//------------------------------//
// Chapter 45: "Perhaps She Has a Point" 
// Story: The Redemption of Tempest Shadow 
// by twilightsparkle3562 
//------------------------------//

Rainbow Dash, being the protective big sister that she was, flew away from the CMC's clubhouse and went to bed that night still thinking that Scootaloo should have no interaction with Tempest Shadow in any way. "No," Rainbow thought to herself as she tossed and turned in her room. "I cannot in good conscience, have Scootaloo near Tempest. That pony doesn't serve as a role model for fillies like her, even if she did save us from the Storm King. After what she did to others, she’s not the kind of pony who should be around children."

The next morning, Rainbow knew that the only chance to share her feelings, would be with her fellow Wonderbolts. When she arrived at Wonderbolt HQ that morning, security around the Headquarters had been tightened further than it had been at any point prior (at least as far as RD could remember).

"Hey, Crash," Fleetfoot remarked, as she came in for a landing. "You seem exhausted. Perhaps you should go home and rest."

"No, I'll be fine," Rainbow sighed. "Is Spitfire around by any chance?"

"Up in her office." Fleetfoot replied.

"Thanks, Flatfoot." Rainbow responded and set off.

"Anytime." Fleetfoot nodded, then flew off. She wasn’t really in a talking mood right now, she had other things on her mind.
Rainbow walked right up to Spitfire's office, feeling slightly unsure about herself and the justified behavior she was displaying for Scootaloo's sake. She needed guidance, and there was nopony more qualified to help her than her superior. "Permission to enter, Ma'am?" Rainbow asked as she walked into Spitfire's office.

"What is it, Crash?" Spitfire asked, sitting back in her chair.

"I need to talk to you about something…personal,” Rainbow told Spitfire. “It's about Scootaloo."

"Your little sister and number one fan, eh?" Spitfire innocently chuckled. "What about her?"

"I don't know how to approach this, and…this may sound a bit silly, but…do you believe in second chances?" Rainbow bluntly asked.

Spitfire raised an eyebrow in confusion upon hearing this. "Why do you ask that, Rainbow Dash? Did Scootaloo do something stupid that requires a second chance?"

"It's not Scootaloo that I’, talking about, it's Tempest Shadow,” Rainbow explained. “Scootaloo wants to, in a sense, help Tempest deal with her disability. What do you make of it?"

Spitfire pondered the matter for a moment, In a sense, she too, was surprised that anypony would even give a criminal like Tempest Shadow another chance. "Rainbow Dash, I kind of see where you are coming from," She pondered. "Even if your little sister has good intentions, I think you have the right to say something about it."

"I did, but she still stuck to her guns,” Rainbow protested. “I don't know why she would still help Tempest after all that had happened in Canterlot, Spitfire. It just doesn't seem appropriate."

"Perhaps you’re maybe being too overprotective of your little sister figure, Crash," Spitfire observed. "I've been getting reports from Wonderbolts in the Crystal Empire, that Tempest is being trained to being Princess Twilight's Royal Guard Captain."

"Now that is something I don't understand," Rainbow sighed. "Why would Tempest even be given a second chance to begin with after all she has done? She threw you and all those we care about into cages, slavery, chains, you name it. In fact, I can't even think about what could have happened if…" Rainbow could feel the emotions bottle up inside of her and turned her head away to pull herself together, thinking that Spitfire would berate her for showing her emotions.

"It's all right, Crash," Spitfire reassured Rainbow, walking over and offering her a hoof in support. "We've all been through this together. What’s important is that we move on and focus on helping those who didn't get through this so luckily. And perhaps, Tempest isn't as bad as we make her out to be. If Princess Twilight is willing to trust her, she must see something promising inside Tempest."

It was then that Rainbow Dash began to think back to one of the lessons that Twilight had wrote about to Celestia when she was still her student: "My friends and I all learned an important lesson this week: Never judge a book by its cover. Someone may look unusual, or funny, or scary. But you have to look past that and learn who they are inside. Real friends don't care what your "cover" is; it's the contents of a pony that count. And a good friend, like a good book, is something that will last forever."

"I guess you have a point, Spitfire," Rainbow sighed again. "Maybe I'm judging Tempest because of her actions, and should let Scootaloo and the Crusaders help her out. But, it isn't easy. I mean, what if something happens to them because of that?"

"It's been hard for everypony, crash," Spitfire commented. "But there’s a silver lining to everything. We're going to get through this."

And with those words Rainbow Dash left her superior's office, the lesson from when they first met Zecora playing continuously in her head.






Back in the Crystal Empire, Tempest started another day of training. However, there was something else that was on her mind. "Shining Armor, I can't help but wonder," She sighed after doing target practice. "I feel like I should apologize to Twilight for all the pressures I put her under."

"What do you mean?" Shining Armor asked.

"I mean that I haven't even had a moment to tell Twilight how sorry I am for what I did to her,” Tempest answered. "This may sound silly, Shining Armor, but your sister's friendship festival crown that I stomped on in the invasion of Canterlot is alive, and it’s giving me advice. Do you believe in superstitions like that?"

Shining Armor felt confused at this, this was the first Tempest had ever mentioned anything involving a talking crown. "I can't say that I have, but... I guess I can understand where you’re coming from," He said at last. "Knowing Twilight, she can do wonders with her magic. However, I doubt she would have something to do with her crown coming to life and talking to you. That's probably your own imagination. And even if it is talking to you, you should still take a moment to tell Twilight how sorry you are."

"As much as I want to apologize to her personally," Tempest sighed, lowering her head in shame. "I can't bring myself to do so, Shining Armor. I mean, she's more than just a princess. She's a pony, like us and I didn't take her feelings into account."

“Well, I don't know if you are aware of this, Tempest,” Shining reluctantly commented. “But Twilight's been going through some personal struggles as well with her own friends. From what I hear, she, I guess, lashed out at her friends after she was caught trying to steal Queen Novo's pearl of transformation."

Tempest felt even more guilty upon hearing this. Twilight certainly wouldn’t have acted that way out of her own free will. She’d been driven to that extreme behavior by Tempest herself. All because the unicorn had been blinded with obsession, obsession to get back something she was never going to get. "Then, I need to talk to Twilight alone and tell her how sorry I am," Tempest remarked, knowing what needed to be done. "Out of all the ponies who suffered by my own hooves, she has been the most affected."

Before Shining Armor could say another word, Tempest raced away from the stadium to try and find Twilight.