A few hours later Berry Punch and Tempest were nearly finished with trimming and cleaning up the grapevines in the west field. Berry Pinch was busy picking up anything the two mares missed from the ground. The filly was putting the loose trimmings and old grapes in a basket for disposal later humming a tune to herself.
Tempest was busy nipping dead leaves off the vines. Her armor barely hindered her even in the warm sunlight. Her Aunt was doing the same thing not far from her. As they went on to the final hour before lunch time Tempest’s temper was on the rise again. Why? Because Berry Pinch all the while was throwing sidelong glances or staring at her. Tempest knew what she wanted to ask. She wanted to know about her broken horn. It wasn’t rare for a unicorn to damage their horn, but to have it completely shattered is very rare. A unicorn's horn is their life, not in the sense they’d perish without it. Life as in it's a very essential part of their being. A unicorn without a horn is incomplete, and quite literally broken. Many lose the ability to use magic altogether, while some, like Tempest, are lucky enough to have kept their magic.
Berry Punch noticed after a while when Tempest started swishing her tail she knew that Berry Pinch was staring. It was clear to the older mare that her daughter didn’t notice she was upsetting Tempest. To alleviate this from escalating Berry Punch walked to her daughter and picked her up with her hooves.
“Mom?”
Berry Punch smiled kindly to her daughter.
“My little Ruby, you’re working so hard today. What say we get started on lunch early, hmm?”
“Really?! We’re already that far ahead?” Berry Pinch asked in amazement.
Berry Punch let out a light chuckle at her daughter’s enthusiasm.
“Yes, with Fizzlepops’s-”
“Stop calling me that! My name’s Tempest Shadow!”
Berry Punch gave her niece an unamused stare for a moment before turning back to her daughter.
“Excuse me, I meant Mrs. Grumpy Butt’s, help we were able to get done ahead of schedule. So we can start on making lunch! Does that sound like fun?”
The filly nodded vigorously.
“Mmmhmmm!”
“Great! Now, let’s go back home and get everything ready,” Berry Punch said, placing the filly on her back. “Fizz-I mean Tempest?”
“Hmm?” Tempest looked back with a branch of withered grapes in her mouth.
“When you finish here why don’t you come back? We should have everything ready for you then. Can you handle this on your own?” Berry asked.
Tempest spit the grapes into her own basket before talking.
“I’ll be fine Auntie. You go on ahead without me. I can take care of this. I did help grow these after all,” Tempest stated proudly.
Berry Punch barked out a laugh and covered her mouth as she snorted. Tempest rolled her eyes, but managed to crack a smile at her Aunt’s snort. Even Berry Pinch was giggling.
“I know you can Tempest,” Berry Punch said walking away, before she called back. “By the way, the compost bins are on the eastern side of the west field. Please put everything in them and turn them please!”
“I will!”
“Bye, bye, Fizzlepop! See you soon!” Berry Pinch called to her, and waving.
“Grrr. I hate that name. . .”
Tempest grumbled to herself as she continued to work on the vines. About an hour later, she finished trimming the vines and gathered up the baskets. She realized that they weren’t completely full. So, to save herself a trip or two, she put all the trimmings in one basket and placed that one in the other two. She now had one full basket layered inside the other two. This way she could take them all at once.
She then thought about how well the vines were doing. As she walked along between the rows of vines she took notice of how healthy they were this year. Usually she and her family, from what she remembered, use to take all day in each field. Sometimes two. This years crop seemed to be doing rather well. She was impressed by this. Not only was her family vineyard growing, but it was healthy too.
Walking along the vines was nice. It made her feel calm seeing all this lush green around her. She then came to a clearing where there was a large wooden shed, with several black barrels that were suspended by wooden stumps at their sides that allowed them to spin. The immediate area was just a simple dirt lot with the shed, barrels, and a few loose tools lying around between the east and west fields. Tempest walked to one of the barrels and once she reached it she used her hooves to open up the twist lid and exposed the compost within. The smell of the compost hit her nostrils hard. She nearly toppled over from the smell so, she pulled away from the bin gaging. Trying to make this quick she took the basket and poured its contents into the barrel. After which she quickly sealed the bin again. Feeling relieved she spun the bins a few times each making sure to mix the compost in each. After she finished turning the barrels she put the baskets in the shed and the loose tools and stored the inside the shed.
After securing the shed Tempest walked back home at a brisk pace. Her stomach rumbled slightly. She had really worked up her appetite, a quite a sweat too. Though she was hurrying home she did take some time to enjoy the view. Surrounded by the grapevines she enjoyed the green world around her. Unlike the Badlands and beyond it was nice to see lush colors such as these. It was a nice change from the browns and greys of sand, rock, and metal. Eventually she went into a full gallop running through the rows of grapevines. The freedom she felt running was intoxicating. She loved it.
When she could see her home in the distance she went into a full gallop until she reached the back door. As she approached she could hear the voices of her aunt and cousin inside. Tempest wiped her hooves and went inside after removing her boots. Once inside she wiped her brow and walked inside heading for the kitchen where the others were.
“Mommy, why do you call Tempest, Fizzlepop?” Berry Pinch asked.
“Well, Sweetie, that’s her real name is Fizzlepop Berrytwist,” Berry Punch explained. “It’s the name she was given after birth by your Aunt and Uncle.”
Tempest pressed herself against the nearby wall and listened to her Aunt talking to her cousin. There was a brief pause where nothing was said. Presumably Berry Pinch was pondering on what her mother said. Then after a near ten second count the filly walked around her mother levitating three plates clumsily to the counter. The clanking of the ceramic on the stone counter by inexperienced levitation magic resonated into Tempest’s ears, followed by the clopping of two sets of hooves. When the gentle clopping went silent Tempest peeked around the corner to see Berry Punch and her daughter sitting at the table. The mare was holding her pink filly in her lap petting her mane with gentle strokes. The cute wide smile and slight purr from the filly made it obvious to Tempest she was enjoying the physical affection.
Then the filly asked, “Mommy? Why does Tempest have a broken horn?”
Tempest suddenly felt her heart racing. Her body tensed, and her blood boiled. She really hated hearing that question. Hey, what happened to your horn? What is that, a unicorn? Hey no horn! What’s stations do you get? All the insults and all the jabs she endured over the years was enough to get her temper to rise. She listened in on her aunt's response.
“That’s not my place to tell you Sweetie.”
That was not what Tempest expected to hear.
“Aww, why not?” Berry Pinch whinned.
Berry punch sighed. She nuzzled her filly in the cheek and gave a gentle kiss to her cheek. Berry Pinch giggled bopping her mother's nose in response.
“It is a very sensitive subject for Tempest. So, please don’t bother her with your questions my little Ruby,” The mare bid her daughter. “She’s had a rough foal hood. If she wants to tell you she will on her own. Tempest has always been challenging after she lost her horn.”
“Challenging? What does that mean?” The little filly asked, tilting her head with a look of complete confusion on her.
Her mother nodded slowly deep in thought. Tempest watched, listened, and waited to hear what would be said. She fought the urge to barge in and stop the conversation altogether, but she wanted to hear what her aunt had to say.
Then Berry Punch said, “She was a good filly growing up. She had an accident that broke her horn and she, her parents, and I had a long argument. In the end we didn’t listen to her, and she ran away from home. We haven’t seen her since. In fact she wasn’t much older than you.”
“Wow.”
Berry Punch ruffled her daughter’s mane. Then as if she were using her daughter to repent for her past misdeeds she pulled her into a tight hug, and smothering her with affection.
“I’m sorry, little Ruby. I shouldn’t be telling you these things. This is grownup stuff you shouldn’t be worried about. Just know I love you and Fizzlepop. She may not show it now, but I know Fizzlepop missed us too. I think you two will get along great. Just give her space and keep comments about her horn and past alone, please?”
“Yes, mommy,” The filly nodded.
“That’s my filly,” Berry punch said wiping her eyes. “Now go upstairs and wash up. Lunch is ready.”
“Yes, momma.”
Hopping off the chair Berry Pinch scampered off upstairs to wash her hooves. Berry Punch watched her and then turned to face where Tempest was hiding. The broken unicorn flinched hiding from sight hoping she wasn’t seen.
“You can come out now, Fizzlepop. I knew you were there the entire time.”
Shoot! How does she do that? Tempest recomposed herself and walked around the corner. She didn’t smile nor act like she was spying on her aunt and cousin, but the look her unt was giving her said it all. While Tempest wasn’t happy about her aunt telling Berry Pinch about the things she did, she respected her for not telling anything concrete. After everything that happened, her aunt still respected her privacy. At that moment when they locked eyes Tempest felt her respect for her aunt rise just a bit. Like Berry Punch said, the damage was done, but if Tempest was to get past this she had to give. When it comes to family you need to give a little before you expect to get anything back. Trust in your family, Tempest, and they will trust in you. That’s what Twilight Sparkle said to her before she departed to return home. It touched Tempest to hear them, but putting them into practice was harder. Words were just words. They carried not true weight unless one acted on them. To do this Tempest decided it was time to go out of her comfort zone.
She sat in a chair next to her aunt. For a few seconds Berry Punch satred at her niece, who just stared in the opposite direction. Completely averting her gaze and stared at a dirt spot on the wall. Then after the longest few seconds either of them felt Tempest managed to tear her gaze from the spot in the wall and made eye contact with Berry Punch. They stared at each other, neither saying a word.
Tempest felt her chest tighten as the rare, but familiar feeling of anxiety filled her. Take the first step, Tempest. You commanded armies, conquered entire lands, and captured four of the most powerful beings in the lands. You can talk to your damn aunt! She mentally berated herself. Then, why is it so hard? Tempest couldn’t take it anymore. With a leap of faith she lunged at her aunt, her arms wrapped around her, and Tempest buried her face into the mare's mane hiding her face. She felt her cheeks burn as she gripped the mare tightly leaving the stunned mare winded with the lung crushing hug.
Needless to say Berry punch was ecstatic that her little grapevine was opening up to her. However slightly it might be, it was progress. Though her lungs were burning from a lack of air, Berry Punch managed to hug her niece back.
“What brought this on, Fizzlepop? I thought for sure you didn’t want any displays of physical affection,” Berry asked, with a surprised tone.
“I just, I wanted to thank you for not telling her. I-I-” Tempest rubbed her cheek to her aunt's.
Berry punch couldn’t help but pet Tempest's mane. She slowly stroked the massive mohawk of a amne she had. It was soft to the touch, unlike her rugged appearance.
“I know, Tempest. I know. You ran away because you were angry with us. You have every right to be angry. You still shouldn’t have run away, but I understand why you did.”
“I’m sure you do,” Tempest sneered.
“Yes, I do,” Berry pulled away and looked her niece in the eyes.
There was a deep lingering sadness behind her aging, tired, eyes. These eyes were the same ones she knew from so long ago, but hey were softer more understanding. Perhaps, more sympathetic.
“When you ran away I was so angry. Your mother lashed out at your father and it almost tore them apart,” Berry said, putting a daisy sandwich on a plate for Tempest. “When that happened your father nearly divorced your mother. It was a rough time for us. My sister and I left to go to Ponyville shortly afterwards. Thankfully your mother and father made up and never separated.”
Tempest's ears perked at the mention of her aunt's sister.
“After the fight we all stayed away from each other for a while. Your father moved out for a time. Your mother stayed here. They both tended the fields, but they refused to talk to each other unless it was absolutely necessary. Even then it was very strained from what they told me. Then one Hearth’s Warming Eve, we all came together, even Ivory and Barbara did. We all managed to kiss and makeup in the end. We’ve been closer as a family ever since.”
Hearing the story from Berry Punch made Tempest think about her life choices. Specifically on the choice she made to leave when she did. Tempest was proud. She didn’t deny that. It was part of her and always will be. The thing that she regretted was letting her pride take hold of her and allowed it to influence her as much as she did. She wished she could take it back. All of it.
She thought of all the years she lost. Time with her family, friends, and of all the potential friends she could have had. Maybe, even found love. She shook her head to clear her thoughts on that. That was the past. She needed to focus on the future. Changing the subject she brought up her aunt's sister to divert the conversation to a les somber theme.
“How is Barbara these days?” Tempest asked biting her sandwich.
Berry Punch stifled a laugh as best she could.
“Believe it or not she teaches foal at school!” The mare said giggling.
“What? Really? I thought she didn’t believe in that career test stuff?” Tempest asked.
“She didn’t, but one day she and Ivory Scroll helped a couple of foals and they both got their cutie marks from it.”
Tempest smiled. “Really? Both of them at the same time? What a cosmic coincidence.”
“Indeed. They moved together to Ponyville. Married even.”
Tempest quirked her brow. “So they tied the knot.”
“Yup! Ivory runs Ponyville as mayor, and Barbara is now a teacher for foals! When she got married to Ivory, she changed her name to Miss Cheerilee, by the way,” Berry added that last part with a whisper. “She doesn’t like being called missus.”
Nodding to her aunt, Tempest took a bite from her daisy sandwich. The taste of the flowers in the bread was nice. Most races found it bland, but for ponies it was a delicacy. Berry Pinch walked in and sat next to her mom. The filly used her magic to serve her own sandwiches, and ate in silence. After finishing her first sandwich tempest asked for another, which Berry Punch served to her.
“Thank you, Auntie.”
“No worries. So, speaking of that, what have you been up too over the years?” Berry Punch asked.
Hearing that question brought back that tense feeling in Tempest’s chest. She slouched over her plate with a deeply depressed look and dropped her sandwich. Berry Punch quickly tried to think of a way to change the subject, when suddenly the door in the living room opened. Berry Punch and Pinch both looked happy at the sounds of the door opening, but Tempest had a very different response.
She unexpectedly jumped from her seat, shoving the table to the side and rushed to the door. Years of paranoia and mistrust in the Badlands had conditioned her to take hostile actions whenever her current residence was being invaded by unexpected visitors. Her mind had gone completely on autopilot as she charged her horn rushing to the front door. Her mind flashed back to many times she let her guard down and various times she was robbed and hurt. She rounded a corner to the main loft her head lowered and her horn sparking with powerful raw magic as two ponies stared in complete shock at the angry armored mare before them.