How could you screw up so hard?
You let everyone down. Hell, was Diamond Tiara in Canterlot? If she is...dammit, you let her down. She must be so scared.
Your friends….dammit.
Fluttershy...
Was this due to your own hubris? No, you did things right this time. How could you have known she was agile enough to dodge so many lasers?
And then there was monkey face, the Storm King. What was up with that discount Hades reject? He didn’t seem that threatening. And yet he had an entire army at his beck and call. Including that Tempest unicorn.
And what was up with her anyway? Given her little chat with him, she seemed to have reacted to the mention of her horn. Or restoration thereof. Was that what she was after?
All these thoughts swirled in the darkness of your mind until you started to come to. When your eyes opened, you noticed you were in a cage, in what appeared to be some dark metallic chamber with bits of steam and a red light, creating an unsettling hue along the wall. When you tried standing, you hear the cling clang of chains. Looking down, your legs were locked by prison chains, tightly enough that you couldn’t reach up to put your horn on.
“Wow, finally awake, huh? Finally, anyone tell you you’re a heavy sleeper?”
That voice...ugh, it was that hedgehog guy.
You look a little beyond the cage. Standing on the floor, looking up at you with a sharp toothed grin, was Grubber. He was bandaged up pretty good and it seemed his left arm was broken, but that didn’t seem to stop him from stuffing his face with cake with his right hand.
You look down at him with a less than pleasant look. “Ok, pincushion, where am I?”
Grubber snickered “In a place you don’t wanna be, that’s for sure. Y’know, you’re actually really lucky. Usually when someone attacks Tempest, no one sees them around anymore. Or maybe that makes you unlucky...hrm” Rather than using that as a sadistic joke, he actually did confuse himself as he sat down and tried to figure things out “Well, I guess you’re in a better position than everyone else. I know I am, guard duty is pretty easy. And I get to eat all this cake. So...umm… Yeah, someone’s lucky I guess.”
Ugh… “Just tell me where I am.” You groan, obviously this guy was more idiotic than he was evil.
He starts licking at his claws to remove the frosting as he chuckles “Oh, yeah. You’re on Tempest’s airship. Ohhh wait...That’s right!” Grubber started to make his way upwards up some metal stairs “Stay right there....”
Not like you could move. But then, where was he going? Ngh...this isn’t good. The situation finally hit you as dire when you fully realized you weren’t in a good place? “...What are you doing?”
“Oh..” Grubber stops, then points his claws at you as he does a shimmy “Oh, Tempest told me to go get her when you finally woke up. So I hope you’re ready for some terror! Some horribleness! Because you’re gonna get interrogated by the master herself! Tempest Shadow!” He laughs near maniacally. God, so this guy was basically Tempest’s version of Spike.
And you just found him utterly annoying. “When I get out of here, I’m going to shatter your nut sack. I hope you know that”
“What?” Grubber started rubbing his head in confusion, then he patted himself a bit with his good hand before pointing at you with a laugh “Fat chance! I left my nuts at home!”
“I believe it” You roll your eyes at him, god what a chucklefuck
“Yeah and...wait?” Grubber looked blankly at you for a second “Was that an insult? Or….huh…” He looks at his cake and shrugs “Whatever, these are better than my nuts anyway”
You then silently tell yourself “That’s what she says” as he buggers off somewhere. God damn, it was times like these that you wished that the residents of this world understood human terminology, really could use a bomb or a missile attack or something. Whatever. Just...just try to handle yourself. You’ll have to, as you already knew Tempest Shadow was no joke.
You pondered on your few moments of free time. You had to be tough. You’ve faced down worse things than a broken ass unicorn. You tried reaching for your horn, but you couldn’t quite reach it due to the chains.
“Well, the false alicorn finally wakes up” You hear her cool and militant voice as she starts heading down the stairs. She was moving slowly as she eyed you as some sort of prize. “So, how are you feeling?”.
Tch, she was trying to get to you with that piercing gaze. As she stepped up to your cage, she never broke off her stare. It was unsettling.
“I could be better. So let me guess, interrogation?” You stay as calm and collected as possible. If you were in a cage, then she needed you for something.
“Hmm, smart colt.” She says to you. You find it odd, she isn’t making any of the usual comments a villain would make like “not scared?” or “Confident, are we?” or even being too forceful with her approach. She simply said you were smart.
It was so offputting that you didn’t have any other words to say to her.
“I have to admit. You’re interesting. You’re not an alicorn, just a simple little colt, and yet you’re trusted with some very unique and powerful items. So, if you know I’m going to interrogate you, that means we can skip the pleasantries and get to the part where I get what I want.” Her eyes become fixated on your horn “So, what exactly can that thing do? It’s enchanted with a powerful protection spell, so it must be for something important.”
You just give her a hard and threatening stare of your own as you spoke coldly to her. You don’t know if it was a whole day since you used it or not, but given your usual bouts of unconsciousness, you’d wager midnight has passed. “Why don’t you take off these shackles and find out?”
“Cute, but I’m not in the mood for another scuffle. I have to say though, that display of magic was impressive. So, is that all it can do? Or is it capable of more?” She says as she continues that hard to read cold stare.
“Yeah, not like you’re gonna be able to use it or anything. And don’t try using Twilight or my aunt to get to it either. I already know you don’t have them, or else your little gremlin would have mentioned something about it when I woke up.” Hah! Good Anon, good. Keep the playing field even.
“Well, you know the princess. That’s good, that means we can use you to bargain with her instead. Ponies have a thing about being weak willed, and a colt in danger will mean she won’t try anything stupid. But….” She starts to circle the cage slowly as her stare became more malevolent “I remember you saying you’re the son of a chaos spirit named Discord. And I did some reading. Very interesting…”
You just followed her with your eyes. Goddamn her, using you as bait? How could you miss that? Of course she would. But what else was she up to? “You never heard of him before? I thought he was pretty famous.”
“Legends of Equestria don’t really reach our neck of the woods. And he really is quite the legend. From what I read, he could do anything with his magic. And I think your horn has his magic in it. Why else would it be attached to a royal piece of jewelry?”
Ngh, dammit. She was audibly piecing things together. She was making it hard to even think of a way to throw her off course. It was too late to tell her anything different now. But….but...she still couldn’t take it from you. You still had that. “Ok, so you know that much. But you still can’t take the horn from me. It has a spell on it that makes it impossible to remove except by my own hoof. So, if you were planning on using it to capture Twilight, guess again.”
Tempest turned away from you, looking away as she spoke in an ominous tone. “I could find a way to remove it if I really wanted to. But you see, if that horn really can do anything, then there’s something I want to know. And just for you, I’m going to ask it nicely.” She turns to look at you, her stare was intense and even filled with some sort of desperation, a desperation you had seen from her before “Can it restore things?”
Restore...things? Does she...no. She has to mean her own horn. You remembered that being important when she spoke to the Storm King. Then that really meant that was her villainous crutch. Maybe, just maybe, you can turn this around. “Why?...unless you mean fixing your horn. Before I knocked out, I remember seeing you had a little reaction to that when you spoke to that monkey guy.”
“Smart, observant, reasonably brave, and quick to the point. You know, back when I was your age, foals weren’t like that. They couldn’t see past their own noses and were afraid of what they couldn’t understand. They couldn’t trust others very well, even when they used to be their friend. One change and…” She shot a powerful bolt of magic through her broken horn, charring some of the wall. There was a sort of fierce anger to it you couldn’t quite put your hoof on “Suddenly, all they see you as is a monster. I read that Discord was quite the monster too, and yet from the sounds of it, no one fears you, his son. They don’t, right? You did refer to yourself as the 'Legendary Hero Colt'.”
The hell was she on about? “What are you getting at?”
“I’m only trying to come to an understanding of where we both stand in this world. You’re the son of a maniac and yet you’re friends with those who stand with harmony. So answer me this, how far does that go?”
….Well, this was really getting odd. “..er, I mean. I’m friends with mostly everybody I know. And yeah, Dad is kind of nuts, but that was a long time ago. …..Look, I don’t know what this has to do with your horn but if you’re trying to trick me into it, it isn’t working. I don’t help anyone who tries to hurt my friends.”
“Hmmm.” Tempest nods to herself, she looks back at the hatch that exits the brig of her airship, as if she was afraid someone was eavesdropping. When she felt it safe, she looks back at you “Let me tell you this then. You want to help your friends? You want this all to end? Then I’m going to make a deal with you.”
What? Surely she’s pulling your fucking chain. That’s the oldest trick in the book. Finally, she slips up. “You’re not getting the horn.”
“I don’t want it. I want MY horn back, that’s all. I’ve worked with the Storm King in all his campaigns, all his battles, all his conquests….all to gain his trust so I can have back what is mine. But if that horn can do anything, then you’re going to use it to restore my horn, here and now.” There was the desperate tone in her voice again. She worked that hard to get her horn back? And now she’s willing to trust you? How exactly does that work? What is she planning?
“And you trust me? Just like that?” You ask, curious on what she was feeling.
“I don’t, just like I don’t trust the Storm King. But if that horn can do what I need it to do, then I’m going to find a way to use it.” Suddenly her tone becomes as cold as ice, it chilled you to the bone to the point you believed it “And that protection spell won’t stop me”
Did she mean...she’d kill you?....ohhh no. Suddenly you felt sick to your stomach. This bitch...she might actually do it.
“Woah woah, hold on. Let’s not get dark here. The horn doesn’t even work that way. It works through chaos. It can’t just restore something like your horn without some heavy consequences. Unless you find a way to chaotically restore it, restoring it normally would just cause problems if you did it with the horn. I know you just said you don’t trust me, but it’s the truth.” PLEASE LET HER BELIEVE YOU.
She smirks at you, it was like...OH GODDAMMIT! SHE TRICKED YOU AGAIN! “Which brings me to my ultimatum. Help me, and I’ll let your friends and the princess go...but not you. Refuse, and you’ll be my bait, and you’ll have to live with the fact that your refusal to help me is what caused the princess…” Just like you had heard her talk about the horn, she had heard you mention a few things as well. Especially since you had muttered some things when you were down “... and your aunt to share the same fate.”
FUCK! You start speaking angrily with a low growl, you were the one losing your composure now. “You’re a monster…”
“I have been for a long time, even when I wasn’t. What’s your choice?”
“...I’m not stupid” She was too cruel, you couldn’t trust her words “Even if I manage to restore your horn, you’ll just hunt everyone down anyway. That’s how monsters like you work. This kind of campaign doesn’t just stop. Your king seemed pretty intent in showing up in Canterlot”
“He can’t be stopped. Whoever is in the city and those who remain in Equestria will be lost for sure. Whoever can be saved can be saved and that's it. Even if I wasn’t here, the Storm King would have pushed on anyway. What I’m offering you is salvation. This isn’t about trust. Equestria is doomed, the only choice you have is who is taken down with it.”
With those words, you suddenly feel your hope and smug drain away from you. She was serious. Restoring her horn just meant anyone who could run would run, including her. And if you do nothing, she’ll just take her chances with the Storm King. But...what if. No…
“Y-you can’t be serious. I could destroy that guy if I just focused. And even if I couldn’t, my dad could once he gets back from vacation. You want the horn back? Fine, but if that guy needs four alicorns for...whatever, then I can crush him before he even got to Twilight. How about that?” That was sound. That had to be a sure thing.
“Even if you could, I don’t trust you enough to just let you go. What would stop you from having another shot at me with that horn?” She asks you. But it didn’t seem like she’s care about your answer. “You already see me as a monster”
“I wouldn’t, Equestria is more important…” Your family and friends were more important.
Tempest sighed “So that’s a no then. That’s a shame, but I should have expected these results.” She turned away from you “I was hoping we could see eye to eye. But you just can’t understand what’s at stake.”
As she begins to head up the stairs, Grubber appears from above deck to yell down at her. “Heeeey! Tempest, we’re getting close to Klugetown. We’re getting ready to land and everything. You ready?”
“Yes….Have the hero colt’s cage prepped. We’ll need him in case we find the princess.” Tempest says to him as she continued her trek.
dammit...DAMMIT!
“I SWEAR TO GOD! I’M GONNA CRUSH YOU ONCE I GET OUT OF HERE! YOU HEAR ME?! I’M GONNA...ngh…” But she closes the hatch without another word as your cage starts to rise up to the top of the deck.
What was her deal? Why? You would have done it. If it meant saving everyone else, you would have found a way to restore her horn without an issue.