THE TEMPEST TALES : FRAGMENTS

by RainbowSlut

Rating: mature
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Other, Tempest Shadow, Sex, Profanity, My Little Pony: The Movie, Adventure, Violence, Princess Celestia, Death, Anthology, Twilight Sparkle, Drama
Length: 62286

The sequel to the main story in the form of discontinuous but connected chapters.

Premise: a few years ago I decided to start a story set in an alternative universe in which Tempest Shadow, the villain of "My Little Pony The Movie", was born as an alicorn but lost her wings and horn.

I optimistically thought I would be able to write the story but I realized I didn't have the time and ability to do so.
Furthermore, the plot is not very solid and there are too many inconsistencies.

I already have in mind to rewrite the prequel but in the meantime I'm starting to outline something for the sequel.
I hope you enjoy this more "condensed" style that focuses on the most important events.
Maybe in the future I will write a proper complete story.

Published 2024-02-24 22:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2024-08-15 08:08:08 UTC

PREAMBLE

PREVIOUSLY

Tempest Shadow decided to declare war on Storm King after realizing the atrocities he had committed.
To do so she traveled in and out of the kingdom to seek allies and an army to counter the ruthless ruler.

After having managed to reunite various peoples under a single banner she set in motion a conflict that lasted for years, during this period old friends were lost and new ones made.
The final battle ended with Storm King's death and his army taken over by Tempest Shadow.

Following this great and long war a congress was assembled to decide what to do next. After several days of speeches and negotiations, the choice was reached to maintain the alliance between the peoples who had previously remained isolated from each other for centuries.

Below is a list of the six peoples

League of Southern Griffins: the population is mainly made up of griffins who live in a territory in the extreme south of the continent among the icy peaks.
They are known for being a warrior people trained in martial arts and disciplined by a sense of honor.

Minotaur clan: they are also capable warriors but prefer to use a more ferocious and destructive approach. They believe only in the law of the strongest and are willing to obey anyone capable of leading them to victory.
When they are not at war they use their strength in the mines to extract iron and minerals.

Manticore conglomerate: the population is mainly made up of manticores who, unlike what one might expect, are very dedicated to science and study but prefer to remain isolated from the rest of the world.
They live in various sanctuaries spread across the continent but the exact location of each of them is little known.

Hippogriff Principality: the population is mainly made up of hippogriffs, their society is based on the maritime trade of healing substances whose origin is known only to them. They are also renowned philosophers and singers. They live in an area in the east of the continent overlooking the ocean but their cities are mainly under water.

Cloud Riders: the population is a mix of flight-capable creatures, mostly pegasus, who live in large structures floating in the clouds. They are great explorers but also dabble in trade and air transport thanks to their advanced airships.

Prairie tribes: group of various peoples who inhabit the prairies in the center of the continent, they are mostly farmers and breeders. Most of the inhabitants are anthropomorphic people dedicated to hard work.

The form of government that was chosen was a consular empire headed by an emperor supported by a council. Each people would remain partially independent as long as they respected the laws and directives imposed by the council.

Tempest Shadow was obviously chosen as empress even though she was reluctant.
It was clear since she had started all this and had worked more than anyone to eliminate Storm King.

The councilors chosen were 6, one for each people.

Galileo: a very wise manticore but also with a good character, widely known also in other countries for having contributed to developing excellent weapons to be used against Storm King's army.
He was assigned the role of head of the research and development department.

Minox: former ruler of the minotaurs, he was entrusted with the role of General of the external army.
The external army was responsible for the empire's attack force in case of war and in times of peace it guarded the borders

Reddace: a Griffin who fought alongside his leader throughout the war, was appointed as general of the internal army which had a role in maintaining peace in the territories of the empire and in defense in case of war.

Foxtrot: a female anthropomorphic fox native to the prairie tribes who is named as responsible for the empire's food and material resources.

Aqua: hippogriff daughter of the prince who was chosen as responsible for health and education in the empire.

Hori: a female pegasus chosen by her people and appointed as responsible for logistics and transport in the empire.

The Imperial Palace would remain the former Black Palace from which the Storm King reigned and the capital would be renamed the “New Metropolis”
The currency used would be the imperial banknote and the official language the basic one.

The name of the new empire would be “Union of Free Peoples” in honor of the freedom acquired after centuries of oppression.

CORONATION

(two months later)

“Damn you Galileo, did you really have to put me in the middle of this whole thing?!”
Tempest and Galileo were walking along one of the corridors of the newly renovated palace and headed towards the council chamber.

“My dear Tempest, you of all people were already entangled in this matter, and then who else could we have chosen? Minox? If that had been the case, he would have already issued a law to ban water and drink only alcohol. Hahaha!”
Galileo laughed out loud as he stood next to a sulking Tempest.

“I can understand taking command to ensure stability but I certainly didn't expect to become an empress.”
Tempest couldn't help but feel insecure about her new job.
“You know well that I am a fighter and not a politician.” she said as she rolled her eyes.
Meanwhile the two had arrived in front of the large doors.

Before they could enter Galileo put a paw on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes.
“Tempest, you have managed to unite all peoples into one, and I can think of no one better for this role than you.”
Tempest listened intently to the manticore's wise words.
“I and many others believe in you, you can do it.” Galileo removed his paw from his shoulder leaving Tempest to think briefly.

Remembering where they were, Tempest looked forward, straightened her neck and assumed a posture fit for an empress.
She slammed her hoof on the ground and the doors opened, revealing the large ovoid room.
In front of them was the council chamber, in the center there was a half-moon shaped table and in the middle there was a large and opulent chair on which the empress would sit, and then on the sides there were the other six chairs to seat the consuls.
Everything was meticulously decorated to give a sense of richness and power.
Along the walls there were large colored windows that represented the birth of their empire depicting the various moments of the war and the defeat of Storm King by the hands of Tempest.

The six consuls were already seated in their seats.
Tempest felt a little embarrassed knowing that she was late.
“The Empress is here!”
she heard shouting behind her, in fact there were two guards on either side of the door she had just walked through.
Those present in the room stood up and said in unison.
“Long live the Empress!”

Tempest was petrified by this act, she knew she was in charge but only then she came face to face with what it meant.
“Um.. rest?” she said in a slightly undecided voice the first thing that came to her mind, she wasn't sure if it was right to use military jargon in that situation.
The consuls sat down again, keeping their eyes on their empress.

Tempest went to sit on her throne, from her position she found herself raised and could see the center of the room and each councilor on its sides, everything had been designed to give importance to her figure but without being excessive.
“My Empress, we are pleased to welcome you to the council chamber”
Immediately to her right, Reddace made himself heard by bowing his head slightly.
Tempest looked at him strangely and then spoke to him in a friendly manner.
“Reddace, we've known each other for a long time now, there's no need for you to be so formal with me.”
Reddace raised his head and nodded
“This applies to you too.”
Tempest took a quick look at her friends with whom she had fought so hard and shed blood and tears.

With that said, the tension in the air cleared and Tempest immediately felt more relaxed, after all she was surrounded by people she trusted, there was no reason to be so rigid.

Tempest leaned forward and began to speak.
“So, tell me what we need to discuss today, I would say let's start in order from Hori.”
Tempest turned her gaze to the pegasus sitting on the far left of the table.
Hori straightened his back and cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly.

“So, in this last month we have realized that the union between our peoples is actually not as developed as we thought.”
Hori stopped to see how she was doing, everyone present was listening to her.
“I had the territory of the empire searched and it is clear that the connection between the various cities is almost totally absent and it can take days to reach one point to another.”
Hori finished her speech and took a deep breath.

Tempest grimaced slightly and then turned to Galileo.
"What do you think?"
Galileo bowed his head slightly as a sign of respect.
“I think this is a significant problem, the lack of connection between our peoples could hinder the unification process and would also impede communications and trade.”
“Thank you very much Galileo.”
Tempest took command of the speech.

“It seems obvious to me that this problem must be resolved as soon as possible. Having said that, I propose to create a communication network between the various cities, we will have to build railways and ports."

“Why also build railways, wouldn't it be enough to just use airships?” Hori asked, making his doubt about it known.

“Airships are excellent means of transport but only for long distances, and they are also expensive. The train, on the other hand, would be more useful for shorter but faster journeys, also guaranteeing a practical and not too expensive means of transport.
Furthermore, we also need to think about possible emergencies and having more communication routes would be advantageous.”

While Tempest spoke, Galileo felt even more within himself that he had made the right choice in proposing her as empress, even if she didn't realize it, she was definitely prepared to face these problems.

(three hours later)

Tempest had returned to her chambers completely exhausted, she felt less worn out after a battle than dealing with bureaucratic matters.
During the session they managed to agree on the construction of a railway network and ports, industrialization for the production of basic necessities and on how to use the enormous monetary funds left over from Storm King's previous reign. Finally they had decided on how to organize the army.

Military conscription would have been established starting from 20 years and would have lasted 5 years.
4 military groups would have been created. As previously mentioned there would have been an internal and an external army, an army at the complete disposal of Tempest and one for the council.

"Knock Knock"
Tempest got up from the bed she had been temporarily lying on and went to open the door.

“Hello Tempest, I came to see how you were after that long session at the council.”
Unlike Tempest, Galileo seemed to be as fresh as a daisy.

“Of course, come in.”
Tempest stepped aside to let the big cat inside.
The two sat at a table positioned in a corner of the imperial suite.

“How are you still energetic?!” she asked him curious to know what trick her friend had used.
“Hahaha! There's nothing special my dear, I'm used to it since we spent hours arguing with my colleagues, I'm sure that with time you'll get used to it too"

Tempest snorted and lowered her head dejectedly.
“I guess it's going to be like this every damn day.”
Galileo didn't want to give her false hopes but he was sure that the mare was giving the matter too much weight.

“For the moment I fear this will be the case, our new empire is just born, it is still unstable and there is so much to do.”
Galileo approached her and placed a paw on her back as usual.
“But remember that you are not alone, when you find yourself in difficulty you will have your friends and trusted friends at your disposal who will make decisions together with you.”

Tempest looked up and gave him a smile.
“I know, and I'm infinitely grateful, I just wish Flynn and his crew were still here with us.” she said in a solemn voice.

Once the discussion was over, Galileo stood up and assumed a more professional posture.
“I actually came here to talk to you about a matter that concerns our empire.”
Tempest was perplexed.
“As you well know, you are technically the empress but you have not yet been crowned….” “...so it needs to be made official to confirm and consolidate my role.”
Tempest finished the sentence by placing a hoof in her face to demonstrate her tiredness.

“See Tempest, you say you are not suited to the role of empress but you clearly understand how power dynamics work, proof of your abilities.”
Galileo complimented the mare.

“Looks like it's unavoidable, so let's get this done as quickly as possible.”

(One week later)

That day thousands of people had gathered in New Metropolis even though the newborn city consisted of only a few buildings and the imperial palace.
Hundreds of people who held important roles within the newborn empire were gathered in the main room used for major events.
The room was full of chatter and people whispering curious about what was going to happen.
The news of the coronation had quickly reached every corner of the empire and many had flocked to see the ceremony.

"Attention! Attention!"
At the end of the room in the center there was the court announcer flanked by two guards, he had a parchment in his hand which he read aloud.

“We are all gathered here to witness the coronation of Her Majesty, Her Empress Tempest Shadow and the six members of the council.”
With that he closed the scroll and stepped aside.
Immediately afterwards the trumpets began to sound and the large doors opened wide.

Tempest entered first and behind her were the 6 consuls placed in two rows of three. Each of them was dressed in a purple dress with gold trim, on their heads they had laurel crowns which were also golden while Tempest wore a very elegant tiara with a ruby set in the center. The apex of the tiara ended with a long horn wrapped in a pair of wings, together with it she also wore a necklace with a medallion hanging on which the imperial coat of arms was engraved.
The seven members slowly moved towards the throne positioned in the back center of the room.

The public carefully watched the new ruler and the chosen council members.
When Tempest was in front of her throne she turned 180 degrees, in front of her were her trusted companions bowing and behind them hundreds of subjects who had bowed their heads as a sign of respect and gratitude.

Tempest took a deep breath and then sat down on the throne, immediately everyone else stood up and looked at their empress and said in unison.

“Long live the Empress!”
“Long live the Council!”
“Long live the Empire!”

Author's Note

Imperial coat of arms:
the star in the center represents the power of the empire while the six stripes are the sei peoples.

Here is the first chapter, as with the previous story please use a little interpretation if you see any errors and if possible let me know in the comments

CHAPTER 1 part 1: NEW FRIENDS?

“I am here to report your majesty.”

For Ensign Cooper it was the first time he had found himself in front of the Empress in person. She was just as the newspapers had described her: tall with a broken horn, a scar over her right eye and an aura that would frighten even the most fearsome of minotaurs.
Cooper would do anything to leave a good impression on the one who governed millions of individuals.

“Go ahead, I'm listening.”

On the other hand, Tempest had barely noticed the pegasus in front of her. Her eyes were fixed on a map lying on her desk.
She was wearing her usual suit with obsidian plate armor over it; if there was one thing that hadn't betrayed her yet it was that damned armor of hers.

Cooper straightened his posture even more so that it looked like it might break any time soon.

“Captain Ryker said we are moving fast towards goblin territory.
At this rate we should be able to arrive in just under two hours.”

In fact, they were flying over the Bone Desert at that moment.
The empress was headed towards the border of the imperial territory in order to conduct a diplomatic meeting.

Tempest didn't say anything, his gaze was still fixed on the map and the silence was becoming embarrassing for the poor ensign.

“Um…. Your Majesty?" Cooper asked in a thin, uncertain voice.

Tempest raised her head and looked at him.
“Yes of course, you are free to go ensign.”

Hearing this the orange pegasus gave the usual military salute and turned 180 degrees to exit the cabin.

“Wait ensign!”
Cooper immediately froze
Had he done something wrong? Was he going to be punished? Relegated?! EXECUTED?!

“I don't even know your name. Who are you?" Tempest said nonchalantly.

His name?! HIS NAME?!
Ensign Cooper turned again and saw Empress Tempest waiting for a response.

“My name is Cooper.” he said in a professional voice.
He hoped he had managed to answer in the right way. Heaven only knew what would happen to him if he made a mistake.

"Thank you Ensign Cooper, you are free to go."

That's all?
Cooper breathed a sigh of relief and then left to go back upstairs.

Tempest was a little surprised by the interaction with the young ensign.
She was perplexed and wondered if the pegasus' rigid and fearful behavior was simply due to the fact that she was empress or that she instilled fear just as she was said to be.

She wasted a few seconds thinking about this and then she saw again the map she had been examining for a while.

On it it was possible to see the entire continent.
In the southwest area there was the Union of Free Peoples which covered approximately a quarter of the continent.
To the east of the empire there were two other kingdoms: the goblins and orcs Kingdoms.

The two nations were a great threat to the security of the empire, even when Storm King was in power there were several garrisons guarding the border.
However, during the war those precautions had failed and the goblins together with the orcs had begun to mass near the border.

Fortunately, the minotaur clan was nearby and Minox had managed to quickly organize a legion of soldiers to temporarily stem the problem.

Had she called them clan again?

Tempest mentally corrected herself.
In fact, following the formation of the empire, each people chose to reorganize themselves into a kingdom in order to be able to standardize the bureaucracy more efficiently.
It would have been hell if, for example, they had had to enact a different law for each of the dozens of prairie tribes.

However, what had interested her so much about that map was a kingdom that lay further north of the empire.

In fact, just beyond the Desert of Bones there was a kingdom called Equestria.

Before then she hadn't even glanced at that kingdom but one day she happened to hear about a couple of travelers coming from there.

She was undercover in a tavern looking for a criminal who was prowling around there.
Even though she was empress she still preferred to work in the field, despite Reddace's great displeasure as he insisted on her safety.

She initially didn't give it much thought until she heard about two alicorn sisters.

Needless to say, her cover was blown as soon as she awkwardly spat out the beer she was drinking.

That evening she ended with a big fight and two unexpected guests being escorted to the imperial palace.

Tempest took the time to greet them personally.
The unicorn couple seemed reluctant to talk to her but as soon as they realized that she didn't want to hurt them they became much friendlier.

From the long discussion they had she learned several facts.
From the kingdom of Equestria to the alicorn princesses, the fact that the younger sister had returned a few years ago and the reason why they were there.

According to their explanations, Equestria had emerged from a long period of isolationism thanks to an alicorn who was called the "princess of friendship".

Hearing this, Tempest couldn't help but burst out laughing. She laughed so much that she had to force herself to stop so as not to break her ribs.

Princess of Friendship?!
What kind of title was that? It had to be a joke or something.

Tempest vowed that if they were ever to give her that title she would rather abdicate immediately.

Tempest noticed that she was once again left looking at her map and knowing this she shook her head to clarify her thoughts.

"KNOCK KNOCK!!"
Someone had knocked loudly on her cabin door.

"Come forward!" Tempest said as she struck a slightly more elegant pose.

It was Ensign Cooper again, however this time he was out of breath as he had run quickly to reach the Empress' quarters.

"Your Majesty! The captain has requested your presence on deck immediately.” The pegasus said as he tried to get his bearings.

Tempest took no notice of such formalities and immediately rose to go where she was required.
“Of course ensign, I'll follow you.”

The two left the cabin and reached the main deck.

The airship they were traveling on was not a large vessel as it had a purely diplomatic function.
Together with them there were two other small airships that acted as escorts.

It took little to spot the captain, the old griffin was on the bow and was holding a telescope in his paws pointed towards the horizon.

The two approached the captain who, as soon as he heard Tempest's heavy footsteps, turned around and saluted.

“My empress, forgive me for disturbing you but there is a matter that requires your attention.” He said as he passed the binoculars with one paw while with the other he pointed in a direction in front of the airship.

Tempest wasted no time and brought the telescope to her left eye.
In the distance she could see a plume of smoke and at the base there was a recently crashed airship.
The fire had not yet consumed everything and some details could be seen.

The color of the hull was white with some dark pink finishes, there were also some golden details.

However, what caught her attention the most was the flag attached to the top of the airship.
In fact there was a blue flag with the sun and the moon depicted in the center and two alicorns revolved around them, one white and one blue.

"Captain! let's head there at full speed.” she ordered as she handed the telescope back to him.

Captain Ryker nodded and immediately went to the stern where the rudder was, while he gave orders to his subordinates.

A sailor was using a mirror to intermittently reflect light to nearby ships to tell them to increase speed.

The trio of ships were now less than a kilometer from their destination and in the meantime Tempest had obtained a telescope to observe the crash area.
The closer they got, the more she could make out details.

Near the wreck of the ship there were about twenty figures moving.

Maybe they had survived?

They were now less than 300 meters away when Tempest managed to understand that they were not survivors but Goblins, the greenish color of their skin made it obvious and that the design of the crashed airship was not theirs.

Tempest could see that some goblins had pipes on their shoulders and were pointing them in their direction.

Seeing this the alicorn immediately understood what it could be.

However, she didn't have time to turn around before a barrage of explosive bolts hit all three ships.

“BOOOM!!!”

Tempest was thrown through the air and fell overboard and as she fell she could see her three ships falling.

Tempest hit the ground and the impact stunned her.

Fortunately or unfortunately they were flying at low altitude. She must have fallen no more than 40 meters and furthermore she was wearing her armor while her alicorn physiology granted her greater resistance.

Tempest remained on the ground for a handful of seconds and then she stood up, shaking off the sand.

She immediately ran towards the area where her airships had also crashed.
While running she could reach almost 100 km/h but if she had had wings she could have gone at supersonic speed and first of all she would not have fallen on the sand.

When she arrived at the crash site she saw the airships engulfed in flames.
The smoke made it difficult to breathe and see.

Up ahead she began to hear the sound of swords clanking.
In fact there were Captain Ryker, Ensign Cooper and two other sailors.
The four were surrounded by Goblins.

Tempest charged forward with her wrist blades while simultaneously using her horn to zap anyone in her path.

The other four took advantage of the moment and began to fight ferociously together with their empress.

However, as skilled as they may have been, they were still in clear minority and at the end of the battle both unknown sailors had died pierced by a goblin blade.

Tempest remained still while she caught her breath and with a slight movement she sheathed the wrists blades.

She looked around, they had just eliminated all the goblins but sadly two of their group were dead.

"Captain! Report.” Captain Ryker approached her at attention and responded briefly and concisely.
“We lost all three ships, the only survivors are the three of us.”

Tempest sighed and lowered her head slightly.
What had happened was not a simple attack.

Not only had the mission failed but the goblins also opened fire on diplomatic ships.
It remained to be seen whether it was a deliberate attack or an accidental one.

“Thank you very much captain.” the griffin nodded in recognition and stood still waiting for orders. Cooper was also behind him

Tempest looked around and again saw the airship that had crashed first.
The flames had cleared but extraordinarily a large part of the hull still remained.

“Soldiers, you know the protocol. In 24 hours when our people realize that we haven't checked in they will send help to investigate. In the meantime our job is to find a safe place to wait.” The griffin and pegasus nodded promptly.

Then Tempest turned to the ensign.
"Scan the area, make sure there are no other threats, then confirm that there are no other survivors." With that the pegasus immediately went about his duty.

“Captain, follow me please.”
Tempest walked in the direction of the crashed airship.
It was leaning slightly on its side and there was a large hole in the bulkhead through which Tempest and Ryker could have entered.

“I have never seen a vessel like it.” exclaimed the captain who was now on her right.

“That's correct, we've never interacted with Equestria before.” Tempest explained as they continued to advance.

The interior of the ship was laid out similarly to most airships and they were currently located in the galley.

“Thump-thump-thump..”
Footsteps could be heard from above them, probably quadrupeds.
Apparently there were still some survivors.

The two continued forward until they reached the middle bridge. Along the corridors they had found the corpses of ponies who had died in the crash but there were no signs of other races.

Walking they had reached the cabin of what they presumed to be the captain. The door was finely detailed, the symbol of the kingdom of Equestria was engraved on it.

Tempest came closer and put her ear to the wood.
On the other side there were sounds of movement and whispers.

Tempest took a step back and signaled the captain to stay on guard and then finally knocked on the door.

"Knock Knock!"
Nobody answered....
"Knock Knock!"
Tempest tried again but again there was silence.
The two looked at each other and Ryker shrugged.

“WE ARE HERE IN PEACE! THE GOBLINS HAVE BEEN DEFEATED, OPEN THE DOOR.” she said loudly but without sounding aggressive.
On the other side, whispers could be heard again.
“WE DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU.” added the captain.

Tempest was tempted to break down the door until….

“HOW DO WE KNOW YOU DON'T WANT TO DECEIVE US!?”

Answering was the voice of a mare, mostly young as she had a somewhat high-pitched sound.

"IF WE WANTED TO HURT YOU WE WOULD HAVE ALREADY BROKEN DOWN THE DOOR." Tempest said in a slightly pedantic tone.

10 seconds of more whispers passed.

“OK, NOW WE'LL OPEN THE DOOR.”

In fact, from the other side we could hear sounds of sliding wood, it is probable that they were removing the door lock.

Tempest found a purple mare in front of her.

The two examined each other and were amazed.
Tempest first noticed the horn but then looked down and saw a pair of wings.
She had an alicorn in front of her and it made her heart skip a beat.

On the other hand, the purple alicorn didn't expect to find herself facing a unicorn of that height. There was at least 30 centimeters difference between the two.
But what shocked her most was that the horn was broken and she had a large scar over her right eye and they both had a reptilian shape.

The two stared at each other until Ryker touched Tempest's hind leg.
In doing so, the empress quickly returned to her senses.

“I am Commander Tempest Shadow.” she said, holding out a paw in greeting.

Captain Ryker mentally wondered why she hadn't introduced herself as empress, but surely there was a reason for her and he would have played along with her.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Twilight Sparkle.” The purple alicorn said as she smiled lopsidedly.
However the mare did nothing else and she remained in the doorway looking at Tempest or more precisely at her broken horn.

“Uhmm….so?" Tempest asked raising an eyebrow.

"Oh yes! Right." Twilight exclaimed as she came to her senses.
“Please come in.”

The mare stepped aside to let Tempest and her captain pass.

Upon entering they noticed that there were also two other unicorns in the room: one had white fur and the other grey, they were wearing golden armor and a helmet.
The old-fashioned style seemed to be uncomfortable and impractical.

However, there was another thing that caught the empress's attention the most.

In the center of the room was a large desk and lying on it was an immense white alicorn.

It didn't take Tempest long to realize who was in front of her.
If the flag of Equestria and what she had heard from the two travelers were authentic then at that moment she had Princess Celestia in front of her, the one who raised and lowered the sun every day.

“What happened to her?” Tempest asked as she examined the limp body in front of her.

“When we crashed Princess Celestia was on the main deck and in the accident she was impaled by a pole, miraculously it did not hit any vital organs and we managed to extract it safely.” Twilight said worried and at the same time relieved that her princess was still alive.

In fact, Tempest saw that there was a large seam on her side where she supposed the pole had penetrated.
A wound like this, although fatal for an ordinary pony, should have healed after a short while for an alicorn.

“Why she doesn't wake up?” Tempest asked as she prodded the white alicorn's shoulder with a hoof.

"We don't know." Twilight concluded briefly.

Tempest let out a sigh and then turned to speak to Ryker.
“We need to move the big alicorn here.” she said as she gestured with her neck to indicate Princess Celestia.

Twilight was a little displeased that her mentor was simply called “big alicorn.” It's not that Tempest was that small.

“Go back outside and get help from the ensign to build a cart or sleigh.”
The captain wasted no time and immediately went outside.

Tempest turned back to Twilight who was at Celestia's bedside.

While they waited it would have been useful to obtain some information.

“How did you end up in this situation?”
Twilight turned her neck towards Commander Tempest.

“We were headed to a city called New Metropolis to open diplomatic relations."

Tempest was surprised by this, did they know of her existence? However, it didn't seem like they recognized her.

“For what reason?” she asked keeping her voice neutral.

“We recently learned that a new empire had formed south of the Bone Desert, and Princess Celestia had decided to try to have peaceful relations between the two nations. So we left a week ago but we underestimated the journey ahead.” she said in a disconsolate voice.

“Initially we had a fleet of four airships but due to the grains of sand we lost three in just five days.
We tried to go back but were shot down by goblins.
They would have found us if it weren't for you."

This last sentence was full of gratitude.

“The bone desert can be lethal for those who are not adequately prepared.” Tempest confirmed.

“But how did you end up here?”
This time it was Twilight who wanted information.

“We saw your wreck in the distance and came to your rescue."
then Tempest grimaced in defeat.
“But we were also attacked by goblins and they shot down all my airships.” She concluded as she swung a paw out of spite.
“Now we are in the same situation as you.” she concluded.

“Oh… I'm sorry, if it wasn't for us maybe none of this would have happened.”
Twilight was sad to hear about this.

“It's not your fault, we were headed to this area anyway and they would have attacked us sooner or later.”
Tempest attempted to console her but it had little effect. Indeed, the purple mare burst into tears and sobs.

Tempest stood there watching for a moment until her common sense told her to do something.

The Empress sat down next to Twilight and before she could say or do anything she clung to Tempest and continued to cry her eyes out for at least 10 minutes.

“Sniff….sniff….” Twilight had finally stopped and was inelegantly wiping her nose with a hoof.

“I'm sorry, I just didn't expect things to turn out this way.”
“We set out with the hope of finding new friends for the first time in millennia and now dozens of good ponies are dead and we are stranded in the desert.”

Tempest listened as the little alicorn complained.
“Plus Princess Celestia is hurt and she won't wake up while I have no idea what to do.” Twilight had finished crying but her eyes were still red.

The two equestrian guards, however, remained impassive near the door.

“I had never been in a situation like this before and I certainly wasn't ready in the slightest.” she concluded, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

Twilight had resisted until then and when she felt more confident she poured out all her worries and fears.

“I understand you Mrs. Sparkle.” Tempest placed a paw on her back.
“But you're not alone right now, and besides, I'm pretty sure Princess Celestia wouldn't want you to waste time here despairing.”

"Commander! We did as requested."
Outside the door was Captain Ryker with Cooper, behind them they had a rudimentary sled made with planks and ropes recovered from the wreckage of airships.

Tempest promptly stood up to survey the work done.
The sled didn't look good but it seemed sturdy enough to carry the large white alicorn and withstand the stress.

Then Tempest went back to talking to Twilight.
"We need to get out of here, this place isn't safe."

“And where will we go!?” Twilight asked rightfully concerned.

“In about 24 hours my soldiers will notice my absence and will send help, however the desert is very large and it would take days if not weeks before they find us.” Tempest's words were not at all reassuring.
“Fortunately, 250 kilometers from here there is our safe operational base.” concluded Tempest.

Twilight was left wondering what to do. Such a journey would take at least two days, plus they didn't know if Celestia would wake up.
However, as Commander Tempest had said, they had no alternative.

“Okay, we'll do as you say.” for the first time Twilight's voice was firm and determined.

The group easily placed Princess Celestia on the cart thanks to Twilight's telekinesis.
The two horse guards had volunteered to do the towing.

When they emerged from the wreckage of the airship the three Equestrians were stunned by the destruction that surrounded them.

It wasn't the first time Twilight had seen dead bodies but never in those conditions.
The bodies of the goblins were scattered throughout the area, they had lacerations and some had had their limbs cut off.
There were also pony corpses but most had died in the crash.

“Bleaghhh.” Twilight had decided that a good thing to do was to empty her stomach nearby.

Tempest and Ryker rolled their eyes, it was clear that the little alicorn wasn't used to such bloody scenes.

Before leaving they took as many supplies as possible, or at least those that had remained intact after the crash

If there was one essential thing to face the journey it was water and food, without them they would have died in a short time.
Tempest could recover energy by eating gems but for the others it wasn't so easy.

“Captain Ryker, how many supplies do we have?” She asked the griffin who, like the ensign, had two bags on his back.
“We have two liters of water each and food for three days.” Ryker brought back quickly.

"And you?" She asked the nearest equestrian soldier since Twilight didn't seem to be able to answer at that moment.

“We have a total of three liters of water and food for two days.”
Tempest let out a soft sigh. Water supplies were very few and barely enough for two days.

“Okay, if we are thrifty we will have to be able to make do with it.”

Having said this the group set off towards the east
In that direction was an Imperial outpost where they could wait to be picked up.

A long and tiring journey lies ahead of them.

CHAPTER 1 part 2 : SHORT LESSON OF MAGIC

“Okay, let's stop and rest for a moment.” Tempest said after making sure they were in a safe place.
Not that it mattered much as they were surrounded by sand and the occasional rock.

“Ugh……Finally!”
Twilight was the first to fall to the ground panting.

Tempest mentally admitted that the little alicorn had done well to resist up to that point, they already had a dead weight and having another one certainly wouldn't improve things.

Speaking of dead weights, Tempest took a look at the sled they were pulling.

Princess Celestia showed no signs of waking up and it was starting to worry her.

What would have happened to the sun if the one who had the task of making it move had died?
Would it stay there until the earth literally caught fire?

Tempest looked at the sky and as she had feared the sun seemed to be still at the same height as six hours ago.
This was REALLY VERY WORRYING.

“Miss Sparkle.”
“Twilight!”
Tempest was promptly interrupted by the purple alicorn.

“Please, you can just call me Twilight.” she added, making her intent clear.

"Okay Twilight." Tempest said..
“I wanted to ask you if you knew what would happen to the sun in the unfortunate event that Princess Celestia was 'unwell'.

Twilight stood still for a few seconds as if she hadn't heard the question but then her eyes widened.

“OH NO!”
“OH NO NO NO NO NO!”
the purple alicorn had begun to scream in panic.
“THIS IS A CATASTROPHE! A CATASTROPHE!”

“THE WORLD IS ABOUT TO END! EVERY ECOSYSTEM WILL BE DISTURBED AND NO FORM OF LIFE WILL REMAIN!”

The group of ponies looked at each other perplexedly while Twilight didn't seem to want to calm down.
The only ones who had guessed what it might be about were Tempest and Captain Ryker.

“Turns out I was right.” Tempest whispered in the ear of the captain who seemed to be equally worried.

The Empress turned back to Twilight who was taking a series of deep inhalations and exhalations.

“From your reaction I can deduce that the sun will remain in the sky until your princess awakens.” she said, letting out a sigh.

"I'm afraid so." Twilight replied dejectedly.

Now not only did they risk dying in the desert but also the rest of the world with them.

Really excellent!

"Commander!"
From above came Ensign Cooper.

Tempest had made him go ahead to try to find a place to shelter from the scorching sun and to spend the night.
Even if it seemed that the night would not come.

“About two hours' walk south there is a wreck of a large airship that crashed some time ago but the hull is still intact enough to provide shelter.”
The ensign said the sentence in one breath as he had flown quickly to report the discovery.

“Thank you ensign, rest and take a sip of water. You did a good job.”
Tempest congratulated Cooper who responded by nodding his head and then went to get his canteen to drink.

"Captain!"
The gray griffin was talking to the equestrian soldiers but he turned away as soon as he heard his empress call him.

Ryker approached quickly and stood at attention.
Even though he wasn't young, he seemed to handle the fatigue and the heat well,
“In five minutes we will set off again to reach the wreck indicated by Ensign Cooper. Make sure everyone is ready.”

“Of course Commander. However..." the griffin stopped uncertain.

“Speak up, captain.” Tempest urged him to speak, if there was one thing she wanted it was that the soldiers to be honest and not hide possibly vital information.

“I'm afraid those two are exhausted by now.” he continued as with a movement of his eyes he pointed to the two stallions in golden armor.

Indeed it was true, they looked hot and tired but she couldn't blame them as they were carrying a pony twice their combined weight.

Tempest approached the two stallions but as soon as they noticed it they stiffened and straightened their posture.

“Rest soldiers.” she said, trying to calm them down even though it had little effect.

“Take off the ropes, the captain and I will relieve you.”

The two stallions looked at each other perplexed as if they had never expected something like this.

“We don't have all day.” she added, trying to encourage them.

The white one decided to speak for the first time since they had met.
“Are you sure?” he asked in an uncertain voice.

The one next to him nodded in agreement with him.

Tempest rolled her eyes, were they afraid a mare wouldn't make it?

“Of course soldiers! if you pass out from exhaustion we will find ourselves with two more dead weights and then we will be in more trouble than we already are.”

Meanwhile Twilight had finished resting and hearing what was happening she approached to intervene.

“That's okay, you did a great job, do as Commander Tempest says.”
Immediately the two stallions bowed and responded in unison.

“Certainly your highness.”
Then they stood up and took off their makeshift harnesses.

On the other hand, Tempest was a little shocked.
"Your highness?!" she exclaimed, underlining her doubt.

Twilight looked at her and smiled awkwardly.
“Oh yes, I forgot to introduce myself properly.”

She took a step back and cleared her throat.
“My name is Twilight Sparkle, personal student of Princess Celestia, wielder of the element of magic, ruler of Ponyville, and princess of friendship.”

Tempest listened intently but when she heard the last title her eyes widened.

Princess of Friendship?!

So she was the famous princess of friendship?!

The first thing that crossed Tempest's mind was to burst out laughing but her common sense dictates that she restrain herself, both out of respect and to preserve her dignity.

Thinking about it, she should have foreseen it since only the princess of the sun and the moon were represented on the Equestrian flag.

MOON?!

Tempest grabbed Twilight by her shoulders and pulled her closer.

“If I'm not mistaken, Princess Celestia has a sister, is that correct!?”

Twilight was taken aback but she responded immediately.

“You mean Princess Luna? that's correct but why are you asking me this all of a sudden?”

“Isn't it obvious? Now that the sun is still, can't Princess Luna lower the sun like her sister did?!” Tempest explained hopefully.

Twilight mentally processed the question but her response wasn't very positive.

“I honestly don't know, Celestia has had many years to learn how to move the moon but Luna has only recently returned from her exile, plus I think if she could do it she would have done it already.” she concluded as she lowered her ears.

Tempest wasn't happy about this at all.

“I understand, thanks anyway for answering me.”

Apparently the problem persisted and they should have found a solution ASAP.

With that she dropped the purple alicorn and put on the harness so she could pull the sled. Ryker was already ready to her left.

The group of seven continued their march with Tempest and Ryker leading the way, towing the sleeping body of Princess Celestia.

“Since we have nothing else to do, can I ask you some questions?” Twilight said suddenly.

They had been walking for over an hour but it felt like much longer.
The temperature had risen more and even she was starting to feel tired.

Tempest looked up into the sky and saw that the sun was still fixed in the same spot.
She did a couple of mental calculations and estimated that it was probably between seven and eight in the evening but it still felt like midday.

“Perhaps it would be better to save our energy.” Tempest replied trying to avoid an annoying interrogation.

“In fact you are right, but it is also said that by talking you don't notice the time passing and you also lighten mental fatigue.”

Apparently the girl was curious and there was no way to persuade her.
Tempest looked to her left and saw that Ryker, though also tired, was focused on what to do.

“Okay, what do you want to ask me?” Tempest said as she started looking forward again.

“Why don't we start with you?” Twilight said smiling.

Tempest wasn't honestly ready to talk about herself, certainly not with someone she'd known so little, yet she knew she couldn't help it.

“Okay, but don't expect me to answer every question.”

“Yay! At that time…. What are you?" she asked immediately, apparently the topic had been in her head for a while.

Had she perhaps guessed that Tempest was an alicorn too?

"Why this question?" she tried to clarify to avoid misunderstanding.

“Well… from the first time I saw you I couldn't help but notice the shape of your pupils and the fact that you are abnormally tall for a unicorn.” Twilight explained as she moved slightly closer to her.
“So I wanted to ask you if you were some kind of hybrid between a pony and some other species.”

So she didn't suspect Tempest was an alicorn, good.
Luckily she wasn't the first to ask and she already had a story ready for the occasion, it would have been enough to omit a few things.

“You're right, in fact one of my ancestors was a dragon and I inherited my eyes, height and a couple of other things from him.”

“WOW!” Twilight cheered like a little girl.
“It's the first time I've seen a hybrid like you! For millennia Equestria has been isolated and therefore there are only ponies.” she said, explaining the reason for her joy.

“So you've inherited some draconic features?” She asked as she refrained from prancing around like one of her party-loving pink friend.

“Maybe you should calm down a bit or you'll end up using up what little energy you have left.” Tempest warned in the same voice her mentor sometimes used.

Twilight suppressed her enthusiasm and assumed an attitude more worthy of her role.

“I can see in the dark, breathe flames, eat gems, I have stronger skin and bones and greater tolerance to heat and cold.” she said, listing the first things that came to mind.

Twilight's eyes lit up like when a child gets a beautiful toy.

“IT'S ABSOLUTELY AWESOME! I must take note of all this as soon as I can!”
Twilight's mouth was starting to drool making Tempest and Captain Ryker who was standing next to her worried.

The purple alicorn was starting to rave, talking softly about how she was going to write a book, do research and experiments, and how proud Celestia would be.

Before Twilight went too far Tempest decided to interrupt the train of thought that was taking on an almost perverse connotation.

“Do you have anything else to ask me?” Tempest said loudly.

Twilight shook her head and resumed the conversation.

“Forgive my indiscretion but what happened to your horn?”

And here's the fateful question that she certainly wouldn't have answered.

“I'm sorry, but I won't talk about this.” Tempest's response left no room for further speculation on the matter.

“Oh… I see.” Twilight cringed slightly as she lowered her ears.

If there was one thing that Tempest had understood, it was that the girl was very expressive and he could hardly suppress her emotions.

“Oh, I have another question for you.”
The little alicorn's enthusiasm was back in no time.

On the other hand, Tempest was already tired of this interrogation.

"Who are you?"

Twilight's expression became more serious, this time the little alicorn was looking for more "strategic" information.

“You'll have to be more precise than that,” Tempest said, as she glanced at Captain Ryker as if to say “DISCRETION!”

Captain Ryker was a perceptive griffin and immediately guessed by returning the sign.

“You explained to us how you crashed with us but beyond that we don't know where you come from, what nation you belong to or who you work for.” Twilight specified, waiting for an answer.

Tempest was about to respond but before she could, Ensign Cooper landed in front of them.

“Commander Tempest! We have arrived at the wreck.” he reported pointing to a spot in front of them.

In fact they could see the hull of a ship which as Cooper had said was still intact enough to provide refuge.

“Great, let's move!” Tempest ordered, ending the argument they were having earlier.

In a few minutes they reached their destination.

The ship was very old because the paint had completely disappeared and the wood had been sanded smooth.

The seven entered the hull through a fairly large hole found in one side.

As soon as they entered they noticed that the ship had been completely sacked and the only thing left was the wood that made up the bulkheads and the floor.

Other than that there was nothing else and no life form.

“Alright folks, this place seems safe enough to camp. Search the area and then return here to rest.”
With that the Equestrian Guards and Ensign Cooper went on patrol while Tempest and Ryker untied their rope harnesses.

Twilight went to see how her princess was doing. At first glance she seemed fine, she was breathing and the wound was healed, however she did not wake up.

"How is she?" Tempest asked as she approached.

“As before, she doesn't wake up.” Twilight replied shortly, making a disconsolate face.

The situation wasn't improving at all.
Taking into consideration the fact that the sun was still high in the sky then it was safe to assume that her sister was unable to move the sun.

She didn't even try to ask Twilight since she seemed to be even more inexperienced and would have lowered the sun long ago if she had the skills.

Tempest sat down to think.

Why Celestia didn't wake up? What was the reason?

An invisible wound?
Certainly not since if it had been that serious she would have died, otherwise she would have recovered as quickly as the one inflicted by the stake.

Was she in a coma?

Tempest approached Celestia's body and gently lifted one of her eyelids.

Her pupil contracted indicating that her brain was functioning and communicating with the rest of her body.

Was she simply sleeping?

Tempest gave a mental laugh thinking about the fact that perhaps they had gone through all that effort when instead it would have been enough to give her a shock or throw water on her.

Tempest brought the horn lightly to the great Alicorn's butt and gave it a shake.

Suddenly her leg moved but Princess Celestia didn't open her eyes.

"What are you doing?!"

Tempest had forgotten that Twilight was there.

“I'm trying to figure out why she doesn't wake up.”
Tempest explained as she thought of further possible causes.

"Do you have any idea?" she tried in the hope that the purple alicorn had an intuition.
However she shook her head no, she didn't know what to do either.

Tempest let out a sigh and straightened up.

“The last thing I could think of is a depletion of magical energy.” she also speculated if it seemed strange to her since they were still talking about an alicorn.

"YOU ARE RIGHT!"
Suddenly Twilight screamed making Tempest's hackles stand on end.

“Before we crashed, Princess Celestia had erected a barrier to protect us from the impact, which is why she is now without magical energy!”
“HOW DID I FORGET THAT!? STUPID STUPID STUPID!”

Twilight slammed her hooves on her head to highlight his anger at his ineptitude.

“That's fine! there's no use crying over spilled milk." Tempest tried to calm her down as she pinned her paws with hers.

“You have to focus on the here and now, we can't afford any more mistakes.”
Tempest's gaze was locked on Twilight's eyes.

“Sorry, you're right, I did it again.”
This time it took Twilight less to recover even though she was on the verge of tears.

“Clop-clop-clop.” hooves could be heard.
Cooper and the other two Equestrian guards had returned to report that the area was safe.

Tempest stood up and assumed a commander's pose.
“Great, we found out why Princess Celestia doesn't wake up.”

Tempest later explained what ailed her and the soldiers were slightly relieved to hear this.

“And how do we treat it? There's no way to get her energy back quickly." Twilight said rightly.

“There is actually a way: our bodies contain magical energy as if they were batteries and when needed they release it in the form of spells to obtain magic.

However, just like batteries, our body does not produce magical energy but collects what is in the environment."
The group listened intently to the impromptu magic lesson. Even Twilight, who knew the principles of magic thoroughly, was interested in understanding where she was going with this.

“So following this theory it is possible to transfer magical energy from one body to another.” concluded Tempest.

The spectators were ecstatic to learn that Commander Tempest had found a solution to their problems. Everyone except a certain purple alicorn.

“Your theory might work but where do we find someone with so much magical energy? Even though I am an alicorn, I certainly cannot make up for the princess's shortcomings."
She retorted as she touched her chin in confusion.

“You don't have to worry about this, I will provide the magical energy.”
“And now enough arguing, we have no more time to waste.”
With that she approached Princess Celestia's head to make contact with her horns but was interrupted by Ryker and Twilight.

“Wait a minute commander! What will happen to you if you transfer all your magical energy?”
Ryker was the first to express his concerns.

“I'll probably fall asleep too. I know it's not an optimal solution but it's the only one we have if we want to prevent the surface of the planet from being completely burned."
Tempest responded in a firm, resolute voice.

Ryker understood that his empress was determined and his duty was to follow her will. He bowed and then stepped back.

“Do you have anything to tell me Twilight?” she said, turning to the alicorn who was still struggling to understand what was happening.

“How do you have enough magical energy?”

Tempest smiled playfully.
“I have my tricks.” that was the only thing she said before touching Celestia's horn with her hand and releasing as much magical energy as she could.

Within seconds she began to feel tired and drained but she couldn't give up.

She gritted her teeth and released everything she had.

When she felt that there wasn't a shred of magical energy left in her body she let go and fainted and fell to the ground.

The last thing she heard was Twilight screaming her name.

Author's Note

Reference image for wreck in which they took refuge.
The representation is not identical to how it is in the story: the sail masts must be replaced with the remains of the frame of the balloon containing helium.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
As always, I remind you that there may have been syntax or grammatical errors so I ask you to report them in the comments and if possible to interpret the events.

Thank you.

CHAPTER 1 part 3: DAMN FASCINATING WHITE!

“TEMPESTIA!”

“PLEASE, STOP!!”

"MOM! I AM AFRAID!"

DAD!?

“KILL THE BEAST!”
“TEAR OFF HER WINGS!”
“BREAK HER HORN!”

“DON'T HURT HER! I BEG YOU! TAKE ME INSTEAD!”

How could all this happen?

Why were they despised so much?

What had they done wrong to be treated like this?!

"HOOK! HOOK! HOOK!"

“NOOOOOOO! PLEASE DON'T HURT HER!”

"MOM! WHAT IS THAT!"

“MY CHILD, YOU MUST FREE YOURSELF! NOW!"

“NOOOOOOO!”

"MOM?!"

“STORM! LOOK ME IN THE EYES, DON'T TURN!”

"MOM! WHAT DO THEY WANT TO DO TO ME!?”

“AUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

“TEMPESTIA!”
“TEMPESTIA!”

“TEMPEST!”

"TEMPEST!"

Tempest woke with a start.

She was out of breath and her fur was all sweaty.

Had it been a dream?!

How long has it been since she did one like this?

“Tempest, are you okay?”

The scarred alicorn awoke from her catatonic state.

She was lying on the makeshift sled they had built.

However, there was one thing she noticed right away.

They were not inside the wreck but rather outside and around a fireplace.

There was no longer any sun in the sky as it had been replaced by a wonderful starry night and above, shining brightest of all, there was the moon.

“My sister's night is really wonderful, isn't it?”

A soft, gentle voice hit Tempest's ears.

The speaker was Princess Celestia.

“Princess Celestia! I'm glad to see you're awake." Tempest said in a reverential voice to the white alicorn on the other side of the hearth.

“I'm happy about it too, however I'm afraid that right now what we have to worry about is you.” she said, gesturing towards her.

“Princess Celestia is right! We were really anxious for you.” Twilight said in a breathless voice.
“You stayed asleep for at least five hours, you kept whispering and moving in your sleep and at a certain point you started emitting sparks from your horn and we were afraid you were going to electrocute us all!” she concluded with a sigh of relief.

However, Tempest did not listen to her as her gaze was drawn to Princess Celestia.

Tempest took a good look at her from top to bottom and was truly amazed.

The white alicorn was tall and gorgeous, she had regal and feminine features. And its shapes were equally feminine.
Her long legs and thin belly made her proportions practically perfect and balanced.

The white fur stood out in the night giving her an angelic appearance.
To further demonstrate her divine appearance there were her mane and tail that moved in an ethereal way and the soft colors gave her an elegance and sobriety worthy of a nymph.

"Are you OK now?" the goddess asked, emitting a soft and reassuring voice.

Tempest was truly mesmerized.

“Tempest?”
The empress was brought back to reality by Twilight who had prodded her with a hoof.

“Oh.. Yes… I'm fine!” Tempest said, shaking off the habit.

There must have been a law written somewhere that prohibited being so beautiful and attractive!

How the hell had she not noticed this before?!

“I'm happy about it. Maybe you should eat something.”

Princess Celestia smiled at her and with telekinesis she grabbed the bag of gems that Tempest usually carried with her.
She levitated it and handed it to the magenta alicorn.

“Twilight told me about you and so I assumed that these gems were your food.”

Tempest's heart skipped a beat, not only was Princess Celestia illegally charming but also attentive and perceptive.

"THATS ENOUGH! YOU ARE BEHAVING LIKE A TEENAGER IN HEAT!”
Her subconscious gave her a mental slap and set her back on the right path.

Tempest promptly straightened her neck and shook off the daze.

“Of course, thank you.”

Tempest grabbed the bag but then noticed something not insignificant.

How did she get her bag of gems?!

Tempest got a response in the form of a light breeze on her exposed fur, she opened her eyes wide and looked down.

SHE WAS WITHOUT ARMOR?!

Tempest stood up suddenly and took a step back.

“WHERE IS MY ARMOR?!”

Princess Celestia and Twilight's faces were fixed on her.

Tempest's body was completely exposed. They could see every scar, bruise, or sort of damage, but especially the two large scars on her back where the wings had once been attached.

“It's there.” Twilight said, pointing to a spot near the sled she had been lying on earlier.
“We decided to take it off because we thought it might be uncomfortable for you to sleep with all that weight on you.”

In fact, her suit was neatly folded and the plates tidied up and cleaned of sand.
But honestly that wasn't what she was interested in.

“You shouldn't have.” Tempest simply said as she looked down.

She had spent years wearing that armor, she had gotten used to it and she had made it her own.

Those obsidian plates had become part of Empress Tempest.

And under that suit was hiding a wounded mare, full of hatred, resentment and immense shame.

She remembered the horrible dream she had had.
Indeed, not a dream but a memory, a terrible memory that had irreparably changed her body and her soul.

Were they perhaps tears that she felt in her eyes?

NO!

She had sworn to herself that she would no longer cry over things from the past, that she would no longer be weak, that she would get the revenge she longed for against those who had hurt her and her family.

He squeezed his eyes shut and quickly wiped away her tears with a paw.

“Thank you for your concern, but I'm used to sleeping in armor.”

With that, Tempest walked over to put her suit on.

“We all have deep regrets but that doesn't mean we don't deserve to be loved.”

Celestia's calm, sweet voice interrupted her just as she was about to grab her suit.

She looked into the white alicorn's eyes and saw compassion, sadness, regret in them but certainly not judgment and not disgust.

In that moment Tempest realized another great quality that characterized Princess Celestia: she was loving as only a mother could be.

Just like Aletheia.

At that moment the fragile dam that held back her pain broke and Tempest fell to the ground crying tears that she had accumulated for so long.

What a great way to introduce herself, what a great way to demonstrate her strength.
Surely someone would have laughed at her just like when she was on that damn stage crying and pissing herself out of fear.

But instead of a cruel laughter, a loving, soft white wing came to her.

Celestia had come to sit next to her and gently placed her right wing on Tempest's back.

How could she be so benevolent to someone she didn't even know?

Twilight was witnessing the surreal scene.
The Commander Tempest she had met in the wreck of their ship was completely different from the Tempest who was now shedding her tears onto the fur of her mentor.

Twilight had thought of her as a brave and rational soldier but apparently she had forgotten one of the most important lessons of friendship
That is, everyone has scars inside them, no matter how small and insignificant.

And from what she could see, Tempest carried traumas within her that she couldn't even imagine.

Twilight remembered the moment she and Celestia had chosen to take off her armor.

She had imagined that a soldier might have injuries but she certainly hadn't expected this.

Twilight was really surprised and horrified but then she calmed down noticing that they were old wounds that had long healed.

Her eyes roamed all over her body.
She knew she was being disrespectful but she couldn't ignore the two scars on her back.
They were symmetrical and right where there might have been wings.

Twilight had seen something like this before.
In fact, they were very similar to those of pegasus whose wings had been removed.

But how was that possible?!

She couldn't be an alicorn, the only ones in the world were her, Celestia, Luna and Cadence.

Her mentor had explained to her that the only way to become alicorn was through an ascension ritual or by direct descent from another alicorn.

Furthermore, Tempest had said herself that the reason for her height was due to draconic genes.

Had she lied?

It was her mentor who gave the final intuition.

“She's an alicorn, there's no doubt about it.” Celestia had said.

"But how? Only you can perform the ascension ritual." Twilight protested.

“This is because she is not an ascended alicorn but was born that way.”

“So whose daughter is she?! Did one of us happen to have it and she didn't notice?!”

Twilight was freaking out like she usually does when she couldn't come up with an answer.

Who was she born to?

From Luna!?
It couldn't be since Tempst should be no more than two years old or more than 1000 years old.

Was she from Cadence?
This wasn't possible either as she should have had her when she was a child.

The only possible candidate was…. CELESTIA?!

CELESTIA HAD A DAUGHTER AND NEVER TOLD HER!?

Twilight was hyperventilating.
“Princess Celestia?! Are you Tempest's mother?!”

Hearing this, the white alicorn smiled as she saw that her faithful student had once again forgotten to consider the simplest answer.

“As much as I would love to have a little girl, I'm afraid she's not mine.” she replied to Twilight as she watched Tempest squirm in her sleep.

“SO SHE'S MY DAUGHTER?!” she screamed putting the hooves on her head.

In Celestia's eyes, Twilight's reaction was almost comical but it was time to stop.

"My faithful student, what I mean is that she is probably the daughter of an alicorn unknown to us." She finally explained.

Hearing this, Twilight put a stop to her antics and started working her head again.

“Tell me Twilight, do you know how our continent originated?” Celestia asked.

Her student nodded.

“Great, so my theory is that Tempest is a descendant of Aurora and that she somehow managed to get to Midgard.”

Twilight listened to Celestia's explanation
“But how did she get here and why did she lose her wings and break her horn!?”
She asked perplexed.

“Perhaps we could ask Tempest herself.” Celestia replied, pointing with her neck to the magenta mare who was having convulsions at that moment and powerful electric shocks were coming from her horn.

Twilight returned to the present.

Tempest had stopped crying as Celestia retracted her wing.

“Thank you very much, that was completely inappropriate.” Tempest said while her eyes were puffy.

She was grateful that she at least hadn't been seen in that state by her subordinates.

By the way, where were they?

“Our soldiers and Ensign Cooper have gone to sleep inside the airship while Captain Ryker stands guard.”
Again Princess Celestia had responded without her even asking.

Could she read minds?!

“I see, Twilight said we've been stuck for at least 8 hours, we'll have to leave as soon as the sun comes up. In the meantime, we better sleep while we can."

Celestia nodded in agreement while Twilight yawned, expressing her tiredness.

Had they been awake to watch over her?

Tempest stepped aside and lowered her head to her paws.

From her perspective she could see Princess Celestia.

“Thank you for comforting me.” she said softly.

Celestia opened one eye and smiled slightly at her.

Immediately Tempest felt a warmth deep in her chest and turned away so as not to show her embarrassment.

She had already made enough fashion mistakes that day.

She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

“Okay, are you ready?” she asked everyone else who responded by nodding their heads at her.

“Good, off we go!”

Now that they didn't have a dead weight to carry around, they chose to abandon the sled and fill their saddlebags with pieces of wood.

The fact that they had found the wreckage of that airship was truly a miracle and Tempest decided not to push her luck twice.

At the head of the group were Captain Ryker and Ensign Cooper, in the center Twilight, Tempest and Celestia, and at the rear the two royal guards.

"Who are you?"

Just to Tempest's right was Twilight and beyond her Celestia.

"What?" Tempest said raising an eyebrow at the purple alicorn.

“Do you remember yesterday? You were about to tell me who you are.” Twilight repeated, smiling innocently.

In reality Tempest hadn't forgotten the question, she was considering whether to reveal information but she admitted that the group from Equestria had proven to be trustworthy.

"Yesterday you told me you were headed to New Metropolis, well.. we're from there."

"Really?! So all this time we were talking to Imperials and you didn't tell us?” she replied in disbelief.

“I didn't know if we could trust you.” she tried to justify herself.

“So it's true, a new empire has formed in the south of the continent. Since when?"
Twilight asked more and more curiously.

“Our empire is called the “Union of Free Peoples,” and our empire was founded about ten years ago.”

"Ten years?! and we only found out now?!” Twilight's voice rose in volume as if each response was a divine revelation.

“You are relatively lucky if we exclude the fact that we are walking in the middle of the desert with little water and food. You wanted to go to New Metropolis and we'll probably get there one way or another." Tempest said with a lopsided smile even though Twilight didn't seem to appreciate her humor.

On the other hand, Celestia laughed lightly, almost imperceptible, making Tempest feel that warmth coming from deep inside her chest again.

“You said that the empire is in fact a union, why did you decide to do it?”
She attempted to investigate Twilight.

From the books she had studied, empires were generally formed by conquering and subjugating others.
If that was the case then they certainly wouldn't have been very good "friends".

“Originally there were only six peoples isolated from each other and subjugated by a dictator called the Storm King. “
Tempest began to tell the story briefly, omitting many parts.

“His rule had remained unchallenged for centuries until someone decided to join forces to eliminate him.”
“Following a long war we managed to kill him, then we chose to maintain the alliance and the rest is history.”

Twilight seemed to still be dissatisfied.
What was she trying to achieve?

Tempest looked at Princess Celestia but her expression was completely neutral.
She almost seemed like she was there casually.

“Yours is an empire so there must necessarily be an emperor, who is he?”

Tempest started looking forward again and responded to Twilight as she did so.

“I have no idea, I think the one who started it all.”

"What do you mean you have no idea?" she said suspiciously.

“I am only a commander, I do not take orders from the emperor himself.” Tempest replied in a very convincing voice.

“I understand, let's just hope he's a reasonable person.” Twilight commented looking at her mentor.
.
“We really hope so.” Celestia said.

Then she raised her head and smiled at Tempest.
“But I'm pretty sure she'll be a wonderful person.”

Tempest obviously noticed the white alicorn's playful gaze.

She knew!?

“Why were you here? You said that even if you hadn't found us you would still have been headed to that area.”

“We were on a diplomatic mission to reach an agreement with the goblins and orcs, but since they shot at us as soon as they saw us I fear they are not interested.” Tempest sighed.

It's not that the empire wasn't ready for war but her goals were far different than fighting a people of savages.

“It's really a shame, is there nothing else that can be done? You could try again with another approach.” Twilight said. After all, she was the princess of friendship and she had never failed to make new friends.

“I'm afraid the issue isn't very simple, we've tried to negotiate with them before and every time it ended badly.”

“Did you try to figure out what they wanted?” Twilight continued.

“The only thing they want is to reproduce and expand.”
Tempest was getting tired, it was now obvious to her that there was nothing else they could do.

“Then why don't you let them do it?”

Tempest stopped suddenly.

Let them do it?!

This time Tempest decided to look at Twilight, she didn't seem sarcastic at all and even expected an answer.

“Do you realize what you're saying?” she said in disbelief. Tempest decided to see if Celestia had the same expectation.

The White alicorn was watching as if she were a teacher waiting for her student to come up with the answer on her own and not for it to be served on a silver platter.

And apparently it was Tempest's turn to instruct.

“Do you have any idea who goblins or orcs are?” she asked raising an eyebrow.

Tempest brought her head close to Twilight's so she could hear perfectly.

“When goblins conquer a territory the first thing they do is kill anyone who might offer resistance and then they enslave all the remaining survivors.”

Tempest saw that Twilight wasn't expecting anything like this. But she wasn't done yet.

"Then they rape all the females as if they were living incubators while the others are used as slaves until exhaustion."

Twilight was horrified.

“And then the orcs come and eat alive everyone who can't work or give birth to more disgusting monsters just like them.”

“I think that's enough. You have proven your point in detail, thank you very much.”
Celestia decided to intervene seeing that her protégé was almost on the verge of tears.

Tempest was unsure whether to continue but seeing Princess Celestia's displeased face she decided that Twilight had had enough "reality" for now.

Tempest snorted and continued walking, leaving a shocked Twilight behind.

How long had they been walking?

Tempest had lost track of the hours and kilometers that had passed as the sand dunes all seemed to be the same and the heat made it difficult to think.

The only thing that indicated the past time was the shadow cast by their bodies.

Tempest and Celestia walked side by side while Twilight remained slightly behind them and the two equestrian stallions.

The purple alicorn walked with her head and ears low, it was obvious that the previous speech had shaken her deeply.

“Maybe I was too harsh.” Tempest said softly as if she was apologizing.

"Thank you." she heard celestia's voice.

Tempest raised her ears suddenly and looked to her left.

When did she get this close?!

The two mares' hips were so close that they could almost touch.

Didn't he know what personal space is?

Tempest tried to move away a few centimeters but Celestia followed her insistently as if it were a game.

She finally decided to give up and keep walking straight.

"Thanks for what?" She finally replied while out of the corner of her eye she observed their close bodies.

“For Twilight.”

Tempest didn't feel like she deserved thanks, she just wanted the purple alicorn to learn about such horrors through her rather than experience them first hand.

"Do not mention it." she said, snorting and looking forward again.

“You'll wonder why she's so naive about the real world.” Celestia said knowingly.

Tempest actually wondered that.

She nodded her head in agreement.

"Twilight was born in a time of peace in a completely isolated country, she grew up without ever having to deal with the violence and evil of this world."

“But now that she has become Princess of Friendship, she wanted to spread her experience beyond the borders of Equestria.”
Tempest continued to listen while keeping one ear towards Celestia.

“I am no stranger to the real world, I too have committed atrocities and knowing this I did not have the courage to destroy the world of peace and harmony that I had built around her and my subjects.”
Celestia's voice was truly dejected.

“Is that why you're here? Were you afraid that she couldn't face the outside world alone and you decided to accompany her?” Tempest surmised.

“You are really insightful.” Celestia complimented causing a light blush to spread across Tempest's cheeks.
Luckily her dark fur made it difficult to notice.

The two continued walking in silence until Tempest decided that maybe it was time for her to ask the Equestrians a few questions.

“How can she be an alicorn? Is she your daughter?”

“Hahahahahaha!”
Celestia suddenly laughed loudly,

Had she said something funny?

Noticing that Tempest didn't seem to understand why she was laughing, she decided to explain herself.

“Sorry, I'm not laughing at you.” she said, wiping away a tear of happiness with her paw.
“It's just the second time in a short time that someone has assumed that I have a daughter.”

Honestly, Tempest could understand why: Celestia totally came across as a loving mother.
She couldn't help but think fleetingly of Aletheia.

Celestia calmed down and took on a more serious attitude befitting the answer she was about to give.

"Twilight was born a unicorn like many others but thanks to a spell that I created specifically I transformed her into a halcyon."

This revelation left Tempest completely shocked and speechless.

She had managed to create an alicorn permanently?!

Celestia looked over her shoulder to make sure her student couldn't hear her and then spoke again.

“Have you seen what would happen if I were to pass away?” Tempest nodded, she had thought about it too, the consequences would be apocalyptic to say the least

“I realized this a few centuries ago when following an exhaustion of magical energy the sun remained stationary for an entire week and because of me a famine and thousands of deaths broke out.”

Tempest was really shocked by this but she didn't show it.

“We all have regrets...”

The words she had said to her the night before came back to her.

“As luck would have it, I already had a powerful unicorn at my disposal, all she needed was the magical power of an alicorn and I would have had a worthy successor.”

“And so now you are training her for the day she takes your place.” Tempest continued.

“Exactly. However, she doesn't know about all this, it would break her heart to know that maybe one day I won't be here anymore.” she confessed, saddened.

If it were up to her, Tempest would have already told Twilight everything about it, but instead it seemed like she was just manipulating her.

However, it wasn't her job to reveal other people's secrets.

“I understand, I would approach the matter differently but I assure you that your secret will be safe with me.” Tempest reassured.

“I'm grateful.” Celestia said relieved.

From the discussion they had just had Tempest was able to understand that Princess Celestia wasn't quite what she thought, she too had many secrets and worries.

However, that beautiful smile and her majestic bearing hid everything about her well, guaranteeing her a benevolent and infallible mask.

Although such a thing was commonly judged negatively, Tempest couldn't help but admire her, she was more than a thousand years old and yet she still had remarkable determination and strength.

The list of things that drove Tempest crazy about her continued to accumulate resulting in inappropriate thoughts forming.

If before Tempest felt a warmth coming from deep inside her chest now she felt a "slight itch" under her tail.

How could you blame her?!

Tempest had never dedicated herself to frivolities such as love but for the first time she suspected she was experiencing what is commonly called "love at first sight".

"ENOUGH! YOU'RE DOING IT AGAIN!”
Her subconscious gave her another mental slap, interrupting her most intimate fantasies.

Tempest shook off her daze.

How long had she been fantasizing?

The scarred alicorn looked up into the sky and saw that the sun was still high.

“I know it's a stupid question but couldn't you turn the sun down earlier today?” she asked in a sarcastic voice.

She wasn't stupid enough to believe that the sun only shone on them. There was an entire world that relied on the sun and moon.

Tempest imagined what those who, not knowing Celestia existed, would think when they saw the sun move abnormally for the first time since they were born.

They could have thought of anything: a message from God, the end of the world, or the beginning of something wonderful.
Tempest would not be surprised if in a couple of centuries she were to see written in some sacred book about yesterday and how the sun had remained in the sky much longer than expected.

In fact, she had thought something like that too when the moon hadn't set a couple of years ago.

“Couldn't you lower the sun a little? Maybe just for a couple of hours.” Tempest said in a clearly sarcastic voice.

"What's up? are you afraid of getting a sunburn?” Celestia retorted, smiling.

“I don't know, what about you? You look a little pale, a little tan would look good on you." she commented playfully.

Celestia and Tempest had a big laugh.

They knew it wasn't a good situation to play but a little humor never hurt.

For some strange reason Tempest felt that when she was with Celestia she could let go of her commander or empress face, she could be more like herself without fear of being judged.

In fact, perhaps she was the one who should have paid more respect to Celestia. After all, she moved the damned sun. If she had wanted she could have exterminated every form of life on the globe.

“How does it feel to rule the sun?” Tempest asked without thinking too much.

“Mmmmm...” Celestia thought for a moment about what to say. In all the years of her life, few of her had ever dared to ask that question. Were they afraid?

“I don't know, many believe that moving the sun is a power that I can manage as I like but in reality this is not the case.”

"No?" Tempest was perplexed, wasn't she the one who moved the sun?

“No, the sun moves autonomously just like the moon, my sister Luna and I have the task of providing energy constantly in order to guarantee the day-night cycle.” Celestia explained.

“Wow, I didn't think it could be like this. So this is why when you ran out of magical energy the sun stopped moving. Truly enlightening."

The two continued to discuss this and that as they walked side by side.

However, they forgot that Twilight was behind them and she was staring intently at the two mares.

What was happening?!

Twilight had never seen Princess Celestia interact so amicably with anyone, furthermore with someone she met the day before.

It's not that she treated her subjects badly but rather she had a more "maternal" approach.

Not even with Princess Luna she interact in such a casual way but perhaps it was also due to the fact that her sister had mannerisms that were a millennium old.

By now Twilight had replaced her macabre thoughts about goblins with the strange situation she faced.

What was so special about Tempest that she deserved such treatment?

Celestia had never addressed Twilight so casually and it made her feel strange.

Wait!

Was it jealousy that she felt?

It didn't take long for Twilight to confirm that she was indeed jealous. She almost felt betrayed.

"There is something wrong?"

Twilight suddenly heard the voice of the gray stallion next to her.

Twilight came out of her thoughts.
“No no, I'm fine thanks.” she responded quickly.

Apparently she hadn't realized she had stopped and in the meantime the two equestrian guards had reached her.

Twilight quickly trotted forward to catch up with the two tall mares.

For now she had to put away those childish thoughts and behave as she was expected to do as a princess of friendship.

“I think it's time for us to stop.” Tempest said looking at the others.

The group had been walking for another few hours and the sun was about to set.

If it had been up to Tempest they would have walked until nightfall but there were good reasons to stop.

First of all, the Equestrians were exhausted and couldn't continue, but above all, chance wanted them to find an oasis in the desert.

The group hadn't initially believed it when Ensign Cooper came to report the discovery, but when they saw it with their own eyes they couldn't help but feel like the luckiest people in the world.

The fact that there was a water source in the desert was something not to be underestimated.
Not only would they be able to replenish their water supplies but they would be able to shed two days' worth of sweat.

However, Tempest was not so bold as to jump headlong into the water without having done the necessary checks.

So Tempest gave the usual routine orders and in a short time they managed to make sure the area was safe and had a bonfire ready to light.

However, while the others were settling down, Twilight hadn't forgotten the fact that Tempest was actually an alicorn.

Author's Note

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
As always, I remind you that there may have been syntax or grammatical errors so I ask you to report them in the comments and if possible to interpret the events.

Thank you.

CAPITOLO 1 parte 4: AN OASIS OF REGRET AND REVELATIONS

If there was one thing Tempest loved it was being able to take a refreshing bath or shower after a tiring day.
She preferred the water not to be too hot as it bothered her especially where the scars were.

Tempest looked around to make sure one last time that everything was okay.

Not that there was much since the only thing they had with them were pieces of wood and supplies of food and water.

They decided that before washing themselves it was better to fill their water bottles to avoid drinking dirty water, even a little.
The water seemed clean enough, it wasn't perfectly crystal clear but they couldn't complain, furthermore their bodies didn't run any risk from drinking slightly dirty water.

The first to dive into the water were the subordinates since they were the ones who had struggled the most, both because they were all wearing armor and also did not have the physical resistance of alicorns.

After they were done they stayed to dry off and then went to do their chores and rest.

Now only Tempest, Celestia and her faithful student were missing.

“What are you waiting for?”

Tempest heard Twilight's voice calling out to her.

The princess of friendship had already immersed herself in the water and now she was splashing in the pond.

However, Tempest was standing on the shore watching the water.

She was undecided whether to take a bath with her suit and armor on but she understood that it wasn't a good idea, after all the purpose was to clean herself up and remove the sand from her body.

Tempest wasn't used to being seen without anything on, the only ones who had seen her undressed after she acquired the armor were the crew of the Seashark and her assistant Grubbering her when he helped her get dressed .

"There is something wrong?"

Tempest was brought out of her thoughts as soon as she heard Celestia's voice.

The white alicorn was waiting on the shore next to her and was now looking at her as if she knew about Tempest's worries.

Oh right... since yesterday Celestia and Twilight had also seen her "in all her glory".

What difference did it make now? There was nothing left to hide, at least not from those two.

“Nothing, I was just thinking.”
With that said, Tempest quickly took off the obsidian plates and then the suit.
Then she took all the clothes and put them aside, later she would give them a clean.

As she was about to dive into the water she saw that Celestia was still on the edge of the water and was looking at the pond as if it might attack her at any moment.

In that moment Tempest realized that she wasn't the only one having second thoughts.

“Afraid of water?”

Celestia turned her gaze towards the magenta alicorn.
Tempest immediately felt uncomfortable knowing Celestia's gaze was on her and wished she had dipped into the water first.

"Of course not! I was just evaluating whether the water was deep enough!”
Celestia said quickly as a light blush formed on her cheeks.

Seeing this, Tempest forgot her discomfort. She hadn't expected such a reaction from the white alicorn at all.

Tempest gave her a look as if to sarcastically say “Of course I believe you.” and Celestia pouted childishly and turned her head away.

At that moment Tempest couldn't help but think that Celestia was the cutest and most charming creature on the planet.

What was she worrying about?!

Tempest walked up to Celestia with a smile.

“If you want, I'll hold your paw.” she proposed even though she had doubts whether the water was deep enough for the tall white alicorn.

Celestia said nothing and smiled gratefully.

The two approached the water and then slowly immersed themselves.

As they advanced towards the center of the pond they felt the water slowly rising.
The temperature was a little warm by Tempest standards but that was to be expected given how hot it was in the desert.

Celestia's eyes were wide and staring as if she expected to be attacked at any moment.

“Bad experiences with water?” Tempest asked as they approached the center of the pond.

Celestia nodded as she got closer and closer to Tempest to the point that their hips were touching.

Tempest immediately felt the temperature of the water rising dramatically.

“Do you want to tell a story?” Tempest said although she didn't know if she was trying to distract Celestia or herself from the situation.

“I'll tell you if you promise not to laugh.” Celestia stated her condition as a light blush reappeared on her cheeks.

Tempest swore her heart could melt at any moment.

“I swear I won't laugh at you.” she announced solemnly but still in a friendly tone.

"All right." Celestia sighed.

“When I was little my family and I often went to the lake near the castle to take a bath, however one day it happened that news reached the palace of a pony that was attacked by a shark in the sea.”

“Knowing this I began to be afraid of sharks but my parents told me that there were no sharks in the lake, I was relieved and didn't think about it anymore”

Tempest was listening intently as Celestia spoke.

“A couple of days later we went to the lake as usual and while I was swimming I thought I saw a fin emerge from the surface of the water.
At first I thought I was hallucinating but then it came back.”
Celestia was getting chills remembering that scary moment.

“I got really scared and ran out of the water but when I turned to see if there really was a shark I saw my sister with a fake fin on her back.”

Celestia finished the sentence by letting out a sigh of defeat but then she smiled slightly thinking about that day and how she had gone to complain to her mother about her.

When Celestia finished remembering she saw that Tempest was also smiling as if she was imagining the scene.

However, that slight smile soon turned into a frown of melancholy.

"Everything OK?" She asked Celestia worriedly, she knew well what was happening since that was the face of someone who longed for what could have been.

“No… I'm fine. I'm just happy you had such a fun childhood." Tempest replied with a slightly forced smile.

“You don't need to pretend, I lost my parents when I was young too.”

Celestia saw that something had clicked in Tempest's soul, was it empathy?
Whatever it was, she realized that now was the best time to find out more about the mysterious scarred alicorn.

Meanwhile, once again, they didn't notice that Twilight was hiding behind a rock and was finally about to get answers to her questions.

"When did it happen?" Celestia asked kindly.

Normally Tempest wouldn't have told her story so easily but as she continued to deal with Celestia she couldn't help but feel safe, free to be herself, free to remember and suffer accordingly.

So Tempest decided to tell her everything about her starting from her childhood, the day her wings were torn off, her hasty escape and how she had arrived in Midgard thanks to a stroke of luck.

Celestia and Twilight listened to the tragic story and felt the weight of such a terrible and unjust fate on their hearts.

Although Tempest was initially hesitant to confess, but then she felt as if her body had become a little lighter.

When she came back to reality she saw that Celestia had placed a wing on her back just like the night before and there was no embarrassment or judgement, just a warm and affectionate hug and two souls full of regrets.

The two remained embraced until they felt that the water was becoming cold and the sun was about to disappear on the horizon.

Before exiting the pond Tempest gave her suit a quick rinse and as she handled it she saw that Celestia was also immersing the golden yoke that she usually kept around her neck in the water.

Even though Tempest hadn't paid much attention to it before, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed seeing Celestia without it for the first time.

It was as if she were "naked", she thought, remembering a word that anthropomorphs tended to use.

When Celestia noticed Tempest staring at her she blushed again.

In the same way that Tempest felt vulnerable without armor, she too missed the familiar weight around her neck..

Maybe they were really more similar than one might think.

On the other hand, Twilight again felt that hint of jealousy protruding from the depths of her most intimate thoughts.

However, after hearing the heartbreaking story, she couldn't in her heart wish Tempest any harm.
Rather, that sense of jealousy turned into something else.

Seeing that the two mares had a very sad past in common, she felt as if she were a stranger, that she had not been through enough trauma to be able to empathize with them and therefore understand each other.

In reality, there was already a similar feeling before when Celestia treated her like a student and in the best cases like a daughter.
There was a very strong relationship between them but still different from what she wanted.

What was missing?

Twilight continued to worry about all the types of relationships she had and before long she finally understood what was really bothering her.

Twilight understood that what was missing in her relationship with Celestia was lightness, closeness, elasticity, light-heartedness, the freedom to express herself without fear of disappointing.

All this was common to something that Twilight knew very well: friendship.

As soon as she realized this Twilight felt a profound ineptitude and irony at the same time.

She was the princess of friendship and yet the person she had known the longest of all, aside from her family, wasn't exactly her friend.

Twilight felt like she could collapse into herself at any moment but she was stopped before she did.

“Twilight?”

In the distance Celestia called her, she was tempted not to answer to stay and regret herself near the pond but the rational part of her told her that she couldn't ignore Princess Celestia, otherwise she would be a terrible faithful student.

Twilight quickly hid those dark feelings and moved to approach the hearth around which everyone else was gathered.

While they were around the fire, the equestrians and the imperials spoke amicably and exchanged information about their respective nations, occasionally laughter broke out and sometimes there was silence.

However, the air became more tense when the equestrians saw for the first time that the imperials were eating something that looked nothing like vegetables.

The day before everyone had eaten on their own, both because some had to guard the perimeter and also because they didn't know each other well enough.

However, today they were gathered around the hearth and could clearly see what each other was eating.

Twilight was initially stunned to see a pony eating gems for the first time.

In fact, Tempest had forgotten to feed the night before as she was busy wetting Princess Celestia's fur with her tears.

Remembering this, Twilight felt for a brief moment as if she had suffered a defeat but it was immediately replaced by the excitement of seeing Tempest chew the precious stones like they were candy.

Twilight had studied well what is scientifically called gemmophagy since she had to feed a certain personal assistant dragon but she had never thought that even a pony could do such a thing.

She watched with wide eyes until her nostrils were flooded with an unfamiliar and unpleasant odor.

The same thing had also happened to the two equestrian guards.

The three sniffed the air insistently to understand where the pungent smell was coming from and their attention rested on something that Cooper and Ryker were holding between their paws.

Ryker brought the unknown object to his mouth and chewed it spontaneously.

“What are you eating?” Twilight asked the two perplexed.

Since Ryker was chewing it was Cooper who answered.

“Oh this?” he said, pointing to what he was holding with his left hoof.

“It's a slice of dried meat, do you want to try it?”
Cooper brought the piece of beef jerky to Twilight nonchalantly.

“AHHHHH! MEAT!!"
The three equestrians screamed and jumped back in horror.

Tempest and the other two froze as they saw the frightened reaction of Twilight and the two stallions in golden armor.

"MEAT!? ARE YOU MAD!'” Twilight shouted, keeping two meters away from the horrible piece of ex-living being.

Cooper and Ryker looked at each other not knowing what was wrong.

“HOW CAN YOU EAT MEAT?! IT IS A TOTALLY IMMORAL THING! YOU ARE ABOMINABLE!" continued Twilight, seeing that the Imperials didn't seem to understand their crime.

"I do not know what to tell you." Cooper said as he continued to chew the tasty food. “I like meat and have always eaten it.”

“Dried meat keeps well and long-term and is an excellent source of protein and energy.” added Captain Ryker, putting another piece in his mouth.

The three were shocked and speechless when they saw how casually they ate that horrible food.

The white stallion was so disgusted that he walked away to vomit while the gray one could barely contain himself.

Twilight on the other hand was astonished at such barbarity and incivility.

Seeing that the two groups didn't seem to understand each other, Celestia decided to intervene.

“Please forgive the words of my subjects.” she began to speak in a calm voice and as she did so she glared at Twilight which she responded by making a look as if to say "how can you not be outraged by that?!".

“In Equestria the ponies have always followed a strictly vegan diet and for us eating the flesh of a living being is considered taboo. So for them, seeing someone eat meat is unconscionable and considered a crime.”

Then Celestia turned her full attention to Twilight and her guards.
“Yet this does not give us the right to call those who have different customs ABOMMINABLE.” and she concluded with a strong tone of disapproval and reproach.

Immediately the three felt like when they were little they were caught by their mothers doing something wrong and they were stared at.

The three didn't say anything but sat down again with their ears lowered and their gaze fixed on their hooves, it seemed as if they were punished.

Tempest witnessed all this and saw something very familiar in it.

It was the same reaction Grubber had when she scolded him.

From that interaction Tempest understood that Celestia had a somewhat different approach to her subordinates.

Usually the empress's soldiers were afraid of making mistakes for fear of repercussions while the princess's subjects were afraid of making mistakes so as not to displease and disappoint.

Although the difference was slight, it was indicative of the fact that Tempest was more of a leader while Celestia was a loving and maternal ruler.
And she damn well liked that.

"Thank you for the explanation but I assure you that there was no offense." Tempest said to lighten the blame on the three equestrians.

Ryker and Cooper nodded in agreement with her.

Once the argument was resolved they decided that they would go to sleep and Tempest would take the first watch since she hadn't done so the night before even though Captain Ryker insisted on letting his empress rest.

Even though Tempest had proposed to take the first watch, she was now sitting on the edge of the pond staring at the horizon.
She still kept an ear out in case something was wrong but she doubted anything could happen in the desert in the middle of nowhere.

Tempest was absorbed in many thoughts while her gaze was captured by the atypical landscape.

In fact, like the night before, the sky was clearly visible due to the lack of clouds.

She could perfectly see every star in the firmament while her face was illuminated by the moon.
Furthermore, the still water of the pond reflected the light of the stars, making it seem as if the night could also invade the earth.

Tempest's ears heard footsteps approaching but they were almost inaudible as the sand muffled all sounds but she had already figured out who she was.

Over the two days she had heard and memorized that now familiar rhythm of footsteps.

Celestia walked over and sat next to Tempest to admire the view.

“You're right, your sister's night is really wonderful.” Tempest said, responding to the statement from the night before.

"I totally agree, I only wish I had realized this a thousand years ago."

Again the memories brought with them a terrible remorse that had been eating away at her soul for centuries.

“Do you want to be the one to tell the story this time?” Tempest proposed shyly.
“Obviously you don't have to! I know it's difficult but you listened to me and consoled me so I thought you could lighten your burden too.” Tempest concluded as she tried not to stutter.

What's wrong with you Tempest?!

Celestia noticed this and smiled as she noticed how much effort the magenta alicorn was having to express herself. The difficult life and the constant need to keep her guard up had made her emotionally constipated and incapable of having a heart-to-heart discussion.

“You're right Tempest, you trusted me so it's only right that I trust you too.” Celestia said before starting with her story.

“Unlike you, I was lucky enough to have a peaceful and comfortable childhood, my mother was an alicorn and my father a pegasus and they loved me and my sister so much.
We lived happily and carefree in the castle outside the capital, Luna and I were very close and we spent every day together studying or playing.”

Tempest had long understood that the thing that hurt her most was talking about her sister.

“However, time passed and we grew up, on Luna's twentieth birthday we ascended the throne to replace our parents, we were happy but I never imagined what would happen in the future.
As the years passed I gained more and more popularity and support from the nobles while my sister preferred to remain humble, she governed by remaining on the sidelines and in the meantime she did everything to help the people.“

“Back then the ruling class were the noble unicorns and I stupidly listened to them so that they worshiped me even if I didn't realize I was playing their game.
On the other hand, earth ponies and pegasus were exploited as soldiers and farmers. Luna realized this before me and she did everything she could to bring fairness to Equestria.”

“However, she was an inconvenient figure for the nobility so they slowly managed to convince me to go against my sister.
When Luna wasn't at the palace the court whispered lies that my sister wanted to take the throne all for herself and I obviously fell for it.”

Celestia hated herself for how naively she had believed the words of those greedy and haughty unicorns, if only she could go back in time...

“I began to treat my sister badly, I ignored her bills and laughed along with the nobles when she talked about wanting to make Equestria a better place.
The resentment in Luna's heart grew until it was too late."

A couple of tears were slowly falling on Celestia's cheeks and seeing this Tempest did what the white halcyon had also done for her.
Slowly she walked over and rested her shoulder against Celestia's.

Since Tempest didn't have wings, surprisingly it was Celestia who grabbed the scarred alicorn and brought her close.
Tempest was shocked but she couldn't have her usual prying thoughts, now all she mattered was listening to Celestia.

“I had underestimated how powerful feelings could be for us alicorns and I didn't realize that my sister's anguish and hatred had personified itself and replaced my sister with Nightmare Moon.
That day my sister refused to lower the moon and we ended up fighting fiercely. However Nightmare Moon was still too weak and she ran away.”

“I didn't know that things would only get worse from there on.
A few months later my sister declared war on me along with millions of other ponies tired and dissatisfied with me and the nobility.
The war barely lasted a year but it was ferocious and brutal, in less than six months a third of the population was dead and the nobles were on the verge of extinction.”

As much as Celestia dreamed every day that things would be different, she had to resign herself to the fact that the ending of the story had already been written.

“In a fit of anger and desperation I chose to use the elements of harmony but in doing so I did not foresee their power.
Before I knew it, I had banished my sister to the moon and lost the only person who truly loved me, the last remaining member of my family.
For the next few years I regretted that horrible crime.”

Celestia's tears weren't enough to bear witness to the sadness and desperation she felt, they couldn't bring back the lost years where she could have been happy with Luna just like when they were children.

And they certainly couldn't express the centuries of loneliness and isolation she had suffered.

Celestia wiped her tears with her hoof and then looked at the moon with a smile.

“But now Nightmare Moon has been defeated and my sister has returned to me.”
She turned her head and looked at Twilight who was dozing near the smoking remains of the hearth.
“And this is thanks to six courageous mares who knew how to use the elements of harmony in the correct way.”

Not like she did when she betrayed her sister, when she mocked her, when she didn't have the honesty to admit her weaknesses, when she treated her with hatred..."

As Tempest had said, Celestia's heart was hurt but she felt a little lighter, as if she had emerged from a long period of sleepiness.

“I'm happy you're reunited with your sister, I really hope you can make up for the lost years.”
Tempest really thought so, if there was anyone who deserved a little happiness it was certainly the white alicorn.

"Thank you." was all Celestia said.

What else was there to say? Sometimes you just need to listen and share your burden.

“I think it's time to go to sleep,” Tempest said, holding back a yawn.

Celestia was tempted to stay and admire the stars but she knew they would have to leave early tomorrow.

"I agree." With that said Celestia went towards the hearth while Tempest went to wake Ensign Cooper for his watch.

Once that was done Tempest lay down near the hearth, she was about to close her eyes when she felt something soft touch her side.

Celestia had laid down next to her causing Tempest to become very confused and warm.
However, the white alicorn said nothing and rested her head between her front paws.

That night Tempest would have a hard time falling asleep.

Author's Note

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
As always, I remind you that there may have been syntax or grammatical errors so I ask you to report them in the comments and if possible to interpret the events.

Thank you.

CHAPTER 1 part 5 : YOU ARE NOT BETTER THAN THEM!

It was times like this that Celestia was happy not to suffer from the heat.
Like yesterday the sun had risen very early and consequently the unbearable heat was already making the whole group sweat except obviously her, the sun goddess.

She could have walked in the desert for weeks if only she hadn't needed to eat and drink but as luck would have it, the last supplies of food they had had run out the night before.

Or at least the plant-based ones. Instead there were still a few pieces of meat barely enough for a day.

Contrary to what one might believe, Celestia was not so against eating meat, she had already done so in the past long before the vegetarian diet completely replaced the omnivorous one.

Celestia smiled as she imagined how her faithful student would react if she saw her eating a tasty steak. She would most likely have fainted from the shock and subsequently accused her of being an impostor.

Speaking of Twilight….

Celestia noticed that she had been staying aloof since yesterday afternoon.

Had that discussion with Tempest really shaken her that much?

Celestia stopped to see where she was and just like yesterday she stood a few feet back with her head down as she watched her own paws move in front of each other.

“Twilight?”

The little alicorn raised her head as her mentor called her name.

"Yes?"

Celestia motioned for her to come closer so they could walk side by side, when Twilight approached her she began to talk to her.

“What troubles you my faithful student?”

Twilight remained silent to think, there were so many things going on in her head.

The issue of the goblins, her unfriendship with Celestia, the fact that they had been walking in the desert for days. She also really missed her friends, Ponyville and Spyke.

When they chose to make the journey she was very happy to be outside of Equestria for the first time in millennia. She imagined meeting new people and making friends but instead she found herself having to hide from a horde of goblins after they shot down their airship and killed almost all of the crew.
And as if that wasn't enough she had to come to terms with the fact that she was only a loyal student to Celestia.

If she had known beforehand that all this would happen she would have been in Equestria to resolve there friendship issues.

NO!

She was the princess of friendship and it was her job to spread harmony to every corner of the world.

However, deep in her heart she felt that she was not a princess of friendship at that moment and it was probably due to the fact that she did not have her closest friends with her.

“Princess Celestia. Why didn't the others come too? I'm sure we could have done something to improve the situation.”

Celestia listened to her student's question after waiting a couple of minutes for her to choose what to say.

“My faithful student, I have no doubt that the presence of your friends could have been helpful but at the same time I fear that they would not have been ready to face such a journey.”

"What do you mean?"

“Maybe you haven't yet realized how much bad luck and luck we've had. We lost all five airships and the only survivors are you, me and the two guards.
If it hadn't been for Tempest I fear we could have been captured by the goblins and if what she said is true then it would have been a fate worse than death.”

Twilight shuddered as she imagined the horrible fate that might have befallen them.

“And even if it hadn't, we would have had to take the long walk through the desert and I'm afraid your friends would probably have perished very quickly, especially Fluttershy and Rarity.”

Celestia lowered her head so she was looking into Twilight's eyes.

“And I assure you, the last thing you want is to be responsible for the suffering of someone you love.”

Celestia's words were a little harsh but unfortunately very close to the truth.

She couldn't bear to see the bodies of her friends buried in the sand or even worse devoured by an ogre.

“So you already knew all this could happen?” she said in a strangled voice realizing that perhaps all of this could have been avoided.

Celestia let out a sigh as Twilight waited impatiently for a response.

“Yes, I was aware that there were risks but I wanted to try anyway, I wanted to believe that outside of Equestria there was still a world where you could spread joy and harmony. However, I was naive again and underestimated the danger. I hope you can forgive me." Celestia said dejectedly.

Twilight wasn't sure how to respond. She was convinced that Princess Celestia had started the mission because she was sure that everything would go smoothly but apparently that wasn't the case and the dozens of ponies who had left with them paid the price.

Twilight thought back to the past few days and couldn't help but notice that Celestia hadn't actually said anything when she woke up and told her that there had only been four survivors including the two of them.
In fact, she hadn't even reacted when Cooper and Ryker were eating meat.

Could it be that Celestia didn't care?

Obviously not! How could the princess think this of her?
Celestia had always cared for her subjects and cared about every living creature.

But the facts remained and made her worry.

“What do you think of all this?”
The best way to clear up doubts was to ask.

“I think it's a tragic story but also the beginning of something great. The sacrifice of all those poor souls was a horrible but perhaps inevitable thing.
We also managed to meet new friends.”

Was it really inevitable?

“And how did Tempest and his group seem to you?”

Celestia smiled genuinely and replied.

“I don't think we could have been saved by better people.”

Were they really good people?
They had no qualms about killing all the goblins and eating meat.

Could they get along with a civilization so different from theirs?

What moral principles did they have?

Twilight looked at Celestia but she didn't seem to have these types of doubts, in fact she had found someone who looked like her and was happy about it.

“Princess Celestia, do you like Tempest?”
The fateful question had been asked.

Suddenly Celestia stopped, her cheeks were flushed and her tail was twitching.

"In what sense? What makes you say that?!” her voice was slightly higher than usual.

“I noticed that you get along very well and so I thought something might be brewing between you two.”

“Like what?!” now Celestia was getting agitated, what the hell did Twilight think she saw?!

It took Twilight a few seconds to realize that her words were misunderstood.

“I don't mean in a love sense! I was referring to a very close friendship or something.” Now Twilight was extremely embarrassed too.

“Ah I see, well I guess so. Although Tempest may seem very gruff, she seems trustworthy to me." Celestia explained as her blush dissipated.

“Why are you asking me these questions?”

Now it was Celestia's turn to counterattack, obviously maintaining a calm and friendly tone.

Twilight was unsure whether to express her concerns from the night before.

Did she have the right to do that?

Maybe she should have just come to terms with it and be satisfied, remaining a student and teacher as she had always been.

But Celestia was perceptive and it took her little time to figure out what was tormenting her faithful student.

“Are you afraid that I might have a more important kind of relationship with Tempest than with you?”

Twilight nodded dejectedly with her ears down.

“My faithful student, I have taught and followed you since you were little and this has obviously created a certain relationship between you and me.”

“You and I are both teacher and student and yet I know you as if you were part of the family.”
Twilight listened intently as Princess Celestia explained.

“However, what makes you think so much is the fact that we don't call each other friends. Is it correct?"

Twilight nodded fiercely, as always Celestia knew what she thought.

“Tell me Twilight, have you ever just called me Celestia or even Tia?”

“I would never allow myself!” Twilight denied, not even in her wildest dreams she would call Princess Celestia that way.

“Have I ever called you Twi?” Twilight shook her head again, it would be really strange if her mentor called her what her brother does.

“As you have just seen, there is always something small and imperceptible that determines the type of relationship between people, it is precisely for this reason that family, friends, work colleagues exist, and consequently the relationship between teacher and student. ”

Twilight was having a hard time understanding Celestia's words but you couldn't blame her, what she was explaining was hard to define.

“My faithful student, we must come to terms with the fact that you and I have a relationship that is, to say the least, unique and difficult to define, but I am sure that perhaps in the future we will be able to treat each other as long-time friends, however this does not preclude the importance of all other types of relationships. ”

With that said, they both remained contemplating Celestia's words.

Even though Celestia had explained her point Twilight couldn't help but be dissatisfied.

Did she basically mean that they didn't know each other well enough? Or that they knew each other too well that they could no longer consider each other friends?

Twilight was about to ask for further explanation but she was interrupted by Ensign Cooper's voice.

"WE HAVE ARRIVED! THE OUTPOST IS AHEAD OF US!” He shouted with joy as he flew in circles above the group.

“I'm afraid we will have to continue the discussion at another time.” Celestia said, putting an end to Twilight's questions.

Twilight was undecided whether to rejoice or despair on the ground.

The timing couldn't have been worse.

Twilight forced herself to leave it alone for the moment and then approached the rest of the group who were currently at the crest of a hill.

Celestia had been a little surprised by Twilight's doubts. She had struggled to find an explanation that would work without upsetting her too much.

She was almost certain that if she kept asking she wouldn't be able to find the exact words to tell her that the difference between the two of them was something she couldn't ignore.

Although Twilight was a brilliant mare and capable of overcoming many difficulties, at the same time she was not capable of having a broader vision of things and making decisions that deviated from her moral principles.

Instead, if there had been an unsolvable problem, Celestia would have been willing to use quite questionable methods while Twilight would have insisted on finding a peaceful solution, even at the cost of risking everything in vain.

It would have been acceptable within the confines of Equestria but not in the outside world where one wrong choice could mean the difference between life and death.

Additionally, Celestia's hidden nature was diametrically opposed to Twilight's, she loved adventure and risk, she liked to try new things and sometimes things that would be totally frowned upon in Equestria such as sexual activity or fighting.

Twilight on the other hand was more like her sister, she was calm and preferred to follow a more linear path. She appreciated everyday life and the simplicity of things.

Celestia had tried to reveal her true self but she realized there was no way. Whenever she tried to casually or jokingly mention things she liked, Twilight would react by repudiating what she considered "immoral".

To put it simply, Twilight was like a chaste and pure nun while Celestia was one who liked to sin.

Therefore Celestia always wore the mask of the kind and infallible ruler.

Furthermore, as much as she loved Twilight, she had sworn that she would no longer become too fond of her students, fearful of what had happened with the previous one.
One day they will have to go their separate ways for one reason or another, creating a too close bond would be painful for everyone.

Fortunately the discussion was interrupted as they had finally arrived at their destination.

When she returned to Tempest's side she was amazed to see an immense camp before her.

“Isn't that wonderful?”

Celestia looked at Tempest, she had a proud look as if she wanted to show off the power and efficiency of the empire.
In fact it really was like that.

From their elevated position they could see everything in detail.

The camp extended for at least two square kilometres, the perimeter was formed by a ditch and wooden palisades at least three meters high and with guard towers every 10 metres.

Inside the camp there was an entire area full of tents where the soldiers were housed. In the center there was a large, tall building that served as a command center and nearby there were other smaller buildings that had other functions.
What stood out most was that about ten airships anchored to the ground were floating above the camp.

“Let's get moving, we've spent enough time wandering around the desert, it's time to get back to civilization.”

With that, Tempest moved forward and the group followed her.

The entrance was guarded by four soldiers, two minotaurs were standing in front of the door while two griffins watched from above on the towers with crossbows in their paws.

As they approached Tempest saw that they had gotten into position ready to fight, apparently they had seen them in the distance and as per protocol they were considered a possible threat.

“Don't make sudden movements.” Tempest warned.

When they came within earshot they stopped so they could be clearly seen.

“IDENTIFIERS!” the minotaur on the right ordered in a booming voice.

Twilight was intimidated by them, it was the first time she had seen such a creature and she admitted that they were really scary.
They were imposing and threatening, their horns increased their size and the halberds were not reassuring.

Tempest smiled deviously, it was time to reveal her identity.

“YOU DO NOT RECOGNIZE YOUR EMPRESS?”

He said aloud as he showed off his personal seal engraved on her armor.

Everyone was surprised at her revelation.

Twilight had wide eyes while Celestia smirked as if she already knew.
The guards remained silent, trying to figure out if it was a joke.

“WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! OPEN THE DOOR!”

Tempest's order was enough to disenchant them and they immediately obeyed.
“Forgive us your majesty! We'll let you in immediately."

The minotaur from before took an oliphant from his hip and blew into it, emitting a very strong and deep melody.

The doors began to slowly open with the sound of gears and wood sliding.

Inside the camp, hundreds of troops could be seen rushing to get into position to welcome an important guest.

As the group advanced, the soldiers in line saluted, some knew well who their empress was while others didn't even know what was happening but that didn't mean they showed any less respect.

Tempest was proud that the troops were ready, she knew she could count on them.

However, the soldiers were carefully observing the guests she had brought with her.
What stood out the most was obviously the very tall pony even taller than their empress, there was also another purple pony but of normal size.

But what was really abnormal was the presence of both wings and horn.

Twilight felt uncomfortable as she walked between the rows of soldiers, they were menacing and were looking her up and down.

“Twilight, remember that you now represent Equestria.” Celestia whispered to her.

Her mentor had a bearing worthy of the role she held, she showed no fear or discomfort.

Twilight gulped and tried to adjust her posture by awkwardly imitating Princess Celestia.

Arriving at the end of the rows of soldiers there was another minotaur, his armor was more decorated and on his shoulders he had three golden dots indicating his rank.

“Welcome. I am Commander Ivar. General Minox instructed us two days ago to begin searches in the desert. We are happy that you have returned safely.” The commander introduced himself standing at attention.

“Commander Ivar, immediately recall all soldiers involved in the search and send a letter to the palace to warn of my return to the capital. In the meantime we have to talk about very worrying issues."

"Yes your majesty!"

Before the group could head to the command center Tempest turned to Cooper and Ryker.

“Captain Ryker, Ensign Cooper, I want to compliment you on your courage and ability to face a difficult situation, you deserve a promotion.”
Ensign Cooper was excited by the news, getting promoted so young was truly unheard of.

“Eat your fill and rest, tomorrow you will resume your duties.”

"Yes, sir!" they said before disappearing into the crowd of soldiers.

The commander stepped aside to let his empress pass along with the foreigners.

They entered the command center and after passing through various rooms and corridors they came to a large room with a long table, it was the ready room.

“Commander, have six portions of food brought, no meat for our guests.”

The commander obeyed immediately and left the room to tell the cooks to prepare something.

Only the three alicorns and the two equestrian guards remained in the ready room

Tempest went to sit at the head of the table while the others sat on her left with Celestia and Twilight closer.

The three remained silent, the equestrians had yet to understand exactly what was happening, everything was so sudden.

“Empress then.” Celestia broke the silence by shooting a playful look at Tempest.

“Apparently yes, I wanted to surprise you but I'm afraid someone already knew” she replied smiling.

“You already knew that?!” Twilight interrupted in shock.
The two stallions were also puzzled.

Had they been talking to the empress herself all this time?
What if she said something offensive?

The little alicorn thought back to the previous evening when she had accused them of being abominable because they ate meat.

She wanted to punch herself, perhaps because of her she had nullified any possibility of having a peaceful relationship with the new empire!

“I wasn't totally sure but I had some suspicions, plus my informants had vaguely told me that a mare with a broken horn was in charge.”

SO SHE KNEW IT!

Twilight felt a little betrayed that she hadn't been informed of this.

“So what happens now?” Celestia asked the empress sitting at the head of the table.

“Not long, I will return to the capital to deal with the goblin issue while you can decide whether to continue your mission and follow me to New Metropolis, or take one of my airships and return to Equestria.” Tempest proposed.

Twilight and Celestia had no intention of abandoning the mission, not after all the sacrifices they made.

“We would like to follow you, if that's okay with you.”

“For me you are welcome and I am sure that the whole empire would be happy to have friends like you.”

Hearing this Twilight was relieved, apparently she hadn't started a war.

“How are you going to handle the goblins and orcs?”

“I fear there will be a war.”

Twilight wanted to cry and laugh at the same time so she made a kind of psychopathic face.

Tempest and Celestia looked at her strangely seeing the purple alicorn's strange reaction.

“Everything okay Twilight?” Celestia asked.

“NO THAT'S NOT GOOD! TEMPEST WANTS TO MAKE WAR!” Twilight shouted in exasperation.

How could you want war?!

It is totally immoral even more than eating meat, it means taking the life of another person voluntarily.
It went against everything they stood for and what she cared about.

“I assure you that if it were up to me there would be no war but I cannot ignore the danger.”

“Then find an alternative!”

“I already told you we tried, they're not interested.”

Tempest didn't want to have the same conversation with Twilight at all, she was convinced that she was now disillusioned.

“Before we could just guard the borders but now they have found a way to develop weapons capable of shooting down airships, which means they are a danger not only to the empire but to everyone who flies over their territory. Just like it was for you.”

Twilight couldn't accept a war breaking out, not while she was breathing.
She had to find a way to dissuade her.

“You said that they have developed weapons, then it means that they are capable of thinking and evolving. Maybe in the future they will learn to live differently, in a peaceful way.”

Yes, that was a valid argument!

“Or they could develop even more dangerous weapons and decide to invade other territories. And even if that's not the case, how long will we have to wait before they become peaceful?! How many more will have to die at their hands?!”

Tempest was getting annoyed thinking about how many were killed or kidnapped by the goblins and orcs.
She could not allow them to continue to act unpunished.

“WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO KILL THEM ALL!?” Twilight accused, slamming her hooves on the table.

The air became more tense, Celestia remained calm but she knew that the situation could get worse, while the equestrian guards weren't really sure what to do.

“Who did you take me for?! A monster!? We will simply push them back to the point of rendering them harmless but I have no illusions that we will succeed without killing large numbers of them.”

"THOUSANDS OF THEM WILL DIE ANYWAY! YOU ARE NO BETTER THAN THEM!"

Tempest could no longer resist hearing the purple alicorn's accusations.

"HOW DARE YOU?!"

They had managed to fight together to defeat Storm King, they had shed blood and sweat and finally founded a prosperous and proud empire.

How could she, who knew nothing of all this, compare them to a people of savage murderers and rapists, without morals and honor.

“YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SPEAK!, YOU WHO HAVE LIVED ALL YOUR LIFE IN A WORLD MADE OF RAINBOWS AND BUTTERFLIES, YOU WHO HAVE NEVER SEEN A FRIEND DIE PITTERED BY A BLADE, YOU WHO ARE CONVINCED THAT YOU CAN SORRY EVERYTHING WITH YOUR BEAUTIFUL WORDS!"

Hearing this, Twilight lost control. The room began to shake, her eyes glowing with light as her horn and wings emitted sparks.

Tempest stood up and assumed a fighting stance ready to counter a possible attack.

"THATS ENOUGH!"

Celestia let out a commanding voice, immediately interrupting the altercation.
Twilight got scared and backed away with her ears lowered while Tempest was surprised but fascinated to say the least.

“Enough Twilight! You've made your point but we can't stop Tempest and the Empire from making their choices."

“How can you defend them!? They are murderers!” Twilight protested.

“I'm not happy about it either but as much as I hate to say it we have no right to interfere in the matter.” Celestia's tone was final.

Celestia rarely used that voice but Twilight understood that it wasn't convenient for her to continue the fight.

“Please forgive my student, I'm sure she's just a little stressed out because she's so tired.” Celestia attempted to apologize as she had done the night before.

Twilight wanted to disagree but Celestia glared at her.

“It's no problem, I lost my temper too so I apologize to you.”
Tempest did what etiquette requires even if she sincerely knew she was right.

She was grateful that Celestia understood their point of view and she chose not to meddle in the matter.

The doors opened wide and Commander Ivar entered with two carts of food in tow.

The three sat down again although some tension remained between Twilight and Tempest.

The cooks placed the plates in front of them, there wasn't much just a couple of potatoes and some carrots for the equestrians while in the other two plates there was also a slice of meat.

Ivar was about to leave but was stopped by Tempest.

“Commander Ivar, please join us.” Tempest said pointing to her chair to her left.

Ivar did not expect to be invited to share the table with the empress but he could not refuse. Furthermore, he now understood why she had asked for six portions of food even though there were five of them.

Ivar went to sit at the indicated seat, luckily the chairs were designed for every creature in the empire including minotaurs.

When everyone was seated at the table Tempest began to eat and the others did the same.
The food was a little bland but they couldn't be picky, an army outpost was certainly not a luxury hotel.

“Commander Ivar, I have not yet introduced you to our guests.”
Tempest chose it was time to get down to business.

“In front of you is Princess Celestia, current diarch of the kingdom of Equestria while to the left is Princess Twilight Sparkle, her student.” she said pointing first to one and then to the other. “While the two of them are Equestrian guards tasked with protecting them.”

Twilight was a little annoyed that she only introduced her as “Celestia's student”.
On the other hand, Tempest refused to say that there was a Princess of Friendship otherwise she would become the laughing stock of the empire.

“It is an honor to meet you, I am Ivar son of Ivar, Commander of the external army of the Union of Free Peoples.” The great minotaur introduced himself formally although it was strange given that he was sitting and eating with them.

“Pleasure is all ours.” Celestia replied politely.

Ivar blushed as the beautiful white mare turned to him.

“Now that we've introduced ourselves, it's time to get to the point.”
Tempest suddenly said, he noticed that she was looking at him menacingly.
Immediately the minotaur stiffened and went back to eating.

Had he made her angry?!

“Commander Ivar what do you know about the situation regarding the goblins and orcs?”

“They are currently considered dangerous, which is why we have several outposts along the southeast border. Also three days ago you were supposed to attend another diplomatic meeting with the goblin king.” the commander quickly summarized, one thing known about the empress was that she hated long-winded speeches.

“That's right, three days ago I was supposed to attend the meeting but along the way I ran into our guests, their airship was shot down by goblins and when we got closer they destroyed my airships too.”

While Tempest spoke the others ate, Ivar noticed out of the corner of his eye that every time he ate a piece of meat Twilight Sparkle looked at him with disappointment.

“Apparently they have created weapons that are rudimentary but powerful enough to take down unarmored airships. The important issue is that they deliberately opened fire on a diplomatic vessel and that is a clear and deliberate statement of hostility.”

"It's truly unacceptable! We have been lenient with them and have tried to negotiate several times!"

“You are absolutely right commander, that's why as soon as we finish eating I will take an airship and head to the capital to discuss the matter with the council and decide what to do.”

“I see, what do you want me to do?”

“I couldn't wait for you to ask.”

Tempest put down her fork and knife and then looked intently at the Commander.

“I fear that we will have to prepare for a war against goblins and orcs, so I temporarily promote you to grand commander of the entire army in the south-eastern border of the empire.
Your job is to inform all other commanders and make sure they are ready for when General Minox takes over command.”

Commander Ivar was shocked, he had not expected to get even a temporary promotion, the responsibility he had been given was of primary importance.

“As you wish my Empress!”

“Great, I trust you.”

Having said this, the minotaur got up and ran away to immediately carry out the orders given to him.
He was in such a hurry that he forgot to finish eating.
Tempest rolled her eyes and placed the leftover food on her plate.

“So that's it? Are you really going to start war?” This time Twilight didn't mean to be aggressive, she was just sad and disconsolate.

“it's probable, I remind you that I'm not the only one who decides, if the council chooses not to want to go to war I won't be able to oppose it. The goblins have not officially declared war on us so the decision is up to them.” Tempest said as he chewed on a piece of meat.

Hearing this Twilight had a sliver of hope, maybe she could convince the council to give up.

“However, if they were to declare war on us I will have to acquire emergency powers and I will not think twice about mobilizing the entire army.”

Twilight's mood dropped again.

The five finished eating quickly and after that Tempest put her plate aside and got up from her chair.

“It's time to leave.”

"Now?!" Twilight asked.

“We cannot wait any longer, it is essential that I return to the palace to meet with the council.”

Tempest didn't even bother to stop and continued walking briskly to reach the port where the airships were docked.

As they walked they could see the soldiers going about their chores and when they saw them they stopped to greet their empress.

“Tempest, can you stop for a moment?”
Celestia asked.

“Sure, what's going on?”

“I wish I could inform my sister of the situation. I wanted to ask you if you could have my guards taken to Canterlot.”

Tempest wanted to object, there weren't many airships available and as many as possible were needed in case of emergency.

She wanted to refuse but how could she say no to Celestia?!

Damn mare she could make her do what she wanted.

Tempest decided to send reason to hell and please the princess, what difference would it have made for her not to have a heavily armed airship capable of changing the fate of a battle?

This was no time to be stingy.

“Of course, I will send an airship to escort your soldiers to Canterlot.”

Tempest nodded to a soldier standing nearby.
She knew he would understand since he had been within earshot, she had mandated that the soldiers be ever vigilant and attentive at all times.

Celestia turned to her soldiers.
“You must inform my sister of what has happened, tell her that Twilight and I are headed to the imperial capital and that we don't know when we will return.”

"Yes your highness! Are you sure that you don't need our presence to protect you?" The gray stallion said after bowing.

Celestia looked out of the corner of her eye at Tempest and smiled reassuringly.
“It's no problem, I'm sure I'll be well protected.”

With that the two stallions followed the imperial soldier to reach a small airship docked in another port.

The three alicorns continued walking until they reached the main port.

The piers were raised and to get there you had to climb a short staircase. In this way it was easier to get on and off the vessels.

Tempest headed towards a corvette, it wasn't very big but it provided a lot of speed.

As they boarded they were stopped by the captain of the vessel. she was a pegasus mare who was missing her right hind leg but this did not affect her leadership abilities.

“Welcome aboard my empress, how can I help you?”

“I need to get back to New Metropolis quickly.”

“I see, we just need to refuel and unload some goods, then we can speed off to the imperial palace.”

The captain signaled a sailor to come closer.

“Show the quarters to our empress and her esteemed guests.”

The sailor nodded and then turned to the three alicorns while standing at attention.

“Please follow me.” he turned and headed below deck while the others followed him.

It didn't take long to reach the quarters as the airship was small.

They reached the end of the corridor where there were two doors, one on the right and one at the end.

“This is the guest cabin.” he said, pointing to the door on the right. “And that is the captain's cabin where the empress can reside.”

“We'll leave in a few minutes and dinner will be ready at 8pm.”

“Thank you very much sailor, you are free to go.” Tempest said.

The sailor bowed and then left to return to his business.

Tempest turned to the other two.

“Since there are two of you, you can take the captain's cabin, I'll stay in the smaller one.”

Tempest didn't want to force the tall alicorn to have to be uncomfortable in a tiny cabin.

“Thank you very much, we are grateful.” Celestia said, giving her a warm smile of gratitude.

Tempest felt her now familiar warmth coming from her chest again.
Before she could do anything strange she turned to go to her quarters.

“Since there is nothing to do you can stay and rest in the cabin, I will be in my room, I have some letters to write.”

And she walked away leaving only Twilight and Celestia in the hallway.

“What do we do now?” Twilight asked.

“Not much, let's go see what our accommodation is like.”

Twilight was about to go to open the door but she was stopped by Celestia who placed a hoof on her back.

"What's up?"

“Don't think I forgot what you did earlier, we'll have to talk about your inappropriate conduct.”

Celestia's face was stern and her words were the anticipation of a harsh lecture.

Twilight couldn't help but bow her head and swallow.

She was really in trouble.

Author's Note

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
As always, I remind you that there may have been syntax or grammatical errors so I ask you to report them in the comments and if possible to interpret the events.

Thank you.

CHAPTER 1 part 6: YOU WILL HAVE TO TAKE YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES!

Tempest hated having to fill out paperwork and write reports.
However, she could not abstain since she and her council had decided to create an organized bureaucracy.

Although bureaucracy was normally a symptom of slowness and inefficiency, it was necessary to take into account what was happening, the available resources, the soldiers and guarantee precise and error-free logistics.

In the event of war, knowing which pawns you had at your disposal was essential to achieving victory.

Obviously in the report she had omitted some facts such as the obvious crush she had on Princess Celestia. It would not have been appropriate to include thoughts of a teenager in puberty in the relationship.

Tempest should have done something about it.
Her logic dictated that she should simply throw a bucket of ice water over herself and then forget about Celestia and assume a more professional demeanor, as an empress should.

But the most intimate and unexplored side of her pushed her to welcome the feelings of warmth and affection and perhaps try to approach Celestia.

But what did Celestia think of her?

From their interactions she came across as interested, attentive and at times even funny and nice. She sometimes smiled at her genuinely and it made her feel euphoric and eager to hug her.

Plus she seemed similar to her in certain ways. She could understand how she felt as they had both had tragic experiences.

Never before had she found someone who made her feel this way.
She was not unaware of her sexual desire as some had already tried to woo her and she would have even been willing to have sex, but every time she backed away and resorted to satisfying herself alone.

However now there was more than just physical attraction. Tempest wished he could get to know her more intimately just like they had the night before when they dipped in the pond.

She wanted to be able to see every day that loving and sometimes devious smile that Celestia had given her in the last few days.

She would have given everything she had to spend more time with the princess but their journey was coming to an end.

After they resolve matters in New Metropolis, Celestia and Twilight will return to Equestria while she must continue to rule the empire alongside the council.

She wanted to feel the warmth and softness of her wings and her perfectly white fur again.
She wanted to listen to her sweet voice forever, sweet as honey and fresh as the clearest of water sources.

Tempest had stopped writing to fantasize about the white alicorn.

Romantic thoughts slowly mixed with more carnal ones.

How could you blame her? She had never seen a mare of such beauty.
She began to feel a slight itch under her tail which soon became an unbearable heat that was impossible to ignore.

Tempest could no longer resist, she took off her armor and suit and then threw herself on the bed to perform the sinful act.

Meanwhile on the other side of the wall a very disappointed Celestia was admonishing her student.

“Twilight Sparkle, what you did is unacceptable! You are a princess of Equestria and you can't afford to have an outburst like that. What would have happened if instead of Tempest there had been someone more resentful?!”

While Celestia spoke, Twilight sat listening in the corner with her ears down and her eyes blank. Rarely had Celestia scolded her so much.
Celestia wasn't screaming but that made her even more intimidating.

You should never make a good person angry.

“But the most worrying thing is not that you are a princess who yelled at another ruler, but that you are an alicorn and have lost control. I have told you many times that feelings work differently for us than for ordinary ponies.”

Celestia had witnessed multiple times alicorns lose control and unintentionally wreak havoc, at best someone could die and at worst entire nations could be wiped out.

“I'm afraid you still haven't realized what you've become, a great sage once told me that with great power comes great responsibility and I naively ignored him.”

The princess had a melancholy look for a moment.

“Even today I am repaying the mistake I made centuries ago.” then she continued the lecture.

“During these days you have shown me that you are not capable of adequately holding back your emotions.”

Celestia hated having to give punishments, she much preferred giving rewards in a way that encouraged others to be better.

“When we return to Equestria you will remain in Canterlot so that you are educated on how an alicorn princess should behave. Until you learn properly you will not be allowed to return to Ponyville.”

Celestia's tone was final.

The only thing Twilight could do was accept the punishment with dignity and learn from her mistakes.

“As you wish Princess Celestia.” she said defeatedly.

“You have to realize that we are no longer in Equestria, the outside world is full of civilizations with different cultures and some may seem strange, but that doesn't mean we have the right to judge them like you did.”

Twilight just nodded.
“When and if we meet the imperial council you must not open your mouth, it is up to them to decide what to do and we are only visiting guests, we cannot interfere. Did you understand!?"

Hearing this Twilight wanted to protest but she remained silent, the last thing to do at that moment was to stoke the anger of her mentor.

Celestia was exhausted and having to put her student in line didn't help.

The white alicorn let out a sigh and then looked around as she hadn't even had time to take in what their cabin looked like.

As expected, it was just what a captain's cabin should be like.
When you entered you had a large desk in front of you and behind it a large window through which you could see what was behind the airship.
On the sides there were two beds so that the captain could rest and possibly also a guest. It was right up their alley.

Celestia walked over to the window to look out.
She was surprised to see that they were no longer docked on the ground but were already flying at a high altitude as only the clouds could be seen passing by.
The sky was tinged with a golden hue as the sun was about to set.

The white alicorn thought to her sister that was thousands of miles away.
Celestia wished she could send Luna a letter but she couldn't since she didn't know the exact location she was in at the moment. If she had tried, the letter would have only dissolved into the ether, becoming magical energy.

"Knock Knock!"

Celestia turned around, she could have had Twilight open the door like she usually did but seeing that the purple alicorn was still sitting in the corner with a blank look on her face she chose to go herself and see who she was.

The princess approached the door and opened it, in front of her was another sailor.

The sailor had a perplexed look as if he didn't expect to be faced with a two meter tall pony with wings and horn.

"Yes?" Celestia said as she saw the sailor standing with his mouth slightly open.

The sailor realized the situation and quickly stood at attention.

“Forgive the disturbance, I came to inform the Empress that we have taken off and are flying at full capacity, we will arrive in New Metropolis tomorrow evening. But I didn't expect to find you in the captain's cabin."

"I understand, thank you very much."

Celestia would have told him that Tempest was in the other cabin but inside she already missed the scarred alicorn. Maybe she could have taken advantage of the situation.

“You are free to go, I will inform the empress.”

The sailor saluted and turned to go back the way he had come.

Celestia left the room closing the door behind her, she would leave Twilight alone to think for a while.

The princess took a few steps and knocked on the door of Tempest's cabin.

"Knock Knock."

No one answered. Celestia supposed Tempest was busy doing other things but the selfish side of her wanted to be able to talk to her.

"Knock Knock!"

"Who is it?"

Tempest's voice was muffled by the thickness of the wood but she thought she was a little out of breath.

“Celestia, can I come in?”

For a moment there was silence but then she heard footsteps and the door opened.

Celestia didn't expect to see the empress without her armor on.

"Please come in."

The magenta alicorn stepped aside and Celestia entered.

When the door was closed Celestia was able to take a closer look at the other mare and she liked what she saw.

Celestia had seen her undressed before but it was always in low-light situations or moments where it was more important to listen than see.

But she could now observe clearly. Besides the obvious injuries such as scars and broken horn she could see that her body was well built.

Tempest was muscular but not like an earth pony like Applejack was. There was the right balance that made her body very thin but robust, capable of great agility and gracefulness but also strength and power.

Celestia was reminded of the goddesses of ancient mythology, if Celestia could be compared to Aphrodite then Tempest was the personification of Athena.

Furthermore, her reptilian eyes and sharp teeth gave her an exotic and unusual appearance.

Tempest's fur was slightly shiny, she was breathing a little labored as if she had been doing some physical activity.

Celestia also noticed that there was a strange smell in the air, she smelled it a couple of times without showing it and it didn't take her long to piece together the clues. She came to the conclusion that perhaps she had interrupted Tempest at a special moment.

Celestia felt embarrassed but at the same time she couldn't help but find it very exciting.

The white alicorn looked back at Tempest, her head was turned slightly away and she seemed to have a guilty look on her face.

“Is there anything you need?” Tempest asked.

Celestia was abruptly pulled away from her impure thoughts.

“A sailor came to my cabin to tell you that we will arrive at our destination tomorrow evening, so I decided to come and give you the message.”

“I understand, thank you very much.”
The two remained silent, staring at each other and throwing lewd glances at each other.

They could have stayed like this for hours as the sexual tension built.

Celestia wanted to run a wing over Tempest's scars while the scarred alicorn wished she could feel the warmth of their fur together.

Before anything too much could happen Tempest took a step back.

“Is there anything else you need to talk to me about?”
Tempest's voice was a little weak, far from the usual firm and authoritative voice.

Celestia remembered the other reason she came, she wanted to be able to talk to her about what Twilight had done.

“I came to apologize again for what happened while we were having lunch.”

“I told you it's no problem. I assure you that we will not declare war on Equestria over something like that. I can guarantee it."

“I'm grateful.”

With that said Celestia would have returned to her quarters but Tempest stopped her.

“There's more, is that correct?”

It was not for nothing that the scarred alicorn had become empress, the years of war had sharpened her senses, improved her ability to read situations and people.

Both could understand when the other was restless as if they were in tune.

“The loss of control that Twilight had worries me, it had already happened a few times but it was always an accident or on a whim. However back then she was just a very talented unicorn.
Now she is an ascendant alicorn meaning that she holds power rivaled by only a few in this world and it would be catastrophic if she used that power to impose her will, just as Nightmare Moon had done."

“Do you think this could really happen?” Tempest asked raising an eyebrow, she was a little skeptical thinking about the little purple alicorn, she was stubborn but she didn't seem like the type of person to wreak havoc.

“I wish I could say no but too many times I have seen good and pure souls being corrupted, if it were to happen I don't know if I would be able to defeat her.
Previously every time I had to deal with a threat I had the elements of harmony on my side but after using them against my sister I lost control of them. Now it is Twilight and her friends who are the bearers of the elements."

Hearing this, Tempest was not at all comforted. From what she had heard the elements of harmony were a kind of very powerful weapon. Not designed with the intent to destroy but still a weapon.

“This is both bad and good, if the elements are not entirely controlled by Twilight means she cannot use them at will. Do Twilight's friends blindly do everything she says?” Tempest said.

Celestia thought about the five mares, they were very loyal but not without common sense.
The white alicorn shook her head no.

Celestia had to use all her strength not to give in to primal instincts and molest the mare in front of her.

“Excellent, however this means that when it is necessary to use the elements some of them may refuse.”

Celestia hadn't thought about the possibility that some of the element bearers might refuse but the debacle with Discord was proof of this.

“You're right, but unfortunately I can't do anything about it, the elements have their own will and consequently they are the ones who choose who to represent them by.
Indeed they lay dormant for a thousand years and revealed themselves only in time of need, when my sister returned from her exile."

Tempest had now forgotten romantic and lustful thoughts, their conversation brought to light truly worrying issues.

“What if one of them were to die? Would it take another thousand years for a new one to arise?”

“I don't know, the elements of harmony have existed long before I was born and I'm not sure how they work.”

Celestia wanted to say more but in all the years she had had it she had never been able to get much information.

Tempest was thinking hard. Until then she had always had to fight armies or relatively normal people. However, she couldn't have done much against an entity that transcends the laws of physics and magic and from what Celestia had said, the elements of harmony were essential to counteract this type of enemy.

Now that she knew this she couldn't let Equestria be left to its own.
It was like gambling, the fate of the world rested in the hooves of six mares and that meant they could be killed, kidnapped or forced to use the elements for nefarious purposes.

“Who watches over the element bearers?”

Tempest considered Celestia a wise and perceptive mare, surely she had taken precautions.

“There are undercover guards watching over them in the physical world while my sister makes sure they are protected from intangible entities.
However, I fear that this is not enough. My soldiers have never faced threats as serious as a large-scale attack.”

Simply put, they were inept.

This was all very worrying, Tempest should have done something about it.

“Princess Celestia, would you mind telling me more about these elements of harmony? I would like to bring this matter to the council.

Celestia wasn't sure if it was a wise choice, she feared that someone might try to take over the elements, but even now there was a very real risk. She also trusted Tempest.

“Of course, I would be happy to.”

Tempest returned to the desk she was sitting on and grabbed another piece of paper so she could write.

But before they could begin she remembered that she had not seated the white alicorn.
She looked around but in the small cabin there was only the desk, the chair and the bed.

“Princess Celestia, go ahead and lie down on the bed.” she said pointing to the mattress with a blanket on it.

Celestia went to lie down on the bed, it was a little small for her size but she managed to get comfortable.

"Thank you. Now we can begin."

With that, Celestia recounted what she knew about the elements of harmony and all the events surrounding them while Tempest carefully wrote down every word.

(The following morning)

Tempest was used to sleeping in uncomfortable places.
During the war, having a comfortable bed was a luxury you couldn't afford.
You had to make do with what there was and if there was nothing then you slept on the floor wearing weapons and armor and if you were really unlucky even with the rain in the mud.

However, now that she was empress she always had a comfortable bed available. She didn't like too many frills like extra pillows or blankets embroidered with lace or things like that because it was too hot for her and they were suffocating.

Her bed was indeed very warm that morning, but not the heat that she despised and that made her sweat. It was an intimate warmth that made her feel good.

Tempest tried to move but felt there was a weight on her that prevented her from moving her legs. She immediately shook off the sleep and opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was the chair and the desk, on the latter there were some papers on which she had written the night before.

Tempest looked behind her and saw a long white neck. She then looked down at herself to see what was holding her back. A pair of long white legs were wrapped around her while an immense white wing was draped over her entire body like a blanket.

There was no doubt: she had slept in the same bed as Princess Celestia.

The warmth that she had once considered pleasant had now become too intense, exciting and embarrassing.

Apparently her wish had been granted much sooner than she could have hoped.
As she remembered, Celestia's body was extremely soft but not plump. Her wing feathers were long and thin, slightly shiny.
Celestia's body wrapped around Tempest and this made the scarred alicorn very restless.

Tempest wasn't too sure how she ended up in this situation.

She remembered writing late into the night while Celestia dictated. The princess's voice waned in energy as the hours passed until she shut down completely.

Tempest turned to see why she had stopped dictating and saw that the princess had fallen asleep on her bed.

She hadn't considered that Celestia might be exhausted after walking for days in the desert.

Tempest could have gone to sleep in the captain's cabin with Twilight but she didn't want to wake the princesses by walking on the creaking and noisy boards, so she simply chose to sleep on the floor next to the bed.

But now she was lying on a small bed with Princess Celestia in a very compromising pose.

Thinking about it, even the night before, after bathing in the pond, Celestia had laid down next to her.

Maybe the princess was trying to woo her?

It was a bit strange but she didn't mind it at all.
She could feel Celestia's breath on her neck, the heat of her belly on her back and one of Tempest's hind legs was wedged between the princess' thighs.

It looked exactly like the pose two lovers would take after a night of passion.
Tempest's mind was filled with lustful images of what could have been.

However, the more rational part of her made itself felt. Her logic said that she should find a way to get away before Celestia woke up or someone could see and misunderstand her.

Obviously fate wanted to play a bad joke on her.

The door suddenly flew open.

Tempest's reflexes would have made her immediately get out of bed and assume a fighting pose but she was currently pinned under the weight of a large white alicorn.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Twilight shouted in disbelief as she saw her mentor in bed with Tempest.

"It's not what it looks like!"

Tempest wanted to slap herself, she had responded in the most equivocal way possible. It was the typical phrase someone would say when they were discovered with their lover.

Hearing the noise, Celestia woke up, raised her head and looked at Tempest and then at Twilight.

She turned back to Tempest and as her cheeks reddened she said in a thin voice “You will have to take responsibility.” and then she hid her muzzle between her paws.

Tempest was petrified while Twilight grimaced in dissent and disbelief.

"SHAME ON YOU!"

Twilight slammed the door making a lot of noise and then ran away.

A few seconds of disconcerting silence passed until he was interrupted by a loud laugh.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

Celestia writhed on the bed as she laughed her head off. She was having so much fun that she was crying and her ribs hurt.

Meanwhile, Tempest remained sitting at the end of the bed while she watched the white alicorn howl with laughter at her.

In fact, she had to admit that the scene had been very comical, albeit stereotyped.

“Care to explain?” Tempest asked as Celestia regained control between laughs.

“I'm sorry, I've always wanted to say that phrase and I finally managed it.” the princess replied as she wiped away her tears of happiness.

Tempest rolled her eyes but she wasn't angry.
She had woken up wrapped around Celestia and then she could hear her wonderful laugh.

She couldn't ask for anything better.

“Last night I saw you sleeping on the floor so I levitated you onto the bed.” the princess explained as she got up from the bed.

“Thank you, but it wasn't necessary, I'm used to sleeping in uncomfortable places.”

"Did not you like it?" Celesta said playfully.

Tempest felt the heat wave again.

WHAT SHOULD SHE SAY?!

If she had said yes she might have been taken as a pervert but if she had said no she would have implied that she didn't like Celestia.

"Don't worry, it was a joke." the white alicorn said seeing that Tempest was having trouble answering.

The scarred alicorn let out a sigh she didn't even know she was holding.

“It seems you are very witty this morning.”

"What can I say? I slept very well last night.”
She gave a real, genuine smile, she really meant it.
For the first time since she had exiled her sister she was able to sleep soundly.

"Me too." Tempest said softly. Then she looked out the little porthole.

Seeing the position of the sun she assumed that it was already past noon. They had really slept a lot, at least ten hours she calculated mentally.

“Do you want to eat something?” Tempest proposed, it was too late for breakfast now.

“Of course, lead the way.”

The two left the cramped cabin but before going to the mess they went to get Twilight.

Celestia knocked on the door of the captain's cabin, they waited a few seconds and then Twilight opened the door.

When she saw Celestia and Tempest she gave him that look of disapproval and disgust again, her mentor's prank had been too much for her.

Maybe Celestia should have talked to her to explain that nothing had happened. But she preferred to wait a little longer, it would be a great punishment for Twilight.

Honestly, a small part of the white alicorn wished that something had actually happened with Tempest, but she was sure that she had made her advances towards the empress loud and clear.

“We're going to have lunch, will you join us?” Celestia asked.

Twilight didn't say anything but she left the room and closed the door behind her, apparently she wanted to play the silent game like children do when they're angry.

The trio moved to reach the mess hall, Tempest standing in front as she knew the layout of all the Imperial airships, while Twilight stood behind pouting.

When they arrived in the canteen they saw that there was almost no one there.

The room was not very large, it only had two tables with benches and the kitchen was very similar to those commonly found in normal homes.

The three alicorns sat down, Tempest on one bench and the other two on the opposite one.

In no time at all the cook arrived.

“Welcome my empress!”

“Good morning, is there anything left to eat?”

Before sitting down Tempest had seen the clock hanging on the wall, it read 1.30pm, a little late to have lunch but it was worth it since she had been able to sleep more with Celestia.

“Unfortunately not much, we have some mixed vegetables and grilled chicken.”

“It's enough, no meat for our guests.”

With that the cook returned to the kitchen to fetch the food.

“How does meat taste?” Twilight asked out of nowhere.

Tempest observed Twilight, as whenever she had to deal with meat she had a disgusted expression.

“I don't know, the meat has its own flavor and is very often seasoned with salt, spices or other things that increase the flavour.” Tempest replied, besides this there were no vegetables in nature that had the same flavor and consistency, as far as she knew at least.

“And you don't feel guilty eating it?”

“No, where I was born we ate meat and I still do it now, I know it's not right to kill a living being but that's how the food chain works.”

"I find it unacceptable anyway." Twilight commented but she stopped there as soon as Celestia glared at her like she had done two nights before.

“I can understand you, everyone has their own moral principles and I will not force you to eat meat, but I would prefer you to refrain from making these comments when we are in the capital, among the people there are many who practically only eat meat such as griffins and minotaurs. ”

Twilight shuddered to think of how many creatures were eaten every day to feed all these carnivores.

Maybe it was best to change the subject before she started vomiting on the floor.

As if that wasn't enough the cook returned with three dishes. As ordered Twilight and Celestia only had vegetables while Tempest's portion also had a slice of chicken.

The only thing Twilight could do was try to ignore the nauseating smell invading her nostrils.

The three grabbed a pair of cutlery from a container that was in the center of the table and began to eat.

As Tempest chewed her food, a question she'd wanted to ask for a while crossed her mind.

"Princess Celestia, why do you use this title? Wouldn't it be more appropriate for you to call yourself Queen Celestia? After all, you rule Equestria together with your sister."

Celestia wasn't surprised by the question but it was still unusual, it had been a very long time since she and her sister had chosen not to be called queens.

“It dates back to the time we ascended the throne, our parents were king and queen but our kingdom was no longer an absolute monarchy. Our form of government consists of a ruler who reigns above the governors of the various provinces of Equestria.
However, as the centuries passed, governors learned to manage themselves and the need for a supreme authority disappeared.”

Celestia explained beautifully while Twilight and Tempest ate slowly.

“When Luna and I ascended the throne there was no longer any need for us except to raise and lower the sun and the moon. Therefore we chose to be called princesses in order to leave more autonomy to the governors, also it was a tribute to our parents, we wanted them to be remembered as the last great king and queen.”

“Really very enlightening, your form of government is very similar to ours, I hope that one day my successors can also relinquish the title of emperor but for the moment it is not feasible. The empire is still too unstable, there are still many antipathies between the various peoples therefore a centralized power is necessary to guarantee peace and collaboration."

Perhaps if Tempest had lived long enough she might have been the one to abdicate herself, she might have been freed from the burden of command.

“What powers do you have?” This time it was Twilight who asked.

“If you are referring to my role as empress then it really depends on the situation. In times of peace and prosperity I have a more representative role than a governmental one, this is usually taken care of by the council while I have the task of enforcing the laws, maintaining diplomatic relations, making sure the army is in order and other minor things I count.
However, in the event of an emergency such as war, epidemic, famine or the like, I assume emergency powers which allow me to issue temporary edicts such as calls to arms, impose the obligation to ration food, quarantine the population and much more. .”

“And have you ever had to do this?”

“A couple of times and will probably happen again if the council decides to fight the goblins and orcs.”

Twilight sighed, once again she had come to a topic that she didn't like.

“And what role do you have on Equestria?”

Tempest really wanted to know what this princess of friendship could do. She had to try not to laugh when she thought of the title of the purple alicorn.

Twilight was about to answer but realized that she actually didn't know exactly what her role as princess of friendship was. She obviously had to spread the friendship, but beyond that? Celestia and Luna were the diarchs, Cadence was ruler of the crystal empire, what about her?

Celestia replied as her student was perplexed.

“Princess Twilight is currently responsible for representing Equestria in diplomatic relations and she is also governor of the district of Ponyville.”

Twilight was amazed, she hadn't expected her to be given such assignments so casually during a lunch discussion.

“She hasn't been made official yet as she has only been a princess for a short time but perhaps when we return to Canterlot it will be formally declared."

Tempest understood what Celestia meant.
During this trip Celestia was testing her student to see if she was capable of taking on the role of diplomatic representative. Very clever indeed.

The three finished eating and then each returned to their cabin.

"Knock Knock!" Tempest looked up from the parchment he was writing on.
She wasn't sure how long she had been engrossed in the task but it was late enough that the sun had disappeared. However, she hadn't noticed since she had no difficulty seeing in the dark.

Tempest opened the cabin door and in front of her was the sailor from the day before.

However, the sailor was scared, he didn't expect to see in the dark room only a dark shape with a pair of slightly luminescent eyes.

“My Empress, we have arrived in New Metropolis.” said 37045 the sailor standing at attention and trying not to show fear.

“Thank you sailor, you are free to go.”

With that the sailor left while Tempest went to knock on the door of the cabin where Celestia and Twilight were staying.
Unlike her room, theirs was lit by a couple of candles.

“We have arrived, I would like to show you the city before landing.”

Her voice had more enthusiasm than she intended but she was happy to be able to show off something she had worked hard for.

Twilight was also very excited to see a city outside of Equestria for the first time, she didn't know what to expect.

Twilight trotted out as Tempest and Celestia followed her walking normally.

When they reached the main deck they were greeted by a light breeze of cold, dry air

The captain was at the helm and gave orders to her subordinates while some sailors moved frantically from side to side to adjust the sails.

They looked around to see where Twilight had gone, she was in the bow leaning on the railing as she poked her head out to look down.

Tempest and Celestia approached and when the white alicorn saw what was underneath her she was amazed too.

New Metropolis was located on an immense hill and had a circular shape. The city developed on several levels, each separated by a great wall and at the top, in the center of everything, there was the imperial palace which stood out unchallenged over the entire landscape.

The city was truly boundless, much larger than Canterlot, Manehattan and Las Pegasus combined and beyond the walls there was only an infinite expanse of grass and fields.

Since it was night all the streets were illuminated creating a breathtaking landscape worthy of being immortalized by the greatest artists of that era.

"It's really wonderful!" Twilight commented as she gasped at how enchanting what she saw was.

“I know well, I also wonder how the city has managed to become so big in so few years. When we founded the empire ten years ago there was only the castle from which Storm King ruled and now it is a city that extends over 1500 square kilometers and the population amounts to two hundred thousand.”

“TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND?!” Twilight exclaimed in disbelief. “Manehattan has barely eighty thousand inhabitants and is the largest city in Equestria!”

“The Union of Free Peoples is a very large empire and there are millions of inhabitants. Cities like this are forming all over the empire.”

While the three alicorns were talking, the airship dropped in altitude and approached the imperial palace.

Unlike Canterlot Castle, the imperial palace had a simpler appearance, it did not have gilded decorations and imposing spiers.
It looked more like a fortress with a more practical than representative function, in fact there were no large windows or majestic terraces.

In fact the whole city had a very utilitarian appearance, the streets were all well paved and lit, the walls were high and deep and the houses were all made of brick.

But beyond that there wasn't much else like flower meadows, parks, fountains and hedges.
There were only the small gardens of the houses to give a touch of green.

“We must prepare to disembark.” Tempest warned before turning and walking down the stairs as the other two followed her.

They were now a few meters from the royal palace, the airship was slowly descending.

Below you could see a dozen guards who were arranging themselves in two rows to welcome the arrival of their empress and Reddace was also among them.

Before touching the ground, the airship deployed its stabilizing arms to prevent the vessel from tilting on its side and when they stopped, a door opened on the side of the hull and a ramp went down.

The first to come out was Tempest and following were Celestia, Twilight and the captain.

The guards stood at attention while Reddace remained in front of the two rows waiting for the guests.

“Welcome back my empress! We are happy that you have returned safely.” she greeted the griffin in her usual austere tone.

Tempest was happy to see her friend again, and she put a paw on his shoulder and spoke.

“Me too Reddace. Call the council, there's a lot to talk about.”

Author's Note

Some reference images to be able to imagine what New Metropolis could be like, remember that it is built on a hill so it has a conical shape with the imperial palace on the top.

This time I wanted to put some quotes and references, congratulations to those who noticed.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
As always, I remind you that there may have been syntax or grammatical errors so I ask you to report them in the comments and if possible to interpret the events.

Thank you.

CHAPTER 1 part 7: PEACE FOR OUR TIME

Celestia and Twilight had been waiting outside the council chamber for a couple hours.
The purple alicorn walked in circles like she did whenever she was nervous while her mentor sat on a bench.

The two guards stationed in front of the door were observing them carefully, they had never seen alicorns, especially not one two meters tall.

Princess Celestia was used to being looked at with awe and had learned to ignore their gazes, on the other hand Twilight was too busy making a furrow on the floor to notice.

“My faithful student, you should try to calm down.”

Twilight stopped and looked at Celestia.

"I CAN NOT MAKE IT!" she exclaimed with wide eyes and then pointed to the council chamber.
“Right now in that room they are deciding whether to go to war or not! How can I feel comfortable knowing this?!”

“I understand you Twilight, I would also prefer there to be peace but as I already told you it is not our place to interfere.” The best you can do now is take a deep breath and come sit down.” Celestia said in a calm voice.

Twilight sighed in resignation and then came to sit next to her mentor.

They remained silent for a while until her ears suddenly pricked up.

“What were you and Tempest doing this morning?!” she asked suspiciously.

Celestia smirked.
“What do you think two people doing on the same bed entwined?”

Twilight's eyes widened in disbelief. It was inconceivable to her to imagine her mentor, the one she had always admired and who had raised her, being involved in sexual activity.

Twilight's thoughts were interrupted by Celestia's laughter, causing her student to look puzzled.

“I'm kidding you Twilight, nothing happened, we were just sleeping and since the bed was small we had to stay hugged, nothing more”

Finally Celestia decided to give an explanation to her faithful student but the purple alicorn kept a dazed face as if she were dealing with a stranger.

"What's up?" Celestia asked.
Twilight took a while to respond.

"Nothing, I've just never seen you act like that."

Celestia had always been kind and sometimes she would crack a laugh or joke but never before had she dabbled in pranks like... Twilight didn't even know what words to use.
The best definition she could have given was “not so innocent.”

That's right, Celestia almost never made sexual allusions and when she did it was always in a didactic context like when she taught anatomy.

What had changed?

“Didn't you want us to be friends more? It seems to me that having conversations like that is something friends do.”

The white alicorn took care of clarifying Twilight's doubts and it certainly wasn't what she expected.

Did she really want them to be more friends?!

Twilight thought that the discussion they had had served to mark the boundary between them but instead now the princess was trying to humor her.

In fact, Rainbow Dash and Applejack also often made sexual innuendos, so was this part of being friends too?!

However, for Twilight to hear her mentor give this kind of talk was too much for her sanity.

She really didn't expect that Princess Celestia would use this approach method. She made her feel too uncomfortable like it was something she shouldn't feel.

Maybe what Celestia had said was true, the relationship between them was both too distant and too close to be friends.

Now, in addition to being uncomfortable, she felt defeated like when someone used the "I told you so!" move.

But what could she have said? She had been the one to complain that they weren't real friends but now that Celestia was trying she couldn't see her mentor as a friend.

Luckily at that moment the great doors of the council chamber flew open and Tempest came out.

“We're done, you can come in.”

“So what will it be?”
It was Celestia who asked the critical question.

"Peace." was the only thing Tempest said.

Twilight remained silent for a few seconds as if she had to process the answer and then exploded into a fit of joy accompanied by Pinkie Pie-style squeals and jumping.

On the other hand, Celestia was in disbelief, she was certain that there would be a declaration of war and it seemed to her that Tempest was determined to do so.

"What happened?

“We initially intended to mobilize the entire army but in the end some members of the council managed to convince us that it wasn't worth it. Finally, we have chosen to permanently promote Commander Ivar so that he can guard the border more carefully
If the situation worsens then we will re-evaluate the option of war but for the moment it should be fine."

Tempest didn't say there was another reason. The Empress absolutely wanted to form an alliance with Equestria and an ongoing war would have been counterproductive.

“Now that we have discussed the problem with the goblins and orcs I would like to be able to introduce you to the imperial council and begin to discuss the future relationship between our nations.”

Celestia nodded and the three alicorns entered the council room.

Tempest went to sit in her usual place while the princesses remained in the center.

As usual the two alicorns attracted a lot of attention, especially Celestia.

When everyone was clear Tempest stood up and cleared her throat.

“Trusted councilors, I have the honor to introduce Princess Celestia, diarch of Equestria and goddess of the sun, and Princess Twilight Sparkle, bearer of the element of magic and pupil of Princess Celestia.”

The councilors began to whisper among themselves and Galileo was the first to introduce himself.
“Nice to meet you, I am Galileo, imperial councilor in charge of the research and development department.”

Seeing this, the other council members stood up one by one to introduce themselves.
When everyone was done it was Celesia's turn to speak.

“Princess Twilight and I are more than pleased to make your acquaintance.” she said reverently but maintaining a posture worthy of representing Equestria.

Tempest saw that the counselors had warmly welcomed Celestia and Twilight. She had no doubt it would happen but now that the introductions had been made it was time to get down to business.

“Our esteemed guests have come from Equestria after learning of our existence, their goal is to establish a friendly relationship between the Union of Free Peoples and their kingdom. I can guarantee that they are in good faith and trustworthy.” Tempest assured.

Foxtrot raised his hand to speak.
“Really very interesting, as much as it would be nice to have new allies, what benefits would we have from this agreement?” he asked the others.

“Equestria is a very large and diverse kingdom, we possess many natural resources and produce enormous quantities of food.”

Celestia wasn't too good at things related to managing finances and resources, usually her sister took care of that.
But she knew some basic things.

“Our empire is not lacking in raw materials such as minerals and raw materials, do you have anything else of value to offer?”

Celestia had to think for a moment, it was difficult to offer something to someone who already had everything.

Twilight took a step forward and intervened.
“We have enormous deposits of gold and precious gems.”

“Gold and precious gems you say?” Foxtrot repeated, running a hand over his chin.

Gold was considered the treasure of a kingdom since it was not affected by inflation, owning a lot of it was a display of power and prestige even though gold actually had very little practical use.

On the other hand, gems were much more desirable for a rapidly growing empire.
Gems could be used in a variety of ways, as magical energy batteries, as catalysts for spells or magical and chemical reactions, and in some cases as weapons.

Foxtrot nodded his head, signaling to the councilors and the empress that he agreed to make an alliance.

Seeing this, Celestia complimented Twilight for having already managed to convince one of the councilors.

“How are you doing from a military point of view?” Reddace asked.

Celestia was not happy about this as she knew this was a sore point for Equestria. But this time the white alicorn was well informed on this topic.

“We have an army that includes approximately one hundred thousand active soldiers between the air force and ground forces. Our fleet is made up of eighty airships of which thirty corvettes, forty frigates and the remainder are cargo and passenger transport airships.”

Reddace was quite impressed, he didn't expect a small kingdom like Equestria to even have a fleet, owning many airships guaranteed a nation a lot of flexibility in various situations.
The griffin looked at Minox out of the corner of his eye but the minotaur had, as usual, an impassive face and his arms crossed. This was good.

As Foxtrot had done, Reddace nodded his approval.

Meanwhile, Twilight was dismayed to hear Celestia talk so easily about their military assets. The purple alicorn had only ever known the royal guards led by her brother, for the rest she had no idea that there were so many soldiers and a fleet.

Now that they had talked about the most important things for a relationship between two nations, it was time to mention the elements of harmony.

Tempest took command of the discussion again.

“Trust councilors, up until now we have faced Storm King's army, but other threats of a different nature have also existed.”

The councilors listened carefully to what the empress had to say.

“Such enemies would be invincible if faced with conventional methods, however Equestria has already managed to defeat such threats thanks to a resource that only they have and can use.”

Twilight had immediately understood what it was about, she hadn't foreseen that it would talk about the elements of harmony. She didn't like it.

“As previously stated, Princess Twilight Sparkle is the bearer of the element of magic, just one of five others that when put together form a formidable tool capable of defeating threats far more worrisome than a dictator with an army.”

Now the room was tense, some didn't know what the empress was getting at. Did she want to highlight the power of Equestria?

“However, the other five element bearers are normal ponies and that means they are not invincible, so it is my opinion that we, as citizens of the world, have a duty to help and defend Equestria as it could change the fate of us all. ”

Having said this, the councilors looked at each other in disbelief and whispered among themselves and some were clearly very skeptical.

“Do you remember the night two years ago when the moon didn't set? Well an evil entity called Nightmare Moon attempted to bring eternal night to the world. Fortunately, Princess Twilight and her friends managed, thanks to the elements of harmony, to defeat her and save the world as we know it."

“How can we be sure they won't try to use this weapon against us?”

This time it was Minox who spoke, obviously he would ask such a question or he wouldn't be a good general.

“The elements of harmony are not a weapon but rather an instrument of peace designed to neutralize entities that embody hatred and discord, they are harmless against normal people and against those who do not have malicious intent. Furthermore, if it were our goal to attack you with the elements, we would not ask to form an alliance with you and we would not have informed you of their existence." Celestia explained looking into Minox's eyes, her sincerity was evident.

The great Minotaur grunted and then returned to his usual pose, apparently the Princess had responded appropriately.

The councilors all seemed satisfied and Tempest seized the opportunity.

“I think it's time to vote on whether or not to open diplomatic relations with Equestria, who is in favor?”

All the counselors raised their paws or arms.

“Excellent, the council and the empress are in favor of forming an alliance with the kingdom of Equestria.”

With that everyone stood up and said in unison.

“LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE!”

And with that everything was made definitively official.

Before they could go Tempest said one last thing.

“Trust councilors, I am truly very proud to have found friends outside our borders, I long for a prosperous and peaceful collaboration between the empire and Equestria.”

The councilors nodded in agreement.

“There is still a lot to do and decide, there is no need to rush so you can go back to carrying out your tasks, if necessary I will call you back.”

One by one the councilors stood up and left the room until only the three alicorns remained.

“It was very fast.” Celestia was the first to start the speech.

“We really don't like to spend too much time arguing.” Tempest said.

Celestia was envious of this, she often spent entire days listening to nobles bicker.

“When I saw the minotaur's face I was afraid he would say no.” Twilight commented.

“You don't have to worry, Minox always has a threatening appearance but if you have the opportunity to get to know him better you will discover that he can also be friendly.” Tempest reassured.

“I see, so what happens now?”

“Now we are only at the beginning, good words are not enough to form an alliance.”

Twilight knew it wouldn't be easy but she hoped for a more immediate result. Apparently making another nation a friend was more difficult than making a friend a person.
But she couldn't complain too much, in the end after many vicissitudes and sacrifices they had succeeded in their goal.

Twilight remembered what they had talked about previously, she hadn't appreciated that they talked about the elements of harmony and her friends as if they were a common weapon.

“How do you know about the elements of harmony? And why did you talk to the council about it?”
Twilight's tone of voice was inquisitive and suspicious.

“I was the one who told her about it, I think it's important that our new allies know about it.” Celestia explained.

“The princess is right, I do not doubt that the control and use of the elements of harmony is only at the discretion of the bearers of the elements but you must remember that what you do with them can have consequences throughout the world, including the empire." Tempest added.

Twilight wasn't entirely reassured, she still felt as if she was being treated like an object, as if their individuality was being put on the back burner.
What does this mean for her and her friends? Was their lifestyle about to change?

Tempest looked at the clock on the wall, it was almost midnight.”

“I think we're done for today, tomorrow morning you can leave to return to Equestria.
I will have rooms given to you so that you can rest.”

For some reason her own words brought her melancholy.

“Thank you, in these days you have truly been a kind soul, you saved us and welcomed us. We will always be grateful to you." Thanked Celestia.

It really sounded like goodbye and Tempest really didn't like it.

Maybe Tempest should have just let them go.

Tempest told one of the guards standing outside the hall to find two rooms for their guests and when he nodded she bid them all good night and went to her room.

However, she did not see Celestia's thoughtful and melancholy look.

Tempest did nothing but toss and turn in bed.
Usually she had no problems falling asleep because she had gotten into the habit of using every moment of sleep to get as much energy as possible when needed.

However that night she was too restless, her bed seemed rough and her pillow too hot.

She was now looking at the ceiling in a catatonic state as if she was sleeping but at the same time she was alert.

The clock on the bedside table read six in the morning and she hadn't slept a wink all night.

There were only a few hours left until Celestia and Twilight would return to Equestria.

The warmth in her chest that she usually felt when she thought of Celestia was not there but had been replaced by an uncomfortable emptiness.
The few words of farewell that they had said to each other the evening before had left a bad taste in her mouth as if there was still something to say.

Tempest looked at the clock again, not even two minutes had passed and yet she felt like she had been lying on that bed for an eternity.

The scarred alicorn wished she could have someone to talk to, she wished Flynn was still there, he always knew what to say.

Since the Seashark crew had disappeared, her heart had hardened, she had become numb and lived her days one at a time.

But Celestia's meeting had unlocked something right away, she had cried and confessed to a mare she had only known for a short time.

She couldn't let them part so quietly, she still had something to tell her.

Tempest got out of bed, put on her suit and then her armor.

When she was ready she left her room and walked briskly towards the guest wing of the palace.

She saw that there were guards stationed in front of two doors and spoke to the closest one.

“Where is Princess Celestia?”

The soldier simply nodded his head to indicate the door he was guarding.

By now they knew that their empress did not care if her subordinates behaved too reverently, for her the only important thing was that they were excellent guards capable of acting autonomously and when there was a need to follow orders without doing too many questions.

Tempest approached the door, raised her paw to knock but stopped a moment before.
She was about to have second thoughts but the more stubborn side of her forced her to continue.

She knocked on the door firmly and waited.

In a few seconds the door swung open, Princess Celestia was beautiful and majestic as usual although she looked a little tired.

“Am I disturbing?” Tempest asked uncertainly.

“No, I couldn't sleep anyway.”

She too?

“Do you want to go for a ride?” Tempest said without thinking too much.

“Is it a date?” Celestia said again in that sneaky, playful tone of hers.

However this time she Tempest wouldn't fall for it, in fact she responded immediately.

"Yes."

Celestia's eyes widened, she didn't expect the scarred alicorn to act so quickly.

Her white cheeks reddened slightly for a few fractions of a second.

“Okay then, lead the way.” Celestia replied in a higher pitched voice than usual.

Tempest smiled but refrained from cheering at the princess, instead turning and stepping slightly to the side so Celestia could walk beside her.

As they passed through the various corridors the two mares remained almost silent.

Tempest was actually very excited while Celestia still had to process the situation properly.

The Empress had just invited her on a date, it's not that she didn't want to but she felt like she wasn't ready yet.
In the previous days she had joked with the scarred alicorn, had teased her and they had even slept together, however now Tempest seemed to be determined to go through with it and Celestia's adolescent mare in heat mentality did not make her think clearly.

Celestia felt as if her head was light, her heart was pounding, and her tail wagged too indiscreetly for a princess.
Maybe she shouldn't have been so provocative.

Celestia looked at Tempest again, she also seemed to be thoughtful but held a proud posture as usual. She felt like she was a girl going on her date with her crush, in fact it really was like that.

The white alicorn was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't even realize they had stopped, but she did when Tempest handed her a hoof.

They were in front of a ramp to board an airship so small that it could only be piloted by one person, but it was enough for Tempest and Celestia.

"Thank you." Celestia said politely as she accepted the hoof, she actually could have easily climbed up alone but it was etiquette.

When they were both on board Tempest went to the controls located in the stern, started the engine and took off.

As they traveled Celestia could feel the cold night wind hitting her fur and making her long mane flutter.
On the horizon she could still see the waning moon. The sun, her oldest friend, was just about to rise.

The small airship continued to climb until it reached cloud level.
They came alongside a bank of clouds and then Tempest hit the parking brake.

"We have arrived." said the empress.

“Arrived where?” Celestia asked.

Tempest smiled and without saying anything else took a running start and jumped off the airship.
Celestia's eyes widened and she immediately went to see where Tempest had ended up, when she poked her head over the railing she couldn't help but smile and feel a little stupid.

Tempest was walking on the clouds like a pagasus did or rather like an alicorn did.
It was easy to forget her nature given her lack of wings.

Celestia put a paw on the railing and also launched herself, landing on the pile of clouds, she sank slightly but didn't care.
It wasn't often that she had to walk on clouds since she was usually locked away in Canterlot but she admitted that she was very pleasant indeed.

Celestia saw that Tempest was crouching on the edge of the large cloud, seen from this way it really looked like a painting where the subject was observing the horizon alone and thoughtfully.

The princess came closer and then lay down next to Tempest too, close enough that their furs were touching.

They were silent for a while until Tempest pointed to the eastern horizon.

Celestia knew very well what was there, in fact immediately after a dim light appeared which in a few minutes revealed itself to be the morning sun.

The landscape lit up with a golden light, the shadows stood out long on the surface creating a painting of infinite beauty.

“I imagine you have seen the sun rise thousands of times, perhaps for you it will be trivial but for me it is one of the most wonderful things there is.” Tempest began to speak, keeping her gaze fixed towards the dawn.

“Since my journey began I have had to face many battles, each time I was afraid of not making it, of dying. But every time I saw the sun rise my heart filled with hope, it meant that I had managed to survive another day.”

Then Tempest turned her gaze to Celestia. Her eyes were full of feelings.

“Your sun has always been an effigy of hope for me, the reward for all the hard work done and for the blood shed. And now that I have here near me the one who raised the sun every morning I can't help but be overwhelmed by irrepressible feelings."

Celestia listened intently to Tempest's words, just as she had done nights before immersed in the pond.

“Actually, since the first time you spoke to me I have had these strange feelings for you, since I woke up in the same bed with you I can't help but wish it would happen again, I wish I could feel your warmth, listen your voice, enjoy your laughter.”

Tempest was pouring everything she felt into her soul, she didn't care what she would look like, she didn't care about the role of empress. She just wanted to be able to free herself from that heavy and wonderful burden. So she chose to say the fateful phrase.
She took a deep breath and then put on a look of pure determination.

“Princess Celestia, I think I have fallen in love with you.”

Now the die was cast, it just remained to see what would happen.

Tempest stood frozen in silence, Celestia's gaze foreign to her.
The white alicorn said nothing.

Tempest's ears drooped.

Was she not interested?

Celestia's wings slowly unfurled.

She wanted to fly away?!

Tempest was about to be gripped by a feeling of terror like never before.
She had faced insurmountable enemies but now that she had confessed she feared rejection more than a sharp blade aimed at her chest.

She was about to stand up and apologize for being inappropriate but instead a soft wing rested on her back.

"Me too." and without another word Princess Celestia placed a kiss on Tempest's lips.
It was light and uncertain, almost chaste.

Tempest still stood still and rigid with her eyes wide open.

“I also think I've fallen in love, I'm not unaware of what love is but for the first time in centuries I feel I can say I love someone with all of myself.”

These words were enough to unfreeze Tempest.

The scarred alicorn was overflowing with joy, she didn't know whether to cry or laugh so she brought her muzzle close to Celestia's.

The princess did the same and finally they exchanged another kiss, this time more passionate, warmer and more meaningful.

When they separated they looked into each other's eyes, Celestia smiled lovingly while Tempest was still struggling to understand what was happening, she only knew that she wanted to jump on the beautiful alicorn next to her.

And so she did.

The two remained embraced and cradled by the soft cloud beneath them.
They exchanged more kisses and when the paws began to wander over each other's bodies, Celestia chose to go even further.

She gently removed the obsidian plates one by one until Tempest was left wearing only her suit.

She was about to lower the zipper but she was stopped by Tempest who placed a hoof on her shoulder.

The empress glared in my direction.

"Do you mind?!"

Perhaps it was time for the narrator to give the two mares in love some privacy.

"Go away!" Tempest commanded as her broken horn emitted sparks and the princess laughed.

"NOW!"

OK! I'm leaving!.

It was now ten in the morning and Twilight was waiting impatiently near the airship that was supposed to escort her and her mentor to Canterlot.

She was tempted to take off and go look for them but instead a very small airship landed a few dozen meters away and the Empress and Princess Celestia came out.

Twilight felt that something was wrong. The two were walking closer than they should have been and giving each other fleeting glances.

She also noticed that Princess Celestia's fur was slightly shiny as if she had been sweating a bit.

Where the hell had they been?!
What had happened?!

The two stopped out of her hearing range.

“I guess you can't extend your stay here.” Tempest asked hopefully even though she already knew the answer.

“I'm afraid not Tempest, as wonderful and unforgettable as it was, I have duties in Canterlot that I cannot ignore. But we can still keep in touch.”

In fact, Princess Celestia had created a link with Tempest, the princess could have sent messages through magic and the empress would have received and sent messages through dragon flames just like Spike did.

Tempest was very grateful to have a dragon as an ancestor.

“Then I'll settle for this.” concluded Tempest.

The two mares hugged each other tightly but before they could separate Celestia nibbled Tempest's right ear.

The Empress took a step back, Celestia had a provocative grin on her face while Tempest rolled her eyes.

On the other hand, Twilight, who had seen everything, had wide eyes and a sagging jaw.

“I'm sure we'll have more opportunities to have fun in the future.” Tempest said even though she was actually holding herself back so as not to jump on Celestia like she had done a few hours earlier.

"I really hope so." Celestia winked and without saying anything else she continued walking to reach her faithful student who was still shocked by what she had just seen.

Celestia boarded the airship and then levitated the purple alicorn next to her.

The empress signaled to the captain that she could leave and in no time at all the great airship took off.

Tempest watched from the ground as the airship receded and became a speck in the distance.

She still stood there still, the strong feelings of happiness and euphoria slowly faded and loneliness was already added to them.

They hadn't even been separated for ten minutes and she already missed Princess Celestia?!

Obviously.

Their time together had been short, far too short.

Tempest sighed, raised her head and put her usual empress mask back on, it was time to get back to work.

“Twilight?”

They had left for half an hour now and Twilight was still motionless with her mouth and eyes wide open.

“Twilight?” Celestia repeated, prodding her with a hoof

Twilight shook her head and then looked at her mentor.

“WHAT WAS THAT?!” Shouted the purple alicorn.

“What was what?” Celestia said playing dumb.

"THAT!" Twilight was sure Celestia knew what she was referring to.

“Oh, I have no idea.” Celestia continued, hiding a devious smile.

“WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN YOU?!”

The white alicorn turned and left while her student followed her asking insistently but without receiving any response.

Author's Note

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
As always, I remind you that there may have been syntax or grammatical errors so I ask you to report them in the comments and if possible to interpret the events.

Thank you.

CHAPTER 2 part 1: PRINCESS SUNBUTT

“So I am convinced that the best course of action is to increase controls between countries, they have to move somehow.” Reddace said.

The council had been meeting for too many hours to discuss a worrying situation.
A group of Storm king's former supporters were trying to regain power by kidnapping prominent figures such as magistrates and mayors.

"It does not make sense! We'll have to go house to house to flush out those bastards!”
As usual the minotaur preferred to use strong methods.

“We can't, that would mean infringing the freedom of the subjects.” Reddace retorted in his usual calm tone.

But Minox was stubborn.
"And who cares?! If they have nothing to hide then they will let us in!”

Reddace put a paw on his face and sighed.
It was really difficult to converse with a minotaur.

“Tempest, what do you think?”
In those cases the best thing to do was to let the empress decide.

The council turned its gaze to Tempest but the scarred alicorn didn't seem to react. She had a blank look and her head tilted slightly forward.

“Tempest?” repeated Galileo.

Again nothing.

The manticore placed a paw on Tempest's shoulder and gave her a shake.

Immediately the empress straightened up.

"Yes?" she said confused.

“Are you okay Tempest?” Hori asked, she too was worried like the rest of the council. They had never seen the empress be so careless.
She in fact looked like she hadn't rested well in quite some time.

She had noticeable dark circles under her eyes, her voice was hoarse and her posture was sloppy.

“I'm fine, let's continue.” Tempest said in the most convincing voice she could muster.

Obviously her friends didn't fall for it.
“You should get some rest.” proposed Reddace.

“I don't need it, and I also can't afford to waste time sleeping while the empire needs us.”

The councilors looked at each other. Tempest could be more stubborn than all the minotaurs.

Galileo positioned himself as the voice of reason.

“The empire needs shrewd, well-rested leaders, and right now it seems like you're having a hard time keeping your eyes open.”

“Maybe it's time for you to take a vacation.” added Reddace.

“Are you trying to send me away?” Tempest said raising an eyebrow.

"Absolutely not! It's just that you've been working tirelessly for too long, it's right that you take a break every now and then too."

The empress contemplated the manticore's words and sighed.

It was true that she had never taken a holiday, usually that was enough for her.
She spent her days working and then in the evening she spoke to Celestia through letters.

Sometimes the princess would come to visit her alone and they would spend the night having fun and the next morning Celestia would return to Canterlot at supersonic speed.

It had been over a year since they had become a couple and yet she had never visited Celestia in Canterlot. That was the right opportunity.

“You're right, I'm going to take a week's vacation.”

The council was happy to hear that they had managed to convince her.

“You have nothing to worry about.” Galileo reassured on behalf of all the councilors who nodded in agreement.

The seven quickly finished the session and then Tempest made sure to say some last words to everyone.

Once that was done she didn't even waste time packing her bags since she needed practically nothing, she would be traveling on an airship and she was sure that if she really needed something in Equestria then the princess could provide it for her.

The only thing she made sure to always have with her was the bag full of gems, you could never be sure that there was always food available and this way of thinking had saved her many times.

She headed briskly towards the private pier of the imperial palace, there were often docked a couple of airships of different sizes, they always had to be ready for any need so she didn't have to worry about finding the crew.

Tempest smiled bitterly.

Whenever she traveled on an airship she couldn't help but think of the Seashark and it's crew.
As many adventures as they had together, they had practically become a family.

She had sworn that she would let them go, that she would honor their sacrifice by continuing to live as if they were still there with her.
But they weren't there, and she was the last one left of that pack of hardened lunatics disappointed by the world.

Tempest arrived at the dock and as usual she avoided the larger airships, they were majestic and powerful but not for her. She needed fast and discreet transportation, she certainly didn't want to spread terror in Equestria by flying around an armored airship ready for war.

So she chose a corvette, that type of airship was her favorite, it was sleek, fast and adequately armed in case of a small skirmish.

When she boarded the airship she was surprised to see who the captain was.

“Welcome my empress! Captain Cooper at your service!”

The young orange pegasus had changed a bit since the last time she had seen him. Now he seemed more confident, more cunning and autonomous.

Becoming captain had forced him to become a leader. Being able to direct your crew was of utmost importance in dangerous situations, or you could get yourself and everyone on board killed.

“Captain Cooper, it's good to see you again.” said the empress, placing a hoof on the pegasus' shoulder.

“I need to head to Canterlot, will you be up to it?”

“Yes my empress!”

The captain didn't hesitate for a second to answer and Tempest liked this very much.

“Great, let's leave immediately."

Tempest said nothing more and headed below deck to reach the quarters.

She didn't need to ask since the captains knew that when their superior was on board they had to give up their cabin to the guest.
It was not a rule of the imperial navy but a form of respect, those who respected tradition were more likely to get a promotion.

Tempest entered the accommodation, as always it was well kept, there weren't too many things scattered around, only the necessary things such as maps and navigation tools.

She went to the large window at the stern of the airship and looked out.
The sailors had already untied the hawsers, the engine started and in a short time they took off..

Now all that remained was to wait for their arrival at their destination.

Tempest glanced at the bookcase and picked up a book that caught her attention, lay down on the guest bed and began reading.

“Tock-tock!”

Tempest opened her eyes suddenly.

The clock on the bedside table read ten in the morning.

Lately she only woke up so late after spending a night of wild sex with Celestia.

Maybe Galileo was right, she needed to take a break.

"A moment!" Tempest said loudly as she got up from the bed.

She put on her suit and then her armor plates. When she was ready she went to sit at the desk and adjusted her posture.

“Come in.”

Entering was Captain Cooper. Tempest expected it to be a sailor come to tell her that they would be arriving soon, they had been traveling for over two days now.

“My empress, we must arrive in Canterlot in an hour.”

“Thank you captain, you didn't need to bother telling me in person, you could have sent a subordinate.”

Captain Cooper took a step forward.

“You are right my empress, however I wanted to be the one to do it just like it was when I was an ensign. I also wanted to thank you again for giving me a promotion.” said the pegasus, bowing his head.

Tempest smiled, it rarely happened that any subordinate bothered to talk to her except for strictly professional things.

“Captain Cooper, there is no need to thank me, that day a year ago you proved yourself to be brave and capable, the Imperial Navy needs captains like you.”

“Thank you your majesty.” Having said this, the captain saluted and left, closing the door behind him.

Tempest sat there thinking, she was about to arrive in Canterlot, the home of her fiancée.

Tempest smiled, Princess Celestia was her fiancé.
They hadn't made it official yet but by now almost everyone in the imperial palace knew it.

The rumors had started when the guards began to hear moans coming from her room. It didn't take long for the suspicions to grow stronger and one day, during one of The council sessions, Hori had the courage to ask her if she was seeing anyone.

Initially she would have denied it but then she realized that it would be of no use, she was the empress and had the right to have a relationship with whoever she wanted.
Plus she liked the relationship she was having with Celestia, she was so happy about it that she wanted to shout it out so everyone would know.

Tempest told the councilors everything, obviously omitting the most spicy parts.
They had been happy to hear that she was having an affair with someone since they had never seen her be interested in anyone.

Some in the palace even believed she was asexual.

Furthermore, having a relationship with a princess of Equestria could do nothing but good to solidify their alliance.

Galileo had asked her if they intended to get married. Tempest wasn't sure how to respond.

At the time she and Celestia had only known each other for a couple of months and it seemed too rushed to plan a wedding, but now it wouldn't be so inconvenient.

She would have to talk to Celestia about it sooner or later, and she really hoped that she would want to be her wife too.

And after that?

Tempest wasn't the type of person who thought about a possible wife just so she could have a descendant, yet she wouldn't even mind.

The scarred alicorn knew it wasn't impossible even though they were both mares.

One night Celestia had wanted to do an experiment, she had used transfiguration magic on herself and had temporarily grown a penis.

Suffice it to say, Tempest had been walking strangely for a couple of days.
Even now Minox jokes about it.

The empress was torn from her bright thoughts by the constant ringing of a bell.
It meant they had arrived at the port of Canterlot.

Tempest quickly exited the cabin, climbed the stairs and reached the main deck.
As usual the sailors moved from side to side while the captain gave the orders.

The scarred alicorn walked to the bow to observe.

Before then she didn't really know what Canterlot was like, Celestia had told her that the castle was perched on the slope of a mountain while the city developed on a plateau.

Tempest assumed that the city couldn't be very large but she was proven wrong as soon as she saw the capital of Equestria with her own eyes.

Canterlot was much larger than she expected. It was still a tenth the size of New Metropolis but it seemed densely populated.

Canterlot showed signs of being a very old city, the streets were narrow, the stone buildings covered in mortar, and there was no public transport such as trams or subways.

But there was one thing that struck Tempest the most, it was all too damn colourful!

It was like being in a wonderland, the colors were all saturated and brilliant, the sky was perfectly clear, and in the streets there were thousands of ponies all dressed in equally colorful and sumptuous clothes.

Tempest wouldn't say she was disgusted by it but she preferred New Metropolis much more.
Here everything seemed dedicated to beauty and little to utility.

The walls were too low and thin, the anti-aircraft defenses insufficient, and the guards sloppily positioned, serving only to make their presence known.

At least the castle was easily defensible as it could only be accessed from one side, however once placed under siege it was impossible for those who couldn't fly to escape.

As soon as she met Celestia she would make sure to scold her properly.

The pier was located in the east of the city, diametrically opposite to where the castle was located.

The corvette slowly approached one of the free docking platforms and when they were a few meters from touching the ground the sailors began to throw the hawsers towards other sailors who had arrived flying shortly before.

When the airship was perfectly docked, the crew lowered the landing ramp onto the side of the hull and shortly afterwards Tempest and Captain Cooper emerged.

"it's a lot …. colored." said the pegasus making a strange expression.

"Really?" Tempest replied sarcastically.

The two were stopped after a few meters by what appeared to be the port captain.

“Declare yourselves!” the stallion said simply.

Tempest deduced that the equestrian had never seen an airship with the imperial coat of arms, otherwise he would have understood that it was a diplomatic vessel.

“We're just here to refuel.” Tempest replied.

Captain Cooper gave her a look as if to ask why she had lied.

Tempest was up to something.

The port captain carefully observed the two foreigners, he saw that they were wearing armor, which was very suspicious.

If he had been a good port captain he would have had the two arrested on the spot but since he wasn't paid enough to handle these problems he simply chose to ignore them, his job was only to make sure that those who docked at the port paid.

The rest was the royal guard's problem.

“Two silver coins.” he said, holding out a hoof.

Tempest smiled and then motioned for Captain Cooper to pay.

“Thank you, welcome to Canterlot, have a good day.” and without another word the stallion walked away.

“What do you want us to do?” Cooper asked behind her.

Tempes turned.

“Nothing, enjoy the city and rest but make sure that if necessary the airship can take off quickly.”

The captain was amazed by the empress's response, in practice she had given the crew an unscheduled leave, surely his subordinates would have been very happy about it.

“Thank you your majesty!” the captain thanked her by bowing.

“You're welcome, I should stay here for at least a week, you're free to go.”

And with that Tempest turned and headed towards the castle.

As she walked through the streets of the city she noticed that she attracted several curious and some fearful glances.

She imagined that a tall unicorn with a broken horn and black armor would stand out in a city full of snobs with perfectly groomed fur and a mane so brushed it looked like silk.

That's right, it didn't take Tempest long to realize that it was a city full of nobles.

Practically only unicorns walked the streets and earth ponies and pegasi were rarely seen. While there was absolutely no sign of other species.

As she walked she observed the various buildings, most of them were shops selling various items such as clothes, jewelry and accessories such as bags, hats, umbrellas and much more.

They all had one thing in common: they were extremely expensive.

The city was finely decorated with white marble and golden frames, every twenty meters there was a statue or a fountain spraying clear water.

Tempest wanted to vomit seeing all that excessive opulence but she stopped herself out of respect for the city and Celestia.

Suddenly something came at her.
The empress didn't move an inch but the unicorn stallion fell backwards with a loud thud.

The unicorn had white fur, was blond with blue eyes, wore a blue bow tie and had the design of a compass rose on his hips.

"Are you OK?" Tempest asked, offering him a hoof.

“STAY BACK YOU MONSTER!” the stallion screamed as he slapped her paw and stood up in a less than dignified manner.

“HOW DARE YOU GET IN MY WAY, YOU DON'T KNOW WHO I AM?!!”

His voice was very haughty and equally annoying.

Tempest wasn't intimidated at all, that interaction was enough for her to understand what kind of worm she was dealing with.

She decided not to waste even a second of her time, she ignored him and continued walking while the blonde unicorn continued to curse and hurl insults at her.

After another few minutes of walking Tempest finally arrived in front of the castle entrance.
There was a large black iron door with golden spikes on top, it was guarded by two royal guards wearing the usual armor.

Tempest approached the one on the right.

“Stop! Identifiers!"

“Tempest Shadow, I am here to meet Princess Celestia.”

“Do you have an invitation with the royal seal?”

Of course, Tempest didn't have an invitation.

“Then we can't let you in!” the guard said loudly.

Tempest didn't even try to dissuade him so she walked away until she was out of their sight.

The scarred alicorn took a look at the walls surrounding the castle, it could have easily climbed over them as there were very few guards.

Tempest chose a place to enter and then climbed until she reached the other side.

She found herself in a garden full of hedges, there were also statues of all different shapes that represented strange creatures. Tempest approached the larger one.

“A draconequus?”

It vaguely resembled Master Kaos.

If she remembered correctly he had told her that he had had a bad brother who had been defeated by two sisters.

Could it be him?

Nah, it was just a coincidence. Surely that statue couldn't be a petrified evil god.

Tempest passed the strange statue and arrived in front of one of the castle windows.

The alicorn let out a sigh of disappointment when she saw that the window wasn't even locked and all she had to do was push it up to open it.

She really should have trained Celestia on how to maintain proper security.

Tempest snuck in, this time she had come across a long corridor, also unguarded.

Before continuing she took off her armored horseshoes and clipped them to her armor, so she would make less noise while walking.

Tempest wandered through the various corridors and rooms avoiding the occasional guards and attendants until she came to a pair of large doors about thirty feet high.

She peeked through the keyhole and finally saw her prize.

Celestia sat on the throne looking bored as she listened to a noble complain about something. Next to her was a gray female unicorn holding a clipboard.

In the room there were a dozen guards arranged in two rows of six on the sides of the red carpet that reached up to the base on which the two thrones were placed.

Tempest took another look at the noble who was talking continuously without ever stopping.

He was the fattest pony she had ever seen, so obese that she wondered if he was capable of standing on his own legs, in fact he was lying on a sedan chair supported by four earth ponies who, even though they were very muscular, struggled to support all that weight.

From what she could hear the unicorn called himself Lord Brilliant and complained that the mayor of Manehattan prevented him from turning Central Park into an industrial area.

He later claimed to have more power than the mayor, who had been democratically elected, since he was a descendant of an ancient house that had helped the two sisters millennia ago.

Tempest had a great dislike for those who used the name of their ancestors to claim prestige and privilege.

In her empire no nobility no longer existed, Storm King had defeated them all to accumulate all the power in his hands.

But the empress would never, for any reason in the world, reinstitute the noble class again.

In her empire there was only room for meritocracy.

While Lord Brilliant continued to talk nonsense, Princess Celestia pretended to listen, every now and then she nodded or said some useless words to make it seem like she was paying attention.

When the unicorn finished speaking, Celestia let out a sigh of boredom and straightened her posture

“Thank you Lord Brilliant, I will consider your complaint, we will contact you when we have resolved the problem.” she said in a monotone voice, it seemed like a phrase she said to every annoyance that came in front of her.

“I hope so!” Lord Brilliant retorted, then slammed his hoof on the wood of the sedan chair.
The four earth ponies lifted him very laboriously and then slowly headed towards the exit.

Tempest stepped aside when the great doors opened and let Lord Brilliant pass through, who hadn't noticed her in the slightest.

The great doors closed soon after and Tempest began peering through the keyhole again.

Celestia was still sitting on the throne and was running a paw over her face to chase away boredom and drowsiness.

Then she turned to the gray mare beside her.

“Domo, I'm done for today, I'll be in my rooms.”

Domo nodded and bowed as the princess stood up and walked out of a door next to the platform where the two thrones stood.

Tempest saw her opportunity, passed through an adjacent corridor and followed her fiancée without being seen.

After a few minutes of tailgating they finally arrived at the royal suite.

Celestia entered through the door normally while Tempest passed through the window.

The scarred alicorn had now reached her prey.

Celestia had her back turned while Tempest approached with a feline pace, when she was a few centimeters away she decided to make her move.

She raised her paw above her head and then spanked Celestia's ass with all her strength.

“SLAP!!!”

“AHHHHHH!!!” Celestia let out a scream, jumping forward, she suddenly turned to see who had attacked her and was amazed to see Tempest wriggling on the ground and laughing at her.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“TEMPEST?!” the princess had no time to say anything else before the doors to her room flew open and a horde of royal guards entered.

“PRINCESS CELESTIA!” the nearest guard shouted.

Before the situation could escalate Celestia had the guards calm down.

“I'm fine, there's nothing to worry about, you can go back to your positions.” her voice was more than a little shaky given the shock and she felt the burning on her bottom where Tempest had spanked her.

The guard wanted to comment on the presence of the tall scarred unicorn but the princess glared at him.

"Of course princess, we'll leave you to your business."

The stallion bowed and then the guards quickly cleared the room.

Once the situation had calmed down the princess turned back to Tempest who had meanwhile gotten up from the ground.

"Why did you do that?!" she asked, frowning.

“I wanted to teach a lesson.” Tempest replied smirking.

Celestia raised an eyebrow as if asking for further explanation.

“I came to visit you but I was very disappointed by the poor level of security, so I pretended to be an attacker."

Tempest's smile faded and was replaced by a serious look.

“If I really had been, you would be dead now.”

Celestia didn't know how to respond, she knew that the castle's security wasn't as tight as it should be but she didn't expect that someone would be able to sneak into her rooms and hit her.

Celestia's irritation was replaced by the joy of having her beloved there with her.

The princess brought her muzzle close to the empress's and then the two exchanged an affectionate kiss.

"I missed you." Tempest said putting away her disappointment.

"You too." Celestia replied and then they kissed once more.

The two could have started to fornicate right then but Celestia broke the kiss and took a step back with a devilish smirk.

“Do you think I forgot what you did? You'll have to wait."

Tempest rolled her eyes, if she wanted she could have jumped on her and Celestia certainly wouldn't have resisted, however she decided to play along for a while.

"As you wish, Princess Sunbutt." Tempest said, giving a ridiculously exaggerated bow. .

Celestia laughed at the nickname she had given her, if it had been anyone else she would have had him locked up for disrespect, but when it was Tempest who said it it made her feel hot under her tail.

Tempest stood up and Celestia invited her to lie down on her bed next to her to talk.

"Why are you here?" Celestia finally asked her beloved.

“A holiday so to speak, the council required me to take a break.”

“Strange, I didn't think Empress Tempest Shadow was capable of relaxing.”

The princess's sarcasm was evident.

“I took this opportunity to be able to come and visit you here in Canterlot.”

"Oh yes? And how did you like the city?” Celestia asked curious to know what she thought.

“It's a wonderful city."

Celestia raised an eyebrow, apparently she had immediately realized that she was lying. The too fast response, the fake smile and the somewhat high-pitched tone were some of the clues about it.

“You don't need to lie to me, I'm not offended at all.”

Tempest sighed in defeat, it was impossible for her to lie to her fiancée.

“You're right, I think Canterlot is a rotten city filled only with snobbish nobles who are all unicorns, they are arrogant and presumptuous and from what little I have seen they are also useless.”

Her sentence came out with more anger than she had intended but she didn't mind.

Celestia wasn't angry at all

“I can't blame you, I know well what kind of cancer nobles are, if I could I would eradicate them all but among them there are also some worthy people who work hard, who are altruistic and capable of great things.”

Tempest knew that wasn't the only reason. The nobles owned land and industries, eliminating them would have brought instability to the kingdom.
Furthermore, Celestia had positioned herself as a just and compassionate ruler, if she had arbitrarily punished an entire social class she would have been branded as a despot.

“And then in no less than a century they will all have died of old age, for us it is just the blink of an eye in our long life.” Celestia added.

Tempest still struggled to realize that she would live virtually forever until she was killed or died of other causes.
On the other hand, Celestia existed for a long time before her and knew well what the imperturbable passage of time meant.

How much lonely she must have felt without someone close to her, Tempest couldn't imagine living centuries without Celestia.

The scarred alicorn moved closer to the princess, gave her a kiss and then hugged her.

"Thank you." Celestia said.

Sometimes it happened that an accidental phrase evoked sad and melancholy memories, luckily today she had her beloved here ready to cheer her up.

The two remained embraced for a while until they heard the bells ringing.

"It's midday, do you want to have lunch?" Celestia asked.

"Certainly."

The two got out of bed and left Celestia's room.

The white alicorn led the way as Tempest had never been to Canterlot Castle before.

They finally arrived in front of the dining room doors which were guarded by two guards.

Celestia greeted them with a nod and then opened the large doors using her magic.

Upon entering they saw that they were not the only two.

In fact, sitting at the table were also Princess Twilight, a blue alicorn that Tempest assumed was Princess Luna, and another pink alicorn totally unknown to her.

Before Tempest could introduce herself, Princess Luna suddenly stood up from her chair and pointed a hoof at her.

“SO IT'S YOU WHO FUCKS MY SISTER!”

Author's Note

I want to apologize and thank Aldea Donder for using some characters from his story "Alicorn".
When I read your story I laughed so much reading the description of Lord Brilliant so I decided to introduce him into my alternative universe too.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
As always, I remind you that there may have been syntax or grammatical errors so I ask you to report them in the comments and if possible to interpret the events.

Thank you.

CHAPTER 2 part 2: IF ONLY THERE WAS A WAY

“SO IT'S YOU WHO FUCKS MY SISTER!”

The first to react was Twilight who spat out what she had in her mouth while the pink alicorn had her mouth slightly open.

Celestia covered her face in embarrassment while Tempest stood there not sure what to do.

"Excuse me!?" asked the scarred alicorn.

“I RECOGNIZE YOUR SMELL!” Luna accused.

What are you, a dog?

Tempest was tempted to say this but she refrained.

Then Princess Luna looked at her sister.

“I knew you didn't go out at night just to patrol Equestria! While I was working, you went to your girlfriend's house to fuck!" accused her younger sister.

Celestia rolled her eyes seeing Luna's exaggerated reaction, she turned back to Tempest who still hadn't quite understood what had just happened.

“Forgive my sister's rudeness.”

The princess glared at her sister, who responded by making a spiteful face.

“Let's sit down, I can't wait to let you try equestrian cuisine.”

Celestia went to sit at the head of the table, to the right of her was Luna and then the pink alicorn while on the left was Tempest and then Twilight.

Tempest saw that Princess Luna was glaring at her, in response the scarred alicorn gave a disturbing smile showing her sharp teeth and narrowing her pupils.

Luna pulled back, frowning and slightly frightened.

Celestia, seeing that the two were already arguing, then rang a bell placed on the table to signal the servers to bring the food.

In no time at all an army of ponies brought various dishes, side dishes, sauces, bread, wine and so on and so forth.

And when they had finished they left as they had come.

"We can start." Celestia announced cheerfully.

Tempest was amazed to see all that food for just five people, with it she could have fed an entire legion for at least a couple of days.

"What's up? Not to your liking? Isn't there enough meat?” Twilight asked to her left, the purple alicorn's tone was openly defiant as the food was all vegetarian.

What was happening?!

It seemed to Tempest that Twilight and Luna were quite hostile towards her.

The empress decided to ignore them and began to eat too.

On her plate there was a savory pie made of spinach and something else that she didn't recognize since she wasn't very good at recognizing ingredients.

The five ate for a few minutes until the pink alicorn chose to break the ice.

“So you must be Empress Tempest Shadow, it's a pleasure to finally put a face to your name.” she said in a gentle tone.

Tempest put down her knife and fork so she could respond properly.

“The pleasure is all mine, if I'm not too prying I could ask who are you?”

“Of course, I am Princess Mi Amore Cadenza but I prefer to be called just Cadence.”

“Interesting, and what role do you play, if allowed?”

Tempest was applying the rules of etiquette, they were still at a dinner between sovereigns.

“I am the princess of love.”

?!?!?!

Instead, now Tempest was trying with all her might not to burst out laughing in a less than dignified way.

She had to admit that it was really difficult as it took her a few dozen seconds to regain control of herself and continue the conversation.

Tempest mentally wondered if there was a princess of hand-to-hand combat or a princess of air supremacy.

Again she had to keep from laughing.

“What are your intentions with my sister?” Tempest's thoughts were interrupted by Princess Luna's voice, she still had an aggressive look on her face as she chewed very conspicuously but in a dignified manner.

“I assure you princess that I have only the best intentions.” Tempest replied.

“If by “best intentions” you mean having wild sex with her then I believe you.”

“OUCH!” Luna shouted after they heard a thud coming from under the table.

Luna gave her sister a deadly look, but she was pretending nothing had happened by taking a sip of wine from the glass.

They heard another thud under the table.

“OUCH!” This time it was Celestia who cursed.

"STOP THAT!" The white alicorn admonished her sister.

Luna got the message and went back to eating with a pout.

What the hell had she gotten herself into?!

Tempest didn't expect the two sisters to act like...two sisters.

She didn't expect the diarchs of Equestria, goddesses of the sun and moon and thousand-year-old alicorns to kick each other under the table like two kids did.

Although in fact she could have foreseen it knowing the less than graceful ways that Celestia sometimes had.

Tempest was happy to see that the rulers of that kingdom were not at all haughty like the nobles, they really seemed like normal people.

“Why did you come here to Canterlot?” Twilight asked as she chewed on a piece of bread.

“No reason in particular, the council ordered me to go on vacation for a while so I chose to come and visit Celestia.”

Twilight's ears perked up in excitement.
“Then you have chosen exactly the right moment, in a few days there will be the Summer Sun Celebration!”

The Summer Sun Celebration festival had been her all-time favorite holiday since she was little, and it's taken on even more meaning since she met her friends.

“Is that why you're all here?”

Tempest expected that only the two reigning princesses, Celestia and Luna, would be in the capital.

“Exactly, the Summer Sun Celebration is a national holiday so all the greatest exponents of Equestrian society and beyond participate.” the purple alicorn explained.

Tempest's timing had been excellent, she could have attended the party dedicated to her girlfriend.

“How are you doing in the empire?” Celestia asked.

“Good but not great, we recently became aware of the fact that an alliance has been formed between the old supporters of Storm King and those who are dissatisfied with the new government, they have already tried several times to create disorder but we have managed to contain the threat for the moment.” Tempest replied nonchalantly.

“And you're not worried about the matter?”

“Of course, but I have faith that the council will be able to handle this while I am away.”

Luna gave a stoic laugh, attracting everyone's attention.

“You don't know how much my sister and I envy you, we can't abandon the throne for a couple of hours before the governors start arguing with each other.” the blue alicorn exclaimed, rolling her eyes.

It was no secret that among the princesses she was the one who hated the existence of presumptuous nobles most of all.

Celestia and Cadence laughed in agreement.

Twilight, on the other hand, found it difficult to follow the discussion, she had only recently joined the princesses' circle and consequently she didn't fully know how things worked.

From then on they began a long discussion about how their respective domains were run, about politics and how boring the nobles were.

“Why don't you eliminate them?” Twilight asked.

The other four were amazed to hear this.

They remained silent for a few seconds.

Tempest smirked before breaking the silence.

“I didn't expect you to say something like that, wanting to conquer the world?”
Her tone was deliberately sarcastic and provocative.

It took Twilight a few seconds to realize that what she had said was very misunderstood.

“I don't mean to kill them all!” she exclaimed shaking her head and waving her paws as if she was trying to chase away the words she had just said.
“I was thinking of something different like firing them and removing them from their positions.” she tried to explain herself but it was too late.

Luna placed a paw on Twilight's and gave her a reassuring look.

“Don't worry Twilight, we've all been there, you should have seen what Celestia looked like during the extermination phase of her.”
Luna lowered her gaze slightly, nodding slowly as if to say "we are all with you"

“I agree, even if Cadence had the most original idea to end them all, she probably would have had all the noble stallions gelded if she could.” Celestia added with a laugh.

Twilight didn't know whether to try to explain the misunderstanding or just stay quiet and let the other princesses continue with their ideas of mass genocide.

She had to admit that the situation was becoming very surreal.
She would never have expected that people who usually professed peace and harmony would instead talk about how to eliminate an entire social class.

"What's up?" Tempest asked.

By now the other three princesses were busy gossiping among themselves while Twilight remained silent.

“Nothing special.”

It was clear that Twilight's answer was false, the purple alicorn was very easy to read, especially for someone like Tempest.

The Empress didn't even have to ask again, all she had to do was give a skeptical look to make Twilight understand that she hadn't fallen for it.
Before she answered, Twilight let out a sigh.

“Since I became a princess, I've been discovering unexpected things about Celestia and the others, and my beliefs are constantly being questioned.”

“And is that a bad thing?”

Twilight wasn't sure what to answer, she had thought about it many times before.
This made her insecure, unfit and sometimes naive.
When Celestia and Luna argued she couldn't help but feel like she shouldn't be there.

But on the other hand she was fascinated by what they had to say, the alicorn sisters were practically pieces of living and personified history, dealing with them meant being able to understand what the past was like.

From some discussions she was able to learn some things that were not written or documented in any existing history book.

Twilight remembered how she had been completely shocked when Luna told her who Bearded Starswirl really was. The princess of the night revealed that the great wizard that Twilight had always admired was actually a court jester who had no magical talent, everything he had discovered was only thanks to Princess Celestia who had helped him and let him take the merit.

“I don't know what to tell you, it's a big change of perspective.” the purple alicorn said nothing else and then she grabbed the fork with her magic to spear the food on her plate.

The five mares finished eating and after that Twilight, Cadence and Luna returned to their duties.

Before Luna left she glared at Tempest, for some reason she didn't like the scarred alicorn.

“Do you want to visit Canterlot?” Celestia offered.

Tempest didn't really want to see the haughty nobles wandering the streets like they were masters of the world again, but on the other hand she wanted to spend as much time as possible with her beloved.

“Okay, I'll follow you.” Celestia smiled and trotted out excitedly, Tempest wanted to spend the whole day cuddling but she had already said yes.

Before they could venture into the city they would have had to inform the captain of the royal guard who was currently in the wing of the castle used as barracks.

The captain was a pegasus, as usual he had white fur and golden armor.

Tempest couldn't help but notice that all of the soldiers in the Kingsguard had white or gray fur.

How was this possible?

Tempest ruled out the possibility that Celestia only allowed ponies of those colors to become soldiers, it would be stupid and inefficient. So the most plausible explanation is that they dyed their fur with some dye.

She admitted that it made the royal guard look good, made them all uniform and easily recognisable. Her army didn't have this problem as they all wore black overalls with obsidian armor over them.

Unlike the Royal Equestrian Guard, the imperial army focused more on practicality and intimidation. Wearing shiny gold armor would have been counterproductive in any battle scenario such as hiding to carry out an ambush.

In fact, the obsidian plates were painted with a non-reflective black paint to avoid being seen.
The only Imperial soldiers who had any form of decoration were the Imperial Palace Guards who had blue cloaks, and Tempest's personal legion who wore pauldrons painted purple.

“Captain Tristar, my guest and I intend to take a walk around Canterlot. This time it will not be necessary to deploy my entire personal guard, my host is more than capable of defending me."
Celestia said her last sentence giving a smile to Tempest who rolled her eyes.

Sometimes her fiancée liked to behave as if she were a defenseless damsel but in reality the empress was certain that she could easily defeat almost any enemy who faced her.

Captain Tristar looked at Tempest skeptically but as soon as he had a chance to look at her better he realized that his worries were completely unfounded.

The tall mare looked imposing and intimidating with her black armor, scar over her eye and broken horn.
Furthermore, her gaze was that of a warrior hardened by multiple battles.

Captain Tristar couldn't help but be amazed and fascinated. Among the soldiers of Equestria there was no one like her.
Not even the most veteran had ever seen a real battle with bloodshed, even he had only had to wound a couple of times in his entire career.

“May I know who our guest is?” Captain Tristar dared to ask.

The scarred alicorn took a step forward.

“I'm Commander Tempest Shadow, nice to meet you."

As usual Tempest preferred to use her old military rank when she wasn't absolutely sure she could trust others.

Celestia said nothing about it.

"My pleasure." Captain Tristar saluted as Tempest had introduced herself as commander.

"We can leave." he concluded by turning to his princess.

As they walked through the streets of Canterlot, Celestia explained and told the history of the city, every now and then they stopped to admire some particular statue or monument.

Tempest was really enjoying the walk, she wasn't very interested in the city but she loved listening to Celestia's enthusiastic voice, there was joy and passion in her eyes.
For nothing in the world would she have interrupted her.

The three were often followed by admiring ponies who bowed as they passed and then remained to observe them as if they were attractions themselves.

"Wonderful! Princess Celestia is lovely as usual!”

“It's not often you see her outside the castle, could it be because of that mare of hers that's next to her?”

Some ponies were whispering among themselves.

“It's really scary, what did I come to do?”

“Did you see her horn?! I can't imagine how she manages to live like this. Is it even possible to survive such a wound? ”

"Do you think she feels pain? She must have a very miserable life."

They were convinced that Tempest wouldn't hear them but her hearing was exceptional.

“Have you seen how tall she is? Maybe she's an alicorn."

"Another? it's impossible! Alicorns are beautiful, majestic and regal, most importantly they have wings and horn. That one over there barely has half a horn and has a big scar on her face, I can't imagine what's hidden under that suit."

“You're right, it can't be.”

If Tempest had been a naive young mare she would have reacted to the snide comments. However she was an empress and she had to be above such childish behavior.

She let out a sigh, she was about to ask Celestia to continue with the city tour but it didn't happen.

“What did you just say about my illustrious guest?”

Celestia had turned to face the two ponies talking behind them.

At first Tempest hadn't even bothered to turn her neck to see who they were but now she saw that they were two female unicorns, of course they were two unicorns.
One had green fur while the other yellow.

“Princess Celestia?!” Exclaimed the yellow one since she didn't expect to be called back by the ruler of Equestria..

"What happens?" she asked the other innocently as if she hadn't realized her mistake.

Celestia was definitely annoyed, usually she was able to ignore the stupidity of haughty and presumptuous ponies but this time her anger took over as soon as she heard the two sluts talking badly about her girlfriend.

“I'll say it one last time, what did you say?”

The princess's tone was calm and at the same time she was intimidating.

“Oh no big deal, we were just commenting on how wonderful your presence is.” the yellow unicorn lied as a small bead of cold sweat formed on her forehead.

"Oh yes? Is that so Captain Tristar?” Celestia asked looking at the pegasus next to her.

"Negative princess." The captain was quick to deny it.

Celestia turned her gaze back to the two unicorns. What little warmth there was in her face had been replaced by an icy coldness.

“My captain says it's not like that, who should I trust?”

The two unicorns were terrified, they were sweating cold, they were shaking and they couldn't even mumble a word.

"It's what I thought."

All the kindness and sympathy that usually marked Princess Celestia were gone, they could only hope that at least mercy remained.

“If you had only lied to me you would have gotten off with a warning, but you allowed yourself to insult an important guest to me and Equestria so I will let Empress Tempest Shadow choose your punishment.”

Celestia looked into Tempest's eyes, something small and imperceptible was hidden in them but her fiancé had understood it at the first look at her.

The scarred alicorn wanted to roll her eyes at how childish the white alicorn could be sometimes, but this time too she would play along.
The only thing that perhaps bothered her was that her identity had already been revealed so quickly. So goodbye to the surprise effect.
Or at least not entirely.

Hearing how Tempest had been called, the audience reacted with exclamations of amazement, some with wide eyes while others whispered among themselves. The most boring reaction was that of Captain Tristar, his face was impassive, the only way to know that something had changed would be to read his mind.

Tempest put on her empress face and stepped forward.
“I don't know if it would be appropriate, in my empire disrespect for authority is considered a crime on par with treason, therefore punishable by death.”

Tempest was lying, the penalty for something like that would be a monetary fine, but they didn't know that.
Her face gave nothing away, she was cold and gave the impression of being someone who would have no qualms about condemning someone to death.

In fact she was just like that, she didn't happen often but when it was necessary she issued death sentences against criminals who didn't deserve to exist.

The two unicorns were even more scared so much so that the green one was starting to hyperventilate fearing that maybe she would be executed.

“Death penalty you say?” Celestia pretended to actually take Tempest's idea into consideration. “It seems a bit excessive to me but as I said before it's up to you to give the punishment.”

"I BEG YOU! HAVE MERCY ON US!” the yellow unicorn began to beg, bowing so deeply that her face was on the ground. The green unicorn was so scared that her body refused to move.
They smelled urine, apparently one of the two had peed on herself.

Seeing this, Tempest no longer felt like playing, the bad memories resurface, now instead of those two unicorns she saw herself as a young girl on that cursed day many years ago.

Tempest approached Celestia and with just one look she was able to make her understand that the prank had gone too far.

Celestia thought that the two insolent unicorns deserved what was happening to them, but her fiancée's eyes weren't looking for revenge but pity.

The princess sighed but did not object.

“You are free to go.” she announced in a neutral voice.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" the two mares exclaimed in unison and then ran away.

Celestia and Tristar remained to observe as the two subjects walked away and disappeared into the crowd while Tempest's gaze was already elsewhere, thinking of something else.

"What happens? Were we too harsh?”

As always, Celestia knew when something was occupying her mind.

“It's nothing, just some unpleasant memories.”
Tempest looked at her beloved and gave her a smile.

“There's no point ruining the day, I'm happy to be here with you.”

Hearing this the princess was tempted to hug Tempest and give her a kiss but since they were in a public place she simply returned her with an affectionate smile.

The two alicorns continued their tour of the city while Captain Tristar remained behind them on alert ready to block any possible threat.

“How did she seem to you?”

Cadence put her cup of tea down so she could give an answer.

“Are you referring to Tempest Shadow?” Cadence touched her chin with a hoof as her gaze wandered through the air thinking. "It's difficult to give an adequate description, we've only known each other for a few hours and we only spoke at lunch."

Cadence and Luna were in one of the rooms of the castle having tea together.

"Nothing else?" asked the blue alicorn again.

“Why are you asking me all these questions about Tempest?” Cadence raised an eyebrow.

“I don't trust her.”

As usual, Luna was the type of person who hated beating around the bush.

“I don't understand how my sister could have fallen in love with her so easily."

Cadence listened to what her colleague had to say while she sipped her tea.

“For dozens of centuries my sister has never had another serious relationship with anyone and then out of nowhere comes this slut who for some inexplicable reason has managed to win Celestia's heart.”

Luna's voice was full of annoyance, she wasn't angry but she couldn't accept the situation.

“I don't know about you but this really stinks to me. It would have been normal if she had a relationship with some palace guard or some subject who caught her attention, but here we are talking about an empress."

Luna had now abandoned her cup of tea so that she could get up and walk around while she talked.

“I'm afraid there is something shady, she probably wants to ingratiate my sister so she can take control of Equestria and be able to govern the sun, the moon and the elements of harmony.”

Cadence put the cup down again, it was time to stop the blue alicorn's ramblings.

“Does it bother you that she is having sex with your sister.” she said in a flat, unscrupulous tone.

"NO!" Luna exclaimed immediately making her eyes widen.

Cadence maintained an impassive gaze.

"Maybe a little bit'."

The pink alicorn kept the same look.

"Alright then! I hate that my sister sleeps with Tempest!”

Luna finally admitted, throwing herself into the chair and letting out a snort.

Cadence smirked in victory, no one could read people better than her, except maybe Celestia.

“Don't you think Celestia is free to decide who to have a relationship with?”

Now it seemed as if they were in a psychological session where Luna was the patient and Cadence was the psychologist.

“Yes, but as I said before I don't trust this mare we know nothing about.”

“Just because we know little about her, you shouldn't be prejudiced.”

"I know! it's that for thousands of years it's always been just me and her and now there's Tempest too. What are you doing?!"

Luna saw that the pink alicorn had made a notebook appear out of nowhere in which she was writing with a quill pen.

“Oh no big deal, you keep talking, I'll listen to you."

Luna had a puzzled look but didn't ask any questions.

“Where did I arrive…” Luna she touched her temple in reflection before continuing.

“You said that Tempest's appearance upset you since before it was only you and Celestia.” the psychologist gave a brief summary.
“In this regard, I wanted to ask you why Twilight's and my arrival didn't have the same effect.”

“With you it's different, you're very good friends and I've known you for a few years, Twilight has Celestia's complete trust and you too are someone I would never doubt.
Plus you two don't have a romantic relationship with Celestia.” Luna explained and then took a sip of the now cold tea.

"I understand." Cadence said in a neutral voice as she took notes.
Glasses with rectangular lenses had appeared on her face.

“Since when do you wear glasses!?” Luna exclaimed.

“Oh these?” Cadence pointed to her glasses and adjusted their position. “Don't mind, continue.”

Luna made a strange face again but continued speaking.

“It all started when my sister came back from that trip a year ago, I knew straight away that she had been fucking someone as I immediately felt that she smelled like someone else on her.”

What are you, a dog?!
Cadence thought.

“Initially I thought she had had a quickie as usual so I didn't give it too much thought but it became more worrying when once a week she came home in the morning smelling the same.”

“Aren't you happy that she's in a stable relationship with someone?” Cadence interrupted as she continued writing.

“I would be if Celestia didn't have a bad habit of falling in love with very questionable people!”

Luna shivered as she thought about the disaster that had been her sister's relationship with a certain unicorn who had turned evil and was currently exiled under the Crystal Empire.

Not to mention the affair she'd had with that shapeshifting queen.

Luna struggled to remember her name, it was Chry… Chrys… something.

“I fear that this Tempest Shadow may turn out to be another no-good, and I would hate to have to fight another war because of my sister's poor choices.”

“I see, and have you tried talking to her about it?”

“Dozens of times! But she doesn't seem to see reason, as always she is more stubborn than a mule."
Cadence continued taking notes and then finished by making a conspicuous period.

“I hate to say it like this but are you sure you're not just jealous?” she asked, lowering her muzzle slightly so she could peek over the lenses of her glasses.

Luna responded by giving a fake lame laugh.

"WHO? I?! I'm absolutely not jealous of my sister, why should I be?!” She exclaimed with wide eyes and an indignant voice.

Cadence kept the same expression for a few seconds, she looked down at her notebook, pointing with the tip of her pen to some sentences she had written.

“Just now you admitted that it bothered you that your sister had a romantic relationship with Tempest and then you said that you would have liked to lock Celestia in a room, then you mentioned that it was usually just the two of you. In the end you criticized your sister's past relationships.”

Cadence lowered her notebook again to look at Luna.

“Okay, maybe you're right. But that doesn't take away the fact that my sister is attracted to people who turn out to be evil." Luna defended herself by reiterating her statements.

The two remained for a few moments reflecting on the situation.

According to Cadence it was just the usual jealousy of when the older brother or sister finds a partner, but there was more to consider.

She hadn't yet been born when Celestia had ended her last relationship but if what Luna had said was true then it was possible that Tempest Shadow was truly an evil creature about to sow death and destruction.

But there was something else Luna couldn't know.

Cadence thought back to when they all sat down to eat lunch and saw Celestia and Tempest together for the first time.

Cadence could feel when there was true love between two people, and what she saw was overwhelming but pure at the same time.

However, this was not an indication of something totally positive or negative, there were many forms of love and what there was between Tempest and Celestia was filled with fiery and ferocious passion.

This could have led to a strong and lasting bond but at the same time it could have burned everything.

There were still too many unknowns and she didn't feel like she could make a hasty judgment.

“I think it's still too early to predict how things will go, maybe for now we can just wait and see what happens.”
Cadence proposed, not that there was much else they could have done.

Luna sighed but nodded, they would do it that way.

Celestia had finally finished showing Canterlot to her beloved, they had arrived on one of the large terraces of the palace to watch the sunset.

Captain Tristar had retreated to the barracks to carry out his duties.

The sun was now low on the horizon, the sky was tinged with a reddish shade.

“As always, your sunset is wonderful." Tempest complimented as the two mares approached the railing of the terrace.

“You give me too much credit, my job is just to provide energy to the sun so it can exist and move.”

As if it were nothing.
Tempest thought rolling her eyes.

Celestia stood close to Tempest so their shoulders could touch.
The Sun Princess wished she could feel the warmth of her lover's fur but as usual Tempest was wearing her armor.

She wished she would stop wearing it when she didn't have to but she knew it wasn't so easy for her scarred alicorn.

“Maybe, but seeing the sunset fills me with peace and tranquility before the silence of the night arrives.”

Tempest had her gaze on her horizon admiring the wonderful view.

After that they didn't say anything anymore, there were just the two of them sharing a moment that although banal meant everything, it would be one of those unforgettable and irreplaceable moments.

The sun slowly disappeared and the white moon took its place.
That evening there were few clouds allowing the firmament above them to be clearly seen, and beyond the starlights was that of the thousands of homes of the city of Canterlot.

There's no denying it, the world could be ruthless and brutal but at the same time grant wonders beyond all imagination.

It was incredible to think that all of this was kept in balance by just two people: Celestia and Luna.

It was their immense power that literally made the sun and moon move, Tempest knew that the two sisters would be able to perform many more miracles thanks to their magical power and abilities.

These thoughts filled with admiration and pride inevitably led to other less pleasant ones.
Tempest couldn't help but draw comparisons between her and the other princesses.

They were all alicorns and yet she was the only one without horns or wings, she did not have any special innate and intrinsic talent, this was demonstrated by her side devoid of any effigy.

Not that she cared much about that since she noticed that there were plenty of ponies outside of Equestria who didn't have such a thing.

“I wondered what my life would have been like if I hadn't lost my wings and horn.”

Tempest broke the silence by expressing her concerns, she was no longer afraid to open up, not when only Celestia was there.

Her beloved looked at her indicating that she was listening.

“I can't help but see the amazing things you can do, you rule the sun and your sister the moon.”

Tempest didn't mention Cadence and Twilight, she had no doubt that they too had important roles but she still found it hard to wrap her head around the fact that they were princesses of something as abstract as friendship and love.

“Sometimes I think of all the obstacles I could have flown over if I had wings, all the enemies I could have easily defeated if I could have used magic.”

Everything would have been simpler, she would have suffered less and there would probably have been many fewer sacrifices.

Tempest felt the warmth of Celestia's fur on her neck, the princess had come even closer to comfort her partner.

“Fate has not been kind, I'm sorry that you had to face many hardships along your path but I'm sure that all of this has made you the wonderful person you are now.”

Celestia knew very well that power made people presumptuous and arrogant, there was a time when she and her sister had been so too, it took decades before they learned what humility was.

Instead Tempest was still very young for an alicorn and yet she was one of the most respectable people she had ever met.
She had been shaped by countless difficulties that she had managed to overcome only thanks to her ingenuity and skill.

“I don't know, I still think I could have done a lot more if I had been in one piece.”

Celestia was sad to hear this, she loved Tempest with all of her being.

If only there was a way to give her what she wanted.

“But I'm also grateful because I was able to meet you.”

Tempest smiled genuinely, it seemed that this was enough to ease the sadness she felt just before her.

Celestia smiled back and soon after the two slowly kissed.
There was no rush, just a loving but infinitely meaningful kiss.

When they separated they remained for a few more seconds looking at each other.
Celestia adored the Tempest eyes, their reptilian shape made them exotic, the opal colored eyes instilled tranquility and security and at the same time strength and pragmatism.

Her smile revealed her sharp teeth, they were pointed and threatening but Celestia had learned to appreciate them, especially when they kissed and she ran her tongue over them, being careful not to pinch herself.

"I love you." The white alicorn announced in the moonlight.

Such words warmed Tempest's heart, eliminating all traces of regret.

“I love you too, now and forever.”

They exchanged another kiss.

How easy it would have been for the two to spend eternity on that terrace, just the two of them, without worries and responsibilities, simply enjoying each other's presence.

But time stopped for no one, not even for the sun goddess and Empress Tempest Shadow.

“It's time to go have dinner now, okay?” She proposed Celestia after taking a look inside the royal palace.

The lights were now on and the cooks had certainly already started cooking.

“Of course, let's go.” Tempest replied nodding and turning so they could enter.

As the two walked side by side Celestia thought back to the discussion they had just had.

If only there was a way to give her what she wanted, to make her a full alicorn again.

Author's Note

I'm sorry I wasn't able to publish for a while, maybe someone was expecting a longer chapter but like everyone I have many other commitments such as university and work.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, as always I would like to reiterate that there may be grammatical or syntax errors, if you find any please let me know in the comments section.

Thanks for reading.

CHAPTER 2 part 3: ANALYSIS

Canterlot was in great turmoil and agitation from the early hours of the day.
There were already crowds of people walking and talking in the streets, creating a great buzz, merchants shouting behind the stalls selling food and other goods, trying to gain more visibility.
Along the streets of the capital of Equestria there were already many decorations announcing the great event that would take place in a few days.

Twilight had just arrived at the door to Celestia's rooms.
Luna had sent her to wake up her sister when they saw that neither the Sun Princess nor the Empress had shown up at the table for breakfast.

Luna had given the order in a contemptuous tone, obviously not aimed at Twilight but at something else.

The princess of friendship was very perplexed, it had never happened that Celestia was late, she was never late, for any reason in the world.
The sun goddess was always on time, she was precise just as the sun and moon set and rose every day.

Guarding the entrance to Celestia's rooms were two guards stationed at the sides of the large doors, they were decorated with golden finishes and gems that formed a wonderful colored mosaic representing the effigy of the sun goddess.

Twilight grabbed the door knocker with her magic and forcefully knocked a couple of times.

The sound was very loud and deep, impossible to miss.

Twilight waited for a few seconds and then the door slowly opened, just a little.
Princess Celestia's head emerged from the opening, but at that moment she looked anything but a princess.

Twilight gasped.
Her fur was matted, her eyes were tired, and even her mane was disheveled.

Twice that morning Twilight had to change her mind.

Celestia had always had a regal and dignified appearance, even in the most disparate and unlikely moments.

What the hell had happened?!

"Twilight?" Celestia asked and then let out a yawn as she placed a hoof in front of her muzzle.

“P-Princess Celestia, I came to see if you were okay since you didn't show up for breakfast.”

Twilight struggled to speak, she was still shocked at the state her mentor was in.

"I understand." The white alicorn spoke in a placid, almost apathetic tone.

Celestia's gaze shifted for less than a second to the inside of the room and then she turned back to her student.
Twilight couldn't understand what she had seen since the door was only half open and Celestia was occupying every possible opening.

“Did something happen?” Twilight asked worriedly.

“Oh, no big deal. I just fell asleep late as I had some things to do.”
Her mentor explained quickly, her eyes moving again for a brief moment to look around the room before refocusing on her faithful student.

“Twilight, give me a few moments and then I'll join you for breakfast.”

The purple alicorn just nodded.
Celestia smiled gratefully and then stepped back to close the door.

However, that very brief moment when she stepped away from the door allowed Twilight to see what was inside her bedroom.
She could make out the large bed but was shocked to see a magenta figure lying on the mattress.

And after that the door closed completely.

Twilight stood there motionless in front of the door.

What the fuck had she just seen?!

The purple alicorn didn't even have any expression as her brain was paralyzed.

It must have been a hallucination. It certainly was!

However, the more rational part of her told her that it was entirely plausible.
It was no secret that Tempest and Celestia were in a relationship, plus Tempest hadn't shown up that morning either.

Twilight shook her head to clear the numbness of shock.
“It's okay Twilight, you can do it.” She said loudly even though the only ones who could hear her were the guards and herself.

Twilight sighed, took a step back and then turned so she could go back to the dining room and in the process try to forget what she had just seen.

Celestia closed the door after saying goodbye to her loyal student.
She turned and then headed towards the bed on which her lover was still sleeping.

Tempest lay silently on the soft mattress, she made no noise other than her deep, relaxed breathing.
The blankets were disheveled and piled up at the end of the bed because it had been too hot to sleep in them.
Celestia remained for a few moments watching as her beloved slept peacefully and remembering the wonderful and wild night they had spent.

“Tempest, it's time to get up.” Celestia said, her voice still quite rough after her rude awakening.

Tempest's eyes opened quickly, revealing her pupils shrinking to accommodate the light of day.
It was always fascinating to see the atypical eyes of the scarred alicorn.
Even if Tempest was very tired and had slept soundly she was always ready to wake up quickly so she could be immediately alert and respond to any threat.
It was a habit she had picked up over the years and she would certainly struggle to leave it behind.

The scarred alicorn moved into a sitting position on the bed and gave a short yawn.

“Good morning, did you sleep well?” Celestia asked in a sarcastic voice.

Tempest rolled her eyes in response.

Last night had been anything but peaceful, proof of this was the pain she felt in her private parts and her fur matted.
The room smelled of sex and she could feel that between her thighs there were traces of bodily fluids, hers and Celestia's.

That time Tempest shouldn't have proposed to Celestia to use a transfiguration spell to grow a cock, she had used it that night to destroy her until she passed out and get her revenge for spanking her.

It wasn't fair at all.

Tempest felt a cool breeze blow on her exposed fur, Celestia had opened the windows to air out the room and let out the stench that permeated it.

Tempest watched as her beloved wandered around the room while trying to tidy up the room. She picked up the pillows, tidied up the blankets and even took the time to gather up her suit and the obsidian plates to put them away. order on a table.

As always, Princess Celestia was wonderful, even with her disheveled fur and unkempt mane, for Tempest there was no one better than her.

Celestia knew that the empress was watching her so she moved swinging her hips more than necessary and when she had to pick up something from the ground she bent over obscenely raising her tail to give a good view to her lover.

It was behavior more suited to a slut than a princess but Celestia loved to tease those who dared to look at her lustfully.

Tempest had her mouth slightly open and was drooling, she wanted to dive between those succulent thighs and then have breakfast with Celestia's essence.

The scarred alicorn was interrupted from her reverie when she was suddenly thrown out of bed and onto the floor. Her reflexes allowed her to get up in an instant and she saw that the one responsible for it was the white alicorn who was now tucking the covers back into place with a smirk on her face.

Tempest was tempted to give her another full force spank so as to leave the imprint of her hoof on the sun goddess's buttocks but she held back, she knew Celestia was vengeful, very vengeful.

Tempest moved away from the bed and then stretched her front legs and then her back legs. After doing so she already felt more energetic and ready to face the day.

Meanwhile Celestia had finished tidying up the room.

“The others are waiting for us to have breakfast, we'd better wash up quickly.” Celestia said, then she walked towards the bathroom.

Tempest didn't object, it would have been inappropriate to show up at the table smelling of sperm and vaginal fluids.

When she entered the bathroom she was awed by the opulence that surrounded her.
Each countertop was made of smooth white marble with gold trim, there was a large bathtub that could have been mistaken for a small swimming pool, and there was a huge shower head on the ceiling.
She should have expected it since everything in that city seemed to have the intent to thwart wealth and prosperity.

"You come?"

Celestia had already entered the enormous bathtub waiting for Tempest to join her.
The empress entered slowly to avoid slipping and when she was inside the princess turned two valves set in the wall and immediately a stream of water came out of the shower head above them.

It was so big it looked like it was raining. Their furs were already completely wet, the water was not too hot since Celestia knew that this would not have pleased her beloved, who preferred to wash herself with cold water.

Shortly afterwards the flow of water stopped as they had to soap themselves up.
They could have done it themselves but instead Celestia handed Tempest the jar of soap and then turned to signal for her lover to soap her up.

Celestia loved acting like a helpless princess.
Tempest smiled and before you knew it she was running her paws all over Celestia's body under the guise of washing her.

They should have washed quickly but Tempest deliberately lingered as her hooves passed between her lover's thighs.
She continued scrubbing until Celestia began to pant and right before the grand finale she withdrew her hoof to continue soaping her normally.

Tempest smiled defiantly while Celestia let out a growl of dissatisfaction, she would get her revenge, again.

When Celestia was covered in soap to the last orifice she turned and grabbed the jar of soap.

"It's my turn." said the princess, her face expressing malice and vengeance.

Tempest rolled her eyes and then turned her back to her significant other.
Celestia began to soap her up like Tempest had done, her hooves moving slowly over the magenta fur always being careful not to rub too much into the scars where her fur was lighter and thinner.

Tempest expected her to use the same trick but suddenly she felt weight on her back and something turgid and now familiar pressing at the entrance to her pussy. She looked over her shoulder at them and saw Celestia above her who had an almost sadistic face.

Suffice it to say, they didn't show up for breakfast that morning.

She was very elated because in a few minutes the train from Ponyville would be arriving with her friends on board.
Initially they had not come with her because they also had to make preparations for the small town, the summer sun celebration would have been held in Canterlot but the advent was celebrated equally throughout Equestria.

That morning she had been a little disappointed by the fact that Princess Celestia hadn't come to have breakfast with the others, she would have liked to discuss a little more before getting into the full swing of work.
But instead her mentor had been busy sharing her bed with Tempest, or at least that's what Princess Luna had told her as they sat at the table.
If she hadn't known about the relationship between the empress and the princess she would have doubted but after what she had seen there were no longer any doubts.

Before then it had seemed distant and abstract to her, like when you read about some great event in the newspaper. But now that she had had a front row demonstration of it she couldn't get those thoughts out of her mind.

Actually she had a lot of thoughts on her mind, too many.

“CHOFF! CHOOP!”

The train whistle interrupted her thoughts.

Twilight got off the bench and smiled, the Friendship Express slowed down, letting out a high-pitched and annoying hiss.
When the train came to a complete stop the carriage doors opened and dozens of ponies began to exit, some carrying suitcases while others were traveling light with only saddlebags.
There were families who brought their children to visit the wonderful city of Canterlot and some dressed elegantly for work purposes.

Finally, after a few seconds, the group of friends finally appeared.
As usual, Rainbow Dash was in front of them, wanting to stay one meter off the ground, followed by the other four.
Rarity was going on and on about how glamorous Canterlot was and how she would like to open a boutique in town while Applejack just pretended to listen to her by rolling her eyes whenever the white unicorn was being overly dramatic.
Pinkie Pie was hopping around with a smile on her face and Fluttershy was at the back of the group, taciturn as always.
In the middle of the group she managed to spot her number one assistant, since he was shorter he was difficult to notice but she was happy to know that he was there too.

“TWILIGHT!”

The purple alicorn was knocked over by Pinkie who had thrown herself at her as soon as she saw her.

Soon after, the other three and the little dragon were added. Rainbow Dash continued to flutter nearby
They had a group hug and then went their separate ways.

“Welcome to Canterlot.” Twilight welcomed her best friends.

“We couldn't wait to get there.” Rarity exclaimed, brushing a strand of hair away from her muzzle.

"It is true! We absolutely need to throw a huge party!”

Pinkie Pie made her iconic party cannon appear out of nowhere and blast a shower of confetti over their heads.
The others couldn't help but roll their eyes and smile at their friend's antics.

"How is it going?" Applejack asked, Twilight realizing that she had missed hearing the orange earth pony's distinctive accent.

“Great, we have already started with the preparations for the summer sun celebration but the princess asked that you decide the most important things.”

The others exclaimed enthusiastically, it was truly an honor to be chosen as the catering staff for such an illustrious event in such a large city as Canterlot.
It wasn't the first time it had happened but it had happened in the small town of Ponyville, now they were on a completely different level.

The group of friends headed towards the castle, as they walked they were greeted by everyone since they had now become celebrities in the eyes of the people.
Their adventures were reported in newspapers and celebrated wherever they went.
Their last great feat, the defeat of Discord, had raised their prestige and fame even further.

Rainbow Dash enjoyed the praise and compliments as she darted above the crowd of cheering ponies while the other five walked close by.
Twilight had the little dragon sitting on her back but she wasn't even paying attention to the flatterers, by now she was used to all this because since she became a princess she was always surrounded by flatterers and paparazzi, on the other hand Applejack stood with her head slightly bowed so that her stetson covered her eyes, the same way Fluttershy covered herself behind her bangs.
Rarity, on the other hand, walked full of pride, she had a posture worthy of a great lady and every now and then she slowed down to show off her perfect hair or her smooth and shiny fur.
While Pinkie Pie was….Pinkie Pie, always happy and radiant like no one else.

Finally, after a long walk through the streets of the city, they reached the castle doors which were thrown open by the guards stationed there.
They entered, leaving behind the crowd of people who soon dispersed.

Twilight led her friends inside the castle.
Since she had spent her childhood within those walls she knew the building perfectly.
They walked along some corridors until they reached a large room used to welcome guests.
Before they could all enter Twilight told a guard in the corridor to go and warn the other princesses that her friends had arrived at the palace.
The soldier nodded and walked briskly away.

The room had a large round table in the center with enough seats for her friends and princesses.
They took their seats and before the girls started chatting amongst themselves Twilight cleared her throat, everyone's attention falling on her.

“First of all I wanted to thank you for coming to Canterlot, I know some of you have family to spend the summer sun celebration with, so I apologize on behalf of myself and all the princesses.” she said, bowing her head slightly in reverence.

“There's nothing to apologize for darling! We are more than happy to be here to give you a hoof.”
Rarity said and the others nodded in agreement with her.

“It's also an advantage for us to be here.” Applejack added.

In fact, Rainbow Dash had come because the Wonderbolts would be there, Applejack was trying to promote the products of her farm while Rarity wanted to use the opportunity to make herself known to the equestrian high society. And Fluttershy wished she had the chance to visit the royal family's grand aviary.
While Pinkie Pie would have fun throwing the biggest party ever.

But there was another reason above all: they wanted to help their friend.

“Thank you so much, this really means a lot to me.”

The six friends would have hugged each other again but it would have been awkward since they were already seated and there was a huge table between them.

Twilight would have already begun to discuss the various roles they would fill but she remembered that first of all she would have to tell her friends about the unexpected guest.

“I wanted to warn you that in these days there will be an important guest here in Canterlot.”

Twilight started the sentence but she wasn't sure what to say, so she started from the beginning.

"Do you remember the long trip I took several months ago with Princess Celestia?"

The others nodded.

“I told you that we met the ruler of the great empire that was formed in the south of the continent. Behold, today that empress is here.” She said without much ceremony.

The others murmured in amazement.

“Did she also come to see the summer sun celebration?”
Pinkie asked bouncing in her seat.

“Well…not really, or at least that wasn't her original intent.”
Twilight made a strange face which made her friends slightly worried.

“Is there something wrong with her? Is she a threat?”

Rainbow Dash was the first to jump to conclusions, as usual she would have appreciated a fight to show off her black belt martial arts skills.

"Absolutely no!" The purple alicorn quickly denied before her friends could think of apocalyptic scenarios.

The last thing she wanted was to alienate Tempest in the eyes of her friends, in fact she really hoped they could get along knowing the empress' character.
She really hoped so.

“So what is it that worries you?” Applejack asked, the others expecting an answer too.

Twilight let out a sigh, there was no other way to put it.

“You should know that Princess Celestia and Empress Tempest Shadow are currently engaged.”

The group gasped.

“Did I hear you right!? Is Princess Celestia having a love affair?!”

Rarity was in disbelief, and so were all the others.

“BOOOMM!!!!”

Twilight didn't have time to repeat herself before a deafening explosion filled the room.
This time Pinkie Pie had brought out another party cannon, much larger and loaded with much more confetti.

“WE MUST CELEBRATE!!!!”

The party mare screamed at the top of her lungs as confetti rained down from above and they heard the usual melody used at weddings.
Out of nowhere a wedding cake had appeared on the table and Pinkie was hopping around putting party hats on her friends' heads as they looked at her strangely.
After all the years they had known each other they still hadn't gotten used to the miracles she could perform.

“Pinkie!” Twilight exclaimed but her voice was drowned out by the loud music.

“PINKIE!!!” She tried again but was again ignored.

“PINKIE PIE!!! STOP IT!!!”

This time the scream was impossible not to hear, for the first time Twilight had used the real voice of Canterlot, Luna would have been proud of her.

Immediately the music stopped with a screeching sound.
Pinkie Pie was frozen in mid-air with her wide eyes focused on Twilight.

Twilight gave a broken smile and spoke through gritted teeth.
“Please Pinkie Pie, could you put all this away? I would be very grateful to you."
Her tone had lowered but it was clear she was holding back.

Pinkie Pie put her paws on the ground one at a time.
“Oopsie.” she exclaimed, placing a hoof in front of her mouth and blushing slightly
“I got carried away with enthusiasm, I'll fix everything.”

And then in the blink of an eye everything was back to how it was before: the cake was gone, the confetti swept away and the party hats dissolved into thin air.
After that Pinkie Pie sat back down as if nothing had happened.

Twilight took another deep breath before she could speak again.

“I wanted to warn you that Empress Tempest is not the kind of person you will normally meet.”

"What do you mean?" Rainbow Dash asked.

“Tempest comes from a very different environment than ours, so she didn't grow up with the ideals of peace and harmony that we are used to here in Equestria.”

“So we should expect her to be like… super violent or something?” Applejack raised an eyebrow in confusion at what Twilight was saying.

“No, that's not what I meant.” Again the purple alicorn was having trouble saying the right words.

She didn't even know how to behave when Tempest was around, what should she have said to her friends about her?!

So she said the only thing that came to her mind.

“Just…..don't ask questions about her appearance.” It was the only thing she was sure she could say.
She didn't know if Tempest would be offended but good manners dictated ignoring someone's impairments.

The other five didn't have time to ask more questions before the doors of the room opened.

Princess Luna appeared in the room together with Cadence and then Princess Celestia entered who was walking alongside another mare, also very tall.

Twilight's friends gasped as they saw the imposing figure of what they assumed was the empress. As always, her appearance showed no signs of being a friendly person, far from it.

The mane six tried in every way not to stare at her too openly but it was difficult for them. Her eyes moved between her black armor, her broken horn, and her completely unnatural eyes.
When she walked, her armored hooves made loud metallic thuds, slightly muffled by the thick rubber soles.
The princesses sat next to each other, so on one side there were Twilight and her friends while on the other the alicorns.

As usual, Celestia opened the conversation with a calm and kind voice.

“Welcome, it's a pleasure to have you here with us. We were anxiously awaiting your arrival to finalize the preparations for the summer sun celebration, we are sure we made the right choice in entrusting this task to you. ”
However, none of the five or Spike responded. Their attention was fixed on the stranger sitting next to Celestia.

Twilight patted the shoulder of the one closest to her who turned out to be Applejack.

“Oh right, the pleasure is all ours.” Applejack responded quickly as if she had barely heard what Princess Celestia had said.

“Great, so now we can move on to what to do.”

Celestia began to explain everything they still had to do and organize.
As she spoke, the elemental bearers occasionally glanced at the scarred alicorn sitting there with them.

However, they did not know that the empress was also doing the same thing to them.
Obviously it was much less obvious as she was expert at acting without being noticed.

Tempest looked at the five mares sitting in front of her one by one.

They were the famous bearers of the elements of harmony and from what Celestia had explained to her, each of them embodied an element necessary for friendship to exist.
She began analyzing the one furthest to the left and then moved to the right.

Next to Luna there was a pegasus with yellow fur and pink mane, his colors were soft just like her character. Everything about her gave signs of being a shy, indecisive and very insecure person, her posture was slightly curved and her head tilted to the side so that one eye was covered by the bangs that fell over her muzzle.

Fluttershy: the embodiment of kindness.

There wasn't much else she could say about her, she seemed weak and unable to defend herself, to Tempest it was almost unthinkable that she held a piece of a weapon powerful enough to defeat gods.

The empress turned her gaze further to the right.
Sitting with her elbows resting on the table and her head supported by her paws was Rainbow Dash, she had a bored expression and seemed to want to fly away at any moment.
She recognized her immediately as she was the one who caught her attention the most when Celestia described her.
It wasn't every day that you saw a pegasus with a rainbow mane that could fly so fast it broke the sound barrier.
They had told her that she was a hothead, ready to defend in any way what she cared about, she was not for nothing the embodiment of loyalty, something that Tempest greatly appreciated.

However, she was also described as terribly self-centered, bold and presumptuous, contemptuous of danger and incapable of understanding when to stop. She was often seen lazing around when she was supposed to be working but was always pardoned as she managed to complete her tasks in record time.

Tempest immediately understood that that behavior was only partly what she really was, most likely she was desperately trying to demonstrate that she lived up to expectations, expectations that had probably been imposed on her or that she had set herself.

This was not very good, a good soldier and leader had to put aside his pride and think of the good of others, especially for someone who was supposed to be the embodiment of loyalty.

Further to the right was a white unicorn.
As soon as she saw her she had to keep from making a face of contempt.
Her perky hairstyle and immaculate fur were clues to what kind of person she was: arrogant, vain, frivolous, superficial, snobbish, eccentric, exhibitionist…

Tempest could have gone on forever but the concept was clear.
Rarity represents much of what she hated: haughty unicorns.

The scarred alicorn knew that her judgment was not impartial, multiple interactions with people of that kind had forever made it impossible for her to see them as anything other than parasites.

Element of generosity.

Tempest hoped that underneath all that makeup, perfect hair and shiny fur there was someone completely different who truly reflected the element she was supposed to embody, otherwise Tempest could have been the princess of love instead of Cadence.

“AHHHCHOO!” Cadence sneezed loudly. “Sorry.” and then she proceeded to blow her nose with a handkerchief that Pinkie Pie had conjured up out of nowhere.

Celestia spoke again while Tempest continued his analysis of her.

Indeed, the next to fall under her watchful gaze was the party pony.

For some reason Tempest had difficulty forming an opinion about her.
The pink mare seemed like a concentration of unstoppable energy, she kept moving on the chair, her gaze was never still and she was constantly smiling even if there was no reason to.
Tempest moved on to the next pony.

A peasant, it was clear that she was a peasant.
Some clues were the large Stetson she wore on her head, her hair was tied in a single braid so it wouldn't get in the way too much when she worked.
Her body was quite muscular due to the heavy and tiring work, the fur on the neck and withers was ruined due to rubbing with the yoke to pull the plow.
Her hooves were also worn out from constantly pulling and pushing weights.

Of all of them, she was the least noticeable, even less than Fluttershy.
She seemed like a very normal person, she was mild and balanced, there was almost nothing noteworthy apart from the hat that she also wore indoors.

Finally she saw that there was also someone else that she hadn't even noticed before.
Sitting between the orange pony and the purple alicorn was a small dragon.
It wasn't the first time Tempest had seen a dragon, but the one in front of her was the smallest she had ever seen, plus the little dragon's eyes were constantly focused on her, as if he was looking for something.
The little guy didn't move, he remained completely still and immobile as if he were petrified with his eyes wide open.

“That's all, I hope you have fun while Tempest helps you with your tasks.”

Tempest was pulled out of the staring game as soon as Celestia said her name.
She looked at her girlfriend with a grimace as if to say “What the hell are you thinking!?”.

“What is it Tempest? In this way you will be able to make friends with the bearers of the elements of harmony, aren't you happy?."
She responded by smirking playfully.

Tempest couldn't help but sigh in resignation, she wanted to spend all her time with her beloved.

Damn Celestia!

Author's Note

As usual I remind you that there may have been grammatical or syntax errors, if you find them please report them in the comments section.
Thanks for reading.

CHAPTER 2 part 4 : I WAS FLYING TOO

The group of friends and Spike were sitting around a table in a luxury pastry shop a few dozen meters from the castle.
It was Rarity who chose that place since she was the one who knew every nook and cranny of the capital, even more than Twilight who had grown up in Canterlot but had always stayed at her house or inside the castle.

The place was very chic and expensive but it wasn't a problem since their stay in Canterlot was entirely paid for by the crown. Obviously Rarity was more than happy about it but the others didn't really care.

“So….what did she look like to you?” Twilight asked.

“A little creepy.”

Rarity was the first to respond, she had no qualms about speaking out when she didn’t like something, even if it was people.

“She looked like a super villain like the ones in the comics Spike reads, you couldn’t miss the scar over her eye and the broken horn!”

Rainbow Dash was far from fazed by their encounter, and it showed in the fact that she seemed a little excited like when she first met Daring Do.

“I’m not saying she’s a bad person but I will admit she’s a little scary.” Fluttershy’s low voice was hard to hear over the buzz of the city around them but no one expected her to say otherwise.

“I won’t say for now, I don’t know her well enough to be able to say what she’s like.” AJ commented in a neutral tone

Finally the group of friends looked at Spike, the little guy still had a somewhat vacant look as if he was deeply immersed in some sort of prophetic vision.

“And what do you think?” Twilight asked and gave him a light shake with her paw.

Spike came out of his trance with a slight jerk, blinked a couple of times and straightened his back. Finally he looked around as if he didn’t realize where he was at that moment.

“Are you okay Spike? You look a little lost.” Applejack said in her usual southern accent

“Oh yeah, I’m fine, did you ask me something?” he replied scratching the back of his neck and making an embarrassed expression.

“Yeah, we wanted to know what you thought about Tempest.” Twilight repeated..

The little dragon’s eyes were fixed as he thought back to the brief interaction he had with the empress.

“I don’t know how to say this. At first she seemed pretty normal but then she started looking at me and then I felt a strange sensation spread through my entire body.”
Spike shrank back slightly in his chair, shivering.
“It was like I felt hot and cold at the same time, like when you’re in free fall and your muscles tense up as you feel the effect of gravity on your body. Plus, her gaze was very intimidating. It’s the first time I’ve felt anything like that.”

The six mares listened intently to Spike's words as if they were gathered around a fire at night listening to a horror story.

"I said it was creepy but not this bad," Rarity said.

"Is Spike the only one who reacted like this?" Applejack asked.

The others looked at each other but shook their heads.

"Maybe it's because Tempest is part dragon," Twilight said, putting a hoof under her chin.

"Wait a minute! Did you say dragon?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed in disbelief as she flew inches from Twilight's face.

"Oh, didn't I tell you? Tempest is part dragon because one of her ancestors was one."

"Is that why she has those creepy eyes and teeth?"

Spike glared at the white unicorn.

"No offense, Spike," she added with an embarrassed smile.

“Most likely, plus from what I know she has other draconic features. I really wish I could do some research on her, maybe some experiments.”

Twilight was already starting to daydream about all the things there was to know about the scarred alicorn.
Before she could get completely lost, Rainbow Dash threw a glass of water at her.

“SPLASHHH!”

“HEY! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!”

“You were going into “fanatic scientist” mode, we had to stop you,” the cyan pegasus explained while the others looked at her in agreement.

Twilight wrung out her damp mane and sighed. “Is there anything else you want to ask about Tempest?”

“Why don’t you ask me directly?”

The six friends and the dragon turned to the source of the voice.
Behind Twilight was the imposing figure of Empress Tempest Shadow who was watching with a cold and apathetic gaze.
Immediately the Mane Six stiffened, the scarred alicorn was truly intimidating. The most impressive thing was that they hadn’t heard her coming even though she had armored hooves on that made a lot of noise when she walked.

“Empress Tempest! We’ve been expecting you.” Twilight smiled, obviously fake.
For some stupid reason, the princess of friendship felt like she had to mediate between her friends and the scarred alicorn.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, I had to discuss some last things with Princess Celestia.”

Tempest took a chair that was nearby.
The girls gasped as sparks flew from the broken horn and the chair blackened where Tempest’s magical grip had gripped it.

The scarred alicorn sat down between Twilight and Spike, causing the little dragon to react strangely. It looked as if he was afraid to move a muscle.

“So, what are you guys going to do?”

The only response she got was silence and looks as if she had grown another head.
Tempest rolled her eyes, feeling like she was dealing with scared mice.
The best way to deal with these situations was to try to make yourself friendly in the eyes of others.

“I haven’t actually introduced myself yet, I’m Empress Tempest Shadow but you can just call me Tempest.”
That should have been enough to break the tension.

Soon the girls began to look away and then speak.

“Nice to meet you.”
“Welcome to the group.”

As expected the six mares began to unfreeze and offer their greetings and then introduced themselves. Not that it was necessary since she had already memorized their identities. However they were still stiff as if they were afraid of doing something wrong.

Tempest turned her gaze back to Twilight.

“I think we can begin.”

“Of course.” The purple alicorn straightened up to address her friends who still seemed a little tense due to the presence of the scarred alicorn.

“As was said before Applejack and Pinkie Pie will be in charge of the banquet, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash of the entertainment and Rarity of the decorations and clothing while I will take care of the logistics. Who do you want to go with?" She asked Tempest.

Celestia had suggested spending the day with Twilight's friends so they could get to know each other, Tempest had tried to refuse saying that it wasn't necessary since the only thing she cared about was that they were safe and away from those who could exploit their power, for the rest she had no desire at all to become friends with a group of barely legal girls.
However her arguments were useless against her beloved's insistence, no one could say no to Celestia, not even the empress.
Tempest had to restrain herself from grimacing, she had no desire at all to organize a party, even if it was the Summer Sun Celebration.

“I think I’ll go with…” She would have certainly tried to avoid the white unicorn at all costs so she chose to go with the ones who caught her attention the most.
“Them.” she concluded looking at the two pagasi.

“US?!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed trying to confirm that she had chosen those two. .
“Great, then we can begin.” Twilight stood up from her chair and so did all the others.
“Good work everyone.”

“Wait Twilight! We…” Rainbow Dash didn’t have time to say anything else as it was just her, Fluttershy and the damned creepy mare.

The prismatic mare sighed in resignation and headed towards the empress and her friend.

Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Tempest were walking toward the hippodrome.
The cyan pegasus had told her briefly that the large structure was located a few kilometers outside of the city so that there wouldn’t be too much noise during big sporting events or the like.

Not a word was said between the three of them, Tempest walking as usual while the other two remained a meter ahead. Not close enough to establish a relationship and not far enough to make it seem like they don’t want to be with her.

Rainbow Dash normally didn’t consider herself a shy person and even less antisocial, however when she looked at the tall scarred unicorn behind them she felt like she was dealing with Discord, albeit in a different way.
The god of chaos had no qualms about teasing people with his nonsense and talked continuously doing magic tricks to annoy and provoke.
Instead the empress was silent, her apathetic and almost mysterious gaze and the unnatural eyes and sharp teeth gave her an exotic look. Finally how not to mention the imposing height, the long scar over the right eye and the broken horn, all framed by the unusual black armor.

On the other hand, Tempest was also a little surprised by the cyan pegasus' behavior, at that moment she did not appear as described by most, but rather she was silent like her friend. Surely this had to do with her presence.
Usually she would not have cared, she was not one who liked to make conversation but unfortunately Celestia had "ordered" her to make friends with the element bearers, or at least to dispel any possible antipathy or discomfort, just like now.

"So you are the one who performed the Sonic Rainboom?"
Tempest decided to open a discussion.

Rainbow Dash slowed to a stop until the empress was next to her.
“Yes empress, how did you know?” Her voice was a little slower and lower than usual.

“Twilight and Celestia told me about you and I must say I was quite surprised to learn that there was a pegasus in the world capable of such a feat, I offer you my compliments.”

Tempest made her move, from what little she knew about the embodiment of loyalty she loved to be complimented and flattered. Like most pegasi she had an inflated pride and ego, Fluttershy was a clear exception. It remained to be seen how she would react to hearing this.

Rainbow Dash stared at her for a second and then smiled proudly and straightened her posture.

“Of course it’s surprising, I’m the best aviator in all of Equestria, maybe the entire world,” she said, puffing out her chest.

Tempest avoided rolling her eyes at the prismatic mare’s brazenness. It’s very possible that she could be the best in Equestria but they couldn’t know if there was anyone on the entire planet who could surpass her.

“How many times have you managed to perform the sonic rainboom before?”

“Three. The first was when I was still a filly at flight school, the second during the competition for the best young aviator, and finally at Princess Cadence’s wedding.”

“Interesting, that must be a very difficult feat if you’ve only managed to do it three times.”

Tempest would continue to feed Rainbow Dash’s ego for a while in order to establish a friendly relationship.

As they talked she couldn’t help but notice something familiar in the cyan pegasus, she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was, maybe her appearance? Her movements?
For now she decided to leave it at that, maybe she would find out something in the future.

“What’s it like being an empress?”

Now that some of the tension between the two had disappeared, Rainbow Dash felt free to ask a few questions.
Fluttershy was still close to her, silent but already seemed less scared and smiled every now and then as she saw her friend happy to receive praise.

“Not as great as it might seem, every day I’m stuck arguing for hours about bureaucracy and politics, other days I have to travel from one point to another of the empire just to attend some events.”

Tempest sighed as she thought about how boring her life had become since she ascended to the throne. It’s not that she hated that role, and she could always talk to her trusted friends, but as the years went by, their relationship became more professional, leaving little room for lighter and more fun discussions. One positive note from all this was that she was able to meet Celestia and fall in love with the most gorgeous mare she could ever wish for.

“You don’t seem very enthusiastic, would you like to do something else?” Rainbow Dash wasn’t attracted to the idea of politics either, she much preferred being part of the Wonderbolts, and one day she would succeed.

“I would have preferred to continue exploring the world but now I can’t, I’m needed in the empire. If I could, I would go back to being a commander. Much more action and less responsibility.”

“You were a commander?! Like those who command soldiers?!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed in amazement.

“Yes, I was in command of a small unit, our job was to carry out low-profile missions such as infiltration, espionage, theft and sabotage.”

“Wow! That must have been amazing! Tell me more!” the prismatic mare begged eager to hear wonderful stories full of adventure and action.
Tempest was happy to oblige.

Thus they spent the journey to the hippodrome: Tempest telling of his adventures while Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy listened attentively.

“Luna, why were you so rude to Tempest yesterday?”

At that moment the two reigning princesses were in the throne room attending some audiences but apparently Celestia decided that it was the right time to start questioning her sister. There was no risk that anyone other than the guards could hear since no one was allowed in unless explicitly invited.

“I don't understand what you mean, sister.” Luna played dumb while keeping her gaze far away.

“You know what I mean, answer.” Celestia had put on her big sister's voice, Luna had no escape.

The blue alicorn let out a frustrated growl and then turned to her sister.

“I don't trust her.”

Celestia raised a brow in confusion, she knew Tempest didn’t look very friendly but she was sure her sister was mature enough to know that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.

Luna rolled her eyes before she began to explain.

“We both know you’re really bad at all the lovers you’ve had.”

Celestia made an offended expression “That’s not true.”

“That’s true, don’t you remember Discord?!”

“I was in my rebellious phase, you can’t blame me for being a kid.” Celestia defended herself.

“Oh yeah?! And what about Sombra? You were already over a thousand years old.”

“When I first met him, he wasn’t evil.”

“He literally had an underground lab where he turned ponies into crystal!” Luna exclaimed, raising her paws.

“He told me he was looking for a cure for cancer, and those ponies were already dead.”

Luna raised an eyebrow and looked stoic.

“Chrysalis?”

“You have a point about that.”
“But that doesn’t mean I’m only attracted to bad people! I’ve had plenty of other partners, and no one else has become an evil bringer of destruction.”

That was right, that was a great point in her favor, maybe she could win the argument, the sun goddess thought excitedly.

“The other people you’ve been with weren’t gods, shapeshifting queens, or extremely powerful unicorns, or even alicorns.”

Her younger sister replied, emphasizing the last word.

Celestia shrank slightly from her throne as if she’d been slapped on the paw.

A few more seconds of awkward silence passed until Luna asked another question.

“Why did you fall in love with her?”

Celestia was silent, her eyes fixed on nothing in particular
What did she appreciate about Tempest?

“I think Tempest is who I was probably always meant to be.” Celestia didn’t even look away as she rested her head on one paw that was resting on the armrest.

Luna was surprised by her sister’s response.

“What do you mean?” she asked, puzzled and with a hint of concern.

Finally Celestia looked up so she could look her in the eye.

“Do you know how old Tempest is?”

Luna shook her head.

“Thirty.”

Celestia laughed bitterly as her sister’s mouth fell open. She would have guessed that she was at least a few centuries old, at the very least.

“You are right to be surprised, little sister. It really seems impossible, and yet it is so.”

“She is indeed very young, but what does this have to do with your initial statement?”

Celestia was silent again for a moment and then answered.

“Tempest has faced insurmountable odds and yet she has emerged victorious. She is wise, cunning, pragmatic and has even managed to become empress. However, she has never allowed herself to be corrupted by the hunger for power.”

Celestia gave another bitter smile.

“I, on the other hand, have taken millennia to become what I am today, along my path I have made countless mistakes, I have hurt and disappointed millions of people and as if that were not enough I have betrayed your trust.”

A small tear appeared in the eyes of the sun goddess who had a bad habit of falling back into old memories.
A hoof reached out to her paw, she looked up and saw her sister who gave her a brief hug of comfort.

“Sister, you have to stop tormenting yourself over things from the past.” As usual the blue alicorn always knew what to say to reassure her. But a part of her couldn’t help but imagine the day when Luna would throw in her face all the mistakes and evil she had done, and yet it never happened.

Rainbow Dash had been practicing her flight for a couple of hours now.
Tempest was below her, watching and exchanging a few words with Fluttershy.

Rainbow Dash was quite irritated. In all that time she hadn't managed to do a sonic rainboom even once, every time she was about to break the sound barrier she was suddenly thrown back a few hundred meters in the opposite direction. It was really frustrating.

She occasionally glanced at Fluttershy and the empress, the latter often staring at her. Normally she wouldn’t have paid any attention to it since she was used to being under the gaze of those who loved to see the cyan pegasus’ skills.
However, Tempest didn’t seem fascinated by Rainbow Dash’s remarkable acrobatics, quite the opposite.
Her face was almost unreadable, serious and stoic. She changed expression by raising an eyebrow and moving an ear as if she was annoyed by what she saw.
It reminded her of Captain Spitfire when she was at the Wonderbolts’ flight academy.
It was true, Tempest wasn’t just seeing but also observing carefully, analyzing the movements and making a judgment.

Rainbow Dash was quite annoyed by this.

How dare she?!

Flight has always been the preserve of flying creatures like pegasi and griffins. Rainbow Dash had been flying since before she could walk or talk, she trained tirelessly every day to reach her goal of Wonderbolts and was also the only living pegasus capable of performing the legendary sonic rainboom.

Yet a unicorn, even with a broken horn, allowed herself to judge her flying skills.
Rainbow Dash would have swooped down to tell her off but instead she held back.
She was a carrier of the elements of harmony now, she couldn't behave like that.
She took a deep breath and slowly calmed down making it easier for her to think rationally.
Maybe she had seen wrong or Tempest really did have a good reason to criticize.
Rainbow Dash quickly descended in altitude until she landed near the other two.

"Are you okay?" Fluttershy asked in a low voice, she always worried about her best friend.

“It’s okay, I just came down to get some rest.”

That wasn’t entirely true since she could have flown for hours more if she wanted to.

“I see, so I’ll take this opportunity to tell you that I’m going to the nearby forest to look for some birds that want to join the musical concert.”

“Of course Shy, I’ll see you later.”

The yellow pegasus nodded and trotted off into the forest leaving Tempest and Rainbow Dash alone.

“You didn’t land to rest.”

Rainbow Dash turned to the empress with a raised eyebrow.

“How do you know that?”

“I deduced that.” Tempest gave the prismatic mare a glare. “You are a highly trained pegasus, you don’t even have a drop of sweat on you and you’re already breathing normally again. I’m sure this is nothing compared to what you usually do.”

Rainbow Dash grimaced knowing she had been caught so easily in a lie.

“You’re right, I wanted to ask if you had something to give me, you were staring at me like I was doing something wrong.” she frowned, her irritation showing.

“Why do you fly with your feet in front of you?”

“I don’t understand what’s wrong with that, at the flight academy they always told us to keep our hooves in front of us.” the cyan pegasus explained shortly.

“I see.” Tempest sighed as if she were dealing with a child who had to explain everything to her, Rainbow Dash wasn’t happy about it.

Tempest began to explain.
“They probably told you at the academy to keep your hooves in front of you so you can be more precise when flying, it may be fine when you fly normally but becomes useless when you reach supersonic speeds.”

Rainbow Dash remained silent with her head slightly tilted and a puzzled expression.

"Our hooves have a flat surface, which means that the more you increase your speed, the more friction with the hooves will prevent you from going fast."

Rainbow Dash straightened her neck.

"So you're telling me that I should keep my paws close to my torso?" she asked for confirmation.

"Exactly," Tempest concluded, nodding.

Rainbow Dash thought for a moment, would this really work?
She hadn't expected advice like this from a unicorn, how did she know? Was she trustworthy?
No one had told her to do something like this before, not even Spitfire.
It wouldn't hurt to try, she had nothing to lose by doing so.

Rainbow Dash was ready to take flight again but she saw that the scarred unicorn still had something to say.

"Is there anything else you want to advise me?"

Tempest didn't waste a second and began to say a burst of words to her.

“When you flap your wings you don’t get the full thrust they could give you, make larger movements. Fly higher so you get more potential energy, that way you can use more of the force of gravity and you’ll have more time to break the sound barrier.”

For a moment it seemed like she was done speaking but she added one last thing.

“You have a bad habit of stopping flapping your wings as soon as you see that you’re about to be pushed back so you can reposition yourself quickly. You have to keep pushing forward until you break the sound barrier.”

Rainbow Dash remained with her mouth slightly open, at that moment it seemed to her that she was dealing with Twilight even though Tempest's voice was anything but neurotic.

"Okay, I'll go."

As soon as she was far enough away she looked up at the sky. She had been practicing for over ten years and yet a unicorn dared to come and tell her what to do, ridiculous.

Rainbow Dash reached a much higher altitude than she was used to, the air was very thin making it difficult to breathe and stay in flight.
The cyan pegasus took a deep breath and then dove downwards.

The wind was making a deafening noise, her ears were pushed back and her mane and tail were flapping wildly, leaving a rainbow trail behind her.
She had to keep her eyelids closed so that she could see but at the same time protect her eyes from the strong wind.

As Tempest had told her, she kept her front legs close to her torso and flapped her wings, making larger and more powerful movements.
Soon the Mach cone was formed.
It was becoming really difficult and tiring to maintain speed, it still took one last effort.
Unfortunately, most of the time it was at this point that she failed.
Rainbow Dash flapped her wings as much as she could, the friction with the air was so strong that she had to close her eyes to avoid being blinded.

There were only a few hundred meters left before she hit the ground, she had to do it right there and now or she would have to slow down.

At that moment she realized that Tempest was right, her wings were retracting as if she was preparing in advance for a backlash.
Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth and started flapping her wings as hard as she could.
She was almost at the limit of her abilities until she finally broke the sound barrier.

“BOOOOMMMMM!!!!”

A deafening explosion erupted from the sky and with it a riot of colors in the shape of a ring expanded in every direction while a rainbow trail moved away from the epicenter of the wonderful feat.
There is no doubt about it, it was truly a spectacle.

Tempest watched for a few minutes until Rainbow Dash landed next to her again, this time out of breath and with sagging wings. She was sweaty and hot from the great effort but she was also extremely elated.
She had managed to do a sonic rainboom again, and without even missing entire days of training.

“I did it! Did you see?” she exclaimed, her words slurred because she had to catch her breath between words.

“Truly wonderful, I congratulate you.”

Rainbow Dash smiled as she saw that the empress’ words were genuine, all the antipathy she had felt before disappeared, replaced by a sense of gratitude and perhaps even admiration.
In all those years, no one had given her such useful yet simple advice, perhaps it was due to the fact that she had always trained alone but she was still infinitely grateful for it.

Tempest was still looking at the sky where the sonic rainboom was expanding quickly towards the horizon.
She was sitting, her head turned upwards and she had a rather peculiar look. She didn't show any open feelings but you could see a hint of sadness and nostalgia.

Rainbow Dash slowly approached and then sat down next to the empress.
Now that the distance between them was so short she really realized how much difference in height there was between the two of them.
The cyan pegasus' head barely reached the empress' shoulder.

“How did you know?”

Tempest kept her gaze up and spoke in a calm voice.

“There was a time when I too flew in the clouds.”

She flew?!

“What do you mean?!” the cyan pegasus asked.

Tempest was silent for a few seconds and then resumed her usual stoic and impassive facade.

“It’s not important. We should get back to the city, it won’t do you any good to train yourself to exhaustion.”

People commonly thought of Rainbow Dash as a bit of a dull pony, but that wasn’t the case. She immediately understood that the empress was purposely changing the subject.
If she were dealing with a normal person she would have tried to insist on getting the truth, but the mare in front of her was anything but normal.

“Do you want to continue training?” Tempest broke the contemplative silence and then looked at Rainbow Dash.

“Nahhh, I’ve done enough for today, besides my wings are too tired and if I train too much I risk not being able to fly for the big event.”

Tempest stood up and then turned to face Canterlot, she could see it in the distance on the mountainside.

“You said you’re tired of flying, how about we race to see who gets to the city first?”

“Is this a challenge?! Then get ready and eat my dust.” Rainbow Dash responded in kind, getting into a poised position ready to pounce.

“What about Fluttershy?” Tempest looked in the direction where the yellow pegasus had disappeared.

“No need to worry, she’ll probably spend the next few hours teaching the birds how to sing in chorus, she’d rather not be disturbed. She’ll go back to the city on her own.”

Rainbow Dash’s voice was confident and brash as if it had happened many times before.

“Okay, I trust you.”

Tempest took a position next to Rainbow Dash. They both took a deep breath.

“GO!” The cyan pegasus shouted.

Both of them start at full speed.
They ran at the same speed even though Rainbow Dash had to move her legs much faster because she was smaller.
On the other hand, Tempest wasn't struggling much and could have even run faster but the point of that wasn't to win. So the scarred alicorn kept up a steady speed so as to always stay alongside the cyan pegasus.

As they ran, Rainbow Dash kept hearing the sound of Tempest's heavy armored hooves hitting the ground leaving deep hoof prints.
The armor clanked as the black plates rubbed against each other causing a persistent metallic sound.

They had already traveled a few kilometers ahead of them they saw that the path was blocked by a huge tree that had just fallen.

Could it have been caused by the shockwave of the sonic rainboom?

The two were approaching very quickly, so much so that Rainbow Dash began to slow down. She expected Tempest to do the same but instead the empress continued to run.

The prismatic mare wasn’t sure what she was trying to do, jumping over was impossible because the tree trunk was too wide and there were multiple branches that they could have impaled themselves on. Even going sideways was difficult because the road was really narrow and there was a thick forest just outside the edges.
Rainbow Dash got an answer when a powerful beam of magical energy shot out from Tempest’s broken horn and hit the center of the fallen tree, causing it to explode.

Rainbow Dash was speechless at this, she never expected something like this.
It wasn't the first time she had seen a unicorn shoot beams of magical energy, Twilight and Celestia had done it. However, what the empress had done was on a whole other level.
It didn't look like a clean, linear beam, but rather a devastating lightning bolt with a power never seen before.
the two passed over the remains of the destroyed, smoking tree trunk.

“Wow, that was incredible!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she looked at the empress out of the corner of her eye.

“Thank you, although perhaps we could have solved the problem in a less explosive way.”

“That would have been so damn boring!” Rainbow Dash snorted and rolled her eyes.
“I didn’t think you could cast spells.”

“You're right.”

Rainbow Dash looked at her in confusion, so what had just happened?

“Casting spells means using magical energy to perform a spell, the horn is what allows the pure magical energy to be manipulated to our will.”

As they ran, Tempest looked up slightly to see her horn, or at least what was left of it.

“Since my horn is broken, the only thing I can do is emit pure magical energy and perform some simple and minor magic like moving objects with telekinesis, obviously I have very little precision compared to a normal unicorn.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t comment, she appreciated that the empress had taken the time to give her a fairly easy explanation.
She was happy to know that the scarred alicorn could still use her horn, even if only partially.

The two continued to run towards the city of Canterlot that loomed on the horizon.

“Ouch!, be careful with those pins!”

“You have to stay still or I’ll keep poking you, why don’t you put that scroll away?”

“I can’t Rarity, the summer sun celebration is in a few days and I found out that the logistics manager before me didn’t do anything, and now I have to fix everything! Spike, pass me the other checklist!”

The little dragon took one of the many scrolls he had been carrying all morning and then passed it to Twilight.
The purple alicorn in return tossed him another scroll, already rolled up and ready to be sent.

“Spike, you have to take that message to the head in charge of raw material deliveries, go immediately please.”

Twilight didn’t even look up because she knew she could trust her number one assistant.
The little dragon sighed and then walked out of the room.

“Maybe you should relax a bit, let me make you a beautiful dress for the gala evening.”

Rarity was moving around the princess of friendship, in her telekinetic grip she had various tools such as a tape measure, a pair of dressmaker’s scissors, pins and a roll of white string.

“It’s not the time Rarity, we’re behind what I expected. Applejack and Pinkie can’t start preparing the banquet because the rations of raw materials are late and you have to prepare the clothing not only for the princesses but also for some illustrious guests and I have no idea what Fluttershy is doing.”

The only one who had managed to complete some of the tasks was Rainbow Dash who strangely had performed the sonic rainboom in a few hours, the obvious prismatic explosion above the skies of Canterlot was proof of this.
The day of the summer sun celebration would have had to clear every cloud in order to guarantee a perfect view.

“Knock-knock!”

Twilight’s thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.
Since the purple alicorn couldn’t move, Rarity went to open the door.

“I’m coming, just a second.”

The white unicorn trotted towards the entrance and then opened the door.

“Princess Celestia?!”

Sure enough, in front of her was the sun goddess in all her glory and height, and behind her were a couple of guards who had accompanied her.

Rarity gave a quick bow, dropping everything she had into her magical grip.

“You don’t need to bow Rarity, I came to get my dress made but if you’re too busy I can come back at a better time.”

“No need, Princess Twilight is here too, come in.”

Rarity stood up, quickly picked up everything that had fallen and stepped aside to let her highness pass.

Celestia signaled the guards to wait outside and then entered, ducking her head a bit to avoid touching the doorframe with her horn.

“Princess Celestia, has something happened?”

The white alicorn’s attention was drawn to the voice of her student, she smiled when she saw her standing with a stiff posture in what appeared to be an early version of a dress.

“My faithful student, how are you doing?” she asked kindly, in fact already knowing what answer to expect given the pile of scrolls a few meters away.

“Not good Princess Celestia, we’re behind on things to do.”

The purple alicorn spent the next few minutes complaining and explaining what was wrong while Rarity buzzed around her working on the dress and making some comments in the process.

“I get it, but I think you’re worrying too much, things will work out.”

Twilight pouted, almost dissatisfied.

“You and your friends have been through much bigger things than this, I’m sure you can fix everything, and even if you don’t it won’t be a problem, after all it’s just a ceremony.”

Twilight took a breath and finally calmed down.
“You’re right princess, thank you for trusting me.”

Meanwhile Rarity had finished taking the last measurements.

“That’s it Twilight, I’m done.”

Rarity helped her friend out of the incomplete dress and then gently put it on a mannequin.

“Princess Celestia, it’s your turn.”

The white unicorn voice was more excited than she would have liked, being able to create a dress for royalty was always a unique experience, plus it would be good for her reputation.

Twilight quickly stepped down from the pedestal and quickly moved towards the scrolls left on the floor.

"I'm in a hurry, I'll see you later."

"Of course Twilight."

"See you later, darling."

The princess of friendship grabbed the scrolls with her magic and walked out the door with a brisk pace to continue with her chores.

The two didn't waste a second of time.
Celestia stood in the center of the room so that Rarity could work comfortably.
Meanwhile, the two talked just as you would expect from two females at a time like this.
Rarity loved to talk about things a little frivolous like gossip and "girl things" and Celestia didn't mind, it was a good way to relax from all the solemnity that was in the palace.

"Princess, if it's not too indiscreet, can I ask you a question a little personal?"

"Of course Rarity, you know that between us there is no need for too many formalities"

Rarity looked around as if she was making sure there were no unwanted listeners.

"Is it true that you and Empress Tempest are in a relationship?" she asked almost whispering.

Celestia was a little surprised by the question, she didn’t expect someone to know already.

“That’s right, Twilight told you”

“Yes, shouldn’t she have?”

Rarity felt a bit worried and guilty, maybe she had gotten her friend in trouble, she shouldn’t have asked something so private.

“It’s no problem.”

Rarity let out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding.

“That’s really wonderful, I’m happy for you.”

Rarity resumed her work, pacing from one side of the room to the other.

“Thank you so much, I’m really happy to be with Tempest too, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone like her.”

Celestia’s voice was relaxed and almost dreamy, Rarity was really touched to see the princess in a new, more romantic light for the first time.

“What kind of person is the empress?”

Rarity really wanted to know. From what little she had seen, the scarred mare seemed apathetic, cold and unfriendly, maybe she was wrong.

“Tempest is unlike anything you would ever find in Equestria, she is very pragmatic and not inclined to things she considers frivolous and useless, most of the time she behaves in a professional manner and does not show any emotion. But I can't blame her, she too is a sovereign like me and must maintain a certain bearing in the eyes of others.”

“I don't want to be rude, your highness, but from what you've told me she seems like an apathetic person.”

“You are right, however if you get to know her better you will discover that she can be very caring towards those around her and fiercely defends everything she cares about. She also has a strong sense of justice and can adapt to almost any situation.”

“That’s really interesting, I have to admit that when I first saw her I was a little prejudiced but if you fell in love with her then there’s a good reason.”

“A lot of people do that but Tempest is fine with that.”

The two continued to chat, it took longer since the princess’s body was bigger than any client she had ever had.

“Are you planning on getting married in the future?” Rarity asked nonchalantly as she put in a few pins, it was easy for her since the princess had the skill and experience to stay perfectly still.

Celestia blushed a little, and it was even more obvious thanks to her white fur.

“I hadn’t thought about it yet. But now that you mention it, I think I wouldn’t mind, plus it would be a huge political advantage for both the Empire and Equestria.”

Celestia imagined herself wearing a wedding dress as she walked towards the altar where her beloved was waiting for her and Luna was the master of ceremonies.
What would Tempest wear?
She couldn’t imagine her in a long white dress, she would probably be wearing armor even then. Maybe white armor?

“I bet it would be a wedding to remember princess, and I would be more than honored to be the one to sew the dresses for you.”

Rarity continued to work on the dress until she was interrupted again by a knock on the door.

“Hold on!” Rarity said loudly, singing as she often did.

When she opened the door she found a tall equine figure standing before her, again.

“Empress Tempest?!”

Rarity immediately bowed, dropping her tools to the floor again.

“Is Princess Celestia here?” she asked without even looking down. Her gaze was already turned toward the inside of the room.

Rarity quickly stepped aside.

“Yes, she is here. Come in.”

Tempest thanked her and entered, bowing her head slightly.

“Tempest, what’s going on?”

The empress smiled as she saw her beloved in the center of the room, standing still in an experimental version of a dress.

“No big deal, I just wanted to tell you that there’s a tree blocking the path to the racecourse, or at least what’s left of it.” The last part was softer.

“I see, thanks for telling me, I’ll have it cleared as soon as I can.”

Tempest’s eyes were fixed on her.

“Is there anything else?”

“No, it’s just that this is the first time I’ve seen you in a dress, you look fine.”

Tempest was interrupted when the white unicorn walked between her and Celestia, handling some fabric.

“It’s not complete yet, but I’m sure Princess Celestia will be fine.”

“All credit to you Rarity.”

Tempest was surprised to see that the white unicorn was acting normal in her presence, she deduced that Celestia had probably told her about her.
She glared at her beloved who responded with a guilty smile.
So that was indeed the case.

“AHHHHHHHH! You really need a beauty treatment!”
The two alicorns were surprised by Rarity’s dramatic scream.
The white unicorn had managed to get closer than she should have to the empress and had noticed something that made her feel sick.

The empress’ fur was rough and frayed, her mane had many split ends and knots, her hooves under the armored shoes were chipped.

“Empress Tempest, you must get yourself fixed up before the Summer Sun Celebration.”

The white unicorn had abandoned her previous job to buzz around the scarred unicorn, occasionally running a hoof over the exposed fur or grabbing stray locks of mane.
All without Tempest’s permission.

The empress stepped back from Rarity’s harassment, “I appreciate your concern but it’s not something I care about.” She said diplomatically.

“I insist! You cannot present yourselves like this to Equestria’s high society, you need to make yourselves presentable.”

Tempest was starting to feel irritated, she was about to tell her that she didn’t give a shit what the filthy pretentious nobles like her would think but she held back for Celestia’s sake, it would be unbecoming to antagonize her fiancée’s friend, and one of the girls she was supposed to protect.

“Tempest, why don’t you try to please Rarity? It wouldn’t hurt, and I’m sure it would make you much more attractive.”

As if that weren’t enough, her beloved was also involved, doing everything she could to drive her crazy.

“Celestia, you know I don’t care about these things, and I don’t need anyone else’s attention but you.”

“What if I did it with you?”

Celestia made those puppy eyes that she knew the empress couldn’t resist.
Damn, she always managed to manipulate her.

Tempest sighed in resignation.

“Okay.” The statement was completely devoid of any conviction.

“Perfect! First I have to finish fixing Princess Celestia’s dress and then we can go to the spa to get ourselves fixed up.” Rarity said excitedly.

“Are you sure you can waste all this time? Don’t you have any other dresses to prepare?”

Tempest tried to back away.

“Yes, but I am a really fast seamstress, and beauty waits for no one.”
Rarity made a dramatic and exaggerated gesture by arching her back and placing a paw on her forehead with her eyes closed.

Tempest and Celestia said nothing as the white unicorn quickly finished putting in the last few pins.

“There you go, we can go.”

Rarity placed the prototype dress on another bare mannequin next to the one holding Twilight’s dress.

“Let’s go.” Rarity happily trotted out of the room as the other two followed her.

“Why did you insist? You know I don’t like this kind of thing.” Tempest commented, keeping far enough away that the white unicorn couldn’t hear her.

Celestia came over and ran her nose lovingly along Tempest’s neck.

“Oh don’t be a grump, it’ll be a pleasant experience, and it’ll be the two of us.”

“Us and her.” she added, nodding toward the enthusiastic mare walking a few feet ahead.

“There’s no better way to make friends than at a spa.”

Tempest had something to say but she didn’t have the strength to oppose her beloved, not when she looked so happy.

The trio walked another few dozen meters since the spa was very close to the building that Rarity had borrowed to set up her clothes.
In fact, they were currently in what was called the fashion district, an area of Canterlot where there was a high concentration of beauty salons, boutiques, spas, hairdressers and tailors.
It was the apotheosis of everything that Tempest would have preferred to avoid.

As usual, the streets were invaded by snobbish unicorns perfectly coiffed and well-groomed, wearing sumptuous and cumbersome clothes.
Of course, the two of them stuck out like a sore toe. It was impossible not to notice the sun goddess walking next to the scarred unicorn in armor.

They finally arrived at their destination, they entered leaving the guards outside and there were two mares to welcome them. A pegasus and an earth pony

Rarity came forward to explain the reason for their arrival, the two beauticians listened attentively while casting a few glances at the two alicorns waiting a few steps behind.

“Then we can begin, first of all a relaxing hot bath.” The pegasus pointed to the large pool placed in a corner of the room, at least six ponies could fit in it, more than enough for the three of them.

Rarity was already heading towards the tub with Celestia and Tempest following, the latter seemed even less enthusiastic than before.
“I can’t wait to take a nice relaxing bath, it’s been a long time since I’ve had one. Plus, they’re better equipped than Ponyville, they even have a hot tub!”

Rarity would have jumped into the water right away but first they would have to give themselves a quick wash. In fact, there was a small shower nearby with a jar of soap.
Rarity quickly soaped herself up and then rinsed herself off, Celestia did the same.
Finally the empress remained, the other two were waiting for her.
The element of generosity looked at her as if to say "What are you waiting for?" while Celestia was understanding, she knew she didn't like being seen without anything on.

Her beloved came closer to whisper in her ear.
"Don't worry Tempest, I'm here, I'm sure the others will know how to be discreet too."

“I’m not afraid!” She exclaimed through gritted teeth, her voice annoyed. She wasn’t sure she could trust him, it was well known that those who worked in places like that tended to talk a lot, especially mares.
There was no need to fuel the rumors about her even more, surely the two unicorns they had dealt with the day before had already spread uncomfortable news about her.

As if that wasn’t enough, Rarity came over and took a look at the empress’s armor.
“Don’t worry, dear, I’ll help you.”
“Maybe you should leave it to me.” Celestia tried in vain to dissuade Rarity but unfortunately she had already grabbed the right pauldron.
Tempest took a step back but it was no use.
The obsidian plate came unhooked from Tempest’s black suit and since Rarity wasn’t well prepared it fell to the ground with a loud crash creating a crack in the granite floor.

The white unicorn gasped, Celestia gritted her teeth and pulled back slightly as if she felt the pain that the now fractured floor felt. The empress sighed as if to say "I told you so." even though she hadn't said anything.

In the meantime, the beauticians had rushed to see what had caused the great racket and they too were gasping at the mess.

“What happened?!” One exclaimed as her gaze quickly swiped between the empress, the black thing on the floor, and the white unicorn.

“I didn’t expect it to be that heavy! It shouldn’t be that heavy!” Rarity tried to justify herself even though she had a guilty expression.

“It’s okay Rarity, don’t worry.” Celestia grabbed the obsidian plate with her magic and lifted it as if nothing had happened.
“That was a mistake, next time just make sure you ask before touching something you don’t know.” The princess’s voice was always gentle and unruffled.

Celestia gently placed her pauldron against the wall and then turned to the owners of the place.
“Of course the repairs will be paid by the crown, I apologize for the inconvenience.”

Rarity came out of her shock hearing this.
“Absolutely not! It was my fault so it’s only right that I pay for the damages.”

Unlike what Tempest expected, the unicorn didn’t waste a second and immediately set out to fix the problem.

“There’s no need Rarity, for the crown something like this is a trifle.”
Rarity realized that there was no way to change the princess’s mind, and she was right, for the white unicorn such damage would not be cheap.

“Thank you so much princess, I will find a way to repay you.” she said with an exaggerated bow.

“Come now, you and your friends have already saved Equestria multiple times, consider the debt paid.”

The white unicorn thanked her again. Then she looked down at the ground where the black plate was embedded in the floor.
“Rather, what the hell is that armor made of!? Why are they so heavy?”

“I will let Tempest answer you, in the meantime I will help her take off the rest of the armor.”

Tempest would have preferred to disagree, she was able to take off the plates and the suit by herself, however it was handy to have someone to assist her.

“The plates are made of obsidian but their weight is due to the fact that they are imbued with a strengthening magic that makes them incredibly stronger but at the same time much heavier.”

“Shouldn’t you use steel armor like the ones the horse guards wear?”

Tempest expected a pony whose trademark was diamonds to know more about minerals, gems, and other materials. But then again, she was a stylist, not a weaponsmith.

“Obsidian is a type of glass that absorbs enchantments well and holds them persistently, while iron is a terrible magical material.
A plate of enchanted obsidian can withstand even the most extreme stresses possible where steel would bend or be punctured.”

Tempest gave the quickest and simplest explanation possible.
In the meantime, Celestia had finished removing almost all the plates, after which she would be left with only the suit on.

“How do you carry all this weight?! That plate must be at least three kilos.”

“Five to be exact, I just got used to it over the years. At first I wore normal armor but I realized that sometimes it wasn’t enough.”
The scar on her chest proved it and that would soon be revealed, along with all the others.

Rarity couldn’t help but be astonished. Mentally she made a rough calculation and realized that the empress was wearing at least eighty kilos of armor.
However, she didn’t seem awkward in her movements like some royal guards, she had a regal bearing but not stiff, her movements were fluid and precise as if the armor was part of her body.

Her eyes were focused on the princess and her lover.
She carefully began to lower some zippers of the black suit.
The stylist's attentive eye saw that it wasn't just a simple fabric, it seemed as if something intricate was sewn into it, solid but at the same time flexible.

"Is that a steel chainmail?!" Celestia stopped her movements hearing the white unicorn's exclamation.

"As resistant as the plates are, they leave many exposed points, so underneath them I wear this suit with a steel mesh inside, which protects me and at the same time allows me to attach the various plates quickly."

Finally the princess began to slide the suit upwards.
Tempest no longer cared, the discussion had helped ease the tension.

Tempest was finally revealed in her entirety, the empress felt the air on her slightly ruffled coat. The scars came to light as well as the hideous wounds that had healed long ago.

No one said anything, there were only silent looks and a hint of discomfort.
Tempest remained with her eyes fixed on Celestia as she was analyzed by the other three mares.
The scarred alicorn began to think that perhaps she should have refused the proposal to go to the spa from the beginning, she should have been more firm. However, her beloved made her docile and far too compliant, she would have done anything to make her happy. Even conquering the entire world.

“I…I’m sorry, I should have expected that you wouldn’t feel comfortable.” Rarity bowed her head as soon as she saw what was hidden under the black suit, in fact she should have expected it but again she had no idea who she was facing.
Twilight was right, the empress was different from anyone she had ever dealt with in Equestria.

“If you want we can cancel everything, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” The designer felt guilty, again she had made a mistake and this time she was starting to feel the weight of the fact that she wasn’t talking to one of her friends but rather a sovereign from another country with whom Equestria was probably having negotiations.
She had started to become familiar but perhaps she should have kept the distance.

“It’s okay, I hate being pitied so the best thing is if we hurry up and put an end to this.”
Tempest tried to reassure the stylist but her words weren’t as gentle as she would have liked, far from Celestia’s trademark gentleness.

“You’re right, let’s not go on any longer.” Rarity’s demeanor became more rigid as if she had reached a certain awareness. Or was it awe?

Finally the empress went to the shower to give herself a quick wash and then approached the edge of the small heated pool. The surface was filled with bubbles from the hydromassage and a veil of steam from the temperature of the water.

Slowly she dove in and then the other two did the same.
Luckily the tub was deep enough for Celestia to be able to get in up to her shoulders.
The princess and Rarity let out a sigh of relief and relaxation as they were greeted by the pleasantly warm water and bubbles.
In the meantime one of the maids had approached the edge of the pool and thrown some flowers and what seemed to be herbs into the water, the purpose of which was completely unknown to the empress.

They remained soaking like that, in total silence. Normally on those occasions they would start chatting and gossiping but apparently none of the three felt like it.
Tempest was not appreciating the hot water, she much preferred to take a quick cold shower.
Celestia on the other hand seemed to be relaxing, she had her back leaning against the wall, her head tilted back and her elbows resting on the edge. The long hours of audiences with the various nobles and citizens were really tiring for the mind and this also had repercussions on the body.

Rarity remained brooding, her eyes occasionally falling on the empress and then quickly looking away as if she was afraid of being caught in the act.
She thought about what had happened before and remembered something very important.
In addition to the various scars scattered on the empress's body, she couldn't help but notice a couple on her back positioned behind the withers.
Since she was often commissioned to make clothes for pegasus mares, she knew with absolute certainty that in those places there could have been a pair of wings.

“Princess Celestia?”

The white alicorn twitched an ear to hear what Rarity had to say.

“Are there any other alicorns besides your sister, Cadence, and Twilight?” Rarity asked in a slightly uncertain voice.

“I think so.” Celestia answered absentmindedly and then went back to enjoying the hot tub.

Another alicorn?!
She knew that it was possible to become alicorns through very complicated ascension magic but she remembered that it had only happened to Cadence and Twilight.

Rarity’s eyes returned to the scarred unicorn.

“I think we’ve been soaking in here too long.” The empress broke the silence, stood up, and slowly climbed out of the small pool to avoid slipping.

“Already?! I could stay in here for the rest of eternity.”
Princess Celestia seemed to be really enjoying the hot tub.

“Too much time in the water will hurt you, get out of there.” Tempest scolded her in an almost joking voice, to which the white alicorn responded by making a groan of dissent. However, she soon straightened her head, stood up, and walked out like her lover had done.
Rarity was the last to leave.

As expected, all three were soaked from the neck down. Their tails were soaked and hung limply between their hind legs. Except for the princess's, which was moving slightly, as usual.
In no time, the other two mares came over to bring towels so they could dry off before being subjected to the next treatments.

As before, Rarity couldn't help but glance at the two alicorns present.
Now that they were out of the water, she could see more details about the empress's body.
She didn't have any cutie marks, which wasn't so impossible since she had already met a few ponies without a distinctive effigy. Another thing that stood out to the eye was the well-developed physique of the scarred unicorn.

Rarity considered herself straight, but seeing Tempest's graceful, athletic body, she could understand why the princess was attracted to her.

"Come this way, please."
The stylist's thoughts were interrupted by the voice of the earth pegasus calling them.

The two rulers and the element of generosity arrived in another room, on it were two beds with large towels on them.

"Since we only have two massage stations, one of you will have to wait your turn."

Rarity remained in the background. "You first, you need it."

Celestia would have disagreed but admitted that she would have liked a nice relaxing massage.

Celestia lay down on the bed closest to her which fortunately seemed big and sturdy enough for her.

On the other hand Tempest didn't seem very convinced, it's not the first time she was offered a relaxing massage but she had always refused because she was too busy and considered it a useless thing. But now she couldn't escape.

Tempest lay down on the massage bed, she noticed that unlike a normal bed it was narrower so that the legs hung on the sides and instead of a pillow there was a hole to rest the muzzle.

The scarred alicorn didn’t feel relaxed at all at that moment. She felt vulnerable especially because she couldn’t look behind her, she was stuck and couldn’t react quickly to a possible threat.

Suddenly she felt something warm and viscous pouring down her back along her spine.
Automatically her muscles tensed and her hair stood on end.

“Don’t worry, it’s just massage oil.” said the pegasus who was currently taking care of her.

With her peripheral vision she saw that they were doing the same thing to Celestia, but unlike her, the sun goddess already seemed very relaxed, her eyes were closed and her paws were limp.

Soon after she began to feel the beautician's paws on her back.
She slowly began to spread the oil all over her fur and then moved along her paws.
During the whole procedure the empress remained still. She wasn't enjoying the massage offered very much. It didn't seem relaxing to her, not like the person who had received it made it seem.

After a while the pegasus mare stopped moving. Tempest thought it was all over but suddenly she started massaging again, but in a completely different way.
Before it was just a simple caress, now she was applying a lot of pressure with her hooves.

Tempest immediately felt a strong stretching sensation along the muscles of her back. Luckily the empress had enough self-control to hold back a spasm and a moan.
The pegasus mare was expertly massaging places on her body that she didn't even know she had, loosening muscles and releasing the physical tension that had accumulated over the past years.

“Nice, isn’t it?”

Tempest could barely hear Rarity’s voice as she sat in a chair next to her. Her mind was elsewhere as she enjoyed something she never thought she’d enjoy, but now she understood why it was so popular.

“It exceeded my expectations,” she replied in a low voice. She would have preferred to keep her reputation for now.

Celestia smirked in victory.

The masseuse continued kneading the muscles of the legs, then the neck and lower back.
Everything would have continued wonderfully until suddenly the quiet was broken by a strong spasm and a growl of pain. All followed by the scream of the mare who was taking care of the empress.

Celestia immediately raised her head from the pillow.
She immediately saw her fiancée who had stood up and moved away from the massage table.

“What happened?” she asked worriedly.

Tempest’s eyes were wide and she didn’t seem to be breathing well.

“Nothing, I’m done here.”

Without another word the empress turned and left the room leaving all the others shocked.

“What happened?” the princess asked again, this time looking directly at the masseuse.

“I… I don’t know, I was doing my job when she suddenly jumped and then left.”

The pegasus answered hastily for fear of punishment.

“Where were you massaging?”
Celestia’s voice came out harder than she intended.

The mare she was talking to didn’t answer, she was trying to say something but seemed to be blocked by fear. She was probably confused because everything had happened so quickly.

“On the withers.”

Rarity answered. She also seemed to be slightly shocked by what had happened.

It didn't take Celestia long to figure out what could have happened.

"I understand, it's not your fault."

Hearing this, the two beauticians calmed down and sighed in relief.
Celestia would have wondered why she was so fearful in her subjects but she decided that it wasn't the right time.

The princess got off the bed and turned to the occupants of the room.

"Thank you for the massage, I assure you that you have nothing to worry about."

Then she turned to the bearer of the element of generosity.

“Rarity, I also want to thank you for bringing us here to the spa, if you need anything don't hesitate to ask.”

“Of course princess.”

The white unicorn answered automatically but still seemed a little lost.

“Great, with that said I have to say goodbye. Good afternoon.”

And with that she also left the place in search of her beloved.

Author's Note

As usual I remind you that there may have been grammatical or syntax errors, if you find them please report them in the comments section.
Thanks for reading.