A cold wind blew snow around an already snow-blanketed field as a lone, hooded figure made their way towards a bleak house at the edge of a small town. The snow-topped roofs of the warm homes the figure passed almost seemed gingerbread house-like compared to the dark shadows engulfing the house where the figure was headed. The figure was practically slammed up against the door as the wind blew them towards their destination.
“Stupid storm…” the figure, a pony, grumbled as they heaved the door open. “I’m home!”
As expected, there was no response. As the pony removed the cloak, they revealed a dark mulberry coat and dark magenta mane. Gleaming teal eyes as sharp as a blade pierced through the dim light in the room as crackling energy sparked from a shattered horn. Tempest Shadow gazed around the seemingly empty house with an air of unimpressment.
“Grubber, please tell me you’re not out in this storm.” she grumbled to herself as she walked deeper into the small house.
The second Tempest entered the kitchen of the house, her frown deepened, brows furrowing. The back door was unlocked, and the room was empty. Cursing her roommate under her breath, she quickly used her limited magic to scoop up a hand towel, twisting it around as she paced back and forth.
Eventually, the back door opened, and a small figure made his way into the room. As he began to remove his thick scarf, Tempest pounced.
“Grubber!”
“Gah! Oh, hey, Tempest, you’re back!”
“What have I told you about going out in this weather?!”
“Well, you went out in it, and I didn’t plan to be gone long-”
Tempest whacked his side with the twisted up hand towel, causing the hedgehog to yelp. “I went to get us food, thank you very much. But you’ve been gone since I came home twenty minutes ago and knowing you you probably left the second I did!”
“I didn’t mean to, Tempest, I was just gonna feed the cats, but then I kind of got carried away playing with them.”
Tempest rolled her eyes, sighing. A few months ago, Grubber had found a mother cat hiding in their backyard, in a small grove of trees. Once her kittens had come she’d stuck around to nurse them, egged on by Grubber feeding her every time he could slip away from Tempest’s watchful eye.
“Grubber, if you keep feeding the cats they’ll never leave.”
“So? What’s the big deal, they’re just cats.”
“I don’t like cats.”
“What? But they’re so cute, how can you not like them?”
“I don’t trust cats.” Tempest huffed, turning her back to the hedgehog to leave the room. “They’re shifty, and moody.”
“Sounds like you.” Grubber snorted, missing Tempest’s snarl. “Whatever. Did you get good food this time?”
“Not for you.” Tempest said, almost cheekily, grabbing a bag up in her magic and tossing it to him. “Sugarcube Corner was closing so I got the leftovers for you, and some healthy stuff from the market before it shut down for the night.”
Grubber made a face at the word ‘healthy’ but raised no complaint, carrying the bag into the kitchen. “You've been grumpier than usual lately, you know. You should get in the Hearth’s Warming Spirit, Tempest!”
“If this is about letting you survive on nothing but sponge cake-”
“Not that.” Grubber grinned mischievously as he poked his head back into the hallway. “Besides, who says I don’t already?”
“I’ll tie you down and force-feed you vegetables if I have to.” Tempest warned, shaking her head at him. “What did you mean then?”
“I mean, you always wait until the last possible minute to get stuff from town. I know you don’t like ponies staring at your horn but if I wasn’t living here you’d practically be a recluse!”
“I am not a recluse!” Tempest protested, at which Grubber raised a brow -- he didn’t do that bad, she’d have to praise him on his skill later. “I just… prefer going when it’s not as crowded.”
“Recluse.”
“Shut up.”
“Fine.” Grubber ducked back into the kitchen. “So about the cats-”
“Don’t feed them again.”
“But they’re freezing!”
“The mother cat will keep the babies warm, they’ll be fine.” Tempest retorted, before heading to her room and shutting the door behind her.
Tempest’s bedroom was rather barren, with only a bed and a desk to be seen. A stack of books was by the bed, but they obviously hadn’t been touched in a while. Tempest sighed, glancing out the window, pieces of conversations filtering through her mind as she stood there.
“So what are your plans for Hearth’s Warming, Tempest dear?”
“Oh but Fizzy, you gotta do something! I know! You can come home with me, my sisters would love you!”
“Tempest, I know you’re tired of hearing this but you need to make some friends, I know it seems hard, but just try?”
“Oh come on, you’re staying inside again? You say that every time I ask you to join, it’s not even for a competition, just for fun!”
“Ah shucks Tempest, ya can’t just shoot us down every time. You’ll see, we’ll have ya minglin’ faster than a prizewinnin’ pig at the county fair.”
“You’re practically a recluse!”
Ears flattened to her head, Tempest shook her head stubbornly.
“I’m not a recluse, I just… like being alone…” she murmured, looking around at her empty room. “I just like it better this way… it's not a bad thing...”
“Do you even care about anyone?”
“Of course I do… I care about Grubber, and Twilight, and her friends to some degree…”
“Admit it, Tempest Shadow, you only care about them because they decided to stick themselves to you. You never chose to care about them, if it were up to you, you’d drive them off.”
“N-No, no, that’s not true.”
“Oh really? You seem pretty eager to drive off an animal for the same reason -- you didn’t invite that cat in, so it has to go.”
Tempest didn’t respond to that one. She was done having conversations with herself, she probably sounded crazy.
Laying down in her bed with a sigh, the mare stared out her window as the snow-filled winds blew past. Tempest hid herself deeper in her covers as she tugged them up over her body. The darkness, for once, was not comforting. It reminded her of that old filly’s story about the wicked unicorn who tried to destroy Hearth’s Warming.
“You’re really more afraid you’re becoming that same nag though, aren’t you?”
“Shut up already…” Tempest buried her face in the pillows as she fought to ignore the voice in her head. It was pointless, but she tried anyway.
“You don’t care about anyone but yourself, Tempest Shadow.”
Tempest stared down at her pillow blankly. “...I know who you are.”
“Oh really now?”
“...It’s nice to talk to you again, Fizzlepop.”
Tempest sat up completely, gazing at a mirror that hung on her wall. Her own reflection stared back at her, only she didn’t see the mare she was now. She saw a mare with a completely intact horn, no scar, and a wry smile below glimmering eyes.
“Technically, we’re the same pony, you know.”
“Not in my mind.” Tempest got up, walking towards the mirror. “The second I broke, you left my body. You’re the me that I wanted to become, you don’t exist anymore.”
“But I do.”
“Then why are you making me feel… like this?”
“I’m what you could be, right? I’m showing you what you are.”
“To convince me to change?” Tempest laughed and shook her head, glaring at her -- whole -- reflection. “You know that’s never going to happen, Fizzle.”
“Can you honestly say you like who you’ve become? Admit it, Tempest Shadow. You don’t. Why would you? You’re cruel, ruthless, you don’t care about anyone but yourself, and the only reason you have any friends at all is because they attached themselves to you like leeches.”
“Shut up!” Tempest slammed her hoof down on the floor. “You think you know me?! You don’t know anything about me, how could you?! You’re practically dead!”
“But I’m still here, aren’t I?”
Tempest froze, staring at her reflection as the mare she once was grinned. Her horn sparked with crackling blue light, and her reflections’ lit up with a dark magenta aura. Tempest had almost forgotten what her aura had looked like back then.
“...You… you’re despicable.”
“Pot to the kettle, don’t you think?”
Without another word, Tempest threw her comforter over the mirror and left the room, grabbing her cloak as she entered the living room.
Grubber was nowhere to be found, Tempest assumed he was in his room. Good, he was better off not seeing her, or he’d try to call her out on leaving again. The mare pulled her cloak over herself, grabbing a thick wool scarf as well. Carefully forcing the door to open against the storm, she slipped out, and was gone.
It was morning by the time the snow storm finally relented. Foals all over Ponyville awoke to a thick blanket of fluffy snow to play in, which they soon did.
As foals and adults alike began to make their way through the snow, one in particular strode through the streets with purpose. Tempest, her cloak and scarf speckled with snow, made her way towards the stores as they began to open.
“Do you need any help?” Tempest asked Mrs. Cake, seeing the mare struggling to shovel a path out in front of her and her husband's shop. She seemed startled by the question.
“O-Oh, yes, thank you Tempest, dearie.”
Tempest smiled at her as kindly as she could, walking over to await instructions. The mulberry mare gladly helped the Cakes -- and a far too energetic Pinkie for the early morning -- set up shop for the day. After buying a few special things and having a thank-you cupcake pressed on her by Pinkie, Tempest tucked the bag of treats under her cloak and was on her way, making one more stop before going home.
The wind blew gently as she headed back home, entering the house to find, to no surprise whatsoever, that Grubber was still in bed. She shook her head with a sigh, though a smile graced her face, sending an errant spark from her horn to the fireplace in the living room to get the logs burning again.
Once Tempest had dropped off the bag in the kitchen, she grabbed something from inside the bag, then headed for the back door. Leaving the now warm home once more, the mare headed into the small cluster of trees outside the house.
“Cat?” Tempest called softly, scanning the ground for signs of life. She noticed a hollow part of a tree and smirked, carefully pawing the snow away with her hoof.
Sure enough, a female tortoiseshell cat peered up at her with a curious meow. Curled up against the cat’s stomach was a fawn colored kitten, a ginger kitten, a tortoiseshell kitten, and a white kitten. Tempest smiled and gently stroked the mother cat’s head.
“Hey momma. I brought you something.” She pulled out a can of cat food, opening it with her teeth and setting it down by the cat.
The cat sniffed it warily, before beginning to eat. Her kittens were fast asleep beside her, but they began to squirm as she moved. Tempest sat down and watched them for a while, smiling as the mother cat began to nurse the kittens.
“I should probably bring you inside… you’re not that bad.” Tempest admitted after a while, to which the cat just meowed. “Besides, you’re probably cold, and hungry.”
Tempest smiled, petting the cat again.
“Yeah, let’s get you inside.” The cat stared up at her quizzically. “Well, maybe I like you after all.”