//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: From Lost to Loved // by The Abyss //------------------------------// “What shall we do with her?” Celestia’s question echoed throughout the throne room. They’d been in there for only a short while, and only now had one of them uttered what everypony else had been thinking. “Well...” Luna cleared her throat and licked her lips, her ears flicking back. “I think she should be punished. You have no idea the stress that I have endured, for the number of ponies having nightmares caused by her army have become so many I can’t get to them all... Just the thought of leaving helpless ponies to their worst fears...” Her upper lip trembled as she fought back a snarl, only calming down when Celestia placed a hoof on her shoulder. “She led an army into our capital, turned us to stone, and enslaved our citizens. I have no doubt they would have conquered the rest of our lands as well if Twilight and her friends had not escaped her capture.” Twilight squirmed in her seat, her gaze flicking back and forth between Cadence and Luna. She’d barely been able to sleep these last few nights, for dreadful and terrifying nightmares had incessantly plagued her dreams. She took a sip of tea, hoping to prolong her inevitable inclusion, for she feared that saying the wrong thing could turn them against her. Everyone in the room was aware of what had happened between Tempest and her at the party a few nights ago. In spite of all that Tempest had done, Twilight had offered friendship to their former invader, something that Tempest had accepted with tear-filled eyes. She hadn’t seen her since, and no amount of asking around revealed her whereabouts, only finding out that Tempest was still within the city. Somewhere. Twilight took another sip of tea, her heart pounding in her chest. The clatter of her teacup hitting the saucer jerked everyone out of their thoughts. “S-Sorry,” Twilight muttered, her cheeks turning a rosy pink as she stared at the center of the table. Cadence let out a deep sigh. “Shiny told me he wants the death penalty for her... He couldn’t bear the thought of having to raise Flurry Heart without me...” A shiver ran down her back, making the tips of her wings tremble. “I’ve never seen him so angry before, not even when... Chrysalis invaded. I disagree with him, though, about the death penalty. Even though Tempest Shadow turned us to stone, she was doing it for a good reason. I... I can’t imagine living without my horn.” “You’d invade another land with a military at your back just for a chance to get your horn back?” Luna scoffed. Cadence wilted on her cushion, her gaze slipping to the floor in shame. “I must say I agree with Shining Armor. What she did was unforgivable!” Luna struck the table with her right hoof, making everypony but Celestia jump in their seats. “Tempest Shadow presents the greatest threat to Equestria, and I...” Twilight cleared her throat, making her pause. “Yes, Twilight?” She sat back down, though her face still bore a look of anger. Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “Presented,” she said. Her voice was low and calm, though it was filled with restraint. “What... What do you mean?” Luna’s eyebrows furrowed. Her ears flicked up, her eyes locked with Twilight’s. “She presented a threat to Equestria, but that threat has been dealt with,” Twilight said. “While you were still incapacitated, and right when my friends and I were about to fail when it mattered most, Tempest sacrificed herself for us. The Storm King had thrown one of those magical balls that were used to immobilize you at us. We were all huddled together; there was no time to move.” A tear formed in the corner of her eye. “And yet you prevailed,” Celestia said. “Just like I knew you would.” “No.” Twilight’s word rang throughout the room. Such a simple phrase, yet one so powerful. Several moments passed in silence before she once more found the courage to speak, her eyes pointedly avoiding her fellow princesses. “All was lost... I was powerless to do anything to save myself and my friends,” she whispered, her voice hollow and devoid of emotion. “But then Tempest sacrificed herself for us. All of us,” she said, looking at each of them in turn. Only Luna looked away. “So what do you think we should do with her, Twilight?” Celestia asked again, taking a sip from her teacup as her gaze settled upon her. “I... I don’t know,” she replied, looking up into the eyes of her former mentor. “I think the death penalty is too much. I saw a glimmer of a good pony in her eyes after the Storm King, um... passed away. I don’t think she’s as evil as we’re making her out to be anymore, but...” Twilight’s shoulders slumped as her throat went dry. “I didn’t like being put in a cage against my will...” Celestia nodded. “That I can understand. I am sure it was very traumatizing. For what it is worth, I am sorry you and your friends had to undergo such an ordeal.” “Thank you,” Twilight muttered. “As for what I think we should do with her, I’m open to ideas.” She saw Luna open her mouth. “Besides the death penalty,” she hissed, making Luna roll her eyes with a huff. Cadence ruffled her feathers. “I agree. We’ve never had to sentence anypony to death in the history of Equestria, and I don’t want to start now. I am certain that–” Luna jumped up and slammed her front hooves on the table, making it tilt towards her. “Cadence, Tempest Shadow tried to take our home from us! She wanted to take our lives and put us on display as if we were nothing more than trophies! Why do you think she shouldn’t be punished?!” “I-I do!” Cadence said, taken aback by Luna’s sudden outburst. “I just don’t think it needs to be that harsh! I want justice, not vengeance. Do you really wish to be known as the first princess to sentence another to death? Do you?!” she asked, glaring at her from the other side of the table. “Because I don’t!” She crossed her forelegs as she stared daggers at Luna. Twilight trembled, her voice long lost. The death sentence... nopony deserves such a thing. Starlight didn’t, Discord didn’t, and Sunset didn’t... Celestia cleared her throat, attracting her attention. “I think it would be best if we take a short reprieve and let cooler heads prevail. All of us have endured so much. We shall reconvene in an hour or so.” She drained the rest of her teacup, looking down upon it with a remorseful gaze before she looked at them. “I wish to speak with each of you in private.” Twilight sealed herself in the only place in Canterlot that she felt secure: her old tower. She was sitting on the highest balcony with her forelegs placed on the railing, gazing down upon the city as she observed everypony resume their normal lives, though her vision had long since glazed over. Equestria looked as majestic as it ever did, but that did little to calm her. With her friends back home, she had nopony to confide with. A light breeze ruffled her feathers, sending a small shiver down the back of her neck. It had been well over an hour since she had left the meeting, and worry gnawed at her mind with each passing minute. Drying tears matted the fur on her cheeks as the mere thought of Tempest being sentenced to death kept coming to the forefront of her mind. She couldn’t help but feel she owed her something, for without her, she surely would have been turned to stone and likely put on display as an ornament in the Storm King’s throne room along with her fellow princesses. But even more, she thought back to the moment when she was caged up and at Tempest’s mercy. She thought about the song she sang to her, that she should grow up and face the hard truth that she couldn’t trust anyone and that all that mattered was power. Her whole body writhed in disgust at this memory, for she believed with all her heart that true friendship wasn’t a fantasy. Tempest was truly evil in that moment; but now, the horseshoe was on the other hoof, and Twilight was the one among the mighty. She would not abuse Tempest’s trust, and she would not abuse the power she now held over her. “Ahem.” It wasn’t a question nor a statement, though she knew that her mentor had something to say. Wondering for just a moment how Celestia got past the magically-sealed doors, Twilight let out a deep, long sigh and turned around. She set her solemn gaze on her mentor, searching for anything that would give her insight to her thoughts. “Come, Twilight,” Celestia said. Twilight nodded. Although her mind was full of questions, she held her tongue as they walked back into the castle. Celestia didn’t utter a single word as they made their way back towards the throne room, making the pit in her stomach grow wider. Twilight turned to push open the heavy doors, but Celestia’s wing blocked her path. She peeked up at Celestia, her mouth feeling as dry as the sand in the badlands as her old mentor nodded down the hallway. “Tempest?” Twilight whispered, her words so faint she barely heard herself utter them. “Yes.” Celestia placed a wing on her back and guided her away from the throne room. “There is something of great importance I wish to speak to you about concerning Tempest Shadow, for there is a heavy burden I believe I must place on your shoulders,” she said. Are we really going to sentence her to death? Twilight thought, her eyes wide in fear. Her ears flicked back as her head hung low, almost touching the floor. I... I can’t do this... she thought, shaking her head. She froze, unable to take another step. Celestia’s wing slipped up her neck, then crested her head. “What is the matter, Twilight?” Celestia asked. Twilight’s legs trembled, almost as if she’d just ran a marathon. All of her strength faded away, whisked away by her fears. It was like she was facing Tirek again, opposing the combined strength of all the four alicorns. The overpowering helplessness weighed down her knotted tongue and dried her throat. But in a fleeting moment, the shadow of hope in Tempest’s face crossed her mind’s eye, and then the deepest conviction of what she knew was fair thrust emboldened words from her lungs. “I-I won’t let... you h-hurt her...” she uttered, speaking between each deep, shuddering breath. “Hm?” Twilight’s head whipped up as fresh tears formed in the corners of her eyes yet again. “I will not be a part of this!” she screamed. Twilight blinked the tears from her eyes, then spread her forelegs wide and firmly planted them on the floor as she huffed. She hated opposing the pony she held most dear, but she was unable to control her emotions, especially after all that had happened. Her chest heaved up and down as she waited for her to speak, though she feared what she might hear. Part of her did not want to hear what Celestia had to say. Celestia’s eyebrows furrowed. “I... I have no intention of hurting her! In fact, you play a pivotal role in my plan.” She walked back to her, wrapped both of her wings over Twilight’s trembling back, then pulled her into a warm embrace. “There is no need to worry, Twilight. I give you my word as a princess, and your friend, that Tempest Shadow will not be harmed.” Twilight relaxed, but only slightly. “Then why are we not going back into the throne room to meet with Cadence and Luna? It’s been over an hour!” “I decided that we all do not need to meet again, little one,” Celestia said, sitting down in front of her. “We all decided that she deserves punishment, and I agree to an extent. After speaking with Tempest privately these past few days, I–” “Wait, you know where she is?” Twilight gasped. Celestia nodded once. “She has been in one of the many spare bedrooms in my tower. I thought it best that she be kept away from the general populace of Canterlot for her own personal safety.” “I guess that makes sense. But why wouldn’t anypony tell me where she was? You have no idea how worried I was. We had spent a little bit of time chatting at the celebration, and then she vanished after I went to get us drinks!” “I apologize for that. I wanted to have some one-on-one time with her,” Celestia replied. “As did Luna.” Twilight winced. “I can only imagine how that went.” “Luna was still... upset at what had happened, yes, but she was well within reason.” She cleared her throat as she folded her wings back to her side. “So back to the point at hoof. Would you like to see her?” Celestia took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “Of course I do!” Twilight said, letting Celestia resume walking. She trotted back up to her former mentor’s side, her mind full of questions. Celestia glanced down at her as they rounded the corner, almost at their destination. She licked her lips, fluffed her wings, then stopped in front of Tempest’s room. “You may leave us, guards,” she quietly said. They each nodded once, then turned and trotted away. Twilight’s heart steadied again in reverence. Though the door before them, with its golden knob and white, cedar frame, was so tangible, the moment itself seemed surreal, the object of all her agony so tauntingly close. “Is this where...” “Yes.” “So...” Twilight cocked her head to the side. Celestia sighed, her head drooping as she stared deep into Twilight’s eyes. “I know this is a lot to ask of you, my dearest friend, but unless you are willing to take this enormous challenge upon your shoulders... I would have no other course than to lock Tempest away in the dungeons for the remainder of her life.” “W-What do you mean, Princess?” Twilight asked, her tone full of uncertainty. “I fear that you know what I am about to ask of you, and that you have already made up your mind, but...” Celestia let out a deep, long sigh. “I wish for you to reform Tempest Shadow.”