//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 // Story: From Lost to Loved // by The Abyss //------------------------------// “Uh... Twilight?” Tempest bit her bottom lip so hard that she thought it was going to puncture her skin, but that was the last thing on her mind. “I have some bad news,” she said as she walked back into the kitchen. Starlight followed her in and sat down beside her, the scent of feces and urine mixed with coffee still stuck in her nose. Twilight sighed. “More bad news?” Her shoulders slumped as her gaze settled on Tempest. “What is it?” she asked. Tempest cocked her head to the side. “Wait, what do you mean more bad news?” she asked. “You go first.” “Huh? You already know what happened; the coffee creamer, remember? It’s all gone.” “Oh, right...” Wishing that she had something to wet her incredibly dry mouth, Tempest sat down and flicked her tail. “So about our bad news... My former army destroyed your supply of coffee,” she said, the pit in her stomach deepening. “There’s nothing left.” “N-No coffee?” Rainbow asked, her eyes going wide. “Please tell me you’re joking.” Tempest shook her head. “I wish I wasn’t, but... they let loose down there, if you know what I mean.” “Ew, gross.” Rainbow gagged, then flapped her wings once. “Might as well start giving out the apples to everypony, I guess.” She shouldered past Tempest without uttering an apology before turning the corner, then trotted away from them. Tempest rubbed the shoulder where Rainbow had pushed her, then turned around and stood up to catch up to Rainbow, but she felt Starlight nudge her side. “Give her some space, okay? When she’s not in the best of moods, she tends to stay like that for a  while.” Starlight stood up and let the rest of their friends follow Rainbow into the hallway, except for Twilight. “Listen...” Twilight sat down in front of Starlight and Tempest and waited until they looked up at her. “I know you two personally didn’t cause the mess down there, but I was going to spend today cleaning up my home, and... that includes the basement.” Her eyes flicked between the two of them. “Could you two please clean up the basement for me? I’d rather not see what it looks like down there.” Tempest nodded. “Sure. Got any brooms?” she asked, looking around the kitchen. “Once we pass out the apples, I can use one of the empty wagons to help carry stuff up here.” Starlight chuckled, gesturing towards her horn. “Or maybe I could use my magic instead of you doing a ton of manual labor.” “You got me there,” Tempest said, nudging her back with a hoof. Looking back at Twilight, she said, “So... if you’re going to start cleaning, can Starlight and I help pass out the apples first?” “Sure. I was going to get my bedroom cleaned for, um... later,” she squeaked, her cheeks turning a soft pink as her gaze locked on the floor between them. “Awesome,” Tempest said, shooting her a warm smile. Twilight met her gaze, nodded, then trotted out into the hallway. “Uh... What was that all about?” Starlight asked, cocking her head to the side. Tempest laughed. “Remember how yesterday we were talking about trying to replace Twilight’s bad memories with good ones?” Starlight nodded slowly. “Well... last night, I heard Twilight having another nightmare, no doubt about me. Unlike the night before, I didn’t get up to, uh... help her. She found me on my little balcony this morning, and she told me that she can’t really keep having nightmares, and she’s had them every night since the Storm King was killed. I might have just, um...” She rubbed the back of her neck, feeling Starlight’s gaze pierce every essence of her being. “I asked if she wanted to try snuggling with me tonight.” Starlight smirked. Tempest wilted a bit. “It’s not what you think, and I know what you’re thinking about; that morning where you walked in on us means nothing.” “Yeah, sure...” Starlight said, drawing out her words as she nodded slowly. Tempest sighed. It took nearly an hour to distribute the apples, but Tempest knew that she had to be there if she wanted to have any hope of repairing her image in the eyes of the townsponies. With three whole carts left in reserve for meals and snacks throughout the day, and maybe some for tomorrow if they were lucky, she was glad that they weren’t in fear of going hungry. Twilight and the rest of her friends were sitting off to the side, chatting amongst themselves as a few more ponies walked out of the castle. Tempest’s breath caught in her throat as she recognized the filly from her first night at the castle. She clutched her teddy bear against her side as she walked down the steps, taking care so that she wouldn’t slip and fall. A tan unicorn walked beside her, a warm smile on his face as he guided her down the steps. The filly paused on the last step as she looked up at her and Starlight. The tan unicorn glanced over toward Starlight, then looked over at her. Tempest threw on a nervous smile as she sat down. She waved at them to come over, then grabbed a couple of the juiciest-looking apples from the top of the cart beside her as she stepped out in front of the small table. She lay down in front of it, then held up an apple for the filly. They glanced up at the stallion as if they were silently asking for permission, then she licked her lips as she eyed the apples in Tempest’s hooves. Tempest heard him say, “It’s okay, sweetie.” The filly shot another cautious glance at her, then walked over to her. “Good morning, cutie,” Tempest said softly, then lifted the apple a little higher. “I saved the best ones for you!” The filly relaxed ever so slightly, her forehoof sliding a couple inches down her side before walking  up to her. “Th-Thank you,” she stuttered as she moved her teddy bear onto her back. Without hesitation, she grabbed one of the apples from Tempest’s hoof and gobbled it down without a second thought. The father walked up to them with a set jaw and tense muscles. “Run along, sweetie. Go find your friends to play with, okay?” he cooed into her ear. As his daughter ran off, he set his gaze upon Tempest. Tempest pushed herself up off the ground and let a sheepish smile slide onto her face. “H-Hey there,” she said, holding up the other apple for him. His horn ignited and slapped the apple from her hoof. “I know who you are,” he growled, just shy of her daughter’s hearing. “And I know what you’ve done. Your actions drove my filly and I from our home.” Tempest watched him carefully, noticing the telltale signs of a stallion who wanted a fight. She moved her hind legs together, preparing to spring away. As much as his words betrayed his emotions, they cut her just as deeply as she knew in her heart that he was right. Tempest’s mouth went dry. “Y-Yeah, and I’m really sorry about that. I had no idea how those brutes were going to treat your town.” His eyes shifted to her right. She straightened up as every muscle in her body tensed, yet she still spoke as submissively as a filly trapped in a corner. “I’m just trying to make things right.” The unicorn huffed, his eyes narrowing for what felt like a lifetime, as if he was debating something. “Sure is gonna take a while,” he said, sitting down as he relaxed a little bit. “I saw what you did for my filly the other night. Had I not seen you push her teddy bear back into her grasp, we would be having a very different conversation right now, and lemme tell ya, there wouldn’t be much of a conversation.” For a split second, the urge to grit her teeth crossed her mind. The back of her head tickled, and the almost irresistible impulse to utter a retort clawed at her tongue. Yes, and if you had seen how I handled your princesses, we both would know how that would end. Tempest  bit her tongue in surprise, then banished the thought deep down within. She sighed and lowered her head. “You’d be well within your rights to inflict harm upon me; I’d do the same if I was in your place. Like I said, I’m really sorry about what happened. Is there anything I can do for you and your daughter?” she asked, a bit of hopefulness clinging to her words. He rubbed his chin with a hoof. “My shop is still pretty wrecked. I was gonna go and see what I can do to fix it so that we could sleep in our own beds again, but I sure could use some help.” Tempest’s ears perked up. “Yeah? I would be more than happy to assist you with repairs, but I have to help Twilight clean up part of the castle first, so... I can probably swing by your place in a few hours to help you. Sound good?” The stallion grinned. “Sure does! My place is just a few blocks down the main road. Take a right once you reach Sugarcube Corner, then go another two blocks. My place is on the left.” “Got it,” Tempest said. “What kind of business do you run?” “It’s nothing special, really. I just sell mirrors.”