//------------------------------// // 21. Another Warm Welcome // Story: Like Fireworks in the Sky // by SpyroForLife //------------------------------// The walk was exhausting as usual, but Tempest and Discord passed the time with conversation, telling each other stories and cracking jokes. Discord did a lot of the talking, as he had a very long life and countless interesting stories. He knew Celestia and Luna when they were children. He was pranking Starswirl the Bearded. He was trolling ponies before Equestria was ever united. “So, what about your childhood then?” Tempest asked. “What was tiny Discord like?” He chuckled. “Tiny Discord spent a beautiful two years learning how to use his magic from his mother, and then was promptly set loose and she left. I was a very curious child, and also rather violent. I had to kill my own food before learning to create it, and I grew somewhat sadistic though now I regret the pain I used to cause my prey. I just kinda wandered, watching what ponies did, or spying on the griffins, or any other species I came across. Honestly, I was helpful sometimes. And other times I was a nuisance. It all depended on my mood. My magical power grew as I did, and I kept pushing the limits of it, always wanting to do more. Chaos magic comes naturally to my species but we have varying skill levels. I became one of the most powerful through sheer determination.” Discord noticed the skeleton of some animal and plucked the skull off it, playing with it as he walked. “And funny enough, ponies helped me with that.” “Really?” Tempest asked. Discord set the skull on his hand and opened and closed its jaws. “Indeed! Ponies are kind, and altruistic! I was a fellow magic user, they wanted to teach me! Draconequus were seen as more of an elusive species back then but not anything to be feared.” “Ah, so those fairy tales of you guys as the horrifying villains didn’t exist yet?” “Nope! I was the cause for those tales.” Discord grew bored with the skull and tossed it aside. “But yes, at the time the ponies were only slightly nervous about me because they didn’t know what to expect, but they wanted to learn about me. I didn’t tell them much about my kind. There wasn’t anything to tell. We’re solitary, we don’t have a society or culture to speak of. So they focused on learning about my magic, and offered me techniques to hone my focus and control. In return I taught them chaos magic, but many struggled with it. It started to scare them after a while. But no matter. I had access to all the knowledge I wanted and once I had enough, I moved on. And thus, I will admit, to causing years of trouble.” Tempest laughed. “Of course you did.” “I made my way into adulthood as an absolute menace. Of course Celestia and Luna grew up not too much later, taking over moving the Sun and the Moon from the unicorns, and I was fascinated by them. Alicorns were such a rare species by then.” Tempest considered that, then said, “Were there more alicorns back then?” “Yep! Alicorns used to have a kingdom like everyone else, and there were thousands of them! They generally kept to themselves but they were intelligent and powerful, and provided Equestria with many magical and technological discoveries. But… something happened.” Discord sighed. “I don’t know what it was exactly. It was before even me. But their numbers began to dwindle. Some say they kept killing themselves in their attempts to push the limits of magic. Some say a disease swept through their closely knit community. And others will just say the inbreeding caught up to them but don’t say that around Celestia and Luna.” Tempest snickered. “Whatever happened, alicorns were disappearing. Celestia and Luna were raised away from their home and taught by Starswirl. They avoided whatever happened, and they survived. Some say they carry the spirits of the rest of their species in them to this day, and they can choose to grant that magic to worthy modern ponies. Like Cadance, and Twilight.” Tempest nodded. “I see. But they never tried to restore their race? Like… I don’t know, by having foals? I mean Cadance wasn’t even born an alicorn, she ascended, but then her child was born an alicorn. It can happen. So why didn’t the princesses have children?” Discord waved a hand. “Ah, you know. They were far too busy with their royal duties to worry about having foals. A lot was happening that they had to deal with. Including me, wreaking havoc on the land. And it wasn’t too long after I was frozen in stone that Luna, feeling bitter at ponies sleeping through her night and not appreciating her like Celestia, lashed out and became Nightmare Moon. After she was sent away Celestia was even more busy managing the duties of herself and her sister. I suppose now things are settled enough, but I can’t see either of them settling down with a partner.” “Why not?” Discord sighed. “I don’t want to get into their personal lives.” “Oh.” “Just know that they have their reasons to be alone. Their love is for their kingdom. They don’t want any one person getting special treatment. And as natural born alicorns, they have a very long lifespan. They don’t want their hearts broken.” “I understand.” Discord checked how far away they were from Sunny Oasis. “Ugh, more than an hour of walking left.” “What a nice day for it, huh?” “I’m sweating like a marathon runner.” Discord rubbed his neck off. “Bleh. Oh well, I’ll treat myself to a shower when we get there. They have plumbing, right?” “Mhm.” “Oh, wonderful!” Tempest was quiet for a bit. Then she said, “So, you mentioned you’ve never dated?” “Nope. I had zero interest. I saw it as a sham, a waste of time! Useless nonsense! Much like I saw friendship, I suppose. But up until very recently I was still firm in my feelings about love anyway. I’d never felt it, how could it really exist? But I’ve seen the evidence of it. It’s strange, and I still don’t fully understand romance, but… if there’s anyone I want to learn about it with, it’s with you.” Discord scratched gently behind one of her ears. She smiled and leaned her head against his hand. “You’re so soft.” “Ugh, stop reminding me!” “Well then, stop being soft and I won’t mention it.” “I can’t just stop, I want to explore a more intimate relationship with you and if that makes me soft then fine, I'm soft!” “Well at least you admit it.” Tempest paused to rub sand out of her eyes. It was fairly windy today and she kept getting sand in her face no matter which way she looked. Discord noticed and snapped his fingers, and a transparent bubble surrounded them. “There, that'll keep the sand away.” “Thanks.” That was much better. She should have suggested it sooner. They kept walking, soon growing comfortably quiet as they focused their energy on actually getting to Sunny Oasis. They can talk once they arrive. When they finally saw the town, Tempest perked up and walked faster, Discord right beside her. They started jogging when they were about half a mile away, and finally they were crossing into the oasis. “Ohh, I've missed grass so much,” Tempest said, just letting herself sprawl on her stomach in the grass. Discord threw himself onto his back next to her, stretching out and laughing. “It feels so wonderful, doesn't it?” he asked, rubbing his arms through it as if making a snow angel. “It really does.” Tempest rolled onto her stomach and took a bite of the grass, tearing a clump free. “You are adorable!” Discord shouted, and suddenly a camera was in his hands and he took a picture of her. She jerked back, blushing while the camera printed out the photo. Discord took it and waved it back and forth for a few seconds, before admiring it. “Aww, that's one for the scrapbook. A scrapbookortunity, so to speak!” He turned it around and Tempest saw that it was a rather unflattering shot of her with grass and roots hanging out of her mouth, her cheeks full like a hamster's. She groaned. “Are you keeping that?” “Absolutely.” And indeed, he poofed up a scrapbook and placed the photo carefully inside. Tempest wanted to admonish him, but then she saw that the front of the book was decorated with mismatched letters spelling out, 'Tempestcord.' “Tempestcord?” she asked, confused. “Yeah, that's our ship name!” “Our- our what?” “Ship, you know, like...” Discord closed the book and vanished it. “We're in a relationship so I just shortened it to ship, much easier to say. And I combined our names so I could quickly get across to strangers that we're a couple, you know like the celebrities do!” “That sounds ridiculous.” “Well I mean hey, it could catch on.” Tempest shook her head and got up. “Well anyway. Let's keep going.” “So can I keep the photo?” “Sure.” She nuzzled his side. “As long as I get to take pictures of your embarrassing moments too.” “Deal, but you'll be hard-pressed to find any.” Discord started to walk. And then his foot got caught in a hole and he fell flat on his front. A moment later, Tempest had summoned her own camera and took a picture before he could get up. He gave her an outraged look and she sang, “Scrapbookortunity!” “Okay, I deserve that.” He retrieved the book and handed it to her, and once the photo printed out and developed, she placed it carefully inside. “Can I carry this around?” she asked. “Sure.” She moved the book into one of her saddlebags. They kept going. They were greeted by the storm creatures and shook hands, Tempest introducing them to Discord. Many of them had met him when he came by to plan out the road, but they were happy to see him again. Dusty came out to meet them as they approached the town hall, along with Mary. “I'm glad to see you,” he said, coming forward to give Tempest a hug. She returned it, and hugged Mary too. Now that there wasn't a desk in front of her, she could see how big Mary's belly was getting. “Oh wow, look at you,” Tempest said, looking at her stomach. “Have they started moving yet?” “No, not yet. But it's only a matter of time.” Mary rubbed her stomach affectionately. “Gonna have a little Dusty running around,” Tempest commented. “Oh boy.” “Haha, I know, but we're ready to handle it.” “Come on, I want to show you where you'll be staying,” Dusty said, gesturing to Tempest and Discord. He led them to the houses, and stepped up to the door of a small but nicely built one with plenty of flowers around it. He unlocked it and pushed it open. “We keep these cabins open for guests, please, have a look around.” Tempest went in first. It was built entirely out of wood with a polished floor, and all the furniture had wooden frames as well. The couch had plush cushions on it, as did the armchair near it, and the coffee table in front of them was decorated with two doilies and a ceramic vase. Purple and blue flowers were currently growing from it. Paintings of desert landscapes and animals adorned the walls, and Dusty showed her over to the kitchen and dining room. “As you can see, you have a stove and refrigerator, all magitech until we get electricity out here, and plenty of space for preparing meals!” He showed her the spacious counter and sink, and opened a few cupboards. “I don't know how long you plan on staying but please, feel free to get whatever you need from the local convenience store and stock up.” Tempest tapped her hoof against the tiled floor, pleased with the quality. Behind her, Discord opened the fridge and examined it. “Hm, enchanted ice crystal, nice.” Dusty kept showing them around. “And the dining room table can seat four people but feel free to bring in more chairs!” The table was sturdy and its centerpiece was a stylish bowl of fruit. However, the fruit turned out to be fake, much to Discord's disappointment. “Well, I didn't want to just leave real fruit sitting around to rot,” Dusty explained as Discord set the plastic apple back in the bowl. “Oh I know, I still got my hopes up though,” Discord replied. The cabin only had one bedroom and one bath, but Dusty explained, “This is really for single couples, but- oh, I'm sorry, I could bring an extra bed or something if you like-” “No, it's okay,” Tempest said. “Discord and I... well, we are a couple.” It was still strange to say it out loud. She was happy to be in a relationship with him, but it was foreign at the same time. “Oh, are you? I had no idea, congrats! Aw, Tempest, you finally found someone you tolerate enough to date.” She scoffed. Now she remembered. Dusty used to tease her about dating, way back when he served under her as a captain. She had always dismissed him but he was adamant that she could use some love. That made sense in retrospect, considering that he had secretly been dating Mary. “Yeah, yeah.” Tempest checked out the bathroom. There was a large bathtub considering the size of the rest of the house, with a shower head high above it affixed to the wall. The floor in here was tiled like the kitchen. She looked at her reflection in the mirror over the twin sinks, taking in the dust that had settled in her fur during the trip. Discord squeezed into the bathroom next to her, checking out himself. “We need a bath,” he commented. Tempest turned on the faucet, splashing water on her face. That resulted in a stream of mud, and she had to take several seconds to scrub it all off. Dusty waited patiently. “I knew you and Discord were friends, but I didn't know you were dating!” “We weren't until yesterday,” Tempest said, finally removing her face from the sink and drying off. Meanwhile, Discord just used his magic to clean himself off. “Ohh, I see. Well, congrats anyway. I take it you won't mind sharing a bed then?” Dusty asked. “Not at all, we were doing that at Klugetown,” Discord replied. “Really? Oohh,” Dusty started, but Tempest pressed her hoof to his mouth. “No,” she said sternly. He smiled and gently moved her hoof aside. “I was just going to say that's adorable. Who knew that my old commander had such a soft side?” “Hah!” Discord shouted triumphantly. “I'm not the only softie!” “Pft. Whatever.” Tempest flicked her tail at him. The bedroom was a decent size, with a bed larger than Capper's. It had several pillows and the covers were somewhat thin, made of a furry material. “It's too hot to need a lot of blankets most days but let me know if you ever need more,” Dusty said as they checked it out. “This is fine, thank you,” Tempest said, feeling the blanket. It was very soft. There was a nightstand on either side of the bed, and a dresser along one wall. It had a few small photograph frames on it, which showed various desert flowers. She pulled her saddlebags off and placed them on the dresser. “Well, want me to leave you alone for the afternoon, or do you want to check out the town some more?” Dusty asked. “I want to look around,” Discord said. Tempest nodded, and with that they headed back outside.