I
Tempest sighed as gazed out the window of her apartment overlooking the vast mountain city of Canterlot. Ever since she met her new friend Navarehn three days ago she hadn't heard from him. She had wanted to get out and explore the city some more with him by her side. Without him, she felt afraid to leave, having all of the ponies in the city staring at her with the same malice and hatred that she once bore for them.
Princess Twilight had been by to visit her yesterday, having learned about her meeting with Navarehn. They had talked for nearly three hours about things that she could do or say to help strengthen their friendship. She had even left a copy of the journal that her friends had made about their experiences in friendship.
She had read through it nearly twice before she had begun gazing out her window, watching the ponies trot along below, smiles on their faces as they conversed with their friends and loved ones. She hated herself for being so afraid of them. She was Tempest Shadow, a warrior, she wasn't supposed to be afraid of anypony, but herself.
Every time she thought about venturing out, she would always remember her deepest fear. The Storm King's Shadow. No matter what anypony told her about choices and forging a new future, she was always drawn back to the memory of the dark, heartless mare she was beneath the Storm King. His hold over her had gone beyond the grave, as if he had captured her very soul within his clutches.
She looked away from the window to her apartment. It wasn't anything extravagant or large, just a simple place for her to live. The living room was comprised of an open area with a single black leather couch, in front of which was a dark oak coffee table. The room was open to the kitchen, having a marble counter island in the center, with a black refrigerator and matching stove. A simple sink was beside the stove.
Aside from the front door was another door off the living room that led to her room, off of which was the only bathroom. It was home to her, but lately it had felt empty to her. Before meeting Navarehn she was content with the living space, but ever since her meeting she had begun to feel more alone than she already did.
What her new friend Sunflower Petal had said about her heart still lingered on the forefront of her thoughts. She knew that Navarehn was her friend, she would even go as far as saying that he was her best friend even though they had only spent afternoon together. Still, there was something to the mare's words. She didn't know how she was suppose to feel about her friends, especially him,but something deep down inside of her heart sang sweet melodies to her when she thought about him.
Her train of thoughts was derailed by an incessant knocking at her door. With a heavy sigh, she rose to her hooves and trotted across the living room. When she was near, she took in a deep breath and forced a slight smile as she used her magic to open the door.
“High Tempest.” The mare felt her heart leap into her throat, her eyes enlarging while her lips spread into a genuine smile. Feeling a surge of power flow through her limbs, she launched herself at her friend, embracing him in her fore hooves.
Navarehn was at a loss for words as Tempest wrapped herself around him in a warm hug. Slowly, he let his arms wrap around her, his own smile widening as he returned the gesture. “I missed you.” Her voice was faint, almost as if she was going to burst into tears at seeing him.
“I know.” Gently, they removed themselves from the hug so that they could look upon each other. “Princess Twilight came by Canterlot Boutique this morning to see me. She told me that you've been cooped up in your apartment for the past few days. Rarity was kind enough to let me go for the day so that I could spend it with you.”
Tempest made a mental note to thank both Twilight and Rarity for their kindness. She knew that they cared about her, even when nopony else did. “Thank you for coming.”
Navarehn chuckled as he placed a hand on her cheek. “Well if I had known where you lived I would have come over sooner.” Silence fell between them as they stood in the doorway of her apartment, simply enjoying each others presence.
“Please, come in.” Tempest finally broke the ice that had built a wall between them, stepping aside so that he could make his way inside.
It was a little cramped for the dragon, having to bend over slightly to keep the horns that protruded from the crown of his head from scraping up the ceiling. She led him to the couch, offering him a seat beside her as she took her own seat.
“Would you like some tea?” Tempest looked back from him to the kitchen, anxiously waiting for his reply.
“No thank you. I was just coming in for a few minutes so that you could get ready.” He had adopted a sly grin as he spoke, his left hand going towards his dark brown satchel.
“Ready for what?” She gave him a perplexed expression as she watched his hand with unease, wondering what he was hiding from her.
“Well if we're going to spend the day in town, it would probably be best to lose all that armor. Unless you want to sweat. Its pretty warm outside today.” The mare looked away from the dragon with a blush tinting her cheeks, never having really taken her armor off since she had earned it. She did have more formal garments, but without her armor she felt so bare, so vulnerable.
Navarehn could see the look of uncertainty in her eyes. He knew from talking with Princess Twilight that she had never seen the dark orchid mare without her armor, always seeming to wear it wherever she went. Deep down he knew how vulnerable she felt without it, like it was a part of who she was. It was one of the many things that he wanted to show her, that the armor had no bearing on who she was.
“It's alright Fizzlepop. You don't have to hide behind it anymore. It's just a memory now, your not him.”
Although she knew he was right, she still felt lost without her armor. For so long she had worn it, bled in it, sweat in it, fought in it. The armor represented the hard work and determination that she had put into becoming the mare that she was under the Storm King. This armor represents the mare that I was. I don't want to be her anymore.
Hesitantly, Tempest rose to her hooves to stand before the dragon, a blush more prominent on her orchid cheeks. After taking in a shaky breath, she focused her power on her body, or more specifically, her armor.
In the still silence that followed, Navarehn patiently watched as one small piece at a time fell from her form. First came her shoulder pads, which fell to the carpeted floor with a soft clang. Next came her bracers, followed by her greaves. With one final shaky breath, she slipped off her breastplate, taking with it the black fur-tight tunic underneath. All that remained was her exposed fur, slightly clung to her body from where the armor had resided.
Navarehn felt his heart skip a few beats as he finally beheld the mare in her natural state, seeing the dark orchid fur that ran from her hooves to the crown of her head. It was beautiful in every sense of the word, majestic he might even say. She stood tall and proud before him, forcing a smile as she looked back at him with worry in her eyes.
Adopting his own smile, the drake rose to his feet, slightly hunched over so that he wouldn't damage the ceiling. “Beautiful.” Was all he could say as he pulled his hand from his bag, showing her a gift that he had gotten for her. It was a simple dark amethyst purple shirt that would cover her entire body, even having a small hole for her tail to slip through. “I asked Rarity to make this for you. I know how naked you feel without something covering yourself.”
“Thank you.” Tempest used her magic to slip on the shirt, finding that it fit comfortably around her body, even being tight across her chest and stomach. “Tell Rarity I said thank you as well.” A simple nod was her only response.
Curious as to how she looked, the mare strolled into her bedroom to stand before the large mirror in the corner. The shirt was a turtleneck, going halfway up her neck, while it slid down her body to resemble her fur. It was open at the joints of both her hind and fore legs, while it still left enough room to let her tail reside a bit lower on her rear. She had to admit that it complemented her in a way that the armor never did.
The mare strode back into the living room after taking one final look in the mirror, finding that her armor was still in a pile in the middle of the room. She stared at the armor, thinking of all the memories attached to him, and finding that it was hard not to slip back into it. A shadow passed across her mind, the Storm King's face staring at her from his symbol on her shoulder pad.
“Leave it behind Fizzlepop. Your not that mare anymore.” Hearing the drake's voice made the shadow lift from her mind, allowing her to see the armor for what it truly was, a dark memory of her past mistakes. “You'll always have those memories, but you can always make new ones. You'll never forget, but you can forgive.”
Silence fell upon the room like a dark shadow beneath the wake of the moon's glow. Minutes felt like hours as she kept her gaze on the armor, memories surging through her mind like a river. All of her evil deeds, choices that had sent some to their death, and others to their knees in fear plagued her mind. Who was she to seek forgiveness, when so many had suffered at her hooves.
Navarehn could see the turmoil that had assaulted her mind as she stared at the armor she had once worn. With a smile, he pulled her into a hug, using his tail to brush aside the armor so that she couldn't see it anymore. “Remember, you are who you chose to be.”
Tempest felt the clouds shy away from the light that pervaded her mind, seeing the smiling face of the dragon that she had come to call her first best friend. His smile was infectious, causing her to do the same. “You're right.” She felt a surge of happiness wash over her body as she finally let the armor go, taking with it all of her dark memories. “Can you please get rid of it?”
“Of course.” Using his tail, the drake picked up the pieces of armor and slid them into his satchel, planning on taking it to Princess Celestia later to be destroyed. “Are you ready now?”
“Yes.”
After spending a few minutes to make sure that the apartment was locked up, the two friends made their way down the stairs and out of the building. Tempest felt heat from the sun engulf her in a bundle, making sweat already start to gather beneath her fur.
The dragon and pony walked along the streets of Canterlot, both sporting smiles. Some ponies stopped to look at the mare, a few giving her glares, while a few managed to wave at her. Though it felt awkward at first, she finally managed to start waving back.
Tempest was amazed at how good it felt to just simply walk along the streets with the dragon. The radiant glow of the sun warmed her fur, while the gentle breeze that blew through the city kept her cool. Beside her, she caught the reflection of the sun off of her friend's topaz scales, making them shine brighter than any stars ever could. She was mesmerized by the sight, feeling like it would take her breath away if she looked for more than a few seconds at a time.
The city was lively for noon time, ponies being seen at various outdoor restaurants to eat their food in the comfort of the summer weather. Fillies and colts played in the street, smiles on their faces as they enjoyed their time away from school.
“You never told me where we're going.”
“That's because it's a surprise.” The drake replied with a grin.
When Twilight had come to visit him he was surprised, though it wasn't like it was uncommon for the princess to just stop by Rarity's boutique. When she told him how Tempest had been cooped up for the past few days he knew that he had to do something to help her get over her fear of seeing the ponies that she had hurt. He knew that their wounds would heal in time, but her wounds ran much deeper. There was something special about her.
“You said that Twilight came to see you at the boutique?” A nod was her only response. “So... you work at Canterlot Boutique?”
“In a way, yes.” Navarehn didn't know how to put into words exactly what it was that he did. “After the incident with the Sapphire Star, I took a liking to gems, not as a treat, but more of the aspect of beauty. Rarity gave me a job working in Ponyville as a gem carver, seeing as how I had a talent for polishing and cutting gems into any shape that she could think of. It also helps that I had a hobby of wood carving.”
“You're a wood carver too?”
“You could say that. I don't make sculptures or anything like that, I make fancy jewelry boxes, or sometimes I make chests. I was able to use my claws to cut and shape diamonds as easily as I engrave wood. At first I helped Rarity by making specific designs for her dresses, but after a few weeks customers wanted to see if we could make custom jewelry. Suffice to say, we became good at it. So Rarity hired me on full time, I make finely polished gems for her rings, necklaces, bracelets, you name it. I also craft the boxes for those pieces, sometimes putting a few gems into their design.”
Silence had fallen between them as they continued to walk the streets of Canterlot. To Tempest it felt like they had no real destination, just walking through the streets to for her to see ponies and for them to see her. She had grown accustomed to waving at them as she passed by, and it made her feel warm inside when they would wave back. She could swear that she felt lighter the further they walked, like a great weight was being taken off her shoulders the further they went.
“We're almost there.” Tempest was a little upset that they were coming to the end of their walk, but she would be lying if she wasn't curious as to where he had brought her. She looked around them, noticing that there were far fewer buildings than before, and none of them were over two stories tall. The longer she looked, the more she realized that they had left the bustling streets of Canterlot for the small 'out of the way' shops that made up the Western District.
Still they walked on, passing by various shops that sold more, sentimental wares than anything else.
As they came towards the end of the street she could begin to hear the sound of running water, like that of a waterfall. Splashing accompanied it, as did the sound of laughter. Voices quickly joined in, talking about trivial things like hooficures. A great volume of air was sent down towards them, making the dragon beside her pull his wings in tighter. “We're here.”
Tempest felt the air escape her lungs as they rounded a corner and beheld their destination. Towards the outskirts of Canterlot, just past the various shops they had seen, was a natural lake that was easily the same width and lake as Canterlot Castle.
The surface of the water was clear like a mirror, reflecting back the mountain that rose beside of it. Twenty feet above the base of the mountain was a small outcropping of rock, resembling a trough, where the water poured down into the lake. Ripples were cast out from the epicenter, taking a long time to reach the smooth surface further down.
“Tempest.” From the water she caught sight of a cyan blue hoof waving at her, the signature rainbow mane revealing who it was. Swimming beside her was a lavender purple mare, her crown being forsaken for the simple enjoyment she was sharing with her friends. Along the bank of the lake was a small chair, a tall umbrella erected beside it to give the silvery-white mare lounging in it shade from the sun. From where the trough was she watched as an amethyst purple dragon leaped from the edge, plunging into the crisp, cool water below in mere seconds.
“You have friends Fizzlepop.”
Tempest felt her heart beat faster as she heard her real name leave his lips. She had heard him say it back in her apartment, but she didn't think anything of it. Now, as she replayed what he said in her mind, hearing her name come from him brought a comforting warmth to her. “Thank you.” Several seconds passed before she asked, “Why do you keep saying my name?”
The dragon moved to stand before her, kneeling down so that he could look her in the eyes as he spoke. “You told me, a complete stranger, your real name over tea. You trusted me with a secret that you have kept hidden for so many years. When you were telling me I could see the deep yearning to be rid of that name, to be free of her hold. That's not who you are, you never were. You are Fizzlepop, my friend.” He placed a clawed hand on her shoulder, “Besides, I saw the way you smiled when I said your name.”
“You called me Tempest when you arrived though.”
“That was because you still clung to the memory of her. Like Princess Luna, you need to shed the memory of what you were, so that you can reveal who you are. I will always be there to help you along the way. I promise.” Tempest didn't know what to say, feeling like her heart was going to burst with the immense happiness that she felt inside. Only three days ago she was willing to lay down and let the storm take her away, but now, all she wanted to do was stay. Looking into his eyes, seeing her own reflection, not as Tempest Shadow, but as Fizzlepop Berrytwist, she knew that she could let go of her past. With his help, she could finally emerge from the shell of Tempest Shadow.
She embraced him in a hug, “Thank you Navarehn.”
“Anything for you Fizzlepop.”
The mare was left alone as the drake walked over to where Rarity was sitting in her chair, beside of which were already two damp towels laid out in the grass. Sporting a smile, he walked further down from where the last towel ended to the shade beneath a tall tree that she had failed to notice upon inspection of the lake. He pulled out two towels from his satchel and laid them out beside each other, both colored a deep charcoal black.
“You might want to take your shirt off.” The mare was startled when she heard a voice beside her. She glanced over to see Spike, a ghost of a smile dancing across his lips while his eyes were fixed on a certain silvery-white mare. “Unless you wanting it get wet. Rarity and I spent two whole days on that for you, we actually ended up making three more. We can bring them by tomorrow for you.”
It took a moment for the mare to respond, “Thank you. I can stop by tonight to get them.”
“We won't be there tonight. Rarity and I have a date before heading back to Ponyville tomorrow. We had already planned on bringing them by before we left for the train station.” There was a radiant glow that seemed to permeate from the drake as he talked about his marefriend. It was no big secret that the overly pompous mare was dating the sweet, and lovable dragon. Most did not know Rarity like he did.
With a giggle, the mare trotted off towards Navarehn.
Rainbow Dash was lounging on her back when she was bumped in the side by a hoof, making her look accusingly at the lavender mare beside her. “What's the big idea Twilight?”
“Look.” The cyan mare followed the length of her friends lavender hoof to the shore line, where she saw their other dragon friend sitting beneath the shade of a tree. Beside of him was their newest friend Tempest Shadow. “I heard a little bit of what they were saying earlier. He uses her real name around her, and I noticed that when he did she would crack a smile. Somehow I knew he would be perfect for her.”
“What do you mean?”
“Only Princess Cadence knows anything about him really. He spent two years in the Crystal Empire before he came with us to Ponyville. She told me that there is much about him that we don't know. She didn't say whether it was good or bad, just that there was a lot that he keeps to himself. I've met with his father and the rest of his family, but none of them want to talk about it.”
“Whatever it is, it can't be as bad as the two love doves over there.” Rainbow pointed a little further down to where Rarity was relaxing in the comfort of her chair. From what they saw when they looked, the two had no intention of just 'relaxing'. It made them both blush as they turned away from the scene.
“Cadence told me that when she met Tempest that she thought that she and Navarehn would be best friends. Together they would help each other blossom.”
“Well we all know that Tempest doesn't like too many ponies, she hardly smiles, hell, she hardly even laughs.”
“For some inexplicable reason he can bring that out of her. I heard her laugh, I have seen her smile. They clicked, like they were two friends who lost contact for a long time, but then one day picked up the pieces like that time never existed.”
“You read to much Twilight.”
The lavender mare smirked back at the cyan mare. “You never seemed to complain before.”
Rainbow Dash blushed, slipping her glasses back down over her eyes. “I d-don't know what you're talking about.”
“Maybe you need a refresher. 'Study Time' in my room tonight?” Twilight fixed her eyes upon the mare, a coy grin splitting her lips as she watched the mare squirm.
“Like I'd m-miss that.” A nervous chuckle escaped her, looking around to make sure that nopony had heard her.
Navarehn watched the two mares from where he was lying down in the shade, grinning at the display that they were putting on. Although all of their friends had figured out what was going on between the two, they all agreed to keep quiet until they were ready to confirm what they already knew. A sigh escaped him as he turned his attention to the sky, watching the clouds as they drifted by.
“Are you okay?” Tempest asked as she looked at the dragon with worry.
“Just thinking about her.” He realized that in the short time that they've known each other he had neglected to mention her before. “When I was younger I was in love. She was a beautiful snow white dragoness that almost shone like a crystal. Her name was Lavera. We were best friends for years until we fell for each other. We started dating, but before I could ask her to be my mate, she was taken from me.”
Tempest noticed that as he spoke he never once turned to look at her, just staring into the sky with a hollowed expression. “What happened?”
A few tears rolled down his cheeks as he turned to look at the mare, the a longing look in his eyes. “I'm sorry, its just too painful for me right now.”
“That's alright. Is there anything I can do to help?” Navarehn stared into the beautiful moderate opal eyes of the mare lying next to him, seeing his own reflection on the surface. Looking deeper he could see the smoldering embers of some deep pain that was fading away, over that was a worry that she had somehow said something to upset him.
Tempest looked into the topaz orange eyes of the dragon before her, seeing a deep seated pain beneath the surface of her own reflection. Looking closer, she could see that he was haunted by some memory of his past, just like she was.
Navarehn looked away from her, directing his attention back to the clouds. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest, his lungs taking in shallow breaths. You will meet somepony who is going to need your help, when you do you will fall in love with her. He replayed the words over in his head, remembering his dream of the dragoness. It had felt so real to him. In a faint whisper, he said, “I don't think I can, not again....”