrance, sending it down much quicker.

Fearing what seemed inevitable Tempest put all her strength into her legs and sped up for a finishing sprint.

The exit was only a few dozen skips away but Tempest knew it would be a closer call than she'd like to admit. Rocks fell and the ground still trembled from each of the Major's steps. But she had to make it. She had to.

Zapping another rock she saw the light getting closer with each moment as the exit closed in.

Jumping from one clearing to another she rebuilt her pace. 'Just one more jump, one more skip, another zap, just keep pushing. Keep Pushing!'

Then - in a moment of fate her ankle gave way to her weight as it couldn't stretch its limits anymore. It hurt like hell, her entire body did from all the pebbles bludgeoning her along the escape. Her adrenaline still pumped through her veins, her eyes were still focused on the light ahead, only her one cursed ankle had deserted her.

Then the next moment followed. Tempest watched in disbelief, unable to change a thing of what's about to happen. 'Get up! Get up, goddamn it!' "GET UP!" She screamed.

But time wouldn't wait for her to recover. It all unfolded slowly around her, unmerciful, without any regard for her will or determination what-so-ever.

The last rays of light faded away as the entrance collapsed.

Behind her the stone-hearted rumbling approached like a growling cat closing in on a cornered rat.

She was trapped. She was doomed and there was no way out.

In a desperate last attempt she charged her horn once again. It was tough holding it in but she had to make this blast count.

A few seconds later, each of which feeling like an eternity on its own, a large ball of lightning had formed above her and unable to keep control she put all her remaining energy into blasting it off.

And much to her surprise it sent a shockwave through the wall and bursted a large portion of it away. A small hole appeared and weak rays of sunlight immediately found their way through.
It were only a few more steps, just one more rush of energy, one more surge of power, one last push.

But her body would not listen.

Exhausted from the fight, barely able to stay conscious and bruised from debris the shockwave of her own blast gave her the rest. Her legs wouldn't move. No matter how much she ordered them there was no response.

Catching a last glimpse of the sunray she fell to the ground, closed her heavy eyelids and let consciousness fade to darkness.

CHUG

THWAP

CHUG

THWAP

CHUG

THWAP

Regaining her senses Tempest heard muffled sounds. Opening her eyes she realised the entrance must have collapsed even further; there was no light at all. Happy to somehow have survived she sent stray sparks across the room.

THWAP

CHUG

It was hard to make out anything. Pain coursed through her limbs, headache worse than any hangover she could remember and a constant ringing in her ears.

THWAP

CHUG

The area she found herself in was barely big enough to stand up, not that she could anyway. Something heavy laid on her right hindleg and it just would not come off, no matter how hard she pulled.

THWAP

CHUG

"Ugh," Tempest groaned. She did not like what she would do next but given her situation she had no choice. She raised her voice, coughed in an attempt to catch her voice and finally shouted: "Hello? I- Is somepony out there?"

A male voice with rusty accent responded: "A small earthquake and an Ursa running wild where nopony knows what set it off? I knew there would be somepony left in trouble." And another THWAP and CHUG later Tempest was finally blinded by the light of hope.

"Here ye go. Ah've got yer back."

"Thanks," she said, slowly readjusting her eyes. Before her stood a tall earth pony with light blue coat, orange mane and a full beard who leaned a shovel between his leg and neck. Tempest slightly shook her head, flinched, inhaled slowly and continued: "That bear just had to kick the cave shut right before I could make it."

"Don't worry, Rockhoof is here to save the day," he struck a heroic pose, "But you must have put up quite a fight to deal with a Major all by yourself. What's your name strong one?"

"Teh- Dembhesd," her voice shook.

Yes she was relieved to be rescued, and of course she was going to be grateful for the rescuer. But this Mr. Jolly No-Worry? Really?

Rockhoof let out a wholehearted laugh: "Haha! Let's get you back to the village."

Tempest grinned and collapsed as the ringing drowned and her mind blacked out.

Afternoon Blues

"And then I said 'Go back te whence ye came from and don't return!' and struck the sandworm with my shovel," Rockhoof jumped up, spun swift strikes with his shovel in proficient fashion and posed heroically.

Captivated by Rockhoof's tale Tempest took another bite from a sandwich, her eyes bound to his spectacles. She didn't even realise how much she was engaged into the story until she leaned so far forward on her chair that her hindleg ached.

Albeit having asked with a tone of dismayal, pretty much only to prevent having to talk that much herself, Rockhoof put all his heart into his tale. And she had to admit it was quite a show. Even though she probably could have conquered something like a desert sandworm herself, the way his voice retold fear and courage and the style his entire body acted it out made it much more than a plain old story.

Nontheless Tempest recomposed herself and pretended to be nonchalant: "A sandworm, huh? Quite a tale."

Rockhoof returned to the table: "Ah! I'm happy you enjoyed it," and let out one of his whole hearted laughs, "Rare to have such good audience."

"Uh, Thanks?" Surprised by the compliment for pretty much doing nothing, Tempest wasn't sure how to react. She shrugged it off and continued: "So you're also an adventurer? Traveling from place to place looking for quests and monsters?"

"I used to be an adventurer like you, then a friend took a bad turn and we all ended up trapped in something called Limbo for over a thousand years." Rockhoof chuckled awkwardly, ridiculing his own words, "Now I'm still wandering around in a world I haven't seen in over a millenia trying to make sense of it all, you know.."
For the first time since she met him Rockhoof let his voice fade as he got lost in thought.

"Uh-huh," Tempest lifted an eyebrow and summarized in a mocking tone, "And I served an evil villain as chief of army, captured all four alicorn princesses and nearly overtook Equestria before snapping out of it and finally making peace with this." She lowered her head and signaled towards her broken horn, sarcastically adding "Glad to meet you."

She only now realised which words had run through her muzzle. Why did I say that?! Ugh. Way to ruin the mood, Tempest...

But to her surprise Rockhoof didn't hesitate at all. He grinned carelessly: "Ahm glad to meet ye too!"

After a moment of silence and having finished her hayfry sandwich, Tempest got up and Rockhoof followed suite.

"Well, I better get going," Tempest hesitated, "I've still got some stuff to do."

"So do I," Rockhoof spun his shovel and turned around, "Ah'll see ye around, uhm..?"

"Tempest"

"What a strong name! Later, Tempest."

With a clear sky and afternoon sun shining down the streets were quite bright, yet also empty. Only few ponies went their way, a vendor's cart had parked on the side and the only source of noise was a triet of musicians playing their saxophone, bass and a set of drums disguised as upside down buckets.

The bassist sung a melody of mood and rain, her voice was quiet but hummed audibly even two blocks away.

Still limping on her hindleg a familiar yet bitter wave of frustration and anger overcame Tempest once again. She couldn't pinpoint as to what it was that bothered her so much but it just kept nagging, like a mosquito playing its violine while you're desperately trying to sleep.

'Seriously, why did I rush that? Why do I keep being so rude?!' She groaned, 'Why can't I just make a single friend?Everyone else finds their folks. It's unfair.'

Look at him. He's done his deed and got his story from me. And now he'll go back to his companions and share a laugh about that dumb mare who got herself buried alive - right?

...

Here's to hoping he won't keep bothering me. All the creatures I killed, those whose lives I ruined - I have to make up for it. Somehow.

Maybe then they'll forgive me.

She shook her head and let a hoof stroke through leaves of grass on the side of the road. It helped her find back to reality. Lifting her eyes she let them wander through the flowers and trees around her.

From some perspective her day went fine. Finally kicking up her childhood trauma had definitely felt good. She only nearly had died in the process, but after all she's been through Tempest was pretty much used to standing on the brink of death every other month.

But being rescued sucked. To be fair she knew she would've been lost without this random stallion appearing out of nowhere. 'What's his deal anyways? Just roaming around looking for a collapsed tunnel to maybe save some pony - Honestly?'

She halted and shook her head, preventing herself from getting absorbed into a monologue yet again. It didn't matter regardless. It was just one of many fleeting faces she had seen along her travels. She'd meet them, stay polite and get along, and eventually they'd forget she was there. Not like this time it'll be any different.

'What was his name? Rockhoof? Sounds stupid. Who names their foal like that? Almost as bad as- Well Tempest is a much better name than whatever my parents ridiculous thoughts were. Whatever...'

Continuing her stroll through town Tempest felt a sudden urge to return to the forest, track down the Major and kick some butt. But reliving their first encounter in her head made her shift her anger to her limp leg. The pain was the only thing stopping her from rushing off - at least that's what she kept telling herself

Thus she instead made for finding an inn to secure the night before heading into a tavern and probably drinking cider till it grew late enough to sleep.

What else was she supposed to do? Usually she'd go around and see if anypony needs assistance with just about anything, but since the streets were so empty and the only problem, a stray Ursa Minor roaming the fields, taken care of she couldn't find a distraction.

First thing in the morning I'll leave. Lets hope they let me kick some butt in the next city.

Ever since Princess Twilight had opened up her eyes and made her re-learn what friendship truly means, Tempest has put an effort to make up for all the horrible things she caused as soldier of the Storm King. It sort of was the only way for her to keep the nightmares to a minimum.

She'd wake up multiple times soaked in sweat. At least she had learned not to screa-

"Hello, welcome to Golden Springs Inn." A young stallion interrupted her train of thoughts. Standing behind a counter he greeted her with a nervous yet bright smile. "How may I be of service to you?"

He tried his best to be welcoming, noticably new to the job. Tempest gave herself a push to mirror his kindness: "Hello, I'd like a room for the night please."

"Sure thing. Here's the key to room seven, it's straight across the floor to the right," he signaled with his forehoof, "Uhm, that'll be fifteen bits please."

Tempest took out a pouch and counted off. After the truly lavish lunch there was barely enough left to pay for the stay, let alone drink cider in a tavern. She sighed, decided a roof over her head would be the more valuable decision and payed up.

"Welcome once more and enjoy your stay," he cheered and waved her off.

Walking along the corridor Tempest checked her surroundings. It was a simple place, rather small but well cared for. Besides the main entrance she found another turn leading to a backdoor. She found no other exits.

Nontheless with the building constructed of wood and stone it just felt like so many others. To be honest Tempest was relieved this village even had an inn, given how far it lied in the outskirts away from Fillydelphia.

Every here and there a wooden pillar ran through the wall. At one point Tempest was fairly certain she could even see a crack running through the planks, but she didn't make the effort to get a closer look. Now to her right a door with a large 7 engraved into it presented itself.

She was greeted by a faint smell of smoke. A small bed just big enough for her to lay on stood to her right, on the wall opposite of Tempest was a small round window with a view on the inns front yard and to her left a wooden table and chair were directed towards the lookout. And on top of the table a candle had burned to the tin coaster below.
It still had a dim red hue to its wick and the last few breaths of smoke rose as it neared its end.

A note on the table gave directions to a shared bathroom and breakfast times. She dropped her panniers and crashed on the bed.

...

As she opened her eyes again she found herself in her cabin atop one of the many ships the Storm King had to offer. Completely unannounced Grubber broke her restful silence.

"Knock! By the King. Knock before you come in!"

"Oh, right! Sorry." He dropped some papers as he hastily got out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Knock knock

"Not anymore you id- Ugh. Come in and keep it short."

"Uhm, yes." - He recollecte his papers and shuffled them into order.

"The westforces have successfully concluded our battle. We've established full control over the citizens and are awaiting your command on the captured forc-"

"As always, Grubber. Put em in prison and if they resist just get rid of them. You should seriously know the drill by now."

"Yes, commander Tempest."

Grubber bowed and walked out backwards.

"Close the damn door!"

...

This place really looked a lot alike that cabin. Even the candlewax smelled similar. She wondered what Grubber was up to nowadays. He always found his way with others. Even some of the stonecold soldiers had a weakness for his cake addiction.

He's probably out there somewhere eating cake. Must be easy being so simpleminded.

Her gaze drifted to the door she left open. Again she'd have to close it herself. Along the way she gave a glance out the window and realised the evening was still young.

So ultimately Tempest decided to go for a workout session, paying care to her hurting body. Eventually she opened the window before heading for a shower and finally went to bed early.

But just as she was about to sleep a nasty and ever-so-familiar violin began humming from one ear to the other.

This will be a long night.

Author's Note

Thank you for reading on! :yay:
I still have trouble writing long dialogues but I think I did fairly well this time.
Anyhoof, make sure to leave a nice comment and tell me about your thoughts and feedback! I always appreciate these :twilightsmile:

Shadow

Dark clouds covered the sky, so dark one could barely see. Were it not for the flashing light of innumerous thunderbolts striking down in their deafening roars, it would have been impossible to make out where she was.

Ruins of what once was a castle, rocks and bricks scattered across the ground - for an uninitiated it might have been mysterious but Tempest knew exactly where she was. And it filled her with fear.

Squinting her eyes she moved in slow, careful steps. Her legs trembled upon realising that without doubt the creature in front of her was the very same four-legged mixture of red and purple she always saw when looking in the mirror.

But her mirror-image ahead was different. Determined eyes and confident composture graced out of her. The dark uniform displaying the icon of the Storm King and his Reign of Terror suited her all too well.

Looking down towards her with eyes of superiority she began strutting around her, not once breaking posture.

"My, my. Look at you. Legs trembling just because someone stronger stands in front of you? Your eyes squinting every other second because of some measly thunders? And your whole pride- what happened to you?"

Tempest's ears fell back as her head winced to her shoulders.

Her shadow abruptly halted, sighed and put her hoof below Tempests chin.

"It's alright, you may have lost your path but you can always rely on me - your true self - to guide you back."

"Sh.. shut it." Shivers ran down Tempest's spine in dread of what wrath her Shadow would unleash on her - she diverted her eyes to some pale rocks on the side of the road. Soaked by the rain, enduring the storm without a sign of fear. They didn't really warm her, but at least they weren't as cold as the heart of who's ahead.

Shadow raised her eyebrows "Oh, did you say something? You know, you must SPEAK. UP. when giving orders!"

Tempest fell silent. Even if she had words to say - her throat felt so heavy and her lungs so exhausted - she barely managed to stay standing with her knees trembling in reverb of the thunderous roars.

Shadow chuckled sourly: "Can't imagine you once had hundreds of armies at your command, the authority to reign over thousands of creatures and most importantly," she moved closer up until there was barely an inch between their faces and saw right into her dreading gaze, "a name."

She punched a hoof into Tempest's shoulder and pushed her back. Tempest's hindlegs gave in as she slipped.
She didn't feeling the wet mud she landed on, neither did she feel the pouring rain covering her coat. The sole emotion keeping her anchored in the moment was steadily pushed through her veins. Each rush of blood, every beating of her heard only spread the regret rooted deep within her chest.

"The power you talk about was all built on harm - on making others suffer!" A piece of courage flashed through her eyes: "You have no idea how different the world ca-"

"I have no idea?" Shadow ridiculed her, "The entire world is built on harm and suffering and you know it. Harm and suffering confronted us ever since we were a foal, we've seen the truth since the day mom abandoned our dad."
"But you were meant to rise above it, Tempest. You were destined to stand atop - proudly - as you can finally choose for yourself which creature has to suffer and which family to spare."

With quickening winds and deep growls the platform supporting her hooves started falling apart. Becoming the center of a hurricane Shadow glew in dark violet sparks. Atop her head magic manifested and within a quick glow her horn regrew. Simultaneously the same lightning encased her body and enlargened her, growing majestic wings and elevating her to rise and control the storm.

Her voice echoed through the winds, reflecting from the scattered isles of landmasses rushing around like a storm of meteors: "Face me! Rediscover your potential! I am not just your past, Tempest. Nor am I your destiny. I am you - entirely."

With her footing rapidly breaking apart Tempest clung to the last few meters of land below her. A rift cut its way through the entire platform as she spotted the rocks fall off one after another. Her legs trembled. Eyes spread wide open in dread and horror.

"That's not true." she gulped, "This power is not right, it can't be. Twil-"

Shadow interrupted her: "Twilight? Oh shut up. Princess Twilight Sparkle. She and her cheery shmeery 'Magic of Friendship'? Where has that gotten you, Fizzlepop? Tell me! If friendship really is the way, you're all alone - So where. Are. They."

Falling into a void of nothingness Tempest gave up. She saw places torn out of her memory flash by, the first month of school back home, a minute of watching her distant friends play ball without her, a fleeting moment of warmth:
"Well, I hope you'll stay. More friends are definitely merrier."
Numbness spread through her limbs as Tempest pushed her head up. Through sobbing eyes, scattered debris and the neverending thunderstorm she barely made out the demon surging towards her.

Despite the havoc all around, Tempest heard Shadow as if she whispered right into her right ear.

"Where."

Flashing closer her words were calm and strict.

"Are."

A split second before impact.

"They."

Moving on

The sun peeked from behind the horizon.
And when Tempest set a hoof outside, a cool gust brushed her coat. However she didn't hesitate - she had to leave this inn as soon as possible!

It was as frigid a morning as many others had been. While snow hadn't fallen in a while, spring wasn't left behind either. The cold air added to the uneasy sensation in her dry throat. Having skipped breakfast Tempest made a mental note to at least buy some apples at the marketplace before leaving Dappleshore behind for good.

As far as she recalled her next destination would be Clear Skies. Yep. Equestrian ponies sure used every possibility to show their bottomless optimism.

'Oh hey, I'm heading towards Clear Skies! What a wonderful place to be. Never cloudy here at all! No storm like ever!' Tempest sang in her head, imitating whatever histrionic version of the founders she envisioned.

"Yea, this is stupid," she chuckled.

Nevertheless seeing how the streets were rather empty and the birds could still chirp peacefully Tempest found herself lucky to find a single vendor booth. Behind it a light-read coated mare struggled, currently stemming one of its wooden posts with her head.

"Mind if I lend you a hoof?"

"Oh, hi there!," Her ears and eyebrows jumped up, "Yes- I mean not at all! Please!"

With combined efforts it didn't take long to get everything set. After raising both posts a banner 'Dapple Apples' had risen above the booth. With that out of the way Tempest asked while emptying the sacks of apples into the display baskets:

"So how much for one of your dappled apples?"

"First one's free for you. Then it's one bit each." Noticing her customers confusion she added "My name's Autumn Dapple. We call 'em dapple 'cause it's our name. They're juicy delicious - give 'em a bite!"

"Yep," Tempest replied monotonously while munching "they're juicy and delicious."

"As always!" Autumn beamed. "Usually I run this stand with my 'sis but she's got to rest today. Sprained her leg while bucking. I told her she'd already done enough for the day but nooo, she wouldn't listen. Hey do you know zapples?"

Tempest raised an eyebrow while chewing: "Nope, haven't heard of them."

"Zap Apples maybe? They're even more delicious and juicy and can only be harvested extremely rarely! Granpa says they'll come soon though! The leaves have started sparking blue! First time for me to witness that!"

"That's cool."

"I know, right?! I mean we just got ourselves a batch of seeds for 'em a few years back and they're already about to bring harvest! Isn't that just amazing?!"

"It sure is. Hey, I'll take four more apples. Was nic-"

"Thanks a bunch! Glad you like 'em so much! Oh where was I? Right, listen up! If you want some of them zapples you better stay ready cause they zap away after a day! Better come by daily~" Autumn smirked.

Politely Tempest said: "Too bad, 'cause I gotta leave town today. Was nice meet-"

"Naw how unlucky! But I barely just got to know you." Autumn pouted, "Hey before you go: What's up with your horn? It's so broken I've never seen that! Can you still cast magic? If so, maybe you could he-"

"No, I can't." Tempest snapped back at her, eyes suddenly narrowed as she glared right into Autumns.

"S-sorry for asking." Her ears fell back, "It's just-"

"Have a nice day."

"Thanks! You too!" Autumn cheered back up.

'She sure can talk forever. Just had to barge into this topic. Guess that's what you learn from shouting on a marketplace every day. Yes my horns useless and I won't ever cast magic like other normal unicorns, but I can manage just fine on my own.

Tempest winced ever so briefly as an image of last nights fight flashed before her inner eyes. It didn't make her feel any better though. Instead it stung like a needle in her forehead. 'Screw you, stupid bear. I don't fear you anymore!'

The needles dug deeper.

Tempest instinctively shook her head and tried to think of something else. At least that apple pony had been kinda nice besides- that- 'Ugh! Screw her!'

With the marketplace left behind Tempest shut her eyes and took a deep wavering breath. Last thing she needed was to lose it - especially so early in the morning. She inhaled deeply once more. Paused. Then exhaled steadily and looked ahead.

With food taken care of Tempest now had to refill her bottle before finally departing. She remembered a well in the south of the village and got going.

The sun shimmered through the window as its rays forced Rockhoofs eyes open.

It wasn't too bad. That is the backache he felt when getting up. On one hoof he often had slept on his trusty bedroll when camping between cities, but on the other hoof the ground below the bedroll wasn't as hard when laid out in a forest.

With a deep yawn he stretched and got on his hooves. It was only afterwards that he realised how loud he was and agitatedly scanned the bed. Fortunately there wasn't any commotion below the sheets. Then again upon closer inspection, there wasn't anypony in there at all.

With the morning light it became apparant how the entire room had been tidied up. Even the bed was neatly tucked in.

Atop the table a note had been left. As Rockhoof picked it up he spotted fifteen bits below it coming to light. It held a single word in horrible handwriting: Sorry.

He collapsed in defeat. His head hung low, the sun behind him painting his own shadow on the floor before him. A tear wept from Rockhoofs left eye. 'I hath forsaken ye forefathers of mine. However shalt I look in yer eyes again without faltering to sham-'

No! This was no place to admit defeat. Raising his head he saw the spectral heads of his ancestors looking down at him. Some faces with disapproval, others encouraging him to keep fighting.

"I have to make this right! I can't just let her pay for my room and leave. I'll show her my true hospitality, no turning back now! Next time she leaves a room of mine I will be there to see her off and she absolutely will be smiling when this happens."

Posing with one foreleg on the chair and the other raised to a fist he held his snout high in the light of the sun.

"I, Rockhoof, shall swear this by the name of me ancestors!"

When Tempest returned to the marketplace a decent amount of ponies met her eye. About half a dozen ones still in the process of setting up their stands, another equal amount already browsing their wares.

Oddly enough Tempest noticed the 'Dapple Apples' banner had been abandoned. Weird but not much of her own concern.

Continuing onward Tempest spotted something more concerning on an arbitrary shoulderglance. Quickening her pace she rushed behind a house. Once behind cover she let go of her breath again and hoped he hadn't spotted her.

It'd be way too awkward to walk into that shovel hobo again after sleeping in on his bed in his room that he had paid for. She had to hurry and skip town as soon as possible - good thing there was nothing holding her back anymore.

Refraining from the main streets Tempest suddenly held in upon turning a corner. Within the small alley in front of her, lying with the back against a wall, Autumn Dapple came into view. Her coat was pale and covered with bruises.

Carefully approaching Tempest scanned the surroundings. She hadn't seen anyone leave in the back of the alley, neither did she hear an attacker. With alert ears pointed up she closed the distance.

"What happened to you?"

Autumn pushed her eyelids open. "It hurts. I tried to defend myself but- but it hurt so much." Her breath was unsteady and she gasped for air mid-sentence.

"Don't worry, I'll find a nurse right away. Just tell me who did this to you and I'll make sure it won't happen again."

"Thank you," she tried to smile, interrupted by a cough, "A nurse would help a lot."

Kind of hesitant Tempest responded: "Alright, rest here and I'll hurry."

She would've liked to know right away who the culprit was, but finding a nurse would take priority.

A couple minutes, a tour through the marketplace and a few shouts later Tempest found herself back in the alley. Accompanied by a nurse named Rose Warmblood and - unavoidably - a certain shovel hobo.

Crouched down Rose diagnosed: "It might look bad but you'll be fine. Be careful with your bruised joints though; don't put pressure on them for the next two weeks and let them recover steadily. And as for this sudden paleness and exhaustion it's a little extreme but it's a normal reaction from such a shock. Don't worry, it's all fine. Can you get up? I'll support you on the way to my office."

Autumn nodded and slowly got up. Her legs were still shaking but with the skillful help of Rose she managed.

"You've done good bringing me here so fast. Are you friends or family of her?"

Almost in unison Tempest and Rockhoof replied "Nope."

"Well thanks either way. I've got it from here."

Rockhoof sighed in relief.

Tempest waited for her own wave to come but instead her eyebrows narrowed as she clenched her teeth.

"Wait! Autumn, who was it? Just who did this to you?"

Autumn raised her inner eyebrows in worry and smiled: "If I told you then by the end of the day there'd be twice as many ponies in Rose's office, right? I'll- It'll be fine, don't worry about it."

Author's Note

Trust me I didn't choose this City Name "Clear Skies." Neither did I choose the map. I decided to go with a map from the HoI4 mod "Equestria At War" in case ya'll want to follow along. At least this way I can ensure some consistency over time haha!
~~Also I won't have to name cities by myself~~ :scootangel:

Aaanyhoof: Thanks a lot for reading :D As always please leave thoughts and opinions, kind words and feedback in the comments! I'll see you there~ :twilightsmile:

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Tense and silent.

All eyes were focused on the pony in front. Each pair dedicated to the thrill of the story, following every image painted by his mouth, every flinch and punch of his muscle agitated in anticipation of what comes next.

On the counter of the bar midst bottles and mugs - which to the tavernkeepers dismay had been broken and thrown aside - posed a sturdy stallion with his shovel. By now he had gotten completely lost in his tale - any attempt to reach out to him would be as dangerous as it must have been for whatever he blabbered on about having defeated.
She'd just hand him a bill for all the broken dishes once he finished. At least the customers were plenty engaged for a change. Such a commotion was rather rare in these outskirts.

"Ah, thank you for sharing this terrific tale with me!"

Upon finding his place back to his stool a blush of embarrasment overcame Rockhoof. While the audience was fantastic and he loved every second of it as always, it dawned on him how he also had ignored his surroundings - as always.

"Heh, I'm sorry my friend. I guess washing dishes ain't gonna cut it, right?"

The mare behind the counter simply shook her head and pinned a long piece of paper between stains of cider in front of him. There were a lot of numbers and on the very bottom it totaled high enough to send Rockhoof into regret, and his purse into starvation.

A chill wind passed by as he stepped outside. By now it had gotten quite cold outside as the moon graced amongst the stars. Bright enough to let him find his way to the inn.

'What a long day 'tis has been. Those ponies here sure know how to enjoy a good evening's drink tell you that much!' He laughed in delight.
'Though I really need to get a hold of myself. Losing bits that fast ain't gonna last me long at all'
But hey, at least I got a free meal thanks to the crimson unicorn earlier. Something with T I think t'was. Maybe Tempora? Heh, maybe I can fill up on bits and discover a new story with her around. A grin crossed his face.

It didn't take too long of a stroll to find the wooden sign stating Golden Springs Inn. The door was still open, though the receptionist seemed to have already retired for the night.

Following the small corridor Rockhoof quickly found a door with a 5 engraved on it to his left. The room was cozy, made him feel at home right away. On top of a comfortable bed in the corner it even had a table and chair!

He loosened his bags, carefully put the shovel aside and lit the candle. As every day he'd sit in front of his notebook and write a few sentences about his day. Not lacking in adjectives at all, even sketched a few drawings every now and then.
Filling his tea kettle he placed it on a construction above the candle and began scribbling.

All in all the low flickering of the candle, the warm and familiar smell of its wax and the occasional call of an owl made for a wonderful scene. While the heat of battle and danger of adventure can be thrilling on their own Rockhoof appreciated those moments of quiet and peace even more. After all that's the reason adventurers like him existed - to preserve these moments of peac- "AAH!"

A shrill scream. It was a mares voice, sounded kind of familiar. Seemed to come from across the floor.
But as sudden as it rang out it abruptly went quiet.

The candle still flickered dimly, the owl still cooed and the chair still felt warm. Almost as if nothing happened - but only almost.

'Sh-should I go there?' Rockhoof's ears twitched up. He eyed his shovel, then the door.

'Somepony definitely screamed just now, maybe they're getting attacked by some evil creature or magical demon from their dreams!' He jumped up, snatched his shovel and turned the doorknob.

'Wait- Princess Luna takes care of dreamwalking demons nowadays.' Rockhoof held his breath, 'And we're in an inn, if there was an evil creature it would surely have caused more noise throughout town, right?'

'But if there really is something dangerous I've got not a second to wait!' He mustered his courage and forced himself forward. Now filled with determination he rushed, readied his shovel, closed his eyes and-

Knock knock

Silence followed.

'Oh god, I really hope this doesn't-'

"Who's there?" A tired voice replied

"Are y-" Wait if she's tired there's no danger? What should I say now? "A- Uhm- I'm Rockhoof!"

. . .

"Well what do you want?- I paid for the night- to sleep, you know?" Heavily panting Tempest could barely feign calmness behind her annoyed tone. Soaked in sweat she hid below her blanket. Her eyes fidgeted around, nervously scanning the rooms edges and corners.

"My room's opposite of yours and uhm- I heard a scream from here," Rockhoof responded. Doubting himself he warily added "I think."

"Are ye alright in there?"

"Yes- Thank you- Please let me sleep in peace now."

"Glad to hear. Thought I'd just check in and make sure there weren't any demons or magical creatures around. Mighty sorry for troubling you."

'Well 'tis is awkward. At least she's doing fine. Though I swear I recognise the voice from somewhere... Oh was it-' Finally realising he added "Good night, Tempora."

There was no response.

Before growing anxious whether the name was correct Rockhoof quickly turned for shelter and hid behind his door.

Some battles are truly too difficult for even the strongest warriors it seems.

Is she still here? Below the table? On the wall behind me? In the shadows under the bed?

Tempest lost all sense of time, it may very well have been hours of anxiety that her survival instinct kept her on edge. All the while repeating those last words in her head. Overcome by a stinging pain in her chest with every new iteration. 'Where are they?'

It dawned on her how even after all the loneliness she endured, after all those days of labour and all the accumulated wounds and bruises from her fights with monsters - the regret in her heart still ached just as much as when she set off from the fireworks with the Princess and her friends. If anything it had grown more intense.

Tears wept down her face. She sat on the edge of the bed, barely moving; felt the cold sensation of her breath caressing them after they dropped on her coat.

Tempest began forgetting parts of the nightmare with each iteration. The initial fear of recognising the Storm King's castle, the overwhelming roars of thunder shutting her from speaking up, the cold sensation of the merciless rain drenching her coat and eventually how even her footing crumbled away until she fell.

Left lingering were only these damn words. And no matter how much she tried spinning her head around it, she couldn't deny them. Sure she met lots of ponies along her travels, sure she also experienced gratitude and kindness for her work, yet somehow she was still 'a-alone.'

Numbness overcame her. Her tears had dried out and her heart felt empty. Slowly returning to reality she found herself feeling rather cold and snuggled back below the blanket. It rained outside. Not harshly, barely a lot. An owl cooed through the night, it sounded kind of nice.

Why did it sound nice? It's just a damn owl after all. But somehow it calmed her. As it called out again and again, always with the same lonely howl.

Underneath her cover she crawled to the side of the bed and reached for her bottle and drank a good chug to soften her headache. She wanted to listen to the calming humn of the owl until it sang her back to sleep. Just don't even think about what just unfolded earlier. Most of it had already eluded her mind anyway... 'Just ignore those.. words. They're just words. I can fight them tomorrow.'

However it was to no avail. Eventually Tempest got up and decided to use the restroom. Told herself a little walking would get her mind off of everything. The mosquito sting on her foreleg sure did its contribution as well.

...

When Tempest returned she noticed light coming from the gap between floor and door. Did she forget to put out the candle? When did she even light it? Coming closer she heard muffled muttering of a stallion inside.

It had been such a long day - and night. Would she really have to fight off an intruder now? She sighed in frustration and contemplated just sleeping on a couch in the foyer instead. But she had grown kind of attached to the owl's howling so she opened the door.

"Oh, uhm- Hello Tempora?" A confused yet warm smile greeted her. "Did I forget to lock the door? C-" 'Couldn't you have knocked?' Rockhoof finished the sentence in his head. He felt like saying it out loud would be rather mean after having disturbed her earlier as well.

Tempest raised her key with vexed eyes: "Well that's cause this is my room and-" She noticed the interiors different arrangement, "Why do you know my-?" And she made eye contact with Rockhoof.

"..."

"Sorry, I guess we're even now." Tempest checked the number on the door. It said 5. Her key held a 7. 'Well time to head back and finally forget this day ever happened.'

Rockhoof on the other hoof still felt bad for disturbing her earlier. During those thirty minutes between then and now he finished writing his diary entry anyway.

"It's fine, don't worry! I'm always happy to have guests. Come sit down!"

Recognizing how there wasn't a second chair Rockhoof swiftly yet clumpily guestured towards the bed.

Tempest froze for a moment. The owl howled once again, this time through the open window in Rockhoofs room. 'Ugh, whatever'

"What are you writing about?"

"Oh that? Well, I'm not much of a writer you see, but I like keeping a small diary." Rockhoof smiled sheepishly. He never talked about it with anyone. Not like he'd have anything to hide, but to him it was a personal space of comfort.
"I just write whatever comes to mind about the day. Nothing much really."

"Fair enough."
Tempest found his bed to be just as soft as her own. It felt kind of wrong though and she stiffed up at invading someponies personal space like that. It wasn't that cold either; the candle's tiny flame had slowly warmed up the entire room.

Simultaneously Rockhoof had let his guard down. 'What should I say now? What have I gotten myself into?! On one hoof I just met this pony today, on the other she seems so distraught. I have to be a host that'd make my family proud!'

'But.. How?'

"Can I offer you some tea?"

Tempest noticed the porcelain kettle. It was engraved with a landscape depicting a coastal town near a volcano.

"I- alright. I still got that dumb headache anyway."

Once again Rockhoof hadn't foreseen this subtle strike. Of course he only had one cup. He only drank this tea when writing. And he only wrote at night in his room. And he always was alone in his room. He never thought to bring a second cup.

In an awkward manner he swiftly finished what was left in the cup, pulled out a handkerchief as he wiped it, then poured in a fresh serving before handing it to Tempest.
"There you go." Internally he wiped sweat off his forehead and congratulated himself on such quick thinking.

"Thanks," Tempest took a sip. Honestly she had shared a lot of meals and tablewear with creatures while serving him, she really didn't bother processing what just happened. It was surprisingly hot. "Sweet."

"Why thank you. I try my best to be hospitable." Taken by surprise Rockhoof blushed faintly.

"The tea. I usually drink mine without honey. Costs too much. Either way, thanks."

As Tempest took another big sip she felt a warm sensation ran through her body. It relaxed her; it also returned the exhaustion and lack of sleep to her as she shrimped down on a long exhale.

"So what's your deal?" Tempest asked in an attempt to keep the conversation going, "Traveling around Equestria, coincidentally saving ponies from certain death, knocking on my door at midnight, all of that."

Rockhoof took a long breath before making sense of himself.
"To be honest I'm just not good at settling down in a single place. I earn my bits by telling tales of times long ago. I love those stories and truth be told it just makes this old heart jump in excitement when it sees all them awestruck ponies listening."
"When danger approaches of course I'm not one to back down, and fighting evil mystical beings is for sure nothing that these bones have forgotten to do, but since all the others had settled down I'd rather not head into danger all alone anymore. It's just not the same."

"Heh, sorry for wand'ring off. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, for good luck! Haha!" He laughed wholeheartedly and raised his hoof in celebration.

If she would've had any skepticism then the warm atmosphere wouldn't let her find it. Tempest chuckled along:
"Heh, Yeah. Come to think of it I don't think I ever actually said thanks for that either. Paid for your lunch though," She smirked.

She got up and returned the now empty cup on the table. "Thank you, Rockhoof."

"No problem at all! I'm just glad the bear didn't end up running me over as well." He laughed yet again. It didn't make sense at all to Tempest how he simply laughed a near-death event off like that. It wouldn't make any sense at all. Didn't he feel scared? Didn't fear overcome him too when facing huge foes like that giant Sandworm?

But he laughed. Without a worry.

Eventually Rockhoof went on to tell another tale of times long ago, once again set in the deserts of Saddle Arabia. The pillars had been tasked with tracking down a wizards library that was supposedly in the center of said desert. But even after weeks of wandring nothing was to be found.

"And when we returned to the locals they told us 'twas the desert south of town and not north!" He couldn't hold back anymore and laughed like it'd be a silly foal's comedy novel, "We were gone for so long, fighting sun and sweat together, and they just told us it was the other desert. We may have gone insane but we all laughed together back then."

Tempest giggled and nodded along. By now she sat tugged in his blanket. Her head tilted and eyes heavy. She enjoyed listening as she faded into sleep.

"Of course they said sorry and all, and a few camels joined us for the next expedition. What a ridiculous story," He chuckled and shook his head in disbelief.

"So a couple nights later we set hoof into the correct sands and..."

Another thirty minutes later Rockhoof was utterly defeated. Though it didn't hurt, he was clueless as to what to do.
There was a pony sleeping on his bed and he didn't have another bed rented. Should he just sleep in her room? Leave his belongings there? Then he should also exchange their belongings and change rooms completely. But he couldn't just go through her stuff, that wouldn't be hospitable at all!

Sleeping together in the same tiny bed? Completely out of question!

Eventually he unfolded his traveling bedroll near the wall opposite of the bed and set off to the dreamworld as well.

Author's Note

First of all: This was so fun to write! I really wanted to make a chapter that adds a more lighthearted side to this story and introduces their dynamic properly.
Also Rockhoof with social insecurites? Tell me if I'm wrong but it just feels so right to write! :rainbowlaugh:
Finally could add the Romance Tag to this story now :3

Thank you for reading this chapter of my smol Story, appreciate it a lot!
As always: Make sure to leave some kind words, your thoughts and feedback in the comments! See ya there~ :coolphoto: