//------------------------------// // First Day's the Worst // Story: "You Do NOT Pass!" // by Pennington Inkwell //------------------------------// "Hey... Hey, Tempest..." Tempest did NOT like being woken up. "Tempest, it's time for you to get up!" Tempest's eyes cracked open, revealing Moonstone standing above her on her pillow, shaking her shoulder. "Ugh... no..." Tempest growled, turning back over onto her side and burying her face deeper into her pillow. "Tempest, come ON! I'm trying to help you out, here! Breakfast ends in half an hour!" "Not hungry..." she muttered. "Okay, remember: you brought this on yourself!" "Brought wha-" In an overwhelming rush of cold air, Tempest's blanket was ripped off of her body, leaving her completely exposed. Tempest rolled her eyes. If the little dragon expected that to work, she was in for a surprise. Standing at the helms of airships as they climbed higher into the atmosphere than most pegasi dared to fly had conditioned her quite nicely against the cold. Simply taking away her blanket was not going to be enough to get her out of bed. "Wow... that usually works." "I told you I'm not hungry." Tempest sighed. "Now, would you please give that back? I just want to sleep a little longer." "No can do, Tempest! My job is to make sure YOU don't start forming any bad habits and keep you on schedule! And right now, I've given you as much leeway as I can!" Tempest groaned and sat up in bed, staring down at the little dragon. She was holding what looked to be some kind of list in her claws, her arms folded across her chest as she impatiently tapped her foot against the floor. "What... time is it, anyway?" Tempest's whole body felt more sluggish and tired out than usual, and she could barely keep her eyes open. It may have had something to do with the beating she suffered at Quick Strike's hooves the day before, but it felt like she'd only just closed her eyes a few moments ago. "Eleven thirty! Seriously, if I don't get my breakfast, I'm going to get really cranky really fast!" "Eleven thirty?" Tempest was very suddenly fully awake. There was no way it could possibly be nearly noon already, right? She never slept in that late! "Yes! Now, do you want to be late for everything today, or just breakfast?" Moonstone tapped her foot impatiently on the floor. "Fine, fine, I'm up!" Tempest rolled herself out of the bed, landing on her hooves with a sigh. She was definitely stiff and more than a bit sore, but it wasn't anything worth acknowledging to Moonstone. She didn't want her... ugh... roommate to see her show any weakness. "Good! Your trainee uniform is on the desk!" Moonstone pointed towards the desk in the corner of the room. "It's not much, but consider it a sign of acceptance around here!" Glancing over her shoulder, Tempest spotted a scrap of clothing on the desk that hadn't been there the day before. A short inspection revealed it to be a black t-shirt sporting a simplified version of the New Lunar Republic's crest across the chest. "Is this... it?" "Were you expecting a full set of Night Guard armor? Hurry up and get dressed, we're wasting time!" Tempest rolled her eyes and pulled the t-shirt over her head, slipping her forelegs through the sleeves and craning her neck to pull her mane completely through. "So, why do you care so much if I'm late? If you want breakfast so badly, go and get it, yourself!" "Like I said, I've been assigned to be your assistant! I'm here to make sure you're punctual, aware of what's expected of you, and aware of what's going on around you!" Tempest had liked Grubber. For all of his idiotic mistakes, she could always rely on the Storm King's bumbling assistant to not do anything that got in her way. Given a few sweets and a corner to sit in, he tended to be little more than a momentary distraction from what she had been trying to accomplish at any time. It appeared that Moonstone was going to be the polar opposite. "I don't need an assistant." Tempest muttered, brushing past the little wyvern on her way to the door. "I can handle myself just fine." She made a point of not looking down or back as she stepped out into the hallway, leaving Moonstone behind. She glanced left, then right, and realized an unfortunate truth: She had absolutely no idea which way the cafeteria was. Better to take a chance than to look like an idiot so soon after saying I didn't need her... Tempest turned to the leftt, walking at a brisk pace down the hall. "Wrong way, Tempest." "I know! I was just looking for the bathroom!" "Still the wrong way. Not to mention you're lying." Tempest grimaced, gritted her teeth, then turned around, walking back past a smug-looking Moonstone. "I'm just turned around... I'm not used to being underground!" "I know! Which is why I lied to you!" Tempest spun around, magical energy crackling off of her horn as she came snout-to-snout with an even more smug dragon staring her in the eyes. "Now, you can let every pony in this facility with a grudge against you get you 'turned around' like that! Or, alternatively..." Moonstone held up her list once again. "You can just accept that you're stuck with me and have a guide on your side!" Tempest refused to admit that help would be convenient. It wasn't wanted, and it certainly wasn't needed, but it was convenient, and there was no way she'd let Moonstone know it. There was a power dynamic, here, and Moonstone was trying to take control of it. If she let her have this first victory, Tempest knew that Moonstone would never give up that authority over her. "Well, we can go to the cafeteria. Or, alternatively... you can go without your precious breakfast." Moonstone was taken aback for a moment, then sighed and shook her head, walking back in Tempest's original direction and motioning for her to follow. Tempest smiled and followed her, pleased she hadn't lost her touch for taking control of a situation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tempest was NOT having a good day. By the time they had made it to the cafeteria, there had only been a single bowl of lukewarm oatmeal left, which was stone cold by the time she had reached the last few bites. Moonstone had apparently put in a unique order, which was still piping hot and waiting for her: a gem-encrusted muffin filled with rubies, sapphires, and other minerals. It was there that Tempest discovered that the New Lunar Republic was run on a nocturnal schedule. This meant that Moonstone had woken her at eleven-thirty PM. The little dragon had nearly ceased to be at that point. Utilizing every ounce of self-control in her body, Tempest had managed to restrict her reaction to letting off an array of magical sparks and bolts that set her table and several others on fire. This had, of course, resulted in a mad rush to put out all of the fires before they got out of control and several dozen apologies from Moonstone on both of their behalf. By the time the mess had been sorted out, Moonstone had declared that they were now running late and had missed her training session with Quick Strike: the one thing she had been looking forward to as a saving grace from her bad "morning." She had then been forced into what looked like a kind of oversized classroom for adults, where a dusty old mare informed her and several other ponies present that this would be where they would be educated regarding protocol and day-to-day expectations for members of the Night Guard. Tempest was relatively certain that she dozed off somewhere around the twenty minute mark, though it hardly mattered. Everything being taught was common sense to her, not to mention startlingly similar to the chain of command in the Storm King's army. She was still groggy from her accidental nap when she and her fellow "students" emerged from the room, and Moonstone had been waiting for her, impatiently tapping her foot. Tempest couldn't help noticing that none of the other new recruits had anyone waiting for them. Suddenly, Moonstone's purpose became apparent. "You're here to spy on me, aren't you?" "Huh?" Tempest rolled her eyes. "The ponies around here obviously don't trust me, or even like me, so they've sent you to keep an eye on me to see if I'm going to betray them." Moonstone raised an eyebrow, then shrugged her shoulders and she turned her attention back to the list in her claws. "Well, duh. You led a hostile invasion against our nation's capital, nearly killed Princess Luna by crystallizing her in mid-air, then stole all of the princesses' magic! You're a dangerous pony, so of course they sent me to spy on you!" Well, her candor is certainly refreshing. "Now, let's go get some lunch, then you have a psychiatric evaluation at four." Tempest stopped for a moment, then sighed and shook her head. Given everything Moonstone had just listed from her past, it made sense that other ponies would want to be certain she wasn't crazy. That didn't mean, however, that she had to like the idea of having somepony picking at her brain. Finally, they were both standing outside of a single door, and Moonstone motioned for her to enter. Tempest sighed, taking one last glance at her. "Want my advice?" Moonstone asked, raising an eyebrow. "Not really, but I'm guessing you're going to give it to me, regardless?" "Nope." Moonstone shrugged and walked away, leaving Tempest standing alone. She glanced at the door, then the open hallway she'd been left in. It was entirely possible that she could just leave and skip this whole ordeal. Unfortunately, if what she'd learned at her half-remembered class earlier was true, getting reprimanded this early into her training would most likely end in her being written off as a lost cause. Taking a deep breath and sighing, Tempest braced herself for scrutiny and overanalysis, then placed her hoof on the doorknob and entered the room. The office was strangely empty, with only a single desk and a pony sitting behind it, as well as a second chair facing him. The only decoration on the walls was a wide-bladed bronze sword mounted just above his head, finely etched to the point that there was no conceivable way it could have ever seen combat without some kind of marring. The desk was nearly as empty as the walls, save for an open file he was browsing through, a small figurine of a pegasus in a green jacket and pith helmet sitting at the corner, and a single placard proclaiming his identity. Scorching Quill The pony, himself, was an average-looking unicorn with a dark red coat and messy orange-and-red mane, leaving him looking as though he'd recently climbed out of a ketchup bottle and fallen into a pile of autumn leaves. While he seemed disheveled at best, he was perfectly at ease, meaning that the chaotic look was apparently something he didn't feel the need to correct. A quick glance at the trash bin seated beside the desk revealed countless torn and crumpled pieces of paper alongside several empty cups of instant ramen noodles. Decorative sword too pretty for combat? Obviously not focused on his own upkeep, either. This psychiatrist must be one of those "pencil pushers" Quick Strike was talking about... When she entered the room, he finally looked up from the sheaf of papers he'd been reading. Taking them all in his hooves and tapping them against the table, he slid them neatly back into the folder they'd apparently come in. "Ah, Miss Berrytwist, I presume?" Tempest shouldn't have been so surprised to hear him address her by her real name, but after so long, it was awkward to hear it at all. It felt more like a stranger's name, at this point. "Please, take a seat. We have much to talk about." He motioned to the second chair, then leaned over, opening an unseen drawer and retrieving a pad of paper and quill. Tempest sighed and did as she was asked. It sounded as if they were going to be there for a while, and with no stereotypical couch to lay on, she may as well settle for an open chair. "Well, I suppose we should get this over with..." Tempest sighed, rolling her eyes. "I guess I should start off by saying that I'm not craz-" "A dozen airships filled with reinforcements, not counting your own personal flagship, no less than twelve instances of the enchanted objects colloquially known as 'Gorgon Grenades' and an array of enchanted objects and armor that could leave even the most dedicated adventurer in awe..." He raised an eyebrow and tapped the tip of the quill against his notepad in thought. "I must admit, you certainly take the motto 'Be Prepared' to heart, don't you?" "Well, I-" Tempest wasn't certain what to say in response, not that she had a chance to before being cut off again. "Of course, it paid off, didn't it? I would say that you successfully captured our nation's capital and enslaved the entirety of its population in an afternoon! You captured three demi-goddesses at once, and managed to catch a fourth while overcoming numerous obstacles, traitors, and failures over the course of only three days!" It was obvious that this pony was not a neutral party, nor was she being given a fair chance. Indignation began to bubble up in her chest, screaming for her to cut him off in return, but she swallowed it back down. This is an evaluation... Could he be testing me to see if I snap at him? "I haven't seen an invasion pulled off this tactfully by a foreign army since the Royal Wedding Attack..." He tapped the tip of the feather on his quill against his chin. "Although, between you and me, half of THAT attack was improvised by the queen..." His thoughts seemed to trail off for a moment before he snapped back to the moment. "Anyway, Fizzlepop, I can see that you're definitely somepony who knows how to plan. You exploit weaknesses, you're cunning, plan ahead, you're obviously a natural-born leader, and a skilled tactician to boot. The drive and determination needed to accomplish all these things is immense. That inevitably leads to one of the most important questions that I'm going to be asking you today..." He leaned forward, quill gripped tightly in his hoof and ready to begin taking his notes. "What could possibly have turned a pony that driven back on her own side?" Tempest put aside his frightening knowledge of the details of her invasion for a moment, trying to think of the best answer. She'd had a lot of time for self-examination while she waited for her application to be accepted, and she'd made use of it to take a long look at herself and what mattered to her under her ideas of the world. "Princess Twilight. When I was about to be swept away in the Storm King's tornado, she took the time to save my life, rather than grabbing the staff and ending the battle then and there. In spite of everything I'd done, she still tried to be my friend before all else. I've never met anyone like that." Scorching sighed, leaning back in his chair and beginning to scribble at the notepad. He stopped only a moment later, though, re-dipping the quill into the inkwell. After repeating the process several times, he tossed the quill into the trash bin and retrieved a ballpoint pen with a sigh. The action confused Tempest, until she finally came to a realization that she should have recognized sooner. "Why don't you use your magic?" "Hm?" "You're a unicorn, aren't you? Why don't you just write with your magic?" Scorching sighed and shook his head. "My magical penmanship is ten times worse. This is easier to read later." He took a moment to think, then muttered to himself as he began to scribble more notes. "Bossy and nosy... tends to critique superior officers." "Hey! I'm not..." Tempest trailed off as he glanced up at her, as if daring her to interrupt him again. "Now then... why don't you give me your real answer, rather than the one I want to hear?" He leaned forward, pen at the ready. "Why the sudden change of heart when you were so set in your ways before?" Tempest's indignation was beginning to come back with a vengeance. Not only was this pony making baseless assumptions about her and was obviously not a neutral party, but now he was assuming she was lying when she told him about the moment that had changed her entire outlook on life? "I told you, Princess Twilight saved my life after the Storm King betrayed me, and forgave me in spite of everything I've done!" "I see... Aggressive, but honest." Scorching scribbled down more notes on his pad. "You were betrayed by the Storm King, then changed sides?" "What? That's not what I said!" "I believe you did." "NO I DIDN'T!" Tempest slammed her hoof on the desk, losing control for a moment and causing a tremor that knocked over the small figurine. Both of them stared at the small figure for a moment, and Tempest knew that she had made a bad decision. Scorching didn't look frightened, only calmly staring at the figure for a few seconds before carefully reaching over and setting it back on its hooves. "I... think we're done for the day." "Wait! I didn't mean to-" "Come back at the same time tomorrow." "But I-" "Tomorrow, Fizzlepop!" Tempest knew she'd already blown her opportunity, if she'd ever had one to begin with. She could stay and argue with him and continue to worsen the bad impression she'd made, or she could leave with what small shred of dignity she had left intact and attempt again the next day. Normally, she would have taken the first option and stood her ground, however she could feel the toll of her lack of sleep mounting ever higher, and without the rush of adrenaline from her outburst, she could tell that she would barely be able to keep her eyes open. Today was the day to retreat and regroup. Or, rather, the NIGHT to retreat and regroup. With frustration still churning in her stomach, Tempest walked away, back into the empty hallway. Or, rather, the nearly-empty hallway. "Want any advice NOW?" Moonstone asked, polishing her claws on her chest. "Oh, shut up and lead us back to our room..." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Wow, I thought it would go poorly, but I didn't think it would be THAT bad!" Moonstone sighed and shook her head as she paced along the bookshelf. She had flown up and was carefully treading between the books and the edge, listening to Tempest as she recounted her conversation with Scorching Quill. "Wow. The one sent to spy on me didn't expect my interview to go well. How surprising." Tempest mumbled, her foreleg covering her eyes as she attempted to fall asleep at five in the morning, only a short hour before the time she was accustomed to waking up. "Oh, I was talking about Scorching! I mean, he wasn't thrilled when Twilight asked him to evaluate you, but I didn't think he'd come down THAT hard on you!" Moonstone jumped down and glided the short distance to her bed, bouncing off the mattress and landing on her pillow. Tempest pulled her hoof away from her face, sitting up and staring at Moonstone. "Wait... Princess Twilight requested for THAT guy to evaluate me?" "Well, yeah! They go way back, to before she was a princess!" Moonstone picked up her book, blocking her face from view, but Tempest could almost feel the wyvern's smug grin on the other side. "They had a bit of a falling out later on, but if she went out of her way to ask him to come back and do this, then you've got to be pretty special!" Tempest fell back onto her bed, groaning and pulling her pillow over her eyes. "You seem to know an awful lot about him... Have you 'assisted' him, too?" "You could say that, yeah." "Was he the one who asked you to spy on me?" "Well, telling you who assigned me to help you is above your clearance level... but if it wasn't, I would definitely tell you that you're on the right track!" Tempest groaned and rolled to the side, feeling like a mouse in a trap. She'd lost control of her temper and most likely ruined things for herself, the pony evaluating her seemed to be taking out a grudge against Princess Twilight on her, and to top it all off, the one person who was supposed to help her was working for the one trying to hinder her. After all she'd been through, after working for the Storm King, after capturing Canterlot and the Princesses, being saved by Twilight and making her first friends, she was right back to where she'd started before she'd even joined the Storm King: Fizzlepop Berrytwist against the world. "One more question..." "Mhmm?" "Can you turn off the light? I'm trying to sleep!" "Sure! I can see in the dark, anyway." She heard the definite click of a light switch, and uncovered her eyes to be met with blissful darkness. Finally, Tempest drifted off to sleep, her mind still racing with how she could fight back against Scorching's prejudice against her.