//------------------------------// // The End and the Beginning // Story: Three Kittens, Two Unicorns, and a BANANA! // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// Tempest Shadow frowned as she sat back in the Ponyville park, staring out at the ponies and other creatures playing and laughing together. As much as Princess Twilight encouraged her to join in, she knew there was no true welcome for her. If the ponies had been in Canterlot during the invasion - a rather large number there - then they avoided her for her place in their newest nightmares, not that she could blame them. If someone had conquered her home and enslaved her, she'd probably hate and fear them too. She still didn't understand how Princess Twilight and the other Princesses could be so forgiving. She'd expected a prison sentence at the very least. ...honestly, it probably would have been easier if there had been a prison sentence, since it would have given other ponies time to forget, so when she was freed she could meet others with a clean slate. She could have actually been Fizzlepop Berrytwist...instead of forever being Tempest Shadow in everypony's minds. Those who hadn't been her direct victims from the invasion avoided her as well, due to her scars and broken horn, or possibly because even in this peace time she held herself with a military bearing...or possibly the way she watched others. It was a life long habit, always analyzing and calculating anyone she encountered to determine what they might do, always ready to defend herself if necessary, to crush the opposition. If her bearing and gaze was the problem, she could accept that. She had a long way to go before she could ever consider herself peaceful. If it was her appearance, though...honestly, she expected it, though she didn't like it. Even Twilight's close circle of friends wasn't entirely at ease around her. If Twilight was there, they were all smiles and engaging...but one on one, they either came across as awkward, uncertain, or trying too hard. Fluttershy and Spike definitely fell into the first category, Applejack was heavily in the second, and Rarity and Pinkie Pie firmly in the third...though Princess Twilight had suggested that this was just Pinkie being herself with a 'new friend', so there was that. Honestly, the only ones Tempest felt she'd ever be fully comfortable with were Rainbow Dash and Starlight Glimmer. The first time they'd been alone, Rainbow had been quite confrontational with her, stating plainly that she was working with Tempest specifically because Twilight asked her to, and not because she herself had forgiven her. Tempest had welcomed that, determined to earn forgiveness if possible. Starlight, on the other hoof, was apparently another former enemy that Princess Twilight had taken under her wing, and had also stated flat out her fear of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time and upsetting Tempest or disappointing Twilight. No amount of Tempest's reassurance that she could take it would clear that obstacle. Leaning forward, Tempest crossed her forelegs and rested her chin there. "I suppose some mistakes never go away," she muttered to herself. "Then again, there's never been a way to take back the first impression. It would be so much easier if I could." "I could help you with that," a mischievous voice whispered wickedly in her ear. Rolling her eyes, Tempest turned calmly to the figure that had appeared beside her. Discord had been a major concern in the conquest of Equestria, and as such Tempest had spent months studying every detail that could be learned about his antics. She'd come to three startling discoveries in that regard. First, powerful Harmony energy greatly weakened his ability to use his powers. Second, he rarely if ever left the borders of Equestria, and was far more conservative with his power when he did. And third and most important, there seemed to be a pattern of times when he wouldn't - or possibly couldn't - use as much power as normal, and did not make an appearance. As such, the first step of the invasion had been striking into the Everfree during one of those times of presumed low power - as everypony was gathering in Canterlot - and placing magical amplifiers around the Tree of Harmony, thus boosting its influence on the land around it so Discord couldn't manifest freely. It had been a shock for Princess Twilight when that had been explained as they'd dismantled the amplifiers. Discord, much to everyone's surprise, found Tempest quite intriguing as a result, and could often be found tagging along with her when he wasn't spending time with Fluttershy. Tempest often wondered if that also contributed to other ponies avoiding her. "What do you want, Discord?" she asked, calmly and flatly. "Aww, is that any way to talk to a friend just trying to help?" Discord asked impishly. "You wound me!" He pulled back the fur on his chest to show indentations in the shape of the break on her horn, as though she'd jabbed him with it. Tempest simply stared flatly at him. Studying his antics, she'd learned rather quickly that he did not have much patience when it came to his 'games'. The quickest way to get to whatever he wanted to discuss was to wait him out while giving no reaction. Unless you were one he considered an enemy - or hurt someone he considered a friend - he wouldn't actually harm you with his antics, so patience was your friend when dealing with him. As she expected, it wasn't long before he cracked...literally, since it was him. After pushing his head back together, he explained. "See, I know how hard it is to get past the mistakes of your past," Discord explained readily. "I've still got a few bouncing around somewhere that I fully expect to spring on me without warning one of these days, and convincing most ponies I'm actually on their side now is real hit or miss." He briefly bounced around like a superball before flipping through the air like a coin as he said all this. "And some of my closest friends deal with that, too. Starlight, for example, and Trixie and Thorax. So when I heard you talking about taking back that first impression...well, would I be a true friend if I didn't offer you that chance?" Tempest blinked slowly as she took this all in. Based on her projections, this was one of Discord's 'peak' periods, when his power was at its strongest. If he was making an offer like this, there was a good chance he could deliver. The only question was how, and what it would take on her part. "Go on," she said flatly, deciding to hear him out. Smirking, Discord held up his eagle talon. "With just a snap, I can turn things back and give you that second chance at a first impression with Twilight and the others you so desperately want. No being hated for invading Canterlot. No being feared for conquest and slavery. 'Tempest Shadow' won't be a name that fills ponies with fear and loathing. You can be Fizzlepop Berrytwist to everyone you meet." Tempest frowned. It sounded too good to be true...which meant it likely was. "What's the catch?" she asked flatly. Discord chuckled softly. "Oh, no catch, really. As I said, a second chance at a first impression. It'll just be up to you to make it a good one." Tempest frowned thoughtfully, still considering. "Let me sweeten the deal," Discord offered playfully. "I will know I did this when you make your new first impression on me, though I won't know why. If you don't like the result, I'll change everything back like it never happened. All you'll have to do to let me know is a shake." He held out his two hands. "Talon to keep the change, paw to turn it back. How does that sound?" Tempest turned that over in her mind. A second chance at getting it all right this time...and if things didn't work out how she wanted, a single gesture to undo it all? "...and I have your word that's all there is to this?" she asked firmly. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Discord avowed, performing the motions of the 'Pinkie Promise' that Pinkie had shown her, the one promise anyone who knew Pinkie definitely wouldn't break. Tempest turned her gaze back towards the park...only to see a mother turn her foal away from approaching her, fear in her eyes. That decided it. "Do it," she told Discord firmly. Grinning, Discord raised his talon. "Good luck," he wished her as he snapped his claws. The sound of ruffling pages and rushing sand - as though someone was flipping backwards through a book as an hourglass was turned over - filled Tempest's ears as the world went white. Tempest groaned under her breath as she slowly opened her eyes, finding herself under a bush. Knew I should have insisted on a gentle landing, she grumbled in her mind. She stared down at the brown dirt under her hooves...her unusually large hooves relative to her legs. Why are my hooves so big? she thought in confusion. What did he do to me? She struggled to her hooves, only to tumble as she felt the bush scrape against her barrel, causing her to let out a gasp of pain. And where's my armor? Or at least my jumpsuit? "Did you hear that?" someone called out, from the sound of it a female pre-teen. "I think it came from that bush over there," another female voice, this one that of a child, called out from closer. "I wanna see!" a third female voice, this one of a toddler, called out excitedly as the bush began to shake. "Careful, Agnes!" the first voice called out worriedly. "That was a big storm last night, so there's no telling what sort of-" The bush parted, and Tempest stared up into the face of what was, based on her research, plainly a human. She'd looked into 'humans' when her research on Equestria during conquest had revealed that Princess Twilight had a mirror that led to a world of them, and that Princess Celestia's former student called it home. That was not the sort of power she would just shrug off. However, the human here was not like those reports showed were through the mirror. This human child had off-pink skin, black hair tied at the top of her head sticking upright, and wearing a yellow striped shirt, blue overalls, and white shoes. Her brown eyes lit up in delight as her mouth opened into a huge grin that didn't quite have all its teeth yet. "Oh my gosh!" the girl - Agnes, presumably - squealed out in excitement before lunging forward and scooping Tempest up. "It's a baby unicorn!" Baby? Tempest thought in shock as she got a look at herself. Large hooves as compared to her legs, her head felt oddly unwieldy, her tail was short, and no Cutie Mark... "Ahfagah!" she attempted to curse. That bastard turned me into a foal! When I get my hooves on him- Realization dawned on her. Discord had offered to 'turn things back' so she could make a new first impression. Getting her hooves on him would be a long time in coming...