Potion Panicby Uber_ShyChaptersFateful VisitI'm still grey and Tempest is still a dunder-headOut of the Stuffy LabTrip to CanterlotA Lesson Hard LearnedFateful VisitPotion Panic By: Ubershy It was well into the afternoon when Tempest reached Bella Blu’s house. It was a rather secluded area close to the forest. He wondered how early she had to get up in order to walk all the way to the hospital she worked at. Then again, she could probably just teleport there, being a unicorn and all. He alighted on the ground and in front of the door. He was tired from flying all the way from his wildfire management outpost. He knocked twice with a hoof. And Bella Blu opened the door. “Oh hi there Tempest. What took you so long?” She asked. “Nice to see you too,” Tempest responded. She let him in and they shared a brief hug. “You’re just in time for my latest chemistry experiment,” she said quite excitedly. “Oh really?” Tempest asked, “I hope this one includes less fire. I don’t think my mane can take another singing.” “Oh haha wise guy. I’ll have you know that if you had stood back a little like I told you, your mane would be singe free.” She led him to her lab in the back room. There were many beakers and test tubes that held various substances. Only one was held in an elaborate apparatus in the middle of the room. “This,” she explained pointing to the clear vial, “is a remedy I am creating at the request of a patient of mine. He seems to have a rather stubborn case of patch coat.” “Uh huh” Tempest said, inspecting the various colored substances. “So what’s this stuff going to do?” “Hopefully this mixture of adaptive dyes will turn my client’s skin the same color as the coat surrounding it.” Bella proclaimed proudly. “Wouldn’t it just be better to just find a way to make the patches regrow their hair?” asked Tempest. “Maybe,” Bella admitted. She continued, “My client’s particular case of patch coat seems resistant to all traditional treatments. Besides ponies’ coats are so short you couldn’t tell the difference between dyed skin and hair at a glance anyway. If it doesn’t work we can always look for a hair growing solution later. It’s a win-win situation in my book.” “I see. When are you going to try it out?” “Right now if you’ll let me.” Tempest’s stopped looking at the array of colorful objects and looked at Bella. “What do you mean ‘If you’ll let me’?” He asked skeptically. “Well I figured I’ve run enough tests on the remedy that it is ready for subject trials.” Bella responded enthusiastically. Tempests gave a short laugh. “Hah,” He said, “you can’t be serious. What do I look like a lab rat? Besides, I don’t even have a patchy coat.” “Well, if we could just take a small bit of fur off of one of your legs….” “WHAT?” Tempest yelled so loud the liquids in the vials shook. “so you just invited me over just so you can rip out patches of my coat and pour weird chemicals on them? You must have me confused with a Pegasus with no common sense.” “I know it sounds weird,” she responded, “but I know you’re such a good friend that you will understand. I assure you it’s safe.” “NO way in hay. Preform this stuff on yourself.” “Oh come on Tempest. Don’t be such a baby.” “No!” “Not even just once?” Bella magically brought coat trimmers and a vial of her potion over. “No!” Tempest simply repeated. He took flight hoping to stay out of Bella’s reach. “Tempest! Come down here and help me out just this once. Don’t you trust me just a little bit?” “No,” Tempest crossed his front legs and looked defiantly at her. “Will you PLEASE just help me out” Bella pleaded. “No.” “Please.” “I said no.” Bella decided to change tactics. “OK then, but remember you forced me to do this,” she said. She sat down where she was and put on a dramatic sad face, making sure to add a pouting lower lip. Her pupils grew large as she stared pleadingly at Tempest. Tempest gritted his teeth in an attempt to resist the cuteness. “No! No... Hay no, NO, no no no no. NO.” He turned away from her for a few seconds. When he glanced with one eye back in her direction she was still giving him that face. He knew what was coming next. “Pweeese,” Bella asked in the most childish voice she could muster. Tempest let out a long and drawn out sigh. His other half wouldn't allow him to ignore a plead like that. It was a bit like refusing a play date with a bunch of puppies. He just couldn't. He then landed in front of Bella. “Fine! Just… stop that,” he said and offered her his front right leg. “Thank you,” Bella said as she took his hoof in hers. Her demeanor immediately changed to smug. The coat trimmers, which had been suspended in the air the whole time, swooped down and cut out a chunk of Tempest’s coat just below the knee. Tempest didn’t even flinch as the tiny pieces of fur floated to the floor. “This isn’t going to make me grow a fifth leg or anything is it?” Tempest asked jokingly, “Because five legs isn’t really my style.” “Don’t worry,” Bella responded, “If it does it will probably only last a day or two.” She dropped the contents of the vial onto the exposed skin before Tempest could have any second thoughts. “And what do you mean ‘style’?” she asked, “I still can’t get over the fact that you decided to put red highlights in your mane and tail. I liked it better when it was all black.” “Oh really?” Tempest asked, “Well I wouldn’t have had to dye it in the first place if SOMEPONY hadn’t singed it. My mane and coat are even magically fireproofed. How did you even manage to do that?” “Well I guess you should talk to the unicorn who preformed the spell about adding chemical fires to the protection list. Now hush the potion is taking effect.” They both stared at the patch of bare skin on Tempests foreleg as the skin began to change color. First it changed red, then purple, then lastly it changed to match Tempest’s reddish chestnut colored coat. They both looked at the foreleg with enthusiasm, but before either of them could say anything, the skin turned back to its natural color. “Darn” Bella began, “maybe it needs more changeling ashes.” “How did…” “Don’t ask,” Bella trotted over to the center table and poured some ashes into a measuring cup. “I should probably add… Dragon Lilly! Yes the perfect catalyst.” She added a few pedals to the beaker. “Soooo, are we going to do something fun or are we doing to play ‘Let’s Play With Tempest’s Skin Pigment’ all day?” “Yes of course. Just one more try. I’m so close I can feel it.” Bella mixed a few more ingredients and the potion began to bubble. "Yes now hold still so…” She was cut off as the potion overflowed onto the floor. The bubbles rapidly expanded out to encompass the entire floor. Tempest barely had enough time to make a break for the ceiling before the room was filled with green bubbles and smoke. They were so high they had completely swallowed up Bella. “I’m guessing that wasn’t supposed to happen,” remarked Tempest. “No… no it wasn’t,” Bella responded from somewhere inside the bubbles. “Great, now the potion is ruined. I wonder what happened.” Bella opened a trap door and began to use her magic to move the bubbles inside. “Well I’d tell you but ‘I just don’t know what-” “Shut up Tempest it’s not funny anymore.” Bella interrupted. Tempest laughed anyway. The joke wasn’t funny, but Bella’s reaction was always priceless to him. “Well sorry there Ms. Comedy Connoisseur. I must have not… woa.” Tempest was taken aback by what he saw. The bubbles had cleared and there stood Bella. Except instead of being her usual dark blue self, she had turned a dark charcoal grayish black kind of color… sorta. Tempest couldn’t really classify the color, but it definitely wasn’t her natural one. “What? What is it? “ She asked. Tempest merely pointed down so she would look at her hooves. She looked down and gasped when she saw them. She shook her foreleg in the air as if to shake the pigment off. Maybe it was just wishful thinking that it was just something covering her. No it was definitely part of her whatever it was. “Oh no... This isn’t good” Bella managed to say. “You got that right. Now who’s going to be my blue unicorn friend?” Tempest remarked lightheartedly. He tried his best to keep the depressing mood from getting worse, but he could already see the panic and tears on Bella’s face. He took a quick second to think of what to say. Whatever he did, he couldn’t draw attention to her flank. I'm still grey and Tempest is still a dunder-headBella looked down at her now dark grey hooves. ‘Oh no,’ she thought. ‘This isn’t right at all. What could have possibly gone so wrong that this could happen? No it couldn’t be my coat.’ She shook her foreleg around waiting for residue to come off. It didn’t. She started to panic. Tempest was just floating there staring wide eyed at her. What if she had damaged her coat? She couldn’t live like this forever. Already she was missing her dark blue complexion. She didn’t even care that other ponies all too often compared her to princess Luna. Tears began to well up in her eyes. She took up part of her mane in her right hoof. It was still bright sky blue as usual. At least one aspect of the potion had actually done its job. Bella looked back at Tempest. He seemed deep in thought. ‘Now what could he possibly be pondering?’ She thought. “Hey cheer up. The stuff you tried on me wasn’t permanent and neither should this.” Tempest Finally said. Bella was a bit surprised at Tempest’s sudden sincere nature. He was almost always sarcastic and witty (or at least in his mind) even at inappropriate times. She didn’t even think it he was capable of being serious. He was right though. All she had to do was wait a while. “I’ll tell you what,” Tempest said, “ why don’t we go and have a fun rest of the day out by the river and forget all this. Then when we come back you’ll be nice relaxed and ready to start again.” “Yeah you’re right. Let me just pick up a-” Bella stopped mid sentence. She noticed the box that held the dragon lily petals in it. Or, more accurately, the box that she thought contained Dragon Lily. The box containing the Dragon Lily was labeled as such. This particular box was unlabeled. That meant it was from her most recent gathering expedition, and THAT meant… no, it couldn’t be. She zipped over to the box and picked up a pedal. She looked closely at it. What she saw only confirmed her fears. What she thought was dragon lily was really equestrian heart flower. She could tell because of the tiny red veins that ran along the pedal. The sudden realization of what she had done hit her hard. She couldn’t help tearing up again. “What is it,” asked Tempest. “It’s going to be permanent!” Bella blurted out. “What? How do you know?” Tempest just stood where he was instead of coming to investigate for himself like Bella thought he would. It seemed odd, but she disregarded it and continued. “This is equestrian heart flower,” she explained, “it is a preserving agent I commonly use to extend the longevity of some of my potions. However, it is very powerful. Just two pedals could have made my potion last a year!” Tempest looked over and saw that the box was nearly empty “…oh” was all he could say. Bella was crying openly at this point. “With the amount I added, my bones will be this ugly grey five thousand years from now!” Bella lowered her head and sobbed. “Come on now, that’s not true. Listen here,” Tempest said as he flew over and laid a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. Bella looked into his reassuring eyes and stopped sobbing momentarily. He looked back and smiled. “From what you told me… I’m pretty sure this potion only affected your coat. Your bones will be fine.” At this Bella scowled and knocked away Tempest’s hoof. She turned and walked towards the mirror on the far side of the room. Why could he not take anything seriously? “Ok I admit that was cheap,” Tempest said and flew in front of her again, “but seriously I’ve never seen you back down from a problem before. So what if you added this ‘equestrian heart flower’ stuff. I’m sure you of all ponies can figure out how to fix this.” Once again Tempest surprised her with his sincerity. She walked past him and took a look in the mirror. She was basically exactly the same. Same short legs, same long blue mane, and same violet eyes. The only difference was this new dark grey coat. She turned so she could see the rest of her profile, but before she could Tempest jumped between her and the mirror. “I know where you can start,” he said rather loudly, “you can try some of that freaky deaky magic of yours.” Although she didn’t appreciate him referring to her magic as “freaky deaky”, he was right. She turned back to the big round table in the center of the room. She thought of a few spells that could counteract the effects. She charged her horn with magic and began to preform the most promising one. “Wait!” Tempest yelled. Bella looked at him as he sped into her kitchen. He reappeared a few seconds later with some popcorn. “I love magic shows,” he added. Bella rolled her eyes before closing them so she could concentrate. She prepared an advanced restore spell. She focused on her coat. In theory this spell should restore it to the way it was this morning. She released the magic and felt it sweep over her body. She felt it run from her horn to her tail. She opened her eyes and looked down at her forelegs. She was dismayed to see that they were still grey. “You can do it Bella. Try again.” Tempest said enthusiastically as he threw another piece of popcorn into his mouth. Next she tried a modified version of a cleaning spell. She had used it once before to strip the paint off of her house. She focused the spell on her right foreleg so she could monitor the progress. She immediately stopped the spell as pain shot up her leg. Instead of stripping off the color, it pulled hard on her fur. She looked at Tempest again. He was waving a small hoof held flag that said “Bella #1” on it. Her curiosity as to where he got that flag almost made her forget the last spell she was going to try. It was a difficult one. This time she would attempt to drain the magical essence from the potion. There was still a bit left in a pool on the table. It was extremely dangerous for a unicorn to absorb pure magical essence, but if she could do it, she could directly counteract the effects. A purple ring of magic formed around the potion and it started to glow. “Oooh,” she heard Tempest say. She could feel the magic slowly coming out of the potion. It was working, she could feel it. She stayed focused, making sure none of the raw energy escaped. Suddenly a large torrent of energy came out of the small puddle. It took all if her effort to keep it contained. She could hear crackling as sparks started flying around the room. She had to release the spell. There was no way she could contain it. She might explode if she tried to absorb it all. She let the magical essence bond with the potion again before releasing it from her containment field. “That was amazing!” Tempest was on his feet now. “Any chance you could do that again?” He stopped when he saw the tired and dismayed look on Bella’s face. He zipped over next to her and wrapped a foreleg around her. “you know what this calls for,” he asked. “Not really,” Bella responded. “This calls for a nice relaxing trip to the river so we can come back and try this later,” Tempest said as he walked her to the front door. “But…” Bella began. “No buts,” He insisted, “you look so down it’s making me depressed. So we need to go fix that.” He opened the door and pushed her outside. Bella turned around and took a deep breath. She liked being outside. Her lab was always so stuffy. She tried to take her mind off of her current predicament as they walked to the river. Out of the Stuffy LabTempest hummed to himself as he flew next to Bella. He sang the lyrics in his head. ‘Bella Blu, She was blue now she’s grey, She was blue now she’s grey, She was blue now she’s greeeeyyyy.’ For obvious reasons he didn’t sing this aloud. He occasionally glanced over at Bella to see how she was holding up. He was in high spirits because he was about to get his much needed time off. All month he had been setting controlled burns all over forest district 7. As fun a being a wildfire manager was, it was tough and tedious work. It didn’t help that his team consisted entirely of young pegasi straight out of flight camp. They were so lazy that Tempest once remarked that they were much better suited to being weather mares. Only Fleet Feather seemed to pull his weight, which was an ironic statement considering he probably couldn’t pull a box of butterflies. Tempest caught himself dwelling on work and returned to making up words to his “Bella Blu” song. The smell and sound of running water interrupted his thoughts. As they crested the hill, they came upon their favorite bend in the river. It was a nice spot with slow moving water and overhanging trees. “Bet you can’t beat me to the bottom onetwothree go!” Tempest said as he took off down the hill. He heard Bella give a short laugh as she followed him. He only glided down the hill in order to make the race fair. Bella put on a short burst of speed and pulled ahead at the last second. She stopped in the mud of the riverbank. Tempest alighted behind her. “Well come on, jump in,” he jeered. “I don’t know,” Bella hesitated, “the water might be a bit cold at this time of the year.” “Only one way to find out,” Tempest responded and he shoved her into the water. Bella gave a slight squeaking cry as she fell face first into the water. “So how is it," Tempest asked between laughs. “Why don’t you find out for yourself?” Bella asked as she resurfaced. Tempest suddenly felt himself being lifted by his tail. He looked back to see a purple ring of magic around it. Bella lifted him eight feet in the air. Before he could react, she swung her head to the right and tossed him into the river. He landed in the water with a plop. He reappeared on the surface and they both started laughing. “How undignified,” Tempest remarked, “this is how it’s done.” Tempest burst out of the water and flew to the shore. He flipped down his flying goggles, which had been sitting against his forehead so long that they left two circular impressions. When he flipped them down everything instantly got darker and turned from fuzzy to clear. ‘I really should use these more often’ he thought to himself. He looked at Bella. The prescription flight goggles made it so that he could actually read her facial expressions from a distance. She was waiting curiously to see what he would do. He then launched himself from the bank and turned in two elegant backflips before landing in the water next to Bella. When he resurfaced he saw her looking at him mischievously. “Uh oh,” was all he managed to say as she erected a massive wave with her magic. He was engulfed by the wave and swept onto the opposite shore. He was about to get up when he had an idea. Instead of getting up, he laid there limp on the shore with his head cocked in a rather uncomfortable position. He was pretty sure Bella couldn’t see his open eyes through his tinted goggles. She watched as her expression changed from playful to concerned. “Tempest?” She asked. She watched him for a few seconds. “Tempest it’s not funny.” She said. He continued to lay there, immobile. “Oh no Tempest!” she exclaimed. She used her magic to allow her to run on top of the water as she made her way too him. It took everything in him to keep from laughing. She came over and stood over him. “Oh Tempest I’m so…” She began. “Surprise,” Tempest yelled as he turned onto his back. He got all four legs under her and launched her into the water. He got a good laugh and jumped in next to her. She resurfaced with a look of supreme irritation. He returned the look with a smile and a hoof bump on the shoulder. “Oh come on,” he said pleadingly, “don’t be too mad. You set me up for that one.” Instead of responding she turned away with a “hmph”. He was doing well. All he had to do was keep her in the water for a few more hours until the sun went down. ‘Aw snap’ he thought ‘that’s way too long’. Maybe he could just break the news to her at the end of this outing. Tempest returned his attention to making Bella happy. He waded through the chest high water to be in front of her again. He flipped up his goggles so she could see his eyes. He raised an eyebrow in a comical curious face that for some reason always made her laugh. She didn’t this time, but he could see her fighting a smile. “Alright missy,” he began, “I’m sorry for worrying you. I know you have enough of that right now.” He hesitated because he didn’t want to remind her of her predicament. “I mean you haven’t had to put up with me for this long since we were foals,” he finished. ‘Smooth’ he thought sarcastically to himself. Fortunately for him she smiled at the joke. ‘Or maybe it’s the nostalgic sentiment that made her smile’ he thought. “Anyway the evening is still young and there is plenty of fun to be had.” Tempest said as he made a splashing leap into the deeper end of the river. Tempest did his absolute best for the next hour to keep Bella in the water, but she grew tired and opted to lie down on her side and watch the sun go down. Tempest gritted his teeth. Her left flank was horribly exposed. Even a cursory look back, and she would notice it. He climbed out of the water and high stepped in a mock prance over to her. As hid did so, the mud he splashed up covered her. “Hey. You did that on purpose you dunder-head,” Bella remarked and flicked a little bit of mud his way. He laid down next to her on her right side. “Did I?” he asked mockingly, “I’m sorry about that. Think of it as a relaxing mud bath while you watch the sunset.” “Thanks Tempest.” Bella said after a short pause. “For what?” “For taking the time to take me out here and cheer me up. You’ve been a real good friend all these years.” “I know.” Bella giggled at the mock vanity and turned her attention back to the west. They both remained silent as they watched the sun go down. _______ Bella awoke at the base of a willow tree next to the river. She looked around and saw the same serene river bend she had spent her time at yesterday. She stood up and yawned. There was no sign of Tempest. She reached out with her forelegs and stretched like a cat. Her back popped satisfyingly and she made her way to the river. There was a bit of dried mud from yesterday that she wanted to wash off. She waded into the water and used her magic to wipe off the mud. She dismayed slightly to see that her coat was still grey. When she first woke up, she had hoped it was a bad dream. She looked back at her newly colored body. This color would not work well at all with her… Just then Bella’s heart stopped. Her flank, HER CUTIE MARK! It was gone! For the first time since she was a filly she saw nothing there but another blank section of coat. How could the potion do this to her? “ahh…ohhh” She couldn’t even find words to describe her terror. “Tempest!” she cried out. She then heard a voice coming from the trees. “Wah? Oh not yet. I’ve still got ten minutes till my shift. What do you mean ‘understaffed’? Wah?” Bella looked up at one of the branches of the willow tree she had been sleeping under. She saw Tempest looking around drearily. “My cutie mark is gone!” She exclaimed. The reality of those words hit her as she said them. Tempest shook himself out of his sleepy daze and flew down to her. “Oh… yeah,” was all he could manage. “This is terrible. This potion has effectively ruined my life.” “Hey now don’t say that. So you lost a little artwork on your butt and have turned a color that reminds me of signal fire smoke; your still the same brilliant unicorn I bumped into on the streets of Manehattan.” Bella knew he was trying to cheer her up yet again, but it only made her feel high maintenance. She turned away from him and tried to take his words to heart. It was true she was still the same unicorn she was two days ago, mostly. She still had a job, friends, her lab, and a Pegasus that, so it seemed, would be here forever to make her life fun and interesting. She tried her best to cheer up, but she couldn’t get over the fact that her cutie mark was gone. She remembered the day she got it. She had cared for Tempest and kept him from dying after he was nearly beat to death by some thugs. She felt guilty because he was tying to defend her from them. She remembered how relieved she was the day he was able to open both of his eyes and stand up on his own again. It was the day she realized she had a talent helping injured ponies. “Hmmm,” Bella heard Tempest behind her. She turned around and saw him deep in thought. “What is it?” she asked. “I think I had a thunk,” Tempest remarked. Bella rolled her eyes, “care to share?” she asked. “But of course, sharing is caring after all.” “Yes?” “We need to go talk to princess Celestia.” “What?! Canterlot? That’s all the way on the other side of Equestria!” “Yeah I know, but it’s not too long of a train ride.” “Train? No no no. I can’t go looking like this” She gestured to her body. “Do you want this stuff gone?” “Yes.” “Then let’s go!” “….BUT I’m not going out in public all grey and without a cuttie mark.” “Ugh and you call ME the baby.” “Going around the everfree forest on foot will take days. We’ll just have to cut through it.” "Ok. Seriously? The train station is only a short walk into town…” “Just humor me Tempest” There was a short silence between them. “Fine,” Tempest conceded, “let’s go.” Before Bella could respond, Tempest took off so fast she had to hug the ground in order to avoid being blown over. She was left alone in the woods for several minutes. She was pretty sure he hadn’t left without him, but where had he gone? Tempest soon returned with two saddlebags. “Provisions,” he said curtly, “now let’s move. We’re burning daylight.” He then picked her up by her midsection, and sped quickly towards the Everfree Forest. Trip to CanterlotIt had been 2 days since they first stepped into the everfree forest. It had been a long and taxing journey. Bella Blu’s hooves were sore and she regretted being so insistent that they walk ALL the way across Equesrtia. Tempest was tired after carrying her several miles to the everfree forest and decided to walk with her. He only occasionally flew up above the tree line to track their progress. “One second,” he managed to say as he took off weakly. He flew up past the tree branches and disappeared. Bella kept up her slow pace and thought about how nice a glass of water would be right then. She heard Tempest crash back through the tree branches and turned her head. He took up a quick trot to catch up to her and gave her the news. “This forest just keeps going. I’m not sure if we can make it at this rate.” “We have to. We are at least more than halfway. Just a day or two more.” Bella replied quietly. She didn’t want to disturb whatever creatures were lurking in the forest with them. “Another few days?” Tempest reacted, “another few days like this and some giant predator is going to be gnawing on our bones. I have a better idea. You know a cloud walking spell?” “Why yes but I don’t know how that is going to…” “Just cast it real quick.” Bella closed her eyes and did so. Before she could open them again, she felt herself being picked up. Tempest flew up with her and broke through the tree branches again. She shielded her eyes as the leaves and small branches whipped at her face. As they broke above the tree line, she looked out onto the vast ocean of green. Tempest was right it DID seem to go on forever. The thought daunted her. What had she gotten them into? She looked up and saw a large collection of clouds. She assumed that was what Tempest was going for. She grew concerned as his flapping became slower and his breathing became heavier. By the time they reached the cloud he was barely maintaining his altitude. As they started to descend again, Tempest swung her into the air and tossed her over the edge of the cloud. She landed with a plop and relaxed a little. Bella didn’t appreciate being tossed like a sack of flour, but she was relieved to be on the cloud. She crawled over to the edge just in time for Tempest to grab onto it with a hoof. She wrapped a leg around his free hoof and pulled him up. He collapsed on the cloud when he got up, not even caring that his back legs were still hanging off of the edge. Bella lay on her back next to him. The cloud felt really nice, if a bit lumpy. She realized then why pegasi liked lounging on them so much. “ugh… whew, well that was fun” Tempest said after a brief rest. “No kidding. You mind telling me why we’re up here now?” Bella replied between breaths. “Look back there, there’s a low pressure front pushing these clouds west. Isn’t that neat? Clouds actually move on their own around here. We are going to let barometric pressure do all of the work for us. Now all we have to do is relax and float on by.” Bella looked and saw that all of the clouds were all moving in the same direction away from the rising sun. She got up and glanced over the edge. “That’s great and all but we are moving at a snail’s pace,” Bella said apathetically, “It will take forever to get to Canterlot at this rate.” “It may look that from here, but we are actually traveling at a running pace right now,” Tempest explained. Bella smiled as he said this and said, “This is great!” She paused and giggled with joy. “I wish this front had come through sooner.” “You and me both,” Tempest replied. He yawned and pulled himself all the way onto the cloud. Bella laid down a few feet from him and closed her eyes. She was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to rest a bit. Both of them fell asleep as they bathed in the sun upon their autonomous cloud. ___ Bella awoke with a start as her left fore hoof fell off the edge of the cloud. She pulled it back up just in time to see that the cloud was rapidly shrinking. She took a few steps back from the enclosing edge. She looked and noticed the cloud dissipating around all of its edges. “Tempest wake up!” she exclaimed. “Wah?” Tempest awoke with a start, “jeez Bella you’ve got to stop doing that.” “Less talking and more flying, this cloud is dissolving.” Bella gestured to the ever-shrinking surface. “Oh, that must mean we’re here,” Tempest remarked with nonchalance. “The clouds not only move on their own, but they also break up on their own,” he explained, “Neat huh?” “Tempest!” “Ok fine fine, just chill would you?” Tempest picked her up and flew off of the shrinking cloud. Bella looked down and saw the end of the Everfree forest. The sight made her sigh and it felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She saw a rustic looking cottage on the edge of the forest. There were animals all around it in every direction. She wondered what kind of pony lived there. A small town came into view as they flew over the crest of a hill. There was a train station at the edge of town. Tempest was heading right for it. Bella opened her mouth to protest but then stopped herself. After their ordeal in the Everfree forest, the last thing she wanted to do was walk the rest of the way to Canterlot. She decided not to say anything on the subject. It would only set Tempst up for an “I told you so”. It took them only a few minutes to reach the train station. Bella envied her friend’s ability to get from place to place so quickly. Sure unicorns had teleportation, but it only got them so far. “All aboard to Canterlot,” a voice called. “Oh no, we’ve missed the train,” Bella said to Tempest. “No we haven’t,” Tempest replied. He caught up to the train as it pulled out of the station. He dropped Bella on top of the caboose and alighted next to her. “Not exactly what I had in mind, but this works,” Bella said. Some of the ponies at the station gave a puzzled look as they saw them land on the train. Tempest turned back and waved to them. Bella laughed as a filly in the station crowd waved back. They rode on top of the train as it began its trek to Canterlot. She was slightly bothered by the fact they were freeloading. Sure, they had jumped many trains together in Manehattan, but they were poor back then. Now they actually had plenty of bits to spend on a ticket. The train went over hills and across valleys before spiraling its way up the mountain that Canterlot protruded from. Bella had always been curious as to what the designers were going for when they built the city in such a fashion. They routinely had to duck as the train chugged in and out of tunnels. ‘It’s was exactly like Manehattan’s river district’ Bella thought. The train slowed down as it approached the Canterlot gates. Tempest nudged her. She took the cue and jumped off of the roof of the train. She alighted behind it out of sight of the guards at the gate. Tempest flew over to her side and they walked together. They approached the guards at the gate. To their surprise they said nothing except for, “Welcome to Canterlot.” “Thank you,” Bella responded and made her way into the city. Author's Note Realized the last chapter was going to be disproportionately large compared to the others so I split it into two. A Lesson Hard LearnedOnce on the streets of Canterlot, Bella was struck by how regal the city felt. Everything looked neat, bold, and expensive. There were unicorns everywhere. Bella had never seen so many in one place. The cobblestone streets were well swept and, she suspected, magically augmented to suppress noise caused by hooves. She heard Tempest snort, as he saw a pair of rich looking unicorns walking with their noses high in the air. She thought she heard him say something along the lines of, “blue belly bit chasers” under his breath, but she couldn’t be sure. Bella hoped his problem with pretentious rich ponies wouldn’t be a problem, because there seemed to be a lot here. They reached the inner wall that signified the perimeter of the castle grounds. There was another set of guards at the inner gate. This time Tempest and Bella were stopped. “What business do you two have in the castle,” the guard on the right challenged. “We came to seek an audience with Princess Celestia,” replied Bella eagerly. “You and the rest of Equestria,” the guard muttered. “What was that?” Tempest asked glaring. “erm- uh I said that you will have to make an appointment with Soaring Valor to gain audience with the princess.” Tempest continued to look the guard in the eyes with a scolding look. “And where might we find this Soaring Valor?” he asked. “Well, he’s with the princess… in Cloudsdale.” The guard responded a little meekly. “What,” Bella blurted out, “you mean she’s not here?” “Um… yes she left to attend the Best Young Fliers competition being hosted today.” the guard explained. “You mean to tell me the ONE time the princess isn’t here is the time we decide to come?” Bella despaired. “It was rhetorical genius,” Tempest said when he noticed that the guard was about to answer. “You better watch who you use that tone with young sir,” the guard said, regaining a bit of his authoritative demeanor. “Oh really,” Tempest asked, “and whom might that be?” Tempest and the guard locked eyes for a few seconds. ‘Big mistake’ Bella thought. She saw sweat rolling down the guard’s neck from under his helmet. He looked first to his fellow guard for help. His comrade only held is statue like posture. When he saw that he wasn’t going to receive help the guard turned back to Tempest. “Oh, first that infernal wolf and now this?” The guard finally said. “Be gone with both of you.” “Come on Tempest let’s go,” Bella said glumly. As they walked away from the gate, Bella heard Tempest trying to hold back laughter. “What’ so funny?” “Oh you know, it’s always fun to see the high and mighty types sweat a little. This time it was quite literal sweating.” Tempest faced forward and smiled to himself. “Come on. We just have to wait a little while until she comes back. It’s only a couple of hours until sunset, and I’m sure she’ll be back before then to lower it or something.” He reassured his friend. “Yeah I guess you’re right,” she said. “Of course I am,” Tempest replied. They sat down at a restaurant close to the castle. They didn’t talk much, mostly because Tempest was busy eating the three DHT (daisy, hay bacon, and tomato) sandwiches he had ordered. He was about to say something to break the silence and stopped as he noticed something in the sky. He poked Bella so she would look at whatever he had noticed. Princess Celestia’s golden chariot was flying into the city. Bella jumped off of her seat cushion and ran out into the middle of the street. If she wasn’t allowed into the castle then there was only one option left. She quickly cast a voice amplification spell. “PRINCESS CELESTIA!” She yelled with her amplified voice. Tempest gritted his teeth as some of the glass windows around her cracked and ponies from as far as three blocks away looked in her direction. At first it seemed that the chariot was going to keep going to the castle. Bella saw the princess lean forward and speak to her Pegasus guards and they turned around. Bella ran to the spot in front of the castle gates where the chariot landed. When she got there she bowed to the princess. Celestia stepped off of her chariot and looked at the unicorn. “Well you certainly know how to get a pony’s attention,” She remarked. “Forgive me princess but I have something I desperately need to ask of you,” Bella responded. “Yes what is it?” “You see, an experiment of mine has gone horribly wrong. A potion I was brewing has turned my coat from blue to… this” Bella gestured to herself. “Your magic is the only thing strong enough to undo its effects.” “Hold it right there,” a guard said, “You have some nerve talking to your princess like this. Do you think she will just wait on you ready to…” “Thank you for your concern Sure Hoof, but it will not be necessary,” Celestia interrupted. “Besides, what kind of princess would I be if I did not aid my subjects from time to time.” Celestia’s horn glowed yellow with magic. Bella took a step back. “Are you ready to begin?” Celestia asked. “Um yes your highness,” Bella said a bit surprised that Celestia would choose right here in front of the castle. A blinding light came from Celestia’s horn and Bella felt a rush of sensations as magic enveloped her. She remained suspended in midair for a few seconds. She opened her eyes when one of her hooves touched the ground. She looked at the ground and noticed that her legs were still the same color. “Oh my,” Celestia said, “That is one stubborn dye. Let me try something else.” Three times Bella was lifted into the air as princess Celestia tried to restore her color. The fourth time she looked at her gay coat and held up a hoof to keep the princess from trying again. “That’s ok,” she said, “I think we both know this is going to be permanent.” “Are you sure?” the princess asked, as serenely as ever, “I know I’ve got a few more spells could try.” “Thank you, but I won’t waste any more of your time,” Bella sighed. “Very well,” Celestia said, “What are your names.” “My name is Bella Blu, and this is Tempest. We’re from Wilowshade Meadows.” “Represent,” Bella heard Tempest say behind her. “My my, you two have come a long way. Where are you staying?” Celestia enquired. “We haven’t planned that far ahead,” admitted Bella. “A good place would have to be The Rise and Shine Inn in Canterlot circle. It’s just a block that way,” Celestia said, gesturing down the street. “Thank you princess,” Bella said and bowed. “I am glad to help,” Celestia said before leaning a little closer. “And between you and me, this easily beats what I’ll have to be doing once I get back to the castle, so don’t feel bad about this impromptu meeting.” Celestia straightened up and smiled. “Now if that is all, I’ll be heading back to the castle.” “Yes. Thanks again for your time,” Bella said. “Very well,” the princess said and turned back to her chariot. Bella felt a hoof on her shoulder. She turned to see Tempest with a concerned look on his face. “Come on,” he said, “let’s go find that inn.” They turned and walked down the street together as Princess Celestia was flown to the look out tower. “You know,” Tempest began, “It’s not really the end of the…” “I know,” Bella interrupted, “I really do. It has taken me a while to come to terms with it, but this is a part of me now.” “Right, just, don’t let it define you ok? I never thought turning grey would give you the blues. Get it? Because you we’re blue to begin with and now-” “Yeah yeah I get it. You are right. I’m still the same pony I was before all this and I won’t let something as simple as a color change bring me down.” “Ok great because I have a song I’ve been waiting to run by you about our adventure.” Bella let out a sigh, “sure why not,” she said. “All right! A ways back east in a small wooden house A pony was cooking up trouble Just one touch of a magical plant And that brew began to bubble One quick moment of green catastrophe And she did turn to me ‘Oh dear Tempest I’ve done it again Look what’s happened now can’t you seeeeee’ Bella Blu, Bella Blu She is grey yes it’s true But she’s quite the mare Now she’s gonna make it through Bella Blu, Bella Blu She better not make me stew The last thing that I want Is her to singe my insides too Now she’s all the way in Cantrlot She hasn’t bathed in days And her looks are from Detrot But you can’t keep this pony down Not with lemons or limes She’s just that cool a’ mare even if she Hates on Tempest’s rhymes Bella Blu, Bella Blu She is grey yes it’s true But she’s quite the mare And she’s gonna make it through Bella Blu, Bella Blu I like her coat yes I do I like it better when there’s one Luna Not twoooo But in all seriousness ponies I’m proud of this mare She didn’t turn back to normal But I don’t really care She doesn’t need to be blue To be down right stella’ As long as she’s here She’ll be my Grey Friend Bellaaaaaaaaaa ow” Tempest punctuated the “ow” by stamping a hoof on the ground, bringing the song to a close. “Wow… catchy,” Bella remarked. Other ponies on the street were muttering to each other after the public display. “It’s a work in progress,” Tempest said and smiled with self-satisfaction. They rented a room at the inn and slept deeply through the night. Both Bella and Tempest would need their strength for the trip home. Author's Note Whew finally done! On to "Blast from the Past".
Fateful VisitPotion Panic By: Ubershy It was well into the afternoon when Tempest reached Bella Blu’s house. It was a rather secluded area close to the forest. He wondered how early she had to get up in order to walk all the way to the hospital she worked at. Then again, she could probably just teleport there, being a unicorn and all. He alighted on the ground and in front of the door. He was tired from flying all the way from his wildfire management outpost. He knocked twice with a hoof. And Bella Blu opened the door. “Oh hi there Tempest. What took you so long?” She asked. “Nice to see you too,” Tempest responded. She let him in and they shared a brief hug. “You’re just in time for my latest chemistry experiment,” she said quite excitedly. “Oh really?” Tempest asked, “I hope this one includes less fire. I don’t think my mane can take another singing.” “Oh haha wise guy. I’ll have you know that if you had stood back a little like I told you, your mane would be singe free.” She led him to her lab in the back room. There were many beakers and test tubes that held various substances. Only one was held in an elaborate apparatus in the middle of the room. “This,” she explained pointing to the clear vial, “is a remedy I am creating at the request of a patient of mine. He seems to have a rather stubborn case of patch coat.” “Uh huh” Tempest said, inspecting the various colored substances. “So what’s this stuff going to do?” “Hopefully this mixture of adaptive dyes will turn my client’s skin the same color as the coat surrounding it.” Bella proclaimed proudly. “Wouldn’t it just be better to just find a way to make the patches regrow their hair?” asked Tempest. “Maybe,” Bella admitted. She continued, “My client’s particular case of patch coat seems resistant to all traditional treatments. Besides ponies’ coats are so short you couldn’t tell the difference between dyed skin and hair at a glance anyway. If it doesn’t work we can always look for a hair growing solution later. It’s a win-win situation in my book.” “I see. When are you going to try it out?” “Right now if you’ll let me.” Tempest’s stopped looking at the array of colorful objects and looked at Bella. “What do you mean ‘If you’ll let me’?” He asked skeptically. “Well I figured I’ve run enough tests on the remedy that it is ready for subject trials.” Bella responded enthusiastically. Tempests gave a short laugh. “Hah,” He said, “you can’t be serious. What do I look like a lab rat? Besides, I don’t even have a patchy coat.” “Well, if we could just take a small bit of fur off of one of your legs….” “WHAT?” Tempest yelled so loud the liquids in the vials shook. “so you just invited me over just so you can rip out patches of my coat and pour weird chemicals on them? You must have me confused with a Pegasus with no common sense.” “I know it sounds weird,” she responded, “but I know you’re such a good friend that you will understand. I assure you it’s safe.” “NO way in hay. Preform this stuff on yourself.” “Oh come on Tempest. Don’t be such a baby.” “No!” “Not even just once?” Bella magically brought coat trimmers and a vial of her potion over. “No!” Tempest simply repeated. He took flight hoping to stay out of Bella’s reach. “Tempest! Come down here and help me out just this once. Don’t you trust me just a little bit?” “No,” Tempest crossed his front legs and looked defiantly at her. “Will you PLEASE just help me out” Bella pleaded. “No.” “Please.” “I said no.” Bella decided to change tactics. “OK then, but remember you forced me to do this,” she said. She sat down where she was and put on a dramatic sad face, making sure to add a pouting lower lip. Her pupils grew large as she stared pleadingly at Tempest. Tempest gritted his teeth in an attempt to resist the cuteness. “No! No... Hay no, NO, no no no no. NO.” He turned away from her for a few seconds. When he glanced with one eye back in her direction she was still giving him that face. He knew what was coming next. “Pweeese,” Bella asked in the most childish voice she could muster. Tempest let out a long and drawn out sigh. His other half wouldn't allow him to ignore a plead like that. It was a bit like refusing a play date with a bunch of puppies. He just couldn't. He then landed in front of Bella. “Fine! Just… stop that,” he said and offered her his front right leg. “Thank you,” Bella said as she took his hoof in hers. Her demeanor immediately changed to smug. The coat trimmers, which had been suspended in the air the whole time, swooped down and cut out a chunk of Tempest’s coat just below the knee. Tempest didn’t even flinch as the tiny pieces of fur floated to the floor. “This isn’t going to make me grow a fifth leg or anything is it?” Tempest asked jokingly, “Because five legs isn’t really my style.” “Don’t worry,” Bella responded, “If it does it will probably only last a day or two.” She dropped the contents of the vial onto the exposed skin before Tempest could have any second thoughts. “And what do you mean ‘style’?” she asked, “I still can’t get over the fact that you decided to put red highlights in your mane and tail. I liked it better when it was all black.” “Oh really?” Tempest asked, “Well I wouldn’t have had to dye it in the first place if SOMEPONY hadn’t singed it. My mane and coat are even magically fireproofed. How did you even manage to do that?” “Well I guess you should talk to the unicorn who preformed the spell about adding chemical fires to the protection list. Now hush the potion is taking effect.” They both stared at the patch of bare skin on Tempests foreleg as the skin began to change color. First it changed red, then purple, then lastly it changed to match Tempest’s reddish chestnut colored coat. They both looked at the foreleg with enthusiasm, but before either of them could say anything, the skin turned back to its natural color. “Darn” Bella began, “maybe it needs more changeling ashes.” “How did…” “Don’t ask,” Bella trotted over to the center table and poured some ashes into a measuring cup. “I should probably add… Dragon Lilly! Yes the perfect catalyst.” She added a few pedals to the beaker. “Soooo, are we going to do something fun or are we doing to play ‘Let’s Play With Tempest’s Skin Pigment’ all day?” “Yes of course. Just one more try. I’m so close I can feel it.” Bella mixed a few more ingredients and the potion began to bubble. "Yes now hold still so…” She was cut off as the potion overflowed onto the floor. The bubbles rapidly expanded out to encompass the entire floor. Tempest barely had enough time to make a break for the ceiling before the room was filled with green bubbles and smoke. They were so high they had completely swallowed up Bella. “I’m guessing that wasn’t supposed to happen,” remarked Tempest. “No… no it wasn’t,” Bella responded from somewhere inside the bubbles. “Great, now the potion is ruined. I wonder what happened.” Bella opened a trap door and began to use her magic to move the bubbles inside. “Well I’d tell you but ‘I just don’t know what-” “Shut up Tempest it’s not funny anymore.” Bella interrupted. Tempest laughed anyway. The joke wasn’t funny, but Bella’s reaction was always priceless to him. “Well sorry there Ms. Comedy Connoisseur. I must have not… woa.” Tempest was taken aback by what he saw. The bubbles had cleared and there stood Bella. Except instead of being her usual dark blue self, she had turned a dark charcoal grayish black kind of color… sorta. Tempest couldn’t really classify the color, but it definitely wasn’t her natural one. “What? What is it? “ She asked. Tempest merely pointed down so she would look at her hooves. She looked down and gasped when she saw them. She shook her foreleg in the air as if to shake the pigment off. Maybe it was just wishful thinking that it was just something covering her. No it was definitely part of her whatever it was. “Oh no... This isn’t good” Bella managed to say. “You got that right. Now who’s going to be my blue unicorn friend?” Tempest remarked lightheartedly. He tried his best to keep the depressing mood from getting worse, but he could already see the panic and tears on Bella’s face. He took a quick second to think of what to say. Whatever he did, he couldn’t draw attention to her flank.
I'm still grey and Tempest is still a dunder-headBella looked down at her now dark grey hooves. ‘Oh no,’ she thought. ‘This isn’t right at all. What could have possibly gone so wrong that this could happen? No it couldn’t be my coat.’ She shook her foreleg around waiting for residue to come off. It didn’t. She started to panic. Tempest was just floating there staring wide eyed at her. What if she had damaged her coat? She couldn’t live like this forever. Already she was missing her dark blue complexion. She didn’t even care that other ponies all too often compared her to princess Luna. Tears began to well up in her eyes. She took up part of her mane in her right hoof. It was still bright sky blue as usual. At least one aspect of the potion had actually done its job. Bella looked back at Tempest. He seemed deep in thought. ‘Now what could he possibly be pondering?’ She thought. “Hey cheer up. The stuff you tried on me wasn’t permanent and neither should this.” Tempest Finally said. Bella was a bit surprised at Tempest’s sudden sincere nature. He was almost always sarcastic and witty (or at least in his mind) even at inappropriate times. She didn’t even think it he was capable of being serious. He was right though. All she had to do was wait a while. “I’ll tell you what,” Tempest said, “ why don’t we go and have a fun rest of the day out by the river and forget all this. Then when we come back you’ll be nice relaxed and ready to start again.” “Yeah you’re right. Let me just pick up a-” Bella stopped mid sentence. She noticed the box that held the dragon lily petals in it. Or, more accurately, the box that she thought contained Dragon Lily. The box containing the Dragon Lily was labeled as such. This particular box was unlabeled. That meant it was from her most recent gathering expedition, and THAT meant… no, it couldn’t be. She zipped over to the box and picked up a pedal. She looked closely at it. What she saw only confirmed her fears. What she thought was dragon lily was really equestrian heart flower. She could tell because of the tiny red veins that ran along the pedal. The sudden realization of what she had done hit her hard. She couldn’t help tearing up again. “What is it,” asked Tempest. “It’s going to be permanent!” Bella blurted out. “What? How do you know?” Tempest just stood where he was instead of coming to investigate for himself like Bella thought he would. It seemed odd, but she disregarded it and continued. “This is equestrian heart flower,” she explained, “it is a preserving agent I commonly use to extend the longevity of some of my potions. However, it is very powerful. Just two pedals could have made my potion last a year!” Tempest looked over and saw that the box was nearly empty “…oh” was all he could say. Bella was crying openly at this point. “With the amount I added, my bones will be this ugly grey five thousand years from now!” Bella lowered her head and sobbed. “Come on now, that’s not true. Listen here,” Tempest said as he flew over and laid a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. Bella looked into his reassuring eyes and stopped sobbing momentarily. He looked back and smiled. “From what you told me… I’m pretty sure this potion only affected your coat. Your bones will be fine.” At this Bella scowled and knocked away Tempest’s hoof. She turned and walked towards the mirror on the far side of the room. Why could he not take anything seriously? “Ok I admit that was cheap,” Tempest said and flew in front of her again, “but seriously I’ve never seen you back down from a problem before. So what if you added this ‘equestrian heart flower’ stuff. I’m sure you of all ponies can figure out how to fix this.” Once again Tempest surprised her with his sincerity. She walked past him and took a look in the mirror. She was basically exactly the same. Same short legs, same long blue mane, and same violet eyes. The only difference was this new dark grey coat. She turned so she could see the rest of her profile, but before she could Tempest jumped between her and the mirror. “I know where you can start,” he said rather loudly, “you can try some of that freaky deaky magic of yours.” Although she didn’t appreciate him referring to her magic as “freaky deaky”, he was right. She turned back to the big round table in the center of the room. She thought of a few spells that could counteract the effects. She charged her horn with magic and began to preform the most promising one. “Wait!” Tempest yelled. Bella looked at him as he sped into her kitchen. He reappeared a few seconds later with some popcorn. “I love magic shows,” he added. Bella rolled her eyes before closing them so she could concentrate. She prepared an advanced restore spell. She focused on her coat. In theory this spell should restore it to the way it was this morning. She released the magic and felt it sweep over her body. She felt it run from her horn to her tail. She opened her eyes and looked down at her forelegs. She was dismayed to see that they were still grey. “You can do it Bella. Try again.” Tempest said enthusiastically as he threw another piece of popcorn into his mouth. Next she tried a modified version of a cleaning spell. She had used it once before to strip the paint off of her house. She focused the spell on her right foreleg so she could monitor the progress. She immediately stopped the spell as pain shot up her leg. Instead of stripping off the color, it pulled hard on her fur. She looked at Tempest again. He was waving a small hoof held flag that said “Bella #1” on it. Her curiosity as to where he got that flag almost made her forget the last spell she was going to try. It was a difficult one. This time she would attempt to drain the magical essence from the potion. There was still a bit left in a pool on the table. It was extremely dangerous for a unicorn to absorb pure magical essence, but if she could do it, she could directly counteract the effects. A purple ring of magic formed around the potion and it started to glow. “Oooh,” she heard Tempest say. She could feel the magic slowly coming out of the potion. It was working, she could feel it. She stayed focused, making sure none of the raw energy escaped. Suddenly a large torrent of energy came out of the small puddle. It took all if her effort to keep it contained. She could hear crackling as sparks started flying around the room. She had to release the spell. There was no way she could contain it. She might explode if she tried to absorb it all. She let the magical essence bond with the potion again before releasing it from her containment field. “That was amazing!” Tempest was on his feet now. “Any chance you could do that again?” He stopped when he saw the tired and dismayed look on Bella’s face. He zipped over next to her and wrapped a foreleg around her. “you know what this calls for,” he asked. “Not really,” Bella responded. “This calls for a nice relaxing trip to the river so we can come back and try this later,” Tempest said as he walked her to the front door. “But…” Bella began. “No buts,” He insisted, “you look so down it’s making me depressed. So we need to go fix that.” He opened the door and pushed her outside. Bella turned around and took a deep breath. She liked being outside. Her lab was always so stuffy. She tried to take her mind off of her current predicament as they walked to the river.
Out of the Stuffy LabTempest hummed to himself as he flew next to Bella. He sang the lyrics in his head. ‘Bella Blu, She was blue now she’s grey, She was blue now she’s grey, She was blue now she’s greeeeyyyy.’ For obvious reasons he didn’t sing this aloud. He occasionally glanced over at Bella to see how she was holding up. He was in high spirits because he was about to get his much needed time off. All month he had been setting controlled burns all over forest district 7. As fun a being a wildfire manager was, it was tough and tedious work. It didn’t help that his team consisted entirely of young pegasi straight out of flight camp. They were so lazy that Tempest once remarked that they were much better suited to being weather mares. Only Fleet Feather seemed to pull his weight, which was an ironic statement considering he probably couldn’t pull a box of butterflies. Tempest caught himself dwelling on work and returned to making up words to his “Bella Blu” song. The smell and sound of running water interrupted his thoughts. As they crested the hill, they came upon their favorite bend in the river. It was a nice spot with slow moving water and overhanging trees. “Bet you can’t beat me to the bottom onetwothree go!” Tempest said as he took off down the hill. He heard Bella give a short laugh as she followed him. He only glided down the hill in order to make the race fair. Bella put on a short burst of speed and pulled ahead at the last second. She stopped in the mud of the riverbank. Tempest alighted behind her. “Well come on, jump in,” he jeered. “I don’t know,” Bella hesitated, “the water might be a bit cold at this time of the year.” “Only one way to find out,” Tempest responded and he shoved her into the water. Bella gave a slight squeaking cry as she fell face first into the water. “So how is it," Tempest asked between laughs. “Why don’t you find out for yourself?” Bella asked as she resurfaced. Tempest suddenly felt himself being lifted by his tail. He looked back to see a purple ring of magic around it. Bella lifted him eight feet in the air. Before he could react, she swung her head to the right and tossed him into the river. He landed in the water with a plop. He reappeared on the surface and they both started laughing. “How undignified,” Tempest remarked, “this is how it’s done.” Tempest burst out of the water and flew to the shore. He flipped down his flying goggles, which had been sitting against his forehead so long that they left two circular impressions. When he flipped them down everything instantly got darker and turned from fuzzy to clear. ‘I really should use these more often’ he thought to himself. He looked at Bella. The prescription flight goggles made it so that he could actually read her facial expressions from a distance. She was waiting curiously to see what he would do. He then launched himself from the bank and turned in two elegant backflips before landing in the water next to Bella. When he resurfaced he saw her looking at him mischievously. “Uh oh,” was all he managed to say as she erected a massive wave with her magic. He was engulfed by the wave and swept onto the opposite shore. He was about to get up when he had an idea. Instead of getting up, he laid there limp on the shore with his head cocked in a rather uncomfortable position. He was pretty sure Bella couldn’t see his open eyes through his tinted goggles. She watched as her expression changed from playful to concerned. “Tempest?” She asked. She watched him for a few seconds. “Tempest it’s not funny.” She said. He continued to lay there, immobile. “Oh no Tempest!” she exclaimed. She used her magic to allow her to run on top of the water as she made her way too him. It took everything in him to keep from laughing. She came over and stood over him. “Oh Tempest I’m so…” She began. “Surprise,” Tempest yelled as he turned onto his back. He got all four legs under her and launched her into the water. He got a good laugh and jumped in next to her. She resurfaced with a look of supreme irritation. He returned the look with a smile and a hoof bump on the shoulder. “Oh come on,” he said pleadingly, “don’t be too mad. You set me up for that one.” Instead of responding she turned away with a “hmph”. He was doing well. All he had to do was keep her in the water for a few more hours until the sun went down. ‘Aw snap’ he thought ‘that’s way too long’. Maybe he could just break the news to her at the end of this outing. Tempest returned his attention to making Bella happy. He waded through the chest high water to be in front of her again. He flipped up his goggles so she could see his eyes. He raised an eyebrow in a comical curious face that for some reason always made her laugh. She didn’t this time, but he could see her fighting a smile. “Alright missy,” he began, “I’m sorry for worrying you. I know you have enough of that right now.” He hesitated because he didn’t want to remind her of her predicament. “I mean you haven’t had to put up with me for this long since we were foals,” he finished. ‘Smooth’ he thought sarcastically to himself. Fortunately for him she smiled at the joke. ‘Or maybe it’s the nostalgic sentiment that made her smile’ he thought. “Anyway the evening is still young and there is plenty of fun to be had.” Tempest said as he made a splashing leap into the deeper end of the river. Tempest did his absolute best for the next hour to keep Bella in the water, but she grew tired and opted to lie down on her side and watch the sun go down. Tempest gritted his teeth. Her left flank was horribly exposed. Even a cursory look back, and she would notice it. He climbed out of the water and high stepped in a mock prance over to her. As hid did so, the mud he splashed up covered her. “Hey. You did that on purpose you dunder-head,” Bella remarked and flicked a little bit of mud his way. He laid down next to her on her right side. “Did I?” he asked mockingly, “I’m sorry about that. Think of it as a relaxing mud bath while you watch the sunset.” “Thanks Tempest.” Bella said after a short pause. “For what?” “For taking the time to take me out here and cheer me up. You’ve been a real good friend all these years.” “I know.” Bella giggled at the mock vanity and turned her attention back to the west. They both remained silent as they watched the sun go down. _______ Bella awoke at the base of a willow tree next to the river. She looked around and saw the same serene river bend she had spent her time at yesterday. She stood up and yawned. There was no sign of Tempest. She reached out with her forelegs and stretched like a cat. Her back popped satisfyingly and she made her way to the river. There was a bit of dried mud from yesterday that she wanted to wash off. She waded into the water and used her magic to wipe off the mud. She dismayed slightly to see that her coat was still grey. When she first woke up, she had hoped it was a bad dream. She looked back at her newly colored body. This color would not work well at all with her… Just then Bella’s heart stopped. Her flank, HER CUTIE MARK! It was gone! For the first time since she was a filly she saw nothing there but another blank section of coat. How could the potion do this to her? “ahh…ohhh” She couldn’t even find words to describe her terror. “Tempest!” she cried out. She then heard a voice coming from the trees. “Wah? Oh not yet. I’ve still got ten minutes till my shift. What do you mean ‘understaffed’? Wah?” Bella looked up at one of the branches of the willow tree she had been sleeping under. She saw Tempest looking around drearily. “My cutie mark is gone!” She exclaimed. The reality of those words hit her as she said them. Tempest shook himself out of his sleepy daze and flew down to her. “Oh… yeah,” was all he could manage. “This is terrible. This potion has effectively ruined my life.” “Hey now don’t say that. So you lost a little artwork on your butt and have turned a color that reminds me of signal fire smoke; your still the same brilliant unicorn I bumped into on the streets of Manehattan.” Bella knew he was trying to cheer her up yet again, but it only made her feel high maintenance. She turned away from him and tried to take his words to heart. It was true she was still the same unicorn she was two days ago, mostly. She still had a job, friends, her lab, and a Pegasus that, so it seemed, would be here forever to make her life fun and interesting. She tried her best to cheer up, but she couldn’t get over the fact that her cutie mark was gone. She remembered the day she got it. She had cared for Tempest and kept him from dying after he was nearly beat to death by some thugs. She felt guilty because he was tying to defend her from them. She remembered how relieved she was the day he was able to open both of his eyes and stand up on his own again. It was the day she realized she had a talent helping injured ponies. “Hmmm,” Bella heard Tempest behind her. She turned around and saw him deep in thought. “What is it?” she asked. “I think I had a thunk,” Tempest remarked. Bella rolled her eyes, “care to share?” she asked. “But of course, sharing is caring after all.” “Yes?” “We need to go talk to princess Celestia.” “What?! Canterlot? That’s all the way on the other side of Equestria!” “Yeah I know, but it’s not too long of a train ride.” “Train? No no no. I can’t go looking like this” She gestured to her body. “Do you want this stuff gone?” “Yes.” “Then let’s go!” “….BUT I’m not going out in public all grey and without a cuttie mark.” “Ugh and you call ME the baby.” “Going around the everfree forest on foot will take days. We’ll just have to cut through it.” "Ok. Seriously? The train station is only a short walk into town…” “Just humor me Tempest” There was a short silence between them. “Fine,” Tempest conceded, “let’s go.” Before Bella could respond, Tempest took off so fast she had to hug the ground in order to avoid being blown over. She was left alone in the woods for several minutes. She was pretty sure he hadn’t left without him, but where had he gone? Tempest soon returned with two saddlebags. “Provisions,” he said curtly, “now let’s move. We’re burning daylight.” He then picked her up by her midsection, and sped quickly towards the Everfree Forest.
Trip to CanterlotIt had been 2 days since they first stepped into the everfree forest. It had been a long and taxing journey. Bella Blu’s hooves were sore and she regretted being so insistent that they walk ALL the way across Equesrtia. Tempest was tired after carrying her several miles to the everfree forest and decided to walk with her. He only occasionally flew up above the tree line to track their progress. “One second,” he managed to say as he took off weakly. He flew up past the tree branches and disappeared. Bella kept up her slow pace and thought about how nice a glass of water would be right then. She heard Tempest crash back through the tree branches and turned her head. He took up a quick trot to catch up to her and gave her the news. “This forest just keeps going. I’m not sure if we can make it at this rate.” “We have to. We are at least more than halfway. Just a day or two more.” Bella replied quietly. She didn’t want to disturb whatever creatures were lurking in the forest with them. “Another few days?” Tempest reacted, “another few days like this and some giant predator is going to be gnawing on our bones. I have a better idea. You know a cloud walking spell?” “Why yes but I don’t know how that is going to…” “Just cast it real quick.” Bella closed her eyes and did so. Before she could open them again, she felt herself being picked up. Tempest flew up with her and broke through the tree branches again. She shielded her eyes as the leaves and small branches whipped at her face. As they broke above the tree line, she looked out onto the vast ocean of green. Tempest was right it DID seem to go on forever. The thought daunted her. What had she gotten them into? She looked up and saw a large collection of clouds. She assumed that was what Tempest was going for. She grew concerned as his flapping became slower and his breathing became heavier. By the time they reached the cloud he was barely maintaining his altitude. As they started to descend again, Tempest swung her into the air and tossed her over the edge of the cloud. She landed with a plop and relaxed a little. Bella didn’t appreciate being tossed like a sack of flour, but she was relieved to be on the cloud. She crawled over to the edge just in time for Tempest to grab onto it with a hoof. She wrapped a leg around his free hoof and pulled him up. He collapsed on the cloud when he got up, not even caring that his back legs were still hanging off of the edge. Bella lay on her back next to him. The cloud felt really nice, if a bit lumpy. She realized then why pegasi liked lounging on them so much. “ugh… whew, well that was fun” Tempest said after a brief rest. “No kidding. You mind telling me why we’re up here now?” Bella replied between breaths. “Look back there, there’s a low pressure front pushing these clouds west. Isn’t that neat? Clouds actually move on their own around here. We are going to let barometric pressure do all of the work for us. Now all we have to do is relax and float on by.” Bella looked and saw that all of the clouds were all moving in the same direction away from the rising sun. She got up and glanced over the edge. “That’s great and all but we are moving at a snail’s pace,” Bella said apathetically, “It will take forever to get to Canterlot at this rate.” “It may look that from here, but we are actually traveling at a running pace right now,” Tempest explained. Bella smiled as he said this and said, “This is great!” She paused and giggled with joy. “I wish this front had come through sooner.” “You and me both,” Tempest replied. He yawned and pulled himself all the way onto the cloud. Bella laid down a few feet from him and closed her eyes. She was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to rest a bit. Both of them fell asleep as they bathed in the sun upon their autonomous cloud. ___ Bella awoke with a start as her left fore hoof fell off the edge of the cloud. She pulled it back up just in time to see that the cloud was rapidly shrinking. She took a few steps back from the enclosing edge. She looked and noticed the cloud dissipating around all of its edges. “Tempest wake up!” she exclaimed. “Wah?” Tempest awoke with a start, “jeez Bella you’ve got to stop doing that.” “Less talking and more flying, this cloud is dissolving.” Bella gestured to the ever-shrinking surface. “Oh, that must mean we’re here,” Tempest remarked with nonchalance. “The clouds not only move on their own, but they also break up on their own,” he explained, “Neat huh?” “Tempest!” “Ok fine fine, just chill would you?” Tempest picked her up and flew off of the shrinking cloud. Bella looked down and saw the end of the Everfree forest. The sight made her sigh and it felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She saw a rustic looking cottage on the edge of the forest. There were animals all around it in every direction. She wondered what kind of pony lived there. A small town came into view as they flew over the crest of a hill. There was a train station at the edge of town. Tempest was heading right for it. Bella opened her mouth to protest but then stopped herself. After their ordeal in the Everfree forest, the last thing she wanted to do was walk the rest of the way to Canterlot. She decided not to say anything on the subject. It would only set Tempst up for an “I told you so”. It took them only a few minutes to reach the train station. Bella envied her friend’s ability to get from place to place so quickly. Sure unicorns had teleportation, but it only got them so far. “All aboard to Canterlot,” a voice called. “Oh no, we’ve missed the train,” Bella said to Tempest. “No we haven’t,” Tempest replied. He caught up to the train as it pulled out of the station. He dropped Bella on top of the caboose and alighted next to her. “Not exactly what I had in mind, but this works,” Bella said. Some of the ponies at the station gave a puzzled look as they saw them land on the train. Tempest turned back and waved to them. Bella laughed as a filly in the station crowd waved back. They rode on top of the train as it began its trek to Canterlot. She was slightly bothered by the fact they were freeloading. Sure, they had jumped many trains together in Manehattan, but they were poor back then. Now they actually had plenty of bits to spend on a ticket. The train went over hills and across valleys before spiraling its way up the mountain that Canterlot protruded from. Bella had always been curious as to what the designers were going for when they built the city in such a fashion. They routinely had to duck as the train chugged in and out of tunnels. ‘It’s was exactly like Manehattan’s river district’ Bella thought. The train slowed down as it approached the Canterlot gates. Tempest nudged her. She took the cue and jumped off of the roof of the train. She alighted behind it out of sight of the guards at the gate. Tempest flew over to her side and they walked together. They approached the guards at the gate. To their surprise they said nothing except for, “Welcome to Canterlot.” “Thank you,” Bella responded and made her way into the city. Author's Note Realized the last chapter was going to be disproportionately large compared to the others so I split it into two.
A Lesson Hard LearnedOnce on the streets of Canterlot, Bella was struck by how regal the city felt. Everything looked neat, bold, and expensive. There were unicorns everywhere. Bella had never seen so many in one place. The cobblestone streets were well swept and, she suspected, magically augmented to suppress noise caused by hooves. She heard Tempest snort, as he saw a pair of rich looking unicorns walking with their noses high in the air. She thought she heard him say something along the lines of, “blue belly bit chasers” under his breath, but she couldn’t be sure. Bella hoped his problem with pretentious rich ponies wouldn’t be a problem, because there seemed to be a lot here. They reached the inner wall that signified the perimeter of the castle grounds. There was another set of guards at the inner gate. This time Tempest and Bella were stopped. “What business do you two have in the castle,” the guard on the right challenged. “We came to seek an audience with Princess Celestia,” replied Bella eagerly. “You and the rest of Equestria,” the guard muttered. “What was that?” Tempest asked glaring. “erm- uh I said that you will have to make an appointment with Soaring Valor to gain audience with the princess.” Tempest continued to look the guard in the eyes with a scolding look. “And where might we find this Soaring Valor?” he asked. “Well, he’s with the princess… in Cloudsdale.” The guard responded a little meekly. “What,” Bella blurted out, “you mean she’s not here?” “Um… yes she left to attend the Best Young Fliers competition being hosted today.” the guard explained. “You mean to tell me the ONE time the princess isn’t here is the time we decide to come?” Bella despaired. “It was rhetorical genius,” Tempest said when he noticed that the guard was about to answer. “You better watch who you use that tone with young sir,” the guard said, regaining a bit of his authoritative demeanor. “Oh really,” Tempest asked, “and whom might that be?” Tempest and the guard locked eyes for a few seconds. ‘Big mistake’ Bella thought. She saw sweat rolling down the guard’s neck from under his helmet. He looked first to his fellow guard for help. His comrade only held is statue like posture. When he saw that he wasn’t going to receive help the guard turned back to Tempest. “Oh, first that infernal wolf and now this?” The guard finally said. “Be gone with both of you.” “Come on Tempest let’s go,” Bella said glumly. As they walked away from the gate, Bella heard Tempest trying to hold back laughter. “What’ so funny?” “Oh you know, it’s always fun to see the high and mighty types sweat a little. This time it was quite literal sweating.” Tempest faced forward and smiled to himself. “Come on. We just have to wait a little while until she comes back. It’s only a couple of hours until sunset, and I’m sure she’ll be back before then to lower it or something.” He reassured his friend. “Yeah I guess you’re right,” she said. “Of course I am,” Tempest replied. They sat down at a restaurant close to the castle. They didn’t talk much, mostly because Tempest was busy eating the three DHT (daisy, hay bacon, and tomato) sandwiches he had ordered. He was about to say something to break the silence and stopped as he noticed something in the sky. He poked Bella so she would look at whatever he had noticed. Princess Celestia’s golden chariot was flying into the city. Bella jumped off of her seat cushion and ran out into the middle of the street. If she wasn’t allowed into the castle then there was only one option left. She quickly cast a voice amplification spell. “PRINCESS CELESTIA!” She yelled with her amplified voice. Tempest gritted his teeth as some of the glass windows around her cracked and ponies from as far as three blocks away looked in her direction. At first it seemed that the chariot was going to keep going to the castle. Bella saw the princess lean forward and speak to her Pegasus guards and they turned around. Bella ran to the spot in front of the castle gates where the chariot landed. When she got there she bowed to the princess. Celestia stepped off of her chariot and looked at the unicorn. “Well you certainly know how to get a pony’s attention,” She remarked. “Forgive me princess but I have something I desperately need to ask of you,” Bella responded. “Yes what is it?” “You see, an experiment of mine has gone horribly wrong. A potion I was brewing has turned my coat from blue to… this” Bella gestured to herself. “Your magic is the only thing strong enough to undo its effects.” “Hold it right there,” a guard said, “You have some nerve talking to your princess like this. Do you think she will just wait on you ready to…” “Thank you for your concern Sure Hoof, but it will not be necessary,” Celestia interrupted. “Besides, what kind of princess would I be if I did not aid my subjects from time to time.” Celestia’s horn glowed yellow with magic. Bella took a step back. “Are you ready to begin?” Celestia asked. “Um yes your highness,” Bella said a bit surprised that Celestia would choose right here in front of the castle. A blinding light came from Celestia’s horn and Bella felt a rush of sensations as magic enveloped her. She remained suspended in midair for a few seconds. She opened her eyes when one of her hooves touched the ground. She looked at the ground and noticed that her legs were still the same color. “Oh my,” Celestia said, “That is one stubborn dye. Let me try something else.” Three times Bella was lifted into the air as princess Celestia tried to restore her color. The fourth time she looked at her gay coat and held up a hoof to keep the princess from trying again. “That’s ok,” she said, “I think we both know this is going to be permanent.” “Are you sure?” the princess asked, as serenely as ever, “I know I’ve got a few more spells could try.” “Thank you, but I won’t waste any more of your time,” Bella sighed. “Very well,” Celestia said, “What are your names.” “My name is Bella Blu, and this is Tempest. We’re from Wilowshade Meadows.” “Represent,” Bella heard Tempest say behind her. “My my, you two have come a long way. Where are you staying?” Celestia enquired. “We haven’t planned that far ahead,” admitted Bella. “A good place would have to be The Rise and Shine Inn in Canterlot circle. It’s just a block that way,” Celestia said, gesturing down the street. “Thank you princess,” Bella said and bowed. “I am glad to help,” Celestia said before leaning a little closer. “And between you and me, this easily beats what I’ll have to be doing once I get back to the castle, so don’t feel bad about this impromptu meeting.” Celestia straightened up and smiled. “Now if that is all, I’ll be heading back to the castle.” “Yes. Thanks again for your time,” Bella said. “Very well,” the princess said and turned back to her chariot. Bella felt a hoof on her shoulder. She turned to see Tempest with a concerned look on his face. “Come on,” he said, “let’s go find that inn.” They turned and walked down the street together as Princess Celestia was flown to the look out tower. “You know,” Tempest began, “It’s not really the end of the…” “I know,” Bella interrupted, “I really do. It has taken me a while to come to terms with it, but this is a part of me now.” “Right, just, don’t let it define you ok? I never thought turning grey would give you the blues. Get it? Because you we’re blue to begin with and now-” “Yeah yeah I get it. You are right. I’m still the same pony I was before all this and I won’t let something as simple as a color change bring me down.” “Ok great because I have a song I’ve been waiting to run by you about our adventure.” Bella let out a sigh, “sure why not,” she said. “All right! A ways back east in a small wooden house A pony was cooking up trouble Just one touch of a magical plant And that brew began to bubble One quick moment of green catastrophe And she did turn to me ‘Oh dear Tempest I’ve done it again Look what’s happened now can’t you seeeeee’ Bella Blu, Bella Blu She is grey yes it’s true But she’s quite the mare Now she’s gonna make it through Bella Blu, Bella Blu She better not make me stew The last thing that I want Is her to singe my insides too Now she’s all the way in Cantrlot She hasn’t bathed in days And her looks are from Detrot But you can’t keep this pony down Not with lemons or limes She’s just that cool a’ mare even if she Hates on Tempest’s rhymes Bella Blu, Bella Blu She is grey yes it’s true But she’s quite the mare And she’s gonna make it through Bella Blu, Bella Blu I like her coat yes I do I like it better when there’s one Luna Not twoooo But in all seriousness ponies I’m proud of this mare She didn’t turn back to normal But I don’t really care She doesn’t need to be blue To be down right stella’ As long as she’s here She’ll be my Grey Friend Bellaaaaaaaaaa ow” Tempest punctuated the “ow” by stamping a hoof on the ground, bringing the song to a close. “Wow… catchy,” Bella remarked. Other ponies on the street were muttering to each other after the public display. “It’s a work in progress,” Tempest said and smiled with self-satisfaction. They rented a room at the inn and slept deeply through the night. Both Bella and Tempest would need their strength for the trip home. Author's Note Whew finally done! On to "Blast from the Past".
