//------------------------------// // Chapter 11: "Tribes and Forced Reunion Plans" // Story: The Redemption of Tempest Shadow // by twilightsparkle3562 //------------------------------// Seeing a poor homeless pony die right at his feet, left Grubber feeling more than a little shaken up to say the least. When he went into work the following morning, Celestia was quick to notice his actions. There was the matter of Tempest Shadow, but Grubber was her immediate concern. "What have we done?" Grubber whispered, while preparing the morning breakfast for Celestia and Luna. "What have we done? A pony is dead because of us, Princess Celestia. It makes me feel like a selfish, stupid idiot. How was I supposed to know that invading Canterlot would throw innocents out onto the streets to suffer? Storm King told me no one was going to get hurt, and I believed him." "It's not your fault, Grubber," Celestia spoke up, trying to comfort him. "He had an illness that he was going to die from anyway. You did all you could for him." Grubber felt so incensed upon hearing this, that he actually stopped cooking and turned to Celestia with a moderately angry look on his face. "How could you say that, Princess Celestia?! It is my fault, and it's Tempest's fault as well!” He snapped! “It makes me sick to think that the Storm King would do this! In fact, he was never even a king to begin with!" Celestia felt her eyes widen with shock upon hearing this! "What do you mean?" "He claimed to be a king, but he wasn't," Grubber explained, as he reluctantly returned to his cooking. "The Storm King was just a power-hungry monkey, who took the title of 'Storm King' to make himself look cool and awesome!" "How do you know this, Grubber?" Celestia asked, all but commanding Grubber to look at her. "Because I found out the truth before we invaded Equestria," Grubber answered. "As a matter of fact, all the guards Tempest and I were working with, were really fellow rebels from his homeland." "Where was the Storm King's homeland?" Celestia inquired. "In the Crystal Mountains, north of the Crystal Empire. Tempest and I were the only ones not from his village hired to work for him." Grubber explained. Hearing that the Storm King had hired Tempest and Grubber to do his work for him, made Celestia’s stomach turn in disgust. It now appeared that the Storm King was more than just a conqueror. "Hired? What do you mean, hired?" "We were hired to do his bidding, obviously," Grubber answered, as he began to plate the food. "Storm King claimed that with every land we helped him conquer, he would pay us more than just money. He was not only going to give Tempest her horn back, but also give her a good home in Equestria with all the ponies that we enslaved to…" "That's enough!" Celestia said sharply, her voice filled with disgust, and causing Grubber to fall on the floor. Realizing her mistake, she softly spoke. "That's enough, Grubber. You've said all that I needed to know." Without saying another word, Celestia left the kitchen leaving Grubber to finishing preparing the breakfast. "Sister, what's going on?" Luna asked, drinking a morning cup of coffee, as she saw her sister come barging into the throne room with a clear look of concern. "Our personal chef has given me some rather disturbing details," Celestia answered, sighing heavily. "Apparently, the Storm King wasn't even a king at all. He was a conqueror that paid his minions for making the lives of others miserable," Celestia then turned to Cadence. "Were you ever aware, Cadence, that there was a tribe that the Storm King came from?" "Well there were several groups of yeti tribes," Cadence replied. "Those areas were off limits because of the threat they imposed. If we made the mistake of not investigating, Aunt Celestia, then…" "You did what needed to be done, Cadence," Celestia interrupted, raising a hoof. "And that was protecting your subjects from these tribes." "But, we should have…" Luna started to say. "No, we couldn't take the risk," Celestia said with a shake of her head. "Those yeti tribes were dangerous, and the reason we ourselves couldn't personally go after them, was because of the fact that their numbers would cause us great harm." "We should at least try to speak with some of the prisoners that are still in the dungeons," Luna suggested. "Perhaps then we can at least learn more about these tribes, and find out which one the Storm King came from." Considering the matter, Celestia knew that she needed to take the risk and talk to the Storm King's captured forces. Just then, Grubber came in with their breakfast. "Sorry if I couldn't help overhearing all of you," He apologized. "But, you were talking about the tribes the Storm King came from, or something like that. Right?" "Yes, Grubber," Luna replied. "Did you ever learn about the Storm King coming from a violent tribe or something? A tribe that didn't care what happens to their victims?" "Well, they were all yeti warriors to tell you the truth," Grubber remarked. "I came from a hedgehog tribe, and there was a yeti tribe that the Storm King came from. He never really went into detail about certain rituals or tasks that the tribe would most often do." "And was he considering that Tempest Shadow be a part of this new tribe?" Celestia inquired. "As far as I was concerned, yes, but he wasn't planning on it,” Grubber explained. “Tempest thought that by conquering Equestria, he would not only restore her horn, but also give her something that she never had in Equestria…all the dreams that she desired, being crowned a princess, you name it." "Luna, have some of your guards go interrogate some of the captured prisoners tonight," Celestia reluctantly ordered. "We need to dig a little deeper into these tribes that the Storm King came from." Meanwhile, back at Twilight's castle, Tempest was undergoing her second day of therapy with Sweetheart, which was focused on Tempest's family, particularly the relationship with her sister, Razzle Fizzle. "Tempest, from what I hear, you and your sister never really showed animosity towards one another," Sweetheart remarked. "And yet, you abandoned her after you lost your horn. Why?" "Well, I didn't want her to suffer the agony of having a sister with a broken horn," Tempest answered. "She was far too good for that, Sweetheart. She meant the world to me at the time, I couldn’t bare letting her witness all that." "What were some of the activities you would do together?" Sweetheart asked, hoping for more details. "A variety of sports, playing princesses, flying kites, you name it," Tempest laughed. "I was always the one who was more of the dreamer, if you can imagine." "I'll try," Sweetheart chuckled, writing down what Tempest had just said. "Um, Tempest, if you don't mind my asking, what would you say to Razzle Fizzle if you saw her now?" It didn't take long for Tempest to respond. "I would say: I'm sorry for what I’ve done," she answered. "That's what I would say to her, Sweetheart. I can't erase what happened, but I hope that at least we can repair our relationship. It may have been ten years, but we can still have a relationship again, or at least, I hope we can." "That's for her to decide, Tempest," Sweetheart cautioned. "And unfortunately, it will take time for her to decide. However, there are other ways of apologizing for our errors. Have you ever heard of 'show and not tell'?" Tempest merely shook her head at this answer in a silent reply. "Well, I think what Princess Twilight has planned for you, is a way for you to show Razzle Fizzle you are sorry,” Sweetheart explained. “And that’s by becoming a captain of the royal guard for the castle of friendship. By showing Razzle Fizzle you have changed, she'll come around much easier, and hopefully forgive you much quicker, too." Tempest then looked and saw Twilight standing by the door of her study. She knew that Twilight had been planning for this, and Tempest knew she needed to be prepared. However, there was one thing on her mind that felt she needed to do. "But I want us to meet face to face, Sweetheart," She protested, causing Sweetheart's left eyebrow to raise up as Twilight made a puzzled look on her face. "I know it's a foolish idea, but I think I should have a chance. A chance to at least explain myself." "Tempest, are you crazy?!" Twilight gasped, who was now beginning to grow very concerned. "Face your sister?! Now?! Why?! I have a feeling this isn't going to go well."